>>36656015A shoehorned explanation for why pikachu can talk doesn't undo it being an incredibly poor idea with even worse execution
Frankly, it's not even a good explanation, since Ash understands pikachu on the day with the spearow attack in M20 IIRC, and Ash has been with Pikachu for years longer in the main series without it ever happening. Even if it was a thing specific to this continuity, the spearow attack isn't where Ash and Pikachu are at their closest, it's the turning point in their relationship where they can begin to become close. Unless episode 1 is supposed to be a rough translation of several days worth of events, Pikachu and Ash knew each other for less than 24 hours.
