19: Pikachu vs. Raichu
"Where were we supposed to meet them?" James asked.
"By the port, obviously. That's where the key to the whole plan is," Jessie explained.
"Should we be in disguise?"
Meowth walked casually next to its partners, avoiding the looks they sometimes got for casually strolling around, as this was a city where pokemon battling was normal, and many people owned them. Because of that, the humans it traveled with weren't being told to put Meowth back in its pokeball, as if it had ever had one. Meowth itself fit in for the moment by not speaking up as its partners discussed their upcoming assignment. No one had asked the pokemon what it thought while planning their upcoming scheme, so what was there to say? If it worked, it would be good for the team as a whole, but why should Meowth care too much when it wouldn't get any credit?
As they walked along the busy streets, it eventually noticed something a little more interesting. The twerp with the overpowered pikachu was running by, holding the sought after pokemon in his arms. "Hey! Look over there!" Meowth poked Jessie's leg and pointed a claw to their mark.
"Ouch! What is it, Meowth?" Jessie asked irritably.
Meowth frowned. Maybe it had been a little careless with its claw, but there was no need to be so snippy, especially when they were about to lose sight of their desired prize. "Can't you tell I was saying something important? Look over there, it's that kid, and Pikachu too!"
"Oh. It is them," James said plainly, not seeming very interested at all.
"You're damn right it's them!" Meowth declared. "So why aren't you two getting ready for the chase?"
Jessie pursed her lips. "We were discussing our own important topic... You know, what the boss wants us to do here in Vermilion," she informed.
Meowth scowled right back at her. "You know I'm always ready to go and do what the boss wants! That doesn't mean we don't have time for a little detour to get a valuable pokemon."
"We can't be late," Jessie pointed out.
"Right," James agreed. "So Mondo will have uniforms to disguise us ready?"
"He'll take care of all of that," Jessie confirmed.
"For me too?" Meowth said.
"Of course not for you too! What use does a pokemon have for that? You'd just look weird," Jessie said.
Meowth was getting more irritated, but decided to try and get its human conspirators back on track. "Fine, if Mondo's preparing things for us, then we've got time to go make progress getting Pikachu," it said.
"Forget about it for now," Jessie said.
"Right, Pikachu is powerful, but it's just one pokemon. We'll get more with this plan," James said.
"We have our success with getting the Pokemon Tech pokemon, and before that the moon stones, but we need to keep that streak going to make up for what happened at that pokemon center. We can't afford to mess around," Jessie added.
"Yes. We really need to prioritize this, Meowth," James asserted before he and Jessie got in another discussion about something that apparently didn't need Meowth's participation, nor its planning.
"Yeah, you two go and take care of that," Meowth interrupted, speaking as if it had decided the two humans' actions on its own. "I'll go and see what's up with Pikachu. Wait with the others for my report." After sharing that information, Meowth dashed across the street, going in the direction Ash and Pikachu had gone.
"Wait, Meowth!" James protested, taking a step to go after his friend.
"Come on," Jessie said with a sigh, grabbing James's sleeve. "It'll be back, like it said. When it's hungry if nothing else."
After it had been checked over by the nurse, Pikachu pretended not to notice when Ash came in the room. Ash petted it, seemingly feeling sorry for it, but Pikachu didn't want that kind of attention. It didn't want to see Ash pitying it. It wasn't that hurt, except in pride. That Raichu had really overwhelmed it, despite how special so many seemed to think it was. Was Pikachu really that powerful if one pokemon, even a gym leader's, could trounce it so badly?
"Hey Ash," Brock's voice broke the silence in the room. "How's Pikachu?"
"Nurse Joy said it's not too hurt. She said it'll be fine," Ash informed.
"Then that's probably right, so don't worry too much," Brock said.
"Yeah, okay." Ash spoke weakly, not offering any other comment.
Pikachu winced, thinking of how it must have disappointed the kid who imagined himself as some kind of aspiring master trainer. "Pika," it whined, calling out without really meaning to.
"Pikachu!" Ash cheered as he stood up. Pikachu looked up at the one that thought of himself as its trainer, seeing the boy's happy, relieved face. As he met its eyes, his expression slowly fell, until the kid pouted, seeming like he was holding back tears.
Pikachu sat up. Of course, this was to show Ash that it was in fine shape, but that wasn't enough. Pikachu bounced to its feet, stepping across the oversized bed and finding Ash's hand. The pokemon gave him a quick bite, not near enough to break skin, though certainly enough for a surprising sensation. This should get him to concentrate on what was happening in the present.
"AH! Pikachu?!" Ash shouted, rubbing his hand. "What was that for?"
"Pika, chu," Pikachu replied, laughing at the boy's reaction. He didn't seem to be thinking of feeling sorry for it right then.
"See, I knew it would be okay," Brock assured. "Though you can't blame Ash for worrying, Pikachu. You really seemed to be taking a beating."
"Pikachu." Pikachu sat down, frowning. It hadn't wanted to be reminded of that. Though it had already hurt from the sting of the loss, Brock bringing the events back up brought back those feelings in full force.
"It's okay, Pikachu," Ash said, petting his pokemon's head as he spoke. "I'm sorry. I should have been able to give you better direction. Or maybe trained more first."
"Pika." The trainer's words seemed like they ought to be comforting, but for some reason Pikachu couldn't find much satisfaction in them. It looked to Brock, who was rummaging through his bag.
"Here," Brock said, holding out the thunder stone.
"That's the-" Ash began.
"I guess Lt. Surge has some kind of stock of these, but they're actually hard to find," Brock said. "It was above and beyond for him to offer one to a challenger. You really ought to thank him."
Ash grabbed the object, turning it over as he studied it further. "It's like with the clefairy we saw, isn't it? Pikachu can evolve right away with this."
"That's right," Brock confirmed. "Pikachu only evolves with the thunder stone."
"Pika?" Pikachu hopped up again, taking a closer look at the object in Ash's hand. The thunder stone looked fairly pretty. Was this really the only way? No wonder there were no raichu back in Viridian Forest. Pikachu hadn't seen anything like this before.
"But you might want to think about it first," Brock said. "Lt. Surge was really pushy about how great raichu are, but it's your choice when to evolve Pikachu. Think strategically."
"Yeah, I'll think about it," Ash said, putting the stone in his pocket.
"How about the gym? Is it time to move on?" Brock asked.
Ash sat down on the chair next to Pikachu's bed, furrowing his brow in thought. "I still think I could beat him."
Brock pulled a chair over from outside the room. "Well, you do have other pokemon," he said.
"Butterfree's evolved, but I don't think it's the right choice," Ash said. Raichu was so quick, and his butterfree often slowly floated around. "Maybe Pidgeotto."
"Hmph. You're gonna hand him another victory?" Brock said with a smirk.
"Pidgeotto is quick," Ash said defensively.
"It's an easy target for electric attacks in the air. That's why electric has a type advantage over flying," Brock said.
"Oh." Ash paused. "If it's type, then not Squirtle either... Maybe Bulbasaur. It's been really tough when we've been training."
"Yeah, and grass types can handle electric pretty well," Brock said.
"Okay then." Ash smiled as he clenched his fists. "I'm gonna train more and then challenge the gym again with Bulbasaur!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted out in protest. Both humans looked its way, confused expressions on their faces. It peered down only briefly before it looked back up again. "Pika, pikachu!" it declared firmly.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Brock asked.
"I already know," Ash said. The trainer leaned down with a serious expression, meeting Pikachu's gaze. "You want to be the one to challenge that raichu again, don't you?"
"Pi..." Pikachu pushed past its hesitation and called out firmly again. "Pikachu!" It tried to show its determination as it stared unflinchingly back at Ash.
"Wow." Brock chuckled, shaking his head. "Pikachu wanted to battle me, didn't want to battle Misty... I guess it just likes a challenge."
"Pika." Pikachu frowned. It wasn't a challenge it was seeking so much. It didn't want to think too much about why it was insisting on fighting, it just wanted to beat that raichu and move on. Then it could forget all about the loss. "Pika!" Pikachu tried to push Ash to hurry up and do it.
"I don't know, Pikachu," Brock said, sharply inhaling. "You really didn't seem like a match."
"Pi..." Pikachu flinched despite how tough it had wanted to seem. "Pika!" it called in protest, trying to seem as tough as possible.
"I know," Ash said. He took off his backpack again, taking out the thunder stone. He approached Pikachu with the item in hand. "Maybe now really is the time to evolve. You're already really powerful. If you evolve, you'll probably be way better than Lt. Surge's raichu. You'll have the easy win."
Pikachu observed the stone. Was it really that easy to evolve? It hadn't thought about evolving in a while, but it was frustrating when it had wanted to, and hadn't been able. All it had needed was this thing to instantly get a major power boost?
"Ash, like I said, there might be reasons to wait," Brock said.
"I know." Ash scowled, pulling the stone closer to him. "I'm thinking about it, for a strategy!" Ash turned back to Pikachu, holding out the thunder stone. "If you want to, there's no reason to wait. Let's evolve right now!"
It really was that easy. Pikachu almost started to reach out to touch the alluring rock. However, just the thought was enough to get it to recoil. It felt awful at just the idea of taking the object to evolve. "Pikachu!" Pikachu swung its tail, just enough to tap Ash's hand and get him to drop the item. "Pika! Pikachu!" It didn't want to evolve at all in the moment.
Ash picked up the item, taking a step away. "It's okay, Pikachu," he said, walking to the corner. "If that's how you feel, you don't ever have to evolve at all." With that, Ash tossed the thunder stone right in the garbage.
"Ash! Wait! We can still find some use for that," Brock protested as he went for the bin.
As their friend looked in the trash, Pikachu stared at Ash, who still seemed confident in his impulsive decision. Now Pikachu was the one who felt like crying, though it wasn't really sure why. "Pika," it called quietly.
Ash walked up, patting its head. "Don't worry. We'll figure out another way to win," he spoke what seemed a very hollow promise, though Pikachu couldn't really hate him for it. He didn't chastise Pikachu for losing or not evolving. Maybe Pikachu really ought to be scolded, it considered. Taking Ash's affection and refusing to evolve seemed selfish in a way, but it had refused even knowing that. Now Ash just indulged its selfishness instead of pushing it to do or not do anything. Pikachu tried to push down its guilt at that fact.
Brock eventually spoke up after putting the thunder stone away. "You two are really something, taking on these challenges all the time. Maybe you ought to sleep on it."
"I've already decided," Ash said firmly. "Pikachu's gonna win the badge with me. After it's better, all we need to do now is train until we're ready. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika," Pikachu agreed. At the very least, it was going to give the battle it had decided it wanted its all.
Pikachu ended up spending the night in a care room at the pokemon center. It had wanted to follow Ash and Brock as they left, and sleep by them in the dorms as it usually did, but decided to listen when Ash insisted it stay. The accommodations weren't enjoyable. The bed was too big for a pokemon Pikachu's size and there was a chill in the air with no humans or even other pokemon in there with it. At the first sign of light, it decided to leave on its own to find the humans.
The easiest way to get there would be the door, but despite hopping up and trying its best, Pikachu couldn't reach the convenient knob meant for humans. Going to the window, it found the chair right next to it helped it jump right onto the ledge. "Pika!" Pikachu called triumphantly. The window itself was designed for human hands to slide, but Pikachu found it easy enough to do so itself, scooting a few inches at a time before there was more than enough room for it to get out. About to hop down, it noticed a meowth, curled up and asleep. "Pi pikachu?" Pikachu called in surprise. It soon relaxed, thinking that there were many meowth out there in the world, so this one probably wasn't the one from Team Rocket. "Pika!" it called out a warning, not wanting to surprise the other pokemon by suddenly jumping down right next to it while it was sleeping.
"Meow!" the meowth called as it awoke. It yawned and blinked before stretching, then stood up on its hind legs. "Ah, hey! Pikachu, buddy. Come on down, let's chill."
"Pi pikachu..." Pikachu muttered as it became obvious this was the suspected pokemon after all. Even so, it wasn't too worried. Pikachu looked from side to side, seeing no signs of the two humans Meowth usually was around, nor anyone else for that matter. It was fairly sure it could handle both Meowth and the rockets' other pokemon, but with just Meowth, there was no need to be on alert at all. It jumped down, then purposefully turned its back to the eccentric pokemon and toward the entrance of the pokemon center.
"Hey! You gonna just ignore me here?" Meowth lamented, going back down on four paws as its ears lowered.
"Pika," Pikachu greeted as it turned, deciding to acknowledge Meowth. The feline pokemon seemed honestly hurt, and that wasn't the intention. "Pi pikachu," it added. Meowth couldn't be expected to get greeted happily when it had regularly acted as part of a gang around it, trying to force Pikachu to join with their criminal activities.
"Hey, I'm only looking out for you. A pokemon like you belongs with Team Rocket. We'll treat you right, let you reach your real potential," Meowth said. "Team Rocket's not as bad as you're thinking, anyway," it added.
"Pika." Pikachu wasn't at all interested in Meowth's false promises. It started on its way to where it knew Ash would have slept.
"It's not- Well, let's not talk about that today," Meowth said, standing upright again and walking next to Pikachu. "I heard you all talking yesterday. So you lost against a raichu, huh?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu wasn't interested in discussing that with anyone, just with getting stronger and finally winning.
"And you don't want to evolve? Hey, listen, I don't want to either! I hate how evolved pokemon are seen as better. What's so much better about evolving into some big jerk of a pokemon? What's the use in bulking up if you just get dumber?"
"Pi?" Pikachu stopped itself a few feet from the center's door, surprised at Meowth's words.
"Yeah, we're on the same page. I never wanted to evolve. Pokemon who don't can be just as good, maybe even better." Meowth nodded to itself with a satisfied smile.
They weren't really on the same page. The pokemon who evolved were inevitably stronger afterward. Pikachu had wanted to evolve in the past, doing so in the present instantly with an evolution stone just seemed so cheap, brought up too many bad feelings. Even so, the idea of a pokemon that didn't want to evolve at all was interesting. "Pikachu?" it asked.
"No, never," Meowth replied. "I'm just fine as I am, and so are you. And you're gonna prove it by beating up that raichu."
Pikachu stayed silent, observing Meowth's serious face. The criminal pokemon wasn't just hoping or placating, it was absolutely convinced of Pikachu's future success. Even so, Pikachu itself really wasn't. "Pikachu," it admitted. "Pika, pikachu..."
"That other guy just caught you off guard," Meowth dismissed the previous loss. "We've all got our off days. You're a top tier pikachu - a top tier pokemon! It hasn't got a chance when you get back there."
"Pikachu." Pikachu turned its back again. Meaningless praise wasn't something it was interested in. It had truly been outmatched, and Meowth's bootlicking wouldn't change that. "Pika," it called, expressing its doubt.
"Hey, cut it out," Meowth chided. "As a future elite member of Team Rocket, you ought to have more pride than that. What made this pokemon so scary, anyway?"
"Pika." Pikachu straightened its posture. Did Meowth think it was that affected by the loss? It wasn't, and it was going to make an effort to be even less so. It began to recap the battle.
Meowth nodded at the explanation. "So, it just kept knocking you around before you could even get your attack done? No problem. You just gotta punch it first, then keep going until you finish it off."
"Pikachu." Pikachu scowled. It didn't know the mega punch technique, and even if it managed to learn the attack, Raichu could still punch harder. A simple solution like that wasn't the answer.
"Hey, why don't we battle?" Meowth suggested.
"Pika?"
"Yeah, I'm more of a thinker, but we pokemon have to have some battle skills to get by. I'm no exception. I can fight if I want, so let's go."
Meowth took a battle position. It looked silly as the pose was more of a human fighting stance. Pikachu tried not to laugh. Though the other pokemon was silly, it really did seem to be trying to help. If Meowth really wanted to fight, Pikachu wasn't about to deny a battle, useless as it might be. "Pika..." it began, its cheeks sparking in preparation for the thunderbolt attack.
"Wait, wait!" Meowth said. Pikachu indeed stopped the attack, and it sighed in relief. "I'm doing this to help you, not just for fun!" Meowth explained. "See how you can beat me without your flashy little electric attacks. It'll be easy for a pokemon like you, huh?"
So, that was the idea. Maybe a battle like this would really be useful. Pikachu nodded seriously, arching its back. They began the battle, running toward each other. Pikachu got ready to tackle Meowth and did so with all of its strength, wincing as it was scratched in the face by Meowth's own attack. As it got its bearings, it saw Meowth staring back at it, seemingly unaffected by the attack while Pikachu certainly felt the sting of the scratch. Even so, it was hardly down and out. "Pika!" it shouted, running forward for another tackle.
Again, it was scratched, which only fueled its desire to battle more. Even so, it became annoyed, seeing Meowth seemingly relaxed, dusting itself off with its paw. Pikachu almost began an electric attack, but remembered the goal, and went to tackle Meowth again. This time Meowth bit it. Pikachu cried out in pain, unsure if its tackle had even properly hit.
Meowth's bite released quickly enough. "That all you got?" it challenged. Pikachu again tensed up, getting ready to attack. It had so easily knocked out Meowth before without even trying much, so why was it having trouble now? It really was strong, not just with electricity, and Meowth wasn't as much, so the battle ought to be an easy win. Pikachu again dashed toward Meowth, ready to give it an extra powerful tackle this time.
Instead, Pikachu was scratched over and over again. "You gotta do better than that!" Meowth said as it completed the fury swipes attack. Pikachu stood up, glaring the other pokemon's way. If a low level pokemon like this was giving it trouble, what chance did it have against that powerful raichu?
"Hey! You stop that!"
"Pika?" Pikachu glanced over its shoulder, seeing its declared trainer had arrived, Brock and Misty not far behind him. Much to Pikachu's annoyance, Ash interrupted the battle, standing in-between them with his arms held out. "Pikapi..." Pikachu sighed.
"Leave Pikachu alone! Stop trying to kidnap it!" Ash shouted.
"Stop interfering! I'm helping out Pikachu. Its trainer is such a chump, it really needs me to," Meowth said.
"Huh? You- You were just bullying it," Ash said.
"You just coddle all your pokemon all day? Pikachu was just seeing how it could handle a battle without using its electric attacks," Meowth explained.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu confirmed, dashing in front of Ash. It really wanted to continue the battle, though that wouldn't be safe with Ash so close. "Pika!" it called with irritation.
"Pikachu wants you to get the heck out of the way so we can keep battling. It's not such a wimp I beat it just like that," Meowth said.
"Pikachu doesn't need you to speak for it," Ash countered.
"Ash," Misty interrupted the verbal altercation. "Maybe that is what Pikachu's trying to say. Meowth really isn't the kind of pokemon it would have trouble with." She looked from side to side, then down the path leading to the pokemon center. "Where's Jessie and James?"
"They're dealing with stuff on their own. I'm not always baby-sitting them," Meowth said. "And it is what Pikachu's saying."
"Pika," Pikachu confirmed. Though maybe having embellished a bit, Meowth had accurately expressed Pikachu's intent.
Ash leaned down, frowning. "So you really wanted to get to training, huh?" he said.
"Pikachu." Pikachu tried its best to nod and confirm it.
"Well, it's the same with me! You can count on me. Let's get to training together." Ash smiled, clenching his fists and swinging one in the air for emphasis.
Well, Ash was supposed to be its trainer. In actuality, he was the one challenging the gym, not Pikachu. So perhaps it really ought to listen to what the kid had to say. Just listening wouldn't hurt, though of course it was ready to act how it thought was best when it counted.
Ash looked down at Pikachu, smiling as he saw the pokemon was attentive to him. "You couldn't win just now without electric attacks?" he said. "Just like at the gym, Meowth kept hitting you." Pikachu frowned in response, but Ash looked up in thought, not noticing the reaction. "Maybe you just need to be the one to hit first," he said.
"That's what I just said!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Pikachu should be faster than you," Ash said with a scowl.
"Yeah, problem is, Pikachu's attack is already hitting first. Then that lets me bop it on the head," Meowth explained.
"Oh yeah... I thought I saw Pikachu using tackle attack against Meowth when we were headed over here," Brock said, a hand to his chin.
"Pikachu should really have no trouble then. What's wrong?" Misty asked.
"Hm." Brock paused. "From what I recall, tackle isn't considered to be a competitive move for pikachu."
"Oh yeah," Ash realized. "Not all pokemon can learn all moves, huh?"
Misty shook her head. "You're right, but we're talking about a different kind of capability here. Pikachu can learn tackle, but it doesn't really do much for it."
"That's right," Meowth said. "It just feels like the tiniest little bump before I pummel it."
"Alright then." Ash stomped his foot as he spoke. "You should just forget all about tackle attack then, Pikachu."
"Pika." Pikachu turned away.
"That leaves it with no offensive attacks except its electric attacks," Misty pointed out what Pikachu had been thinking.
"No," Ash said, his tone indicating he was offended by the feedback. "Pikachu just needs to learn different techniques. I've got it! Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash ran toward the door of the pokemon center without waiting for anyone else to follow. Pikachu hesitated only a moment before following him, Misty and Brock opening the door for it.
"I'm not sure you should be here," Misty commented as Meowth followed behind Pikachu.
"I'm just looking out for my buddy. Poor Pikachu stuck with a trainer like that," Meowth said. There was no comment in response to that, but Misty didn't stop the known criminal from joining them with Ash at the counter.
"That's the one! Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash said, then held up a CD-ROM. "It's a technical machine," Ash informed as the nurse walked away.
"Just like at Pokemon Tech," Misty said.
"Yeah. They have a place here we can read it too. Nurse Joy said it's fine," Ash informed.
"How nice! It's pretty convenient for trainers, but I hope you don't think you can win just with this," Misty said. "Like you were just saying, not all pokemon can learn all moves. And even if they can-"
"I know, I know, that's enough!" Ash said. "I know what I'm doing. It's a move I already know Pikachu can learn, and it's gonna work! Don't follow us either, I don't want Pikachu to be distracted." He picked Pikachu up with one arm, holding the CD-ROM with the other, and walked down the hall. Eventually, he opened the door to a small room, and went inside, putting the acquired object into the computer inside. As he sat down, Pikachu stayed in his lap. Pikachu looked at Ash, who grinned in apparent excitement down at it, before looking back at the screen in front of them.
A video began to play, showing a scyther rapidly moving back and forth. "Double team," the booming narration spoke.
"Look, Pikachu! This is gonna help you be faster than Raichu," Ash said, pointing to the screen, the excitement very evident in his voice.
Pikachu watched closely. The narration explained the steps of the move, showing other pokemon performing it, over and over. Pikachu had seen other pikachu using it when it was still wild. Thinking about it and listening to the instructions, it was sure it could easily use the move as well.
Except, it still had tackle and nothing else to counter Raichu's physical attack. The thought was heavy as the technical machine finished its show. Pikachu could figure out this move, but how would it help to just be a little faster before it got pummeled? Raichu was pretty fast itself.
"Do you got it, Pikachu? Should we watch again?" Ash asked.
"Pi." Pikachu turned away.
"So you know it?"
Pikachu hopped down from Ash's lap to the one empty corner of the room. "Pika, pika," it called as it performed the technique the technical machine had shown with ease, revving itself up by moving quickly from side to side. After that, it felt more alert, jumping up and taking the technical machine from the computer before flipping it into Ash's hands with ease.
Ash fumbled before getting a steady grip on the object, then returned it to its case. "Alright! We're ready," he said. Then he frowned. "Wait, no. There's one more thing. There's another move I know pikachu can learn, and do really well. It's like tackle, but faster. It's called quick attack. You don't have to tuck your head down like you've been doing with tackle. You move so quickly, you hardly move at all. Um... Do you get it?"
The description was pretty simple, but Pikachu got the idea. It also seemed like a move it could recall other pikachu performing back in Viridian Forest. Pikachu ought to have imitated them then. It certainly would take the initiative to take Ash's suggestion to imitate them now. "Pika," it called, affirming its understanding.
"So are you ready to practice again?" Ash asked.
"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded.
"Alright. Come on, let's find someone, we're gonna master these techniques!" Ash ran out of the room, almost tripping and running into Nurse Joy as he made his way back to the lobby. Pikachu followed at a more leisurely pace, though its mood was still improving as it picked up on Ash's obvious excitement. As they reached the lobby, Ash went to the door to see who was training outside, but Pikachu already saw its opponent. "Chuu," it called to Meowth, grinning as it stared the other pokemon down.
"Pikachu?" Ash quickly understood what his pokemon wanted. "Okay! Let's go outside."
"I was actually thinking about letting an officer know about this one," Misty said to Ash, side-eyeing their questionable company.
"Hey! I'm not doing nothing!" Meowth protested.
"Pikachu wants to battle, so we're gonna battle. Let's go," Ash ordered, opening the door up wide. Pikachu stepped out, followed by its opponent. They walked to an empty practice area and began. "Pikachu, double team!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu followed through.
"Oh, good choice," Brock commented.
"It is, but-" Misty stopped as Meowth let out a cry, going after Pikachu and scratching it, one, twice, maybe even several more times. "Ouch..." Misty commented.
Pikachu also winced, but then looked forward after taking the attack. "Pikachu, quick attack!" Ash shouted the obvious choice given this battle's rules.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, running forward. Like Ash had somewhat described before, it quickly hit Meowth, probably before the other pokemon even saw it coming, then took its position back at a slight distance.
"Ahh," Meowth cried out as it was pushed backward, falling to the ground. It didn't get up, staying on the ground.
"You did it!" Ash declared Pikachu's victory.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu grinned. Of course, it couldn't be too happy with itself. Raichu was at a much higher level than Meowth. Even so, it had managed to use the two new techniques in battle for the first time, so Pikachu decided to be a little happy. It was even more so as Ash approached it, hugging it and ruffling its fur. Pikachu laughed at the attention, grinning at the boy that had helped it win.
"Hey." Brock carefully poked Meowth with his foot.
"Wha?" Meowth opened its eyes, looking up at the human that had addressed it.
"You okay?" Brock asked.
Meowth sat up before standing up completely. "Yeah, I've had better days, but I can't complain. I already knew, if you mess with fire, you're gonna get burned," it said.
"Pikachu's an electric type," Ash informed.
"H- How does a human not understand that human talk ain't always literal?!" Meowth shook its head. "Never mind," it continued, approaching Pikachu. "Just remember this, Pikachu. None of that stuff you were talking about before. You got past your little Achilles heel, now you better go and win. Do it for your pride, and do it for Team Rocket."
"Chu?" Pikachu blinked. Even if it did agree to join them, would winning a gym battle really do anything for Team Rocket? Instead of replying, Meowth just tapped Pikachu's back before sprinting away from the pokemon center.
"Come on, Pikachu." Ash motioned to another battle field. "We've gotta train more. And, oh, I'm gonna sign up for the next gym battle! I'm gonna get the first we can. Yeah, then we'll train and train." Ash ran off, apparently to the nearby gym to get a time slot.
Misty laughed, glancing first toward Pikachu and then Brock. "Nothing can stop him, huh?"
"Doesn't look like it," Brock joked along with her.
"Do you think he has a chance to win though?" Misty asked.
"I don't know. Maybe." Brock beamed down at Pikachu. "I'm really curious to see, actually. Pikachu seems pretty high level. I do think it can put up a fight, especially with these new techniques."
Though it had hoped they'd both assert it could win for sure, Pikachu couldn't fault Brock's level-headed thoughts. No, it wasn't certain to win. However, it was definitely going to put up a fight. Pikachu dashed after Ash, eager to start training more. It was better to concentrate on becoming stronger rather than dwelling on the possibility there was a gym out there beyond its skill. "Pikapi!" Pikachu called after the boy acting as its trainer as it ran.
After Ash had signed up for a time to battle the next week, they'd gone right back to the pokemon center to train. Ash specifically asked for trainers to use their electric types if they had any. Pikachu found itself going up against magnemite, electabuzz, even other pikachu. It won each battle, then ended up facing other pokemon just to practice its new techniques.
When no other trainers were available, they'd ended up going out of the city to battle some in the wild. Pikachu was sure to try its best, but it was just too easy after facing pokemon that had gone through rigorous training. It climbed a tree and slept to indicate to Ash it was time for a break, and that gave the other pokemon a chance to train as well. Later, Pikachu decided it wanted to battle Ash's newly acquired pokemon as well. Charmander seemed timid to begin, but then made it sweat with flamethrower before Pikachu's thunderbolt won out. Bulbasaur put up a good fight and nearly won. Squirtle did eventually win with a no electric type attacks handicap, but Pikachu became determined and won a rematch against it the next day. It tried its best to improve the quick attack again other trainer pokemon when they went back to the pokemon center.
A week of that intensive training was more than enough. The morning of the battle, Pikachu rested at Ash's command, enjoying Brock's delicious specially made food as a treat. Eventually, the time came. "Come on Pikachu, let's go," Ash said, motioning his hand as he headed for the pokemon center's door.
It was then that Pikachu got a sinking feeling. But what did it have to worry about. "Pika!" Pikachu called out loudly only for the sake of getting itself pumped, then followed Ash and his friends.
Ash waited at the door only a minute or so before he opened it. Lt. Surge sat in the spectator's area inside, apparently in casual conversation with his assistants. As the group entered, he looked up. "Well, look who it is!" he said, peering over Bolt's shoulder. "Our cutest baby challenger returns."
"Back out of the crib?" Storm joked as she turned around.
Ash hardened his expression before he spoke. "I'm here to battle you," he declared.
"Ha!" Surge let out a hearty laugh. "He's only more adorable when he tries to act tough, eh?" Surge stood up, stepping to the field. As he saw Ash closer up and glanced to the ground, his amused smile fell. "Hmph." He snorted, again forcing a smile. "Hey Brock, you didn't give your miniature pal here that thunder stone?"
"Oh, y-yes," Brock stammered. "I know he appreciates it, but- Well, I can return it if you'd like." Brock nodded apologetically.
"Give it back? No need! I gave it to be used. Hand it over to that toddler pokemon." Surge snapped his fingers before pointing to the ground at Pikachu.
"Pikachu doesn't want to evolve, so I'm not going to make it," Ash informed.
"Ain't that cute," Surge said, still with a smile on his face. "Did your parents spoil you or something?"
"Huh?" Ash scrunched up his face at the weird question.
"Even if they did, it's no excuse for shirking your own duties. Weren't you in here pretending to be a trainer?" Surge chided, stepping closer to Ash as he raised his voice.
"I am a trainer. I signed up to battle and it's my time, so are you going to battle me and Pikachu or not?" Ash demanded.
"I gotta, don't I?" Surge grinned unnaturally as he spoke. "But if there's any trainer whose challenge I'd reject, it's you." Surge's smile dropped as he continued. "What's an irresponsible little pup like you doing even pretending he can be a trainer? You ought to turn and leave right now yourself if you know what's good for you!"
Surge's voice boomed through the gym. Brock and Misty froze, and even his normally jovial assistants had a straight face at the scene of the large man loudly rebuking the small child. However, Ash just took a step forward, unaffected, holding his head high. "I am a trainer! I don't need to hear you telling me what to do, I just want to battle!" Ash shouted right back at the gym leader with just as much intensity.
"Hmph." Surge folded his arms, again glancing at the ground before back at Ash. "And you'll use that pikachu, huh?"
"Yeah," Ash admitted. No point in hiding it, especially since his opponent had probably already decided to use Raichu.
"Fine. All of you, take your position," Surge ordered as he went to his own area as the gym leader. Brock and Misty went to the spectator's area, while Bolt and Storm walked behind Surge, staying on alert. Ash walked up to the challenger's area, Pikachu following by his feet. Surge snickered as he looked Ash's way. "Alright, looks like we're really doing this," he said, glancing to his pokemon. "Go, Raichu!" As Surge shouted the order, Raichu hopped in front of him.
"Rai, rai!" the pokemon called in anticipation of the battle.
"Go, Pikachu!" Ash gave his own direction in response.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called as it went onto the field.
"Rai, raichu." Raichu snickered as it called out to Pikachu. What kind of pokemon would refuse to evolve? A stupid one that was about to lose, that's who.
"Pika," Pikachu called back its determination to battle.
"Raichu. Rai, raichu." Raichu had evolved right away when Surge had caught it. It was happy to become strong with one of the best trainers there were. It was certainly ready to beat a stupid pokemon with a stupid trainer.
"Hey, enough chattiness," Surge barked, interrupting their exchange. "No holding back this time, Raichu. Looks like these little babies need to be taught a lesson," he added, the joviality coming back into his voice despite the specific words he spoke.
"Rai." Raichu grinned widely, expressing its eagerness to really let loose.
Ash was completely unfazed by both the threatening message and the demeanor of the opponent's pokemon. "Pikachu! Double team!"
"Raichu, mega punch!"
Pikachu was able to perform the technique quickly before Raichu arrived, punching it right after it had completed. Pikachu tumbled backward, quickly springing back up to its feet. "Pikachu, quick attack!" Ash ordered. Pikachu immediately followed the order, hitting Raichu in a blur before taking its position back a few feet away. "Quick attack, again!" Ash repeated.
"Raichu, mega kick!" Surge shouted.
Pikachu's attack hit first. Raichu shuddered briefly before it attacked, kicking forward at Pikachu, just grazing it. "Pikachu, use thundershock!" Ash ordered.
"Pika CHU!" Pikachu shouted as it completed the attack. It would prefer the flashier thunderbolt, but supposed this was quicker. Raichu took the hit and shook itself in response.
"Ha." Surge gave a forced laugh. "You gotta do better than that little baby attack. Even if you trained a little, no way this baby can take on a grownup! It's useless! Raichu, body slam!"
Pikachu's determination faltered as it heard the words. A scene of its former trainer shouting at it, demanding why it couldn't evolve went through its head. Maybe it had really been stupid to refuse evolution. Was it really as useless as it had been told without touching that evolution stone and powering up? How could a useless little pokemon like Pikachu beat a pokemon that had evolved from its own species?
"Quick attack!" Ash followed Surge's words with his own order. Pikachu pushed through its feelings and again performed the high speed attack in response. Raichu cringed, and it jumped forward to follow through with its own order. As the larger pokemon slammed on the ground, Pikachu leapt back, easily avoiding it. "Alright! I knew you could do it, Pikachu! Now, thunderbolt! Now's the time!"
"Raichu, get up! Time to use thunderbolt!" Surge ordered.
Ash's voice emanated his ultimate confidence. He wasn't just placating Pikachu's desire to refuse evolution, he knew it could still win! What else was there to think about? This was a battle, and he was the one whose orders needed to be followed. Of course an opponent was going to trash talk them, especially one with Surge's personality. What others had said that was similar didn't matter.
Pikachu didn't hesitate to follow its trainer's order, though Raichu did, its face scrunching up as it got over the impact it had with the floor. The bigger pokemon's hesitation lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough for Pikachu to begin. As Raichu got up to begin itself, it hesitated again, glancing with a surprised expression at the sparks surrounding Pikachu.
Pikachu grinned back at its opponent, similarly to how Raichu had mocked it right at the beginning of this very battle. "Pika CHUUU!" it shouted as it unleashed its attack. It hit Raichu, knocking it down even causing it to tumble over. The electricity was also attracted to the lights in the ceiling, causing them to flicker and eventually crack, a fragment falling down across the gym. "Pika." Pikachu breathed heavily. It had really tried to put its all into that move, but it couldn't just relax. Pikachu still remaining on alert, getting ready for its next attack. It wasn't over yet.
Or was it? Surge walked onto the field, eyebrow raised. He leaned down by Raichu, observing it splayed on the ground. "Damn," he exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and awe in his voice. "That was some thunderbolt. Looks like Raichu here's done."
"Pi?" Pikachu glanced from the gym leader back to Ash.
The boy ran onto the field, embracing Pikachu as he picked it up, cheering as he did so. "I knew you could do it, Pikachu! We won!"
"You did for sure." Surge grinned, seeming genuine this time. "Bolt, get the badge." He nodded to the man next to him.
"Good job, you two," Brock said as he walked onto the field as well.
"Pikachu is really something," Misty added, standing next to him.
"With a gutsy pair like this around, who needs other allies?" Surge commented. "They're young, so they're only getting tougher from here."
"Oh... Yeah, maybe," Misty agreed with a laugh.
Surge took the badge as Bolt offered to him. "Here you go, the Thunder Badge. You've earned it," the Vermilion gym leader said as he gave the badge to the victor trainer.
Raichu slowly started to sit up. "Rai, rai," it agreed. "Raichu." Though surprised, it admitted that Pikachu really was a worthy opponent.
Pikachu happily looked around from the people and pokemon who praised its hard earned win to its current acting trainer, who seemed more than pleased with the result. "We won together," Ash said.
Had they? Pikachu had heard its previous trainer talk about if he won or lost, no mention of Pikachu, except maybe if it had been of use or not. But Pikachu had really been the one to win or lose. Was it just arrogant of Ash to say that they both won?
No, it wasn't. Ash had taught Pikachu the techniques it needed to know, hugging it as it intently watched the technical machine, explaining the other new technique, even if with awkward words, then getting it the opponents it needed to practice the moves over and over again and perfect them the best it could. Throughout it all, the trainer had been by Pikachu's side. Then during the battle, Ash had been the one to notice the best opportunity to use its most powerful move on Raichu before Pikachu itself had, making sure it didn't miss the chance. They really had won together. Pikachu pushed itself against Ash's chest, reaching out to hug him right then. As Ash hugged it back, Pikachu embraced both who it had accepted as its trainer and the celebration of their victory.
Next chapter: Team Rocket vs. The St. Anne