Authors Note: Hello, and welcome to my first ever fanfiction. This work is primarily inspired and influenced by ravengal and VGS2 the sexy sausage. If anyone is interested in good Lagomorphshipping stories, or good quality writing in general, I highly recommend checking both of their works out.
This fanfic is actually intended to be an early-chapter in a much larger story that I am currently brainstorming. Based on how well things went with this one and how I keep getting new ideas, I may actually commit to starting on it as soon as I can.
As my first fanfic work, please give any constructive criticism and advice on improvements. I chose this chapter as my first one to publish because I think it's a decent representation of what to expect with the larger piece of work.
Anyway, on with the show!
It was quite the cold day in Sinnoh. The fall season had only just begun but already the chilliness had set in. The flying Pokémon in the region had nestled in their tree homes, the forest critters snuggled in their burrows and Ash's group were cozying up in a quaint cabin in the forest.
Ash Ketchum, as usual, was looking forward to gaining ground on their journey towards his first gym battle. The hard-headed 10-year-old Pokémon trainer insisted on continuing their travels even in the cold weather but after some convincing from Brock and some high-pitched complaining from Dawn, he acquiesced and the three settled in the log cabin until the weather eased up.
Inside the cabin the three trainers sat in the kitchen with Brock beginning to make preparations for warm food. Ash was going on and on about how excited he was to get his first gym badge and how exactly he'd go about it. Dawn meanwhile was looking at Poké Chic, trying to gain inspiration for future outfits.
In the living room sat all of their Pokémon, awaiting in eagerness for their food to be prepared but also simply enjoying the warmness of the cabin. Some of the Pokémon, not very used to cold weather, were wrapped up in blankets.
On the couch sat Pikachu with Aipom, the latter of whom decided to jump on top of the piece of furniture to peer out the window into the cold day. The others sat around the couch on the floor, engaged in their own conversations.
"(Man it's a cold one today!)" Aipom declared. "(I swear yesterday gave no indication that it would be this gloomy.)"
"(Yeah, Brock said the weather channel predicted it would be like this all day.)" Turtwig replied while wrapped up in a blanket.
"(Well that's just great….)" Staravia said while preening his feathers. "(Not much we can do except wait it out.)"
"(Yeah, but knowing Ash, he'll still want to do some training out there.)" Pikachu responded half-exasperatedly. "(Through rain or snow that guy.)"
Suddenly, Pikachu felt something, or rather someone, push themselves against his side. Oh boy, he could take a wild guess who it could be.
Pikachu looked over and saw the familiar brown face of a certain affectionate bunny-Pokémon.
"(Don't worry, even if he wants you to train, you're so tough it wouldn't even phase you!)" She winked before closing her eyes and snuggled closer to him.
"(Oh um hi Buneary…)" Pikachu said a little embarrassedly. "(Cold or something?)"
Buneary paused for a moment "(Uh yeah, I was feeling a little chilly.)"
"(Oh, well I could go get you a blanket.)" He said obliviously.
"(No, no this will do.)" Buneary said, smiling, completely content.
"Strange." Pikachu thought "She's covered in fluff, if anything she should be the least chilly out of all of us."
Rolling his eyes, Turtwig gave a somewhat annoyed stare. "This dolt still doesn't get it." He thought.
Likewise, Aipom had heard their little conversation and gave a light smile. One of her favorite past times since Buneary joined their group was teasing Pikachu about her. As strong as he was as a battler, he was no match for her sudden quips and clever remarks.
Pikachu let his mind wander for a bit. Buneary had always been affectionate towards him since the day they met. Ever since then, she had slowly but surely become more confident in expressing her feelings whether it be cheering, random praises about almost anything or flat-out flirting. Pikachu had only assumed that it was in her nature to do so and expected to see it with the others. Granted, he had yet to witness such affection bestowed upon other members of the group but he was pretty sure it would happen sooner or later. It was in her nature to be affectionate just as it was in Piplup's nature to be confident and prideful or Aipom's nature to be mischievous.
A shiver that was colder than the outside weather suddenly went down Pikachu's spine upon thinking of Aipom. It was only two days ago when he had made the oh-so great idea of getting into another bet with the purple monkey. He didn't know when it started, but sometime ago the two frequently made bets on various things and the loser would absolutely have to do what the other tells them whether it be a dare or some embarrassing truth. Still, it made their typical journeying much more interesting.
This time, Pikachu was dreading the thought. He was so confident that Turtwig would win his training session with Staravia. Granted, his odds were an uphill battle due to the type disadvantage but the grass-tortoise showed much promise, especially given their upcoming gym battle. But alas, one good Aerial Ace and it was over.
Pikachu sighed; he could only wonder in despair what his mischievous friend had in her devious mind for him. Oh well, at least this moment of them all together warm in a cabin was soothing, he could worry about that another time.
What he should be thinking about is the fact that his stomach was doing some weird twists as Buneary snuggled up to him. Jeez, it wasn't like he was a massive prude or something but he certainly wasn't used to this kind of attention. Sure, there was Team Rocket but they only hoped to steal him to join their evil team. There was also that Magnemite back in Kanto but it just wanted him for his electricity. And of course there was Ash but obviously he was his trainer and best buddy.
He really didn't know how handle this kind of stuff. It didn't help that his friends frequently snickered and teased him when she did this, especially Aipom and Piplup, who often spearheaded the teasing comments.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a little flattered from her. All of her affections and compliments certainly made for good ego-boosting and she always somehow made him feel so much cooler.
"(Hey, wait a sec.)" Turtwig said gazing around the room. "(Somebody's missing. Where's Piplup?)"
"(He said something about going for a swim in the nearby lake.)" Staravia said.
"(Really?! But it's sooooo cold! The water must be freezing!)" Sudowoodo exclaimed, gripping onto his blanket a little tighter.
"(Yeah but he's a penguin and a water type, I'm sure he'll be just fine.)" Aipom said, still gazing out the window.
"(Yeah! He said and I quote….)" Pikachu exclaimed before placing his paws on his face and contorting it until his head was more rounded and his nose was elongated to look like a beak. He even made his arms appear more flipper-like. Placing his flipper-arms on his sides, he tilted his head upwards, closed his eyes and then said in a near-perfect impression of the penguin "(A little cold weather never stopped me before! You'll see, I'm so tough that freezing water will feel like nothing!)"
All of the others began to laugh, Buneary included.
Gosh, she knew she liked him from the moment she laid eyes on him but part of her assumed that it would be a fleeting thing. Like within a few days she'll just see him like the rest. But no, that couldn't be further from the truth. If anything, the more she got to know the electric mouse, the more she saw to him. He was even stronger, more athletic and adorable than she had initially thought. Yes. But he also kind, brave, fair and even somewhat shy and dorky for all of his positive traits. And now, his unusual talent for imitating other people and Pokémon was just another thing to admire about him.
Buneary hugged him a little harder.
Laughing, Staravia wiped a tear from his eye "(Yeah, sounds about right.)"
"(Still, I'd hate to be out there, water-type or not I can only imagine that it wouldn't be very pleasant.)" Sudowoodo said.
Still gazing into the outside world, Aipom didn't move from her spot. In fact she didn't move at all, save for the sudden eye-twitch she experienced.
"(I mean, can you imagine being out there training or something? Stuff's for the birds, no offense.)" Sudowoodo continued, turning towards Staravia.
"(None taken, though I think that's just because you're a rock-type.)" The bird Pokémon replied.
Twitch twitch
"(Yeah…)" Pikachu said as he started to contort his face back to normal. "(It's gotta be like negative ten out there or someth-)" He suddenly paused as he was turning his head only to be greeted with the unbreaking, smiling face of Aipom mere inches away from his own.
"(Um hello there…)" Pikachu said, a bead of sweat going down the side of his head.
"(Hi.)" She said somewhat unnervingly, still smiling. "(Guess what?)"
"(Err what?)"
"(I know what your dare is going to be~)" She said almost in a sing-song like manner.
"(Wow you work fast.)" Said Turtwig. "(It's only been like, what, 48 hours tops since your bet and you already know what horrible thing to make the guy do?)"
"(Oh yeah, this is a good one.)" She said, still not taking her gaze off Pikachu.
"(Give the man a break would ya? I don't think he's fully recovered since your last dare!)" Staravia said, his voice somewhat raised.
Pikachu shuddered. "Ohhh, that last dare was pretty bad." He immediately pushed that thought away.
Aipom continued to look at Pikachu, not blinking. "(Oh don't worry, you did soooo well on your last dare that I'm going to be nice about this one!)"
Pikachu exhaled in frustration. "(Alright, what is it?)"
"(I dare you…)" She started, taking a pause to relish the tension. "(To jump straight into that freezing lake!)" She exclaimed motioning towards the outside world.
Pikachu blinked a few times. That didn't sound too pleasant but it wasn't the worst he's had to do for a dare.
"(Isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean it's pretty cold out there, he could go into shock.)" Turtwig asked concernedly.
"(Oh come on! A little cold water isn't going to do anything! He's taken Hyper Beams and Flamethrowers to the face before!)" Aipom yelled back.
"(Oh ummmm okay.)" Pikachu said, hopeful that this was all that there was to it.
Aipom raised her paw in front of her and Pikachu's face. "(Uh huh huh!)" She interjected. "(You didn't let me finish!)"
Pikachu felt his blood go cold. Oh good Arceus what else?
"(You have to jump in the lake while weeeaaaaring this!)" She exclaimed as she quickly zipped out of the room into the bedroom Dawn was using. After some sounds of rustling through Dawn's backpack ceased, Aipom returned carrying what looked to be an outfit completely wrapped in a garment bag.
Swallowing hard, Pikachu dared to ask. "(What is it?)" Knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.
Aipom beamed as she unzipped the garment bag revealing on a coat hook a laced, almost sexy maid outfit designed to fit a smaller Pokémon.
Pikachu's face heated up instantly upon eye-contact with the dress. "(Um b-but t-that's, I mean…..)"
"(Oh dear.)" Buneary quietly said to herself as she fiddled with her fluff, a faint pink blush spreading across her face.
"(Yikes, good luck my friend!)" Said Sudowoodo, trying to hold back laughter.
"(B-but isn't that going to ruin the dress? Wouldn't Dawn be upset?)" Pikachu blubberingly asked, trying his best to squirm his away out of this.
"(That's why I chose it! Dawn was never going to use it!)" Aipom exclaimed as she took the dress of the hook and tilted it to where everyone could better see something on the shoulder. "(Look, see how the lacing doesn't match up? There was a mistake when stitching it!)"
Pikachu along with everyone else leaned forward to see what she meant. Try as he might, he couldn't understand what she was talking about, it looked like any other lacing on any other dress he's ever seen before.
"(Oh I see!)" Buneary exclaimed.
Pikachu merely looked at her and then back at the dress. He frowned and squinted, leaning even harder into it, trying in vain to see what the flipping hell they were talking about. After a few more moments he gave up, inwardly shrugging. He didn't wear clothes in general but if you're like Buneary and you're going to participate in contests, it would be a given that you would notice things that others wouldn't regarding fashion and dresswear. He sighed.
"(Oh fantastic…)"
"(Hey if you don't like this dress, there's a few more colorful ones Dawn wasn't going to use!)" Aipom said turning to go back into the bedroom.
"(No no!)" Pikachu exclaimed waiving his paws in front of him. "(I'll take this one!)"
"(Oh! I just realized one last thing…..)" Aipom said staring at Pikachu.
"Oh legends, what now?!" Pikachu thought, screaming internally.
Putting the dress on the couch for the moment, Aipom jumped next to where Pikachu was standing. She pulled him to the far opposite side of the couch and boldly declared "(When you jump into the lake, you have to say….)" Before whispering into Pikachu's ear so softly that even Buneary couldn't hear her.
Buneary might have been mistaken but she could swear that the mouse's red electric cheek sacks were doubling in size because his face was becoming redder and redder with each passing moment. On top of that, a look of horror was plastered on his face.
"(And you said you were going easy…)" Pikachu grumbled, his eyes closed and head hung low to the floor.
"(I am altering the deal, pray that I do not alter it any further.)" Aipom said in a fake deep voice earning an eye roll from Pikachu.
"(So should we get on with it then?)" Turtwig asked.
"(Yeah the sooner the better!)" Aipom yelled, grabbing the dress and zipping it up in the bag.
Pikachu could only grumble, hoping the heat from his face will disappear with the cold air he was about to go out into.
After convincing Ash and the others that they were stepping out to go play tag, Pikachu and the gang set out for the lake.
Along the way Buneary walked next to Pikachu who was lost in dreadful thought. He didn't consider himself easily embarrassed but ever since Aipom and Buneary stepped into his life, he certainly felt his face get warmer at lot more frequently, humiliating dares and gushing affection and all. Yeah...he wasn't a prude...right?
Seeing what looked to be a dark cloud over his head, Buneary hopped closer to Pikachu. She opened her mouth to say something at first but then stopped herself.
"Hmmm maybe flirting alone isn't going to help with this. I'd hate to see him so down before he practically has to humiliate himself. No, what he needs is a little encouragement." She thought about it a little more and decided to just go for it.
"(Hey.)" Buneary said in a soft voice. Pikachu looked at her, his expression not changing. "(You got this!)" Buneary proudly said with a fist pumped in front of her "(Like she said, a little cold water isn't going to hurt you!)"
"(Yeah, but that maid outfit might…)" He replied half-jokingly with a slight smile although it was clear that he was pretty bothered by it.
"(Oh don't worry about that! I'd bet you'd look fabulous~)" She said warmly.
"(Err…thanks I guess.)" He said smiling while rubbing the back of his head.
"(Besides, you're a lot braver than anyone else here that's for sure)" Buneary continued. "(I can't really see Turtwig or Sudowoodo going through with something like this. I'll bet even Piplup would be too embarrassed to do it! His pride would be too hurt)" She laughed.
"(Really?)" Pikachu asked genuinely curious.
"(Yeah! Remember when Aipom dared him to Bubble Beam that colony of Bidoofs? He kept saying that he had a stomachache…for a week)" Buneary said smiling.
Pikachu laughed "(Oh yeah! To be fair, those Bidoofs had quite the chompers on them!)"
"(If it was you, I'm confident that you would do it no matter how many of them there were! That's one of the things that makes you different from everybody else! Training and battling is one thing but doing things that are scary and uncertain, you're the only one here who I know can do it no matter what!)" Buneary said as she outstretched her arms. She then paused. "(Well that and being an absolute dreamboat~)" She said winking at him.
Feeling a bead of sweat on the side of his head, Pikachu nervously smiled. "(Thanks.)"
"(So don't sweat it, you've faced worse before, this is nothing. If there's anyone who I know can not only do this, but do it great, it's you!)" Buneary exclaimed, fist pumping in the air.
Pikachu blinked and looked at her. Then he put a paw up to his chin.
Yeah…..yeah maybe she was on to something. He certainly couldn't see the others going through with this, even that prideful penguin friend of theirs would be too ego-centric and self-conscious to pull off something as embarrassing as this.
Yeah! He's got this! So what if he's going to put on a maid outfit and jump into cold water? He's worn other silly, if not worse outfits in the past. It's like Aipom herself said, he's fought super tough opponents before. Hell, he fought and won against a freaking Regice! In fact, he was frozen in that battle! Yeah Buneary was right, compared to all of that, this was nothing!
Raising his fist in the air, Pikachu exclaimed "(Yeah you're right, I've taken on worse before. I've got this!)" Topping it off with a smile of confidence.
Buneary giggled. "(See, there's a smile~)" All while she did her best to prevent a warmness traveling across her face matched only by her increasingly beating heart.
Heh, it was funny, in between times when she was being affectionate, she knew how to give someone a compliment and praise. He even heard her mentioning something about cheering them on for their first gym battle. Pikachu couldn't help but smile both on the outside and on the inside. This girl really knew how to pick someone up who was down in the dumps. It certainly wasn't the first time as she had often given words of encouragement before something like a battle or extra tough training to him and the others.
Nearing their destination, the group came upon a familiar face.
"(Hey guys!)" Piplup yelled, dripping wet.
"(Oh hey, you're just in time to see the show!)" Aipom exclaimed while holding the bag containing the dress using her hand-like tail.
"(Oh yeah? What show?)" Piplup inquired as he began to walk with them towards the lake that he just came from.
As Aipom described the bet and what embarrassing fate awaited poor Pikachu, the aforementioned yellow mouse couldn't help but look back at Buneary. He didn't know why, but he felt a spark of warmth spreading throughout his chest. He felt…appreciative of her. More than just a friend saying nice things to him from time to time but someone who legitimately cared enough to brighten his mood. She always seemed to do that.
The group finally came upon their destination: a large cliff overlooking a fair-sized lake. The cliff itself must have been at least one hundred feet high. Normally it would be a beautiful sight to behold but the cold, gloomy day only made it seem somewhat ominous with the lake itself appearing a still pale blue with light fog covering it and the surrounding area.
"(And you're sure it's deep enough to dive in?)" Pikachu asked, not taking his eyes off the lake.
"(Oh yeah! The lake isn't particularly big but it's at least fifty feet deep!)" Piplup said excitedly before putting his flippers on his sides and tilting his head upwards confidently. "(I would know, I reached the bottom no problem!)".
Reminding them of Pikachu's earlier imitation, the others in the group tried to hold back their laughter but failed.
"(Huh? What's so funny?)" Piplup asked turning towards the giggling group.
"(Nothing! Good to hear that I won't splatter upon impact!)" Pikachu jokingly said trying to steer his friend away from the subject.
"(Alright my friend, it's almost showtime!)" Aipom said waving the coat bag in front of his face.
Grimacing a little, Pikachu took the bag from her. "(Err, excuse me for a sec.)" He said as he headed towards some bushes. "(A little privacy to change.)"
Aipom rolled her eyes, that mouse can be so easily-embarrassed she swears! None of them regularly wore clothes so what privacy was needed? He just needed to put on the dress!
After some rumbling in the bushes, the electric mouse stepped out wearing the outfit.
Looking at the ground and without even making eye contact, he could feel everybody's stares upon him. The silence was deafening. "Oh crap." He thought as he felt his face get progressively warmer. He immediately thought back to Buneary's words of encouragement. "You got this. You got this. You got this." He repeated in his head. Yeah…he's got this…
…..
But holy hell was it torture!
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Aipom, that cheeky angel of mercy yet also devil in plain sight finally piped up.
"(Hell yeah Pikachu.)" She said calmly with a smile.
"(Huh?)" Pikachu looked up, blinking and ears twitching.
"(Really rocking that outfit bro!)" Staravia yelled, waving a wing towards him.
"(Gee thanks.)" Pikachu grumbled as he walked closer towards the cliff.
"(Yeah for real man!)" Piplup shouted as he ran up towards his friend. "(I'll bet that you look better than most contest Pokémon would ever dream of looking!)" He paused before crossing his arms. "(Granted I would look more manly instead of adorable but still...)"
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "(That's good to hear…)" But as he rolled his eyes to the side he caught sight of Croagunk. "(Daaaah!)" Pikachu exclaimed and jumped backwards, he totally forgot that the frog Pokémon was with them on their little excursion. Croagunk, who was always so quiet, merely gave Pikachu the same look he gave everyone and everything.
"(Nice.)" He said in a monotone voice.
Before Pikachu could say anything in response he caught a glimpse of Turtwig out of the corner of his eye. He was eyeing Pikachu up and down, particularly his tail.
"(Um, can I help you?)" Pikachu said nervously.
"(Oh sorry, it's just that the outfit suits you sooooo well that I was just making sure that you didn't have a heart on the end of your tail. You know in case I need to correct my pronouns for you.)" The grass-tortoise said.
Pikachu blinked before feeling that familiar heat rushing to his face. "(Heeeyyyyy…)" He complained, a little annoyed at himself that he didn't get the joke sooner.
Some distance away, Aipom observed Pikachu responding to his little crowd of teasing friends. Snickering a little, she knew she shouldn't spend too much time laughing at Pikachu's expense. Now that all eyes were focused on him, it was her chance to get a look at the real reaction she was hoping for. She turned her head towards Buneary.
Aipom had been looking forward to this moment more than anything. After all, the entire point of the dare was to see Buneary's reaction instead of Pikachu's. Sure, Pikachu would no doubt be embarrassed about the dare, she already knew that after getting to know the guy for a while. But it was clear from the first day she met Buneary that she really, really liked him. In fact, in private she had confessed to all her friends and would often gush about him. Seriously, it's as if she could find no fault in the guy and would take any opportunity to compliment him!
Aipom took a moment to really get a look at Buneary's reaction. What she saw was better than she had ever hoped.
Unlike everyone else who showed a clear reaction, Buneary was completely frozen, arms to the side, mouth slightly agape and eyes so wide she may as well have hearts in their place. All the while, she never so much as blinked or took her eyes off of Pikachu.
Aipom couldn't help herself. For once, she laughed at her bunny friend instead of the prudish mouse. Oooh boy this was so worth it! She could only imagine what was going through Buneary's mind right now.
Buneary's mind was mostly a blank except for two thoughts that were competing like a game of tug-of-war.
"He looks so manly in that outfit! How does he do it?! No, no wait, he looks like a gorgeous, sexy mouse! No hold on, from this angle he definitely looks more manly. No wait, back to definitely being sexy."
Aipom continued to stare at her. Oh how she wished she was a psychic type right that could read minds! She would give anything to read just one thought!
Soon enough, the poor smitten bunny's two thoughts went back and forth so much that they began to meld into one.
"Sexy! Manly! Sexy! Manly! Sexy manly!"
Buneary was so entranced by the electric mouse in the maid outfit that she didn't even notice Aipom waving her hand-like tail in front of her face.
"(Yooohooo! Earth to Buneary!)" She chimed. Oh boy, maybe her plan worked a little too well.
She paused and slightly nudged her friend with her tail. Buneary merely rocked back and forth like a stone statue.
Laughing again, Aipom quipped "(Hey Buneary, do you need a napkin or something? I mean with all that drool you might need an entire towel!)"
No reaction. None, zip, nada.
Piplup, having noticed their interaction out of the corner of his eye, couldn't help himself either. He quickly ran up to Buneary's other side. "(Yeah! Or better yet, a tissue for that wicked nosebleed you've got going on!)"
Blink
Buneary, without taking her gaze off Pikachu, dreamily reached her paw over her face and touched her nose.
"My nose?"
Blink blink
She extended her arm to look at her paw, still without fully taking her eyes off Pikachu.
"…Is bleeding?"
Blink blink blink
Upon that last blink, reality came crashing back into her like a meteor directly striking her in the face.
Her eyes went as wide as they could get and she finally broke out of her hypnotic gaze.
"(Huh?! Wha-What just happened?!)" Buneary exclaimed looking back and forth between her two smiling friends who were trying their best to hold back their laughter.
"(Welcome back to planet Earth!)" Aipom happily said with an obvious giggle.
"(Yeah, any longer and we would have to put you in that freezing water just to cool down!)" Piplup remarked no longer stifling his laughter.
Blushing redder than a shepherd's sunset and her face feeling like it was on fire to match, Buneary could only stutter any excuses that came to her mind. "(No, no! You've got it wrong! I-I was j-just….umm)" She wracked her brain trying to come up with something, anything. Unfortunately, witnessing Pikachu in his little outfit made her brain short-circuit or something because she was coming up with zilch.
"(Looking at how beautiful the lake was!)" She blurted out.
"(Oh suuuureee, you confident about that? You're sure it wasn't the guy in a maid's outfit about to jump into the lake?)" Piplup laughed.
"(No! I-I….)" Buneary stuttered. Finally composing herself, she let out a rather large exhale, no longer finding any point in trying to lie. "(You got me, I have no excuses.)" She said, closing her eyes and hanging her head in shame.
"(Good to see you're honest with yourself!)" Aipom said smiling.
"(Well can you blame me?)" Buneary practically shouted as she turned to Aipom and then back to Pikachu. "(He just looks sooooo…umm)" Buneary started but the more she started to look at Pikachu again, the more she went back into her daze.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand she was gone again.
"(Whoops! It looks like we lost her again!)" Aipom declared with both her and Piplup facing their friend.
Suddenly something clicked in Piplup's mind. "(Say, this whole bet wouldn't be just about Pikachu's reaction would it?)"
Aipom smiled and shrugged. "(Guilty as charged!)"
Piplup put a fin to his face in shock. "(Oh you sly devil! You ma'am are an artist!)"
"(I certainly take pride in my work!)" Aipom happily declared.
Having been satisfied with Buneary's reaction, Aipom turned towards the man of the hour.
"(Hey if it's all the same to you, let's get this show on the road!)" She yelled with both her paws to her mouth. Pikachu and the others stopped whatever it was that they were talking about and looked at her. "(I heard it's only going to get colder as the day continues so let's do this!)" She exclaimed.
"(Yeah! Do it before it gets too cold!)" Piplup yelled in support. He briefly paused before continuing "(Or before Buneary faints, whichever first!)"
Pikachu's eyes widened in horror. "Buneary?! Oh noooooo!" He thought in anguish.
He had been so preoccupied with the bet, the stupid dress and the constant teasing that he forgot all about her reaction. Briefly grimacing, he turned towards her direction. He saw her frozen in place, eyes unblinkingly gazing at him, mouth agape and all.
He couldn't make heads or tails from her reaction so he did the only thing he could think of: He closed his eyes, put on an embarrassed smile and waved to her.
Without moving another muscle and not for a moment taking her eyes off him, Buneary slowly raised her arm and waved back, not making a single sound.
"Ooooh boy, yeah let's get this over with." Pikachu thought as he turned towards his friends and, with whatever confidence he had remaining, pumped his fist in the air.
"(Alright! Let's do this!)" He yelled as his surrounding friends stepped back to give him space. Suddenly he felt Aipom's presence next to him.
"(Just remember that last thing you need to do~)" Aipom half-whispered into his ear before practically skipping to rejoin their group of friends.
"Oh…right" He thought uneasily.
Sighing, Pikachu got down on all fours and with a moment's hesitation, began to run towards the edge of the cliff. Halfway through, he used Quick Attack to increase his speed. As he ran, he repeated in his head Buneary's words of encouragement.
"I got this! I got this! I got this!"
Finally, he got to the very edge of the cliff and with a large inhale, pushed himself off.
All eyes were focused on their friend, whose yellow body gave some color to the dreary light grey sky. Regardless, none were more focused on Pikachu than Buneary. She could only look on in awe at the electric mouse as he soared into the open air. Gee, it was exactly how it was when she first laid eyes upon him when he caught that potato! Minus the potato….and the fact that he's in a maid outfit…..and he was jumping into a lake…and it was a dare. Okay fine maybe it was just the jumping part that was similar but regardless, it reminded her of the first time she saw him. The first time she felt something special for someone, a feeling that has only gotten stronger. Perhaps even more so after this.
As gravity began to do its thing, Pikachu angled his body to assume more of a diving position.
And as he felt his body entering a downward motion, he unlocked his chest and opened his mouth.
The others watched as Pikachu fell below the cliff's horizon and out of sight. They all waited with bated breath to hear a splash but instead got something a little bit different.
"(BUNEARY!)"
"(Huh?)" Buneary asked as she uncurled both of her ears. She certainly wasn't expecting something like this.
Everyone leaned forward to hear what the falling mouse had to say. The crisp weather and geography only made his voice echo throughout the area. Aipom in particular held both of her paws up to her face with a smile so large that it couldn't stretch anymore.
"(WIIIIIIILL YOUUUUUU MAAARRRYYYY MEEEEEEE?)"
SPLASH
The sound of their friend hitting the water permeated throughout the area only to be accompanied by equally loud laughter from everyone witnessing the spectacle.
Well almost everyone. Try as she might, Buneary couldn't hear much else except for what her now underwater crush had said. Oh great, just when she got rid of her last blush.
"(Ohhhhh…)" Buneary moaned as she closed her eyes and put her beet-red face into her fluff. "Poor Pikachuuuu!" She couldn't help but think. The thought only made her want to bury her face further into her fluff, partially for her poor crush who had to endure all of this but also because she didn't expect such attention on her so suddenly.
...
And if she was being honest with herself, she did imagine a few times what those words coming out of Pikachu's mouth would sound like and how she would feel hearing them. Granted it was a dare but still….she was glad she got to hear it.
"(Soooooooooo, when's the ceremony?)" Sudowoodo asked teasingly, still laughing.
"(Quite the declaration of love I must say! Who knew he was such as romantic?)" Said Aipom amusedly who was on the ground laughing while holding her stomach.
Instinctively, Buneary curled up one of her ears. She kept her eyes shut while her face was covered. Unfortunately in her emotional state, she didn't hear her blue penguin friend come up on her other side and half-whisper into her uncurled ear.
"(Yeah Buneary, I mean, I didn't hear you say noooooo~)" Piplup said, a flipper next to his beak as he pretended he was telling her a secret.
Buneary's eyes shot open and she proceeded to close them even tighter before burying her face deeper into her fluff.
"(Mmmhhhmm.)" She groaned as she curled up her other ear. Still, he wasn't wrong.
The feeling of the ice-cold water enveloping Pikachu's body was indescribable. All at once, it was a rush surrounding him.
Pikachu grit his teeth; he knew that the worst part was the first few moments when the initial shock occurred but then his body will adjust to the new temperature.
He soon felt his body stop sinking and almost immediately, he began to swim to the surface. When he breached the surface of the water, he greedily inhaled as much air as he could.
Adrenaline still coursing throughout his body, he didn't allow himself to feel cold just yet. He looked up at the cliff from where he just jumped from. If his body wasn't screaming from his fall and for him to get to somewhere warm, he swore that he could hear laughter coming from the top of the cliff.
Pikachu purposely let himself sink a little bit into the water until only the top part of his face was above it. "Oh great, I'll definitely have to deal with that later." He thought. He could feel his body, mainly his face, warm up. It was funny, for once he was kind of glad to be in the cold water because it helped to cool off the burning sensation in his cheeks. For a moment he wondered if the temperature of the lake would heat up just from his face alone.
Pushing that thought away, he looked back up at the cliff and felt a strange sense of pride knowing that he managed to jump from somewhere so high up and that he went through with his dare….again. After briefly considering it, he decided that the last dare he had to do for Aipom was still worse, but this one wasn't something to sneeze at either.
With that in mind, Pikachu looked around for the nearest shore and proceeded to swim towards dry land.
Once he stepped onto the shore, he began to feel just how cold it truly was. He immediately shook off the water but it did only so much to help. Afterwards, he held his arms across his chest and tried not to let his teeth chatter. The ridiculous maid outfit that he had to wear wasn't doing him any favors now that it was soaked, making him even colder and chaffed, not to mention it felt like an anchor weighing him down.
Pikachu look at his surroundings and realized to his horror that he was so preoccupied about falling down, that he never thought about getting back up. Ooooooooh boy he was in for a long, very very cold trek back to the cabin.
As if on cue, Pikachu's ears pricked up and he looked above. His eyes caught the image of Staravia flying over him and landing a few feet from where he was standing.
"(Need a lift?)" He asked amusedly.
"(Yes please, thank you!)" Pikachu practically yelled, still holding himself to keep warm and walked over to his flying friend.
"(Not too shabby of a dive. I'd give it an 8/10.)" Staravia said as Pikachu climbed onto him.
"(8/10? What happened to the other two points?)" Pikachu grumbled somewhat annoyed.
"(The dive wasn't bad or anything, just a little shaky and from the sound of things, you could've made a much smaller splash.)" Staravia said as he began to prepare his wings for flight.
"(Humph, everyone's a critic.)" Pikachu mumbled as he held onto Staravia's feathers as they took off.
As they flew higher and higher, Pikachu felt the cold wind rushing against his fur and skin. The rushing air felt like several very small, precise needles hitting him all at once. Pikachu only tightened his grip, though he didn't want to pinch his friend.
Pikachu closed his eyes from the chilly sensation until he felt that they were no longer flying any higher and instead were steadied. Pikachu opened his eyes and looked down. He saw that they were flying above the cliff and he could see the figures of his friends, some of whom were pointing at them and shouting.
"Alright, steady yourself for any teasing when you land." Pikachu thought as they began to descend.
"(Woah, there's Mr. Olympic medalist!)" Turtwig said, running towards the now grounded duo.
"(I'll say! That was a pretty impressive dive!)" Piplup exclaimed before briefly pausing and tapped his own chest with a flipper. "(For a non-water type anyway)"
"(Heh thanks, much appreciated.)" Pikachu said somewhat sarcastically. Aipom approached him.
"(Seriously though man, you've got guts!)" Aipom said fist bumping him.
Pikachu smiled but suddenly felt someone else's focus on him. He looked over and saw the bashful gaze of Buneary upon him. Unlike her usual self, she was avoiding eye contact and fiddled with her fluff.
"Oh right…" Pikachu thought as he remembered what he had to shout on the way down the cliff. He couldn't help but flatten his ears.
"(Hey there Buneary.)" He said embarrassedly.
"(Hey there yourself.)" She said smiling shyly.
Oh boy, that bunny had only become increasingly more confident in her interactions with Pikachu the last few weeks but now it's like the first day they met.
"(How was the water?)" She said, eyes still off him.
"(Pretty cold but hey, I've been frozen before so…)" He paused. "(Nothing I can't handle)" He said proudly.
Hearing her own words of encouragement being echoed, Buneary smiled before easing up and letting go of her fluff.
"(That's great to hear...)" She beamed before suddenly moving over to snuggle his side, eyes closed and smiling contently.
Pikachu could only smile and laugh nervously as the others snickered. He wouldn't lie though; her affections were never bad. This time was exceptionally nice, especially since she provided a source of warmth but also once again, she helped him overcome a challenge.
"(Umm Buneary?)" He asked.
"(Hmm?)" She hummed, not moving a muscle.
"(I'm still pretty soaked)" He said closing his eyes and smiling.
"(That's okay, I don't mind being a little wet from you.)" She said.
Pikachu's felt all the blood go to his face, turning it from its normal yellow color to a crimson red. He could only stand perfectly still as his mind raced with too many embarrassing thoughts.
Both Aipom and Piplup opened their mouths, eager to respond to Buneary's comment but both of them suddenly felt a light slap on the back of their heads courtesy of Staravia.
Unfortunately for Pikachu, who had been able to endure much of his experience, he could no longer hold it off anymore. He could feel the coldness starting to creep throughout his body.
"(Well…)" He said, holding his arms to his chest to keep himself warm once again. "(I'm gonna need a hot shower.)"
"(Oh right, let's get those wet clothes off you!)" Buneary said, taking a step backwards.
Piplup began to open his mouth again, hoping to pop off a comment but instead was once again greeted with a slap on the back of the head from his flight-gifted friend.
"(That's okay!)" Pikachu insisted as he tried to pry the soaking, freezing outfit off himself. Unfortunately for everyone's favorite electric mouse, the wet clothes only clung to him like fly paper.
"(Eheh, just a sec.)" He said awkwardly as he desperately tried to take the outfit off. "(Darn thing's stubborn!)" He shouted while becoming frustrated.
Rolling her eyes, Buneary took a step towards him and grabbed a part of the dress. "(Here, let me help you)"
All of their friends could only watch in amusement as the two struggled to get the outfit off. Usually they would make some sort of snide remark but they were all reminded of Staravia's wing slap compounded by his intense gaze.
Still, Aipom couldn't help herself. "(A dream come true for her I'm sure.)" She muttered before getting another light slap. "(Owwwww, worth it!)" She said smiling, rubbing the back of her head.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Buneary managed to pry the outfit off of her crush. The freedom he felt from that cursed dresswear was like a breath of fresh air both because he felt lighter and warmer without it and because he could finally walk around without feeling like the world was intensely eying him all the time.
"(Now…)" Buneary started to say as she handed Aipom the soaked, ruined dress. "(Let's get you in the shower.)"
Risking it, Piplup went for a quip. "(Yeah and don't worry we'll keep a lock on the door to stop her from being too curious!)" He remarked as quickly as he could say before turning to Staravia with both arms in front of his face. "(Just lemme have that! Just lemme have that!)" He screamed with his eyes closed not wanting to see Staravia's wing already cranked back ready to use it.
Staravia paused and then put his wing back down, closing his eyes. "(Fine, you get a pass…. for now.)"
"(Much appreciated.)" Piplup nervously said feeling a bead of sweat on the side of his head.
With that, the group of friends started heading back to the cabin.
Along the way, Buneary walked next to Pikachu, frequently asking him questions about his dare.
"(And you're sure you weren't scared just a little bit?)" She asked quizzically.
"(Weelllll…)" Pikachu started, looking away.
"(Ooohhh so you were scared!)"
"(At first I was but then I just kept remembering what you said, about me facing way worse and that I'm tougher than a little cold water.)" He replied smiling.
Buneary blinked a few times. "(Oh yeah! That's right and you totally are!)"
"(Thanks again.)" Pikachu said softly.
"(Oh I didn't do anything; you would've been fine without me!)" She said laughing.
"(No for real though, I probably would've lost my nerve or something. But you helped me through it. You….. umm…. always help me through things.)" Pikachu said a little bashfully.
Buneary felt her heart beating faster in response to his words but tried to remain calm.
"(Anytime.)" She laughed before suddenly locking arms with him as they walked.
"(Anytime for you I mean of course.)" She said.
She paused briefly before lightly giggling and whispered into Pikachu's ear "(And you know, I wouldn't have said no to your proposal~)"
Pikachu suddenly felt his own heart racing, faster than a jackhammer, faster than a freight train.
Faster than it ever has before. He suddenly felt the sensation that he was floating.
"What the?!" Pikachu's mind screamed as he suddenly felt his body tremble and he realized with all of the subtlety of a Meteor Assault that he couldn't look her in the eyes.
"(Oh, feeling cold again?)" Buneary asked in a genuinely concerned tone as she looked at him.
"(Yeah…it just came over me)" Pikachu said his eyes darting elsewhere, all of the courage he once had melting away. His mind was racing through so many thoughts right now.
"What in the world is going on? I just jumped off a cliff into a freezing lake…in a maid's outfit! I did all of that no problem so why is this making me feel…"
He could only try to calm his heart as they made their way back to the cabin. He may have a hot shower waiting for him to soothe his body, but he had quite a lot on his mind to think about.