The young man in another sleeveless white shirt—maybe it’s his favorite apparel—tilted his head. “A deal?” He asked in his still cracking pubescent voice.

I grinned, showing my shiny white and round Pikachu teeth with a businessman-like smile while hiding my inner thoughts. 

“Yes, that’s right! A deal. A BIG double win for you, kid.” But also a major win for me too!

“What am I winning?” He said with a suspicious squint to his eyes. 

I guess the brat isn’t totally virgin. “Two very special Pokémon to join your team.” I said with a smirk, lifting up two fingers and hyping up the showing of my awesome offer. 

His eyes widened and sparkled as his face lit up. Haha! I burst his bubble. “BUT! There are conditions.”

His face soured a little. “Huh? Conditions? I knew it was too good to be true! I don’t know…”

“Hear me out, yeah?” I cleared my throat, “Ahem. You get two pretty cool Pokemon. The evolved form of Pidgey and ME—a talking Pikachu!”

“What?! Really?! Pidgeotto and also you, Pikachu?! You’re willing to join my team! What do I have to do!? I promise to treat you nice!”

Hehehe. I chuckled evilly on the inside, but I smiled like an angel with my cute Pikachu self on the outside. 

“Nothing too much. You see, Pidgeotto is actually injured, but I can attest that he is a good Pokémon. If you agree, one of the conditions is to take him to the Pokémon center and get him treated. Not only that, but you must swear upon the God Pokémon Arceus that you will not abuse him.”

“Never! I can agree to that! I swear to Arceus that I’d never do something so cruel! Where is Pidgeotto?! We should get him to the Pokémon center right away!” 

The young man worried, ready to get moving from hearing the status of Pidgeotto’s health. All good signs.

“No, no. Not just yet. It’s a two for one deal, remember?”

“So you’re joining!? Hurrah! Yey! Pikachu is joining us!”

My smiling face turned solemn. “Yes, but now it’s my turn for my conditions. I will join only if you help me find Arceus, and I’ll only be willing to be your Pokémon till then.” Because then I will be a human Pokemon trainer too!

“…” The young man went silent before breaking into laughter at what he thought was a hilarious joke. “Oh, Pikachu! That’s so funny! Haha!”

I smiled but didn’t laugh. “Right now, maybe. Laugh it all out now because if you want me as your Pokémon, then you will have to agree to help me find Arceus. After that, you must set me free.”

The young man slowly stopped laughing, seeing my stern and serious face.

“But how?! I can’t guarantee that I can even see the three Legendary Birds! How on earth can I find Arceus?!”

“We will try until we do. I know we will. I have a plan. You game?”

“You know? It’s not that easy. You’re talking about meeting God, Pikachu! And game? How do you know that term?”

“Does it matter? Deal, or no deal?” 

The young man hesitatingly looked up to the sky, tilting his head back and forth and making conflicted faces. But suddenly, he abruptly jerked his head down and stared piercingly into my eyes. “Deal! BUT! Only if you agree to my conditions too.”

I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned but ultimately relented. It was fair. “Let’s hear them first. No funny business, got it, brat?”

The kiddo huffed, “First off, my name isn’t brat! If you’re joining my team, then I expect mutual respect! My name is Charlie! Charlie Hunter!”

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. Damn it. I thought he would be easy! He’s already trying to put me in my place! The kid cornered me with one move, toppling me off my high horse and locking me into submission. BUT! I would resist! “Fine, Charle-‘s’.”

The boy, no, the young man once again repeated but with a sharp, stern voice. “No! It’s CHARL-‘IE’! Not Charles! Deal, or no deal, Pikachu?”

Damn it! I’ve been had! What happened to the naïve brat? When did you suddenly grow up?! You think I can’t find someone else?! Because I can! 

Tensions flared as we glared at each other, but DAMN IT, I caved first. You lucky I like you brat! 

“Uraahhh!” I roared in my cute voice. 

I wanted to have the upper hand in this agreement. I didn’t know what to expect after I was captured. My deal unraveled more than I thought would. I expected some bargaining but hoped for the young trainer to quickly accept my terms. This was more than expected. Maybe I was one too naive and optimistic.

“Fine! Charlie Hunter! There! Happy now? So we got a deal then, Charlie?”

But then the darn young man smirked. “That’s only part of it.”

My opponent, who I thought to be a supposedly naive young teenage boy, deceived me. He was no Pokémon, but yet, I felt like the damn brat used ‘Counter’ and reflected back my attack at me with doubled force.

“What?! But you got a sweet two-for-one deal!”

“Hmph. With added conditions, you mean. Besides, Pikachu, mine aren’t impossible like yours. If I’m helping you on your quest, then you have to help me on mine.”

“And what is that?” I huffed, crossing my arms. I admit my quest was a more difficult one. But I firmly believe I can find Arceus!

However, in the middle of the tug-of-war, I abruptly dropped my guarded arms, taking a closer look at the determined young man. His next actions baffled me but disarmed my prior resistance. 

I don’t think anything much changed. The brat was still the dang brat. But there were subtle and small changes to his stance and gestures. Yet, it made a huge impact, deeply influencing my impression of Charlie Hunter.

The first was his body posture. He straightened his back, and I swear he grew inches taller. But it was not that he only stood tall. He was a giant to me regardless. Something about the way he stood changed. He spread his feet apart, standing confident and unmovable—unconquerable like the tallest and largest mountains. 

His eyes were no longer those of a naive child that I assumed. A resolute and piercing stare—strong and unrelenting—looked boldly at me before lifting to the skies.

His face changed, softening, yet remaining firm and determined. He dropped all pretense of imitating my ‘devious businessman’ mode. With clear pure hazel eyes, he looked up to the expansive blue sky. A sudden wind swept through the area, swirling leaves around his confident stance, rippling through his clothes and hair, and finally into the air. There was this greatness I saw in him at this moment, and Nature seemed to recognize as well. I don’t know if it was the cool effects of the wind making his hair flutter in the wind. But he was cool; a future cool trainer—maybe even a Champion. And for some reason, I wanted to see where his journey would go.

He glanced back down and looked at me but past me, yearning with pure honesty and firm determination at something larger than himself. An undying and unbeatable fire to achieve his dreams burned brightly in his eyes.

“I want to show the world. I want to show everyone. Help me, Pikachu. Help me become the best! The best Pokémon Trainer there ever was!”

Damn. His little speech reminded me too much of a certain theme song. I got jiggy with it; the humming song of some pleasant childhood memories replayed in my mind. The whole vibe put me in a good mood.

“Alright, Charlie! Let’s do this!” And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three!”

Charlie looked at me with large gleaming eyes, and a song parody played in my mind.

Catching Pokémon will be our true test! Training them will be our cause! We will travel throughout the world, searching far and wide! Teaching each other to understand the hidden power that’s inside! Pokémon! It’s gonna be you and me buddy! It’s got to be our destiny! Oh, you’ll become my best friend, in our search for Arceus until the end! Pokémon! Our dreams will come true! Because our courage will guide us through! I will teach you, and you will teach me! Pokémon! We gotta catch them all! You will catch them all! Yeah!

“So you agree?!” The nearly ecstatically jumping young man asked. His smile stretched from ear to ear, and I returned the smile and confidently nodded.

“Deal, Charlie. Since you would be helping me, I will also help you. As much as a Pikachu can.”

“That’s all I ask for, Pikachu!”

“Sax. My name is Sax.”

“Huh? You already have a name? Did someone let you go, Pikachu?”

“Uh. Something like that. Yeah. Hey! Also, I don’t want to be stuck in a tiny metal ball. Don’t stuff me in there.”

“Their loss, Sax! And sure! I don’t mind you traveling outside!”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I really didn’t want to be inside a tiny space. Claustrophobia was a major concern for me in this deal; I’m glad Charlie agreed to keep me out.

“Alright,” I hesitatingly said with a trembling voice. “Let’s get this part over with, and we can then go grab Pidgeotto too. Hit me.”

Charlie gave me a weird look. “There’s no need for battle, Sax. You’re already willing.”

“No. Not that! The ball. Hit me. Gently, please.”

“Oh! Right. Go Pokeball!”

Oh, God. It’s coming. 

I dreaded and feared this moment more than anything else so far—even more so than the dangerous Legendary Pokemon. The small red and white metallic ball flew through the air. Don’t be fooled by its small size. It was a tiny Pokemon eating monster in disguise! It was capable of eating all Pokémon of any size! It seemed unthreatening as it touched and bounced off my belly. However, it then opened in half as if opening its jaws, and a flash of red light swept out like a tongue and wrapped me up before yanking and slurping me inside! 

The sensation felt weird. It was like being digitized and compressed into a smaller file. Kind of like ‘beaming up’ from a certain ‘Scotty,’ but in this case, a ‘beam me in?’ I felt every fiber, every cell of myself rearrange and pull closer together yet not. 

I floated in darkness in an almost dormant-like state. But then the world around me changed. Glowing bubbles with rooms inside started to appear. Nostalgic rooms of places I knew! I saw one I desired and the surroundings focused and pulled into the bubble.

I froze, shocked. I don’t know how, but the inside of the Pokeball drew out places I knew very well and were comfortable with—especially this room!

My comfy bed! My soft pillows! My broken bed stand! And of course, most important of all—MY PHONE! 

I somehow stood in my old apartment bedroom! Everything was the way I remember it. The light shined through the pulled, cheap curtains of my window and brightly illuminated my sleeping place. A pile of messy blankets and pillow sheets stood in a pyramid on my disheveled bed that I prepared for laundry. Piles of clothes I separated into colors—for reasons I don’t understand—laid on the carpet. However, it felt strange—almost foreign. I knew why. Because it was all unreal. It looked the same, but touching everything felt fake.

That’s right! I was getting ready to do laundry. And then—

Suddenly, another voice appeared in my head.

“You met me.”

“Missing No.!”

“Come on out, Sax!” Charlie shouted, and my surroundings warped and changed again. 

I once again felt the real sensations of the real world, and I did not want to be inside the makeshift world in the Pokeball that felt awkward and bizarre. 

Suddenly, a pair of large hands lifted me off the ground and raised me high into the sky. The abrupt movements freaked me out, but I quickly relaxed as the young man smiled too happily while holding me in his hands.

“I caught a Pikachu! Yeah! Thank you, Sax!”

I smirked. “Well, prepare to get your socks knocked off! I was only one half of the deal, remember?”

“Oh, right! Pidgeotto! We still have to get Pidgeotto to the Pokemon Center!”