Chapter 22: The Pikachu Trap

The Viridian Forest was dense, its towering trees casting shadows that played tricks with the light. My boots crunched on the fallen leaves as Ivysaur walked beside me, his vines occasionally twitching at the scent of nearby Pokémon. It had been hours since we first entered, and still, no Pikachu.

I checked my Pokédex again. 10:30 AM. "We're only here for Pikachu," I reminded Ivysaur, trying to curb the growing frustration. His large, red eyes flickered up at me as if to say, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, before he resumed scanning the area. Caterpie and Weedle crawled in the underbrush, and now and then, a Beedrill buzzed angrily overhead, but I wasn't interested in anything other than the electric mouse.

Pidgeotto circled high above, a small blur against the forest canopy. I trusted him to find what we were looking for. Time ticked by. Finally, a soft rustle caught my attention, and I tensed. A few seconds later, Pidgeotto landed on my shoulder, his talons gripping lightly as he met my gaze.

"Find him?" I asked, eyes narrowing.

He nodded.

A grin tugged at my lips. "Take me there."

For the next hour and a half, Pidgeotto led us deeper into the forest, the path winding through thick foliage and roots that clawed at my legs. I could feel the anticipation building. Finally, we reached a small clearing where a few berries hung from the low branches of a bush.

No sign of Pikachu.

I frowned, glancing at Pidgeotto. He tilted his head, clearly as confused as I was. "He was here," his gaze seemed to say. Squatting down, I brushed aside a few leaves and inspected the dirt. Fresh tracks. The little guy had been here recently—very recently. There was still a chance.

"Hide," I whispered to Ivysaur and Pidgeotto, pointing to a large oak nearby. Ivysaur slunk behind it, his vines retracting as he crouched low. Pidgeotto took his position high in the branches. I pressed myself against the trunk, my pulse steady but strong. My eyes scanned the area, every muscle ready for the signal.

We waited.

Minutes dragged into an hour. The sun rose higher, its light cutting through the canopy. The forest was quieter now, almost serene. I checked the time—1 PM. Was he coming back?

And then, the grass rustled. My breath caught in my throat as I watched, motionless. Pikachu's tiny yellow ears poked through the underbrush, his nose twitching as he cautiously entered the clearing. He sniffed the air once, twice, and then scampered toward the berries.

Perfect.

"𝘐𝘷𝘺𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳, 𝘓𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥," I whispered, the command barely audible.

Vines lashed out from behind the tree, seeds embedding themselves into the ground beneath Pikachu's feet. The effect was immediate. The green energy wrapped around Pikachu, slowly draining his strength. He jolted upright, eyes wide, but it was too late.

"𝘗𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰, 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬!"

Pidgeotto shot out from his perch like an arrow, slamming into Pikachu with blinding speed. Pikachu tumbled, the berries scattering from his small paws. He tried to scramble up, but I wasn't done.

"𝘐𝘷𝘺𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳, 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘦𝘳."

The purple mist bloomed from Ivysaur, engulfing the small electric-type. Pikachu's fur bristled as the poison began to take effect, his movements becoming sluggish. But he didn't go down. Tough little thing.

"𝘗𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰, 𝘎𝘶𝘴𝘵!"

Pidgeotto flapped his wings, whipping up a cyclone of wind that sent Pikachu skidding across the dirt, weak but still conscious. I knew this was my chance. Grabbing a Pokéball from my bag, I felt the familiar weight in my hand before I tossed it forward. It spun through the air, heading straight for Pikachu.

That's when I heard her voice.

"𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩, 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘶𝘯!"

A jet of water shot from the side, hitting the Pokéball mid-flight. It swerved off course, smashing into a tree with a dull crack. I cursed under my breath, my hand clenching around another ball as I turned to face the interruption.

There she was. The girl from the Pokémon Center—the one who couldn't stop crying over her Squirtle a few days ago. She didn't look sad now. In fact, she looked 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥.

Her Squirtle, Splash, stood confidently at her feet, and beside them, a Jolteon crouched low, sparks crackling between its fur.

I stepped out from behind the tree, motioning for Ivysaur and Pidgeotto to stand down but stay alert. My eyes met hers across the clearing, both of us assessing, calculating. She hadn't changed since our last meeting—long black hair in a side ponytail, cargo shorts, teal vest, and that spark in her eyes that matched her Pokémon's electricity.

Pikachu, still poisoned and exhausted, looked between us and the four Pokémon surrounding him. He was trapped. But so were we. A silent standoff settled over the clearing, tension thick in the air.

"Really ?" I said, my voice low but sharp. "You had to show up 𝘯𝘰𝘸?"

Her lips curled into a teasing smile, and she shrugged, her eyes never leaving mine. "What can I say? You looked like you were about to mess it up."

I scowled. "I had it under control."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure you did. But now, it's my turn." She nodded at Splash, who puffed his chest out, ready for action. "What do you say? A little battle, just to see who really deserves Pikachu?"

I crossed my arms, staring her down. There was no way I was backing out of this. Not after coming this far. "Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "But don't cry when you lose."

Alisha laughed, the sound light but filled with challenge. "Don't worry. I've already cried enough over 𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩."

I kept my expression cool. "Ivysaur, you ready?"

He growled softly in response, his vines tightening in anticipation.

Alisha's grin widened. "𝘑𝘰𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦."

The clearing was about to erupt.