Sausage note: Ughh... while writing this, I got sick again... XD Maybe it's karmic retribution for not giving you poor lads and lasses your pikachu yet.

On that note... we're getting there, so no need to worry! If you find yourself getting especially impatient, don't forget to go read ravengal's stuff (she's on my faves list)! She has enough PikaBun stuff to keep you going for years! Not to mention, she made the original Questing For Respect™, which also has some brief PikaBun. So go and have a nose at her profile while I slowly die over here. XP *Sniffle sniffle*

Last time: Buneary had a pleasant tour of the village. Y'know, until Gourgeist blew up the hospital like he's The Joker, or something.


Chapter Fourteen: The Kindness Of Strangers


On reaching the site where Gourgeist had used Explosion, things weren't looking any better. Buneary and the black horse - who had introduced himself as Mind Study Zebstrika - were greeted with the site of one burnt, collapsed tent blown a good distance away, and three burnt, unconscious pokémon amongst the rubble of books and science equipment. Gourgeist, Magilope, and Sneasel.

"Yes... definitely my wife's doing, I would wager," Zebstrika deducted, huffing loudly through his nose. "I am not sure how, but..."

"How did you know that?" Buneary asked, surprised.

"She is undoubtedly a serious-natured pokémon. Anybody could tell you that. However, her dual nature is, as I've deduced over the years... quirky. Very quirky." He closed his eyes and nodded. "What you would call 'shenanigans' are quite common, as a result."

"Well... the proof is in the pudding, I guess..." Buneary mumbled. He'd certainly earned that title of his, no argument.

"Whoa... dude, what happened here!?" someone recognizable said from nearby. It sounded like Awesome Pansear.

Buneary looked over and saw him and the rest of his team approaching, Chill Deino and Strength Skorupi. All of them looked at the carnage in various states of surprise.

"Guess that's what the noise was," Deino said, lifting the hair covering his face to have a good look.

"No shit, man!" Skorupi retorted. He looked around and, on seeing Buneary and Zebstrika, waved them over with one of the two large pincers on his head. "Yo, Buneary! Zebra guy! What happened here?"

Buneary hopped closer to them. "Um... Gourgeist sort of... exploded," she replied, not exactly sure if she should explain why.

"Ah. Figures," Deino replied, letting his hair fall back into place with a light grin.

"Aha! See? I told'ja he's Big Bang Gourgeist!" Skorupi shouted out, pointing at the pumpkin with his stinger. "Only thing he's growin' is explosions!"

"Pretty awesome ones, though, huh?" Pansear asked with a light chuckle. He shrugged while pulling a face. "But aww, man... I thought the next world ending guy was showing up, or something. I wanted to get over here and be a hero!"

"Haha, yeah! We woulda kicked his ass!"

"Yeah," Deino agreed, grin growing.

"Oh, sorry..." Buneary said. "Did you give up on your, uh... soccer game to come here?"

"Naww, dude! We finished with that," Pansear replied. He beamed. "We were so awesome out there, y'know!"

"Yep," Deino added, smiling.

"What're you talkin' about? My team beat yours, man! Seven to three!" Skorupi argued.

Pansear paused. "Well... I guess you beat us a little bit..." he admitted. He posed proudly, "... but we were still awesome!"

"Haha, guess so!" Skorupi replied.

"Ah... okay, then," Buneary replied, still managing a giggle despite everything.

Deino huffed in amusement before turning his gaze back to Buneary. "Right now, we were just going back to clean the guild some more. Came 'cos of the explosion," he explained.

"Hm. As you know, it was Gourgeist's doing," Zebstrika replied. "I'm afraid that is all I know for the moment, but after they wake up, we shall know more on the situation."

"'Kay."

"Jeez, they really messed up the place, though, huh?" Skorupi said, frowning in concern as he looked around.

"Yeah..." Pansear muttered. He grinned brightly. "Well, gang, we'd better clean things up over here first!"

"Hell yeah! Let's do it!" Skorupi agreed. "We'll make it better than it was when they bought it!"

Deino smiled at them. "Yeah," he agreed. "Good as new."

Buneary smiled in adoration. D'aww, that was so nice of them!

She looked over and saw that Zebstrika was giving them quite the surprised look. After a pause, he stroked his chin. "Interesting... so you're happy to help us, despite not being very acquainted with us? Nor even being related to this incident?" he asked.

"Yeah, man," Deino replied. "S'what we do."

"Very, very interesting..." Zebstrika ran over to the rubble and dug through it. Finding a pencil and a notepad, he eagerly turned to the three friends. "Please enlighten me, what compels you to do this selfless act?"

Everyone stared at him in various states of bewilderment.

Skorupi was the first to reply, though with a frown. "Yeesh... you're welcome," he replied sassily.

Zebstrika blinked. "Um... yes, right, my apologies. Your help is greatly appreciated, of course." He cleared his throat, as if to recompose himself. "You see, I enjoy studying the pokémon mind. It helps me better understand how to help those who require therapy. Not to mention, it's an interesting topic."

"Awesome! You hear that, guys?" Pansear said, excitedly turning to his team. "If we help him, we'll be helping pokémon all over!"

"Yeah, let's do it," Deino agreed. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah, I'm down with that!" Skorupi agreed. "Ask whatever you want, guy!"

"Excellent," Zebstrika replied, gripping the pen with his mouth.

Buneary smiled at the display. Her smile quickly shrank when she noticed Sneasel out of the corner of her eye, unconscious on his back. Oh, shoot, he was still uncovered!

Thankfully, his parts were coated in soot, making them hard to spot without looking for them. Still...

Face going hot - both from secondhand embarrassment and from... other emotions - she quickly hopped over and flung Sneasel's wide scarf around him, keeping his privates private, as they should be. "Oh, um... say, is there anything I can do to wake up Sneasel, or... something?" she asked, hiding a cringe behind a hopeful smile.

Deino seemed to think about something for a second. He turned to his friends. "Anyone got any reviver seeds?" he asked them.

Pansear and Skorupi rifled through their bags. Their search seemed to turn up nothing, though, as they both shrugged at him.

"Uh, not today," Pansear said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Guess we used 'em all up at Electric Wasteland!"

"Yeah..." Skorupi replied. He stamped his feet on the ground in irritation. "Damn it! How were we s'posed to guess that idiot golem had that health-swap wand on him!?"

Deino huffed out a chuckle. He looked at Buneary. "... Word to the wise. If they punch themselves a bunch, they'll use that wand," he said. "... Probably."

"Uh... I'll try and remember, thanks," she replied. A health-swap wand, huh? Oh dear, that sounded like a wand ripe for some dirty tricks...

"To get back on topic..." Zebstrika said, "I don't know where my wife keeps her medical supplies, so I'll be of no use, sadly."

"Okay. Oh dear..." Buneary sighed. Well, that was just great. Without reviver seeds, it would take hours of rest, or lots of healing berries to help him recover from fainting. Even if he woke up, he would still be in a fainted state... which effectively put the village tour on hold for a long while...

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" a friendly voice suggested out of the blue.

Everyone turned to face the one who'd spoken: a big orange box coated in a red aura who smelled oddly delicious. He was smiling brightly, as if he'd just found a holy grail.

"Huh? Hey, awesome, you're the hotel dude!" Pansear said excitedly.

"You're quite right!" the 'hotel dude' responded, his toothy grin growing bigger. "I couldn't help but overhear your predicament... and so, I offer my services!"

"Your... services?" Buneary murmured, perplexed.

"Indeed! At this moment, as far as I can tell..." The strange pokémon did several stylish twirls, ending in a bow, "it's time for some R and R!"

Everyone stared at him. Most seemed amused, but Buneary found herself a bit perplexed. What an eccentric guy.

Before anyone could ask, another pokémon glided over in a levitation. Some sort of colorful duck pokémon Buneary didn't recognize. It seemed a bit out of breath, despite flying without flapping its wings or anything. "R-Rotom! Did you... haa... have to leave me behind like that? Hoo..." he warbled, wheezing up a storm.

'Rotom' smiled at him. "Ah, Porygon! Just the man I need! Would you assist me in helping me bring the poor unconscious pokémon over to my hotel?"

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..." 'Porygon' complained. "... And I'm Porygon2! I've told you a million times!"

Rotom's smile turned sheepish. "I... did call you Porygon... too? I don't believe I've gotten it wrong, yet."

"Oh, never mind..." Porygon whined.

Buneary tilted her head. Briefly glancing around, she could tell she wasn't the only confused one, either. Okay, no... what a couple of eccentric guys.

Zebstrika lightly cleared his throat. "So... Good Taste Rotom and Techno Porygon, wasn't it? Am I correct in believing you'll restore them back to good health?" he asked, seemingly trying to steer the conversation back on track again.

Rotom beamed. "Correct! Free of charge, too, might I add!" he responded. His smile went sheepish once more. "After an explosion like that, I think it would leave a bad taste if it wasn't."

"Yeah! We'll take care of things, here, so no worries," Porygon added happily.

"I see. Well, that is very kind of you!" Zebstrika replied, looking pleased.

"Yeah, man, he's the hotel dude!" Pansear chimed. "He's always really awesome!"

Rotom laughed. "Why, you're too kind, Pansear!" he replied.

Buneary couldn't help but beam. What a nice guy! In fact, it sort of reminded her of her book, Gates To Infinity. In it, there was a pokémon called Signora Swanna, who owned an inn. Throughout the story, she'd helped several injured pokémon heal up inside her inn for several days by offering them food and a place to rest... so this was a similar deal, in a way.

"I would love to document this mindset of yours," Zebstrika said to Rotom, "but, alas, this is definitely more pressing a matter. Please, by all means, take the fainted pokémon. I'll remain and fix up our hospital."

"And we're gonna help!" Skorupi added, proudly.

"A most tasteful plan!" Rotom replied, moving over to Gourgeist. After looking the large pumpkin up and down several times, he blinked. "... Whoops. Perhaps I should have gone with the refrigerator, instead. Hmm..." He rubbed his chin in thought.

Buneary tilted her head. Refrigerator...?

Porygon floated towards Magilope. He took one look at the much larger pokémon before his face fell in horror. "Oh, you must be kidding me! There's no way I can carry a pokémon that big!" he whined.

"Hmm... I would suggest leaving my wife behind, on second thought," Zebstrika said. "When she wakes, she can instruct me on how to properly revive her from fainting." He sighed. "... And perhaps I can also get an explanation on what happened..."

Porygon let out the most relieved breath Buneary had ever heard. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" He quickly floated over to the much smaller form of Sneasel. Somehow detaching the two blue lumps that made up his own arms, the bird floated them over to him, ready to pick him up.

Buneary gasped and hopped over. "O-Oh, um, um... m-maybe I should... help? Um, by carrying Sneasel instead?" she suggested quickly. "I was exploring the town with him and Gourgeist anyway, so... I should stay around them, to make sure they're okay! "

"Seems cool," Deino replied with a nod.

"Sure does! With the three of us here," Pansear replied, gesturing to him and his team, "there's no need for anyone else!"

"Hell yeah!" Skorupi agreed, hoisting his tail high.

"A wonderful idea!" Rotom replied eagerly. "Okay, then! Porygon, it's time to move ourselves a pumpkin!"

"Well... at least I'll have help, now..." Porygon mumbled, moving over to him.

Buneary let out a big, quiet breath. Phew, that had been close... She didn't need everyone to know that Sneasel wasn't exactly decent right now. It would crush the poor guy!

Using his strange blue hands, the colorful duck grabbed the side of Gourgeist's body. "Uh... to you!"

Rotom nodded eagerly. "To me!"

The both of them floated into the air at the same time, carrying the huge pumpkin along. They strained under his weight.

"Whew! H-He sure is a heavy fella, huh?" Rotom asked.

"Y-Y-You c-can s-say that a-again...!" Porygon replied.

"I'd suggest you don't strain yourselves, gentlemen," Zebstrika said, watching them with concern. He let out a sigh. "Right now, it will be rather difficult taking you to our hospital, I'm sure you can imagine."

"Don't... you worry, good sir!" Rotom replied, forcing out a smile despite the strain. "This is easier than... handling a salad! Isn't that right, Porygon?"

"Ohh, I want to die...!" Porygon wheezed out.

Rotom let out an extremely sheepish chuckle. "... Anyway... to you!"

"T-To me...!"

They shakily floated away, in the general direction of the ocean where a building seemed to be residing.

Buneary shook her head in bemusement. Oh dear...

Turning her attention to Sneasel, she steeled herself. Well, time to make good on her promise, she supposed. Sneasel was quite a bit bigger than she was, but she could probably manage. She moved over and, making sure that he was still covered by his wide scarf, grabbed under his arms and dragged him along the sand, following Rotom and Porygon. He was a lot lighter than his adoptive brother seemed to be, thank goodness.

While following the two floating men, she only just noticed that many different pokémon in the town had been looking their way. Likely wondering what had caused the explosion.

Her face heated up fiercely. Oh no... she could only imagine what they were all thinking right now.

Well, as long as they hadn't noticed Sneasel's nudity, it couldn't be all bad, she supposed.

... They hadn't, right?


Sitting down on a comfy beach chair on a pier, Buneary sighed in relaxation. This was sort of nice, after all the walking she'd been doing. Not that she really minded, but the break was welcome.

Rotom, who was floating nearby, chuckled lightly. "Comfy, I take it?" he asked.

"Heehee, yes, thanks~" she replied.

"Wonderful!"

She offered him a grateful smile. After a second, she glanced off at the 'rooms' Sneasel and Gourgeist were resting up in. That is, two somewhat small boats anchored to the large pier that made up the hotel. "Um... are Gourgeist and Sneasel going to be alright?"

"I think they'll be okay," Porygon reassured, also floating nearby. "They're fainted, but they weren't hurt too badly, so they should wake up soon!"

"Oh, okay! That's good," she replied, perking up. She blinked and frowned unsurely. "Wait... but they'll still be 'fainted', right? So it won't do much good..."

"You underestimate my services, Buneary!" Rotom replied enthusiastically. He twirled around in place like a ballerina before posing grandly. "Here, at the Good Taste Hotel, all that ails you will be all gone in no time flat! Fainting included!" Holding his red, crackling hand against his chin, he winked. "And you'll be left feelin' good, too! So place your faith in me, Buneary! I'll make sure they leave happy as can be!"

"Oh, there he goes again..." Porygon mumbled, seeming embarrassed.

"Well... you seem confident enough, so okay!" Buneary said to Rotom, very amused by his enthusiasm.

Rotom chuckled again. He turned towards a large wooden building in the middle of the pier. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I had better finish cooking the food!" His smile turned sheepish. "... It's a good job I decided to cook seconds, considering our impromptu guests..."

"Heehee, okay then~"

He quickly floated into his building, which she guessed included a kitchen. Not too long afterwards, the cluttering of pots and pans signified him getting back to work on food.

"Well, I suppose I had better do something, myself," Porygon added. "I was just about to work on an invention of mine, when that explosion happened."

"Inventions?"

Porygon grinned excitedly. "Yeah! You see, I like to fix broken mechanics to see what I can come up with!" His grin grew strangely confident. "One day, with the right gear, I'll invent the perfect contraption, and prove that science is the future!"

"Oh, that's really exciting~!" Buneary replied eagerly. "My old home didn't have much technology, so I'd love to see some of yours!"

His confidence faded into sheepishness. "Um, actually... I'd better not. Everything I invent tends to immediately break down." He chuckled nervously. "Sometimes with some... explosive results."

"Um, oh..." she replied, going just as sheepish. "Well... uh... hang in there? We haven't had mechanical stuff all that long, I think, so... there's time to get good!"

"Well... I guess so. Thanks!" he replied, smiling again. That same smile quickly became confident once more. "On that note, I'm gonna go work on my project some more! Later, when I'm finished, I'll let you see it all you like!"

She nodded happily. "Sounds great! Hope to see you soon, then, Porygon!"

He blinked. His expression changed to a displeased one. "Oh, darn it, not you, too...!" he groaned.

She blinked right back. "... Um... w-what did I do?"

"I'm Porygon2! Two!"

"... Oh, so... there's another porygon you know, or...?"

"Oh... don't worry about it," he sighed defeatedly, flying up to a higher point in the building to go through the window.

Buneary frowned worriedly. Gosh, had she said something wrong? Aww, she hoped that they were still friends...

She gave a sigh of her own. Oh well... Reclining in the chair, she looked around at the pier she was on to take her mind off things.

Aside from the building Rotom and Porygon had gone into - set in the middle of a complex of different wooden piers, seemingly coming up from the water - the only thing around were the boats that made up the 'rooms'. She wondered if it would actually be comfortable to sleep in one of them. Especially if the weather was bad...

She glanced around at the table in front of her, and the other chairs that were lined around neatly. They were round, and the pattern on them reminded her of the description of a boat's steering wheel she'd read about, in that awful pirate book.

Swallowing down a lump that book's memories had brought up, she looked down at the pier. It was made of lots and lots of large wood planks lined up next to each other, so she could faintly see the ocean. Seeing it in constant motion, hearing the light crashing of waves from underneath, and feeling the light salty breeze come up from below made for the most refreshing sensation. She loved it~

She spotted something black and red attached to one of the logs that supported the pier. It was hard to make out what it was, so she had to squint.

Before she could make it out, she heard someone come out of the building. Breaking her attention away from the object, she saw Rotom whimsically gliding through the air towards her. "Okay, then... it's time for food~!" he sang.

She looked at him. He didn't seem to have anything on his person. "... Uh...?" she mumbled.

The big black rectangle on his chest opened up. He swiftly reached into it without a care in the world.

Her horrified reaction at him seemingly disemboweling himself dissolved as soon as she saw him bring out a steaming hot plate of food. It looked utterly delicious. "Here you go, Buneary! On the house, for your contribution of helping poor Sneasel!" he chimed.

She gasped. "Wow! You can make food from your belly!?" she asked in awe.

He laughed. "Now wouldn't that be something? No, sorry to disappoint you, but it's my ability as a rotom! I can possess machinery, such as this old oven Porygon fixed up for me! Using that, I can cook anything you desire in the blink of an eye~!"

Buneary was even more awestruck than before. "Ooh, that sounds so cool~!" Whatever an oven was, she liked it, already.

He grinned and slid the food onto the table in front of her. "Now, enough with the talking! I believe it's time to start eating!"

"Heehee, okay~"

She looked at the food she'd been generously given. It was a heaping of different berries, all sliced and cooked to perfection. Even the berries she knew she didn't like much were giving off a good aroma right now.

The second she got a good look at it, and the smell hit her nose at full force, her stomach grumbled again. Wow... this was certainly a step up from that ice cream!

Oh... speaking of that, she felt like she should wash her face before eating. It was still a sticky, chocolaty mess after having the ice cream rammed into it. She was just lucky her fur was already brown, so nobody could notice. Though wouldn't her cream eyebrows have been colored over, too? Oh well, whatever worked.

She hopped over to the edge of the pier and, well, peered over. Letting out a soft giggle at the silly pun she'd just thought out, she tried to decide how to go about washing herself.

Unfortunately, the water seemed just a bit too far away for her to reach from where she was. Looking at it, it was somewhat deep, too. She would have to swim if she jumped off from here, and getting back would be annoying.

She began to plan how she was going to solve this issue when she realized that Rotom had left another plate of food on the thick handrail of the pier, a small distance away. Oh? Who was that for?

Her question was almost immediately answered when a feminine black lizard's face poked up over the handrail. Buneary recognized her straight away.

"Oh, it smells good~" Salandit said gleefully, taking in her food's scent. "I'm sooo, so, so glad I hid over here. Good solitude... good food... no rapists or sudden explosions... Perfect~!" She blinked and looked thoughtful. "... Would Donphan let me buy a load of this and use it for dinner? Hmm..."

Buneary stiffened. Oh, dear... she wanted to say hi and apologize for before... but good legends, after last time, the thought wasn't exactly appealing. What if poor Salandit had a heart attack next time?

... No, who was she kidding? Last time, Salandit had been simply enjoying herself in her room, scratching away at her block of wood. Then, all of a sudden, she'd been in a new place, surrounded by people! That would be enough to scare anyone, so... maybe it would be okay!

Oh, and speaking of the wood block... Buneary reached into her bag and pulled out that same small wood and the sharp stick it had come with. She was glad she'd doubled back to grab these, now!

She slowly approached Salandit, holding both objects aloft so she could see them. "Um, h-hello, Salandit," she said carefully. "I-"

Salandit shrieked and looked at her in terror. "Oh, legends, it wasn't good solitude!" she yelled.

Buneary nearly shrieked herself in surprise. Oh no, she'd been very, very wrong!

Salandit eyed up the two things Buneary was holding and shrieked again. "She's armed to the teeth!? Oh shit!" she yelled, stumbling backwards. Her purple eyes widened further when she accidentally lost her grip on the handrail on doing so. Screaming, she flailed about in an attempt to save herself from falling.

Gasping, Buneary shoved the items into her bag, rushed towards her and grabbed her leg as she took the plunge, only avoiding going over herself thanks to the handrail. Grunting, she pulled Salandit back onto dry land. A hard task with her clumsy paws, but she managed.

When the lizard was safe, Buneary flopped backwards onto her bottom, panting from exertion. "Phew... um, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah... I think so..." Salandit replied, sounding a bit shocked and perhaps confused by what had just happened. "I mean... I can swim, but... I think you saved me, so... thanks?"

"It's okay~" Buneary replied, smiling. She gasped lightly in remembrance and brought out the sharp stick and block of wood. "Um... you dropped these in the fire room... thing," she said, offering them to her.

Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! My wood carving knife! And my carving of... uh... I forget." She smiled. "Thanks! You're... sort of not a bad stranger, after all."

"You're welcome..." Buneary replied sheepishly. Well, from her, that certainly seemed like a compliment. "If it makes me feel like less of a stranger, they call me Wallflower Buneary!"

"Er, okay... hi! I think I'm called Run Away Salandit, or something."

Buneary pulled a face. "Yeah... I guess people think we're both, um..." She paused, trying to choose the most polite word she could think of, "... shy?"

Salandit gave her a look of confusion. "Huh? Well, I... dunno about you, but not me." She smiled somewhat proudly. "I definitely got my title by being a certified coward~"

Buneary stared at her. "... Huh?"

"It's how I've avoided being murdered, tortured, raped..." She gasped and shuddered. "Oh, legends, or worse! Ughhh..."

Buneary looked at her in shock. "... W-What's worse than that?"

"It's... uh..." Salandit blinked. She went back to shuddering. "Well... I dunno, but I don't wanna be the first to find out! That's why being cowardly is important! It keeps me safe from certain... uncertainty!"

Buneary laughed, not expecting that answer. "Oh... okay."

Salandit frowned. "H-Hey, I'm serious! Don't blame me when something happens to you that hasn't even been defined yet!"

"S-Sorry..." Buneary replied, trying to calm her giggles. "Um, either way... nice to meet you! Officially, anyway."

Salandit gave her a small smile. "Uh, y-yeah! Same."


Buneary moaned in delight. Ohh, Rotom's food was sooo gooood~! He'd prepared it to perfection, as far as she was concerned!

Looking across the table she was seated at, she saw that Salandit was enjoying hers greatly, too. A bowl of mashed eggplants topped with steamed roseli berries.

Honestly, Buneary couldn't decide if she liked the smell of it, or not. It had a very nasty, bitter smell to it... but occasionally, she caught a sweet scent that reminded her of the herbal tea Elder Slowking used to enjoy drinking. She was rather conflicted.

Inbetween bites of her own food, she decided to get a better look at Salandit, now that she wasn't running for her life at the first chance given. After all, the rabbit had promised herself she would try and take in any details that stood out.

Although Salandit had a jagged jaw and reptilian eyes, she was very distinctly feminine. Pretty, even. A stark contrast to her crazy paranoia, in a way.

For some reason, her chest seemed to cover a wide area, but didn't bulge outwards, much. Huh... what was up with that? Had she bound it super tightly under her coverings, or what? ... No, that seemed like it would be rather uncomfortable, so maybe not.

Nothing else about Salandit's appearance seemed to be out of the ordinary to Buneary. Not that she'd ever seen another salandit, or anything, but still. She wondered what sort of evolution they would have...

"Hey, uh... so..." Salandit started, surprising Buneary, "how did you get away from our captors?"

"... Captors?" Buneary asked, scratching the side of her face in confusion. The fur was still damp from when she'd cleaned it in the sea before eating, but she ignored it.

"Yeah! The deadly death bug, and Team Rape. How did you get away without them... y'know. Doing anything?"

"Ohh, I... see," Buneary replied awkwardly. "Well, it's easy! They don't, uh... do those things."

"Sure, they do! They..." The lizard paused. "... They act like they might do!"

Buneary sighed. "Well, I... guess I understand why you might make that mistake with Team High, but... why Charjabug? He was very nice to me!"

Salandit's eyes bulged. "N-Nice!? But he's so scary, though! I heard he bites his enemies and shocks them so hard, that even their ghosts are burnt to cinders!"

Buneary giggled. "I don't know about that. He gave me a tour around the guild, and he was very polite! He only threatened to bite Hoopa, because he was tricking me." She poked her food with her spoon. "Um... I think he was, anyway?"

"Really!? E-Er, well..." Salandit retorted, looking very befuddled indeed. She shook her head in disbelief. "Yeesh, Buneary... next you'll tell me that that deadly gangster octopus doesn't torture and murder everyone he makes eye contact with." She chuckled, though whether from amusement or nervousness, it was hard to tell. "Impossible! Haha..."

"Uh... hmm..." Buneary started, stopping herself while pulling a face. Oh dear... something inside told her that all her friends weren't going to be holding hands and playing games together any time soon...

"Enjoying the food, you two?" Rotom asked, cropping up from behind. Oddly, he now looked like a different kind of box. One with a blue aura.

Buneary stiffened. Uh oh...

She glanced at Salandit, fully expecting her to freak out at the sudden arrival.

Much to the rabbit's surprise, however, Salandit offered Rotom a smile, albeit a shy one. "Y-Yes, thank you! It's, um... tasty," she replied.

"Delectable news!"

"Oh, you're friends!" Buneary chimed. Her face heated up when she realized she'd sounded a bit too surprised. Oops...

Rotom chuckled. "Well, I should hope so, Buneary! Salandit often pops by for a bite to eat."

"Yeah! It's relaxing here..." Salandit said. "Well... when there's no boys around, anyway. Eheh..."

Buneary blinked. She looked at Rotom and blinked again. "... Um... isn't Rotom, uh... a guy? Though?" she asked.

"Oh, no, no, no," Salandit replied, shaking her head. "Rotom and Porygon are genderless! So they're not boys at all!"

"Gender... less?" Buneary asked in disbelief. How on Arceus' green Earth did his kind have children, then!? She was so confused.

Rotom laughed, though it came out awkward. "Yes, that's... right, you two! No gender to speak of! Not even my parents! Hahahahaha!" he agreed just as awkwardly.

Salandit beamed. "Yeah! See, Buneary?" she said. "So no scary boy problems to worry about!"

"Um... yeah..." Buneary mumbled. When she saw Rotom let out a deep, relieved breath, she got the feeling that she should stop questioning things. For his sake.

"Ooh er, these 'andrails ain't 'alf tiny, are they?" a familiar voice remarked from nearby.

"I suppose it is a good job that you can float, then," another familiar voice said with a faint chuckle.

Buneary excitedly looked over. She saw Gourgeist and Sneasel walking down the pier, from one of the boats. Gourgeist seemed as happy as ever, though Sneasel seemed extremely awkward, despite his smile.

Rotom looked in their direction, beaming. "Aha! Why, if it isn't Sneasel and Gourgeist, our guests of honor!" he proclaimed happily.

"'Ey up, Rotom!" Gourgeist greeted with a wave. "Cheers for the food you left us!"

"Y-Yes, thank you...!" Sneasel added, clearly forcing a smile. "I was not even aware you could work reviver seeds into a dish-" His eyes widened in surprise. "... Salandit? Is that you?"

"'Ello, there, Salandit!" Gourgeist added. "Fancy meetin' you 'ere!"

"Oh! Uh... hey?" Salandit replied, seeming just as surprised as they were. "What're you guys doing here?"

Buneary was confused by their interaction, though she supposed it made sense when she thought about it. She was a part of Team Valiant, wasn't she? That said, how she became a part of their team was beyond her...

"I could say the same thing!" Sneasel replied to Salandit, smiling. "I am delighted to see you outside of your room, for a change!" He rose an eyebrow. "Though... were you not supposed to be preparing tonight's food?"

Salandit frowned. "H-Hey! I leave my room sometimes! And I will! Just... you know..." She shivered, "when the murder bug isn't threatening to murder me to death... Ughh...!"

Sneasel snorted in amusement, though he stopped himself and shook his head. "Now, now, Salandit. You know Charjabug would not dream of killing a soul!"

"No, no, he wouldn't dream of it... He'd rather just do it, instead!"

"Now that's not-" Sneasel continued, though Buneary's attention shifted to Rotom, who had sidled over to her.

"Eheh, um, for the record, Buneary..." he quietly said to her, smiling sheepishly, "when Salandit was speaking of my species' genders, I believe she was thinking of ancient rotoms from a long lost age. And I suppose ancient porygons, too."

"Oh... really?" Buneary asked, wondering what he was getting at.

"That's right. Legends say they were made with magic and ancient technology, which meant they were neither male nor female..." He shrugged exaggeratedly. "That's... not quite the case anymore. Same for a lot of pokémon that have that stigma attached."

"Ahh, I see," she replied, catching on. "Wow... I wonder how something like that happened..."

"Well, I heard a rumor that the almighty Tree of Life was involved in some way..."

"Oh, The Tree of Life! You think?"

"Actually, I say that... but who knows for sure? It's probably not a good idea to put too much stock in rumors and folklore, eh?"

"Well... fair enough." Gosh, even so, it made sense to her. According to her book, Supernatural, that tree was integral to keeping the planet safe. In fact, it was so integral that, when the evil Dark Matter had attempted to corrupt it, and then later brazenly steal it away into Space, the whole planet had lifted off towards the sun! Something which explained last year's heat wave, now that she thought about it...

Rotom's smile grew sheepish again. "All the same, please don't tell Salandit," he asked. He rubbed the back of his head with an awkward chuckle. "If she were to find out I'm not as genderless as she thinks... well, I dread to think what might happen."

She cringed. "Yeah... nothing good, that's for sure..." She smiled and nodded. "Well, it's okay. My lips are sealed!"

He smiled back. "Delightful! Thank you kindly!"


After Buneary and Salandit had finished their meals, they - along with Sneasel and Gourgeist - had set out walking along Venture Village's sandy shores once again.

It hadn't taken much convincing to bring Salandit along, as it seemed she wasn't ready to go face Charjabug just yet. So she was happy enough to tag along, as long as she was allowed to hide behind everyone. Though Sneasel had been quick to remind Gourgeist to wear his 'zen scarf', which he was now wearing as a waistband.

"Um, Buneary..." Sneasel started after a short while, moving to walk alongside her. He seemed off put. "My apologies about the whole affair with Magilope. She's as..." He paused and let out a breath, as if he'd just stopped himself from saying something bad, "... let's say eccentric, as I'd been hearing."

"No arguments there..." Buneary mumbled.

"Huh? M-Mad Medic Magilope?" Salandit asked, pupils dilating in fear. "Holy legends, that's horrifying! W-What happened?"

Sneasel looked off to the side in displeasure. "Um... nothing worth retelling, Salandit."

"Oh, aye! It was bloody terrible, it was!" Gourgeist said, looking fearful. "Sneasel almost pushed up daisies, 'e did!"

"P-P-Pushed up... what!?" Salandit shrieked. The orange markings on her tail went ablaze, sending visible pink smoke into the air.

"H-He's just being dramatic!" Buneary quickly reassured. "Magilope made a mistake! She... uh... oh..." She stalled in horror when she saw the smoke reach Sneasel and Gourgeist.

... Neither of them reacted with more than bemusement and confusion respectively, more from the conversation than anything.

Buneary was surprised until she saw their scarves glow. Oh... right, so that's what they were for. Well, at least them scaring Salandit out of her skin and getting infatuated in turn wasn't a worry. For now, anyway...

Hearing Buneary's words, Salandit seemed to calm down. "O-Oh... right..." She frowned. "Jeez! Don't scare me so much...!"

"Oh, uh... sorry, lass?" Gourgeist replied, scratching his head. "Ooh, these sicknesses make me so confused..."

Sneasel lightly shook his head in exasperation. A look of dismay flashed in his eyes, which turned into a worried frown as he looked at Buneary. "Oh, uh, Buneary... you didn't, um... look into the tent at any point, did you?"

She tilted her head. "Huh? Well..." she started, halting immediately when she realized what he was getting at. Sweating, she rapidly shook her head and smiled as widely as she could. "N-No! Of course not! We just waited outside, on the, er... the chair!" She forced out a chuckle and turned to Gourgeist. "Right, Gourgeist? That's what we did, right?"

He stared at her. "Oh, er... was that before or after we all saw 'er pull out Sneasel's willy? I forgot already," he asked innocently.

Buneary's smile sank into the ocean. Oh, for flip's sake.

Going as bright red as his head feather, Sneasel put his hands against his face in dismay. "Ughh, oh, I knew it...!" he said in anguish.

Salandit looked very perturbed indeed. "... What the absolute fuckity fuck happened while I wasn't here!?" she said in utter astonishment.

"Oh, well-" Gourgeist started.

"N-No, Gourgeist!" Sneasel interjected, frantically waving both hands to stop him. "I'm mortified enough as is, so please don't say any more...!"

"Oh! Right, sorry," Gourgeist apologized.

Buneary sighed. Darn it, she felt so bad for poor Sneasel, now. She wondered if there was anything she could say to help him.

... Well... there was that she supposed. Even if it would embarrassed the crud out of her...

She let out a breath, swallowed back her pride and tried to figure out her wording. "Well... it's okay, Sneasel. I, um... did see the... well, you know. But it's not all bad."

He sighed, but offered her a small smile. "I'm afraid that is debatable, Buneary. What could be worse?" he asked.

"Well... I was in Drenched Bluff with Snorlax, Yamask and Corsola, earlier... Oh, and Octillery, too."

"Oh, no, you poor, poor girl!" Salandit said, voice dripping with sympathy. "I'll bet they almost raped and murdered you, didn't they!?"

"I told you, Yamask doesn't do that..." Buneary retorted, pouting. "... And Octillery wouldn't, either!"

"Brainwashing, too... Oh dear Palkia..." Salandit whispered to herself in fright.

Sighing softly, Buneary decided to let it slide and continue. "But yeah... at some point, we encountered someone called Vile Marowisp, from Team Specter." Cringing, she let out another breath. She really hoped they wouldn't mentally picture this... "We were fighting him, and we almost won... but he grabbed me and, um... tore my bosom coverings off, and made a show of it, and yeah, eheh..." she muttered quickly, face growing warmer and warmer by the second. "... E-Everyone saw..."

Everyone on Team Valiant gave her rather interesting looks. Sneasel stared at her in utter perturbance, Gourgeist looked at her with concerned confusion in his eyes, and Salandit simply stared in shock.

"Oh 'eck, why would 'e go about doin' that, now?" Gourgeist asked.

"... Oh, shit, are you saying he's an actual rapist!?" Salandit practically shrieked, clutching at her own chest as if Marowisp was going to attack right that minute. "Why did no one believe me when I said this was gonna happen!?"

"H-He didn't do any ra- ... Umm... you know!" Buneary quickly corrected, doing her best to avoid saying such an obscene thing. "He did it to distract everyone and beat us up."

"All the same... that scoundrel!" Sneasel said, angrily clenching a fist. "Please tell me he faced some comeuppance for his misdeed!"

"Yeah... Octillery got really mad, so he, um... made sure..." Buneary answered, petering into mumbles.

Surprised, he calmed down. "Oh? ... How so?"

"... He gave him 'what for'," she replied, looking off to the side.

"Oh, I guess our Octillery must be nice after all, then," Gourgeist said happily. "'E's just like me big brother, Burly Gourgeist! Even though 'e's smaller than me, me brother still went 'n' fought off them bad lampents that tried burnin' me 'air off for a giggle."

Buneary scratched her head. Wow, a fourth sibling? How many siblings did Gourgeist have, anyway!?

Well, she wasn't going to judge. For all she knew, she could have just as many by this point...

"Perhaps you are right, Gourgeist!" Sneasel chimed with a pleased chuckle. "I suppose I should praise Octillery for his good deed, next I see him!"

Salandit's brows furrowed in thought. "Well... I guess gangsters have a code of honor after all, then? Sorta?" she muttered. Her lips crinkled in displeasure. "... Still a gangster, though... Urgh...!"

"I'm sure that's not the case..." Sneasel replied with an exasperated smile. He turned a softer one towards Buneary. "Well, thank you, Buneary. I suppose hearing that we can both sympathize cheers me up, somewhat."

"No problem~" Buneary replied, happy that her embarrassing gambit had worked. She giggled lightly. "Um... no secrets in this guild, huh?"

He laughed. "I suppose not!" He let out a breath through his nostrils. "I must admit, though, this will likely keep me up at night, all the same..."

"Oh, it's okay, Sneasel," Gourgeist reassured, patting him on the back with his hair. "I know what'll 'elp cheer you right up! Let's go down t' 'appy Sneasel Shop, so you can 'ave a natter with that Shinin' Sales Sneasel!"

Sneasel immediately brightened up. "Oh, yes! I believe you are right, dear Gourgeist!"

"Oh brother..." Salandit mumbled bemusedly. "Even you're just as girl obsessed as all the other boys!"

He huffed. "I only simply wish to be friendly, Salandit. There's nothing underhanded about my visits!" He grinned to himself. "Though I suppose, while I'm there, it wouldn't hurt to deliver her a compliment or two. Heh...!"

She pointed at him accusingly. "See!?"

Huh... well, Buneary finally had context for that thing Sneasel had muttered to himself earlier. Something about 'having an excuse to stock up on items, and visit some mysterious 'her''.

Eyeing a large building in the distance - one that resembled a sneasel's head, complete with the feather - she made her way towards it, following behind the others.


As they approached the 'Happy Sneasel Shop', as Gourgeist had called it, Buneary had a good look around.

The store greatly resembled what one would expect a Kecleon Mart to look like... except, the big stall was clearly based off a dark-blue sneasel's head, instead. A huge chunk was taken out from the front of the store to make for a large counter, with lots of merchandise kept behind it on various shelves.

Standing behind the counter were two sneasels, one dark brown with a bright blue feather and one bright pink with a bright yellow feather. Notably, the pink one had a much shorter feather on its head than the brown one did.

Buneary's eyes widened. Ooh, what exotic colors for sneasels~! Were they both shiny pokémon? She squinted, trying to watch for any telltale signs.

The pink sneasel's fur gleamed as she glanced over in Buneary and her friends' direction while they approached. The brown one's didn't when he did the same. Huh... so only one of them? How peculiar.

She noticed the briefest of eye rolls from the pink one, who quickly grinned brightly after. "Hey, brother! Would you look who it is?" she said, a faint air of sass to her voice.

The other sneasel smiled very pleasantly. "Why yes, I see them, sister! Some very valued customers indeed~" he said, sounding very polite.

"'Ey up, you two!" Gourgeist greeted, waving to them.

"Fine day, fellow sneasels!" Sneasel - that is, Valiant Sneasel - greeted, doing a cool salute with two fingers. He leaned against the counter with a suave grin. "... And a very fine day to you, Miss Sneasel...!"

Even though Buneary thought it made him look really cool, the pink sneasel's expression went very sassy. "Always the charmer..." she said in a sigh.

"What can one say? I suppose I must be a very charming man, indeed, hm?"

"I daresay he is!" the brown sneasel agreed, cupping his paws together and nodding vigorously. "What a fine young man, indeed!"

"Thank Arceus I'm not a pink sneasel. Yeesh..." Salandit grumbled to herself, looking at the spectacle with bemusement.

Slowly shaking her head, the pink sneasel let out a huff through her nose. Doing so, she caught a glimpse of Buneary and grinned. "Ooh..." she said, leaning over the counter and smirking at her, "who's this, then?"

"This is Wallflower Buneary!" Valiant Sneasel said happily. He crossed his arms. "She's the newest member of our guild!"

"Is that so?" She straightened up again and crossed her arms. "Well, nice to meet you, newbie."

"Indeed!" the brown sneasel agreed, beaming brightly. "Always a wondrous time, is meeting a new hero in the making, such as yourself~!"

"Heehee, um... nice to meet you, too!" Buneary replied, pleased they seemed so happy to meet her.

The brown sneasel let out a happy hum and... crossed his arms. "Please, if you're ever in need of items to help your adventures, don't hesitate at all to pay my sister and me a visit~"

"Uh... okay..." Buneary mumbled, looking at the three sneasels. All of them were crossing their arms at once. Huh...

"Hm? Is everything quite alright, dear lady?" the brown sneasel asked.

"O-Oh, nothing!" she yelped, shaking her head. "Um... what're your titles?"

"Oh, how very rude of us!" he said, holding the back of his paw against his head as if aghast. He quickly went back to cupping his paws together. "Well, you may call me 'Merry Market Sneasel'!"

"Shining Sales Sneasel, for me," the pink sneasel added. She grinned. "Did you know? We're the kids of Happy Salesman Kecleon, from Unity Square."

"The green one from the popular book, in other words~!"

Buneary gasped in awe. "Really? Wow~!" she chimed.

"Impressive, are they not?" Valiant Sneasel praised. "Finest pair of sneasels I know!"

"Aside from yourself, you mean?" Shining Sales Sneasel joked.

He laughed and put a paw to his hip. "How very nice of you to say, dear Sneasel! Dare I ask... am I becoming your favourite customer?"

She was about to respond, though she paused for a second to scratch her chin. "Hmm... you know, you could be...!"

He let out a light breath, eyes widening in excitement. "Ooh, is that so? What a delightful thing to hear!"

She chuckled. "Steady, tiger. I don't give out my favoritism to just anyone, y'know!"

"Quite, quite!" Merry Market Sneasel added, nodding vigorously. "It would take an impressive accomplishment for that to happen, my friend~"

"Oh, well, by all means, I'm all ears!" Valiant Sneasel replied eagerly. "Anything you want, I'd be happy to-"

"Aha~! Okay, okay, well," Shining Sales Sneasel said, cutting in. Her voice seemed to take on a slightly cutesier tone, "we have so many silence orbs lying about... and we just can't seem to get rid of them. Can we, brother?"

"No, sister!" Merry Market Sneasel agreed, nodding vigorously again. "And we cannot imagine why! Such a useful orb, leaving enemy pokémon quiet as a pichu, and unable to attack with their mouths!"

"Ooh, that sounds really useful~" Buneary agreed.

"It most certainly does!" Valiant Sneasel replied.

"Oh, aye!" Gourgeist added. "You should buy yerself some, eh?"

"Er... whatever you say...?" Salandit said, looking far less impressed than everyone else. Mustn't have been her sort of thing.

"Amazing~" Shining Sales Sneasel said, pleased. She held a paw up. It glowed black, causing a bag to appear in her palm. The bag unraveled, revealing a white orb. It had a large musical note inside with a cross struck through it. "... It's eighty-five poké."

Valiant Sneasel's eyes went wide. He blinked a few times and began to visibly sweat. "O-Oh, I see!" he replied, voice cracking lightly. "Haha, that's um... about double the price of most normal orbs, isn't it?"

"Oh, it's awful, I know, I know..." Shining Sales Sneasel replied, scratching at her chest. While scratching at it, she accidentally clawed open part of her coverings, revealing a generous amount of cleavage around the blue gem on her chest.

Apparently not noticing, she brought both of her arms together, squeezing her breasts between them. She was even shaking her body side to side, too, making them wobble slightly. How had she not noticed!? ... She hadn't, right?

Valiant Sneasel certainly had, though. His composure was crumbling like a house of cards. "O-O-Oh... is that, um... so?" he stammered, crossing his legs.

"Yup~" Shining Sales Sneasel replied, nodding. She nodded hard enough to make her breasts jiggle slightly. "But that's the way it is, when we can't sell a single one. We have to recuperate the costs... y'know~?"

"W-Well, we cannot have that at all!" Valiant Sneasel replied eagerly. "I'll take one! No... I shall take one for all my friends, here!"

Shining Sales Sneasel giggled. "Just what I like to hear! If that doesn't make you a valued customer, I don't know what does!"

"Absolutely, dear sister!" Merry Market Sneasel added, beaming.

"Most excellent!" Valiant Sneasel replied, happy as can be.

"Ughh, boys only think of one thing, I swear..." Salandit mumbled to herself, too quiet for anyone other than Buneary to hear. "Just thinking with their... um, s-scary boys' things. Eep...!"

Well... she had a bit of a point, here, Buneary had to admit. She was happy the weasel was getting into the pink weasel's good books, but...

"Now, then, I believe four silence orbs is... three hundred and forty poke~!" Merry Market Sneasel sang.

Valiant Sneasel made a pained noise that he barely managed to cover up. "Y-Yes, of... of course!" he choked out, fishing into his bag.

"S-Sneasel! Er, our Sneasel! Really, don't pay that much!" Salandit interjected. "You already paid for my food, too! You're gonna make me feel bad!" She cringed. "... And being in a boy's debt makes me very uncomfortable, too...!"

"She's right, Sneasel. I can help pay!" Buneary added, frowning in concern.

"Do not worry, girls!" Valiant Sneasel replied, gesturing grandly despite his cold sweating. "Money isn't worth as much as a good deed, now, is it? Ha ha ha...!"

"Oh, you're such a good'un, Sneasel!" Gourgeist praised, beaming.

"I guess so..." Buneary mumbled. She would be happy he was acting so selfless, but it was sad to see him lose so much money just for a girl he seemed fond of.

Well, love's blind, as they say...


Walking along the beach once more with the others, Buneary glanced at the silence orb in her paws, investigating it. Well... she wasn't happy it had put Sneasel out of pocket, but at least she had it, now, she guessed.

She tried to shove it into her bag. She stopped when she noticed how full it was getting, though. Oh dear... treasure bags were magically enhanced to have a lot more space on the inside than on the outside, and had lots of pockets for storing things... but overstuffing them sure made it hard to get things out, later. She was just lucky that they were weightless and not too cumbersome to carry, regardless of how much was inside.

"Oh! Hey, Buneary, your, um... bag doesn't have much space," Salandit said, glancing at the rabbit's bag.

"Yeah... I haven't had a chance to empty it since I got here, yet," Buneary replied with a sigh, closing the flap on her bag.

"Well," Valiant Sneasel started, smiling, "I suppose that gives us just the excuse we needed to visit Vespiquen's!" His smile went somewhat sheepish. "Though fair warning... she's not the most talkative of types."

"Ooh, you're right!" Gourgeist said. "She's just like Hush Hush Pumpkaboo!"

"Oh, uh... another sibling, Gourgeist?" Buneary asked, starting to see where this was going.

He scratched his head. "Huh? Oh, uh, no, not 'er. It's me big brother's lass, y'see! She likes to pop over to the farm to see 'im."

"O-Oh, okay," Buneary replied, face warming from her assumptions. Darn it all...

"In any case," Sneasel replied with a chuckle, "Vespiquen doesn't seem shy, like her. You'll see what I mean."

"She's more the scary kind of quiet, like Donphan," Salandit added. She cringed. "Contemplatively staring at you... judging you... planning your demise when you're at you're most relaxed and vulnerable..."

"I... see..." Buneary mumbled. Yeesh, Salandit had trust issues for days...


Buneary once again followed behind Team Valiant across the village, until they came across a large, park-like patch of grassy land on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. While it stuck out like a sore thumb against the sand of the beach, it was really pretty with all the flowers and palm trees dotted about on it.

Walking through the park, she spotted a huge beehive smack dab in the middle, with a counter sticking out of the bottom. This must've been the place...

As if reading her thoughts, Sneasel spoke up. "Well, here we are, Buneary!" he said. He made a grand gesture towards the building. "Honeycomb Storage!"

"It certainly looks the part, doesn't it?" Buneary replied with a giggle.

"Oh, man, I've heard tales of these places where bee pokémon live..." Salandit said fearfully. The way she spoke made Buneary guess she didn't come here often. "They're hyper territorial, so if you come close... they'll sting you with poison so painful, it'll make you wish you were dead!"

"I suppose it is a good job you are poison-type then, eh?" Sneasel joked, crossing his arms. "Such poison would only tickle you, from what I believe."

"The stingers would still hurt!" she retorted, pouting heavily at him.

"Y'know, poison ain't so bad for us ghosties, either," Gourgeist noted with a smile. "Really wilts me grassy bits, though."

Huh... so poison wasn't good against ghost-types, either? Goodness, Buneary really needed a book on ghosts, soon. She couldn't understand them one bit!

In any case, she knew all about aggressive bee pokémon from her book, Supernatural. In it, the two heroes'd had to go to a place known as Nectar Meadow, in order to rescue a baby budew. One who had wandered over to the dungeon to try and find some special honey to help her ailing mother.

Being honey-making season, the beedrills and combees had been especially territorial, which had made things rather scary for Squirtle and Chespin. Thankfully for them, the bees' queen, Honey Ruler Vespiquen, had come to quell her subjects' anger, and had even offered a free jar of special honey to the budew.

The budew's mother had made a full recovery, and nobody had been treated like a pin cushion. So all had been well!

Buneary frowned lightly. She hoped things went well, here, too...

As they approached Honeycomb Storage, a large bee-like pokémon - Vespiquen, if Buneary had to guess - flew in from a large palm tree close by. Somewhat appropriately, she was nibbling on a pamtre berry as she flew over.

The pokémon flew down to hover behind the counter. "Greetings, Team Valiant," she greeted, placing her half-eaten berry down on the counter. "How may I help you?"

Everyone greeted her back, though nervously, in Salandit's case.

"We were travelling across Venture Village for a guided tour, in Buneary's favor!" Sneasel proclaimed, gesturing towards the rabbit.

Buneary gulped under the bee's gaze, which had turned towards her. Gosh, Vespiquen sure had an intimidating aura about her. Didn't help that she was much larger, either... "Y-Yeah!" she said, waving meekly. "I'm new to the guild, you see, so... yeah!"

"I see. Pleased to meet you," Vespiquen said to her.

"S-Same to you!"

"I am Storage Queen Vespiquen. I am not a real queen, but rather, the owner of this business."

"Cool! I'm Wallflower Buneary. I... well, I'm working on becoming a bit important. Maybe."

"Makes sense."

"Y-Yeah..."

The bee continued to stare, not saying anything else. Buneary nervously stared back, not sure how to continue the discussion. She could hear Salandit nervously shivering nearby, which didn't help her anxiousness, any.

"... Was there anything else?" Vespiquen asked.

Buneary yelped in surprise and shook her head. "N-No, no! I'm fine, now, thank you!" she replied quickly.

"Huh? But Buneary, yer bag's still a wee bit full," Gourgeist replied, confused.

Buneary blinked. She shook her head again to get back to her senses and nodded afterwards. "Right! Um... I have items, I forgot! Too many of them!"

"I see," Vespiquen replied. Her brows furrowed lightly. "... Are you always this nervous?"

"N-No, just... first day jitters, haha..." Buneary replied. Goodness, and she thought she'd been getting better at being put under the spotlight...

"I see. Understandable for a wallflower."

Buneary pouted. Darn it...

Vespiquen daintily clapped her hands together. Several combees came rushing out of the bushes from various areas in the park immediately after. They hovered around the much larger bee, looking at her expectantly.

She made buzzing sounds of various pitches at them. They seemed to understand whatever she'd said, as they'd now turned their attention to Buneary.

"What've you got? What've you got?" the smallest combee's three faces asked excitedly. "Ohh, we can't wait!"

"We'll safely store anything you want in the honeycomb," another combee with a red triangle on its bottom face said cheerily. "Because we use the same magical space as those kangaskhan rocks you can sometimes find in dungeons, you can access your things in other storage stores, too."

"Just place what you want put away on the desk," Vespiquen finished. "My combee will do the rest."

"Oh! Okay," Buneary replied. Did that mean she could access the items she'd left at Kangaskhan's Storage, back on Wellware Island, too? She hoped so, though now wasn't the time to check, considering some of it wasn't exactly stuff she'd like everyone to see...

"D-Don't keep us waiting too long, though!" another combee said, jittering impatiently.

"We're really impatient!" another of that same combee's faces said.

"Ohh, buzzy-busy com-bee!" the third face finished.

"O-Oh, yes, of course!" Buneary quickly replied, not wishing to agitate them.

She started putting some of the things she'd gathered into storage. Apples, orbs, and anything else that would be more useful in a dungeon rather than in the village, or back at the guild. Everyone else had also put their silence orbs on the counter, for much the same reason.

As she pulled things out and put them on the counter, the combees quickly flew over, grabbed the items, and airlifted them away to windows that had been carved into the top of the building. Seconds later, they would reemerge, ready to take more items.

While pulling out the elsewhere wand she'd gotten earlier, Buneary accidentally pulled out something else which flopped onto the ground. A small black blanket with lots of orange spots dotted about, and two big holes.

"Huh? Buneary, what's that thing?" Salandit asked, pointing at it.

"Oh! Whoops..." Buneary said, picking it up. "Um... it's a little embarrassing to say, but... it's my old security blanket, from when I was a baby..." She awkwardly held it up, showing it off to the others as her face warmed. "My mom wrapped my egg in it, so it's a bit sentimental... eheh..."

Gourgeist chuckled. "Oh, 'ow cute! It reminds me of the one me ma still 'as, from when she was still a wee pumpkaboo, 'erself!" he said happily.

"Oh, that sounds cute, too!" Salandit said with a giggle.

Buneary joined in the giggling. She was certainly right!

"Oh, to have a birth mother..." Sneasel mused quietly, smiling softly. He glanced up at Vespiquen, looking curious after. "Hm? Is everything okay, Vespiquen?"

Buneary looked at the bee and saw her looking past the group with knitted brows. "... Is she with you?" she replied, pointing past him.

"Hm?" Sneasel asked, following her finger. "Whatever do you mea-? O-Oh, legends, it's you!" he said, suddenly frightened.

Surprised, Buneary's head snapped in the direction he was looking. She saw a familiar white pony looking back at the weasel with a lopsided smile.

"Yeah... it's me, I think," Ponytale responded, nodding droopily. Notably, her head was still heavily stained purple from the ice cream earlier, but she didn't seem to mind.

Salandit shrieked. "Oh, lord Arceus, you're the daughter of Mad Medic Magilope, aren't you!?" she said, pointing accusingly.

"Yeah, that's right..." Her head slowly tilted to the side, eyebrows scrunched up in thought. "I don't think she's mad, though...? In fact, I think she's, like... apologetic, and stuff." Her head corrected. "That's a sad emotion, right...?"

"Oh, yes... apologetic over the incident, you mean?" Sneasel asked, calming down significantly. He let out a long breath and smiled back at the pony. "Well, please let her know that it's okay. She was, um... panicked, I'm sure."

She smiled. "Oh, okay... I'll let her know, now." Her horn glowed brightly, and all the colors on her mane cycled around in waves.

"N-No, don't summon her! Oh legends!" Salandit squealed, tugging on her cheeks in worry. "The last thing I want that crazy lady to do is come here and... and flipping open up my pussy and poke around, or something!"

"Oh... yeah, that doesn't sound good..." Ponytale mumbled, her horn and mane dimming until normal.

"Salandit...! Must you be so crass?" Sneasel chastised, putting a paw to his face in exasperation.

"... Oh... whoops..." Salandit mumbled, facing growing beet red. Groaning, she covered her face with her hands. "W-Well... it's true! She did it to you, right!? I think!?"

"D-Don't bring that up, please...!"

"Buneary. Gourgeist," Vespiquen asked, dragging Buneary's attention away from the awkward scene. The perplexed-looking bee gestured for her and Gourgeist to come closer, so they did. "... What happened?"

"Oh! Well, y'see...!" Gourgeist started, smiling eagerly.

"P-Private family matters!" Buneary said quickly, stretching a smile. She lightly patted the pumpkin on the side. "... Emphasis on, um... private."

He blinked, smile fading from apprehension. "... Oh, uh... aye, the family matter... things," he said unconvincingly.

"... Forget I asked," Vespiquen replied, thankfully taking the hint.


Buneary glanced at her friends as they walked towards a building close to Drenched Bluff's rocky cliff. Sneasel was leading, smiling despite everything he'd been through in the day. Gourgeist was bounding along with his usual floaty big steps. Salandit was walking along on her fours, cautiously looking around at the other pokémon milling about the town. Ponytale was trotting along with her usual airy expression, seemingly lost in her own little world.

Noticing her, Sneasel slowed to match her walking pace. He smiled sheepishly. "Um... Ponytale, you're still following us, I see!" he said.

"Yeah..." Ponytale replied, smiling absently.

"... I mean, I don't mind, but... you don't have to, you know?"

"Well... after that whole thing, I guess I'm just making sure you're... like... all good, and not dying, again."

He let out a soft sigh, though his friendly smile returned. "... Thank you, Ponytale."

"You're welcome~"

Deciding to take this opportunity to say hi, Buneary hopped closer. "Oh, Ponytale? I don't think we said hi, yet, so... hello~!" she greeted.

Ponytale looked at her in surprise. "Oh! Yeah, I guess not. Hello, there, um... hmm..." Her head tilted to the side in thought for a second, "... mashed potato bunny~"

Buneary did a double take. "Wh-? N-No, I'm a... buneary, not mashed potatoes." She smiled again. "Um... they call me Wallflower Buneary!"

"Oh, that's a cute name. They call me... uh... actually, I dunno..."

"I, um... believe it was 'Airhead Ponytale'," Sneasel answered awkwardly. "I, um... don't agree with it, of course, but..."

"Oh, Airhead! Right. Because my head's always in the clouds...~" She paused. Looking slightly panicked, she felt at her head with a hoof for a few seconds. She let out a heavy sigh of relief and smiled again. "Oh, good, good... I don't want my head to float away to Heaven. She might have questions..."

"Huh? She...?" Gourgeist mumbled.

"But... if your head floated away..." Salandit started, ignoring him, "you wouldn't be talking to us right now... right?"

"Oh yeah... I guess you're right..." Ponytale mumbled. She let out a very girly, yet slow giggle. "Whoops..."

Smiling, Sneasel let out another sigh. "Oh, Ponytale... you're indeed a special one, aren't you?" he asked, amused.

Ponytale stopped, mouth agape. Everyone also stopped to look at her.

"Oh, you okay, there, lass?" Gourgeist asked.

"Sneasel... you think... I'm special?" the pony asked, looking at the weasel with wide eyes.

Sneasel smiled sheepishly. "N-Now, Ponytale, I was only joki-"

Ponytale giggled again, cheeks going pink. "Wow... Sneasel's, like... coming onto me!" she said happily.

Everyone stared at her in disbelief.

"... What," Sneasel muttered.

"No one ever flirted with me before," Ponytale continued giddily. "That's happy...~"

"That's... flirtin'?" Gourgeist asked, scratching his head. "Oh, I'm startin' to remember why them romance stories me ma read to me were so confusin'..."

"N-No, that's... not it," Sneasel replied to him. He yelped in surprise when Ponytale trotted up to him and nuzzled into his neck.

"Thanks, Sneasel...~" she murmured.

"Oh dear..." Sneasel said, sweating buckets as he looked at all the passersby giving them a strange look.

Salandit kept blinking at the scene. "... What's going on right now? Am I going crazy?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Buneary didn't respond. She only twiddled her paws together while stretching her lips tight. This was so awkward...

... Sort of cute, though~


Standing in front of the building, Buneary looked at it in awe. The building itself wasn't anything special - just a large, humble round building - but next to the doorway was a colorful dragon statue, its long neck stretching around the doorway like a snake. It was really creative! Though Buneary didn't really recognize what pokémon it was. If it even was one...

The sign labeled the place as 'Gramps' Gifts'. The second she wandered inside with the others, she could immediately tell why. Cute trinkets, gift boxes and toys lined the shelves strewn across the walls, creating a grand assortment of shapes and colors everywhere she looked.

Buneary beamed. So pretty! This was like a child's paradise~

"Hoho... I think I can see a potential sale already!" a rather elderly voice spoke out.

Startled, she looked at who had spoken. She nearly jumped when she saw the massive green dragon at the other end of the store. He was poking his head through a hole in the wall, which led elsewhere.

Buneary let out a breath. Well, he was a bit intimidating in the size department... but he seemed friendly enough! "M-Maybe! Um, hello!" she greeted with a small wave.

The dragon let out another deep chuckle. "Hello to you, too." He looked at the others. "And hello to your company, as well!"

"Good day, Drampa!" Sneasel greeted.

"'Ey up, Drampa!" Gourgeist added.

"Um... h-hi...!" Salandit replied, clearly on edge from the dragon's huge size.

"Merry Christmas~!" Ponytale sang.

Everyone but Buneary and Drampa seemed very confused by her statement. The rabbit could only chuckle awkwardly, already knowing why she'd come out with that, and Drampa laughed heartily.

"My, it's not very often I get such a... 'unique' pokémon party coming through my doors," he said, calming down. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we? What were you hoping for today?"

"Introductions, if you don't mind!" Sneasel proclaimed. "Buneary here is new, so we're taking her on a grand tour!"

"Hoho, how marvelous! Though I hope this is not the last place on your list. It won't make for much of a grand finish, now, will it?"

Sneasel laughed. "No, no... though I would hardly say that, all the same!" He looked at Buneary while gesturing to the old pokémon. "This, Buneary, is Gift Wrap Drampa! He owns this fine establishment!"

"Hohoho, that I do! Please don't hesitate to browse, and see exactly what I sell. I can already tell a cute girl like yourself will appreciate what you find."

"Heehee, you might be right!" Buneary replied cheerfully.


Holding a small figurine of a machop to look at it carefully, Buneary smiled widely to herself. Wow, everything here was so finely crafted! Even the muscles on this machop's arms were accurate enough to almost be lifelike. Something she couldn't complain about, considering it looked male~

"Ponytale, please enlighten me..." Sneasel started from across the room. "Why exactly do you think it's Christmas?"

Glancing, Buneary saw him speaking with her as she stared at a big, stylized drawing of a kecleon.

"Huh? Umm... oh! Yeah, because the snow is tasty..." the pony explained happily.

Sneasel scratched his head. "There's... snow?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can still feel it on my face..."

Sneasel looked at the purple mark on her face, even more confused. "... Funny snow..."

"Oh, 'ow excitin'," Gourgeist replied to Ponytale. "Back on our farm, we only 'ad the one Christmas!"

"That's... still the case," Sneasel responded, exasperated.

"Boys and... uh, I guess medical ponies are so weird. Huh, Buneary?" Salandit asked, standing near her with a wooden figurine of a cute wurmple in hand.

"They... certainly have their quirks, sometimes," Buneary replied, amused. While glancing at her, she noticed something that made her eyes open wide. On a higher shelf was a large, fluffy doll of a flareon.

That in itself wasn't too strange... but it seemed to have a rescue badge on it. It was also sitting next to a psychu doll also adorned with a rescue badge, so...

Buneary beamed. Wow, how amazing~! In her excitement, she put down the machop figure and jumped high to land on the sturdy shelf and get a better look.

The doll seemed to capture the likeness she'd imagined for Redemption Flareon perfectly, right down to size. Throughout the story, he'd been rather strange and quirky, often making references to things others never understood... and the goofy expression on the doll's face captured that perfectly!

The doll of Peace Psychu next to it had a very ruggish, confident grin. She'd been rather tomboyish and free spirited throughout the story, so without a doubt, this was the duo! Oh, how awesome~!

"I suppose we've found a winner, eh?" Drampa joked.

"Oh, uh... yeah, they're nice..." Buneary replied, face warming.

"Hohoho! Glad to hear it. However, I'm sad to say these are only models, for a bit of proof of concept. I will have to sew for you another pair, if it interests you."

Her enthusiasm deflated. "Oh... well, I don't want to bother you..."

"Nonsense, dear. It's part of the business! For the small fee of six hundred and forty poké for the lot, I'll happily sew some proper ones up for you."

She nearly fell off the shelf in surprise. "W-Wah! I don't have that much!"

"Good grief, yes, that is awfully pricey for a toy..." Sneasel added, looking at the doll in shock.

Drampa let out a laugh. "Were you two expecting a charity?" he joked.

"Well, no, but..." Buneary mumbled, pouting. Jeez, an apple cost, like, five poké, on average. Even the more expensive things she'd bought from Exotic Item Gastrodon - who'd sold things she'd gathered from her trips around the world with her husband - had usually only been in the range of about four or five hundred poké, or so...

She'd brought some money for a hotel in Capim Town, and to travel on Lapras... but that was practically all spent up! Otherwise, she'd withdrawn all her personal funds, which had gone towards her book! She had no chance of paying this!

Drampa let out a breather. "Sadly, because knitting these to perfection takes some time and effort for an old codger like me... well, it's reflected in the price, to say the least."

"Well, makes sense. These are very lovely, so..."

"Oh, now ain't that a shame?" Gourgeist said, looking sympathetic.

"Dang, yeah..." Buneary replied. Sighing, she smiled again. "Well... I'm glad I got to see them, anyway. They're very, very lovely."

Drampa gave a pleased murmur in response. He turned his pink eyes toward the ceiling in contemplation before smiling. "Hmm, tell you what... It will still cost you money, of course... but I'll take an early commission and keep them in the back when I'm done, ready for when you work up enough funds. A good deal, eh?"

"Wow, really?" Buneary asked happily. Her smile turned sheepish. "But... I don't even know how long that might take, though..."

"Oh, time isn't an issue." He grinned. "Trust me, after being on this planet for nearly two hundred years, I think I can wait a little while longer."

Buneary nearly fell off the shelf again. Holy moly, how old was he!? Most pokémon only lived to about a hundred or so, and he was nearly double that!? Goodness gracious... he was a 'drampa' for a reason, she guessed.

He laughed at her reaction, but seemed to let it slide. "Besides... you remind me of my great, great... um, etcetera granddaughter. Wide-eyed and filled with wonder and enthusiasm for those legendary heroes. So how exactly could I refuse?"

"Oh, okay! Well... thanks, Drampa! That's so kind~" Buneary replied. "I'll make as much money as I can as soon as I can, then!"

"Hoho! Don't strain yourself, now!"

"Wow, he's so nice... maybe he's not scary...?" Salandit quietly mumbled to herself, which Buneary picked up on with her sensitive hearing.

Glancing at the others, she saw them looking pleased for her, which made her smile harder.

"While we're at it..." Drampa continued, "are there any other dolls you'd like me to make? I'd imagine an enthusiast such as yourself wouldn't just settle for a pair, no?"

"Oh, uh..." Buneary mumbled, hopping back down to the ground to look around at the other dolls on the high shelves.

True enough, there were other recognizable explorers. She saw a really shy-looking, male squirtle sitting next to a chespin posing proudly with a cheeky grin on her lips. On another shelf, a girly axew with a warm, beaming smile was sitting next to a female snivy, smiling in a friendly, albeit awkward manner. On another shelf, a stoic, yet thoughtful donphan was giving a ride to a happy, goofy snorlax. Both dolls a fair bit smaller than the real pokémon they represented.

"To be honest..." Buneary continued, looking between them all sheepishly, "... I sort of want them all."

"I figured as much," Drampa replied in amusement. "Well, consider it done!"

She beamed even brighter than before. "Thanks again~"

... Wait, that included the dolls of Snorlax and Donphan, right? Oh... well, she was still up for buying them, but she could only wonder how she was going to sneak them into the guild without getting the strangest looks of all time...

"Hey, if we're buying things..." Ponytale started, catching everyone's attention, "can I buy, like... a gift?"

"Why, of course! What takes your fancy, Ponyta?" Drampa asked. He stalled and shook his head. "Whoops! Still haven't learned not to use such old species names, hoho. Um... Ponytale, wasn't it?"

Old species names? Huh, and here Buneary thought that he'd just made a mistake, or something. How baffling.

"Yeah, that's right," Ponytale replied to him, dismissing the dragon's words with a droopy shrug. "Uh, and I dunno..." She looked around for a short while. Eventually, her eyes landed on a fancy blue jar of some kind. It sparkled under the soft light of the room, making it look like a beautiful ice sculpture.

"Ooh, pretty...~" she chimed, picking it up with a hoof.

"Ah yes, good eye!" Drampa praised. "That right there is a frism."

"A freerismms?" Gourgeist tried to pronounce unsuccessfully.

Drampa laughed. "No, a frizz-em. I believe they were first discovered by The Angels, on their travels to the mystical Glacier Palace."

Buneary gasped, and she heard Sneasel do the same.

"Yes, I have heard of those from The Angels' story!" Sneasel explained happily. "You could record a sample of your voice with them, freeze the opening, and then later, melt the ice to hear what was said!"

"Correct!" Drampa replied. "However, this is a replication, so it did not actually come from the Glacier Palace. However, it works a bit better, for it will store its recording forever, until you pour boiling water inside to 'cleanse' it, so to speak."

"Wow... sounds really nice," Ponytale said. "And Sneasel really likes it, too... so okay." She reached into her poofy mane and pulled out a pokécoin with sapphire studs embedded. "How many of these things do you need?"

"G-Goodness me, Ponytale!" Sneasel spluttered. "That's worth a thousand poké! Do you not have anywhere better to store it than just your hair?"

"Nah... I keep forgetting my purse, so I always just... carry some in my hair, now."

"Gosh, what if you lose it?" Buneary asked worriedly.

Salandit shivered. "Or what if you attract bandits?" she asked, even more worried.

Ponytale seemed to consider their words for a moment before shrugging. "Nah, it'll be fine..." she said, smiling despite their chagrin. What a carefree girl...

"Hohoho, well, in any case, that seemed to have been a wise move, for today!" Drampa praised. "For eight hundred poké, it's yours!"

Ponytale beamed. "Yay~!"

A quick exchange of money ensued, leaving Ponytale as the proud owner of two topaz-studded pokécoins of change, and a frism.

After admiring the frism for a short while, she tilted her head in thought. "Hmm... what compliments do boys like again...?" She let out a breath of realization. "Right, right..." She said something directly into the frism. It apparently absorbed sound very well, because even Buneary hadn't been able to hear what was said.

Without any further action needed, the top of the frism froze solid. Wow, convenient, if not mysterious.

Ponytale turned to Sneasel and held it out to him. "Here you go, Sneasel. Present~"

Sneasel's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh? For me? Truly?" he asked.

"Yup! Words of, um... encouragement and stuff, for days when things feel bad...~"

He beamed. "Oh, Ponytale, I... don't know what to say! Other than thank you very kindly!" He took the frism and held it aloft. "I shall treasure it, always!"

"Yay~"

Everyone responded happily for the two of them. Buneary especially. What a nice gesture! It seemed Sneasel's luck was finally turning around!

"Well, why don'tcha open that thing up, and let us 'ave a listen, then?" Gourgeist said eagerly.

"I think I shall!" Sneasel replied. He vigorously rubbed his paw on the ice covering the top until it melted away.

Once the top was open, Ponytale's voice rang out from within, as if she were actually inside the frism itself. "Hey, Sneasel..." it started, "your cock is really big, and looks nice~"

Sneasel stared at it, eyes widening in abject horror. He looked around at the others, who were mostly just as bewildered as him. Except for Gourgeist, who continued smiling, and Drampa, who was laughing wildly.

"Merry Christmas~!" Ponytale sang, oblivious to everything.

"... Oh my..." Buneary mumbled, face going warm from extreme second-hand embarrassment. Well, her compliment wasn't exactly wrong, but...

"... I frigging knew there was a catch," Salandit mumbled to herself, cringing heavily. "There always is! I should've warned him, but nooo...!"

"Oh, what a lovely compliment!" Gourgeist said happily. "I'm sure our Sneasel's right 'appy to 'ear that."

"Yes... thank you..." Sneasel mumbled, covering his face with both paws, frism included.

"Ah... the promiscuity of youth," Drampa said, almost reminiscently.


TO BE CONTINUED!


Finished: 02/03 (March)/2022

Word count: 13,220 (Used to be 19,103! Yikes!)

VGS2's sausage notes: This chappie used to be a lot longer... but I snipped it, to be less bullshit. I hope the new length is a bit more palatable!

As ravengal said to me at some point while poking fun, it's a bit strange that the dialogue acknowledges that Porygon2 is called... well, Porygon2, and yet Buneary still doesn't quite understand, even though it's blatantly her POV.

Now, if I was a really clever or pretentious writer, I'm sure I could have done something that made things more ambiguous for her, while keeping it obvious for you, my reader. Such as making her acknowledge what he'd said as 'Porygontoo', marked off with apostrophes, or something, therefore making what's written down line up with her thought process... But naww, fuck it, I just want to get to more fight scenes, dungeon adventures, or a place where I can show off more colourful animal titties. So I'll just go 'hurp' and wing it like this, iff'in you don't mind. XP Probably less confusing anyway, ain't it?

By the way, speaking of ravengal, I have to thank her for creating Drampa! ... Yeah. XD I know she made the original fic, but she was still kind enough to make up this guy for me. So there you have it. An OC submission for a fan remake of an old fic... from the original creator of said old fic. What a world.

Today's shameless promotion: Bandits of the Forest (pt1: Rising Stardust / pt2: Tales of Virdis / pt3: Withered Spirits)

Author: PokeMaster64

Universe: Pokémon-only world (Fantastical medieval times, with a teeny bit of wild west)

Main species: A buneary princess, a pikachu bandit leader, and frigging loads of others!

Summary: "The strongest mountains can be weathered overtime by the unrelenting winds. They can stand mighty and proud until one day, even from the slightest breeze, they shatter and crumble to pieces. A Pokémon's resolve is no different. What happens when that resolve breaks, and the spirit shatters? How do you fix a broken spirit?" -Marie

Romance: Quite the slow burner about it, but it exists!

Wackiness: A fair mix of wacky antics and serious times!

Lewdness: Enjoys the odd eyebrow raising joke!

Action: Fuck tons! Mostly weapon and magic-ish-based, but uses moves, too!

Grittiness: Strangely dark implications get thrown around often!

Length: Long as shit! Spreads across three different fics (as of writing)!

In all fairness, I've already advocated for this one... but aww, fak it. Last time I didn't really describe it much, so here it is again!

Admittedly, being the lazy arse I am, I've never read it all the way through, so I'm sure there's plenty I know nothing about when it comes to the lore... but hell, man, every time I glance through, it always surprises me with something! It's a fun ol' read and, honestly, if you like this fic, I think you'll like that one too! Especially if you were looking for a more T-rated version. XP


Fun mistakes of the day:

#1: '[During the Lilligant section last chapter] Buneary scratched her head. Wow, how many siblings did Gourgeist have, anyway?'

(Because I rearranged a lot of shit last chapter, I sort of forgot that, by the time she noticed this, this was the only sibling of Gourgeist's Buneary knew about. How did she know he had more!? O,o Maybe she just guessed, seeing as he's a farmer's kid. How assumptious!)

#2: 'Buneary and the horse - who had introduced himself as Mind Study Zebstrika - were greeted with the site of one burnt, collapsed and blown a good distance away,'

(They found a horse which had been blown apart? Brutal. O,o Guess he's not getting his wife back.)

#3: "Heheh, thays right, abd as fat as i can tell... right now its time for some r an r"

(I came up with some good dialogue on the way to work, so I decided to write it out on my shit phone. Went about as well as you'd expect.)

#4: "The both of them floated into the air at the same time, carrying the huge pumpking along."

(All hail the pumpking!)

#5: 'They shakily floated away, in the general direction of the ocean'

(Not really a mistake, but I couldn't help but joke about how odd this sounds. XD "Tonight, you sleep with the fishes, Gourgeist!")

#6: "Um... are Gourgeist and Sneasel goin g"

(Are they turning into hoodboy gangsters?)

#7: "Oh no, not you twoo"

(Not sure if it's 'two' or 'too'? Use both at once! Perhaps even 'Towoo' if you're really confused about your 'to's! (Lol, it sounds like a pokémon... XD Take note, Scarlet and Violet!))

#8: 'He was a lot lighter than his adopted brother seemed to be, '

(So... Gourgeist is the adopted one, and Sneasel isn't? O,o That's going to be an awkward family dinner if they ever go back home.)

#9: 'Last time, Salandit had been simply enjoying herself in her room, playing with her wood.'

(This raises enough questions to feed a household for a lifetime! Oh dear... XD)

#10: 'Her purple eyes widened further when she accidentally lost her grip on the handheld'

(Uh oh... well, guess she's not getting her DS back, then. I wonder if she was playing Mystery Dungeon...?)

#11: 'she saw that Salandit was enjoying hers greatly, too. A bowl of mashed aborigines'

(So... native Australian people? O,o Jesus, them Aussies have enough shit to deal with right now, as is. XD
I guess while I'm at it, here's a lesson on British food! Instead of 'eggplants', we call them 'aubergines'! They still taste like shit, but it's certainly fancier sounding, no? XP)

#12: "Well, I should hope so, Buneary! Salandiot often pops by for a bite to eat."

(Well, that's just mean! I don't think she'll be coming by anymore, if you keep that up.)

#13: 'the whole planet had lifted off into the sun!'

(Then... how are you all still here? Is this the afterlife? ... Or the Voidlands?)

#14: 'frantically waving both hands to stop gim.'

(But... how else will Kirby get the yo-yo ability?)

#15: 'Something about 'having an excuse to stock up on items, and visit some mysterious 'heh'.'

(Sneasel enjoys visiting mysterious chuckles, apparently. At least he's not visiting that awkward chuckle I sometimes see in fics, which I don't think is supposed to be awkward. "The sort that has a comma instead of a fullstop, heh.")

#16: '"Fine day!" Sneasel - that is, Valiant Sneasel - greeted, doing a cool two fingered salute.'

(No, Sneasel! A reverse peace sign is offensive in Britain! It means 'up yours' or something like that! Damn... guess he's not gonna get any nookie, is he? XP)

#17: '... She hadn't right?'

(Naw, she did a left, instead.)

#18: 'flew in from a large palmtree tree close by.'

(Trees which grow palm trees on them...? Do they sprout out of the bark, or out of the leaves? If the latter, do they come out the top, or dangle, like berries? ... All of the above? What a clusterfuck of palm tree. Or perhaps a palmtree panic, hue hue.)

#19: "Well safely store anything you want in the hive,"

(Well, you heard her, Buneary! Make like Diddy Kong and go do it! *The rabbit climbs in, only to fall and drown in honey* Oh... thank fuck, fic over. XD Bye, everyone!)

#20: 'The sign labeled the place as 'Gramp's Gifts'

(So he's called Gramp, is he? XD "Hey, I'm Gramp!" "I'm not so Gramp!" *Etcetc something about raptors with egos*)

#21: 'Eventually, her eyes landed on until her eyes landed'

(Is this one of those cartoony effects, where the eyes bulge out of their skulls, or something?)

#22: "No, a fiss-em.'

(That's still not how you pronounce it. XD Oh man, I shouldn't write when I'm bloody tired and sick.)

-A mistake from my research notes for Red & Blue Rescue Team again (Which won't take as long as researching Super, I promise)-

#23: Butterfree: "Ohh! Is my poor Caterpie safe!? Oh dead,"

(Huh... guess not.)


Welp, that'll just about do it! Thanks for reading, mate! Hope you have a good day, and, er... I hope you stay out of any wars, Australian quarantine camps and Canadian police vans...! *Awkward laugh*

Um, either way, tata for now! c: