"Sam, what's going on? What's happened to Pikachu?" a distraught Delia said as she came racing through the back door of the Oak house.
"Delia, calm down," Professor Oak said, gently taking her by the arm. "Let's go into the living room, and I'll explain everything."
"No, Sam! You said on the phone that something happened to Pikachu, and I want to know right now!" Delia demanded. "I ran over here as fast as I could…"
"And didn't let me finish explaining what had happened," Professor Oak finished, leading Delia into the living room. "Come over here and sit down."
But Delia knew what had happened by the look on her friend's face. "Pikachu's dead, isn't he?"
Professor Oak nodded slowly. "Yes, Delia. He is."
Delia began to cry. "Oh, no…the poor little thing! I…I thought you said that he had a couple of months left. What happened?"
Professor Oak sat down next to Delia on the couch and took her in his arms. "I got the story from Misty, although she's pretty broken up about it too. Apparently while she and Ash were out at the preserve, Togepi wandered away. Pikachu and Bulbasaur went looking for it and found it surrounded by a pack of Houndoom.
Delia gasped in horror. "Oh, no! Is Togepi all right?"
"Other than a couple of bruises, Togepi is fine," Professor Oak said. "Bulbasaur ran to get Ash and Misty while Pikachu kept the Houndoom away from Togepi. Ash managed to rescue Togepi before the Houndoom went after him."
"Went after…!" Delia bolted upright. "Ash! My baby…is Ash all right! Where is he?"
"Delia, calm down. Calm down," Professor Oak said reassuringly, pulling Delia gently back down on the sofa. "He's got a few bumps and bruises, but he's okay. Okay physically, anyway. He's in the lab with Pikachu."
"Pikachu…what happened to Pikachu?"
"When the Houndoom surrounded Ash, Pikachu attacked them with a Thunderbolt. A pretty incredible one too – Tracey said he saw the flash on the other side of the preserve. I even heard the explosion back here in the lab."
"I heard it too," Delia said. "I thought it was thunder."
"It was Pikachu sacrificing his own life to save Ash's," Professor Oak said as Delia leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Pikachu was a hero," Delia sniffled. "He died saving my little boy and Togepi."
"No greater love hath a man – or a Pikachu – than to lay down his life for a friend," Professor Oak quoted as he lightly kissed the top of Delia's head.
"I'm going to go find Ash," Delia said, wiping away her tears and rising to her feet. "He's going to need his mother to help him get through all this."
"Tracey and Misty are with him in the lab. They're both pretty broken up about Pikachu too," Professor Oak said as he led Delia down the hallway. "Misty especially, since she saw the whole thing."
"Oh, Ash," Delia gasped as she entered the lab.
Ash, his head bandaged, sat on the couch next to Professor Oak's desk. Cradled in his arms was the limp form of his beloved Pokémon. Ash was flanked on either side by both Tracey and Misty, who were both trying to comfort their friend. Misty in particular looked nearly as upset as Ash did.
"Oh, my poor baby," Delia said, kneeling down next to her son. "Are you okay, honey?"
"My head's okay. Professor Oak patched me up," Ash mumbled in reply as Delia lifted her hand to examine her son's injury. "But Pikachu…"
Delia lightly stroked the Pokémon's red cheek with her forefinger. "Oh, honey…I'm so sorry," Delia said as she embraced her son and started to cry. "My poor baby."
Ash, who had been trying hard to maintain a brave façade, felt his tears starting again. "Oh, Mom…"
Professor Oak motioned to Tracey, who stood up and went over to where his boss was standing.
"Tracey," he said softly, "can you please do something for me?"
"What, Professor?" Tracey whispered back.
"Go to the Pokémon cemetery on the south side of the preserve and pick out a nice resting place for Pikachu." He nodded in the direction of the shovel sitting in the far corner of the lab.
"Sure thing, Professor," Tracey replied. "I know just the spot – top of the hill, next to the Pokéberry where all the wildflowers grow. It's really peaceful there."
"Good lad. Off you go, then."
As Tracey disappeared with the shovel, Professor Oak thought he should have a word with Misty, who was sitting on the other side of the couch with her head bowed.
"Misty, can I get you and Togepi anything?" Professor Oak asked kindly. "Something to eat or drink, perhaps?"
Misty sniffled and looked down at her sad little Pokémon, who was upset because Pikachu wouldn't open his eyes and play with it. "I think Togepi's kind of hungry."
"Why don't we go get Togepi some Poké Chow?" Professor Oak suggested, extending a hand to help the girl up from the sofa. "Besides, I think Ash and his mother need some time alone right now." Misty nodded and followed Professor Oak into the adjacent room where he kept all the Pokémon food.
"Here you go, Togepi," Professor Oak said, handing the little Pokémon some brown pellets. "I think you'll like this flavor."
Misty sat her Pokémon down on the table in the middle of the room and watched as it began to devour the nuggets greedily. In all the confusion, Togepi had missed its lunchtime.
"Guess Togepi was pretty hungry," Professor Oak smiled. "Don't worry, Togepi. There's plenty more where that came from."
"Professor," Misty said softly, "do you think Pikachu suffered at all?"
"No, Misty," Professor Oak replied gently. "It was so sudden that I don't think Pikachu even knew what happened."
"That's…that's good," Misty replied with a catch in her voice. "Because…because…oh, Professor Oak! This is all my fault!" The girl buried her face in her hands and started crying again. "What happened to Pikachu is all my fault!"
"Your fault? Misty, what makes you think that this was all your fault?" Professor Oak said, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Togepi!" Misty wailed. "I never should've let Togepi wander off! Then Ash wouldn't have gotten attacked by the Houndoom and then Pikachu wouldn't have…wouldn't have…" Misty broke down sobbing once more.
"Misty, shh. It's all right," Professor Oak said reassuringly. "None of this is your fault. If Ash hasn't told you already, Pikachu was dying. He didn't have much longer to live."
"I know," Misty choked.
"And as Deli…Mrs. Ketchum told me earlier, Pikachu died a hero's death. He willingly gave up his life for Ash's."
Misty shook her head. "No."
"No?" Professor Oak was confused. "What do you mean, Misty?"
"Pikachu didn't know he was dying, Professor Oak," Misty replied. "Ash didn't tell him. He was afraid that the shock would…would…" Misty broke down once more. "When he used his Thunderbolt to save Ash, he didn't know that it would…that he would…" The girl threw herself into Professor Oak's arms and began sobbing into his lab coat.
"Oh. Oh, Misty. Shh, it's all right." Professor Oak said reassuringly while the distraught girl cried. Once she had begun to calm down, Professor Oak lifted the girl's chin and looked her straight in the eye. "Misty, I want you to listen to me carefully. None of this was your fault. Even though Ash may not have told Pikachu that he was dying, Pokémon have a sixth sense about these matters. I believe that Pikachu knew that he was dying. Pikachu willingly chose to give up his life for Ash's, knowing what the outcome would be. And I think…no, I know that Pikachu chose to die this way. He loved Ash so much that he gave up his life for him. And I can't think of a more noble death than that."
"Sam, can I…oh, Misty," Delia said as she came into the room and saw him trying to comfort the crying girl. "Oh, you poor girl. Come here." Misty gratefully fell into Delia's embrace.
"Is Ash doing any better?" Professor Oak asked her.
"He stopped crying," Delia said over the top of Misty's head. "There, there, Misty. It's all right…hush, sweetie."
Professor Oak left the pair alone and headed back to the lab where Ash sat with his Pokémon.
"Oh, Pikachu," Ash said, cuddling his Pokémon to him. "I'll never forget you, buddy."
"Ash."
The boy jumped at the sound of Professor Oak's voice. "Oh, Professor Oak…I didn't see you standing there." Ash quickly wiped away the tears that were smeared on his face.
"Ash, will you let me look after Pikachu for a while?" Professor Oak asked, stretching his hand towards the Pokémon's body.
Ash hugged his Pokémon even tighter. "I'm not letting Pikachu go," the boy replied firmly. "He never gave up on me, and I'm not giving up on him."
"I know that, Ash," Professor Oak said, seating himself next to the boy. "But you need to get something to eat and rest for a while. You've had a rough day."
"Mom already said the same thing," Ash replied. "And I'm staying here with Pikachu."
"All right. But would it be all right with you if I looked after Pikachu for a little while?" Professor Oak traced the outline of a smudge of dirt on Pikachu's right leg. "Clean him up? Brush him? Give him a bath?"
Reluctantly, Ash loosened his grip on his faithful Pokémon friend and handed him to Professor Oak. "Just make sure you don't use any of that girly-smelling shampoo like Misty uses."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Professor Oak replied, gently cradling the Pokémon's body in his arms. "I'll get him cleaned up and bring him right back. Meanwhile, why don't you and Misty go get something to eat? She and your mother are in the next room.
And as Professor Oak carried the Pokémon's body down the hallway to prepare it for burial, he could still overhear the weeping in the next room.
To be continued…