Chapter 3

The Spark Within

"What are we doing, Pikachu?" Rai asked.

"We're gonna release your spark!" Pikachu replied, as if Rai was supposed to know what he meant.

"My… Spark?" Rai said.

"Your spark! The electrical power within you!" Pikachu clarified.

"But I'm a ground type! I have no electrical power!" Rai exclaimed.

Pikachu shook his head, "Every Pokemon, no matter what the type, holds some form of electrical energy within them. Here, feel your heartbeat."

Pikachu took Rai's hand, guiding it to the upper left of his chest.

Rai felt a pulse beneath his hand.

"Close your eyes." Pikachu said.

Rai did so, looking into the blackness behind his eyelids.

"Every time you feel that pulse, something is happening within you. Do you know what it is?" Pikachu asked.

Rai thought, remembering something his mother had told him. "It's my heart moving blood through my body."

"How does it do that?" Pikachu pressed him forward.

Rai continued to think, "Well… I was told that part of the heart contracts while the other part expands."

"And how does it do that?" Pikachu continued.

Rai shook his head, not able to draw up the memory, "I don't know."

Pikachu smiled, "There's a little mechanism near your heart. Every beat of your heart is because that mechanism is sending an electric impulse that makes your heart expand and contract. Open your eyes."

Rai did so. "And… And that's my…"

Pikachu nodded, "That's your spark, Rai. An electric Pokémon- or at least, an animal-like electric Pokémon, is just a creature that has learned how to send this pulse to other parts of their body. For Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu, it's the cheeks. For Pokémon like Luxray and Ampharos, it's hair or wool. That's the basic idea."

Rai nodded, starting to get it. "But how would I do that?"

Pikachu smiled, "The heart isn't the only organ that uses electric pulses. The most powerful electric organ-" Pikachu tapped the side of Rai's skull, "is the brain."

Pikachu smiled, "To control your Spark, you just have to focus. Imagine the brain. See the electricity."

Rai closed his eyes again, imagining what Pikachu told him to envision.

Pikachu smiled, "good job, Rai. Now, redirect that electricity. Choose one spot on your body to send it to."

Rai created this new vision in his mind. Pikachu jumped up a bit as a spark of electricity crossed Rai's arm.

"Good, Rai! Very good!" Pikachu exclaimed. "Now intensify it!"

Electricity began to cover Rai's arm. Powerful arcs went from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers, then to the tip of his bone.

"Alright, Rai! Now, release the electricity!" Pikachu said.

A huge bolt of lightning launched from Rai's bone, flying up into the clouds.

Pikachu laughed, "Great job, Rai! That was a Thunderbolt attack! Amazing, that's a very advanced move!"

Rai nodded, falling to one knee. Pikachu held him up, laughing, "It's okay, Rai. All that electricity leaving your body, it's expected that you'd lose energy. Maybe hold back a little bit next time, you can only generate so much electricity."

Rai smiled, "I was always… I was always so weak. Now… Now I can be stronger… I can fight, Pikachu, I can fight!"

Pikachu nodded, "You can, Rai. And you can help. You can help other abandoned Pokémon, and find your mother again! If you get ready now, you can be in Pewter at dusk!"

"Why would I go to Pewter?" Rai asked.

Pikachu smiled, "It's a major city, lots of dark corners for Pokémon that don't want to be found by humans It's the most likely place for abandoned Pokémon."

Rai nodded, "That makes sense. Thank you, Pikachu!"

"No, Rai, thank you. What you're about to do is going to be a major assistance to all Pokémon, abandoned or not. You'll become a legend!"

Rai smiled, and took Pikachu into an embrace. "I won't forget you and your brothers. You saved my life!"

Pikachu nodded, "And you're going to save many more."

Rai looked into Pewter City. He turned back to Viridian forest.

Can I really do this? How will I find abandoned Pokemon in such a large city?

Rai shook his head. It wasn't a question of could he do it- he was the only Cubone with the ability to use electric attacks. He had learned Bone Rush, Brick Break, and Swords Dance. No, Rai had to do it. Rai would do it. No more doubts, no more questions.

Rai steeled his courage, and walked into the city as the moon rose into the sky.

This is where the RP began. Rai will find many abandoned Pokemon, and even make friends with a select few humans. This is where it begins- The Lost Legend!