Warning. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE approaching.

Author's note: Hey there!

Here's a nice long one-shot for all my lovely readers!

Holy moly, dat word count, tho... My longest one-shot yet?

While I'm at it, I shall give a shout-out to VGS2 and his fic, Game-Changer (Deluxe)! I'd say it's worth a read!

... I also have a little something-something in the works, but I still need to iron out the kinks a bit. I might wait until I finish 'A Gracious Gift' before I start it, though. Just to make it easier on myself.

Anyway, enjoy the one-shot!

Try Your Luck

"Alright, Piplup!" Dawn cried. "Use Bubble Beam!"

Jumping up, Piplup somersaulted backwards and fired off a volley of bubbles.

"Pachirisu! Discharge!"

Pachirisu built up some blue electricity before firing it. It ploughed through the bubbles in an impressive zigzag pattern. Pikachu and Buneary - who was currently wearing her orange vest - both cheered in excitement.

Pikachu was sure that Dawn would do well in her Chocovine contest. Especially after their phione watching yesterday, which was said to provide good luck.

"Great work!" Dawn continued. "Pachirisu, up next...!"

A sudden splash made everyone jump. Pachirisu shrieked in surprise and dashed up the nearest tree.

Pikachu stared in shock at what had just burst out of the ocean.

"(I found you!)" the phione cried. Landing on the path, he hopped over to them. "(Now I can take you home~!)"

Pikachu stared. He was about to ask what the phione was talking about when the water-type pointed towards the water. He made a come-hither motion with his other hand.

"(Come on, Buneary, let's go!)"

... What?

Buneary jolted. "(Me?!)" she asked, pointing to herself.

"(Yep! Come on!)"

... He wanted her to come home with him? Into the ocean? When they hadn't even spoken before?

The first time they'd seen each other had been last night, through the window of a submarine. So what was this guy's deal, asking something like that?

Buneary hesitated. "(Um...)"

She edged closer to Pikachu and he felt her paw clutch onto his back. Not that he could blame her, really. This guy was being rather creepy.

"(What are you waiting for? Let's go!)"

Suddenly, Piplup approached the phione, grabbing his hand in both his flippers. "(Nice to meet you!)" he said.

After a pause, the phione frowned and shoved his flippers away. Jumping back, he fired an Ice Beam and froze Piplup. Dawn cried out in dismay, but, after a moment, Piplup somehow managed to break free. He looked exhausted.

Pikachu turned to the phione in disbelief, about to tell him off for his inappropriate behaviour, when Team Rocket's magikarp submarine emerged from the water. He frowned up at them.

As they announced their plan to capture phione and began reciting their motto, he felt Buneary edge closer to him.

"(Buneary?)" he asked quietly.

"(That phione creeps me out...)" she replied just as quietly.

"(Yeah, I can see why...)" He paused. "(Though he doesn't deserve to get captured...)"

"(I guess...)"

Phione backed away from Team Rocket, clearly afraid. He turned back to Ash's group, seeking assistance, when he seemed to catch sight of Buneary clinging onto Pikachu. His pupils dilated in horror.

Buneary ducked further behind him. "(Oh no...)"

"(What do you think you're doing?!)" he yelled. He got right in Pikachu's face, pointing directly at him. Pikachu moved back, startled. "(So, you wanna take her home, too?!)"

"(... What?)" Pikachu asked.

"(Then I challenge you to a battle! The winner gets to take Buneary home!)"

"(... Wait, what?)"

Was this guy serious?

From what he could hear around him - since Meowth had translated for the humans - Dawn thought the idea was romantic and Brock was getting overly passionate about a fellow 'troubled soul searching for love'. Ash sounded rather confused.

... Honestly, Pikachu just thought Phione was being overly possessive for no reason. That wasn't what he'd call romantic.

Holding out his paws, he tried to calm the water-type down before things got out of hand. "(Now, let's be reasonable here...)"

Getting even angrier, Phione smacked his paw away. He recoiled in dismay.

Suddenly, Buneary jumped in-between them, surprising them both. "(Stop it!)" she yelled. She frowned at Phione. "(You leave Pikachu alone! If you want a battle, then battle me! I'm the one you want, right?)"

Pikachu blinked at her in disbelief.

She held a paw to her chest. "(If you beat me, I'll go on one date with you by the oceanside.)"

There was a long pause as Phione considered this. Eventually, he jumped up and down happily. "(Okay~!)"

"(... Are you sure about this, Buneary?)" Pikachu asked.

"(... Yeah,)" she replied. After a moment, she continued. "(If you lose, though, Phione...)"

"(Yeah?)" Phione asked with a smile.

"(You have to leave me and Pikachu alone. Okay?)"

Phione blinked. After a moment, he smiled again. "(Okay~! Guess I'll have to win if I'm gonna take you home~!)"

"(I said a date, not taking me home!)"

"(Hee~!)"

... Pikachu wasn't so sure about this.

Sitting on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu looked over at the battlefield, where Phione and Buneary - now without her vest - were staring each other down. Even Team Rocket had stopped to watch.

Dawn had decided to step back from the action and let Buneary battle without her. She'd figured this was a matter between Buneary and Phione and didn't want to interfere. This made Pikachu feel slightly concerned.

Something didn't sit right with him about her losing to the water-type and having to go on a date with him. Probably because she clearly had no desire to. Phione was rather too forward in his advances, after all.

Most pokémon with a crush would ask for the date first. Not have to compromise on it afterwards. Even then, he wasn't sure Phione understood that a date was all that Buneary had agreed to.

... The rabbit was a strong pokémon, though, so he was sure she could handle herself.

Brock seemed certain that this whole thing was serious, though he wasn't quite sure what the guy meant by that. Did he honestly think that Phione's feelings were genuine? Ignoring this and focusing his attention back on the battle, he waited.

Charging forwards, Buneary opened with a Dizzy Punch. Acting quickly, Phione used Double Team, creating multiple copies of himself. Pikachu was worried for a split second, before Buneary's Dizzy Punch flew through all the copies, dissipating them.

He smiled. Yeah, she could handle this.

Phione jumped up and fired off a Supersonic. As it approached, Buneary used Bounce and dodged out of the way. While still in mid-air, she did three forward somersaults. Noticing this, Phione hopped towards the ocean and submerged himself under the water. Coming down with her foot extended, Buneary tried to kick him. When she landed into the shallows, not hitting anything, she looked around in confusion.

Pikachu suddenly felt concerned again, while Brock explained that Phione had just used Acid Armour. This battle wasn't going nearly as well as he'd hoped it would, though he supposed it was still early yet, so anything could happen.

Suddenly, Phione jumped out of the water, surprising Buneary. Using this to his advantage, he fired off another Supersonic. Caught off-guard, Buneary was hit by it. She began to wander around in a daze.

Pikachu frowned. Now he was really worried. The closer Phione got to winning his date, the worse things looked for Buneary. He hoped she'd be able to pull through and end this nonsense.

Just as he began to wonder how she'd do that, Piplup jumped down from Dawn's head and ran over to the rabbit. He was, no doubt, still annoyed about how Phione had treated him earlier, so was more than willing to help Buneary win. Pikachu silently approved of this, despite it not being very kosher to interfere.

"(Snap out of it, Buneary!)" Piplup cried as the rabbit wandered towards him.

Behind her, Phione landed back on the sand and fired off an Ice Beam. Pikachu held his breath. Things would end badly if this hit. Maybe, if luck was on their side, Buneary would hop out of the way just in time. Sure, the Ice Beam would probably hit Piplup, but at least it wouldn't lose Buneary the match.

There was a split second where it looked like Buneary was going to turn around. For whatever reason, though, she didn't. The Ice Beam hit her square in the back and froze her solid.

Pikachu's mouth fell open in shock.

Piplup jumped back in horror. After a moment, he hurried over and started smacking the ice. "(No, Buneary!)" he cried. "(You can't let this jerk win!)"

"(Hey!)" Phione cried angrily. "(Stop interfering!)" He fired another Ice Beam, hitting Piplup and freezing him in place. "(I'm taking Buneary on a date and you're not stopping me!)"

Pikachu stared at their frozen forms, willing them to move. After a few moments, Piplup broke free, looking exhausted. Buneary, however, didn't. Probably due to being confused beforehand.

After a few more moments, Brock raised a hand into the air. "Buneary is unable to battle!" he called out. "Phione is the winner!"

"(Yes!)" Phione jumped up and down in joy. "(Now we can go on a date!)"

Buneary finally broke free from her ice prison, looking rather exhausted from the struggle.

Phione immediately hopped over to Buneary. "(So, let's go on a date!)" He hopped up and down. "(Let's go! Let's go!)"

"(... Alright, fine,)" Buneary replied. "(I did promise.)"

Something squirmed inside Pikachu's chest at that.

"A victory well won, Phione!" Jessie said. "Your little rendezvous, however, will have to wait a while!"

"Not to worry, though!" James agreed. "We'll be taking Buneary, too! So you won't be lonely!"

"Yeah!" Meowth added. "You two can go on yer date in de boss' office!"

They all ran towards Phione and Buneary. On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu tensed.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Ash said angrily. "Pikachu, let's take care of 'em!"

"(You got it!)" Pikachu replied, jumping down. Hurrying over, he stood in front of Phione and Buneary. "(Not another step!)"

Frowning angrily, Team Rocket paused.

"Get out of our way!" Jessie cried.

"It's not your turn today!" James added.

"Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Dawn cried.

Both Buneary and Phione fired off three pale blue streaks of light. Team Rocket screeched as the light hit them, freezing them in place.

"Now, Pikachu!" Ash cried. "Thunderbolt, let's go!"

Charging up electricity, Pikachu fired it at the frozen Team Rocket. Once it hit them, it sent them blasting off again.

Once again wearing her orange vest, Buneary was sitting by the oceanside next to Phione. She sighed. How could she have lost that match? She was so certain she'd be able to win, but she'd messed up. She knew she should've jumped at that one moment, but - in her confused state - she'd second-guessed it. As a result, here she was.

"(This is nice!)" Phione said, scooting closer. She winced. "(You get to look out at your new home!)"

She frowned lightly at him. "(I said I'd give you a date, not go home with you!)" she replied.

Phione giggled. "(No, silly, home comes after the date!)"

She groaned. "(... How would I even do that, anyway? I'm not water-type.)"

Phione turned to blink at her. "(Huh?)"

"(Well, you know... I'm normal-type.)" He continued to stare at her. "(And I'm a land mammal.)" He was still staring. She was beginning to feel awkward. "(... So I can't breathe underwater?)"

He blinked. After a moment, his eyes lit up in realisation. "(Oh!)" He looked slightly saddened. "(Well, that's gonna be a problem...)"

"(Yeah. Yeah, it is.)"

He looked back at the ocean in contemplation. "(Hmm...)"

... Was he seriously trying to figure out a way to make this work? She sighed again.

Eventually, he turned back to smile at her. "(Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out!)"

"(Sure we will...)"

"(So, what do you wanna do on this date, anyway?)"

"(I dunno...)" She tried not to glance behind her at where she knew the others were. Specifically Pikachu. It was awkward dating a guy when her crush was in the area. "(Talk, I guess?)"

"(Okay!)"

If she had to date this phione, the least she could do was get to know him a little better.

"(So, what's your favourite food?)"

"(Oh, figy berries, definitely! They're so spicy and delicious!)"

"(Oh yeah? And what's your least favourite?)"

Phione pulled a face. "(Ick. Iapapa berries. They're way too sour and make me confused...)"

"(Huh, okay.)"

He smiled. "(What about you?)"

"(Hmm, well...)"

"Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" Dawn cried.

Flipping backwards, Piplup fired a stream of bubbles from his beak.

"Now, Pachirisu, use Discharge as a shield!"

Dropping to all fours, Pachirisu released blue electricity from his tail. It surrounded him in a dome shape, looking almost like a plasma globe. The bubbles exploded on contact with it.

Dawn cheered. "Nice work, Pachirisu!"

Pikachu watched the training with intrigue, but couldn't help glancing towards the oceanside every so often. After Pachirisu had come down from his tree, the group had moved back over to the pathway to give Phione and Buneary some privacy. They could still see the duo from here, but were far enough away to not hear anything they were saying.

He couldn't help notice that, although they were talking, Buneary looked less than comfortable. He hoped this date would be over quickly, so that she wouldn't have to suffer much longer.

It was rather strange seeing someone flirt with her, though. Especially since she always flirted with him. He should probably be happy that she was getting a taste of how awkward that felt, but he oddly wasn't. Probably because she'd never been that forward with him.

He glanced once more at the oceanside before forcing himself to focus on the battle.

"(And, no matter how far I drift from my home, I always find my way back!)" Phione said proudly.

"(Is that so?)" Buneary asked.

"(Yup! So, if you ever feel like coming back here, then no worries! I'll know the way!)"

Buneary slumped in exasperation. He really wasn't going to let this go, was he?

"(... Just why do you like me, anyway?)"

Phione smiled at her. "(Hmm?)"

"(I mean, you barely know me, right? So... why do you like me?)"

"(Oh, well, that's easy! You're cute!)"

Buneary blinked. After a moment, she blushed at the compliment. "(Oh... really?)"

"(Yeah! Super cute!)"

"(Well... thank you...)" If only Pikachu could compliment her like that, instead. She paused. "(But is that really a good reason to wanna take me home?)"

"(Of course! I love collecting cute things! And you're the cutest of all, so I have to take you home!)"

She stared at him. Was he being serious right now?

"(... What?)"

"(Yep! I mean, you're a bunny! With cottony fluff and an adorable vest!)" He squealed in delight. "(You're perfect for my collection!)"

Buneary continued to stare. Suddenly, she felt anger bubble up inside her. "(So, I'm just a collection piece?!)"

"(Yep! The best collection piece!)"

She planted a paw on her face. "(Unbelievable...)"

"(You're much better than the other trinkets I've picked up! Toys, jewellery, heart scales, an empty love ball... All sorts of things! None of them are as cute as you, though!)"

"(Uh huh...)"

"(Yep! 'Cause you're a living cute thing!)"

"(Right...)" She paused for thought. "(Wait, Happiny was at that submarine window, too! And Pachirisu! And Pikachu! You don't wanna take any of them home?)"

"(Nope! Just you.)"

"(... Why?)"

"(Well, like I said, you're really cute! I always wanted a cute girlfriend!)"

She planted both paws on her face this time. Why did she have to get caught up in this mess?

"(Hee~! It'll be so nice having you along! It gets lonely with just my sisters.)"

Her interest suddenly piqued, she removed her paws. "(Lonely?)"

Phione gave her a sad smile. "(Yeah. We do a lot of travelling, you see... only coming back here once a year. I often have to leave my trinkets behind...)" He smiled. "(But I'd never leave you behind! I'm gonna take you with me!)"

She slumped in exasperation again. "(Come on, Phione...)"

"(We'll work out the breathing thing, I'm sure!)"

She groaned.

He looked out across the ocean in contemplation. "(... Heh. I wonder what Dad would think of you...)"

She suddenly felt intrigued again. "(Your dad?)"

He turned to smile at her. "(Yeah! My dad was a manaphy!)"

She tilted her head. "(A manaphy? What's one of those?)"

"(A legendary pokémon! They're known as the princes of the sea!)"

Her eyes widened. "(A legendary? Really?)"

"(Yep! I'm a sea guardian, just like him!)"

"(Oh, wow...)"

His smile fell again. "(... He left us after we were born here, near Chocovine Town. We've been trying to find him again, but, so far, no luck...)"

"(Oh...)" There was an awkward pause. "(... Well, I hope you find him soon.)"

"(Me too.)" He smiled. "(In the meantime, though, I'll have you to keep me company!)"

... Now she understood. He did have a small crush on her, but she was more a way for him to cope with loneliness than anything else. That was why he'd deluded himself into thinking she both could and would follow him. Because the truth would only upset him.

Of course, she had no intention of going home with him - for various reasons - but she couldn't help feel bad for him now...

Making the decision to cheer him up, she put on a smile. "(Hey... how about I tell you about the contests I've been in?)"

Phione gasped in delight. "(Oh, would you?! I'd love to hear about them!)"

She nodded. "(Yeah, sure.)"

"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel!" Ash cried.

Spitting flames from his mouth, Chimchar did a forward somersault, surrounding himself in fire. He rolled across the ground towards his opponent.

"Pachirisu, counter it with Spark!" Dawn cried.

Surrounding himself with blue electricity, Pachirisu ran towards Chimchar. When the two pokémon collided, their attacks pushed against one another, both fighting for dominance. Eventually, the electricity and fire exploded, creating a shower of sparks and cinders.

Pikachu and Piplup cheered for the combatants.

"Nice work, you two," Brock said.

"(They've got this contest in the bag,)" Piplup said proudly, flippers on hips.

"(Yeah, I'd say so,)" Pikachu replied.

"Alright!" Dawn said. "Up next-" She paused. "Aww, how cute~!"

Taken aback, Pikachu looked up to see her smiling warmly towards the oceanside. Curious, he turned his gaze in the same direction. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Phione and Buneary were chatting animatedly, with large smiles on their faces. After a few moments, they both started giggling.

They looked so at ease with one another...

"Wow, they're really getting along!" Ash said happily.

"I'm so happy for you, Phione!" Brock cried passionately.

Something stirred inside Pikachu, though he wasn't quite sure what. All he knew was that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the couple on the beach.

"(What does Buneary think she's doing?!)" Piplup cried. "(Is she actually enjoying her date with that freaking jerk?!)"

A stabbing pain struck Pikachu's heart at this comment. Enjoying it...?

Piplup huffed. "(Next thing you know, she'll actually agree to going home with him!)"

Pikachu's heart went cold. His head snapped over to Piplup, eyes wide. "(... What?)"

"(Well, yeah! I mean, she better not, but that's what it's looking like!)"

Slowly, Pikachu turned to look at Buneary again, who seemed to be animating something while Phione listened in awe.

She... wouldn't actually leave with him, would she?

For a start, it wasn't the least bit practical, as Buneary would never survive underwater. Unless they managed to work their way around it? Like if she only swam above water? But she'd still tire much faster than the water-type, so it was still impractical.

... Then there was the fact that he'd probably never see her again.

If Phione truly made her happy, then of course he wouldn't stand in her way. Sure, everyone - including himself - would be sad to see her go, but it was her life. Her decision.

He tried to imagine a life without Buneary. A life where she'd be hugging and nuzzling someone who wasn't him. He felt the stabbing pain in his heart return.

He wasn't stupid. Her crush on him had been mentioned by so many people - and hinted at so many times - how could he not know about it? But he'd always pushed it to the back of his mind. Told himself he'd deal with it later. After all, he had gym badges to win. A league to train for.

As a result, however, he'd never openly accepted her advances, even though they'd always made his heart beat that little bit faster. He'd never admitted aloud that he was quite aware of her feelings.

Had she perhaps thought that he hadn't figured it out? Had she... finally given up on him?

He continued to watch her, his heart dipping with every passing moment. Well, none of that mattered anymore, did it? Because, now, she'd taken an interest in someone else...

"(Oh, wow, really?!)" Phione asked excitedly.

"(Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(And then-!)"

There was a sudden splash. Buneary jolted, looking out at the ocean. Two phiones were looking back at her.

"(There you are!)" one of them said. "(We've been looking everywhere for you!)"

"(What are you doing on land?)" the other one asked.

"(Hey, guys!)" Phione replied. "(I'm on a date!)"

They both blinked. "(... A date?)" the first one asked.

"(Yep! And then I'm gonna take her home!)"

The second one groaned. "(Oh no... now you're doing it with pokémon, too?)"

"(But-!)"

"(I'm so sorry about him...)" the first one said.

"(That's alright...)" Buneary replied.

"(Just come home, alright?)" the second one said.

"(Alright!)" Phione replied. He smiled at Buneary. "(Are you coming?)"

Buneary blinked. She gave him an uncertain gaze, glancing back at her group of friends, before looking back at him.

"(I...)" she replied.

"(Come on!)" He grabbed her paw, gently pulling her towards the water. "(Let's go!)"

She began to panic. "(Wait! I-!)"

Pikachu's eyes widened. Two more phione had appeared and, now, the original phione was dragging Buneary towards the water.

Was this it? Was she about to leave? Without even saying goodbye?

His heart began to twist into painful knots in his chest. It hurt. Oh, legends, it hurt. Why was she leaving without at least a goodbye?

As her cream-coloured feet hit the shallows, he suddenly felt it. He didn't want her to leave. Not now. Not ever. He wanted her to stick around. To keep on nuzzling him and cuddling him. He wanted her to stay by his side.

He wanted... He wanted to be the one to hold her paw.

Panic began to overtake him. He couldn't let her leave. Not yet.

Frowning in determination, he got on all fours and ran towards the beach.

"(Come on, stop it!)" the second phione said, looking annoyed.

"(Yeah, knock it off!)" the first phione agreed, looking concerned.

"(It's okay!)" Phione replied. "(We'll work something out! I know we will!)"

"(Wait a minute!)" Buneary said, struggling to stay on the shore.

"(Buneary!)" a voice suddenly called out.

She paused, her eyes widening in shock. Spinning around, she saw Pikachu skid to a halt nearby.

"(Pikachu?)"

He was frowning at her, though something else seemed to be shining in his eyes. "(Don't leave yet, Buneary! Don't... leave without at least saying goodbye!)"

"(Huh?! But-)"

"(Are you trying to interfere again?!)" Phione yelled.

"(Stop it, brother!)" the second phione snapped.

"(Yeah, stop!)" the first phione cried in distress.

"(I told you, I'm taking her home!)" Phione cried.

"(Not before I say something!)" Pikachu yelled back.

Getting a headache, Buneary yanked her paw away from Phione. "(Alright, stop it! Both of you!)" she yelled.

They both stared at her.

"(Buneary?)" Pikachu asked.

She turned to Phione. "(Look. Phione. You're a great guy. Really nice.)" She paused. "(... But I can't come home with you.)"

Phione's expression turned sad. "(What? Why?)"

She hated to do this to him, but there was no other way. "(... Because I don't feel that way about you.)" Phione's eyes widened. "(... I... I have feelings for someone else.)"

He blinked slowly. "(You... You do?)" She nodded in response. Silently, he looked at Pikachu, then back at Buneary. He paused a moment. "(... I see. So, he didn't want you for himself, after all?)"

"(No... I thought you were being too forward, so I hid behind him.)" She felt her face burn. It was difficult admitting her crush on Pikachu when he was standing right behind her, but it had to be done. "(I... never wanted to come home with you.)"

There was a long stretch of silence.

Eventually, Phione gave her a sad smile, his eyes watery. "(I should have known. I guess it was kind of silly of me to expect... well...)" He sniffled.

She gave him a comforting smile. "(Hey, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find someone who'll want to come home with you. Just... try not to be so forward next time, okay?)"

He sniffled again. "(Okay...)"

"(And hey... I'd be happy to be your friend. If we ever meet again, I'd love another battle.)"

He paused a moment to consider this. Then he smiled. "(Yeah. That'd be fun.)"

"(... Well, we'd better be going, bro,)" the second phione said.

"(Yeah, we've gotta get back home!)" the first phione said. "(We'll even grab you a couple of trinkets on the way, if you like!)"

He turned to smile at his sisters. "(Thanks, you two.)" Turning to face Pikachu, his smile became sheepish. "(And I'm sorry about all the trouble I caused you, Pikachu...)"

"(Uh, that's okay...)" Pikachu replied.

"(Well, see you around!)" Phione jumped into the water with a splash. Resurfacing, he waved. "(Good luck, you two! I hope you're very happy together!)"

Buneary blushed again. "(Uh, thanks!)" she replied.

"(Bye!)" the other two phione said. The three of them disappeared under the waves.

A great silence followed.

Eventually, steeling herself, she turned to Pikachu with a smile. "(Well, that was a thing!)"

He blinked at her, still standing on all fours. "(Uh, yeah...)" he replied.

She shuffled her feet on the sand. "(So, uh... shall we go back to the others?)"

He slowly stood up onto his feet. "(Uh, yeah... sure...)"

The air felt awkward. She avoided his gaze.

"(Um...)" he said, "(so...)" There was a pause. "(... I knew that you liked me, you know.)"

She jolted. "(Oh... you... did?)"

"(Yeah... it wasn't very subtle...)"

She pulled her fluff over her mouth. "(I suppose not...)"

"(... I'm... sorry I never responded to it...)"

"(That's okay...)"

"(... No. No, it's not.)"

"(Hmm?)"

He looked down at the sand, as if contemplating something. After a few moments, he nodded to himself and looked up again. "(I think...)"

"(Hmm?)"

"(... I think I might return them now.)"

Her eyes widened considerably. "(... What?)"

"(Yeah... I wasn't sure before, but... seeing you with Phione...)" He looked away. "(And thinking you might leave... it made me realise... that I do.)"

Her mouth fell open.

"(So... I dunno...)" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "(Do you wanna try the... dating thing, or... something?)"

She had to be dreaming.

"(I mean, I'm probably not very good at it yet, but... I wanna try, 'cause...)" He turned to look at her. "(I like you.)"

A squeal started to bubble its way up her throat, increasing in volume until it exploded from her mouth. "(Yes, please!)" Leaping forward, she gave him a hug. "(I'd love to!)"

"(Heh. Well... cool.)"

She glanced at him to see that his face was turning quite red. She giggled happily to herself.

"(Alright, well...)" Pikachu continued, "(let's head back.)"

She pulled away, still smiling. "(Okay!)"

He smiled exasperatedly. "(We'll have a job explaining this to the others...)"

She giggled again. "(We sure will!)"

His smile turned soft. "(So...)" He held out a paw. "(Shall we?)"

She grabbed his paw in hers. "(Yeah, let's!)"

They began to walk back towards where the others were standing, having been watching the whole thing.

She couldn't believe it. She was dating Pikachu! It was like a dream come true!

Maybe seeing a phione really was lucky, after all.

The End