With a Spark and a Buzz (Part 2)

Talons wrapped around Radioactivity's midsection as a massive bird Pokemon grabbed him with only one foot, then latched onto the collar with the other and lifted off into the sky, taking the younger Jolteon with it.  Radioactivity couldn't see what exactly was holding him, but he wanted down.  Bolt was down there!  He had to follow him!  He had to save him!

"Put me down!" he yelled to his captor, getting no response.  Radioactivity fought on, trying to wiggle free, but that only ended up with the collar around his neck nearly choking him.  They were gaining altitude fast.  What could he do!?

Wait.  Type matchups.  He was an Electric Type, and bird Pokemon were all Flying Types.  All he had to do was deliver a big enough jolt, and he'd be released!  All he had to do was figure out how to work his powers before they got too high for Radioactivity to fall.

Starting with his born ability, he focused as much energy as he could on the bird Pokemon above him, though his panic forced some of his radioactive energy to remain buzzing around him.  Barely deterred, the bird Pokemon circled higher.  Wouldn't it be coming back to a trainer by now...?  Radioactivity shook his head and fought on.  Come on, lightning!  Work!

Trying to recreate the feeling of surging power that he had felt when he had stuck his nose in the power socket, Radioactivity managed to summon a small jolt, and while it only struck his captor because he was touching Radioactivity (apparently, he had discovered how to shock himself...), it still should have at least dealt the Flying Type some damage!

Radioactivity prepared for another attack, trying to figure out why he wasn't making any impact, when his captor spoke in a harsh voice that reminded Radioactivity of static.  "Stop attacking me, will you!?  I'm not going to hurt you."

Radioactivity did stop his attacks, though he didn't retrieve his radioactive energy.  "Put me down!  Please!  My uncle is down there, he's in trouble!"

"I know!  I'm trying to help them, but you're not making it easy!"

That threw him.  "...But you're kidnapping me!"

"I'm trying to get your trainer's attention."

"What trainer!?  I don't have a trainer!"

His captor paused, thunder cracking nearby.  The bird Pokemon didn't seem at all afraid of the storm...  "...You're wearing a collar.  Why would you be wearing a collar if you didn't have a trainer?"

"To make the humans think I did so they wouldn't try to catch me!  It was my uncle's idea!"

His captor -actually, Radioactivity wasn't sure he was malevolent anymore- paused again, flapping somewhat haphazardly as he began to glide to a lower altitude.  Radioactivity quickly reabsorbed his energy.  If this bird really did want to help...  "...You're not going to hurt me?"

"Of course not.  I protect Jolteons, not hurt them."

"What?"

"Do you know who I am?" the bird Pokemon asked, sounding a bit irked.

Radioactivity tried to look up, but the mystery Pokemon's grip on the collar kept him from looking anywhere but forward or down.  "...I-I can't see you, your talons are digging into my head..."

Instead of answering, his captor(?) swooped low as terrifying speed, then pulled up suddenly and dropped Radioactivity.  He only screamed for a second before he landed in what felt like a dense tree.  No...  Not a tree, he realized as he stood up and shook himself off.  A nest.  Not a nest in a tree, either.  He peered over the edge, recognizing the building that he was perched on top of instantly.  We're on top of the Power Plant!  But that meant...  If Sunbeam's books were right...

The bird Pokemon landed heavily on the other side of the nest, spiked yellow and black feathers framing a small face with a long, needle-like beak and eyes filled with lightning.  He peered intensely at Radioactivity.  "How about now?"

The young Jolteon could only whisper the name in shocked reverence.  "Zapdos..."

A few minutes later, Radioactivity was sure that, yes, this was really Zapdos, the Legendary Thunderbird Pokemon, and no, he was not dreaming.  In fact, he was fairly sure that the powerful Electric Type actually kind of liked him, or least felt responsible for him.  When Radioactivity had been explaining what had happened that led him and Bolt to Saffron City, the young Jolteon mentioned his lack of skill with his Electric Type powers, something that Zapdos was now coaching him on while Radioactivity finished his story.

According to Zapdos, Radioactivity's trouble summoning lightning wasn't his or Bolt's fault.  It was his radioactivity's.  When he was still an Eevee, he was a Normal Type, a type defined by its ability to use almost any type's energy flexibly, including the radioactive glow that Four possessed.  Normally, when an Eevee evolves, it gains a lot more affinity for certain types while all but dropping the ability to harness most other types' power.

Radioactivity, however, had his own classification.  When he was Four, he was a Normal and Radioactive Type, or, at least, this was the closest comparison.  When he had evolved, he was forced to keep his "Radioactive Type powers," even though his entire biology had changed.  More in tune with his glow than his lightning, it made it difficult for Radioactivity to summon electricity, and nearly impossible for him to use powerful blasts quickly.  Luckily, Zapdos had offered a solution.

"So now you want to find your uncle, save him, and then go home.  Use Shock Wave."

"Right," Radioactivity said as he focused his energy, using Charge first to separate his electricity from his radioactivity, then sealed his buzz away and threw the charged power out in a dome around him.

"Good.  Just use Charge for a bit longer.  The longer you use Charge, the more powerful your lightning will be."

"Got it.  So, why are you here?  If you don't mind my asking, of course..."

"I don't.  Use Shock Wave again."  He began telling the story as Radioactivity kept training, using Charge before any Electric Type move.  "Recently, a group of humans has been kidnapping Electric Types for some malicious purpose, but the last time I went to intervene, they were ready for me.  Volt Switch."

Radioactivity used Charge again before breaking into a dash and striking an imaginary target.  "What happened?"

"...You're good with Volt Switch by now, keep working on Shock Wave.  They nearly captured me is all I want to say about it.  Luckily for me, I know Drill Peck, but they won't fall for the same trick twice.  Unlike some other Legendaries, I rather like humans," he said with a fond smile tugging at the corners of his beak.  Radioactivity smiled, too, almost asking before Zapdos fixed him with another scarily intense look.  He quickly got back to training.  "So, I went looking for a trainer that enjoyed the company of Electric Type Pokemon that would assist me."

Radioactivity put the pieces together.  "And when you saw me alone wearing a collar, you thought I had escaped and was calling for my trainer."

"Exactly.  Shock Wave again.  I made as big of a spectacle as I could, but no one came forward.  Now I have to make sure that you know what you're doing, so I don't leave you alone and unable to fight."

Radioactivity paused.  "...Well, what if I helped you free them?"

"By yourself."

"Yes," he pressed on, ignoring the highly skeptical tone and look that the Thunderbird Pokemon was giving him.  "You said yourself that I'm not a normal Electric Type."

"You are one Jolteon.  One very young and inexperienced Jolteon with barely enough power to use Volt Switch, let alone the hard-hitting moves like Thunder or Discharge."

"It's not all about power," Radioactivity said before he could stop himself.  Zapdos fixed him with a look so intense that he could feel the static building in his fur as he shrank away slightly.  "Uh...  I mean..."

"I know what you mean.  ...And I think you're right.  I have a plan."