On the morning of our second day in the forest, I awoke to the startling sight of the largest bird I'd ever seen standing over me, hungrily eying the caterpie in my arms. I reflexively used a Vacuum Wave with my feet to push the pidgeotto away, which had the side effect of launching me and the caterpie in my arms several feet back from where I had been sleeping.

The sudden movement startled Pikachu, and she loosed a Thunderbolt, thankfully only catching Pidgeotto in the blast. Ash found us standing worriedly over Pidgeotto's twitching body before he dug through his pack for a Cheri berry and fed it to her. After the paralysis faded, Pidgeotto readily agreed to be caught.

Along with a desire to become stronger (like most Pokémon), Pidgeotto quickly became the group mom. Or, more accurately, an older-sister figure trying to act like a mom. She put forth a lot of effort to apologize to Caterpie for the scare and, once Caterpie realized he wasn't about to be made a meal of, quickly warmed up to her.

On day three, Caterpie's training paid off, and he evolved into Metapod. Despite what the anime and games portrayed, Metapod could not speak, move, stand upright, or use offensive attacks. The only moves he could use were Harden and String Shot, which made some sense to me since wild metapod in the games only ever seemed to use Harden, and they had to get themselves attached to a tree somehow.

I decided to have Metapod join me in my meditations since there wasn't much else he could do, and I thought it might help him develop his psychic potential for when he evolved again. Our bond had become something like a big-brother-little-brother relationship.

Since Metapod couldn't do any more training until he evolved, that left Pikachu to train with me while Ash turned most of his focus to Pidgeotto.

And let's just say Pikachu hits really, really hard.

Today, the fourth day, we expected to make it out of the forest. We spotted a weedle earlier, and Ash had a contemplative look on his face before shaking his head and moving on. Pikachu walked next to me while Metapod and Pidgeotto were in their Pokéballs. I hadn't gone back into my Pokéball at all since I met Ash, having expressed a desire to stay out for now, which he respected.

Thinking of which….

"Hey, Pikachu? You might not be the best one to ask, but what's it like inside a Pokéball?" I asked.

Pikachu hummed. "I don't like being inside them. To me, they're too cramped," she said. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Oh, okay. I guess I can try sleeping in mine tonight to see what it's like," I shrugged.

"Good luck. Most Pokémon say they're comfortable, but I don't," Pikachu growled.

I chuckled a bit at Pikachu's pouty face. "Maybe you just have a defective Pokéball."

"Why does everyone say that?" Pikachu mumbled to herself before looking at me and sticking her tongue out.

My chuckling burst into laughter, which only doubled as Pikachu frowned at me. "I'm s-sorry. I think I'm still getting used to Pokémon being real, and it's so wonderful to see the emotion on your face. It's something you'd rarely see outside of humans where I'm from."

Pikachu looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about non-Pokémon? Did you have those?"

I took a breath to gather myself before answering. "You mean animals? Yeah, we have those. The ones you'd most likely see any kind of expression from are those raised by humans, usually pets like cats or dogs. I think one of the most expressive breeds of dogs I knew of were huskies. I've always liked their 'I'm not amused' faces."

I followed this up by making an approximation of what it looked like, and Pikachu burst into laughter. "That's pretty much your resting face!"

"It is not!"

Pikachu rubbed her cheeks and then, somehow, contorted her head into the rough shape of a riolu's. "I'm Riolu, and this is how I look all the time!" she said in a voice that seemed to be trying to mimic mine.

I felt an eye twitch before shrugging it off and chuckling. "I forgot that you're great at impressions. Didn't you and Ash do that in a Pokémon dress-up competition where Brock won happiny's egg?"

"It's still weird how much you know about us. But yeah, we did," Pikachu nodded before shaking her head back into its normal shape.

"Hey, Pikachu, Riolu, we're stopping for lunch!" Ash called out from behind us.

"Finally!" Pikachu exclaimed as she ran back on all fours. "I'm starving!"

I easily kept pace as I ran with her. "That's not surprising. You've been working pretty hard these last few days. You're starting to look a bit leaner."

Pikachu and I came to a stop as we reached the others. "Only a bit?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Hey," I said defensively, "as far as I know, it usually takes more than a few days for the results of consistent exercise to show. You look great regardless, and you're the healthiest pikachu I've ever seen in the flesh."

"Aww, thank-" Pikachu cut off abruptly. "Hey! I'm the only pikachu you've ever seen!"

I laughed even as Pikachu swatted my arm with her tail. "That is true, but I don't know of any other pikachu that has defeated three legendary Pokémon and tied against one."

Pikachu tilted her head in confusion. "Four? I only remember one."

I thought for a moment before smacking my head. "Ohh, right. You've only fought Brandon's Regice. Cartoon you fought a latios at the Sinnoh league, and you knocked each other out. Then, in another region's league, you won against two other legendary Pokémon."

"Wow," Pikachu whispered. "Hey, since you know so much about what would have happened if… this," she gestured vaguely everywhere, "didn't happen, do you also know what moves I would have learned?"

I blinked. "Yeah, actually."

Pikachu's cheeks sparked as she grinned. "As soon as I'm back in tip-top shape, you and I are going to go more in-depth with that."

"What are you going to do?" Ash asked as he placed three bowls down. As he did, he whispered to us. "Never mind, actually. Dig in. The sooner we get to Pewter, the sooner Misty will stop complaining about all the bug Pokémon around here."

"I heard that, Ash!" Misty yelled.

Ash sheepishly chuckled as he called Pidgeotto and Metapod out, and then we all began to eat. Except for Metapod, of course, since he's still a cocoon. But he seemed to enjoy the company.

----------------------------------------

Shortly after I set down our cleaned bowls near Ash's backpack, my ears twitched, and Pikachu and I turned to see a kid in the most ridiculous hat I had ever seen approaching Ash and Misty.

"Samurai?" Ash whispered a little too loud.

The armor-clad trainer seemed taken aback for a moment before grinning. "Ah, I see my reputation precedes me! As you said, I am Samurai, and I am seeking trainers from the town of Pallet! I have battled one Gary Oak, and it was the most thrilling battle I've ever had!"

"That's great! I'm a trainer from Pallet Town, and I accept your challenge. This'll be a good warm-up for the gym," Ash said as he stood on his feet and placed his gloves and hat back on.

"Excellent! We shall use two Pokémon each!" Samurai said as he and Ash stepped back from each other.

"Fine with me! Riolu, want to battle?"

It took a moment for me to realize Ash was referring to me before I shrugged and stood in front of him. It would be good to see where I stack up against the common trainers.

…And I need a win after who knows how many times Pikachu kicked my furry butt yesterday.

"Good luck, Riolu!" Pikachu cheered.

I smiled and gave her a thumbs up before spreading my legs and bringing my arms in front of me with my palms open and facing towards the pinsir Samurai sent out. I involuntarily shivered.

"You are so much cooler – and at the same time, creepier – in person," I said, hopping from foot to foot.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?" Pinsir said in a clicky, hoarse voice, seemingly unsure if that was a compliment.

"Pinsir, Tackle it!"

The moment Pinsir started charging, I analyzed the matchup between us. Pinsir is undoubtedly heavier than I am, and I definitely want to avoid those horns. The hard exoskeleton on their body makes them mostly inflexible, so they'll have a harder time turning side-to-side. The sections on their carapace indicate they'll have no problem bending forward or backward. So….

"Riolu, sidestep it, then Low Sweep!" Ash yelled. I mentally nodded, thinking of doing the same thing anyway.

Pinsir kept charging in a straight line, showing no indication they would change course. At the last moment, I leaned far to one side and swung my leg in a wide circle, pouring some energy into it to reinforce it before it made contact with Pinsir's leg, which brought them crashing to the ground face-first. Hard.

"Metal Claw, before they recover!" Ash called. I nodded, already having the move halfway charged. Metal Claw was a bit tricky to learn until Pikachu explained how she charged up her Iron Tail. Having Pikachu as a mentor really had its perks.

With the Metal Claw fully charged and formed into three claws from each of the bone protrusions on my wrists, I dashed back in and raked them across the dazed Pinsir's chitinous body until they fell unconscious.

"Great job, Riolu!" Ash said as Samurai returned his Pokémon.

"Yes, it was quite clever of you to press the advantage when you had it," Samurai complimented as he took out another Pokéball. "However! Your luck is about to run out. Go, Metapod!"

The cocoon Pokémon formed across the field, standing up… then promptly fell on its side.

I blinked before sighing, picking up the metapod, and carrying it back to its trainer.

"What kind of idiot sends out a Metapod to battle?!" Misty yelled. I could hear Ash chuckling nervously.

Samurai coughed into his hand, red tinging his cheeks after he returned his metapod. "Well, I have been bested this day! And, um… yeah. Goodbye!"

With that, he promptly turned and hurriedly walked back in the direction he came from and out of sight.

"Well, that went better than last time, at least," Pikachu said, nudging my leg with an elbow. "We were here for hours before they fell over. Good job with the win!"

"Thanks, I guess," I said. "How'd I do?"

"You handled it like a pro! The charge time on your Metal Claw was a little slow, though. I'd say you should move in for the attack when you think it'll be charged by the time you get to your opponent – if you think you can charge the attack on the run," Pikachu said.

"I think I could do that. Want to… help me practice it tonight?" I asked as Ash finished packing up his backpack from lunch.

"Sure! But only if you tell me about one of the moves I learned that I don't know yet," Pikachu said with a smile.

"Hmm… you drive a hard bargain," I said with a paw to my chin, mostly trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips from Pikachu's infectious enthusiasm. "Deal!"

Pikachu pumped her fists. "Yes! Can't wait!"

"Hey, you two, we're headed out. If we hurry, we can get to Pewter by tonight!" Ash called.

"Coming! Come on, Riolu, let's play!" Pikachu said as she tagged me with her tail and ran ahead on the path.

I shook my head and smiled before dashing after her, making sure to stay near Ash and Misty.

----------------------------------------

Ash watched Pikachu and Riolu playing a game of tag – which seemed to have become their favorite game – as he and Misty walked down the path. "I think this is the happiest I've seen Pikachu in a while," he said.

"Yeah," Misty replied. "Pikachu and Riolu really have become great friends. I bet Pikachu loves having another Pokémon around that can keep up with her."

"Mhm. I–" Ash started, only to stop and look at Misty weirdly. "Her? But Pikachu's a boy."

Misty looked at Ash like he said something dumb. "What? Of course not! Haven't you ever bothered to check?"

"Check what?"

Misty slowed her step and shifted awkwardly. "Ugh, never mind! You're unbelievable," she cried as she picked up the pace again.

Ash raised a brow and shrugged. "Why do girls have to be so weird?"

----------------------------------------

True to what Ash said, Pewter City came into view shortly before the sun descended behind the distant Mount Silver mountain range.

"I can't wait until Brock's traveling with us again! I really miss his cooking," Pikachu said.

I hummed in thought. The food I'd been having over the past few days wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything I enjoyed either.

"I wonder if he'd let me help him cook. I think that's something I liked to do on occasion before," I said.

"I don't know, actually," Pikachu replied. "There was one time he asked Ash to keep stirring the pot, and Ash thought it would be a good idea to add in every seasoning Brock had. It was a total loss."

"Don't let Ash cook, got it," I laughed as we stepped from a dirt path onto the first of the concrete sidewalks of the city.

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"Hey, Riolu," Ash started, "do you mind if I return you to your Pokéball? I want to use you in our match against Brock and keep you a surprise. I'll bring you back out once we're in the Pokémon Center. I don't want to risk you being seen, is all."

I looked between Ash and Pikachu before nodding. "Guess I'll find out what it's like in there now. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck. You are braver than I," Pikachu saluted before I felt the pull of my Pokéball drawing me back in.

I don't know how to describe what came after that. One moment, I was dematerializing, which, after the initial pull, didn't feel like anything. The next, I was opening my eyes to find myself in complete darkness. After a moment, something seemed to kick on, and hundreds, if not thousands, of polygons formed around me, taking the shape of trees, rocks, and grass before they colored in and fully rendered.

After taking a moment to look around, I whistled in amazement. "So the Pokéball is a big old VR device. Probably why it has those panels inside," I commented as I began to walk around. "Let's see what the amenities are."

Several minutes of exploration later revealed a few different types of biomes, a shallow cave, and a stream of water that I found I could swim in and not get wet. Couldn't drink it, though.

"Maybe this is why Pikachu doesn't like the ball. There's pretty much nothing here."

"There's not quite nothing," a familiar voice said above me. I looked up into the tree to see who it came from.

"Oh, hey, Pidgeotto! I guess this means the Pokéballs are connected to each other, huh?" I said.

Pidgeotto chuckled in a way that reminded me of birds chirping and flew down to land next to me. "It does seem that way. How are you, pup? Have we made it to the gray city?"

"It's Pewter City, and yes, we got there not too long ago. I'm feeling ready to get some sleep. That battle and all that tag Pikachu and I played really tired me out," I replied once I sat down cross-legged and leaned back to look up at the sky, only to notice it was slightly see-through, and I could see some of what was going on outside. Most of the view was blocked by the inside of Ash's jacket, though.

"You and Pikachu seem to have gotten very close in the short time you've known each other," Pidgeotto remarked.

"She's fun to be around and has helped me a lot with adjusting to being a Pokémon," I said with a smile before rolling my eyes. "And I know what you're trying to insinuate. I do like her, but I don't think I'm ready for anything beyond a friendship yet."

"I wasn't suggesting anything of the sort," Pidgeotto chortled again. "Merely making an observation."

"Right. Of course. My mistake," I said in such a way that let Pidgeotto know I didn't believe her.

A moment of comfortable silence passed before Pidgeotto spoke up. "Buuut, if I were suggesting anything, it would be that you and Pikachu would make a great mate-pairing."

"Oh, what's that? I think Metapod's calling for me. See ya later, Pidgeotto!" I yelled louder than what was necessary and ran out of there.

"Metapod can't talk!" the avian I left behind chuckled.

I ran for a few minutes, climbing the small mountain I saw earlier before settling against an outcropping of rock that I'm sure I could count the polygons of if I wanted to. "Crazy bird," I muttered before leaning back. "This seems to be as good a place as any to take a nap."

----------------------------------------

It didn't feel like I was asleep for long when I woke up to find myself in a room similar to the one we had stayed in nearly a week prior. Misty was drying her hair at the nearby sink and mirror while the shower was running in the other room. Ash was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he was the one in the shower.

I sat up and stretched, finally noticing I was on one of the beds. Huh, guess the Pokéball put me there when Ash called me out. I guess I didn't feel it.

"Have a nice nap?" Pikachu asked from behind me. I just turned around, not startled in the slightest. Noting my lack of reaction, Pikachu pouted. "Why didn't that scare you?"

I just blinked and shrugged. "I guess I must have Inner Focus as an ability. Stops me from flinching."

Pikachu made an 'O' with her mouth, coming to an understanding. "Makes sense now. Well, after Ash is done, it's our turn to bathe. We're not allowed to eat downstairs until we're clean."

I nodded. "Yeah, makes sense– Wait, our turn?" I asked, turning around.

Pikachu blinked before a gleam came into her eyes, and she smirked. "What's the matter? You shy?"

"I mean… I–"

Pikachu bust out laughing. "I can't startle you, but you can sure get flustered. Relax, I'm teasing. What problem do you have with bathing together? I know humans cover themselves, but you, a former human, haven't had an issue walking around naked all week."

Pikachu placed a paw on my shoulder. "As your teacher on all things Pokémon, I tell you it is very common to see Pokémon bathing communally. You scrub my back, and I'll scrub yours."

I sat and processed what she said, staring at a spot in the wallpaper that looked cracked. "I… You know, I didn't even notice I wasn't bothered about my lack of clothing until you pointed it out just now."

"You're welcome," Pikachu said while patting me on the shoulder. "Now come on, Ash is filling the tub for us. It feels really good scrubbing in the shampoo everywhere."

I looked down at my fur-covered body and rubbed my arms. "Ah, right. Fur everywhere means full-body shampoo. Rip body wash," I murmured as I hopped down from the bed and slowly followed Pikachu into the bathroom.

Ash was just pulling on a pair of fresh jeans as we entered. Huh, I didn't know he wore boxers with the heads of the three traditional Kanto starters speckled around them.

"Hey, you two! I'm going to go call my mom and make an appointment for our gym battle, so you're on your own for a little bit," Ash said before looking at his starter. "And Pikachu, please don't start a splash fight. We don't need another fine for water damage."

We watched Ash walk out while slipping a shirt on, hitting his head on the doorframe on the way out before he slid the door shut so it was still cracked open.

I heard a splash behind me and turned to see that Pikachu had already jumped over the lip of the tub and into the water. "So," I said as I walked and leaned over the side, "It sounds like there's a story about you and splash fights. What's that about?"

"Oh, it's not that interesting," Pikachu said as she grabbed a small tube-shaped brush. "But hop in, and I'll tell ya."

I shrugged and pulled myself over, tentatively toeing the water to find it was warm before fully committing and sitting down in about eight inches of water. "Woah, the water's kinda tingly."

"Oops," Pikachu sheepishly scratched one of her red cheeks, and the tingling stopped. "That was me. My bad."

"I don't have to worry about getting shocked, do I?"

"Nah, you'll be fine. I'm always letting out a little bit of my stored-up electricity in such a way that it's hardly noticeable. It helps me prevent a buildup that can make me sick if I store too much."

"Oh, I think I remember seeing that happen a few times to cartoon you," I said as I grabbed a nearby bottle and read the label. Not the bottle I'm looking for.

"Yeah. It sucks," Pikachu agreed, setting the brush aside and grabbing another smaller bottle with pink-colored contents. Pecha Pokémon Shampoo.

Pikachu continued. "Anyway, you wanted to hear the totally uninteresting story about a 'splash fight'. Well, one time, before we time-traveled, I found out that those things in the walls of most human buildings aren't funny faces but are called 'outlets'. I was dumb and curious at the time, so I tried to eat some of the electricity from it, but I couldn't get it to work."

I nodded to show I was following along so far as Pikachu offered me the bottle, and then she turned around to show me her back.

"Then I remembered that water conducts electricity, so the next time I had a bath, I made sure to get my paws wet before sticking my little claws in the socket," Pikachu said before laughing. "It worked, but it fried the outlet. Ash came in afterward, and I guess he assumed that I splashed some water on it."

I chuckled as I imagined the scene. "That's funny. It makes me wonder if I'll have a similar mishap while learning about Pokémon things. For all I know, I could offend a jigglypuff by sneezing."

Pikachu shivered as I started to rub the cold shampoo into her fur, lathering it so it would clean deeper. "Just don't fall asleep and snore around one, or you'll wake up to find your face drawn on with a laundry marker."

I paused in my scrubbing for a moment until something in my head clicked. "Oh, right! I wonder if we'll run into that jigglypuff. Jigglypuff was a running gag in the show for a few seasons until you headed to Hoenn."

"I sure hope we don't," Pikachu grumbled as she scrubbed the end of her tail with her paws. "Frankly, she was a bitch. She was mean because she was jealous of how much Ash and I got along. I kept telling her she could ask Ash to join us, but all she ever did was get upset and run away whenever we couldn't stay awake through her singing."

I finished scrubbing her fur and sat back. "...Yeah. Yeah, I can see that," I agreed before grabbing the shampoo bottle and began to lather myself.

"Yeah. Now turn around, and I'll get your back," Pikachu said.

We spent the next few minutes in a comfortable silence. Pikachu used the claws on her digits to lather deep since my fur was a bit thicker than hers. It felt really, really good.

"You like that, do you?" Pikachu asked in a teasing tone. "I can tell. Can you stop wagging your tail? You're getting water everywhere."

I opened my eyes and found that, indeed, some water had escaped the tub. "Ah, my bad," I said as I grabbed my tail and pinned it against my legs. "I didn't even notice it was doing that. It's still really weird to think that I have one now. I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

Pikachu chuckled as she reached for my upper back. "That, I can't relate to. I imagine it's like suddenly having a third arm."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "That's exactly what it feels like!"

"Glad I could put it into words for you," Pikachu said with a smirk, giving me a wet smack on the back. "If you're all done scrubbing yourself, let's rinse and dry off, then get some food. Remember, we promised to do some training tonight."

Pikachu unplugged the tub so it would drain the sudsy, brownish water while I turned the faucet on. After we were done rinsing, Pikachu called out of the bathroom, and Ash, having just returned from his errands, helped towel us off before using a hair dryer attached to the wall to help us dry the rest of the way off.

Pikachu and I took one look at each other and laughed. Her fur was poofed out in all directions, and I imagine I looked much like a blue and black fuzzball. A quick brushing fixed that, and then we were off to the cafeteria.

----------------------------------------

The training was slightly delayed due to my being required to get a checkup to get cleared for heavy training (Not that we weren't already doing that the past couple of days). After the good Nurse Joy declared me to be in good health, Ash, Pikachu, and I headed to a private training field he had reserved earlier.

After calling Pidgeotto and Metapod out and guiding us through warmups (Metapod was mainly there for moral support), he paired Pikachu and Pidgeotto together for aiming and evasion training. At the same time, he decided to work with me.

"Okay, Riolu! Now that you're cleared for heavy training, we can get to some good stuff! What I'd like to do first is see what your current limits are, so let's see how much heavy stuff you can push!" Ash said enthusiastically as he walked over to some rocks varying in size from the size of his shoes to those as tall and wide as him.

"I don't think we'll start with that one," Ash laughed as he saw me eyeing the largest one. "That one weighs at least ten tons. Let's start with this one."

Ash pointed to one that wasn't quite half as tall as me. "That one should be around two or three hundred pounds. Give it a go!"

I gave the stone block a once-over before shrugging and setting my palms on the side. After a moment to psych myself up, I gave it a push and nearly tripped over myself from the ease at which it moved.

"Woah, what the-!" I said in surprise as I caught myself on my front paws and pushed up, doing a backflip and landing neatly on my feet.

"Good job, Riolu! Let's keep moving up!" Ash said as he pointed to the next block while he moved to the one I just pushed and set himself against it. I guess he intended to do the same exercise.

One block after another moved, each one after about the third one getting progressively harder. Ash couldn't progress past the third one, which he said was about seven-hundred pounds. The one I was on now, a block that weighed just under a ton, was barely moving, and that was more because I couldn't get good footing.

"Holy... I'm strong!" I cried, my excitement reaching a new peak. I was able to push all that, and it felt great!

"That's so awesome! You're already pushing half the weight Charizard was able to do!" Ash said happily. "Come here. I wanna see how fast you are!"

"Okay!" I nodded and went to stand on the line Ash pointed to. I wasn't even winded yet. I again attributed it to the amazing stamina that my species must have.

I waited while Ash ran to the opposite side of the training field, going around Pikachu and Pidgeotto, who were still training together, and set his hat on a tree stump before running back. "Okay, I want you to run straight to where I left my hat, grab it, and come back. G-"

I grinned while the world slowed down around me. Over the past few days, Pikachu taught me the intricacies of Quick Attack. One of the things she taught me was how to use my energy to increase my perception of the world around me, effectively making it seem like the world was slowing down so I could perceive what was happening faster. You could still use Quick Attack without doing this, but it would be much harder to control.

I dashed to the opposite side of the field, waving to Pikachu as I passed between her and Pidgeotto. She waved back with a smile.

I reached the hat, grabbed it, and was back to Ash's side in less than a blink of an eye. "-ot it? Woah!" Ash yelped and fell back when he saw the hat I was now wearing on my head.

I laughed and helped him up before he suddenly hugged me tightly. "That was so, so amazing, Riolu! I think you might be as fast as Pikachu!"

I gave him a so-so gesture with one of my paws. I could run faster in shorter bursts, but Pikachu could run fast for longer because she had greater energy reserves, notwithstanding my stamina.

"I think that's enough for tonight. You and Pikachu can come up whenever you're done," Ash said as he swiped the hat back and put it on his head with a grin before returning Metapod to his Pokéball. Pidgeotto landed on Ash's shoulder and looked at me with what passed for wagging eyebrows while I rolled my eyes at her antics.

As the others went inside, I approached Pikachu, who seemed to be stretching. I heard a few pops as I got closer, and Pikachu looked relieved. "That's better! I had a kink in my neck for a second there," Pikachu said. "Nice Quick Attack earlier."

"Thanks for teaching me how to use it properly," I replied. "You ready?"

"Yes! What move are you going to teach me?" Pikachu excitedly asked. "Thunder Punch? Magnet Rise? Charge Beam?"

"Woah, slow down there," I chuckled, placing a paw on Pikachu's head to hold her in place. "None of the above. Though, I'm sure Thunder Punch would be pretty easy to figure out. No, I'm gonna teach you what I know about Electro Ball."

"Electro… Ball?" Pikachu asked, tilting her head.

"Yep! The idea behind Electro Ball is to focus your electricity into a ball. Cartoon you focused this ball at the end of your tail so you could throw it at your opponent at high speed."

Pikachu nodded, following along so far.

"Now, I don't know for sure if this is true, but the power of Electro Ball comes from how fast you are compared to your opponent. So the faster you are, the more damage this move will do," I explained. "For now, try focusing your electricity on your tail and see if you can shape it into a ball."

I backed up to give Pikachu some space to work with, and she began to focus. After a few moments, the fur on my body stood on end as sparks popped off Pikachu's body. Then, the energy shifted to her tail.

"So far, so good," I whispered to myself as I rubbed my arms down in a vain attempt to flatten the fur.

The electricity coalesced into a blob at the end of Pikachu's tail, slowly taking the form of a ball. Suddenly, the ball wobbled, losing cohesion until there was a bright flash of light and a small explosion.

"Shit! Pikachu! You okay?!" I yelled as I ran into the dust kicked up by the failed move. When I got to the epicenter of the explosion, I looked around, but there was no Pikachu in sight. "Pikachu! Where are you?!"

I closed my eyes to try and feel Pikachu's aura when something grabbed me from behind. "Boo!"

"Geez! Pikachu, you're okay!" I said as I knelt down and checked her over for injuries.

Pikachu just scoffed. "Of course I'm okay. I can't shock myself, remember? I'm not a pichu anymore, you know." She then smiled and patted my face. "But it's so sweet that you care. Now c'mon! I think I know what I did wrong."

By the time we were done, Pikachu was able to get Electro Ball to the point where it didn't explode anymore while she was forming it, but it wasn't battle-ready yet. Pikachu gave me tips while I worked on moving and charging energy simultaneously and also helped me start working on Iron Tail.

"You're picking things up really fast," Pikachu remarked as the glow of my tail faded. "You're a natural at this."

I thought her words over for a moment. "I wonder if it's because I've got a human mind, an outside perspective, and you as a teacher," I said before biting down on a yawn. "Let's head inside. I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

"I feel that. Let's go," Pikachu agreed and walked on all fours toward the automatic doors, lazily swinging her tail side-to-side.

I followed along, placing my paws behind my head and following after her with a smile on my face. Yeah, I'm really starting to enjoy it here.