//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 - Dreams... // Story: Little Lost Raichu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Raichu - Chapter 17 - Dreams... With a resolve to grow stronger and continue her parents’ work, Astra participated in trials set by captains in the Alola region, defeating four Kahunas in order to gain more experience. The pleasant atmosphere of the popular vacation spots and friendly residents helped in dealing with her depression, if only a little bit. What kept her going the most was her goal though. If she wanted to defeat those who outsmarted her parents, she needed to be ready for anything. Nica didn’t bother with any relaxing activities as she had her own share of fun, like performing a Z-move called ‘Gigavolt Havoc’ alongside her trainer after clearing the electric trial. The part where a tiny and weak being like her unleashed a gigantic thunder against gigantic foes, only to see their shocked faces upon their defeat was priceless. Handling such power while so unevolved proved quite painful, but it was a small price to pay. What Nica found odd was the fact that the only Z-moves her trainer learned were the electric and fire one. Apparently, mastering the use of the ultimate attack called a Z-move required a strong bond between the trainer and their pokemon… as well as a ridiculous and humiliating-looking dance. The bond between her and Astra was strong as they were partners, cooperating, communicating and even exchanging points of view with each other. But Astra and her mother’s Ninetales never got along. Apparently, a common desire for vengeance and united goal was enough for them to work past their differences and master a Z-move. It wasn’t the most healthy and pure relationship, but still an improvement. With no Pokemon League in the Alola region, Astra’s next destination was a Pokemon Center in Kanto, where she registered herself for the Kanto League. Her first serious adventure with countless trainers who would compete with her for the trophy and fame. During a training exercise before said adventure, Nica glanced at her fellow team members with pride. Ivysaur, a grass and poison type pokemon who earned his evolution during a third trial during the Orange League thanks to his teamwork with Happiny. His sleeping powder and endurance let him play a supportive and defensive role on the team. Chansey, a pokemon who earned her evolution during a fight against the champion of the Orange Islands. A nearly unbreakable wall as long as opponents used special attacks. She was Ivysaur's best friend and looked after the team with care, kindness, singing and hugs. Ninetales, a fully evolved pokemon with several years of experience that had belonged to Astra’s mother. He brought power and speed to the team, as well as aggression. Starmie, who was gifted with a water stone to evolve after defeating a totem Wishiwashi on its own. For a small starfish to defeat a gigantic naval beast was no small feat, especially if said giant beast was made of a hundred smaller creatures merged together. Starmie was a big starfish now with an even bigger ruby and a golden ring in the middle. A balance between endurance, offensive, power over water and psychic and ability to heal its own wounds made it the most reliable pokemon on the team. Still not a talkative one, though. Merely looking at the team filled Nica with excitement. Sooner or later, a chance for her to prove herself would come, and then she would evolve herself in pride. The spot for a sixth member was still free, and at one point Astra even considered catching an Alolan Grimer. Quite a cheerful fellow for being a moving green piece of toxins and poison with yellow lips, two large hands and no legs. Being both dark and poison type not only gave greater coverage in terms of offensive, being dark type also provided immunity to psychic, which otherwise would be devastating against a poisonous pokemon. Astra gave up on the idea though, as Ivysaur was already a poison type, and a fear of choosing between two of her pokemon in the future proved too great for her. Nica didn’t mind though. A walking bag of poison with no idea what personal space was definitely wasn't a good combo. Nica was perched on her trainer’s shoulder, distress still present on her face. Apparently, the next badge on the line was the thunder badge, and seeing countless pokemon covered in bandages in the Pokemon Center left a poor first impression. It wasn’t fear she felt but rather guilt. Fresh trainers who had just started their journey and tried to earn this badge had many opinions about the Gym Leader, but two were common. The first one was that the Gym Leader was some sort of war veteran, and the other was about his electric pokemon ‘Raichu’ being a merciless bully. Nica’s ears drooped. A few years ago she often bullied her brothers and sisters, sometimes even picking on young flying pokemon who couldn’t even fight back. But now… “A war veteran. My father was a general and a war veteran as well. I wonder if they knew each other,” Astra said, stepping into the gym as two people in biker’s outfits greeted her. “Sir, you have another challenger, a young girl this time,” the woman said, examining Astra from top to bottom. “She even has a Pichu on her shoulder. Should I test her pokemon in a fight to see if she’s worth the trouble?” the man said, his arms crossed as his jacked failed to hide his torso. “Don’t bother,” Lieutenant Surge said, standing to his full height. With firm steps, he approached and towered over them. Nica looked up at the giant in confusion, surprised that a human could even grow to such size. It wouldn’t surprise her if Mr. Surge challenged a Rhydon to an arm wrestling match from time to time. The man before her wore a green uniform and gloves, yet most of his torso and muscles were exposed. A necklace was present on his neck and his hair was blond. The most outstanding feature proved to be his size as Astra’s head didn’t even reach his arms. “Listen, kid.” He patted the girl’s head with his large hand. “While I like being challenged by cute girls, I don’t go easy on challengers.” He pointed at Nica, whose belly was smaller than his finger alone. “This is a Gym where trainers come to earn their badges, not a nursery. So how about you leave and train a bit, and then come back once your pokemon grown up a little. Alright?” Nica narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Ten seconds. All she needed was ten seconds to send this bag of muscles into a nursery. On the other paw… was hurting someone just because they teased her really okay? Astra kept staring at him with unchanging glare, not saying a single word. “Those eyes… I know that kind of look,” Lt. Surge said, lowering himself to the trainer’s level. “I saw it many times during the war. A young girl like you shouldn’t…” He sighed and stood up, walking towards the battle-area. “Come at me with everything you have. Let’s get this over with.” Nica blinked in confusion and looked between the Gym Leader and her trainer as one question kept repeating itself in her mind; ‘What just happened?’ The attitude of the Gym Leader made an unexpected turn. “Go Raichu! You know what to do!” Lt. Surge shouted, throwing his pokeball. Raichu shouted. Pichu nearly lost her balance on her trainer’s shoulder as her attention focused on the pokemon before them. So this was what her final evolution looked like. Big, but not too big, strong-looking, confident, and equipped with a cool-looking tail. Becoming something like that was certainly worth fighting for. Lt. Surge patted his pokemon on the head and spoke, “My Raichu beat six rookies this week, unless you want to be number seven, I suggest taking it seriously.” “Funny, considering that you’re the one who doesn’t take it seriously,” Astra said before picking Nica from her shoulder, holding the Pichu in front of her face. “Watch very closely, partner. I’ll show you what happens when a pokemon evolves just for the sake of power without skills to back it up.” Nica nodded before being placed next to her trainer’s leg. Raichu frowned and started punching the air in aggravation. Nica looked to the side. This Raichu reminded her so much of herself… and she didn’t like it in the least. “Starmie, I need you for a little demonstration.” Lt. Surge and his pokemon blinked in confusion while his assistant gasped. The awkward atmosphere and dead silence lasted for several seconds. “What kind of fool sends a water pokemon to battle an electric one? Is this meant to be a joke?” Astra shook her head. “I’m just returning the favor. Why should I take you seriously if you’re sending your weakest pokemon into battle?” Raichu shouted before rushing into the stage as bolts started to escape dots on his cheeks. His tail slapped against the floor of the battlefield. Lt. Surge frowned. “Fine, I’ll play along. Raichu, finish it with a ‘Thunderbolt’!” Pichu observed the attack that headed towards Starmie with full curiosity, finding it to be… underwhelming. Her own ‘Thunderbolt’ had a lot more force behind it. “Use ‘Calm Mind’,” Astra commanded with a bored tone as a white aura surrounded the large starfish, partially protecting the water pokemon from the electricity. Starmie ended up pushed back half a meter, but held its ground. “Your pokemon has tough defenses, but my Raichu will break them. Attack with even more power!” Lt. Surge commanded as his Raichu gritted his teeth and did as he was told. “Block the electricity with water,” Astra commanded. “What? You can’t block… wait… is it working?” he asked as stream of water scattered most of the electricity around, which in turn damaged the floor, walls and ceiling of the arena. While some bits of electricity seemed to travel towards Starmie, it proved too weak to even leave a burn. Astra placed her hands on her hips and explained, “Ironic, isn’t it? While water pokemon are very weak to electricity, pure water has very low conductivity. Electricity uses all kind of impurities inside the water to travel through it, so if a water pokemon can summon a stream of extremely clean water, it will mostly shield them from a direct attack.” Lt. Surge rubbed his chin, his first time encountering such an unexpected strategy. “Of course, for a water pokemon to summon hundred percent clean water is extremely hard, so it can be used only defensively and requires a lot of practice,” Astra explained, her theory proving true before her very eyes. “And Raichu, thanks for participating in my little experiment.” Raichu woke up from his shock and shot Astra an annoyed glare. “If I can’t break your defenses, I’ll go around them. Raichu, cover the entire room with electricity.” Raichu followed the order, damaging the floor and causing glass in the windows to shatter. “Starmie, use ‘Calm Mind’, and follow it up with a ‘Recover’,” Astra commanded, her posture and tone of voice calm despite lightning and loud noise filling the room. Nica kept observing the battle with full interest. Should she encounter multiple enemies, spreading a ‘Thunderbolt’ in such way was a decent strategy, worth memorizing. The smoke of the attack descended, revealing Starmie whose burns were vanishing one by one. “Raichu, attack with ‘Thunderbolt’ again. Overpower its recovery, keep on the pressure!” Raichu’s breathing was heavy and his paws trembled. His attempt to attack again ended in failure as only a few small bolts escaped his cheeks. Astra crossed her arms. “Here’s something funny. My Pichu can use ‘Thunderbolt’ several times in a row and still have the will to fight. Seems someone in the room has very little stamina.” Lt. Surge gritted his teeth. “So you saw through all the weaknesses of my Raichu before the battle even started. I don’t know if I should be impressed or annoyed that you’re toying with me.” “One ‘Hydro Pump’ should do it. End this pointless fight, Starmie.” Nica looked at Raichu in pity and shook her head, feeling sorry for what was about to happen. Raichu took a step back and his ears drooped before being struck by a powerful stream of water. A loud thud followed as he was sent flying through the wall, landing on his back outside of the Gym while losing consciousness. Lt. Surge recalled Raichu back into his pokeball and clapped his hands. “Well played, but how did you know?” Astra chuckled. “Know what? That this Raichu isn’t a veteran? It was simple really.” She shrugged and shook her head. “It is a Gym Leader’s job to evaluate the strength of a trainer and increase or lower the difficulty accordingly. If you used your most experienced pokemon, no trainer who just started their journey would stand a chance to earn your badge. You simply caught a Pichu or Pikachu in haste, evolved it quickly, taught it strong attacks and used it against newcomers. Without stamina, pokemon can’t use powerful attacks for long, and without getting hurt, pokemon can’t get tougher.” She pointed at the officer accusingly. “I bet you didn’t even train your Raichu, just to give inexperienced challengers a fighting chance.” Nica looked up at her trainer and gasped. Ever since Astra had found the graves of her parents and became determined to avenge their death, she’d changed. Whether this change was for better or worse she couldn’t tell yet. Lt. Surge clapped his hands again and next laughed. “True, so true. You have no idea how many babies visit this town. What Gym Leader would I be if I didn’t give them a fighting chance?” He winked. “This doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on them. They still need to learn that being a pokemon trainer is not a walk in the park. It’s my job to separate babies from future champions.” “Since you know that I’m experienced, can you bring in your ‘A’ game? I won't accept your badge unless I earn it in a real battle,” Astra said and stretched. “I like your spirit. But before we fight seriously, can you tell me more about yourself? I want to know more about a cute girl who not only isn't afraid of an butt-whooping, but knows how to give it in kind.” Astra smiled and held her hand on her chest. “My full name is Astra Longshot. I’m a daughter of Penny Longshot and Jeremy Longshot.” Nica noticed the shock on the Gym Leader’s face before her trainer asked, “My father was a high ranking officer, did you know him by any chance?” “Well… I’ll be darned…” Lt. Surge said, holding his hands on his hips. “You’re the daughter of the good ol’ Colonel. Seems he taught you well.” “So you know him?” Astra asked, her attitude shifting and her eyes now filled with hope. “Of course I do. During the war I hated the guy. I thought he was a spineless coward for being too careful and for leaving many good man to die.” He cleared his throat, “But then I found out that he predicted many traps laid by the enemy, and while his indecisiveness cost us a few small battles, he kept his forces healthy and in high number to deliver a deciding blow when it mattered the most.” He laughed and crossed his arms. “That good old colonel didn’t care about losing battles, as long as he could end the war with minimal casualties. I heard he got promoted, and after the war he became a leader of some big organization. How’s the old geezer doing by the way?” Astra’s smile vanished as she looked at the floor. “He's dead. Alongside my mother. They fell while fulfilling their duties.” Lt Surge took a step back and sat down on the floor. His eyes closed for a moment in a respectful silence. After half a minute, a simple question left his mouth. “Who?” “That’s what I’m trying to find out. My parents hid me around three years ago, fearing the worst. The police accused my father’s subordinates of betraying him, but I think someone shifted the blame.” She took a deep breath. “That’s why I need to become stronger and avenge them. I won’t let anyone suffer like I did.” “That’s a big burden, kid, you think you can handle it?” Lt. Surge asked before standing up. His face firm and impassive. “Maybe not now, but I’ll be ready to lift it eventually. It doesn’t matter if it will take a year or more, but sooner or later I’ll overcome any obstacle.” Lt. Surge chuckled. “I can see some of the colonel’s blood shining in you. I’ll ask my old friends if they can look into details of his death, call a favor or two.” He looked at his assistants. “But for now, let’s give your parents respect with a pokemon battle in their name.” Nica glanced at her trainer and nodded. The fight ahead was going to be tough, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Nica stretched herself, repeating her usual morning routine before picking up a few berries she found in the forest. She wasn’t a fan of the taste, but it still beat whatever the changelings had to offer. Her attention quickly shifted to the moving saddlebag. Not wasting a moment she opened it, picking up the tiny Starlight, who perched herself on the bronze edge of her paw. “Finally! Do you have any idea how hard it was to contact you for the last five days? You were either sleeping like a rock or away!” Starlight shouted, waving her tiny hooves in aggravation. “Do you even know how worried I was? I had nightmares of terrible events happening to you. I was even ready to prepare a long-range teleportation and search the hive from top to bottom!” Nica’s ears drooped. Being so focused on her task while interacting with Thorax’s brother made her forget about reporting her progress to her caretakers. She gently placed the tiny Starlight on a leaf and knelt, bowing in apology, her forehead now pressed against the leaves. “Hey, stop that!” Starlight shouted, pushing her tiny hooves against Raichu’s head, encouraging her to stand up. “I know you’re sorry, and that whatever you were doing had to be very important. Just tell… write your progress and worries from the past days. I solved a friendship problem once, so I can give some advice.” Nica stood up and dug herself into the saddlebag, pulling out her writing equipment. With a quill in one paw and a scroll in the other, she started writing. Upon feeling the doll’s hooves on her leg, she picked the tiny pony with her tail and slid down onto the top of her head. Starlight took a few steps, tilting herself forward on the edge of Nica’s head as her eyes were focused on the scroll. “Who’s Pharynx?” After waiting for the Raichu to write an answer to her question, she continued, “So let me get this straight. When you arrived here, you challenged Pharynx to a fight to earn his respect and defeated him. Next three days you spend patrolling with Pharynx while gaining his trust, and he even cheered you up at one point.” “And the hive got way calmer for it.” Nica and Starlight looked to the side, noticing a few approaching changelings. Two of them were typically green, but the third one stood out. His shade of green was much darker, and his armored back was blue. In terms of size he seemed slightly taller than the other two. “Ever since Pharynx and Nica started spending time together, he stopped unleashing his frustration on the others. It’s like a vacation.” The darker yet still green changeling spoke up, “I wasn’t sure if Thorax was a proper leader, telling us to abandon the old ways, but Nica convinced him to allow courses of self-defense for volunteers.” Raichu said, writing her words on the scroll for Starlight to read. “She even took it upon herself to teach self-defense,” the third changeling spoke up, his wings buzzing in excitement. He looked at the tiny Starlight on the Raichu’s head and continued, “You should’ve seen her! She was so enthusiastic when showing us how to dodge, or when she made herself into a moving target for us to shoot at, or when showing us how to use weight and size of our opponent against them. And whenever she hurt a changeling, even if by accident, she was so apologetic and caring.” She looked up with a dreamy smile. “I still remember your soft bronze paws gently stroke my bruised foreleg. Learning how to fight from you is like a sport, it’s so fun and not stressful at all.” The taller dark-green changeling spoke up, “At first I felt conflicted, but then I learned how to protect those I care about without being a jerk, and then boom, I transformed into this.” He gestured at his new features. “I don’t need to feed on love, and I feel way stronger than before.” Starlight placed her forelegs on Nica’s tiny nose, looking into her larger eyes from her upside down position. “Defeating and befriending Thorax’s brother? Teaching the changelings self-defense? And you did it all on your own?” Raichu’s face turned red as she lowered her head and covered it with her paws. Tiny Starlight slid down onto the stack of leaves, now lying on them with tears forming in her eyes. “S-so p-proud.” Her words too quiet to be heard by anyone else. Nica relaxed her tensed muscles and thanked the changelings for their cheerful words, waiting for them to leave before returning Starlight onto her head. “So you started to like fighting, didn’t you?” Starlight asked. Nica said, writing her words on the paper. “Still, the friendship problem hasn’t been resolved yet. Do you have any plan of action?” Raichu continued writing while smiling cheerfully. “A giant monster appeared near the hive recently and started eating all the plants, and you want to convince Thorax and his brother to cooperate with you and each other to deal with it?” She rubbed her own chin and next rubbed Raichu behind her ear with both of her hooves. “You know what, it may actually work. I say, go for it.” Raichu nodded, once again forcing Starlight to fall from her head. She caught the tiny mare with her paws and next gently rubbed her little belly. “N-no… stop… oh, okay, fine, you can snuggle me for a moment, but please, don’t make me worried again.” Raichu said, enjoying the moment before paying Thorax a visit. The kind-hearted leader seemed hesitant at the idea of fighting, preferring to lure the monster away, but the concept of fixing his relationship with his brother changed his mind. All that left for Nica to do was convince Pharynx... which took much longer than expected. As her subtle suggestions didn’t bring any effect, she held her forepaws curled under her neck, displaying a puppy stare. Something that in the past would only annoy the officer actually worked, which showed that he actually cared. The operation ‘Beast Hunt’ was going to commence tomorrow morning, and all of her efforts  were leading to this very moment. She still had some time left to participate in the ‘Craft Time’, and who knew, maybe she would find this activity to be enjoyable. For a creature destined to fight, I sure find enjoyment in a lot of non-combat activities. Rivals, many people had them as most trainers competed with each other for the same prize. Winning a tournament, becoming a champion and maybe even achieving the title of ‘Pokemon Master’. Still being a Pichu in her dream, Nica more than once encountered a specific trainer who decided to become Astra’s self-proclaimed rival, aiming for similar badges while always being a step ahead. After winning a Soul Badge in the ‘Fuchsia Gym’, Astra’s next destination required swimming over water to an island. Not that it was going to be a problem for the young girl as Starmie was more than capable of transporting her over a great distance, and she still could pick up her trusty kayak if necessary. “So you earned your sixth badge this quickly, I didn’t expect any less of you.” Nica’s attention focused on a trainer who stood on the shore as if waiting for them while Astra stopped in her tracks. “We seem to encounter each other quite often, and I still don’t know your name. May I know why I deserve such an honor?” Astra asked sarcastically with crossed arms. “Don’t sell yourself short. The first time I've meet you, I knew you were an experienced trainer.” He fixed his hat, wearing a bronze jacket and long grey trousers. Six pokeballs were present on his belt. “My name’s Johnny Milson. When I started my journey as a trainer, I earned nine badges and participated in the Kanto League, ending up among sixteen qualified trainers before losing on the first round. I trained a whole year while improving my strategy and my team, waiting for another go at the Kanto League.” He pointed at Astra. “I can beat any rookie now, but you’re not a beginner. That’s why I have been keeping my eye on you.” “Say no more,” Astra said with a satisfied smile, a chance to fight against an experienced trainer would help her measure her team’s strength. “My name’s Astra, Astra Longshot.” She pointed at her shoulder. “And this is my female partner, Nica. If you’re looking for a challenge, we’re willing to oblige.” “P-Pichu… seriously?” Johnny took a step back, his boots sinking slightly into the sand. “I thought it was your mascot. If she’s your partner, why hasn’t she evolve into Pikachu or Raichu yet? Is she mad at you or something?” Astra shrugged. “She just needs to earn her evolutions, but we’re in no hurry.” Nica puffed out her chest. Pichu or not, she had been beating stronger pokemon for more than a year. “Alright, then how about I’ll show you my partner,” he said, sending a bronze pokemon with a large mustache and two spoons in his hands. “Alakazam? I see your Kadabra has evolved since our last encounter,” Astra pointed out. “He did indeed. He’s now the strongest pokemon on my team and will ensure my victory at the league. If anything, beating your team will be a good warmup.” Alakazam asked, displaying his spoons as if they were weapons of mass destruction. “If that’s the case, how about we start with a battle between partners. What do you say, Nica?” Astra asked. Pichu jumped from her trainer’s shoulder, running towards her opponent with bolts escaping her cheeks. “And for the sake of a fair fight, I won’t use my Z-moves.” Nica bit her lip and slowly looked behind, her face pale. “A Z-what now?” Johnny asked in confusion. Nica looked forward and up, staring at the fully evolved all powerful pokemon, feeling pressure by merely standing nearby. She gulped and her ears drooped. Her fear proved well founded as her tiny body ended up smashed into numerous rocks while enduring a few tons of pressure. Her ‘Thunderbolt’ proved too weak to overcome her opponent’s ‘Recover’ move, while the gap in power between them was too big for her skills to compensate. As time passed, Nica fought against the Alakazam again and again, ending up defeated by his might. Their deciding encounter took place during the Kanto League. After a series of preliminary rounds, a tournament between the sixteen best trainers had started, each having eight or more badges and more than half a year of experience. Despite having only five pokemon, overcoming the two first tournament fights didn’t prove to be a problem as the Kanto League seemed to be mostly filled with new trainers this year. There were two exceptions, though. One was Johnny Milson, who earned his spot among best four trainers and was now facing Astra in the semi-finals. The other one was a mysterious trainer from Hoenn whose four years of experience and fully evolved team teared through the League with ease, becoming a crowd's favorite. Astra and Johnny faced each other with a large crowd cheering for them. Nica stepped onto the battlefield, this one flat with no outstanding features, finding her surroundings disappointing for the epic battle to come. As she expected, she was greeted with the smirking Alakazam. Your spirit is strong and admirable, but your body is feeble. I shall end our battle quickly out of mercy, Alakazam communicated telepathically, echoing his message in the Pichu’s mind. Nica smirked.