Author's note: I'm just so freaking obsessed with lagomorphshipping lately that I simply couldn't resist writing this fic. Lol. It's been swirling around my head for some time now. (Yes, I know I should be working on Blue Moon Junior High, but, seriously, this plotline was killing me. :P)
Lastly, the chapter title is a High School Musical song. (I've sorta gone off High School Musical, but the title fits the chapter fairly well, I'd say.)
Chapter One: Start Of Something New
The sun shone brightly on a warm spring afternoon in the Sinnoh region, its radiant sunbeams bouncing off the various trees, bushes, flowers and grass that were dotted around Eterna Forest, giving them a somewhat magical glow. It was here that a male Pikachu was gathering its lunch from a bush of Oran berries.
Pikachu kept on the alert whilst picking another of his favourite berries; this forest was full of Pokemon and, being only a mouse, he had many predators that he needed to watch out for. Every day, life was a struggle to survive, but, fortunately, he was plenty strong enough to defend himself.
His long ears pricked up at the sound of fluttering wings, so, being extra careful not to attract any attention to himself, he turned his head very slowly towards the sky in the direction that it was coming from. Spotting a Pidgeot flying overhead, he slowly crept behind the bush and waited for it to fly out of sight.
"Avoid all flying Pokemon. You never know which ones eat Pikachu."
Pikachu sighed quietly; it'd been his father who'd once told him that. He'd always been a very wise and strong Pikachu.
"That's right, dear. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Pikachu sighed again, even quieter this time, as he continued to watch the Pidgeot in the sky; it'd been his mother who'd told him that. She'd always been a very sweet and caring Pikachu. A lump formed in his throat at the thought of his parents, but he shook his head and swallowed; now was not the time to be getting sentimental. He had to keep an eye on this Pidgeot.
Once the Pidgeot flew out of sight, Pikachu listened carefully for any other sign of movement; he heard scurrying, but the footsteps were far too light to be anything threatening, so he deemed it safe to continue collecting Oran berries.
He felt his stomach rumble as he walked out of his hiding spot and picked another berry; he was so hungry, he'd be tempted to eat a Rapidash if he didn't mainly eat plants and the occasional Shellos or Wurmple if he felt like it... or if there actually were any Rapidash in Eterna Forest. He pulled the berry off the bush and looked at it.
"Pfft... Oran berries? They're not dry enough. Let's pick some Chesto berries instead."
Once again, Pikachu felt the lump in his throat; it'd been his brother who'd said that to him once, when they'd been out picking berries together. He'd always been a very brash and tactless Pikachu, yet had always had a really good heart.
"No way. We need a more balanced diet than that. I say we get a few Oran berries and a few Persim berries, since their flavours are so well-balanced. Besides, not everyone in the clan likes dry berries, remember?"
The lump in his throat increased; it'd been his sister who'd said that. She'd always been a very calm-minded and logical Pikachu, yet had always had quite the temper on her if provoked. He shook his head again, harder this time; it was so hard to stop thinking about them, even for a moment... but he didn't want to feel upset over them anymore.
It's been a year now... he thought to himself. I need to move on... He took a few deep breaths, calming himself.
Just as soon as he'd composed himself, he heard an ear-piercing shriek of terror. His ears pricked up instantly and he turned towards the source, darting back behind the bush at the same time. Who'd made that noise? It'd sounded like a Buneary. He listened harder and heard footsteps coming fast in his general direction. It sounded like one pair of feet hopping... and two pairs of feet giving chase.
"Help me! Please!"
Pikachu's stomach turned over at the sound of the Buneary's desperate plea; it sounded so scared and helpless. Suddenly, the Buneary hopped past him frantically, tears streaking down its face, looking very beaten up and limping slightly with every hop... and Pikachu could tell by the scent that she was a female... then a ferocious-looking Ninetales dashed past him... and the scent told him that she was a female too.
"Get back here!" the Ninetales called out viciously. "My Vulpix cubs are hungry! And you'd make a nice lunch for them!"
"Noooo! Please!" The Buneary sounded like she was sobbing. "Someone help me, please!"
Pikachu was frozen in place, a thousand thoughts running through his head all at once; should he save her? Or could she handle it herself? But it didn't look like she could handle it herself... but then he'd have to save her... but then he'd be in danger of being caught and fed to the Ninetales mother's Vulpix cubs! What should he do? What should he do?
"In times of danger, always think of others before yourself... and give help to those who need it most."
That'd been the motto of the elder Raichu of Pikachu's clan. He'd repeated it over and over again, back when he, his brother, his sister and all of their cousins had been Pichu and again after they'd all evolved into Pikachu... and he realised that the old man was right; he couldn't just stand by while a fellow Pokemon needed his help. Dropping the Oran berry he'd been holding, he got on all fours and ran after the Ninetales.
Buneary was hopping as fast as she could to get away, but the Ninetales was catching up fast. In fact, her long ears told her that she was right behind her. If she lost her footing at any one moment... which was very possible, thanks to the limp she now had... then she'd be a goner.
"Help..." she called out, once again pleading Eterna Forest's Pokemon to come to her aid. However, her voice was dying in her throat; she knew now that no one would come. It was useless.
"Flamethrower!" the Ninetales shouted before she heard a blast of fire behind her. She attempted to dodge, but still felt the burning sensation scrape across her back. She clenched her teeth in pain. "It's useless trying to escape! You'll never get away!"
I don't want to die! she thought as her heart continued to pound against her ribcage and tears continued to streak down her face.
The only attack she knew was Dizzy Punch, but the last time she'd turned round to try and attack her assailant with it, she'd been swatted away by the Ninetales' paw. Spinning out of control in mid-air, she'd landed awkwardly and sprained her ankle. In agony, she'd wanted to sit there and rest it for a while, but the Ninetales hadn't been about to let her get away, so she'd had to hop away with a limp. She'd also had Flamethrower used on her several times, so she felt very tired and worn-down.
"You're so useless. Not only are you the weakest member of this clan, but you can't even use Bounce yet... while everyone else can. Pathetic."
The alpha Lopunny of her clan had told her that not long ago... and, as much as she hated to admit it, it was true; she was weak. She'd never been able to defeat any of her relatives in sparring sessions and she'd almost been eaten by an Arbok the last time she'd gone to collect berries. Her cousin, being the strong Buneary that he'd always been, had needed to step in and rescue her.
As she hopped, her ankle gave way and she tripped, landing face first on the grass and skidding to a stop. Oh, Arceus, this was it! She was going to become food for this Ninetales' Vulpix cubs!
"Finally!" the Ninetales snarled happily. "You're mine!"
Buneary clenched her eyes shut and threw hers paws over her head, shaking in terror. She was going to die... she was going to die... She'd give anything to be safely back with her clan... absolutely anything...
"Thunderboooolt!" a voice called out.
Suddenly, electricity boomed behind her and she heard a scream of pain. This lasted a couple of seconds before it stopped... and a large body hit the floor. Slightly confused... and wondering why the Ninetales hadn't sunk her teeth into her yet... she lifted a paw, peeked an eye open and turned her head to see what'd happened.
Standing some distance away was a Pikachu... a male Pikachu by the looks of its tail... and he was looking fierce and defiant, his eyebrows furrowed, his fists clenched and his cheeks sparking. As for the Ninetales that had been chasing her... she was directly behind her, on the floor and looking slightly crispy.
The Ninetales then climbed to her feet, snarling. "You little punk!" she snapped, her nine tails swishing around angrily.
"Stay away from her! You want her, then you're gonna have to go through me!"
Did... did he... save me? Buneary wondered, her consciousness slipping. Now that her fear had diminished somewhat, she realised just how tired she was.
The Ninetales sneered. "You wanna play, little mouse? Well, alright then."
The Pikachu took on a fighting stance and made a 'Come and get me' gesture with his paw. "Bring it on, fox."
There was a moment of silence as the two Pokemon stared each other down... a silence in which one could hear a pin drop. It was as though all the Pokemon of the forest had stopped what they'd been doing to watch this showdown.
Buneary's eyes drooped and her vision blurred; she was exhausted and was about ready to collapse unconscious... but, if she could hold out a little longer, she could watch her saviour's fight...
"Fire Blaaaast!" The Ninetales shot a star shape of flames from her mouth that headed straight for the Pikachu.
"Thunderboooolt!" A blast of electricity shot towards the Fire Blast and they both exploded on contact, a thick cloud of black smoke suddenly covering the area.
"Flamethrower!" Another blast of fire erupted from the Ninetales' mouth and shot straight through the black cloud.
"Agility!" Buneary couldn't see what was happening, but she hoped that the Pikachu had avoided the Flamethrower attack. "Heh! You missed! Quick Attack!" The Pikachu suddenly dashed out of the cloud of smoke at lightning speed and smacked headfirst into the Ninetales before she had time to respond.
"Ow! Why, you little-! Iron Tail!" The Ninetales' nine tails glowed white before she swung them around forcefully.
The Pikachu jumped high and avoided the attack, powering up his cheeks as he did so. "Thundeeeerboooolt!"
Another scream of pain rang throughout the forest as, once again, the Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack electrocuted the Ninetales... then, suddenly, before the attack had even ended, there was a huge explosion and the Ninetales soared into the air and out of sight. She could be heard screeching in frustration before the sound of her voice faded away into the distance.
He... he did it... Buneary thought as she saw the Pikachu land back on the grass before running towards her, looking worried, he really... saved me... He really... came to my rescue... She smiled slightly before her head hit the grass and her eyes slowly closed. Thank you, Arceus...
Pikachu skidded to a stop by the fallen Buneary, really worried about her safety. Just how big a hit had she taken from that Ninetales? She looked really badly beaten up... and, even worse, she had her eyes closed and wasn't moving.
He poked her. "Buneary?" he asked. He got no response. He poked her again. "Buneary?" He still got no response. Now he was really worried. Oh, Arceus... he thought, his heart pounding, what do I do now? I saved her, but she's not... He shook his head. No, she's probably just unconscious. His heart sunk. At least, I hope she's unconscious... He shook his head again. No, stop thinking like that. You've got to get her to safety. You never know what kind of predator Pokemon's lurking nearby.
Being as gentle as he possibly could, he picked up the Buneary and slid her onto his back, his left paw holding her dangling paw in place and his right paw holding her dangling leg in place. Checking the surrounding area for predators, using both his eyes and ears, and finding none, he headed back to his burrow.
Buneary slowly opened her eyes, vaguely wondering why it was so dark around her. What the heck had happened? Where was she? Arceus, she was tired... She opened her eyes fully and saw a dirt wall in front of her.
"Wh-?"
She heard a slight shuffle behind her. "Oh, good, you're awake," she heard a voice say. She jumped, turning her body round to see who'd spoken... and came face-to-face with a smiling Pikachu. The scent she picked up told her that he was a male. "You had me worried there." She blinked at him. "You've been out for hours. It's dinner time." She blinked at him again. "You hungry?" He gestured towards a pile of both Oran berries and Persim berries.
Who's he? Buneary thought. Wait a minute... isn't he the-? She looked him over, from his sleek, toned body and glossy fur to his straight, un-dented tail... and her eyes widened. He is! He's the Pikachu that saved me from that Ninetales! She felt the blood rush to her face. Oh, wow... he was so cool back there, fighting that Ninetales... There's no way I could ever be as strong as he is... He's really impressive... and... wow, looking at him now... smiling at me like that... he's so freaking cute!
The Pikachu's smile slipped from his face and he tilted his head at her. "Hey, what's wrong? You okay?" Buneary couldn't answer; she was too busy staring at him with wide eyes. "You do remember me, right?" He smiled, straightening his head again. "I helped you get away from that nasty Ninetales."
Buneary was overwhelmed. Too cute! Too cute! I think I'm gonna explode here! Unable to take how adorable this Pikachu looked smiling at her, she quickly lifted up the fluffy fur around her waist and covered her blushing face with it. "Nyah... nuh..." She knew that she was babbling nonsense now, but she simply couldn't help it.
"... Huh?"
His cute voice made her even more nervous, so, feeling far too embarrassed to stay around him, she speedily climbed to her feet, only vaguely noticing that her ankle was better, and hopped towards the exit. However, she tripped over his foot in the process and fell flat on her face.
"Ow..."
Blushing even more now, she climbed back to her feet and hopped away. Suddenly, though, she felt him yank her backwards by the same fur she was using to cover her face.
"Hey, wait!" She yelped in surprise at both the pull and the yell. "What do you think you're doing, Buneary?"
She lowered her fur slightly to look him in the eyes... and saw that he was frowning. "Huh?"
He guided her to the entrance of the burrow they were in and pointed towards the sky. "Look up there." She looked where he was pointing and saw a large bird Pokemon flying in circles overhead. "There's a Fearow flying fifty feet above this field! If you go out there now, it'll swoop down and grab you in an instant!"
Buneary blinked at him. Oh, wow... she thought, extremely flattered, he still cares about me... even now, after that Ninetales from before is long gone! I feel so special! She paused. But he's right, though... it'd be stupid of me to go anywhere right now... even though I feel way too embarrassed to stay here...
The Pikachu moved in front of her and, using both his paws, pushed her backwards. The force sent her flying before she landed on her rear at the other end of the burrow, which she now realised was filled with a nest made of twigs and leaves. The action, however, left her speechless. "So stay here, where it's safe... at least until the coast is clear... okay?"
Buneary felt her face heat up again, so, once again, she pulled her fur up over her face, giggling hysterically as she did so; not only had she been lucky enough to find a Pokemon who cared enough about her to save her life, but he'd brought her back to his burrow, was continuing to protect her and, not to mention, was incredibly cute! Arceus truly was smiling down on her today!
Pikachu watched the strange rabbit Pokemon as she giggled hysterically behind her fur... and wondered what the heck could possibly be wrong with her. All he'd done was tell her to stay put for her own safety... Well, he knew she must be feeling grateful for him saving her life... but this was just being ridiculous. Never before had he seen such odd behaviour in a Pokemon. He was completely baffled here.
"Um... Pikachu?" the Buneary's muffled voice asked.
"Y-Yeah?" he replied, slightly unnerved by her strange antics.
She pulled her fur down just below her eyes and peeked out at him. "Why did you save me?"
He blinked at her. "Huh?"
Closing her eyes, she swayed from side to side, her dark face now glowing a bright red colour. "From... from the Ninetales... Why?"
"Oh..." He smiling sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "Heh heh... right..." He lowered his paw. "Well, you can thank the elder Raichu of my clan for that."
She opened her eyes again and looked directly at him. "Hmm? Why's that?"
Pikachu smiled in remembrance as he looked towards the ceiling of his burrow. "Because he's the one who lived by the motto 'In times of danger, always think of others before yourself... and give help to those who need it most.' It's what inspired me to leap into action."
He looked back at the Buneary to see that her dark eyes were practically sparkling at this announcement; she was looking at him with fascination and wonder... and his uneasy feeling returned. Just why was she looking at him like that? Did he really impress her that much? Well, sure, saving her life was a big deal and all, but still... one would've thought that she'd just thank him and be done with it.
"Um... how long do you think that Fearow will be there?" Her voice was very quiet, but he still managed to hear it.
He sighed. "I've no idea. Fearow can stay airborne for hours without ever stopping to rest... so it might be there a while." He paused for a moment. "Maybe you should stay the night." Her eyes widened. "I mean... the Fearow will probably only rest when night falls... but that's when the Noctowl come out to hunt."
The Buneary continued to stare at him for a moment, then nodded once. "Okay..."
Pikachu sighed again, sitting himself down. "If it's safe in the morning, then that'll be the best time for you to leave." She nodded again in response. Now, having said enough on the matter, he grabbed an Oran berry. "Come over here and eat something. You're probably hungry." He gestured to the pile of Oran berries and Persim berries again, this being a completely fresh batch from the pile of Oran berries that he'd picked at lunchtime. "I picked a few extra than I normally would while you were unconscious, so there's plenty for us to share."
In a very swift movement, the Buneary got to her feet, covering her face with her fur again, and slowly danced her way over to him on her tiptoes. He sat there, staring at her, while she stopped to peek at him once more before again throwing up her fur, dancing on the spot and giggling hysterically. She then tilted towards him with her eyes closed, her fur below her eyes again, and, as soon as he realised that she was about to lean on him, he angled his body away from her, prompting her to lean on his side. Looking strangely contended, she then slid all the way to the ground, landing in a sitting position, and stayed like that. He waited for a moment, even more unnerved than before, to see if she would do anything else... but she didn't move, so he eventually came to the conclusion that she just wasn't bothered about the food. He sighed again; she was such a weird Pokemon...