Mount Silver, Three Years After the Source Wave

"VOLT TACKLE, NOW!"

Ash weaved through the cascading stone as Pikachu rammed like a speeding train into the mutated Tyranitar. Without another second of breath, he rolled away from the streaks of dark vapour emanating from the neighbouring beast, barely paying any mind as Charizard sped up to it to deliver a devastating Dragon Rush.

In the corner of his eye, he saw several duplicates of Greninja fending off against a horde of rapid Weavile and Sneasel. Upon seeing one of the injured Sneasel break off to slash at Charizard, Ash intercepted it with a bastardised aura sphere - a technique given to him by his late Lucario - which didn't do much to injure the creature, but served ample distraction for Charizard to stomp on it.

Ash reached the edge of the chamber, clamouring up the steps as Pikachu cleaved through an incoming Stone Edge with Iron Tail, before following it up with a Thunder Punch to the beast's jaw, causing it to cry out in agony, twitching as its nervous system began to succumb to paralysis.

Pikachu turned and burrowed into the ground, digging towards the other Tryanitar, who was engaged in a wrestle against Charizard. Upon sensing the encroaching mouse, Charizard pushed away with a blast of fire, startling the raging monster before a yellow blur slammed into it from beneath. It fell onto the ground, and before it could recover, Charizard slammed into it with a brutal Skull Bash, echoing a resounding crunch as the beast's skull shattered.

The two pokémon turned toward the horde facing off against Greninja when they heard a whistle from the other side of the chamber. Charizard picked up Pikachu and flew back over to Ash.

Upon dropping Pikachu onto the ground, Charizard began to break apart the stone by the exit of the chamber with his tail. Within moments, the stone ceiling above them began to crumble as pebbles and rock dropped down.

Ash called Greninja to retreat, who did so after sending one more Water Shuriken into the remnants of Weavile. The four of them fled from the chamber as the ceiling finally gave way, smothering the chamber in a dark tomb.

The four ran through the claustrophobic tunnel - Charizard's size making it considerably more difficult - before the sounds of chimes signalled that the end of the cave was near.

Ash signalled for his friends to stop before slumping against the wall, sweating profusely despite the cold. There had always been cautionary tales of Mount Silver. The locals kept a strict reign on who was allowed to even begin the trek, as some of the strongest species of pokémon called the place home, the cave systems were prone to collapse, and the upper half of the mountain was caught in a perpetual hailstorm.

At least, that was before the Source Wave.

With the Source Storm practically sitting on top of the mountain, its sheer chaotic energy warped the cave systems to shift together and split apart. Mashing together in a mockery of the senses. Trails that previously led to the summit twisted deeper into the mountain. Caves linked together in such a way that even the best navigator would be hard pressed not to get lost. In a similar way, the pokémon that called the mountain home were twisted beyond recognition; forcibly evolved into beasts that never should have left Arceus' shadow.

Yet, these paled in comparison to the Source Storm itself. The pulsating hurricane of evolutionary power radiated across the world, leaving nothing untouched. Wherever the storm moved, a wasteland followed. Entire cities were torn apart overnight by the might of the supernatural disaster. The storm was so thick in Source Energy that Ash could see the streams of the various type energies contained within.

This all added together to make Ash's trek up the mountain one of the most difficult experiences he had ever undertaken.

The fact that it only scraped into the top five was somewhat depressing.

Over the past two days, he and his pokémon were on constant alert as rabid hordes of the mutated beasts ambushed them. Ash thanked Arceus, Mew, and whoever else he could that he had his three friends by his side - he would have died long ago without them.

Looking at them now, Ash could see the beginning signs of exhaustion taking effect. The four of them had barely received any substantial sleep in the past few days, as they had constantly had to fight against other pokémon or against the mountain itself.

Pushing himself off of the wall, Ash procured a set of potions from his backpack - stitched together and torn in many places - and began to spray the medicine on the places where the bruising was the worst.

Charizard rumbled in contentment as Ash applied the potion on his injuries, puffs of blue and orange embers erupting from its nostrils. His scales - now dark red rather than orange - were sturdier. Yet, the constant battling he had done had taken a toll.

As the beast let out his equivalent of a sigh, Ash ran a soothing hand down his back. "Just a little bit longer, old friend," He whispered, though the other two could hear it as well.

After Charizard was fully healed, he moved onto Greninja, who was arranging an assortment of knives and other items to aid in the upcoming fight. He perked up slightly as Ash healed him, but remained focused in his preparations. He gave a grunt of thanks as Ash moved onto Pikachu.

The little mouse let out a happy cry, nuzzling ash as he used the last of the potions to heal his best friend. Pikachu presented his neck for Ash to heal a near fatal cut, revealing the small necklace he wore containing both a light ball and an everstone. Out of the three pokémon, Pikachu had sustained perhaps the most damage over the last few years, bearing numerous scars across his back and chest. One particularly grievous injury that occurred two years before resulted in a significant portion of Pikachu's tail being torn off. However, much to Ash's amazement, Pikachu actually seemed proud of his injuries, seeing them as hallmarks of his victories against pokémon that, by all rights, a Pikachu had no business fighting against.

There was also the fact that it resulted in Pikachu's Iron Tail gaining a serrated edge, which Pikachu thought was wicked.

Ash emptied the final potion, and as he leaned up, Pikachu gave him a quick lick on his cheek. Ash smiled fondly as Pikachu grinned back, cheerful despite the fact that the four of them were walking into what would likely be their final battle.

All the same, Ash knew they wouldn't abandon him. Despite the numerous pleas he made for them to run, to survive, they stood with him. Instead of trying to get them to run, Ash had shifted his priority to keeping them alive.

However, what they were doing now was completely contradictory to this aim. Most of the past three years had been dedicated to running as far away from the storm as possible. Now, though, with the recent passing of Lucario after fighting a mutated Moltres, Ash and his remaining partners began proceeding closer to the storm.

To end it.

It was both a matter of opportunity and desperation. Ash had finally excavated the final item he needed from one of the last remaining bases built by Team Source.

Apparently, they thought building a lab underneath the Lake of Rage, where the electric circuits were susceptible to water, was a bright idea.

Shortly after, the storm moved from Pokémon Island to the summit of Mount Silver, as if it knew that Ash was planning on braving it, and welcomed him to try.

Indeed, Ash had tried. He and his friends had tried the mountain and had bested its dangers. They were now reaching the summit - the eye of the storm - and each of them knew, even though they didn't speak it, that they would likely never step foot off of the mountain after this encounter.

However, their goal was no longer survival, for it couldn't truly be called living if one's existence was devoted to running. No, they were here to put an end to the storm, to the carnage, to the destruction that had laid waste to the world, so that, if nothing else, those who remained would have the chance to rebuild their lives.

They reached the mouth of the cave, and were immediately blasted with waves of esoteric energy. Ash activated a gauntlet-like device that projected a dark shield that repelled the Source Waves. It was one of the last inventions made by the scientists hiding underground in the uncontaminated bunkers, which Ash happily took when he excavated their remains.

The four stepped into the storm, shakily advancing towards the pulsating cyclone that held the Conduit. Trampling through the glowing blue snow, Ash reached the edge of the cyclone just as the shield was beginning to sputter and die by the raw power smashing against it.

Reaching into his pocket, Ash took out the item he retrieved from beneath the Lake of Rage: a small metal ball with six holes on each side. Ash tossed the ball into the air, waiting with bated breath as the ball fell a little before stopping midair. Then, with a speed that rivalled Pikachu's, the metal ball began to spin.

Ash's shield gave its final breath and dissipated, its dark energy being sucked into the growing black hole radiating from the metal ball. However, instead of tearing them apart inside and out, the storm, too, began to be absorbed by the black hole.

The metal ball then floated forward until it reached the edge of the cyclone. Immediately, the ball began to shake violently as the raging winds were sucked in, dissipating them enough that Ash could see flashes of what lay at the other side.

Finally, the ball stopped shaking, and the tendrils of distortion energy retreated back within the metal husk. The ball remained still as the edge of the cyclone began to pick up speed, until, in a flash of blinding light, the ball shattered, erupting two spires of pure void two metres apart, halting the storm in its tracks.

Between the two dark spires, the remnant Source Energy spittled and faded into mist, revealing the centre of the storm. Stepping through the entrance, Ash and his partners gazed within the eye of the storm.

Hovering in still motion were several boulders, some of multiple colours. Chunks of ice mixed amongst the rock, spiralling in a lazy swirl toward the cocoon hovering in the centre of the eye.

The cocoon was a crystalized matrix of psychic and dark energy, pulsating with white veins as the being within stared out with a baleful gaze, daring the intruders to make the first move.

Despite this, Ash was amazed at the serenity that lay at the eye of the storm. Compared to everything they had experienced over the last few years, this could almost be called… peaceful.

He knew it would not last.

As if awakened by the Conduit's gaze, the storm outside began to howl against the spires of void, slamming against them with increased fervour. As the spires weakened, Ash saw the being within the cocoon begin to move.

It was time.

Looking at his gauntlet-free wrist, Ash eyed the metal wristband he wore containing three stones synthesised in a lab. They bore designs similar to naturally occurring mega stones, though they tapped into something far more powerful, far more primal, than mega stones ever could.

They tapped into the Source of mega evolution. The Source of Evolution itself.

They called it Source Energy.

How unoriginal.

Twisting the stones within his wristband, Ash released the block placed into his partners to prevent the activation of Source Energy. Immediately, the high concentration of Source Energy in the area caused his partners to double over as they began to rapidly transform before his eyes.

His heart went out to them, desperate to place the block back on them to prevent the pain that came with forced evolution. However, he knew they would protest such a thing. They would have to be their strongest for the upcoming battle.

Greninja recovered first, reforming from the incandescent light into a sharper, more aqueous form. He was still recognizable, though his body seemed to exist in a state between solid and liquid. Additionally, the water circulating around his body glowed in a dark aura. The ninja pokémon revealed two water shurikens infused with dark energy.

A rumbling earthquake erupted as Charizard stepped forward, his wings of pure blue flame enveloping him in an infernal halo. His scales now crisscrossed in a rougher pattern, shades of blue, black, and magenta clashed together in random tandem. His tail flame expanded to envelop his entire tail, covering it with streaks of red and blue fire.

Finally, Ash's hair began to stick up as passive waves of electricity began to emanate from Pikachu - or rather from the general direction of Pikachu. Instead of a singular being, Pikachu existed as more of a haze, moving so quickly that there was a permanent afterimage that made it practically impossible to pinpoint exactly where he stood at a given time. As such, Ash wasn't actually sure how Pikachu physically changed, given that all he could see was a blur. However, based on his understanding of Pikachu's recounting of evolving into this state, he actually became smaller, making him even more difficult to hit. It also came with the added benefit of his attacks doing far more damage, with a greater force impacting a smaller area.

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As the storm around them began to pick up even greater speed, Ash activated the harness on his chest. Across his body, a pale blue light shimmered into existence, revealing an artificially crafted suit of aura that would defend him from all but a front-on assault.

Finally, the world seemed to halt as the cocoon cracked open. The being within gripped the cracks, charging it with psychic energy, shattering the remains of the shell. Glowing red eyes shined with malice as the bipedal pokémon floated higher into the air, tendrils of darkness and light spiralling around its balled feet. From its dark purple skin, wisps of fire seemed to leak into the air, falling as glowing lights of growing and regrowing limbs sprouted from the creature and peeled away in a terrible cycle.

Continuously evolving.

The creature turned its gaze upon Ash, once an enemy, once a friend, now a monster. What was once Mewtwo, Ash hesitated to name it the same. All of Mewtwo's mental faculties were wiped away by the constant surge of Source Energy. In their attempt to create a conduit for infinite energy, Team Source created a conduit for something else entirely.

Pain.

The Conduit roared, erupting a hellish wave of destruction towards its enemies.

Without prompting, Charizard slammed his wings together, pushing outwards a massive Heatwave to counteract it. Pikachu's haze became nothing less than a blur as a whirlwind of electricity began to envelop the battlefield.

The Conduit paused, as if reconsidering its approach, before placing its hands together, balled fingers touching before they twisted.

Ash stumbled as the earth around them began to shift. The stone of the ground crushed together as it began to spiral in a whirlpool of mud, hail, and bone. Ash began to hop between the waves of gravel, using small bursts of aura to aid himself, before the Conduit merely lifted a finger, causing the ground to erupt.

In a cataclysmic explosion, chunks of rock blasted away from the ground as fissures tore through the landscape. Greninja - who had been blasted away by the Conduit when he tried to rush it - hoisted Ash onto his shoulder before leaping from stone to stone, avoiding the burst of magma erupting from the ground.

After depositing Ash onto one of the floating rocks, Greninja once more jumped back into the fight, leaping from stone to stone as shadowed duplicates began to multiply from his aqueous form.

Amidst the din of roars and explosions, Ash placed a small contraption on the rock. After three metal claws dug into the stone, a bubble shield derived from Source energy emerged around him, protecting him from becoming collateral.

Immediately afterwards, a force smashed into the rock, pushing it several metres across the air. Charizard seemed slightly dazed, yet he remained defiant as the light from his tail began to spread across his body, the flames healing the scratches and bruises the beast had across his body. The flames then coalesced into his mouth, before erupting in a condensed Blast Burn of blue fire.

Charizard took back to the skies before spreading his wings out, flapping them in a discordant rhythm. Harsh wisps of draconic energy began to spread into the air as the beast performed the final bout of his Dragon Dance before speeding towards the Conduit in Outrage.

The monster was preoccupied fending off against numerous shades and copies of Pikachu and Greninja when Charizard slammed into it, slashing at its chest with Shadow Claw. The being grunted in pain before blasting Charizard back onto the molten ground.

As Charizard reoriented from his confusion, Greninja intercepted a volley of Shadow Balls with Water Shurikens. The Conduit shifted focus and sped towards the ninja pokémon with surprising speed, dissipating the dark illusions with a pulse of Source Energy before launching a spear of aura point-blank at the frog.

Ash watched as Greninja turned into liquid, allowing the aura spear to pass by him with minimal damage. Now that the Conduit was right next to Greninja, Ash called out his first command of the encounter, "LIGHTSLASH!"

In the blink of an eye, Greninja sliced into the pokémon with a sword of pure light - the existence of which was completely contradictory to the frog's dark typing.

The Conduit bellowed in pain, droplets of blood falling into the molten rock below, before bashing Greninja with Zen Headbutt, knocking him away.

However, neither Ash nor Greninja would allow the Conduit to recover. Instead they pressed the offensive, moving in sync as innumerable duplicates of shadowed water danced around the tears of energy.

As the shimmer of the ninja pokémon appeared before the Conduit, it dashed forward, erupting a bout of Thunder from its fingertips, revealing that the shade in front of it was nothing more than an illusion.

Suddenly, from every angle, duplicates of Greninja bore down on it. In a synchronised motion, Ash and Greninja stabbed into the beast with a volley of Dark Shurikens, causing it to cry out in agony before the very air around it grew heavy in its rage.

With a small flick of its bloodied wrist, the Conduit blasted away the illusions, leaving both Ash and Greninja to struggle against its psychic hold on them.

With a deliberate slowness that Ash would have depicted as sadistic if the monster was even capable of such feelings, the Conduit trailed twin streams of electricity before extending both of its hands forward in a massive bout of electricity that shot Greninja away.

Ash called out in vain as his link with the frog pokémon shattered, desperately undoing his shield as Greninja rammed against the edge of the storm, tearing apart his back with the shrapnel spiralling around them.

Just as Ash deactivated the shield, an overwhelming sense of hellfire erupted from below, as Charizard stood tall, absorbing the magma into its tail as it charged a beam of white fire in his mouth that Ash had previously dubbed the Sun Blast.

The Conduit, which had just healed part of its injuries with Recover, hastily brought forth a Light Screen to defend the blast of the white-hot sun from Charizard's maw.

Nonetheless, the heat was so intense that scorch marks were lacerated across the Conduit's body, flickers of white embers licking the wounds.

Ash, now sweaty both from hopping rock to rock and the heat from the miniature sun, finally reached Greninja's prone form at the edge of the storm. Ash placed down the shield just in time for Charizard to halt, before putting forth a constant stream of red and blue fire, mixing it with the winds to create an apocalyptic Fire Storm.

As the inferno engulfed the Conduit, Charizard flew to the beast in a Dragon Rush, slashing and chomping at the beast with increasing intensity.

As this happened, Ash searched through his bag, desperate for anything that may save Greninja's life, even if for a moment. However, he found nothing but old TM's, empty potions, and the shattered remains of a revive that he had used in a final bid to save Lucario's life several months ago.

Picking apart the revive crystal shards, Ash placed them within Greninja's aqueous form, watching as they dissolved into him. He waited with a small hope of Greninja regaining consciousness; however, the frog pokémon remained still.

Across the battlefield, Charizard began to waver as several gashes tore into his scales. Still, he remained aggressive, not allowing the beast one moment of rest. Pikachu aided as he could, but he mainly supported Charizard by breaking apart shards of stone aimed towards the flaming dragon.

However, Charizard's waning speed caught up with him, as the Conduit pushed him back away enough for it to move its arms in a circular motion, causing its body to glow a dark blue light as black storm clouds began to envelop the sky. Droplets of rain turned into a torrent of water as the Conduit's Rain Dance took effect.

Charizard grimaced in discomfort as the rain battered against his wings of flame. Still, he held enough strength to-

The Conduit's eyes glowed red, and in a flash it was gone. A moment later, too late for Charizard to comprehend, the monster teleported behind him, before blasting him with a Hydro Cannon.

Charizard roared in agony as his wings were extinguished, leaving only a small flicker of blue light on his tail as he careened towards the ground of cooled magma. The beast didn't even stand back up before the Conduit tore into its back, tearing off its wings with a supercharged Psycho Cut.

Charizard roared in anguish before fainting. At the speed of lightning, the Conduit brought down one final Slash, intent on finishing him off.

However, at speeds several times faster than lightning, a careening bullet of electrical power rammed into the Conduit's side, blasting it away before it could deliver the finishing blow.

Before the Conduit could regain its wits, Pikachu's form seemed to double, triple, quadruple as nearly one hundred afterimages of the electric mouse surrounded it. Before it could truly comprehend what it was seeing, the copies closed in, erupting in a massive shockwave of electricity.

As Pikachu attacked relentlessly at the battered and bruised Conduit, Ash carried Greninja's prone form on his back towards the still form of Charizard. He could see just the tiniest flickers of blue flame remaining on the beast's tail, signalling that, while alive, he was a breath away from meeting Arceus.

Placing Greninja next to Charizard's body, Ash once more erected a shield, though a part of him wondered if it was necessary. The battlefield was now a wasteland, steam rising in billows from the cooled magma. The force of the storm outside had begun to wane in the wake of the Conduit's weakening state.

His friends had sacrificed themselves to weaken the Conduit, battering it until it was running on fumes. The least he could do for them was to keep them alive and by his side, at least until the Conduit fell. Then, and only then, would they rest.

Looking back to the fight - if it could be called that anymore - Ash saw the Conduit getting beaten down mercilessly. In a desperate bid to regain control of the situation, it released a Source Wave; however, the destructive power seemed to do nothing to deter the speeding demon of yellow.

With a barrage of Volt Tackles, the Conduit was left dazed, only to be slammed into the earth with Pikachu's Iron Tail, causing a rippling earthquake at the impact.

It was then that Ash knew to end this. Gathering up his remaining strength, Ash stood up and bellowed out, "CRACK THE SKY!"

The wind screeched to a halt as the yellow haze of fury stopped its momentum, afterimages blinking behind it as the form of Pikachu appeared surrounded by arcs of white lightning.

The haze solidified, but only for a moment, as crackling rings of electricity began to surround the mouse, heralding a single flash, before everything turned to light.

The resulting shockwave from the blast of holy lightning left Ash's ears ringing. Blinking the stars away from his eyes, he turned to see the still form of the Conduit, smoking, ashen, before it buckled in the air, and dropped to the ground below.

The storm outside began to shake, breaking apart as the last wisps of rage, anger, and pain evaporated from the being in the centre of the battlefield. It's baleful red eyes locked with Ash's, the old flickers of crimson hatred beginning to die as shades of tan began to overtake the dying eyes.

Ash grimaced as a headache began to form behind his eyes, blinking away a sudden dizziness. When he locked eyes with the Conduit - or perhaps it was Mewtwo once more - two distinct voices murmured into his mind, "Thank you…"

Then, the eyes of mixed red and tan glazed over, and ceased to move.

Immediately, as if sensing the death of its origin, the Source Storm began to spiral around them in a maddening fury, seemingly intent on destroying them in its final wake.

The sounds of chimes began to ring in Ash's ears as an electric blur appeared next to him, before collapsing. Pikachu had reverted back to his base form, spending the remainder of his energy in that final attack. However, despite largely playing support across the battle, Pikachu had suffered a considerable amount of damage. His body was littered with slashes and bruises, several of which were covered in coagulated blood. Ash could see that one of Pikachu's legs were broken, yet that did nothing to stop Pikachu from limping over to nuzzle next to him as the Storm began to close in.

The rocks in the sky had long since been torn apart by the storm, shredding them into shards on shrapnel that started tearing into Ash's skin. All the same, he felt strangely peaceful. He was here in the midst of his friends. Though he knew they would die, they had bought the world a chance.

That's what they would have wanted. All of his friends, both human and pokémon, gave their lives for him to live. He was ready to give his own in return.

As the storm closed in on its final crescendo, Ash drifted away to the sounds of chimes-

"I REFUSE"

Ash blinked awake as he stood in a spiralling void. Fields of stars cascading into supernovas swirled around him.

"THIS WORLD WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE LOST"

Ash blinked once more, and before stood the world, peaceful, unharmed. Flocks of Pidgey flew overhead as a crowd of different pokémon lived amongst each other in a forest. It was a scene that he hadn't dared believe he would ever see again.

"THEY TAPPED INTO A POWER THEY COULD NOT CONTROL"

Ash blinked, and he saw the shadowed forms of scientists crowd around a glass container with multiple tubes pumping in Source Energy into Mewtwo, their fabled Conduit.

"THE WORLD PAID THE PRICE"

Images far too familiar to Ash flashed across his mind. With every blink was another wasteland, another battlefield, another grave.

"I REFUSE"

Ash blinked once more, feeling himself tugged to a dimension outside his own.

Time.

"MY CHOSEN," Ash stared into the great expanse as the overwhelming presence of the Creator came upon him, "YOU BROUGHT THE END OF THE SCOURGE. NOW, YOU SHALL STRIKE BACK TO THE BEGINNING"

Ash buckled as an oppressive weight came upon him, dragging him down through time.

"BY THE TURN OF THE CLOCK, YOU SHALL KNOW YOUR DESTINY," The manifestation of everything raised its front legs as a blinding light began to overtake Ash, "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, MAKE USE OF THIS CHANCE"

Arceus stomped down, quaking the entire universe as Ash finally fell through the tear in time. The last thing he saw before succumbing to the darkness was a twin pair of glowing red suns.

…

Mount Silver, Seven Years Before the Source Wave

The first thing Ash felt was a bitter cold. Blinking the crust out of his eyes, Ash tried to stand up only to find himself partially buried within the snow. With a groan, Ash kicked apart the mounds of ice and hail, shakily standing up as the frigid winds swirled around him.

Vague images of stars fleeted across his head as a pounding headache lingered directly behind his eyes.

Ash stood there, overlooking the edge of the mountain - now surrounded by its usual hailstorm rather than the Source Storm - when he heard an excited cry behind him.

Ash barely turned around in time to catch an overexcitable Froakie jumping into his arms. The small frog pokémon touched his cheeks with his pads, as if the frog was checking that Ash was real. Ash's thoughts were in a daze as the small frog chirped in a mixture of relief and confusion when he realised something.

Wait, is this Greninja?

"Greninja?" Ash asked the small frog, who nodded before croaking a small question. "I'm confused as well," Ash murmured as a second silhouette breached the haze created by the hail.

Quickly barreling towards Ash was a large Charmander that bore dark red scales - akin to that of a Charmeleon - rather than the usual shade of orange that the species was known for. Even more apparent was the blue flame flickering on his tail, completely distinguishing him from others of his species.

Charmander stopped next to Ash, barely reaching his shin, before grunting as it leaned against Ash's leg. Ash smiled as he reached down to pat him on the head, but was startled to see crisscrossing scars across the lizard's back.

Realising the source of these injuries, Ash held Froakie out only to see that some of the 'bubbles' he saw on the frog's body were actually 2nd degree burns from the Thunder attack.

Before he could worry about this too much, one final shape came into Ash's view. Ash made a mental note to pick up medical supplies when he could for Chariza… Charmander and Froakie as he walked forwards to greet his oldest friend.

Except, standing across from him in barely veiled annoyance, stood not the familiar form of Pikachu, but rather the small and, frankly, frail form of Pichu.

Ash stared, baffled, as Pichu stared back. A moment later, Pichu scowled, running its paws across its small frame before muttering the most venom-filled "Pichu!" a member of the species had ever uttered.