Chapter 11; test of growth
Night was falling fast in Vermillion city as people and pokemon walked the streets. Everything looked perfectly normal. So normal that no one noticed 2 shadowy figures walking outside of the city in the darkness heading for the power plant separately.
Sonic with Pikachu on his shoulder walked stealthily through the woods careful not to be seen despite no one being around. Once the fence of the power plant was in view he noticed his friend waiting there with his hood on.
"Finally" Tails joked.
"Are we ready?" Sonic asked him.
"Only one way to find out" Tails said as he took out the copy card and scanned it. The lock accepted the card and was opened.
"Are you sure your cousin won't be under suspicion?"
"They won't be able to trace the card to anyone. So they won't be able to blame anyone. Most likely they will just hire a security guard or something" Tails said.
"Put this on" Sonic said giving him a face cloth "just in case".
"Ok but you're being paranoid you know that?" Tails complained putting it on "there's no one here but us. Why would anyone go to a power plant in the middle of the night?"
The two friends made their way to the central building intending to find the main generator and connect Pikachu to it so it could absorb some of the electricity and hopefully grow in power. Using the key card again they silently opened the door.
"See? Easy peasy" Tails gloated.
They started walking silently through the dark corridors heading for the main reactor room. While turning on a narrow corridor with what seemed like a storage room, they saw the light of a flashlight waving up and down at the other end.
"A guard!" Sonic whispered in panic.
"How? They shouldn't have guards!" Tails whispered in silence as well.
They turned to leave but saw another flashlight light shining on the other end of the hall.
"Damn! We're trapped!" Tails whispered in terror.
Sonic however already had an idea.
"Not yet!" he whispered grabbing Tails and dragging him to the storage room.
They silently opened the door but cleaning equipment came out crashing on the floor. Panicking they looked inside but it was too narrow for them to fit in there.
"Now what?" Tails asked Sonic.
The 2 guards turned the hallway and saw each other's flashlight in the distance as well as the mess on the floor. They slowly approached and looked at it and then inside the storage room.
"The cleaner was too bored to store them properly again" one of them said in disappointment.
"No way I'm cleaning them up this time" the second one said "let's just report to the boss tomorrow and have him reprimanded".
"Boss will just say that it was our job since it's our shift".
"Argh. Fine. Let's finish the round and come back later".
The two passed by each other and left the hallway. Sonic and Tails who were floating in the air thanks to Kadabra's psychic powers were slowly placed on the floor, while Kadabra who was hiding behind the door in the storage room came out floating and was recalled.
"Quick thinking" Tails said taking silent deep breaths to shake the adrenaline off.
"Ready to admit this was a bad idea?" Sonic asked.
"A bad one no. But it was crazy" Tails admitted "anyway let's go. We're almost there".
They continued and found the door to the main generator room which Tails opened with the key card. The room was huge and the generator massive.
"Hm… I'll need a while to set everything up" he said taking out equipment from his backpack while Sonic went to the door to keep guard.
10 minutes went by incredibly nervously for the duo as Tails worked as hard as possible while Sonic prayed they wouldn't check the room. Eventually he heard Tails' victorious silent screech.
"Everything's set!" he whispered in excitement "let's do it".
Sonic nodded and sent out Pikachu whom he had recalled earlier as to make Kadabra's job of lifting them easier. Tails got to work connecting the ends of the cords to Pikachu's cheeks and then went back to his console.
"Alright. The voltmeter is connected to Pikachu's voltage. Once the current starts flowing through him he should start becoming empowered. If all goes well his thunder shock will release enough power to transform into thunderbolt" Tails explained.
"Ready Pikachu?" Sonic asked it.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu cried out excited in the prospect of learning a powerful move and finally evolving.
"All right. Connecting the circuit… now!" Tails said.
The reactor started roaring.
"Don't worry" he screamed at Sonic over the sound of the reactor "the room is soundproof! They won't hear a thing!"
The power started flowing through the cords entering Pikachu's body and leaving the same way form the other side.
"Pikachu thunder shock!"
Pikachu fired one thunder shock for test purposes.
"40.000 volts! It's working! Let's give it some more juice!" he said cranking the switch up sending more current through Pikachu which started glowing.
"Are you sure this won't hurt Pikachu?!" Sonic asked over the sound of the reactor.
"Positive! Fire again!"
"Thunder shock!"
Thunder shock was discharged once again.
"70.000! We're almost there!" Tails screamed cranking up the juice even more.
Pikachu however finally running out of patience started firing thunder shocks over and over, some of them hitting the generator.
"80.000! 82! 88!"
Uh Tails?!"
"Almost there! 93! 95! 97!"
"Tails! The generator!"
Tails reacted a second too late. The thunder shocks from Pikachu had weakened the generator's wall. The explosion occurred the moment Tails' finger was pressing the button to stop the current. Debris was sent all over the room. Sonic dived to grab Pikachu and shield it with his body as Tails also took cover. Once the dust settled they saw the result of their actions.
"Oh no!" Tails screamed accidentally as he got used to it over the roaring of the reactor.
The next moment the lights coming from the city entering from the ceiling windows as well as a window on the side of the room disappeared.
"No, no, no, no!" Sonic muttered as he run to that window.
"Damnit!" he screamed "we caused a blackout!"
"What? This shouldn't happen! This facility has a backup generator why isn't it on?!"
Suddenly the duo saw flashlight lights flickering from the main door's windows. Thinking fast, Sonic recalled Pikachu and grabbed a piece of debris and broke the side window as he and Tails jumped out and made a run for it.
To their luck all the guards –"they shouldn't have guards huh?" Sonic said to Tails as they run away while seeing them abandoning their posts and enter the power plant. The outside door was unlocked due to the luck of electricity. They got out and run into the woods as fast as they could not stopping even when they started running out of breath.
Eventually they got out of the woods and onto a hill with view of the darkened city. Dropping on the grass they both coughed trying to catch their breath. After finally breathing normally they laid on the grass with Pikachu coming out of its pokeball on its own and seeing the darkened city in curiosity.
"Go ahead" Tails said in disappointment "say that my idea was crazy".
"Your idea was crazy" Sonic said "but it was working. What were you thinking Pikachu?!" he snapped yelling at his pokemon.
"Pika pika! Pikachu!" it cried back at him.
"This is your fault for not letting me evolve!" a voice came out of Tails' voltmeter.
"What the..?!" Sonic and Tails said at the same time.
"Did Pikachu's voice come out of the voltmeter?" Sonic asked him confused.
"I think so" Tails said rubbing his chin "we're talking about a living creature here. A creature with electricity in its very DNA. Maybe it can communicate through the voltage readings. As to how it becomes a voice I do not know. But hey maybe you two can finally talk things out" he concluded.
Sonic was dumbfounded but wasted no time.
"What were you thinking? We were so close to finally having you learn thunderbolt!"
"I don't care about thunderbolt!" the voice came out of the voltmeter as Pikachu kept crying out its name "I want to evolve! I joined you because you said you understood me!"
"I do understand you! But we promised to take it one step at a time!"
"Yes to wherever the path leads us! And it lead us to the thunderstone! And you won't let me use it!"
"Don't you understand?! This is bigger than just evolving! You saw what that Nidoking did to our friends! Next time maybe we won't be so lucky!"
Pikachu was looking at him in rage.
"I hate you!"
Sonic's eyes widened in shock. He looked down in sadness, not seeing Pikachu in shock as well after realizing what it said.
"Maybe this was a mistake" Sonic murmured "maybe you joining me was a mistake"
"No. I'm sorry I didn't mean that".
"You did" Sonic said taking out Pikachu's pokeball intending to forcibly recall it.
"No!"
Before Sonic could press the button though a large lightning bolt landed between him and Pikachu as something bright and yellow lighted the night. Looking up they saw none other than…
"ZAPDOS!" Tails screamed in terror.
Zapdos let out a cry and unleashed another lightning bolt aimed at Sonic. He dived to dodge sending out Kadabra to fight back.
"Psybeam!"
Kadabra unleashed the psybeam but Zapdos dodged and flew closer fast as its peck shined white. Kadabra reacted before it could think creating a defensive barrier that blocked the move.
"It tried to use drill peck!" Tails said identifying the move.
"And Kadabra learned and used reflect!" Sonic said in awe.
Zapdos however continued on undeterred creating rocks out of nowhere and throwing them at the reflect breaking it and knocking out Kadabra.
"That was ancient power!" Tails said in shock "this Zapdos is too strong! We need to run!"
They attempted to run for the woods but Zapdos blocked their escape by firing another lightning bolt almost causing a fire. They were really boxed in.
"We can't risk entering the forest! A lightning bolt can easily start a fire!" Sonic said.
"Then what do we do?!" Tails asked him as Zapdos prepared another attack.
"Wartortle!" Sonic yelled as he called it out "rock tomb!"
Rock tomb connected before Zapdos could finish its attack knocking it down.
"Pikachu get out of here!" Sonic said over his shoulder to Pikachu.
Pikachu was just frozen there. Its conflicted feelings kept it from firing thunder shock to help.
Zapdos soared back up without a scratch and fired a massive lightning bolt at Wartortle knocking it back towards Sonic. It landed on top of him causing the thunder stone to roll out of his backpack and on the grass. Pikachu saw it raced for it. Zapdos used ancient power again not aimed at Sonic but at Pikachu. Pikachu dodged the attack with ease using quick attack and dived for the thunder stone.
But it was too slow.
One of the boulders fired by ancient power landed on the thunder stone and rolled away leaving behind only shards.
"Noooo!" the voice came out of the voltmeter as Pikachu cried out into the night in despair.
Zapdos observed this for a moment then got ready to launch another thunderbolt. Sonic realizing he was about to relive his dream in real life dived in front of Pikachu.
"Sonic no!" Tails screamed knowing that he wouldn't survive it.
The thunderbolt was discharged and struck Sonic head on who screamed and writhed on the ground in pain. Pikachu saw it occur with its paws on the thunder stone shards.
"Pika pi!" it cried out into the night as Tails also heard the voltmeter "not my friend!"
Pikachu used thunder shock at Zapdos who barely didn't flinch. To Tails's shock who picked up the voltmeter he saw at the screen the reading of 50000 volts in that attack. Pikachu fired thunder shock again this time causing Zapdos to stop its attack on Sonic and turn back to it. The reading this time showed 77525 volts.
"What the….?" Tails said confused as Pikachu fired a more powerful electric attack surpassing the 100000 volt mark and rising, resulting in the voltmeter breaking. Sonic who was slightly twitching from the attack saw it and painfully took out his pokedex and recorded the attack as it was fired again.
"Last move…?" He asked weakly.
"Last recorded move…. Thunderbolt".
"You did it" Sonic whispered proud.
Pikachu who had realized what happened looked in confidence at Zapdos and cried out its name again.
"Pika pi! Pikachu! Rai!" it cried out as the stone shards were absorbed into its body which started glowing causing both Sonic and Tails' eyes to widen.
They witnessed the spectacle as the ears' shape changed, the tail grew longer its body became larger. And in a moment's notice the glowing stopped.
"Raaaiiiii!" the cry echoed into the night.
"No way" Tails said "it evolved… with a broken stone!"
"Raichu" Sonic whispered as a tear left his eye.
Raichu fired a thunderbolt at Zapdos. It fired back. The thunderbolts collided and miraculously Raichu's thunderbolt broke throught damaging Zadpos. The two electric types stared at each other and, with Sonic and Tails observing wondering, exchanged small electric surges as if they were communicating. Zapdos then cried out one last time and flew towards the power plant where it fired a thunderbolt into one of the rooms causing the lights at the power plant as well as the city to be restored.
"Woah. The backup generator must have not been running. Zapdos actually powered it up for everyone. And I think Pika – I mean Raichu asked that of it".
Sonic looked at his pokemon in pride.
"Good job buddy" he whispered as his eyes closed.
When he opened his eyes he was in an apartment room lying on a bed. On his side was Raichu sleeping peacefully.
Tails came in right after.
"Oh finally you're awake. I was so worried".
"Where… where are we?"
"My cousin's place. He will be staying at his girlfriend's for today so we're good. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a train running at the speed of a plane in flight" Sonic said half joking half serious.
"How is this possible?" Tails asked rhetorically "you got struck by a thunderbolt from a legendary pokemon of lightning and survived just with feeling like that?"
"Maybe I got lucky and the current didn't go through my heart" Sonic guessed.
"Doubt it. But anyway. We should stay low for today so you can heal and the whole ordeal with the plan be forgotten".
"I agree" Sonic said in pain "hey um… did you happen to buy another voltmeter since yours broke?"
"You want me to test Raichu's power so you can break this one too?"
"I mean…"
"Relax I'm kidding. This one is better that the last one. Honestly I think I will have the time of my life here. The amount of electricity that can run through the electrical devices here is out of the charts. Anyway give me a moment" he said going to bring the voltmeter as Sonic got up.
"Hey Raichu?" he began speaking "do you forgive me for saying our encounter was a mistake?"
"Rai" it cried out in happiness as it rubbed its face on Sonic's leg accidentally zapping him again.
"Ouch. Wow that is some power" he said joking.
After Tails prepared Raichu it instructed it to strike at an electrically insulated screwdriver he also bought so that the power could be tested safely. Raichu fired the thunderbolt. A huge number appeared on the screen of the voltmeter.
"200000 VOLTS?!" Tails yelled in shock.
"Is that high?!" Sonic asked him.
"Ask your pokedex" Tails replied before falling back on an armchair in shock.
Sonic intrigued took out his pokedex and took a photo of Raichu,
"Raichu, the electric mouse pokemon. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. Raichu's tail is used as a ground to protect it from its own high voltage power. Raichu can store more than 100000 volts of electricity in its body".
"Wait" Sonic said in realization "so… if the dex says this… and the meter's reading is accurate…"
"Your Raichu is twice as strong as most others of its kind" Tails completed his phrase "it was strong enough to rival Zapdos!"
"Woah" Sonic said looking at Raichu in awe again "how can this be?" he asked Tails.
"I don't know. But it must be something about you two. Striking a ground type with electric moves and harming them, surviving a thunderbolt from Zapdos, Raichu being twice as strong… something about you two makes you a unique duo".
Sonic contemplated this thought.
"It really was destiny we met Raichu" he said kneeling down to meet it in the eyes "I'm sure of it now. Our common path is just beginning. Would you walk it with me… partner?"
Raichu hugged Sonic in joyful tears as Tails looked on.
"Yes buddy" Sonic thought "this is only the start of our adventures".
