The death of Pikachu hit the hardest. Ash spent a week cradling his broken body, occasionally using it to bludgeon a passing Zubat to provide a quick meal, until his mind cracked.
No one knows exactly what happened in that cave but when Ash finally emerged he was changed. Gone were his pokedex and collection of balls. Gone were his baseball cap and denim jacket. In their place was a ragged suit of Pikachu skin, a wild look in his eyes and a constant grimace as he desperately attempted to use Thundershock.
Ash was never the same again...
