Arc IV: A Different Tale
Chapter 18: Befriending A Buddy
Finally - after blasting off Team Rocket and getting all the apple gunk off of Pikachu's body - he, Buneary and Meloetta were making their way back to camp. On the horizon, he saw that all the tents had been put away, though Ash and Dawn were still doing some training, it seemed.
While Pikachu and the two girls walked or hovered closer, he watched the training. On Ash's order, Snivy launched a huge flurry of leaves towards Togekiss, who was sailing through the air.
Dawn ordered her to dodge out of the way, so, in a stylish manner, she did. On Dawn's next command, she performed several twirls and lobbed a ball of aura at the snake. It hit her, sending her flying backwards. She lay there, dazed.
The others gave a cheer as Cilan called the winner of the training. Buneary cheered, too, though Pikachu could only sigh. Dang... this meant more training in the future, for sure. Oh well, not that he minded too much. Unlike the old days, he actually quite enjoyed it now. Especially when he got to do something impressive!
Hearing some light whimpering from Meloetta, he looked up at her. She was nervously looking around while fiddling with her hair.
His ears dipped. Dang… she'd been pretty on edge since Team Rocket had reared their ugly heads again after so long. It was depressing to see.
"[Hey, Meloetta,]" he said, stopping.
She squeaked in surprise. Collecting herself, she hovered closer to the ground. "[Y-Yes, Pikachu?]" she asked.
He smiled at her. "[Don't worry, alright? Team Rocket have been chasing me for, like, two years now… and they haven't gotten any closer to getting me! So stick around us, and you'll be just as fine!]"
Stopped next to them, Buneary smiled softly at her. "[Yeah. While we're around, they don't stand a chance!]" she chimed.
Meloetta took a breath and smiled faintly. "[M-Maybe you're right. Thank you.]" She looked a bit saddened. "[It's just that… they're the ones who stole me away from where I came from.]"
"[… They are?]" Pikachu and Buneary both asked at once.
"[Y-Yes… They used a magical cube… thing to trap me in. Then they took me away to their flying vehicle, while distracting The Protectors with their scary pokémon.]"
"[R-Really? Team Rocket?]" Pikachu asked.
"[That… doesn't sound very Team Rocket,]" Buneary mumbled. "[They usually have to make a song and dance out of everything, so… the direct approach? Really?]"
"[They… have been getting a little more serious than I remember 'em being. Competent, too,]" he admitted to her. He turned to Meloetta. "[What'd they do to you?]"
"[Th-They kept demanding me to sing, or they would 'get serious'. I was really scared, so I just sung everything I know while trying not to cry.]" Her eyes widened and she turned her head away, face reddening. "[N-Not that I would've cried, of course.]"
"[Huh… um, yeah, of course…]" Wow, he was in shock, he wouldn't lie. Threats and devious tactics weren't beneath them, he supposed... but their hearts were too soft to actually upset someone. It was almost like they'd joined the actual Team Rocket, or something. Like, for real.
Buneary's eyes began to water. "[Awww, honey…]" she said in pity. She moved towards the singer and tenderly wrapped her arms around her. "[We'll make double sure to keep you away from them, then! Don't worry…]"
Meloetta reacted in surprise. Soon, though, she seemed to brighten up, eagerly returning the hug. "[Um… o-okay~. Thanks, I feel better already,]" she chimed.
Pikachu nodded happily. "[Good to hear. We might not be 'Protectors', like the guys you know… but with us, there's nowhere safer!]" he said, pumping a fist.
Meloetta hummed happily. "[You two are so nice to me~. I hardly deserve any of it, but I'm so thankful.]"
"[You're a very sweet girl, so of course ya do!]" Buneary replied, nuzzling her.
Meloetta blushed, smile brightening.
Pikachu beamed warmly at the sight. How sweet.
When the girls broke away from each other, something occurred to him. "[Hey, if you don't mind me asking… how'd you escape Team Rocket?]" he asked.
"[I don't know…]" Meloetta replied, "[but one of the songs I sung was my 'Song Of Lovely Dancing'. Which, as you know, makes me a little… cuckoo crazy, to put it lightly.]"
"[Heh, ah, okay. So you punched and kicked your way out?]"
"[I assume so, but… I was really panicking, so I had a little less control than usual. Whatever happened, I didn't see it, because I kind of… blanked out. Until I woke up next to those unconscious gyarados, anyway…]"
His eyes widened. Lord, who casually knocks out gyaradoses in their sleep!?
"[Okay, then. Wow…]" Buneary said, sounding just as impressed as he was. "[Not bad at all~. I'll bet, though, that after you get all that training… you won't even need to use Relic Song to stay safe.]"
"[I hope so~!]" Meloetta sang. She looked like she was about to continue, but then she blinked, having noticed something in the distance.
Buneary's ears sprang up and she turned around, as if she'd heard the same thing the singer had seen. Curious, Pikachu followed suit and turned around. Seeing Oshawott and Piplup lumbering towards them, however, he exhaled through his nose. Oh dear, he saw where this was going…
"[Oh no, not this again…]" Meloetta grumbled. "[Um, th-thank you for the lovely time, my friends, but… I'm gone.]" She turned invisible and hastily floated away.
"[Er… bye?]" Buneary replied, sounding very confused.
"[Best of luck…]" Pikachu groaned.
Seconds later, Piplup and Oshawott barged past them, running in Meloetta's general direction.
"[Meloettaaaaa! I missed youuu!]" Oshawott called out. "[You're so cute and pretty and beautiful, come baaaack!]"
"[I think you're way more beautiful, cute and pretty!]" Piplup called out. "[Come back, so I can prove my looooove!]"
They continued rambling as they ran along, completely ignoring Pikachu and Buneary.
"[… What just happened?]" Buneary mumbled.
Pikachu sighed deeply and put his paws on his hips. "[Shenanigans,]" he grumbled.
She tilted her head. "[Um… okay?]"
"[Heh, don't worry, you'll get to see more of 'em later on, trust me.]" He smiled at her. "[You're really kind, you know that? You treated Meloetta like she was your kid, or something. Even though she's probably, like, thousands of years old.]"
She blushed. "[Heehee, well, y'know…]" She winked. "[Gotta get in the practice for the next time you have babies on the brain~]"
He felt himself blush five times more than her. "[H-Hey…]"
She giggled again. "[Seriously though, she deserves it. She sounds like she's been through a lot. Especially since she's such a timid little lamb.]"
"[Yeah… makes a better mareep than an ancient being.]"
"[Heehee, you're not wrong…]" She looked at him curiously. "[Why d'you think she's so old, anyway? She doesn't exactly act it.]"
"[Cynthia called her a mythical pokémon, and they're usually pretty old. Plus… er, Piplup told me he did some research on Meloetta. She's been around for a really long time, taking care of a temple, or something. But her power was too great, so it got wars started as people scrambled to get a hold of her. So she was hidden away, for her and everyone's safety. Hence all that Protector stuff, I guess,]" he replied, deciding to tell a half-truth. Mentioning that he'd been the one who'd researched that old tale, once upon a time, would've brought about one heck of an awkward conversation…
… Knowing Piplup though, he probably had totally done that, plus more. So hey…
"[Huh, alright then. Guess she must be pretty sheltered.]"
"[I'll believe it…]" He inclined his head towards camp. "[Anyways, let's get back to the others. They'll probably wanna start making tracks.]"
"[Yeah, fair enough. Let's go, then~]" She reached for his paw.
He happily gripped it and walked alongside her, back to camp.
It had been half an hour or so since the gang had packed up their training and set off for Cynthia's villa. With a little luck, they would be there by dusk. As usual whenever Ash was leading, though, they were fairly lost, so it was pretty unlikely.
Most of the pokémon had been recalled into their pokéballs, though some remained. Obviously, Pikachu hadn't gone into his ball, because he hated that silly thing. It made him feel oddly sick whenever he went into it for too long, almost like carsickness, or something. Knowing the way they rocked back and forth while they were on their trainer's belts, he had a good idea of why. Ugh...
Much to his joy, Buneary had also decided to stay out for the ride, her paw intertwined with his. She was also wearing her lovely orange vest with the pink heart on it, which went beautifully with her brown fur and cream fluff. In his opinion, anyway…
Looking around, he saw Meloetta floating near Ash, a somewhat pleased expression on her face. Pikachu liked to imagine she was in a good mood because of all the time she'd spent with him and Buneary… but he knew that it was, most likely, because Oshawott and Piplup weren't currently fighting with each other over her. For once.
On that note, he saw Piplup milling around Emolga, seemingly begging her for something. With crossed arms, she had her head turned away from the penguin, as if unimpressed with him. Considering how obsessed with Oshawott he was, Pikachu wondered if Piplup had been trying to dig up dirt on him for a while. The mouse half-considered mentioning her love of apples to him, but… well, no. Forget that.
Rolling his eyes, he spotted Axew and Pachirisu hitching a ride inside of Iris' humongous purple hair. The squirrel was talking endlessly while Axew lapped it up, clearly enjoying himself. Honestly, it was the most excited Pikachu had ever seen anyone get about her stories, so it was somewhat charming to see.
The same thing couldn't be said for Snivy, however, who was coiled around Ash's cap, apparently trying to nap. Pikachu could see some frown lines begin to form on her face, as if the constant noise was disturbing her siesta. He was intrigued by how they kept deepening, so he couldn't stop himself from staring.
Her eyes suddenly shot open out of nowhere and glared directly into Pikachu's, making him jump. Sweating, he immediately turned his attention back to Buneary, hoping the pretty sight would calm his heart back down. Though, to be fair, it was just as likely to make it flare up again for different reasons.
When he looked at her, he noticed her attention was on something to his other side, though with a slight worried frown. Raising an eyebrow, he turned to look in the same direction. He noticed Oshawott trudging along a short distance away, looking vaguely distressed. The mouse's eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
"[What's wrong with him?]" Buneary asked.
"[I dunno… he's not usually like that, unless something's on his mind,]" Pikachu responded.
"[Should we go see if he's alright?]"
Pikachu smiled. "[Good idea.]"
Letting go of each other's paws, they walked over to Oshawott. Once he noticed them approaching, they waved towards him.
"[Hey, kid!]" Pikachu greeted.
"[Oh, er, hey!]" the otter greeted back.
"[You doing alright over here, bucko?]" Buneary asked, giving him a gentle look.
Oshawott blushed lightly, not that Pikachu was terribly surprised. Thankfully, he seemed to be holding his tongue on flirting with her. "[Um… k-kinda,]" he replied.
"[Only kinda?]" Pikachu asked. "[Why's that?]"
"[Well…]" Tears streamed down the otter's face, "[nobody wants to hang out with meeeee!]"
Buneary seemed caught off-guard by his sudden crying, though Pikachu was a little used to it by this point. The otter was almost as melodramatic as Piplup could get, at times.
"[No one?]" Pikachu asked.
"[Nooo! Meloetta said she wanted to hang out with just Ash, and everyone else is sticking with each other, so now I have no oooone!]"
"[Aww…]" Buneary said, looking sympathetic.
Pikachu titled his head. "[Er, why didn't you just head off into your pokéball, or something like that?]"
"[It's lonely in there by myself…]" he explained. He began to frown, tears vanishing. "[Besides, who knows what that penguin will do if I leave him alone with Meloetta! Forget that!]" His frown deepened. "[… On that note, I'm not hanging around Piplup.]"
Pikachu could only sigh in exasperation. However, Buneary chuckled, instead. "[Wow, you sure are a mood swinger, aren't you?]" she asked.
Oshawott's light blush returned. "[Eheh, everyone always said I was a little emotional…]"
"[Heehee, how precious!]" she cooed. "[Well, everyone says the same about me, so I can relate.]"
He looked surprised. "[Wow, really?]"
"[She can be a little, yeah,]" Pikachu responded, grinning. "[I think she's gone through every emotion today at least once. Usually with a lot of crying.]"
"[Heyyy…!]" Buneary said, nudging him in the shoulder. "[Wazzat supposed to mean?]"
He chuckled. "[Not that I mind, of course.]" He tapped his fingers together bashfully. "[It's… cute.]"
She giggled. "[D'aww…!]"
Oshawott's sad look returned. When Pikachu saw it, he frowned sadly. "[Oh… I get it. Seeing me and Buneary together made you feel bad, right?]" he asked.
The otter nodded. "[Yeah…]" Tears streamed down his face again. "[Why is everyone lucky in love but meee!?]"
Pikachu gave him an exasperated look. "[Well, you are always flirting with everything under the sun…]"
Oshawott stopped crying to frown lightly. "[And what's wrong with that? You can't get results unless you do lots of talking to girls.]"
"[Oh, so you're the flirting type, are ya?]" Buneary asked, looking both amused and intrigued.
"[Yeah, I wanna talk to all the girls!]" He paused. "[… But not you, 'cos you're taken.]"
She laughed. "[Wow… you remind me so much of someone, kid.]"
"[Lemmie guess… Brock?]" Pikachu retorted, amused.
"[Oh yeah… Heehee, him too, I guess!]" she replied. Not noticing the otter's confused glance, she shook her head. "[But no, I'm... talking about me, actually.]"
Pikachu and Oshawott's eyes went wide.
"[Huh!?]" Pikachu said.
Blushing, she fiddled with her fluff. "[Eheh, y-yeah… long before I met you, I… liked to flirt with lots of boys. No, heck, all the boys.]" Her blush deepened. "[It's really embarrassing looking back on it, though.]"
Oshawott blinked. "[Like… 'going up to them, and saying something like "Heeeyyy, baby!" before getting weird looks or being totally ignored' kinds of flirting, right?]"
She gasped lightly. "[Yeah, exactly like that! Well… I mean, I guess I scared most of the boys away, but close enough.]"
"[Wow… a girl after my own heart!]" he chimed before shuffling around irritably. "[Dang it, now I really wish I'd gotten in there first! Aghh!]"
She giggled. "[Well, I don't think I'd have gone for you, anyway, no offense. You're a bit too young for me.]"
He flopped to the ground dejectedly. "[Aww…]"
Stopping to help him up along with Buneary, Pikachu couldn't help but give her an odd look. Huh… well, it explained why she was such a natural at flirting, he supposed. Not that he'd ever fully picked up on it back in the day, but still.
That… wasn't how it'd gone down with him, was it?
… No, that didn't make sense at all. Especially with what she'd said about how she'd gotten her feelings for him. Besides, she'd only ever gone for him, when there'd been plenty of other boys on the team. He must've been the special exception, he guessed!
Helping him to hoist Oshawott to his feet, Buneary blinked when she noticed Pikachu's look. "[O-Oh, um… y'know. Not that I've been doing that recently. I only did that when I was a little kid. I stopped when I met… um…]" She fiddled with her fluff again, "[… you know.]"
Huh… interesting pause. Hm… well, her old trainer was still a vaguely secret topic, so it must've been them. Whoever they were.
Pikachu smiled. "[Well, fair enough. I didn't think the whole 'flirting with everyone' thing happened with me around. You were affectionate to people, but not that affectionate.]"
Giving a relieved breath, she smiled back. "[Well, that's a relief, thanks…]"
They began walking again, though slightly more briskly to catch up with the others.
Pikachu huffed amusedly. "[Guess I should find it reassuring, really. Maybe it means Oshawott might grow up and stop one day, too.]"
"[Hey, what're you talking about?]" Oshawott retorted, annoyed. "[I'm plenty grown up! Ladies love someone who's suave and cool and alpha.]"
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "[You are? As if…]"
Crossing his arms, Oshawott grumbled.
Buneary giggled again. "[Y'know, if you're anything like I was… I'm sure girls don't really like someone who acts desperate all the time,]" she said. "[That's what some of the boys I flirted with said, anyway… And, remembering a certain phione and how creeped out I felt around him, I can totally vouch for it being the other way, too.]"
Oshawott looked at her in intrigue. "[Huh? But… I'm not being desperate! I'm… just flirting.]"
"[It certainly looks desperate, to me and the others,]" Pikachu replied. "[Just like Ash's old friend, Brock. He's been flirting since I met him almost three years ago, and it's not helped him at all.]"
"[Yup!]" Buneary agreed. "[And I only started getting results when I stopped being so obvious, and actually tried to make friends with the guy I liked. We learned so much about each other, and played with each other all the time, until, eventually, we…]" She paused briefly, a blush forming. "[… Well, you… know how it ended. With Pikachu. Heehee!]"
Pikachu smiled at her. "[Yup, all true! After all, I… um…]" He twiddled his fingers together, "[wouldn't wanna go out with anyone who wasn't one of my… best friends.]"
She beamed brightly at him with a happy hum, making his heart jump about all the more.
Oshawott stalled for a while, staring at the two of them contemplatively. "[Well… I… guess that makes sense…]" he replied eventually.
Pikachu's eyes widened slightly. Wow, he was actually considering it? That was honestly surprising.
Well, now that he had the otter's interest… "[Y'know… Piplup also acts really desperate around girls. And not just Meloetta, either,]" he said.
The otter looked shocked. "[Really? That guy?]"
Pikachu nodded. "[Yup! There was the day when he fought with a little kid over the love of a marill… and he lost hopelessly. He cried all day, afterwards, even though he'd barely known her.]"
Oshawott laughed while slapping his belly repeatedly. "[Wow, and he thought I had no class.]"
Pikachu grinned. "[So yeah, you don't wanna be like that do ya? Acting like Piplup when it comes to girls.]"
The otter immediately shut up, shock spreading across his face. "[Ack, no way!]"
"[Exactly, so there's some food for thought,]" Pikachu added with a wink.
Oshawott shivered. "[Being like Piplup… ugh… Alright, yeah, fair comment.]"
Pikachu chuckled. Buneary, though, tilted her head. "[Wait a sec… you're the one Piplup's been talking about all week, are ya?]" she asked.
Oshawott frowned. "[Oh, he's been talking about me, has he? Dumb jerk.]"
Pikachu gave the bunny an odd glance. "[You only just noticed? Oshawott and Piplup have been loudly fighting over Meloetta since you guys got here.]"
After a few blinks, Buneary rubbed the back of her head. "[Heehee, um… I hadn't really been paying attention, honestly. I was a bit preoccupied, and stuff.]" She giggled awkwardly again when Pikachu gave her an exasperated look. "[Er, s-still, I heard Piplup saying lots of stuff about 'that lady-stealing jerk' and other stuff like that. Even a little loneliness can't distract me from his rambles.]"
"[Hmph. Sounds about right…]" Oshawott mumbled. "[Even though he's twice the girlfriend snatcher…]"
Pikachu briefly gave a sad frown at her 'loneliness' comment, but he lightly shook his head to clear his thoughts. Getting so depressed and lonely that she didn't even notice Oshawott and Piplup's rivalry… He still had so much making up to do.
Thankfully not noticing Pikachu's brief mood dip, Buneary looked at Oshawott curiously. "[Say, why do you like Meloetta so much, anyway?]" she asked. "[Is that just a 'she's cute, wanna date' crush, too?]"
"[Hey, it's not juuuust that…]" the otter argued.
Pikachu gave a small smirk. "[It's also because she's got a very nice singing voice, too, right?]"
Oshawott blinked. He blinked again. Shortly after, he smiled sheepishly. "[… She's also nice. And smells nice. And…]" He paused, "[… is nice.]"
Pikachu couldn't help but laugh. "[Oh.]"
Buneary also chuckled, though not without a look of understanding. "[You might wanna work on that, kiddo, but… well, I was the same way with Pikachu, once.]"
Oshawott's eyes widened. "[Huh? Really?]"
"[Yeah! I only started liking him because he had a cute face, and he was really cool, and nice, and just all around awesome!]"
Pikachu felt his face getting warmer. "[Eheh, um, so the story goes…]"
Oshawott pouted at him. "[… Lucky,]" he grumbled.
Chuckling, Buneary cut in. "[But… well, that's not why I kept crushing on him. It helped, sure, but it was just icing on the cake. He sacrificed his freedom to help me escape Team Rocket, before we even really knew each other… Afterwards, we laughed and played and bonded for hours every day in Sinnoh…]"
"[We were basically a match made in Heaven,]" Pikachu added with a soft smile, face warming.
She blushed, her smile similar to his. "[Heehee, yeah.]"
Oshawott stuck his tongue out in disgust. "[Cheeeeesy!]" he retorted.
Jolting, Pikachu felt his cheeks warm even further. "[H-Hey…!]" he said.
Giggling lightly, Buneary bashfully fiddled with her fluff. "[Heh, s-so, um, there ya have it. That's how you get a partner, honey. You have to earn it!]" she said.
Huffing, the otter glanced down at the ground, seemingly contemplating things. Eventually, he nodded at them. "[Yeah… I guess it's… something to think about.]" He pulled a duck face. "[… Still think my method's the most fun, though.]"
Giggling again, Buneary rubbed him on the head. "[Well, can't argue with that.]"
Pikachu huffed amusedly. He couldn't say he saw the appeal. Obviously, unless he was doing it with Buneary. That was… kind of fun, if not embarrassing.
"[Anyway, c'mon, kid!]" she continued, patting Oshawott on the back. "[Why don't you introduce me to all your friends? I don't think I've talked to many of 'em, yet.]"
The otter beamed. "[Oh, sure! That sounds fun! Heehee!]"
She beamed back. "[Sure does! Lead the way~]"
"[Heh, why don't you two enjoy yourselves?]" Pikachu said, quickening his pace. "[Quilava asked me to battle him, earlier. So I may as well go talk to him about planning a fight for later, when we stop for a break.]"
Buneary nodded. "[Cool! Okay, Pikachu.]"
"[Alright, then. See ya later!]" Oshawott replied.
"[See ya!]" Pikachu replied.
"[Um…]" Buneary started, looking contemplative. Before Pikachu could ask what was up, she inched towards him and nuzzled her head against his. "[… See you soon, babe~]"
He felt his face heat up. "[O-Oh, um… yeah, totally! Bye, um… b-babe!]" he replied, smiling in a manner he hoped didn't look too awkward.
She gave a pleased hum in response. A sound that made his heart speed up.
"[… Still really jealous…]" Oshawott huffed out with a pout.
Buneary giggled and moved away while Pikachu rolled his eyes at the otter. Mostly to avoid spluttering out an awkward response. "[W-Well… catch ya!]" he muttered, moving towards Dawn to hopefully get her to let Quilava out.
As he came closer to Dawn, he turned around to glimpse at Buneary and Oshawott again. He smiled when he noticed the two of them happily chatting while making their way to Emolga, who'd managed to escape Piplup's pestering. It was a strangely charming sight.
When he turned back to face Dawn, Piplup suddenly appeared in front of him, making him nearly jump out of his skin.
"[Agh, Piplup!]" he cried.
"[Yes, me!]" Piplup said.
Pikachu took many deep breaths. Eventually, with a sigh, he put his paws to his hips. "[Okay… what's up, pal?]" He frowned lightly. "[… And did you have to scare me half to death for it?]"
"[Hey, you should've been looking where you were walking, man,]" the penguin retorted, walking in the same direction as the others to keep up with them.
Following him, Pikachu's face heated slightly. "[… Fair comment.]"
"[And yeah, nothing's up. I wanted to ask about you and Buneary!]"
"[Oh yeah?]"
"[Yeah! I can hardly believe it! You're finally together? Truly?]"
Pikachu twiddled his fingers together. "[Yeah… we are.]"
Piplup beamed. "[At long last! Good legends, part of me was thinking that you'd never get together!]"
"[Heh… w-well… y'know…]"
"[So… what convinced you, finally? Did you sit down, and actually think about all the times I ever told you about her obvious feelings?]"
Pikachu tented his paws together. "[… Um, not quite.]"
"[Did you… er, notice Meloetta's love for me and only me and realize it's the same as you and Buneary… or something?]"
"[… Nope?]"
Piplup looked confused. "[Huh? Then how'd you find out? Did she tell you?]"
Pikachu scratched the back of his neck. "[Nope. Um… Emolga did.]"
"[… Excuse me?]"
"[Y-Yeah! She, um… told me about… something Buneary said, and…]" Pikachu grimaced. "[… Why're you giving me that look, buddy?]"
Piplup angrily flailed his flippers around. "[What the freaking heck, Pikachu!? You'll listen to some gossiping Jane, but you won't listen to one of your best friends!?]"
Pikachu yelped loudly. "[S-Sorry, Piplup! She gave me a convincing argument, I swear!]"
He tapped his foot impatiently. "[What argument of hers could be better than mine!?]"
Pikachu blinked. Scratching the back of his neck again, he swallowed. "[I… I gave her apples a-and she, um… y'know. Told me what she heard Buneary say, and stuff.]"
Piplup began to flail again. "[So you trusted her story wholeheartedly because you fed her!?]"
"[W-Well, it's better than just hearing assumptions, pal, c'mon!]"
Piplup looked like he was going to argue back, but stalled. Blinking blankly a few times, he stomped his foot and crossed his arms. "[Th-That's not the point! You still should've thought about it more than you did!]"
Pikachu exhaled through his nose. "[… Yeah… you're right. I should've listened more. Sorry.]"
Piplup looked surprised, as if not expecting the apology. "[Oh… well… that's alright.]" He sighed and smiled. "[I guess the only important thing is that you two are finally an item now, so… good work.]"
Pikachu smiled back. "[Yeah, thanks.]" He snapped his fingers. "[Oh yeah, and Togekiss! She confirmed what Emolga said, being the one who Buneary was talking to, 'n' all. That's what sealed the deal for me.]"
The penguin's face lit up even more. "[Ah, that so? Well, that changes everything! She's the most trustworthy gal I know.]"
"[Heh, yup! She even helped me come to terms with how I feel for Buneary, too.]"
"[Oh, really? Wow, she's such a saint. I'm going to compliment her so much in our next preening session.]"
"[… Preening session?]" Pikachu asked, head tilted.
"[Yeah. We both have feathers, so for convenience, we decided to groom each other with our beaks,]" Piplup explained before rubbing his beak. "[Well… my beak, anyway. She doesn't have one, so she's not so good at it… But it's still relaxing, so I like it.]"
"[Oh, well, fair enough. Well, she always was the motherly type, so that makes sense.]"
Piplup's eyes widened. "[What? Motherly? Pikachu, she's younger than I am!]"
Pikachu's eyes went wider than his. "[What!? But you're only, like, four or something, right? How is she younger?]"
"[Well… easily. Togepi evolve from happiness, and then they use some evolution stone after that… so I guess she got really happy and then her rich family bought one, or something. I dunno, I haven't gotten that part of the story, yet.]"
Huh… that would explain her giddy tendencies as of late. Still, how could she be so motherly, otherwise!? Pokémon did mentally age quickly compared to humans, that was true… but not that freaking quickly, jeez. Next, Pikachu would find out that Meloetta was like… newborn, or something. Something impossible for a mythical pokémon. Well, one that went down in legend as much as her, anyway. From what Cynthia had said.
Piplup frowned at Pikachu. "[Hey, no need to look so surprised! Togekiss being young isn't a surprise!]"
Pikachu almost retorted with a comment about how he used to think she was older than he himself was… but he held his tongue for the good of his own health. "[Um, y-yeah… sorry.]"
Huffing, the penguin shrugged. "[Whatever, it's cool. Just don't let her know, or she'll get upset. Maybe.]"
"[R-Right.]"
Piplup brightened up. "[Anyway, all the same… good job with everything, man. I'm proud of you.]"
Pikachu smiled. "[Thanks, man.]"
Piplup began to walk elsewhere, though he stopped as something seemed to come to mind. "[Oh, say… you were talking to that lady stealer a little earlier, weren't you?]"
"[Um… yeah?]" Pikachu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Piplup smiled pleasantly, in an obviously forced way. "[Well…]"
"[I'm not saying anything…]" Pikachu sighed. "[Who do you think I am? Emolga?]"
The penguin flailed around in annoyance. "[Oh, come oooon! Buddy, you've gotta tell me his secrets!]"
"[No… Oshawott's my friend, so no secrets.]"
"[Awwwwww!]" Piplup wailed. He crossed his arms. "[Hmph. Fine, fine… I'll just learn his secrets the old fashioned way, then.]" He balled a flipper. "[And then I shall date Meloetta and show that jerk who's boss!]"
Pikachu gave him an exasperated look. "[… Best of luck, buddy.]"
"[I don't need no luck… but thanks, pal!]" Piplup replied, walking in another direction.
Rolling his eyes lightly, Pikachu glanced back at Dawn. Amusingly, he noticed Meloetta floating partially invisible behind her, as if trying to stay out of the penguin's view. Considering how confused the penguin looked as he walked elsewhere, it was safe to assume that her plan was working.
Spotting Buneary and Oshawott having a happy conversation with Emolga, Pikachu grinned happily. Honestly, he was starting to wish he'd listened to Piplup ages ago. The mouse had missed out on so much…
Oh well, it was like he kept telling himself. He was ready to make up for it, and more! Even if he still wasn't the best at it, he was determined to become a great boyfriend!
Happy with that thought, he continued walking over to Dawn.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Finished: 19/19 (May)/2015
Word count: 5,075
Old chapter name: Making A Buddy.
VGS2's pointless notes: I won't lie; I actually made this chapter and the next several upcoming chapters (except for the next one) months before the picnic ones. In fact, I'm pretty sure this chapter (minus the whole Meloetta section at the start) was supposed to happen immediately after Cringing A Ton … So yeah, I shoved in quite a lot of extra stuff, eh? XP If anything feels inconsistent, it probably is, so please lemmie know!
(Anti-confusion disclaimer: Also, the 'Meloetta beating up gyarados' thing didn't actually happen in the show. What, did you think they're capable of funny jokes? As if. XP)
Shameless promotion: Today, I'm promoting ravengal, again! Have you read her fic, Shallow Waters yet? It updated twice recently, and not many reviewed, so I shall take it upon myself to give it another shout-out!
In it, Buneary the quirky rabbit has the hots for Pikachu! And she even feels like confessing! However, it seems like Pikachu has some issues he needs to work out. Issues that nobody but him are aware of. Will Buneary be able to bring these hidden problems out, in some way, shape or form? Only one way to find out!
It's really good, and has fun characters! But it's not quite as review happy as her other stories, so I thought I'd let'cha know about it. XP
Fun mistake/s of the day: #1: 'She lay there laid'
(Whoops. XD I was testing out the two different ways of referring to someone lying on the ground, and then Snivy had some fun, I guess. XP)
#2: 'With a little luck, they would be their by dusk,'
(Don't be someone's by dusk. That sounds overly pretentious.)
#3: 'His frown deepend.'
(He must be frowning pretty hard if it's in the deep end. O,o Sums up Oshawott's relationship with Piplup, though, that's for sure.)
#4: "[I heard Piplup saying lots of stuff about 'that leady-stealing jerk]"
(Don't steal people's lead, kiddies. Or they might pump you full of it.)
#5: 'Huffing the otter glanced down at the ground, as if contemplating things.'
(Don't huff the otter! Is this the latest drug craze that is sweeping the nation? Unless it's a Sonic OC…)
Alrighty, that's that, I guess! Laters, guys! c:
Next up: Learning a thing or two!
