"Pikachu and the Thunder Stone"
Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo,
            Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case 
            they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have
            permission to use them).  The author hereby gives permission for 
            this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as 
            long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express 
            written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to 
            profit from this story.  If either or both rules are violated, it 
            will be considered a violation of copyright law.

Author's Note:  Hmm, not sure where to begin this one.  I'm a little 
disappointed with the non-response my last Pokémon fic got.  I mean, even if
you hated it, I'd have been glad to hear that.  At least it would mean people 
were reading it.  I don't care if you love it, hate it, or whatever....just
let me know this is reaching someone.
                On another note, school's going well.  With the midpoint of
the semester rapidly approaching, I'm in a stronger position than I expected 
to be.  I'm easily on target to graduate in May 2002, but after that remains
a mystery.  If anyone could tell me of a job I can do with a Bachelor's in 
English, I'd appreciate it.
                As for this story, this is the one that marks a major plot 
point in the Saga.  You might think you can tell from the title, but anyone
who has read my works, either solo or with Francis, know to expect the 
unexpected....and sometimes not even expect that.  Here's hoping this one
gets more of a response than the last one.  Till next time, Happy Reading!

#3

	It had been a number of days since Ash and his friends had competed in 
the singing contest won by Team Rocket.  That defeat still didn't sit too 
well with them.  Even though Jessie and James had won by clearly being the 
best there, it was hard for Ash not to think they had cheated in some manner.
Still, it all seemed to work out for the best.
	"Once we find the sea," he thought, looking at the pokéball on his belt 
that held his new Lapras, "it should be an easy ride to Cinnabar Island.  And
once we get there, I'll be one badge closer to fulfilling my dream."
	"Pikapi?"  a quiet voice asked from his shoulder.
	"Just thinking, Pikachu," he said, giving his favorite pokémon a scratch
behind her ears.  
	"Pikachupi?"  she asked in return, a hint of playfulness in her voice 
along with something else Ash couldn't define.
	"No, I was not thinking of Misty," he said under his breath, turning to
look at the redhead who walked next to him.  Only problem was that in doing
so, he took his eyes off the path in front of him.  "Waaa!"  he cried as he
tripped over a rock, sprawling face-first on the dirt.
	Pikachu shook her head as she watched her trainer and friend pick 
himself up and dust himself off, blushing slightly in embarassment.  She had
jumped clear when he started to fall and landed safely on her feet.  "Pikapi
looks so cute when he blushes," she thought, then blushed herself.  Luckily,
no one noticed and she was able to bring it under control before anyone did.
	"You all right Ash?"  Misty asked, shifting Togepi around in her arms a
little.  "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
	"Just my pride," he said with a slight smile.  Misty returned his smile
easily, and they stared at each other for a moment.  The tension between them
was almost tangible until they turned away.  
	Ash sighed and he could hear the others do the same, even Brock.  That
talk he and Misty had promised to have had not yet occurred, and Ash was 
beginning to wonder if it ever would.  Brock had given them the opportunity
every night since that night, but the awkwardness would always become too much
to bear.  Like the song she had sung for him, no matter how well he practiced 
what he would say, he lost his nerve at the important moment.
	"Maybe we should break for lunch," Brock suggested in an attempt to 
lighten the mood.  "I got a great new recipe I've been dying to try out.  
Besides, according to this map, the sea route to Cinnabar Island is right over
this next mountain.  We'll need all our strength to get over it...unless you
want to take two extra days to go around it."
	"That sounds fine Brock," Misty said, her smile seeming forced now.  She
shrugged off her backpack and set it down against a tree, looking through it
as she tried to calm herself.  "I have to go through with this," she thought, 
setting Togepi down inside it after she'd made enough room.  "Umm, Ash," she 
said aloud, fighting to keep her voice from quavering, "do you think we could 
go for a walk?"
	"Huh?"  Ash said, looking up from gathering the firewood.  "But, I have 
to--"
	"Don't worry Ash," Brock said, quickly taking the firewood from him.  "I
can handle this.  Go on."
	Ash flashed Brock a quick smile of gratitude and walked over to Misty.
They walked off together into the forest, holding hands only when they thought
Brock couldn't see anymore.
	Brock smiled as he started the fire going.  "I'd better make this extra
special," he thought.  "But if everything goes as I hope, I could cook Stone
Soup and they wouldn't know the difference."
	All was quiet between Ash and Misty as they walked, just enjoying each
other's company.  It couldn't last, however, as they both stopped to look at
each other.  "Ash, I...."  Misty began, but found herself unable to continue.
	"Misty," Ash nearly whispered, losing himself in her eyes.  Like a 
magnet, he found himself being drawn closer to her.  Or was she the one moving
toward him?  He didn't know, and he didn't really care.  All he was able to 
focus on were her lips as her face neared his.  He closed his eyes, feeling 
her breath mingle with his just as....
	"Dratini!  Use your Thunder Wave!"
	Ash and Misty turned to where the yell had come from and ended up
knocking heads.  "Oww!"  they both said, grabbing their foreheads and standing
up.  
	"That sounded like Team Rocket," Ash said, rubbing his head.  "Let's go
see what they're up to now."
	Misty nodded, anger at being interrupted burning in her eyes.  She 
stomped ahead of Ash, the ground shaking at each step.  "They'll pay for 
this," she swore.  
	Just ahead of them, by a small stream, Team Rocket's dratini had 
paralyzed a poliwag with its Thunder Wave.  "Good," Jessie said with a smile.
"Now use your Wrap attack."
	"Tini!"  the dratini squealed, wrapping the length of its body around 
the poliwag and squeezing hard.
	"Poli!"  the poliwag screamed in pain, trying to fight back but held 
motionless by both the Wrap and Thunder Wave.
	"OK, do it James," Meowth directed.
	James brushed his hair aside and grabbed an empty pokéball.  He drew 
back his arm and said, "Pokéball--"
	"Hold it!"  Misty screamed, stomping out into the clearing.  "Just what
do you think you're doing to that innocent poliwag?"
	Team Rocket had turned to Misty at her scream and jumped back 
defensively when Ash appeared right behind her.  "Stay out of this," Jessie
said.  "This doesn't concern you!"
	"Why?  So you can steal that pokémon?"
	"Steal?  What are you talking about?"
	"You know what I'm talking about!"
	Before Jessie made her next comeback, their dratini flew through the 
air and landed at her feet, courtesy of the poliwag's Bubble attack.  "James,
get it before it gets away!"  she yelled.
	James turned back to throw the pokéball, but the poliwag had already
slipped into the stream and had floated out of range.  "It's gone, Jessie,"
he said, stating the obvious.
	"Hah, Team Rocket fails once again," Ash said with a smirk, exchanging
a highfive with Misty.  "When will you two give up trying to steal pokémon?"
	"Steal?"  James demanded, towering over the younger teens.  "That was a
wild pokémon you fools!"
	Misty and Ash both sweatdropped when they heard this.  "Wild...pokémon?"
Ash asked quietly.  
	"Of course it was wild," Meowth said, hopping up and scratching both 
Ash's face and Misty's.  "Do you see any trainers out here except you?"
	Ash grabbed the pokéball for his bulbasaur and was about to release it
when Misty grabbed his wrist.  "No Ash," she said quietly.  "We're in the 
wrong here.  We'd better just go."
	"But Misty, they're Team Rocket!"  Ash protested weakly.
	"They have as much right to capture wild pokémon as we do.  If you 
attack them like this, you're no better than they are."
	Ash glared at Team Rocket for a moment before reluctantly lowering his
pokéball and reattaching it to his belt.  "Sorry," he mumbled, pulling away
from Misty and heading back to camp.  
	"Look, we're both really sorry about this," Misty began but stopped when
Jessie held up her hand.
	"Forget it," she said, waving it off.  "Just do me one favor, OK?"
	"Umm, sure...I guess."
	"You tell your friend, Brock was it?  Well, whatever.  You tell him the
reason we don't go straight is because no one ever expects us to.  And on the
few occasions we tried, no one believed us."
	Misty looked down at her feet, completely embarassed.  "All right," she 
whispered.
	"Now if you'll excuse us, we have to get our dratini healed.  See you 
around, maybe."
	Misty turned and rushed back to camp, her cheeks burning.  Brock tried 
to talk to her, but she didn't want to be bothered with anyone.  "Another 
chance ruined," she thought, picking up Togepi and cuddling it.  "And I can't 
even blame Team Rocket for it.  Well, not really.  Are they really right 
though?  Are they only like this because this is what everyone expects of 
them?"
	Lunch was quieter than normal as everyone was involved with their own
thoughts.  Misty had told Brock the message Jessie asked her to deliver while
he was feeding the pokémon.  His movements paused for a moment before he had
simply thanked Misty and continued about his duties.
	Ash had overheard Misty talking to Brock and himself felt doubt over 
those words.  As much as he reminded himself of what they've done to him in 
the past, the thing foremost on his mind was when they helped him save Pikachu
from their boss.  "Maybe, just maybe, they do deserve a chance," he confided
to his favorite pokémon.  
	"Pika?"  Pikachu replied, not quite sure where Ash's thoughts had led 
him.  When Ash offered nothing more, she nuzzled her head against his hand and
was rewarded with an earscratch.
	"We'd better get moving if we want to reach the sea by dark," Brock 
said after he had cleaned everything up.  "We are taking the direct route,
right?"
	"Yeah, we are," Ash said, straightening his hat.  "Come on, the faster
we get there, the faster we get to Cinnabar."  Misty and Brock nodded, all 
thoughts of Team Rocket pushed into the background for now as they continued 
their journey.  
	About an hour later, the group had reached a consensus.  Either Brock
had read the map wrong, or the person who drew the map had absolutely no sense
of distance.  The mountain was far taller than they had been led to believe 
and there was no way they could pass it by nightfall.
	This realization had dampened their spirits considerably.  A night spent
on a cold, windswept mountain was a much less ideal prospect than one spent on
a sandy beach.  Fortunately for them, the path they were on soon forked, one 
of which led to a Pokémon Center.  Without even speaking, they all agreed to 
follow that path.
	The path to the Pokémon Center sloped slightly downward, making it 
easier to travel than the one leading over the mountain.  For the first time 
that day, they began talking amongst each other, expressing their excitement 
at what lay ahead.  All traces of any earlier tension had completely 
disappeared and things seemed normal once more.
	Unfortunately, just when everything seems normal, they usually aren't.
Ash and his friends found that out the hard way.  A few rolling pebbles 
crossing their path wasn't anything unusual.  But the accompanying sound of 
distant thunder, with a clear, blue sky, definitely was.  "Rock slide!"  Brock
yelled, breaking into a run with the others close behind.  
	Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and ran ahead using her agility, 
looking for places they could safely wait out the danger.  A deep cave caught 
her eyes and she frantically waved to catch the others' attention.  "Pika!"
she yelled as loud as she could, but it seemed only a whisper over the falling
rocks.
	Ash did hear her though, and steered the others to the cave.  "In here,"
he called, grabbing Misty and diving into the cave, using his own body to 
cushion the fall, protecting both her and Togepi.  Brock followed immediately 
after, landing near Ash and Misty.  Pikachu jumped in last, after the others 
were safe.  She winced as she felt a small rock strike her tail, but it didn't
bother her much.  That is, until she found her body beginning to glow a bright
white....
	Ash, Misty, and Brock lay motionless until they heard the rock slide 
pass them and continue down the mountain.  "Is everyone all right?"  Brock 
asked, sitting up and checking himself over.
	"I'm fine," Ash said, easing Misty off him to the side as he sat up.  
	"Me too," Misty said, wincing a bit.  "Just got the wind knocked out of
me.  Thanks for saving me, Ash."
	Ash smiled and blushed a little, then looked around quickly.  "Wait, 
where's Pikachu?"
	"Rairai?"  a gruff voice called from near the mouth of the cave.  As
everyone watched, a raichu walked into view, looking dazed.
	"Huh?"  Ash asked, confused.  "Where'd this raichu come from?"
	"Rai?"  the raichu asked, snapping out of its daze.  It looked down 
at its fingerless paws as if only seeing them for the first time.  "Rai...."
it whispered, tears falling from its eyes.
	A hollow pit seemed to open in Ash's stomach as he stared at the raichu.
"No," he whispered, crawling toward it and picking it up in his hands.  As 
their gazes met, Ash saw the one thing he was hoping beyond hope he wouldn't:
the soul of his dearest friend.  "Pi...Pikachu?"
	Misty let out a shocked gasp behind him, nearly dropping Togepi.  Brock
just stood there, stunned.  "Pikachu?"  he asked, feeling like he'd been 
punched in the gut.  "But it can't be.  She couldn't have evolved without 
using a thunder stone.  You know that; remember Vermilion City?"
	"I know that Brock," Ash said, never taking his eyes off the raichu in 
his hands, "but I know it's her."
	Misty walked slowly up to stand next to Ash.  The raichu turned teary 
eyes to her.  "Raichurai," it whispered, then looked at Togepi.  "Rairairai."
	Misty closed her eyes as a tear found its way down her cheek.  "It is 
her, Brock," she said, sinking down to her knees.  "Oh Pikachu, what happened?
How...?"
	Pikachu...no, Raichu hugged into Ash's chest, burying her head as she
cried.  Ash held her for a moment, crying himself.  Then his expression 
hardened in determination, like they had only seen when he was battling for
something he truly believed in.  He got to his feet and ran out of the cave, 
holding Raichu close to him.
	"Ash!  Wait up!"  Misty yelled, struggling to her feet and running after
him.  Brock followed along soon after, and soon they were all out of sight.  
What no one noticed, however, was a dull, green stone lying on the ground, 
curiously out of place among all the brown boulders that had fallen.
	Ash ran and kept on running, ignoring the pleas of his friends to wait.  
He didn't stop until he had reached a Pokémon Center at the base of the 
mountain.  "Nurse Joy!"  he yelled, shouldering open the door.  "Nurse Joy!"
	"Keep it down, young man," Nurse Joy said from behind the counter.  "We
have some very sick and injured pokémon here.  You can't just barge in yelling
your head off."
	"But, Pikachu," he gasped, opening his arms and showing Nurse Joy what 
he held.
	"That's a raichu," Nurse Joy pointed out patiently.
	"But she's not supposed to be," Ash protested.  "She's supposed to be 
Pikachu!"
	"Well, you should have thought about that before you decided to evolve 
her.  Evolution's a one-way road you know; there's no going back."
	"But he didn't Nurse Joy," Misty said as she and Brock ran into the 
Center.  "We were caught in a rock slide and dove for a cave to wait it out.
Next thing we know, Pikachu's turned into a raichu."
	"Hmm, I've never heard that before," Nurse Joy admitted.  "Where was 
this rock slide?"
	"On the path leading here from down the mountain," Brock said, his worry
preventing him from slipping into pretty girl mode.  
	"That's even stranger.  We just had that area checked out and it was 
found to hold absolutely no danger of a rock slide.  Well, let me take a look
at your raichu and I'll see if there's anything I can do about it."
	Ash handed Raichu over to the nearby chansey and watched until they had
disappeared through the doors with Nurse Joy.  "Pikachu," he whispered.
	Misty came up and hugged Ash from behind.  "She'll be OK, Ash," she 
said, letting her head rest on his shoulder.  Ash leaned into the hug, letting 
himself be comforted by Misty's embrace.  Brock watched from the side quietly,
knowing better than to interrupt them this time.
	But unknown to them, three other pairs of eyes had seen the whole thing.
"This is horrible," the woman whispered to her partner.  "We all know how 
close those two are."
	"Yeah," her partner agreed.  "And we also know how much it meant to her 
to remain a pikachu.  Remember when she refused to evolve back in Vermilion?"
	"I remember," their pokémon said, more subdued than the others.  "You 
both know how much I hate persians and would do anything not to evolve into 
one of them.  There has to be something we can do for her...."
	"Well, there may be one thing," the woman said slowly.  "I heard some
scientists back in headquarters talking about a way to de-evolve certain 
pokémon."
	"Ooh, tell us more," her partner said, crowding in a bit closer to her
with their pokémon.
	Ash and Misty stood there, Ash still being held by Misty, until Nurse
Joy reappeared.  "I'm sorry," she said, clasping her hands in front of her.  
"Your raichu is in perfect health, possibly the healthiest one I've ever seen.
But that's the problem; I can't find any way to change her back to a pikachu.
Everything points to her being evolved by a Thunder Stone, and the only
explanation I can give is that one of the rocks in the rock slide was a 
Thunder Stone."
	Ash looked down when he heard the news.  "How is she handling it?"  he 
asked after a moment.
	"I think she's still in shock over it all, but that should wear off soon
enough.  The best thing you can do for her is try to accept it.  If you can't,
she'll never be able to."
	"She's right, Ash," Brock said, stepping up to them.  "I know things 
will be different now, but there's nothing you can do about it.  After all, 
she's still the same on the inside."
	"If you'll excuse me, I have some other pokémon to look after."  Nurse 
Joy bowed slightly and then walked away, her eyes shining a bit more than 
usual.
	Ash tried to find the words to express his thoughts, but nothing came to
mind.  The hollow pit in his stomach so recently banished by Misty's hug 
returned in full force.  He pulled gently away from Misty and walked over to
the window, staring out at nothing in particular.  "I can't believe it," he 
thought.  "Pikachu...."
	"Hey, Twerp!"  a familiar pokémon's voice called.
	Ash spun around, glaring at Team Rocket when he saw them sitting nearby.
"Look, I'm in no mood to deal with you guys again today," he said, his fists 
clenched in anger.  "I already said I'm sorry, what more do you want?"
	"We're not here about that, Ash," Jessie said.  
	"We couldn't help but overhear what happened to Pikachu," James added.
"And we think we may know of a way to help her."
	"No way, this is just another one of your tricks," he said, turning 
away.  
	Jessie got up and angrily walked over to Ash.  "Now look here," she
said, spinning him around until they were face-to-face.  "After what we did to 
help you and Pikachu, you still don't trust us?  We put our necks on the line 
for you that day."
	"Yet you also did it to save yourselves," Ash countered.  "The Red Squad
would've come after you right after they came after me."
	"If that's what you think, then why did you vouch for us at the 
contest?"
	"I owed you one, nothing more.  That debt's been repaid in full."
	"All right, then consider this.  Our only job is to get Pikachu and 
bring her back to the Boss, something we haven't even tried to do in a couple 
weeks!  But now, we can't even do that."
	"What's going on over here?"  Misty asked, as she and Brock hurried 
over.
	"We're trying to help here," James said, "but he's being so stubborn he
won't even listen to us."
	"With everything you've done in the past, can you blame him?"  Brock 
pointed out.  "Yeah, you've been straight with us the past couple times, but
do you really think that makes up for all the rest?"
	"We'll give you that," Meowth conceded, "but if you don't want to 
believe in our goodwill, then believe that we want to stay alive."
	"What's that supposed to mean?"  Misty demanded, loudly enough for Nurse
Joy to come out and tell them all to keep quiet.
	"As I was telling your boyfriend," Jessie said, blocking Misty's mallet 
with her own, "our only job right now is to bring Pikachu to the Boss.  Now 
that she's a raichu, there's no way we can do that.  When our Boss finds out,
he'll probably send the Red Squad after us, for real this time."
	Ash forced himself to calm down.  "All right, say I believe you.  What's
this secret you have that can help Pikachu?"
	"Well, Team Rocket scientists have been experimenting with de-evolving
pokémon, trying to make them easier to capture.  It seems that if a pokémon 
that evolves by stones can be tricked into using its most powerful attack on
a spent stone, especially the stone that evolved it, the stone will draw off 
the power to re-energize itself and will de-evolve the pokémon."
	"Wait a minute," Brock interrupted.  "Wouldn't that kind of power drain
just weaken the pokémon and make them pass out?"
	"From what I heard," Jessie answered, "the stone's powers aren't 
restored just by the attack.  The attack is like a bridge the stone can use to
steal back the energy that was needed for the pokémon to evolve, causing it to
de-evolve."
	"Huh?"  Ash asked blankly, most of what Jessie said too involved for him
to follow along.
	"I don't understand it either," Jessie admitted, blushing a bit and 
causing everyone else to facefault.  "I'm just repeating everything I heard
word-for-word."
	"I think what it all boils down to is that if Raichu uses her Thunder on
the Thunder Stone that evolved her, she should de-evolve back into Pikachu," 
Brock said after a moment.  "It is possible, theoretically speaking."
	"There is one catch though."
	"There always is," Ash muttered.  "What do you want for this?"
	"Would you just listen!"  Jessie exploded, earning a shushing from the
Nurse Joy again.  "Would you listen," she repeated in a softer voice.  "The 
catch is that no pokémon has ever survived this before.  The stone draws too
much energy from them, eventually killing them.  Last I heard, a way to 
interrupt the transfer had not yet been discovered.  But knowing you like we
do, I know you'll figure it out just fine."
	Ash thought about this a moment.  He was about to say something else but
the sound of breaking glass stopped him.  "That came from Pikachu's room," he
said, bolting through the doors despite protests from Nurse Joy.  "Pikachu!"
he yelled, bursting into the room.
	Raichu looked up at Ash sadly, her paws severely cut and bleeding.  In
front of her sat a number of glass shards and a broken mirror.  "Rairai," she
said quietly, jumping into Ash's arms for a much needed hug.
	"Oh Pikachu," he said, hugging his pokémon close, not caring about the
blood that was getting on his clothes.  "We have no choice then.  Even if they
are lying, this may be our only chance to get you back to normal.  I'll give 
them the benefit of the doubt again....  I just hope I don't regret it."
	"Rai?"  Raichu asked, her ears perking up.  
	Later that day, Ash and his friends set out back up the path they had
come down.  Raichu had been told everything after she'd had her paws tended to
by Nurse Joy, and she was all for trying, even if it cost her her life.  She'd
be miserable living as a raichu, so anything was better, even death.  
	They spread out when they got to the cave, looking for the spent Thunder
Stone.  "Any luck?" Ash called, rolling aside some of the smaller boulders.
	"Nothing here," Misty said, rooting through the smaller rocks with 
Togepi's help.  "How about you Brock?"
	"Not yet," he said from where he was supervising Onix and Geodude.  "It
has to be here somewhere though."
	"Looking for this?"  a very harsh, grating voice called from above the
cave.
	Ash turned to look at the owner of the voice but had to squint against 
the sunlight that left the figure in silhouette.  "Who's there?"  he called.
	A dark, feminine laugh answered him.  "You forgot us already?  I'm so
hurt.  Maybe this will remind you.  Prepare for trouble and make it double.
To infect the world with devastation!"
	"To blight all people in every nation!"  the harsh voice added.
	"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
	"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
	"Cassidy!"  the female Rocket said, jumping down into sight with a 
smirk.
	"Butch!"  her partner said, jumping down beside her.
	"We're Team Rocket, circling the Earth all day and night!"
	"Surrender to us know or you'll surely lose the fight."
	"Hmmph.  That's right."
	"You two again!"  Ash said, readying a pokéball.  "I knew Jessie and 
James set us up."
	"Oh please, like we would ever work with those two," Cassidy said, her
smirk widening slightly.  "Those two are such screwups I'm surprised they're
still on the team.  On the other hand, we know how to get the job done.  Just
look at the rodent."
	"Now hand over your pikachu," Butch demanded, then stopped himself.  "I
mean, hand over your raichu...if you ever want it to be a pikachu again," he 
added, showing the used Thunder Stone they had been searching for.
	"Bulbasaur!"  Ash cried, turning his hat around.  "I choose--"
	"Uh uh," Butch said, placing the stone in the mouth of a raticate that
Ash hadn't noticed before.  "You make any move to attack us and Raticate'll 
shatter this stone with his Hyper Fang and you'll never get Pikachu back.  
And that goes for the rest of you as well."
	Ash froze in mid-throw, Bulbasaur's pokéball tightly gripped in his 
hand.  He thought about risking it, but then saw a small crack appear in the 
stone.  "What are we going to do Ash?"  Misty asked.
	Ash slowly lowered his pokéball and looked at Raichu.  The look in her 
eyes told him not to give in, not to trust them.  But he couldn't force her to
live out her days as a raichu, knowing how unhappy she'd be.  "All right," he
said slowly.  "You--"
	"Arbok!  Poison Sting!" a familiar woman's voice ordered.
	Raticate cried out in pain as dozens of Poison Sting needles struck home 
in his head, forcing him to drop the Thunder Stone.  It hit the ground and 
rolled off to the side, as much from Ash as it was from them.  "Who did that?"  
Butch roared, looking around as Cassidy checked on Raticate, who had not been 
poisoned by the attack.
	"If you don't know then prepare for trouble," the same voice said.
	"You have to deal with us now so make it double," came the expected 
reply.
	"To protect the world from devastation!"
	"To unite all people within our nation!"
	"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
	"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
	"Jessie!"  she said, jumping down and kicking Cassidy in the face.
	"James!"  he said, following up with a punch to Butch that knocked the 
wind from him but also nearly broke James' hand.
	"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
	"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  James gritted out, massaging out
the pain in his hand.
	"Meowth!"  the pokémon yelled, jumping on Raticate and Fury Swiping him
unconscious.  "That's right!"
	"How dare you attack us!"  Cassidy nearly screeched.  "You're both gone
for good this time!  I'll make sure of it personally."
	"Oh really?"  Jessie asked, wearing a smirk much like Cassidy had worn 
only moments ago.  "And what do you think the Boss will say when he finds out
you're the ones responsible for this?"
	Cassidy took a step back, a look of fear crossing her face momentarily.  
"I...have no idea what you're talking about," she insisted.
	"'We know how to get the job done.  Just look at the rodent,'" James 
said, mimicing her voice.  "You just admitted it!  So what'd you do?  Cause
the rock slide and throw the Thunder Stone at Pikachu when you saw your
chance?"
	"So what if we did?"  Butch said, getting in James' face.  "There's not
a thing you can do about it, not while we still have the stone...."  Butch 
looked at Raticate as if noticing him unconscious for the first time.  "The
stone!"  he yelled, looking around just in time to see it get grabbed by one
of Bulbasaur's vines.  "Go Primeape!"  he called, calling out his pokémon.  
"Pound that plant into pulp with your Mega Punch!"
	"Bulbasaur, look out!"  Ash yelled, trying to intercept Primeape's
punch, but was knocked flat on his backside by a pokémon that just decided to
pop out of its pokéball.  
	"Psy?"  Psyduck asked just as Primeape connected with his Mega Punch....
right on Psyduck's forehead.
	"Good aim, Primeape," Misty laughed tauntingly, helping Ash to his feet.
"Got a good enough headache, Psyduck?"
	Psyduck looked over at Misty and gave her a thumbs up.  Then it turned
back to Primeape just as his eyes started glowing blue.  "Psyyyyyyyyyy," it
said, using its Confusion to pick up Primeape, "duck!"  
	"Prime!"  Primeape screamed as it flew into the mountainside, knocked 
out cold before it even came to a stop.
	Butch and Cassidy recalled their fallen pokémon and nodded to each other.
"You'll pay for this, all of you," Cassidy swore as she and Butch ran for it.
	"Not so fast you two."  Brock said, appearing in front of them.  "Onix,
Bind them!"
	Onix roared as it surrounded the two Rockets and gave them a gentle 
squeeze.  Of course, gentle for an onix meant nearly bonecrushing to a human.
"Good job Onix.  Now what should we do with them?"
	"I'll handle this," Ash said.  "Pikachu, Thun--"
	"Wait a second," Jessie interrupted, jumping in front of Ash.  "While 
they deserve it more than anything, I want to ask a favor of you."
	"What favor?"  Ash asked cautiously.  Jessie just smiled and whispered 
something in his ear.  The expression on Ash's face went from wary to shocked
to evil glee.  "You got it, but only this once."
	"Fine with us," she said.  She whispered something to James and Meowth
while Ash conferred with his friends.  
	"What are they doing?"  Cassidy demanded, still trying to free herself 
from Onix's rocky coils.
	"I don't know," Butch answered around Cassidy's hand shoved in his face,
"but whatever it is we're not going to like it."
	"You can say that again," Meowth said just as Onix gave them one final
squeeze before being called back by Brock.
	Butch and Cassidy tried to run away, but they still hadn't caught their
breath and their ribs just hurt too much to do any kind of strenuous movement.
They looked over to the others and froze still.  Raichu, her cheeks sparking,
was standing far too close for comfort.  And right behind her, ready to give
the attack command were...Jessie, James, and Meowth?  "No way," they gasped.
	"Pikachu...."  Jessie started in a syrupy sweet voice.
	"...or Raichu...."  James added with a laugh.
	"...whichever you prefer...."  Meowth concluded, an evil glint in his 
eyes.
	"THUNDERBOLT!"  they yelled simultaneously.  
	"RaiCHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"  Raichu yelled, sending her most powerful
Thunderbolt streaking toward Butch and Cassidy.  They screamed in pain as the 
electricity flowed through their bodies, resulting in a huge explosion.
	"We're blasting off!"  Butch and Cassidy cried as they flew through the
air, becoming nothing more than a twinkle in the distance.
	"Buh-bye now!"  Jessie said, waving.  "Now I know why you blast us off
all the time, Ash.  That was just so much fun!"
	"Yeah well," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing in 
embarassment.  
	"Oh don't worry, we understand," James said.  "We don't leave you the
choice most times.  Hopefully, that'll change now."
	"If this is any sign, I have a feeling they will," Ash agreed.  
	"Rairaichu," Raichu said, trying to give a thumbs up but only able to
give a paws up since she had no thumbs at the moment.
	Ash recalled Bulbasaur and picked up the spent Thunder Stone.  "Ready
Pikachu?"
	"Raichu!"  Raichu said, nodding.
	Ash set the stone down in front of Raichu and backed up a few steps.  
"Thunder attack, now!"  he said, keeping his fingers crossed.
	"RaiCHUUU!"  Raichu called, releasing her attack directly on the stone.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening.  Then she felt her body beginning to 
shrink and become less pudgy.  "It's working!"  she thought, pouring more 
power into the attack.
	The others looked on in amazement as Raichu glowed with a strange, black
light and began de-evolving.  "Cut the power, Pikachu!"  James said.  But the 
power still flowed as the Thunder Stone began to pulse with energy.  "It's too 
much!"  he said.  "We've got to stop it!"
	"Pikachu!"  Ash yelled, diving for the stone to knock it out of the way.  
	"Be careful Ash!"  Misty said, worry plainly written on her face.
	Just as Ash closed his hand over the stone, disrupting the flow of 
electricity to it, it exploded, sending green dust-like particles everywhere.  
The force was so strong that everyone was knocked to the ground.  Ash caught 
the full brunt of it though and was thrown back forcefully.
	"Everyone OK?"  Brock asked, sitting up wobbly.
	"We're fine over here," Jessie said, getting nods from her teammates.
	"Ash!"  Misty said, running over and kneeling beside Ash.  "Come on Ash,
wake up!"  she pleaded, shaking his unconscious form.  "Don't you dare die on
me, Ash Ketchum.  Not before I can tell you--"
	"Tell me what?"  Ash whispered groggily, opening up his eyes.
	Misty didn't say anything, just hugged into his chest, crying.  Togepi,
poking its head out of Misty's backpack, started crying when it heard its 
mother cry.  It only stopped when two yellow hands picked it up and held it
close.  "Pipipi," Pikachu said tiredly, soothing the egg pokémon's tears.
	"It worked," Ash said, sitting up and smiling.  "Pikachu...."
	"Pikapi...."  Pikachu whispered, smiling at how her voice sounded once
more.
	Some time later, Ash and his friends were once more on the road to the
sea leading to Cinnabar Island, their spirits restored.  Pikachu once more
rode on Ash's shoulder and he was happy to have her there.  His hand had been
pretty badly burnt from the stone's explosion.  But thanks to Jessie's first
aid skills, it would be all right till they got to the Pokémon Center on the
water's edge.
	Team Rocket, though, had gone their own way, saying they had to report
Butch and Cassidy's actions to their Boss.  A playful warning to watch out was
their goodbye before floating off in the Meowth balloon.  Ash and the others
had laughed a bit as they watched them go, but they could all sense something
had changed.
	Another thing that had changed was that Ash and Misty were holding hands 
as they walked.  Though nothing had been said, maybe nothing really needed to.  
They both understood what was there, and that's all they needed for the 
moment.
	"Hey, you!"  a teenaged boy yelled, running up.  "I want to battle you."
	"Sorry, but we've had a really rough day," Ash said, earning a few 
shocked glancing from his travelling mates.  "I'm just not in the mood to
battle right now."
	"Yeah right," the teenager scoffed.  "You're probably just a loser just
like that loser pikachu you're carrying around."
	"Take that back," Misty said, sticking up for Ash.
	"Make me, scrawny," the boy said, pushing Misty so hard she fell.
	Ash saw red when he heard Misty cry out in pain.  Without thinking, he
reared back and punched the teen square in his jaw with his bandaged hand.
	"Ahhh!"  the teen yelled, flying back a few feet before sliding to a 
stop on his back.  "What the hell, you got batteries in that bandage or 
something?  I'm outta here."
	"What's he talking about?"  Misty asked as the teen ran off.  "Do you
have any idea Brock?"
	"Not a clue," Brock admitted.  "What about you Ash?"  When Ash didn't
respond, Brock repeated himself.  Still nothing.  "Hey Ash, what's--"  Brock's
voice suddenly failed him when he turned to look at Ash.  Ash stood silently,
his bandaged hand up before his face, staring at it in fear and awe.  For 
visible around his hand was a aura of fading yellow electricity, much like 
Pikachu got when she used her attacks.