This chapter was not coming to me and then it didn't go the way that I thought it would.

Unrelated, but I imagine Raichu with Wendie Malick's voice, and if I can't unhear it neither can any of you. XD

Intermission: Charizard

"Sarcastic people tend to be marshmallows underneath the armor." - Stephen King

The sun is setting by the time we descend. I didn't spot anything noteworthy from the air, but Butterfree did warn me that Raichu Horde's territory is hard to find. I just have to trust that he knows where he's going.

We land in a densely forested area, and I let Growlie leap out of my arms. Unfortunately, the place is hard for me to maneuver through without bumping into a tree or stone or stepping on something. Butterfree is much smaller than me, and even he is flying erratically to avoid tree branches and wild pokemon. At least Growlie, being the smallest of the three of us, isn't having any issues. He seems to be doing well, all things considered, but I'm still keeping my eye on him.

"Are you sure this is the place?" I ask Butterfree after narrowly avoiding squishing a group of Weedle. I hope there are no Beedrill around for them to tattle to. Weedle's final evolution isn't exactly known for being forgiving, and my dual type-advantage won't stop me from getting poisoned.

"Sure as sugar," Butterfree replies, weaving effortlessly through a particularly tangled mass of branches. The 'mon has some impressive agility; I'll give him that.

I decide that walking around the offending tree is a better option for someone my size. Technically, I could just break off the branches, but even the cruelest of pokemon know not to disturb the environment if they can help it. It's our food, our water, our shelter, and our home in many cases. Even those like Growlie, who are born in captivity, understand that nature is kind to us if we are kind to it.

Though, the weather is a completely separate entity, I think as Growlie trails after me. At least he's in high spirits now that we're presumably closer to Raichu Horde. Emphasis on "presumably," because this still looks like a whole lot of nothing to me.

"So, Charizard," Growlie says after a while, "have you ever met an alpha pokemon before?"

"A few," I say, ducking under a bramble. "Even became close friends with an Alpha Charizard in the Johto region." I wonder how Charla and the others are doing. I've never regretted coming home, but I do miss Charicific Valley sometimes.

"And, are alphas…friendly?"

I snort a laugh. "They're just pokemon, Growlie. The only difference is their size. And, based on what Butterfree's told us, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Growlie accepts my answer but stays close.

"Just up ahead, y'all!" Butterfree chirps. "Look sharp. Charizard, you might wanna suck it in. Bit of a squeeze for a 'mon of your stature."

I know what he means, but I'm offended regardless.

Up ahead is a wall of trees and oversized bushes. It looks like a dead end, but Butterfree flies into it headfirst, though I hear him grunting with the effort of pushing through. There has to be an easier way past, right?

"Is he kidding?" Growlie asks me, echoing my thoughts.

I just shrug, resigned. "He knows this place better than we do."

"C'mon, y'all!" Butterfree calls from the other side. "Don't be a chicken!"

Growlie looks up at me again. "Follow-up question: what is a chicken?"

I shrug again. "Only he knows."

On that note, Growlie hesitantly squeezes through the bushes, muttering, "This better be worth it."

Agreed. I follow him, shutting my eyes against the scratchy brambles and trying to stop myself from clawing them out of my way. Assuming there's no other way in - for Butterfree's sake, there better not be - an alpha wouldn't settle their horde in a place like this if they didn't want to stay hidden. The last thing I want to do is piss off an alpha I don't know, one that might have information, at that.

Once on the other side, I am greeted by a surprising sight.

Given the foliage situation, I'd expected this place to be small and dark. Instead, there is a wide, spacious meadow dappled with flowers of all shapes and colors. Dens made of plant life line the territory. There are a handful of trees, but most of them border the meadow. Like Butterfree had told me, those trees are curved inward, their thick branches mostly obscuring the sky. While the territory is dimmer than the rest of the forest, it somehow still seems bright and inviting.

As for the horde members, I knew there were multiple species, but I'm hard-pressed to find two pokemon in the same evolution-chain, let alone the same species. Some of them aren't even Kanto-natives. A handful, I don't recognize at all. But, at least at a first glance, they don't seem to notice any differences. They are resting together in the sunny spots. They are sharing food and chatting. Two of them are training together with their onlookers cheering them on and shouting out advice.

It's…peaceful. With everything that's been on my mind lately, peace is a welcome sight. Maybe I'll get lucky and find Pikachu napping in a leaf pile. Not likely, but a 'mon can dream.

"Why, this is lovely!" Growlie comments, gazing around in wonder.

"Ain't it just?" Butterfree says. "C'mon. Let's see if we can nab us a shiny."

Right. Alpha Raichu is a shiny pokemon. I still can't wrap my head around that.

Butterfree starts to lead us through the meadow but gets sidetracked by a few pokemon coming over to welcome him back and ask if he found Ash yet. Luckily, he dismisses them with promises to talk later. No enquiries as to where their Alpha is. I'm trying to be patient, but that's never been my strong-suit.

A Vulpix rises from where she had been napping and runs over. Vulpix are typically about Growlie's size, but this one is twice as big; I recall Butterfree mentioning an Alpha Vulpix. "Hey, Butterfree," she greets.

Butterfree gives her a salute. "Howdy-ho, Vulpix. Can't talk now. I'm a 'mon on a mission, yup yup."

He's said that same thing to the last six pokemon, and I've had enough. "We're looking for Alpha Raichu," I say.

"Oh, she's battling Tinkaton," Alpha Vulpix says, flicking her six tails off to the side.

We thank her and head that way, following the sounds of attacks and pained cries. And, the flash of Thunderbolt that makes me do a double-take. There's a battle going on at the bottom of the hill. We walk down - well, Butterfree flies down - for a closer look.

Tinkaton is a humanoid pokemon roughly the size of a small human child. She has dark pink skin and a mass of light pink hair. More notably, she is wielding a hammer that looks like it was constructed out of random pieces of metal. Even more notably, the thing is three times her size, yet Tinkaton swings it around as if it's light as a feather. A steel-type, maybe? Or, a fighting-type? Both?

Her opponent is Alpha Raichu. The average Raichu isn't much taller than Tinkaton, but this female is about the height of a full-grown human, albeit a short one. In addition, Raichu are pale orange with white bellies and yellow cheeks. Not this one. This one still has a round white belly, but she also sports dark orange fur that's almost red and her cheeks are more of a brownish-yellow like the large lightning bolt-shape at the end of her long, long tail.

A shiny alpha. That's not something you see every day.

Tinkaton's hammer gains a silver, iridescent glow and somehow gets even bigger, and she charges at Alpha with a battle cry. Alpha rolls out of the way just as the hammer comes down, sending shockwaves powerful enough to almost knock me off my feet. Growlie does fall over. Butterfree, being obnoxiously airborne, is unaffected.

Alpha is also unfazed and crouches on all-fours with her tail folded along her back. From this angle, I can spot a long, nasty-looking scar on the side of her face that runs from her temple down to her chin, just missing her cheek. I suppress a shudder. Marks like that don't come from a casual battle. Pokemon don't face permanent damage unless someone is out for blood. Alpha Raichu is lucky her electric sac - both of which I know are located in her cheeks - wasn't damaged by whoever did that.

"How many times have I told you not to rely on Gigaton Hammer?" Alpha calls out with mild annoyance. Neither of the battlers have noticed us yet. "It wears you out. You don't see me spamming Volt Tackle, do you?"

Tinkaton lifts her hammer, now its initial gigantic size, over her shoulder, panting. "Yeah, but you get recoil from Volt Tackle. I just get tired."

"That's just as bad. Exhibit A!"

Alpha runs up to Tinkaton on two feet, a fist raised, encased with an intense white glow. Tinkaton is too worn out to dodge and gets nailed by Mega Punch, screaming in pain and getting thrown back, her hammer still in her hand. She lands hard on the ground and doesn't get back up.

Alpha gives her slightly shimmery pelt a triumphant shake. She walks up to Tinkaton, who blinks groggily at her. "You've got other attacks," Alpha reminds. "This battle might have gone differently if you'd used them."

Tinkaton mutters a defeated, "Yeah, yeah," before accepting Alpha's extended hand and pulling herself up.

Butterfree interrupts their teaching moment with a loud, "Hoo-doggy! Never a dull moment 'round these parts. No siree-bob!"

"Well," Alpha says in greeting, "yours is a face I wasn't expecting any time soon."

"Hi, Butterfree," Tinkaton says, walking up to us. "Hi, Butterfree's friends." She rests her hammer at her feet and gestures to it with a wide grin. "Who wants to hold my hammer?"

Odd question. Behind Tinkaton, Alpha rolls her dark blue eyes. Butterfree is whispering, "Don't do it," over and over again in my ear.

Well, now I have to do it.

Growlie paws at the top of the hammer. "It's, uh, quite large," he says apprehensively.

"How heavy can it be?" I say and grab the handle with both hands.

Turns out I was tempting fate. No matter how hard I tug, how much I strain, this forsaken thing is heavy. What is it made of, crushed up Steelix?

As if trying to decimate my ego, Tinkaton laughs, picks up the hammer with one hand, and holds it over her shoulder. Her other hand is on her cocked hip. "Never gets old."

Just as I'm about to Flamethrower her pink ass, Alpha scoffs and shoves her forward. "Will you and your freak-muscles get out of here? I wanna see what all this," she flicks her tail toward the rest of us, "is about."

I've decided that I like Alpha Raichu.

Tinkaton is unphased. She tells us, "Deep down, she's really nice," before sauntering up the hill.

"So," Alpha says, looking from me to Growlie, "which of you jokers is Ash? With a name like, I suspected you'd be a fire-type."

While Growlie and I exchanged confused looks, Butterfree chuckles. "How the hoozit could Ash be a fire-type?"

Growlie clears his throat and says what I'm thinking. "Um, Butterfree? Forgive me, but you did tell everyone here what species Ash is, correct?"

"Well, of course I- Did I? Yeah, I- Did I?"

How did I get saddled with this guy? "I'm Charizard," I introduce, "and this is Growlie."

Growlie politely dips his head. "Greetings, Alpha Raichu."

Alpha waves him off. "Eh, just Raichu is fine. So, what brings you all to my neck of the woods?"

Butterfree tries to put his hands on his hips. As always, his arms are too short for it to look anything but stupid. "They's on a mission. And, I recommended you and your horde, yup yup."

"Quite right," Growlie says. He steps forward, his fur fluffed slightly with nerves even though I assured him that alphas are just really big pokemon. Still, I can't blame him. If you know what size a pokemon would normally be, it's easy to be intimidated by a significantly larger version. "You see, Raichu," Growlie continues, his voice surprisingly steady, "I have decided to leave my mansion and live in the wild."

"And, a mansion is?" Raichu asks cooly.

"It's a type of human dwelling. I-I was, well, born in captivity, and I've left that lifestyle for my own reasons. Trouble is, uh," he kneads his paws on the grass, no doubt remembering how I found him, "I'm not as familiar with life in the wild as I'd anticipated. P-Perhaps someone here could teach me?"

Raichu clicks her tongue a few times, then licks her hand. As she swipes it over her ear, she says, "Part of me thinks you're an idiot and you're lucky to be alive right now." I agree, though I feel a twinge of annoyance at her when Growlie's ears droop in embarrassment. Then Raichu grooms her other ear and adds, "The other part respects your boldness. Not everyone has the guts to turn tail and say 'fuck you' to their old life."

Growlie cringes. "Um, must you use language like that?"

I keep forgetting just how sheltered he is.

Raichu's face scrunches up in confusion. "What other language would I use?"

"Maybe learn his," Butterfree suggests, pointing at Growlie. "He talks funny."

"I do not," Growlie retorts. "My vocabulary is simply more voluminous than yours."

I summarize before this gets long. "Growlie knows a lot of weird human words, is what Butterfree means."

Raichu hums in understanding. "That's fine. The folks here had all sorts of upbringings. I've learned my fair share of human terms. We'll show you the ropes, Growlie."

Growlie's tail lashes in excitement. "Capital! My most gracious thanks, madame! Rest assured, you will find that I am a quick study and my performance will be most reputable in the end."

Raichu stares blankly at him before turning to me with a strained smile. "Charizard, what do you want? And, please use small words to tell me."

I choke down a laugh. "Nothing quite as," I wave toward Growlie, "insert-fancy-word-here." Raichu and Butterfree snort. Growlie just narrows his eyes at me. "Anyway, my situation is a bit of a story."

Raichu nods at Butterfree. "Take fancy pants here," referring to Growlie, "and see if anyone's willing to put up with him."

"Hey!" Growlie barks.

"She means no offense," Butterfree assures as he leads Growlie up the hill. "That's just how she talks."

When they're gone, Raichu says, "I meant a little offense. Now, let's cop a squat and you can tell me what's going on with you."

A Ludicolo had brought over some berries, and Raichu and I sit down and eat as we talk. I start from the beginning, the little that I know. I tell her how Pikachu had been taken by Team Rocket, whom she has unsurprisingly heard of, and how he managed to escape but hasn't been found.

I stop when I realize that her cheeks are sparking and the pecha berry in her hand is squished and covering her hand in sticky pink juices. "Are you okay?" I ask hesitantly.

"I'm fine," she says, looking more angry than fine. But, she tells me to continue as she licks the juice off her wrist.

Okay then.

I tell her how, being the strongest in the family, I bravely volunteered to search for Pikachu and bring him home. I mention how they gave me supplies and well-wishes and reminded me of all the places Pikachu might go to hide before they sent me on my way.

So, I fudged some details (and I think Raichu can tell). Sue me.

I finish up with running into Butterfree and then Growlie. And, here we are.

"You've been busy," Raichu says, popping a third tamato berry in her mouth. I had tried to warn her about the spiciness of those things, but she just gave me a smug grin and started eating them, unbothered by the heat. Respect; most non-fire-types won't even touch tamato berries. "Any luck so far?"

"Zero," I lament. "Like I said, when Butterfree mentioned your horde I thought, 'What the heck?'"

Raichu hums thoughtfully then swallows her mouthful and swipes her hands together. "This friend of yours, how powerful is he?"

Interesting question, but I hope it means we're on the right track. "He's pretty strong. What are we comparing him to, exactly?"

"Well, there's this 'mon named Pawmi- Pawmo. He just evolved this morning," Raichu explains. "I'm still getting used to the new name. It's so similar. Anyway, Pawmo splits his time between here and this horde of electric-types that lives a few days foot travel away."

A horde of just electric-types? Why didn't I hear about this sooner? "And, there's a Pikachu there?"

"There was. According to Pawmi-mo, Pikachu and a couple of his buddies just stayed the night to take shelter during a storm." Raichu snorts disdainfully. "I'm surprised the alpha let all of them in. That 'mon's got an issue with anyone who isn't at least part electric-type. Arceus knows why."

I make a mental note of that. It could pose a problem when I get there. "You say Pikachu had some buddies with him?"

"Mm-hm. Pawmo didn't have much to say about them. You missing anyone else?"

"No. Just getting all the information." Though, I'm not surprised to hear that Pikachu made some friends.

"Well, you'll have to talk to Pawmo for the details. Anyway, the reason I asked about your friend's strength was because Pawmo was all keyed up about a battle this Pikachu had."

"With the alpha?"

"With Zapdos."

The look this alpha gives me is daring me to call her a liar. It says a lot about my life that not only do I believe her and Pawmo, but the idea of Pikachu battling a Legendary Pokemon sounds perfectly normal.

I nod. "Yeah, I could see that."

Raichu's eyes widen and her ears twitch at my nonchalance. Then she shakes her head and laughs. "And, I thought I had stories to tell." She rolls forward on to all-fours. "I assume you'll want to speak to Pawmo. Shall we?"

I follow her up the hill. Near where we came in, Growlie and Butterfree are talking to a small pokemon I've never seen before.

"Good timing," Raichu says, pointing with her tail to the trio. "He's already met your crew."

Pawmo somewhat resembles a Pikachu in both size and shape. He has light orange fur, a cream-colored tail, yellow cheeks, and a puffy tuft of orange hair between his pointed ears. He has long, fat arms and is presumably bipedal despite his very short, almost nonexistent legs.

The bipedal theory is proven when he sees Raichu and me and runs over to us. "Hiya! You're Charizard, right?" He raises his hand toward me. "My name's Pawmo,"

A handshake is not something you see often among wild pokemon. I wonder if this guy used to have a trainer or if he just saw some humans do it. Either way, I lean forward and place my finger in his very small hand and let him shake that. "Nice to meet you," I say.

"Guess what, Charizard," Butterfree says. "Pawmo here can figure out what Growlie's saying!"

"Really?" I say, impressed.

Growlie's ears hang back in annoyance. "My speech isn't that strange."

Pawmo just smiles at him and turns to me. "I stayed with some humans who talked like that during a particularly harsh winter. I guess I picked up on a few words."

Well, it's nice to know that Growlie has at least one pokemon who can communicate with him. "Pawmo, Raichu says that you can tell me about a Pikachu."

Pawmo's eyes light up. "Oh, yeah! You should have been there!"

Butterfree turns to him. "You know Pikachu? Start talking, 'cause I wanna know what you know, yup yup, I do."

Pawmo leads us, including Growlie, over to an open spot near a cave-like structure made of sticks and brambles. The pungent scent of herbs plus the Audino carrying an assortment of berries into it leads me to believe that it's a medicine den. All hordes have some version of one and a handful of pokemon who are experts in such things.

Our group sits down and listens attentively, me even more so, as Pawmo tells us about the Pikachu who showed up at the territory of a group called Electrode Horde. Supposedly, this Pikachu challenged the Legendary Pokemon, Zapdos, to a battle in a thunderstorm, which sounds quite fitting for two electric-types, though Pawmo doesn't know what led up to it. (If it's the Pikachu I think it is, there probably wasn't any build-up at all.) The more Pawmo speaks, the more details about the battle I hear, the more certain I am that this is the Pikachu I know and love. The attacks used - Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, and Iron Tail - are three of my friend's attacks. The strategy of using the momentum from landing an Iron Tail to propel yourself forward for a second hit is something straight out of one of Ash's battles. And then, of course, there's the raw power.

And apparently, Pikachu also told a bunch of stories about his adventures with a human named Ash. Pawmo could have mentioned that sooner!

"Hot beans!" Butterfree chirps with an excited flap of his wings, which accidentally smack both me and Growlie, as the bug-flying-type is sitting between us. "That's gotta be him!"

Pawmo tilts his head at the reaction.

I offer an explanation. "We have a friend who's a Pikachu who's gone missing. He's definitely the 'mon in your story."

"Really?" Pawmo huffs a laugh. "Small world."

"Mayhap, the world could be a bit smaller?" Growlie presses. "I, myself, am searching for a human male called James. Bluish hair, green eyes, beige-colored skin. Possibly with a female human, a Meowth, and a Wobbuffet."

Growlie's hopes are dashed when Pawmo shakes his head. "Doesn't sound familiar. Sorry."

Growlie's ears droop at that. I get where he's coming from, but I'm still on the fence about him joining Team Rocket. But, it's not my call to make and I have other things to worry about.

To Pawmo, I say, "You said Pikachu already left Electrode Horde. Did he say where he was going?"

Pawmo shrugs. "Just that he needed to find this Ash-guy. I didn't catch where he was heading."

That figures. "You said he had some friends with him. What pokemon were they?" A group of pokemon should be easier to spot than a single Pikachu, assuming the group is still together.

Pawmo frowns and tilts his head. "Um, there was an Eevee and a Bellsprout, but I'd never seen the other two before. One had long white fur and a black horn on his head, and the other was blue and kind of round. Sorry I'm not more helpful."

"You're plenty helpful, partner," Butterfree assures. He flutters up and on to my shoulder. "Now we know what to look for, right?"

I nod. To Pawmo, I say, "Thanks, Pawmo. Maybe you could point us in the direction of Electrode Horde while you're at it. Even if Pikachu isn't there anymore, someone there might know where he went."

Pawmo regards me cautiously. "Okay, but you should know that most of them don't care for non-electric-types. Including the alpha."

Oh, yeah. Raichu did warn me about that. Butterfree clicks his tongue. "That'll put a damper on things."

"I'll take my chances," I say.

Butterfree nods, determined. Even if he's only tagging along to find Ash, I have to admit that I appreciate the help. And, maybe the company, too. As annoying as Butterfree can be, he's a good guy.

"As much as I'd like to come with you chaps," Growlie says as we all rise from our seats, "I fear our paths separate here. I'm sure there's plenty you two could teach me about living in the wild, but I won't hold you back from your mission."

"Been a right pleasure, Growlie," Butterfree says. "I learned all sorts of new words from you! Don't know what they all mean, but I sure did learn them, yup yup."

Growlie rolls his eyes, and I sniff a laugh.

Pawmo walks up to Growlie. "You wanna learn about life in the wild, huh? I'd be happy to help. And, I'm sure you'll find more teachers if we ask around."

Growlie's tail wags. "Brilliant! I can hardly wait to begin my lessons!"

I smile at that. Doubts aside, I'm glad that Growlie's getting some help. Looks like all three of us are getting what we wanted. Things are starting to look up.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait." We all turn at Alpha Raichu's voice as she walks over on two feet. She points to the sky with her tail, and I only just realize that night has fallen. "Unless you lot are nocturnal, I suggest you get some shut-eye before you depart."

I'm about to reject the offer, but Butterfree cuts me off with a pointed, "Why thank you kindly, madam." He turns his toward me with a firm look. "We need to be in top form to continue our search. Don't we, Charizard?"

I blow smoke at him through my nose, making him cough and Raichu snort a laugh.

The alpha winks at me. "Sounds like you and I have something in common, Charizard."

Pawmo and his friend, Sableye, allowed Growlie to share their den for the night. (With the condition that Growlie not touch any of Sableye's evolution stones, as Growlie had been eyeing the fire stone. Why a pokemon who can't evolve needs evolution stones so badly is anyone's guess.) I'm glad to see that Growlie's already doing well here so leaving him tomorrow shouldn't be a problem. I just hope when he finds James, it isn't for nothing.

Butterfree, I've noticed, prefers to sleep while latched on to trees and walls. He'd flown high up in a tree to join a Beedrill and a pokemon I think is called Vivillon.

As for me, I'm the largest pokemon here, even taller than Alpha Raichu, and I'm too big to sleep in treetops. I was more than willing to just plop down on the grass, as I usually do, but Raichu said that I could share her den. I said no, but she was insistent.

"Come on, you big lug," had been her response. I know when I'm being summoned, and I don't know Raichu well enough to be comfortable arguing with an alpha.

Most of the horde has already gone to bed when I squeeze myself into Raichu's den. When I say "squeeze," it isn't because the entrance isn't big enough for me. It's because the den itself wasn't designed to accommodate two pokemon our size. If I were still a Charmander or Charmeleon, or if Raichu were a Pichu or Pikachu or even not an alpha at all, there wouldn't be an issue. But, well, we're both kind of big compared to some. The brambles surrounding us wouldn't feel this suffocating otherwise. I know Raichu doesn't actually want us to share a nest.

The shiny alpha lets a few sparks into her cheeks, just enough to give us some light. I've seen Pikachu use the same technique. Raichu's tail is mashed against her back in the enclosed space, but she doesn't seem to mind.

"What's up?" I ask when all she does is stare at me with narrowed blue eyes.

She stares a little longer before coming to some decision. "Tell me about your friend. The Pikachu."

There's a certain weight to her request, but I can't put a finger on why that is. Nor why she had to make that request in private. "What do you want to know?"

"What's he like? Personality-wise, I mean."

"Do you…think you might know him?"

Raichu's gaze wavers, but the moment passes so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. "Maybe."

In that case, "Well, he's nice. A little too nice, if you ask me," I add with a nostalgic chuckle. "He's also kind of sensitive. But, throw him in battle, and there's no stopping him. He's the kind of 'mon you wanna keep on your side, you know?"

Raichu absorbs this information. "What about his family? You know anything about them?"

Where is this going? "Are we talking biologically? 'Cause I can't tell you much there."

"Anything is helpful."

I absently scratch my shoulder and scrounge up something to tell her. Pikachu doesn't talk much about the horde he grew up in. Not that I blame him. If I lost everything to poachers, I'd keep my mouth shut, too.

But, Pikachu has said a few things about his parents. "I know his dad was the nurturer. Guess that's where Pikachu gets it from. Oh, yeah! And, his mom was an alpha. And, I seem to remember him mentioning that she-"

-was a shiny.

Holy shit.

But, this can't be her. Pikachu's parents are dead! He never went into detail about it, but he was so certain!

"Mentioning that she…" Raichu presses, the sparks on her cheeks getting brighter, drawing my eyes to the long scar on the side of her face.

Another memory surfaces. When I traveled with Ash and our new Unovan friends, we stumbled across some very annoyed Scolipede and barely made it out with our limbs attached. That night as we sat around the campfire, Pikachu told us pokemon - and Ash, who translated it for Iris and Cilan - a story about how Pikachu's mother single-handedly fought off an Alpha Scolipede who had been seeking revenge. Pikachu didn't know what the revenge was for, but the Scolipede had went after her egg.

"Thank Arceus, Mama was so strong," Pikachu said at the end, "or I wouldn't be able to tell this story."

"Wow, Pikachu!" Iris exclaimed with stars in her eyes. "Your mom sounds amazing!"

Cilan nodded sagely. "I can picture her perfectly. A rich umami that transitions to a spicy flavor that lingers in the back of your throat."

Dragonite scoffed. "Did she really rip his leg off?"

"Yeah," Excadrill added. "You sure your mom wasn't exaggerating?"

Pikachu wasn't offended. "You didn't know her. She was real nice, but boy, you did not mess with her horde."

"She was a mother defending her egg," Leavanny reminded. "I've no doubt that really happened."

"Man, I wish I could have met her," Ash whispered. He leaned forward and said, "And, I bet your mom made it out completely unscathed!"

"Not quite," Pikachu confessed. He traced a line from his temple along the side of his face and down to his chin. "She had a nasty scar right here. But, since I'd never seen her without it, I never noticed it before she told me that story!"

"Raichu," I say slowly, "do you have a-a son?"

That intense expression grows tighter as she inhales deeply through her nose. "Here's what happens next. You are going to find my son. I'd do it myself, but it sounds like you have a better idea of what you're looking for." She lowers her head and mutters a frustrated, "I probably wouldn't even recognize him…"

Words fail me.

Raichu - Pikachu's not-so-dead mother - turns her fierce gaze back to me. She steps forward and jabs her paw at my chest. "When you find him, you are bringing him here."

"Of course! Absolutely!" As if she would need to tell me that.

Raichu nods, satisfied. "Now, if you'll excuse me," her voice is a bit shaky now, "I need to have a meltdown somewhere no one I care about can see me."

She shoves me out of her den and takes off in a speedy blur that's painfully familiar. Now, I know why her Thunderbolt gave me pause, too. I watch, stunned, as she sprints through the territory's thick barrier like it's not even there.

Now, for the big question: when I find Pikachu, do I bring him to his grieving mother first or his panicked trainer? On the surface, the choice is obvious. So, why doesn't it feel that way?

Alpha Raichu spent years thinking her entire horde had been killed or taken or at least scattered by poachers. Now, she finds out that her son is still alive but has once again been taken away by humans. She isn't even sure if she'd recognize her own kid because of how long it's been. Pikachu was just a child when they were separated. Raichu doesn't know what kind of pokemon her son has become. And, she needs to know.

On the other hand, Ash watched Pikachu grow up. He watched that timid child turn into a powerhouse who is constantly looking out for others. You only need to take one look at them to see the unique bond between the two of them. Ash can understand Pikachu, for Mew's sake! And, Ash has firsthand experience with Team Rocket as a whole and presumably with Poke-X as well. He knows the extent of the danger Pikachu could be in.

I stand there, weighing my options, until I see a thick, bright yellow bolt of lightning shoot into the sky. Raichu must be having her meltdown. I might have one of my own by the time this is all over.