Chapter Seventeen: Battle with Pikachu
After Ash handed over his Pokémon to Nurse Joy, he took a seat nearby, waiting. The four of them were sitting close together, so Cheng Cheng felt it would be awkward to approach them directly, as if he had some ulterior motive. What should he do? Suddenly, Cheng Cheng noticed Pikachu perched on Ash’s shoulder and came up with an idea.
He took out some Pokémon food from his backpack, which he had made using Mango Berries. As for why he chose this particular food, it was because Mango Berries had a strong aroma that easily attracted Pokémon.
“Pika~”
Pikachu seemed to have caught a whiff of something, sniffing the air curiously.
“Pika~”
“What is it, Pikachu?” Ash noticed Pikachu’s unusual behavior.
“Pikachu~”
Pikachu spotted the Pokémon food on Cheng Cheng’s table and jumped off Ash’s shoulder, landing on the chair next to him.
Cheng Cheng naturally noticed Pikachu’s approach, but he made sure to act casual.
“How adorable, what a cute Pikachu! Would you like something to eat?”
He slid the Pokémon food toward Pikachu, indicating it was welcome to have some.
“Pika~”
Pikachu didn’t eat right away but shook its head.
“Hello, sorry about this—my Pikachu ran over here and bothered you,” Ash said, noticing Pikachu had hopped onto Cheng Cheng’s chair.
“It’s no trouble at all. I love Pokémon, especially Pikachu! This food was prepared for my Pokémon, but Pikachu can have some too,” Cheng Cheng replied.
“Pikachu, would you like to try some?” Cheng Cheng offered a small piece, placing it in front of Pikachu.
Pikachu looked at the food, then at Ash, before accepting it with its paw and settling on the chair to eat.
The way Pikachu nibbled on the food utterly charmed Cheng Cheng.
“So adorable,” he couldn’t help but exclaim, giving Pikachu a spontaneous hug.
“Pika~!”
Startled, Pikachu discharged a small electric shock. It wasn’t using Thunderbolt, but rather its innate Static ability. Cheng Cheng had momentarily forgotten that Pokémon with Static tended to cause jolts of electricity.
Seeing Cheng Cheng shocked, Pikachu looked a little downcast, and Ash quickly apologized.
“No worries, it was my fault for startling Pikachu. I just like Pikachu so much, I couldn’t help myself!”
“Would you like some more?” Cheng Cheng offered another piece of food to Pikachu.
Pikachu once more took the food and began eating, and this time, Cheng Cheng couldn’t resist gently patting Pikachu’s head. Pikachu didn’t seem to mind at all.
The feeling was wonderful, and Cheng Cheng couldn’t help but beam with delight.
“By the way, my name is Ash. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master.”
“I’m Cheng Cheng Hatake, but just call me Cheng Cheng. My dream is to become a top Pokémon Breeder.”
“Really? I want to be a Pokémon Breeder too! I’m Brock. Nice to meet you,” Brock responded with interest upon hearing Cheng Cheng’s goal.
“Nice to meet you.” Cheng Cheng shook Brock’s hand.
“Hello, I’m May. My dream is to become a top Pokémon Coordinator.”
“And I’m Max. I love learning about all kinds of Pokémon.”
“Pleased to meet you both.”
Cheng Cheng shook their hands, then offered another piece of food to Pikachu.
“Did you make this Pokémon food yourself? May I try some?” Brock asked.
“Of course.”
Brock picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“What kind of berry did you use?”
“Mango Berry, which is native to the Hoenn region.”
“It has a delicate texture and melts in your mouth. As soon as you bite into it, the whole piece dissolves, releasing a sweet fragrance. The sweetness is tinged with a faint tartness—delicious! You’re very skilled at making Pokémon food.”
“Thank you.”
“But the ratio of flour to berry puree is a little off. You used too much puree, so the flavor is a bit overpowering and disrupts the original balance.”
“I see. I’ll have to adjust the recipe,” Cheng Cheng said. Brock’s advice was spot on; Cheng Cheng still had areas to improve, and Brock was indeed more skilled at this. But Cheng Cheng hadn’t been at it for long—he was confident he’d soon catch up.
“By the way, Ash, you’re all from out of town, right?”
“Yes. Brock and I are from Kanto, while Max and May are from Petalburg City. I’m here to compete in the Hoenn League.”
“I see. Where are you headed?”
“I’ve already earned six badges. My next destination is Fortree City, but to get there, I need to take a ship from Slateport City.”
“You’re going to Slateport? That’s perfect—I’m headed there too. How about we travel together?”
“That sounds great!”
Wonderful! Cheng Cheng congratulated himself inwardly. Now he’d have more time to spend with Pikachu.
“Cheng Cheng Hatake, your Pokémon are ready,” Nurse Joy called.
Cheng Cheng went to the counter to retrieve his Pokémon, while Ash’s still needed a bit more time.
“Ash, would you like to have a one-on-one battle?” Cheng Cheng suggested.
“Sure! My other Pokémon are still being checked, so I’ll battle with Pikachu.”
Just as expected—Ash would never turn down a challenge.
Cheng Cheng and Ash headed to the Pokémon Center’s battle arena, with Brock acting as referee.
“This will be a one-on-one match,” Brock announced. “Both Trainers will use a single Pokémon. When one Pokémon is unable to battle, the match is over. The battle begins now!”
“Let’s go, Pikachu!”
“Pika~!”
Pikachu leaped onto the battlefield.
“In that case, I’ll use my starter as well. Go, Chimecho!”
“Chime~”
“That’s Chimecho?” Ash pulled out his Pokédex to check the entry, and Cheng Cheng glanced at Chimecho’s stats once more.
Species: Chimecho
Type: Psychic
Level: 36
Rank: Yellow
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Levitate
HP: 40/65
Attack: 30/50
Defense: 35/70
Special Attack: 69/95
Special Defense: 46/80
Speed: 50/65
Total: 270/425
Held Item: None
Moves: Bind, Growl, Astonish, Confusion, Tackle, Uproar, Yawn, Psywave, Take Down.
“Alright, let’s take the initiative, Pikachu—use Thunderbolt!”
“Chimecho, hold on and use Psywave!”
“Chime~”
Pikachu’s Thunderbolt was as powerful as ever, leaving Chimecho quite battered, but Chimecho quickly countered with a Psywave that struck Pikachu directly.
“Pikachu, Quick Attack!”
Pikachu darted toward Chimecho at lightning speed.
“Chimecho, dodge!”
Using its small, agile body, Chimecho easily evaded Pikachu’s assault.
“Chimecho, use Confusion to lift Pikachu!”
“Chime~”
Pikachu was hoisted into the air by Chimecho’s psychic power.
“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt right there!”
“Pika-chu!”
“Chimecho, throw Pikachu away!”
Chimecho hurled Pikachu aside, dodging Thunderbolt as Pikachu crashed to the ground.
“Chimecho, use Psywave again!”
“Pikachu, Volt Tackle!”
“Chime~ Chime~”
“Pika~ Pika~ Pika~ Pika~!”
Chimecho’s Psywave struck Pikachu at the same time Pikachu’s Volt Tackle landed. Both Pokémon collapsed simultaneously.
“Both Pokémon are unable to continue, so this match is a draw,” Brock declared.
“Pikachu, are you alright?” Ash rushed over and scooped up Pikachu.
“Come back, Chimecho, you did great.”
“That was a fantastic battle, Ash,” Cheng Cheng said.
“It really was,” Ash agreed.
“You were amazing, Pikachu,” Cheng Cheng praised, patting Pikachu.
“Pika~!”
Pikachu seemed delighted.
“I’ll go get Chimecho treated. You should bring Pikachu, too,” Cheng Cheng suggested.
They handed Pikachu and Chimecho to Nurse Joy, who quickly healed them and returned Ash’s other Pokémon as well.
“It’s still early—why don’t we set out now?” Cheng Cheng proposed.
“Great idea!”
And so, Cheng Cheng set off for Slateport City with Ash and his friends.
To get from Fortree City to Slateport, they had to travel through a stretch of forest. After several hours of walking, night fell, and they had no choice but to camp in the woods.
Dinner was prepared by Brock and Cheng Cheng—Brock handled the food for the five of them, while Cheng Cheng took care of the Pokémon’s meals.
“By the way, Cheng Cheng, why are you going to Slateport?” Brock asked.
“I run a breeding center and need to purchase some Pokémon Eggs. Slateport has a huge department store and a Pokémon Safari Zone, so I plan to catch some Pokémon as well.”
“In that case, when you go to the Safari Zone, let’s go together!” Brock suggested.
“Sounds good.”
“Hey, look—a shooting star!” May exclaimed, pointing at a streak of light across the sky.
The meteor streaked overhead and crashed to the ground not far from where they camped. Though it wasn’t far by sight, it would probably take a whole day to reach it on foot.
“A meteor, huh? Probably just a meteorite. Am I forgetting something?” Cheng Cheng felt as though something had slipped his mind, but couldn’t recall what it was, so he let it go.
Soon, the group drifted off to sleep.
Elsewhere, the meteorite had crashed, blasting a massive crater into the earth. There was no sign of Pokémon or people in this valley, but now, suddenly, a beam of light illuminated the spot.
“The meteorite landed here, didn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Two figures approached and spotted the meteorite in the crater.
“Bring out the Mysterious Pokémon Retrieval Device.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A woman took a huge machine from a small case—Pokémon-world folding technology was truly remarkable.
“Fire the missiles at the meteorite.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Two missiles struck the meteorite, shattering it to pieces.
A blue light flickered in the darkness, and the two stared in astonishment at what had appeared.
“This is…”
A red flash swept through the scene, and all was still once more.