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Ash
Hey, guys! I know it's been a bit since we've talked, but I wanted to introduce you guys to all of the Pokémon I've caught since I left on my new journey!
Misty
Well, this should be interesting.
Ash
What's that supposed to mean?
Brock
You do tend to run into some rather unusual Pokémon, Ash. I'm excited to see them.
Ash
Alright, well, here's the first one. He actually threw a Poké Ball at me to ask me to be his trainer.
Brock
... Ash. That's Azelf.
Misty
I don't know what that Pokémon is.
Brock
Legendary, one-of-a-kind, living embodiment of willpower.
Misty
Oh, that makes sense. Ash is really stubborn.
Pikachu
He and Azelf are a lot alike! It's kind of uncanny.
Misty
Pikachu!? You have a phone? You can type?!
... Wait, no, it's probably just someone pretending to be Pikachu. Who is this? Bonnie?
Clemont
Bonnie doesn't have a phone.
I'm working on an invention that will allow her to join us without one.
Ash
Wow, science is so amazing!
Pikachu
Wow, science is so amazing!
Clemont
It's... not going quite as planned.
Brock
Yep, it's really Pikachu, alright.
It's not so surprising.
I did see him fly a rocket once.
Pikachu
Hey!
The evil Togepi hypnotized me!
Misty
You guys really need to tell me more about what happened after I left...
Ash
Haha... Yeah, maybe...
So the second new Pokémon I caught was Clefairy!
He's a little camera-shy, so I won't send a picture, but he's super cool!
He's really good at using Minimize.
Pikachu
He actually sort of has a problem of shrinking whenever he gets nervous.
Which is a lot.
We're trying to help him work on it!
Brock
I'm actually a little surprised it's not another Legendary.
How did you meet him?
Ash
He fell out of a hole in the sky.
Kinda like an Ultra Wormhole but it didn't look exactly the same.
He was really scared and kept shrinking a lot but as soon as he saw me and Pikachu he wanted to come with us.
Pikachu
Turns out his original trainer is actually the Ash from his universe.
He followed us around because he thought Ash was the one he knew at first.
Ash
Yeah!
I'm hoping we can help him find a way back home.
And if not, he can stay with us.
Pikachu
He says he likes it better here because the people aren't as mean.
And he likes going on adventures and traveling instead of just staying in Ash's house.
But he still misses his friends and wants to see them again.
He keeps getting me confused with the Pikachu he knows.
... Actually, he knows you guys, too!
Brock
Really?
What does he have to say about me?
Pikachu
That he's literally never seen you do anything but flirt with every girl you see.
Misty
Accurate.
Brock
Misty!
I'm not that bad.
All I do is tell Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny how wonderful-
Croagunk
Brock
... I'm going to shut up now.
Pikachu
Apparently one of them was a Ditto wearing a wig!
Misty
PFFFFFFT HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I don't care if it was a different Brock
You are never living that down.
Pikachu
Also your sisters more than once.
Misty
... Brock, don't.
Brock
I wasn't going to!
Pikachu
Oh! Ash, tell them about the next Pokémon we met!
Ash
Well, uh... he's me.
Sort of.
He also comes from another world.
His trainer's a human version of Pikachu.
Pikachu
Apparently, it's some sort of multiversal constant that I end up named "Pikachu" regardless of species!
I guess there's just no improving on perfection!
:3
Ash
We're pretty sure Pikachu's lost somewhere in this world, too, so we're looking for him.
Uh, human Pikachu, I mean.
Brock
What kind of Pokémon is this Ash?
Ash
... A Pikachu.
Misty
So now you have two Pikachu?
Brock
It was only a matter of time... Well, if anyone can take care of a Pikachu, it's you!
Ash
Um.
... There's actually a third one.
But I don't think that counts.
Misty
What's that supposed to mean?
Pikachu
Remember that time Ash turned into a Pikachu?
Goh
Okay, I'm pretty busy, but...
I'm sorry, WHAT?
Like, for real?
Not just imaginary like with Beautifly?
Misty
It happened again?
Ash
Kind of...
Pikachu
There was this weird magic thing and now he's some kind of were-Pikachu
He can go back and forth whenever he wants.
Misty
Okay.
So there's two more Pikachu and they're both Ash?
How do you tell them apart?
Ash
The other Ash doesn't look the same as me.
He's got normal Pikachu eyes and blue cheeks and little zigzag-things.
Misty
Blue, huh?
I guess that works for you.
Man, your life just got even weirder once you started traveling on your own, huh?
Brock
Next you're going to tell me you caught Dawn.
Ash
...
Brock
Ash
Ash I was joking
Please tell me you didn't actually catch another universe's Dawn.
Ash
No!
... she's actually a time traveler
About a year from now she went back in time to a few hundred years ago.
And then she came back as a ghost.
Pikachu
Hisuian Zorua!
She's cute and fluffy
But I'm cuter and fluffier.
Ash
She's decided to be part of my team while waiting for her past self to go back in time.
Then she's just gonna use her illusions to go back to her journey.
Piplup
shoUld I teLl HeR?
Pikachu
She says you didn't, so no... Sorry, Piplup.
But she doesn't remember the exact date it happened.
So once it does send me or Ash a message so we can get her back to you as quick as possible.
Ash
I don't like time travel.
It's too confusing...
Misty
That makes a full team of six, then.
Pikachu, Azelf, Clefairy, Dawn, and two of yourself.
Ash
Technically I didn't catch me.
Uh, I mean me-me, not the one from the other world.
I did catch him.
Brock
Well, it sounds like you've got your hands full.
Are there any others?
Ash
There's also an Eevee.
Misty
Oh, wow!
You finally caught one, huh?
Any idea what Eevee wants to evolve into?
I suggest Vaporeon.
Pikachu
You would...
Ash
She doesn't wanna evolve.
And her name's not Eevee.
Brock
I have a feeling I know where this is going...
What is her name, then?
Pikachu
Pikachu
We're trying to help her reunite with her trainer, Ashley Ketchum
Better known by her nickname "Ash"
Brock
Sounds about right.
Misty
I really should've expected that at this point...
Cilan
My, what an interesting medley of a dish your life has become since we parted ways in Galar!
Do let me know if you need my skills as a Pokémon Connoisseur.
The flavor of your bonds with these unique Pokémon sounds particularly interesting.
Ash
Okay, sure!
That sounds really fun!
Iris
You're such a kid.
Pikachu
Have you been waiting for a moment to say that the whole time?
Iris
Of course! :)
Pikachu
I approve.
Oh yeah, Cilan!
Dawn mentioned something about you, Celebi, and Emmet showing up in the past to fistfight Arceus?
Cilan
Oh?
So that's where he's gone... Or rather, when.
Thank you, Pikachu. You've been a big help.
Pikachu
Any time!
But I'm not actually sure what I helped with...
Ash
Well, I've gotta go now.
I'm trying to teach me Thunder Punch.
And that's probably gonna take a while.
Pikachu
Oh, this I gotta see!
Maybe we can work on Thunderbolt later!
And then have a battle!
Ash
Sounds like a plan!
Brock
See you later, guys!
Misty
Have fun with the never-ending maelstrom of weirdness that is your life!