Chapter 8: Not Down...
The next day Pikachu felt awful.
He woke up early in the morning with a mild headache and a dull pain in his joints. As he opened his eyes, he frowned and slowly sat up from his usual sleeping spot next to Ash.
"Ugghhh. Oh great, it's gonna be one of those days..." Pikachu thought as he rubbed his temples. He looked over and saw Ash snoozing without a care in the world. Lucky guy.
The morning activities didn't bring much comfort either. The weather had completely done a 180 in the span of twelve hours. The once gray sky had cleared and the sun was shining upon the land again. The snow – while still somewhat present – was largely melted away and it almost seemed like the weather from yesterday never happened. Because of the lightened weather, Ash and the gang decided that it was time to finally get a move on to Oreburgh City. Ash was particularly eager to get his first Sinnoh badge so by the time they packed their stuff, they practically bolted back onto the road.
All the while, Pikachu rode on Ash's shoulder as he always did but the constant movement only made his headache worse. It didn't help that Ash kept excitedly shouting about what they were going to do when they started their gym battle. At the pace they were going, they would probably be in the city later that afternoon.
Okay, no biggie. A little headache and some soreness never stopped him before. They'll just go in, win the gym battle and move on, hopefully maybe take it easy for a little bit. Easy peasy.
Life has a funny way of pulling the rug under one's feet.
The group had finally arrived in Oreburgh City. The city itself was well known as a mining town of valuable natural resources. The Oreburgh Mine, which was just outside of the city, acted as the town's leading energy source. Perhaps most impressively however, was the Oreburgh Mining Museum which not only contained rare displays and attractions but also housed a research facility that used state-of-the-art technology to revive ancient, long extinct Pokémon. At least that was all according to Brock who was reading a brochure of the city all along the way.
The gang had made their way towards the gym to see none other than the purple-haired boy with a seriously bad attitude: Paul. In addition to the usual negative feelings seeing this guy again, Ash and the rest had to sit back and watch Paul take on the Rock-themed gym leader: Roark.
To everyone's astonishment, they watched as Paul eventually won but not only that...he won using two Pokémon that were at type disadvantages! Paul's azumarill was quickly knocked out after only two attacks but his chimchar and elekid did rather well and it was a close face off but in the end, the young trainer prevailed. Notably, despite how well they performed, whenever Elekid and Chimchar were injured or in bad shape, Paul muttered some vague threat. Poor Chimchar was forced to take the brunt of an attack as some sort of cruel strategy and even after defeating Roark's Onix, when it was knocked out Paul still gave it flak.
As Pikachu saw Paul get his badge, he looked over to Ash. He recoiled as he saw his best buddy give a look that was so intense that Pikachu just knew what to expect next. The mouse sighed as he rubbed his temples again.
Immediately after Paul's battle against Roark, everyone gathered at the Pokémon Center. Roark had requested to battle Ash tomorrow as both he and Paul needed to heal their Pokémon. Somewhat surprisingly, Paul agreed to watch Ash's battle albeit with some feisty convincing from Dawn and a little more support from Roark. While at the Pokémon Center, Ash decided that the three Pokémon to use were Pikachu, Turtwig and Aipom, leaving Staravia feeling utterly dejected. Their attention soon turned from comforting a devastated Staravia to Paul who received his newly-healed Pokémon. Both he and Ash began to exchange heated words when suddenly a young boy ran up to Paul.
"Hey wow! Thanks for the azumarill mister!" The young boy said to Paul as he raised a Pokéball. Ash and the gang only continued to stare at them in astonishment, Pikachu in particular blinked in confusion. "We'll train real hard! So see ya!" The boy said as he ran off to which Paul gave a slight wave in response.
"You gave him Azumarill?!" Ash shouted in disbelief as everyone turned their attention on the purple-haired boy. Pikachu only looked on in horror, he briefly glanced back to where the boy ran off but he was already gone.
"Yeah so?" Paul said with a smirk.
"'Cus it lost?!" Ash yelled with growing anger.
"That's as good as that azumarill's gonna get." Paul harshly said with a frown.
"I thought it was your friend! You could've kept training you know!"
"No, that one was a lost cause."
"I don't get you!"
"Hmph, and I thought you wanted to win!"
Ash gasped in shock. "I do! But not the way you go about doing it!" He shouted back.
Paul merely smirked and walked away towards the exit. The doors slid open and closed behind him.
Ash walked up closer to where Paul had exited, both his fists and jaw clenched in pure rage.
"He'll never beat me again." He muttered to himself. He quickly turned around with a fist held in front of him. "Alright, let's show that Paul there are other ways to win a battle than the way he does it!"
"(Right!)" The three selected-Pokémon yelled in unison.
Despite how he was feeling, Pikachu couldn't help but be excited to not only really get their journey in Sinnoh going, but to show a real peach like Paul what for! Still, he couldn't help but think of Azumarill and how awful it all was...
As expected, Ash had the three Pokémon intensely train for the rest of the day, often allowing little time to slow down. Under normal circumstances, Pikachu was fully onboard...
...Except he still felt less than stellar. The headache he had since this morning had yet to go away and all of the training only made him feel even more sore. Not to mention, with all of the jumping, running, dodging and attacks being thrown around, Pikachu felt himself becoming short of breath and not the usual kind. By now, he was used to training and battling to the point where he could tell what a normal feeling of fatigue was versus that of something else...and this was definitely something else.
Later that day, Ash and his Pokémon decided to call it a day and get some extra rest for tomorrow although it took a bit of insistence from Dawn and Brock. Brock was preparing dinner which was a special dish chocked full of vitamins and protein to make sure that everyone was in tip-top shape for tomorrow.
Pikachu sat on the ground with an empty bowl in front of him as did the rest of the Pokémon. While he couldn't wait for their upcoming gym battle, part of him was rather anxious about the condition he was in at the moment. If only Brock's specially-prepared food could magically make him feel normal again.
He grimaced as he continued to look at his empty bowl, lost in thought. Nope, no doubting it. He was definitely getting sick and all of this training was making it worse. Oh great...that's just great! Of all the times to start getting sick! It couldn't have happened before or after this gym battle?! It had to be now?! And with Paul of all people watching?!
How exactly did he get sick in the first place? Was it just bad luck? Some random encounter with a microscopic menacing germ that found its way into his system for the sole purpose of making his life harder? When did he catch it anyway? Well, they were on the road a lot so maybe sometime then. Though...he felt fine during and after the gala even though there were hundreds of people and Pokémon there so maybe not from that. During their stay at the cabin? He felt fine then too, it's not like they did much given the cold weather. Just sit around inside the cabin talking, drinking hot beverages, doing Aipom's dare and getting ready for-
Oh. Wait. Aipom's dare...when he jumped into that freezing cold lake. It was only after that did he start feeling sick. That had to have been it! Jumping into the stupid frozen lake is why he feels like garbage right before their first gym battle!
Pikachu grit his teeth before letting loose a quiet sigh. "Okay..." He thought, "no problem, just get plenty of sleep and do your best. After all, you've felt worse, just toughen it out. And if you still feel bad, tell Ash and he'll understand right?"
He looked over at Ash who was sitting at the table with Dawn, no doubt talking about tomorrow. That strangely intense look he had before with Paul was still present in his eyes. Pikachu frowned as he continued to stare at his best friend. "This Paul guy is really getting to him isn't he? Worse than Gary." Pikachu thought, he couldn't remember the last time he saw Ash so angry with someone else aside from maybe Team Rocket.
He turned back to his empty bowl. Regardless of how he felt at the moment, he couldn't slow down. Not yet. Ash was relying on him, more than ever now. This wasn't about just winning a gym badge anymore. This was about proving a point. The true battle was the one between Ash and Paul, not one of physical capability but one of fundamentals, how they treated their Pokémon and how they went about it all as trainers.
Nevertheless, Pikachu figured that he didn't feel bad enough to delay things just yet. And it's not like he hasn't been down this road of battling a Rock-type gym before right? After all, their very first gym battle ever was against Brock and he's been giving them advice all this time! Yeah, he's definitely got this, he just needs to give it his all and then he can take a little rest!
As Pikachu came to that conclusion, he felt something slide next to him. He looked over and saw the familiar face of Buneary sit next to him, her empty bowl near to his. He smiled at her to which she returned the favor.
"(Hey mister hard worker!)" She beamed.
"(Hey yourself!)" He chuckled.
"(Training looks like it's going well. You guys are gonna kick some serious tail!)"
"(Heh, thanks. We're all pretty psyched. I feel kinda bad for Staravia though.)"
"(Eh, if it can't be helped, it can't be helped. Honestly, the type-disadvantage would have him knocked out almost right away.)" Buneary said shrugging.
"(Yeah, next time he can get his chance to shine.)" Pikachu said smiling.
"(Well even if I'm gonna probably be in my Pokéball, I'll still be cheering for you!)" She said with the biggest grin.
"(Thanks Bun. Much appreciated.)" Pikachu said, scratching the back of his head. He felt a rising heat in his cheeks that spread throughout his face although whether it was from her kind words or his illness he really couldn't tell.
"(No problem Pika!)" She giggled.
"Alright everyone! Food's ready! Come and get it!" Brock announced to which everyone began to line up to get their dinner.
As Pikachu stood in the line with Buneary, he just repeated what he told himself earlier. He's got this, he's faced worse before. Actually, was that what he told himself or what Buneary told him from his bet?
The next day, their gym battle got off to a rocky start, pun definitely intended. Roark sent out his cranidos first while Ash first sent out Aipom. Paul had kept to his agreement and was present to watch their battle unfold in the stands along with Dawn and Brock.
Things were going somewhat smoothly but that quickly changed when Aipom was soon knocked out after a clash with Zen Headbutt. Aipom's entire battle lasted maybe less than two minutes while Cranidos was still in good shape. With Aipom out of the picture, Ash sent out Pikachu.
Immediately, Ash commanded Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to which Cranidos dodged and prepared to use Zen Headbutt. Propelling itself off a rock, Cranidos lunged towards Pikachu.
"Here it comes, Iron Tail let's go!" Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped in front of the proceeding Rock-type Pokémon and thrust forward his iridescent white tail at it, striking it in the head and sending it backwards into another rock.
"Excellent! A well-place hit, Cranidos, Headbutt!" Roark shouted to which Cranidos got back on its feet and once again lunged towards Pikachu.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu did as he was told however Cranidos was already one step ahead and immediately jumped and landed a Headbutt, knocking the electric mouse higher into the air. "You can do it Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu steadied himself in the air and started to prepare his attack only to hear Roark shout from below.
"Zen Headbutt quick!" Roark commanded to which Cranidos landed on a rock once again and jumped back up, landing another devastating blow on Pikachu. He felt the wind being knocked out of him, so much so that he couldn't even produce a cough. Jeez, its speed wasn't something to underestimate.
"Now use Headbutt!" Roark shouted with a smirk. No mercy it seems.
"Pikachu dodge it!" Ash yelled but it was no good, the pain from the previous attacks only compounded the aches he was feeling in his joints and it all only made him sluggish. He couldn't move out of the way in time and Cranidos landed another blow to him, this time causing the both of them to spike into the hard rocky ground below.
Cranidos jumped back as Pikachu struggled to get back up.
"Come on Pikachu! I know you can do it but you just gotta hang in there!" Ash shouted but Pikachu only fell on his back.
"Get up you wimp! What? A few hits and you're already down? A little sickness and you can't take the heat anymore? C'mon get up. Get. UP!" Pikachu internally screamed at himself.
His ears pricked up as he heard Dawn's voice although he couldn't see her at the moment.
"Paul's leaving?" Dawn wondered aloud.
"What the?" Ash muttered.
Pikachu opened his eyes upon hearing that and mustering all of his strength, got back to his feet. Feeling his fighting spirit swelling within him, he no longer felt any sort of pain. Only the will to keep going.
"(That's it! I've had ENOUGH!)" Pikachu shouted as electricity suddenly began to emerge from his body and a massive bolt shot out through the open ceiling, enveloping everyone and everything in its impressive glow. Soon, he quelled the attack and the lightning dissipated. He briefly glanced to where Paul was standing who indeed had gotten up to leave but in that moment, he stared at Pikachu, a look of surprise on his face.
"A Pokémon defending its trainer is truly a sight to see!" Roark remarked to which Cranidos gave a grunt of agreement. Pikachu glanced back at Paul who had proceeded to walk back to his spot and leaned over to continue watching.
"'Kay Pikachu, let's show 'em something they'll never forget!" Ash said with a smirk.
"(Right!)" Pikachu said, ignoring the returning pain in his muscles and the creeping headache that began to make a return, not to mention was only getting worse.
"Quick Attack let's go!" Ash commanded, throwing an arm out for dramatic effect.
"(Here we go!)" Pikachu shouted as he got on all fours and ran forward to Cranidos. He could hear Roark shout something but what fully caught his attention was the command to use Flamethrower.
"Dodge and use Iron Tail!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu jumped into the air, high enough to fully avoid the Flamethrower and propelled himself forward thanks to his Quick Attack. His tail glowing, Pikachu began to spin his body.
"Do it!" Ash yelled. Pikachu angled himself above Cranidos' head and smashed his now solidified tail against it, causing the Rock-type to go flying backwards again. To their horror however, Cranidos landed on its feet and still looked like it had fight left!
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Pikachu looked up upon hearing Roark giving the command to use Head Smash. Cranidos let out a primal roar as its body was enveloped in a brilliant blue light.
"If you're going for it then we will too! Pikachu Volt Tackle now!" Ash confidently shouted.
"(You got it!)" Pikachu yelled as he got back on all fours and ran towards his opponent, his body becoming enveloped in an intensely bright golden light. Cranidos jumped forward, the ground quaking beneath it. A moment passed as the two closed the distance and violently collided, causing a massive explosion. The force of the impact caused both Pokémon to be pushed on opposite sides of the stadium. Pikachu immediately felt a shot of pain go through his shoulder. He grit his teeth and did his best to toughen it out.
"Cranidos is still standing!" Ash shouted in disbelief.
"As is Pikachu, you've raised your Pokémon well!" Roark remarked.
"Pikachu it's too dangerous for you to go on so you come back here!" Ash commanded. Pikachu took a moment to catch his breath and immediately jumped out of the area and landed next to his trainer's leg.
By default, Ash sent out Turtwig to continue the battle. Hopefully, the type advantage Turtwig had over Cranidos would prove to work in their favor! As Pikachu watched as Ash commanded Turtwig to unleash a barrage of Razor Leaf, he couldn't help but feel himself holding back a cough. Oh great, more symptoms…
The battle raged on as Turtwig managed to land a Bite on Cranidos only to be hit with a Zen Headbutt and then followed by a direct hit from Flamethrower. Oh boy, things weren't going too well.
"Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted. To Pikachu's absolute astonishment, Turtwig managed to take the brunt of the Fire-type attack like a champ and jumped out of the flame column to unleash another Razor Leaf which landed a direct hit, causing Cranidos to fly into a boulder and finally knock it out.
"Alright!" Ash cheered as he struck a victory pose.
"(Yeah you showed 'em!)" Pikachu enthusiastically shouted. He suddenly held back another cough but thankfully, nobody seemed to notice. After regaining control of himself, Pikachu concernedly stared at Roark. They may technically be even with their number of Pokémon but they were far from equal in the battle. Cranidos may have been Roark's strongest fighter but the fact was that he still had two more unused Pokémon while both he and Turtwig were pretty injured and getting winded. They were certainly fighting an uphill battle for this gym badge!
Roark returned Cranidos to its Pokéball. Pikachu looked over as he heard Ash mutter the same thing that was on his mind. "Woah, that's over with but we went through way too much to defeat just one Pokémon…"
"(Hey, it's still anyone's battle!)" Pikachu said to his trainer.
"(That's right!)" Turtwig shouted, briefly turning back to look at Ash.
"(It's still anyone's battle that's right!)" Ash repeated, his spirits lifted
With that, Roark sent out his onix to continue their battle. Pikachu continued to watch and could only hope that Turtwig's speed and type advantage can carry them to victory.
Unfortunately, Pikachu was proven wrong as Turtwig was almost immediately knocked out thanks to Onix's Double Edge, no doubt helped by Cranidos' Flamethrower.
Returning Turtwig back to his Pokéball, Ash thanked the Grass-tortoise.
"So Pikachu, I guess it's all up to you now!" Ash said to his starter.
"(Right! Let's go!)" Pikachu shouted as he jumped back into the arena without hesitation. Still, he took a moment to catch his breath as he felt his knees struggling to hold his own weight. It took far more effort than he cared to admit to stop himself his body from shaking. "It's all up to me..." He thought.
"I know it's your last Pokémon, but I'm not gonna go easy on you!" Roark shouted.
"Right! Iron Tail!" Ash commanded. Pikachu once again made his tail glow a brilliant white as he spun to land it on his opponent.
"Nice big Slam!" Roark yelled as Onix thrusted its tail at the electric mouse. The two Pokémon's attacks collided causing another explosion and thrusting them backwards.
Pikachu felt himself sliding on his feet along the rocky ground until he finally came to a stop but as soon as he did, he nearly collapsed. He felt another shot of pain extending from his shoulder down to his torso. This was it; he was nearly at his limit. They needed to finish things, and quickly too. He painfully inhaled precious oxygen into his lungs but he could feel himself about to cough again. He did his absolute best to stifle it. Pikachu didn't know which was worse, the pain he felt in his torso from the collision or the pounding in his head that his headache was causing which felt like it was progressing into a migraine.
He could hear Ash muttering to himself when suddenly his trainer's voice raised to a shout.
"Of course! Use Thunderbolt on the field!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu took a moment to take in a deep breath. "(Okay!)" He yelled as he jumped high into the air and unleashed a Thunderbolt directly into the rocky ground, causing chunks of earth to momentarily become airborne. The force of the attack pushed Onix back a little to its surprise.
"Now Onix, use Double Edge!" Roark commanded as Onix proceeded forward with its body a brilliant white but as soon as it did, the chunks of rocks being propelled smacked into it, causing it to slow down.
Seeing his opportunity, Ash smiled. "Pikachu! Quick Attack now!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu nodded and got on all fours and began to run towards his opponent at a blinding speed.
"Onix, Screech attack!" Roark yelled. Onix regained its composure and opened its mouth to unleash a barrage of ear-splitting decibels. The attack directly hit Pikachu, fully halting his Quick Attack.
"Damn I got caught up in it!" Pikachu thought. "Just need to hold on!"
But he could feel himself beginning to slide backwards. He channeled all of his strength into his legs although now they were feeling like strands of wet noodles barely keeping him upright. He grit his teeth as he tried to take it but finally he felt his upper torso move back and he found himself propelling backwards into a jagged rock. He could feel his back hit the hard surface as it gave way and he landed upon the hard ground.
"Pikachu!" Ash shrieked.
Pikachu opened his eyes and quickly managed to get back on his feet before the dust fully cleared. He grit his teeth as he painfully sucked in some more air. "Stay strong! It isn't over yet! Don't you go down! You're not down for the count yet!" He thought with a determined look.
"You're okay!" Ash said in relief.
"You're okay, you've got this! You've...got this! You've...got..." Pikachu thought before his mind trailed off as his vision blurred and he started falling forward. He didn't even feel himself hit the hard ground.
Everything was cloudy and dark. He didn't feel anything in that moment. All he could hear were muffled voices. Suddenly his eyes began to open as he felt someone pick him up into their arms. His vision returned as he found himself looking up at Ash. While the boy's face was frustrated, his voice was reassuring.
"Pikachu, you're the best!" He said as he looked at him.
"(Not even close.)" Pikachu said, giving a sad smile and shaking his head. He wanted to scream or cry but he simply didn't have the strength.
Ash looked up from his starter and saw Paul walking towards the exit. "Oh yeah..." He muttered as he got to his feet with Pikachu in his arms.
Paul stood in place and looked back at them. "How pathetic." He said as he proceeded to walk out of the room.
Both Ash and Pikachu could only stare as they saw Paul leave. While he wasn't sure what was going through Ash's mind, Pikachu could only be certain of his own feelings.
"He's right..." Pikachu thought as he attempted his absolute best from grimacing.
He failed his friend. He failed his trainer. He was a failure. It was all Pikachu could think of as Ash carried him to the Pokémon Center. As usual, Ash requested that they heal him out of his Pokéball.
To his absolute shock, being healed in the Pokémon Center's machines did little to relieve the symptoms that he was feeling. All it managed to do was heal his battle wounds. He couldn't believe it, how was that possible?! Granted, he could swear that he felt a little better than before but perhaps that was psychosomatic and he only thought he felt better. He wasn't too sure.
Then again, the same could said for the humans. For all of their technological and medical advances, the common cold was still around without a cure so why wouldn't the same be for Pokémon? At least that's what he was hoping that's what it was and that he hadn't contracted something more serious. Nevertheless, it seemed that the machines used in Pokémon Centers were not the end-all and be-all cure.
Regardless of how he physically felt, it was nothing compared to what was going through his mind regarding their battle. He tried; he really did but all he managed to do was weaken Cranidos. How many times were there when he could've dodged an attack or been quicker or even stronger? Was it because he was weak or because he was sick?
Nonetheless, he felt like he had let everyone down. What must Ash think? He should've expected Pikachu of all Pokémon to perform better considering how he scored the final victory at the Battle Frontier against Brandon's Regice.
He could only ponder in agony as he was being put on the tray of Pokéballs to be handed back to Ash.
"I'm sorry Ash. Please forgive me, I'll do better next time I promise! Sickness or no sickness, I'll fight even harder, I just need a second chance!" Pikachu thought with a determined look as Nurse Joy handed him back to his trainer.
The next day, after being given some time to rest, Ash and the gang decided to continue their training in the rocky mountains near Oreburgh City. Despite the loss, Ash looked more determined than ever, much to Pikachu's relief. With all the worrying about illnesses and living up to standards, he had forgotten how the boy could so easily bounce back from a loss.
"Pikachu Iron Tail let's go! Aipom now Focus Punch! Turtwig, use Razor Leaf now!" Ash commanded to which all three did as they were told, unleashing their respective attacks on a rather large coal ore pillar.
"Awesome stuff, way to go guys!" Ash said satisfied.
Indeed, all of this training made even Pikachu feel more confident especially seeing how much progress they were making. He could hear Brock and Dawn giving them compliments from the side.
"(Yeah you guys are looking great!)" Piplup shouted from Brock and Dawn's sides.
As Pikachu turned his attention to them, he suddenly felt someone approaching him. He was taken aback a little to see that Buneary had begun hopping over. Really he shouldn't be at this point, he just didn't expect it at the moment.
"(Hey there!)" She chirped; her paws held together.
"(Oh umm, hi.)" Pikachu said, a slightly surprised look on his face.
"(You're doing great, I'm so proud of you!)" She said as she slightly leaned forward and uncurled an ear to pat him on the forehead.
"(Oh uhh...)" He said, a bead of sweat on the side of his head, not at all expecting this right now. "(Thanks a lot, w-we try!)" He said with a shy smile as he rubbed the back of his head.
"(Just keep at it and you'll win for sure!)" She happily said as she retracted her ear and raised a paw. "(I know you can do it!)".
Their attention was turned back to the humans as they discussed how training was going. Ash himself was more psyched than ever to have a rematch with Roark. Dawn however, made a good point of how Ash's three Pokémon weren't the best suited for the job. She suggested that Ash call Professor Oak to hand him one of his previous Pokémon to use against Roark or even lending Piplup for the job. Ash however refused, insisting that he stick with the Pokémon he currently has and that no matter what, there's always a way to win. When Dawn reiterated that they weren't the right type of Pokémon for this battle, Ash brought up Paul's victory.
"If he can do it, I can do it too!" He said with a confident smile. "So guys, let's win it at the Oreburgh Gym but we'll do it our way!"
"(Let's do it!)" Pikachu proclaimed.
"(I'm ready for it!)" Aipom shouted.
"(And we will win!)" Turtwig insisted.
The training only continued, this time with Brock sending out Sudowoodo thanks to his Rock Head ability. Dawn, convinced by their determination, decided to head back to the Pokémon Center to practice some new combinations.
Some time passed as Ash's group continued their training. Roark also happened to be visiting the area to dig for fossils but stopped by to compliment them on their progress. As he continued to express his admiration for fossils, a voice called out from the distance.
"Roark! Something terrible has happened!" Ian, the green-haired gym assistant for the Oreburgh Gym, said as he ran up to them.
"What? Tell me." Roark anxiously asked.
"The ancient Pokémon are on a rampage!" Ian shouted causing everyone to gasp in shock.
"Well, we can't waste any time then!" Roark proclaimed as he turned back to Ash's group. "I'm going to help stop them, find shelter!"
"No way! We'll help you too! Right guys?" Ash shouted as everyone behind him nodded in agreement.
"Then let's get going!" Ian yelled as he and Roark began to run towards the disaster site.
"Right, let's go Pikachu!" Ash said before taking out some Pokéballs. "Everyone else, return!" He said before Aipom and Turtwig were enveloped in red light.
"Sudowoodo, you stay with us, you might be really helpful with this!" Brock commanded.
"(Right-o!)" Sudowoodo replied with a salute.
"(Let's go then!)" Pikachu shouted as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder as they started following Roark and Ian.
As they approached the site of emergency, they saw an armaldo and kabutops confronting armed forces. Among the troops were Officer Jenny and a few scientists, no doubt from the museum. Roark's plan was for him to cause a distraction with Cranidos while Ash's group took them down. With that, Roark sent out the Rock-type Pokémon and commanded it to use Flamethrower. The attack did just as intended and the two ancient Pokémon shifted their focus towards it.
"Okay Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
"Go Sudowoodo!" Brock shouted.
"(Okay!)" The two Pokémon said as they rushed towards their opponents. Their progress, however, was halted and the two were blasted back by a Hyper Beam and Mud Shot. What exactly was the plan there again? The two ancient Pokémon turned their attention to Cranidos and soon began to face off with it.
As the battle raged on with Cranidos, everyone was shocked to see all three Pokémon captured by metal arms!
Everyone gasped as they saw a large machine that sprouted three flexible metal arms with rubber hands. Suddenly, all who were present heard rather sinister laughter that was sounded quite familiar to some.
"You can never get too much of an old thing!" Jessie laughed.
"No way!" Roark yelled in disbelief.
"The fossil restorer!" The bespectacled scientist cried out.
"Listen, is that shocked twerps I hear?" Jessie said.
"Looks fetching to me loud and clear!" James followed up.
As the trio started to get up and recite their motto, dramatic poses and all, Pikachu could only roll his eyes. Of course. Who else? They couldn't just have a day of training for a rematch could they? Now they had to worry about Team Rocket!?
"So you're behind this awful crime!" Officer Jenny yelled.
"Return the machine and Pokémon at once!" The bespectacled scientist next to her shouted.
"Like that's ever gonna happen!" Jessie smugly quipped.
"We've got a lot of restoring to do!" James declared.
"And we're gonna make an army of the baddest buncha ancient bullies you ever saw!" Meowth shouted with a proud smile.
"No you're not! Ready Pikachu?!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu immediately got into his battle stance. "(Ready!)" He declared.
"Ash wait!" Roark said, earning looks of confusion from he and his starter. "We've gotta be careful how we do this! If not, Armaldo, Kabutops and the fossil restorer could be badly damaged!"
Team Rocket only continued to brag in their usual arrogant fashion as Pikachu wondered what they could possibly do.
Suddenly everything was interrupted by an ear-piercing shriek coming from a distance. It sounded...primal.
Everyone looked towards the sky to see an aerodactyl fly down and unleash a Hyper Beam, causing a screaming Team Rocket to let go of the three Pokémon and knock them and the machine over against the side of the mountain. Using their opportunity, the scientists safely returned Armaldo and Kabutops to their Pokéballs. Before anyone could let out a sigh of relief, the Aerodactyl turned its attention on them and unleashed a Giga Impact!
Cranidos did its absolute best to stop the attack through sheer force but unfortunately the Aerodactyl proved to be too strong and Cranidos – along with everyone else – was knocked back. Showing no mercy whatsoever, the Aerodactyl maneuvered itself towards the fallen group and unleashed a Hyper Beam.
Gasping, Ash threw himself over Pikachu. The electric mouse didn't know what to do. He couldn't move his muscles in time to get them out of safety. Thanks to their day-long training and the fact that his muscles felt like gobs of heavy jelly, he couldn't move in time!
"Damn, damn, DAMN!" Pikachu thought, it was all he could do. Once again, he felt like he was being useless and failing his trainer. Now, instead of a gym badge, his shortcomings were going to cost them their very lives!
Ash braced for the impact as he hugged Pikachu even tighter. Suddenly, the Hyper Beam was quelled by two attacks coming from the side. Ash looked over to see the culprits as did Pikachu, who peeked over his trainer's arm.
They saw Dawn running towards them with Piplup and Buneary. "Hey Ash are you okay?!" Dawn asked as they approached the group.
Ash and Pikachu smiled, relieved that they weren't blown to smithereens just now.
"It's Dawn!" Ash shouted.
"(Oh thank the lord! You're right on time!)" Pikachu shouted, equally relieved.
"(We got this, just stay safe alright?)" Buneary proclaimed as she hopped in front of them.
"(Yeah, just watch and learn!)" Piplup followed as he took a position next to her.
"We'll take care of this now!" Dawn yelled as she joined her Pokémon.
The Aerodactyl proceeded to fly towards them, its body being enveloped in a dark purple energy.
"Giga Impact again?!" Brock shouted in disbelief.
"No problem, watch this!" Dawn said with an odd, yet confident smile.
"Huh?" Everyone else asked in unison.
"Piplup, Buneary, let's go!" Dawn commanded.
"(Got it!)" The two said but instead of doing anything, they just stayed in place as the Aerodactyl got closer. Pikachu couldn't help but feel his stomach turning over in knots, wondering what in the flying hell they were doing.
"Not yet, just a little more time!" Dawn said, her smile still remaining.
Pikachu wanted to yell at them to do something, anything! They're gonna get hit!
The Aerodactyl only got closer.
They're gonna get themselves killed!
"Okay! Do it NOW!" Dawn shouted as she pointed at their opponent.
Both Buneary and Piplup ran forward before jumping towards the flying, ancient Pokémon.
"(Let's do this!)" They said in unison before something truly bizarre happened: they started to spin in midair! As they proceeded towards their attacker, to everyone's complete shock, they managed to spin along the side of the Aerodactyl, completely avoiding its attack!
"What the?!" Ash, Brock and Pikachu said together. They looked on as Dawn's Pokémon continued to evade the attack in a way that they've never seen before.
"Awesome!" Ash shouted.
"(You said it...!)" Pikachu could only mutter. He looked on as he saw spiraling figures of blue and brown alongside the purple attack. It seemed like all else anyone was saying was being tuned out because all he could focus on was witnessing the most unusual battle strategy he'd ever seen!
And seeing her spin like that only reminded him of her being in that vortex. Once again, she was a sight to behold!
Soon, they spun past the Aerodactyl, whose attack dissipated. It looked behind itself in sheer bewilderment.
The two Pokémon managed to land behind it and turned around.
"Now on its back!" Dawn commanded. Both Piplup and Buneary jumped high into the air and landed on the Aerodactyl's back, pinning it to the hard ground.
"Excellent! Go Pokéball, now!" The bespectacled scientist yelled as he threw a Pokéball at the grounded dragon. Everyone waited with bated breath as the Pokéball shook a few times before going steady.
When the Pokéball stopped moving, Buneary picked it up using her ears. "(I believe this belongs to you!)" She happily said as she handed it to the bespectacled scientist.
"We're all safe now, thank you." The scientist said.
"You're welcome!" Dawn warmly replied.
With that out of the way, all that needed to be taken care of was Team Rocket...
With the ancient Pokémon recaptured, things went pretty smoothly. The machine used to revive extinct Pokémon was reclaimed, Cranidos evolved into Rampardos and Team Rocket was sent blasting off once more. The threat taken care of; Ash was granted a rematch with Roark the next day. As for their rematch strategy, Ash asked Dawn for assistance with training. Perhaps her innovation would prove useful...
Pikachu smiled as he took his usual spot on Ash's shoulder as they headed back to camp. For once, his mind wasn't on the gym battle as he couldn't help but replay what he'd just seen. Of all the things he'd witnessed on their adventures, he had never seen something so unbelievable!
...Well okay maybe he had...including in the last few weeks but still it was quite impressive! Seeing her spin like that, managing to avoid that beast's attack, it was certainly a strategy he'd never seen before. She was simply incredible!
...Piplup too of course since he was also there doing the same move. Strange how he didn't immediately think of both of them when gushing over how oddly cool their moves were.
Author's Notes:
Happy New Year! Starting off 2023 with a brand-new chapter and with what I like to call the Sickness mini arc! Not a whole lot of PikaBun stuff in this chapter...sorry about that! Sometimes it can't be helped but to focus on the story for a bit but I promise more of your favorite shipping will be coming soon!
As a side note, I decided to start writing this chapter and only continued the process when I was feeling under the weather (that's what happens when you play guitar for over five hours for Christmas, trying to entertain family all the while you have a headache since you woke up). I figured it was best to write when I felt what Pikachu was feeling haha.
I tried my absolute best to not follow the show scene for scene or line for line as I personally don't like it when that happens in other works unless it's absolutely necessary. Here, I figured it was justified as to show Pikachu's internal struggles and perspective, especially for what's coming up next.
That being said, this was my first time writing a chapter revolving around an episode(s) and I have to admit, it's harder than it looks! Aside from having to watch and pause parts of an episode every two seconds, it's difficult to not follow it scene by scene.
Anyway, we're getting to a chapter that I personally enjoyed writing much more. See you then!