A/N: A few different changes.
I removed the kadabra character because it seemed too easy for Pike to have him as a literal translator. I do plan to have the Kadabra character show up later, just in a different role.
Henry is now Pike's cousin (father's side) and thirty-two years old.
I had the Espion give a copy of Pike's memories of becoming a pikachu to Henry as well as a memory he and Pike shared as to verify Pike's identity.
I've edited the dialog of the wild pikachu colony a bit and made their behaviour a bit wilder.
---Mike Bara had been a manager at the company for the past six years and Pike's manager since hiring him eighteen months before. He'd had people call out for strange reasons over the years. No one however had ever used Magic turned me into a pikachu, so I need some time off as an excuse. He doubted this was a fraud; something so deranged was unlikely a lie. No one would use something this crazy when there were dozens of far more credible excuses. Yet, if it were true then the impossible had happened.
He'd still agreed to come over despite not wanting to believe what Henry was saying. A part of him looked forward to seeing the look on everyone's face when he told Pike that he expected him in Monday morning at 8:30am sharp.
Although, why would they ask me to come over if they were lying? Certainly, they knew I'd catch them in the act.
He stood there after ringing for doorbell for at least a minute. He checked his watched and started tapping his right foot after the first thirty seconds. When the front door started to open, he peered inside.
"I take it you are Henry; Pike's cousin?" he asked of the man that answered.
"Yes," Henry said.
"So, where is this pikachu that you claim to be Pike?" Mr. Bara asked.
"If you'll come in, I'll show you," Henry said, opening the screen door.
Mike stepped into the house. He had to admit it was cleaner then what he expected. He removed his shoes before Henry led him into the living room. There were two other people there.
"These are Pike's parents," Henry said.
Mike approached them and shook their hands. "Pike's manager, Mike Bara. Since we're not in a formal environment, you can call me Mike."
"I'm Pike's mother Kate," Kate said.
"I'm his father Larry," Larry said.
They seemed like nice people. If this was a trick, they were going to a lot of trouble to play it out. Henry walked into the kitchen as Mike sat down on the couch. He watched Henry return moments later with a pikachu following him. The mouse ran over to the couch and stood on its hind legs, looking at Mike with a seeming fascination.
Mike looked at the mouse, his eyes going wide. "Um … hello," he said. He'd never had a pet before, so he wasn't sure how to react to one, especially when one capable of frying him. He awkwardly reached out his right hand, jerking it away twice before petting the animal's head. He looked up at Henry, "is this your pet?"
"No sir, that's Pike," Henry said.
Mike looked at the pikachu and then at Henry.
"Come off it, you don't actually expect me to believe that do you?"
"It's the truth," Pike's mother said.
The pikachu spoke to him. Mike didn't understand a word it said.
"What did he say?" Mike asked.
"We're not sure; we don't speak pikachu," Henry said.
Mike looked at the pikachu again and raised his left eyebrow. "If you're Pike then you're not properly dressed!"
The pikachu they claimed to be Pike lowered its forepaws in what appeared to be an attempt to cover his groin.
"Mr. Bara … Mike, please; This is frightening enough for him without people nit-picking his lack of attire," Pike's mother said.
"All right, point taken. I'm going to need proof before I can even begin to believe you. You can claim this is Pike all you want but unless I'm able to communicate with him, as far as I know, this is just an animal you're passing off as Pike."
Another pikachu walked into the room and stood to the right of the one claiming to be Pike.
"Who's this?" Mike asked of Henry.
"This is Amper, I adopted her yesterday," Henry said.
Well, if that is Pike and he has a female, at least this way, he's one less person I need to worry about dating my daughter.
"Well ... Pike, you're going to have to come up with something."
"Try asking him something he can answer with yes or no," Kate said.
"It's like communicating with a toddler," Mike muttered.
"What was that?" Kate asked, her tone stern.
Both pikachus said something. They're certainly talkative little things.
"I said it's annoying. Trying to come with such a simple question that can prove this is Pike isn't easy!" Mike said.
"If you want to communicate with Pike better, maybe you should take a dip in that spring. I'm sure I can find a meowth for you to swim with. You share a love of coins," Henry muttered.
"Pardon me?" Mike asked.
"Now you know how Pike feels when you make derogatory remarks under your breath," Henry said.
Mike looked down to see the male Pikachu (noting he no longer appeared to feel the need to cover himself) nodding his head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend."
"If it annoying for you then think of how annoying it must be for Pike," Kate said.
The male Pikachu nodded its head and said something.
It's as if I've entered an episode of the twilight zone!
Mike rubbed his eyes and sighed. "To think I thought it strange when my nephew got into this stuff. Now I'm talking to a pikachu."
The male Pikachu nodded and seemed to laugh.
"Can you think of something you can ask Pike?" Kate asked.
"Yes, I can try. You said he can do numbers right?" Mike asked.
The pikachu said something. Mike looked down to see it nodding his head.
"I think Pike answered your question," Henry said.
"All right … Pike, answer me this; how many calls on average do you field in an hour?" Mike asked.
Mike knew the answer to this. It depended on the caller of course. Some would take a long time; others would be the types where you'd be off the telephone in less then a minute. Mike assumed an average of eight minutes per call or about seven or eight per hour.
He watched the pikachu put up eight of its finger like digits.
A good guess.
"Yes, that is technically correct. However it might have been a lucky guess," Mike said.
The female pikachu seemed to become agitated and her cheeks sparked. The male said something to her and she calmed down.
Mike looked at Pike's parents, "If he can use numbers, perhaps he can answer a multiple choice question."
"I don't see why not," Larry said.
"Very well then," Mike said, again looking at the male pikachu they claimed to be Pike. "What does your co-worker Samuel eat for lunch of Fridays? One, Peanut butter and Jelly; two, Chicken Salad on rye; three, Egg Salad on wheat or four, Smoked Salmon."
Certainly, this wasn't something any person off the streets would know. The other question of calls per hour was guessable; it seemed only a lucky guess that this pikachu managed the answer. Mike watched the two pikachu speaking, wondering what they were saying. Discussing the answer perhaps?
When they stopped and the male put two fingers up on its right forepaw, Mike knew that his case against this pikachu being Pike was weakening; he'd correctly answered the question. Mike rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
Another lucky guess; There's no way this could be Pike; it's im…impossible!
Shaking his head, Mike looked at Pike's parents. "He told you and you told the pikachu!"
Larry shook his head. "We didn't know the answer to that one either."
"I know it sounds crazy Mike, but you need to accept it," Kate said.
"I'm not ready yet. I need one more answer as proof," Mike said.
He saw Henry and the other shake their heads as they sighed. "Come on guys, think of it from my point of view. You're asking me to believe that a human can become a pikachu!"
"It's not easy for us either but Pike needs our support," Kate says.
"All right, if he can answer this question correctly, I'll believe him. How many new employees did we hire these past three months and how many were women?" Mike asked.
Pike put up five digits. Damn, he got it right. Come on little guy, get this next one wrong! After what appeared to be a few seconds of thought, he put his paws down and then raised them again, this time signalling three. He was correct on both accounts.
Mike stared wide-eyed at the mouse for a full minute. That pikachu is Pike. Pike is a pikachu. He started laughing as though he'd gone mad in an instant. He shook it off and smiled at both animals.
"Looks like you're right. I seriously doubt any animal would know that. All right, I believe you," he said. He then looked at Pike's parents. "I suppose now the question is, how do you intend on restoring his human form?"
"We're not sure," Kate said.
"But, obviously, he cannot go to work like this. He's going to need some time off," Larry said.
Mike looked at them and then back at Pike. Even if Pike did manage to get into work, there could be legal problems with having a pikachu in his employ.
"I suppose he can't telecommute?" Mike asked.
"Since he can't speak I don't see how it would work," Henry said.
That would make doing telephone support problematic.
"Well, it seems I have little choice other then to give him time off until you guys can find a way to reverse this or until he can speak," Mr Bara said.
"Thank you," Kate said.
Mike nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to write this one down but I'll think of something. Anyway, I need to get going; places to go, people to see and all."
The others nodded and Mike stood up, shook hands with the humans in the group and then with Pike, although it was more Pike shaking his index finger with his right forepaw. With that, Mike left the room and headed out the front door.
Turned into a pikachu; what is this world coming to?
-
Pike watched Mike's car back out of the driveway and drive down his street from the living room window. The others were finished their pizza, so Pike's parents helped to clean up the dishes before they walked back into the living room.
"Takes care of that," Henry said.
Pike jumped back down onto the couch and lay back against a pillow.
"We're still going to have to tell Remmie and Tiffany about this," Kate said.
"Who are they?" Amper asked.
"My younger brother and sister. My brother wants to be a trainer. It's weird, we never agreed about that. Now, I'm actually looking forward to seeing him. Although, I don't want him keeping me as a pet!" Pike answered.
"If you're wondering where your brother is, he's at his friend David's house. Do you want us to tell him? I know you were never crazy about his wanting to become a trainer," Pike's mother asked.
Pike nodded; Remmie's plans no longer bothered Pike. He knew how it felt to fight; it was an interesting experience. With his help, he felt that Remmie could become an excellent trainer.
Wait a minute; I want to help him train? Do I actually want to fight? Mom and Dad will think I'm nuts! I can't just go giving up on being Pike because being a pikachu feels good.
"If you want to play with your brother as a pikachu, that's just fine Pike. However, we cant have you two going off together as though you assume you'll never be human again," Kate said.
"She's right Pike. He can come over later and you two can play but we need to focus on restoring you," Pike's father said.
Pike nodded.
"Anyway Pike, we need to get going," Kate said. She turned towards Henry; "will you two be all right alone?"
Henry looked at Pike and smiled. He walked over to the couch and sat beside Pike. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Pike," he said.
"All right then. Now, you remember to do those crosswords and other things Pike. You need to keep your human mind active," Kate said.
Pike nodded.
"Not to mention, you need to get into speaking English again. We can't keep depending on yes or no type of answers," Larry said.
Pike again nodded. Necessity is the mother of invention.
His parents walked towards the door and said their goodbyes before opening it and walking out.
Hopping into the living room, Pike watched them back out of the driveway and leave. Amper hoped over to Pike's left.
"Don't you worry Pike, I'll keep you company," she said.
Looking at her, Pike smiled. "Having you here makes this so much more fun."
Henry walked behind them. "It's getting late. Will you two be okay while I take a shower?"
Amper nodded and hugged Pike. "Don't worry, I'll keep your cousin company."
Pike choose not to resist Amper; in fact, he enjoyed her touch. He smiled and nodded at Henry.
"I'll take that as a yes," Henry said.
He walked out of the room and towards his bedroom.
"So, where do you sleep?" Pike asked of Amper when she released him.
"I slept in your cousin's bed last night. I didn't want to sleep alone, I'd be so lonely!" Amper said.
Pike pictured his bed. It would be huge compared to him now. He imaged cuddling up with Amper and a smile crossed his face. For him, the act was no longer limited to lovers, but one any pikachu could do with another. He looked forward to sleeping in it.
"You won't have to be lonely any more," Pike said. Thinking of his life before this happened to him and of how wonderful he'd felt in the company of the others the previous night, he nodded his head, "and neither will I."
-
Shortly thereafter, Henry was in the living room watching the nightly news as he sipped from a mug. He'd drawn the curtains and turned off most of the lights.
"What's he drinking?" Amper asked.
Pike knew what it was; it was a drink humans used to calm themselves down. There was no word in the pikachu language for it. What is the word? Come on Pike, you know this word. Okay, I'm, twenty-four and Remmie is twelve. That's a difference of twelve years. Tiffany is eighteen. She's six years older then Remmie and six years younger then me. As though he'd opened a dictionary to the word he needed, it flowed back into his mind as he concentrated on its image. Henry was drinking green tea.
Saying the word was a whole different level away from thinking it however. Pike knew that he could say it; he just had to form the word. They after all had a word for green, so it was just one word.
"Green tea," he said.
Henry looked in his direction. "Hey, you said another word!"
Pike nodded and turned his attention back to Amper. "It's a drink some humans like. I never liked it but Henry says it helps him to calm down. Given what's happened to me, I don't blame him for needing it."
"Can I try some?" Amper asked.
Actually, I could probably use some relaxing myself.
The more Pike thought about the effect being a Pikachu was going to have on his life, the more nervous he would get. While he knew his parents would do their best to find a cure for him, he also knew that there was a good chance he was going to be stuck like this for the rest of his life.
On the other hand, his parents and boss knew about this and he was home and with another pikachu to boot; that was good. Things could have turned out much worse; he could still have been in the wild, terrified and unable to find his way home. He may have lost his mind and thus the ability to know he used to be human. Pike had companionship, shelter along with clean food and water. Was he perhaps worrying too much?
We pay our bills so we can have those things. I wanted a girlfriend and someone to share my bed with. Now I have someone; maybe I should stop complaining and enjoy it.
He watched Amper hoped over to Henry's drink and paw at the mug.
"Do you want some girl? I don't know if it's good for you or not," Henry said.
Pike leapt over and onto Henry's right shoulder, which startled the chap, who spilled some of his tea. "Sorry!"
Henry looked down at the drops of tea spilt on his bathrobe. "Assuming you apologised, don't worry about it." Pike leapt from Henry's shoulder and onto the arm of the loveseat.
"If you want some girl, I could get you a small cup. Do you want some too Pike?" I'd get us some if I still could. Arg, I hate needing help to get everything! Pike nodded; he didn't care that he didn't like it. He needed something to calm him down now that he was actually thinking about his situation. "I thought you didn't like it but oh well," Henry said.
Henry put his mug on the coffee table beside the loveseat and got up. He returned a few minutes later with two small cups, handing one to each Pike and Amper, who took it with their forepaws.
"Careful, it's hot," Henry said.
"Thank you," Pike said.
Pike raised the drink up to his mouth and sipped a small amount of it as he watched Amper do the same, albeit slightly behind him. She's probably imitating me. The tea was only a little better tasting then he remembered it. Amper however, seemed to be enjoying it.
When the duo had emptied their mugs minutes later, Pike was admitting, he was starting to feel more relaxed.
"Well, I don't know about you two but I'm ready to get to bed. So pike, do you want to take a bath?" Henry asked.
Pike sniffed himself, he smelled just fine so doubted he'd need to worry about it. He shook his head and looked at Amper. "What about you?"
"You mean with water? Na, a sand bath is enough for me but I think we're just fine for tonight," she said.
"Okay then. Well Pike, unless you want to stay with me, I see no reason why you can't use your bed. I'm sure it's probably a lot more comfortable then sleeping on the ground!" Henry said.
You're telling me!
"Yeah, no predators to worry about!" Amper said.
Pike nodded at Henry, as long as he had Amper with him; he'd be just fine.
"Well, good night then guys. If you need anything Pike, or want to stay with me, then just come in whenever you want okay?"
Pike nodded. Henry stood up and brought the empty mug and cups to the kitchen before turning the remaining lights off and walking towards his room. Pike lead Amper to his room.
As Pike expected, his bed was now massive. As he jumped onto it and managed to pull the covers down a bit, the bed felt immensely comfortable. He could smell his human scent on it, if anything it kept him comfortable with the knowledge that there was still an aspect of his humanity around him.
Amper jumped onto the bed and smiled at Pike. "Let's go under the covers," she said.
Pike nodded and the two Pikachu did exactly that. It was warm and cosy under there. It seemed the green tea was having an effect as Pike was already feeling sedate. Curling up in a ball, he watched as Amper settled down beside him, facing him.
She closed her eyes before Pike did the same. Finally sharing his bed with someone had him experiencing a wonderful sensation of comfort and togetherness. As with the previous night, Pike feel asleep almost immediately after closing his eyes.
---
Awaking the next day, Pike opened his eyes and found himself looking straight up at the ceiling. He felt something warm on him. He looked up at see Amper asleep, lying on top of him; Pike could feel her heart beating. At some point, they'd crawled out from under the sheets and lay down on Pike's pillow.
The sun was beaming through his window. Pike's sensitive ears picked up the sound of Henry taking a shower. Pike considered waking Amper, but she looked so peaceful and felt so warm against his body.
Of course, Pike had no real need to get up at that moment. Without a need to get up, he had no real desire. He was after all, comfortable. Sure, he was lying nude on bed with a naked mouse draped over him but that didn't bother him so much anymore.
I should get up and do something. Then again, why? I'm relaxed right now, why risk losing that.
Pike knew that he had stuff that he needed to do; or did he? As a pikachu, he had no appointments to worry about nor did he have training for battle to worry about.
Lying back, Pike closed his eyes. He listened to Amper breathing and felt her chest expanding and contracting with each breath. He allowed her scent to enter his nostrils; it was a pleasant odour. He felt closeness, which compared to only a handful of memories. One included sleeping within the pikachu colony. Another was the times when he'd been sick as a child and his mother or father watched over him. He'd felt cared for then, as though whomever watched over him could make the illness go away and kept it from growing worse.
This was different however; he experienced a desire to protect Amper. She was more then just a companion for him; she was someone he felt close to, bonded with even. Perhaps it was just his desire for a partner but at that moment, he felt safer and more secure then he had in years.
How long he lay there, he wasn't sure. Amper woke up and giggled at him. She had a sweet laugh.
Oh my God am I falling in love with her this quickly? It wasn't like this even with Pichka!
"Good morning Pike," Amper said. She turned her head and looked at Pike, "yer comfortable."
Pike could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. He hoped that Amper couldn't see it. "So are you."
Amper climbed off Pike and stood on her hind legs in front of the pillow. Pike looked up at her; suddenly feeling self-conscious over the view he felt she was getting. He sat up and looked for a pillow to cover his mid-section only to remember his stature. Instead, he settled for using his paws.
"What'cha trying to hide silly?" Amper asked.
"Amper, humans normally wear clothes. I'm not used to walking around wearing nothing!"
"You're not human," Amper said, the grin never leaving her face.
Pike cautiously removed his paws. He had slept with her; it seemed the time to worry about morality was past.
"There, how does that feel?" Amper asked.
"It feels…"
Truth be told, it didn't feel bad. Pike was so used to hiding things from view. As a human, being naked around an equally unclothed female would be an intimate gesture (to put it mildly). When he'd met Amper the previous day, he'd been able to use denial to keep himself from worrying about it. He'd crossed the line, but in a good way. The initial awkwardness was over and the barriers were coming down. He could finally express this side of himself around someone that would understand!
Perhaps it was time for the Pike he was to make way for a Pike that he'd always feared allowing himself to be. The little voice in his head that kept telling him to stop was weakening. Beyond those emotional and mental barriers Pike caught a glimpse of a desire to relish life and the simple pleasures it offered if he allowed himself to enjoy them.
"It feels wonderful," Pike finally said.
"Great, now, come on, let's get something to eat, I'm hungry!"
Pike nodded. He heard the shower stop and knew that Henry must almost be finished. Pike rolled onto his belly and then stood up on all fours. He followed Amper as she hopped off the bed and ran towards and into Henry's bedroom, standing by the bathroom door.
A mischievous sense of adventure overrode the twinge of guilt Pike experienced over the thought that Henry might walk out naked. Pike wondered how long it had been since Henry had experienced the simple joy of running around naked.
Running at and leaping into Henry's bed, Pike hid under the covers, hoping to surprise his cousin. Amper did the same, and Pike had to surpass a giggle.
When he pulls them down to make the bed, we're gonna surprise him!
They waited there a few minutes before hearing the door open. When Henry pulled down the covers a few seconds later, Pike and Amper saw he was only wearing a white towel. They both stood on their hinds legs.
"Boo!"
Henry jumped back, frowning before shaking his head and smiling.
"Nice one Pike, you got me good."
"What's with the towel? Come on take it off, live a little!" Amper said.
Henry looked at the duo. "Okay guys, I have to get dressed, then we can get something to eat."
"Why do we have to leave?" Amper asked.
"Because he doesn't want us watching him getting dressed," Pike said.
"Why not?" Amper asked.
"He's a human and they're silly like that," Pike said.
"Oh okay."
The duo jumped off the bed and ran out of the room before Henry closed the door behind them.
Pike and Amper were in the kitchen standing on the table when Henry walked in ten minutes later. Pike looked at the clock on the wall, 9:45 am.
Henry was dressed in jeans and a black tee shirt. He yawned and stretched as he started his daily task of getting breakfast, a task that Pike now knew he could no longer assist him given his current state.
Pike wasn't sure how to take that; cooking was something he enjoyed. He was also a do-it yourself type of person. He was all right with letting Henry cook occasionally but now it seemed he was going to have to depend on him to do the cooking. In fact, he was going to have to depend on Henry to do everything.
I don't want to be a freeloader.
"Now that we're in a slightly less compromising position; Good morning Pike and Amper. Did you two sleep all right last night?"
Pike nodded and looked at Amper, who hugged him. "Not just all right." Looking down at his feet, Pike did his best not to blush. Amper then gave Pike a big kiss on his right cheek.
Henry grinned. "I think she likes you Pike. Anyway, I'm sure you two are hungry. I'll get you some food."
Pike knew what he wanted; he wanted bacon and eggs! He couldn't think of any pikachu words for bacon; eggs however were something they'd have on occasion. Maybe if he used the word for meat, Henry would know what he meant.
"I'll have some meat and eggs," Pike said. He also wanted coffee but ran into the same problem with bacon regarding a translation.
"Hey, that sounds good!" Amper said.
"Not sure what you guys said but you should probably stick with the pokechow, it's best for you." Pike started to pout. "Sorry Pike, I know it's not as exciting as bacon and eggs but you shouldn't eat too much human food."
Man, it's like being a kid and my parents are telling me that I can't have any more cookies.
While it seemed Pike would have less responsibly, he'd also have less freedom. Pike guessed Amper was probably used to it, she didn't know any different. He wondered how that would effect him should this situation turn out to be long term.
"It's not so bad Pike," Amper said.
"Oh okay, I guess I can get used to it," Pike said.
"Um Pike, remember, I can't understand you yet," Henry said.
Man, this language thing is getting annoying. Pike nodded his head.
"All right then, I'll get a couple of bowls for you two," Henry said. He turned to leave the kitchen, but stopped to look at Pike. "Don't worry Pike, things will work out."
"I wana see him!" Remmie protested.
"I know you do Remmie but I don't know if that's wise," Kate said.
Remmie was seated in front of the TV as he ate from a bowl of cereal.
"Why wouldn't it be wise? I know Pike didn't want me to be a trainer. I think it's funny he got turned into a pikachu! Now I can train him!"
"Remmie, that's not funny! How would you feel if that happened to you?"
"I dunno but I still think it's funny that a guy that hated the idea of battling them gets turned into one!" Remmie said.
"You are not to treat him like an animal, he's still your big brother no matter what he looks like on the outside," Kate said.
No matter what his mother said, Remmie couldn't help but find Pike's situation not only amusing but also unbelievably cool. Truth be told, Remmie just wanted Pike to accept him and be his friend. He could never tell Pike or anyone else but he looked up to his brother. If anything, Pike's more critical views on pokémon battle had kept Remmie's head out of the proverbial clouds. The boy still saw battling as cool and somewhat larger then life.
Maybe now he'll get how cool battling and training is. I just have to let him win one battle and he'll love it so much that he won't want to go back. Then, we can be pals forever!
Remmie hung his head, a strand of his long black hair falling over his right eye. "I just want to be friends with him." Clearing the strand away, he looked at his mother. "Maybe if Pike sees how much fun it is to battle, he won't hate it so much."
Kate sat beside Remmie, putting a hand around his shoulders. "I know you want to get along with Pike. Right now, we have to concentrate on helping him. Maybe you could do some crossword puzzles with him to keep his mind active. If he battles, we might lose Pike as we know him. That wouldn't be fair to him or to us."
"I guess not," Remmie said. Pike wouldn't give up. The idea of his brother losing himself to his animal form scared Remmie. For, if it could happen to Pike, it could happen to anyone. No, Remmie was not going to let that happen.
However, Pike knew what being a pikachu felt like and he could provide a wealth of tips on raising one. Remmie couldn't get the image out of his head of he and Pike winning all sorts of cool battles together. He closed his eyes and imagined himself in a stadium with Pike at his side, having just won a championship. People were cheering his name. He and his big brother working together at last! Remmie made it all the way to someone draping a medal around his and Pike's neck before his mother distracted him.
"Remmie!" she said.
"Yeah?" Remmie asked, opening his eyes.
"Were you even listening to me?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, you said not treat Pike like an animal and to do puzzles with him. Once we do that, then can I battle with him if he wants to?" Remmie asked.
"Playing Pikachu will just make his mind worse."
"But what if he's stuck that way forever? Isn't it better to accept it and stop trying to be what he isn't?"
"Remember what we told you about appearances?" Kate asked.
"I know, you said it's what's inside that counts," Remmie said, thinking about it for a few moments. "So, Pike may look like a pikachu but that doesn't mean he's really a pikachu?"
Kate nodded. "If we treat him like one, we're not being fair to him. Right now, he's probably confused and we need to help him to decide what we wants. If he settles on behaving like a natural pikachu then we'll need to act accordingly. I don't want him to do that and I don't think you do either."
"No, I guess I don't. But isn't it wrong for us to act like nothing's happened to him and go on like he's still human?"
"I don't mean be in denial about it!"
"What's that mean?" Remmie asked.
"Just what you said. Being in denial about something means acting like nothing has happened. We need to accept that this has happened to Pike but we can't treat him like a pikachu. We need to do puzzles with him so he has to use his human knowledge to solve them. If we make him use that insight, then Pike's mind will stay active. If we ignore it and just treat him like a pikachu, he might lose it. Then, if we found a way to make him human again, there might not be anything left of Pike as we know him."
"You mean sort of like if someone got stranded on a island with no computers, TV or stuff that they might start acting like a caveman?"
Remmie had heard tales of those sorts of things happening to people. He'd heard theories about what might happen if magic turned a person into a pokémon and left them in the wild. Most people thought they'd at first try to behave human. In order to survive however, they'd have to start thinking like an animal. After long enough, they'd be so used to thinking like an animal that they'd start forgetting how to think like a human.
"Yes; we need to make sure Pike still remembers how to be his human self. If we can change him back, he needs to be able to act and think human. This is one of those times where, although he is an adult, he may not want to do those things. We need to make sure that we do what's best for him and not what's fun," Kate said. She then smiled at Remmie and petted him on the shoulder. "Even if battling with him would be more fun."
Remmie grinned.
"Now, once you finish your breakfast, how about we go and see him?"
Remmie nodded and returned to his bowl of cereal, now eating as fast as he could.
Pike watched Henry washing the breakfast dishes, feeling a pang of guilt. As with before, he wanted to help. He hated watching everyone else do all of the work. It was a part of why, when dinning at restaurants that he always left a big tip.
"I want to help!" Pike said.
Henry looked back at Pike. "What was that?" he asked. Pike pointed at Henry at started rubbing his forepaws together. "You want to wash your paws?"
Pike shook his head, darn it, I wish I could speak! He leapt off the kitchen table, onto a chair and then onto the ground. Crawling up Henry's pant leg, Pike climbed up to the kitchen counter and stuck his paws into the dishwater.
"You want to help with the dishes?"
Pike nodded.
"It's not fair that I just stand there while you do all of the work!"
"I know you like to help with the work Pike but don't worry about it. I don't expect you to do these chores now. Right now, you just need to worry about keeping your mind active," Henry said. Drying his hands off, Henry walked over to the table and turned the newspaper to the crossword puzzle. Pike followed him, jumping back onto the kitchen table.
"What's that thing?" Amper asked.
"Here Pike," Henry said, picking a small pencil out from the cup holding the pens and pencils. He handed it to Pike, who looked at it with an almost fascination.
"It's a game humans do. You have to guess the words and fill them in," Pike said to Amper.
"Try doing this, I think it will help you," Henry said before walking back to the sink.
Pike looked at the puzzle.
"How do you guess the words?" Amper asked.
Pike pointed to the clues; "these help us to guess what the words are. They tell us how long the word is and where to put it." He knew the word clue but could not think of a pikachu equivalent. Unfortunately, he wasn't yet able to use the human word.
Looking over the puzzle, Pike did his best to think about the answers. He managed to fill a few in, although he really had to think about them. Much of the problem stemmed not from lack of knowledge, (that still seemed stored within his mind), but from fighting thinking using pikachu words and their point of view. History and math were much simpler for the pikachu. Pike found thinking beyond basic human versions of either difficult. His attention span was shorter now and if thinking of something was too hard, he would find himself losing interest in it.
It's like I'm a kid who is smart enough to understand history and math but isn't interested because it's not as fun as playing with my friends.
Working with the puzzle seemed to help. In fact, he felt some human words coming back without the struggle it was before. As Pike filled in the last word he could figure out, (giving him about two thirds completion), something inside of him snapped.
Computer, that's what it's called. It's not just a porygon nest; it's a computer!
Pike let go of the pencil. After jumping off the kitchen table and running all the way downstairs to his computer with Amper following, he leapt onto the chair and pointed at the machine.
"Computer!" he said.
Clasping his mouth with both of his forepaws, Pike felt a wave of excitement. He'd not only thought the word, but he'd said it in English.
"The porygon nest?" Amper asked.
Pike nodded, "humans call it a computer!"
It didn't matter that computer was the only word he'd said in English. It was coming out naturally rather then the pikachu equivalent.
Henry walked into the room moments later. "Pike, did you just say the word computer?"
Pike nodded. It's as if I'm an infant; even a single word I say is almost a miracle.
"That's great, it seems to be working," Henry said.
"Doing that thing makes you remember human stuff?" Amper asked.
Pike nodded, "that's the idea." Looking at the monitor, Pike felt a similar feeling to when he'd remembered the word computer. He looked at the currently blank device with awe. Of course, he knew what it was, the word was right on the tip of his tongue. However, he couldn't quite get it to work. The problem reminded him of doing a history test and he couldn't remember a date or fact; that was until he recited a jingle in his head or thought of something that reminded him of said fact.
"Trying to say the name of that thing Pike?" Henry asked.
Nodding, Pike found himself growing frustrated that it was so hard to remember basic things!
"Hmmm, if trivia helps then think of this one. In baseball, when you have runners on first, second and third (if applicable) and there are less then two outs, if someone hits a fly into the infield that the umpire judges as catchable, what do you call it?" Henry asked.
Pike thought about the answer, it was right there. After a few seconds, he found it.
It's called the infield fly rule! Once they call it, the ball is ruled out, even if the fielder misses the catch! Pike wasn't sure how or why, but remembering the rule for that human game clarified more knowledge. Yes, that so-called magical box was a monitor.
"Monitor!" Pike said. He'd said the English word again! Yes, this was working!
It seemed easier with words where there wasn't a translation or if there was, the translation described something different about it, as with the computer.
"Great, we're making progress," Henry said.
Pike nodded. Might as well check my um, messages, that's close enough for now. Maybe someone wanted to talk to me! Turning the monitor on, Pike smiled. He still remembered how to use the computer; sure his terminology may have changed, but his knowledge was still there.
He was going to make it; Pike was going to learn to speak as a Pikachu. Soon, he'd the only talking pokémon he knew of, well, perhaps one of the only talking ones if what he'd heard of that talking meowth were true.
Remmie bolted towards Pike's front door after Kate parked the car. Remmie couldn't wait to see Pike! He'd already rung the doorbell by the time Kate had reached the door.
What's taking so long?
He half expected to see Pike answer the door. When Henry answered it, Remmie looked up at his cousin.
"Where's Pike?"
Kate walked up behind him a few moments later.
"Hi Henry. As you can see, I brought Remmie to see Pike. Is it okay if he stays for a few hours? I have some errands to run," Kate asked.
"Well, why don't you ask him yourself?" Looking towards the basement, Henry called Pike's name.
Remmie watched a pair of pikachu run up the stairs seconds later. He stared at the male one with a grin on his face.
"That's Pike?"
Henry knelt down and the male Pikachu jumped onto his left shoulder. Henry petted the animal, which lowered his ears as to enjoy it even more. "You got it, this is Pike all right."
That was so cool! I want to pet him! I want to play with him!
"Hi Amper," Kate said waving at the female.
"Well Pike, you okay with Remmie hanging out with us for a few hours?" Henry said.
Pike nodded.
"So, how are you doing Pike?" Kate asked.
Remmie knelt down and started petting Amper, worrying that perhaps Pike might get jealous.
"Not bad, he said the words computer and monitor not too long ago. Doing a crossword seemed to help."
Remmie bolted up; "can he say my name?"
"Ask him. He can understand you," Henry said.
Remmie looked right at Pike and smiled. "Can you say my name Pike?"
The lad knew that a pokémon could theoretically speak but it would require a lot of mental energy. It would be easier for them to speak in their own tongue and concentrate their energy on their attacks. Of course, he doubted they had a word for his name. Pike shook his head.
"That's okay Pike, don't force yourself. You'll get it eventually. Anyway, you four behave yourselves. Remember Remmie, no acting like a pikachu for Pike. Make sure he exercises his human mind," Kate said.
Remmie turned and grinned at his mother. "Don't worry, we'll be good."
Kate nodded and closed the front door behind her as she left.
"So, can I hold him?" Remmie asked.
He didn't care that Pike was his bigger brother. Right now, he was a pikachu and there was something very cool about that.
"Now Remmie, we don't want to embarrass." Remmie saw Pike nod. The boy held out his arms and Pike leapt from Henry's shoulder into them. "Why don't you two go and hang out for a bit?"
Remmie looked at Pike, who nodded.
"Come on Amper, let's go watch some TV."
Five minutes later, Pike was standing in his backyard with Remmie behind him. Pike had felt comfortable around Remmie. Now he saw his younger brother's desire to become a trainer as something to strengthen their relationship rather then weakening it.
He wished he could have said Remmie's name but didn't want to make up a word for it. He wanted to say it for real and wasn't going to start relying on a pikachu word.
"So, Pike. Is she your girlfriend?" Remmie asked.
Pike looked back at Remmie, shaking his head. Well, maybe she is, I dunno.
"Man, I wish I could battle with you, it would be so much fun!"
His little brother now towered over him. The lad didn't feel like Pike's little brother anymore. Sure, Pike was technically twice Remmie's age but their relationship was different now. Remmie probably knew a lot more about Pike's current species then Pike did. If anything, Remmie could teach him about his new life rather then Pike being the one that could act as a mentor for Remmie to help the boy avoid mistakes Pike had made.
Nodding his head, Pike knew that battling would be fun. It was no longer a negative thing to him; he saw it as something enjoyable. Remmie wouldn't just stand there barking orders at him; the boy would act as not only a coach but also as a guardian.
"Mom says we should do human things but can't we just once battle something?" Remmie asked.
Darn it Remmie, I want to test this body out and see what it can do but I can't. I don't want to lose myself to this!
Pike shook his head.
"Aww, but it would be fun! Anyway, I read that if a pikachu doesn't release his electricity that he'll get sick. I don't want you to get sick!"
I don't remember that. I guess I'd better read up on these little guys so I don't have any other surprises. However, if I battle then I might forget human things! It's annoying enough that I can't talk!
"You're not making it easy on me brother!" Pike said.
Remmie looked down at him in confusion. "What'd ya say bro?" He looked at the ground, knelt down and picked up a rock. Great, what if it's another geodude?
"Can't ya just zap this if I throw it up in the air?" Pike looked at the rock when Remmie lowered it down for him. Pike sniffed it, making sure it wasn't something else. Sure enough, it was just a rock. "Please? If you want to do human stuff, you can help me with my math homework after!"
Math homework? Well, that's definitely human, especially with what they're expecting the kids to learn now a days.
Pike nodded his head. Might as well at least try my electricity out of a battle situation; maybe then I won't get my ass handed to me again!
"Let 'er rip!"
"Hun?" Remmie asked.
Pike grunted, pointed at the rock and made a throwing motion with his right forepaw.
"Oh, well why didn't ya just say so!" Remmie asked.
"I just," Pike felt a wave of excitement as Remmie threw the rock high in the air. He charged up his cheeks and watched the rock soar into the air. I can hit it; I just have to remember about leading the target.
When the rock hit its apex and began its decent. Pike let loose with a jolt of electricity. He missed it the first time, but once he'd seen the speed his jolts went at when shooting into the air, he fired again and struck the rock directly. When it hit the ground in front of the duo, it had a scorch mark on it.
"Yea, I hit it!" Pike said.
"Want to try another one?" Remmie asked.
Pike felt an adrenaline rush. I am a pikachu, makes sense to use my abilities. Why risk not using them only to become human again soon then end up never knowing what using them felt like. Again, almost the opposite of what he'd been accustomed to thinking as a human. It felt wonderful thinking this way. Pike didn't need to think twice before nodding his head. Watching Remmie pick up another rock, Pike readied himself.
Fifteen minutes later, Remmie walked back into the house with Pike on his right shoulder. The past fifteen minutes had been exhilarating for Pike. Unfortunately, acting as a pikachu had its costs. He found that as their activities progressed, his thought were straying into pikachu words rather then human words. He even found himself thinking of the exercises as just practise rather then having some fun. He knew that he needed to calm himself down before he ended up reversing any progress he'd made.
Pike saw that Henry and Amper were watching that box with the other humans in it. No, that wasn't what it was, Pike knew it had a name.
Oh oh, I'd better start thinking human things again. Why do pikachu things have to be so much fun?
"Pike, what did we say about doing pikachu things?" Henry asked.
"You did good Pike!" Amper said.
"Sorry cousin Henry; it's my fault. Pike said no at first. I just wanted to see what he could do!" Remmie said.
Pike nodded. "I know we took it too far but it was fun."
"I told ya being a pikachu is fun!" Amper said.
"Well, maybe this once we can let it go but for Pike's sake we can't keep doing that. We didn't stop you because you two seemed to be having so much fun. Maybe you two should do something human okay? It's all right for Pike to enjoy being this way sometimes but if he enjoys it too much, he won't want to go back," Henry said.
"That's bad?" Remmie asked.
"It is?" Amper said.
"I won't let that happen. I do have to admit though, it was a lot of fun!" Pike said.
Henry nodded. "Yes; Pike shouldn't live out his life like that if he doesn't have to. We need to assume he's going to be human again. That's why we need to keep his human mind active. Okay?"
"All right. I can always do my math homework. I should be able to access my computer from here," Remmie said.
Yes, we can use his porygon nest to … no it's a computer! Hmmm maybe I shouldn't have done that. But then I'd have denied myself so much fun. I guess I just need to find out how much is too much for me so I know where to draw the line.
"Pike, you should help him with it. You can still use your fingers to show numbers and nod or shake your head. That should at least help a bit," Henry said.
"Okay," Remmie said.
With Pike still on his shoulder, he walked down into the basement and sat down in front of Pike's computer. Pike watched the lad type in the commands to access his computer. It was remarkable how quickly Remmie made the connection. Of course, Pike could do it; at least he could when in human form. Remmie had grown up with this level of technology available, so it was more normal to him and thus, came easier.
Pike jumped off Remmie's shoulder and onto the desk as Remmie pulled up the first problem.
"Okay, two cars start out at the same location," Remmie started. Oh great, here we go another one of these, if two flying types leave from the same town heading in different location types of questions. "One going West, one going North. The one going West travels 15 kilometres; the one going North travels 20 kilometres. How far are they apart?"
Okay, I know this one; it's a math thingie. Come oh Pike, what is it?
"We learned this before, it's a formula we're supposed to use," Remmie said. Pike did his best to remember it. Without a pikachu equivalent for the formula, it was hard to think of. "They said we need to add up something about two of the sides first."
That seemed to click it for Pike. Rather then worry about thinking up a way to say it, Pike stepped in front of the keyboard and typed in the formula A squared + B squared C squared.
"That's it there!" he said.
Pike turned, smiled and gave Remmie a thumbs up motion.
"You're awesome Pike, as both a brother and a pikachu!" Remmie said.
Pike hoped back onto Remmie's shoulder. He watched as Remmie solved the question by answering twenty-five kilometres.
Pike watched as Remmie answered a dozen more similar questions. By the time they were finished, Pike was finding his mind was again more focused. This time, instead of not being able to think of a word for his brothers name or say it, Pike managed more progress.
"Remmie."
"You said my name!" Remmie said.
Pike jumped off the boy's shoulder and Remmie picked him up and hugged him. The human Pike would have resisted this, but now, he embraced it.
His mind was getting better, he was starting to speak English again and it looked as though he'd finally be able to have the relationship with his brother that he always wanted. Things were definitely looking up for Pike.