Little Lost Raichu

Chapter 23
-

Weakness

“Surrounded by changelings who were pretending to be us, outnumbered twenty to one, and guess what we did,” Dash said while sitting at a table with a few snacks, drinks and candles decorating it.

“Nailed it,” Dash said with a nod. She pushed a few donut fragments into her mouth with quick swing of her wing. “Even Fluttershy pulled her weight, tricking them into believing she was one of them, or making them trip over when she covered in fear. It was hilarious."

Quibble crossed his arms. “I get the impression that the ones that blocked you were the least experienced in combat among the swarm. Being beaten by a powerful spellcaster like Twilight or an athlete of your caliber is one thing, but being fooled and tripping over Fluttershy… that’s just embarrassing.”

Nica sat on a pillow, making up for her smaller size as only her head was visible above the table. Her ears perked up as she listened with full attention. While she already knew about this particular event from Thorax, learning about heroic deeds from Twilight’s friend’s perspective in nice company was quite appealing.

“They were total rookies,” Dash said with a grin. “We beat them like flies.” She spread her forelegs in excitement. “You should have seen that, Daring Do! It was epic!” She rubbed her puffed chest. “I was the one who beat the most of them, obviously. Even Twilight rapid-firing her magic beams didn’t help her reach my score.”

Nica narrowed her eyes. Here it is again. Be it facing Nightmare Moon, Discord or the changelings—she sure likes to point out how great she is. Does she think of herself to be better than her friends?

Dash picked up a glass of water, emptying half of it before slamming it at the table. She looked at Nica with a wide smile and said, “Your turn, Nica. Tell us about your amazing adventures as a mercenary.” She stared with a excited, toothy smile.

“Are you kidding? Of course they were special!” Dash stood up on her rear hooves and shouted, “Everypony who wants to hear Nica’s epic stories, come over! She's about to tell us her awesome adventures about being a mercenary! Lots of flank-kicking and explosions may be involved!”

Nica bit her bottom lip and her ears drooped as a few ponies who were present in the inn’s lobby approached her from all sides. She gulped and smiled sheepishly.

The pokemon felt sweat drip down her forehead, and a big blush formed on her cheeks. She didn’t like bragging, and doing so in front of a crowd was even worse.

Nica’s eyes sparkled and her mouth was agape as she watched all the colors of the rainbow spread across the red sky with the sun descending behind hills of sand on the horizon in the background. It was one thing listening to Dash’s claims about her being the best flyer in Equestria while capable of performing a stunt called a ‘Sonic Rainboom,’ but seeing it with her own eyes was truly spectacular.

“Breathtaking..." she said to herself. I must admit, after all she has achieved, her bragging is understandable. She looked at her feet for a moment, which were slightly sinking in the loose soil. Not to mention that desert is actually nice at this hour. No scorching sun to worry about… though I think cleaning my fur from the sand is in order.

She leaped backward and covered her face protectively, sheltering her eyes from the spreading sand. Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with too much force for her liking.

“It was incredible!” Nica shouted, energetically shaking her forepaws. “I have seen many fast-flying pokemon in my life, but none of them have reached your speed.”

“Really?” Dash said with shock clear on her face. She quickly collected herself. “I mean… no surprise there. When it comes to flight and speed, I rule.”

“Speaking of speed, how about a race? I want to see your speed,” Dash said as she approached with firm steps.

“Race?” Nica asked. She pointed at Dash and herself. “But not just between the two of us, right?”

“Of course not!” Dash shouted with a dismissive shake of her foreleg. “We can start with a no-flying rule for the first round. Trust me, it’ll be lots of fun.”

Being challenged to a running race in the desert with the town in the background seemed like fun at first as her little paws pounded with the hot sand, the steps she made being covered by sand under the wind. After getting first place, however, she ended up rained upon with praise… too much praise. Pinkie Pie scored the second spot, Daring Do was third, and Rainbow Dash ended up being last. Despite the praise, Nica sensed Dash’s aura of jealousy. According to her memories, jealousy and wounded pride often motivated other pokemon to try harder, but could also lead to anger and hate on many occasions.

In round two, with flying being allowed, Rainbow Dash scored the first spot with little difficulty, and Pinkie Pie placed second. Despite running with all of her strength, Nica was slowly left behind by the athletic pegasus and party mare, barely keeping up with Daring Do as they shared the third spot in a draw.

Being able to use ‘Quick Attack’ would certainly even the odds, that’s for sure, she thought to herself. Still… how did Pinkie Pie reach such an incredible speed? It was as if she was holding back on our first race, only boosting her speed when flying was allowed. I thought I was fast, but she must be the fastest non-flying being in the world.

Despite sharing third place with Daring Do, Nica still received praise from the others, which she didn’t feel she deserved.

Various competitions and challenges, as well as an overwhelming amount of praise, followed as Dash’s arrogance and self-confidence started to shine. At first, the compliments simply embarrassed Nica, but it didn’t take long before she became sick of hearing the words “awesome” and “cool,” wishing never to hear them ever again.

Nica climbed onto her temporary bed inside the inn, perching herself on a pillow while staring at the ceiling. Now I see why I feel so uneasy in her presence and why I can’t stand her aura. Her boasting, ego, competitive nature and pride— it’s so overwhelming. She reminds me of many pokemon and trainers I met, or rather the aspect of them I dislike.

She turned around and pressed her face into the pillow as she groaned in annoyance. Still, she’s a national heroine who did a lot for her country. I wouldn’t mind her ego and boasting, if only she wasn’t praising others so much. We spent less than half a day together, and her saying how ‘amazing’ I am is driving me nuts! Jealousy, admiration, anger and so on, so many auras of emotion kept repeating themselves. She closed her eyes and relaxed herself. Maybe a solid rest will help clear my mind.

Despite being used to battling inside a massive open stadium filled with a cheering crowd and numerous video-cameras, Nica still found the sight breathtaking while feeling the importance of the event. Yet, the view seemed somewhat different this time around.

First, being much bigger herself, the crowd of humans no longer looked like a crowd of giants while the arena seemed much smaller. Secondly, she stood next to her trainer’s leg rather than on her shoulder, no longer watching her team in action from the higher ground.

The stadium itself was rounded and simple as it was host to the preliminary rounds, with a large yellow flat field before them.

“I may have lost my first round during the Unova League, but I have trained hard ever since. I won’t be stopped in the preliminary rounds! You hear?” the green-haired trainer in a kimono shouted while standing on the other side of the battlefield. “I won’t ashame myself and my family with an early loss. For the sake of my pride and honor, I will win!”

Nica observed the girl and her ears drooped. The aura of determination and self-confidence she sensed was soon going to turn into disappointment and anger.

“I apologize, but this time I cannot afford to lose. All my preparations, victories, and defeats have led to this very moment!” Astra shouted with narrowed eyes, her fist clenched. “This time, I’m holding nothing back!"

Nica looked to the side, unable to observe the one-sided battle. The negative aura she sensed from defeated pokemon only made her sad. One pokemon after another… Astra’s team rolled over their opposition without a single loss as the girl in the kimono was left with but one pokemon. No hidden training, no sending pokemon with type disadvantages, every move her trainer made was focused on achieving victory.

Despite being covered in bruises, Umbreon maintained his battle stance, ready for his last opponent to come so he could end the three vs. three battle.

Nica observed the last pokemon who stood in their way of victory. Sea-blue color, two shells —one on each side—black patches on its hands and feet… though upon a closer look, it was difficult to tell if the rear legs were specialized for running or swimming. The pokemon stared back with narrowed eyes with a round red nose in between them. The middle part of its body looked more like armor. A black tail peaked out from behind.

“Dewott is my partner, and has been with me ever since I chose him as a little Oshawott for my first journey. With him by my side, this fight is not lost just yet. Now it’s time for us to make our final stand, right Dewott?”

The pokemon glanced at his trainer and nodded. <As a true warrior, I shall fight against the odds as long as I can stand.> He turned around, picked up both of his shells as if holding two swords and challenged. <Come, adversary! I shall overcome your might and emerge victorious!>

“You’ve done enough, Umbreon. Return,” Astra shouted, waiting for the black pokemon to sit next to her legs, disappointment radiating in his eyes. “Alright, Nica. You’ll finish this.”

“You have a type advantage and your opponent can’t switch. Go and end this quickly,” Astra said with an encouraging voice.

Nica turned toward the battlefield and walked on her rear feet. Her eyes were still on Dewott, who didn’t show a single sign of fear, not even in his aura.

“It seems the battle between our partners will end this, though it doesn’t help that electricity has an advantage against water,” Astra commented, holding one hand on her hip.

“We may be at a disadvantage, but we’re not afraid. Dewott, use ‘Hydro Pump!’”

Nica’s ears drooped, but not out of fear. She raised her left forepaw and concentrated, using ‘Light Screen’ to create a barrier against special attacks. While sending power into her tail, she moved it in front of herself, using the lightning-like part as a shield, which started shining metallic-grey. The water went through the barrier with greatly weakened pressure, striking her ‘Iron Tail’ with but half of the original force. Nica’s feet sank into the dirt as she easily held her ground against the incoming pressure.

“Perfect defense! Now, counter with ‘Thunderbolt!’” Astra commanded, one hand still on her hip while another pointed at the water pokemon.

Nica looked at Dewott, who braced for the impact, his face still serious. <Attack with your full might. I shall not falter.>

Nica’s ears were still flattened against her head as she kept staring back in pity.

Nica glanced back at her trainer with a sheepish smile. She turned back towards the weaker pokemon.

Nica nodded. <Exactly. Not only am I more evolved than you, I also have a type advantage. I… I can’t fight you with electricity.> She raised her tail, holding the metallic edge in front of herself. She pointed at her opponent and shouted, <I’ll fight with you fair and square. No electricity!>

“It seems your partner isn’t listening to you, I won’t let this opportunity slip away,” the girl in the kimono said before pointing at the Raichu. “Dewott, use ‘Swords Dance’ and follow it with ‘Aqua Jet!’”

Astra showed signs of worry. “Nica… this next attack will have speed and power behind it. Attack with ‘Thunderbolt’ while you still can.”

Nica shook her head and took a fighting stance, like a samurai with a raised katana ready for an opponent to make the first move. The moment the empowered Dewott surrounded himself with water and launched himself in her direction, Nica stood on her rear leg and performed a quick spin, hitting her attacker’s side with the blunt part of her tail while being pushed in the opposite direction from the recoil.

With her opponent crashing into the ground next to her, she leaped forward, attacking with ‘Iron Tail.’

Dewott did as he was told, picking up his two shells, as if grabbing two swords, and starting to swing. The clash between hard shell and the metallic tail sounded like a clash between two swords and a katana. Water and sparks splashed from each strike.

Astra facepalmed. “Nica… I should have known.” She sat and started stroking her Umbreon while observing the spectacle.

The trainer on the opposite side stared at the scene, rubbing her head in confusion.

Dewott pressed on with the attack, trying to push his right shell towards Nica’s belly.

Nica leaped lightly to the side, slapping the left shell out of Dewott’s hand with her tail before striking him in the chest. As her opponent took a few steps backward, she swung her tail under his legs, tripping him. She swung her tail towards Dewott’s head, only to stop it a centimeter in front of his nose.

<Sorry,> Nica said as she wrapped her tail around her foe’s hand and pulled him to a standing position, only to run towards the shell and push it in his direction. She rubbed the back of her neck as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

<Y-yes…> He pointed at her and asked, <Are you… really not going to use electricity?>

Nica said, now holding a paw on her chest.

<But doesn’t this mean that, instead of having an advantage, you put yourself at a large disadvantage?> Dewott asked.

Nica said with a cheerful smile, <Pretty much. Three times the disadvantage, to be precise. Like I said, fair and square.>

Dewott blinked in confusion and rubbed his cheek with his shell. <A fair and square fight for you means a fight where you’re at big disadvantage?>

<Pretty much,> Nica said with a nod before taking a fighting stance. <Are you ready to continue?>

<While I find your sense of honor to be somewhat strange, I still appreciate the kind gesture.> Dewott held his hands together in front of his head before performing a respectful bow. <Let’s fight with honor and respect.> He took a fighting stance and smiled, his face no longer as serious as before. <I’m ready to fight you, milady. Let the better warrior win.>

<A show of respect? How could I not consider something so important!> Nica held her forepaws together and bowed in respect as well, mimicking her opponents gesture. She raised her own tail as it started shining with power.

The crowd cheered for the combatants as noise sword-clashes filled the area once more. Some of the crowd who at first cheered for the water-type underdog now cheered for Nica instead.

With the preliminary rounds over, Astra was now among eight trainers with just three battles standing in between her and the Elite Four.

With a gigantic flying water monster called ‘Gyarados’ on the field, the best option for Astra was sending her trusty partner, having four times an advantage thanks to her electricity. After the previous fight, however, things didn’t seem so simple.

“Come on, Nica! One or two ‘Thunderbolts’ is all we need!” Astra shouted, now standing on a tall platform high above the ground, as was the other trainer.

Nica’s ears drooped as she looked upon the intimidating beast in pity. With Gyarados being both water and flying type, using electricity against it was overkill. She raised her tail and swore,

The mighty beast stared back while hovering over the pool of water in the middle of the rocky field. <You won’t? But why?> he asked, studying the smaller creature with narrowed eyes.

<Because… Because I want to give you a fighting chance!> Nica held her forepaws together and performed a respectful bow before raising her metalic tail.

The battle began and Nica’s jumping ability was put to the test. She leapt over the battlefield, jumping towards and away form the massive flying best while striking it with her tail.

Gyarados answered with ‘Aqua Tail.’ Three times a large stone structure ended up crushed under the powerful blow, and the fourth strike easily overpowered Nica’s ‘Iron Tail’ and slammed her into the stone.

The male trainer kept staring with a grin on his face. “I think I won’t be switching my pokemon for this. I like where this is going.”

Nica pushed the heavy stone aside and ran away from rubble of the crushed rocky formation, continuing to fight without care. No matter how big or intimidating her foe was, she wouldn’t use electricity.

Astra massaged her forehead and next stared in silence, mouthing the words ‘not again.’

“Enough playing around. Time to show my ace in the hole!” the trainer shouted. He held a round stone with a DNA helix in the center. He spun around and struck a pose as the stone shone brightly.

Nica’s eyes became wide. She stared at Gyarados, who started shining gold. The Gyarados grew even bigger, his build now darker and more sturdy. Many fins grew on his body, with one large fin standing out on his back. A loud, intimidating roar filled the area. The mighty being fell into the pool of water with a loud splash, no longer able to fly over the battlefield.

Nica gulped before taking a step forward and clenching bronze patches at the end of her forepaws, her metalic tail raised high and ready.

“So, this is the mega-evolution I have heard about. It looks even more impressive than rumors indicated,” Astra said before looking at her partner. “Nica, Mega Gyarados is a water/dark-type and is way more powerful. You can afford to use electricity now.”

The large beast stopped his roar and looked back at her. <You kept your word, fighting against my might without electricity. Are you sure you want to force even more hardship upon yourself? You already show bravery. I won’t think any less of you.>

Nica shouted, her eyes narrowed and ears straightened upward.

The enraged look on Mega Gyarados softened slightly.

Nica sent all the power into her tail and bent her legs, preparing for a jump. <This fight isn’t going to end so quickly.> She leaped towards her large adversary, slamming her “Iron Tail’ against his massive body before pushing herself against it, just in time to avoid the move ‘Crunch,’ which had tons of force behind it. Despite striking her opponent and evading most of his attacks, there was little freedom when forcing herself into close-range combat. It didn’t take long before the Mega Gyarados crushed her between his massive jaws. She then felt his massive tail send her flying into the large rocky formation with even more strength than before.

Despite her injuries, she kept standing up. Her ‘Iron Tail’ left but scratches on the massive water-type pokemon. The battle dragged on as she evaded three powerful streams of water, only for the fourth to crush her into the stone, piercing two meters of rock as she crashed out the other side. Out of three ‘Hyper Beam’ attacks, one struck her ‘Light Screen’ and ‘Iron Tail’ simultaneously, breaking them both at the same time as her body accumulated more bruises.

Her legs refused to heed her call as she struggled to stand, glaring at her foe. Heavy-looking eyes, as well as numerous bruises and cuts on the trembling body of the large beast, indicated that he was at his limits as well.

Due to her legs sustaining injury during the long battle, jumping to evade an attack was out of the question. This left her with only ‘Thunderbolt’ to attack at long range to seal her victory. Unable to move, she stared at the charging ‘Hyper Beam’ before closing her eyes, refusing to use electricity to the very end while accepting defeat. She grit her teeth, only to scream in pain as she flew across the battlefield. She felt the back of her head slam into something hard before her senses and vision blacked out, leaving her unconscious among the rubble of destroyed boulder.

The moment she opened her eyes, Nica found herself in the embrace of her trainer, who stared at her in pity. There was no anger in Astra’s aura, no disappointment for disobeying her, only concern and worry.

“You should know better than to try to fight a water/dark mega-evolved pokemon with only your tail. ‘Iron Tail’ is an essential part of your defense, but as your only offensive tool, it’s not enough,” Astra said, stepping outside of the stadium and heading toward the Pokemon Center. “While you managed to defeat Dewott, Mega Gyarados was just too much. However, you weakened his strongest pokemon, and in the end we still had two pokemon left after achieving our victory.

“Speaking of the Dewott you faced… you should glance at the lower part of the audience-stand from time to time. During that last match, I think he was out of his pokeball just to cheer for you,” Astra said with a weak smile.

<R-really?> Nica closed her eyes and smiled cheerfully. She was certainly going to look at the audience in the next round.

Once again by her trainer’s side, Nica stared at the sandstorm that covered most of the area. Astra’s Starmie and the opponent’s Onix were hidden from their view. Apparently, the young trainer from Kanto, after failing to get enough badges in time for the Kanto League, started traveling and decided to try his luck in Sinnoh.

While lacking a strong team and experience, the young male trainer, Lauki, somewhat made up for it with creativity. The moment Astra’s Starmie was sent into the field, Onix summoned a sandstorm and hid in it while evading the water-type attacks. With ‘Dig’ and ‘Earthquake’ added into the mix, he kept on his flexible playstyle both defensively and offensively.

<Starmie, use ‘Calm Mind’ and get ready to attack!> Nica commanded as she kept looking at the moving sand. She focused on sensing the auras of both pokemon, easily tracking Onix’s movements, even when underground. <On your five, use ‘Hydro Pump’!>

The large rocky creature rocketed through the sandstorm, crashing into a nearby stone.

Nica tapped her forepaws together, feeling a surge of guilt. While her trainer asked her to provide support, was it fair for her to do so against a weaker opponent? She knew that it helped cover for Astra’s shortcomings when it came to improvisation and creativity, but she still felt somewhat of a cheater. She glanced at the large screen showing five defeated pokemon on Lauki’s side and none on Astra’s. She whimpered. There was nothing fair in making a one-sided battle even more one-sided.

“This is not over yet! Go, Pikachu! I choose you!” Lauki shouted, throwing his pokeball with a strong swing, like a basketball player but slightly more over the top.

Nica looked at her opponent’s final pokemon and took a step back, suddenly feeling a strong surge of nostalgia.

Astra withdrew her Starmie, crouched, and gently pushed Nica forward. “See, it is an electric pokemon. Not a water one, not a flying one. No type advantage here.”

Nica glanced at the smiling face of her trainer and bit her lip before looking at the Pikachu. She then jumped onto the stage and walked forward with hesitant steps, her ears drooped. A quick look at Pikachu’s tail was enough to discern that it was a male. Type advantage or not… being a Raichu tips the odds greatly in my favor.

“If you think your Raichu can intimidate us, you’re wrong. Right, Pikachu?” Lauki asked.

<You said it! Even a Raichu won’t scare me!> Pikachu said with a firm nod as bolts of electricity started escaping his red cheeks. His sheer determination and courage however didn’t intimidate Nica, nor made her angry. Instead, she just started back in sadness and rubbed her arm nervously. Hesitation clear on her face.

"When backed into the corner, one fights even more fiercely, and you can expect nothing less from us. At worst, we’ll apply for another league and come back stronger!” The young boy clenched his fist and swung it. “But if we’re going down, we’re going down with a bang!”

Little Lost Raichu

by CommanderX5

Chapter 23 - Weakness