Chapter 21: On How the Electric Mouse Becomes the Protagonist

On a certain wilderness road leading to Viridian City.

A Meowth suddenly jumped out in front of Ash and his friends.

It was a local, "muggle" Meowth—the kind that walks on all fours, cannot speak, and just lies there eating grass.

"Meow!"

Seeing the three approaching, the wild Meowth lowered its body, its back fur bristling, and let out a threatening sound.

"What a unique Meowth! It can't even talk!"

Ash was greatly surprised, his eyes lighting up. He immediately decided to catch this special Meowth.

In the future, if he encountered Team Rocket, he could use a Meowth to defeat a Meowth, fundamentally countering them!

"Uh, Ash, normal Meowth don't talk, you know."

"The one from Team Rocket is the freakish one," Brock and Misty explained from the side, somewhat speechless.

Why did it always feel like this boy's thought process was slightly different from a normal person's?

In his mind, were all Meowth Pokémon capable of speech...?

They really wanted to pry open his brain to take a look.

Red: "..."

No need to pry; it was happening right here on the scene.

"Whatever, I've decided to catch it! Pikachu, I choose you!"

With a grand wave of Ash's hand, Pikachu leaped from his shoulder and struck a combat pose.

His Pokémon were still too few; how could the "Three Admirals" be enough? He had to get another full table to form a "Four Emperors" bond.

"Strike first! Use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded the attack.

"Pika!"

Hearing this, Pikachu began to sprint across the ground, his body enveloped in a layer of white light. With incredible speed, he shot forward with a "whoosh."

"Meow!"

However, the Meowth on the opposite side wasn't just standing there stupidly watching.

With a sharp, piercing cry, it also began to run on all fours, its speed in no way inferior to Pikachu's.

Quick Attack!!

*Clang!*

Pikachu and Meowth collided. The resulting shockwave of air swept through the area, violently tilting the surrounding grass. It was a dead heat.

One cat and one mouse recoiled backward simultaneously.

"Be careful. Meowth are usually the 'elite' in cities, so in the wild, their strength won't be lacking," Brock warned urgently.

But just as he spoke, the large gold coin on the Meowth's forehead suddenly emitted a strange glow.

Then, with a flick of its front paw, it seemed to throw something.

*Thud!*

Pikachu's head was struck head-on by something, and his body flew backward like a corpse.

"Pika..."

By the time Pikachu stood up again, a large red bump had appeared on his forehead, and his eyes were welling up with tears.

It hurt so much!!

"Dammit! It even knows how to use hidden weapons!" Ash roared in anger.

But just as the words left his mouth, his pocket inexplicably deflated, as if something had gone missing.

"That move is called 'Treasure Gathering.' If Pikachu gets hit, your pocket money is gone," Brock reminded him once more.

Ash: "?"

What kind of logic was that?

*Whoosh!*

Another shimmering gold coin projectile came flying toward them!

This time, Pikachu's gaze sharpened, his expression turning serious as he quickly dodged to the side.

He had been indifferent before, but after hearing that man over there, if he got hit one more time...

It would mean making Ash's already meager finances even worse.

That would mean he would suffer too!

He couldn't stand it!

A warm current of electricity flashed through his heart; Ash knew the feeling had arrived.

His expression hardened, and he let out a loud roar

"Pikachu, use a decisive Thunderbolt!!"

"Pika...chu!!!"

Powerful electricity erupted from Pikachu's cheeks.

The lightning energy splashed out in all directions, and a brilliant golden light illuminated the entire grassland!

"Meow, meow, meow?"

Under the massive Thunderbolt, the wild Meowth's eyes widened; it could only stare blankly.

Its cat paw, holding the gold coin, froze in place.

*Rumble!!*

In the next instant, lightning exploded, black smoke rose, and the Meowth was completely swallowed and covered...

Soon, the lightning and dust cleared, leaving a large crater in the ground.

The Meowth, which had been blasted into an "Alolan descendant," was unable to fight and lay on the ground.

"Great chance! I choose you, Poké Ball!"

Ash's eyes shone brightly. He reached for a Poké Ball at his waist, struck a pitcher's pose, and threw it without a second thought.

*Clang!!*

The Poké Ball hit the Meowth's head heavily, adding insult to injury for the already incapacitated Pokémon.

"Meow #$%@&!"

This time, the Meowth completely fainted.

However, the red light of capture failed to appear. The Poké Ball bounced a few times and simply rolled onto the ground.

Ash: "???"

Can the Poké Balls from the Research Lab be fakes too?!

You've really outdone yourself, Professor Oak.

But to everyone's surprise, the Poké Ball suddenly opened with a "pop."

Ash instinctively felt his waist.

It was right; his Rayquaza and Tornadus were still there.

As the light faded, everyone saw that it was a Pikachu.

It was slightly larger, its fur a bit darker, and its temperament quite seasoned.

Most peculiar was its face; it didn't have the pumpkin-like shape of Ash's Pikachu, but was a small round face, giving it an exotic style.

Ash: "???"

In an instant, he realized.

Professor Oak had smuggled in some extra stock and stuffed another Pikachu into an empty Poké Ball?

You've really outdone yourself, Professor Oak!

Red: "..."

What kind of logic is this...

However, finally discovering that he was carrying a second Pikachu—whether intentional or not—even the stoic Red couldn't help but show a motherly smile.

"Finally, I won't have to wake up in the middle of the night to find separate food for Pikachu..."

Beside them, Misty rubbed her eyes, remembering something, and said triumphantly

"Haha, Ash! I told you that you had a second Pikachu! I finally caught you red-handed!!"

A second Pikachu?

Seeing the two looking at her in confusion, Misty continued to explain

"Didn't I say it before? Back in Viridian City, you were carrying two Pikachus, and one of them could even use a high-level move called 'Extreme Speed'."

"Pika~!"

Seeing this, Ash's Pikachu actually jumped over happily.

It raised a small paw and pointed at the cat nearby, as if claiming credit.

"Pika..."

Red's Pikachu stood on its tiptoes to make itself a bit taller.

It then rubbed the "Smarty-Pikachu's" head, acknowledging its combat achievement.

Mouse Pokémon generally have a type advantage over cat Pokémon; they had a racial advantage.

"Pika...?"

"Pika!"

"Pika pika pika pika..."

The two began communicating in the universal language of Electric Mice, leaving the three humans, who couldn't understand them, to watch like people looking through a microscope.

However, one thing was certain.

This was not the first time these two Pikachus had met.

The two Pikachus engaged in a bout of "mating communication," seemingly discussing something.

If the Meowth were here, perhaps it could have translated for them.

The Round-faced Pikachu: "Little Pi, how many battles have you fought lately?"

"Three."

The Round-faced Pikachu nodded, quite satisfied.

"Not bad. As members of the Electric Mouse clan, the Children of Destiny, 'slacking off' is a racial skill we must master."

"But you can't slack off all the time; your own muscles must stay strong."

"In future battles, strive to be the first Pokémon to take the stage, seize all the initial focus, defeat one opponent, and then temporarily retreat to avoid the brunt of the attack."

"Then, reappear during the grand finale to harvest the kills. While you're at it, blast the surrounding area and destroy some facilities to become the most eye-catching Electric Mouse on the field."

"That way, people will have the illusion that you are the one carrying the other five muggles from start to finish."

Red's Pikachu gave instructions one after another.

*On How an Electric Mouse Becomes the Protagonist.*

Ash's Pikachu nodded repeatedly, treating the words like treasure, its experience points skyrocketing.

It thought to itself that this was truly a senior; the experience gained from a few words was equivalent to fighting Team Rocket ten times.

"Hey, hey, Pikachu, is this a relative of yours?"

Seeing the two Electric Mice finally finish communicating, Ash couldn't help but lean in and interrupt.

Damn it, why was his Pikachu shorter than others by half a head, yet so much wider horizontally?!

"Pika~"

The Round-faced Pikachu twitched its ears, raised a paw, and gave Ash a friendly greeting.

This was the instruction Red had given it before his "departure": to temporarily become the Pokémon of this boy named Ash.

Although the Trainer's level seemed a bit low, the "flavor" was similar to Red's...

In this regard, the Round-faced Pikachu actually had a good impression of Ash.

Seeing this, Ash seemed to understand something and asked

"So, do you want to travel with me?"

"Pika~!"

The Round-faced Pikachu nodded, acknowledging Ash's status as a Trainer.

"Then, please look after me."

Ash leaned down, intending to rub the exotic Pikachu's head.

*Dash!*

Just as his hand reached out, the Pikachu nimbly slid down his arm and jumped onto his shoulder.

Then, it reached back to rub its own head, its expression quite old and practiced.

"Pika pika~~!"

If the Meowth were here, Ash would have understood what it was saying.

"Kid, I'll look after you from now on."

And so, an extra Pikachu appeared on Ash's shoulder for no apparent reason, and the three of them left the grassland in a state of confusion...

"Finally, it's symmetrical..."

"But shoulder periarthritis is also a problem..."

He shrugged and muttered to himself.

A long while later, the wild Meowth rose from the grass, covered in question marks.

Meow???

So you just came here to beat me up?!

(End of Chapter)