//------------------------------// // Ch.3 - The Best Day Ever Pt.2 // Story: Little Lost Pikachu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Summoning of Chu - Chapter 3 - The Best Day Ever, Part 2 Leap to the left, leap to the right, Pikachu ran towards Starlight while evading her beams of magic. His body was covered in bruises, and so was Starlight’s. His opponent raised a protective barrier, yet he wasn’t going to let it stop him. Repeating his name, he used ‘Electro Ball’ as a small orb of electricity grew in size and circled around his short tail. With a solid jump and quick spin, he smashed his orb against the barrier, causing a large explosion while creating a bright spectacle. The barrier shattered under the bursting power of his attack. “That… was… a strong… hit…” Starlight said between her breaths as her legs trembled while the blue aura around her horn shrank in size. “You hit… way harder than Nica.” Pikachu raised his head in pride and then looked at his fan, who cheered for them from sideline. I must admit, seeing her jump from one rear leg to another and shake her forepaws like a cheerleader is hearthwarming, especially her cheerful toothy smile. He kept looking at his fan with a growing feeling of satisfaction. While there were other pokemon who cheered for him in the past, there was something appealing in his own evolution admiring his skills and achievements. Impressing his Raichu fan filled him with pride. He looked away from Nica to look at his surroundings. The area of their battle was covered by holes with two large cliffs on both sides and a hole in a mountain, as if many powerful beings unleashed their power in a glorious battle for the fate of the world. Starlight raised her head arrogantly. “You may hit way harder, but I’ll let you in on a little something.” She taunted with her forehoof. Pikachu clenched his forepaws before summoning a powerful ‘Thunderbolt,' only for Starlight to vanish in a flash of teleportation. Before he could stop using his powerful attack, he felt extreme pressure press him into the ground. His face now sank into the dirt. With his ears being the only part of his body not trapped in between dirt, he heard a whisper in his ear. “Here’s the secret. You may be powerful, but your fan proved to me many times that there’s way more to one’s combat strength than just raw power. If you’re trying to impress, you need to do more than that.” Pikachu felt the pressure on his body increase in strength, as if his weight grew by three tons each second and stopping at fifty. Every bone and muscle in his body ached in pain. He grit his teeth, summoning a ‘Thunderbolt’ as he broke free from Starlight’s magic. The deep hole he was stuck in looking more like a crater. Feeling as light as a feather while also stuck in cold clinging soil, Pikachu pulled his forepaws from the dirt and heaved them against it. His paws trembled. After a few seconds of struggle he freed the rest of his bruised and battered body. With a simple jump, he got out and landed on the stone, only to leap to the side in time to avoid an attack from the air. Great, just great. It seems levitation is a common ability among those ponies. He evaded another attack before answering with a ‘Thunderbolt,' only for Starlight to teleport again. He charged power into his tail. As his ears perked, he swung his metallic tail, reflecting a beam of magic to the side. He charged more electricity, leaped backward and swung his tail, attacking with ‘Electro Ball’ before reflecting two more beams with his tail. Nica tilted her head to the side, not even blinking as a beam of magic passed millimeters next to her ear. Her own tail started shining in metallic grey a moment later. Pikachu frowned. At least with Rainbow Dash, he could see where she was going to evade, while Stralight’s teleporting was something he didn’t fight against for a long time. I swear there was a strategy I could use against a teleporting target… but what was it? He narrowed his eyes from the intense thinking, yet nothing came to his mind. Ash usually kept track of such things. I wish he was here. With a big jump, he flew towards Starlight while spinning in mid-air, swinging ‘Iron Tail’ against the unicorn, who teleported out of the way as his tail created a massive crater, causing the rocky surface to crack while numerous stones shot up from the ground. With his tail now stuck, Pikachu braced himself, yet the beam of magic never came. Opening one eye, he noticed Nica’s ‘Iron Tail’ raised protectively over his face. “Sorry for interrupting, but I think you both have had enough fighting for now,” Nica said as she placed bronze edges of her forepaws on his hips and pulled, freeing him and his tail. “B-but… we still didn’t determine the winner,” Starlight said as she wiped sweat from her forehead with her trembling hoof. “Maybe, but I sensed that both of you stopped enjoying this fight. It was supposed to be fun. It’s not a competition.” Nica turned around. Pikachu looked at Nica, nodding in agreement. While he had a lot of fun, his enjoyment turned into annoyance. Being unable to deal with a teleporting target right after hearing Starlight’s tease somewhat ruined the mod. However… there was something else. Not only were his attempts to impress Nica somewhat ruined, Starlight’s words were still lingering in his mind. You may be powerful, but your fan proved to me many times that there’s way more to a battle than just raw power. “Let’s give you both a bath,” Nica said before giving Pikachu a cheerful smile. “With the help of soap, a sponge, my paws and my tail, I’ll get your fur presentable in no time.” Pikachu returned the smile. What was he thinking again? “Pikachu, here comes the ball,” Fluttershy said calmly as she spun and pushed a red rounded shining ball with the help of her tail. Pikachu slammed the magically enhanced ball with his ‘Iron Tail,' sending it towards the levitated basket at great speed. According to the rules of buckball which were introduced to him, the unicorns were supposed to move baskets on the edge of the playfield to help their team score points, while pegasi from the opposite team were supposed to prevent that. In this case Starlight was doing her best to help him score points while Rainbow Dash was the defender. On the opposite side was Starmie levitating a basket with Fluttershy being the defender. The fact that Fluttershy was a much better player than Rainbow Dash was the last thing he expected, making him respect Fluttershy more than before. “Nice hit!” Nica shouted as she leaped up and changed the course of the ball with the help of her tail, sending it flying up. Rainbow Dash flew towards it and kicked it at the basket on opposite team. Pikachu narrowed his eyes. His attempts to show Nica his great skills at using his tail backfired as she was the one showing him who the tail-master was, proving herself to be a great attacker and defender with better reflexes. Oh come on! How is she so fast? Wasn’t my evolution supposed to be slower? Until now I was always ahead in terms of speed and agility. He frowned, feeling his pride hurting. He was supposed to be her hero, so why couldn't he stand up to her expectations? “Is something wrong?” Nica asked as she now bounced the ball on her tail. “Is the game boring you?” “N-no, of course not,” Pikachu said with a shake of his head. The game itself proved very interesting and enjoyable despite him losing ten to eight. What bugged him however was the fact that Fluttershy seemed to be a better player than Rainbow Dash while Starlight held her ground against Starmie, yet they were still losing. It was him who couldn’t keep up with his evolution and held his team back. Nica’s ears drooped. Pikachu took a step back. “L-let’s keep playing.” He forced a smile before the game resumed, lasting for half an hour. With Nica’s team celebrating their victory, Pikachu felt a forehoof of Fluttershy on his shoulder. It now became clear that in the end, both Fluttershy and Nica simply enjoyed the game and proved themselves great at it, while he and Rainbow Dash were the ones fixated on the victory. “Are ya sure ya want to give it a try?” Apple Bloom asked. “Trust me, it won’t work,” Nica warned. Pikachu looked back and up at the massive towering tree filled with juicy apples, feeling miniscule in comparison. One apple alone being a few times bigger than his rear foot and the tree being waaaay wider than his belly. Mimicking Applejack’s technique, he raised his rear legs while balancing himself on his forepaws. He took a deep breath, gathered all the strength he could muster before kicking the tree, only for his body to tremble. He lost his balance and lay flat on the grass. “Sorry to say it, sugarcube, but yer legs are too tiny for it to work,” Applejack said before rubbing the top of Raichu’s head. “Nica tried to do the same, got only a few apples for her trouble.” Pikachu sat up and looked at his aching feet. They did have a point. While his legs provided him with great jumping and speed, his rear feet were still extremely tiny. Trying to kick a tree, not the best idea. “There’s a way better way, watch,” Nica said as she charged bits of her power into her tail and slapped the tree with it, not too strong, not too light. A rain of apples followed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash intercepted the falling apples, catching them into the baskets. Apple Bloom balanced a basket on her head. “Give it a try! The faster we get the chores done, the faster we can play.” Pikachu nodded before taking Nica’s example, sending a calculated portion of power into his tail before jumping and swinging at the wooden surface. A rain of apples followed. His smile didn’t last long as he was greeted with Applejack’s angered glare. “Try to hit a bit lighter, ya damaged the tree a bit.” Pikachu bit his bottom lip upon seeing a hole in the tree, and next rubbed the back of his neck, giving the farm pony an apologetic smile. “S-sorry.” The farm activity followed as Pikachu took a closer look at Nica’s technique, which involved hitting the tree with the side of her tail rather than with sharp part. Soon it turned into a race as he tried to get apples to fall into the baskets as fast as possible, trying to impress his fan, only for Nica to hit two trees for each of his. After doing chores and playing at the farm, Pikachu, Nica, Starlight and Pinkie Pie found themselves exploring a small on-going festival. A test of strength? Starlight left with an annoyed frown as levitation wasn’t allowed. Nica and Pikachu took turns to hit the enhanced metal with their ‘Iron Tail’ as the stand-owner kept replacing the weight with heavier and heavier ones. Putting too much power into his attack, Pikachu crushed the enhanced metal while shooting two tons of lead into the sky, making Nica intercept the lead weight from landing on somepony's head, as well as making her pay some bits from her own bag for repairs. After apologizing to the stand-owner, Pikachu approached Nica, yet didn't get the chance to apologize as his fan reassured him that it wasn't a big deal, nothing to be concerned about. He was supposed to enjoy himself after all rather than be bothered by such a little accident. After filling their bellies with cotton candy, Nica, Pikachu and Pinkie Pie threw water balloons at the moving target, yet another competition where Nica proved superior, hitting the targets faster with swings of her longer tail. Pikachu frowned, walking away from the group and looking at the sky in annoyance. What is wrong with you, Pikachu!? You were suppose to show Nica what her hero is capable of, yet she's the one surpassing you at every turn. Speed, skills, aim, you're being beaten at your own game, he yelled at himself mentally. Until now speed and skills were always his domain, something he was superior to most of his opponents in. He was supposed to earn Nica's admiration by displaying his greatest strengths, only for his fan to do it instead. Oh, such embarrassment! He closed his eyes, clenched his forepaws, stomped with his little foot and frowned. Nica kept showing her admiration and respect towards me for the whole day while all the activities she came up with were great and exciting. I have so much fun being in her company. The fact that I can’t impress her is so frustrating. If this keeps up, she’ll think I’m not a hero but a failure. “Ummm… hello, Nica.” The group’s attention focused on a small pink filly with a hedgehog as a cutie mark. “Lily!” Nica shouted as she hugged the filly, who returned the gesture by squeezing her belly. Pikachu ran towards the ground and asked, “A friend of yours?” only for his attention to focus on a massive fat pokemon. Hariyama. Hariyama said as he stepped forward. The earth trembled under each of his massive steps. “A member of Astra’s team?” Pikachu asked. “Emily’s team actually, she named him Commando,” Nica said, receiving a confused look from the Pikachu. “I know, not really a suitable name, but what can you do? She just loves naming her pokemon, often using military themes for inspiration.” “His name’s Commando?” the filly asked, receiving a nod. “Alright, Commando it is.” Pikachu looked between the young filly and the massive pokemon. “Are you… taking care of him?” “I am. He’s really nice, helpful at home, and he’s tough enough to play with me, though he do struggle to enter our house,” Lily said before taking a closer look. “Who are you?” “I’m a Pikachu.” “He’s also my pre-evolution,” Nica added. “And he’s my idol who alongside his trainer faced great dangers and has done many heroic deeds.” She held her forepaws on her cheeks and added, “I still can’t believe I have the honor of meeting and taking care of the very pokemon I admired all this time. Truly a dream come true.” Pikachu blushed. Even after all his failures to impress, she still held him in high regard. Lily approached, her muzzle touching his nose. “You’re Nica’s hero? Are you tough?” “I am…” Pikachu said. Nica bit her bottom lip. “Now listen… you need to know something. Lily Longsock is very strong for her size. Her hugs can makes Pinkie’s hugs look weak and gentle in comparison.” “Nica endured my strength, if you’re her hero, so should you.” Pikachu narrowed his eyes and nodded. He was tough, he could endure strong crushing grip. “Whatever strength you have, I can endure.” Lily displayed a grin, grabbing Pikachu into a tight embrace. Pikachu grit his teeth, immediately regretting his decision. His eyes became wide as he felt the forelegs sink into his body while crushing his bones. A look of pity and worry from Nica being the last he saw before his eyes closed shut as he endured the growing pain. After several seconds, a loud “chuuuuu…” escaped his mouth as bolts of electricity started appearing on dots on his cheeks. “Release him, please!” Nica shouted before grabbing Pikachu with her tail and wrapping him into her embrace. An weak explosion of electricity followed as it was suppressed by her. Pikachu struggled to get air into his lungs as a memory of Serperior crushing him with wrap for several minutes flashed in his mind. “Are you alright?” Pikachu opened his eyes as drops of sweat feel down his face. He found himself held by the bronze edges of Nica’s paws as she kept looking at him in worry. A few burns were present on her spotless fur. “Did I… hurt you?” Pikachu asked. “I noticed that you were about to unleash electricity, so I asked Lily to release you and shielded her and other ponies from it. But don’t worry about me, how are you feeling?” Nica asked. “C-crushed a bit, but I have had worse.” With a gentle movement of his paws, he pushed Nica’s paws away and freed himself, now standing on the ground. Several eyes of bypassing ponies focused on him for a moment before the crowd returned to their own business. He massaged his belly and then stretched his limbs. It didn't take long before noticing disappointed eyes of the strong filly staring at him. “Y-yes?” “Nica’s way tougher,” Lily said with a firm nod. “She lasted much longer than you did.” Pikachu’s ears drooped. Yet another failure. Upon feeling a forepaw on his shoulder, he looked at Nica’s apologetic face. “I’m sorry for Lily. She’s so afraid to use her strength in order not to hurt anyone, that the opportunity to use it is exciting for her.” She pointed at another stand behind a line of ponies. “How about we eat some ice-cream. I still have plenty of bits to spare.” Pikachu nodded and smiled. While his pride got hurt a bit, all the exciting activities were very enjoyable. He got to play in various games, fight against a powerful unicorn, had a pleasant bath while feeling Nica’s paws giving him a massage. Playing with the Apple family at the farm and festival activities were cherry on the cake. What’s more, Nica’s enthusiasm and personality shone as not only had she enjoyed every moment they spend together, but seemed determined to make him happy whenever possible. Every hour in her company made him like her more and more. More events followed as Nica, Pinkie Pie and Pikachu balanced themselves on one limb. Pinkie Pie balanced one plate on her tail and one plate on each of her free hooves. Nica balanced one plate on her tail and one plate on each of her straightened forepaws. Pikachu did the same form an upside down position with drops of sweat falling up his face. Due to the tiny size of his rear feet, he balanced one plate with them instead of two. The difficulty increased as Pinkie and Nica started using their tails to push and catch plates up and down. They switched the limbs they stood on while pushing plate up before catching it with the other one. Despite his skills at using his tail, his other limbs proved too weak to keep up with the competition, losing his balance half a minute after Pinkie, leaving Nica as the winner. With the sun descending behind the horizon, Nica introduced Lycanroc and Pikachu to Maud Pie, who didn’t take more than a few minutes before begging the rock-type pokemon to stay under her care. It quickly turned out that the tough earth pony was more than capable of calming down Lycanroc’s rage, though with somewhat violent means. She lectured the rock-type pokemon afterwards. Nica and Pikachu decided to leave the duo, letting Lycanroc decide if he’ll stay at the farm or in the secret cave with Maud Pie. Pikachu and Nica lay on their respective sunbeds with drinks and an apple by their side. Instead of the sunrise, they watched the sunset as the sky turned bronze while a weak wind flapped their ears. “I must say… Maud Pie is the most stoic pony I have seen thus far. She seemed… like she was bored of life,” Pikachu pointed out as he looked at Nica from his comfortable spot. Nica chuckled, which turned into a loud laughter. “What’s so funny?” “If you could sense the auras of others, you would know how wrong you are. The cheerfulness I sensed when she met your friend was insane. She even showed a weak smile, truly a rare sight to behold,” Nica commented. “Oh… right… I forgot you could do that.” Pikachu looked at the fountain while grabbing a glass of water with his paws, taking a refreshing gulp. After wiping his wet lips, he looked at Nica and said, “I must admit, ponies have potential to be powerful. Starlight’s magic was extremely strong, Lily’s hugging strength was extreme, and the way Maud punched Lycanroc... I thought she was a fighting type using ‘Rock Smash’ or ‘Brick Break.'” “Yes, ponies are amazing indeed. Their power and creativity is incredible and their magic is so rich in possibilities,” Nica answered before sitting up and giving him a curious look. “Can I ask you for a favor?” “Of course you can,” Pikachu said with a wide smile. Thus far his guardian did so much for him. If he could do something to return the favor, he was in. Nica sat at the edge of the sunbet and held her forepaws together. “Can you… can you tell me about your adventures in detail?” She held one forepaw over her blushing cheeks. “Until now I heard about you and your trainer’s achievements from rumors. I… I would love it if you could tell about your most exciting adventures.” “Sure, but only if you tell me about yours. I know you admire what I did, but I know very little about you,” Pikachu said, receiving an energetic nod in return. “Deal!” She tapped her forepaws in excitement while her tail flapped left and right. “Oh… there’s so much I can share with you. It will be amazing!” Pikachu giggled at Nica’s enthusiasm. How could he not feel invigorated with a fan like that? “...and after I unleashed the newest Z-move against the Ultra Beast, we saved Lusamine from the Ultra Space. Don’t ask me how we learned how to perform this new Z-move so quickly because I still have no idea.” Nica squealed in excitement as her eyes sparkled with pure admiration, her very look making Rainbow Dash’s admiring rush towards the Wonderbolts pale in comparison. Pikachu giggled, finding his guardian’s expressions to be adorably over the top. While telling her about his adventures, he studied her reactions, seeing happiness, excitement, shock, fear. Nica stared back at him with pure terror whenever he mentioned a life-threatening situation, only to cheer loudly at the part where he and his trainer found a way to escape the danger. He did soften his story a little whenever speaking about his most dangerous moments, afraid they would leave a scar on Nica’s sensitive heart. He looked up at the bright stars in the cloudless sky, admiring this truly magnificent spectacle once more. Not that he didn’t witness such a view back in his own world, but doing so on the top of this castle in nice company improved the atmosphere. Watching them alongside Nica felt as if watching them together with his trainer. Nica’s enthusiasm, endless energy and determination to help me reminds me of Ash. They both have something in common. “Still… as amazing your adventures were, something has been bothering me.” “Yes, what was it?” Nica took a deep breath before asking, “I was wondering why you haven’t evolved into Raichu yet?” Pikachu’s eyes shot wide open at the sudden question. “I mean… you have been traveling with your trainer for more than three years and faced numerous dangers. You gained skills and experience but your opponents became stronger and stronger. Didn’t you consider that you’re ready to evolve to better support your team and keep up with the opposition?” Nica waited for Pikachu to sit up before asking, “You’re planning to evolve in the near future… right?” Pikachu sighed and his ears drooped. I hoped she wouldn’t raise this topic. I have a bad feeling about this. Upon seeing the eyes of his guardian filled with curiosity, he said, “I will be honest, I am not planning to evolve... ever.”