Chapter 2: Homecoming Hijinx
After hurtling through a tunnel of many different digital shapes and colors, Pikachu soon found himself on solid ground again. Carefully squinting while looking around, he saw that he was inside a strange, multi-colored digital world. He also saw a mismatch of many different shapes floating along the horizon, heading nowhere in particular.
Wow… he'd been here many times in the past, but he still found these lands so amazing. It reminded him of the time he'd met Porygon in that odd computer world. In this case, thankfully, there wasn't any copious amounts of eyestrain to worry about.
Still, considering what happened last time in this place… he chose to remain at least a tiny bit cautious.
Still squinting, though less than before, he kept glancing around for a little while longer before shaking his head. This place was pretty, sure, but he had to focus. Buneary would never forgive him if he showed up late to their party! … Well, okay, she probably would, but that was beside the point. He didn't want to make her upset, all the same. Especially after yesterday, when she'd cried over getting her favorite vest slightly dirty. It'd seemed a little overdramatic at the time, though with the stress of the upcoming picnic, he couldn't say he was all that surprised.
He scanned the area to see if his father was around. "[Dad? You there?]" he called out. Getting no response, he sighed. Just where could he be?
Before he could call out again, something slapped into the back of his head. Reaching behind himself, he grabbed the thin object and brought it forward to look at it. The thing was black, save for the slowly glowing edges. He also saw what appeared to be technicolored writing on it.
"[… A note?]" he mumbled aloud, quizzically. Sure enough, in his paws was some kind of weird, digital paper. Looking at the top of it, he could see… his name? Huh, was this addressed to him?
… Oh, he understood now! It was some electronic mail of some kind. Or, better yet, some email.
Chuckling at his own really dumb pun, he began to read it.
Hey, you, Pikachu!
I'm real sorry to say it, but I'm gonna be late for our lil' get-together. Out of nowhere, some Galaxy Gang stragglers decided to show their ugly faces again, so I've gotta go stop 'em the only way I know how. With my fist in their faces!
Don't'chu worry, though. I'll try and wrap things up with 'em as soon as I can. It'll be way easy, you know me, but… I dunno how long it'll take. A little while, maybe? Whatever, 'till then, you guys get started on eating and I'll see ya real soon!
-From Dad
Pikachu's ears drooped as he got to the end of the letter. "[Aww, rats,]" he muttered to himself. Stupid Galaxy Gang…
After several seconds passed, he began to grow worried. Oh, legends, just how was he going to explain this to Buneary? What if his dad didn't get to the picnic on time? What if the picnic became spoiled by news of his father being defeated by the Galaxy Gang? Heck, what would he even do if his dad was defeated by the Galaxy Gang!?
He took a deep breath to calm himself. No… he shouldn't worry so much. Buneary often teased him about being too much of a worrywart, and… she was right. He was just being paranoid. Besides, his father was great at his job, so it probably wouldn't take him too long to beat 'em and get over here! Hopefully…
Ears perking up again, he realized something. Exactly how had his dad expected him to find that note, anyway? It'd just been left to float in cyberspace. Tsk, that was so typical of him. His dad always had been bad at planning things out. Like that one time he'd dived into some water to stop a villain… even though he'd known full well that doing so would short circuit him and weaken his powers.
Ah well. Either way, Pikachu had to get back to the picnic. He wanted to be there for when Buneary's dad arrived, at least.
Facing towards the monitor behind him, he saw that the writing on the screen had changed, as well as its blinking colors. Its yellow and red flashing screen now had the word 'OUT', implying that it led back to the real world.
With another charged Quick Attack, he soon found himself hurtling through the screen and into a cyberspace portal again.
As he tumbled down the vortex, he found himself constantly checking for ruffles. Oh, man, he really hoped this wouldn't mess up his suit. The last thing he wanted was some interdimensional creases. Those sounded hard to straighten out...
A short while passed until he appeared in front of the TV on his fours. Standing up, he checked his suit for creases. He was relieved to find none on him… but huh. What the heck had happened to the grass? It was all red and velvety, like a carpet, or something. And… what was with that fancy French-sounding music that was playing? Was he in that weird new region he'd heard about recently called Kalos?
Getting up to his twos, he looked around and nearly jumped a foot into the air when he saw walls and furniture. Gah! Was he in someone's house? Why was he in someone's house!?
"(Wah! Oh gosh, Pecan, someone came out of the little TV I gave you, bitty!)" a squeaky feminine voice cried out.
Yelping in surprise, Pikachu spun in the voice's direction. He saw two animals staring at him in shock, both appearing to be female. One was a red duck with yellow cheeks and a leaf on her head, who was wearing a blue shirt covered in rose patterns. Honestly, she looked a bit like a tomato.
The other animal was a coffee-colored squirrel, who was wearing purple eyeshadow, and a black shirt that was covered in blue and purple diamond patterns.
… Tomatoes and coffee. Oh lord, now his hunger was starting to creep in. Even with the fear of coffee he'd had ever since that one time he'd visited Ness' world. He really needed to get back to that picnic, soon.
Well, first things first… "[Um… what-]" he started.
"(Well, yes, I can see that, Ketchup!)" the squirrel shouted, frowning at the duck. "(Why in blazes did you get me a TV with someone inside of it, chipmunk!?)"
… Oh lord, the tomato duck's name was even Ketchup.
Pikachu swallowed hard to stop his stomach from growling. "[Err…]" he started again.
"(I-I didn't know there was anyone in it!)" Ketchup responded, stepping from foot to foot in distress with her wings together, visibly sweating heavily.
The squirrel - who Pikachu assumed was called Pecan - sighed and shrugged exaggeratedly. "(Any excuse. That's why you've got to use your eyes and look at something before you pick it up, chipmunk,)" she said, looking unimpressed.
Pikachu also sighed. He didn't have time for this. "[Look, look, ladies, it's fine. It's mine, anyway, so can I have it back, please? I'm… kinda needed somewhere.]"
They both gave him a very confused look, like he'd grown an extra head or something.
He blinked. "[… What?]" … Wait, had they seen something wrong with his suit!?
Before he could frantically try and pat it down, he noticed something when he heard them speak again. They were speaking in their strange, unique garbled language. He could understand them because of his smash coin, but… they wouldn't be able to understand him without one of their own, would they?
Hm… what a pickle. How would he deal with this? "[Um… er… TV is for me…!]" he said slowly, gesturing to himself and the TV, which was propped onto a table. "[Me… want the… Wow, this place is fancy,]" he finished, actually getting a good look at the place. There was very high-class wooden furniture everywhere, which complimented the green wallpaper quite well. Not to mention the red, velvety carpet draped over the wooden floor. Whoever lived here was clearly loaded.
"(Er… what's the person saying?)" Ketchup asked, putting a wing to her chin in thought.
Pecan stared at Pikachu contemplatively. He was about to try another attempt at asking, but she interrupted him with a gasp of surprise. "(Oh… Oh my! I get it, now!)" she said while an exclamation mark appeared above her head. A quirk of being a character from the Animal Crossing world, Pikachu assumed.
"(You get it?)" Ketchup asked, seeming surprised. "(Well, don't keep me in suspense, bitty! Spill the beans!)"
"(I do!)" The squirrel beamed brightly. "(This person must be a huge fan of mine! Even sneaking into the TV to get a glimpse of me in my natural habitat~)" she continued while blushing and rubbing the back of her head.
Pikachu stared at her. How the heck had she come to that conclusion!? "[… Er…?]" he started.
"(Are you sure about that, bitty?)" Ketchup asked.
"(Of course I am!)" Pecan continued. She proudly put her paws to her hips and smirked confidently as stars flew out of her like fireworks. Another Animal Crossing quirk. "(The person keeps saying my name over and over! The sign of a true fan!)"
"(… I don't think that's the case at all,)" Ketchup replied in disbelief.
"(Nonsense! This person clearly has good taste!)" The squirrel moved over to some expensive-looking device in the corner. It seemed to be the source of all that fancy French music that was playing. She somehow turned it into a leaf, immediately cutting off the music. She moved over to Pikachu with it in paw and held it out. "(Such a big fan of mine deserves a big gift, I say! Here you go~)"
"[Oh, er… th-thanks…]" Pikachu responded awkwardly, taking it. Sure enough, it was a leaf with a hole in it. Huh… actually, come to think of it, this was how Animal Crossing people transferred their furniture and stuff, wasn't it? They would turn things into leaves and then throw the leaves onto the ground, when they wanted to turn them back to normal.
That was all well and good, of course, but what was he going to do with an apparent fancy stereo player? Maybe he'd find a use for it later. Still, that's not what he wanted. "[Umm… thanks! … Again!]" Pikachu replied. He pointed towards the TV. "[Can I, er… have that, too, please?]"
Ketchup tilted her head as a question mark appeared above her. "(Huh? I think the person wants the TV I gave you, too, bitty,)" she said.
"[I'm a boy, you know…]" Pikachu replied, smiling exasperatedly.
"(Oh… that too?)" Pecan asked. When Pikachu nodded, she hummed in thought for a bit as a thought bubble appeared above her head with a visible '…' inside of it.
The mouse huffed lightly out of his nose. Good lord, they were so expressive. It reminded him of the weird special effects that would often appear in the show featuring him and Ash, unimaginatively named 'Pokémon'. It wasn't massively far off, because he and others from his world did pull some rather cartoon-ish expressions, every now and again… but that show sure did like to exaggerate. When the characters weren't being stone-faced, anyway.
Pecan kept thinking for a little while longer. Eventually, a light bulb briefly appeared above her head with a ding noise. She nodded to herself and faced Pikachu again. "(Okay, sure! But…)" she said, a mischievous glint appearing in her eye. "(… only if you give me something in return, chipmunk~)"
Pikachu groaned. Oh, for crying out loud! But it was his, though…!
Ah well… whatever. He offered her the stereo he'd been given. Or the leaf for it, anyway. "[Er… this?]" he asked.
She looked confused. "(Huh? But, chipmunk, I only just gave you that!)"
"(You can't present a present!)" Ketchup interjected.
"[Ah… well…]" Pikachu replied awkwardly.
Pecan blinked before fuming, face reddening in anger. "(Is my gift not good enough for you? Is that it!?)" she yelled.
Freaking out, he shook his head rapidly. "[N-No, no, no!]" he cried.
"(Oh, that person is just joking, bitty!)" Ketchup interjected.
Pecan calmed down. "(Oh…)" She began to laugh heartily. "(Well, why didn't you say so?)"
He chuckled sheepishly. "[Y-Yeah… sorry…]" he mumbled, putting the stereo into one of his suit's pockets. Well, that'd been a total bust.
Hm… screw it. He was gonna steal it and jet! After all, it was his!
He quickly planned a careful escape strategy. He was currently larger than he should be, because of his smash coin… but if he shrank back down to his regular size with it, then he could slip through the trees, and open up a-
He paused when he spotted something in the distance outside the window. It appeared to be a chubby dog in police clothes, wandering through a nearby forest, as if investigating.
Oh drat, they had police!? He didn't even know they had crime in this world, let alone police!
Remembering the time his friend Ness had accidentally stolen something while playing his Mystery Dungeon game… Pikachu decided not to invoke the police's wrath.
Sighing deeply, he searched his suit's pockets. Even though he expected to find nothing, his paw brushed against something. Pulling it out, he found a ketchup packet. J-Jeez, how long had that been in there? He hadn't worn this thing for years, after all!
Shrugging, he offered it to them. He doubted they would go for it, but it was worth a shot, right?
"(Huh?)" Pecan asked, moving closer to get a better look. "(… Ketchup?)"
"(Yes?)" Ketchup asked.
"(No, no, chipmunk. This person here is showing me a 'ketchup'.)"
The duck's eyes widened as an exclamation mark appeared above her. "(Ooh, something with my name on it?)" She clapped her wings together in delight. "(Oooh, you've just gotta accept, then, Pecan! Anything with my name on it is a must-have, bitty!)"
Pecan seemed to mull it over at her friend's words. Eventually, she just shrugged exaggeratedly and nodded. "(Alright, fine. That TV was a bit too gaudy for me, anyway,)" she said, moving over to pick it up.
Ketchup's beaming smile glowed as a flowery effect surrounded her. "(Yaaaay~! I feel like a celebrity!)"
Pikachu stared. Holy wow, that'd worked!? Well… er, neat, he guessed. Man, these animal people had such a simple, innocent outlook on life. It reminded him of… well, his show. Though perhaps a little more kiddy. … Maybe.
Shaking his head lightly, he smiled at them. "[Well, great! Have fun with it, then!]" He moved over to Pecan and handed her the ketchup, much to Ketchup's delight. When she pocketed it, she handed over the TV. Yes, finally!
"(The darn thing won't even go away properly!)" Pecan said. "(It's so inefficient.)"
Pikachu wondered if he should bother explaining that it wasn't from her world, so it wouldn't turn into a leaf properly, anyway. He ultimately decided not to. Mostly because he was late for his date and he didn't feel like dealing with a language barrier today. "[Yeaaah… um, funny, that. Anyways, see ya later!]" he said, turning and moving towards the door.
"(Oh, the person's leaving,)" Ketchup said.
"(Oh, you're right!)" Pecan replied.
"(Bye bye, bitty!)"
"(Come again, chipmunk! And bring something better next time, you hear me?)"
"[Maybe next millennium…!]" Pikachu sassed in a pleasant voice, opening the door. Upon leaving, he closed the door and gave a deep sigh. Oh, thank frick for that. Well, there was another reason not to play Animal Crossing, that was for sure!
… Though he had gotten a free stereo out of it, so… alright, it hadn't been so bad. It was pretty expensive-looking, actually, so he felt kind of bad. Maybe he'd return it later. … Maybe.
He looked around again to see if the coast was clear. Everything seemed in order, but he shuddered in fear when he saw what appeared to be a coffee café.
Ugh… he had to get out of here immediately.
With a flip of the smash coin, he was through a portal in seconds.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Finished -
Non-Animal Crossing stuff: 11/11 (November)/2015
Yes-Animal Crossing stuff: 03/10(October)/2018
Word count: 2,714
VGS2's pointless notes: … Y'know, I started writing this chapter's (and the previous chapter's) Animal Crossing sections about a month before Isabelle was revealed for Ultimate. Gawd, that's the second time I've done that, now (the first was with Little Mac in Miracle Murder Cure). I'm totally ahead of the game. XD
Character highlight: Villager (From Animal Crossing) - The mayor of whatever name you gave your town, where you get to take care of a town filled with talking animals. His appearance when you invent your town is random, but you get to name him/her! The one in this fic is the same one that appears in Smash Brothers. The kid with the brown hair, red t-shirt and creepy gaze. He loves fishing, collecting furniture, and paying debts!
Fun mistake of the day #1: 'so I've gotta go stop 'em the only way I know how. With my fist full of pain!'
(He needs to hurt his fist to achieve justice!? O,o)
#2: 'It was all red an velvety, like a carpet, or something.'
(Innit, mate! Bloody 'ell fiyah! Fish an' chips, I swear on me scones.)
#3: 'Anything with my name Is on it'
(Considering her name's Ketchup, there must be a lot of stuff on top of that thing.)
#4: '"Well, don't keep my in suspense, bitty! Spill the beans!"'
(Give her back her in suspense!)
#5: 'Eventually, a light bulb briefly appeared above her head With a ding noice.'
(That's real noice, mate! I givvit a ten outtah ten, I does!)
Alrighty, tata for now, guys! c:
-ravengal adds something while I'm in a different room bonus hour!-
"(Well, yes, I can see that, Ketchup!)" Pecan shouted, frowning at Ketchup. "(Why in blazes did you get me a TV with someone inside of it, chipmunk!?)"
… Oh lord, the tomato duck's name was even Ketchup. Pikachu swallowed hard to stop his stomach from growling. "[Err…]" he started again.
Then he got two blenders out and threw one animal in each. They whirred around, until they'd been nicely blended into ketchup and coffee. Setting out a picnic for himself, he sipped one in a mug and dipped his fries in the other.
It was paradise.
