Little Lost Raichu
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Chapter 23
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Weakness
“Surrounded by changelings who were pretending to be us, outnumbered twenty to one, and guess what we did,” Dash said while sitting at a table with a few snacks, drinks and candles decorating it.
“Kicked their flanks?” Daring Do asked.
“Nailed it,” Dash said with a nod. She pushed a few donut fragments into her mouth with quick swing of her wing. “Even Fluttershy pulled her weight, tricking them into believing she was one of them, or making them trip over when she covered in fear. It was hilarious."
Quibble crossed his arms. “I get the impression that the ones that blocked you were the least experienced in combat among the swarm. Being beaten by a powerful spellcaster like Twilight or an athlete of your caliber is one thing, but being fooled and tripping over Fluttershy… that’s just embarrassing.”
Nica sat on a pillow, making up for her smaller size as only her head was visible above the table. Her ears perked up as she listened with full attention. While she already knew about this particular event from Thorax, learning about heroic deeds from Twilight’s friend’s perspective in nice company was quite appealing.
“They were total rookies,” Dash said with a grin. “We beat them like flies.” She spread her forelegs in excitement. “You should have seen that, Daring Do! It was epic!” She rubbed her puffed chest. “I was the one who beat the most of them, obviously. Even Twilight rapid-firing her magic beams didn’t help her reach my score.”
Nica narrowed her eyes. Here it is again. Be it facing Nightmare Moon, Discord or the changelings—she sure likes to point out how great she is. Does she think of herself to be better than her friends?
Dash picked up a glass of water, emptying half of it before slamming it at the table. She looked at Nica with a wide smile and said, “Your turn, Nica. Tell us about your amazing adventures as a mercenary.” She stared with a excited, toothy smile.
Nica rubbed the back of her neck. “They weren’t anything special.”
“Are you kidding? Of course they were special!” Dash stood up on her rear hooves and shouted, “Everypony who wants to hear Nica’s epic stories, come over! She's about to tell us her awesome adventures about being a mercenary! Lots of flank-kicking and explosions may be involved!”
Nica bit her bottom lip and her ears drooped as a few ponies who were present in the inn’s lobby approached her from all sides. She gulped and smiled sheepishly.
“Come on, tell us how awesome you were!”
The pokemon felt sweat drip down her forehead, and a big blush formed on her cheeks. She didn’t like bragging, and doing so in front of a crowd was even worse.
Nica’s eyes sparkled and her mouth was agape as she watched all the colors of the rainbow spread across the red sky with the sun descending behind hills of sand on the horizon in the background. It was one thing listening to Dash’s claims about her being the best flyer in Equestria while capable of performing a stunt called a ‘Sonic Rainboom,’ but seeing it with her own eyes was truly spectacular.
“Breathtaking..." she said to herself. I must admit, after all she has achieved, her bragging is understandable. She looked at her feet for a moment, which were slightly sinking in the loose soil. Not to mention that desert is actually nice at this hour. No scorching sun to worry about… though I think cleaning my fur from the sand is in order.
She leaped backward and covered her face protectively, sheltering her eyes from the spreading sand. Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with too much force for her liking.
“So, what do you think?” Dash asked while rubbing her chest pridefully.
“It was incredible!” Nica shouted, energetically shaking her forepaws. “I have seen many fast-flying pokemon in my life, but none of them have reached your speed.”
“Really?” Dash said with shock clear on her face. She quickly collected herself. “I mean… no surprise there. When it comes to flight and speed, I rule.”
Nica rolled her eyes.
“Speaking of speed, how about a race? I want to see your speed,” Dash said as she approached with firm steps.
“Race?” Nica asked. She pointed at Dash and herself. “But not just between the two of us, right?”
“Of course not!” Dash shouted with a dismissive shake of her foreleg. “We can start with a no-flying rule for the first round. Trust me, it’ll be lots of fun.”
Being challenged to a running race in the desert with the town in the background seemed like fun at first as her little paws pounded with the hot sand, the steps she made being covered by sand under the wind. After getting first place, however, she ended up rained upon with praise… too much praise. Pinkie Pie scored the second spot, Daring Do was third, and Rainbow Dash ended up being last. Despite the praise, Nica sensed Dash’s aura of jealousy. According to her memories, jealousy and wounded pride often motivated other pokemon to try harder, but could also lead to anger and hate on many occasions.
In round two, with flying being allowed, Rainbow Dash scored the first spot with little difficulty, and Pinkie Pie placed second. Despite running with all of her strength, Nica was slowly left behind by the athletic pegasus and party mare, barely keeping up with Daring Do as they shared the third spot in a draw.
Being able to use ‘Quick Attack’ would certainly even the odds, that’s for sure, she thought to herself. Still… how did Pinkie Pie reach such an incredible speed? It was as if she was holding back on our first race, only boosting her speed when flying was allowed. I thought I was fast, but she must be the fastest non-flying being in the world.
Despite sharing third place with Daring Do, Nica still received praise from the others, which she didn’t feel she deserved.
Various competitions and challenges, as well as an overwhelming amount of praise, followed as Dash’s arrogance and self-confidence started to shine. At first, the compliments simply embarrassed Nica, but it didn’t take long before she became sick of hearing the words “awesome” and “cool,” wishing never to hear them ever again.
Nica climbed onto her temporary bed inside the inn, perching herself on a pillow while staring at the ceiling. Now I see why I feel so uneasy in her presence and why I can’t stand her aura. Her boasting, ego, competitive nature and pride— it’s so overwhelming. She reminds me of many pokemon and trainers I met, or rather the aspect of them I dislike.
She turned around and pressed her face into the pillow as she groaned in annoyance. Still, she’s a national heroine who did a lot for her country. I wouldn’t mind her ego and boasting, if only she wasn’t praising others so much. We spent less than half a day together, and her saying how ‘amazing’ I am is driving me nuts! Jealousy, admiration, anger and so on, so many auras of emotion kept repeating themselves. She closed her eyes and relaxed herself. Maybe a solid rest will help clear my mind.
Despite being used to battling inside a massive open stadium filled with a cheering crowd and numerous video-cameras, Nica still found the sight breathtaking while feeling the importance of the event. Yet, the view seemed somewhat different this time around.
First, being much bigger herself, the crowd of humans no longer looked like a crowd of giants while the arena seemed much smaller. Secondly, she stood next to her trainer’s leg rather than on her shoulder, no longer watching her team in action from the higher ground.
The stadium itself was rounded and simple as it was host to the preliminary rounds, with a large yellow flat field before them.
“I may have lost my first round during the Unova League, but I have trained hard ever since. I won’t be stopped in the preliminary rounds! You hear?” the green-haired trainer in a kimono shouted while standing on the other side of the battlefield. “I won’t ashame myself and my family with an early loss. For the sake of my pride and honor, I will win!”
Nica observed the girl and her ears drooped. The aura of determination and self-confidence she sensed was soon going to turn into disappointment and anger.
“I apologize, but this time I cannot afford to lose. All my preparations, victories, and defeats have led to this very moment!” Astra shouted with narrowed eyes, her fist clenched. “This time, I’m holding nothing back!"
Nica looked to the side, unable to observe the one-sided battle. The negative aura she sensed from defeated pokemon only made her sad. One pokemon after another… Astra’s team rolled over their opposition without a single loss as the girl in the kimono was left with but one pokemon. No hidden training, no sending pokemon with type disadvantages, every move her trainer made was focused on achieving victory.
Despite being covered in bruises, Umbreon maintained his battle stance, ready for his last opponent to come so he could end the three vs. three battle.
“We… we won’t go down without a fight, go Dewott!”
Nica observed the last pokemon who stood in their way of victory. Sea-blue color, two shells —one on each side—black patches on its hands and feet… though upon a closer look, it was difficult to tell if the rear legs were specialized for running or swimming. The pokemon stared back with narrowed eyes with a round red nose in between them. The middle part of its body looked more like armor. A black tail peaked out from behind.
“Dewott is my partner, and has been with me ever since I chose him as a little Oshawott for my first journey. With him by my side, this fight is not lost just yet. Now it’s time for us to make our final stand, right Dewott?”
The pokemon glanced at his trainer and nodded. <As a true warrior, I shall fight against the odds as long as I can stand.> He turned around, picked up both of his shells as if holding two swords and challenged. <Come, adversary! I shall overcome your might and emerge victorious!>
Umbreon growled. <I’ll be the one earning victory for my mom!>
“You’ve done enough, Umbreon. Return,” Astra shouted, waiting for the black pokemon to sit next to her legs, disappointment radiating in his eyes. “Alright, Nica. You’ll finish this.”
Nica looked up at her trainer and smiled sheepishly. <W-what?>
“You have a type advantage and your opponent can’t switch. Go and end this quickly,” Astra said with an encouraging voice.
Nica turned toward the battlefield and walked on her rear feet. Her eyes were still on Dewott, who didn’t show a single sign of fear, not even in his aura.
“It seems the battle between our partners will end this, though it doesn’t help that electricity has an advantage against water,” Astra commented, holding one hand on her hip.
“We may be at a disadvantage, but we’re not afraid. Dewott, use ‘Hydro Pump!’”
Dewott took a deep breath before unleashing a large jet of water.
Nica’s ears drooped, but not out of fear. She raised her left forepaw and concentrated, using ‘Light Screen’ to create a barrier against special attacks. While sending power into her tail, she moved it in front of herself, using the lightning-like part as a shield, which started shining metallic-grey. The water went through the barrier with greatly weakened pressure, striking her ‘Iron Tail’ with but half of the original force. Nica’s feet sank into the dirt as she easily held her ground against the incoming pressure.
“Perfect defense! Now, counter with ‘Thunderbolt!’” Astra commanded, one hand still on her hip while another pointed at the water pokemon.
Nica looked at Dewott, who braced for the impact, his face still serious. <Attack with your full might. I shall not falter.>
Nica’s ears were still flattened against her head as she kept staring back in pity.
“Um… Nica, what are you waiting for?” Astra asked.
Nica glanced back at her trainer with a sheepish smile. <I can’t…> She turned back towards the weaker pokemon. <I can’t use electricity. It wouldn’t be fair.>
Dewott’s serious face softened as he blinked curiously. <Fair?>
Nica nodded. <Exactly. Not only am I more evolved than you, I also have a type advantage. I… I can’t fight you with electricity.> She raised her tail, holding the metallic edge in front of herself. She pointed at her opponent and shouted, <I’ll fight with you fair and square. No electricity!>
“It seems your partner isn’t listening to you, I won’t let this opportunity slip away,” the girl in the kimono said before pointing at the Raichu. “Dewott, use ‘Swords Dance’ and follow it with ‘Aqua Jet!’”
Astra showed signs of worry. “Nica… this next attack will have speed and power behind it. Attack with ‘Thunderbolt’ while you still can.”
Nica shook her head and took a fighting stance, like a samurai with a raised katana ready for an opponent to make the first move. The moment the empowered Dewott surrounded himself with water and launched himself in her direction, Nica stood on her rear leg and performed a quick spin, hitting her attacker’s side with the blunt part of her tail while being pushed in the opposite direction from the recoil.
With her opponent crashing into the ground next to her, she leaped forward, attacking with ‘Iron Tail.’
“Dewott, defend with ‘Razor Shell’ and push back!”
Dewott did as he was told, picking up his two shells, as if grabbing two swords, and starting to swing. The clash between hard shell and the metallic tail sounded like a clash between two swords and a katana. Water and sparks splashed from each strike.
Astra facepalmed. “Nica… I should have known.” She sat and started stroking her Umbreon while observing the spectacle.
<Go for it, sis! You don’t need electricity to win this!> Umbreon cheered.
The trainer on the opposite side stared at the scene, rubbing her head in confusion.
Dewott pressed on with the attack, trying to push his right shell towards Nica’s belly.
Nica leaped lightly to the side, slapping the left shell out of Dewott’s hand with her tail before striking him in the chest. As her opponent took a few steps backward, she swung her tail under his legs, tripping him. She swung her tail towards Dewott’s head, only to stop it a centimeter in front of his nose.
Dewott stared back with wide eyes, his breathing and heartbeat hastened.
<Sorry,> Nica said as she wrapped her tail around her foe’s hand and pulled him to a standing position, only to run towards the shell and push it in his direction. She rubbed the back of her neck as a blush appeared on her cheeks. <I got caught up in the moment, are you okay?>
<Y-yes…> He pointed at her and asked, <Are you… really not going to use electricity?>
<I won’t,> Nica said, now holding a paw on her chest. <I said I’ll fight with you fair and square, so no electric moves.>
<About that… ‘Iron Tail’ isn’t a good weapon to use against a water pokemon due to resistances and such, and you’re not even a steel type. You can’t use steel moves to your full potential.>
Nica nodded. <Exactly.>
<But doesn’t this mean that, instead of having an advantage, you put yourself at a large disadvantage?> Dewott asked.
Nica said with a cheerful smile, <Pretty much. Three times the disadvantage, to be precise. Like I said, fair and square.>
Dewott blinked in confusion and rubbed his cheek with his shell. <A fair and square fight for you means a fight where you’re at big disadvantage?>
<Pretty much,> Nica said with a nod before taking a fighting stance. <Are you ready to continue?>
<While I find your sense of honor to be somewhat strange, I still appreciate the kind gesture.> Dewott held his hands together in front of his head before performing a respectful bow. <Let’s fight with honor and respect.> He took a fighting stance and smiled, his face no longer as serious as before. <I’m ready to fight you, milady. Let the better warrior win.>
<A show of respect? How could I not consider something so important!> Nica held her forepaws together and bowed in respect as well, mimicking her opponents gesture. She raised her own tail as it started shining with power.
The crowd cheered for the combatants as noise sword-clashes filled the area once more. Some of the crowd who at first cheered for the water-type underdog now cheered for Nica instead.
With the preliminary rounds over, Astra was now among eight trainers with just three battles standing in between her and the Elite Four.
With a gigantic flying water monster called ‘Gyarados’ on the field, the best option for Astra was sending her trusty partner, having four times an advantage thanks to her electricity. After the previous fight, however, things didn’t seem so simple.
“Come on, Nica! One or two ‘Thunderbolts’ is all we need!” Astra shouted, now standing on a tall platform high above the ground, as was the other trainer.
Nica’s ears drooped as she looked upon the intimidating beast in pity. With Gyarados being both water and flying type, using electricity against it was overkill. She raised her tail and swore, <I won’t use electricity against you. We’ll settle it without my unfair advantage.>
The mighty beast stared back while hovering over the pool of water in the middle of the rocky field. <You won’t? But why?> he asked, studying the smaller creature with narrowed eyes.
<Because… Because I want to give you a fighting chance!> Nica held her forepaws together and performed a respectful bow before raising her metalic tail.
The battle began and Nica’s jumping ability was put to the test. She leapt over the battlefield, jumping towards and away form the massive flying best while striking it with her tail.
Gyarados answered with ‘Aqua Tail.’ Three times a large stone structure ended up crushed under the powerful blow, and the fourth strike easily overpowered Nica’s ‘Iron Tail’ and slammed her into the stone.
The male trainer kept staring with a grin on his face. “I think I won’t be switching my pokemon for this. I like where this is going.”
Nica pushed the heavy stone aside and ran away from rubble of the crushed rocky formation, continuing to fight without care. No matter how big or intimidating her foe was, she wouldn’t use electricity.
Astra massaged her forehead and next stared in silence, mouthing the words ‘not again.’
“Enough playing around. Time to show my ace in the hole!” the trainer shouted. He held a round stone with a DNA helix in the center. He spun around and struck a pose as the stone shone brightly.
Nica’s eyes became wide. She stared at Gyarados, who started shining gold. The Gyarados grew even bigger, his build now darker and more sturdy. Many fins grew on his body, with one large fin standing out on his back. A loud, intimidating roar filled the area. The mighty being fell into the pool of water with a loud splash, no longer able to fly over the battlefield.
Nica gulped before taking a step forward and clenching bronze patches at the end of her forepaws, her metalic tail raised high and ready.
“So, this is the mega-evolution I have heard about. It looks even more impressive than rumors indicated,” Astra said before looking at her partner. “Nica, Mega Gyarados is a water/dark-type and is way more powerful. You can afford to use electricity now.”
Nica shook her head. <No, I refuse!>
The large beast stopped his roar and looked back at her. <You kept your word, fighting against my might without electricity. Are you sure you want to force even more hardship upon yourself? You already show bravery. I won’t think any less of you.>
<I know I’m at a disadvantage, but with all my training, and as a fully evolved pokemon, using electricity would make this fight one-sided in my favor. I… I refuse to fight with that advantage,> Nica shouted, her eyes narrowed and ears straightened upward.
The enraged look on Mega Gyarados softened slightly. <I respect your bravery… but I also pity you. I’ll make it quick.>
Nica sent all the power into her tail and bent her legs, preparing for a jump. <This fight isn’t going to end so quickly.> She leaped towards her large adversary, slamming her “Iron Tail’ against his massive body before pushing herself against it, just in time to avoid the move ‘Crunch,’ which had tons of force behind it. Despite striking her opponent and evading most of his attacks, there was little freedom when forcing herself into close-range combat. It didn’t take long before the Mega Gyarados crushed her between his massive jaws. She then felt his massive tail send her flying into the large rocky formation with even more strength than before.
Despite her injuries, she kept standing up. Her ‘Iron Tail’ left but scratches on the massive water-type pokemon. The battle dragged on as she evaded three powerful streams of water, only for the fourth to crush her into the stone, piercing two meters of rock as she crashed out the other side. Out of three ‘Hyper Beam’ attacks, one struck her ‘Light Screen’ and ‘Iron Tail’ simultaneously, breaking them both at the same time as her body accumulated more bruises.
Her legs refused to heed her call as she struggled to stand, glaring at her foe. Heavy-looking eyes, as well as numerous bruises and cuts on the trembling body of the large beast, indicated that he was at his limits as well.
Due to her legs sustaining injury during the long battle, jumping to evade an attack was out of the question. This left her with only ‘Thunderbolt’ to attack at long range to seal her victory. Unable to move, she stared at the charging ‘Hyper Beam’ before closing her eyes, refusing to use electricity to the very end while accepting defeat. She grit her teeth, only to scream in pain as she flew across the battlefield. She felt the back of her head slam into something hard before her senses and vision blacked out, leaving her unconscious among the rubble of destroyed boulder.
The moment she opened her eyes, Nica found herself in the embrace of her trainer, who stared at her in pity. There was no anger in Astra’s aura, no disappointment for disobeying her, only concern and worry.
“You should know better than to try to fight a water/dark mega-evolved pokemon with only your tail. ‘Iron Tail’ is an essential part of your defense, but as your only offensive tool, it’s not enough,” Astra said, stepping outside of the stadium and heading toward the Pokemon Center. “While you managed to defeat Dewott, Mega Gyarados was just too much. However, you weakened his strongest pokemon, and in the end we still had two pokemon left after achieving our victory.
Nica smiled weakly. She expected nothing less from the rest of the team.
“Speaking of the Dewott you faced… you should glance at the lower part of the audience-stand from time to time. During that last match, I think he was out of his pokeball just to cheer for you,” Astra said with a weak smile.
<R-really?> Nica closed her eyes and smiled cheerfully. She was certainly going to look at the audience in the next round.
Once again by her trainer’s side, Nica stared at the sandstorm that covered most of the area. Astra’s Starmie and the opponent’s Onix were hidden from their view. Apparently, the young trainer from Kanto, after failing to get enough badges in time for the Kanto League, started traveling and decided to try his luck in Sinnoh.
While lacking a strong team and experience, the young male trainer, Lauki, somewhat made up for it with creativity. The moment Astra’s Starmie was sent into the field, Onix summoned a sandstorm and hid in it while evading the water-type attacks. With ‘Dig’ and ‘Earthquake’ added into the mix, he kept on his flexible playstyle both defensively and offensively.
<Starmie, use ‘Calm Mind’ and get ready to attack!> Nica commanded as she kept looking at the moving sand. She focused on sensing the auras of both pokemon, easily tracking Onix’s movements, even when underground. <On your five, use ‘Hydro Pump’!>
The large rocky creature rocketed through the sandstorm, crashing into a nearby stone.
“Onix, No!” Lauki shouted as he withdrew his pokemon. He grit his teeth.
Nica tapped her forepaws together, feeling a surge of guilt. While her trainer asked her to provide support, was it fair for her to do so against a weaker opponent? She knew that it helped cover for Astra’s shortcomings when it came to improvisation and creativity, but she still felt somewhat of a cheater. She glanced at the large screen showing five defeated pokemon on Lauki’s side and none on Astra’s. She whimpered. There was nothing fair in making a one-sided battle even more one-sided.
“This is not over yet! Go, Pikachu! I choose you!” Lauki shouted, throwing his pokeball with a strong swing, like a basketball player but slightly more over the top.
Nica looked at her opponent’s final pokemon and took a step back, suddenly feeling a strong surge of nostalgia.
Astra withdrew her Starmie, crouched, and gently pushed Nica forward. “See, it is an electric pokemon. Not a water one, not a flying one. No type advantage here.”
Nica glanced at the smiling face of her trainer and bit her lip before looking at the Pikachu. She then jumped onto the stage and walked forward with hesitant steps, her ears drooped. A quick look at Pikachu’s tail was enough to discern that it was a male. Type advantage or not… being a Raichu tips the odds greatly in my favor.
“If you think your Raichu can intimidate us, you’re wrong. Right, Pikachu?” Lauki asked.
<You said it! Even a Raichu won’t scare me!> Pikachu said with a firm nod as bolts of electricity started escaping his red cheeks. His sheer determination and courage however didn’t intimidate Nica, nor made her angry. Instead, she just started back in sadness and rubbed her arm nervously. Hesitation clear on her face.
"When backed into the corner, one fights even more fiercely, and you can expect nothing less from us. At worst, we’ll apply for another league and come back stronger!” The young boy clenched his fist and swung it. “But if we’re going down, we’re going down with a bang!”
As much as Astra's training did wonders for the entire team, it seems like it backfired on Nica. While I can definitely appreciate the sentiment of a fair fight, doesn't Nica also understand what they're fighting for? Astra wants to become the Pokemon Master so she can take down these evil organizations, but if Nica continues to hold back so heavily, it simply won't be a possibility. When your trump card starts to falter, the rest of your hand better be able to make up for it, otherwise, you lose.
8908629
Well, even the most powerful have their weaknesses. In Nica's case, she has been training so hard and fighting while at disadvantage so long, that it has a norm for her. Now when she's a Raichu, suddenly many fights are greatly in her favor, and she has trouble reacting to it. In other words, whenever she face a weaker opponent, she'll hold back in one way or another to even the odds.
Still, keep in mind that she acts that way only against those weaker than her, so in all cases the rest of Astra's hand will no doubt be able to make up for it. But think what will happen when they face a very powerful opponent. Instead of holding back, Nica will give it her all, and since she's used to overcome any challenge when odds are stacked up against her, she may be just enough to help Astra atchieve her dream.
In other words, while Nica's weakness is that she'll perform poorly against weaker opponent, her strength is that she'll do extremely good agianst stronger opponents (and those are the ones that Astra need to worry about the most to atchieve her dream).
8908682
Even against the Mega-Gyarados? Where Nica was at a very clear disadvantage and had practically no reason to hold back, she still did. It seems more like a masochistic approach to getting better, especially when she's already been through so much.
8908693
I suppouse you got a point there, but it was mostly due to her having type advantage against Garydos (flying/water typing). She certainly should've stopped holding back the moment he mega-evolved, but since she already promised not to use electricity, she probably wanted to keep her word. Let's hope she learned her lesson after her lose.
This goes a long way for explaining Nica's personality.
8898600
I know but rainbow was just excited to meet her that's what's confusing me
8908629
It's difficult to mind that much for the moment. Honestly, at this point walloping the tournaments is just getting her noticed even more by the mob without doing much to actually fight them. Astra doesn't care much about a throwaway title, so much as an in with the Elites for crimefighting reasons -- and she doesn't really need it because she's already got a Frontier Brain and multiple legendaries willing to vouch for her. At this point she'd probably get her job done faster if she didn't bother with the leagues at all.
The tricky part is going to be when Nica comes across a Team Rocket Pokemon and extends it the same honor because she doesn't notice it's as roided out as she is.
Nica... I've been there. Training so long with significant disadvantages, and then when finally faced with the kind of battle you would expect to be sent in (where you have the advantage), you purposely restrict yourself due to it feeling like an unfair overkill. That's... pretty much what happened to my Typhlosion in my original file of Crystal. By the time I'd reached Red, Quilly was Lv100, and had the moves Flame Wheel, Earthquake, Thunderpunch, and Strength. There was very little that could challenge him, and it was Red's Snorlax who finally KO'd my faithful, violet-flamed, shiny starter.
The rest of my team had been trained as well, but for roughly a full realtime month, I'd focused on training Quilly in Mt. Silver. In the end, I wound up actively avoiding Flame Wheel and Earthquake when I sent him out against Venusaur. So, like I said... I've been there.
8908835
We’ve basically seen that Nica is uncomfortable with excessive praise, which is why she was uncomfortable with it initially, later on RD is either Fangirling over her like we see her do to the Wonderbolts and Daring Do, or bitter over her own loss. Nica is still unhappy with the former because of her low self esteem, and dislikes the latter as she sees it as unwarranted overconfidence. RD just has an abrasive “all-or-nothing” personality that doesn’t mesh will with Nica’s “help everyone”. Sometimes people just don’t mix well, despite what they’d want.
8908787
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (Bad like - the chapter was too long and not really needed, or good like - it finally give clues why Nica behaves the way she do)
8908921
Considering that fight for the title of Pokemon Master takes place once each five years, it's an opportunity worth taking. If she suceed, she'll gain a lot of influence and many powerful alies. If she fail, she'll just need to take action with what she has. And if she'll atract attention form the mod, the better, because she feels ready to face them and it would bring the fight to her.
Are you refering about Nica going easy on team rocket pokemon for the sake of fair play? I'm not sure she would do that. It is one thing to compete in a turnament against other trainers who have hopes and dreams. She respect their pokemon and doesn't want to face them with unfair advantage. Against criminals however, she would need to sense something good in them or their pokemon to go easy on them (when she faced the gang in Manehattan, she defeated the more violent ones and intimidated the rest).
8909439
Glad you can relate. I hope it will make you apreate Nica's character more as she explore Equestira (the story is almost at it's climax, and I plan for the sequel to be an adventure instead).
In a way, Nica's character experienced a lot of development ever since she started traveling with Astra. From aa bulling mean Pichu with drive for adventure. To hard working and loyal Pikachu ready to help her trainer realize her goals. To guilt and fear driven Raichu who no longer cares about winning and want to protect others the best she can, while also afraid of being unfair and bulling weaker pokemon.
The only thing that isn't yet fully explained is Nica's inferiority complex, which will come to light eventually.
8909935
I must say, you nailed it pretty well. You sure have solid perception when it comes to analyzing the characters. I hope Nica as chraacter is too your liking. (I hope I didn't make her too overpowered. I tried to add flaws and weaknesses to balance NIca's extreme durability and skills she earned after her near-death training regime).
8910111
Oh. No, Nica’s great! Starlight’s time with Nica and the memories are probably my favorite parts, but Honestly, I’ve been enjoying this fic (and the side story) greatly, and it’s made me wish the games would/were able to implement a training system like the one shown here, where putting yourself at a purposeful disadvantage makes you stronger faster.
8910174
Well, to make something like this work, training system should work like this:
Pokemon have stats like hp (when it reaches 0, pokemon lose conciousness), and stamina (when it reaches 0, pokemon faint from exaustion).
The way this system would work is that whenever pokemon is recovering, his stats improve. For example, by being hit by a stong attack, Raichu's hp would go down from 100 to 60. As he rest, recover in Pokemon Center or simply recover overtime in a pokeball, once his hp will recover from 60 to 70, his max hp will go up from 100 to 101. After he recovers from 70 to 84, his max hp will grow to 102, and after he fully recovers, his hp will go up to 103.
The idea is that the closer to 0 hp, the more max hp he'll gain by recovering.
It would be similar with stamina. Fighting when Raichu is tired would increase max stamina faster.
As for defensive stats, by being hit by physical attacks, Raichu's defense would go down (for example, it would drop from 6 to 5, and after it recovers, it will be 6.1)
If he would be hit by special attacks, Raichu's special defense would go down from 13 to 12, and after it recovers, it will grow to 13.1.
So everytime pokemon would be hit, he would be more vunerable to attacks. But the same goes for attack power. Everytime attack is used, attack of pokemon will go down (or if special attack is used, special attack will go down), so the longer pokemon fight, the weaker his attacks become.
The idea behind is it is that everytime pokemon gets hurt, they get tougher, and when attacking, they get stronger, and the more risky play (the lower pokemon hp while fighting, the faster his durability improves, and the more tired he is, the faster he get stronger).
Using healing items in battle however would give pentality. Potions that quickly recover pokemon hp will slightly decrease their max hp, and potions that quickly recover their stamina will decrease their max stamina. As the result potions would become emergency items for dire situation rather than a tool for training.
We could also imply stats like agility/speed and skills/accuracity.
When using a long-range attacks, the attacker will lose some of his accuracity while opponent will lose some of his speed (the faster you move, the harder you're to hit at long range and less damage you will get, but at the same time accuracity of the attack increase the damage).
When using close-range attacks, the higher skills of the attacker, the more damage he will do, but the higher agility of the defender, the less damage it will do.
Fast pokemon like Pikachu and Raichu would have high speed and agility, but very weak defense and not the greatest hp. If opponent use physical attacks that are very accurate, they would do a lot of damage, but powerful and unaccurate attacks would barely scrach them.
Also, each pokemon would have 4 attack moves and 4 defensive moves. When one pokemon attack, he can use boosting move and attack move, or use combo made of two attacking moves, while defending pokemon can use defensive move. For example, one pokemon use sword dance and earthquake (sword dance increase attack power, while earthquake is an accurate long-range ground move. Defending Raichu in this scenario can use defensive action called 'jump'. which will reduce long-range attack damage and slightly reduce damage from ground-type move). However, using jumping for defense quickly reduce speed stats, so abusing it too many times will make pokemon slow and easy to hit at distance.
If attacker will hit with mega punch and combo it with ice punch, and defending Raichu will use move 'evade', he will receive way less damage against close-range attacks, but since using evade reduce agility, and since opponent attacked twice, defending Raichu will lose a lot of agility.
Alternative strategy would be to defend with 'Iron Tail' which resist both normal and ice-type attacks, so defending Raichu would receive very little damage from both punches (using 'Iron Tail' for defense would reduce Raichu's attack stats).
The idea is that everytime your pokemon use specific stats for something, this stats increases. So if your pokemon go for physical combat, he'll get very good at it, and if he use mix of physical and special attack, both stats will rise but slower. However, you can also use move like 'Iron Tail' for defensive purpouses (using Raichu's attack stat to defend) while using only special attacks for offensive. (Pokemon with strong attack and strong special attack like Raichu are often way weaker than pokemon who focus only on one strong offensive stat like Alakasam, as not only Raichu can't take advantage of high attack stats, it leave it with overal weak stats. So being able to use all of your pokemon stats in creative way would certainly fix that).
I know it's kind of a bit late at this point, because Flashback, but I'm honestly a little worried about Astra. It's like she's been stuck in "Tryhard" mode for so long that she can no longer battle at anything below Full Tilt, and as a result has become something not unlike Tobias (AKA Mr. Roflstomps an entire league with just a Darkrai (I wonder if it's related to the Dickrai currently running amuck in Equestria?), only bringing out his Latios for Ash Freaking Ketchum).
Girl needs to loosen up.
Honestly, Nica in a way is disrespecting the other pokemon by holding back. How can they gauge their progress against a opponent who didn't give their all? If That were me I'd be pissed. I'd rather have a sound loss over one where my opponent "Toyed" with me.
8910111
Of course it's a good thing.
8910319
I don't think comparing her to Tobias is just in any way. Astra got where she's now due to strong motivation, long-term strategy and harsh training-regime. She purpousely delayed her pokemon evolution, not had a full team for Orange and Kanto League, and didn't mind losing fights early on, as long as she and her pokemon learn from it. (She got where she is because she put herself and her team at a disadvantage, and because she have around 8 pokemon at this point and use them all regularly rather than abandon her best team members to make place for new ones).
She didn't go for the top by simply catching legendary or pseudo-legendary pokemon, she actually challenged such powerhouses without unevolved partner.
The reason why she stopped holding back and started anihilating the opposition is because an opportunity to gain a lot of influence and powerful alies is on the horizon (and if she fail, she won't get another chance for 5 years). Becoming a Pokemon Master, or at the very least champion of Sinnoh is a perfect stepping stone before going against the criminal organization (I suppouse one of characterisitcs of Astra is that, unlike Ash Ketchum who will charge into danger unprepared, Astra think how to improve her odds as much as possible before taking action. It both make her a very powerful trainer, and slow her down).
8910407
I don't think the word 'Toyed' suit what Nica is doing. For example, if someone arrogant know that he's way more powerful than his opponent and can win easily, he'll brag about how superior he is, how terrible his opponent is, and will toy with him to prove the point and for the fun of it.
In Nica's case, she doesn't want to bully those weaker than her, so she search for a way to even the odds. It is as if a skilled profesional athlete ended up challenged by a rookie, and he would feel terrible about complitly destroying his opponent, knowing full well that they weren't at the same league.
What I try to say is that you would basically be pissed at Nica, who doesn't want to prove her superiority or toy with you for the fun of it, but instead know that she's at the advantage and doesn't like it. I know it may seem disrespectful, but she has good intentions. If having type advantage or her opponent not being fully evolved put her at an advantage, she want to negate that advantage in one way or another. (She didn't have that problem as a Pikachu, but as Raichu she's afraid of acting like a bully).
8910429
Cool.
Still, while this chapter give clues where Nica's peaceful personality comes from, why she have such a low self-esteem is still a mystery. You're more than welcome to guess what in Nica's past could make her feel so insignificant and not worthy of Dash's praise.
Actually this Pikachu has the lightning rod ability, so zapping it repeatedly is the only way to have a fair fight :P
Actually, what's Nica's ability? Is it static or lightning rod?
8910890
Nope, no lightning rob ability for either Nica or her Pikachu opponent (though it would be a nice way to even the odds if it was the case. Kind of makes me wonder if Lighting Rod in the anime would stop attack like Volt Tackle, after all, it is an electric attack, but it is hard to absorb electricity when tons of it smash into you at great speed and force).
8910553
I'll admit, Tobias was probably a bad comparison on most levels, but it was the only name I could think of for someone who comes to the League so ridiculously overpowered that everyone else may as well have stayed home. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Astra could sweep the entire League using just Nica.
8912010
It all depends on the opponent. Some are expereinced veterans, some are rookies.
Against girl in a Kimono in Pre-eliminary rounds where the fight is 3 vs 3, if NIca went all out, she would no doubt beat all three pokemons on her own (it was her second league after all, so she had around 1-2 years of experience. Astra had more than 4 years of experience and purpously made most of her fights extremely dificult so her team would adapt to fighting against the odds).
Against Lauki from Kanto who also participated in only one league before, Nica if she went all out, she may be able to defeat his while team (or maybe defeat 3 to 5 pokemon, it depends on what types and attacks would be used against her).
The trainer with Mega Garydos however was way more experienced (unlike two other opponents where Astra rolled over opponent's team without a single lose, against this trainer she lost 4 pokemon). Considering that Nica, who has been holding back against Mega Garydos lost her fight while leaving him weakened. It means that Astra lost 3 more pokemon in this fight while defeating 5 pokemon at full strength and 1 Mega Garydos who was very tired after fighitng with Nica.
Also, keep in mind that Astra is trying to overcome the Elite Four, and unlike in the game, in anime those guys are BIG deal. I mean, Ash's Pikachu defeated Brandon's Regice in 1 vs 1 fight, and yet Flint from Elite Four KO two of Ash's pokemon with his Infarname with little dificulty, and even Pikachu barely managed to scrach him. What I try to say is that Astra is overpowered for turnament standards, but that's the point, she have to be overpowered, or else she doesn't stand up agianst the Elite Four. (Anime may have nerfed the legendary pokemon a lot by having them being repetively defeated in trainer battles, but they sure kept the Elite Four as a massive challenge).
while i never questioned her opposition to violence and her almost idealist point of view of a fair fight, this did open my eyes...well good chapter hope to see more
Nica's approach, while noble has a few holes. If she truly wants to protect people, then sometimes you can't afford to hold back, there are times when you have to give it your all, because anything less won't get the job done. And refusing to fight at full strength she not only opens herself up to hurt, but those around her, every second the enemy remains on the field is one more moment he could potentially defeat you, and hurt the ones you care about.
Not only that, it is rather selfish, by letting herself get hurt like that, she hurts those that care about her. Its one thing to give it your all to save a life, but quite another to let yourself get hurt, because you don't want to hurt another, the former is courage, the latter cowardice.
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You're forgetting about one important factor. At the moment Nica isn't fighitng criminal organizaiton or trying to defeat a rampaging pokemon. She's fighting in a turnament where trainers send their pokemon to compete with one another in a fight.
Nica is no longer interested in winning for the sake of it, she know that she's strong and don't need to prove it to anyone. At the moment she feels as if she was too powerful for her opponents to face and feel terrible about it, so she's trying to even the odds the only way she know how, by holding back.
I don't see anything covardly about it. She just see herself as the one with unfair advantage and her sense of honor demand that she do something to even the odds (she know that she can easily defeat her opponent in a one-side fight, and she don't want to sense auras filled with frustration, anger, disapointment, shape and so on, just because the fight was humiliating and one sided for her opponent),
I know her logic is flawed and have holes in them, but in a turnament set up where most opponents have way less experience, she can affort to hold back. Keep in mind that Nica is an athlete who lost her competitive drive, she don't want to win to prove herself and do it only to help her trainer achieve her goal. If an elite atheletes ended up facing a rookies in their own game, would they just roll over them to prove their superiority, or go easy on them so they can have some fun and won't get humiliated?)
Long story short, I admit that Nica's logic is flawed, but she can't help it. As long as she can affort to hold back (knowing that the rest of the team will overcome weaker opponents), she will try to make the fight more even. She want other side to have a fighting chance and can't stand the idea of bullling anyone. It is flawed, but certainly not a covardice, and you shouldn't assume that Nica would hold back when lives are at stake.
8922847
Relly. I though it was an official name given by brony comunity (due to Filly's super strength, they made that name base on Pipi's reference)
I'm surpriced so few got it. Most seem to joke about her being Emy from Sonic.
8925134
Thanks. When I watched the episode, I also got the idea what Pharynx was suppouse to represent, but wasn't presented too well, so in my story I tried to take a diferent aproach. An old war veteran, patriot, but also old horse who doesn't like to learn new tricks, all three seemed to suit him.
You'll have to keep reading to find out, but if you're that curious, I can give you a tip. Look at title of chapter 17, it will give you a clue.
Nica, honey, you're too nice for your own good.
Nica narrowed her eyes. Here it is again. Be it facing Nightmare Moon, Discord or the changelings—she sure likes to point out how great she is. Does she think of herself to be better than her friends?”
All my preparations, victories, and defeats have lead to this very moment
When backed into the corner, one fight even more fiercely
1. Extra quotation mark.
2. Led.
3. Fights.
Compliments
This is a very Ash attitude
Excuse me but ultra necrozma(not that nica ever met that form) is literally made mostly of light which means he is the fastest Pokémon alive as nothing is faster than light
OK I can understand not wanting to have an unfair advantage against a Pokémon lower leveled than her but come on mega garados can take far more than two thunderbolts and even if that pikachu is not in the same state as nica that doesn't mean it can't be as powerful I mean come on in the games red has a level 80 pikachu that makes it far stronger than a level 50 raichu
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Regarding the elites vs noobs point the answer depends. In my exp elites will go "easy" if nothing is on the line but won't if there's something on the line in a tournament there's one winner and x number of losers. If you compete give it your all or leave as far as I'm concerned otherwise you disrespect both yourself and the opponent