  Fist of the Pikachu

  Disclaimer: So what do you want me to do about it?

  < >: Thoughts

  ^^ ^^: Pokemon language

  Chapter 15

  Part 3

  Battle's End

  The two Pikachu faced each other off as they awaited for their masters to
  give their first commands. On one side was an electric rodent that has been
  through many battles and competed in two Pokemon championships. One might
  say that Pikachu was a veteran to Pokemon Battles. On the other side was its
  counterpart, who happened to be wearing a headband, was a bit more muscular,
  and had been trained in a unique style of fighting. This electric rodent had
  already taken out Pikachu's friend Bulbasaur, one of Ash's more seasoned
  fighters. Though Raiden had yet to compete in any Pokemon Leagues, he was no
  slouch when it came to combat. The two Pokemon eyes continued to stare at
  each other. Then...

  "PIKACHU! QUICK ATTACK!"

  Ash's favorite Pokemon sprang forward in a blur of yellow. However, Raiden
  quickly glanced to his master. Ranma simply nodded, indicating that the
  Pokemon was free to use any tactic. Raiden stood his ground as his opponent
  charged in, then at the last instant, swerved to the side while lashing out
  with his tail. The appendage sparked with power as it slammed into Pikachu's
  face, knocking it back.

  "PIKA!"

  Raiden took a defensive stance.

  "Pika. Pika, pika." ^^Not bad. Try again.^^

  Pikachu shook its head as it got back to its feet.

  "Hang in there, Pikachu! Show Raiden how tough you are!" Ash cheered.
  "THUNDERBOLT ATTACK!"

  The mouse let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity that would have lit
  up a building. However, Raiden focused his energy and stood his ground as
  the attack struck home. When it ended, Ranma's Pokemon was still standing.

  ----------

  "Whoa. Ranma's Pikachu took that attack and shrugged it off." Brock
  whistled.

  "Actually, I don't think Raiden even felt it." Sam remarked.

  ----------

  "Not bad Ash." Ranma nodded as he the addressed his Pikachu. "Okay Raiden.
  Show Pikachu what a real Thunderbolt Attack looks like."

  "PIKA!" Raiden's electric pouches sparked once, then let loose with a huge
  bolt that was a real wall-shaker.

  "Pikachu!" Raiden's opponent had to use every ounce of speed and agility it
  possessed to dodge. It winced a bit as the attack grazed one side and
  flashed by, scorching the ground and blasting a nearby tree, causing it to
  topple over into a smoking ruin.

  Pikachu had a big sweatdrop behind its head as it glanced at the damage that
  one attack had created.

  ----------

  "That was some electric attack." Misty commented in awe.

  Jeanette shrugged. "Actually, Raiden wasn't really trying that time."
  "What?!"

  "When Raiden really gets going, he makes a Raichu look like a dead car
  battery."

  ----------

  "Pikachu." ^^That was for openers.^^ Raiden then charged in with a speed
  that his opponent had rarely seen before. Pikachu tried to counter with its
  Agility, but that was when Raiden leapt high. Ash and his friends gasped at
  how high Raiden could jump as he powered up his energy and let loose with a
  Thunder Attack. Unfortunately for Pikachu, it was a tad too slow to dodge it
  completely.

  KRA-BOOM!

  The ground trembled as random sparks and bolts went flying everywhere. The
  ground became blacker from the intense heat being given off. However, when
  Raiden landed after ending his attack, he was very surprised to see Pikachu
  still standing... on its tail.

  "Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

  ----------

  "Impressive. Pikachu used its tail as a ground to dodge the electric
  attack." Ia commented.

  "Yes, but it looks like it didn't dodge it completely." Jeanette pointed
  out.

  ----------

  It was true. Though it avoided the brunt of the attack, Pikachu had still
  received a sizable amount of voltage when the attack spread out. It had felt
  as if it was battling Lt. Surge's Raichu all over again. Pikachu was a bit
  shaky as it got back to its feet.

  "Pikachu, pika." ^^I'm impressed.^^ Raiden admitted. "Pikachu." ^^Let's get
  serious!^^ Ranma's sparring partner then charged in with his Agility.
  Pikachu countered with its own as the two rodents darted at each other.
  However, Raiden had the advantage in close-quarters combat and Pikachu took
  several hits. When Ash's Pikachu tried to lash out with its tail charged
  with electricity, Raiden ducked, then countered with a sweep kick, knocking
  his opponent to the ground.

  ----------

  "It knows how to do a Low Kick?" Brock was more than dumbstruck.

  "Actually, that was a basic sweep kick." Sam said.

  ----------

  "Pikachu seems to be holding out well against Raiden." Ia observed.

  "So far." Jeanette agreed tentatively. "He did pretty well in the Indigo
  League, as I remember. Then again, it could be that Raiden is just testing
  out his opponent's skills. You KNOW what he's like when he goes all out."

  "What do you mean?" Misty inquired.

  "I mean... that." The Crimson City trainer pointed with her index finger as
  Raiden had decided to up the ante.

  ----------

  "Don't give up, Pikachu! You can beat him!" Ash cheered on. "THUNDER
  ATTACK!"

  Pikachu darted back to get some more fighting room, jumped, then let loose
  with a massive blast of electricity. Raiden however, shrugged off that blast
  as well, though he did feel a bit unsteady for a moment.

  "Pika?!" ^^You're still standing?!^^ Pikachu couldn't believe that Raiden
  was withstanding every one of his attacks. It began to suspect that its
  opponent was really a Rock-type.

  "Pika, pika... pi." ^^That one... hurt.^^ Raiden admitted that Pikachu's
  last attack had some bite to it, and he should have dodged it. He could see
  how experienced his opponent was if it was able to generate that much
  voltage. Ranma's Pokemon decided that it was time to finish the match.
  Raising one paw up, he began focusing his power. He glowed with a thin blue
  aura, as his cheek pouches began sparking. Electrical energy started
  collecting above his paw as Raiden used his ki to condense the voltage into
  a large ball.

  ----------

  "Huh? Is that a Zap Cannon Attack?" Brock gasped.
  "No... it's something a LOT worse." Sam replied.

  ----------

  "THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" Ranma shouted.

  "Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash cried out.

  Raiden leapt high again and threw out his attack like Nolan Ryan pitching a
  fastball. Ash's Pokemon managed to avoid a direct hit, but with Raiden's
  attack, even a near miss was devastating. The sphere of power exploded on
  the ground and sent electrical blasts like shrapnel. Several of those blasts
  caught Pikachu as he desperately tried to get away. However, it was at
  Raiden's mercy as he came down and lashed out with a flying kick.

  Pikachu was sent sprawling and rolled to a stop. It tried to bravely get
  back to its feet, but then collapsed.

  "Pikachu!" Ash ran up to his best friend and picked him up in his arms. "Are
  you okay?"

  Raiden stood in a neutral stance as he looked up at his fallen opponent.
  When Pikachu stirred, Ranma's Pokemon let off a sigh of relief. He had just
  used enough force to do the job and Pikachu would recover.

  "Pi... ka."

  "It's okay Pikachu. You did great." Ash said.

  "Pikachu, pikachu." Raiden said.

  Both Ash and his Pikachu looked down and saw Raiden giving the both of them
  a respectful bow. He then addressed his defeated opponent. "Pikachu, pika,
  pika." ^^You fought bravely, my friend. It was an honor.^^

  With these words, Raiden trotted over to his master. Sam and the others
  noted that he was limping slightly, favoring his right forepaw. When he got
  to Ranma, he started addressing him with paw signals and words. After all
  this time with him, Ranma understood his Pokemon pretty well.

  "Pika, pikachu. Pi, pika! Pikachu! Pikachu! Pika, pi, pikachu."

  Ranma looked at his Pokemon strangely and wondered if he had misunderstood
  Raiden's message. "Are you sure?"

  "Pika." Raiden nodded while giving Ranma a wink.

  Ranma looked over to Ash and Pikachu, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." He
  then called out to Sam. "Sam! Raiden had just told me, that last attack of
  Pikachu's hurt him more than he thought. He can't battle any more today.
  He's calling this round a draw. Both him and Pikachu are out."

  "What?" Sam was confused. "But Raiden clearly won that round. The score is
  four-to-one in favor of you."

  Ranma shook his head. "If Raiden says he can't battle, then that's the same
  as a loss or in this case, a technical knockout. The score is four-to-two."

  Sam gazed at him for a long time, then nodded as she announced, "Raiden and
  Pikachu, both are unable to battle."

  Ash and Pikachu were struck dumb at this turn of events. Ranma however, took
  it in stride as he held out another Pokeball. In the meantime, Raiden went
  over to where Misty, Ia and Jeanette were and sat down beside them.

  Ash could only hand Pikachu over to Misty as he faced off against his
  opponent.

  ----------

  "Pokeball, go!" Both trainers cried out as the match resumed.

  "Neigh!" Wildfire reared on his hind legs as he prepared to battle.

  "Snorlax!" The gigantic Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball.

  "Uh oh." Ranma quickly took out his Pokedex.

  *SNORLAX, THE SLEEPY POKEMON. SNORLAX IS EXTREMELY DURABLE AND IS AMONG THE
  HEAVIEST POKEMON. THEY ARE ABLE TO EAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD AND SOME CAN
  WEIGH UP TO ONE THOUSAND POUNDS OR MORE.*

  <It's like a Pokemon Sumo Wrestler. Well, it may be strong, but Wildfire has
  the advantage in speed. > "WILDFIRE! SUPER FIRE SPIN!"

  The flame horse instantly put on the speed and began sprinting around his
  opponent, leaving huge trails of flames behind it. Soon the Snorlax was
  engulfed in a fiery column. However, there was a huge roar within that
  conflagration, and the flames suddenly exploded outward as Snorelax burst
  free from its superheated prison. Aside from a few minor burns, it was
  unharmed.

  "Great job, Snorlax!" Ash cheered.

  "FIRE WAVE STOMP!"

  The horse reared up, then brought both of its front hooves down on the
  ground. The earth trembled as twin fire blasts burned toward Wildfire's
  opponent. There was a massive explosion as the attacks hit home. Since
  Snorlax wasn't exactly built for speed, it couldn't dodge fast enough. The
  massive Pokemon was driven back several feet, but remained standing.

  <Whoa! It's like trying to bring down Godzilla!> Ranma was impressed.

  "You're doing great, Snorlax!" Ash then gestured with a hand. "NOW,
  MEGA-PUNCH!"

  "COUNTER WITH FIRE KICKBACK!"

  The Snorlax charged. As it moved forward, it reared back with a fist, which
  glowed with a white light. At the same time, Wildfire turned around and
  lashed out with both hind legs. The hooves burned brightly with flames.

  BUH-WHOOM!

  Both attacks hit hard as Wildfire felt Snorlax's fist slam into his back. At
  the same time, Snorlax felt an intense burning sensation on its chest. It
  was like having heartburn on the outside. Both Pokemon staggered back, but
  Snorlax's endurance was higher and it still had some fight left in it. As
  Wildfire stumbled, Snorlax readied for the final attack.

  "USE HYPER-BEAM NOW!" Ash cried out.

  Ranma winced as he saw The Snorlax take a deep breath to collect energy,
  then let loose with a huge, yellow-orange beam.

  "FLAME-AURA!"
  Wildfire had recently learned how to absorb energy attacks from Razor and
  pumped up his aura and flames to the maximum. However, it wasn't enough in
  his weakened condition and the Hyper-Beam overwhelmed him. Wildfire went
  down.

  When the beam faded away, Ranma immediately ran to his Pokemon's side.
  "Are you okay, buddy?" The flame horse gave a slight nod with his head,
  indicating that he would recover. Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief. "You
  did fine. You earned a good rest."

  ----------

  "Ranma's Rapidash is unable to battle." Brock declared. "Snorlax wins!"

  ----------

  "All right! It's four to three now, Ranma!" Ash said triumphantly.

  "You and your Pokemon have got spirit, Ash. I'll give you that." The
  pigtailed martial artist recalled his Rapidash. "Your Snorlax has a lot of
  muscle, but let's see if it can stand up to some mind power! Go Sea Storm!"

  "Golduck!"

  ----------

  "I'm interested to see how Ranma trains his Water Pokemon." Misty remarked
  as she admired the very fine-looking Golduck, and wished that her Psyduck
  would evolve.

  ----------

  Ash became a bit worried as the waterfowl Pokemon appeared. The last two
  Golducks he had seen were very powerful, especially the one he saw during
  his journey through the Orange Islands. However, Snorlax was a tough battler
  and was resistant to many attacks. If it could just hit fast and hard,
  Snorlax could win this one. He only knew of one attack that could do the
  job.

  "HYPER-BEAM SNORLAX!"

  The huge Pokemon began powering up again for another blast, but Sea Storm
  was quicker. His eyes glowed as he grabbed hold of his opponent with his
  Disable Attack. As Snorlax was frozen, the water Pokemon launched into a
  flying kick and slammed hard into Snorlax's head. Its belly may be able to
  absorb physical impacts, but its head was a different matter.

  Snorlax reeled back a bit as Sea Storm leapt back to get some distance. The
  kick had stunned his opponent momentarily, enabling the Golduck to power up
  for a final assault. The gem on his forehead glowed. As the Disable Attack
  wore off, Snorlax resumed powering up for a Hyper-Beam.

  "HYPER-BEAM, NOW!" Ash called out.

  "HYPER-BEAM!" Ranma called out.

  Both Pokemon let loose with massive beams of energy at each other. Both
  attacks collided head-on and for one brief moment, they seemed to be equally
  matched. However, Sea Storm's mental discipline was greater and an instant
  later, his beam overpowered Snorlax's, which caused a backlash to occur.
  Snorlax caught the impact of both its own beam and the Golduck's, which
  caused it to stagger back. Then the Golduck let loose with his strongest
  attack.

  "PSYCHIC TSUNAMI!" Ranma yelled.

  The Golduck let loose with a huge blue blast of psychic and ki energy which
  engulfed the massive Snorlax like a tidal wave, sending it back. The Pokemon
  crashed into a grove of trees and rolled to a stop. It tried to get back to
  its feet, but fell back down with a thunderous clamor.

  Ash gasped as he recalled his Pokemon, then said to the device. "You battled
  great Snorlax. You need a good nap after that."

  Sea Storm was breathing hard. He hadn't had to move something that massive
  since Violet City. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Ranma
  walked up to his Pokemon and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  "If you're too tired to battle, then I'll understand. That was a lot of
  Pokemon that you had to move. Do you want to stop?"

  Golduck almost began shaking his head, but Ranma patted the Pokemon's
  shoulder. "That will be enough Sea Storm. Ash only has one Pokemon left, so
  I'll let Wind Rider and Bruiser handle it. Good job."

  ----------

  "Ranma?" Sam called out.

  Ranma recalled his Golduck and said to her, "Sea Storm won, but he put too
  much of a strain on his psychic powers. He won't be battling any more."

  "All right, Ranma." Sam nodded then addressed the others. "The score is now
  five to four! Ash Ketchum has one Pokemon left. Ranma has two!"

  ----------

  Ranma was confident that his martial arts Pokemon would be able to take out
  whatever Pokemon Ash had left as he threw out the Pokeball. "Go Bruiser!"

  Unfortunately, Ash's last Pokemon happened to be a type in which
  Fighting-Type Pokemon had a natural weakness with.

  "Go Noctowl!"

  Ranma had never seen this Pokemon, so he took out his Pokedex.

  *NOCTOWL, THE EVOLVED FORM OF HOOT HOOT. NOCTOWL SPECIALIZES IN HYPNOSIS,
  CONFUSION AND OTHER PSYCHIC ATTACKS.*

  "Whoops."

  Even a talented trainer can mess up now and then.

  "HYPNOSIS ATTACK!" Ash cried out.

  In addition to being a psychic-type, Noctowl had the advantage of being able
  to fly. The bird soared high and blanketed the area with hypnotic waves.
  Brusier was unable to dodge and was soon under Noctowl's spell. Despite his
  valiant efforts to resist, the Machoke was unable to counter the attack with
  his opponent so high in the air. His feet began to buckle.

  "GUST ATTACK!"

  Noctowl let loose with a blast of wind, which made Bruiser even more
  disoriented.

  "NOW DIVE AND TACKLE!"

  In addition to being vulnerable to psychic attacks, Fighting-Types did have
  a weakness to air attacks as well. Bruiser could defend himself in mid-air
  combat, but Noctowl caught him on the ground as it slammed hard into his
  chest. Bruiser fell back and hit the ground hard.

  Ranma rushed up to his friend and cradled his head in his arms. "It's okay,
  Bruiser. It was my fault. You did what you could."

  "Ma... choke."

  Ranma nodded as he recalled his Pokemon.

  ----------

  "Not too shabby. Ash dominated that round." Ia remarked. "Ranma made a
  mistake of sending out Bruiser against a psychic and flying type."

  "He didn't know that Ash had a Noctowl." Jeanette said. "Then again, Ash did
  pretty well in the Indigo League and he's got a lot of experience."

  "Well now we'll see just what Wind Rider can do."
  "Wind Rider?" Misty asked. "What's a Wind Rider?"
  "Ranma's... secret weapon." Jeanette replied. "Even though he's newly
  evolved, Ash's Noctowl looks like a very tough battler and a powerful
  psychic-type as well."

  ----------

  "Well, we're tied Ranma!" Ash said with a smile.

  "That we are. Then I guess it's time." Ranma held out his last Pokeball.

  "My Noctowl is ready for anything!"
  "Well then... GO WIND RIDER!"

  The Pokeball popped open and released Ranma's final Pokemon.

  "PIDGOOOOO!"

  A huge gust of wind was stirred up as Wind Rider gave his huge wings a few
  practice flaps. Ash and his friends gasped as they got their first look at
  the evolved form of a Pidgeot.

  "What is that?" Ash took out his Pokedex, which had been recently updated
  after he had Snorlax transported.

  *PIDGETON, THE BIRD POKEMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOT. DISCOVERED BY
  TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME. NO FURTHER DATA AVAILABLE.*

  ----------

  "An evolved Pidgeot?!" Brock gulped.

  Ranma nodded. "Yep. And now... WIND CANNON!"

  ----------

  "Wind Cannon?" Misty asked.

  "Think of it as really, really, REALLY powerful Gust Attack." Ia replied.

  The ebony avian gave his wings one forward sweep and generated a gigantic
  blast of pressurized air. Noctowl was sent shooting off and was unable to
  fly against such a force. Then Wind Rider took to the air like a missile.

  Ash gathered his wits and called out to his Pokemon. "Hang in there,
  Noctowl! HYPNOSIS ATTACK!"

  The bird managed to right itself and let loose with a psychic attack.
  However, Ranma's Pokemon simply blinked once then slammed into Noctowl with
  a midair Tackle Attack. The smaller bird was sent spiraling downward as its
  opponent came around for another pass.

  ----------

  "Noctowl's psychic attack didn't affect it at all!" Brock gasped.

  "Well, if psychic attacks don't work on him, then Wind Rider must be a...
  Dark-Type Pokemon." Sam surmised.

  "Finish it off, Wind Rider! SONIC WING!"

  The dark flyer used its wings to generate another blast of pressurized air,
  but this time, the sudden movement caused a controlled sonic boom. This
  caused Noctowl to become totally disoriented and it began plummeting toward
  the ground like a stone. However, Wind Rider had decided that he had already
  won the match and dove down to save his opponent. Gently catching the
  Noctowl in his talons, he then glided gently down toward the ground.

  As soon as they landed safely, Wind Rider spread out his wings and let off a
  cry of victory.

  ----------

  "Noctowl is unable to battle. The winner is Ranma Saotome!" Sam declared as
  Ash ran up to his Pokemon.

  "Are you okay, Noctowl?"

  The bird let off a tired hoot, indicating that it would be all right.

  Ash nodded as he returned it to its Pokeball, then stood up to face off
  against his opponent.

  Ranma patted the wing of his Pidgeton, then walked up to Ash. Holding out a
  hand, he smiled and said, "Good match. I can see why you did well in the
  Indigo League and won the Orange League Championships."

  Ash clenched his fist at his sides, but decided that Ranma had won fair and
  square. He took Ranma's hand in his own and nodded.

  "It sure was a good match. I can see why you beat Prima."

  The two trainers acknowledged each other's skills and had won each other's
  respect.

  ----------

  Later...

  "It was a great battle and I hope we can do it again someday. Who knows? We
  may even face each other off at the Johto League."
  "If we do, I promise you that I'll give you a much tougher battle! I learned
  a lot today!" Ash said enthusiastically. The match had given the younger
  trainer new inspiration to train harder. As for Ranma, he was very pleased
  that someone so young had such experience.

  "I'm sure you will. Well, I guess it's time that we head on to Golden Rod
  City. I've got a Plain Badge to win."

  "Good luck against Whitney!" Ash said as he, Misty and Brock began to walk
  down the path that was in the direction of Ecrutek City. As the trio headed
  off, Brock called back to Ranma.

  "Ranma! The next time you see your cousin Ranko, ask her if she'd like to go
  out with me!"

  Ranma developed a large sweatdrop as he replied, "Er... yeah. Right."

  As Ranma and his friends waved farewell to Ash and his friends, Raiden
  easily leapt up and perched on his master's shoulder.

  The pigtailed trainer smirked as he noted how easily Raiden had moved. As he
  began walking toward the outskirts of Golden Rod City, he addressed his
  Pokemon in quiet, but teasing tone. Walking several meters behind him were
  the girls.

  "Why Raiden. I can see that your paw isn't hurting anymore."
  "Pika." The mouse gave his trainer an embarrassed shrug.

  "Admit it. You weren't THAT hurt, were you?"

  Raiden was silent for a long while before nodding. "Pi."

  "I didn't think so. I've seen you take a LOT worse."

  "Pikachu?"
  "Nah. I ain't mad at you for that."

  "Pi?"
  "Really. I think you made a good decision. Winning isn't everything."

  "Pika?"
  Ranma chuckled a bit at his Pokemon's bewilderment. "I guess it does sound
  strange for me to say that. Ash and Pokemon are a great team and I think
  that it was enough that they actually managed to hold out as long as they
  did. For me, it's not the victory, but the challenge that makes this journey
  worthwhile."
  "Pika!" Raiden nodded his head in agreement. The fact that Pikachu actually
  managed to hurt him, if only a little, was proof that Ash and his Pokemon
  were destined to go far.

  "This match has shown to me that we've got a long way to go, but as long as
  you and the others are with me, then we're going to make it."

  "Pikachu!" Raiden nuzzled his master as he and the others neared the edge of
  Golden Rod City.

  To be continued...

  Author's notes

  Well, the long-awaited match between Ranma and Ash now draws to a close. I
  know that many of you feel that Ranma's Pokemon should have made a clean
  sweep of the battle, but what would have been the point in that? This story,
  like all the others is to show how Ranma could change from the original
  series and I think that he is maturing and learning more responsibility as
  he continues on his Pokemon Journey. Winning at all costs is not an option
  anymore, since he is responsible for the well-being of his Pokemon.
  Furthermore, as time goes on, Ranma will see that there is more to life than
  just training and winning battles. And having friends that will always
  support him will make him even stronger. That's the real heart of this story
  and what makes it so enjoyable.

  In the next chapter, we will see the battle between Whitney and Ranma as
  well as a new surprise! See you there!"
