"That's also a Raichu?"
Hermione held Pikachu's Poké Ball in her hand, deep in thought.
She hadn't expected Pokémon to have regional forms—and even more surprisingly, Professor Charles had agreed to her request. But now another question arose: Which Raichu should it evolve into?
"Professor, aside from their appearance, what's the difference between the other Raichu and the regular one?" she asked curiously.
"Of course there's a difference," Charles explained. "That's the Alolan Raichu from the Alola Region of the Pokémon world. Its type changes from pure Electric to Electric and Psychic, allowing it to learn Psychic-type moves. Upon evolution, it immediately masters Psychic. It can still learn all the moves a normal Raichu can, too."
"The ability also changes to Surge Surfer, which doubles its Speed under Electric Terrain. Compared to the original Raichu, the Alolan one's physical attack is slightly weaker, but its special attack is higher."
He looked at her. "So, what do you think?"
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then came up with an idea—why not let Pikachu decide for itself?
The Pikachu with the heart-shaped tail looked at the two pictures and immediately chose the Alolan Raichu without hesitation.
"Pika!" It slapped its tiny hand onto the picture of the Alolan Raichu, eyes sparkling. It had wanted to evolve to grow stronger—but it always worried that becoming Raichu would make it look… less cute.
Now that problem was solved!
"With Alolan Raichu, Pikachu doesn't have to worry about being ugly after evolving!"
"You've chosen the Alolan one, then." Charles smiled, rising from his desk and walking toward one of the machines in the breeding room. "Come with me."
"Professor, how exactly do you evolve Pikachu into an Alolan Raichu?" Hermione asked as she followed, holding Pikachu in her arms. "If it's just a Thunder Stone, that shouldn't work, right?"
"You simply use the Thunder Stone in Alola. People believe it's because of the region's unique climate, soil, and food," Charles explained. "But I suspect it's related to Alola's magnetic field. After all, even a Pikachu born in Alola can only evolve into a normal Raichu once it leaves that region."
Charles took Pikachu from Hermione and placed it gently onto the machine.
"So that's how it works—wait, Professor, what did you just say?" Hermione's eyes widened. "We need to evolve Pikachu in Alola? But—but that's in the Pokémon world, isn't it?"
"Correct. Which is why we'll have to send Pikachu there—using this machine." Charles patted a large device resembling a telephone booth. It was a communication machine imported from the Alola Region. After setting it up, he discovered it worked perfectly—even allowing interdimensional transfer without opening an Ultra Wormhole. That discovery had shocked him.
Still, it was incredibly convenient. Otherwise, he'd have to open an Ultra Wormhole every time to trade Pokémon between worlds—an exhausting process.
The machine hummed to life, and on the screen appeared a man in a white uniform. Of course, that was also Charles—his other self, stationed at the Aether Foundation.
Leaving one clone in Alola allowed him to both study the region's ecology and operate the communication machine on that side.
"I'm sending a Pikachu over. Help it evolve into Raichu."
"Got it."
Hermione watched as Professor Charles pressed a few buttons. In the next instant, her Pikachu transformed into streams of data and vanished into the machine. A moment later, its image appeared before the handsome man on the other side of the screen.
"That's my Pikachu?"
"Exactly. Using this transmission technology, we can send Pokémon anywhere in the world—or even between worlds. Think of it as the Pokémon equivalent of Apparition."
That comparison clicked instantly for Hermione.
"Oh, so it's just a more advanced Apparition! That makes perfect sense—it's even scientifically sound!"
On the screen, the man gently placed a Thunder Stone on Pikachu's head.
Brilliant light filled the room.
Moments later, a large, adorably round Raichu appeared.
"It really evolved!" Hermione gasped.
"I'll send it back now," Charles said.——
A few minutes later, Hermione left the professor's office.
Her Pikachu had successfully evolved into an Alolan Raichu.
After evolution, its power had grown tremendously.
This only reinforced Hermione's belief: Pokémon must evolve to become stronger!If they didn't evolve, they were like young wizards who never matured—their inner magic would never match that of adults. How could they hope to win like that?
Determined, she decided to prove it to Harry—with facts. She would show him just how strong an evolved Raichu could be, and convince him to let his Pikachu evolve too!
With that in mind, she went to find Harry and the others training at the Pokémon Academy.
They were still practicing Protect.
"Where did you go?" Ron asked as soon as he saw her.
"I went to ask the professor for a Thunder Stone." Hermione raised her Poké Ball with a confident smile, then turned to Harry. "Harry, want to battle me? Let's see who's stronger—Raichu or Pikachu!"
"Your Pikachu already evolved?" Harry blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Professor Charles to actually give her a Thunder Stone.
"Not only that—it evolved into a rare form. Your Pikachu doesn't stand a chance!" Hermione said proudly. Her Raichu's level might have been slightly lower than Harry's Pikachu before, but now she brimmed with confidence.
"Well, Pikachu and I were getting tired of training anyway!"
Though he knew Pikachu was at a disadvantage, Harry still accepted the challenge without hesitation.
Come on—since when had he ever backed down?
"Let's go to the arena, then! But just so you know—my Raichu has already mastered all the moves your Pikachu knows. And the ones Raichu can use… Pikachu can only dream of."
"Even so, Pikachu and I won't lose! Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, sparks flaring from its cheeks.
"All the spirit in the world won't help you without the strength to back it up!" Hermione shot back, and tension crackled between them.
The four headed to the training arena.
"I'll be the referee!" Ron said eagerly.
Honestly, it was the only way to avoid having to pick sides. Neville, holding his Munchlax, sat quietly to the side.
"Only Pikachu and Raichu are allowed. The first to lose fighting ability loses the match!" Ron shouted. "Now, send out your Pokémon!"
Hermione struck a textbook-perfect Poké Ball throwing pose—so perfect it could've been printed in a manual. In contrast, Harry hadn't kept Pikachu in a Poké Ball since the restriction had been lifted. Pikachu's favorite perch was still his shoulder.
He waved his arm, and Pikachu leapt off, landing lightly on the battlefield.
Across from them, Hermione released her Raichu—and everyone froze in shock.
"Wait, Hermione, is that Raichu even legal?" Ron, as referee, felt compelled to speak up. "That looks totally fake! It should be banned!"
"Of course it's not legal," Hermione admitted easily—but she meant something else. "The professor said he could help me evolve Raichu early, but I'm not allowed to use it in this year's Hogwarts Cup. It wouldn't be fair to other trainers."
"But that doesn't matter! What's important is that Raichu really is stronger now. Remember—our enemy is Voldemort!"
The powerful electric charge radiating from Raichu made even Pikachu uneasy.
This was a Pokémon whose electrical energy rivaled nature itself. Compared to it, Pikachu's electricity felt minuscule.
"No matter what, Pikachu and I won't give up!" Harry shouted. Pikachu's electric sacs sparked, threads of lightning dancing around it as it released excess energy.
"Pika!"
It crouched low, ready to strike.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Harry commanded. True to his Gryffindor spirit, his strategy was simple—fast and fierce offense. But real battles didn't guarantee first strikes.
Pikachu darted forward like lightning, but Raichu still tracked its movement.
"Raichu, meet it with Iron Tail!" Hermione called.
Raichu lifted off the ground, its tail glowing with metallic energy as it swung down like a gleaming surfboard straight toward Pikachu!
Boom!
The impact shook the entire arena.
But Raichu's Iron Tail missed—Pikachu twisted mid-air with incredible agility and countered with its own Iron Tail!
Their tails clashed, and despite Raichu's higher level, its slender tail—like a whip with a surfboard-shaped tip—overpowered Pikachu's strike, knocking it flying.
"You okay, Pikachu?" Harry called anxiously.
"Pika!"
Pikachu managed to twist in midair, landing safely and shaking off the blow, still full of fighting spirit.
"Good! Let's use Iron Tail again!"
Harry was determined to match strength with Raichu. Though Pikachu was losing in raw power, he believed his partner could still go further.
But Hermione wasn't planning to play around anymore.
"Psychic!"
Facing Pikachu's charge, Raichu unleashed its psychic power!
Invisible waves of mental force rippled like ocean tides, slamming into Pikachu with crushing pressure.
Layer upon layer of Psychic energy battered Pikachu's body, keeping it from even getting close. It was pinned in place, unable to move, before crashing to the ground with a cry.
"Pikachu!"
"See? Raichu's strength far surpasses Pikachu's," Hermione said matter-of-factly. She didn't even look particularly pleased—after all, a Raichu beating a Pikachu was the obvious result.
Who had ever heard of a Raichu losing to a Pikachu of the same level?
Lt. Surge: …
"Stand up, Pikachu!" Harry called desperately.
"Pika… chu!"
As if answering him, Pikachu's trembling limbs pushed against the ground—it stood back up.
"How? Pikachu shouldn't be able to stand after taking a Psychic like that," Hermione frowned.
Psychic was an immensely powerful move—especially when used by an Alolan Raichu as its STAB attack. By her calculation, Pikachu shouldn't have been able to withstand it.
"Impossible? Nothing's impossible! My Pikachu doesn't give up that easily—right, partner?" Harry's voice reignited with fire.
The bond between them was stronger than anything else.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Even if it can still stand, you think it can endure another Psychic?" Hermione countered.
Raichu understood immediately. Its eyes glowed as it unleashed its full psychic might!
It needed to prove that its evolution hadn't been in vain. If it lost now, what was the point of evolving at all?
Waves of psychic force slammed toward Pikachu like invisible walls. Each blow hit with the force of a speeding car, tossing Pikachu around like a leaf in a storm.
And yet—Pikachu refused to yield.
Through sheer willpower, it pushed forward through the crushing psychic pressure, its body blazing with electricity. The lightning wrapped around it until it became a streak of living thunder—
Volt Tackle!
The crackling bolt tore through the psychic barrier like a beast unleashed, roaring straight toward Raichu!
For a fleeting instant, Raichu's eyes showed fear.
And in that moment, Pikachu struck—its tail flashing with lightning.
Volt Tail!
(End of Chapter)