Arc II: A Different Perspective

Chapter 5: Missing A Friend


Pikachu sighed in satisfaction after finishing his 'special' breakfast. A toasted cheese sandwich filled with tomatoes. He wasn't entirely sure why Cilan had decided to treat the pokémon to such a fancy meal, but he wasn't complaining. Being the mouse he was, he did enjoy his cheese, after all! Even if it had cost him most of his beauty sleep…

Taking a second to settle his belly, he looked around to see that all the other pokémon in the large group had also enjoyed their meals. Most were making noises of contentment as they finished eating. Well, most except for Ash and Oshawott, who were both begging for seconds.

Rolling his eyes at the two of them, Pikachu decided to turn his attention elsewhere. The scenery of these grassy fields they'd decided to camp in were nice, though nothing unique. If nothing else, this place with all of its trees and bushes scattered about were a nice change of pace from the villa.

Spying Dawn's team, he smiled. He'd really enjoyed the time he'd spent with the plucky coordinator and her pokémon so far… even though most of the time had been spent training and putting up with Piplup and Oshawott's shenanigans.

Now done with eating, and with nothing better to do, he decided to watch the other pokémon out of intrigue as they began to go about their business. Glancing at Piplup, Pikachu could see that he was busy trying to, once again, impress Meloetta. Thanks to Oshawott's greediness, however, it seemed like Piplup was in luck. He had free reign to romance the legendary. That said, Piplup being 'in luck' was debatable, considering how exasperated Meloetta looked…

Looking at Quilava, Pikachu could see that the stoat was wandering around the campsite, seemingly asking random pokémon a quick question. The mouse wondered if he was looking for an opponent to battle, seeing as that was something the guy was big on. Perhaps even more so than contesting, at times.

Togekiss was busy chatting to both Unfezant and Leavanny about something or other. Knowing her, it was probably about contesting, which was something the flying-type and her team were professionals at.

Unfezant only seemed mildly intrigued, which was far less than what could be said for Leavanny. The mantis looked absolutely mesmerized by Togekiss' words, as if she was telling him about a land made of rainbows, or something. Occasionally, the bird seemed a little distracted with something that was going on in Piplup and Meloetta's direction, though she kept her composure. A trick she most likely learned from her old owner, Princess Salvia.

Watching Pachirisu, Pikachu could see the squirrel energetically trying to get Dawn's attention, as the latter scolded Ash and Oshawott for being greedy. A sight that greatly amused Axew, who was watching from Iris' hair.

Speaking of Iris, she seemed to be brushing Emolga's fur while chatting to Cilan, who was still cooking food for himself. The squirrel seemed to be amused at the sight of them talking, as if in the know about something. Most likely Cilan and Iris' relationship, which Emolga was certain was romantic in nature. Probably if only because it meant getting more food from the chef.

Mamoswine just seemed to be lazing about, as always. The pig-mammoth had never really been the interesting sort, unless he'd found some poor pokémon to lecture.

Glancing at Buneary, he could see...

... Wait, where was she? Angling his head around, Pikachu tried his hardest to spot her. However, even after a very careful scan of the area, he couldn't see her at all.

He tilted his head in confusion. This was very strange, especially for her. She was usually very, very easy to find. Heck, back in Sinnoh, she often liked to eat next to him, or at least near him, so her complete absence was very bizarre indeed.

... In fact, how much had he even interacted with her so far? Thinking about it... they'd not had a notable moment together since Dawn had arrived, had they? In all the chaos of the constant training and Meloetta-loving shenanigans the gang had been having the past few days... he hadn't noticed that she'd just seemingly up and vanished!

Granted, he'd occasionally been able to have a few quick words with her, but never for very long. She had always found some sort of excuse to leave, so it was like he'd not spoken to her much at all. Something that saddened him immensely, now that he thought about it.

As Quilava wandered close by, Pikachu hailed him over. While he was clueless about the rabbit's location, surely the stoat must have had some kind of idea himself.

Once close enough, Quilava nodded in greeting. "[Hey, Pikachu!]" he said.

Pikachu nodded back. "[Hey, Quilava. Mind if I ask you something?]"

The stoat's face brightened up. "[Oh, lemmie guess, you wanna battle?]"

Huffing in amusement, Pikachu shook his head. "[Later, maybe, but not right now, sorry.]"

The fire-type clicked his tongue. "[Aww, darn. Then what did ya want me for?]"

"[You seen Buneary anywhere? I just noticed that I've barely spoken to her since she arrived. I'm starting to... um, well...]"

Quilava smirked. "[... Miss her? Hehe...!]"

Exhaling slowly, Pikachu looked away, his face warming slightly. "[... Yeah. Er, maybe a little...]"

Quilava chuckled. "['A little', huh? ... Likely story.]"

Pikachu groaned. He'd almost forgotten how much Quilava liked to tease him about his 'feelings' for Buneary. He was almost as bad as Buizel had been when it came to that. Tsk, why did the stoat have to be so obsessed with proving that Pikachu and Buneary had a crush on each other, anyway? She probably didn't feel that way about him... Someone that affectionate would have no problems confessing, he was sure of it… so the lack of a confession left him skeptical.

"[Yeah, well, either way,]" the mouse started, "[you seen her anywhere lately?]"

Quilava stopped chuckling to look thoughtful. "[Er... hmm... You know what? I don't think I have... Well, not much, anyway. I saw her grabbing a toastie earlier, but that's about it.]" He began to frown. "[Hm. That's real weird for her, ain't it?]"

Pikachu gave a small sigh. "[It is...]" He raised an eyebrow at the stoat. "[... Wait, 'toastie'? That's a weird name for it, ain't it?]"

The stoat smiled. "[Pachirisu came up with it. It's weird, but catchy enough. Says she got it from a grass snake of some sort.]"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow. "[Who, Snivy? Huh, sounds a bit silly for something she'd say...]" After a pause, he shook his head dismissively. "[Well, whatever. I've got a job to do, I guess.]"

Quilava tilted his head. "[You have?]"

Pikachu nodded. "[Yup. Earlier, Iris pestered Ash for a 'relaxing morning', and I think we're getting one. So now's the perfect time to go looking for Buneary.]"

The stoat smirked again. "[Oho, is that so…?]"

Pikachu gave a small frown. "[Yeah, so I can spend some time with my friend. Whatever you're thinking, it's… not that.]"

Quilava shrugged. "[Heh, if you say so… Well, good luck, bro. I'm sure it won't take long to track her down.]"

Pikachu smiled slightly. "[Thanks. Here's hoping…]"

"[No probs, Romeo,]" Quilava replied, smirking.

Pikachu turned away. "[Ugh… every opportunity, I swear…]"

After another chuckle, the stoat gave his farewells to Pikachu, who returned them. Then, with determination, the mouse set off on his small journey to find his good friend.

Before he got very far, he walked past Oshawott, who looked very dejected.

Rolling his eyes, Pikachu turned to face him. "[Hey, man, what's the matter?]" he asked, already knowing that the answer was most likely food-based. He faltered when he saw Oshawott actually looking more distressed than he'd thought. "[Um… everything alright?]"

The otter sighed and fell backwards, onto his backside. "[No…]"

Pikachu frowned worriedly. "[No?]"

The otter's stomach growled, making him groan and wrap his arms around his belly. "[… I didn't get to eat a single freaking toast sandwich thing all breakfast.]"

"[Huh? But you went for seconds! How did you get no food?]"

"[… I gave it all to Meloetta.]"

"[Oh… well… sorry, man.]" Pikachu tried to smile. "[At least Meloetta's gonna be impressed, though, right?]"

Oshawott flopped onto his back. "[Yeah… if Piplup doesn't undermine my good deed, and steal her away from under my big nose, anyway.]" Tears began to stream down the otter's face. "[Not that it matters, because I'll be dead before then, anyway. Dead, because of the starvatiooon!]"

Pikachu sighed. While he did feel sorry for him, the otter could be so melodramatic, sometimes…

Perking up, the mouse turned towards Cilan. "[Hey, wait here.]" He ran over in the chef's direction. He seemed about ready to start chowing down on his own cooking, himself. "[Cilaaaaan!]" the mouse called out.

The chef peered down from his seat. "Oh? Problem in the kitchen, Pikachu?"

"[Got any leftovers, please?]" Pikachu asked, patting his own stomach for emphasis.

"Oh, you're still hungry? Well…" Cilan reached into the bag next to him and pulled out a slice of bread and a tomato. "… you're not as likely to eat us out of house and home as…" He scratched his head sheepishly, "… um, some people are, so here you go; some delectable ingredients I didn't use, today," he continued, passing them to him.

Accepting them, Pikachu beamed and bowed. "[Thanks, Cilan!]" He ran back to Oshawott and held out the food. "[It's not much, but here you go, kid. Oh, in fact…!]" Tossing the tomato upwards, he shocked the bread, lightly toasting it. Catching the tomato on it, he held it out again. "[Bon appétit!]"

Gasping in delight, the otter jumped to his feet and took them. "[Oh, wow, thanks, man! Heehee!]" He immediately gobbled them down, like his life depended on it.

"[Hey, no problem,]" Pikachu replied, smiling lightly. Suddenly, though, a burst of déjà vu hit him. He shook his head to clear it away. Huh. He wondered what'd caused that…

With paws against his stuffed cheeks, the otter's feet flailed about in a happy dance. "[Shooo good! Thish tastesh shoo mush better than shtarvashion!]"

Pikachu chuckled. "[Yeah, I'll bet. Next time you're starved, though, just go and find some berries or something, alright? I don't want you starving on us.]"

Oshawott blinked. "[Oh yeah... berriesh.]" Swallowing, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "[I didn't think that far ahead. Eheheh…]"

Pikachu gave him a dry look. "[Mmm, clearly.]"

Oshawott tilted his head in curiosity. "[Why'd you help me out, though? You're always telling me not to eat so much. And I don't just mean whenever I used to steal stuff.]"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow. "[Used to…?]"

"[Y-Yeah! I haven't done it for weeks, now!]"

The mouse sighed. "[Well… I guess.]" He smiled. "[Anyway, yeah, you gave all your food off to Meloetta, which I'd say is kind enough for some grub. Wouldn't you?]"

Oshawott blushed lightly. "[Well… I only did it for my beautiful Meloetta,]" He frowned, "[… who totally likes me more than Piplup, by the way.]"

Smirking, Pikachu ruffled the fur on the otter's head, making him chuckle slightly. "[Yes, and yes,]" the mouse replied. Letting go, his ears perked. "[Oh, right! While you're here, I may as well ask… Have you seen Buneary anywhere?]"

"[Who? The attractive rabbit lady?]"

"[Er… y-yeah,]" Pikachu replied, face warming lightly.

"[Wish I knew. She was hawwwwwt!]"

Pikachu felt a stab of annoyance go through him. "[Y-Yeah, well… stick to your own age group, Oshawott. And for that matter, stick to one woman.]"

"[Of course I will! I'm still allowed to admire cute girls, though, right?]" His eyes widened. "[… And what do you mean 'my age group'? She doesn't look old to me.]"

"[She's older than you are. She's the same age as me, around eight. A young adult in our years.]"

Oshawott's eyes widened further. "[Jeez, really!?]" Pikachu nodded. "[Wow…]" The otter smirked confidently. "[Well… a five and a half-ish year gap didn't hurt nobody!]" He blinked. "[… Y'know. Not that I'm going for it, or anything.]"

Pikachu rolled his eyes with a huff. "[Yeah… sure. Either way, if you see her, lemmie know I'm looking for her, please, won't you?]"

Oshawott saluted. "[Aye, aye, cap'n!]"

"[… And no flirting with her, either.]"

The otter's shoulders slumped. "[Awwww… Spoilsport.]" He huffed. "[Well… just for the food, I guess I could do that.]"

Exhaling slowly, Pikachu smiled. "[Thanks, man.]"

Oshawott's eyes widened before an impish smirk crossed his face. "[Wait, I get it! You have a crush on her, don't you?]"

Pikachu jolted. "[W-Wait, what?]" His face warmed. "[N-No, I don't…]"

"[Of course you do! Nobody wants to see a girl that much unless they're in love!]"

"[Th-That's not… necessarily true, now, is it?]"

"[Yes, it is!]" Oshawott sighed and put a paw onto Pikachu's shoulder. "[Look, man… I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but… if she didn't want me, I don't think you'll have much luck.]"

Pikachu stared at the otter. "[… What?]"

"[Well, just think about it. I'm a suave, sexy beast, and you're a… well, you're not bad, but you know.]"

Pikachu gave him a dry look. "[… But… you've never dated anyone in your life.]"

Oshawott coughed, smile turning slightly nervous. "[W-Well… at least I still go for it, right? Not like you, looking at the way you awkwardly ignored that cute bunny nuzzling ya.]"

Pikachu groaned. "[I didn't ignore her. I just… got a little embarrassed.]"

The otter grinned. "[Hence why you'll never be as suave as me.]"

"[… Sure,]" Pikachu responded, eyes threatening to roll again. "[Anyway, you go show Meloetta that… suaveness of yours, and I'm going to go search for Buneary.]"

Oshawott saluted again. "[Yes, sir! Best'a luck with things!]"

Grinning happily, Pikachu gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "[Thanks, man!]"

With that, they went their separate ways. The mouse didn't get very far until he heard some angry screeching coming from somewhere else in the camp. Screeching that came from someone with a rough voice and someone with a high-pitched voice. Somehow, he wasn't surprised in the least.


TO BE CONTINUED!


Finished:

Old stuff - 15/08 (August)/2015

New stuff - 17/12 (December)/2017

Word count: 2,330

VGS2's pointless notes: I'd always intended for this chapter to be a part of pre-Deluxe Game-Changer… but I'd never gotten around to it, before rebooting the whole thing. Well, until now, that is! Hope you enjoyed Pikachu getting worried for his not-senpai-I-promise. XP

Shameless promotion: Today, I'm-a recommending J'LoBuizel and his fanfics! He's made a bunch of fics so far, all of which seem to partake in very cartoon-y humor and antics. If you're a fan of western toons you'd expect to find on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network or whatever, I think you'll like him! Check him out and review tons!

Fun mistakes of the day: #1: 'Speaking of Iris, she seemed to be chatting to Cilan, who was busy brushing Emolga's fur.'

(… Why's Cilan brushing Emolga's fur? XD That said, Cilan would've been a better fit for Emolga's trainer… Especially seeing as that green Sonic chef never trains, and isn't pretending to want to be a dragon master, or whatever. Perhaps this is how it should be!)

#2: 'Probably if only because it meant getting more food from the chief.'

(Eh? Since when was Cilan a chief? XD I wanna see his village. Perhaps it has hedgehogs in it.)

#3: 'Someone that affectionate would have no problems confession,'

(She better had do a confession. As well as learn better English(?).)

#4: 'He ran over back Oshawott and held out the food.'

(Splat!)

Welp, time for the next chappie! Tata for now! c:


Next up: Searching for that friend!