Pikachu's Goodbye

Plot
Misty, and Brock rest in a forest clearing. Meanwhile, Ash swings on a vine, but he slams into a tree trunk. Pikachu rushes to Ash's side, though he notices a small Pikachu. Pikachu runs after it, as Ash, Misty, and Brock follow him. The pursuit ends at a forest clearing, where they find a whole clan of Pikachu with the small Pikachu. Pikachu, eager to say hello, jumps forward, but the wild Pikachu become scared and run off. Pikachu becomes disheartened, but the small Pikachu comes over and shakes tails to greet him. Soon after, the other Pikachu surround Ash's, and Brock claims they must have accepted him. Ash, also eager to join the Pikachu clan, runs toward them, but they feel scared and flee.

Later, Ash asks Brock and Misty why the Pikachu ran away. Brock tells him that he probably scared the Pikachu because they were not used to human contact. The small Pikachu, watching their conversation from a nearby tree branch, falls into a river and Ash's Pikachu jumps in to save it. Before the pair are about to go down a waterfall, the other Pikachu grab each other's tails to save them, and they succeed. As a reward for his effort, Ash's Pikachu receives an apple and is hoisted up by the other Pikachu, who cheer. Brock keeps Ash back from Pikachu, encouraging him to just observe. Meanwhile, Team Rocket sees the group of Pikachu and decide to capture all of them for their Boss.

Night falls, and all of the Pikachu start singing their Pikachu chant. Ash and his friends watch on and see how happy Ash's Pikachu is. Over dinner, Ash becomes sad and loses his appetite, but when asked what was wrong, he claims it was nothing. He stays up, watching the fire, to reflect on Pikachu's happiness, and concludes that Pikachu should be with his own kind. Suddenly, the Pikachu scream for help, waking Misty and Brock. The trio goes to investigate and finds all of the Pikachu captured by Team Rocket in an electric-proof net. James ensnares Ash and his friends in another net while they make their getaway. Pikachu begins chewing through the net; the others follow suit, and they soon begin their escape. Ash and his friends hold up the net they were captured in and the Pikachu jump into it unharmed. However, Ash's Pikachu, who escaped first, makes its way to Team Rocket and bites a hole in the balloon, sending them blasting off.

Ash catches his friend, though he soon decides to leave him with the other Pikachu. Misty and Brock confront Ash by the campsite, where he announces his plans and claims Pikachu would be happier with its own kind. Pikachu reappears and starts following him, but Ash yells at him to stay behind and runs away. Eventually, Ash stops running, with Misty and Brock catching up to him. As the sun rises, Ash's Pikachu shakes tails with the small Pikachu and all of the wild Pikachu started chanting, before Pikachu runs into Ash's arms. Ash is touched by the gesture, and he starts to cry.

Major Events

 * Ash attempts to release Pikachu, but Pikachu returns to him.