There's a new Pokémon movie currently in theaters called Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You.
It's more or less a retelling of the original TV series, with Ash and Pikachu traveling to find a legendary Pokémon called Ho-oh.
Reviews have been mixed, it's supposedly pretty good, except they replace Misty and Brock with two new characters and, also, THERE'S A SCENE WHERE PIKACHU SPEAKS ACTUAL HUMAN WORDS!
There are a few fan recordings circulating, which you can watch below. Turn the audio on because the audience's reaction is pretty amazing.
View this video on YouTube
Here's how the whole scene goes down. It's toward the end of the film. Ash saves Pikachu from being attacked.
They both get hit by a bunch of evil Pokémon and there's a big explosion.
Then Ash is on the ground, holding Pikachu.
He asks Pikachu to get in his Poké Ball. Pikachu refuses to get in the ball. Ash asks Pikachu why he never wants to get in his Poké Ball.
THEN PIKACHU RESPONDS — IN ENGLISH — WITH THE LINE, "It's because I always want to be with you."
The reaction on social media has been just as bad as the fans in the audience in the video above.
People are really confused and creeped out by the whole thing.
Especially because this scene is apparently a dream sequence. Pikachu can't actually speak human, like Meowth. But the whole thing is still really fucking weird!
🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃
Pikachu's voice actor Kate Bristol has responded to the controversy and the meaning of Pikachu's English speaking on Tumblr.
"When I first found out I was cast as Pikachu's speaking voice, I was overwhelmed with joy," Bristol told BuzzFeed News. "The cast and I had a great time seeing the film—the whole cast and staff are so wonderful and supportive. Some people were surprised by Pikachu speaking, to say the least. But it's a magical world where anything can happen. At the end of the day, Pokémon is a really good time, and I loved being a Pikachu for .5 seconds."