Little Lost Pikachu

by CommanderX5

Ch.7 - Clean Slate - Pt.1 (changed significantly)

Little Lost PIkachu

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Chapter 7
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Clean Slate - Pt.1

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“Hurry up and jump in. Nothing relaxes more than a hot bath. This reminds me of the one you took after you hit yourself in the crack of the basement wall,” Starlight said as she gestured with her forehoof in an inviting wave. Behind her rested a half-filled tub, thin strands of steam wafting from the water. “Ah… the memories.”

“Ah dunno, the bath seems kinda hot,” Applejack pointed out as her attention focused on the fogging mirrors. She approached the tub and sank in her forehoof, only to pull it out and puff on it, her hoof now a bright crimson. “Eeyup, waaay too hot.”

Nica ignored the warning and hoisted herself onto the edge of the bathtub, balancing herself on the tips of her rear legs, the slippery surface unmatchable to the ice and snow coating the mountain she used to call home. A depressed expression was still present on her face.

“Ya sure sugarcube?” Applejack asked, concerned about the creatures worrying behavior. “Maybe wait till the water cools down.”

Nica carefully sank the bronze edge of her rear paw, feeling the scorch of the molten hot bath. One foot at a time, she sank her limbs into the burning water before lowering her belly, sparing only her head. The feeling of overwhelming heat combined with her recent burns didn’t bother her in the least. Not that she could be preoccupied by heat when she still had recent battle on her mind.
“Yer tough, alright. Enjoy yer hot bath,” Applejack grunted.

Feeling a sponge and soap softly knead through her fur and ears, this time more gently than in the past, she relaxed herself, letting her worries and stress wash away.

“So what exactly went wron’, sugarcube?” Applejack shifted her raised forelegs together, having them happily dance in place. “Ya two were havin’ fun, and Ah even saw ya smile a few times. Than ya ran away, and than let yer pal fight in yer stead,” until she slammed her forehooves together, “and then crash! Pikachu got beaten and burned, ya jump in to protect him from the fire, and now yer both hurt. What went wron’?”

Nica tilted her head to the side, allowing the levitating sponge to rub behind her right ear. “I’m not sure. I couldn’t bring myself to fight him without magic to even the odds. I was hoping the fight against my team members would work for the both of us, and Pikchu even began to enjoy it till the very end… with the ‘end’ being the part it became frustrating for him.” She sighed, her ears dropping at the unpleasant memory. “I saw a bit of myself in him when he kept standing up despite all those insane injuries, and when he stopped having fun and kept hurting himself, I had to jump in.”

“Pride?” Applejack queried. “A strong athlete refuses to quit till they give it their all, even if it ends up killin’ em.”

Starlight nodded. “Not many athletes are like you, Nica. They push themselves because of their pride when you don’t care about victory. The fact that you look down on yourself while being so skilled and durable is both impressive and sad.”

Nica now exposed her left ear for the sponge to clean, purring as it massaged a painful ache. “I was terrified that because of his past experiences with other Raichu, he would get jealous and angry, which is why I went along when Lucario suggested to let Ninetales fight him instead. I was shocked how well he did in that fight and how well he kept his anger and jealousy in check.” Her ears drooped. “At least until Ninetales charged his ‘Solar Beam and was preparing to unleash it from close at Pikachu’s face. The amount of fear and anger I sensed at that moment shoot to the roof.” She rubbed the top of her head, thinking. “‘Hyper Beam’ hitting his face, the worst memory… oh no!” She facepalmed. In the end the battle just made him relive that horrible experience.

“You figured something out?” Starlight inquired, hope lighting in her eyes.

She sank down into the water until only her nose and eyes were exposed above the bubbles.

“Well... while the fight didn’t work out for the both of you, I think it went much better than what you expected,” Starlight said with an encouraging smile. “I mean, most of your fears you told me were proven wrong, and frankly, ridiculous.”

“And it’s not like he isn’t tryin’ hard. How ‘bout ya two just be honest with each other. Ya both want to make the other happy, so just say what's wron’ without beatin' each other up and it will go fine. Speak yer mind without frettin’ over every little thing ya say.”

“I must agree with Applejack. It’ll take days till Twilight finishes the spell, and hiding your past from him will get you nowhere,” Starlight pointed out.

Nica raised her head and sighed. “You’re right… As much as I fear it will go wrong, I can’t keep hiding my past and fears from him. I assumed I was an eyesore for him, but he cares about our friendship more than I thought.” She held a forepaw on her chest with hints of sandness clear on her face. “He didn’t want this battle just for the sake of challenge. After I calmed him down, I could sense a lot of genuine guilt, which proved that to me. It wasn’t the pain that upset him but the fact that he failed to keep his word.” She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a firm tone. “I’m tired of it. I don’t care if he’ll hate me or not, he deserves a chance to know the truth.”

Applejack gave a smug grin and trotted out of the room, replying, “Ah was hopin’ you'd say that. Be right back.”

Nica looked at the leaving mare in confusion as she left the door open, inviting wisps of cold air inside the bathroom. A slight breeze sent a shiver down her spine. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Starlight said. She levitated over a sponge and carefully cleaned Nica’s face before wiping away spare patches of dirt, soap and water from her face with a towel.

The moment the soft cloth was removed, Nica opened her eyes, now staring at a blushing Pikachu perched atop Applejack’s back. Her face became tinted with a slight pink before splashing a small portion of hot water into Applejack’s face. “Why did you bring him? He should be recovering from the battle!”

“Ah just figured this to be a perfect time for ya both to talk till yer done bathin'. Ya can even clean each other while yer at it,” Applejack hinted, attempting to creep back out the door.

Nica stood on the tips of her rear paws and pointed at the plotting ponies accusingly. “You both planned this!”

“Ah won’t deny it,” Applejack bragged with a proudly raised head.

“It was my idea actually,” Starlight muttered, budding into the conversation. “The way you ran around the issue didn’t seem to work, so you both won’t be leaving this bathroom until you face it head on.” She tapped the horn on her forehead. “I’ll seal this bathroom with a barrier if I have to. I won’t hesitate to take extreme measures, and no, I’m not joking.”

Nica calmed herself and forced a weak smile. Any attempt to escape would most likely result in damage to the ponies’ property, and she wouldn’t dare leave a single burn on this clean elegant bathroom. Well played, Starlight, well played...

Her attention zeroed in on Pikachu, who tried and failed to look her in the eyes, and instead found something very interesting to stare at, if looking at a clean painted wall can be considered interesting in the first place. She sensed an overwhelming flood of guilt and fear, although the fact that he was still here instead of running away was a step in the right direction. “Alright... Pikachu… you can join… if you want that is.” She took a deep breath, gathering all of her courage while pushing both her fears and her damp body aside.

Pikachu put on a weak grimace before stepping from Applejack's back and balancing himself on the thin edge of the bathtub. His attempt to climb down the slippery surface resulted in him sliding into the boiling water with a loud splash as his rear legs scrambled for purchase on the porcelain. Water sloshed the moment his head emerged to catch a breath of air, his face boasting a cherry red in an instant.

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A burning sensation overwhelmed every fibre of his body, only to feel something lift him, separating him temporarily from the smoldering water. He quickly found himself perched on Nica's tail, which kept him raised above the tub.

“The water is very hot and your burns are still fresh. Maybe… maybe you’d prefer to delay our conversation… for later?” Nica suggested.

Pikachu narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Screw burning water, there was no way he was going to chicken out. He and Nica were going to talk right here and right now. He climbed down the long tail, slowly sinking his limbs in before doing so with most of his body. The depth of the water forced him to stand on the tips of his rear paws to keep his head above the surface.

He ignored the way the heat stung his bruises and burns in order to focus his attention on Nica. He soldiered on. No heat, nor wounds were going to distract him from getting along with this nice Raichu, and there was a lot he wanted to learn about her.

“Now, about your privacy,” Starlight said as she untied the dazzling collars from both pokemon, levitating them onto a nearby table equipped with a mirror. At hoofs reach, she set them down, leaving a soothing yellow glow to echo around the room from the neck bands reflection. Starlight approached the exit, gesturing for Applejack to follow as both mares gently closed the door behind them. A weak blue aura flashed from behind it, most likely the barrier Starlight promised.

Pikachu looked away from the doorway, now staring at the flushed face of his guardian. He chuckled nervously. <So ummm… are you disappointed in me?> He smiled awkwardly as unbearable moments of silence ticked away.

<I’m more worried than disappointed. Prideful pokemon don’t take losing one-sided battles easy, and you refused to give up even when your body had one burn atop another. .> She looked to the side, now staring at a few isolated bubbles. <N-not that I’m the one to talk when it comes to pushing one’s limits, but what was the point of prolonging a lost battle that no longer brought you any enjoyment. It… it was just depressing.>>

Pikachu’s ears drooped. <Ninetales was right when he told me how sensitive you are. You can’t help but worry about how I feel. Even when you were hiding your skills, you did it for my sake.> He sighed. <Because you feared it would upset me if you didn’t.>

Nica nodded weakly at Pikachu’s statement before continuing, <Being the best Pikachu you can be and surpassing other Raichu without the need for evolution motivated you strongly to work hard for years, and you showed strong competitive spirit and a lot of pride in your abilities when fighting Ninetales.> She tapped her forepaws nervously. <I’m worried what you’ll think of me if you knew the full extent of my abilities. I would hate to upset you or hurt your pride.>

Pikachu approached and looked her dead in the eyes, speaking with full sincerity. <I may have failed in that battle, but give me another chance and I won’t fail you again.> He ignored the burning heat and stretched forward, placing forepaws on Nica’s shoulders. <I grew to like and respect many pokemon in the past that proved stronger than me. I know you think it may be harder due to my experiences with… Raichu.> He gulped, adding with more determined tone, <But I’m sure that the more I’ll know about you, the easier it will be for me to respect your strength, and according to Ninetales, you’re far stronger and more skilled than him, so no point in hiding that. Sooo… will you trust me a little?> .>

Nica smiled warmly. <You really do care.>

Pikachu nodded. <Of course I do. You seem really nice and want the best for others, and I won’t give up until we can become friends.> Pikachu withdrew his forepaws, staring back with a confident smile. <Also, if that powerful Ninetales respects you so much, there must be a fighting spirit and a lot of willpower somewhere underneath all that shyness and humility, and it is something I like in others the most.> He poked her chest playfully. <Furthermore, if you cared so much about the fact that I don’t want to evolve, it means that being a Raichu is important to you. There must be something about it that you take pride in.>

She raised her tail from the water, snaking it around the sponge the mares left at the table, before picking it up with her forepaw. She presented her tail to Pikachu and said, <Well… if you really want to know, my long tail is what I love the most about being a Raichu. It was very hard to use at first, but I mastered using it to perfection and it paid back twice over.> She blushed and looked to the side. <Ummm… I hope you’re not afraid of my tail… considering how that one Raichu used it to… you know...> >

<No, of course not!> Pikachu declared with a shake of his head. He grabbed and gently nuzzled the yellow part of Nica’s tail in an attempt to prove it.

<I’m glad to hear that,> Nica said before cleaning the side of Pikachu’s face with a sponge, and then focused on washing his ears. Small smudges of soil were smeared around his nose, giving off the impression of an adorable dirty Pichu. <I’m sure my pony friends told you something about my past. How much do you know exactly?>

Pikachu allowed his guardian to clean the back of his head. The fact that she was willing to share her past despite his failure was filling him with joy, as she calmly massaged his ears. <Not much actually, only that you faced the Orange Islands, Alola region and Kanto League while being a just a Pichu. Also, I discovered that you not only ran into a burning building to save multiple lives, but even faced gangs and mobs in the heart of Manehattan while injured!>

<I... see.> Nica took a few steps backward and sat, now staring at one another with the sponge balanced on her tail. <Do you want to know more?>

Pikachu nodded vigorously. <I did, and I still do...> He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck while blushing. <That is if... you want to share with me.>

Nica sighed. <I'd rather not… but you deserve to know. All I can hope is that it won’t ruin your image of me.>

Pikachu balanced himself on the tip of his tail to emerge from the water before holding a forepaw across his chest. <No matter what your past may be, you are one of the kindest and most caring Raichu I’ve ever met. So caring that you’re making me question my viewpoint on evolution. While you may believe yourself lucky to be seeing me, I can't help but feel the same way about you. There’s nothing you could say to make me think any less of my amazing guardian.> He chuckled, adding in joking tone, <Keep it up and I’ll start to wonder if I should be the one calling you my hero, not the other way around.>