Touching.
It was truly too touching!
Sob, sob!
Why couldn't his Pikachu learn a thing or two from that Pikachu?
What Ash didn't notice was—
The way Pikachu looked at the screen had gradually changed from initial hostility to something gentle and calm.
Kangaskhan mother…
Before Pikachu could sink too deeply into its feelings, it heard Ash muttering beside it.
Pikachu: "…"
This was the Trainer it chose!
This was the Trainer it chose!
This was the Trainer it chose!
Important things had to be said three times!
Don't get angry!
Absolutely don't get angry!
"That's so nice, Pikachu. You should learn from it…" Ash kept rambling.
Pikachu… not… angry… can't hold it in anymore!
"Pika! Pi!"
Thunderbolt!
Crackle!
Ash hit the ground.
Pikachu felt great.
It hopped happily and stepped right onto Ash's chest.
Satisfied!
Brock and Misty: "…"
The two of them quietly turned their heads away.
Yes.
They saw nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
…
"So… this is Pichu's growth story?"
Professor Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"It's quite rare for wild Pokémon to evolve on their own like this."
"But what's the significance of showing this video?"
His face was filled with confusion.
Damaranchi didn't understand either.
"Not sure."
"Let's keep watching. We should find out."
Just as Damaranchi expected—
The scene on the screen didn't end there.
This felt more like a beginning.
The image shifted—
Now it showed Pikachu and a boy.
A boy wearing a cap—clearly a rookie Trainer at first glance.
As a starter Pokémon assigned to a new Trainer, Pikachu radiated defiance from head to toe.
What?
Cooperate?
That was absolutely not happening!
It, Pikachu, was not like those obedient starter Pokémon that stayed quietly in their Poké Balls.
It was different!
A firework of its own kind!
The great Pikachu!
…
[Professor Oak: …Ash, you…]
[Gary Oak: ??? That's Ash's Pikachu? How is that possible? Don't tell me the main subject of this video is really that Pikachu?!]
Both Professor Oak and Gary were stunned.
What?
That Pichu from earlier really was Ash's Pikachu?
And Pikachu was actually one of the Pokémon in this ranking?
How could that be?
A Pokémon like Pikachu… rivaling Legendary Pokémon?
Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
They couldn't accept it.
It was just too hard to imagine!
[Lance: So this boy is Ash, the one who spoke earlier? Hahaha! He really looks like a rookie—his eyes are full of passion and determination!]
[Diantha: Yes, that's the kind of look only new Trainers have. Very easy to recognize.]
[Wallace: But Professor Oak, have you considered that this Pikachu might not be suitable for a beginner Trainer? It looks like Ash might get abandoned by Pikachu at any moment.]
Wallace spoke sincerely.
Trainers being abandoned by their Pokémon… while rare, wasn't unheard of.
And this Pikachu clearly looked special—and extremely disobedient.
A rookie trying to tame such a rebellious Pikachu?
That sounded like the beginning of a disaster.
[Professor Oak: Ah… well, it's not like I wanted it to be this way. Ash overslept and arrived too late. The other starter Pokémon were already taken, and he refused to wait. So Pikachu was the only option. But I heard the two of them eventually got along very well!]
What else could Professor Oak say?
He could only defend himself awkwardly.
It really wasn't his intention to push Pikachu onto Ash.
Given the circumstances at the time, Pikachu had simply been the only suitable choice!
[Ash Ketchum: Professor Oak is right! Pikachu and I are super compatible!]
Ash, now fully recovered, jumped up from the ground and eagerly sent a message.
Then he turned to Pikachu.
"Pikachu, we're the perfect team, right?!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu lifted its head and replied seriously.
That's right!
Getting angry was one thing.
If Ash didn't do things that made both humans and Pokémon want to get mad, he wouldn't be Ash.
But—
Pikachu really, really liked Ash!
They were the best partners!
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder on its own, rubbing affectionately against him.
Ash grinned foolishly, rubbing back against Pikachu.
Completely forgetting how he had just been struck by a Thunderbolt.
Brock and Misty shook their heads at the sight.
What could they even say?
As long as those two were happy, that was enough.
"I just wish they'd stop showing off in front of me!"
Misty puffed up her cheeks and complained.
No more emotional damage!
None!
…
The scene shifted again.
Ash and Pikachu's first meeting—and all the uncooperative moments—were played out.
Pikachu refused to enter a Poké Ball, while Ash stubbornly tried to recall it.
Somehow, the two ended up playing a strange game of tossing the ball back and forth with Pikachu's tail.
Pikachu: What? Go into the ball? That's absolutely not happening!