Author's note: Hey there! I'm continuing on the request train for the moment, because it's surprisingly fun!

I did an awful lot of research for this one-shot... and it was very hard to write. You'll see why soon enough, I'm sure.

I originally wanted it to be a drabble, but then it just kept on going. XD Ah well. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Also, when writing 'Feel the Rhythm', I was listening to The Blue Danube for inspiration! That's become my favourite classical song, as of late.

This one-shot is dedicated to MewLover54.

Sky High

Another day, another shock-proof cage.

As Team Rocket recited their motto for what felt like the billionth time, Pikachu growled, slamming his fists against the bars. When would these loons ever give up?! There were hundreds upon hundreds of pokémon in the world, so why was he their main target? Why was he the one they were so desperate to bring to Giovanni? A guy who - judging by what he'd seen of him - probably wouldn't even want him anyway.

Just because he'd blown up a Pokémon Centre that one time... Honestly, that had only been because he'd been powered up by both the other pikachu and the burned bike. Not because he was a legendary in disguise, or anything...

After the motto, Team Rocket retreated into their robot of the day, while Ash, Dawn and Brock began sending out pokémon to rescue Pikachu.

As expected, their attacks just bounced off the robot, causing raucous laughter to erupt from the three stooges. Their words were mocking as they fired up their rockets to fly away.

Pikachu spun around, using Iron Tail on the bars, but it had no effect. He sighed in aggravation.

Suddenly, there was a colossal bang that rocked the robot. All four people inside screamed. A moment later, there was another bang. Then another.

"Meowth!" Jessie yelled. "I thought you said this robot was attack-proof!"

Meowth chuckled in embarrassment. "Well, it may have a few weak spots..." he replied.

"Weak spots?!" James cried.

The cat shrugged. "It did come on de cheap..."

"You're the cheap one!" Jessie cried.

"Hey, who's de one doin' all de woik?!"

James and Jessie began ranting at Meowth, but Pikachu stopped paying attention. He frowned slightly as a different smell wafted through his nose. It was slightly sweet. He sniffed at it, pondering what it was.

James paused in his ranting to sniff the air. "Hey, do you two smell that?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Meowth asked. "Smell what?"

Jessie sniffed. "A sweet smell..." she said. "What is that?"

"Sweet smell?" The cat shrugged again. "Oh, dat's probably just de nitrous oxide."

"Oh, well that's-" Jessie suddenly picked him up by the neck. "What do you mean nitrous oxide?!"

"Ack! I had a few spare containers nearby, so dey musta broke."

James shrieked. "So it's leaking in here?!" he cried.

Pikachu's eyes widened.

Pulling himself free from Jessie's grip, Meowth landed back in his seat. "Jeez, stop freakin' out! It's only bad if ya keep inhalin' it. Just open a window, or sometin'."

James relaxed. "Oh, well, that's not so bad..."

"So, exactly what is nitrous oxide?" Jessie asked.

"And why do we have spare containers of it?" James asked.

Meowth puffed his chest out proudly. "I'm usin' it to oxidise de rockets!" He paused. "Lessie, it had anodder name, didn't it? Uhhhh..." He paused again, then smiled. "Oh yeah, dat's it. Laughin' gas!"

Three sets of eyes bulged. "Laughing gas?!" James and Jessie cried.

"Alright, one more should do it!" Ash yelled. "Staraptor, Brave Bird!"

Nodding, the bird flew high into the air, then folded back his wings and took a nose-dive towards the robot. As he picked up momentum, flames surrounded him, eventually turning into a neon blue glow. When he scored a direct hit on the robot's head, it exploded.

Flying in place above the ruined robot, Staraptor could see a wreckage before him. There was charred metal debris everywhere and Team Rocket were slumped sideways in their seats. Ignoring them, he quickly scooped up Pikachu's cage in his talons.

Jessie giggled at him. "Look, it's the big balloon-popper...!" she cried.

He looked at her strangely. "(... Huh?)" he asked.

"De biiiig boidy...!" Meowth cried, before cracking up in laughter.

"So, if you're the bird... where's the bee...?" James asked, giggling maniacally.

"(... Uhhhh huh...)" Staraptor replied.

Thoroughly confused, he flew out of the cockpit and back down to Ash, who happily caught Pikachu's cage.

"Pikachu!" he cried with a smile.

"Alright, Piplup!" Dawn cried. "Finish them off with Whirlpool!"

Lifting his flippers into the air, Piplup glowed a blueish-white colour, forming a giant swirling vortex of water above his head. With a battle cry, he flung it at the robot. It immediately exploded, sending a giggling Team Rocket into the sky and out of sight.

Buneary watched as Ash continually tried - and failed - to open Pikachu's cage. After a while, he gave up, deciding instead to step back and let someone else open it.

"Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Dawn cried.

"(Gladly!)" Buneary replied.

With a battle cry, she charged up, before releasing a blue beam of energy from her mouth. Once it hit the lock, it encased it in ice.

"Now, use Dizzy Punch!"

The tips of her ears glowed a rainbow-tinted white as she flung herself at the frozen lock. With a great swing, she punched it. Both the ice and metal shattered. Immediately afterwards, the door swung open.

"(Pikachu?)" she asked, peeking inside.

She was expecting to see a grateful smile on her crush's face. What she did see, however, made her pause. He was slumped over with a goofy grin, eyes unfocused.

"(Heeeey, Buneary...)" he replied in a drawl, waving to her.

Ash knelt down to look inside the cage, likely wondering why Pikachu hadn't come out yet.

"You okay there, buddy?" he asked.

Pikachu smiled at his trainer. "(Hi, Ash...)"

Ash gently lifted him out of the cage and stood up, looking at him with concern.

"Guys, Pikachu's acting a little weird..."

"He is?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah..."

Dawn and Brock edged closer to have a look.

"(Man, it feels good to be alive...!)" Pikachu cried lazily.

"Hmm..." Brock said contemplatively.

"(Is this real life...?)" Pikachu's eyes widened. "(Or is it just fantasy...?)" He paused a moment, then started giggling to himself.

"I'd best give him a look-over..."

"Yeah..." Ash replied, handing Pikachu to Brock.

After determining that there seemed to be nothing wrong with Pikachu, Brock left him to rest against a tree. The other pokémon were told to let him relax, but Buneary stuck by his side to keep an eye on him.

"(Are you alright, Pikachu?)" she asked. "(Can I get you anything?)"

Pikachu giggled. "(Crystals...)" he replied.

Buneary blinked. "(Crystals?)"

"(Yeah... Crystals are pretty...)"

Buneary paused a few moments in concern. "(What happened earlier, Pikachu?)"

"(Huh...?)"

"(Why are you suddenly... like this?)"

"(Ohhh, right...! Well, see... I was in the... the... big metal thing...)"

"(The robot?)"

"(Yeah, yeah, the robot...! Well, I was in it and then there was gas...! Lots and lotsa gas...!)"

Buneary blinked "(Gas?)"

"(Yup...! And it made me laaaaugh... 'cause it was laughing gas...!)"

Buneary's eyes widened in horror. "(Laughing gas?!)"

"(Yup...! And it felt like I was being...)" He moved his paws around as he thought of the wording. "(Lifted... Lifted hiiiigh into the air...)" He collapsed against the tree with a goofy grin. "(It feels amazing...)"

"(Oh...)"

He giggled, pointing lazily at the sky. "(That cloud looks like a... like a... Mmm, I forgot what it's called...)" He looked down at Buneary. "(Ha, you look like a cloud...)"

Buneary blinked in confusion, then looked down at herself. Upon seeing the fluff around her waist, she understood. "(Oh, haha...)" She looked back up at him. "(Yeah, I guess I do...)"

"(I like clouds...)"

Well, this was awkward. Buneary had no idea how to talk to Pikachu while he was like this. It was a guessing game as to what he would say next. She hoped he'd come down off this high soon.

Sighing, she decided to sit down next to him and wait.

After a short while of staring at the sky, Pikachu began to sing. Horribly off-key.

"(I wanna beeee... the very best... like no one ever waaaas...! To catch theeeem is my real test... To train them is my caaaause...!)" He paused a long moment. Then he slowly turned to look at Buneary. "(Do you think Ash will be the very best...?)"

Slightly surprised at being addressed, she tried to answer him. "(Oh, well... maybe! If he tries hard enough!)"

"(... But he's always trying, though...)"

"(Well...)"

Pikachu suddenly looked sad. "(Will he never be the very best...?)"

Buneary's eyes widened. She hadn't expected his mood to suddenly flip one-hundred and eighty degrees.

"(N-No, I'm sure he will!)"

"(No, he won't... He'll never win a... a thing...)"

"(A Pokémon League?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(I'm sure he will! He just needs to believe in himself! And in his pokémon!)"

"(I dunno...)"

Buneary continued to feel awkward. Pikachu was usually so confident. So sure of both himself and his trainer. It was one of the many things that she liked about him. Now, however, the laughing gas was doing strange things to his thought process.

She forced on a smile. "(... Well, whether he wins or not, you'll keep on fighting, right?)"

"(I guess...)"

She paused, thinking of what to say. "(And you're enjoying journeying with him, right?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(So it's alright, then!)"

"(Mmm...)"

After a few moments, Pikachu lifted a finger and started tracing shapes above him. Buneary guessed that he was staring at the clouds again.

"(... That cloud looks like you...)"

"(Hmm?)" Glancing upwards, Buneary tried to see which cloud he was looking at.

"(It's a bunny... like you...!)"

"(Oh, okay.)"

"(Hmmmm...)" He stared long and hard at it. "(... You're cuter, though...)"

She jolted in surprise. "(Wh-What?!)"

He continued to stare at it. "(... Yeah, you're cuter...)"

Buneary's face suddenly felt like it was on fire. He'd called her cute! Her crush had called her cute! Sure, he was high on laughing gas right now, but he'd called her cute!

He giggled, turning to grin at her. "(You're like a... like a... chocolate bunny... teddy bear... thing...! Real cute...)"

Embarrassed, she fidgeted with her fluff. "(Oh, well... thank you...)"

"(No problem...!)"

"(... You're... really cute, too.)"

"(Aww, thanks, Bun... Bun-ear-y...!)" He giggled maniacally. "(You're a bunny with ears... so you're Buneary...!)"

She chuckled awkwardly. "(Yeah, I guess I am...)"

"(Buuuuneary...)" There was a long pause. "(You're cute... and cute rhymes with root... and roots are... good food... Really bitter, though...)"

"(O-Oh...)" She still felt surprised that he was calling her cute.

He went back to staring at the sky. "(Bitter like my heart...)"

She blinked. "(Like your heart?)"

"(Yeah...)" He paused a long moment. Then he turned to her, eyes wide in horrified realisation. "(And you're sweet...!)"

She fidgeted again, conflicted on whether to feel happy or awkward. "(Sweet?)"

"(Yeah...!)" He kept the wide-eyed expression. "(And sweet girls... they... they, you know... need sweet guys...!)"

"(... Huh?)"

He slumped against the tree dejectedly. "(And I'm not sweet...)"

She stared in disbelief at him. "(... Are you kidding?! You're the sweetest guy I know!)"

"(No, I'm not...)"

"(Yeah, you are!)"

"(Nuh... Else I would've... you know...)"

"(What?)"

He waved his paws around, searching for the correct phrasing. "(Been there...)"

"(Huh?)"

"(I wanna travel and... train and... stuff... and you need a guy that can, like... not do that... you know...?)"

She blinked. Then she blinked again. Then her eyes widened as she understood.

"(You... don't think you deserve me?)"

He grinned at her. "(Nope...! What you need... is... you know... uhhhh...)" He paused a moment. "(Someone who'll put you as... the first thing...!)"

She stared at him. "(But... But...)"

"(Get someone who will be true to you...)" He put on a sagely pose, pointing at the sky. "(Always be true to yourself... and the truth will become clear to you...)"

"(So, you... wouldn't wanna date me?)"

"(Nuhhh... I might wanna, but I'm all...)" He waved his paws around. "(Wishy and washy and trainy and... stuff...)"

"(Trainy?)"

"(Yeah... Wanna help Ash be the very best, like...)" He began singing off-key again. "(Like no one ever waaaas...! To catch theeeem is my real test...! To train them is my cauuuuse...!)" He paused. "(You know...?)"

"(I... guess.)"

Collapsing against the tree, he went back to staring at the sky, falling silent.

Nothing was said between them for a while. Buneary continued to wrestle with her thoughts while Pikachu stared at the passing clouds.

Feeling like he was being pulled from a dream, Pikachu blinked once. Then twice. Then he glanced around him.

When had he been propped up against this tree? He could barely remember anything. There was some kind of memory right at the back of his brain, but it was very blurry. He wasn't entirely sure if it had happened or not.

Turning to the brown rabbit who was sitting beside him, he spoke. "(Buneary?)" he asked.

She turned to him, looking mildly surprised. "(Y-Yeah?)"

"(Am I awake?)"

She blinked at him. "(Huh?)"

He gave his cheeks two light slaps. "(... Okay, yeah, I seem to be.)" He paused. "(Man, that was weird... I kinda felt like I was half-asleep for a while...)" He paused again, thinking. "(Oh yeah... I was in the robot and it filled up with laughing gas...)"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

He smiled awkwardly. "(Man, I hope I didn't say anything embarrassing!)"

Buneary looked away, fidgeting with her fluff. "(Mmm...)"

He watched her for a few moments, puzzling over her response. He hadn't said something embarrassing, had he?

Suddenly, Buneary got up. "(Well, I'm glad to see you're okay now...)"

"(Oh, thanks!)"

"(I'll be... over there, if you need me.)" She inclined her head towards where the other pokémon were playing.

"(Okay, sure!)"

She made a move to walk over there, but paused. Turning her head slightly, she raised her fluff to her face and looked over her shoulder at him. "(But... just so you know...)" She blushed. "(I'd be happy to wait for you...)" Looking away again, she walked off.

He blinked at her retreating form. Wait for him? Did she mean wait for him where the other pokémon were? But, if that was the case, why would she look so serious while saying it?

He racked his brain, trying to figure out what she meant.

... Suddenly, a memory began to surface, dragging itself out from the depths of his mind. Like it had been underwater and was now clambering for air.

... So he hadn't dreamt any of that, after all?

It took a few moments for this to sink in. When it did, his eyes widened in horror and his face exploded in heat. Slowly, his put his paws to his face and groaned.

Staying here, by this tree, for a while seemed very appealing, all of a sudden...

The End