Chapter 29: Smooth
If there was anything to know about being with Ash Ketchum and his friends, it was that there was rarely ever a dull moment.
A week had passed after the group's encounter with Team Rocket, and – after a few more misadventures – they finally, at long last found themselves in Hearthome City! Unfortunately for Ash, the gym leader was out for a while so the spotlight was on Dawn and her upcoming contest. After a little bit of convincing, Ash and Brock decided to participate in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition with Dawn. Most surprisingly, Ash was tagged with Paul of all people! Sadly in the end for Dawn, not only did she lose the first round with Conway but later in the her contest, it ended up being the polite, if not somewhat strange man named Nando who took home the ribbon.
In particular, Paul's chimchar fought his heart out, and displayed the kind of determination and skill that would make anyone proud even after a few fumbles.
Well...almost anyone.
"You're out of here!" Paul shouted as he stood outside of the arena, staring down at the Fire-type.
Chimchar confusedly looked at him, unable to grasp the fact that the cruel boy had just released him. His brief silent stare quickly morphed into desperate squeaks.
"(What?! But...but why?! I did everything you asked!)" The little ape pleaded, his body still covered in scratches and scuff marks. "(Please! I-I'll-!)"
"Paul!" Ash yelled from a distance as Chimchar looked over to see both he and his group approaching them. "So that's the end of that special training?!" He angrily yelled
"Yeah that's right, what's the point?" Paul calmly replied, not even looking at them. They could only confusedly mutter as the purple-haired trainer walked past them. "Obviously, I need to get a new Fire-type."
"...You're giving up Chimchar?" Ash sadly asked, looking on at Paul's receding figure.
"What happened to the two of you getting stronger together?!" Dawn yelled at him.
"All of that progress and you're throwing it away?" Brock asked, equally baffled.
Chimchar continued to stare at his now former trainer, even after everyone else looked back at him. After another moment, the Fire-type sadly muttered something under his breath and slowly started walking away, his gaze not leaving the ground.
"(I can't believe it...not again.)" Pikachu sadly mused aloud as they all saw him continue to walk away, seemingly with no destination in mind. For a moment in the mouse's mind, he saw Azumarill's figure instead of Chimchar's.
Before anyone could say anything else however, Ash's expression became determined and he took a step forward.
"Hey Chimchar, come with us!" He yelled, causing everyone, including Chimchar and even Paul to look at him, the latter giving a bewildered grunt.
"Are you sure?" Dawn practically whispered to her friend. Without looking back, Ash started walking up to the abandoned Pokémon, Pikachu accompanying him on his shoulder and Turtwig by his side.
"Of course, we'll have a blast and work hard!" Ash cheerfully said as he knelt down in front of the little ape and held out his hand. Chimchar merely continued looked back at them.
"(Yeah, you know it!)" Pikachu remarked, a warm smile on his face.
"(I'd take that offer!)" Turtwig followed.
Chimchar silently stared at them before fully turning around.
Soon, the group was back on the road to Veilstone City, Ash and Paul having won the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament. Life is funny sometimes...
Things at first seemed to be going smoothly, but already it was clear that the little ape needed some time to adjust to his new team. For the first day, he rarely spoke up or even made eye contact with anyone. He seemed reserved, unable to hold on to a conversation for more than a few moments.
That began to change one day.
First it started when he watched Pikachu go up against Buizel and easily win. The surprise on the ape's face was clear upon seeing everyone compliment each other, including Pikachu and Buizel. Things really changed when Ash selected Chimchar to battle Piplup. As their battling continued, everyone stopped their own training to watch them, some making pretty surprised comments which soon turned into cheering. In the end, despite his fierce determination, the fire-ape lost. As Piplup returned to Dawn's side, Chimchar continued to lie on the ground, looking completely dispirited.
Pikachu and the others watched as Ash picked him up in his arms.
"Huh? Chimchar, what's wrong?" He asked, waiting for the Fire-type to look him in the eyes. The young boy smiled. "Wow, that was awesome Chimchar! You're really strong y'know!"
"(Huh?)" Chimchar muttered, seemingly unable to register what the trainer was saying to him.
"Hey, you almost defeated an opponent that's a tough match for you!" Ash said, maintaining his smile.
"Mhmm!" Brock replied, walking up to them. Likewise, Pikachu and the others did the same.
"(Yeah, you were great Chimchar!)" Pikachu beamed, raising his arms outward.
"You used some great variations in your moves!" Brock beamed, lifting a hand towards the two. "And it was amazing to watch!"
"(I...uhh...)" Chimchar managed to say before hearing a feminine voice from nearby.
"You were wonderful!" Dawn said, causing everyone to look over at her. "Your Flamethrower rocks!" She beamed with a warm smile as she held Piplup in her arms.
"(Indeed it does my friend!)" The penguin said, waving his flippers in the air.
Suddenly a torrent of voices rang out from the side, causing the fire-ape to look over.
"(Yeah, great work! You almost had him!)" Aipom cheered, bouncing from one foot to the other.
"(I'll say, you've got some skills there man!)" Staravia said, flapping his wings as he hovered in midair.
"(You're a great battler Chimchar, you make us all proud!)" Buneary excitedly shouted, hopping in place.
Chimchar could only look on in a strange mix of both confusion and amazement as everyone else continued to shower him with praise. And as he did...he could feel his eyes begin to water. It started as a whimper as he squeezed his eyes shut but only a few moments later, he started loudly sobbing in Ash's arms.
"What's wrong?" Ash concernedly asked, confusedly looking at him as he turned the Fire-type away and held him closer. "Everybody thinks you're great!"
Quickly, Chimchar wrapped his arms around the boy, his sobs only growing louder as he continued to babble incoherently. As if some sort of silent conversation passed between them, Ash suddenly smiled.
"Chimchar..." He gently said before embracing him.
"Who knew? About Chimchar's softer side I mean." Dawn said with a sympathetic smile as she, and everyone else, looked on.
"(Yeah, a little surprising.)" Piplup quipped as Dawn continued to hold him in her arms.
Brock's expression turned quite serious. "Well...sometimes you have to...let it all out." He said as Dawn, from the other side, made a perplexed sound. Continuing to watch them, Brock put his arms behind his back. "In the past, Chimchar couldn't really show any emotions with Paul."
Everyone sympathetically looked on as Chimchar's sobs began to soften as he continued to wrap his arms around Ash's neck.
"Chimchar...it's okay." Ash nearly whispered; his eyes contently closed. "You're gonna be fine."
Sometime after that, the gang was training in an open field in the forest with Pikachu just finishing up. Enjoying his down time, he took the opportunity to observe his teammates' progress. He occasionally looked over to the side to see Dawn's team practicing their own techniques before turning to see Ash's group continue to train on the other side of the field.
As Pikachu continued to observe the two sets of teams, he noticed something a little odd with Pachirisu who at this point was practicing a technique that used Discharge with Aipom doing her best to dodge it. At first things looked okay, but being an Electric-type himself, Pikachu noticed some slightly unusual things when it came to the little squirrel's performance. For one, the attack seemed to last a few seconds longer than what was needed plus the intensity of the Discharge looked to be a bit...much.
Pikachu's suspicions were only raised when he noticed sparks continually emerging from Pachirisu's cheeks after using the move. Was he sick? That's what usually happened to an Electric-type when they were coming down with something. Then again, looking back, he remembered that this was something that frequently happened with Pachirisu so it couldn't have just been an illness. Maybe the poor squirrel had trouble controlling his own electricity. Actually, this wasn't really the first time the mouse had taken notice. It wasn't too long before that whole Aerodactyl thing when Pachirisu displayed the same problems. How did that go again?
The past few days had been quite interesting, the usual misadventures and coming across new faces and all. Their most recent sidetrack actually involved meeting up with Paul again where the group got to learn the not-so-fun fact that he was actually a lot more like Ash than they had realized. Indeed, the purple-haired boy had similarly traveled across different lands, battling and competing yet failing just like Ash had. If Pikachu was being honest with himself, he didn't know if learning that made him hate Paul any more or any less. He mostly just felt weirded out.
Not long after that, the gang had actually met up with Zoey, Dawn's much friendlier rival. After some discussion about the upcoming Hearthome Contest Double Performance, Dawn decided to test her skills by combining Piplup and Pachirisu's moves.
...And promptly got zapped for her efforts.
After taking a moment to recompose herself, the azure-haired coordinator was back at it again.
"Now, this time we'll get if for sure!" Dawn confidently declared before suddenly pointing forward. "Pachirisu, Discharge! Piplup, Whirlpool!"
Both Pokémon immediately complied, combining the Water and Electric-type attacks together. Sadly, the Discharge proved too powerful and quickly overwhelmed the whirlpool, evaporating it and enveloping the two in a thick mist.
Everyone gasped as they stared at the fiasco in front of them.
"They can't see a thing in there!" Dawn exasperatedly yelled at nobody in particular.
Pikachu could only stare wide-eyed as the mist showed no sign of dissipating any time soon.
"That Discharge was just too powerful and it evaporated the Whirlpool." Brock sadly said, his arms folded across his arms.
Pikachu blinked and gave a sympathetic look.
"Yeah...strange..." Pikachu thought as his gaze moved towards where he last saw Pachirisu.
Huh.
Before Pikachu could dwell on that thought any longer, Ash immediately suggested to train via contest battling using two Pokémon at a time.
As Dawn tried to decide on which of her Pokémon to choose, Pikachu began performing his stretches. Unlike Dawn, Ash wasn't particularly picky about who he was going to send out so it didn't take long for him to decide on he and Aipom.
Cracking his back, Pikachu focused his gaze on the wide-open sky, his mind still going over what he just witnessed. By the looks of things, Piplup's Whirlpool looked alright but Pachirisu's Discharge was certainly off. Immediately, the electric mouse could tell that something was wrong. It looked like...overkill, like the squirrel put way, way too much power behind that move. Did he simply not understand that they weren't just battling but trying to give a satisfying contest performance? Or maybe he-
"(Hey partner!)" Aipom called out as she approached him. Her jovial voice immediately jolted the mouse out of his thoughts.
"(Oh hey.)" Pikachu said, trying to get over his initial startle. He glanced at her and frowned a little. "(Say, aren't you supposed to be stretching too?)"
"(Hmm? Oh me? I am stretching!)" She confidently replied before turning a little to show that she was indeed repeatedly extending and retracting her tail. "(My tail is a really important part of me! Gotta keep it limber!)" She laughed.
Pikachu lightly rolled his eyes. Well...can't argue with that.
"(Besides...)" She said, grinning evilly as Pikachu turned back to her. "(You shouldn't be worried about me after all!)"
"(Huh? Whaddya mean?)"
"(Well the last time you did anything with a double-battle, things didn't exactly go your way!)" She laughed.
Pikachu tried to suppress a shudder. Again...can't argue with that.
"(Yeah...)" He muttered as closed his eyes, turned away and began to stretch his arms.
"(Unless of course you want to do another bet~!)" She slyly whispered in his ear.
Eyes shooting open, Pikachu quickly turned to see that she was winking at him.
"(Oh no! No way! I'm all tapped out when it comes to bets for a while!)" He declared with a huff.
Aipom shrugged. "(Heh, can't say that I blame you. Worth a shot still.)"
Turning away, Pikachu held back a frustrated exhale. "(Well I'm still not worried. We're just trying to help Dawn. I mean it's not like we're gonna battle-)"
"Hey Ash! I'm gonna use Buizel and Buneary!" Dawn shouted from across the way.
Immediately, both of them stopped their stretching and just looked at Ash who merely nodded in approval.
Pikachu's mouth hung open as he saw his trainer begin walking over to Dawn to discuss something.
"(Oh this'll be good.)" Aipom chuckled.
Oh crap.
"Pikachu! Aipom! Ready to go?" Ash shouted as their team stared down Dawn's.
"(Yup!)" Pikachu yelled.
"(You know it!)" Aipom reaffirmed.
"Buizel! Buneary! Let's do this right!" Dawn proclaimed.
"(Got it!)" Buizel said as he leaned forward in anticipation.
Pikachu's gaze moved over to Buneary, expecting her to do the same. Instead to his mild surprise, she swiftly moved one paw behind her head and struck a pose and wink.
"(Good luck handsome~!)" She cooed with a smile, catching the mouse off his guard.
"(Huh? Erm, thanks...you too.)" Pikachu bashfully said as he slumped over, an ear drooping.
Buneary continued to hold that pose and smile even as Dawn crouched down next to her.
"No Buneary. This is an appeal battle, not a date." She exasperatedly said.
"(Huh?!)" Buneary cried out as she snapped out of it and turned to look at her trainer. Immediately she got into battle position, her flirtatious smile replaced with an intense look. "(O-Oh, right! Let's get it on!)"
Regaining his composure, Pikachu stared down at his opponents though he could hear Aipom chuckling next to him. Fighting his own impulse, he struggled not to turn in her direction.
Pikachu continued to gaze at Pachirisu who was now attempting to use Discharge on a boulder as part of some sort of new, bedazzling contest move. It looked like he was trying to get his electricity to streak over it.
Actually, there was another time too when they met up with that guy Jaco who was training his electrike to control its electricity. That's right...Pachirisu unleashed Discharge but overdid it and struck Ash instead. In response, Dawn gave the squirrel a poffin and he performed much better afterwards.
Pikachu frowned a little upon remembering that. So this little problem of Pachirisu's was definitely around before. Pikachu grimaced. If it wasn't for things like Aipom's teasing and Buneary's feelings, not to mention his own before asking her out, he would've addressed it sooner. He leaned back to get a better view of the open sky. Well...guess he'll have to look into it then.
No sooner did Pikachu decide that did he hear a massive explosion. Startled, he jolted up only to see fragments of the boulder fly in a million different directions.
After training, everyone started setting up for lunch. On top of the table, Pikachu was preparing the napkins when he saw Pachirisu walk by with some utensils. As the squirrel jumped onto the table next to him, Pikachu decided to prod a little.
"(Hey Pachirisu!)" He said warmly.
"(Oh hey Yellow Guy!)" The electric squirrel cheerily replied.
"(Great training today, you're looking like you're really getting the hang of things.)"
"(Yeah! Dawn really wants me to get this technique down. Except things kind of got a little ummm...explody.)"
"(Oh?)" Pikachu asked, pretending like he didn't already know.
"(Yeah, she said to dial it back a bit next time. I was supposed to make sparks streak across a boulder but instead I kinda...blew it to smithereens.)"
"(Well I'm sure that'll be no problem for you.)"
"(Yeahhh...well...kinda...maybe not.)" Pachirisu sadly said as he looked down at the table.
"(Whaddya mean?)" Pikachu asked, glancing over at the squirrel.
"(Well...sometimes I have a hard time...uhhh...y'know.)"
"(Controlling your electricity?)" Pikachu said with a tiny, knowing smile.
"(Yeah...)" Pachirisu sheepishly said, twiddling his fingers. He suddenly perked up and started speaking a little faster. "(I mean it's not like I don't try, but sometimes I just get so excited and amped up that I just...lose control.)"
"(Ahh I see.)"
"(Yeah and I really want to get it right because Dawn's relying on me and everything.)" Pachirisu said with sincere sadness in his voice. "(I don't wanna let her down.)"
"(You know if you want...)" Pikachu started to say as Pachirisu looked back at him. "(I could show you some tricks on how to control it.)"
Pachirisu was clearly taken aback. "(Really?)" He asked, a look of both intrigue and wonder in his eyes.
"(Yeah totally! When I was a pichu, I had the same problem. I've learned a few things since then.)" He said as he grabbed the napkins. "(If you want.)" He finished, shrugging.
Pachirisu began squealing with the biggest smile. "(Yeah, I'd love that!)"
"(Okay good, we can go over a few things after lunch if that's alright.)"
"(Yeah!)" Pachirisu exclaimed, eyes sparkling.
Pikachu smiled back and nodded his head before they began to prepare the rest of the table.
After preparing the table and dishes, everyone was ready to chow down. That is, until a little snag got in the way.
"Happiny! Did you eat the rest of the poffins?!" Dawn sternly asked as she shook a small bag only for crumbs to fall out.
"(Ate one!)" Happiny happily exclaimed. "(Want more please!)"
"I guess there was just one left." Dawn muttered, continuing to shake the bag. "Ohh shoot, I don't think we have more. I'll go check." She said as she walked towards their backpacks located next to the tents.
"(Yay more!)" Happiny cheered she hopped up and down.
"(Heyyy, you ate all of the poffins?!)" Pachirisu half-shouted as he ran up to her.
"(Ate one! Last one!)" She happily replied, not a care in the world.
"(But I love poffins! I wanted one!)" Pachirisu complained.
"(Want more! Want more!)" Happiny yelled back.
"(You've had plenty, I want some! I gave my stash away!)" Pachirisu shouted, progressively becoming more upset.
Pikachu – who was grabbing a bowl for himself – looked up in response to the commotion and turned his head towards the two arguing younger Pokémon.
He looked on as he saw that they had started yelling in each other's faces. He sighed. Oooh boy, better fix this. He quickly put the bowl down and began to walk towards them.
"(I get the next poffin!)" Pachirisu shouted.
"(No! Want more!)" Happiny pouted, now on her back and flailing her tiny arms and legs.
"(Hey! What's going on?)" Pikachu asked as he approached them.
"(Happiny ate the last poffin and I wanted one so I get dibs!)" Pachirisu said as he pointed towards Dawn rummaging through a backpack.
"(Hungry! Love poffins!)" Happiny complained as she sat up.
Pikachu looked between them and a little smile appeared on his face. He turned towards Happiny.
"(Okay Happiny, tell you what, you can have another poffin.)" He gently said.
"(What?!)" Pachirisu shouted in disbelief.
Pikachu continued to look at Happiny and quickly raised a finger. "(If...you share with Pachirisu.)" He calmly followed up.
"(Share?)" Happiny wondered aloud as she sat back up.
"(Yeah share. Do you know what sharing is?)" Pikachu softly asked. The baby Pokémon merely shook her head. Pikachu chuckled. "(Okay, sooo...)" He began to say.
Dawn spent the next few minutes looking through their backpacks and finally struck gold when she found another bag filled with poffins. She grabbed it and walked back to Happiny.
"(And that's why it's important to share!)" Pikachu concluded with a smile. Happiny and Pachirisu sat in front of him as if they were watching a show.
Happiny blinked. "(Ohhh, so sharing good?)" She asked.
"(Yup! Sharing is good!)" Pikachu replied. Pachirisu nodded in agreement.
"Alright I found some more poffins." Dawn said as she approached the trio. "Now Happiny, you can have one more but that's it. We need to save these for everybody else." She said as she dug through the bag and pulled out the sweet treat.
She handed it to Happiny who merely looked at it and then back at Pikachu. He nodded his head with a smile.
Suddenly, to Dawn's surprise, Happiny broke the poffin in two and handed a piece to Pachirisu.
"(Share!)" She happily exclaimed.
Pachirisu smiled and took the treat. "(Thanks Happiny!)"
"(Yay share!)" Happiny shouted as she bounced up and down with the other piece of the sweet treat. Dawn looked between them and Pikachu who affirmatively nodded his head. A pleasant grin spread across her face.
"Happiny, you learned to share! Good for you! I have to go tell Brock; he'll be so proud!" Dawn beamed as she turned to go find him.
Pikachu looked back at the two younger Pokémon and let out a relieved exhale. Thank goodness that went so well!
A few more minutes passed and Pikachu had filled his bowl with pellets and sat down on the grass to start eating. He eagerly looked over and saw Buneary waiting in line to get her food. Good, it shouldn't be too long before she sits next to him like usual and-
His ears pricked up in response to a familiar voice.
"Hey buddy, have you seen Chimchar?" Ash asked as he walked up to the mouse.
Pikachu looked up and shook his head. Ash crossed his arms in contemplation. "I saw him head off towards the edge of the forest...he's probably still there. Can you go check real quick please? If you find him, tell him lunch is ready."
Pikachu lightly frowned. Looks like eating will have to wait a little longer. He nodded his head and quickly got to his feet and began to run towards his destination, occasionally using Quick Attack to get there faster.
It didn't take long for him to get to the tree line and it was even faster for him to see a familiar red and yellow flame that served as the Fire-type's tail who was leaning up against a tree, staring at a large puddle.
"(Hey Chimchar!)" Pikachu called out as he got closer to the little ape.
Chimchar looked up from staring at the puddle. "(Huh? Oh hey.)" He said as Pikachu finally got closer to him, his run slowing down to a walk.
"(Ash said lunch is ready.)" The mouse announced as he finally approached him.
"(Oh, okay I'll be there soon.)" Chimchar quietly replied before staring at the ground.
The ape's meek response didn't go unnoticed as Pikachu took on a slightly more concerned look. "(Hey, everything alright?)"
"(Yeah, just...needed a moment.)" Chimchar replied, still refusing to look back up.
"(A moment? Are you hurt?)" Pikachu asked, eyeing him up and down.
"(No, it's just that...y'know. My...outburst from earlier.)" The Fire-type said, voice getting progressively quieter.
Pikachu blinked. "(Oh that...well that's okay. It happens.)" He replied, shrugging his shoulders.
There was a moment of silence between the two.
"(I...uhh...promise I'll be better from now on.)" Chimchar finally said, clearly trying to not make his voice sound shaky but failing.
"(Better? What do ya mean?)" Pikachu asked, blinking again.
"(Y'know, not being such a baby...and to do better in battle.)" The little ape said as he turned to look at his reflection in the puddle. "(I promise that no matter what...I'll win!)" He said, his voice suddenly becoming louder though there was still a hint of sadness behind it.
Pikachu – taken aback a little – took a moment to process what his teammate just said. "(Nobody thinks you're being a baby. And as for battling...just do your best!)" He softly said.
Still not looking back, Chimchar continued to gaze at the water before shaking his head. "(No way, Ash took me in and gave me a chance. I can't let him down again!)" He firmly replied with a frown, clenching a fist. His expression suddenly changed when he heard quiet chuckling from Pikachu. He finally turned to look at him with incredulity.
"(Let him down? You did great! We all think so!)" Pikachu said with a smile.
"(But...I lost.)" Chimchar muttered, blinking in complete confusion.
"(That's okay, as long as you were trying, that's all Ash is asking for!)"
"(Hmph, easy for you to say. You're his starter and you usually win your battles!)" Chimchar huffed as he crossed his arms and looked away.
Pikachu tried to refrain from laughing again, if not out of complete disbelief. "(Oh trust me, I've lost my fair share of battles, even when it looks like I had a good chance of winning.)"
Chimchar suddenly whipped his head to stare at Pikachu, a surprised look on his face. "(Really? You?)"
"(Oh yeah! Everybody loses at some point. You just need to pick yourself up, know what you need to work on and do better next time!)"
Chimchar blinked again. He looked away and closed his eyes. "(Okay...gotta say...that's a little surprising to hear. You always seem like you have things in the bag. Sometimes Paul even talked about how you might have been a 'problem' and that we need to be stronger than you.)"
Pikachu once again resisted the urge to tilt his head in surprise. Paul said that? Huh...
Inwardly shaking off that thought, he gave a bashful grin. "(Sometimes I have things under control but most of the time I'm trying really hard. Seriously, you should've seen the last time I tried super hard and didn't win...)"
Chimchar looked back at him. "(Was it in Oreburgh?)"
"(No it was a little after we got our second Sinnoh badge.)" Pikachu replied. He took a moment to notice that Chimchar's full focus was still on him. Seeing this as a way to lift the ape out of the dumps and to prove his point, he sat down next to him. "(You see, I was with Buizel and Happiny and we got separated from the rest of the group...)" He said as he began to recount one of the scariest experiences of his life.
A few minutes passed and the rest of the group was enjoying their lunch. Buneary was eating with Piplup and Aipom while everyone else was in their own little groups.
She briefly looked over to her left and saw the unoccupied bowl that was supposed to have a cute, yellow mouse next to it. That's a bit strange, she just saw him sitting down right here and by the time she sat down herself, he was gone. She figured that he was just using the bathroom or talking to Ash about something. Buneary shrugged and continued to listen to Piplup talk about some new technique that he and Dawn were working on.
Meanwhile, Ash was in the middle of enjoying his sandwich when suddenly he whipped his head up to look around the campsite.
"Hey, where's Pikachu? I asked him to go get Chimchar a while ago." He asked as he looked amongst their group.
"I haven't seen them since training." Brock said as he looked up from his soup. Ash grimaced at his remark. Immediately picking up on what the boy was thinking, Brock tried to backtrack. "I'm sure it's nothing." He nearly blurted out, almost dropping his spoon into his dish. "I'll bet they're on their way over right now."
Still, Ash continued to give him a concerned look. "It's been a little while though..."
"I got this." Dawn confidently said before she turned to their Pokémon. "Buneary, can you go see if Pikachu's around here?" She asked. Buneary looked up and noticed the faintest of smiles on her trainer's face. She nodded before getting up and hopping away.
As she quickly checked among her friends and teammates, she realized that Pikachu wasn't around the camp. She grimaced as she scanned the area again before she turned to see Happiny and Pachirisu eating together.
"(Hey, have either of you seen Pikachu?)" She asked.
"(Oh yeah, he went to go get Chimchar at the tree line!)" Pachirisu said as he pointed towards the edge of the forest.
"(Pikachu! Yay share!)" Happiny happily exclaimed.
Buneary blinked in response to the baby Pokémon's remark. "(Share?)"
"(Yeah, Pikachu taught her about sharing and how it's a good thing to do!)" Pachirisu said with a smile as he lifted up his piece of the shared poffin, no doubt saving it for dessert.
"(Pikachu...taught her to share?)" Buneary asked, almost bewildered.
"(He sure did! What a guy! He even said that he was gonna show me how to control my electricity after lunch! I can't wait! I'm definitely gonna make Dawn proud!)" Pachirisu exclaimed as he started to nibble on the confectionary.
Buneary looked between them, still surprised.
"(Yay, sharing good!)" Happiny shouted, waving her tiny arms in the air.
"He helped both of them?" Buneary thought before smiling. "(Well thanks for telling me where he is! See ya!)" She said before turning and hopping towards the tree line.
"(Okay, catch ya later!)" Pachirisu said, waving her goodbye.
As she hopped to her destination, Buneary couldn't help but focus on how helpful her boyfriend had been in just one afternoon. Heck...in just the past hour!
Well...when she saw him, she'll have to really thank him for how amazing he's been!
"(And then I crashed into the nearby lake. I managed to crawl along the shore and I saw the Aerodactyl flying off.)" Pikachu said, concluding his tale of his near-death experience. All the while, Chimchar sat across from him, his full attention on the mouse in complete wonderment.
"(So it was a stalemate then? You didn't lose?)" He asked.
"(No, but I didn't win either. Ash and the others managed to take the Aerodactyl down without me.)"
"(Ohhh...)"
"(So you see, I didn't win but I gave it my all and that's all Ash ever asks for! He's the best I promise! A little stubborn and hasty, but a great guy!)" Pikachu said with a smile, earning a slight chuckle from Chimchar.
"(Alright, I think I get it. It's just that with Paul, if you didn't win and weren't strong, you were...kinda seen as worthless.)" Chimchar said, his voice becoming a little quieter.
Taking a moment to look at the little ape with sympathy, Pikachu leaned in a little closer. "(Well...you don't have to worry about that with us. What matters is that you try. Trust me, you'll only get stronger.)" He said reassuringly.
Chimchar nodded in agreement. "(Still...I'll need to get really strong if I'm gonna help you guys get anywhere.)"
Pikachu merely shook his head and scoffed, causing the fire-ape to stare at him as he looked elsewhere. "(You will, I promise. Just keep at it. And you know what? If you fall, just pick yourself off, dust yourself off and start over again. Fear is your true enemy. Right after what happened with that Aerodactyl, I was so scared of what could happen and that I failed, to the point where I was having nightmares. But honestly, since I found someone to understand where I was coming from...I sleep just fine.)" Pikachu remarked, slowly beginning to turn back to his friend. "(And if after everything you feel as though that fear is still around...)" He said before looking Chimchar straight in his face. "(...You look it straight in the eyes and you kick that bastard right in the teeth!)"
A silent pause passed before Chimchar gave a little smirk. "(Heh, okay...I can see why everyone looks up to you.)" He finally remarked.
"(Huh? What do you mean?)" Pikachu asked, his expression softening up as he blinked in confusion.
"(Well I mean...you know.)" Chimchar replied, twirling his wrist. He took a moment to realize that the mouse was genuinely confused by what he was saying. "(Orrrr I guess you don't know...huh.)"
"(Know what?)"
Chimchar looked away. "(Well I mean I know that I've only been with you guys for a little while and that you're different than Paul's team...but it's pretty clear that you're like the leader to everyone around here.)"
Pikachu jerked his head back in surprise upon hearing that. "(Oh.)" He managed to mutter, not really knowing what to say.
Chimchar looked back at him, a strange kind of determination in his eyes. "(Yeah! I mean, they're always going up to you for advice and you're usually guiding them around. Plus it's pretty obvious that you're the strongest one here so...y'know.)"
Pikachu looked away in proud embarrassment. "(Oh, I guess I just never realized.)" He said a little bashfully.
"(Well I certainly did!)" Chimchar chuckled.
Gosh, he didn't expect to hear that. Granted, he figured that he was a little more battle-experienced than the others but the strongest and the leader?
Clearing his throat, Pikachu rubbed the back of his head. "(Well...thanks.)"
"(No prob boss!)"
Chuckling, Pikachu looked back at him. "(So you feeling a bit better then?)"
"(Actually, yeah I think so.)" Chimchar beamed.
"(Great, so how about we-)" Pikachu said before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"(Hey guys!)" Buneary called out as she approached them.
"(Oh hey!)" Pikachu said as he waved to her.
"(Ash was wondering where you two were.)" She said as she walked up next to him.
He blinked at her. "(Oh right, guess we kind of got distracted...)" He chuckled rather sheepishly.
"(Yeah, Pikachu was lifting me out of the dumps!)" Chimchar laughed.
"(Hmm?)" Buneary asked, tilting her head a bit.
"(Yeah I was feeling a bit down buuuut...!)" Chimchar said before suddenly reaching over and grabbing Pikachu's shoulder and pulling him closer. "(Thankfully you guys have got a leader who can cheer anybody up!)" He said with a smile and wink.
Pikachu smiled back and rolled his eyes. "(I aim to please!)" He chuckled, shrugging a little.
Buneary looked between them. "(Did he now...?)" She mused aloud.
"(Yup!)" Chimchar chirped as he let go of Pikachu's shoulder.
Suddenly Buneary smiled and moved over to gently nuzzle her electric mouse. "(Teehee~! Guess I made the right choice then!)" She giggled.
Now it was Chimchar's turn to tilt his head a little, trying to gauge what he was seeing. "(Right choice?)" He wondered aloud as he looked at them. "(What do you...?)" He trailed off before noticing Pikachu's face reddening, yet the mouse was making no effort to push her away. In fact, he was giving a tiny grin. Chimchar's eyes darted between them before realization hit him. "(Oh...ooohhhhhh...I get it~!)" He said with a smile and wink which only caused Pikachu to blush even harder.
Chimchar started to laugh and upon seeing his formerly depressed friend's spirits finally lifted, Pikachu started to laugh with him. In fact, the two were having such a good time that they didn't even notice Buneary step away to simply gaze at the mouse's face, her paws on her cheeks. As Pikachu continued to laugh, his voice full of mirth, she silently stared at him, almost as if she were in some strange hypnotic trance.
When their laughter finally began to die down, Pikachu lightly cleared his throat again and pointed back to camp. "(Well anyway, how about we get back?)" He said and as soon as he did, Buneary shook her head to free herself from that bizarre spell before she silently looked away.
"(Sounds good to me! I'm starving!)" Chimchar beamed before leading the way with the other two following closely behind.
As they walked, Buneary's curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Unable to take it anymore, she leaned over to her boyfriend. "(So you were cheering him up?)" She whispered softly so as to not let the little ape hear her.
Pikachu looked back and leaned in. "(Yeah, about what happened earlier, you know...in front of everybody?)"
She looked back at Chimchar who was walking with a slight pep in his gait. Huh, if she didn't know any better, she would've never guessed that. Looks like Pikachu's pep talk really cheered him up! Granted, he might need a little more time to get used to things, but still!
"(He just needed a friend to talk to.)" Pikachu whispered before leaning back.
Buneary suddenly started slowing down, lost in surprised thought.
"Three...he helped three of them in just an afternoon?" She wondered.
Happiny, Pachirisu and Chimchar?!
She looked at Pikachu who hadn't yet noticed that she was behind them.
He really is...something else isn't he? She saw him giving a little smile to no one in particular.
And then...
Something rather strange happened.
Upon seeing his smile, something went off in her chest but unlike all of the previous times that it happened, this one was far less intense yet it felt oddly powerful. In that moment her heart felt rather warm as the rest of her body was struck by an elated, even cozy sensation...like being close to a fire on a snowy day. It sent a shiver down her spine.
She reached up to her chest and felt her heartbeat. It was going rather fast, thumping so hard that it was practically about to burst from her chest. She looked back up at him and fully stopped in place.
What was going on? It's not like she hadn't seen him be so caring and useful before. So why was this...?
Feeling her heart continue to thump so hard against her chest that it gently made her paw move in sync with it, Buneary smiled and savored the moment. Well...this was getting interesting!
She took one last moment to carefully watch his gorgeous, smiling face.
Then just as quickly, she hopped up to catch up with them.
Author's Notes:
Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!
I'd like to give another shoutout to J'LoBuizel and his incredible works! His stories focus on slice of life stories that are a good mix of adult humor and cartoony antics. Not to mention, the guy's an amazing artist! Check his DeviantArt account: JLo-Buizel. Not to mention that some of his works like "A PokeChristmas" and "Buneary's Unrequited Crush" influenced some of the character dynamics in this story.
I wonder how things will progress? Will there be more little, lighthearted moments? Or will there be...other moments?
Only one way to find out!
Ta-ta for now!