Pokemon: Friends to the End
Chapter 24: Cooking up a Sweet Story!
Dawn and Denise were having a practice battle with Piplup and Hoot Hoot in order to prepare for the Floaroma Contest.
Pachirisu was next to Dawn, while Luxio was next to Denise.
"Hoot Hoot use Aerial Ace!"Denise ordered.
Hoot Hoot went up and headed down towards the Penguin Pokemon.
"Dodge and use Bubble Beam!"Dawn ordered.
Piplup dodges Hoot Hoot and uses Bubble Beam.
"Dodge it, Hoot Hoot!"Denise ordered.
Hoot Hoot flies up and dodges the water attack.
Ash, Pikachu and Brock were watching the battle.
"Awsome that's it!"Ash remarked.
"Pika!"Pikachu said happily.
"Yeah, Piplup and Hoot Hoot are in tip top shape."Brock commented.
Piplup and Hoot Hoot smiles in approval.
"Thanks Brock."Dawn replied. "Piplup you take a long rest, all right Pachirisu your up next."
Pachirisu nods and takes Piplup's place.
"Well, if that's the case, Luxio you take the lead."Denise admitted.
The Spark Pokemon smirks at his trainer and goes into the battlefield.
"Pachirisu use Discharge!"Dawn ordered.
Pachirisu uses Discharge and the electric energy heads towards Luxio.
"Luxio, how about a nice charge up?"Denise asked with a smile.
Luxio nods and absorbs the attack when it hits him.
Pachirisu gasped in surprise.
Dawn groaned in frustration. "I was afraid that Discharge wouldn't affect Luxio."
"Our turn now, Luxio use Spark!"Denise ordered with a smirk.
Luxio fires an electrically charged tackle towards Pachirisu.
"Dodge it!"Dawn ordered.
Pachirisu dodges the attack just before it can hit it.
The attack destroys the rock it was on and causes a dust storm.
"Okay now Pachirisu-"Dawn started.
"Incredible."
The two sisters turned and saw a woman walking up to them.
"That was impressive battle."the Woman said and looked at Ash. "It would be nice, if I could borrow your Pikachu for a three days won't you please let me do that?"
"I would!"Brock stated while blushing.
"Sorry, I wouldn't do that."Ash answered.
"Of course, you wouldn't let me explain, I'm Theresa and I live in this road."Theresa said. "I ran a cake shop with my Aunt Abigail."
"My name is Ash."Ash introduced.
"Hi I'm Dawn."Dawn added.
"And I'm her twin sister Denise."Denise replied with a gentle smile.
"I'm Brock!"Brock added lovingly holding her hand. "And of course any of your cakes would make me stop in my tracks."
Then Croagunk stops him with Poison Jab making him collapse before dragging him away.
"I wonder where Croagunk takes him."Ash said.
"Anyway what were you saying Theresa?"Denise asked.
"My Aunt Abigail makes the greatest cakes in the whole world, she's been making all of those cakes for years with her partner a Pikachu she names Sugar."Theresa explained. "But something strange happened recently and Sugar suddenly disappeared."
Theresa and the four heroes were now heading to he cake ship.
"Poor Aunt Abigail and I looked everywhere for Sugar and found nothing."Theresa stated. "But when I saw you I thought your Pikachu could pretend to be Sugar see?"
"Pretend?"Ash asked.
"Aunt Abigail is to be in a bake off contest in three days for now and I'm sure your Pikachu would help her."Theresa said.
"But won't she be able to tell the difference?"Ash asked.
"All does your Pikachu has to do is scratch it's head with it's tail once and a while."Theresa commented.
Pikachu blinks and mimics the move.
"That's it that's what Sugar always does."Theresa stated.
"And when Aunt Abigail sees that its really Sugar."Brock said.
"Wow, it might just work."Dawn agreed.
"This could be a sweet story."Denise remarked.
"Its a deal, let's give it a try."Ash suggested.
"Pika pika."Pikachu said sweetly.
"Thank you both, I owe you."Theresa said gratefully.
Afterwards...
Theresa and the four trainers arrived to the bakery.
"Welcome."Abigail greeted.
Pikachu goes up to Abigail and scratches his head.
"Sugar?"Abigail said in surprise and smiled. "You've come back home."
"Isn't great?"Theresa asked. "Thanks to Ash and his friends, they found Sugar."
"You did?"Abigail asked with a smile. "Thank you, thank you so much."
"No prob."Ash said with a weak smile.
"It was nothing."Denise assured with a small smile.
"We were just glad we were able to find Pika- I mean Sugar."Dawn commented.
Guests come by and greet "Sugar", the façade working perfectly as Ash and his friends watch noticing Abigail's better mode.
"With Sugar back you might be able to win the bake off contest."the Male Customer said.
"That's nice, but we'll see."Abigail stated kindly.
Theresa serves tea for the four heroes.
"It's working like a charm."Brock whispered.
"Aunt Abigail is back to her normal self again."Theresa admitted.
"That's awsome."Ash agreed.
"Not only that, who knew that Pikachu could act so well."Dawn admitted.
"You've got that right, sis."Denise agreed as she took a bite on a cream cupcake.
Abigail grabs a basket and looks at her niece.
"Theresa, I'm going out would you keep an eye on the shop?"Abigail asked.
"Sure you have fun."Theresa responded.
Abigail looks at Pikachu.
"Ready to go dear?"She asked.
Pikachu chirped and follows Abigail outside, who closes the door.
"That's just what I was hoping for."Theresa admitted.
"Huh?"the four trainers said in confusion.
"She's going out to buy supplies."Theresa replied. "To make her famous contest cake."
Ash and his friends listen to Theresa talking about how Pikachu's Thunderbolt helps in baking.
"Yum, the sweet taste of roasted berries sounds delicious."Dawn remarked.
"It makes my mouth water when thinking about it."Denise added.
"Isn't using Pikachu's Thunderbolt is the best way to get that unique flavour."Theresa commented.
"Who knew?"Brock asked. "I can't wait to try out that cake myself."
"Wow, Pikachu has never done something like this before."Ash said worriedly and stood up. "I think I'm going to have a look."
Outside...
Abigail gathers the basket of Berries.
"Well know, Sugar this should be plenty."She stated. "So shall we head on home?"
"Pika Pikachu."Pikachu responded.
Then Team Rocket confronts them.
"On one condition."Jessie stated.
"You and those berries can leave in one piece."James said.
"But Pikachu stays put."Mewoth commented with a smirk.
Pikachu frowns and prepares to fight them.
"Oh heaven sake, who are you?"Abigail asked.
Team Rocket recites their motto.
"Listen is that a citizen's voice I hear?"
"Is speaking to me loud and clear!"
"On the Wind!"
"Passed the Stars!"
"In your ear!"
"We're bringing real crisis and brick neck pain!"
"Dashing hope putting fear in it's place!"
Their balloon comes up and they go on it.
"A rose by any other name is just as sweet!"
"When everything is worse our work is complete!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Meowth that's name!"
"Putting the do gooders in their place!"
"We're Team Rocket!"
"We're in your face!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"Mime Mime!"
"Team Rocket?"Abigail said in confusion.
"Just relax."Jessie assured.
"It's not you we want."James said.
"It's Pikachu."Meowth admitted.
Then Ash and his friends arrive to the scene.
"It's Team Rocket!"Ash said angrily.
"Team who?"Theresa asked.
"They are the bad guys, but not the smartest though."Dawn stated.
"We gotta help Abigail."Denise commented.
"Hold on, Aunt Abigail can take care of herself."Theresa said.
"I'm sorry, but you can't have Sugar, we're a team."Abigail replied as she stood up.
"How quaint."Jessie remarked.
"We have respect for our elders, however-"James started.
"It's crunch time."Meowth finished.
"Serviper, let's go!"Jessie said.
Her pokeball opened and her Poison Type came out.
"Serviper!"
Abigail has Pikachu run underneath a tree and fire a Thunderbolt straight up.
Before Seviper bites, the hard Aspear Berry hits Seviper on the head and stops it shocking Team Rocket.
"Wow, those Aspear berries are hard as stone."Brock stated.
"That's how Pikachu stopped it."Dawn said.
"What a strategy."Ash commented.
"Pretty clever, if you ask me."Denise admitted.
"Now Sugar use Thunderbolt on Serviper!"Abigail ordered.
Pikachu fires Thunderbolt to send Seviper back and send Team Rocket flying.
"WE'VE BEEN OUT SMARTED!"Team Rocket screamed as they flew out of sight.
"Sugar you were wonderful."Abigail said kindly.
Pikachu giggled as he scratched his head with his tail then Ash and his friends arrive.
"Aunt Abigail, I see you haven't lost any of your battling skills."Theresa remarked.
"Oh dear were you watching me."Abigail said shyly.
As they walk back, Theresa mentions that Abigail was a Coordinator in the Grand Festival.
"Your Aunt Abigail was a pokemon trainer?"Ash asked.
"She participated in the Grand Festival."Theresa replied.
"That's awsome!"Dawn and Denise said in unison.
"Thank you, but all those things are ancient history, Sugar deserves all the credit for today."Abigail admitted.
Pikachu chirped as he scratched his head with his tail.
"And that reminds you and Denise are going to the Sinnoh League are you Ash?"Abigail asked.
"Yeah and we'll be heading to the Eterna Gym."Ash answered.
"Then would you have a battle with me?"Abigail asked.
This caused everyone to go stunned.
"So I'll be also working with Sugar so how about it?"Abigail asked.
"I'm not sure that will be a good idea, Aunt Abigail."Theresa said.
"Why I'm sure your working hard to get ready for your next battle and that's what this would be."Abigail said with a smile.
Ash sighed. "I guess."
The battle took place in the bakery's garden.
"The battle between Ash and Aunt Abigail is about to get under way."Theresa stated.
"Brock, Denise, I don't like this one bit."Dawn admitted worriedly.
"Me too."Brock commented.
"Same with me."Denise agreed.
"So what pokemon are you going to pick today, Ash?"Abigail asked.
"Man, I don't wanna battle against Pikachu, but then Abigail will know something is up."Ash thought.
Pikachu gives Ash a nod to let him know its ok.
"Okay Aipom, I choose you!"Ash said.
His pokeball opened and Aipom came out.
"Aipom!"
Aipom gets stunned to see she will battle Pikachu.
"Aipom, a battle is a battle."Ash stated.
Aipom smirks and prepares to fight.
"And begin!"Theresa announced.
Abigail tells Pikachu to dash, and Pikachu heads towards Aipom.
Ash has Aipom use Double Team to surround Pikachu, but Abigail is able to counter this by having Pikachu jump up and fire a Thunderbolt down to create a blast of dirt, which cancels out all the copies.
Realizing that Abigail really knows how to battle, Ash gets serious and has Aipom use rapid-fire Focus Punch attacks.
Pikachu continually jumps backwards eventually backing into a large rock.
Aipom was about to land her first blow, but Abigail gets in front and the attack stops.
"Enough."Abigail stated. "I'm impressed your strong Aipom, I guess we lost, Ash your a good boy and Theresa thank you refereeing."
"Sure."Theresa responded in surprise.
"Sugar, shall we go?"Abigail asked.
Pikachu followed Abigail back into the bakery while Ash was left stun of what happened.
"But why?"He asked.
Later that Night...
"I wonder what kind of cake, Abigail is going to make in the bakeoff?"Dawn asked.
"Aw Dawn watch it the mentioning of the cake is gonna make me hungry."Denise joked.
"Good question, what ever it is, she's making it now along with your Pikachu of course."Theresa admitted.
"I'm worried when your aunt learns the truth she is going to be sad."Ash said sadly.
"Me too."Brock agreed.
"But you know we can't leave Pikachu with her forever."Dawn reminded.
"Hey don't worry after she wins first price in the bake off, she'll feel a lot better then you can go."Theresa assured.
"In the battle, I sort of realized how Sugar means to her, I have a bad feeling about this bake off now, really bad."Ash stated.
"But Ash-"Theresa protested.
"The thing is I really wanted to make your aunt get over of being sad, but we're not telling the truth, but I gotta tell her."Ash commented.
He then rushed out of the room.
"Ash wait a second!"Denise protested. "Where are you going?"
She then followed after him with Dawn and Brock.
Abigail was out on the porch with Pikachu looking out to the moon.
"Isn't the moon just lovely tonight Sugar?"She asked.
"Pika pika."Pikachu agreed.
"It was a beautiful night like this when you disappeared back then."Abigail said with a smile.
Pikachu smiled and scratched his head with his tail.
Then the four heroes and Theresa walked up to her.
"Abigail there is something I need to tell you."Ash admitted.
"Now let me guess this is your Pikachu, Ash isn't that right?"Abigail asked.
This caused the five to be surprised.
"So you already knew."Theresa said in surprise.
"Yes, Pikachu did a find job getting these berries, but Sugar didn't do the same thing."Abigail commented holding a berry. "To tell the truth I think I know why Sugar disappeared."
"Huh?!"the four trainers said in surprise.
"Aunt Abigail?"Theresa asked.
"Sugar and I were discussing this year's bake off to even make a more delicious cake than last year."Abigail said with a sad smile. "So I wanted to use these Aspear berries, so Sugar's Thunderbolt couldn't crack the berries so I kept asking Sugar to keep trying."
"Then Sugar went away to find what my aunt just ask."Theresa said sadly.
"You've all been very kind to me and now I feel much better to have spend time with your Pikachu."Abigail stated as she stood up.
"I guess."Ash replied in shame.
Suddenly, a mecha arm steals Pikachu as Team Rocket shows up in another mecha, locking Pikachu in a cage.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt was negated due to the cage.
Team Rocket runs away as Ash jumps onto the mecha.
"You won't get away with this!"He snapped.
Then the mecha took off.
"Ash! No!"Dawn, Denise and Brock said in unison.
"Come on, let's take the van."Abigail suggested.
Theresa nodded. "Right."
The others follow in a van.
"Staravia use Wing Attack to break in!"Ash ordered.
Once out of its pokeball, Staravia uses Wing Attack on the mecha, but it's ineffective.
The van catches up as Staravia attempts Aerial Ace.
They jump a cliff and Ash falls off.
The mecha fires another mecha arm to knock out Staravia.
Team Rocket runs away as Ash recalls Staravia into its pokeball.
The van cannot go off the cliff edge, as they appear to get away.
"Those three..."Abigail said with a frown. "I'll get you yet, you will not have Pikachu!"
Suddenly, a powerful Electric-type attack stops the mecha from the front.
"That looks like a thunderbolt!"Ash said.
"But it can't be Pikachu, its coming from the outside."Dawn stated.
"Such power..."Brock said.
The light fades as they notice a Raichu.
"Its Raichu!"Ash said in surprise.
"Raichu?"Denise asked. "Are you sure?"
"Raichu could it really be..."Abigail said quietly.
The Raichu scratches its head with its tail, revealing that Sugar evolved into a Raichu.
"Sugar it is you."Abigail said in joy.
"Sugar?!"The five said in surprise.
"Sugar evolved into Raichu!"Theresa remarked.
Then Team Rocket launch another mecha arm to catch Sugar shocking the heroes.
"Sugar look out!"Abigail warned.
Sugar jumps to dodge it and uses Focus Punch to break it shocking the three baddies.
"That was Focus Punch!"Dawn commented.
"Sugar learned lots of new moves."Theresa agreed.
"Sugar go rescue the Pikachu, they stolen!"Abigail ordered.
Sugar then uses dual Focus Punch attacks on the mecha exterior and after a constant battering, it breaks the hull open.
"Meowth!"Jessie complained.
"I put a lot of work on this machine!"Meowth stated.
"Yeah, but that doesn't work for me!"James snapped.
Sugar gets inside grabbing Pikachu's cage and escaping.
"Rai Rai!"Sugar said.
"Pika Pika!"Pikachu responded in happiness.
"Sugar went through that armor like it was paper."Theresa commented.
"That was some Focus Punch!"Denise said sweetly.
"Hey, thanks Sugar."Ash thanked.
"And now just like old times, Sugar use Thunderbolt!"Abigail ordered.
Sugar fires a Thunderbolt into the exposed hold and destroys the mecha sending Team Rocket flying.
"Never build a machine near house!"Jessie said angrily.
"Think of al the money we saved!"James responded while sweat dropping.
"Do you even know how much was spent?"Meowth questioned.
"Wobbuffet!"
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"Team Rocket screamed as they disappeared in the sky.
The Next Day...
Abigail served her delicious Aspear cake to the four heroes.
"Here we are."She said.
"Yummy!"Dawn remarked.
"Looks so good."Denise said kindly.
"If that's now a prize cake, I don't know what is."Ash commented.
"Thank you."Abigail responded.
"Its made with crushed aspear berries then they were pulverised with Focus Punch."Theresa explained.
"Please have a piece."Abigail suggested.
"Will do!"the four heroes said in unison.
They each took a bite on their cakes slices.
"Wow that's good."Ash admitted.
"Pikachu."Pikachu chirped.
"Its something about the tart and the Aspear berries that really hits the spot."Brock stated.
"I think that first prize is yours for sure."Dawn commented.
"And I think it won't be anyone else."Denise added.
"You're all very kind."Abigail said kindly.
"And to think Sugar learned Focus Punch in order to open those Aspear berries and now look."Theresa said.
Sugar blushed and smiled shyly while using its tail to scratch its head.
"Sugar you were great."Brock remarked.
"And I think I'll win first price in our next contest for sure."Dawn admitted with a confident smile.
Denise smirked. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"Yeah, if you two keep thinking that and one of you will win for sure."Ash commented.
"Pika Pikachu."Pikachu said.
"Your right Ash, its a deal!"Dawn agreed.
Denise smiled and nodded in agreement.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter
Feel free to review what you think so far:)
Denise's Team:
Turtwig (Male): Quick Attack, Absorb, Razor Leaf and Bite
Eevee (Female): Water Gun, Shadow Ball, Attract and Thunder
Luxio (Male): Spark, Night Slash, Wild Charge and Ice Fang
Ralts (Female): Psychic, Double Team, Magical Leaf and Confusion
Hoot Hoot (Male): Peck, Reflect, Aerial Ace and Hypnosis
(P.S Denise's rival Amy will appear with Kenny in 'Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!')