I retuuuuurrrrn!
Hey guys, Warrior Kitty here with a Valentine's story! Now, I would have had this story posted a few days earlier, but life got in the way and I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, so I guess this will technically be a late Valentine's story. However, I finally had the motivation to actually sit down and pre-write this story and have the chapters typed out and saved in my document files, so consistent updates are back! *dances*
Also, the "romance" part of the story genre is used with massive air quotes around it, because I don't even know if this will technically be considered a romance story. It get's way too bizarre and is more focused on humor, but whatevs! Take it as you will!
That's kind of it that I have to say for now, so I hope you guys like it! Enjoy!
Quick Note: Some characters will act a little out-of-characterish in this story due to the affects of cupid arrows. Just wanted to give a heads up in case it might be something some readers will not be too fond of, so read with caution!
~ Cupid For Hire ~
Chapter 1
The beeping of a scanner sounded rhythmically as a Toad scanned several items in front of the grocery store cash register. Once he had finished wringing all of the items the next customer came up, who was a young Pichu that we were all too familiar with.
"Hello. How are you doing today?" The Toad asked politely.
"Been better." The young Smasher replied, putting forth her items for him to scan. The Toad wrung up her items, one a Valentine's pack consisting of a box of chocolate and a card for a brother, and three packs consisting of a baggie of various candies and cookies and cards for friends. The final item that rolled up was a large heart-shaped box of chocolate with words on the cover that said "Be Mine." After scanning it and putting the others in plastic bags, the Toad looked up at Pichu with a knowing smile.
"That for a special someone?" He asked, trying to spark up a friendly conversation. Pichu looked at him and then down at the large box and shook her head passively.
"No, that one's for me." She replied simply. Before the Toad could even respond, she took her receipt, collected her bags, and hopped off the cash register and exited out of the Nintendo Mart.
With Valentine's day only a day away, all of Smashville had been decorated for the sweet holiday with hearts and flowers. Many shops had many sales and discounts for Valentine's cards and candies, as well as cafes advertising for holiday specials and meals. As to be expected, the Smash Mansion was too buzzing with activity for the coming holiday. Many of the Smashers were either helping to prepare or off doing their own thing a prepare gifts for those close to them.
The dog door on the front door shifted as Pichu pushed her bags of purchased items inside and entered herself. Picking up her bags, she started to make her way through the crowded living room and headed toward her room, weaving around the Smashers that were gathered there. Once making it through, she bounded down the large hallway and reached the room that she shared with her brother.
The door was pushed open as Pichu entered and quickly spotted her said brother, Pikachu, seated on his bed with a planner in his paws. He was rapidly writing things down in it and he fur was slightly messy. Just by looking at him, Pichu was able to pick up the vibe that he was stressing.
"S'up." She greeted as she walked past his bed. This caused Pikachu to jump at the sudden voice, but relaxed and sent a small smile to the little Pokemon.
"Hi Pichu." He replied as he got back to writing in his planner. Pichu proceeded to put her purchased gifts in a drawer next to her bed so she could reveal them the next day, then hopped onto her bed with her box of chocolate and wasted no time to open it and snack on the sweets inside. Pikachu briefly paused and looked over at his little sister without even turning his head.
"...Did you buy those chocolates for yourself?" He asked quietly, breaking the small silence in the room.
Pichu glanced back at him, then down at her chocolates, and back again. "Yeah?"
"You went out of your way to get candy, despite the fact that you were getting some tomorrow." Pikachu said.
"There was a sale!" Pichu said in her defense, voice muffled by chocolate. Pikachu opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself and shook his head, resuming his writing. All fell silent once again as Pichu watched him work in his planner, tilting her head a bit as she narrowed her eyes in concern. "Are you alright?" She finally asked. Pikachu stopped writing once more and turned his head to face her.
"What do you mean?"
"I dunno, you just seemed kind of...tense." Full concern was now glistening in her brown eyes. "You are okay, right?" Pikachu was quiet for a moment as he stared at her, then let out a soft sigh and put his planner down.
"I'm okay, Pichu." He reassured, rubbing his face. "I'm just a little stressed is all."
That's an understatement... Pichu said to herself.
"I've been helping Master Hand and Mario with planning for Valentine's day. We've been having to purchase some decorations for a party, regulate payments going toward gift purchases, arrange plans for dining out. It's just...overwhelming, to say the least."
Pichu remained wordless as she let his explanation sink in. Her attention was drawn back when Pikachu spoke again. "But hey, you don't have to worry too much about me, Pichu. I'm fine." He told her with a warm smile, to which she returned. The door to their room was pushed open again and Jigglypuff poked her head inside.
"Pikachu, Master Hand wants to see you." She told the electric Pokemon. "He said he wanted to see your plans so far for dining."
Pikachu's ears perked up and he sat up straight. "O-Okay! Thanks for telling me." He closed his planner and hopped off his bed. "I'll see you later Pichu."
"See you." Pichu called back. Pikachu exited the room with Jigglypuff close behind.
"Hey, are you okay?" The pink Pokemon asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Came Pikachu's reply. The two's voices grew fainter and inaudible as the door closed behind them and they disappeared in the hallway. With that, Pichu was left alone in the muted room to listen to her own thoughts.
"I'm just saying that it's not fair!" Pichu said loudly in exasperation.
She was now in the mansion's peaceful library where some of the young Smashers were gathered, either sitting at tables and reading or exploring the many shelves of books for an interesting read. The little Pokemon was flopped over on her belly on a table with Yoshi sitting across from her, looking over a book and taking notes.
"Master Hand always has so much for him to do." Pichu continued to say, scowling at the table. "I understand that Pikachu is one of the higher-up Smashers with a lot of authority, but Mario usually has more things to do then he does, but he isn't super stressed all the time. I think he's working himself too much, but I don't understand why..."
Yoshi looked up from his book and faced his friend. "Maybe it has something to do with himself?" He suggested. When Pichu gave him a questioning look, he continued. "Well given Pikachu's personality, he tends to worry a lot when things don't go right. Maybe he's overexerting himself trying to make sure things go as planned."
Pichu directed her gaze back on the table. "That could be it...But then how do I make it stop? I don't like seeing him under so much pressure."
Yoshi gave a sympathetic shrug. "I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you. This is probably something that Pikachu has to deal with on his own." Pichu's attention drifted as she fell back into her thoughts.
It really didn't make much sense to her. Pikachu get's himself so worked up trying to keep his duties in order, but others don't really put up with it like he does. Like Mario, for example. Pichu thought about what she pointed out about the red plumber. Being the main hero of Nintendo and the top Smasher, he has more responsibilities than Pikachu, but he never looks like he's completely subdued to stress. In fact, he seems rather relaxed at times.
Why? Pichu asked herself as her mind reeled. Does Mario have something that's helping him relieve stress that Pikachu doesn't? What could it be? Pichu proceeded to think about it.
Friends?
No, Pikachu's friends with other Smashers. Heck, Mario is his friend!
Stress-relieving lotion?
Nah. If Mario had those, I would smell it. He smells like sweat most of the time.
Wii Fit Trainer's yoga class?
I don't think Mario attends that. Besides, Pikachu wouldn't be able to take it anyway. His legs are too short.
Then what could it be? Is it someone that he spends time with? Luigi, a sibling to talk to? Yoshi, a stress relief companion? Peach, a signi-
Immediately, Pichu's thoughts stopped dead and she lifted her head as realization dawned on her. A significant other. Maybe that was it. It's painfully obvious that Mario and Peach are in a relationship with each other and they almost always spend time together. They hold conversations for hours, they make plans together, they do things around the mansion together, and they do couple-y things like snuggling and all that stuff. By what she and many others could see, the two make each other really happy when they're together. It started to make sense.
"That's it!" Pichu announced loudly and jumped to her feet, startling Yoshi out of this focus on his book. The green dino looked at his friend with questioning, yet interested eyes.
"What's it?" He asked.
"I know what Pikachu can do so he wouldn't be so stressed!" Pichu replied excitedly. "He could find a partner!"
Yoshi tilted his head curiously. "A partner? You mean like, a romantic partner?"
"Yeah! Since Valentine's day is tomorrow, it would be perfect! All he needs is to just unwind and spend it with someone close to him. I mean, think about it, Mario and Peach are together and they always spend time and relax with each other. Plus, by all that I see on tv, being around a partner can relax and a person and make them feel more secure."
Pichu then narrowed her eyes a bit. "That's unless tv's been lying to us..."
"Hold on, you have to think about this." Yoshi spoke up. "Having a romantic relationship is a big deal. It takes a lot of time and understanding between two people in order for it to work. Besides, who in the mansion would he even be interested in?"
Pichu took a moment to think about it. "That's a good question. There's only three other female Pokemon in the entire mansion. Greninja is already with Lucario, Ivysaur's kinda too young, and Jigglypuff is-" She stopped as perked up and a smile crept on her face. "Jigglypuff! Jigglypuff would be perfect! They're already very close with each other, a relationship between them would be a match made in heaven!"
Yoshi looked at the small Pokemon then let out a small sigh. "I can see where you're coming from, Pichu, and I understand that you just want Pikachu to be happy, but you gotta be reasonable. Pikachu won't just rush into a relationship over the course of a day, no matter how close he and Jigglypuff are. If he wants to pursue a relationship, he would find someone he truly cares about in that sort of way and work at it slowly. Like I said, it takes time."
He then tapped the book in front of her with his pencil. "Now you should get back to the assignment." Pichu's ears sagged as she scowled down at the book about Skyworld.
"Why do we have to do this again?" She grumbled.
"Because Peach wants us to learn about different Valentine's customs or similar holidays from different Nintendo worlds as a part of our culture lessons." Yoshi explained, directing his gaze back on his book about the Kalos region.
Pichu blew a small raspberry in discontent, but begrudgingly hopped back into her chair and read the Skyworld book. For about five minutes, she was silent as she read about different customs and tales about Valentine's day within the land of clouds until she came across something that instantly caught her interest. Pichu read through the small sections as a thought started to form in her head. Once she was done, she looked up from the book, eyes shining brightly and a smile creeping on her face again.
"Ideeeaaa." She sang giddily.
Digital music and continuous beeping of a video game sounded as Pit sat on his bed in his room with his eyes focused intensely on a 3DS. His fingers mashed against buttons and maneuvered with the joystick until a let out a disappointed groan as he lost...again.
"Man, why are the The Three Trials so hard...?" He mumbled as he looked down at the little screens. His attention was suddenly stolen at the faint sound of voices approaching his door.
"Bad idea, Pichu. Bad idea!" One of the voices said with a frantic tone. "I just told you this was something you can't force!"
"Well what else is where to do?!" A higher female voice replied. "This is something that he needs and it's not like he can enforce one on his own. Let's be real here, Pikachu isn't exactly the secure type. Besides, he and Jigglypuff are already super close and caring, so think of this as a little boost for them."
"Except that it's not like that at-no. No, don't knock on his door Pichu!"
The little argument outside the room was interrupted at the sudden knock on the door. Scrunching his face in confusion and curiosity, Pit put down his 3DS and got up, moving toward the door. Twisting the knob, he opened it and peered out at his two visitors.
"Oh my gosh..." Yoshi muttered and face-palmed while Pichu looked on with a smile and a book in her paws.
"Pit! Just the angel I wanted to see!" She greeted enthusiastically as she allowed herself in the room.
Pit gave a friendly smile. "Hi Pichu! How's-"
"Pit, listen to me." Yoshi cut him off, leaning in the doorway and urgency shining in his eyes. "Whatever you do, don't listen to what she's about to tell you. Don't give in to her diabolically cute charms!"
Immediately, Pichu slammed the door shut on the dinosaur, causing Pit to jump. "Hey, listen." She said as she leaned against it. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor and help me with something."
"Uuhh..." Pit mumbled uncertainly and pointed at the door. "What was...?"
"Pit, I promise that if you drop it and help me, I'll get you three boxes of chocolate tomorrow." Pichu said in slight desperation.
Pit instantly perked up. "Deal!"
"Perfect! Now, I'll try to make this brief, but I've noticed that Pikachu has been stressing himself a lot lately with his duties."
The room's door opened again and Yoshi poked his head back in, now looking panicked. "Pit, I'm serious! Cover your ears now before-"
Pichu slammed the door shut again and continued. "So I figured that I could try to help him get into a relationship so he could have someone to help him feel more secure, and I thought it could be with Jigglypuff."
"Okay." Pit said in understanding.
"So this is where you come in." Pichu smiled and then held out the book about Skyworld. "I read in here that there were these special arrows that were created to spread the feelings of love and care in those who are feeling negative. What I want you to do is get those arrows, shoot one at Pikachu and Jigglypuff, and then we can get them to start a relationship!"
All through her explanation, Pit's excited smile slowly faded into a nervous frown. He fiddled his fingers between his hands as he thought of his reply.
"Um yeah, about that..." He mumbled. "You see, when those arrows were made, they didn't exactly work in the way we had initially planned."
"But...they still worked, right?" Pichu asked.
"Technically yes, but how they worked was the issue. Palutena created them to just fill people who were unhappy with love and happiness to help them feel more positive. However, it turns out that when shot at a person, it makes them immediately fall in love with the first person, or thing, that they see, so..."
The room fell into a silence as the two let the information settle with them. Pichu's mind buzzed as she processed the angel's unexpected response. "That, can actually still work." She then said after a few moments.
"Wha?" Pit replied with a tilt of his head.
"The arrows make someone fall in love immediately, it'll be faster for Pikachu to establish a relationship!" Pichu explained. "That's actually perfect! So all we need to do is make sure that Pikachu and Jigglypuff are in the same place together, shoot them both, and they'll-"
"W-Wait, you don't understand! Back at Skyworld, there was an...incident involved with the arrows that made Palutena ban them from every being used again. She said that forcing false love onto someone isn't good."
Pichu was silent again and directed her gaze toward the ground. He had a point. Both he and Yoshi had a point. Love and relationships can't just be brought onto someone, it has to be natural. But...what if someone needs it? What if someone is so driven down by negative emotions like stress and anxiety that they need to experience love and happiness? Plus, what if the two people already love and care for each other on a deep level? Is it still wrong...? Pichu wasn't entirely sure...
"What if he needs it?" She finally said, looking back up at Pit. "Is it really wrong if Pikachu looks constantly miserable and the arrows could help him? I've seen him everyday dealing with all those responsibilities and how much it wears him down, to the point where he almost gets anxiety attacks if things go wrong. If these arrows will help him relieve this stress, then I want to at least give it a shot, just to stop seeing him like this..."
Tears were starting to brim her eyes and Pichu quickly wiped them away. She was getting emotional and she didn't want to start crying in front of the angel. Speaking of which...
Pit looked down at the small Pokemon as she tried to conceal herself. Sympathy was washing all over him as he listened to her talk about Pikachu's struggles and how much it was worrying her. This started to get him thinking too. Was it really wrong if it was needed...? He debated with himself for a moment until he came to a decision.
"Okay." Pit said, gaining Pichu's attention. "I'll help you with the arrows if it means this much to you."
A grateful smile bloomed across Pichu's face, relief starting to spread through her chest. "Arceus, Pit, thank you."
"No problem, but we have to be extra sure that Palutena doesn't find out about this..."
"Don't worry Pit, my lips are sealed." Pichu said as she turned to grip the room's door. "But really, thanks for doing this. You have no idea how much this-" She cut herself off when she opened the door and Yoshi, who had his ear pressed against the door to listen, fell right into the room and flopped down on his back. Pichu and Pit looked down at him in bewilderment as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...Why don't you ever listen to me?" The dino finally asked, throwing a steely look at the Pokemon. Pichu only replied with a shrug. Yoshi heaved a sigh, got back to his feet, and rubbed his eyes in exasperation. "Okay, you know what? Do whatever you want, let yourself get in trouble for it. I'm not going to involve myself with this, but just know that this plan of your's will backfire."
With that, he turned and walked away down the hall. The two stepped out and watched as he did so then Pit looked down at Pichu.
"So, where do we start?" He asked.
Oooooh boy, this was long! Well, things only get weird from here, so be prepared! XD
Thanks for reading, you guys. I hope you all are interested so far! Leave a review or a criticism, for I really want to hear your feedback. Also, if you spot anything wrong with the typing, please let me know so I can fix it! The next chapter will be up soon, so I'll see you guys then! :D