A True Hero

"Ms. Tabitha! Time to get up! I'm not going to tell you again!"

Tabitha quickly sat up and grunted aloud, then yawned and rubbed her eyes. She rolled over to one side of her bed and reached for her glasses, then put them on before swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and standing up.

"I'm up Celia!" she yelled down, then walked over to her closet to dress herself. She hated the summer. Kids were always running in and out of the forest, catching and training Pokémon, but not her. She never liked the idea of catching a Pokémon and forcing it to fight battles when it could live happily on its own…

The other kids would make fun of her for not wanting to become a Pokémon trainer. They called her Tabby the Scaredy Cat. The only people she had to talk to really were Celia, Dusty and Vincent, who were her family's hired help.  Her parents were rich actors who were almost never home, so she felt even more alone because of that factor. Tabby sighed and adjusted her glasses after her sweater went over her head, then finished getting ready and headed downstairs.

That afternoon found Tabby taking the 'scenic route' to town, along the edge of the forest. She often took this route to avoid Kenny and Freddy, two twins who would never leave her alone about not being a trainer. She scoffed to herself and stuck her hands in her pocket, pulling out a small hacky sack and kicking up a few times and bouncing it off her head and elbows as she walked. She fumbled, and the hacky sack bounced ahead, stopping just ahead of her.

"Shoot!" she said, unable to keep from smiling… but suddenly stopped.

Out of the bushes, next to her hacky sack, a wild Pikachu had emerged, sniffing at the sack curiously. Tabby bit her lip to hold in a laugh. Out of all the wonderful Pokémon in the world, the Pikachu family had always been her absolute favorite, and now there was one right in front of her! Just then, the Pikachu looked over at her, then down at the hacky sack, then up at her again, then at the hacky sack once more… then snatched it up in its teeth and ran back into the bushes.

"H-Hey wait!" she exclaimed, and almost without knowing what came over her, ran after it.

A short chase later found herself following the small Pikachu to a large hollow tree. She knelt down to peer into the hole at the bottom, and surprisingly found the Pikachu looking right back at her, with her hacky sack in its mouth. She blinked, and it glared, growling and its cheeks sparked. Tabby gulped and scooted back a bit, but was still fascinated by the small Pokémon. She laughed a bit.

"You can't eat that you know…" she said.

As if understanding her, the Pikachu put the hacky sack into its paws and looked at it. After a short pause, it looked at her, then retreated into the stump, and just as she was about to get up, it returned, but this time, holding a blue croquet ball.

"Pika?" it said, holding the ball out. Tabby blinked and cocked her head.

"That's… not food either…" she said, and the Pikachu retreated into the hole once more, but then returned a moment later, but this time with a bag of marbles!

"Chu, pika?" it said, and Tabby's eyes widened.

"You… want to trade me for the hacky sack?" she asked, shocked. She had never heard of a wild Pokémon doing anything like this before, wanting to pay for an item it took… though she would hate to make it part with something of its own The Pikachu just stared at her, and she smiled.

"No, its okay little guy, you can keep the hacky sack," she said.

"Pi?" the Pikachu seemed shocked by the offer, and Tabby smiled and stood up.

"Bye little guy," she said, then turned and walked away. But it wasn't long before she noticed the Pikachu was following her, staring up at her. She stopped and looked down at it, then tilted her head… and it tilted its head in response. She blinked, it blinked, she lifted one foot, and it lifted one foot. It was mimicking her every movement. Tabby paused and knelt down slowly, so as not to startle the Pikachu, but it remained still… Still enough for Tabby to slowly reach out to it, and give it a gentle pat on the head.

It responded by giving her a Thunder Shock up her arm.

Tabby yelped and pulled her arm away, falling onto her back completely, and the Pikachu went down on all fours and bounced up and down.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" it cried out, before suddenly taking off, back to the stump.

"Ow…" Tabby stood up and rubbed her arm, looking back at the Pikachu's stump one last time before continuing on to town.
~~~
The next morning was like any other, except Tabby had gotten her alarm fixed so Celia didn't have to scream up at her. The sun was shining at her through her window and she smiled as she started to reach for her glasses… when an out of place sound hit her ears.

"Pika!"

Tabby's eyes widened behind her glasses and she rushed to her balcony, pushing open her sliding door and looking down into her front lawn… only to find a Pikachu sitting in the three by her balcony… with her hacky sack! Tabby didn't know what to think, but she walked over to the Pikachu, which looked sad and apologetic. Tabby smiled and adjusted her glasses.

"Well hi again," she said. The Pikachu gave a smile and put her hacky sack on its head, then to her surprise, began to bounce it back and forth between its ears. She laughed.

"Hey, you're good!" she said.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" the Pikachu said, and she laughed again.

"I guess that shock from yesterday means you wanna be playmates, huh?"

"Pika!"
~~~
The next few days were spent in Tabby's bedroom, and her backyard. The Pikachu came back every morning to Tabby's balcony to wake her up to play, often times leading her off to places in the forest where she could watch the other Pokémon. Soon two weeks had passed and the two had become the best of friends. This wild Pikachu, in fact, was the only real friend Tabby had. And one night, she decided that she would sneak out and camp in the forest with him so they could stargaze together. She packed everything up and waited until her family's hired help were too distracted to notice, then slipped away and into the forest.

She taught the Pikachu how to roast marshmallows and how to play tick-tack-toe, and even read some parts of her favorite book to him. The Pikachu seemed to enjoy it, bouncing up and down, and saying what Tabby called his 'catch phrase'.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" he would say, giving her a smile. Tabby laughed and gently rubbed his little red cheeks. She had found he was very sensitive there, ticklish even, and that he loved peppermint candy. She had brought some for him as a surprise, and held it behind her back.

"I've got a surprise for you buddy…" she said, then whipped out the bag. "Ta-da!"

"Chaaaaa!" he squealed, and clapped his small paws together. Tabby smiled and handed it to him, but held up a finger.

"One at a time only, I don't want you to get sick," she said.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

Tabby and the Pikachu froze, their eyes widening from behind startled. Tabby looked around slowly and then down at the Pikachu, who scooted closer to her in fear.

"Please tell me that was your stomach…" she said.

"HAUNTER!!!"

A giant flash of purple and a pair of sinister eyes caused Tabby to cry out in fear and for the Pikachu to do the same. A wild Haunter had appeared and scared the willies out of them both. The Haunter chuckled and chortled in its own sick way and flew around the two in circles. Tabby picked up her backpack and swung it at the ghost, shouting at it.

"Scram! Get outta here! Go!" she shouted, but the Haunter just evaded her and taunted.

"Pika-Chuuuuuuuuuuu!!" and CRACKLE-BOOM went the Thunder Bolt attack! Tabby jumped back and fell on her rump, looking up to see the Pikachu attacking the Haunter with its electrical powers. The Haunter vanished and reappeared, but to Tabby's surprise, the Pikachu's Bolt attack followed the Haunter no matter where it went! Almost like it was a heat-seeking missile!

Finally, the Haunter retreated, startled, not only by the Pikachu's attack, but also by the resounding boom of thunder overhead. Tabby and the Pikachu's victory was quickly taken into the tent by the rain, and the two snuggled into the sleeping bag together. Tabby giggled as the rain pattered over them.

"You were awesome!" she exclaimed. The Pikachu smiled cutely.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" he said. Tabby smiled and laid her head on her pillow.

"You know… that attack… It's almost like you called up this storm!" she said. "I'm… I'm gonna call you Thor."

Thor's little eyes widened, but then closed with a grin and he licked her cheek with a happy "Pika!" and Tabby giggled, picking up him and putting him onto her stomach and looking up at him.

"Hey Thor… Would… From now on, would you like to live with me?" she asked, honestly not knowing how he would respond…

A shrill squeak and an instant glomp to the face was taken as a resounding "Yes".
~~~
The next few days were the happiest two friends could spend with each other. Thanks to Thor, Tabby was no longer afraid to go into town and be taunted. Sure, she still wasn't a trainer, but she had a best friend who didn't care if she was or not. She would let Thor ride on her shoulder, and he would lean forward so that the two were often cheek-to-cheek. He loved looking through the shop windows, especially at the bakery, because as Tabby had learned, he was fond of cupcakes as well. The two would watch, as the baker would take fresh bread out of the oven, then stick their heads inside just to get a whiff of the smell, before dashing off to their next favorite spot.

"C'mon Thor, I'll race you to the swings!" Tabby said as she set Thor onto the ground once they entered the park.

"Pikachu!" Thor chimed, then took off after her as she sprinted ahead. Tabby laughed and turned to get to the swings, about to cry out first, when Thor dashed ahead of her and leapt onto a swing, sending it forward and up.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" he cried out in victory. Tabby stopped running and bent over to catch her breath, then laughed and sat on the swing beside him.

"Yes, yes, you win…" she panted, then looked at Thor as he swung. He always had a funny way of swinging. As he went from forwards to backwards, he would go,

"Pika… Chuuuu…" And he would stick his head underneath the swing as he went backwards. Tabby smiled to herself and started to swing along with him, humming as she did and making sure to give Thor a push when he started to slow down.

"Maybe this weekend I can ask Vincent to take us to the beach!" she said as they swung. "We can collect shells and go swimming!"

"Don't expect to catch any of the good Pokémon down there. We already did!" said a voice behind her. Tabby dragged her feet into the ground to stop herself and groaned aloud. It was Kenny and Freddy.

Kenny was a skinny boy who liked to cut his own hair, no matter how bad it would turn out, and he wore a yellow shirt with a black vest over it and blue jeans that were full of holes. Freddy was his brother, who was taller and heavier than Kenny was, and almost never had his hair cut. In fact, it would go over his eyes. Freddy wore what had once been a nice dress shirt that he got ruined on the first day of wearing it, and like Kenny, he wore blue jeans. Tabby turned away from them as Thor looked at the two from an upside down view.

"I told you Kenny, I don't like catching Pokémon," she said.

"Then how do you explain this pipsqueak?" Kenny asked, lifting one foot and disturbing the movement of the swing, causing Thor to cry out in slight distress and hold on tightly so as not to fall off. Tabby stood up instantly and gave Kenny a good push in the chest.

"You leave him alone!" she hissed, to which Kenny responded by pulling out a Poké Ball and opening it, releasing a Croconaw.

"You wanna try that again Scaredy Cat?" he taunted.

"Pika!" Thor barked and leapt to Tabby's defense, standing in front of her. "Pi…" he growled, his cheeks sparking.

The wind blew Tabby's hair into her face and she looked up slightly as the moving clouds blocked the sun, but she could still tell that it was getting late. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. She didn't want to make Thor battle… besides; she couldn't stand to see him hurt. She bent down and picked him up.

"It's getting late, Thor. Lets go home…" she said, walking around Kenny and Freddy.

"Ha, ha! Tabby the Scaredy Cat is a Scardey Cat!" Freddy yelled after her, causing a pang at her heart.

"You might as well let that little ball of fluff go home to the forest if you're not gonna even train him!" Kenny yelled.

"Pi-cha…!" Thor growled, starting to squirm in her grip, which Tabby tightened.

"Please Thor, don't," she whispered, placing her chin against his head. Thor looked up at her and let his ears droop.

"Pikachu…" he purred, nuzzling into her chest. Tabby smiled and looked up at the sky, which had cleared.

"Look on the bright side, Thor. I've got a surprise for you when we get home!"
~~~
Once home and in her room, Tabby placed Thor onto her bed, then walked over to a small box on her dresser. Thor cocked his head to one side and blinked as she walked back over to him, then knelt down in front of him, reaching inside the box.

"Ta-da!" she proclaimed, then produced a black collar, with a strange charm that looked like an upside down capital 'T' hanging on it. Thor's ears perked, and Tabby smiled.

"You like it? The charm is a Celtic piece, it represents the hammer of the god Thor," she said as she put the collar around his neck and fastened it. "This way, people will know you have a home and won't try to capture you."

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" Thor squealed, then jumped into Tabby's arm and nuzzled her chest, giving a slight purring noise as he did. Tabby couldn't help but tear up as she stroked Thor's fur.

"You're the best friend a girl could ask for, Thor…" she said, hugging him closer. Thor purred, then the two started to settle in for bed. Tabby took off her glasses and set them on the table beside her, and then snuggled up close to Thor, who was already close to falling into deep sleep. She yawned, then decided to join him.
~~~
The next morning, Tabby woke to a startling sight…

Thor was gone.

Tabby blinked and looked around in a slight panic. Thor was always lying at her side when she awoke, whether he was already awake or not. Tabby sat up and put her glasses on, looking around her room as soon as she could see clearly.

"Thor?" she asked aloud, then proceeded to search her mansion.

One hour proved fruitless. Thor was nowhere to be found, and even Dusty the Gardener was puzzled as to where the Pikachu went. Tabby even went searching into town, but no one had seen Thor. She even asked Kenny and Freddy, who were too busy battling one another to notice her, so she ignored them and searched on.

Soon, close to three days had passed. She had searched everywhere, even the forest for Thor, but there was still no sign of him. Another several hours of fruitless searching, and Tabby returned home for lunch.

"Any luck Miss?" Vincent asked her. Tabby shook her head.

"No… Where could he be?" she asked, propping her head up with her palm.

"I wouldn't worry about him, Miss. He might have just gone back to his forest home." Vincent said, putting a plate of food in front of her. Tabby sighed and picked up her fork.

"Home… I guess I never should have brought him home…"

"I wouldn't say that, Miss. Thor came to you for days, and if he truly wanted to go back to the forest, he would have done it the first night. Who knows? Maybe some instinct drove him into the forest for a few days." Vincent said before starting to walk out. Tabby blinked.

"Do you… think he'll be back?" she asked. Vincent looked at her, and smiled.

"I think so," he said, then left the room. Tabby smiled, comforted, then started to eat.
~~~
Late afternoon, and still no sign of Thor. Tabby sighed and walked to the park to sit alone on the swings, thinking of him. She missed the way he would talk on the swing, or ride on her shoulder… she missed everything about him… where could he have gone?

"Decide to give up the façade, Scaredy Cat?" Kenny's voice asked, and Tabby groaned. "Admit it, that Pikachu wasn't even yours!"

"Go away Kenny," she grumbled.

"Aw! And I wanted to give you the chance to meet my new Pokémon!" Kenny taunted, stepping in front of her and pulling out a Poké Ball. For a moment, Tabby dreaded the thought of Thor coming out of that Poké Ball, but instead, she fell backwards off the swing in slight terror.

"Haunter! Haunt!" the Haunter said, lickings its maw.

"Like him? Caught him in the woods near the marsh early this morning!" Kenny bragged, and Tabby gulped. There was no way she could be sure, but she was almost certain that this was the same Haunter that Thor had driven off a little while ago…

"Very nice…" she said, standing up and backing off. "But I'd better be going…" she started to say, but then bumped into Freddy, who pushed her back forwards.

"What's your hurry? Spook here wants to play peek-a-boo!" Freddy taunted. Tabby growled, then spun around and punched Freddy in the stomach.

"I said I'll be going!" she snapped, then walked around him.

"Haunter!" the Haunter, now called Spook, was now in front of her, causing her to yelp.

"Too bad for you then…" Kenny snickered. Tabby glared at him as the Haunter taunted and chortled in its own way at her, but then suddenly its eyes widened and it flew backwards, gasping aloud.

"Pika!" growled a voice, and there was a sudden weight on her right shoulder. Tabby blinked once, then looked, finding a Pikachu on her shoulder… wearing a black collar.

"Th-Thor?!" she asked. Thor looked at her.

"Pika-pika, chu-chu!" he said with a wink. Tabby gaped, but then smiled, feeling proud and happier than she had ever felt in her whole life. Her smile then turned into a smirk and she looked at Spook.

"Okay Thor… Use Thunder Shock!"

"Pika!" Thor leapt off her shoulder and landed on the ground, sending a bolt of electricity at Spook. Kenny gave a start and stammered a bit.

"Sp-Spook, dodge it!" he stammered, and Spook vanished, but just as Tabby predicted, Thor's lightning bolt followed the now invisible Pokémon wherever it went! It couldn't run, or hide!

Thunder boomed in the sky and the clouds grew dark, and Tabby looked up. Either it was a huge coincidence that this storm came up, or Thor had a knack for calling them up himself. Tabby looked down at Thor.

"Okay Thor, heel," she said. "I think Spook here learned his lesson the first time we met."

Thor ceased his attack and ran up to her, the sun starting to come back out as he did. She smiled and picked him up, nuzzling her cheek against him. Kenny blinked in shock, then blinked again as he found Spook cowering behind him, staring at Thor in terror. Kenny growled and pulled out another Poké Ball.

"Now you've asked for it! Chomper, go!" he yelled, and the Croconaw appeared. Tabby sighed in annoyance.

"Kenny, I don't want to battle! Never have, never will!"

"Pika!" Thor barked, then pulled himself from her arms and landed in front of Chomper. Tabby gasped, about to call out Thor's name, but she stopped, suddenly realizing that he wanted to defend her, because she was his friend. For so long she had never defended herself, and now Thor was giving her that chance… but still.

"Kenny…" Tabby said, looking at him. "You know that I don't like to fight. But that doesn't mean Thor won't defend me when he has to…"

The clouds started to darken again, and thunder boomed, followed by a lightning strike, which startled Kenny like no one would believe. He looked at Tabby, then at Thor, before backing up and almost bumping into Freddy.

"Uh… Maybe some other time, when the weather's better." he said, pulling out this two empty Poké Balls and calling Chomper and Spook back to them, then he and Freddy took off just as the rain started to pour down. Tabby grinned and picked Thor up.

"C'mon Thor, lets get somewhere dry!" she said, and then took off with him.
~~~
Tabby and Thor made it back home as wet as a pair of raindrops themselves. Celia instantly scolded them for going out into the rain, but then put them in a pair of warm blankets around them, sat them down by the fire, and gave them some hot coco and fresh sandwiches.  Tabby thanked her, then sipped her hot coco, giggling as Thor gave himself a little brown mustache from drinking some of his. Once they were warm, they went up to her room and started to get ready for bed. Tabby looked at Thor.

"Where were you, Thor?" she asked. "You had me scared to death, thinking you'd never come back."

Thor blushed a bit and rubbed his neck, then walked over to the bed. He jumped on it, reached under her pillow, and produced a bundle of leaves, which looked as if they were wrapped around something. Tabby cocked her head, but then Thor held the bundle out to her, as if he were giving her a gift. Tabby sat beside him and put the bundle in her lap, then carefully unwrapped it to reveal its content.

It was a blue Lapis stone, a semi-precious stone that was often worn in jewelry. This stone was a lovely oval shape, smoothed out to shine, and flattened, like a palm stone, but there was something carved into the front… the Celtic Friendship Knot.

Tabby started to tear up uncontrollably, and she looked at Thor, who blushed and held both paws behind his back, clearly sheepish.

"Th-This… is why you were gone? You were making this for me?" she asked, sounding choked up. Thor smiled and nodded.

"Chu…" he said. Tabby couldn't hold it in anymore and she started to sob, picking Thor up and hugging him tightly.

"Oh Thor, thank you! Thank you so much!" she sobbed.

"P-Pikaaaa…" Thor choked, wriggling in her grip a bit.

"O-Oh, sorry!" Tabby loosened her grip and smiled at him. Thor smiled and gently nuzzled into her chest, purring slightly. Tabby smiled and laid her cheek to the top of his head in a gentle hug.

"I love you too, Thor."

"In the end, the only true hero you can rely on… is a true friend."
                                                                                   ~Unknown