Telepathy

No one ever really notices how much they need something until it's gone. The same is true of cars, computers, relationships, and it was certainly true of Jet's cell phone. Although he knew his house number and was able to communicate with his best friends online, he had absolutely no means of contacting Misty.

His phone was utterly destroyed so he couldn't just look up her contact. He didn't know her last name so it was too difficult to find her online. Still, through all the training and craziness of the last couple of weeks, Jet really did miss that little redhead. True, he did not feel the same way about her as he felt about Natalie, but she definitely weighed heavy on his thoughts. He wondered just how far their relationship might have got had it not been for Team Rocket's low-brow thugs.

As Jet logged out of one of the Pokémon Center's guest computers after failing to find her online yet again, he thought back to their first date before it was ruined. I've got to head back to Cerulean, Jet thought to himself, after I battle Surge, that is. Might as well bet big this time; it's not like I can't afford it.

Ironically, after catching the very Diglett that were causing those road workers so much trouble, their boss bought the lot for an even twenty-five large. Jet kept one for himself, but was glad to get rid of the other seven so quickly. Jet figured if he bet at least five grand on his Gym match, then with the odds against him he could win enough money to keep him going through the entire winter!

For the past few days since Jet got back from field training, he's been having his Pokémon battle it out at Faust, the local battle club. Jet has yet to lose, and his Pokémon have been wrecking any opponent they have come up against. Jet still had another two days until his Gym battle, so his plan was to head down to Faust for one more pay day. With fifty dollars to get in and one hundred dollars a win, Jet had more than enough dough to blow through before his big match.

As Jet thought back to his last few battles, his head began to hurt again. Training with Neo was definitely taking a toll on Jet's mind. He has been getting headaches left and right. Sometimes it happened while he was riding his bike, sometimes it happened during battle. It was most likely happening now because of the training Jet was doing a couple hours ago between Kadabra and Pikachu. It was a price he'd have to pay if he wanted to keep working on a mental connection with his Kadabra, so he simply went to his bag and popped a few aspirin in the hopes it would go away. Time to head out.

And so that night, Jet headed down to the battle club. The excitement of battle mounted the closer Jet got to his destination. Whatever stress was going on in his life, the thrill of battle was always a welcome distraction for Jet. On the battle field, he felt, he was at his best. Nothing in his life had ever compared, and he doubted very much if anything ever would.

Jet entered Faust and paid the fee to enter a match. It was crowded inside, like always. There were a couple of Nidoran battling to the DJ's sound track, which at the moment was playing AC DC. The clerk grinned when he saw Jet, "Coming back to clean up again, huh? There's a new guy here who might give you a run for your money; they call him AJ. He's been blowing right through the competition all day. Think this might be the day you lose?"

Jet smiled and yelled over the background music, "I like tough opponents! You got any waters back there?" The clerk nodded and went to the cooler behind his desk to pull out a bottle of water, "One-fifty, and good luck today! I'm pulling for you!"

Jet paid for his water and headed over to watch the match with the crowd. The music playing in the background definitely made the battle more interesting, and it hyped up the crowd. Jet cheered and hollered as the night went on, and the trainers were being cycled through. He saw a match between a Poliwhirl and a Meowth, a Spearow and a Diglett, and a particularly exciting match between a Raticate and a Furret.

Jet winced as one of his headaches began to come back. Not now! Jet took a sip of water in an attempt to ignore it; he had to keep focused in case his name was called soon. When the headache did not relent, Jet had to go in his bag and pop some aspirin in hopes that it would stop soon.

After about an hour, Jet got to see his competition as the editor called the guy named AJ into the ring. AJ looked like a cross between a lion tamer in a circus, and a punk-rock guitarist. He wore ripped jeans and hiking boots, a leather vest with no shirt, his hair was died green and black, and he carried a whip into the cage. AJ also had a vast assortment of tribal tattoos that covered his arms and chest. Jet was thoroughly convinced this kid must've trained Pokémon for the circus. His opponent, some local kid of about fifteen who looked nervous to be against the guy who apparently has been undefeated all day.

"Alright," said the editor, "You know the rules! No killing, no hurting the crowd. Keep it clean and let's have ourselves a fucking battle! Both trainers ready?" They both nodded, though AJ's opponent looked anything but, "Alrighty then, BEGIN!"

AJ sent his Pokémon out first, "Go, Beedrill!"

"Let's do it, Magnimite!"

As soon as Magnimite was sent out, AJ cracked his whip twice. Beedrill obviously knew what AJ wanted because it immediately went in for the attack. When Magnimite started to spark as though it were going to use an electric attack, AJ cracked his whip once, and the Beedrill then went on the defensive. Magnimite sent electric sparks at its foe, but Beedrill had anticipated the attack and dodged it easily.

"That's it Magnimite! Hit him with another Thundershock!"

AJ gave his whip one good crack, and Beedrill automatically started dodging Magnimite's attacks. As soon as Beedrill was positioned so it could see its trainer, AJ swung his whip over his head and gave it a quick crack. Beedrill then shot its opponent with stringshot in the eye. Jet gave a low whistle, This guy is good! He gives all his commands with his whip so his opponent can't react in time. And his Pokémon knows exactly how to react, too! Not my style, but still impressive. Jet drank more water as his head continued to throb. The match that was going on was definitely doing a good job of distracting him, however.

"Magnimite!" cried AJ's opponent. As soon as Magnimite was blinded, AJ yelled, "Brick Break!" and cracked his whip twice. Beedrill closed the distance between it and Magnimite and stabbed the shit out of its opponent with Brick Break. Magnimite fell to the ground and did not rise again. The editor called the match, "Magnimite is unable to battle! Beedrill is the winner!"

The crowd cheered as AJ raised his whip in triumph. Jet smirked, "All right, I have got to face this dude tonight! I need a real challenge!"

After AJ and his opponent left the stage, the editor called, "Next we have Jethro Brown vs. Erin Hale, come to the cage!" Jet stepped forward and stood opposite his opponent; a heavy set emo chick with waaay too much eye make-up.

She asked, "You're the guy from that ship aren't you? The one on the news?" The question caught Jet off guard, "Uhh, yeah wh-"

"You're going down, pretty boy! I take you out, then everyone will know I'm not to be fucked with!"

"Ookaaaaay?" Jet laughed to himself, Is this bitch serious? He stopped smiling when his head gave another painful throb, Fuck! The editor interjected, "You both know the rules! No killing, don't hurt the spectators, and keep it clean! Both trainers ready? Ok, BEGIN!"

Jet went first, "Go, Boulder!"

"Go Machop, take this fucking Geodude out!"

Once Jet's opponent sent out her Pokémon, Jet told Geodude, "Use Rock Polish!" The little rock Pokémon's skin began to smooth itself out as he used his aura to temporarily increase his speed.

"Machop, use Karate Chop!"

Machop went in for the attack, but Geodude rolled out the way with incredible speed. Machop attacked again, but again Geodude dodged. "Good job, Boulder, now hit him with Rock Smash!"

Geodude cocked his fist back and went in for the attack, but Machop countered with Low Kick, knocking Jet's Pokémon against the cage wall. Jet winced; his head gave another painful throb just as Geodude hit the cage wall. After countering Geodude's attack, Machop immediately went in for a tackle attack. Jet was about to tell Geodude to knock him back with Hidden Power, but before the words even left Jet's lips, Geodude executed the attack.

Jet felt it as Geodude pulled his energy outward into a fully-fledged Hidden Power attack. Machop was knocked back a couple of meters, and Geodude felt a quick sigh of relief, replaced by the urge to pound his opponent into a pulp. Jet's heart started beating extra fast as he realized that he wasn't just guessing what his Pokémon was feeling, he knew what it was thinking. Somehow, the Jet's mental connection to Kadabra must have extended itself to Geodude as well!

Jet had heard of some trainers gaining extrasensory abilities by intense training with their psychic Pokémon, but this occurrence was extremely rare. No one knows exactly how it happens, and many researchers have denied it even occurs at all. They have argued that these powers belonged to the psychic Pokémon themselves, and not the trainer. But here Jet was, somehow mentally communicating with his Geodude! Or was he?

Boulder, can you hear me? Jet's heart pounded as he sensed his Pokémon's confusion over hearing Jet's voice in his head. Jet's headache got stronger, but he ignored it. Boulder, it's me, Jet! I'll explain later, but if you can hear me, then use Magnitude! Jet bated his breath and wondered if it had worked or if all of this was in his head. He didn't have to wait long, however; Geodude pounded the ground next to his opponent and used Magnitude.

The cage shook. Jet felt himself bounce up and land on the mat as Magnitude took effect. Luckily, the floor of the ring was padded down, so the attack only knocked everyone in the air; it didn't cause any physical harm. It did, however, prove that Jet did have a mental connection to Geodude. It also made his headache even worse.

Ok, Boulder, ugh! It seems I can communicate with you like I do Neo! He must have done something to me! It hurts like hell, but it may be useful! I'm going to give you directions, just roll with it! Geodude was confused as to how Jet was communicating with him, but accepted it as he continuously dodged his opponents blows. Ok then, boy, here we go!

Geodude grabbed his opponents arm as he went in for a Mega Punch, swung around his body, and elbowed Machop in the back of his neck, There was a loud, "Ohhhhh" from the crowd. Good job on that reverse elbow! That was Mauy Thai you just did there! Let's try some other attacks!

"Machop, use Low Kick!"

Machop swung its leg around to kick his opponent, but Geodude had jumped the attack already. While still in midair, Geodude grabbed his opponents head, and pulled his entire body in for a powerful Head Butt. After that it was over. Boulder dodged, countered, swung, rolled, jumped and struck with all of Jet's thoughts and all of his own might. Geodude didn't use any special attacks for the rest of the fight; he didn't need them. He simply beat the shit out of Machop with his bare hands. If Machop had been more powerful, this little experiment probably wouldn't have worked. But since Geodude was at a much higher level…

"And that's a KO! Machop is unable to battle! Geodude is the winner!"

The crowd cheered as Geodude raised his arms in triumph. Jet severed his mental connection to his Pokémon because the headache was now almost unbearable. To Jet's pleasant surprise, Geodude started evolving. His body grew bigger and more rugged, his arms got shorter, and Boulder became a Graveler.

Jet grinned despite his throbbing head, "Good job, you deserve it!"

Graver once again raised his arms in triumph before being recalled by Jet. After the match, Jet bought another water and stepped outside for some air. His head was aching ungodly; almost unbearably so. But inside he was smiling, I'm a telepath! I don't know how I did it, I don't know what Neo did to me or even if he meant to. I can mentally communicate with my Pokémon now! Sure, I can't do it all the time. My brain just can't take the strain. This may come in handy in a tight spot, though. I can't let anyone know, he thought to himself as he took another sip of water, Just my Pokémon. This will be our secret weapon! If I can learn how all of my Pokémon do their attacks with their minds, I won't even need TM's! I could just use my brain to imprint the attacks! Well, in theory anyway.

Still, that theory may be grounded in fact. I already taught Boulder some pretty decent close combat techniques. Maybe I can use this new power to teach special techniques as well? If I trained and developed this power, how far could it go? Certainly I'll never be as powerful as Neo, but maybe I could become powerful in my own right! Holy shit, I'm a fucking Psychic! God my head hurts!

Jet waited outside for a while to let his head calm down. The water and the night air definitely helped. After his headache calmed down, Jet went back into the club to sign up for another match. After signing up he joined the crowd and watched as AJ's Beedrill made short work of a Spearow. Unfortunately, the music and cheers were making his head hurt again. Jet decided that he would hold off on the telepathy for his next battle. He wanted to practice his new abilities, but it was not the time for that. Not when Linkin Park's Papercut was playing over the speakers full blast.

Jet didn't have to wait long for his next match. After only fifteen minutes of having his head basically raped via rock and roll, Jet was called to the cage to go against AJ "The Savage" Thompson, as he was apparently called. Jet winced as the crowd cheered. AJ asked, "You ok, kid? You look pretty shaken up?" AJ spoke with an American Southern accent.

"Headache," Jet grimaced, "It won't affect our battle, though."

"Well hell, I should certainly hope not! I've been waiting to battle you! Word around the club is, you're unbeatable!"

"Really?" Jet asked, "What a coinky-dink, I heard the same about you! I'm glad they set us up together."

AJ grinned, "Yeah well, you'll make my ninety-eighth straight win! So let's get started shall we?"

The editor gave his little spill and started the match. Jet started by sending out his Scyther. AJ's Pokémon of choice, a Sandshrew. AJ immediately cracked his whip twice and yelled, "Rollout!"

Jet told Scyther, "In the air, girl! Don't let it hit you!"

Scyther quickly began to hover a few feet off the ground. AJ cracked his whip toward the ceiling and Sandshrew jumped at Scyther. The little ground type crashed into Scyther, hard. Jet yelled, "Go on the offensive, use Fury Cutter!"

That Sandshrew must be able to tell the difference on whether AJ cracks his whip against the ground or in the air! That's how he knew to jump mid rollout! Scyther attempted to hit Sandshrew with Fury Cutter but failed. Sandshrew just moved too fast. It gained more and more speed as it rolled on, to the point where Scyther was forced on the defensive. It was like she was battling Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Mantis, use Hidden Power when it comes to you!"

Normally, this tactic has always worked for Jet. The Hidden Power would knock the opponent back and disrupt the Rollout, allowing for Jet's Pokémon to counter. This was no ordinary Sandshrew, however. As soon as Scyther started glowing, Sandshrew crashed into her from the back. She was propelled forward and crashed into the cage wall so hard, her head got stuck between the bars.

AJ cracked his whip twice, and Sandshrew went in for another attack. Jet desperately thought, Quick, kick off the gate and fly to the top of the cage! His head throbbed as he sent Scyther a mental image of his idea, but it worked. At the last minute, Scyther put her feet against the cage wall and kicked. Her head popped right out and she fell backwards, dodging Sandshrew's attack. Sandshrew had gained such momentum, however, it shot straight through the bars of the cage and over the heads of the crowd.

The editor told AJ, "Get your Pokémon back in the cage!"

AJ who was in shock at first, nodded and cracked his whip twice. As Sandshrew ran towards the cage, Jet sent Scyther another mental command, Use Bug Buzz as soon as the match starts again!

Scyther looked at Jet in surprise. He quickly explained his telepathy via mental link. He thanked god it was so fast to communicate this way, because Scyther immediately started vibrating as she prepared to attack without a second thought over Jet's new ability. Jet could feel it; she just wanted this little fucker taken care of before explanations. Once Sandshrew crawled back through the hole it shot out of, it immediately attempted to use Rollout again.

Scyther stopped Sandshrew in its tracks, however, by sending out a powerful sound wave via Bug Buzz. The attack knocked Sandshrew back. Jet sad, "Now follow up with Slash!" AJ yelled, "Bounce!" and cracked his whip twice. Scyther flew in for the attack, but Sandshrew bounced off the ground and rolled into a ball. Jet's heart skipped a beat as he yelled, "No! Mantis, move!"

He should have sent a mental command, however, because by time Jet shouted it was too late. With an incredible display of speed, Sandshrew used the type effective Bounce against Scyther and slammed right on her head. Sandshrew landed gracefully, while Scyther dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Scyther is unable to battle, Sandshrew is the winner!"

The crowd cheered. Jet winced as his head throbbed harder than ever. He recalled his fallen Scyther and sighed, I should've just used my telepathy. But my head was hurting so god damn bad. Jet shook AJ's hand and asked, "Let me buy you a drink? I'd love to hear how you trained your Sandshrew. To move faster than my Scyther like that! It must be at a pretty high level."

AJ smiled and said, "Sorry, friend, but I don't reveal my training secrets to anyone! You were pretty good, though. It's been a while since anyone could keep up with my Sandshrew!"

Ah well, Jet thought as he left, I can understand having training secrets. That Sandshrew must be at an extremely high level, that's how it moved so fast. He must've trained it for speed, like I do all my Pokémon. But to be able to out run my Scyther?

Jet put his helmet on and leaned his head back as it throbbed some more. It wasn't moving that fast through the whole fight. It got faster as the fight moved on. I thought it was just the momentum from Rollout, but now I've got a different theory.

He's obviously trained his Pokémon in such a way that he'd be able to use as little verbal commands as possible. This way he'd be able to get the one up on his opponents. Maybe he trained his Pokémon to use Agility during regular intervals of the fight? That would explain the speed increase. But to have that much control while accelerating? He's obviously trained them well.

Maybe I should try teaching my Pokémon to use Agility during regular intervals as well. Even if that's not how his Pokémon move so fast, it's still a good idea. If I condition them over time, they will be untouchable! I can't do it before my Gym battle the day after tomorrow, but I'll have to remember that next time I go training. Besides, I should give everyone a break before the big match.

Jet turned on his bike and sighed as he realized how much his head was going to hurt on the way back to his room. "Fucking headaches. Still, thank god for telepathy."

Author's Notes:

So yeah, that's my version of AJ. In case you were wondering, Neo didn't give Jet psychic powers, necessarily. A Pokémon can't give a human powers. This will be explained in the story later, but Neo only accidently helped train Jet to use abilities he already had. The whole Telepathy thing won't be used that often, but I just wanted you guys to know he could do it. I've always planned for Jet learn telepathy from either a Kadabra or a Drowzee. It will take a while for him to get used to the ability.

But anyway, I got asked in a review to clarify the star system, (one star least dangerous, five star most dangerous). The way it works is a Pokémon is rated by how much of a threat it poses. A five star Gyarados could potentially sink a naval ship, whereas a one star Pidgey could take out a kid's eye if it gets too rowdy.

Size may play a factor, but it's not the only factor. To answer your question:

Steelix 5

Charizard 5

Nidoking/Nidoqueen 4

This isn't always true, but usually the first form, (Ex Charmander) is a 1 or a 2.

Second (Ex Charmeleon) 3 or 4

Final (Ex Charizard) 5

There are a lot of exceptions, like Clefable (2) or Kakuna (1) or Onix (4)

I;m not going to list every Pokémon's rating, because I'm a lazy mofo, but I hope you get the general idea. Remember, this is just an average. Just because Onix are generally more dangerous than Charmander, doesn't mean a lone Charmander can't go above and beyond and hand an Onix his ass on a silver platter (see chapter 22).

Anyways,

Machop Lvl 19

Jet's Graveler Lvl 30

Jet's Scyther Lvl 30

AJ's Sandshrew Lvl 41

AJ's Beedrill Lvl 26

Magnimite Lvl 13

Don't forget to review!