The sun shined high in the sky, its rays illuminating the grassy fields. Pikachu had slept peacefully until the light was directly upon her. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She was still in the forest and laying on a branch, but was no longer near the swarm of Beedrill. She stretched out her muscles, getting ready to begin her search anew. She looked up in the sky, and from observing where it was, it must be close to noon. She slightly cursed herself, as she wanted to start her search earlier, but had overexerted herself last night.

Pikachu decided to go back to the spot where she left her son in order to search for some berries to cure his poison. She didn't know how long she was gone, but apparently it was long enough for him to go missing. She remembered that he was too weak to move on his own, so it was obvious that someone took him.

At first, she believed the Beedrill she and her son encountered found him and took him away to finish him off, however her search into their swarm provided nothing, and Beedrill would usually just finish off anybody that disturbed them as opposed to taking them away. Now that she had a bit of time to think calmly, that bit of behavior didn't seem to make sense. At the time though, her panic won out.

She ran towards the area she last saw him near the edge of the forest and found the small clearing where she left him. She started to sniff around, hoping to get her son's scent. She found it, much to her delight, but she also found another scent that she wasn't familiar with. She figured that the other scent must belong to the one that took him.

After getting his scent, she began to follow the trail that he left. After some time, she came across a wooden fence, and observed that she was near a human settlement. She had to be stealthy now, as she didn't want to be caught by some human before she could find him.

Just the thought of being caught by some lowly human and being treated as some plaything made her blood boil. She had seen how these so-called 'trainers' treated their Pokémon with little care and had often abandoned them. This was not a fate she wanted for her son, and she would do whatever it took to make sure it didn't happen.

But right now she had more pressing matters to think about, so she pushed that last thought out of her mind and continued on. She had a feeling she was getting closer to finding Pichu as she looked around the ranch. She heard some other Pokémon playing and shouting, but ignored it. However, she couldn't ignore what she heard next.

"Pichu Pichu!"

Pikachu froze for a moment, turning her head to where she heard the sound come from. She listened intently for a few moments, and sure enough, she heard it again. There was no mistaking that noise; it was her son!

She rushed towards the source of the sound, hoping to find her son safe. However, what she found made her stop in her tracks.

Pikachu observed some other Pokémon playing with Pichu in what appeared to be a game of tag, as they were all chasing each other. However, what made her stop was what she saw chasing Pichu. She observed a smaller-looking human running around with the Pokémon, and he seemed to be focused on chasing down Pichu. Dozens of scenarios appeared in Pikachu's mind on what was going to happen if the human caught him, and none of them were pleasant. She was so focused on her thoughts that she never noticed that both boys had big smiles on their faces and were having a great time. But this was not the time to take chances, she needed to act now!

She sprinted forward, preparing to protect her son from harm.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted, intending to get Ash away from Pichu.

Pichu heard the noise and stopped running, turning to see what it was. He was shocked, but soon was filled with happiness. His mother was here! He couldn't wait to be in his mother's arms once again and tell her of his new friend. But then he got a confused look on his face. Why did his mother look so angry?

Ash was also surprised to see a Pikachu in Oak's ranch. He didn't recall there ever being one here. But he did notice the angry look it had on its face, and immediately felt scared. Pikachu stopped a few feet away from him and got into a battle position, electricity sparking from its cheeks and growling at him. Ash wasn't sure what to do or what he had done to provoke it.

Before he could think anything else, Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity straight at him. He barely managed to duck underneath the Thunderbolt, but now he was laying down on the ground with Pikachu still glaring at him. Pikachu was preparing to fire again, and this time Ash would have no chance of dodging it. Ash closed his eyes tight, fearing what was about to happen.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Ash opened his eyes to see his mother standing in-between him and Pikachu with her arms spread out, shielding him from any potential attack. What he couldn't see, however, was the look of absolute fury Delia had in her eyes. She saw Pikachu running up towards the two boys and wondered where the Pikachu had suddenly come from. Her thoughts were quickly cast aside, however, as Pikachu attacked Ash. It didn't matter to her what Pikachu's motives were, nobody was going to harm her baby boy while under her watch!

The two mothers stared each other down, preparing to do whatever was necessary in order to protect their children. Pikachu felt slightly intimidated with the glare she was receiving, but she stood her ground. For a few moments, nothing happened. The mothers just locked eyes and never looked away. Neither dared to even blink. Both pairs of children were scared, unsure of what was going on. The other Pokémon had already scattered away, intent on not getting into the middle of it.

Suddenly, it hit Pichu. He remembered his mother's words about humans and how dangerous they could be. She must've seen him and Ash playing together and thought Ash was going to hurt him. He looked at his only human friend and saw Ash was just as scared as him. Pichu may not have been attacked, but the combined hostile looks on the faces of both mothers were enough to leave him more than just a little intimidated.

Pichu ran up to his mother, trying to get her attention. Pikachu looked at him, observing that he was okay, but she knew she had to get both of them out of here. She told him to start running towards the forest while she defended him. To her utter surprise, Pichu shook his head. He began trying to tell her what had happened when she left, that Ash found him and managed to get him healed. He told her how nice the humans were to him, especially the young one.

Pikachu was shocked at what Pichu said. He claimed that these humans were nothing but nice to him. However, her observations told her that humans weren't to be trusted, and assumed they were trying to trick him. She decided to ignore his words, telling him to get away so she could deal with the humans.

Pichu was stunned. His own mother had basically thrown away his words as if they were a big lie. He didn't understand. He was told how humans mistreat their kind and to stay away from them, but these past few hours proved to him that the opposite exists too. Kind humans who care about them and would never harm them. He started to get that feeling when he stared into Ash's eyes, but now he knew for certain. The only problem was convincing his mom that not all humans are untrustworthy.

Ash sat up on the grass, watching the tense standoff between Delia and Pikachu. He saw Pichu talking to Pikachu, but he had no idea about what. He wondered what has happening when Pichu suddenly turned away from Pikachu and started to run towards him. Pichu stopped right in front of Ash, looking at him in concern.

"Pichu, are you ok?"

Pichu didn't respond to Ash's question, instead jumping into his arms and hugging him. Ash was startled, but hugged him in return. He could feel Pichu shaking. He thought that Pichu might be scared too. He began to stroke Pichu's back in an effort to calm him down, which helped calm himself down. Pichu looked up at Ash, a smile slowly forming on his face, which caused Ash to form his own smile.

Delia looked on, cautious to what Pikachu might do. She could see the notch on its tail, showing that it was female, and she judged from the interaction between the two Pokémon that Pikachu was Pichu's mother. It seemed that Pichu was trying to calm his mother down, but to no avail. Then, to the surprise of both mothers, Pichu went past Delia and straight to Ash, hugging him. Delia still stood between Pikachu and Ash, keeping her focus on Pikachu but making sure her son was safe. She turned around to look at him and saw that he was now smiling. It seemed that both Pichu and Ash had calmed down due to the hug. She turned back to Pikachu and was surprised at what she saw.

To say that Pikachu was shocked to the core would be an understatement. The last thing she would've expected her son to do was to willingly run up to one of the humans and hug him. She didn't understand it at all.

Why?

Why?

Why did he do that?

She had noticed that Pichu was shaking in the human's arms and recognized the reason why, but it just made it more confusing for her. Pichu was scared, but not of the human. No, he ran from her into Ash's arms. Wait…did that mean he was scared of her? Did he find more comfort in his arms than in hers? The mere thought of that tore at her heart more than anything. Then she noticed he had a smile on his face. A happy and genuine one. But she also noticed that he was smiling at Ash, who had the same kind of smile on his face.

Thousands of thoughts were swirling around in her head, each one trying to explain what was going on in front of her, but one came to the forefront of her mind: was she wrong? To see a human showing such kindness to her son, and her son trusting that human completely was starting to shatter her preconceived notion of humans. Her previous thought that they might just be tricking Pichu also began to shatter, as the look on the young boy's face looked completely genuine. Were there humans that are truly nice people?

Pikachu relaxed her muscles and stood on her two feet, staring at the two boys with bewilderment. Delia also relaxed, causing the tension in the area to slowly dissipate.

"He's your son, right?"

Pikachu suddenly perked up and looked up at the woman that she was glaring at not too long ago. Instead of the fury she was once showing, Delia showed more kindness, even giving a small smile to Pikachu. Pikachu just looked at her with wide eyes and nodded.

"You don't have to worry. We wouldn't do anything to harm him. As you can see, my own son is quite attached to him already." Delia said gently, trying to calm down Pikachu.

Pikachu looked back at the boys and observed that what Delia said was true. It seemed that the boy had become friends with her son. But she also saw that the feeling of attachment was mutual, as Pichu seemed to be very comfortable with Ash. Was what Pichu told her really true? Did that boy find him and take him so he could get better? It wasn't to mistreat or abuse him?

Pichu looked back at his mom, hoping his plan was working. Seeing as she was completely stunned, he assumed it was. He jumped out of Ash's arms and ran into hers, getting Pikachu out of her daze. She looked down and smiled, hugging him back with a tight grip. She felt immense relief that he was okay and that the tense situation was now over.

Ash got up and walked forward, looking at the heartwarming scene in front of him with a curious gaze. He stood next to his mom, who was looking at mother and son with a soft smile.

"Mommy, where did the Pikachu come from, and how does Pichu know it?"

"That's Pichu's mother sweetie. She must've come from the forest where you found him."

Ash looked at the big mouse holding his newest friend. He was still wary about Pikachu, but he began to approach them. He stopped a short distance away as Pikachu noticed him. Ash shuffled around nervously, as Delia moved behind him, just in case anything else happened.

"Um…I-I'm sorry Pikachu." Ash said, looking down with a guilty expression.

Pikachu had another astonished look appear on her face. That was the last thing she ever expected the human that she had attacked only a few moments ago to say.

"I just saw Pichu that was really hurt and I didn't want to leave him. I didn't mean anything bad, I promise! I hope you can forgive me." Ash said, still not making eye contact with Pikachu.

Pikachu stared at Ash, not believing that he was the one apologizing to her. Pikachu had already been in plenty of situations where she had to defend herself and her son from the occasional predator, but none of those situations had any of the unexpected turn of events that was currently happening now.

As Pikachu continued to stare at Ash, a feeling within her began to grow until she could no longer ignore it: guilt. She felt guilty. She never asked questions before jumping into action; it simply didn't make sense otherwise. If she saw her son in danger, then those who threatened him would feel her wrath.

But Pichu wasn't in danger this time. In fact, he was having fun. Her preconceived notion of humans caused her to attack Ash with little prior warning, and Pikachu was slowly starting to realize that the boy in front of her was different than any other human she had ever seen. Realizing that she had attacked the first human she had ever met that showed kindness and compassion to Pokémon filled her with guilt.

Pikachu separated from Pichu and slowly walked up to him, hoping she wouldn't frighten him any further. Ash noticed Pikachu walking towards him, and he hoped she would forgive him and not attack him again. Delia stood at Ash's side, prepared to take quick action should Pikachu suddenly turn hostile again.

She stopped right next to his left leg, before rubbing her cheek against it. Ash looked stunned, but then giggled at the tickling sensation. He looked down at Pikachu with hopeful eyes.

"Does this mean you forgive me Pikachu?"

"Pika Pika, Pikachu." She said, pointing at herself.

Ash looked at her confused. He wasn't able to figure out what she was trying to say. He turned to his mom for a translation, hoping she would know. She got down onto her knee, looking at Ash.

"I think it's the other way around honey. I think Pikachu is asking if you forgive her."

Ash stared wide-eyed at his mom, then looked at Pikachu. The nod he received from the mouse was confirmation that Delia was right. His surprise turned to happiness, as he sent a smile towards Pikachu.

"Of course Pikachu! I forgive you." He said, sending a big smile towards Pikachu.

Pikachu got a big smile of her own, feeling much more relieved. Suddenly, she jumped onto Ash's shoulder. Before he had time to react, she gave him a lick on his cheek. She quickly jumped off and turned back to Ash, giggling at Ash's surprised face. Delia began to giggle as well.

Ash looked at Pikachu with a big grin, walking towards her and scratching her behind the ears. She liked the sensation, giving out a pleasurable cry and leaning into his hand. Pichu gave out a happy cry, running up to Ash and Pikachu. Ash saw him running up and grinned, sitting down cross-legged. Once he was in reach, he began to stroke Pichu as he did earlier. It seemed as though Pichu was becoming addicted to Ash's touch, seeing as how he was turning into a puddle of happy goo. Delia looked on at the scene with a soft smile. She was glad that the tense situation was now over.

Delia turned to Pikachu, who was also smiling at the scene if front her.

"You can stay here for a few days if you want to."

Pikachu looked at Delia, confused by her sudden offering.

"Pichu still needs time to completely recover from his ordeal. You're more than welcome to stay as well." Delia continued.

Pikachu pondered for a moment. These humans seemed trustworthy, and she felt a bit tired herself. The tense situation from before took more out of her than she thought.

Pikachu looked at Delia and gave her a nod. Delia smiled and gave a nod in return. She looked at the boys enjoying each other's company.

"Sweetheart, why don't you and Pichu head back to Professor Oak's lab? Me and Pikachu will be there soon."

"Ok mommy! Wait, is Pikachu really coming with us?"

"Pi Pichu?"

"Yes, she will stay with at the ranch until Pichu is better."

Ash smiled while Pichu gave out a happy cry. His mother would stay with him! Pichu jumped onto Ash's shoulder while Ash ran back to Oak's lab. The mothers looked on as the boys disappeared from view. Both were surprised with how quick each boy had made a new friend.

"Well Pikachu, are you ready to go? Trust me, I think you'll like it there." Delia said, looking down at Pikachu.

Pikachu looked up, staring into Delia's eyes. The same eyes that once held nothing but anger at her now had a warm, comfortable feeling to them. Pikachu felt she could place her trust in this human. Was it because she was a mother too? Was it how nice and sincere she appeared to be? Pikachu wasn't entirely sure yet, but she had been greatly surprised by these humans. It wouldn't hurt to spend some more time with them while Pichu got better.

"Pika Pikachu." She said while nodding, beginning to make her way to the lab.

Delia looked on with a smile, before making her way to the lab as well.

Once both had made it back, they could hear Ash excitedly talking to somebody. Once Delia and Pikachu made it into the main room, they could see Ash talking at a fast pace with Professor Oak, while Pichu was giving his own input. From the look on Oak's face, he was having trouble keeping up with what they were saying.

"Ash, please slow down! I can barely make out what you're saying. Now, what is this about a Pikachu?" Oak asked with a raised eyebrow.

Delia giggled at the scene. This was going to be quite the story to tell him.


It was nighttime, and Delia had allowed Ash to stay over at Oak's for the night. Ash spent most of the day conversing with Pichu, even though he had to guess most of the time as to what Pichu was saying. Pikachu was introduced to Professor Oak, and felt she could trust him if the others could too.

It was around eight that the boys became sleepy and Delia decided to take her leave. She said goodbye to Oak and Pikachu before heading home. They both went back to main room where they left Ash and Pichu, and saw a rather amusing sight. Ash was already asleep on the couch, with his head on the armrest and laying on his back. His arms were wrapped around Pichu, who was sleeping on his chest.

Oak chuckled at the sight, grabbing a blanket and placing it over them. Pikachu had decided to sleep in the same room as them while Oak left so he could get some rest himself.

Pikachu looked at Ash and Pichu with a smile, happy that Pichu had made such a nice friend in such a kindhearted human. She jumped onto the couch and gave her son a light kiss on his forehead. Pichu smiled and snuggled more into Ash's chest. Pikachu giggled before slowly making her way to Ash so as to not wake the boy up. For a while, she just stared at his sleeping form. She didn't quite know what made her do it, but she leaned in and gave Ash a light kiss on the cheek. Was it just her motherly instincts taking over? She assumed that was the reason.

Ash got his own smile, which made Pikachu smile wider. She jumped off the couch and onto a nearby table where a pillow was left, presumably for Pichu. She stared at them a little longer before slowly falling asleep. Today was full of surprises for her, she could only imagine what other ones those two could come up with.