Leaving Pallet Town and heading north—
This was Route 1.
Follow Route 1 and you'd reach Viridian City.
It was only about a one- to two-day trip; the two places were actually quite close.
A narrow path wound through dense forest.
In this world, because of Pokémon, it was very hard for wilderness routes to remain proper paved roads for long.
Unless people constantly traveled through, paths would quickly be swallowed by grass, dust, and trees.
This was one of the special traits of the Pokémon world:
the power of nature suppressed the power of human civilization.
"Pii~ kaa~ pii~ kaa~"Pikachu padded along at Ash's feet. Its tiny paws stepped on the soft, decaying leaf litter with a faint shff-shff sound.
Being allowed to stay outside the Poké Ball put Pikachu in a very good mood.
"…This should be far enough." Ash felt that if he equipped Pikachu with the Light Ball back in Pallet Town, he had no idea what might've happened.
And if something went wrong, it would be very hard to explain to Professor Oak.
As for tricking Professor Oak… Ash had zero confidence in that.
Professor Oak was a real big shot!
How could someone like that be easy to fool?
"Partner, do you want to get stronger?" Ash squatted down and asked Pikachu.
"⚆_⚆? Pika?"Pikachu blinked wide-eyed. It had no idea what its Trainer was thinking.
"I'm serious!" Ash stressed again. "O, my comrade in arms! I can feel the power of our bond!"
"Pika!"Pikachu certainly wouldn't turn down power, but it still didn't know what Ash was going to do.
"Feel it—the power of the bond between us~~" Ash pointed one hand to the sky and one to the ground.
Heaven above, earth below—only I am supreme. Koya!
Then, in the system interface, he equipped the item [Light Ball] onto Pikachu.
And then—
"Pika!"Pikachu suddenly felt the electricity in its body surge up a whole tier.
"Pika—chuu?!"
Pikachu could feel a torrent of power erupting out of nowhere inside it.
The electricity was even starting to leak out.
Thin arcs of lightning danced over its fur, and the air filled with that fishy, ozone tang.
"Pika! Pika!"Pikachu panicked and started jumping on the spot, its glossy black eyes full of confusion.
"Calm down, partner!" Ash's voice cut in at just the right time. He didn't think about running.
"Deep breaths! Control it! Just like when you're grooming your fur—pull the power back in! You can do it!"
Ash stared into Pikachu's eyes.
"Pi… pika…!"Pikachu gritted its teeth, a low whimper rumbling in its throat.
"Good! That's it! Focus!" Ash could clearly feel the electric current.
They were so close that static danced over him.
He could literally feel his body hair standing on end.
"Partner!
Don't be scared, and don't get lost in it.
Because I'm right here.
I'm right here with you, partner."
Ash sat cross-legged in front of Pikachu.
In essence, humans in the Pokémon world could also be considered a kind of Pokémon—one whose individuals varied wildly from each other.
Because in this world, gods really did exist.
Humans here were not just carbon-based monkeys.
"Pika!"Pikachu felt that Ash was talking real big for someone not getting zapped.
Sure, this power hadn't exceeded what Pikachu's body could handle.
But—human!
You're not worried you'll get shocked by accident?!
From Pikachu's point of view, this human was less reliable than it was.
Sigh—
Still, because of how Ash treated it, Pikachu felt very comfortable around him.
It really couldn't bring itself to attack Ash.
All day long it was "partner" this and "partner" that.
Pikachu was way too shy for that. Its face wasn't nearly thick enough.
Thus was born… Relationship Master Ash, JPG.
And just as Pikachu's thoughts started to wander—
A stray surge of electricity slipped out.
"Hssss—" Ash sucked in a cold breath.
Half of his body went numb.
It felt kind of like being hooked up to a therapy massager.
"Pika?"Pikachu was a little worried about Ash's condition.
"I'm fine, partner." Ash forced a smile.
"If it's too much, just tell me. This isn't your fault."
"I can take this power back for now. We can work up to it slowly."
It wasn't like Ash was dead set on having Pikachu adjust all at once.
"Pika!"Pikachu's voice suddenly rose.
Human!
If you trust me that much—how could I let you down?!
Pikachu felt it could push itself a little harder.
Electricity! I command you—listen to me!
"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! … Pika!"
Pikachu kept crying out, panting heavily, its chest heaving.
But its efforts were paying off.
The electricity wrapped around its body started to draw back in. Though sparks still popped out now and then, it was clearly showing signs of becoming controllable.
"You're doing great, partner!
You're seriously amazing, partner!
You're incredible, partner!"
Ash showered Pikachu with praise.
Building a Pokémon's confidence was also a mandatory course for any Trainer.
The word "Trainer" already explained the core of the profession:
The focus was on training.
Not just giving commands in battle.
You had to help your Pokémon overcome fear, panic, timidity, and all those weak mindsets.
"Yeah… that's it…" Ash's voice softened, carrying a barely noticeable note of approval. "Slow and steady…"
Step by step, Pikachu gradually got a grip on the sudden surge of power inside it.
Even its tense body relaxed.
Pikachu looked at Ash. Human?! Is… this really our power?
"Partner! This is the symbol of our friendship!" Ash met those dark, beady eyes without hesitation.
And now he felt he needed to take it a step further.
How could their friendship stop here?
Their friendship had to be engraved in their hearts!
So, under Pikachu's panicked gaze, Ash lunged forward and hugged it.
"!!!"Pikachu's whole body went stiff.
Human! Don't come any closer!
Unfortunately, Pikachu was exhausted, and its reaction speed had dropped.
It ended up trapped in Ash's arms.
"…" Ash held back a groan.
The electric current was still within his tolerance.
After all, Pikachu was only Level 5.
It had a ton of potential, but that potential hadn't fully manifested yet.
"Believe in me.
Believe in me the same way I believe in you."
Ash reached out and gently stroked Pikachu's fur.
Sharing hardship was one of the best ways to build trust.
And for a creature like Pikachu, getting shocked together absolutely counted as "sharing hardship."
Because of its physiology, Pikachu zapping itself when it lost control of its power was an everyday occurrence.
"Pika??"Pikachu felt Ash's hand stroking the top of its head.
What exactly was this feeling?
Was this… what it meant to have a partner?
"Pika!"Pikachu cried happily.
Human! You're amazing~
Snuggle snuggle~
"Pikachu, I'm going a bit numb here." Ash said, as his face got nuzzled.
The red sacs on Pikachu's cheeks were its electric pouches.
"Pika!!"Pikachu squinted its eyes in delight.
Bond level up, JPG.
Affection +UP.
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