Chapter 276: The Bond Between a Veteran Actor and a Photographer
"Tsk tsk, this kind of Pikachu is pretty common in the Kanto Region."
Todd Snap curiously sized up the newly appeared Pikachu before him.
Generally, Pikachu from the Kanto Region have a chubby physique, with heads like large pumpkins, making them short and stout.
But this Pikachu's build was quite well-proportioned, a sturdy physique. Its head, a shape somewhere between round and oval, boasted a somewhat exotic flair.
It was none other than Red's retirement Pikachu.
The moment it appeared, this Round-faced Pikachu landed on all fours, its expression fierce. Extremely dangerous electrical currents shot from its cheeks. In an instant, it had struck a perfect offensive stance, clearly the result of rigorous training.
"Pika!!"
The Round-faced Pikachu let out a loud cry, its eyes flashing as its battle intent soared.
"Let this mouse see who today's opponent is. Is it that molting bird, Ho-Oh, or that featherless one, Lugia?
At the very least, bring on a few Shiny Suicunes to zap!"
An incredibly terrifying imposing might enveloped the entire area, making it difficult to breathe. Even the nearby stream and river grew still.
"Intimidate... A Pikachu with the intimidate ability?!"
Ash and the other two were somewhat prepared, but Todd Snap, encountering this for the first time, couldn't help but stumble back several steps and fall to the ground, his face a mask of astonishment.
But the aura came as quickly as it went. Soon, detecting no enemies, the Round-faced Pikachu lifted its forelimbs, its expression suddenly turning sour.
It leaped onto the high platform in two steps and sat down, propping itself up by placing its small paws on the stone slab behind it. Then it puffed out its belly, crossed its legs in the air, and flashed a grin, looking for all the world like a gangster.
If someone handed it a cigarette right then, it would have perfectly completed the picture.
"Pika!"
The Round-faced Pikachu looked at Ash with some dissatisfaction. It wasn't like that Ordinary Pikachu down there. Even though it was retired, it still wanted to come out for some punching every now and then.
"Ah, this..."
Seeing Todd Snap's dumbfounded expression, Ash quickly explained:
"Haha, this is a legacy from an elder in my family. It's a true veteran actor, you can photograph it without any worries!"
Then he turned to the Round-faced Pikachu and explained:
"No fighting, no fighting. I had to trouble you to come out and be a photography model this time. My Pikachu is too hopeless; it completely loses its composure in front of a camera. You need to set a good example for it."
"Pika?"
"..."
As the Round-faced Pikachu's gaze swept over, Ash's Pikachu remained face down on the ground, holding its feigned death pose, not daring to move an inch.
"Pika!"
The Round-faced Pikachu was instantly enraged. The Electric Mouse tribe were actor Pokémon, yet there was an Electric Mouse who would lose its composure in front of a camera?!
And it was a junior that it held in high regard, no less?
"Pika Pika!!"
It pointed at the camera in Todd Snap's hands, signaling him to hurry up and aim the lens at it, as it was going to teach a proper lesson.
"Ah, oh."
Todd Snap dazedly raised his DSLR camera.
Right, the request for the private commission just said to photograph Ash's Pikachu; photographing this one should count too...
"Whoa..."
And as the lens locked onto the Round-faced Pikachu, something peculiar happened, leaving Ash and the others utterly astonished.
The Pikachu on the high platform began to strike various poses. The interval between each pose was less than half a breath, one after another, the movements fluid and perfectly natural.
If you weren't looking closely, you might have thought it was performing a robot dance.
Every movement seemed ingenious, as if prepared long in advance, each one showcasing the image characteristics of a Pikachu Pokémon to the fullest.
But this Pikachu clearly hadn't prepared anything beforehand!
"Click! Click! Click!"
The shutter sound rang out continuously, as if keeping a perfect rhythm. Todd Snap's face was flushed from his rapid breathing, and his body couldn't help but tremble.
He and the Round-faced Pikachu seemed to have entered a special kind of bond, mutually assisting and connecting with one another.
A photographer and an actor can have a bond too!
A perfect actor can strike various poses while simultaneously coordinating with the photographer's actions, while the photographer, in turn, can precisely capture every one of the actor's movements in the briefest of intervals.
"My god..."
Todd Snap had completely entered a frenzied state of shooting. In less than half an hour, his entire 10GB hard drive was full, yet his fingers continued to numbly press the shutter button.
And the Round-faced Pikachu was even more extraordinary—in those 10 gigabytes worth of photos, not a single pose was repeated!
Toward the end, even gravity couldn't hold it back. The Round-faced Pikachu shot up into the sky, controlling thunder and lightning and dark clouds in mid-air. It wielded the divine thunder of the Nine Heavens, possessing the peerless might of a kirin, like a demon god on earth!
"Pika..."
Down below, even Ash's Ordinary Pikachu was completely stupefied, its jaw hanging open.
"Whoa, is this the highest realm an actor can reach?"
Copy, copy...
At this moment, Pikachu's eyes were spinning rapidly, even becoming bloodshot. From a distance, it looked as if several Magatama had appeared within them...
"Hah... Hah... I really can't go on..."
Half an hour later, Todd Snap's face was flushed. With a look of extreme excitement, he collapsed onto the ground. His eyes were rolling, but his fingers were still making motions in the air.
"Pika? Pii-ka! (You've climaxed already? I was just getting warmed up!)"
The Round-faced Pikachu merely stretched its limbs, thinking to itself that this photographer's level of experience was still a bit lacking; he hadn't managed to completely satisfy it.
Then, it leaped down from the high platform and gave the Ordinary Pikachu a sharp lesson, signaling it to watch and learn properly, and not to disgrace the actor's reputation of the Electric Mouse lineage.
"Pika pika..."
The Ordinary Pikachu nodded repeatedly, indicating that it had copied the entire performance and that it would definitely be a proper actor next time.
"Pika."
Hearing this, the Round-faced Pikachu nodded in satisfaction. Although it didn't get to fight today, unleashing its actor's soul once in a while was quite interesting. It then gave a nod to Ash, and with a "whoosh," its body turned into a red light and returned to its Poké Ball to rest.
This was the innate limitation of the Electric Mouse tribe.
Excessive sleepiness.
Drowsy in spring, weary in summer, fatigued in autumn, and hibernating in winter—all four seasons, every single day was a good day to rest.
Ash and the other two: "..."
Before the three of them could do anything, Todd Snap stood up stiffly, like a reanimated corpse. Although his expression revealed extreme fatigue, his gaze had become placid, as if his perception of everything was now devoid of worldly passion.
After intense exertion, besides feeling exhausted, one also enters a kind of sage-like state, the mind free of all wants and desires.
The three of them: "..."
Todd Snap clutched the camera in his hand, thinking to himself that this private commission should now be officially complete. That old couple who wanted a photograph of a Pikachu should be satisfied.
No, with 10 gigabytes of photographs, he was also going to take home the gold prize at next year's Ecruteak City Ho-Oh Photography Grand Competition.
(end of chapter)