Chapter 18: ...To The Other Side
Pikachu floated through a dark void of nothingness before suddenly his feet touched down upon a surface. He opened his eyes only to see blackness all around him. Despite how dark it was, he could still clearly see his own yellow fur. Indeed, it seemed that he was the only visible thing here. Was this death? Purgatory? Could it even be Hell? He may have been a little mischievous here and there, but he was sure that he had lived a good, moral life! Regardless, he was here, he was conscious and it looked like there was no escaping this place. He could only hold back a sob as he realized that this was his fate: to be here in the darkness, perhaps until the end of time.
Suddenly, he heard something. It was muffled, faint and he couldn't understand what was being said, but...he heard a voice! He listened closely as he heard the same voice ring out from the darkness, this time though, he could make out a little of what it said.
"…Hang tight!" The muffled voice said before becoming unintelligible.
Hang tight? By the looks of things, he wasn't going anywhere.
He took some time to survey his surroundings only to reaffirm what he feared: nothing...nothing for eternity.
After he was done checking out his new existence, he heard the same voice say something else. Between muffled garbles, he heard the words "Safe now!". Interesting, he didn't exactly feel safe, but then again, there wasn't anything around to put him in danger was there?
Being here in the void, Pikachu couldn't really tell how fast or slow time was going, if at all. All he knew was that somehow, he was standing on a solid surface in the dark, with only himself visible and a strange, faint voice coming out from the nothingness.
Pikachu could do nothing else but walk forward. Although he didn't know if he was getting anywhere, he was sure that he definitely wouldn't get anywhere by just standing in the same spot.
As he continued forward, Pikachu couldn't help but think of his beloved trainer, his best friend who probably had no idea where he was or what had happened. Even Buizel and Happiny wouldn't exactly know since they had to escape. Still, he just hoped that his efforts weren't in vain and that they had managed to get to safety. He could feel his vision cloud with tears, the only other thing that seemed to exist in this limbo. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, the darkness from his lack of vision being no different than the world that surrounded him.
Stifling sobs, Pikachu stopped walking and took a moment to wipe away his tears. As he did however, he noticed something from behind his eyelids. Was that...light? He slowly opened his eyes and saw that; indeed, a small source of light began to appear in front of him! Before he could do anything, he heard the voice ring out again, this time much more clearly.
"You'll be okay!" The voice cried out. Funny, it sounded familiar.
Feeling a sense of hope, Pikachu got on all fours and ran as fast as he could towards the light. Whether this was to escape this place or go into the great beyond, it didn't matter. All he knew was that it was the only other thing here with him and its heavenly light brought him much-needed comfort.
As he continued running towards the light, he saw that slowly but surely, the source was appearing to get larger. After what felt like seconds, the small source of light that punctured the darkness widened into what appeared to be a doorway of escape! As he ran, Pikachu noticed something rather odd: he saw the darkness around him and the light source appearing to bend, stretching and contracting around him. It reminded him a little of that fever dream he had where he was swallowed by the ground and fell into an endless swirling vortex. Pushing that horrible memory away, Pikachu continued running forward. He couldn't slow down because for all he knew, this might be his only chance to get out of here!
He continued to run but now, it didn't look like he was making any more progress. It looked as if he were on a treadmill running in place because the source of light wasn't coming any closer! Feeling tears forming in his eyes again, Pikachu couldn't help but let out a cry of anguish as he felt electricity course through his body.
No...he can't slow down! If this was really his only chance then he needed to give it his all!
Opening his eyes in sheer determination, Pikachu used Volt Tackle and pressed forward. As he sprinted, the electricity coming from his body flew every which way, punching holes in the surrounding darkness, allowing more light to shine through. As the darkness bent and swayed, Pikachu saw the source of light finally coming closer. With one final push, Pikachu jumped through it as his vision became enveloped in the heavenly iridescent glow.
Pikachu slowly opened his eyes as his blurry vision began to clear. At first, he saw something bright in front of him and as the colors and shapes settled, his mind took time to register what he was looking at. When the haze in his mind dissipated, he realized that he was staring at a lit candle, its flame small yet burning brilliantly. Next to the candle was a metal jug with an empty clear juice glass.
He blinked a few times, trying to make sure that he wasn't seeing things and to clear his mind. His gaze slowly moved from the candle to wherever he could look. The candle rested on a small wooden nightstand and beyond that was a small living room with wooden tables and chairs as well as a small couch. Beyond that was a door, presumably leading out of the room. Next to that was another doorway that led into a small bathroom.
Pikachu took a moment to gauge his immediate surroundings before he suddenly realized that he was lying on his back in a fair-sized bed. He tried to sit up but his body ached and he felt a sharp pain in his left side. Painfully sucking air through his teeth, Pikachu laid back down. He managed to lift his head and saw that next to the living room was a small kitchen with all of the basic necessities. Along the walls were some pictures of flowers, some beautiful scenic sights and portraits of Pokémon. Accompanying the pictures was an occasional window leading to the outside world.
Was he in...a...cabin?
He looked to the wall on his right and saw through the window which, from his view, only gave a good look at the sky which was a dreary gray with water droplets beginning to spatter on the glass.
Pikachu looked down at himself and saw that several parts of his body were covered in white bandages. In fact, there was a large gauze wrap that covered the top of his head. He reached to feel it only to realize that he also had a damp cloth on his forehead. Groaning, Pikachu could only wonder where exactly he was and what happened. By the looks of things, he somehow ended up in a small cabin and was bandaged up. All he really knew...was that he still alive.
Before he could comb through all of the possibilities of how he got here, Pikachu heard the door open. Unable to easily move his body, he merely gave a side-glance. To his absolute surprise, he saw none other than Buneary walk in, holding a small basket of berries. His eyes widened in shock as she stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind her. She was humming a song to herself as she hopped onto the kitchen table to put the berries away. Pikachu could only dumbfoundedly look on as she attended to her duties, her back to him and humming away.
"(~Seems it never rains in Southern-eep!)" She shrieked in surprise as she turned to face him staring at her, jumping back and nearly hitting the wall.
"(B-Buneary...?)" Pikachu managed to say although he felt that his throat was drier than a desert.
"(D-Don't say anything, save your strength!)" She sternly, if not worriedly, said as she quickly hopped over to him. She jumped onto the small nightstand next to his bedside and poured water from the metal jug into the glass cup. Once done, she leaned over and gently put the cup to his lips and allowed him to slowly drink it. In that moment, there was nothing more heavenly-feeling than the cool liquid going down his throat.
He let out a satisfied "ahh" after finishing his imbibing. Buneary put the cup back on the desk and leaned over to adjust the damp cloth on his forehead.
"(Looks like that'll need to be wetted.)" She muttered to herself.
"(Buneary...what happened?)" Pikachu asked, not taking his eyes off of her.
Upon hearing him speak, Buneary leaned back to look him in the face. For a moment, he could see concern in those brown eyes before she quickly changed her expression to give him a small, warm smile, although he could tell that she was mostly just trying to not make him worried.
"(You got yourself into more mischief mister!)" She said in a surprisingly soothing voice.
"(Huh?)" Pikachu wondered aloud as Buneary hopped off the nightstand to grab a berry from the kitchen counter. She quickly returned to his side and held the fruit to his face.
"(Here, nibble it slowly. It's an Oran berry, it'll restore your strength.)" She gently said.
He looked at the berry, then to her and then back to the berry. Slowly, he grasped the fruit and took a small bite out of it. He grimaced a little, it tasted anything but sweet. Dry, sour and spicy among other things.
Seeing his reaction, Buneary lightly chuckled. "(Sorry, I figured that's the one to help get your strength back the fastest. If I could, I would've given you something sweeter like a Mago berry.)" She said, somewhat embarrassedly as she rubbed the back of her head.
Despite the taste, Pikachu was just grateful that something with some kind of flavor was passing his lips. Not to mention...he thought he was feeling better already! Not a whole lot, but definitely a little!
As he made progress on eating the berry, Pikachu looked back up at Buneary. Before he could form a coherent thought, a torrent of questions was already leaving his mouth so fast that his words were practically melding into each other.
"(So what happened? Where are we? How long was I out for? A-And where's everyone else?)" He asked in rapid succession. She blinked before wordlessly urging him to take another bite to which he did.
Buneary's smile dipped as she looked at him. "(W-Well I don't know about everyone else. Ummm...you were out for a few hours...and as for the other questions...well...)" She said, trailing off as she held her arm.
Pikachu paused eating to stare at her, a look of intrigue on his face.
Buneary hopped through the forest. Hoping that Pachirisu wouldn't find them so soon into their game of hide-and-seek, she and Aipom decided to split up and find their own hiding spots. She had promised to tell the purple monkey more details about Pikachu asking her out and what she would do to prepare for it.
Finding a tree that wasn't too high up to use Bounce on, Buneary jumped to one of its highest branches. Satisfied, she hid behind the thick leaves and uncurled her ears to hear if Pachirisu was nearby. Listening intensely, she heard nothing. As she was about to re-curl her ear, she suddenly heard something in the distance.
"(Hey pal, didn't forget about me did you?!)" A vaguely familiar voice rang out.
Buneary was taken aback, not at all expecting to hear something like that.
"(Because I'm the one you need to worry about!)" The voice rang out again. Strange, it sounded a little like...Pikachu?
Before she could finish that thought, she heard what sounded like a crash onto solid ground. Leaning forward, Buneary continued listening with her superb hearing. Was he in danger? Should she go get help? What should she-
Her thoughts were once again interrupted, this time by what sounded like a large explosion. The crackling effects made it sound like it was a Fire-type attack, and a huge one too.
No time! Pikachu sounded like he was in danger! Not to mention, in her efforts to hide from Pachirisu, she was likely far away from everyone else!
Buneary immediately jumped from the tree branch and safely landed on the ground. Keeping her ears extended, she ran in the direction of the commotion. Not caring if she was caught by Pachirisu, Buneary ran as fast she could through the forest, the sounds of the battle becoming clearer with each passing minute.
After what felt like forever, Buneary broke beyond the edge of the forest. Quickly eyeing her surroundings, she saw that she was standing in front of a dirt road with a running river on the other side of it. To her immediate right was a fairly large mountain. Hearing the commotion coming from her right, she took off hopping towards it.
She was getting close; she could tell because the noise from the battle was loud enough for her to no longer use both of her ears to intently listen. Curling an ear, Buneary steadied her nerves for what she was about to encounter. She wouldn't hesitate, not if Pikachu was in danger!
Buneary hopped as fast as she could down the dirt road until she came around a bend and finally got a full view of what was happening. She immediately stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe her eyes; she simply must be seeing things!
Far off in the distance and high up in the air was a rather large Aerodactyl frantically flying around. Attached to its tail was a familiar yellow figure. Pikachu? Was he...holding onto that thing? Immediately upon wondering that, both of them were suddenly enveloped in brilliant yellow lighting. The Aerodactyl screeched in pain and faltered in its flight path.
That settled it then. No more doubts. Pikachu was definitely fighting that thing! Feeling resolved, Buneary continued hopping down the dirt path as fast as she could towards them. As she looked forward and briefly took her eyes off the two in the sky, she noticed how the area ahead of her was in complete chaos. Chunks of earth missing, rocks obliterated into dust and many parts of the area scorched black or still on fire.
Buneary's eyes widened as she started to grasp how awful the fight must have been. It certainly didn't look like a typical Pokémon battle. This looked like a desperate struggle of life and death! What was going on?! Why was he fighting that thing alone?! And...could it be the same Aerodactyl from Oreburgh?
She looked up as she heard the sound of crackling lightning again and saw that the two were enveloped in electricity once more. Still a fair distance away, Buneary dug deep inside of herself and put on a burst of speed that she didn't even know that she was capable of. She was giving it her all, even more than when she tried to catch Pachirisu on the second day he was on their team.
She just needed a few minutes at most. Pikachu...just hang on!
As she got closer to the battlefield, she heard a third crackling of lightning. She looked up and to her horror, she saw the Aerodactyl enter into a freefall with Pikachu still holding on to its tail! As she continued hopping down the path, she looked on in terror as Pikachu was flung to and fro as the two plummeted towards the ground.
Then...he let go of the Aerodactyl's tail! Buneary felt her heart drop as she saw him falling in midair.
Crap! Crap! CRAP!
She pushed herself even harder, going down the dirt path like a bolt of lightning, hoping against hope that somehow she could cushion his fall or even catch him. Yeah, she could use Bounce to catch him like when he caught her back during that double-battle! Or she could make an ice slide just like how she did this morning! She would just get there and-
As soon as she looked up again, her eyes widened as she saw the Aerodactyl regain control of itself in the air and began to fire a Hyper Beam from its mouth...straight at Pikachu!
She could only scream as she saw the Hyper Beam directly hit him in midair, creating an explosion and producing an artificial cloud that hung above the battlefield.
Not slowing down, Buneary reached the outskirts of the warzone, not caring at all if the Aerodactyl saw her. On her right, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Aerodactyl slam into the mountain with a loud crash and screech in pain. Focusing back on the newly made cloud, she looked for any sign of her electric mouse.
As she entered the battlefield, she saw Pikachu limply fall from the artificial cloud and immediately tumble through the air towards the ground. As he was falling, there looked to be a thin, red trail of something following him.
No! No! No! NO!
It was all she could think as she hopped off the dirt path towards Pikachu's tumbling form, the artificial cloud hanging over her and temporarily providing both shade and cover from the Aerodactyl's sight. She continued making progress but could only look on in absolute horror as she saw him plummet into a small lake. As she began approaching the lake's vicinity, she heard the Aerodactyl flapping its wings but the sounds were receding. Looking behind, she saw the beast flying in the opposite direction, beyond the mountain and soon was out of sight.
Turning her gaze forward, she continued making progress. As she finally neared the body of water, she saw Pikachu lying along the shore on his back, unmoving. Not allowing herself to feel tired, she pressed on as she hopped along the shore until she finally reached him.
Coming to a skidding halt, Buneary eyed him up and down. He was unconscious with a look of absolute exhaustion and he was completely drenched...but he was still breathing! Immediately, she pressed her ear against his chest. She could hear his heart faintly thumping in a rhythmic beat. Alright, it didn't sound like it was slowing down...
She took a step back to get a better look at him.
As she examined him, her eyes widened in horror as she saw red liquid pooling underneath his body. Leaning forward, she saw a large vertical gash on his left side, blood pouring from it and trailing down the shore.
Trying her best to quell the immense hysteria she was feeling, she looked towards the lake and suddenly got an idea. She hopped towards the lake's edge, cupped her paws and collected some water. Quickly, she hopped back over to Pikachu and poured the water over his wound. Once she was done, she let out a gentle Ice Beam which immediately covered the gash in ice, fully halting the bleeding. Pikachu stirred and murmured before falling silent again.
Buneary immediately looked elsewhere on his body to see what other injuries he had. Aside from some other cuts and bruises, he mostly seemed fine, not much different than after training or from a typical battle.
Still feeling a growing sense of panic, Buneary looked around to see if the Aerodactyl was coming back or was nearby at all. She extended both of her ears and listened closely. She heard nothing and saw nobody nearby. On the one hand, it was good that the Aerodactyl wasn't around anymore, but on the other...nobody was around to help them!
She took a moment to think of all their immediate options when suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a droplet hitting the top of her head. Surprised, she looked up and saw that the sky was becoming covered by gray clouds and the sound of muffled thunder reverberated in the distance. Frowning, Buneary looked back down at Pikachu. In that moment, he looked so vulnerable...more than she had ever seen him. Seeing him this way...well...it just made her heart break into pieces. While she knew the literal reason, she still questioned how on earth things ended up like this and so quickly too. It took everything she had to hold back a sob as she continued to look at him.
How? How could this have happened? What should she do? She could feel tears form in her eyes, a wave of emotions rolling over her. It was almost too much to bear...
...
No! No, she can't break down! She needed to be strong! She needed to be the leader here! It can't be like the last two times when she screwed up! She can't freak out like in the cave and she certainly won't leave him behind when things were getting tough like with Happiny! Pikachu needed her right now and there was no time to waste!
All of those questions racing through her mind will have to wait. Right now, what matters is that they get to safety and find shelter, both from the oncoming storm and from the Aerodactyl, should it return. Determined now more than ever, Buneary wiped away her tears and carefully picked Pikachu off from the shore and slung him over her shoulders. His face rested on her left shoulder as he made a soft groan. Once he was steady, she looked back. The Aerodactyl flew that way so their safest bet was moving in the opposite direction. Looking forward, she saw only trees. Taking a quick deep breath, she hopped into the forest with Pikachu on her back.
"(We're going to get help okay?)" She said to him as she proceeded onwards.
As Buneary continued through the woods, she heard Pikachu mumble something.
"(Get to safety, they need to get to safety...)" He softly muttered before becoming unintelligible.
"(Hang tight! I won't leave you!)" Buneary shouted back, hoping that it would bring some kind of comfort to him.
Buneary hopped even faster, maneuvering past the trees, hoping to find something or someone to help them. After a few minutes, she saw a break in the woods. Slowing down, she walked beyond the forest's edge and to her surprise, she saw a large ravine in front of them. Looking from side to side, she didn't see any bridge or means to walk across it. Frowning, she looked around to see if there was anywhere else she could go. Before she could make a decision, she swore that she heard the Aerodactyl's screech from a distance behind them.
Looking behind herself, she turned back towards the ravine. Steadying her nerves, she took several steps back. Then, holding on to the confidence in her heart, she ran forward. As she got to the edge, she channeled all of her strength into her legs to use the strongest Bounce she'd ever managed in her life!
She glanced downwards as they soared through the air and got a good look at how deep the ravine was. Keeping control, she finally landed on the other side with a loud thump. Taking a moment to let the shock of the landing pass over, Buneary continued hopping through the woods as the storm began to pick up. She could feel rain droplets pelt both her and Pikachu although it was still rather light.
Pikachu only muttered incoherently, sounding as if he was losing his strength.
"(Go on without me...)" He weakly said.
Buneary quickened her pace as she hopped through the trees, eyeing anything that looked different, anything that looked like shelter or a semblance of civilization.
After a few more minutes of frantically hopping through the woods, something finally broke the monotony of the trees on their right. She immediately stopped in place and peered through the forest. She realized that she was looking at a small cabin in the middle of the woods!
Yes! Maybe someone's in there that can help!
"(It's okay, we're gonna be safe now!)" She shouted but Pikachu only deliriously mumbled something back in response.
Feeling hope surging in her heart, Buneary quickly hopped over to the wooden cabin. As soon as she reached the door, she banged on it.
"(Help! Someone! It's an emergency!)" She shouted as loud as she could though all of the running and hopping in the past hour was starting to catch up with her as she felt herself beginning to struggle panting for air.
She waited a moment to hear anything from inside but was only met with silence. She noticed that a window was next to the door and hopped in front of it, trying to peer inside.
"(Hey! Anyone home?!)" She loudly asked as she – along with Pikachu – jumped several times in front of the window.
Not seeing any occupants, Buneary walked back to the door and – jumping to grab the doorknob – opened it. She peered inside the dark cabin's interior and concluded that nobody had been in here for quite some time. Still, it looked pretty clean and sturdy. Satisfied, she stepped in, closed the door and hopped over to the bed to gently place Pikachu in it.
Pausing briefly, Buneary saw that the ice on his side was already melting. She frantically looked around the cabin for something to help with it. Not seeing anything right away, she rummaged through any drawer she could find. Finally – to her surprise and relief – she found a first aid kit!
Taking the kit out, she opened it and thankfully found that it was full of unopened supplies. She saw bandages, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide among other things. The most notable thing to her was a smaller kit inside, specifically a suture kit. It seemed that this cabin was looked after by a park ranger or something because these supplies looked relatively new.
Looking back at Pikachu, she turned back to the appliances and determinedly nodded her head as she steeled her nerves. She grabbed the entire kit and hopped onto the bed. Laying down some towels next to Pikachu's side, Buneary read through the instructions on how to properly treat his wounds. After disinfecting the gash and any other cuts and injuries she could find, she took out the suture kit. She eyed the grievous injury, the ice completely gone now. She steadied her breath as she began the process of closing up his wound.
"(This is gonna probably sting, but you'll be okay now!)" She shouted as she leaned forward.
Pikachu could only stare at her as she continued to tell her tale, completely floored. His mouth only hung agape as his eyes widened as big as dinner plates.
She...saved him? Again? And she was...nursing him back to health?
...Again?
In that moment, Pikachu felt a wave of mixed emotions that was almost overwhelming. Shock, gratitude, embarrassment and many others all rolled up into one moment.
"(And we've been here ever since.)" Buneary said, finally concluding her story.
Pikachu merely blinked in response, unable to even move his mouth to say something. D-Dear holy legends above...
Seeing his reaction, Buneary turned away, a look of serious concern washing over her face as she tapped her paws together. "(You...umm...feeling a little better?)" She finally asked, her eyes still off of him.
Blinking again, Pikachu shook his head and put on the most reassuring smile he could muster.
"(Of course I am! Being fed berries in a comfy bed isn't the worst way I've woken up!)" He said with an intentional brightness in his voice.
"(Mmm...good...)" She said, continuing to look away from him.
For a while there was an awkward silence with neither of them really knowing what to say.
Pikachu's eyes slowly drifted towards the bandages that were on his arms before they wandered further down to his left side. There, he saw how nearly his entire side was covered by a large white gauze pad. Despite how bad Buneary said it was, it looked pretty clean, save for some splotches of red on both his yellow fur and the towels he was lying on.
Blinking out of curiosity and without thinking, Pikachu slowly lifted his arm and hovered it above the large pad on his side, a strange desire to feel it.
"(Don't touch it!)" Buneary sternly shouted as she turned back to him, eyes wide open. Her sudden shouting caused Pikachu to nearly yelp in surprise.
Pikachu looked at her and noticed a mix of worry and horror on her face. He merely gave an embarrassed look as he put his arm back down on the blankets.
"(Sorry.)" He said sheepishly, realizing that it was pretty stupid to just go ahead and mess with a serious injury, one that she worked so hard on taking care of.
"(Sorry for yelling...it's just that it's important that your side heals properly. Besides, I'll need to change the bandages in a few hours and I want to conserve all of the clean medical supplies that we have.)" She said, the panic in her voice fading away.
Pikachu nodded understandingly before he was suddenly struck with a curious thought. "(Say...)" He started, waiting to get Buneary's full attention. "(How do you know so much about taking care of injuries and first aid kits? When did you practically become a nurse?)" He asked with a half-chuckle.
"(Hmm?)" Buneary wondered aloud, blinking in response to his question. "(Oh! Umm, well...Brock showed me.)" She said, her lips curving into a small smile. She looked away again as she began to fiddle with her fluff.
"(Huh? Brock? When?)"
"(It was when you got sick. When you were laying up in the Pokémon Center, Brock sat us down and showed us what to do if we got injured. He said that he wants to be the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder and knowing how to take care of the sick and injured is the best way to go about it.)"
Pikachu's expression began to change into shocked realization. That explains why she was so good at being a nurse back then! Huh...well it's a good thing Brock showed her what to do! It made sense though; Brock was always the most insightful and responsible member of their traveling group and despite his strange quirks with girls, he was always the most mature member too.
"(Ohhh I get it. Heh, that guy. He always knows what to do. If you ask me, he could definitely be a doctor if he ever wanted to change careers.)" He said with a smirk.
Buneary held back a little laugh as she smiled and looked away again.
Another silent moment passed between them albeit far less awkward. Pikachu turned his focus away from her to stare down at the bed.
"(So...you are feeling a little better then?)" She finally asked, breaking the silence.
"(Yeah, definitely.)" He said as he turned back to her only this time instead of seeing her, he saw a blurriness of brown and cream colors as he felt something bop him on the nose. Almost immediately he knew that she had extended her ear to do so. He suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
He felt her ear cease contact with his face. "(Hey! What was that for?!)" He asked with a mix of surprise and annoyance as he rubbed his nose even though it didn't hurt at all. He was merely surprised at the gesture...just like the last time.
Retracting and then curling her ear, Buneary gave a look that was halfway between sternness and rage as she put her paws on her hips. "(Just what exactly were you trying to prove?! Fighting that thing alone? Grabbing its tail and taking off into the sky! WHY didn't you run away?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY GETTING HELP?! I thought you promised that you wouldn't do something like this again! You promised Ash! You promised me!)" She shouted, her voice only getting louder to the point where she was screaming.
As she interrogated him, Pikachu could hear her voice strain and crack, her composure clearly beginning to unravel. A little intimidated, Pikachu was unable to maintain eye contact with her although he swore that he could see her beginning to tear up.
Did she think that he was trying to overcome a tough challenge out of stubbornness? To prove a point? Like Oreburgh?
Taking a moment to get over the initial shock of her sudden aggressiveness, Pikachu steadied himself. "(I-I...wasn't trying to prove anything Buneary.)" He finally said, trying to stay as calm as possible.
"(Then what happened? Why did you fight that thing alone?!)" She nearly shouted, her anger still not yet quelling.
"(There was no other choice.)" He said with conviction as he gripped the bedsheets. There was a silent pause from her.
"(What do you mean?)" She asked as she leaned back, her fury subsiding for now.
"(I wasn't alone. Buizel and Happiny were with me. We got separated from everyone else...then...)" He started before he began retelling what had happened. As he did, Buneary's fury began to disappear and was slowly replaced with shock.
"(Then I crawled up on the shore...and then everything went dark.)" Pikachu said, finally concluding his tale. He looked over and saw Buneary's eyes widened in horror.
She just sat there, her paws covering her mouth and suppressing any sobs that managed to escape her lips though it was clear that several were slipping through the cracks. All the while, her gaze was unable to focus on him. As soon as he finished, she tightly shut her eyes as tears began to escape.
Feeling a compulsion to scratch behind his ear, Pikachu gave a sad smile. (Y-Yeah so...I just hope they made it to safety. I saw that Aerodactyl fly off so I guess I didn't exactly stop it.)" He somberly said.
She immediately opened her eyes in response and took her paws off her mouth. "(I'm sure they did! You gave them plenty of time to get away! Besides like you said, Buizel is super fast in the water so he probably got back to camp in no time! And don't worry about the Aerodactyl, what matters is that they got away safely and that you're okay!)" She determinedly said.
"(Well in any case, we've got to get back now!)" He shouted as he threw off the bedsheets, much to Buneary's surprise.
"(Huh? Now? You can't!)" She shouted as she saw Pikachu try to lean forward with much difficulty. "(You're in no condition to go anywhere! You're gonna open up your wound!)"
"(That Aerodactyl's still out there and Ash is probably freaking out! Dawn must be losing her mind over you too!)" He shouted as he tried to lift himself off the bed. As soon as he did, he felt sharp pains from different points in his body, mainly his side, causing him to yelp and flop back onto the bed.
"(You see? You're not going anywhere! Please...)" She said, pausing for a brief moment. "(Please just stop being stubborn.)" She pleaded in a soft whisper. Pikachu gave a surprised look upon hearing her request. He suddenly felt guilt wash over him. She was right, he was being stubborn. Not much different than the last time she took care of him when he was sick in bed. Granted, this was a far more serious situation, but still.
He sighed as he slowly and carefully propped himself into a sitting position. "(Okay.)" He softly said.
"(Good, now just stay in bed and-)" She managed to say.
"(Maybe they really did get back to camp.)" He suddenly said, interrupting her.
"(Yeah, I'm sure-)"
"(Or maybe they got lost...)"
"(Well, I'm confident that Buizel-)"
"(A-And what about our trainers and friends? They must've noticed that we're missing by now!)" He said, panic clearly rising in his voice and his expression becoming anxious.
"(Calm down, Buizel and Happiny probably already got to them and I'm sure they're all on their way over here right now.)"
"(Yeah but what if they didn't?! And that Aerodactyl's still out there! What if it's chasing after them right now?!)"
"(Pikachu, c-calm down.)"
"(They're probably all in danger and freaking out and it's all my fault!)"
"(Pikachu, please calm down!)"
"(I can't! I can't! This is all too much! I need to know if they're okay!)" He screamed as he began flailing around in bed, trying his best to get out but the rising pain was holding him back again. He was in such a horrible panic that he didn't even notice the wet towel slip off his forehead. Suddenly, he felt Buneary's paws grab his shoulders and hold him steady.
"(PIKACHU!)" She shouted directly into his face, snapping him out of his hysteria. He could only look into her eyes. "(Just calm down okay?)" She said in a rather soothing voice. "(You can't keep asking yourself questions like that. You're only going to worry yourself sick. The truth of the matter is that you bought them time and gave them a chance to get to safety. You did everything you could, as best you could! But right now, you're in no condition to leave today. You're probably not going to be in any condition to leave for the next few days either. So just stay here and rest. Okay?)
He continued to look into her eyes, the same eyes that made him go into that hypnotic trance when she hugged him after that double-battle. Jeez, it seemed like so long ago, back when things were so simple. And yet...even now...those same deep brown eyes sparkled. Just like before, they brought a strange comfort to him that he felt himself falling into. He was getting lost in that dizzying world again and as such, he couldn't find it in himself to say anything back.
His heart quickened as something inside of him finally clicked. Deep down and very far away...
...He knew.
He watched as Buneary's expression began to soften into one of incredible sadness. Outside, he could hear the storm picking up.
"(Please Pika...)" She finally implored, clearly holding back a sob.
Hearing her nickname for him, Pikachu snapped out of his trance only to get a full view of the expression on her face: exhausted and full of heartache. Finally understanding, Pikachu could only stare back at her as he felt his own fortitude begin to crumble. He grit his teeth as he felt tears begin to stream down his face. He started to choke on his sobs that began to successfully break through before nodding his head. All at once, it became too much to handle.
Suddenly, Pikachu leaned forward and buried his face into her shoulder, hugging her tightly.
Buneary's eyes widened in surprise as she felt and heard Pikachu quietly sob.
"(Pikachu...)" She softly said as she returned his hug.
"(Bun...I-I thought I was gonna...)" He managed to say in-between sobs, his voice cracking and his body shaking. "(If you hadn't...I-I would've...I thought...I...)" He paused to catch his breath. "(...I thought I was never going to see you again.)"
Buneary's eyes widened in a subtle, surprised reaction but still she didn't say anything. She merely held him a little tighter as Pikachu occasionally let out a small sob before going quiet again. Although Pikachu couldn't see it, Buneary tried her absolute best not to cry herself but soon she felt tears beginning to cloud her vision and escape her eyes as they went down her face. She closed her eyes as she continued to wrap her arms around him and rubbed his back.
For the rest of that moment, nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said. All there was in that moment were two souls sharing their deepest vulnerabilities.
All that mattered, was that they were together.