I worked my butt off on this chapter, guys. I'm not waiting for months and months on end to update this story again! Also, I finished my big midterm this afternoon, so writing was my reward for all the hours of studying I did :) Seriously, I did like 10 hours. It was nuts.

LAST TIME: Ash challenges Michelle to a battle in order to boost her confidence. Misty disapproves of the idea, and Ash implores his wife to trust him. Aiden, on the other hand, is just jealous of his sister for getting to battle their father. It's Donphan versus Eevee, and in the end, Ash and his Donphan come out victorious. Michelle, however, has learned to trust herself and not allow her confidence to be broken. Ash then receives a shocking text, one that sends Misty into a fit of anger and upset: he is wanted by the G-Men for an important mission.

Chapter 33: Evolve Me Not

"Pichu seems really down today."

Michelle's ears perked at her brother's voice, and she turned her head towards her shoulder to examine Pichu. Indeed, the little mouse was slumped over and looking rather pathetic, her ears bowed down and her eyes half lidded.

"Maybe it's because Mom and Dad left," Michelle mused. "Pichu and Pikachu are really close. I bet she just misses Pikachu is all."

"Could be," Aiden agreed.

"It's typical for Pokémon to miss one another when they're separated, especially when one is as young as Pichu," Brock elucidated. "I think Pichu views Pikachu as a father-figure. Pokémon are a lot like humans, so she's probably having some separation anxiety."

"Aw, it's okay, Pichu!" Michelle assured. "I miss my dad when he leaves, too. But I always know that I'm going to see him again! And until then, I just remember all of the good times we've had together. And there are lots!"

Pichu just sighed and slumped down even further on her trainer's shoulder.

The three friends were traveling through a forest on their way to Fuchsia City, where Aiden would have his next gym battle. They had parted ways with Ash, Misty, and Elizabeth earlier that morning, and ever since then, Michelle had noticed that Pichu was not acting like her normal self. It was definitely odd, but everything that Brandon had concluded did make a lot of sense to her. Pichu was still very young, after all, and she was probably just confused and grouchy. Nothing to get worked up over.

"Oh my gosh, look at the Pichu!"

"It's so cute!"

The trio stopped in their tracks and found themselves to be staring back at a pair of very identical girls: both with light brown pigtails adorned by pink ribbons and bright blue eyes.

"Who are you two?" Aiden asked, looking between the girls.

"My name's Brooke!" The girl on the left trilled, waving at the older group.

"And I'm Lynn!" The girl on the right added, holding a hand over her heart.

"Oh, you two must be sisters!" Brandon chuckled at the young girls.

"Uh huh!" They chimed at once.

"Whoa, creepy," Aiden muttered.

"Come on," Michelle giggled, elbowing her brother in the side. "You and I do that sometimes!"

"Huh?! No way!"

"Don't lie," Michelle snickered. "We totally do."

"Does that mean you guys are twins, too?!"

Michelle looked back over at the younger girls and smiled at them. "Yeah! My name's Michelle, and this is my brother, Aiden. We're both Pokémon trainers!"

"And I'm Brandon, a Pokémon breeder!" The elder boy threw in.

"Oh my gosh, Lynn, another pair of twins!" Brooke giggled, completely ignoring Brandon.

"This is so exciting!" Lynn squealed. "We should have a battle!"

"Now you're speaking my language!" Aiden cheered. "I'm always up for a battle!"

"You'll have a double battle with us?" Brooke gasped happily.

"I will if Michelle will," Aiden replied with a smirk, glancing over at his sister. "What do you say, sis?"

"I say bring it on!" Michelle chirped, high fiving her brother out of excitement. "Let's win this!"

XXX

It didn't take long for Aiden and Michelle to be standing directly across from Brooke and Lynne, with Brandon perched in between as the match's referee.

"This is a double battle!" Brandon announced. "You may each use one Pokémon each. Whichever team loses both of their Pokémon first loses. Understood?"

"Yes!" The four battlers chimed at once.

"Okay, then," Brandon murmured, throwing his arms up in the air. "Release your Pokémon!"

"Ledian, I choose you!" Aiden ordered, throwing his poke ball and releasing the five star Pokémon.

"Pichu, get on in there," Michelle encouraged the little electric type. In turn, Pichu sighed and jumped off of Michelle's shoulder, standing beneath the hovering Ledian with the sulk still on her face.

"Pika!" Brooke giggled, tossing her own poke ball.

"Chu!" Lynne squealed, chucking her sphere right after Brooke's.

"Let's go!" The twins called together as their poke balls popped open and released two familiar looking yellow mice. Aiden and Michelle both gasped at their appearance, but what especially transfixed them was the curious indentation in the tail of Brooke's Pikachu.

"Look at that!" Michelle marveled. "The end of its tail is shaped like a heart!"

"I'm pretty sure that means Pikachu is a girl," Aiden mused.

"You're right!" Brooke giggled. "My Pika is a girl…"

"And my Chu is a boy!" Lynn added.

Pichu had become just as alert as her trainer once the two rodents emerged. As soon as Pika and Chu came into her sight, Pichu's ears perked up, and her eyes opened up wide from their half lidded state. She had never battled a Pikachu before! Of course, she played with Ash's Pikachu all the time, but that's all it was. Play. Pichu didn't know what it was like to actually battle Pokémon that were essentially her brethren. Her family line.

It was all very strange, but exciting at the same time. Almost enough to make her forgot about how lousy she felt at the moment.

"All of the Pokémon have been released!" Brandon called, throwing his arms up once again. "Battle begin!"

"I'm not wasting any time!" Aiden decided. "Ledian, comet punch on Chu!"

Ledian swooped down and wound up his fist, quickly slamming it into Chu's midsection and sending the male Pikachu flying backwards.

"Chu!" Lynn cried.

"Michelle, come on, it's your turn!" Aiden pushed.

"Right!" Michelle cheered with a determined face on. "Pichu, charge beam on Pika!"

Pichu held her little paws out and began to build up energy for her charge beam. In the middle of creating the ball of electricity, however, Pichu's little body flashed in white, taking everyone off guard.

"Pichu?" Michelle murmured.

"No way…" Brandon breathed.

"Michelle, I think Pichu is evolving!" Aiden crowed, beaming at the little electric type.

Michelle bit her lip and leaned in closer to examine Pichu. She knew evolution was a good thing…it meant Pichu could only get stronger. But, for some reason, Michelle was also feeling a lot of trepidation. She didn't know why, but something just seemed off.

Pichu, meanwhile, knew exactly how she felt about the situation. Wincing, Pichu stopped using charge beam and instead focused all of her energy on herself, deep within her body. It took a few seconds, but soon enough, Pichu stopped glowing and returned to her normal, yellow state.

"Hey, she stopped!" Aiden gasped.

Michelle couldn't really say anything in response. She just continued to stare at Pichu, her jaw dropped ever so slightly and her eyes refusing to blink.

"What's the matter?" Brooke trilled curiously. "Doesn't your Pichu want to become a Pikachu?"

"Yeah, doesn't she?" Lynn joined in.

"I…I don't know," Michelle admitted. "I never really asked her. We don't talk about evolution."

Pichu frowned and looked down sheepishly at her bottom paws. From across the grass, Pika and Chu began to snicker at the downtrodden baby mouse, earning a glare from the small, unhappy rodent.

"You should want your Pichu to evolve," Brooke continued. "Pikachu as a whole are much stronger than Pichu!"

"Pichu hurts itself when it attacks," Lynn agreed. "Why wouldn't you want a better Pokémon?"

"Because I like my Pichu just the way she is!" Michelle argued, narrowing her emerald eyes. "I don't need her to evolve to become strong."

"But you'll never get anywhere with just a Pichu," Brooke prodded.

"Unless you just want to keep her as a pet," Lynn added.

The twin girls began giggling together, and Pichu grunted out of annoyance. Pika and Chu also began to laugh at the baby Pokémon, and that just about cemented Pichu's anger. Squeaking furiously, Pichu flicked her tail to the side and got to her paws, running off in the opposite direction of the group and through the forest trees.

"Pichu!" Michelle cried, spinning around on her toes.

"Where's she going?" Aiden gasped.

Sighing, Michelle chased after Pichu, leaving behind her brother, friends, and the two girls she was supposed to be battling. The young coordinator darted between trees and jumped over bushes, looking around desperately for her precious electric partner.

"Pichu!" Michelle called as she ran. "Pichu!"

She was so busy looking around for Pichu, however, that Michelle didn't see a bush in front of her and ended up tripping over the shrub, landing flat on her face.

"Ow…"

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?!"

Michelle slowly picked up her head and winced, finding a dirty blond haired boy standing in front of her with a worried look on his face.

"Y-yeah," Michelle murmured, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed. "I'm fine."

The boy reached down and offered a hand to Michelle, which she quickly accepted and allowed him to pull her back up to her feet. Dusting the dirt off of herself, Michelle smiled nervously at the boy, but he could tell it wasn't a genuine grin.

"Is something bothering you?" The boy asked worriedly. "You seem kinda…preoccupied. Is it because you tripped?"

"No!" Michelle cried hurriedly, frightening the boy. "Sorry. No. It's not that I fell. It's just…my Pichu got upset and ran off. Now I can't find her!"

"A Pichu, huh?" The boy mused. "Don't worry! I can help you find her."

Michelle blinked and looked the boy straight in the eyes. "Really?"

"Sure thing!" The boy chuckled, reaching for a poke ball off of his belt. "The name's Austin, by the way."

"Michelle," the redhead softly introduced herself, watching as Austin threw his poke ball and released his own Pokémon, which caused Michelle's eyes to snap open.

She had seen that Pokémon before. A dark orange mouse, with bifurcated ears of yellow, beady black eyes, and a long, wiry tail with a sharp lightning bolt shape on the end…

"Raichu!" Austin ordered, catching the Pokémon's attention. "There's a Pichu somewhere around here. We're just not sure where. Could you help us find her?"

"Rai!" Raichu piped, putting his nose to the ground and sniffing for Pichu's scent.

"I figure a member of the evolutionary line would be able to locate her more easily than other Pokémon," Austin informed Michelle.

"It's a good idea," Michelle agreed.

"Rai!"

Austin and Michelle both looked over towards the electric type, who suddenly seemed very alert. His nose was no longer in the grass, and his beady eyes were perfectly clear.

"You picked something up, didn't you?" Austin questioned.

"Chu!" Raichu confirmed.

"Great!" Austin cheered. "Lead us to her, boy!"

Raichu got on all four paws and began to run, with Michelle and Austin following closely behind. They trailed the electric type through a clearing, which then led to a collection of rocks piled near a wooden house. Sitting atop one of the smaller rocks, in the front of the mound, was Pichu, looking rather dejected with her ears bowed and her head down.

"Rai rai!" Raichu called out, alarming the baby Pokémon.

"Pichu, you scared me!" Michelle whined, running over to the little mouse and kneeling down. "Why would you run off like that?"

"Chu," Pichu huffed.

"I don't understand," Michelle groaned. "Is it because of what happened in battle?"

"Pi."

"What happened in battle?" Austin repeated.

Looking over her shoulder, Michelle elucidated, "my brother and I were having a double battle with these two girls, and in the middle of the match, Pichu started glowing. It was obvious she was going to evolve. But, she forced herself to stop. I didn't even know that was possible! She got upset after that, and that's when she ran off."

"Pichu evolves when its friendship with its trainer is really high," Austin mused. "That must mean you and Pichu are really close!"

"We are," Michelle agreed, "but it's pretty clear that Pichu doesn't want to evolve."

"Rai-chu?" Raichu asked Pichu.

"Pi," Pichu sighed, nodding her head.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Austin breathed.

"Isn't that strange?" Michelle asked rhetorically. "I mean…shouldn't a Pokémon want to evolve? It makes them stronger!"

"That's what a lot of people think," Austin confirmed. "But it's not necessarily true. Some Pokémon are afraid of the change, and don't want to evolve. It's not uncommon, to say the least."

"But what am I supposed to do?" Michelle murmured. "I can't just stop Pichu from evolving."

"Actually, you can."

Michelle glanced up at Austin, who chuckled earnestly at her reaction.

"Have you ever heard of the everstone?" Austin asked.

"Obviously not," Michelle hummed, gently tilting her head to the side. "What's that?"

"If a Pokémon holds it, it prevents them from evolving," Austin explained. Upon hearing this, both Michelle and Pichu's ears perked.

"Really?" Michelle breathed.

"Really," Austin chuckled.

Michelle gasped and looked down at Pichu, who was excitedly shifting her tail back and forth. "Pichu, do you hear that? We can stop you from evolving!"

"Chu!" Pichu squeaked.

"Now all we have to do is actually find an everstone," Michelle sighed. "Dad's always said that finding stones in the wild is really hard!"

"You don't have to go out and find an everstone," Austin laughed. "I've got one back at my house!"

Michelle raised a skeptical eyebrow at this. "You'd just give me an everstone? A stranger you just met?"

"Sure!" Austin chuckled. "Besides, you're not a crazy person."

"How do you know?" Michelle muttered playfully. She knew she was just pushing buttons at this point, something that was generally frowned upon. But she had inherited it from her mother, and just couldn't help herself.

"I guess I don't, but you seem normal enough," Austin quipped, earning a slight nod from Michelle. "Come with me. We'll get the stone."

Michelle beckoned for Pichu to follow, which the young mouse did by jumping onto her shoulder. As she sat perched on her usual spot, Pichu kept her eyes towards the ground, watching Raichu as he walked alongside his own trainer.

"So, what kind of a double battle was it?" Austin questioned.

Michelle blinked confusedly at that inquiry. "Uh…a battle where it's two Pokémon against another two Pokémon?"

"I guess I should've worded that differently," Austin sighed laughingly. "I meant what kind of Pokémon were you battling against?"

"Oh, two Pikachu," Michelle replied mindlessly, not noticing Austin's quick change of expression. "I think that's part of the reason Pichu got so upset. They were both sort of teasing her."

"Of course."

Michelle looked over at Austin, and finally realized he was wearing a rather frustrated look.

"What do you mean?"

"Those two Pikachu…was there a boy and a girl?"

"Yeah…"

"Brooke and Lynn," Austin hissed.

"Yeah, those were the names of the girls I battled!" Michelle marveled.

"Up to their old tricks again," Austin muttered.

"Oh, you know them?" Michelle questioned.

Austin sighed and looked over his shoulder at Michelle, who seemed transfixed by the boy's frustration.

"They're my sisters."

XXX

Having finally reached Austin's house, Michelle sat a table in the kitchen and watched as the slightly older boy dug through drawers in the living room.

"I'm sorry about that," Austin called, once again referring to his younger sisters.

"It's fine," Michelle assured, not wanting to admit how much their little comments had bothered both her and Pichu. She was pretty sure Austin knew as much without her saying it.

"They've always been such troublemakers," Austin sighed, walking back into the kitchen with a small wooden box in his hands. "They're a little bit bratty, too. Even though my parents don't want to see it. They think those two are just a pair of princesses."

"I know your pain," Michelle joked. "My little sister is the same way."

"Their Pikachu used to be Pichu," Austin explained. "They got them when they were very little. They evolved not too long ago, so I think Brooke and Lynn are just totally overtaken by the newness of it all. Throw in their personalities and well…it's a recipe for disaster."

Michelle giggled softly before leaning over in her chair, carefully studying the box Austin had brought back with him. "Is that the everstone?"

"Yeah, it's in here," Austin confirmed, lifting the lid of the box. Nestled inside, atop a sea of red velvet, was a shiny, silver-gray oval. Michelle oohed out of fascination and reached forward, picking up the stone and squeezing it in her hand. "Nice, right?"

"Yeah…" Michelle breathed. "Where do you find things like this, anyway?"

"There's a mine around here that's well known for its bounty of evolutionary stones," Austin explained. "It's how the smaller, nearby towns make most of their living. My dad is a miner, so he finds the stones all the time. He usually sells them to merchants in town, but sometimes he'll bring one or two home if he thinks it'll come in handy down the line. We've had this everstone for a while. To be honest, I didn't know if I wanted to evolve my Pikachu at first."

"Really?" Michelle murmured.

"I'm like my sisters," Austin continued, looking over into the corner of the room where Raichu was quietly playing with Pichu. "I got Raichu when he was just a Pichu. We basically grew up together. He evolved into Pikachu, and I was ecstatic. We trained together, and he just kept getting stronger and stronger. Soon enough, we were unstoppable! My mentor, who owns a battle facility in town, told me I should evolve Pikachu into a Raichu so he could keep getting stronger. I didn't know what to do. I felt so confused! It was around that same time that my dad had brought home two different stones: an everstone, and a thunder stone."

"A thunder stone evolves Pikachu into Raichu," Michelle absentmindedly commented, thinking back to all of the stories her father had told her about his adventures when she was young.

"Right. And an everstone stops evolution. I thought about it for days. Weeks, even! And, in the end, I realized it wasn't really my decision. It was Pikachu's."

"And Pikachu wanted to evolve?" Michelle guessed.

"In the worst way," Austin chuckled at the memory. "He was so excited when I showed him the thunder stone! That made me feel a lot better about it all. I knew Pikachu would be happy, and that made me happy."

"Do you ever regret it?" Michelle couldn't help but to ask.

"Nope," Austin replied honestly. "It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, actually. Raichu is a lot stronger, and he's perfectly happy with who he is. And he's still the same as he ever was! I think you'll always end up happy as long as your Pokémon is happy. There's nothing wrong with wanting to evolve, and there's nothing wrong with not wanting to evolve, either. I think using the everstone is the right route for you and Pichu."

Michelle looked over her shoulder at the baby mouse and smiled at the sight of her little partner hanging off the end of Raichu's tail. She was fine with who she was…and so was Michelle. A more powerful Pikachu could be a good thing, but keeping her best friends just the way she was was a good thing too.

"You're right," Michelle finally decided. "It is the right thing to do."

XXX

From outside, a familiar and devious trio spied on Michelle and Austin through the kitchen windows using binoculars and sound amplifiers.

"An everstone," Jewel mused quietly.

"To keep that twerpy Pichu from evolving!" Sneasel remarked.

"But…isn't that a bad thing?" Jason pondered. This caught Jewel and Sneasel's attention, causing them to turn their heads towards the green haired boy.

"What are you blathering on about, Jason?" Jewel demanded.

"A very powerful Pichu is more impressive than a powerful Pikachu," Jason explained. "Baby Pokémon are known for being weak, to the point where they're almost useless! Especially with Pichu, an electric type whose attacks tend to backfire and cause injury to itself."

"So?" Jewel huffed.

"So, we can't let the brat evolve her Pichu!" Jason exclaimed. "If she does, it won't be valuable to the boss anymore!"

"And then we'll be out of a job!" Sneasel gasped in realization.

"I suppose you have a point," Jewel muttered. "So, we'll just get on our hands on both Pichu and the everstone, and we'll be all set! It's perfect!"

XXX

Not long after Michelle had picked up the everstone, the front door to the house opened, with Brooke and Lynn leading in Aiden and Brandon. All four were surprised to see Michelle and Austin together, and none of them kept their shock quiet.

"Austin, you know her?!"

"How?!"

"Michelle, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, this is where you ran off to?"

"And how do you guys know this guy, anyway?" Aiden demanded, pointing a finger at a bewildered Austin.

"Are you really that slow?" Michelle snapped at her genuinely confused brother.

"He's our brother!" Brooke trilled with a giggle.

"Our big brother!" Lynn added.

"Were you two causing trouble again?" Austin asked with a sigh.

"No!" Brooke and Lynn gasped simultaneously.

Austin looked over his shoulder at the two younger girls and narrowed his eyes. "You're lying and you know it. You tried to battle Michelle and her brother and ended up teasing her Pichu. That's rude! What is with you two, anyway? You know that's wrong!"

"We didn't mean to make her Pichu sad," Brooke reasoned with a pout.

"It's just weird when a Pokémon doesn't wanna evolve!" Lynn chimed in.

"It's not weird, it's perfectly normal," Austin groaned. He had obviously explained this to them many times before. "All Pokémon are different. Just like people!"

"Oh, yeah!" Brooke giggled.

"We forgot," Lynn chirped.

"Either way, it'll all be fine," Austin concluded. "Michelle was just about to use an everstone on Pichu!"

"An everstone?" Aiden repeated.

"It prevents a Pokémon from evolving," Brandon explained. "It's a good thing to do for Pichu, since she obviously doesn't want to become a Pikachu. Using all of her energy to prevent the evolution is really damaging. The everstone is a much better option."

"I guess," Aiden murmured. "But it's still a little strange."

Michelle stood up and looked over in the corner of the room, where Pichu was still busy playing with Raichu. Smiling to herself, Michelle moved closer to the mice Pokémon and knelt down, waiting for Pichu to take notice of her presence. It didn't take the baby mouse long, since she knew Michelle's scent so well, and once she had it, the little thing squeaked and jumped off of Raichu's back, beaming up at her trainer.

"You really don't want to evolve, Pichu?" Michelle questioned.

"Chu," Pichu confirmed, quickly shaking her head.

"So, what do you say we use this everstone to keep you just the way you are?" Michelle continued, holding up the shiny, pale oval. Pichu's beady black eyes glimmered at the sight, and she changed her previous head shakes to an even more enthusiastic nod. Giggling, Michelle reached her arm out and began to move the everstone closer to Pichu. Right before she could touch the stone to the critter, however, the window above their heads burst open, two mechanical arms reaching down and grabbing both Pichu and the everstone.

"Hey!" Michelle protested, jumping back to her feet. "What gives?!"

"Listen up, and we'll tell you what gives," a voice cackled.

"Give up now, your stupidity outlives," a second voice chimed.

"We're here to start trouble!"

"And surely burst your bubble!"

"Truth and love, we will defy!"

"Like shooting stars, we're sure to fly!"

"Jewel!"

"Jason!"

"Team Rocket, here to succeed!"

"Our great history you soon will read!"

"Sneasel, agreed!"

Aiden sighed noisily and threw his head back, scrutinizing the evil group with his eyes. "Do you three seriously have to recite that stupid motto every time you come after us?"

"We've been told yes," Jewel quipped before pulling Pichu closer to her. "But thanks for the gifts! They're really appreciated!"

"Pichu and that everstone don't belong to you!" Austin yelled.

"Excuse you, but it's none of Team Rocket's concern whether or not what we're stealing actually belongs to us," Jason huffed.

"Who is Team Rocket?" Brooke squeaked.

"Bad guys?" Lynn trilled.

"Yeah, they're always stealing other people's Pokémon!" Brandon bit.

"Wah wah, cry me a river," Jewel drawled, turning her head away in defiance. "As if all of your whining and sniveling is actually going to make us feel sorry for you."

"Yeah, if anything, it just makes us want to take Pichu even more!" Sneasel remarked.

"A talking Pokémon?!" Austin gasped.

"Too bad it's got nothing intelligent to say," Michelle muttered.

"I heard that!" Sneasel shouted.

"This is getting old," Austin grunted, turning his cobalt eyes onto Raichu. "Quick, help us out, buddy!"

"Rai-ai!" Raichu replied, scampering in front of his trainer and standing there with sparking cheeks.

"Use thunderbolt on those creeps!" Austin ordered.

"Rai!"

Raichu fired off a quick flash of lightning at the devious trio, causing their machine to explode and free both Pichu and the everstone. Michelle ran forward and caught them both: one in each arm. Once she was sure her partner was safe, Michelle sighed happily and hugged the little mouse against her, not noticing the fascinated look Pichu was wearing on her face as she observed Raichu.

"Ugh, insufferable brats!" Jason complained.

"Don't start whining like them," Jewel warned, pulling out a poke ball. "You have to retaliate with force! Nidoran, let's go!"

"Spinarak, come on!" Jason urged, throwing his own ball and releasing the spider Pokémon.

"Eep!" Michelle shrieked, hiding behind her brother. "Gross! A bug!"

"Michelle, you have to fight!" Aiden groaned, pushing his sister in front of himself.

"But…but it's so gross!" Michelle wailed, refusing to look at the bug type standing across from her.

"Hey, that's an awfully rude thing to say about my precious Spinarak!" Jason cried, earning a disinterested huff from Michelle.

"Pi-chu pi!"

Michelle blinked and looked down at her arms, where Pichu was still being held against her body.

"What is it, Pichu?" Michelle murmured.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu repeated, her own pink cheeks now sparking with electricity.

"Pichu wants to battle Team Rocket," Brandon concluded, his eyebrows rising in interest.

"Is that it, Pichu?" Michelle questioned. "You want to battle with Raichu?"

"Pi!"

"Alright, then!" Michelle giggled, letting go of the baby mouse. "Show 'em what you've got, Pichu!"

Team Rocket began cackling at the sight of Raichu and Pichu standing next to one another on the floor. This didn't amuse either mouse, and it showed. Raichu glanced over at Pichu, who exchanged the look. Both Pokémon were soon smirking, and before anyone could truly process it, Pichu let out a thunderous attack that perfectly matched the one Raichu was using.

"No way!" Brooke gasped.

"Was that really what I think it was?" Lynn chimed.

"I…I don't…" Michelle muttered.

"Michelle, Pichu just used thunderbolt!" Austin laughed excitedly.

"Whoa!" Michelle giggled, staring at her little partner with sparkling eyes.

The combined thunderbolt attack struck Team Rocket and sent them flying with the ever familiar, shrieking cry of, "we're blasting off again!"

As soon as the evil trio was gone, Michelle laughed joyously and ran forward to gather the baby mouse in her arms.

"Pichu, that was so amazing!" Michelle cheered. "I can't believe you actually learned thunderbolt! You're amazing!"

"Pi-chu!" Pichu trilled, twitching her ears happily. Suddenly, her entire body began to glow white again, causing everyone in the room to gasp.

"Michelle, quick!" Austin urged. "Use the everstone on Pichu!"

"Oh, right!" Michelle breathed, touching the oval stone against the electric type's head. The stone itself began to glow, and Michelle soon felt her heart beating in her throat. Within a matter of seconds, the glowing on both Pichu and the everstone completely stopped, returning them each to their prior states.

"Pi?" Pichu squeaked, glancing up at her trainer with curious eyes.

"Oh, Pichu, you're still you!" Michelle giggled. "I'm so happy."

"Chu!" Pichu agreed, gathering Michelle's shirt in her paws and gleefully tugging at the material.

"The effects of an everstone are never permanent, by the way," Austin informed Michelle, who turned around and eyed the boy. "If Pichu ever changes her mind about evolving, she can still become a Pikachu."

"That's amazing!" Michelle trilled, beaming at Pichu. "But I think you're happy for now just the way you are, right, Pichu?"

"Pi pi!" Pichu chirped, nodding her head.

"Michelle!"

The girl turned around and found Brooke and Lynn jumping up and down by her sides.

"Your Pichu is so amazing!" Brooke marveled.

"It's super powerful!" Lynn added.

"We'd love to finish our battle!" Brooke continued.

"Please?" Lynn pleaded.

"Okay, sounds great!" Michelle laughed. "Aiden, you up for it?"

"Of course!" Aiden jumped in. "I'm always up for a battle!"

"Alright, Pichu," Michelle murmured to her baby Pokémon, who was wearing a determined look on her face. "Let's show them what you're made of!"

I know, I'm probably gonna get slaughtered for this. Pichu should've evolved, she'd be more powerful etc etc. Buuut that's not how I roll! Pichu and Michelle are really close. It's like Ash and Pikachu, and also Misty and Togepi (before the whole Mirage thing of course, because Michelle would never let Pichu go.) They have a very close bond, and Michelle is more in tune to Pichu's feelings than what she herself wants. Besides, Pichu IS strong for a baby Pokémon. She'll just continue to get stronger and defy those beliefs about baby Pokémon. Pichu's got a plan ;)

Also, I sort of started shipping Austin and Michelle in this chapter. Not gonna lie. I like making my chapters like episodes of the anime: lots of different shipping choices! I always like to see my readers' preferences anyway :P