Chapter 12 – Electric Shock Showdown

A couple more weeks had passed and the heroes' long, arduous journey to Vermilion City was finally over. Ash looked out at the city sign with a joyful, relieved sigh while holding the map in his hands.

"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" the gang cheered.

"I can't wait to take a bubble bath," Misty sighed contentedly.

"I have to hit the laudromat," Brock interjected.

"I'm going to find the Vermilion City Gym right now," Ash declared determinedly while rubbing his nose as he prepared to run headfirst into the city premises.

"Hold it!" Brock yelled as he quickly grabbed Ash by the collar of his shirt in order to stop him right in his tracks.

He then pointed down below and that was when Ash glanced down and noticed Pikachu laying on his stomach, looking quite exhausted and drained.

"What's the matter?"

"Pikachu," Ash frowned with concern as he picked up Pikachu and held him in his arms.

"It must be hungry," Misty surmised.

"We haven't eaten anything decent for three days now," Brock quipped.

"Or bathed," Rhonda grumbled.

"Or gotten a good night's sleep," Jasmine retorted briskly as Rhonda took a good whiff of herself and recoiled in disgust upon realizing how disgusting and nasty she smelled.

"Ugh, I smell like crap!" she grimaced.

"Hey, Pikachu, you feeling hungry, little buddy?" Ash asked.

It was then that Ash heard a loud growl from his stomach, prompting him to give out a nervous laugh.

"I guess we're a little hungry, right, Pikachu?" he chuckled.

Pikachu nodded weakly at Ash's response.

A short time later, the heroes were at the local Pokemon Center as they were admitting Pikachu to the facility.

"I think it's hungry," Ash informed the nurse.

"We'll fix Pikachu up," the nurse reassured him as she took Pikachu and placed him on a small table.

The heroes then looked at her with utter bewilderment as they soon realized that she looked vaguely familiar.

"I know why you're surprised," the nurse declared with a gentle, knowing smile. "I look like all the other nurses, don't I?"

"Yeah, you certainly do," Luthor retorted with a quizzical glare.

"My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second cousin works in Viridian City. I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?" the nurse explained with a soft giggle.

"Uh huh," Rhonda nodded dumbly with an incredulous glare.

"Yeah…" Brock smiled.

But just as he says this, he and the others heard a loud, panicked voice right behind them.

"Hurry!" a young boy hollered as he quickly rushed in through the sliding doors with a Chansey quickly pushing in a stroller containing an unconscious Rattata.

"That Rattata's in rough shape. I wonder what happened," Brock murmured to himself as the Chansey quickly rushed its patient into the E.R.

"Oh, it's the 15th one brought in this month," Nurse Joy sighed as she quickly stood up from her seat.

"15th one, you say?" Katie quipped curiously while glancing intently at her.

"What?" Ash gawked in surprise.

A short time later, the heroes entered the E.R. room as they saw that the entire ward was flooded with all kinds of injured and battered Pokemon.

"This is terrible," Brock sighed.

"They all lost to Lieutenant Surge, the Vermilion City Gym Leader," the nurse explained.

"Whoa, he must be a great trainer," Ash murmured in awe as he stared at the unconscious Rattata recuperating in bed.

"Sounds like a typical Army hard-ass who's full of himself," Luthor scoffed contemptuously while crossing his arms. "I'll bet you that my pops could wipe the floor with him and not even break a sweat."

"So, Ash, are you scared already?" Misty retorted with a taunting and arrogant smirk.

"No way," Ash scoffed with narrowed eyes.

"Well, you talk big. But when you see how tough it is to get badges, you turn chicken," Misty scoffed derisively with a haughty smirk. "Maybe you should just quit now. Besides, the only badges you do have you got out of pity."

"A badge is a badge!" Ash shot back irately.

Misty then flicked him on the nose playfully as Ash groaned and inhaled sharply in pain while holding his nose.

"Why don't you try to prove how tough you are at the Vermilion Gym?" Misty challenged him with a confident, proud smirk.

"From the looks of things here, you'll have to be tough to battle this Lieutenant Surge," Brock remarked briskly.

"Hard-ass," Luthor muttered underneath his breath.

"You think he's that tough?" Ash whimpered fearfully with a tinge of dread in his voice.

"We gave you badges, you know," Misty reminded him pointedly with an audacious smirk. "How do you think we'll look if you get crushed by Surge?"

"You have nothing to worry about, except maybe seeing my own incredible strength!" Ash insisted stubbornly as he reached out to point his own fist at Misty.

"All right, that's enough!" the nurse interjected as she grabbed Ash's fist in order to stop him from attacking Misty.

"She started it," Ash growled petulantly.

"Remember, this is a hospital," the nurse chided them sternly.

Ash and Misty then stared at all the patients with abashed and chastised faces as they gave them dirty and repulsed looks.

"They say if two people fight, they really care about each other," the nurse added.

"Me care about her?" Ash balked.

"Me care about him?" Misty stammered in shock.

The two then glared at each other briefly before turning away from each other with loud, angry huffs and their arms crossed tightly.

The nurse giggled softly in amusement at their reactions when suddenly she heard a loud musical beep ring in the air.

"That signal means that your Pokemon has recovered," she said.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was sitting on a hospital bed next to a tray of Poke Balls while munching contently on an apple.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried excitedly as he and the others rushed over to Pikachu's side. "I hope you're full because we got to win big at that Gym today."

"Pi!" Pikachu chirped.

"Come on, let's go win a badge!" Ash urged.

"Please hurry!" a loud voice bellowed as Ash and his friends turned around to see another young boy rush his injured and unconscious Pidgey into the building on a stretcher.

"Just hold on, Pidgey!"

"Another one?" Katie quipped incredulously.

"Wow, that Lieutenant Surge sure doesn't play around," Shirley marveled in awe.

"I guess they must've come from that Gym," Misty mused.

Pikachu then let out a cry of terror and panic as Ash glanced at him quizzically.

"Huh?"

Pikachu then began shaking and quivering in fear while shaking his head vehemently.

"What? Don't be a coward," Ash scoffed sternly.

"Pika, Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu chirped with an anxious and petrified face as Ash listend for a moment before glancing over his shoulder.

"Don't I care if you ended up like that Pidgey in there?" Ash quipped. "Is that it?"

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu nodded vehemently.

"Yeah. I guess you're right," Ash sighed while shrugging his shoulders and hanging his head sadly.

Pikachu then let out a deep sigh of relief at his words.

"No problem," Ash beamed as he then grabbed Pikachu and attempted to drag him out of the Pokemon Center, with Pikachu grabbing onto the hospital bed desperately and refusing to let go. "You won't end up that way because you'll win."

Pikachu then grunted and struggled to stay put while resisting Ash even as Ash continued to try to pry and yank him away from the hospital bed.

"Don't be a scaredy cat, Pikachu," Ash scolded him sternly.

Pikachu then shook his head stubbornly as he then charged up electricity and then gave Ash a devastating shock, electrocuting him thoroughly.

"The way they fight, must mean they care a lot," Misty said wistfully.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, the heroes had finally left the Pokemon Center as they arrived in front of the Vermilion City Gym.

"So this is the Vermilion City Gym," Ash declared.

"It's not too late to back out," Misty retorted teasingly with an akimbo.

"Why should I back out when I'm going to win?" Ash snapped at her angrily. "Just stick around and watch me."

"I'll stick around to see your face when you get creamed," Misty shot back with an even more taunting and derisive smirk.

"If you think we're going to get creamed, you're going to be disappointed," Ash growled petulantly with a pointed, withering glare.

"Are we ever going to go inside?" Brock groaned with a sigh as he had quite enough of Ash and Misty's bickering.

Moments later, the doors swung open as the gang stepped inside the gym, but the moment that they do, they are soon met with a young man with a short buzz cut hair style and a black biker jacket and a young woman with short and wavy magenta hair, a sweatband around her forehead, a pair of dogtags around her neck, a red tank top and a pair of shorts.

"Hello. I've come for a Pokemon battle to earn a Thunder Badge," Ash said.

"Hey, boss, another victim for the emergency room," the man in the black biker jacket retorted with a smirk as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Which one?" a male voice said as he slowly started to step out of the shadows menacingly, with Ash stuttering and gasping in shock as he took a good look at his new opponent.

The man had short, spiky blonde hair with a dark tan brown jacket, a pair of long tan pants, a pair of black combat boots and a pair of dogtags around his neck. It seemed apparent to everyone that this man was the Vermilion City Gym Leader Lieutenant Surge.

"Whoa, he's huge," Brock breathed in awe.

"Is he the Gym Leader that you have to beat?" Misty asked in an incredulous and amazed voice.

"Welcome to Vermilion City Gym," Lieutenant Surge greeted them with a bright smile as he went over to hug Misty.

"Oh, my next challenger is a cute one," he said as he pulled back for a moment to look at her. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."

"Excuse me," Misty stammered nervously with a polite laugh. "I'm not the challenger."

"Then who?" Lieutenant Surge demanded in a perplexed and baffled voice.

"Me, that's who," Ash declared boldly with an intense glare.

"Hm? Oh, you…" Lieutenant Surge said as he straightened up and turned his gaze towards Ash before breaking out into a laugh as he petted his head softly. "Okay, baby."

"I'm no baby," Ash growled angrily as he shoved Lieutenant Surge's hand off his head. "My name's Ash Ketchum."

"I call everybody who loses to me baby," Lieutenant Surge replied with a chuckle as he then glanced down to see Pikachu, who was hiding behind Ash's leg.

"Huh? A Pikachu? Hey, look at this," Lieutenant Surge laughed as he turned to face his comrades. "Baby brought along a baby Pokemon."

The three of them soon broke out into raucous laughter at Lieutenant Surge's words.

"Quit it," Ash growled tersely, not liking that his new challenger was disparaging his Pikachu right in front of him. "Why are you making fun of my Pikachu?"

"Well, I'll show you why," Lieutenant Surge declared resolutely as he then took out his Poke Ball before tossing it into the air.

"Go, Poke Ball!"

The Poke Ball then summoned out a white burst of light as it quickly faded away and revealed a Raichu.

"Rai!" Raichu smirked cockily.

"What is that?" Luthor gawked in astonishment.

"Is that what I think it is?" Marni gasped in amazement and disbelief.

"It's a Raichu," Ash gasped in awe as he then took out his Pokedex in order to get a reading on the newest Pokemon.

"Raichu. A mouse Pokemon of the electric element. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. It can shock with more than 100,000 volts, enough to render a Dragonite unconscious."

Pikachu then growled softly at Raichu with an intense, determined glare.

"Okay, baby. If you want to quit, now's your chance," Lieutenant Surge retorted with a confident smirk.

"Raichu," Raichu growled.

"There's no way we're going to quit now," Ash shot back at him.

"What could a baby like that do?" Lieutenant Surge retorted with a derisive chuckle as he knelt down in right of Raichu and petted it softly on the head. "If you just want to become a Pokemon Master, you should make your Pokemon evolve as soon as you catch it."

"There's more to raising a Pokemon than forcing it to evolve," Ash growled fiercely. "And I like this Pikachu just the way it is."

The magenta haired girl and the black biker jacket wearing man just laughed at him raucously with derisive and contemptuous smirks.

"Wrong, baby," Lieutenant Surge retorted while wagging his finger at him. "Electric Pokemon are only useful once they've learned all their different electric attacks. You keep it puny like that, it's no more than a little pet."

Pikachu just growled at him softly while charging up electric sparks with his cheek pouches.

"Can Pikachu beat Raichu?" Misty asked Brock quizzically.

"I seriously doubt it," Brock answered. "Especially if Raichu knows all the electric attacks."

"Okay, baby, did you just come here to show us your little pet?" Lieutenant Surge sneered in a mocking tone.

"We came here to earn a Thunder Badge," Ash answered.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu squeaked as Ash gazed at him questioningly.

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu then growled softly again as he continued to charge up electric sparks in his cheek pouches.

"That's unusual. Pikachu really wants to go into battle," Brock surmised.

"I'm not surprised," Misty quipped.

"Pikachu, I'm counting on you," Ash said as he watched Pikachu go into a fighting position.

Pikachu nodded before turning back to face the Raichu.

"Oh, well," Lieutenant Surge shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you'll learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience."

It was then that the lights suddenly flickered on as the battle was set to commence.

"The Pokemon battle will now begin. Only one Pokemon may be used. The Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash, has chosen Pikachu. No time limit. Let the battle begin!"

"Go, Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge yelled as soon as the bell rang.

"Rai!" Raichu yelled as it leapt into the air.

"Go, Pikachu!" Ash bellowed as Pikachu also leaped into the air.

"Pika!"

"Pikachu, Thundershock!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu then unleashed the best Thundershock attack that he could manage; however, it didn't seem to affect Raichu at all.

"Huh? What's that?" Ash gawked in confusion, not understanding why the Thundershock attack didn't have any visible effect on Raichu.

"Raichu, show them a real Thundershock," Lieutenant Surge ordered.

Raichu then released a powerful Thundershock attack that hit Pikachu dead on and sent him flying. The heroes then gasped in horror and astonishment as Pikachu took a hard tumble to the ground.

"What the hell?" Luthor sputtered.

"Raichu," Raichu smirked in self-satisfaction.

"It's over, baby," Lieutenant Surge declared triumphantly with a chuckle. "You didn't really think that Pikachu could beat my Raichu, did you?"

"Pikachu…" Ash groaned in despair as he watched Pikachu lay on the ground unconscious.

"Call it back," Brock urged him.

"But…" Ash protested, not wanting to quit.

"Raichu's shocks are too powerful. This is a mismatch," Brock admonished him firmly.

Ash groaned in frustration before he turned his attention back to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, return…"

But then to his surprise, Pikachu came to as he quickly got up on his feet and regained his bearings.

"Pika…"

"Pikachu?" Ash quipped in utter disbelief.

"Pikachu still wants to fight?" Misty stammered.

Pikachu then slowly turned around to face Raichu again while preparing to attack once again.

"It's pretty gutsy for a toy," Lieutenant Surge chuckled wryly, actually impressed by Pikachu's bravery and gumption.

Pikachu then jumped into the air as he lunged right at Raichu.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed.

"I enjoy playing with toys, but playtime's over," Lieutenant Surge added as he then pointed into the air. "Raichu, Mega Punch!"

Raichu then delivered a swift punch to the face as Pikachu let out a sharp cry of agony.

"Now a mega kick!" Lieutenant Surge barked.

"Chu!" Raichu cried as it then proceeded to deliver a spinning kick straight into Pikachu's abdomen.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried in horror as Pikachu was once again knocked right into the ground.

"Pikachu's really getting pounded," Jessie chuckled evilly as she and James were secretly peeking through a window.

"That Raichu really must be strong," James mused.

"Hey, I just thought of something. If Pikachu loses this battle…" Jessie said to James as Meowth was busy cleaning off a golden coin right behind them with his paw.

"You're right. Then it's not worth stealing at all," James concurred. "We've wasted all this time."

"Maybe you can steal Raichu," Meowth suggested while glancing up from cleaning his coin.

Jessie then growled irritably before giving Meowth a severe thrashing that resulted in his coin somehow landing right in his mouth.

"Come on, Pikachu. Can't you zap it like you always do?" Jessie grumbled to herself while still looking out the window.

"Surge is getting ready to finish it off," James quipped, prompting Jessie to gasp in astonishment.

"Now, give us the big finale, Raichu," Lieutenant Surge smirked evilly.

Raichu then unleashed a devastating, powerful Thundershock as it slammed right onto Pikachu dead on.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as Pikachu let out a high pitched, blood-curling scream while continuing to be electrocuted by Raichu.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, Pikachu was now back at the Pokemon Center as it was now recuperating in the hospital room.

Ash then gazed at Pikachu with deep concern and worry in his eyes as he appeared to be unconscious; however, Pikachu soon stirred and opened up his eyes.

"Pika…"

"Pikachu… I'm glad you're okay," Ash breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Pikachu then let out an irate grunt as he quickly turned on his right side to avoid looking right at Ash.

"Pikachu got hurt pretty badly," Brock observed.

"I can see that," Ash retorted sharply at Brock, looking quite annoyed and irritated.

"No, no. I mean its spirit," Brock quickly corrected himself.

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned him curiously.

"Pikachu was totally overpowered by that Raichu," Brock explained.

"So you mean its pride got hurt because it couldn't stand the fact that it got publically humiliated by that Raichu in front of everybody?" Rhonda quipped while glancing up at Brock expectantly.

"Yeah, something like that," Brock nodded approvingly.

"Brock and Rhonda are right, Ash," Misty quipped.

"We'll try harder," Ash growled determinedly while clutching onto his red hat tightly while bolting upright. "We'll win next time if Pikachu tries harder."

"I think Pikachu was trying its best the last time," Misty replied sadly while turning to face Ash.

Ash groaned in frustration while still clutching his hat tightly in his hand.

"So now what? What is there left for us to do?" Luthor groaned with a deep sigh. "If Ash can't beat him, then how can any of us ever hope to beat him?"

"Normally, I would say that you're wrong, but I'm more concerned about the fact that pretty much everyone that walked into that Gym walked out all battered and bruised and worse for the wear," Jasmine retorted pessimistically.

"So if Ash can't beat him, and all of those trainers in the emergency room can't beat him, then I don't really think there's really a chance in hell for any of us to beat him either," Rhonda frowned sadly, hanging her head in defeat.

"So that's it? We're just going to give up, just like that?" Yuki gawked at them in amazement, not believing what she was hearing.

"Nobody's that unbeatable, you know," Shirley growled irascibly. "There's got to be some strategy that we haven't tried yet."

"Forget it, Shirley; there's no way that we can possibly beat Lieutenant Surge without getting our own asses kicked in the process," Luthor sighed in deep resignation. "Look what happened to Pikachu back there."

"And it's not like we really have any other choice anyway," Rhonda whined while running her hands through her face slowly. "Maybe this is as far as we can possibly go. I mean, we gave it our absolute best shot, but maybe it's time to pack it up and go back home. We'll try it again at a later date."

"There is one way you might win," a female voice interrupted as everyone turned around to face the person addressing them.

"I'm sorry. I overheard your conversation, and I just thought that maybe…" Nurse Joy apologized while standing in the doorway while hugging the clipboard to her chest.

"How can we win?" Ash demanded impatiently as Nurse Joy approached the group.

"Whatever it is, name it. We'll try anything at this point," Rhonda also interjected anxiously. "We're really running out of options."

"A while ago, I just happened to come across this," Nurse Joy explained as she then took out a small red box and then opened it, revealing a Thunderstone.

"Wow, it's a Thunderstone," Brock murmured in awe.

"A Thunderstone?" Ash queried while glancing over at Brock.

"Yes. You can use it to make Pikachu evolve into a Raichu," Brock nodded.

"I could evolve Pikachu into a Raichu?" Ash muttered to himself quizzically as Pikachu's attention was then piqued at the mention of evolution and he picked up the Thunderstone in his hand. "Then Pikachu might be strong enough to win."

"You've got to think hard before using the Thunderstone," Nurse Joy admonished him sternly, prompting Ash to gaze up at her questioningly.

"If you make Pikachu evolve, Ash, you can't change it back," Misty added.

"Yeah, it's not like with Digimon that you can evolve them into a stronger and bigger form and they can just revert back to normal when they're done battling," Rhonda retorted empathetically with a shrug.

"Pikachu will never be the same," Brock concurred with Misty.

"If Pikachu becomes a Raichu, I might be able to win that badge," Ash murmured softly to himself while gazing at the Thunderstone pensively. "On the other hand, to make it evolve just to fight, I would be just like Surge."

He then turned around to face Pikachu with the Thunderstone still clutched in his hands. "Pikachu, what do you want to do?"

Pikachu chirped softly while gazing at the Thunderstone curiously.

"I really want to beat that Surge, but I also don't want to force you to evolve if you'd be happier staying the way you are now."

As everyone awaited Pikachu's decision, Team Rocket were continuing to watch them from afar outside the Pokemon Center.

"He's letting Pikachu decide," Jessie whispered softly.

"If it becomes Raichu, it'll be stronger," James remarked back.

"What's it going to do?" Meowth asked curiously.

Pikachu then got up to his feet while still staring at the Thunderstone intently.

"Pikachu…" Ash whispered.

"Save your strength," Misty pleaded gently.

Pikachu's gaze then hardened as he then suddenly spun around and knocked the Thunderstone right out of Ash's hand with his tail before directing a pointed glare at his trainer.

"Pikachu?" Ash stammered quizzically.

Pikachu then began to chirp and squeak aggressively while gesticulating wildly.

"It's so brave," Meowth sniffled with tears streaming down his face.

"So tell us what Pikachu's saying," Jessie urged him.

"Pikachu won't change. If it's going to pick a Raichu, it wants to do it just as it is," Meowth explained with more tears falling down his face and his voice breaking with emotion.

"You mean, it's going to battle again as a Pikachu?" Jessie gawked in amazement, marveling at Pikachu's courage.

"It's going to fight in the name of all Pikachu," Meowth continued while wiping the tears from his face.

"Really?" James sobbed as he also broke down into tears. "That's so beautiful."

"Pikachu, together, you and I will beat Lieutenant Surge and his Raichu," Ash vowed while looking right at Pikachu and grabbing both of his paws.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu nodded determinedly.

"You're both crazy," Misty scoffed incredulously.

"You should change your strategy, Ash," Brock suggested. "Maybe use your other Pokemon."

"How would that even help?" Rhonda pouted. "Lieutenant Surge would just wipe the floor with them too and then some. Nobody can ever beat his Raichu, and I mean nobody."

"It's hard but it's not impossible," Ash shot back stubbornly. "Pikachu and I will find a way to win."

Pikachu chirped and squeaked determinedly at Ash.

"Huh?" Jessie quipped as she turned to face Meowth.

"Pikachu will prove it can beat Raichu," Meowth replied as he continued to sniffle and wipe more tears from his face. "It will defend its honor and Ash's."

"Oh, dear, that's magnificent," James sobbed.

"All right, are we all charged up?" Ash asked.

"Pi… Pika…" Pikachu growled determinedly as he tried to summon up his electric power but then suddenly collapsed back onto the bed in a heap of exhaustion.

"Huh?" Ash gawked in confusion.

"It hasn't fully recovered its stamina," Nurse Joy explained. "You should let it rest a little while longer."

"Pikachu…" Ash sighed sadly as he gazed at his sleeping Pokemon.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Meanwhile, the gang was sitting outside the E.R. while waiting for Pikachu to completely recover as Misty got a soda off a vending machine.

"Oh, this whole thing has me so nervous," Misty sighed as she opened up the soda and took a large sip from it.

"Really? Since when did you decide to worry about me?" Ash scoffed disdainfully while sitting on a sofa.

"Not you. I'm concerned about Pikachu. I hope I'll be okay," Misty insisted.

"So, Nuka. What's your story? You said that you're the Prince of the Pridelands?" Rhonda inquired curiously while glancing over at Nuka with the both of them sitting on the ground.

"Yep," Nuka replied with a smile and an affirmative nod.

"But I thought that Simba was the Crown Prince," Rhonda retorted quizzically.

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Nuka replied in an astonished and surprised voice. "The former Prince and the former King are dead."

"Dead? What do you mean, dead?!" Rhonda exclaimed in shock and horror with all the color draining out of her face as a horrible pit of dread and dismay sank deep into her stomach.

"Well, I don't really know all of the details, but my dad said that Prince Simba and King Mufasa died in a horrific accident at the gorge. Apparently there was some kind of stampede and Mufasa got trampled to death. Oddly enough the Prince's body was never found, although I'd always assumed that the hyenas must have gotten to him…" Nuka mused thoughtfully while flickering his tail pensively while glancing over to the side.

"Excuse me…" Rhonda groaned as she suddenly stood up and she suddenly felt everything spinning rapidly around her as a wave of nausea overcame her body.

She then turned around to face Rebecca and her team with a furious yet livid scowl. "Did you know about this?"

Rebecca and the others just remained silent as they exchanged guilty yet knowing glances at each other, with neither of them really willing to look Rhonda in the eye.

"Did you know about this, Aunt Rebecca?" Rhonda reiterated, her voice shaking as she tried to maintain her gaze at her in an attempt to force the older redheaded woman to look right at her and respond with a straight answer.

Rebecca said nothing as she continued to look away with her face twisted and contorted with even more guilt and consternation. Rhonda then slowly stepped back as it slowly dawned on her that Rebecca and her team appeared to know what happened and yet for some reason it didn't occur to them to let her and her team know.

"You knew… didn't you?"

"We didn't know how to tell you, Rhonda…" Rebecca whispered softly with tears brimming in her eyes.

Just as she says this, Rhonda suddenly had a vision flashing in her mind as she saw Mufasa falling into the stampede to his death and she also saw Simba being chased out into the desert by the hyenas after Scar had ordered them to kill him.

"Christ, I'm going to be sick," Rhonda groaned as she suddenly bolted towards the nearest bathroom and disappeared inside.

"Is Rhonda okay?" Misty asked as she watched Rhonda race straight into the bathroom.

"Maybe she ate something that didn't agree with her," Ash surmised.

"Hey, Ash," Brock interjected.

"Yeah?" Ash quipped as he glanced around to face Brock.

"During the fight, Surge said that he made his Raichu evolve as soon as he got it, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Rhonda scoffed disdainfully.

"Then perhaps there is a way," Brock declared with a smile.

"Huh?" Ash stared at him quizzically.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Some time passed before Pikachu had fully recovered enough to battle again, and Ash decided that it was time again to attempt to beat Lieutenant Surge and earn the Thunder Badge. Ash and Pikachu then marched out of the Pokemon Center with determined and confident faces with the others following behind them.

"Pikachu, our lucky star is shining today," Ash declared boldly while pointing in the air.

Pikachu just stared at the sky in confusion and bafflement, not understanding what Ash was getting at.

"Where? I don't see it," Misty interjected while pushing down Ash's hand and searching the sky intently with her hand covering her face. "How can you see a star in the middle of the day?"

"Oh! I don't mean it's actually shining," Ash scowled angrily while pulling his arm away from Misty as he stormed off. "Let's go, Pikachu."

"Haven't you ever heard of a figure of speech?" Rhonda retorted with a quizzical eyebrow while shaking her head before she and the others followed him.

"Seems like they're ready to win, doesn't it?" Brock quipped as he walked over to Misty.

A short time later, Ash and his friends were walking down the street as Ash and Pikachu were marching in lockstep with determined and resolute looks on their faces. Just then, they were stopped by a oddly familiar-looking trio that were dressed in black outfits and were also wearing dark sunglasses and holding purple flags with the Team Rocket insignia.

"Uh, who are you, guys?" Ash stammered in surprise.

"To protect the world from devastation…" Team Rocket began but then they were quickly swatted on the heads by Meowth.

"We forgot," James and Jessie groaned.

Meowth then landed on the ground as he stood in front of James and Jessie.

"We are the challenger's cheerleaders, and we're here to show our support for the brave Pikachu and Ash."

"Rah!" Jessie and James chorused.

"What are they going on about?" Jasmine scoffed disdainfully with an eye roll as Katie and Luthor couldn't help but snicker to themselves.

"In honor of the great Pikachu's bravery, we wish to offer a cheer," Meowth continued.

It was then that James, Jessie and Meowth start to dance and flail their arms around while waving some flags around.

"We want you, Pikachu! Give me a pi! Give me a ka! Give me a chu! What've you got? Pikachu! Fight, fight, Pikachu! You're our Pokemon, yeah!"

"Hip, hip, hooray!" Meowth cheered.

"Yay, Pikachu!" Jessie and James exclaimed.

Then finally they were done cheering on Pikachu as they were ready to leave.

"Okay, let's split," Meowth said as they all turned around and ran off.

"That was really disturbing," Brock said.

"Thanks for your support!" Misty bellowed after Team Rocket as she waved to them. "Bye, Team Rocket!"

Jessie and James started in shock as their hats and sunglasses fell off, completely revealing themselves.

"How did they know it was us?" James groaned.

"Lucky guess," Jessie hissed.

"What a bunch of weirdos," Katie chuckled.

"Yeah," Yuki smirked.

Ash nodded as he looked back at Team Rocket with a smirk.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, the gang was back in the Vermilion City Gym as they were getting ready to fight Lieutenant Surge again.

"Hey, baby, you ready to take another beating?" Lieutenant Surge cackled derisively. "You didn't even make your Pikachu evolve. You haven't learned anything yet."

"I can't wait to wipe that smirk off that asshole's face," Luthor snarled with narrowed eyes.

"Don't be so sure, Surge," Ash growled in an admonishing tone.

"Okay, well, let's see," Lieutenant Surge laughed disdainfully.

"The challenger, Ash, using a Pikachu. The Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge, using a Raichu. The Pokemon will battle one on one with no time limit. Let the battle begin!"

And with that the bell rang.

"Use the strategy we planned, Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "You can do it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled as he jumped into the air.

"A strategy? So they've been planning a new way to lose," Lieutenant Surge smirked derisively. "Go, Raichu!"

Raichu then lunged right at Pikachu as it slammed its tail right into it, knocking it straight into the ground. Pikachu then tried to get up to its feet, but he was soon pinned down by Raichu's full weight as it stood right on top of him while smacking him repeatedly with its tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash gasped.

"Hang in there, Pikachu!" Misty yelled.

"Roll to the side and break away!" Brock hollered.

"It can't lose," Jessie whimpered fearfully.

"Not after the cheer we did," Meowth groaned in despair.

"Maybe we did the wrong kind of cheer," James surmised.

"Do it, Raichu. Give it the body slam," Lieutenant Surge commanded.

Raichu then body-slammed itself right on top of Pikachu, causing it to let out a sharp cry of pain. Ash and his friends gasped in horror as Rhonda was covering her face with her hands.

"I can't watch!" she muttered.

"This is really going poorly, isn't it?" Jasmine sighed dejectedly.

"Finish it off, Raichu! Another body slam!" Lieutenant Surge barked fiercely.

Raichu then jumped right into the air and dove straight for Pikachu, prepared to tackle it and pin it completely to the ground with its body. The heroes let out another horrified and panicked gasp as they all waited for the inevitable with bated breath.

"Pikachu!" everyone chorused.

"Watch out!" Ash hollered at the top of his lungs.

Then just as Raichu was about to body slam on Pikachu once again, Pikachu jumped out of the way just in time, barely avoiding Raichu.

"Hey, what?" Lieutenant Surge stammered.

"Chu!" Pikachu growled as he then landed back on the other side, facing Raichu.

"All right!" Team Rocket cheered.

"Do it, Pikachu! Agility now!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu then dashed after Raichu as it speed began to dramatically increase.

"Raichu, use your Body Slam!" Lieutenant Surge growled furiously.

Raichu then attempted to pounce on Pikachu again, but every time Raichu attempted to tackle him and pin him to the ground, Pikachu was able to dodge and evade it effectively with its Agility ability.

"Uh, Raichu?" Lieutenant Surge stammered, finding himself completely baffled as to why Raichu wasn't able to attack Pikachu all of a sudden.

"It's working. Just like Brock said," Misty beamed happily.

"Right. Raichu evolved too fast, and it never learned the speed attacks it could only learn in the Pikachu stage," Brock explained.

"Okay, use all the agility you've got," Ash cheered.

Pikachu then started to dash and race around Raichu rapidly as Raichu struggled to keep up with its pace and speed, causing it to become completely dizzy.

"Your Raichu's way too slow, Surge. That's its weakness," Ash smirked confidentially, satisfied that his Pikachu was finally getting the upper hand.

"Okay, Raichu. Give it a thunderbolt," Lieutenant Surge commanded. "Shut it down!"

Raichu then unleashed a Thunderbolt attack that was so powerful and devastating that it released a huge shockwave that caused everyone in the building to stagger and for all of the glass windows to shatter in a million pieces.

Lieutenant Surge grunted softly for a moment as he looked over at the stage with a satisfied and triumphant smirk. "The end of the match… Huh? What?"

He was surprised and stunned when he saw that Pikachu had somehow managed to avoid getting the full blast of the Thunderbolt attack by standing on its tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash beamed proudly.

"All right, way to go!" Brock cheered. "It used its tail as a ground and dodged the electric shock."

"What a shocking story," Jessie murmured in amazement.

"That was quite a tale," James marveled in awe while holding Koffing in his hands.

Meowth then leaped into the air while punching both James and Jessie in their faces before knocking both of them to the ground.

"And now you've both been punished," he chuckled evilly.

"Caught me," James groaned softly.

Pikachu then landed on all fours and faced down Raichu determinedly while Raichu was panting and gasping deeply.

"Raichu, give it another Thunderbolt!" Lieutenant Surge ordered.

Raichu then attempted to use its Thunderbolt attack again, but to its shock and horror, it couldn't muster up any electric charge anymore.

"Do something!" Lieutenant Surge exclaimed in a panicked voice.

"It's over. Raichu ran out of electricity," Brock declared with a satisfied smile.

"I didn't even think it was possible," Rhonda mused thoughtfully.

"What a pathetic loser," Luthor snickered with a derisive smirk.

"All right, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Rhonda, Katie and Luthor all started in attention and surprise as their Poke Balls shook vigorously and then opened up, summoning Blaze, Waldo and Bubba.

"Oh, you guys want to battle too?" Rhonda asked.

"Char," Blaze nodded.

"Saur," Bubba nodded.

"Wartortle," Waldo nodded.

"All right then," Rhonda nodded as she, Katie and Luthor turned around to face the stage. "Blaze, use Flamethrower!"

"Waldo, use Water Pulse!" Katie hollered.

"Bubba, use Seed Bomb!" Luthor ordered.

Blaze, Waldo and Bubba then unleashed all of their attacks as they all headed straight for a dazed and weakened Raichu.

"Raichu, use Take Down!" Lieutenant Surge barked.

Pikachu then charged right for Raichu as Raichu also lunged right for Pikachu, only to be surprised and taken aback when Pikachu slammed right into it. Raichu was also stunned when it was also overwhelmed and blown back by the simultaneous elemental attacks. Then as the ultimate finishing move, Pikachu smacked it right in the face with his tail, knocking him straight into the ground.

"Unbelievable!" Lieutenant Surge exclaimed while clutching his face in his hands in shock and seeing that his Raichu was now lying on the ground unconscious.

"Booyah! We won!" Luthor cheered as he started to perform a victory dance. "Go team! Go team! Go team!"

"We did it, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

"Way to go!" Brock exclaimed with a proud smile.

"Fantastic!" Misty beamed.

"Hooray!" Jessie and James cheered.

"Victory!" Meowth cried.

"Pikachu," Pikachu smiled proudly to himself.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"Congratulations. Nice job, Ash, Pikachu," Lieutenant Surge said as he shook Ash's hand. "As proof of your victory, a Thunder Badge."

He then reached into his jacket and took out a badge before handing it to Ash.

"Thank you," Ash said as he accepted it.

He then opened up his hand and looked at the badge as he saw that it looked like a golden sunflower.

"And you too, Rhonda, Luthor and Katie," Lieutenant Surge added as he looked right at them. "I didn't think that you pipsqueaks had it in you."

"Well, I hope you do remember next time to not underestimate us," Rhonda admonished him empathetically with an earnest expression. "But really, the credit goes to Ash. It was thanks to him that Pikachu was able to go the distance with you and Raichu."

"Aw, shucks. How noble of you," Lieutenant Surge chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "Really, you don't have to be so modest."

"Would you look at that? It's really a Thunder Badge," Ash beamed proudly while examining his new badge.

"You should be proud," Lieutenant Surge said. "Really, all of you, but especially you Ash. You and your Pikachu really fought good together."

"Thanks," Ash beamed as he clutched his new badge tightly in his hand.

He then grunted excitedly while flashing the Thunder Badge in the air. "A Thunder Badge! And it's all mine!"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu grinned while holding up two fingers in the air.

"Nice victory, Ash," Lieutenant Surge said with a smile as he and his friends clapped. "You're no baby."

"Congratulations, Ash, Pikachu," Brock replied.

"You finally got your own badge," Misty chimed.

Even Raichu was clapping for Pikachu as Pikachu laughed bashfully while rubbing the back of his head before Ash picked him up and embraced him.

"Thank you, Pikachu. This was your victory."

Pikachu smiled at Ash as he released a small burst of electric shock, electrifying Ash. Ash grunted and writhed in pain as he was being thoroughly electrocuted with stars now popping out of his eyes.

"Wow! Now I really can see lots of lucky stars."

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu chirped.

"Those two really are quite a team," Misty said.

"Yes, indeed," Brock nodded in agreement.

Ash and Pikachu then laughed together as Ash continued to be thoroughly electrocuted by Pikachu.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"That Pikachu really is special," James said as he, Jessie and Meowth were now walking away from the Vermilion City Gym.

"That's why it's worth snatching," Jessie quipped.

"Hey, once we steal it, maybe we can earn our own badges," Meowth suggested.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

It was now sundown as Ash and his friends finally emerged from the Vermilion City Gym and they ran into a very familiar face.

"I figured I'd find you here," a male voice said as the heroes started in surprise and astonishment.

"Nicholas!" Rhonda exclaimed.

"I knew you guys could beat him," Nicholas replied with a confident smile and his arms crossed with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Yeah, but it was a really rough go of it for a while," Rhonda admitted. "Raichu really beat Pikachu badly and it really seemed like we actually hit a dead end, so much so that we all decided to consider quitting the Pokemon League challenge and going back home."

"You? Quit? Never!" Nicholas laughed raucously as he took a brief drag of his cigarette. "The cousin I know would never, ever quit in a million years. And trust me, no one is ever truly unbeatable, even someone like Lieutenant Surge. There's always a way, trust me."

"So what are you doing here anyway? We're all tired and we're heading to a hotel to sleep in for the night before moving on to our next destination," Rhonda demanded quizzically with a wary glare.

"Well, I was hoping that you would indulge me with a Pokemon battle," Nicholas answered pithily.

"All right… You want a Pokemon battle? Then you'll get one!" Rhonda retorted fiercely as she then took out a Poke Ball and tossed it into the air.

"Blaze, go!"

Blaze then emerged out of the Poke Ball while flashing out his flaming tail and baring his fangs.

"Char!"

"Grovyle, go!" Nicholas ordered as Grovyle then jumped right in front of him.

"Grovyle," Grovyle hissed softly.

"Blaze, attack!" Rhonda ordered.

"Grovyle, attack!" Nicholas yelled.

And with that, Blaze and Grovyle both rushed at each other and jumped into the air as they lunged at each other. And with that, Rhonda and Nicholas were now engaged in a fiery, last minute Pokemon battle.

"Go, Rhonda!" Yuki yelled as the scene changed into a freeze frame and then cut to black.