Chapter 25: Potential Doubts
On their way to Treetop Town for Ash's second Legenda League gym battle the group came across an open field, a perfect location for a training session. Ash was using Absol and Quilava while Nikki decided to give her newly-caught Vulpix some training by pairing her with Swablu.
"Are you ready?" Nikki called.
"Sure am," Ash replied. With both sides ready the two trainers called out their attacks.
"Quilava, start off with Smokescreen! Absol, use Shadow Ball!" Ash instructed. Quilava spewed out a thick cloud of smoke, concealing both himself and Absol. The Disaster Pokémon used the Smokescreen to launch his Shadow Ball, hoping to catch Nikki's Pokémon off-guard.
"That's not going to work, Ash!" Nikki declared. "Swablu, counter with Dragon Pulse!" The Cotton Bird Pokémon formed the orb of Dragon energy in her mouth and fired it at the incoming Shadow Ball. The two attacks collided and exploded, blowing away the Smokescreen and giving Nikki a clear view of her opponents.
"Now go!" she shouted. With a loud chirp Swablu flew towards the Smokescreen cloud. Ash, though, was quick to call out an intercept attack.
"Quick, Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" The Volcano Pokémon curled into a ball of flame and charged towards Swablu.
"Use Fire Spin to shield her, Vulpix!" Nikki instructed. Taking a deep breath Vulpix spewed a powerful Fire Spin, the flames circling around Swablu like a protective barrier. Unfortunately the attack proved to be too powerful as Swablu's panicked cries echoed in the fiery vortex.
"Whoa! Stop your attack, Vulpix!" Nikki panicked. The Fox Pokémon ceased her attack as everyone ran to Swablu's side. Despite the fact that Vulpix didn't mean to use it to attack her Swablu was slightly singed.
"Are you okay?" Nikki asked.
"(Y-Yeah… I'm okay,)" Swablu said. Despite her saying she was okay everyone could see she was a bit shaken up.
"(Sorry. I didn't mean to use that much power,)" Vulpix apologized.
"It's okay. We know you didn't mean to overdo it. You just need to use less power in your attacks next time," Nikki said. "If you don't mind I'd like to stop the battle, Ash."
"Sure. I think it's for the best," Ash agreed. He recalled Absol and Quilava while Nikki did the same with Swablu.
"(I guess that means I'm done with training, right?)" Vulpix assumed, disappointment in her voice.
"Not yet. There are still a few things I want to try," Nikki corrected. This made Vulpix hopeful that she could still be a promising Contest Pokémon.
"(So who am I practicing with now?)" she inquired. She got her answer when Nikki called out Shinx.
"(What's up?)" the Flash Pokémon inquired.
"I want to try out a combination attack with you and Vulpix," Nikki explained.
"(What kind of combination?)" Vulpix asked.
"I want to see how well your Flamethrower and Shinx's Charge Beam look combined," Nikki answered. "Think you two can pull it off?"
"(Sure thing,)" Shinx said.
"(I'm willing to try,)" Vulpix added. Both Pokémon stood ready for Nikki's command.
"Shinx, Charge Beam! Vulpix, Flamethrower!" Nikki instructed. The two of them fired their respective attacks, watching as they traveled side-by-side. At first it looked as though things were going smoothly, but when they began to merge together sparks began shooting between them.
"Whoa! What's happening?" Ash shouted. Before anyone could answer him the attacks exploded. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the dust and debris that was kicked up from the explosion.
"Oh man… that didn't go as planned," Nikki commented once she was able to uncover her face.
"(Was my attack too strong again?)" Vulpix asked.
"I don't know. Let's try it again, only this time use less power," Nikki instructed. Vulpix and Shinx nodded and fired their attacks once again, this time with Vulpix using considerably less power than before. Despite this the result was still the same with the attacks exploding as they tried to merge.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," Nikki sighed. With the experiment with Vulpix and Shinx not paying off Nikki decided to try a different partner, this time calling for Buneary to work with the Fox Pokémon.
"Okay, for this one I want you to launch Buneary into the air with your Iron Tail," Nikki instructed.
"(How do we do that?)" Buneary asked.
"Simple. Vulpix will charge up an Iron Tail and then you'll use that as a catapult," Nikki explained. Now that both Pokémon understood what they were to do they were eager to give it a try.
"Remember not to use too much power, Vulpix. Don't throw her too high," Nikki warned.
"(I'll do my best,)" Vulpix replied. The two of them prepared to give the combination move their best shot.
"Okay… do it!" Vulpix quickly charged up her Iron Tail while Buneary jumped towards her. The Rabbit Pokémon landed on Vulpix's Iron Tail-charged tails and waited to be launched.
"(Time for liftoff!)" Vulpix shouted. With a flick of her tail she launched Buneary into the air. Unfortunately, despite the fact she was being careful not to use too much strength behind her toss, Vulpix launched Buneary much higher than expected, causing the Rabbit Pokémon to panic and flail in the air.
"Buneary!" Nikki shouted.
"(Whoa!)" Buneary screamed.
"Catch her, Noctowl!" Ash shouted, throwing one of his Poké Balls out. The Owl Pokémon appeared and quickly sped towards Buneary, catching her on his back.
"(Whew… thanks, Noctowl,)" Buneary said.
"(Think nothing of it, my friend,)" Noctowl replied. He landed and let Buneary jump off his back.
"Are you okay?" Nikki questioned.
"(Yeah. I'm fine,)" Buneary replied.
"(Sorry. I messed up again,)" Vulpix apologized. Everyone could see this was really starting to bother the Fox Pokémon.
"Come on. Let's stay positive here," Nikki urged. "There are still some things I want to try out."
"(O… Okay.)" Despite Nikki's optimistic attitude towards the situation Vulpix was beginning to doubt whether she really had what it took to be a Contest Pokémon.
Hours later Nikki had exhausted nearly all of her options. So far none of the combinations she had come up with for Vulpix and her other Pokémon had worked, leading the Fox Pokémon to become more and more depressed. However, the young coordinator refused to give up.
"Okay, let's go over this one more time. Vulpix, you fire your Energy Ball at Buneary, and Buneary will knock it back at you," Nikki explained. "Think of it as you two having a friendly volleyball game."
"(Sounds like fun,)" Buneary commented.
"(Okay, if you say so,)" Vulpix said.
"Trust me, this will work," Nikki stated. As the two Pokémon took their positions nearly 10 feet apart Nikki began to wonder herself if this really would work.
"(Ready when you are, Vulpix!)" Buneary called. Vulpix took a deep breath and charged up an Energy Ball.
"(Please let this work…)" As soon as it was charged enough she fired it, the green orb flying towards Buneary. The Rabbit Pokémon drew her paw back and got ready to knock it back. Once it was in range she swung at it, but upon touching it the Energy Ball exploded.
"Buneary!" Nikki shouted. Everyone ran to Buneary's side to see if she was alright. Thankfully the only thing wrong was her fur getting a bit dirty from the smoke cloud.
"(Oh man… can't I do anything right?)" Vulpix moaned.
"You know, I think we should call it a day. We can try again tomorrow," Ash suggested. Nikki agreed with him as she and Ash recalled all their Pokémon. As Ash packed up his gear Nikki stared at Vulpix's Poké Ball.
"Oh Vulpix…" After a few moments she clipped the ball to her belt and helped Ash pack up their gear.
Night came much sooner than they expected, forcing them to set up camp once again. After once again setting up their campsite Nikki got to work preparing food for her, Ash and the Pokémon. Within minutes a delicious odor began filling the air.
"Man, that's starting to smell good," Ash commented.
"Thanks. My mother taught me how to cook while I was helping her run our Pokémon daycare," Nikki explained. "You have no idea how useful skills like that can be until you have to use them."
"Well I for one am glad you have those skills," Ash said.
"(Me too!)" Pikachu agreed.
"Well you'll be happier to know that dinner is now ready," Nikki announced. She and Ash first gave their Pokémon their food before sitting down to eat theirs.
"Wow! This is great!" Ash exclaimed after taking a bite of the stew Nikki made.
"(This is some of the best Pokémon food I've had!)" Pikachu commented.
"Thanks, you guys. There's plenty more where that came from," Nikki announced. No one turned down seconds, and within a few minutes the meal had been polished off.
"Man, that was too good," Ash said, patting his full stomach.
"(You can say that again,)" Pikachu agreed, imitating his trainer.
"I hope the two of you aren't too full to help me clean up," Nikki wondered. Naturally they were more than glad to assist. As they got to work cleaning up Nikki brought up a subject that had been on her mind all day.
"What am I going to do with Vulpix?" she wondered.
"Huh?" Ash asked.
"You saw what happened today. No matter what we tried nothing went right," Nikki said. Unbeknownst to them Vulpix was listening intently to the conversation, her future with Nikki seemingly coming into question.
"I'm sure things will be better tomorrow," Ash said. "You just have to give her some time to adjust to things."
"That's just it, Ash. I don't know how much longer I can wait," Nikki countered. "I've been in two Contests already and I lost both. If I don't win one quick I don't think I'll be able to get one track soon enough to make the Grand Festival." It was clear from the sound of her voice that this was weighing heavily on her mind, but not even Ash could predict what she said next.
"Do… Do you want Vulpix?" Nikki asked.
"What?" Ash gasped.
"(N-Nikki! What are you…)" Vulpix thought.
"Come on, we both saw what happened when we were training earlier. Her attacks are real powerful, so powerful that I think she'll be a better battling Pokémon than a Contest Pokémon," Nikki explained. "If that's the case than I think you could really bring out her true potential." Ash had no idea how to answer that. He never expected Nikki to ask him to take Vulpix for his own like that.
"Nikki, I…"
"Come on, Ash. You're the only one that can do this," Nikki pleaded. Before Ash could reply they heard a loud gasp. As they turned they were unprepared for what, or who, they saw.
"Oh no…" Ash said.
"(N-Nikki… h-how could you…)" Vulpix pleaded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Vulpix, I… I can explain," Nikki stuttered. She never got the chance to, for seconds later Vulpix ran off.
"Vulpix, wait!" Nikki called, but the Fox Pokémon had already vanished.
"Oh no, what have I done?" Nikki moaned. "After hearing what I said Vulpix probably hates me."
"Now let's not panic. I'm sure Vulpix doesn't hate you," Ash reassured her. "Now come on. We have to find her." They quickly packed up their things and returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls with the exception of Pikachu and Buneary.
"Do you think she'll still want to be my Pokémon?" Nikki wondered.
"I'm positive we will," Ash answered. "But first we have to find her." Nikki agreed with him as the group began their search for the missing Fox Pokémon.
Elsewhere the trio of Jessie, James and Meowth had stopped so Jessie could practice her Contest routine. So far, though, things were not going as she planned.
"No, no, no! That is not how it's supposed to happen!" she yelled as Seviper and Magcargo failed to create a successful combination.
"You know, we might have gotten Pikachu already if you'd put this much effort into catching him instead of wasting time on Contests," Meowth commented. That comment infuriated Jessie.
"My practicing for Contests is not a waste of time!" she yelled. "If I become a successful coordinator our money problems will be over."
"Our money problems would already be over if James would just start dipping into the family fortune," Meowth scoffed.
"Absolutely not!" James refused. "If I do that then my parents will know where I am… and that will lead to Jessibelle coming after me again." The blue haired trainer shuddered at the thought of his overly-aggressive fiancé coming after him once again.
"We are a sad group," Meowth sighed. Before an argument could break out between the trio they heard the sound of crying.
"Sounds like we aren't the only ones having a bad day," Meowth commented. With their curiosity getting the better of them the trio headed towards the crying. They soon came upon some bushes and peered through. There they found Vulpix in the middle of a clearing, tears streaming down her muzzle.
"(Why, Nikki… Why don't you want me anymore?)" she wept.
"Nikki? Isn't that the name of that twerpette traveling with the twerp?" James wondered.
"If that's the case then they must be nearby," Jessie concluded. "A perfect time to snatch Pikachu."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's start snatching," James said.
"Hold on. Why do that when one of their Pokémon has conveniently strolled right into our proverbial lap," Meowth stated. "Instead of trying to steal Pikachu why don't we add this Vulpix to our ranks."
"That's not a bad idea, and judging from her current situation it doesn't appear as though she'll be a twerp Pokémon for long," James observed. With all three of them in agreement they emerged from the bushes, getting the attention of the Fox Pokémon.
"(W-Who are you?)" Vulpix stuttered.
"Relax, we're not here to hurt you," Meowth said. That caught Vulpix by surprise.
"(A Pokémon that can speak human language? I never knew that was possible!)" she gasped.
"I'm unique like that," Meowth bragged. "But enough about me. It sounds like you're having a bad day. Care to share?" Vulpix hung her head as fresh tears threatened to fall.
"(My trainer… she doesn't want me anymore,)" she said.
"Now who wouldn't want a cutie like you?" Jessie wondered.
"(We had a bad training session and… she doesn't think I can make it as a Contest Pokémon,)" Vulpix said, doing her best to hold back her tears. "(Maybe… Maybe she's right. I messed up so bad earlier. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Contest Pokémon.)"
"Nonsense! I think you have just what it takes to be a top-notch Contest Pokémon," Jessie stated. "All you need is the right coordinator to guide you."
"(R-Really? You think I just need the right coordinator?)" Vulpix questioned.
"I do, and I think that I'm just the coordinator to do that," Jessie declared. Hearing this made Vulpix excited for a moment, but that soon passed as she once again became depressed.
"Hey, why the long face? I thought you wanted to be a top-notch Contest Pokémon," Meowth inquired.
"(Believe me I do, but at the same time I don't want to leave my trainer,)" Vulpix stated.
"Well from the sounds of it she doesn't appear to have the same confidence in you that I do," Jessie commented. "So, what will it be? Do you want to be a great Contest Pokémon, or do you want to return to your old trainer and never reach the top of the Contest world?" For Vulpix this was a difficult choice. She wanted to be a top Contest Pokémon, but she didn't want to do it with anyone else other than Nikki.
"(I… I…)"
"Vulpix! Where are you?" Vulpix's ears perked up as soon as she heard Nikki's voice calling out to her.
"(Nikki? Is that you?)" Vulpix shouted.
"Hey! I think she's over here!" Moments later both Ash and Nikki burst into the clearing. Immediately Nikki spotted Vulpix while Ash was first to notice Team Rocket.
"There you are! I was so worried about you," Nikki said.
"(Oh Nikki…)" Vulpix said.
"Team Rocket! What are you doing with Vulpix?" Ash demanded.
"So much for peaceful negotiations," James sighed.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." In the blink of an eye Meowth had his arm around Vulpix's neck and was dragging her back towards Jessie and James.
"(H-Hey! What are you doing?)" Vulpix shouted.
"Let her go!" Nikki demanded.
"Not a chance, twerps! We had hoped to do this the easy way, but with you here everything's changed," Meowth said. "So now we're taking this little ball of fire by force."
"Not if we can help it!" Ash declared. Pikachu, use…"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jessie warned. "Any attack you use on us will be felt by your little friend here." Right then Vulpix realized she was at the mercy of Team Rocket with Ash and Nikki unable to do anything as long as she was in their clutches. However…
"(Just because they can't fight back doesn't mean I can't!)" In her current situation she didn't have many moves that would free her, but there was one she knew would do the trick perfectly. While Meowth was distracted she powered up an Iron Tail and, using all the strength she could muster, smashed Meowth's foot. The Scratch Cat Pokémon howled in pain as he grabbed his sore foot, releasing Vulpix in the process. As soon as she was free she scampered over to Nikki.
"Are you alright?" Nikki asked.
"(I am now,)" Vulpix replied.
"What are you doing, Meowth? You released the hostage!" James yelled.
"Who cares about that? My toes are as flat as pancakes!" Meowth wailed.
"Well thanks to you and your flat toes we've got to take on the twerps if we want that Vulpix," Jessie griped.
"In that case we might as well add Pikachu to the list," James figured.
"I don't think so!" Ash declared. He and Pikachu got ready to do battle with Team Rocket when Nikki stopped them.
"I've got this one," she declared. The two of them were surprised by Nikki's declaration, but decided to step back and let her take care of Team Rocket.
"They're all yours," Ash said. With a nod Nikki stepped forward to take on Team Rocket.
"Please, like you can defeat us," Jessie scoffed.
"We'll swat you aside like an annoying Bug Pokémon," James declared.
"I'd like to see you try," Nikki challenged. Both Jessie and James stared at her confidently, each one of them holding a Poké Ball.
"Oh, we'll do more than try," Jessie said. "Magcargo, get them!"
"You too, Tropius!" James shouted. Their Pokémon appeared, but moments after being released from his Poké Ball Tropius turned around and tackled James to the ground
"(Rice ball, please!)" he demanded. With a sigh James fed his Pokémon a rice ball. His taste buds satisfied Tropius joined Magcargo on the battlefield. In response to their challenge Buneary hopped forward while Nikki readied a Poké Ball of her own.
"I choose you, Shinx!" she shouted. The Flash Pokémon appeared by the side of her teammate and got ready for battle.
"Tropius, use Magical Leaf!" James instructed.
"Magcargo, Flamethrower!" Jessie ordered. The two Pokémon launched their attacks at Buneary and Shinx, but Nikki remained calm.
"Dodge that!" Nikki shouted. With little effort her two Pokémon dodged the attacks.
"Now it's our turn! Buneary, use Hidden Power! Shinx, Charge Beam!" Buneary quickly formed her Hidden Power and hurled the orbs while Shinx fired her concentrated Electric beam.
"Protect, Magcargo!" Jessie ordered. Magcargo's Protect managed to block the two attacks right before they made contact.
"Darn!" Nikki shouted.
"Counter with Magical Leaf, Tropius!" James instructed. As soon as Protect was dropped Tropius swung his leaf-like wings forward, sending a volley of glowing green leaves at Buneary and Shinx. The two of them barely had time to react before they were struck with the Grass attack. The two of them were left in a daze, giving Jessie the perfect opportunity to launch an attack of her own.
"Use Flamethrower!" she commanded. A stream of fire erupted from Magcargo's mouth and sped towards the still-recovering Buneary and Shinx.
"Move it, guys! Hurry!" Nikki shouted. Her cries, however, were unheeded. With both her Pokémon still in a daze it appeared as though Team Rocket had the upper hand, but Vulpix would have none of it.
"(I've got you covered!)" she barked. Right before the Flamethrower hit she spewed forth a Fire Spin, encasing both Buneary and Shinx inside. Magcargo's Flamethrower hit the Fire Spin and was easily repelled, but what surprised everyone was the fact that once Vulpix's Fire Spin died down no damage had been caused to either Buneary or Shinx.
"That… That's the move we practiced earlier! She pulled it off!" Nikki gasped.
"Hey, what gives? I thought you wanted to leave your trainer!" Meowth griped.
"(I never wanted to leave my trainer, and after seeing what you three are really like there's no way I'd ever join you!)" Vulpix growled.
"Well if that's how you feel then you can be defeated along with her!" Jessie yelled.
"(I don't think so!)" Vulpix countered. She then glanced back at Buneary and Shinx, seeing that the two of them had recovered.
"(Let's team up!)" Vulpix suggested.
"(Okay!)" Buneary agreed. She bounced towards Vulpix as the Fox Pokémon powered up an Iron Tail.
"What are they up to?" Nikki wondered. She got her answer when Buneary landed on Vulpix's tail. Shortly after that Vulpix launched the Rabbit Pokémon into the air.
"That's another move we practiced!" Nikki gasped.
"(Heads up!)" Vulpix shouted. Right after that she threw her head back and launched an Energy Ball up towards Buneary. Once the Energy Ball reached her Buneary spiked it down towards Magcargo and Tropius.
"Quick, Jessie! Tell Magcargo to use Protect!" James panicked. Unfortunately for them the Energy Ball was traveling much too fast. Before Jessie could call the attack the Energy Ball struck, sending both Pokémon crashing into their trainers. With Team Rocket temporarily down Vulpix looked to Shinx.
"(Let's take them out!)" she said.
"(Let's!)" Shinx agreed. The two of them simultaneously launched attacks, Shinx a Charge Beam and Vulpix a Flamethrower. As they sped towards team Rocket they merged, forming a spiraling red-and-yellow mixture of fire and electricity. Seeing this left Nikki too shocked to think.
"This is going to hurt!" Team Rocket shrieked moments before the attacks struck, creating an explosion that sent them hurtling through the air.
"If we had talked faster we might have been able to convince that Vulpix to join us before the twerps arrived," James moaned.
"Any faster and I would have been tongue-tied," Jessie countered.
"If you ask me there was too much talking and not enough action," Meowth griped.
"We're blasting off again!" they cried as they vanished.
"Alright! Great work, you guys!" Nikki praised. The Pokémon happily celebrated their victory, but shortly after Vulpix became slightly depressed, something Nikki noticed almost immediately.
"(Listen… I know you don't want me anymore, so I think that…)"
"No, Vulpix. That's not it at all," Nikki interrupted. "I know you heard me and Ash talking earlier. The reason I wanted him to train you was because I felt that I was holding you back."
"(Huh? What do you mean?)" Vulpix wondered.
"Well, once I saw how powerful your attacks were when we were training earlier I felt that trying to raise you as a Contest Pokémon would be limiting what you could do. That's why I offered to let Ash train you, so you could reach your full potential," Nikki explained. "But now, after seeing you pull off those combinations perfectly, I'm convinced that I was right about you being a great Contest Pokémon. So, if you still want to…" Before she could finish Vulpix dove into her arms.
"(Of course I do! There's no one else I want as my trainer, Nikki!)" Vulpix exclaimed. Hearing the happiness in the Fox Pokémon's voice filled Nikki with joy as she hugged her Pokémon.
"I'm glad we got that straightened out," Ash commented.
"(Me too,)" Pikachu agreed. "(Glad you're still part of the family, Vulpix.)"
"(So am I,)" Vulpix said. At that moment they glanced up at the sky, seeing the numerous stars that filled it.
"We should head on back to camp and get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow, and a lot of practicing ahead of us," Nikki suggested. The others agreed with her as they made their way back to camp.
What started off as a bad training session led to a misunderstanding which fortunately ended with Nikki and Vulpix growing closer as trainer and Pokémon. Now that Nikki's convinced that Vulpix has Contest potential what will their next step be? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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