Author's note: Heyo!
Well, you guys requested it, so here it is! What is it, you ask? You'll have to read and find out! Consider it my Christmas present! :D
Merry Christmas!
Dedicated to everyone who requested it! It's super long, so I hope you enjoy it!
Out of Sight
Buneary eagerly nuzzled into Pikachu's fur. It was so good to see him again, after so long! She never thought she'd run into him in Undella Town in Unova! And at Cynthia's private villa, no less! Dawn had only come here to watch the Sinnoh champion's exhibition match - which would kick off the Junior Cup - but to think that Ash would be here, too! Apparently, he and his friends, Iris and Cilan, were here to train for that very same Junior Cup.
Maybe this was a sign. A sign that it was finally time to ask Pikachu to be her boyfriend. Sure, he'd always been very coy about his feelings - and, even now, while she was nuzzling him, he was stiff as a board - but he can't have missed all the hints she'd thrown his way. She'd done her absolute best to be as unsubtle as possible, so that, when she eventually did ask him out, he wouldn't be taken by surprise. But he would've also had plenty of time to think about it.
So yes. It was the perfect time!
Just as she thought this, though, he moved away from her. Curious, she looked up, and saw that he was still next to her, but had moved a few inches away.
Huh?
"Well, now you've got one more!" Dawn suddenly said in a chipper tone.
"Huh?" Ash asked in surprise. "You too?"
"You're going to enter?" Iris asked curiously.
"Bingo!" Dawn replied cheerfully. "Two points!"
Buneary smiled. Oh, so Dawn had decided to enter the Junior Cup, too? That was pretty cool! Maybe she'd be able to show off her stuff and impress Pikachu! That certainly sounded appealing!
As this thought crossed her mind, her paw drifted over to touch his back. "(Did you hear that?!)" she asked excitedly. "(We're entering, too!)"
"(Y-Yeah...!)" he replied awkwardly.
She felt a paw touch her own, and push it away a bit. She blinked, glancing over at him. He wasn't looking at her.
Huh?
She was about to say something, but there was an immediate distraction.
Okay, so there was a pokémon who could turn invisible! Her name was Meloetta, and it seemed she'd captured the hearts of both Piplup and Ash's oshawott. That was a little concerning, since Piplup's last crush had gone horribly wrong. He'd even had a rival back then, too, who had won out over him.
... Well, at least Buneary didn't have to worry about fighting over Pikachu! Despite how attractive he was - both in looks and personality - he'd surprisingly never had anyone else pining over him! Not that she was complaining, of course.
Smiling to herself, she leaned into his warm, silky yellow fur, nuzzling him again. He stiffened like a board.
After a moment, she felt two paws push her away. She blinked, looking up at him. Huh?
He wasn't looking at her. "(P-Please stop that, Buneary,)" he mumbled.
"(Huh?)" she asked. "(Why?)"
He turned away. "(It's embarrassing.)"
She had to admit, that had taken her by surprise. "(Oh. I'm sorry. I... thought you didn't mind it.)"
"(... No, I do mind. Everyone's watching, and...)" He shuddered. "(... Please stop it.)"
Her eyes widened in shock. "(Huh?! But...)"
"(Please. It's really embarrassing...)" He put his paws over his eyes, looking frustrated. "(I know you like me and all, but... please stop.)"
Her heart crashed into her stomach and stayed there. "(Oh... okay...)"
Buneary was numb for the rest of the night. Pikachu really didn't like her, after all? He really didn't like her flirting? At all?
While all the other pokémon were running around, playing, or getting to know Meloetta better, Buneary sat with her back to the stone wall, staring blankly into the distance. So, all of this had been for nothing?
She'd joined Dawn's team mainly to be around Pikachu. For the chance to flirt with him, get her feelings across to him, and eventually ask him out.
But... if he wasn't interested, never had been, and never would be, then...
She continued to stare blankly, too in shock to even cry.
For the next week, Buneary avoided being around Pikachu. She'd thought about approaching him multiple times, but one look in his direction would cause her feet to freeze up underneath her, her entire insides going cold. Talking to him made her nervous now, and not the same way it used to.
Now it was just awkward and intimidating.
She continued to avoid him.
The next week was much easier, as Dawn kept her team - aside from Piplup - in their pokéballs most days. Plus, everyone outside was always much too distracted with random, crazy happenings to even think about the ones who weren't around.
Like Buneary...
Eventually, the Junior Cup came and went, with Buneary never even getting to battle, since Dawn had been knocked out in the second round. The rest went by in a blur.
Before Buneary knew it, Dawn was on a seaplane to Johto, where she'd be entering this year's Wallace Cup.
Inside her pokéball, she heaved a sigh. Well, she hadn't gotten a proper goodbye with Pikachu, but maybe that was for the best. After all, he probably wouldn't miss her much...
Heck, maybe he'd even be happy she was gone...
She curled in on herself, once again staring at nothing.
A few years had passed since then. Dawn had travelled across Hoenn, Unova and Johto, while briefly visiting Kanto, Galar and Paldea. All to compete in whatever contests she could find. She'd even gotten herself a brand new dress, which was blue, and covered in yellow stars and moons.
She seemed oddly directionless nowadays, though. Ever since parting ways with Ash and Brock, she'd just done whatever she pleased, going anywhere and everywhere on a complete whim, tied down by nothing. But she did seem happy, so Buneary supposed it was alright.
Right now, Dawn was back in Sinnoh, and had decided - for reasons unknown to Buneary - to compete in every contest in the region. Maybe it was to feel a sense of accomplishment, or maybe it was to gain more experience.
Either way, it didn't really matter. Buneary would follow her and do as she wished, regardless.
It wasn't like she had anything else to do, really...
Buneary smiled to herself inside her pokéball. Well, it seemed that Dawn had made a new friend called Chloe. That was nice! She and her eevee were tagging along with Dawn to the Eterna City contest, though Chloe didn't seem very interested in competing.
Heh. Well, whatever worked for her! Now, Buneary just needed to go over the battle plan in her head, since Dawn had decided to use her for the battle rounds.
Okay, first use Ice Beam on her paw, and then...
Wow. Buneary couldn't believe they'd run into Team Rocket again, here, of all places! And after finding an injured cresselia, too. The same one Dawn had met on Fullmoon Island a long time ago, no less!
Didn't they usually like to... well... follow him around? So what were they doing here?
Buneary was frozen inside her pokéball. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening!
A friend of Chloe's, called Goh, had shown up, chasing after a darkrai that was giving everyone nightmares... and, of all people for him to bring along with him, it just had to be Ash?!
What were the chances?!
... Buneary could hear him out there, too, chatting to Piplup, Eevee and Goh's grookey. She'd come to believe that she'd never see him again. Yet here he was.
Listening to his voice, after all this time, reminded her of what he'd said to her, back in Unova. It rang in her head a million times.
"(Please stop it...)"
Pain entered her chest. She shuddered, huddling further into her pokéball. She only hoped Dawn didn't call her out at any point, or she'd have to face him.
... And she really didn't think she could.
Thankfully, Buneary was never called on, even when a much larger Team Rocket force showed up to capture both Cresselia and Darkrai. Afterwards, the two legendaries left in peace, seeming much friendlier with each other than before, and everything was fine again.
The next morning, the humans relaxed on the beach, deciding to skip the contest to spend more time together and keep the pokémon happy. When it came time to part ways, Dawn pulled out her grey and pink xtransceiver, and asked to exchange phone numbers with Ash and Chloe. Agreeing, they pulled out their respective orange and pink rotom phones.
Buneary didn't mind the idea of Dawn calling Chloe, but she was kind of hoping she'd never call Ash...
Afterwards, Ash, Goh and Chloe all departed, with the rabbit never seeing his face once...
Although it saddened her a little, she knew it was ultimately for the best, for both of them. He probably didn't want to see her, and she found it too awkward to see him.
Instead, she figured she should just forget about it, move on, and get ready for Dawn's next contest.
Just keep moving forward...
Some time passed, and Buneary was now standing in a park with all of her teammates, ready to put her all into the Sandgem Town contest.
The only problem was, Piplup was once again sleeping. Buneary huffed. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Just eating and sleeping, when he used to run himself into the ground with training. Had his pendulum really swung all the way to the other side, just like that?
Jeez, it was one extreme or the other with that guy...
Buneary watched as Dawn, utterly fed up with Piplup's attitude, chewed the penguin out for a while. Then Piplup suddenly stood up and stormed off. Yelling for him to wait, Dawn raced after him.
Buneary sighed. Oh boy, not again...
When Dawn came back, looking distraught and panicked, she told them all what had happened. Buneary's eyes widened in horror. A girl who looked like Dawn had kidnapped Piplup and disappeared through a hole of light, which had vanished before Dawn could follow?!
Oh dear...
"I... I don't know what to do!" Dawn cried out frantically. "I... I..."
She floundered around, then her face lit up in realisation. Pulling off the small yellow bag on her back, she opened it up and dug through it. After a moment, she pulled out the small box that held her xtransceiver. She'd often swap between that and her pokétch, depending on her mood, but she hadn't worn the xtransceiver much lately.
Putting down her bag, Dawn opened the box, pulled out the xtransceiver and began dialling a number on it. "I don't know what to do right now..." she mumbled to herself, "but he's working with a professor, so... maybe he can help..."
Buneary blinked, perplexed. Hmm?
A dial tone rang out from the xtransceiver, as Dawn stared intently at the screen. Eventually, a voice answered.
"Hey, Dawn! What's up?"
Buneary's eyes bulged. Was that Ash?!
Oh no. Oh no no no... Dawn was asking Ash for help?!
She listened intently to the conversation, as Dawn told Ash what had happened and asked him to head over to Sandgem Town.
Buneary gulped. While this was probably for the best in saving Piplup, she didn't really want to be around when he showed up...
Maybe she'd just spend the day in her pokeball. Everyone else could handle the search without her, right?
... Well. A lot had certainly happened today, that was for sure.
The group had ended up in an alternate world, meeting alternate world versions of themselves. Dawn had gotten Piplup back, but now it seemed that Palkia was creating the dimension gates, and Dialga was causing time to go backwards.
Outside, she could tell that several pokémon - including him - had been reverted back to their previous forms. Heck, the Piplup and Pikachu of the other world had been reverted back into eggs!
Buneary was kind of regretting not having a previous form, since, if she reverted, she'd go straight back to being an egg. Thankfully, though, it didn't seem like she'd revert unless she was brought out.
... Speaking of which, he should really get in his pokéball, before he became an egg, too.
She really hoped the group fixed this soon...
Phew. That had sure been an adventure...
It had turned out that alternate world Team Rocket had been behind everything, forcing Dialga and Palkia to fight, in hopes of easily snatching all the pokémon up afterwards.
However, something had gone wrong, and all the pokémon had reverted to eggs, including Buneary's alternate world self, who'd been quite the tomboy. All the humans had also reverted to young children.
Buneary herself had been fine inside her pokéball, but she knew that leaving it would have been pointless, as she'd have just been turned into an egg, too.
In a desperate bid to save everyone, the humans had tried to reach out to Arceus, the one who'd created Dialga and Palkia in the first place. They'd prayed and prayed, trying their best to get across their feelings of love for all pokémon.
Buneary had thought it had been a long shot, but, to her immense surprise, it had worked!
Now, everything was back to normal, and Dawn was back to travelling on her own again.
Still inside her pokéball, Buneary gave a light sigh. Well, she hadn't seen him again, but she was happy that he, too, was back to normal...
Some time passed. Now Dawn and Piplup were spending the day at the Sinnoh Festival in Canalave City. It was apparently a recreation of how Sinnoh used to look in the distant past.
Buneary wondered if they were enjoying themselves. Sadly, since Dawn had changed into a garchomp-themed kimono - for authenticity's sake - she'd had no way to carry her pokéballs with her.
As a result, Buneary could only sit in her pokéball and wait for them to come back.
Maybe she'd take a nap in the meantime...
Buneary was in shock. Dawn had run into Ash again?! Why did she keep running into him so much lately, after several years of not seeing him at all?!
Oh, it was unbearable. She could hear him outside again, probably not even giving her existence a second thought.
"(Please stop it...)"
Buneary clenched her eyes shut. Whatever the humans were investigating - some weird red glow over Mt. Coronet - they could probably handle it without her...
So, apparently, there was a warping magnetic field at Mt. Coronet, which was making the pokémon who lived there act strange. Ash, Dawn and Goh had been visited by the lake guardians - very likely the same ones from a few years ago - and Arceus. The one who'd stopped the dimensional gates and reverse aging not too long ago.
Strangely, the legendary hadn't said anything to the group, despite him ranting about how he'd 'have justice' - while firing Judgment meteors everywhere - the first time he'd met Ash.
Regardless, it seemed he wanted them to do something. What that was, though, Buneary could only guess...
Even stranger than that, though, was that the group had run into Brock and his pokémon. She hadn't been able to contain a smile as she thought about how much little Happiny had grown, being a blissey now, and a doctor-in-training's assistant.
Now, though, she could hear the group strapping themselves into a car. She didn't think this was particularly crazy, until she heard it take off.
... Jeez, what kind of car did Brock drive? She'd be tempted to pop out and see for herself, but... he was still out there...
Oh god, that noise...
Inside her pokéball, Buneary pushed her ears flat against her head. That horrifying noise outside was an ungodly mixture of a roar and a wail... and it was being made by a heatran?! She found that hard to believe, after the last heatran they'd met, a few years ago!
Amongst his horrible wails, she could hear his thundering footsteps. He was really setting the forest on fire?! While heading for the Spear Pillar?! The same place that Team Galactic had summoned Dialga and Palkia a few years ago?!
Just what was going on...?
... Well, it seemed like Team Galactic was behind it, after all.
The lake guardians had apparently shown the group a vision, where the real Heatran had been trapped inside a body made of fiery energy. Also in there was the flame plate, something that belonged to Arceus, and was making its way to the Spear Pillar to reunite with the legendary.
It was opening a dimensional gate to go home, which Team Galactic wanted, because it would bring Cyrus back?!
But... hadn't he abandoned them years ago, when he'd entered his 'new world' without them? Leaving them to be destroyed, along with the 'old world', which, thankfully, hadn't actually happened?
Why would they want him back?
As Brock stayed behind to hold off Team Galactic, and everyone else went running after Heatran, Buneary couldn't help but slump against her pokéball and sigh.
Oh boy, this day was getting crazier...
After one failed attempt to stop Heatran, Brock had joined them, along with Cynthia's garchomp. After yet another failed attempt, Buneary was quivering in fear. Brock had said the dimensional gate was opening, feeding power to Heatran. At the same time, the legendary's body was under immense pressure, so he was likely to explode.
If he did, it would blow the top off Mt. Coronet, and... and... Sinnoh would be doomed.
And, if Sinnoh was obliterated, then... everyone here would be, too. Including her, and... him...
Maybe this would be her last chance to see him again, but... but...
"(Please stop it...)"
She quivered, curling in on herself. She still couldn't bring herself to face him...
Hopefully... hopefully... the group would stop Heatran before anything like that happened. They'd done it before, so, surely, they could do it again...
... Jeez. There had been so much chaos outside that she'd had trouble keeping up with what was going on.
From what she could gather, Arceus had shown up. After everyone had begged for his help, he'd changed into a water-type and created an ocean of water. Throwing it at Heatran, he'd stopped him dead in his tracks with the immense power.
Using the lake guardians' Psychic, the humans had flown over, attacking Heatran until they could break open his body made of fiery energy and dive inside it.
Once in, they'd broken the real Heatran free, and wrapped him in fire and electricity, which had surprised Buneary, because he apparently now knew Electroweb. Regardless, with a fair bit of struggle and effort, the group had managed to get Heatran out of there.
Arceus had then destroyed the fiery body, after which, he and the lake guardians had left.
... Then Dawn had parted with everyone, once again.
Buneary heaved a sigh, her head a mess of emotions. She was relieved to have survived the ordeal, but also... a bit disappointed in herself that, even with everyone's lives on the line, she still hadn't come out to see him.
... God, she was pathetic...
Some time passed. Now, Buneary was sitting on Dawn's lap in a pokémon centre, watching television while her trainer brushed her fur.
In her travels, she'd never been paying much attention to this 'World Coronation Series' that had been going on. To her, it had just been some tournament taking place in the background. One that Dawn's team would never have any involvement in, because it had nothing to do with contests.
Apparently, though, whoever won this year would be granted the title of the 'world's strongest trainer'. Quite an honour, that was for sure. Not to mention, their name would be known around the world.
And now, it had reached the climax: the Masters Eight tournament, held in Wyndon Staduim in Galar. The world's eight strongest trainers would battle to earn the title of monarch.
Although it had nothing to do with Buneary, she couldn't deny being a little excited to see who'd made it this far.
She watched as eight colourful spotlights danced around the stage, where seven circles were lining the outside of a picture of a pokéball. One circle sat perfectly in the middle.
Then one of the circles opened up, dramatically spewing blue light.
"We'll start with the eighth-ranked trainer!" the announcer declared. "He's shown as the champion of the first Alola League tournament! Hailing from Pallet Town in the Kanto region!"
... Wait.
The blue light disappeared, and a spotlight shone on a familiar figure.
"Ash Ketchum!" the announcer called out.
Buneary's eyes bulged. Next to her, she could hear Dawn and Piplup spluttering in shock. She, however, could only stare.
... Well... she supposed it made sense that Ash would enter a tournament like this, and try to climb his way to the top. The fact that he'd actually managed to become the eighth strongest trainer in the world, though? That was crazy...
And what was that about being the first champion of the Alola League?! Since when?!
... Oh yes, and there he was, standing down by Ash's feet and waving at the crowd.
Something inside her chest hurt. He was just as handsome and cheerful as ever...
... Dang it, it had been years. Why had she not gotten over him yet?
"And number seven!" the announcer declared. "A dragon master, and still getting stronger... is the young champion from Unova! Heeeere's Iris!"
"Oh wow!" Dawn cried out in shock. "Iris made it in, too?!"
"(And she's a champion, too?!)" Piplup cried in just as much shock.
Gosh...
It turned out that number six was some guy called Alain. Buneary had never seen him before, but he was apparently a mega stone researcher, and had won the Kalos League before. So that was cool!
Number five was Diantha, a famous actress and the champion of Kalos. Number four was Lance, the champion of both Kanto and Johto, and a member of the Pokémon G-Men. Number three was Steven, the champion of Hoenn, and the heir to the Devon Corporation. Number two was Cynthia, the champion of Sinnoh, and an archaeologist.
Dawn excitedly jumped in her seat, almost throwing Buneary off her lap, at the sight of Cynthia.
"Whoops!" she said flusteredly, pulling the rabbit back into place. "Sorry about that, Buneary..."
"(It's okay...)" Buneary replied, in equal parts exasperation and relief.
Number one was Leon, the champion of Galar, and the reigning monarch of the World Coronation Series. Not only that, but he was undefeated?!
... Wow. Ash would certainly have his work cut out for him in this tournament. Could he manage it?!
She looked down at the boy's feet again. Could... he manage it?
... Okay, there was no way she wanted to miss this tournament now.
The first four matches were three-on-three. Buneary watched each match, though she was only truly interested in one.
She watched Leon beat Alain. She watched Diantha beat Lance. She watched Cynthia beat Iris.
That last one was a pity, though she could tell that Iris had tried her best. Especially since she didn't have dynamax, gigantamax, or mega evolution, like the rest of the competitors did.
... Alright. Finally, it was time for Ash's battle against Steven...
Buneary gulped down her nervousness. She hoped he did well, too...
After a while, Steven was down to two pokémon, while Ash was down to only... him.
Buneary watched intently, eyes glued to the screen, as he finished off Steven's cradily.
Wow... only one left! Could they actually win, and advance to the next round?!
Buneary stared in absolute star-struck awe.
What... the heck was that?! That... that... that move! The one Ash had called 'Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt'!
It was beautiful! And so very powerful!
He'd been on the ropes against Steven's mega metagross, covered in bruises and not looking like he'd be able to handle much more... but now he was pushing back!
She watched, her mouth wide open, as the rainbow-coloured electricity bent around to hit the dodging metagross, knocking him straight to the ground.
A follow-up Iron Tail instantly put him out of commission, winning Ash the match.
Holy miltank...
A few days later, on the second day of the Masters Eight, it had been switched up to a full six-on-six battle. Buneary had watched Leon defeat Diantha, meaning that Ash and Cynthia were up next.
She gulped. Ash vs. Cynthia... now that was a scary matchup. But if, by some miracle, he managed to beat her, then an even scarier match-up loomed.
Though, if he managed to beat two champions, then he'd have a good shot at beating another... right?
It... didn't matter that Leon happened to be undefeated...
She shook her head. No. Focus on the current match for now. Ash vs. Cynthia...
Okay. Ash was down two pokémon, and now he was on the field, fighting Cynthia's togekiss. It wasn't going well, though, since he'd missed with all of his Thunderbolts, and was being batted around with several Air Slashes.
Buneary watched as Togekiss flew in for a Zen Headbutt. He tried to counter with Electroweb, but flinched at the wrong time.
She winced as he flew across the field, skidding and bouncing along the dirt. Oof...
... There was still a chance for a comeback, though!
Buneary beamed. Wooow...
Using Iron Tail to send Stone Edge back at Cynthia's gastrodon... then finishing up with Quick Attack to earn Ash his first victory in this round!
Yep. His battling skill was as cool as ever...
Buneary stared in horror at the screen. No!
He had looked so cool battling Cynthia's spiritomb, using counter shield to block Hypnosis, and trapping the ghost underneath an Electroweb... but he'd been taken down by a self-sacrificial Destiny Bond?!
She scrunched her eyes in frustration. Argh, that was so cheap!
... But, she had to admit, Cynthia had to be a master tactician to predict so many of Ash's moves like that. Could they even beat her now?
Buneary heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed she'd misjudged the rest of Ash's team, as they'd managed to pick up the slack from the other half of the team, and had won the match!
Ash's mega lucario had really come through for him at the end there!
Okay. Now, it was onto the final battle with the undefeated monarch, Leon...
"Those were some really amazing battles, huh?" Dawn asked, smiling at her xtransceiver.
Nibbling on a pink poffin, Buneary watched the conversation with interest.
"No kidding," Chloe's voice responded with a light giggle. "I really can't believe that pokémon-brained idiot made it all the way to the finals."
Dawn laughed. "Me neither! I tell you what, though! I'm so excited, I can hardly sit still!"
Chloe chuckled. "Is that so? Oh, speaking of which... Goh can't make it this time, so I've decided to go cheer for Ash in his place."
Dawn's eyes widened. "Really? He can't go? But it's the finals!"
"Yeah, I know... but he has a thing going on with Project Mew, and-"
Dawn tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Project... Mew?"
Chloe giggled. "Oh, right, I never told you about that. Well, he joined a group of people whose goal it is to search for the legendary pokémon Mew."
Dawn straightened out her head, wide-eyed. "A legendary?!" She beamed. "Wow, that sounds so cool!"
"Mm-hm. But he was called away on an urgent mission, so I'm gonna head to Wyndon Stadium. Just... you know... so that Ash has someone cheering for him."
Dawn smiled with furrowed brows, gave a determined huff and stood up. "Then I'll come with you!"
Chloe's tone turned surprised. "You will?"
"Yeah!" Dawn pumped the fist that wasn't holding the xtransceiver. "No need to worry! We can cheer for him together!"
"Wow, thanks, Dawn. I appreciate it."
"Like I said, no need to worry!"
Buneary could only stare. They were... going to Wyndon Stadium? To cheer for Ash in person?
Oh... lord...
Now at Wyndon Stadium in Galar, Buneary listened from her pokéball as Dawn and Chloe greeted Ash in the dressing room.
She could also hear him chatting to Piplup and Eevee.
Hoo boy...
Okay, so Dawn and Chloe were in the stands now. Piplup and Eevee were practicing their cheering, and Buneary felt like a nervous wreck.
Out on the field, she could hear Leon asking to fight against all of Ash's gimmicks. His gigantamax, z-move and mega evolution, when, before, only one had been allowed per match.
She was quite surprised to hear that the officials had decided to allow it.
Okay, so... she could probably come out of her pokéball and watch now, right?
She was just about to, when she heard that he was first on the field. She immediately froze.
She... she couldn't do it... She couldn't face seeing him in person again...
And what if he glanced up at the stands and saw her?! Ohhh, that would be even worse! She huddled into her pokéball, deciding that maybe it was best to just listen to what was going on, instead...
... Gosh, that battle hadn't lasted long. To think, Leon's cinderace turning ground-type had thrown off Ash so much that he'd needed to swap him out.
Buneary sighed. Well, he would definitely come back to battle later... and she did want to see it, but... no, she just couldn't bring herself to.
Besides, it wasn't like she didn't know what was going on from in here! She could hear the outside perfectly fine! So there was no need to watch! Right?
"Pikachu has become Ash's last hope..." the announcer declared, "but can Ash and Pikachu stop Charizard? Or will Leon bring it to an end... here and now?"
Buneary's eyes were frozen in a widened state. Ash only had one pokémon left?! And it was... him?! But... but... didn't Leon still have his cinderace?! Was he supposed to beat them both?!
Not to mention, Ash had already used two of his gimmicks on his gengar and lucario! So he only had the z-move left! And Leon hadn't even used his gimmick yet!
She squirmed inside her pokéball. This was a tense situation. One that she was desperate to watch, so she could give her full support... but... but...
She clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to see him... She didn't want to be seen... but...
... No.
She opened her eyes, a frown forming on her face. Now was not the time to be a coward. He needed her now... and she wanted to witness his battle first-hand. She wanted to see him fight, struggle, and try his absolute best against the world's strongest trainer. Even if he didn't win, she should still support him.
... No. She needed to believe he could win.
Nodding to herself, she gathered her energy together and slammed it into the side of the pokéball. It immediately opened up, and she felt herself being pulled outside of it.
However, she didn't want Dawn to see her, otherwise she'd be questioned about what she was doing. That, in turn, might attract unwanted attention. So, instead, she angled her beam of light to go behind Dawn's chair.
Forming on the ground, she looked up tentatively. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that no one seemed to have noticed. Good. Nodding to herself, she carefully manoeuvred her way up several rows of seats. Once far enough away, she hopped along one of the rows, bouncing across many laps with a hasty apology, until she found an empty seat.
Thankfully, the back of the chair in front was small enough to see over, and there were enough gaps between the spectators that she had a clear view of the battlefield.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw... him.
For the briefest of moments, she allowed herself to forget the pain of their last meeting. It was just nice to finally see him again, in the flesh.
... Besides, it wasn't like he'd be able to see her up here, anyway, so she was free to watch him from afar. The same way she had in Unova, from behind Mamoswine's leg.
Except, this time, she wouldn't lock eyes with him, and certainly wouldn't approach him.
Instead, she focused all of her attention on his battle.
... When she saw Leon recall Charizard, though - his pokéball turning pink and growing large - she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Holy mother of Palkia, that thing was huge... Not to mention, destructive.
Buneary watched him run around, desperately trying to avoid Charizard's attacks, as well as landing some of his own... but it seemed to be too much for him.
She was starting to wonder how he could possibly break through Charizard's defences, when Ash pulled off his hat and threw it into the air.
Her eyes widened. She recognised this action from his battle with Steven! Were they about to do their z-move again?!
She watched him jump into the air, allowing the hat to land on his head. Somersaulting back down, he gave Ash a fist bump, then a high five with his tail.
... It was on.
Now fully charged, he jumped high in the air, letting loose bolts of rainbow-coloured lightning.
Buneary stared in wonder. Holy wow... it was so much more beautiful in person...
Countering with a G-Max Wildfire, Charizard sent out a blast of fire shaped like a bird. It crashed violently into the z-move, sending clouds of smoke billowing over the battlefield. Energy crackled all around, smashing into the barrier that protected the crowd, and she could hardly see what was going on. She had to squint through the bright lights.
The two powerful attacks were still mid-collision, desperately pushing against one another, and making the whole stadium shake.
Good lord, this was intense!
With one final explosion, everything came to a halt. As she blinked away the flashing in her vision, she noticed that Charizard was back to normal, and he had also stopped his assault.
But...
She glanced up. Why were the swirling black clouds still up there?
Her eyes widened. And... what was that thing?! That... humungous pokémon that was flying around?!
Okay. So that pokémon had caused that Darkest Day thing Buneary had seen in the news... but, just now, it had blasted away the dark clouds and... just flown off?
Huh.
... Wait, Ash and Leon's dynamax bands had been recharged?!
Her eyes widened. That means they each had one more gimmick to use...
She watched as Leon recalled Charizard, before holding up a pokéball that was turning pink and enlarging. When he threw it, what popped out wasn't what she was expecting.
She stared up at the gigantamaxed cinderace, another cold shiver running down her spine. Oh yeah... Leon still had two pokémon left...
Oh dear...
She began wondering how on earth they were going to combat this, when Ash suddenly threw him into the air, yelling, "Gigantamax!"
Her eyes widened again. Was he seriously going to...?
A few flashes later, and Buneary's jaw dropped to the floor. He'd turned humungous! Not only that, but his body was rounder, and his tail was longer. Had he really gigantamaxed?!
She watched, in utter awe, as Cinderace launched a G-Max Fireball, and he launched a G-Max Volt Crash. Both attacks hit their mark, pushing back their targets, who desperately tried to hold them off.
With a colossal explosion, smoke billowed around the stadium. When it cleared, both pokémon were back to normal already.
According to the announcer, it was because they'd both exerted far too much power.
Jeez...
Before she could think any more on the subject, though, Cinderace fainted.
Her heart leapt into her throat. He... he'd done it. He'd beaten Cinderace!
She beamed from ear to ear. Pikachu had beaten Cinderace!
She paused. Oh wait... there was still Charizard left...
Oh dear...
Hooooly heck... this was the coolest battle Buneary had ever seen...
Pikachu and Charizard had clashed all around the stadium, using so many different tactics, and both taking so many hits...
She could feel her face warming at the sheer intensity of it.
Ash called for a Thunderbolt, and Leon called for a Fire Blast... but one got in the hit faster than the other.
She stood up in shock. Oh no...
When the smoke cleared, Pikachu was standing in a small crater, smoke rising from his singed fur. He was on all fours, panting in exhaustion.
She stared in concern. Would he be alright?
The stadium was deathly silent, as everyone waited for something to happen.
... When Pikachu collapsed, Buneary's heart turned to ice. Had he... fainted?!
The referee flew closer on his aegislash, probably about to check his condition, and maybe even... declare him unable to battle.
Her heart sat heavy in her stomach. No... No! Not after all they'd gone through to get here! Not after all their hard work! He couldn't go down here!
"(Pi...)" she struggled to say. Leaping forwards, she harshly gripped the back of the chair in front of her. "(Pi...)" Her heart bounced up, about to burst from her chest. "(Pikachu!)"
Around the same time, an explosion of electricity burst from Pikachu. Startled, she looked at him, only to see that he was standing back up again!
Not only that, but he was absolutely brimming with electricity! It was crackling yellow, blue and even black!
Her eyes widened so much, she felt them straining. Oh, good lord...
Was he... ever attractive right now...
She watched, her face hotter than it had ever been, as he surrounded himself in Thunderbolt, and Charizard surrounded himself in Fire Blast. Then the two of them charged towards each other at full throttle, smashing their foreheads together for one final attack. Fire and electricity were flying everywhere.
And then... it stopped.
And Charizard fainted.
Buneary couldn't even hear the announcer anymore as she screamed, whooped and cheered.
He'd done it! That glorious, wondrous mouse had done it! He'd beaten Leon's strongest pokémon!
... She felt something warm streaming down her face. Were those tears?
Gosh, she was so happy!
Phew... okay. Buneary had calmed down now.
Sitting back in her chair, she couldn't help but smile at the sky. Gee, Pikachu sure had come a long way since she'd last seen him. Not that he'd ever not been impressive, of course. In the Sinnoh League, he'd tied with a latios, of all things.
But, now, he'd defeated the undefeated Leon. Good grief...
Well, it seemed that Ash's pokémon and Leon's pokémon had been given enough time to heal, so it was time for the award ceremony!
From the stands, Buneary watched eagerly as Leon presented a huge trophy to Ash. The boy could hardy lift it, so his entire team had to help him!
Buneary couldn't help but laugh.
As everyone clapped, and fireworks were set off, however, she had another thought. After all of Pikachu's hard work, she should go down there and congratulate him in person. That would be the appropriate thing to do!
... It still made her a little bit nervous, though, admittedly. After avoiding him for so long, could she steel her nerves and do what was right? Even if she didn't know how he'd respond to it?
... Well. If he was unhappy about it, then that would be it. She'd give him her congratulations, like he deserved, then leave him be.
Okay. Buneary had managed to get into the dressing room, the same way Dawn and Chloe had managed before the match. Now she just had to wait here for Pikachu to show up.
She hadn't needed to wait long before she heard Ash's team approaching. They were chatting and laughing, clearly still riding the high of their biggest victory ever.
As they came into view, she saw Dragonite carrying the team's huge trophy, while Pikachu rode on top of Ash's shoulder.
Soon, however, the mouse turned around and locked eyes with her. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time he'd seen her since that day in Unova...
When Ash turned in the same direction, he blinked. "Huh?" he asked. "Hey, it's a-"
"(Buneary!)" Pikachu called out, a beaming smile on his face.
Leaping down to the floor, he ran over on two feet, his arms spread wide. She was frozen in place. Not only did he recognise her immediately, but he was running towards her? And excitedly, at that?
"(It's been so long!)" he continued. Grabbing her paws in his, he danced around the room with her. As she was pulled to and fro, she was far too shocked to say anything. "(How've you been?!)" Before she could think of what to say, he let go, his eyes sparkling with joy. "(Did you see my battle?!)"
She blinked at him. "(Uh...)" she replied, awkwardly smiling, "(yeah! Yeah, I did!)"
"(It was great, wasn't it?! So exciting, and explosive, and we won!)" He threw his arms up in a cheer. "(We won!)" Grabbing her, he nuzzled his face against hers. "(I'm so happy!)"
She froze again, in utter shock and confusion. He was... nuzzling her?! But... but...
"(Hey, is this a friend of yours?)" Gengar asked, floating around them with a grin on his face.
"(Yeah!)" Pikachu replied happily. "(It's Dawn's buneary!)"
"(Dawn has a buneary?)" Lucario asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.
"(Nice to meet you~!)" Dragonite said, beaming. She shifted the trophy around a bit. "(I'd give you a hug, but my hands are a bit full~)"
"(Hiiii!)" Dracovish cried out happily, waving his fins.
"(Hm,)" Sirfetch'd added, nodding respectfully.
"(Uh...)" Buneary managed to squeak out, "(h-hi...!)" She looked at Pikachu. "(... Heh... s-since when were you a nuzzler, Pikachu?)"
He halted. A few seconds passed, before he jolted away from her, smiling sheepishly. "(Oh, whoops!)" he replied. "(Sorry! I guess it's a habit I picked up in the last few years!)" His face reddening a bit, he scratched the back of his head.
She stared at him, with no idea how to respond to that.
"I guess this is Dawn's buneary?" Ash asked. He looked around. "But where's Dawn?"
"(Um...)" Buneary started, "(h-hey... Pikachu? C-Can I talk to you for a minute?)"
He beamed. "(Sure!)"
She glanced up at his friends. After a moment, something flashed in Sirfetch'd's eyes. Quick as lightning, the duck held out his leek sword and poked Ash in the back with it. The boy was confused, but Sirfetch'd walked forward, pushing Ash along with him.
"(Come,)" he said. "(Let us leave them alone for a bit.)"
"(Huh?)" Pikachu asked, blinking.
Everyone agreed. So, to Ash's many protests, they vacated the room.
Now it was just the two of them.
Buneary looked at her foot as it scuffed the floor. "(Um...)" she started awkwardly, "(congratulations. On the win.)" She paused. "(It was a really impressive victory.)"
"(Thanks! Heh, I'm super glad you got to see it.)"
She looked up hopefully, seeing the beaming smile on his face. "(... Really?)"
"(Yeah!)" Suddenly, his smile became a bit sadder. "(I haven't seen you in years... so I wondered how you were doing.)"
Her eyes widened. "(Really?)"
"(Yeah.)" He averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head again. "(I missed you.)"
Something warm filled her chest.
But no... wait...
"(But... you... told me to leave you alone in Unova...)"
His head snapped back to stare at her. "(... Huh?!)"
"(... You know... when I... nuzzled you, and you... told me to stop it.)" She looked away sadly. "(Because it's embarrassing...)" There were a few moments of silence, so she continued. "(B-But the first thing you do when you see me again is nuzzle me?)" She clenched her eyes shut in her utter confusion. "(What's going on?)"
"(I...)"
She looked up at him, but was shocked to see a look of horror on his face.
After a moment, a paw flew to his mouth. "(Th... That's why I didn't see you?! B... Because you were avoiding me?)"
"(W-Well... yeah...)"
The other paw flew to his mouth as well. "(Oh no... No! I-I only meant... not to do it in public! I-In front of my friends, because it was embarrassing! Th-The Sinnoh ones were always laughing, and making comments, and... a-and the Unova ones... had never seen it before...)" His arms slumped to his sides as he looked dejected. "(I didn't want them to laugh at me, too...)" He clenched his eyes shut. "(I never wanted to... drive you away like that...)" His ears drooped. "(I'm sorry...)"
She couldn't help but stare. "(... So... you didn't mind it?)"
"(N-Not in private...)" He sighed. "(Though you're right... I got used to nuzzling, so I've become a hypocrite...)"
"(Oh... w-well...)" She awkwardly rubbed her arm. "(I guess I was too quick to assume... I just thought you meant you didn't ever wanna see me again...)"
His eyes snapped open, and he looked horrified. "(No, never!)" Stepping forwards, he placed his paws on her shoulders. "(I'd never want you to go away forever...)" As she stared at him, he gave her shoulders a light squeeze. "(... Every time we saw Dawn, I was wondering if I'd see you again.)" He glanced away sadly. "(I'd be glancing at her bag, wondering if this was the day I'd see you... but you never showed up... Y-Your alternate self did, but... she's not you.)" He squeezed again. "(And, to think, it was all... my fault...)"
She could feel her eyes watering from emotion overload.
"(I'm so sorry...)" he finished.
"(M-Me too...)" Her voice wavered. "(I'm sorry I didn't... talk to you... I just...)" Tears leaked from her eyes. "(... thought you didn't wanna see me anymore...)"
He moved his face closer to hers, his voice becoming gentler. "(No, never...)"
She sniffled and hiccupped, though her heart was beating a mile a minute at how close he was.
As gently as can be, his paw brushed away the tears on her cheek. Warmth crept across her heart and face, and she could no longer see the forest for the trees. All she could see was him.
... For so long, she'd avoided seeing him, avoided talking to him, with the vain hope that she'd one day move past her feelings and get over him.
But that was just what it was: a vain hope.
Instinctually edging forwards, she pressed her own lips against his.
It was soft, and it tingled. The light fur around his mouth tickled hers.
When she snapped out of her trance, she jumped backwards, her face hot with shame.
"(I-I'm sorry!)" she yelled. "(I didn't...! I mean...!)"
His face was also bright red, and his eyes seemed to have completely lost focus. "(... Huh...?)" he asked in a daze.
She pressed her paws to her mouth, giddiness battling fiercely with shame. "(Um... sorry!)"
"(N... No, no, that's... okay...)" A dopey grin crept onto his face, before he coughed and turned away. "(Um, that was... nice...)"
... Giddiness had officially won the battle. She pulled her fluff over her face and squealed.
Heading towards the exit, paw-in-paw with Pikachu, Buneary couldn't be happier.
"(So how'd you manage to stand up again?!)" she asked excitedly. "(You looked like you'd fainted!)"
Pikachu chuckled. "(Well, I almost did faint! But...)" He smiled up at the sky. "(I thought about all my friends and teammates... how far we've come... and how I didn't wanna let them down...)" He paused, a thoughtful frown crossing his face. "(... I also could swear I heard a voice calling out to me. One that...)" He squinted, looking deep in thought. "(... kinda sounded like you, now that I think about it...)"
She blinked. "(Huh?)" She paused for thought. "(Well, I did call out to you at some point...)"
He turned to stare at her, eyes wide. "(You did?)"
"(Yeah.)" She grinned. "(Did you actually hear me?)"
He blinked. "(I... guess I did!)" He grinned back.
After reuniting with Dawn - who'd had a panic attack, once she'd realised her pokémon had been outside her pokéball for lord knows how long - Buneary had promised to give Pikachu a call from Dawn's xtransceiver sometimes.
Then, with a quick farewell nuzzle that Pikachu didn't mind at all, they parted ways.
"You have a call from Dawn," the rotom phone said in his deep, monotone voice. "You have a call from Dawn. You have a call-"
Ash pressed the answer button. "Hey, Dawn!" he said into the phone. He paused. "Oh, Buneary?" He held out the phone to Pikachu. "Here, buddy, it's for you."
Halting his stretches, Pikachu hurried over with a beaming smile. "(Thanks, Ash!)" he replied, grabbing the phone. He moved a bit further away from the group for some privacy, then pressed some buttons for 'on-screen' and 'speakerphone'. "(Hey, Buneary!)"
Her lovely face appeared on the screen. "(Hey~!)" she replied, beaming.
This had become routine the last several months. One of them giving the other a call, and the other answering. Then they'd talk for far too long, so the humans would have to tell them to stop.
"(How's it going?)" she asked with a wink.
His heart beat that little bit faster. "(Good, thanks! Though Misty and Brock left back home the other day.)"
She looked surprised. "(Oh, really?)"
"(Yeah. It sure was fun travelling with them, though!)"
... Even if the two of them had commented on his little 'girlfriend'. Much to his embarrassment and... a little bit of pride.
She beamed. "(I'll bet! So where's Ash going next?)"
Pikachu shrugged. "(Dunno. Wherever the wind takes him, I guess.)"
She looked thoughtful. "(Hm.)" She smiled. "(Then maybe I should convince Dawn to travel with him, so we can hang out again! How about it?)"
He smiled back. "(Sure! I'd love to!)"
"(Great!)" She quickly looked left and right, clearly checking for eavesdroppers, then gave him another wink. "(Love you~)"
His face warmed, though he couldn't stop a grin from forming. She was so cheesy. Yet also so considerate of him.
... He was just glad the sentient rotom phone tended to mind his own business.
Regardless, Pikachu still needed to work on getting less embarrassed in public, just to avoid another scenario like the one in Unova. Buneary deserved a boyfriend who could be proud of her, after all. So he'd power through it, for her sake.
"(Love you, too~)"
The End