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Pikachu chased after the wild Pikachu who was running ahead of him. Ash's Pikachu called out repeatedly, trying to calm the frightened younger Pikachu, but the small electric-type was clearly terrified and wouldn't stop running.
The three trainers—Ash, Misty, and Brock—followed closely behind, rushing through a dense jungle. The wild Pikachu, not watching where it was going, burst out of the jungle and suddenly found itself at the edge of a rushing river. Unable to stop in time, the small Pokémon stepped into empty air and fell straight down.
"Pika-pi!"
In panic, the wild Pikachu couldn't stop itself and plunged directly into the water. Being so small and facing such a powerful current, it couldn't maintain stability after falling in and was immediately swept away downstream.
"Pika-chu!"
Ash's Pikachu cried out anxiously at the sight and without hesitation, leaped into the water. He swam powerfully through the current and managed to grab hold of the Wild Pikachu, but with the added weight, Pikachu couldn't navigate freely in the rushing river.
Both electric-types were swept away by the powerful current, though Pikachu refused to let go of the smaller Pokémon.
"Oh no!" the three trainers shouted in unison as they ran alongside the river bank.
Misty's face changed instantly when she saw this scene. If it weren't for her Psyduck, none of this would have happened. Wait—Psyduck!
"Psyduck! You're a Water-type Pokémon, hurry up and save Pikachu!" Misty called out, thinking her Psyduck could make things right.
Psyduck, not thinking much about it, waddled over obediently after hearing her command.
"Wait!!!" Ash shouted instinctively when he saw this.
However, Psyduck didn't seem to hear and plunged into the water. Ash was speechless, and Misty had been expecting Psyduck to be helpful, but...
"Psy-yi-yi!!!"
In the water, Psyduck suddenly resurfaced, flailing its limbs frantically and looking utterly panicked. It clearly couldn't swim at all. Misty was stunned by this sight, feeling completely betrayed by her expectations.
"You... you can't swim, can you?!"
Misty couldn't believe it—couldn't accept that her Water-type Pokémon was unable to swim. Her Water-type Psyduck had turned out to be afraid of water.
Ash was also helpless. He'd been about to stop Psyduck, but the confused Duck Pokémon had already jumped in. It wasn't that Psyduck as a species couldn't swim—most could—it was just Misty's Psyduck that couldn't.
Normally, an ordinary Psyduck can swim quite well. Maybe Misty's Psyduck was cursed by the sea! Though its Psychic abilities were indeed stronger than other Psyduck's.
"Use your Poké Ball!" Ash told Misty as he continued running.
Misty snapped back to reality and, though it was hard to accept, reluctantly took out Psyduck's Poké Ball and recalled it. By now, the wild Pikachu and Ash's Pikachu had been swept even further downstream. Seeing this, Ash also grabbed a Poké Ball.
"Squirtle, go save them!" Ash threw the Poké Ball.
Squirtle emerged from the Poké Ball and immediately dived into the water. Once submerged, it swam rapidly toward Pikachu and the wild Pikachu like a tiny submarine.
There were many waves on the water's surface, and although the current beneath was also strong, it was nothing for Squirtle. This was a Squirtle that could conquer even the toughest waves.
After rushing beneath Pikachu and wild Pikachu, Squirtle launched upward.
"Squirtle!"
The powerful upward force created a water column in the river, knocking Pikachu and wild Pikachu out of the water. Squirtle also emerged, water splashing around them as Pikachu and wild Pikachu were propelled into the air.
"Pikachu!!"
Seeing this, Ash ran forward, opened his arms and caught the falling Pikachu and the wild Pikachu. Squirtle landed safely nearby and struck a heroic pose.
"Are you both okay?" Ash asked, looking down at the Pokémon in his arms.
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu was the first to respond, while the wild Pikachu was still recovering from the shock. After a moment, it slightly raised its head and looked at the human holding it. It was startled at first, then noticed Ash's concerned expression. Remembering they had just saved it, the wild Pikachu slowly lowered its guard.
"Pi-ka?"
The wild Pikachu also responded, no longer so wary of humans. Pikachu then laughed happily in Ash's arms.
"Pika-CHUUUU!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the nearby jungle, and then a stream of electricity shot out from the grass, heading directly toward Ash.
"Ash, look out!" Misty shouted from behind when she saw this.
Squirtle reacted quickly, rushing forward and withdrawing its entire body into its shell. It rotated rapidly, using Rapid Spin to directly block the incoming Thundershock attack.
The spinning shell redirected the electricity, branching it outward and successfully stopping the attack. Ash was startled but alert. At that moment, several figures leaped out from the tall grass.
"Pika! Pika! Pikachu! Pika!"
Before they knew it, they were surrounded. The newcomers were all Pikachu—big and small. Some had different markings on their bodies, and some had slightly different fur colors.
These weren't Shiny Pokémon like the rare golden Pikachu—their fur simply varied in shade due to different development. They all stared at Ash and the others with hostility, looking as if they might attack at any moment.
"Whoa... they're all Pikachu? So many?" Looking around, there were at least dozens of Pikachu. Misty and Brock were both surprised. They had never seen so many Pikachu gathered in one place before.
At that moment, from among the large group, one Pikachu stepped forward. The fur on its body was exceptionally shiny, and its eyes were sharp, but the most noticeable feature was its tail.
At the end of its lightning-shaped tail was a V-shaped notch—clearly a scar from an old injury. It glared at Ash and the others with unfriendly eyes. The Pikachu around it seemed to be waiting for its command to launch an attack.