Raichu, Defender of Equestria

Chapter 30
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Dream Before the Storm

Nica’s closed eyelids started to shake as she tried to open her eyes, yet the pain and exhaustion still present in her body protested against it. Wherever she was, her hurting body was pressed into something soft, and attempt of moving a limb or two caused jolts of pain to go through her muscles. Instead, she relaxed herself, sinking into the land of dreams.

Nica walked by her trainer’s side with firm steps and narrowed eyes. Pikachu and Lauki followed from the left while the girl in the kimono who introduced herself as Sinori and her trusty Dewott walked on their right. The darkened tunnel finally gave up into the light of the Elite Four stadium.

Nearly two years ago, back when she was still a Pikachu, she walked into the chamber of Bruno, a Kanto/Hoenn member of Elite Four. The fight itself proved challenging despite it being six versus five and Bruno’s obvious type preferences, yet other members of Elite Four who watched their match quickly picked up on Astra’s weaknesses, overcoming her calculative mind with innovative and unexpected strategies. Not that Astra expected to win, telling her that their chance of overcoming such adversaries was near impossible.

Today was different though. Astra gained experience, her team grew stronger, and she earned her evolution into Raichu after many months of struggle against legendary pokemon of the Pyramid King. Unlike the last time, Astra was beaming with confidence, saying their victory over the elites and the champion is assured. Not that her trainer overcame her weakness as she still struggled to improvise, but her strengths now more than enough made up for it.

With three members of the Elite Four of Sinnoh defeated, only the toughest member, Flint, stood in their way.

Nica examined the battleground before her. Half of the field was flat with a small pool of water in the middle part of the area. The other part was covered by heated stone with little lakes of lava flowing in its cracks.

“We shall take our leave towards the audience stands and cheer for your victory. Show Flint your fighting spirit and honor,” Sinori said, performing a small respectful bow towards Astra before walking towards audience seats gracefully.

Dewott approached and followed his trainer’s gesture, respectfully bowing to Nica before grabbing his shell, holding it before his chest. He weakly poked the tip of Nica's tail with his shell and said, <Pokemon from the Elite Four are extremely strong. I know your honor make you hold back against weaker opponents or foes with types disadvantage, but there’s no shame in going all out against powerful opponents.> He poked his own chest with his shell. <Fight bravely.>

Nica smiled sheepishly. <Well… I can’t deny that they’re strong, but their typing is very predictable. For the sake of fairness, I hope the odds won’t end up in my favor.>

Dewott rolled his eyes. <Don’t worry. I’m sure the last member of Elite Four will give you a proper challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing your real potential… unleashed.>

Lauki clenched his fist in excitement. “Astra, I knew you were going to get far, but I had no idea you would storm through the Elite Four like that. I’m looking forward to learning from you.” He turned around and ran. “Hey, Sinori, wait for me.” He waved at Astra. “I’ll cheer for your victory. Break a leg and win the cup!” He ran towards the audience stands.

Pikachu patted Nica on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration. <I can’t believe you’re holding back against such powerful pokemon and still win. I swear, I’ll one day become a Raichu you can be proud of!>

<Come now. Now’s not the time to be shy.> Pikachu stomped and clenched his forepaw. <Show the spark of a fighter. A pokemon who defeated me while only defending isn’t allowed to go down easily. You’re a powerful Raichu and you should be proud of that.> He ran towards his trainer, jumping towards the audience seats before watching the field from Lauki’s head while Dewott perched himself next Sinori.

Outside of the rich crowd and multiple cameras, the vip seats were filled with other Elite Four members, the champion himself, and even the local professor seemed to grace everyone with his presence.

“My, my, you got some encouraging friends by your side. To think that those you defeated would cheer up for your victory, that’s a spark I like to see in trainers those days,” Flint said, approaching from the side rather than waiting on the opposite side of the field. Outside of yellow shirt, grey torches and black slipper, the most standing out feature proved to be his red afro.

“Meeting me in person before rather than after the battle, and by someone I heard to be the strongest member of Sinnoh Elite Four. I feel honored,” Astra said in a joking tone.

Flint shrugged. “What can I say, I always prefered a more direct approach. After I watched you in the heat of battle, I couldn’t help but want to meet you in person.” He scratched back of his afro. “To be honest, I hoped to talk with you before our battle, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

Astra crossed her arms. “My apologies. I couldn’t help but read some books in the local library. The silent atmosphere also helps me a lot whenever developing strategies for incoming battles.” She glanced at Flint’s belt and asked, “I heard a lot of rumors that you have an extremely powerful partner, Infernape. Shouldn’t your partner stand by your side before a big battle?”

“You got a point,” Flint said before picking up one of his pokeballs, sending Infernape into the field.

Nica observed the rumored powerhouse. Two slightly bent legs, two long hands, a thin tail, average-sized belly, and waving flames were present on the pokemon’s head. Red and white being the dominating fur colors, with addition of something like yellow armor present on each knee, shoulder and hand. His blue eyes filled with confidence.

“Is your Infernape as powerful as everyone says? Since he’s a fire and fighting type, how well would he do against Bruno’s Machamp?” Astra asked.

Flint rubbed his nose arrogantly. “Bruno from Kanto? Oh please. He may be incredibly strong, but it doesn’t mean his pokemon are unbeatable. I once had a spar with his team. My Infernape beat his Machamp and Hitmonchan in a row, and still had enough of heat to weaken Hitmonlee.”

Nica narrowed her eyes. A pokemon of such skills and power no doubt had to endure a lot of hardship. Maybe she didn’t need to hold back against him… maybe.

Flint held his hands on his hips. “But enough about me and my partner. I want to know more about you. When I saw you and your pokemon battle, I saw a powerful flame of determination. I’m curious what keeps it lit like that?”

“For the past years I didn’t expect to get far, so instead I focused on studying and training my team. I often put them against stronger opponents, or handicapped them by sending against foes with a type advantage. I even asked my team to hold back their evolution until they had skills to properly use greater power.” Astra narrowed her eyes, giving Flint a determined stare. “However, the time for training and challenges is over. I have been preparing all this time and failing is not an option.”

“Wow, wow, wow… you may not be the most expressive with your emotions, but I can tell you’re serious about winning.” He crossed his arms and commented, “I think I know what’s going on. You’re betting everything on the incoming supreme tournament. Since it takes place once every five years with the title of Pokemon Master on the line, becoming a champion of Sinnoh is your only chance to participate.”

Astra nodded. “Correct. You’re sharper than you look.” She knelt and looked at her partner before pointing at Infernape. “Now listen carefully, Nica. As I already told you, Infernape is a fire/fighting type, which means that your ‘Iron Tail’ will be extremely hard to use for defense. Furthermore, he’s the toughest pokemon from the Sinnoh Elite Four. Fighting against him will stack odds against you.”

“Ummm… what are you doing? I mean, my Infernape is great and all, but I don’t want too much praise to get into his head,” Flint said, giving his partner a firm glance, who rubbed his chest pridefully in response.

“Oh, sorry, I was just encouraging my partner to go all out against yours,” Astra said as she rubbed top of Nica’s head, who nuzzled her cheek in return. “You see, my Raichu’s name is Nica and she’s my partner, and she’s extremely skilled. The problem is that she refuses to go all out unless the odds are stacked up against her.”

Astra stood up and held one hand on her hip. “She refuses to use electric attacks against water or flying pokemon and hesitates to attack pokemon that are weaker than her due to their weaker evolution. I hoped to convince her not to hold back against a well-trained battle-hardened pokemon like your ace.”

“Really? That’s something I didn’t see before.” Flint knelt and looked Nica in the eyes, who stared back curiously. “Your partner reminds me of my friend Volker and his Pikachu. It almost feels nostalgic.” He took a closer look at the heart-shaped edge of Nica’s tail before glancing at Astra, “Why did she start holding back?”

Astra looked to the side, a blush of embarrassment on her face. “Well… let’s say that I held back on her evolution into Raichu until she managed to defeat Regice, Regirock and Registeel in a one vs one fight. For her a fair fight is only when she’s at a big disadvantage. There was also that one time when she… I think I’ll keep it to myself.” The moment Nica’s ears drooped, Astra knelt and rubbed behind her ears. “Whenever she’s protecting others or fighting criminals, she’s doing her best, but in normal pokemon battles she doesn’t want to bully a weaker opponent.”

Flint chuckled before bursting into laughter. “Listen carefully, Nica. My Infernape faced challenges that made him tougher beyond your imagination. He’s strong and durable. Even water pokemon aren’t skilled enough to defeat him in one vs one battle.” He clenched his fist, shaking it in front of himself as one could imagine fire bursting from his eyes. Nica took a step back, her ears perked up, catching his every word. “Ever since I became an Elite Four member, my Infernape didn’t lose against one pokemon a single time. If you think you have what it takes to be the first, you better bring your A game. Anything less would be disrespectful.”

Infernape roared, sending a pillar of flames into the air. He glared at Nica and said, <I once fought side by side with Volkner's Pikachu in the past, but I’ve grown way more powerful ever since. Having an equal fight against a Raichu would be a great reminder of the good old days. Don’t disappoint me, challenger.>

Nica tapped her forepaws together, staring back with her puppy eyes. <And if I defeat you… you won’t be angry or disappointed?>

Infernape laughed. <Angry? Disappointed? It has been more than a year since I had a proper challenge. I would feel nothing but respect towards a pokemon who can defeat me when I am at my best.>

Nica smiled widely, clenched bronze tip of her forepaws and nodded. <If that’s the case, I’ll hold nothing back. As long as we can respect each other at the end, I won’t hesitate from hurting you.>

Astra chuckled cheerfully. “Thank you very much for ensuring my victory, Flint. I hope it’s not too much to ask for us to start our battle with our partners.”

“How can I refuse an offer like that. You actually made me fired up for the coming battle, so you better do your best and don’t disappoint my expectations,” Flint said before walking away, approaching his side of the stage. The cheering of the crowd followed.

Not wasting a moment, Nica ran into the area, stopping herself in front of a pool of water. As she expected, Infernape was summoned a moment later as he now faced her from the other side of the pool. Holding her paws together, Nica performed a full respectful bow. <I wish you luck, Infernape. Let our fight be filled with honor and respect rather than anger and jealousy.>

“A sign of respect before the battle, your partner is full of surprises!” Flint shouted.

“She learned it from Dewott during the elimnationary round!” Astra shouted in response.

Nica glanced at the audience, noticing Dewott cheering up for her while shaking its shells as if being a cheerleader. The crowd of humans cheered as well as slightly more than half seemed to shout ‘Raichu’ rather than ‘Infernape.’

Nica blushed and then shook her head before focusing her attention on the opponent ahead as now was not the time to get flustered over the cheering crowd. She took a fighting stance on her four paws, raising her tail threateningly while charging it with power. Bolts of electricity started escaping from her cheeks, and then form her entire body. If her opponent was indeed as powerful and thought as the rumors said, she no longer needed to hold anything back.

“Ladies first, Astra, this goes for your pokemon as well,” Flint said while holding one hand on his hip. His posture relaxed and a smirk was present on his face.

“If you insist." Astra looked at her partner and commanded, "Nica, use ‘Light Screen!'”

Nica stood on her rear legs and raised both forepaws while concentrating. A barrier formed before her a moment later. She returned to her previous stance in an instant.

“Light Screen? Sorry to disappoint, but my Infernape is more of a physical attacker. I would suggest a more direct approach,” Flint said as he rubbed his nose arrogantly.

“Isn’t this something you’re looking for?” Astra asked with a smirk. “I’ll let my partner decide when it is the best time to strike.”

Nica and Infernape kept staring at each other, both focused and waiting for each other’s move. As if two warrior searching for weakness, they waited for their opponent to lower their guard even if for a second.

Drop of sweat fell down Nica’s forehead as she could feel the heat coming from the other side of the arena, her eyes narrowed.

“I see you don’t lack patience. If you so insist, we’ll strike first. Infernape, use ‘Mach Punch!'”

Nica looked up, observing as her opponent jumped over the pool of water. It took serious confidence to perform such a maneuver so close to the source of his weakness. Standing on her rear paws, she spread her forepaws in an invitation, allowing the shining fist to strike her belly with full force. Her legs and half of her belly sank into the rocky ground as cracks and loose stones started spreading all around her.

Despite the pain, she refused to scream, her teeth gritted. She quickly grabbed the fist with her forepaws while wrapping her tail around Infernape’s arm as electricity bursted form her body on its own.

Infernape closed his eyes, ignoring the electricity paralyzing his body. He raised his fist and leaped to the side, only to find out that his opponent held his arm in a vice grip. He started shaking his captured hand, but with no effect.

“Nica, use ‘Thunderbolt!'” Astra commanded while pointing at the fire pokemon.

Both Flint and Infernape grinned as electricity flashed in the middle of the area.

“You call that a ‘Thunderbolt?' Your Raichu is way weaker than I thought. Infernape, ‘Flare Blitz!'” He looked to the side and added, “I would tell your partner to release my pokemon’s fist if I were you.”

Nica didn’t need to be told twice as her trainer already warned her of the flames created by ‘Flare Blitz,' telling her what to do if this attack was used. She withdrew her tail and pushed herself away from Infernape’s fist towards his legs, wrapping her tail around them. She felt the extremely hot flames burning her tail but she struggled against it, jumping into the pool of water while pulling her confused foe. The moment Infernape’s flames made contact with the water, a large amount of steam filled the area.

“As planed,” Astra said and chuckled as everyone lost visibility over the arena, which was now covered by steam. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you would command your pokemon to use ‘Flare Blitz’ this early, more or less so close to the pool of water. Your overconfidence will cost you more than you think.”

Nica held her breath while unleashing more electricity, using surrounding water to strengthen her attack against her captive. After leaving Infernape with a few burns, she released his legs and swam towards the surface, climbing up onto the solid ground. As she expected, the fire pokemon jumped from the water into the cloud of steam, while sensing his aura made up for her lack of visibility. One weak ‘Thunderbolt’ after another, she struck Infernape with electricity, using her agility and steam to mask her own presence from counterattacks. Infernape jumped up, escaping from the steam, yet Nica found out many times during her own jumps that in air and without wings it’s difficult to evade.

Running at full speed while repeating her name, she surrounded herself with electricity, going through the steam while tracking her foe’s aura. With a quick ‘Thunderbolt,' she struck Infernape in mid-air, only to strike him with a ‘Volt Tackle.’

Infernape pressed his feet into the ground, pulling himself to a full stop as he kept standing, a few burns present on his body while water kept dripping down his fur.

The steam slowly vanished, revealing both pokemon staring at each other in silence.

Nica narrowed her eyes, glaring at her opponent with full attention. Despite paralyzing him with her own ability, throwing him into the water which he was weak to, using said water to strengthen her attack and then delivering around three weak ‘Thunderbolts’ and one solid ‘Volt Tackle,’ Infernape didn’t lose his balance a single time, standing tall and strong while ignoring his numerous burns. Her opponent no doubt endured hardship and fought against the odds like she did to get this tough, she needed to take it seriously.

“Your pokemon can see even with so little visibility?” Flint asked in confusion.

“She can indeed. It’s a small trick she learned from monks while under Riolu’s guidance. Long story,” Astra said, her attention on the fire pokemon. “I must say, I’m impressed. After so many hits your partner still stands strong and firm.”

“And what did you expect?” Flint asked, his nose raised arrogantly. “I always allow my opponents to strike first to toughen my partner. Your Raichu’s attacks are very weak, they barely did a thing.”

“Oh, I know they’re weak,” Astra said, catching Flint’s attention. “However, even weak attacks can do a lot of damage in high number, and they’re faster to pull out. My partner may not have power, but she makes it up with her combos, stamina and creativity. Not to mention that she intentionally took ‘Mach Punch’ just to paralyze your pokemon with her ability. You may not see this as a big deal, but you’ll soon find out what speed reduction of your partner will cost him.”

Flint took a step back, only to tighten his fist and shake it. “I see how it is. Infernape, enough warming up, time to go all out. Use ‘Flare Blitz!'” He pointed at the near-empty pool. “Only one of my partner’s attacks was enough to turn most of the water into steam, you won’t be able to use the same trick twice.”

Astra chuckled, holding hand over her mouth. “Nica already gained the advantage we had hoped for. She doesn’t need any more water to best your pokemon. You’ll see.”

Nica observed the approaching ball of fire, backflipping in time as Infernape created a large crater in front of her in a massive explosion of stone and dust. She performed two small backflips to gain more distance while charging her tail. Her opponent seemed to rely on direct combat so every meter of distance worked in her favor.

Nica leaped back once again, landing on her rear paws while raising her metallic tail. Should a powerful attack head in her direction, evading and exhausting her foe was the way to go. Against a fast or accurate attack, ‘Iron Tail’ and ‘Light Screen’ were the best responses. Her numerous fights against powerful opponents and legendary pokemon greatly sharpened her defensive responses, while past month of brutal training mostly focused on improving her durability and the use of her longer tail.

Against ‘Mach Punch’ the situation wasn’t so simple. While weak, it was a fighting move used by pokemon with powered up punch moves. It would no doubt break her ‘Iron Tail.' Still, fast or not, it was no different than a ‘Quick Attack’ she used in the past, and more skilled opponents managed to evade or block it with correct timing.

The question was: should she listen to the fencer inside her and push the strike to the side with a slap of her ‘Iron Tail?' Her trainer told her to tank the weaker hit and wrap her tail around the attacker's fist for a counterattack with electricity, or to strike against fast but weak fighting move with a powerful ‘Volt Tackle,' but she wouldn’t improve use of her tail without taking risks.

Nica was about to tank the hit and grab her opponent with her tail, but bolts of paralyzing electricity that appeared on Infernape’s body gave her a better opportunity. She leaped to the side and spun, striking side of her opponent’s arm with sharp part of her tail while pushing herself away with the recoil.

Before her feet touched the ground, she attacked with a very weak ‘Thunderbolt,’ yet her opponent fought through the paralysis and evaded her electricity. It didn’t take long before Infernape charged at her while using ‘Mach Punch' again.

Enough of pushing my luck, I’ll practice use of my tail another time, Nica thought. The moment her feet touched the rocky ground, she ran while surrounding herself with electricity. Her ‘Volt Tackle’ collided with the shining fist of her foe as both pokemon ended up pushed backward form the recoil. Powerful ‘Volt Tackle’ greatly outclassed fast ‘Mach Punch’ in terms of raw power, creating a few bruises on Infernape’s other hand while causing him to lose focus. His eyes closed while legs pressed into the ground, shaking and struggling to keep him from losing balance.

Nica didn’t dare to lose her concentration, summoning a weak ‘Thunderbolt’ towards the cloud of dust before her feet touched the floor. As she had hoped for, the aura she sensed proved enough to aim while the cloud of dust covered her counterattack. She took a fighting stance and observed her foe with full attention as a few bruises were present on her forehead. Her opponent was still standing on his shaking legs while both of his hands hung down motionlessly, the first sign of weakness since the battle started. The moment Infernape raised his hands, punched the air, and massaged his arms, it became obvious that this was going to be a drawn out battle, but she had enough stamina to afford it.

“I can’t believe it. Your pokemon attack and act without your command, and she’s still efficient without your guidance,” Flint said.

Astra shrugged. “I prefer to create and share my strategies with my team in advance, while Nica was always better than me when improvising. We just trust each other.” She pointed at the fire pokemon. “Nica, use ‘Volt Tackle’ and ‘Iron Tail’ at the same time.”

“Infernape, attack with ‘Flare Blitz!'” Flint commanded with a shake of his fist.

Nica charged at the ball of fire while surrounded with electricity as she and her opponent were both using powerful and backfiring attacks at the same time. With her opponent being the stronger one, the collision would certainly be favorable for Infernape. The aura of electricity shrank as Nica bent her legs and leaped to the side while pushing the fireball into opposite direction with her tail. A few burned marks appeared on the metallic surface of her long tail, but it performed its role. Running once again, she strengthened aura of electricity around her.

Infernape stopped his attack, finding himself speeding up in the wrong direction. He turned around and faced the running Raichu.

Following his trainer’s command, Infernape jumped at his opponent with fists raised and ready to deliver a series of strikes.

Nica turned around, changing direction of her running before jumping away from her opponent, using a weak ‘Thunderbolt’ to keep him at bay. Punch after punch, Infernape’s fists created craters on the battlefield as Nica leaped out of the way of each strike, answering with bolts of electricity. She blinked as several pebbles bounced against her face, while wind started shaking her ears, feeling but a taste of the force behind Infernape’s attacks despite actively avoiding them.

If she learned anything from her fight against the legendary pokemon back when she was a Pikachu, it was to fight carefully. A single mistake would lead to her receiving a devastating blow. Instead it was safer to switch from offense to defense depending on the situation while hoping that paralysis will give her oppenings she needs. Furthermore, while ‘Close Combat’ was powerful, it left the opponent unguarded. As long as she managed to evade the devastating blows, her opponent would be powerless against her weak but numerous counters.

“I must say, your Raichu is anything but reckless. In fact, it has been a long time since my opponent managed to outspeed my Infernape. If anything, this battle makes me fired up.” Flint tightened his fists and shouted into the sky. “Infernape, use ‘Flamethrower!’ on the entire battlefield. Heat it up!”

Nica leaped left and right, evading the flames as the rocky ground melted all around her. The air she breathed suddenly becoming hotter.

“Use ‘Mach Punch’ and next ‘Close Combat,’ keep on the pressure!” Flint commanded.

Nica jumped out of the way of the attack, only to grit her teeth as her legs made contact with the melting stone. A moment of distraction being enough to allow Infernape to get closer. Using her tail for defense, she pushed a few punches aside, as if being a fencer parrying blade of her opponent. The speed and ferocity of the attacks proved too high even for her senses while melting stone slowed down her movements. A few of the punches struck her ‘Iron Tail’, creating cracks upon its metallic surface before shattering it, leaving the yellow part of her tail with no power left.

With her tail returning to normal, Nica braced herself for the incoming onslaught. A series of kicks and punches made a brutal contact with her face, belly and limbs as yelps of pain followed. Her body became a punching bag as a finishing strike of both Infernape’s hands pushed her into the melting stone.

“Nica, use your tail to trip over your opponent and counterattack!” Astra commanded.

The long tail of the electric pokemon shot from the crater and wrapped around Infernape’s leg, tripping him over. Nica jumped from the crater and swung her tail, stopping it in front of her opponent’s face. She jumped back and took a fighting stance while ignoring the hot stone burning her paws.

Astra sighed. “Even when going all out, she still can’t bring herself to strike against a lying opponent. Not that it matters, if you haven’t noticed, you’re losing this fight.”

“What are you talking about? My partner just hit yours with series of devastating blows,” Flint pointed out.

“Correction. Your partner hit mine with a very strong ‘Close Combat,’ one ‘Mach Punch’ and slightly burned her tail with a ‘Flare Blitz,’ while she struck yours with plenty of ‘Thunderbolts’ and two ‘Volt Tackles.’” Astra held hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Also, while I admit that your Infernape is incredibly tough, he’s not the only one who endured pain and hardships. My partner struggled for years as Pichu and Pikachu, facing powerful foes, and after evolving into Raichu she pushed and trained herself even harder nearly every single day. She can take hits as well.”

Flint rubbed his chin, his full attention now on Nica who maintained the fighting stance, not bothered in the least by newly acquired scratches and bruises on her body. “You’re right. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there’s a chance my Infernape may actually lose.” He tightened his fists and shouted, “Infernape, use ‘Flare Blitz!' The fight we were waiting for all this time is here before us!”

It became clear that both Nica and Infernape had a lot of durability, both used to enduring a massive quality of pain and abuse.

In terms of power Infernape dominated the field, while its fist attacks were boosted by his ‘Iron Fist’ ability, giving him a large edge over Nica whose attacks proved substantially weaker.

In terms of speed and agility however the Raichu showed a full dominance, both due to her training and paralyzing electricity still present in her foe. Despite intense pain in her paws due to heat of the battlefield, she maintained her concentration, already used to the pain enough to ignore it.

Each ‘Mach Punch’ of Infernape Nica countered directly with her ‘Volt Tackle’ in a massive explosions of dust and electricity.

Each ‘Close Combat’ was meet with speed as Nica kept her distance, using her opponent’s lowered guard to counter with electricity at range. There were two exceptions though as Nica’s beaten body ended up pushed towards the wall under the audience’s seats with a solid kick, which she amortized with her own tail. Not for a moment she dared to lay on the hot ground, pushing herself into a fighting stance and not giving her opponent any openings.

Out of five “Flare Blitz’ two colided with her body, burning it from one side while rubbing it against the stone from the other, leaving trails on the battlefield.

Infernape didn’t have it any better, receiving a combo of weaker strikes for every powerful blow he delivered. His legs started to shake more and more upon being repeatedly struck with electricity, at one point giving up as he fell to his knees. Even if not as powerful as his own strikes, his injured hands could no longer hold against might of ‘Volt Tackle.'

Would Infernape’s ‘Flare Blitz’ strike against Raichu’s ‘Volt Tackle’ directly, would his ‘Close Combat’ break through series of ‘Thunderbolts’ everytime, his power would overwhelm Nica. Yet it was anything but simple. While most of his powerful hits were missing, Nica conserved her stamina, fighting patiently.

Both Nica and Infernape now stood two meters away from each other, their eyes narrowed and senses sharp. Their bodies covered in bruises and burns while Nica’s tail lied flat on the ground, creascened and with numerous marks of flame-burns. Their breathing heavy, while their limbs were shaking uncontrollably, as if ready to give up at any second.

<You… fought… well…> Infernape said between breaths, his hands injured and drooped. <I can see… what hardship.. you endured… Your struggle… was even harsher than mine.>

Nica gulped as sweat fell down her face. While the battlefield was no longer as heated, the atmosphere was still too hot for her liking. <Can I… ask you… for a favor?>

Infernape chuckled. <How can I say no that? Training with someone who pushed me this far would be an honor.>

<Honor is all mine,> Nica said with a forced smile, one difficult to maintain in her hurting state.

“Nica, time to finish it, attack with ‘Volt Tackle’ and be ready to use that trick number nine!” Astra commanded.

Flint shouted, “Infernape, use whatever strength you have for ‘Close Combat,’ we won’t go down without a fight!”

Both pokemon looked at each other with a smile and nodded, only to charge at one another at the same time. Nica leaped to the side, evading the first blow before running around her opponent, using the exhaustion of Infernape’s legs to her advantage. While they both seemed evenly matched, Infernape used plenty of energy by missing his powerful attacks, while she conserved her own. That difference in stamina was what she needed to seal her victory.

With a quick jump, she hit Infernape from behind, causing an explosion of electricity. Unable to use her long tail, she wrapped her limbs around Infernape’s belly, unleashing a ‘Thunderbolt.' Grabbing the back or head of her tired opponents wasn’t new to her, something she got better at ever since evolution provided her with a long tail. A tactic which her trainer started referring to as a trick number nine. Lucky, her paws were strong enough as the exhausted fire pokemon had no strength left to fight back.

Infernape dropped to his knees and next fell on his face, losing consciousness as Nica jumped from his back and bowed in respect to her defeated foe.

Flint stared for a moment with his mouth agape before recalling his partner. “Infernape, you did incredibly well. I’m proud of you.” He raised his hands and started clapping his hands. “And I’m proud of you too, Nica. Not even the champion’s pokemon showed so much willpower as you did!” He rubbed his nose arrogantly with his finger. “I wish I could say the same about your trainer. She sure needs to step up and give you commands, not make you do all the work!”

Astra crossed her arms, looked to the side and frowned. “To your information, I’m more active with my other pokemon. I just trust my partner enough not to give unnecessary commands.”

“Hey, Nica, take a break. You took down their ace, now allow others the chance to shine,” Astra said.

Nica looked at her trainer and her ears drooped. <B-but… I can still fight. I know in my condition the odds will be against me, but I prefer it this way...> She sighed and ran towards the tall platform, jumping towards her trainer before sitting next to her legs. Her tense and burning muscles now allowed to rest. She observed as Starmie was summoned into the field. I must admit, this fight… wasn’t so bad. I don’t want to bully those weaker than me, nor sense their aura of depression or jealousy when they lose, but this Infernape was different. As long as my opponent have fun and don’t mind losing, I suppose it’s fine…

She glanced at her trainer’s Z-ring with a worried look. With the electric crystal not working for some reason, only a fire Z-move for Ninetales was available. Not that she needed to use Z-move with her new defensive fighting style, but questions what happened to it still plagued her mind.

Nica looked towards the audience seats, or rather at the faces of Lauki, Sinori, and their pokemon. On one side, it felt nice having more company outside of the team members. It felt… less lonely… and having an opportunity to train and share her experiences with younger talents proved quite enjoyable. On another, fear of putting them in danger didn’t leave her even for a moment. After the fight against the champion, Astra was planning to put all of her efforts in dealing with the local criminal organization. It was their role to fight those who abused pokemon’s power for crime to protect others. She wanted to take hits so others didn’t need to.

Nica opened her eyes as her blurry vision slowly sharpened. A white earth pony in a medical uniform came into her view. One thing was certain, it wasn’t a Nurse Joy. She pushed herself to a sitting position and massaged her bandaged forehead, and then pulled an odd-looking device from her face.

Nica poked her neck, yet not feeling any collar on it. She looked around in panic, noticing collar with magical gems lying on a nearby table. After attaching it on her neck, she sighed in relief and said, “I feel a bit stiff and a little tired, but I have been worse. Though I can’t help but wonder, why am I in a hospital bed?”

“You… don’t remember? Miss Rainbow Dash brought you here a few hours ago. She told us that you tortured yourself with body-breaking training.”

Nica shook her head. “The last thing I remember was having a few minutes of practice in front of a mountain. Next, I felt pain in my every body and softness of the bed, and then there was that dream... “

“Your friend tried tried to stop you, and you responded aggressively against her,” Redheart said before approaching the door. “Miss Fluttershy, good news. Miss Nica is awake.”

The long-tailed critter shook her head, only to gasp and raise forepaw over her mouth. “Oh no… did I hurt her? No, no, no, I have to apologize!” She stood up and looked around in panic. “Where’s Rainbow Dash? How much time had passed already?”

Redheart glanced at the clock on the wall. “You were sleeping for around four hours. Miss Dash is currently in Canterlot.”

“Four hours!” Nica shouted, her forepaws spread. “Oh no, no, no, no, I have to hurry.” Without a second thought, she ran towards the window, unlocking it with help of her tail before jumping outside.

“Wait, stop! You’re not yet fully recovered! Come back here!” Redheart shouted from bottom of her lungs, constantly calling Nica from the hospital window.

Nica ignored the nurse’s words, as well as her own bandages. She already wasted too much time and was desperate to make up for it. Should I catch a train, no… it would take too long. I’ll just run directly and climb up the mountain. It’s not that far anyway… And no more trainings until Darkrai is dealt with! With a plan formed in her head, she sped up, running straight towards the castle in distance.

That angelic voice… Nica pulled herself to a full stop, pressing her paws into the grass while leaving a trail behind her. She turned around, only to be embraced into a winged hug with Fluttershy’s face staring at her with tears in her eyes. The aura of worry, compassion, sadness and affection hit her like a steamroller, and a mere look at Fluttershy’s tears caused her heart to ache.

Nica's ears drooped. She slowly raised her bruised paw up to the pegasus’ face, wiping away steam of tears with the bronze tip of her forepaw. “Please… don’t cry…” Her words didn’t seem to work as stream of tears continued as she was now trapped in a silent hug.

Little Lost Raichu

by CommanderX5

Chapter 30 - Dream Before the Storm