"So cute~!"
Misty cupped her cheeks with both hands, her eyes shining with something unmistakably maternal, completely ignoring the still-smoking Ash beside her—who hadn't quite finished smelling like burnt charcoal and was twitching occasionally like a dead salted fish.
Brock nodded as well, the narrow slit of his eyes filled with calm rationality.
"Pichu is undeniably cute, but speaking objectively—as a former Fighting-type Gym Leader—I have to say that this species has very low base stats. Its body is fragile, and its electrical storage capacity is limited. To say it could slay a god… that's really hard to imagine."
They weren't alone.
At this very moment, everyone around the world staring at the light screen was filled with enormous question marks.
[Goodshow (League Chairman): Professor Oak, if I recall correctly, this Pokémon is naturally timid and even injures itself by discharging electricity when startled. Does such a species truly have any growth potential?]
[Professor Oak (Pallet Town): Hmm… that's true. But nothing is absolute. Come to think of it, not long ago I did give a rather… ah, special-natured Pikachu to a rookie Trainer who showed up late.]
Professor Oak's words flashed by in the chatroom, drawing little attention.
On the screen, the story of Pichu continued.
Pikachu lay on the ground, licking its paw—still warm from the recent electric discharge—while glancing sideways at the light screen.
"Pika pika."
(Tch. That little runt looks dumb. Not even half as impressive as I was when I was young.)
It snorted proudly, utterly disdainful of its Trainer's earlier comments. Sure enough, this human called Ash wasn't just directionally challenged—he was face-blind too.
The camera slowly pushed forward, and a journey of loneliness unfolded.
Deep within a dense forest, an unusual-colored Pichu wandered alone. It had no family, no parents, not even a firm grasp on how to control its electricity.
It encountered vicious Ekans.
It fled from enraged Beedrill.
Then one day, it accidentally wandered into Koffing territory. Choked by poisonous purple fumes, dizzy and disoriented, it slipped—
Straight off the edge of a cliff!
"Ah!" Misty couldn't help but cry out.
At that critical instant, a massive hand reached out and caught it securely.
A Kangaskhan.
A gentle Pokémon with thick armor, forever carrying its child in a pouch.
Instead of rejecting this trouble that fell from the sky, Kangaskhan gently lifted Pichu up—and even allowed it to stay together with her own baby inside that warm pouch.
The scenes that followed were heart-melting.
Pichu and the Kangaskhan baby fighting over Cheri Berries, only to split them evenly in the end, juice smeared all over their faces;
At night, Pichu curled up against Kangaskhan's chest, feeling for the first time the safety that came with body warmth;
Exploring the forest together, howling at the moon side by side.
For this lonely Pichu, this place was paradise.
It was no longer a wandering mouse.
It had a home.
A mother.
A sibling.
But happiness never lasts forever.
As time passed, both Pichu and the Kangaskhan baby grew.
On a stormy night, Kangaskhan struggled through thick mud with both children on her back. The heavy burden made her steps unsteady; every lift of her legs was exhausting.
Hidden inside the pouch, Pichu noticed.
It saw the sweat of fatigue on Kangaskhan's face.
It heard her labored breathing.
"Pi…"
Pichu lowered its head.
For the first time, it realized that it was no longer light and weightless.
Its existence had become a burden to this gentle mother.
Though it tried to jump down and walk on its own, every attempt ended the same way—Kangaskhan would gently yet firmly scoop it back into the pouch.
In this home, it was protected too well.
And precisely because of that—
After the rain, beneath a full moon.
While Kangaskhan and her baby slept, Pichu took one last, long look at the pouch that had given it endless warmth.
The place it loved most in the world.
And the place it had to leave.
Because it loved them, it could not hold them back.
Pichu turned away, tears glistening at the corners of its eyes, and ran resolutely out of the cave.
Standing on a moonlit hillside, it recalled every moment from its time there.
Gratitude.
Reluctance.
And the burning desire to grow stronger—strong enough to protect itself.
All of it converged into a dazzling light!
Wooooom—!
Evolutionary light burst forth under the moon like fireworks!
Its small body stretched and lengthened.
Its tail grew strong and flexible.
The electric sacs on its cheeks filled with power.
The light faded.
A Pikachu stood beneath the moonlight, eyes firm and resolute.
Facing the direction of the cave, it raised one paw and bowed deeply in farewell.
"Pika-pi!"
(Goodbye, Mom!)
Then it turned around, transforming into a streak of yellow lightning as it raced toward an unknown future.
Outside the light screen—
Ash, who had been "playing dead" on the ground, had somehow already sat up.
With his ridiculous explosion of hair and a face still blackened with soot, his eyes were red-rimmed, tears streaming down and carving two pale tracks through the grime.
"Sniff… that was so touching…"
He wiped his face messily with his sleeve, sniffling.
"It left so it wouldn't be a burden to its mom… What a kind Pokémon…"
Looking at the evolved Pikachu on the screen, Ash suddenly turned toward his own Pikachu, which was sitting with its back to him.
"Pikachu… so you went through something like that too?"
Pikachu's back stiffened slightly.
The annoyance and tsundere disdain it had felt toward Ash quietly melted away, replaced by deep nostalgia and softness.
It reminded me of that night.
The taste of the Cheri Berry.
The warmth of Kangaskhan's embrace.
"Pika…"
(That was a long time ago…)
Just as Pikachu was about to sink into that rare moment of tenderness—
Suddenly, a pair of big hands scooped it up!
"Waaah! Pikachu! From now on, I'm your family! I'll never you for being heavy! Even if you eat yourself into a big fat Pikachu, I can still carry you!!"
Ash buried his face in Pikachu's belly, bawling with snot and tears everywhere.
Pikachu: "..."
The emotional atmosphere shattered instantly.
Especially at the words "big fat Pikachu", the veins on Pikachu's forehead began to twitch cheerfully.
It took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to fire off another Thunderbolt.
"Pika… pika…"
(Endure… I chose this Trainer myself… He's an idiot, but at least he's a good person… Endure…)
And within the light screen, the newly evolved Pikachu—having said goodbye to its childhood—ran toward the rising sun.
That was the beginning of its bond.
And also the very first step on its path toward slaying gods.