Chapter 7: Asking For Info
Pikachu sighed. His little journey to find Buneary had still been drawing up nothing but blanks. He'd taken to exploring outside of the campsite, now, but still, he was stumped. Still, he kept up the search. He knew she was alive at least, thanks to those occasional, short-lived moments together. But he refused to leave his satisfaction at that. Not until he could spend more time with her.
After some more wandering, he eventually came across Piplup. His face brightened as he spotted the penguin. He'd asked lots of different pokémon about Buneary so far, though not Piplup. If anybody would know where she was, it'd probably be him.
"[Hey, Piplup!]" Pikachu greeted, walking over to his penguin friend.
Piplup turned away from the flowers he was contemplatively staring at. Upon seeing Pikachu, his face lit up. "[Oh! Hey, buddy!]" He moved over to give Pikachu a high-five, which was happily returned.
"[Can I ask you something?]" Pikachu continued after moving away.
"[Oh, you're interested about what I'm doing with these flowers, right?]"
Pikachu raised an eyebrow. "[Well... I wasn't, actually, but you've gotten me curious. Why are you staring at flowers? Thinking of dressing up like a girl again?]"
Piplup gasped loudly before dancing flusteredly. "[The heck do you mean 'again'!? I don't do that!]"
Pikachu shrugged, failing to stop a small smirk from forming on his face. "[What about the maid outfit and the cheerleading outfit? I never heard you complaining about those.]"
"[That's only because Dawn wanted me to wear them! She said I looked cute!]" He put his flippers on his hips and raised his beak into the air. "[The cutest on the team, in fact!]"
"[Buneary looked better in them...]" Pikachu muttered.
Piplup tilted his head. "[Huh? What was that you said?]"
A breath caught in Pikachu's throat as he realized what had just slipped out of his mouth. "[O-Oh, er, nothing! I was... agreeing. With you. Yes.]"
The penguin smugly crossed his arms. "[Hmph! You'd better be!]"
With a soft exhale, Pikachu wiped some stray sweat off his brow. Man, it would've been pretty embarrassing if Piplup had heard that comment of his, the mouse was sure of it. Not to mention he would've developed a headache, no thanks to the penguin ranting about the disagreement.
Either way, Pikachu really had to keep his weird thoughts under control. True as they were...
"[But anyway...]" the penguin continued, "[I'm just picking flowers for Meloetta. Gotta look more impressive than I already am, y'know!]"
Pikachu gave him a curious look. "[Huh... but didn't you already give her like... twenty bundles of flowers?]"
"[Twenty-five, actually. But yeah.]" Piplup frowned suddenly. "[That jerk, Oshawott, just gave her some earlier today! I can't take any chances with that date-stealer around!]"
Pikachu raised an eyebrow. "[... How many did he get her?]"
Piplup huffed in annoyance. "[... Thirty-two. I checked.]" He scratched his neck. "[... From the bushes.]"
Pikachu blinked, trying his hardest not to pull an exasperated expression. "[... Uh huh. Well, whatever, I've got something to ask. Something else, anyway.]"
"[Oh yeah? Well, what's up if it's not about me winning Meloetta's heart?]"
"[I've been looking for… well, someone. So I was just wondering if you've seen 'em.]"
"[Oh, alright! Well, sure thing! I am the most vigilant member of the team, after all, so of course I'll have seem 'em.]"
The most vigilant? After constantly ignoring almost everything but Meloetta and Oshawott?
Pikachu almost laughed, though he held back. Barely. "[Er, yeah. Totally, Piplup…]"
"[So, who're ya looking for?]" Piplup asked, ignoring the near-laugh, or maybe not even registering it. "[As good as I am, I can't pick out a face without knowing which one it is.]"
"[Alright, well… do you know where Buneary is?]"
Piplup's head tilted. "[Oh? She isn't with you?]"
Pikachu shook his head. "[Nope.]"
"[Huh. Well... hmm...]" the penguin scratched his beak in thought. Afterwards, he shrugged sheepishly. "[Eheh, um, not a clue, I'm afraid. Haven't seen her since breakfast.]"
Pikachu sighed. So much for that 'vigilance', then. "[Ah, alright then. Drat… Well, least I know she was somewhere during breakfast. I guess.]"
"[So, what, haven't you bumped into her today?]" Piplup asked.
"[Nope. In fact, I haven't seen much of her at all, lately. Not since you guys arrived, anyway…]"
Piplup gave him a blank look. "[... Wait, seriously?]" Pikachu nodded. "[... Seriously seriously?]" Pikachu nodded again. "[... Really seriously serio-?]"
"[Yes, I'm being serious, Pip,]" Pikachu replied, rolling his eyes. "[I've barely seen her these past few days.]"
Piplup paused. Then, looking shocked, he danced around flusteredly. "[Are you freaking kidding me!? But she's flipping obsessed with you!]"
Pikachu paused. "[... Um, she's not… that obsessed, y'know…]"
The penguin stopped doing his flustered dance to put his flippers on his hips. "[Yes, she is! Don't tell me you still haven't noticed how much of an obsession she has with you!]"
Pikachu's face warmed. "[Well... we're good friends, so I guess she might be a little obsessed. In a fangirl-y kind of way...]"
Piplup groaned loudly. "[Oh for the love of-! I swear to Arceus, Pikachu...]"
The mouse rolled his eyes. "[Yeah, well, either way, I really hope I'll see her again soon.]" His ears dipped slightly. "[... She's never gone this long without talking to me before...]"
The penguin's expression softened substantially. "[Wow, it's really getting you down, huh?]"
Pikachu gave a light nod. "[Yeah...]"
"[Aww, well I'm sorry, man. If it wasn't for that Meloetta-stealing jerk,]" He looked like he was going to spit on the ground, though he stopped himself. "[… I'd have absolutely known where she was. Most likely.]"
Pikachu frowned dejectedly. He was getting really worried, now. Was Dawn's visit just going to be Buneary-less? He'd really hate it if this entire visit went by without hearing her cutesy, if not a little rough, voice again. It really made his day…
Seeing him frown, Piplup moved forwards and patted him on the back while smiling comfortingly. "[Hey, don't be glum, chum. She'll be around somewhere. So chin up, alright?]"
Pikachu sighed again, though he tried to smile back. "[Thanks. We'll see, I guess…]"
Piplup gave a nod before turning back to the flowers. "[Say, until she shows up, wanna help me pick some flowers? I have a lot to get, so I've gotta hurry if I want to see Meloetta again. She's probably missing me!]" His face soured. "[… Plus, I've gotta find her before that dumb ol' Oshawott does. Seriously, when he's not being kinda cool, he's always being super dumb. Trying to steal my Meloetta away…]"
… Deciding not to point out that the penguin had just admitted to Oshawott being cool, Pikachu paused contemplatively. After a little while, he shook his head. "[I'm good. I've gotta go and see if I can track down Buneary, still.]"
"[Aww, alright then,]" the penguin replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "[Oh well. Best of luck finding her, buddy!]"
"[Thanks, pal. It's starting to look like I'll need it...]" He began to walk away, though he stopped and faced Piplup again. "[Oh, if you see Buneary while you're doing that, tell her I'm looking for her, won't ya?]"
He posed proudly. "[Absolutely! You can count on me!]"
Pikachu smiled and thanked him again before leaving him to his weird Meloetta obsession.
After a minute's walk or so, Pikachu noticed Togekiss flying in the air above. He eagerly waved towards her, hoping to catch her attention. It worked, as the bird began to fly lower.
"[Hey, Togekiss!]" Pikachu greeted when she was close enough.
"[Hellooo~]" she sang, landing on her tiptoes next to him. "[How're you doing, sweetie?]"
"[I'm okay, thanks… Could be better, though. Buneary's gone missing, and I can't find her anywhere.]"
Her eyes widened. "[She has?]" He nodded, making her frown worriedly. "[Hmm… how peculiar… She was always ever so fond of you, so it's a special kind of strange.]"
He exhaled slowly through his nose. "[You got that right…]"
She perked up. "[Oh well, don't worry, sweetie. You'll find her!]" She shook her head. "[No, no, even better- We'll find her! I shall do some searching of my own, once I've handled an errand.]"
He smiled brightly. "[Oh, thank you, Togekiss! There's a reason everyone looks up to ya!]"
She grinned proudly. "[Mmm, thanks, dear~]"
He tilted his head. "[What kind of errand is it, anyway? Anything I can help with?]"
"[No, that's quite alright.]" She paused for a second. "[… That is… unless you know where Piplup is.]"
"[Oh yeah? Do you need him for something?]"
She paused. "[… Um, n-no real reason. I just, er…]" She tapped the tips of her wings together, "[… you know. Wanted to see if he was okay, and such.]"
"[Oh… well, fair enough.]" He pointed in the direction of the flower fields he'd met Piplup in. "[He's over there, picking flowers in the flower field.]"
She looked pleasantly surprised. "[Oh, he's picking flowers? How delightful of him~]"
"[I guess so, yeah. All for the love of Meloetta, as you can imagine.]"
Togekiss blinked. "[… Oh. Right, of course…]" she sighed. She caught herself and perked up again. "[Um, yes, thank you, sweetie! In that case, I shall go and have a chat with him for a short while. With that done, I shall then find Buneary, lickity-split. Don't you worry, my dear!]"
He beamed up at her. "[Thanks, Togekiss! You have fun!]"
She gave a graceful bow. "[I shall, Pikachu, thank you. See you!]" She took off into the sky and headed in Piplup's direction.
He waved her off for a short while. When she swooped down again, presumably towards Piplup, Pikachu turned on his heel and marched onwards again, ready to search some more.
Pikachu continued his search across the grassy plains for Buneary. It hadn't been long since he'd spoken to Piplup and Togekiss, but he didn't want to waste a single moment not searching for his rabbit friend. Unfortunately, it was still proving difficult, though he didn't know why. Considering how plain the plains were, it shouldn't have been so hard to find one bunny, let alone one that he was close to! Ugh…
He really hoped that something hadn't upset her in some way. She was fairly delicate, and would cry at the smallest drop of milk on the ground. Not that her crying sessions ever lasted for all that long, to be fair, but still… it would sadden him if he knew that she was distressed.
"[Why, hello there, Pikachu~]" a girly voice rang out all of a sudden, making him jump.
Following the voice, he looked up into a nearby tree. He saw a familiar flying squirrel smiling down at him from one of its branches. "[Oh. Hey, Emolga,]" he replied, waving at her.
She laid into a lazy position. "[What brings you here? Aren't you a little far from camp?]"
"[I could ask the same thing.]"
She chuckled. "[Hey, a girl needs her downtime. Staying around Oshawott and that penguin for too long ain't good for a mon's sanity.]"
He smirked. "[Heh, well, you're not wrong.]"
"[Besides, it's not like you to wander off,]" she continued. "[You're usually a group person. Heck, you're probably the group-iest of us all. Always playing with the other guys, or hanging around Ash.]"
He shrugged. "[Well, not today. I'm looking for my friend, but I can't find her anywhere.]"
Her ears perked up. "[Oh, 'her'? Do tell.]"
"[You know Buneary, right?]"
"[The fluffy rabbit with the weird, squishy ear?]"
He frowned slightly. "[It's not weird. She likes having it rolled up…]"
With a slight smirk, she rolled her eyes. "[Alright, sorry. But yeah, what's up with her?]"
He lightened his frown. "[Well, I've no idea where she's gotten off to all week, and neither does anyone else.]" He sighed. "[… I'm starting to miss her.]"
She looked sympathetic. "[Aww. Rocky relationship?]"
His eyes widened. "[Huh? What's that supposed to mean? We're… not in a relationship.]"
She gave him a curious gaze. "[Huh? You're not? Even after you both nuzzled earlier this week?]"
"[That… happens,]" he awkwardly replied. "[I-It doesn't mean anything, though! We're friends!]" He paused. "[… And she nuzzled me!]"
Her confused look lingered. After a little while, though, she put a finger to her bottom lip in amusement. "[Ahhh, I get it, now. Am I not supposed to know about your crush on her~?]" she teased.
His cheeks warmed. "[W-What crush? I just said it doesn't mean anything!]"
Smirking mischievously, she sniggered. "[Yeah, yeah, sure. And Oshawott doesn't flirt with, like, eighty girls a day, either.]"
He exhaled forcibly. Ughh, darn it. Even after all this time, being teased about Buneary still embarrassed the heck out of him, it seemed. Rolling his eyes, he turned away. "[Yeah, well… whatever. I've gotta go find her, so don't mind me.]" He started to walk away.
"[Hold up, loverboy!]" Emolga called after him.
Holding back a groan, he looked back up at her. "[What's up?]"
"[If you're that worried about her, I guess I could go for a fly to see if she's around.]"
His eyes brightened. "[Oh, really? You'd do that?]"
"[Totally!]" She gave her paw a look-over, as if she had nails on it, while grinning mischievously. "[I mean, that is, if you're willing to do something for me...]"
The mouse sighed. He knew there'd be a catch. "[Lemmie guess… apples?]"
She looked at him again, smirking. "[Heh, you got it! Apples, please~]"
He frowned bemusedly before shrugging. How did he guess? Still, it was worth it for a chance at finding Buneary. "[Alright, you're on. But only if you start looking for her now.]"
She looked happy to hear that. Well, that is, until she heard his request. "[Aww, now? But I'm hungry!]"
"[I know you way too well. The second I bring 'em back, you'll probably eat 'em, then say: 'Whoops, now I'm too full to fly! Sorry'!]"
She paused for a second before giving him a sheepish look. "[Eheh, well, y'know…]"
He crossed his arms. "[Yeah, I do know. So no flying, no apples.]"
She sighed in irritation before shrugging. "[Alright, alright, fine! Jeez, when did you get so demanding? You're no Oshawott, but you're usually a lot more doormat-y than this.]"
He frowned. "[Heyy, I'm no doormat.]"
"[You sure? All it takes is a bit of ribbing to make you look redder than an apple. Especially when it's about girls, apparently.]"
"[Th-That's not…]" He paused as he felt his cheeks warm ever so slightly. Then, with a groan, he slumped. "[… Oh, darn it.]"
She laughed. "[See what I mean? You're so awkward, it's hilarious.]"
He huffed. "[Yeah, well… this is important. When Buneary's on the line, I'll be as stern as it takes!]"
She looked slightly touched. "[Hehe, d'aww, how cute. Buneary's a lucky gal to have you, certainly can't deny that.]"
… He didn't know how to take that comment. "[… Er, thanks. I think.]"
She stood up. "[Alright then, I'm going. But there'd better be a nice, big bushel here when I get back!]"
He nodded enthusiastically. "[You can count on it!]"
After a nod and a wink, she jumped off the branch and spread her arms outwards. Then, catching some wind on her cape-like membranes, she was sent sailing into the air, where she flew away.
He watched in mild interest. He'd always found that pretty cool, admittedly. It reminded him of a game he'd caught Iris playing that one time. What had it been called again…? 'Super Luigi World'? He didn't remember. He only remembered gliding plumbers that'd stomped on turtle pokémon and had constantly fallen into pits.
Done watching the squirrel glide away, he set off, ready to try and find some apples.
… Where was he even going to find apples around here? He didn't remember seeing any apple trees recently.
He exhaled slowly. This was gonna be a long day…
TO BE CONTINUED!
Finished:
Older stuff - 03/04 (April)/2015
Newer stuff - 23/12 (December)/2017
Word count: 2,657
VGS2's pointless notes: Aww, that's apples, mate!
… Yeah, I've got nothing. See ya next time!
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Next up: Seeing the fruits of Pikachu's labor!
