Pike: *grumbles*

Faux: You okay, buddy?

Pike: *sigh* It's the Vermillion Gym chapter.

Faux: Ah. Raichu. *chuckles* Don't let him get to you, bro. Besides, I seriously doubt Trix is going to make the same mistake we did the first time.

Pike: *glaring* That doesn't make me feel better.

Faux: Would you feel better if we spared?

Pike: *shrug* Alright, but no Grace or Ki.

Faux: Deal! Aura Transmution! Chi!

Pike: *gulps* Oh, right. Earthbending. Spark Forge! Magnhild!

Gem: Since when did Pike start calling stuff out like that?

Omega: Since this is a low-quality chat with no action descriptors aside from what's inside a pair of asterisks.

I don't own Pokémon or Ben 10.

.

.

Pikachu X VS X Raichu

.

Ash went off on another training session and was currently high above the clouds in Braviary form. Pidgeotto and Butterfree were with him.

Pidgeotto managed to calm her nerves, "So why are we up this high?"

Ash looked at her, "I need to figure out the new dragonite form and this is the only quick and safe way to do so."

Butterfree cocked his head, "What do you mean?"

"The size." Ash responded, "If it turns out to be as big as the original, then I can't be in a populated or dense area."

Pidgeotto cocked her head, too "'turns out?' But you guys all said that the dragonite you scanned was gigantic. So, shouldn't it be the same for this?"

Ash shook his head, "It's a fair assumption, but we can't be sure. Remember, my clefairy form is male, even though Clefairy is female. The watch can be weird with these things. I want to test it before I end up transforming into it by accident." He took a deep breath, "Stand back, you two. I don't want to end up knocking you out."

The bird and bug flew further away from their trainer. He looked between them and nodded.

He looked down at the symbol on his chest, "Here we go." He hit the symbol and the green light overtook him.

Feeling the new wings, he immediately started flapping as he opened his eyes. He examined at his new form and found the symbol on his chest. He looked between Pidgeotto and Butterfree. They didn't seem that much closer.

Butterfree flew over, excitedly, and got in Ash's face, "Woah! Ash, you're so big!"

Pidgeotto flew over as well, "Yeah, but it's smaller than I expected."

Ash held up a claw and looked at it, "Huh … I think I'm the average size. I guess that means the big guy is just a normal dragonite. Sort of."

.

*Soot and the others

Clefairy pointed to the sky, "Look! They're coming back!"

Soot squinted, "And dad's still a dragonite. Guess we have our answer."

Ash, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree landed in front of the crowd. Krabby was still unconscious from when Ash changed into Braviary. Pikachu enjoyed that.

Soot walked over and looked at the dragon with a raised brow, "So, normal size."

Ash chuckled, "Yup. Hopefully Bill will come up with an answer for the big guy."

"Woah!" Charmander called out as he ran up to Ash. He stared up at his trainer in awe, "Ash, this is the coolest form yet! Can you please teach me how to fly when I evolve?" He frowned and looked down, "I mean, if I ever get strong enough to evolve."

Ash smiled sadly and got on a knee to pet Charmander, "If it's what you want, then I know you'll evolve someday. We'll both work hard to make it happen."

Charmander looked back up at him and smiled, "You really think so?!"

Ash smiled back, "I know so." Charmander cheered and jumped into Ash's arms. Ash held him and chuckled, "As for flying; you won't need my help with that. Once you evolve, your instincts will kick in." He put charmander back down and grinned, "In the meantime, how about I teach you Dragon Rage."

Charmander's eyes lit up, "Yeah!"

Ash chuckled again and turned to face the conscious Water-type, "Hey, Squirtle. Do you wanna learn Aqua Tail, after we're done?"

Squirtle smiled brightly and trembled from excitement, "Best! Trainer! EVER!"

Ash looked at the Fairy-type, "Alright Clefairy, Charmander and I are about to start practicing Dragon-type moves so get ready to be a test du- um, I mean practice target."

"Yay!" Clefairy cheered as she bounced.

Soot smirked with a raised brow, "You seem a little too excited about this."

Clefairy nodded, "The other Pokémon back home used to practice Dragon moves with my people all the time." She giggled, "The shooting one's tickle."

Ash smiled slyly and fired a Dragon Rage at the giggling Fairy Pokémon. When the dust settled, Clefairy sat on the ground laughing, "Again! Again!"

Charmander stared in awe at his trainer's attack, "That was awesome!" he looked at Ash, "You're really going to teach me that?!"

Ash smiled down to him, "That's the plan."

The explosion woke up Krabby. He held his head with a claw, "Ugh. I had this weird dream that-" he noticed Ash.

Ash noticed too and waved paw, "Hey, Krabby."

The crab fainted again.

"Ha!" Pikachu shouted in triumph.

.

**Time Skip**

Ash and friends stood at the entrance to Vermillion City.

"Alright!" Misty cheered, "We're finally here! Bubble bath, here I come!"

Brock sighed in relief, "And I can finally get this laundry done."

Ash chuckled, "We can do all of that and restock on supplies at the Pokémon Center."

Pikachu frowned, "But what about the gym?"

Ash pet him, "We can head their right after."

Soot looked up at him, "Yeah, it's not going anywhere. It's not like we're going against the Battle Pyramid."

Pikachu pouted, "But the gym's probably closer! Why don't we just go now?!" He blushed when his stomach started growling.

Ash chuckled, "That's why. We've had live of berries alone for three days now. We could use something more filling."

Pikachu grumbled and sighed, "Fine."

Misty sweat dropped, "You sure you can't just teach Pikachu how to talk?"

Soot looked up at her, "It's not that easy. I only figured out human language by learning from example."

Brock pulled out his notebook and wrote down what Soot said. He looked at her, "So, is that all it takes for a Pokémon to learn how to talk or is there something else?"

Ash put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll tell you on the way to the center."

Soot nodded and made her way into the city, "Walk and talk, people. Walk and talk."

.

*Shortly before the group reaches the center

"So, to clarify," Brock started as he read from his notes, "If your average Pokémon wanted to learn how to ta- I mean, speak human, it'd be easiest to start with words that align with their natural language."

Soot nodded, "Right. If Pikachu wanted to learn, he should start with words that are made of the sounds, 'p' 'ee' 'k' 'a' 'ch' and 'oo.' A big part of it is lining them up in ways that wouldn't make sense, otherwise."

Pikachu smirked, "That doesn't sound too hard."

Soot smirked, "Say 'Ash'."

Pikachu raised a brow, "Pikapi."

Soot shook her head, "No, 'Ash.' Like how a human would say it. For now, it would be made of the sounds 'a' and 'ch'."

Pikachu smirked again, "Kachu" he blinked, "Ka-" he grumbled, "K-k-ka- Augh! Why is this so hard?!"

Ash chuckled, "You need to separate the 'k' and 'a' sounds. You, also, probably need to separate 'ch' and 'oo,' and 'p' and 'ee.' Practice enough and you'll be able to say things like 'key,' 'coup,' and 'patch'."

Clefairy raised a paw, "Oh! What about me?!"

Soot smiled, "'c' 'l' 'e' 'f' 'a' 'ir' 'r' and 'ee.' Your species has a pretty good variety, so you'd probably learn a bit faster than Pikachu."

"Yay!" Clefairy cheered.

Pikachu pouted.

Brock wrote vigorously; trying to get as much as he could.

They came up to the Pokémon Center and made their way to the front desk.

Nurse Joy noticed them and smiled, "Welcome to the Pokémon Center. How may I help you?"

Ash smiled, "Routine checkup, please. Also, we've been low on supplies for a few days and could use some food."

The nurse nodded, "Very well." she pulled out three pokéball trays from under her desk, "Please place your pokéballs here."

Brock and Misty placed their three pokéballs into the trays, and Ash placed his six into the remaining one. Pikachu and Clefairy jumped down from Ash's shoulders and Soot propped herself up against the desk.

Joy blinked and looked at Ash, "You don't need to place all of their pokéballs into the tray if the Pokémon are already out."

Ash chuckled nervously and held up the three pokéballs, "I didn't. The professor that sponsors me increased my party limit." He sweat dropped, "Without telling me, first."

The nurse blinked, "Oh." She shrugged, "Alright then."

She placed the pokéball trays and two small Pokémon on the cart and wheeled them to the back. Soot followed her.

Clefairy looked at Pikachu, "I thought Nurse Joy already knew about our team."

Pikachu chuckled, "Different nurse. It's like the Officer Jenny thing."

Clefairy's jaw dropped as the doors closed behind Nurse Joy.

Ash snickered.

Brock looked at him, "What is it?"

"Pikachu just told Clefairy about Nurse Joy." Ash responded, "He said, 'It's like the Officer Jenny thing'."

Misty and Brock laughed.

"Hurry!" The group turned around to see a young boy and a chansey run into a center. Chansey pushed a stretcher with a beat up Rattata on it, "You'll be okay Rattata. Hurry!" They rushed past into the backroom.

Brock frowned, "That rattata looked like it was in rough shape. What do you think happened to it?"

"I'm afraid this is fifteenth one this month." The group flinched and turned to see Nurse Joy behind the counter.

Misty blinked, "Nurse Joy? I thought you just took our Pokémon to the back."

The nurse laughed, "That was my twin sister. She asked me to come and help a few weeks ago."

Ash blinked, "Oh." He looked at the door to the back, "So, what happened to Rattata?"

Joy frowned, "I'm afraid it's the gym leader. Come look."

She led the group to the back room. There were beds lining the walls with injured Pokémon in all of them. Their trainers all sat at the side of the bed with sad or worried expressions.

Ash's eyes widened, "Lieutenant Surge did this?!"

Nurse Joy nodded, "Yes, they all battled him and lost. They're expected to recover, but it's still upsetting."

Brock frowned, "I heard he was tough, but this-"

Misty glared, "This isn't right. A gym leader shouldn't take a battle this far."

Ash sighed, "Unfortunately, this is probably his lesson."

His friends looked at him in surprise.

"What?!" Misty blurted out, "What kind of lesson ends with the opponent in the hospital?!"

"The reality of being outclassed." Soot responded as she appeared between all of them.

Misty flinched, "Gah! Stop doing that!"

Soot chuckled, "Sorry."

The other trainers in the room stared at the talking Pokémon.

Soot noticed and her eyes narrowed, "It's not that weird." She looked up at Misty, "And, dad's right. Surge doesn't hold back and uses his personal team to show trainers how tough a battle can really be."

Everyone stared at her in surprise. She glared, "What?! I can do research, too!" She looked at Ash, "By the way, dad, everyone's healed up and back in the lobby with the other nurse."

Ash blinked, "Really? That was fast." He shrugged it off and pet her, "Thanks, Soot."

Ash and the others made their way back to the lobby, with Nurse Joy. The other trainers watched as they left.

A girl sitting at her sandshrew's bed looked to her friend sitting next to her, "Did that Pokémon just call him 'dad'?"

The boy blinked, "Um … I think so."

.

*Ash and others

"Ash, you'll never believe it!" Clefairy shouted, "The Nurse Joy here isn't the same one from when we met Charmander!"

Ash chuckled, "Um, Clefairy." he pointed at the other Nurse Joy with them.

Clefairy blinked and looked between the two Nurse Joys repeatedly. She looked at Ash with a scared expression, "They're multiplying!"

Soot, Ash, and Pikachu laughed hysterically.

Misty sighed, "Yep."

"Please hurry! Just hold on Pidgey!" Another boy and Chansey ran past the group and into the back room. A mostly charred Pidgey was on the stretcher.

Soot blinked, "Okay, I feel bad for him, but- Why would he choose a pidgey against an Electric gym? Especially this one?!" she looked up at Ash, "You have plan, right dad?"

Ash put a hand to his chin, "Bulbasaur's probably my best-"

Pikachu glared, "Hold it! If anyone's taking that raichu down, it's gonna be me!"

Ash looked at the mouse in surprise, "Huh? You wanna battle them?"

Pikachu nodded with a determined glare.

Clefairy frowned, "But what if you get hurt like the others?"

Pikachu glared at her, "I won't!" he looked at Ash, "You have to let fight him!"

Ash blinked, "Um … okay?"

Soot looked towards the humans in the room, "Pikachu wants to battle Lieutenant Surge. He's not taking 'no' for an answer."

Pikachu smirked, "Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" he jumped down and ran for the door.

Ash intercepted and picked him up, "Hold it, buddy. You and the others might be feeling better, but us humans still need to freshen up."

Pikachu frowned "But-"

"Pikachu." Ash put the mouse back on the bench, "Please, be patient."

Soot smiled, "Besides, Clefairy and I will keep you company."

Pikachu pouted and crossed his arms, "Fine."

Ash smiled softly, "Thanks." He looked at the canine, "Soot, you're in charge."

Soot nodded, "Got it."

The humans walked to another part of the Center.

"Alright!" Misty cheered, "Bubble bath, here I come! … again."

They disappeared down a hallway when they turned a corner.

Soot frowned and looked at Pikachu, "Okay, what's going on with you?"

Pikachu turned away, "It's nothing. I just want to get to the fight."

Soot got in front of him, "Not buying it. You've been on edge ever since we got to the city. Don't think I haven't noticed."

Pikachu pouted and looked away again, "It's! Nothing!"

Clefairy put a hand on his shoulder, "Pikachu."

The mouse looked at her and sighed, "It's because of someone from my old tribe. A raichu who always looked down on anyone at an evolutionary state lower than their maximum. Even if they were a different species."

Soot frowned, "Like Surge's partner."

Pikachu growled, "That jerk made me hate the idea of evolving. I made a promise to myself that I'd become stronger than any raichu."

Soot frowned, "I'm sorry Pikachu, but that's not possible."

Pikachu glared at her, "How would you know?! Just because you're fully evolved doesn't make you better!"

Soot shook her head, "That's not what I meant. You said that you want to be stronger than any raichu, without evolving. That isn't possible. Raichu, even Alolan ones, are naturally stronger, faster, and more resilient than any pikachu."

Pikachu was about to argue.

"But-" Soot continued, "That doesn't mean you can't win against one."

Clefairy blinked, "But, you said-"

"I said that a pikachu can't become stronger than a raichu." Soot smirked, "But strength isn't everything. In a battle, strategy is the real decider."

Pikachu's eyes widened, "So, what do I do?!"

Soot smiled softly, "Trust dad. He wants to win this, too, and he's still letting you battle. He's going to come up with a plan."

Pikachu frowned and scratched the back of his head, "So, we just wait?"

Soot nodded, "For now." She perked up, "In the meantime, how about I help you come up with some ideas for the battle."

Pikachu looked at her in surprise, "You can do that?"

Soot chuckled, "Creativity isn't as exclusive as you may think." She jumped up onto the bench and sat down, "I've already got an idea on how you can mostly negate Electric-type attacks."

Pikachu stared in shock, "What?! Are you serious?! What is it?!"

Soot grinned, "Iron Tail."

.

**Time Skip**

Ash made his way back to the lobby. He found a small group of trainers sitting around Soot. They were the same ones from the back room, and they all had their Pokémon with them.

"Grass-types are resistant Electric-type attacks, but that only really applies if they're grounded when hit." Soot explained a to trainer with an oddish in his lap, "If you want to battle Surge again, you shouldn't take a direct approach. Remain steadfast against Special Electric attacks and try to dodge anything else. When you find an opening, go with poisoning moves and wait it out. This won't guarantee you victory, but it will heighten your chances."

Ash walked over to the crowd, "What's going on?"

A trainer holding a caterpie got in front of him, "Wait your turn! I've been waiting to get advice from the talking Pokémon for over ten minutes!"

Soot rolled her eyes and walked over to Ash. She rubbed up against his leg and smiled up at him, "Hey, dad."

The trainers all stared; wide eyed.

Ash crouched down to pet her, "Hey, Soot. So, you're giving them all advice on how to face Surge?"

Soot chuckled, "Yeah, they overheard me telling Pikachu how to use Iron Tail to ground himself from Electric attacks and they just started asking me for advice."

Ash put a hand to his chin, "Iron Tail to ground yourself." Ash smiled brightly and pulled her into a hug, "Aw, sweetie, you're so smart! I'm so proud of you!"

Soot struggled to escape, "Dad, you're embarrassing me! And stop calling me sweetie!"

"Wait! You mean that's your Pokémon?!" The boy from earlier shouted as he held his pidgey.

Soot gave up and looked back, "Unfortunately."

Ash let go and pouted, "Aw, Soot that hurts."

Clefairy ran over and jumped onto Ash's shoulder, "Yay, you're back!"

Ash chuckled and pet her before blinking in surprise. He looked at his other shoulder; nothing.

He looked back at the bench, "Pikachu?"

The mouse's ears flattened, and he started rubbing his arm.

The boy with the caterpie walked up to Ash, "Um, I'm sorry about before but can I please speak with your Pokémon? It really knows a lot."

Ash looked at Soot, "Any objections?"

Soot smiled, "I don't mind." Her eyes narrowed; still smiling, "It's not often someone asks me for advice."

Ash chuckled and looked back at the boy, "You heard her; go ahead. And, by the way, her name is Soot."

"I'll, also, answer to Miss Ketchum." Soot followed.

Ash raised a brow while grinning, "Since when?"

"Five seconds ago." She stuck her tongue out.

Ash chucked, "Alright, then. I'll leave you guys to it." He walked over to the bench.

"So, um, Miss Ketchum," Caterpie boy started, "What do you think Caterpie and I should do against Surge."

Soot smirked, "Lots of String Shot."

.

*Ash, Clefairy and Pikachu

Ash sat down next to the mouse, "Pikachu, is everything okay?"

Pikachu sighed, "More or less. I'm sorry about earlier."

Ash pat him on the back, "It's okay. Would you feel better if you talked about it?"

Pikachu frowned, "I just- I really want to beat that raichu without evolving. Soot told me I'll never become stronger than one, but that I can still win with a good enough strategy." He looked up at Ash, "She said you'd be able to come up with one."

Ash smiled softly, "Well, she's right. After I got out of the shower, I looked up Surge again and found something that should give us an edge."

Pikachu blinked, "Really?"

Ash nodded, "In an interview a few months ago, Surge proclaimed that evolution is the only for a Pokémon to become better. He even admitted to evolving his pikachu into a raichu less than a week after it evolved from a pichu."

Pikachu frowned, "You're not actually saying I need to evolve to win, are you?"

Ash shook his head, "No, I'm not. Think about it, what can you learn as a pikachu that you can't as a kantonian raichu or a pichu?"

Pikachu raised a brow, "Is that a trick question?"

Ash chuckled, "Okay, fair enough. In this case, I mean Agility. The only time your species can learn it is late during the Pikachu stage of your life."

Pikachu's eyes widened.

Ash smirked, "Even if you can't out speed Raichu at first, a couple Agilities should have you running circles around him. Literally. And until then, you can use it too dodge his attacks."

Pikachu stood up, "So, I can really win this?!"

Ash smiled, "Yup."

Pikachu smiled brightly before frowning again, "But, what if they figure out what we're doing and do something different?"

Ash pet him, "That's for me to worry about. All you need to focus on is staying calm and being prepared to change tactics. Just like any other battle."

Pikachu stared up at Ash in surprise. He smirked and nodded, "Alright."

Clefairy jumped down form Ash's shoulder and onto the bench. She looked at Pikachu with worried expression, "Are you feeling better?"

Pikachu smiled sadly, "Yeah. I am."

Clefairy smiled brightly and hugged him.

Pikachu smiled and returned the hug, "Thanks, Clefairy. I'm sorry about earlier."

Clefairy kept smiling, "It's okay."

Ash smiled, "We can head to the gym when Brock and Misty are ready." He looked at the crowd, "Besides, I think Soot's busy for now."

Soot looked at the boy holding the pidgey and sweat dropped, "Um, gimme a sec." she looked around before nodding, "Okay, use Sand Attack to counter Electric moves and Quick Attack to dodge the others and strike. Sand Attack won't nullify the attacks, but it should weaken them."

The boy frowned, "But, Pidgey only knows Tackle."

Soot blinked and deadpanned, "In that case, you have a lot of training to do."

.

**Time Skip**

Brock and Misty came back to the lobby.

Ash noticed and stood up, "You guys ready?"

Misty nodded, "Yep." She blinked in surprise, "What's Soot doing?"

Ash chuckled, "Giving battle advice to trainers."

Brock put a hand to his chin, "She really is impressive."

Soot stared at Sandshrew before looking up at the girl holding the mouse, "How exactly did you lose?"

Ash chuckled, "Come on, Soot, we're heading to the gym. Pikachu's been waiting long enough."

"Coming, dad." Soot walked over.

The girl with the Sandshrew frowned, "Wait! I didn't get any advice!"

Soot sighed and looked back, "Don't dodge the electric attacks. Sandshrew is immune to them."

The girl blinked, "But he chased Sandshrew around the field with Thunderbolt and warned us not to get hit."

Soot shrugged, "Surge just said that to tire him out. Don't fall for his tricks."

Nurse Joy walked over to Ash, "I'm sorry, but did you say you were battling Lieutenant Surge with a Pikachu?"

Ash nodded, "That's right."

"Then you're going to need this." She held out a small box. She opened it to reveal a green stone with a lightning bolt symbol in the center.

Ash blinked in surprise, "A thunder stone?"

The nurse nodded, "You're pikachu won't be able to win as it is."

Pikachu glared at the Nurse, "Hey, I don't-"

Ash nodded and took the stone, "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll take it into consideration."

Pikachu stared at Ash in shock.

Nurse Joy smiled, "You're welcome. Good luck." She walked back to the counter.

Pikachu glared at Ash, "What the Yvel, Ash?! I told you I didn't want to evolve!"

Ash looked at him and smiled, "And you won't have to, so long as you don't touch the stone." He put the stone into plastic bag and put that in his backpack "I'm only keeping the option open."

He put his hand to his mouth to whisper to the mouse, "And besides, I can use it to evolve my pikachu form."

Pikachu blinked, "Huh. Okay, then."

.

**Time Skip**

The group stood at the doors to the gym.

Pikachu gulped, "Here we go."

Ash looked over to him and smiled, "Don't worry, bud. Just like we planned, remember?"

Pikachu grinned and nodded, "Right."

The group pushed through the doors. A pair of older trainers stood at the in front of the group; glaring.

Ash walked forward, "My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I'm here to challenge Surge for the Thunder Badge."

One of the trainers smirked and looked back, "Hey, boss, another victim for the emergency room."

A large man walked forward, "Which one?"

The giant gym leader stood in front of the group with a smirk. Clefairy flinched and hid behind Ash's head. Pikachu glared at the man.

"Welcome to the Vermillion Gym!" Surge crouched down and pulled Misty into a hug. He pulled back and looked at her, "Oh, my next challenger's a cute one. Don't think I'll go easy on ya."

Misty deadpanned and sweat dropped, "I'm not the challenger."

Surge became confused, "Huh? Then who is?"

Ash raised a hand, "That would be me. The one who actually requested the challenge."

Surge looked over at Ash and stood back up, "Oh, you." He put and hand on Ash's hat, "Okay, baby."

Ash rolled his eyes and pushed the man's hand away, "I know I'm a lot smaller than you, but you don't have to call me that."

Surge smirked, "I call everyone that loses to me baby."

Pikachu hissed from Ash's shoulder.

Surge noticed and laughed, "Hah, a Pikachu?" He looked back to the other trainers, "Hey look, baby brought along a baby Pokémon!" The three of them started laughing.

Pikachu glared, "Why you-"

Ash put a hand in front of the mouse, "Don't let him get to you. He's just trying to psych us out."

Surge frowned before smirking again, "Let me show ya somethin' baby." He pulled out a pokéball and threw it, "Go, Raichu!"

The large mouse appeared in front of Surge and smirked, "So, who's next?" he looked at Pikachu and deadpanned, "Really? Is this it?"

"If you wanna give up, now's your chance." Surge said.

Ash chuckled, "You honestly thought I'd be scared off that easily?"

Surge stared at Ash in surprise.

"I already have a plan for you Surge." Ash continued with a smirk, "One that I know you're not gonna like."

The lieutenant blinked in surprise and then smirked, "I'll give ya this; ya got guts. Alright, let's get started."

The lights in the gym turned on and the gym trainers moved to the side of the battlefield. They stood behind a pair of podiums.

There weren't any bleachers or a viewing area, so Brock, Misty, and Soot stood behind Ash. Clefairy jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood on Soot's head.

Ash and Surge stood at either side of the field, with their Electric mice in front of them.

The male trainer took up a microphone, "This will be a one-on-one gym battle between the Vermillion City gym leader, Lieutenant Surge, and the challenger, Ash. Lieutenant Surge has chosen Raichu and Ash has chosen Pikachu. The battle will be decided when either of them are unable to continue. If the challenger manages to win, he'll get the Thunder Badge." A wrestling bell went off.

Surge raised an arm, "Go, Raichu!"

Ash followed, "Pikachu, it's your move!"

The Pokémon jumped onto the field and stared each other down.

Ash went first, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Surge smirked as Raichu was hit. Raichu stood their; unfazed.

Raichu smirked, "Too bad. Your trainer didn't know about my Lightning Rod ability."

Pikachu smirked back, "Well then, thanks for telling us." He glanced back to his trainer, "You heard him, right Ash?!"

Ash smiled and nodded, "Nice work, buddy."

Raichu stared in shock.

Surge blinked in surprise but shook it off, "Raichu, show him a real Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu, Agility!" Ash responded.

Raichu fired his attack; only to miss as his opponent sped away.

Ash continued, "Close in with Quick Attack!"

Surge grimaced, "Intercept with Mega Punch!"

Pikachu sped towards Raichu as the larger mouse pulled back his paw. Raichu shot forward when-

Ash smirked, "Break into Iron Tail!"

Surge's eyes widened, "What?!"

Pikachu canceled his run as he slid under the Mega Punch. Acting fast, Pikachu got on grabbed Raichu's arm and used it as leverage to bat him in the face with his glowing tail. Raichu was shot backwards and landed with a skid.

Raichu glared and rubbed his face, "How the heck did you do that?"

Pikachu smirked, "A really smart dog taught me."

Misty smiled, "He got em!"

Brock had his arms crossed, "Even so, Steel-type moves aren't that effective against Electric-types."

Soot nodded, "That's true, but it was still the right move. Iron Tail did more damage than Quick Attack would have."

"You can win this, Pikachu!" Clefairy cheered.

Surge looked at Ash in shock. He shifted to a grin, "Not bad. Raichu, Body Slam! Center!"

Ash's eyes narrowed, 'Center?' "Dodge with Agility!"

Pikachu dodged as Raichu slammed into the ground. The second stage evo smirked and jumped back to his hind legs. He now stood in the middle of the arena.

Surge smirked, "Time to end this! Raichu, Full Power Thunderbolt! Shut it down!"

Raichu smirked as he charged his attack. Electricity built up around him.

Ash frowned, 'So, that's it! He's attacking entire field, from the center, to make sure we can't dodge. But-' he smirked, "Pikachu, go with Soot's plan!"

"Take THIS!" Raichu shouted as he attacked the entire battlefield with a faux-Discharge.

Pikachu smirked at the oncoming attack. He used Iron Tail and jammed it into the ground.

The entire battlefield and most of the gym were torn apart by the Electric-type attack. Dust was kicked up in all directions.

Surge smirked, "It's over." His smirked disappeared as he saw the pikachu standing on its tail; unfazed.

Surge stared, dumbfound, "what?"

Brock smiled, "He used Iron Tail as a ground and nullified the attack! Genius!"

Soot smiled, "Thank you."

Surge grimaced, "Raichu, another Thunderbolt!"

Raichu panted and tried attacking. But it failed.

Surge blinked, "Raichu?"

Ash smiled slyly, "Maybe firing at 'full power' wasn't your best choice. Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu shot forward.

Surge glared, "Raichu, Take Down!"

Raichu tried to grab Pikachu, only for the running mouse to jump between the paws and nail Raichu in the gut. Not letting up, Pikachu landed and spun around to hit Raichu with another Iron Tail.

Raichu spun around in a daze and collapsed; his eyes swirling.

The gym trainer at the podium stared in shock before speaking up, "U-um, Raichu is unable to battle. Pikachu … wins."

"Woo!" Pikachu raised his arms in triumph and fell onto his back.

Ash walked over and picked him up, "Way to go, Pikachu."

Pikachu smiled, "Thanks. Can we go back to the Pokémon Center? I'm exhausted."

Ash chuckled.

Ash's friends ran over to him. Clefairy jumped onto his shoulder.

"Ash, you did it!" Brock declared with a smile on his face.

"You won!" Misty followed.

Soot smirked, "Yeah. You finally earned a gym badge for real."

Ash chuckled, "Very funny, Soot."

Surge walked over to them with his gym trainers by his side.

Ash and Surge shook hands, "Congratulations. Nice job, Ash." he reached into the shirt pocket and pulled something out, "As proof of your victory, I present the Thunder Badge."

Ash smiled and accepted the badge, "Thank you, Lieutenant Surge."

Surge smiled, "You really fought well out there. I have to admit; I haven't had that good of a challenge in a long time." He raised a brow, "Although, what was that 'Soot plan' thing you said at the end."

Soot walked forward, "That would be me. The grounding technique Pikachu used was something I came up with at the Pokémon Center. Soot's my name."

Surge looked down at the canine in surprise. He crouched down to her, "How are you talking?"

Soot chuckled, "About a year's worth of practice."

Surge blinked, "Huh."

.

**Time Skip**

Ash, his friends, and even Surge waited in the Pokémon Center for Pikachu and Raichu.

The group rented a few rooms. Brock and Misty went to their rooms a while ago.

Surge sat at the bench with Soot next to him.

Surge sweat dropped, "Geez. With all the trainers I've been sending to this place, it feels weird coming here after a loss."

Soot smirked, "Well, you better get used it. A lot of the trainers you beat have been asking me for advice in facing you. I happily obliged."

Surge's eyes narrowed, "What kind of advice?"

Soot shook her head, "Nice try, but I'm not messing with their chances."

Surge chuckled, "Fair enough. It'll be nice to get a few more challenges that aren't so one sided."

The other trainers all crowded around Ash. Clefairy was in Ash's lap.

"You really beat Surge?!" a boy asked as his Caterpie stood on his shoulder.

Ash held up his Thunder badge, "Yup."

The girl's eyes lit up, as did her Sandshrew's, "That's amazing! Was it hard?!"

Ash nodded, "Yeah." He put the badge back in his Jacket, "Surge really knows what he's doing."

The boy with the oddish frowned, "Do you think we can beat him, too?"

The other boy held his Pidgey and joined in, "And what about what Miss Ketchum said? Will it really be enough?"

Ash smiled sadly, "I can't say for sure. But you've all faced Surge before and saw what he's capable of. If anything, that gives you more of an advantage than I had."

The trainers all smiled.

"But-" Ash continued, "That doesn't mean you should expect an easy victory. Soot's plans will help but they won't secure the win if Surge catches on. You need to be ready for the plan to fail at any moment."

The boy with the Rattata stared in shock, "What?! Why would you come up with a plan just for it to fail?!"

Ash raised a finger, "It's about adapting. If you make a decent plan and only expect it to work, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Plans can crumble if your opponent is smart enough to see through them. Following Soot's plan will help, but you need to be ready to change tactics."

Nurse Joy wheeled Pikachu and Raichu out of the back on a cart.

Pikachu jumped down and looked over at Ash. He saw Clefairy with him. She was being petted by one of the other trainers and smiling blissfully.

Pikachu smiled softly at the Fairy.

Raichu smirked and patted Pikachu's back, "I gotta admit, you've got yourself a cute one there, kid." Looked up and down at Clefairy, "Quite the looker."

Pikachu blushed, "W-what?! We're not- We're just friends!"

Raichu blinked, "Really?" he smirked again, "Maybe I could try my luck, then."

Pikachu grimaced.

Raichu laughed and pat his lesser evo's head, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding." He looked over to Soot with a smirk, "Besides, I think I've got my eye on another beauty."

Raichu eyed her as he put a hand to his chin, "Look at that tail." He whistled, "Ya think your trainer would let her spend a night at the gym with me?"

Pikachu stared at him, wide eyed.

Ash walked over with Clefairy on his shoulder, "Hey Pikachu, you feel better?"

Pikachu nodded, "Yup." He jumped back onto Ash's other shoulder.

Ash smiled, "Good to hear. Come on, we rented a few rooms for the night."

"Oh, one thing." Ash crouched down and got into Raichu's face; surprising the mouse. He glared and spoke in a harsh whisper, "If you ever talk about my little girl like that again, I'll mangle your reproductive esophagus to the point that all of your descendants will be rotom."

Raichu covered his throat and paled while staring at Ash.

Pikachu snickered, "Yeah. He can understand our kind." He pointed at Clefairy, "Hers to."

Clefairy giggled, "You're in trouble." She sang.

Soot walked over and cocked her head, "Is everything alright, dad?"

Ash looked at her with a smile, "We're okay, Soot. Raichu just found out I can understand him." He glanced over at the larger of the mice, "Isn't that right?"

Raichu forced a smile, "Y-yeah. Right."

Soot chuckled, "Fair enough. Let's head to the room. It's getting late and I'm tired."

Ash nodded, "Sounds good." He stood back up and made his way down the hallway. Soot followed.

Raichu stared at the trainer in shock. He flinched as Surge put hand on his head.

Surge blinked, "You okay, Raichu?"

Raichu laughed nervously and nodded. He glanced down the hallway at Ash and the others.

Surge followed his gaze and smiled slyly, "Aw. Does Raichu have a little crush on the mightyena?"

Raichu grimaced and looked at Ash. The boy was glaring back at him.

Raichu flinched and shook his head vigorously, "No! Not at all! No way!"

Surge laughed and pet the mouse, "Haha. You're so shy. Come on, lets head back to the gym."

Raichu nodded vigorously and bolted out the front door.

Surge chased after him, "Raichu, wait up! Why are you in such a hurry?!"

.

*Ash's room

Ash was in the restroom. The other Pokémon waited outside, on the bed.

Soot looked at Pikachu, "So, Raichu had a crush on me?"

Pikachu chuckled, "Yup."

Soot smirked, "How did dad take it?"

Pikachu smirked, "Ash threatened him. He was practically trembling."

Clefairy giggled, "Raichu was really scared."

Soot chuckled, "Yeah. Sounds like dad."

.

.

Ohirume: Are you kidding me, Faux?!

Faux: *nervous chuckling* I mean, we didn't cause that much damage.

Pike: *sweat drops* We trashed an entire city.

Faux: Yeah, but it was Jump City. Y'know, from a "Teen Titans Go" dimension.

Ohirume: Hm. Okay, I'll give you that. Just, please start the fight in one of those worlds next time.