The mourners, both human and Pokémon, gathered in the living room where Pikachu lay. One by one, they lined up and said their farewells to the little yellow Pokémon that had touched all of their lives.
"Bay-bay! Baaaaay!" Bayleef sobbed uncontrollably. ("Even though I was jealous of you, Pikachu, I never wanted this to happen! I'm so sorry!")
"Toto. Dile," the blue crocodile Pokémon said solemnly, which was unusual since it was always so happy and active. ("'Bye, Pikachu. You were a good friend.")
Next came the three youngest Pokémon – Cyndaquil, Phanpy, and Togepi. All except Cyndaquil, who was a little older than the other two and understood what was going on, were confused at all the commotion. Togepi in particular was sad because Pikachu still wouldn't wake up and play with it. "Togi?" it said questioningly as it gently tapped Pikachu's shoulder, hoping it would do the trick and wake up its friend.
"Oh, Togepi," Misty said, choking up with emotion. "Pikachu can't hear you, Togepi." She gently removed her Pokémon from Pikachu's side. "Togepi, Pikachu isn't going to wake up. Pikachu is…Pikachu is…oh, Togepi." Misty embraced her baby Pokémon and began to cry.
After Cyndaquil and Phanpy each laid a wildflower atop Pikachu's casket, Bulbasaur gently led away the two young Pokémon and Squirtle stepped up.
"Squirtle? Squirtle-squirt. Squirtle. Squirtle-squirt." ("We had some good times together, didn't we, Pikachu? You helped me and the rest of the Squirtle Squad get our act together. You were also one of the strongest battling Pokémon I've ever known. I'm gonna miss you, buddy – we all are.") Squirtle replaced his sunglasses to hide the tears that were streaming down its face.
Next came the Pokémon that had resided at the Oak Pokémon Preserve for some time – Kingler, Muk, Snorlax, and Heracross. None of them had known Pikachu as long as the other Pokémon, but they all took turns saying goodbye to the Pokémon that had fought by their side in several battles. Then came Charizard.
"Char. Charizard. Charrr. Charr. Charizard. Char. Charizard." ("I never thought much of small Pokémon like Pikachus. But you proved to me that a Pokémon's size doesn't matter as much as its spirit. You always fought with honor and bravery. You never backed down from a challenge. And I will always carry the memory of your spirit with me for as long as I shall live. Goodbye, Pikachu. It was an honor to fight by your side.")
"You next, guys." Tracey had assembled his Pokémon and the three made their way over to Pikachu's casket.
"Marill," "Good-bye, Pikachu." the little blue Pokémon sobbed as it placed a purple wildflower next to Cyndaquil and Phanpy's white ones. Venomoth (Venonat had evolved a few days before) fluttered over to Pikachu and added a yellow flower to the bouquet atop Pikachu's casket.
"Scy. Scyther-scy," the elderly bug Pokémon said as it bent over Pikachu's still form. ("Like Charizard said, it was an honor to fight by your side. And someday in the near future, I will join you and we will battle together once more.")
"My turn," said Brock, releasing his Pokémon. Geodude, Onix, Crobat, and Forretress appeared with a bright flash of light. Each took their turn in saying goodbye to their fallen friend.
Misty wiped her eyes and reached for her Poké balls. "Come on out, everyone." Staryu, Corsola, Goldeen, Politoed, and Psyduck appeared, and all said their goodbyes to Pikachu. Psyduck in particular was quite upset at the sight of Pikachu in its coffin.
"Psy-yi-yi-yiii!" the Pokémon wailed as it threw itself atop Pikachu's body.
"Man, I didn't realize Psyduck would be so upset over Pikachu," Brock remarked as the Pokémon sobbed loudly.
"Oh, I forgot Starmie and Horsea – I'll have to run back to Cerulean City and get them before the funeral. Come here, Psyduck." Misty pulled her blubbering Pokémon off of Pikachu and gave it a hug.
"I need to run back to Pewter City too," said Brock, recalling his Pokémon. "But I'll be back before the funeral this afternoon. Are you going to be okay, Ash?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay," Ash replied. "Squirtle, Charizard, and everyone else will keep me company."
"If you need anything, Ash, just let me know," said Tracey. "I'll be down the hallway in the lab. And Professor Oak is out back. He said that he was getting things ready for the funeral this afternoon."
"Hey, have any of you guys seen my mom?" Ash asked, looking around.
"Which reminds me…" Misty grabbed the tray of pancakes that she had put on the table next to the sofa bed. "I promised your mom that I would make sure that you ate something." Misty handed the tray to Ash. "Now you eat all those. You'll get sick if you don't eat something."
"Geez, now you're starting to sound like my mom, Misty," Ash grumbled.
"That's because we both care a lot about you. Now eat." Misty shoved a fork into Ash's hand.
-
Meanwhile, Delia, who was feeling a bit left out, had decided to go back to her house and tell her Pokémon, Mimie, about what had happened.
"I know you were fond of Pikachu too, Mimie," Delia said as she gave her Pokémon a comforting hug. "And that's why the two of us are going to pick the nicest flowers in the garden to make a beautiful bouquet for Pikachu."
While the pair were working in the garden, Professor Oak, who had also wondered where Delia had gone, came wandering up.
"There you are!" he exclaimed as he opened the gate to the Ketchum backyard. "I was wondering what had happened to you."
"Oh, Ash was with his friends, so I figured that he didn't need his old mother hanging around," Delia said with a sad smile. "So I decided to come back here and pick some flowers for Pikachu."
"You're hardly old, Delia," Professor Oak said with a slight smile as he seated himself on the bench next to where Delia and Mimie were working. "And Ash does need you."
"No, he doesn't. Not anymore. Ash is growing up now. He's out on his own, he has a girlfriend now…he doesn't need me fussing over him."
"Delia, Ash is always going to love you, even if he is growing up and depending on you less."
"I know, Sam," Delia said with a sigh. "It's just that it's hard for me to accept that Ash is a teenager now. Matter of fact, when I first saw him at the Johto League Championship, I couldn't believe how much he had grown. And I still can't get used to the idea that he has a girlfriend. When he left home, he still thought that all girls were icky. And I also can't get used to the idea that poor little Pikachu is gone."
"Ash is undergoing a lot of changes in his life right now. But as long as he knows that you're there for him, he'll be all right."
"Thanks, Sam," Delia smiled. "You always know what to say to help me feel better. That's one of the things I love about you. That, and you're always so helpful." She threw a huge bunch of flowers into his arms. "Let's take these over to Pikachu right now."
To be continued…