Chapter Text
The day was not going as well as Ash would have liked. At least he knew that Pikachu's day was not going the way he would have liked either.
It was a good bonding experience in his opinion.
"Pi! Pika! Pikachu!" He demanded as Ash bounced another Thundershock away.
That's what he said and what Ash technically heard at least. What he was actually saying was. "Freaking kid! Why are you still here?! And why can't I shock you?!"
"Because we're in this together now!" Ash insisted. "And because I won't let you!"
Pikachu paused, looking at him. Ash heard his thoughts plain as day. 'Did this kid just… No, there's no way he understood me. He's too stupid for that!'
He had no way of knowing he was touching a sore spot, but he managed to touch it anyway. "I'M NOT STUPID!"
Ash the weirdo. Ash the so-called psychic. Ash who can't pass a test but is supposed to read minds? What an idiot. He's just so stupid.
The downside of reading minds, is he knew exactly what people really thought of him. All the time. Even when they smiled and said nice sounding lies to his face.
He knew his Mom loved him, but also knew she couldn't understand him. He knew Professor Oak knew something about him but wouldn't let him know, and knew how to guard his thoughts. He knew Gary was still his friend, but really didn't think Ash was any good as a trainer after what happened a couple years ago…
To top it all off, he knew Pikachu really didn't like him right now. But people could change their minds too! He just had to convince Pikachu to change his.
Said Pokémon obviously hadn't expected his shout, and Ash instantly felt his guard go back up. "No I didn't- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
'Sure…' "Pika…"
"I know that I did, it's just… look, call me whatever you want, but not stupid? Okay? Please?" Ash crouched down on Pikachu's level.
'Can he actually understand me?' The electric-type thought then muttered the last part. "What the heck?"
"I can't understand what you're saying. But I know what you mean." Ash tried explaining. "I'm… psychic, okay? That means I can read minds, and some other stuff. That's how I'm blocking your shocks."
'Wait he's in my head? Wait, did he hear that? And that? What about-'
"Yes, yes, and yes." Ash cut him off. "I can't really stop it, but I promise I won't go any deeper. Just whatever you're thinking right now. No memories."
He refused. He did it once and never again. She said it was okay and that she forgave him, but he still shouldn't have seen them. Even though he knew she really did mean it. Neither of them had realized what could happen but they were Ash's power and he should have known better!
He would never do that to anyone else. Ever.
Ash hoped the other new trainers were having a better day than him. At least they had gotten up on time.
Somehow he'd managed to telekinetically crush his alarm in his sleep for the first time in months. Mom would have to reset the days without an accident record.
"Great, stuck with a kid who can read my mind. Why shouldn't I run off from you?" Pikachu still spoke out loud, that was alright, Ash wasn't the boss of him.
He wanted to be his partner though. "Because I want to be friends."
"You sure? You don't want to tell me to fight some monster I can't beat? Or drag me around without any choice on my part? Shove me in a tiny ball and carry me around in a bag?" Pikachu listed off three of the many reasons that this wouldn't work.
"Yes. I'm sure. If you don't want to fight, fine. If you want to go somewhere we can go. And I have your ball but if you don't want me to use it I won't. I promise." Ash went down the list.
Pikachu frowned at him. "I bet you crack before a day. I bet you go back on your word the instant something doesn't go your way."
"I bet you're wrong!" Ash grinned, coming up with a plan. "If it's a bet, then I bet our friendship! If I don't go back on my word, we get to be friends!"
The electric-type mulled it over, tilting his head and flicking his ears. 'Fine. Deal. When you lose, I get to run off, and you don't come after me.'
"Deal." They shook on it, and Pikachu (weakly this time) zapped his hand. "Ow!"
"Ha! Finally got you! But alright "trainer" what first?" Pikachu crossed his arms and smirked a little.
"You were the one who didn't want me dragging you around with no choice. Anywhere specifically you want to go?"
"Huh, not really actually. Not back to the lab definitely; had enough of that place. Where were you planning to drag me?"
"Viridian City." He pointed toward the treeline ahead of them. "Any other ideas?"
"I'd rather avoid large groups of humans… but those woods are okay. They're close enough to the city, right? That way when you lose you can just walk that way and I'll go the other way. Assuming you don't try to run after me."
"I wouldn't, I promise." Ash meant it. "But I'm not going to lose anyway."
Pikachu didn't reply out loud. 'We'll see.'
It was still kind of awkward, Pikachu was making an effort to not think things. Specifically so Ash couldn't read his mind. Except he just kept thinking 'No thoughts, don't let the human read my brain, no thoughts, no thoughts, berries, wires, oh that's a neat tree, no! Stop! No thoughts…'
Ash decided not to mention it. Instead he just enjoyed the walk, checking in a few of the Pokémon nearby.
His Pokédex scanned the Pidgey in the tree and he did a quick scan of his own. "Pidgey? Remember me?"
"Hm? Oh you're the glowy eyes kid. No glow today?"
"Nah, just traveling to the forest near Viridian City. Did you ever find that Leppa Berry Tree?" Ash asked and Pikachu looked between them.
"No luck. Thanks for trying though, the grove you pointed me at had Aspear and Lum. No Leppa in sight." Pidgey cooed as he spoke.
"Darn, I know I saw a Leppa Berry there… sorry about the mixup. Hope you can find one to hang out in eventually!"
"I'm alright, this one's nice. Good luck! Oh and nice to meet you Pikachu."
Pikachu waved weakly as they moved on. Ash had a bit more pep in his step.
"What was that?"
"What? Pidgey? I met him before. He wanted to find a Leppa-"
"I heard that part. But if you already knew Pokémon then why am I here? Why didn't you ask one of them?"
"...because they live here. And if they still live here it's because they never wanted to travel. If they really did want to, they'd challenge us!"
At least that's how it had been explained to Ash. Both by older trainers, and by some of the local Pokémon themselves!
"Wait, you really aren't gonna go pick fights with them? I thought all you brats loved battles!" Ash could pick up enough of Pikachu's emotions there to know he liked them too. He just didn't want to fight someone else's battles.
"Of course I like battles I-" He cut off and shook his head, trying to forget what happened two years back. He did like battles, he knew the Pokémon fighting them were having a good time. It was just…
Why did they have to hurt so much?
It was silly, if a Pokémon didn't want to be there and get hurt they could easily leave. Break their Pokéball if it came to it but it was easier to just walk away and most trainers would follow. At least most of the ones Ash had met.
But in the moment? When he could feel all the pain and raging emotions coming from both sides?
…it was easier to watch battles on TV than in person. He'd be fine, it wouldn't be a problem! He was going to be a Pokémon Master!
Ash repeated this mantra pushing his doubts away with it. "Battles are awesome. I'm not gonna go picking fights for no reason though!"
That was his story and he'd stick to it.
"Alright, fine. So you really aren't gonna throw me at random monsters." Something flashed in Pikachu's mind, a quick image of another Pokémon. It began to sink back into his memories and Ash pulled back. "You've met Pokémon around here though? Meet any Kangaskhan?"
This was a test and question both. Pikachu was genuinely curious, but he was also baiting Ash, trying to see if he would go into his memories after claiming he wouldn't.
Too bad for him on both fronts. "I've never seen a Kangaskhan around here, sorry. We could ask around though!"
"It's fine. We're probably too far anyway." It wasn't trust, not yet, but Pikachu was no longer repeating "no thoughts" in his head.
Ash did need to steer them off the path a little. "Hey! The forest is right there!"
"And it's over here too!" He shot a nervous glance over his shoulder. He could practically see the glint in Spearow's eye even from over here. "Remember what I said about looking for fights? That guy is looking for a fight. And so is his whole flock."
Pikachu glanced back. "Yeesh, Spearow? They're all jerks. Like to gang up on people. I could take a bunch of 'em I bet."
Ash frowned, Spearow lost interest in them, apparently satisfied they were pathetic cowards. The rest of his flock was relatively nearby, but a bit too far for Ash to pick out distinct minds accurately. "I can't get the full number… there's a lot more than a "bunch" of them though."
Pikachu took a good, hard look at him, one brow raised up. '...that power is pretty useful, isn't it?'
"Sometimes!" Ash eagerly agreed. It certainly did have its uses. He hoped Pikachu learned to trust him enough to show him all of them.
But just because Pikachu was opening up a little, didn't mean it was all sunshine and roses. He still was a bit standoffish, and even a little mean.
"Why are you even using that dumb device? What's the point?" Pikachu waved off interest in the Pokédex.
"It's from Professor Oak." Ash finished scanning the Ratatta and waved as they lost interest. Not one he'd met before obviously. "He gives it to all new trainers. I don't technically have to scan every Pokémon we meet, but he set it up so every time you meet a new one it gives you some facts about them. Eventually you can write some of your own!"
He chuckled at the one for Ratatta and how they took food from "idiot" trainers. As bad as his history with the word was, he knew that specific line was a self deprecating one. He met the trainer (now an adult) who wrote it. He hadn't been paying attention and let the Pokémon run off with his whole lunch.
"The facts aren't always true though." Ash put it away but Pikachu had stopped paying attention. "Oh come on, why'd you ask if you didn't care?"
"I wanted to see how long I could make you talk for." Pikachu snarked, unapologetic.
Ash was still in his head though. The electric-type was still trying to push Ash's limits. He still believed Ash would break his word and was daring him to do so.
Fat chance.
"Alright, we're in the woods, now where?"
"I dunno actually." Pikachu scratched his head. "Pika…"
Ash didn't catch that one. Something he'd discovered years earlier, sometimes people said things without thinking. Pokémon included, which, for them, meant he had no idea what was said.
Not that he was willing to let Pikachu know this just yet. Maybe once they were getting along for real.
"I think there's a river around here somewhere. I brought water but I doubt you want my "gross human water." He guessed.
"Already learning! Don't know why they called you names. You're quick on the uptake!"
There was sarcasm there but also… something more. Not respect, not yet. But… appreciation. Just a smidge.
It was a start.
Misty hadn't expected to run into anyone out here. She was a little off the beaten path, close enough she could still push her bike to and from, but far enough not to be disturbed while she fished.
Not that it was doing much good. The trip had been a total waste thus far.
So when a boy and a Pikachu came from the opposite direction of the road, she was a little caught off guard.
Where did they come from? She was debating if she should talk to them or acknowledge them at all when the boy opened his mouth.
"Pikachu wanted to go to the woods. So we're in the woods." He gestured around them. "And I decided it would be better to avoid the Spearow on the road. He was looking for trouble."
Okay that was weird. "I didn't ask but thanks I guess."
"You were thinking of asking, figured I'd get it over with." He reached into his bag and pulled out his water bottle. "This good enough for you? Or were you looking for a mountain spring?"
"Pika." Pikachu rolled his eyes, he dunked his head in the water for a few moments taking some big gulps.
Misty looked between them and made a guess. The new league season was starting about now. This kid was probably a new trainer and Pikachu his starter.
They seemed to be having some teething issues…
"We have a bet." Ash suddenly said as he finished drinking, giving the empty bottle a few shakes. "If I try to force him to do something he doesn't want, he gets to leave. If I don't, and treat him fairly, then we get to be friends."
Okay once was weird, but twice? And how had they made a bet? "Who are you?"
"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." He introduced himself. "And well, Pikachu is Pikachu."
The electric-type pulled his head back up. "Chaaa."
That was one of the most adorable sounds she ever heard out of a Pokémon. She almost wanted him to win the bet just for that.
"What? Just cause he's cute!?" Ash squawked with offense.
"What the heck is going on?!" She finally had enough. "I know I'm not talking or saying anything! What are you even responding to?!"
"You!" He snapped and his arms fell to his side, fists clenched as he leaned in. "If you just said what you were thinking instead of putting up a facade there wouldn't be an issue!"
"What facade? You're the one who keeps talking out of the blue! I didn't say a word and suddenly you're explaining your journey!"
"If you didn't think so loud I wouldn't feel like I had to answer." He snatched his floating water bottle out of mid air and took another sip.
…hold on a second. "Was that bottle floating?"
"Not anymore." Ash claimed then let it go. "And now it is again!"
Pikachu giggled a little but stopped when Ash smirked at him. "Pi-ka."
"I heard that, no getting out of it."
She stared at the floating bottle and then at Ash, there was a faint purple haze in his eyes, making his irises shimmer. She snatched the bottle out of the air and the lights vanished. "You're a psychic, aren't you?"
"Yep! Ash Ketchum! Pallet Town's resident Psychic Pokémon Trainer!" He gripped the straps of his bag and shifted his weight from his heels to his toes and back again. The grin on his face was wide as could be.
Great, she had some kid in her head- oh come on. "Ugh, I've only met a couple of you guys. Don't suppose you're off to psychic convention to meet up and be weirdos?"
"No, Psychic Con isn't until November." Ash immediately said, and she had no clue if he was serious or not.
"Well whenever it is, I won't be there." She tilted her head at Pikachu, the electric-type seemed to have lost interest in them and was poking around. He was sniffing at her bike a little suspiciously, probably because it didn't smell like the forest.
"Can I have my bottle back? I'm still thirsty." Misty rolled her eyes but handed it back. 'Thanks.'
"Telepathy too?"
'A little.' He stopped drinking and continued verbally. "It's kinda tricky. If I'm not careful I send way more than I mean. So only one or two words."
"Well I doubt anyone wants to hear all the things in your head." She was still a little curious though. Most other psychics she had met were pretty aloof. Ash just seemed… well like a normal kid.
"I'm not!" He protested. "I'm not just some normal kid! I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master!"
Sure he was. And he was pouting, dang it all stay out of her head!
"Can't really turn it off." He uncrossed his arms. "I mean, I can pay more attention to one person or another, but I can still pick out your mind, Pikachu's, and even all the fish down there."
"So you can't read us all at once?" She guessed, still feeling a little uncomfortable about having this kid listening to her thoughts.
"I can "hear" all of you, but if you mean actually knowing what you're thinking?" He shrugged, wincing a little. "Two, maybe three if I'm pushing it. But all the thoughts get jumbled and I start losing track of it all. Normally I just pay attention to one person at a time."
He paused. "Talking makes it easier actually, that way I can focus on that instead of someone's thoughts."
That made sense, imagine trying to talk to her while also listening to all the water-types in the river- wait!
"Hold on a second." Misty caught onto what he'd said. "You can sense the Pokémon in the water?"
"I mean… sort of?" Ash squinted a little bit and she definitely saw a faint glow in his pupils. It vanished in a moment. "I just said it's hard for me to do multiple minds at once. But yeah, I can at least tell how many are down there."
All discomfort was forgotten now. "Are any of them fighters?"
He seemed a bit startled by her sudden change. "What?"
"Fighters! Battlers! Do any of them want to take on the world?! I've been sitting here fishing, hoping to find a new teammate, but you could point me right to one!"
This trip might not be entirely for nothing. Heck, she wouldn't even leave this kid with nothing. She could give him some training tips for that Pikachu of his. Mind reading or not they seemed to be struggling.
"We're not struggling!" That might get annoying. Kind of was already.
He crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm not… never mind."
She tried to fight the rising guilt. "Can you really not turn it off?"
"No. It's like I said, I can stop paying attention but it's like people talking. Unless I'm focusing on something else I can still hear everything. Even then…"
That sounded rough, she felt kind of bad.
"Don't. I'm used to it." He stared at the river as she realized she had to do a better job of watching her thoughts around him. "Any Pokémon in specific you're looking for? There's a lot of Pokémon down there."
"Just one that wants to battle."
"Pika?" Pikachu made his way to the edge and looked in. He smiled at his reflection and started making silly faces.
"They're not looking at you. Most of them are kind of wrapped up in…" Ash made a face. "Fish stuff. Or something. Pokémon who have never met humans have weird thoughts sometimes. It's hard for me to understand them."
"Pi." The electric-type rolled his eyes at his trainer.
"I'm not trying to- I'm sorry, I should stop arguing with you." Ash shook his head and looked upriver. If Misty remembered right there was a small lake that way. "I think there's a Pokémon who wants to battle over there. They're kind of far away, it gets harder to hear thoughts the more distance there is."
Interesting. "Have you always been psychic? I've met a few and I've seen Sabrina before. Not her powers though."
"I really want to meet her!" Ash actually perked up a little as they started walking. "Mom helped me get in touch with some kids from Hoenn who are like me, they've helped me a lot but they're really far away. But ever since I heard of her I've wanted to talk to her!"
"Pen pals I'm guessing? I'd guess telepathy but you said it's hard over distances..."
"Yeah, Tate and Liza, they're brother and sister. They've always been able to bounce off each other though. I don't have anyone to do it with so I'm kind of… weird."
He was, but at least he knew it. Wait, could he-
"Yes. It's fine."
Misty didn't think it was fine. He didn't respond to that thought though, even if she saw his lip tighten at the corners.
"Pika." They looked back at the yellow mouse. "Pikachu."
"Oh right." Misty raised a brow. "I never answered you and he wants to know too. Yeah, I've always been. At least as far as I can remember. It's… I remember being a baby. I don't know how else to start describing it. It's not that I'm "smarter," it's that my mind is too big for my brain."
"Aren't those the same thing?"
"No, but you're not the first person to say it." He grumbled a little. "The brain is physical, it's real. It exists. The mind isn't, part of it is your brain. Chemistry and synapses, but there's more that's not fully understood. That's where people like me come in. On top of the normal stuff, we have too much… thought to fit in our brains. So it overflows and lets us reach out into the rest of the world."
He looked at a long stick on the ground and held his hand out. It glowed slightly and stood upright. He missed catching it and she snickered a little as he made another grab. "See? Walking stick."
"Your hand eye coordination could use some work."
"I'd like to see you try it." He glared and she laughed.
"Hey, I'm not the one whose brain is too small!"
"That's not- No! That's not what I said!" Psychic or not, he seemed as easy to rile up as a normal kid.
"Hey! I told you, I'm not just a normal kid!" And he was still reading her mind. At least they were at the lake.
With that thought, Ash turned away from her, and she saw his eyes glow a little once more. He stared at the water and his eyes widened, glow becoming more obvious before vanishing completely. "What's the update?"
"You don't want this one." That was ominous, and also sounded like a challenge!
"It's not!" He warned. "They're not interested in joining a team, they just want to fight!"
"Look, if you can read my mind you know I'm not a brand new trainer like you."
"I do now!" Ash flailed his arms a little. "I don't go digging! That's private stuff!"
Huh. She just gained a little respect for him. He had the ability to do that but refused to? More to him than she first thought.
"You already knew-" He crossed his arms. "Alright, but be careful. If you get her attention she'll just start attacking. I guess we might be able to back you up though…"
"Pika pi." Pikachu sat back on the ground. "Pikachu."
"What if they need help?" Ash turned to his starter. "You're really just going to watch?"
"Pika." He waved Ash off and started lounging on the grass.
Ash glowered. "Jerk. Fine." He stepped a bit away from the shore and looked up at the distant rumble and approaching overcast. "I think there's a storm coming."
"I saw it earlier. We'll be caught in it either way. You remember to pack a rain coat?"
"I'm fine. If I can focus." More psychic power stuff then? Whatever the case, she preemptively sent Staryu out. If this Pokémon was looking for a fight, they'd be ready.
"You're not!" Ash called and she ignored him.
"Star!" Her own starter looked at Ash and Pikachu. "Staryu!"
"...what the heck are you saying?" Ash sounded incredulous. She wasn't looking at him though, instead watching her buoy, waiting for the bite.
Misty felt a tug.
Then another.
Then her fishing pole was ripped clean out of her hands and the water started foaming. She took a few unconscious steps back and it occurred to her that she had forgotten to ask something.
"Ash, what Pokémon is this?" Rain drops started to fall on them, the main storm was still coming though, thunder rumbled as the distance closed.
The psychic boy was already holding his stick up defensively, and Pikachu decided to lounge a little farther back. "Gyarados."
The lake exploded and a terrifying beast roared a challenge to the world.
Or more specifically a challenge to Misty. A chill ran down her spine as she processed her mistake. She may have underestimated what she was dealing with.
"I told you!" Ash was not helping.
Time to show off what a gym leader was made of. She sent out the rest of her Pokémon. She came here looking for a fight and she had one. Now they just had to win it!
Somehow.
The word echoed in Ash's head as he tried to work out what the heck to do in this situation.
Misty could not handle this on her own, Pikachu had no interest in helping, and the best Ash could do was throw some stray thoughts at Gyarados and make tiny bubble shields that could barely bounce away a Thundershock.
Still, he was going to help. He did his best to ignore the rage emanating from the furious Pokémon and focused his power best he could.
A purple shield momentarily flashed behind Misty blocking a broken branch that was about to crack her on the back of her head. She flinched and looked around, then realized what had happened.
'What was- a branch? Oh Ash made a… wait he can make shields?!'
"Yes!" Ash shouted, the noise of rain and the battle between the water-types making it a bit hard to hear, especially now that the wind was picking up. He looked back at Pikachu. "Get back! It won't be safe!"
'Uh, I mean-' He stopped paying attention to Pikachu's thoughts, instead trying to focus on Gyarados's.
And it made him want to run. The fury, the bloodlust, the desire to attack everything nearby… It was almost too much.
But Pokémon Masters didn't run.
He turned his hat backwards and lobbed his makeshift walking stick at Gyarados, not doing any real damage, but distracting Goldeen from moving right into the path of a Dragon Tail.
"Misty!" The noise was louder now, too many sources making it hard to focus, but he had to try anyway. "I can get some of the attacks before she does them!"
"Don't command my Pokémon!" She snapped, struggling to give orders to all three at once, as well as keep herself out of danger. "But… thanks, let me know what's coming!"
"Whirlpool!" He warned, the water beginning to spiral a moment later. Misty said a word Mom told Ash never to say and returned Goldeen before she could be sucked in.
That… was actually a good idea! It also gave Ash less minds in heightened emotional states to pay attention to! "That! You can return them out of the way!"
"I know I did it for Goldeen but that's kind of- LOOK OUT!" Misty tackled Ash as an already damaged tree came down on top of them.
"Cheating?" He finished the thought, no mind reading needed. "You have a better idea?"
'No, but- Stop it!' She realized he was still in her mind. "Fine! But it'll still be messy!"
Ash raised a hand, creating a slightly larger (if weaker) shield for both of them. They shivered at the effects of Ice Beam, even if they avoided the actual pain. "Yeah! No way out but through!"
Messy was a good way to describe what came next, but Ash had been correct as well. Running was a possibility, but would leave them vulnerable to being attacked, and with the now violent rainstorm it would be easy for them to get lost.
For the present moment, the whole world was them, the lake, and the monster trying to destroy them.
"Hey Ash, maybe you should, ya know…" Pikachu got his attention, vocally first and then thinking of a specific message for him. Less a sentence and more a concept.
"No!" He took the point from the feelings. "I promised I wouldn't force you! Crunch on Starmie!"
"Protect!" Misty's voice was shriller than she would have liked, but she had fumbled the Poké Ball.
'I mean…' Pikachu didn't join in the fight on his own and Ash refused to go back on his word. He threw up another small shield in front of Staryu, buffering the Dragon Tail that still managed to send him flying.
His head hurt, he wasn't used to actively using his powers this much. The Pokémon getting hurt wasn't helping either, their pain ping-ponging in his mind. "Just stay out of the way okay! We can-" Before he could explain further he froze, eyes going wide as fear filled him.
The emotions from Gyarados felt a lot more intense. Specifically, they were a lot more direct.
Raging beast or not, the water-type was still intelligent enough to know Ash was interfering in the battle somehow. "GET BACK!"
He started moving, getting out of the way of the incoming attack but Pikachu did not get back. Instead, completely on his own, he unleashed an electric-type move on Gyarados. Thundershock? No it seemed stronger than that, Thunderbolt?!
Whatever it was, Ash was happy for his help, but much more horrified as the Atrocious Pokémon's attention shifted to the mouse that just zapped her.
Ash quickly picked up what move she was about to use, and ran back, scooping up Pikachu, squeezing his eyes shut, and pouring all his focus into creating a psychic shield around them both.
Hyper Beam slammed into Ash's pathetic little shield, and the next moment all he knew was pain.
At least Pikachu was safe.
Pikachu tumbled across the muddy ground, stunned. Trying to process what just happened. He shook his head and looked at the human that just took an attack for him.
Ash saved him. He had saved him despite everything.
Pikachu stared at the hurt boy, feeling like the biggest jerk in the world. At least he was still breathing and moving a little weakly. His shield must have done something to protect him.
To protect them both.
He'd meant it. Every word of it. He had genuinely wanted to be Pikachu's friend. In return, Pikachu had nearly gotten him killed.
Anger fueled Pikachu, he had been the one to get them into this mess, and he had sat back and done nothing while this good natured Abra wannabe had tried fighting the Gyarados himself! When Pikachu finally did decide to try to help, all it did was nearly get Ash killed!
His nostrils flared, and he rushed into the battle, determined to make this right as best he could.
Seeing the first burst of golden lightning hit Gyarados, Misty assumed Ash finally got his Pikachu to help. Then the Hyper Beam had momentarily blinded her.
The next minute Pikachu was charging into the battle, soaking up all of Gyarados's attention and giving her own Pokémon some much needed breathing room.
But Ash wasn't making any calls, and she felt her heart plummet when she saw him lying there.
Misty raced across the slippery lakeside, the battle and rain turning the grassy space into a mudslide. She slipped a little but managed to land on her knees by his side.
"ASH!" She shook him, some tension fading when she saw he was breathing at least, but he still didn't look great, he had scorchmarks all over him, but he seemed to be in one piece.
Considering the strength of Gyarados? That was something to be proud of.
A flurry of confused images flashed through her head, water, rain, a lightning bolt, a visual concept of fear(?), and then finally 'Misty?'
No wonder he didn't try to send more than a couple words telepathically. That had just been confusing. "Are you okay? Can you-" She flinched as another light flashed at the edge of her vision. Quickly followed by a particularly loud roar deafening her.
"Pika!" Pikachu went flying, knocked away by some attack. The battle wasn't stopping just because Ash was hurt.
"Starmie, give him some cover! Staryu, Goldeen, keep attacking! Peck and Psychic!" Misty tried to divide her attention, cursing herself for not being more prepared.
Some gym leader she was, but there was still a chance she could live up to it. Her Pokémon were still fighting, and Ash was alive, even if he was hurt pretty bad.
"...'m fine." Ash managed to mutter as his eyes slowly opened. They snapped wide open a moment later. 'GET DOWN!'
The voice in her head might as well have been a command, she ducked and another Hyper Beam tore through the treeline, cutting down trees that had weathered storms far stronger than the one currently soaking her clothes and freezing her to the bone.
Hopefully she wouldn't catch a cold from this.
Assuming they survived that is.
Ash struggled to sit up, and Misty was tempted to push him back down, the only thing stopping her was the fear of making whatever injuries he no doubt had worse. "Just stay down, you don't need to help anymore!"
"Yes I do! Ice Beam incoming Goldeen! Pikachu look out for Crunch!" He was still shouting warnings. This stupid, but brave, idiot was gonna get himself killed.
'NOT STUPID!' The words flashed in her mind and Ash's eyes fully blazed with purple light for a moment.
"Sorry." She managed, not expecting that reaction. "You're still going to get hurt though! Starmie Protect! Give Staryu a chance to use Psychic on the broken trees!"
As they worked through their plan, Pikachu made another attack run, he fired off a few Thundershocks, chanting to himself as he went to keep focused on the fight.
His lack of focus on Gyarados proved problematic, as all three landbound Pokémon found themselves on the receiving end of Dragon Rage. Starmie's Protect managed to shield Misty's two star-shaped teammates from the attack but Pikachu had no such luxury.
But he wasn't giving up now. Something in the air tingled, and the sound of thunder in the distance echoed in his ears.
Again he raced forward, ignorant of the chaos around him, he jumped onto the debris Staryu was using Psychic to lift as ammunition, he jumped off even as Gyarados brought low their plans with a Thrash.
Pikachu felt lightning strike him and in a surge of power he'd never experienced before, he screamed and unleashed all of it on Gyarados in a single massive attack.
A pillar of light split the sky, the storm clouds fled from it and those on the ground were tossed aside like leaves in the aftershock.
If they weren't blinded, they would see it fade, and Pikachu tumble back to the ground, hurt by the recoil. Ash didn't waste a moment, ignoring his pain and Misty's protests, he hauled himself back up, nearly collapsing again, and rushed to Pikachu.
Seeing that he was able to move at least, Misty turned her attention to her Pokémon as well as the knocked out Gyarados. After all that, what was she supposed to do?
She swallowed and expanded the empty Poké Ball in her hand, she reared back to throw.
Ash missed the vanishing shape of their opponent, too busy worrying over his starter. "Pikachu! You- You're okay right? Are you-" He stopped himself as he cradled the injured Pokémon, already beginning to think Gary was right.
But Pikachu managed to keep his eyes open a little longer, and with a determined look he managed to form a few clear thoughts for Ash.
'You win. We get to be friends.' His lips managed to twitch into either a smile or a grimace. 'Good luck getting rid of me now!'
Ash laughed, tears already fading, and hugged Pikachu as tightly as he dared. "Never!" He promised.
They had an adventure ahead of them after all.
"I'm fine!" Ash insisted, fighting Misty a bit as she helped him limp along, one arm over her shoulder. It was a bit hard with Pikachu clutched in his other, along with the fact he kept stumbling.
"You are NOT fine!" Misty wanted to throttle him, and hug him. Both. "You got hit with Hyper Beam!"
"I made a shield!" He protested.
"And I'm convinced that is the only reason you aren't dead!"
Dead, that word echoed in her head and she growled, trying to force it down. The guilt wasn't helping, Ash may have been the one to find Gyarados, but it had been her idea and she'd been the one to literally fish it up. Despite his warnings.
Good news? She had a new Pokémon. Bad news? She had a raging monster she had no idea how to control.
They were okay though, they were all okay. Banged up maybe but Ash didn't have any broken bones and their Pokémon could be taken care of in Viridian City.
Speaking of, what the heck was that Pikachu of his? She'd never seen an electric-type move that powerful before! Not during any of her gym challenges, or even during the test battle she needed to win to become one!
This was not how she thought her day would go when she crawled out of her tent this morning…
Ash on the other hand was quite pleased with how things had turned out. Mostly anyway, he had kind of been hoping to walk into Viridian City himself, instead of being helped along by a gym leader.
Speaking of, hey! He made friends with a gym leader! Sort of, if anyone asked he would say they were friends. It gave him high hopes for befriending Sabrina eventually.
But whatever complaints he had about aid that may or may not be needed, he and Pikachu finally had a breakthrough! Sure he had to be hit by a Hyper Beam for it to happen, and both of them were pretty beat up, but that last mental exchange had him excited for their future.
Together.
He did his best to ignore the feelings of guilt radiating off Misty. He could argue with her over them tomorrow, for now, he tried to look on the bright side. "At least it's not raining anymore!"
She grumbled, thoughts of tempting fate swirling in her head. Ash wasn't tempting fate, it had already been tempted and they survived it!
"Look it was already raining, it's not going to start again now!" He glanced up, frowning at the sky. It had an orange tint to it now, the storm had made it seem dark as night for a little while there, so it was strange to see the sunset only just beginning.
Well, it would be if he could actually see the sunset. Sure the sky was sort of the right color, but while the rain was gone there seemed to be a mist over everything…
Ash was about to comment on the irony of Misty's name, when he heard it.
Or felt it rather. A song.
Something seemed to resonate, all the pain seemed to fade away, and any doubts he still had melted for a moment. Something, no someone offered a moment of peace. He brushed against a mind, close enough to feel but just a little too far to get a good read on.
Whoever it was though, they were a lot older and more powerful than anyone Ash had met before.
While Ash got more out of it than just the music, Misty heard it too and Pikachu stirred in his arms. They stopped for a moment, looking around, trying to find the source of the haunting tune.
"What's that music? I've never heard…" She saw him looking up and followed his gaze. "What is… that?"
It was a Pokémon, it must be, a great shadowy shape in the shimmering mists over their heads, singing a wordless song that spoke of ages gone, the glorious present, and hopeful futures. Ash had images flash in his mind, islands in their prime, the ruins that remained, and the people who built their homes there.
Something closer to home, literally. Pallet Town, a few scant houses, growing into a village into a town, never a city, but never truly fading away into a ghost town.
An image of himself flashed into his mind and as tempted as he was, he decided to ignore it. He wasn't going to let a song spoil what the future held for him, he wanted to find that himself. That wasn't to say he didn't have any questions though…
Ash finally escaped Misty's aid, struggling to fiddle with his bag one handed. "What are you doing?"
"My Pokédex!" He managed to get it out, and held it up to the great winged shape.
"*ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND. SOME POKEMON ARE STILL TO BE DISCOVERED.*"
A camera briefly flashed, and a loading symbol appeared as it sent information back to Professor Oak's lab for research.
If the mysterious Pokémon noticed they didn't show any change in behavior. It passed over their heads, south back towards Pallet Town and the sea beyond, and with a small change of tune, Ash recognized it as a goodbye.
There was a final flap of wings, the travelers catching sight of something white as the mists briefly parted, then the sky cleared and the Pokémon was nowhere in sight.
'Who was that?' Pikachu's thoughts were still sluggish, but he was conscious again at least.
"I don't know." Ash let his arm fall, staring after the mysterious Pokémon. Misty gaped like the fish she specialized in. "But I'd like to see them again someday."
For today though, he'd like to get to the Pokémon Center and rest. The day may not have gone "well" for any of them, but it was one to remember for the rest of their lives.