A/N: Burn down your houses, its time for another update.
Ver. 1.0.1 Made formatting changes for consistency
"Spoken Aloud"
Thoughts
(Pokémon Language)
The Road to Viridian City
We join our heroes on Route 1. After a tumultuous start, Ash and Grimmjow are heading north to Viridian City, hoping to get their first gym badge.
(—o—)
They hadn't stopped running since they left Pallet Town. That was nearly two hours ago. The sun had passed its zenith, and its hot rays beat down on Ash and Grimmjow. Ash was sweating, and even Grimmjow had begun to pant heavily when Ash suggested they stop.
They slowed down, and Grimmjow trotted after Ash towards the shade of a large tree. Now sheltered, Ash flopped down onto his stomach and groaned. Grimmjow merely sat on his haunches and worked on calming down his breathing.
Grimmjow was…unused to the intensely physical nature of this world. In Heuco Mundo, his awareness was broad, but only noticed what needed to be noticed. He could feel, using his spiritual awareness, the density of spiritual particles, the number and location of every Hollow or Shinigami within a 2 kilometer radius. He could also feel a creature's spiritual pressure, which would let him gauge their power. Here, his awareness was reduced in scope, but much more intense. He could feel the creaking of his bones, the tightening of his muscles, the hot and insistent rush of air through his lungs. He could also feel the heat of this place, and its true sun, so very unlike the cold imitation of Las Noches. He could even see the heat, its rippling waves causing slight distortions to the light in the distance as it rose from the ground.
Grimmjow was also aware of something alien to him. A strange…need, somewhat reminiscent of his old hunger for souls, but where that hunger originated and radiated out from the hole in his abdomen, this one seemed to suffuse throughout the entirety of his body. It was strongest in his tongue and throat for some strange reason.
(Ash. This is going to sound strange, but I need something, and I don't know what. Fuck. I feel terrible. Something this stupid world did to me, no fucking doubt about it. Have any ideas?)
This was delivered with several pauses for breath. He had managed to slow down his panting, but with every word he spoke each breath was became deeper, and he couldn't stop his tong from lolling out.
Ash looked up when Grimmjow started talking. When he finished, Ash grinned.
"I bet you're thirsty, right Grimmjow? I know I am."
Ash pulled out a bottle and some sort of extremely large cup. He set the cup on the ground, and opened the bottle. From the bottle, he filled the cup with a transparent liquid—water, Grimmjow realized.
Please fucking tell me this asshole isn't going to make tea. I hate tea.
But Ash did not make tea, instead he held the bottle slightly above his head, and poured the water into his mouth. Ash gasped contentedly, then wiped the excess moisture from his lips.
"The water in that bowl is for you Grimmjow, help yourself."
Grimmjow walked up to the 'bowl' and gave it an appraising glance. It seemed too large and unwieldy for him to lift to his mouth in his current state, but if pushed down on one side, he could tilt it and take a drink.
He did so, but instead of slightly tilting the large cup, he flipped it straight up. Water flew out and soaked Grimmjow. Ash was laughing which made Grimmjow very put out.
"You don't need to do all that," Ash said between bouts of laughter, "just put your head down inside it and drink."
(I know that you fucking moron!) Grimmjow yelled. (I'm just cooling myself off.)
He splashed a bit more water on his back with his paws.
"Oh," said Ash, "good idea"
Ash poured some water onto his head.
Good. I think he bought it.
Grimmjow walked over to the bowl, which was not a cup, and dipped his muzzle into what water remained. Drinking the water was a pleasant sensation. He felt his thirst-need subside as he devoured the liquid. Thirst was a type of hunger which Grimmjow now understood.
(All right, enough rest, let's get a move on.)
Grimmjow looked around.
(Where's the fucking road?)
(—o—)
Ash shielded his eyes as he looked up at the sun.
The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. East is to the right of West and West is to the left of North. West is that way, so North must be that way. And Viridian City is North of Pallet Town. It's so simple!
"We need to go that way!"
Ash trundled off into the tall grass. In a direction most certainly not North, and which didn't lead to either the Route 1 road, or Viridian City.
Grimmjow had his doubts, but being from an endless desert with only one real place of interest in it, does not encourage the development of an innate sense of direction. Also the sun moved, that was some crazy shit.
About two hours passed as they made their way along Ash's chosen path. The grass grew longer as they journeyed. Starting at Ash's waist near the tree they had rested at, it eventually reached up to his chin. Grimmjow, whose view was blocked by this higher grass, had taken to climbing up Ash's shoulder every once in a while to get a better look at his surroundings. Pallet Town had vanished from sight even before they had stopped to rest.
The hills gradually began to grow larger, and the trees taller, albeit more sparsely distributed. Ash began to have some slight doubts as to his current location and direction. He wasn't worried by any means. Never mind the people and trainers, experienced trainers even, who regularly vanished into the wilderness, never to be heard from again; that didn't even cross Ash's mind. He was simply a bit worried about looking like an idiot in front of Grimmjow.
Gary can just shut up. I'm not an idiot. I am going to be the greatest Pokémon trainer ever. Maybe I just took a wrong turn around that large hill back there. Yeah, I must have gone West when I should have gone North. Let me see that map.
He unshouldered his pack, and had just unzipped it when he froze. A high-pitched buzzing noise had become apparent, and it was getting louder.
"Grimmjow, get ready, I think that sound is a Pokémon getting closer."
"Griiim!"
Grimmjow crouched low, a feral snarl on his face.
Ash got down behind Grimmjow and pulled out his Dex, tense with anticipation.
The buzzing sound grew closer…closer…closer—it was nearly at then when it darted to the right! Ash could make out three distinct buzzing noises. They weaved around and around Ash and Grimmjow. Grimmjow's head swiveled , his ears twisted, and his body spun as he tried to keep track of all three sounds. HIs hackles were raised, and he had just opened his mouth for a challenging roar when Ash placed his hand on Grimmjow's back. Grimmjow gave him a baffled look, but Ash just motioned for him to be quiet, and started crawling forward towards the buzzing, which had begun to move away. Grimmjow was right behind.
They came to a clearing, but not a natural one. The grass had been cut short with strange uneven strokes. Fierce winds had trampled any errant patches down further, while scattering the clippings into the air. This formed a clearing which extended throughout the depression formed by the surrounding hills. At its center were the creatures who caused this, great green bugs with lizard-like heads, fiercely beating translucent wings, and terrible curved blades where their hands should be.
The wild Pokémon were locked in thruway combat. They raced across the clearing, flying at extreme speeds. The swipes of their blades were often dodged, occasionally blocked, and rarely hit. What hits there were, however, seemed brutal. Gashes over half a meter long could be carved into the ridged armor of their skin by a single strike. The three showed enough injuries that the fight must have been going on for some time.
Grimmjow was watching with obvious interest.
"Jow? Gri-Gri-Grimm, Grimmjow-jow?" he asked quietly.
"Hmm," hummed Ash, "I dunno, I've never seen that Pokémon before."
He pulled out his Professor-Dex and pointed it at the Pokémon. It unfolded and sparked to life.
"Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. Scyther use their blades both to sculpt their environment and to eviscerate their prey. Scyther is a Bug and Flying type Pokémon."
"Cool" said Ash, "I think we should…what?"
Grimmjow was staring at him with disgust.
"What?" asked Ash, "I don't see what—oh."
The Scyther were also staring at Ash. They had heard his Professor-Dex.
(—o—)
(Why is my life full of idiots?) asked Grimmjow.
(Let me be blunt,) said the leftmost Scyther, (you are trespassing on our land. Leave.)
(Trespassing?) said Grimmjow, (well I guess in that case I should…tell you to go fuck yourselves. I don't take orders from anyone, and especially not from overgrown bugs!)
(Knaves, shall we call a halt to intraspecies hostility?) asked the middle Scyther.
(Aye!) they replied.
(And shall we then open interspecies hostility?)
(Aye!)
The Scyther looked at Grimmjow and Ash intensely.
"What are they talking about Grimmjow?" asked Ash.
(They're talking about a fight.) said Grimmjow, as a feral smile began to work its way across his muzzle. (I'll take the two on the left, you take the one on the right.)
(There being three for and two abstaining, interspecies hostilities have been opened.) The Scyther on the right said, and disappeared.
Grimmjow jumped and spun in the air, slamming his paw into Ash's head and sending him crashing to the ground. Where his neck was just a moment before, there appeared in a shower of sparks the three interlocking blades of the Scyther. Grimmjow landed lightly on top of them. He growled, rather cutely, at the left two.
(You're mine, bitches!) he yelled, (Handle the other one, loser!)
Grimmjow pushed off their blades with his powerful legs and slammed into the sinister Scyther's chest.
(—o—)
Ash saw Grimmjow tackle a Scyther, and he saw them followed by a second Scyther, quickly becoming embroiled in heated conflict.
"Grimmjow use—eep!" Ash gave a small squeaking noise as the third Scyther's scythe swished by his face. The Scyther's backhand followup did not miss, and Ash was flung back bodily. Startled, he scrambled to his feet and did the only thing he could: run away. Ash made for a nearby copse of trees, hoping to lose the Scyther in their confines, and go back to help Grimmjow. He shouldn't be missing his first Pokémon battle anyway.
Though if Gary asks how I did in my first battle, I can tell him how well I did in my first Pokémon battle. Heh.
Such thoughts buoyed his spirits as Ash dashed, dodged, rolled, and ran to escape the deadly swords of his foe. Ash was already tired from his earlier running, but his opponent looked the worse for wear. From the few glimpses Ash could grab, he saw an exoskeleton marred by fresh scratches, the green of its outer chitin glowering to a sickly yellow inside deep dry gashes. That green wasn't looking too bright either, it faded in uneven patches, an effect caused by a combination of nutrient and moisture loss, as well as overheating, a fact also attested to by the unbalanced buzzing of its diaphanous wings. These signs, as well as the size of the clearing in which Grimmjow now battled, suggested that the three Scyther had fought for many hours. More importantly, it meant that Ash stood a solid chance of getting away from the Scyther, and back to Grimmjow.
Ash reached the trees and began madly weaving through them. Left, right, right, left, juke right, then left again. Just when he thought that he had lost his pursuer, Ash ran headlong into a tall birch tree near the center of the grove. He spun around just in time to see a shining blur streaking toward his neck. The Scyther's blade sunk deep into the flesh of the tree, halting millimeters from Ash's neck. He was about to breathe a sigh of relieve when the second strike came from the opposite blade. Ash had nowhere else and no more time to dodge, so he just pressed up against the first scythe, and prayed that the tree would stop the second one as it had the first. It did, barely. Though he was alive, Ash was now stuck between two blades of his Scyther opponent, a quarter of a meter from his growling visage. Ash had no room to back up, nor could he duck under the blades, they were too close together, so, once again, Ash took the only course of action which came to his mind. He dove forward, and Headbutted the Scyther.
It screamed in fury.
Its blades tore through the truck of the tree.
The elm tree fell.
(—o—)
A loud crashed caused the three combatants to pause, looking toward the collapsed woods to see if the victor would be an ally or opponent. When after several seconds no one emerged, they resumed fighting with renewed vigor.
Fuck. If that Ash kid can't even beat one measly bug, and a wounded one at that, I may have to get rid of him.
Those were the trails along which Grimmjow's mind ran, though cohesive thoughts would be interspersed with the less conscious thoughts of dodge, attack, block, maneuver, or exploit, which formed the bulk of his mental efforts during combat. Delude himself however he may, the truth of the matter was, Grimmjow was loosing, and he was loosing rather badly. His opponents may be wounded and slow, and their attacks may be doing little damage to his tough flesh, but a little damage is better than no damage. Grimmjow just couldn't seem to hurt them. He had returned to the style of quadrapedal combat quite easily, but his teeth, his claws, and his legs simply seemed unable to harm his two bug brawlers.
Dodging a series of quick slices, he considered his approach. Their armor seemed thickest on their torso, and while he had been unable to harm the slightly weaker skin near the face and neck, he might be able to hurt them if he could just find a weak point. As another dual swipe passed his face he found his target, the joint connecting the blade to the arm. It was the thinnest piece of chitinous exoskeleton he could see.
He jumped over a low slash from one Scyther, landed, then sprang as the Scyther's momentum from its swing exposed its back to Grimmjow. WIthout any friction from contact with the ground, and aided by the Scyther's misdirected wings the tackle launched the Scyther halfway across the clearing, and left Grimmjow hanging in midair for a crucial split second.
In an instant, the other Scyther was beside him, and it swung down with a brutal slash, slamming Grimmjow into the ground and igniting a line of stinging pain across his back. It was what he had been waiting for. With lightning quickness, Grimmjow latched his jaw on the Scyther's blade joint. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, the Scyther's own eyes widening with fear. Grimmjow bit down. Hard.
Crack.
There was a sickening sound, but it came, not from the Scyther's ruined arm, but from Grimmjow's jaw as the maxilla and mandible bones grated on each other. They were unharmed, but the pain made Grimmjow wince. Scyther's face alit with content savagery. He flicked his arm up, tearing Grimmjow's grip free and leaving the kitten suspended momentarily in midair. Scyther vanished. Moving too fast to perceive it took a flying start and struck Grimmjow's limp body with terrifying force. The impact knocked Grimmjow clear across the clearing…and into the waiting arms of the second Scyther.
They knocked him back and forth as though in a bizarre tennis match. Their swords weren't dull, and the repeated blows began to tear through Grimmjow's resilient flesh, though he had not yet begun to bleed. One of the Scyther gave a mighty upward swing, sending Grimmjow aloft much higher than before. The two Scyther raced upward, carried aloft by their iridescent wings, each beating so fast they seemed like blazes of rainbow fire. As one, they slashed their scythes into Grimmjow from opposite sides. Grimmjow plummeted, spinning, into the ground, while the Scyther gracefully looped around.
Grimmjow struggled slowly to his feet.
(You seem very keen on getting injured.) said a Scyther. (Are you sharp enough to see that you cannot win, cease your trespassing, and apologize for your insults?)
(I don't fucking back down from a fight!) roared Grimmjow. (I don't care how long it takes, I'll murder every last one of you! I'll rip out your eyes, feast on your entrails! I will punch you in the god damn face.)
"Grimmjow!"
Dirty and disheveled, Ash came cresting over the hill.
(About fucking time!) yelled Grimmjow, but despite the harsh words, he was smiling. (Let's do this!)
"Yeah! Grimmjow, use Tackle!"
What the fuck is he taking about?
(What the fuck are you talking about?)
"Uh…do you not know that one? Sorry, the Dex doesn't have any of your attacks listed because, you know, you're a new Pokémon."
How about scratch? thought Ash.
"Umm…Grimmjow, attack with Scratch"
(Are you joking? You must be joking, because it sounded like you you were trying to give me an order, and that's just fucking stupid. Hahaha.) Grimmjow advanced on Ash the whole while, looking positively dangerous.
(—o—)
(Should we take advantage of their distraction to excise them from the area?) asked a Scyther.
The tempered–kitten was mauling its human. Its shouts betrayed its remarkable ignorance of, not only Pokémon–human relations, but also of the world in general.
(Perhaps, but we might be better served by sheathing our aggression and taking this opportunity to rest.) said the other Scyther pointedly. (Besides,) he continued, (I find this highly amusing.)
(—o—)
Ash was screaming. He supposed that Grimmjow was angry for Ash having left him to fight two Pokémon without his guidance. So Ash apologized, to no avail, everything he said served only to make Grimmjow angrier.
"Gah! Grimmjow, attack them, I'm on your side!"
Grimmjow cracked his head into Ash's, sending the latter sprawling to the ground. As Grimmjow loped off to battle, Ash clambered to his feet.
Maybe I should just let him do what he wants for now, he seems really mad, and I can talk to him about it after the battle.
While Ash was considering this, Grimmjow had already rejoined the fight. Unfortunately, the Scyther seemed to have the upper hand. They sped around too fast for Ash to catch more then an odd glimpse when they stopped to change direction or launch an attack. Grimmjow had managed to get in close to one and was trying in vain to damage the tough hide of the Scyther. Ash saw the second Scyther prepare for a slash which would definitely hurt Grimmjow, and Grimmjow couldn't see it coming…
"Grimmjow! Behind you! Bite it!"
Grimmjow pushed off the first Scyther, spun, and caught the second Scyther's arm in his teeth,He bit down and his foe shrieked with pain. Grimmjow didn't let up, instead, he whipped his head around, and slammed the Scyther into one another, sending them tumbling across the grass. Grimmjow seemed…confused?
"What's wrong Grimmjow? You nailed those guys!" Ash said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Gri-gri-grimm, jow jow grimjow-gri?" said Grimmjow.
"We'll talk about whatever that means later. We have a battle to win!"
"Gri!" agreed Grimmjow.
The Scyther picked themselves up and began to circle were moving more slowly now.
"Grimmjow Tackle attack. Go!"
Grimmjow was off like a shot. He rammed his shoulder into the Scyther in front of him, eliciting a pained grunt.
"He's behind you again. Use Bite! Catch the blade with your teeth!"
Grimmjow did just that. The look of shock on his opponent's face was pleasing to him.
"Now Double Kick."
Grimmjow, still holding the scythe, yanked down and leapt up. He slammed his right foot across the unfortunate Scyther's face, then spun and did the same with the left foot. Grimmjow completed the spinning kick maneuver, just in time to push off of his dazed opponent's head, jump over the strikes from the first Scyther, who had gotten back up, and deliver an inverse bicycle kick which sent his opponent straight into the ground.
"Now, before they can recover, use Quick Attack."
Grimmjow wasn't fast enough, his opponents pushed themselves onto all fours, then speedily knocked Grimmjow back about half-a-dozen meters, gaining valuable space.
"That didn't work, guess you don't know Quick Attack. It doesn't matter, let's finish this. Scratch!"
But Grimmjow didn't move, he was shaking slightly, and his head was bent.
"Grimmjow what's wro—"
Grimmjow reared his head back and let out a fierce roar, fierce even for all that it was high pitched and had a trace of a meow in it. The Scyther stared for several seconds, then, as one, they turned and fled. In moments, they were out of sight.
(—o—)
Grimmjow was elated. Any trace of doubt remaining about his current predicament was swept away in a rising tide of self-satisfaction. He would fight, win, and grow, and he would regain his former power. It was as simple as that. What wasn't simple was the course of action required by his…bizarre ally. He seemed so weak, but his defenses were resilient to damage, and he had managed to defeat that other bug-creature, while Grimmjow hadn't even been able to damage them. At least, not until Ash had come back and started…giving orders? That didn't seem like quite the right way to look at it. Grimmjow had felt compelled to do anything the human had said, but when he had, his effectiveness was massively increased. There was power in names, Grimmjow understood that. Could Ash's knowing and calling out the names of Grimmjow's techniques be responsible for the increase in power? Now that he knew those names, would Grimmjow be able to use them effectively without Ash's help?
The only way I'll find out is in another battle. No need to hurry, one will find me soon enough.
Grimmjow may have seemed a hot-headed during his time as an Espada, but he understood the value of patience and rest, especially now that he had his Hunger back, albeit in a strange and lesser form.
Wait, do I have to eat those guys to Evolve? Ehh, nothing I can do about it now.
Grimmjow realized the world was spinning. No, wait, rather, he was being spun in Ash's arms. Ash was cheering wildly, babbling about how well they did in the battle, which was apparently his first.
Well that explains his exuberance. thought Grimmjow, but that's really no excuse…
(To look like a mother fucking chuckle head!) He finished aloud.
Ash launched Grimmjow gleefully into the air. Grimmjow landed lightly on his feet.
(Ugh, fine, celebrate. Next time just try to do it in a way that makes you look like a fighter, not a pansy.) said Grimmjow.
Ash had stopped making a fool of himself, and was staring questioningly at Grimmjow.
"Uh…Okay?" Ash said uncertainly.
Alright good. Now, the important question on my mind is: (What the fucking hell did you do? Do you have some special ability that empowers people? Is it just the power of knowing technique names? Why didn't you say anything about this before? WELL? Grimmjow said this all very fast and loud, stomping back and forth in front of Ash.)
"…What?" asked Ash.
(Wha-What do you mean what? Was I not clear enough fuck face? What did you do when you were calling out techniques earlier?)
"Grimmjow…you…you know I can't understand you, right?" said Ash hesitantly.
(What?) Grimmjow asked flatly.
"I mean…Pokémon speak a different language. They can understand humans, but we can't understand you."
(…Is this a joke? A one way language is the stupidest thing I've ever…heard…) that was what Grimmjow meant, but now that he was paying attention, it was not what he heard coming out of his mouth.
What he said was "Jow? Grimmjow-jow Grii-Grii Jow Grimm…jow…"
What the fuck? Grimmjow thought softly.
(—o—)
Ash began trying to find his way back to the road while Grimmjow pondered the wonders of Pokémon—Human communication. He seemed to be trying to form human words, judging by his contorted facial expressions, as well as the distorted "Grimm's" which emanated from the shifting structure. Every once in a while, he would bound up Ash's side, and make some impassioned statements.
Which Ash responded to with:
"Sorry Grimmjow, I didn't understand that one either."
Grimmjow's face would fall, and he went back into the routine he had established. After about an hour, he had taken to quietly muttering to himself, and by the conclusion of the second hour, he was silent.
The sun hung low, fat, and red in the sky as Ash and Grimmjow crested another hill.
"It'll be dark soon," he said, "we'd better make camp."
The hill they were now on was devoid of the tall grass of the valleys, in its place was a short springy grass of a lighter color, much more coiled and prone to flowering, which it did in small purple and ivory clumps. In the light of the setting sun, the purples were deep and dusky, while the ivory petals were streaked with red and golden light. A lone twisting tree spread its branches over the northern side of the hill, which, being devoid of any other obscuring fauna, offered a good view of the surrounding plains. There were no signs of human habitation.
As Ash set up camp, Grimmjow nosed through everything. He trampled through the tent, rooted in Ash's backpack, sniffed around the firewood, and generally made a nuisance of himself. He stopped bothering Ash while Ash made the fire, however, and when it was beginning to move from smolder to simmer, Ash found Grimmjow silently watching the last rays of the setting sun.
"Grimmjow-jow Grii." Grimmjow said.
"Yeah," said Ash "It is amazing."
"Grii-Grii-Grimm. Grimmjow. Jow." Grimmjow sighed heavily.
"Getting tired? Okay, in that case, Grimmjow Return!"
Red lightning arced out, and Grimmjow was gone.
(—o—)
Hueco Mundo.
One moment he had been with the human, the next, here. There was no mistaking it. The pale, lifeless dunes of sand. The endless black of the sky, broken only by the stable and stationary moon, so unlike the animated sun of Ash's world. This could be nowhere else but Hueco Mundo, and yet…
…and yet there was something utterly unlike Hueco Mundo, whose lifelessness was a facade broken by the unlife of the Hollows. Their presence permeated the air of Hueco Mundo with a palpable sense of dread, an unease which would stay with even its most powerful denizens. It was this dread whose absence betrayed the falseness of the illusion.
Grimmjow reached out and rent the world in two.
(—o—)
Ash had just finished rolling out his sleeping bag when the Pokéball on his hip split open and disgorged Grimmjow.
"What's the matter?" Asked Ash, "Don't like your Pokéball?"
Grimmjow just glared at him. Grimmjow's stomach grumbled, and he looked at it confusedly, but Ash just looked sheepish as his own stomach replied in kind.
"I guess in all the excitement, I kind of forgot about dinner."
He pulled two yellow cans from his pack, popped them open, and set them just inside the ring of rocks which lined the fire. Ash dropped a few more branches onto the flames, which settled, with many a crickle and crackle, into the slow burn best suited to heating foodstuffs and warming campgrounds. After some time had passed, and the last vestiges of color had drained from the western sky, and a cloak of cool air settled down upon the plains, Ash took the cans from the fire, poured one into a bowl, which he set near Grimmjow, and took the other for himself. He commenced devouring the food with rabid desire.
Grimmjow, more familiar with hunger then any other mortal motivation, wasted no time in joining in. The food was some strange combination of solid and liquid, warm and savory, it stilled Grimmjow's food-hunger and thirst-hunger which had also begun to bother him.
Grimmjow finished his meal, and gazed about at the darkness around him. Once again he was struck by how different this world was, even its darkness wasn't dark. Instead, the black of the night sky was besmirched by deep purples and blues, illuminated by innumerable pinpricks of light, which were variously and vibrantly colored, and seemed to shimmer and sparkle as they wheeled overhead. The moon soon rose, and though it lacked the stability of the one he had known, and though it's light was more silver and richer than the pale white of Hueco Mundo, its presence was still a comfort. Under its strange luminescence, sleep took him.
(—o—)
A/N: Any of Ash's Pokémon not mentioned in this fic do not exist in this universe. That means no Charmander that need rescuing, no Butterfree, Bulbasaur, etc. Those species still exist, but not those specific individuals. Pikachu is a special case. In this universe, there are no Pichu, Pikachu, or Raichu.
