Author's note: Howdy hey!
Hope you like the chapter, paisanos, and be sure to review any fics you enjoy! Authors really appreciate it! And the good ones will even give you a lovely response!
Peace out!
Chapter Fifteen: Greeting Comrades
Pikachu watched as Buneary's head swivelled around, admiring all the stalls around her. He was looking, too, of course, but there was something oddly charming about her enthusiasm.
"(Wow, this one's selling donuts!)" she said excitedly, pulling him along by his paw. "(I like donuts! Reminds me of the time before I met Dawn, when a trainer dropped one and I swiped it!)"
He chuckled, smiling in disbelief at her. "(You swiped it?)" he asked.
"(Yeah! He didn't want it, 'cause it had already hit the grass, so more for me!)" She beamed. "(It was soooo good!)"
Huh. Grass donuts. He couldn't say he liked the idea, himself. Still, it was a pretty funny image.
"(Ooh, look!)" she continued, pointing at a stall. "(This one's got a ring toss! We've just gotta play that later!)"
He beamed. "(Sounds fun!)"
"(And they're giving away pikachu dolls!)" Her voice squeaked in her excitement. "(You've just gotta win me one!)"
He chuckled. "(Oh yeah? Think I can?)"
"(Heck yeah!)" She winked at him. "(With your hotness alone, you could probably get me ten pikachu dolls~!)"
His chuckling became more awkward as embarrassment filled his veins. "(Well, thanks...)"
She just always had to catch him off-guard with her compliments, didn't she? Not that they were unwelcome, of course, but still.
"(No problem~!)" She paused, blinking. "(... Wait, didn't you score, like, a perfect one hundred on a ring toss once? On, like... the steamboat?)"
He blinked back. Honestly, he'd forgotten all about that. "(Oh yeah...)"
She beamed. "(Even better! Now I know you'll do great on the ring toss!)"
He chuckled awkwardly again. "(Maybe!)"
Her eyes positively sparkled. "(You know, back then, when you were in the air... the sunlight hit your fur just right and it glistened! Like an angel descending from heaven!)"
He blinked. This was the first time he was hearing this compliment. "(Oh yeah?)"
"(Yeah! It was-)" She glanced up and gasped in delight. "(Wait, the donuts are pikachu-shaped! How didn't I notice?! Oh, I've just gotta have one!)" She paused. "(Though it'd be a shame to eat it...)" She whipped her head around and gasped again. "(Oh, and that stall has pikachu clothes! And that one has pikachu accessories! And-)"
Smiling, Pikachu sighed to himself. Gosh, she was really having fun tonight, wasn't she? Well, he couldn't say he was complaining.
Once they'd checked out most of the stalls, Pikachu couldn't help but be a teeny bit weirded out that everything in the festival either had pikachu pictures, pikachu colours, pikachu patterns or was pikachu-shaped. Jeez, just who had organised this festival, anyway? And why did they like pikachu this much? It was honestly just a little bit creepy.
Not that Buneary seemed to agree. She was clearly having the time of her life, so he couldn't feel too off-put by it. Heck, if she was enjoying herself, then so was he. He smiled at the thought.
"(There's so many great stalls!)" Buneary said giddily. "(Maybe we should go ask the humans for some money!)"
Pikachu chuckled. "(Well, Brock did say we could, if we wanted,)" he replied.
"(How about we do that, then? I'm dying to try a pikachu donut!)"
"(Sure! I kinda wanna try a candy apple.)"
"(Ooh, that looked good, too! Though I think I'd rather have the donut!)" She paused as they passed a stall, still paw-in-paw. "(Huh? That one's empty.)"
Pikachu looked at the stall, only to see that it had a sign propped up on it that read 'Reserved'. "(Huh. Guess they're not here yet.)"
"(Wonder what that stall has! Clothes? Food? Toys?)"
"(Dunno. Let's check it out later, when they show up.)"
"(Sure!)"
As they reached the end of the rows of stalls, Pikachu's eyes widened. He pointed to one of the end stalls. "(Hey, isn't that...?)"
"(Hmm?)" Buneary looked where he was pointing. She gasped happily. "(It's Paris and Lopunny!)" She pulled on him, making him yelp, as she dragged him over there. "(Let's go say hi!)"
As they approached, Lopunny - who was casually leaning against the stall that her trainer, Paris, was sitting at - curiously turned to look at them. She immediately smiled pleasantly upon seeing who it was. "(Oh, hello, you two,)" she said. "(Been a while, hasn't it?)"
Buneary stopped in front of her, beaming brightly. "(It sure has! How have you been?)"
"(Fine, thank you. And you?)"
"(Never better, thanks!)"
"(That's nice. And you, Pika-?)" Lopunny's eyes widened. "(Oh my. What happened to you?)"
Pikachu blinked. "(Huh?)" he asked. Glancing down at himself, he saw the bandages. "(Oh.)" He smiled awkwardly up at Lopunny. "(It was a rough battle... but I'm fine, otherwise!)"
She smiled. "(Well, that's good to hear, at lea-)" She glanced down briefly and paused. "(Oh? Are you two on a date?)"
Pikachu's face warmed. Oh, man, she'd seen them holding paws. Well, they hadn't exactly been subtle about it.
He was half-tempted to pull his paw away out of embarrassment, but he steeled his nerve and held on.
"(Sort of!)" Buneary replied. "(It's a... what did he call it? A sort-of-I-guess date?)"
Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Y-Yeah...)" he added, though he heard his own voice waver.
Lopunny went back to smiling pleasantly. "(Oh, how sweet,)" she replied. "(I'm happy for you both.)"
"(Thanks!)" Buneary replied happily.
"(By the way, Pikachu... did Ash manage to battle Fantina?)"
Pikachu let out a relieved breath that the conversation had shifted. "(Eventually, yeah,)" he replied.
"(That's nice. She was away from her gym for an awfully long time. Annoyed a lot of trainers, that one.)" Lopunny turned to Buneary. "(Oh, and Buneary? How are Dawn's contests coming along?)"
"(Great, thanks! She only needs one more ribbon!)"
"(Oh, excellent. Maybe she'll consider that photo shoot campaign then?)"
"(Who knows? Maybe!)"
Suddenly, Paris sighed. Pikachu looked up to see the famous pokéstylist looking rather bored, though trying not to show it. She glanced around herself, then shuffled in her seat, while straightening the dress she was wearing.
"(... Say, Lopunny,)" he said, "(why are you and Paris here, anyway?)"
Lopunny chuckled, prompting him to look at her. She kept her pleasant smile. "(We came to sell a special edition of Poké Chic,)" she replied. "(One that Hermione is supposed to bring.)" She indicated the stall. "(Though, as you can see, she isn't here yet. I guess she was held up by something.)"
Pikachu's eyes widened in understanding. "(Oh, I see.)" So the editor-in-chief was late with the merchandise. No wonder Paris looked so bored.
"Oh, mon dieu," Paris muttered to herself, "what is taking Miss Hermione?" She let out another sigh. "Do you see her yet, Lop-? Oh!" Pikachu looked up to see her looking straight at him, a beaming smile on her face. She clasped her hands together. "A pikachu and a buneary! How utterly adorable!" She paused. "Although..." A concerned hand rose to her mouth. "Are you alright, little one?"
Pikachu smiled awkwardly. "(Oh, me? Yeah, I'm fine!)"
"Well, if you're sure..." Her face suddenly lit up. "Oh, and you're holding hands! Trés bien! And trés cute!"
Pikachu chuckled awkwardly, now even more embarrassed. People were going to comment a lot on both his injuries and his date tonight, weren't they?
After a moment, Paris blinked at them. "Hmm?" she asked. "Wait a moment. By any chance, are you Ash's pikachu and Dawn's buneary?"
"(That's right~!)" Buneary replied. Pikachu nodded along with her.
"Oh, trés bien! Then that must mean they're at the festival, too! Do send them my way when you get a chance, won't you? It would be lovely to catch up!"
Pikachu chuckled, a little less awkwardly this time. He nodded. "(Sure thing,)" he replied.
Heading back the way they came - and passing all the stalls again - Pikachu looked around for the humans. There still weren't all that many people at the festival yet, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them. It might be later, though, when it would probably be packed. Best to get the money early, so they didn't struggle to find them later.
When he finally spotted Ash, he beamed and headed in that direction, lightly pulling Buneary along with him. He couldn't wait to start playing those games and eating those snacks! Then the date could really begin!
... Then, maybe, afterwards, he'd find a good time to respond to her feelings, at long last.
... Though he'd worry about that later! Right now, he had to focus on getting some money for their date!
As he approached the humans, he saw Ash look at him in surprise. After a moment, though, the boy smiled. "Hey, buddy!" he called out, attracting the attention of Dawn and Brock. "You-"
It was then that something flew overhead, fairly low to the ground. Pikachu snapped his head around as it passed over him, wondering what the heck it was. Then he watched in awe as a man, riding a surfboard, floated down to the ground.
Pikachu blinked. Then he realised the man was glowing blue, and so was the pokémon floating by his side. Oh, so it was a psychic-type? He didn't know, as he'd never seen that pokémon before.
He watched as the strange pokémon released the blue glow, but continued floating. He was riding on his tail like it was a surfboard.
Yeah, he was probably a psychic-type, though he didn't look like one.
The man, who had tanned skin, purple hair in a ponytail - with a few grey hairs mixed in - and a matching purple moustache, hopped off his surfboard and casually picked it up.
Pikachu blinked. Actually, had he seen that guy somewhere before?
"Looks like we got here a little early," he said in a very laid-back voice. He turned to his pokémon with a lazy smile. "But what the heck. What do you say we check out the stalls right now?"
The pokémon nodded with a gentle smile. "(That sounds nice,)" he replied in a rough and scratchy voice.
Pikachu's ears pricked. Had he just spoken in raichu?! But... he wasn't a raichu, though!
Suddenly, Ash came running over, followed by Dawn and Brock. He skidded to a stop and pointed at the man. "Hey, I know you!" he said, attracting the man's attention. "You're...!" He stopped to fold his arms and look contemplative. "Wait, what was your name again?" He frowned to himself. "Argh, I meet so many people that I forget a lot of names..."
The man smiled at him. "Hey, Ash," he said. "Long time, no see. And it's Victor, for the record."
Ash beamed. "That's it! Victor!" He looked around. "Wait, but where's Puka?"
"(I'm right here,)" the floating pokémon replied, waving lightly.
Pikachu's jaw dropped. "(What?!)" he cried.
Jumping in shock, Puka looked down at him. He blinked. Then his face crinkled into a smile. "(Oh, hello, youngster. Long time, no see.)" He paused. "(... Though you seem to be a little worse-for-wear...)"
"(Uh, yeah... Had a rough battle...)"
"(I see. Can't say I know the feeling much, as I'm more of a surfer, myself.)" Puka chuckled.
While Ash and Brock began catching up with Victor - and Dawn introduced herself - Pikachu and Buneary decided to chat with Puka.
With the older mouse now sitting on his floating tail in front of them, paws resting on his lap, Pikachu could get a much better look at him. Just like before, he had bright blue eyes and scraggly fur, especially on the tips of his ears. Although his ears were a different shape now, and his fur seemed to be greying in places. There were still wrinkles under his eyes, though he seemed to have more than before.
"(What a pleasant surprise, seeing you at this festival,)" Puka said with a soft smile. "(How are you doing?)"
Pikachu smiled back. "(Fine, thanks!)" he replied. "(I didn't expect to see you either! How long has it been?)"
"(Too long, I'd say.)" Puka looked over at Buneary and smiled. "(Oh and you haven't introduced me to your lady friend.)"
Pikachu's face warmed. Especially since they were still holding paws. He indicated her with his free paw. "(This is Buneary. I met her here in Sinnoh.)"
Buneary waved enthusiastically. "(Hi!)" she said.
He indicated Puka next. "(And, Buneary, this is Puka. I met him on Seafoam Island in Kanto.)"
"(Cool! Nice to meet you!)" She paused. "(Though... why do you sound like a raichu?)"
Puka chuckled. "(That's because I am one, youngster.)"
"(... You are?)"
Pikachu's head snapped back to Puka, his eyes bulging. "(Wait, you are?!)" he asked in shock.
Puka chuckled again. "(Yes,)" he replied. "(If a pikachu uses a thunder stone in a very specific region, he becomes what I am. A different type of raichu.)"
"(Whoa... really?!)" That was insane! A region that could completely change a raichu's form? How was that even possible?!
"(So then...)" Buneary said slowly, "(you used to be a pikachu?)"
Puka nodded. "(Yes,)" he replied. "(I never saw a point in evolving before, but this form is psychic-type, so it's very useful.)"
"(Whoa, so you are a psychic-type!)" Pikachu replied, beaming. "(I wondered earlier! That's so cool!)" He glanced at Buneary to see her reaction, but was caught off-guard when he saw her pouting slightly. Huh?
Puka chuckled again, attracting Pikachu's attention. "(Thank you,)" he said. "(After we managed to ride Humungadunga...)" he said. The raichu briefly glanced at Buneary. "(A huge wave that hits Seafoam Island every twenty years...)" He looked back at Pikachu. "(Victor and I decided to travel around the world. The same way Jan... the legendary surfer that came before us... did.)"
Pikachu's eyes lit up. "(I see!)"
"(After all, we'd conquered every wave in Kanto... so the next step was to surf the rest of the world's waves, too.)" Puka looked to the sky, a thoughtful smile on his face. "(It was quite the journey. We both learned a lot from it... and, eventually, we travelled to Alola.)"
Pikachu blinked. He'd never heard of that region. "(Alola?)"
"(A sunny, tropical region that's perfect for surfing. We discovered new waves we'd never even known existed there.)" Puka looked back at him. "(The region is also known for its pancakes. Stopping by a restaurant to try some, we encountered an 'Alolan raichu'.)" He indicated himself. "(A psychic-type that can surf on its own tail.)" His face crinkled into a smile. "(Now, as you may remember, I'm... deathly afraid of water.)" He chuckled. "(Rather bad for a surfer, isn't it?)"
"(Well...)" Pikachu shuffled awkwardly.
Puka chuckled again. "(It's alright.)" He looked back up at the sky. "(When I was a youngster, I lived on an island, you know. But I was the only pikachu who couldn't use electricity.)"
Pikachu blinked. "(You couldn't?)"
Puka shook his head. "(No. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't summon even a flicker of a spark.)" He looked back at Pikachu. "(Though I always had a sixth sense when it came to the waves.)"
"(Oh, I see.)" Pikachu glanced over at Buneary, who hadn't said anything for a while. She looked like she was listening, but she was still pouting.
"(It's almost like I was already psychic-type,)" he heard Puka say, so he looked back over at him. "(Though the others saw fit to pick on me relentlessly.)" The raichu smiled a bit wider. "(So I stowed away on some humans' ship and set sail.)" He paused, his smile flickering. "(Though the ship fell prey to the waves... leaving me with nothing but driftwood to float on.)"
Pikachu's eyes widened. He did remember Puka mentioning he'd been found on driftwood before...
Puka continued. "(Afterwards, I met Victor, and the rest is history...)" He looked to the sky. "(Though I do wonder about the others on that ship...)" After a moment, he shook his head, looking back at Pikachu with a smile. "(And that, youngster, is why I fear the waves. They are ferocious beasts that cannot be tamed. They can only be respected.)" He indicated himself again. "(Becoming a psychic-type was ideal, since... well... you remember when I fell into the ocean and Victor had to rescue me? Now he doesn't have to, anymore.)" His smile widened, crinkling his face. "(I can rescue myself.)" He lifted himself up and down on his tail for emphasis.
Pikachu smiled warmly. "(That's really cool, Puka.)"
"(Oh, thank you. Though it does mean I have an ability I can never use... though the same was true when I was a pikachu.)" Puka chuckled.
"(Heh, I guess so... Bit of a pity, but I guess being psychic makes up for it!)" Pikachu paused in thought. "(Oh! And hey.)" He gave a gentle smile. "(I'm sure the other guys on the ship are fine, too.)"
"(Oh, I do hope so, young one.)" After a moment, Puka's eyes widened. "(Oh my, it seems I've talked for far too long.)" He smiled again. "(Do enjoy your date, and don't let me keep you anymore.)"
Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(That's okay!)" He looked at Buneary. "(Right, Buneary?)"
"(... Huh?)" Buneary asked, looking back at him. She blinked, then beamed. "(Oh! Yeah!)" She turned her smile on Puka. "(Thanks for the story, Puka! It was really interesting!)"
Puka chuckled. "(No problem, young one,)" he replied. "(Now, off you go! And have fun, won't you?)"
"(We will!)" She began to pull Pikachu away. "(Thank you!)"
"(Yeah, thank-)" Pikachu began to say, but yelped as she tugged him along. Gosh, she was so excitable...
It was one of the many reasons he liked her, but still!
Once they were near the stalls they'd been interested in, she looked around excitedly. "(Right! So where should we go fir-?)" She paused, stopping in place. "(Wait, did we forget something?)"
Pikachu blinked. "(Huh?)" He thought about it for a minute. His eyes widened when he remembered the money. They'd been talking to Puka for so long that they'd both forgotten it. With his free paw, he slapped his forehead. "(... Let's go back.)"
