Reality quickly proved that Ray Chu's earlier worries were completely unfounded. Compared to a certain electric-rodent bully (him), most Pokémon in this world were far simpler and kinder.
The next morning, Hanako the Mr. Mime—completely unaware she'd been thoroughly exploited—returned to the forest to earnestly thank King Ray Chu for his generous gift of food, declaring she had come today to pay her "taxes."
King Ray Chu praised her noble attitude and urged her to begin immediately.
Yet, contrary to Ray Chu's expectations, no matter how patiently Hanako explained and demonstrated—whether it was Confusion or Light Screen—he showed no sign of mastering either move.
Ray Chu was forced to admit a bitter truth: he seemingly had no talent for Psychic-type moves.
Damn it! I want cool, practical, flashy psychic powers too!
Ray Chu slumped forward in utter despair, and Hanako gently crouched beside him, softly comforting the disheartened Pikachu.
But his frustration lasted only a moment. Soon enough, Ray Chu perked back up. If Psychic wasn't his thing, there were other types to explore—and who knew? Just because he couldn't grasp it now didn't mean he never would. Pokémon was a world full of miracles, after all; anything was possible!
Parting ways with the now-useless Pokémon Hanako, Ray Chu returned to the solitary road of rigorous training. This time, he trained even harder, completing each set of exercises meticulously, steadily strengthening himself bit by bit.
In between training sessions, he also started challenging other Pokémon in the forest. Soon enough, legends spread of a bully Pikachu who left carnage wherever he passed, terrorizing countless kind-hearted Pokémon into trembling submission.
...
[AFTER NUMEROUS BATTLES, LEVEL INCREASED BY +3.]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 14]
...
"Ah, so this is how it felt for Dugu Qiubai, huh..." Having finally achieved the "Preschool Invincibility" achievement and becoming the undisputed tyrant of the forest, Ray Chu lay boredly atop a tree branch, sighing helplessly.
At his side, two plump-leafed Oddish diligently shook their leaves, fanning him with cool breezes.
The most dangerous Pokémon in the forest was a wild Ivysaur, evolved to its second stage. Truly worthy of a starter Pokémon, it had high base stats, and its level was probably higher than Ray Chu's, making him sweat buckets from the sheer type disadvantage.
However, its combat experience was evidently lacking, and its move combinations were clumsy. After dodging both Vine Whip and Razor Leaf, Ray Chu seized an opening, closed in, and executed a seamless combo, giving the Ivysaur no chance to breathe.
Looking down at the unconscious Ivysaur, Ray Chu momentarily regretted not having a Poké Ball on hand to catch it. A Pikachu commanding other Pokémon in battle—now that would've been a spectacular sight.
While lost in thought, a sharp, piercing screech suddenly tore through the distant skies. A huge brown shadow streaked past the canopy, kicking up fierce winds.
"What the hell?!" Ray Chu flipped upright, shielding his eyes with one paw as he stared into the distance. The brown figure circled in midair once, then suddenly dove straight into the forest.
Without hesitation, Ray Chu propelled himself into the air, using the branches as a springboard, swiftly heading towards the intruder's landing site.
Pushing through a thicket of wrecked foliage, Ray Chu soon saw the intruder clearly beneath a towering tree—a huge brown Pokémon: a Fearow.
Its head bore a bright red crest, a long and sharp beak, slender neck, and messy, rough feathers covering its chest. Its broad wings ended in white tips; it stood on pale pink talons and had four brown tail feathers.
The Fearow was massive—about 1.2 meters tall—with a prominent scar over its right eye, making it look especially fierce. Currently, it had a Caterpie dangling from its beak, clearly intending to swallow the poor thing whole.
"Pika-pika-poh!" Stop right there! Put down that Rayqua— Wait, no, that Caterpie!
Ray Chu leapt out to confront it. As the (self-proclaimed) King of Viridian Forest, he felt responsible for protecting his subjects.
Simultaneous with his appearance, he fired a Thunder Shock, which struck Fearow's crest, sending a violent jolt through its body.
Fearow's beak twisted painfully, releasing the almost swallowed Caterpie, who immediately wriggled into the nearby grass for safety.
Fearow had no time to worry about its escaping snack. Eyes bloodshot from being interrupted and attacked, it instantly entered a rage.
"Gwaaa!" Fearow spread its huge wings—spanning two or three meters—and launched itself forward, becoming a blurred shadow.
Ray Chu jumped aside just in time, barely evading the Fearow's piercing strike, which instead drilled clean through a large tree behind him. With a sharp twist, Fearow snapped the massive tree in two, toppling it with ease.
Fearow were notoriously temperamental, and having been attacked by Ray Chu, this one clearly wouldn't relent until it had beaten him into submission.
Realizing this, Ray Chu felt excitement bubble up within him. He'd been itching for a decent fight.
"Pika!"
Ray Chu adopted a battle stance, quickly closing in on all fours before leaping upward, both legs glowing white with energy.
DOUBLE KICK
Fearow took a direct hit to the head, immediately disoriented—but a flash of cunning appeared in its eyes. It swiftly turned its head and unleashed a sudden Hyper Beam from its beak.
In that critical instant, Ray Chu desperately dove toward the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly beam—though the powerful attack still grazed his back, sending searing pain across his injured skin.
I got careless. Ray Chu glanced sideways; a deep gouge, over ten meters long, stretched across the ground beside him, illustrating the immense power of that attack. Had it hit him directly, he'd have been instantly KO'd.
This Fearow was far stronger than he'd anticipated, leagues above the peaceful Pokémon inhabiting Viridian Forest—clearly a battle-hardened veteran.
Ordinary Fearow easily fell into frenzied states of rage, yet despite this one's hot temper, it maintained a certain clarity and cunning even mid-battle.
"Pika..." Ray Chu began negotiating with his opponent, sternly declaring this territory as his own. As king of this forest, he demanded the intruder immediately leave, accusing it of trespassing and threatening his subjects.
Fearow listened, then emitted a harsh, mocking cry—essentially ridiculing the audacity of an electric rodent claiming kingship. It had already decided this area was ideal for nesting and told Ray Chu to scram.
Infuriating! ╰_╯
King Pikachu the Bully had barely occupied his throne a few days, and now an outsider dared challenge his authority? It was time to teach this arrogant bird a lesson.
After provoking Fearow with some expertly crafted trash-talk, Ray Chu suddenly performed a strange pose: standing on one foot, torso tilted forward, arms extended sideways, and the other leg stretched straight behind him.
Fearow hesitated, confused. Could this bizarre gesture mean surrender? Its cautious nature made it briefly fold its wings, temporarily refraining from attacking.
Then Ray Chu performed another move, and another…
Only after completing a full series of poses—when a white flash indicated the Meditate buff had refreshed—did Fearow finally realize it had been tricked. It screeched in fury, even angrier than before.
---
T/N: bro is doing yoga in the middle of battle :sob: