Little Lost Pikachu

by CommanderX5

Ch 18.5 - Farewell Party (Expanded)

“Psst, Ace,” Pikachu whispered, spotting the Alolan Raichu’s drooped ears. He gently rubbed the surfer’s back, trying to break the tension. “Your secret technique. What’s it all about?”

Ace stepped to the side and sat on his tail, but before he could perform an inviting gesture with his forepaw, his little buddy was already sitting by his side. Smiling warmly at his smaller companion, he asked, <Do you remember the story I told you about when I first joined forces with Emily? The one where she already had an experienced team while your trainer had defeated the champion of the Orange Islands.>

“Yes,” Pikachu said with a nod. “You also told me that even after three years, you still needed to improve to catch up with the rest of the team.”

Ace grinned, giving the pokemon by his side a playful noogie. <Not bad, hero. Looks like you were listening.>

“Of course!” Pikachu exclaimed. “It’s not everyday I meet someone as cool as you and Nica.”

Ace chuckled, turning his head so his pre-evolution couldn't see the growing blush on his face. Using the black part of his tail, he pushed Pikachu closer and bopped him on the nose. <Well, back to my secret technique, you’re exactly right. I wanted to prove my worth to Emily, but I still lacked the training and experience that her team displayed. Since I wasn’t strong enough, I asked my sis if she could help me get more powerful. I’ve challenged her a bunch of times since then.”

“And she beat you with ease,” Pikachu pointed out, mischief clear in his tone.

Ace frowned in annoyance. “She did… until we agreed to fight on an area filled mostly with water, a battleground that suited my fighting style.> Ace paused, gazing at the nearby riverside as he relived the battle in his head. <Nica came up with the idea. She figured that since I wouldn’t be able to catch up with the team in terms of power and skills for a long time, it would be best for me to focus on taking my speciality in naval warfare and twisting it to my advantage.>

“And you both came up with this technique as the result?” Pikachu finished, putting two and two together.

<Bingo!> Ace said, smirking as he poked Pikachu’s nose once again with the white tip of his paw. <After a month of training and testing stuff out with my sis, we came up with this combination.> He stood up and levitated towards the water’s surface, his passenger staring up at him curiously in response. <First, I use ‘Surf,’> he began, before floating over the water and grasping a small portion out of the river. Using ‘Psychic,’ he held up the water and crafted it into the shape of a mini dragon, adding, <but for this technique to work, I need a big source of water to pull from to make the attack strong enough. Forming it out of thin air was simply too inefficient in battle and drained too much energy.>

Bringing the naval beast closer, his cheeks sparked as he released a small amount of lightning into the monster, causing it to crackle with electric energy. He held his creation up high in front of the Pikachu, giving a toothy grin as he displayed his prized treasure.

The little pokemon poked its’ muzzle, causing a few sparks of lightning to escape the water and jolt through his forepaw.

<Water alone is enough to nullify the ground type resistance and make electricity even more potent, though they both must hit at the same time, hence why the two attacks are combined.> He poked towards his right ear. <Using ‘Psychic,’ I can not only push all this water and electric power against my opponent at double my normal speed, but change the trajectory of my attack in case they tried to evade. In other words, one big scary and homing water dragon.>

He stood on tip of a single rear leg and gestured towards the sky, taking on a heroic pose. <And boom! I overcome our adversaries with unstoppable force, saving the day.> Spotting his friend’s skeptical stare, he abandoned his brave stance and rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. <Hehe, uh, most of the time.>

“Is it practical in combat?” Pikachu questioned. “I mean, you kind of fell to the ground after using it.”

Ace blushed, covering his face with his forepaws. <About that… It is a somewhat risky technique as it requires a lot of concentration and drains a lot of my power at once, not to mention it leaves me wide open for attack while I’m charging it and after, so I need to be extra careful. It’s really useful in double battles, so that while I’m powering up the attack, my partner can protect me as I deliver devastating damage.> He puffed out his chest and raised his head pridefully. <But if used in the right time and place, extremely  powerful opponents fall to my might. I bet even legendaries would have to back down. It’s like a riskier, but stronger version of my Z-move, ‘Stokespark Surfer’ that I mastered under Emily’s guidance.>

“Stokespark Surfer?” Pikachu asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”

<It’s a Z-move that lets me fly towards the sky and charge power,> he levitated up a few meters above the water as Pikachu grabbed Ace’s tail with his forepaws. <And then dive against my opponent while unleashing all that energy!> He flew into the water, only to emerge a moment later as his passenger shook his wet fur. <We took a lot of time to modify that Z-move a bit so it fit my fighting style. While it doesn’t do as much damage as it used to, I learned how to spread electricity over the area whenever I hit or miss my target.>

Ace took a deep breath before continuing, <This scattered electricity acts similar to ‘Electric Terrain,’ not only boosting my speed for a while, but also making my ‘Thunderbolt’ stronger. In other words; less powerful Z-move, but greater utility thanks to a makeshift, short-lasting electric terrain.> He raised his chin proudly. <Most pokemon use their Z-move as a powerful finisher, but I use mine to keep momentum in battle.>

Pikachu stood up, throwing a forepaw around Ace to keep his balance, before pointing at the Alolan Raichu. “Now I see what kind of pokemon you are.”

<You do?> Ace asked, blinking in confusion.

“You fear that your natural skills and power aren’t good enough, so you focus on mastering different techniques to tip the battle in your favor, including fighting on water terrains and coming up with these awesome super moves. You prefer to improve your moves and techniques over pure strength and durability.” Pikachu pointed at himself. “I’m always trying to become stronger and improve my agility and skill set. Together with Ash, we found a way to use two different Z-moves, but both focused purely on raw power.” Pikachu turned, now pointing at Ace. “You, on the other side, try to be creative with the terrain and techniques instead.”

<That sounds about right. You can call me a technical fighter if you want,> Ace said before shaking his head. <Scratch that. Silver Surfer or Ace still sounds way cooler.>

Pikachu chuckled before looking at the water with a lowered head. His ears drooped.

<What’s wrong?> Ace asked, tipping his pre-evolution’s head up with his forepaw. <Why the frowny face?>

“B-because… I just started getting to know you, and tomorrow we’ll reunite with our trainers... and go our separate ways.”

<So you do care!> Ace exclaimed, jumping into the air. Squeezing his cheeks together, he called, <That’s so sweet, come here!> The Raichu grasped Pikachu’s shoulders and pulled him into a massive hug, pressing his face into the other pokemon’s fur. Their hug was cut short as a cotton candy mane emerged from the water, followed by two big, blue saddened eyes and a weak splash.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?!” Pinkie shouted, startling both pokemon. They both attempted to throw out their arms for balance, but it was too late as they plummeted into the water as a result.

Ace quickly grabbed Pikachu and levitated him up before being met with Pinkie’s panicked stare.

“Ace, you can’t do this to me! I just welcomed you to Ponyville and you’re leaving the next day? That’s not fair!” She wrapped her tail around Ace’s belly, pulling him as she swam towards the coast. Once on solid ground, she looked at him with her best puppy eyes and flattened her ears against the side of her head, throwing her hooves together in a begging gesture. “Can we play and spend more time together. Pretty please!”

Sure, Ace responded, only to be grabbed by Pinkie’s foreleg and pulled away while his passenger fell from his tail.

Pinkie was oblivious to Pikachu’s struggles as he attempted to brush the sand out of his fur and continued forward, running towards the two fire pokemon dozing on a blanket. “Litten!” the mare called, dramatically collapsing against the ground. “I have the worst news! Ace is leaving tomorrow!”

Faking a concerned tone, the cat replied, “Oh no! Not Ace! Whatever will I do?” Litten smiled cheerfully from his comfortable spot on the blanket, purring as numerous tails pressed against his body with one supporting his chin.

Pinkie Pie popped up before the cat and tapped his head. “Exactly! That’s what I was thinking,” the mare began, unaware as the kitten growled in annoyance and placed his head back down. His eyes opened in alarm though as Pinkie finished with, “Which is why we’ll spend the next couple of hours playing together to make some fond and everlasting memories. If we’re splitting apart, we need to make the time we have as fun and as memorable as possible.”

Litten’s cheerful smile vanished, replaced by one filled with annoyance. “Great… just wonderful,” he mumbled.

Ninetales opened one eye, peeking at his little companion with a mischievous grin. “Sounds like a blast,” the fox teased, gently pushing the kitten towards the pony. “I’m sure Litten would adore spending as much time as possible with you all before we depart.”

Ace levitated closer to the cat pokemon and patted him on the head before rubbing his chin. Litten’s eyes flashed with fire and it took all his willpower to resist biting the Alolan Raichu’s forepaw, but by some miracle, he resisted the urge. <Come on little buddy. We’ll have lots of fun.>

“I doubt it.”

Pikachu fell onto the ground in an exasperated heap, sighing before rubbing his forepaw against the grass, as if trying to trace a frowny face. His ears drooped as he placed his head in his paws, now staring at the ground with a sullen expression. Why am I feeling sad? I’ll finally be reunited with Ash once again. I’ll see Lillie, Lana, Kiawe and Mallow and their pokemon again. I should be happy… Isn’t this what I’ve wanted?

“Is something wrong?”

Pikachu raised his head and looked at the approaching Raichu. “N-nothing.” He forced a smile.

“You know you can’t fool me.” Nica stopped and towered in front of him, unintentionally reminding Pikachu of their size-difference. She placed her forepaws on his shoulder and looked down at him with a patient smile. “What’s weighing down on your heart? You know I’d be willing to do anything to help you.”

“Well… it’s just…” He took a deep breath before speaking. “I know I should be happy to see Ash again, but I’ll miss this place.” He gestured over the guests playing all around them. “These ponies have been incredibly welcoming and nice, certainly a crowd I’ll never forget.” He pointed at her. “But most of all, I’ll miss you. You’ve been there for me through thick and thin.” He paused, chuckling before continuing, “Even when it seemed like all was lost. I don’t know even know how to thank you.”

Looking to the side, he spotted Ace and Litten. The Alolan Raichu was cheerfully riding atop his tail, chasing the kitten throughout the beach. Judging by the flames and resounding hisses from the cat, it didn't look like he was having the best time, though Ace remained oblivious, dodging each blast with a toothy grin. “And I didn’t even get to spend time with your brother. He’s been a lot of fun to be around.”

Pikachu looked back at Nica, his eyes beginning to water. Tilting his gaze away, he quietly wiped away the tears. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but just playing or teaming up with you or your brother is so much more enjoyable than having a battle against him or you would be, and trust me, that’s saying a lot for someone who likes to battle as much as me.” He lowered his head, giving a weak chuckle, only to feel Nica’s paw raise his chin up to meet her comforting stare.

“No frowny faces on my watch, mister! This party is far from over and we have plenty of time to play together before you guys have to get going.” Noticing Pikachu’s reluctant expression, she pulled him closer and winked, whispering, “Ace included.” Nica grabbed his forepaw with the bronze tip of her paw and towed him behind as she darted towards the shore, pulling her pre-evolved form away from the section he had isolated himself in.

“If you say so,” Pikachu mumbled, though his smile was strained.

Nica hesitated, pausing before turning to face the pokemon by her side. “Uh, there’s something I wanted us to do together, but I was too afraid to ask.” Her tail fell against the ground with a dull thud as she nervously rubbed her paws together. “Afraid it would ruin the progress we made,” Nica said, catching his interest. “For years, helping others improve has been the only thing I truly enjoyed in pokemon battles, so I was wondering.” She gave him a hopeful glance. “Can we train together tonight and maybe tomorrow morning?”

“Train together? Of course, I would love to!” Pikachu shouted in excitement before looking at Nica in confusion. “But why were you hesitating to ask? Were you afraid that I would take training too personally and get jealous of you?”

“Hehe, pretty much. I had hoped that we could avoid any activity involving fighting or competing with one another, especially pokemon battles, but now I believe there’s nothing to fear.” She smiled and gave Pikachu a confident grin. “I trust you.”

“Oh, come on now,” he teased, pulling the Raichu in for a hug. “I thought we were over that.” It wasn’t until Pikachu thought back to one of his talks with Nica before adding, “Wait a moment. Didn’t you tell me that you would only train me if I evolved and that there isn’t much you can teach me as long as I’m a Pikachu?”

Nica gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed her neck. “Well… I did say that, but what I meant was that I can’t teach you my most advanced techniques, which require a long tail.” She poked Pikachu’s shorter tail with her own. “However, I’ve seen you fighting many times already and I know you’re a fast learner. I’m sure there’s room for a tiny improvement I can help with.” She pointed at herself and grinned before raising her nose arrogantly, though the tone of her voice betrayed her playfulness. “Plus, I’m a really good target for practice. Trying to hit me despite my great agility and break my flawless defenses will no doubt help you learn how to overcome even the most defensive and agile opponents.”

Feeling a growing excitement and rush of happiness, he jumped onto Nica’s neck, embracing it while nearly knocking onto her back. “I swear I won’t let my past experiences with Raichu get the best of me again. We’re going to have so much fun!”

Nica embraced him while pressing her cheek against his ear. “I’m sure of that.”

“Actually, I know you’ll refuse, but… umm… nevermind.”

“Come on, don’t be shy. Being shy and humble is my thing and doesn’t suit you, though I suppose it would do us both well to find a better balance. Now, back to topic at paw...” She patted his back before giving him an encouraging smile. “I’ll help the best I can, so speak up.”

Pikachu kept staring into her eyes, easily seeing Nica’s enthusiasm and goodwill. He sighed and spoke hesitantly, “Before our training, can we... “ he gulped, “have a friendly battle? And before you ask, I’ll use the magic boost to even the odds. And if you don’t feel comfortable fighting me and refuse, I’m fine with that.”

“Sure, I accept.”

“See, I knew you wouldn't... “ Pikachu’s ears perked up as his eyes became wide. “Wait, what?!”

“I said I accept, but on condition that I can end it the moment you’ll stop having fun.” She narrowed her eyes. “Or if the battle becomes too one-sided, though hopefully it won’t be the case considering how strong Twilight and Starlight are when it comes to magic.”

Pikachu kept staring back in disbelief. “R-really? But I thought… you know…”

Nica noded. “I know what you’re trying to say, but the aura I sensed from you really has changed over the past days. I believe you feel comfortable enough in my presence to enjoy our battle, even when losing. Not to mention that I spotted some weaknesses in your fighting style that we can work on during our fight.” 

She looked to the side, continuing in more hesitant tone. “I just… I just feel that we got to know each other enough. Not only you are willing to accept magic boost to even the odds, but I don’t sense any competitive drive towards me.” She held forepaw on her chest, her smile bright and wide. “You know about my accomplishments but don’t see me as rival to overcome. You don’t want to upset me, and I no longer fear I’ll upset you or hurt your pride. Not to mention that I can tutor you during our battle. I want to give it a chance.”

Pikachu opened his mouth and smiled warmly. Thinking back to days the spend with each other, he learned two aspects of Nica’s character: Her dislike for battling weaker foes, and desire to teach and help others. And there was her fear of making others frustrated in one-sided battles. All he needed now was to fight not to win, but just for fun and to improve, and hopefully the magic-boost would be strong enough to encourage Nica not to hold back.