On a stretch of wilderness road leading toward Vermilion City—
A Meowth suddenly jumped out in front of Ash and his group.
It walked on all fours.
It couldn't speak.
And it was lying there calmly munching on grass.
A perfectly normal, feral Meowth.
"Meow!"
As the three approached, the wild Meowth lowered its body, fur standing on end, and let out a warning cry.
"What a rare Meowth!" Ash exclaimed, eyes lighting up.
"It can't even talk!"
He immediately made a decision.
I'm catching this special Meowth!
That way, when Team Rocket shows up, I can beat their Meowth with my own Meowth—
countering them at the source!
"…Uh, Ash," Brock said hesitantly,
"normally Meowth can't talk."
"The one from Team Rocket is the weird one."
Misty nodded along, speechless.
Why did this kid's thought process always feel… slightly broken?
Did he seriously think all Meowth could talk?
It almost made you want to pry open his skull and take a look.
Red: "..."
No need to pry.
He really is like this.
"Whatever! I've already decided—Pikachu, it's you!"
With a dramatic point, Ash sent Pikachu leaping forward into a battle stance.
His Pokémon roster was still too small.
Three main fighters weren't enough—he needed a fourth to complete the lineup!
"Strike first—Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu dashed across the ground, wrapped in white light, moving like a blur.
"Meow!"
The wild Meowth wasn't slow to react either.
With a sharp cry, it bolted forward in the exact same posture, its speed no worse than Pikachu's.
Quick Attack!
BANG!
Mouse and cat collided head-on.
The shockwave bent the surrounding grass sideways as the two were blown backward—
Perfectly evenly matched.
"One thing to remember," Brock warned quickly,
"Meowth usually live comfortably in cities. If one's surviving in the wild, it's no pushover."
Before his words even finished—
The gold coin on Meowth's forehead began to glow strangely.
Its front paw flicked outward.
THUD!
Something slammed straight into Pikachu's forehead.
Pikachu went flying like a ragdoll and hit the ground hard.
"Pika…"
When it struggled back up, a bright red bump had formed on its head.
Its eyes watered instantly.
That hurt!!
"Unbelievable! It's using hidden weapons?!" Ash shouted.
But then—
His pocket suddenly felt lighter.
Like something was missing.
"That move is Pay Day," Brock explained quickly.
"If Pikachu gets hit, your allowance disappears."
Ash: "?"
What kind of logic is that?!
WHOOSH!
Another shiny gold projectile flew straight toward Pikachu!
This time, Pikachu's expression sharpened. It dodged to the side just in time.
It hadn't cared much before—
But after hearing that dark-skinned uncle say that getting hit again meant Ash would lose even more money…
That meant Ash would suffer.
And if Ash suffered—
So would Pikachu.
Unacceptable.
A warm current surged through Pikachu's body.
Ash felt it too.
His expression hardened as he roared:
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt, full power!!"
"PI—KA—CHUUUU!!!"
A massive surge of electricity exploded from Pikachu's cheeks.
Brilliant lightning flooded the field, illuminating the entire grassland in blinding gold!
"Meow—?!"
The wild Meowth froze in shock.
Its raised paw, still clutching a coin, locked stiff in midair.
BOOOOOOM!!
Thunder crashed down.
Smoke billowed.
The Meowth was completely engulfed.
When the lightning faded, a small crater had been blasted into the ground.
The Meowth lay there, scorched and motionless.
"Perfect chance! Poké Ball—go!"
Ash's eyes sparkled. He grabbed a Poké Ball and hurled it like a pitcher without hesitation.
CLANG!!
The Poké Ball smashed directly into Meowth's head.
The already-fainted Meowth twitched once more.
"Meow#￥%@&!"
This time, it was really out cold.
But—
No capture light appeared.
The Poké Ball bounced once… and fell still.
Ash: "???"
Even the Poké Balls from Professor Oak are fake now?!
Impressive, Professor Oak.
Then—
POP.
The Poké Ball suddenly opened.
Ash instinctively checked his belt.
Right—
his "Rayquaza (as Caterpie)" and his "Pidgeotto" were still there.
As the light faded, everyone stared.
A Pikachu stood there.
Slightly larger.
Darker fur.
A seasoned, calm presence.
Most striking of all—
Its face wasn't Ash's Pikachu's chubby, squashed look, but a neat round face with a distinctly foreign vibe.
Ash: "???"
It clicked instantly.
Professor Oak smuggled in extras.
He stuffed another Pikachu into an empty Poké Ball?!
Classic Professor Oak!
Red: "..."
What even is this logic.
Still—realizing Ash had finally noticed the second Pikachu, intentionally or not—
Even someone as emotionally closed-off as Red couldn't help smiling like a proud mother.
"At least I won't have to wake up in the middle of the night to find Pikachu extra food anymore…"
Misty rubbed her eyes, recalling something, then laughed triumphantly.
"Ha! Ash! I told you before—you had two Pikachu!
Now I've got proof!!"
"Two… Pikachu?" Brock asked.
Misty explained smugly:
"I already said it! Back in Viridian City, you were carrying two Pikachu. One of them could even use an insanely high-level move—Extreme Speed!"
"Pika~!"
Ash's Pikachu happily hopped over.
It raised a paw and pointed proudly at the scorched Meowth.
"Pika."
The Red's Pikachu stepped forward slightly—
Then gently patted Ash's Pikachu on the head, acknowledging the achievement.
Rodent Pokémon naturally counter cat-type Pokémon.
That was racial advantage.
"Pika…?"
"Pika!"
"Pikapikapikapika…"
The two Pikachu began communicating in fluent Electric Mouse Language, leaving the three humans staring helplessly like scientists observing microbes under a microscope.
One thing was certain—
These two Pikachu had met before.
They stood close together, heads touching, exchanging information.
If Meowth were conscious, maybe it could've translated.
(Translated Electric Mouse Conversation)
Red's Pikachu:
"So, kid—how many battles have you fought recently?"
Ash's Pikachu:
"Three. I slacked in all of them."
Red's Pikachu nodded approvingly.
"Good. As members of the Electric Mouse clan—
slacking is a core racial skill."
"But you can't slack forever. Your own strength still needs to be solid."
"From now on, in battle—
you should always be the first Pokémon sent out. Take all the spotlight."
"After defeating one opponent, retreat temporarily."
"Then come back at the end—clean up the field, blow up the terrain a bit, destroy some facilities—
and become the flashiest Electric Mouse in the arena."
"That way, everyone will think you carried five useless teammates from start to finish."
The Red's Pikachu gave detailed guidance.
On How an Electric Mouse Becomes the Protagonist.
Ash's Pikachu nodded furiously, eyes shining.
One lecture was worth ten Team Rocket battles.
"Uh… Pikachu," Ash finally cut in,
"is this… your relative?"
Seriously—why was his Pikachu shorter but somehow wider?!
"Pika~"
The Red's Pikachu twitched its ears and politely waved at Ash.
Per Red's final instructions, it would temporarily become this boy's Pokémon.
The Trainer level seemed low—
But the vibe was surprisingly similar to Red's.
That alone made Ash acceptable.
"So…" Ash asked carefully,
"you're going to travel with me?"
"Pika~!"
The Red's Pikachu nodded.
Ash bent down to pat its head.
Whoosh!
The Pikachu darted up his arm in one smooth motion—
And landed on his shoulder.
Then it reached out and patted Ash's head instead, expertly.
"Pikapika~~!"
If Meowth were here, it could translate:
"Relax, kid. I've got you covered from now on."
And just like that—
Ash's shoulder inexplicably gained a second Pikachu.
The three of them walked off across the grassland.
"…Feels balanced now," Ash muttered.
"…Though shoulder strain might be an issue."
Behind them, the wild Meowth finally woke up in the bushes, completely confused.
"Meow???"
So you just showed up to beat me up?!
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