Chapter 103, everybody! Success, we're back! :D
In other news Lt. Surge would probably vibe hard with Burt from Tremors and by extent would hang with Blaine but for his love of the smell of napalm—er, ozone in the morning. Also time to discuss another way the League handles the fact that Giovanni is AWOL as a gym leader. Squirtle, meanwhile, is referencing "Dragostea Din Tei" by O-Zone, and yes you know that song. He's also possibly referencing Footloose, while Rainy the Pikachu is quoting The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Moving on, Lt. Surge is referencing the real reason the Porygon episode got banned, and that was from the strobe effect caused by Pikachu's attack. He's also quoting something I saw somewhere else but can't quite remember where—original quote is the man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one. As for Squirtle...yes, there are Squirtle that can use Zap Cannon, from the NYC Pokémon Center as an event 'mon back for Gen II.
In other news: thanks to LongNightDragon, Dragonkeeper10, BlastShooter87, thor94, Speed Reader, Horseman trash, kazikamikaze24, Cyan Quartz, Urdeadnotbigsurprise, griffin blackwood, ZeroExia, Nai Darkor, Mr-Luca-Wolf, and Pinkypi for the reviews! Love how excited everyone gets when Giovanni shows up. XD
Pokémon © Game Freak; Nintendo
And now, for something completely different:
The Pokémon League would like to once again remind you to exercise caution when handling Electric Pokémon. Pokémon Centers report that over eighty-three percent of all electricity-related incidents come from mishandling of Electric Pokémon. The remaining incidents come from antagonizing Electric Pokémon, handling stripped wires, playing around with toasters, and putting paper clips into electric outlets.
Vermillion was a welcome sight several days later.
"Oh good," Misty sighed. "At least we know there's no crazy gangs here."
"Can you imagine if they tried?" Ash asked. "Lt. Surge would wipe them out and send them flying like how Team Rocket did."
"I still have questions about the giant mechs," Darkrai said, floating alongside them.
"I do too, but in other news," Brock said, turning to the rest of them. "Remember how Lt. Surge covered self-defense? I think it's worth asking for another lesson."
Ash groaned at that. "I don't want to be in a headlock again."
"I want to disagree too, but I don't want a repeat of Dark City," Misty sighed. "We'll ask—maybe we'll be lucky and he'll say no."
"Don't hold your breath," Darkrai counseled.
They didn't even get the chance to ask—the nurse recognized them from before, and as she took their Pokémon back she informed them that they were expected over at the gym.
Lt. Surge was waiting for them outside his gym when they headed over.
"I told the nurse to call me when you kids came back through—how's the gym run been going?" Lt. Surge asked when they were near enough.
"The only badge I need is Giovanni's," Ash reported.
"HA! Good, I'd hate to hear anything less from the kid that beat me," Lt. Surge said. "Come in, have lunch, I'll let you know how your Pikachu's developing and we can go over how your self-defense is going."
"If I mention I have a Magnemite, does that cut into the self-defense time?" Ash asked.
"Oh that line's a solid one—and no, it doesn't."
"Worth a shot," Ash muttered.
After some deliberation at the computer Ash sent Frenzy back to Professor Oak's to swap in his Magnemite, on the basis that Parasect didn't learn any Electric moves.
"Besides, Frenzy doesn't need anything extra," Misty muttered.
After getting to watch Frenzy in action, Lt. Surge had to agree.
"Did you have that bug when you battled me?" he asked Ash; upon Ash nodding: "My first question is why didn't you use him."
"Well when I started it was because I had just caught him and was trying to strategize," Ash admitted. "After seeing what he's capable of...honestly I've started holding him in reserve so I can have a fair fight."
"For League-sanctioned fights, sure, but keep that bug in reserve for protection—that'd give anyone PTSD."
"So we actually have done that," Ash pointed out.
"Good, and for your legal safety don't tell me any more than that," Lt. Surge said, putting a hand to Ash's shoulder. "Now, moving on."
Moving on, in short order Lt. Surge had them outside in a practice field, a Pikachu named Rainy in front of a line of their own 'mons with the intent that they learn Rain Dance.
"That's a Water-type move," Misty pointed out.
"And Water specialists aren't the only ones who use it," Lt. Surge told her. "What can you kids tell me about the move Thunder?"
"It's got a high base damage but terrible accuracy," Brock said.
"Exactly—except when it's raining. When it rains, Thunder hits every single time, regardless of accuracy or evasion." Point at his Pokémon. "You're close enough to qualify for the League, and if you need to get in with only seven badges I'll vouch for you—but at this point you need to start thinking of setups when you battle."
"Like how Blaine used Will-O-Wisp as a field hazard," Ash said.
"I still need to hear the story of how you found him, but yes. Now your Eevee can't learn Thunder but it can learn Rain Dance, which means you can use it to set up for the rest of your team. As for the rest, they can all learn Thunder and a few other Electric moves, but we'll start with this combo."
"Plus it'd be good for Lenny," Misty said. "Since Rain Dance boosts the damage Water-type moves do."
"Which one is that?" Lt. Surge asked; Ash pointed Lenny the Gyarados out. "Might consider teaching him Hurricane too."
"Preferably away from towns and cities," Brock added.
"Gyah," Lenny noised.
Lt. Surge took the trainers aside to teach them self-defense moves (they all agreed that those were probably Fighting-type moves) as the rest of them learned how to dance.
"I'm still not sure how this helps," Pikachu said. "Or even works—how does dancing cause rain?"
"You have to believe!" Rainy said, striking a pose. "Think grace, poise—turn all your thoughts to bringing a storm down and allow that to move through you!"
"Now I have more questions."
"Oh hush and feel the rhythm," Squirtle said, dancing around and singing something about Numel, which didn't strike Pikachu as helpful. At least the trainers were doing something that looked marginally useful.
"Ooh I like that one," Gengar noised, watching Ash squirm out of a hold Lt. Surge had on him. "Hey Pikachu let's do that."
"This isn't going to involve me getting choked, will it?" Pikachu asked. "Because if it is I might as well stay with the dancing class."
"The dancing isn't choking you," Bulbasaur pointed out.
"You're only saying that because you don't learn the move."
"While we're at it, why do I learn the move?" Zubat asked. "I can get Oddish or any of the Water types knowing it, I can even sort of get Drowzee learning it. I can't even see to dance—I don't even have feet!"
"Y—then how do you perch?" Drowzee demanded of her.
"Okay maybe I have feet but I don't use them that often."
"Fly around a bit while we get a beat going," Rainy told her. "What it is with dancing is, you get a beat going, you find the rhythm, and then you let it flow."
"Yeah, FEEL IT!" Squirtle bellowed. "LET'S DANCE!"
They watched him go for a few minutes. "Well he's a little confused, but he's got the spirit," Rainy said.
"That's pretty much how he is all the time," Pikachu informed them. "I don't think he has an off switch."
"He does, it just involves blunt-force trauma," Bulbasaur sighed.
By the time Lt. Surge had refreshed them all on their basic defensive moves, several of the Pokémon had gotten Rain Dance, happily running around and sliding on the slick floors. Lt. Surge released a Golduck, who canceled out the rain, gathered everyone up once the disappointed groans were done.
"Now Zap Cannon is going to be a move that only a few of your 'mons are going to be able to learn," Lt. Surge said, picking 'mons out of the lineup until Pikachu, Lenny, Gengar, Drowzee, Staryu, and Magnemite were in front of his Electabuzz. "Its accuracy is arguably worse than Thunder, but it's easily one of the strongest Electric attacks and it'll Paralyze your opponent when it does hit. Show 'em, Sarge."
The Electabuzz roared before facing the target, building up an impressive charge before firing it in a solid beam so bright it left specks dancing in Ash's eyes.
It had also left a smoking crater where a target used to be.
"Oh that's cool," Ash noised as several Magneton floated a fresh target over.
"Isn't it? Now while Sarge is going over that, we'll be going over strategy."
"On how to use it in battle?"
"More like how to use it in a fight," Lt. Surge said, eyeing them. "Show of hands, how many of you are still seeing spots from that attack?" Didn't seem surprised at everyone raising their hands. "With Electric types specifically, there'll be a lot of bright lights, flashes, strobe effects—this can be a detriment to both sides, so you need to be able to keep an eye on your Pokémon and recognize the tells for when they're about to fire off an Electric move and react accordingly. Here," he said when Magnemite floated up after some coaching from Electabuzz. "If the move fires off correctly, you'll be noticing sparks building up—now."
Ash squinched his eyes shut, still could see bright light searing his eyelids red—
Did not see Magnemite when he opened his eyes.
"That move doesn't vaporize Pokémon, does it?" Misty asked.
"Not usually the ones using it, no," Lt. Surge said, looking at his Electabuzz, who looked over at the wall opposite the target—
Where a dazed Magnemite was falling out of a Magnemite-shaped hole.
"Ah," Lt. Surge noised. "Maybe we also cover Newton's three laws."
"Wasn't aware Zap Cannon had recoil damage," Brock said, amused.
Ash checked his Pokédex. "It's not supposed to—hey Misty! Muk could learn it!"
"Absolutely not," Misty said flatly.
"I'd rather you didn't, I'd have to have the gym open for a week to get the smell out," Lt. Surge said.
Ash caught Pikachu getting ready to fire off, closed his eyes and turned his head this time. "Actually Muk doesn't smell all that bad—Misty used some of Erika's perfume on it and that worked."
"Get out—that seriously cancelled out a Muk's stench?" Lt. Surge asked, baffled—affected a middle-distance stare when they affirmed this. "I might have to apologize to her next gym leader meeting."
"And for legal safety reasons I don't want to discuss why I don't want to teach Muk any more moves," Misty said—closed her eyes when Staryu fired off a Zap Cannon. "It'd be like teaching Frenzy more moves. You're throwing jet fuel on a forest fire, basically."
"Remind me to call you two the next time we get invaded," Lt. Surge said.
"I have concerns that you think this is an inevitability," Brock said, shielding his eyes when Drowzee managed to fire off a weak Zap Cannon. Electabuzz coached him some more, prompting Drowzee to nod and fire again.
"The man who sleeps with a Honedge is a fool every night but one. Besides, I've been hearing something about people using giant mechs lately, I knew this day would come."
"Actually we know those people," Misty said. "We're pretty sure they're mostly harmless—Squirtle you're a Water type, I don't think you can learn this move."
Squirtle waved her off, flexed when Electabuzz questioned him—psyched himself up before sucking into his shell and spinning it around—started sparking, oddly enough—
Bounced, landed with the front of his shell facing in the target's general direction, and fired a Zap Cannon—an act so baffling that nobody remembered to shield their eyes.
"So I was not expecting that," Ash said when his eyesight finally cleared; Squirtle was still bouncing around the mat and shooting finger guns at everyone. "Squirtle can learn Zap Cannon?"
"Very, very rarely—think I only ever heard of one other instance," Lt. Surge said. "And you," he said, pointing at Squirtle. "That's all well and good, but work on your aim."
"Squirt," Squirtle noised, rubbing his head and looking sheepish.
"Well that was definitely something, at least," Brock said.
The rest of the move tutoring went without incident, Lt. Surge coaching them through defensive moves and using the timing of their Pokémon's moves to better gain the advantage over their opponents. Just about everyone knew to close their eyes when their opponent hollered for Flash, but people rarely gave the same consideration to Electric attacks, he informed them.
By the end of the day, pretty much everyone, be it trainer or Pokémon, was exhausted, Ash painfully aware of some muscles he hadn't realized even existed before today.
"That's probably enough for today anyway," Lt. Surge announced. "Come on to the mess, we'll get some dinner into you kids and then rest up."
"Sold," Brock said, waving wearily from his position of splayed out on the floor.
"Togepi, what are you doing?" Misty asked, spotting Togepi toddling over to the mat by the Electabuzz. It seemed amused enough, looked like it was coaching Togepi on the move—
Fell back in alarm with the rest of them when Togepi fired a Zap Cannon at the target and hit it dead center.
"Toki-priii!" Togepi cheered as they recovered.
"Okay," Misty said, watching as Pikachu led Togepi away from the mat, probably telling it okay you graded out of the class good job. "I thought Muk was problematic, but now I have concerns about Togepi."
"No one ever suspects the little cute ones," Lt. Surge said sagely, giving his Pichu Shocky the eye.
"Pi," Shocky agreed.