>>52098238That's all trAsh is in the end: servant of the real main character. And just like any servant, they can be replaced at any moment.
All it would take would be them tossing Pikachu into an ultra wormhole, wiping his memory, and him going on a new adventure with a new trainer. Hell, if they want to take a gamble, they could even use a new Pikachu entirely. The viewership would hardly hurt from ditching that weight