Little Lost Pikachu

by CommanderX5

Ch.17 - The Water Bender - Pt.1

Summoning of Chu

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Chapter 17
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The Water Bender - Pt.1

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“Hey! Where are we going?” Pikachu panted, keeping a steady pace behind the Alolan Raichu. His breathing began to become a tad labored, but he continued nonetheless without complaint.

“Towards the river, duuuh,” Ace exclaimed before putting his black glasses back atop his nose, his surroundings darkening as a result as he messed around with the translating collar strapped around his neck. He squinted his eyes, adjusting to the new tint as he glanced over his shoulder, spotting the Pikachu sprinting behind him. Giving an embarrassed chuckle, he added, “Litten took your spot, but I can carry you on my back if you want. There’s plenty of room!”

Looking to the side, he spotted Litten’s annoyed glare as he barely held on, a rear paw hanging off the edge. “Well, uh, enough room.”

“No thanks,” Pikachu responded, quickly backtracking as he noticed Ace’s hurt expression. “I mean, I can keep up with you on paw just fine.” With a shake of his head, he continued running, his paws creating a gentle thud against the ground. He observed the multitude of colorful houses and ponies as he passed, the trio slowly but surely making their way towards the watering hole. “In fact, I prefer to run.”

“Too proud for a shoulder ride?” Ace teased, doing a quick loop around Pikachu before speeding up.

“Not really.” He paused, tilting his head as a memory came to him. “Actually, this scenario reminds me of a race with a different Alolan Raichu I had some time ago.”

Ace was zooming along now, unknowingly flying faster and faster through the air as Pikachu darted alongside him. While not as fast as his sister, he took his training involving tail-surfing and speed very seriously.

“So, how do you know where the river is?”

Ace slowed down, letting Pikachu bypass him as his rear legs were still perfectly balanced atop his tail. “I scouted half of the town with Coco, before we met up with you all,” he pointed ahead, “and I remember a small stream to be in that direction. Let’s hope it’s the same one they were talking about.”

“That’s good,” Pikachu huffed. “Sooo… are you into pancakes or racing, or both, by any chance?”

“Pancakes?” Ace’s interest peaked as he sped up once again, now levitating next to the Pikachu. “Oh, now I get it. You’re referring to Nina and her Alolan Raichu. The ones who won their third pancake race in a row the last time I met her.” He placed forepaws on his hips and shook his head. “To answer your question, no. I’m not all that into pancakes. Never bothered to participate in the race either.”

“You didn’t, why?” Pikachu asked, shocked. “You seem to be quite fast, and even now I feel this isn’t your full speed.”

“You guessed correctly,” he said, quickly making three full circles around the running Pikachu. With an unrivaled focus, he levitated a trio of pebbles into the air, letting them land in his open paws. “I just didn’t want to humiliate them.” He raised his chin and carefully placed each stone atop his nose, one at a time. Those rocks were then balanced and staying strong, even as he floated down the path, side by side with Pikachu. He slowed down and spread his forelegs, concentrating on the little tower swaying on his nose. No psychic power, just balance to keep it stable. I was an Alolan Raichu for about a year already when I met her. Since then, I’ve trained the speed and balance of my air-surfing very diligently, and to be honest, I was kinda afraid I would actually win, he spoke telepathically, not daring to open his mouth lest the pebbles were toppled from the disruption.

“You were afraid to win? I don’t get it,” Pikachu responded, sounding off a chuckle as Litten’s head popped up and he shot him a confused look. “Just answering Ace, he spoke to me with telepathy.”

The cat pokemon merely shrugged, laying his head back down atop Ace’s tail. Pikachu ran up and poked the fire-types side, ignoring the annoyed spark of the Raichu as he nearly disrupted the stones.

“Hey Litten, did you see Ace’s cool stone tower?” Litten snorted, a small puff of flames escaping his snout. Pikachu titled his head to the side, adding, “Oh well, I thought it was cool.”

Ace continued, oblivious to the exchange that just happened. How would you feel if you practiced nonstop, only for one specific sport, day in and day out. Say you were extremely passionate about it, even managed to win three times in a row after beating the current champ. And then suddenly, someone with no experience in said sport comes along and challenges you. They practice for a bit, maybe an hour or two and end up actually winning. I may seem arrogant and act without thinking from time to time, but I respected them too much to ruin their winning streak in a sport that didn't interest me.

“Oh… I never thought about it that way.” Pikachu’s ears drooped. With a sigh, he lowered his head as Ace’s words hit him like a hammer. He felt the guilt build inside him as he muttered, “We were originally invited to the race to have fun and challenging run with one another, but one arrogant remark from that Alolan Raichu sent me over the edge. It soon became personal and all I could think of was beating her.” He lowered his head. “Nica was right about me being too easy to provoke. Especially when it comes to my evolution.”

So you and Ash tried to defeat them at their own game?

Pikachu looked up at him, giving a sheepish smile. “We… kinda did. In the end I ended up sharing second place with the Raichu. A Komala won the race.” He slowed down and scratched his head in confusion, adding, “I still don’t know how Komala managed to balance the pancakes. Oh well.”

Dang… poor Raichu. I bet if they challenged you and Ash to a pokemon battle, you would crush them, even with their advantages. To draw in their own game is just sad.

“I know. At the time, I blamed Raichu for having it easier and being lazy. Basically, I tried to prove I could win without floating around on a tail the entire race.” Pikachu sighed. “I didn’t think how humiliating it would feel if I actually managed to win. A newcomer who practiced a pancake race for only a few hours winning against an evolved veteran who cared about the sport.” He muttered to himself under his breath, moaning as he realized all his mistakes. “Ugh, what’s wrong with me?”

Chill dude. It’s no biggie. He assured, giving Pikachu a gentle pat on the back. The rock pile atop his nose rumbled, threatening to collapse, though Ace kept it balanced as he leaned to the side just in the nick of time. If a veteran like her had trouble defending her title against a rookie, she must have slacked off in her training, believing no one could defeat her. Overconfidence does that to those who win a couple times in a row. As humiliating it was, maybe sharing second place with you will motivate her to train more diligently. Hopefully she’ll stay dedicated to training and won’t get cocky again, Ace said in Pikachu’s mind before snapping his head upwards, causing the tower of stones to fly into the air and land neatly atop his head, rather than crumbling to the floor. Though I must admit, you’re really talented if you only needed a few hours to learn a completely new sport, more or less keep up with the reigning champion.

Pikachu gave a nervous chuckle, still not used to the barrage of compliments he seemed to receive daily. “Y-yes… Nica also told me that I learn very quickly.” He looked ahead and mumbled, “Let’s just change the subject. If you’re not into pancakes, you’re into surfing though, right?”

“You sure got that right!” Ace shouted in excitement, shaking his forepaws back and forth through the air. As a result, the once peaceful pebbles finally fell, dropping one by one on Litten’s head. With a grumble, the cat pushed himself up, shooting Ace an annoyed glare before straightening up. “How did you know?”

“Hehe, l-lucky guess,” Pikachu said before stopping and pointing at the thin river positioned in front of them. “We’re here.”

“Perfect!” Ace shouted before positioning himself above the water’s surface. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he felt a sharp string at his sides. He hissed in pain before glaring over his shoulder at his passenger. “Careful with those claws, dude. I’m nowhere near as tanky as my sis.”

“S-sorry,” Litten stuttered, withdrawing his claws from both sides of Ace’s belly, wrapping his paws around the tail. In panic, he pressed himself down, squishing himself against it while praying he wasn’t dropped into the water.

Ace rolled his eyes. “C’mon, don’t be a scaredy Meowth! You could at least wait until I show you my awesome moves.” He patted Litten’s head gently before looking at Pikachu with a mischievous smirk. “Watch this!” The water inside the thin, shallow river started to move and squirm before jumping up into the air, turning into a large wave of water in seconds. Seeing Pikachu’s mouth hang open, Ace smiled in satisfaction before balancing himself and surfing through the river on the large wave he summoned. “Impressed?”

Litten’s fur spiked up on his back as his tail whipped to and fro, his grip increasing in strength. His paws became damp as they held fast to the bottom part of the Alolan Raichu’s makeshift surfboard, which now skimmed against the top of the water.

“Sure I am. I didn’t expect you would use the move ‘Surf.’ How do you even know it?”

Ace glanced down at the Pikachu puffing beside him, struggling to keep up as he zoomed down the river atop his wave. Ponies yelped in surprise as he flew by, leaving a few soaked in the process. “My naval buddies taught me.” He paused and looked to the side, his attention now focused on a pegasus whose spectrum colored mane and tail were waving in the wind, giving off bursts of color as it hit the light. “Sup,” he called, giving a quick wave.

“Sup.”

“Can I help you?” He placed forepaws on his hips and smiled proudly, winking as the mare slowed down to fly beside him. “Or are you here just to watch me surf in style?” He adjusted his shades and gave a heroic pose, still smirking as the pegasus rolled her eyes.

“I definitely admire your style, that’s for sure. Also, those black glasses, totally cool,” she admitted before bypassing Ace. She twisted around mid-air and glided backwards before meeting his gaze head on. “When I saw someone riding a large, wild wave through the river, I couldn’t help but check it out. I didn’t expect to see a Raichu.” She crossed her arms. “But you’re not Nica, that’s for sure. So…?”

“Of course I’m not like my sister. As you can see, my features are totally different.” He poked his ears and gave a polite bow. “And definitely cooler. The name’s Ace, and I am the Alolan variant of a Raichu. Got that?”

“Totally. The name’s Dash, Rainbow Dash. Sound good?” The mare extended her foreleg towards the pokemon with a grin.

Ace slapped the hoof with white patch of his paw. “Nice name.” He levitated himself up away from the wave, now hovering next to the pegasus. “Great wing-control. Flying backward like that is so cool, not to mention impressive.”

“Not as cool as riding on a massive wave on your own tail…” Dash paused, her eyes sparkling in excitement. “Wait, you can levitate yourself on your tail as well?” She spread her limbs out wide, still soaring backwards. “That’s so awesome. I thought Nica was cool, but you’re even cooler!” She rounded Ace and poked his side with her elbow. “Though I should expect nothing less from Nica’s kin.”

Ace smiled and circled Rainbow Dash in return, looping around her three times before flying back to his wave. “Finally someone who gets it. Are you an athlete? Do you know any cool moves? How do I get a rainbow mane as cool as that?” he blurted out a barrage of questions, though the mare only listened to one.

“Sure I know cool moves, even cooler than that surfing might I add!” Dash said as she darted around the pokemon four times now.

“Then how about I show you mine, and you show me yours?” Ace rounded the pegasus five times.

“Could you please stop doing that!?” Litten shouted, the pupils in his eyes dilating as they continued circling one another. “My head is spinning from you two flying around and round and round...”

“S-sorry,” Ace said before lowering his tail, perching it on the ongoing wave of water. His ears flashed with a silver aura of power as he altered the wave’s direction to fit the upcoming turn in the river.

“Wait, so not only can you levitate on your own tail and surf on waves, you can control the very water as well?”

Ace poked his ears and puffed his white, fluffy chest. “Sure can. Psychic powers baby. Oh, and my water pokemon friends taught me the move ‘Surf.’”

Dash squealed, clapping her hooves together. “Finally!” She started flying side by side with the surfing pokemon, a wide grin painted on her face. “Nica has done so many cool stuff with her tail, agility, electricity and survivability, but she was way too humble to admit it. It’s so great to see her cooler brother not having low self-esteem issues.”

Ace rolled his eyes. “I know, right. Ever since Nica visited us as a Raichu, I started idolizing her, considering before she left she was kinda a bully.” He ignored Rainbow’s gasp and continued. “Simply holding back my praise not to upset her was a struggle of its own.” Seeing a bridge on the way, he said, “Take a deep breath, Litten! We’re going in.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Litten muttered, releasing a feral shriek as he realized exactly where they were going. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no! We are NOT going underwater!”

The wave of water seemed to vanish in an instant as it fell back towards the river. With a deep breath, Ace dived into the water, shaping himself like a torpedo before emerging from the other side of the bridge. His ears flashed with a silver aura as a big wave emerged from the water once more, carrying him back into the air.

Litten shook his head and hissed, poking Ace in the side with his claws. “Was it really necessary? You could have just levitated over the bridge!”

“Of course I could have, but it would have been too simple,” Ace commented, ignoring Litten’s outraged cry.

“Second that. Diving under the bridge, now that’s cool,” Dash agreed.

“Well then, why didn’t you go under?” Litten howled, giving the mare an aggravated look as his fur stuck to his lithe frame.

The pegasus stuck out her wings, flapping them in synchronization as she replied, “Can’t. If my wings get too wet I won’t be able to fly.”

Litten grumbled in annoyance.

Ace smiled widely, allowing his massive wave to crash into the riverside shore. He grabbed a yelping Litten and landed the ground, holding the cat pokemon up into the air as if displaying him in front of an audience. He squinted his eyes shut and shook the water from his fur, opening them just in time to see Litten screech and push himself free from his grasp.

Pikachu was still sprinting from a bit away, taking a few moments to catch up while Dash landed, trotting over to the three pokemon.

Ace examined his new playground with a smile. There was a small hill on his left and two odd little homes resting side by side on his right. Apparently those houses were normal by the towns standards, but they were still weird looking to him. There was a quaint windmill near him right beside a deep pond. “We’re finally here!” He levitated above the water, bypassing the muddy coast, stopping above the grassy ground.

Litten embraced the grass, rolling as he relished the feeling of solid ground beneath him.

“Come on, little dude. It wasn’t that bad,” Ace said, receiving a sharp glare and a furious hiss in response. He looked to the side, spotting a huffing and puffing Pikachu stumbling up beside him.

“You’re… fast… when surfing… on water…” Pikachu sputtered between his quick breathing, a few stray drops of sweat sliding down his face. “Next time I’ll just use ‘Quick Attack’ to keep up.”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, “Sorry, got into a talk with this cool pegasus and forgot about you. Hehe, my bad.”

Pikachu followed the Raichu’s gaze and spotted Dash, standing beside him. He waved and said, “Hey Rainbow.” He sat and looked to the left at the riverside. “I must say, this place looks nice.”

“Totally. Now with more water in place, I can show you some more advanced tricks,” Ace said, only for Pikachu to grab his forepaw and pull him towards the ground. “Hey, why are you stopping me?” The pokemon opened his mouth to explain but was quickly cut off by the Raichu. “Oh... I get it, you want to surf with me. I was hoping you would ask for that! Litten’s no fun.” He pouted, oblivious to Pikachu’s various attempts to butt in. “Surfing with a hero like you is a dream come true!” He took two steps back, freeing half of his tail space before pulling Pikachu onto it. “You prefer me holding your shoulders, or you holding my sides?” He tapped his forepaws together. “Or maybe try to balance yourself without my assistance. Now that would be cool, though it would take someone time getting used to.”

“Well… I was actually hoping we could just sit for a moment and talk. I can see you love water and know the move ‘Surf,’ but I still don’t know how you know it or why?”

Ace’s ears drooped with a sad pout appearing on his face as he flopped against the shore in disappointment.

“W-we can surf after the story,” Pikachu added in haste, in hope of lifting his spirits.

Ace smiled and slowly levitated towards the coast before sitting on the side of his tail, patting the free space. “Go on and sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

Pikachu nodded and sat, leaving a few centimeters distance in between them. “It feels just like that time when Nica allowed me to sit on her tail while we were taking a bath.” He chuckled. “I think I’m getting used to it.”

“Sitting on a tail is the best.” Ace giggled before levitating his tail onto the water surface, allowing his and Pikachu’s rear legs to sink in it. The water was surprisingly warm after soaking up the sun's rays. “Comfortable?”

“Yep.”

Rainbow Dash flew towards the closest cloud and pushed it towards the water, perching herself on the puffy surface alongside the duo.

“I’ll stay on the land, thank you very much,” Litten said as he relaxed on the coast, lying on his side. “I’ll never understand creatures who like water.”

Ace looked up at the sun with the black glasses still protecting his eyes, feeling a pleasant warmth on his face and back as the water gave a delightful, dull chill along his rear paws. His ears flapped in the slight breeze as he listened to the singing of the local birds. Taking a deep breath, he admired the new view, watching as the crystal-clear water reflected the gentle rays of the sun, hills at his side covered by fresh sheet of grass, and noticing the impressive capital built on a mountain in a distance.

He glanced to the side at the Pikachu, who despite not being fully evolved managed to accomplish such incredible deeds. Deeply inside, he felt a strong respect to the smaller but greater pokemon, desiring to earn his respect in turn. The fact that such a great hero sat by his side on his tail was already a huge honor. He stopped his daydreaming once Pikachu’s eyes met his as he started see the curiosity burning in his pupils. He took a deep breath, more than willing to share details of his past.

“I’m not sure if Nica told you this already, but our herd lives on a snowy mountain on an island, isolated from pretty much all sides. The freezing and harsh environment made us tough and adapted us to the cold, but finding pokemon to befriend that weren’t an ice type wasn’t easy.” Muttering, he added, “All the ice type were too cold.”

“So it was lonely there?” Pikachu asked, probing deeper.

“Lonely? Not at all. We had each other, and a few friendly fire pokemon who from time to time shared their heat with us in exchange for food and sometimes just our company. But those of us who sought friends among other species visited the jungle.” He looked up at Rainbow Dash. “One of my sisters often dreamed of flying through the sky, so she befriended and regularly visited flying type pokemon. Though she didn’t sprout wings, she was given access to rides, allowing her soar to her heart’s content” He looked down at his rear legs which were still draped in the water and held a forepaw on his chest. “As for me, watching the seemingly endless water from the tip of a mountain always fascinated me, so I started visiting the beach to see what it had to offer. What lay underwater for me to explore.”

Pikachu looked at him and said, “Let me guess, you got interested in exploring the ocean and started befriending its residents?” He smiled upon receiving a nod. “You remind me of Misty and Lana. I think you three would get along nicely.”

“Misty and Lana?” He asked questioningly, though Pikachu simply shook his head.

“Another time.”

Ace paused, before taking off his glasses and placing them on Pikachu’s nose instead. “They look pretty good on you.”

“Hey, don’t stop there,” Rainbow Dash whined, her wings flapping in aggravation.

“Sure, sure. Don’t get your wings in a twist.” Ace looked at Dash and covered his eyes with his forepaw as the strong rays of the sun became blinding, now with his shades off. “I quickly learned how to swim and started to enjoy it and diving to explore underwater flora was great. I tried to make friends too, but being an electric pokemon made it a bit difficult.”

“Difficult, why?” Dash asked.

Litten facepawed, calling over from where he rested on the shore. “Weakness to electricity, which is extra dangerous when underwater!” The cat stood up and trotted over, laying a bit closer to where the three conversed. “Wouldn’t you know that?” With the mare’s confused expression, he continued. “Your wings? Doesn’t electricity hurt a bunch since you’re technically a flying type?”

“Huh? I mean, pegasi are actually pretty resistant to lightning, especially since we deal with it daily, when making weather and all that.”

“Haha, sure. Make weather.” Ace giggled, though Dash simply tilted her head. Litten gave a confused look back, and Pikachu took the silence as his chance to add in.

“Well, a bunch of pokemon have wings and aren’t flying types. Heck, look at Gliscor. He can fly-”

“Glide,” Ace corrected.

“Fine, glide. He has wings as well, yet he’s actually both ground and flying type so electricity doesn't even affect him.

“Anyways, back to the main topic…” Dash mumbled.

“Oh, yea.” Ace nodded. “For a water type to invite an electric type into their domain requires a lot of trust. But I didn’t give up, and over the years I gained enough trust and even befriended some water types who were kind enough to take me for an underwater ride here and there.” He puffed his chest. “I even got really good at holding back my electricity, despite still being a Pichu. There was this one time a Sharpedo swam up to me and gave me a nasty ‘Bite’ attack, and I didn’t even let one spark go.” He sighed. “Ugh, simpler times when I didn’t have so many weaknesses.” He felt a paw on his shoulder and looked down at the smiling face of Pikachu.

“That’s an interesting passion. Was pursuing it difficult?”

“It was… but mostly because of Nica,” Ace answered.

“Nica?” Pikachu asked.

“What are you talking about?” Dash gasped, gaining a thoughtful expression. “Is this what you were talking about earlier, with Nica being a bully and all?”

“Yep.” Ace rubbed back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. “I know it may be difficult to imagine, but before she became Astra’s pokemon, Nica was impatient, had a very hot temper, and liked bullying others. Attacking flying and water pokemon that I and my other sister tried to befriend was amusing to her and made things difficult for us.”

“You can’t be serious!” Dash cried as she jumped towards the edge of her cloud, nearly falling from it. “She’s like, the nicest pon-pokemon ever! She would let herself get crushed before touching a fly. How could she possibly be a bully?”

“Told you it was hard to imagine. Most of us were kind of happy when Astra convinced Nica to join her, and you have no idea how shocked we were when she returned to us as a Raichu,” Ace said before flying up towards Dash’s cloud. “She was incredibly kind and apologetic. She admitted to all her wrong-doings right there and then, humbled herself before us and even asked us to punish her. You have no idea how much joy her visit brought to our mom.” He looked at Pikachu and added, “It was the first time we met a Raichu, and she showed our final evolution in a really great light.”

“Is that why you became one?” Pikachu asked.

“Kind of. After seeing what became of Nica, I wanted a pokemon trainer of my own. I followed her to the bunker and plead Astra’s friend, Emily, to take me on an adventure.”

“Emily? I met most of her pokemon already,” Pikachu said, before counting off each of their names. “Battleship, Commando, Queen, and now you Ace.”

Rainbow Dash sat on her cloud and commented, “I’m not sure if those names are really cool, or really ridiculous.”

“My name’s cool,” Ace said as he gave the pegasus a hurt look. “Right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash responded with a nod and quick shake of her foreleg. “So, what next. Did you became Emily’s partner and start kicking flanks and taking names?”

Ace looked to the side, blushing. “Well… I had the motivation to work hard, but Emily already had a competent and strong team. I had a lot of catching up to do to the pokemon that had been traveling with her for so much longer.” He looked at Pikachu as his ears drooped. “When Astra and Nica had already defeated the champion of Sinnoh and neutralized three of Team Rocket’s most dangerous trainers, while you and Ash stopped a natural disaster involving three flying legendary pokemon, I was still a tiny Pichu with a love for swimming but little to none combat experience. I was… pretty uncool when it came to you all.”

“But you caught up, right?” Dash asked.

“Not… necessarily.” Ace shook his head as his tone became more humble and lacking in his usual confidence. “I don’t have a great talent like you do, Pikachu, and even less experience. Nica did her best to train me whenever we met, but there’s still a lot I need to learn.” He took a deep breath and raised his head arrogantly. “B-but even if I’m not the strongest fighter on the team, I’ll get there one day! Besides, I’m definitely the coolest, by far, and I’ve learned plenty of really cool tricks. Some team members even calls me the glass cannon or the most specialized fighter.”

Dash chuckled. “Seems someone grew a big ego to overcome the fear of failure. I get you buddy. I know how you feel.”

Pikachu patted Ace on the back from his spot on Raichu’s tail. “Nica is very sensitive and got really upset when I was jealous of her. I hope you won’t mind it if jealousy gets the better of me from time to time.”

Ace picked Pikachu between his forepaws and smiled. “Surely not. Admire me all you want. A hero like you being jealous of me, now that would be flattering.”

“If that’s the case, how about a pokemon battle,” Pikachu said as he narrowed eyes and shot him a challenging stare. He pointed at him, “You…” and next at himself, “against me. One on one. Let’s find out if you can impress me.”

Dash nodded. “Sweet! A cool battle, I’ll need to grab some popcorn and a drink.”

Ace levitated towards the grass and released Pikachu, who landed on his four paws and stared back with expectation painted on his face. “You’re on!”

Comments

[Friendly Spartan IV]

[Zapper Frost]

“If that’s the case, how about a pokemon battle,” Pikachu said as he narrowed eyes and shot him a challenging stare. He pointed at him, “You…” and next at himself, “against me. One on one. Let’s find out if you can impress me.”

And no Nica to put boring rules on them

[Emtu]

could of

could've or could have. Could of/would of/might of etc. are never right.

[falconstrings]

great chapter looking forward to the battle

[Shadowshame]

“If that’s the case, how about a pokemon battle,” Pikachu said as he narrowed eyes and shot him a challenging stare. He pointed at him, “You…” and next at himself, “against me. One on one. Let’s find out if you can impress me.”

Nica really needs to learn to let others do things their way being a pacifist is fine but when it comes to skill vs power if someone has s lot of power but no skill they can end up hurting themselves instead of their opponent while someone with a lot of skill but little power can trick and maneuver the former into a position where they defeat themself

[Midknight Defender]

One little trip-up that keeps taking me out of the narrative is something you’ve done this entire series: you keep using “more or less” when the phrase you clearly intended to use is “much less.”

More or less = “this thing is very similar” or “close enough”
Much less = “and certainly not <that>”

[Spirit of Harmony]

11400118
Another phrase that would work is ‘let alone’, which basically means the same thing.