Hello, I had some free time to kill before I left on my little trip. So this is the last chapter till the next one is posted; enjoy!

Chapter 18: The Thundershock Showdown

Angelina headed back to the Pokemon Center just in time to see Nurse Joy walk by. She wondered where the nurse was going and decided to follow. She also heard familiar voices from a nearby room.

"Pikachu was totally overpowered by that Raichu." Brock said.

"That's right, Ash…." Misty agreed.

Angelina stopped walking, Ash and his friends were here at the Pokemon Center. She figured Ash tried to battle Lt. Surge for the Thunder Badge and Pikachu didn't stand a chance against Raichu.

"We'll try harder! We can win next time if Pikachu tries harder!" Ash insisted.

"I think Pikachu was trying his best the last time." Misty said.

Ash sighed.

"There's one way you might win…." said a voice from the door. The three teens look up to see Nurse Joy walk inside. "I'm sorry. I overheard your conversation and I just thought maybe..."

"How can we win?" Ash asked.

"A while ago, I just happened to come across this." Nurse Joy takes out a small case and opens it. Inside is a green stone with a thunderbolt carved in it.

"Wow! It's a Thunderstone!" Brock exclaimed.

"A Thunderstone?" Ash asked.

"Yes, with it you can make Pikachu evolve into a Raichu." Brock informed.

"I could evolve Pikachu into a Raichu?" Ash said, taking the Thunderstone out of its case. "Then Pikachu might be strong enough to win."

"You must think hard before using the Thunderstone." Nurse Joy warned.

"If you make Pikachu evolve, Ash, you can't change it back!" Misty replied.

"Pikachu will never be the same." Brock agreed.

Ash looks at the stone in his hand. "If I evolve Pikachu, I could win that badge. On the other hand, to make it evolve just to fight, I would be just like Surge." he looks at his Pokemon. "Pikachu? What do you want to do? I really want to beat that Surge, but I also don't want to force you to evolve if you'd be happier staying the way you are now."

Pikachu looks at Ash, then at the stone. The electric and bandaged Pokemon struggles to get up.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Save your strength!" Misty said.

Pikachu then whacked the Thunderstone away with his tail.

"Huh? Pikachu?" Ash was confused.

"Pika Pika pi pi pika! Chu! Pika pika pikachu!"

Outside the room, Angelina had been listening and now her eyes start to tear up. 'Pikachu's so brave…. It wants to battle Raichu as itself and fight for its own kind.'

Ash takes Pikachu's hands. "Pikachu, together you and I will beat Lt. Surge and his Raichu!"

"Pika Pika!" the Pokemon nodded.

"You're both crazy!" Misty yelled.

"You should change your strategy, Ash!" Brock warned. "Maybe use your other Pokemon!"

"It's hard, but it's not impossible!" Ash declared. "Pikachu and I will find a way to win!"

"Pika! Pika pika chu!" Pikachu squeaked.

Angelina was bawling her eyes out, sitting on the ground and hugging her legs. 'Pikachu will prove it can beat Raichu! It will defend it's honor and Ash's!'

"All right! Are we all charged up?" Ash asked.

"Pika!…. chu…." Pikachu falls back on the bed and falls asleep.

"Huh?" Ash looked on, confused.

"It hasn't fully recovered its stamina." Nurse Joy explained. "You should let it rest a little while longer."

Ash turns to leave, but looks back at his Pokemon. "Hmm…. Pikachu…."

"Ash, guess who's here?" Misty said, pointing outside the door.

"Huh?" Ash looked up to see Angelina. "What's she doing here?"

"Don't be rude!" Brock scolded, he was comforting the girl with his arm around her. "Hey now, don't worry Angel. Pikachu's just fine."

"Yeah, I know," Angelina said, wipping away tears from her eyes. She knew it wasn't her fault that Pikachu lost the match, and Ash wasn't really prepared to battle such a high-leveled and recently evolved Pokemon. She then grinned and took out her badge box. "Hey Ash, take a look at this."

Ash and his companions eyed the Johto and Orange badges in admiration, but what really surprised them was the badge from Lt. Surge.

"NO WAY! HOW DID YOU DO IT?" the three shouted.

"I used my mind to over come his," Angelina said, which was the truth. Although she used a Water-type Pokemon's defensive attacks to counteract Raichu's electric attacks.

"That's it!" Ash exclaimed. Whatever 'it' was to Ash was a mystery, but Angelina was glad to inspired him.

The next day, Angelina joined Ash and his friends back to the Vermillion gym. Suddenly, they are stopped by three figures in black.

"Who are you guys?" Ash asked.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie and James reply in unison.

Meowth jumps up and whacks both of them with a paper fan. "Ix-nay!"

"We forgot!" Jessie and James yelled.

"We are the challenger's cheerleaders and we're here to show our support for the brave Pikachu and Ash!" Meowth announced.

"Rah!" Jessie and James shouted.

"In honor of the great Pikachu's bravery, we wish to offer a cheer!" Meowth declared.

"We want you! Pikachu! Pika-pika-pikachu! Kachu! We want you Pikachu! Pika pika pikachu!" Team Rocket cheered, waving flags and doing hand-signal movements like cheerleaders.

"Hip-hip-hooraaaaaaay!" Meowth cheered. "Okay let's split."

Team Rocket turns and runs away.

"That was really disturbing." Brock said, while Angelina giggled.

"Thanks for your support!" Misty called. "Bye, Team Rocket!"

"How'd they know it was us?" Meowth asked.

"Lucky guess!" Jessie yelled.

Ash laughs, then gets a serious look on his face as he heads back to the gym. Upon arrival back at the gym, Lt. Surge and Ash face each other in the arena.

"Hey baby, ready to take another beating?" Surge teased. "You didn't even make your Pikachu evolve. You haven't learned anything yet!"

"Don't be so sure, Surge!" Ash shouted back.

"Ash can beat you blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back!" Angelina added.

"Well now, the cutie returns!" Surge smirked, looking the girl up and down. "How bout I take you out to dinner after I deal with the baby?"

"Sorry, but you'll be eating with the Houndours after this battle," Angelina said, laughing at the scowl on the gym leader's face.

"Ok, we'll see about that." Surge growled. "Come on, let's go!"

"The challenger, Ash, using a Pikachu. The gym leader, Lt. Surge. using a Raichu. The Pokemon will battle one on one, with no time limit. Let the battle begin!" said the announcer and the bell rings.

"Use the strategy we planned, Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "You can do it!"

"Pika!" squeaked the Pokemon.

"A strategy, eh?" Surge grinned. "So you've invented a new way to lose! Go Raichu!"

Raichu ran out and whipped Pikachu with it's tail. Pikachu was sent tumbling and recovered fast enough to receive another whip.

"Oh no!" Ash said, looking worried. "Pikachu!"

"Hang in there, Pikachu!" Misty encouraged.

"Pull to the side and break away!" Brock yelled.

"Do it, Raichu!" Surge commanded. "Give it the Body Slam!"

With Raichu's larger size and weight, Pikachu was crushed.

"Finish it, Raichu! Another Body Slam!" Surge ordered.

"Watch out!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu's ears prick up and he jumps out of the way as Raichu hits the arena floor hard, damaging itself.

"What?" Surge was shocked.

"Do it, Pikachu!" Ash called. "Agility now!"

Pikachu ran around the gym at full speed.

"Raichu! Use your Body Slam!" Surge demanded.

Raichu tries several times to slam into its opponent, but Pikachu was moving just too fast and dodging with ease.

"It's working!" Misty cheered happily.

"That's right!" Angelina said. "Raichu evolved too fast and it never learned the speed attacks it could only learn in the Pikachu stage!"

"Okay! Use all the Agility you got!" Ash shouted and Pikachu complied. It was running circles around Raichu, spirals appeared in the evolved Pokemon's eyes. "Your Raichu's way too slow, Surge! That's it's weakness!"

Lt. Surge was steaming mad. "All right Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt! Shut it down!"

Raichu gives of a powerful Thunderbolt, which breaks the ground and shatters the windows of the Gym, and fills the arena with smoke.

"Heh heh!" Surge chucked. "The end of the match! Huh?" The smoke clears and Surge sees Pikachu still standing, his tail stuck into the ground. "What the-?"

"Pikachu!" Ash said.

"All right! Way to go!" Brock cheered. "It used it's tail as a ground and dodged the electric attack!"

Raichu and Pikachu face off again. Raichu looked beat and was panting.

"Raichu! Give it another Thunderbolt!" Surge ordered. Raichu tries, but can't get any electricity. A puzzled look came upon the faces of both Lt. Surge and Raichu. "Uh oh! Do something!"

"That's game, set and match. If Raichu doesn't have any electricity, then it's pretty much useless." Angelina said.

"All right! Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.

"Raichu! Take down now!"

Pikachu ran forward and managed to strike first, slamming into Raichu's stomach. It's tail was sparking up and took down Raichu with it.

Surge was stunned. "Unbelievable!"

"We did it, Pikachu!" Ash cried, punching the air excitedly.

"Way to go!" Brock cheered.

"Fantastic!" Misty shouted.

"Awesome!" Angelina smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Pikachu looks proud and content." Pikachu!" (I did it)

Everyone is gathered in the middle of the ring as Surge presents Ash with the Thunderbadge.

"Congratulations! Nice job, Ash! Pikachu! As proof of your victory, a Thunderbadge!" Surge hands Ash a yellowish-orange sun-shaped badge.

"Thank you!" Ash said, watching the badge sparkle in his hand. "Will you look at that! It's really a Thunder badge!"

"You should be proud!" Surge complimented. "You and your Pikachu work well together!"

"Thanks!" Ash said, holding out his badge. "The Thunder badge! And it's all mine!"

Pikachu gives a victory sign. "Pi-Pikachu!" (That's right, we did it)

"Nice victory, Ash!" Surge clapped. "You're no baby!"

"Congratulations Ash, Pikachu!" Brock agreed.

"You finally got your own badge!" Misty said.

Raichu claps for Pikachu. Pikachu thanks Raichu as Ash picks him up.

"Thank you Pikachu! This was your victory!" Ash said, holding his Pokemon in a tight embrace.

"Pika!" Pikachu lovingly gives Ash a gentle shock.

"Wow!" Ash exclaimed. "Now I can see lots of lucky stars!"

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu squeaked happily.

"Those two are quite a team!" Misty replied.

"Yes indeed." Brock agreed.

Angelina is watching from afar. She smiles and leaves the gym, walking down the road as the sun sets but she's not the only one as she also sees Team Rocket ahead of her. She overhears Jessie and James talking about how special Pikachu is and why it's worth snatching, then Meowth suggests that they could get badges of their own once they steal Pikachu.

"Drat!" James suddenly remembers. "We've wasted this whole time cheering the good guys!"

"Hey!" Jessie and Meowth soon realized that.

"Right, James! Better luck next time!" Angelina yells out.

§To Be Continued§

*This chapter is based off of the episode "Electric Shock Showdown"
*Angelina overhears Ash lost to the Vermillion Gym Leader for the first time.
*Ash receives a Thunderstone from Nurse Joy.
*Ash's Pikachu refuses to evolve into Raichu; it also learns Quick Attack and Agility.
*Ash earns a Thunder Badge by defeating Lt. Surge on his second try.
*Team Rocket doesn't attempt to steal Pikachu, but the first time they support the electric Pokemon in its aim to beat Raichu.
*Misty was able to recognize Team Rocket in their disguises.

So the next chapter will be up Friday, thanks for reading!