Alright guys, get ready cause this is a long one! I had this one on my mind for a while and finally managed to finish it when a reviewer Sirina from 'The Smallest Straw Hat' wondered about Pika-chan absorbing too much electricity. Thankfully, the anime has all the info you need on Pokémon illness! Good to know that show is good for something!
Oh yes, and don't forget, even though this is technically filler, you can gladly tie it into the main story if you wish. I might even subtly refer to some filler stuff in the main story in the future. Just letting you know.
And now, all you whump fans, get ready for some fluffy sick hurt/comfort!
Prompt: Overload
Set: After Rainbow Mist
Summary: Pika-chan's the last person the Straw Hats expected to get sick; and to make matters worse, Chopper's not on the boat!
"Aw c'mon Nami!"
"I said no!"
I cringe as Nami's voice seems to be getting louder while more and more bumps appear on Luffy's head. We're currently docking at a new island; after the fiasco on Luluka we're in desperate need of medical supplies and we don't want to be lacking if we run into trouble on the way to Jaya.
"But I wanna go out too! There could be adventure out there!" Luffy whines.
"I told you a million times and I'll tell you a million more; the answer's no!" Nami retorts. "This island is crawling with Marines; if either you, Robin or Zoro go out in public they'll see you in under a minute!"
"Then we'll just beat them up." Luffy says with a shrug. I watch as Luffy's arm slowly makes its way off the boat, probably looking for something to hold onto to propel him into the town and away from Nami.
"Not with hundreds of people around you won't!" Nami yells, giving him one more smack. The hit causes his arm to stop stretching and come flying back towards him. However, in his haste to keep it from hitting himself, it ends up whipping around and smacking me right in the back of the head. I squeal as I fall right off the railing and headfirst onto the hard deck before holding my head and slowly getting up.
"It's already decided; we're only short on medicine so Chopper's going alone. You're staying and that's final." Nami says. Luffy whines again but doesn't protest, seeing that he's already lost the battle.
"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own Doctor?" Robin asks as Chopper gets his backpack on.
"I'm sure." He says confidently before grinning. "And if I get into trouble I'll just scream really loud!"
"That's the spirit!" Usopp cheers. My ears droop; that's not exactly the kind of motivation I'd look for.
Chopper leaps off the ship and heads for the town, "I'll be back soon!" He says with a wave. I wave back and Chopper vanishes into the town. He'll be fine; it's just shopping after all, and the Marines don't even know him.
Once he disappears from sight, things go back to normal on the ship. Sanji cooks some snacks for everyone, Usopp distracts Luffy in his own special way, Zoro naps, Nami does some mapmaking, and Robin reads. I notice that the head of the Merry is empty so I decide to take a nap.
However, it isn't long before my ears twitch as a cool wind washes over me. I open my eyes to see ominous dark clouds rolling in over the island. I quickly run to the lower door and push it open, "Pikachu!" 'Nami, we have a problem!'
Nami turns from the map she's hanging up and is able to see the clouds behind me. She runs out with me and stands still; she's probably feeling for how bad the weather's gonna get. She quickly rushes over to Zoro and gives him a kick that would make Sanji proud, "Get up!" She snaps.
"What?" Zoro grumbles sleepily.
"A storm's coming; we need to make sure the ship doesn't take any damage!" Nami answers. "You guys too!" She calls to Luffy and Usopp who have seen the storm clouds as well. "Since we're not on the open sea, the waves shouldn't be a problem, but there's going to be heavy rain and a lot of lightning." She sends me a look, "Pika-chan, you know what to do."
I nod. Looks like I have to play my part on the ship once again as the crew's lightning rod. Everyone runs around making sure the sails and the anchor stay stable and that the ship isn't being bumped into the rocks we docked next to and I keep a sharp eye out for lightning. Only a few come towards the ship and I catch them easily, but for some reason, I feel really heavy afterwards.
I feel like my whole body is heating up, so the rain feels really nice. Luckily, the storm passes quickly and soon it's sunny again like nothing happened. I hope Chopper was able to find shelter from the storm. It's then that I realize that I'm breathing heavily. I feel exhausted and dizzy, like I'm...overloaded? But how can that be? I only absorbed a few bolts…
My vision blurs and I start to sway on my feet before everything goes dark.
Nami sighed in content as she sipped a warm tangerine drink in the galley, her raincoat drying nearby. Sanji had made everyone warm drinks to help warm everyone up from the sudden storm. Sanji kept the kettle on the stove so he could make something for Chopper when he came back. The reindeer had fur so if he got caught in the rain he'd be soaked to the skin.
Just then, the door to the galley slammed open, "Guys! We have a problem!" Usopp looked frantic, his eyes wide with fear, putting both Sanji and Nami on alert.
"Is it Marines?" Nami asked.
"No, it's...it's Pika-chan!"
Sanji started at the mention of his partner and followed Usopp out of the galley without a word, Nami not far behind. They ran to the main deck where the yellow mouse lay on its side, unmoving. Robin was kneeling over it, a hand on the mouse's head and a light frown crossing her usually calm face.
"What happened?" Sanji asked as everyone gathered around.
"It just collapsed a few moments ago." Robin answered. "It's burning up with a fever."
Sanji's eyes widened, "A fever…?" He knelt down and gently picked Pika-chan up, giving everyone a better look at it. It's face was red and it was breathing heavily, sweat already apparent on its fur. "Pika-chan?" Sanji called softly.
The mouse slowly opened its eyes revealing them to be tired and bleary, "Pika…"
"We need Chopper." Usopp said softly.
Everyone silently nodded and Nami faced the sniper. "Usopp, you go and bring Chopper back here."
"Right." Usopp wasted no time leaping off the ship and bolting into the crowded town.
"Not you, moron." Zoro said sharply, holding Wado out in front of Luffy. The rubber captain had attempted to follow Usopp into the town.
"Alright, but what can we do until they get back?" Sanji asked, his eyes still glued to Pika-chan's limp form. He had never seen the mouse look so weak and helpless before and it was scaring the shit out of him.
"We should make it more comfortable," Robin said, as calm as ever.
Nami placed a hand on Sanji's arm, her concern growing when he didn't swoon over her. "Let's get it inside."
Nami led the group to her room where she allowed Pika-chan her bed. Sanji feebly tried to protest but Nami wasn't having any of it. Luckily, Sanji was too concerned to debate with her. They placed Pika-chan on the bed and tucked it under the covers; at least now Pika-chan was comfortable.
And now came the hard part: waiting.
Nami brought down a bowl of water and a small cloth and placed it near the bed. Sanji nodded in thanks and quickly dampened the cloth, placing it gently on Pika-chan's head. However, he couldn't help but feel concern rise even further when the mouse didn't respond to the cool cloth. His jaw clenched as Pika-chan let out a soft moan of pain and grimaced, blue sparks flying from its cheeks; this definitely wasn't natural.
Sanji desperately wanted to do something, anything to help, but he couldn't risk doing anything until Chopper got back. In other words, he was useless; a feeling he hated with a passion, and the circumstances couldn't be worse.
"I guess all we can do is try and get that fever down the best we can." Nami said; bless her heart, trying to stay hopeful.
"Maybe it's just hungry." Luffy said.
"I doubt that." Robin said flatly.
"Besides, Pika-chan is way too weak to eat anything right now." Nami added. "All we can do now is let it rest and make sure it's fever doesn't get worse." Sanji clenched his fist.
Luffy shrugged, "You never know; I always feel bad whenever I don't eat." He said, his grin wide. "I bet if we just give it some meat-"
Nami let out an audible gasp as Sanji suddenly kicked Luffy in the face. Hard.
Luffy slammed against the wall, leaving a good and deep dent, and sat up, rubbing his head, "Sanjiiiii, what was that for?" He asked with a pout.
"This is all your fault Luffy!" Sanji yelled.
"Huh? My fault?" Luffy asked in confusion.
"I saw you hit Pika-chan earlier when you were screwing around!" Sanji snapped.
"You hitting it on the head probably has something to do with this!"
"But Pika-chan was completely fine afterward!" Luffy protested.
"Sanji, I don't think a hit on the head causes a fever." Nami agreed, trying to calm him down.
"Yeah, if I had to guess I would say it has an upset stomach." Zoro commented, "Thanks to you."
"What?!" Sanji demanded dangerously, turning on the swordsman.
Zoro looked at Sanji, "You heard me; you probably gave it-"
Zoro was cut off as Sanji grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed Zoro against the wall, "Don't even finish that sentence you bastard!" Sanji yelled. "I always make sure that my meals are made of fresh food, even Pika-chan's!" He glared at the swordsman with rage filled eyes; how dare he suggest that he made Pika-chan sick!
"And if Pika-chan did get sick from my food how come no one else is sick?!" He went on. "Pika-chan eats the same things as the rest of you and I know what it likes and dislikes! So don't you dare think that I had something to do with this!"
Zoro said nothing.
"And besides, if my food could make people this sick I would've given you that special dish a long time ago!"
"Like your food could take me down."
"You wanna test that theory?!"
"Bring it on!"
"Wait, food can make you sick?!"
"Shut up Luffy, you're not helping!"
"Everyone, that's enough!" Everyone froze at Robin's sudden words. Her face was drawn with seriousness and authority. "None of this is helping Pikachu; if anything, you're only making it feel worse." Everyone looked at Pika-chan as it let out a soft moan of pain and discomfort.
"We won't get anywhere arguing amongst ourselves; the important thing to do now is to stay calm until the Doctor and Longnose get back." Robin said firmly. Sparks flew from its cheeks once more and its face was screwed up in pain.
"She's right…" Nami said softly. Sanji and Zoro both deflated a bit from guiltand Sanji turned back to his sick partner. Pika-chan fidgeted in its sleep, sparks flying from its cheeks again as it grunted in pain.
Sanji moved back to Pika-chan's side and dampened the cloth again before replacing it on the mouse's head. Everyone could see how tense he was with worry; that outburst was probably because he just needed something to blame since he didn't know what else to do. But it was clear that fighting was out of the question.
All they could do was wait and watch their sick mouse until Chopper got back.
Usopp huffed and puffed as he ran through the crowded streets of the island. He had been searching for a good while, but there was still no sign of the tiny reindeer. If it wasn't so crowded, this probably would've been a cinch, but of course, their luck always had to be the worst in the world.
"C'mon Chopper, where are you?" He asked frantically, turning in a different direction. Little did he know, that a little ways away where he just passed, the ship's doctor was busy browsing through a well-stocked herbal stand under a tent that protected its products and customers from the earlier storm.
"This place is amazing!" Chopper gushed. "There are so many useful herbs here; and they're all on sale so I won't worry about blowing the budget!" He added a few more herbs to his bag and moved to another section, "We won't have to worry about medicine for a while, that's for sure!" He said with a proud smile.
Nami softly growled in frustration as she gazed at the island from the railing of the ship. "What's taking Usopp so long?" She wondered. "He and Chopper should've been back by now!"
She kept watch for a few more moments before heading to the galley. She grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water. She knew that it was important to keep the body hydrated, no matter what kind of sickness was running rampant. It would be good to keep some water on hand in case Pika-chan woke up. She walked back down to her room, but sadly, the mouse was still locked in its fever-driven battle, still moaning in pain.
"Are they back yet?" Luffy asked, looking up as she descended the stairs. Nami shook her head, placing the water on her desk.
"Dammit…" Sanji muttered under his breath. His patience was reaching the limit; he felt that he was close to completely losing it. Or completely breaking down from worry.
"'What could be taking those two?" Nami wondered.
"It is possible the Marines caught up with them." Robin said.
"Would it kill you to think positive for once?" Nami asked desperately. "And that's nearly impossible; they aren't wanted!"
"Fine." Zoro grunted, getting up. "I'll go after them."
"That's a joke, right?" Sanji asked sharply, finally tearing his gaze away from Pika-chan. "If you go then we'll be stuck here for an eternity with your sense of direction!"
"And have you forgotten about your bounty?" Nami added. "You'll be spotted in a minute!" Nami put her hand on her chin in deep thought; Robin obviously couldn't go with her bounty, and there was no way she could ask Sanji to go. He was worried enough, there was no way he'd leave Pika-chan's side now. She doubted she'd have any luck finding them so-
"Maybe the captain should go." Robin suggested, breaking her train of thought.
"YES!" Luffy leapt up from his seat. "Finally, adventure!"
"NO WAY!" Nami punched him on the head, sending him back to the ground. "Robin, Luffy has the highest bounty out of the three of you; if he gets caught then we'll be screwed!"
"That is true." Robin said with a knowing smile. "But I have an idea that just might work."
The archeologist led Nami and Luffy outside and pointed to the buildings. "If the captain stays on those rooftops, he should stay out of sight." She explained. "And with his Devil Fruit powers, that should be no problem."
Nami lit up, "Yeah! And he could get a much better view to look for Chopper and Usopp from up there! Robin, you're brilliant!"
"Thank you."
Nami nodded and turned to Luffy, "Alright, you got that Luffy?" She asked. "Stay on the rooftops whatever you do; find Chopper and Usopp and don't let any Marines see you, got it?"
"Right!" Luffy said with a nod. He then stretched his arm and latched onto the nearest roof. "See you later!" He called, propelling himself into the air.
"I just hope we don't regret this…" Nami sighed, watching him go. The two girls headed back down to the girl's room. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to do much more waiting.
"CHOPPER!"
The reindeer froze and turned around. "Usopp?" He frowned as he saw the sniper running towards him.
"Finally...I found you…" Usopp said between deep breaths as he rested his hands on his knees.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Chopper asked frantically. "What's wrong?"
Usopp looked at Chopper, "It's really bad, Pika-chan's running a fever!"
"WHAT?!" Chopper screeched. "What happened?!"
"We don't know! It just collapsed!" Usopp exclaimed frantically. "It's back at the ship and I've been looking for you ever since! We need to get back, now!"
"HEEEEEY!" Usopp and Chopper flinched at the familiar voice. They looked up to see Luffy standing on the rooftop of the building next to them. "There you guys are!" Luffy exclaimed. "And you found Chopper!"
"Luffy, what are you doing here?!" Usopp demanded.
"Looking for you guys!" Luffy responded. "You were taking too long and Pika-chan's really sick!"
Usopp shook his head, "Whatever, let's just get back to the ship! We have to hurry!"
"Right!" Luffy nodded and stretched his arms towards his comrades. They wrapped around them, and brought them up to the building with him. "Hang on, you guys!" He said, getting his arms ready. Usopp and Chopper exchanged a fearful glance and gulped, gripping Luffy tightly.
"Gum Gum...Rocket!" And they flew off over the town, back towards the ship.
"How's it doing?" Nami asked as Sanji removed the cloth and felt the mouse's head.
"It still won't go down!" Sanji said in defeat; in fact, it felt hotter than before!
Nami quickly moved towards the bed, "If this keeps up, it'll get dehydrated." She picked up the glass of water that was still cool to the touch. "Let's try to get it to drink something."
Sanji nodded and took the glass, "Pika-chan? Can you hear me?" he called.
"Chu…" The mouse mumbled. It wasn't the greatest response, but it was something.
Sanji gently lifted Pika-chan's head, tilting the glass towards its mouth. "Here, try to drink something."
But the moment the liquid touched Pika-chan's lips, the mouse turned away from it, "Pika…" It mumbled, refusing the drink. It was too weak to even drink? Sanji lay Pika-chan back down, his hand shaking around the glass. This had just reached a whole new level of 'not good'.
Just then, multiple familiar screams were heard above deck followed by a loud crash. Nami and Sanji exchanged a glance before the navigator ran up to investigate. She burst out onto the main deck to see Luffy, Chopper and Usopp in a tangled heap on the deck with a nice sized dent under them.
"I'll never get used to that…" Chopper whimpered.
"Did you have to smash us into the ship? She's taken enough abuse!" Usopp demands.
"You said we had to hurry." Luffy says, tilting his head.
"You can argue later!" Nami says, stopping the blooming argument. "Pika-chan's looking worse by the second!"
Chopper immediately looked alert, "Where is Pika-chan?" he asked.
"In the girl's room." Usopp answered and the group entered the ship, bursting into the room without hesitation. Sanji was still kneeling by the bed and Zoro and Robin were still watching in concern.
The moment Chopper laid eyes on Pika-chan he rushed over. "Let me see." Sanji backed away. He lept onto the bed and placed a paw on the mouse's forehead. "Hmm…" he frowned. "It has a real high fever…" he gently opened Pika-chan's mouth, checking its tongue and its eyes for any tell-tale signs of what was causing the fever.
"How long has Pika-chan been like this?" Chopper asked, not stopping his check-up.
"It collapsed not long after the storm." Robin answered.
"Can you tell what's wrong?" Nami asked.
Chopper frowned, "All I can say is, this is no ordinary fever." he answered. The crew felt their fear begin to rise as Chopper continued. "Pika-chan's body structure is very different from humans and animals; I need to find the cause of the fever before I can give it proper medication."
Chopper eyed the mouse with a thoughtful gaze; he couldn't find anything that would be on a regular human that would cause a fever like this. He watched as Pika-chan grimaced in pain, sparks flying from its cheeks. He had always found it fascinating how the tiny creature released so much electricity for attacks, but seeing them sparking now seemed...off.
He remembered how Pika-chan's cheeks would spark when getting ready to attack, so why would they be sparking now? It doesn't have the energy to attack; could it be reacting to a feverish hallucination? Chopper watched as it happened again and the mouse grit its teeth and squeezed its closed eyes tightly for a second. The sparks were clearly causing it pain. Pika-chan wouldn't let sparks come from its cheeks if it hurt so badly. It's almost like Pika-chan can't stop its cheeks from sparking.
...But why would that be?
Chopper put a hoof on his chin in thought, "You said the fever started after the storm?" he asked.
"Yes." Robin said with a nod.
So Pika-chan was perfectly fine before the storm; in fact, it seemed fine when Chopper left the ship. What could've happened during the storm that caused this? Heavy rain causing a cold? No, it was warm out, and Pika-chan had been in storms before. Plus, fevers don't start this suddenly; it would've taken time for the sickness to settle in and they would've noticed symptoms before it got this bad.
What was Chopper missing? What would make it so that it hurt Pika-chan to send out electricity?
He looked at the sparks again and realized that they were blue; wasn't Pika-chan's lightning yellow? The last time he saw Pika-chan shoot blue electricity was when… they were on Luluka.
An idea came suddenly came to his mind. "Did Pika-chan absorb any lightning?" Chopper asked.
Sanji nodded, "Yeah, but only a few bolts." he answered. "Why?"
Chopper took out a stethoscope without answering and listened to Pika-chan's heartbeat just in case. To his surprise, the mouse's heartbeat sounded muffled, like it was blocked. Chopper's frown deepened, "I wonder…" He turned to Usopp, "Usopp, do have anything that can conduct electricity?" He asked.
Usopp wanted to question the odd request, but the authority in the little reindeer's voice made him think otherwise. "Uh, I'll check!" And he ran out of the galley. He came back a few seconds later with a small voltage meter and two metal rods. "Will this work?" He asked.
"Yes, that's perfect!" Chopper responded, taking the meter. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, Chopper placed the two rods on Pika-chan's cheeks. The rods immediately lit up as the sparks from Pika-chan's cheeks intensified.
"Pika…!" Pika-chan let out a choked cry as the needle on the voltage meter spiked greatly, making the room light up with electricity. This lasted for a few moments until the electricity died down. Chopper put the voltage meter aside and everyone watched as the mouse slowly opened its eyes. "Pika…?"
"It's awake!" Nami said happily.
Chopper placed his paw on Pika-chan's forehead and smiled, "The fever's going down." Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Chopper took out a bottle of pills and picked up the glass of water that was still nearby. It was still cool and fresh, so it would do for now. They could get proper liquids into Pika-chan later.
Chopper gently helped Pika-chan sit up and held the pill out to Pika-chan, "This should help numb your fever." Pika-chan swallowed the pill and Chopper helped it take a sip of water before laying it back down. "Now get some rest; you should feel better in no time." Chopper said.
"Pika…" The mouse responded with a smile and quickly fell asleep. Sanji visibly slumped in relief; thank god that ordeal was over.
"Chopper, how did you know that would work?" Nami asks. "How did you know that was causing it?"
Chopper turned to his crewmates. "Those sparks coming from its cheeks didn't seem natural to me, and they looked like they were from the lightning Pika-chan absorbed back in Luluka." He answered. "I think Pika-chan's fever was caused by some kind of buildup."
"Buildup?" Usopp asked.
Chopper nodded, "We know that Pika-chan can absorb electricity from other electrical objects or sources; if Pika-chan absorbs electricity, it must store it somewhere." He glanced at the sleeping mouse, "When I saw the sparks coming from its cheeks, I figured that it must store the lightning there; but there's no way Pika-chan can store endless amounts of electricity."
Chopper faced his crewmates seriously, "Pika-chan must have absorbed too much lightning causing some kind of electrical overload; the electricity was too much for it to handle, but instead of releasing it, it built up inside Pika-chan causing a fever."
"Wait, you're saying that the lightning it absorbed on Luluka back then caused this?" Sanji asked.
"That's right." Chopper said.
"But released all that electricity during the fight." Sanji pointed out.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro asked.
"While we were waiting for Nami to come back from the Rainbow Mist, the Mayor and that bastard in the lightning suit attacked us." Sanji answered. "Pika-chan absorbed a bunch of electricity from the suit and obliterated just about everything in one huge blast."
"Pika-chan probably didn't realize how much electricity it was taking in." Chopper said. "So when it absorbed the lightning from the storm it was added to the leftover lightning from Luluka, causing the buildup." Chopper rummaged through his bag and pulled out his medical journal, jotting down notes about Pika-chan's condition; he wanted to be prepared in case this ever happened again.
"Are you sure about that?" Usopp asked. "I mean, what if it was just a coincidence?"
"Well, that depends; has Pika-chan ever absorbed a lot of lightning at once?" Chopper asked.
Everyone was silent in thought for a moment, "Yeah, it has." Zoro answered eventually. Everyone looked at him. "Remember? When we were sailing to Lost Island?"
Nami's eyes brightened, "That's right, during that storm! Pika-chan was running all over the place catching all the lightning that was about to hit the ship!"
Sanji nodded, "And when it was over, Pika-chan looked really tired." he said, remembering the mouse collapsing in a mess of sweat and ragged breaths. "It jumped into the ocean and released all the electricity."
Chopper nodded, "I see…" Chopper turned back to Pika-chan, still writing his notes "Then from this information, I'm assuming that it's normal for creatures like Pika-chan to release any excess electricity they've absorbed; lightning is its power source so this probably happens often, but it's just a theory." He frowned slightly, looking up from his journal. "After all, we don't know anything about Pika-chan's species."
"But will Pika-chan be okay?" Sanji asked.
"I don't know if the worst of it is over; the fever may still come back, so Pika-chan will need constant supervision." Chopper answered. "Until the fever completely breaks, we should make sure to give it nutrients and lots of rest."
"What kind of nutrients?" Nami asked.
Sanji put a hand on his chin in thought; this was up his alley, "Apples and oranges are a good source of Vitamin C and can help with cold symptoms; would that work?"
"That would be perfect." Chopper said. "Just mash them so they're easier to keep down."
"Perhaps we should let Pikachu rest before that." Robin suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and no one disturbed Pika-chan after that.
Sanji and Chopper stayed in the girl's room, watching Pika-chan closely for any sign of a returning fever while the rest of the crew kept themselves busy. Chopper took its temperature regularly, but thankfully, the fever never showed any sign of coming back. The mouse slept the whole time and soon the sun was beginning to set.
Chopper checked the mouse's temperature one last time and checked its heartbeat. "Well?" Sanji asked once he was done.
To his delight, Chopper had a smile on his face despite his glassy eyes, "I think we're finally out of the woods." Sanji let out a loud sigh and put his head in his hands; he felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"I think it should stay in bed until morning," Chopper continued. "I'll decide then if it's okay to let it go."
"You're the doctor." Sanji said, making Chopper giggle and blush with a soft, "Shut up."
They exited the room quietly to find everyone on the main deck. They all looked up expectantly once they appeared and Chopper smiled, "The fever's just about broken." Everyone visibly slumped in relief while Robin simply smiled.
"It needs to rest for at least one night; is that alright Nami?" Chopper asks.
"That's fine." Nami answered.
"Chopper, would it be alright for Pika-chan to try and eat something now?" Sanji asked.
"Sure; just nothing too rich." Chopper responded.
That was all Sanji needed. He went to the galley and went to the pantry, going straight to their fruit supply. He pulled out two ripe red apples and went back to the kitchen, gathering all the appliances he needed. He washed the apples and promptly began to peel them. He then cut out the core and sliced them into tiny cubes with a few quick slices and chops. He then placed them in a skillet over low heat until they were tender before mashing them into a applesauce-like state.
He put the food into a small bowl, grabbed a small spoon and made his way back down to Nami's room. He entered quietly and smiled seeing that Pika-chan was still sound asleep like nothing was wrong. Sanji knelt next to the bed and put the bowl down. "Pika-chan?" He gently nudged the mouse. "C'mon partner, time to wake up."
Pika-chan slowly opened its eyes without any trouble, "Pika…" It greeted softly.
"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" Sanji asked.
Pika-chan gave a weak smile and nod. "Pikachu."
Sanji held the bowl up, "I've got some mashed apples here; do you feel up to eating?" To his delight, the mouse nodded and Sanji helped it sit up before slowly feeding the fresh fruit to Pika-chan. "Is it good?" He asked.
"Pikachu." Pika-chan said with a bit more of the usual spring to its voice. Sanji kept feeding his partner until all the apples were gone. Pika-chan sighed in content and Sanji lay it back down, pulling the covers back.
"Chopper said you should be better by morning if your fever doesn't come back, so try to rest up." Sanji said. "And if you start feeling feverish again just come get us, okay?"
"Pika." Pika-chan answered with a nod and closed its eyes.
Sanji put the bowl and spoon on the ground and watched as the mouse slept. He forgot how vulnerable Pika-chan looked when it was sleeping; then again, everyone looked like that when they slept. At least this time, Pika-chan wasn't sleeping in pain because of a fever. It was strange; Sanji didn't think the mouse was capable of getting sick. It was certainly a wake-up call, for sure. Everyone can fall victim to sickness depending on the circumstances.
All Sanji could do was watch his partner sleep, waiting and hoping that nothing would go wrong during this fragile stage. "This must be how you felt back when I was sick." He said softly. He vaguely remembered blurry images of Pika-chan by his side, it's face in a constant state of worry.
"Except back then, we didn't have a doctor; I was definitely in a worse situation than you." Sanji smiled slightly. "That's part of the reason why I snapped at you; we already had our hands full with Vivi, and I had to go and get sick out in the middle of the ocean."
Sanji sighed. "But despite all that...you never gave up on me." Past memories of Drum Island flashed in his head. "You've never given up on me or any of us; no matter how many times you got beaten down, you always got right back up and kept going." He gently scratched Pika-chan behind the ears. "And this time will be no different; you're gonna spring right back up from this, just like you always do...just like we always will."
Sanji pulled his hand away from the sleeping mouse and folded his arms on the side of the bed, watching his partner vigilantly, just like Pika-chan did for him way back when.
When night finally fell and Robin came downstairs to check on the two, she smiled seeing Sanji, sound asleep where he was kneeling, His head resting on his arms. Robin quietly summoned two arms and draped a blanket over Sanji's shoulders and switched the light off, not disturbing their peaceful slumber.
The next day, I open my eyes to sunlight streaming through the windows. I yawn and sit up. I feel like a million berries! I notice a shape next to me and I turn to see Sanji, leaning on the side of my bed, sound asleep with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Did he stay with me all night? I smile and get out from under the covers; this guy really is the best partner I could ask for.
I go over to him and nudge my head against his, "Pika, pikachu." 'Sanji, wake up.'
Sanji stirs and opens his eyes, fully waking up once he sees me, "Pika-chan!" He lifts his head off the bed, "How are you feeling?"
"Pika pika!" I exclaim happily. 'I feel better than ever!'
I start slightly as Sanji suddenly picks up me up and gives me a hug, "Thank goodness…" he says softly. I squeal affectionately and give him a nuzzle; I'm certainly glad that ordeal is over too. We head up to the main deck to see the others already up and getting ready.
"Hey! Sanji!" Luffy greets, catching everyone's attention.
"Morning." Sanji greets.
I jump onto his shoulder and give a wave, "Pikachu!"
Everyone lights up at the sight of me. "Pika-chan!" Nami exclaims. "Is it feeling better?" I squeal and jump down onto the main deck, running around, full of energy.
"It's like it never happened." Sanji says with a grin.
"That's a relief." Nami says, kneeling down to rub my ears.
"But next time, be careful how much electricity you absorb." Chopper says, coming up to me.
I nod and give Chopper a big hug, "Pika pikachu!" 'Thanks for healing me!' I say, giving him a nuzzle.
Chopper blushes and gently pushes me away, wiggling happily, "Shut up, flattery won't get you anywhere!" I laugh at his antics; despite being sick for only a day, I really missed this.
"Sanjiiiiiiiii! I'm hungry!" Luffy whines. "Make us breakfast!"
"Yeah yeah, be patient." Sanji says waving his hand and heading to the galley. "I'll whip something up in no time."
I grin and follow him into the kitchen. I leap onto the counter and Sanji gives me a pat, more heartfelt than the last. We whip up a big breakfast and soon, everyone is inside, eating and talking happily.
Everything's back to normal; and we couldn't be happier.
Chopper, you brilliant little furball! Wouldn't expect anything less from the doctor of the Straw Hat pirates!
*announcer voice* And if you take a look at the screen we can see that the Sanji&Pika-chan Nakamaship and the Chopper&Pika-chan Nakamaship are both ship-shape, sailing full speed ahead! XD
