SZ: Greetings minna.
GT: Hi everyone. Welcome to another chapter of Remix Hearts!
SZ: Yup. Today's chapter is gonna be truly electrifying! So...no need for disclaimers or anything, so let's cut to the chase! GT? If you will?
GT: Righty-o. *to offscreen* COURAGE! FIRST IMPRESSION! *to SZ* Courage is my Golisopod from my in-progress Nuzlocke.
SZ:*nods*
GT: *pulls SZ to the side before an empty fire truck smashes the screen* Good, Courage.
Entry 013: Greetings. Kajun Faycott reporting once more. Well, it seems that we went the wrong direction of Vermillion City this entire time due to one simple fact: Ashton had the map upside down the entire time. ...How could he have not realized he had the map upside down this entire time? I mean, really? Then again...he is technically ten, so...ahem! Moving on. After a small argument with Misty, Ashton ran of to where we were technically heading: the Cerulean Coast. It was there he managed to obtain his sixth-captured Pokemon and seventh Pokemon in total - a Krabby. It was interesting to see just how a Trainer only keeps just six Pokemon at a time with them, with the newly caught seventh Pokemon being teleported away in its Pokeball.
This also surprised Ashton, yet also worried him when he learned that Krabby was most likely with Professor Oak. *giggles a little* He thought the professor would eat Krabby. Though, I did add a little fuel to the fire with that tidbit on Krabby pincers. Anyway, we soon came across a lighthouse and-once we agreed to the owner's terms-went inside before Ashton used the video phone inside to call Professor Oak. It was then we learned that Gary has caught well over 70 Pokemon...including an abnormally large Krabby. Despite that, though, the professor seemed more encouraging towards Ashton when it was brought up he now has all three Kanto Starters in his team, a feat that hardly any other Trainer has. After a bit more talking and the good professor explaining to us that he knows the owner of the lighthouse, Bill, he had to hang up since his food was done. After that, we met Bill.
...I...I will not lie when I say this. *takes in a deep breath* It...It was akin to something I've only seen from small video logs involving a previous scientist in Sector Seven that dove into the Boundary and ended up as...something else. Bill had ended up in a lab accident and was fused with an Espeon in a blend of mix and match body parts that…*shudders* I believe many of us will be having nightmares of seeing Bill like that for a while. Ahem! Once we were lead to the lab where said accident occurred, I got to work on using the machine Bill was attempting to use and, within a matter of minutes, managed to defuse him and Espeon. In gratitude for helping them, Bill showed us a job he was doing; breeding and raising Eevee. ...I believe that Noel believed she had died and gone to heaven since she was now surrounded by tiny, fluffy, adorable creatures including Yuki. *giggles* though I will admit, they were rather cute...a-ahem! Getting off track here.
We then find out that Bill is doing some rather interesting research, and that there's a Pokemon he's been wanting to meet for a long time now; Dragonite. One of the Pokemon known as a Pseudo-Legendary due to their immense power and difficulty in raising them to those forms. And the one Bill desires to see...is a giant one, easily as big as the lighthouse we were in. Once we were on the top of the Lighthouse...even though the darkness of night and the foggy mist hid it from view...it was truly a sight to behold. *sighs* I wish I could've gotten some notes down of it before...ugh...Team Rocket interfered...honestly. Do they get a pleasure of ruining things for good and honest people? It makes matters worse in that they were also inside of the lighthouse, after the Eevee's...and Noel was still down there with them.
While Ashton, Bill, Brock, and Misty went to find the ones that attacked Dragonite, the rest of us went to protect the Eevee, Yuki, and Noel. Though...we didn't have to worry. Yet it also worried us as well. Apparently, the trio we knew were working with a higher ranking member of their organization...which surprised me since I thought it was just those three. It was just Meowth and a Psychic-type Pokemon known as a Meowstic that were after the Eevee, but...Noel scared them off. Not with her cooking, not with Yuki, but...but with her Nox Nyctores Arkus Diablo: Bolverk. And all of us knew that she had left them in the hotel we had decided to stay in back home before we were brought to this world. I even saw her put them in the closet before we left and, yet...they're here now and she used them to scare off the two before they could take any of the Eevee. Once we regrouped with Ashton and the others, we saw who was assisting both Jessie and James: a woman by the name of White Truth, and her Gallade, Lancelot.
That Pokemon was able to decimate both Brock and Misty's strongest Pokemon with a single attack before we showed up. It was even strong enough to deflect both Pikachu and Berry's Thunderbolts...what a truly terrifying Pokemon. Thankfully with some careful planning before we left to regroup with them, we had some assistance from Dragonite and-with the power of a fully charged Pikachu and his now recently learned Zap Cannon-finally sent Team Rocket flying. Bill was ecstatic in being able to meet Dragonite and the giant Dragonite was happy as well since Bill wants to be his friend. I'm still amazed at it being telepathic, though with age comes wisdom, I suppose. The next morning, once the Pokemon were healed and were well rested, Bill offered the others-I.E Ashton, Makoto, Noel, Tsubaki, and Mai- Eevee while he offered Espeon to me. Most of us were taken back by this while a few-mostly Noel-were ecstatic about receiving an Eevee. It was certainly surprising and when we asked if it was fine for him to do that, he explained that he's given Eevee to other Trainers before with the most recent one being another Trainer from Pallet Town that Ashton knows and the one who received the Charmander on their first day as trainers: Red.
Ash was a bit reluctant at first until a feisty Eevee, who appeared to have seen Pikachu use Zap Cannon, was insistent on going with him by means of using Headbutt to knock him over and start showing him affection. While the others picked their Eevee's, Bill offered me Espeon. I...I must admit that it was surprising that he was gifting me with Espeon, but considering what happened to the two...I'm not surprised that Espeon wished to not be near Bill for a bit. But regardless, we have ourselves some new Pokemon companions while Ashton now has his eighth Pokemon...let's just hope things turn out well once we arrive in Vermillion City.
"...We're here…" Ash whispered as the group stood outside an entrance to a fairly large city, said group being covered in dirt, "After three days of walking...we're finally here…"
"Finally!" Makoto cheered, "Pokemon Center, fresh clothes, and hot baths, here we come!"
"Chipa!" Berry cheered, her dress covered in dirt and tattered a bit.
"I'm so looking forward to taking a bubble bath!" Misty shouted in pure relief.
"And I…" Ash began before the groups' stomachs grumbled in unison, "...am really hungry."
"We need to add a bit more to the food budget this time," Tsubaki admitted.
"Agreed," Brock nodded, "And once again, I am really sorry about Onix's Rock Slide."
"It's fine, Brock," Mai assured once more, "We all know he's going to have trouble with aiming for a while."
Brock nodded, a brief frown on his face. While Starmie had managed to get off okay and was regrowing its limbs, Onix had lost an eye to Lancelot's attack. While the scar was, admittedly, cool, the loss of depth perception was not and Onix was having to readjust all his attacks due to it. That woman from Team Rocket, White Truth...she was truly a dangerous opponent.
"Now that we're approaching a Pokemon Center, you can call Professor Oak to check on your Eevee and Krabby, Ashton," Kajun noted.
"I hope they're doing okay," Ash spoke.
Professor Oak had dealt with many things in his life. Other Trainers, Pokemon thieves, a Charizard with a bad cold and knew Blast Burn, marriage, raising children and then helping raise grandchildren. And yet...the Eevee that Ash had gained was something else. Especially when it became friends with his Krabby.
"Where is the remote?" Oak demanded, tapping his foot while looking down at the Eevee and Krabby on the examination table, "I know one of you hid it, so confess."
"...Ee?" Ash's Eevee looked over at Krabby.
Krabby let out a set of clicks while looking at Eevee.
"Well? I'm waiting," Oak crossed his arms.
"...Eevee," Eevee shrugged with Krabby.
"This is going to take a while…" Oak muttered, his eye twitching a bit in annoyance...before Krabby hit him with a spray of bubbles.
"EeVEE!" Eevee cried as they ran off while he was distracted.
"Excuse me, nurse? C-" Tsubaki began as the group entered the Pokemon Center, "?!"
"Hello. How may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked before noticing the shocked looks on the group's (minus Brock's) faces, "...I know why you're surprised. I look like the other nurses, don't I? My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second Cousin works in Viridian City." She then let out a small giggle, "I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?"
"..." Kajun pulled the girls of the group into a huddle, "A Legendary Pokemon. It has to be a Legendary Pokemon that is doing this."
"Kajun, I think you're over analyzing this…" Makoto sweatdropped.
"How do you not see that there is something very wrong here?" Kajun questioned, "There...There is absolutely no possible chance that every single Nurse Joy that we've met nor Officer Jenny that we've encountered look like each other like this. The chances of this happening are just mathematically implausible."
"I guess where you're from, there are no Nurse Joys?" Misty asked, a sweatdrop on her head as she swore steam was coming off Kajun's head.
"Technically no, b-" Mai began before the doors opened up.
"Hurry!" a young boy shouted as he ran next to a Chansey that was wheeling in a heavily injured Rattata, "You'll be okay, Rattata! Hurry!"
"Not again," Nurse Joy frowned in worry, "That's the fifth time this week and it's only Tuesday."
"Excuse me?" Tsubaki blinked as they looked at the nurse.
"Look," Nurse Joy said as she pointed to the side, showing a room filled with various Pokemon, all of them injured and tied up in bandages, "All these Pokemon belong to Trainers that have tried to fight Lt. Surge when he uses his Raichu."
"They're all from fighting just one guy?" Mai asked, earning a nod from the nurse.
"I-I think I see a few Ground Types in there…" Noel noted, her eyes wide in disbelief and worry.
"Lt. Surge's Raichu knows a few attacks that let it handle Ground Types, such as Rock Smash and Mega Punch," Nurse Joy explained, "While Trainers have tried to be smart in using a Ground-type in his Gym, Lt. Surge isn't a war veteran for nothing."
"The Gym Leader's a war veteran?" Makoto asked.
"Yes. He's not actually from Kanto, but from the Unova region and was in the war between Unova and Orre twenty years ago before moving here to become a Gym Leader," Nurse Joy explained, "The man's a decorated lieutenant and has trained all the Pokemon in his Gym in wartime combat techniques."
'So it's not just a title he gave himself, but an actual ranking he holds,' Kajun thought, "We may need another day of training before you try the Gym, Ashton." no response came from him, "...Ashton?"
"He's gone," Misty sighed.
"Don't tell me he went to the Gym already," Makoto sighed.
"Actually, he's over there," Mai pointed.
The others turned to see Ash walking over to a bed a bit away from the other injured Pokemon. On the bed was a Pokemon that, at first, looked like a larger Bulbasaur, but the bulb on its back had bloomed revealing a pink bulb beneath. It was covered in bandages and was connected to a heart monitor. Sitting by the Pokemon was a girl Ash's age with long brown hair in a light-blue shirt and red skirt. On the bed was a white cap while she was holding a spoon of soup to the Pokemon, who took a bite of it.
"Leaf?"
"Hmm?" the girl blinked as she looked over at him, "...Ash?"
"Yep," Ash grinned a bit.
"I didn't think you were actually going to leave Pallet since you didn't show up at the lab," the girl noted, "If Red hadn't dragged me off to vent on Route 1, I would've stomped up to your place and showed you Saur here...and not in the good way."
"Eh heh heh…" Ash laughed sheepishly at that, "Let's...just say my alarm clock broke."
"Figures," Leaf rolled her eyes before seeing Pikachu, "You caught a Pikachu?"
"No. He's my starter," Ash answered, scratching under Pikachu's chin.
"Him?" Leaf held back a laugh, "Professor Oak caught that little guy when he was giving us our Pokedexes since he chewed through some power lines."
"Pi!" Pikachu froze up.
"...That would explain why the power went out at my place for a few minutes…" Ash muttered, "And...well, he was a bit rowdy at first, but after an incident with some Spearow, we became really close."
"...You threw a rock at a Spearow, didn't you?"
"I thought it was a Pidgey that ransacked my backpack and Pikachu had run up a tree, ignoring me," Ash blushed.
"Should've known…" Leaf rolled her eyes, giggling a bit as she put the empty soup bowl on the small table by the bed, "So I'm guessing you're here to fight Surge?"
"I am," Ash nodded.
"...You better pray he doesn't use his Raichu then," Leaf frowned as she gently patted Saur's head.
"Ivysaur…" the Pokemon spoke, eyes closed in content at the petting.
"Yeah. I...I saw what his Raichu did," Ash nodded.
"What? But...How? Have you been here this entire time?" Leaf frowned, "I swear if you did that and just now came up here to check on me, I am so going to fine you big time!"
"Ack!" Ash paled, recalling the last time someone was fined by her, "No! No! I swear I wasn't here. Brock was showing us a recent video put up by Lt. Surge an…"
"Brock? The Pewter City Gym Leader?" Leaf blinked twice.
"Yeah. He's traveling with me."
"Really? Wow. I thought he had a commitment with taking care of his siblings," Leaf noted before seeing Ash's surprised look, "What? You know out of the four of us, I'm the gossiper."
"...True…" Ash muttered before shaking it off, "That is true, but...well, his dad came back and is looking after things while he's gone."
Leaf nodded before seeing the mentioned Gym Leader walking over with the others, "...Ash, a...are you travelling with girls? Older ones at that?"
"I am," Ash nodded.
"...So which one's your girlfriend?" Leaf teased, causing Ash to start blushing.
"Wh-What?!"
Leaf started to laugh a bit as Saur snickered, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."
"...I hate it when you do that…" Ash muttered.
"Warn a girl the next time you go off like that," Makoto noted, "Honestly, we thought you were charging straight to the guy's Gym if Mai hadn't seen you coming over." she waved at Leaf, "Hey there."
"Hello," Leaf waved back before noticing Makoto's ears and tail, "...Are...you a cosplayer? If so...that's a rather interesting Pachirisu cosplay you're wearing there."
"...It's not a-" Makoto began before Booster poked out of her tail.
"Eevee!"
"An Eevee!" Leaf gasped, "Oh~ How cute~"
"Heh. Thanks," Makoto smiled a bit as Booster hopped into her arms, "Just got Booster a few days ago, and she's one fiery little cinnamon roll she is."
"Vui!" Booster smiled a bit.
"That's really cute," Leaf smiled, "Name's Leaf, but I'm sure Yellow's been telling you about me."
"Yellow?" Mai repeated.
"A bit of a name we gave ourselves," Leaf noted, winking at Ash, "The Four Colors of Pallet. Red's, well, Red, Gary's Blue, I'm Green, and Ash is Yellow. Kinda reflects our Starters, huh?"
"How is Saur doing?" Ash asked, looking at the Ivysaur.
"Nurse Joy says that he'll be fully healed by tomorrow," Leaf explained, "But...I think we're going to head for another town instead of trying to fight Surge again."
"Saur," Saur nodded.
"Doesn't help that Surge hardly ever loses," Leaf added, "So I hope you have a well thought out plan for him, Ash."
"I'm kinda working on that still," Ash admitted, "But Kajun's been helping me with it."
"Cajun? Like the food?"
"It's spelled with a 'K,' not a 'C,'" Kajun replied, "A pleasure to meet one of Ashton's friends from Pallet Town."
"Please don't call me that…" Ash muttered in embarrassment.
"Ashton?" Leaf held back a laugh, "Y-You get to get away with calling him 'Ashton?' Only his mom's been able to use his full first name like that." she winked at Ash, "You must be his girlfriend then."
"L-l-leaf!" Ash stammered, his face completely red.
"No no. I'm...his instructor more or less," Kajun answered, "If any, I'd see Ashton more with a...hmm...brunette from Hoenn."
"Oh? Hoenn? Well, I did hear an interesting rumor that the girls there mature faster there," Leaf noted.
'I shouldn't have spotted her, I shouldn't have spotted her…' Ash facepalmed.
"Is that so? Interesting…" Kajun noted.
"Yeah. I also heard that the Nurse Joy's there are...uh...why is she banging her head on the wall now?" Leaf asked.
"She has...issues…with Nurse Joy's family," Tsubaki replied, trying to find the right words for Kajun's predicament with Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny.
"Oh...noted then," Leaf nodded.
"Seriously? He thought the old geezer was gonna eat his Krabby?" Leaf laughed as the group were at a table near the buffet.
"I am not kidding. The moment he found out any extra pokemon he catches get sent to Professor Oak, he thought that he was going to eat him!" Makoto laughed.
"Makoto..." Ash sighed.
"Still, I gotta admit, Ash. Not bad getting all three Starters," Leaf noted, "I mean, finding all three in the wild like you did and catching them? Knew you'd be great at this. Not even Gary has done something like that, even if he's got the most Pokemon out of the four of us."
"...Speaking of Gary, when did you encounter him last?" Ash couldn't help but ask.
"It was around Cerulean City," Leaf answered, "And before you ask, yes. He was still egotistic after winning the Gym Battle there...I still say him writing that stuff on that sign post was a little much."
"You said it," Ash agreed, his eye twitching, "So what about you, Leaf?"
"Well," Leaf placed five Pokeballs on the table, "I've been looking more for just traveling around, so I haven't caught a lot. You already saw Saur, but the rest are Jiggly," she pointed at a ball, the top half showing them a pink ball-like Pokemon with big eyes, pointed ears, and a swirl on its forehead, "Bull," a pink bulldog-like Pokemon, "Clefy," a Clefairy, "Nido," a blue Pokemon with small spikes on its back, "and Ditty." the last showed a pink slime with beady eyes and a mouth, "Clefy was a bit of an accident in catching when this scientist at Mt. Moon startled me and I ended up dropping the ball and it bounced and caught him, but he's been a great help."
"...Did this scientist at Mt. Moon happen to have a theory about Pokemon coming from space?" Mai asked.
"No idea. I just grabbed the ball and ran as fast as I could," Leaf replied as she put her Pokeballs back on her skirt's belt, "Why ask?"
"Well...we ended up bumping into him while we were passing through Mt. Moon," Mai answered, "It's also where I got my starter, Terra."
"Ahh…" Leaf nodded, "I'm guessing that's the Sandshrew doing pushups with a Geodude and an Eevee on his back while it's wearing some sort of restraint?"
"I can only blame this Sandshrew that became a Sandslash that Terra was in awe of," Mai shook her head.
"Ahh...noted then," Leaf nodded before looking over at Noel, who was gently brushing Yuki's fur, "And where did you get your adorable little Vulpix?"
"Oh. W-well...I ended up winning her in a contest over at Pewter City," Noel answered.
"Raffle contest, or Pokemon Contest?"
"Raffle," Noel replied, "At first, she was an egg but when I about to touch it, her egg hatched."
"Vul~" Yuki purred under the brushing.
"Ahh."
"Y-yeah," Noel nodded, "...B-but...what was that second one? Pokemon contest I mean."
"...Well, it is just starting out in the Kanto Region after all, so I'm not surprised you don't know about it," Leaf admitted, "As for what's Pokemon Contest are...well, think Pokemon battles, only you focus more on your Pokemon's moves, making them as elegant an/or flashy as possible for the crowd."
"R-Really?" Noel asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure that just from cuteness alone, your Vulpix would score big points," Leaf giggled.
"...So if Trainers participate in Pokemon Battles, what do you call people who participate in these Pokemon Contest?" Mai couldn't help but ask.
"Coordinators," Leaf answered, "Again, it's still technically new, especially here in Kanto since it was first created in Hoenn."
"W-Wow," Noel softly awed.
"Mmm hmm," Leaf nodded, "I might give it a go once Pokemon Contest are set up here in Kanto."
"It does sound interesting…" Tsubaki noted.
"Glad to hear," Leaf nodded before looking at Ash, "So what do you plan to do about Lt. Surge? Are you sure you want to fight the guy?"
"...I do," Ash nodded, "His Raichu maybe powerful, but I bet it's nothing Pikachu can't handle."
"You sure?" Leaf asked as she looked at Pikachu, who was sniffing at the bottle of ketchup on the table, wondering what it was.
"Yeah I'm sure," Ash answered, "He's pretty fast and can absorb Raichu's electric attacks thanks to his ability Lightning rod."
"That's not gonna be your strategy, is it Ash?" Tsubaki ashed as Pikachu picked up the bottle of ketchup.
"Well, yeah," Ash replied, "I mean, he'll get a ton of power from Raichu's shocks and we can send them right back through Iron Tail and Zap Cannon."
"Yes, but you don't know what kind of ability his Raichu has."
"True...but I bet we can find a way around it," Ash stated.
"But…"
"Don't worry, Tsubaki. Ash can...can…" Makoto began as she tried reaching out for something, "...uh...where's the ketchup?"
"Cha~"
Ash looked under the table to see Pikachu under it, stars in his eyes as he was hugging the opened bottle of ketchup.
"...Uh...I found it," Ash spoke up, "Well...more like Pikachu found it."
"Pika-pika-Pi-ka-chu~"
"Makoto kinda needs t…"
"CHU~!"
*BZZZRT!*
"I...I think he likes ketchup…" Ash twitched as Pikachu ran off, ketchup bottle held by his tail.
"...I think Pikachu found an addiction…" Makoto sweatdropped.
"Noted…" everyone else groaned, small sparks coming off them from the electrocution.
"And you're sure you don't want to wait one more day of training before challenging?" Kajun asked as the group minus Leaf approached a large building with the Gym symbol on it.
"I'm sure," Ash nodded, Pikachu resting on his shoulder as he looked ahead, "No way am I backing down now."
"...If you're sure…" Kajun sighed as the group walked inside.
"Hello?" Ash called out, "I'm….ahem! I'm here to challenge Lt. Surge to a Gym Battle."
"Hey boss. We got another one for the emergency room," a figure in the shadows spoke up.
"...Which one?" another voice asked as a larger figure began to walk out of the shadows.
The figure was a large man in possibly his mid thirties with his blond hair shaved into a military cut. He wore a camouflage set of military-grade combat pants, black combat boots with steel toes, a pair of fingerless leather gloves with metal lightning bolts on the back of them, and a military jacket with the sleeves rolled up and opened to expose his white muscle shirt.
"Woah...he's huge." Brock gawked a bit.
"Huge nothing. The guy's a freakin tank!" Makoto added.
"Oh please. Lt. Surge eats tanks for breakfast. Without any milk even," another figure in the shadows snickered.
"Heh…" Surge smirked a bit at that as he looked at the group, "Alright, so who's the challenger here?"
"...Me. That's who," Ash spoke as he walked forward.
"...You?" Surge raised a brow before he rubbed Ash's head a bit, "Okay, rookie."
"R-rookie?!" Ash shouted before shaking Surge's hand off him, "I'm not a rookie! My name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
"Heh. I call everyone who loses to me 'rookie'," Surge stated before noticing Pikachu, "Oh and look. You got yourself a rookie Pokemon too." he then noticed Berry and Cherry, "...Pfft! Don't tell me that Pachirisu and Emolga are yours too!"
"What's wrong with them?" Makoto asked with a slight frown.
"Well for one, they can't even evolve," Surge stated as he pulled out three Pokeballs, "These here...these are real Electric Pokemon! Raichu, Electivire, Vikavolt, attenhut!"
Erupting from the balls were three Pokemon. Noel and Misty darted behind Tsubaki with wide eyes as one of them formed. It was a beetle-like Pokémon with a large pair of mandibles. Its small orange face had robotic, yellow eyes and was covered by a blue carapace. The mandibles extended from this helmet. They were blue on the inner surface and yellow on the outer surface. At the base of each mandible was a large spike and the inside was lined with short spikes. Its body was black and divided into three sections by yellow rings. The last two sections had a yellow spot on each side. On its back was a pair of wide, flat wings that were transparent with blue wing covers. It had four legs with the front pair of legs having two claws, while the back pair had only one.
=Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokemon and the final evolved form of Grubbin. It zips around, on sharp lookout for an opening. It concentrates electrical energy within its large jaws and uses it to zap its enemies= Dexter spoke.
The second Pokemon was a large humanoid creature covered in yellow fur with black stripes. It appeared to lack a neck, and had red eyes, a black spot on its forehead, and a pair of antennae with bulbous tips. A pattern on its back resembled an electric outlet while the fur on its cheeks and shoulders was spiky and ruffled. It had two black tails with red rounded ends, resembling open electrical wires. It had black feet with three, clawed toes, and five black fingers on each of its hands.
=Electivire, the Thunderbolt Pokemon and the fully evolved form of Elekid. Electivire is known to be recklessly careless regarding enemy attacks. It uses its tails to make contact with its opponents, and shocks them with over 20,000 volts. Blue sparks fly between its antennae as its electric charge amplifies. Electivire usually feed off electric currents= Dexter informed.
The last of the three was twice the size of Pikachu and had a slight resemblance to him. Its fur was mainly a dark orange with a white belly and yellow electric sacs on the cheeks. Its tail was long, thin, and black with a lightning bolt resembling Pikachu's tail at the end and sported a pair of dark brown and yellow bifurcated ears.
=Raichu, the Mouse Pokemon and the fully evolved form of Pikachu. It unleashes electric shocks that can reach 100,000 volts. When agitated, it can knock out even a Dragonite. It becomes aggressive when it has electricity stored up. At such times, even its Trainer has to take care to avoid being attacked= Dexter informed.
"Chu…" Pikachu growled as he glared at Raichu.
"If ya want to quit, now's your chance, rookie," Surge informed.
"There's no way I'm backing down," Ash argued.
"Oh? Whatcha gonna do with a rookie like that anyhow?" Surge smirked, "If ya wanna be a Pokemon Master, you need to evolve your Pokemon as soon as you catch 'em, especially Electric Pokemon once they learn the best Electric Type moves."
'Evolve them as soon as you can?' Kajun mentally repeated.
"If you really are planning on fighting me, I suggest you use something else entirely," Surge advised, "Your Pikachu? It's nothing more than a little pet at that stage."
"Chu…!" Pikachu growled, electricity sparking off his cheeks.
"Raichu-rai," Raichu sneered.
"Pi-ka?!"
"Rai-Raichu," Raichu mocked.
"Pika…!" Pikachu snarled.
"Hoo boy. Pikachu's livid," Makoto noted.
"Okay, rookie. If you want to quit, now's your chance," Lt. Surge warned.
'That Raichu…' Ash thought as he recalled the video before he narrowed his eyes, "There's no way we're gonna quit now."
"Oh? What can a rookie like you do?" Surge questioned as he returned Electivire and Vikavolt.
"Evolving your Pokemon's good, but I like Pikachu the way he is, even better than a Raichu," Ash informed.
"Can Pikachu even beat a Raichu?" Makoto whispered.
"Possibly," Kajun replied, "But there are numerous factors that we don't know about Lt. Surge's Raichu. We don't even know if it's the same Raichu or if he has multiple Raichu."
"Oh...that is true, I guess."
"...Well, if you're so dead set on challenging me, fine," Lt. Surge shrugged before smirking, "But just remember this: You're the one who practically gave your Pikachu a death wish, rookie."
"Pika…" Pikachu growled as sparks came off his cheeks.
"That's unusual," Brock noted, "Normally, Pikachu tries to avoid fights, but now…"
"Maybe he has a grudge against his evolved form," Mai guessed.
"The battle between Gym Leader Lt. Surge of Vermillion City against Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town will now begin," a man wearing military uniform declared as he stood on a podium by the arena Ash and Lt. Surge were on, "This will be a one-on-one Pokemon Battle with no time limit."
"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash called.
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder on onto the field.
"Raichu, go show them your training," Surge smirked.
"Rai," Raichu cracked his knuckles as he walked onto the field.
"Begin the battle!" the referee declared.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"PikaCHU~!" Pikachu shouted as he fired a electric at Raichu, the larger mouse standing there as he took the full blast, only to be completely unaffected by it, "Pi?!"
"Raichu, show 'em a real Electric attack! Thunder!" Surge ordered.
"Rai-CHU~!" Raichu shouted as he fired a giant blast of even larger electric blast at Pikachu, causing him to cry out as he was sent flying back, some bruises evident on his body.
"Ah! Pikachu!" Ash gasped.
"But...how? Pikachu's got Lightningrod as his ability," Mai gasped from the bleachers.
"Lt. Surge may have dealt with Pokemon with that ability both here and in Unova," Kajun observed, "It could be he taught his Raichu how to overpower that Ability and even overload it no matter the previous experience that Pokemon has with it." she glanced over at Berry and Cherry, "It could be for both Cherry and Berry's abilities as well."
"Chipa/Emol…" the two electric squirrel Pokemon glared at Raichu.
"Pi...ka…" Pikachu grunted as he forced himself up.
"Heh...it's pretty gutsy for a toy," Lt. Surge smirked.
"Pikachu...u-" Ash began before Pikachu dashed at Raichu, preparing to use Iron Tail, "Wait! Pikachu!"
"I loved playing with toys, but…" Surge paused as his smirk grew, "Playtime's over! Raichu, counter with Rock Smash!"
"Rai…" a bronze energy surged over Raichu's fist before he shot out and slammed it into Pikachu's tail, "CHU!"
A crunch was heard as Pikachu was knocked into Ash, sending him tumbling away and hitting the wall behind him.
"Ash!" Makoto gasped out before glaring at Surge, "Hey! That was too much, buddy!"
"There's never too much in a battle!" Lt. Surge argued, "You have to treat every battle as if you're in a war!"
"Pikachu…" Ash grunted as he looked down at his friend before gasping.
"Pi…" Pikachu whimpered, his tail bent at an awkward angle and bruised badly on one side in the exact shape of Raichu's fist.
"Heh...your Pikachu looks like he's in bad shape," Surge noted as his Raichu crossed his arms, "You wanna continue, or wave the white flag of defeat, rookie?"
"I…" Ash began before Pikachu forced himself out of Ash's arms and back on the field, "Pikachu?!"
"Wow...your Pikachu must really have a death wish," Lt. Surge chuckled.
"P...Pika!" Pikachu shouted as he charged, ignoring the sharp pain in his tail.
"Well...guess we'll give it to him! Raichu, Mega Punch into Discharge!"
"Mega Punch?!" Kajun gasped.
"That's a bad attack, isn't it?" Makoto asked as Raichu reeled his fist back, a white aura coming off it.
"It's considered one of the strongest Normal-type Moves without any drawbacks," Kajun explained, a notebook with a Gengar and Nidorino fighting on the cover in her hands, "Add in a Discharge to it from a Pokemon that knows how to handle Pokemon with Lightningrod…"
Electricity swirled around the glowing fist as Raichu swung. Pikachu cried out as the fist struck him before he erupted in electricity and was shot past Ash and right through the wall behind him.
"You have one devastating attack…" Kajun finished as Ash hurried over to where Pikachu was.
"And with that, another win is under our belts…" Lt. Surge smirked as he looked over at the man in the military uniform, "Call it."
The man nodded as the bell rang thrice in succession.
The light of the ER turned off and Ash quickly got up. Nurse Joy emerged from the ER, sighing.
"Is he…?" Ash began to ask.
"Your Pikachu will be okay," Nurse Joy replied as Chansey rolled Pikachu, covered in bandages with his entire tail tightly bound in them, out on a stretcher and off to where the other Lt. Surge-injured Pokemon were, "But it will take a while before Pikachu wakes up."
"...How long?"
"I'm not sure," Joy replied, "Your Pikachu was thrown through a wall that was three meters thick while having an overpowered Discharge going through it. It could be hours or even days before it wakes up."
"Oh…" Ash noted before turning a bit, looking at where Chansey wheeled his Pikachu off at, "Pikachu…"
"...Ashton," Kajun spoke before pulling him away from the others and outside the center, "What were you thinking when you challenged him?"
"I...I thought we could handle it…" Ash answered, "But...Lt. Surge...he's...he's way too powerful."
Kajun nodded, pulling out a handkerchief as she saw tears starting to form in his eyes.
"His Raichu...it...it's the one that hurt Saur...and why Leaf's hurt, too," Ash spoke, "I...I think Pikachu realized it, too. But, Pikachu..." he paused as Kajun pulled him into a hug, "?"
"It's okay. I don't think any of us knew that Pikachu was going to do that," Kajun gently spoke, "Don't let it get to you. Pikachu will be okay."
"...I hope so…" Ash whispered as Kajun rubbed his back.
"The heck was that?!" Makoto quietly shouted, "That...I...that wasn't even a battle! That...that was a curbstomping!"
"I have to agree," Tsubaki nodded, "That Raichu...it was powerful...perhaps maybe too powerful for Trainers going for three badges."
"...Do you think that what we're feeling right now is what Ash was feeling when he saw Onix and Starmie get taken down by that Gallade?" Misty asked Brock, "This...helpless feeling? Like how we could've done something, anything to try to prevent that?"
Brock nodded, looking over at where Pikachu rested among the other Pokemon, "He's taking things too far with how he battles Trainers. This isn't a war."
"Why hasn't anyone tried to file a complaint?" Noel asked.
"Good question…" Mai admitted.
"There have been complaints, but not at just this Gym," Nurse Joy explained as she walked over, "Every year there are inspections done and complaints filed that need to be examined by the IPL and right now, the only agent in the area is investigating a town attempting to register a Fairy-type Gym."
"I see…" Tsubaki noted, "If there have been investigations...then how come Surge's Gym is still open?"
"A clause," Nurse Joy replied, "So long as he isn't defeated at three times in a row, then he's allowed to continue to run the gym until the agent arrives to start the investigation. The clause was made around eighty years ago when one Gym Leader, who was in a blood feud with another Gym Leader, made numerous anonymous 'tips' about illegal activities that the other Gym Leader was performing, causing the gym to be shutdown multiple times. Back then, there was a rule that only eight Gyms were allowed in each Region at a time, so you can guess what happened when it came time for the Pokemon League then."
"No one could compete?" Brock guessed.
"Exactly," Joy nodded, "When investigations were made and it was discovered just why that happened, the clause was made so that there'd at least be Trainers who would be able to get to the league and then another law was made for more than just eight gyms per region, but actually one for each type of Pokemon out there instead."
"Huh...that would make things a little less complicated," Mai noted.
"Yes, but now it's the one thing outside of the inspector finally arriving that lets Lt. Surge continue to do this," Nurse Joy frowned.
"Well there has to be someway of beating that Raichu of his," Makoto argued.
"Vii," Booster agreed, poking out of Makoto's tail.
"I wish there was…" Joy sighed, "...Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"...Unless Pikachu evolves into a Raichu," Joy answered.
"Saur's gonna like this. Right, Jiggly?" Leaf asked as she carried a grocery bag towards the Pokemon Center.
"Jigglypuff!" Jiggly agreed before seeing Ash and Kajun ahead, "Puff?"
"Something up?" Leaf asked before she noticed Ash and Kajun as well," Ash?"
"Ah! H-Hey Leaf," Ash greeted.
"Did the Gym go okay?" Leaf asked in concern before cringing at how Ash slumped.
"Pikachu is in the recovery ward after Lt. Surge had his Raichu combine Mega Punch with a concentrated Discharge in it," Kajun explained.
"Oh Arceus," Leaf gasped before hugging Ash, "Pikachu will be fine, Ash. He's a trooper from what I've seen."
"I know. But…" Ash paused as he sighed a bit, "What am I gonna do?"
"Well, I think I have an idea. Didn't Lt. Surge say he evolved his Raichu the moment he caught it?" Kajun recalled.
"He did, yeah," Ash nodded, "Why?"
"...D'oh!" Leaf facepalmed, "How did I miss that?"
"Miss what?"
"Ash, when a Pikachu evolves into Raichu, they can't learn any of the faster moves like Quick Attack, Agility, or even Double Team," Leaf explained before punching the wall, "Gah! That no-good lousy…! He got me so scared that I didn't even try to think of that! I swear I am going to fine that military nut big time for this!"
"...I'm still lost here."
"Ashton, think about it," Kajun spoke up, "The moves Surge's Raichu used were mostly attacks. No speed support whatsoever. If you have Pikachu use mostly fast attacks like Quick Attack..."
"...Then he can prevent Raichu from hitting him!" Ash realized before frowning, "But...That's only when Pikachu wakes up."
"True," Kajun nodded, "But we can also train an extra incase Pikachu doesn't wake up soon."
"Huh?"
"Hi, Pro…" Ash began.
=PLEASE TELL ME YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR EEVEE!= Ash, Leaf, and Kajun nearly fell out of their seats from Oak's shout.
"...I'm guessing he had a rough time with him…." Kajun noted, seeing Oak's bedraggled appearance.
"Uh...actually, yeah. I...kinda need Eevee," Ash answered, "But...I'm not sure what Pokemon to change out for him."
"Maybe Butterfree for now?" Kajun suggested, "Or perhaps Squirtle? Both would be at a disadvantage when it comes to Surge's Gym."
=So long as they don't hide the remote in the strangest of places and using Sand Attack to distract me when I try to scold their pranks, I'm okay with them=
"...Only you would get the problem child of the number 1 cutest Pokemon voted in all the magazines," Leaf deadpanned, "Hi, Professor."
=Good evening, Leaf. Is Saur doing well?=
"Yes. We'll be out of the center tomorrow at best," Leaf nodded.
=Good to hear= Oak nodded =Oh. Did you by any chance hear anything from Gary or Red?=
"Red was at Bill's lighthouse before we were and got an Eevee from him, too," Ash noted.
"Last I heard from Blue, he's on a cruise ship since he had six badges right now," Leaf replied.
=Ah, so he did get the ticket I sent him= Oak noted =Good, good=
"Okay. Professor, I'll send Butterfree," Ash informed.
=Good. It'll give him time to spread his wings then= Oak nodded before a crash was heard in the background =...Excuse me for a moment= he whipped out a butterfly net and jumped off-screen =Eevee! Get back here! That vase was...well...it was ugly, but still a gift!=
=Vui!=
The sounds of a scuffle went off as the trio sweatdropped. After a few minutes, Oak panted as he sat back down in his chair, holding a Pokeball that was taped shut.
=Got...your Eevee= Oak panted =Now please...send...Butterfree...over...hoo I'm getting too old for this=
"Uh...R-Right," Ash nodded as a platform extended from the base of the computer.
Ash put Butterfree's ball on the platform. The Pokeball glowed before vanishing before their eyes. On Oak's side, the Pokeball appeared in a machine beside him. Oak replaced the ball with Eevee's and pressed a button, sending it to Ash. The moment Ash removed the tape, Eevee popped out of it.
"Vui~!" Eevee called as he hopped onto Ash's head.
"Heh. Good to see you too, Eevee," Ash chuckled.
=I'll take good care of Butterfree, Ash= Oak assured =And I hope you do well on your journey, Leaf, Ash=
"We will, Professor," Leaf smiled.
=Good= Oak nodded as the screen turned off, but not before they saw him fall over in relief.
"..." Kajun and Leaf looked at Eevee, who was busy being petted by Ash.
"...What?" Ash asked.
"I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna do this…" James whispered, completely white as a ghost as he, Jessie, and Meowth stood before in front of what looked like a stage set up for a rock concert.
"J-just suck it up, James. Th-the faster we get our mission debriefing, the better," Jessie tried to assure...though she herself was completely white as a ghost.
"...I'm gonna diiiiieee…" James cried.
"L-let's just get dis over with…" Meowth whispered, "Wh-who knows? Maybe she's too busy preparing' fer a…"
"About time you guys showed up." a voice spoke up.
"...nevermind," Meowth squeaked as he, Jessie, and James looked up.
Standing on the very top of the stage was a young woman, possibly a year or two younger than Aoiro as she had slightly tanned skin, semi-medium length wild raven-black hair, and crimson-red eyes. She wore a leather jacket completely open to expose the blood red tube top and the belly button piercing on her navel and a pair of ripped jeans that were a snug fit on her hips, the straps of her black thong exposed. On her head was a black dragon-themed, red-tinted visor while on her hands were a pair of fingerless black gloves with crimson flame designs on the back.
"L...Lady Karai…"
"Hello...punching bags," the young woman smirked, revealing a bit of her sharp teeth as she jumped down, landing right in front of the trio, "Been a while since we last met….still suck, I take it?"
"Yes, ma'am," James gulped, saluting.
"Glad to hear, ya bottlecap collecting fruit," Karai smirked, "So I heard that you guys made a mess of the big ol' Dragonite."
"Y-yes, ma'am," Jessie nodded nervously, "W-we could've caught it too if we didn't have any…"
"Save it. Sis already informed me about those 'twerps'," Karai stated, "Got any pics of them, though?"
"Right here, Boss Ma'am," Meowth replied, quickly pulling out a few pictures they had taken of them and their Pokemon.
"...heh...I like what I see…" Karai smirked as she picked a few of them up, mainly staring at the pic of Makoto, "...Don't care she's a cosplayer, me likey...me likey a lot~" she then looked at the picture of Ash and Pikachu, "...Seriously? This kid's-what?-ten years old? Heh. Sis got her ass handed to her by a newbie and his baby mouse." she ripped the pictures aside from Makoto's, which she put into her cleavage, "Alright then. Time to get to work."
"Y-yes, ma'am!" the trio saluted.
"And to make sure you don't slack off…" Karai paused before whistling loudly, "Ravage! Come here, boy!"
"R-Ravage…?" Meowth paled before a loud howl was heard, "?! H-hide me!"
"(Too late, little snack)"
Meowth squeaked before he froze and fell over. Standing behind him, roughly as tall as James, was a wolf-like Pokemon with coarse red fur with a white streak covering its face, stomach, and short stubby tail. It had a large white mane resembling a spiky pompadour with a bit of black at the tip of it. James and Jessie stood at attention, trying very hard to ignore the glowing red eyes looking at them.
"Like I said, Ravage here is gonna make sure you don't slack off," Karai stated, "Ain't that right my little berserker?" a growling smirk was her response, "...Heh. Just for that, you're getting a steak tonight. Porterhouse."
"(Heh...you're lucky, snack…)" Ravage smirked as he leaned into Meowth's face, staring him directly into the eye, "(Though if you slack off...I wouldn't mind an appetizer…)" he sniffed before moving back, "(On second thought, never mind. Ech. You smell like you got sprayed by an army of Skuntank.)"
"N...noted…" Meowth gulped.
It was the smell that first came. It was the scent of disinfectant with a faint copper undertone that can't really be rid of. The second thing that came was the sound of someone snoring...very familiar snoring. A pair of eyes slowly opened, images a blur. The owner of the eyes began to sit up, rubbing them to try to get the world to stop being a blur. The snoring turned into a snort as something big and blurry moved by the owner of the eyes.
The blur soon came into the image of Ash, "Ah! Pikachu! You're up!"
"Vee!" Eevee cheered as he jumped off Ash's head to nuzzle Pikachu.
"Pi...pika…" Pikachu greeted before wincing a bit.
"Don't move as much. You still need to rest," Ash advised his partner Pokemon.
"Pi…" Pikachu huffed.
"Hm? What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked as the others approached.
"It hasn't even been eighteen hours," Makoto noted as Berry and Cherry jumped out of her tail and onto the bed.
"Chipa-su/Molga-em!" the two cheered.
"Pi…" Pikachu huffed again.
"Wh-what's wrong with Pikachu?" Noel asked.
"...I think I know," Makoto spoke, catching their attention, "I think his pride was hurt."
"True," Brock agreed, "He must be upset about how easy Raichu was able to beat him."
"Yeah. I mean, my pride would be hurt if I ended up losing to what's technically my evolved form," Makoto added.
"That is true," Kajun nodded before looking over at Tsubaki, "There are a few options on how to beat Raichu, Pikachu."
"Pi?"
Tsubaki walked over to Ash and took out a small box, "Nurse Joy found this a few days ago and gave it to us to give to you, Ash." she opened the box, revealing a clear stone inside with a lightning bolt design inside of it, "She called it a Thunder Stone."
"A Thunder Stone?" Ash repeated.
"Yes. You can use it to make Pikachu evolve into Raichu," Brock explained.
"You mean..I can evolve Pikachu into Raichu?" Ash asked as Eevee was looking at stone in awe.
"Yeah. But before you decide…" Tsubaki paused as she looked over at Pikachu, "You need to see if Pikachu's okay with this."
"...if I do end up evolving Pikachu...I'll become like Surge…" Ash whispered as he looked over at Pikachu, "Pikachu...what do you think?"
"Pika."
"I wanna beat that Surge, for what he did to Leaf and Saur and for what he did to you, but I also don't want to force you to evolve if you're happy the way you are now," Ash explained.
"...Pi…" Pikachu stood up.
"Pikachu," Ash gasped.
"Save your strength," Misty advised in concern...before Pikachu slapped Ash's hand, making the Thunder Stone drop from it.
"Pikachu?" Ash looked at his determined friend.
"Pika-pikachu! Pika! Pi-pi-pi! Pikachu! Achu! Pika! Pikachu!"
Berry and Cherry began to cry at how touching Pikachu's words were. Eevee once more had stars in his eyes as he looked at his Trainer's Starter in awe.
"...Well. I think you have your answer, Ashton," Kajun noted with a small smile, "Which means that we can go with Plan B."
"Pika Pi?" Pikachu tilted his head.
"Pikachu, with you and Eevee, I know we'll be able to beat Lt. Surge's Raichu," Ash informed, taking Pikachu's paws in his hands.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"Vee!" Eevee cheered before Pikachu collapsed, snoring, "Vui?!"
"Okay, so you idiots got it?" Karai asked as she looked at Team Rocket.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. This plan is so simple, even you idiots can't screw it up," Karai stated, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for a 'concert' that's gonna be held in the ship. You three lure anyone you see there with tickets while in disguise."
"Wh-what kind of disguises?" Meowth asked.
"Simple," Karai pulled out three dress bags and tossed them at the three.
"...Uh…" James began as he looked inside his bag, "These are school girl clothes."
"And your problem is?"
"...Nothing," James squeaked, sweating a bit as he could feel the Midnight Form Lycanroc's hot breath on the back of his neck while hungry eyes from it laid on him.
"I thought so," Karai smirked, "Now…"
"Get out of here!" Karai shouted as she punted the trio off the stage and into the nearby water, "I love doing that. Now then..." she pulled out the picture of Makoto, "I've got a few minutes to spare to oggle this c..." she spotted Noel in the background of the picture, "...What the hell?"
"Ivysaur."
"Hey, I know we were planning on leaving once you got out of there, but well...I kinda want to see what Ash has up his sleeve this time for the jerk," Leaf noted as she and her Ivysaur stood outside of Surge's gym, "Plus, if this actually works, we are going to need to do a ton of speed training."
"Saur," Saur nodded before looking out and pointed ahead with a vine, "Ivysaur."
"Hm?" Leaf looked to see Ash and his group approaching, "Hey~!"
"Oh! Hey, Leaf!" Makoto waved back, "What brings you here?"
"A friend can't come cheer another one on?" Leaf asked.
"Ahh...fair enough," Makoto nodded, "Plus I bet you're gonna enjoy seeing Ash blow that smug grin off of Surge's face."
"Oh immensely," Leaf grinned, "Just hope he saves some room for me."
"I'll try," Ash assured, Pikachu and Eevee on his shoulders.
With that, the group walked inside of the gym, a serious expression on Ash's face, along with Pikachu and Eevee's as their trainer slammed the door open.
"Lt. Surge! I'm here for a rematch!"
"Hm?" Surge looked over at Ash and Leaf, "Heh. So not only did rookie come back, but he brought along the brat with the roasted veggies."
"Grr…" Leaf's eye twitched at that.
"So, you're back for another 'training' session, rookie?" Surge asked before seeing Eevee, "And you brought along another baby Pokemon? Man, how dumb can you get?"
"Actually, I think you'll be surprised to what I have planed," Ash countered.
"Oh?" Surge raised a brow at that before smirking a bit, "...Heh. this I gotta see. Very well...I'll accept your little rematch, so choose your Pokemon carefully. As for me...heh, you already know what I'm using."
"Raichu…" Raichu smirked as his cheeks sparked.
"Pika-pika," Pikachu growled.
Minutes later, the referee was once more at his stand, "This Gym Battle is between Lt. Surge of Vermillion City Gym and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Lt. Surge has decided to have this as a 1 on 2 Pokemon battle with the Trainer being allowed to switch between his two Pokemon at any time during the battle."
"Guy's so confident he'll win, he's giving Ash a handicap," Leaf's eye twitched.
"Don't worry. With what Ashton has planned, Surge won't know what hit him," Kajun whispered to her in reassurance.
"Go, Ash!" Misty cheered on.
"GO ASH!" Makoto cheered on as Berry and Cherry cheered on both Pikachu and Eevee, the two wearing cheerleader outfits, "WHOOP THAT SMUG JERK'S BUTT!"
"Eevee, you're up first," Ash said.
"Eevui!" Eevee nodded as he ran onto the field, giving a growl that sounded more like a squeak at Raichu, causing him to start laughing.
"Oh this is gonna be too easy!" Surge laughed, "In fact...I'm feeling generous. You go first, rookie."
"Okay! Eevee, it's time for Whack-a-Diglett!" Ash called.
"Whack-a-what?" Surge asked before Eevee jumped into the air and dove into the ground, "...Really? A Dig attack? You honestly think I…"
Eevee poked out of the ground behind Raichu and fired a sphere of black/purple energy, making Raichu stumble from the hit to the back of his head. Raichu turned around only for Eevee to be gone. Eevee poked out and fired another sphere from another newly-made hole before going back in. Raichu sent out a Thunder at the hole only for a sphere to hit the attack and make an explosion.
"First he uses Dig to make tunnels all over the ground, then he uses Quick Attack to zip through them all, and then he starts firing Shadow Ball each time he pokes out before going back in and to another hole," Kajun noted quietly, "Even if Raicu manages to dodge some of the hits, they're coming at a faster pace than normal from a multitude of angles."
"Meaning it'll be harder and harder for Raichu to land a hit or dodge an attack," Misty noted.
"Exactly," Kajun smirked.
"...Grr...you clever little sneak...but.." Surge paused as a smirk grew on his face, "You just opened yourself to a world of hurt! Raichu, Discharge!"
"RAi-CHU~!" Raichu shouted, sending out multiple electric blast as they shot down all the opened holes...yet there wasn't a cry of pain from Eevee, "...Rai?"
"VUI!"
"Rai?!" Raichu turned around...just in time for a Headbutt to hit below the waist, "?!"
"D'oh…" Lt. Surge, Brock, and Ash all cringed.
"Pika…" Pikachu twitched, a mix between a strangled laugh and a cringe escaping his mouth.
"RAI~" Raichu squeaked out.
"He had already jumped out of the holes and hid behind Raichu while he was still facing Surge," Kajun noted as Ash called Eevee over and Pikachu jumped onto the field.
"Calling in the baby mouse now?" Surge frowned, "Grr...you're starting to annoy me, rookie. Raichu, give 'em a taste of Rock Smash!"
"Pikachu, Shroud!" Ash called.
"Pi," Pikachu smirked before his body glowed and began to shoot off, dodging the repeated Rock Smash attacks sent at him before the entire floor was covered in Pikachu.
"It took a bit of time before arriving here, but we managed to get Pikachu to learn Double Team and with Agility, Raichu's now stuck in the middle of 'traffic,'" Kajun giggled.
"Rai? Rai?! Rai?!" Raichu exclaimed as he looked at the multiple Pikachu running around him, causing him to feel dizzy as swirls replaced his eyes, "Rai~"
"Raichu, snap out of it!" Surge ordered, "Get rid of those little rats this instant! Full Power Thunder Discharge!"
"RaiCHUUUUUUU!" Raichu roared as he unleashed a massive array of electricity, shattering the glass windows above them and creating a large amount of debris and dirt that obscured the field from sight.
"...Heh. And with that, I win aga-" Surge began as the dust settled, revealing Pikachu still standing as he stood on his tail, "WHAT?! HOW?!"
"I get it. Pikachu used his tail as a ground line," Brock realized as he saw Pikachu's cheeks were glowing, "Add in his Lightningrod ability and he was able to absorb the shocks this time."
"Wow. That was pretty shocking, and quite the tail," Makoto noted/joked.
*WHAP WHAP!*
"And like that, you've been pun-ished…" Tsubaki frowned as she tapped her paper fan in her hand...only to realize what she just said, "...Great. Now I'm making puns…"
*Whap*
"Better?" Kajun asked, holding her own paper fan as Tsubaki rubbed the bump on her head.
"Raichu, give it another Thunder!" Surge ordered.
"Rai!" Raichu complied...only for small sparks to come out, "Rai?" he tried again, earning only more sparks, "Raichu?!"
"That big attack used up all his electricity," Brock noted.
"And Pikachu's all charged up," Misty pointed out.
"Alright! Pikachu, Valor Strike!" Ash called.
"Chu~! Pika-pika-pika-pika!" Pikachu called as he used Quick Attack to charge at Raichu while his tail began to glow from Iron Tail.
"Raichu, hurry and counter with Mega Rock Smash!" Surge ordered.
Raichu charged both his fists with a white and bronze energy. He began to swing them at Pikachu, only for the smaller mouse to dodge the blows while hitting the bigger mouse in the legs repeatedly with each passing with his Iron Tail. After several strikes, Raichu grunted as a blow sent him off his feet and face first on the floor.
"Raichu, get up!" Surge called.
"No way! Pikachu, time for a shock of Raichu's life! Use Zap Cannon!"
"Pi…"
"Raichu, get up and take the attack head on!"
"Rai…" Raichu grunted as he began to get up, only to fall over again.
"The hits to his legs are making it impossible for him to get back up," Kajun observed.
"...ka…" a sphere of electricity appeared before Pikachu before it turned into a large beam of electricity, "CHU!"
"Ra…!" Raicu began before the Zap Cannon slammed into him and sent him crashing through not just one wall but two, leaving him to hit a tree outside, "Rai…" he collapsed flat on his face, swirls replacing his eyes, "Chuuuu~"
"AHH! UNBELIEVABLE!" Surge shouted in disbelief.
"Alright!" Ash cheered, "Great job, you two!"
"Alright!" Misty and Brock cheered.
"Victory!" Makoto and Leaf laughed as Berry and Cherry jumped excitedly with loud cheers.
"Eevee~!" Eevee purred happily at the praise.
"Pikachu," Pikachu smiled.
"Hey, ref! Call it!" Makoto shouted.
"R...Rai...Raichu is unable to battle…" the man in the military suit whispered in shock, "The winner...is Ash Ketchum of Pallet."
"You...you gotta be kiddin'...I lost…?" Surge whispered, staying silent for a few moments before he began to chuckle a bit, "Heh...heh heh…"
"Please tell me he hasn't lost it," Makoto grumbled as Surge began to laugh loudly.
"How's about that? I haven't felt that kind of upset since the Battle of Nuvema Town!" Surge exclaimed as his laughter died down, "Kid, you've got real moxie and a lot of guts to not only fight, but beat me with just unevolved Pokemon." he reached into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out a sun-like badge with an orange gem in the center, "As proof of your victory, I award you with the Thunder Badge. You make sure to give those other Gyms out there a real shock of their lives with your kind of battling."
"...Thanks. I will," Ash nodded, walking up to him as he accepted the Badge.
"This'll teach me not to underestimate Pokemon just for being unevolved," Surge noted, "And, well, I guess I owe you an apology for everything."
"Not to me," Ash shook his head as the others walked over, "But I know that Leaf and her Ivysaur deserve a big one for how long you put her Ivysaur in the Pokemon Center."
"Oh yeah…" Surge nodded, "Once Raichu's all healed up, I'll give her a rematch. Lookin' forward to what she'll have planned."
Ash nodded before he began to ponder for a bit, "What Gym should I go for next…?"
"...well, if yer looking for a Gym to go to next, how about Celadon?" Surge suggested, "Though if you pass through Saffron...I suggest you and your friends hold off on the Gym there for a while, kid."
"Eh? Wh-why's that?" Noel couldn't help but ask.
"Reconnaissance on Saffron has it that the Gym Leader is a big danger to any Trainer with less than four Badges and a decent team of tough Pokemon. So far? You've got only half of that, kid," Surge advised, "And even then…" he shuddered, "She's a bit off her rocker in my opinion."
"...Okay I'll bite. Why's that?" Makoto asked.
"Trust me...you don't want to know, squirrely gal."
"...About time you showed up," Aoiro spoke, not bothering to look at Karai as she stood within a dark room, "Where have you been, Karai? Looking for more girls to 'oogle' at?"
"..." Karai looked over at Aoiro, "Those idiots you sent to get orders from me gave me photos of the Trainers at the lighthouse."
"I see…"
"Still can't believe you got your ass handed to ya by a ten-year old shrimp and his rat," Karai smirked.
"...Just get to the point, Karai," Aoiro frowned before Karai pulled out the pic of Makoto, "..."
"...What?" Karai asked.
"You're showing me a picture of the cosplayer because…?"
"Not the cutie," Karai replied before pointing at Noel in the picture, "Look."
"...Her again…" Aoiro whispered.
"Yeah. But...that can't be her. I mean, we...all of us were there when…" Karai rubbed her arm with a bothered expression.
"I know…" Aoiro nodded, her hand balling up into a fist for a moment, "...And to make matters worse...she's an Aura user as well."
"...Say wha?" Karai raised a brow as Aoiro let out Serenade, who was sporting bandages where Noel's shot had hit her, "Yeesh. What happened to you, little kitty?"
"That shy human...she summoned some strange guns that got past my Protect," Serenade answered.
"Guns? Seriously? Bullets can't get to you with Protect or your psychic mumbo jumbo shit," Karai frowned.
"Not regular bullets. Energy bullets that appeared inside my Protect barrier…" Serenade clarified with a frown.
"?!" Karai's eyes widened, "But...Sis, wasn't that…?"
Aoiro nodded, "Yes. Whatever is going on…" she narrowed her eyes at Noel's image in Makoto's picture, "...we need to find out."
"...I...I need to get my mind off this…" Karai whispered, tearing the image of Noel out of the picture of Makoto, "You hold onto the pic of her, sis. I'm gonna go look at the pic of the cutie for a-"
"Father said you needed to be ready by the dock for when the ship arrives," Aoiro informed.
"...Fine...freakin' buzzkill," Karai muttered, tucking the pic of Makoto back into her bust as she walked off.
"Lady Aoiro, why does that girl make you two act differently from normal?" Serenade asked.
"...Because she reminds us of someone no longer with us…" Aoiro whispered as she returned her to her ball.
"Professor Kajun's Pokemon Corner!"
The curtain rose once more, revealing Kajun in her labcoat while Hikari and Koko were on the table.
"Greetings, and welcome once more, minna," Kajun bowed a bit, "As you already know, I am Kajun Faycott, and with me are my assistants Hikari and Koko."
"Ralts/Espe," the two Psychic Pokemon nodded.
"Today we'll be examining the evolved form of Pikachu…" Kajun spoke as Hikari pressed a button on her remote, turning the TV on and showing two pictures of Raichu, one of them having a darker skin tone, looked more fluffier, and was surfing on its larger tail, "Raichu. First let us talk about the Kantonian Raichu. Hikari?"
"Ralts…" Hikari nodded as she pressed a button, causing the screen to change to a single image of Raichu.
"Raichu is, like a few other Pokemon, known as the Mouse Pokemon. Raichu come from Pikachu that are exposed to Thunder Stones," Kajun explained, "While slower than it's pre-evolved form, Raichu make up for it in terms of power, their electric shocks possibly strong enough to render Pokemon like Dragonite unconscious."
"Espeon…" Koko deadpanned as the screen showed Raichu poking its tail up straight in the air or digging it into the ground.
"A Raichu's tail is important to them. The tail is used to gather electricity from the atmosphere, or it can be planted in the ground to search for electricity. Its tail also serves to protect itself from its own power," Kajun explained.
"Ralts…" Hikari nodded as the screen changed, now showing an image of the other Raichu.
"The Alolan Raichu are rather different however," Kajun explained, "Whereas Kantonian Raichu are pure electric Types, Alolan Raichu's are both Electric and Psychic Types."
"Esp?" Koko raised a brow at the differences between the two as the screen showed Alola Raichu surfing on its tail.
"By collecting its psychic power in its tail, it is able to ride it like a surfboard and float in the air. While its cheek sacs are still used to store electricity, rubbing them releases a sweet aroma. This is also thought to be connected to its psychic abilities," Kajun explained before the screen showed a drawing of a Pikachu eating pancakes on the beach until it turned into Alola Raichu, "Raichu's transformation in Alola into Alolan Raichu is a mystery, but the natives suppose that maybe it ate too many sweet, fluffy pancakes."
"Esp," Koko deadpanned in disbelief.
"Ralts…" Hikari pressed a button and it showed a shared image of the two Raichu side-by-side before changing to show some sort of field around them both.
"Raichu exudes a weak electrical charge from all its body and slightly glows in the dark, and is capable of storing over 100,000 volts of electricity," Kajun continued before it showed both suddenly start attacking everything around them, a gauge by them both flashing and seeming to be shaking, "However, it will become aggressive if it has stored too much electricity. When this is about to happen, their ears will start pointing straight up and their muscles will become more stimulated," the screen changed to show both Raichu using their tails to charge things or putting them on the ground, burning it, "To prevent this, Raichu tend to discharge electricity through their tails. In the wild, this leads to scorched patches near its nest." She held up a device with a part of it shaped like the outline of a Raichu's tail, "But Trainers have come up with a way to store this released electricity in the form of portable rechargable batteries to be used whenever. Though it is recommended that they use the battery up or there's a chance a second charge will overload the battery. And trust me..nobody likes an overcharged battery."
=I know I don't…=
"What the...Professor Kokonoe? Wh-?" Kajun gasped as a screen lowered to sow Kokonoe on it.
=Decided to hack your little show for a bit to see what you were up to=
"Ah! But...How?" Kajun gawked.
=It's an omake. What do you expect?= Kokonoe countered =But seriously, overcharged batteries are a nightmare. You know how expensive it is to replace ones for a laptop? A lot that's what=
"Oh, so very true," Kajun agreed, "Though now that raised a question; why is it that Ashton has never had to recharge his Pokedex since we've met? Surely the battery must be low by now."
=My guess? It's being charged by some sort of electric ghost hiding in it= Kokonoe answered =...=
"..."
=...Kajun, next time you do this Omake, get that Pokedex. I want to...examine it=
"Agreed," Kajun's eyes glinted as she held up a screwdriver.
"Esp?" Koko glanced at Hikari.
"Ralts..." the Ralts shrugged. This was normally the part where something would happen that would result in injury, but nothing yet.
Koko rolled her eyes as she ignored the two scientists, chuckling ominously. Her eyes glowed a little before the bolts behind Kokonoe's screen came undone and the screen landed on Kajun.
"Ralts…" Hikari nodded as the curtains fell while Koko hid her amused smirk.
SZ: Heh heh...ahh this was a good chapter.
GT: Eeyup. I wonder if everyone was surprised by the twists done in this chapter from the original source.
SZ: Who knows? We'll have to find out in the reviews for this chapter next time. But...before we end things off, GT? Anything you'd like to say?
GT: Just that I hope everyone reads and reviews.
SZ: Ahh...fair enough. So until next time, minna. Ja ne, and have a good day.