Was anyone else of you worried about FFN possibly shutting down because of the issue they had for the last two-three days? I was very scared losing my account here. Thankfully, the website seems to be running again and we can return posting our stories.
The twins were lucky to meet Articuno and Moltres in the Kanto Saga, but they missed the opportunity of seeing Zapdos. So that's why I wrote this chapter to add the third and final bird of the Legendary trio in the fanfic series.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 44: As Clear as Crystal
It was now over a day ago we met the Pokémon Magician Lily who cast a spell on Ash that turned him into a Pikachu. Luckily, the spell only lasted for twenty-four hours, so he recently returned to normal. We were still in the forest, but we should be close to a nearby town on the map. Well, that's what we thought when we walked up a hill and was greeted by more woods.
"This isn't the town!" Misty gasped. "Ash, you said this was the way to the closest Pokémon Center!"
"Yeah, last time I checked the map on my PokéGear, it said this direction", Ash retorted.
"I think you are bad at reading maps, Ash", I sighed and grabbed my PokéGear. I switched to the map and grimaced at our location. "We are far off route. We were supposed to go to the opposite direction by that crossroad five kilometers ago."
"So we just need to turn around and walk back to that crossroad and pick the right path", Brock nodded while he checked his guidebook. "After that, we just have one day or two left to walk to the town."
"Thank Arceus for that", Misty sighed in relief. "I'd rather trust Ashley with the map from now on."
"Well… She is the brainer between the two of us", Ash laughed sheepishly.
"Pika…", Pikachu sighed in defeat from his shoulder.
"For a second, I did think we were lost, but no; we just took a wrong turn", Brock closed his book and put it away.
"Togi togi prii!" Togepi chirped happily in Misty's arms.
"Well, let's go. I'm eager to make it to the Pokémon Center and sleep in a comfortable bed", Misty said.
Just as we turned around to walk back, Pikachu shrieked out in surprise. We turned around and gasped when we realized he had been snagged by Team Rocket once again!
"Hahahahahahah!" the evil trio laughed triumphantly from their hot air balloon.
"Team Rocket!" we yelled angrily at them.
"Don't you ever take a break from us?!" Brock growled.
"Give Pikachu back!" Ash demanded.
"Pika pikaaa!" Pikachu cried from the new mechanical arm Team Rocket had installed on the basket of their balloon.
"Same old story! We won't give Pikachu back to you, twerp!" Jessie snorted with a wave of her hand.
"How about you tell Pikachu to use Thunderbolt against us, hmm?" James said, which made me raise an eyebrow.
"Why would he suggest that?" Misty wondered.
"Something's weird…", I mumbled.
"Pikachu, get free with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu tried electrocuting the whole air balloon and the machine that held him, but nothing worked. Instead, some kind of battery lit up instead that hung at the bottom of the balloon.
"His Thunderbolt got absorbed by that battery!" Brock gasped.
"That's right! That battery can absorb and store every electric attack from Pikachu, so we can reuse it for our next machine!" James explained amusingly.
"That's going to be our best machine, being charged up by the twerp's Pikachu!" Meowth cackled eagerly.
"Wooobbuffet!" Wobbuffet popped out of nowhere like always.
"If it's a battery…", Brock mumbled. "Then maybe Pikachu can overcharge it!"
"Good idea, Brock!" Ash nodded. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt with everything you've got!"
"Pika! Pika…CHUUUUUU!"
We watched worriedly as Pikachu charged up the battery while Team Rocket slowly flew away. It didn't take long before the battery started smoking by the overcharge, which terrified Team Rocket.
"No! Stop using Thunderbolt!" Meowth panicked.
"You can do it, buddy!" Ash encouraged his Pokémon.
"CHUUU!" Pikachu continued using Thunderbolt until the battery exploded. The mechanical arm exploded alongside the balloon and freed Pikachu. He fell aimlessly to the ground, but Ash caught him before it was too late.
"You did it, Pikachu!" Ash praised him while Team Rocket was launched off to the sky.
"P-Pika…", Pikachu whined in relief, but his eyes showed us he was tired.
"Pikachu must have tired himself out after using Thunderbolt to overcharge the machine", I pointed out.
"Is everything alright?" a young woman with dark blue hair and dressed like an archeologist walked up to us. "I heard an explosion. Did anyone get-"
She wasn't even able to finish her sentence because Brock got a dose of love at first sight. "Hello, beautiful! My name's Brock! We were viciously attacked by rough characters! They stole Pikachu and it took some damage! I'd be happy to tell you the details over a nice cup of tea-"
Misty stepped in and pulled Brock away from the woman by his ear. "You can tell her the details after we treat Pikachu!"
"Ow, not the ear!"
Ash cradled Pikachu in his arms. "Miss, is there a Pokémon Center nearby?"
"No, there is none near this area", the woman replied before she got a hesitant look. "But I can help your Pikachu."
"Really?" Ash's eyes widened in relief.
"But I can't do anything to help you unless you four promise me something."
"Promise what, miss?" I wondered.
She got a very serious expression. "I work close from here, but you must promise me that what you will see and hear is kept as a secret forever."
"Why?" Misty wondered.
"Do we have a deal?" the woman asked, ignoring the redhead's question.
We shared glances with each other, feeling a little hesitant about the conditions. However, Pikachu needed treatment, so we couldn't exactly question the mysterious woman's reasons.
"Deal!" Ash nodded.
"Alright, let's hurry!" the woman called.
We followed her up a steep hill and noticed many different electric Pokémon were also going up the same hill. The reason for that was soon found out. At the very top of the hill was a huge glistering lake that reflected sunlight like it was crystal.
"We're here!" the woman announced.
"Wow, what a gorgeous lake!" Misty gasped in awe.
"I've never seen a lake on the top of a mountain before!" Brock nodded.
"It's beautiful", I commented as I stared at the beautiful view.
"Guys, look!" Ash pointed at another part of the lake where wild electric Pokémon were taking a bath in the lake. "There are electric Pokémon everywhere!"
"So they come here to take a bath in this lake?" Brock wondered.
"This lake has a mysterious power that can heal and restore weakened electric Pokémon", the woman explained. "Put Pikachu in the water and you'll see he'll get better soon."
"Okay", Ash crouched down and put Pikachu in the water.
"Cha…", Pikachu sighed in relief as he leaned against the wall and relaxed. Tiny sparkles appeared around him which affected him in a positive way.
"Pikachu looks much better already", Misty smiled. "I should let my Lanturn out for a good soak too." She released her Lanturn who immediately relaxed in the water.
"Lanturrrn…", Lanturn purred delightfully and relaxed next to Pikachu.
"How are you feeling, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped happily and continued relaxing.
"Is it safe for humans to swim in this lake, miss?" I wondered.
"No, if humans step into the water without proper equipment, they will get electrocuted", the archeologist replied.
"How is it possible for a lake to have such powers to heal one specific type of Pokémon?" Brock questioned.
"It's because this lake has a mystery", the woman explained. "I'll show you if you follow me to my boat. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Krystal with a K."
"Hi, I'm Ash and you've already met my partner Pikachu."
"Pika…", Pikachu waved calmly his paw while still in the water.
"I'm Ashley, Ash's twin sister."
"I'm Misty and this is Togepi and Lanturn."
"Togiprii!"
"Laanturn…"
"Nice to meet you all", Krystal giggled.
After Pikachu and Lanturn had soaked themselves enough, we climbed onboard Krystal's boat and went out to the middle of the lake. Krystal stopped the engine and crouched down to open a hatch on the bottom. It was layered by some glass so we could look underwater.
"Be prepared for a major surprise", Krystal told us.
We leaned over the glass and gasped by the majestic sight of an underwater temple. It was partially in ruins, but a pedestal was still in good shape. A crystal-like gemstone rested on top of it and glowed in mysterious colors.
"It's so beautiful!" Misty said.
"Is that a glowing gemstone?" Brock wondered.
"Yes, and that's the thing that heals the electric Pokémon, the Legendary Crystal", Krystal revealed. "Many electric Pokémon have drawn to this lake for centuries because of this crystal's mysterious power."
"That's so cool!" Ash said with big eyes.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded as his cheeks sparked for a mere second.
"But how did the temple end up under water?" I asked.
"Legend says this temple rested on top of this mountain hundreds of years ago", Krystal explained. "But torrential rains caused it to slide into the lake along with the crystal. Then the crystal's mysterious power affected the lake and gave it power to heal electric Pokémon."
"It's a fascinating story", Brock commented.
"No wonder you want us to keep this place a secret", Misty nodded.
"Toge?"
"This place must never fall into the hands of bad people", Ash said.
"Mm-hm", I nodded, remembering Purity Canyon and what Team Rocket and Giovanni almost did to that place.
Krystal drove the boat back to shore so we stepped onto dry land. "It'd be really sad if word got out about this place", Brock said. "Greedy people might come and steal the crystal and pollute the lake for their own needs."
"Exactly", Krystal nodded before she gave us a knowing grin. "But this lake has its very own protector that nobody would want to stumble upon."
We stared at the lake marveling the beautiful view at the glow coming from the crystal underwater. I blinked my eyes for one second and the glow had vanished just like that.
"Hey! The light's gone!" Ash gasped.
"Pika?!"
"The crystal stopped glowing!" Krystal exclaimed. "That has never happened before!"
A splash erupted next to us as a weird Tentacruel crawled out of the lake. "That's right, twerps!" Jessie and James yelled out as they threw the costume off and carried the very same crystal we saw moments ago.
"They got the crystal!" Misty gasped.
"Why did you take it?!" I yelled angrily at the evil duo.
"Oh, twin-twerp, you should know us by now!" Jessie cackled while she held the piece of crystal like a newborn baby.
"We're going to use it to create our own electric crystal empire with this little jewel!" James grinned while Team Rocket's air balloon floated above them. Meowth lowered a rope for his human companions to grab onto and get pulled up to the basket.
"Come back with the crystal!" Ash demanded.
Shrieks and angry cries echoed from the lake as Team Rocket prepared themselves to leave. The wild electric Pokémon who were taking a bath in the lake swam after the bad people.
"Look! They're all chasing after Team Rocket!" Misty said.
"Togi?"
"Of course! They are all upset because they took the crystal and ruined their bath!" Brock figured it out.
"Then let's help them out, Pikachu!" Ash told his partner. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and fired a lightning bolt toward Team Rocket. The other Pokémon unleashed their own electric attacks and combined them together into a huge thunder. Apparently, Team Rocket was prepared, because they activated some kind of electricity absorption machine that was attached to the bottom of the basket, so the attacks were useless.
"Not again!" Misty gasped.
"We've come back with a stronger battery that can absorb and harness Pokémon's electricity", Jessie giggled proudly.
"We will suck out every last piece of electricity from every Pokémon here including Pikachu!" James declared.
"Let the forceful electric absorption begin!" Meowth laughed and activated the contraption. Pikachu and the Pokémon tried stopping using their powers, but they couldn't cancel their moves now that their electricity was connected to the machine. They were already showing signs of fatigue and shrieked in panic as they had no way to stop themselves.
"Their lives will be in great danger if they don't stop!" Krystal exclaimed. "And the only way to save them is with the crystal!"
I was about to grab Lily's Poké Ball to help out when a cry stopped me. A pair of black thunderclouds appeared in the middle of the clear sky crackling by lightning bolts. A thunder came down and broke through the electric Pokémon's moves, disconnecting them from Team Rocket's machine.
"Hey! What gives?!" Meowth shrieked.
"What was that?" I wondered as I pulled my hand away from my belt.
The black clouds grew larger with thunder blasting between them. The air was full of static that made my hair stand up. My lips went all dry and when I tried moistening them with a lick, I could taste and feel the electricity.
A bird cry echoed from the clouds as they dispersed and revealed a large yellow bird Pokémon I had read about in Professor Oak's laboratory. It was said to be related to the two Legendary birds of Articuno and Moltres.
"It's a Zapdos!" I exclaimed in disbelief, shocked to see the third and final bird of that Legendary trio.
"No way!" Ash gasped and grabbed his Pokémon for more data.
Zapdos, the electric Pokémon. Electric and flying-type. This Legendary bird Pokémon causes savage thunderstorms by flapping its glittering wings. It is said to appear only when a thundercloud parts into two halves.
"What are the odds that a Zapdos shows up in a time like this?" Misty sighed in relief.
"Is Zapdos the protector you were talking about, Krystal?" Brock wondered.
"Yes", Krystal nodded. "It must have appeared because it sensed the electric Pokémon were in trouble."
Zapdos shrieked and fired a Thunder at Team Rocket. I thought this attack would land, but their machine absorbed the intense electric move. Maybe Zapdos' power could overload the machine like what Pikachu did before, but nothing happened. The Legendary Pokémon started losing strength as it tried its best to destroy the machine.
"Oh no! Zapdos can't destroy their machine either!" Misty gasped.
"Zapdos is losing its energy!" Ash called worriedly.
"I can't believe Team Rocket can take an electric Legendary's moves!" Brock cold sweated.
"Zapdos!" Krystal yelled out. "More power! I know you can do it!"
Zapdos must have heard her voice because it charged itself up and unleashed a brighter lightning bolt. Its newfound power finally overloaded the electric absorption machine and electrocuted the entire air balloon. Team Rocket screeched as they were affected by the electric move.
The balloon finally exploded and destroyed the machine. Team Rocket were blown away, but instead of taking off to the sky, they fell toward the nearby forest together with the crystal and crashed a couple of kilometers from us.
Zapdos lost its strength and fell down next to the lake while the sky cleared up. "No!" Krystal shrieked and rushed immediately to the fallen Legendary. "Zapdos, are you okay?!"
"Roooh…!" Zapdos shrieked aggressively and emitted sparks from its body as a defense mechanism.
"It's alright, Zapdos. We're not going to harm you", Krystal spoke to it with a calm and assuring voice. "We want to help you."
Zapdos stared at her for a quiet moment before its body stopped sparking and fainted. Krystal immediately attended to it trying to give it comfort after enduring the battle it had against Team Rocket's machine.
"What happened?" I asked. "Is it exhausted?"
"Zapdos' power is extremely low", Krystal's voice shook as she held back tears. "Team Rocket's machine shouldn't have been a problem for Zapdos at all…"
"You think Zapdos was already weak when it showed up and needed to take a recharge bath first?" Brock asked.
"That's right…", Krystal nodded. "Zapdos' presence here at the lake was actually the real secret I wanted to hide. But now… No electric Pokémon can heal again because the crystal is gone!"
"We're gonna get the crystal back!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "Team Rocket won't get away with it!"
"Pika…!" Pikachu nodded as he climbed up my brother to his shoulder.
"You take care of Zapdos and the other Pokémon, Krystal! We'll take care of the rest!" Brock nodded.
Krystal couldn't believe that we were going to help her. "Really?"
"We can't turn a blind eye on the poor Pokémon", Misty nodded at the other wild Pokémon that had crawled out of the lake and gathered around Zapdos, worried about its condition more than themselves.
"Lily, come out!" I threw her Poké Ball, calling her out to assist us.
"Oon!" she barked.
"Lily, we need you to find Team Rocket before they can get away", I told her.
"I understand", Lily nodded and closed her eyes to focus on her power. She opened them again a few seconds later with her red jewel glowing. "I found them. Follow me!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash called out Dunsparce to dig underground and surprise Team Rocket if he found them ahead of us. That way, he could distract them enough until we made it to help him out. That plan worked perfectly. By the time we found the fallen balloon, Dunsparce was messing around with Team Rocket by using Rollout, knocking them down like bowling pins.
"Great job, Dunsparce!" Ash praised him.
"No! The twerps found us!" Jessie growled while she had a tight grip on the crystal. She got knocked down by Dunsparce who rolled to us before he stopped and uncurled himself next to Pikachu and Lily.
"Dudun!"
"Pikaa!" Pikachu hissed aggressively.
"Espeoon…!" Lily growled.
"Give the crystal back!" Misty demanded.
"No! We're keeping it!" James retorted and threw a Poké Ball. "Victreebel, go!"
"Hiyaah!" Victreebel shrieked in joy for coming out and battle.
Jessie got up while rubbing her sore back. "You're gonna regret messing with us! Go, Arbok!"
"Shaaarbok!" Arbok hissed as it came out from Jessie's Poké Ball.
"Arbok, Poison Sting attack!" Jessie commanded.
"Shaaaar!" Arbok shot poisonous barbs toward our Pokémon.
Brock threw his Fast Ball. "Pineco, bounce the Poison Sting back with Rapid Spin!"
"Pinecoo!" Pineco echoed when he came out and spun his body around. The barbs bounced on his body and were sent back to Arbok, catching it off guard by getting hurt by its own move.
"Victreebel, use Razor Leaf!" James commanded.
"Hyiaaah!" Victreebel swung its arm leaves and launched several sharp leaves.
"Bounce those back too with Rapid Spin!" Brock yelled.
"Coo!" Pineco continued spinning nonstop and bounced the leaves back at Victreebel, getting slashed by them. Pineco weirdly didn't stop spinning around. Before we knew it, his body started glowing in a bright light.
Everyone froze and watched in awe as Pineco evolved into its new form. "Forretreeeess!"
"Brock, your Pineco evolved!" Misty exclaimed.
"Great job, Forretress!" Brock praised him proudly.
"Forretreeess!" he smiled with his eyes.
Even Team Rocket was stunned by the evolution, which was the perfect timing to act. "Lily!" I shouted.
"Yes!" She used her psychic powers to grab the crystal and levitated it out of Jessie's firm grip. The crystal floated back toward my waiting arms, but Jessie was running after it.
"Hey! Give back my crystal!"
"Pikachu, knock her back!" Ash shouted.
"Pika!" Pikachu rushed with Quick Attack and tackled Jessie back before her hands could touch the crystal. She was thrown back into James and Meowth while the crystal landed in my arms.
"Got it!" I called out.
"Let's finish this!" Misty shouted.
"Togi togi!"
"Brock, care to do the honor?" Ash smirked.
"Gladly! For Krystal and all the Pokémon who need the crystal!" Brock exclaimed. "Forretress, use Explosion!"
"Forretress! Forrrre…", Forretress bounced over to Team Rocket while his body started glowing in a white light. Team Rocket panicked while we rushed back to dodge the move. Three seconds later, Forretress exploded with such a power Team Rocket and their Pokémon were launched into the sky.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"
"WOOOBbuuufeeet…!"
The smoke cleared up and revealed a fainted Forretress. Brock quickly rushed to him and used a Super Potion to heal his wounds. "You were amazing, Forretress. Thank you so much for your help."
"Fooor…"
"We got the crystal! Now we need to hurry back to the lake!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika pika!"
XXXXXXXXXX
We returned to the lake with everyone except Zapdos cheering at the sight of the crystal. Ash took the risk of diving into the lake and put the crystal back on the pedestal in the underwater shrine. When he came up back to the surface, we saw no glow from the crystal.
Pikachu got an idea and called for the other electric Pokémon to follow him underwater. It turned out all the crystal needed to be activated was a boost from electric moves. Ash got out of the lake just before it got full of electric current. The crystal glow returned to the lake, bringing it back to life.
We worked together to gently push Zapdos into the lake so it could recharge and heal after all the damage it took from Team Rocket. A big shock was when the glow from the crystal disappeared just as Zapdos went underwater. Before we knew it, the electric Pokémon worked together to recharge the crystal with all their strength.
The water splashed up when Zapdos flew out of the lake, fully recharged and even gave the crystal some of its electricity to make sure it would never run out dry again. Zapdos shrieked and stared at us before it took off with the thunderclouds, going on an adventure unknown to us.
We left the lake by the sunset and once again promised Krystal we were going to keep our lips shut from ever speaking about the Crystal Lake guarded by Zapdos.
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Ashley's party:
Cedric the Pupitar (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Lily the Espeon (female)
Queendra the Seadra (female)
Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)
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Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Trica the Furret (female)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Axel the Scyther (male)
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Ashley's roaming Pokémon:
Crystal the Suicune (genderless)
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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Heracross (male)
Phanpy (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Snorlax (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Croconaw (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's roaming Pokémon:
Entei (genderless)
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Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Poliwhirl (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
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Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)