Pichu and the Electric Gang of Raichu
A short story fan fiction by Mega Raichu
In the fields around Lavender there is a small community of electric pokemon living in a small forest area east of the city. This small community is a community of Pikachu. One family of Pikachu was recently blessed with two offspring. A male Pikachu and a male Pichu. The two brothers are a year apart. The Pikachu belongs to the Electric Gang of Raichu. The little Pichu looks up to his brother with wide eyes and much hope for his own future. The Electric Gang of Raichu has it's base of operations in the old power plant north of Lavender. Pikachu was always in good favor with Boss Raichu, as the Raichu was known. In the Electric Gang the members are given ranks according to their favor with Boss Raichu. The ranks in order are Peon, Gopher, Small, Little, Big, Mega, Giga, and Boss. Pikachu has the rank of Mega.
There are several other gangs of pokemon. There's the Fire Gang of Rapidash that has its base in Cinnabar, the Ground Gang of Golem that has its base in Rock Tunnel, the Water Gang of Wartortle in Cerulean, the Plant Gang of Venusaur in Viridian Forest, and the Psychic Gang of Alakazam in Saffron. The Water Gang and the Electric Gang are allies, as they have no chance against the Electric Gang. The Ground Gang are allies with the Plant Gang as the Ground Gang wouldn't stand a chance against the Plant Gang. The Fire Gang and the Psychic Gang have no allies. The Electric Gang's archenemy is the Psychic Gang.
Pikachu woke up from a long night of sleep. His parents were snoozing in a nearby log and little Pichu was snoozing next to him. Pikachu slowly got out of bed, as to not wake Pichu. Pichu had always wanted to see the Electric Gang's hideout but Pikachu always said no because he was too little. Pikachu began to tiptoe away from his bed. He had to get to the gang meeting that Boss Raichu had set up the night before. He had said something about a big problem that had to be faced as soon as possible and Pikachu had to be there. Pikachu looked up to Boss Raichu as a mentor. Pikachu and Boss Raichu had been friends all Pikachu's life. Raichu had gotten Pikachu into the gang because Raichu had known Pikachu for some time. Raichu taught Pikachu how to fight. To get into the gang, Pikachu had to fight the lowest rank member, Peon Voltorb. Pikachu won that battle with ease and was inducted into the gang. When Boss Raichu wasn't the boss, he was a Giga in the Gang. Back then the boss was Boss Electabuzz. But as was gang rules, Raichu and the Electabuzz fought for the Boss title. Raichu had won that battle easily. When Raichu became the Boss, Pikachu was only Little Pikachu. Pikachu quickly went up in ranks. The other members of the gang wanted to call bias but they quickly clammed up as they remembered how badly the old Boss lost to Raichu. As Pikachu was tip toeing away, his mom woke up.
"Pikachu. If you're going out, take Pichu with you." She said.
"Awww mom. He's just going to get in the way." Pikachu said.
"Don't give me that 'Awww mom' stuff. Take Pichu with you." She said.
Pichu woke up and rubbed his eyes.
"Pichu?" Pichu asked.
"Come on mom! Raichu won't let him into the hideout and you know it." Pikachu said. "He can't even talk yet."
"All the more reason to take him with you." She said. "You and Raichu could set a good example for him."
"Pi! Pichuchu!" Pichu said.
"Augh! Fine. Come on Pichu." Pikachu said.
Pikachu started walking away. Pichu got to his feet and ran towards Pikachu. They walked on towards the power plant. Pichu was excited to finally be able to go to the hideout.
"Listen up. When we're in there, do not make ANY noise." Pikachu said. "We're going to have an important meeting and you can't get in the way."
"Pichu!" Pichu said.
Pikachu sighed. They walked on until they reached the power plant. They went around the back and found the secret gang entrance and entered. When they stepped in, they saw that most of the members were already there. The Voltorbs, Electrodes, Electabuzz, Jolteon, Magnemites, and a Magneton. The others were going to arrive shortly. Boss Raichu was sitting at the back of the room, looking over some notes he had jotted down in a notebook.
"Remember. Don't make any noise." Pikachu whispered.
"Pichu!" Pichu said loudly.
All the pokemon in the room turned to look at Pikachu and Pichu. Boss Raichu stood up and walked over to Pikachu. Pikachu had an oh-my-gawd-I'm-dead look on his face. Boss Raichu looked down at Pichu.
"What have we got here Mega Pikachu?" Boss Raichu asked.
"Pichu!" Pichu said.
"He's my little brother. Mom made me bring him." Pikachu said.
"This is little Pichu!?" Boss Raichu exclaimed.
"Pipichu!" Pichu said.
Boss Raichu picked Pichu up.
"Pipipichuchu!" Pichu said excitedly.
"Hey there little guy!" Boss Raichu said happily. "Why didn't you bring him here earlier Pikachu?"
"Uh. Well, I." Pikachu started.
"It doesn't matter. I'm glad you finally decided to bring him. I've always wanted to meet a Neo-Pokemon. And he's just to darn cute." Boss Raichu said.
All the members of the gang crowded around Pichu. Pikachu let out a sigh of relief. The door opened up and the last of the members arrived. Everyone took their seats. Boss Raichu let Pichu sit next to him.
"Okay guys. We've got a big problem." Raichu said. "Intelligence indicates that the Psychic Gang is planning to start some trouble with us."
Everyone started mumbling among themselves. Pichu giggled. Raichu raised his arm and everyone quieted, even Pichu got quiet.
"We can than Gopher Magnemite for the info." Boss Raichu said. "Gopher Magnemite, you are now Small Magnemite."
Everyone clapped. Pichu giggled again. Boss Raichu called for silence.
"You all know what this means." Boss Raichu said.
"RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!" Everyone hollered.
"Pichu!" Pichu giggled.
"It's been a long time since we've had a good rumble. Not since our rumble with the Plant Gang a few years back. Mega Pikachu wouldn't remember that. It was a big battle. We met in the fields outside of Vermillion and we just battled on for three days. It was a lot of fun." Boss Raichu said.
There were a few veterans of the rumble still in the gang. Because of their contribution to the fight, they all had the rank of Big.
"Now we're going to need all the fire power we can get. Mega Pikachu, it's time we taught Pichu how to fight." Boss Raichu said. "Big Zapdos, we need you to fly to Cerulean and get word of the rumble to Boss Wartortle. We're going to need their help. Big Magneton, you've got good contacts, see if we can enlist the help of the ghosts in the tower. All the Gophers should get some supplies. All the Peons, help the Gophers. We'll need food, Ether's, and medical supplies. Everyone else, start training and train hard. These Psychics won't make it easy for us. Okay, now get to it!"
All the members of the gang left the room except for Pikachu, Raichu, and Pichu. Raichu and Pikachu pulled out a training dummy for Pichu.
"Okay little guy. Let's see what you've got." Boss Raichu said.
Pichu looked at Pikachu.
"Do what the Boss says Pichu." Pikachu said. "Hit the dummy."
Pichu went over to the training dummy and punched it. The dummy did not move.
"This is gonna be tougher than I thought." Boss Raichu said.
For the rest of the day, they taught Pichu how to hit harder and move faster. Pretty soon, Pichu was getting the hang of the tackle attack. They eventually taught Pichu how to attack with electricity. Pichu was only able to do a really small static electricity thunder shock. But it was a start.
"They're going to need a week to gather their forces ad supplies." Boss Raichu said. "So we've got a week to train him. I want to see you guys in here every day this week."
"Well we're going to be ready in only a few days." Pikachu said.
"That's true. But we're not going to start this fight, we'll finish it." Boss Raichu said.
By the time Pikachu and Pichu got home, they were exhausted from the training and the fact that they had nothing to eat all day. Their parents had found some fruit and Pikachu and Pichu ate ravenously and slept like rocks. The next morning they were up early and left to go to the hideout. Pikachu wasn't embarrassed to bring his little brother with him anymore since he found out that Pichu is a Neo-Pokemon. He hadn't bothered to tell his parents about the rumble or the fact that they were training Pichu. He knew they would kill him if they found out. He wondered if Boss Raichu was actually going to let Pichu fight in the rumble. If that were the case, Pikachu made a silent vow to protect his little brother.
Over the course of the next few days, Pikachu and Raichu trained the little Pichu. Pichu gave it all he had. He eventually was able to knock over the dummy with one tackle attack. His electric attack had become more powerful and he had learned a new ability : thunder wave. Even though Pichu couldn't talk, he could fight quite well. Pikachu and Raichu began talking about letting Pichu in the gang. While they were talking a Gopher Voltorb came up and told Boss Raichu that Boss Alakazam and a few of his members were out in the field and they wanted a meeting.
"Okay, we need to make this look good. Mega Pikachu, you're now Giga Pikachu. Mega Jolteon, Giga Pikachu and Pichu are coming with me to see Boss Alakazam." Boss Raichu said. "Until I get back, Big Zapdos is in charge."
The walked out to the field. Boss Alakazam and his cohorts, Giga Hypno and Mega Kadabra were with him.
"We need to discuss the location of the rumble." Boss Alakazam said.
"So what's to discuss? We'll have it right here in the field." Boss Raichu said.
"Can't. It's way out in the open." Boss Alakazam said. "The police would interfere."
"Then what do you suggest?" Boss Raichu said.
"How about Mount Moon?" Pikachu asked.
"This is my associate, Giga Pikachu." Boss Raichu said.
"Mount Moon will be perfect." Boss Alakazam said.
"Pichu!" Pichu pointed towards the city.
Raichu, Pikachu, and Jolteon turned and saw a figure walking towards them.
"It's a police Hitmonchan." Jolteon said.
"Quick! Act natural!" Raichu said.
Alakazam and Raichu started up a friendly conversation, while Hypno let Pichu play with his pendulum. Kadabra, Pikachu, and Jolteon started making funny faces at each other and laughed. The Hitmonchan approached the group.
"Alright. What's going on here?" The Hitmonchan asked.
"There's nothing going on here officer. What makes you think there's something going on?" Boss Raichu asked.
"Come over here Raichu and Alakazam." Hitmonchan motioned away from the group.
Soon they were out of earshot from the group.
"Alright. Where's the rumble gonna be?" Hitmonchan asked.
"Rumble?" Boss Alakazam asked.
"Yes rumble. Gang bosses don't just all of a sudden start acting friendly for no reason. So there has to be a rumble going on between you two." Hitmonchan said.
"There's not going to be a rumble." Boss Raichu said.
"That's what your gang said last time." Hitmonchan said.
"I'm a psychic pokemon and I can tell you that he's telling the truth officer. There's not gonna be a rumble." Boss Alakazam said.
"I know there's gonna be a rumble. And when I find out where I'm gonna put you all behind bars." The Hitmonchan said as he walked back to the city.
"Mount Moon?" Boss Alakazam whispered.
"Mount Moon." Boss Raichu whispered.
The next day, preparations were being made for to get to Mount Moon. The Water Gang had already accepted the invitation to fight with the Electric Gang and were already on their way to Mount Moon. Pikachu was still worried about Pichu. He couldn't just let Raichu throw a kid like Pichu into a rumble. Pikachu felt he had to do something. Pikachu confronted Raichu about it.
"You can't just send Pichu into a big battle like this. He could get hurt or worse." Pikachu said.
"The decision has already been made. You just have to keep an eye on Pichu." Raichu said.
"He's not even part of the gang." Pikachu said.
"He's an honorary member until he fights a Peon." Raichu said.
"Come on Raichu! What if Pichu gets hurt? My mom and dad will kill me!" Pikachu said.
"That's your problem." Raichu said.
"What do you mean it's MY problem?" Pikachu asked.
"Just that. Pichu is your responsibility." Raichu said.
"Then I'm taking him out of this battle." Pikachu said.
"No way. It's already been decided that he's fighting on the front line with us." Raichu said.
"He can't fight on the front line!" Pikachu said.
"And why not?" Raichu asked.
"He's just a kid! He's not even stronger than a Peon!" Pikachu said.
"Pikachu, I don't like your tone." Raichu said.
"I'm taking him out of the battle." Pikachu said.
"You can't. I made the decision, I make the rules, and as a member of my gang, YOU have to follow MY rules. If I say Pichu fights, I mean that Pichu fights." Raichu said.
"Then I'm taking Pichu out of the gang." Pikachu said.
"You can't. Once you're in my gang, you're in for life." Raichu said. "And as the Boss, I say that Pichu will not leave."
Pikachu sat in thought for a moment.
"You and I have been friends for a long time Pikachu. Don't go crazy on me now." Raichu said.
"I know that we've been friends a long time Raichu. So don't take this personally. Maybe you shouldn't be the Boss." Pikachu said.
Suddenly the entire room went silent. Raichu stood there with a grim look on his face.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Raichu said.
"Then maybe I should say it again." Pikachu said.
"Is that a challenge?" Raichu asked.
"I'm rank Giga. I can challenge you." Pikachu said.
Raichu sat in thought for a moment. He was frantically trying to find a way out of this challenge. He didn't want to fight his best friend. Then it came to him.
"You can't challenge me before a rumble." Raichu said.
"I can challenge you anytime I wish." Pikachu said. "You made that rule."
"Then I'll revoke it!" Raichu said.
"You can only do that by a vote from the other Bosses during council. You and the other Bosses made that rule." Pikachu said.
Raichu could see that Pikachu had him cornered.
"Either let Pichu out or I will." Pikachu said.
"Pikachu. I can't fight my best friend." Raichu whispered.
"Let Pichu out or I will." Pikachu said.
Raichu started thinking of anything that would get him out of this. He came up with all kinds of excuses but he had personally taught all of the gang's rules to Pikachu. Pikachu would know every contradiction to every rule. He trained Pikachu to take over the gang. He just didn't want it to happen so soon. He had no choice. He had to initiate the battle. He had to give the three warnings.
"Pikachu. Stop this and I'll forgive you." Raichu said.
Pikachu stood his ground knowing that if he lost he would lose all respect from his friend.
"Pikachu. Stop this and I won't demote you." Raichu said.
Pikachu stood his ground knowing that if he lost he would become a Peon.
"Pikachu. Stop this and we won't have to fight." Raichu said.
Pikachu stood his ground knowing that his friend would fight him if he had to. With the third warning said, the battle was initiated. All the pokemon in the room formed a giant circle. Pikachu and Raichu stood in the center of the circle. Pichu was watching from his seat next to the Bosses chair. Raichu stepped forward. Pikachu stepped forward.
Raichu let loose with a mega punch. Pikachu dodged to the left and did a mega kick to Raichu's side. Raichu fell over but quickly regained his bearings. Raichu let loose with a thunder bolt attack. The attack hit home and pikachu was knocked back. Raichu leapt at Pikachu and slammed into him with a massive body slam. Pikachu was pinned under Raichu's weight.
"Just yield Pikachu and it will all be over." Raichu said.
"Never!" Pikachu said as he let loose with a thunder bolt attack on Raichu.
Raichu was knocked off Pikachu but it took him a second to shake off the attack. Pikachu took the advantage and used his agility ability. When Raichu turned around to face Pikachu, Pikachu had run behind Raichu and let loose with his quick attack ability. Pikachu hit Raichu with many well placed hits on his back and head. Raichu fell over again but quickly recovered and rushed at Pikachu. Pikachu dodged quickly and hit Raichu from behind wit a mega kick. Raichu quickly got to his feet. Both pokemon were tired. Raichu was bleeding from his nose. Pikachu was breathing hard. He was surprised at himself to still have his wind after that body slam. Pichu was watching in horror as his brother fought his best friend with everything he had. Pikachu charged at Raichu in a massive tackle attack. Raichu dodged and did a body slam on Pikachu. Raichu had Pikachu pinned again. Pikachu tried for another thunder bolt but he didn't have the strength. Raichu put all his weight on Pikachu.
"Yield!" Raichu said.
Pikachu grunted and tried to breath. He could only let out a painful shriek.
"Give up Pikachu! You don't stand a chance!" Raichu said.
Pikachu kept struggling.
"Come on man. Just give up." Raichu whispered.
But Pikachu would not give up. He pushed himself up with his arms just enough so he could get a lungful of cool air. With that little bit of wind in his system, he let loose with a thunder bolt attack on Raichu. The attack stunned Raichu and Pikachu clambered out from under him. While Raichu was trying to shake off the attack, Pikachu tried to catch his breath. Raichu stopped to catch his breath too. He had been pushing himself too hard. He realized at that point that he had trained his friend too well. During the training he gave Pikachu, he always encouraged Pikachu to go further by saying "Someday you'll be able to beat me and become Boss of the gang!" Raichu realized that today was going to be that day. Raichu knew that he had to give it everything he's got to beat his friend. He began to replay all the training sessions he gave Pikachu in his head. He had to find a weakness in Pikachu's defense. But he came up totally blank. Every weakness that Pikachu had was uncovered by Raichu and Pikachu learned how to avoid those weaknesses. Raichu knew that Pikachu was at a disadvantage because Raichu is bigger than Pikachu. But Raichu knew that he was at a disadvantage because Pikachu was faster than him. Pikachu was holding himself up by holding onto his knees. Pikachu was breathing very hard. His stomach was hurting and his lungs burned with each breath. He knew he didn't have anymore electricity left in him. But he had to do this. He had to do it for Pichu's sake. He had to find a way to get some more electricity. He couldn't get an ether and he was nowhere near an outlet. Then he remembered that Raichu is a source of electricity. All he had to do was stay out of Raichu's reach and force Raichu to use an electric attack. Pikachu knew it was risky to absorb that much electricity but he had to try. Raichu leapt at Pikachu in another attempt at a body slam but Pikachu dodged and moved to the border of the circle. Raichu rushed at Pikachu again but Pikachu dodged away, trying to stay as far away from Raichu as possible. Raichu thought "What is he doing?" Raichu came at Pikachu with a mega punch. Pikachu dodged back and away. Raichu knew that Pikachu didn't want to get close anymore because he knew Pikachu was at a disadvantage in close quarters combat. Raichu let loose with a thunder bolt attack. Pikachu recognized the attack and immediately grounded his tail and braced for impact. The attack hit home with a large explosion. Dust was thrown into the air. Raichu thought that he had finally gotten Pikachu. But when the dust cleared, Pikachu still stood there, still braced for impact. When the electric attack hit Pikachu, Pikachu had absorbed a lot of it. The rest hit the ground he was standing on. When the electricity died down, he lifted his tail and waited for the dust to clear. Raichu couldn't believe what he was seeing. Pikachu had survived that powerful attack. Pikachu felt charged. He had the electricity he needed. The power filled him with renewed strength. Pikachu charged at Raichu and slammed into him with a massive tackle attack. While Raichu was down, Pikachu jumped into the air and released all of the electricity onto Raichu in a massive thunder attack. The attack hit home and there was an even bigger explosion. More dust was thrown into the air. When the dust cleared, Raichu was laying unconscious on the ground and Pikachu was standing next to him.
After a few hours, Raichu finally regained consciousness. Raichu found himself in a bed, being tended to by a few Chansey's from the Pokecenter. He realized he was in his gang's hospital. Pikachu walked into the room. The two pokemon looked at each other. Neither of them said a word for a long time.
"That was impossible." Raichu finally said.
"I won didn't I?" Pikachu said.
"Yes. I didn't expect you to take over so soon." Raichu said.
"Well, now I'm the Boss. I'm not going to demote you to Peon. You're a Giga now." Pikachu said.
"Thanks." Raichu said.
"I've taken Pichu home and told my parents about the rumble. They're not crazy about the idea but they know they can't stop me from going. At least I'm not getting Pichu involved in this." Pikachu said.
Pichu sat with his mom and dad. He still didn't understand what had happened between his brother and his brother's friend. His brother had told him that the rumble was gonna be dangerous and Pichu shouldn't fight because he could get hurt. Pichu's parent's got very mad at Pikachu. Pikachu confessed all of the week's activities to his parents. But they were proud of him for realizing the danger that Pichu was in and did something about it. Pichu still wanted to go fight in the rumble. He wanted to fight with his brother. But he had to be satisfied with just sitting and waiting. But that was not something he wanted to do. He overheard Pikachu tell his parents how he was getting to Mount Moon. Pichu knew that if he followed those directions, he could get to Mount Moon and help fight in the rumble. One day after Pikachu and the rest of the gang left, Pichu decided that he would go for it. It was early morning when he walked to the main road that Pikachu and his gang used to get to Mount Moon.
Pichu started down the road. He had packed a few days worth of food in his little sack. While walking down the road he came across a squirtle. The squirtle noticed the little Pichu.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Squirtle asked.
"Pichu!" Pichu pointed down the road.
"Are you part of the Electric Gang?" Squirtle asked.
"Pichu." Pichu nodded.
"You're a little young to be in a gang huh?" Squirtle asked.
Pichu didn't say anything.
"I'm in the Water Gang but they wouldn't let me go with them because I'm so small." Squirtle said.
"Pichu?" Pichu asked.
"Hey. I know the way to Mount Moon. Lets go together and fight in the rumble!" Squirtle said.
"Pichu!" Pichu nodded.
"You don't say much do ya boy?" Squirtle asked.
Squirtle and Pichu continued down the road. It took them a few days of walking to reach the Mountain. Pichu didn't complain about the walk and neither did Squirtle. They both knew that complaining wouldn't get them anything. When they reached the mountain, they saw the gangs fighting in the distance. Pichu and Squirtle pushed forward. They climbed up the mountain to get a better view. The three gangs were fighting at the base of the mountain. Pichu looked around and spotted his brother. Pichu pointed that out to Squirtle. Squirtle came up with an idea of how they could get into the battle. Squirtle pulled his head, tail, arms, and legs into his shell and Pichu climbed on top. Squirtle took off down the side of the mountain with Pichu surfing on top. Pichu was squealing with glee. Just then, Squirtle slid on an outcropping of the rock and flew into the air. They were heading straight at Pikachu and Raichu.
The battle had been going on for a few days already. Pikachu was beginning to doubt that his gang was going to win even with the help of the Water Gang. A Hypno dropped down in front of them but Pikachu and Raichu hit it with a double team thunder bolt and it quickly fainted and was carried away. The Peons were treating some of the fallen pokemon with potions and ethers nearby. Raichu looked a little tired and Pikachu felt a little winded himself. Suddenly Raichu looked up.
"Incoming!" Raichu called.
Pikachu looked up and saw a squirtle shell heading right for them. Then he noticed what was on top of the shell.
"It's Pichu!" Pikachu yelled.
Zapdos swooped down out of the air and scooped up Squirtle and Pichu and then set them down near Pikachu and Raichu.
"Pichu! I told you this is gonna be dangerous!" Pikachu said.
Pichu went up and hugged Pikachu.
"Ah geez Pichu. Not in front of the guys." Pikachu said.
"Pichu!" Pichu said.
Boss Wartortle came around to see how Pikachu and Raichu were faring.
"Squirtle! Didn't I tell you to stay in town!?" Boss Wartortle asked.
"I came to fight!" Squirtle said.
"Well as long as you're here, you can help the Peons with the wounded." Raichu said.
"Good idea. Go help the Peons!" Boss Wartortle said.
Squirtle scampered off.
"Now what am I gonna do about you?" Pikachu asked Pichu.
"As long as he's here he can back us up." Raichu said.
"Alright. Pichu, you wait over there and if something comes our way, zap it." Pikachu said.
"Pichu!" Pichu nodded and hid behind a bush.
Suddenly a psychic beam shot out across the field and slammed into Pikachu and Raichu. The two pokemon were lifted into the air. Boss Alakazam was standing in front of their position and was holding them with his psychic powers. Other electric gang members tried to use their electric attacks on Alakazam but Alakazam had put up a reflection shield and the attacks did no damage. Pichu rushed out of the bush and slammed into Boss Alakazam. Boss Alakazam lost his concentration and fell over. Pichu let loose with his thunder wave attack and Boss Alakazam became partially paralyzed. Pichu then let loose with all the electricity in his little body in a massive thunder bolt attack. The attack hit home and shattered Boss Alakazam's reflection shield and then Pichu fainted. The other members of the Electric Gang, including Pikachu and Raichu, recognized this and unloaded all their electricity onto Boss Alakazam. Boss Alakazam was knocked unconscious. Pikachu scooped up Pichu as Raichu and a few other gang members hauled Alakazam away. Pikachu had Zapdos send an ultimatum to the Psychic Gang : we have your Boss. Surrender. The Psychic gang responded almost immediately. They surrendered.
Once Boss Alakazam came around, he realized what had happened. He had been defeated. Pikachu had Boss Alakazam sign a truce. The truce was signed and the rumble was over. Luckily, no lives were lost. The psychic gang accepted their loss and headed back to Saffron. The Electric Gang and the Water Gang headed back to their hometowns and celebrated. Pikachu had to explain to his parents why they couldn't find Pichu for a few days. They were happy to hear that Pichu had contributed to the Electric Gang's victory. After that, Pichu became a real member of the Electric Gang of Pikachu.