The only thing better than catching ‘em all is giving one away to put a smile on a stranger’s face.

Recently, a mother in Japan was riding the train with her child. As kids sometimes do when they’re stuck inside a train for a while, the child had become bored and upset, and was crying its eyes out.

Try as she might, the mom couldn’t calm her child down. Thankfully, though, Rika Matsumoto (@rica_matsumoto3 on Twitter) was also riding the train, and was willing to help.

“There was a kid bawling on the train, and the mom was panicking. She was trying everything she could, pulling picture books and toys out of her bag.

I always have a small Pikachu keychain on me when I go out, so I walked over and gave it to the kid, saying ‘Don’t cry. Look, this Pikachu lights up♪.’”

Pretty thoughtful of Matsumoto, right? And sure enough, her idea worked!

“And just like that, the kid stopped crying. ‘Oh wow, the Pikachu does light up! Thank you so much,’ the mom said with a smile.

Actually, I think it’s possible the kid just stopped crying because they were startled by a stranger coming up and talking to them (lol lol).

Before I got off the train at my stop, I said goodbye to the mom with ‘Keep doing your best♪’”

That’s a heartwarming story in and of itself, but there’s something that makes it extra special. Remember how Matsumoto said she always has a Pikachu keychain on her when she goes out? That’s something a lot of people do as an expression of their Pokémon fandom, but Matsumoto isn’t just any fan…she’s a professional anime voice actress, and the voice of Pokémon’s human protagonist, Pokémon Master Satoshi (known as Ash overseas).

▼ Rika Matsumoto (second from right)

Matsumoto doesn’t specify whether she gave the child her own personal-use Pikachu keychain, or simply carries a supply of Poké-merch trinkets to give out to any kids she runs into who’re having a rough day, but either explanation makes for an amazingly sweet gesture on her part. Given that there’s about a 99-percent chance that any kid growing up in Japan will eventually become at least a casual fan, here’s hoping that the mom, who was unaware of who the kind stranger was, sees Matsumoto’s tweet so that one day she can tell her child about the time they met the real-life Satoshi.

Source: Twitter/@rica_matsumoto3 via Hachima Kiko
Photo ©SoraNews24
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