The group had been walking for a few weeks after their run in with Bill. Ash was in the lead with a map in his hands. Brock and Misty were right beside him as they scanned the piece of paper to see how long they were until they came up to the town. Michelle and Luke were right behind them. Akiko was on Michelle's head and a new fuzzy companion was in her arms. The Eevee was snuggling into the nook of Michelle's folded arms. Michelle wasn't the only one who had a new companion, Selene also was holding one. Nero and Lottie were watching the Eevee as it batted at Selene's hair.

"It was great that Uncle Bill gave us these two Eevees to research on our travels, I'm sure we'll get a lot of info~" Selene said happily as she playfully tickled Rai. Rai laughed and tried to squirm out of her grasp.

"Personally, I'm glad we just gave them homes," Michelle said before looking down at the little pokemon in her arms. "Isn't that right Vera?" She asked as Vera nodded her head happily once it pulled it's head away from its resting spot.

"Yeah, you two are perfect for those two~" Misty chimed from up front.

"Yeah I agree" Brock said with a bright smile and with a dopey look at he leaned back to look at Selene. Misty's eyes twitched as she gently pulled on his ear to get his attention back.

It was then that Ash made a gasp of relief as he pointed to the gate of Vermillion City. "Guys, we finally made it~" He said happily.

"Great! I can finally take a bubble bath!' Misty said happily as her eyes shined brightly. She clasped her hands in thankfulness.

Brock then slid behind her saying,"I can hit up a laundromat~"

"Let's find a Pokemon Center first, I'm sure our pokemon could get a freshen up and rest after our long journey here," Selene said happily. Rai gave a big yawn before looking around curiously.

Pikachu gently tugged at Ash's leg showing how tired and dirty he was. Ash nodded and gently picked up his pal. "You're right, let's go."

"We should all get something to eat," Michelle said as she started to walk through the gate of the town.

It took them a few minutes before the group found a giant red and blue dome. It was the town's Pokemon Center. "I can take your pokemon and heal them up," Chimed the Nurse Joy as she typed up the info into her computer.

As Ash nodded to Nurse Joy in agreement, the sliding doors opened to a young boy running alongside a gurney pushed by a Chansey. "You'll be ok Rattata!" The boy said confidently. As the trio rushed by, the group caught a glimpse of a nearly roasted rat.

Michelle gasped as she watched them go past a set of doors "What in the Reverse World happened?" She asked the Nurse Joy.

"That was the fifteenth one brought in this month," Nurse Joy said as she stood up in annoyance.

"But it's the first week of the month…" Michelle said to her.

"What?" Ash asked in concern. He shared the same expression as Brock and Misty as Nurse Joy let the group in to see the damage. Once they entered the emergency room, they spotted gurney upon gurney of various pokemon with their trainers beside them.

"What caused all this?" Selene asked worried yet angry as she felt sympathy for the wounded pokemon.

Nurse Joy gulped and sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "They all lost to Lieutenant Surge, the Vermillion Gym Leader…"

"Why are they hurt so bad?" Lottie asked sadly as she hugged Nero for comfort. Her lip quivered and her eyes were wet with verging tears.

"Lieutenant Surge had gotten his hands on a new pokemon recently and he tends to quickly evolve it and test its power on his challengers, he doesn't hold back," Nurse Joy sighed as she heard the healing bell ding. "Looks like your pokemon are all healed up," She said to the group as she escorted them out and to her desk.

On the table were all their pokemon, ready to go. Ash gently took Pikachu into his arms, while Akiko ran up to Michelle and scampered up to sit on her shoulder. The two girls then gently took their pokeballs and the two eevees respectively. Misty had grabbed her own while she looked over to see the love-struck Brock asking for room keys for later.

"Good thinking Brock," Misty said as she walked over before pulling his ear and grabbing the keys. "Thank you. VERY much" She hissed gently as she took Brock away.

Before they left the counter, yet another trainer and their wounded pokemon came barreling into the hospital. This time it was a pidgey. Pikachu looked at the wounded pokemon as it went by and started to get a bit nervous. Ash caught the look and gently brought Pikachu up to his face and said, "It's ok Pikachu, we aren't going to let that happen to you. How about we just take a look at the gym before deciding." Pikachu took a moment before nodding his head, Ash then gently put him on his shoulder as he motioned the group to follow him out so they could find the gym.

It took them a few minutes before the group spotted a giant green building. It was gaudily embellished with giant lightning bolts. "Well, he couldn't have shown off any better," Selene sighed as she shook her head.

"Is he trying to compensate for something?" Michelle asked as her eyes twitched.

"Probably," Selene said with a chuckle.

The group came to the door and it slowly opened, like jaws of death. Once they stepped in, they found themselves in front of a woman and a man. "We came to see the Vermilion Gym," Ash said to the two.

The guy gave a smirk before turning his head and pointed his thumb at the group "Hey Boss, another victim for the emergency room!"

Hearing that comment, Selene could already feel the electric charges that were coming from Michelle. "What did he say?" Michelle growled so low that only Selene could hear. She gave her a knowing glance and made sure she stayed put. The two then decided to put away the two eevees in case things got messy. Both Luke and Nero scowled in anger as they didn't like the tone that the guy said nor how they were being treated for just visiting.

"Which one?" Came a scratchy voice from shadows.

Ash sighed and cleared his throat, "I said WE came here to SEE the gym, not CHALLENGE it," He said simply and straight to the point.

The man laughed as he stepped out into the light. The man was tall, had blonde hair, and was wearing a brown military uniform. The front side of his shirt was open enough to show his bare chest in dominance, clearly showing off his dog tags. He looked down at the group with a smug look. "Welcome to Vermillion Gym!" He said with a laugh and went and hugged Misty out of the blue. The red-head froze in her tracks at the unnecessary touch.

"Pedophile much?" Michelle muttered to Selene quietly as she glared at the tall man.

"Oh my next challenger is a cute one~" He grinned as he eyed her a little.

"That's enough, and no. She isn't," Brock said as he went and somewhat forcibly grabbed her away. Misty looked relieved and with a slight blush on her cheeks as Brock stood protectively in front of her.

"Oh, my mistake, so then a lovely gal like you are the one?" He said as he made his way over to Selene. Before he could hug her, Nero stepped in front of her and gave a loud growl. Her brother, giving him a stare that would kill a thousand men. He brought his hands up in defense. "Ok, ok, ok, down boy!" He then looked to Michelle and placed a hand on her shoulder. Michelle gave a sickeningly sweet smile before grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. He landed on his back and gave a cough as the air left his lungs. Luke walked over with his arms crossed, he leaned over to look at him with a stern gaze. "Keep your paws off of her!" He growled through Aura Speech. The little Pichu on Michelle's shoulder laughed uncontrollably at the folly that the man had suffered.

After the events that happened to their leader, the two cronies quickly ran over to help their boss up. Surge quickly pushed them away as he stood up to show that he wasn't deterred. "Alright, if none of the pretty ladies are challenging me, then who is?" He asked in a demanding tone.

"You really need to listen. We said that we were here to SEE the gym, not challenge it yet." Ash answered in annoyance.

Lieutenant Surge gave a grunt as he gave a small nod before he spotted the Pikachu. He then gave a laugh and said, "Once you do, I hope you are not going to challenge me with that baby pokemon. I'll wipe the floor with him if you do."

Michelle lowly growled as her fists clenched beside her as her eye started to twitch... Selene placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a stern shake of her head. "Not yet," She whispered to her. "Ash will teach him a lesson, when he does. And if he doesn't get it then, then we can do something,"

"Why are you making fun of my Pikachu!" Ash growled angrily as he stood proud of his first pokemon.

"Pika, Pika (What he said!)" Pikachu said as he stood up on his hind legs.

"Well, I'll show you why," He said in his deep masculine tone, "Go Pokeball!" He said and threw his pokeball and out came a big male Raichu. The male pokemon looked smug as it looked at its pre-evolved form.

"Why am I not surprised?" Michelle muttered.

"Okay baby if you want to leave, now's your chance," Surge smirked.

The Raichu had placed his paws on his hips in imitation of his trainer. "Chu! (Yeah!)" He said. Even though Michelle was still a bit peeved, she couldn't help but snicker at how the two mimic each other.

Before Ash could utter a response, another kid came barging through the door. "I'm Zeus Storm and I'm here to challenge Lieutenant Surge! Watch as I make your pokemon cower in front of my electric mouse!"

Michelle's eyes twitched before doing a face palm at the total arrogance and stupidity of the rookie. The boy just smirked as he got the attention of everyone in the room before releasing his star. The Pikachu looked just as arrogant as his trainer; his fur on his forehead was stylized to look like a lightning bolt.

Lieutenant Surge burst out laughing at the whole ordeal before turning to look at the group. "Let me show you what my real power is," He said with a smirk. "I invite you to watch this kid's demise." He then looked at the newcomer and said, "You really think you can beat me with a baby like that? Listen, you want to win? I'll give you advice. You should make your pokemon evolve as soon as you catch it." He was petting his Raichu on the head as he stated that comment.

Ash got annoyed by his tone, "There is more to raising a pokemon then forcing it to evolve!" He spat. "I like Pikachu just the way he is," He said as he placed a hand on Pikachu's head.

"Same goes to you Akiko," Michelle whispered to her starter as she watched.

The kid laughed, "Unlike you, me and my Pikachu will become stronger no matter what! Now are you going to battle me or not!" He said to Ash before saying the last statement at Surge. "I came here to earn a Thunder Badge!" He said bluntly.

"Oh well, I guess you'll learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience," He said to the boy as he started to make his way over to the gym. The lights soon came on to reveal the stage. The group then headed towards the standss to watch the battle play out.

The announcer that was hiding behind a glass window started to talk through the microphone, "The Gym Leader Lieutenant Surge has chosen Raichu. The challenger Zeus has chosen his Pikachu. No time limit. Let the battle begin!" The sound of a bell was heard.

"Go Raichu!" Surge ordered as he pointed to the Pikachu.

"Rai! (Ok!)" The Raichu said as he made a beeline towards the Pikachu.

"Go Jupiter!" Ordered Zeus as he urged his Pikachu to battle. "Use Thundershock!" The attack was then absorbed by Raichu as he stood perfectly fine.

"Raichu, show them a real thunder shock!" He shouted with a grin as his pokemon reared up for battle and shocked the poor Pikachu. A gasp was heard from Zeus at how much it hurt his partner. The Pikachu then hit the ground after a stumble and was knocked out. "It's over Baby. You didn't really think that Pikachu could beat my Raichu, did you?" Surge asked with a chuckle.

"Jupiter!" Zeus yelled as he went and grabbed his partner before running towards the door. "I'll be back! Just you wait! Me and Jupiter are going to beat you!" He called as he made a beeline to the Pokemon Center.

Selene just shook her head as she watched the poor boy run out of the building. She heard the laughter in the distance as the cronies made fun of the boy. She knew that Michelle was getting a bit peeved but turned her attention to Ash who was uncharastically deep in thought. She leaned over and whispered, "Are you ok?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, I was just seeing if there was a flaw to Surge's battle strategy, and I think I've figured it out." He then looked to Pikachu and asked, "Do you want to battle him, Pikachu?" The mouse pokemon nodded in determination as he had figured it out as well. Akiko had jumped off Michelle's shoulder and scampered to Pikachu and gave him a big hug for good luck. Ash grinned and nodded as he decided to make his way down to the gym floor. "If that wasn't good enough for you, how about you battle me now?" He said as Pikachu stood next to Ash, his cheeks sparking in determination.

"So you are ready for a beating?" Surge laughed and raised a brow, "You didn't even evolve your Pikachu yet. You sure you still want to do that after the humiliation of number seventeen?"

"We are going to prove to you that evolution isn't everything!" Ash said as he folded his arms.

"Ha! You haven't learned anything!" Surge said as he placed his hands on his hips. He was going to say more when Michelle piped up from the sidelines.

"Just shut up and battle you idiot!"

Surge slightly flinched at her yell but nodded, "Alright, if you want a beating, here we come."

The bell dings and the battle starts. Pikachu started to dart towards Raichu, but before he could land a hit, he was swatted away by Raichu's tail. He rolled to the side only to keep getting hit by the tail. "Hang in there Pikachu!" Ash said.

"Raichu, use Body Slam!" Surge ordered and he launched himself into the air to try and land on Pikachu with full force. At the last minute, Pikachu used Agility to dodge. The pokemon landed on the ground without a target. Surge then continued the order of an onslaught of Body Slams. The multiple failed impacts had given the evolved pokemon a red mark on its stomach.

Up in the stands , Misty was watching with intrigue, "What's going on?" She asked.

"Now I get it! Surge evolved his pokemon right when he got it, he never learned speed attacks that it would've learned as a Pikachu," He said excitedly to Misty.

"Yeah, Ash is more observant than he looks," Michelle says to the two.

"Ok, Pikachu use Agility to get close to Raichu, and then use Iron Tail!" Ash said as he watched his partner in action. Pikachu zig-zagged across the battlefield and got close to the Raichu before jumping into the air and using Iron Tail. His tail hit its mark and knocked the Raichu out.

Surge looked on in disbelief as he watched his pokemon fall to the ground. He gave a smug face and said, "That was a lucky shot Kid, you just caught me off my game. Here's the badge. Don't say I wasn't a man of my word." He then ordered one of his cronies to get a box, while he quickly healed his Raichu. The Raichu was soon up on his feet and ready to battle again. The man soon came and Surge gave him the badge. "Not like you would have won if you battled me again."

"You are such an arrogant jerk! How you ended up as a Gym Leader is just unbelievable!" Michelle growled as she stormed off and out of the Gym. Akiko stayed in the bleachers to give her some space.

Selene sighed and shook her head. "I'll be back, Michelle just needs to cool off a bit," She said to the group before going after her. Once she caught up with Michelle, she pulled her into a more hidden spot and said, "Since he still didn't get the memo, how about we beat him our way."

Michelle then grinned from ear to ear, "Now you are speaking my language," She said as she morphed her body into her Pikachu form. Selene nodded and used her psychic ability to cloak Michelle so that nobody would see her until they needed to. They then made their way back into the gym only to see that Brock and Misty were gone, leaving Ash, Pikachu, Akiko and their siblings.

"Hey, where's Michelle?" Ash asked.

"Oh, she still needed to cool off, so she said that she'll meet up with us later, now where's the others?" Selene asked.

"Brock went to do some laundry and Misty really wanted her bubble bath," Ash explained.

Selene nodded before looking at Surge. "Since your Raichu still looks ready for battle, how about a little wager. If MY pikachu can beat your Raichu, you will admit that evolution isn't everything. No badge needed."

"Alright, I'll take that deal, but if I win, then you will have to evolve your pikachu right after as a reminder that I was right," Surge said with a smirk.

Ash and Pikachu were both angred by the comment and were about to say something when Selene brought a hand up to stop them. "Alright, deal." She said before making her way onto the battlefield.

"I won't go easy on you beautiful," Surge smirked as his Raichu showed a few sparks in eagerness.

"Good, because I won't either," She retorted with a grin. She then picked an empty ball and flung it to the battlefield. Michelle saw this as her cue and ran out onto the field before the 'cloak' disappeared to reveal her.

Surge started to laugh, "You're not only batting with a baby pokemon but with a female baby pokemon!" He smirked.

"Don't judge on gender or looks alone, Sora has a powerful punch," Selene said with a big grin.

Surge then spotted the red coloring of Michelle's eyes and pondered on the strangeness of it, but he pushed it away to focus on the battle. Surge's Raichu just grinned at the thought of the girl before him. Though Michelle reacted to him with a deadpan look.

"Just get on with the battle already!" Hollered Lottie from the sidelines. Nero just shook his head and tried to reel the young girl back. Luke just snickered at the little scene beside him. He then returned his attention to the battle below. Knowing that he would enjoy watching his sister crush the arrogant mouse.

"Raichu, let's show these babies how we really get things done," Surge said. "Thunder shock!"

"Rai! Rai! (Yes sir!)" His Raichu said before letting out a powerful thundershock. As the lightning zapped through the air, Michelle didn't move a muscle and just let it strike her.

"HA! That'll show you-! WHAT!? HOW DID IT NOT AFFECT HER!" Surge shouted in a demanding tone as he saw how it gave little to no effect to the pikachu.

"For being an electric type trainer, you sure don't know the abilities of your own pokemon line. Sora here has the ability called Lightning Rod. As you said, he is very powerful, but, the more you zap, the stronger SHE'LL be," Selene said with a sigh and she placed her hand on her forehead "You are quite sad," She said before showing a smirk.

Surge snarled and pointed at her. "You talk big missy, but you don't know what real power is, but I'll show you." He then looked at his Raichu, "Raichu, let's crush the little lady. Use Body Slam!"

The male Raichu growled as he lifted himself up into the air and towards Michelle. Michelle easily dodged it without a second thought and the evolved pokemon hit the ground with a loud smack. Lottie saw the pained expression and began to laugh.

"Let's finish this Sora. Use Double Team around the Raichu before using Iron tail!" Selene ordered as she folded her arms. Michelle gave a pika before starting her Double Team. As she ran around the bigger pokemon, multiples of her appeared until she was lost in the crowd. They all then leaped up and their tails began to glow.

"Get ready Raichu! When she gets close, use Mega Punch on her!" Surge ordered in an attempt to be prepared. Though instead of hitting the Raichu, she aimed her tails to the ground, creating an earthquake. "That's impossible! Pikachu shouldn't know that move!" The Raichu cried out in pain as pieces of the ground shot up and barraged him.

Selene shook her head,"Although that is true, she didn't use the actual move. With strategy, we made it possible. That's what a true gym leader should do, while not going overboard. You need to learn what it is like to be a better trainer before you continue on owning this gym."

"Yeah! You're a bad trainer and a meanie!" Lottie said to him as she stuck her tongue at the man. She was hanging over the edge of the bleachers, the Haxorus holding her legs, a sweat drop going down his face.

Selene looked to see that and freaked out, "Charlotte Jynx Tesla! You better get that blonde bob of yours back into that stand or you're going to go straight home!" Lottie huffed and puffed out her cheeks before she let Nero pull her back in. Selene sighed before looking back at the battle field. She smirked at how the Raichu was flailing on his back. The others had sweat drops from the little outburst as well. Michelle then made her way over to Selene to get ready for the final move. She looked down at Michelle. "You ready for the final move, Sora?" She asked.

"Pika!(Yes!)" Michelle said in eagerness. She looked over to the Raichu with a smirk and static sparks from her cheek sacks. It took the Raichu a few more seconds before he finally rolled onto his front, but it wasn't going to do him much good for it was already too late.

"Sora use Lightning Hammer," Selene ordered. Michelle ran towards him before jumping into the air. Her tail started to glow as she prepared an Iron Tail. As she fell towards the Raichu she spun into a front flip. At the edge of her tail, light started to form into a ball before slamming it down onto the head of Raichu. The whole battle field was lit up with the various stray lightning from the move. As the electricity settled down, the group could see that the Raichu was knocked out.

Surge looked at his Raichu in shock. He was truly stunned, and for the first time he truly was defeated. "W..what move was that? I have never seen it before…" He then started to walk up to the knocked out pokemon.

"It wasn't just one move Surge. You obviously didn't pay attention to the earlier moves we did. It's a combination of Iron Tail and Electro Ball," Selene said as she picked up Michelle. Ash and the rest of the small group was starting to come down from the bleachers. Lottie glared at Surge and stuck out her tongue. Nero just nudged her forward.

"That was awesome Selene! I have never seen moves used like that before." Ash said as he walked up to the two. As he got closer he got a better look at the pikachu in Selene's arms. The red eyes looked so familiar to him. Suddenly, he got a memory of when he was younger playing with a red-eyed pichu.