It's one thing to be alive and another thing to feel it.

The stars were visible as the city lights were far behind them. The weather was fresh and breezy, making it an ideal night to sleep amongst the odyssey of nature. They were all gathered around the campfire, sleeping comfortably in their sleeping bags as the fire kept them warm, keeping away any wild pokémon that happened to pass by. One of them being Team Rocket's Meowth.

He stood behind some bushes to make sure they were all asleep before he continued with his plan. He paid close attention to their breathing, looking for any signs that they might still be awake. Once he made sure they were asleep, he stepped out of the dark, making himself visible. He saw Pikachu sleeping near Ash, so he knew he had to be extra quiet.

"Hey, Pikachu." Meowth whispered. "Hey!" He repeated as the yellow mouse didn't respond.

"Pika?" He asked a little disoriented.

Meowth signaled for him to come over, but Pikachu ignored him and tried to go back to sleep.

Without thinking twice, Meowth took Ash's hat.

Among seeing this, Pikachu quickly got up and followed him. He was fully aware that this might be a trick to capture him, but that was a risk he was willing to take. He knew how much Ash loved that hat, so once he got close enough, he used thunderbolt, shocking the culprit, which immediately fell to the ground.

"Pikapi Pikachu?!" He asked furiously, but was soon distracted by something he saw further ahead. All traces of anger were immediately eliminated as he walked past some bushes, instantly becoming mesmerized by the sight.

Meowth followed suit and sat down on what was remaining of a tree that had been cut down. He sighed as he admired the scenery and said, "I just wanted to share dis wit' somebody, even if it was wit' one of you twoips."

The moon was bigger and rounder than it'd been in years. The ladybug pokémon were affecting the scenery, affecting the mood. The moon could be seen reflected across the calm water of the lake.

Curious as to why he went out of his way to do this, he asked, "Pika pi, Pikachu?"

"Dey sent me over to dis town to get some t'ings for da boss, but dey didn't know when I'd be back, so I decided to spend some time wit' you guys, no strings attached."

"Pika?"

"Well, I know I haven't been da nicest guy, so I guess you'll just have to see, but I t'ink I'm a better pokémon dan I seem to be."

At first Pikachu was a little reserved, keeping his distance, but Meowth soon saw him on the lake's reflection, sitting next to him under the endless sky.

"It's funny to t'ink of how much we are really alike, isn't it Pikachu?

"Pi?"

"We don't like being inside pokeballs, we've both chosen not to evolve, we're both pokémon."

He looked distantly into a specific star as he thought about something to say.

"Moments like these are rare,
Dey make one want to stop and stare
At da univoise and its nature,
Dey makes one think about da future,

Our similarities and our differences,
Da good and da bad, just look at us,
Two pokémon, different as could be,
Enjoying da moment and all we can see,

It makes one realize dat no matter how different we are, we're similar too.
Once you've learned dat, you'll see dat life's not dat bad,
But da rain, now dat's just sad-"

"Pikachu pi, pika pika pi, pika pi pikachu."

Meowth smiled and said, "We view da world differently, you and I. But I guess you're right, even da rain is a part of nature too."

They looked into each other's eyes, each feeling what the other was feeling.

Meowth saw a spark in Pikachu's eyes, and what happened next was unprecedented. He felt his body acting on its own as he scooted closer to him. He didn't remember doing that, but the next thing he knew, he placed a smooch on Pikachu's cheek.

He felt as if he'd left reality and was now in a fantasy universe where everything seemed to go his way, but the effect started to fade as he pulled away. There was silence for a moment, but it was soon followed by Pikachu's laughs. Meowth blushed, folded his arms, looked away and said, "Don't get used to it!"

He didn't dare to look at Pikachu anymore. He thought about leaving, but he felt his lips on his cheek too. And at that moment, nobody could tell him how he felt, but it seemed right.

"I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I wouldn't even know how to describe it." Meowth paused, "It was so unreal."

His voice sounded so sincere and honest. Ash knew Meowth wasn't a good liar, so he took his word for it.

"If it was a dream, I wanted it to last forever. I didn't want to wake up." He added, "We cuddled close, feeling each other's bodies. I thought back to when we were stuck together, back to when he found an apple and even though he hadn't eaten, he shared it wit' me. Dat was the nicest t'ing anybody ever did for me. I never had a moment quite so picturesque."

Meowth looked away at something distant, lost in thought.

"Looking back it seems like we should've known it was wrong. A cat and a mouse shouldn't be getting along like dat, but dat thought never even crossed our minds."

Still unsure if he had convinced Ash that he was being honest, he added, "It wasn't love at first sight, but it was special. We've been trying to capture Pikachu for a really long time and to finally see him on a new light was almost magical. Like… when you realize dat you've been living your life da wrong way. I felt as if I'd achieved da impossible."

"How much of what you told us that day was true?" Ash asked.

"It was all a lie." Meowth admitted as he looked down at the floor.

"Why'd you lie?"

"I don't think you would've believed me if I told you da truth as to why I was hanging out with you. But I've gotta admit, it was fun hanging out wit' you twoips."

"So why do you want to go back? You could just hang with us for a while."

"If dey ever saw me wit' you I'd feel like I've betrayed dem. Dey wouldn't understand, but.. I love them. Jessie and James are da only people I can trust. I'll never forget da day James gave up his rare collection of bottle caps for me. Selflessly. We've had our ups and downs, but I could never leave dem."

"Well Meowth, I've got to admit, I thought this was just another trick from Team Rocket."

There was a moment of silence as both human and pokémon sat thoughtfully in the middle of a city's fastfood restaurant, hardly believing a heartfelt conversation had taken place there.

"Cat and Mouse, who would've thought it?"

Meowth opened his mouth, but then closed it. He was completely disarmed and looked a little uncomfortable, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Ash took off his hat and held it in his lap while he thought of something to say.

"You know, I've had this hat ever since I met Pikachu, but I want you to have it."

He placed it backwards on Meowth's head. It seemed to fit him so well. It left his "charm" exposed through the hole in the hat.

Meowth was a little taken aback by that. He didn't think he'd do something like that for him and he didn't feel like he deserved it.

"I can certainly say I've learned a lot from you, Meowth." Ash said, waving a hand as Meowth got up to leave.

"Take care, pal." Meowth said.

Just as he stepped out, he saw a shooting star passing by and he wished that they would do this forever and pretend that this never happened.

When Ash got back to the inn they were staying at, he saw Misty hanging out in the lobby. When asked what happened, he told her that it was all just a trick from Team Rocket.

"I knew it!" Misty said. "There's no way a cat and a mouse Pokémon would become friends, especially if they're both males."

"Well, Misty.. I wouldn't be too sure. See, that'd crossed my mind before, but then I recalled the occasion with Purrloin. Meowth seems to have an interest in male pokémon. As for Pikachu, I've never seen him interested in anybody, so it could be that he was just naïve in the matter."

"Well," Misty sighed, "at least they both got to see a side of each other that they didn't know existed."

Ash didn't know this, but apparently Pikachu had overheard his conversation with Misty. Pikachu was mad and it showed. He wasn't being his usual self. He refused to eat and then refused his offer to sleep on the bed.

Ash was quick to connect the dots and didn't want to leave Pikachu with a misunderstanding, so he tried to put things in a way he'd understand.

"His bond with Team Rocket is just as strong as his love for you," he began, "but they're all he's got." He said, looking away. "Asking him to stay with us would be like asking you to join Team Rocket." he paused for a second and then continued, "Of course, I wouldn't want you to.. I guess you could say I'm a little selfish." he added, his voice cracking.

"Meowth, you're back." James noted.

Meowth sighed and said, "They figured me out."

That, too, was a lie. Meowth's feelings for Pikachu had grown and made him not want to go through with Team Rocket's plan. After all, he finally understood that Pikachu belonged with Ash and he with Team Rocket. It was a comfortable rivalry.

"It's okay, little buddy. We'll try to catch him tomorrow."

Meowth saw the moonlight shine into the room. He wanted to see the moon one more time before he went to sleep, so he jumped on a stand and gazed out the window, looking up at the moon.

"Meowth? What are you doing?"

Meowth didn't answer, he was lost in memories of that night.

"You coming to bed?"

Those words snapped him out of his trance. He slowly turned his head and made his way to bed.

He knew that now that he'd told Pikachu what he thinks about when he's looking at the moon, he would think of him when he saw it, and likewise, he would think of him.

Author's Note: There will be a playlist for this story on my profile. Review and stay tuned for chapter 2. Special thanks to Quillinx for helping me out with this chapter.