Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews :D! I would've updated sooner, but I've been a lil' busy, with school starting and all.... T_T Sorry the chapter's short, but I guess you could just call this a filler. The next chapter is where the real stuff begins!!

Review Goal: 10

Review Responses:

Jigglypuff: Thanks for reviewing ^_^ I thought the condition of the Pikachu would be a twister.

Obsidian Blade: Hey, thanks for reviewing! I'll send you the rules n' stuff on my other fic ASAP!

Titchmeister: Thanks for the review! Yes, I have played some of the games. I've beaten Sapphire and Ruby, but still working on the others -_-(). On my Sapphire, all of my Pokemon are level eighty or higher. My Blaziken (sp?) is at 100.

Flower Powerer: Yeah, I love original trainer fics, too ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, and I'll send you the stuff for my interactive fic ASAP!

Paradox Paradox: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you think my first fic rocks ^_^

Fyrefly: Thanks for the review! I'll try and review yours ASAP!

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[CHAPTER 1: HANDICAPPED PICHU]

The next morning, at the Pokemon labs, Professor Oak was taking Lane out to the garden, where the female Pikachu's eggs had hatched during the night. When they reached the next, the teen noticed that the female Pikachu was nowhere to be seen, and only a couple of the Pichu had remained in the nest.

"Where's their mom, Professor?" She asked curiously.

"The infants know how to take care of themselves just a few hours after hatching. The mother probably felt that she was no longer needed, and left to explore the garden for herself," Oak explained. "Now, which of these Pichu would you like?"

Lane surveyed the Pokemon for a second. The first Pichu, the bigger one, looked like any regular Pichu. But the littler one's cheeks were black instead of pink, and its tail was a bit longer than a Pichu's should be. Lane smiled; she'd always thought herself unordinary, and having this Pokemon as leader on her team would prove that she wasn't normal.

"I'd like that one," she grinned, "the one with black cheeks."

Professor Oak raised a brow. "Are you sure? She can't use electricity...."

Lane shrugged it off. "I don't care. It only makes her even more special." The small Pichu seemed to smile a little at this. "I'll just have to train her to use physical attacks. In my opinion, Ash's Pikachu relies too much on its electricity; if my Pichu ever learned how to use hers, then she could always back it up with some strength!"

"True," Oak nodded. "Okay, then. Here's a Poke Ball, just ask her if she wants to get into it..."

"No thanks, Professor," Lane kneeled down on one knee, so she could get closer to the Pichu's level. "Hey, girl... D'you wanna go with me? I've got a nice ball for you, but you don't have to stay in it." The teen poked at the custom Poke Ball hanging around her neck. The female Pokemon tilted its head, as if thinking about it, and finally nodded. The girl held out the Poke Ball, but Pichu shook her head.

"Oh, so you'd like to come with me, just not in the ball, right?"

Another nod.

"Okay!" The girl held out her arm, making a sort of ramp so the small mouse could climb up to her shoulder.

The Pichu hesitantly hopped forward, leaning on all four paws, and scampered onto Lane's shoulder. It squeaked happily. "Chu! Pichu!"

The bushes the stood just behind the Pichu nest rustled. Two yellow- and-black ears popped out of the top of it, and then a red-cheeked yellow head. "Pika... Chu?" The mother Pikachu tilted her head up at her offspring.

"Pipichu!" The baby Pokemon answered back. The mother jumped out of the bush and propped itself up on its hind legs. It waved one of its paws in the air.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"I see the mother still checks up on her babies," Oak said, seeming to think this over in his head. He rubbed his chin absently with his forefinger before looking over at Lane.

"I received a call from Ash earlier this morning. He will be arriving here tomorrow, and I thought you'd might like to stay for a couple more days so you could train Pichu with him."

"Sounds great!" She smiled, nodding her head once.

"I think you'll be needing this for your journey...." Oak handed her a small, blue Poke Dex. Lane looked at it, a little confused. All the Poke Dex's the Professor kept around for new trainers were red. She glanced up at Oak in a questioning manner, and held up the blue Dex.

"It's a special edition," the Professor began to explain. "It has three different modes; first, there's Dexter Mode. This mode allows you to gather data on the species of Pokemon you are examining. Second, there's Trainer Mode. It tells you the species, the gender, the level, attacks, hit points, and stats of the Pokemon in your party. Last, there is Battle Mode. It basically tells you everything about your opponent's Pokemon in a battle. All you have to do is tell it what mode you want."

"Whoa, thanks, Professor," Lane pocketed the Poke Dex. "C'mon, Pichu, let's go get some breakfast!"

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Author's note 2: See, I told ya it was gonna be a short chapter ^_^;; Sorry 'bout that. Anyways.... My REVIEW goal is 10, so if you'd leave a REVIEW that'd be splendid.

Flames, suggestions, and helpful criticism are greatly welcomed.

**If you would like to be in my upcoming fic "To Be a Pokemon Master" just leave your e-mail in a REVIEW**