Little Lost Pikachu

by CommanderX5

Ch.8 - Hidden Struggle - Pt.1

Pikachu’s yawn echoed through the castle, bleeding into a satisfied sigh. Despite not having the option of visiting a Pokemon Center, a hot bath, soft bed and blanket proved more than enough to revitalize his body.

After a moment of nuzzling Apple Bloom’s blanket, he approached the edge of the bed and leapt towards the window. The glistening stars sprinkled upon the clear sky and proved to be a spectacle to behold, stealing away his breath.

It seems I woke up during the night after all. How am I going to fall asleep now? He glanced at the door, only to notice a lone sleeping mare sprawled across the floor. <Pinkie?> He jumped towards the bed, picking up his collar from the nightstand before securing it around his neck. He climbed down onto the pony’s back and shouted into her ear, “Pinkie, wake up!”

After a moment of yelling and rubbing the mare’s shoulder with his forepaws, he concentrated a small portion of his electricity, touching Pinkie’s shoulder and sending a weak shock. In an instant, the party pony sprung up, displaying a wide smile even when being awoken in an ungodly hour.

“Hello Pinkie Pie, um… what are you doing in my room?” Pikachu asked. He vaulted back onto the cot and sat on the edge, now staring directly at his unexpected guest.

“Oh, that’s an easy question to answer.” She took a deep breath, giving the pokemon a fair warning of the long answer to come. “Rainbow Dash told me you had a fight with Ninetales, and I mean an enjoyable kind of fight rather than a mean kind of fight, but that it ended up with you and Nica being very sad.” She rummaged through her tail, sinking halfway in it before pulling out three freshly baked cupcakes. “One for you, two for Nica. I thought some sweets and warm hugs would cheer you up.” Closing her eyes, she grinned with pride before continuing, “When it comes to making others happy, I’m the pony for the job.” She placed the sweets on the table and stroked the back of her neck. “But you two were just so peaceful and adorable when sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you up, and I ended up falling asleep as well in your room.” She spread her forelegs and wiggled her eyebrows. “So, about that hug.”

Pikachu backflipped, evading Pinkie’s loving grab. “There’s no need for that. We talked things out during our bath and resolved our conflict.”

Pinkie flashed a wide smile. “That’s great! In that case, can you share those cupcakes with Nica? It’s late and I need to return to the Sugarcube Corner.”

“Wait!” Pikachu shouted as he held both forepaws in a pleading gesture. “I… I need an advice. It’s about making Nica happy.”

Bouncing in place, the party pony trotted over and responded inches away from the pokemon’s button nose. “Ask away! I love helping, especially when it’s for my bestest friends.”

Pikachu felt the bed tremble under his tiny feet as he stared at the enthusiastic mare. “Well… the problem is that, due to my poor past experiences with two particular Raichu, I ended up having a shoddy impression of my evolution… and I don’t want to grow envious of Nica whenever she proves herself better at something than me.” He lowered his head in shame. “Nica can sense my jealousy and other negative emotions. I’ll try to keep them in check, but what if I fail? Controlling one’s feelings isn’t easy.””

Pinkie stopped ricocheting off the floor and scratched her head in deep concentration. “So… because you met two meanie pants Raichu, you’re making your friend a bit sad by being jealous of her since she’s a Raichu as well.” Seeing a nod, she suspected, “What about other Raichu? Surely you had to meet some nice ones too.”

“Nice Raichu? Now that you mention it, not all Raichu I’ve encountered were all that bad.” He smiled brightly. “Two of them even saved me from Team Rocket! One helped us overload a high-tech screen that blocked and absorbed my electricity! The other destroyed their large, armored robot by obliterating it with a super powerful ‘Focus Punch,’ where they were thrown into the atmosphere. Now that I think about it, they seem to be up there a lot.” He facepalmed, returning his attention back to the current topic. “How could I forget about that?”

Pinkie shrugged, somehow following and understanding each word. “For some ponies it’s easier to remember bad experiences than good due to the scars it leaves. How about this. Everytime you start feeling a negative emotion towards Nica, just think of those two nice Raichu who protected you. Maybe it will help look past her form and focus on her heart.”

“That sounds like a great advice, thank you!” Pikachu cheered as he ran over and hugged the mare’s muzzle, receiving a quick tight hug in return.

“Glad I could help! Enjoy your night, and I wish for your friendship to bloom,” Pinkie declared before hopping outside.

Pikachu followed, but the moment he walked into the hallway, the mare was gone. Pinkie and her teleporting, figures. How was she even able to cloak so much of her body in her own tail? That was weird, but at this point I shouldn’t expect any less from her. He shrugged before his attention focused on the door leading to his guardian’s room. I bet Nica woke up already. I wonder if she would like to watch the stars with me. That would be a perfect start to the morning, or night I guess.

After trying a few different poses before a casually placed mirror, he placed his forepaws on his hips and displayed a toothy smile. Not a single bruise or burn was present on his body while the gems on his collar shone a deep buttercup, adding to his charm. “Let’s do this.”

He trotted in the direction of Nica’s room, quickly opening the door despite his little size. “Hey Nica, are you still asleep?” He scrambled up onto the bed, his excited smirk replaced with a curious frown. The bed was empty while Nica’s collar was resting on a side desk.

Pikachu looked around, noticing the territorial rat staring through the window at a dull mountain in distance. He leaped onto the floor and then towards the window, balancing himself next to the smaller creature. “Hello Mr. Patrick, do you happen to know where Nica is?”

The rodent gazed at him for a moment with a saddened expression before pointing through the window.

“Are you trying to say she’s somewhere on that mountain?” Pikachu inquired, noticing a shake of the rat’s head in return.

Mr. Patrick squealed at him before pointing through the window again.

“She’s somewhere on the bottom of the mountain, or nearby it?” he asked, receiving a nod of confirmation. “Is she taking a night stroll?”  

Patrick’s ears drooped as he looked to the side.

“Is she exercising?” he continued, remembering random conversations where Nica mentioned morning and night exercise routines.

Mr. Patrick nodded before sounding a depressed squeak.

Pikachu lowered himself, his nose now millimeters away from the rat’s head. “You seem upset, is something wrong?” As the creature, which was much smaller than him, looked away and remained silent, he stood up and sighed. “It seems I’m about to find out.”

With little knowledge of the area, he ran through the hills and landscape directly towards the mountain, seeming to get a tiny bit closer with each passing minute. His paws played a continuous thumping against the hardened soil, maintaining a balanced speed as he conserved his stamina.

“I must say… it’s a really nice night for a stroll,” he murmured to himself while looking up at the dimmed sky with an awestruck gaze. “The stars and moon, so beautiful.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, while leaving stray sparks of electricity dancing in the chilled atmosphere. “The air is so clean and fresh. A bit cold, but in a good way.” A blissful smile was present on his face as he took in the surrounding landscape, admiring the scenery. Stretching my legs and running in such an environment is wonderful. I hope once I find Nica, we can enjoy it together.

After about half-an-hour of pleasant running, Pikachu’s attention focused on a wayward yellow spark, recognizing it as a bolt of lightning. He stopped and wiped sweat from his forehead, now observing a particular spot in front of the gigantic mountain. The moment he noticed another flash, he ran towards it. “Found you!” he shouted in satisfaction. It seems running around this peak or climbing it won’t be necessary.

Utilizing his ‘Quick Attack’ for a speed boost, he reached his destination in seconds, pausing in front of an oldened oak tree. He perched himself under it with his back supported against its withered surface. Feeling the soft, silky grass under him and harsh wood from behind, he took a break and focused his full attention on Nica’s exercise with a curious look present on his face. Light drifting down from the stars provided just enough visibility to view her techniques in full glory.

The taller pokemon hit the rocky surface with a feeble ‘Thunderbolt,' causing numerous compact stones to descend. They rained down in a cluster of sharpened pebbles, only for her to vault herself several feet high and slash most of them in mid-air with a spin and rapid swing of her tail. She then struck the leftovers with electricity before they even touched the soil underfoot.

The moment her feet graced the ground, Nica sent a barrage of half-hearted bolts of electricity against the rugged crag, causing small segments of stones to chip away. With a short leap and a few quick swipes of her tail she slashed each pebble in half, smashing the gravel into finely crushed rubble. Repeating the cycle, she once again blasted the wall with a jolt of lightning, not needing to look to know she hit her mark.

With sharp and refined movements, she danced atop the soil, at one with a routine that had become her second nature. A continuous rain of stones and pebbles showered from the sky, forming small welts that blossomed from her skin. She refused to let a single speck make contact with the dirt and didn’t dare to let anything more but a bronze edge of one of her rear feet to touch the ground as she continued moving and leaping without a moment of break.

His wish to see Nica’s skill in action after all this time has been finally fulfilled, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. 

Pikachu observed Nica’s training style with a growing interest, admiring her grace and agility. There seemed to be meaning in each movement of her body, a slight twitch of her tail leaving another stone shattered as a copper-dipped paw sent her flying into the air. Each action was fast and precise, a deadly balance between elegance and destruction. 

Two things however snagged his attention: First, a few bruises were present on his guardian’s body after a brutal hail of stone, yet it seemed to cause her much more pain than it should’ve, considering her endless endurance. Not to mention her heavy panting echoing across the terrain. B-but… with her superior stamina...to be out of breath. How long has she been training? He narrowed his eyes. It became clear that Nica had woke up much earlier and reached these training grounds long before he did.

She clenched her forepaws and unleashed a continuous ‘Thunderbolt,' using it to gash the rocky surface in specific spots.

Pikachu’s eyes widened in shock. His guardian managed to cut away a large chunk of granite, which was now hurtling to the ground.

Nica sprinted up the mountain edge towards it while surrounded by an aura of electricity, piercing through the boulder with ‘Volt Tackle’ and ‘Iron Tail,' both used at the same time for a powerful combo. A quick ‘Thunderbolt’ hit one of the falling fragments, shattering it to pieces, while the other rock half hit the dirt beneath with a loud thud.

Pikachu felt the earth trembling despite his distance and was forced to balance himself with a single shaking paw. Attacking with a ‘Volt Tackle’ causes some serious recoil damage, and that boulder was huge. Now I see what has her so tuckered out. Although, how long has she been at this? He zeroed in on his surroundings, only now noticing a long trail of rubble on the ground with random holes scarring the rocky surface of the mountain above him. Wow… that’s quite a lot of destroyed boulders.

After taking a moment to reflect upon the helpful Raichu’s who saved him from Team Rocket, Pikachu stood up and ran, feeling a growing inspiration and excitement boil inside his heart. Placed several meters away from his guardian, he glanced between her and the mountain, taking her example and putting it into motion. With a rapid spin of his ‘Iron Tail,’ he smashed several pebbles into dust, only to watch in disappointment as more than half slumped onto the dirt. He frowned and repeated the actions, this time attempting to attack those he missed with a couple extra strikes of lightning. Though, a staggering amount still weaseled their way back to the ground.

The moment he landed with a weak thud, he took a closer look at Nica’s tail, regretting that his own lacked such a long reach and mobility. He shook his head of the jealous notions and continued the training, his breathing increasing in speed with every extra swipe and turn. His own version of Nica’s prance resulted in a stone landing on top of his head. Losing balance, he fell down and massaged his aching forehead. This is waaay harder than it looks. Yet, with a heavy sigh, he picked himself up once again and continued to throw all his might against his stationary foe.

Nica moved in a trance, repeating an endless pattern, seemingly too preoccupied to acknowledge his presence. Not that he minded. A solid training required a lot of concentration after all. Even with his own focus though, he failed to intercept even one quarter of what Nica seemed capable of handling.

Using ‘Thunderbolt,' he cut off another massive slab of stone, and then channeled his electricity to attack with an ‘Electro Ball.' The yellow orb collided with the falling rock, causing a massive explosion of lightning and gravel, twirling across the sky. He gulped and then  started leaping left and right, smashing some falling stones with ‘Iron Tail’ while evading the rest. Once the downpour was over and the earth stopped trembling, he ended up standing on the tips of his rear paws, wiping a few drops of sweat from his face and forging on with a determined grimace.

Ten minutes melted into twenty minutes, not stopping until 30 minutes chimed, as Pikachu slumped down on his belly, breathing heavily. He lay with his chin perched on the stone with tired limbs spread out randomly in four directions, resembling a crooked compass. His muscles were aching and a few small lumps were present on his face and back, a reminder of his failed attempts to hit or evade the falling gravel. Most of his electricity was spent, shown by the cluster of scorched rock fragments.

“That… was… something…” Pikachu gasped. With two shaking paws for support, he looked to the side, now watching Nica whose legs were quaking with each step, sweat coating her bruised and battered body. How… can she… keep going...? He sighed. Despite the fact that his guardian started this training way earlier than him and still hadn’t taken a single break, she was still pushing herself when he no longer could. Enduring when he barely had the strength to stand straight.

Crawling towards the nearby tree, he cradled himself against its rough bark, giving his burning muscles and bruised tail a break. She had to have noticed me… but she’s remained silent all this time. I know she must be extremely focused on her training… but it’s not like her to ignore me for so long. Something seems very wrong.

After several minutes of a hastened break, he pushed himself to stand, approaching Nica on his tired feet. Seeing how she struck another large boulder with a ‘Volt Tackle,' only to lose her balance and tumble onto her face was extremely difficult to watch. “Nica!” he yelled. “Over here!” He waved, with nearly no effect. Her ears twitched, although he couldn't tell whether it was from his voice or of the drowning static of her lightning. The taller pokemon maintained her struggle amongst the falling stones and Pikachu grew more and more concerned as he noticed a few cracks blooming on the metallic part of Nica’s long tail.

Taking a deep breath into his lungs, he shouted, “Nica, stop it! You’re pushing yourself too hard!”

The pokemon before him clenched her forepaws and unleashed a continuous ‘Thunderbolt,' slicing off about forty tons of a solid boulder, as it started to slowly slide down from its resting crater. Nica attacked the barrier in front of her, creating a symphony of electricity jolts and thundering stones, all an appetizer for the massive boulder hurtling close behind. Without hesitation, she jumped up, leaping from one falling pebble to another while building up a weakening ‘Volt Tackle.'

Pikachu gasped as the memories of some of his past battles flashed in his mind. While jumping from stone to stone wasn’t new to him, the fact that Nica pulled it off with way smaller segments while being on the verge of exhaustion was nothing but amazing to him. Although, a lump of fear clogged his throat upon seeing the lightning painted around his guardian. It seemed… so thin.

An explosion of electricity followed, as well as a shriek of pain resonating across the field. When he glanced up, the boulder wasn’t destroyed, nor pierced, and was still falling down with the pokemon trapped in a crater directly underneath it.

“Nica!” Overcome by a suffocating panic, Pikachu concentrated whatever electricity he recovered during his break and quickly shoved it into an ‘Electro Ball’ towards the side of the falling boulder. While his lightning was no doubt going to hurt Nica a little bit, she was resistant to its charge, and it was certainly much better than being crushed under forty tons.

The moment he spotted the taller pokemon descending from the cloud of dust, he darted towards her, jumping and grasping her in mid-air. Their size difference proved somewhat problematic for his smaller paws as he felt his rear feet sinking into the stone, his body being slightly flattened under the greater weight of a Raichu. A small annoyed whimper escaped his mouth, quickly smothered by his concern for Nica.

No longer holding her weight, he massaged his forehead and opened his eyes. “Nica… are you okay?” he asked, seeing the back of his guardian who somehow managed to stand on her battered legs. He grit his teeth and pulled his tiny paws from the ground, following his friend. “Stop it, you’re exhausted!” He rounded his guardian and spread his forepaws on both sides, as if trying to prevent her path back to pain.

Her tired oval eyes glanced at him for a moment with a cold stare before Nica rounded him as if he was but a mere obstacle. She shuffled by without a word.

Pikachu’s ears drooped. When she looked at me… there was nothing. No anger, no excitement, frustration, thrill.. She regarded me without care, as if relying on muscle memory. I can’t imagine how many times she’s must have done this routine! I doubt anything can stop her when she gets into that creepy training zone. His guardian picked up a few stray stones from the ground and threw them up, smashing them with her tail while nearly losing her center with each swing.

Summoning his patience, he followed after his mislead mentor. “Nica, please, just take a moment of rest. You can barely stand on your own paws.”

The taller pokemon froze in front of a large boulder fragment, this one five to ten tons heavy. Still massive, yet tiny compared to her earlier conquest. She lowered her head and grit her teeth as her entire tail shone a hardened steel glint. She rose on four trembling legs and pushed her tail under the damaged stone.

“Wait, stop!” Pikachu shouted.

Nica’s legs gave out under her in an instant as she now lay flat on the rocky ground. Her tail slowly, but steadily raised the boulder, despite her engine running on empty. Up, down, up, down… the rock swayed, as if she was weightlifting it. The catch being that using ‘Iron Tail’ increased her tail strength a hundred times over while the rest of the body ended up suffering under the heavy pressure. A shade of purple became apparent on her forehead, caused by the crushing strain.

Pikachu’s ears wilted as he whimpered sadly, painfully remembering Starlight's levitation flattening him during their battle. However, while he was able to endure it for several seconds with no repercussion, Nica was on her last leg. If anything, it looked more like a self-inflicted torture, becoming worse as the hours passed. “Stop it, please.” He approached his guardian and held his forepaws together in a pleading gesture as he stared in pity, yet his plea was left unheard.

The color of Nica’s tail faded back normal as the fragment fell on her, pressing her into the ground with a loud thud.

Pikachu collapsed as his eyes became wide. “No, no, no!” He pushed himself to stand. With a desperate swing of his ‘Iron Tail,' he pushed the rock aside. His ears drooped and eyes closed from the following tremor.

Nica grit her teeth in overwhelming pain before pressing her forepaws against the ground. She slowly rose from the crater, sending small bits of rubble flying as she stumbled back into an upright position. Her breathing was heavy and unstable as she struggled to inhale, most of her face now turning a deep purple instead.

“Enough is enough!” Pikachu commanded with narrowed eyes as he ran over and grabbed his guardian by her shoulder. “I won’t let you torture yourself any longer!” His forepaws trembled as he struggled to keep the larger pokemon from standing. While the size-difference didn’t work in his favor, Nica’s exhaustion evened the odds. Much to his surprise, her tail slapped his forepaws and flung him to the side, not causing pain but evacuating him away from her efforts to rise.

He massaged his forepaws before giving the Raichu a confused look. The Nica he knew wouldn’t push him away like that. It almost felt as if she wasn’t aware of what she was doing. Without a moment's notice, Pikachu ran over and grabbed her from behind, once again ending up thrown away by the long tail.

Nica ignored the outside distractions, sending the leftovers of her electricity towards the stonewall, her struggle to charge ‘Iron Tail’ sapping too much strength as a few scattered pebbles bounced against her head. Her strike resulted in her falling onto her face, only to take a few seconds to stand up and repeat the process.

Pikachu’s attempt to contain his guardian failed as she leaped to the side, evading each endeavor to stop her as if it was but another part of her merciless training. His heart started to ache as he held back tears at his friend’s transparent misery. Every followed effort to restrain his guardian resulted in her attacking him with her tail or with a burst of electricity, though it seemed more like efforts to scare him away rather than hurt. Each burst of electricity or tail strike had no anger behind it, along with fleeting power.

It became clear that he couldn’t stop her, try as he might. Aiming to keep her from moving resulted in a struggle, and trying to knock her out with an attack would be no different than what she was subjecting herself to now. He sat and watched with a blank stare and defeated expression, waiting for his friend to drop from exhaustion. What else could he do?

Nica ran towards the stone wall, building up a ‘Volt Tackle’ before slamming into the stone. The light surrounding her flickered on and off, eventually fading before she reached her target, leaving her slamming head first into a solid mass. A yelp of pain escaped her mouth and tears streamed down her face. Both mental and physical abuse tormented her with each step. She repeated the process a few times, and each crash into the mountain felt like a hammer striking Pikachu’s heart.

“S-stop it… please… I beg you! I’ll do anything… just please stop! I can’t watch you torture yourself like this!”

Nica charged blindly while her legs bent in awkward angles from time to time, causing her to stop or turn unintentionally with her nose ending up smeared into the dirt. Each misstep caused a yelp of pain to escape her muzzle. The aura of electricity that once protected her, swiftly disappeared, having nothing left to sustain itself on. With a desperate jump while using what was left of her dwindling stamina and lightning, she slammed herself into the cliff wall, collapsing onto her back. The continuously slammed mass crumbled while burying her alive.

Pikachu gasped and shot towards the stone pyramid, envisioning the bone-crushing pressure he endured when Metagross used a super charged ‘Rock Slide’ against him. He was about to free his guardian with ‘Iron Tail,' only for Nica’s ‘Thunderbolt’ to beat him to it, pushing the rubble aside.

Nica kept shrieking in pain before slamming her eyes shut. Her shout of agony replaced by a dead silence.

Pikachu approached with hesitant steps, now staring at the beaten and exhausted body of his mentor. The amount of damage inflicted upon her was devastating, leaving her lying motionless with the impression of being steamrolled. Multiple times. His face became pale upon seeing a few drops of scarlet blood dripping from her unfastened jaw.

“Nica!” He placed his left ear to her wide and soft belly, hearing a very slow but steady heart-beat, then noticing a weak rise and fall of her stomach. He sighed in relief, tossing away the worst case scenarios that formed in his mind. His friend was alive, but in critical condition, out in the middle of nowhere. Is this… is this what you have been doing every single night? How have I never detected this before?

Pikachu shivered at the very thought of the repetitive torture before pushing his forepaws under Nica's deadweight. After a moment of heaving her back and forth to find balance, he supported her on his back with Nica’s forepaw dangled over his shoulder.

Step after step, he walked back towards Ponyville, seeking aid while carrying the heavier pokemon whose legs and tail slumped motionless on the soil. He wasn’t going to leave his guardian in such a condition under a reclusive mountain, no matter the struggle he was forced to endure to ensure it.

After what felt like hours, his steps became unintelligible and drops of sweat started pouring down from his face as the distance from Ponyville appeared farther and farther away. Though he was moving closer, with how small his steps were, the gained mileage was hardly noticed. This… won’t… do... With a limited amount of trees in the area, he approached the closest one, placing Nica under it before dropping onto the smothered grass himself, breathing heavily while his tiny legs ached as if on fire. She may be… a bit smaller… lighter… than other Raichu… but it’s still too much. He took a moment to gather himself  before examining his friend’s deteriorating condition. Her breathing and heartbeat is stable for the time being, but she still looks terrible. I have to do something, but what?

He gazed at the castle on the horizon and narrowed his eyes before giving Nica one last quick glance. “I’ll bring help as fast as possible. Please, stay safe.” With that parting message, he ran towards Ponyville, utilizing the tip of Twilight’s castle as guide to show him the way back to his current home. With the help of a ‘Quick Attack’ he sped up, occasionally peering back to memorize the location of Nica. If those ponies were to help him transport his friend to safety, he needed to be able to remember where to lead them.

“I won’t let you down,” he mumbled to himself one last time, before darting off in search of a way to save the Raichu who opened his eyes.