Ash dragged me unwillingly along, a rope tied tightly around me, his pink rubber gloves protecting him from my electric attacks.
"Chu...Pika. Pik. Chu chu chu..." I complained. Why couldn't he let me go? Why wouldn't he set me free? I was meant to be wild! Why couldn't those contemptible humans understand?
Ash sighed, and stopped. "Pikachu. Are you going to be like this the whole way?"
My eyes closed, I nodded. "Pi."
Ash squatted to make eye contact. "Is it because you don't like me?"
That's the precise reason! "Pika pika." I gave an affirmative nod and started scratching an itch, eyes still closed.
"Well, I like you a lot, and since you're the Pokémon I'm training—" I started cleaning myself during his speech, not paying much attention "—don't you think you could be a little nicer, and just open your mouth and tell me what's wrong?"
"Cha!" Well. I did one thing he said: I opened my mouth.
As wide as was physically possible.
Not quite what he was expecting.
"Is your name all you can say?"
I nodded solemnly, "Pika."
"Well, then, you're just like all Pokémon, and you should act like one and get inside the Pokéball, just like it says in the Pokédex." Ash held up his Pokédex and opened it to show me.
In an odd voice, it spoke, "While being trained, a Pokémon usually stays inside its Pokéball." Its blue light flashed.
"Ya see?"
That's not always true! "Pika!" I jumped up and waved at it.
"However, there are many exceptions; some Pokémon hate being confined," the metallic voice amended.
"Okay, then. This oughta make things better." Ash took off the rope. "And I'll get rid of these." He threw the pink rubber gloves to the ground. "How's that?"
Can't please me that easily! I shook my head. "Pi."
"Still not good enough?"
"Pika." No way.
"Uh," he sighed. A noise came from the grass, and we glanced over at a Pidgey pecking at the ground to find worms. "Huh?...A Pidgey!"
The Pokédex spoke up, "Pidgey is a flying Pokémon. Among all the flying Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. A perfect target for the beginning Pokémon trainer to test his Pokémon's skills."
"This is great!" Ash exclaimed. "It's our lucky day!" He closed up Dexter, and put it up.
I looked skeptical.
"Pikachu, go get it!"
"Chu," I gave a definite no shake of my head.
"Aren't you ever going to listen to me?"
"Chu." Negatory.
"But why not?"
I ran over to a nearby tree and shuffled up it. "Pika. Pika pika pika." I opened my mouth, "Cha-ah!"
"Okay, I get the message! I don't want your help, or need it." Good. 'Cause you're not getting it. "I can get that thing all by myself!"
The trainer threw his backpack to the side and got a Pokéball from his belt. "All right. I've pledged to get all the Pokémon in the world. Now I'm ready to take the next step to be the number one Pokémon Master." He enlarged the ball, holding it out.
Pidgey cleaned its feathers and looked up, bored.
"Enjoy your last minutes of freedom, Pidgey, 'cause you're mine!" Ash reversed his official Pokémon League hat. He threw the object in his hand, "Pokéball, go!"
Pidgey disappeared with a beam of red light into the ball.
"I did it!" But then his expression turned from excitement to puzzlement. "Huh?" The ball began to rock from side to side, and Ash watched expectantly. The Pidgey finally managed to escape, and it stood on the ground purrling, the ball floating back to Ash's hand. Then the Pidgey disappeared into the grass with its wings unfurled and standing straight up in the air. "I blew it..."
That ignorant trainer! He sounded so sad that I giggled.
That's not how you're supposed to try to catch a Pokémon!
The Pokédex informed him, "To capture a Pokémon, you usually have your own Pokémon battle with the other."
"Now he tells me."
I chuckled even louder at that, falling onto my side onto the tree branch.
"But I have to do everything myself!" Then a lightbulb clicked on, "Wait! I've got an idea!"
Ash started sneaking towards the Pidgey with his nightshirt. "Okay, just be quiet. There's nothing to be afraid of..."
It was scratching at the dirt, and there was a silent moment where the two just looked at each other.
Ash spoke, "Hi...Little friend..." And with a yelled, "Sorry, buddy," Ash lifted his shirt into the air and placed it on the unsuspecting Pidgey, who rustled to get loose. Ash made some grunting noises as he tried desperately to hold down the angered bird. "Whoooaa—Wait no, wait!" Ash panicked as he was lifted into the air by a tornado-like wind. He was thrown onto the ground, and he sat up with a sigh. "What happened?"
How could I have gotten stuck with a trainer this dumb? I wondered.
Ash cocked his head to the side as Dexter spoke, "Pidgey's Gust power creates tornadoes. It also has a Sand-Attack."
"Sand?" Ash exclaimed just as a dust cloud began to enshroud him. Pidgey flew up into the air, glad to have escaped. The dusty boy coughed, and the sand cleared up. He blinked, "Guess it's not my lucky day."
What a riot!
I couldn't help myself, and I placed my paws on my chin and giggled at him, "Pika, pika, pik."
Ash gave me an evil glare, then he shouted, "Hey, get outta there!"
The Rattata snooping in his backpack gave him a quick glance, then shot off into the grass, squeaking.
The Pokédex inserted, "A forest Pokémon: Rattata. It likes cheese, nuts, fruits, and berries."
"Yeah, but this isn't a forest! It's an open field."
Rattata was still scampering away as the red compact spoke, "It also comes out into open fields to steal food from stupid travelers."
Poor clueless Ash whimpered out, "That means I'm...stupid?"
Oh, this is too much! I broke out into another fit of laughter, "Pi-ikachu-uu-aa!"
"Pidgey!" cried out one of a trio of birds in the field.
Angry, Ash threw a rock at them, and they flew into the air to avoid it.
He threw another, but this time it accidentally hit a Spearow instead, causing a rather large bump to grow up. "I got it!" He was enthusiastic until the bird quivered and turned to him with a hateful glare in its eyes, "Row?"
"I wonder what that is?" The new trainer got out his Pokédex.
"Unlike Pidgey, Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is very wild and will sometimes attack other Pokémon and humans."
"Aaah!" Ash cried out as the Spearow came plunging towards him.
"Speear-rooow!"
Ash picked up his backpack and used it like a matador as the enraged bird flew by again and again. But it finally overlooked Ash and spied me, going up in the air once more. I looked at it inquisitively, but it came back at me, and I was the panicking one this time.
"Kachu! Pika!" I dodged it.
"Hey! Leave Pikachu alone, it didn't throw the rock," Ash tried to defend me.
"Wild Pokémon tend to be jealous of human-trained Pokémon," piped Dexter.
"Oh."
Get away! Get AWAY! HEEEEELLLPPPPPPP!
"Pikachu! Pi!" I fell, grabbing onto the branch just in time. "Pi?" I saw it coming for me, and my panic suddenly left. I knew what to do against birds.
Scared, Ash called out, "Pikachu!"
I let out a bolt like that Spearow had never felt before, and it whined, "Sppeeear," as it was zapped, then fell to the ground after remaining in the air momentarily.
"You got it!"
Spearow got up, tears in its eyes, "Spearow!" It cried out about its wounded ego to its fellows. "Spear!" came their answering call, and a whole flock of them flew up out of a tree, calling out.
"Uh, should we run?"
"Pikachu," I agreed quickly to his suggestion.
We raced off like our tails were on fire (whether he had a tail or not isn't the point!), passing Sandshrew and swinging Mankey...The flock was close behind us, reminding me of a swarm of angry Beedrill.
"Don't worry, Pikachu." The boy running beside me tried to reassure me. "No matter what, I'll save you!"
"Pika-chu!" I sped up.
"Don't run ahead, I said I'd protect—" Ash cut off as he was pecked by a Spearow, "Ow!"
"Pika pika!" I was also being attacked. It hurt! Stop!
"Leave it alone, Spearows!" Ash tried to run through the thick of them.
"Chika!" I fell. I could no longer run, and there was nowhere else to hide. It looked like I was going to share the fate of my...was it my brothers and sisters? Or did I only have sisters?
Oh well. It no longer mattered. I was done for.
Ash cried out, "Pikachu!" He batted aside Spearows to get to me and picked me swiftly up, beginning to run. I could only give him a weak glance.
We came upon a waterfall. Nowhere to go but down. Ash looked down, then back at the Spearow. He turned his hat around, and, with some hesitation, told me, "Well. Here we go."
So down we went. Him screaming, of course. I didn't say a word...Not that I could've had I wanted to...
We hit the water hard and with a big splash. The river washed us downstream, and we passed a dull Magikarp, narrowly avoided the jaws of a Gyrados, and finally got pulled out by an excited red-haired girl who exclaimed, "Hey, I got a bite! Wow, I really think this could be a big one!"
Ash coughed when we hit the shore, and the girl sounded disappointed, "Nah, it's just a kid." Then she spied me, "Oh, and a Pokémon!" She jumped over to us, "Aww, are you okay?"
Ash looked up, hat sideways, "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Not you!" she sounded annoyed. "Look what you've done to that poor little thing!" Her tone changed, "Is it breathing?"
"I—I—" Ash stuttered, "I think so."
"Well, don't just sit there." She sounded bossy. "It needs a doctor right away! There's a medical center not too far from here. You've got to get moving now!" We stood up.
Ash still had me in his arms, "You mean a hospital?"
"Yes, for Pokémon."
"Um, can you tell me...which way do I go?"
The girl pointed, "That way."
A noise came from behind us, and Ash and the girl turned around. Ash seemed frightened, and for good reason. "They're coming back! Run!"
He hurried over to the red-head's bike, placing me in her blue basket. "What are you doing?" she asked, panicked.
Ash got on it, "I'm borrowing this."
"Wait, hey! That's my bike!"
"I'll give it back someday," he called over his shoulder.
"Oh!" the girl looked after us, madly.
He zipped faster through the forest on bike, and I looked helplessly up at him, hardly able to breathe. I could see the determination in his face.
Somehow, a storm was brewing, and thunder rumbled a tuneless song as the lightning danced tauntingly. "Pika. Chu," I gasped. I knew the Spearow had something to do with it.
"Just hang on, Pikachu! We're almost there."
Why would a human do this for me? I thought through my hazy pain.
The Spearow caught up, plucking at my trainer's (I could finally think of him as mine, even if only for the short while that I was alive) hat and causing him to become distracted. The bike ramped off a small hill and we plunged onto the ground, the bicycle sliding on its side, Ash on his stomach, and me flying out of his arms. He moaned, then saw me laying not too far in front of him.
"Pika," I offered weakly.
"Pikachu!" He yelled. He managed to crawl over to me.
"Chu." I told him.
"Pikachu...This can't happen..." He sounded desperate to his ears, and to mine.
The lightning struck behind us, highlighting the Spearow and making them look even more menacing.
Ash pulled out a Pokéball and made something that was more of a suggestion than an order, "Pikachu, get inside." He held it out in front of me, and my eyes widened.
He enlarged it. "I know you're afraid of going in there, but if you're inside maybe I can save you. Please, Pikachu. Please, listen to me and go inside." The rain trickled down my face as I, surprisingly enough, considered his desperate plea. "After that, then...After that, just trust me!" Ash set it down.
I looked at it and managed to regain some of my strength. "Pika," I whispered. He was willing to risk it all, for me. For me, a Pokémon that had only laughed at him and given him a hard time. I didn't deserve that. But he was going to do it, because I was his.
His...
Maybe I could finally belong somewhere, with someone...If this final obstacle was gotten rid of...
"Spearow? Do you know who I am? I am Ash, from the town of Pallet. I am destined to be the world's number one Pokémon Master. I can't be defeated by the likes of you." His determination grew by the second, and I managed to sit up a little, watching and listening intently. "I'm going to capture and defeat you all." You can't do it alone, I thought. "You hear me?" Aside, to me, "Pikachu, go inside the Pokéball, it's the only way." I looked at it and then at him, my head mostly up.
The Spearow hovered and chirped in outrage at us.
"Come and get me!" Ash challenged them. They readily complied, coming straight for him.
They could seriously hurt him.
And he couldn't do it alone.
The phrase kept echoing through my mind...He couldn't do it alone...Couldn't do it alone...
I made my decision.
With renewed energy, I leapt up onto his shoulder and jumped towards the Spearow heading at him. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, not expecting it.
I showed the Spearow my anger, "PIKACHUUUU!" I let loose the most powerful of all Thundershocks that I had ever hoped to do, lighting up the sky and causing a particularly bright column of light to emerge upward.
The rain stopped.
The Spearow were done with.
The bike was charred.
We were alive.
Both our bodies lay down on the ground, devoid of any kind of energy, but we were alive.
Slowly, we tilted our heads to look at each other and at our beaten bodies.
We were alive.
Yes. Our bodies were dirty, beaten and bruised...But. We. Were. Alive.
"Ka-chu..." I softly spoke. Both my Pika-pi and I were alive. My Pika-pi...Mine.
"Well, we beat 'em..."
"Chu..." I nodded, eyes wide but limbs tired. He was mine.
Finally, I belonged.
I finally had a home.
An inner urging caused us both to painfully look up, and there was one of the most beautiful sights we had seen in our lifetimes: Some type of golden sparkling bird Pokémon crossed the bright blue sky and flew past a colorful rainbow.
Ash gasped, "What is that?"
Dexter spoke, "There is no data. There are still Pokémon yet to be identified."
The bird continued flying and disappeared into the white cheerful clouds.
Ash walked forward, and I gave him a heart-felt lick upon his cheek, causing him to smile, then I laid my head back and closed my eyes.
I had a home.
A home with my Pika-pi.
That was all that mattered.
