Friendly Pikachu Vole

A friendly vole found on a family cycling outing. We don't see them that close often, but this photo made me think: did they take the vole as a prototype for Pikachu, a creature in Nintendo's Pokemon game?

Sent by Francesca Bostock, the Manche

Pikachu and Ash Ketchum

Pikachu image from Wikipedia.

Copyright note: This Pikachu image falls under 'Fair Use Rationale':

It is low resolution.
It does not limit the copyright owners rights to sell the game.
Depicts subject discussed in article.
The photo is only being used for informational purposes.