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"Hey, Pikachu?"
"Pi?"
The little yellow mouse looked up from where he was snuggled up next to Ash in the sleeping bag.
It was the night after the Tree of Beginning. A night after they left Rota. Ash and the others were already settled for the night, but neither the young boy or his partner could sleep.
"There's...something I want to talk about...".
Ash swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat. Pikachu perked his ears up out of both alarm and concern.
"Can I talk to you about it?"
Pikachu nodded.
"Pi."
Ash readjusted himself in the sleeping bag.
"You remember...when you were still at the Tree of Beginning with Mew and Meowth, and I sensed you calling to me?"
"Pika." Another nod.
"Well, before that...Lucario and I...We sort of...got into a fight...."
"Pi!"
Ash sighed.
"I'd told the others the story of when we first met, and Lucario was still untrusting of me. He said...He said that I would abandon you if I had to."
"Pika?!" Pikachu looked outraged.
But to the electric type's surprise, Ash was smiling a little.
"I told him I would never do that, of course! But...We exchanged more harsher words...I told Lucario he was probably lying about the whole thing."
"Pika...", Pikachu sighed.
Ash clearly took that as an "Oh Ash...".
Ash chuckled a little, but then frowned again.
"And then Lucario hit back with something much harsher...He said..."
Ash's grip tightened on Pikachu. Pikachu himself went silent, gently nuzzling Ash's arm in a way that spoke "Don't worry. I'm here."
Ash took a deep breath.
"He said, Lucario, he said that you might have run away from me, because you didn't want me as a trainer anymore."
"PIKA?!"
The outcry from Pikachu was so loud that Ash had to pull him back down into the sleeping bag, finger pressed to his own lips and shushing his friend urgently.
They both listened. The forest stayed silent. Their friends stayed fast asleep.
Both let out a relieved sigh.
"I didn't believe that, of course!", Ash continued. "Not really..."
The young boy sighed again.
"But...I got so mad. I got so mad at what Lucario said...That I attacked him."
"Pika-pi..."
"I know...It was dumb. I wasn't thinking."
"Pika-pika?"
Ash understood that as a "Did you win?"
"What? Y-Yeah of course I won!", Ash replied with a shaky laugh.
Pikachu raised an eyebrow.
"OK...You got me...No I didn't. Lucario was able to throw me off in no time. He wasn't a strong Pokémon for nothing!"
"Pika", Pikachu agreed.
But Ash could see that the little mouse was frowning heavily at him.
"I know...You're mad that I did that."
"Pi-Pika"
Then Pikachu gave a small smile. He started babbling in a speech that most would not even begin to comprehend. But Ash understood every word.
"He did kind of deserve it"
Ash had to fight the bellow of laugher that fought to be free. He pulled Pikachu closer, deeper into the sleeping bag, until their silent snorts of mirth were muffled by the blankets.
Once they recovered, Ash looked at Pikachu again. His buddy was looking back, emotion behind his eyes that felt they told a thousand words.
Ash pressed their foreheads together.
"Thanks for staying with me, buddy."
"Always, Ash."