Storm

Raiden's mind went blank for a moment.

'Huh? Was there a Pikachu that strong? Is it a Mew?'

At this thought, his eyes suddenly went bright. Maybe today was the day he saw a Legendary Pokémon, and on his very first day. How lucky was that?

But upon closer look, he realized there was something wrong with this Pikachu.

It was covered in mud and its eyes were a bit red and tired. It looked like it was sick.

Raiden would hardly believe that this dirty Pikachu had an extremely strong electricity within, if he hadn't saw it himself. It really looked like it was about to faint.

"PIKA! Pika-Pi!"

Dirty Pikachu suddenly started shouting at the Boss. It looked very angry.

The Boss stared back but did nothing. It did not shout back, but just stood there as if it was accepting everything.

Dirty Pikachu continued to shout, but all it got back was silence.

It finally had enough as it dashed towards the Boss using Quick Attack. The Boss who was unresponsive all this time finally moved as it also fought back with a Quick Attack.

BANG!

Surprisingly, it was Dirty Pikachu who had the advantage. It had overpowered the Boss who was bigger than him with sheer speed.

As Raiden watched on, he never expected that the tired looking Pikachu would be able to move extremely agile and fast.

BOOM! BOOM!

Every move they made sent shock waves throughout the area, blowing away dust into the air. Quick Attack vs Quick Attack, Iron Tail vs Iron Tail.

Dirty Pikachu wasn't stronger than Boss, but it always had the strategical advantage. It would quickly move to Boss Pikachu's blindspot with a Quick Attack and held onto the ground or used the force of gravity when using Iron Tail.

Their battle was so intense that Dirty Pikachu was slowly pushing back Boss Pikachu into the forest.

Raiden hesitated but then determinedly decided to follow.

In the forest, Dirty Pikachu was even stronger. It used the trees and branches as platforms for Quick Attacks or hid behind a tree to dodge the Boss' Iron Tail.

They continued to tangle with only physical attacks. Their speed made it hard for Raiden to see clearly.

Dirty Pikachu skillfully used an Iron tail and launched it diagonally towards the Boss.

Although Boss managed to back away in time, the Iron Tail smashed diagonally to the ground causing rocks and sand to blind him.

This showed how smart and resourceful Dirty Pikachu was. Its battle instincts were extremely sensitive, and it could use tactics during a fast-paced battle.

Dirty Pikachu smoothly managed to connect a Quick Attack and send Boss Pikachu into the air. This was what he was after.

Without stopping, Dirty Pikachu quickly calculated and controlled where Boss Pikachu would fall towards. It would rush there first and kick him back into the air. It was a very strong combo, as if forged from the experience of hundreds of battles.

Dirty Pikachu never let up, as it sped up even more to finish the fight as soon as possible.

If things kept going at this pace, Boss Pikachu would lose.

It suddenly decided to stopped holding back, as it launched a Thunderbolt to where he was going to land.

If Dirty Pikachu were to carry on with the combo, it would get hit. It could only do nothing but moved away, as it prepared for what was to come next.

After Boss Pikachu manage to stand firm back onto the ground, it continually unleashed dozens of Thundershocks.

Dirty Pikachu used Quick Attack to dodge all the attacks. There were many times where it could break through if it just withstood one Thundershock, but it didn't.

This puzzled Raiden greatly. Why was it only dodging? It could have won many times by now. And why was it only using physical attacks? Why didn't it use any electric attacks?

As Raiden could feel the powerful electricity within Dirty Pikachu, the battle should have been over a long time ago even if it stood still and just blast tens of Thunderbolts. Instead it was Boss Pikachu doing it. What was happening?

As the battle raged on and both were beginning to tire, Raiden finally caught onto something.

It wasn't that Dirty Pikachu won't use electric attacks, but that it can't.

Maybe that was why it had an extremely huge amount of electricity. It couldn't release it and so it stored up.

It was already very impressive if a Pikachu had electricity like that of Boss and Punk. Some stronger Pikachu would have electricity a level higher. But any more than that and it would be harmful to the body.

Dirty Pikachu had long passed this threshold. It was already an impossible feat that it lived until today. But its body was already at its limits, and it was only a matter of time.

It dodged with extreme speed and agility as it tried its hardest to close in. But Boss Pikachu never let up. This has now become a battle of attrition between Boss Pikachu's electricity and Dirty Pikachu's stamina.

And it was already clear what the answer was.

Dirty Pikachu was getting slower by the second, as it was already exhausted from all that running and dodging. And soon after, it got hit by a Thundershock.

And that was the end.

"PIKA!!"

Dirty Pikachu fell to the ground screaming. It spat out blood as it convulsed in pain.

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Raiden was greatly confused.

How could a Thundershock deal so much damage? And why was an electric-type Pokémon damage so badly by an electric-type move?

Even if Dirty Pikachu couldn't use electricity, it shouldn't change the fact that it was inherently resistant to electric attacks.

But what Raiden saw was the last piece that connected everything.

Dirty Pikachu's electrical aura grew stronger!

Even though it was only a little bit, Raiden could feel it.

This was… the Pikachu's Hidden Ability, Lightning Rod!

Lightning Rod was the ability to attract all the electric-type attacks in the area and absorb it, nullifying any damage. It could even replenish the user's electricity!

To any other Pikachu, this ability could easily make it the strongest in the group.

But to Dirty Pikachu, it was like a poison. It could control its ability so that it wouldn't attract electricity, but he couldn't stop himself from absorbing it.

He was already incapable of using electric attacks, now this Lightning Rod ability was slowly killing him.

If his electricity was already full, his body would have stopped generating electricity. That was why it was unheard of for there to be a Pikachu to be overloaded.

A Pikachu that couldn't use electricity. And the Hidden Ability Lightning Rod.

The ability that should have made it stronger, suddenly became a death sentence.

It really was a cruel twist of fate.

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The battle was now over, but it was silence that reigned.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, covering the sun that was shining brightly a few minutes ago.

The wind was picking up, blowing coldly into the forest.

Boss Pikachu just stared at Dirty Pikachu for one last time before walking away.

Its actions clearly showed that it had nothing to do with Dirty Pikachu anymore.

Dirty Pikachu just laid flat on the ground as if it had already given up.

He was left all alone in the middle of the forest, waiting for his time to come.

It came to this world alone, and alone it would leave.

But sadly(?), it was not alone. A figure slowly went out from behind a tree and stood before it.

Raiden was holding onto a Pokéball.

This was his chance.

A very strong Pikachu, who was smart, agile, fast and even had the Lightning Rod Ability.

But it couldn't use electric attacks.

Was it worth it? Maybe, maybe not.

Can Science and Medicine cure it and allow it to use electricity? Maybe, maybe not.

It didn't matter if it didn't want to be captured.

As long as he could catch it, they had all the time in the world to strengthen their bond. After all, a caught Pokémon could never escape.

That's right. Catching a Pokémon doesn't brainwash it. It just held them captive. This was the harsh reality of Pokéballs.

The Pokémon would have no choice but to let themselves be trained and listen to orders. If not, they won't be able to go outside the Pokéball ever again.

Most Pokémon don't have pride. They weren't too intelligent to feel so. As long as they were fed and not abused, they would come to love their Trainers.

But Pikachu were highly intelligent. They were able to think like an 8-year-old child, some even more mature.

Raiden looked at the Pikachu at his feet and saw it looking back at him.

There was nothing in its eyes. No anger, no despair, no emptiness.

It was just a normal gaze. Like meeting eyes with a random person.

But Raiden knew what it meant and what was hidden deep beneath them. It meant that it didn't care anymore and would accept anything that came to it. Be it captivity or death.

"Sigh."

It wasn't the right occasion. Raiden wanted this Pikachu as his Pokémon, but not like this.

What he needed was a partner, not a slave.

The skies were turning even darker and it looked like there would be a downpour anytime soon.

Small droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, as the wind blew slightly even stronger.

He crouched down and carried Pikachu in his arms.

Then, he sought for shelter from the storm that would inevitably come crashing.

Pikachu was just silently staring at this human. Why did he pick me up? Is he going to eat me?

It didn't care. At the very least, it could live for a moment later.

It couldn't move, and if it did rain, it would surely drown. It was already dead.

Raiden then hurriedly ran towards the place on his map, which was a few minutes away.

Not even a minute later, the rain came down. Hard. The raindrops were big and heavy as they blanketed the entire area. The visibility dropped and was akin to inside a fog. Running suddenly became hard as it was hindered by the mud forming on the ground.

Raiden was already soaking wet and his eyes stung from the rainwater, but he couldn't shelter himself because he was carrying Pikachu.

Lightning flashed through the clouds, and thunder roared a few moments later. Raiden suddenly thought of something and his face went pale.

He was literally carrying a Lightning Rod in his arms! If Pikachu decided to attract lightning and commit suicide, it would bring him down together with it!

"Hey. Don't just give up. Life is more beautiful than you could ever imagine. Even if you're inevitable dying, at least cherish the moments you have left." Raiden said softly while dashing through the rain with all his might.

He wasn't sure if Pikachu could understand him, but it didn't matter as long as it didn't throw in the towel.

As he kept on running, Raiden began to feel tired.

While Raiden was wondering if he made a wrong turn somewhere, he felt relieved.

He could now see the place he was running towards in the distance.

It was a cabin. A cabin especially built for the students who were training in the forest. But there were only a few of them, and it was almost never in use.

Even though Raiden had a tent, and the special few who came to stay in the forest brought tents with them, if a storm such as this suddenly came, they would have no choice but to head inside the cabins or at caves scattered all over the forest.

As soon as he entered and shut the door to the cabin, he collapsed to the floor, soaking it wet.