Author's note: Heya!
Kay. To the hasty one who wants the plot resolved right now... be patient, please, would ya? All good things come to those who wait and such. Jeez, it's like you want both my fics to just end immediately, or something. XP
Trust that I have a plan, dudes. Because I do.
... Anyway, that aside, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Eleven: Baffling Bonds
The next day, Ash rotated out Snivy to train Scraggy for a couple of days. Axew was, of course, overjoyed about this, vowing to stick by his best friend and watch him train.
As they worked on perfecting the baby lizard's Focus Blast, Dragonite was being scolded by Iris for acting up again, and Cilan was fishing in the nearby stream.
Pikachu decided to take this time to wander around. Not too far away, of course, because then Ash would probably worry and go on a man-hunt for him.
He was probably safe, though. They hadn't seen much of Team Rocket this region - and, when they had, the trio had mostly been busy with other missions - so there wasn't much chance of him being captured.
Hmm. In fact, he'd never told Buneary that, had he? The fact that Jessie and James had been super serious and dressed in black this region. Which had caused massive whiplash, since the white-wearing goofballs had constantly stalked him in every region prior.
Ah, darn it. He was thinking about Buneary again. He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. She was probably happier now, anyway, now that she was away from him. She might have even moved on already.
Yeah. She probably had.
Giving his head another shake, he carried on with his wandering.
He passed by a few of his friends along the way, even waving to a few. They waved back.
Eventually, he spotted a berry bush in the distance. Hmm. Well, breakfast had been rather small and lunch was a way off yet, so why not? He began walking towards it, wondering if there were any spicy berries on the bush. He hoped so.
Stopping in front of the bush, he scanned it. Dry. Dry. Sweet. Dang, no spicy ones. Sighing lightly, he plucked off a pecha berry. It wouldn't fill him much, but it would be something.
He took a bite, enjoying the sweetness that washed across his tongue. He took a few steps forward to continue his wandering.
"(So, what's your favourite?)" Oshawott's voice suddenly asked. Pikachu stopped dead in his tracks. "(Maybe we can find it around here!)"
"(Hmm...)" Meloetta's voice replied. "(I don't remember what they're called, but there was this lovely round pink berry I loved.)"
"(Round and pink... Round and pink...)"
Curiosity strangely started to tug at Pikachu. Edging sideways slightly, he peeked out from the bush, trying hard not to be seen. Thankfully, Oshawott and Meloetta were facing away from his direction.
"(It was really sweet and... slightly bitter, I think?)" Meloetta continued.
Oshawott flinched. "(Ew, bitter? Really?)"
She looked down at him curiously. "(Yes. Is there something wrong with that?)"
"(Uh, no, no! It's just, I... uh, really don't like bitter food.)"
"(Oh. Well, that's a shame.)" She paused a moment. "(What do you like?)"
Oshawott beamed. "(I like a lot of foods! Especially the crunchy ones!)"
She giggled. "(Yes, you can be a bit... um, greedy.)"
He puffed out his cheeks in mock annoyance. "(I am not greedy...)"
She giggled again, choosing not to answer him.
He mock-huffed, then got back to thinking. "(Anyway, uhhhh... round and pink... slightly bitter...)" He paused a long moment, then gasped in realisation. "(I think I know! Magost berries, right?)"
"(Oh, yes, that was it! Magost berries!)" She glanced around. "(Are there any around here?)"
Oshawott looked around, too. "(Hmmmm... I don't see any.)"
"(Ah, that's a shame.)"
Suddenly, Glaceon came running out of some bushes near the duo. She was grinning heavily.
"(Ha!)" she said, looking behind her. "(You'll never catch me, slowpokes!)" Turning around, she smiled. "(Hey, Oshawott! Hey, Meloetta!)"
Pikachu waited for the inevitable flirting.
"(Oh, hey, Glaceon!)" Oshawott replied.
Meloetta waved. "(Yes, hello~!)" she said.
... Huh.
"(Can't talk, gotta run!)" Glaceon said. She ran off. "(Catch ya later!)"
"(Yeah, see ya!)" Oshawott called after her.
"(Bye~!)" Meloetta added.
... Hmm.
Suddenly, another, much larger figure walked out from the bushes. It was Garchomp and she looked less than amused.
She huffed out a small sigh. "(Alright, which way?)" she asked.
Surely, now he'd flirt.
Without batting an eyelid, Oshawott pointed in the direction Glaceon had gone. "(That way,)" he replied.
"(Thanks.)" She stomped off after her teammate.
... No flirting at all. Two girls, right in front of him - ones owned by Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, no less - and no reaction at all...
Pikachu turned away, frowning slightly in confusion. Why was he not flirting? Had he... actually been serious when he'd said that Meloetta was 'the one'?
... No, no. He shook his head. That couldn't be right. It was just Oshawott being Oshawott, and he'd go back to his old ways soon enough.
That was the way things were, and that was how they would stay.
Later that day, everyone was settling down outside the villa to eat dinner. Picking up his bowl, Pikachu looked around, trying to decide who to sit with.
His gaze landed on Oshawott, who was approaching Meloetta. The legendary was eating near Ash.
Hmm. Maybe he could pretend he wanted to eat near Ash, too. Just because he was curious.
Walking in that direction, he kept his gaze on Oshawott. The otter cheerfully sat down next to Meloetta, who smiled pleasantly at him. Pikachu veered to the side slightly, sitting near them, but not too close. He had good hearing, anyway, so he'd be able to hear them just fine.
Ash smiled down at him, acknowledging his presence. Smiling back, Pikachu picked up a pellet to nibble on it. He angled his vision in Oshawott's direction, but not too much.
"(I'll bet you're looking forward to this 'Unova League' that Ash keeps talking about~!)" Meloetta said.
"(Heck yeah!)" Oshawott replied. "(We're gonna beat down the competition and show 'em all who's boss!)"
Meloetta beamed. "(It should be exciting to see!)"
"(You bet!)" Oshawott paused a moment. "(You know, if you were on Ash's team, you could beat 'em all easily!)"
Meloetta giggled. "(Oh, I don't know about that. I haven't battled much in my lifetime.)"
He stared at her, open-mouthed. "(Are you kidding me?! You beat those onix to a pulp!)"
"(Well, yes, but in my pirouette forme. It's always been stronger than my aria forme.)"
Oshawott blinked. "(Really?)"
Meloetta nodded. "(Mmm-hmm! And I don't do much in the way of training.)"
"(You don't?)"
"(Nope~! I'm not the biggest fan of fighting...)" She paused. "(Although it is very fun to watch...)"
"(It's fun to do! You should give it a try sometime!)"
"(Hmm. Maybe. I'll consider it.)"
"(Please do! Though I pity anyone who has to fight you!)"
She giggled. "(Oh, you flatterer~)"
"(No, seriously! Those onix crumpled under your Close Combat!)"
"(Yes, but they did even more so under your water attacks~)"
Oshawott rubbed his head bashfully. "(Well, yeah, they were doubly effective, so...)"
"(True, but my Close Combat is very powerful... though it does make me weaker after using it.)"
"(And my Hydro Pump wasn't enough to take out that last onix, remember? I needed Piplup's help!)"
"(Well, I guess so, but still.)"
"(Face it, you'd kick my butt if we ever got into a fight.)" Oshawott paused. "(N-Not that I do wanna fight you, of course.)"
She giggled. "(Well, maybe... though you do have more experience than me. Hence why I needed so much help on the island. When not in pirouette forme, anyway.)"
"(I guess.)" Oshawott gave a determined smile. "(Though I'll happily save you from any danger!)"
Meloetta beamed at him. "(Aww, my hero~)"
... Wow. Pikachu didn't know what to say. They were getting along like a house on fire, and Oshawott seemed to only have eyes for Meloetta.
But... no... this couldn't be right.
... Could it?
His mind began to wander as he watched them...
After a few moments, though, he caught himself. Shaking his head vigorously, he turned away to eat his pellets.
Alright. No more snooping.
The following day, after some more training, Scraggy finally perfected his Focus Blast. Then, due to shenanigans caused by a rufflet and a vullaby who really disliked each other, the gang were roped into helping at a local pokémon nursery.
They spent all day trying to get the two birds to become friends. When they finally succeeded, it was already sunset.
Sitting on the balcony of Cynthia's villa, Pikachu sighed. "(Ugh, what a day...)" he said.
Sitting next to him, Axew chuckled. "(Yeah, no kidding!)" he replied.
Suddenly, Meloetta, who was floating nearby, started singing. It wasn't her usual calming song that made pokémon stop fighting. It was one of her rarer, more melodic songs.
Pikachu couldn't help but smile at the sound.
Then it changed. The melody became different, a tune he'd never heard her sing before. Judging by the humans' reactions, they hadn't either.
It was a lovely, haunting melody that stirred emotions in him he couldn't quite explain.
The next day, Cynthia had somewhere to be for the day, so she left the group with Jervis, who told them they could do as they pleased, as long as nothing got broken.
Not at all bothered by this, Ash focused on training Oshawott, since he hadn't done it for a while. The otter had pouted about leaving Meloetta's side, but then seemed to brighten up when she'd looked excited to watch.
That probably meant he was going to show off to try and impress her, much to Pikachu's chagrin.
Instead of training in the woods again, Ash had opted to train outside Cynthia's villa for a 'change of pace', as he'd put it. As he trained, Cilan and Iris watched, as always, until the latter briefly left to grab herself and Axew some apples.
After a while of training, Ash stopped and hummed in thought.
"Hey, you know what?" he said, smirking. "How about we make it a battle?" He turned to look at Iris, who'd just come back, one apple in each hand. "Iris?"
"Eh," Iris replied, shrugging as she stopped on the sidelines. "I'm really not in the mood, so count me out."
"(Yeah, me too!)" Axew added from atop her shoulder.
Ash pouted. "Aww..." He looked to his other friend, smiling. "Cilan?"
Cilan smirked, fixing his bowtie. "Very well, Ash," he replied. "After all..." He struck a flamboyant pose. "More ingredients can make a dish much tastier!"
Iris shrugged again. "Or it can spoil the broth..." she said.
Cilan huffed slightly as he began walking around the building, towards the battlefield. "I will ignore that, despite the delicious metaphor. Alright, Pansage, get ready for battling time!" He threw a pokéball.
It popped open, and Pansage appeared in a flash of light. "(Yeah! Let's get this broth boiled!)" He followed after them.
Once everyone was in place, with Ash and Cilan standing in their 'trainer boxes', Meloetta sitting on a bush behind Ash, Oshawott and Pansage standing on their sides of the field, and Iris, Axew and Pikachu on the sidelines, the match was set to begin.
"Alright!" Ash replied. "You ready, Oshawott?"
"(Heck yeah!)" Oshawott replied.
"In that case..." Cilan said, "it's time for the appetizer! Now, Pansage!" He swung his arm dramatically. "Use Bullet Seed!"
Doing a backflip, Pansage fired off a volley of seeds.
"Intercept with Razor Shell!" Ash called out.
Pulling out his scalchop, Oshawott created a blade of water with it and deflected each seed before they could touch him.
"Wow!" Iris said. "Oshawott looks awesome!"
"(So cool...!)" Axew replied in awe.
"(Yeah, not bad at all!)" Pikachu replied, smiling.
Though Pikachu knew the otter was showing off, even he could admit the guy had skill.
Once Oshawott was finished, he struck a smug pose.
"Excellent!" Cilan said. "A most delightful blend of power and skill!"
Pansage folded his arms, nodding. "(A fine dish, indeed!)" he agreed.
Ash huffed proudly. "He's right, Oshawott!" he said.
"(Wow, that was so cool!)" Meloetta said cheerfully.
Oshawott beamed brightly as he looked in her direction. "(Oh, thank you!)" he replied with a little too much enthusiasm.
Her gaze became starry. "(Such amazing reflexes...)"
Oshawott blushed happily. "(Oh, well, I have been training really hard!)" Pulling out his blade of water again, he swung it around a couple of times. "(Then again, maybe I'm a natural!)" He put it away again and posed.
... It caused something to sting in Pikachu's chest.
Meloetta suddenly floated off her bush. "(Okay, that's it!)" She flew past Ash.
"Um..." Ash said, confused, "hey, Meloetta, what are you doing?"
She landed in-between the two combatants, facing Oshawott.
"(Huh?)" Oshawott asked, looking at her in surprise.
Behind her, Pansage was staring. "(Well, this is an unexpected thing to throw in the stew!)" he said.
Then Meloetta started singing.
Pikachu blinked. Wait. He recognised this song. She'd sung it once before, back on Onix Island.
Relic Song.
As a rainbow veil surrounded Meloetta and she began to drift upwards in the air, Pikachu couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. Why was she transforming?
At the same time, her melody was so beautiful that it was hard to keep the smile off his face.
Once the song ended, the veil disappeared, revealing her pirouette forme floating above the villa grounds. She drifted back down, landing on the floor.
With a smile and a dramatic swish of the hand, she pointed at Oshawott. "(I challenge you!)" she said.
... What?
"(Huh?!)" Oshawott replied, jolting in shock.
"I think Meloetta wants to battle you!" Cilan said to the otter.
"(Oh... is that... so?)"
"(Guess I'd better stay out of this stew then, huh?)" Pansage said, smiling.
Well, this was... unexpected. Hadn't Meloetta said only two days ago that she wasn't one for battling?
Though she had said that she'd consider it, so... he supposed she'd considered it.
Meloetta hopped from one foot to the other, looking really eager to battle. Then she made a cocky 'come hither' gesture to Oshawott.
"(Come on, let's go!)" she said.
Jeez, her confidence really soared in this form, didn't it? Though she'd even said herself that she was more powerful in pirouette forme, so he supposed it made sense.
More power meant more confidence.
"Kay, Oshawott," Ash said, "use Aqua Jet!"
"(... Ummmm...)" Oshawott replied, not moving, "(do I... have to?)"
Pikachu's smile dropped. Oh no. The otter had said the other day that he wouldn't want to fight her, hadn't he?
"(Ready when you are!)" Meloetta said with a confident smile.
Oshawott immediately backed up several steps and turned away, his face bright red.
"Oshawott?" Ash asked.
"(Come on, what's wrong?)" Meloetta called out.
"(No, no, no, I refuse!)" Oshawott screeched, shaking his head over and over again. "(I don't wanna hurt you! Please don't make me hurt you!)"
Meloetta paused. "(But... you said...)"
"(I can't do it! I won't hurt your delicate face!)"
"(... Delicate...?)"
Pikachu heaved a sigh. Okay, this display was really pathetic. Especially since she had more chance of hurting him than the other way around. The otter had even said as much, himself...
"How cute~!" Iris said. "Oshawott's too shy!"
"(Aww~)" Axew replied.
"(Too shy to hurt her delicate face, apparently...)" Pikachu said with an exasperated smile.
Well, he supposed he didn't blame Oshawott, really, since Meloetta had needed saving every time she hadn't transformed. Images of her cowering, with Piplup and Oshawott running to her rescue, came to mind.
Sneaking a glance over at the legendary, though, he could see that she looked rather displeased. Oh dear.
Once Ash and Cilan recalled Oshawott and Pansage, Meloetta put her hands on her hips and huffed.
"(I am not delicate...!)" she said in annoyance.
Urgh. Dang, Oshawott had really messed up now, hadn't he? Just because he'd refused to battle her. She looked so annoyed right now that he suspected the otter had lost his chance with her.
... Though... maybe... maybe... their relationship could still be salvaged? After all, they seemed to get along really well, so...
He shook his head slightly. What was he thinking? It was never going to work out, he knew that...
As Cilan made his way over to the sidelines and Ash used Krookodile to battle, instead, Pikachu couldn't help but be bothered by this lingering thought.
... Wait, did he... actually want it to work out between them?
... No. No, that was ridiculous.
He lightly shook his head again, dispelling the thought. It was utterly ridiculous...