Chapter 23: Raichu's Resolve!
Route 11
The sun began to rise on a cool, calm morning. Many kinds of winged Pokémon flew through the skies as they saw the sun rise near them; letting out their cries as they flew across the sky. On the ground, many kinds of Pokémon woke up from their night slumber, wandered outside, and began to feel the warmth of the sun as it rose. As the sky was turning light blue, I opened up the tent I was sleeping in, took a couple steps outside, stretched, yawned, and looked around the campsite me and the group made last night; seeing everything in one piece. I yawned again, scratched my head, and then looked out to the city nearby. Once I saw it under the rising sunlight, my stomach began to growl. After hearing it growl, I went over to my bike, and then quietly went to the grocery store to buy some food for breakfast. It was a good thing that I went there as the door opened. Most of the items I wanted to get were new and fresh, and we were running low on certain supplies.
After paying for all of the things me and the group needed at the store, I went back to my bike again, and then rode back to the campsite. When I made it back, I saw the group now awake alongside our Pokémon. "Morning." I said tiredly. "Morning." Pat replied. "Hey..? Did you just get groceries for us?" Zach replied. "Mhm. And everything I got there was nice and fresh." I replied as I brought all the bags over to the table and put them down. "Nice. Thanks, buddy." he replied. "You're welcome." I replied. After that, we all had breakfast together. We gave our Pokémon their food for the morning, and then saw them all ready to go to our next destination. "Hehe. Looks like they're all ready to get moving?" said Zuzu. "Yep. They sure are. But first... we all need to get cleaned up." Celina replied. "Right. But... where should we go to do so? Back at Tay's beach house?" she replied.
"I guess so? Hey, Tay! Can we get cleaned up at your beach house before we head to Route 12 real quick?" Celina replied. "Sure. Plus... we really need to do some laundry. Some of clothes do kinda smell." I replied. They nodded their heads in agreement, and then we all went back to my beach house to get our showers and laundry done. After a few hours of doing the two chores we needed to do, we went on our way to Route 12. "Hey, guys? What's so special about Route 12?" Pat asked us. "It's a bridge that is mostly recognized by many fisherman in the region. They call it: the Silence Bridge." Yuya replied. "Oh great... a special bridge for fishing... yay, me..." he replied in agony. "Huh? Pat? You okay?" Yuya replied curiously. "He's fine. He's not a fan of fishing." Zach replied. "Ah... now I getcha." Yuya replied.
Pat groaned in agony again, and then lowered his head. "It's also the southern entrance into Lavender Town." said Celina. "Lavender Town!?" we replied in shock. "Yeah." she replied. "Wait... isn't that the scariest town in the entire region?" Zuzu replied. "According to some people, yeah. But it's also the one town many people try to spend time in during Halloween." she replied. "Really?" Sora replied. "Yep. They have a big Halloween festival every year that is the highlight of the Autumn season. Everyone's decked out in costumes, playing games, going trick-or-treating, or exploring the haunted areas of the town... wanting to find Ghost-type Pokémon." she replied. "Wow... that sounds like a lot of fun!" he replied happily. "It is." she replied. "Wait... did you just say that Lavender Town is filled with... Ghost-type Pokémon?" Pat replied nervously. "Yeah? It is. Why? Are you afraid of ghosts?" she replied. "Who? Me? Nah. Of course not. I ain't afraid of no ghost. Boys aren't supposed to be scared." he lied. "You sure?" Zuzu replied.
"Yeah, I'm sure. There's no way I'm going to let anything scare me when I'm supposed to keep you girls safe from harm." he replied. "Boo!" I replied as I walked behind him; making him scream and jump in fear for a second. Zach laughed loudly for a moment, and then wiped a tear off his face. "Oh my God, Tay! That was good!" he said as he caught his breath. "Dude! Why would you do that?" Pat replied as he put his hand to his chest. "What? I wanted to test out that theory you said about boys not being afraid of ghosts. You wanted to prove to them that you're not afraid, right?" I replied. His eyes widened in shock to my response, and then saw Zach laugh again. "Zach! Come on, man!" he said. "Okay... okay. I'm sorry." Zach replied as he stopped himself from laughing. "You swear?" he replied. "I swear. No more laughing at the ghost joke anymore." Zach replied. "Okay." he replied.
They did a fist bump, and then we made it to the entrance gate to Route 12. "Remember guys. We don't have to go fishing. We can just walk around, and see if the southern entrance to Lavender Town is open." said Celina. "Okay." Pat replied. After that, we walked into the entrance port of the route, and then went on Route 12.
Route 12
The salty breeze of the ocean gently blew around the area. Small waves were hitting the rocks nearby the bridge, and fishermen were sitting in their chairs in front of the edge; waiting to see the kind of catches they will get for the day. As the silence of the area, me and the group were walking on the bridge. "Wow. What a nice day today. The smell of the salty breeze of the water. Flowers on the grass. It's perfect." said Zuzu. We nodded our heads in agreement to her response, and continued our walk. As we walked on the bridge, I heard something splash around in the water. "Hm?" I said to myself as I turned around; wondering what was out there. I walked over to the edge of the bridge and looked around curiously. "Rai!" cried a voice. Once I heard the voice, my eyes widened in shock. "Rai! Rai-Rai! Rai!" cried the voice again. "Pi!? Pi-ka! Pika-chu! Pika!" said Tetrax as he ears reacted to the sound. "You heard it too, bud?" I replied curiously.
He jumped off my shoulder, turned to me, nodded his head yes to my question, and then we heard the splashing water again. "Rai!" said the voice. We looked out further to the rocks, and saw a Pokémon over there; struggling to swim. "Rai! Rai-Rai!" it said. "Pi-ka!" Tetrax replied in shock. "It's a Raichu!" I replied in shock. The Raichu tried to get to the rocks as fast as it could, but then we saw it begin to sink. "Pika!?" yelled Tetrax in fear. "Huh!? What's going on? What happened!?" Yuya replied as he and the group turned and ran over to us. I immediately took off my hat, bag, and jacket, put them down on the bridge, and jumped into the water. "Tay! What are you doing!? Tay!" said Zach in shock. I swam through the water, saw the Raichu's head go underwater, and I dived down to safely grab it. After that, I swam back up, and the group saw me come back up seconds later.
"Guys! Look! She saved a Pokémon from drowning!" said Pat. "But what Pokémon is that?" Sora replied. "It's a Raichu!" Yuya replied. "A Raichu!? What's a Raichu doing all the way out here!?" Pat replied. "I don't know? But let's help Tay bring it back to the bridge! Roserade! Help Tay get out of the water with Vine Whip!" Zuzu replied as she looked at Roserade"You too, Ivysaur! Help out Roserade with Vine Whip!" Pat replied as he looked at Ivysaur. "Roserade! Rose-rade!" Roserade replied as he used the attack to gently wrap around my arm. "Saur! Ivy-saur!" Ivysaur replied as he used Vine Whip to gently wrap around my arm too, and they both gently pulled me and Raichu back to the bridge, and lift us up. We got back on the bridge safely, and both Roserade and Ivysaur retracted their vines. "Tay! You okay?" Zuzu asked me as the group picked up my stuff.
"...Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks for the assist." I replied. "You're welcome. Great job, Roserade." she replied. "Roserade." Roserade replied. "No problem, Tay. Good job, Ivysaur. You, Roserade, and Tay just saved this Raichu's life. Proud of you." Pat replied. "Ivy-saur." Ivysaur replied. We looked at the Raichu in my arms in shock, and then I stood up. "Zach? Celina? Can any of your Abra's Teleport us to the Pokémon Center?" I asked them. "Yeah. And knowing by this state Raichu is in... we need to head there. Fast." Zach replied. I nodded my head yes to his response, and then all three Abra's looked at us. "Abra. Can you use Teleport to get us to the Pokémon in Vermilion City? We need to get Raichu to Nurse Joy immediately." Zach asked. "Abra. A-bra!" his Abra replied and used Teleport to get us to the Pokémon Center.
Vermilion City Pokémon Center
We sat around nervously in the back room for a few hours; seeing Nurse Joy and her Pokémon working on Raichu and making sure it survives. I can't even count how many times I was anxiously tapping my foot on the floor. We kept looking at Raichu through the window multiple times, saw it hooked onto a few machines, and watched its heart rate very cautiously. After everything was finished, Nurse Joy and Chansey walked out of the room. and walked over to us. "Nurse Joy? How's Raichu?" I asked her as we stood up. "He seems to be doing much better than a few hours ago." she replied. We breathed sighs of relief to the news, and saw the smile on her face. "We've successfully gotten all the water out of his lungs, and got him all cleaned up. After he is well rested, he should be good to go. But you kids should be very lucky right now. If it weren't for all of you... he would've never made it and become either Gyarados or Tentacruel food." she replied.
"Yeah. You're right about that. But if it wasn't for Tay and Tetrax, we would've never noticed the poor guy almost drown." Celina replied as she put her hand on my shoulder. "Yeah." I replied. After that, they allowed us into the room and stay by his side; seeing him sleeping peacefully. "You did good, Tay." said Yuya. "Yeah. You saved his life. I know that deep inside his heart... he is truly thankful that you saved him." Zach replied. I nodded my head in agreement to their responses, and then gently patted Raichu's head. "Tay..? You alright?" Sora asked me. I nodded my head yes to him, and then stared at Raichu. "I think she's trying to wonder how he was in the water?" said Celina. "Mhm. That's the main question I'm trying to figure out. Did someone abandon him in the area? Or was he kicked out of his group in the wild?" I replied.
"We have the police over in the area asking people if they have seen him before. They'll give us the answers we need soon. Right now. Let's just focus on him healing, and finding the perfect spot in the wild to release him in." Pat replied. We nodded our heads in agreement to his response, and then began to rest up for the day. As we were relaxing, Nurse Joy checked on Raichu's condition a few more times, gave him more medicine in his IV bags, and then we ate our dinner. After we finished our meals, we cleaned ourselves up, and began to sleep for the night.
Nighttime
As we slept, Tetrax stayed awake and watched Raichu silently. He blinked his eyes a couple times, and then he saw Raichu's eyes begin to twitch. His eyes lightly widened in shock to see Raichu wake up on his own, and look around the room curiously. "What the..? Where... am I?" said Raichu curiously. "You're in the Pokémon Center." Tetrax replied. "Huh? Pokémon Center?" Raichu replied curiously. "Yep. It's the place where Pokémon get healed from their injuries and illnesses." he replied. Raichu blinked his eyes, looked at him curiously, and then they felt the electricity in their cheeks begin to connect with each other. "So? Who are you?" Raichu asked him. "I'm Tetrax. Who are you?" he replied. "I'm Pierce." Pierce replied. "Pierce, huh? That's a nice name. Did your Trainer give you that name?" he replied. "Nope. My parents gave me my name." Pierce replied.
"I see... so... where did you come from? Where were you born?" he replied curiously. "I was born in the Lightning Forest. It's near the area you and your friends found me." Pierce replied. "Lightning Forest? I've never heard of that place before? Is it on Route 11?" he replied curiously. Pierce nodded his head yes to his question. "It's a forest filled with many Electric-type Pokémon, like you and me. The forest is mostly known for having so many Thunder Stones. Like this one I'm carrying for example." he said. "Really?" Tetrax replied curiously as he leaned close to the stone. He picked it up in his paws and inspected it. "Hey! Be careful! Do you want to evolve and let your friends see you become a Raichu so quickly?" said Pierce worriedly. "Nope. See? Look. It's not doing anything to me." he replied. "What the..? That's impossible... how are you not evolving? I've never seen this happen before... how are you doing this?" Pierce replied. "I... honestly don't know? But I know this isn't the first time this happened." he replied.
"Really? You've tried it before and realized that you could never evolve?" Pierce replied. "Mhm. I guess it has to do with my bloodline." he replied. "Ah... I see... you must come from a special bloodline that doesn't make you evolve what I am." Pierce replied. "Yeah... I guess so. Anyways... we're getting a little off topic. Back to talking about you. What happened to you? How did you get to Route 12?" he replied. "...I was beaten up." Pierce replied. "Beaten up?" he replied curiously. Pierce nodded his head yes to his question. "By who?" he asked. "...By my rival." Pierce replied. "Your rival? Who's your rival?" he replied. "His name is Zeus. He's another Raichu that knows the move Volt Tackle. He's the same age as me, and was a former childhood friend of mine. We used to be so close with each other... until he became a jerk for no reason, and started his gang with his posse, and they had been beating all of us up for months. He would take everything that we had gained and keep it to himself, wanting to prove to everyone that he is superior to us." Pierce replied.
"Ah... so you're dealing with a rival who became a bully for some reason?" he replied. "Yep. And I was the only one who stand upto him and fight him... but I would always end up losing in the end. Last night, his posse broke into my home, beaten the crap out of me, and then he showed up and sent me flying away from the forest with Volt Tackle. Before I was at Route 12, they told me to never come back. And if I did... my family will be zapped into oblivion. I got angry at them, used the same move as he did, but he dodged it, and then sent me flying away from home... laughing with pride." Pierce replied. "Because he the kind of guys who wants things to go his way... and he would tell his posse to get rid of anyone who stands in his way and get rid of them for good if they don't comply." he replied. "Yep. You nailed it right on the head with that one, Tet. Is that alright if I call you that?" Pierce replied. "Yeah. That's fine. It's a nickname that my Trainer and my friends call me all the time." he replied.
"Your Trainer? You're owned by a human?" Pierce replied. "Mhm. And my Trainer over there... she's the one that saved your life when you almost drowned. If it weren't for her quick thinking to save you... you wouldn't even be here right now." he replied as they looked at me as I was sleeping. Pierce stared at me silently, and then looked back at Tetrax. "Wait... that's your Trainer? She's the one that saved me?" he asked him. "Yep. That's her. She's raised me since I was an Egg." Tetrax replied. "Since you were an Egg?" he replied. "Mhm." Tetrax replied as he nodded his head yes to his question. "Wow... you must be really strong." he replied. "Yeah. I'm pretty strong I guess. Hey, Pierce? What if me and my Trainer help you get stronger and defeat your rival?" Tetrax replied. "What!? Are you serious?" he replied surprised. "Yeah. I'm serious. We can help you become stronger, and hit at his weak spots when he doesn't expect it. Unless... he's really fast." Tetrax replied. "Him? Fast. Hell no. He ain't fast at all. His posse are the only ones that are fast. He walks in last and delivers the final blow. That's his job as the leader of the group." he replied.
"Wow... I can't believe that your old friend would do all of this to you. I'm so sorry that you had to go through this." Tetrax replied in a sad tone. "It's fine. Though... I just wonder why he was so influenced by them? What caused him to turn a 180 on me, and become such a jerk?" he replied as he layed back on his pillow. "I guess that he must've had a family issue? He could've recently lost a male role model in his life... and it made him mentally go into a dark place and made him feel weak and worthless to the world? With that mental state... that could've been when he met his posse and they used him to let his anger and resentment be their tool to get what they want. And once they saw how powerful he was... they had to stay in line and let him be leader before they can betray him and take everything he took from everyone else, and keep it all to themselves?" Tetrax replied.
Pierce thought about it for a few moments, and then his eyes began to widen in shock and realization to what Tetrax had said. "Oh my God... Tet... you're right... you're actually right..." he said in a stunned tone. "Really?" Tetrax replied curiously. "Yeah. You're absolutely right! That's exactly what happened to him. He lost his Dad last year, and it completely destroyed him. He was always like his guiding conscious ever since he was born. And when he passed away... it felt like he lost everything. It tore his whole family apart. I tried to help and console him multiple times, but he always kept pushing me away and yelled at me to leave him alone. So I did what he asked me to do, and I left him alone." he replied. "And he took it seriously?" Tetrax replied. "Yep." he replied. "Wow... I bet deep inside himself, that he never meant to say it." Tetrax replied. "I'm sure about that too... but I guess that he let his anger take over his head and refused to listen to me and everyone else that wanted to help him." he replied.
Tetrax nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then they began to see the sun rise up outside. "Wow... it's morning already." said Pierce. "Yeah. I guess our talking really helped pass the time, huh?" Tetrax replied. They smiled and lightly laughed happily together for a moment. After that, they began to rest for a while.
Route 11- Midday
We got Raichu out of the Pokémon Center, and we walked back to Route 11. I carried him in my arms as we walked, and watched him staring at me curiously. We looked at each others eyes for a moment, and then he gently poked my face with paw. "Hm? What'chu doing, Raichu?" I said curiously. "Rai? Rai-chu?" he replied curiously. I stopped in my tracks, gently put him down on the grass, and then crouched down to him. We stared at each other silently again, and then Tetrax jumped off my shoulder and stood next to Raichu. "Tetrax? What's up, sweetheart?" I asked him. "Pika! Pika-Pika. Pi-ka-chu. Pika-Pika-Pi. Pika-chu. Pi-ka." he replied. "What!? You were talking with him last night!?" I replied in a soft, shocked tone. "Pi-ka!" he replied happily. "Hm? Tay? What's wrong?" Zach asked me. "Nothing. Just turns out that Tetrax and Raichu had a conversation while we were all sleeping last night." I replied. "What!?" he and the group replied surprised.
Tetrax nodded his head yes to their response, and then the group and I sat down on the grass; looking at the both of them. "Really? They were talking to each other while we were sleeping last night?" Zuzu asked me. "Mhm." I replied. "Okay..? So, what did they talk about?" she replied. "I was about to ask, but I reacted like crazy a little bit." I replied. "It's alright. But now, at least we get to here his side of the story before someone tries to mix it up." she replied. "That's true. Okay, Tet. You and Raichu ready to tell us everything that happened last night?" I replied. "Pika." he replied. After that, they told us their conversation last night, and we got to learn of Raichu's story for the very first time.
"So... Raichu's name is Pierce. He comes from the Lightning Forest that's over there behind us. He has a rival who is his childhood friend that suddenly became a bully all because of the loss of his father. He pushed away Pierce, and met his new friends who are actually using him for power, and then kicked Pierce out of the forest... threatening him and his family if he ever returned, and then was basically exiled after the final attack. Am I hearing this correctly?" said Zach. Tetrax and Pierce nodded their heads yes to his response. "Whoa... that's... that's brutal..." he said. "Yeah. I know that all of us go through grief in many different ways. But I never expected someone going through grief in a dark way that his friend is going through." Zuzu replied. "Yeah." Yuya replied sadly as we nodded our heads in agreement.
Pierce looked at us silently, blinked his eyes, and then crossed his arms; wondering what else do we have to say. "Pierce... we're... we're so sorry that you had to go through this." said Zuzu in a sad tone. "Rai-Rai." he replied as he nodded his head in thanks. "Man... I wish there was something we could do in order to help him stop his friend and get him back into his senses..." Sora replied. "Pika!" Tetrax replied. "Hm? You have an idea, buddy?" I replied. "Pi!" he replied. He then punched and kicked the air for a moment, and then pointed at Pierce and our teams; showing us that he wants Pierce to train with us. "Oh? You want him to train with us, and help him get stronger to fight his friend again?" I said. "Pi-ka!" he replied with a smile. "Tay..? Are you sure about this? What if something happens to his family?" Zach replied worriedly.
"That won't happen. We'll send out some of our Pokémon to deal with the posse that he has back in the forest. While Pierce will focus on his friend, and make sure that no back up on his friend's side will interrupt them." I replied as I stood up. "Rai..? Rai-Rai!" Pierce replied with a smirk on his face. "Hey! I think he likes the idea!" Pat replied. "Yeah he does. What do you say, Pierce? You want to get the training session started?" I replied. "Rai-chu!" he replied confidently. He then turned to Tetrax and saw the smile on his face. "Told you she would help you out." he said. "You're right. It feels like that she can see the true potential inside me that I have never seen before." Pierce replied. "Mhm. But now... this is where the fun begins. Let's see how fast and strong you are." he replied. Pierce nodded his head in understanding, and then walked alongside us and my team to our training spot. "Wow... I haven't seen her pump up a wild Pokémon for a battle before." said Celina. "Yeah. I guess it's in her nature to help all kinds of Pokémon reach their full potential, and achieve their goals in a way that is meant for them." Zach replied.
The group nodded their heads in agreement to his response, and then looked at me and my team again; seeing Electivire ready to train with Pierce. "Alright, Electivire. For this portion of training... we're testing out Pierce's speed. When you use your attacks, Pierce to correctly time his dodges and find enough space on the battlefield to increase his speed power. His rival evolved too fast in their childhood and forgot to learn any speed moves. That sound good to you guys?" I said. "Vire!" Electivire replied. "Rai-Rai!" Pierce replied. "Okay! Electivire! Use Iron Tail!" I replied. "Elec! E-lec-ti-vire!" Electivire replied as he used Iron Tail. Pierce watched the attack closely as it happened, and then used Agility to dodge it. The attack hit the ground a moment later, and then Electivire saw Pierce had moved to the left. They smirked at each other, and repeated the same attack and dodge strategy for a couple more minutes.
"Yo! He is fast!" said Pat. "Yeah! Good thing he has Agility as one of his attacks. But now what else are they going to do?" Celina replied. "Maybe something to test his endurance?" he replied. "Yeah. But if I were them... I'd also test out a strategy of keeping his tail away from his opponent. What if he swung his tail at him, and it gets grabbed and he gets thrown around like a rag doll?" she replied. "Yeah. I agree with you on that one. Knowing how Tay battled Lt. Surge's Raichu... I'm pretty sure that she would have something in mind for that possibility." he replied. She nodded her head in agreement, and then saw Pierce look at me. "Nice work out there, Pierce. The way you dodged the attacks after using Agility to its full level was incredible." I said. "Rai-Rai! Raichu-Rai!" he replied happily. I smiled at him, patted his head, and then saw Nidorino approach us.
"Ni-do!" he said. "Ah... you wanna go next, huh Nidorino?" I replied. "Nido!" he replied. I nodded my head in understanding, and then looked at both him and Pierce. "Okay. Now that you know how to focus on dodging attacks that are coming straight for you... lets see if you can dodge attacks that are coming from all around you. You've seen on how your friend and his posse always had the jump on you all the time... but now with this portion... this is where you can outsmart them. See how Nidorino is ready and focused on you?" I said. "Rai." Pierce replied as he nodded his head. "Okay. I want you to focus on him as much as you can, and try to dodge his attacks. As you do this: Hurricane, Abra, Sandslash, Venom, Solar, Hydro, Horsea, Meowth, Bronx, and Kabuto are going to also use some of their attacks around you. The perfect way to dodge them all is to fully sense their presence. Whether it is from above you, or from underground... let your Aura inside you connect with the outside world. Once you sense them... your body will tell you to dodge by instinct." I replied.
He thought about it for a moment, saw all the Pokémon that I have mentioned in this portion, looked at all of them silently, looked back at Nidorino, and then turned to me. "Rai." he said as he nodded his head to me. "You ready to try it? Okay. Now just close your eyes, and let your Aura connect with all of the world around you. Let it flow through you. It is your ally in battle." I replied. He blinked his eyes, nodded his head in understanding, and then closed his eyes slowly; beginning the session. As he stayed still, he began to feel his breathing become more relaxed, and his Aura connecting with the world around him. "Okay! Hurricane! Use Air Slash! Abra! Swift! Venom! Sludge Bomb! Sandslash! Metal Claw! Solar! Energy Ball! Hydro! Aura Sphere! Horsea! Bubble Beam! Meowth! Pay Day! Bronx! Flame Charge! Kabuto! Water Pulse!" I said. All of the chosen Pokémon I called out let out their battle cries, and then launched their attacks at Pierce.
When the ranged attacks came close to him, he opened his eyes and quickly dodged all of them by using his speed. After that he saw Sandslash and Bronx come his way with their attacks. He jumped over them as they were a few feet away from him, and watched them pass by each other. He then landed on the ground, looked to Nidorino, and saw him ready to charge. "Nidorino! Use Poison Jab!" I said. "Nido! Ni-do-ri-no!" Nidorino replied as he used the attack. Once he got close, Pierce put his paws on Nidorino's horn and began to hold him still. "Whoa! Look at that! He grabbed his horn!" said Yuya surprised. "Wow! That was a quick strategy!" Zach replied. "Alright! Way to go, Pierce!" Zuzu replied. "Pi-Pikachu!" her Pikachu replied.
Pierce and Nidorino held each other back for a few more seconds, and then Nidorino began to push him back. "...Rai... Rai-Rai..." he said as he was slowly being pushed back. "Come on, Pierce! Don't give in! Don't let him overpower you! Show him your true inner strength!" I replied. His eyes widened to what I said, and then he began to think of his true inner strength. He mentally blinked his eyes and saw his family deep inside his mind. Once he saw them... he knew that they were the ones worth fighting for. He snapped back into reality, charged up his electricity, and began pushing Nidorino back. "Nido!?" said Nidorino surprised. We all looked at him in shock to what he was doing, and then we saw the electricity around him begin to spark like crazy. "Rai... Rai-chu! Rai!" he said as he used Thunder on Nidorino; blasting him off of him. Nidorino flew in the air for a few seconds, and then landed down near Nova and Epona.
Pierce breathed heavily after what he just did, and he saw Nidorino slowly stand back up. They stared at each other, and then smirked at each other; now knowing each others strengths. After that, Nova and Epona healed them with Heal Pulse, and they felt energized by its healing power. "Ni-do." said Nidorino to Epona. Epona whinnied to him, and then they turned to Nova and Pierce. "Rai-Rai." he said. "Clef-able." she replied. They smiled warmly at each other, and then he turned to Tetrax. He blinked his eyes, and gave him a thumbs up; showing him that he was impressed of what he just did. Pierce was surprised at first, and then smiled back and nodded his head to him.
"Pierce... that was amazing. The way you used Thunder in a way that no one has ever seen before... it was outstanding. It felt like your family was there by your side and giving you the strength that you needed a strong attack like Poison Jab. You really gave us the shivers." I said as I walked over to him, knelt down, and gently held his paw. "Rai..." he replied in a soft, surprised tone. He then looked at my team as they all looked at him, saw them smiling at him, and it made him tear up a little. Once I saw the tears, I immediately wiped them off his face and gave him a hug; comforting his senses. "Aww. That really got to him." said Sora. "Mhm. Maybe that attack was all he needed to let out any anger that was building up inside him?" Celina replied. "Yeah. Hopefully now he's got it all out of his system, and he can fully focus on saving his family." he replied. She nodded her head in agreement to his response, and then they saw Pierce wagging his tail as he looked at me happily.
"Aww~ He looks all happy now." said Zuzu. "Yeah. I think he's now finally found the confidence in himself and his strength." Yuya replied. "I agree with you on that one. You know... it reminds me on how she and Solar trained together before their battle with Brock." Zach replied. "Yeah! I was thinking the same thing! The way she had him fully focus on his surroundings and dodging attacks when they come close to him by using his senses. It felt just like on how she made Solar and Nidoran sense the energy around them when their opponents tried to attack them. And when Tetrax sensed Vaporeon in the water during the battle against Misty!" Zuzu replied. "Mhm." he replied as he nodded his head in agreement with her. "Wow... so that's how she trained them for those battles." Yuya replied. "Yep. She knew that their opponents could either attack from behind, above, or below them... so she made sure that they learn to sense and focus on the area around them with their Aura. We were confused about that strategy at first, but once they sensed something coming their way, they dodge the attacks in a snap, and surprised their opponents in a way they've never seen before." Zuzu replied.
"Really? That's amazing." he replied. She nodded her head in agreement to his response, and then they all saw setting up training targets and clay disks. "Huh. Looks like we're now going on the offense." said Pat as he crossed his arms. "Yep. She's going to want to see how powerful he is in battle after using Thunder. Now that he knows how to dodge properly, she wants to test if he can aim his attacks at the right time when his opponents move around when he uses certain attacks." Zach replied. "Yeah... but what would happen if he misses?" he replied. "He won't. After how she taught him to sense everything around him, he'll make sure to hit his opponents in the right spot." Zach replied. "Yeah... I guess your right?" he replied with a light smile.
"See? I told you. Tay's doing something with Pokémon that not many Trainers do in battle: using and mastering their natural instincts and sensing abilities in ways that no one has seen before. She knows how much they need to look at their opponents as they fight, but once they use the area around them and sense where they are going... they can attack right back and surprise them." Zach replied. He nodded his head in agreement, and then the two boys smiled at each other. "Heh. With a strategy like that... there's no way many Trainer's can react that quickly when her team attacks. Or should I say... when our teams attack?" said Celina. "Huh!? Celina..? Are you saying that you're going to copy Tay's strategy?" Yuya replied surprised. "Yeah. I was hoping that all of us in the group can copy her strategy a little bit, and then use it in our own way in battle. Think about it. The way she trains them like this... think about the situations this strategy can be useful when we are in trouble?" she replied.
The group thought about it for a moment, and then nodded their heads in agreement to her response. "See! I told you!" she said to them. They looked at her surprised, and then heard the sounds of electricity. They looked out to where I was, and then saw Pierce using Thunder Punch and Thunder on the targets and disks; zapping and destroying them. "Rai! Chu! Rai! Chu! Rai! Chu! Rai! Rai-chu! Rai!" he said as he attacked them with both attacks. "Woo! Nice shot, Pierce!" I replied. He breathed heavily for a moment, turned to me, and then showed me a confident pose. "Pi-Pikachu!" said Tetrax happily. Pierce smiled at him, and then they shared a fist bump. "Wow... Tetrax is really pumping him up." said Sora. "Mhm. He is just like Tay. Always willing to help others that are in need, and help them find their inner strength." Pat replied. "Yep." Zach replied as he nodded his head in agreement. "Like Pokémon, like Pokémon Trainer." he replied. "You got that right." Zach replied. They laughed happily to that statement, and then turned to me and my team.
The group watched us silently as I removed the broken targets and disks, and then threw them in the trash. "Okay. That's enough training for now, Pierce. Let's kick back and take a little break, okay? I don't want you to overexert yourself." I said. "Rai-Rai." he replied as he nodded his head in understanding. After that, we went back to the group, and sat around them. "Taking a break from training for now, guys?" Zuzu asked. "Mhm. Just for a little while." I replied. "That's good. 'Cause I'm starving. Hey, Zach? What's on the menu for lunch?" Pat replied. "I don't know? What do you have in mind?" Zach replied. "Hm..? How about Sandwiches?" he replied. "Sure. That sounds good to me." Zach replied. "Alright!" he replied happily. After that, we fed our teams their lunch, made our Sandwiches, and ate our lunch together. "Hey, Tet? Is this what you and your giant group do when you have your meals? You all hang around together like this?" said Pierce. "Mhm. It's one of the ways we all bond with each other. It helps you get used to other's company as they eat around you." Tetrax replied.
"I see. Has anybody caused a scene while eating?" Pierce replied. "Not really. Everybody so far is mostly chill. The only way someone would make a scene is if someone's food gets stolen." Tetrax replied. Pierce nodded his head in agreement, ate some Electric type food, and then looked to his right; seeing the pathway to his home. He blinked his eyes a few times, and then looked down to a piece of food in his paw. "Hey? You alright?" Electivire asked him. "Hm? Yeah... I'm fine. I'm just..." he replied. "You just worried about your family?" Electivire replied. He looked up at him, and nodded his head yes to his question. "They mean everything to you, don't they?" Electivire asked. "Yeah... they mean everything to me. They're the ones who taught me how to live, fight, survive, and care for others. And now that my old friend has them held hostage against their will... all because he can't listen to reason... I'm just worried about their safety." he replied. Electivire and Tetrax nodded their heads in understanding; knowing how much this hurts him.
"Hey? Why don't we go there during the middle of the night and get your family out of that mess?" said Dragonfire. "What!? Are you serious!? You really want to go in there and deal with those guys?" Zuzu's Pikachu replied worriedly. "Me? Oh no. I don't want to go in there and get zapped to a crisp. I'm saying that he and a selected group of us should sneak in there during the night, put those goons to sleep if they are awake, let Pierce go deal with his friend one-on-one in battle, and then some of us can go find his family for him, and let them all know that everyone is okay." he replied. "Oh? That's the plan you're thinking about?" she replied. "Yep. That's the perfect plan. It will keep him focused on his objective of getting his friend back to his senses, and let some of us take care of his goons and get his family out of the chaos that they were forced into for no reason." he replied.
"You know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all." Pierce replied. "See? He already likes the idea. Now... you just need to pick the ones you think will be the best in this plan." he replied. "Well..? Who do you guys have in mind?" Pierce replied. "I'll do it. I can use my ability to sense Aura and find your family if they are locked away somewhere." Aurasoul replied. "That's great!" Pierce replied. "I can dig my way underground to where they are if your friend has too many goons for us to handle. And Zubat can use his Supersonic to help guide them through the tunnel to escape." Sandslash replied. "I can distract them with my Pay Day attack and lure them away from their base." Meowth replied. "I can absorb all their Electric attacks with my Motor Drive ability, and knock them out cold for ya." Electivire replied. "Really? That's awesome!" Pierce replied. "And Butterfree, Weepinbell, Ivysaur, Solar, and Roserade and knock them out with Sleep Powder." Hydro replied.
"It's true. A big Sleep Powder ambush will knock them out cold." Wartortle replied. "Yep. And if they do wake up... us Mankey's will give 'em a sock in the face." Sora's Mankey replied. Pierce was honestly surprised to see how many of the giant group wanted to help him out, and it warmed his heart to see how much they care for him and his family's well being. He put his right paw to his heart, nodded his head, and smiled warmly at them. "Thank you... everyone. It means the world to me to see that you want to help me out in this." he said. "No problem, Pierce. It's our job as Pokémon to help out a fellow Pokémon in need." Tetrax replied. Pierce looked at his new friend in awe after he said that, and then lightly smiled at him. After that, they all continued eating their lunch together, and then train with each other again until dinnertime.
Nighttime
The stars shined bright in the night sky, and lights from all around the area began to shine bright as well. Me and the group fell asleep in our tents for the night, and all of our Pokémon were outside; looking out to the forest nearby. They silently stared at the forest, and then saw all the winged Pokémon fly over to them and the Abra's teleport to them. "So? You guys found anything?" Onix asked them. "Yeah. We found his friend's goons surrounding a nest." my Aerodactyl replied. "So they are still there... waiting for me to come back." Pierce replied. "And what about the leader? Was he up and around?" Aurasoul replied. "Yep. He's up. We saw him standing up on a cliff area that had a big lightning bolt statue on it." Zach's Beedrill replied. "And surprisingly... they all never attacked us." my Beedrill replied. "Really? That's a shocker?" Tsunami replied. "Yep. It seems like that they are only waiting for him after all." Flygon replied.
"But why though? Do they only see him as a threat to them?" Yuya's Charizard replied. "Yeah. They do. Because they know that I would lose my self control by using my family as tools for them. That's why they're waiting for me... and me alone." Pierce replied. "I see. Well then... we must make haste and get moving." Inteleon replied. "What!? Inteleon!? Are you crazy!? You'll get fried by those goons!" Charizard replied in shock. "No I won't. I can make myself invisible, remember?" Inteleon replied. "Ah! Oh... yeah... I forgot about that... my bad..." Charizard replied as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "It's fine. Plus, with my Snipe Shot... I can hit and distract them with ease as most of you push through their defenses. Trust me... those fools will never see it coming." Inteleon replied. "Wow... that's... interesting..." Pierce replied. "What is interesting?" replied a voice.
"Ah! What is that!?" Pierce replied in shock as he jumped and turned around. "That's Necrozma. It's a very powerful Pokémon that originated from a different dimension." Tetrax replied. "What the..? Wait a second! You're the one we saw that was displayed in Pewter City! You're actually a Pokémon!?" Nidorina replied in shock. "That is correct." Necrozma replied as Tetrax jumped up in its hand. The group's teams looked at it shock, and then looked at my team. "What?" said Dragonfire curiously as he crossed his arms. "What do you mean by what!? How did this happen!? When did it join us!?" Wartortle replied in shock. "Yeah! And how come you guys didn't tell us about this!? Do you have any idea how quickly your Trainer will be put in jail for stealing it from the Museum!?" Ivysaur replied. "Everyone. Relax. Necrozma joined the team after it helped us defeat the real thugs that were trying to steal it on the day we were at the Museum." Aurasoul replied. "He's right. I was almost taken away by those thieves... until their Trainer found us and attacked the thieves." Necrozma replied.
"And we lost that fight... until you broke out and fused with her." Dragonfire replied. "What!? Fused with her!? How the hell did you do that!?" Ninetales replied. "With this." Necrozma replied as it pointed to the green Mark on its chest. "Ah! Look! It has the same Mark as their Trainer!" she replied in shock. "You're right! It does! Does that mean they are connected somehow?" Boltund replied. "They are." Tetrax replied. "What!?" he replied in shock. "Yep. Necrozma used to work alongside the original Guardians that Arceus chosen many centuries ago." Tetrax replied. "Really? That's amazing." Pikachu replied. Necrozma nodded its head in thanks, and then looked at everyone. "Necrozma? Have you been hearing what's been going on all day?" Hurricane asked. "I have. What his friend is going through is truly painful... but that does not excuse him of his actions towards others of his homeland. If there is one thing I know about things like this... it's that he has to be stopped. He has let his emotions cloud his judgement and gone through the dark side of grief. And it's our job now to snap him back into reality and make him see all the damage he has done to the ones he cared for." Necrozma replied.
"Necrozma's right. We have to stop him now... before he can really harm others. If he gets to that point soon... it's going to be something that I will regret for the rest of my life. And I don't want to put that burden onto all of you. So, please... help me save him from himself." Pierce replied as he looked around at everyone. "We will. We've got your back, Pierce." Tetrax replied as he jumped down from Necrozma's hand and offered his paw to him. Pierce stared at him silently for a moment, and then shook his paw. They both stared at each other silently, and then smiled at each other. "Alright. It's settled then. Let's take him down." said Pierce. "You got it." Tetrax replied. After that, they both began walking to Lightning Forest together; alongside Aurasoul, Pikachu, Electivire, Sandslash, Inteleon, Solar, Ivysaur, Butterfree, Roserade, Zubat, Nidorina, Nidorino, Meowth, the three Mankey's, Ninetales, Epona, Weepinbell, Scyther, Pinsir, the three Abra's, and Necrozma. As they walked away, Dragonfire and the others stayed by the tents; ready to keep us away from them.
Lightning Forest
The group of Pokémon walked through the forest silently, and then they saw the goon of Raichu's standing around for the first time. "It's them." Pikachu whispered. "Yep. Alright. Time to start Phase 1 of the plan." Pierce whispered. "Got it. Sleep Squad. Let's move." Butterfree whispered. "Right." Solar and Ivysaur whispered. After that, the Sleep Squad went over to their positions, watched the Raichu's looking around curiously, and then used Sleep Powder on the goons. Their eyes began to close heavily, and then they all collapsed to the ground; knocked out like lights. "Yes. Phase 1 is a success." Tetrax whispered. "Yep. Now it's time for Phase 2. Half of you, keep them contained somewhere. Other half, search and rescue. Pikachu. I trust you to lead the search and rescue team alongside Aurasoul. Tetrax. I trust you to lead the containment team. Think you two can handle that?" Pierce whispered. They nodded their heads yes to his response, saw him smile, nod his head, and then both teams made their moves.
Pierce then stood up, looked up to the cliff area, and saw Zeus standing up there on his own. "Okay, Pierce... this is it. Time to face your demons, and take him down. Don't let his words and actions to get to you. Let's show him the new strategies I've learned and how much stronger I have become." he said in his thoughts. After that, he went behind the cliffs and climbed it up silently. As he did this, Zeus noticed that something was up. "What the hell? Where... where did they go!? They were just here a minute ago! How the hell did they disappear so quickly!? Who's responsible for this!?" he said as he looked around in a panic. "Hey, Zeus!" yelled a voice. His eyes widened in shock to the voice, and he slowly turned around; seeing Pierce for the first time. "Pierce..? What the hell are you doing back here? I thought I banished you from here!" he said. "I'm here to stop you, Zeus. You've gone out of control with you anger ever since your Dad passed away. It ends here, old friend." Pierce replied.
Zeus's eyes widened in shock and anger to what he had said, and then he clutched his paws in anger. After that, he screamed at him and then they clashed at each other; using their paws, feet, tails, teeth, and Electric attacks. They fought each other fiercely for five minutes, and then pushed themselves away from each other. "Is that what you think this is about?" he said as he began to breath heavily. "You know it's true, Zeus. Ever since he passed, you've completely changed. You've pushed away the ones that care for you. You yelled at us constantly, wanting us to leave you alone. And when we did what you asked... you completely lost your mind." Pierce replied. "Because you all abandoned me!" he yelled angrily. "No we didn't! You let your anger completely take over you mind, Zeus! And after you left us... those goons that you are friends with saw how depressed you were and took advantage of you, knowing how depressed and angry you were! They've been using you since day 1 to get what they want!" Pierce replied.
"Shut up! You have no idea of how much they helped me!" he yelled. "Helped you!? Are you out of your mind!? They are using you! Wake up and smell the roses, Zeus! They are using you because of your mental health! You brought this upon yourself! I can't even imagine what your Dad is thinking in the afterlife right now. But if I know what he's thinking and saying right now... he'd say that he'd be ashamed of you... and what you've become." Pierce replied. Zeus growled angrily at him, screamed, and used Thunder. Pierce saw the attack coming his way, and used Agility to dodge it. "What!?" Zeus yelled in shock. Pierce used Agility again, and then used Thunder Punch on Zeus; knocking him back to the wall. He jumped off the wall and used Thunder again; making it spread around him. Pierce closed his eyes, sensed the energy around him, opened his eyes, and dodged the attack; making Zeus shocked and mad at the same time. They then attacked each other again, and Pierce gained the upper hand and used Thunder Punch again; knocking Zeus back to the wall.
"Come on, Zeus! Our friendship doesn't have to be this way!" he said. "Yes it does! If you would've never abandoned me! Then all of this would've never happened!" Zeus replied. "All of this!? Why would I want to be a part of what you and your posse are doing!? I don't want to hurt others for power or pleasure! I don't want to hurt others to make them understand what you went through!" he replied. Zeus got himself off the wall, landed on the ground, and then used Volt Tackle as he screamed like a wild animal. Pierce watched him closely, moved his tail closer to his back, and then jumped out of the way from the attack; making him move around and use it again. He kept dodging every time, and then used Volt Tackle himself; hitting Zeus back to the wall. He then stood up as his friend fell off the wall, and then stood up slowly in pain. They growled at each other, screamed, and used Volt Tackle on each other; making an electric explosion. As they clashed and pushed each other, Pierce used his power and pushed himself harder to Zeus, and make him fall back.
The smoke disappeared a few moments later, and they both slowly stood up with their injuries. They breathed heavily for a moment, and Pierce fell to his knee in pain; making Zeus smirk at him. "I knew it... even with all that new stuff you just did... you're still the same old weak friend that I knew all these years ago. And I, am the strongest Pokémon in the forest! No one is on my level! No one can match my strength! And no one can ever defeat me!" he said. Pierce looked at him as he breathed heavily, and then saw Zeus begin to use Volt Tackle again. He stared at him silently, and watched him power himself up with Thunder, and then use a full power boosted Volt Tackle. As he got close to him, Pierce's eyes widened at him, glared angrily, clutched his right paw, and then use Reversal on him; making a giant electric explosion again.
As this happened: Tetrax, Pikachu, and their groups arrived and saw the explosion. Their eyes widened in fear, and then looked at each other. "You two go on ahead. We'll take everyone to safety!" said Aurasoul. "Right!" Tetrax and Pikachu replied. After that, they ran upto the cliff as the smoke faded, and then saw Pierce and Zeus laying on the ground. "Pierce!" said Tetrax worriedly as they ran over to him. "Pierce! Are you alright?" Pikachu replied worriedly. Pierce's eyes and ears twitched to their voices, and then he saw them by his side. "Tetrax..? Pikachu..? You two... came for me?" he said. "Of course we did. That's what friends are for." Tetrax replied. Pierce lightly smiled at them, and they helped him stand up. "How you feeling?" Tetrax asked him. "I feel fine. I'm not as injured as I was last time." he replied. "That's a relief." Pikachu replied. "Yeah. It proves that the training he did with us helped him out more than ever. Right?" Tetrax replied. "Yeah. It helped me out a lot. Thank you." he replied. "You're welcome." Tetrax replied.
"And Pierce? Your family is safe. Everyone is okay." said Pikachu. His eyes lightly widened in happiness, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you... both of you." he said. They smiled at him, and then they saw Zeus get back up on his own feet. He stared at them angrily for a moment, growled at them, and then fainted in front of them. "Pierce! Zeus!" said a voice. Pierce looked behind him, and saw his parents running upto him. "Mom... Dad..." he said. "Pierce! My baby! You came back!" his Mom cried as she hugged him. "Mom... Dad... I've missed you both so much." he replied. "We've missed you too, son. Right now... we're just glad that you came home safe, and taught Zeus a powerful lesson." his Dad replied. Pierce nodded his head, and then hugged his Dad; while shedding some tears in his eyes. They ended the hug, and saw a smile form on his face. "Mom, Dad... there is so much I want to tell you on how I came back here." he said. "And we can't wait to hear it all, son." his Dad replied.
Tetrax and Pikachu smiled at them happily, and then they turned to Zeus; seeing him wake up again and stand up. He blinked his eyes, felt his head in pain, and then saw Pierce hugging his parents. He looked at them in sorrow, and then looked down to the ground, and began to cry at his shadow. As he did this, Pierce and his parents walked upto him, and he saw them looking at him. "How..? How did you beat me?" he asked. "Let's just say that I got some special training from someone who was willing to help me. Someone who believed in me and praised me for my strength. That someone... was a human. A human who is a powerful Pokémon Trainer in her own right. She taught me the skills I needed to beat you... and to stop your madness." Pierce replied. He looked over to Tetrax, saw him smile, and nod his head; making him do the same.
Zeus looked at him in shock, and then saw Pierce's Dad pick him up by his ear. "Ow! Hey! Let me go, old man!" he said. "I don't think so? I think it's time that you pay for your mistreatment of others. I know a certain Pokémon that will teach you some manners." Pierce's Dad replied. Zeus's eyes widened in fear, and then he was dragged away. "Pierce? A human taught you how to defeat him?" his Mom asked. "Mhm. She sure did. I was a little hesitant at first of the, but I agreed to do it in order to defeat him. And I have to admit... I feel a lot stronger than I was before." he replied. She smiled warmly at him, and then patted his back. "Well... it just comes to show that whenever you are in doubt... there will always be someone that will pick you back up and make you better than before." she said. Pierce nodded his head in agreement, and then they all got off the cliff.
Pierce reunited with his family, and heard them praise him for his victory. He thanked them happily, and then looked at his new friends happily; knowing now his troubles are over. A few moments later, the teams said goodbye to Pierce and his family, and went back to the campsite. As they left, Pierce and his family went back to their home and slept for the night. As they slept, Pierce began to reminisce of everything that had happened to him for the past couple days, and then began to remember how much fun he had with me and my team. As the memories played in his head, he looked over to his family as they slept, and began to think about his own future.
Route 11- Morning
"Alright, guys. Ready to go?" said Zach. "Yeah. We're ready." I replied. "Okay. Next stop, Lavender Town." he replied. "Right." we replied. After that, we began to leave Route 11 once again. As we walked, I began to wonder if Pierce was okay; hoping that he has found his family and beaten his rival for good. We got to the gate entrance to Route 12, and then suddenly... Tetrax's ears twitched. "Pi? Pika?" he said. "Hm? What's up, buddy? You heard something?" I replied. He jumped off my shoulder, and we all turned to the bushes; hearing them rustle. "What is it, you two?" Zach asked us. We looked into the bushes for a moment, and then we saw Pierce jump out at us, and made me fall to the ground. "Ah! Tay! You okay?" Yuya asked me. He and the group looked down, and saw me, Tetrax, and Pierce laughing happily together.
"Huh!? Guys, look! It's Pierce! He came back!" said Sora. "Yeah. I guess he wants to say thank you to Tay for all the training yesterday. Right, Tay?" Celina replied. "Yeah." I replied. I sat up, and looked at Pierce as he looked at me. "You wanted to find me and say thank you for saving your life, and for the training?" I asked him. "Rai!" he replied happily. We smiled at each other happily, and then both he and Tetrax jumped up on my shoulders happily. "Aww~ I think he likes being around you now." said Zuzu. "Really?" I replied curiously. "Yeah. Look at him. If it weren't for you saving his life yesterday, and helping him get stronger... he wouldn't be here right now." she replied. "Rai-Rai!" he replied happily. I smiled at him happily, petted his head, and then Zach and Yuya helped me stand up on my feet.
As I stood up, an empty PokéBall fell out of my jacket pocket, and landed on the ground. Pierce gently climbed off my shoulder, went to the ground, sniffed the PokéBall, and rolled it over to me. "Thanks, Pierce." I said as I knelt down and picked it up. "Raichu." he replied. He then inspected the PokéBall again, and then saw Tetrax looking at him. "Pi-ka! Pika-Pika! Pi-ka-chu! Pika-Pika! Pika!" he said. "Rai..? Rai-Rai! Rai-Rai! Rai-chu! Raichu-Rai! Rai!" he replied. As they talked, my eyes widened in shock to what they had said. "Huh? What did they just say to each other?" Pat asked. "...Pierce wants to come with me..." I replied. "What!? Are you serious!?" Zach replied surprised. I nodded my head yes to his response, and then looked at Pierce; seeing a big smile on his face. I smiled back at him, and then we saw Tetrax jump off my shoulder and stand beside him.
"Well? What do you say, Pierce? Do you want to come along with me?" I asked him. "Rai-Rai!" he replied happily. He then tapped the button of the PokéBall, and let it do the capture process. The Ball closed, shook once, and then made a dinging sound; confirming the capture. "Raichu has been registered to your PokéDex." said my Phone. I slowly stood up, stared at the PokéBall silently for a moment, and then raised it up in the air. "Alright! I caught a Raichu!" I said happily. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax cheered happily. After that, I let Pierce out of his PokéBall, and then watched him and Tetrax jump up on my shoulders again. "Great catch, Tay. I know that he will be a great partner to you." said Zach. "Thanks, Zach." I replied. After that, we walked through the gate entrance and began our journey to Lavender Town.
Thank you so much for reading Chapter 23 of the story! Man... this one was a crazy one to write. I was focused on this one like crazy because of the theming of the Chapter: Mental Health and Grief. I know that I have mentioned this topic in some of the chapters already, but I really wanted to show it off here and show an example of how these two things can sometimes make people go down a dark path, and how we can see the signs of this before they go down deeper in that path.
If you see someone who is having a bad day or is going through something they think you won't understand, please do not be afraid to reach out and help them. It really does make a difference to people to see that you would spend time with them, listening to their struggles, and helping them out in the best way possible. Trust me, it will make their day a lot more better, and give them faith to believe in people again.
Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 23 of the story, and have yourself an awesome day!
Next time, Chapter 24: Just Snorlaxing. When walking along Route 12, the group encounters a Snorlax blocking Route 13. After waking it up, they follow it to Snorlax Village and learn about its kind. As they get to know the Snorlax, Team Rocket Grunts arrive and try to take the Snorlax for their leader! How will our heroes stop Team Rocket and their mission? Find out in Chapter 24, as the Journey continues!