//------------------------------// // Ch.5 - Research Party - Pt.1 // Story: A Little Adventure in Alola // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 5 - Research Party - Pt.1 “Ash, calm down,” Lillie said from her seat at the table inside the Pokemon Center. Ash kept walking back and forth on the marble floor, receiving occasional worried glances from the nurse and her customers. With the situation of the three islands being at the edge due to the ongoing invasion, Ash was seen as one of the town's defenders. His panicked expression and nervous walk only worsened morale as a result. Lillie rolled her eyes before taking a deep breath. “I know you’re worried, but we must remain calm.” She held hand on her chest and added, “My mother is being held hostage at the foundation, yet you don’t see me panicking about it.” Ash tripped over, landing on his chin before jumping to a standing position. He turned around and started shaking his hands. “I know, I know, but everything has been going terribly for the past days, and just an hour ago Pikachu…” “Raichu,” Lillie corrected. “Raichu covered in insane injuries, barely alive, crashed through the window. Horrible things are happening all around us and I’m not even allowed to go out there to prevent them!” Lillie narrowed her eyes. “The police officers informed us about Ultra Beasts being very active inside the forest next to this town.” She pointed at his belt. “With your pokemon that Professor Oak sent you, you’re one of a few trainers capable of keeping this town safe. What if it were attacked while you left?” Ash’s hands and half of his body dropped in defeat. “But why do I have to be the one on defense? Couldn’t Olivia or Kiawe take over?” “We pulled straws to decide who would guard the town. You lost fair and square,” Lillie pointed out before looking at her cup of half-empty tea. “You’re not the only one frustrated about it. I wish I could be out there helping my brother, but without Snowy I would only get in the way.” She clenched her fist before lightly slamming it against the table. “What if he’s trying to infiltrate the Aether Foundation to save Lusamine? At the moment it is the most well-defended fortress held by Team Rocket. It would be like walking into the jaws of a Shadpedo.” Ash approached the table, taking a seat next to Lillie whose long blond hair was hanging down her back, no longer hidden under a spacious hat, her white clothing matched with a very short skirt covering a small part of her legs. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it before looking at the Nurse Joy in worry. Just like the other nurses, this one had pink hair, though a bit longer than the others. The uniform itself was nearly fully pink, white only in two little spots. Behind the nurse he saw a big blue screen with outlines resembling a pokeball and a light shining from above. “First all my pokemon, especially Pikachu, vanish without a trace,” Ash said, not taking his eyes away from the nurse. “All my attempts to find them fail, and then the invasion. Then our failure against that giant pokemon where we barely escaped with our lives.“ He narrowed his eyes. “And now a Raichu, that is barely alive, jump, or is thrown through the window.” He looked Lillie in the eyes. “What if my Pikachu escaped to evolve, then got himself in a fight against the beasts and barely made it here?” Lillie facepalmed. “Okay Ash, you need to calm down, you’re not thinking clearly when you’re like that. This wasn’t your Pikachu.” “How can you be so sure?” Ash asked. Lillie raised her finger. “Because this Raichu is a female.” “Female?” Ash asked. Lillie nodded. “I read a bit about Pikachu since I meet you. Their tails have a different shape at the end, and this one didn’t have pointy edge but was heart-shaped instead.” “R-really?” Ash asked.  “Yes. Don’t tell me you didn't notice. Surely you know how to tell a female Pikachu from a male, same with Raichu.” “Y-yea… I do,” Ash smiled sheepishly for a moment before his mood darkened. “I suppose I’d hoped to reunite with him so much that I was clinging to that hope that this Raichu was him.” He sighed. “What if he’s lost in the Ultra Space? What if my pokemon are trapped there?” Lillie opened her mouth, but closed it in an instant as her throat suddenly became dry. While her mother was still nearby, waiting to be saved, her father was another story. She didn’t envy Ash if his pokemon had shared similar fate, gone forever as even the foundation didn’t make much progress at finding her father. “Excuse me.” Both Ash and Lillie looked at the nurse. Lillie spoke first, “Yes?” “Ya have a call from Professor Kukui, somethin’ about yer missin’ pokemon. Ah thin’ it’s important,” Nurse Joy said, yelping the moment Ash got up from his seat and rushed for the phone, almost tripping on the way and nearly crashing into the PC.  He started to jog in place, staring at Kukui’s face on the screen impatiently. “You know where Pikachu, Litten, Rowlet, and Lycanroc are? Tell me!” “Oh yeah! I knew I could get you excited. I got tons of great news actually.” Kukui rubbed his nose arrogantly. “Turned out that your team, Lillie’s Snowy and Lana’s Popplio, they all got sucked into a world filled with friendly ponies.” “Snowy?” Lillie asked as she approached, stopping next to Ash as they both displayed a hopeful smile. “Is she alright?” “They’re all good, and Pikachu even got a ride here with the princess. Take it over Twilight,” Kukui said as he stepped to the side as the image of a lavender pony took his place. “So this isn’t a magical projection and no magical artifact is needed to make it work?” Twilight asked as she examined the device ahead of her. “To think that a combination of wires and glass charged by electricity is capable of something this amazing.” She poked the screen gently with her hoof. “Hey, you two, can you hear me?” “Y-yes…” Ash said, staring at the talking pokemon in disbelief. “Who are you?” Lillie asked. “Oh, right, introductions, sorry, got excited and all.” She took a calming breath before speaking, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and when it comes to species, I am an alicorn. As for my title, I am the Princess of Friendship and my residence is in Equestria that is located in… some sort of alternative universe. Nice to meet you.” “Another universe?” Lillie asked before glancing at Ash. “Does this mean she’s an Ultra Beast?” “What… I am not… actually, no matter, you can call me an Ultra Beast if you want. I would prefer to be called a pony though if you don’t mind,” Twilight said as she flapped her wings in aggravation. “In any case, you must be Ash Ketchum, the trainer of Pikachu and some of the other pokemon that ended up in Ponyville.” Ash nodded in an instant before nearly pressing his face against the screen. “Yes, I am Ash. So my pokemon ended up in your world. Are they safe? Can I see them?” “They are alright, though you won’t be able to reunite with them yet,” Twilight answered. “What, why?” Ash asked in a rush of panic. “Well…” Twilight tapped her forehooves against one another. “The portal we used to get here wasn’t stable enough and shut down soon after we crossed it.” She smiled, showing her shining teeth. “But don’t worry. We’re almost done making a portal back to Equestria, though I’m still working on a few improvements to increase its stability. Once it is done, you’ll be able to reunite with your friends.” Ash jumped, raising his first towards the ceiling. “Yes! Finally!” Lillie held her hands together in joy, hopping up and down. “I can’t wait to reunite with Snowy, and Ash was going crazy missing his Pikachu. That is wonderful news.” She took Ash’s spot in front of the screen and added, “Also, it is very nice to meet you, Princess. It is nice to meet a friendly Ultra… pony, and royalty no less. I would really love to learn more about your home once this crisis is over.” “A cultural exchange, sounds great!” Twilight shouted, flapping her wings in joy. “Oh, I should also mention something about the Pikachu.” Ash pushed Lillie to the side, taking her spot. “Yes?” “When we arrived in this world, three pokemon accompanied us. Your Pikachu, Nica and Ace.” “Nica and Ace?” Lillie asked. “So we’re not the only ones whose pokemon ended up in your world?” “So Pikachu is here? Is he with you?” Ash asked. “Not really. He’s up there looking for Nica,” Twilight said before Kukui’s cheek pressed against hers.  “You won’t believe this crazy and incredible story,” the professor said in excitement before pointing at Twilight. “Three ponies and three pokemon got into our world and got into a fight against the beasts on Melemele. After beating one and forcing another to escape, they found Tapu Koko and came up with a plan to take on the giant.” “W-what!?” Ash shouted, pressing his nose against the screen. “You fought that giant beast? H-how? It was stronger and more deadly than any legendary pokemon I have ever met!” “Legendary pokemon,” the nurse murmured to herself while a young male trainer in need of her assistance looked at Ash in amazement. Twilight pushed Kukui to the side with her shoulder before speaking, “It was an incredibly powerful opponent. To counter its aura that Tapu warned us about, Starlight and I enhanced Pikachu, Nice and Ace with our magic, making them a lot stronger… for a time.” Ash withdrew his head, now listening to the story with a growing amount of excitement, his veins now overflowing with adrenaline.  “They charged in as a team, attacking the beast with incredible bravery while luring it away from the town and towards the beach,” Twilight continued as each of her sentences seemed to cause Ash’s smile to widen. “I was really scared when that monster attacked with electricity, destroying hundreds of trees and scorching the ground. Luckily, Nica took the attack upon herself, protecting your Pikachu and Ace.” “And Nica survived?” Ash asked in disbelief.  “But even ground types and pokemon with lighting rod were unable to withstand raw power of that magnitude,” Lillie commented. “Poor Togedemaru, knocked unconscious from overcharging.”  “Who’s Nica?” Ash asked. “Only the most amazing Raichu in the world and Astra’s partner,” Twilight said, clapping her hooves enthusiastically. Her eyes were closed for a moment while a cheerful smile appeared on her face. Ash bit his bottom lip while Lillie raised hand up to her mouth.  “Anyway, as I was saying.” Twilight continued, “After they arrived at the beach, Ace with Tapu’s help focused on creating the most powerful combo attack, using every bit of their power. Pikachu ended up fighting against one of the smaller beasts that we faced before as Starlight and I provided assistance, while Nica went ahead with Pikachu’s ‘Electro Ball’ to distract the giant monster.” Ash nodded, already suspecting that Nica and the Raichu that crashed through the window were one and the same.  Twilight’s ears dropped. “Sadly, while Nica was distracting the giant beast, the smaller one went after her from behind. Rainbow Dash and Pikachu tried to help, but…” She lowered her head. “Nica ended up smashed between those two humongous shining limbs.” “Double ‘Power Whip’ hitting from both sides. I couldn’t believe my ears when she told me about it,” Kukui jumped in. Both Ash’s and Lillie’s faces became pale.  Ash gulped, remembering how one swing of that titanic arm was enough to knock unconscious nearly every pokemon it hit. To be smashed by two of them from both sides, and not long after being hit by a boosted ‘Discharge.’ This is… a deadly blow. Even my Pikachu would lose his life on the spot. How is she still alive? He lowered his head and clenched his fists. All those injuries and blood, her barely being alive… now it makes sense. P-poor Raichu. He already felt pity towards the injured pokemon, but now… “I’m not really sure what happened next, but from what I saw, Ace’s attack was a fourth of the gigantic beast in terms of size while the red aura no longer protected the enemy.” Twilight frowned. “Sadly, even though the giant was defeated, Nica who was in its grasp was sent flying over the sea.” “She was!?” Ash shouted, blinking in disbelief. “Does this mean she flew from Melemele, flying over Akala before landing here?” Twilight and Kukui tilted their heads to the side in confusion. Lillie shook her head and commented, “If this was the case, she would make a hole on the floor from the impact. I think someone threw her inside.” “You mean Nica was thrown into the Pokemon Center?” Twilight asked before pressing her muzzle against the screen while flapping her wings. “A Raichu, a female one, extreme injuries. Is she really with you?” Ash smiled awkwardly. “Y-yes…” “That’s great!” Twilight shouted cheerfully. “What about Ace, is he with you as well?” “Ace?” Lillie asked before pointing at the door leading outside. “I looked through the broken window, but I didn’t see anyone nearby.” Ash nodded. “After the nurse took Pi...Raichu to heal her, I decided to go outside for a moment to find whoever threw her inside. The witnesses just mentioned that she flew from the beach area, but nothing besides that. We checked the beach later but nobody was there.”  “I… see…” Twilight said hesitantly, rubbing her chin. “Maybe Ace used his power to throw her.” She tapped horn on her head. “His power is similar to my levitation. I think it is normal for an Alolan Raichu.” She shrugged. “Ace was the first to go after his sister, but why would he throw her into the healing location rather than escort her there?” Kukui clenched his fist. “What if he was in danger and did it out of desperation? That must be it.” Twilight nodded before gasping. “Oh no… I hope he’s alright.” Ash held a hand on his chest. “I’ll look for him immediately. What about Pikachu?” “He’s with Rainbow Dash, a pegasus pony, and they’re searching for Nica. We lost contact with them though so we can’t give them the good news.” Kukui narrowed his eyes, giving Ash an intimidating glare. “What about Tapu Town. How is it holding up?” “It is unharmed,” Lillie responded. “The beasts in the forest aren’t approaching the town, though the police is armed at all times in case they do.” “I see…” Kukui smiled, swinging his fist, causing Twilight to flinch. “Okay, here’s the plan. Once Twilight finishes working on the portal, she’ll get some strong pokemon that ended up in Equestria to help us. In the meanwhile, I’ll take Starlight to search for your Pikachu and the pegasus so we can tell them the great news. Since the strongest Ultra Beast is no longer an issue, Hala is already trying to get other Kahunas and Tapu together so we can push back the rest of those invaders.” “Sounds good to me,” Twilight said with a nod. “And what if they are no longer on Akala?” Ash asked in worry. “I’m talking about Pikachu.” “This probably means that they’re searching for Nica on your island. They should reach Tapu Town sooner or later, so keep an eye out for a ponyta-like creature with wings,” the professor said, receiving an annoyed glance from the princess. “Not ponyta-like. Just a pegasus.” She pointed at herself. “She’s blue, has a rainbow mane and tail, and she has a similar shape to mine but without the horn.” “Got it,” Ash said with a nod. “And Ash,” Kukui continued, “While searching for Ace or your Pikachu, don’t go too far away from the town, in case if it is attacked. Also, don’t go into the forest. It is way too dangerous to go there without backup.” Ash lowered his head and frowned. “Fineee…” Lillie spoke up, “I’ll stay here to keep an eye on Nica, and once Lana returns here, I’ll tell her what you told us. I am sure she’ll be happier once she knows that her Popplio is safe.” “Alright, I think this accounts for everything. Let’s not waste any more time and get back to the research,” Twilight said before pointing at a button in front of the PC. “In order to end this… transmission… do I press this button?” “Yes, go ahead.”  The face of professor and the princess vanished from their sight, replaced by blackness.  Ash and Lillie looked at each other, smiling cheerfully for the first time in a week before embracing each other in a hug. After facing a desperate situation since the invasion three days ago, a bright light of hope filled their hearts. Holding each other’s hands, they returned to their spots at the table, now sitting across each other. “So… Pikachu and those two Raichu… they really managed to take down that unbeatable giant,” Ash said, looking at the girl in shock. “I… I have no words on how amazing it is. They must have made a great team.” Lillie nodded. “Agreed. Not to mention that… what was it called… some sort of magic. To think it would make them strong enough to match the aura that the beast was enveloped in. Maybe their disappearance was a good thing.” “Good? I don’t get it.” Lillie chuckled. “Think about it. If your Pikachu and other pokemon were with you, I don’t think they would make much of a difference. In fact, if they were with you, you wouldn’t have asked Professor Oak to send you your other pokemon to make a full team while searching for them. Not to mention that Pikachu made some powerful friends while he was there.” Ash rubbed his chin, thinking back to the massive battle that took place at Melemele. Three Kahunas and four guardians, working together with him and other volunteering trainers. A massive battle against the titanic beast and other smaller ones that supported it. My Rowlet and Litten still lack experience and I had only four pokemon in total. I suppose they would end up outmatched very quickly. He glanced at Nurse Joy, or rather at one of two green doors at her sides where hurt pokemon were recovering. If other pokemon ended up in that other world, and Pikachu befriended them… He pictured Pikachu standing side by side with the Raichu and the alicorn princess behind them. The magic of that pony and might of those two other pokemon must’ve been incredible if they managed to win.  Ash narrowed his eyes, remembering the horrible bloody form of the poor Raichu. To think that she ended up taking that deadly ‘Discharge’ head on, and later got smashed between two titanic ‘Power Whips,’ and survived. What kind of training did that Raichu endure to get this tough?    “Ash, is everything okay?” The trainer nodded. “Yes… I was just thinking about the struggle that Nica must have endured. Not to mention that her trainer must be worried sick about her Raichu.” He rubbed his arm nervously. “After everything she endured, I’m not sure if we should ask her to help us fight the beasts, even if she would be a really strong ally. She deserves a break.” “I doubt she’ll just sit by.” Lillie looked at the window. “I think that Twilight mentioned something about her being Ace’s sister. Unless we find him, she’ll no doubt want to search for her brother.” Ash glanced through the window as well, peeking at the sky, yet no pegasus was in his view. “I hope Pikachu doesn’t get himself in trouble. I already lost him once, I couldn’t bare for it to happen again.” He stood up and slammed his hands against the table. “I am tired of sitting here and doing nothing. I’ll go on patrol to find Ace or Pikachu.” “Alright… just don’t go near that forest,” Lillie pleaded before placing her hand on her chest. “I’m doing my best to remain calm and collected, but deep inside I still worry about my mother and brother. If you left me on my own, leaving me to worry about your life too, I think I would start to panic as well.” “Don’t worry, I won’t… at least not for now. But if Pikachu doesn’t arrive here in the next two hours, I’ll search the entire forest if I have to.” With determination burning inside him, he turned around, running towards the exit while a belt with six pokeballs was attached to his waist, waiting to be used. Lillie watched Ash for a moment before looking peeking through the window at the sea. If the giant was indeed defeated, than the opportunity to rescue her mother would come soon. “Gladion, please, don’t do anything reckless…” she said to herself, hoping her brother wouldn’t  share her mother’s fate.