Chapter 20: Something Stupid

Pikachu slowly strolled through the forest, enjoying the peacefulness of the outside world. Although he was still recovering from his injuries, he felt that it was time to stretch his muscles and see how active he could be. He walked along a small dirt path, admiring the beauty of the serene forest that surrounded him and made sure to stick to walking underneath the trees just on the off chance that certain ancient beasts wouldn't be able to see him.

Buneary said that she was going to find more berries and insisted that Pikachu take it easy in bed. Last time, she took over an hour to run her errand so seeing his opportunity, Pikachu snuck out of the cabin to get some fresh air.

She wouldn't mind, after all she seemed to be in a particularly good mood today for whatever reason. Besides, he needed this more than ever considering how he woke up well past his normal waking hours, no thanks to certain dubious berries he ate last night.

Regardless, he smiled; she still really came through for him this time. For a while now, he thought that she couldn't be even more nurturing than when he had that fever. Heh, that silly rabbit. At times she could act so goofy and timid but other times she showed more inner strength than he'd ever seen from anyone. She'd certainly showed stronger initiative and leadership than anyone he could think of in recent memory.

As Pikachu continued his walk, he started to realize that his body wasn't aching as much as he expected, even if he was still covered in bandages. If anything, maybe it was a sign that he was ready to try and find their friends. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

He continued on the dirt path towards the sound of a river. He momentarily paused as he realized that the path curved away from the sound of rushing water but it didn't sound too far...maybe he could travel just a little bit off the path to see it. As Pikachu walked off the path, he couldn't help but think about how worried his trainer must be and what Buneary had mentioned this morning.

"Already three days she said?" Pikachu thought with a grimace. Man, Ash must be looking everywhere for him, probably not even getting any sleep or eating well. He certainly knew the guy well enough to predict how he's handling things right now.

Pikachu stopped upon realizing that he was in front of the sought-after river. There hadn't been a particular reason to look for it, he just wanted to hear the sound of rushing water and take in the ambience. It was actually pretty soothing, something that he definitely needed after the last few days.

He looked to his left and realized something: the river eased up and along a bank of grassy land...he could see smoke rising into the sky. Practically taken aback, his gaze followed it and soon he saw a campsite. He took another moment to look at it. Suddenly smiling, Pikachu quickly started walking towards it. This was great! He could alert someone and call for help, maybe someone can take them back to Ash's camp! Or at the very least take them to the nearest police station or Pokémon center and send out an alert!

Pikachu's smile only grew as he hoped against hope that all of this would finally be over. Soon, he made his way into the middle of the campsite and...

...There wasn't a soul in sight.

He quickly glanced around. Nope. Nobody.

Crestfallen, he sighed. Great, maybe they left and he had just missed them. He looked into the middle of the camp and saw a smoldering fire. Next to the fire he could see some camping supplies. Huh...maybe they were just out at the moment, but who knows for how long? He looked over and noticed that sitting upon a tree stump was a journal. Pikachu looked around, hoping to see someone nearby. Nope...still nobody.

He scratched the back of his ear and combed through his options. If he stayed here, there's no telling when the occupants would be back, plus he wanted to start looking for their friends as soon as they could. He wasn't a nosy Pokémon but this was an emergency and for all he knew, maybe he could write a note or something to help get them back to their friends. He sighed and with a moment's hesitation, he tentatively took a few steps towards the book and picked it up.

Pikachu opened up the journal and began to read the first page.

I swiped this new journal from a local kiosk after the last one fell into the ocean on our way over to this region. Whenever that was.

Wasn't sure if I should keep writing these because it would leave behind evidence but I figured if I ever or rather when I become world famous, it's best to write my life story as it happens.

Pikachu took a moment to look up from the journal.

"Whose journal is this?" He thought but got his answer as soon as he turned the page.

After all that business in Hoenn, the twerp boy decided to continue his journey into Sinnoh and as per usual, we followed him in the hopes of capturing Pikachu.

Pikachu blinked a few times. Oh great, of all the luck! Immediately he closed the journal in disgust and started to put it down when a thought occurred to him.

"Wait a sec, if Team Rocket is nearby...then it can't be good news could it? And if they were up to no good, then...shouldn't I check to see what horrible things they have in store us?" He pondered.

He let out a quiet exhale. If it wasn't an emergency to look through this journal before, it certainly was now. Plus...he had to admit that there was some sort of strange excitement at the thought of doing something that he shouldn't. It felt faint and very distant...but it was there alright.

He lifted the book back up and opened it again. He shifted through the pages, skimming through the contents. It was mostly recollecting events up until this point. Hmmm, stuff about promotions, trying and failing to capture him, new ideas for new mottos. Yadda, yadda.

Pikachu turned to the last few entries to see if there was anything vital. Finding new information, he began to carefully read again.

Some good luck recently. We stumbled across a police station that was isolated and poorly guarded. Jessie and James posed as reporters while I snuck in the back and ransacked the place. Not sure why there were no other guards. There might be some sort of manhunt going on or something.

"So this is Meowth's journal." Pikachu thought with a raised eyebrow.

Not much was in there aside from a few building materials and some nets but I figured that we could make something useful from it. After getting away, we designed a net that was immune to all sorts of type-based attacks including Electric. My colleagues are ecstatic and we are currently searching for the twerps. We're talking about promotions again and about getting in good standing with the boss.

Pikachu turned the page somewhat anxiously. He doesn't remember them using an electric-proof net in the recent past.

We have been on the run for days now and laying low. I mean more than usual. We found the twerps and decided to use the net to capture Piplup but Pikachu was nowhere in sight.

"Hmmph, those jerks!" Pikachu thought with a frown. So they tried this when he was incapacitated and away...

But right when the heist was fully underway, it suddenly turned into a disaster. We had stumbled into the middle of something much bigger that was happening. All was going well at first and in my confidence, I opened my big mouth to brag about stealing from a police station without realizing that Officer Jenny was there with them.

As it turned out, that crazed Aerodactyl from Oreburgh City had somehow managed to escape again and was rampaging in the nearby wilderness. Before we knew it, the beast suddenly appeared and destroyed our net, derailing our plans.

We sought shelter as the group engaged in a massive battle with the creature until they finally managed to subdue it.

"Oh thank goodness..." Pikachu thought as he breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over."

Before it was captured, the twerps interrogated it about their missing Pokémon. To our shock, it claimed to have killed Pikachu at the nearby lake. What happened to Buizel and Happiny, nobody seems to know for sure. After getting their answers, the twerps ran off to find Pikachu, leaving us at the mercy of Officer Jenny.

Pikachu could only blink again as he re-read the passage. "They think I'm dead?" He thought, feeling a spark of sympathy go off in his chest. He knew they would be worried about him being missing for a few days, but thinking he was dead all this time? Ash must be absolutely hysterical! Pikachu suddenly felt a sharp pang go through his heart. With growing anxiety, he continued to read.

She immediately wanted to slap the handcuffs on us, but we took off running, carrying whatever things we could salvage, including this journal. Thankfully, she didn't give much chase as the scientist she was with was already injured and couldn't accompany her plus she probably didn't want to leave him alone in the forest.

Regardless, we didn't stop running until late into the night. We eventually came to a stop at a river after an almighty storm hit us. When the weather cleared up, all was calm, food was easy to find and life was peaceful. No sooner did I start to feel settled in did Jessie start talking about future plans for the twerps.

Pikachu couldn't say why, but somewhere deep down he could feel a rising anger bubbling up inside of him.

She said that there is no better time than now to steal their Pokémon since Pikachu is gone as he was their lead protector.

"Huh, that's news to me." Pikachu thought a little incredulously.

James on the other hand is less enthusiastic. I feel the same. For so long, our life's mission was to capture Pikachu and now that he might be dead, it seems like we've completely failed and that we're wasting our talents now.

That night, for the first time, I deliberately dropped hints about what we would do if we weren't in Team Rocket. Jessie said that she would perform professionally in Pokémon contests. James would run a museum of some sort, something about bottle caps. I myself love the spotlight so I would be a natural entertainer in showbusiness, perhaps on stage or in movies.

Jessie again pushed on what Pokémon we should steal now that Pikachu isn't around. We decided on Buizel, Piplup or Buneary.

"Buneary's a prime target?" Pikachu thought. He suddenly caught himself as he realized that he thought of her before his other friends.

Upon being reminded of Buneary, I am embarrassed to say that I felt pity for the poor twerp-emon. That bunny liked Pikachu from day one and she must be inconsolable now that her favorite guy in the world is gone.

Pikachu once again had to re-read that passage. He suddenly felt his cheeks begin to heat up before an embarrassing thought came to his mind before he sighed. "Man I must be dense, dumb or in denial if they could see it."

Regardless, he almost felt a little grateful that Meowth appeared to have a soul if even he of all mons felt about bad about her.

Still, an easy job is an easy job and the promotion is practically in the bag now. Besides, Buneary might be so depressed that she wouldn't put up much a fight.

Aaaaaaand the gratefulness was gone. Pikachu grimaced as the anger inside of him only continued to grow.

The new plan is to construct glass cages using some of the materials that we salvaged. We'll focus more on making them Water and Ice-type proof.

Pikachu realized that he had reached the end of the journal and as he began to put it down, he heard the sounds of talking and footsteps approaching the camp.

"Shoot! I can't let them see me!" He internally screamed as he quickly hid behind a bush on the outskirts of the camp. He peeked around and saw the three thieves arriving at the camp, each carrying bundles of sticks for firewood.

He perked up an ear to listen a little more closely.

"And I'm telling you, if we do this right, we can get all of them!" Jessie declared with a smile.

"But would the boss even be impressed since our expectations were so high with Pikachu?" James asked with a grimace and a tone of exhaustion.

"Maybe he'll be happy that we got him some Sinnoh-featured Pokémon!" She replied.

"Yeah and dat Buneary and Piplup are part of a contest-winning team so dat might score us some extra points!" Meowth exclaimed.

Again, what happened to empathy? Well so much for that.

Pikachu began to grip the grass beneath his paws, it was the only thing holding back his rising fury. He took a moment to hold his breath.

"Not much room for a soul when money and power speaks." Pikachu thought as he held back a frustrated exhale, easing his grip a little.

"I'll get started on the food." James said as he began to work on lighting a new fire.

"I guess I'll get ta work on dat cage." Meowth said. "What are ya gonna do Jessie?"

"I'm going to make sure you are doing it right!" She practically shouted into his ear.

"Ack okay! But you can't rush genius here! It'll take most of tha day." Meowth replied.

"How long? I hope it's not too late. I do need my nine hours of beauty sleep y'know!" She replied, a strangely prideful tone in her voice.

"You'll need a little more time for dat if ya ask me." Meowth grumbled.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Jessie screeched, her voice reverberating through his very being and causing Pikachu to flatten his ears.

"I-I mean it'll be done by around nine tonight!" Meowth squealed.

"Oh good! Then we'll have our new promotion-makers by ten o'clock then!" Jessie suddenly yet merrily exclaimed, striking a pose with a finger pointing towards the sky.

Pikachu rolled his eyes as he believed that he's heard all that was needed. Slowly and carefully, he began to crawl away, trying to be sure not to make any noise. He continued at a slow pace until he could no longer hear their shouting before he made his way back towards the cabin as fast as his injured body could take him.

"(Tonight at ten?!)" Buneary exclaimed in disbelief, repeating what Pikachu had just told her.

"(Yup, so we need to warn the others ASAP!)" He sternly said, looking around the cabin to see if there was anything they should take with them.

Buneary just stood in the same spot, lost in thought while staring at the cabin floor.

"(And your side doesn't hurt at all? Even after walking around so much?)" She asked.

"(Nope, didn't feel anything!)" He shouted nonchalantly before fully turning away.

She glanced up at him and focused on his bandaged side.

"(I don't even see any bleeding...)" She muttered to herself before looking back down at the floor.

While she was distracted, Pikachu rushed around the room, looking for things to take with them. They could grab a few berries, maybe bring along some water if there was a bottle that he could find...

Buneary slowly turned to him as an interesting thought came to her.

Maybe some more bandages in case he needed them and also-

"(Hey Pikachu...?)" Buneary finally said.

"(Yeah?)" He replied, still rummaging around, not looking at her.

"(...What if we handled it ourselves?)"

His ears perked up. He stopped to turn and confusedly looked at her.

"(What do you mean?)" He asked, not entirely sure if he heard her correctly yet he suddenly got a sense of déjà vu.

"(Well...they think you're dead right?)"

"(Yeah?)"

"(Everyone thinks you're dead...)"

"(...Yeah.)"

"(Including Ash.)"

Pikachu felt another twang of pain course throughout his body. "(Yeah, that's why we need to go now!)" He said with conviction.

"(But those jerks are still going to try and steal our friends even when they know that Ash is probably grieving over you!)" She yelled while pointing in a random direction.

Pikachu looked towards the floor and felt that same anger inside of him swell up again and he realized now why: she had a point. This was particularly low, even for them. Ash certainly isn't doing well right now and the thought of his best friend being attacked and harassed by the troublesome trio – now of all times – only made him more enraged.

"(We should teach them a lesson.)" Buneary determinedly said.

Pikachu glanced up with a look of surprise upon hearing her words. His eyes only widened as he noticed a mischievous, slightly evil grin on her face.

"(W-What do you mean?)" He asked somewhat nervously.

"(What if we do something soooo out there that they won't even think about messing with our friends ever again?!)" She confidently asked, raising her arms in the air for dramatic effect. "(Or at least for the rest of the week.)"

Pikachu didn't want to admit it, but a tiny evil part of him was curious about what kind of plan she was cooking up. "(O-Okayyy...)" He managed to say, genuinely curious. "(Anything you have in mind?)"

Buneary put a paw to her chin and looked upwards in thought for a few moments. Then a smile suddenly reappeared on her face. "(Got it!)" She confidently declared.

She hopped over to him and whispered into his ear. Pikachu's eyes widened and his face contorted into shock and horror...and then into one of sheer amusement.

When she was done, she took a step back and beamed, clearly very proud of her ingenuity.

"(Oh you devil woman!)" Pikachu exclaimed in amused shock, a paw to his cheek in disbelief.

"(I know!)" She happily replied.

"(I've never seen this side of you, who are you?!)"

"(I'm all that and more baby~)" Buneary said with a flirtatious wink.

This...this isn't right. He should just reject the idea and simply go warn the others.

...

But then again...wouldn't they have a better chance fighting off Team Rocket if they went through with her plan instead? After all, he hasn't even fully recovered yet. And who knows, maybe it'll help Team Rocket re-evaluate their lives and pursue other things like what he read in Meowth's journal! Yeah...it's a possibility...

Pikachu continued to stare at her. He just couldn't believe that an idea as diabolical as this was coming from her! And in such a short amount of time too! Did she come up with this on the spot or did she have this in her mind for a while now? Well regardless, it was still so surprising that it's her suggesting this.

Yeah...well...actually...

His mind raced back to the gala. It was her who came with that plan back then right? So perhaps he has seen this side of her before...

Another moment passed between them and all the while, he saw her smile only grow wider and wider.

Oh who was he kidding? He couldn't deny it anymore...

He wanted to do this!

His lips curved into a sly smile. Oh heavens above, she truly has awakened something inside of him hasn't she?

"(Let's do it!)" He confidently blurted out.

"(Yesssss~!)" She cheered.

Seeing her reaction and how she came up with such an ingenious, evil plan made him remember what happened back at the mansion. When they broke bad for just a little bit.

"Oh good lord, I've created a monster!" Pikachu thought as he stared at her. Weirdly, as soon as that thought came to him, he could feel his heart beat so hard against his ribcage that he could hear it ringing in his ears.

"(But how ummm...would we handle my makeup?)" Pikachu asked, nervously tapping his paws together.

"(With these!)" Buneary said as she grabbed one of the dark purple berries and tore it apart, revealing the juices within.

Oh boy, this'll be interesting.

Noticing that he was staring at her, Buneary smirked. "(Sooooo do you want to apply this yourself or do you want me to do it?)" She asked, clearly suppressing a laugh and waiting for him to register what she was implying. "(I mean...I wouldn't mind~)" She cooed, winking at him again.

Pikachu could immediately feel his face warm up and his heart was about to thump out of his chest again. The thought of her rubbing berry juice over his body stayed in his mind for a little longer than he cared to admit.

"(N-No! I'll do it!)" He nervously stammered as he took the berry pieces. "(Besides, you'll have to practice your lines.)" He said with a smirk.

She blinked at him before her smile returned. "(Oh yeah! Okay how about this: oh poor Pikachu! Not him! What will I do without him?!)" She cried out quite dramatically, arching her back upwards and with a paw to her forehead.

Pikachu busted out laughing. "(Maybe reel it back a little there. That might be a bit too dramatic!)"

"(Excuse me, but I think you're dead! I would be inconsolable!)" She replied, though there was a slight bit of sincerity to her voice.

Pikachu's mind raced back to what Meowth's journal said about her. Jeez, he was right on the money with that wasn't he?

"(That much though?)" He asked.

"(For you, definitely.)" She said with clear sincerity, a light blush streaking across her face.

A rather pleasant warmth suddenly came out of Pikachu's chest and he could practically feel his cheeks turning scarlet...more so than usual.

"(Umm...thanks.)" He said smiling sheepishly.

"(No prob! Now, start getting ready outside!)" She beamed.

Pikachu nodded before putting the rest of the berries in a basket and began to walk outside of the cabin when Buneary's voice rang out again.

"(Oh hey, one more thing!)" She called out, causing him to look back.

Quickly she hopped over to him...

...And lightly tapped him on the head with an uncurled ear.

"(Next time, don't sneak out on your own. Okay you troublesome mouse?)" She giggled, still petting him on the head.

Pikachu blinked and then let out a sheepish chuckle. "(Oh...uhh...yeah. Sorry.)"

Retracting her ear, she continued to smile at him. "(You're lucky you're cute mister!)"

Blushing lightly, Pikachu rolled his eyes and laughed before turning and exiting the cabin.

Outside, he walked to a patch of grass and began to smear the purple berry juice over his fur. From inside the cabin, he could hear Buneary practicing her lines.

"(Pikachu noooooo! How could this happen?! Oh, I'm so shocked and bereaved!)" She cried out to the heavens.

Heh, that girl. That silly, clever, clever girl.

Pikachu smiled and shook his head as he began to apply his "makeup".

The duo continued to walk through the forest in the direction of the campsite. Buneary constantly looked at the map that she took from the cabin to be sure that they were on the right track. Some time had passed since departing and the sky was beginning to darken. Team Rocket's scheduled attack should be coming up soon.

Finally after several hours, the two reached the outskirts of the campsite. Still hiding in the forest, they parted a bush and peered out into the distance to make sure that their group was still there. They could see a campfire with several familiar-looking figures huddled around it. Satisfied, they receded back into the darkness.

"(Okay, I'm gonna start heading over there. You just wait until Team Rocket shows up, kay?)" She said as she put the map on the ground.

"(Right.)" Pikachu said with a nod.

"(And just make sure that you keep practicing that scary voice of yours. Wanna be reeaall convincing after all!)" She said, holding back a giggle.

Pikachu smirked, a look of confidence spreading across his face. "(No problem Bun Bun.)" He said, determination in his voice.

"(Alrighty then, it's showtime! Wish me luck Pika!)" She said as she reached out to high-five him.

"(Good luck, I know you'll kill it out there!)" He confidently said as he reached over to return her high-five.

"(Thanks! You too! Just wait for your cue got it?)" She said, staring into his eyes.

"(Got it!)" He replied with another determined smirk.

She smiled at him. Suddenly she blinked as her expression became rather perplexed.

"(Huh? What is it?)" Pikachu asked, confused himself.

"(Oh nothing, it's just...um...)" She said as her gaze moved downward, a small smile appearing on her face and a blush beginning to form. "(You're still holding my paw.)"

Blinking, Pikachu looked down and saw that he was indeed holding on to her paw after their high-five. Feeling his cheeks burning, he let go and pulled back.

"(Whoops! Uhhh...sorry!)" He said with an awkward chuckle, a bead of sweat coming down the side of his head.

"(Teehee~! No worries!)" She said with a smile bright enough to clearly see in the dark. She began to part the bush before taking a deep breath and looked back at Pikachu. She nodded her head to which he returned. With that, she jumped through the bush and started heading towards the campsite.

Making sure that she was gone, Pikachu exhaled and steadied himself. Jeez, he just had to make things awkward didn't he?

Groaning, Pikachu shook his head to clear his mind. Despite Buneary saying that he looked ready, he was still curious to see his finished appearance. Hearing a small stream not too far away, Pikachu made his way over to it to look at his reflection. What he saw actually made him recoil in shock. Woah...he's seen better days that's for sure! Taking a moment to absorb his appearance, Pikachu smiled. Oooh this is gonna be good! Satisfied, he turned around and cleared his throat. Gotta make himself sound extra intense!

And so he waited, practicing for what he was going to sound like until he saw his cue. And then...showtime!

Author's Notes:

Fans of a certain Western video game might catch the references that I put in Meowth's journal. Anyway, looks like things are gonna get...interesting. What could Buneary's evil master plan be? Looks like you'll have to keep reading to find out!

Update March 24, 2023: And so we reach the end of Ash and Pikachu's journey as the main characters. Did it live up to your expectations? Probably not. I'll be honest, when I first heard the news, I was actually caught off guard. I'd never thought I'd see the day when it happened and thanks to nostalgia, I got emotional just imagining what it was going to be like. Cut to the present and I'm mostly just confused about what the point of those last few episodes were for.

In either case, I suppose now is as good a time as any to explain something about myself.

Wanna know a dirty little secret about me? I have never watched a full episode of Pokémon beyond Diamond and Pearl. In fact, before last year, I hadn't watched a full episode of Pokémon since Diamond and Pearl aired in my country...in fact I didn't even finish watching Diamond and Pearl as a kid. I got about two-thirds of the way through and just didn't finish. That doesn't mean that I dislike the franchise or show, it was a huge part of my childhood after all. But as a kid, I figured that I had seen all that the show had to offer since up to that point, I would say 80-90% of the episodes were the same: characters go on a misadventure or something to do with gym battles or contests and then Team Rocket shows up to cause trouble for about five minutes and the day is saved. Rinse and repeat for like 10 straight years at that point. Eventually, I just left the franchise and never came back until not long after my birthday, I felt quite nostalgic when I visited my childhood home and rummaged through my old Pokémon video games (I also haven't played Pokémon games since Gen III and the latest to come out that I played was Leaf Green). Anyway, this is basically the most I've been involved in the community in like 15 years.

That being said, I know next to nothing about what goes on in Black and White, Sun and Moon, Journeys and whatever else happened aside from the little things that I've recently looked up for this fic (although according to people in and out of our little community, I didn't miss much or that I should be glad that I stopped at DP).

In addition, I know absolutely nothing about some of the newer battle mechanics like Gigantamax or Dynamax or stuff like Alola versions or whatever else. Call me out of touch but I consider myself old school.

That being said, none of that at all matters for this fic's story so if you're enjoying how it's going so far, no need to worry.

As for the show, I've heard many people in and out of this community express disappointment or outright disdain for the other series. Some people say Journeys is awful, others say Sun and Moon is bad and a few say something else. We all have different stances on things but the one thing that everyone here has in common was that at one point in our lives, we did like the show and characters enough to keep watching (at least up until Diamond and Pearl to get into this shipping). Regardless of how you may feel about the show now, it was (and probably still is) a significant part of our lives in one way or another. So to say "goodbye" to Ash and Pikachu really is the end of an era, regardless of how you may feel nowadays. I say "goodbye" in quotations because I'm 100% certain that we'll see them again, I mean c'mon, Ash was the main character of the series for 25 years and Pikachu is the mascot of the franchise and one of the faces Nintendo. They'll be back, probably as cameos or supporting characters. And for all I know, the new series won't do so well and public demand will bring them back. All that I'm certain of is that we'll see them again.

Anyway, that's just an opinion from someone here on the internet. Allow me to get down from my soapbox now haha.

Since I got that off my chest, stay tuned for the next chapter! Until next time!