"But I thought you were coming with me on my Pokémon journey!" cried a brown-haired girl outside Professor Birch's lab.
"No, May. I'm heading back to Pallet Town," replied Ash, gathering up his backpack.
"But I thought you and I were going to travel together!" the girl protested once more. "Not to mention that you owe me a new bike." She gestured in the direction of a mangled piece of metal that Pikachu had inadvertently destroyed with a Thunderbolt attack.
"Look, May, I told ya' already…Pikachu's real sick, so there's no point in us staying here in Hoenn. Besides, you and Torchic will be okay," Ash said, nodding in the direction of the small orange firebird Pokémon that was nuzzling the girl's leg. "It looks like a strong Pokémon. And as far as your bike…" Ash reached inside his backpack, brought out a crumpled-up envelope, and handed it to her.
"What's this?" May said curiously.
"A long time ago, Pikachu and I destroyed another girl's bike," Ash explained. "Since then, I've been saving up the money to get her a new one. But then she got her old bike back because the Nurse Joy in Viridian City had fixed it, so you take the money instead, May."
She opened the envelope and discovered a large number of wadded-up dollar bills inside.
"Wow. Thanks, Ash."
Ash gathered up Pikachu and gently placed him on his usual spot on his right shoulder.
"Good luck, May. You too, Torchic. Maybe I'll see you again someday."
"Take care, Ash. You too, Pikachu," May replied with a sad smile.
She and Torchic watched as Ash and Pikachu disappeared down the path leading back to the harbor, then gathered up her backpack.
"Come on Torchic. Let's see where our path together leads."
-
On his way back to the harbor, Ash made certain that he didn't walk too fast, fearing that any sudden jostling might prove harmful to Pikachu. As soon as the harbor came into view, a blond-haired teenage boy with a gray, doglike Pokémon approached the pair.
"Hey, kid…is that a Pikachu?" the boy asked curiously, pointing to the Pokémon that was perched on Ash's shoulder. Ash nodded in reply. "We don't see many of those here in Hoenn. Wanna have a battle? Me and Poochyena are always looking for new Pokémon to battle." The older boy nodded in the direction of the Pokémon sitting by his side, who appeared to be either a dog or a small, dark wolf.
Ash replied without even thinking. "You bet! Come on, Pikachu, let's show him what we're made of!"
The Pokémon leapt off of Ash's shoulder, ready to face its opponent. But as sparks started flying from Pikachu's cheeks in preparation for a Thundershock attack, Ash suddenly remembered Professor Oak's warning.
In Pikachu's condition, any type of physical exertion, such as battling, could be harmful…or fatal.
"What am I doing?" Ash gasped in horror as he realized what he had almost done. "Pikachu, stop! Stop right now!"
"Pika?" the Pokémon said, confused.
"Hey, what're you doing?" Ash's opponent said as the younger boy quickly scooped up his Pokémon.
"Forget it. We're not battling you," Ash said, replacing his Pokémon on his shoulder.
"Why, are you scared?" the older boy taunted. "Afraid that my Poochyena's gonna kick your little mouse's chubby butt?"
It took all of Ash's strength to keep him from striking the older boy. But the fact was that Pikachu couldn't battle, and the rest of Ash's Pokémon were back in Pallet Town at Professor Oak's. Ash had no choice but to walk away.
"Chicken!" the older boy called out as Ash turned and started walking in the opposite direction. "Come on, Poochyena. Let's go find a Pokémon trainer who isn't a coward."
As soon as the older boy was out of sight, Ash took off his baseball cap and flung it to the ground.
"That jerk! That stupid jerk!" Ash shouted, his eyes tearing up with rage and humiliation.
"Pika?" ("What's wrong?")
"Oh, Pikachu…it's not your fault," Ash said, giving his worried-looking Pokémon a hug. "It's just that…" But Ash had already decided not to tell Pikachu the truth about its condition, fearing that the news might be too upsetting for it to handle, not to mention that the shock might prove fatal. "…that Professor Birch said that you were still weak and you needed to rest more. (Which wasn't a complete lie – Professor Birch had said that Pikachu needed to rest as much as possible.) Ash picked up his baseball cap, dusted it off, and replaced it on his head. "C'mon, Pikachu. Let's get going."
And on the way back to Pallet Town, Ash had to endure the same scenario several times more. Trainers would challenge him and Pikachu to a battle, and every time Ash would have to walk away, enduring taunts as he did so. The insults didn't hurt as much as not being able to battle. After all, Ash was a Pokémon trainer and had been dreaming of becoming a Pokémon Master for as long as he could remember. Battling was his life, his greatest joy, his reason for living. And now…
"You wish you could battle too, huh, Pikachu?" Ash said, noticing the equally glum expression on his Pokémon's face. "You love to battle as much as I do, don't you?"
"Pika," the Pokémon nodded.
"Yeah, we've had some great battles together, haven't we?" Ash smiled, scratching his friend's furry head. "The Indigo League Championship…the Orange Islands Cup…the Silver Convention…saving the world from that collector guy…We've had some great adventures, haven't we, ol' buddy?"
"Pikachu," the Pokémon replied, nuzzling Ash's palm.
"You've always been there for me, Pikachu," Ash said, hugging his Pokémon tightly. "And I'm never gonna forget everything you've done for me."
The Pokémon lifted its paw and gently dabbed at the tear that was making its way down its trainer's cheek. "Pika?" ("Why are you crying?")
"Oh, Pikachu…what am I gonna do without you?" Ash sobbed into the fur on Pikachu's back.
To be continued…