Hey! I'm back for this one story after a like billion month hiatus. Life's been hectic, I just moved out, so packing and unpacking has been stressful. On top of that, work has been mentally demanding, but! Things have calmed down considerably, and so I'll be trying to write more often in my spare time.
Oh, also, I decided to give the characters no actual dialogue other than their Pokemon cries. I don't know why, but I thought it would be interesting. I hope the story isn't too confusing; I feel like most of it is told through the paragraphs rather than dialogue. I dunno, I just hope that this turned out okay.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy~
Why were feelings for another always so complicated? You fall heads over heels for someone, with no idea how to express them or even know if that's even the right thing to do. And if it is...how do you go about it?
The otter peeked at his reflection in the creek that set Pinwheel Forest. He took a step closer to get a look at himself. He didn't like what he saw, big surprise. What stared back at him were eyes that seemed to droop (probably due to his lack of sleep), a slightly bigger than normal tummy, and an overall not so pleasant sight. He took a step back and readjusted his scalchop that rested upon said tummy.
Oshawott jumped into the creek to take a quick swim to relax himself. As he landed, a surprisingly big splash followed, dampening some of the wildlife surrounding him.
Once Oshawott had ascended to the surface, he laid on his back and took some deep breaths. In...out...in...out...much better. He needed to get a grip on himself, he was usually quite the happy-go-lucky Pokemon, if not a little cocky from time to time. Life back then usually just consisted of gathering berries, swimming and playing with other neighboring Pokemon…now, none of that seemed to matter anymore.
The otter's heart couldn't help but sting as he noticed a cloud take the shape of a dear friend of his. A certain serpent Pokemon who he had grown quite close to within the past few years. He was reminded of the way her vines were soft out of battle, the way her sharp brown eyes glistened, how caring yet sassy she had been… Oh, how how hard Oshawott had falle-
"Snivy?" Snivy asked as she watched her friend float in the water, sighing to himself, a weird sight to be sure.
"Osha! Oshawott!" the Unovian water starter had yelped in surprise. How long had she been standing there?! Did she perhaps hear him mumbling to himself? He looked up at her figure standing near the edge of the creek.
"Sni...Snivy Sniv?" she asked, with a tone of confusion in her voice, if not a little annoyance as well. Weren't he and Pikachu supposed to be looking for berries? What was he doing here?
The young water type shook his head, jumped out and with a smile on his face, and tapped his scalchop reassuringly. He was just fine, it was only a lack of sleep after all!
Snivy's worried expression was replaced with a small smile as she nodded. "Snivy!" she replied cheerfully. She then motioned to her little basket-shaped leafy bowl, which contained many berries of all types that she had gathered. Oran Berries, Cheri Berries, Aspear Berries,and even some Chesto Berries. They were yet to find any Pecha Berries, however, a very sweet tasting treat. This was among the group's favorite foods, so it was always a priority. It was also quite popular, so it was always in high demand which would often cause disputes between other Pokemon in the forest.
"Snivy Sniv? Snivy." The grass snake asked, pointing to Oshawott's basket, which resulted in a singular sweat drop from her friend.
Oshawott looked over to his leaf basket, which contained...three berries. Two of which were Cheri Berries, which were on the spicier side, and the remaining berry being a Sitrus Berry. He looked back over at Snivy and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, eyes on the ground. Whoops.
"Os-Osha…Oshawott..." He looked back up to see Snivy's gaze staring right back. Man, how he could just get lost in those beautiful eyes. If he could, he would just live in those eyes and call them his home.
Snivy waved it off, doing her best to hide any annoyance, even if it wasn't a very prominent emotion at that moment. She put on a smile and gave Oshawott his basket using her vines. Oshawott took it and followed her instructions: gather some more berries, and to especially be on the lookout for Pecha Berries. He, Pikachu and Snivy would all meet at their usual spot under the tree and combine their food.
Speaking of, where was Pikachu? Oshawott was about to voice his concerns to Snivy, but she had already been out of earshot. Oh well. He had probably been fine, it was just weird he hadn't seen the mouse. The three usually crossed paths when gathering food, after all.
Oh well, as concerned as he was for his friend, the sea otter Pokemon had other thoughts that occupied his mind...
Once Oshawott was done gathering his berries, he had made his way back to the tree, where Snivy and (thankfully) Pikachu were waiting.
"Snivy?" the green snake asked, pointing to Oshawott's leaf basket.
Oshawott sighed with disappointment, as he revealed there to be none of the special pink berries they all sought after. The other two sighed with him, as they had the same luck.
"Oshawott Osha? Oshawott?" the worried water type asked, directed to the electric mouse. Oshawott had noticed Pikachu sweating, when the temperature was in fact, just fine. Pikachu had even been shifting about a lot as well.
Pikachu jumped, surprised by the sudden question. He shifted about on the spot once again and stole a glance at the third member of their trio before returning his gaze to Oshawott. Was he okay? Weird that he should ask. The electric type waved his hands in front of him and shook his head to signal that, yes, he was just fine.
Although it left the samurai-in-training confused, he nodded and let it go. If Pikachu said he was okay then who was he to say otherwise? The three sat down and began to eat after combining their food, each talking about their day occasionally between bites.
Once everyone was done eating, they all went their separate ways. They all said their goodbyes and went towards their respective homes.
As Oshawott walked home, he looked up at the brightly lit stars and noticed how much they contrasted with the now nearly black sky. Even with all of the confusing emotions he was going through, it was always a sight for sore eyes. Who didn't enjoy looking at the stars? Well, our little otter friend certainly did. Or, that was until…
Bam, there she was, Snivy's shape in the stars. Oshawott's heart began to pound at the thought of her. And with that, feelings of excitement, anxiety, emptiness and confusion all hit him at once. He looked down at the dark, green grass he walked upon and let out a deep sigh. Alright, this was just flat out frustrating now. How was he supposed to focus on life in general now when all he could think of was the one he was so fond of?
As these thoughts invaded the water type's head, Oshawott suddenly found himself to be at his home. Odd, he must have been on autopilot mode in his deep thought. It didn't matter either way, he rushed over to under his tree and plopped onto the ground with a "thwump!" and laid down. He shifted on his side and stared out into the forest as well as the beautiful night sky. The Unovian water type even saw some other sights as well, such as a Swadloon spitting String Shot for its young to sleep in. Oshawott heard a rustling from above, which startled him, causing him to jump. Readying a Razor Shell, he looked up to see some Pidove merely resting on the branches overhead him. He put away his weapon and laid back down to once again rest on his side. The water type even noted how long the creek truly was, as it ran along the entire edge of the forest on his way home.
Oshawott grabbed his scalchop from his stomach and laid it under his head, to use as some sort of pillow. With that, subconscious thoughts started to take over, which meant sleep would soon come. Various things came to mind, such as their yummy dinner, for instance. Oshawott's eyes shut as it was too tiring to keep them open for any longer. Oshawott's game of tag with the Basculin popped into mind now. It wasn't fair, Oshawott almost won that one! Still though, it was quite a fun game and served as a distraction to his usual thoughts, such as a certain Unovian grass Pokemon...
There she was again, invading the otter's thoughts. Oshawott shot back up with frustration. Why, just why did she do this to him!? He was so close to sleep, and could have avoided all of these thoughts once again...
"Osha Oshawott…" the otter sighed, a hint of sadness apparent in this one. He laid back down and then turned onto his back and stared at the leaves and branches hanging over him.
What would Snivy say if Oshawott declared how he felt? Did she feel the same? Would she laugh? Would they stop being friends all together? Perhaps...
...but they could feel the exact same way, and they could run away together and start a family and live happily ever after, eating all sorts of yummy berries and playing games and cuddling together!
...or she could reject him, and she would hate and torment him which would have him die of embarrassment! He'd have to run away and start over in a new setting with a new name!
Oshawott shook his head. Thinking about it now wouldn't do any good. Nothing was going to change if he just laid there stressing about it all. He turned to be on his side again, this time facing towards the tree trunk. He used his tail as a blanket and let his eyes begin to fall.
How did one make himself look more impressive? He knew that when a Pokemon declared their affections, they usually had a gift of some sort. That's it, a gift! Yeah, that might do it! It would certainly look impressive. It would look better than just asking her out, that's for sure. But for now, it would be time to sleep. He would have to start looking tomorrow.
And for the first time in weeks, Oshawott had felt a little more clear in his head. Maybe things would be okay after all...
"Snivy Snivy!"
"Pika Pi! Pikachu!"
Oshawott covered his eyes as the light seeped into his vision, even with his eyes closed. He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.
"Snivy Sni." The grass snake giggled snarkily.
Oshawott rolled his eyes, knowing that he probably had a giant red mark on his face from tossing and turning in his sleep or something. He would also hope that this type of annoyed behavior would mask his true feelings for now. He sat up and greeted Pikachu, who now once again seemed nervous. He stole a peek at something, but it was so quick that Oshawott couldn't even follow his line of sight. It had seemed that Snivy didn't notice, either.
Whatever, it was time to start the day. The three, as usual, made their way to their meeting tree and would talk and play various games like tag or hide-and-seek.
After what seemed like their twentieth game of hide-and-seek, Pikachu's tummy began to rumble. As if on cue, Snivy as well as Oshawott's bellies began to grumble to signal that it was now time to eat.
Snivy, using her vines and crafting skills, made all three of them a basket to do their usual berry collecting. Once the leafy baskets were all made, the three went their separate ways in search for their food.
~Snap!~ As the berries fell from the branch, Oshawott retrieved his scalchop that he threw to cut the bunch of Chesto Berries. Once he placed the shell back on his belly, he ran over to retrieve the berries and placed them into his basket. Speaking of, how was he doing on food? The otter couldn't really say he was paying much attention.
...mostly full. He could squeeze a few more berries in there. Oshawott headed farther into the forest until he reached a dead end. Weird, he never seemed to have gone this path the entire time he's been in Pinwheel Forest, which would be his whole life it just so happened.
"Osha!" The water type cried happily. He not only found some berries, but they were Pecha Berries. All he had to do was throw his scalchop to cut them, and they'd be his! Oshawott dropped his leafy basket full of delicious berries near a bush and ran over closer to the tree. Snivy would love this, she'd certainly be proud of him for this one. The mere thought of Snivy again made Oshawott's heart pound, all due to nervousness as well as excitement. What would she do, or say even?
The otter's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed some flowers nearby. He went over and investigated. It seemed that these were roses, not just any ordinary flowers! Oshawott began to blush a light pink which was followed by a quickening pulse. If he picked these roses as well as brought the group's favorite snack...would this impress Snivy? Maybe he could save a few Pecha Berries specifically for Snivy and give her the roses as well.
Oshawott's brainstorming was interrupted when his gaze landed on the Pecha Berries again. Whoops, berry gathering was the entire reason he was even here in the first place. Oshawott adjusted his position and stared down the berries. If he threw the scalchop at this exact angle and with enough force…
Oshawott readied his weapon and threw it towards the berries. He sliced the stems perfectly which resulted in those special, pink berries falling to the ground. The otter type ran over excitedly to retrieve their little snack. Before he could pick them up, however, he was jabbed violently with poison directly at his feet. It seemed like he was hit by...a tail, maybe?
You guys did know that it couldn't be this easy, right?
Oshawott hit the ground face first, not having expected that at all. He pushed himself off of the ground, about to confront his opponent. That was until the water type noticed it was a Whirlipede, a Pokemon much bigger and stronger than he was. Oshawott was already on the shorter side of his species, a mere 1'6", which made the larger than average 4'2" Whirlipede seem even bigger.
Huge. Problem.
Oshawott shifted on the spot nervously, all anger seeming to have vanished which was now replaced with fear. The otter forced a nervous smile while sweat dropping, and attempted to persuade the Whirlipede.
"Osha Osha? Oshawott Osha Oshawott, Oshaaaa." Again, a nervous smile crept onto Oshawott's face. Just be nice, and maybe he'll be nice back. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding on Whirlipede's part...this very well could have even been its territory.
"Whirlipede!" The curlipede Pokemon rammed right into Oshawott and snatched the berries with its stingers, which it then dropped near a tree behind it.
"Oshawoooott!" The worried water type cried out, both in pain and in shock due to the Whirlipede's Rollout. Looks like he got his answer. It didn't help that the bug and poison type nearly ran over the roses that he didn't even get to pick yet! Not that Whirlipede had any idea of the otter's plans, of course.
The otter picked himself back up again, now knowing that this Whirlipede wasn't going to stop until something happened. Sure, Oshawott was more nervous than he'd ever been but if he could survive this, then all he had to do was bring home the berries which should be a cakewalk compared to the battle. Speaking of…
Oshawott now began to freak out that his basket wasn't even being protected! Luckily, he recalled that he left them near that bush farther away from the battle, but it was still something he'd have to be mindful of. Oshawott shook his head and fired off a Water Gun, scoring a direct hit while the Whirlipede readied another Poison Tail attack, which was of course interrupted.
Oshawott pumped his fist into the air, adrenaline helping him ignore the current pain. Whirlipede got off of the ground and prepared another Rollout. Oshawott began to frantically move out of the way and just barely managed to dodge. As Oshawott had to catch his breath from running away, he noticed that the Whirlipede ended up near the roses again due to not it not hitting its target. Oshawott began to internally freak out once again and even started to shift on the spot nervously.
Shaking his head clear, the otter readied an Aqua Jet which was just too speedy for the Whirlipede to dodge. Oshawott followed it up with a Night Slash, scoring a critical hit in the process.
The Whirlipede got off of the ground and used yet again another Poison Tail, hitting its target this time since Oshawott was right there and didn't have time to dodge. This caused the water type to fall to the ground. The pain was adding up to the otter now. Even with adrenaline, it was starting to catch up to him.
"Osha…" the otter cried out in pain. He got himself up slowly, groaning all the while. Was this really worth it? Was getting brutally beaten on really worth over a few berries and some roses?
Oshawott readied his Razor Shell. Absolutely yes, it was 100 percent worth it to him. This would show Snivy how much he truly cared for her. He stared down the Whirlipede who actually looked afraid now.
Oshawott then realized that he was surrounded by a glowing, blue energy as well as water that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Was this Torrent, his ability that was similar to Snivy's Overgrow? It must have been, nothing else seemed like it could have explained it.
Still holding his weapon, Oshawott also prepared an Aqua Jet aimed straight for the nuisance bug typed pest. Nothing was going to stop him. Right now, this was the most important thing to him in the world.
"OSHAAA!" the determined samurai otter yelled out as he made his way to Whirlipede, who cried out in pain as soon as Oshawott made contact. And to finish it off, Oshawott finally released his charged up Razor Shell that was also powered up by Torrent to show Whirlipede that he had won.
"PEEEEEEDE!" the dual type had cried out in pain. This Oshawott was something else...when provoked, that is. He didn't seem so impressive earlier. The bruised and scratched Whirlipede got up and stared Oshawott down, who had some injuries himself. Oshawott had now known that it was too late to back down, and so he held his ground. If one had been there to listen, it had now been so quiet that you could hear them both growl at each other.
"Whirl...Whirlipede Whirl." The Whirlipede made its way somewhere else into the forest, not taking the berries or crushing the roses. Once it had left, Oshawott nearly collapsed from sheer nervousness and even shed a tear. It was over!
Oshawott made his way to the Pecha Berries, picked a rose, and put them all in his basket. The exhausted water type was even sure to wash the Pecha Berries - just in case. He also rested in the creek to wash up the best he could, but his scratches and bruises were still very apparent. None of that mattered now, he had everything he needed and Snivy was sure to be his mate!
...right?
Oshawott began to tremble at even the thought of presenting his prize to her. What was she going to say? Would she jump lovingly in his arms? Was she going to laugh at him? Was she going to be angry? If she did accept, were they going to make it as a couple in the long run?
This only increased the trembling's intensity for the otter. Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out…today had been a good day, he needed to remember that. He had beaten an oversized Whirlipede all by himself! That was something to be proud of, right?
Oshawott shook his head and started to make his way back, which was more difficult than he had thought it would have been. Once he found his normal path, he was reminded why no one seemed to even hear the battle going on. It really was quite deep in that forest, and it was unlikely anybody heard much of anything. But! It didn't matter now. He had gone to the trouble of getting his rose and extra Pecha Berries. It would be a waste if he didn't present them to his soon-to-be mate. The very possibility made Oshawott's cheeks flushed and heart pound so furiously that it would make Unova's best marching band jealous.
As Oshawott neared their tree, a thought came to mind: just how was he going to present everything with Pikachu there? That would be just plain awkward. He would just have to get a sneak peek to see if he was there or not. If he was, he could rush back home and stash an extra Pecha Berry and his rose for later.
Another thought came to mind as well. How likely was it that Snivy would accept? I mean, the two were very close and always had tons of fun together. They were certainly compatible. Oshawott began to sway his tail, an old, nervous habit that crept up from time to time. But they had also known each other for so long too! Would Snivy find that weird? Could they still be friends if she said "no?"
That was enough, he had already done everything and gone to the trouble of getting everything. He had to try. Oshawott began to approach his destination and could see the top of their tree in sight. Well, here went nothing.
"Oshaaa," the water type inhaled. It was now or never.
As Oshawott got close enough to be able to see if it was just Snivy or not, he hid behind a bush that would be able to cover him entirely. He gingerly set his basket of berries as well as his rose down and took a look. Snivy was definitely there, but Pikachu was there as well.
The otter sighed. That was disappointing, but...wait. Why were the two so close to each other? Oshawott took another look to see if his eyes were playing tricks, but…
They...were...cuddling. The two were laying up against the tree, cuddling each other in their arms. Oshawott had to rub his eyes. Were his eyes deceiving on him?! As the water type looked closer, he saw that Pikachu was also scratched up and bruised. Was he attacked as well? Was he perhaps...protecting Snivy? Oshawott's eyes began to water up. It really wasn't meant to be. He and Snivy were not meant to be mates. Instead, Snivy's mate was destined to be Pikachu. Now that he thought about it...was that why Pikachu seemed so nervous lately? Is that what he kept glancing at? He kept sneaking peeks at...Snivy? No, no, no, this could not be happening.
Oshawott silently let the tears hit the ground. He went over to the creek and threw the rose in it, as he now had no use for it any longer. Oshawott walked over to the edge of the water with a slouch and dunked his feet in while clenching his fists. As more tears fell, the otter began to hiccup gently. Breathe in...breathe out...in…out…
"Snivy Sni!"
"Pika Pikachuuu!"
Oshawott turned around to see his two friends make their way toward him, both with looks of concern as they saw his injuries which appeared to be more severe than Pikachu's. Nothing life threatening, but he was definitely roughed up. Another hiccup escaped Oshawott's throat.
"Pikachu? Pika Pi?" the electric mouse asked, gesturing toward Oshawott's scratches.
"Snivy Snivy!" the grass snake added, voicing her concern. She looked Oshawott up and down, examining all of the scratches and bruising. She couldn't help but notice...tears as well? She wiped a tear with her vine. "Snivy Sni?"
The otter shook his head, hoping it would hide back any tears. He'd hope they would just assume that he cried due to his battle. "Oshawott Osha…" the water type said between hiccups. Everything was just fine! He just got...a little roughed up, is all.
To deflect the attention away from himself, Oshawott showed them his leaf basket, which was chock full of berries.
Pikachu took the basket from Oshawott's hands and set it aside. They were more concerned with their friend, not food. He and Snivy helped the injured water type to the tree so that he could rest. They even noticed the Pecha Berries at the top but decided to give them all to Oshawott, as he was in the most pain. If he wasn't so tired and mentally exhausted, Oshawott would have protested since the berries were just salt in the wound; those were meant for Snivy!
But instead, Oshawott accepted the offer and ate with them while he leaned against the tree. He told them about his encounter and the berries (but of course left the part about the rose out) to explain why he looked the way he did. He also was sure to say that his injuries were the reason for him crying. The two empathized with their friend and offered their apologies.
"Osha?" the Unovian water type motioned to the electric type's injuries.
"Pika Pi. Pikachu," Pikachu explained, pointing to Oshawott's scratches and then back to his own. It seemed that the otter's theory was correct; Pikachu did in fact have to protect Snivy. It was merely a Venipede though, not nearly what the level of difficulty that Oshawott had gone through was. Maybe this segwayed into the mouse confessing his feelings for Snivy…
Pikachu smiled at his friend, being appreciative of the berries. "Pikachu!"
"Osha…" the now embarrassed samurai-in-training rubbed the back of his head.
"Sni! Snivy Sniv!" Snivy chimed in, as it was thoughtful. They of course didn't know his true intentions, but it probably wasn't a good idea for him to tell them.
Oshawott smiled back the best he could and just rested his eyes. He decided to let Pikachu and Snivy do most of the talking that morning.
Pikachu and Snivy told Oshawott a few days later about their getting together, just to be sure that it wasn't a one night thing. Oshawott congratulated them, even if he was still feeling quite hurt and heart broken…
...but, that's just how life was, he supposed. Sometimes things just don't go your way, and that's okay. Oshawott would just have to support them in whatever ways he found he could help. At the end of the day, the world was still spinning, the sun was still shining, they were all still a very close group who cared for one another, and there were plenty of Basculin in the sea.
And Oshawott was content with that.
So! I hope you enjoyed that. Again, I'm not too sure how well this flowed or if it was confusing or not. So I appreciate any reviews! See ya all later. :P
