"Squirtle!"
Driven by fierce pride, the sunglasses-wearing Squirtle's hidden potential burst forth. The little turtle suddenly leapt into the air, blue light radiating from its body. The glow shot skyward, and dark clouds quickly gathered overhead.
Rain Dance—the core move of weather-based tactics. In its burning desire to win, the sunglasses Squirtle had awakened the move on its own.
Fat raindrops soon began to fall, quickly pooling into puddles across the ground. Ivysaur blinked in confusion, staring upward at the sudden downpour. Just moments ago the sky had been clear and sunny—how had it started raining so suddenly?
Rain gave a major boost to Water-type Pokémon like Squirtle. Ivysaur wasn't greatly weakened, but this relatively young Ivysaur clearly wasn't used to fighting in heavy rain.
The torrential downpour slowed the Razor Leaf attack Ivysaur had hoped would decide the match. The leaves carved visible arcs through the rain, making them easy for the sunglasses Squirtle to track and dodge.
Drawing strength from the storm, Squirtle gathered a massive sphere of water between its hands. The spinning Water Pulse shot forward at high speed, striking Ivysaur squarely and sending it flying with a cry.
But this Ivysaur was no longer the same after Ray Chu's training. While tumbling through the air, its two Vine Whips lashed out and wrapped around nearby trees, stabilizing its fall. It landed safely, though clearly somewhat weakened.
"Squirtle!" The sunglasses Squirtle prepared to press its advantage—but suddenly its shell began to itch.
A seed sprouted rapidly from its back.
Vines burst forth and wrapped tightly around its body.
As the seed drained its strength, the triumphant Squirtle quickly began to feel weak. With a helpless "Squirtle…" it finally collapsed to the ground.
During the earlier clash, Ivysaur had secretly planted a Leech Seed under the cover of wind and rain. Nourished by the downpour, the seed had sprouted explosively. By the time Squirtle realized what had happened, it was already too late.
The sunglasses Squirtle might possess excellent talent, but compared to Ivysaur—trained strictly by Ray Chu and drilled in countless battle tactics—it was still far too inexperienced.
"Pika, pika!" With the outcome decided, Ray Chu called out.
Ivysaur withdrew the Leech Seed, the vines retracting at once. Freed from the bindings, the sunglasses Squirtle slowly climbed back to its feet.
"Squirtle." After regaining its balance, the Squirtle spoke to Ray Chu.
Ray Chu nodded and tossed a Poké Ball.
This time, the sunglasses Squirtle didn't resist. It transformed into a red beam and entered the ball.
Ray Chu held the Poké Ball high overhead and shouted excitedly, "Pika~chu! (I caught Squirtle!)"
"Squirtle… Squirtle…" The remaining Squirtle gathered around their leader after he emerged from the ball again, clearly reluctant to see him leave.
The sunglasses Squirtle told them he now had a new boss. They shouldn't keep drifting aimlessly anymore—they should each find a Trainer who truly understood them and chase their own dreams.
The group of Squirtle stacked their hands together and raised them high, promising to pursue their dreams and meet again someday.
After saying farewell to the Squirtle, Ray Chu and Dapple discussed their next step. To avoid the company sending more pursuers, they decided to leave the city as soon as possible.
An hour later, the three Pokémon arrived at Cerulean City's seaside harbor. Ships moved constantly in and out of port.
Ray Chu suddenly noticed a massive advertisement poster nearby.
On it, a Golduck stood confidently atop a surfboard, riding a crashing wave.
"Pika!" Ray Chu suddenly remembered the battle he had seen earlier in the concert plaza. The Golduck's Trainer had advertised surfing lessons afterward.
Following the address, Ray Chu soon found the surfing school.
Out on the ocean waves, a blue Golduck balanced on a surfboard, charging forward with each rising swell like a brave knight challenging the sea itself.
Behind it, a group of humans and Pokémon practiced surfing, following Golduck's lead as they danced with the tide.
Unfortunately, Dapple and Lala had little interest in learning to surf.
According to Dapple, she didn't want her precious feathers soaked in seawater—and since she could fly, there was no need to learn surfing anyway.
Lala fully agreed. As a refined star, she certainly wasn't going to learn something like surfing.
In the end, only Ray Chu signed up.
After all, a Pikachu that couldn't surf clearly had no soul.
The surfing school was set up right on the beach. Sure enough, it was run by the Trainer from the plaza battle earlier. Judging from the crowd, his advertising had clearly worked—plenty of people had come to learn.
Even though Ray Chu was a Pikachu, Pokémon students weren't unusual here. After paying the training fee, he was quickly handed a surfboard and joined the group on the sand while Golduck demonstrated the basics.
"Pika! Pika!" Ray Chu stood confidently on the board as seawater splashed across its surface and over his feet.
With Golduck demonstrating proper form, Ray Chu practiced the basic movements step by step. Thanks to his martial arts training and excellent body control, he grasped the essentials quickly.
Once he had the fundamentals down, it was time to head into the ocean.
"Go!"
A small electric mouse stood atop the waves, drawing curious looks from onlookers. Electric-type Pokémon usually disliked the sea—after all, the merciless ocean swallowed everything that came from land.
Yet what followed left everyone stunned.
Ray Chu's surfboard shot forward like lightning, carving through the water. The unpredictable ocean seemed like a tamed beast beneath his control.
"That Pikachu… is it really surfing for the first time?"
"It was just learning the basics a moment ago… but hey, even Charizard can have the Water Absorb Ability. Maybe that Pikachu can control water!"
Meanwhile, Ray Chu rode the waves again and again, charging headlong into the swells.
His knees bent slightly, arms relaxed at his sides, sharp eyes tracking every shift in the tide. Inside, power gathered quietly—building toward the next charge.
He could feel it.
The ripples of the sea.
Liquid could conduct Hamon. And as one of the strongest Hamon users, Ray Chu possessed incredible precision in controlling it.
Wrapped within those rippling waves of energy, he moved like a fish darting through water—fluid, agile, executing breathtaking maneuvers one after another.
Everyone on the beach witnessed the spectacle.
And on that shore, a new legend was born.
"I saw it with my own eyes today—the birth of Surfing Pikachu!"
Even Golduck, his own instructor, had been left behind.
As a surfing master among Water-type Pokémon, Golduck had taught countless humans and Pokémon. Talented beginners weren't unheard of.
But someone who seemed to merge with the ocean itself…
That was a first.
---
T/N: water... absorb... charizard...?
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