Chapter 35: Rhiannon
Three weeks had passed since the breakup incident in Hearthome City. As it turned out, Fantina had stayed a little longer in town to gather some of her stuff and, impressed with Ash's tenacity, promised to battle the next day before taking off. Not wanting to delay things any more, the young trainer gave it his all. Actually, during Ash's gym battle, he had a new spectator: Barry who had been the same kid constantly praising Paul and his methods while Ash was waiting in line for Fantina the day before.
After a little bit of a struggle, Ash won the Relic Badge and the gang was back to continuing their journey. Not long after that, more excitement was to come as Swinub had evolved into Piloswine and then almost immediately into Mamoswine!
It was only after Ash won the Mine Badge against Roark's father Byron did the gang arrive in Chocovine Town where Dawn was getting ready to participate in her next contest. Before that however, the crew had taken a rather innocent submarine trip to see some phione with one of them falling head over heels for Buneary. Even after everything was said and done, Pikachu wouldn't easily forget the fire practically spewing out of the Water-type's eyes upon seeing Buneary hiding behind him, envy fueling its fury as it impulsively challenged him to a battle. The only silver lining from all of this was that Buneary had actually stepped in and challenged the Pokémon herself, not willing to let the mouse suffer its jealous wrath for one more second.
As the battle commenced with Buneary acting completely on her own without Dawn's guidance, Pikachu watched in complete amazement, unable to properly register what he was seeing. He only allowed himself to breathe when Buneary finally delivered the killing blow using a kick to the face curtesy of Bounce.
Of course, Team Rocket couldn't help but intervene but as per usual, they were quickly taken care of. As everyone waved goodbye to Phione, Buneary hopped forward and called out to it, hoping to see it for a rematch.
Looking between them, Pikachu couldn't help but smile both at the amicable resolution and how well his girlfriend had handled everything.
Soon after the Phione fiasco, Dawn entered the Chocovine Town Pokémon Contest using Buneary and Pachirisu. Perhaps to nobody's surprise, Buneary practically stole the entire show by using her Ice Beam to first create a winding slide that nearly extended to the ceiling! Then, sliding down, she used Dizzy Punch with her ears to slide upside down and as soon as she reached the bottom, she propelled herself to the top, her form effortlessly twirling among the ice that winded around her! With a proud pose, Buneary waved to everyone and Dawn curtsied as the audience enthusiastically applauded.
Just like how he promised on their first official date, Pikachu continued to dress up in his green kimono outfit and – with white fans in each paw – excitedly cheered her on, Piplup and Ambipom next to him waving pom-poms in their cheerleading outfits.
"Wow! That's showing them!" Ash cheered.
"(I knew you'd be amazing Bun!)" Pikachu exclaimed, bouncing from one foot to another as he energetically waved his fans, a big goofy smile on his face.
"(That's what I'm talking about!)" Piplup squealed, ruffling his pom-poms.
It wasn't long after Dawn secured the Chocovine Ribbon did the gang start making their way to Snowpoint City for Ash's next gym battle.
Of course, it wouldn't be a journey without the crew adding a temporary addition to their traveling party. Shortly after leaving Chocovine Town, Ash and the gang met Brooke. A rising star as a coordinator, the slightly older boy was more than willing to share stories of contest battles with Dawn, having won four ribbons in Hoenn not too long ago. As soon as the gang boarded a train to the next town, they were more than eager to hear of Brooke's tales of winning and losing.
"And then my treecko caught the baton from behind without looking!" Brooke declared, causing everyone to gasp as they sat on the edge of their seats.
"Wooww! I can only imagine what that must've looked like!" Dawn beamed.
"Yeah, that treecko of yours sounds super cool!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded in agreement.
Brooke looked out the window and smirked as he watched the countryside go by. "Heh, he's always trying to show off how cool he is. Never willing to ease up."
Pikachu amusedly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know a certain weasel like that...and a penguin." He inwardly laughed.
Brock smirked. "Well, I'm sure with him, you're a tough opponent to go up against!"
"I'll say!" Dawn exclaimed with grin.
Brooke looked back at them and gave a shrug. "Yeah, he's really something alright. But just between us, if there's one Pokémon that I can say is the real ace up my sleeve...it's Rhiannon."
Everyone blinked at him.
"Rhiannon? Who's that?" Ash asked.
"My vulpix! She was my starter and is by far the most experienced member of my party!" Brooke beamed.
Dawn jerked her head back a little. "Rhiannon? That's a pretty unusual name for a Pokémon..."
"Yeah, and a vulpix as a starter? That's pretty strange." Ash remarked with a quizzical look.
Brooke merely shrugged and folded his arms. "Any stranger than having a pikachu as a starter?"
Ash and Pikachu merely looked at each other before chuckling.
"Heh, I guess you're not wrong." Ash laughed.
"So she's your ace then? I can only imagine what she's capable of!" Brock said with an eager smile.
"Well..." Brooke replied, unfolding his arms and extending them outwards. "If you want, I can show you when we get off!"
"Yeah, I'd like that!" Ash nearly exclaimed.
"Me too!" Dawn followed with a smile.
"(Me three!)" Pikachu said with a wave of his paw.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Brooke declared, his fists on his hips. It had only been about ten minutes since the train arrived at their destination and to give themselves some training space, the group moved to the outskirts of the little town that they were to pass through.
"I'm ready!" Ash excitedly said, taking a step forward.
"Show us what you got!" Dawn exclaimed.
Nodding his head, Brooke smiled and took out a Pokéball with a fire emblem on the front. "Alright, Rhiannon come on out!" He declared as he threw the ball straight up in the air. A bright flash of light erupted from the ball with some flames accompanying it.
As the vulpix's form fully formed and the light dissipated, she immediately made a grand pose, her paw raised in the air, her neck angled up a little and her back leg held out.
"(Hello there~!)" She declared with a graceful smile.
Pikachu tilted his head upon seeing her. There was something...different about her compared to other vulpixes he'd seen before. The fur atop her head was carefully straightened out, giving a more clean and stylish appearance. Come to think of it, her fur overall was rather shiny and well-maintained and her tail was neatly combed and prepped. It was...what was the word Buneary usually used for something like this? Fabulous? Yeah...fabulous!
"Wow! Like to make an entrance huh?" Dawn said with an impressed smile, leaning over to get a better look at the Fire-type.
"Heh, can't be a winner if you don't practice making a good first impression right?" Brooke smirked.
"Gosh you're quite beautiful!" Dawn beamed as she continued to lean down and look at Rhiannon. "Brooke says that you're something else. Mind if you show us a couple of techniques?" She gently asked with a wink.
Easing up on her pose, Rhiannon looked back at Brooke who confidently nodded. She turned her gaze towards Dawn and gave a little grin.
"Looks like that's a 'yes'!" Ash beamed.
"Alright everyone, stand back!" Brooke declared. Everyone did as they were told, watching both trainer and Pokémon get into position. Dripping with sheer enthusiasm, the older boy grinned before pointing towards the Fire-type. "Okay! Rhiannon, Fire Spin!"
On cue, Rhiannon craned her neck towards the open sky, opened her mouth and immediately let out a dazzling, golden-orange flame. Everyone loudly gasped as they saw the flame swirl above her creating a fire vortex that only widened as it further gained distance.
"Woah, look how's she's handling that fire!" Brock shouted in astonishment. "It's like she's controlling the very flames themselves!"
"How in the world is she doing that?!" Dawn muttered in complete disbelief.
Pikachu was right there with them, his mouth hung open in shock. The very first thing she did and already it was an impressive show! His eyes traced the twisting flames and indeed, it looked like Rhiannon was carefully controlling what direction the fire was heading towards.
"Alright, now stop!" Brooke firmly commanded to which the vulpix ceased her move, closing her mouth and cutting off the flames. For a moment, everyone silently watched as the flames kept moving upwards several feet above her, continuing to swirl in an endless journey.
"(Woah...)" Pikachu muttered, not willing to so much as blink in case he missed something.
"Now jump through the fire!" Brooke shouted, pointing at the swirling flames.
"What?!" Dawn nearly screeched, believing that she had misheard him.
Without even hesitating, Rhiannon jumped high into the air, through the center of the fire vortex. As she twirled upward, everyone noticed how for a moment how she appeared to be dancing among the flames.
Once again, Pikachu's mouth hung open in complete shock, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Now let's really show them what you can do!" Brooke declared as he motioned for her to start descending.
"(Right!)" Rhiannon exclaimed as she maneuvered her body to start heading downwards, all the while, taking the swirling flames with her.
"J-Jeez..." Ash mumbled as he looked on.
Pikachu wasn't faring much better. Just...wow...that girl really knows how to pull off a performance!
He continued to watch as Rhiannon descended as the swirling flames constantly surrounded her yet never seemed to actually touch her body. As soon as she landed on the ground, she immediately started running forward, the vortex of fire enveloping her body and following her. She continued to run along the field, quickly approaching a large boulder.
"Now stop!" Brooke shouted to which the vulpix immediately stopped in place, causing the rings of fire to move beyond her and straight towards the rock formation.
Once again, everyone gasped as they saw the swirling flames engulf the boulder for a moment before causing it to violently explode, embers licking at each of the countless shards.
Satisfied, both trainer and Pokémon bowed. Completely floored, everyone enthusiastically clapped, whooping and hollering for good measure.
"That was something alright!" Ash exclaimed.
"What a show!" Dawn beamed.
"(Yeah, that was amazing!)" Pikachu cheered from Ash's shoulder.
Rhiannon's ears twitched and she looked up at him, curiosity clearly on her face. Pausing himself, Pikachu stared at her and the two locked gazes.
After a beat, she gave him a warm smile. "(Thank you~)"
"(Huh?)" Pikachu wondered aloud as both she and Brooke approached them.
"Seriously, that was awesome! It's no wonder you're doing so great!" Ash declared with a fist pump.
"Thanks, truth be told I'm thinking of a better finish to that move. Something less...explody and more graceful." Brooke said, twirling his wrist.
"Well I'm sure you'll figure it out no problem!" Brock replied with a smile.
"Man, I'd love to see how well Rhiannon does against an opponent!" Ash beamed.
Brooke tilted his head a little before giving a little smirk. "Well...why not?"
"Hmm?" Ash wondered aloud.
"How 'bout it Ash? Wanna battle?" The older boy asked, confidence in his eyes.
Ash blinked at him before glancing over at Pikachu. The mouse looked him straight in the face. In unison, they smirked before Ash turned back to Brooke.
"Alright, you're on! How about Rhiannon versus Pikachu?" He proposed.
"Heh, sounds good to me!" Brooke laughed.
A few minutes later, both trainers were on either side of the field.
"All set?" Brooke asked, an excited grin on his face.
"You bet!" Ash declared with a fist pump.
"(Can't wait!)" Pikachu said, determination in his eyes.
"(Show me what you got~!)" Rhiannon called out to him with a wink. Immediately, Pikachu's gaze softened a little as he felt the urge to tilt his head at her.
"(Go get 'em you guys!)" Piplup yelled from the sidelines, him being the only other Pokémon nearby.
"Alright, if everybody's ready, then let the match begin!" Brock announced, throwing his arm straight up in the air.
"Okay Rhiannon, Flamethrower!" Brooke commanded, pointing at his opponent.
"(You got it!)" She replied as embers began to emerge from her mouth before suddenly turning into a horizontal column of fire.
"Pikachu, counter it with Thunderbolt!" Ash declared.
Pikachu smirked as electricity began to emerge from his cheek sacs before erupting from his very being. The two attacks collided and created a loud explosion that nearly knocked everyone down.
"Let's keep at it, Pikachu Thunderbolt again!" Ash yelled and – much to their opponent's surprise – Pikachu immediately started to charge up again.
"Dodge it, quickly!" Brooke yelled just as the electric attack flew forward. Displaying more grace under duress than anyone could have imagined, Rhiannon quickly jumped backwards and performed a triple backflip. The Thunderbolt collided with the ground where she stood and the fox landed a safe distance away.
Easing up a little, Brooke's expression brightened. "That's some impressive recovery there! You barely needed any time to unleash another attack!"
"Thanks and your vulpix is no slouch at acrobatics!" Ash replied with an excited grin.
Brooke's smirk returned. "Well in any case, that won't save you! Okay Rhiannon, Quick Attack let's go!"
The Fire-type got into attack position and darted forward, a trail of light following behind her.
"Let's do the same Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, pointing at their opponents to which the mouse jumped forward and picked up incredible speed.
Together, the mouse and fox darted around the field, zigzagging and occasionally brushing against each other in a flash of light. All the while, their onlookers tried keeping up.
"Woah, I can barely even see them!" Dawn yelled.
"Me too, their speeds are incredible!" Brock replied.
Eventually, both Pokémon slowed down before skidding to a halt along the ground. They continued to pant as they stared each other down.
"Looks like speed isn't gonna do the job. So how about we end it right now?!" Brooke declared before taking a step forward and dramatically punching the air. "Rhiannon, let's put our technique to good use!"
Pikachu's eyes widened in apprehension as the fox gave him a little grin.
"(Hate to do this to such a cute face.)" She muttered with an excited smile before she quickly leaned back and unleashed Fire Spin straight into the air above herself.
"Now jump through it and use it on Pikachu!" Brooke yelled.
"Oh man!" Ash exclaimed as both he and Pikachu saw the vulpix jump through the rings of fire, carrying it with her as she spun through the air.
Soon, she landed on the ground and without missing a beat, began to run towards him!
"Run Pikachu! Keep running until I say so!" Ash shouted. Not needing to be told twice, the electric mouse turned and high-tailed it in the other direction, Rhiannon and her swirling rings of fire not too far behind him.
"(Oh man, what can he do?!)" Piplup mused aloud as he saw his friend dart around the field with what looked like a horizontal tornado of fire chasing him.
"Keeping going buddy, try to get some distance!" Ash shouted, his eyes carefully watching his starter.
"(No problem there!)" Pikachu shouted back as he put on a burst of speed. Oh man, that technique of hers looked so gracefully amazing from a distance but being chased by it? Well...it was nothing short of horrifying!
Slowly but surely, he started to outpace her. It seemed like the fox needed to maintain a steady speed to keep the rings of fire around her body.
A few moments later, Ash took a confident step forward. "Alright buddy, stop in place and spin towards her!" He said with a confident smile.
Doing what he was told, Pikachu immediately skidded to a halt and turned around. "(Okay, here we go!)" He shouted as he jumped forward, much to their opponent's surprise.
"What the...?" Brooke muttered before both he and Rhiannon widened their eyes in complete shock upon seeing Pikachu spin his body in midair in her direction.
"(Huh?!)" The Fire-type gasped, flames dancing around her. No sooner did she register what she was seeing did Pikachu begin to pass by. For a very brief moment, she turned her head and made eye contact with him. He looked rather excited and...what else was it? Proud?
A moment later, he zipped past and safely landed a distance behind her as she continued to run forward.
Brooke leaned back a little and smiled. "Heh, gotta say, I've never seen that in a battle before. Are you sure you want to battle instead of doing contests Ash?"
Proud, Ash smiled back at him. "Just a little something we learned from Dawn and her team!"
Blinking, both Brooke and Rhiannon looked over at the aforementioned coordinator. She looked quite smug, her hands on her hips.
"Heh, just helped them out, no biggie!" She proudly said, clearly lapping up every moment of this.
Brooke and Rhiannon turned back towards their opponents. "Okay, no problem then, Rhiannon circle around!"
Following his command, the vulpix began to turn around in Pikachu's direction but just as she did, Ash smirked.
"I don't think so! Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" He passionately cried out.
"Huh?!" Brooke gasped.
"(Uh-oh...)" Rhiannon muttered through gritted teeth as she continued to run, seemingly unable to stop.
Grinning, Pikachu moved forward as his body began to glow a blinding golden light before he was enveloped in pure energy.
"Alright, full speed towards Rhiannon!" Ash exclaimed.
Mouth agape, Brooke shook his head to clear his thoughts. He looked at his starter and saw that she was now turned around and was on a full-on collision course with Pikachu!
"Rhiannon, stop in place and let the fire rings go forward!" He yelled.
Planting her paws firmly on the ground, Rhiannon came to an abrupt stop and all at once, the flames that encircled her projected forward towards Pikachu!
Ash – along with everyone else on the sidelines – gasped.
His mind racing at an unprecedented speed, the young trainer tried to keep his cool. "Pikachu, jump through the fire hoops!"
Without missing a beat and not feeling a shred of fear in his heart, Pikachu jumped forward through the spinning flames.
Everyone looked on as they saw the golden enveloped mouse suddenly become encircled by the technique's brilliant orange.
The mouse himself wasn't coming into contact with the rings of fire however his Volt Tackle was. Indeed, the crackling electricity from his body brushed up against the flames, causing them to cancel each other out.
"Look at that! Pikachu's Volt Tackle is protecting him from the Fire Spin!" Brock cried out.
"Yeah but check it out!" Dawn yelled, pointing forward.
Before anyone knew it, Pikachu emerged from the circling flames completely unscathed however his Volt Tackle was fully gone, having been disrupted by the fire. He continued to glide through the air...straight into Rhiannon!
Everyone – including Ash and Brooke – exclaimed as Pikachu smacked right into her, causing them to go tumbling along the ground.
"Ahh! Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
"Rhiannon!" Brooke yelled, his horrified expression resting on the cloud of dust where their Pokémon once were.
Pikachu groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, a dull headache coming on. He immediately noticed that his vision was clouded by something. Gathering his thoughts, he saw that whatever he was looking at had a reddish hue to it. Suddenly, the red figure began to move and he realized that he was looking into the pained face of Rhiannon, her having somehow landed on top of him and he on his back along the ground.
"(Ugghh, that was quite a landing...)" She muttered, placing a paw on the side of her head.
Face flaring up, he merely looked back at her. "(Oh...hi there.)" He managed to squeak.
Her ears flicked upon hearing his voice and she looked him in the eyes. He silently gulped as they made eye contact, her paws resting on his chest, her face mere inches from his.
An awkward moment passed before she started giggling.
"(Oh hi there!)" She laughed, her voice a lot more bright and girly than how he had perceived before.
Clearing his throat, he tried to look elsewhere. "(You good?)" He nervously asked, desperately attempting to stop his body from shaking.
"(Yeah I'm fine. I don't even think I'm hurt. It's no wonder! I landed on something pretty soft and firm!)" She giggled, patting his chest.
His face erupting in heat, he oddly felt that the flames encircling him just mere moments ago were far less intense.
"Well I think we can call it." Brock said from the sidelines, as he and the two other trainers approached them. Pikachu looked upwards and saw his trainer, albeit upside down.
"Yeah, that was some battle Brooke!" Ash beamed.
"Heh, you weren't too shabby yourself Ash." Brooke said, returning the smile.
As they continued to hear the humans talk, it took Pikachu a few moments to realize that they hadn't moved from their spots!
"(Umm, I think we can get up now.)" He said, trying not to stammer.
She looked over at him and blinked before realization hit her. "(Oh! Right, sorry!)" She blurted before gently getting off him, her paws sliding off his chest somewhat slowly.
Pikachu could only stare as she gave him what appeared to be a little smile as she turned back to start walking up to her trainer. He blinked in silent confusion before he too started to get up.
An hour went by of Ash and Dawn showing Brooke their other Pokémons' moves before they finally decided to take a break. Soon after, the humans gathered around some wooden tables while their Pokémon sat in a circle to get acquainted.
"(So you won Hearthome huh?)" Shinx muttered, eyeing Buneary.
"(Hee~! Yup! Pretty stiff competition too!)" Buneary beamed, looking quite proud.
"(Nice! One of the first hard lessons we had to learn was to never underestimate your opponents.)" Furret cheerily said before eyeing Treecko who continued to fold his arms over his chest, his eyes closed and looking aloof. "(Well...most of us anyway.)"
Likewise, Buizel assumed the same pose and turned his head.
Pikachu had to hold back a smirk upon seeing that. Heh, completely different species and types, yet still so similar.
"(Hmph, doesn't matter if you take them out quick enough.)" Treecko muttered.
"(Yup.)" Buizel said under his breath.
"(Yeah...I agree...)" Slowpoke slowly said, his cheerful look never faltering for a moment.
"(No adroitness whatsoever.)" Rhiannon whispered to herself, shaking her head. Pikachu leaned over to her.
"(Tell me about it, I've met a few faces that would rather show off or rush into battle instead of thinking it through.)" He quietly said.
Rhiannon tried to hold back a laugh and gave him an understanding smile. Her eyes stayed on him for a beat longer than he anticipated before she seemed to catch herself and looked at Buneary sitting next to him.
"(So, from what Brooke's mentioned, you guys are quite the contest team huh?)" The Fire-type said.
"(Yup! You should see us in action! Trust me, you haven't lived until you've seen my Bubble Beam!)" Piplup quipped, assuming an all-too familiar proud pose.
Simultaneously, everyone from his group rolled their eyes while the rest looked on in amusement.
"(Teehee~! Guess we know which one holds the pride in the group!)" Shinx whispered to Furret.
"(I take it you're Dawn's go-to then?)" Treecko asked, opening his eyes to look at the penguin.
His smug grin only growing wider, Piplup started to nod his head. "(Heh! You bet I-!)"
"(We don't have 'go-to's' in our group actually.)" Ambipom quickly said only for Piplup to look back at her.
"(Huh...weird.)" Slowpoke muttered. Across from him Piplup and Pachirisu leaned over to whisper to each other.
"(You wanna ask him?)" Piplup quietly asked.
"(You think I should?)" Pachirisu replied before turning back and waving a tiny paw in the air. "(Umm, Mr. Slowpoke sir? How do you perform in contests? You know because you're slow-)"
"(Pachirisu!)" Chimchar sternly said, interrupting the squirrel.
"(Tsk, no filter I swear.)" Buizel muttered rather unamused.
"(Oh...you'd be surprised...!)" Slowpoke replied, seemingly not taking it personally at all. "(The audience loves a cute, happy face!)"
Pikachu sweat-dropped and awkwardly laughed along with several others. Hoping to turn the tide of the conversation, he spoke up.
"(Yup, but if you really want to see impressive contest moves, look no further!)" Pikachu beamed as he motioned towards Buneary.
Rhiannon gave her an amused look, tilting her head a little.
Clearly soaking up every moment of it, Buneary started to fiddle with her fluff. "(Tsk, ohhh stop! I didn't do so great during training.)"
Pikachu lightly shook his head. "(Heh, because you and Dawn were holding back.)" He said before turning back to Brooke's group. "(Trust me, what she can do is something out of this world!)"
Unable to take it anymore, Buneary quickly hid her reddened face behind her fluff.
Smirking, Rhiannon continued to look between them. "(Well...next chance we get, you should show me.)"
Lowering her fluff a little, Buneary peeked at her for a moment. They locked gazes before she gave her a confident look.
"(Heh...why wait then?)" She asked, fully lowering her fluff to reveal an excited grin spread across her face.
Everyone looked a little surprised.
"(Right now? You sure? We just got done training after all.)" Rhiannon replied.
"(Well, I don't know how long you'll be traveling with us sooo...why not?)" Buneary replied with a shrug, letting go of her fluff.
A moment of silence passed with everyone looking at each other, mainly between the two girls.
Appearing satisfied, Rhiannon leaned back and too shrugged. "(Okay, I'm up for it.)"
Quickly rising to her feet, Buneary took a step forward. "(Alright, whenever you're ready!)"
Standing up on all fours, Rhiannon locked eyes with her. "(Cool, let's do it!)"
With that, the two headed off towards the training field, the humans not taking notice at first.
Before anyone knew it, all eyes were focused on rings of flames being dispersed here and Ice Beam slides being made there. Sometimes, when their signature attacks collided, an explosion of steam would erupt, covering the battlefield, leaving only their silhouettes to watch.
As the area cleared, the two continued to perform contest techniques without any input from their trainers who at this point stopped in mid-conversation to watch them, quite taken aback that the two were even doing this in the first place.
And yet...perhaps nobody was more enraptured than Pikachu.
Over time, the area was filled with ice and fire, attacks of opposite natures slamming into each other in an eruption of beauty and destruction.
The two continued to go back and forth, a crowd forming on the sidelines. Once in a while, Buneary took a moment to look over at Pikachu and give him a quick wink before continuing the battle, her action being noticed by the mouse and those paying close attention.
...
And strangely, Rhiannon appeared to do the same.
Not being sure of what he saw, Pikachu tilted his head or simply blinked whenever she did so.
Unbeknownst to him, a certain penguin also took notice of it.
After a few minutes, the two battling girls called it a draw and everyone went back to hanging out although it wasn't long before Buneary was called over to discuss fashion designs. A little while later, everyone started sitting in their own little groups.
From a distance, Piplup continued to eye Pikachu and Rhiannon who by this point, were sitting together, their backs to the rest of the group, lost in their own little conversation.
He had a strangely sinking feeling.
Who knows what they were talking about?
"(Woah, so you won the Rubello Ribbon?!)" Pikachu exclaimed, his eyes widening as much as they could go.
"(Hee~! Sure did!)" Rhiannon replied, rather pleased with herself. "(Fourth ribbon for us!)"
"(Wooowww, I remember that contest. We had a friend who participated in it.)" Pikachu replied, staring off into the distance.
"(Yeah, the competition can be pretty brutal.)" She said before suddenly giving him a slightly mischievous smirk. "(...Unless you're super skilled at what you do~)"
"(I'll say!)" Pikachu replied, turning back to look at her. "(Small world huh? Maybe we saw you around at some point!)" He laughed.
She giggled back, particular mirth in her voice. "(Maybe! You must have been that super tough mouse mopping the floor with everyone all around Hoenn right?)"
He rubbed the back of his head and let out another chuckle. "(Well I wouldn't go that far, but we did do pretty well if I do say so myself.)"
She paused before her smile returned. "(Alright, let's hear it. We've been talking about me for so long, how about you? Is Sinnoh like your second or third journey so far?)"
Pikachu looked at her for a moment and then took up a contemplative pose. "(Hmm, no. Let's see...there's been Kanto, Johto, the Orange Islands, Hoenn and now here.)"
Rhiannon looked a tad surprised. "(Oh wow, so you've been around huh? Ever miss home?)"
He looked back at her and shrugged. "(Eh, we usually come back home after each journey but truth be told, we prefer to be out and about.)"
She nodded her head and looked forward. "(Right. Well, Brooke's a bit different. After we finished our journey in Hoenn, he decided to stay there for a little bit and train under some mentors. When he thought he was ready, we came back here.)"
"(Oh, so you two are from this region then?)"
"(Yup! Born and bred! Actually, Brooke's mom is from here and his dad is from Kanto. He's out on his journey as we speak.)"
Now it was Pikachu's turn to look surprised. "(Really? That's funny because Ash's dad is doing the same thing. We're all from Kanto though.)"
She gave an amused chuckle at that. "(I see, so after Hoenn you went back home before coming here then?)"
"(Sort of, we actually stopped by Kanto to participate in the Battle Frontier.)" He replied, twirling his wrist.
Rhiannon looked particularly intrigued upon hearing that. "(Oh yeah? Brooke's dad actually tried that but he could never get very far.)"
"(Yup! Took us a pretty long time be we actually got to the chief to try and win it.)" He cheerily said.
"(...Did you?)" She muttered, tilting her head a little and not taking her gaze off him at all.
"(Mhmm, we had to battle the chief named Brandon three times before-)"
"(Wait...)" Rhiannon suddenly blurted out, cutting him off, her quick response causing him to pause and look at her. "(...The last time we talked to Brooke's dad, he mentioned that someone won the Battle Frontier. Someone...with a...a...p-pikachu.)" She finally managed to say, her eyes widening with each passing word.
Seeing her reaction, Pikachu couldn't help but give a progressively smug grin. "(Did he now?)"
Rhiannon's paws quickly flew up to her cheeks as she stared at him, her mouth hanging open in awe. "(Y-You're...o-oh legends above! You're not...!)"
Pikachu merely shrugged at her. "(Heh, it would be a pretty big coincidence wouldn't it?)"
"(No way...no flippin' way!)" She practically shouted, leaning forward.
He merely winked at her. "(Way!)"
"(That was YOU?! You won the Battle Frontier?!)" She squealed, pointing a paw at him.
"(Guilty as charged!)" He laughed.
"(N-No...no, you're messing with me. Are you messing with me?!)" She asked, the incredulity in her voice nearly palpable.
"(Nope, before we came to Sinnoh, Ash and I won the Battle Frontier!)" Pikachu said, his voice full of sincerity.
Rhiannon loudly gasped, unable to take her eyes off him. "(Really?! It was against a registeel right?!)"
"(Actually it was a regice and-)"
"(Yes, yes! A regice! All we heard was that someone with a pikachu beat Brandon's legendary and won! He said that it felt like forever since somebody beat him!)" She squealed, gushing to the point that she was going off into her own little world.
Pikachu merely blinked at her and he felt compelled to scratch the back of his ear or rub his arm or something, slightly ashamed to admit that a great sense of pride was swelling from his chest. If he was being honest with himself, it was quite ego-boosting to hear someone praise him so much. Well, someone other than part of their group anyway.
"(Well...Ash got the Brave Symbol but I don't really remember if he took it with him so maybe we can-)" He managed to say before he was suddenly interrupted.
"(That's okay! I wanna know everything about it! Everything!)" Rhiannon excitedly exclaimed, scooting up to him.
Pikachu could only jerk his head back a little upon seeing her eyes sparkle with sheer admiration, waiting with bated breath for him to start telling his tale. He could only sweat drop as he began to calmly retell one of the toughest battles he'd ever participated in.
Not too far off from where the two were sitting, Piplup continued to silently stare at them. He was a little suspicious at first but he decided that before coming to any conclusions, he should simply let things play out. For all he knew, he was just letting his own paranoia take over.
...And then he saw Rhiannon scoot up to Pikachu and start fawning over him. He couldn't clearly hear what they were talking about, but he'd been around girls gushing over someone long enough to pick up the signs. Well...one girl gushing over one guy anyway.
He frowned. Oh boy, what exactly should he-?
"(Hey Pip.)" Ambipom nonchalantly said, walking up to him with an apple in each of her paws before holding one out. "(Want one?)"
The penguin glanced over at her. "(Huh? Oh sure.)" He muttered as he took the fruit before looking back at the duo.
Ambipom took a bite out of her snack. "(Something up?)" She asked, in-between munching.
Piplup slowly looked back at his friend. "(Say, have you...gotten to know Rhiannon?)"
Swallowing her food, Ambipom gave him a curious look. "(Gotten to know her? I guess, I mean we talked for a bit.)"
"(No I mean...did you get to know her?)" Piplup replied before pointing at the duo.
Ambipom looked up and for a while, silently stared at them, not showing any sort of emotion whatsoever. She blinked. Then blinked again. Finally, she quietly looked down at the penguin who merely looked back at her, some sort of unspoken conversation passing between them.
They stayed in complete silence before they heard Rhiannon squeal, causing them to look over at the two again.
"(Yeah, that's really-wait...WHAT?! FROZEN?!)" The vulpix exclaimed in disbelief.
Piplup and Ambipom looked at each other again.
A little while later, after Pikachu had finished retelling their victory over Brandon to an ever-increasingly adulated Rhiannon, everyone separated with Brooke's group on one side of the battlefield going over their own techniques, and everyone else on the other side.
Pikachu and the rest of Ash's team were having their own little discussion about their next gym battle and what strategies they should employ while Dawn's crew were going over some new potential fashion designs inspired by the latest edition of Poké Chic.
All the while, Rhiannon and some of Brooke's other Pokémon briefly looked over to where Pikachu was, a few of them snickering. When they did, the vulpix would shush and urge them to be quiet though the mouse didn't seem to see any of it. Such actions, however, did not go completely unnoticed as a certain penguin and purple monkey kept an intentional eye out for more red flags.
Seeing only more proof, the duo decided that it was best to come clean. As soon as Dawn left to go talk to Brock, the two partners in crime started suggesting that everyone else leave the area for one reason or another. After convincing Pachirisu to go climb a tree in search of special apples and escorting him across the way to do so, they checked to see that Buneary was the only one left.
Deeply inhaling, Piplup was the first to approach her as she continued to flip through the Poké Chic magazine.
"(Hey Buneary!)" He called out, his voice intentionally cheery as Ambipom followed right behind him.
"(Oh hey!)" She replied, looking up from a picture of a stantler in some sort of holiday-themed outfit.
"(Hey girl!)" Ambipom said with a rather large grin, waving to her as they got near.
"(What's up?)" Buneary asked, still with a smile.
"(Oh, not much just uhh...getting to know Brooke's team a little more.)" Piplup replied.
"(Yeah, they're...certainly interesting folks.)" Ambipom said, trying her best to keep her voice calm.
Buneary merely looked between them before her grin returned. "(Oh, yeah I guess they are! They certainly seem to know a lot about contests. Rhiannon especially!)"
Her friends both awkwardly laughed in unison.
"(Y-Yeah, that Rhiannon...she's a real interesting one!)" Ambipom replied, still continuing to laugh, perhaps a little longer than expected.
Buneary laughed with them. "(Definitely! You know, I feel like you don't truly get to know someone until you battle them. And I can tell that girl is really impressive! She certainly gave me a run for my money that's for sure!)"
The two briefly looked at each other before Piplup took a step forward.
"(Yeah...about that. Listen Buneary, we...uhh...think that...that...ahem...)" He muttered, unable to make eye contact with her.
Buneary tilted her head, obviously perplexed. "(What is it?)"
Ambipom put her paws on her hips. "(You see Buneary, we think-that is, Piplup and I anyway, feel that-)"
"(We think Rhiannon's flirting with Pikachu!)" Piplup blurted out before suddenly covering his beak with his flippers, a look of horror in his eyes.
"(PIPLUP!)" Ambipom screamed, giving him a harsh look.
Buneary's head jerked back a little. "(What's that now?)"
Rather hesitantly, her friends simultaneously took another step forward.
"(Look, we might be wrong, but...there might, might, be a slight chance that Rhiannon is coming on to him.)" Ambipom gently said.
All three of them went silent for what felt like a long while.
Buneary looked between them, first at Ambipom, then at Piplup who merely nodded his head.
"(And you...you saw this?)" Buneary finally asked, pointing at them.
Silently inhaling, Piplup looked her in the face. "(Well I thought I saw a few...signs.)"
"(Signs.)" Buneary repeated, no emotion in her voice.
"(Y-Yeah, signs.)" Piplup nervously said.
Buneary sagged her shoulders and looked elsewhere before her gaze rested on Brooke's group.
"(...Okay.)" She quietly muttered, still looking across the field.
"(Buneary? You okay?)" Ambipom asked, eyeing the bunny up and down.
"(Mhmm.)" She replied, nodding her head, still looking at the group. Or rather, a certain someone in the group.
"(Sooo...this was the right thing to do? To come tell you...right?)" Piplup asked.
Buneary calmly looked back at them, a warm smile on her face. "(Oh yeah, and thanks for that, I really appreciate it!)"
Another moment passed before the two lightly sighed in relief.
"(Okay good because we-wait where're you going?)" Ambipom asked, noticing that Buneary was starting to move from her spot.
Standing up now, Buneary looked at her. "(Hmm? Oh I was just...gonna head off.)" She nonchalantly said.
"(Head off where? Buneary?)" Piplup firmly asked.
"(You know, just...elsewhere.)" Buneary said, pointing in a random direction.
"(Elsewhere as in Rhiannon's direction?)" Ambipom asked, her paws returning to her hips. "(Buneary...)"
"(I'm not gonna do anything, maybe just talk to her.)" Buneary replied before turning away.
"(Okay you say that, but sometimes these things get out of hand. Like, it ends with a Dizzy Punch to the face or something!)" Piplup quickly said, panic rising in his voice as he hurriedly walked up behind her.
"(I said I'm fine Pip.)" Buneary gently said, a seemingly uncaring look on her face.
"(Buneary, if you go over there and-)" Ambipom managed to say before Buneary fully turned to her.
"(Okay, okay, look. Y-Yes I'm a little...surprised...to hear that she's flirting with Pikachu. And yeah it'd be nice if that wasn't true but you know...it's fine.)" She said, looking elsewhere.
"(You sure?)" Piplup asked.
"(Yup.)" She replied.
"(You really sure?)" Ambipom inquired.
"(Mhmm.)" She said, her lips pursed.
"(You really, really-?)" Piplup asked before Buneary groaned.
"(Alright, alright, no I'm not okay with it! I'm not happy that another girl is flirting with him!)" Buneary sternly said, fully dropping the façade. Her friends merely stared as she started to ramble. "(I mean, would you be? I wouldn't really call this 'good', y'know? Another girl putting the moves on him. Telling him how great he is. She'll probably get close and-oh my legends, I can just picture it now...!)" She mused aloud as she put her paws over her cheeks and with wide eyes, stared off into space, her imagination unfortunately running wild.
Buneary quietly parted the bushes and looked through. She saw the two of them sitting in a small clearing in the forest, their backs to her. Her stomach dropping, she carefully listened.
"(That was some training back there Pikachu~)" Rhiannon flirtatiously whispered.
"(Thanks! You weren't too shabby yourself!)" Pikachu beamed.
She scooted closer to him as Buneary apprehensively gripped the bush a little tighter.
"(I gotta say Pika, you're quite the impressive mouse you know that?)" She giggled.
Pika...PIKA?! That was HER nickname for him!
Pikachu gave the Fire-type a side-glance, his face noticeably pink. Buneary stared at him...it was the sort of reaction that he would give her and nobody else.
"(Really? You do? W-Well I think you're quite the impressive fox yourself!)" He nervously laughed.
"(Actually, scratch that. I think you're quite the catch! Any girl would be lucky to have you!)" She beamed, scooting closer to him.
Buneary grit her teeth, her vision slowly but surely becoming red.
"(I-I...uhhh...)" Pikachu stammered, clearly falling under her spell. "(Well, Buneary is ummm...)"
"(C'mon, forget about Buneary. She's a nice girl and all but you deserve someone who's more...on your level.)" Rhiannon whispered into his ear.
No...NO! Don't do it! Please Pika!
Pikachu blushed a deep crimson as he rubbed the back of his head.
"(Th-Thanks!)" He laughed, lapping up every moment of it.
"(Buneary may have Ice Beam, but you need something a little...warmer.)" She giggled.
"(You're plenty warm! N-Nice and fiery!)" Pikachu stupidly said.
"(So forget her, I can't let a guy like you slip through my paws~)" She purred.
"(F-Forget who?)" Pikachu muttered, lost in a trance as he looked into her eyes.
Buneary's entire body was shaking, causing the leaves to silently ruffle though the duo were simply too off in their little world to notice.
"(So come here you big hunk of a mouse...)" She whispered before leaning forward...
...And licked his cheek.
Buneary silently gasped as her man laughed as he continued rubbing behind his ear, his blush finally overtaking his face.
Pikachu...Pikachu...no...
...NO! She can't let this happen! She won't just stand here and do nothing! She'll...she'll...!
"(You know Pika, I have a feeling that this is the start of a beautiful-)" Rhiannon beamed before a sudden rumble knocked them off their balance.
"(Woah, what was that?!)" Pikachu cried out as he tried getting back on his feet.
Horrified, they looked up and saw a fifty-foot tall Buneary rise above the treetops!
"(Buneary?!)" Pikachu shrieked.
"(PIKACHU! HOW COULD YOU?!)" Buneary bellowed in a deep booming voice.
"(Bun, it's not what it looks like!)" Pikachu pleaded, frantically waving his paws in front of himself.
Unable to quell her fury, Buneary spewed fire from her mouth before Ice Beams suddenly shot from her eyes and froze the cheating mouse solid!
Completely terrified, Rhiannon shook in place as Buneary turned her focus on her.
"(P-Please don't! I'm no good, I'll never hit on him again!)" She screeched, too petrified to move.
Giving the flirtatious Fire-type a smirk, Buneary leaned down. "(No. You won't!)" She said in quite the menacing voice before she raised her foot.
"(NOOO...!)" Rhiannon cried out as Buneary's foot crushed her into the grou-
"(BUNEARY!)" Piplup shouted, snapping the bunny out of her thoughts.
"(Huh?!)" Buneary muttered, absentmindedly blinking as she looked around. "(What happened?)"
"(You zoned out for like a solid minute.)" Ambipom said, her paws on her hips.
"(I did?)" Buneary mused aloud as the two nodded in agreement.
"(Yeah, what were you thinking about?)" Piplup sternly asked. "(Were you thinking about crushing that girl into a million little pieces?)"
"(No!)" Buneary quickly blurted out. "(I was ummm...thinking about tulips.)"
"(Tulips.)" Ambipom repeated in a monotone voice. Buneary looked between them, clearly trying to maintain her composure.
"(Yeah tulips.)" She replied, nodding her head as she stared off into space. "(Yup. Tu...lips. Tu...two lips. Two lips. Two lips pressing together.)" Buneary muttered, her gaze looking particularly far away, causing Piplup and Ambipom to nervously look at each other. "(She's gonna use her lips on my Pikachu!)" She suddenly blurted, her panic quickly returning.
"(Buneary...)" Ambipom calmly said.
"(Oh no, I can't let that happen...)" Buneary firmly said before turning to start walking across the field.
"(Buneary, okay no, stop!)" Piplup quickly shouted as he ran to gently grab her shoulder, causing her to look back at them. Sighing, he took a step back and put his flippers on his hips. "(Now I know that you're worried and that's okay, it's perfectly natural to be concerned about this sort of thing. But you can't just go over there and make a scene.)"
"(I'm not gonna make a scene.)" Buneary calmly replied with a wave of her paw. "(I'm just gonna go talk to her.)"
"(Buneary.)" Ambipom firmly said, clearly not buying it.
"(I just wanna talk to her.)" Buneary replied before she once again started to walk away.
"(Buneary, they always say that before something really bad happens.)" Ambipom pleaded as they both followed her.
"(I just wanna talk to her.)" The bunny repeated, still walking away.
"(I know how this is gonna go.)" Piplup practically shouted, continuing to walk behind her.
"(I just wanna talk to her.)"
"(Freaking out isn't gonna solve anything.)" Ambipom sternly remarked.
"(...I just wanna...I just wanna talk to her.)"
"(BUNEARY, FOR THE LOVE OF MEW, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!)" Ambipom screeched before quickly grabbing her arm.
Buneary stopped and paused for a moment before she shook her head. "(How can I?! She's hitting on my boyfriend! I can't just-)"
"(Alright, alright timeout and just listen.)" Piplup firmly said before taking a deep breath as he put his flippers together. "(Okay, say that she is interested. Let's say that she really is planning on putting the moves on him.)"
"(I hope you're going somewhere with this.)" Buneary sternly remarked, folding her arms as Ambipom let go of her.
A bead of sweat appeared on the side of Piplup's head as he nervously continued. "(Let's say all of that is true. Okay...so what?)"
Buneary dumbfoundedly blinked at him. "(So what?)" She repeated.
"(Yeah, so what?)" Piplup remarked.
"(Are you kidding? She's gonna try to-!)" Buneary said before Piplup waved a flipper in front of his face.
"(So she's interested...does that mean that Pikachu's gonna do anything?)" Piplup firmly asked. Buneary's concerned look quickly evaporated into surprise. A moment passed before she gathered her thoughts.
"(Well...)" She muttered, still lost in thought.
A rather confident look appeared on the penguin's face. "(Just because she's interested doesn't mean that he is. What do you think he's gonna do? Flirt back? Run around on you? Do you really think that Pikachu is the type?)"
Buneary shamefacedly stared at the ground, unable to meet their gazes.
"(No.)" She finally said.
It was true. He wasn't the sort to betray her or anyone really. Heck, it didn't even feel right when she was imagining it.
"(Okay, then don't freak out about this.)" Ambipom gently assured, placing a paw on the bunny's shoulder.
Nodding his head, Piplup gave a smug smile. "(Yeah! Buneary, let me ask, don't you care about Pikachu?)"
She looked up at him. "(Yeah, of course I do.)"
"(Don't you like dating him?)"
"(Yeah.)"
"(Hmmph, so give him the benefit of the doubt. Trust us, a relationship without trust is no relationship at all!)" Piplup determinedly said before his expression softened. "(Pikachu is the best thing to happen to you, you said so yourself. Don't let paranoia ruin something so great.)"
Buneary looked at him and Ambipom who confidently nodded her head.
Finally, she let out a deep exhale and folded her arms again, her frown not fading.
"(Okay.)" She practically whispered.
"(Atta girl! You just need to put a little trust in him.)" Ambipom beamed. "(Believe me, you may be dating him but I've known him a bit longer. He's not the cheating type.)"
"(I know.)" Buneary softly said. She looked over and saw a small crowd gathered around Pikachu who suddenly performed a triple backflip off of Staravia and land perfectly on his feet, much to the crowd's applause, Rhiannon appearing particularly impressed.
An hour passed and the humans were gathered at the table, each discussing past adventures and future goals, their Pokémon simply enjoying the day. It wasn't long before everyone was out and doing their own thing, some hanging out, others exploring the trees dotting the park.
"So Pachirisu's gonna perform your newest technique then?" Brooke asked, taking a sip from his drink.
"Yup! We're coming up with some great new ideas, but I'm not sure we should show anything before it's ready." Dawn replied with a sheepish smile.
Brooke leaned back and smirked. "Hey, no need to keep anything a secret, the only way you'll know it's great is if you show it off right?"
Dawn looked at him, a finger to her bottom lip. "Hmmm..." She muttered, looking elsewhere.
"He has a point Dawn." Brock said with a grin.
After a moment, Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to show what we've got so far."
"That's the spirit!" Ash chuckled.
Nodding her head in response, Dawn looked around but didn't see the electric squirrel anywhere. "Where's...?" She muttered before looking over and seeing several of their Pokémon by the trees. She got up from where she was sitting and waved over to them. "Hey guys!" She shouted, causing them to look over at her. "Can you look for Pachirisu? I wanna show off our new contest technique!"
The rest of their Pokémon affirmatively nodded before running off in different directions.
Buneary continued to look in every direction and was searching any potential hiding spots: in the bushes, along the tree branches, the occasional puddle, but still she couldn't find the quirky little squirrel.
A few more minutes of this passed and she finally decided to slow down to closely listen. If Pachirisu was anything, it certainly wasn't sneaky. Coming to a full stop in front of a boulder, Buneary extended both ears, closed her eyes and carefully listened.
Hmmm...let's see...a gentle stream...the chirp of some other bird Pokémon...a quiet breeze that ruffled the tree leaves...but no squealing or laughing that was always guaranteed from the younger Electric-type. Before Buneary curled up her ear, she heard...someone else's voice? It sounded...high-pitched and girly, excited even. In fact, there was another voice that she heard, this one at lot more...familiar.
Buneary's eyes shot open as she immediately realized who she was eavesdropping on. Instinctively whipping her head in the sound of the conversation, she could tell that it wasn't too far away, just beyond a bush about a few hundred paces to the west. Dryly swallowing, she started slowly walking towards the voices.
As she got up to a bush, she could hear clear as day the voices on the other side. Her heart pounding in her chest, she almost felt nauseous and a voice in her head was screaming for her to turn back and not pursue. It wasn't right...right? Yeah, no. She shouldn't be hearing this. After all, she should be following her friends' advice and-
"(Oh Pikachu, it's such a lovely spot you chose!)" Rhiannon's voice rang out.
Buneary stayed perfectly still and blinked. She...uhhh...she should just-
"(I know right!)" Pikachu's cheerful voice replied. "(Nice and quiet!)"
Buneary grit her teeth. She should...well...maybe just a sneak peek.
Burying her feelings deep down and putting a metaphorical wall around her heart, she gently parted the bush, being sure to not make a single sound while peeking through. From where she stood, she saw Pikachu and Rhiannon sitting in a small clearing, him to the right and her to the left, their backs to the bunny. If Buneary didn't know any better, it looked like Rhiannon groomed her fur quite nicely, her hair looking particularly stylish.
Holding her breath, she watched them continue their conversation.
"(Hope you don't mind me interrupting whatever you were doing.)" Rhiannon gently said, a noticeable little giggle in her voice.
"(Not at all!)" Pikachu nonchalantly shrugged. "(I was just practicing some of my moves before we call it a day.)"
"(Oooh, anything we haven't seen before?)" She replied, batting her eyelashes. Buneary slowly took a deep and silent inhale upon seeing that.
"(Sort of. Just seeing if I can control my Thunderbolt a little bit better. You know, like how you can control your fire so perfectly.)" He replied, waving a paw in front of himself in a spiraling motion.
She gave a rather girlish giggle in response, clearly enjoying the compliment. "(Oh that? Well I'm sure you'll get it down in no time!)" She laughed, raising a paw to her face.
"(Maybe, but the way you handled Fire Spin was something else alright!)" Pikachu beamed, clear excitement in his voice. "(That's some real skill right there!)"
Rhiannon's other paw went up to her face in response and she joyfully appeared to go into her own little world. "(Thanks~)"
A mixture of burning anger and chilling panic went through Buneary's entire body, nearly making her shake the bush as Pikachu spoke up again.
"(You should be really proud of yourself! It's no wonder Brooke is doing so great; you have a serious knack for this stuff!)" He said, giving her a warm smile.
"(Teehee~! Well...I can't take all of the credit, there's the rest of my team after all!)" She replied.
While Buneary could only see their backs, she recognized flirting when she saw it, her practically being an expert at this point. And while she couldn't see her face, Buneary was willing to bet that the fox was just lapping up every word coming out of Pikachu's mouth.
"(Oh no doubt, everyone seems super skilled at what they do, I'm just saying that you really know what you're doing out there!)" Pikachu cheerfully said before leaning over and lightly elbowing her. "(Having battled you myself, I can definitely tell!)"
Rhiannon smirked at him. "(Heh, yeah. Same to you, it's no wonder Ash includes you in all of his important battles. Honestly, nobody's really countered my Fire Spin technique the way you did.)" She gently said, slowly but surely scooting over to him.
"(Thanks! I guess you really get to know someone after meeting them on the battlefield huh?)" He said, looking elsewhere.
Buneary's eyes darted between them, her expression only growing more horrified as she saw Rhiannon moving closer to him.
"(I guess so. And you know...I think I have a good idea of you Pikachu.)" She said, her body stopping mere inches away from his.
Buneary could see Pikachu's ears twitch as he looked over at the fox.
"(Hmm? What's that?)" He asked.
Rhiannon extended a paw in front herself. "(You're super strong! You and your trainer are in perfect sync, heck...you're very good when it comes to quick thinking too!)" She declared, clearly getting more and more excited with each passing word. She paused before gently looking back at him. "(To say that you're impressive is an understatement.)"
He looked back at her, their faces mere inches away. They stayed like that for a silent beat. Buneary's heart was practically in her throat before Pikachu finally spoke up again.
"(Well...thanks!)" He chirped, giving a light chuckle. "(But you know who's really impressive? Buneary!)"
The eavesdropping bunny's ears both uncurled upon hearing that. Wait...did she hear that right?
Rhiannon tilted her head a little at that. "(Oh? Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. I mean, she did give me a run for my money on the battlefield too!)" She giggled.
"(Yeah, she's wildly skilled at contests. I mean, you should see what she's capable of when she gives it her all!)" Pikachu gushed; his arms stretched outward.
Buneary eased up a little, her cheeks feeling a tad warmer. Deep down she couldn't help but get a familiar warm and fuzzy feeling and she gave just the tiniest of appreciative smiles.
"(I see.)" Rhiannon said, leaning a little more towards him, causing Buneary's smile to falter as she held her breath. "(Well...I can't disagree with that but...what if you prefer something a little more...bright...and radiant?)" She whispered, her face getting closer to his.
Buneary leaned in closer, not caring if she snapped a twig or made any sort of sound. Her eyes widened as much as they could go, her expression twisted into one of complete shock and horror. In that moment, she could feel her eyes start to water but immediately, she fought the urge.
"(Hmm? What do you-?)" Pikachu asked before...she nuzzled him.
Buneary's mouth hung open. Oh good legends above, it was happening! Wh-What should she do?! Should she say something? Go out there and confront them?
Immediately, her mind flashed back to her conversation with Ambipom and Piplup, how they encouraged her not to be too drastic and hasty. But here she was, watching her boyfriend being nuzzled by another girl! She looked on, watching Rhiannon's smiling face pressed up against his, she being rather content while he looked pretty surprised. Almost immediately upon contact, Pikachu's ears shot up and he made a high-pitched squeak.
Her heart beating faster than ever, Buneary could feel her stomach drop as she watched Rhiannon's expression change from content to utter bliss. In fact, it looked like she was going to take the extra step and lick his cheek!
Upon seeing the fox's face, so enraptured in heavenly comfort, Buneary gripped the bush, gritting her teeth as she felt the urge to move forward. Was she going to stand back and let this happen? She can't just-!
Buneary blinked and all raging emotions coursing through her veins stopped cold when saw that Pikachu...started pushing Rhiannon away.
"(Huh?)" Rhiannon wondered aloud as Pikachu continued to extend his arms and gently provide some space between them. "(Pikachu?)"
Once she was far enough to get a good look at him, he gave a light sigh. "(I-I'm sorry, really I am. But I have a girlfriend.)"
Buneary couldn't take her eyes off him, save for the brief moments she looked back at Rhiannon's surprised face.
"(O-Oh yeah?)" She replied, clearly taken aback.
"(Yeah...it's Buneary.)" Pikachu gently replied.
"(...Oh.)" Rhiannon said, looking down at the ground. "(...Sorry...I didn't know.)"
Quickly, Pikachu looked back at her, his face showing obvious mild panic.
"(D-Don't get me wrong! I mean...i-if this was at another point in my life...)" Pikachu muttered before trailing off.
"(I see...)" She said, sadly looking away.
"(A-And believe me, there's like a million amazing things about you. It's just...I really like Buneary and what we have.)" Pikachu said, his voice so low that it was practically a whisper. He twiddled his fingers as he looked at the ground. "(I just...wouldn't want to do something that would jeopardize that or hurt her. I'd never forgive myself.)"
By now, Buneary had fully eased up and was simply watching them but those words coming from his mouth...well...to say that she was relieved was the understatement of the century! In fact, it felt as if a tidal wave of emotions from the entire spectrum of one's psyche came crashing down onto her all at once! When the initial shock of that passed, she felt a familiar warm and cozy feeling burn in her chest as she looked on at them.
"(I understand.)" Rhiannon finally said before giving him a gentle smile. "(It's great that you're so loyal to her. She's a lucky girl to have you!)" She said before pausing. "(...Any girl would be.)"
Pikachu gave a light chuckle. "(Heh, trust me, I'm the lucky one.)"
"(Still...if you ever change your mind...)" Rhiannon giggled. "(We can have something special.)"
Pikachu looked off into the distance. A silent pause passed between them.
"(...I have something special.)" He finally said.
Her heart beating out of her chest, Buneary gently stepped back, being extra sure not to make any sound caused by the bush. She gave one last look and saw that they were sitting in what felt like comfortable silence. Taking a few more steps away from the bush, Buneary placed her paw over her chest. Then, she quietly hopped away, feeling light enough to float through the air in that moment.
Sometime later, Pachirisu was showing off his technique, much to the astonishment of Brooke's group and soon, everyone was at the Pokémon Center to get freshened up. Upon receiving their Pokémon, Brooke got a call from his brother. As it turned out, he was passing through the next town and wanted to see if they could meet up. Not willing to pass up the opportunity for a sibling reunion, Brooke took him up on it but unfortunately, his new destination was in the opposite direction to the gang's. Within the hour, everyone was sitting outside around some picnic tables while Brooke started getting his stuff in order. As he did, his Pokémon were talking with the others.
"(And you promise that you'll show us your new moves when we meet up again?)" Ambipom asked with a smirk as she looked between Brooke's group.
"(Heh, of course!)" Treecko replied, making a smug pose and closing his eyes.
"(Just as long as you do the same!)" Furret cheerily said.
"(Can't wait to show you what I've got...!)" Slowpoke remarked at a glacier's pace.
"(Yeah, y'all certainly seem to have things in the bag that's for sure!)" Shinx followed.
"(Well...I don't wanna brag but...)" Piplup quipped, proudly tilting his head upwards.
"(But you're gonna right?)" Rhiannon giggled, causing everyone else to laugh. Standing across from her was Pikachu who smiled with Buneary doing the same as she stood next to him.
"(Regardless, it'll be awesome to see what crazy thing's you'll come up with next!)" He said, taking a step forward. Once she stopped snickering, Rhiannon looked at him and returned his smile.
"(Maybe we won't have to just see...because we'll have ourselves another battle!)" She beamed; her infectious excitement clearly being passed to Pikachu who was clearly excited to hear that. "(And next time, I'll be sure to kick your tail!)"
"(We'll see...)" He replied with an impish grin. Rhiannon glanced over at Buneary and locked eyes with her.
"(But even more importantly, I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve!)" She said.
Buneary paused for a moment before she shared the same determined look and nodded her head. "(Heh, same to you. You're really talented y'know?)" She said before looking out to the rest of the group. "(All of you are! I'd be pretty honored to face any of you in an event!)"
"(Challenge accepted madam!)" Treecko laughed.
Not long after that, Brooke started to get ready to head out with nearly all of his group returned to their Pokéballs with the exception of Rhiannon who had decided to walk beside him. Likewise, the rest of the others were returned aside from Pikachu and Buneary who elected to help gather up the rest of the boy's things. As Buneary was grabbing some towels, her ears uncurled upon hearing someone approach her from behind.
"(I meant what I said before.)" Rhiannon said, her voice so low that it was practically a whisper. Buneary turned around to see that she was sitting a few feet away. "(...About having another battle. Your Ice Beam is no joke!)"
Buneary resisted the urge to tilt her head before giving her a light grin. "(Thanks! Your fire...anything is super impressive!)"
Nodding her head, Rhiannon continued to lock gazes with her although behind her eyes wasn't anger. Instead it was some mix of determination and...sadness?
Buneary's confident smile began to falter when Rhiannon spoke up again.
"(And you keep that Pikachu in line you hear?)" The Fire-type declared.
"(Huh?)" Buneary muttered, slightly taken aback.
Her smile returning, the vulpix looked away. "(Well I mean from what I've heard, he has a knack for getting into misadventures...or Pokénapped.)" She said before looking back at her. "(Just make sure he doesn't get himself into too much trouble 'kay?)"
Blinking at her, Buneary quickly regained her composure. "(Oh uh...sure thing! Can do!)"
Rhiannon nodded approvingly. "(Good...)" She muttered before a silent pause passed between them which was only broken when she spoke up again. "(Well...I guess we're just about to get going now.)"
"(Yeah...)"
"(Okay, well...I better get back to Brooke. You coming along?)"
"(Yeah, I don't see why not!)" Buneary chirped.
Rhiannon gave her a small grin. "(Okay.)" She said before turning around. After she took a few steps, she suddenly stopped and slowly turned back. "(You know...you're a really lucky girl...you do know that right?)"
Caught off guard, Buneary merely stared at her. "(Uhhh...huh?)" She could only mutter as she watched Rhiannon continue to look back.
"(I-I mean traveling with Dawn a-and how you're so good at contests!)" She blurted out, stumbling over her own words.
Another moment passed before Buneary rubbed the back of her head. "(Oh uhh...yeah I guess so.)"
Rhiannon closed her eyes and lowered her head to the ground. "(Don't take it for granted. None of it.)" She softly said before turning back and walking away.
Buneary merely stared at her. "(Yeah...)" She whispered, looking back at their group, her eyes resting on Pikachu. "(I know.)"
The gang accompanied Brooke and Rhiannon to the train and watched them board. All of them waved the two goodbye, the duo doing the same through the windows as the train started to move.
And soon, they were gone.
The group returned to the Pokémon Center and gathered just outside the building around the picnic tables. The humans were at one table, discussing where to head off to next while several of their now-released Pokémon were gathered at another one.
"(Man, I really hope we see them again soon.)" Pachirisu said, a little sadness in his voice.
"(We will, I promise!)" Ambipom brightly replied. "(With their talent, I'm sure we'll meet on them on the stage in no time.)" She laughed.
"(Heh, I have to admit that that Rhiannon is certainly gonna be a challenge to beat. Right Buneary?)" Piplup quipped, looking over at her.
Smirking at him, Buneary put her paws on her hips. "(You bet! I'd hate to go up against her without a plan!)"
Everyone else murmured in agreement when a familiar voice rang out.
"(Hey Buneary!)" Pikachu called out as he approached their table. All eyes turned to him.
"(Oh hey~!)" She beamed, looking straight at him.
"(Do you...have a minute?)" He asked, pointing behind himself.
Buneary merely looked at the others who simply gave blank stares. She turned back to him.
"(Oh uh...sure.)" She said before jumping down from the table and together they started to walk away.
Everyone else watched them, some looking particularly worried.
"(Um...is something wrong?)" Pachirisu asked, his tiny arms up to his concerned face.
"(Sounds serious.)" Buizel remarked with a frown, folding his arms over his chest.
"(What do you think?)" Piplup muttered as he looked over at Ambipom. She peered at them and noticed that Buneary seemed to walking with a particularly giddy energy. The Normal-type leaned back and eased up, a slightly relieved smile on her face.
"(Heh, something tells me that everything's gonna be okay.)" She remarked.
They walked a good distance away, far enough so as to not let the others eavesdrop.
"(So what's up Pika?)" Buneary asked, giving him a side-glance.
Immediately, Pikachu started to rub his arm and he looked away.
"(So uhh...earlier today, Rhiannon, y-you know Rhiannon right?)" He stuttered.
"(Yeah...the girl who left five minutes ago?)"
"(Y-Yeah her! So umm...I...she...)" He managed to say, an embarrassed blush beginning to overtake his face.
"(Pika...)" Buneary gently said as she placed her paws over his shoulders and made him look deep into her eyes. "(It's me. You can tell me anything.)"
Pikachu took a moment to stare at her before taking in a deep breath. "(Okay.)" He calmly said before she took a step back. "(Rhiannon was...flirting with me.)"
"(Oh?)" Buneary replied, tilting her head a little.
"(Y-Yeah and I'm not saying like I have a hunch or anything. Sh-She was...I mean when we were alone one time, she tried to ummm...nuzzle...me.)"
"(...Is that right...?)"
"(B-But as soon as I realized what was happening, I pushed her away!)" Pikachu blurted out, his paws frantically waving in front of himself. "(I told her that I'm dating you and that I don't want to jeopardize what we have.)"
"(Pika...)" Buneary said looking down at the ground.
"(Y-Yeah?)" Pikachu squeaked, nervously watching her reaction.
Buneary quickly looked back up at him with the brightest smile. "(Thank you for being honest with me!)" She beamed before quickly embracing him in a hug.
Pikachu blinked, his face resting on her shoulder as he stared elsewhere. "(So...you're okay Bun? You're not mad at all?)"
She giggled and broke the hug to look him in the face. "(Mad? Why would I be mad? You told me the truth! I know that I can trust you Pika!)"
His face noticeably getting redder, he scratched the back of his ear. "(W-Well...thanks!)"
She laughed again. "(Hee~! I said it once and I'll say it again, I made the right choice!)"
"(To be fair, I don't think she knew about us.)" He bashfully chuckled.
"(Guess not. Well, she seemed like a nice girl so I'm not gonna worry about anything.)" Buneary beamed.
"(Yeah, me neither.)" He said with a smile. A moment passed with the two smiling at each other before Buneary spoke up again.
"(So...later today do you wanna...do something?)" She asked, fiddling with her fluff a little.
Pikachu took a moment to get a good look at her. "(O-Oh yeah sure!)"
She contently closed her eyes before moving over to nuzzle his cheek. "('Kay, it's a date then!)"
"(S-Sounds good!)" He laughed, his face feeling hotter than a thousand suns. When she stepped away, he cleared his throat. "(Okay Ash wants me for something so we'll meet up after that, sound good?)"
"(Sounds good!)" She laughed before Pikachu nodded back. He started to turn around when an idea came to her. "(Wait...!)" She blurted out, causing him to look back at her.
"(Hmm?)" He muttered, resting his eyes on her as she quickly walked up to him. "(What's-?)"
He stopped what he was saying when she suddenly licked his cheek. Immediately, he could feel his body turning crimson as she stepped back to get a good look at him.
She smiled and looked rather proud.
"(W-What...was...?)" He managed to stutter, shaking in place.
"(Hee~!)" She giggled, a pink blush overtaking her face. "(Just a little 'thank you' for being so amazing!)"
Swallowing hard, Pikachu could feel steam practically come from his cheeks!
"(O-Oh. Th-Thanks. Good to know!)" He awkwardly laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"(Whaddya think they're talking about?)" Pachirisu asked as he and everyone else leaned forward a little to get a better look at the couple off in the distance.
"(Dunno, but it seems kinda intense.)" Buizel remarked, peering in a little more.
As soon as the couple embraced in a joyous hug, everyone eased up a little.
"(Welp, looks like crisis averted.)" Chimchar said.
"(Oh good.)" Sudowoodo sighed in relief.
Their sense of relief was replaced with complete surprise when they saw Buneary lick Pikachu's cheek.
"(Oh my...!)" Pachirisu gasped, his paws over his mouth as his eyes sparkled in wonder.
"(Woah!)" Buizel remarked, taken aback himself. "(You go, Pikachu!)" He chuckled.
"(Oh, now I have to know what happened!)" Chimchar practically squealed.
"(Yeah...guess we'll have to find out.)" Piplup smirked.
"(She's coming over, act natural!)" Ambipom nearly shouted as they saw Buneary walking back to their picnic table.
"(Hey guys!)" Buneary called out as she approached them, noticing that everyone was doing their own little thing. Sudowoodo was facing away and whistling a merry tune, Buizel was flexing and Pachirisu was gently caressing the wooden table, having taken a sudden interest in its texture.
"(Oh hey Buneary, everything all good?)" Ambipom nonchalantly asked, leaning against the table and looking elsewhere.
"(Yup, all good.)" She replied, taking a seat in the middle of their group. If one were to closely look at her face, they'd notice a faint blush.
"(Sooo...what were you talking about? Anything super important?)" Piplup asked, giving her a side-glance.
"(Oooh, oooh!)" Pachirisu exclaimed, taking his focus off the table. "(I'll bet it was deciding on their future children's names!)"
Everyone looked over at the little squirrel, Buneary's blush turning noticeably pink.
"(Pachirisu! Have you no shame?!)" Sudowoodo exclaimed.
"(Yeah, what kind of flipping question is that?!)" Piplup shouted before pausing to look over at Buneary who merely sat still. "(...Was it though?)"
Buneary's eyes shot open as she turned to him. "(N-No! It wasn't that!)"
"(Oh? Something...else important then?)" Ambipom remarked with a smug smile. Horrified, Buneary looked over at her only to see her grin growing wider. It was only then did she realize that everyone else was leaning in to look at her.
"(Err...I...yeah.)" Buneary said, her cheeks practically on fire at this point. She took a moment to let out a silent, but much needed exhale. "(Let's just say that we talked some things out.)"
"(Oh...well that's good.)" Piplup said, trying not to smile too much.
"(Yeah, but I still think going over names is a good idea.)" Pachirisu remarked.
"(Tsk, what would even be the choices?)" Buizel asked.
"(How 'bout Vida?)" Pachirisu asked.
"(Vida? Is that even a name?)" Sudowoodo asked, an eyebrow raised.
"(Yeah you know, like viva la vida Pikachu and Buneary! Or, or how 'bout Sebastian!)" Pachirisu replied.
"(Nah, too big of a name for a baby.)" Buizel said.
"(They won't be babies forever! They'll grow into it!)" Pachirisu exclaimed, fiery determination behind his voice.
"(Sounds a bit nautical. What, are they gonna live in the ocean?)" Ambipom asked, her paws on her hips.
"(They could! By the beach or something!)" Pachirisu shot back.
Piplup sighed. "(Buneary, what do you think? Is Sebastian any good?)" He asked, looking over at her only to notice that the bunny was blissfully staring off into space. "(...Buneary? You good?)"
Buneary continued to look off in the distance before a tiny smirk appeared on her now completely reddened face. "(Heh...no más...)" She muttered before her smirk disappeared and she looked overwhelmed. "(...No más.)" She whispered in a deep voice before she plopped her head onto the table.
Everyone just looked at her, some trying their best to suppress a full-on laughing fit.
Author's Notes:
Well this chapter went on for a little longer than I expected. You plan something out but when you get to actually writing it, sometimes ideas keep popping up.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed another testing of the relationship! Like Piplup said, without trust, it's no relationship at all!
Huh look at that, three more chapters until Act II is finished. How time flies! Up next, a chapter that I'm sort of particularly proud of!
-Carson55