Apologies for the last chapter. I sort of wrote myself into a corner with that. Now that the focus of the story is not in the Pokeworld for the meantime, we can start the main event.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

Chapter 8: Something Strange

Ash woke up feeling something laying on his body. That something is an electric mouse which should be impossible because he is definitely no longer in his dream world. The teen took some time rub his eyes and check if he is really awake when he heard Pikachu snore thanks to his movements.

Very gently, he carried the Pokemon up so he could get out of bed and placed him back on it. With the mouse unable to distract him at the moment, Ash decided to take a nice, cold shower. As he shut the door to the bathroom, Pikachu decided to wake up.

Pikachu looked around the room before deciding to look out the window. It was a nice clear day. Several students in their civilian clothes were walking around since it's a Saturday. To the relief of students in Viridian Academy, the Dress Code is surprisingly lax. You go to classes in uniform until the day is over and you're allowed to wear regular clothes on weekends.

As Ash exited the bathroom in a towel, he had a double take when he saw Pikachu on the windowsill. All seems normal until he saw the Pokemon trying to use his smartphone. The teen facepalmed as he took his gadget away from the electric type.

"Pikachu, I am very sure that even when no one could see you, they still see a floating phone." He looked out the window for good measure.

"Pika"

"Today is a Saturday which means no classes." He looked at his phone and saw the time, 7:40 AM. "Give me some time to get dressed and we'll go to the cafeteria."

"Kachu"

Another ordinary day began as Ash headed down to breakfast. Entering the dining facility, the teen saw that there were only a few students. Understandable really, unless you have something to do who wakes up this early in the weekend. He saw Gary sitting at their usual table. His friend held his head on his hand and faced the floor, his food untouched.

After grabbing his tray and meal, he went to his table and sat opposite his friend. "Hey Gary, you feel okay?"

"Yeah" the Oak groaned. "Just great. Nothing like waking up after getting hit on the head."

"... Did Leaf barge into your room and wake you up?" his long time friend looked up from his position. Could have sworn he saw his eyes widen for a second.

"Naw, I would have preferred that but it's something else." he said as he looked around, as if someone could hear the conversation.

"What? I'm sure it's not that bad." Was it just Ash or did Gary look directly at Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Let's see, I dreamt that I had my dream job. Only I was researching about weird animals." he took a bite from his food.

"Uh huh"

"That's the thing. When I touched them, I felt them. At first I thought it was my pillow but my hands examined this strange plant hybrid thing. It felt like leaves. I touched somewhere and a vine from it just slapped me."

"And that's because?" Where was he going with this?

"I felt a sting, you don't feel things in your dreams Ash." Really then how did that explain his dre… hold up, he felt pain in the Pokeworld, except its muted. His eyes followed Pikachu as he jumped from his shoulder to the table. Did he jump dimensions every time his eyes close?

"Are you absolutely sure something didn't crawl on you body and bit you?" Gary shivered a bit.

"I am positively sure, besides I would have known." his friend was serious about it. The guy had a healthy fear of anything crawling when he saw a roach on his shoulder years ago.

"Okay then" Ash said as he began to eat. He looked at the entrance, students were starting to pile in and saw Serena and Leaf among them. All of them wore civilian clothing. For a split second, something dashed passed the window, the teen turned around but saw nothing.

"Hey Ash, got any plans today?" Leaf asked cheerfully. Something good must have happened to make her happy. Same goes for Serena, she looked like she's about to burst.

"Just going out for a bit." Ash said as he drank from his cup. "Nothing permanent but I'm open to suggestions."

"No Leaf" Gary grumbled as he finished his food. "We are not becoming your carriers in the mall." Clearly the male knows the female well when she began to pout.

"Darn, I was so looking forward to it. There's this new panties in fashion and I want to try it." Ash, Gary and several other boys within hearing range choked on either food or air.

"I heard from the others that there's an interesting two piece for sale." Serena said more quietly than her friend and turned to Ash. "It's quite revealing." Our hero now had a bit of blood leaking from his nose and currently in fantasy land. He is a healthy teenage boy after all.

While Ash mulled over his girlfriend in sexy outfits, Pikachu left the table when he saw something pass by the crowd. To him, it was suspicious because he highly doubted that anyone would miss it thanks to it's size. Besides, Ash seemed to see it and Pikachu was sure his trainer's luck transcended dimensions.

Pikachu turned to his trainer who is daydreaming about his girlfriend. Ash returned to the real world when someone snapped their fingers in front of him. His mind cleared and saw it was Serena smiling coyly at him.

"You're a tease" was all he said.

"I know. We're still going out, you can join us if you want." Serena told him.

"Dang it Ash, flirt with your girl outside of the cafeteria please." Gary said pleadingly.

"Only if you go with Leaf to the mall." Leaf had a small blush on her face while Gary paled slightly.

"Sorry, but I still have something to do later. Maybe next time."

"I don't mind." Leaf interjected. "As long as you go with me on our next trip for real. No excuses."

Seeing no way out, Gary agreed to the deal. He wasn't kidding on the busy part. There was something he desperately needed to research first.

Enabling Pokevision

Initializing battle

Preparing scenario

Running Field Effects

When Ash and Co. finished eating, they all left to do their own things. The girls went to the mall and Gary locked himself in his room. Ash though went out for a walk aimlessly into the city but not before letting Pikachu wander around.

"At least Ash can see you now." He told himself. "Knowing his luck, something is bound to happen sooner or later. Don't worry about it now."

The mouse Pokemon ran down the halls with a smile on his face. It's been a while since he had a proper run in either worlds. Until he saw a furry tail disappear at the end of the next corridor. Curiosity killed the mouse in this case when the Pokemon sprinted towards it. Animals were not allowed in school but Pikachu was invisible. He raced towards the sight but whatever it is kept running away.

"How long until you stop running?" He said out loud. The Pokemon went down a floor and out of the main building. Just in time to see something jump into the bushes. "Oh come on!" Pikachu cried out as he continued the chase. Minutes later he reached a storage shed, except it looks worn down from time.

Eventually Pikachu entered the small building and into a spacious room. All that he saw were cardboard boxes and random junk filling the room. Everything was normal except the Pokemon saw something enter the room. A few steps into the room and the door slammed shut behind Pikachu, causing him to jump back.

The small opening was exploited by a line of flames hitting Pikachu. He yelped in pain as the area began caught fire. Smoke rose and impaired his vision. Unable to counter, he unleashed a Thunderbolt and struck something. The Pokemon heard a feminine yelp and through the haze of the smog he saw eyes and a figure just taller than him. The burning arena he found himself in started to hurt.

Growling, Pikachu dashed using Quick Attack and hit the figure dead center. He dodged an incoming Flamethrower his opponent and countered with Iron Tail. The opponent's eyes flashed as something moved. Orbs of water typed energy appeared and struck Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon didn't care, adrenaline pumped through it's body as the battle moved on. He don't know why but his opponent seemed familiar.

Taking the initiative, Pikachu attacked with Electroball. The shaped electricity flew through the air and struck the flames of a Fire Blast. Balls of fire formed from the move at his enemy's movements and spun around the his opponent. Before either made a move, several things fell from the ceiling and the building smoke escaped into the atmosphere.

Pausing scenario

Alternating viewpoints

Before Ash could leave the school grounds he saw the smokestack in the distance. It wasn't too far from the school but it's near the forest. He heard people muttering in slight panic. The fire came from the abandoned storage building, an infamous place where it's rumored that dark dealings occur daily. While no one would miss it, they won't miss the inferno that may spread to the forest.

The teachers, seeing the commotion were busy calling the fire department. Students watched the smoke rise higher into the air. Ash felt the sudden urge to do a Pokemon battle when the only Mon around was Pikachu. He was focused on the rising plume of black that he didn't notice someone approach him. The teen felt someone's hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Gary.

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum, are you trying to get yourself into detention." His best friend yelled quietly as he knew his intentions. "You're going to get in big trouble with this stunt."

"The fire station is ways away." Ash said as he pushed the hand off. "Besides, you just want to join me and see what happened." The teen knew that his friend still has the explorer in him. Willing to take risks since he played Tomb Raider as a kid.

"Dammit Ash, somehow my family isn't going to cover this." Gary Oak spoke, annoyed at his friend's occasional antics. "Let's hurry and take a look then get out."

The duo ran to the forest as soon as no one was watching. They dashed through the foliage and slowed down at a large bush on a small ledge overlooking the area. Both of them pushed the leaves aside and they saw something.

For Ash, he was watching Pikachu battling a familiar starter fox. Braixen however had that slightly glazed look in it's eyes indicating it's not really there. She also appeared to be unharmed by the battle but the wounds on her say otherwise. Somehow she remained standing despite her injuries. A quick look at Gary who's mouth is slightly open indicates that he is seeing just what is happening.

Resuming battle

Calculating stats

Analyzing data

Pikachu battled with his supposed friend for a while and was frustrated. Despite knowing whatever he is battling felt pain, his opponent didn't look like it's even weak. His only saving grace was that Braixen wasn't primarily a battler but the strategies employed was quite interesting.

"Braixen, I know you're there! We don't have to fight." Pikachu yelled but his cries went unheard.

Battling in an area that suited her, she used the surrounding flames to increase the power of her fire attacks. Somehow she is using the flames around her as a counter shield, probably something done by her species only. Braixen fired another powered Fire Blast at Pikachu. A kanji formed from the effect of the attack and burned the mouse. The fire burned even hotter.

Pikachu fired off several Thunderbolts in a panicked burst at Braixen. However, each one seemed to strike a Flamethrower from the vixen's wand. For good measure, he spun and fired an Electroball at her. The speed, force and impact knocking the bipedal Pokemon off her feet. The blaze of the surrounding fire roared as Pikachu stepped back from the flames.

"Please! You can't do this!" His voice still meant nothing as he tried to fire an Electroball only to get cut off by structural pieces falling on him.

Braixen recovered first and begun spewing flames from her branch. The added element made the fire grow bigger that Pikachu was actively trying to not get burned. More Debris fell from the ceiling which both dodged. The fox despite being a fire type, now moved away from the area. She navigated the room filled with debris and nearly made it out. If it wasn't for Pikachu.

Ash's starter managed to spot Braixen trying to escape. The entire building was probably burning and hurting him just by being close. Not willing to let his enemy escape this time, Pikachu used Quick Attack numerous times to get around the danger. Fire and blocks didn't get in the way as he prepared an Iron Tail to hit the fox at his current speed.

'Shhing'

That was the sound heard amongst the fire as Pikachu's metallized tail cut through the branch and struck the fire type. Physics took over and sent Braixen flying out of the burning structure and into the open, heavily injured. She tried to get up but collapsed into the ground, body turning to embers. Pikachu looked on in shock and horror as the Pokemon dissolved into fire and burnt some of the grass. Her branch suddenly combusted into small flames and also disappeared. The remaining Pokemon just stayed there with the burning building slowly collapsing on itself.

Ending battle

Saving output

Powering down

Gary looked on with wonder, curiosity and fear. He had no idea what happened other than a fight but he was definitely weary. First there was the large electric rodent that seemed to be with Ash who knew it was there. Then there was the meter tall firefox mage that fought with fire and magic. Then the mouse executed the fox with it's tail of all things and then fainted. In cases like this, there was only one option

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled at his best friend. The guy saw things that broke the law of conservation of mass, biology and physics.

"I don't really know." Ash lied, trying to do damage control.

"Don't give me that shit Ketchum! You know what those are." Gary accused.

"Alright, just… let's get out of here first." He answered as he started to hear the sirens.

His friend also hearing it swore under his breath and both rushed back to school. They were careful incase someone tried to look for tracks. The boys hurried back to school and hid themselves in the boys restroom for a bit. As soon as they were safe, Gary glared at Ash for a bit before getting into a stall. Ash sighed before splashing his face with water from the sink.

"What's going to happen know?" He muttered to himself. The teen didnt really have a plan if anyone saw his hidden friend. Like almost every time in the Pokeworld, he'll make up his plan on the spot. Ash steeled his nerves as Gary walked out of the stall

"Alright spill" Gary Oak demanded. "What did I see earlier and what is that thing?" He said pointing at the ground. Pikachu stood at his spot in the bathroom, somewhat unaware on what's going on.

Alright that's this chapter for today. We have now kicked the proverbial ant hill and the ants are coming out. I think this chapter will be a way to show what will happen eventually. Remember, if you're at a loss on the current events, ask Ash.

Read, review and follow if I'm lucky.