//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 - The Last Peaceful Dream // Story: Little Lost Raichu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Raichu, Defender of Equestria - Chapter 38 - The Last Peaceful Dream Twilight was now sitting on her crystal throne with Spike by her side, all her friends already in their respective thrones. A chandelier made of tree roots and memory gems just above the Cutie Map brought brightness into the gloomy atmosphere present inside the room. Starlight sat on a pillow next to Spike. Despite her mentor’s insistence, she had refused a throne of her own, as she didn’t feel worthy of such an honor yet. As the silence and gloomy faces remained, Dash spoke up in an excited tone, “That sure was an epic adventure! I gotta say Twilight, your mother should join us whenever Equestria is in danger and stuff. She has some decent reflexes with her magic.” Rainbow Dash said with a wide smile on her dreamy face, her wings flapping in excitement. “And when she said, ‘Beam away or beam bang to the face,' it was a cool one-liner.” “I heard you did not make much of a difference, darling. Your parents and their befriended Raichu had to come to your rescue,” Rarity spoke up, receiving an annoyed frown from the pegasus. “Not that I blame you. Even in my unlady-like rage, I would not accomplish much without the help of those nice beam-shooting bears.” Fluttershy tapped her forehooves together. “Ummm… to be fair, if not for Nica and other friendly pokemon, I fear of what would happen to our families. Even if those mean pokemon we faced were way weaker than Darkrai, I fear we wouldn’t stop them on our own.” Twilight nodded. “I must agree. Nica did tell us in her reports that pokemon often fight each other to improve themselves. Even if some of them aren’t stronger than ponies, they still surpass us when it comes to combat experience.” “Maybe they know a lot about how to give a beatin', but they ain’t out of free will, unlike the monsters that attacked our farm. Green eyes with a dark aura escapin’ them… Eeyup, totally brainwashed,” Applejack pointed out. Fluttershy raised her forehoof. “Maybe Darkrai doesn’t want to brainwash other pokemon like he did with the monsters. He did give Nica a choice to join him or return back to her world. He must respect other pokemon while looking down on us.” Rainbow Dash smashed her forehooves together. “The nerve of him, thinkin’ we’re some animals or pests he can conquer and rule.” “To be fair,” Applejack said, “when Ah found Nica at mah farm, Ah thought of her to be a pest. Ah took her to the vet later on, as if she was a critter.” “I reread some of her reports. According to Nica’s memories, humans from her world often took care of or trained pokemon how to fight. While pokemon like to cooperate with humans, they are often looked down upon like pets and even exploited.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “With all the information we have thus far, I believe he’s thinking that humans treat pokemon like slaves and ponies are no better. He probably want to bring pokemon into our world and conquer us, showing that pokemon aren’t just pets to exploit.” “Well… Ah must admit, Ah didn’t see Nica as an equal, even if she deserved it,” Applejack said with her head lowered in shame. Twilight looked to the side. “I admit, I also started thinking of her like a adorable loyal pet and test subject for my experiments.” She tapped her forehooves together as her ears drooped. “I couldn’t help it. She’s so small and cute and fluffy, and she liked when I stroked her.” “And I enjoyed our cuddling session and belly rubs, though she rubbed my belly in kind,” Fluttershy said with a warm smile. Pinkie showed a toothy smile. “She sure loved my sweets and was soooo cute. I think she was happy playing the role of our pet and enjoyed our affection. She wanted to make us happy and be proud of her.” Spike spoke up, “I don’t think she minded. Even if Nica is smart, when we took care of her she was lost and confused. She acted like our pet because she looked up to us.” Starlight nodded. “That’s true, but she changed. As she recovered more of her memories, she started showing her intelligence, skills and initiative. She solved a friendship problem and started to work as a mercenary. She was our equal.” “Speaking of her, I came to a decision,” Twilight said as she narrowed her eyes. “We need to convince her to accept Darkrai’s offer and return back to her world.” “What?” Applejack said with slam of her forehoof against the round table. “After everythin’ she has done, all the blows she took for us, all the burns she endured, all the sweat of exhaustion she dropped. After all her struggles as she risked her well-being to protect our families while endurin’ agony, ya want her to leave! Just like that?” Applejack’s eyes watered as she held back her tears. “She jumped into a Hydra’s mouth to save Apple Bloom for Celestia’s sake, endured its sharp teeth and the only thin’ on her mind was to fight for us.” “I know!” Twilight snapped back as she stood up from her throne and spread her wings. “But that’s the problem. Ever since we started taking care of her, I noticed that she doesn’t care about herself. She tried to banish herself after electrocuting fillies and colts which wasn’t her fault to begin with. She begs for forgiveness after giving someone a bruise but doesn’t care if she herself ends up covered by them. While I find such selfless behavior to be admirable, it’s also very sad.” Rainbow Dash nodded as she crossed her arms. “No kiddin.' Her self-esteem is waaay too low. A large boost of ego would do her good.” Twilight nodded as she continued with a depressed tone, “Her body may be incredibly tough, but her heart is delicate. She’s so easy to guilt and so willing to push herself in the line of fire for others. If she stays in Equestria any longer, I fear she’ll give up her very life to protect us.” Starlight whimpered, her ears drooped and tear slid down her cheek. “If it wasn’t for her, Darkrai and Chrysalis would grow more powerful under our muzzles, only to take over Equestria with little resistance. Again and again she ruined his plans and now she’s suffering because of that.” She wiped tears from her watering eyes. “He knows… he knows he can’t beat her, so he’s trying to break her. I can’t even fathom the guilt weighing on her poor heart.” “Not to mention that the moment Nica returns back home, Darkrai will stop targeting our families,” Rarity pointed out. Applejack frowned. “Ah doubt that. Ah mean, he knew where we and our families live and had a plan of attack.” She crossed her arm, her face grumpy. “Ah bet he planned to target them if we got in his way.” “I can’t deny that possibility, Applejack,” Twilight said before showing a confident smile. “However, thanks to Nica; our families are now safe and with us in this very castle, scholars from Canterlot are searching and dispelling his curses as we speak, and Chrysalis is locked in the changeling hive with Pharynx guarding her. We learned about our enemy, his tricks, strengths and weaknesses. And most importantly, not every pokemon he summons are sharing his vision of conquest.” She poked her own chest. “I believe that from now on we’re capable of keeping Equestria safe on our own. The least we can do is to spare Nica more suffering.” The silence overtook the room. “Let’s settle it with a vote. Who’s in favor of telling Nica to accept Darkrai’s offer to return home, please, raise your hoof,” Twilight said as she raised her own foreleg and looked between her friends. Starlight grit her teeth as she slowly raised her foreleg, only to lower it, her mind a mess. Fluttershy whimpered before raising her forehoof. “I… I really love Nica. She was always so incredibly nice, maybe even nicer than me, but when I saw her pulling a broken leg, when I saw her crying eyes... “ She looked to the side, resisting the urge to cry. “She told me… she told me how the ponies in Cloudsdale hated her, how they hurt her thinking she was an enemy. She told me that it hurt more than the broken leg. I hate that she needs to leave, but she doesn’t deserve to suffer more.” Pinkie’s mane became grey as she raised her foreleg. “I want to make her happy… If staying here with us will keep making her sad and hurt her… she should return to her friends at home. They’ll cheer her up.” Applejack turned on her throne and crossed her arm. “Ah’ll protect her with mah life if Ah have too, Ah owe her that, but if she’s willin’ to fight for us, we should respect that.” Dash nodded. “That’s right. She may be too humble and think little of herself, but protecting others means life to her.” Dash’s wings spread and she raised a forehoof up to her chest. "I know how she feels. Once we kick Darkrai's butt, she's not gonna care about the pain, she'll be too happy. She believes the stronger you are, the more you gotta help. Taking this chance away from her is totally uncool." She flew up, now hovering above her throne. “Once this mess is over, I’ll find those stupid pegasi who dared to hurt her and make them apologize.” Spike raised his hand as he looked Twilight in the eyes. “It seems I’ll not get to know her better after all, but I agree that she’s too selfless. If we won’t make her stop taking blows for us, who will?” Rarity raised her forehoof. “The poor dear endured too much. When I brought her to Manehattan so she could work for my friend Miss Coco Pommel as a bodyguard, she took it upon herself to take down a criminal organization. I fear if we will let her stay with us, she will sacrifice her own life. She needs to leave.” Twilight nodded before looking at her student. “What about you, Starlight, have you made up your mind?” “I did. As much as it pains me to see her suffer like that, I know her well enough. She would feel guilty for abandoning us for the rest of her life.” She raised her head, now giving her teacher an even look. “It is true that she thinks little of her own worth, that she’s ready to put her own life at risk, but she made a decision to dedicate her life to be as useful to those in need as possible. I… I can’t rob her of the opportunity to make use of her powers. If she survives, the joy of playing a vital role in saving Equestria will be worth it. It will make her happy… like she’s worth something.” Twilight nodded in understanding. “I see your point, however, the votes are five to three in favor of her returning back home. Not to mention that her mother no doubt wants her safe and sound. The moment she recovers, we’ll need to convince her to leave.” Dash and Applejack groaned while Starlight didn’t dare to raise her lowered head. Fluttershy stepped from her throne and said, “I hope she’ll recover. I know that Dr. Fauna is with her right now, but maybe it would be better if we left her at hospital.” Rainbow Dash flew over to the other pegasus and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. During her training, Nica brought herself to a critical condition and managed to recover. Just give it time and her leg will be as good as new.” She placed a forehoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, who returned it with a cheerful smile. “How is she holding up,” Apple Bloom asked as she looked up at Dr. Fauna with puppy eyes, only a few wrong words away from bursting into tears. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were by her side. With their friend recovering in the softest bed found in the castle, her injuries being a result of saving the young Apple filly, they quickly came to look after the long-tailed critter. “She’s recovering quite quickly,” Dr. Fauna said with a cheerful smile as she pointed at the bandaged Raichu perched on a large pillow. A rat and green spider sat on a nearby table, keeping watch over their friend. Another Raichu lay curled on a pillow next to Nica, keeping her daughter company.  “Her breathing and heartbeat are stable.” She gestured over to a fully bandaged and immobilized rear leg. “Her leg is the only part of her body to worry about, but if what Princess Twilight told me, pokemon are capable of recovery far above ours. Miss Dash even mentioned that Nica is a special case due to her dangerous training regime.” “Wooooow, I knew she was cool, but not like that,” Scootaloo said as her tiny wings kept her in the air for three seconds before giving up. “I mean, being chewed by a Hydra, defeating it and fighting mean pokemon despite an injured leg. Next to Rainbow Dash, she’s definitely second.” “Second, in what?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Awesomeness level, duuuh…” “Sssshhh…” Apple Bloom shot her friends a glare of disapproval before climbing up onto the bed, giving the critter a sad look. “She needs peace and quiet.” She glanced at Dr. Fauna. “Ah brought a basket with apples and a blanket. Maybe she’s cold?” “I believe eiderdown is good enough.” Fauna paused upon seeing the sad eyes of the filly. “I suppose adding a soft blanket won’t hurt.” Apple Bloom jumped from the bed with a grin. “I’ll bring the blanket, be back in a moment.” She ran out and into the room with bronze blanket in her mouth, her head raised in pride. The blanket itself covered by numerous tiny apple decorations. Winona walked into the room and lay in front of the bed, whimpering sadly. Her burns covered in bandages. “Thank you… for everything.” Apple Bloom added her blanket into the mix, covering both Nica and her mother, and then gently stroked Nica in between her ears. “Sweet dreams, you deserve them.” The following weeks inside the secret base were… eventful… as the technicians recovered a copy of Guardian’s database and gained access to their spy satellite. A solid first step in criminal control. Inspired by Nica’s development, power and her character, a few Pichu willingly arrived at the bunker, pleading for its residents to let them join on their adventure. Out of respect for Nica and Astra, three combat-orientated guardians agreed to train one Pichu each. Not that the tiny rookies were going to be useful anytime soon, but their determination was nothing to sneeze at. One of the Pichu who joined a fellow guardian was Nica’s youngest brother, who was looking at her in admiration whenever they meet. The downside being Astra’s Umbreon who called himself Nica’s younger brother, resulting in a few arguments and displays of jealousy whenever interacting with the Pichu. Now inside the testing area, Flint and his Infernape stood across from Astra and Nica. Numerous cameras were present in the room while reinforced glass separated them from technicians, computers and other advanced devices. “You know. When you told me what you’re trying to accomplish here, I thought you were in over your head,” Flint said as he rubbed his afro. “Yet here you are, having a secret base on your own abandoned island with former criminals working for you. Are you sure you’re not planning to take over the world or something?” “As if,” Astra said with a shake of her head. “In order to get intelligence and proof of corruption in Kanto and Johto, we need proper equipment and staff. My pokemon team have firepower and I may be a good strategist, but this requires a more stealthy approach.” “Sure, sure, and don’t worry, your secret will be safe with me,” Flint said as he patted himself on the chest. “Now, are you ready to test this new Z-move of yours?” Infernape taunted with his hand. Astra nodded before performing a new dance, and she still couldn't tell how she discovered it. When testing if the new Z-move was reacting to one of Nica’s attacks, failing each time, she decided to try a combo instead. The moment Nica attacked with two attacks at the same time while Astra tried to connect with her pokemon, an odd sensation overcame them, one she couldn’t explain. As if everything she knew about Nica and their bond of trust suddenly started becoming something deeper. Surrounded by an aura of power from her head to the tip of her tail, Nica ran at Infernape. “Use Close Combat!” Flint commanded. Both Nica and her trainer grinned. Astra took a step back and raised her hand as if holding a shield, while Nica with quick movements of her shining tail intercepted and soaked the power of each punch as cracks appeared on the metal on her tail. She followed up by swinging her tail against Infernape’s belly while Astra punched the air. Infernape took slow steps backward as he held his stomach in pain. Astra jumped forward and spin kicked the air while Nica slammed her head into Infernape’s face in a massive explosion of electricity. The moment the dust settled. Infernape dropped to one knee, his face covered by burns. Nica was breathing heavily as her tail was covered in bruises. She sat and waited for her trainer to finish talking with her technicians. Her patience was soon rewarded as Astra approached her. “It seems that unlike ‘Gigavolt Havoc’ which focus on attacking opponents at a distance with as much power as possible, your new Z-move focuses on defense and skills," Astra explained as she lowered herself to Nica's face level. "First, you soak physical attacks with your tail and counter, the stronger their attack, the more damage you’ll do. You follow it up with something similar to ‘Volt Tackle’ which seems to do extreme damage if you score a critical hit.” Nica tilted her head to the side. “Your Z-move is very situational. If your opponent uses weak physical attacks or uses special attacks instead, your tail strike will be weaker, and if you fail to skillfully hit your opponent's head or other weaker spot, your follow up won’t do much damage either.” Astra poked Nica’s forehead. “In other words, depending on the situation and your skills, this Z-move will either do only a small portion of ‘Gigavolt Havoc’ damage, or maybe even thrice as much. It seems incredibly powerful against very strong physical attackers.” She pointed at Nica’s tail. “Still… your tail got damaged. I think this Z-move combines and boosts properties of ‘Iron Tail’ and ‘Volt Tackle.' Since Infernape attacked with ‘Close Combat’ which is super effective against steel types, your ‘Iron Tail’ suffered. Let’s avoid using this Z-move against fighting and fire-types from now on.” Nica nodded. So this Z-move seems to be using and boosting two of my attacks at the same time. Neat. I prefer combos over raw power anyway. “I think this is an improvement,” Flint commented as he recalled his wounded pokemon into his pokeball. “Your Raichu is incredibly skilled and durable, but her attack power is no better than that of a well-trained Pikachu, which would greatly limit the power of your Z-move. This new version takes the advantage of your opponent’s strength and use Nica’s skill, making up for her weaker attack power.” “I agree.” Astra said before sitting in front of her pokemon. She grabbed Nica and placed her on her knees as in the good old days. “By the way, I finally have solid data about you. Wanna hear what we learned?” Nica’s ears perked up. Her tail flapped left and right from excitement. Flint approached and exposed his right ear. Astra took a deep breath and spoke, “As you may know already, while some pokemon species are weaker and some are more powerful, there are very rare situations when a weak pokemon may become way stronger, surpassing the limitations of their species. It’s not just getting tougher with hard training. Pokemon with weak defenses may endure hits that can take down pokemon with greater durability. Pokemon with four times weakness to water may start enduring it. Slow and big pokemon may move and act faster than others of their species.” “That’s true,” Flint said with a nod. “Such cases are very rare, but I saw them with my own eyes. My Infernape is a good example. His endurance is far greater than others of his species and training with you made him even stronger.” Nica nodded. Was she one of those rare cases? She had to be. Astra continued, “According to the gathered data, due to years of fighting against the odds, especially when you started pushing yourself to a critical condition, your body developed in desperate attempt to keep you alive.” She poked Nica’s belly. “It sacrificed some of your attack and special attack, but in return your body gained a lot of endurance and stamina. While most Raichu are fragile, especially when it comes to their defenses, you can endure a lot of punishment and then some.” Flint shrugged. “I’m not surprised. Most others pokemon would either die or give up from pain alone.” Astra lowered her head. “To be honest… your willpower and determination to endure all pain, the motivation to repeat your harsh training over and over, my presence to get you into Pokemon Center in time, my medical knowledge I learned from the Nurse Joy and Blissey’s ability to share her vitality to keep you alive… If even one of those things were missing…” She gulped. “I fear… I fear for you…” Nica stood on tips of her ear paws, now staring at the tears in her trainers eyes. She wiped the tears from her trainer’s cheeks. Astra took a deep breath while stroking her. “Sadly, I have bad news for you. According to gathered data, taking a break from your harsh training caused your body to weaken. In order to keep your survivability on the highest level… you need to keep pushing yourself. I fear training even harder would affect your mental health in negative way… if it is even possible.” She sighed. “In short, you can’t surpass your new limits and you can’t stop pushing yourself if you want to remain strong. Your change is both a blessing and a curse.” Nica smiled warmly, trying to comprehend her trainer’s words. Curse? That’s one way to put it, but I’ll manage. As long as it will keep me strong and help me save lives, I’ll endure. She stepped from her trainer, raised her forepaw and clenched it, her face filled with confidence. Astra grabbed Nica’s tail and stroked it. “Still, while you can’t grow stronger and more durable than you already are, I believe there’s a lot of room for improvement in the skill department. Your new tail must be harder for you to master, but in return there’s plenty of techniques to discover.” She raised Nica’s rear leg and tickled the bottom of her paw, causing her to giggle. “Maybe you can still improve your speed and your jumping. It’s worth a try.” “Astra, it’s an emergency!” Nica withdrew her rear leg and looked towards the source of the voice as Guardian Emily looked back at them with a shocked face. “According to the TV news, the weather has gone crazy while water started freezing around one of the populated islands. The snow is covering everything!” Emily shouted in panic, her breathing unstable. “I used the spy satellite to check the area. Some kind of large flying fortress was shooting at Articuno.” Nica stomped and narrowed her eyes as bolts of electricity started escaping dots on her cheeks. She sensed anger coming from her trainer who’s hands started trembling. It had been a long time since they interacted with Articuno, a pokemon they befriended. In the past they worked together to stop Team Rocket from catching Moltres and Zapdos, and it helped them escape from Kanto to Hoenn before the criminal organization could retaliate. She was soooo going to fight to protect their friend and restore the natural order. When Nica balanced herself on a kayak which her trainer used for transportation, facing strong waves and later strong blizzards, she expected to sneak onto the large flying fortress and capture the owner before freeing the legendary pokemon. Surely Articuno would listen to her and help to salvage the situation for the old time’s sake. How was she going to sneak into the fortress? Simple. She would reach it by riding on Gliscor’s back. Her loyal companion may not have been the best or fastest flier, but still good enough to reach a fortress of such size. That… or she would simply jump. She could reach two hundred meters of height with her best jump. Or she could jump from Gliscor’s back. With help of her ‘Iron Tail’ she could quietly pierce the hull of the fortress and get in, or pierce it with ‘Volt Tackle.' Everything had a weak point after all, and just because it was very big didn’t mean it was all that sturdy. The first obstacle they encountered being a big gathering of ice, making the kayak useless. They didn’t expect it would spread on such distance so quickly. Trying to scout ahead, she ran ahead of her trainer as her paws made contact with ice and snow, reaching a large gathering of confused pokemon which blocked her way. With a sense of urgency, she jumped from one big pokemon to another, trying to make her way ahead of the large crowd. Finally, ahead of the other pokemon, she examined the situation. Articuno and its two counterparts ceased fighting one another and instead attacked… a trainer a few kilometers ahead of her? Whoever seemed brave enough to face the legendary trio was pulled by a red fire-breathing pokemon with wings she remembered as a Charizard. Holding a forepaw above her head, she tried to recognize the other pokemon in the trainer’s company who were brave enough to face the wrath of the legendaries, yet their size proved too small at such distance for her to recognize. She raised a forepaw over her mouth as the trainer and his pokemon nearly ended up caught by a wave of water, which Articuno froze in an instant. The legendary trio started fighting each other once again. Nica’s ears drooped. As much as she wanted to help, reaching such a distance on her paws at her full speed would take a minute, and two people riding a pontoon equipped with some sort of device provided the trainer with means of fast transportation, only increasing the distance. Much to her relief, another large white pokemon with massive wings did its best to protect the trainer from harm. Upon noticing a damaged fortress on top of a snowy mountain, she pushed herself through the numerous pokemon and regrouped with her trainer. Unsure what was going on and how to help, they made their way towards what was left of the large fortress, their plan being to capture and interrogate the ones responsible for this mess. Whoever was inside though tried to capture the largest legendary pokemon, who blown him up along with his fortress. With the largest legendary pokemon falling into the water too far away for them too asist and the legendary trio being nearby, Nica unleashed a warning ‘Thunderbolt,’ catching their attention. Her call was answered by an ‘Ice Beam,’ ‘Flamethrower’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ heading in her direction. As her trainer summoned ‘Light Screen’ with the help of her shield, Nica ran towards the angered pokemon, zipping in between their attacks before jumping towards Articuno, wrapping her tail around its legs. Articuno asked before looking at its legs, now staring her in the eyes. Nica grabbed its leg with a forepaw while waving with the other one. She gasped and pointed ahead. Using her own ‘Thunderbolt’ she intercepted ‘Flamethrower’ before jumping in front of Articuno, taking the ‘Thunderbolt’ upon herself while ‘Light Screen’ halved the damage. She landed on Articuno’s neck from the recoil with barely noticeable burns on her fur. That’s odd. My attack actually managed to stop Moltres’ ‘Flamethrower.’ The legendary trio must be really exhausted after non-stop fighting. Articuno asked in confusion. Articuno flapped its large wings, hovering high in the air as a blush formed on its shining cheeks. It flew up, evading the attacks from the other two legendaries. Nica said as her large ride flew as close as it could while under fire. Nica took the opportunity, leaping onto Moltres’ back while enduring its weakened flames with little difficulty, a show of how much her durability had improved since she encountered the legendary trio as a Pikachu. She held the neck of the wriggling ride with her paws and tail. She felt flames once again burning her fur as bolts of electricity started escaping from the dots of her cheeks. She was going to calm down the legendary birds before they could cause any more damage, and if she couldn’t do it with words, she was ready to use her electricity. Nica’s efforts in calming Moltres and Zapdos, while successful, proved pointless as the snow-covered land and frozen water was surrounded by a green aura. In less than a minute the ice melted and everything returned to normal. Unsure what happened, Nica and Astra stepped to sidelines, subtly asking left and right in search for information while staying out of sight. Revealing that a new champion of Sinnoh was visiting Kanto would attract too much attention after all. It didn’t take long before they learned the name of the pokemon trainer who took the greatest risk and played a major role in freeing the legendary birds and restoring the natural order. Overcome with curiosity about the brave hero, Astra looked into the name Ash Ketchum while searching for proof of corruption in Kanto’s police. According to Lt. Surge, this trainer earned his badge a year ago, while further investigation unraveled that he failed to reach the finals during the Kanto League and defeated the champion of the Orange Islands. Nica sat at the edge of the cliff with Astra by her side, staring at the endless water before them which reflected rays of the descending sun in a golden spectacle with a bronze sky in the background. Behind them were six stone pillars, a place where a trainer named Ash delivered the last artifact needed to restore the natural order, almost freezing in the cold water in the process. “I was such a fool…” Nica glanced at her trainer in confusion. Fool? Why? “All this time I thought with enough effort, good planning and preparations, I would be able to continue my parents’ legacy… that I could make them proud as they watched me from another plane of existence.” Astra sighed and lowered her head as she wrapped her hands around her knees. “I thought I was doing something really special, but now I fear I was waaay too careful and hesitant in my approach.” Nica asked. She picked up the notepad from her trainer’s bag and wrote the question before presenting it to her trainer. Astra clenched her hands before speaking in a depressed tone, “I walked the safer route, too afraid of taking risks. I was gaining information about criminal organizations, asserting their strength and waiting until we’re strong enough to take on their elite. It took us three years before we interrupted Team Rocket plans in capturing the legendary trio and retreated to another region afterwards.” Astra glanced at pillars behind her and added, “But this trainer… Ash Ketchum, he had no more than one year of experience and didn’t win the Kanto tournament. While defeating the champion of the Orange Island is a solid achievement, the pokemon he faced were nowhere near the strength of the Elite Four.” She looked at Nica with saddened eyes. “And yet, despite a lack of a powerful team and experience, Ash was brave enough to face three legendary pokemon, enduring hardship and cold temperatures. Side by side with his friends he freed the legendary trio from the flying fortress and stopped a disaster.” Nica nodded, suspecting what weighted on her trainer’s heart. “Do you remember how I told you that the greater power one posses, the greater achievements they need to accomplish to be worthy of this power?” Astra asked, receiving a nod of confirmation. “Ash Ketchum has way less experience than me and his team is unevolved and inferior to mine in terms of power and skills. Even his partner is still a Pikachu, and yet…” She chuckled in a creepy way. “He was brave enough to face danger and achieved something that took us three years of preparations. I may be a Sinnoh champion, but compared to him, I’m nothing…” Nica asked as her own ears drooped. Astra glanced ahead of her at the calm water in the distance. “I thought we were doing something special and could protect our world as my parents did, but now another trainer with less experience and a weaker team is achieving the same. It was a large pill of humility to swallow. Now I understand that there are trainers superior to me.” Astra forced a smile and continued, “We gained great power during our journey, and now we need to work even harder and do everything we can to weaken the criminal organizations and get rid of the corruption. Unless we can accomplish more with so much power at our disposal, we’re worthless.” She rubbed top of her head. “Remember well, Nica, humility is important. Only if we understand how insignificant we are, can we stop thinking about ourselves and keep our ego in check, and only then can we push ourselves to try harder for the sake of others.” Nica lowered her head and her ears drooped. According to what she had learned, Ash Ketchum had a partner, a strong Pikachu who was brave enough to face the legendary pokemon and protect his trainer. She clenched her forepaws and narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of determination. She stood up and slammed her tail against the rocky ground. So this is where your humility and determination comes from. A familiar voice echoed in her mind as she looked around in confusion, the scenery of her dream became blurry. To think that because of your trainer’s ideology, you willingly diminished your own worth and abandoned your pride. To think that all this time my plans were ruined by someone so blinded to its own achievements and greatness. I pity you. It brings me great sadness that I need to break you in my own domain. “Dr. Fauna! Dr. Fauna!” Apple Bloom shouted alongside Winona’s barking. The door shot open as a worried yellow earth pony ran into the room. “Nica… something’s wrong… she’s wriggling…” Apple Bloom said between breaths as she pointed at the pokemon and her pained expression. “What’s happening to her?” Dr. Fauna approached the bandaged Raichu, examining her with a worried look. Increased breathing speed, drops of sweat, wriggling, hastened heart rate, high temperature, violet color present above the nose. Whatever was happening, Nica’s condition was turning for the worse. The other Raichu jumped to a standing position before looking between Dr. Fauna and her suffering daughter. She held her forepaws together, knelt and looked at the doctor pony with the most pleading stare she could muster.