Welcome back to the Longest Road, everyone! Last time, Ash and Misty got stuck in a cave, separated from Brock, Sabrina, and all their Pokemon. But they passed the time by telling stories on their pasts, more specifically the death of Misty's mother. (For those curious on the death of her father, or incase you forgot, look back to the fourth chapter of this story. Anyways, this chapter will have Ash, Misty, and their friends go into a forest of Pikachus! And yes, if you couldn't already tell, this chapter is going to be based on the second saddest episode of the original season, Pikachu's goodbye. Those who watched already knew how Pikachu reacted, but how will Vaporeon react? Only one way to find out. Time for the thirty fifth chapter of the Longest Road!
It was January 9th, 1998, one week after Ash and Misty have been suck in a cave, alone. Well, not exactly alone, as they had one another for company, plus most of their Pokemon who they could have easily sent out to stay warm or find Brock and Sabrina! Anyways, over the past week, Ash and his friends have taken part in a couple of activities while going around Kanto waiting for the boat to leave for Cinnabar Island. While walking through thick trees, Ash reflected on it all.
Three days after the second, on January 5th, 1999, Ash and the gang came upon a Ponyta ranch, and met the owner, Laura Laramie. Since Laura got her arm hurt falling off of one of her Ponyta, she asked Ash to take her place in a Pokemon-back race. Ash happily agreed, and in fact, all of Ash's friends entered too, even Pikachu and Vaporeon (they were riding on one another's backs, changing every so often). Ash ended up winning against a cocky trainer on the back of a Dodrio, as the Ponyta he borrowed evolved into Rapidash in the middle of the final stretch. Before Ash and his friends left, Laura thanked Ash and offered that he kept the trophy for himself. He thanked her, but said she should keep it, as if her arm didn't end up breaking, she would have done just as well as him.
And three days after that, Ash, Misty, Brock, Sabrina, Pikachu, and Vaporeon came across a mysterious mansion. The quote-unquote "owner", who turned out to be just a Ditto. Then, the real owner of the mansion, the Ditto's trainer, Duplica, offered to show our heroes around. They agreed, and Duplica lead them into the mansion and into the main room: a room that was filled to the brim with costumes! She told Ash, Misty, Brock, Sabrina, Pikachu, and Vaporeon that she was a master of disguise, and offered Ash and his friends to try on some of her costumes. Ash and Misty had the most fun, as they spent most of their time in her Team Rocket Grunt costumes. The best part? When Jessie and James attacked the mysterious mansion, they went away when they saw Ash and Misty in their Team Rocket outfit! And no one even bothered to call them out for their stupidity, despite them very well knowing who they were!
"And we didn't even bother to hide our faces, or the fact that our main partners are Pikachu and Vaporeon!" Misty said as they continued through the thick woods.
Just then, Pikachu heard a sound and stopped to look around.
"What is it buddy?" Ash asked his long time friend. Pikachu didn't answer, and instead ran way ahead of the rest of the group.
"Wait up!" Vaporeon said as she ran as fast as she could towards Pikachu, with the humans right behind her.
When they stopped, they saw Pikachu standing in front of an opening, and when he stepped aside, he showed everyone else what he has found.
"Wow!" Ash said as he looked at what his loyal partner Pokemon showed him and his friends: there were a bunch of Pikachus, as well as a handful of Pokemon on their evolutionary line in this part of the forest! Most of the Pikachu were either chasing one another, munching on some wild berries, or sleeping on rock formations with their young. However, when one of them saw Ash and his friends, every one of the 'Chus stopped what they were doing and looked at the humans.
The only Raichu in the herd, who Ash and the others assumed was their leader, went up to Pikachu and began to hug him.
"Oh, my son, look at how big you have grown!" the Raichu said to Ash's partner Pokemon. The raven haired trainer looked confused before Pikachu introduced everyone to his mother.
After Ash introduced himself to his partner's mother, she went on to tell him on how the day that her baby was captured was a very sad day not just for her, but for the rest of the 'Chu herd as well.
It was May 15th, 1996, and it was business as usual in the Thunder Clan of 'Chus. Mother Chu, as all of the Pikachu and Pichu called her, was looking over her many, many children and grandchildren. Since evolving into a Raichu, she has mothered over four hundred Pichu, and has had many of her kids give birth to Pichus (most of them from each other because they were the only Pokemon in their territory). But her favorite child of all was a special Pikachu, one that she has given birth to about a couple of months ago, and the fastest one to evolve thanks to his high friendship with the Raichu who brought him into the world. Suddenly, several of her kids who were playing in the woods came running towards her. Raichu asked her kin what was wrong, and one of them told her that her favorite son has been captured by an old man. The Mother 'Chu began to break down, with the rest of the herd coming near her to comfort her. While she was glad for all of the Pikachu and Pichu in her clan, she was sad at the fact that she may not be able to see her beloved son again.
Many of the other Pikachu in the clan went around Ash and his friends to welcome Ash's Pikachu back to the herd. He went on to tell his Pika-pals about all of his adventures with Ash, and what has happened with him when he was gone.
One of the Pikachu went close to Vaporeon and asked Ash's Pikachu who she was. Pikachu went on to explain how Vaporeon was his girlfriend, much to the dismay of some of the Pikachu, and especially his mother, who wanted him to be with another Pikachu like himself.
"Just be happy that he has a mate," Ash tried to tell the angry Raichu, "Pikachu is happy with who he is with, so you should try and be happy as well."
However, Raichu was far from happy and about ready to shock someone. Before she got the chance to use Thunderbolt on her son's trainer, though, a loud explosion was heard.
"Uh oh!" Brock said.
Raichu looked around and saw two people with an Arbok, a Meowth, and a Weezing walking out of the smoke caused by the explosion.
"TEAM ROCKET!" Ash and Misty shouted.
"Prepare for trouble, for last time we were not rused!" Jessie said to our heroes.
"And make it double, and say goodbye to all of the 'Chus!" James continued.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"So hand over every single Pikachu in this forest, or prepare for an extremely shocking fight!"
"Meowth! Dat's right!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon finished.
Ash gave out a low growl before telling Team Rocket to fuck off and try stealing someone else's Pokemon for once. Jessie just laughed and pulled a grey device out of her pocket and pushed the big red button in the center of it. Out of nowhere, a huge hole came out of the ground and all of the Pokemon excluding the Raichu leader, but including Ash's Pikachu and Misty's Vaporeon, fell into said hole. James threw a large net over the hole to make sure that the Pokemon that they were holding captive do not have a chance to escape their clutches.
Needless to say, the mother of all of the Pikachu in her clan, and grandmother of all of the Pichus, was not pleased with Team Rocket. Thunder started to come out of her cheeks, and she faced Team Rocket, ready to give them a huge SHOCK!
"No!" Pikachu shouted, "Don't use Thunder! Jessie and James have figured out a way to resist…"
But his mother didn't listen to them and shocked the two humans, their cat, and their two poison types anyways. It didn't work, as Team Rocket looked like they didn't do any damage at all.
"Electrical attacks." Pikachu finished.
Jessie and James taunted the Raichu before pulling out a pistol!
"No!" Pikachu thought to himself before he told all of the other Pikachus to try and use Quick attack on the net to try and break it open to rescue their mother, and Vaporeon to use some sort of Water type attack to help all his of brothers and sisters out. All of the Pikachu tried to use Quick Attack on the net above them, but it was too tough to break open with just their attacks. And that was why Pikachu wanted his girlfriend to help out with their escape. Vaporeon unleashed a Water Gun that was just powerful enough to break the fairly weak net that was keeping them from escaping. That was when Jessie decided to fire her gun at Raichu. Thinking fast, he told half of his siblings to attack Jessie and James, and for the other half to try and protect their mother from the bullet.
"Quick Attack, everyone!" Pikachu told all of the other Pikachu. All of the Mouse Pokemon ran towards Jessie and James, as they gulped. They were prepared to defend themselves from attacks like Thundershock, Thunderbolt, Thunder, heck, any attack that has the word "Thunder" in it, but they were not prepared for something like a quick attack, which proved to their downfall. All of the Pikachu rammed into Team Rocket and their Pokemon with a force hard enough to send them flying high up into the air.
"Uh oh!" Jessie said.
"Just like last time," James said,
"IT LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" they all shouted.
After Team Rocket left, Ash, Misty, Brock, Sabrina, Vaporeon, and all of the Pikachu huddled around the mother Raichu.
"Mom," Pikachu said, "Everything is going to be alright."
"No, Pikachu," his mother told her favorite son, "I have lived a full life, and it is time for me to go to a better place."
"What about the rest of the herd?" Pikachu asked.
"Well, the choice is yours: leave your trainer and girlfriend to be the new leader, or stay with them and let someone else do it." Raichu said.
"Give me a minute to think about it," Pikachu said, as he went deep into his memories to look back on his time with Ash before and during his time down the Longest Road.
(For a more tear jerking effect for the next paragraph, play the song "The Time Has Come")
The first memory Pikachu revisited was the day that he first met Ash. At first he did not like him a whole lot, but he eventually warmed up to the raven haired boy. Then he went back to the day that he met Misty and her Vaporeon for the first time. He was impressed on her skill level when she helped him take out all of the Spearow. He remembered all of the gym battles he took a part in, from him taking out Raichu to him losing to Sabrina's (then) Kadabra to him taking out Koga's final Pokemon in a tight match. He also remembered all of the things he done with Vaporeon, from him purposely taking himself out to avoid fighting with her to their first ever kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve. He then looked back even further to the all of the good times he has spent with his mother, from all of the kisses and hugs, to the times he has spent learning from her, such as the first time he used a Thundershock. He then went back to the sad moments he has spent with his trainer, such as the moment when he thought he was going to say goodbye to Butterfree.
(If you played the song, make sure the it has stopped before continuing with the story.)
"I have made my decision, Mom," Pikachu told everyone in the clan.
"What would that be Pikachu?" the leader of the Pikachu Clan asked her pride and joy.
"I'm…" Pikachu said before tears started to rush through his eyes.
"Please stay with me and Misty and Ash!" Vaporeon thought to herself, "I don't want our love story to end on a sad note!"
"Please stay with the clan!" many of his brothers and sisters, as well as some of the Pichu, thought together, "We are all sure that you will make a good leader!"
"I am going to…" Pikachu said, before breaking down again.
Misty turned to Ash before asking him what he was going to do if Pikachu opts to stay with some of his kind. He just shrugged and said that it was his choice to make.
"I am going to stay with my trainer and his friends!" Pikachu said as every other 'Chu bar his dying mother gasped out loud.
"But what about the clan?" one of the Pikachu asked Ash's loyal starter.
"You see," Pikachu began to explain, "I have had several fond memories of you guys and my mother during the first couple of years in my life, but I have made a bond like the Mariana Trench with Ash and his friends. I have spend a long time with him on his journey, and I was his best friend for all of it."
"Um-hum!" Misty said with an unhappy look on her face.
"Alright, best MALE friend for all of it." Pikachu said before getting a few chuckles from the other 'Chus. "Point is, I just can't be separated from Ash. I am sorry, everyone, but I am afraid that I have to go. However, when I get the chance, me and Vaporeon will come and visit you guys!"
The other Pikachu nodded as Ash's Pikachu got close to his mother and thanked her for being a good mother to him.
"You are welcome, Pikachu," Raichu said, "And goodbye."
Ash, Misty, Brock, Sabrina, and Vaporeon stood there for a couple of minutes as Pikachu's mother died and he said goodbye to his siblings. After saying goodbye to his big brother and his mate (Pikachu's little sister), he went to rejoin his friends.
"Ready to go, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Ready when you are, Ash!" Pikachu said as they walked out of the forest.
After walking for a couple of minutes, Vaporeon decided to thank Pikachu for staying with her. Pikachu accepted her thanks, and returned it with a kiss.
And with that, we have three out of our four main character's mother's dead or missing, a rocky family reunion that ended on a bittersweet note, and chapter 35 complete! Next time, their is going to be an evolution in the family. Which Pokemon will evolve? Well, it is going to be one that evolves by stone. And that is all I am giving you until next Friday. Anyways, a huge shoutout to Zose for favoriting this story over the past week. (Although technically you added it to your favorites list last week, I didn't have any time to change the outro.) And I hope you guys who didn't follow, favorite, or review yet will do so between now and Friday, as every single one of those means a lot to me and my story, even the negative ones. I will see you next time, for somehow, someway, we have to say goodbye, and dare to Pokeship!