Author's note: Bonjour, messieurs et mademoiselles!

... You ready for more salt? XP Coz this fic's full of it, mateys.

If it's sugar you're after, instead, head on over to 'A Gracious Gift', where Pikachu's greatest flaw is that he's a bit dim.

For all who like salt, though, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Three: Awkward Atmosphere

The following day, Ash had decided to try training the other four Unova pokémon that he had in rotation. Using the Undella Town pokémon centre, he'd switched out Pignite, Krokorok, Scraggy and Snivy for Palpitoad, Boldore, Unfezant and Leavanny, before returning to Cynthia's villa.

At one point, he'd briefly considered swapping out Oshawott, but the otter had loudly protested against it, by waving his arms and shaking his head. The reason being, as Oshawott himself had put it, he didn't want to leave Meloetta alone with Piplup, in case the penguin sank his 'dirty flippers' into her while he was away. Although the language barrier had prevented Ash from understanding, he'd let the otter stay, along with Pikachu.

The mouse couldn't wait to start his morning training. All the pokémon who'd be joining him - Palpitoad, Mamoswine, Pachirisu, Emolga and Stunfisk - were outside their pokéballs, whereas everyone else was being kept inside theirs for now. The two exceptions, as always, being Piplup and Axew.

"Alright!" Ash said, grinning down at Pikachu and Palpitoad. "You guys ready to start off the day's training?"

"(Yeah!)" they both cried in response.

"Planning to train up here again?" Cynthia asked, walking over with a smile.

Ash turned to her. "Yeah, of course!" he replied. "Where else would I be training?"

Her smile widened slightly. "Well, I do have a beach, you know."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Hey, you're right!" Dawn replied.

"Oh yeah..." Iris said, slumping her shoulders with a smile, "I honestly forgot..."

"That sounds delightful!" Cilan said happily. "A change in scenery will provide an exciting new flavour to an already tasty dish!"

"Alright!" Ash said. "In that case, let's head down to the beach!"

"(Yeah!)" most of the pokémon replied.

"Now there's an idea I can get behind!" Iris said.

"Me too!" Dawn added.

Cilan pirouetted past them all on his way to the stairs. "It's beach time~!" he sang.

Ash laughed. "Hey, wait up, Cilan!" he called out, chasing after him.

"Yeah, slow down!" Iris called, following suit.

Dawn sighed with a smile. "That guy's a piece of work..." she said, before also following.

Pikachu had to admit, it was nice to train on the beach. The warm sand on his feet every time he landed, plus the clear blue sky and the salty ocean air, made it a very pleasant change.

On the other hand, it did bring back memories of the previous day...

Shaking them off, he focused even harder on his training.

While Ash was working with both him and Palpitoad, Dawn was training Mamoswine and Pachirisu, Iris was training Emolga, and Cilan was training Stunfisk.

As Pikachu swung around for another Iron Tail, he tried not to think about his rabbit friend.

The day wore on. Breaks were taken, games were played and, now, the humans and pokémon were eating lunch outside the villa.

Pikachu picked up a pellet from his bowl and raised it to his mouth, but paused as he noticed Emolga flirting with Leavanny, Palpitoad and Boldore nearby. She was giving them the puppy dog eyes - surprisingly not using Attract, for once - as she tried to coax some pellets out of them.

Leavanny responded awkwardly, smiling and rubbing the back of his head, while Palpitoad frowned, protectively crouching over his bowl. Boldore was tilting his head, his mood unreadable, due to a lack of eyes.

Frowning at the display, Pikachu looked elsewhere, only to be met with the sight of Piplup and Oshawott. The two water-types were rolling around in the dirt and smacking one another, while Meloetta watched in concern.

Rolling his eyes in mild annoyance, Pikachu looked back to his pellet. His head jolted when he saw Buneary sitting opposite him.

"(Oh...)" he said, "(hey!)"

"(Heyyy~)" she replied with a smile.

He couldn't help but notice that it wasn't stretching as far as it normally did.

"(... So... how's it going?)"

"(Good, thanks~!)" She paused a moment. "(Good job on the training earlier! You were super!)" She paused again. "(Well, as far I could tell from inside my pokéball, anyway!)"

He smiled back at her. "(Heh, thanks... I'm sure you'll do great, too!)" He paused. "(Speaking of which... are you okay to train today?)"

Her ear curled slightly, her smile faltering. After a moment, it was back again. "(Yeah, I think so! It was just a hiccup, is all!)"

He couldn't help the tiniest smirk on his face. "(A hiccup, huh?)"

"(Yup! A little ol' hiccup!)" She winked at him. "(Though I think it's gone now!)"

He winced at her sudden show of affection. "(Um...)"

She faltered again. "(... S-So yeah! 'No need to worry' and all that! Because I'm gonna take the spooootlight!)" Her smile widened.

"(... Right.)"

Giggling much harder than usual, she picked up a few pellets and shoved them into her mouth. Chewing on them, she let out a noise of approval.

"(It'sh good...)"

Chuckling awkwardly, Pikachu raised his pellet to his mouth and nibbled on it. It was rather sweet, though not overwhelmingly so. In fact, it vaguely tasted like apples, which explained why Emolga was so keen to eat more of it.

"(Hmm. Yeah, it is.)"

"(Heh...)"

They continued their lunch in silence.

After lunch, the humans started the afternoon training, Ash with Leavanny and Oshawott, Dawn with Togekiss and Quilava, Iris with Axew, and Cilan with Pansage.

Since the pokémon had been left out of their pokéballs, Pikachu watched alongside Buneary.

Conversation between them, however, was sparse.

After the afternoon training had finished, and breaks had been taken, it was on to the evening training. Ash with Unfezant and Boldore, Iris with Excadrill, Cilan with Crustle, and Dawn with Piplup and Buneary.

As the rabbit walked forwards, Pikachu gave her a brief wave. "(Good luck, Buneary!)" he said.

She turned in slight surprise. Recovering, she gave him a small wave before positioning herself in front of Dawn.

Huh. No response? Normally, she'd have thanked him profusely for a comment like that.

... Then again, that was when she'd had a crush on him. He winced.

"Alright, Piplup!" Dawn cried out. "Time to start off with Hydro Pump!"

"(Ha,)" Piplup replied, "(I can do this in my sleep.)"

Leaping into the air, the penguin opened his beak and angled it downwards. Shooting out a geyser of water that collided with the ground, he managed to keep himself suspended in mid-air. He posed.

"(Wow!)" Meloetta said.

"(Aww, come on!)" Oshawott cried. He gritted his teeth. "(... I am so gonna learn that... but better!)"

"Now then!" Dawn cried as Piplup landed back on the ground. She paused, then looked down at Buneary. "Are you okay to train today, Buneary?"

Buneary looked up at her and smiled. "(Yeah, I think so!)" she replied.

Dawn pumped a fist in determination. "Alright!" She pointed. "Then use Dizzy Punch!"

"(Got it!)"

Prepping herself, the fluff on Buneary's ears began to glow a faint rainbow-tinted white. Then they faded back to normal. The rabbit looked surprised.

"Buneary?"

"(No! I got this!)"

Buneary unleashed a battle cry as she swung her ears, one after another. There seemed to be an odd lack of power behind the punches.

"Um... okay, let's try this! Piplup and Buneary, double Ice Beam towards each other!"

Buneary spun on the spot, facing the penguin. "(Got it!)"

She opened her mouth, which began to glow a pale blue. Opposite her, Piplup's beak was also glowing pale blue.

"And go!"

Piplup shot out his Ice Beam. Buneary's, however, faded away, just like last time. She panicked as the opposing Ice Beam approached.

Dawn, also panicking, shrieked. "Buneary, dodge it!"

Buneary bounded away, seconds before the Ice Beam froze the ground. When she landed, she stumbled slightly, but regained her footing.

"Buneary? Are you okay? Are you still not feeling well?"

"(N-No, I'm fine! I got this!)"

Piplup looked at her, slightly concerned. "(Buneary?)" he asked.

"(I'm good...)"

"This is really weird..." Ash said, having stopped his training to watch.

Iris turned to Cilan. "What could be wrong with Buneary?" she asked.

Cilan put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm..." he replied.

After a moment, Dawn shook her head to clear it, then smiled determinedly. "Come on, Buneary!" she cried. "No need to worry! You can do this!"

"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(I can totally do this!)"

"So, how's about we show off your new move? You ready to give it a try?"

Buneary glanced once at Pikachu. They locked gazes for a mere moment, before she looked away and nodded.

"Alright, Buneary..." Dawn pointed a finger dramatically. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's eyes widened instantly.

"Thunderbolt?!" Ash exclaimed.

Clenching her paws together, Buneary concentrated. The fluff around her waist began to spark.

Pikachu blinked. Then blinked again. After a moment, he lowered his eyelids. Thunderbolt? Really? There was no way this was a coincidence.

Had this rabbit been so desperate to gain his favour that she'd learned what was basically his signature move? Just to impress him?

A part of him was flattered by it. The other part was rather annoyed.

Before he could think any more on the matter, however, Buneary's sparks suddenly fizzled out.

Dawn slumped. "No good, huh?"

Buneary looked up, locking gazes with Pikachu. He held his exasperated expression as he looked back at her, silently asking why. Why she had to go and learn that. She gave him a pitiful face in return, before turning away.

"Man, I wonder what's wrong..." Ash said.

"Is Buneary sick?" Iris asked. "Or tired?"

"Perhaps she has some emotional baggage," Cilan suggested.

"I... I don't know..." Dawn replied. She knelt down. "Hey, Buneary, are you okay?"

Buneary turned to her with a wide smile. "(Yeah! I'm great!)" she replied. "(Super duper!)"

Ash folded his arms. "You know, this kinda reminds me of Sceptile," he said.

Dawn looked up at him. "Sceptile?" she asked.

"Yeah, my sceptile. His moves stopped working when he got sad once."

Pikachu flinched.

Iris blinked. "Really?" she asked. "What got him sad?"

Ash put on a thoughtful pose. "Hmmmmm..." he replied. There was a long pause. "You know what?" He smiled sheepishly. "I can't remember."

The other three humans almost fell over.

"Oh, well, that doesn't help us at all!" Iris cried.

"Yes," Cilan agreed with a sheepish grin of his own, "that ingredient doesn't accentuate this dish at all..."

Dawn sighed, then turned back to Buneary. "Are you sad, Buneary?" she asked.

Buneary blinked at her. After a moment, she smiled and shook her head. "(Nah! I'm fine! I'm dandy! I'm super!)" Dawn didn't look convinced. "(I'm so super that I'm almost a superhero!)" She paused. "(Or is that a superheroine?)"

Dawn sighed again, getting to her feet. "I just don't get it..."

"Hmmm..." Cilan said, "I'm afraid my evaluation time won't be of much use here..."

Iris gave a light smile. "I guess you could always try again tomorrow," she suggested.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "One more day should do the trick!"

"Mmm," Cilan added with an approving nod. "Perhaps the salad will be much fresher by then!"

Iris lowered her eyelids at him. "That's not how salads work, Cilan..." she replied.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "Well, no, I know that, but..."

"So don't worry, Buneary!" Ash interjected, fists clenched in determination. "You'll get your groove back in no time! I believe in ya!"

"Me too!" Dawn added with a large smile. "So, no need to worry, okay?"

"Agreed!" Cilan added. "If your soufflé falls the first time, or the second, or perhaps even the third, then keep baking until it's perfect!"

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Don't let one bad dish get you down, 'cause the next one might be even more delicious!" She smiled brightly, then paused. "Wait..." She scrunched up her face up in distaste. "Oh, now you've got me doing it!"

The humans all laughed at her, Cilan doing so with a slightly red face. Even some of the pokémon joined in.

... Pikachu, however, couldn't find it in himself to laugh.

Later, after more resting and playing, everyone had been called over by Cilan to eat dinner.

Pikachu nibbled on a pellet, barely acknowledging the sour flavouring as Buneary slowly walked over, a bowl in her paws.

"(Heyyyy...)" she said. "(Mind if I sit here?)"

"(No, go ahead,)" he replied, waving a paw.

"(Thanks.)" She sat down. "(... So! Good day of training?)"

He eyed her up warily. "(Yeah...)"

"(... My moves didn't work too well this time, but I'll get 'em next time!)"

"(Uh huh...)"

"(I'll... I'll take 'em by the scruff of their neck and I'll tell 'em to do their thing!)"

"(... Right.)"

Silence followed.

"(... So, uh...)" Pikachu continued, staring intently down at his pellet, "(when did you learn Thunderbolt?)"

There was a pause. "(Oh, that?)" Buneary laughed loudly. "(Oh yeah, I learned that sometime in Hoenn! Which one was it? The third contest? Or the fourth?)" She paused. "(You know, I don't actually remember!)"

His grip on the pellet tightened. "(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yeah!)" She paused again. "(Oh! Or maybe it was the time Dawn met that travelling circus guy! He had a tall hat and a cool bowtie and had this really funny moustache that made him look-)" She paused a third time. "(... Hey, are you okay?)"

He loosened his grip. "(Yeah. I'm fine.)" He nibbled on the pellet, still not looking at her.

"(... Oh... okay.)"

She fell silent after that.

After all but Pikachu, Piplup and Axew had been called back to their pokéballs, the humans sat on Cynthia's balcony.

"You've all been working so hard on your training," Cynthia said, gently lifting her cup of tea. She blew on it a few times to cool it down, then smiled. "And the tournament's not for another twelve days."

"Well, we gotta be ready, you know?" Ash replied. "I'm gonna win the Junior Cup for sure!"

"Ha!" Iris said. "You'll have to beat me first!"

"(Yeah!)" Axew agreed from her lap.

"And me!" Cilan added.

"And me!" Dawn added. She paused. "I just hope Buneary's gonna be okay..."

"(Yeah...)" Piplup agreed from her lap.

"She'll be fine, Dawn," Ash replied. "No need to worry, right?"

"Yeah," Dawn said. She brightened up slightly. "Yeah, you're right."

Cynthia slowly sipped her tea. After a moment, she lowered the cup. "So, what do you think's wrong with Buneary?" she asked.

Dawn sighed. "I have no idea..." She looked down at the table. Piplup looked up at her in concern. "She said she wasn't sad, but there's clearly something wrong..."

"Stress, perhaps?"

"I don't know..."

"Hmm..." Cynthia turned to her butler. "What do you think, Jervis?"

"It is likely that something is indeed bothering Miss Buneary," Jervis replied, "though what it is, I could not say..."

"It really does remind me of Sceptile..." Ash said thoughtfully, "though I can't remember why..."

"Urgh," Iris grumbled. "Well, try and remember, okay, Ash? It might help."

"(Yeah, it might help!)" Axew echoed.

"Yeah, okay," Ash replied.

From his trainer's lap, Pikachu sighed to himself. He knew exactly why it was reminding Ash of Sceptile, but he wasn't about to tell anybody that.

Although, if the situation really was like it had been with Sceptile, perhaps it would be over just as quickly, too.

He certainly hoped so...