Pikachu isn't one to fall for such simple things, no matter how strong the temptations are. He's a strong Pokémon, he shows no weakness! Nothing will sway him!
Yet....
'This ketchup is so good!'
Here he was, licking a bottle of ketchup in pure bliss on the dining table. Behind him, Delia watched him with a cheerful smile before going back to preparing some sandwiches and Pokémon food. At the back of her mind, she still couldn't believe that her little Ashy is now a grown trainer. Like his father.
Ash's father. Its been a while since she had seen him. The last time she got a call from him was a week ago. Too bad Ash was in the lab that day and missed the opportunity.
But now that her son is a starting Trainer, there is a chance they will cross paths someday.
'Of course, if they were able to cross paths and not avoid each other,' Delia thought and giggled to herself, knowing well enough that Ash has his father's sense of misdirection through some...experiences.
"Hey, Mom. I'm ready,"
Delia turned to look at him. Right there is Ash, standing by the stairs with a smile. She has to admit, he looks great. But...
"Ash, where's your hat?"
His son then starts looking down and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh, it's in my backpack. I don't feel like wearing it until I am out there," he then looks up at her with a sad smile. "It's just....all I wanted to say is....you are the best mom a boy can ever asked for,"
While it didn't explain her question, Delia felt touched by it. She silently approached him, kneeled down and tearfully embraced her son.
"I love you, Ash," she whispered over his ear. "Never forget that,"
"I love you too, Mom," he said back.
If she had noticed her son's face like Pikachu had, she would have seen a guilty and gloomy expression in his face.
_______________________________
Cade stared up distantly at the clouds above while sitting back at a tree in an open field. He felt more and more sick of this. This isn't his journey, his world, especially this body!
In frustration, He brought his face down to his open hands and muffled a scream.
Why?! It doesn't make sense! Why him of all the billions of people in the Earth? Why this body?! Why this boy?! Is he some kind of joke to the universe?! Do they think this is some twisted game?! WHY-
"Pika?"
Cade shot his head up from his hands. In front of him, Pikachu stood there and looking at him with caution and...concern. It was then Cade noticed that his eyes are wet with tears and a slight sore in his throat.
"Did I...did I just said those out loud?" he hesitantly asked.
With a similar, unsure hesitance, the Electric-Type looked away and nodded. Pikachu was starting to find this human worrying. Actually, no. HE is starting to find himself worrying about the human. The human-Ash- had been acting a lot differently from everything he thought about trainers.
"You're curious, aren't you,"
Pikachu turned his head back in a start. The boy now had his knees up and arms hugging them, his head resting and hindered behind them. It wasn't a question, he realized.
Without any conscious thought, Pikachu's body moved, walked to the side of the human, and sat beside him.
There was only silence between them, before the human spoke again.
"Remember what I ask back there, about being forced into a position you don't want to be in?" he said, then chuckled bitterly. "That is where I am now,"
Pikachu listened to him, something the Electric-Type was half-aware of.
Cade sighed and brought his head up then rest his chin on his knees, a distant look lingering in his eyes. "There was supposed to be this boy, different from me and every trainer else. He always see the brightest side of the world, always friends with any Pokémon he meets and never sees them as objects of entertainment or labor, always there to help everyone no matter how risky the situation is, and overcomes the most impossible challenges the world throws at him,"
In each word, Pikachu could see a small smile forming in Ash's face. The human sounded sincere of his words, and Pikachu found himself smiling a bit.
"However, as great as he is, there are some things that made him a unique person," Cade snickered half-heartedly. "For one, he has a terrible sense of direction. One moment you're in Cerulean City looking for a gift shop, the next you find yourself on top of Mount Moon,"
Pikachu soon found himself laughing at the strange, yet hilarious image.
Cade chuckled along. "The second is his dense thinking. I can't even begin to tell you how dense he is, he thinks a fan club is a Pokémon, aromatherapy is a Pokémon," Cade groaned as he lets his feet slide away and legs stretched out and drag his hand over his face. "The headaches he could bring to people,"
Pikachu had now been rolling on the ground in hysterics when Cade turned to look. Cade smiled at him, before going back to his previous mood.
Pikachu had by then calmed down and wiping away his tears. He looked at his....companion and frowned when he saw the expression, reminding him of the actual topic of the conversation.
"Being a Pokémon Trainer and becoming a Pokémon Master is his biggest dreams. I always idolize him since I was younger," Cade said with a hollow voice. "Then...he was suddenly....gone. He didn't leave, he just...vanished out of nowhere and...here I am, taking his place and feeling as if I took his hopes and dreams even if I didn't truly asked for it,"
Silence filled the air around them again. Pikachu didn't know what to think or how to respond.
Then a familiar cry made Cade's blood run cold.