Chapter 5: The Taming of the Chu
Alex had walked through the forest for hours, his Tepig constantly at its heel, but he had yet to find a Pokémon he deemed worthy to catch. A common Patrat won't cut it if I wish to make the best team possible, he thought to himself as he continued through the steadily thickening forest. The branches began to brush him as he passed, and water began to drip down from the leaves, irritating Tepig at his side as it snorted with displeasure. All of a sudden, a large CRACK filled the air, followed by a WHUMP as a body fell to the forest floor a little bit ahead. As Alex ran towards what was happening, he noticed a charred berry bush, freshly burnt by an unknown assailant. Whatever this enemy was, it was obviously close by, judging by the fainted Pidove on the ground, its feathers sticking every which way, many of them charred black from a recent attack.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!
Before Alex knew what was happening, his body began to convulse with agony as his body filled with fire, blackness clouding his vision as he lost control of his arms and legs. His heart began to beat irregularly in his chest as his legs kicked out randomly. A small lightning bolt rang out again and the air seemed to sizzle as Tepig was sent flying by the sudden attack. Despite the pain and imbalance, Alex managed to get back onto his hands and knees, the world spinning around him as Tepig got up beside him. A yellow blur ran out and brutally rammed Tepig to the ground as soon as it recovered from the unexpected shock, sending it into a nearby tree with incredible force. The assailant stopped its attacks and made eye contact with Alex, whose vision had cleared up long enough to identify the Pokémon responsible.
A Pikachu? But... but how? How could a Pikachu be so strong? So angry?
Tepig got back to its feet, flames puffing out of its nostrils as it prepared to strike back.
"Ember!" Alex issued forth his first attack, as Tepig sprayed a flurry of small flames at the electric rodent. It reeled back in pain, its skin now red and raw from the attack and any mercy it may have shown flickered out of existence. This Pikachu was not going to flee. This Pikachu would stand its ground until Death itself knocked it down with its scythe.
This one's way tougher than I thought...
"Tepig, Flame Charge!" As the command came out, Tepig began to run at Pikachu, but the flames around Tepig sputtered out long enough for Pikachu to slam it in its vulnerable snout with its tail. Tepig screamed as it was sent skidding back, its paws raw from the skid and blood streaming out its nose. This Pikachu had gained the upper hand. Before he could call out another attack, Pikachu let loose a scorching Thundershock, causing Tepig to sit down, barely able to remain conscious from all the damage. Pikachu's cheeks were still crackling, indicating that it was barely getting started. Its burns turned even more red and angry, further fueling its rage. This Pikachu was simply too fast for Tepig to combat, and its power easily matched it.
I've gotta get another Flame Charge in to speed Tepig up.
"Flame Charge!" Tepig rushed again at its opponent, flames enveloping it as it ran faster the closer it got to Pikachu. Pikachu, not able to dodge in time, was thrown back with a loud squeal of protest as Tepig jumped into its midsection and rammed it with its flaming body.
"One final Tackle!" Tepig began to rush in, but Pikachu got up just in time to give Tepig a powerful jolt from almost point-blank range. Tepig began to glow orange as ethereal flames began to surround its battered body, its blaze reaction coming into full-force as it met an opponent worthy of its steel. It dodged a Quick attack with fluid grace before hitting Pikachu back with small exploding fire projectiles.
This Ember attack is outrageously strong.
Unbeknownst to the fighting parties, a tree had caught alight behind them. The flames slowly licked up the tree as the battle continued, slowly but surely starting the inevitable forest fire. Meanwhile, Pikachu finally managed to land a Thunder Wave attack, stopping Tepig from attacking further, although it was obviously close to its limit. Its electrical attacks had begun to go haywire, and its speed was reduced significantly, but he knew Tepig was in equally dire straits as its muscles began to give out from paralysis. Just one more attack would decide this battle, he thought as he saw Tepig and Pikachu get back to their feet despite the agony they both showed. The air began to shimmer with heat as Tepig began to glow, and smoke began to surround the makeshift battlefield that had been created by the destructive attacks of Pikachu and Tepig.
Tepig... What's happening...?
Tepig's body began to grow in mass, its legs began to expand as the muscle beneath swelled, and it got up on its hind legs as its ears and tail grew outwards from its increasingly rotund form. Standing to heed Alex's command was a much stronger Pokémon than before. Alex's Tepig had evolved into Pignite for the strength it needed to continue battling the adversary that had attacked its Trainer, and it let loose a battle cry as it stood over the weakened Pikachu. It began to let loose a series of quick punches into Pikachu's head, knocking it out where it stood, and allowing Alex to throw a Pokéball. The ball soared through the increasingly smoky air with a metallic whoosh, followed by a PING as it captured the Pikachu without the ball moving once.
When he had picked up the Pokéball, however, he began to notice the smoke in the air had become more acrid and it had become harder to breathe. The trees around him all erupted into flame as the pain from the earlier attacks and the lack of oxygen caused his vision to go black at the edges while he began to cough out the smoke in a futile effort to remain alive for longer. He tried to crawl back to his feet despite the horrific surges of pain in his limbs, but was hoisted up by his Pignite before he could do anything further. He finally allowed his vision to go black as violent coughs wracked his body on the back of his Pignite...
