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Wild Woods, Sinnoh
The trio finally approached a clearing in the middle of the forest. Pixen’s ears lowered as they same to a stop. Oliver noticed the Pichu’s subtle action before letting out a sigh. He put a paw on his forehead, wiping off a bit of sweat.
“This is where you guys started your game, right?” The Oshawott asked, looking back at Pixen.
He nodded in response. “...Yeah.”
“Okay, now all we have to do is figure out where we haven’t searched yet.” Oliver smiled, “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“I haven’t looked there…” He pointed to his left. “And I haven’t checked over in that direction.” He pointed to his right.
“Then we should probably…” Jacob looked between the two directions. “We should probably go right.” Pixen and Oliver silently agreed before beginning to walk towards the direction Jacob picked.
“AHHH!!” A high-pitched and feminine voice shreaked in the opposite direction.
“Ritsu!” Pixen exclaimed, turning around.
“I meant left!” The Pikachu shouted, the heels of his right foot digging into the ground as he turned around. “Go!” He jumped off of his right foot and into a quick sprint.
Pixen’s speed was strangely quicker than his evolved form, dashing past him with a worried glare. Oliver was at the back of them, unable to match their speed. The Oshawott wasn’t really known for his speed. He often lost races against Jacob.
Meanwhile...
A young Pachirisu groaned in pain, being crushed under a Charizard’s foot. She tried to pull herself out from under him, but was unable to.
“Please stop…” She croaked, her voice sounding thin and raspy.
“Once you learn your lesson, I’ll let you go.” The Charizard snarled, the weight of his foot going down harder on her. In the corner of her eye, she could see a Charmander peeking from behind a tree. That Charmander smiled devilishly, his razor sharp pointed teeth showing.
The Pachirisu would’ve given him a dirty glare, but couldn’t push through the pain. She could only groan in pain, hoping that someone would come and save her from this before she dies. She clawed at the ground as she heard her back crack.
Nearby, Pixen could hear the Pachirisu’s groans increase in volume as he, Oliver, and Jacob approached the area. The Pichu’s worried expression only became stronger as they all ran up to where the groans had been coming from.
Pixen was the first to arrive, a distance away from Jacob and Oliver. He panted as he looked around. He then saw a familiar Pachirisu, being crushed under a Charizard’s foot.
“Ritsu!” The Pichu shouted, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he saw the Pachirisu. “Don’t worry, I’m coming for you!”
“No!” Ritsu shouted as Pixen began to run. “Don’t come any closer! Please stop! You’ll get hurt!”
“Don’t worry…!” Jacob shouted from a distance, jumping from the top of a tree. “He brought friends!” Electricity began to surround the Pikachu before he shot it towards the Charizard.
Suddenly, a scalchop blocked the attack, reflecting it towards the ground. Pixen and Jacob both looked back to see Oliver approaching quickly.
“Oliver? Why would you do that?” Jacob looked back to the Oshawott, his eyes widening in confusion. “I had a clear shot.” The Pikachu hit the ground, stumbling a bit. As Jacob spoke, he put his backpack down near a tree, Oliver doing the same.
“Jacob, you can’t control your Thunderbolt!” He answered, running up to be next to Pixen and Jacob. “If you hit that Charizard, then Ritsu would be struck underneath. Even if she’s the same type as you, you can’t guarantee that she’s not already weakened.”
“When you think about it like that, you’re right…” The Pikachu shot Oliver a smile. “As always, good analysis.”
As Jacob talked to the Oshawott, a Charmander snuck up from behind. He wore a toothy grin as he stepped forward, ready to pounce on the three. Oliver could notice a presence behind them, gripping his scalchop nervously.
“Jacob, enemy!” The Oshawott shouted, looking back and throwing his scalchop towards the Charmander. The shell-like object missed it’s target before he shot a flamethrower towards them.
The three jumped out of the way quickly, looking at the Fire-type Pokémon in front of him. Oliver could see his scalchop flying off and hitting a tree.
“My scalchop!” Oliver ran towards his scalchop before the Charmander went to go follow him.
“I don’t think so.” He was quickly stopped by Jacob moving in front of him. “Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” He snarled, “I’m not gonna let you guys gang up on my Dad. You’re gonna have to get through me.” The Charmander shot a glare at the Pikachu.
“I’m just gonna call you Lizard.” Jacob told him, a smile on his face.
“My name is Richard!” He retorted loudly, gritting his teeth together. “Now, I’m gonna get rid of you so Dad can have his prey.”
“Prey?” Pixen asked loudly in the background.
The Pikachu’s laid-back expression formed into a light glare, not wanting for a friend of Pixen’s to be crushed and eaten.
“Pixen! When Ollie gets back, you and him get Ritsu out of here.” He told the Pichu. “I’ll handle him.” The Pikachu flicked Richard’s forehead before beginning to run away.
“Get back here!”
As the Charmander chased Jacob, Oliver ran back over to Pixen with a confused expression. “Is Jacob planning to take him on alone?”
“Yeah, he wants us to get Ritsu out of here.” The Pichu replied. “So we should probably focus on that right now. What do we do?”
“We need a physical or special attack. But the special attack can’t hurt Ritsu.” Oliver explained, “But a direct attack is also dangerous… We could get hurt if we’re not careful.” The Oshawott noticed that his legs were shaking, an action that he tried to suppress.
“What moves do you know?” Pixen asked, his eyes focused on the Charizard crushing his friend.
“I only know Razor Shell…”
“I know Tackle…”
“We don’t have much firepower between the two of us…” Oliver thought. “An attack from the front would be either blocked or countered. So we need an attack from behind.”
The Oshawott gulped down the lump in his throat before letting out a shaky exhale. He moved closer to the Pichu before whispering something in his ear. Pixen nodded, his gaze slightly moving to the Pachirisu below the Charizard’s foot.
“Ritsu! I won’t let you die!” Pixen shouted as he and Oliver jumped forward. The Oshawott put a paw on the scalchop stuck to his chest. He pulled it off before realizing how close they were to the Charizard.
“Stop, Pixie!” She screamed, the two ignoring her pleas.
“Pixen, now!” Oliver shakily shouted.
The Pichu performed a quick backflip before his body began to glow a white color. He looked towards the Charizard in front of him before dashing forward. The Pichu struck the ground in front of him, missing his attack. His attack picked up a lot of dirt and dust, slightly clouding the area. He let out a soft whimper, knowing that he would be attacked soon.
The Charizard gave a devilish smile, charging up a Flamethrower. Pixen realized that he was nearby his friend, who looked at him worriedly.
“Why didn’t you run?”
“Because I couldn’t just leave you behind.” The Pichu gave her a soft smile. “And… I’m getting out of here with you.”
“But… You missed.” The Pachirisu reached out to grab one of Pixen’s paws.
“I know. Oliver!”
An Oshawott appeared behind the Charizard, his scalchop gripped within his paw. He dashed towards the center of the Charizard’s back as Pixen began to try and pull Ritsu out. The Oshawott was suddenly struck in the stomach, sending him flying upwards. Oliver groaned in pain, being forced to twirl in the air from the attack.
In the sky, Oliver gave a pained smile. “If we both attacked, then we would’ve been finished. Attacking one at a time would produce the same result.”
In the small moment the Charizard attacked Oliver, his balance shifted a bit.
“So in order to win… We both had to be the decoy.” The Oshawott looked down at Pixen. “He was the decoy to let me on the other side of Charizard, and I was the decoy…”
The Charizard’s shifted weight, it gave just enough space for Ritsu to be pulled out.
“...To get Ritsu out!”
Pixen picked the Pachirisu up before beginning to run away from the Charizard.
“Luckily, I didn’t have to fight…”
With Jacob
Jacob avoided another Flamethrower from Richard, the attack barely grazing his fur. The Charmander huffed before running over to the Pikachu, beginning to use scratch. Jacob avoided most of the strikes from the Lizard Pokémon before his paw began to glow a white color.
The Mouse Pokémon ducked another attack before reeling his paw back and giving an uppercut to Richard’s jaw, sending him flying into a tree. “Dynamic Punch!”
As the Charmander shakily stood up, his eyes began to glow a scarlet color. He bared his teeth while he wildly charged at Jacob. The Pikachu tried to avoid all of his attacks, but received a hard hit to the right side of his head, sending him to the ground. His sight blurred, his right ear rang, and he could feel the grass below him suddenly impact with his body.
Jacob’s eyes remained widened as his body was stuck motionless. “C’mon… I can’t move!” He shouted in his mind. He could see Richard approaching slowly, his eyes still glowing red. “No… Ollie and Pixen are fighting for Ritsu, I can’t let them down here!”
The Pikachu realized that he was unable to breathe. The impact from the strike or the impact from hitting the ground so suddenly must’ve winded him.
In his blurred vision, he could see an orange figure looking back at him, the figure’s eyes gone from it’s face. Jacob could faintly make out two yellow circles on the sides of it’s face. Suddenly, the figure reached up and touched the Pikachu’s forehead with a large, brown paw.
Not… Yet!
The figure’s paw pushed Jacob’s head back, narrowly avoiding a sudden kick from Richard. The Pikachu stood up, feeling a stinging pain in his right arm. His cheeks were sparking large amounts of electricity.
Who’s voice was that? Jacob took in deep breaths of air, stepping away from the Charmander. What was that? The Pikachu couldn’t figure out whether that voice that rang in his head was his or someone else’s. It was his own will, that’s what he was thinking at that moment… But why was the voice so foreign to him?
Jacob tried to move his arm, but it jolted with pain each subtle movement. Was it… Was it broken? No, then he wouldn’t be able to move his arm at a certain point. He could still move his whole arm, but it felt like needles were piercing him from the inside with each movement. It was sprained…
Richard’s eyes were still glowing the same scarlet color as before, and was now heading straight towards Jacob. The Mouse Pokémon charged electricity in his cheeks before shooting it towards him. Jacob’s eyes widened at the large bolt of electricity that shot out towards the Charmander. The Pikachu staggered back, taking in deep breaths.
Richard’s body was stung with electricity, his body twitching uncontrollably. He growled loudly, now wanting to tear Jacob to shreds. The mental image of seeing the Pikachu being physically ripped apart amped him up even more.
“I’m not done yet!” The Charmander shouted, running back at Jacob with blinding speed. The Pikachu jumped back quickly, his left paw beginning to charge up a Dynamic Punch.
“I can’t punch with my right paw… My right arm burns…” He clenched his left paw. “I hope I can punch as well with my non-dominant arm…” He reeled back his left arm before swinging it at Richard, managing to land a solid hit to his gut.
“Come on…!” He clenched his left paw once more, swinging his paw at the Charmander’s face.
“Is that all you got?!” Richard shouted, closing his hand and throwing a jab at the Pikachu’s face. Jacob managed to barely avoid the attack before giving his gut a third Dynamic punch, sending the Charmander flying into a tree.
Dirt and smoke emerged from the impact, clouding the area around where Richard landed. The Pikachu groaned again, holding his right arm close to his body. When the smoke cleared, Jacob could see The Charmander standing up once again.
The Pikachu gritted his teeth together, preparing for another round. Richard’s scarlet-eyed glare could be seen fading. Sparks flew from Jacob’s cheeks as he glared down his opponent. The two stood in silence for a moment before he heard a groan.
Just then, Richard fell to the ground, his scarlet eyes fading.
Jacob’s glare slowly evolved into a bright smile, realizing that he won his fight. The Pikachu lost his balance and fell on his back, breathing heavily. “...I win.”
Meanwhile...
Ritsu happily nuzzled Pixen, faint sparks flying from her cheeks. She hugged the Pichu, letting out a content sigh. “...Thanks for saving me, Pixie.”
“It’s no problem.” Pixen smiled, returning the hug. “I would’ve done the same for you.”
“But… Where’s your friends?” The Pachirisu asked with wide eyes. “We have to get out of here.”
“Jacob, that Pikachu from earlier, is going against that Charmander.” The Pichu answered, “Oliver was knocked away by that Charizard.”
“We need to get out of here.” Ritsu grabbed Pixen’s paw before beginning to run. “I’m a little hurt, but we could get home.”
“No.” Pixen pulled his paw away. “We have to go back for Oliver. He and Jacob worked hard just to give you the opportunity to escape. We need to help them now.”
“U-Um… Pixen?” The Pachirisu began to shudder. “...Behind you…”
“Hm?” The Pichu looked back before seeing a familiar Charizard looming over the two small Pokémon. “...Oh no…”
The Charizard then began to prepare a Dragon Claw while reeling back his arm. He let out a loud roar as he began to swing his attack close to the ground, kicking up some dirt along his path.
Pixen looked at Ritsu before quickly standing in front of her. He held his small arms out as he faced forward. “I won’t let you!”
As the Charizard’s attack closed in, the Flame Pokémon didn’t notice an Oshawott above him. He had his Razor Shell activated as he quickly fell down. Oliver looked for a good area to attack, but he couldn’t find one in his frantic state.
“I have to attack! But where? When? How?” His breathing quickened. “C’mon… Think!”
With adrenaline pumping throughout his body, the Oshawott suddenly used Razor Shell on the Charizard’s head. This stopped his movement and pushed his head down. Oliver then hit the ground in front of Pixen and Ritsu, his feet digging into the ground. He then suddenly jumped back up to send another Razor Shell attack at his jaw. While still in the air, he attacked him one more time, pushing him back a few meters.
“Oliver!” Pixen exclaimed. “I thought you had been sent flying!”
“I was.” He answered, breathing frantically. “When Charizard attacked me, I used my scalchop to take most of the impact. When in the air, I used Razor Shell and made a ring below me at high speeds to slow down my fall.”
“Wow… You’re really smart.” Ritsu remarked.
“Well it’s nothing.” The Oshawott blushed at the complement. “I just read a lot of books and stuff like that…”
“No, books can’t give you knowledge like that. You’ve gotta be a prodigy or something!” The Pachirisu exaggerated.
“Prodigy?” Oliver smiled, “I don’t really think I would be one of those-”
“He’s getting up.”
“What?” The Oshawott and Pachirisu looked over to Pixen, who was pointing over to the Charizard.
“You…” The Charizard snarled, shooting a glare over at Oliver. “Come here!” He suddenly kicked off of the ground, flying towards them. The Oshawott tried to run, but was quickly scooped up by the Charizard at quick speeds.
Oliver yelped as he was lifted into the sky, accidentally dropping his scalchop on the way up. The Charizard smiled devilishly, looking down at Pixen and Ritsu, who only were seen as dots below.
“Have you ever heard of a Seismic Toss?” The Charizard smiled devilishly. The Oshawott began to shake at the question. “Good. You shouldn’t have messed with my food.” The Flame Pokémon suddenly started to fly downwards, cutting through the sky.
Meanwhile, Jacob was shakily standing up. He could faintly see something at the corner of his right eye. He turned to get a better look, and saw that Charizard from earlier flying downwards. But why would he be taking a nosedive straight for the ground?
That question was instantly answered when he saw a familiar Oshawott struggling to get out of his grip.
“Ollie!” The Pikachu shouted, his eyes widening. “Don’t… Don’t you…” He tried to run towards them, but immediately fell to the ground, his injuries stopping him.
“Don’t kill him! Don’t kill my best friend!” He screamed, not caring if it was futile. Jacob put a paw into the ground, pulling himself forward. He gritted his teeth together as he continued to slowly crawl towards the Charizard, who was quickly approaching the ground.
“Don’t kill him!! Damn it!!” Sparks wildly flew from the Pikachu’s cheeks. His eyes began to glow an orange color.
“Hello?” A masculine and strangely familiar voice asked, his voice echoing through his head. “I really hope this works.”
“Dad?” The Pikachu’s eyes widened.
“When you’re hearing this, Jacob… I’m most likely long gone.” The voice let out a sigh. “But… I can see you.”
“What?”
“No, it’s not some type of psychic link or me watching you from the afterlife…” The voice continued, “This was a message I implanted in you along with your power.”
“I was given a special opportunity from a friend that allowed me to see when exactly you would use your power in a seriously dire situation.” He explained, “Now’s the time.”
“I hope you take these words… And implant them deep within your heart.” He spoke, “Your power isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing.” He paused for a moment. “You’ve been given the ability to protect. To save. To keep the ones you love safe.”
The Pikachu struggled to stand, his body flowing with electricity.
“Clench your paws.”
Jacob planted both of his feet on the ground, clenching his teeth and paws. He let out heavy breaths, his power seeming to not be fit for a Pikachu.
“Wipe off your sweat.”
He dug his heels into the ground, the electricity flowing within him making his sweat evaporate.
“Take a deep breath…”
The Pikachu jumped off of his right foot, dashing through the forest.
“...And just dive in.”
The electricity surrounded him as he ran, his eyes glued to the Charizard who was nearing the forest floor. He quickly entered a clearing, dashing right past Pixen and Ritsu, jumping off of the ground. He kicked up a considerable amount of dirt as he jumped.
“Your mother is waiting for you at the end of your journey. Keep your promise…”
He neared the Charizard and Oshawott, clenching his right paw, but slightly flincing at the pain.
“Strike!!” The Pikachu swung his paw towards the Charizard’s face at blinding speeds, managing to land the attack on his cheek and grabbing Oliver’s paw instinctively.
The superpowered attack sent the Charizard flying into another part of the forest.
“...Son.”
--
--
Jacob suddenly woke up, breathing heavily. He looked up to the sky, which was orange. The Pikachu sat up, putting a paw on his forehead. He noticed that it was his right paw, which was bandaged.
“Jacob!” A voice exclaimed, approaching quickly. It was a familiar Oshawott, who stopped right in front of the Pikachu. He was followed by Pixen and Ritsu, who both looked at him with concerned expressions. Oliver held his and Jacob’s backpacks in his paws, slight weighed down by them.
“Is it my arm?” Jacob asked, knowing why they were so concerned.
“Jacob…” The Oshawott looked down at him with a fearful expression.”...I don’t know what you did, but I don’t think you should ever do it again.”
“Huh? Why not? I saved your life, dude.” The Pikachu gave a confused expression.
“That punch earlier…” He looked away for a moment. “...It shattered your whole arm and paw.”
Jacob looked down at his bandaged arm and paw. “Why can I move it then?”
“We managed to find some really good healing berries.” Pixen answered, walking over. “It healed a little, but you’re still really hurt.”
“When we get to the next town, we gotta go to the infirmary.” Oliver continued for the Pichu.
“Okay. But don’t worry!” The Pikachu looked up to his best friend with a smile. “We’ll just figure this out.” Jacob reached out his left paw up to him, wanting some help up.
“...We always do.” The Oshawott grabbed his paw, helping him up and giving him a hug.
“You know it, man!” He patted the Oshawott’s back.
Meanwhile, the Pichu and Pachirisu looked at each other with smiles. Ritsu looked away for a moment before moving closer. “Hey, Pixie?”
“Yeah?” The Pichu looked back at her confusedly.
“I just wanted to say thanks for getting me out of there.” She smiled, “I also wanted to let you know that…”
The Pachirisu grabbed Pixen by his paws and pulled him closer, giving him a kiss on his cheek.
“...You’re my hero.” She blushed lightly.
As the Pichu blushed heavily, Jacob and Oliver both looked over to them with smiles.
“I think it’s time for us to get going now.” The Oshawott smiled sadly, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. “We got way off track to the next city. Like way off track.” He chucked briefly.
“We’ll miss you.” Pixen smiled up at them, his paw still being held by Ritsu. “Thanks for helping me find her. And Oliver, thanks for helping me get her out.”
“It’s no problem.” The Oshawott gave him a kind smile.
“Get better soon, Jacob.” Ritsu looked up at him, grinning happily.
“Don’t worry, I will.” The Pikachu laughed as the two began to walk off. “I’ll be back in full form before you know it!” He pumped his right paw into the air, wincing in pain.
“Sure you will…” Oliver remarked sarcastically, smiling at Jacob’s antics.
“Onto the next adventure!” Jacob put his left arm around the Oshawott’s neck happily after picking up his own backpack.
As the two walked into the distance, the two bickered and laughed as if their lives weren’t just at stake. They talked and wondered about their next adventure, approaching the end of the forest. The duo simultaneously pumped their paws into the air, Jacob wincing in pain as Oliver laughed.
Preparing for their next adventure, they both smiled happily, looking towards the future... As the journey continues.
