//------------------------------// // Ch.19 - Honor and Respect - Pt.2 (Expaned) // Story: Little Lost Pikachu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Pikachu - Chapter 19 - Honor and Respect - Pt.2 Twilight grinned before taking a deep breath and shouting, “Pikachu, attack with ‘Thunderbolt!’ Show them what a pokemon’s power enhanced by magic can accomplish!” She blushed and tapped her forehooves. “'I...think I'm starting to enjoy this way too much.” Pikachu clenched his forepaws, but quickly remembered Nica’s suggestion. Using only a part of his power, he unleashed a ‘Thunderbolt’ at Nica while waiting for her counter-move, careful to also charge power into his tail at the same time. He wasn’t disappointed when his attack missed. Nica now ran on the edge of the crater while surrounded by a glistening aura of electricity. “Combine ‘Volt Tackle’ and ‘Iron Tail.' I want to see your combos in action!” Starlight commanded as her horn produced a few random sparks of magic in excitement. Recalling his fight against the large Raichu and combining it with Nica’s teachings, he summoned a ‘Quick Attack,' using the boosted speed to evade ‘Volt Tackle.’ Expecting a follow up, he stopped and turned around, waiting. Faintly hearing his guardian's soft steps,  he pulled in the edge of his tail to evade her ‘Iron Tail.’ Attempting a similar strategy that left a larger foe stumbling for balance, he continuously sprinted around his opponent while doing her attacks. Was it going to work against Nica? He was about to find out. “Nica, why aren't you attacking?” Starlight asked as the long-tailed pokemon now stood on two feet with closed eyes, her tail raised but unmoving. “Pikachu, use ‘Quick Attack!’” Twilight commanded. He stopped rolling and ran, charging at his guardian from behind, only to feel ‘Iron Tail’ slap him lightly from the side. Why I do get the impression she trained the use of her tail against extremely fast attacks? That timing was just too perfect. The moment his paws landed on the ground, he didn’t bother to turn around but instead jumped, hearing the noise of ‘Iron Tail’ striking the ground behind him as he made a 180 turn in mid-air, now facing his opponent. Nica cheered with clap of her forepaws. She jumped forward and swung her tail offensively, switching in seconds from his best cheerleader to a challenging opponent. Pikachu grabbed his own tail and started rolling around his opponent once more. Five seconds soon bled into ten when suddenly, he felt pain in his side as he lost his balance, now sprawled on his side. Nica said playfully with her tail straightened in his direction. Pikachu stood up and gave his opponent a proud look. There’s no denying it. She’s way more skilled and agile than the other Raichu I faced. A trick like that is useless against her. Twilight rubbed her chin before smiling widely. “I got it, Pikachu! Attack the ground with ‘Iron Tail’ and follow it with ‘Electro Ball.’” Pikachu nodded before summoning electricity while repeating his name, his tail now coated in a metallic grey. “Don’t give him any openings!” Starlight shouted as she gave her mentor a challenging glare. “Interrupt him with ‘Thunderbolt.’” Pikachu tanked the attack as he ran at his opponent, striking the ground with ‘Iron Tail’ in front of Nica’s feet while lightning was still charged in his body. Nica leaped into the air to avoid the massive tremor, strong enough to be considered a weak imitation of the move ‘Earthquake.’ As she flew back down, Pikachu gathered a large mass of electricity into his tail, quickly summoning a powerful ‘Electro Ball’ and launching it at his foe. She’s in the air, so she can’t evade, but she can redirect the attack. He grinned and charged a ‘Thunderbolt,' hitting his own orb of electricity the moment Nica tried to push it away, detonating the sphere of pure lightning.   He watched as his guardian now fell at the wall of the crater with extreme speed while smoke was emerging from her bruised body. The impact between Nica and the stone alone caused a quake he felt under his feet. He wiped sweat from his forehead, approaching with slow steps while taking slow breath of air into his lungs. Nica shouted as her voice echoed from the hole in the wall, which seemed to be two meters deep upon a closer inspection. With the help of a ‘Thunderbolt’ she destroyed the surrounding rubble in an attempt to free herself, and then ran down the cliff wall. A big grin was present on her battered face. Pikachu gasped. Due to magic enhancing his power, the explosion alone seemed as strong as three of his ‘Electro Balls’ combined, causing enormous amounts of damage. Despite it seemingly to have been resisted, Nica didn’t even notice. Her excitement and pride in his achievement hid any sign of pain. Not wanting to lose the momentum, he nodded, not waiting for any command as he charged at Nica with a weakening ‘Quick Attack.’ Like a fencer, Nica blocked the strike while being pushed two meters backward, her feet keeping her stable. Pikachu infused power into his tail and kept up the pressure, immediately following his last strike with an ‘Iron Tail.’ The clash of steel echoed over the charred battleground. In spite of the overwhelming power of his attacks, Nica proved to be the superior fencer, carefully pushing his strikes aside with her ‘Iron Tail.’ He could break her metallic defense if she blocked them head on… and she knew it. Be unpredictable, do not think of what you do now but what you’ll do afterwards… He recalled as Nica’s teachings produced a plan in his mind. His advantage in raw power was obvious, but it seemed useless if it couldn’t land a hit. If he could bypass his guardian's reflexes and agility, he could win. With a grin, he pressed the attack, waiting for Nica to push back as he allowed her ‘Iron Tail’ to strike his belly. He wrapped his paws around Nica’s tail before it could propel him back. Nica no doubt unraveled his strategy as he felt his back being smashed repeatedly into the solid stone at a quick pace, enduring a growing pain as the magical aura partially shielded his body. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. It became clear that while she had a weak offensive, she had exercised and trained her tail for years, and in more than simply fencing. Thanks to his enhanced strength, he held on and focused on his electricity, unleashing the strongest ‘Thunderbolt’ he could muster in a great bright display of power all the while holding her tail with all of his four legs in a vice grip.  A massive depression formed as he and Nica stood across each other, both in a fighting stance and covered in black and blue marks. Despite Raichu being the one to accumulate greater damage, Pikachu was the only one breathing heavily. She… she may have taken less hits than me, but my strikes were way stronger… and yet she can manage to ignore the pain and keep smiling? Just how durable is she? His attention focused in on the fact that while Nica was injured, she didn’t show any sign of vulnerability. While he used a lot of stamina for his powerful attacks, most missing, his guardian seemed to conserve her strength. Now I’m certain. While her offense is weak, long-battles are her speciality. She’s not trying to defeat me… but rather tire me out. Nica asked with a cheerful smile, oblivious to Pikachu’s struggle at keeping up. Pikachu nodded between breathing. So what if he was losing? It was still an exciting battle, and he was learning quite a bit. His fighting style somewhat improved due to his guardian’s guidance. She grabbed her tail and nuzzled it. He nodded. Nica noted with a cheerful laugh, holding a forepaw on her mouth. Pikachu praised as he looked over the lavender aura that still surrounded his body. Even though he was being hit a lot more often, he still seemed to be able to keep up with his taller opponent. Nica blushed. Pikachu smiled warmly. Aside from intense battle and growing more skilled by the second, seeing NIca enjoy it as well left him with a warm feeling. Big Mac glanced over at Lucario and asked, “Nica doesn’t seem as tired as Pikachu, is she winnin’?” Lucario nodded, barely moving an inch. “Nica, agile, great reflex, Pikachu, greater power, Nica’s injuries, greater. Nica, superior stamina and durability, Pikachu’s magic… weakening. One get tired, one lose.” Big Mac dipped his head in understanding before returning his attention to the battlefield. Despite magic giving Pikachu a big advantage, Nica displayed many more years of harsh combat experience, allowing her to keep up with a smaller but stronger opponent. In the end, it would come down to who could stay standing the longest in a show of stamina. “Nica seems to waste less energy. Her attacks are… calmer… and more precise. She appears to land a might more hits on Pikachu, even if his moves are stronger.” “Nica, defend: Powerful attack, evade, weak attack, block, tired opponent, lose.” Lucario narrowed his eyes and looked at Pikachu, who began to strike with much more aggression.  Without hesitation, his bigger opponent defended herself accordingly while using less energy in the process. Pikachu’s ‘Iron Tail’ smashed Nica a few meters deep into the soil, while his ‘Quick Attack’ lobbed her into a stone wall despite being blocked by her own ‘Iron Tail.’ In response Nica hit him back with a few weak ‘Iron Tails’ and two weak ‘Thunderbolts,' leaving small but numerous bruises on Pikachu’s body. The aura of magic slowly diminished the longer the battle raged on. Lucario took a deep breath and spoke up. “Pikachu at the beginning, wasteful, Nica, lectured. New strategy, attacks, balanced, fighting style, less wasteful. Nica, years of experience, mastered defensive style, superior. Sensei vs. student.” “Are ya sayin’ that even though Nica corrected out Pikachu’s mistakes and motivated him to be more creative, she still fights way better due to her havin’ more experience and diligent training?” Lucario nodded. Rainbow Dash devoured a large bucket of popcorn, alongside a slightly annoyed Applejack. The pegasus athlete spoke first. “I must say, they’re both incredibly fast. Nica’s faster though.” “True, but Pikachu with all that magic stuff can sure pack a mean punch… Ah mean… hits harder with electricity and that destructive tail. Even Big Mac can’t crush boulders, create craters and cause earthquakes like he does,” Applejack remarked. “Strength doesn’t mean much if the opponent is too fast to get hit. In fact, it just means Pikachu will tire himself out faster,” Dash pointed out. “Ah can’t argue with that. Ah know the importance of stamina on a long day of applebuckin’, and Nica seems real’ good at extended fights.” Lycanroc growled in frustration. Though the Raichu seemed kind enough, there was no way he was going to ditch his teammate. “This isn’t good. Pikachu’s offense may be extremely strong, but Nica’s defense became impenetrable. She’s dragging out this fight on purpose.” He narrowed his eyes, now looking as Pikachu tossed another orb of static, this one smaller and weaker than before. Both pokemon ended up pushing the sphere at each other with their charged tails, yet it was clear who was getting tired faster in this exchange. Pikachu's attempt to attack his sphere of electricity with 'Thunderbolt' failed as Nica recognized the pattern and jumped out of the way. “She weakens his ‘Thunderbolt’ with ‘Light Screen’ and by pushing her tail into the ground. She bounces Pikachu’s ‘Electro Ball’ right back at him. Even if more powerful, ‘Quick Attack’ can’t fully break through her ‘Iron Tail, especially with a type disadvantage.”  Lycanroc growled again, digging his claws into the ground. “To make matters worse, Pikachu isn’t the only one learning from his mistakes. What worked once against Nica doesn’t fool her anymore.” Dash grabbed a nearby jagged stone and started swinging it in mid-air. “Speaking of ‘Iron Tail,' when they clash it looks as if they’re fighting with swords. That’s so cool!” “Yippee,” Applejack cheered while bouncing on her hooves, her traditional hat now flailing wildly in her grasp. “That longer tail is no joke. Not only does it have an unbeatable range, it’s useful fer both offensive and defense.  She’s pushin’ him back!” Dash hovered above the ground and crossed her forearms. “One would think the longer tail would be harder to use and slower to swing, but she’s so fast with it.” She took another big bite of her popcorn, munching it down. “But what’s confusing is why isn’t Pikachu using that big electric wall thingy? That should give Nica a run for her bits.” “Probably ‘cause she ain’t packin’ us much power as that ol’ fire fox. That big shield wouldn’t do too much in a close quarters competition like this one. Probably take too much power ta do so too.” Rainbow shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Would still be cool to see it again.”  She peered at Lucario for a moment in deep thought. “Hey AJ, do you think Big Mac would be interested in a little exchange?” “Exchange? What do ya mean?” “My Scizor for his Lucario,” Dash answered. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Lucario can’t fly. Are ya sure ‘bout this?” “Of course I am. I mean, look how cool he is and how cool he talks. He may not have wings, but unlike Scizor, he isn’t silent at all times,” Dash said with a firm nod before flying towards Big Macintosh. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Tradin’ pokemon? I’m not so sure ah’m a fan of that. Ah wonder if it’s a thin’ where they come from.” As the battle progressed for several minutes, the crater grew in size and depth. Both pokemon stood at a standstill on desolate, beaten, and charred black soil. Starlight and Twilight sat at the edge of the large pit, observing the clash in silence as their commands and instructions no longer seemed necessary. “Starlight?” “Yes?” After a moment of internal conflict, Twilight took a deep breath and asked, "When you powered-up Nica with Luna’s help during the battle with Darkrai, did she tire herself out quickly?" “Well… Nica fought him with everything she had. Though it enhanced her natural strength, it drained her both physically and mentally. It was the first time I performed the spell, so her body hadn’t been able to adapt to such boosts yet,” Starlight explained. “And when compared to how much magic I gifted Pikachu with?” Starlight spoke up, “You supplied around one fifth of the magic to Pikachu compared to what Luna and I gave to Nica, so the strain his body is experiencing is much weaker… however… his body is also smaller and more vulnerable, unlike his evolution.” “I was afraid it would lead to that,” Twilight grimly stated as she rubbed her chin. “Nica wanted to make this a fair fight so her evolution wouldn’t give her an advantage, and thanks to my magic it was Pikachu who had the advantage instead. But it seems his body isn’t able to handle so much power and becomes weaker the longer this fight lasts.” “So in other words, because Nica has such great stamina and an unbreakable defense, Pikachu won’t be able to defeat her in time, and very soon his powers will revert back to normal.” Starlight sighed. “I bonded alot with Nica in the past weeks. She’s such a sweet and innocent little cinnamon bun who doesn’t care about winning. Her only goal is to make this a fair and fun fight. If Pikachu’s gifted magic is waning this quickly, she won’t be happy about her growing advantage. That’s for sure.” Both ponies locked eyes as they continued to watch the battle with a growing sense of dread. Pikachu’s legs trembled, sweat covered his face, and his breathing was dangerously slow. A burning sensation snaked through his muscles as his bruised and battered body pulsed in pain with every step. The aura of magic weakly shimmered in the sunlight, swiftly flickering on and off. He observed Nica with tired eyes, who was covered by bruises, burns and cuts, yet hid her pain well and maintained her calm stance. It feels… so weird, he thought as he considered the circumstances. In the past when he fought against both of the arrogant Raichu, he was the weaker one, outclassed in terms of raw power and durability. Fighting against the odds forced him to act carefully, take advantage of his speed, surprise his opponent with skills and better strategies. As the scrimmage dragged on, he tired both Raichu out as the difference of power in between them shrank, giving him the opening for a victory. This time however, this scenario made a full 180 turn. He began as the dominant one with magic partially shielding him from the damage and boosting his onslaught of electricity. Nica was the one who faced unfavorable odds as he could overpower her attacks with ease. As the battle dragged on, Nica took advantage of her greater speed and superior skills, tiring him until the difference in power shrank in between them. I feel… as if I was the Raichu fighting a Pikachu. Despite having more raw strength, I’m being outclassed by Nica’s speed and skills at every turn. He looked at the beaten terrain in silence, collecting his thoughts, grateful his opponent gave him a moment to reflect. When he faced a stronger adversary, the challenge was anything but easy, but defeat motivated him while victory filled him with pride. Right now however his excitement and enjoyment was slowly being replaced by both shame and annoyance. Was this how the Raichu he faced in the past felt? Their pride hurt as they couldn't keep up with a weaker rival? Nica whispered as she approached with slow and doubtful steps on her two rear feet. Pikachu gasped as he clenched his forepaws before unleashing a half-hearted ‘Thunderbolt,’ wheezing as his attack was easily countered with a similar bolt from Nica. Both strikes were equal in strength. Pikachu grit his teeth and forced himself to stand. He struggled against his tired body as his hind legs nearly collapsed from the strain of supporting his weight.  This wasn’t over yet.  And then it clicked. That very thought was coming deep from his pride. No, I shouldn’t lie to myself. There’s no way I can win, and she seems really concerned about me. His ears dropped. Normally he would fight to the very end, satisfied knowing he did his best, but was it worth it in this particular battle?  When he saw Nica train herself despite being on the verge of exhaustion, it filled him with sadness and concern, even crying as she refused to stop torturing herself. What if fighting to his limits was no different? He already knew he had lost, and he hated the idea of seeing tears fall from those innocent eyes. Nica blinked in confusion. she asked, taking a step back in surprise. Pikachu fell onto his belly, no longer forcing himself to stand as he gave his aching limbs a rest. It didn’t take long before he was picked up and held like a baby by the bruised Raichu. He stretched his arm, patting Nica’s shoulder as he gave her an encouraging smile. Nica said as she pressed her nose against his and nuzzled it. Pikachu chuckled while no aura of magic surrounded his body. Starlight and Twilight walked closer. Ace levitating over a moment later alongside Rainbow Dash, both clapping cheerfully. Pikachu took a deep breath and added, Nica answered, sharing his enthusiasm. “Hey, Pikachu,” Ace spoke up, catching everyone’s attention as Nica’s collar was now decorating his neck. Pikachu’s collar was lying on the tip of his tail. “Once you get better, how about a fight against me?” He patted his chest, his chin raised in pride. “Even if magic works only for ten minutes, give or take a few, it still gave you incredible power. Totally makes up for me being a Raichu and knowing ‘Psychic’ attack. No shame losing against you and it would make victory taste so sweet with this kind of boost.” Rainbow Dash wrapped her foreleg around Ace’s shoulder while nuzzling his cheek. “I call him as my pokemon for that battle. Starlight can power-up and command Pikachu. Round two here we come!” “I have nothing against it. I still have some final corrections to work on anyway,” Twilight commented, a satisfied smile present on her face. Whatever data she gathered in recent battle, it was more than enough. Nica nodded. Pikachu smiled widely, then laughed. The curse that kept those two amazing Raichu from fighting him was finally lifted. And even if he had to give up some of his pride in return, allowing outside boosts that he normally wouldn’t approve of, this time he didn’t mind. As long as everyone was happy, it all that mattered.