Chapter Summary: Electric is the new one-shot but it may not be who you think.
Shipping: PokéTalkShipper

A Voice of Showmanship

Ash, Misty and Brock, along with their Pokémon friends were relaxing by a pond for lunch. All of the Pokémon were having their food while Brock prepared the humans for their meal. "How's the meal, Togepi?" Misty asked her baby Pokémon. Togepi shrilled in enjoyment. Brock was working on his patent stew when he ran into a problem.

"Hey, Ash!" he called out. Ash turned to the head chef on the scene. "Looks like I underestimated how much water was needed. Can you fetch me some more?" Seemed like a harmless request and Ash was more than willing to oblige.

"You bet," he replied as he snagged a pail. He reached the pond, clean of anything even Pokémon and scooped water from it. As he rested the now-filled bucket on the grass, there was a rustling. Ash turned to a shrubbery where leaves were shaking. "What's that?" He couldn't be talking about the shrubs. That's when an orange mouse stepped out and confronted Ash. Ash was a little startled...but excited. "Hey, a Raichu!" That's the evolved form of Pikachu...with something more. He had to have known that Raichu are hardly wild. Almost every Raichu is owned.

"Good guess, Ash," it...spoke? "But I'm no ordinary Raichu." No, because Raichu don't talk human. Ash freaked out a bit by how Raichu replied.

"You...can talk? And know my name?" It was a real shock.

"Man, how long has it been since you saw me? My owner's missed you and wanted to see you again." This Raichu had an owner? It made some sense with the fact that it was talking but not much else. Suddenly, something clicked in Ash's head.

"You don't mean from the Pokémon Theater Showboat, right?" Raichu began to smile with glee.

"You're finally stepping somewhere close." Finally, all the pieces of a puzzle were fitting. Ash knew who this Raichu belonged to.

"You're Kay's Raichu!"

"Congratulations! You'll receive your prize momentarily." That's when a brunette female with braids on each side showed up.

"Hi, Ash!" she greeted.

"Kay, how's it going?" he answered back. So, this was the owner of Raichu. In a swift and unknowing action, Kay embraced Ash in a hug. This befuddled Ash.

"I missed you." Okay, you miss him but was the deep, passionate hug really needed? When she broke, she relaxed a little, though embarrassed with the sudden latch. "Sorry, I guess when you talked to me about Raichu and how to interact with him, we've become a lot stronger in our bond. Not to mention that with Raichu, our boat show's been a bigger smash even before Roger's voice was restored." It was great to hear that Roger, who provided Hitmonchan's voice, recovered after the incident with Team Rocket.

"That's awesome. Has Roger also recovered the spotlight?" As soon as Kay understood the question, she shyly blushed. It began to sink in for Ash that Roger wasn't the star attraction anymore, but Kay had the spotlight shine on her. "Oh! I see now!" Raichu was also blushing, felling just as guilty ripping away the spotlight from Roger and Hitmonchan. Suddenly, Togepi trotted onto the scene, viewing the humans and Raichu. When Ash spotted the walking egg, he realized that he needed to bring the water back to Brock. "Uh oh. I gotta get the water back. Brock's making lunch." On cue, a tummy was growling. Ash checked his stomach. No, it's not his. Togepi ate. Kay wasn't showing signs of hunger. There's only one other who's the starving one: Raichu. Raichu rubbed it's head in sheer embarrassment.

"I guess after that long walk, you've worked up an appetite." Raichu couldn't hold back it's confession. Surrendering, Ash escorted Kay and the Pokémon to the picnic site and in front of Misty and Brock. Misty was surprised to see Kay out here without her crew.

"Kay!" she reacted. "And Raichu!" Pikachu and Brock turned to see the brunette and big mouse. Excitedly, Pikachu met up with the Pokémon star.

"You know her, Misty?" Brock questioned.

"Yeah, Ash and I hopped on their show boat on one of their stops." Brock was intrigued, wondering about their show.

"What they do is they provide the voices for their Pokémon in their shows," Ash added. "When we first saw the show, we began to believe that the Pokémon were speaking like Meowth does...that is until Togepi checked backstage and unveiled the truth." Togepi shrilled, no shame on it's face. Brock's interests grew, wanting to see a demonstration.

"You don't say," he hummed. "Can I see what you do, uh, Kay?" Kay was more than willing to offer some acting.

"Sure thing," Kay agreed. With a nod, Kay and Raichu were ready. "Brock, we're sorry for intruding but Kay and I haven't had a bite to eat." Raichu was able to match Kay's speaking with some lip syncing. Impressed, Brock chuckled.

"That was pretty good. I should have stew ready in a few minutes. You're welcomed to join." Kay and Raichu couldn't wait. When finished, Brock and Ash poured portions of stew to each. Pikachu offered Raichu some of his food.

"So, Kay, what are you doing out here in the Johto Region by yourself and not with Roger, Len and Anne?" Misty wondered. Kay's crew had to know where their young starlet wandered off to.

"Roger's given us a few days off for him to work on new material," she explained. "So using my time off and hearing rumors of Ash being in this region, I chose to follow many a lead and well...here we are. In a couple of days, I need to report back to Roger and soon enough, we'll be on our way to Silver Rock Isle for our next show." The others remembered Silver Rock Isle which made up part of the Whirl Islands.

"We were just there on a series of adventures from the Whirl Cup to saving Lugia from Team Rocket," Ash replayed. It was then that Misty remembered Roger being harmed by a Team Rocket member.

"Speaking of Team Rocket, how's Roger's throat?" she asked. No worries, Misty.

"Three weeks of herbal therapy and Roger's voice was better than ever." Misty smiled, knowing that everything on the showboat was in good health. Not long, everyone was done eating.

"Thanks for the meal!" they chanted in unison. Even Raichu and Pikachu greeted the meal.

"Ash, it's your turn for dishes," Brock reminded. Ash wasn't denying that it was his turn. It's just that he wasn't too happy about this chore.

"Say, is it alright if I help out?" Kay requested. Misty was startled with Kay's request but Brock didn't see any harm in helping out.

"Sure!" Gathering the dishes, Ash and Kay began the begrudging task of filth removal. Using the pond to rinse the China, each bowl was coming clean.

"Only the pot to go," Ash sighed. He reached in with a sponge to get the spots in the pot. Kay watched from overhead, making sure Ash got every crumb. However, this put her...and Ash in a bad spot. Washing the dishes made the grass pretty slippery...and Kay stepped on the worst spot possible. She slipped on the grass and tumbled over Ash, dunking both heads into the large cooking basin. From bad to worse, this tipped the pot and made it roll into the lake. SPLASH! That's one way to soak up some excitement. The pot was floating upside-down with Ash and Kay wedged inside. The good news was that no water leaked in. This was a unique spot to be in...literally. "Okay...how do we get out?" Good question.

"There was something else I wanted to talk about," Kay lowly murmured. "Although, I'm afraid of what Misty would think." What did Misty have to do with her? Ash stopped struggling to hear what Kay had to say. Hey, a rhyme! "I wanted to give you something for giving me the courage for helping the crew and my relationship with Raichu." What would it be? Outside the pot, Brock and Misty spot the floating pot, knowing that it wasn't normal. Using the water Pokémon, they dragged the pot from the lake...and noticed that Ash's and Kay's hands were locked. Misty feared...something. It couldn't be the worst. They removed the pot and...HELLO! Ash's and Kay's lips were locked...and Ash appeared to be enjoying it. Freaking out, Misty and Brock lunged for Ash and Kay...ZAP! Only the presence of Pikachu and it's evolved form shocked the two in telling them to relax and let them work themselves out. It's bad enough when one electric Pokémon was giving out orders. Two electric Pokémon...one nasty force. Yeah, let them smooch it out!

END of ELECTRIC
(Only two to go. Dark seems to be next but I'll let the votes choose.)