Author's note: Hey, guys! This fic has returned!
A big shout-out to this Pikachu's biggest hater, MewLover54! Any words for your number one anti-fan, Pikachu?
(Pikachu) "... No comment." *turns away*
Mmmkay then. Anyway, hope you like the chapter, folks! And, if not... please don't lynch me. XD I have two reboots to write...
Chapter Four: Drastic Difference
Floating through the digital space inside her pokéball, Buneary heaved a sigh. Two days in a row now, her moves had failed. She'd tried and tried and tried some more, but it just hadn't happened. No Dizzy Punch, no Bounce, no Ice Beam.
... No Thunderbolt.
Pikachu seemed to be growing further and further away, too. Things were awkward. He was quiet. She was moveless.
It was all miserable.
When she'd learned Thunderbolt, she'd thought he'd be happy. Excited, even! After all, she'd wanted to learn it! She'd wanted to for so long, so she'd tried and tried and tried, until, eventually, she'd done it. She'd zapped and fried and she'd been so proud of herself. She'd jumped for joy!
She'd thought he'd be happy. But he wasn't.
... Why wasn't he happy? Why was he annoyed? Why was he barely talking to her now?
Maybe he... really did think she was weird.
Flashes of memories whizzed past, reminding her of happier times. She fiercely shook her head. No! That couldn't be it, right? He liked her quirkiness, right? After all, it was a part of her and - as far as she knew - had always been a part of her! They used to hang out and chat lots, back in Sinnoh, so he couldn't hate her, right? He couldn't think she was weird, right?
Yeah. Yeah! That was it. That wasn't the reason he'd rejected her at all! There must have been another reason! A secret reason! Like... maybe he was shy. Or wasn't ready. Or had bigger priorities. Something like that! That had to be it!
... Right?
She shook her head again. After a moment, she sighed. She really didn't know. She couldn't figure him out. Her brain went on a straight path, whereas his must have been all swirly and squiggly, like spaghetti. Twisting and turning so much that you'd never find the end of it. The end where the truth lay.
... She needed reassurance. She needed a way to convince herself that he didn't hate her. That he liked her just the way she was.
She pondered on it for a while.
Standing on the beach, Pikachu watched from the sidelines as the humans did their morning training. Since Ash had rotated his pokémon around again, he was training with Oshawott and Scraggy, while Dawn trained with Piplup and Togekiss, Iris trained with Axew, and Cilan trained with Crustle.
The morning went by with nothing of note happening.
An hour later, the six pokémon who had been training were relaxing on the sand, recovering from their workout. Oshawott and Piplup were somehow still managing to butt heads, despite being exhausted. All of the other pokémon were let out of their pokéballs - or, in Axew's case, Iris' hair - to enjoy their break before lunch.
"(Alright, let's play)!" Axew said happily.
Snivy huffed lightly. "(If we must...)" she replied.
Several games of tag and hide-and-seek later, the pokémon gathered together for lunch.
As Pikachu approached one of the bowls, he noticed Buneary approaching him from the side. He smiled at her.
"(Hey, Buneary,)" he said.
"(Hello,)" Buneary replied, smiling gently back at him.
He blinked at the change in attitude. "(You, uh... feeling better today?)
"(Yes, thanks.)"
"(Um... okay, good!)" He sat down by the bowl of pellets. "(Do you think you'll be good to train today?)"
She sat down next to him. "(Yeah, I think so.)"
Wow. She was being awfully calm around him today. It was odd.
"(Okay, cool! Can't wait to see you practice.)"
"(Yeah. Should be fun.)"
Casting her a confused glance, he picked up a pellet and began nibbling on it. As the spicy sensation tickled his taste buds, he couldn't help but swoon.
"(Mmmm...)"
He heard Buneary nibbling on one. "(Mmm. Spicy.)"
He cast her another confused glance. Normally, she'd be spazzing out over her food, so this was quite strange.
Something inside his chest suddenly tightened. Squashing the feeling down as violently as he could, he shook his head.
"(So, uh... you feeling okay?)"
"(Yep. Never better.)"
"(Really?)"
"(Yep.)"
"(Oh... well, if you say so.)"
After lunch, it was back to training. Ash with Pignite and Snivy, Dawn with Pachirisu and Quilava, Iris with Excadrill, and Cilan with Stunfisk.
Pikachu glanced sideways at Buneary, who was watching the training with a pleasant smile on her face.
"(... Looking forward to your turn later?)" he asked.
She turned to face him, pleasant smile still in place. "(Yeah,)" she replied.
He paused. "(... You gonna practice Thunderbolt?)"
She only took a moment to answer. "(Only if Dawn asks me to.)"
He blinked at her response. After a moment, he shook it off. "(Well, okay. Hey, looks like we'll be training at the same time, too. So good luck and all that.)"
He paused. Oh no. He'd opened a window for her to flirt with him. Here was the perfect opportunity for her to say something along the lines of 'Thanks. Not that I need it with you here~!'
"(You too.)"
Giving him one last smile, she turned away.
He stared at her. What? That was it? Really?
Was she... actually starting to get over him now? Were they... finally becoming just friends?
His smile widened. Wow. He couldn't believe it. She could actually be his friend now and not his fangirl. They could hang out and play together without the threat of dating looming over him. That was an exciting prospect.
He continued to smile as he watched the training, a weight now lifted from his shoulders.
Once the afternoon training had ended - and Pignite, Snivy, Pachirisu, Quilava, Excadrill and Stunfisk were relaxing on the sand - the other pokémon had decided upon a game of hide-and-seek in the wooded area of Undella Town.
Currently, Pikachu was hiding in the hollow of a tree, certain that Pansage would struggle to find him this time. Last time, he'd hidden behind a rock and been caught immediately. That had been rather embarrassing, so it was time to up his game.
Suddenly, someone else dived into the tree hollow next to him. His eyes widened as he saw it was Buneary.
She turned around and her eyes widened. "(... Pikachu?)" she asked.
"(Oh, uh, hey,)" he replied, suddenly wary.
The last time they'd been alone together, she'd confessed to him. Now, she had the perfect opportunity to flirt with him. He braced for impact, just in case.
"(... Sorry. Should I go somewhere else?)"
He blinked. "(Uh... well, no, you don't have to... Though, if Pansage looks here, we'll both be caught.)"
She smiled pleasantly. "(That's okay. I don't mind.)"
He blinked again. She really wasn't going to flirt with him, was she? Or hug him. Or confess her feelings to him again.
His smile brightened. "(Okay, sure! We can share.)"
Later, it was time for the evening training. Ash with Pikachu and Krokorok, Iris with Emolga, Cilan with Pansage, and Dawn with Mamoswine and Buneary.
From his spot in front of Ash, Pikachu smiled in Buneary's direction, giving her a thumbs up. She looked slightly surprised. After a moment, she gave a small wave back.
"Krokorok, use Stone Edge!" Ash called out. "And Pikachu, you swat them away with Iron Tail!"
"(Gotcha!)" Krokorok responded, adjusting his sunglasses.
Glowing white, the crocodile formed two rings of white around his body, which turned into sharp, orbiting rocks. Turning to face Pikachu, he smirked. With a battle cry, he released them and they flew towards the mouse.
Sending energy to his tail, Pikachu felt it harden with a metallic sound. As the sharp rocks approached, he leapt into the air and swung his tail around multiple times. Each swing struck a rock, crumbling it to pieces.
When he landed back on the sand on all fours, he smirked back.
"(Not bad,)" he said.
"(Heh.)"
"Alright, nice one, guys!" Ash called out.
"... Again, Dawn?" Iris asked.
Intrigued, Pikachu turned his head to look over to where Dawn was. She and Mamoswine were looking down at Buneary in concern.
"Yeah..." Dawn replied.
"Still no good?" Ash asked.
Dawn sighed. "Nope..."
"Hmm..." Cilan said, placing a hand to his chin, "most perplexing."
Pikachu's ears dipped slightly. Oh dear. Her moves still weren't working. She was getting over him, though, right? So it probably wouldn't be long until they were back again.
Iris turned to Ash. "Ash, are you sure you don't remember anything about Sceptile that can help?" she asked.
Pikachu's back stiffened slightly.
Ash folded his arms in thought. "Hmmmm..." he replied. "Well..." There was a long pause. Suddenly, his face lit up in realisation. "Oh yeah! It was about a meganium!"
Dawn blinked. "A meganium?" she asked.
"Yeah." He paused for thought. "... Though I didn't really get why. He was sad that she was hanging out with someone else, or something. I think."
"The jealous type?" Iris asked.
Ash shrugged. "I guess so."
Pikachu quietly sighed in relief to himself. Thank goodness Ash was so dense. May, Max and Brock had all understood, but none of them were here right now. The only witnesses currently present were himself and Ash and he certainly wasn't going to tell people that he'd upset Buneary.
"... Are you sure you're not sad, Buneary?" Dawn asked gently.
"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied, smiling up at her trainer. "(I'm... good.)"
"(... You don't look good to me,)" Mamoswine said.
"(Well... I'm not... feeling well, I guess.)"
"Is your buneary perhaps not feeling well?" Cilan asked.
"I dunno," Dawn replied. "Buneary?"
Buneary paused a long moment. Sighing, her unrolled ear flopped down. "(Yeah, I'm... not so good...)" she replied.
Pikachu's eyebrows furrowed in concern. She wasn't feeling well?
Dawn gave a light smile. "That's okay, Buneary," she said. Kneeling down, she scooped her in her arms and stood up again. "How about you take a nice, long break from training?"
Buneary blinked at her. "(Huh?)"
Dawn's smile widened. "Yeah! No need to worry! I'll just use my other pokémon in the tournament! There's only five rounds, after all."
"(A-Are you sure?)"
"Like I said, no need to worry!"
"(... Well... okay.)" Buneary smiled back. "(Thanks, Dawn.)"
"Good call," Cilan said. "After all, some dishes are best left on the side to cool."
"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Have a nice, long rest, Buneary!"
"Be sure to cheer your teammates on in the tournament!" Ash added.
"(I will!)" Buneary replied.
Huh. So Buneary was dropping out of the tournament. That was a shame, but Pikachu supposed it was for the best.
After training, Pikachu relaxed on the sand, along with Krokorok, Emolga, Pansage and Mamoswine. Buneary, however, joined the others in a game of tag. Togekiss seemed to be fussing over the rabbit, a concerned expression on her face, but Buneary kept on smiling. Eventually, they were out of sight and playing elsewhere.
Pikachu heaved a sigh to himself. Well, he was sure she'd be okay. Once she'd played a few games, he'd talk to her and try to cheer her up a bit.
At dinner time, Pikachu walked over to where Buneary was. She looked up at him in surprise.
He smiled. "(Hey,)" he said. He pointed to two bowls next to them. "(Wanna sit here?)"
"(Uh... yeah, sure,)" she replied.
They sat down. He picked up a pellet, his smile turning soft. "(Hey, sorry that you won't be in the tournament.)"
"(That's okay.)"
His smile brightened again. "(No worries, though! You could use the break.)"
"(Y-Yeah.)"
"(Rest up and your moves will come back before you know it!)"
"(Yeah...)"
He bit into the pellet. It tasted slightly sour and slightly sweet. He hummed in appreciation.
"(Hey, you should try these! They're pretty good.)"
"(Oh. Yeah.)" She picked up a pellet and nibbled on it. "(... It's good.)"
"(Right? Not as good as the spicy ones we had for lunch, but still pretty good.)"
"(Ha, yeah.)"
He continued to talk throughout lunch, the smile never leaving his face.
"So, Buneary's not going to be entering?" Cynthia asked before sipping her tea.
"No," Dawn replied. "I think she needs a good, long rest before I use her again."
Iris gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, she's... not in the best shape," she agreed.
"I see," Cynthia replied, placing her tea cup back on its plate. "That is... unfortunate."
"No kidding," Ash agreed.
Cilan smiled. "Though perhaps a little time in the fridge is all this lovely dessert needs to be delicious!" he said.
"Perhaps," Cynthia replied.
From Dawn's lap, Piplup proudly puffed out his chest. "(Well, then I'll just have to be twice as impressive to make up for it!)" he said.
From Iris' lap, Axew waved his arms. "(Me too!)" he said.
Jervis turned to the four trainers. "So, have you four decided on the pokémon you'll be using in the tournament?" he asked.
"Well," Dawn replied, "I'll be using everyone except Buneary, obviously."
"Of course, Miss Dawn."
Iris slumped in exasperation. "And me and Cilan kinda don't have a choice," she replied.
Jervis chuckled. "Ah, yes. Of course, Miss Iris." He looked at Ash. "And what about you, Master Ash?"
Ash frowned in thought. "Hmmm..." he replied. "Well, I still haven't figured it out."
Cynthia smiled. "You still have plenty of time left before the tournament," she replied. "So there's no need to rush."
"I guess you're right." He smiled. "So I'll just keep switching them out for a while, 'til I figure it out!"
"A sound idea, Master Ash," Jervis replied, his face crinkling into a smile.
With everyone smiling, Pikachu couldn't help but smile, himself. Things finally seemed to be looking up.
... Something squirmed lightly in his chest at that, but he forcefully pushed it back down. He'd let nothing ruin this moment.
Nothing.