Dreams floated in and out of Pikachu’s head, replaced often by sheer black nothingness. In his mind he often thought he heard a scream, then silence, then chatter, then silence, and then a jumbled mix of a wave of sounds, all seeming familiar but somehow not.

The voices seemed to be those of the trainers he had grown to love…Ash, his best friend in the world…Misty, his conspirator when something needed to be done to Ash…Brock, the best cook and healer he’d ever known, who’d taken care of more of Pikachu’s boo-boos than a mother ever could. He heard them all swirling inside his head; even the little chirping voice of Togepi, who was more like a little brother, or sister…or whatever it was.

Memories were playing out in front of Pikachu’s closed eyes like a long reel of film, until finally he saw a different face; a soft, yellow face with blue eyes and a bow in her ear. Pichi. It was Pichi Pikachu saw, and she seemed worried about something…no, terrified. Then the Ursaring appeared in Pikachu’s subconscious, and when its ugly tooth filled mouth opened for a scream Pikachu felt himself startled out of sleep and he opened his eyes.

It was morning, somewhere in midmorning and the sun was already out. Pikachu groaned and scanned around with his eyes. He felt terrible. He felt like he had been raked across the face with a giant fork. But then he remembered the previous night, and it all came back to him. The Ursaring had connected with a good Slash Attack, and after that Pikachu could remember nothing. But last he could recall he had been on a hillside. Where was he now, and how had he gotten there?

Then he felt a figure move beside him. Pikachu looked to see the small sleeping form of Pichi, curled beside him, her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder. She was dozing comfortably, and Pikachu realized that she must have saved him from the Pokemon bear.

He did not want to wake her, but it was getting late in the morning and Pikachu knew that if he was not back in camp Ash and Company would be worried sick, and so too would Pichi’s trainer. He gently shook her little body, and almost instantly Pichi’s beautiful eyes fluttered open to the new day.

She yawned wide and smiled at the male Pikachu. "<Hey handsome, did you sleep all right?>"

Pikachu was still too exhausted to respond to her jovial attitude. He looked at her silently for a second or two, met her eyes and then said, "<Thank you…for saving me, that is.>" Pichi grinned and moved closer to him, so they were side by side again. "<Just returning the favor, Thunder-Mouse,>" she giggled, recalling one of the possible nicknames she had thought of for Pikachu. She then grew more serious and as gently as she could she hugged Pikachu close to her. "<You risked a lot to keep that Ursaring away from me. I was scared to death that I might lose you.>"

Pikachu did not look at her face, but at the ground as she spoke. He was taking in the emotion behind her words. There was a deeper meaning there. "<Why?>" He asked. "<Why were you so scared?>"

The little girl Pikachu turned his face towards hers with her paw, gazing into the deep black of his eyes. Hers were as sapphire, twinkling and full of depth like the sky. Her voice became ever softer as she replied, "<Because you’re the sweetest friend I’ve made in a long time. You’re really awesome…and, well, you know,>" she was blushing hard by this point, but she did nothing to hide it. "<I…I lo-->"

Just then she was interrupted by the sound of a human girl, calling from somewhere in the distance. It was Pichi’s trainer Faith, looking for her missing Pokemon. Pikachu stood and prepared to run, not wishing to be seen by the human. Pichi knew he should leave too, but desperately before Pikachu left she looked at him. "Pikachu, I need to see you again tonight. Please, this is very important! I have to tell you something. Please, promise me you’ll come to me tonight."

Looking into her angelic little face, hearing the plea in her voice there was no way that Pikachu could refuse her. He knew that he would pobably be in hot water with Ash if he came back in the middle of the morning like this, but whatever happened he was determined to make it. Something strange in his heart that he had never really felt before made him want to rebel against Ash and the whole thing, and just go his own way.

The yellow Pokemon looked at the soft, prescious girl before him and he said assuredly, "<I’ll make it. I promise.>"

Pichi smiled happily, and then she ran off into the bushes in persuit of the voice of her trainer. Once she was gone, Pikachu slowly, painfully, began to make his way back towards his own camp. He felt miserable physically, but also in his mind there was a tangled mess that he was having a hard time sorting out. Was this right? Should he be having these secretive rendevous? But then again, wasn’t his happiness more important? Or was staying loyal to Ash?

He was very conflicted and confused, and he just wished that he could understand his own heart. But he would return tonight. Ash would have to use Brock’s Onix to Bind him before he would break that promise.

As he raced back towards the camp along the forest trail, Pikachu came across an unexpected sight. There, in the middle of the path, fast asleep, was Misty. She was just lying in the middle of the dirt path, no blanket or anything, looking tired and filthy as though she’d been through a storm.

Instantly Pikachu thought that he could guess what had happened. Misty had come looking for him last night, and when she could not find him she had stopped for a rest and…well, this. He had to give the girl some credit. Misty’s fear of Bug and forest Pokemon was as infamous as Brock’s girl insanity, so for her to come looking for him was a very courageous thing,

Knowing it would get him busted, Pikachu decided to wake the sleeping beauty and go back to camp with her. Gently the mouse Pokemon shook Misty’s big human shoulders until he heard her moan. He backed away, and Misty’s eyelids slowly opened. She cleared the fuzz away and saw the Pikachu standing in front of her with a weak smile on its face.

"Pikachupi?" he asked with a concerned tone. Misty took half a second to register that it was Pikachu talking to her, and then a disapproving frown appeared over her mouth. "Well, so there you are! To think I spent half the night looking for you. Where did you get off to Mister?"

Pikachu sighed. This was going to be hard to explain, especially since Misty didn’t understand Pikachu talk. But he was spared from it when suddenly Misty’s tone turned from one of condemnation to one of worry.

"Oh, Pikachu! What happened to your face!" She picked up the Pokemon and examined his face more carefully. Pikachu could only imagine what the scratches looked like that lined his face. All he knew was that they hurt like heck.

Looking innocent as a baby Pikachu gazed into Misty’s face. "Pi? Pikachu?"

Misty sighed. "You’re not going to tell me are you? Oh, well, you’re safe I guess. Come on, let’s go back to camp. Brock should be able o fix those up pretty easily."

She stood and carried the injured Pokemon in her arms all the way back to camp. As they went she talked to him, and the sweet, caring Misty that everyone prefered resurfaced in her voice.

"I know there must be some times you want to get out on your own Pikachu, but we worry about you when you go out alone in a strange new place. You never know when something might happen to you…like, those scratches for instance. I don’t know what we’d do without you. You’re the most special Pokemon on any of our teams. Ash is the luckiest guy in the world to have you for a friend, and he knows it. He always talks about how special you are, how much great stuff you’re going to do someday…and how much he loves you."

Pikachu’s heart stopped for half a second when she said that. It hit home, because in his heart of hearts Pikachu knew it was true. He had no right to think that Ash was losing interest in him, because in truth there was nothing less true.

"And he’s not the only one," Misty continued, holding him close to her chest. "Brock thinks the world of you, Togepi loves you like a brother, and I love you too." She lifted him a little and gently kissed the top of his head. After that she was silent as she walked back to camp.

Pikachu felt his body shiver in a mix of pleasant emoitons and conflicting ones. Misty cared…she really loved him, even though she had never really shown it before. But thinking of Togepi and how much it looked up to him, and most of all thinking of Ash…his dear Ash…

Pikachu knew that he would return to Pichi tonight. It would probably be the last time, he knew. For better or worse, it would be the last time.

Looking up at Misty before they reached the camp, Pikachu tried his best to explain something to Misty. "Pikachupi, pika pikachu pika pi chu Pikapi."

Although she could not understand individual words beyond "Pikachupi" and "Pikapi", which were Pikachu’s words for her and Ash, Misty thought she could get the gist of it. "You don’t want me to tell Ash about your little nighttime spree, right?"

Pikachu nodded, patting her arm, hoping she could understand. The young girl looked into Pikachu’s eyes, and just in them she could tell more than his words could express. Misty nodded. "Okay Pikachu. Just promise you won’t leave us behind if you do go anywhere. Always come back to us, okay?"

Slowly Pikachu nodded in response. It was a promise.

They entered the camp and saw Ash and Brock nervously talking, until Misty appeared from the trees with Pikachu in her arms.

"Misty!" Ash and Brock said in unison. A weight seemed to lift off of their shouldres. Ash ran over to her, wiping weariness from his eyes. "Where were you? And what happened to Pikachu!" His voice was very concerned for his pal, seeing the red marks across his face.

"Oh, uh, I took Pikachu for an early morning walk and we, uh, got lost along the way. You know I’m no good in forests." Pikachu looked at Misty curiously. She was covering for him. She really was a better friend than he had given her credit for.

Ash seemed to buy that part. "Well, then what’s the deal with Pikachu’s face?"

"Yeah," added Brock. "That’s going to take my strongest Potion to heal you know."

Thinking quickly was a specialty for Misty, who taking only a second thought up a good enough fib. "Well, you see, uh, we ran into a wild Sandslash, uh, and it attacked Pikachu out of the blue. Yeah, that’s it! Before Pikachu could do anything it Slashed him, and you know that Electric types are worthless against ground types. Poor Pikchu got a little bruised up, so it needs that medicine."

Brock looked confused, studying Pikachu’s face. "But there are FOUR cuts there. Sandslash only have two claws. Plus I’ve never read of there being Sandslash in this region of Johto."

Misty could feel a sweatdrop creep down her forehead, and Pikachu wondered how she was going to explain herself out of this one. It had been a good enough cover story, better than he could have thought of anyway, but Brock was a hard cookie.

"Oh, well, you know Brock," Misty stammered, " Yeah, there’s four marks, because, uh, the Sandslash attacked him twice. Yeah, that’s what happened. Do the math! Besides, we’ve seen Pokemon migrate around before, right? Anyway, go get that medicine for Pikachu before I jam a spoonfull of it down your mouth!"

Commander Misty had returned, and Brock dared not upset her further. He went for the medicine. Ash looked relieved to see Pikachu safe, and he took her from Misty’s arms. "Thanks for helping Pikachu, Misty. That was really great of you."

Misty smiled with glowing cheeks, and she put her free arms behind her back. "You’re welcome. Just make him feel better, okay?"

"Will do," Ash smiled, looking at his little yellow friend. Pikachu stared into Ash’s face, saw that clumsy boy he had met, and then the struggling tainer, and finally the expert Pokemon handler he was now. He saw years of memories, good times, hard ones, exciting adventures and pleasant lazy afternoons together. He knew that above all he loved the person he had those adventures with more than the adventures themselves, and finally Pikachu felt a little tear slip out of his eye. He embraced Ash tightly and buried his face in Ash’s jacket.

"Pikapi," he said softly.

Ash stroked his fur lovingly, feeling like a father caring for his beloved young one. But better than that, he felt like a real friend carng for another. He hugged Pikachu back and whispered in his long ear, "I was worried about you buddy. You know I couldn’t go on without you."

Yes, Pikachu knew it well. And neither could he. But there was one last thing that Pikachu had to take care of before he could fully return to Ash. He had to say good-bye to a young, beautiful Pikachu girl and tell her that he would probably never see her again. The young Pokemon’s heart almost broke at the thought, because he truly cared for Pichi.

She had given him a special friend, one of a kind, and for the first time shown Pikachu that he could feel romantically attached to someone. Yes, he knew that he felt those things for her. But he had no choice in the matter. He had to take his road with Ash, and that was the future before him. Would he ever again have the chance to fall in love? Maybe. Would it be with Pichi? Who could say?

If that was where his future led him after his battling days were over, then Pikachu hoped so.

The sky was heavy with gray cloud and there were no stars or moon this night. It was midnight, and the three trainers were in their sleeping bags. Pikachu could hear Brock snoring, and he was confident that they were all alseep. He sat up, looking to the mountains far away, awaiting the lightning signal of Pichi to reveal her location.

Pikachu was sad to think that he would be going to see her to tell her that this was the end, but it was the way it had to be. And then he saw it. A bright flash of lightning arched into the air, and reflexively the yellow rodent hopped on his feet and ran into the bushes.

What he did not know was that this time he was being watched by not one, but two Pokemn trainers as he left. Misty and Ash both had stayed awake, seeing if he would leave again, and when he disappeared they both got up from their sleeping bags at the same time, fully dressed and ready to chase after him.

They were surprised to see each other up, but Ash was the first to speak. "You knew he would run off again, didn’t you?"

Misty sighed. "Yeah, I did. But I don’t know where he’s been going. He saw that lightning bolt and he…well, BOLTED. I think there’s something going on that we should know about. I don’t think Pikachu’s going off to do anything stupid, but it’s still very mysterious. I guess we’ll tail him together."

"Fine with me," Ash said, and he pulled a Pokebal from his belt. Out flashed Noctowl, who was fully awake being a nocternal creature after all. It chirped quietly and spread its wings. "Noctowl, follow that Pikachu!" commanded Ash.

Compliently the bird Pokemon used its psychic powers to locate and fly in the direction of the runaway Pikachu and the lightning bolt. The human trainers ran after it as fast as they could in the dark, trying to be a silent as they could. Misty shivered.

"It’s a lot darker than it was last night. I really hope nothing creepy pops out."

Ash shook his head. "You need some serious therapy. You’ve got bugs on the brain."

Misty growled. "Oh, really? And how would you think of bugs after a baby Ariados had crawled into your bed at age four and scared the living bejeebes out of you?"

The trainers exchanged back and forth all the way. It actually made Misty forget all about the bugs as she fought with Ash, and before long she was outrunning him.

It was not difficult for Pikachu to follow the lightnng bolt straight to the source.

This time the location was different than it had been the night before. Pikachu found himself being led to a tall hill, where on the top was an old ash tree (ahem) that had fallen on its side. The tree reached out over the edge of the hill, where one could look down at the sheer drop below.

As Pikachu neared the tree he saw her sitting on it, continually sending out her signal. If Pichi were to slip she would probably plummet to her death, but the brave little girl sat as steadily on the cliffhanging tree as one would a chair at the dinnertable. Once she saw Pikachu coming she ceased her Thunder Attack, smiled and held her little hands behind her back, concealing something.

Pikachu was not afraid to step out onto the tree, so he hopped onto the cylindrical thing and went close beside Pichi. He sat next to her, smiled a weak smile and said nervously, "<Uh, hi.>"

Pichi wanted to hide it, but she could not keep the fact that she was blushing badly from Pikachu. She had been rehearsing this for hours, and it all came down to this meeting. If she said what she wanted to and got it out right, then she had high hopes that this would not be the last time she would meet Pikachu. She had a deep desire for him to stay, and all she had to do was let her heart talk.

"<Hi there handsome,>" she smiled. "<You’re looking much better. I couldn’t tell if you had been through that fight or not. The scratches are all gone.>"

"<Yeah,>" said Pikachu. "<My trainer’s friend Brock is a miracle worker with Potions. I didn’t feel any pain by this early afternoon.>"

"<Good,>" Pichi said warmly, moving closer to Pikachu. She looked at him directly, keeping direct eye contact even though her heart was beating too rapidly, making her nervous. "<Pikachu, I don’t really know if you understand how much I owe you for what you did for me last night. I don’t know anyone, even on my trainer’s team, who would have taken the risk to rescue me from that. What you did…well, it showed me how much you care. I’ve never really had a lot of friends, and those I have made usually get traded to other Pokemon trainers or go on to better things. It’s been really lonely sometimes, as much as Faith loves me. I’ve been praying every night for just the special friend to come, to show that he cared and to be a real part of my life. I never met that Pokemon…until two nights ago.>"

Pikachu closed his eyes sadly. He knew what she was going to say, and he knew what he would have to say back.

"<Pikachu…I’ve never felt these feelings before, but I know what they are. You make me feel really special, like I’m the most important Pokemon in the world. I want you with me…because I love you.>"

She pulled her hands out from behind her back and revealed a gift for Pikachu, which was a wild pink rose. Pikachu took it tenderly, and he could feel tears slowly well up in his eyes. He looked at Pichi, not knowing what to say, wondering how he could say what he had to say…or wondering if he even had to say them.

The Pokemon girl moved as close as she could, and whispered again,"<I love you…>"

Before Pikachu knew it he saw her lean into his face, and her little lips kissed his cheek softly. It was a slow kiss, as if she never wanted to remove herself from it, but Pichi pulled back and gazed into Pikachu’s eyes. A single tear dropped down from his right eye.

"<Pikachu?>" Pichi caringly inquired. "<Pikachu, what’s wrong?>"

Pikachu held the rose in his hands and stared at it as he spoke. "<I know in my heart that I love you too, but I can’t leave my trainer. Ash isn’t perfect, and neither am I. I am still learning and growing in my journey of life, and I believe the best place to be to grow is with him. I hope you can understand.>"

Pichi hung her head low, her ears drooping. After a moment she sighed and sadly whispered, "<I understand. But will you make me a promise?>"

Pikachu took her hand in his and nodded. "<Yes, I will. Anything.>"

Pichi’s smile returned. She had more hope now. "<Just promise me that you won’t forget me.>" Pikachu smiled back. "<I never could. You’re too wonderful to forget.>"

"<And,>" Pichi added hastily, "<if you ever end your journey or if you and your trainer go separate ways, will you look for me? Will you still love me and come for me then? Even if it’s years away?>"

In his heart of hearts Pikachu knew his answer, and confidently he replied, "<I will. I promise it.>"

Misty had succeeded in reaching the hill first, leaving Ash in the dust far behind. Noctowl helped them locate the exact spot of the Thunder signal once it had died out, and slowly and cautiously Misty sneaked through the trees and bushes to spy out Pikachu. She found him, sitting on a tree with a girl Pikachu.

So that’s it, she thought with a grin. Pikachu found himself a friend.

Keeping out of sight Misty was not detected by the Pikachu, and she could tell that Ash would not catch up with her for a minute or two. He was a real Slowpoke.

As Misty watched the two little creatures, she saw them suddenly embrace. Both had small tears falling from their eyes, and whatever Misty had stumbled onto she could tell it was very emotional for them both.

Although she could not understand it, the human heard the Pikachu softly speak to one another. Pichi sniffed her tears back and said in response to Pikachu’s promise, "<Then I’ll wait for you, and you for me. I guess this is good-bye then.>"

Pikachu felt so saddened. He truly did not want to leave this beautiful creature behind, but he knew it was the right thing for now. Patience and a true heart might eventually reward him and reunite him with this girl, but for now the cute couple would part.

"<Goodbye Pichi,>" Pikachu’s voice was trembling. " Even if we don’t meet again, I’ll always love you. Thank you for being my friend.>"

The girl put her paw through the fur between his ears, and then said, "<You know, when my trainer told her friend that she loved him, she sealed it like this.>" She leaned in for another kiss, but this one fell on Pikachu’s lips. The boy admittedly knew little of romance, but feeling her gentle touch on his mouth was sweeter than anything Pikachu had ever known. His heart felt warm, an exhileration went through his nerves.

Maybe I understand Brock a little beter now, he thought. Real love really was prescious. With that, though they could have easily stayed as they were for the rest of the night, Pichi ended the kiss and smiled at her friend. She didn’t want to go, but she forced herself up and walked to the hilltop. She gave one last glance to Pikachu, said a deep heartfelt "<Goodbye Pikachu,>" and disappeared into the bushes like a spectre.

She was gone.

Pikachu sat in silence for many long moments, pondering what he had gained and lost all in one night. How could it be that he had fallen in love, only to have that love be taken away from him? It seemed cruelly unfair…at first. But Pikachu was a fighter, and he fough for what he believed and what he wanted. He would not give up hope that perhaps one day he would see this love of his again, and just maybe there would be a blessed future for them both.

The electric mouse was startled out of his thoughts as another figure moved out of the bushes towards him. He tensed up, thinking it perhaps a wild Pokemon, but he relaxed to see that it was only Misty. From the look of sadness on her face it seemed evident that the human girl had guessed what had just happened.

"I’m sorry Pikachu," she sympathized. "It must have been hard, saying goodbye to someone you love." Pikachu looked sadly at his feet, the depression of his heart weighing him down. How could he ever be cheery again after this?

Oddly enough it was Misty who would lift his heart again. She picked him up off the edge of the fallen tree and caringly hugged him to her bosom. She patted his head, nuzzled his head, warmed him in her protecive arms. "But it’s like I said before," she continued. "Ash and Brock and I all love you Pikachu. You know we do. So don’t feel too bad. You know we’d do anything for you. I never told this to anyone, but I was jealous of Ash for a long time because he had you. Oh sure, my first love is Water Pokemon, but I thought you were so special and sweet Pikachu that I wanted you all to myself. I really loved you later too for being an uncle to Togepi. You can’t guess how great a gift that is to me."

Pikachu looked her in her beautiful eyes, so full of love and truth. Already he felt a return of those happy feelings, of being accepted, being cared for, being…loved. He had always known it inside, but he had never really heard it from the humans. Now he was assured. They cherished him. He was their family, and they were his.

Like a caring mother, Misty looked Pikachu directly in his eyes, as if to drive home her words, and she said, "Pikachu, will you promise me something? Promise me that when you feel alone or sad because you’ve lost that friend of yours, or if anything else discourages you, please promise me that you’ll remember how much we all love you."

She then whispered in his ear, "Especially me."

Pikachu could feel himself wanting to cry again, but instead he hugged Misty and released all his pain. Misty squeezed him back, kissed his head and then stood up. "Come on. We’d better go find Ash. He’s probably lost like crazy, even with Noctowl. Pikachu, would you like me to tell Ash about…about your friend?"

Pikachu decided it would be best not to mention it. His relationship with Ash and with Pichi were two different matters completely, and he thought it was not necessary to inform the teenage boy of his personal matters. He shook his head in a NO, and Misty nodded. "All right then. I’ll keeep your secret."

They walked down the hill, and just then a gentle rain began to fall. Misty groaned and called out for Ash. The boy appeared after a moment, looking flustered and frustrated.

"There you are!" he scolded Misty. "You ran so far ahead of me that I lost the trail! I had to…Pikachu!" His tone changed upon seeing his friend. "Where were you buddy? Misty, is everythng okay?"

Misty hugged Pikachu comfortably to her chest and smiled as the rain began to soak them all. "Yeah, he just wanted to look for a Berry tree. They’re ripening right now, you know."

The thought of the Berries made Pikachu think of Pichi. He smiled. She loved Berries very much…a good way to rememebr her. The humans were in favor of getting out of the rain, so they speedily made their way back towards the camp. Ash had returned Noctowl to its Pokeball, so going by memory they raced back.

In the morning Pikachu sat in silence as the humans packed up their camp and prepared to leave the forest. It was almost saddening to leave these woods. Pikachu felt that he had come to know them in a special way. They were already full of prescious memories. But it was time to move on.

As he sat miserably by himself, Togepi waddled over and smiled brightly, asking if its best friend Pikachu wanted to play. The baby brought a sunny smile back to the mouse’s face, and Pikachu soon cast aside his own troubles in favor of enjoying time with Togepi. They raced about, picked flowers, did anything fun. The morning passed quickly, and before they knew it Ash announced, "Okay everyone, let’s get going!"

Instinctively Pikachu ran towards Ash and perched himself on the boy’s shoulder.

Ash lovingly smiled at his friend. "Hey pal. Ready to move on? The next gym’s waiting for us."

Pikachu felt a joyful burst of warmth in his soul at the thought. Together with Ash, battling , growing, learning, together, forging their future. That was where Pikachu’s heart lay…at least for now. He knew one thing; he would forever love Ash, and even if the road ended for the two of them he would always cling to that love in his heart.

With a big smile Pikachu exclaimed, "Pi Pikachu!" Ash returned the sentiment. "All right! Let’s go!"

The small group of friends journied on uner the bluest of skies, the most golden of sunshine, and Pikachu took pleasure in smelling the clean air that gently blew into their faces. It felt like the world was beautiful all over again, and that there was something special waiting for him at the end of the road…

DEEP DEPTHS, FAR REACHING HIGH ABOVE

SHINING JEWELS SHOW MY LOVE

THEY SPARKLE WHITE AND PURE

THEIR BEAUTY’S MY ALLURE

BUT YET WITH ALL THEIR SPLENDROUS LIGHT

THEY STILL PALE TO THE SIGHT

OF YOU, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

MY SONG LASTS THROUGH THE NIGHT

BLACK NIGHT IS DEEP AND COLD,

AND THOUGH THE EVE GROW OLD

THE SUN SHALL FILL THE SKY

AND MY HEART WILL FLY

BE THERE WITH ME, FEEL MY LOVE

WE WILL SOAR HIGH ABOVE

AND SHINE LIKE THE SUN

UNTIL ALL TIME IS DONE

FLY NOW WITH ME, SOAR WITH ME

FLY WITH ME…

THE END