Arc I: It's An Alright Life
Chapter 1: The Bonds That Grew
Enjoying the summer air against his fur, Pikachu giggled with his friends as they raced each other across the grassy fields. Eventually, coming across the peak of a huge hill, the various pokémon cried in excitement as they dived down it.
Their momentum increased while they slid down the grassy slope, as well as their laughter. Drawing close to the foot of the hill, a huge pile of shredded grass flew in, landing below them. Their fall was cushioned as their momentum was stopped dead. Their joy, however, kept going. Even as they had to spit out clumps of grass.
Smiling, Pikachu gazed at his friends, who were still recovering from the sudden stop. He hadn't known them for very long, but he appreciated any and all friends he made.
"[That was so fuuun!]" a cubone shouted, poking his head out of the grass.
"[Heck yeah!]" a growlithe agreed, excitedly shuddering so hard that the grass was pouring off him. "[I wish every day was this fun!]"
"[You and me, both!]" an oddish added. She looked at Pikachu. "[Too bad you're not staying for very long, huh?]"
Pikachu's smile dwindled slightly. "[Yeah… gotta go back, and all that silly jazz.]" He turned around to look at the other pikachu. He burst into a fit of chuckles when he saw the mouse's butt sticking out of the grass, into the air.
Eventually, the other pikachu managed to free his head, though not without looking dazed. "[Ughh, what day is it…?]" he asked, slumping down.
"[Still today, thankfully!]" Pikachu remarked amusedly. "[So we'd better get some more playing time in while we can!]"
The pikachu shook his head clear and grinned. "[Alright, neat!]"
Pikachu grinned back at him. It was super cool, actually. Their looks, their voices… heck, even their smells were so similar! He wondered if they were secret twins, or something.
It was a shame the pikachu wouldn't be able to come along with Pikachu, but oh well. Maybe they could meet up again, someday!
He heard a familiar voice above him. Oh, speaking of which…!
He angled his head upwards. Against the blue sky, he saw an airborne pokémon, silhouetted by the sun's rays. Even though he couldn't see her clearly, he knew exactly who it was.
He waved up towards the flying pokémon before turning back to his friends. "[Guys, it's-!]" he started. He paused upon noticing he was suddenly alone. "[… Guys?]" He looked around. "[W-Where are ya?]"
He got nothing in response.
Growing worried, he began to dig through the grass. "[C'mon, guys, you can come out now!]" he called out. "[It's not funny anymore, y'know…!]" Growing frustrated, he bat his paws against the grass.
Suddenly, the grass glowed purple and flew into his face. Quickly rubbing it away, he gasped at the new sight in front of him. All the grass was gone without a trace… as well as his friends.
Panicking, he could feel his breaths grow quick and heavy. What the heck was going on!?
He made a move to investigate the area, but a strange sound from above caught his attention. Gazing upwards, he saw the flying pokémon from before. She wasn't alone, however; bright lights were flashing across the sky, almost as if trying to hit the pokémon.
Pikachu could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage at the sight. Upon yelling her name, the flashing lights ceased, much to his surprise. His panic returned when he saw something else happen, however.
Instead of white lights filling the beautiful blue sky… the entirety of the air above became blanketed by a humongous net. One that was rapidly coming closer.
Pikachu screeched in horror. Especially as the giant net began grazing the top of the hill he'd slid down only minutes ago.
Just as it was about to fall on top of him, the flying pokémon came down, grabbed him, and…
… An unpleasantly cold sensation washed over him, causing the world to instantly white out...
Pikachu gasped and shot up, spluttering. "[W-What the Hell…!?]" he shouted, feeling at his face. He frantically looked around at the blurry world around him, wondering what the frick was going on. Where was he!? Where was that net and the flying pokémon!? Was he in the same grassy field as the one he was in, before!? Was… Was he covered in water?
He heard similar noises of distress to his side. Looking, he could barely make out Ash - still in his sleeping bag - shoot up into a seated position. His face was noticeably drenched in water, too. "Oh no, not the starter pokémon! Ah!" he screamed. Pausing, he looked around. "… Wait, where am I?"
Suddenly, Pikachu heard feminine giggling from above. "Alright, they're up! Good work, Piplup!" Dawn praised.
Pikachu blinked. Shortly afterwards, upon seeing Piplup's smug face, he frowned. Of course… all a dream.
"[Hah! That is what you two slugabeds get!]" Piplup remarked, flippers on hips. "[None can stay asleep when I use my amazing Whirlpool!]"
Pachirisu, who was beside him, giggled. "[You're the best wake-er up-er!]" he praised.
The penguin proudly rubbed a flipper against his chest. "[Hah! Many thanks!]"
Rubbing his eyes, Pikachu groaned. "['Many thanks', indeed… Couldn't you have prodded us awake, or something?]"
"[Perhaps… but I much prefer this method. It is just too much fun!]"
Pikachu groaned again. The things he had to put up with…
"[Hee, yup!]" Pachirisu added, nibbling on his tail. An odd habit he'd picked up before Dawn had caught him. "[Whirlpool's so fun and… um… funny!]"
Smirking and rolling his eyes, Pikachu rubbed him on the head. "[Nice wording, kiddo…]"
The squirrel beamed. "[Heehee! Thank you!]" He paused. "[… Wait. Um…]"
Ash suddenly lied back down again with some grunts and other displeased noises. His sleeping bag was held tighter to his face.
"Now, now, Ash…" Dawn scolded while wagging her finger condescendingly. "You've had a nice lie in… a few hours of it, in fact… but you've gotta get up now."
"Aww, but Dawwwn…!" Ash mumbled, rolling onto his front. "Who are you, my mom?"
She huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Ash Ketchum, don't you remember? You wanted to do lots of training today to make up for the lazy weekend. In fact, you're the one who asked me to wake you up early!"
He rolled over and shot up. "Oh, yeah! Training! I totally forgot!"
Brock appeared. "And lunch is ready, too," he said. He grinned. "Or I suppose breakfast, in your case."
With a cry of excitement, Ash was immediately on his feet, still wearing his sleeping bag. "Awesome! Let's go, Pikachu!" He reached towards Pikachu.
The mouse's eyes widened. "[Oh no… Ack!]" he yelped, being dragged off the ground by his paw as Ash hopped towards where the food was being served.
Good grief. He could already tell that today was set to be 'one of those days'…
Sitting by Ash's leg as the trainer scoffed as much food as his mouth could fit, Pikachu smiled. Today's food seemed to be a fancy combination of vegetarian meatballs and sausages. Not bad looking at all!
Sitting beside him on a grassy bank next to a weird tree were Piplup and Pachirisu, who were also eyeing up their vegetarian meals in anticipation.
"[Ooh, yes! A meal fit for a king!]" Piplup proclaimed, taking a sausage and looking it over.
"[Guess it's a good job, then, since you're an emperor penguin,]" Pikachu joked, picking up a sausage of his own.
"[Oh, har har…!]" the penguin retorted before biting down. As he did, a look of content spread across his face. "[Mmm… quite good!]"
Giggling heavily at the joke, Pachirisu also bit down. Soon after, a sound of pleasure escaped his lips. "[So delightful~]"
Joining them, Pikachu took a bite of his own. He pulled a face as he could taste it, however. "[Hm. It's okay… a bit too bitter for me, though,]" he admitted, rather unimpressed.
"[Bitter…?]" Pachirisu asked, head tilted. "[What's that?]"
"[Oh, y'know, like… spinach. Oh, or aguav berries. Those are pretty bitter.]"
"[A bit of an exaggeration, methinks…]" Piplup replied. "[These aren't quite that bitter. But yes, it is something along those lines, all the same.]"
"[Oh… so that's what that flavor's called,]" Pachirisu said, eyeing up his food. "[Huh. So you don't like bitter food, then, Pikachu?]"
Pikachu shook his head. "[Can't say I'm a fan, no… I'd rather have something nice and sweet.]"
Suddenly, something wrapped around his waist. Or rather, someone. "[That so? 'Cos I have something nice and sweet for ya~]" she teased.
After the surprise wore off, Pikachu exhaled slightly, though not without a small grin. "[Hi, Buneary…]" he mumbled.
With a feminine laugh, she maneuvered around him, bowl in hand. "[Hey, Handsome!]" she greeted, winking. She turned to the others and waved. "[Hey, you guys!]"
"[Hi, Buneary!]" Pachirisu said, waving back energetically, much to her amusement.
"[Hello, there,]" Piplup added with a slight roll of the eyes. "[Here to sweet-talk Pikachu some more? As always?]"
"[You bet'cha~]" she chimed.
Pikachu exhaled again. "[Heh… why am I not surprised?]" He moved back a bit and pat the free space to his side. "[Here, join the party.]"
"[Heehee, way ahead of ya!]" She sat down next to him, placing her bowl of food down as she did. Immediately after, she began to nuzzle him. "[So! What's the score?]"
Trying to ignore the warmth creeping through his face, and failing, he simply gave a one-armed shrug. "[Er, n-not much. We're just enjoying the food,]" he replied quickly, picking up a meatball and nibbling it.
"[Not Pikachu, though,]" Pachirisu interjected. "[He doesn't like the bitter-y-ness, much…]"
"[Ah. Pity… I think it's pretty good,]" she replied, nibbling on the end of a sausage. "[Much better than the time Brock added some spice to our pellets. That was the worst...]"
"[Can't disagree with that,]" Piplup agreed.
"[Me three... Um, too, I mean,]" Pachirisu added awkwardly. Pikachu and Piplup huffed amusedly while Buneary giggled.
Stopping her nuzzling assault, the rabbit shot a coy look Pikachu's way. "[Besides, it'll never be as hot as you, Pikachu, eh?]"
"[Pfft. Every opportunity…]" Pikachu grumbled, trying to look displeased but failing as he finished off the meatball.
After a giggle, she suddenly seemed interested in something. "[Oh, speaking of beauty… I heard that a certain someone tried catching up on too much beauty sleep. That true?]"
His cheeks warmed ever so slightly. "[Er, eheh. Maybe a little…]"
Piplup shrugged bemusedly and leaned against the tree. "[If two hours is 'a little', I'd hate to see what a lot is…]"
Pachirisu and Buneary both laughed at the joke. Pikachu, however, could only bashfully look off to the side. "[Yeah, well… I was comfy, so sue me,]" he mumbled.
Buneary murmured contemplatively. "[Hmm… y'know what? I will. I'm-a gonna get the feds on ya!]"
He chuckled. "[Yeah, yeah... I'd like to see ya try!]"
"[Oh, I will, don't worry,]" she said in an annoyed monotone.
Surprised, he glanced at her. Her brows were furrowed seriously. He began to grow nervous. "[… Err… Buneary? Y-You're… not actually going to…?]"
Her face contorted slightly. Eventually, she burst into laughter. "[No way, José! I'm just kidding with ya. Besides, what would I even tell the police? That you slept too much?]" She rubbed his head with one of her ears. "[You're so naïve, y'know that?]"
Although relieved, he groaned at her. "[… Yeah… I've been told that a few times…]"
"[She isn't wrong,]" Piplup added. "[You'd believe us if we told you the stars were to fall tomorrow.]"
"[H-Hey, that's not true!]" Pikachu's face warmed again."[… Anymore...]"
All of his friends giggled at his expense.
"[Um, a-anyway,]" he interrupted hastily, "[that wasn't the only reason I slept for so long, come to think of it.]"
"[Oh, yes?]" Piplup replied. "[Well, what're your other reasons, then, pray tell?]"
"[Well… I was having a really interesting dream. I was eager to see it play out.]"
"[Oh? What kinda dream?]" Pachirisu asked.
"[Well…]"
"[Was I in it?]" Piplup and Buneary both asked at once.
Pikachu huffed amusedly. "[Nope. In fact, I don't think I recognized a soul in the thing.]"
His two friends gave disappointed responses. Piplup shrugged right after, though. "[Well, while it would have boosted the ego, I suppose it is better than appearing in the same dream as Buneary,]" he said. "[Who knows what might have happened with you two in it? Most certainly something messy.]"
A laugh escaped Pikachu, though he rolled his eyes afterwards. "[Hey, c'mon… you'll annoy Buneary, saying that in front of Pachirisu,]" he said.
"[Darn straight, Piplup!]" Buneary said, frowning at the penguin. "[Any time when the kids aren't present is fine, so quit doing it in front of the kiddies. You're almost as bad as Ambipom with that!]"
"[I hardly compare to my dear friend, come on,]" the bird replied. He let out a sigh. "[… Apologies, all the same. I shall try to watch myself.]"
"[Much better, thank you.]"
"[… Er…]" Pachirisu started, looking incredibly confused, "[what's-?]"
"[Nothing at all!]" Pikachu said quickly. He crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "[Anyway, lessie… My dream… well…]"
He began to tell them about his dream-turned-nightmare, leaving in all the details he could remember.
As Pikachu finished his story, he saw Pachirisu begin to nervously nibble on his tail. "[Ohh, that last part was scary…]" he mumbled.
"[I guess that's what years of being chased down by Team Rocket does to ya,]" Buneary responded. "[Wouldn't surprise me if they actually tried a giant net, next. A massive one, just like in the dream.]"
"[I'll say. And the same could be said for those lasers, too,]" Piplup agreed. He tilted his head. "[That flying pokémon, though… was it an acquaintance of yours?]"
"[Beats me. Didn't even know her species,]" Pikachu replied. "[It was so strange, though. I felt weirdly… comforted when I saw her.]"
"['Her', huh?]" Buneary asked, crossing her arms. "[Hmph! I hope I don't have a rival, or something…!]" she said, a look of mock irritation on her face.
"[Haha, I doubt it. You scare away all the other girls with how forward you are…]" he replied, nudging her in the arm.
She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. "[Good!]"
"[So, these other friends of yours…]" Piplup continued after biting through a sausage and swallowing, "[did you really not recognize any of them, either?]"
"[Nope.]" Pikachu paused and rocked his head from side to side in thought. "[Well… I dunno. Maybe nope.]"
"[Maybe nope…?]" Pachirisu asked, having swallowed a meatball.
"[Well… y'see… before meeting Ash- Well, more like just before meeting Professor Oak, I… kind of… didn't know anything.]"
Everyone gave him blank stares.
Piplup tilted his head. "[… And by that, you're referring to…?]" he asked.
"[… Anything! Well, memory-wise, anyway,]" Pikachu explained. "[One day, I just woke up feeling groggy with no memories of my own. Took me an hour to even remember what species I was…]" He picked up a meatball and stared at it. "[I knew about loads of general stuff, but… everything about my past's completely blank.]"
The small group gasped lightly in response.
"[So… you have an entire life that you just… don't know about?]" Buneary asked.
"[Basically,]" Pikachu responded. "[And I wasn't just hatched, either. I wasn't a pichu… and like I said, I had some general knowledge of stuff… so there must have been something before then…]"
"[Oh, man…]" Piplup muttered, "[I sure hope your record is a clean one, then. I do not want to find out that you murdered a poor pokémon and then let it slip your mind.]"
"[Oh, no… you didn't do that, did you?]" Pachirisu asked, looking worried.
"[I hope not, either…]" Pikachu replied before flashing him a reassuring smile, "[but I reaaally doubt it, so don't worry.]" He looked off to the side. "[And if so… I don't think I wanna find out.]"
"[Well, it wouldn't be all bad,]" Buneary said, picking up a meatball. "[After all, it'll make you one of those loveable rogues, won't it?]"
"[Haha! Ughh… only you'd think something like that,]" Pikachu replied, shaking his head amusedly.
"[It isn't wrong, though~]" She gave him an adoring look. "[By day, a lovable, charming mouse who can do no wrong… By night, a deadly, fearless panther, causing havoc and mayhem as he prowls through the dead of twilight.]"
Pikachu playfully rolled his eyes. "[Now you're just making me sound like a super villain. A really romanticized one.]"
She giggled and winked. "[Well, us girls do like bad boys~]"
As Pikachu playfully rolled his eyes in the other direction, Pachirisu giggled along. He paused and tapped his own chin. "[So… what were your dream friends like?]" he asked.
"[Well…]" Pikachu started, "[one of them was a crazy growlithe… one of them was an oddish… I think one of them was a… um, something. Can't remember off the top of my head…]" He snapped his fingers. "[Oh yeah! And another one was a pikachu. One that looked a lot like me, actually.]"
"[Ooh, that's cool!]" Pachirisu chimed. "[Was he your twin?]"
"[Right down to the way we sounded, yeah. It was so strange. Cool, but strange.]"
"[Two Pikachus? Much like a dream of Buneary's…]" Piplup snarked.
"[I'm pretty sure it's eighty percent of her dreams,]" Pikachu replied. He huffed in amusement. "[… Safe for work, or not…]"
Buneary gave them both a look. "[Hey! What are you implying, exactly?]" she asked irritably.
"[Oh, nothing…!]" they both replied, grinning.
She rolled her eyes. "[When there's children present, too…]"
Pikachu blinked. His face started to warm. "[Eheh… whoops,]" he muttered. Ahhh shit. It was too easy to let stuff like that slip out around her. Now he was in for it.
Pachirisu stared at him and the others, seeming innocently oblivious as all heck. "[Hm? I… don' undershtand…]" he mumbled, halfway through chewing a sausage. "[What'sh wrong wi' dreamsh?]"
"[N-Nothing, Sweetie,]" Buneary replied, giving him a quick one-armed hug. "[They're just being dim, so don't mind 'em.]" She gave Pikachu a dry frown. "[In fact… someone's being a hypocrite, too…]"
"[Hey, just… just a bit,]" Pikachu stuttered.
"[Just a bit? That's it, when we start dating, I'm making you sleep on the couch.]"
"[… What couch?]" he asked, smiling awkwardly.
"[I'll get one shoved into your pokéball, and make ya sleep on it, mark my words…!]" she said, smiling evilly.
Believing her, he began to sweat. "[… I always have bad dreams whenever I sleep in my ball, don't do that.]"
"[They'll get worse, believe me!]"
He sheepishly looked away. While he did, he noticed that Pachirisu - having swallowed his sausage - only looked even more confused. "[… Did… something bad happen? I still don't get it…]" he said.
"[Give it a few years, and I am sure you will understand,]" Piplup added. "[At the rate Buneary's going, methinks it'll be a crash course on the subject, too.]"
The rabbit stuck her tongue out at him while he and Pikachu chuckled. Pachirisu's head was tilted the entire time.
After a while, once things calmed down, Pikachu noticed Buneary giving him a curious look. "[Hey, actually…]" she started, "[do you think that dream twin of yours was some kind of figment of the past? A relic hidden in the recesses of your mind?]" she asked.
"[A… figment of the past and a relic of…?]" Pikachu started, petering out. He ran her words through his mind some more before grinning. "[Heh… very fancy wording for ya.]"
"[Your words are like those of a poet. Or perhaps my words, even!]" Piplup added, looking somewhat proud of himself.
She blinked. Blushing lightly, she smiled oddly and winked at Pikachu. "[U-Um. Hee, impressed?]" she asked.
"[A bit, maybe…]" he replied, smirking wider. He tilted his head. "[What do ya mean, though?]"
"[Well, I dunno. Maybe you had a brother before your amnesia? A particularly attractive one, at that?]"
He huffed amusedly and shrugged. "[Maybe. Who knows?]" He exhaled slowly. "[Sometimes I do wonder about who my family were, though. I really hope nobody misses me too much…]"
The others gave him sympathetic looks.
"[Aww, that'd be so sad…]" Pachirisu muttered, fiddling with his food.
"[Much agreed…]" Piplup said. "[However, do not fear! If you awoke in the wild and nobody came to look for you in that time, it must mean you'd already said goodbye to your family! Most wild pokémon do before traveling around, after all.]"
"[You're not wrong,]" Buneary agreed. "[You guys found me about a mile away from where I was born.]"
"[Me too!]" Pachirisu added. "[When I left, I runned for ages until I bumped into Dawn.]"
"[Er… you 'ran' for ages,]" Piplup corrected.
"[... Huh?]"
Buneary giggled lightly. "[Yup, you say 'ran'. It happened in the past, so it's past tense, kiddo~]"
The squirrel's cheeks reddened. "[Oh, um… yeah, that. Whoops…]" he replied.
Pikachu chuckled. "[S'alright. But yeah, it makes sense about me leaving… but it would've been nice to see 'em again, anyway. Just like you guys. I'm sure all of you wanna see yours, too.]"
His friends mumbled in response, in what he assumed were agreements.
"[Well…]" Buneary started, smiling softly, "[when you meet your family again… maybe your memories will get jump-started? Or at least, like hearing a whisper in the wind, you'll feel something, even if it's nothing definite. Who knows?]"
"[You… think?]" Pikachu asked, deciding not to point out that 'whispering wind' thing she'd said.
"[Yeah. I hope so.]"
"[Yeah…]" Pikachu blinked as something she'd said clicked. "[Wait… when I meet 'em?]"
Grinning, she pumped a paw. "[Heck yeah! One day you will, and it'll be the best freaking day of your life that doesn't involve dating me!]"
He couldn't help but smile warmly. Even as he rolled his eyes at that last statement. "[Maybe. Thanks.]"
Happy again, the trio continued to dine on their vegetarian meals while swapping some small talk.
The food was kind of crap, but Pikachu still enjoyed himself. Even when Buneary waited until Pachirisu wasn't looking to wink at Pikachu and eat a vegetarian sausage in an… interesting manner, just to get a rise out of him. Not that he really minded. Like, at all…!
Eventually, Ash excitedly called everyone together for their daily training. As Pikachu moved over with the others, however...the topic from earlier began to weigh on his mind again. Would he ever find out about his past life?
Well… even if he didn't, it wasn't like it mattered, much. Ever since the day he'd met Ash, his life had been nothing short of happy, so he had nothing to complain about.
Even then… it would be nice to know, if nothing else.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Finished: 24/12 (December)/2016
Word count: 3,794
VGS2's pointless notes: So there we go! Another pokéfic, just for you, my fine fellows! I was gonna hold this one off for a bit, until I had at least another chapter ready… but nahh, it's almost Christmas, so wynaut! Here ya go, my fine friends! A mysterious past, a wordy Piplup and a shameless Buneary, all for you guys! Not to mention more down the line, including things that may give you a chubby or perhaps even a few feels! :P
On another note, I watched ravengal play Doki Doki Literature Club the other day, which was… interesting. One of the, um, 'characters' called Monika regularly gave out writing tips, which have inspired me. I shall shamelessly rip her off and post some writing tips of my own in these chapters!
However, I'm no professional, and they'll inevitably be somewhat opinion based… so whether you follow them or not is up to you. Either way, it's all food for thought, right? :P
(Please note: I haven't done them for all the chapters yet... so a few will probably have them missing, until I add more.)
Debateable fanfic tip #1: Reviewing turns you into a true bro! Or sis, whatever.
Seems like a pretty obvious thing to say if you've been visiting either FFN or AO3 for a while, but I'll go ahead and say it, anyway. Reviewing the stuff you like is important!
It might seem like I'm just exaggerating, but naw, I mean it. Reviews really motivate writers to continue, it can help them know what to improve on, or what to do more of… and who knows? Maybe it'll even inspire them to do something that you suggested, or something that hadn't occurred to them before.
Of course, reviewing isn't always easy… but I have a few tips to help you think of stuff to write! First of all, it doesn't need to be long, exactly. The longer the better, naturally, but as long as you say something, then people will be satisfied.
You could talk about a thing you liked, a thing you think could be improved (but God, please, don't be an asshole about it), something that made you laugh, something you found interesting, something you think might happen, a character you liked, a reference you caught… The possibilities are endless! But like I said, you don't need to talk about everything. Just one or two or so of these points should do it.
With that, all of your favourite fics, and perhaps even ones you're not a massive fan of, may become even better! Or maybe even continue, if they were a bit dormant before! Plus, a secret tip… if you really cozy up to someone with a review, they might even repay the favour and give you one back. Even better, right? :P
On the other end of the scale, if someone reviews your fic, be sure to message them back, alright? I mean, I procrastinate all the time, so I sometimes take a while, myself… but it'll make people less salty when you do get around to it, believe me. Nothing's worse than posting a ninety-page long review, and you don't even get a 'lol, thanks' back. D:
So yeah, all in all… review fics, please! And also, review this one, too, while you're at it, lol. XP
Fun mistake of the day #1: 'He heard some creaming to his side.'
(Was it Buneary? Honhon!)
#2: "[Not much. We're just enjoying the fooc.]"
(Oh, foocing hell...)
#3: 'She rubbed his head with one of her rears.'
(Buneary sure is… um… eager!)
#4: "[I'll get one shoved into your pokéball, and make ya sleep in it, mark my words…!]"
(In the couch? Is she going to murder him and hide the body? O,o)
#5: '"[Aww, that'd be so sad…]" Pachirisu said, fiddling with his sausage.'
(Suddenly, I found myself wishing I'd gone with a better choice of food for them to eat…)
Alrighty then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, too, paisanos! :D
Next up: Training!