Author's note: Heyo!

... Hmm. Not a whole lot to say this time, soooo... how about this?

We've all seen a little bit of the anime, right? We all know that Pikachu is incredibly awkward around Buneary. The question is... why? Why, when a free girlfriend is being offered to him on a silver platter, does he not take it?

So I present to you... five ways you can interpret Pikachu's feelings, for all your fic-writing needs!

1) He's too dumb to figure it out (This one seems to be a favourite among writers)

2) He finds the topic too awkward, confusing or embarrassing to broach (Like in this fic)

3) He has other priorities that he wants to focus on (Such as helping Ash with his dream)

4) He doesn't feel the same way (Maybe he finds her creepy, or he likes someone else)

5) He doesn't want to date in general (For whatever reason that may even be traumatic)

... These are just the ones I could come up with, but they're a good starting point! I wanna do all I can to help people write more Pika/Bun, so, if you're struggling, feel free to use one of these!

... If you dislike the anime, however (and I wouldn't blame you, if you did), then another option is to write an AU! One with different scenarios, and maybe even different characters! (Which would still be a pikachu and a buneary, obviously, or it wouldn't be a Pika/Bun fic.)

I have a couple of these lined up, myself! ... But that's a story for another day.

Well, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the chapter! And happy writing to you all!


Chapter Five: Achieving Results

The group continued to walk along the side of the cliff. They'd travelled far enough now that the river nearby had slowed to a steady stream. That was good. Pikachu still had no idea how far away from the train they currently were, but it was probably still a way away yet.

On their travels, they came across a large boulder blocking the way. They paused, staring at it. There was absolutely no getting around it, so they had to move it out of the way. It was either that or double back, after all the walking they'd done.

First, Pikachu tried to push it. He pushed and pushed with all of his might, but it didn't budge. Not even a little bit. Next, Ampharos tried hitting it with a barrage of Thunder Punches, one after the other. Again, it didn't budge.

Piplup confidently strode over to it and used Bubble Beam. Nothing. Frustrated, the penguin followed up with a Whirlpool. Still nothing. Even more frustrated, he ran over and desperately tried to push it. He moved into several different positions, trying to find the best weight distribution, but the boulder refused to move.

It was starting to look hopeless. Maybe they really would have to double back, after all. Though Pikachu supposed they could swim it there now, since this side of the river was much calmer than the one they'd almost fallen into earlier. He was just about to suggest possibly swimming downstream when Happiny walked forwards.

He immediately perked up. Of course! Happiny! She was super strong! Far stronger than any pokémon he'd ever seen before! He watched as, using only one paw, she lifted up the boulder with ease, with Piplup still attached to it. The penguin squealed when his feet left the ground.

Pikachu would never fail to be impressed at how strong that baby was. He'd met many baby pokémon in his life, but only one had been able to lift boulders one-handed.

Giggling, she spun it around on her paw, Piplup screaming as he spun with it. Eventually, he fell off and landed with a thud in front of Pikachu. Then Happiny took the boulder in both paws and threw it high into the air. The group watched as it seemed to fly into the sun, before plummeting back down and landing in the river with a gigantic splash.

... Well. That had been an adventure.


Pikachu trudged along beside Ampharos, with Piplup and Happiny in front. He heaved a sigh to himself. After their boulder adventure, the duo were back to singing that stupid song that he hated so much. He was thankful that Piplup didn't know any more than one line, but still. He just hoped the penguin didn't hear of the other songs he hated...

Regardless, their singing meant it was time to focus on Buneary again. After all, anything was better than listening to that.

Okay, so... since he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about her, perhaps he should start thinking about her good points.

Well... she was always complimenting him. Not a day went by where she didn't have something good to say about him. Whether it was his acrobatics, his battle skills or even his looks.

At the same time, those compliments had caused some very embarrassing moments. Like the time they'd been playing hide-and-seek and she'd found him because she'd 'recognise that gorgeous yellow fur anywhere'.

... Saying that, they'd certainly played a lot together, and chatted a lot together. She was very friendly and social. Everyone in the group liked her.

At the same time, it was that friendliness and social skill that made her so open with her feelings.

... Not that it was a bad thing, he supposed. You'd never hear a lie come out of Buneary's mouth. Everything she said was always in complete earnestness and sincerity. Did she even know how to lie?

Okay, no, she wasn't the smartest cookie, but she wasn't completely stupid, either. She just wore her heart on her sleeve, as the humans might say.

In fact, one could say that was part of her charm, too. The fact that she was just a little bit slow on the uptake. It made her very gullible and a very easy target for people like Ambipom, Piplup and Pachirisu, but it was kind of... cute, in a way?

He felt his face heat up from embarrassment. He was just glad that Piplup was in front and distracted, otherwise the penguin might have started prodding for information. He might have even smirked and asked if it was about Buneary, just to embarrass him.

Regardless, it was true. The fact that she never seemed to know she was being tricked meant that she had a heart purer than most. She trusted people's word so much that it genuinely confused her to hear they'd been lying. Much like with the Poké Chic incident a few days ago.

Then there was the cheering from earlier. Ash's team had been feeling apprehensive about their upcoming battle with Paul and she'd cheered them up. She'd cheered them on. Not just him, but all of them. All six of them. Heck, she'd even seemed to forget about him at first, choosing instead to help his teammates feel better.

There was her earnestness and sincerity shining through again. He couldn't help but smile to himself. She really was so nice and sweet and cute and...

He paused, his face growing even hotter. Oh god, he really didn't want Piplup to turn around right now...


Much later, the group of four had climbed down from the cliffside, and were now walking along the riverbank. Piplup was in front and looking tired. Happiny was beside him, singing a tuneless song to herself. Pikachu was behind them, relieved that they weren't singing that song he hated anymore. Beside him, Ampharos remarked that it shouldn't take too much longer to get to the train.

Well, that was good. Though Pikachu had spent the entire time thinking about Buneary. In doing so, he'd come to realise there were other things to like about her, too. Such as the sheer amount of energy she gave off. Not literally, obviously, but figuratively. It was what had managed to pump up both him and his teammates earlier. The sheer positive energy that she always put a hundred percent into.

It was hard to stay negative around it.

... That and her affectionate gestures, like hugging and nuzzling and whatnot could really boost a guy's ego.

So... with all that said, she'd make a pretty good girlfriend for someone, wouldn't she?

"(You okay there, Piplup?)" Ampharos asked.

Piplup turned around to glare at him. "(Of course I am!)" he replied, though he seemed to be huffing in exhaustion from all the walking. "(This is n... nothing!)" He stopped in place, and they all stopped with him. "(I can take way more than-)" Suddenly, the floor beneath their feet rumbled. "(... This?)"

"(Wha-?)" Pikachu asked, before the floor caved in.

They all screeched as they tumbled downwards. Crashing into a pile at the bottom of a hole, they all groaned in pain. Except for Happiny, who'd safely landed on top of Ampharos.

Then Pikachu heard them. The tiresome trio known as Team Rocket. Great. Right when they were so close to the train, too...

Leaping to their feet, Pikachu, Piplup and Ampharos charged up attacks to deal with them, but a bazooka shot from Meowth had them trapped in a sack.

They struggled against the sack as it was lifted from the hole. Jeez, this trio sure knew how to make strong nets and sacks. They were always so difficult to break out of.

They continued to struggle as Team Rocket gloated to themselves outside, when something slammed into the sack, tearing it open and sending it flying. Panicking, Pikachu grabbed hold of Happiny to keep her safe. Piplup seemed to have the same idea, as he grabbed her other side. When the sack landed on the grass, Ampharos pushed it open with his head.

Pikachu looked outside, confused. What had just happened? Had they been saved?

Sensing a presence, he looked off to the side. Then his heart leapt into his throat.

Sure, he saw Sudowoodo waving to him. Sure, he saw Ash, Dawn and Brock running towards him. The one thing he saw most of all, though, was her.

She was waving at him. "(Heeey!)" she called out. "(You guys alright?)"

He heard Sudowoodo say something, too, but he was too distracted. His face lit up in joy. Heat rose to his cheeks. He'd never felt so happy to see her before.

She looked... lovely.

He froze.

... Oh. Oh god. He... really liked her, didn't he?

He tried to calm the raging heat in his cheeks. Oh. Wow. This was sudden. He didn't know what to do about this. Right now was a bad time, though! Why did it have to be now, of all times, that he realised this?! Team Rocket were here, and Ash, Dawn and Brock were here, so it was just really bad timing!

Okay. He'd just have to keep his cool for now, pretend that nothing was wrong and maybe... deal with it later.

First, he had to go back to his trainer, and help get rid of Team Rocket. Yeah. That sounded good.

"(H-Help me carry Happiny, Piplup,)" he said.

"(Huh?)" Piplup replied. "(Oh, sure!)"

Together, they lifted her up and carried her over to their trainers. Admittedly, it was a little hard to look Buneary in the eyes after his realisation, so he focused on Ash, instead...


Later, after dealing with Team Rocket - with Sudowoodo learning Hammer Arm as a bonus - the group had finally made it back on the train. With both the conductor and Looker back from wherever they'd been, the train was back on track to its destination.

Once again sitting next to Brock, Pikachu glanced out of the window at the setting sun. Jeez. It had taken them rather a long time to get back, hadn't it? His head had been in the clouds for so long that he hadn't even noticed.

... And now he knew how he felt about Buneary. It was a little overwhelming. Even now, he was still trying to process it.

"Wow, it's getting dark out..." Dawn said from the seat opposite.

Next to the window, Ash glanced out at the sunset. "Yeah, you're right..." he replied. "Will we even get to Lake Acuity in time?"

"I doubt it, Ash," Brock said. "Thanks to that red light, the train's way off schedule." He pulled out a small booklet and began to flip through it, until he stopped on a page. "First, we have to get off at a small town before Lake Acuity... then walk uphill to get to it. By the time we get there, the pokémon centre will have closed." He closed the booklet. "So it's probably best we stay at the other pokémon centre and go tomorrow."

Ash slumped his shoulders, heaving a sigh. "Guess you're right..."

"No need to worry, though!" Dawn said. "This just means we'll get to see Lake Acuity in the daytime!" She winked. "And I'm sure it'll look all the more beautiful!"

Ash perked up. "Yeah, I guess so!" He pumped a fist. "We can enjoy the view, before I pound Paul's team into the ground, and finally get a victory over him! Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu jolted in surprise at being addressed. "(Oh! Y-Yeah!)" he replied, pumping a fist.

... Honestly, he really wanted more time to process his feelings, but maybe it was better for him to focus on the battle for the time being. He could maybe figure out what to do afterwards. Maybe. Possibly.

Urgh, he was burying his head in the sand again, wasn't he?

No, no! He just needed to focus one hundred percent on this battle, or he'd let the team down! Especially since this was their first six-on-six battle against Paul and they'd never once won against him, aside from in the PokéRinger. He needed to get in the zone and worry about Buneary later. Yeah!

... Then, and only then, he'd think about how to talk to her. Then he'd finally be able to answer her question, after so long.

She'd waited a long time, after all. So long that he was surprised she was still interested in him, thinking about it. She truly was an angel, being so patient with the likes of him and his indecisiveness.

Yeah. That settled it. His priority right now was to beat Paul. He'd worry about the rest later.

Nodding to himself, he glanced around the train. Only then did he notice that the three people who'd been sitting adjacent to them before were no longer there.

Huh. Where had they gone? Had they gotten off the train and not come back?

What had they looked like again? One had seemed to be a woman, one had seemed to be a man, and one had seemed to be a... dwarf?

... Actually, thinking about it, Team Rocket had attacked them when the train had stopped. So maybe it'd actually been Jessie, James and Meowth.

... Well, that certainly explained the hats, trench coats, sunglasses and face masks.


After waving goodbye to the conductor, the engineer, Ampharos and Looker, the group spent the night in a pokémon centre. With Brock's flirting, Croagunk's punishing Poison Jab and healing the pokémon out of the way, everyone settled down for dinner. They had to eat outside, of course, since there were so many of them and Mamoswine took up far too much space.

Pikachu was currently eating his pellets right beside the table where Ash was sitting. Next to him was Buneary. He really didn't mind her sitting there - not at all - but it was rather hard to look her in the eye after his recent realisation.

"(Think Brock'll give me some of those candy flakes, if I beg?)" Buneary asked.

"(Huh?)" he replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "(Oh, uh, maybe.)"

"(Hmm, though I don't think there was enough left for everyone else...)" There was a pause. "(Well, the next time he makes some, then I'll beg!)"

He smiled to himself at her thoughtfulness. She could have just gotten some for herself, but was willing to wait, so that everybody could share them...

"Bet you're excited for tomorrow, Ash," Dawn said.

"You know it!" Ash replied. "I've got a strategy all figured out, and we'll beat Paul for sure this time!"

"Strategy, huh?" Brock asked in amusement. "That's never really been your strong point, though, Ash."

"Well, yeah, I know, but-" Something suddenly went clunk. "Argh!"

Before Pikachu knew what was going on, Buneary fired an Ice Beam above his head. He blinked. He blinked again, then looked up.

There was a puddle of frozen orange juice dangling over the edge of the table, the end of which was hovering just above him.

Ash scrambled to look over the table. "Whoa," he said, looking startled. He smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about that, buddy. You okay?"

"(Uh... yeah,)" Pikachu replied, still a bit shocked and confused.

"I knocked over my orange juice, but it seems Buneary had your back." He looked over at Buneary. "Thanks, Buneary!"

"(No problem!)" Buneary replied.

Pikachu looked directly at her, impressed at her lightning reflexes, but also touched that she'd do that for him. "(Yeah, thanks...)" he said.

She beamed. "(No problem! Again!)" She winked at him, making his face go warm. "(Can't have your lovely fur getting all sticky and dirty!)"

Piplup chuckled nearby. "(Who knows, maybe it would have turned him orange,)" he said. "(What do you think, wouldn't he look good in orange?)"

"(Yeah, he totally would!)" Pachirisu replied from next to the penguin. "(Or pink? Maybe purple!)"

Pikachu looked at them to see the duo smirking and leaning in Buneary's direction. His heart sank. Oh no. He knew what they were doing. He knew what they were expecting her to say.

Something along the lines of 'He's so hot, he'd look great in any colour!'

He prepared himself for the inevitable embarrassment.

"(No way!)" Buneary replied. "(Yellow looks best on him!)"

In surprise, Pikachu turned to her with wide eyes. "(... You think so?)" he asked.

She beamed at him again. "(Yeah, definitely!)" She reached out and ran a paw down his arm. "(You're perfect as you are!)"

... Wow. He was so flattered. So touched. His face was burning, and Piplup and Pachirisu were cracking up laughing - making him want to crawl into a hole from embarrassment - but he was happy. His heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest in joy.

... Still, he had a job to focus on. They had to beat Paul tomorrow, no matter what. It was what they'd been training for. What they'd been striving towards. They were going to win, not just for Ash, but for themselves, too. To prove that they could. To prove that Paul's ruthless methods weren't the right ones, and that with friendship you could overcome anything.

Yeah. Yeah. He'd deal with that first. If he did anything else, then it might spoil their chances tomorrow, and he didn't want that. He had to focus solely on that, for now. Thinking too much about Buneary and what answer he planned to give her would only distract him, and possibly lose him the fight.

No, he had to focus. At least until they won the battle. After that, well... he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.