Act II: The Highs and Lows

Chapter 24: Woke Up This Morning

The gang had spent the night in a rather nice hotel that overlooked the ocean. As the sun rose over the horizon, Pikachu's eyes gently fluttered open as he welcomed a new day. Of all the things that he could have thought in that moment, the first thing was her face.

He really went through with it. He was somebody's boyfriend.

From here on out, he was going to officially be dating Buneary. This...was going to be interesting.

Before they knew it, the gang was saying goodbye to Solare Island and found themselves back on the mainland, headed for their destination: Hearthome City. Still with plenty of time before their upcoming battles and contests, the three trainers headed down the dirt path, business as usual.

Unlike before however, Pikachu had quite a lot more on his mind now. While he was still wondering how exactly being a boyfriend was going to be like and what his exact feelings of Buneary were, he still couldn't help but feel undeniably happy that he went through with it. If we has being honest with himself, it was probably one of the most nerve-racking experiences of his young life!

After about half a day's worth of traveling, the gang decided to stop in a clearing and started setting up camp. Before long, everyone was situated where they were and the humans released all of their Pokémon. As the trainers were going over directions, some of their Pokémon wasted no time in chasing each other around, granted they were explicitly told not to venture out of the humans' sight. It seemed that that whole Aerodactyl thing really shook them up to the point where they still weren't comfortable letting them go too far out.

After about an hour of nonstop tag, several of the Pokémon were sitting on the grass. A certain brown bunny was cuddled up next to Pikachu as they overheard their friends argue.

"(I did so tag you!)" Piplup shouted, frantically waving his flippers in the air.

"(Nu-uh!)" Pachirisu yelled back.

"(Yeah-huh!)" Piplup cried out.

"(No! I was on a bathroom break!)" Pachirisu huffed as he turned away.

"(You were on bathroom break for like ten minutes!)" Piplup shouted.

Pikachu merely rolled his eyes. Always something huh? He looked over at Buneary only to see her watching them with a smirk.

He silently clicked his tongue in amusement. It was a little entertaining to watch he supposed. Before long, the argument devolved into simple grunting.

"(Yuh-huh!)"

"(Nuh-uh!)"

"(Yes!)"

"(Nooo!)"

Before the other one could say anything, Pikachu chimed in, unable to take it anymore.

"(Okay, okay!)" He shouted, earning everyone's attention. "(Let's just agree to disagree. Alright?)"

Piplup and Pachirisu quickly looked at each other and then in unison, stubbornly turned away in a huff.

Pikachu sighed. Well it was-

"(Worth a shot.)" Buneary giggled. Pikachu looked over at her and she merely smiled at him. He smiled back as he noticed her arms tighten ever-so-slightly around him.

"(Well, anyway...)" Aipom said before taking a bite out of the apple she was holding. She turned to the couple. "(What's going on with you two?)"

"(Hmm? What do you mean?)" Pikachu asked.

Aipom swallowed her food before twirling her wrist. "(You know, anything exciting so far? Now that Pikachu manned up?)"

Now it was their turn to look at each other. As Pikachu turned back to the purple monkey, he noticed that she had just the tiniest grin on her face. Well as tiny as her grin can possibly be anyway.

"(Well...I mean...)" Pikachu said as he rubbed the back of his head, his eyes trying to rest on anything but the friends sitting in front of him. Jeez, it looks like he still needs to get used to this stuff...even talking about it in front of friends felt awkward. Before he could open his mouth to say something else, Buneary piped up.

"(We've hung out a lot but it's mostly just been traveling. Not a whole lot of time to ourselves you know?)" She said as she released herself from the hug.

Buizel huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "(So in other words, it's basically the same as it was before right?)"

Pikachu's ears drooped. He didn't know why, but he felt a tiny bit of guilt upon hearing that. "(Y-Yeah I guess so...)" He defeatedly muttered.

"(Well then, you should make time if you ask me!)" Turtwig said with a smile.

Buneary looked at him rather quizzically. "(Make time? How do you figure that?)"

"(Well if we have a day off from traveling and training, y'know...like today, we can give you some alone time.)" Aipom said to which the others murmured in agreement.

"(Sooo...like a date?)" Pikachu muttered as he looked between them. They all nodded their heads. He looked at Buneary who had a light pink blush dusting her face. Feeling his own heart thumping faster, Pikachu gave her a little smile. "(Well what do you say?)" He asked as he scooted a little closer to her.

Trying to suppress a squeal, Buneary moved closer to him in response. "(Hee~! Sounds good to me!)"

Pikachu continued to smile yet he was a tiny bit surprised that he didn't hear any snickering from their friends like usual. He briefly glanced at the group only to see everyone giving them rather warm smiles.

Heh, this was going pretty well so far!

Two days later the gang continued their journey. While they had the occasional misadventure and got sidetracked helping someone in need, curiously they still hadn't seen any sign of Team Rocket. It was getting to the point where everyone was starting to think that the whole "Pikachu's ghost" scheme worked a little too well!

It didn't take long for them to stop again, this time in an open field. After releasing everyone, Ash made a determined pose.

"Alright guys! We're deciding what the best route is but it's gonna take a while. Looks like we're gonna spend the night here." He declared.

Pikachu's ears pricked up upon hearing that. Huh, well now was as good a time as any right? It was only noon after all.

Once camp was set up, Pikachu looked around until his eyes rested on Buneary who was reading a fashion magazine with Dawn. Seeing a golden opportunity, he quickly took a deep breath and walked over to her.

"(Hey!)" He called out with a smile.

Buneary looked up from her magazine and smiled back at him. "(Hey you!)" She beamed as she put the magazine down and hopped over to him to give him a quick nuzzle. As she did, they could both hear Dawn trying to stifle a squeal of joy.

Feeling his face heating up a little, Pikachu awkwardly tried to regain his composure before clearing his throat. "(So...whatcha doing?)"

"(Oh, just going over some outfit ideas!)" Buneary said as she held the magazine up again before quickly opening it and practically shoving it in his face. "(Isn't this one just the cutest?!)"

Despite the page being pressed up against his nose, he could make out the image of a skitty in some sort of purple dress.

"(Er, yeah it looks, umm...really pretty.)" He awkwardly said, trying not to let his ignorance of fashion shine through.

"(Yeah it is! And we're trying to decide what to wear for Hearthome!)" She beamed as she retracted the magazine from his face.

"(Sounds lovely!)" He replied before taking another moment for himself. "(And actually umm...)" He said, waiting for her to turn her attention back to him as he twiddled his fingers. "(Since we're gonna be here the rest of the day...if you have the time would you like to, y'know...go on a date?)" He managed to mutter, shaking like a leaf and practically feeling his face redden.

She looked at him for a moment which felt like an eternity though why exactly he didn't really know. She is his girlfriend now right? What did he have to feel nervous about?

A moment passed before she smiled at him.

"(I'd love to!)" She finally said.

Immediately it felt like something was lifted off his chest and he quietly let out a relieved exhale.

"(Great! Just let me know when you're ready, I-I'll be over there!)" He stuttered as he pointed in a random direction.

"(Sure! I just need a few minutes.)" She giggled, holding up the magazine.

"('Kay, see you then!)" Pikachu said as he quickly spun around and walked away. Despite how awkward his attempt was, he had to admit that he felt like quite the winner right now!

As he continued to walk away in a random direction, he couldn't help but puff his chest out in sheer confidence, his gait becoming a prideful stride. Okay, first time asking a girl out on a date went pretty well now all he needs to do is-

"(Hey buddy!)" Piplup called out as he sat on the grass from nearby, his voice causing Pikachu to nearly jump in place.

"(Ahh! Piplup, what are you doing here?!)" He thoughtlessly shouted.

"(Just enjoying the sunshine. What about you? You looked like you were feeling pretty good about something...)" He said with a smirk.

Pikachu blushed. Damn, he can't just have one confident moment to himself can he? Clearing his throat, Pikachu took a moment to compose himself.

"(Well...actually I just asked Buneary out on a date.)" He finally said.

Piplup gave a rather proud grin. "(Ohh, look at you! Really taking it to the next step are ya?)" He teased with a wink.

"(Y-Yeah.)" Pikachu laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly as he rubbed his arm.

Quickly, Piplup rose up from where he was sitting and patted the mouse's shoulder. "(Don't you worry pal! Your old buddy Piplup is gonna make sure that you two have all the time you need for your date!)"

"(Thanks man. Truth is, I'm not really sure what we would do.)" Pikachu sheepishly said, his ears drooping a little.

"(Oh don't worry! There's a nice little field with flowers right over there!)" Piplup said as he pointed his flipper away from the camp. "(I'm sure that's as good a start as any for a first date!)"

Pikachu looked to where he was pointing. Huh, well that wasn't too bad of an idea. Buneary sure does love her flowers after all! And they had a pretty fun time looking at flowers back on Solare Island, so...why not?

"(Just one thing though.)" Piplup said as Pikachu looked back at him. "(I wouldn't go too far from camp. I don't think our trainers are comfortable with us being out of their sight after that whole...well...you know.)"

Pikachu continued to look at him. Oh. Well that made sense he supposed. Ash did act a little concerned back on the island. Poor guy, he's probably still traumatized after everything.

"(Well alright, but if it's okay with you, we could really use the privacy.)" Pikachu finally said.

"(Hmmm...)" Piplup said as he stepped away to adopt a thinking pose. He finally shrugged. "(Well...alright, just for you I'll make sure that Ash and the others don't notice that you're away!)"

"(Really? You'd do that for us?)" Pikachu asked, slightly taken aback.

"(Yeah! Pikachu, you two have been through a lot. The least we can do is give you some space.)" Piplup remarked, sincerity in his voice.

Feeling a little touched, Pikachu smiled at him. Gee, despite everything, it's always so nice to have genuinely supportive friends.

"(Thanks man!)" He said as he held out his paw for a high-five which the blue penguin eagerly accepted.

"(Here we are!)" Pikachu declared as they arrived at the field covered in flowers. Immediately, he could hear Buneary try to muffle her squeals of joy.

"(Oh it's so pretty!)" She happily cried out.

Indeed, it appeared that this part of the field was decorated solely with blue roses, their sapphire appearance juxtaposing against the light green grass.

After taking a moment to admire a particularly beautiful specimen, Buneary looked over and noticed Pikachu already sitting down, patting the spot next to himself. Taking a moment to register it, she smiled and complied. As she did, she pressed her side up against his, her fluff feeling quite warm.

"(Hey.)" He whispered, a smirk growing on his face.

"(Hey.)"

"(How ya doin'?)"

"(Pretty good, can't complain. Especially now~.)"

Pikachu merely let out a sigh of content. A comfortable silence passed between them and although it was rather nice, he wanted to think of something else to say. After a moment of giving it some thought, he piped up.

"(So fashion huh?)"

"(Yeah, we're brainstorming outfits for the upcoming contest. Dawn's kind of going back and forth on some things.)"

"(Well you looked great in your dress back at the gala. I'm sure no matter what, you'll look amazing.)" He whispered to her.

"(Teehee~! You're sweet. And I assume you'll be cheering me on then?)"

"(You know it, all the way!)"

"(Good.)" She said as she nuzzled his cheek. As intimate as it was getting and despite how nervous he was feeling, Pikachu felt a strange sort of obligation. Now that they were together, he should return the favor, right?

And so in that moment, Pikachu did something that was quite new to him: he nuzzled back.

The effect of his action was immediately felt as he heard Buneary quietly sigh in complete contentment.

Another comfortable moment of silence passed as they stayed like that. He couldn't see her but he was willing to bet that she didn't stop smiling, her cheek still pressed against his.

"(Say actually…)" She said as she pulled away from him to look him straight in the eyes. "(Since I was cheerleading you with pom-poms and all…should I expect you to dress up when cheering me on? Maybe your kimono outfit again?)"

Pikachu took a moment to look at her and then thought about it pretty hard. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders. "(Sure, I don't see why not. I mean, I've definitely worn outfits like that before, so it's no prob.)"

Suddenly, a brief hint of mischief flashed in her eyes and she produced a small, yet wicked smirk. "(Oh I know...Mr. Maid Jumper~!)"

Immediately, panic struck Pikachu's face as his cheeks began to flare up. Caught off guard, he could only stammer.

"(H-Hey!)" He managed to say, earning a satisfied giggle from Buneary. He rolled his eyes, unable to help but smile himself despite his face feeling hotter by the second. "(Oh boy, you're never letting that go are you?)"

She continued to laugh. "('Till the day I die~)"

Then she leaned over and lightly kissed him on the cheek. As soon as she did, Pikachu felt all of the blood rush straight to his face as a brief spark of electricity emanated from his cheeks. Satisfied, she hugged him with the biggest grin.

"(W-Well I-)" He managed to say before his ears pricked up. Simultaneously, Buneary uncurled her ear and they both listened closely. In unison, they leaned forward towards the tree line of the forest.

"(Do you hear that?)" Buneary asked as she continued to stare off into the distance.

"(Yeah...what is it?)" Pikachu replied.

It was a bit muffled but perhaps because the breeze was carrying it, they could make out the sound. Was it...chatter? No...more like the hustle and bustle of a community. Was it...a town?

"(Sounds like a village or something.)" Buneary said, leaning back a little, "(Huh, didn't know we were so close to one.)"

"(Doesn't sound too busy. Maybe it's a small town.)" Pikachu said as he continued to stare. It was funny, it was probably just a little walk away and somehow they couldn't hear anything back at camp. Whatever the reason was, they could probably go tell the others and see the town for themselves.

...

Oooor...maybe they could just check it out right now! After all, it would certainly make for an interesting first date! Granted, Ash would probably be a little worried if they were away for too long.

Still, something was itching in the back of Pikachu's mind and he had to admit that he was a tad curious to see what it was like. After all, Piplup did promise to give them space and to make their trainers not notice their absence at camp. What was the harm in doing a bit of exploring, if not for a little while?

As soon as he thought that, he felt a familiar sensation somewhere in his chest. It was oddly reminiscent of their time in the gala when they ran around in places they shouldn't have gone or when they conspired to take down Team Rocket in that cabin. It was a strange mixture of confidence and a sense of adventure.

"(Say...)" He said with a smirk, waiting for his girlfriend to look at him. "(Wanna check it out?)"

She stared at him for a moment, a little taken aback. "(Right now? Shouldn't we tell someone?)"

"(Nah, it'll only be a for a little bit. C'mon it'll be fun!)" He laughed.

"(But...the others will get worried.)"

"(No way! Piplup promised that he would give us time and privacy. Just a few minutes.)" He said as he waved towards the gentle bustle of the town. "(It sounds like a nice little place to check out.)"

"(I dunno...)" She said as her gaze moved elsewhere. Huh, it really was just like back at the gala when she didn't want to go beyond that rope and further into the mansion. It seemed like she was compelled only after he-

His eye twitched and he cocked his head from side to side, a faint and slightly evil grin appearing on his face.

"(Well...if you're not comfortable with it, that's fine I suppose. After all...it's okay to be a little scared.)" He said with a shrug as he turned away from her, partially to not let her see his growing smile.

Immediately she whipped her head back at him. Though he couldn't see her at the moment, he could hear her make a little squeal of surprise.

"(Scared? Me?)" She asked incredulously.

"(Yeah! I mean, it's only a nice-sounding little town like five minutes away but hey, if you're not up for that we could just sit here. I just thought going sounded like...)" He said before turning back to her, allowing her to see his grin "(...your style.)"

Her eyes widened a little more in surprise. "(My style...)" She repeated in a low monotone voice.

"(Yup! But hey, if just visiting a little town is too much well...)" He said with a twirl of his wrist.

Immediately she scoffed. "(Now hold on there mister! Who was the one that saved your tail before?!)" She practically shouted as she leaned over and tapped his chest. "(I'm not afraid of anything! Let alone a nice little town!)"

Smirking again, Pikachu tried to maintain a calm expression. "(Mhmm.)" He muttered under his breath.

Bingo, that should do it.

"(Alright that does it!)" She yelled as she quickly grabbed his paw and stood up, making him produce a slightly surprised noise. "(C'mon, we're going right now!)" She declared as she led them towards the sounds of the town.

"(Yes ma'am!)" Pikachu laughed as they headed towards the tree line. Heh, this first date was getting more and more interesting it seemed.

Just as they thought, the town was indeed small and quiet but also rather lovely. The hustle and bustle of the people and vehicles never rose beyond a dull rumble, the chatter of the people walking along the sidewalks was nothing other than carefree and the weather was still clear, making everything seem all the more pleasant. If anything, the place reminded them a little of Floaroma Town back when they learned how to make poffins.

As they continued to walk along the sidewalk, an occasional car gently passed by them. Sometimes, a human or Pokémon walked around, occasionally giving them a second glance as the two never stopped holding each other's paws.

"(And then I swear this happened...he turned into a cannon!)" Pikachu cried out, waving his free paw out in front of himself.

"(A cannon? Like...a cannon, cannon?)" Buneary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"(Yeah! Like a cannon that shoots cannonballs!)" Pikachu said with a smile.

"(Wow...I didn't think a ditto could do that!)" Buneary said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"(Me either! I mean, how does that even work?)"

"(So did he like...you know...)" She asked as she quickly jerked her free paw forward. "(Actually shoot a cannonball?)"

Pikachu laughed. "(Actually no, I got in and he shot me at Team Rocket!)"

"(You got in? So you've been inside a ditto before?!)" Buneary gasped.

Pikachu rubbed the back of his head. "(Er...yeah, I guess so.)" He said only for Buneary to start chuckling.

"(You know Pikachu...out of all the things you've told me and all the crazy stuff we've been through together...that right there might be the wildest thing I've ever heard.)"

"(Huh? Oh c'mon! I'm sure there's crazier stuff!)"

"(Hee~! Naahh! I can't think of anything more out there than getting inside of a ditto and shooting yourself like a cannonball at some bad guys! I mean, if I told that to anybody else, they'd think I was crazy!)"

Pikachu huffed and looked away, pretending to be upset and clicked his tongue. "(Okay sure whatever.)"

Buneary laughed and extended her ear to reach over and pet him on the head, causing him to look back at her in mild surprise. "(Oh don't worry, I'm mostly just teasing! Mostly.)"

He smiled as they continued to walk through the little town. This was nice. Being here and all. It certainly beats just sitting around in a field next to camp.

Before Pikachu could say something back, his eyes noticed something ahead. It looked to be a little kiosk with a man in an apron. Next to him was some sort of strange cylindrical object that was rotating in place and it looked to be made of a sort of cast iron yet it wasn't that what got their attention. It was the sizzling smell of something cooking that seemed to be coming from it given the steam being emitted. The crackle of whatever was being cooked inside was complimented by the scent of something being roasted and as they got closer to the kiosk, they could see trays of confections on the counter.

"(What's that?)" Buneary wondered aloud as they continued walking.

"(I don't know but whatever it is, it smells good.)" Pikachu replied as they finally walked up to the kiosk's counter. There, they could see the man place another tray of snacks on the counter, steam still coming off of them. They looked like...peppers of some sort? Or chilis?

As soon as the man put the tray down, he noticed the couple checking his kiosk out.

"Oh hey there!" He said, earning their attention. "Interested in some Sinnoh green chile?"

Sinnoh green chile? Pikachu's eyes wandered near the top of the kiosk and he could see what was read on top.

SINNOH CHILE AND CHILE DISHES

Huh, strange...guess they spell "chili" as "chile" around here.

Before either of them could say something back, the man patted an open spot on the counter.

"Come on up and check out what we got!" He jovially said.

They looked at each other before Buneary smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Quickly, they jumped onto the counter and examined what the kiosk had to offer. Behind the counter there was a basket which held a stack of bright green chiles that were clearly just washed. Along the counter they could see recipes of all kinds from stews to dishes with cheese and some kind of recipe involving fries smothered in the green stuff. Well this was new; Pikachu was sure that he'd never seen food like this before.

"Take your time please! We have all sorts of recipes to your heart's content!" The man declared.

"(Gee, all of it looks pretty good to me.)" Buneary muttered. Pikachu briefly glanced at her. Oh yeah, that's right, she told him before that she likes spicy things and while he wasn't familiar with these particular dishes, he certainly knew that chiles were pretty spicy!

As his eyes wandered around the delectable foods, he suddenly realized something.

"(Hey this looks good and all, but we don't have any money.)" He said.

Buneary turned to him and blinked. "(Oh...yeah that's right.)" She said a little dejectedly.

They immediately turned back to the man who gave them a confused look. Unable to literally just tell him, Pikachu did the next best thing: he grabbed his sides and stretched them out to look like empty pockets.

The man blinked at them before he finally understood the mouse's gesture.

"Oh I get it. You don't have money and I don't see you with any people." He finally said.

The two of them nodded in agreement. A moment passed before Pikachu gave him an apologetic smile before they started to turn away. As they did however, the man spoke up again.

"Okay wait." He gently said before they turned back to him. "Normally I would charge for my treats but you two look like a nice couple so how about you each get one thing free of charge?" He followed with a smile.

They looked at each other before smiling back at him.

The duo walked back in the direction they came from along the sidewalk, both carrying their free snacks in napkins: a stuffed roasted chile loaded with all sorts of ingredients like corn, cheese and even some kind of yogurt sauce. Pikachu had to admit that while it was indeed spicy, it was counterbalanced by an odd sweetness. Each bite he took sent his taste buds into a world that he was certainly not familiar with but he wasn't complaining. Buneary meanwhile was absolutely loving her snack rather than simply being curious. Actually, by the time he got halfway through his food, she was nearly finished with hers.

In-between munching and talking, Pikachu continued to gaze around the town and took notice of the quaintness of it all. It was quiet, peaceful and was just the sort of place a guy could easily settle down in. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Buneary's gasp.

"(Hey check it out!)" She practically shouted as she pointed at a shop on their left.

Pikachu looked over and saw that the store had a window displaying all sorts of little trinkets. He continued to watch his girlfriend get closer to the window.

Buneary continued to gaze into the store before sighing. "(Aww man. I wish we had some money right now to buy something.)" She groaned.

Pikachu frowned a little. Although they got lucky with the free snacks, he doubted that the store would give them something nice free of charge. Besides, they were starting to push their luck as the others were going to start wondering where they were.

"(Well...maybe next time.)" He said as she turned to him and nodded her head. "(C'mon, we should get back to camp.)"

She sighed again. "(Alright, but just make sure to finish your snack.)"

He looked at his food, about a quarter of it was left in the napkin which was worth a couple of bites. He looked back at her and smirked. "(Okay.)" He said before quickly putting the remnants of the snack into his mouth in one large gulp.

"(Oh my gosh Pikachu!)" Buneary gasped in disbelief as the mouse quickly consumed his food like a snake. He took a moment before swallowing the whole thing with a hard gulp before letting out a satisfied exhale.

"(The perks of journeying with Ash!)" He happily said with a smile to which she started to laugh.

"(I'll say! I'll just add that to the list of unexpected talents that you have!)" She giggled as she took the last potion of her own snack into her mouth. After throwing away their napkins, they resumed holding paws and started to make their way back to camp.

As they walked back into the vicinity of the camp, they saw the figure of Piplup running towards them.

"(Hey guys!)" He shouted. "(Enjoyed your date?)"

"(Yup!)" Buneary beamed as she leaned into Pikachu's side to which he awkwardly laughed in response.

"(Good, 'cuz I can't really keep distracting Ash anymore. He's gonna start asking questions.)" The penguin said, flippers on his side.

"(Alright. And thanks Pip.)" Pikachu said with a grateful grin. The penguin looked pretty satisfied with himself.

"(Heh. No problem! You can always count on me!)" He proudly said as he tapped his chest.

"(That's for sure!)" Buneary beamed as the three made their way back to camp.

As they got back, they saw Dawn walk up to them and lean forward.

"Hey you two! Did you have a fun day off?" She asked, carefully eyeing them.

"(We sure did!)" Buneary said as she and Pikachu tried to stifle their snickering. Clearly this trend of sneaking around and doing things they weren't supposed to was quite an enticing one, especially when they got away with it!

Dawn stood back up again. "Good! Because we're gonna try to make as much progress to Hearthome City as possible tomorrow!" She declared to which the two nodded in agreement.

"Alright guys! Dinner's ready!" Brock yelled from afar.

"Ready for some food you two?" Dawn asked.

Buneary smiled. "(A light dinner for me please.)" She said as she glanced over at Pikachu who gave her a faint smile back.

Everyone started making progress on their meals with Pikachu and Buneary once again sitting next to each other near their trainers' table. The sun was starting to set but there was enough light to see clearly. As everyone dug in, Pikachu and Buneary tried to pace themselves as their usual hunger was a tad satiated. As they did, Brock pulled out a newspaper and started reading for a few minutes before he lifted up his head.

"Hey check this out!" Brock declared, earning Ash and Dawn's attention. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Buneary angled their ears to listen in.

"What's up?" Ash asked as he tried chewing his food a little more.

"They're talking about that host from the gala." Brock replied, his eyes returning to the newspaper.

"Hmm? Buckingham?" Dawn asked as she took a sip from her drink.

"Yeah! It says that he's going to host another gala fundraiser next year and get this, he's promising to donate even more money next time!" Brock practically shouted. Both Pikachu and Buneary fully turned towards him.

"Wow really?! Last time he donated like a billion dollars or something!" Ash exclaimed.

"Listen to this..." Brock said as he leaned into the newspaper and cleared his throat. "It says 'After this year's incredibly successful gala, billionaire Bartholomew Buckingham III has promised to donate even more money for his next event according to his spokesperson Laura Nicks. Ms. Nicks has stated that Mr. Buckingham will continue to prove himself as Sinnoh's most generous philanthropist and promised to double his next donation at the very least.'" Brock read aloud.

In unison, Pikachu and Buneary blinked and looked at each other. It took everything they had to not burst into laughter right then and there!

"Wow! That's incredible!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, I mean he seemed a little stuck up but I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover!" Ash replied.

"Heh, guess if you have all the money in the world, you might as well put it to good use." Brock said with a smile as he turned the page.

Thankfully, everyone was so preoccupied with their own conversations that nobody noticed Pikachu and Buneary quickly turn away, doing everything in their power to stifle their giggles. It didn't help that they occasionally let out a smart quip.

"(Yeah, he's really generous alright!)" Pikachu managed to whisper to Buneary which only made her muffled laughter come out even louder.

"(Totally! What a hero!)" Buneary managed to say.

As the couple continued to try and keep their laughter under control, Brock continued reading the paper. Soon, his expression turned dour.

"And check this out." He said a little more seriously. "It says that there's a bit of controversy back in Oreburgh City after that Aerodactyl escaped."

"Huh? What kind of controversy?" Ash asked as he lifted a spoonful of rice into his mouth. Overhearing this as well, both Pikachu and Buneary finally composed themselves and silently leaned forward to eavesdrop.

Brock grimaced a little. "It says 'Citizens of Oreburgh City are up in arms about what to do about the recently-recaptured Aerodactyl. After its escape, the previously-extinct Pokémon went on a rampage for several hours.'" Brock read aloud, taking a sip from his drink before silently reading a little more. "Looks like one side wants to keep the Aerodactyl caged up, saying that it's too valuable for research and the other side is saying that stronger punishment needs to be enforced."

Ash scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "If you ask me, that Aerodactyl deserves to be fossilized again and then thrown in the trash!" He muttered as he looked over at Pikachu.

Similarly, Pikachu gave a huff and turned away. "(I wouldn't oppose that.)" He said under his breath.

"(Me too.)" Buneary said as she leaned closer against him.

"Why would anyone want that beast around after what happened?" Dawn asked in slight disbelief.

"Apparently, some people are saying that because nobody was killed, a less-severe form of punishment should be given." Brock said as turned the page to continue reading.

Quickly, Ash stood up and slammed his hands on the table, causing their bowls and utensils to clatter and everyone around him to jolt in surprise. "Nobody was killed?! Pikachu almost died fighting that thing!" He shouted.

Taken aback by his friend's reaction, Brock took a moment to resume reading. "That scientist Dr. Kenzo is advocating for the Aerodactyl to remain on indefinite supervision. It looks like increased security measures are going to be implemented at the museum, probably because we spoke up about it."

Still not satisfied, Ash turned his head away and clicked his tongue. "Oh well that's a relief." He sarcastically replied.

Pikachu continued to watch his friends discuss the matter. He didn't want to say it out loud but deep down he felt that if there was anyone in the entire world who had the most say in this, it was him. But regardless of how he felt, as long as that thing was under intense supervision, it shouldn't pose a threat to anyone again.

Continuing to feel Buneary lean in to his side, Pikachu looked over at her and saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. If anyone asked him, she definitely deserved to have her opinion heard on this too. Unwilling to just let her languish in sadness, he closed his eyes and gently leaned over and nuzzled her cheek much to her surprise. After a moment, she too closed her eyes and they stayed like that for a while.

The sun kept getting in his eyes. He tried to turn away but for some reason, it felt like the sun was following his gaze wherever he turned. Try as he might, no matter what direction he stared, the sun was there too. He couldn't tell at the moment, but he was pretty sure that he was lying on his back.

Unable to bear it any longer, he turned his body over to avoid the horrid sun's rays. As he did, he suddenly felt himself falling through open air. His mind took a moment to register that he was indeed falling hundreds of feet down below!

He could hear the air rush past him and he struggled to catch his breath as he tumbled. His vision was nothing more than a mixture of colors: brown and green earth versus open blue sky. As he continued to fall, for a moment he could see the silhouette of something staring at him in the air. Pikachu noticed that whenever his gaze returned to the figure, it continued to fly in place, menacingly flapping its large wings. And just like it had done before...

...It blotted out the sun.

Pikachu silently gasped as he woke up in the tent next to Ash. He continued to quietly pant, too terrified to even move. It took him a little while for his body to catch up with his mind, strangely feeling as if it was still tumbling in a freefall through the air. He leaned over and saw Ash snoring as he usually did.

Catching his breath, the electric mouse tried to return to a comfortable sleeping position. He stared at the tent's opening and noticed that it wasn't fully zipped up, allowing for him to catch just the slightest glimpse of the outside world. He stayed like that for a very long time, continuing to try and fall back asleep as he gazed into the early morning.

Author's Notes:

Alright I'm back! Took a little while to get this chapter done but as usual, once I started, the ideas just sort of came to me. And to start off Act II, why not see what sort of aftermath the Aerodactyl Arc left in its wake? Dear oh dear, looks like on top of that, our beloved couple are getting just a little more bold in their mischief. Surely this won't lead to hijinks right?

In addition to getting things started again with this story, I've been commissioning more and more artists for artwork projects and maybe a few other things.

Anyway, glad to be back at it. Stay tuned for another chapter of About Her!