Updated and Rewritten 10/23/22
And now to post this chapter the way it was always meant to be, instead of split into two because I got hit with burnout.
Not much else to say, just did some cleaning up mostly.
It didn't take Delia and the Professor too long to pull apart the two Pokemon. The two had been so focused on each other that they hadn't even noticed the humans entering the room. They did, however, notice when they each felt themselves being picked up gently, but firmly.
Ash, upon realizing who it was holding him, stopped struggling, calmed down, and took the brief time before any scolding could begin to look around the lab and wince. He really had made quite a bit of a mess here while fighting that annoying little electric-type.
But he was justified! The little yellow mouse had started it! He was only defending himself and had in no way enjoyed having the opportunity to get back at the other Pokemon!
Okay, maybe he had enjoyed it just a little.
Of course, that little tussle had hardly been a proper battle, he hadn't even used any moves and neither had the other guy. The best name for what they had been doing was wrestling, which had apparently been more than enough to mess up the lab.
He probably should have apologized to Professor Oak, but considering that said human would not be able to understand him if he did there wasn't much point.
Although, the professor seemed to be too preoccupied to notice even if Ash did apologize. He was far too busy attempting to calm the rather outraged electric-type in his hands. The little guy would have been ferocious and fearsome if he were… well… large enough to pose a threat.
"Now calm down Pichu, I'm sure we can work out whatever your problems with Ash are, right?" The professor chuckled good-naturedly in what was surely an attempt to hide the concern at how the Pokemon he was holding was acting.
Pichu, as Ash now knew he was called, was clearly unhappy with the current predicament. "Let go of me human! Or else I'll blast you with all my might!"
"Blast?" Ash muttered wondering what the smaller Pokemon could possibly do that could qualify as a 'blast.'
"Professor Oak, do you need any help with Pichu?" Delia offered and Ash barely resisted growling at the idea of that rodent anywhere near his trainer! That was not allowed to happen and he would make sure it didn't happen! Fortunately, before he could do more than briefly growl and start to wiggle himself out of Delia's grip and into a better leaping position, Professor Oak spoke up.
"There's no need for that, I have him perfectly under control," Oak announced as he managed to get a firm grip on Pichu's torso, keeping him from wiggling around or escaping and running off to cause more problems. Unfortunately for the professor, that put him in perfect range of what Pichu was planning to do.
Out of the other three occupants of the room, it was Ash who got the most warning, and that warning consisted of the only other Pokemon present muttering, "Alright, take this then!"
The only warning the Professor and Delia had was the small Pokemon clenching his small paws and growling "Pi-chu!"
The rodent-like Pokemon's body was surrounded by a yellow electric glow that momentarily acted as the primary light source in the lab, seemingly darkening everything else. It was difficult for the lab's occupants to notice this though. Mainly because of the sudden spike of searing pain as the attack reached the targets of his ire.
Eyes bulged and limbs splayed as the uncomfortable efforts of the electric attack coursed through the two humans and one Zorua's bodies. After the pain had passed all three of them collapsed, lightly seared but overall very much alive.
Pichu stood triumphantly atop his victims for a moment looking very pleased with himself. It barely lasted a moment however as he start tottering dangerously before collapsing unconscious.
Oak managed to recover first despite his age, this was hardly the first time that Pichu had unleashed an electric blast at him and he was starting to become used to it, he had already made the joke that he was just getting his batteries recharged a bit and made a few lab assistants chuckle awkwardly.
"Sorry about that Delia," Oak said and helped her to her feet. Ash was no longer in her arms and was instead watching Pichu and making sure he didn't get back up and shock them. "Pichu's not exactly the biggest fan of humans for some reason."
"I'm okay professor, I've been shocked by electric types before." Delia waved off his concern. "Now Ash, what did I tell you about behaving." The Zorua stiffened, he had been hoping that Pichu's attack would have kept the attention off of him, unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case.
In a last-ditch effort to avoid retribution, he transformed into a Pichu again and collapsed on the ground next to the original! They would never know which one was the original now!
Delia stared for a moment at her Pokemon before sighing and crouching down. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" She asked rhetorically before lightly flicking him in the forehead, forcing him to drop his illusion and appear in his regular form again. Ash had the decency to look sheepish at his failed (and poorly thought out) plan.
"Come on, at least help us clean up the mess you two made?"
With multiple people helping the mess was cleaned up without much trouble.
Most of Ash's time had been spent trying to resist attacking that annoying little electric rodent again. Meanwhile, Delia and Professor Oak had donated a fair amount of their time keeping them from fighting each other again.
It was so hard not to try starting anything with that annoying Pichu, not only did he refuse to help once he woke back up but he also kept making fun of Ash for helping to clean up and saying a bunch of rude things about him listening to humans all the while.
A lot of the insults were poorly thought out, but some of the words still stung. Mostly 'pet' and 'loser.'
Honestly, he didn't get what the big deal was, Delia had raised him and while he did go off and do his own thing occasionally he generally listened to her. Not to mention she was his trainer, it was kind of her job to make sure he learned right from wrong and took responsibility for his actions.
Of course, there was battle training too, but since Delia didn't travel much anymore so most of it was just a form of exercise for him rather than preparations for an actual battle against other trainers or gym leaders or something.
Although the idea of going around on a grand adventure sounded like a lot of fun. Not to mention exciting!
But for the time being, he was sitting in the now clean lab on Delia's lap, occasionally shooting dirty looks at the electric type who thought himself too good to sit with everybody else and had perched himself at the top of a nearby shelf.
He was so distracted by his deeply despised foe that he ended up missing most of the conversation between Delia and Professor Oak!
Fortunately for him, it seemed like thus far they had been discussing boring human things instead of anything actually interesting. Confusing details about the housing market and something called taxes (which sounded horrible).
Ash began to lose focus on the conversation again and simply laid down and decided to rest, he was a bit tired out at this point after that whole struggle with the Pichu and then cleaning up the mess afterward.
However, the conversation soon turned to a topic that regained his interest. That topic was the very same Pichu that Ash hoped he wouldn't have to see again after he left the lab today, maybe some poor trainer will end up taking him.
That was probably a bit unlikely given the electric-type's disposition towards humans but Ash could rest easy with that image in his head.
Regardless of his personal thoughts on how the menace should be dealt with, he allowed himself to listen into the conversation between the two humans.
"Where did Pichu come from anyway? I don't remember ever hearing about a Pichu's being in the Kanto region." Delia brought up in what sounded like a casual tone.
"Considering wild Pikachu are living here, I'm sure there are Pichu living in the forests of Kanto." Professor Oak explained. "They most likely excel at keeping themselves hidden from prying eyes. That or the older Pikachu do everything in their power to keep them hidden, they are the youngest after all. It would make sense for the older ones to want to protect them."
"I guess that makes sense, but where did you get this one then?" Delia asked glancing over at Pichu where the electric type seemed to be ignoring the rest of the room. Ash followed her look and glared for a moment but it was clear Pichu wasn't even paying attention to them at this point.
"Pichu here was sent to me by a colleague of mine from Johto, Professor Elm, apparently he found him chewing on his electrical wires in between the walls." The professor laughed heartily and Ash failed to contain his own snicker. Hah! What kind of dummy got himself caught while chewing on electrical wires?
"But he turned out to be a real menace for Professor Elm. He sent Pichu to me to see if I would have better luck with him." Oak's laugh turned a bit awkward now and both Delia and Ash picked up on it.
"You haven't been having much success with him have you?" Delia asked somewhat dryly, shooting the professor a knowing look. Ash tried his best to replicate it to help her get the point across.
"Unfortunately... No." Professor Oak coughed into his hand and tried not to meet Delia's gaze. "He has a difficult personality to deal with and acts out often. This isn't the first time I've found a mess he created, albeit with a bit of help this time." The dark-type tried to pretend he wasn't here.
The professor continued, however, "To be honest, I was hoping that introducing him to another Pokemon, like Ash, might help him calm down a bit, most of the ones I have at the lab are a bit too mature to make the kind of connection that Pichu needs right now." The man sighed, "To tell you the truth, I'm nearing my wit's end."
The conversation lapsed into silence for a few moments as Delia thought and Ash waited for someone to say something. He had the feeling that he wasn't going to like whatever her idea was.
"We could try to help out with Pichu!" She suggested and Ash turned and stared at her aghast.
His trainer noticed his look and directed her next words at him. "Oh, don't give me that look, you're the one who messed up the lab and you two clearly need to learn to get along." Ash pouted, it wasn't his fault, that annoying Pichu had been the one who started it.
He quickly glanced at Pichu, he still didn't seem to be paying attention to them but his ears were twitching a bit. Maybe he was listening in on their conversation and pretending he wasn't, it was hard to tell.
"What is it you're suggesting?" Professor Oak asked perhaps hoping for a miracle.
Delia smiled, not her usual one but one that Ash hadn't seen before, one that he might even call dangerous. "Well Pichu clearly has a lot of pent-up energy and I've given Ash battle training, but we haven't had much proper experience."
That actually sounded like a good idea, a bit of excitement began to push past the Zorua's distaste of the electric-type.
"So? What do you say, Professor?" Delia asked, "Let's have a Pokemon battle!"
"Alright Ash, this is what we trained for, are you ready?" Delia asked the Zorua, doing her best to mimic her younger self. It used to feel so natural to cheer on and encourage her Pokemon for a battle. It had been so long though…
The little fox looked up at her and gave her a half-lidded gaze. His eyes seemingly asking, 'Really? That cliché?'
She sighed, "Sorry, it's been a while since I've done this, I'm trying to recapture the emotion."
The trainer had trained her Zorua over the years, not so intensely as she'd done for her Pokemon during the gym challenge, but enough that he could hold his own in a fight. He would probably have trouble with some Pokemon who were currently out in the field doing daily training though.
That being said, they were up against a Pichu, so the minimal training Ash had was probably more than enough to beat the opposing baby Pokemon.
"But you were super excited about this a minute ago, I was just trying to add some encouragement to the mix." Delia pleaded with the Pokemon.
Ash seemed to consider this and bobbed his head in agreement. "Zor." Was the response she got.
The two pairs of humans and Pokemon were outside of the lab proper in one of the "arenas" Professor Oak had around the property. There weren't too many of these and they were a far cry from some of the more impressive and advanced ones the league employed.
The lack of advanced tech in the battle areas might surprise newcomers to Oak's research lab, but the truth was that Oak performed research on Pokemon, not the more exciting and eventful battles that surrounded them.
There were certainly times when he needed to study their moves and better understand their techniques but he hardly needed a full battle to gather this research. The few battlefields around his lab were purely for recreational purposes as trainers new and old would sometimes stop by and it made sense for them to have a place to properly test their skills against one another.
The small mixed group was currently using the field closest to the actual lab, a bit down the hill and down a side path from the main road. There was a light scattering of trees surrounding it but one could still make out the windmills spinning in the near distance.
Delia winced as she glanced over at their 'opponents.' the word being used loosely in this situation. Oak looked like he was struggling to get the small electric-type to listen to him, instead, the Pichu simply turned his nose up at the professor.
She had to wonder if Pichu had some sort of bad history with humans that caused the distrust and dislike, or if it was just one of the Pokemon that thought it didn't need humans and wanted nothing to do with them. Both kinds had appeared on her journey and with hindsight, she could certainly say a Pokemon with that mindset would be too much for almost any rookie trainer to handle.
Still, Professor Oak was an old professional, he had spent years as a trainer and then as a researcher, she suspected if there was a way for a human to get through to the Pokemon, the Professor would find it…
Eventually at least.
For the time being though, this seemed like a good way to start making that bond or at least a way to help Pichu open up by doing something it seemed interested in.
This was a good opportunity for both Pokemon honestly. She probably wouldn't have much time to battle in the future but maybe Ash could spend more time at the lab instead.
He had grown from the confused little fox she had swapped with Shelldon (whom she still checked in on) but his potential growth was limited considering her current occupation.
At least they could enjoy the moment. No time like the present to get started, "Are you ready professor?" Delia called across the field.
"I think so." The Legendary Pokemon Professor looked sheepish as Pichu shot one more distasteful glare at the older man and waddled onto the field opposite her and Ash, the two mirroring their own positions.
The good news was Pichu was at least participating, that seemed to be a step in the right direction.
"Aren't we supposed to have a referee of some sort?" Delia suggested with a hint of teasing in her tone.
"Alas! What will I do if word of this gets out? Professor Oak, battling without a ref to ensure the battle follows league guidelines! They'll have my diploma!" The man chuckled.
"Alright let's start!" The challenging trainer declared.
This was exciting.
Scratch that, this was amazing!
Or maybe amazingly exciting?
He could think more about it later, for now, there was a battle to be done! Or won!
Ash shook himself quickly, he needed to get his head in the game otherwise this was all going to go wrong before he began. Yes, it was exciting. Yes, his nerves were all over the place. Yes, he could barely form a coherent thought from how excited he was.
That changed nothing, he had to get himself focused on the battle at hand. He took a few deep breaths, he was ready for this!
"Alright let's start!" He heard his trainer call and suddenly he had to fight to keep from shaking in excitement. Pichu must have noticed it because the jerk looked smug again.
"What's the matter? Scared of losing?" the yellow mouse taunted doing his best to look intimidating. This failed because he was a foot shorter than Ash and was adorable looking.
"I'm not scared!" Ash retorted in an effort to protect his dignity. "Just excited!" To be fair, it was the truth.
"Pfft, you think having a human will let you beat me! I'll beat you without this dumb old human! I know how to win! He doesn't know anything!" Pichu announced, sticking his chin in the air.
Professor Oak probably knew a lot of things both about Pokemon in general and how to battle but as much as Ash wanted to continue arguing his point Delia called out the first directions.
"Alright let's start with Scratch!" She directed although Ash wasn't sure that was the best move.
Sure scratch could hit pretty hard but he was sure he was faster than Pichu, that means he could use Fury Swipes and get more hits in and do more overall damage than Scratch would accomplish.
He kept to the plan however, if he started going against callouts this early it could throw off any form of strategy they may have had. Not to mention that jerk of a rat would probably use it to tout more of his anti-human stuff.
So he charged forward and made to scratch the little mouse, who looked startled at the sudden start to battle. Ash took a small amount of satisfaction in that expression as he leaped to attack.
He dimly heard Oak shout. "Dodge it and use Thundershock!"
"Shut up human! I don- GAH!" That was all Pichu managed to say before he tumbled across the field from Ash's attack.
Most Pokemon probably would have been able to stand their ground but the size difference definitely mattered in this battle.
"Maybe you should consider listening, he probably has some good points to make!" Ash suggested to the other Pokemon.
"Don't need him." Pichu got out as he stood up. Suddenly, and very strangely Ash's vision seemed to be drawn to Pichu's face.
The Pichu, who somehow managed to look more like a cute and innocent Pokemon than any other baby Pokemon he'd ever seen, and was that a floating heart? Did he just…
"Did you just try to use Charm on me?" Ash squawked somewhat indignantly, shaking his head to clear it.
"That normally works!" Pichu defended.
"Ash, focus!" Delia's voice helped cut through the haze, "now move in and use Fury Swipes!" Ah right, battle.
Ash leaped forward again but this time Pichu reacted before Oak even started calling out an attack. Spinning around and lashing his tail across Ash's snout with Tail Whip even as he jumped forward leaving Ash to crash into the dirt.
"Ha! See! All humans do is make you mess up!" Pichu called back as Ash quickly righted himself.
"Scratch again! Don't let him dodge this time! Aim up!" Aim up? What did- Oh right! Ash quickly understood and moved again.
"Again really? You two are good for each other! You're both dumb!" Ash ignored the taunting and continued charging forward, not jumping this time and focusing on his opponent. Waiting for the Tiny Mouse to make his move.
Just as he saw Pichu spin to repeat his over from before Ash leaped forward going just over the tail and scratching Pichu mid-jump sending him spiraling out of the air with a cry.
Ash landed on his paws and waited for Pichu to right himself, he probably could have pressed his advantage but to be fair, there wasn't much of a challenge to be had.
With Pichu righted and looking significantly worse for wear, The dark-type prepped himself to defend against any attack the other Pokemon might send his way.
"Alright." Pichu eventually announced. "YOU are certainly pretty tough, but that doesn't mean your trainer is!"
"Well, she helped me get strong!" Ash called back. "Professor Oak could probably help you get strong too! You just have to give him a chance."
Pichu scowled. "I don't need to give any human a chance! I'm strong enough as I am! Just watch!"
An electric surge started building in the other Pokemon, and as Ash watched the glow began spreading around the smaller Pokemon.
"Ash get ready to dodge it!" Delia warned as suddenly a massive blast of electricity that seemed far too big to simply be a normal Thundershock surged out of Pichu.
Ash tried to leap out of the way but still managed to get caught up in it as the attack spread more like a wave than a singular bolt of lightning. Pain rippled through his form and he cried out.
This was much worse than the shock the Pichu had given him before at the lab, where was the little guy holding this much power?
The Zorua hit the ground but made no move to get back up yet until he was sure the electric attack was finished. Around him, dust began to settle back onto the field. After a moment he pushed himself back to his paws and looked back at where Pichu was.
The smaller Pokemon was still standing there, in a ring of sorts that seemed to follow the radius of the electric-type attack. He was looking completely out of it. Whatever kind of attack that was certainly took a lot out of him.
If he ever managed to figure out how to use that kind of strength in a battle he could be invincible! Already Ash's mind was running through ideas on what he could do to become a more effective battler.
But pushing those thoughts to the side for the time being he made his way up the Pichu, who barely seemed to notice his presence. Delia didn't interfere, the battle was basically over it seemed.
He gently tapped his forehead onto the other Pokemon's, causing him to topple over.
"Headbutt," he said softly. The light tap and fall to the ground seemed to knock some sense back into the electric-type who looked up at Ash, with what the Zorua hoped was respect.
"What were you saying about beating me?" He managed to regain some of his bravado now that he had all but won.
"I already said you were tough!" Pichu pointed out with a huff.
"You definitely can hit pretty hard too," Ash admitted to his foe. "I still think you should at least try to get along with Professor Oak?" He tried suggesting, doing his best not to sound too forceful about it.
"I will consider it. But don't expect me to actually go to him for help or anything!" Pichu pointedly announced.
"Alright you two, at least you're not at each other's throats anymore." Professor Oak muttered the last part. "Come on, let's get you healed up, I have some Pokemon Center technology at my lab." He gently picked Pichu up who seemed too tired to fight against the human's touch.
"Good job Ash!" Delia praised him and gave him a friendly rub on the head which Ash happily pushed into. His first battle! And he won!
He wanted to talk to her about how awesome it was and what else they could have tried, and a million other ideas bursting through his head. Stupid language barriers, he'd topple them eventually!
Someday perhaps, but for now, the group headed back up toward the lab.
This chapter isn't really too different in a way but also completely different.
When I first wrote chapter two I had planned to have the battle as part of the chapter, and then I burned out and ended up writing it as chapter three when I came back a year or so later.
Now I have combined the two to be the full chapter they were always meant to be!
So there's that. Chapter three is now something completely new! Nothing plot breaking, mostly just character interactions, fluff and some scenes I wish I had written the first time around.
It's up right now, no need to wait!
~FriTik
R&R