Chapter 15: Sharing A Picnic


"Alright, Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.

Staring down the snivy, Pikachu brought energy to his tail. Thankfully, it actually did what it was supposed to and turned solid, shining like metal. But why this and not…?

"Ah, just electric-type moves!" Ash chimed, sounding relieved.

Oh, right, that made sense… Well, two moves were better than none! "[Here it comes!]" he called out, coming down spinning towards the snivy.

Trip called for him to dodge it, but it was too late. Pikachu's tail slammed down with enough destructive power to form a huge dust cloud. He used the force from his attack to launch himself back into the air and away from the area.

He was certain that would've ended it. However, he heard Ash gasp in dismay. Huh?

When the dust cloud cleared, Pikachu also gasped. Pikachu had left a small crator... That snivy... where the frick was he!? The snivy was already by Trip's feet, ready and waiting. His trainer stood by him, grinning cockily.

"[Wow… fast, ain'tcha?]" Pikachu said.

"Snivy, use Leaf Tornado!" Trip ordered.

"[Ohhh, you don't know the half of it~!]" the snivy called out to Pikachu before leaping into the air. Flipping upside-down, he rapidly twirled around like a spinning top. When he gained enough speed, he just became a green, funnel-shaped blur of leaves.

"What move was that!?" Ash cried.

Trip looked rather smug. "Don't know it, do you?" he asked.

"… Er, that's why I asked-"

"Go, Snivy!" Trip called out.

"[No mercy for youuuuuuuu!]" the snivy called out, rapidly approaching Pikachu.

The mouse looked for an escape route… but the huge green tornado moved around far too erratically for him to decide one. "[Hoo boy…]" he muttered, bracing himself.

He yelped when he was dragged into the tornado's strong suction. Stinging erupted all throughout his body as hundreds of leaves continuously pricked at him… and he felt himself getting flung every which way. He tried to correct himself, but he could barely tell which way was down anymore.

Suddenly, the tornado jerked violently. "[You never stood a chance~!]" the snivy yelled.

With that, the tornado lurched downwards with an intense force. Pikachu slammed into the ground with a scream. Afterwards, he laid there, pain coursing everywhere.

Hearing his trainer call his name, he slowly opened his eyes. Holy moly… the kid had slammed him into the ground with enough force to create a huge, long crater in the earth. Not bad…

He was suddenly scooped up by Ash, who cradled him. "Pikachu…" his trainer mumbled worriedly.

"[Sorry…]" Pikachu mumbled weakly. "[Losing my edge...]"

Ash said nothing in response, though the concern in his eyes said it all.

"[Ohohoho! What a delightful win!]" the snivy chimed from somewhere. "[It was an easy task… but it wasn't without its fun. Thank you, scrawny mouse!]"

"Our first win…" Trip mumbled from the same direction as the snivy. "I thought we synced pretty well for our first battle. I'm glad I chose you," he added proudly.

"[You chose only the best~]" his snivy boasted. The noise of a pokémon being recalled followed shortly afterwards.

"I think you two had better start over with the basics!" Trip called out to Ash.

Ash didn't listen and just ran away back to the lab, Pikachu in his arms.

The mouse wearily opened his eyes. He noticed the oshawott from before, hiding behind the tree, still. He looked a little upset, so Pikachu wanted to give him a thumbs up… but everything stung badly, so he gave up on that idea.

Slowly looking over Ash's shoulder, Pikachu noticed what almost seemed like a look of concern on Trip's face. It was quickly replaced with a smug dismissive look, however.

… What a tryhard.


Sitting down against a tree, Pikachu took a bite out of the chesto berry he was holding. Swallowing, he shrugged. "[Aaaand that's the battle! As you can tell, I got my head handed to me. I got my electricity back soon after, but… eheh. Yeah.]"

Swallowing the last of her chople berry, Buneary frowned sadly. "[Aww… you did so well, and everything…]" she said, reaching for an occa berry from the nearby berry pile they'd made.

He stopped mid-bite. "[… Wait, what? I did well?]"

"[Yeah! You lost your electricity, but you still put up a fight. I don't think I could ever do that.]"

He stared at her. "[… Huh. Well, th-thanks.]" He bashfully fiddled with his berry. "[Huh… most people just make fun of me and Ash for losing to a starter kid.]"

She shook her head. "[Naww. I've… um, heard tales of Juniper's starters. They get raised well, there- Well, before going there, anyway. In their little breeding centers. I heard they start with stuff like Leaf Tornado, Flame Charge… Water Pulse. Man, it'd be like if Ash could beat a gym on his first day on the job!]"

"[Oh yeah? Well... explains Oshawott's skills, that's for sure.]"

"[Mmm-hmm! Plus, you were handicapped. It's no fair when you can't use your own moves. And against Leaf Tornado of all things! So you did amazing~]"

He smiled at her. "[Oh, well… thanks again.]" He wouldn't lie, he felt his ego swell at that. He'd been certain that she was gonna tease him something fierce. He wouldn't have minded, of course, but more ego was always nice, too!

She returned the smile, making his heart go warm. Heh…

When something came to mind, he chuckled. "[Um… I guess that grass-type was 'nice and grassy', huh?]"

She laughed. "[No kidding! He kinda kicked your grass~]"

Their laughter continued for a while.

Soon after, she murmured in thought. "[… Buuut Ash still could've done better,]" she continued. "[After the second time your zapping didn't work, he should've tried something else.]"

He huffed in amusement. "[You're not wrong… but hey, you should've seen his face when I got myself beaten. I think he was panicking a bit near the end when my moves started going kaput.]"

"[Yeahhhh, true. I guess he was just testing all your moves, right?]"

"[Yeah. He sounded so relieved when one of them did what it was supposed to.]" He paused for a while. "[… I really need more moves.]"

"[Heehee, well, when you zap good, you may as well keep zapping~]"

"[Heh, guess you've got me, there!]"

They chuckled together for a while before going back to eating their berries.

Pikachu stuck to his favorites, chesto berries. He couldn't help but notice that Buneary seemed to prefer the spicier ones. It wasn't very hard to notice, either. Being an ex-glutton, he was an expert on berries. Both the ones he liked and the ones he hated.

When Buneary picked up a tamato berry, Pikachu hissed through his teeth.

"[Man, Buneary, that's way too spicy, don't eat that!]" he said. "[You'll never be able to use Ice Beam again!]"

"[Heehee, don't worry, I know it's real hot~]" she said before biting down on it.

He winced at the sight. However, she only opened her mouth and gave a big exhale before looking quite pleased.

"[Mmm, good stuff~]" she chimed.

He couldn't stop staring. Eventually, he just shook his head in disbelief. "[Good lord… the last time I tried one of those, I nearly learned Flamethrower…]"

Swallowing, she giggled. "[You get used to 'em. You just have to work your way up the ladder of spiciness~]"

"[… I think I'll pass,]" he replied, picking up another chesto berry.

"[Hmph! Spoilsport~]"

He huffed in amusement before chewing on his chesto berry. Noticing a certain purple berry in the pile, he swallowed and shrugged. "[Y'know, I guess I'd rather try another one than a payapa berry. I remember really hating those.]"

She pulled a face. "[Eww, yeah, me too. It's so sour!]"

He looked at her in surprise. "[Hey, I hate sour stuff, too!]"

"[Wow, really!?]" she said with a gasp, looking surprised. When he nodded, she grinned excitedly. "[Well, awesome! That should makes things easier when we have more picnics together!]"

Heh, more picnics. It'd never occurred to him before, but they were probably going to have way more little moments together like this in the future, weren't they? He was excited already! "[Yeah, you got that-]"

His girlfriend yelped in surprise suddenly, startling him. She then extended her rolled up ear and looked in a certain direction. "[W-Wait… what the heck is…?]" she said in shock.

Concerned, Pikachu looked off in the same direction. He relaxed when he noticed the air somewhere above them rippling ever so slightly. Smirking, he picked up a berry and held it up. "[Hey, were you wanting to join us, Meloetta?]" he asked.

The invisible pokémon yelped in surprise and backed away slightly.

Buneary looked surprised. "[Meloetta?]" She blinked a few times before seeming to catch on. "[Oh, right, you can go invisible. I remember!]"

The mythical pokémon made a slight whimper. "[Um… s-sorry…]" she said.

"[H-Hey, it's cool,]" Pikachu said, surprised at how timid she was being. "[Why don't you join us?]"

She slowly fazed into view. "[... Is that... really okay?]"

"[Yeah, why wouldn't it be?]"

"[Well...]"

"[Is it 'cos we caught you eavesdropping on us?]" Buneary asked with a teasing grin.

Meloetta worriedly shrunk back. "[... Um... s-sorry... I was… I-I mean…]"

"[Heyy, don't be scared. We don't bite!]"

She looked at them for a while before letting out a breath. "[Yes, I know. It's just... very naughty to eavesdrop, isn't it?]" she said tentatively.

"[Maybe a bit... but it's alright. We weren't talking about anything scandalous, were we, Pikachu?]"

"[No way!]" Pikachu agreed. He held his breath when something occurred to him, though. "[... Um... wait, when did you... start listening in, anyway?]"

"[Oh, um... not too long ago. Just when you were eating, and, um... whatnot.]"

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "[Oh, alrighty...]"

Meloetta tilted her head. Buneary giggled, however. "[I think he's afraid that you saw him being all sappy earlier,]" she said.

Pikachu tapped his fingers together. "[Well... y'know.]"

Meloetta giggled along with Buneary. "[Well, I didn't catch that, unfortunately.]"

Thank goodness... The only thing more embarrassing would've been if she'd found out about his... 'intrusive thought'. That is, the one where he'd apparently wanted to put a baby inside Buneary. Probably no thanks to his friends' jokes, come to think of it.

... He began to sweat again. Wait. Meloetta was psychic-type! "[... Um...]" he started.

Buneary and Meloetta both looked at him curiously.

He paused. Wait, how was he going to sound natural while asking?

He suddenly realized that they were still waiting for him to say something. Thinking quick, he pat the grass in front of him. "[Er, but yeah, the invite's still there, if you want. Come join us!]"

Buneary nodded. "[Yeah! We owe ya for the save at dinner!]" she said.

The singer hummed in thought before beaming and nodding. "[Sure~! Thank you.]" She hovered downwards and sat in front of them, on the other side of the berry pile. She sat rather delicately, Pikachu couldn't help but notice. She was so dainty, it had to be said…

He gave her the payapa berry that he'd held up to her earlier. "[So, what brings you out here, anyway?]"

She happily accepted the berry. "[Thank you~. Um… everyone started talking about training together… and I didn't quite feel like stopping more fights between 'you know who'… so I decided to come and see how you two were getting along~]" She pouted slightly. "[Honestly, I was hoping to see something maybe a little romantic between you two. But it looks like I was a bit late.]"

"[Better luck next time~]" Buneary chimed, winking at her.

Meloetta chuckled quietly before making a move to eat her berry. Before she could, though, she stopped and stared at it, unsure.

"[Hey, just because we hate it, doesn't mean you will,]" Pikachu reassured.

"[Oh, well... that's fair!]" She began to nibble on it. Her eyes lit up soon after.

"[Oooh, this is delightful~]" she sang, looking about ready to shove it into her mouth. She paused and just continued to nibble instead.

"[Ah, so it's a winner, is it?]" Pikachu asked.

"[Mmm-hmm!]" she murmured. "[I wish I'd asked for one of these, earlier, instead of the fake one. What's it called?]"

"[It's a...]" He paused as something came to mind. "[Ooh, actually...! I wanted to ask you to do something, first.]"

"[Okay, then! For such a lovely berry, how could I say no~?]"

"[Well... I've been curious about something this whole time. What with you being psychic and all.]"

"[Oh yes?]"

"[Can you... read minds? At all?]"

"[Read minds?]"

"[Yeah. Like... if I think about the berry's name, would you see it?]"

She clapped her hands together somewhat excitedly. "[Ooh, I don't know, but I want to know, now! I'll try~]" She held her hands to the sides of her head.

"[Ah, alright! Gimmie a sec...]" Smiling, he closed his eyes. Honestly, he felt somewhat relieved to hear that. It confirmed she hadn't done it, at least. Still, he needed to know how cautious he had to be for the future if his mind was going to get weird out of nowhere.

Buneary snickered suddenly. "[Ohh, I'm on to you, mister! You thought up something embarrassing at some point, didn't you?]"

He stiffened. Oh no... why did his girlfriend have to be so sharp? "[... Naww!]" he replied, opening his eyes to look at her.

"[Not even the thoughts about Buneary you just had?]" Meloetta asked, grinning.

... Noooooo! "[Um, well, I, er...]" he started, sweating. He looked off to the side. "[Alright, alright. Everyone's comments made me think about it, alright? R-Realistically, it's way too soon to be thinking about kids!]"

Both the girls stared at him with widened eyes.

"[... Wow, really?]" Meloetta said. "[I, um... I was kidding. I haven't tried yet.]"

... He felt his cheeks burn up something fierce. "[... IIIII see.]" He began to laugh. "[S-So was I! I was kidding, too! Caught ya!]"

"[Oh, haha, right,]" Meloetta said, giggling. "[A counter attack~]"

Buneary just looked at Pikachu in... some emotion. It was hard to tell what it was with the extreme blush on her face.

The mouse cleared his throat before nodding towards Meloetta. "[A-Alright, fire away with the... er, your mind reading.]"

"[Firing away!]" she replied, closing her eyes and concentrating.

He continually began to think of the word 'payapa.' He smiled as naturally as he could manage, considering the strange look Buneary was continuing to give him.

After a short while, Meloetta frowned disappointedly and shook her head. "[Nope. My mind is a blank,]" she said. "[… Unless… Mmm, no, that's too mean.]"

"[Oh? What is? I can take whatever you dish out!]"

"[… Unless… your mind is blank~]" She giggled and shook her head. "[Um, I'm kidding, of course!]"

He chuckled. "[Oh, you…]"

Buneary also chuckled, albeit kind of awkwardly. She was also holding her fluff up to cover half her face.

He cringed at the sight. "[… S-Seriously, it was just because of the teasing. It put... weird thoughts in my head,]" he said. He started getting worried when he noticed her blush growing stronger. Mentally going over what he'd said, he gasped. "[Th-Thoughts about eggs! Nothing else! I-I mean... ohhh...]" He grabbed a sitrus berry and smushed it into his face. Its thick, juicy pulp felt really refreshing against his burning cheeks, he wouldn't lie. Especially since he couldn't see her reaction this way. "[… I'm done talking.]"

Meloetta made a noise of confusion. Buneary, however, just... giggled?

She kept on giggling for a good while. "[You're such a dooofus, y'know that?]" she said teasingly.

"[… Maybe a little…]" Pikachu mumbled.

"[I… don't understand,]" Meloetta said. "[Am I missing the joke?]"

"[Nah,]" Buneary replied. "[I think Pikachu here was just thinking about what having kids would be like.]"

Pikachu wiped the sitrus gunk off his face. "[… Pretty much, y-yeah. No thanks to lunch…]" he said. Looking at Buneary, he was relieved to see that she looked as amused as she'd sounded, fluff by her sides again. Thank goodness…

"[Ohhh, okay,]" Meloetta responded, sounding amused. "[So I did catch you out with my joke!]"

"[Red handed, yeah.]"

She beamed. Soon, though, she just seemed perplexed. "[I don't really get it, though… Why is having babies with your beloved such a bad thing?]" She cupped her hands together almost dreamily. "[It'll cement your love~]"

Pikachu gave her an odd look. Briefly looking to the side, he noticed Buneary giving her one, too.

"[… But… we just started dating!]" Buneary said. "[Even I'd never like to go that far into a relationship so fast!]"

"[Y-Yeah,]" Pikachu agreed. "[I've just started getting used being affectionate! I don't wanna get… that affectionate yet!]"

"[Aww…]" Meloetta said with a pout. "[I'll bet the stork's just itching to fly your baby over, too.]"

He blinked. Looking over at Buneary, he saw her blinking blankly, too. The stork? Wait, what?

When he saw her shrug, he just shrugged, too. Meloetta must've just been talking figuratively. "[Um… too bad,]" he said. "[The stork's gonna have to find a new day job for a while.]"

"[Y-Yeah…]" Buneary agreed.

"[Aww…]" Meloetta said, sounding slightly disappointed. She perked up slightly as something seemed to come to mind. "[Oh well, there's plenty more ways to make your love work to the fullest.]"

"[… Um… what like?]" Pikachu asked. Part of him was actually curious, because her dating tips had really helped out before. But after that baby comment… oh dear.

"[Well… naturally, singing to each other is the top priority! Nothing is more romantic than a seranade~]"

He rolled his eyes with a slight smirk. "[How did I know that was gonna be first…?]"

She seemed to accidentally ignore him, lost in her thoughts. "[Next up is… um… Oh! You've held hands and said cute things to each other, yes?]" she asked, looking at them hopefully.

"[Oh, certainly!]" Buneary said.

Pikachu bashfully twiddled his fingers. "[S-Sure have.]"

Meloetta hummed in delight. "[Oh, lovely, lovely! You're two quarters of the way there, then!]"

"[Only two?]" Buneary asked. "[… Um, and don't you mean half-?]"

"[Yup!]" Meloetta continued, apparently missing the last part. "[One of them was singing … and the last quarter of- Oh wait, and there's having your first child, too, of course! But… well, that's on the back burner, isn't it?]"

Pikachu felt his face go as warm as Buneary's face looked.

"[… Like I said, stork's on strike for now,]" he said.

"[And if he comes close, we're not inviting him in,]" Buneary quickly added.

Meloetta sighed slightly. "[Pity… Oh well, but yeah. The last fifth to your relationship would be…]" She beamed brightly, "[kissing~]"

"[K-Kissing!?]" Pikachu and Buneary spluttered out.

"[That's, um…]" Buneary started, her face behind her fluff again. "[That's a thing lovers do, Meloetta. Unless you're a human, anyway.]"

"[Hm? But you are lovers!]" Meloetta said, seeming somewhat confused. "[Or at least, you will be once you kiss. Much like a fairytale~]"

Pikachu rose an eyebrow. "[… I'm a complete noob at romance, and even I know that's not how it goes,]" he said. "[Are you sure you know your love?]"

"[Oh, but of course! I've heard enough love stories from Ridley to be an expert, now.]"

"[… Er, who's Ridley?]" Buneary asked.

"[Oh, he's lovely! He's a human man who takes care of me in his hidden vill-]" She gasped and covered her mouth. "[Uh oh!]" She gave a slight giggle. "[Um… whoopsies! I just realized… that's supposed to be a secret…! But still, trust me… Thanks to my Ridley, I know that, if you think your love is strong now, you haven't seen anything yet~]"

Buneary tapped her paws together slowly. "[Um… alrighty, I think we need a 'love talk', Meloetta.]"

She tilted her head. "[Huh? What do you mean?]"

"[I like Pikachu. I mean… I really, really like Pikachu, but… we're not quite at fairytale romance levels, yet. It takes time for that!]"

"[Hm? But… love is… um…]" She bat her hand into her other one in thought briefly. "[… Oh yes! It's about how long you're willing to make it last. Not how long it has lasted!]"

"[… Well, that's certainly true for some love! But… well, true love… the kind of love where you wanna settle down forever and start families… that's something totally different.]"

"[… Huh?]" Meloetta said in utter confusion. "[But… Ridley's stories…]"

Pikachu also couldn't help but be a little confused. True love…?

"[Stories about fairytale romances are cute…]" Buneary started, "[but they start the same way my feelings for Pikachu started. A big ol' crush that I had on him because he's hot and did a hot thing. And in most stories, they stay that way to the end, too.]"

"[True enough…]" Pikachu piped in. "[And I'm sure you know all about pokémon who have one of those crushes, Meloetta, don't you?]"

The singer tapped her hands together. "[I… suppose… B-But that's only some stories! I know some where they do many things for each other! They go on dates, and hold hands, and share jokes and go on some adventures and stuff. I-I mean… go on adventures and many things like that.]"

"[You ain't wrong!]" Buneary replied. "[If you're lucky, you sometimes get a story where their feelings end up like mine for Pikachu right now. Heavy!]"

Pikachu chuckled bashfully. "[Um… right back at you,]" he said.

She shot him a smile before turning back to Meloetta. "[What those stories never talk about, though… is love love.]"

"[Love… love?]" Meloetta said, a hand held to her mouth.

"[Yeah. Like… when you'd do pretty much anything for someone who'd do anything for you. Bend over backwards for each other… Stick together through thick and thin… Maybe even take a bullet to save each other's lives!]"

Meloetta gasped. "[A-A bullet? Th-That's… um…]"

Buneary paused. "[Um… eheh, okay, maybe that's a bit extreme. But you know what I mean. It's one thing to jump in front of an attack for someone… but knowing that you'll die at the same time? That's how you know it's one of a kind true love!]"

Though still a little shaken by the comment, Meloetta looked rather interested in what she was hearing. Pikachu himself was quite surprised. Wow. For someone who fell in… um, 'love' with him over a potato, this was a pretty smart analysis on what makes real true love.

"[I mean… you've still gotta be realistic about things,]" Buneary continued. "[Stuff can happen to ruin it. Like if your lover does something… I dunno, awful, or whatever. So you shouldn't be blind about it…]"

"[Um… not speaking from experience, I hope,]" Pikachu said in concern.

"[Heehee, um… I've seen it with my own two eyes, before. It's why I know so much.]"

He hoped she'd elaborate, but she didn't seem like she was going to continue that story. Drat, another one for the back burner…

Buneary shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. "[It's why you've gotta take things slow, though. If you rush headfirst into stuff, you might get your heart hurt something fierce.]"

Ahh… that explained why she hadn't flirted any heavier than she had in Sinnoh… or even confessed, for that matter. Because of the incident her unknown friend had been through. Dang… now he felt even more guilty about what he'd done to Buneary this week.

Well… he was going to make up for it. That he knew for sure.

Meloetta looked saddened by Buneary's lecture. "[Oh, I… see,]" she mumbled. He saw the singer's lip tremble briefly, though with a deep breath, she stopped.

Sensing that, the rabbit sheepishly shook her paws. "[H-Hey, don't let me put you off, honey!]"

"[But you make love sound so dangerous and nasty, though…]"

Buneary shook her head and moved over to sling an arm behind Meloetta. "[Don't think that! Love is a lovely thing! You just have to make sure you don't do anything that's rash. Especially for someone you only just started dating. Get the right guy, and it's the best thing that can happen to ya!]"

"[I-I guess, but… ohh… now I'm starting to think I'll never get someone to like me like in Ridley's stories. It sounds so hard…]"

"[Heyyy, don't think that! Just because love doesn't start with a kiss and a cuddle, doesn't mean anything. You start small, and then you work up the couples ladder. And believe me… it's fun doing it~! Just ask me and my handsome man, over here~]" she said, pointing towards Pikachu.

"[Heh, she's not wrong…]" Pikachu said. "[I know I'm having fun!]"

Meloetta perked up quite a bit. "[So… even though it's not true love, you really like it?]"

Buneary nodded cheerfully. "[Mmm-hmm! It's like having a best friend, but better! And hotter~]"

Pikachu chuckled bashfully, not really sure how to respond.

"[Oooh, that sounds just as good as Ridley's storybooks~]" Meloetta chimed in adoration. She paused, seeming a little unsure. "[Oh dear… but when you're dating, how do you even know when you're in love?]"

"[Oh, you'll know it, don't worry,]" Buneary responded. She cupped her paws together in a dreamy way. "[One day, when you look at your lover… your heart will go all aflutter, like you just saw the most wonderful thing on the planet! That's how you know you're in 'heavy crush' mode. The next step to that… is this little comfortable heat that burns inside you whenever you're around them. Like you're in your home, wrapped up in your favorite blanket, near a fire. Something that makes you wanna stay like that forever.]" Smiling warmly, she paused briefly, most likely for emphasis. "[… Oh, and of course, once your lover feels the same way… that's when the true love's a real fairytale romance~]"

Meloetta looked at her in admiration. "[Wooow~! I can't wait until that happens!]" She giggled dreamily. Afterwards, she sighed, however. "[I won't lie, though… I've always hoped that I would be carried away in someone's arms as they save me from danger. Like the dashing knight in a tale. It'd be like the time Ridley saved me from… um… yeah…]" she said, trailing off. She coughed politely and looked innocent. "[… Um, but yes. I suppose I wish I could have that. A knight in shining armor~]"

… Pikachu was so curious that it almost hurt. However, he decided to mind his own business and not ask. Buneary looked to be thinking much the same.

"[H-Hey, well, who knows?]" Pikachu started, trying his best not to sound awkward. "[The thing that set Buneary's crush up a notch was me saving her.]"

"[Ooh? What happened?]" she asked, eyes lighting up.

He was about to respond. However, Buneary piped in excitedly. "[Ooh, we could tell you the whole story, if you want~. Maybe it'll inspire ya!]" she said.

Meloetta clapped her hands together excitedly. "[Yes, please~]"

"[Sounds fair!]" Pikachu added. He picked up a specific berry from the pile. He held it out for Meloetta. "[Here you go. A payapa berry!]"

"[Oh, so that's what it's called!]" she responded happily, taking it. "[Thank you~]"

He smiled at her. "[No problem!]"

He ate a few berries of his own as they all shared the story of how he and Buneary had met and become friends.

As the story went on, he never stopped smiling. This whole ordeal had made him feel closer to Buneary than ever. Even if it was a little weird that the one who had given him love advice was being given love advice… by the one that he'd wanted love advice for.

… Life was very strange, sometimes.


TO BE CONTINUED!


Finished: 29/03 (March)/2018

Word count: 4,619

VGS2's pointless notes: Hm… y'know, looking at that fight scene, I could've actually shoved it into the previous chapter. That, plus a good cut off point for the picnic scene would've only added about 800 words to the previous chappie. *Shrugs* Oh wellz! Maybe I'll mess around with that at some point and fuse it onto the previous chappie.

For now, though, I hope you enjoyed the last of the fight scene and the 'what is love' talk. :P Next up is one more 'picnic chapter', so to speak… but with something to keep it interesting! And no, it won't be a complete retelling of Setting The World On Its Buneary, don't worry. What is this, Game-Changer? XP (Don't answer that.)

Shameless promotion: Today, let's talk about another frequent reviewer called Ri2! Like I do with most people, I haven't actually read much of his stuff yet, because I'm the king of posers… but glancing at several of his stories, I must say that he's another good one!

It seems that he writes for fricktons of different franchises, such as: The Leg of Zalda, Sanic The Hotdog, Digimen, Me Lil' Pony… and of course, everyone's favourite, Pokingmoms. Plus a whole load of other franchises that I could probably ruin the name of if I felt like it. So yeah, there's a smorgasboard of content available for you guys from him, for sure!

Most notably, he has a fic featuring Latias called 'Latias' Journey' which has over a thousand reviews! O,o You know something must at least be pretty decent if it has so many. Either that, or it's something like My Immortal, or whatever…

Thankfully, that's not the case here. Skimming through Latias' Journey, I can tell that it's really neat- (Actually skims through a few chapters right now, eyes widened as frick) … Holy crap, this thing's dark. O,o Um, maybe only read that one if you're 18 or older, kiddies. It's, like, a pure edge fic. Like, it's on levels of 'if Dark Ryder bred with Infinite from Sonic Forces and then their resulting offspring rode a motorbike with chainsaws for wheels into some location in Resident Evil to blast nuclear rape zombies in the face with an uzi' edgy. It actually threw me off-guard.

… But yeah, it's still pokeyman, I think, so go and leave a review!

… Flipping heck, what a way to round off a chapter that talks about love for, like, eighty pages. Oiiii… XD

Fun mistake/s of the day: #1: 'He used the force to launch himself back into the air and away from the area.'

(This is a Star Wars fic, now, apparently. Though maybe he's referring to his aura, which every fic is obsessed with ever since Lucario joined Smash Brothers. "Watch the power of aura! The aura is with me! Feel the aura! Max aura!")

#2: 'Holy moly… the kid had slammed him into the ground with enough force to create a huge, long creator in the earth. '

(All hail, Snivy, the creator of Arceus! … Actually, Arceus is a massive jerk in everything he appears in, so screw you, Snivy! D:)

#3: 'Warily looking over at Trip,'

(Wrong word! Now he's just cautiously looking over at Trip! Though after what happened in MewLover54's Critical Condition… maybe that's a wise move. XP)

#4: '"[You'll never be able to use Ice Beam again!]" "[Heehee, don't worry, I know~]" she said before biting down on it.'

(Apparently, she wants to get rid of her Ice Beam? I guess Pikachu's tale of losing his electricity inspired her, because unlike the Buneary in most other fics, this one wants less moves instead of more.)

#5: 'if his mind was gong to get weird out of nowhere.'

(I, too, wish I had a musical instrument in my brain that summoned weirdness from nowhere.)

#6: 'Honesty, he felt somewhat relived to hear that.'

(Honesty sounds like the most pretentious, Twilight-esque name ever. Thankfully, what she'd said apparently brought her male friend back to life, so it's all good.)

#5: 'Its thick felt really relaxing, he wouldn't lie.'

(Its thick… what, dare I ask? What're you doing, Buneary? D:)

#6: '"[Aww…]" Meloetta said with a pout. "[I'll bet the stalk's just itching to fly your baby over, too.]"'

(The stalk? Is it a beanstalk that delivers babies? Or perhaps an appropriately named stalker? Either way…)

#7: 'but if you're lucky, they end up being like like'

(I hope not. I hate that shield-eating Zelda enemy! I wish it was back in Smash Brothers, though. It reminds me of my Melee days.)

#8: 'The singer. Tapped her hands together.'

(*William Shatner voice* Yes she. Sure. Did.)

#9: "[but if you're lucky, they end up being like my feelings for… I Pikachu. Heavy!]"

(While fixing my sentence, I accidentally gave the rabbit a stroke. Sorry, Buneary!)

#10: "[Just because love doesn't start with a kiss and a cuddle doesn't mate,]"

(Oh, Jesus Christ… I think I've been reading too many lagomorph stories. Especially the ones that use Unfezent's version of the word… O,o )

Alrighty, tata for now, guys! c:


Next up: Putting on a show!