Warning. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE approaching.

Author's note: Hey, readers!

Here's another one-shot for ya that I recently churned out! I thought it'd be short, but, lo and behold, it wasn't. Lol. Hope you like it anyway!

... Wanna know a secret? Researching for this one-shot reminded me that... *whispers* I actually really dislike Sinnoh. Mainly because of episodes like this. *points down at one-shot* They held a lot of potential that was pretty much wasted, particularly where the pokémon were concerned. (Hence why me and VGS2 call it the 'wasted potential region'. XP)

Seriously, why make such fun characters if you're going to do nothing with them? At that point, they might as well just be regular animals. The problem is, they put all the focus on the humans, who are about as entertaining as sandpaper. That and... the show's been very battle-centric since Hoenn and it only got more so over time.

I... really don't care about battles anymore. XD Heck, I don't even care if Ash wins a league or not. I just want the storylines and characters to be fun again. Not 'let's either battle, train for battling, or help out this random nomad that no one cares about!' Just... no. I'm bored witless with that.

Anyway! You're not here to listen to me complain. You're here for the latest one-shot! So enjoy!

... I wonder if anyone can tell which human dialogue came straight from the anime in my one-shots, and which dialogue is mine? It's something I think about, sometimes... XP Though this episode wasn't the worst one for dialogue, so... *shrug*

Such Sweet Sorrow

"(No way!)" Pikachu said, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"(Surpriiiise~!)" Buneary replied, twirling and doing a backflip. She giggled, posing for the four boys who were sitting outside Dawn's house.

"Buneary, you look amazing!" Ash said.

She beamed. It was probably the confidence doing that, because, right now, she was brimming with it!

"Being picked to be a pokémon model is a real honour, you know?" Brock said.

No kidding! To think that Hermione - that picky editor woman from the Hearthome Collection - had contacted Dawn, offering her buneary a photo shoot! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, where she would get to be a pokémon model for a day!

"(Yeah, way to go!)" Pikachu added happily.

In her immense joy, she couldn't help but blush. Even her crush was praising her!

"(Thanks~)" she replied.

She didn't feel like she'd done much, though. After all, Dawn had designed the outfits they'd worn and had coordinated Buneary's 'snow spirit' routine. All she'd done was show up and do as she'd been told.

Still, it was nice to be appreciated!

"Yeah," Dawn replied to Brock from next to Buneary, "and they said they wanna take pictures in Hearthome City right away. So we should hurry!"

"(... Right now?)" Piplup asked.

Dawn kneeled down. "Well, Buneary? Are you up for this?"

Buneary twirled around happily, already excited. "(You bet I am~!)" she replied.

"(You'll make an amazing model!)" Pikachu said.

She turned to him, unable to stop beaming. "(Aww, thanks~!)"

"Then it's settled!" Dawn said, standing up again. Buneary looked up to see her put her hands on her hips. "You're going to become an honest to goodness pokémon model!"

Buneary hopped up and down excitedly. "(Yay! I can hardly wait!)"

She could see it now. The best outfits! The best camera angles! All of them splashed all over the Poké Chic magazine!

She did lots of poses one after the other, revelling in the thought.

Sometime ago, back when Piplup had overworked himself and had to stay overnight in a pokémon centre, Buneary had done something similar to this.

Seeing herself in the reflective surface of the counter, she'd gotten an ego boost and looked at herself from every angle. At the time, Pikachu had been beside her, giving a piggyback ride to a tired Happiny, and she'd thought to herself that maybe, just maybe, she'd make a decent model.

She hadn't thought it would actually happen, though! Her ego was positively through the roof right now!

"Wow," Ash said, "Buneary is really psyched!"

"(B-But what about-?)" Piplup asked.

"Good luck, Buneary, and promise you'll let us know as soon as the magazine comes out!"

"(But-!)"

"We will," Dawn replied. "... Oh, yeah! I've gotta let Zoey know! And, when we go to Hearthome City, maybe I'll run into Fantina!"

"Sure hope she won't be off on another journey!" Ash said cheekily.

"I guess that means we won't be going to Kanto together," Brock said.

"(What?!)" Piplup cried.

Buneary's smile faltered slightly. Oh yeah, that was true. Dawn had thought about travelling to Kanto with Ash and Brock, but that didn't look possible anymore. At least right now.

"Yeah," Dawn replied, "that's too bad... but this is Buneary's big chance and we don't wanna miss it!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement, though Buneary couldn't help but notice that his smile had faltered slightly, too.

"Right!" Ash replied. "It's awesome! And I can say I'm friends with a big star!"

"Maybe we should get Buneary's autograph now," Brock said, chuckling.

"(No!)" Piplup suddenly screeched, catching everyone's attention. "(No, no, no, no!)" He started wildly flailing around in a rage. "(You said you were going to Kanto! You can't go back on that now! You promised, you jerk, you promised! Who cares about Buneary's stupid modelling crud?!)" His voice cracked. "(You said we'd go to Kanto!)"

Pikachu quickly ran over and held him. "(Hey, hey, calm down!)" he said soothingly. "(It's okay.)"

"Piplup, what's wrong?" Dawn asked in concern.

Buneary stared. Yeah, that was what she wanted to know, too. Why was he so hung up on going to Kanto?

"Why are you so mad?" Ash asked.

"(Get off me!)" Piplup yelled, flinging Pikachu off him.

Buneary's paws flew to her mouth in shock.

Jumping into the air, Piplup raised his flippers above him, glowing rainbow colours. A giant whirlpool formed above his head.

Buneary's eyes widened. Just what was wrong with him?!

"Stop!" Dawn cried out. "Piplup! What are you doing?!"

Ignoring her, he slammed the whirlpool into the ground. It washed over the entire group in a tidal wave. Buneary shrieked as she fell to the ground, utterly soaked.

After a few moments, Dawn spoke.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Raising her head, Buneary could see that Piplup had disappeared. Lying on his back nearby was Pikachu, also soaked to the bone.

Slowly, everyone got to their feet.

"Piplup just disappeared!" Dawn continued in worry.

"Wonder what that was all about..." Ash replied.

Yeah... It had been rather scary, actually, the way Piplup had reacted. Not to mention, concerning. Buneary moved closer to Pikachu, holding his tail for comfort. He glanced at her, but didn't seem to mind. He looked far too shocked by Piplup's outburst.

It was then that the door opened and Dawn's mom, Johanna, stepped out of her house. Probably after hearing the racket outside.

"Dawn, what's going on?" she asked, before gasping.

"Mom!" Dawn replied.

"Why, all of you are soaked to the skin!"

"Something's wrong! Piplup suddenly got angry and ran off!"

Johanna sighed. "... Maybe Piplup doesn't want to face having to say goodbye to everybody..."

"Huh?" all three trainers asked at once.

"Yeah," Brock said, "I'll bet that's it."

... Really? That was the reason? Because Piplup wanted them to... stay together?

Well, Buneary wanted that, too - of course she did - but Ash and Brock had already bought their ferry tickets. Dawn hadn't bought one at the time, because she hadn't yet decided what to do. Now, though, they had somewhere they needed to be.

Still, though...

"You've gotta go and find Piplup right away!" Johanna said with a clenched fist.

"Mmm," Dawn replied in agreement. There was a rustling, before Buneary heard the sound of a pokéball popping open. "Togekiss!"

"(Ready, dear!)" Togekiss replied.

Another pokéball popped open. "Staraptor!" Ash called out.

"(Yeah, let's go!)" Staraptor replied.

Buneary looked up to see the two birds hovering in the air, waiting for instructions.

"(Let me help!)" Pikachu cried, running over on all fours and jumping onto Staraptor's back. "(I wanna help find Piplup!)"

"Pikachu," Ash said, sounding surprised, "you wanna be part of the search?"

"(Yeah!)"

... So Buneary's crush was going to help, was he? Well, she supposed it made sense. Piplup was pretty much his best friend, aside from Ash, so of course he wanted to help. It was rather inspiring.

... Maybe she should help, too. Since Piplup was her teammate, after all.

She looked up at Dawn. "(What should I do?)" she asked.

Dawn kneeled down, smiling at her. "No need to worry," she replied. "You just leave everything to us." She pulled out Buneary's pokéball.

She stared at it. So Dawn didn't want her to help? No, it was more likely that she didn't want to trouble Buneary. After all, she'd need to start preparing for her photo shoot soon, wouldn't she? Did that really have to mean no more roughhousing, though? No more getting involved with things? At least until the photo shoot was over, since it was unlikely this would mean a career change.

Paris - the famous pokémon stylist - had said that stylist competitions like the Hearthome Collection were merely a stepping stone for budding stylists, so Buneary doubted that Dawn was set to become a proper one right now. She probably wouldn't want to, either, since she still had her dream of being a top coordinator.

... What to do?

As the red beam of light from the pokéball shot towards Buneary, she only had a split second to decide.

Go in the pokéball, or stay out and help?

Just before the beam of light touched her face, she chose to leap out of the way. The red beam of light hit the ground where she'd been standing, then harmlessly fizzled out.

Dawn's eyes widened. "Buneary?"

Buneary shook her head. "(No,)" she replied. "(I wanna help. Let me help!)"

Dawn blinked. "You wanna help find Piplup?"

Buneary nodded. "(Yeah.)" She hopped over to where the birds were still hovering. Jumping, she landed on Togekiss' back. "(Let's go find him!)"

She glanced over at Pikachu, and was surprised to see him smiling at her.

"(Thanks, Buneary,)" he said.

She blushed, suddenly hyper-aware of the warm gaze in his eyes. "(S-Sure! No problem!)"

"Alright, Staraptor," Ash said, "help us find Piplup!"

Staraptor nodded. "(You got it!)" he replied.

"And you too, Togekiss!" Dawn said.

Togekiss nodded. "(Right away!)" she replied.

The two birds soared away, heading down the road where Piplup had most likely gone. The three humans ran behind them.

Soon, though, they could no longer keep up with the much faster flying-types.

Buneary kept looking around, searching for any sign of Piplup.

"(See anything?)" Pikachu called out.

She shook her head. "(Not yet!)" she called back.

"(He ran pretty far, huh?)"

"(No kidding!)" She paused. "(... I didn't know he'd get so upset over leaving!)"

"(Me neither! But-! Oh, wait, I see him!)"

She quickly looked down to see Piplup running down the path.

"(Yeah, there he is!)"

"(Togekiss, Buneary!)" Pikachu said. "(You two go around and cut him off!)"

Buneary nodded, a determined frown on her face. "(Right!)"

"(On it, dearie!)" Togekiss replied, swooping to the side and behind the trees.

Watching Pikachu, Buneary saw him give Staraptor an instruction, before the bird swooped down, following behind Piplup.

As Togekiss flew around the trees, Buneary heard Pikachu's voice. "(Pipluuuup!)" he called out.

"(Leave me alone!)" Piplup screeched back.

Buneary emerged from the trees, just in time to see Piplup fire a Hydro Pump at Staraptor and Pikachu.

Staraptor managed to spin out of the way, while Pikachu jumped over it, smacking straight into Piplup and knocking him over. They rolled in the dirt, the momentum still carrying them. As Togekiss landed and Buneary jumped off, Pikachu and Piplup stopped rolling.

She began hopping over.

"(Piplup, it's okay,)" Pikachu said gently. "(Sometimes, friends just have to part ways. Buneary's got a photo shoot and-)"

Piplup flung Pikachu off him. "(I don't wanna hear about her stinking photo shoot!)"

He turned around and ran, crashing straight into Buneary. The two of them cried out, falling onto their backs from the impact.

After a moment, Piplup cried out in anger. "(You!)"

Buneary sat up. "(Huh?)" she asked, still a bit disoriented.

"(Uh oh...)" she heard Pikachu say. "(Staraptor, go tell the humans where we are.)"

"(Sure!)" Staraptor replied, before flying away.

Looking at Piplup, Buneary saw him sitting up and glaring at her. "(It's your fault we're leaving, you stupid jerk! You and your stupid modelling crud! If it weren't for you, Dawn would be going to Kanto with Ash and Dawn, and not staying in Sinnoh!)"

She was stunned into silence. She slowly stood up. "(Piplup...)" she replied, "(I-)"

He stood up, rapidly approaching her. "(You stupid...!)" He smacked her with a flipper. "(Stupid...!)" He smacked her with the other flipper. "(Jerk!)" He smacked her over and over again, though not enough to hurt.

It was then that she noticed the tears in his eyes.

"(Hey, hey,)" Pikachu said, approaching Piplup from behind, "(come on, Piplup...)"

Piplup immediately turned around and began smacking Pikachu, over and over. "(You jerk! Leaving me! You're leaving me!)" He began to sob, his smacks slowing to a halt. "(Don't leave me...)"

The heart-wrenching tone in his voice made Buneary's heart break.

Piplup really didn't want to leave. He'd enjoyed his adventures with Pikachu and the others far too much to ever want them to end.

... Thinking about it, though, Dawn had pretty much been his first friend, from what Buneary had heard. Then he'd met and befriended Pikachu not long afterwards. So Pikachu was just as much a part of his life as Dawn was.

Maybe he even saw him as family.

She couldn't help but tear up at the sorry sight. Looking up at Pikachu, it seemed he couldn't, either.

... Thinking about it now, she'd been really self-absorbed. Ever since Dawn had told her the news, she'd been thinking about nothing but her photo shoot. She hadn't once considered how Piplup would feel about leaving.

She also hadn't considered Pikachu. How long would it be, until she saw him again? She'd just assumed that, maybe, Dawn would take her to the photo shoot, then they'd join up with Ash and Brock again.

But what if they didn't? What if Dawn decided that she wanted to pursue contests elsewhere? There was so much uncertainty right now. Ash didn't know where he was going next, and neither did Dawn. Now that Buneary thought about it, there was no guarantee of anything!

As Pikachu hugged Piplup from the front and sobbed, she couldn't help but sob, too. She'd been so selfish and stupid, and now she was regretting it horribly. She hugged Piplup from the back.

"(I'm sorry, Piplup...)" she choked out. "(I'm sorry...)"

After a few moments, she felt large, warm wings wrap around her. "(It's okay, dearies...)" Togekiss said gently, "(it's okay...)"

They didn't hold that pose long, before they heard the sound of Meowth's voice.

It had all happened so suddenly. First, Meowth had distracted them, then they'd been caught in a net. Before Team Rocket had managed to take off in their hot air balloon, though, Staraptor had led Ash, Dawn and Brock to the scene.

Ash had blown up the balloon with Staraptor's Brave Bird, then broken apart the net with Torterra's Leaf Storm. Free of her restraints, Togekiss had scooped up Pikachu, Piplup and Buneary in mid-air. The three of them had just barely fit on her back, though Buneary had to huddle into Pikachu to avoid falling off. Not that she'd really been complaining.

After landing, the three of them had clambered off, and the battle had begun.

Pikachu and Togekiss managed to tag team James' carnivine, while Staraptor took care of Jessie's yanmega. As Meowth came charging forwards, Fury Swipes at the ready, Dawn called for Buneary to use Bounce.

Sending energy to her feet, she leapt into the air, coming down on Meowth's head. The impact made him slam into the ground and bounce away.

Afterwards, Jessie's seviper was dispatched by Torterra. For the finisher, Ash called for a Volt Tackle, while Dawn called for a Hydro Pump.

Pikachu ran forwards at lightning speed, surrounded by electricity. Behind him, Piplup fired off a huge jet of water. It followed after Pikachu, slowly melding into the Volt Tackle and creating possibly the coolest thing Buneary had ever seen.

She stared, eyes and mouth wide in wonderment, as the Hydro Volt Tackle thing advanced upon a screaming Team Rocket. It crashed into them, causing a huge explosion that sent them flying.

"(Whoa...)" Buneary muttered.

Piplup immediately ran over to where Pikachu was, Buneary hopping after him. The three of them stood in place, watching Team Rocket soar over the horizon.

Once they were gone, Pikachu and Piplup exchanged a high-five.

"(Yeah!)" the both cheered at the same time.

"(Way to go, you two!)" Buneary said, beaming. "(That looked so cool!)"

Pikachu smiled at her. "(It did, didn't it?)" he replied.

"(Heck yes, it did!)" Piplup added.

Pikachu and Piplup burst out laughing. The feeling of joy was so strong that Buneary couldn't help but laugh, too.

Getting rid of Team Rocket had always had this effect on the group. It enforced a sense of trust and camaraderie that didn't compare to anything else. It created friendships, even reinforced some, and made them feel united against a common enemy.

"Piplup," Dawn suddenly said from beside them, "come on."

Buneary looked up into her trainer's eyes. Dawn was holding a pleasant, comforting smile, but it turned sad soon afterwards.

"Let's go home now..." she continued.

... Ah. There was still the issue at hand. The fact that they were leaving the group.

She heard whines and sniffles from Piplup. Turning to look, she saw him staring at the ground, tears in his eyes.

Catching Pikachu's gaze, she saw his ears flatten against his head. Hers did the same as she turned her gaze to the ground.

... Thinking about it, this might have been the last time they'd fight Team Rocket. Maybe forever, or maybe just for now. She didn't know. She didn't think anyone in the group knew.

She watched as Dawn approached, kneeling down to comfort Piplup. Their trainer told him that everyone was sad about parting ways, but it wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other.

As she hugged him and told him there was no need to worry, Buneary exchanged a hopeful glance with Pikachu. So they would see each other again? That gave her a tiny bit of relief. Though, at the same time, Dawn hadn't said when they'd see each other again. Just that they would. Perhaps Dawn didn't even know, herself...

Regardless, she was right. They would see each other again. Definitely. Buneary would make sure Dawn kept her word on that.

The walk back to Dawn's house had been rather quiet, the air still sombre. Togekiss, Staraptor and Torterra had all been recalled, but Buneary had been left out. She was happy about this, because, if these were to be the last couple of hours she'd get to spend with Pikachu - to see his lovely face, and hear his lovely voice - then she wanted to make the most of them.

Currently inside Dawn's living room, everyone was sitting around the television. Johanna had found out that Flint, fire-type specialist of the Sinnoh Elite Four, was battling Cynthia, champion of the Sinnoh region.

Johanna was sitting at the dining table, while Dawn was sitting on an armchair, Piplup on her lap. Buneary and Pikachu were sitting near them on one end of the couch, with Ash and Brock sitting at the other end of the couch.

"(Pretty intense battle, huh?)" Buneary asked, turning to Pikachu.

He smiled at her. "(Yeah!)" he replied, nodding. He chuckled, pointing at his trainer, who was sitting next to him. "(I mean, just look how focused Ash is right now.)"

"(Huh?)" She looked up at Ash, who was leaning forward in his seat, staring at the screen with an intense gaze. She blinked, then giggled. "(Wow. Who do you think he's rooting for?)"

"(Knowing him? Probably Flint. Especially after he said how nervous he was, last time we saw him. Plus, Ash looks out for underdogs.)"

"(Like himself?)"

Pikachu chuckled. "(Yeah. Well... Ash is much less of an underdog than he used to be, but yeah. Pretty much.)"

She watched Ash for a few moments. The boy was barely blinking. "(... What do you think he's thinking?)"

"(... Not sure. Maybe he's imagining himself battling Cynthia. It's gotta be one of his goals, after all. Beating Cynthia, that is.)"

"(True.)" Turning around, she looked in Pipup's direction. "(Enjoying the battle, Piplup?)"

He smiled at her. "(Yeah, it's pretty cool!)" he replied.

Seeing his face, she was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt. "(... Hey, Piplup?)" Her ear drooped. "(I'm sorry about earlier...)"

He blinked at her. "(Huh?)"

"(About the whole photo shoot thing...)"

"(Oh, that.)" He shook his head, looking sad. "(No, I shouldn't have blamed you. I got angry and lost my cool and... I'm sorry.)"

"(But... if it wasn't for me, we'd probably be going to Kanto...)"

"(I know, but... it's not like you knew this would happen.)"

"(No... though if I'd never won that Hearthome Collection-)"

"(Stop,)" Pikachu said kindly. She turned to see him smiling at her. "(You deserved to win. After all, that snow spirit routine was beautiful, right, Piplup?)"

"(Yeah, it was,)" Piplup replied, "(and you deserve the photo shoot, too.)"

Buneary turned back to Piplup. "(Oh, well... thanks!)" she replied. She paused guiltily. "(Though I did put my feelings above yours, so... I'm sorry about that.)"

Piplup smiled back at her. "(It's okay. I'm sorry, too.)" He proudly put his flippers on his hips. "(Like Dawn said, I'm a big boy, so I can handle being apart for a while!)"

She giggled. "(Well, okay then. Thanks.)"

"(I'm glad things worked out okay,)" Pikachu said.

She turned to beam at him. "(Me too.)"

Sometime later, the humans were hurrying around the local stores, with Ash and Brock buying any souvenirs they wanted for their families.

Buneary, Pikachu and Piplup all walked together, discussing things like what Brock's new career as a pokémon doctor would be like, and what sort of pictures they were likely to take at the photo shoot.

They chatted and laughed, all the way up until the group were standing by the stairs leading onto the ferry.

"(So... this is it, huh?)" Buneary asked, holding a smile.

Pikachu was also smiling, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "(Guess so,)" he replied.

"(It's been fun,)" Piplup said, though it sounded a bit awkward.

"(Yeah.)"

The three of them were silent. Buneary wasn't sure what else to say, and it seemed they weren't, either.

... She couldn't believe it. She was really saying goodbye to Pikachu. Soon, he'd be on that ferry and sailing away to Kanto.

It was strange. He'd been the main reason she'd joined the team, yet now he was leaving. Not that it was his fault, of course. It was hers. He didn't even blame her for it, but it was true.

Maybe she should have said no to the photo shoot. Maybe she should have asked to go with them to Kanto, instead. None of that mattered now, though. The choice had been made.

She knew it, and so did he.

"... Hurry..." Dawn said gently, "or you'll be late."

"Right..." Ash replied.

"So..." Brock started awkwardly.

"(See you around...)" Pikachu finished.

Ash, Brock and Pikachu all turned around, walking towards the stairs. Buneary felt her heart twist in her chest.

"Wait a minute!" Dawn suddenly called out.

The three boys stopped and turned around. "Huh?" Ash asked. "What's up?"

Buneary looked up to see Dawn holding a hand in the air.

She heard Ash laugh, before he slapped his hand against Dawn's. "Yeah!" he cried happily.

"(Me too!)" Piplup said. "(High-five!)"

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu replied.

Buneary looked down in time to see paw meeting flipper in the air. Then they pulled each other into a brotherly hug.

"(I'm gonna miss you, pal!)" Piplup said.

"(I'll miss you, too!)" Pikachu replied.

After a few moments, they broke apart. Buneary smiled at the cute sight. It was always adorable how comfortable Pikachu was around Piplup. Sometimes, she'd get a bit jealous, wishing he'd be that comfortable around her...

Suddenly, her eyes locked with Pikachu's and his face reddened. "(Um...)" he said with an awkward smile.

He said nothing for a few moments, then glanced away as he opened his arms. He held that pose.

She blinked at him. Was he... offering her a hug?

Happiness filled her up like water in a vase. All the way to the top, filled with sugar and ready to bloom flowers. She beamed, her face warm from joy.

She bounded forwards, almost knocking him over with the force of her hug. Wrapping her paws around him, she nuzzled against his cheek, revelling in the feeling, just in case she wouldn't be able to do it again for a long while.

"(Goodbye, Pikachu~)" she said tenderly. "(I'll miss you~)"

"(I'll miss you, too.)"

She felt his paws wrap her into an affectionate hug. One with a tight, yet surprisingly gentle grip. It held so many untold emotions that made her explode from the inside.

"(Take care, Buneary,)" he continued.

"(Yeah...)" She didn't ever want to let go, though she knew she had to soon, or else he'd miss his ferry. "(You too... Pikachu.)"

The End