//------------------------------// // Ch.4 - Search Party - Pt.5 // Story: A Little Adventure in Alola // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 4 - Search Party - Pt.5 Pikachu slowly opened one eye, then another, before scanning his surroundings. Numerous pokemon lay scattered inside the damaged building, all sleeping while some had bandages wrapped around their limbs. Though Ninetales, Arcanine, Haxorus, Muk, and Excadrill each fought admirably against the beasts, they still got outmatched in that last battle.  He touched his cheeks and forehead, examined his limbs and looked at the bandage on his belly. He wasn’t sure how long he was asleep, but it seemed no aches or pains remained on his once hurting body. This potion sure works fast. I feel healthy and ready for battle. I see why Astra said it could be used as a cop out for recovering pokemon. He stretched his limbs before scratching his back. This potion may work on bruises, but I doubt it works on stamina. I hope I’ve had enough rest for the upcoming battles. He stood to his paws and approached each pokemon, giving them a proud glance. Alolan Ninetales, for being the least experienced member of the team, you sure fought well, same for Haxorus. He looked between three of Emily’s pokemon, each showing skills similar to Ash’s pokemon during tournaments.  Astra’s best pokemon ended up in Equestria while Emily and her team seems to be on a similar level to Ash. The fact that most of their remaining pokemon are weak to ground attacks also worked against us. He spotted Emily sleeping near her pokemon, supported against the wall, the belts with the pokemon stolen from the criminals snuggled in her embrace. Pity we can’t command Ultra Beasts. They would probably just turn on us or run away if we ended up releasing them. He looked at Rainbow Dash and bit his bottom lip. The bandaged wings showed no sign of recovery, though she refused to let that hinder her spirit. I fear the potion failed to work on Rainbow Dash. Is it because she’s not a pokemon but a pony? In search for the remaining trainer, he stepped outside as the sun shone brightly. He felt wet grass under his feet, noticing a few puddles of water and nearly flinched as he heard a deep sigh from directly above him. Glancing up, he spotted Astra sitting atop the roof, the sunlight illuminating her features. With a quick jump, he landed on the roof, climbing up towards Astra while shaking water from his feet. “Is it your turn to guard? Shouldn’t you be resting?” The trainer startled for a moment, caught by surprise before looking down at him and patting her knee in an inviting gesture. Pikachu nodded, leaping forward and taking a seat on the girl’s legs. Without all the armor, the powerful trainer now looked much more fragile. “I see your injury is fully healed. That potion really works wonders.” “It is helpful in a pinch, but bad in the long run. I’d rather avoid using it,” Astra explained as she patted the smaller pokemon on the head. Pikachu returned the gesture by rubbing the top of his head against her soft hand. “Any idea how much time has passed? Should we move out?” “I’m not quite sure, but I’d say around an hour has passed.” Astra looked down and to her left, glancing at a little bronze bag which rested by her side. It balanced alongside her on the tilted roof. “We’ll leave soon.” Pikachu smiled, feeling Astra’s hand scratch behind his ears. “If that’s the case, how about we talk to pass time. I have a few questions I’ve wanted to ask since I met you.” “Sure.” Pikachu took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak. I hope she won’t get offended, but I have to know… He gently pushed aside her hand and looked her in the eyes. “Is it really true that you made your pokemon fight at a disadvantage and kept your pokemon from evolving until they earned it by winning near impossible battles?” “More or less,” Astra answered bluntly as she started scratching the back of Pikachu’s head. Pikachu ignored the pleasant scratching as his ears drooped, remembering the pain on Nica’s face after her last brutal training sessions. “But why?” Astra looked confused for a moment, before her face lit up in understanding. “Oh, I get it. Let me explain,” she said as she raised her knees a little closer to her face. “I knew that in order to continue my parent's work and make sure that others won’t have to suffer as I did, I needed to face strong opponents and extreme risks. Not just my life, but the life of my pokemon would be put in danger.” “You needed strong and skilled pokemon, I get it. But…” “Let me finish,” Astra interrupted as Pikachu closed his mouth and nodded. “My pokemon were willing to support me, but they most likely didn’t know the risk. I feared they would die fighting for my cause, so I had to reduce the risk as much as possible.” She took a deep breath, continuing in a more depressed tone, “In order to reach the top and to overcome criminal elites, my pokemon needed to learn how to overcome the odds and face near unwinnable situations, if they had any hope of surviving in my line of work.” Pikachu nodded as his ears raised upward, listening with full attention.  “Fighting while at a type disadvantage, fighting while outnumbered, fighting while unevolved against fully evolved opponents. If I went hard on my pokemon when we were still weak, they would have greater chance of surviving once we grew strong and faced the enemy.” She narrowed her eyes. “But make no mistake, I simply offered such tactics to my pokemon. If they wanted to evolve, I would let them, and if they didn’t want to fight while at a disadvantage, I wouldn’t force them.” “You wouldn’t? And if they refused?” “Then I would avoid risks whenever possible. I wouldn’t try to accomplish as much and fight criminals so fiercely, matching the danger with my team’s strength, besides.” She smiled. “I asked my partner if she was willing to train harder and face greater challenges than the rest of the team to improve morale and give a good example, but it was a choice. She agreed.” Astra’s face dropped, before adding on, “A little too much.” Pikachu didn’t hear, too caught up in the next question. “You say you didn’t force them, but pokemon rarely go against the training methods of their trainers. What if they were unhappy?” “Unhappy? None ever complained,” Astra answered, blinking in confusion. “In fact, I could see them take great pride whenever they overcame the odds. Whenever I allowed them to evolve, they were incredibly happy. Not because of evolution, but because they felt the satisfaction of earning it.” She shook her head. “I know my methods were very harsh, but my pokemon liked them.” She looked at the sky, adding, “Ninetales wasn’t exactly cooperative, but for different reasons. He approved of my methods when I swore we would avenge my parents.” Pikachu nodded. Now that I think about it, Nica never complained about her trainer’s methods. Were they happy with this training strategy, or did they hide their discomfort? She seems like someone who wouldn’t force her methods if her team didn’t support them. “Anything else?” Astra asked, lowering her knees slightly as she now started rubbing Pikachu’s chin. “It is… about Nica’s training… Was it really necessary for her to push herself to near death?” Pikachu asked, his tone filled with sadness. “You mean her morning and night practices?” Astra asked, receiving a nod in return. She sighed. “That… was a great miscalculation on my side. When I shared my ideology with my partner, I had no idea she would take it to heart.” “Ideology? You mean how the stronger one is, the more they need to accomplish?” Astra nodded, causing a sad pout to form on Pikachu’s lips. “Power alone is worth nothing if used poorly. I wanted my partner to not only grow strong, but also use her skills and powers perfectly under stress and tough situations. What I didn’t expect was her guilt. Everything started falling apart where she failed to save a human’s life.” “You tried to stop Nica from overtraining herself? Right?” “Of course I did!” Astra shouted, jerking up and forcing Pikachu to cover his ears. She took a calming breath before continuing, “After she refused to stop training and nearly died, I tried to stop her, tried to get that idea out of her mind, but her determination and guilt were too strong. She was just too stubborn.” “I see... “ Pikachu pointed at Astra, asking, “But if you had another chance, would you prevent it?” With great consideration, Astra shook her head in refusal. Pikachu’s right eye twitched. “W-what?” He jumped, now holding Astra’s cheeks, his rear paws pressed into her neck. “I thought you didn’t want that to happen!” “I didn’t, but in the end Nica survived and grew stronger for it,” Astra said as she pulled Pikachu away from her face… with a bit of effort. “In the end Nica became so much greater. Now I know that no matter what kind of peril she faces, she’ll survive. My partner was always willing to take pain and danger on herself to protect others. I fear she wouldn’t stay alive if not for that. Besides, what’s in the past is done, all we can do is look towards the future and prepare.” “Oh…” Pikachu pushed his paws against Astra’s hands, freeing himself and landing on her knees. Now that he thought about it, if Nica wasn’t so durable, she would no doubt have died in the fight against the large Ultra Beast. At least for now there was hope that she was still alive. As much as he didn’t want to see her suffer everyday, he had to admire who she had become. Pikachu narrowed his eyes and pointed accusingly. “Alright. I understand now why you were so harsh on your pokemon and that they were happy with you, but there’s one thing I still disapprove.” “And that is?” Pikachu stood on the tips of his rear paws and shook his forepaws in aggravation. “Did you really have to convince your partner to be so incredibly humble!?” He lowered his paws, continuing in a depressed tone, “In the past week I learned how incredible Nica is, and I admire her. It’s…” He lowered his head. “It’s so unfair that she still can’t see her own self-worth! That she keep comparing her deeds to Ash’s and mine. Her accomplishments are still incredible and have helped so many people and pokemon alike. Seeing her think so little of herself and unable to take compliments… it hurts.” “Is… is it that bad?” “Of course it is!” Pikachu shouted. “It took her saving Equestria and a face to face talk between us in a bathtub until she even considered to believe in her worth.” “Oh…” Astra lowered her head, both brewing in an uncomfortable silence “I understand that being humble is important, but taking away her pride like that… Was it really necessary?” Pikachu asked. “Nica was trapped in a loop. No matter how hard she worked, she would never be satisfied.” “That… I think that is something that I would change… if given a second chance.” Astra massaged her forehead. “Arrogance can lead to underestimating your opponent and discourage training efforts. I believed that in order to respect others and work hard, we had to admit our flaws and strive to do better. I tried to teach Nica humility to help her become a kind and respecting soul so she wouldn’t be blinded by her own pride.” Astra rubbed the back of her neck, smiling sheepishly. “My partner really takes everything to heart and tends to blow things out of proportion, but I had no idea it was that bad. If she really has an inferiority complex that makes her sad… I’ll need to apologize.” “I will hold you to your promise,” Pikachu said as he smiled lightly, now understanding Astra a bit better. There seemed to be a naive side to Astra, one that blinded her from time to time, but in the end her heart was in the right place. She was a trainer who would take a harsh approach now, as long as it would benefit her pokemon in the future. From outside view her methods may seem to go too far or be even cruel at times, but she uses them because she cares. She truly loves her pokemon and will do what she believes will benefit them, and those harsh choices paid off, considering she raised an amazing team. “You’re a very curious fellow and I admire that. Is there anything else you wish to ask me about?” Astra asked, now staring back with growing curiosity. “Well… from what Nica told me, you were pictured as a very intelligent trainer, yet today you fought more like a brawler. Since when did you become so strong?” “Huh. Nica didn’t tell you?” “Tell me what?” Pikachu asked, tilting his head to the side. “How I had to climb up a snowy mountain over and over for half a year and rechallenge her back when she was a Pichu, fighting with my own hands to earn her respect and capture her.” Pikachu nodded. “And about the part how I started studying under the guidance of an incredibly strong Nurse Joy during our travels between the Orange Islands.” She raised and flexed, displaying her surprisingly wide muscles. “Keeping up with her on a kayak for two months did wonders for my condition.” “Strong nurse, strong nurse,” Pikachu tapped his chin, trying to recall his memories. “Oh, right, the one with the giant Magikarp who evolved into not-so-big Gyarados. Still, Nica didn’t mention anything else in your later adventures.”  “I’m not surprised. To be honest, I tried to keep that part of me in check,” Astra said, catching Pikachu’s attention. “There is a thin line between bravery and foolishness. As my pokemon grew stronger, there was little I could do to help them with my bare hands, and I didn’t want to act without thinking. I tried to focus on improving my intelligence and strategy over muscles.” “Well… what I saw today was quite different,” Pikachu said in a teasing tone. “Nica probably didn’t mention it, but after I tried to revive the Guardians, engineers who joined my cause salvaged a lot useful technology from the destroyed base and the bunker I was hiding in. When I got my hands on a Guardian’s armor, shield and combat blade, I changed my approach.” She raised her head and punched the air. “It would be foolish of me to rush into a battle with my bare hands, but with this gear, I could support my pokemon directly. I asked Nica to train me and I embraced the part of me that I tried to contain. My dad was an officer while my mom had a more adventurous spirit. Instead of taking one approach, I used both.” “I see…” Pikachu grimaced, now looking at Astra in annoyance. “Still, Ash quite often rushes into battle to help us and protect us without any gear, but he’s not foolish.” “So your trainer is reckless?” Astra said in a joking tone.  “Well… I would be lying if I denied that,” Pikachu said before displaying a cheerful smile. “I still have some difficulty picturing you as a trainer. What Nica told me and what I see with my own eyes are a bit different.” Astra chuckled. “I have a silly idea how to help with that.” She painted a letter ‘A’ in the air with her finger. “Let’s say that letter ‘A’ is for trainers who jumps into action directly, putting themselves in danger, and are in good physical condition.”  She painted ‘B’ with her finger. “B would be for trainers who improvise, who can come up with great tactics while under pressure and can take advantage of their surroundings. Who are creative and think of today, but not tomorrow.” She painted ‘C’ with her finger. “C would be for intelligent trainers who rely on technology and books. Those usually lack strengths and don’t get their hands dirty with a dangerous adventure. Those kinds of trainers can memorize types, moves, and all sort of information.” She painted ‘D’ with her finger. “And finally, D. This one is for trainers like chess grandmasters. They think not about the here and now but about tomorrow. They plan in advance, think many moves ahead and can delegate well. Those aren’t field officers but people who stay behind the frontline. They are terrible when under pressure or in heat of the moment, but their strategy gives birth to great fruits in future.” Pikachu smiled, already suspecting which category fit Astra the most. Astra held her hand on her chest. “I’ve changed over the years, but if I had to describe myself now, I would be 60% D, 15% C, 0% B and 25% A.” “I thought as much,” Pikachu said before tapping his chin. “If I had to describe Ash by what you just said. I think he would be 55% B and 40% A. The rest would have to be split between C and D.” “That little,” Astra said, blinking in confusion. “No wonder he has so many problems winning tournaments despite being such an incredible trainer.”  Pikachu narrowed his eyes. “What? There are thousands other trainers who have their own ambitions and training methods. You can’t become number one if you never think ahead. Am I wrong?” Pikachu sighed. “Fair enough.” He raised his head, asking, “What about Emily?” “0% D, 30% C, 50% B and 20% A. She’s probably similar to Ash, but more balanced and more formal. I was relying on her a lot over the past days to make up for my weakness.” She frowned. “I’ll need to give her an advanced course of first aid, though. She’s neglected it for far too long.” Pikachu thought back to their recent battle. So that’s why Emily took command while Astra fought more directly when things got chaotic. Now that I think about it, Nica can come up with some good strategies on the spot. She probably developed it by making up for Astra’s weakness. Pikachu stood on the tips of his rear paws, now staring at Astra with narrowed eyes. “I believe we’ve rested enough. It is time to move out.” He smiled proudly. “Since you’re so good at planning ahead, you must have come up with a good plan. What is it?” “Well… I came up with two plans, but I need to ask you something important before deciding on which one to use.” Pikachu tilted his head to the side. After his round of questions, it was only fair to let her have her turn. “Giovanni no doubt called for reinforcements, Dash’s wing doesn’t want to heal, even with potions and our team is not exactly well balanced. To improve the odds and increase your chances of survival, I thought…” Astra reached for the bronze bag that rested by her side, untying it. “That you should use this.” Pikachu looked at whatever the trainer was taking out form the bag before his face showed pure terror. He performed a backflip, landing in front of the trainer’s legs and balancing himself on the tiled roof. In the trainer’s hand was a green transparent crystal with small yellow lightning bolt glistening inside it.  Astra held a ‘Thunderstone.’