Surely Tomorrow; (feat. Piplup and Pikachu)
Surely Tomorrow is an ending song in the Japanese version of the anime, debuting in DP097. Usually, ending songs are there for decoration, if you will, and don’t have much element of canonicity, unlike opening songs, or songs that have featured in Movies, or theme songs. However, the interesting thing about Surely Tomorrow, is that Dawn’s voice actress Megumi Toyoguchi recorded a version of this for the High Touch album, and the song is also explcitly in canon, as seen from the video on the main music page. From the images from the ending, it is obvious that this song is from Piplup’s point of view, and the plot of the ending is Pikachu and Piplup fighting, then making up. But, as we look through the lyrics, you will recognize some elements of Pearlshipping, which is reflected in Pikachu and Piplup’s relationship (see the Pokemon and Pearlshipping article in main concepts)
Part 1:
I'm feeling down
I need to cheer up
Whistle, whistleistle, I'm feeling down
But I'm sure tomorrow we'll have good weather, good weather
Going home after we fought
Now, that line just above is quite interesting. Ash and Dawn fight sometimes, as seen in the episodes and mentioned in High Touch.
I smacked you, but even so
It really is boring being all alone
Boring...
Part 2:
Whistle, whistleistle, farewell,
Sunset
Whistle, whistleistle, the north wind
Somehow, today, feels a bit cold, a bit cold
No matter what, I split everything in half with you
I even split my beloved afternoon snack in half with you
Today I'll even split all my fun in half with you
In half with you...
The part above is very reminiscent of Ash and Dawn’s relationship. In High Touch, they are very much shown to be two halves of a whole, as a team. (Remember the lyrics “I’ll push you forward; I’ll pull you along”) This is seen a lot of times in the anime, especially in tag battles, and also in merchandise like Movie Posters. And remember the opening text for the DP series? The story of Satoshi AND Hikari. And this is interlaced with Pikachu and Piplup’s partnership (they’ve fought together countless times against team rocket)
I really do like you more than anyone else
You give me courage... you know, I wonder if I'll even
Be able to tell you good morning…
The three lines above are noteworthy as well. The first line speaks for itself, and the mention of “I love you” in In Your Heart LaLaLa and the hints towards a closer relationship in High Touch reinforce this.
“You give me courage” also reflects all the times where Ash’s encouragement helped Dawn, the most notable example was when Dawn was upset over her double contest lost in Tanks For The Memories. You’ll find the theme of one person giving the other courage is also recurring throughout a lot of Pearlshipping elements of the franchise.
No doubt, Pikachu and Piplup are very close as well. Not much of this is explicitly on screen, and Piplup and Pikachu’s behaviour in the last DP episode kind of shows what good friends they are.
Part 3:
Squeeze, squeeueeze, what a nice smell
I'm hungry
Steadily I run towards the light of the house
Hey, It's not much longer
Whistle, whistleistle, shooting star
I saw you!
Whistle, whistleistle, we make up
I wonder if I should say sorry tomorrow?
Can I say it?
Last point in the song is the “we make up”- similar to the “We fight, make up then fight again” in High Touch. In the video, Piplup and Pikachu high five each other (probably learnt that off their trainers) and it’s all great. From an Ash and Dawn point of view, you’d prefer to have their main Pokemon getting on well rather than just as aquaintances- and such a bond actually hasn't been seen in Ash and Serena's Pokemon.
But my final point for you is that the cover picture for this song shows Pikachu and Piplup high fiving with the rest of the Pokemon looking on. One could say that the two Pokemon represent Ash and Dawn, given the High five and the lyrics.
So, with the content of the lyrics so reminiscent of concepts of Pearlshipping, the fact that the song has been sung by Dawn’s voice actress and the album cover, and the fact the two Pokemon could be seen to represent Ash and Dawn, perhaps this is a song you could add to your Pearlshipping arsenal.
