I apologize for the delay, everyone. I both got motivated to write a Sonic X fanfic after seeing the first official trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and I caught a cold around the same time.
I thought long and hard whether I should include the mini-arc with Ash receiving a Larvitar egg from Professor Elm and later leave the hatched Larvitar with its mother. I've decided I will skip that, partially because Ash never caught Larvitar (which he should have) and Ashley currently have a Pupitar on her.
But who knows; maybe Ash will obtain a Tyranitar in the future.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 50: Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid
We made a mutual agreement to take a flying taxi to the closest town to Mt. Silver so we were in a safe distance away from the location of the Silver Conference. That way, we could rush there and register so we could take part of the competition after we were done with our training.
Ash and I trained our Pokémon for the upcoming Pokémon League and focused on how to best cover their weaknesses. I paid special attention to Sora as she was still young but could become a big asset in the League if she were to evolve into a Dragonair.
Right now, we were taking a break having a nice lunch. Sora hummed in delight while she ate her share. "Do you like it, Sora?" I asked after I ate my share of stew.
"Kyuu!" Sora nodded, smiling with her big eyes.
"Sora's been energetic lately", Ash chuckled.
"If I didn't know better, I think she's about to evolve", Brock pointed out.
"Really?" Misty wondered.
"Yes, because Sora has been shedding her skin a lot lately", I explained. "It's a sign when either a Dratini or Dragonair is getting ready to evolve."
"Wow, that means both you and Ash will soon be proud owners of rare Dragonairs", Misty giggled.
"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped happily from the redhead's knees.
"Yep, and then it's just a matter of time before they'll evolve into Dragonites", Ash grinned.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded and took his last bite of his food. His cheeks suddenly sparkled and he snapped his head toward some bushes.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash wondered.
The bushes rustled until a yellow and black Pokémon stepped out of them. "Elee!"
"It's an Elekid!" I gasped in surprise, not expecting to find such a rare Pokémon.
"That's so cool!" Ash smiled before he grabbed his Pokédex.
Elekid, the electric Pokémon. Electric-type. It rotates its arms to generate electricity, but it tires easily, so it only charges up a little bit. Even in the most vicious storm, this Pokémon plays happily if thunder rumbles in the sky.
The black stripes on Elekid reminded me strongly of Casey, one of my and Ash's first Johto rivals. She was very obsessed with the baseball team Electabuzz and really wanted to have an Electabuzz of her own.
"Elee!" Elekid stomped confidently to Sora's bowl and grabbed the last piece of fodder and ate it right in front of her face.
"Kyu kyuu!" Sora shrieked in disbelief that somebody ate up the last of her food.
"Hey, you can't take somebody else's food!" Misty scolded the baby Pokémon.
"Ele!" Elekid ignored her and gave Sora a couple of friendly claps on her back. I was surprised to see a wild Pokémon treating one of our Pokémon like it was an old friend.
"Huh… Elekid seems to like Sora", Ash commented.
"Yeah", I nodded, confused by the circumstances.
"Do you guys think it's wild or caught by somebody?" Misty wondered.
"I think it's a wild one 'cause a Trainer would've showed up by now", Brock hummed.
Next thing we knew, a large net surrounded Sora and Elekid and pulled them up in the air. We all gasped and looked up, not exactly surprised at all when we saw the culprits. "Team Rocket!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu hissed aggressively.
"Hello, twerps! We'll be taking these Pokémon, thank you very much!" Meowth cackled from the air balloon with a pair of propellers attached on the side of the basket.
"Two rare Pokémon like these will surely give us a promotion!" Jessie laughed.
"So say goodbye to your little friends!" James shouted.
"Not so fast!" Ash growled and threw a Poké Ball, summoning Bayleef. "Bayleef, use Razor Leaf to free Sora and Elekid!"
"Baaay!" Bayleef swung her leaf, sending multiple sharp leaves toward the net. To our horror, the leaves bounced off the net and barely made a single scratch.
Meowth laughed amusingly. "Try all you want! This net is made by reinforced steel!"
James threw a Poké Ball calling out his Weezing. "Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
"Wheeeez!" Weezing breathed a thick smokescreen that engulfed and forced us to cover our mouths. The smokescreen soon dissipated, revealing a clear sky with no signs of Team Rocket.
"Sora!" I shouted worriedly.
"We've gotta go look for Team Rocket and save Sora and Elekid!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!"
"Baay!"
"But where do we even start looking? Did any of you see which direction Team Rocket fled to?" Misty asked.
"I couldn't see a single thing through that smokescreen", Brock shook his head.
The bushes rustled again and this time a large green Pokémon with a rose petal mane popped its head out. "Mega mega!"
"A Meganium!" I exclaimed in disbelief. It was another rare Pokémon in the wild. What was this day; the Rare Pokémon Convention?
"It looks similar to Bayleef", Ash commented.
"Bay bay!"
"It's because Bayleef evolves into Meganium", I explained and grabbed my Pokédex to show him data.
Meganium, the herb Pokémon. Grass-type. The evolved form of Bayleef. Meganium's breath has the power to revive dead grass and plants. The aroma that rises from its petals contains a substance that calms aggressive feelings.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Ash smiled widely. "So this is what you will evolve into someday, Bayleef!"
"Baay!" Bayleef smiled.
"Doesn't this Meganium seem familiar?" Misty questioned.
"You're right, Misty", Brock nodded. "The fact it approached us makes me think it might know us."
"Meganium!" a familiar voice called out before Casey showed up. "There you are… Hey, guys!"
"Casey!" Ash greeted.
"It's been ages!" Case smiled. "How have you been?"
"Not so good right now…", I mumbled, remembering that Sora got stolen.
Casey's eyes softened. "What happened?"
"Team Rocket showed up and stole Ashley's Dratini and an Elekid that showed up by our campsite", Ash explained.
Casey gasped loudly. "An Elekid?! It ended up with you guys?!"
"Were you looking for it, Casey?" Brock wondered.
"Yeah! I finally got a clue on where I could find an Elekid, so Meganium and I went straight to this area looking for it!" the baseball fangirl explained. "I can't believe Team Rocket stole my future Pokémon! I'm gonna launch them out of the field for more than three homeruns!"
"Meega!" Meganium growled.
"But first we need to find them", Ash said.
I snapped my fingers as I remembered something. "Electric Pokémon can communicate through electrical waves. If Pikachu sends out waves to Elekid, maybe it will respond and Pikachu can follow its waves to where they are."
"That's a great idea, Ashley!" Ash nodded. "Pikachu, think you can do that?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. He closed his eyes and made his cheeks sparkle gently. We waited anxiously for a reply which felt like it took forever. Pikachu snapped his eyes wide open and ran ahead. "Pika pika!"
"Alright, Pikachu actually found Elekid!" Ash cheered as he recalled Bayleef.
"Let's go! We've got some Pokémon to rescue!" Casey yelled.
I ran ahead with Pikachu, worried a lot about Sora. She was still a young Pokémon and I didn't want her to go through horrible things with Team Rocket. We ran through the woods until Pikachu pointed up at the sky. Team Rocket's air balloon was actually floating toward our direction with Elekid and Sora still trapped in their net.
"Sora!" I yelled.
"There's my Elekid!" Casey gasped.
"Kyuu kyuu!" Sora chirped.
"Ele elee!" Elekid flailed in the net.
"Hey, where'd the twerps come from?!" James gasped in shock.
"Meowth, don't you have any sense of direction?!" Jessie growled at her comrade.
"I forgot my compass…", Meowth laughed sheepishly.
"Meganium, use Razor Leaf!" Casey yelled.
"Meee-ga!" Meganium fired several leaves at the net and successfully cut it, but that resulted with Sora and Elekid falling down to who knew where.
Brock threw his Fast Ball calling out Forretress. "Forretress, use Rapid Spin on Team Rocket's balloon!"
"Foooorr!" Forretress spun his body while launching himself toward the hot air balloon. He slashed the side of the balloon and caused it to fly away like a jet plane, disappearing far in the sky.
I rushed toward the direction where Sora and Elekid fell. To my horror, I found the net hanging on the side of a cliff and there were no signs of the Pokémon. "Sora! Elekid!" I yelled from the top of the cliff, feeling very anxious about them.
"Oh no! They must've fallen down the cliff when the net got caught here and ripped apart!" Misty gasped.
"Let's find a way down this cliff quick!" Ash urged.
We found a path leading us down the cliff, but Sora and Elekid were nowhere to be found. "They're not here!" Ash gasped.
"Sora!" I shouted, hoping she could hear my voice. "Sora, where are you?!"
Brock hummed while rubbing his chin. "Do you think Elekid is making Sora go with it?"
"But where to?" I asked, my voice cracking by my emotions. "And what might Elekid want with Sora?"
"Pikachu, think you can track down Elekid with electrical waves?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. He made his cheeks sparkle and it didn't take long before he snapped up Elekid's electrical waves. "Pika pikachu!"
"Great! Show us the way, Pikachu!" Ash smiled.
Pikachu ran ahead with us right behind his tail. We must have run at least one kilometer when Pikachu suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. His body became very relaxed and he made noises like he was under some kind of hypnosis. "P-Pikaaa…"
"Hey, Pikachu! What's the matter?" Ash asked, gently rubbing his Pokémon's back.
I smelled the air when I caught the scent of something sweet. I thought it came from Meganium, but she looked just as dazed as Pikachu. "M-Megaaa…"
"Meganium is acting weird!" Casey pointed out.
Without any forewarning, Pikachu and Meganium wandered off to the woods. "Pikachu?" Ash called after his partner.
"Togi togi togi togi togiprii!" Togepi chirped eagerly in Misty's arms, flailing about.
"Togepi, what's wrong?" Misty asked concernedly.
"Don't you smell this sweet scent?" I spoke up.
Brock loudly smelled the air. "A Pokémon nearby is using Sweet Scent!"
"Is that why Meganium and Pikachu are acting weird?" Casey asked.
"If Sora and Elekid are close by, they might get attracted by the sweet scent too!" Misty exclaimed.
"Let's go and check! I'm so worried about Sora!" I called out before I ran after Pikachu and Meganium.
It didn't take long to find the culprit of the Sweet Scent. A Weepinbell sat on a stump releasing the sweet aroma that had attracted our Pokémon including Elekid and Sora. "Look, there's our Pokémon!" Ash shouted in relief.
"And my Elekid!" Casey smiled.
"That Weepinbell is attracting them with its Sweet Scent!" Brock spotted the wild Pokémon.
Not one second after he said that, Sora and Elekid fell into a pitfall right in front of Weepinbell. "Sora!" I screamed worriedly. I ran past Pikachu and Meganium who shook their heads after Weepinbell stopped using Sweet Scent. I didn't think much because I ended up next in a pitfall in front of the first one.
"Ashley!" the others cried out.
I grunted by my sore body. I should have known better this was a trap set up by Team Rocket! But when did they get a Weepinbell? I knew James had a Victreebel, but it was impossible for Pokémon to devolve into their previous form.
I could hear the chaos above the ground while I tried climbing out of my prison.
"Rattatas! The twin-twerp ruined our plan!" Meowth snarled.
"Team Rocket, give us back Sora and Elekid!" Ash demanded.
"Like we'll ever do that!" Jessie cackled.
"Hey! Can somebody help me?!" I shouted.
I flinched when explosions erupted in a battle and Pokémon cries. I yelped when I felt a rope tickling my back, so I looked up and saw Brock and Misty holding the other end. "Climb up, Ashley!" Brock yelled.
I grabbed the rope and climbed upward as fast as I could. Misty took my hands and helped me get up at the last step just as a shower of Arbok's Poison Sting flew right past us. I nearly fell back into the pitfall, but Misty pulled me back before I could trip over the edge.
"You're gonna regret what you've done, Team Rocket!" Casey shouted. "Meganium, use Tackle!"
"Megaaa!" Meganium threw her body at Arbok, knocking it back so it crashed on the ground.
"Phanpy, use Tackle on Weepinbell!" Ash yelled.
"Phaaanpy!" Phanpy shrieked and tackled poor Weepinbell who hadn't gotten a command yet from James. The bad man seemed lost in his thoughts like he wasn't with us.
I ran to the first pitfall and checked Sora and Elekid. "Are you two okay?"
"Kyuuu!" Sora chirped, smiling widely with her eyes.
"Eeel elekid!" Elekid snarled.
"I'm so sorry I failed you, Sora!" I apologized, not realizing my eyes were turning wet by tears. "I didn't want you to go through any hardships! I promise I'll become a better Trainer who can look properly after you!"
"Kyuuu…", Sora whimpered.
"Hey, get away from our treasure!" Meowth snarled as he drew his claws out.
Brock and Misty stood in front of me as a shield calling out their Pokémon to battle Meowth. A tear dropped from my chin and landed on Sora's muzzle. It was like a chemical reaction because Sora's body started shining. I covered my eyes to shield them from the bright light. The battle came to a standstill as the light flew out from the pitfall before it faded away, revealing Sora's new form on which Elekid held onto. "Kryuuuh!"
"Sora!" I smiled widely while wiping the tears off my face. "You've evolved into a Dragonair!"
"Alright!" Ash cheered.
"Pika pika!"
"Uh-oh… I'm getting really worried now…", Jessie cold sweated.
"I miss Victreebel!" James suddenly cried out.
Sora levitated down so Elekid could climb off her. It growled aggressively and made its antennas sparkle, ready to give Team Rocket a dose of their medicine. "Sora, let's give Team Rocket some payback!" I growled.
"Kyruuuh!" Sora hummed, glaring at the evil team.
"They're all yours, Ashley!" Ash called.
"Sora, send them away with Twister!" I shouted.
Sora floated up and made her jewel under her chin glow, gathering her power to summon the wind. She flew around Team Rocket before she slowly encaged them in a tornado. They screamed in terror as they had no way to get out of their prison. Elekid assisted Sora by launching a Thunderbolt in the Twister, electrocuting them while Sora barely took any damage. She flew away from the whirlwind just as it exploded, sending Team Rocket up and far away into the sky.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"
Everyone cheered at the successful rescue of Sora and Elekid, defeating Team Rocket once more and congratulated Sora for evolving at the right time. Elekid walked to Sora and patted her with a proud smirk.
"Looks like Elekid was protecting Sora the whole time she was a Dratini", Misty giggled.
I crouched down to Elekid's eye level. "Elekid, thank you for looking after Sora."
"Elee!" Elekid grinned and patted its chest.
"Kyruuh", Sora hummed and nuzzled the wild Pokémon.
"Elekid!" Casey called out, getting said Pokémon's attention. "I'm here to catch you! Ready for a battle?"
Elekid smirked and punched its fists against each other, eager to have a battle. "Elee!"
XXXXXXXXXX
After an intense battle, Casey caught Elekid with Meganium's help. We joined together for dinner until it was time for us to go in different ways, much to our surprise. I thought Casey wanted to participate in the Silver Conference.
"You're not going to the Johto League, Casey?" Brock wondered.
"Nope! I don't have enough badges, so I won't join the League this year", Casey confessed with Meganium and Elekid by her side.
"That's too bad", Misty said sadly.
"Don't worry! We're gonna go all the way to the baseball field and cheer for the Electabuzz team!" Casey smiled widely.
"Megga!"
"Elee!"
Sora whimpered and leaned her long neck down to nuzzle Elekid. The electric Pokémon grinned and patted her cheek, giving her some encouraging words that soothed her.
"You will surely see Elekid again someday, Sora", I comforted her and caressed her smooth scales. "Right, Casey?"
"Of course! They're best friends forever!" Casey grinned. "And we're gonna cheer for you during the Johto League! Go and get them, Ash and Ashley!"
"Thanks, Casey!" Ash smiled. "One of us is gonna win this time!"
"Then let me, Meganium and Elekid to sing you this cheer to support you!"
We listened to her very improvising song until her voice was hoarse. It felt a little embarrassing getting cheered on like this, but it was a nice feeling knowing there were people who supported me and my dreams.
One day, I hoped I would battle Casey in a Pokémon League and have a great time with one of my few rivals.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's party:
Cedric the Pupitar (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Sora the Dragonair (female)
Queendra the Kingdra (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Trica the Furret (female)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
Axel the Scyther (male)
Lily the Espeon (female)
Kobra the Arbok (male)
Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's roaming Pokémon:
Crystal the Suicune (genderless)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Croconaw (male)
Phanpy (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Heracross (male)
Snorlax (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's roaming Pokémon:
Entei (genderless)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Politoed (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)