Last time, Icy had returned home to his gym in the Viridian Forest.  But it wasn’t a joyous occasion at all.  After burying his closest friend, Icy and Sara retired for the night.  But during the night, many caterpies and butterfrees from the forest had gather around Buttercup’s grave.  What could they be up too?  And now…

    The Caterpies and Butterfrees focused their energies on Buttercup’s still corpse.  Her body began to glow a bright blue.  The light emanating from it could be seen from the sky as it pierced through the trees.
    Icy woke next morning to a strange site.  Wiggler was running around all over the gym.  “Wiggler, stop that.  Wiggler!  Huh…”  Wiggler stopped and glowed.  “Oh, Wiggler.  Sara come quick, I think Wiggler’s ready to evolve!”  Sara and Aura came in before Icy could finish his sentence.  Wiggler stood upright and sprayed its string into the air above it kinda like a fountain.  The string fell back over his body creating a cocoon.  “Wiggler…”  After he was done, a new pokémon looked at Icy and Sara for the first time.  “Wiggler, you’ve evolved in Metapod!  I’m so happy!”
    “This is great Icy!”  Sara then turned to Aura.  “At least this will turn his mind away from Buttercup for a while.”  Sara was equally sad about Buttercup’s unfortunate death, but Icy was still worse off.  He didn’t get much sleep last night.
    Meanwhile, back inside the forest, a flock of Butterfree flew over the canopy.  Among them was a smaller, greenish colored Butterfree.  She insisted on flying in loops and did other various tricks.  The other Butterfree smiled, as was their form of applause.  They flew over top Icy’s Gym.  Sara watched them but turned away so Icy wouldn’t look.  She didn’t want him to be constantly reminded of Buttercup.  Not now…  The green Butterfree looked at the gym and continued with the other Butterfree.  Pokémon usually didn’t understand the differences in human buildings anyways…
    “So, what do metapods do?  Dee, help us out here.”  Icy opened his pokédex.
    “Metapod, the evolved form of Caterpie.  Metapods cannot move thus are unable to attack.  In time, they will evolve in the 3rd stage of the Caterpie evolutions, Butterfree.”  Icy closed Dee slowly.
    “Buttercup…” he sighed.  “Oooohhhh…”
    “Are you ok Icy, you look sick.”
    “No, I’m fine…  Metapods don’t do anything…  Not until they evolve…”
    “Icy…”
    “Wiggler can’t replace Buttercup…”
    “Icy, none of your pokémon can replace her.  That’s what made her unique.  She was special.  But you need to accept the fact that she gave her own life to help you.”
    “That’s not fair.  I didn’t want for her to die.  She should have just refused to battle, I would have understood.  I beat them all once, I could have done it again.  Then she’d still be alive.  She would have been a hero, instead she’s dead, and I don’t feel like a pokémon master.  A master wouldn’t let his pokémon battle to the death.  I could have prevented it.”
    “Icy, blaming yourself all day won’t bring Buttercup back to life.  You can only learn from the mistake and move on.  You’ll be happier once Wiggly evolves into a Butterfree.  I wonder when the rest of your Caterpie will evolve?”
    “Them, I don’t know.  They don’t ever get a chance to do much.”
    “Maybe you could let my class play with them.  I have many young students, younger than 10.  They love cute pokémon.  They could give the Caterpies all the training they need to evolve.”
    “I suppose…  But I don’t see how playing with them makes them evolve.”
    “Well, love and care helps somewhat…”
    “You have a point there.”  Icy sat down in the center of the main gym floor and sent out his Caterpie.  They immediately covered him.  “Thanks guys.  I’ll never allow any of you or my other pokémon to try something you are capable of ever again.  Buttercup won’t have died in vein.”  The caterpies were saddened, but knew that Icy had to live with the impression he had caused Buttercup’s death.  They cuddled him more.
    Back in the forest, a young boy ran down the path.  “AGHHHHHHHH!!!!  Stay back you!”
    “PPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHUUUUUU!!!!”
    “AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”  He jumped after being shocked for about the tenth time.  “I said I’m sorry.  I didn’t know that was your apple tree.  Really!  Please, leave me be!”  The Pikachu continued perusing the kid.  “AGHHHHH!!!!!  Someone help me.”
    Back at the gym, Sara was looking out the window with Aura when she saw a small area of the forest light up.  “Huh, what was that?”
    The kid began approaching the gym.  “Oh, a gym!  They’ll protect me!”  The Pikachu was right behind him.  He reached the doors and quickly jumped inside.  “Wow!”  The trainer looked at around.  The main hall was lined with forest artifacts.  Fairies and caterpies were placed atop pedestals down the walls.  The boy walked slowly down the hallway.  He admired every aspect of it.  Finally, he reached the main doors.  He pushed them open slowly.  Then, he saw Icy, covered by Caterpies.  “Wha, what is that,” he thought to himself.
    Icy sensed his presence in the room and got up quickly sending some of the Caterpie flying off in odd directions.  They slid upon the waxed floor.  Icy looked at the boy with curiosity.  “What a sec, I know you from somewhere.”
    “Funny, same here.”
    “Nicky!”
    “Icy!”
    “A pokémon master, in my gym…”
    “What about yourself Icy?  You beat Lance too remember…  Oh…”
    “Please…  I don’t consider that a very good reason for being a master…”
    “Sorry…  Oh yeah…  Is it ok for me to hang out here for a while?  Some Pikachu was really ticked with me for picking an apple off a tree.  I guess the tree belongs to him.  He almost fried me with his thundershocks.”
    “Yes, thundershock is a strong Pikachu attack.  I should know.”
    “Really, why’s that?”
    “Surely you must have known about me and the great accident.”
    “No.”  Icy sweatdropped.  Then, he related to Nicky the story about him being transformed into a Pikachu and all.  Then he told him about Mewtwo and Bill’s cure for him and Sara.  Nicky was sorta stumped but just nodded.
    “Well, I guess you can hang out for a while.  I don’t often get visitors.”
    “Hey, can I see your pokémon, I’ll show you the one’s I’ve caught!”
    “Ok.  They aren’t all evolved, but I love then just the same.”
    “Hey, it’s the ability of the pokémon combined with the trainer, not the form that matters.  Appearances are meaningless, never forget that.  That’s what makes a master.  Hehehe…  I must sound like a poképhilosopher…  hehehe…”
    “Yeah…”  Icy summoned his pokéballs via telekinesis and opened them.  Nicky watched in awe.
    “You’re a psychic?  That’s awesome!”  Icy smiled.  Not many people liked psychics, so anyone who thought it was cool was considered a good friend.  Icy’s pokémon all jumped out from their pokéballs.  “Wow.  Now that’s a lot of pokémon!”  Nicky set all his pokéballs in a line.  There were only ten of them.  “Ok guys, come out!”
Nicky’s pokémon included: Raichu, Butterfree, Vileplume, Sandslash, Venomoth, Nidorino, Pidgeot, Wigglytuff, Dewgong, and Blastoise.  Icy was most impressed by his vast array of pokémon.
    “WOW!  Those are really strong pokémon.  I could never win a battle against you with that team.”
    “Oh come on.  We are both pokémon masters, let’s go at it.  Besides, you’re a gym leader right?”
    “Well, yes.”
    “Then I challenge you.  Under league rules, you can’t turn down a challenge.”
    “Kinda…  I operate outside the pokémon league…  Which means for you, I’ll get to use pokémon other than bugs.  This battle will be three on three.”
    “I see.  That works fine for me.  I choose you, Sandslash.”
    “A Sandslash huh.  Ground type.  Ready to fight, come in sight!  Icy calls, Neptune!”  Icy’s Horsea leapt into the ring.  She took one glance at the large mouse and began hopping away.  “No Neptune, you are my only water type.  Neptune, water gun now!”  Neptune shrugged then fired her water gun at Sandslash.
    “That little squirt bottle doesn’t scare me.  Sandslash, slash attack now!”  The water gun was almost useless since Sandslash’s level was many times higher than Neptune’s.  It slashed Neptune once and she was knocked out.  “Uhh…  Good thing you didn’t battle with her in the League.”
    “Ohhh…  Neptune, return.  Ready to fight, come in sight!  Icy calls, Hocus!”
    “I am ready master.  Well hello Mr. Sandslash, care to dance.”
    “Right, psychic attack!”  Hocus focused his mind on Sandslash and the mouse began doing some strange dance.
    “What’s going on?  Sandslash, stop fooling around.”
    “Finish him Hocus.”
    “Righto.  It’s been swell Mr. Sandslash, but now I’m afraid you shalt have to part in such sweet sorrow…”  Hocus sent to psybeams at Sandslash knocking him out.  “Goodnight…hehehe…”
    “Great job Hocus, as usual.”
    “Thank you master.”
    “Wow, your pokémon can talk?”
    “Kadabras are very smart.  This one’s been talking since it was an Abra.  He’s very special.”
    “I’m flattered,” Hocus interrupted blushing.
    “Well, talking Kadabras aren’t preventing me from beating you Icy.  Return Sandslash.  I now choose Dewgong.  Dewgong, aurora beam now!”  Dewgong fired the beam directly at Hocus.  Hocus twitched but did not go down.
    “Tis a mere scratch.”  Hocus used recover then followed up with a psybeam.  Dewgong went down just like Sandslash.
    “Oh, you are good.  That Kadabra is pretty funny too.”
    “Thank you Nicky.  Now, which pokémon may I beat last?”
    “Humph…  I think I liked the funny jokes better…  Return Dewgong.  Go, Blastoise.”  Icy was speechless.
    “A Blastoise…  Hocus, confusion now.”  Hocus used his confusion beam but it had no effect.  Blastoise picked up the upset Kadabra.
    “Good, now slam Blastoise.”  He threw Hocus to the ground.
    “Teleport now!”  Just before hitting the ground, Hocus managed to teleport to safety.  He was still a bit shaken up though.  “Ok, this won’t work, Hocus, return.”
    “Last one Icy.  My Blastoise is gonna win it all!”
    “Don’t be so sure.  Ready to fight, come in sight!  Icy calls Wiggler.”  The motionless Metapod appeared.  “Wiggler, harden now!”
    “Blastoise, wash it away with hydro pump.”  Blastoise jet sprayed Wiggler, but it didn’t seem to matter.  In fact, something was happening.  The water was nurturing the Metapod.
    “Oh cool!  It’s gonna evolve!”  Sure enough, the Metapod cracked open and a beautiful Butterfree with bright colored wings popped out.  It fluttered all around the gym.  “Wiggler!  You evolved!  Hmm, Wiggler doesn’t sound like a name for a Butterfree, I’ll call you Flutter.”  Flutter was please with its new name and prepared to attack.  “Ok Flutter, psybeam!”  Flutter got ready to do something, but then he realized he didn’t know how to do that attack.  “Oh no, I forgot, Butterfree don’t learn that till latter.”
    “Too bad Icy.  Blastoise, hydro pump!”  Blastoise fired its water cannons at Flutter, pinning him to the wall.
    “Ok ok, that’s enough, one dead Butterfree is all I can take.  Flutter, return.  You have bested my Nicky.  To prove your skills, not that you really need to, I present you with this Forest Badge.”  Icy handed Nicky the colorful badge.  On the left was a Caterpie and on the right, a Weedle.  In the middle was an olive branch.  Nicky took the badge and thanked Icy.
    “You were pretty good there yourself.  I’m very sorry about your Butterfree.  She was quite a fighter.  Her attacks were way off the chart from any known pokémon.  Researchers could learn a lot about her even from examining her corpse.”
    “WHAT!  No one’s gonna operate on my Butterfree.  It’s bad enough she died, now you want some scientists to cut her open!”
    “No no, I’m sorry I mentioned it.  Could I at least see her?  I never did get a chance to take a close look at her.  I promise not to touch.”
    “Fine.  Why you’d want to see a dead pokémon is beyond me though.  She’s buried deep inside the forest.  I’ll have to take you there.”  Nicky nodded and they went to the gravesite.
    “She would be happy.  This is really a beautiful place to be.  Now her spirit can merge with the forest.  Kinda like she’d be all around us right now.  Just as he said the words, the flock of Butterfree flew overhead.  The smaller Butterfree was inside the group too.  She looked down at the earth to see what was happening.  Nicky looked up and laughed.  “See Icy, my point.  She’s all around.  Take those Butterfree for example…  Icy…?”
    “It can’t be…”  Icy’s eyes glanced at the ground.  The hole had been undug and the case was empty.  “Buttercup…”
    “What did you say?”
    “That’s Buttercup!”
    “Icy, she’s dead, ahhhhh!!”  Nicky finally realized the case was empty.  “How can you tell?”
    “She’s the green one, small than the rest.  She’s looking at me.”
    Sure enough, Buttercup did make eye contact with Icy but didn’t seem to recognize him.  She flew into the sunset with the other Butterfree.
    “No, come back!  Windstorm, I choose you.  Fly me to those Butterfree.  Oh yeah, I’m not a Pikachu anymore… you can’t support me now.  Return Windstorm.  Cyber, I choose you.  Jetplane program, run now!”  Cyber converted to a jet.  “I’m gonna track her down.  I have to get her back.”  He jumped into Cyber and they took off after the Butterfree.
    “Good luck!!!”  Sara came running out.
    “What happened?”
    “Icy’s going after Buttercup.  She’s alive!”
    “She is?  How’s that possible?
    “Must be a miracle.  But now Icy’s gotta find her.  She flew away with a flock of Butterfree.”
    “Oh, please bring her home Icy.”
    “Faster Cyber, we need to catch up to them!”  Cyber switched on the afterburners and soon, they caught up with the Butterfree.  Icy got on top of Cyber and called out to them.  “BUTTERCUP!!!!!”
    Buttercup heard her name.  She looked back seeing the crazy human standing atop a speeding fast jet.  “What a lunatic.  He’s gonna kill himself doing that,” she thought.  Thinking nothing of it, she turned back to the group.
    Icy wasn’t ready to give up yet.  “BUTTERCUP!!!!!  IT’S ME!!!!!  ICY!!!!!  PLEASE REMEMBER ME!!!!!  I… I… I love you Buttercup!  WAHHHHH!!!!!”  Icy shouted upon seeing the tall tree.  “TREE… TREE!!!  Cyber tur…  no.  Oh crap!!!”  Cyber couldn’t turn without risking Icy falling off.  He attempted to avoid the first tree but a higher branch smashed into Icy’s chest.  He was thrown from his Porygon and began falling straight down to the earth below.  “AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  HELP!!!!!”  Cyber slowed down but found himself surround by trees and ended up crashing into one.
    The Butterfree flock was not too far away.  Buttercup heard the boy’s plea for help and she saw him falling to the ground.  She very well knew what would happen if he continued.  He would splatter again the forest floor.  Not a very pretty sight.  Something inside her told her to try to save the boy.  “Freeeeeeee!!!!”  She called on the other Butterfree to help her save Icy.
    Icy continued to fall.  He was still almost 400 feet up and falling quickly.  The trees were coming in sight.  “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Huh?”  Something was supporting his weight.  He looked in front of him and saw the Butterfree flock glowing.  They were using their psychic energy to hold Icy up.  They gently guided him to the ground.  Then, all but the one small, green Butterfree took off.
    “Free free…” [Silly human…  be a little more careful from now on.]
    “Wait, Buttercup, please don’t go.  I… I… I’m sorry.  It was my fault you ended up getting killed.  I forced you into doing what couldn’t be done without the consequences.  I didn’t want this to happen…  You did sacrifice yourself for me.  I sacrificed you for me…  Buttercup, please, I’m begging you for another chance.  The sheer fact that you have been brought back to life is an indication that this was never meant to happen.  And, you saved my life.  I know you couldn’t have done that if you didn’t still care about me.  You could have just kept flying away, but you didn’t.  Please Buttercup, please forgive me…  I can never forgive myself for what I’ve done.  I don’t deserve to be a pokémon master, not for how I made you fight.  It was wrong and selfish.”  Icy got down on the ground to Buttercup’s eye level.  “Please Buttercup.  My life without you is meaningless.  I love you Buttercup.  I would do anything for you.  That’s why I’m so sorry that I betrayed you.  Please, can you find it in your heart to forgive me, Buttercup?  Can you give me another chance?”
    Buttercup stared at Icy.  She remembered now what had happened.  She could remember the Dragonite and Icy’s voice telling her she could do it.  She remembered channeling all of her life force to beat it.  Then, she remembered being with the other Butterfree, Caterpie, and a white pokémon.  The white pokémon left, then she was flying with the other Butterfree.  Now she looked at Icy with tears filling his eyes.  She wondered why he was pleading with her.  She looked deeper.  Suddenly, she realized who it was she was looking into the eyes of.  She remembered the time she first met this trainer.  She remembered the times when Icy spent entire evenings caring for her when she was injured.  Tears formed in her eyes.  Icy took her and hugged her.  Buttercup made her decision.  She moved herself closer in Icy’s arms.  Sara and Nicky finally found them.
    “Icy.  Buttercup??  You found her.”
    “Buttercup has decided to come back with me.”
    “That’s sweet.  Buttercup’s a true friend.  Wait where’s Cyber?”
    “Oh no, I lost him when I got hit by the tree.”  Cyber was only a few 100 feet from their location.  Icy used telepathy to track him down.  Cyber had already begun repairs on itself when they found him.  “Cyber, you’re ok!”  Cyber joined the happy group and they all returned home.
    “Thank you Buttercup,” Icy whispered to his true friend.