Fire and Ice

Sacrifice

This is an alternate version of Forging Forest Friendships. In this version, the story plays out as it did in canon until the part where Trevenant shows up to kidnap Ash. Instead of a Trevenant, this time a wild Electabuzz is on a rampage. 

Froakie stared down the Electabuzz, trying to judge the best way to take on his newfound opponent. He knew that he was at a significant disadvantage, but that wasn't about to stop him. He'd taken on Pokemon more powerful than this Electabuzz before. Sure, it usually ended with him coming off worse, but he felt he'd be able to cause some significant damage if he really tried. 

"Froakie..." Hawlucha muttered. 

"What?" Froakie snapped back, not in the mood for a chat. And especially not with Hawlucha of all Pokemon. 

Hawlucha glared at him. "Well, there was no need to be rude," he said coldly. 

"Care to explain what you've been doing this whole time?" Froakie retorted bitterly. 

Hawlucha opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off as Electabuzz fired a Thunderbolt in their direction. The two squabbling Pokemon dodged to the side, their quarrel temporarily forgotten in the wake of this new threat. 

Froakie hurled a Water Pulse towards Electabuzz, which hit its mark. He didn't have time to be satisfied, however, for the electric-type responded almost immediately with a Brick Break. The Bubble Frog Pokemon found himself knocked backwards about three feet before landing rather unceremoniously next to Hawlucha. 

"Good landing," the fighting-type sneered at him. 

"Shut up and help me out instead of standing around, you useless peacock!" Froakie growled back at him. 

Hawlucha sighed and held out a talon to help him up, but Froakie ignored it and stood up himself-only to collapse again as his left foot screamed in pain. Apparently when he landed, he must have twisted it somehow. 

"What's wrong?" Hawlucha asked, the coldness in his voice from earlier now gone. Instead, he just sounded worried. 

"My foot," Froakie grimaced. "I think-I've twisted it-or something." 

"Sit down and relax. Let me handle Electabuzz," Hawlucha ordered. 

"But-" 

"No buts, Froakie. You're not going to be able to do much battling if you can't even stand." 

Froakie let out an irritated sigh, but he knew that Hawlucha was right. Satisfied that his teammate wasn't going to try to put himself in even more danger, Hawlucha turned his attention back to Electabuzz...

....only to find out that he had disappeared. 

The two Pokemon blinked and looked around in confusion. Where had Electabuzz gone? It seemed strange that a wild Pokemon should just abandon a fight for no reason, especially when he hadn't exactly been losing. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Froakie spotted a large surge of electricity coming towards them. 

"Hawlucha, on your right!" he shouted by way of warning. 

But even as he spoke the words, Froakie knew that the warning had come too late. There was no way they were going to be able to dodge the attack this time, much less come up with a way to block it. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain that was sure to come....

Only it never came. Confused, Froakie opened his eyes, wondering why he hadn't been hit by the Thunderbolt. His question was soon answered, however, when he saw Hawlucha on the ground in front of him, his entire body smoking. He had taken the attack for him.