Pika Pi, Am I Me?

**Pika Pi, Am I Me?**, alternatively **Am I Me?**, is a Pokémon fanfiction about a Pikachu who learns she's possibly the only real Pikachu in existence, though begins to doubt her own legitimacy as well.

After many suspicious events, Pikapi discovers her community of Pikachus are different Pokémon in disguise. Since these Pokémon are not ones her kind are in particular good standing with, she believes her real family has been killed and replaced at one point in time, and settles on leaving for her own safety.

When it proves a challenge to find a real Pikachu, she wonders if her kind has gone extinct, and gradually, if she herself is real.

The story was conceived on December 9, 2023, but it and the characters have made no official online appearance.

## Story

> **CHAPTER 1: Introduction**A happy, plump Pikachu named "Pikapi" lives out her peaceful days with her friends and family, deep inside a forest that no trainer or other disruptive force has ever visited. But one day, when the group is feasting on some berries, she notices her father looking rather discontent.
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> He excuses himself, and thinking he might be sick, she follows behind to ask if he's alright. Before she can utter a word, she finds him in the midst of ripping apart a Hoothoot. Since living creatures are not part of a Pikachu's diet, she's disturbed by the image, but again left in silent shock when his body suddenly lights up and takes on the form of something bigger -with stronger fangs to take care of his prey.
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> Once her father, Pikapi now witnesses a Zoroark swallowing the unfortunate bird. She doesn't think twice and hurries back to her pack to warn them about the predator, but she's not taken seriously, and upon wanting to show them, the Zoroark is no longer there.
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> Pikapi smells the ground where the Hoothoot once lied, but the others claim not to smell anything and try to assure her that high level predators don't visit these parts.
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> Shortly afterwards, her father shows up from behind to ask if lunch is already over. His casual attitude feeds Pikapi's confusion, since the smell of blood is quite present on his mouth, yet ignored by everyone. Since her warning isn't taken seriously and her father acts his normal self, the only excuse left is that the horrid image was another Pokémon's psychic powers at work; and her friends blame the mischievous ghosts that inhabit the forest. Pikapi finds this level of bullying to be extreme for a Gastly or its evolutions, but can't deny these Pokémon are capable of pulling cruel pranks out of sheer boredom. She decides to believe a ghost meddled with her senses and tries to forget what happened, pleasing her surroundings.
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***CHAPTER 2: Pika-ing Up the Signs!**
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> While things try to go back to normal the following weeks, Pikapi picks up on more oddities. Not just her father, but other Pikachus also engage in strange activities, and never when she's around. Though raised within this community, her instincts tell her it's not normal. Regardless, she wonders if it's a problem worth bringing up, and so, let's it sit in the back of her mind.
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> When she and her friends go out to play "tumble rock tag" -a game of tag on top of a large, wobbly rock formation that asks quite a bit of stamina from its players- Pikapi catches a glimpse of one of them transforming into a pile of goo, even if for a brief millisecond. She stares at her for a good bit and Pikapi is again left wondering if she's losing her mind.
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> Then, one stormy night, the pack struggles to find a safe place to sleep with the wind pushing over the trees. Weather has never been this bad and the Pichus are suffering from cold and exhaustion. One of the more lazy members of the pack pulls a surprising move and reassures everyone he'll find them a hideout for the night. Ichuu moseys off by himself, without anyone suggesting to stop or assist him. Pikapi asks if they shouldn't, but is told they trust him.
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> It's not a matter of trust for Pikapi, though, and as she's well-acquainted with this Pikachu, is more concerned he'll run out of breath and collapse. She waits a short while at request of her parents, but when it starts taking too long for her and no one expresses any level of concern for their missing comrade, she runs off to find him.
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> They shout after her, but fail to grab her tail as the light-weight rodent is swept away by the wind the moment she stands up. Every time she lands back on the ground or inside a tree, another gust flings her around. The abuse to her body becomes too much and she can't stand on her legs anymore. To prevent further damage, she bites down on a bush branch that's miraculously still in the soil, but with no plan, realizes this is all she can do.
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> Then suddenly, a large, round shadow shuffles closer, its footsteps making the ground tremble in ways the storm doesn't compare to. The creature appears hostile; and starts firing off random attacks, again and again. Pikapi wants to cry out for help, but knows she can't let go of the branch or endanger her pack by letting them deal with the angry giant.
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> A full minute passes and her jaws are growing weaker, but the threats haven't stopped. A light flares up, worrying Pikapi she's gotten on its last nerves and it's firing off some charged-up finishing move, but instead, the Pokémon disappears.
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> She tries to look around the best she can without having to turn her head, but isn't alone for long, and Ichuu comes dragging his feet like Ichuu always does. He appears wholly unaffected by the storm, or the fact she got smacked around and traumatized, and silently picks her up by the scruff.
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> She's brought to a large "hut" of knocked over trees, whereafter Ichuu leaves and returns with the others. Her parents check on her and Pikapi tells them what happened, but it's again not seen as a potential threat to their livelihood and they're more concerned with her wounds. It's not a particularly odd response to have at a moment like this and she lets them shower her with love and care, yet she can't help but replay the incident in her mind. The large Pokémon looming in the shadows, its fangs glistening in the bursts of lightning, until it shrunk out of existence for seemingly no reason and Ichuu appeared seconds later, who claims to have seen nothing.
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> How often did she have to witness these kind of situations and just accept it?
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> Pikapi no longer has patience for the gaslighting and settles on looking for the answers herself. After getting her strength back, she explores the forest, trying to find out if new Pokémon have moved in and asking her ghostly neighbours if they've been pulling pranks. As expected, they welcome her by pranking her, but it helps her determine what kind of illusions they like to show off; and her father eating another creature piece by piece seems not to be their kind of humor. For now.
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> The residents of the forest are all creatures she knows and seemingly nothing changed since she were a pup, giving her no further clarity on that matter, either.
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> She decides to play Detective Pikachu a bit longer and shifts focus on her father. She stalks him whenever he walks off, but it doesn't lead to much. Since things always transpire when she's not paying attention, she decides to change her strategy and announces to forage on her own from now on, under the guise of wanting to be independent as a fresh adult. It's sudden, but her parents don't object.
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> Whenever she pretends to leave, she hides away to watch her pack interact. Business seems as usual, but when days keep passing and everyone has a better understanding of how much time Pikapi spends on her daily activities, things begin to change.
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> Pikachus complain about strained body parts they don't have and some let the mask slip entirely by shedding their appearance. Pikapi's suspicions are confirmed. These Pikachu she's known since birth, the only ones she's ever known, aren't Pikachus, and every one of them knew. Except for her.
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> Her anxiety grows as she tries to understand the reason for this grand-scale deceit. She can't think of any childhood instances that made her doubt her community like she's done for a while now, making her wonder if these impostors got rid of her real friends and family somewhere along the way.
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> Zoroas, Zoroarks, and Dittos sit in the place of where once sat a Pikachu, and she can only guess what other creatures are hiding inside the Pikachus who can't casually shed their disguise.
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> These Pokémon species have no business pretending to be a bunch of Pikachus and it worries Pikapi. With them working together this hard to keep her clueless and having been pampered into becoming the large, round ball she is today, she fears the extermination of her real pack has only recently happened and she's being fed for consumption. With no other Pikachu having her waistline, and their little motivation to push her into full independency without her expressing the desire, it becomes a convincing theory she's their pig for the slaughter. Her panicking brain can't make sense out of it, but with the undeniable proof they're all in cahoots, she doubts that learning their end goal will change anything. She runs for it.
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***CHAPTER 3: Chu Are Fat!**
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> Pikapi keeps walking, for hours on end, until her surroundings are no longer recognizable. Doubts keep entering her mind and she ponders if she overreacted and should've talked to everyone, but in the end, is afraid to turn around. As a lonesome Pikachu, she couldn't take the risk of trusting Pokémon with fangs the size of her arm.
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> She concludes being lied to her entire life was dubious behaviour that linked itself to nefarious intentions.
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> The sun was setting and Pikapi wanted to keep on going, but was getting dizzy. She had to eat, but the berries looked different in this area and she didn't know if they were edible. Knowing that not eating isn't an option anymore, she approaches a random bush and tries one, but bad luck seems to be following her, and even her small experimental bite is enough to make the top half of her body go limp. Her legs still work somewhat, but she's become too heavy for them and moving seems to push her numbed nerves and brain in a way that causes her to lose consciousness. Not wanting to fall asleep in this unknown environment, she lays still and hopes the poison has gone before a hungry carnivore finds her. The rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs all around her make the next 30 minutes agonizing, but the moment she can raise her head again, she hurries herself inside the poisonous bush.
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> After the relief she made it out of her predicament alive, a new feeling of relief emerges as she sees a familiar set of ears poking out from behind a faraway bush. She slowly approaches and hears two faint voices talking to each other, the other speaker also having the same ears.
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> She hurries over to them with careful glee, but upon seeing their body in full, is a bit taken aback.
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> It's two Pikachus, but without limbs and their fur devoid of hair, yet still yellow somehow. The two immediately turn around to see who interrupted their conversation, whereafter Pikapi sees their faces aren't much better. She knows it looks like a parody, yet has never seen anything like them before and tries to be polite in her questioning of the strangers.
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> She asks if they are also Pikachus, and after some silence, they accept the label. Further questions about their appearance isn't much appreciated, though, and when Pikapi comes closer to expect one of their faces, the Pikachu becomes angry and wants to swipe at her, but is stopped by his friend. But the Pikachu isn't done with her and intends to abuse her obliviousness to enact some kind of revenge fantasy he has against her, but his friend again asks him to behave. He steps in before things become needlessly hostile and introduces himself to Pikapi as "Biyu".
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> Being more well-tempered than his friend, he cuts to the chase and admits the two of them aren't real Pikachus, but like to be one. The other ugly Pikachu huffs he wouldn't, but is basically forced to if he wants any job opportunities in life. It's unfamiliar language Pikapi has no idea how to respond to, which Biyu picks up on. He asks if she's ever met a human, to which she answers "to have never heard of this Pokémon".
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> Pokémon unvisited by human civilization exist, but both Mimikyus are surprised to hear a popular, always sought-after Pikachu could be one. The anti-Pikachu cosplayer -who Pipichu learns is named "Ripulaysuyu" when Biyu hisses at him to stay quiet- remarks no one probably wanted her because she is fat and not cute. Biyu corrects him she's fat and cute, apparently not disagreeing with the unnecessary weight remark.
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> Pikapi looks at them, then her tummy. Though their costumes are crude, they mimicked the appearance of the Pikachus back in her pack, but her not so much. They didn't even have her large pale stomach patch, but she always assumed she inherited that from her Raichu parents. Who she just learned weren't even the same species as her. What did that even mean..?
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> Biyu sees her little paws resting on her tummy and assures her there's nothing wrong. He reveals to be a Pikachu expert (self-taught, no credentials) and she looks how a Pikachu should. It's a simple compliment she sees no reason to dissect, and she gives him her thanks.
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> He asks why she's out here looking for Pikachus and if she's lost, but she isn't sure what to tell to two Pokémon she just met. Ripulaysuyu advices Biyu not to go around helping the enemy and they should continue their business. The two clearly have a different view on Pikachus and Pikapi doesn't want to become the subject of an argument when she has her own troubles to worry about, so announces to take her leave, though isn't heard by the two.
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***CHAPTER 4: Pikacute!**
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> Pikapi's journey takes her to many new places, where she's forced to try odd berries and finds Pokémon that look alot like her, yet never quite. There are many rodents walking around with electric patches on their cheeks, but they all tell her the same thing: they're not Pikachu.
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> She starts to feel awfully alone. For a Pokémon claimed to be popular, she hasn't seen a real one since the day she was born.
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> After some rookie mistakes and nearly killing herself on the wrong choice of food or stepping in forbidden territory, she reaches a human establishment. There's alot of noise coming from the ugly piles of stone and Pikapi isn't eager to check it out, but with different kinds of creatures walking alongside each other in peace, she has to believe she's welcome too.
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> People glance at the ball-shaped Pikachu as she hobbles and wobbles past, but have no reason to think she's a wild animal and mind their own business, dialing up her confidence a bit. Then finally, she sees a Pokémon she knows. She sprints over to a seated Pikachu, enjoying some kind of snack that looks like giant berries on a rolled-up clay triangle. The Pikachu isn't trusting of the way she ran over and tightly holds onto his ice cream.
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> Pikapi asks if he's a Pikachu, an odd question that receives an appropriate expression, but he humors her anyway and confirms that to be so. Nevertheless, her response is ignored and the Pikachu is more focussed on her appearance, notably her tail. He becomes the interrogator and is curious to know how she got it to look like that.
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> Pikapi looks at her tail, inoffensively sitting behind her. She doesn't know what he means, after which he clarifies it isn't heart-shaped. She never associated it as a gendered trait and tells him that much. The Pikachu looks doubtful of the answer, but since he was raised in captivity, is willing to believe that females having this tail is not a rule, but a commonality.
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> His human owner sitting next to him watches them intentively, then looks around to locate Pikapi's owner. Since there's no one around who looks associated, she turns to Pikapi to ask her directly, but Pikapi can barely understand the weird-looking Pokémon. The Pikachu translates for her, then comments on her inability to understand humans. It's the second time humans have been brought up in a conversation and she clarifies to have never met one before. The Pikachu calls her bold for showing up in a city if she's indeed wild, though immediately concludes it's a smart strategy to pretend otherwise.
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> Just like with the Mimikyus, she's overwhelmed with lingo she never heard of. She can't determine how important it'd be for her to learn about these humans and their relationship with Pokémon, but doesn't deem it relevant for now and instead asks where she can find more real Pikachus. He picks up on her choice of words, after which she repeats she was born in a fake community. He realizes to have missed that detail the first time and his face turns troubled. Pikapi asks if he's the only one here, but the Pikachu says that not to be the problem, though struggles to tell her more.
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> After some short thinking, he answers there are lots of Pikachus around in human-owned territories and she should consider becoming a pet. She doesn't see the appeal in living with creatures she knows nothing about and is more interested in joining a wild Pikachu pack. The Pikachu remarks that that line of thinking is typical for a wild Pokémon, but tells her to consider it, as humans will ensure she'll be fed and help her grow stronger.
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> The timing of the comment is impeccable, as his owner suddenly stands up and throws an object onto the pavement near her. Pikapi flinches in surprise by the sudden attack, but before she can run, is distracted by a flashing light exiting the object. A spiked Pokémon with intimidating claws emerges from the light and looks ready to cause chaos.
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> The Pikachu advises her to run for it, since his owner likes yellow and seemingly figured out she's free for the taking. She looks at the teenage girl, indeed dressed in yellow and squealing at the thought she could have herself a cuter Pikachu. She said this out loud, so her current Pikachu gives her a deserved frown. When Sandslash charges at Pikapi, he sabotages the fight by throwing his ice cream in his face, allowing for Pikapi to escape.
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> She hears the girl utter disapproving noises at him, but doesn't look back and hides inside the nearest potted plant. It's too small for her and she looks stupid, but besides some people making photographs of her butt, she appears to be safe. Then suddenly, a voice she hasn't heard in some time addresses her.
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> She turns around and notices it's Biyu. She doesn't remember his name, but he's a patient Mimikyu and reminds her without taking offense. His less pleasant friend isn't around, and upon seeing her look for him, he informs it's just him.
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> He suggests not standing around trainers if there aren't any people around to act as her owner. Nevertheless, a large black hand exits from under his Pikachu costume, holding a pink collar. He offers it to her, promising it'll keep her safe, despite not many humans dressing up their Pokémon and it not stopping organisations with the word "team" in their name. She appreciates the gift and warning and lets him put it on. It's an uncomfortable item for a wild animal, but to get chased around by these overzealous trainer characters is less great.
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> Pikapi turns back her attention to Biyu, suddenly also wearing a collar. It's the same one, but blue. He doesn't say anything, but the blush is visible through the fabric and he clearly wants a Pikachu's opinion. Pikapi is blind for it, though, so he asks her himself if he looks cute. She has no knowledge on human-made fashion, but sees no reason to be mean and deny him a compliment, though thinks to insert some delayed payback by calling him fat. Biyu is pleased to be fat and cute, but then remarks they should leave, since he stole the collars and is still being chased down by the merchant. A man with a bat shows up around the corner and the two bolt it.
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***CHAPTER 5: The World of Pi-ople**
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> Exploring the rest of the city exposes Pikapi to many strange, global customs she never knew existed. Humans built a whole civilization around capturing Pokémon to work for them, with battles being held in official settings or just about anywhere there's room with seemingly no other reason but to entertain their masters. Bafflingly, their Pokémon seem to enjoy these fights to the near-death as well.
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> Pikapi doesn't see the appeal in reinacting violent Pokémon encounters that she and her pack mates always worked so hard to avoid, but Biyu explains these battles are controlled settings and humans make use of all Pokémon's innate desire to increase their chances of survival by making them stronger. That they're no longer wild and there's less of a need for it is not important.
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> Pikapi doubts it'd make her happy to be someone's combat slave, to which he shows understanding. Biyu states not all Pokémon want or are made for battling, and it's not something a good trainer will force them to do if so.
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> She remarks he knows alot for a wild Pokémon, to which he says to plan on finding himself an owner, but can't as long everyone knows he's a Mimikyu. She asks how that matters with humans adopting so many different kinds of beasts, but Biyu reminds her humans have preferences and his kind isn't safe to be around.
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> Since she's familiar with ghosts, she reassures him he's one of the good ones and doesn't have to worry. He isn't sure what the remark is referring to, but answers he doesn't want to be a ghost anyway and is trying to find a way to sew himself a believable Pikachu body to merge with. She doesn't know the workings of it or how feasible his plans are, so can only wish him good luck.
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> Pikapi then looks at the many street vendors and expresses to be hungry. Biyu gets his grabby hands ready to steal from them, but is stopped in time. She deems it unwise to steal from creatures stronger than them, but Biyu proclaims humans are weak and he could knock them out easily -but it wouldn't be very Pikachu-like behaviour. She asks how humans have been able to make Pokémon subservient to them if they don't have powers of their own, and Biyu guesses with guns and friendship.
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> Pikapi can't say to be fond of humans and doesn't understand their practises, but to see how they brought together so many Pokémon who'd otherwise kill and eat each other is commendable. The city doesn't look aesthetically pleasing to her, but there's a sweet scent in the air and the Pokémon look and sound happy, none of them hungry or wary of their surroundings. If you are a captured Pokémon, this is a place of safety and comfort.
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> Biyu went on ahead to steal some food anyway and offers her his haul. It doesn't look like a swinging bat is out to get them this time, so she accepts. It's similar to what the Pikachu from earlier was holding, but its low temperature makes her shriek and drop it onto the floor. Biyu celebrates and climbs on top of it to claim it for himself. It disappears within seconds and his long ghostly arm shows up with a new snack for Pikapi to try, this time hot and savoury. It's less of an attack on her teeth and she finishes it.
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> She and Biyu contentedly sit on the ground, watching the many feet of people and Pokémon passing them by, until suddenly, she spots a familiar face. She tells him she needs to go and sprints away. She's surprisingly speedy when she wants to be, but Mimikyus have 4 points more on their speed stat, so..
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> As she nears the edge of the city, Biyu catches up to ask what happened. Since she hasn't told him her story yet and doesn't want to stick around to do so, she just says a bad person is looking for her. Biyu looks back to see who could be following her, but doesn't see anything suspicious. He asks what they look like, but Pikapi has started moving again.
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> He follows behind and asks again, to which she says not to want any trouble and it'd be better to leave. He wishes to know for himself, but she replies it's not a Pikachu hunter or something of the sort and he doesn't need to feel threatened. He clarifies it's to help protect her.
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> Biyu makes clear he wishes to accompany her, but he still qualifies as a stranger and she isn't sure about his motives. Her reluctance to take him along is picked up on and he apologizes for trying to insert himself into her business.
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> While Biyu is not a real Pikachu, he's the only good company she's met so far and Pikapi feels guilty over her response. Since he's looking for a human owner and she learned real Pikachus live at places like these, it made sense to take this journey together.
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> If he's any good at fighting, he could help her take care of *him*.
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***CHAPTER 6: Talk Chu Me!**
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> Pikapi and Biyu are a strange duo, but his expertise on seemingly everything makes their days of traveling quick and uneventful, which, for a wild Pokémon, is the best outcome to hope for when exploring the unknown.
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> For a ghost who claims to be better off being someone else, he's kind and upbeat. Nothing she said or did got to him, and he was having a great time on their trip.
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> Pikapi wondered if his optimism is something she was supposed to mimic, since they're similar in the sense they both left their respective community to pursue a new home, but at least Biyu knew who he and his family were. His struggle was that he rejected himself, but she imagined he still had a home to return to. Especially if he's a species where dressing up as another Pokémon is their whole shtick -as he shared with her. Biyu probably offended no one by pursuing his dreams, while she made her bed when she decided to run away from home.
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> In any case, for now it was nice to have a social butterfly following her around. He filled every moment of silence with noise and it's not like she knew where to find more humans. He swiped at every threat that tried to snatch them up for dinner, and slapped whatever piece of tasty-looking poison she was holding out of her paws; he made sure not to make her regret taking him along.
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> It took them a day or two to arrive at the next human establishment. It looked alot like the city they came from, but smaller in scale and infinite times less busy. It's what they called a "village". Or town, if you insist on using less syllables.
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> On the one hand, it was less overwhelming, but it also made it more likely she'd get noticed by the residents. Or Pokémon out looking for her.
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> Pikapi looks over her shoulder. She didn't see or hear anything, it wasn't even like she felt watched, but the anticipation of that happening was enough to put her on edge. Biyu pats her back and urges her to keep moving. There was nothing else to say, he's reassured her multiple times throughout the trip, but her worries couldn't be subdued.
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> He's not bothered to ask her about the stalker again, but Pikapi knew it'd be rude to withhold this information. He'd proven himself, even if his self-made costume and desire to be her was really creepy the more she allowed herself to think about it.
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> At the village, Biyu disappears to raid whatever home owner foolishly thought it'd be safe to leave a window open. There are perfectly fine apple trees that Pikapi already started climbing, until Biyu returns with his haul. Human food smelled better, so the temptation to participate in the crime was great.
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> She repeats not to cause unnecessary trouble for himself by stealing all the time, but he argues the trees are also owned by humans and therefore it wouldn't have mattered what he'd do.
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> They sit down and dig in. After a short while, Pikapi wishes to tell him who she saw back in the city, but since she already denied telling him before, Biyu figures it's none of his business and assures her she doesn't have to. She clarifies it's not a secret or a highly personal matter, but didn't bother because she didn't think there was any use in telling an outsider. Since he stuck around, she might as well, is the gist of it.
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> She tells him the reason of her quest, and spotting a large Pikachu who looked like one of her old pack mates. Biyu asks if she's certain he came looking for her, but she sees no other reason for someone like him to be at the same human establishment, since not only is he a wild Pokémon, but also a notorious slacker who only springs in action in the most dire of situations.
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> He asks if he's dangerous, and though Pikapi knows him as gentle and somewhat reclusive, she also admits not to know the true intentions of the fake Pikachus who befriended her.
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> Biyu cycles through Pokémon he knows of with the ability to transform and begins to look a bit worried. Pikapi can't answer his question on what species he really is, but the assumption it's a dark type Zoroark eases his mind somewhat. He tells her not to worry about it anymore and will beat him up if he shows himself again.
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> She doesn't know how to respond. To allow violence onto someone she used to know doesn't feel right, but the issue here was that.. she didn't know him. So it was alright?
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> She decides to thank him for the promise, but upon turning her head, is greeted by a large yellow body, sitting on top of a muttering rag.
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> She looks up and sees the drowsy, perpetually disinterested face of her stalker, looking back at her.
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> She yelps and speeds off, but he keeps catching up with her with less effort. It continues on until Pikapi runs out of breath, but before he can get near, a black hand smacks him in the back of the head.
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> Biyu is surprised by how the impact didn't even cause a slight tremble in his body. The skull of this thing felt like stone, his hand was hurting, while he's a literal ghost..! His target lazily turns his head, and upon laying eyes on his face, Biyu knows right away; this is not a Pikachu. Pikapi hadn't imagined anything.
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> He smacks him again and demands the faker to reveal himself, but no matter how cool Biyu tries to set up this confrontation scene, he's given no response. The large Pikachu with the bricked operating system turns his attention back to Pikapi and asks what she's up to. She says to know the truth and doesn't want to associate with the pack anymore.
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> Biyu carefully watches on, and with the giant taking so long to reply, both her and Pikapi expected to receive a dumb act or an excuse, but instead, he seems to know what she means and doesn't deny what she's seen. He asks how it matters and states her friends and family are exactly that. Pikapi begs to differ and doesn't trust being surrounded and lied to by Pokémon of a whole different species and calibre.
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> Biyu sees that as his moment to flaunt his Pikachu knowledge and adds she's right to be concerned, as small critters like her are loved prey. The fake Pikachu turns his immovable butt to him and proclaims to Pikapi they're a pack, regardless if they're different.
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> A good message in general, but none of it explains the reason why they're pretending to be Pikachus. Pikapi asks again, but he hesitates to answer. He thinks it's better she came with and spoke with everyone, but it sounds like a scheme, thus she refuses.
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> Biyu smacks him again and orders his leave, but the white knight's gotten on his last nerves and he back-kicks him in the gut, sending him flying across the village. It startles Pikapi, who wants to turn around and run off, but she's quickly approached. She panics and nips Ichuu in the shoulder, whereafter he stops moving.
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> As she collects her energy to draw another sprint, Biyu hurries over and the two make their escape.
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***CHAPTER 7: To Pi Like, Or Pi With You?**
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> When they finally find a place to catch their breath, Biyu learns that the powerhouse who nearly broke him in half is named "Ichuu", someone Pikapi used to be in good standing with, but showed his true colours just then. He suggests not bothering with him anymore, since whatever Pokémon hides inside of him is too much for either one of them to handle. She agrees and is surprised they escaped at all. Biyu smirks sheepishly it's thanks to his bluffing that made Ichuu hold back. She doubts it, but pets his limp doll head in appreciation, anyway.
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> Biyu slithers over to a pond nearby to check out the damage after the fight. Indeed, his costume was broken. It was probably the only reason he got out of that situation relatively unscathed. Ichuu must've had quite some suppressed anger inside of him; that foot of his felt like it was set to kill.
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> The reflection looking back at him looked pathetic. Biyu didn't like seeing himself. Even though he put all his heart in making his Pikachu cloak, he was basically a walking stuffed animal, far removed from the realism he was going for. And now, the support in his head was broken and he looked even lamer. Anger grew the longer he looked at himself. It wasn't something he could help; vengeance was a natural trait of his species, one he often had to suppress.
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> He looks at Pikapi, who was feeling the area around her mouth. Upon asking, she explains to be looking for blood. She didn't want any on her fur, but also expressed to regret it if she hurt Ichuu.
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> That's what a Pikachu was supposed to be like. Feisty when it matters, but harmless in the end.
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> He'd have to collect himself and repair the head later.
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> He heads over to check her face, but concludes nothing's there. Pikapi relaxes as her head sinks back into her body, looking content like an overweight seal. If he had to make repairs anyway, maybe he could model himself to look more like her. Though, Biyu wondered if she'd appreciate it.
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> Pikapi opens up her round black eyes again and sees him staring, but just curls up her little 3-shaped mouth in approving silence. Any hint of rage left in his body evaporated like steam. His affinity for cute Pokémon has always helped him stay on the right track, and without a doubt he wanted to be one, but Pikapi tickled a whole other sense inside of him. He felt it the first time they met, as well.
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> Biyu does as the Romans and tries to sink inside himself like a great big pudding, but his attempt at sunbathing like a Pikachu makes him look like a discarded baby toy. But since he can't see himself and Pikapi doesn't comment on it, he's blissfully made to believe she is his mirror.
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> They sit around in their hideout for a bit, until they deem the coast clear to resume their quest.
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***CHAPTER 8: Back To Chapter Two, What's With Ichuu the Pikachu?**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> When evening turns to nighttime after an unfruitful search for Pikapi, the pack is forced to ask her mother for help. She was the only one who could track someone down with unchallenged ease. Pipichu isn't happy to, but agrees to shed her form for her daughter's sake.
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> The majority has never seen her true self before and look startled by the deformed parody of the Pokémon her husband always claimed she was. Pipichu's expression tells them she knows very well her appearance is unusual, unpleasant, and when Kaa comes to comfort her, they understand their stares have overstayed their welcome. They try to avert their eyes, this was not the moment to make Pipichu their priority with Pikapi still missing.
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> She turns invisible and nimbly flies through the skies and trees, like a calm breeze. Soon, she finds Pikapi, lying on the ground, but then hurrying over to two Mimikyus. Her choice of words to them are telling; and despite being so far away from home, she claims not to be lost and continues her journey to the opposite direction. Pipichu is unsure what it means, so continues to follow her. Again and again, Pikapi approaches creatures to ask if they are "real Pikachus", making Pipichu realize the worst has happened.
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> She returns home to share her beliefs. Many agree with her assessment, but not all, who wish for someone to ask Pikapi directly on why she's left. Though this is possible for those who can turn themselves into different Pokémon with their transformation ability, there's uncertainty on how to bring up the subject when taking on the role of a stranger, as Pikapi will likely know she's being interrogated by an acquaintance who took on another disguise -if the assumption she knows they're fake Pikachus is true. It's a short-lived issue, though, and Ichuu offers to get her. It's not what they asked for, but no one stops him and they wish him good luck. They just wanted her back in their midst, they could talk about it then.
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> Ichuu heads into the direction Pipichu claims to have seen her, with nothing distracting him along the way. Like an immovable, yet unhurried force, he pushes anything and anyone out of the way, and once confident predators get their skulls punched in when their fangs try to touch him.
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> There're no conversations being struck with curious strangers or pit stops being made, he walks until he finds what he came for.
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> He then sees her, Pikapi, though she is not alone. In a large city, she's talking to a Mimikyu, who then offers her a gift. He doesn't know what it means, yet something in his spine begins to flare up and Ichuu wants to make his entrance, but the many pedestrians cloud his vision and both her and the Mimikyu have already left by the time he arrives.
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> As he looks around, he barely spots a yellow ball in the far distance, running back into the wilderness. The sheer size of him captures the attention of many trainers, but their standard issue Poké Balls are too weak to capture what they think is a simple Pikachu and none of their Pokémon are able to dent him. Ichuu continues to walk off like a tired office worker getting himself morning coffee, leaving everyone dumbstruck and unable to do anything about it.
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> A day or two later, he catches up with her again. She and her Mimikyu friend are still together, this time enjoying a royal amount of food. Their happy faces sparked that same burning sensation in his spine. It made all of his skin tingle and his barely functioning heart speed up.
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> He felt angry. Who even was this Mimikyu?
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***CHAPTER 9: Pi-pare For Trouble!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Pikapi and Biyu are hidden away in a bush (no berries, not poisonous), fast asleep. The night is silent and they get a good few hours in, until suddenly, a gust of wind emerges. It grows stronger and louder, waking up Biyu. He pokes his head out to check if a storm is brewing or a Pokémon making a ruckus nearby, but the wind just keeps getting worse, nearly yanking his costume off.
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> He quickly wakes up Pikapi to tell her they need to find a more secure hideout, who exhaustedly rolls back on her feet to follow him. The weather is making it hard for them to move, and when rain and thunder is added to the mix, it becomes hard to see as well. The scenery looks all too familiar to Pikapi. This was the second time she witnessed a storm this bad.
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> Loud shadows occasionally move through the skies, making her wonder if it's an attack conducted by Pokémon, but her questions aren't heard by her expert, Biyu, who can't hear her over all the noise.
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> Not wanting him to fall prey to these sky giants, she gives the muscles in her tiny limbs a good workout and hurries over to tell him to stay vigilant, but when she catches up, she gets no response. She shouts at him again, but he just stands there, his drenched cloak violently flapping in the wind. She nudges him with her snout, but doesn't really feel a body inside. Though, that's not unusual for a ghost.
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> She strenuously walks to the front of him, hoping to see some life through the eye holes of his costume, but it's always been hard to see much of anything through those. She lays down and tries to lift up the cloak with her leg, whereafter the wind turns it inside out and finally gives her a good view of things. The cloak is stuck to a small branch, but Biyu himself, he's no longer inside.
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> Pikapi looks around and calls for him, but it's no use. The cloak then rips and is dragged into the skies. She looks up, seeing another one of those loud shadows looming over the woods. It fires off a bright beam of sorts, but when it hits her, it doesn't hurt. Pikapi is scared, but doesn't dare to move, though doubts she could at this point. Her surroundings were only getting worse and trees started going down.
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> The beast then flies off, shining its curious light onto the rest of the woods. She had no idea what it was doing, but these questions had to wait for later. She had to stay alive for now.
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> The branch that once held Biyu's shell was her only means of safety and she quickly chomps down on it. But, if this was going to be a repeat of last time, she knew this storm was going to rage on for longer than she could keep her jaws clenched. She worried for the inevitable.
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> Slowly but surely, her grip weakens. Wood shavings fill her mouth as the wind keeps pulling her up. She hears the faint cries of other Pokémon nearby, that apparently lost the battle and were getting swept away. Unless they had wings or were of an exceptional level, she doubted they'd come back down alive. If those flying beasts didn't snatch them up first.
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> Then, she feels a heavy paw on her back and push her back down on the ground. A body stands over her like a shed made of concrete, yet its belly soft and squishy. Though the storm tries, she can no longer be moved, and her saviour is standing over her like nothing was even going on. She wants to look up, but it's difficult to turn her pudgy little head with the rest of her body getting pinned down. But the colour of its paws, the scent, the sturdiness and size of this creature; she already knew who it was.
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> The weather refuses to subdue, and eventually, exhaustion pushes her to fall asleep.
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> When morning arrives, she's greeted by the paws of Ichuu, still standing over her. She's able to have a better look of him this time, and can barely make out he has fallen asleep himself. She never knew he was able to sleep like a horse, looked rather uncomfortable, but she wasn't too surprised, either.
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> She uses the opportunity to slip away, but hesitates to abandon him. He saved her life and it would've been easy for him to drag her back home, yet he chose not to. On the other hand, her friend was now missing and she wanted to look for him. She didn't expect Ichuu to help her with that.
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> She gives his arm a little head bump in appreciation and runs off. Ichuu slowly opens his eyes and just as enthusiastically resumes the pursuit.
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> Pikapi runs through the wrecked woods and calls out for Biyu, but the dead silence isn't reassuring her much. Many Pokémon have been claimed by the storm, and there were a few tails and limbs visible from under the trees, none of which were attached to a living creature. As bad as things were back at her forest that night, it seemed to be a short, local shower and there weren't that many casualties. This looked like the aftermath of a war zone.
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> There's no sign of life, until she finds a couple of humans, dressed in black. They seem to be looking for someone as well, so she decides not to disturb them. The humans appear rather interested in her, though, and the way they're drawing closer makes her worry her neckband isn't doing much. When they start running at her, she figures they're hostile and wants to turn around, but a net is shot at her.
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***CHAPTER 10: Pikapi, Set Me Free!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Pikapi is thrown inside an already full cage and carried to what looks like a shed on flattened circles, where more caged Pokémon reside. Her roommates are seemingly out of it, and soon, Pikapi is stabbed with some kind of sedative as well. Before she loses consciousness, her surroundings begin to rumble and move, and when she awakens, she finds herself in a large metal room with even more caged Pokémon. They're trying their best to break open their prison, but some kind of power applied to the bars prevents them from doing them any damage. Some Pokémon are especially aggressive and show their fellow prisoners no mercy as they use every bit of their strength to try and escape. Others are battling each other, seemingly out of hunger. It's evident they've been locked up here for quite some time.
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> Anger, noise, and death is everywhere, and Pikapi shivers in her anxiety and fear. She looks at the Pokémon she shares her cage with, luckily still dozing, but that wouldn't be for long. They're larger than her and each one has fangs and claws; the worst was definitely going to happen when they'd wake up.
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> She tries to squeeze herself through the bars, but she's too round and it hurts. She cries for help, but it's a tiny voice in a room of enraged roars. When her company wakes up, she desperately scratches at the bars like a small dog homesick for its owner, but her miniscule paws don't even make a mark in the metal.
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> The blue cat is first to get up and understand what's going on. She pushes the useless Pikachu out of the way and slashes at the bars with her thick claws, but naturally, it does nothing. She then turns to Pikapi and the other four cluttering up the cage, as if they're the ones who imprisoned her. The Weavile demands to know where she is, but the white monkey thing and giant beetle see no reason to answer her and instead start beating up the cage themselves. Another cat Pokémon doesn't have the energy or patience for it, but his request to stop the senselessness is not heard.
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> He's badly beaten up and Pikapi moves over to his side with the belief he's the most docile, but he clearly doesn't want her around and tries to crawl away. Delcatty urges her to give him space, as the storm twisted up his back legs. The others don't care for the announcement, though, and step and jump onto him and Pikapi without concern for their cries or Delcatty's fruitless swiping.
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> Weavile understands they're not making a difference and begins to make the ominous suggestion of deciding who to eat first. Vigoroth shouts he's a herbivore and Pinsir too he prefers sap and insects. Though Weavile had her eyes on the plump, weak Pikapi, this news changes matters and she makes it no secret that the two of them will be first on the menu.
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> Delcatty is surprised by the balls on her and hisses not to make enemies with Pokémon she can't escape from, but she appears confident in herself, if not dangerously careless. The Vigoroth and Pinsir give each other a confirming nod, then charge at Weavile. It's a repeat of last time as the three again bump against Pikapi and the wounded Delcatty in their fight to the death.
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> Pikapi thinks to gain some protection by laying next to Delcatty, but the antisocial feline still wants none of it. He suggests she sucks in her stomach and makes use of the fact she's small, but Pikapi says there's nothing to suck in and the bars are simply too short-distance. Pointed body parts keep giving them close shaves, urging Delcatty to fire off some attacks as well, but it proves difficult to do with his injury and the lack of space.
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> He turns to Pikapi, asking if she knows a paralyzing move so he can use Facade on them and bring an instant end to it. She answers to have never used a move before and isn't sure how to activate her cheeks, earning her an expression of shock and disapproval.
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> Then suddenly, the brawlers stop in their tracks. An oddly large Pikachu they haven't noticed prior is standing amongst them, not calling upon their attention or anything of the sort, just standing around. They look to his side, where the cage's bars have been pushed aside to create a big open hole. The three troublemakers sprint right out, without any concern for the Pokémon still locked up and calling after them.
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> Pikapi hops over to Ichuu with gratitude, but his penetrating stare reminds her there's unfinished business between them and the happy moment doesn't last long. She proclaims not to be coming home, to which he says she should and she's not made to venture out on her own. She proudly puffs up her muzzle and states she can take care of herself and was about to perform her first electric attack.
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> Delcatty remarks she should already know how to battle at her age, to which Ichuu advices him not to insert himself in private matters. Delcatty mutters it's not private if you're talking in the presence of others, but senses something off with this Pikachu and takes the masked threat to heart. Ichuu then grabs the deviant runaway in the scruff, as she flails in her discontent.
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> When they see him walking, the prisoners divert their attention to them, but he thinks the aggressive, high-leveled creatures might jeopardize their safety, thus coldly ignores them. Pikapi shares the same concern, but doesn't think anyone is deserving of the torture she just gotten a taste of and states they should help out, but her pleas are ignored as well. She smacks him with her tail, but Ichuu just mutters to think about it when they're back home. When he was going to "think about something", that meant he was going to fall asleep like a brick and not wake up until maybe next week.
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> Pikapi looked around the giant room. There were many dubious-looking Pokémon in here, with blood still on their mouth, but also many like Delcatty, who were wounded and not looking for trouble. They couldn't go around to pick and choose who to free, but everyone deserved a fighting chance, so why not break a few bars here and there? The humans that captured them didn't even do so for survival, they just let everyone sit here and slowly wither away. She's witnessed aplenty pointless cruelty in the wild, but this was something else. What was this place, anyway?
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> But, with her stuck in the uninterested Ichuu's grip, it looked like they were going to abandon these poor souls. Pikapi slaps him a couple more times, but there was no convincing him. You couldn't make Ichuu do anything, he was living his own life on his own pace. That he was out here to collect her was a miracle by itself.
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> Then, another limb hands out a slap. Ichuu stops. It was harder and happened on the back of his head, where Pikapi could not reach. He turns around, but doesn't have to look for long, as the perpetrator proudly reveals himself.
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> Way above, on top of some cages, stands a Mimikyu. He commands the escapees to not move another muscle and return to their cage. Ichuu looks up, but says nothing, sucking out all the excitement from this confrontation the Mimikyu guard clearly rehearsed for. He demands again, but Ichuu moseys off.
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> The Mimikyu hurries down using his long ghostly arms and swipes at him again, but none of it even bends the fur on his body. He is shocked to see a Pikachu able to take this kind of abuse, and when he tries to skip the beating and throw them back in the cage, he struggles to pick Ichuu up at all. The sheer weight of him turns him exhausted, so the Mimikyu throws insults at him instead, hoping Ichuu will come charging in a blind rage and lock himself up.
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> The hostility reminds Pikapi of someone and she asks if he's Biyu's friend. Ripulaysuyu grumbles he has a name, then remarks he already suspected she was the same Pikachu from then, as it couldn't be that more than two overbred rats like her would be walking the planet.
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> Ichuu drops said overbred rat and headbutts Ripulaysuyu into the floor, a large crater forming as he does. Some of their surroundings shriek in surprise, while others cheer when seeing their enemy getting OHKO'd.
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> Now that Pikapi is released, she wonders how to progress, though understands that running away again won't bring an end to the chase. When Ichuu turns to her, she repeats not to trust him or the others and wants to use her right as an adult to move on from them.
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> He says to understand the suspicion, but that they are not what she thinks they are and it'd be better if they came together to talk. She finds that a big ask and would rather hear his reasoning for why they're playing pretend with her right now.
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> Though there are no gears visibly turning behind his nonchalant eyes, after some silence, he suggests they move the conversation outside. She asks if they'll be coming back for the other Pokémon, which the prisoners also wish to know the answer to, but Ichuu still won't entertain the prospect of acting a hero.
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***CHAPTER 11: Chu-ldhood Friends No More!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Back outside, Pikapi inspects Ichuu, hoping to guess for herself what Pokémon he could be. He asks what she's looking for, whereafter she explains the reason for the physical examination. He's not eager to do a grand reveal and suggests they only discuss that which she wanted to know.
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> Pikapi sits down to await his next words, but when her eyes meet his again, they're wide open and his body frozen. He's looking at something behind her, but before she can turn around to see for herself, two black hands grab her head and tell her not to.
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> The voice of Biyu instructs her to close her eyes and keep them as such, though she feels one of his hands covering them up anyway, while the other scoops her off the ground. The sensation that follows indicates he's jumping away with her, through the air, with Ichuu apparently not stopping them. She asks why she may not see, to which Biyu explains that doing so will lead to death. It's disconcerning news with Ichuu having laid eyes on him, and though Biyu audibly struggles to fake sympathy and can't assure his safety, he claims he's likely strong enough to survive his curse.
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> They eventually stop at a little rural town, where Pikapi is asked to keep her gaze on the main street until he's returned. When she's allowed to turn around again, she sees a little white sock greeting her.
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> Biyu once remarked to be dangerous, but she never learned the meaning of those words and isn't sure what to say now she knows. He picks up on it and assures her he won't abuse his curse and this was just to rid them of their stalker. Pikapi's ears perk up and she reminds him he said Ichuu will live, making him trip over his next words a bit, until saving himself by claiming he meant it's a temporary elimination.
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> He hurriedly steers the conversation to the loss of his costume and expresses sadness over it. Pikapi says to have seen it, but unable to grab it. He tells her not to worry about it, as it's likely filthy and scuffed beyond repair, then notes she lost her collar as well. She guesses the humans must've taken it.
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> Mentioning them reminds her of the caged Pokémon, and hoping to have more luck with Biyu, tells him what she witnessed and if they should go back to help them. Biyu advises her not to, as the humans that took her are members of a criminal organization with years of experience on capturing Pokémon. She asks for what purpose they're letting them die in cages, to which Biyu guesses it's a tactic to see which ones are the strongest, thus worthy of keeping. It's a cruel line of thinking Pikapi is surprised to hear from the friendly Biyu.
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> At that moment, a distant voice proclaims they're the ones who told him about it.
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> Pikapi and Biyu turn their heads to the source, and on a house's rooftop, see Ripulaysuyu standing, his chest proudly pushed forward. With his already shabby-looking Pikachu costume missing its head, it didn't look all that intimidating -never mind she witnessed him getting pulped just minutes prior. Yet, to see him back so soon was notable and she takes on a wary stance.
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> Ripulaysuyu jumps down to meet with them, where he congratulates Biyu for his good work and states to take it from here. Pikapi looks at Biyu with a gasp, who's not planning on playing along with the bit and clarifies to both her and his friend he's not a Team Rocket grunt.
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> Ripulaysuyu argues to have done right going there and Biyu should reconsider, since the organization doesn't care whether a Pokémon is cute and ensures they'll become the strongest they can be.
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> Pikapi wants to call upon his empathy and states the conditions were horrible, but Ripulaysuyu silences her before she can finish her sentence, clearly not interested in hearing the opinion of a Pikachu. But Biyu agrees with her and reminds him Team Rocket is the reason they had their fight months ago.
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> Pikapi learns the two friends aren't exactly that anymore and the day she met them they were in the middle of a sensitive conversation -the first one since their seperation.
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> Biyu repeats not wanting to join and to be looking for a real, normal home. Ripulaysuyu thinks it's foolish to try for the likes of them, but every one of his arguments are nothing Biyu hasn't heard before, so he gives his goodbye as he drags Pikapi along.
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> Ripulaysuyu says to let him go for now, but that Team Rocket has a machine that reinacts powerful natural disasters and is using it all over the country to exterminate weak Pokémon; and the likes of them will one day succumb to it, unless they let themselves get caught. Biyu smirks it's bold of him to call him weak, but it's all he has to say to him. Ripulaysuyu huffs at the remark, then jumps aways.
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> Though Biyu won the interaction, he looks beaten and Pikapi asks what's ailing him. He apologizes for his friend and laments he's giving his kind a bad name. It appears not uncommon that ugly, undesirable Pokémon seek out Team Rocket and similar organizations over the fact the common person doesn't want them, and in order to stay on good terms with their mean-spirited owner, these Pokémon adapt their mindset and mannerisms. Ripulaysuyu once envied Pikachus, not hate them.
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> It's a phenomenon Pikapi is wholly unfamiliar with and she doesn't know what response to give, so just pets his sock head and commends him for staying true to himself. It's a response she didn't put much thought behind, but it lights up Biyu, who sniffles that to mean alot to him. It makes her curious to know if he planned on joining Team Rocket once upon a time, but she knew better than to pry. She still had her own problems to deal with; the search for real Pikachus, but this added concern for Team Rocket's prisoners and Ichuu standing petrified in the woods nearly made her forget.
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> She asks Biyu again if they can't do anything, but he promises her it's a pointless endevour and easier to see Team Rocket as apex predators following their nature. If there's anyone they can help in the moment, they could try, but to organize a mass-breakout will create more trouble than it's worth.
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> Since Ichuu was also reluctant to help, Pikapi wonders if her fixation on this issue was just another sigh of her sheltered ignorance. If there's anything she learned these past few days, it's that she knew nothing. And she knew she knew nothing, but not that it was this bad. It was really bad.
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> She turns to Biyu and asks if he knows any electric attacks. The random question catches him by surprise, but he stammers to have recently learned Thunderbolt. Pikapi nearly jumps a hole in the sky in excitement and requests him to teach her. He seems reluctant to and tells her she'll automatically get the hang of it if she gains some fighting experience and takes it slow.
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> She looks disappointed, but has to trust him on this and agrees to start slow. Nevertheless, she wishes to see him use the move in action, her dark eyes piercing him in strange anticipation. It urges him to ask if she's never seen the move in action before, to which she says electric moves were often brought up and reinacted by her and her friends when they were children, yet she can't recall any one of them firing off an actual bolt. This realization wipes the smile off her face, but since she already knew her community to be all fakes, she doesn't linger on it and awaits Biyu's answer.
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> He notices it to bother her, but knows he can't teach her a move he didn't learn naturally and there's little chance she'll learn anything worth its salt without the help of a trainer. She was an adult, she should've already known an electric move at her level and age, and it was real concerning she didn't.
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> He stares at her silent, suspensful face for a bit.
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> It was better not to tell her any of this. She needed some motivation, and if he could motivate her to bond with a human and abandon the wild, then it wouldn't matter.
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> He gets into position, and with his best Pikachu voice, fires off a powerful bolt in the sky, turning his stolen sock into ash. He shouts not to look at him and hastes away, but Pikapi just awes the building he set on fire and applauds the great performance. He turns back and peeks from the corner of the neighbouring house, seeing her bounce up and down like a happy pudding, while humans haste themselves over to try and save the house.
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> He never believed he'd win the admiration and approval of an actual Pikachu. Not like this. She depended on him for everything, even on how to be a Pikachu. It made him happy. This must've been the first time he felt happy.
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> It was the first time he felt happy.
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> Biyu returns wearing another sock and joins the disaster tourist with her little dance, but the panicking humans assembling at the crime scene think the two are a bit too upbeat in the face of things and assume correctly they're to blame. They summon their Pokémon to beat them up and the two quickly run for their lives.
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> A day later, Ichuu finally gains consciousness. Every muscle in his body hurts and his heart feels like it's ready to give up, but honestly, that was normal business for him. He looks around for something to eat and replenish his energy, then notices he's now the one locked in a cage. But the room is not the one he rescued Pikapi from, it was someone's office.
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> A tense-looking man without eyebrows stares him down, with more people standing near the door, yet Ichuu appears not the subject of the conversation at hand. Rather, the man's interest lies with Pikapi.
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> Giovanni is berating his lackeys for letting her escape and expresses displeasure for the consolation prize that is Ichuu. The nervous henchmen point out the camera footage and how he's special, but Giovanni sees through the disguise and knows Ichuu is your average Snorlax.
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> He hits his fist on the expensive desk, making the wood crack, and demands the recapture of Pikapi; the real Pikachu.
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> Ichuu understands there's no more time to take things slow and breaks out of his transformation.
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> As predicted, a giant Snorlax emerges from the cage, which is swallowed with most of Giovanni's office as he stomps to the exit. He takes and eats whatever he can to help regain his strength with, and despite Team Rockets efforts, cannot be stopped. The lackeys state how right they were about him, but Giovanni is not in the mood for it and demands his capture as well. People and vehicles start moving, though Ichuu is already out of sight.
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***CHAPTER 12: Wrong MatCHUp!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Pikapi and Biyu arrive at the next city. He steals her a little white Summer hat, another weird-looking item claimed to be fashionable, but if it's to keep her safe from the common human, she couldn't decline. He ties the string around her head, but since there isn't much of a chin when she stands up, it keeps falling off. He punches two holes in it for her ears and lets these do the holding, finally allowing them to resume their journey. Pikapi smiles lovingly at him for the trouble, giving Biyu the shivers and growing a lump in his throat.
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> As they're strolling through the busy streets, not many words are being exchanged. Pikapi notices Biyu's quieter than normal. Figuring he's missing his old clothes, she looks around for anything yellow he could wear, until she sees some Pokémon plushies behind a store window. She stops and asks if he could go inside one of those, to which he says he could in a sense, but it would affect his movements and combat skills. She asks if being cloaked all the time doesn't already, and while he can't deny it's a bother, Mimikyus simply aren't meant to be seen and this is their existence. She finds it unfair, but he smirks she'd be surprised by how many Pokémon species nature has given the short end of the stick. There's nobody to blame for it, it just is.
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>
> They look at the Pikachu toy. A bodysuit would be cool, but it was better to remove its legs and go with what he was familiar with. If he wanted to keep looking after Pikapi, he couldn't waste his energy on controlling bodyparts he himself didn't have. He prefered to wear something he made himself, and the toy had some liberties applied to its design to make it appear "cuter", but this had to do for now.
>
> He slips inside the store, where Pikapi hears him yelp as the customers inside apparently keep stepping on him, until Biyu sprints back out with the Pika plushie and calls at her to run for it. It was like all she did was thieve and flee with this character. He couldn't be a good influence for her.
>
> Bad boy Biyu checks out his little prize inside an alleyway and looks rather pleased. Pikapi smiles upon seeing her friend's mood improve. He rips off the bottom half, makes two peeping holes in the stomach, and slithers inside to take it for a test drive. It looks clumsy, but what he had before wasn't much better, so Pikapi decides to compliment the new look. That's all Biyu needed.
>
>
> They continue their walk and find a park. A group of fighting and electric type critters are doing some kind of workout session with a human fitness instructor. The fighting types were stretching every limb and muscle, while the electric types were more focused on the organ that produced their electric attacks. As luck have it, the majority of them were Pikachus.
>
> Pikapi doesn't let the opportunity slide and runs over immediately, leaving Biyu standing as he's occupied with.. well, probably stealing something again. This guy didn't know how to keep his hands to himself, it was probably an addiction at this point.
>
>
> The human instructor greets the spectator, but informs her she can't join in now they've already started and her owner needs to buy a subscription. Naturally, Pikapi has no idea what's being said and only picks up on her friendly expression and tone of voice, so hops over to her fellow Pikachus. The instructor repeats herself again and keeps calling after her, whereafter one of the Pikachus tells her to respect the rules and come back next week.
>
> Pikapi is confused by the sudden comment and it doesn't take long for the Pikachus to figure out she doesn't understand their instructor, but instead of guessing she's from the wild, they ask if her owner's from a different country. Pikapi figures it'd be best to let both humans and their Pokémon think she's owned and makes that her backstory for now. The Pikachus begin to offer her random, badly pronounced foreign greetings. She has no idea what's happening, so repeats all of it back to them to fit in.
>
> Some of the girls begin to comment on the shape of her tail, reminding Pikapi it's unusual for a female to have, but since she's hardly a perfect copy of them, they quickly conclude she's a regional variant and don't make things more awkward by pointing out every physical difference. The term "regional variant" peaks her interest and the group is surprised to learn Pikapi doesn't know she's a foreigner.
>
>
> The instructor thinks the tea party has gone on for long enough and calls at the distracted bunch to keep the workout going, whilst looking around for Pikapi's owner to lecture. The Pikachus obediently continue stretching their tails and rubbing and patting their cheeks, but remain interested in their new friend. Knowing better than to give a bad first impression to a tourist visiting their city, they invite her to join them.
>
> She copies their movements the best she can with her short paws. She asks what this game is about, to which they explain it's to strengthen their electric attacks. It's exciting news and she asks if it'll help her learn electric moves as well, but that's something they can't say for sure, since these kind of sessions are supplements to their usual combat training.
>
> Even so, hope is a powerful driving force and Pikapi becomes the most eager participant in the bunch. The instructor watches the subscriptionless customer with slight unease on how to progress, but then her expression changes and she shouts at the little Pikachu she may have today's course for free if she's able to beat her strongest student at the end of the day. Pikapi has no idea and goes on about her business, which the instructor takes as consent. She's real impressed by her courage and gives her a thumbs up, making Pikapi think she's asked to do some jumps, which the instructor again takes as confirmation. It's real funny and sad.
>
>
> But the other Pikachus look not so happy, knowing she didn't understand, is new, and her stubby paws struggle to massage her cheeks to make a difference in the upcoming onslaught. They made her join in for the show, not to get publicly humiliated. Their eyes move over to the Pikachu at the far end of the row, the one who had to take her on. He wasn't feeling it, either, but this was exactly the kind of stuff their instructor did that helped them get this far. Maybe their guest would benefit from it..?
>
> They turn back to Pikapi and asks if she's willing to do a battle at the end of the training, surprisingly exciting her more. If Biyu was right, this was exactly what she needed to learn an electric move. She couldn't believe the amount of luck showering over her today.
>
> Her motivation was a good start, but they were familiar with her opponent and knew he couldn't be beaten by just any random Pokémon. His thunderbolts were strong enough to paralyze even electric Pokémon -an unheard feat.
>
>
> They look at him, then Pikapi, then him, whereafter their faces turn devious. It was time to deliver some payback for the many battles they had lost.
>
> They hurry over to Pikapi and start rubbing her cheeks for her, while others give her small electric shocks through her tail to boost up her energy. The isolated Pikachu is shocked by the betrayal, grinning he'll get them back later for it. The human instructor calls at the cheating Pikachus to not pick sides, but in the end, knows it won't help Pikapi anyway and winks at her top student.
>
>
> He's not worried and pauses his training to give the surrounded Pikapi a proper greeting. He wishes her good luck and offers her his paw. Some of the Pikachus jump up to chase their suspiciously nice rival away, to which he jokes to always be nice. He goes ahead and grabs her paw to shake it himself, a gesture the meaning of which she visibly doesn't get. He picks up on that, so nervously takes a bow instead, not wanting to offend the foreigner. The others giggle seeing him flustered.
>
> The Pikachu introduces himself as "Dragonite", making everyone giggle even harder for reasons she fails to understand. He thinks to save himself by adding most call him "Dragon". Pikapi calls it a beautiful name, an opinion he's never heard, his expression revealing as much.
>
>
> Nevertheless, the longer Pikapi looks at him, the more suspicious she becomes. The others looked similar to each other, but he was slightly bigger and had tufts of fur on places others did not. With his position as the strongest in the group, it all sounded very familiar. Was this another Ichuu? A Pokémon disguised as a Pikachu?
>
> Dragon picks up on her staring and is again flustered by her. The others love seeing it and tease him accordingly. He's had enough of the dogpiling and stomps his foot, proclaiming he'd never date someone who doesn't take care of herself, referring to Pikapi's roundness. The Pikachus gasp at the audacity of this man, but Dragon doesn't really care for it until his eyes move back to Pikapi, looking at the ground.
>
>
> She then looks back up and concludes she's wearing a nice hat.
>
> There's little to say in response to something like that, so the others confirm the hat is nice.
>
>
> They kick at stupid Dragon, who's overstayed his welcome after that comment, and continue rubbing and stretching their rotund friend with the nice hat. To criticize someone who's actively working to improve themselves, just because you are too insecure to take a joke, that was Dragon for them. Even so, the rest of his exercises looked a bit lacklustre, so maybe he was remorseful.
>
> Pikapi wasn't too insulted. She didn't know she got called fat again; the assumption was he called her dirty. She's from the wild and on the run, it wasn't far-fetched to believe she wasn't looking well-groomed. Look and smell were the first differences she noticed between wild and kept Pokémon. But she was wearing a nice hat, so.
>
>
> Meanwhile, Biyu realizes to have lost track of Pikapi. With droves of Pikachus surrounding her at all times, she's not exactly in sight anymore and he begins to panic. He drops his stolen lunch and runs in the opposite direction from the park, passing by a Snorlax as he does. He stops and looks over his shoulder, slight suspicion entering his mind for the character, but moves on when he sees a woman exiting a store to meet up with it.
>
>
> Pikapi has already forgotten about Biyu and the traumatizing introduction to Team Rocket. Being surrounded by her kind, she finally didn't feel so homesick. Biyu was good company, but he didn't carry the face of a real Pikachu, he wasn't someone she could start a pack with. He wanted an owner, as well.
>
> Though every one of these Pikachus were likely going to head back to their respective humans when the day was over, if real Pikachus were this hospitable, she was going to have no trouble at all joining another pack. She'd be able to forget her old family and friends. Maybe her pack could protect her if they tried to chase her down.. though it seemed only Ichuu cared to do so. She had no explanation for that, or why she was even being chased at all. She's just one Pikachu who "got away", why go through the trouble..
>
>
> Eventually, trainers start showing up to pick up their Pokémon. The instructor was chatting it up with everyone, but the deal hadn't been forgotten about and she made sure to inform Dragon's owner when he arrived. He didn't even mind, looked like it was normal for him to get challenged all the time, even when he wasn't around to give his permission. Perhaps Dragon was a bit of a troublemaker who loved to pick fights, though Pikapi didn't find him particularly mean. The others acted like he was, but that had to be play.
>
> The instructor looks around once more to see if Pikapi's owner is amongst the visitors, but still no one's come to collect her. Though she believes to have Pikapi's approval, to let a Pokémon battle without its trainer is not how things are done and she ponders if it's legal.
>
>
> Under the guise of it falling under her free training course, she approaches Pikapi to ask if she's willing to let her play her trainer for now, promising to do her best. Dragon also heads over to prevent any more miscommunication between the two and translates for her, leading Pikapi to ask if the human guidance is required. He states it's a basic rule of competitive battle.
>
> He's starting to suspect she's never had a fight in her life, but thinking that to be preposterous, he doesn't press her on it and offers to translate the instructor's commands during the match. Pikapi asks if that won't hinder his own performance, but he smiles arrogantly upon the insinuation and tells her not to concern herself over him. She's impressed by the confidence and calls him very cool. Dragon is dumbstruck by the reply, not knowing if it's serious or a sarcastic jab.
>
>
> Pikapi does like Dragon and follows her battle commander to the far side of the designated battle field. The instructor takes off her Summer hat for convenience, making Pikapi nervous. Seeing her attached to it, she puts it down next to her and promises it'll be safe there. Pikapi doesn't know what for she has to lose her item of protection, but has to believe she's not at risk at the moment.
>
>
> The countdown begins. The instructor is first to shout her command, translated by Dragon as promised, and yet, Pikapi doesn't move. Dragon's overconfident trainer snickers at the unresponsive Pikachu and sics Dragon on her the second the mistake is made. Before he reaches her, the instructor shouts again, Dragon telling Pikapi without missing a beat, but she doesn't know what any of the words being shouted at her mean.
>
> The distance is crossed and Dragon slams his body into hers, launching her backwards at the speed of a bullet. Dragon's owner cheers as the little Pikachu suffers a nasty fall and struggles to move again, believing to have won himself another instant victory, but both Dragon and the instructor begin to feel they've made a mistake challenging her.
>
>
> There's no time to think about it any longer and Dragon's instructed to cast Thunder upon the trembling lump.
>
> He was winning, and it was not the first time he slammed someone into submission, but.. what was going on here? Why wasn't he anticipating his victory? This was just another everyday battle, he's done this so many times, but everything about this felt extremely wrong.
>
> But, his master's wishes could not be disobeyed. Battles were all about trust, and he had to trust that his human knew what he was doing. That's all a Pokémon could do.
>
>
> A large beam of light emerges from his body, shooting up into the sky, then crashing down onto the floored Pikapi. There's not a single sound from her as she's struck down, and the same eery silence continues when the lightning disperses.
>
>
> The instructor demands the child to stop the overkill and hurries over to Pikapi. Spectators realize the time for cheers is over and fall silent.
>
> Her fur is blackened and the grass around her no more. The instructor discovers she's still awake despite of all that, yet the pain is too much for her to even cry out. Shrieks and gasps fill the air and people run off to get a medic.
>
>
> Dragon hurries over, the sight of Pikapi making him sick with remorse. There was no joy or pride to be had from harming an inexperienced fighter, something his owner had yet to understand. The boy only cared about winning and this was just another victory for him.
>
> Dragon apologizes to Pikapi, but he's swiped away by the instructor, who asks him not to frighten her any more. He looks back down at Pikapi, her eyes barely open, her little paws trying to extract themselves away from him. She was conscious and indeed afraid.
>
>
> He normally loved it. Fear was a sign of respect. He was just a Pikachu, after all; he'd never be as intimidating as a monster, or even the common fire evolution. He had to work so much harder for it and constantly remind everyone what he was capable of. But this was messed up.
>
>
> Dragon's owner finally shows up to see the damage, and though he admits he could've held back, he states Pikapi chose to fight and thus he has no blame. According to the rules, this much was true, and Dragon wished he agreed and could head back home and enjoy his reward at the dinner table without giving it a single thought ever again, but this image was going to haunt him.
>
> A pink-haired nurse suddenly comes running to attend to the burned crisp that is Pikapi, with even more disaster tourists showing up to inspect the commotion. Dragon becomes increasingly more embarrassed, unlike his owner, who begins to fill everyone in on what happened and takes the time to brag about his prized Pikachu.
>
>
> Dragon prefers to stick around to make sure Pikapi lives, but his owner wishes to go home after finishing up his self-promotion spree. He tells Dragon not to act so soft and the Pokémon Center heals any and all Pokémon within seconds. This level of nonconcern for a Pokémon's health was very normal amongst most young trainers. He didn't know any better than that putting a Poké Ball into a restoration machine fixes up the Pokémon inside, no matter what ails them. Pokémon faint as a defense mechanism, and by not feeling the pain, they're more likely to survive. This causes some trainers to forget death can still be an outcome of battling, until it's already too late.
>
> Dragon noticed Pikapi's refusal to lose consciousness. She was deathly afraid of not knowing what will happen to her if she allowed her eyes to close. She was at risk, but how could Dragon tell his owner?
>
>
> Dragon knows that turning his back on this issue will eat at his conscience and affect his career in the long run, so leaves his master's side to meet up with Pikapi once again. The nurse asks him to give her space to work, but instead, he opens his mouth and places it onto one of her cheek patches. The dampness of his mouth causes the pent-up electricity inside her body to exit and shoot back up inside of him. It's a heavy charge that even makes him flinch, but he doesn't let go and continues to collect what is his. He then steps back, feeling a bit dizzy and stiff, and runs off again.
>
> The nurse is surprised to see a Pokémon think of such a clever, but unorthodox measure, and gives Dragon her thanks as he joins his waiting owner. If it was going to make a difference, they'd just have to wait and see.
>
>
>
>
>
>

***CHAPTER 13: You're Not Pikayou!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Pikapi couldn't stay awake forever and was forced to sleep with help of sedatives, again. When she awakens, she finds herself in a room devoid of colour, lying on what she could only describe as a cloud. Her hat was nowhere to be found. Biyu was still gone. It was just her.
>
> Nothing looked or smelled familiar, and with her body badly hurt, she knew it'd be impossible to escape without assistance. Through the walls she hears the faint cries of other Pokémon, sounding hurt as well. Was this another Team Rocket cage? Pikapi becomes scared, but doesn't dare to call out for help and just stays put on her cloud, her eyes darting all over the place.
>
>
> Then, the only door in the room opens. Pikapi stares at it intently, but doesn't see anyone coming in, yet small footsteps can be heard. A Pikachu then jumps up onto the bed, holding flowers in its mouth. Their eyes meet. The visitor apparently did not expect to find her awake today.
>
>
> Dragon lays the flowers down for her and asks if she's feeling better. Pikapi says nothing and just hyperfocuses on her attacker. She was like a cautious mouse staring at a looming Pyroar. Appropriate for her as a mouse Pokémon, but predator was not the role he wanted right now.
>
> He apologizes for not seeing she was too underleveled and asks her not to take it personally, as he was just following orders. Pikapi says nothing, her eyes wide and unmoving. These black marbles peered right into his soul. It was an expression no one's ever given him before. One he's always wanted to see from more hardened beasts, but not this crumb of a girl.
>
> Pikapi doesn't pick up on his discomfort, she was too concerned with her own. His apology had strange implications. To be a human's pet meant not having control over your own mind? And if he had no control over himself, would he attack her again?
>
>
> Dragon sighs and comes closer. She shivers, everything hurting even more as she does. He lies down against her and tells her to relax and get used to his scent.
>
> In order to try and lift the disastrous mood, he asks if she likes the flowers and says he picked them in the forest, hoping they're recognizable to her. She looks up, wondering if he knows. He looks down at her and confirms no owned Pokémon is as weak and incompetent as her. She says nothing. He then smiles she was lucky no one tried to capture her. She says nothing. He smiles harder no one probably wanted her because she royally lost. She says nothing.
>
>
> Before much more can (not) be said, a boy comes barging in, upset to have his Pikachu ignore him and run off. The sight of Dragon lying with Pikapi sure is icky and he snatches him away before he catches "the cooties". Dragon grins he'll be back, but Pikapi.. she says nothing.
>
>
> As said, he returns the next day, carrying more flowers and a net of berries. The purpose of the flowers evade her, but the berries have been dipped in something extraordinarily exquisite and it's hard to fake disinterest as he puts them down in front of her bruised snout. But she still doesn't feel safe in his presence and her big eyeballs reveal as much.
>
> Dragon knows he's not wanted around and it'd be better to never show his face again, but with no one else visiting her, believes this is the one thing he can do to make up to her. He sits himself down and offers another apology, vowing to never lay hands on her again. It's an appreciated gesture of peace, but one he immediately sucks the sincerity out of by calling her too weak of an opponent to make their battles a fun challenge anyway.
>
>
> Since it doesn't look like he's leaving any time soon, she settles on grooming herself. Never having been injured like this, she mistakes her wounds and the stinging sensation as filth and parasites in need of removal, but the pain and her bandages hinder her ability to do much of anything. Dragon stands up, startling her, but like last time, he ignores it to lay down with her. He pushes the berries in front of her face and tells her to eat, then grooms her in her stead. It takes a good minute for her to unfreeze herself and consider taking the gift.
>
> Dragon made a bad first impression, yet was surprisingly caring. His grooming reminded her of her mother..
>
>
> Pikapi begins to sob. Seeing to have saddened her again is getting a bit too much for tough guy Dragon, who thinks it may be time to cut his losses for the day and flee, but by reminding himself she's alone, endures this awkward moment. He grooms her more gently and asks her to stop, not knowing how to deal with others crying.
>
> Pikapi says to miss her family, but that they are not her family. Dragon asks if she was adopted and states that not to matter.
>
>
> She refuses to fully open up about it, so he changes the subject and offers a generous verdict on her battling skills as an attempt to cheer her up. Since there's little to compliment, he brings up her ability to take a hit and says very few Pokémon are able to stay conscious. With real training, she could end up becoming a strong fighter.
>
> Pikapi mutters not wanting to fight ever again and wishes to leave and find more Pikachus. He asks what for, but she's again reluctant to speak with him. He takes that as his cue to go home, but says to visit again tomorrow.
>
>
> It's almost evening when he shows up. She notices he didn't bring anything this time and briefly inspects him to see if it's hidden somewhere, which Dragon takes notice of. He confirms to be empty-handed this time. He didn't think she actually liked his gifts and settled on not sucking up to her anymore, yet feels a bit put on the spot now she was expecting him to bring presents.
>
> He contemplates turning around and asks if she needs more flowers, but she says not to trouble himself, as they didn't taste good. He replies they were not for eating, but meant to be symbolic. She wants to know what they meant, but Dragon struggles to give an answer, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. He says it's to tell her he's sorry, to which she remarks he already told her using his words. This conversation wasn't going anywhere, so he decides to move on.
>
>
> He asks if there'll be anyone to pick her up after she gets better, but it's a question she hasn't thought about. She didn't even know how many days she's been bedridden and the real question was if Biyu was still in the city looking for her, or had moved on and continued his journey without her. He was a great friend, but one she didn't know for that long, and it wasn't like he owed her his loyalty.
>
> She has no answer to give to Dragon's question, leading him to ask about the Pikachus she's out looking for. Since he's probably the best person to share her intentions with at this point, she reveals to have come from a family of fake Pikachus and is looking for a real pack to join.
>
>
> Dragon stares at her for a long time. A long, uncomfortable time. Pikapi worries she made herself sound deranged, so moves her gaze away, until Dragon asks what she means with "real" and "fake". She feels judged and has lost the incentive to talk with him about it, but he asks again, seemingly interested in learning what she witnessed.
>
> She shares the details of her story, every word turning his expression more serious. When she's done, he looks ready and willing to reply, but something cuts off his sentences before they leave his mouth. He just heard something crazy and wasn't sure what'd be right to say at this point.
>
>
> Pikapi turns to him to ask if he believes her. That wasn't the issue. The issue was her family's choice to play this girl for a fool. If she was an adult and still didn't know, then the only conclusion he could draw is that they never planned on telling her. That wasn't right.
>
> It wasn't his place to do the work for them, but when else would she learn the truth?
>
>
> Dragon swallowed and decided to go for it.
>
>
> He asks if no one's ever told her what she is, a vague question that's not helping her much. He lies down in front of her, eyes peering into hers. His next words were like boulders being dropped on her head.
>
>
> There was no such thing as a Pikachu. He was not a Pikachu. No Pikachu she's ever met was a Pikachu.
>
> She was not a Pikachu.
>
>
> Dragon explains to the stunned newbie how Pikachus are a pseudo-species of Pokémon, designed to cater to humans, like a costume for any Pokémon species that could wear it to wear. He, like his ancestors, are different Pokémon in reality, but were born and raised as Pikachus and never discarded the identity. Though that is how many live their lives, disguised Pokémon are supposed to inform their offspring of the truth, which her family failed to do.
>
> Pikapi's head is static. What was she supposed to do with this reveal? She didn't know any better than to be what she was, she didn't feel a stranger inside her body, but if Dragon was right and she was part of some mass-scheme within the Pokémon community..
>
>
> She asks him what she is, but Dragon can't tell her, since born Pikachus play the role of one very well and she's a believable copy. He pets her paw and tries to reassure her that at least she no longer has to feel alone or betrayed, though suggests going back to her pack to confront them about their silence.
>
>
> But it didn't feel right. What he said may very well be true, but how could she know for sure all Pikachus were fake, or more bafflingly, she was fake?
>
>
>
>
>
>

***CHAPTER 14: What's AnoCHUr Day?**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> It's the last day of Pikapi's stay in the hospital. Since the workout instructor paid the bill, she wouldn't be held in custody, though staff had become skeptical anyone would come for her. Nevertheless, Pikapi was a friendly Pokémon who loved getting pampered, and since she arrived at the city wearing a hat, they couldn't assume she came waltzing from the forest and had to let her go.
>
>
> Pikapi's released out on the streets. Besides a neglectable limp, she had healed up nicely and was ready to make her next move. But what that was going to be, she hadn't figured out. She had all the time for it, but there were so many uncertainties still.
>
>
> It made the most sense to go home and hear what everyone had to say, which meant she had to find Ichuu, since she couldn't possibly find her way back without him. But the idea that she wasn't what she felt in her heart, brain, and soul to be, that didn't sit right with her.. At the same time, she was embarrassingly unlearned. There were so many facts of the world she never heard of and Pokémon she'd never seen, was it implausible to believe she identified with a Pokémon she's still unfamiliar with and attributed that feeling to being a Pikachu? Biyu was the best person to ask these kind of questions to. If there was anything off about her, he was sure to know what Pokémon she was in truth. But, wasn't this a question her own parents could answer for her as well? Could she trust them to be honest with her this time?
>
> The same questions and worries just kept piling up again, it made Pikapi crave for the hospital's morphine, but that was probably her newfound addiction talking. Lol.
>
>
> A familiar face then greets her at the door. It was of course the self-admitted fake and cause of her headache, Dragon.
>
> He asks if she's about to head off and what the plan is going to be, but she admits not to know. That surprises him and he repeats the best thing to do would to go back home, which sounds sensible as she hears the suggestion again, yet her worry remains they will make up another lie for whatever reason still unclear.
>
> She then faces Dragon to ask if she looks like a Zoroark to him. He glances over every detail of her face, but concludes she looks too soft for even the common Pikachu to be a Zoroark in disguise. He doesn't suspect she's anything too complicated; and likely a Ditto. He asks her to look at another Pokémon and see if she can transform into them, until reminding himself she has no battle experience and probably can't even perform a move that's normally ingrained into her species. It's all conveniently inconvenient.
>
>
> After Pikapi's failed attempt to turn herself into a passing old man, she looks around, trying to determine what direction to go first, but now she's by herself again, these big busy streets intimidate her. Dragon steps closer and grabs something from behind his back, though drops it when his tail lets go of it too early. He wasn't sure if he'd go through with it, but since she hadn't yet left; he collects the courage to hand her her last bouquet of flowers. Pikapi says that not to be necessary and she forgives him, but he says they now symbolize a farewell and good luck. She had no idea mere flowers had the ability to evolve in meaning like this.
>
> She nibbles and eats every last petal. Still horrible. It didn't look like Dragon knew which ones were edible, it was disappointing, but she didn't want to be rude and tell him. Dragon stares at the performance with an indiscernible expression, then stretches out his paw. Now he wanted to greet her? He explains it means the same thing as the flowers, and the repetitiveness of this city's culture made Pikapi worry she'd never get out of here.
>
>
> But she knew how it worked now and also stretches out her paw. Actually, she didn't know. The two kept pointing at each other like a pair of socially inept losers. Dragon turns red and takes the initiative, but doesn't let go of her paw this time. He watches her face with growing determination, then quickly goes in for a kiss. The coward runs off without another word, leaving Pikapi flabbergasted by the unprompted deed.
>
> The two had hung out quite a bit during her sickly days and she knew him longer than Biyu at this point, yet had remained cautious of him. It took her a while to feel safe in his presence. Wild Pokémon had a simple rule of life: if someone nearly kills you, they're to be avoided. When the power difference is this big and your safety been jeopardized, you can never be equals, so him always showing up to casually hang out or bring gifts was contradictory behaviour her little head struggled to make sense out of.
>
>
> Kept Pokémon were so confusing in their mannerisms. They acted much like, well, humans. That must've been the power of the human, besides their regular mind control ability, of course.
>
>
> Since he didn't stick around to explain himself, she figures it's not that deep and his kiss was just another gesture with a double-triple-quadruple meaning. She decides to head back to the park where she last lost Biyu and wait for him there. If he didn't show up before the sun went down, then that would have to function as her sign to face her fears and go home for all her answers. Ichuu somehow always knew where to find her, reuniting him was likely to take less time, though it was going to be real awkward seeing him again after everything.
>
>
> As she approaches the park, the mere sight of it spark bad memories. The damaged patch of grass she once lied had long been taken care of. People and Pokémon were playing; it looked like nothing ever happened. Even if Dragon himself didn't evoke the same degree of anxiety anymore, the park hadn't visited her in the hospital and she didn't like having it in her vision.
>
> She sits down where she believes to have last seen Biyu and waits. And waits. And waits. She was getting hungry. Those flowers were not enough. She waits and waits some more, until the sun turns orange and sinks into the horizon. Perhaps she overdid it, now it was dark and no time to travel or look for Ichuu, but if there was a positive about this long boring day, it'd be that she gave Biyu a chance and could leave without regret. Mostly.
>
> The streets were clearing themselves and lights turned on inside the homes, if they hadn't already, a good indication it was bedtime. Outside the city's border were some hills she needed to cross first, but the trees of the forest were in view, and to go and pick her bed there would give her some much needed exercise after the days of lying around.
>
>
> But before she could take too many steps, a mouth suddenly grabs her in the neck. It felt all too familiar and she flounders under the assumption Ichuu is politely kidnapping her again, but the perpetrator is not that tall and she discovers it's Dragon holding her, back at it again. This city's greetings and goodbyes truly meant nothing.
>
> He asks her not to go. She asks what's the matter, but hesitates to give an honest answer with Pikapi herself not having understood him earlier. He says it's already dark out and invites her to stay and eat at his place. It's a sensible concern and the offer one she immediately accepts.
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***CHAPTER 15: A DangCHUrous Intruder!**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Dragon guides Pikapi through a small door, built into a larger door, leading to the inside of what is his home. Or rather, the home of the humans that own him. It's her first time inside one and she doesn't know where to look or what the purpose could be of most anything lying on the floor or hanging on the walls. The hospital also had stuff lying around, but looked different from this.
>
> Dragon's master and his parents don't greet them as they enter and are sitting in the living room, looking at some kind of magic window. The noise coming from it hurts her ears and the laughing and talking through the laughing and talking from the window makes for an overall stressful entrance.
>
>
> Dragon has her wait under the staircase, where an animal basket lies, and hurries over to the kitched to retrieve his untouched bowl of food. It's placed in front of her and she's begins eating with his permission. He watches her smack away, every one of her movements confirming what he already knew.
>
> He crawls closer and lets her lean against his body. He sees no better time than now to ask if she's considered staying in the city. There's never been a reason to entertain the thought, since she's not looking to be domesticated, but Dragon argues she wouldn't have to change or do much, and already has human appeal. With that, he gets tot the point and proposes living with him. Pikapi is surprised his owner would want her, since she's not tough in behaviour or appearance.
>
>
> When she takes a short break to wash her muzzle and get some scratches in, Dragon pulls in closer to do the grooming for her. It's something she's gotten used to and fully emerges herself in, making Dragon's heart only beat faster when she lays down and raises her dumpling-shaped head to give him access to her neck. There was no greater sign of trust than to show another creature your most vital body part. It pleases Dragon she's no lingering suspicion for him.
>
> He proclaims his strength, her high resistance against fainting, and both their drives to seek self-improvement will produce strong offspring and the best brawler Pikachus no one's ever seen -making her more valuable than she thinks.
>
>
> The unsubtle request to be her mate is picked up on, but though he can't make out what she's thinking, seeing her expression change at all makes him nervous and he quickly gets off to present a more directly benefitial reason to stay. His offer to be her personal trainer grabs her attention, but the idea of having him for an opponent isn't making her jump up and down in excitement. He murmurs his old promise to her still stands and won't be fighting any practise battles against each other, or other Pokémon, as far as he's concerned.
>
> She thanks him for his care. Dragon smiles he won't rush her and she should see her family first, but hopes she'll come back.
>
>
> While Pikapi is considering it in silence, a stare seems to be burning on Dragon's face. He moves his gaze towards the front door, swearing to have seen a Pikachu or something of the sort watching them, but the hallway is empty. That would normally be enough, but Dragon feels something isn't right and excuses himself as he gets up. He slowly walks into the hallway, looking around and trying to listen for movement, but the TV in the nearby living room is loud and makes that impossible. He checks behind the corner of the adjacent rooms, but again, there's nothing to see.
>
> No matter how many times he confirms it for himself, he continues to feel the daggers in his skin and the restlessness won't subdue. He takes a quick glance at Pikapi under the stairs, who doesn't seem to sense anything and is eating peacefully. Was he too cautious or she not cautious enough? He decides not to abort the investigation just yet and checks the front door, but doesn't see any signs of Pokémon having entered. The pet door had a bit of fluff stuck on the flap, but it smelled like him and Pikapi. He fearlessly pokes out his head out to see if the peeping Tom is hiding outside of perhaps just ran off, but there was nothing to see to help draw a conclusion from.
>
>
> When he pulls back in, the door feels less sturdy than before. Upon inspecting it from a different angle, he finally notices: it wasn't making contact with the doorpost. It had been opened. He quickly tries to determine if it was like that already, but it's hard to think with this sudden pressure in the house. This feeling could not be ignored, there was definitely someone present with bad intentions.
>
> He heads back to Pikapi and whispers they need to go. He grabs her in the scruff and hurries upstairs, into the bedroom of his master. She asks if she's not supposed to be here, but Dragon says to suspect there's an intruder and wants her to stay in the room while he scouts the house. Pikapi is impressed by his bravery and confidently wishes him good luck. But the moment he turns his head to offer a reassuring smile, he sees it standing.
>
>
> The evasive yellow figure he swore to have seen lurking in the corner of his eyes.
>
>
> The creature looked disturbing. Off. It was no wonder he doubted himself, this thing barely resembled the Pokémon it was trying to mimic. Dragon faces the beastly Pikachu and grins defiantly, scoffing at its horribly lazy disguise.
>
> Pikapi turns around as well and sees a large Pikachu. Very large, it looked more like a young bear. Its body was bulky, tense, and locked in a hostile stance, its pupils small and hyperfocused on Dragon. Its snarl gave a good view of its enormous fangs, its lower canines alone long enough to one-shot small targets. Despite this, Pikapi sees and smells right away who the deranged intruder is and calls out Ichuu's name.
>
>
> It's concerning news someone like her is acquainted with someone like him and Dragon feels the need to ask what the connection is. Pikapi proclaims he's from her old pack and they don't have to fight each other, though the two males can read each other's intent in their peering eyes and neither one relaxes.
>
> Pikapi looks back and forth, thinking they didn't pay attention, so vouches for both Dragon and Ichuu again, but it's like a cold breeze is blowing through the room and both keep staring, motionless. Figuring Dragon's taking offense to having an unapproved stranger in his territory, she wants to break the uncomfortable stand-off by asking Ichuu to leave, but when she turns to speak to him, Dragon urges her to come back to his side.
>
>
> He advises Ichuu not to try anything inside the house and they take care of this outside, but he shows no inkling of caring to do so. Dragon asks Pikapi again to come his way, but it's not many steps she's willing to take. He decides to approach her instead, but the second he moves his leg, Ichuu pounces.
>
> Pikapi hurriedly runs from the commotion, but the room is small and there's no one safe space to hide from the sudden madness. Furniture is damaged, Pikachu screeches and less familiar bellows fill the once dead air; it's an unhinged battle between two powerhouses that rumbles the whole house and catches the attention of the family sitting in the living room downstairs. Dragon wants to keep the damage minimal and repeats they should go outside, but receives no answer or cooperation.
>
>
> Pikapi runs to hide behind a drawer near the door. This was not a competitive battle or like anything she witnessed in the wild. They were like rabies-infested dogs, there was no forethought or grace in their movements, they bit, swiped, and jumped whenever there was an opening for it. Ichuu's landings are heavy, he wished to crush Dragon to death, unless his unrelenting jaws get to him first, while Dragon is the more learned fighter of the two and tries to get some electric attacks in. But it's hard to put real force into it with all the evading he has to do, and Ichuu proves to have tremendous stamina and won't slow down.
>
>
> Ichuu was upset for a reason Pikapi could not understand, and Dragon locked eyes with him already feeling angry, making just as little sense to her. With where their minds are at, she doesn't think there's any point in reasoning with them and just wants to leave, but when the humans show up to witness the commotion, the doorway is blocked. They spook her and she picks the destroyed bed as her new hiding spot, while the parents shriek at the sight of the wild animal in their home and run downstairs to call the police. Their son thinks it's cool and cheers Dragon on, then disappears to find some Poké Balls.
>
> Dragon is commanded to keep Ichuu busy, drastically changing matters and no longer giving him the pass to kill. Even so, the battle junkie smiles at the challenge, finally, after so many easy wins in the past. Understanding to be on a timer, Ichuu tries to get to Pikapi and make an escape, the one thing Dragon can't smile about and tries to intercept with all his might.
>
> Pikapi wants none of the attention and squeaks in fear, but Ichuu remains blind and deaf for her discomfort and it only really affects Dragon's performance. Ichuu gets a bite in and the first drops of blood hit the floor.
>
>
> Dragon's owner shows up again with balls in hand and throws one at Ichuu. It does not capture him, so he throws again. Not having access to the full stash in his bedroom, he can only use these few and asks Dragon if he's weakened him at all. He doesn't get a reassuring answer back. A ball is thrown again, but none of the attempts even hinder Ichuu.
>
> An officer then shows up with two Houndooms, but the one at the forefront is swiftly grabbed in the face and smashed onto the floor. The other one stops in its tracks and watches Ichuu with hesitation, not confident it can make a difference by itself. To see a Pikachu look and act this way makes the officer worry Ichuu is diseased and she'll have to use her gun, but with two innocent Pokémon nearby, isn't eager to draw her pistol just yet.
>
>
> But after this crushing defeat of her Houndoom, there's nothing. Suddenly, all is quiet.
>
>
> Everyone looks at each other. It was a nerve-racking silence, eventually broken by Ichuu, who turns around. Dragon keeps his eyes on him as he moseys off to the window and jumps through, whereafter the officer hurries over to administer a potion to her Houndoom, then hands Dragon's owner some. Pikapi did not stay unharmed, and though the boy doesn't care to tend to her, Dragon is persistant and she finally experiences a basic level of kindness from him. This human really didn't like her. She just didn't look cool and he clearly thought she was beneath Dragon. But Dragon knew why the angry giant started rampaging and didn't want anyone to know the reason, so had to make sure that having Pikapi around was not a request, but his demand to his owner if he wished to continue making use of his strength. After all, Ichuu fled the battle, so Pikapi was his. Those were the rules.
>
>
> ..But, did she even know she was now his wife? Admittedly, the encounter was not your common sparring match for dominance, territory, or a lover's attention, so it likely hadn't hit her they were quarreling over her. Ichuu was going for the kill and these intentions were palpable to everyone in the room.
>
> He starts to groom Pikapi in an attempt to calm her, but it's not quite effective this time.
> zo
> No, she had no idea what just happened. She would've been in his arms otherwise. She could not be his wife. Not yet.
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***CHAPTER 16: Old Chapters to Review! What's With Ichuu the Pikachu?**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> "Team organizations" were a bother all around the world, but Team Rocket was by far the most persistent. They survived, because they had no world-shattering end goals that directly threatened humanity, whether it be their existence or way of living. The company was built around collecting the strongest and rarest of creatures to help spread their influence and wealth, so really, their dreams and work ethics were the same as that of the common Pokémon trainer, but amped up and with less empathy involved.
>
> They were an unchallenged mob, because people only fought them off whenever their grunts got a little too bold and *their* Pokémon became the victim. Because that's how humans were. They only cared if something affected them directly.
>
>
> It was not the first time Ichuu had been captured by Team Rocket. He was a wanted Pokémon in general, but, not because anyone thought he was cute. If he had to believe some of the Pokémon merchandise being sold in stores, humans thought he was, and yet, he never met a single one who lovingly looked at him or expressed as much. Maybe it's the toys that were cute, not the actual creature.
>
> Snorlaxes were captured and trained to fight, meant to perform labour, not to lie on a warm blanket in front of a cosy fireplace. In fact, most of his kind were seen as a bother; always blocking important roads, overeating and disturbing biosystems, called fat and lazy in official documents, and the truth of the matter was that if taking care of you was a chore, humans considered you less valuable by default.
>
> Kept Snorlaxes were rarely "kept". They sat in their Poké Balls for weeks on end, and only came out if their master was in need of their strength. That's fine if they're excused with a full stomach, but a full stomach forced them to sleep and thus didn't make them useful. The amount of food Snorlaxes need until they can sleep again made for an expensive grocery bill, so it's to be expected that an owned Snorlax was an underfed Snorlax.
>
> Luckily they had a low catch rate and most of them roamed free, but there was no winning this, because as a wild Snorlax, you were either a pest or a joke. The amount of times he woke up and found children or Pokémon using him as a bouncy house was truthfully humiliating.
>
>
> Free or captured, Ichuu knew both sides well, because before Team Rocket plagued him, there was her. His owner.
>
>
> She managed to get the sneak on him when he was young and unattentive, though the Poké Ball she purchased might've done most of the work. She paid to win, basically.
>
> She was a rough-handed trainer, an absolute drill sergeant who showed him no patience, nor learned him to think and control himself in battle. Whoever she wanted to use him on, she wanted them dead.
>
> She ended up giving him to an old lady he learned was her mother, a generous woman he hoped to have a normal, comfortable life with.. but that wasn't possible. She ate like a mouse, only having one pack of rice cakes and a case of cheese available in her kitchen at all times. The rest of the day, she drank tea. It was highly concerning, not just for her, but also for mountainous monsters that needed to eat a small horse every day to function.
>
> It was surprising to end up in the appartment of an elderly woman after the kind of training he went through, but clearly, he wasn't there to be her pet, but her bodyguard. The area had some shady people walking around, people he soon came to learn were undercover Team Rocketeers. They had made her home city their base of operation and lived there, just so they could routinely scam tourists and residents. The authorities were so inept at catching these daylight crooks, it made him wonder if they'd been paid off.
>
>
> But he didn't see how any of it was his problem. His new life had no appeal and the wild was calling for him, but Pokémon are at the mercy of the person in possession of their Poké Ball, so Ichuu stayed and played the role of guard dog as requested. Worse yet, Pokémon are at the mercy of their biology as well and he couldn't stop himself from collapsing into a deep slumber at times he was supposed to guard his new owner. Which was all the time.
>
> Exhaustion surpassed his hunger and he just couldn't stay awake, leading to a tiresome, repetitive existence of getting kidnapped by Rocket thieves, waking up in some cage, and having to stumble back to the house. Nothing attracted criminals more than strong Pokémon to potentially steal; things for the old lady were ironically made worse by him being there.
>
> Her daughter would show up to scold him, forcing him to do better, but, it was never enough. He had to be better than better. And that was still not enough.
>
>
> The old lady needed a professional caretaker, not an animal guard she couldn't even care for. She was surprisingly mobile for her age, but often forgot he existed. She would stare at him for minutes as they sat in the living room, right after giving him a sad plate of cheese, and believe he was a giant stuffed animal. An ugly stuffed animal, she would murmur to herself.
>
> Ichuu felt like a necessary evil to this woman, though she never spoke her mind about him as a "person". At least not in his face. Perhaps that's difficult to do when you're thought to be an object most of the time. Depressingly, he was the only thing that reminded her of her daughter. She'd look at him and complain about how she's always given weird presents she never asked for, but when her actual daughter stood in the room, she needed to be reminded of her name.
>
>
> To say the humans failed to impress him was an understatement. Team Rocket, his home, his capturers, they got on his nerves. He felt so lonely amongst these people. So tired. He was a glorified security system, running on cheese slices and water, if he was lucky enough to be recognized as a living being that day. Whenever he was allowed to close his eyes, his dreams would show him the life he was already living. He lost the passion and creativity to dream about a better place. He'd open his eyes and see the same image. It became impossible to say if he had slept at all.
>
>
> Occasionally, he and the old lady headed outside for a walk. The sun and fresh air were a blessing, but the exposure to other Pokémon, all infinite times more happy and better off, stung him greatly. They were loved.
>
> He didn't care to figure out the reason for it at first, because there's not always a reason for why someone has it worse than others, but there was a pattern. And when she took him to another city, there was a pattern. Then they visited another. And another. Then they explored a different region. He was lucky his owner took her daughter's advice and used her borrowed time to go on all these trips, because they opened Ichuu's eyes to what he knew now.
>
> Pokémon like him are not wanted for love. Humans have a preference for size and want fluffy, big eyes, and high-pitched cries. Anything else has the potential of being a threat to them. They'd catch a Teddiursa and wouldn't evolve it, because taking care of their bigger, less huggable evolution is just a bother. Ursarings were given a familiar fate of wasting away inside their ball until needed.
>
>
> Ichuu envied these "lapdogs". It's not like he wanted the approval of humans, but the idea of ridding himself of this face and body that's never benefitted him, to be but a small unsuspecting critter, there was an appeal to that. He wished he could run away and know what it was like.
>
>
> He wished he could run away..
>
>
> Ichuu opens his eyes. So tired. He would've liked to nap a bit longer, but had a long road to traverse still and needed to fix himself up before seeing Pikapi again.
>
> This was the second time he had to break out of his disguise and it was such a risk doing it, because there was no certainty he'd reinstate it in time, if ever. He was still his bulky self and feeling awfully on edge about it. He gets up, and with every step, some kind of move is initiated. Sometimes destructive, sometimes defensive, sometimes buffing his stats, sometimes doing nothing at all. Metronome was an ability with potential, but the results could not be controlled. He taught it to himself to gain access to the otherwise unobtainable power he wanted and needed: Transform.
>
> He takes another step, activate, and another, activate. It drained a tremendous amount of energy, but he did not want Pikapi to see him like this. It had to happen today.
>
>
> A familiar city enters his view. It sours his already declining mood, but he knew it was about time to visit *her* again, anyway. He was exhausted, but there was a good chance Pikapi was hiding out here, making it unwise not to stop. She kept heading for human establishments, he couldn't guess why.
>
> Ichuu aborts his Metronome gamble run and drags his heavy feet down the hill, towards the city, his old place of residence. Or really, still his place of residence.
>
>
> There's no true freedom for captured Pokémon, unless their owner wills it and/or their Poké Ball is destroyed. The latter was not that easy, as he found out. There were special instances for that purpose, with machines that knew exactly how to disassemble a ball, but that couldn't be done without a signed form from the trainer.
>
> Ichuu couldn't stay with his owner. He couldn't. He had to go, so could only do the next best thing, which was getting an actual stuffed animal and placing it in her living room. Surely, the kindergarten he took it from wouldn't miss it, the kids preferred the Pikachu and Eevee toys, anyway.
>
> And he was right. They didn't miss it, and his owner did not miss him. The only ones who missed him were the Rocket thieves, who realized their prize had fled and stopped coming over. The old woman had never been more safe. He needed to visit her about once a month to appear alive, especially in front of her daughter, but that was about it. Her mind and body had withered, there were no more city trips to take, both her and his stuffed doppelganger were finally living their best lives.
>
>
> He enters the appartment, where the big beanbag Snorlax greets him like always. He heads over to the answering machine, full of voicemails, and goes through every one of them. The daughter always visited in the last week of the month, but never the same day. That information she communicated through the phone, but since her mother was often asleep, she'd leave a message.
>
> She had a stern, unpleasant voice. He hated hearing her talk, but he had to do this, every month, so he knew what to expect.
>
>
> She communicates wanting to visit at noon today. He was lucky to be where he was, despite the many distractions of the past few days. He picks up the fake Snorlax and puts it away in the old lady's closet. She's present in the room, but predictably out of it. Even if she were to catch him in the act, she'd likely be unable to see or guess what's going on.
>
> Just in time, the doorbell rings. The daughter had the key, but it was more or less to awaken and warn her mother she arrived. Even so, she hated having to dig it out and preferred Ichuu played doorman. It saved him getting snarled at, so like always, he heads for the door.
>
> She gets to business and commands he helps her do groceries for her mother. Without a word, without a smile, without hesitation, he follows her outside.
>
>
> Snorlaxes were a liability and there were few to no establishments that allowed them entrance. She had to go inside by herself, while he carried and guarded her purchases outside. Being with her was mind-numbing, he could only count the seconds and pray she'd leave after all this.
>
> And of course she didn't. Ichuu hadn't noticed the difference, but the old lady was suddenly hanging on a thread, and thus, her daughter couldn't leave her side. This was the worst time for it to happen.
>
>
> Days keep passing, Ichuu is a prisoner of the stuffy city appartment once again. A child caring for her mother -it would've been a touching, emotional development if he could stand these people. The daughter made for bad company and was always short-fused or negligent. He had to assist her with whatever his large stubby paws could manage, meanwhile, no one remembered to feed him.
>
> Finally, a doctor visits to check on her, but it's nothing that can be helped. The verdict that her mother is old and her brain injury not fixable isn't one she cares to hear and the man is shoved back out the door.
>
> Silence then returns to the house and she sits down on her mother's chair, her eyes moving over at Ichuu in the corner, who she stationed there.
>
>
> That classic, disinterested Snorlax face, she never liked how unexpressive Ichuu was, but this time it angered her greatly. She begins to bark him down over his presumed sociopathic behaviour around her dying mother. Ichuu continues to stand there. No sound or movement was going to de-escalate what was coming up next, he knew what time it was. She gets up and walks towards him with a closed fist. She punches his face, then looks at him. That same look, the closed eyes, his neutral mouth, it did not disappear.
>
> She strikes him again, and again, once more, then starts using both hands and lets loose. Ichuu cowers.
>
>
> Few Pokémon attacks hurt him, but her fists travelled through every muscle. He had barely left his Munchlax days behind when he was captured, and those fists became a routine in what would be the last weeks of his childhood. Those tiny hands, he wished he was stronger than them, and her scathing words, he wished he never knew the human language at all.
>
> It was pointless abuse he could not escape, because she owned him. Poké Balls were being advertised as tools of friendship; the only method a Pokémon's loyalty could be earned, but they shackled his mind and body to this unbearable woman. This unbearable family.
>
> It wasn't his fault burglars attacked her mother. It wasn't his fault she couldn't be cured. He didn't ask to be caught or born with this face. He did everything they asked of him.
>
>
> Ichuu lies down and waits. These were always the longest minutes of his life. When every one of her limbs has visited his body, she walks off to her mother's bedroom and slams the door. It's finally quiet again.
>
>
> It takes many more days for the mother to improve, but it was clearly another extension of the inevitable. Ichuu worried what would happen to him when she passed away, doubting he'd be set free after all the time that was put in training him, even if his trainer had this violent, misplaced disdain for him and would rather see him go. He needed to figure out what to do. He needed to be free. He wanted to be a Pikachu and just be free.
>
>
> More days pass until his trainer feels her mother can be left in Ichuu's care once again. It was ridiculous *he* was expected to play nurse; a literal animal she caught in the wild not even a year ago. Apparently his Poké Ball was worth the money, but not hiring an at-home aid. It made him wonder if her mother didn't like being around people. Her daughter has always been her only company and she wasn't that talkative, either.
>
> But this situation did not change his original plan of finding Pikapi. The pack was still waiting for him and there was much to tell her. His long absense was a shame, but he hoped it softened her up some more and there'd be no arguments or disruptions this time. There was no point in collecting her if he couldn't do so peacefully.
>
>
> He heads outside. The sun was setting, but no chance was he going to stay the night here. He doubted Pikapi was in the city anymore, anyway. It was time t pick up the pace and go.
>
>
> In the distance, he spots a Pikachu standing on a rooftop, staring at something. It's far away, but Ichuu notices long strands of fur on places Pikachus normally do not. Looked like this Pokémon took some liberties with its disguise. If he had the talent, he would've made himself even cuter, but he couldn't even get the size right. Ichuu stares at himself in the window of a closed shop. He had to change back soon, otherwise Pikapi wouldn't even recognize him.
>
> He continues his sluggish walk as the distant stranger suddenly hurries down to the ground. By the time it returns, it's walking the streets with another Pikachu, wearing a little hat, in a shape he liked. He wondered.
>
>
> The two disappeared in a flash, but if it was Pikapi, he should be able to pick up her scent. It takes a while to find her suspected hideout: a small house with a convenient pet door. Just too small for him the way he was now.
>
> A bit of fur sits on the flap. He grabs some to smell, but the look and feel of Pikapi's hair was familiar to him and holding it was all he needed to do to know she'd at the very least visited this house. He gently pushes the flap open with his large claw. Hunching down was a chore, but he confirmed two Pikachu tails to be poking out from behind a staircase across the hallway. Pikapi was still here.
>
> One of them then seemingly lies down, followed by the other. It was a bit maddening how much the stairs blocked his view, but at the very least he could deduce heads were moving and the two appeared comfortable. Why was she here and who was this Pokémon? This was a different male who had plucked her off the streets, not the rag ghost, who was nowhere in sight.
>
>
>
> He needed to see what was going on.
>
> That feeling from last time started bubbling up.
>
> That anger, that filthy burst of negativity.
>
>
> His body starts tensing up. He wanted to pace around, but he'd just make too much noise, he wanted to grumble and groan, but he'd just make too much sound. He had to stand there, powerless, and let these two do whatever they were doing, because he was useless. His body was useless, his face was useless, he had to change back now.
>
> Ichuu gets on all fours and casts Metronome. If he rolls wrong, it could destroy the entire block in the worst case scenario. But his heart was racing and he urged it -urged himself- to just do it.
>
>
> The light disperses and he briefly looks at himself. It wasn't perfect, but his fur was yellow, it had to do. He was still too big for the pet entrance, so silently opens the front door and slips inside. A little change in perspective did wonders and he was given a better look of the two love birds under the stairs. This stranger was curled around her like a snake, grooming her, without shame, as if they've known each other for years..!
>
> Ichuu can't get his eyes off of the spectacle, but knows he has to move if he doesn't want to be spotted. The stranger had gotten suspicious and was now looking around for him.
>
>
> He tiptoes up the stairs with a delicacy that's hard to perform for someone his weight, but the roaring volume of the TV made even the creaking of the stairs inaudible to the Pikachus stationed right beside it. This family must've had hearing problems, the noise was stress-inducing.
>
> There are multiple rooms to hide inside, but with one of them being a young boy's, filled with Pokémon merchandise, it had to be the room of Pikapi's new friend's owner and it was likely they'd go here eventually.
>
> But eventually comes now, and the two enter with haste. He hears the stranger talk about going back to check the whole house, the right opportunity to snatch Pikapi away in the meantime, but.. he couldn't. This "Dragon" was way too protective over her. Way too snuggly, way too assertive, way too involved. Seeing his face, hearing his confident tone of voice, he couldn't stand it. Pikapi entrusting herself with him, he couldn't stand it. It should've been him.
>
>
> He steps into view, behind Pikapi. If the stranger was going to run off without seeing him, so be it, but he hoped, so dearly hoped, he'd turn around one more time to look at her. He was not the kind of coward to beat an unsuspecting rival in the head. He dared him to look at her again.
>
>
> Pikapi -always sweet, supportive, and oblivious- wishes Dragon good luck. His head starts turning. Ichuu's eyes ready themselves to meet his and lock him in place.
>
> He's finally acknowledged and Dragon's smile fades. They look at each other, seemingly forever. Pikapi starts talking, but her words are inaudible. Dragon starts talking, but his words are inaudible. Their words are not important, it's movement Ichuu's waiting for. The stranger had to move sooner or later, and depending on the direction of his step, he'd come to regret it or live to steal another Pokémon's girl.
>
>
> Dragon raises his front paw. Wrong choice.
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> Ichuu lunges at him. Everything becomes blurry, except for his target. Dragon was a young man, probably younger than him, with commendable speed and strength that could probably take out a Charizard. Dragon was active, social, more appealing than him in every way -the kind of Pikachu most females would definitely pursue. So why did it have to be Pikapi, if he can have any girl of his choice. This stranger had everything. Strength, good looks, a warm home, the love of its residents, so why *his* Pikapi.
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> Ichuu goes for the head, but Dragon keeps evading every one of his death blows. Dragon's own attacks didn't do much, either, he was barely keeping up, though it didn't affect his arrogant attitute. His look of confidence wasn't fading, he almost seemed to enjoy the fight. It angered Ichuu even more. If this was a game to him, then Pikapi surely was too.
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> Humans show up to check out the ruckus, one of them proclaiming to want Ichuu. Though he knows no ball can capture him as an already owned Pokémon, the boy's parents calling the police reduces the time he has to kill Dragon and get Pikapi. He looks at her and settles on doing a grab-and-run, but Dragon wishes to stop it, allowing Ichuu to sink his long teeth into his shoulder with a nasty crunch. Even so, Dragon doesn't stumble for long and ignores the pain to play the hero some more.
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> His owner returns with Poké Balls in hand, but naturally, every one of them spit Ichuu out the second they make contact. To add onto the commotion, a police officer shows up with two Pokémon of her own, who wish to apprehend him, but all the distraction only gets on Ichuu's nerves more. He gets on his hind legs and grabs one of the Houndoom's faces, then smashes it onto the floor. The other Houndoom stops in its tracks and is visibly nervous seeing its high level partner not moving anymore. Pikachus are inferior Pokémon compared to them, it was an concerning sign, if Ichuu's terrible appearance wasn't already. He looked like a bad parody of a Pikachu.
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> With no one laying hands on him anymore, Ichuu is given time to examine his surroundings. He looks back at Dragon, Pikapi sitting behind him in the distance. Sitting at Dragon's side. Everyone was looking at him, with big, unblinking eyes.
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> He forgot.. what he was trying to achieve. The moment of silence allows for Ichuu to reclaim some of his sanity, and he browses the pointless damage he has caused. And there was nothing to show for it. These last few minutes consisted out of repetitive, mindless violence, there was no possible satisfying development to gain by continuing. Pikapi was watching him with distrusting eyes. He made a fool out of himself. He didn't come for this, but he just lost it. When he saw them, he just lost it.
>
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> Dragon keeps his eyes on Ichuu as he moseys off to the window and jumps through. Though it brought him some excitement, even he knew not to provoke a monster if it endangers others. That was it, wasn't it? The stranger was the hero, he the monster.
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> Outside, Ichuu shakes off the glass and continues to walk. Unhurried, but this time because there was nothing to go back home to.
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***CHAPTER 17: ...**
 (Click "Expand" to read)>*

> Pikapi and Dragon are back under the stairs. His owner's room was out of commission and the boy had to sleep with his parents, yet was the only one in the house undisturbed by Ichuu's rampage. For him, it was a new dream to pursue, though Dragon didn't like the idea of one day sharing his space with this beast who had death written in his eyes.
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> Pikapi can't sleep, no matter how much he tries to console her. He assures he's a light sleeper and will look after her, though now that he knows Ichuu is from her old pack, adds it might be better if she didn't return home and stayed with him.
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> Surprisingly, Pikapi expresses not to recognize Ichuu in today's intruder and wonders if it was him. She's not entirely discouraged from going home. Dragon can only respect her decision and offer his services as her protector on the journey, which she sees no reason to decline. She asks if his human won't miss him, but he claims it's not unusual for him to run off by himself and she is his priority.
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> Early the next morning, they head off into the forest. Pikapi expects Ichuu, the real one, to show up and guide her back home and has no plan B in place in case that doesn't happen. Dragon doesn't mind entertaining the thoughtless plan, knowing he'll be able to bring her back.
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> He follows behind, watching every step she takes. Since winning yesterday's fight, his eyes have been glued onto her. He already considered her his wife, but those feelings were not being returned, so she had no loyalty towards him and anyone could steal her away at any moment. He wanted to make sure she stayed safe, and stayed his.
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> The pair walk around for a long time, but with no clear direction. She didn't actually know the way back and tried to stay in the area so she could be found. The only ones that found her were other Pokémon, some that saw a snack in her, but that's what Dragon was for. The predators were no match, regarless of their species or size. He'd smile at her after every defeat, but none of it brought forth any romantic glares from Pikapi. Any other female would've swooned upon earning his protection, but, perhaps, she just wasn't in the right state of mind. It hurt, but he understood she'd gone through alot and had unfinished business to take care of. He hoped today would end in failure and he could take her back home.
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> *<under construction>*
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## Characters

### Pikapi

Pikapi is the main character.

She's a young Pikachu who quickly found herself pushed into adulthood, believing everyone she's ever known to either be dead or have never been real. As her own appearance is unusual and she doesn't remember ever hatching from an egg or being a Pichu, she enters an identity crisis and isn't sure who to trust with her many questions.

She's lived a pampered life amongst her old community and wasn't taught the most basic of things needed for a wild Pokémon to survive. She has never used a move or seen an electric attack in action, with her pack always having been physical fighters in the face of danger.

While she was given all she needed and the same trend continues on whenever she meets a new friend, the idea of learning something new excites her and she eagerly wants to be independent, even if finding herself a new pack to rely on is her end goal.

Because she's attracted the care and attention of multiple "Pikachus" throughout her brief journey, Dragon wondered if she possessed some kind of charm ability, yet would come to discover she has no passive abilities at all.

The many oddities lead to the reveal Pikapi is the last real Pikachu, which science once acknowledged to exist, until the mistranslated Ditto transformations were deemed the correct representation. Just like what happened to her mother, records of Pikapi's kind were deemed faulty and quickly deleted. The Pikachu race has been completely replaced by fakes, treated as legitimate, since they've become the majority and their DNA confirms what they claim to be.

Pikapi is notably plump for her kind, has brown hands and feet, and a light patch on her stomach. Another feature that makes her stand out is her tail, of which the tip isn't heart-shaped, even though she's female.

### Pipichu

Pipichu, usually called "Pipi" (*pronounced: "Pip-pee"*) by her surroundings, is Pikapi's mother. She's a Dedenne who uses simple "cosmetics" to alter her features and make her look more like a Raichu. It's later revealed she's a Mew wearing a double disguise, though she has a noticeably off appearance that explains why Pikapi looks the way she does.

She's a few million years old and a primitive variant of the already primitive Mew, making her valuable, though humanity does not acknowledge her existence. She doesn't like her disturbing appearance compared to the "modern" Mews roaming Earth in present time, and recognizes many people and Pokémon prefer them as well. Because ancient artwork and modern evidence present the image of these Mews, researchers quickly guessed to be wrong about the initial findings that presented Pipichu as the correct portrayal of the species. These records were deemed a mistake and discarded of.

The other Mews have teased her about her appearance, and though they meant it playfully, it pushed Pipichu to never transform back. Since she ironically can't turn herself into a modern Mew, she chooses regular Pokémon that are deemed cute and fully adapts their behaviour. She's lived among many different communities throughout the years and even acted as the unsuspicious pet of trainers, who she had to abandon around the time her species of choice would die of old age.

Her real name is "Memewoo", with her pseudonyms always being some kind of alteration of that, fitting the species of Pokémon she adapted.

*<under construction>*

### Kaa

Kaa is Pikapi's father. He's a Zoroark, disguised as a Raichu.

Unlike Pipichu, he isn't her biological parent and just took on the role, though his appearance is fully copied from the father, who is deceased.

*<under construction>*

### Ichuu

Ichuu is a Snorlax, disguised as a Pikachu.

Thanks to his ability, "Metronome", he's theoretically able to call upon the power of transformation, which he used to give himself the form of a Pikachu. Since Metronome calls upon most if not all powers that exist, though, to abandon his form comes with the risk of not reinstating his disguise in a timely manner.

He's the only Snorlax in Pikapi's group and very much acts like one. He's often seen sleeping or stuffing his face with more food than his body can take, but unlike what one may think, his true physique is well-hidden inside his Pikachu shell.

He is very strong, notably heavy in terms of weight, and tends not to get fazed by any kind of danger.

He's fond of Pikapi, but because of his personality and habit of sleeping all the time, he doesn't express it properly and hasn't engaged much with the more active Pikapi when she was still part of the pack. As she's always been the only person he cared to wake up for or stop eating, though, the others always assumed he liked her romantically, despite Snorlaxes having no natural attraction to Pikachus.

While the others remain hesitant to approach Pikapi, since she ran away after learning the truth about them, he ignores this and tries to bring her back home like the reveal doesn't or shouldn't matter.

He distrusts Biyu and his kindness towards Pikapi, as it isn't not common for a species that feels envy -if not jealousy- for Pikachus. He thinks his interest in her is for the purpose of turning her into a vessel.

Ichuu has the general appearance of a Pikachu, but with drowsy eyes, fairly big fangs, and large in size. He's the biggest member of the group, even surpassing the few Raichus living among them, though not necessarily the fattest, at least relative to his overall size.

It's implied he hasn't used a real Pikachu as a reference, but created his body from memory, explaining the discrepancies above. After having been caught by Team Rocket, he had to break out of his transformation again in order to escape, and when his Metronome finally hits the right move again, his appearance looks even less accurate and rather unsettling.

*<under construction>*

### Biyu

Biyu is a Mimikyu.

He's a Pikachu lover and wants to be one with sincerity. He's studied up on them the best he could as a wild Pokémon and is well-informed on the situation plaguing Pikachus. He's fascinated by Pikapi's existence, though also thinks she's extremely cute. Since she's such a rarity, he figured on aiding her on her personal quest and keeping her safe.

His costume looks better than that of the common Mimikyu, though it's clearly still a costume.

*<under construction>*

### Dragonite

Dragonite, nicknamed "Dragon", is a Mew, disguised as a Pikachu.

He plays his role of Pikachu well, and like many Dittos, was born wearing the disguise and had to be told what his true species was and how the Pikachu predicament came to be. Even so, Dragon considers himself a Pikachu and has never transformed back to his supposedly real body, which is a mindset he shares with the vast majority of Pikachus walking the planet today.

Because the role of a Pikachu has been imprinted on him since birth and he has no understanding of his power as a Mew, he's always considered himself an underdog and at the mercy of most other Pokémon, who tend to be way larger, stronger, and more preferred for use in big league battles. He differs from Biyu and doesn't like his kind's reputation as "cute mascots".

He met up with a wannabe trainer who also felt like he had something to prove, though the boy's young age didn't make him very professional or empathetic. It was behaviour Dragon used to mimic and helped him stay motivated to become the best he could be, but after going overboard with it on Pikapi, she became his mirror that showed him he had become a pathetic bully with no mind of his own.

Despite his obsessive drive to success, he's approachable and likes to joke around, though not many care to return the favour after having suffered a violent defeat at his hands. Even so, he has a group of "friends" he meets every week in exercise class he has a non-hostile rivalry with and know how to push his buttons.

Because he shares the same species as her biological mother, he has a strong natural attraction towards Pikapi and he was first to express his feelings for her.

Dragon looks like a normal Pikachu, but with tufts on his head, elbows, knees, and shoulder blades. He's larger than average, but nothing unusual for a Pikachu.

## Trivia

* Pikapi's appearance resembles Pikachu's beta design and its Pokémon Green/Red/Blue in-game sprite.
* Pipichu's appearance resembles Mew's Pokémon Green in-game sprite.
* Everyone's name in Pikapi's pack are uninformed guesses on what a Pikachu's name could be, because none of the members are actual Pikachu and therefore don't know.
* "Biyu" is a homonym of the phrase "be you".
* "Ripulaysuyu" is a homonym of the phrase "replace you".