Chapter 28: ...Temo Ahogar de Amor
In a small cabin in the woods, Pikachu sat in a specialized glass container, a thick rope wrapped around his body and electrodes attached to each of his electric cheek sacs. He had tried for the past hour to wriggle or force his way out but it was no good. Even if he could get out of this rope, the glass container itself was still too sturdy to bust out. Not to mention, as the hours passed, he could feel his strength being sapped, no doubt due to these stupid electrodes attached to his face. What were they even for? Was Team Rocket using him as some sort of perverted living battery? He could see that the electrodes led to something outside of his container, some sort of object resting on a table but it was covered by a large white cloth.
He wasn't sure about any of it. All he knew was that the next time he was going to step out to use the bathroom, he would go when the weather is clear enough for him to cause a commotion and not during a raging thunderstorm. Maybe that way he wouldn't get snatched up and taken to a remote cabin in the woods! He looked around, the walls appeared to be thin and strangely, the cabin itself was sparsely decorated with only a large television opposite of where he sat and a desk full of computer monitors next to it.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the troublesome trio clinking their wine glasses together. For once, their collective attitude was nothing but one of celebratory mirth.
"Meowth, I've gotta hand it to you, what you came up with was a stroke of genius!" Jessie declared as she took a sip of her white wine.
"Indeed~!" James sang. "Now all that's left is for those little promotion-makers to come on by and we'll rake in the glory!"
"Well..." Meowth said with a smile and shrug. "Gotta give Dante some credit. He pulled off his role impeccably!"
Pikachu rolled his eyes. Dante...that bubbly blob of questionable morality...
"And to think if we hadn't come across his ad in the paper, we wouldn't be where we are right now!" Jessie laughed.
"Hope those jellybeans were worth it though. After all, that was our dessert!" James groaned.
"Hey, hey! After cashing in tha rest of the twerp-emon, we can have all tha jellybeans we want!" Meowth beamed.
"Indeed! To us!" Jessie proclaimed as they tapped their wine glasses again.
Suddenly, a low beeping noise came on and everyone turned their attention to the corner of the room, housing the numerous computer screens.
"Hmm? One of tha cameras went off?" Meowth muttered as all three quickly zipped over to the computers. Pikachu blinked in confusion as he tried to eavesdrop.
Meowth started typing on the keyboard and soon, the television screen turned on to show what one of the cameras was recording.
Pikachu held his mouth agape as he saw Buneary, Piplup and Pachirisu talking in the forest not too far from the cabin. Meowth pressed another button and the audio came on through the speakers.
"Meowth, what are they saying?" James asked as everyone looked at the screen.
Pikachu angled an ear to get a better listen through his glass cage. He saw Buneary speaking to the other two who nodded in agreement.
"Buneary is saying dat Pikachu has gotta be around here somewhere and dat dey should split up to cova more ground." Meowth translated.
Horrified, Pikachu tried thrashing around in his ropes and slammed his body against the glass. He looked on as he saw the three of them separate and go their own way.
No...NO!
Immediately, Jessie and James both let out an evil laugh.
"Oh my, this is much too easy!" She chuckled.
They turned back to the computer monitors and everyone watched as the three Pokémon entered into the view of a separate camera.
"Just a little closer..." James muttered, his grin only getting larger.
"(No stop!)" Pikachu pleaded, as if that would do anything.
"Aaaaannddd...!" Meowth said as he slowly raised his paw. "Gotcha!" He declared as he firmly pressed a button.
Pikachu watched in absolute despair as metal contraptions suddenly emerged from their foliage-based hiding spots. All three Pokémon could only gasp in surprise as each of them were ensnared in nets.
"Success! The net guns worked!" James exclaimed.
"Now it's time to go collect our winnings!" Jessie remarked. "I call the least heavy one!"
With that, the three criminals rushed over to the front door.
"Now don't you go anywhere dear Pikachu~!" Jessie said with a wink. Pikachu merely grit his teeth in frustration. "We'll be right back!"
And with that, they were gone. Pikachu summoned all of his strength to break out of his ropes or at the least produce some electricity but just like before, it was futile.
About fifteen minutes passed before the door opened and Jessie stepped in, happily carrying a net over her shoulder which held Piplup, the blue penguin constantly thrashing about.
"(Lemme go! You're gonna regret this!)" He cried out as his beak began to glow and he tried using Peck to break out. His look of fury was replaced with one of disappointment as he realized that the net didn't look affected at all.
Pikachu's ears drooped at the sight. Poor guy, must be one of those specially-designed nets. Heaven knows that he's been trapped in enough of those to recognize it.
Before he could say something, Meowth suddenly stepped in and was dragging Pachirisu behind in his own ensnarement. The little squirrel was constantly using Discharge to somehow fry the net and escape but just like Piplup's Peck, it didn't look like it was doing much good. The electricity wasn't even carrying over to Meowth...
Piplup worriedly looked at Pachirisu before his gaze rested on Pikachu.
"(Hey.)" He muttered, a look of embarrassment on his face.
"(Hey.)" Pikachu replied with a sad smile. "(What brings you here?)"
"(You just sort of disappeared from camp and we went looking for you.)" Piplup said, turning his gaze away.
"(Sorry Pip. I just stepped outside to use the bathroom a-and I...)" Pikachu managed to say before trailing off, too saddened to say anymore.
Piplup frowned as his anger began to return and he once again flailed inside his net. He turned to Jessie and Meowth's smirking faces. "(Well the joke's on you! Our group is coming here any second to-!)" He yelled before James stepped into the room with a net slung over his shoulder, containing Buneary.
Pikachu blinked at the sight and he felt a cold sweat coming on.
"(Oh darn it...)" Piplup muttered in defeat as he looked at the floor.
"One captured Buneary coming up~!" James sang as he stepped into the middle of the room.
"Just put that one with the rest." Jessie smirked as James plopped Buneary's netted form near Pikachu's container before he walked over to the computer monitors. The bunny looked rather unamused; her eyes still closed.
"(Bun!)" Pikachu cried out as he scooched closer to her in his glass cage.
Both of Buneary's ears uncurled as she looked over at him. Her surprise melted a little into one of sad realization. "(Hey you.)" She said as she eyed him up and down.
"(Bun listen, I'm sorry. I tried getting out on my own but they caught me when my guard was down and I think they're draining the electricity from me and-)" He rambled before Buneary interrupted him.
"(It's okay...we shouldn't have split up.)" She sighed.
Before they could continue their conversation, the same low beeping sound came from the computers again. All eyes turned towards the monitors.
"What is it now?" Jessie inquired.
"Looks like dos twerps are searching nearby!" Meowth declared as he pressed a few more buttons and the television screen turned on to reveal that indeed, Ash and the others were rushing through the forest!
"This just gets better and better!" James laughed. "Please, allow me!" He said before getting closer to the computer keyboard.
"By all means! I'll watch from the good seats!" Jessie replied with a smile before she stood in front of the television to get a clear view.
"Me too, I can't wait ta see dis!" Meowth laughed as he took a spot next to her.
"(Damn it...)" Pikachu mumbled through gritted teeth. This was just the absolute worst!
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see James carefully looking over the monitors and the keyboards, his finger hovering over several different buttons. His gaze returned to the television as their group continued to get closer.
"Okay James, on the count of three, got it?" Jessie said.
"Got it!" James remarked as he started to get ready.
"One..." Jessie said.
Pikachu thrashed about against the rope that bound him. "(Damn it...!)" He muttered again, his anger steadily rising.
"Two..." Meowth said.
Pikachu's desperate gaze hovered over everyone else who continued to anxiously look on.
"Three!" The two cried out in excited unison.
"(NO!)" Pikachu shrieked as he leaned forward against the glass cage.
...
A moment passed before everyone realized that nothing was happening to Ash's group.
Both Jessie and Meowth blinked in silent surprise.
"Uh James...what happened to-?" Jessie managed to say before suddenly, the sound of something opening rang through the room. Everyone turned to see Pikachu's glass cage opening up, causing the electric mouse to tumble out with a surprised gasp.
"Whaa?!" Meowth wondered aloud. "James whaddaya doing?!"
"Now Buneary!" James cried out as suddenly, Buneary's net opened, revealing that it wasn't even tied up. The little brown bunny immediately rushed out of the net and bolted to Pikachu who was still lying on the floor, unable to get up.
"(Hang on, I'll get you out!)" She declared as she quickly took the electrodes off his cheeks.
He blinked at her, completely bewildered beyond all thought. "(Bun, what's going on?)" Pikachu asked as he tried comprehending what was happening.
"(I'll explain later.)" She retorted as she secured a good grip on one of the ropes and began tugging as hard as she could.
"James, that one escaped! Get it!" Jessie shouted.
James merely smirked at her.
Suddenly, a loud sound came from the television, causing everyone to turn towards it in time to witness Water Gun, Swift and Razor Leaf shoot out and destroy the net contraptions.
"Ahhh! Our net guns!" Meowth screamed in disbelief, his paws over his head. He quickly whipped around to look at his partner in crime "James you said dat you were gonna take care of it!"
James's smile only grew wider, a slight hint of excitement behind it.
Jessie blinked at him. "James, what are you-?" She managed to say before they heard someone burst into the cabin. All heads turned to see that the newcomer was...James?
"Huh?" Jessie and Meowth muttered in unison. Pikachu glanced up only to see a second James hopping inside. Even stranger was that it looked like both his hands and feet were tied up and a large apple shoved into his mouth, making his frantic yelling completely muffled. Pikachu raised an eyebrow at what he was looking at.
"Mmmphhh! M-Mmpphh!" The second James screamed, albeit rather suppressed, as he flailed in place.
Buneary quickly glanced over at the first James and motioned towards Piplup and Pachirisu. "James" nodded understandingly and ran over to immediately begin untying their nets. Buneary gave a slight frown as she looked over at Piplup.
"(Pip, I thought you said that you could tie a tight knot!)" She shouted as she went back to working on Pikachu's ropes.
"(I can! All we had were Dawn's hair ties, gimme some credit here!)" Piplup remarked as "James" opened up his net, allowing for the blue penguin to get out before starting on Pachirisu's.
"(How much longer?)" Buneary asked as she tugged again.
"(Not long, Buizel and the others should be here soon!)" Piplup replied as he stared at the cameras.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Jessie roared, flailing in place and her face twisted in complete fury.
"(I'll tell you what's going on!)" Piplup declared as Pachirisu got out of his net, causing all three criminals to look over at them. "(You got duped!)" He shouted before he and Pachirisu got into attack positions. Piplup opened up his beak and released Bubble Beam while Pachirisu unleashed Discharge.
Team Rocket let out a shriek as they were knocked to the other side of the room, smacking into the cabin wall.
Meowth groaned as he rubbed his head. "Duped?" He wondered aloud as he looked up to see Buneary making good progress on freeing Pikachu. "Duped..." He muttered, eyeing James before it suddenly hit him. "Wait...if dat's not James den...oh you can't be serious!"
"James" looked at them before smiling with a shrug. "Well, guess the jig is up." He said before suddenly his body began to glow white and his form quickly changed. As the light dissipated, all three looked on as they stared into the smiling face of Dante.
"Dante! What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Jessie shrieked.
Dante smirked at her. "(What can I say? They gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse.)"
Meowth grimaced as he suddenly extended his claws. "I'll tell you what's he's doin'!" He shouted before turning to James and unleashing Swipe, the attack shredding his hair tie restraints and slicing up the apple in his mouth. James gasped in surprise at his sudden freedom. Meowth looked back at Dante and pointed straight at him. "He's woiken with them now!" He angrily declared.
Enraged, the real James raised a fist in sheer fury. "Those creeps ambushed me when I wasn't looking! They tied me up and left me in the middle of the woods!"
Pikachu's mouth fell open in complete surprise. This was...all part of the plan? He looked over at his friends and then to Buneary. She briefly locked gazes with him. Noticing the surprised look on his face, she gave him a little smile before tugging on his ropes again.
"Why you...!" Jessie yelled before a familiar-sounding voice rang out from outside.
"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted. "We know you're in there! Give us back our Pokémon!"
From the opened door, everyone could see the young trainer along with the rest of their group just outside the cabin. Standing next to Ash was Buizel who folded his arms over his chest.
So Buizel was in on the plan too eh? Just when he thought the day was going to go one way...
Almost immediately, Jessie and James zipped over to the middle of the room and took up familiar poses.
"Listen, is that a voice I hear?" Jessie said with a smirk.
"It's speaking to me loud and clea-" James replied before Meowth rushed past them, causing them to scream and fall.
"No time!" Meowth cried out as he rushed over to the computers and pushed a rather large and heavy-looking lever.
"Kill joy..." Jessie grimaced as she looked up at Meowth from the floor.
"(I almost got it...!)" Buneary muttered as she tugged with all her might on Pikachu's ropes. The mouse could feel his restraints loosening.
Suddenly, the entire cabin began to rumble, causing everyone to lose their balance. Buneary fell back with a surprised gasp as she lost her grip.
Jessie continue to eye Meowth before quickly looking back at her other companion. "James, get the thing would ya?!"
James nodded back and quickly ran over to the table with the cloth where the electrodes on Pikachu's cheeks were connected to.
Pikachu looked around as the floorboards began to crack. Immediately, it felt like something was going to erupt from beneath them.
No way...did...did they build a fake cabin? Huh, as much as he hated them, he couldn't accuse them of being lazy that's for sure.
Outside, Ash and everyone else looked on in shock as the cabin itself began to shake. Ash opened his mouth to say something when suddenly the walls of the structure fell over, revealing the occupants inside.
For a moment, the boy could see Pikachu and they awkwardly locked gazes before the floor beneath the mouse began to rumble. Quickly, Team Rocket huddled around Pikachu as the floor broke away and the walls of a familiar-looking hot air balloon basket arose around them. Before anyone knew it, the meowth balloon inflated and the trio, plus Pikachu, were up in the air.
"Hate to cut the reunion short but it looks like we'll be taking our leave now~!" Jessie triumphantly laughed as everyone below grimaced.
"Oh no you don't! Turtwig, Staravia let's go!" Ash commanded as everyone got into position.
"I don't think so~!" Meowth sang as he stepped aside for James who immediately pointed something at them.
Everyone blinked, including Pikachu as they saw the purple-haired young man hold something underneath a white sheet.
James smirked. "Introducing...!" He proclaimed before whipping the sheet off, revealing some sort of strange metal weapon. "...Team Rocket's brand-new Stun Gun! Patent pending." He declared as the light reflected off the barrel, giving it a rather shiny appearance.
"Stun gun?" Brock muttered.
"One hit from this baby and you'll be instantly paralyzed!" Jessie smirked.
"All electricity was generously donated by your lovely Pikachu!" Meowth laughed.
Pikachu grit his teeth in sheer anger. Those bastards!
"Won't matter if you can't hit us! Staravia, use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted as the bird Pokémon flew forward.
"Uh-uh!" James said with a little smile as he aimed the weapon and pulled the trigger. The gun released a powerful stream of electricity that engulfed the area. All at once, everyone screamed as they were hit with a bright flash of energy before immediately dropping in place, groaning.
"Bullseye!" Meowth gloated as they watched how sparks of electricity randomly emanated from their bodies.
"Can't...move..." Brock muttered as he lay face down on the ground.
"Me neither..." Ash groaned as he tried to get up with no luck.
"I can barely even speak." Dawn managed to say before her hair suddenly went frizzy. "Uggghh! It's just the worst!"
From above, they could hear Team Rocket laughing at their predicament.
"Well now dat everyone's down for tha count, how's a bout we nab 'em right dis time?" Meowth gloated.
"Great idea!" Jessie merrily proclaimed as she clapped her hands and put them against her face. Her look of joy suddenly melted into mild confusion as she stared at something down below. "Huh? Uhh...James you missed a couple."
Meowth and James looked to see what she was staring at only to be met with the infuriated gaze of Buneary. Next to her was Dante who looked on in sheer concern.
"Oh! Guess we'll just have to go for shot number two!" James said with a smirk as he positioned the weapon at them.
Ash struggled to raise his head above the ground to look at the three dunderheads. "You just don't know when to quit don'tcha?" He growled only to see Team Rocket angrily stare back at him.
"Oh don't act so high and mighty!" Jessie screamed as she flailed about. "I don't know which one of you was behind that ghost stunt last time but it certainly wasn't funny!"
"We nearly left the region after that!" James roared.
"If we hadn't seen your picture in da Oreburgh newspaper, we still woulda thought dat we were being haunted!" Meowth yelled.
"So we decided to steal as many supplies as we could and come back when your guard was down." Jessie fumed, clenching a fist in front of her face as she closed her eyes and grit her teeth, holding back her fury. She suddenly opened them back up to unleash it all. "PIKACHU'S GHOST MY BIG FAT AS-!"
"And now we're here to get you back for dat!" Meowth shouted, cutting Jessie off.
The red-haired thief quickly composed herself and turned away to lift the rope-bound Pikachu and proudly held him out for all to see.
"And we started by nabbing precious little Pikachu here~!" She declared with a smile before lowering him a little, her anger quickly returning. "And we would've captured everyone if a certain ditto wasn't such a turncoat!"
Dante merely shrugged in response. "(You know what, this is getting a little heated. I'll need another one of these.)" He said before reaching into the folds of his form and pulled out a bag with a string tying it together. Quickly, he opened it up and reached in before pulling out a pink poffin and promptly popped it into his mouth, letting out a moan of sheer ecstasy.
Still being held by Jessie, Pikachu blinked in confusion. He looked over and noticed Pachirisu silently trying to hold back tears upon seeing that.
"(Oh...my poor, poor stash...)" The little squirrel muttered.
"You betrayed us for sweets?!" James yelled in disbelief.
Dante shrugged again. "(What can I say? That girl makes a mean poffin!)" He merrily proclaimed in-between munching.
"YOU DIRTY LITTLE DOUBLE-CROSSER!" Jessie screeched, flailing about with Pikachu in her arms before she finally put him back down behind them. "We'll show you what happens when you mess with us!"
"And we're going to start with Pikachu's number one fan!" James said with a smirk as he turned his gaze back on Buneary. The little brown bunny held her ground as she stared them down.
"Buneary, just run!" Dawn pleaded as she struggled to turn her head to face her. "Just run and...huh?" She said before blinking in confusion. Everyone, with great difficulty, did the same only for their eyes to widen in surprise as they watched Buneary rush forward at Team Rocket!
"Oooh feisty! I like it!" Jessie smarmily said.
"Oh yeah? How do you like this then?!" James shouted as he pulled the trigger, releasing a stream of electricity at Buneary's approaching form.
"BUNEARY!" Dawn screamed.
Just as the beam was about to reach her, Buneary positioned herself and performed an impressive jump to the side. The electric beam slammed into the ground, causing dirt and debris to fly up but otherwise it missed her entirely.
"Woah, her speed!" Ash muttered in in awe.
"That contest training is really paying off!" Brock remarked.
"Buneary..." Dawn said under her breath as she watched her Pokémon land safely away. "What's gotten into her? To just ignore my commands like that?" She mused before looking up at Team Rocket's basket. Blinking, she gave a little smirk. "Well...I think I can take a guess."
Back in the hot air balloon basket, Pikachu struggled against his ropes. Buneary had done a good job of loosening them up but it wasn't enough to bust free. Still, he could at least move his body a little. He tried summoning electricity again but it was no good. Looks like that Stun Gun really did drain him for a while. He sighed and looked up to see Team Rocket, their backs facing him and noticed how James was aiming the weapon again.
This isn't good! He can't let her get hit by that thing! Gotta think of something!
"Alright, no more playing around! Try this on for size!" James declared before he aimed and fired only for Buneary to jump away once again from the beam. As soon as she landed, he pulled the trigger again which prompted her to evade it.
Before anyone knew it, Buneary was constantly hopping around avoiding each blast from James's weapon. Sometimes it was a last-second evasion, other times it was something like a double backflip, gracefully landing on her feet and anticipating their next move.
"Stay still you!" James shouted as he fired again only for Buneary to unleash Ice Beam which collided with the electric stream and causing a large explosion in the air.
As the smoke cleared, Buneary couldn't stop herself from panting. She was doing good but she couldn't keep this up forever. She just needed an opportunity to get closer!
"Looks like someone's gettin' tired!" Meowth remarked with a smile. "Hit 'em again and make it a good one!"
"If you insist!" James replied with a little smile as he aimed and fired again. Buneary jumped only to notice that the beam was intentionally aimed a few feet away from her, hitting open ground. The resulting debris from the blast smacked into her, causing her to flinch as she fell back towards the ground. Oh crap, this so wasn't good!
"NOW JAMES!" Jessie yelled.
James pointed the weapon at her and gave a rather wicked grin. "Get ready to join Team Rock-AIEEEEE!" He suddenly squealed in a high-pitched tone of sheer pain, causing him to aim the gun at the open sky and fire into the air.
"Aahh! What is it James?!" Jessie screamed, completely startled. She and Meowth simultaneously looked down and saw the cause of James's shrieks of agony: Pikachu.
The electric mouse, now lying on his stomach, had managed to crawl from where he was up to the back of James's leg and bit him!
"Get him of me! Get. Him. Off. ME!" James screeched as he lifted his leg and shook with Pikachu hanging on.
"Okay, okay! Just stop moving around so much!" Meowth shouted as he tried to get a hold of Pikachu who only muttered something back.
Buneary landed on her feet, skidding back along the ground. Seeing Team Rocket distracted, she quickly looked at Dante who merely stared back at her.
Confidence filling her chest, Buneary nodded at him. "(Dante...and I can't believe I'm saying this but...use Transform!)" She commanded, taking on her trainer's pose.
Dante saluted at her. "(You're the boss!)" He replied before his body was suddenly enveloped in a bright white light and his form began to morph.
Everyone watching him gasped in awe as they witnessed the spectacle.
When the light finally dissipated, Dante's new form was clear for all to see: a cannon!
Ash's mouth hung open in surprise at the familiar sight.
The bottom hatch of the cannon opened up and Buneary immediately rushed forward and carefully climbed in. Once she was inside, the hatch closed and locked. Taking aim, the cannon steadied itself before firing straight at Team Rocket's balloon!
"I think...I got...him!" Meowth muttered as he tried pulling Pikachu off of James's leg.
"Well keep at it you-huh?" James said before all three stopped and turned towards Buneary's approaching form.
"Ahhh! Flying Buneary at two o'clock!" Jessie screamed as they noticed the fluff atop Buneary's ears glow a brilliant white.
"I got it!" James yelled as he quickly aimed and fired the weapon, his leg awkwardly still lifted up with Pikachu continuing to bite down.
Pikachu gasped as he saw the energy beam head towards her. His look of horror was quickly replaced with one of awe as he saw her quickly spin her body in midair and maneuver along the beam. Just like she did with the Aerodactyl. Just like how he did later at the Oreburgh Gym. His eyes widened as time slowed down for him. He continued to watch her spinning form come closer, her glowing fluff making her look like some kind of whirlwind of sheer power. Like how she was in that vortex...
"That girl really is...something else..." He thought as he could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ears, the rest of the world oddly quiet in that moment.
"Incoming!" Meowth shrieked as Buneary used Dizzy Punch to knock all three of them back on their rear ends to the other side of the basket, causing Pikachu to release his grip on James's leg and fall onto the floor.
Pikachu sat up as Buneary quickly rushed to his side and looked for the knot that held the ropes together.
"(Bun! You-)" He said before Buneary took ahold of the rope's knot.
"(You can thank me later!)" She said as she tugged with all of her might. Suddenly, the knot came undone, causing Buneary to fall backwards and Pikachu to fall forwards.
Immediately registering his newfound freedom, Pikachu quickly got to his feet only to see Team Rocket doing the same.
"Well that's a shame..." Jessie muttered, eyeing the mouse up and down.
"Yeah, but so what?" Meowth confidently remarked before smiling and pulling down on an eyelid. "Ya can't use your electricity! What are ya gonna do now Pika-?" He said before his look of confidence instantly morphed into surprise as Pikachu's tail began to glow an iridescent white.
"(What am I gonna do...?)" Pikachu asked, a particularly evil smile appearing on his face. "(How about THIS?!)" He roared as he rushed forward.
"W-Wait! Hold on there!" Meowth pleaded as Pikachu jumped and twisted his body in midair.
All three screeched in terror as Pikachu's Iron Tail collided with the Stun Gun, knocking them back on their behinds. As Pikachu landed, he noticed how the weapon began to give a low droning sound and appeared to shake in James's lap, a newly-formed large indent on the side.
"(That doesn't sound good...)" Buneary muttered as she took notice of the weapon's strange reaction.
"(No it doesn't...let's go!)" Pikachu replied as he looked over her to which she nodded in agreement. He held out his paw for her to grab and together, they jumped onto the basket's wall.
Taking a steady breath, they jumped towards the ground.
As they descended, Buneary noticed that Dante was still in the same spot.
"(Dante! Transform to catch us!)" She yelled.
"(You got it!)" He replied as his body quickly changed again, this time into a cozy mattress of which the two landed on with a dull thud.
They looked back over at Team Rocket's hot air balloon only to see them leaning over the edge of the basket not looking too pleased.
"Oh so you think you can get away that easily?! Not on my watch!" James yelled as he aimed the now rumbling weapon at them.
"Uhh James I don't think-" Meowth muttered before James pulled the trigger.
All three screamed as electricity suddenly emanated from the weapon itself, engulfing them in a bright white light and causing a large explosion which obliterated the hot air balloon.
Pikachu and Buneary looked on as they saw Team Rocket soar through the sky and noticed the sparks that randomly appeared on their bodies.
"Done in by our own creation!" Meowth lamented, unable to move as he flew through the air.
"Shocking development indeed..." James grumbled, his body bearing several scuff marks.
"It'll take me weeks to fix these split ends!" Jessie yelled; her hair clearly ruffled from everything.
"We're blasting off again!" They screamed in unison as they flew over the horizon and out of sight.
Seeing their forms disappear from view, Pikachu flopped onto his back and immediately let out a large, relieved exhale. "(Oh thank the legends above!)"
"(Hey bud, you know you're on my face right?)" Dante remarked.
Pikachu jolted out of his lying position and promptly jumped off the "mattress", completely startled. "(Oh sorry!)" He shrieked, causing Buneary to giggle in response.
Still laughing, she too got off the "mattress". As soon as she did, Dante transformed back into his original form.
"(Looks like the day is saved. Glad that's over with...)" Dante remarked as he scooted away.
Buneary continued to look at Pikachu, appearing to carefully eye him with a subtle intensity.
"(Yeah Bun...)" Pikachu said as he rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "(You really came through, thanks for-)" He managed to say before Buneary quickly walked up to him, grabbed him by the back of his head...
...And pulled him in for a deep kiss.
Immediately, his ears pricked up as his eyes widened in sheer surprise. Behind her, he could hear all of their friends gasp, some of whom began whoop and holler while others cooed. Perhaps most surprisingly, sparks of electricity emanated from Pikachu's cheeks, causing the fluff atop Buneary's ears to stand up a little.
After a few moments, she broke the kiss, causing the poor mouse to stumble backwards and flop onto his back in a daze.
"D'awww! That's so cute!" Dawn squealed, still in her paralyzed position. "Seriously...camera...now!" Next to her, Brock had streams of tears going down her face.
"It's absolutely beautiful!" The older boy cried out. "Love conquers all!"
"(Yeah it's adorable...I may need heart medicine!)" Turtwig followed with a pained smile. "(...And maybe some other medicine too.)"
"(About time if you ask me!)" Aipom followed with an impish smirk followed by a struggled wink.
"(G-Good for you two!)" Piplup struggled to say. "(...Heh, and so the love train keeps chugging!)"
Buneary looked quite proud despite the enormous blush appearing on her face as she turned back to Pikachu who remained on the ground, not too unlike when he's been knocked out in a battle.
She giggled at the sight. "(You okay Pika?)" She asked as her boyfriend quickly sat up, his eyes glazed and staring off into the distance, an almost dreamy look on his face.
Clearly trying to regain his composure, Pikachu took a moment to quickly shake his head and awkwardly cleared his throat. "(Uhhh...y-yup...perfectly fine!)" He quickly replied as he tried to get back up. As soon as he stood to her level, she couldn't help but notice how red his face also was. Seeing her restrained smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "(U-Umm, mind telling me what that was for? N-Not like it wasn't nice or anything but...)"
She smiled at him again and put her paws up to her cheeks. "(Hee~! A rush of adrenaline maybe? Just wanted to celebrate saving the day!)"
"(O-Oh...cool.)" He said with a shy little smile.
"Hey, I'd hate to interrupt the love fest here, but we're still paralyzed and need some help." Ash grumbled, still struggling to move.
Both turned to them.
"(Oh yeah...)" Buneary muttered as she silently counted how many of their friends were on the ground.
"No worries, just get Croagunk out here. He'll have no problem dragging us away back to camp...I would know..." Brock said, a slightly embarrassed tone to his voice.
"(And I can help out!)" Dante happily replied before transforming again, this time into a stretcher positioned low to the ground. "(Ta-da!)"
Pikachu and Buneary looked at each other for a moment and laughed.
"(Best get to work!)" Buneary giggled as she started to approach their friends.
Pikachu stayed behind for a moment. He could feel his heart continuing to thump out of his chest as he watched her. He saw how she continued to laugh as she started to help Piplup off the ground. As soon as he saw her beaming face, his mind raced back to when she was spinning in midair. How she twirled in that vortex all that time ago. How she suddenly pulled him in for a passionate kiss in the heat of the moment. Immediately, he felt himself short of breath as the world around her appeared to fade away and was replaced with a bright sparkling paradise of color, her face being the only thing to exist to him in that moment. He felt himself shake in place, a familiar heat rising in his cheeks.
He reached up to feel his chest. It felt like his heart was going a mile a minute! Swallowing hard, he looked back up only to feel it beat faster as he made eye contact with her. His savior. His friend. His...girlfriend...
"(You coming Pikachu?)" She asked with a head tilt.
His mouth feeling rather dry, he again remembered how she epically moved in midair. Feeling his mind slipping away, he immediately reeled himself back. "(Y-Yeah, right behind you!)" He declared, putting on an intentionally big grin.
Satisfied, she smiled and turned back to helping the others.
Pikachu's ears drooped as he began to approach them.
What...what was that?!
He continued to wonder as he approached them, but deep down he already had an idea...
About an hour later, everyone was successfully dragged or carted back to camp. After some treatments with a couple of Full Heals and a few Cheri Berries, everyone was back to normal.
...Well except for Dawn who continued to fuss over her frazzled hair.
With everyone back to their old selves, Pikachu stood on the outskirts of camp to see Dante off.
"(Alright, so is that everyone then?)" Dante asked as he eyed the group, still huddled in the middle of the campsite.
"(Yup, all done.)" Pikachu remarked with paws on his hips.
"(Well, then I better take my leave. Gotta move on to greener pastures!)" Dante cheerily said.
"(Hmph, don't expect a 'thank you' from me. None of this would've happened if you didn't work with Team Rocket in the first place.)" Pikachu huffed as he crossed his arms and turned away.
Dante paused before shrugging. "(Guess that's fair...even if I did help save your tail.)" He said as he looked over and noticed Buneary walking towards them. Smirking, Dante leaned towards Pikachu. "(Say...normally I don't get involved with my clients' lives or anything, but...that girl of yours is something else you know that?)"
Pikachu jerked his head a little as he stared at the ditto. "(Huh?)"
"(I mean, figuring things out, taking charge, saving your butt...you're a lucky guy.)" Dante whispered. "(She even figured out that I wasn't you! That's a first for old Dante I tell you what!)" He laughed as Pikachu continued to stare at him. "(I suppose since my clients pointed a literal weapon on me, our non-disclosure agreement is null and void so...)" He said with shrug before continuing "(I'll just say that Team Rocket told me to act like training and being the best were most important for you, so I acted that out. But I can see now that that's not entirely true.)" Dante concluded before leaning back just as Buneary approached them.
"(Taking off Dante?)" She asked, standing next to Pikachu who merely glanced at her.
"(Yup! Wish I could stay but I've got clients to seek out!)" Dante proclaimed; a flipper held in the air.
"(Alright but just promise that next time you'll think twice before teaming up with bad guys 'kay?)" Buneary laughed, shaking her head.
Dante paused as he looked between them, Pikachu still a tad embarrassed. His smile returning, he looked back at her. "(Well as a freelancer, I take what I can get but you know what...because y'all are nice folks, I'll do it!)"
She smirked at him and nodded. "(Good.)"
"(Alright, time to go! Dante out!)" Dante proclaimed before jumping back, his body once again being enveloped in a bright white light. When it disappeared, the two saw that he had transformed...into a helicopter!
"(Huh...that's new.)" Pikachu muttered as he continued to stare at the "flying vehicle".
"(Until next time!)" Dante said before the "helicopter blades" started moving, causing him to lift off the ground. As he did, he made audible "Fuh-fuh-fuh-fuh" sounds as he took off into the sky.
After a few more moments, he went over the horizon. Then he was gone.
"(That is one quirky ditto.)" Pikachu muttered, staring at where he last saw him go.
They continued to stare at where his form disappeared before looking back at each other.
"(Crazy day huh?)" Buneary finally said with a sympathetic smile.
"(Yeah, I'll say!)" Pikachu nervously laughed. He paused before his smile quickly faded. "(Say Bun, I've been meaning to ask you...)"
"(What's up?)"
"(Back at the cabin, everyone was sort of doing what you were telling them and Dante mentioned that you were leading the charge. Was that whole rescue plan your idea?)"
Buneary blinked at him before a visible blush began to appear on her cheeks. Unable to take his stare, she pulled her fluff up to her face. "(O-Oh yeah...I guess so.)"
Continuing to look at her in amazement, Pikachu tried to compose himself. "(How...I mean...how did you figure it out? I thought Dante was doing a pretty good job imitating me after all!)"
Lowering her fluff, she gave him a side-glance and they stayed like that for a beat.
Suddenly, a little smile appeared on her nervous face. "(Pikachu...Dante could imitate you; he may have been able to look like you, sound like you and even replicate your moves...but he wasn't you.)"
"(What do you mean?)" He asked, tilting his head a little.
She closed her eyes in contemplation. "(Hmm...it's funny. All this time, Team Rocket has been chasing after you but it's like they don't know you very well at all. They certainly don't know you like we do. Like I do.)"
Pikachu stared at her for another moment before it clicked. "(Oh.)"
Opening her eyes, Buneary slowly reached out and gently grabbed his paw. Feeling his heart beating faster once again, he felt that it was either now or never.
"(You're...really something special you know that?)" He gently whispered, causing her to look into his eyes.
"(What's that Pika?)" She wondered aloud, unable to grasp his words.
"(I mean...the way you handled things...and how you totally kicked some serious tail out there...by yourself no less!)" He suddenly beamed, determination in his eyes.
"(W-Well I...)" She said, turning away in proud embarrassment.
"(I...I just can't get that image of you spinning towards Team Rocket out of my head! How you got shot out of a cannon! And...)" Pikachu declared as he saw her slowly turn back to him. "(...And you did it for me. We would've all been captured if it wasn't for you...)" He said before gently placing a paw on her cheek, causing her to perk up. Immediately, he noticed how hot her face was feeling. Pikachu smiled as he continued to look into her eyes. "(Wonderful, amazing you.)"
"(Pikachu...)" She dreamily said before she gently buried her face into his chest.
"(Bun...?)"
"(Yeah...?)"
"(I...I uh...)" He choked out, his mouth feeling particularly dry. Nervously, he swallowed hard as he felt his heart do that strange summersault thing again, no doubt thudding against his chest hard enough for her to hear.
"(Hmm?)"
"(...I...I...)" He stammered, before gulping hard again. Oh legends above, it felt like he was going to pass out!
"(What is it Pika?)" She quietly asked, not moving at all.
"(I...l-like you...)" He finally whispered. Buneary, still hugging him, blinked and paused before slowly looking up to stare into his eyes.
"(What was that Pika...?)" She absentmindedly asked, unable to grasp what he had just said. And yet...her face began to heat up. She took a step back to get a good look at him, her paws still in his.
"(I said...)" Pikachu said before averting his eyes elsewhere. Taking a moment, he quickly inhaled before giving a smile and looking back at her. "(I like you! I-I really like you! I'm...I'm so lucky to have you!)" He gently said, his face reddening with each passing word.
She looked at him in absolute shock as her ears uncurled, finally understanding.
"(You...you...I...)" Buneary stammered, continuing to look at him and her face reaching a crimson color. In return, he gave her a soft smile. "(Pika...are you serious?!)" She exclaimed, obvious hope in her voice, releasing a paw to touch her cheek. He gently nodded his head.
Squealing, she jumped into his arms. After a moment, she locked lips with his. She could feel his body shaking as her own heart felt like it was about to fly out of her chest.
After a moment, she broke the kiss and quickly nuzzled her cheek against his.
"(Not bad for a second kiss huh?)" He nervously laughed.
"(Not bad at all!)" She giggled before a thought struck her and she took another step back. "(Say...you know how I also knew it was the real you that we rescued from Team Rocket?)"
A little confused, he tilted his head at her. "(How?)"
"(Because only you would practically faint after being kissed!)" She giggled.
He looked at her. A sudden pink blush began to dust his face as he struggled to find the right words. "(I-I...you...th-that's not true!)" He nervously stammered.
"(Teehee~! It's okay! It's one of the many, many things that I like about you!)" She laughed.
His blush only darkening, Pikachu quickly turned away in defiance. "(Hmph! I think you're exaggerating a bit there Bun. I mean i-it was a nice kiss and all, but I was just caught off guard.)"
"(Oh really? So you think you wouldn't pass out again?)"
"(No way!)"
A tiny, evil smirk appearing on her face, Buneary leaned forward and gently turned him to face her. "(Fine.)" She whispered into his ear.
"(What are you-?)" Pikachu managed to say before she quickly cupped her paws around his cheeks and intensely pressed her lips against his.
His eyes widened as sparks began to emanate from his cheeks once again caused the fluff atop her ears to stand up like before. She pressed into him a little more, her eyes still tightly shut.
The seconds felt like hours. Very long, very pleasant hours.
At long last, Buneary suddenly broke the kiss, causing Pikachu to stumble back with a little gasp.
"(Well?)" She asked with an amused smile, her paws on her hips.
His head practically swaying, Pikachu caught sight of her and just like before, he quickly shook his head before clearing his throat. "(Ahem, that was...pretty good. B-But nothing I can't handle.)" He confidently said before turning away to take a step towards camp...
...Only for his knees to give out from under him and he nearly faceplanted into the ground if not for catching himself at the last possible moment.
Unbelievably proud with herself, Buneary tried her hardest not to laugh at her boyfriend. Seeing him give her an embarrassed look at his near tumble, she quickly walked up to him and gently grabbed his paw.
"(C'mon, let's go back. Everyone's waiting.)" She said with a grin.
"(R-Right.)" He replied, giving her a side-glance as his ears drooped a little in sheer embarrassment.
And with that, they walked paw-in-paw back to camp. All the while, she occasionally stole a glance at him, noticing his blush returning in full force.
"(You know, I've been thinking...)" She said, waiting for him to turn to her as they walked. "(There's one last big reason why I knew Dante wasn't you.)"
"(Hmm? What was it?)" Pikachu asked, his head tilting a little.
Trying to restrain her growing grin, Buneary looked forward and waved her arm in the air. "(Remember when we were talking about Nature types? And how we kept guessing yours?)"
"(Yeah?)"
"(Dante acted more prideful than anything and...well, choices like Brave and Bashful were good guesses for you but after getting to know you a little more and going on dates and stuff, I definitely know what your Nature type is...)" She said, a faint glimmer of wickedness behind her excited eyes.
"(W-What is it?)" Pikachu asked, a little nervously.
Eyes shining and her expression full of ebullience, she fully turned to him before leaning forward, her smile never once faltering. "(Naughty~)" She whispered in his ear.
Immediately, Pikachu's ears shot straight up and Buneary leaned back to get a good look at him. She swore that if he could blush any darker, he really would be a walking cherry tomato!
Unable to hold it back anymore, Buneary giggled and nuzzled her cheek against his now white-hot face.
Yup, that's her mouse alright!
Author's Notes:
Another huge shoutout to PokeMaster64's "For the Love of Pikachu" for directly inspiring this chapter! If you haven't already, definitely go check out that story and his other ones if you enjoy PikaBun and world building with original characters!
Oh Pikachu, gotta get used to that kind of affection, especially with Buneary after all, but congrats on admitting your true feelings!
Stay tuned for more exciting romance!
This is Carson55, signing out!