Chapter 2

Growing Stronger

Years passed. Raissaiga still struggled with his abandonment, but the Triochu helped cheer him up when he got too upset. He made many friends in Viridian Forest- the Hoothoot that appeared when the sun went down, the Butterfree that patrolled the canopies of the forest.

Raissaiga laid down in the small area beneath the large tree in the frontal area of the forest. He looked up into the sky.

The youngest of the three Pikachu brothers walked into the chamber, tilting his head. "What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" He asked.

Raissaiga looked at the Pikachu, "I was just wondering… Well, do you think there are others like me out there?"

"Others… Like you?" He said.

"Other Pokémon that have been abandoned by their Trainers, I mean. I can't be the only one, can I?" Raissaiga clarified.

Pikachu thought, "Rai- would you mind if I called you Rai?"

Raissaiga chuckled, "Rai… I like that. Lightning. It's short and simple, not as vicious as 'Lightning Fang'. I like it." He smiled

Pikachu nodded, "Okay. Rai, people do bad things. People hurt Pokemon. I'm sure there are more Pokémon that have been left alone. It's sad to think about, but really, what can we do? They're humans, if they want something, they just take it. Then, once they are done with it, they throw it away."

Pikachu laughed a little, but his eyes were clouding, "Me and my brothers, once we knew these eight Spinarak. A lot of our jokes come from them, you know? Real funny guys, they were. Anyways, one day we came to see them, and there were only seven. The eldest had been captured. The rest were all in despair. They would never see their brother again. But they were wrong. One day, a trainer came in. He was using their brother against them, making him battle all of them. None of them could attack him, but he was forced- in fact, forcefully coerced- into battling them. Then, the Trainer caught all of them. Why? He felt like it."

Pikachu started crying.

"That's… That's terrible." Rai shook his head.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Pikachu laughed. He wiped his tears away. "But what could anyone do to stop him? He's a human, and we're just little Pokémon. We're just cute little tools, to break and replace. That's all we are to them, ya know?" Pikachu fell to his knees and sobbed.

Rai nodded, looking up to the sky, "You see that star?" Rai pointed up at a small, blinking light next to the evening star.

Pikachu looked up, seeing what Rai was directing him to, "Yeah. Wha' 'bout it?"

"Where I come from, that's called the Mother Star. It signifies the bond between a mother and a child. In our culture, we believe that no matter how far apart, no matter how long it's been since they've seen each other, a mother and her child will always reunite eventually."

Pikachu tilted his head, "Where's your mother?"

Rai shook his head, "I don't know. But when I leave, I'm going to do two things. First, I'm going to find other abandoned Pokemon. Then, I'm going to find my mother."

Pikachu nodded, "And when will you leave?"

Rai turned to look at the small electric rodent. "When I grow stronger."

Pikachu smiled, "I can help you with that."

Some deep conversations this chapter, huh? Especially for the youngest member of a travelling circus. Hope you liked this chapter, and stay tuned for the next installment in the story of Lightning Fang!