Author's note: Yo, mah brothas and sistahs!

In case anyone was interested, the last one-shot I wrote, All Dolled Up, guest-starred two dolls from the X and Y games! The pikachu doll and the brown-footed buneary doll, complete with their actual owners! The 'Twins' (or one of them, in the one-shot's case) and the female 'Preschooler'.

Neat, huh? :D I does me research, I does!

As for this one-shot, it's based on an actual episode! I had to watch said episode up and down and all around to get the one-shot as close to canon as I could, so I hope you like it!

... This was originally meant to just be a drabble, but I... kinda got a bit carried away. XD No regrets.

Best mistake of the day: "(Hey, you wants to play?)" he called out.

(What is this? The webcomic called Selkie? "My queendoms for thats big skys lasers.")

Two of a Kind

After finishing a hearty breakfast - and watching Clemont blow himself up with an invention, yet again - Pikachu ran over to the group's purple ball and picked it up.

He smiled at his friends nearby. "(Hey, who wants to play?)" he called out.

"(Me!)" four of them replied.

"(Alright, here it comes!)" He threw the purple ball, then ran after it.

Giving out cries of delight, Chespin, Bunnelby, Dedenne and Pancham all ran after it, too.

Reaching it first, Chespin hit it towards Dedenne. The gerbil jumped up high, hitting it to Pancham. The panda hit it towards Pikachu, who hit it a little too hard towards Chespin.

Backing up with a determined smirk, Chespin jumped up, bouncing the ball off his chest, then kicking it. Ha. That show-off.

The ball flew towards Bunnelby, too far to the left. Pikachu watched as it sailed past him, too high for the rabbit to reach it.

Chespin put a paw behind his head, laughing. "(Whoops!)" he said.

Pikachu shook his head at his friend, still smiling. "(Oh, you...)" he replied.

Pulling an exasperated face, Bunnelby trudged after the ball.

It had been a while and Bunnelby still hadn't come back. Pikachu was starting to get worried.

"Bunnelby's taking a while..." Serena said.

"Yeah, you're right..." Ash replied. He stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go look for him!" He headed towards the nearby forest.

Serena stood up and ran after him. "I'll come with you!"

Bonnie did the same. "Don't forget about us!" she cried.

Clambering out of his chair with a yelp, Clement also followed. "Wait for meeee!" he cried.

Pikachu and the others followed suit.

"(I'm tired!)" Dedenne whined.

Pikachu gave him an exasperated look. "(Come on, we haven't even been looking long...)" he replied.

"(But I have tiny feet!)"

"(And a chubby body...)" Pancham muttered with a smirk.

"(Pfft!)" Chespin replied, but covered his mouth immediately. "(R-Rude!)"

"(Hmph!)" Dedenne said. "(I'm very skinny for a dedenne, I'll have you know!)" He ran up Pikachu's side and sat on his head. "(... Jerk.)"

Pikachu gave an exasperated sigh, but let the kid sit on his head. He wasn't very heavy, anyway.

"Bunnelby!" Ash suddenly called out in surprise. Everyone poked their heads over a nearby bush to look. "You find it?"

"(Yeah!)" Bunnelby replied.

Pikachu blinked. Wait, that pokémon he was with. Was that... a buneary? And a female one, at that!

Wow. He hadn't seen one of those in a while...

As Serena scanned the rabbit on her pokédex, he couldn't help but notice her odd behaviour. She had a huge smile on her face, a blush on her cheeks and she was fidgeting nervously. After a short while, she placed her paws over her face in embarrassment.

Huh. She was acting very similar to Dawn's buneary! How odd.

... Was it actually her?! Wow! What was she doing all the way out here in Kalos?! The last they'd heard, Dawn's team had gone to Johto!

He smiled widely in her direction, hoping to catch her eye. Then she'd come bounding over and give him a hug, like old times!

"Buneary!" a voice suddenly called out. "Where are you?"

... Wait. That wasn't Dawn's voice.

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice to see a girl with two brown plaits running over to Buneary.

"(Lilia!)" Buneary said in surprise.

The girl chuckled, kneeling down in front of the rabbit. "That's where you are!"

... Wait. Was this not Dawn's buneary?

He took a closer look, squinting slightly to see better.

... Nope. It turned out it wasn't her at all. Dang...

His chest felt strangely empty at the discovery, but he forced on a smile anyway. Just to be polite. Especially as the buneary turned to beam in his direction.

... Wait, no. She wasn't even looking at him, was she? She was beaming directly at Bunnelby, who was right in front of her.

Ah well. It did make him wonder what Dawn's buneary was doing right now, though. The last time he'd seen her had been in Unova, when they'd stayed at Cynthia's villa for a while. Then Dawn had left for the Wallace Cup in Johto and they hadn't heard from her since.

He wondered if the rabbit was doing okay...

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Bonnie started doing her weird 'Brock thing' of proposing to a random girl, except on behalf of Clemont.

"Stop!" Clemont cried. "I told you not to do that a million times!" He used his mechanical aipom arm to lift her up and pull her away.

Bonnie yelped. "Stop it!" she cried, waving her arms around in protest. "No fair!"

The girl stood up. "That sounds interesting!" she said. "Actually, I'm looking for a partner, too! I'm Lilia. Hi there!"

Pikachu stared at her. Seriously? She was... interested?

Over the course of Kalos, Bonnie had asked a million girls to 'take care' of her brother, but none had actually said yes until now.

"(Wooow!)" Dedenne said in shock from atop his head. "(She actually said yes!)"

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied, also in shock.

Later, everybody was sitting near a lake as Clemont got to know Lilia better. As they talked about her father's company, Pikachu - who was sitting in-between Ash and Serena on a boulder - couldn't help but zone out.

Next to Lilia, on the grass, were Buneary and Bunnelby. He fought to keep the smile on his face - again, out of politeness - but his eyes kept drifting in their direction. Something about them being together just didn't sit well with him. He couldn't quite place it, though.

"Awesome!" Ash suddenly said. "Wow, talk about cool!"

"(Uh, yeah! Yeah!)" Pikachu quickly replied, pretending to be listening.

As the humans continued talking, he forced on an even bigger smile, though his gaze never left Buneary and Bunnelby. It really was like he was looking at Dawn's buneary, but he knew it wasn't her. She looked ever-so slightly different and hadn't even acknowledged his presence. In fact, she hadn't looked at anyone but Bunnelby and Lilia the entire time she'd been here.

Why did watching them together make him so uneasy, though? And why couldn't he tear his gaze away from them?

He wanted to hear about how much Clemont and Lilia had in common - something to do with robots - but he just couldn't focus on that conversation at all.

Instead, he focused his hearing elsewhere.

"(Looks like our trainers are getting along~)" Buneary said, smiling at Bunnelby.

"(Yeah, I guess so,)" Bunnelby replied, his face neutral.

"(Do you think they'll date?)"

"(I dunno. Maybe.)"

Buneary giggled. "(Oh, I hope so~! If they date, then we can spend more time together~!)"

"(Yeah, I... guess so.)"

Hmm. Gosh, she was so much like Dawn's buneary. It was honestly a little unnerving. Well, except for the fact that she was pretty much ignoring everybody but Bunnelby right now. The Buneary he knew would've never done that.

Still, seeing them chatting together was reminding him of his Sinnoh days, where he and Dawn's buneary would sit and chat about silly things, then play a game or two. Heck, it also reminded him of how much she used to praise him over the slightest thing, like doing well in training.

Heh, memories...

"Can I see some of your inventions, Clemont?" Lilia asked.

"Sure thing!" Clemont replied. "Though I'll need help carrying them over here..." He laughed sheepishly.

"No worries!" Ash said. "We'll help you out!"

"Yeah!" Serena agreed. "No problem!"

With Clemont's inventions laid out for Lilia to look at, Pikachu stood on the grass by Bonnie's feet. He watched as Buneary and Bunnelby sat down by the lake, even further away than before.

Aww. With all the noise, they were out of hearing range now...

As he watched Buneary smile and chat to Bunnelby, he felt that strange sense of emptiness in his chest again.

The humans were talking about something to do with the future, but he wasn't really listening.

A little bit later, Clemont was cooking some food for Lilia. Bonnie was bothering him about something, but Pikachu wasn't paying attention. Nor was he paying attention to Ash and Serena's conversation.

His eyes remained focused on the rabbit duo by the lake.

... Wait. Was she scooting closer to him?!

He stared.

Suddenly, his heart started to ache. He held a paw to his chest. What the heck? Why was he feeling this? It wasn't as if he wanted to be in Bunnelby's place. He barely knew that buneary!

But... she looked and acted so much like the one he knew...

... He really missed her, didn't he? It hadn't really occurred to him until now, but seeing her doppelganger hang around with somebody else had made the feeling so much stronger...

He watched as Chespin and Pancham approached the rabbits, apparently wanting to talk to Buneary about something. However, they only ended up being punched away by her ear.

Huh. Yeah, the Buneary he knew would never do that, either. She was kind. Friendly. Social. Sure, she liked to nuzzle him a lot, but she had plenty of time for other people and pokémon.

... Speaking of nuzzling, Lilia's buneary was now nuzzling Bunnelby. Urgh, why did it hurt to watch?

A short while later, Pikachu watched as the rabbits and their trainers headed off on a walk together. It hadn't escaped his notice that Buneary and Bunnelby were holding paws.

He heaved a sigh. Partly because his heart felt oddly heavy and partly because it was a relief that they weren't around to look at anymore. At least for the moment.

"(Urgh!)" Chespin groaned nearby. "(Can you believe her?! Why would she pick Bunnelby over me?!)"

"(Or me,)" Pancham added, folding his arms.

Chespin threw his paws in the air in frustration. "(Freaking Bunnelby!)"

"(Well...)" Pikachu replied carefully, "(he is pretty reliable and... mature.)"

Chespin stomped his foot on the grass several times. "(I can be mature, too!)"

"(Ha!)" Pancham replied mockingly. "(You wish!)"

Chespin angrily whirled to face him. "(And just what is that supposed to mean?!)"

Pancham frowned back, unfolding his arms to clench his fists. "(Oh, I think you know!)"

"(You're just mad that she'd never crush on your ugly face!)"

"(Well, I don't see her crushing on your ugly mug, either!)"

Pikachu blinked. "(Wait...)" he said, "(crush?)"

They both gave him perplexed looks.

"(Huh?)" Chespin asked. "(Well, yeah...)"

"(What did you think it was?)" Pancham asked.

"(Uh...)" Pikachu replied.

Chespin blinked. "(... What, did you think she was just being friendly?!)" he asked incredulously.

"(Well...)"

"(Good grief, you're oblivious,)" Pancham said. He folded his arms again. "(She has a crush on him, obviously.)" He glared off to the side. "(Though why is anyone's guess.)"

Pikachu blinked. A crush? But... she acted almost the same way around Bunnelby as Dawn's buneary did around him.

... Wait.

Wait.

Wait!

... Did Dawn's buneary... have a crush on him?!

Time had passed. The other four had returned from their walk, Lilia and Bunnelby being bandaged up from a fall they'd had. Pikachu's mind, however, was still elsewhere.

It kept replaying memories of Sinnoh over and over again. Then some memories from Unova. All of the same pokémon. All of Buneary.

Her laugh. Her smile. The way she'd pull her fluff up to her face. Something that Lilia's buneary didn't do, he'd realised.

Had all that really been signs of a crush?

Sure, the humans had assumed it - right from the day they'd met Buneary - and sure, his Sinnoh and Unova friends had sometimes teased him about it, but he hadn't thought they were being serious!

All the nuzzling. All the blushing. It made sense. It made perfect sense, in fact. But, if she really did have a crush on him, why had she never told him?!

And, for that matter... did she still have a crush on him?

Later in the day, they were hitting the road again, en route to the next pokémon centre. Lilia and her buneary had decided to join them.

"(Let's walk together, honey~!)" Buneary said happily.

"(Uh, sure,)" Bunnelby replied.

Sitting on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu glanced behind him. The two rabbits were holding paws, while Chespin and Pancham were glaring at them.

The aching in Pikachu's heart returned, so he turned away again.

Not too long afterwards, he heard a strange sound. His ears pricked slightly.

"(Huh?)" he asked.

Suddenly, there were explosions. The ground under the humans' feet gave way and they all tumbled into a pit.

Owwww. Ow, ow, ow.

A glowing blue net came flying out of nowhere, snagging Buneary and Bunnelby. Pikachu looked up in the sky, seeing a meowth-shaped hot air balloon.

Oh, of course. Team Rocket. It was always Team Rocket.

Unfortunately, Team Rocket had gotten away with Buneary and Bunnelby. Fortunately, though, due to a clever invention of Clemont's, they'd managed to track them down.

Seeing Buneary in the distance, trapped inside a net, made Pikachu think of Dawn's buneary in a net. Frightened. Alone. Crying out for help, like the day he'd met her. When Team Rocket had captured her.

The image fuelled his rage as Ash called on him to battle.

After disposing of their daily nuisance, the group continued their walk. Discussions were had about Bonnie falling off a cliff and Clemont rescuing her, none of which Pikachu had seen.

During the fight, all he'd been able to focus on was that image of Dawn's buneary in a net.

He glanced over at Lilia's buneary. Seeing the 'wrong' buneary made his heart ache. He wanted to see the other one again. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, play with her...

... Wait. Did he... have a crush on her, too?

His heart soared at the thought. He blinked. Wow. Was that what a crush felt like? He'd never really had one before. The closest he'd ever come to it was appreciating the beauty of certain female humans back in Kanto. Like Giselle from Pokémon Tech, or Misty's sisters from the Cerulean Gym. They were very pretty.

... But they weren't Buneary.

He blinked again, a bit overwhelmed by this new feeling. He tried to shake off the shock.

Gosh, this would take some getting used to...

Sometime later, when the group had eaten dinner and the sun had started to set, everyone had gotten ready to start walking again.

Putting on her backpack, Lilia turned to the group with a smile. "Well, then..." she said, "time to say goodbye!"

Wait. She was leaving?

"Huh?" Serena asked. "I thought you were coming with us to the pokémon centre..."

Lilia shook her head. "Not now. I'm not ready to choose a partner just yet." She put her hands to her heart. "There's still a lot more for me to learn." She beamed at the group. "An awful lot!" She put her hand behind her head sheepishly. "It's not the kind of quick decision you make overnight!"

Pikachu tilted his head. So... she wasn't going to date Clemont? But the two of them had gotten along so well! They'd seemed like the perfect fit for one another.

... Then again, he supposed it made sense. His crush on Buneary hadn't come from nowhere, after all. He'd known her for many months, played with her a ton and knew almost everything about her. Lilia had only known Clemont for a day.

Though that didn't really explain Lilia's buneary and her crush on Bunnelby.

"Let's go, Buneary!" Lilia called out.

Pikachu looked down to see the rabbit facing Bunnelby. She looked sad.

"(G... Goodbye!)" she said to him. "(I'll miss you!)"

Bunnelby gave her a warm smile in response. "(It's okay,)" he replied. "(I'll miss you, too.)" He waved her off as she began to walk away. "(Goodbye! Take care!)"

"(Bye...)"

Once Lilia and her buneary had left, the group continued on their walk to the pokémon centre. As they did so, Pikachu couldn't help but look down at Bunnelby, who was walking alongside Clemont. The rabbit looked awfully happy, strangely.

"(Uh...)" Pikachu said, "(hey, Bunnelby.)" The rabbit looked up at him curiously. "(Sorry about your, uh... girlfriend?)"

Bunnelby shook his head. "(Nah, she wasn't my girlfriend. Sure, she liked me... a lot... but it wasn't really mutual.)"

Pikachu's eyes widened in surprise. "(It wasn't?)"

"(Nope. I barely knew her, after all.)"

"(Oh. I guess so.)"

He supposed that made sense. Looking back at the road ahead, his thoughts drifted back to Dawn's buneary. His buneary. Until today, he hadn't been returning her feelings at all, had he? Or had he and he just hadn't noticed? Either way, he had much less of a reason than Bunnelby not to return them.

... And, now, he did return them.

He pictured that bright smile, that warm embrace, that heart-melting cry of his own name, spoken in a tone of pure joy.

He couldn't help but smile to himself as he felt warmth build in his chest.

He liked Buneary. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to realise it, but he really liked Buneary.

And he couldn't wait until the day he could see her again.

... The real her.

The End