"Pika pika pika!"
At Ash's command, Pikachu's entire body burst into golden lightning. In the next instant, it shot through the air like a living thunderbolt, slamming into the diving Spearow with explosive speed.
Boom!
"Gyaaah!!"
The Spearow shrieked as Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck it head-on, sending the bird crashing to the ground, completely unable to continue battle.
"Good job, Pikachu."
Ash praised him, then glanced toward the bushes—where dozens of small figures trembled together.
There were nearly thirty Pichu, some newly hatched and tiny, others plump or skinny, grouped together in a nervous cluster.
"They're so cute… Honestly, Pikachu isn't nearly as adorable as Pichu," Sabrina teased lightly.
"Pikapi!"
Pikachu puffed out his cheeks, clearly offended. He had once been Pichu too!
Ash chuckled. "I really do miss it though. I haven't seen Pichu for a long time."
He knelt and gently patted one Pichu's tiny head. Because Pikachu had been a Pichu before evolving, Ash understood these baby Pokémon better than anyone. The moment he touched them, they relaxed, melting under his familiar warmth.
"Piqiu… piqiu…"
Comforted by Ash—and recalling Pikachu saving them moments ago—three Pichu shuffled forward shyly, offering apples they had carried with oversized leaves. Their apologetic expressions made it impossible to scold them.
Gururuu…
At that moment, a chorus of tiny stomach growls echoed. Ash immediately understood—they hadn't come to steal for fun. They were just hungry.
"It looks like they haven't eaten in a while," Charmaine murmured, unable to stay angry at them.
"If it were only these thirty Pichu, it wouldn't be a problem," she continued.
"But the orchard is also targeted by other fruit-loving Pokémon—like Spearow, Starly, and others. If I fed them all, I'd go bankrupt."
Ash nodded. "You mentioned earlier that fruit in the nearby forest has been scarce. No wonder they came here."
He looked at the Pichu patiently. "Pichu are tiny electric-mouse Pokémon—Pikachu's pre-evolution. They can discharge electricity, but they don't have electric sacs yet. They can't store energy, so they can only emit small shocks when excited, and only one or two times."
"And they're timid. Sometimes they even scare themselves with their own electricity. Pikachu was the same before he evolved. I still remember how long it took before he wasn't afraid of his own sparks."
"Pika…" Pikachu's ears drooped in embarrassment. He remembered all too well—his own random sparks used to frighten him senseless, and helping him overcome that had taken months.
"So the forest's out of fruit…" Charmaine sighed. "No wonder they came here. Then… I'll feed them."
She gathered the apples the Pichu had brought and handed them back. At first, the Pichu hesitated, unsure if they were allowed. But when Pikachu happily munched on an apple right beside them, they relaxed completely and joined him, eating with cheerful squeaks.
"They're really adorable."
Sabrina couldn't help pulling out her phone to take pictures—first of the feeding Pichu, then one with Pikachu and the babies.
The Pichu adored Pikachu—not just because he was their evolved form, but because the Thunderbolt he had used earlier had dazzled them. Baby Pokémon admired strength.
"Speaking of that… Pikachu's been with me for over a decade now." Ash smiled softly as he watched Pikachu happily playing with the younger ones. "Maybe it's about time Pikachu found a girlfriend."
"P-Pikapi?!"
Both Sabrina and Charmaine flushed crimson at Ash's blunt remark, while Pikachu nearly dropped his apple, ears shooting straight up as he squeaked in flustered protest.
"Huh!? You're saying the average Pikachu isn't impressive—and you want to look for a Pikachu as strong as you?"
After grasping Pikachu's meaning through its Aura, Ash was left utterly speechless.
"Huh? Master… you can actually understand Pokémon?"
Shirō stared in disbelief, having clearly watched Ash interpret Pikachu's gestures and chirps.
"Yeah," Ash answered calmly. "I inherited the Aura of the Draconis family. With it, I can roughly understand a Pokémon's thoughts."
He briefly explained the family-passed abilities to Shirō, and Charmaine listened quietly as well.
"That's incredible…" Shirō murmured. "Being able to understand Pokémon—Aura really is an extraordinary power."
Ash nodded, then turned back to Pikachu with a sigh.
"But enough about that. Pikachu, your idea isn't a good one."
He crossed his arms and stared seriously at his partner.
"You don't seem to understand—you only reached your current strength because of years of brutal training. Do you really think other Pikachu can easily reach your level?"
Shirō's earlier words resurfaced in Ash's mind, reminding him of what Pikachu had implied moments ago.
Ash crouched slightly to meet Pikachu's eyes.
"You can't compare yourself to normal Pikachu. What you've achieved isn't something the average Pokémon can just 'try a little' and match."
Pikachu's ears twitched, and it looked away with a sheepish expression—clearly not expecting Ash to scold him so directly.
(End of Chapter)
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