Author's note: Hey, guys!

I, uh... haha... made a horrible mistake a couple of chapters ago. It's been edited out now, but my shame will forever be in the review section. *glooooooom*

Uh, anyway! Hope you enjoy the chapter! And, hopefully, I'll avoid making such jarring errors in the future!

Chapter Fifteen: Ranging Rapport

"(... I'm sorry,)" Pikachu said. "(For snapping earlier.)"

Oshawott blinked. "(Oh, you are?)" he asked.

"(Yeah. I was... really tired.)"

Oshawott grinned. "(And grouchy!)"

"(Mmm...)"

"(No worries, man! So long as we're cool.)"

"(Yeah. We're cool.)"

Oshawott suddenly glanced off to the side. "(Hey, it looks like Ash'll be training Snivy. Wanna watch?)"

Pikachu shrugged. "(Yeah, sure.)"

Oshawott beamed. "(Kay!)" He sat down.

Pikachu sat down beside him.

"Okay, Snivy, use Attract!" Ash called out.

Pulling a smug pose, Snivy winked, causing pink heart shapes to fly out of her eye. As she twirled on the spot, the heart shapes rotated around her in a circle.

"Now, Leaf Blade!"

The end of her tail glowed bright green. Jumping up, she smacked each heart shape away, one after the other.

"Now, finish up with Leaf Storm!"

Landing, then jumping again, Snivy threw her tail forwards, shooting out a small tornado of leaves. It hit every single heart shape, breaking them into debris. The debris then rained down onto the ground.

"Wow!" Cilan said. "Such a delectable performance!"

As she landed, Snivy put her hands on her hips, looking smug. Atop Iris' shoulder, Emolga pouted at the snake. When Snivy noticed, she puffed her chest out more.

They were being competitive, as always, apparently...

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Maybe the little kid should be a coordinator, instead~"

Emolga giggled at that, causing Snivy to huff.

"Hey," Ash said, slightly annoyed, "I'll have you know, I've competed in contests, too!"

Iris gave an exaggerated shrug. "Can't say I'm surprised!"

Ash's shoulders sagged. "... I honestly can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment..."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Take it however you like~"

Cilan smiled sheepishly. "Now, you two..." he said.

Suddenly, Oshawott turned away from the action, towards Pikachu. "(Snivy's looking pretty good, huh?)" he said.

Pikachu looked at him blankly. "(... Huh?)" he asked.

Oshawott blinked. Then he chuckled awkwardly. "(I didn't mean like that!)" He paused. "(Though that's also true...)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh.

There was a long, awkward pause between them.

"(... Say, Pikachu?)"

"(Mmm?)"

"(Why did you get so mad earlier?)"

Pikachu tiredly furrowed his brows. "(Urgh...)"

"(I mean... all I did was flirt with some other girls... right?)"

"(So soon after Meloetta?)"

"(Well, yeah, but... you saw the result of that, right?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(So...)"

Pikachu heaved another sigh. "(You kept saying 'the one'. Over and over again, you said she was 'the one'... but the second she rejects you, you're back to flirting with everyone else.)"

"(Hey, it wasn't the second she rejected me.)"

Pikachu gave him a dry look. "(It was the next day.)"

"(... Well, yeah, but still.)" Oshawott paused a moment. "(And she was the one. Just... not anymore.)"

Pikachu frowned tiredly again, fed up with it all. "(You can't just hop from one to another in a day.)"

Oshawott grinned. "(Sure you can!)"

Pikachu groaned. "(Do you even know what a 'one' is?)"

"(Of course I do! It's the girl you wanna settle down with! Spend the rest of your life with!)"

Something stung inside Pikachu's chest, but he chose to ignore it.

"(... And Meloetta?)"

"(Well, I did wanna spend the rest of my life with her! Buuuut she didn't feel the same... so I'm gonna find another 'one'!)"

Bringing a paw up to his face, Pikachu rubbed the bridge of his nose. "(... That's not how it works, Oshawott...)"

"(... Huh?)"

Pikachu heaved yet another sigh. "(... Look. Clearly, you weren't in love with her. I was starting to... to think so...)" He refrained from using the word 'hope'. "(But that wasn't it at all, was it?)"

"(Huh? Well... no, I don't think it was love... I don't even know what love feels like.)"

That made two of them, he supposed...

Pikachu looked Oshawott in the eyes. "(... So why were you so obsessed with Meloetta, if it wasn't love?)"

"(Well... she was really pretty... and nice... and had a singing voice that could soothe your very soul~!)" Oshawott paused. "(Plus, I flirted with her so much when Piplup was around that... I dunno, I got used to it.)"

"(... So the only reason was that you 'got used to it'?)"

Oshawott shrugged. "(Pretty much. That and she was really beautiful! Like... I'd never seen a more beautiful girl!)"

"(... Really.)"

"(Yeah!)"

"(You flirted with Togekiss as soon as you saw her.)"

"(Well...)"

"(Then Buneary.)"

"(Well...)"

"(And only stuck with Meloetta when Piplup liked her.)"

"(Well...!)" Oshawott pouted. "(I didn't wanna lose... and it was kinda like I won, after he left... 'cause me and Meloetta started to get along, you know? Like peas and carrots... even though I hate peas.)"

Pikachu remembered watching them get along. He remembered wondering. Hoping.

"(Yeah...)"

"(So I thought she was the one! I thought we were destined! But then she said no... so I got really sad.)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(But then you said to move on... find a different 'one'. I slept on it and realised 'Hey! He's right!' So I did.)"

Pikachu stared at him.

Oshawott blinked. "(... What?)"

Sighing again, Pikachu turned away. "(Nothing...)"

"(... Say, why are you so invested in my love life, anyway?)"

Pikachu frowned again. "(No reason...)"

"(Aw, come on, there must be a reason! You blew your freaking top, just 'cause I'm not still crying over Meloetta!)"

Letting out a small sigh, Pikachu closed his eyes. "(... I don't really wanna talk about it.)"

"(... Oh. Oh. Well... okay then... I guess.)"

They settled into another awkward silence.

"Great job, Buneary!" Dawn said happily.

Finishing up her routine, Buneary beamed up at her trainer. "(Thanks!)" she replied.

Dawn let out a breath of air. "Okay... since the Wallace Cup's in five days, I should really pick a team soon."

Everyone cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

"(Me! Me!)" Pachirisu cried.

"(Of course, you have to pick me,)" Piplup said, flippers on his hips.

"(Meeee!)" Quilava cried, flaring up the flames on his back.

"Ohhh, but everyone's been doing so well..." Dawn said, her smile becoming slightly concerned. "It'd be a shame not to use any of you..."

"(No need to worry!)" Buneary replied, her smile still bright. "(Use whoever you like, Dawn! And the rest of us won't get salty.)" She glanced at her friends. "(Right, guys?)"

"(Yeah, I don't mind,)" Mamoswine replied.

"(Me neither, dear,)" Togekiss replied with a smile.

"(My salt will only be slightly... salty,) Quilava replied, pouting.

"(Well, it's still her call,)" Piplup replied, "(... but I still think she should use me.)"

"(Whoever she uses will be awesome!)" Pachirisu said. "(Really, really awesome! And Dawn knows what she's doing! She does!)"

Buneary smiled back up at Dawn. "(Yeah, see?)" she said. "(There's no salt in their diet!)" She giggled. "(Well, not much, anyway.)"

Dawn blinked at all of her pokémon. Then she smiled, pumping her fists. "Alright, then!" she said. "No need to worry! You can count on me to make good decisions!" She put on a thinking pose. "Now, let's see... Hmm... well, the Wallace Cup has... five rounds, from what I remember... The appeal round and the four battle rounds..."

Buneary vaguely remembered competing in the Sinnoh Wallace Cup. That had been a whole year ago now!

Once Ambipom had gotten them through the appeals, Buneary herself had battled in the second round, against a trainer's wailmer. It had been a strangely easy fight, from what she recalled. The guy hadn't hit her even once!

Then Pachirisu had taken the third round, while Piplup had taken the fourth and fifth.

Together, the four of them - plus Dawn, of course! - had won the Wallace Cup and earned the aqua ribbon! Which they'd then used to enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival!

They'd almost been as successful in that, but not quite. Sadly, they'd just lost out to Zoey in the finals. Only by a few points, but still!

"Hmm..." Dawn said, still thinking. She cast her gaze over her pokémon. "Okay... I'm thinking... maybe we use Togekiss in the appeal round..."

"(As you wish,)" Togekiss said with a bow.

"And... hmm... maybe use Quilava in a battle round? You weren't there for the Sinnoh Wallace Cup..."

"(All yours, if ya want me!)" Quilava replied.

"Hmm..." Dawn's gaze landed on Buneary. "... Then again... Buneary."

"(Hmm?)" Buneary asked.

"You just got your moves back..." She beamed. "So maybe I should use you! I thought about not doing it, 'cause you didn't have them... but now you do, so maybe we should celebrate by having you battle!"

Buneary's eyes shone. "(Me? Battle?)"

"Yeah! It only seems right!" Dawn looked at her other pokémon. "What do you guys think?"

"(Heck yeah!)" Pachirisu cried. "(Show 'em your stuff, Buneary!)"

"(Sounds like a good idea,)" Piplup said.

"(I agree,)" Togekiss said.

"(Go get 'em!)" Quilava said.

"(Sure,)" Mamoswine said. "(Why not?)"

Wow, getting to battle again! The last time she'd battled was when they'd been in Hoenn, winning ribbons! Because, when they'd gone to Unova, then...

... Well, yeah.

"(Show that jerk what he's missing!)" Pachirisu cried.

... Ouch. Way to hit a girl where it hurts. Not that he'd meant to do that, but still...

"Alright, then, it's settled!" Dawn said. "I'll use Togekiss... Quilava... Buneary... and..." She scanned over her pokémon. "Pachirisu! Since you didn't get to compete in the Junior Cup in Unova."

"(Yaaaay!)" Pachirisu replied.

"(Hey, what about me?)" Piplup grumbled.

"Piplup and Mamoswine," Dawn said, "you two already had a turn, so I want everyone else to be in the spotlight! Okay?"

Piplup sighed. "(Yeah, yeah...)"

"(Sure, whatever,)" Mamoswine replied.

"Alright, great!" Dawn said. "Looks like I have my team!"

"... I thought that was you, Dawn!" a feminine voice suddenly said.

Everyone turned around in surprise. Standing nearby was a girl with long brown hair and blue eyes, with a tiny ponytail just visible at the back. Buneary quickly glanced over her outfit. She was wearing a strappy red shirt over a strappy black shirt and... a pair of really short white shorts over some long black bicycle shorts?

Huh. Interesting choice of clothing... though it certainly matched the red and white ribbon tied around her head. There was also some orange and yellow on her, completing the look. It was rather odd, but, somehow, it seemed to work.

"May!" Dawn said happily.

Buneary blinked. Oh wait, that was May? Huh. Last time she'd seen her, she'd been wearing green and orange.

May giggled. "Hi!"

... Who was that handsome boy next to her, though? She'd certainly never seen him before.

He had a mop of green hair and matching green eyes. Glancing over his outfit, Buneary could see an open red jacket - that was a darker shade than May's outfit - over a white shirt. Black tassels dangled down from the collar. He also had red shorts that matched the jacket, black fingerless gloves and... long black shorts underneath the red shorts?

Huh. Was that a trend lately, or something? To wear shorts over shorts?

He also had some yellow on his outfit, tying the whole thing together. In a figurative sense.

Again, an odd choice of clothing, but it seemed to work, somehow.

"Wow!" Dawn squealed. "Is that Drew?!"

... Drew? Buneary had never heard of a Drew.

Dawn rushed over to stand in front of the green-haired boy. "Hi there! I was a big fan of watching your contests before I became a coordinator! It's great to finally meet you!"

Drew smirked. "Hmph," he replied, flipping his fringe. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Dawn paused a moment, then she gasped. "And that means I know both the prince and princess of Hoenn!"

Drew paused. "Huh. Funny, everyone in Sinnoh's been calling us that."

Dawn giggled. "I'm not surprised! Sinnoh Now, which is the biggest TV network over there, coined the term ages ago!"

"Explains a few things..." May said, blushing slightly.

"So that means you're in Sinnoh now?" Dawn asked. Then she paused, before giggling at the accidental joke. "Not Sinnoh Now, but... you know what I mean."

May giggled, too. "Yeah, we're shooting for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. We did really well in the Johto Grand Festival, buuuut didn't quite make the cut. Did we, Drew?"

"Hmph," Drew replied, flipping his fringe again. "I almost had it..."

"Yeah, but then you lost to Solidad~"

"Heh, yeah... always a step ahead of us, that woman."

"You got that right!"

"She could've stopped after the Kanto Grand Festival, but she's still going strong."

May smiled sheepishly. "A little too strong, if you ask me..."

Drew smirked in agreement. "Hmph."

Dawn chuckled awkwardly. "Should I be worried, then?" she asked.

"Naw," May replied. "She already has all five ribbons, so she didn't come to Johto."

Drew pulled a face. "Harley did, though..."

"Harley?" Dawn asked. "Hmm... I don't remember a Harley..."

"Oh, trust me, you'll know him when you see him..."

"Well, if you say so! So are you two staying at the pokémon centre?"

"Nah," May replied. "We're booked in a fancy resort nearby."

Dawn's eyes widened. "A fancy resort?!"

"Yeah." May cast a sly grin in Drew's direction. "Drew's paying."

"Hmph," Drew replied.

"Wow, Drew," Dawn said, "can you even afford that?"

Drew flipped his fringe again. "Of course I can."

May chuckled. "Yeah, though most of it comes from his mom," she said.

Drew gave her a light glare. "I thought I said not to tell people that."

May winked cheekily at him. "Come on, it's not like Dawn will care~! Not unless she's part of your fan club."

Dawn laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, no need to worry!" she said. "And I only bought one Drew doll... b-but that was ages ago!"

May tried to hold back laughter, but failed.

"Hmph," Drew said, smirking again.

Sometime later, May and Drew let out all of their pokémon to play with Dawn's pokémon. Buneary was fairly familiar with May's pokémon, though Glaceon didn't seem to be here this time. As for Drew, she'd never met any of his pokémon before. That soon changed, as she went around talking to them all.

It'd taken a while to do the same with the pokémon back in Unova - since she'd been mainly focused on one thing at the time - but she wasn't about to do that a second time.

Ouch. She really hated that painful feeling in her heart...

She'd just have to ignore it and try to move past it. It's what he would've said. Push past the pain and keep going. It'd always been how he'd handled tough training sessions.

Shaking her head to clear it, she went back to chatting with the other pokémon.

"(Bored,)" Skitty suddenly said from nearby. "(Bored. Wanna play. Let's play! Someone play with meeee!)" She ran in a circle, chasing her own tail.

"(Ooh, I'll play!)" Pachirisu replied. "(I'll play!)" He, too, ran in a circle, chasing his own tail.

Skitty squealed in delight. "(Bet I can catch my tail first!)"

"(No way, I'm gonna do it first!)"

They both sped up, madly trying to catch their tails. Buneary thought they looked very silly, but adorable all the same. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"(Ahuuuuh!)" Pachirisu posed victoriously, his tail in his mouth. "(I gawd it!)"

"(Dang, dang, you're good!)" Skitty stopped running in a circle. "(Okay, now race!)"

Pachirisu spat out his tail. "(Sure! I'm the best at racing, no one can catch me!)"

"(Ready? Goooo!)" Skitty went off running on all fours.

"(Yaaaay!)" Pachirisu went running after her, on two feet.

He easily outpaced her. She looked rather shocked.

"(No way, no way! You beat me again!)"

"(Yup! I'm the best at racing!)"

Skitty grinned as they both slowed to a stop. "(Wow, you're fun! Let's play more!)"

"(Okay!)"

Daww. It was rather cute how Pachirisu had found someone just as energetic as he was. They were like two peas in a pod.

... Buneary only wished she could have found her matching pea. Sadly for her, she'd be getting a pod to herself, it seemed.