"C'mon, Pikachu!" encouraged Ash. To the electric mouse, his tear stained face looked huge... it was all he could see.
Ash had always encouraged Pikachu...
It was three years after Ash and Pikachu had won, together, the title of Pokemon Master. Ash, after all his ambitions of being the best, realised in the end that he couldn't be the best alone. Pikachu was his equal, or better.
But now, things looked as though they were coming to a close, and their victories together ending at last.
Jessie and James kept their distance. In a seemingly futile attempt to catch Pikachu once more... for 'old time's sake', as it were... had gone horribly wrong. They wanted to come close, to apologise, to help... but they couldn't. It would be useless, and they couldn't try to stop Ash and Pikachu together, as the team they'd always been.
Pikachu closed its eyes finally, seeing Ash's eyes in his mind and hearing the cheers of a crowd watching an exciting Pokemon League battle... with it as the star, with Ash...
The crowd's cheers faded in the small Pokemon's mind, as everyone grew fuzzy.
Ash massaged Pikachu's cheeks as he'd been taught, so long ago. And a faint smile crossed the mouse's face. To die with its trainer, to die valiantly... not giving up.
The electric mouse died, in peace with everything.
And Ash recognised it.