Author's note: Yo, peeps!

This one-shot was heavily inspired by a dream I had. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, about this one-shot collection! The hope, while making it, was to entertain, of course... but also to inspire! Inspire you to create fics of your own, that is! After all, there are many, many different scenarios one could up with for the anime canon. The possibilities are endless! *plays theme song of Sonic Unleashed*

Remember, I'm only one brain, with one writing style. I'd love to see many more writing styles! Variety is the spice of life, they say!

Would you like to borrow one of my ideas and write it your own way? Feel free! I wanna see how YOUR iterations of Pikachu and Buneary would react in a similar scenario.

I admit, I wasn't the best about imitation fics once upon a time... but now I've decided it's okay! They do say it's the sincerest form of flattery, right?

I'm sure we all have a different vision for this mouse and rabbit. So lemmie see what you've got! As long as nothing's directly ripped off, and you put your own spin on things, then it's all cool!

Anyway... on with the one-shot!

The Same Coin

"(Great job on training~!)" Buneary said, hugging Pikachu. She nuzzled reassuringly into his fur. "(You're gonna kill it at the league!)"

Pikachu laughed awkwardly in response. "(Thanks...)" he replied. "(I'll do my best!)" Shuffling out of her grasp, he moved away.

She pouted. He was always doing that. Especially lately. Maybe he just wanted as few distractions as possible - since the Sinnoh League was just around the corner - but still. It was a little off-putting when he didn't seem to appreciate her hugs.

After all these months of her doing them, she would've thought he'd have gotten used to them by now. Apparently, though, it had swung in the opposite direction.

"Alright, you guys," Brock said, "I'm gonna start working on dinner now."

"Awesome!" Ash replied. "I can't wait!"

"What are we having?" Dawn asked.

"Hmm..." Brock replied. "Maybe a stew."

"Oh boy, stew!" Ash said.

"That sounds great!" Dawn replied.

"Alright," Brock said, "then I'll get working on it right away." He headed over to where he'd left his backpack.

"(In that case,)" Pikachu said, turning to the nearby pokémon, "(I'll see you guys in a bit.)"

"(Oh, off on another walk?)" Piplup asked.

"(Yep. Well, see you later!)" He began wandering off.

"(See ya! Remember not to go too far, alright?)"

"(Yeah!)" Pachirisu agreed. "(Wouldn't want Team Rocket nabbin' ya!)"

Pikachu chuckled. "(I won't!)" he replied. "(Bye!)"

"(Bye!)"

Buneary quietly watched him leave.

Hmm. He'd been wandering off on his own a lot lately, too. 'Taking a walk', he called it. She'd offered to go with him a few times, but he'd always insisted on going alone.

Maybe he was stressed over the Sinnoh League? Though she didn't see why he would be. She knew he'd do great! Even if Ash's team didn't win, she still planned on praising him for his efforts.

So just what was up with him lately?

... Maybe she'd follow him and find out.

Buneary carefully poked her head out of the bush she was in, making sure Pikachu wouldn't hear her. He did have rather sensitive ears, after all.

She still couldn't help wonder what he was doing. Was he going somewhere in particular? No, that didn't make any sense. The group had travelled a lot since the first time he'd done this. So, unless he had a magic portal that he could call upon from anywhere in the land, he likely had no destination in mind.

So just what was he doing? Getting some fresh air? But they got that all the time while travelling. They were outside, in the wilderness, for around eighty percent of their journey.

So then did he just want to be alone?

But he was such a social pokémon! He was always the first to suggest playing a game, and he'd happily chat with anyone who asked! Plus, he'd never done anything like this, until recently! It just made no sense!

Once he was far enough away, she quietly hopped over to the next bush, quickly hiding in it before he spotted her.

Parting the leaves, she continued to watch him.

When he was far enough away again, she hopped over to the next bush. It rustled a bit louder that she wanted it to.

Parting the leaves, she saw his ear twitch. Her breath caught in her throat. Oh no! Had he caught onto the fact that she was following him?!

He turned his head, glancing behind him. She pulled the leaves a bit closer together, trying to stay hidden.

His head inclined this way and that. After a moment, he shrugged to himself and kept on walking.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Wow, this was more trouble than it was worth...

... Oh no.

Buneary stared in horror. The place Pikachu had chosen to walk through was an open field! She watched, aghast, as he kept on walking, none the wiser. Just what was she supposed to do now?! There was no cover here! No trees, no bushes, nothing!

She glanced around, seeing various shinx, starly and buneary scattered across the field. Was she supposed to hide behind them?

... No, that was stupid. She needed a new plan, and fast.

She glanced around again. After a moment, she paused. There was always the other option of giving up and heading back to camp. Leaving him alone to do whatever he was doing...

She watched his slowly retreating figure, walking at a very relaxed pace.

... No. She really wanted to know. Her curiosity was killing her!

She glanced around again.

Her eyes eventually landed on the few wild buneary that were scattered around.

... Hmm...

Maybe... if she pretended to be someone else... she could follow him easier?

Would that really work, though?

... Then again, Team Rocket did it all the time and the group always fell for it. Heck, even she kept falling for it! They were very convincing disguises...

Though she didn't have any clothes to disguise herself with...

When she noticed how far away he was getting, she started to panic. Leaping out from behind her tree, she hopped after him.

... Wait, what was she doing?! Slowing to a walk, she worked her brain furiously to come up with a plan.

Then his ear twitched again.

Her eyes widened. Oh no! She was out in the open, with nowhere to hide!

As his head started to turn around, she did the first thing she could think of. She grabbed her unrolled ear, pulled it down to her face and turned away from him.

She could feel his eyes on her. She twiddled with her ear, in an attempt to look shy and demure. Maybe he'd fall for it?

After a few moments, the yellow in her peripheral vision moved away.

She blinked, looking up. Had it worked? She wasn't entirely sure. He hadn't said anything, though, and he'd have said something if he'd recognised her, right?

Assuming it must have worked, she continued to slowly follow him.

Thankfully, the open field had enough wild buneary milling around on it that she'd probably fit right in.

Eventually, after passing through another area with bushes and trees, Pikachu slowed to a stop. From inside a nearby bush, Buneary watched as he sat on a log and gazed up at the sky.

... Oh. This was where he'd been going? So he hadn't been heading anywhere in particular, just going for a walk, like he'd said?

Oh.

Well, she supposed she had no reason to be following him, then. Maybe she should just quietly sneak off back to camp and leave him to it. After all, when out on his walks, he'd always be back in time for dinner. She was sure today would be no different.

Carefully, she put one foot in front of the other and turned around.

A twig went snap under her foot.

She froze, her eyes going wide.

"(Who's there?!)" Pikachu suddenly yelled.

She slowly turned in his direction. Through the tiny hole in the leaves, she could see him standing up, looking very on-guard.

"(Team Rocket, is that you?!)" he continued. He paused. "(If... you capture me now, Ash won't be around to gloat to! Just saying! And... And I know how much you love doing that, so...!)"

She huffed in slight amusement. He certainly wasn't wrong. Team Rocket were about as likely to capture him in secret as they were to stop capturing him at all.

Oh well. It looked like her cover was blown. Either she stepped out and revealed herself or he'd come over and look. Either way, the jig was up.

... Though she couldn't help wonder: could she still get away with her disguise? It was worth trying, at least.

In a last ditch attempt to keep her identity hidden, she pulled her ear down to fidget with it. Keeping her eyes averted, she slowly stepped out of the bush.

Pikachu made a noise of surprise. "(Oh, it's you,)" he said.

... It hadn't worked at all, had it? She should've figured. The disguise was pretty paper-thin, after all. Heck, at least Team Rocket wore clothing to disguise themselves. She'd thought she could get away with just changing her posture.

This was actually kind of embarrassing...

"(... Yeah,)" she mumbled in reply.

"(Were you following me?)"

She blushed slightly. "(Um... yeah...)"

"(Oh. Why's that?)"

"(... I dunno. I just wanted to know where you were going...)"

"(Oh.)" There was a pause. Then Pikachu chuckled. "(Well, I guess that makes sense! I probably looked a bit suspicious, since I'm not local!)"

"(... Huh?)"

"(Yeah, I was just going for a stroll, but I guess I went right through your home, huh? Sorry about that!)"

... Wait. Wait. So he... didn't recognise her?! The disguise was actually working?!

Well... this was unexpected. It was certainly convenient, though!

She kept her voice as low as possible, continuing her attempt to look shy and demure. "(So... why were you...?)"

"(Strolling through? Well, I... I've had a lot on my mind lately. Going for walks helps me think.)"

Now that was interesting...

"(Oh?)"

"(Yeah...)" He paused.

She really wanted to look at his face, but she kept her gaze averted. Knowing her luck, the second she looked him in the eyes, he'd recognise her. She couldn't afford to risk it. Not yet.

Eventually, he continued. "(It's... something I can't really talk to my friends about...)" He chuckled. "(For... reasons.)"

Okay, yeah. Now she definitely couldn't afford to let her disguise slip.

"(Do you... wanna talk about it?)"

"(Hmm?)"

There was another pause. This one longer than the last. Oh no, she hadn't blown her cover, had she?! She held her ear tighter to her face, still fidgeting with it.

Actually, it was kind of like how Dawn would sometimes twirl her own hair around her finger while deep in thought.

Eventually, Pikachu continued. "(Well, I guess it'd be easier telling a stranger than a friend. If you're alright with it.)"

... She honestly wasn't sure why this was working so well. She wasn't complaining, though!

She was about to answer vocally, but paused. Instead, she gave a shy nod.

"(Okay, then!)" Pikachu replied. "(How about we sit on this log over here, then?)"

She silently nodded again, then walked over to where the log was. She kept her eyes trained on the grass as she walked.

Once she approached the log, she carefully climbed onto it. Both of her paws were still busy fiddling with her ear, so it wasn't as easy as it could have been.

After she was seated, he walked over and sat next to her.

He let out a long, contemplative sigh. "(Okay,)" he said. "(Well... how best to phrase this...)" He paused a moment. "(I've... been struggling with some feelings lately.)"

Her ear perked up slightly. Hopefully not enough for him to notice.

He continued. "(It's... kinda embarrassing to admit what they are, but... I've been struggling with them for a while now.)" He let out a softer sigh through his nostrils. "(Then some other stuff came up. My trainer's competing in the Sinnoh League soon and... I'm running out of time.)"

"(... Time?)" she asked.

"(Yeah. To decide on those... feelings.)"

"(... Did you?)"

"(Yeah. Yeah, I think I did... The problem is... I'm running out of time to... convey them.)"

"(... You are?)"

"(Yeah. You know how I said my trainer's heading to the Sinnoh League? Well, after that... whether we win or lose... we'll probably head back to Kanto... but...)"

"(... But?)"

"(I dunno if his friends will come with him.)"

She paused. "(... Huh?)"

"(Yeah. I thought Misty would always be with us... but then she left. Then I thought May would always be with us... but she left, too. I'm worried Dawn might leave, too.)"

... She'd honestly never considered that. The thought kind of scared her. Dawn, separating from Ash?

He continued. "(I... really don't wanna talk to Piplup about it. Especially since he... seems to think we'll be travelling together until we're old and grey.)"

"(Oh...)"

"(Yeah... but, at the same time, I gotta focus on the Sinnoh League, 'cause it's really important to Ash... and we've been training so hard for it, so I... kinda can't afford to be off my game.)"

"(I... see...)"

"(Yeah. It's hard, though...)" He paused. "(It's why I've been taking all these walks! They help clear the head a bit.)" He gave a gentle laugh. "(Heaven knows I have a lot of feelings to sort through! Though, like I said, the walks helped.)"

Ah. That explained an awful lot, actually.

He continued. "(Thanks for listening, though. I think I needed to vent to someone. It's been... hard dealing with it all alone.)"

... The poor guy...

"(It's okay...)" she replied.

"(Thanks. You're really nice.)" He paused again. "(Oh, hey, I should probably be getting back. I'm sure dinner will be ready soon.)"

"(Okay...)"

"(Wanna walk me back?)"

"(Yeah. Okay...)"

On the stroll back, Buneary had been left with a lot to think about. Just what were the 'feelings' that Pikachu had been struggling with? And why were they too embarrassing to talk to his friends about?

The way he'd worded it made it sound like it had something to do with Dawn. Since he was 'running out of time' and was afraid that she'd 'leave soon'.

What feelings these were, that he'd been sorting through, though, she had no idea.

"(Okay, we're here!)" he said.

She froze as she realised they were outside the bushes that led to the campsite.

He continued. "(This is my stop, but... you're free to come over, if you like! I'm sure Brock will have some extra food he can give you.)"

... Oh no.

He wanted to bring her into the campsite, where all of her friends were. If at least one of them saw her face, then it would all be over.

There was a lot of them, so there was a very high chance of it happening. No matter which way she turned, one of them would probably see her.

That and they might not have even seen the local wild buneary in the area, so she'd be seen as the only one.

Oh no...

"(Um...)" he continued, "(are you okay?)"

"(... Yeah,)" she lied.

"(Are you nervous?)"

She nodded, this one not entirely a lie.

"(It's okay!)" he continued. "(My friends are really nice. I'm sure you'll like 'em a lot.)"

"(Yeah...)"

He paused. "(... Do you need a minute?)"

"(Y-Yeah.)"

"(Alright. I'll go in first and tell 'em you're coming! Just come through when you're ready. Okay?)"

"(... Okay.)"

"(Great. See you there!)" He disappeared through the bushes, off to the campsite.

... What was she going to do?!

Soon, it would become apparent to him that there weren't two buneary in camp. There was only one. Not only that, but she'd followed him, lied to him, pretended to be someone else...

Oh, she was so screwed.

Even if she went to camp in her 'shy and demure' disguise, she was sure to be found out sooner or later. Especially when they realised that Dawn's buneary had mysteriously vanished.

... Nope. There was nothing for it. She had to come clean now.

Heaving a sigh, she took a few moments to prepare herself. She let her ear spring back into its original position. She held her head high, intent on direct eye contact. She took a deep breath through her nose, which she released through her mouth.

Then she strode through the bushes with purpose.

She looked around. When her eyes landed on Pikachu, who was excitedly chatting to a few of his friends, she took another deep breath. Then she began walking towards him.

When she stopped in front of him, he looked up at her.

She felt tense. What would he say? What would he do? Would he be angry that she'd lied to him? Could he forgive her?

He smiled. "(Hey, Buneary!)" he said. "(Say, have you seen another buneary around here? I wanna introduce her to everyone.)"

... No. Freaking. Way. He still thought they were two different people!

Did she really look that different? Just from a simple change of demeanour? Wow, she really could give Team Rocket a run for their money...

"(Um...)" she replied.

She wasn't quite sure what to say. Then again, this could be the perfect chance to get away with it! She took a quiet, calming breath through her nose.

She continued. "(Yeah, I... saw one running away from camp.)" She forced on a smile. "(Didn't look like she wanted to stick around.)"

She was surprised to see Pikachu's ears dip slightly, the smile falling off his face. "(Oh... is that so?)"

"(Uh, y-yeah...)"

"(Oh... I was hoping she'd eat with us, but... I guess not.)"

... Okay, now she felt really bad. Not only had she lied to him and pretended to be someone else, but she'd upset him, too.

"(Well, can't win 'em all, I guess,)" Piplup replied.

"(Yeah, she's probably got stuff to do!)" Pachirisu added.

"(I guess...)" Pikachu replied.

... Thinking about it, just why was he so torn up over a 'stranger'? Had he really connected that strongly to her while she'd been around? He had told her things that he hadn't been able to tell anyone else... Heck, he'd invited her to sit and chat with him, despite all the times he'd told Buneary herself that he'd wanted to be alone.

Did he... like her alter-ego more than her?

Her ear dipped slightly at the thought.

Pikachu's ears remained dipped as he ate dinner. It made Buneary feel worse and worse the more she looked at him.

"(Are you still sad over that wild buneary?)" Piplup asked.

Pikachu sighed. "(Yeah...)" he replied.

"(Why?)" Pachirisu asked.

"('Cause... she listened. I told her a lot of stuff and... I dunno. I just wanted to hang out with her some more.)"

... So he had grown close to her alter-ego. It figured. Though, after so many months of them being friends, why would he prefer a girl he'd only just met? At least, as far as he knew.

She didn't understand...

"(What kind of things did you talk about?)" Piplup asked.

"(Oh, this and that...)"

... Maybe she should tell him. His sad face was killing her. She opened her mouth to say something, but it got stuck in her throat.

She closed her mouth again. No, it was far too awkward doing it that way. Besides, would he even believe her? Sighing lightly, she turned away.

... Heh. Ironically, she seemed to have picked up a few habits from her alter-ego. She was avoiding looking him in the eye and she was barely talking to him. This was quite the hole she'd dug for herself.

... Hmm. Actually, that gave her an idea. Maybe, instead of directly telling him the truth, she could heavily hint it to him. That way, he could figure it out for himself and... maybe it would be less awkward that way?

It was the best plan she had...

Averting her eyes even more, she pulled down her ear and began fidgeting with it. Hopefully, she'd look exactly like the 'wild buneary' from earlier and he'd connect the dots himself.

She waited. She listened.

Pikachu continued chatting with Piplup and Pachirisu, occasionally taking breaks to eat.

... He wasn't noticing her at all, was he?

She fidgeted more, lowering her head to stare harder at the grass.

... Still no reaction from him. Darn it all! Why couldn't he see that she and the wild buneary were the same person?!

"(Not long until the Sinnoh League, huh?)" Piplup asked.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied.

A light bulb went off in her head. Okay, time for Plan B.

"(You think Ash and Dawn will stay together after it's over?)" she asked quietly.

Glancing at Pikachu, she saw him tense slightly. Piplup, on the other hand, looked shocked.

"(Well, of course they will!)" he replied. "(We'll be travelling together forever! I've told you this!)"

"(Yeah, but... what if we don't?)" She paused for dramatic effect. "(What if... we have things we want to say... feelings we want to... convey... but we don't have much time?)"

She watched as Pikachu slowly turned his head in her direction. He stared at her.

"(Huh?)" Pachirisu asked.

Steeling herself, she continued. "(If... that's so, we should... say them while we can. Before we... run out of time.)"

... He was still staring at her.

Feeling more awkward by the moment, she couldn't help but turn away.

"(Wh... Why are you saying such weird things?!)" Piplup cried.

"(Yeah, real weird,)" Pachirisu agreed.

... Urgh. This whole thing had been a mistake. She never should've followed Pikachu. She never should've disguised herself. She certainly never should've lied to him.

"(... Buneary?)" Pikachu asked.

She winced. "(Um... yeah?)"

"(How... do you know about all that?)"

"(... Um...)"

"(... Just what the heck is going on?)" Piplup asked, sounding confused.

"(Don't ask me,)" Pachirisu replied. "(I'm as lost as you are.)"

"(Buneary?)" Pikachu pressed.

Keeping her gaze away, she fidgeted with her ear again.

There was a long pause.

"(... Wait...)" he said slowly. "(Are you...?)" There was another pause. "(Were you the buneary from earlier?)"

She winced again. "(Um...)" She paused a long moment, trying to collect herself. She took a deep breath. "(... Yeah...)"

"(... Wait,)" Piplup said. "(You mean the wild one you mentioned?)"

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied.

"(That was you?)" Pachirisu asked, sounding intrigued.

Buneary winced a third time. "(... Yeah,)" she replied.

"(... Oh,)" Piplup said.

"(... Well, if that ain't awkward...)" Pachirisu added.

"(... Buneary,)" Pikachu said.

"(... Y-Yeah?)" Buneary replied.

"(Can I... talk to you for a minute? Alone?)"

Oh no.

"(Um... sure.)"

"(Ooh, you're in trouble now...!)" Pachirisu said.

No kidding she was...

She heard Pikachu stand up and begin to walk away. Heaving a defeated sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and followed him.

Once they were out of earshot, Pikachu turned to look Buneary in the eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed with hurt, yet his eyes looked genuinely curious.

"(So...)" he said, "(why'd you follow me?)"

Her ear drooped slightly. "(Well...)" she replied, "(I was worried. You were always wandering off and... never wanting me to go with you and... I got nosy. Sorry.)" There was an awkward silence. "(... And I... really shouldn't have lied to you and pretended to be someone else. So... sorry.)"

There was another pause. She studied his face for any sort of reaction.

After a few moments, he gave her a soft smile. "(Heh. It's alright.)" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "(Guess the cat's outta the bag now, though, huh?)"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

Wow, he was being surprisingly calm and collected about this.

He continued. "(I'm... surprised I didn't notice, though.)" After another pause, he chuckled. "(Guess you must be a really good actress!)"

She couldn't help laugh along. "(Guess so!)"

Once he was finished laughing, he slumped with shame. "(Man, though... I can't believe I said all that right to your face...)"

"(... Well... I didn't actually know what you meant. These, um... feelings you mentioned... what are they?)"

His face flushed a bright shade of pink. "(... Well...)"

When he didn't continue, she pressed him. "(... I meant what I said earlier, you know. 'Cause you're right. You are running out of time... and I really want Ash and Dawn to stick together, too, but... thinking about it, they might not. So... whatever you wanna say to... whoever it was... you should probably say it soon.)"

His blush grew a shade darker. "(... Yeah, I... guess you're right.)"

Huh. Well, that was a strange reaction. Whatever he wanted to say must have been really embarrassing...

"(... Um...)" Pikachu continued, "(well...)" He inhaled deeply. After holding it for a moment, he released it. "(... Like I said, I had a lot to think about. A lot of confusing feelings that had been hitting me lately. I needed to go for walks to clear my head and... think them over. And, like I said, I... did. And I figured them out.)"

"(... Okay?)" She wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"(... And you're right. I probably should say them, just in case Dawn does leave Ash.)" He took another deep breath. "(I...)" He gave a quick glance around. Nodding to himself, he looked her dead in the eyes. "(I... like you, Buneary.)"

... What.

... What?!

She stared at him, her eyes wide as saucers. "(... What?)"

He nodded. "(Yeah. I'm pretty sure you like me, right? So I... wanted to think it over and give you a proper answer. Well...)" He glanced away in embarrassment. "(There's my answer. I like you.)"

"(O-Oh...)" She was speechless. Truly speechless. "(Well... I like you, too... of course. So...)"

Pikachu turned back, smiling softly at her. "(... I'm not sure if we'll have time to... go out or anything. You know, since we're near the league and all... but... maybe we'll be able to work something out in the future?)"

She smiled back at him. The smile gradually grew, until she was beaming. "(Yeah! Sure!)" Recovering from her shock, she sidled over and nuzzled him. Her face felt warm from happiness. "(I'd like that.)"

He chuckled awkwardly. After a moment, he nuzzled back.

She could hardly contain her giddiness at the lovely sensation. She'd always wanted him to nuzzle her! It was like a dream come true. This day had certainly been a strange one, but it had somehow worked itself around into something amazing.

... That settled it. No matter what happened in the near future, whether their trainers stuck together or not, she had something to look forward to!

For now, though, she'd be sure to cheer extra hard for him in the Sinnoh League! Her future boyfriend deserved only the best, after all!

She smiled to herself, giving him another nuzzle. He happily returned it.

The End