Little Lost Pikachu

by CommanderX5

Ch.6 - Flames of Pride (Alternative Version)

Author's Note:

Hello my faithful readers.

I wanted to inform you that the big change we worked on is finally here and I would like to ask you all to judge it.

At the bottom I'll leave comment where you can vote. Upvote this comment if you like this alternative approach, or downvote if you prefer the original.

Cheers.

Little Lost Pikachu
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Chapter 6
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Flames of Pride

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The post-Tirek battlefield, a perfect location away from civilization for intense pokemon battles. Rocky cliffs from two sides, crates filling the rocky ground, a lot of space to run on and a few boulders to hide behind, what more could two competitive pokemon desire for their battleground?

Pikachu and Ninetails took up defensive positions across each other, Rainbow Dash behind the electric mouse and Starlight taking her spot on the fire fox’s side. Starlight’s smile was wide at the thought of being a trainer, and she could tell that the pegasus shared her sentiment.

“Ok, if we’re going to do this, we need to know what you both can do, so if you can remind us of your movepools, it would be great. First, Pikachu, do you have the same moves as Nica? Like Volt Tackle?” Starlight asked.

Pikachu shook his head. “No, I used to know it a while back, but I know Electro Ball now instead! I can do that, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, and also Iron Tail!”

Starlight nodded in response and began to think. “So a bit more attack based than Nica with more ranged options but less for close combat and defense.”

“No ‘Volt Tackle?’ bummer. That move looked really cool. Still, ‘Quick Attack,’ sounds really good. Attacking with speed is something I can get behind,” Rainbow Dash said as a coaching hat and whistle adorned her head and neck. “Also, sorry if I hold you back. This is my first pokemon battle and I’m not good at strategies and stuff.”

Pikachu shook his head with a shrug. “Ash rarely had strategies anyway. A lot of his best stuff, he came up on the fly. But don’t worry, I picked up a few things from him so just point me in the right way and I’ll take care of the rest!”

Ninetails sat proudly, lowering his stance for a moment as he glanced at his trainer for this battle. “As for me, I know ‘Calm Mind’ that temporarily improves my special attack and special defense, which can be helpful against my opponent’s ‘Thunderbolt’ and ‘Electro Ball.’”

“And not so much against ‘Quick Attack’ and ‘Iron Tail’, am I right?”

“Correct, though I do resist steel type moves since I’m a fire pokemon. My other three moves are: ‘Solarbeam’, ‘Psychic’ and ‘Flamethrower’, all special attacks and very strong.” He stood up and spread his tails which flashed with power, only for the rays of the sun to suddenly became more intense in limited area, causing sweat to form on the faces of all present ponies. “My ability ‘Drought’ allows me to summon ‘Sunny Weather’ over the battlefield, making fire attacks stronger, water attacks weaker, and it charges my ‘Solar beam’ very quickly.” He grinned. “And I can assure you, all of my attacks are more than enough to put that feeble, troublesome Pikachu in his place. Hero or not, he’s out of his league for this battle.”

“Oh, it is on!” Pikachu said, stomping with his forepaw, his tail raised upward threateningly. “I’ll make you eat those words!”

Rainbow Dash and Starlight looked to the side at the audience, which was positioned behind a set of well-placed boulders to hide behind.

Applejack cheered, “Go get them Pikachu and Rainbow Dash, show them ya’re not to be underestimated.”

Big Mac sat further to the right and gave Ninetales an encouraging glance while Lucario observed with his eyes closed, legs crossed in a meditating pose.

Nica sat atop the tallest boulder. Despite being an observer rather than fighting herself, worry and discomfort was still her constant companions for this battle.

Noticing this, Rainbow Dash reprimanded. “Hey buddy, remember your promise.”

Pikachu nodded as he glanced at Nica. If he wanted to show her his skills and put down her fears, he needed to fight with honor and respect. Falling for taunts was something he couldn’t afford.

Nica stood up, taking a deep breath into her lungs before shouting, “Good luck Pikachu, do your best, and most importantly, have fun!” She turned towards the multi-tailed fox and added, “Ninetales, please be polite. No mean remarks, alright?”

The taller pokemon rolled his eyes before taking a fighting stance.

Litten climbed up, taking a seat on the cold rock next to the long-tailed pokemon, a translating collar with orange flames now decorating his neck. “Cheering for Pikachu rather than your teammate? Hey, what’s up with that frown. Cheer up.”

“S-sorry, I just… can’t stop worrying. Making my hero unhappy and earning his disapproval is the last thing I want,” Nica answered as she grabbed her own tail and rubbed it nervously. “I wish this fight wouldn’t be as unfair as it is. I can only hope he won’t take losing too hard.”

“You worry too much. Just relax and trust Pikachu,” Litten said as he reached up, placing forepaw on Raichu’s shoulder. “Also, don’t underestimate him. He’s the strongest of Ash’s pokemon, he’ll win for sure.”

“I wish…” Nica mumbled.

Starlight lit her horn, unwrapping and levitating away translating collars from Pikachu and Ninetales, sending them to Nica for safekeeping.

“Let’s get this party started, Pikachu, attack quick and attack hard, do that ‘Quick Move’!” Dash commanded, pointing ahead.

Pikachu grit his teeth and ran, leaving a cloud of dust and pebbles and white trail blaring behind him as he charged at his opponent.

“Ninetales, show us what ‘Psychic’ is capable off,” Starlight said with a confident grin.

Pikachu speed up, slamming his head into the chest of the taller pokemon, the impact pushing him a meter away. The moment his feet landed on solid ground, he ran forward, circling between the thin legs of the taller pokemon before the ‘Psychic’ could connect. <What’s the matter, can’t keep up?>

“Perfect, now hit him with Steel… ‘Iron Tail,’” Dash commanded.

Pikachu was more than happy to oblige, hitting the middle part of Ninetales belly as if delivering an uppercut, sending him flying while leaving a bruise.

“Quick, ‘Flamethrower,’” Starlight commanded.

“Not quick enough, keep it up with your speed and shock him with electricity!” Rainbow Dash said as she stood on her rear hooves and punched the air, her wings spread for extra balance.

Pikachu leaped to the side, evading the cyclone of flames before running further away as Ninetales directed flames towards him. He answered with ‘Thunderbolt,’ aiming at where his opponent was going to land. Silvery aura surrounded Ninetales before being struck by electricity as a few small burns now decorated his golden fur. <That’s three to zero. Still thinking I am feeble?>

Ninetales nonchalantly rubbed the burns on his fur with his right forepaw. <You’re very agile and surprisingly strong for an unevolved pokemon, I must give you that. Your attacks did a lot of damage.> He narrowed his eyes. <Now that I estimated your speed and power, I know I can take this fight a bit more seriously.>

Pikachu blinked, so his opponent was just measuring his skills and power?

“Pikachu, attack with ‘Electric Orb’ or whatever that move was called. Oh, and make it look cool,” Dash said, now flying over the battlefield.

“Ninetales, ‘Calm Mind’ and then ‘Flamethrower!’” Starlight commanded, stomping with both hooves.

Pikachu repeated his name before jumping and spinning, throwing the orb of electricity.

Ninetales ducked and leapt to the side while opening his mouth, evading and attacking at the same time. This time the flames proved more intense than before.

Pikachu jumped over the fire, deciding to attack with ‘Thunderbolt’ without command form his temporarily trainer.

Silvery aura once again surrounded the multi-tailed fox, reducing received damage, only for him to unleash empowered flames which tore through the electricity.

Pikachu’s eyes went wide. He covered his face, feeling the fire burn his fur continuously, making him endure intense heat. Pushed by the fire, he landed further from his opponent as his fur now smoked. Sadly he didn’t get much of a respite as Ninetails fired yet another powerful Flamethrower at him.

Up above Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop a panicked shout, “Pikachu do something! Counter it!”

Pikachu’s ear stood up hearing the sort-of command as old memories flooded back to him. With a determined look, he spun himself onto his back and with a shout of “Pika-chuu!” fired his thunderbolt. The electricity followed his momentum, forming into a barrier of electricity that surrounded Pikachu into the air.

As the Flamethrower struck, the spinning electricity caused the fire to bounce around the shield. Though Pikachu could still feel some of the heat as it passed, he was saved from the damage of the attack as it dissipated and returned to his fighting stance with a small smirk.

<Cute…> Ninetales said quietly, keeping distance while looking down at his opponent.

“That was a great defense, Pikachu, keep it up!” Nica cheered, earning a chuckle from the cat pokemon by her side.

“Nice! But let’s keep moving from now on. Move fast and hit hard, be mobile,” Dash shouted, encouraging Pikachu from above. “Your opponent is bigger but I’m sure you can outspeed him.”

Pikachu nodded before running to the side, circling around his opponent.

<Two can play in that game,> Ninetails said before running as well, maintaining the speed of his opponent as both pokemon ran in circles, keeping distance, not daring to avert their eyes from each other even for a moment.

“Solarbeam!” Starlight commanded.

“Electro Orb!” Dash commanded.

Pikachu charged and threw orb of electricity, which collided with beam of solar energy which shot form Ninetales’ mouth. Both attacks pushed against each other, non gaining advantage until exploding, causing a devastating rain of pebbles and forming a cloud of smoke.

---

Nica observed the battle, gasping. While she could easily tell that her teammate was holding back as she knew that he was capable of more, seeing Pikachu’s raw power was no less than impressive. I have met many Raichu over the years, but this Pikachu puts most of them to shame. His attack power is really great considering the limitations of his body. Her ears drooped. If only this Pikachu agreed to evolve, his ‘Electro Ball’ would have easily pierced through the ‘Solar Beam’ and hit his opponent. He truly deserved evolution more than the many weak and lazy Raichu who took their power for granted.

The battle followed as Nica observed Pikachu’s movements, who either evaded bursts of flames or beams of solar energy. The atmosphere was heated as she felt a few drops of sweat slide down her cheeks from the ‘Sunny Weather.’ In fact, she was grateful that Pikachu played defensively, buying time until the boosting weather would run out.

The usage of ‘Quick Attack’ for additional evasion was certainly a nice touch as well.

Still, Ninetales now matched his speed and agility to his opponent, evading ‘Electro Ball’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ with ease as both pokemon fought at a distance, evading each other’s blows.

Even when Pikachu’s ‘Thunderbolt’ connected, the fire-breathing fox countered with ‘Psychic’, slamming the smaller opponent into a nearby boulder while leaving a Pikachu-shaped mark and a few cracks on the large stone.

The most important however was that she could sense enjoyment and satisfaction from her hero, which in turn put a smile on her face. I hope he won’t find out that Ninetales is holding back. I don’t want his enjoyment to end.

“Incomin’!” Applejack shouted as she and Big Mac hid behind the boulders, while Litten took a defensive stance, aware of an incoming ‘Solar Beam.’ Lucario kept meditating, not at all bothered by the incoming attack.

Nica charged power into her tail, anchoring her rear legs against the stone as she pressed her metallic tail against the beam. She grit her teeth as her rear legs trembled, pushing her ‘Iron Tail’ against the incoming energy. She successfully parried the attack as the energy from ‘Solar Beam’ scattered into the air, dissipating into nothing.

---

Pikachu looked at the audience in panic, but before he could shout a warning, he saw Nica parry the powerful beam. That defense was great, and far less draining than my electric shield. That attack didn’t even faze her. He sighed in relief and then smiled, hoping she would agree to fight him in the near future, thought his current battle was satisfying enough.

<Don’t worry. No harm will come to the ponies as long as Nica is around. You can focus on the battle,> Ninetales said, catching Pikachu’s attention as they both smiled at each other. <Enjoying yourself?>

<A lot,> Pikachu said, feeling adrenaline in his body as his breathing was faster than usual. His paws were a bit sore from all the running and dodging and he felt a little aching in his back from being slammed into the boulder, but the fight was but even and exciting. Wait a moment. Something isn’t right. He stood up from his four, now standing on his rear paws while addressing his opponent accusingly. <As fun as this battle is, I noticed a bit of hesitation in your movements, as if you matched my speed and strength to mine way too perfectly. Something just doesn’t feel right.> He narrowed his eyes and pointed accusingly. <Wait a moment, are you holding back against me?>

Ninetales lowered his guard and his tails, and then answered, <Quite perceptive. Yes, I did limit my fighting abilities to match yours.>

Pikachu groaned in annoyance, resuming his fighting stance, but before he could complain, his opponent spoke first.

<I know what you’re thinking. Why is he looking down on me; why does he refuse to give me a challenge and do his best? Trust me, I get how you feel. You’re proud of yourself and your skills, and want to face great challenges to improve. You feel a strong desire to prove yourself at every opportunity both to your opponent and to yourself.>

Pikachu nodded, walking forward with slow steps while wary of his opponent’s moves, but it seemed clear that no attack is going to follow up anytime soon.

“Are they… talking… in the middle of a fight?” Dash asked, rubbing the back of his neck while hovering in mid-air. He flew closer to Starlight.

“Seems like it, let’s call it a short break.”

<I asked Nica not to hold back against me, and you knew about it when you agreed to take her place in this battle. If you understand me, why did you do that?>

Ninetales sat, looking down as he spoke in a calm manner. <Listen, small fry. Prideful pokemon like us, we enjoy battles the most when both sides are on a similar level, when both pokemon can push their limits in an even fight and enjoy it to the fullest. You can’t deny that, can you?>

<Y-yes, but even so…>

Ninetales interrupted, <But of course there’s that pride of ours, the desire to face against the odds and not having opponent hold anything back. It hurts our pride and our fighting spirit when we can’t make opponent give their best against us. I get it, but let me tell you something.>

Nica’s ears perked up as she tried to listen to their conversation despite the distance. Litten followed her example.

<You may think you know what you want, but answer this; If two pokemon who know, like and respect each other clash, and one of them will dominate the battle, will this make their fight less enjoyable?>

Pikachu shook his head as he gave his tensed muscle a moment of break. <Of course not. Since they know and like each other, the weaker one will just be happy that his friend is so strong and try to learn from him.>

Ninetales nodded. <Very good. Now, here’s another scenario. What if two pokemon who barely know each other fight with all their strength, and one of them will end up easily overpowered and defeated. Do you think he’ll still enjoy this battle?>

Pikachu wanted to answer, but no words left his mouth, taking a moment to consider his opponent’s words.

<I’ll tell you what would happen to pokemon like us. We would feel annoyed, frustrated, humiliated. We would get angry at our opponent for beating us so easily, angry at ourselves for being so pathetic and determined to get our revenge. Our pride would be injured and on the line,> Ninetales spoke in harsher tone, giving the smaller pokemon a judging glare. <Trust me on this. If you really want to challenge Nica, to prove that you can keep your emotions in check, take more time to get to know her.>

<I know her well enough! She’s really great and we like each other, there’s…>

<If you knew her well enough, you would never refuse her request to even the odds, because you would know what makes her happy and what would upset her.> Ninetales growled, making the smaller pokemon take a few steps backward. <At the moment, you allow your pride to blind you. I know, because I would do the same mistake if I just met her for the first time.>

Pikachu grit his teeth, wishing he had an answer to his opponent, but he had to admit, there were still many things he didn’t know about Nica, and she seemed very upset when he refused for pony magic to boost him for their battle.

Ninetales looked at the sky. <Look at that, it seems the effect of my ability is wearing off. No ‘Sunny Weather’ to boost my fire attacks and charge my ‘Solar Beam’, such a shame.> He stood up and spread his tails, displaying his teeth. <You want me to fight you with all I got, you want the challenge even if you’ll get easily crushed in the end, fine, I’ll grant this wish, but don’t dare to cry to me if you won’t find this battle fun or exciting. You can only blame yourself for that.>

Pikachu grit his teeth, summoning bolts of electricity which escaped his cheeks. His muscles were once again tense as he raised his guard, ready for the raised difficulty. His opponent ran at him and unleashed ‘Flamethrower’... which seemed even larger and more intense than before, despite ‘Sunny Day’ no longer boosting it.

Out of reflex, he jumped to the side, but the flames followed him faster than he could run.

“Pikachu, roll and use electricity, do that trick that blocked fire attack before!” Dash shouted in panic, spreading her wings before flying into the air.

Pikachu did as he was told, pushing away the incoming flames, but several seconds later he felt fire hit his side as a small portion of the attack pierced through his electric shield. The moment he got back to his four paws, he felt strong force surround his body, levitating above the ground. In response he unleashed ‘Thunderbolt,’ but his opponent swiftly evaded the attack while rubbing his body intensively against the hard ground with ‘Psychic’.

The moment he was finally free, he felt strong aching on his side and in his right limbs. He didn’t get a moment of break though as Ninetales was once again on the offensive. Both pokemon breathed at quick pace.

“Wow, you’re really stepping up,” Starlight praised before pointing her hoof ahead, failing to notice distress on Nica’s face. “Attack with ‘Solar Beam.’”

Ninetales ignored the command, unleashing another ‘Flamethrower’ instead.

Pikachu jumped over the attack, then spinned in mid-air to push himself to the side to avoid following flames. He could clearly feel the difference, feeling as if one mistake would cost him the battle.

“Pikachu, go on the offensive. Use that super fast attack and slam your ‘Iron Tail.’” Dash shouted enthusiastically.

The moment Pikachu landed, he ran with quick attack, jumping at the larger foe who shiftly leaped to the side, timing it well enough to evade. Before Pikachu landed, he felt a very weak ‘Psychic’ slam him into the ground with a loud thud, spreading a few cracks from the impacted area. He evaded and countered this quickly against my fastest move. I knew Nica is fast and agile, but her team buddy is really quick as well.

Without wasting a moment, he pushed himself towards NInetales’ face, slamming his ‘Iron Tail’ against his head. Much to his surprise, just a moment after slamming cheek of his opponent with strong steel move, the fox-pokemon bit his metallic-tail with his teeth, slamming him repeatedly against the ground.

In response, he unleashed ‘Thunderbolt,’ but his foe didn’t let go, defending with silvery aura he recognized as ‘Calm Mind.’ He tried to unleash another attack, but before he could, he felt inferno burst from Ninetales’ mouth, burning him and his tail as he could do nothing to evade.

The moment Pikachu opened his eyes, he felt as if his body was heated in the oven for hours while stone around and under him melted from the intense heat. He looked up at the towering pokemon, who looked back with determination despite post-electric burns present on his fur.

Both ponies could do nothing but stare in silence, first scared and then relieved that Pikachu wasn’t melted along with the stone.

Come on Pikachu, you can do better than that. Don’t let this arrogant pokemon toy with you like that. He grit his teeth, standing on his trembling paws while melted stone kept burning his belly and paws. He repeated his name, charging ‘Electro Ball’ atop his tail. Much to his shock, Ninetales just jumped forward and… sunk his teeth into the orb of electricity, causing it to explode while scattering melted rocks all around.

Nica slammed away the melted stone with her ‘Iron Tail’ as she stared at the cloud of smoke with the utmost worry.

Starlight raised her bubble to shield herself from the explosion while Rainbow Dash circled in mid-air, avoiding the pebbles and fragments of the melted stone.

Pikachu opened his eyes as his vision cleared, his body in pain as he got caught in the center part of explosion from his own attack. He could see intense burns on Ninetales’ head, who simply ignored it and pressed both paws against his back. He noticed energy gathered in nine tails, as if charging a powerful strike.

Unable to move while pinned, Pikachu charged power into his tail. He tried to slam the long paws away, but Ninetales withdrew them quickly enough to evade his strike. Come on, fight… He pushed himself to stand on his burned legs, trying to escape the two-meter wide crater caused by the recent explosion, but his opponent simply jumped at him, intercepting his escape in mid-air. In response he slammed his ‘Iron Tail’ against his opponents forepaws, but the larger pokemon ignored his resisted strikes, grabbing him despite his injuries.

Pikachu yelped as he felt the weight of the Ninetales pin him against the ground. He looked up, seeing orb of charged power now very close to his face.

His fatigued mind immediately flooded him with images of an angered Raichu pinning him against a rock. Being unable to stop the pure power surging into his ‘Hyper Beam,’ lying useless and battered at his foe’s mercy. His life flashing before his eyes.

With a rush of adrenaline, he started struggling against the tail with all his might, shooting the Raichu a hateful glare. The beating of his heart increased in speed, as an unexplainable rage built up in his mind. I’ll not let you hurt me again.

He wriggled, struggling while unable to lift the weight with his burned paws. He unleashed full extend of her electricity, which shot into the sky like a tower, but his opponent endured it. A moment later, ‘Solar Beam’ struck him from close range in the face, pushing him away while rubbing his body against the ground, leaving a long trail in the stone and covering Pikachu with injuries and bruises.

Pikachu wasn’t done yet though as he pushed himself to stand on four trembling paws, ignoring the agonizing pain in his entire body. He shot Ninetales a hateful glare. Why he couldn't hold his ground? Why was he so easily overpowered by this arrogant annoyance. He was suppose to be better than that!

With a rush of emotions, he charged forward with ‘Quick Attack,’ lowering his guard as Ninetales simply tanked the strike with his chest and burned his back with flames. He quickly jumped and swung his ‘Iron Tail,’ but his metallic tail quickly ended up wrapped by ‘Psychic’ as he was than repeatedly slammed against the ground.

Pikachu felt as if his entire body begged him to stop, but he wasn’t done yet, he could still win. He screamed in pain, pushing himself to stand and unleash electricity against his foe. His attack missed as Ninetales ran to the side and counterattacked with ‘Flamethrower.’ He could only stare with growing frustration as the fire was about to scorch his already battered body while his legs refused to cooperate. He closed his eyes and braced himself, but the pain didn’t come.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Nica’s worried expression, as well as melted stone under her rear paws.

<This battle is over!>

Pikachu shook his head, shooting Nica an angered glare. <N-no… it’s… not…> He tried to step forward, only to drop to one knee as his injured paw refused to heed his call. Before he could fall onto his face, he was grabbed by bronze edges of Nica’s forepaws, then carried by her. He quickly noticed burns on Nica’s tail and spotted smoke coming from fur on her back. What caught his attention the most however was her watering eyes.

<I said… this battle is over.> She continued, her tone was filled with sadness, <I stopped sensing even a tiny bit of enjoyment from you. You broke your promise.>

Pikachu breathed heavily, taking a moment to finally comprehend his situation as he kept feeling agonizing pain in his entire body. Each limb, each muscle pushed to its limit. The worst part however was that Nica was right, he did hated those final moments as he couldn’t accepted being so easily defeated by that know-it-all Ninetales. His ears drooped as apologetic “I’m sorry” escaped his mouth.

<Listen, I can tell you’re determined to save our friendship, an effort I don’t really deserve, but I appreciate it more than you think.> Upon noticing that Starlight and Rainbow Dash ran or flew into the crater, she added, <But now you can see why I wanted to ensure the fairness of our fight. It’s… just no fun when one opponent have massive advantage. Ninetales is fully evolved and have… a lot of experience. There was no mutual respect to be earned here.” She sighed. “Let’s bathe… and rest. We can talk later. If you’re still willing to strengthen our bonds… I’m willing to give it a chance, but by other means than a pokemon battle, alright?>

<Alright…> Pikachu muttered, sadness clear in his voice. He soon felt softness of nine tails which now served as a bed for his battered body. I… I just had to screw it up. He groaned, not only feeling powerless, but also experiencing guilt. He hoped that they would earn each other respect as he did so many times in battles with other pokemon. We… we had… a lot of fun… and the battle was really great and intense… but the last part was anything but frustrating. As much as I hate to admit, there was some truth in Ninetales words.

<Hey, Pikachu,> Ninetales whispered as he moved his tails closer to his face.

<Y-yeah?>

<Do you admit that I’m stronger than you?> Ninetales asked, his face half-burned from biting the ‘Electro Ball’, but he hid any discomfort and pain he probably felt, displaying a grin of self-satisfaction.

<Yeah, you’re powerful… a lot… more than me,> he admitted, though part of him found it very hard. Maybe if he got to know this Ninetales better, he would have an easier time admitting his superiority. Still, he certainly had to give him some respect; he was one heck of a battler.

“Should I… carry him? I can get him to the hospital quickly,” Rainbow Dash suggested, hovering over the injured pokemon.

“I think it will be better if Ninetales escorts him. His tails seem quite comfortable,” Starlight suggested before charging her horn. “In fact, I think this is where my teleporting spell can be most helpful.”

Nica nodded as she held safeguarded translating collars with her tail, though small burns were still present on the yellow edge and on her back. “Agreed.”

Ninetales lowered his muzzle close to Pikachu’s long ear. <I may be powerful, but Nica is far superior to me when it comes to battling. I hope you can see now why she was so adamant to let you have magical boost to even the odds.>

Pikachu’s eyes became wide. Ninetales crushed him so quickly the moment he stopped holding back, and Nica was even stronger than him?

<Now do you see why she’s so afraid that you’ll be jealous of her, and why she was so hesitant with battling you? Trust me, small fry, as someone who shares your competitive spirit, as a prideful pokemon who know Nica for years, I can tell that nothing good would come our from your battle. If you care about her even third as much as she cares about you, you’ll take your time to get to know her better. There are many ways you two can bond and gain each other's respect, but an all-out-battle isn’t one of them. Especially considering your past experienced with other Raichu.>

Pikachu nodded weakly, his consciousness slowly fading. There was wisdom in the fire fox’s words, but digesting them in his current state wasn’t easy. One thing was certain, however: If he wanted to salvage his friendship with Nica, pokemon battles weren’t the solution.

It was time for a different approach.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by everyone, Litten kept observing Ninetales from Starlight’s back with a hint of admiration in his eyes. As much as he didn’t like seeing his friend Pikachu beaten up like that, he had to admit that prowess of this Ninetales certainly caught his eye.

Comments

[CommanderX5]

If you like this alternative approach more, upvote this comment. (Nica vs Pikachu fight will be relocated to near-end of this story with some changes).

If you prefer for the story to stay as it is, downvote this comment.

Cheers and happy new year.