Pokémon 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ash Ketchum or Pikachu or any other Pokemon characters, all rights go to Pokemon, Game Freak etc, I solely did this for entertainment purposes**

**Enjoy!**

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Light shone through the blinds of the bedroom radiating warmth on the face of one Ash Ketchum. The sound of Pidgeys chirping signified the start of the morning and caused Ash to rustle in his bed sheets. His mind was filled with dreams of battling the elite five, he had returned to Pallet town after receiving a postcard from his mother and said goodbye to Brock and Misty as they too went to visit their own family. The travel had made him completely exhausted and as he slowly woke up from his long slumber the vivid dreams of becoming the next Pokemaster remained in his mind.

"Ash, dear it's time to wake up, I've made your favourite breakfast!" his mother sang as she lightly knocked on the door.

"Muuum, Pikachu and I were just about win," he sighed as the last remnants of his fantasy faded.

"I'm sure you were dear but I'm even more sure your pancakes are going cold, I might just have to eat them myself" she teased as she walked back downstairs.

"We're coming! We're coming!" Ash choked, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and grabbed his hat from his bedside table "come on Pikachu, aren't you excited for pancakes?" he said looking at the side of the bed his Pokemon normally lay. "Pikachu?" he repeated confused. He noticed a rather large lump under the bed covers, a lump much larger than his usual small sized Pikachu.

His hand slowly went to peel the duvet off his body, a billion scenarios went through his nervous head but none matched to the reality, he was shocked to discover that he in fact had a blond, rather naked, boy curled up in a ball next to him. "Wahhh!" Ash yelped as he pushed himself of the bed and came toppling on the ground with a thud. The blond boy woke with a startle, his brown eyes wider than anime character and filled with what seemed like concern for Ash. They looked at eachother in silence for what felt like minutes but were merely seconds.

"Ash!" his mother called from the kitchen "Ash, are you okay?" Ash's mouth felt dry as he took in a deep breath

"Yeaaah! Everything is fine...I think" he muttered still on the ground looking up at the boy.

"Well, then come down to eat sweetie, I don't want to eat alone"

"Yeaaah!" Ash slowly rose off the ground unable to take his eyes of the boy, he took in a deep breath and let reality sink into him "Who in the world are you?!" he whispered loudly in fear his mother could hear

The blond boy's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "I'm Pikachu!"

It was Ash's turn to have the wide eyes, he couldn't process what was happening but apparently his mouth was capable of moving on its own "Shhhh, please keep your voice down my mum will hear you" he crept closer to the edge of the bed "I'm sorry but you can't be Pikachu, I don't understand. Do you know how you got here?"

The blond boys eyebrows furrowed even deeper "I don't understand Ash, I'm your bestfriend, I'm Pikachu"

"then...then...then why are you human?" Ash asked, confusion swirling in the air. The other boy immediately looked down at his own body, fear written all over his expression, he glared at his hands for a moment before he shakily brought them to feel his face. The information was turning in head and then it all clicked, that's when the blond boy let out a scream that penetrated the whole house.

"Ash! Ash are you okay?! Ash! I'm coming!" his mother called as she ran from the kitchen.

"Oh no! Mum can't see you here...naked" Ash blushed slightly "You have to hide! You have to go under the bed, please!" Ash pleaded as he quickly leaped to the blond boys side and pulled him onto the ground. The sound of his mum charging up the stairs gave Ash enough time to quickly conceal the other boy. The door opened. His mum looked at Ash and then quickly scanned the room before pulling him in for a hug."Oh god, Ash, what's wrong, why did you scream?" she said words full of concern as she quickly inspected her sons body for cuts or bruises.

"Oh no mum it was nothing! I..I thought I saw a...Nidoran enter my room" Ash said, his eye glued to the ground as he gently rubbed the back of his neck.

"You thought you saw what!"

"A Nidoran but then I realised it was actually a...Butterfree, yep, a Butterfree...silly me huh?!" Ash said laughing trying to hide his lie.

"Then where's the Butterfree?"

"Oh right, yes, good question, very good question, I must say you are the best at asking questions, didn't you say you were going to be a detec..." "

Ash!" his mother pressed

"It must have scared it away with my scream?"

She walked up to her son gave him a long look before giving him another bone-crushing hug "At least your okay, even if you are acting a bit weird..." She sighed teasingly "Teenage boys."

She gave him a last kiss on the forehead, walked towards the door and just as she was leaving she popped her head back in "Your pancakes are still waiting when you're ready ...and I just thought you should know you really need to get better at lying" She quickly closed the door laughing about something that sounded awfully close to Nidoran. Ash was left dumbstruck, his mother was really something else, he considered himself blessed but he also blamed her for why he was confused 100% of the time.

The blond boy silently shuffled from under the bed and tapped Ash's leg. "Oh right, you're still here, I forgot," Ash said sheepishly as he stretched out his hand to help the other boy up. He knew in his heart this was Pikachu but now all he had to was convince his mind of that too.

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**If you liked it please leave a review and tell me what you think or if I should continue or even give me an idea of what you'd like to see next (I have a rough idea of what's going to happen but suggestions are great too) thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow it took me so long to write this, I am so sorry but I've officially finished school and I'm currrently on holiday in Peru so I have plenty of time to really focus on this story. It still quite cute at the moment but it will start kicking off soon, I promise :)**

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It was still early in the morning as the wind blew in from the open window bringing the smell of sweet flowers. Pikachu lay in bed wrapped up in the thick duvet whilst Ash was submerged in his closet rifling through a mountain of messy clothes in an attempt to retrieve something that might fit his Pokemon, not that he could really consider Pikachu his Pokemon anymore. Ash kept looking back at him hoping that any second he would see his little buddy but instead he was met with the strangers very frightened brown eyes. The blond boy was incredibly startled and though Ash was sceptical, this boy needed his help; a true Pokemon master never declined a challenge. If what he said was true then why did it happen? Why today? How long would it last? It finally hit Ash that there was a possibility he may never get his favourite Pokemon back to normal, it sunk in hard and left Ash feeling a tremendous amount of sadness. All those adventures spent together, all those memories, all those tears shed. He would have to get everything back to how it was even if it killed him.

Silence was thick in the air as Ash's mind drummed with questions, he had no idea what was going on in the others mind but he decided to break the quiet, after all this was his supposed bestfriend. "I'm sorry I'm taking so long, you must be kinda cold, I just want to find you clothes that my mother won't suspect is mine." He looked back at Pikachu trying to make out his size, he looked roughly the same height as himself but slightly thinner. "It's pretty hard to find something different, I basically were the same outfit everyday" he said the sound of laughter in his words as he tried to make the other smile.

A sparkle shone in Pikachu's eyes "Thank you Ash" he said getting used to the unfamiliar words in mouth, his voice surprisingly had a rough tone to it like the kind you get when you you haven't spoken in hours. A part of Ash decided it suited the boy very much and another, more unconscious, part longed to hear more of it.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm amazing but try and keep it down huh" he winced slightly at his last words hoping that pikachu really wouldn't keep all that quiet. He was disappointed by the silence that his words had ensued and couldn't understand why. Ash had thought it wise to concentrate on the task at hand and after a few more moments he finally blurted out "I've got it!". Forgetting his own advice to 'keep it down' as he slammed the closet door shut with a bundle of clothes cradled to his chest, he popped it on the edge of the bed. "Here's some underwear, a pair of brown shorts, a pair of red converse, a white shirt and I even found a Pikachu hoodie that I got as a birthday present from Brock...I thought it would be ironic" he said with a cheeky grin.

Pikachu lifted up the clothes and smelt them suspiciously before hugging them towards his chest, eyes scrunched up with gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't sweat it, now I'll go down get us some food and give you some privacy to change...unless you want my help!" a red blush glowed from Ash's cheeks as he looked at the ground.

"Ash I may be Pokemon but I think I can work it out, i've always been the clever one out of the two of us" Pikachu teased, the sparkle in his eyes shining even stronger.

"Hey!" Ash said unable to think of a come back, he was secretly pleased that the boy had begun to joke around, he decided that he really did like human Pikachu "...so I'll be back, are you sure your okay?" Pikachu gave an enthusiastic nod as he pulled on the white shirt and got his head stuck in one of the sleeves. Ash just shook his head with amusement and closed the door behind him.

The dark-haired boy teared through the hall and down the stairs, producing a loud sound with his bare feet on the wooden floorboards. He didn't slow down when he entered the kitchen, he quickly grabbed two plates sliding one skilfully under the other and began staking the pancakes with very little grace. His mother peered over the book in her hand and laughed softly, like the ring of soft bells.

"Someone took their time" she stated with a teasing look.

"Yeah, well, I was getting dressed, I'm here now aren't I?" a stroppy look plastered on the face of Ash as he swung the cupboard door open grabbing the maple syrup, he hesitated a second before reaching for the ketchup too.

"Ash, honey, I love you, but your still in your boxers" words laced with sympathy rather than suspicion, which was a slight relief for Ash. His face went bright red and a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head.

"Ahh man, I guess I forgot but I was just concentrated on..."

"Are you sure you don't have a girl hiding in your room?" her love for teasing combined with her super sense to pick up little details made her a force to be reckoned with, no one else had quite the ability to make Ash flame with embarrassment "That would explain why you have almost enough pancakes to feed two people" she continued the slow torture of her son.

"What! No way! I wouldn't! I'm not! Mum, whyyyyy!" he spluttered as he juggled his plate and all the bottles in his arms. He had to leave before he could accidentally slip the truth out, it was only a matter of time. "I'm eating my room...and not because I have a _girl_ in there but because I'm done with my dose of motherly harassment" huffing slightly, a pink tinge still dusting his cheeks.

"Aww sweetie, you know it's only my job as a mother" she laughed teasing right until the end. Ash grumbled before making his way towards the hallway. "Oh Ash just before I forget.."

_I'm not gonna make it alive_, he screamed in he thoughts before he slowly turned "Yes, mother"

"I was just wondering where Pikachu is, normally he's glued to your shoulder, it's a bit strange he is not here to give me my morning hug" she enquired.

"Pikachu's not feeling all to good, it was a long trip after all. I think I might have him see Professor Oak later today, I was planning to go to Lab anyway." Ash spoke with not a single stutter, it was truth for the first time this morning.

"I think that's a good idea, well send Pikachu my love, I know you'll take good care of him" warmth radiating from her words, her eyes crinkled in half-moon crescents.

"Thanks mum, love you"

He made his way up the steps with extreme caution, as the stack of pancakes swayed from side to side. As he reached the door he realised he had no available hands to open it so he slowly shifted his bum towards the door handle before crouching slightly to push it down. He entered the room backwards with a proud smirk on his face, no stupid door could stop Ash Ketchum. He turned to see Pikachu and was glad to see the clothes fitted him nicely, the brown shorts stopped right above knee and the yellow hoodie was snug, he could not have done it better.

The blond boy blushed at the admiration of the other, and began helping with the food without making direct eye contact. He tried to take the plate with pancakes but Ash wouldn't let go, it was only until the round honey eyes met strong, raven ones that Ash finally released his hold on the plate. The atmosphere became thick and Pikachu gasped at the intensity of it all, he dropped his gaze and shuffled back, there was a long silence in the room as Pikachu placed the food on the desk along with the other bottle.

Ash couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he was overwhelmed with an foreign emotion. He had never thought anyone was beautiful, Misty was pretty yes, but there was no one he had ever really fallen for like the amount of times Brock had. However when he had looked into those deep golden eyes a part of his brain melted. This boy was beautiful, there were no other words to describe it, the gentle curve of his nose, his soft pink lips, it was all part of the boys undeniable beauty. Ash was taken a back, what was this he was feeling? He shoved the emotions away and shook his head from any lingering thoughts, Pikachu was friend and friends don't admire each others beauty especially when their both boys...or did they.

Ash stood in his room confused and as dazed as ever but a part of him liked the butterfree's erupting in his stomach even if he couldn't quite yet fully understand what had caused it.

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**So Ash is getting a little shaky, will he face his emotions, will pikachu learn to be human, will professor oak be able to fix the problem? **

**Please leave review on what you liked or even what you like to see, I promise I will post the next chapter as soon as! Thank you for those who have enjoyed it thus far, it mean so much 3**


	3. Chapter 3

The bedroom was full of sunlight and Ash couldn't help but look at the lighter shades of blond glimmering in Pikachu's hair. Ash was sitting on the edge of his bed whilst the other boy sat in the desk chair facing away from him but towards the window. The plate of pancakes and cutlery lay untouched on the desk, neither of them had dared to begin eating. Ash cursed himself for bringing on such an awkward atmosphere, never had they been hesitant around each other, even when they first met in Professor Oaks lab; yes Pikachu didn't particularly like him but it was never awkward like it was now. _Why did I have to go and give him such a weird stare, real great impression Ash, he doesn't think your'e a freak at all_, he groaned internally as he played with the loose string on his pyjama top.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he missed the quick, little glances that Pikachu stole from behind his chair. The blond boy frowned, he couldn't grasp why Ash was suddenly so down, had he done something wrong? Perhaps when they were both looking at each other he shouldn't have backed away so abruptly, was it considered rude in human etiquette? He didn't want to offend Ash however in close proximity, such as before, his own his heart began beating quickly and his stomach got all tight, it scared him terribly so.

An unfortunately timed grumble emanated from Pikachu's stomach which snapped both boys from their riddled thoughts, highlighting their long, neglected hunger. Ash rushed to apologise for his oversight "Oh damn it, you must be starving and didn't even offer to serve your food, sorry" He rushed towards the desk and slid the second plate from under the first plate and began setting the cutlery.

"It's really okay Ash, you've done more than enough for me, I can't even begin to say how grateful I am, I don't understand what's happening to me but I guess it's not as scary...with you " Pikachu's voice winding down as he realised, all too late, he was rambling. Fortunately, Ash was too concentrated on separating pancakes to fully comprehend anything else, _he never was a multi-tasker_, Pikachu thought with a smile.

They both ended up getting five pancakes each. Ash drowned his in a sea of maple syrup as he leaned against the desk facing Pikachu who still remained in the chair. The blond boy went to grab the syrup bottle but Ash softly restrained his wrist "Hey, I didn't go to all that trouble to get ketchup so that you could have...well not ketchup. Even if you are human I still know you inside out" Ash gave a wink, surprising himself more than anyone with the cheeky gesture, he loosened the grip of his hand.

Pikachu cautiously reached for the ketchup and smothered his food until it was red all over. Anyone else would have felt queasy at the idea of eating the rather odd combination but instead he looked at it with content. He took hold of his fork, feeling under the spotlight of Ash's stare, and struggled for a moment to cut through the pancake with the blunt side of his fork. He suddenly felt a warm hand envelop his, taking his cutlery away. Ash also picked up the knife that remained untouched on the desk and swiftly cut a piece of the pancake. He lifted it to the lips of Pikachu, who took this as a cue to open his mouth, slipping the fork into entrance before gently sliding out. Ash continued to stare at Pikachu making direct eye contact, this time the blond boy didn't look away. He chewed delicately, allowing himself to taste all of the different flavours dancing on his tongue, releasing a satisfied hum. "It tastes even better now that I'm human" Pikachu laughed.

Ash nodded, rolling his eyes ever so slightly "I'm sure it doesn't taste disgusting at all" sarcasm laid on so thick that even Pikachu picked up on it.

"Honestly, it's delicious, try a bit" It was Pikachu's turn to lift the knife and fork out of the others hand before cutting a piece of his own food and placing it in the mouth of Ash. A bit of ketchup smeared against the bottom of Ash's lip and his pink tongue quickly swiped it clean.

He huffed in surprise "It is good" he exclaimed whilst nodding his head in approval. A small smirk formed on the face of Pikachu as he gave the classic I-told-you-so look. Ash, feeling like a sore loser, dipped his finger into the ketchup and wiped it on the nose of Pikachu, who then rubbed it off and stuck his tongue out. Astonishingly, no one choked to death as the both laughed and devoured their pancakes.

After they had both calmed down and were near the end of their breakfast...lunch...brunch...whatever Ash decided that he had a few questions floating in his mind that he wanted to ask. "So what's it like, you know, being a Pokemon? What's it feel like?"

"Well what's it feel like to be a human? It's not something you can explain, well not easily. I guess, you feel smaller and everything is instinctual, you don't have to think so much, in fact I feel like I'm over-thinking all the time in this body. Is that even possible?" Pikachu asked rhetorically but Ash answered regardless.

"It is! Trust me I am the number one offender of over-thinking" Ash tapped the side of his head, his eyes crinkled in a smile " I was also wondering if it kinda hurt when you became human or even if it hurts now? Do you feel uncomfortable being human? Do you feel uncomfortable...around me?" The last question slipping out unintentional, Ash couldn't help but want to know what the other boy thought of him.

"That is a lot of questions" Pikachu laughed lightly, cheeks turning pink. "It didn't hurt, I actually didn't notice any difference until you told me I had changed, then I of course realised I could speak like humans without any effort at all. Its weird in this body all my emotions are amplified greatly, it's exhausting however I feel as though I'm finally experiencing everything fully." Their was pause as he took in his surroundings again "As for being uncomfortable, I don't feel that at all" looking Ash confidently in the eye, silently answering his question.

"Well that's good to hear" Ash voiced casually as tiny bursts of happiness erupted in his chest "We'll go see Professor Oak nonetheless, he's actually expecting me at 1.00pm...which is now"

"Okay let's go" Pikachu began walking towards the bedroom door with his plate in hand.

"Woah, woah wait! You can't go downstairs, you'll give my mum a heart attack! We probably shouldn't tell anyone about your situation until we know if it's permanent or not" Ash caught up to Pikachu's side removing the items from his hand whilst he ushered him towards the window. "You're gonna have to have leave through here, see that tree grab onto to it and climb down. I used to do it all the time, I only fractured my wrist once"

Pikachu eyes widened to the size of two tennis balls "I can't...I can't do that. I can hardly walk and you want to me swing along trees like a M...Mankey. No...No way." he grabbed on tightly to the pyjama shirt of Ash, refusing to budge.

"Honestly, I don't want you to do it either but seriously, going downstairs will unleash a fury of question which are not worth suffering." His deep, dark, onyx eyes caught with the blond's honey ones "Trust me"

Pikachu stood their for a moment weighing all his options before he hoisted himself up on the desk that was connected to the window and shuffled towards the ledge. He let his legs swing outside as he turned to look at Ash one more time pleadingly.

"You can do it" Ash encouraged and he rubbed Pikachu's shoulder tenderly. The blond boy took in a deep breath and pushed his legs against the wall to launch himself towards the tree. He stretched his arms forward, grabbing tightly when his hands met the wood before wrapping his legs around the trunk as well.

"I did it!" he cheered from outside. Ash grinned proudly "I knew you could!"

Pikachu began manoeuvring himself down the tree until his feet were firmly planted onto the ground. He examined his hands which were a bit scraped and bleeding and blew on them gently in attempt to lessen the sting. Ash on the other hand balanced all the discarded plates and bottles in his arms as he tore downstairs to the kitchen, he dumped most of it in the sink before placing the bottles in the cabinet.

"And where you off too in such a hurry?" His mother asked removing her concentration from the duster she had in her hand.

"I'm late to see Professor Oak, I told you already" he said making his way to the front door.

"Honey, I love you but you're _still_ in your boxers"

"Ahh damn it! Not again." Looking down at his bare legs, his cheeks flaming red with embarrassment. Ash turned around about to speed away to his room when Delia placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Here" she announced placing a bundle of clothes to his chest "their freshly washed as well. I know, I know, I'm a great mother, what can I say?" The same cheeky smile that Ash inherited plastered on her face.

"Thank you, mum" he responded gratefully as he jumped into his jeans securing it with his belt. He also switched his white pyjama top with the jet black t-shirt before shirking into his trainer jacket.

"Its my job, son" as she placed the prized 'Pokemon league expo' hat firmly on his head. The bell rang twice causing her to leave her son as she went to answer the door. The door swung open, the smell of spring flowers blew into the room carrying the sound of a boys rough voice as well.

"I'm here to see Ash! I'm a friend"

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**Ohh what a cliffhanger but not really, how will the mother react when she meets pikachu? How will ash react? A whole lot of cute awkward moments to come yay**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Anything you'd like to see happen to the boys leave in a review and I'll find a way to include it. Until next chapter, which should be soon :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's done yay, I looked it over quite a bit so hopefully it's better written, I guess you could say I beta'd it myself :) Enjoy!**

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"I'm here to see Ash! I'm a friend"

Ash spun towards the direction of the entrance trying to steal a glance at the new visitor. His mother's silhouette stood in the doorframe with a hand wrapped around the gold, rusting handle, blocking complete view of anything; only the sparkling halo of light shining around her form was visible. In all honesty, Ash didn't need to see the person to identify them, he had already known who it was the moment he heard the disheveled voice that belonged to none other than his favourite, used-to-be-a-pokemon-but-now-is-not, blond haired boy. Ash couldn't quite comprehend why Pikachu had rung the door bell, yes he had taken his sweet time to leave but still! _He could of at least waited five more minutes geez_, Ash grumbled internally, _the only reason I had let him jump out of the window in the first place was so that this current scenario would never have to play out._ He slapped his forehead leaving a scarlet mark, so much for things going Ash's way today.

"Oh I see!" chirped his mother. She silently examined the lost-looking boy that stood before her, he had huge honey eyes framed with a set of long lashes, his features were delicate and he seemed have cheeks permanently stained in a pink rosy colour. He was extremely handsome, dare say it perhaps even more so than her own beautiful son, she wouldn't of forgotten a face like that if she had saw it before however there was something about him that screamed familiarity. She took pity in on his scared expression and so spoke in her most gentle tone: "Well Ash was just about to head out sweetie, I'll check to see if he can talk to you..."

"Let him in, the prof can wait a bit" Ash interrupted with a sigh, rubbing the forehead he so violently abused beforehand "I guess we might as well face the music" the latter muttered under his breath.

Delia took a few small steps to her right leaving way for Pikachu to cautiously roam inside, his eyes left the mothers face before resting on Ash. The raven-haired boy steeled himself with the intent of a glare but it rapidly dissolved when he saw how innocent the other boy was; Pikachu was silently tugging on the strings of his hoodie and shuffling his foot against the polished floor. Pikachu's mouth began forming the start of an apology but Ash understanding this quickly dismissed the others intentions with a look which signified they would talk later.

The mother had picked up on the boys silent exchange but decided not to comment on it, instead she shut the front door and turned to face Pikachu "What's your name, dear?" She enquired whilst tightening the low ponytail that controlled her voluminous auburn hair.

Ash stepped forward until he was at the side of Pikachu, there shoulders were brushing slightly. He gently manoeuvred the blond boy with a swivel so that he too was facing his mother. The question was obviously not directed at Ash but despite this he answered automatically; no thought in his speech, "His name is Pika..." he cut off quickly.

"Yes?" She pressed on, confused at why her son had stopped mid-sentence. Her scrunched eyebrows and little frown made it evident to both boys that Ash had slipped up big time.

"Yeah mum, it's just...Pika, nothing more." trying to act as natural as possible as he recovered from his lapse. His mother shot the blond boy an apologetic expression and Ash saw this as an opportunity to continue "People can be called Pika, you know, it is a name, mum. I don't know about you but personally I think it's a beautiful name," a confidence strong in his voice as he tried to direct the attention away from his previous mis-hap. However, he did waver slightly when he realised he had called the boy next to him beautiful, well, actually only his name but it didn't stop his cheeks from heating up.

Delia raised an eyebrow at her son "Well I never said it was horrid name. It's just you don't get Pika very often, it's rare but, I guess, you could say the same about a diamond" Like any mother she knew exactly the right thing to say as she shined a welcoming smile at the blond boy who loosened up greatly in response. Her curiosity was by no means diminished, in fact it rampaged on, a thousand questions popping into her mind "So are you from around here, Pika?"

Pikachu began stuttering, a sweat drop appearing on the side of his face. Both boys began gravely regretting how unprepared they were. "I...well...I" Pikachu's throat began closing up and he couldn't stop the eruption of coughs that came from his nervous body; he had never needed to lie before.

Ash gently patted his back trying to ease the other boy's tension before speaking on his behalf "He lives in a big city far from here, I met him on my travels, of course" Ash had put on a carefully constructed smile and his hand automatically rubbed the back of his neck, like it always did when he was uncomfortable.

"Oh right, which city was it?" His mother enquired further as she made her way to the kitchen table.

"Fuschia" Ash called, "Saffron City" Pikachu interrupted. The words began a chain of many awkward looks.

"Oh yes I meant Saffron" Ash corrected but Pikachu also cut in "Sorry, it was Fuschia". Both boys looked at each other with agony as they realised they had, yet again, slipped up. They groaned, slapping their foreheads in synchronisation, a scarlet mark blooming on their faces. The mother was mainly amused by the situation, _one boy just as dopey as the other_, she thought. It only made her curiosity burn stronger to know what the boys were up to.

Ash took a deep breath before speaking again. "Wait, did I say city? What I meant was little town. A little, little town...between Saffron City and Fuschia City. Yeah, yeah that makes sense! So small that it's name won't appear on the map and probably if you ask around no-body would know. It's a cute, _little_ town." Ash smirked slightly, feeling proud that he had actually formed a believable answer.

"What's the name of this cute, _little_ town then?" she asked seeing through her son's wild, crazy story.

"Umm...Saffruschia town...yup," there was a long pause where everyone, even Ash, tried their best to absorb the sheer absurdness of his answer.

"Isn't that just the two city names shoved together?" His mother questioned, highlighting the obvious.

"No." Ash's response rapid and direct as he looked at everything other than his mothers eye.

She looked at her son before looking at his blond friend who were both looking away with overly-innocent faces. She moved towards one of the top cabinets grabbing a bottle of tequila, pouring a small amount in her tea that lay tepid on the kitchen table before picking it up and drinking it all in one go like a shot. She huffed slightly at the sting in her throat, all the while the boys stared confused as ever. She looked backed down letting the warm sensation spread through her body "It's been a long morning, now, continue the story" a grin spreading on her face.

Ash broke the silence first "Well errr, I guess, I met Pika down at...Saffruschia town." Taking a moment to cringe at the god awful town name he invented "When we first met he didn't like me at all but then I saved him from this Spearow attack and we just, you could say we kinda hit it off. Pika doesn't have a family so I invited him to visit Pallet town to meet my family...it was so long ago, I guess, I forgot." the story coming off more natural near the end as he gradually calmed down and processed his thoughts.

Pikachu had been staring at Ash during his explanation, his mind recalling the true version of how they first met, how Ash had almost killed himself to bring him to a Pokecenter, how touched he was that someone had finally cared for him. Ash's deep, dark eyes met with his, a smile shining on his face as they shared similar thoughts; Ash had never loved a Pokemon like he had with his first.

"I see." Delia said breaking the contact between the two boys, she knew their was something the two were hiding, something that was very deeply rooted. She had decided to keep her curiosity to herself, Ash was already sixteen [1] and though she found it difficult she knew that he had his own life separate from hers. "Very well, I'm going to have to get the spare mattress from the attic and put it in your room"

"What?" both boys exclaimed in shock

"I can hardly have this lovely, young boy sleeping on the coach, he'll get a crook in his neck"

"Are you serious, Pika can stay with us for a while?!" Ash exclaimed a glint sparkling in his eyes.

"Yes, a long while, in fact. The house has been quiet for too long whilst you've been off on your adventure. Now enough talk. Go see Professor Oak, knowing that old man he's probably sending a search party for you, Ash."

"Thank you mum!" Ash cheered whilst lifting her up into a hug. He turned his head to whisper, trying to keep his words silent from the blond boy "From the bottom of my heart, thank you mum, you really are the greatest."

His voice warmed her heart and she slowly released her son to look at his young face, hands firmly placed on his shoulders "I know, I know, what can I say?" Ash laughed at her words, dramatically rolling his eyes as he removed himself from her.

Delia turned towards the other, quieter boy but was shocked to feel another pair of arms embrace her in a hug, but it wasn't her son this time, the hair was far too blond.

"Thank you for you kindness Mrs. Ketchum" Pikachu declared before letting go.

"Call me Delia, dear." As she looked to his face once more, she couldn't help but feel as though she had spoken to the boy a hundred times before. It frustrated her how she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen him before, she forced herself to think, the answer on the tip of her tongue. There was no such luck, however the boy did reminder her of another face. "Ash, how is Pikachu feeling?" genuine concern held in her words.

"He's still pretty bad, I've put him in my pokeball until Prof Oak can take a look"

"I'm sure Samuel [2] can cure his illness, take care boys" she spoke before ruffling Pika's hair.

Ash swung the door open and beckoned for the other boy to walk through. "We'll be back before dinner" he spoke over his shoulder as he placed his feet on the well-worn doorstep.

"Pika I would just like to say a little something before you leave..."

_Oh god, here it is, I knew it was too good to be true, she knows Pikachu's true identity_, Ash thought bracing himself. The blond boy retraced his steps shuffling past Ash and poked his head inside.

"...it's your hoodie, I think it's very fitting."

Ash exhaled in relief and so did Pikachu. "Thank you Delia," he said bowing deeply "your son was the one who bought it for me," and with that both boys walked away towards the biggest building in Pallet town, the Professor's Lab.

She shut the door, rubbing her head lightly. Delia didn't like her son lying to her but she also trusted him, he was a good kid, no doubt about it, she was the one who had raised him. The truth would come out sooner or later and when Ash was ready. She would have to find a new way to calm her nerves but in the meantime she didn't mind having a bit more tequila before continuing housework. "It's been a very long morning indeed."

* * *

**[1] I've put Ash and Pikachu at the age of 16 rather than 10 so that everything is of legal age but it is still in the time before Ash goes to other regions**

**[2] Samuel is Proffesor Oaks first name, just in case you didn't know**

**Also side note, Delia liking alcohol might seem ooc but I've always thought she would have been a wild teenager who let go of all of that to be a mother (but secretly still likes a shot here and there). Maybe I'm the only one who thinks that.**

**Anyway new chapter coming soon, THANK YOU to those who have liked it thus far. Reviews are greatly appreciated :3**


	5. Chapter 5

Ash looked back at his small suburban home, relief flooding his heart with the knowledge that the front door was securely shut and that he was securely away from his mother.

His house seemed welcoming with the white panel walls that seemed to glow, radiating with the sunlight that shined onto it; the windows were also wide open letting the light coral curtains blow out into the wind. The patio had a winding cobble stone footpath that lead out into main road, yellow daffodils lay in between, partially covered by the shadows of the billowing cherry blossom trees. The biggest tree on the property was next to Ash's bedroom, the same one Pikachu had so bravely climbed down, it rained a sea of pink petals whenever the breeze was especially forceful. His home was replica of the handful of other houses in the village, though there were only about a dozen in total they were very widely spread out allowing room for oak trees and flowering fields. It would take around about 20 minutes to arrive to the lab but Ash was determined to get their in less as he purposely put on his green fingerless gloves.

He quickly glanced at Pikachu who seemed to be having trouble with his equilibrium as he wobbled slightly in his walk, trying to hold back his own laugh he decided to strike up a conversation "It wasn't as disastrous as I thought it would be, the whole introducing yourself to my mother" the words uttered with sincerity, in honest truth out of all the scenarios Ash had envisioned it wasn't traumatic at all. Actually he was quite pleased that he had left the place unscathed, though he did accept that his dignity was not so fortunate, but did he really have that much in the first place when it came to his mother?

"Yeah right, I thought it was awful, what possessed you to say Saffruschia town?" Pikachu asked, shaking his head in amusement.

"Hey! I didn't see you suggest anything better." Ash shuffled closer to the other boy with a mischievous grin "In fact, I don't think I have ever seen you so shy before, it was rather cute," poking at one of Pikachu's pink cheeks.

The blond boy pulled a few steps ahead. "Unlike some people I don't feel comfortable lying," sticking his tongue out from over his shoulder in an attempt to stop Ash's teasing before it got out of hand, he didn't want it to become a habit where his was face casually assaulted.

"I don't like lying, if that's what your suggesting. I don't want to..." Ash took a deep breath before continuing "...But I have to, if I'm to keep what happened to you a secret."

"Why? Why is that important?" the atmosphere taking a more serious turn as Pikachu stopped in his tracks to face Ash. Confusion was written in his expression with his knitted eyebrows and pouted lips.

Ash stopped on the dirt path also, he began to realise that he may have said to much. The sound of pidgey's cooing and twittering filled the silence as Ash tried to organise his thoughts into fully-formed sentences "Well, because what happened to you Pikachu it is...is unbelievable. A Pokemon transforming in to a human is crazy and when other people find out, reporters, scientists, everyone, they'll want to do tests on you...and they'll use you." he muttered the last words in protest, the harsh tone in his voice sounding out of place.

Ash's body began unconsciously shaking as he imagined some taking his Pokemon away from him, his teeth were gritted shut and his voice took a lower tone as he continued: "But you are not theirs Pikachu, you're mine, you were mine from the moment I saw you. I will keep lying if it means that you get to stay and I get to keep you." There was an absolute confidence in his eyes that touched Pikachu greatly.

The blond boy was awash with the emotions of being claimed. He remembered a time when he was seen as nothing more than a rodent, he would enter houses only to be kicked out; that was all he knew until Professor Oak had taken him in. Now, to have this boy want him so unconditionally, he couldn't understand what he had done to deserve such a wonderful thing.

"Well, well I guess that it's okay then," not knowing how to express his gratitude. A rush of colour painting his cheeks as he refused to look at the other boy in the face "I don't want to belong to anyone else."

Ash's eyes snapped up, he was surprised that Pikachu hadn't just completely dismissed him. His body relaxed as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "I'm glad you feel that way," not knowing what more to say as he stayed rooted to the spot.

Pikachu shyly nodded his head in agreement. He tried resume walking but, due to the amount of time stood in one place, was greatly off balance with his first step. He couldn't stop his legs from buckling and he felt his body give way on a direct course to the ground. Ash saw the other boy falling and rushed to his side, roughly grabbing his shoulders to steady him. They were in close proximity, faces only inches away. They looked at each other, shining gold eyes catching on to the shaded, brown ones in front of him. Pikachu had the strange feeling again, the same one from the bedroom, it was like a surge of adrenaline coursing through him; making his heart pick up in pace.

"You should really be more careful in this new body of yours" Ash whispered gently before licking his lips slightly. The action was so small the blond boy had almost missed it, nonetheless it still caused his blush to deepen in shade, only sound of his pulse pounding in his ears. He wanted to lean over and get closer to Ash but they were already so close, he didn't know what to do.

The moment was immediately dispersed when a strangers voice interrupted with a "Hello!" Both boys jumped several feet away from each other with little yelps. The large space between them contrasted greatly with the closeness of only a few seconds ago and both boys frowned at the loss of warmth, though they would never admit it out loud.

A girl now stood between them, unaware of how brashly she'd disrupted the boys. Her mousey-brown fringe and thick spectacles covered a third of her face so only her mouth was easily visible as she spoke, "I heard that you're new to Pallet town," directing her attention solely on Pikachu "No one had told me how cute your were!" Her eyelashes fluttered disturbingly under the magnification of her dense glasses.

Pikachu wasn't accustomed to the ways of human flirting yet and raised his brows in surprise 'Ummm thank you, I am new here but it's very similar to my hometown."

"Yes, yes I heard you're from Saffruschia! Such a lovely place! I've heard great things about it, sadly I have never had the pleasure of visiting"

Ash stepped in towards her, unable to comprehend how this random girl had retrieved so much knowledge about them "What? How do you know about that? How do you know about anything?"

"It's the talk of the town, of course! The Ketchum family have so kindly taken in a orphan boy but if only had known how attractive the boy was I would have adopted him first " sending a enlarged wink towards the rather frightened Pikachu.

Ash was struggling to process the situation, they had only told his mother less than half an hour ago, how was it that the whole of Pallet knew? _This town was to small for its own good,_ Ash thought, _god knows how much had already circulated along the community, they really needed a new hobby like...knitting._ Ash couldn't help but huff in annoyance.

"Well, I guess I've said my welcome. I'm gonna head home and makes some calls" the excitement in her voice making it very clear what, or better who, would be the subject of her conversations later. "Oh, before I forget Pika, if you ever want a _private tour_ of the village, my house is number 09!" she hastily lunged towards towards the blond to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek before prancing away.

Traumatised, was really the only word that captured the array of emotions Pikachu was feeling. He stood there immobilised, left with just the garish magenta lipstick on his tarnished face.

Ash frowned deeply "I should have known you'd be the new exciting gossip of the town. We should probably be careful about how we act in public," his thumb coming up to wipe away the remainder of the lipstick stain on the other boy's cheek "you never know what assumptions they'll make about us if we're too close."

Pikachu nodded feebly despite the fact he didn't quite understand what Ash was implying, he could only concentrate on the gentle touch on his face. It was definitely hard being human.

* * *

**I know, i know your probably thinking we're never going to meet Professor Oak but i couldn't help but write this small chapter with the whole possessive Ash (it's one of favourite types of Ash ok) hope you didn't mind :) **

**Alsooo, knowing that you most likely ship Ash and Pikachu (who am I kidding of course you do) if you haven't already, go watch 'Pokemon: Mewtwo strikes back' because there are a whole load of pikashipping feelings. I saw it yesterday and I may or may not have shed a tear. **

**Anyway thank you for reading, it means a lot!**


	6. Chapter 6

Ash and Pikachu continued their journey towards the Professor's Lab, their destination a mere five minutes away. If only they had avoided some of the distractions along the way, they could have perhaps salvaged some time but alas, that was not the case. Both boys now rushed to get there, being an embarrassing half-hour late. It proved more challenging than imagined to ignore the curious peeks that everyone stole of the new boy.

Pikachu clung to the Ash's side, hoping to completely conceal himself in the others shadow. As much as Pikachu hated being shy, being under the townspeople radar made him feel very self-conscience; every other minute he would check to see if he had sprouted a yellow tail or cute, little ears. Fortunately, he seemed to be clear of that for the moment, but he still couldn't release the fear that someone would see past his human disguise. The tight grip he had on Ash's hand was able to partially calm his nerves, at least he had that comfort.

The full force of the communities stares was also something Ash found himself struggling to get used to. He felt as though it was his duty to glare back for the sake of his friend. Ash was never a hostile or intimidating person, normally he screamed positivity with just his smile but damn it, Pikachu was not some pretty boy to be drooled over!

He kept his strong face set, encouraging the blond boy to huddle closer, anything that let the rest of the village know who belonged to who. Ash had no problem with the close contact, in fact he quietly took pleasure in it. Not having his favourite Pokemon on his shoulder, on his hat, even inside his shirt head poking out, was really taking its toll; it was the equivalent of losing an arm or something._ Nope it would not do at all_, Ash thought.

They had finally reached the private property of Professor Oak. Through the open, rusting gates lay Pallet town's most prestigious building sitting calmly on the peak of a hill, standing out against the mountainous background. [1] There were two parts to the edifice, the main part was large and towering, it had an arched roof-top and long, glossy windows in front, illuminating the research room inside. The side building was connected by the terracotta tiles and cream coloured walls, it was smaller in size but was only used as the professors living space. Wind turbines were conveniently hidden behind the Laboratory and were responsible for generating the majority of electricity needed for the machinery. Apart from the turbulent clicking of its turning rotor blades, nothing else made them noticeable as the boys climbed closer on each stone step.

Despite the boys were now protected from the stranger's eyes and under the cover of the evergreen elm trees, Ash's hand remained tight in the other boy's grip. Ash smiled softly to himself, enjoying the touch.

Pikachu was deeply concentrated on the building before him, he frowned as it appeared much smaller than the last time he remembered, however it struck him that he had grown about four Pikachu's taller since the last time as well. He had turned to tell Ash this information but froze in his tracks as he became exceedingly aware of their still connected hands, he swiftly released his hold, cheeks heating up in response. The raven haired boy kept his expression neutral, only his dark chocolate eyes shining with the light that reflected of the gold words 'Oak Pokemon Research Laboratory'. He didn't take offense in the gesture, he was becoming more accustomed to Pikachu's human mannerisms.

They both stepped under the eave of the door. "Here we go" Ash muttered encouragingly before giving three firm knocks. All that was heard were mumbles from the other side and just as Ash leaned closer to listen, the door swung violently open sending him flying to ground. Gary strode outside, taking no notice has he trod over a very dazed boy. Ash tried to lift himself up ignoring the stars in his vision, only to be trampled over again by Gary's cheer leading team. Nothing Ash had experienced was more painful than the crushing sensation of several 4-inch heels... not even a stampede of Toros.

"Aaaaaaa! Itaaaaai!" Ash wailed from the ground, his face severely flattened.

"Oh whatcha ya know, it's Pallet town's number one loser" Gary chuckled, relishing in the sound of laughter that emitted from girls behind him. He hadn't changed one bit since Ash had last seen him, he was fitted in his dark violet shirt with his yin yang necklace hanging from his neck and, of course, he still had his unlawfully good looks.

Pikachu released a small growl, his nose crinkling in disgust. He swiftly rushed over to Ash, helping him off the ground whilst brushing away any excess dirt on his jacket.

"What's a loser like Ash doing back here, did you finally give up your stupid fantasy of becoming PokeMaster? No wait, did you finally realise you were no match against the worlds most elite trainer, Gary Oak? Oh, oh I bet you came home to cry to your mummy!" He chortled, holding his stomach as his eyes watered. One of his girls advanced with a handkerchief to wipe away his tears, only to be rudely pushed away.

"Hey! Hey! I could say the same about you!" Ash retorted

"For your information twerp, I've come to grace my gramps with my presence. I've caught so many Pokemon the old man is having to build me a whole new system, something you could only dream of." Gary boasted, his words causing the girls to sigh in admiration, saying things like "so cool" and "he's such amazing person" as they fawned over him. It made Ash feel sick to his stomach.

Gary continued "You know what? If I were you I'd just head home, your just a nuisance to my grandad's research." He suddenly looked very bored with speaking to Ash "Now if you're done stalking me, I'm going to my house to have fun with all these beautiful women" he smirked before brushing past. Everything was happening so fast Ash couldn't react fast enough.

Pikachu felt anger take hold of him and he boldly took a step in the path of Gary, causing the group of girls to crash into his back. "You can't say that to Ash, what did he ever do to you?" Courage surging through him.

"And who is this runt? You should get out of my way unless you want to battle?" Gary let out an obnoxious scoff, flicking his auburn hair.

"Well, I would if I could...But I don't have any Pokemon to b-battle" Pikachu stuttered trying not to let his embarrassment seep through.

"Don't have any Pokemon?! Bahahahaaaa, what kind of freak are you?"

"Stop picking on him Gary" Ash interrupted "He's my friend, you have no right to be rude to Pika, especially when you know nothing about him"

"He hangs around you, which is all the information I need! I bet your stupid friends abandoned you, this ugly loser all that's left for a boyfriend?" He laughed expecting the approval of his fan club, he came up short when no one joined him, instead he had the pleasure of overhearing some unsought mutters;

"I don't think the blond boy's ugly",

"Yeah, yeah he's rather dreamy",

"Mmhmm, maybe more than Gary".

Gary went crimson with anger "Whatever! I'd better split before I catch loser-itis" the words spat at the boys but not really having the same effect as before. No one seemed to be listening to him as stormed past them "Smell ya later dorks!" he yelled over his shoulder trying to capture someone's attention.

The Gary fan club were caught up in their lustful thoughts as they carefully inched their way closer to Pikachu, playing with the stands of his blond hair, pinching at his adorable rosy cheeks. Gary had reached the peak of his fury when he finally reached in his pockets taking out a wod of money; it was if he had blown an invisible whistle the way the girls turned to face him. They began waving Pikachu goodbye and blowing imaginary kisses before chasing after Gary. Ash was amazed, how come girls never acted like that around him?

Pikachu stood immobilised for the second time that day, hair severely ruffled and phone numbers falling out of his pockets blowing into breeze. Little did they know that further down the road, one random computer nerd was having the day of his life as it rained the numbers of many hot girls.

* * *

**[1] I'm basing how the Lab looks from the anime rather than the game because it's prettier to describe and a bit more realistic. Same goes for the rest of Pallet.**

**So Gary made an appearance, yay, I hope it satisfied your Gary needs. Sorry if it reads a bit crap, I've been speaking non-stop spanish and I feel as though my english skills are slowly fading, I'll do a better job next time :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this is the complete chapter, if you have read the first part already, just scroll down to the line break. Sorry for any inconvenience, I shall find a way to make it up to you guys in the next chapter ;)**

* * *

"Oh that Gary, he just...so...mean" Ash grumbled, frustration thick in his mind as he trudged through the long, narrow hallway of the Lab.

The words weren't caught by Pikachu as he locked the entrance door but from Ash's tone, he deduced the subject was most likely about his beloved rival. Gary had the ability to get under the skin of Ash like no other. All Pikachu could think about was a saying he once overheard, that love evokes strong emotions; anger was a strong emotion. Just the thought of Ash loving someone brought sense of pitted sadness, he couldn't bear it anymore as he tossed his attention else where.

Pikachu glumly looked at his surroundings, the interior of building was same as he recalled despite it had been handful of months. The laboratory was composed of two floors, the first floor was an elongated corridor. The walls were lined with several mahogany doors that lead to storage rooms and such. At the very end, a large stairway could be seen but only vaguely due to the dim lighting.

Ash was still in his thoughts. He replayed the confrontation from before, thinking of all the clever remarks he could have made, all too late to say the least . "Whatever, I'm twice as good as Gary, right?" Ash spoke confidently even though what he felt inside was quite the opposite. He turned towards Pikachu who was gently nodding in approval, it momentarily aided he insecurity, up until he caught the hint of dejection in the other's honey eyes. He wanted to ask what was wrong but, due to his lack of concentration on where he was walking, instead ended up crashing into the chest of drawers to his left. When he looked back up into Pikachu eyes there was nothing but concern, he guessed he must have imagined the blond boy's sadness.

As they reached upstairs, the heart of the laboratory was revealed in all its blinding brightness. The large windows seen in the outside view illuminated the research floor, light bouncing of the several technological pieces. There were stairs right to the back of the room that lead up to an inner balcony, there the whole of Pallet town could be seen, the emerald trees billowing in the wind, the water trickling down the river, the village in complete serenity.

Inside, the most noticeable machine was the PokeBall Transfer machine, used for the transportation of Pokemon to their Trainers in a Pokemon Center, it occupied most of the space to the left of the room. This was all familiar to the boys, however what _was_ a strange sight was the mad scientist, Professor Oak perched over a table with his hands moving like a maniac.

Ash and Pikachu shuffled closer to the man. Several chemicals on the table came into view, many of which - to Ash's concern - were plastered with warnings signs. Professor Oak seemed to be in the midst of a discovery, his eyes were glazed with excitement as he continued to mix several solutions into a flask.

Ash wasn't quite sure how to approach him, the professor was so occupied he hadn't noticed anyone enter the room. For a moment Ash considered returning at a later date but as he glanced once again at the middle aged man, it felt as if he were a child seeing his father after a long time apart. He had never had someone he could call a dad, however over the years he had come to realise this Professor was the closet thing to it.

"Hey Professor Oak! Sorry were a little late." Ash gestured with a wave as he finally plucked up the courage to interrupt.

The scientist momentarily froze to take a look at his visitors before the flask on the table began foaming violently, his hands went back to work as if they had never stopped. "Ahhh Ash, it's so great to see you! You've caught me in quite a sticky moment...oh...no..ohh my goodness...Ash could you possible pass me the hydronic acid?" his safety spectacles falling low on his nose, his hands too occupied to adjust them.

Ash hastily turned towards the shelf filled with several coloured beakers "Errr, what was its name again."

Professor teared his eyes away from the concoction in his hands to look up at Ash. "It's the red one, in the centre," panic evident in his voice as the flask began shaking without his control.

As soon as Ash had located it, he snatched it with as much care as he could, which wasn't any at all, and offered it to the Professor. The old man took it, swishing it around before pouring it into the large flask. There was a silence in the room as all the men observed the solution change in colour, there was a firm sigh of relief as the foaming lessened and the colour became a neutral green shade, all apart from Professor Oak who seemed to be somewhat disappointed.

"I guess, solution RX18 wasn't quite a successful as I thought it would be," the old man muttered morosely.

"Sorry Professor, we shouldn't have interrupted while you were working" Ash apologised, it was just his nature to feel guilty when other people made mistakes, Professor Oak knew this all too well.

"Oh it's not your fault, Ash! Science can be a real pain in the lumbago. Now, more importantly tell me how you are? My how you've grown into a fine, young man." The professor spoke, unable to keep his pride in check as he gave the boy a hug. Samuel Oak was the same as ever, his hair was still the same grey tone, the wisdom in his eyes had remained, he even wore the same white lab coat despite he had obviously added a new array of stains.

When they were done greeting each other, the middle-aged man turned his attention towards the blond-haired boy who had been watching them from the corner of his eye. Ash also had noticed Pikachu silently keeping to himself; it seemed all new people had the tendency to make him shy, regardless if had known them previously or not. Ash took the initiative to introduce the boy himself; "Professor oak this Pika, Pika this is...well...you know who this is".

Ash gently nudged Pikachu forward, who jumped slightly at the unexpected touch, after calming his nerves he took a deep bow and spoke; "Konnichiwa, it is very nice to be acquainted with you".

"Ahh yes, I believe you are the young fellow who has just arrived to Pallet town!" the Professor came up closer on inspection "You look very familiar, I'd say, almost too familiar" the atmosphere taking a serious edge as suspicion lingered in the old man's voice.

"I know! You look exactly like my nephew!" the Professor chuckled unable to stop his hand from ruffling Pikachu's blond hair. Just like that, any tension from beforehand was as good as gone. "You've been quite the talk of the town, you know?"

"Yes, we're extremely aware" Ash silently grumbled.

Pikachu felt his cheeks heat up as he acknowledged his new found attention, he gently nodded his head as he spoke, "the community has been nothing but enthusiastic."

"And as it should be!" Oak declared "This is the environment where Kanto's finest trainers are nurtured. Enthusiasm is the key to life."

Ash couldn't help but think otherwise, enthusiasm was great but not when it involved people fangirling over his former Pokemon. Especially when those people were also the ones who had devoted their lives to his arch nemesis.

It was no suprise his thoughts were once again on Gary, he knew it was only a matter of time it would start bugging him; Ash couldn't control his jealousy. "Soooo, I heard Gary's completely maxed out his box space on the computer system," he spoke trying to keep his voice as casual as possible, despite the comment was clearly out of place.

"Yes, quite an achievement on his part. I've never seen anything like it."

"Hmm I see, I guess with Gary on your side, my contribution seems scarce in comparison" Ash mumbled, letting his insecurity pour through. His words were nothing but an echo of his rivals.

"Not at all, Ash. You have a different styles of training Pokemon. You have great compassion and infallible determination, attributes that you pass on to your fellow Pokemon. It's fantastic to see them interact and more importantly it's essential for my research" Professor Oak spoke whilst gathering all contaminated equipment and gear onto a tray. He wiped down the table surface and returned all of the large text books into its designated shelf. It was only until the Professor noticed the outstretched silence that he realised how deep Ash was wallowing in doubt, normally it was impossible to stop the young boy from talking.

The Professor was a hundred percent certain that Ash would be successful, even more so than his own grandson, he only wished that Ash would also see his own potential too. "On your very first day as a trainer, Ash, I told you that the early bird gets the worm but I should've also mentioned that second mouse gets the cheese."

Ash had prepared himself to hear some weird metaphor because it was, well expected from the old man, but of course the words that had left the old man's mouth had made no sense what so ever. He stared blankly as confusion clouded his vision.

Professor Oak chuckled at his expression as he walked over to his computer, "the first mouse sets off the mousetrap leaving the second mouse, who came in late, to reap the glories of the cheese. Boys, you're the second mouse!" he spoke hoping that was enough to elaborate his point. He dropped into his blue chair before taking off his surgical gloves with a snap.

Ash thought about the wisdom the Professor had shared, what _he_ interpreted was that despite Gary was always ahead of them, being second place might actually be an advantage. At least that's what he thought the old man was mumbling about, maybe it wasn't that at all but for most part, at least Ash had regained the majority of his self-confidence.

* * *

Professor Oak had been engaged in idle conversation with the boys for some hours, all the while absent-mindedly recording the results of his experiment into a computer document. The boys had taken their place on the brown couch, making sure to keep the conversation light and as far away from Pikachu as possible.

The clock on the wall was nearing close to 5pm, and Ash could tell he and Pika would have to head back soon. He still, however had one important question he had yet to ask. "Prof, this may sound a bit off topic, but I was wondering if a Pokemon has ever...ever become human. Not that I know anything about that, of course, I'm just a kid! What would I know? Ha ha" Ash cringing inwardly as he his hand came to rub the back of his neck, today was not the day he learned how to play it cool.

The Professor raised his eyebrow at the unexpected question, it really was off topic. "Mmm, well it's very interesting you asked that, Ash, there are studies currently surrounding that, scientists have been trying to achieve this for quite sometime but the results are unsuccessful," he spoke as he continued to tap away on the keyboard.

Ash had hoped that perhaps there was more information, he need it desperately...for Pikachu. "That's a s-shame, I guess they haven't figured out how to turn a human into a Pokemon either then." Ash's sad voice caused Professor Oak to turn away from he work completely and give his full attention to the boy.

"A human to a Pokemon? That...That can't be done, why would anyone want that machine made?" Professor Oak asked, genuine concern borrowed deep in his eyes. _A machine like that would only cause troubles,_ he thought_._

"Oh, god no, I don't want to become a Pokemon or anything, if that's what you're thinking but... What if they did succeed in making a Pokemon into a human, surely they should have invented something to reverse it, just in case"

"Well, the experiments done have really alluded to nothing. For such a machine to be necessary, the research would need to advance greatly."

"Oh I see." Ash mumbled.

"Tell me Ash what makes you so curious about it?"

"Oh nothing, it's just something I overheard, forget I even mentioned it." Ash murmured, however he could already see the wheels turning in Professor Oak's head. Subtlety was not the young boy's forte and without any distraction Oak was bound to piece it together "Don't worry I'm not going to steal your job as a scientist, I much prefer being a trainer" He forced his laugh slightly, in an attempt to divert Oak's attention.

"A trainer's life seems more adventurous" Pikachu interrupted, surprising everyone in the room. He hadn't spoken much before hand, keeping a low profile and what not, but his outburst had definitely attracted all attention.

"Oh really and why is that?" The professor enquired, taking the bait. The boy had been so introverted earlier, the Professor was every bit intrigued to discover what his next words were.

"Because you get to travel the entire region, you get to face exciting battles and the friends you make along the way are the best you'll ever have" Pikachu spoke, passion resonating with every word.

The Professor nodded in approval, pleased to finally see more of the blond boy's personality. He made his way to his mahogany desk, removing a small golden key from his pocket to open one of the drawers, he rummaged around for a moment before taking out none other than a Pokedex. " It would be an honour to have another eager trainer like you, assisting my research."

Pikachu felt the Pokedex in his hand, it was about the size of a notebook and was extremely light weight in his grip. He carefully opened it up, the 'Hello' of dexter giving him a bit of a scare. He quickly shut the lid of the red mechanism before placing it back in the hand of the professor.

"I don't want to seem rude Professor Oak but I can't except your offer. You've seem to have mistaken me for a trainer when I am nothing of the such. I don't even own any Pokemon." It hurt Pikachu to say these words, to ignore his hidden desire to battle Ash one day, however what gave him the right to take charge of other Pokemon when deep down he was one himself.

"Every trainer starts their journey somewhere, take this Pokedex." The Professor placed it firmly back into Pikachu's hand before rushing back to his desk. He submerged his arm into one of the drawers, his voice was laboured with exertion; "I really wish I hadn't run out of starter Pokemon *grunt* but if only I can find some pokeballs for you, *grunt* I wonder we're I placed..."

After a while he finally dislodged his arm free and when he did, he revealed two sealed flasks of potion. "Ahh right, I don't seem to have any pokeballs in stock at the moment but in the meantime take these useful potions, You may have to wait a week or so once I get Pokemart to deliver."

"That's alright, Professor" Pikachu replied cheerfully despite he was disappointed. The idea was planted in his mind now and there was nothing he wanted more than to begin training immediately, to catch up to Ash, regardless how far behind he was.

Ash could see that Pikachu was downcast just by the way the boy pensively swigged the purple solution, a vacant look in his gaze. Ash decided it would be best to bid the Professor a goodbye, not wanting to impose with their presence any longer. He had an idea how to uplift Pikachu's mood but he wanted it to be done in private.

Once all the the farewells were made, Ash dragged Pikachu down the stairs and through to the empty, dimly lit corridor. Ash turned Pikachu towards him, holding his shoulders so that their faces were aligned, his dark chocolate eyes melting into the honey ones before him. "Pikachu, I want you to have this" he whispered all the whilst fumbling to take pokeballs from his lime coloured rucksack. When he revealed the objects in his hand, the sound of Pikachu's gasp was closer than he had expected.

"How did you know, Ash?" the blond boy whispered.

"I hope becoming a trainer like me, will make you at least, feel a tiny bit happier as a human." Ash replied, not answering the question. The wide smile that emerged on Pikachu's face was the very reaction Ash had desired to see. Ash supposed he could have given him the pokeballs when Professor Oak was present but then again, he was too selfish to let anyone else catch a glimpse at the beautiful smile that was directed for only him.

Pikachu reached for the four pokeballs, his golden eyes brimming with excitement. When he placed them away deep in his trouser pocket, he couldn't stop himself from placing his arms around Ash's neck. All his thanks conveyed in that one innocent hug. When Pikachu felt the other's arms curl around his back, his impulse reaction was to burrow his head into the crook of Ash's neck.

Pikachu had no intention to return to his original state, no intention at all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I didn't update last week, but I guess its kind of okay since this is a colossal chapter (seriously I've never wrote so much in one chapter). The end has a little suprise in store too. I hope you enjoy!**

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Ash and Pikachu waited patiently outside the Ketchum household. The sun had begun its gradually descent behind the peaked hills. The sky was like a canvas of colour, saturated in a flamed orange with streaks of shaded pink. Granted, above was richly illuminated, the land below was concealed in swelling shadows. The cooling breeze blew away the remnants of the humid air, causing the gentle rustle in the trees that sent leaves whirling around the boys. This was the village at its most tranquil state.

The front door opened; the sound of wind replaced by frivolous television mummers and the front-yard tinted in the warm yellow light of the house. Delia stood in the entryway wrapping her cardigan securely around her torso, giving protection from the cold. A smile was spread across her face as she spoke, "I see my two favourite boys have arrived." Her arms enveloped the boys into a tremendous hug, before placing an extra kiss on her son's cheek.

"Muuuuum" Ash whined as he entered into the house, pulling his cap down to hide his embarrassed face.

Mrs Ketchum rolled her eyes at his reaction, removing his cap at the same time. "No hats in the house, you know the rules," she firmly reminded.

"But it isn't just any hat." Ash countered, giving the same reply he been using for years.

"Ahhh, then I guess I should clarify on the extensions of the rule. No hats in the house _especially_ Pokemon Expo League hats." She placed the headpiece on the wooden coat hanger in an assertive manner.

"Muuuum" Ash complained.

His mother didn't reply but her face said it all, it held the silent 'you're very lucky that there's a guest in the house' expression - you know the kind, it's almost a replica of the 'if we weren't in a public place right now' expression. Ash was extremely accustomed with the look and even more accustomed with the repercussions the look held. He gravely apologised until he was certain his mother was satisfied; nevertheless she still gave the back of Ash's head a little tap just to reaffirm authority.

Pikachu cautiously followed into the house, locking the door behind him. "Good afternoon, Delia" he greeted, giving a small bow.

Delia couldn't help but look upon Pikachu with admiration, she was certain she wouldn't find another sixteen year old boy as polite as him. "What a gentleman," Delia gleefully exclaimed, "_Ash_ could learn a thing or two." Her stare was directed at her son until she felt her point was made, after that she gave a quick ruffle of Pikachu's hair and made her way to the kitchen, calling the boys behind her.

"Hear what she said? Apparently you could learn from me." Pikachu whispered conspicuously to Ash, a smug smile playing on his lips as he walked ahead.

"Che, in your dreams." Ash whispered in retort, following close behind. "I taught you everything you know."

"Ahh but it seems as though the student has surpassed the teacher, does it not?" Pikachu silently laughed, sticking his tongue out childishly over his shoulder.

Ash's jaw dropped in dismay as he heard distant chuckling from the boy in front. Everyone assumed Pikachu was a quiet boy but in Ash's opinion, he was actually a quiet _looking_ boy with the devil incapsulated, well maybe not that drastic but he certainly wasn't as angelic as his appearance made him out to be.

Delia gave a quick look to the mummers behind her, only to see her son's mouth hanging open like a Slowpoke. "Ash Ketchum, close that mouth of yours! I should hope you were raised better than that," she scolded, shaking her head in disapproval as they reached the dinner table.

Ash grudgingly shut his mouth. When had he become the subject to unjust scoldings?! Ash could unfortunately see a trend forming and was sure it would continue as long as human Pikachu was around. He made a mental note to reap revenge on the blond boy at a later date.

Delia looked over her shoulder once more, witness to the icy glares Ash shot towards Pika, she however gave it little thought, she instead turned her attention toward the kitchen area, moving fluidly between the shelves and drawers; gathering the equipment she required. She balanced everything, all the plates, glasses and cutlery in her arms, weaving around the boys with ease. She positioned three large plates onto the place mats, presenting the steaming spaghetti dish that was decorated with basil and Parmesan cheese. The aroma so tempting Ash had to physically stop himself from drooling, his was sure mother would tell him off if he did.

"Dinner is served" Delia exclaimed.

They all took their seat in the dark wooden chairs, watching with anticipation as Pikachu lifted his fork and took his first bite. Pikachu's verdict was decided as he hummed in approval causing everyone else to dig in as well. Ash thought it tasted delicious, it almost matched Brock's cooking. He was happily satisfied with his meal as it was, but alas he couldn't help but have the Pikachu in mind. Ash had hunch he could make the food taste better for Pikachu with the help of some bottled sauces.

"Mum, this spaghetti is really good," Ash commenced, "but I think it's missing some, i dunno, ketchup on top." His gaze flicked towards Pikachu, clearly seeing a spark ignite in his golden eyes at the word 'ketchup'.

Delia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I guess Pikachu's habits have finally caught on to the trainer," she laughed raising from her chair, advancing to one of the cupboards to get the ketchup. The blond boy blushed when he heard his name mentioned and as Delia returned to the seat, bottle in hand, she smiled fondly at Pikachu's embarrassed face. "You probably have no idea what I'm going on about, right?" Delia softly laughed.

Pikachu wasn't quite sure how to respond but he hesitantly nodded in approval; it seemed to be the right thing to do since her smile widened.

"One of Ash's Pokemon, Pikachu, has a terrible habit of smothering his food in ketchup and it seems as though, Ash too, has inherited the same problem." She elaborated. "Don't worry though, we won't make you try it. It's rather distasteful, if I'm honest."

"Oh I won't." Pikachu replied, despite he could feel himself salivating as he saw Ash pour some of it on the pasta. He was intelligent enough to know not to reveal his crazed ketchup obsession, it wasn't a very common thing among people and Delia would surely piece the clues together if he wasn't careful.

"No, you definitely will" Ash unexpectedly interrupted.

"Are you sure, Ash?" Pikachu enquired, he wondered if Ash was aware at how unguarded he was being.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. You have to try it."

"If you say so." Pikachu replied. He only just managed to keep his exterior composed as his insides brimmed with anticipation, he felt as if the doors to the holy grail had been opened. He squirted the ketchup over his plate, unable to decline the opportunity that had been so freely offered. He twisted his fork to make a roll of spaghetti, letting the now, sweet tomatoey sauce of the pasta run against his tongue. He was sure he was going to go into shock at heavenly flavours dancing along his taste buds. He groaned in approval before helping himself to pour more over his plate.

"Aren't you glad I introduced you to it?" Ash questioned.

Pikachu looked up from plate finally understanding why Ash hadn't been worried, if Delia assumed it was his first time ketchup-ising his food then it would seem as though he accumulated the obsession through Ash, the result being that he was now free to put ketchup on every future meal without raising suspicion. "I think it's the best idea you've ever had." Pikachu replied.

Ash sat there eating his food with a smirk. His spaghetti was now far too sweet for his liking but it was worth the sacrifice as he watched Pikachu devour his dish and ask for seconds.

Delia examined the boy with surprise, doubting her own judgement of what tasted good or not. She took a thoughtful sip of her lemonade before deciding it would best to leave the ketchup eating to the the blond boy, her son and her son's Pokemon, Pikachu. "I'm sure Pikachu will get terribly jealous if you don't invite him some food, Ash."

"Huh?" Ash questioned with confusion. "Pikachu's already eating though."

"I don't mean Pika. That blond boy is happily eating his share." Delia laughed " I mean Pikachu. That little, round, electric thing that follows you around? The Pokemon that has been your companion for 6 years? Any of it ringing bells?"

"Oh right, yes, my Pokemon. I obviously know who you mean, I just misunderstood is all." Ash spoke, panic rising in his chest.

"Yes well, I assume the Professor was able to make him feel better, Samuel really has a gift in that area."

"Uhh, actually, he couldn't help Pikachu" Ash spoke, feeling himself calm down from what was a close call.

"What?" His mother spoke with concern, she expected to see sadness in Ash's eyes but there was no trace of such thing. She didn't understand why Ash wasn't crying in a puddle on the floor, in the past when Pikachu got a bruise or cut Ash went into complete hysterics; for him to be so composed, especially after new like that, was definitely out of character. '"Is Pikachu okay then? It sounds serious if Samuel can't help, perhaps I should take a look?"

"No don't! There's no need. Prof said all the little guy needs is a good rest in his Pokeball for a week or so until he's recovered and that he shouldn't be disturbed before that."

"Oh I see, so he will be cured then. Thank goodness for that." Delia believed her son but still felt a nagging curiosity in the back of her mind "It is strange though, he seemed so happy when you arrived home the other day. I'll talk to the Professor when I get a chance."

"Please don't." Ash spoke feeling the conversation steer dangerously, he was quick to change topic."I, uhh think you have talked to enough people already".

"And what do you mean by that?" Delia asked, bothered by his accusing tone.

"I mean, I don't want my personal life to be the source of your conversation, you've wasted no time telling everyone about Pika." Ash's voice quavered, he could tell however, by his mothers angered face he had her attention in his control.

"I did no such thing, I merely told a friend or two." Delia defended.

"Yeah, well, you might as well have made an announcement in the Pallet newspaper. I don't mind what you talk about, just don't mention Pika anymore." Ash spoke, hating how he sound like a bratty teenager but at least Pokemon-Pikachu was no longer on his mothers thoughts.

"Fine, Ash. I don't understand why you're being so secretive but I shall take your wishes into consideration if your really that bothered by it."

"I am." Ash hastily responded "Seriously, if you have to gossip about something I give you permission to tell the story of how I lost my swimming trunks in the sea, just nothing that involves Pika, okay?"

"Okay, okay." Delia replied as she grabbed the dirty plates from the table and put them into the sink. "I guess if we're on the topic of gossip, it's good a time as any to bring up what Gary's mum told me earlier."

"Oh, um and what might that be?" Ash cautiously asked. He had the sixth sense that what Gary's mum had to say wasn't good news.

"Well, she said she saw a boy climb out your bedroom window this morning. I told her that it was impossible since you told me you were alone upstairs, but then she told me the boy had blond hair and wore a very distinctive Pikachu hoodie. I then told her, she must have been mistaken. Would either of you care to explain why Pika jumped out the window?" Delia's voice holding a very stern tone, she had clearly been waiting to bring it up all evening.

"That's...That's crazy." Ash's words coming out as improvised as it came, "You know how the people are in this town. They say jump out window when they really mean walk out front door. These people are known for exaggerating, mum, seriously, you'd think they were sniffing glue or something. Hahahaa. Anyway, love you, mum. Goodnight, love you. Your beautiful. Love you. " He yelped as he quickly dragged Pikachu upstairs, escaping before they got into more trouble than he could dig out of.

"Geez that was close" Ash panted as they reached his bedroom.

"I don't think we fooled her, Ash" Pikachu coughed in exhaust.

"It's fine, let her believe what she wants as long as its not the truth."

"I guess."

"Don't worry."

They stood their facing each other trying to catch their breath. "Uhhh, i was wondering if you want to take a bath before bed or something" Ash asked breaking the silence that has formed between them.

"Umm sure, I'll go after you" Pikachu replied.

"Nah, I'm gonna take mine in the morning, go ahead though." He opened the bathroom door that was situated next to his bedroom. He gestured for Pikachu to enter before entering himself. The room was of relative size, not to small to be uncomfortable but not big enough for two people to have a lot of personal space. Ash tugged back the white bathroom curtain, revealing a porcelain tub that occupied a third of the room. He turned one of the bath handles to the right, causing the pipes from below to groan in protest. Hot water trickled from the faucet before pouring down in a decent quantity. He tested the water with his hand before adding some cold water as well, he didn't want the blond boy to boil.

When Ash felt the water was at a reasonable height and temperature, he poured in some bath foam because let's face it, who doesn't like bath foam and then he walked out into the hall leaving Pikachu to take care of the rest. Ash's hand lingered on the door handle after he had shut the door closed. He could hear clothes rustling from the other side and he was reminded of how the blond boy looked in the morning, how the bed sheets pooled along the waist revealing his tanned torso, how difficult it was to refrain himself from looking. He let go of the golden handle as if it had burned him. What had come over him? He really need to stop hanging around Brock.

"Ash." The voice came from the other side of the door.

The raven-haired boy stood still in the hallway as he heard his name being called. His previous thoughts were abandoned and replaced with only the thought of, _oh crap did I say something out loud_, other than that he was unable to do anything but hold his breath.

"Ash." Pikachu repeated.

Ash had no other option than to reply, he stomped his feet slightly to give the impression that he had arrived from his bedroom, he wasn't sure if it would work or not but he went with it regardless. "Yeah, are you alright in there?"

"Umm, I don't think so" Pikachu responded.

"What do you mean, is the water too hot or something?" Ash asked edging closer to the door, holding genuine concern for his friend.

"No, no, I'm fine, it's just...I don't understand what to do, do I just sit here for an hour?"

Ash could perfectly visualise the pout on the boy's face, and he couldn't help let out a light laugh as he spoke."You're meant to wash yourself, Pikachu, I thought you knew how bathing worked."

"I do but...but there are so many bottles. I mean, do I use the umm, morrocan oil shampoo? No, wait I think that's actually bath oil. Ash, wait, umm should I use the the itchy scalp shampoo, I don't think I have an itchy scalp though."

"Stop, stop, Pikachu. You clearly need my help." The laugh still lingering in Ash's voice.

"Yes I do, now stop giggling about it and tell me what to do" Pikachu spoke, clearly feeling the vulnerability of being naked in a bath tub.

"Okay, I will. You'd think you would be nicer to the person that's going to help, sheesh." Ash teasingly spoke.

"Ashhh" Pikachu whined.

"Alright, alright, don't get your underwear in a knot."

"I don't have underwear on, Ash."

"I should hope so." Ash laughed, however as he thought about the words he spoke and how they could be interpreted, his laugh cut short and instead the sensation of embarrassment took over "I mean, I should hope you don't have underwear on in the bathtub, because your not meant to have underwear underwater and...I swear, I'm not a pervert."

"Ash, it's okay, just help me alright." Pikachu responded, not revealing much with his voice.

"Umm of course, I'm just going to enter quickly, if that's okay with you?" Ash asked, mentally punching himself for making things awkward like he always managed to do. There was a moment of silence where Pikachu had yet to answer his question and Ash wondered if the blond boy was blushing as much as he was.

A soft, "okay," came from the other side, so quiet Ash's ears strained to hear it.

"Ohh umm, just make sure the foam covers your...parts." Ash spoke, wanting to add on 'I swear I'm not a pervert' again, but he guessed he would sound more like a pervert if he kept repeatedly denying it.

"Okay...I've done it." Pikachu replied.

Ash timidly reached for the rounded golden handle before turning it round ever so slowly. When he heard it click, he carefully opened the door. He made sure that his eyes were closed in precaution as he stepped inside, his pounding pulse taking over his senses. He slid the lock of the door behind him, god knows what his mum would think if she caught them two now, and then turned towards the blond boy in the tub; his eyes still clamped tight.

"Are you decent?" Ash asked, feeling his face melt with embarrassment. He heard a quiet noise of approval from Pikachu. He concentrated his gaze at the floor where he saw all of Pikachu's clothes in a bundle on the white tiled floor. He slowly lifted his eyes from the bottom of the tub, inching upwards across the porcelain surface, past the surface of water, up until the boy was revealed.

Pikachu sat in the middle of the bath tub, the body below his shoulders submerged in bubbles. His eyes were hidden under his hair that had taken golden brown colour as it dripped with water. His bottom lip was caught between his teeth and, just as expected, his cheeks were stained in a scarlet red. Ash sucked in the warm surrounding air at the sight of the boy. It caused Pikachu to look up, exposing his honey eyes, that shimmered with nervousness.

"You...you look...wet" Ash whispered, cringing internally at the words he had chosen, "I mean... I don't know what I mean. I...I should just help now".

Pikachu was hesitant to nod. Ash watched as the Pikachu swallowed nervously, the base of throat bobbing up and down, causing the water droplets that rested there to trickle further below.

Ash leaned over to the rack of bath products, gently picking up the correct shampoo and displaying it in front of Pikachu. His voice was quiet as he spoke, "Use this one first, the directions are on the back and..." he took a deep breath"...you know what I could just do it for you if you're not sure?" It wasn't common for Ash to be so forward but something about the hot, thick atmosphere made him feel somewhat intoxicated.

Pikachu accepted his offer with a delicate nod, allowing Ash let out a breath of relief.

Ash knelt down in front of the other boy so there were face to face, he could feel the water soak through his jeans as he did so. He squeezed the shampoo into his palm making a lather, he hesitated for moment but then steadily ran his hand through the blond's hair. Pikachu gasped at the unexpected touch, automatically pulling back, Ash's hand followed his movement continuing to distribute the shampoo evenly. The room was silent despite the occasional splash of water disrupted every so often. Pikachu had become accustomed to the close proximity of the other boy, his eyes glistening with anxiety and excitement.

When Pikachu's hair was white with foam, Ash unwillingly removed his hands to cup warm water in them. He lifted the water over Pikachu's head to wash away the shampoo, Ash repeated the action several times watching as the water drizzled down the side of his neck, dripping over his prominent collar bone and vanishing into the frothy water.

"Your wet too." Pikachu mumbled. Ash tore his eyes away from the boy's body to look down at himself to realise that he was, in fact, wet, the black shirt clung to his chest, splotches darkened with water.

"Oh" Ash said, his heart beating nervously. "I don't mind too much."

"You can take your shirt off..." Pikachu suggested, gaze glued to the ground, bottom lip trembling ever so slightly. "...If it makes you more comfortable, that is".

"I...I will". He could hardly speak but his thoughts were racing as he slowly removed his trainer jacket. How he got into this situation in the first place was beyond him but he felt himself drifting from himself, as if he had no control over his actions anymore. With a touch of hesitance, Ash peeled of his black shirt, pulling it over his head. He let the item of clothing drop to the floor, feeling the warm air cling to his body.

Pikachu heard the muffled sound of something hitting the floor tiles, since his eyes were directed elsewhere he assumed it was Ash's clothing. He was so embarrassed he was sure the blush of his cheeks had spread over his entire face. He peered up at the boy before him. Ash had grown a lot during the past 6 years, his shoulders were broader, his arms were strong and he even had a nice definition of abdominal muscles; it was inevitable considering how much training he endured. Pikachu swiftly looked away, trying to ignore the tightness he felt in his stomach.

"Uh, I still need to put conditioner in your hair." Ash mumbled, leaning over to the reach the bottle on the opposite side of the tub. His bare arm grazed against Pikachu's shoulder, the heat from the touch searing his skin. Once he got a grip of the conditioner, he squeezed a good amount on his hands and shut the lid with a click. His finger trembled as he rubbed his hands together and gently running them through Pikachu's hair once more.

Ash gently massaged the conditioner through the boy's golden brown hair. Pikachu closed his eyes, humming in relaxation at the circular motion of Ash's fingertips. Ash's eyes brushed over Pikachu's features, watching how his pink lips parted taking ragged breaths of air, how is eyelashes fluttered over his crimson cheeks. Ash removed his right hand, gently stroking Pikachu's heated cheeks, feeling it's innocent warmth. Pikachu's honey eyes flitted open catching gaze with Ash. Ash's brown eyes were so dark and deep they almost took the colour of black, and they seemed to hold emotion which Pikachu had never seen before. The blond boy's heart pumped with adrenaline and their air seemed so thick he could hardly breath.

Pikachu tried to look away but Ash's hands didn't let him, everything in the background faded little by little. Slowly, Pikachu found himself inching closer to Ash, the space between their lips disappearing, until their lips gently interlocked. Ash's hands tangled further in to the blond boy's hair, but it only lasted a moment before Ash hastily pulled back.

The warm air felt cold against Pikachu's lips compared to previous heat of Ash's mouth and Pikachu couldn't help but flush with embarrassment as he thought about it.

"I, uh, think it's best if I leave" Ash spoke into the silent room. His gaze was directed to the ground, black hair flopping over his eyes as he continued; "Just rinse out the conditioner and then empty tub, okay?" He didn't wait for a response, he just opened the door of the hall and abruptly exited the room.

Pikachu stayed sitting the tub for far longer than necessary, allowing the tepid water to slosh around him. He had the feeling of dread heavy against his chest and his whole body shivered with cold, only his lips still tingled with heat from Ash's touch.

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**I would love to know what you thought about this chapter and the direction the story seems to be heading, and I also want to give big thank you to people have have supported this story thus far :) **


	9. Chapter 9

Ash stood in solitude, forehead rested against his cheval-glass mirror. He watched intently as the metallic, silver surface fogged over with his hot breath. There was a breeze blowing in from the open window dousing his bedroom in a biting cold, but Ash didn't mind too much, he was more concerned with the way his intake of air caused the water vapour on the mirror to recede then return.

Ash abruptly swiped at the condensation with his hand, glaring at himself in the mirror. His reflection showed a raven-haired boy, eyes filled with desolation and lips puckered in a frown; even his hair seemed to hang depressingly. Ash's gaze returned to his lips, lifting his fingertips up to brush over the soft tissue. Nothing about his lips appeared to be different as he prodded and pressed, but, of course they were. No one had ever kissed him before and as he looked in the mirror he expected to see some evidence of the change, something to signify what he had experienced, but they were exactly the same. In some sense, he supposed that made the kiss easier to forget but...did he really want to.

Ash still hadn't changed his clothes and he didn't really care about it either; he didn't care how his bare chest was exposed to the wind or how his jeans chaffed uncomfortably, he only moved to make sure everything was ready for Pikachu. He carefully draped the bedspread over the empty mattress that lay next to his own bed, placing down a fluffy pillow and thin blanket. He then moved towards his wooden-oak drawers, retrieving underwear, a pyjama shirt and trousers for Pikachu to wear. The material was made out of an elegant, dark blue silk and he was sure it would make nice contrast with the boy's golden eyes. He carefully folded the clothing and placed them too on the mattress.

Despite Ash's best attempts to distract himself, his internal conflict didn't let up. His real restlessness wasn't because Pikachu was technically a Pokemon, or the fact that Pikachu was a boy (though you must admit though they're both issues in themselves), it was that Pikachu was his best friend. He took advantage of the person he cared for the most. Did Pikachu even know the importance a kiss held?

Ash glared at himself in the mirror with disappointment and self-contempt, glaring until he couldn't even bare to watch his own form any longer. He walked away, pulling his wet jeans down, discarding them to the side as he opened his drawer, fishing out a new set of briefs and his pyjama top.

Once he was done changing, he slumped down into his desk chair, letting all his emotions sink there with him. He was tired, physically and mentally and yet he still waited, swivelling his chair round from side to side for the moment Pikachu would return.

After half an hour or so, just as Ash felt his eyelids drooping shut, the door handle rattled sounding the entrance of the boy he waited so patiently for. Pikachu entered the room, towel suspended around his waist, shutting the door considerately behind him. Ash watched as Pikachu roamed towards his mattress, catching the smallest details of his muscles contracting, even the goosebumps forming on his usually smooth skin.

Ash revolved his chair in the opposite direction, leaning over the desk to fix the window shut. The loud click of the bolt startling a flock of Pidgeys in the nearby tree, causing them to soar away through the ink-coloured sky. Though Ash was no longer directly viewing Pikachu he could see him in the obscure reflection of the window, his eyes moving on their own accord. The blaring lights of the bedroom insured nothing indecent was visible, but even so, Ash felt his cheeks rush with colour as the towel from Pikachu's hips fell to the ground. Ash averted his gaze elsewhere, not being able to watch anymore.

"Are you done yet?" Ash impatiently asked after waiting for what felt like an eternity.

"Umm, almost. It's just my shirt, I can't seem to do up the buttons." Pikachu responded, a struggle clear in his voice.

Ash rotated in the direction of the blond haired boy. Pikachu stood there, his eyebrows scrunched and tongue poking past his lips in concentration, all the while his fingers fumbling hopelessly.

"Hn, I should've known you would struggle with a simple shirt." Ash scoffed, letting his bad mood demonstrate itself as he rose to assist the boy. "Stop." Ash ordered assertively, pushing Pikachu's hand away from the seam of his pyjama shirt. Ash ignored the way his fingers brushed against the boy's skin, focusing solely on the swift fastening of the all the buttons up to the base of his neck.

When Ash was done, he tugged at the shirt collar straightening it out, maybe tugging bit harder than necessary. As his gaze met with Pikachu's, he saw a fondness glistening in the boy's honey eyes, one he he didn't deserve but received anyway. Pikachu drew closer to Ash with a hesitance that made Ash think he was carefully testing the boundaries between them.

Ash's breath brushed against the other boy's lips, reminding him of his own breath from earlier brushing against the mirror surface, however this time the boy in front of him wasn't his reflection but a boy clearly beguiled. Ash placed a hand on Pikachu's chest, ignoring the resistance he felt.

"We should probably sleep." Ash mummered, his voice sounding out of place in the silence. He turned away from Pikachu, his fingertips lingering on the his silk shirt before ripping away completely. Ash hit the light switch, immersing the room in darkness and then quietly lay in his bed, deliberately facing away from Pikachu. "Goodnight." Ash spoke.

Pikachu stood alone, consumed by the cold atmosphere in the air. "I'm sorry, Ash." He commenced, his words hanging without a response. He was unsure if the Ash was even listening since the boy made no movement to suggest he was, but regardless of this Pikachu felt the need to continue."If I did something wrong then I'm sorry, Ash..."His words disintegrating into a whisper. "...I don't want you to hate me."

Ash didn't move in his bed, he was torn between pretending to sleep or letting his frustration get the better of him, the very idea that Pikachu was apologising when he was guilty seemed blasphemous. He adjusted his position in bed so that he could see the outline of Pikachu's small frame.

"Why are you apologising?" Ash growled, speaking in a harsher tone than he intended. He wished he could speak kindly to Pikachu, to whom he thought looked beautiful in the gleam of the moon, but he couldn't. He couldn't speak with anything other than the backlash of anger he felt for himself, for the trouble he had caused.

"I don't know...' Pikachu solemnly repeated. "...I just don't want you hate me, Ash."

"Stop saying that. As if I could hate you." Ash retorted.

"I..don't know.."

"You mean everything to me Pikachu." Ash interrupted, huffing in anger. He couldn't restrain his feeling anymore than a dam could restrain the sea. "I would die for you and yet you think I could hate you. On the contrary, you should hate _me_."

"Why?" Pikachu exclaimed, expelling the air from his lungs in shock.

"I took advantage of you. I took advantage of you and you're so innocent, so naive, you don't even know that you should be a-angry at me, shit." Ash stuttered with frustration.

"I'm not as innocent as you think I am." Pikachu spoke, his voice unfaltering. "I've been everywhere you've been for the past six years, I've seen everything you've seen. Do you think I'm so stupid that I can't comprehend whats around me?" Pikachu's asked, vexation radiating off him as his figure remained unmoving in the dark.

"I didn't mean it that way, Pikachu. I don't think you're stupid." Ash back-tracked.

"No, of course you do." Pikachu angrily interrupted. "What, just because I was a Pokemon, just because I couldn't speak your language, you think you know more than me? What's best for me? Please, Ash, don't stress yourself. I can make my own decisions from now on, okay? I don't need you."

"I don't need you." Pikachu repeated, pain seeping through his voice, the words hurting himself more than anyone.

Ash didn't know what more to say, he had clearly fucked it up big time, he never wanted to hurt Pikachu but that was the very thing he ended up doing. Ash stared in silence as the boy shivered violently in the cold room.

"Come here," was all Ash could manage to articulate.

"Why."

"Come here... you're freezing and my bed has the thickest duvet." Ash spoke, he just wanted Pikachu close to him, if he couldn't succeed in this then he knew his friendship would be damaged for a long time. He couldn't let that happen.

"I'm fine, thank you." Pikachu curtly responded.

"No, come here. Your going to catch pneumonia with your wet hair. There's no reason you should suffer on my behalf."

Ash heard a sigh come from Pikachu and in that moment he knew the boy would follow him. No doubt a few seconds late a brief "okay" was heard.

Pikachu moved towards the bed, stepping over his own floor mattress. He peeled back the duvet and slipped in next to Ash, refusing to look at him and instead counting the glow-in-the-dark stars that decorated the ceiling.

Pikachu continued to tremor next to him and it vividly reminded Ash of memory that took place many years ago, a memory that marked the true beginning of their unyielding friendship. The memory filled Ash with nostalgia and he knew at once he had to remind Pikachu, this was the only way the blond boy would forgive him.

"Pikachu...do you remember..." Ash took a deep breath to compose himself "...do you remember that time when we, Misty and Brock included, reached this simple mountain, [1] and it was snowing terribly, I mean snowing like we've never seen. And I, of course, being dense as always, forced you guys to climb it with me because, well, because I said something stupid like 'a Pokemon master always stays on course'. Then somewhere along the way we got lost and, damn, Misty was so angry, she was just about ready to kill me, remember?" Ash asked, it was his turn to hear no response but he guessed it was only fair due to how he acted earlier.

"Well, we got caught in this huge blizzard and you got blown away. I was so scared I had lost you that I ran into the snow to search for you alone. I was glad that I had though, because I found you hanging on to edge of a cliff and only just managed to save you. I sometimes wonder what my life would be if I hadn't saved you... I can never think about it too long.

"Anyway, we took haven in a little cave. It was still so cold though and you looked close to freezing to death, so I told you to enter your Pokeball but you refused. You just clinged to my body as tightly as you could. You weren't able to speak but I knew from the gesture you were telling me that you would rather freeze to death than abandon me. I...It meant so much to me...you actually cared about me. Even when we were safe the next day, I vowed to myself I would never let you be so cold again, that I would protect you, and never, ever hurt you."

Ash breathed in deeply again, "I guess I failed on all three promises." He paused to take in the sight of Pikachu's side profile, the gentle curve of his nose and his beautiful, oval face. Pikachu didn't respond but that was okay with Ash, he only wanted him to listen.

"I don't hate you, I could never hate you." Ash continued, watching as the boy's lips quivered and breathing became shallow. "I just get so frustrated when I feel upset because I know I shouldn't let myself get upset and I'm sorry I did."

Ash brought his hand up from under the duvet to delicately brush away Pikachu's damp hair from the boy's face. He felt a warm wetness on Pikachu's cheeks rub against his hand.

"Are you crying?" Ash asked, now certain that the boy had heard every word of his story.

"No." Pikachu replied breaking his own silence, from the hiccup in his voice Ash knew that the warm wetness he felt were tears.

Ash lifted the corner of the duvet to dap the moisture from Pikachu's cheeks, turning him gently sideways, bringing him into a hug. Nothing had really changed from the time the we're stuck in the cave, Pikachu was still able to convey all he was feeling through his gestures.

"It's okay to cry, you know." Ash comforted.

"And it's okay to feel upset, Ash. No one expects you to be happy all the time, at least I don't." Pikachu gently added.

Ash said no more but he repeated Pikachu's words over in his mind, finding his own comfort too. They stayed in the embrace, drifting to sleep with the knowledge that everything would be okay in the morning. Everything would be okay.

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**[1] This snow story is all canon, the episode is called 'Snow's way out'. It's super cute and the whole reason I got into Pikashipping.**

**You may have noticed this was super angsty, (seriously what got into me while writing this!) I don't know exactly but I thought it was necessary to make the relationship stronger and I also kinda wanted to try another writing style hehe :)**

**Also I made Ash take the kissing incident very serious because let's face it he doesn't get a lot of action and kissing means a huge deal to him. My poor baby.**  
**Thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: If you haven't noticed the rating has been turned up to an M, so I should warn you this chapter has some light boyxboy action, nothing crazy just a little something to apologies for the long wait! **

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Ash Ketchum wasn't precisely sure what stirred him so early the morning, there was a number factors, you see. It could have been the ceaseless ticking of his bedside clock, or the Spearow's pecking at his window, or perhaps even the heavy snore sounding from his mother's bedroom. However, as Ash gradually gained consciousness, it became increasingly clear the cause for his untimely awakening was none other, than the new found heat source that had clung to his body.

The trainer glanced down with hooded eyelids, perplexed to find a sleeping blond boy pressed up next to him in a cuddle, Pikachu's head resting comfortably on his shoulder. From previous experiences Ash should've known human Pikachu would be a snuggler, but it never posed as a problem when he was the size of a teddy bear. The grown teenage boy that lay next to him now, creeping his hand under Ash's shirt could end up very problematic.

Ash began to feel the first flames of the flustered heat as he began to distinguish dreams from reality. His mind was still clouded in sleep but he was alert enough to know this was probably crossing the boundary of weird. Ash brought up his own hand from where it lay by his side, careful to avoid the rustle of the duvet as he lifted Pikachu's hand away. At first, it seemed his efforts had succeeded but in fact, the situation only worsened from there. Pikachu automatically ran his hand back up Ash's torso, but in addition to that, he tangled himself further, hitching his leg right over Ash's hip.

Pikachu seemed to find comfort in the warmth Ash's chest was giving off, subtly rearranging his body so that half his chest lay against Ash's, his ear conveniently placed over Ash's rapid beating heart. Ash gritted his teeth, holding back his instinct to squirm. Nothing could distract Ash from the light graze's of Pikachu's fingertips, the skin to skin contact leaving goosebumps in its trail causing Ash's breath to hitch. Ash swallowed deeply as the boy's thigh began to press against his groin, _this was not happening._

"Pik-Pikachu...?" Ash unsuringly whispered, partially checking to see if the boy was awake and partially pleading him to stop. He could feel his face crimson with colour as he stuttered, thankful at least no one was able to catch him in his ruffled state.

As he brought his head down to look at the blond boy, Pikachu's hair brushed against Ash's nose, overwhelming him with a cinnamon scent. Ash felt surprised, he shouldn't have been since he was the one who put the cinnamon scented shampoo through his hair. Feeling slightly bolder than he wanted to admit, Ash brought his free hand to skim across the silky strands of blond, letting his curious fingertips brush past Pikachu's temple and slide into his soft hair. The texture was different now that it was no longer dripping with bath water and he found he liked it a lot more too.

Ash's brushing hand movements must have disrupted Pikachu since he felt an increased pressure from the boy's thigh against his groin. Ash endured several twitches in tight stomach, and more prominently further down south, though he tried his best not to acknowledge it. All Ash could process in his frazzled mind was that this definitely had to be a dream. It had to be. He closed his eyes, knowing it was quite childish to hope that he could ignore it but it was torture. In the darkness of his closed lids, every touch became heightened, making it even harder to restrain himself from seeking more contact. _Crap_.

Ash eyes shot open, panic rising through him as he noticed something devastating. The incoherent mummers escaping from the blond boys lips could only mean one thing. Pikachu was waking up. He was waking up. This was going to be painfully awkward if Pikachu woke up to find them both entangled and worse that one had an erection in said entanglement. Ash bit his lip with horror but also with the slightest hint of excitement. _Get a hold of yourself_! Ash thought, as he pinched his arm causing him to jerk off of the bed.

"Wahhh!" Ash yelped with freedom as he hit the hard floor. There wasn't much pain as he landed on his face but that was only because his erection seemed to take the majority of the fall's impact. He rolled around cupping his groin. Why couldn't he have fallen on the nice, soft mattress on the other side?! He continued to toss and turn, not really caring anymore if he woke Pikachu up, it was his fault in the first place. Electric rodent needed to be changed on the Pokedex to cuddly koala, since that was more accurate than anything else.

"Ash, why are you on the floor?" Pikachu's voice sounded.

Ash peeked up from the ground, pausing momentarily from his rolling. Pikachu was looking down with a curious half-gaze, rubbing his eyes with sleep and leaning on the edge of the bed to get a better look at Ash. Ash scrambled up in a standing position, ignoring the way the room spun around him but more importantly, concealing the tent in his black underwear briefs.

"Ash?" Pikachu repeated with a yawn.

"I, um...fell of the bed." Ash mumbled.

"You what?"

"Fell of the bed."

"Why did you fall of the bed?" Pikachu asked, very much disoriented.

Ash wanted to tell him he it was because he was molested in his sleep but he had a feeling that wouldn't go down to well. "I, um, wanted to take a shower."

"Well, couldn't get out of the bed like normal person." Pikachu moaned, clearly not a morning person as a pout formed on his pink lips. "What time is it, anyway?"

Ash flicked his gaze towards his digital clock, eyes almost falling out of their socket as he the numbers 4:09AM flashed in a green light.

"It's kinda like four in the morning." Ash said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Pikachu groaned with annoyance, pulling the duvet over his head, burying himself his darkness. "Wake me in another six hours."

"Sure thing." Ash replied. He waited a moment to ensure Pikachu wasn't going to ask anymore questions before charging towards the bathroom. He wasn't lying when said he was going to take a shower, the setting would be on cold...very, very cold.

_Damn you, cuddly koala_.

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**It's been a while since I wrote something like this so hopefully it wasn't too horrendous. Do you want more sexual/awkward Ash moments that follow the enivitable path of sexy times or are you happy for this stop here in regards of...sexy times. hahaaha tell me in a review! Even if all you leave is a winky face, I will understand. Next chapter should be regular btw, thank you!**


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