Author's note: Well, hi!
This chapter's an odd one, for sure. Haha. Bet you can't guess what games I've been playing/watching lately. XP
Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Arc IV: The Date Night
Chapter Fourteen: Sentiments
It had been over a week since Pikachu's battle with Buneary. Since then, an awful lot had happened. After Dawn had lost the Lilypad Town contest, Lyra and Khoury - the latter of which now had a croconaw and a gible - had said their goodbyes and caught a plane back to Johto to travel together. Brock now had a pokégear, given to him by Khoury's father, and - because Dawn had felt like seeing the flowers again - the humans had decided to backtrack towards Floaroma Town. Well, it was in the completely opposite direction of Sunyshore City, but whatever worked, Pikachu supposed.
In other news, the mouse had yet again fallen prey to attract. This time by a machine, and with Piplup, of all people. Hoo boy, he'd done so much freaking out over that one. Especially since it had been the second time. Many laughs had been had at his expense.
After that, Dawn had found out about a contest being held in Daybreak Town, which was actually quite close to Sunyshore City. So that gave them even more reason to head in the other direction.
The most exciting part of the week, though, had been dealing with Team Galactic. They'd captured the lake trio - known as Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie - in an attempt to control Dialga and Palkia, and create a new world to erase and replace the current one. It would have destroyed everyone and everything in it, but, thankfully, they'd been stopped and arrested. Their leader, Cyrus, had disappeared through the portal he'd made, and their scientist had run off, but oh well. At least the world was safe!
What a relief that had been. Pikachu certainly wasn't ready to give up his life. He was still young, and had a lot left to do! Places to see, people to meet, leagues to win... and a girlfriend he really, really liked that he wanted to spend more time with. He definitely wouldn't want her to die, either!
Regardless, after that, Ash, Dawn and Brock had headed back on the road to Sunyshore City, for Ash's eighth gym badge. Being teleported to Mt. Coronet by the lake trio had also been convenient, since they were now a bit closer to the city than before.
... As exciting as all that had been, though, it had meant less time for Pikachu to spend with Buneary. He wanted to make up for that, somehow, especially after the whole incident with his eevee dream. Thankfully, he hadn't had another one of those since.
He paused in thought. Just how long had he and Buneary been dating now, anyway?
His mind raced backwards, counting the weeks. The moment he figured out the answer, his eyes widened. They'd been dating for a month already!
Wow. That was the longest he'd ever dated anyone. Well, of course it was, since he'd never dated at all before, but still. For it to have lasted a month, that was rather special, wasn't it? He smiled to himself.
"Man, I'm beat!" Ash said, slumping onto his back on the pokémon centre's couch.
"Yeah, me too!" Dawn agreed, sitting next to him. "Maybe we should take a break from training today."
Ash looked at her upside-down, horrified. "Aww, but Dawn!"
"She's right, Ash," Brock agreed with a smile. "You need to rest every now and then, or you'll burn yourself out."
Ash gave him a sad gaze. "Awwww..."
"No need to worry, though!" Dawn added, smiling. "We'll train extra hard tomorrow, to make up for it!"
Ash sighed. "Alright..."
Brock flipped open a magazine. "Since we have plenty of time before bed," he said, "how about we watch a movie, instead?"
"A movie?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Yeah. There's a pretty good one on soon that I've been wanting to watch."
"Ha," Ash replied in amusement, still looking at them upside-down, "it's been a while since I watched a movie."
"I think you two will like this one."
"Awesome!" Dawn replied, beaming. "Let's go see it, then!"
A movie, huh? This should be interesting.
The four of them sat on a different couch in the adjacent room, a decent-sized television in front of them. As Brock flipped through the channels, and Ash and Dawn shared a large tub of popcorn, Pikachu thought back to his girlfriend.
It would be nice if he could celebrate their one-month anniversary somehow. How, though? He was about to watch a movie with the humans, so it certainly couldn't be tonight.
... Or could it?
They wouldn't be alone, so it wouldn't be a proper date, but perhaps they could still make a date out of it anyway?
He turned to Dawn, waving his arms animatedly. "(Hey!)" he cried. "(Dawn!)"
"Hmm?" Dawn asked, looking down at him curiously. "What's wrong, Pikachu?"
He put his paws to his chest and put on his most pleading face. "(Can you let Buneary out to watch the movie?)"
She squinted, trying to figure out what he was saying. "Hmm..."
Brock chuckled. "I think he wants Buneary to watch the movie with us," he said.
"Really?" Dawn beamed. "You want your girlfriend to watch it with you?"
Pikachu blushed lightly, but nodded.
Dawn giggled. "How cute. Well, alright then!" She grabbed Buneary's pokéball and pressed the button to enlarge it. Then she clicked it open. "Come on out, Buneary!"
In a flash of white light, the brown rabbit emerged on the couch, next to Pikachu.
"(Hey!)" she said happily.
"(Hey,)" Pikachu replied, smiling. "(We're about to watch a movie. You wanna watch it with us?)"
"(Yeah, sure!)"
Suddenly, there was another flash of white light. Piplup emerged on the couch on Dawn's other side, puffing out his cheeks angrily.
"(Heyyy!)" he cried, dancing around. "(I wanna watch the movie, toooo!)"
Dawn laughed. "Alright, Piplup, settle down," she said. "You can watch the movie, too."
He huffed, placing his flippers on his hips and raising his beak into the air. "(Darn straight I can.)"
"Alright, everyone," Brock said, placing down the remote, "the movie's about to start."
"(Oh, cool!)" Buneary replied, sitting down next to Pikachu.
After a moment, she nuzzled into his side. He felt a warm sense of contentment and nuzzled back.
"Sho, whazis movie abou', anyweh, Bruck?" Ash asked around a mouthful of popcorn.
"Close your mouth when you eat, you slob," Dawn chided, prodding Ash in the side.
"It's a fantasy that's apparently really good at pulling on your heartstrings," Brock replied.
Dawn beamed. "Ooh, it sounds great!"
"Yuh," Ash replied, swallowing the popcorn, "it sounds pretty cool."
Everyone suddenly fell silent in anticipation as the title of the movie appeared on-screen: Determination.
The movie started off fairly ordinary, with a young human boy named Nick getting his first pokémon - a female clefairy - and setting off on an adventure with her. Once he fell through a portal into another dimension, however, things began to get strange.
There, Nick encountered some creatures similar to pokémon, except their designs were much more bizarre and otherworldly. Both he and Clefairy were a little overwhelmed at first, as they wandered about the land, pondering how they would get back home.
As they wandered, they discovered that these creatures weren't pokémon at all. They were strange entities known as yokai. They could speak perfect English and seemed to be a bit obsessed with playing games.
That was when it happened.
One of the yokai - a large cicada - suddenly ambushed the duo. He swung his samurai sword at Nick's head, only missing because Nick barely managed to dodge out of the way.
Getting defensive, Clefairy jumped in front of her trainer with a frown of disapproval. Standing there, she awaited an instruction as the yokai held out his katana.
Everyone watching the movie held their breath in anticipation of what Nick would do now. Would he call out an attack against this yokai? Who knew what would happen if he did that. Especially since yokai didn't seem to operate the same way pokémon did.
After a long moment of contemplation, Nick forced on a smile and extended a hand of friendship to the creature. Noticing her trainer's reluctance to fight, Clefairy relaxed her stance, also smiling.
The yokai used one of his three remaining arms to scratch his head in bewilderment. He'd apparently never met a human or a pokémon before, and was rather confused as to why they'd be so friendly on a first meeting.
After a few moments, he sighed, sheathing his katana. Reaching out a hand, he took Nick's and shook it, introducing himself as Cadin.
Much of the movie continued in the same manner, with Nick and Clefairy meeting and befriending many yokai, each one quirkier than the last. With each encounter, the yokai would attempt to fight, but Nick and Clefairy would refuse, instead choosing to extend their hands in friendship.
Some yokai were easier to convince than others, but all proved to be accepting of the offer in the end.
Except for one devious yokai called Bloominoko. The whole time, he continued to follow and pester them, doing his best to hinder their progress.
Finally, the movie had reached its climax. An epic battle between good and evil to determine the fate of the yokai world.
After the first battle - where Bloominoko had turned into a giant yokai that he called Squidillius McKraken - the yokai changed form again.
He was revealed to actually be Zappary, the son of the kindly couple, Papa Bolt and Mama Aura. Before the viewers' very eyes, he evolved into what he called Frazzel, continuing the fight as the music picked up in intensity.
Nick and Clefairy did everything in their power to resolve things peacefully, the way they had throughout the movie, but it was proving difficult for them. Every struggle seemed to bring them further from their goal.
Buneary was clinging anxiously to Pikachu's side. Piplup was screeching incoherently, while Brock was trying to quieten him. Ash was loudly munching on popcorn, and Dawn was muttering "No need to worry" to herself over and over again in a mantra.
Pikachu held his breath and waited for the fight's conclusion.
"Wow, that battle was awesome!" Ash exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. His empty popcorn tub flew to the floor by his feet.
"Yeah!" Dawn agreed, beaming. "It was really cool. And so heartwarming!"
Piplup was bawling his eyes out. "(That... ending... was... so beautiful!)" he cried.
Brock smiled tenderly as he rubbed the penguin on the head.
"(Wow...)" Buneary muttered, a small smile on her lips as she relaxed her body and leaned into Pikachu.
"(Yeah...)" the mouse agreed with a smile of his own.
Currently, the credits were rolling to a very uplifting song, matching the mood of the movie overall. It made the mouse's chest feel light, happy and fulfilled. It had been a lovely way to celebrate his one-month anniversary as Buneary's boyfriend.
"(That was really good,)" Buneary said.
"(Yeah,)" he replied. "(Brock wasn't kidding when he said it was a feel-good movie.)"
Buneary turned slightly to beam at him. "(No kidding!)" She paused a moment. "(Who was your favourite character?)"
Pikachu paused to think. "(Hmm... I think it was Komasan.)"
She blinked at him. "(Really?)"
"(Yeah. He was pretty timid and cute... and he really didn't wanna fight at all.)"
... Actually, the white and blue dog reminded him of Buneary, now that he thought about it. Especially considering all the times she'd clung to him in fear. The time with the rotom, the time with the phione, and the time they'd been separated from the other pokémon and walking though a dark, damp cave.
No wonder he liked that yokai so much.
He smiled. "(Who was yours?)"
"(Oh, Jibanyan, definitely! He was so loud and weird and quirky!)" She giggled.
He chuckled back. Yeah, that red and white cat had been an interesting one, certainly.
"Next up," a voice on TV suddenly said, "a classic spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad and the Pokémon, followed later tonight by some light romantic comedy in the form of Luvdisc Actually. Switch over to the horror channel in half an hour to watch Determination's scarier sister movie, But Nobody Came."
Pikachu's ears pricked. Sister movie? On the horror channel? Had he heard that right?
"Huh?" Ash asked. "Sister movie? What's that mean?"
"Doesn't that mean a movie that's really similar?" Dawn asked. "But how could a horror movie be similar to that?"
"It's an alternate interpretation of events, from what I hear," Brock replied. "Though I don't think either of you are old enough to watch it."
"Aww, but Broooock..." Ash whined.
"Yeah," Dawn agreed, slumping her shoulders, "that just makes us wanna watch it more..."
"Come on now, you two," Brock said with a light smile. "You have to get to bed anyway, if you wanna get in some early training tomorrow."
"Yeah..." Ash replied, giving a light smile back, "guess you're right..." He looked down at Pikachu. "Alright, come on, Pikachu! It's time for bed!"
"You too, Piplup and Buneary!" Dawn agreed.
"(Kay...)" Piplup blubbered, still covered in tears.
"(... A horror movie?)" Buneary muttered in intrigue, watching as Brock turned the screen off.
"(Apparently,)" Pikachu replied with a shrug.
There was a long pause as Buneary continued to stare at the blank screen, even while the humans and Piplup were starting to make a move.
"(... Um...)" he continued awkwardly, "(you didn't wanna watch it, did you?)"
"(... Well... I dunno...)" She fidgeted. "(I get scared really easily, so I don't know if... Well, I mean... I'd wanna, but...)" She glanced back and forth between him and the television.
He blinked. Wow, she was feeling awfully brave tonight, wasn't she? Then again, that movie had been amazing, and he could only imagine what this 'alternate interpretation' would be like. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious.
He lowered his voice. "(Hey...)" She glanced at him. "(When the trainers are in bed, do you wanna try watching it?)"
Her eyes widened. "(R... Really?)"
"(Yeah.)" He paused, then smiled awkwardly. "(Because, it's, like, our one-month anniversary, right? So, we should watch a movie alone, maybe.)" He blushed slightly. "(We could make it a date.)"
Her eyes began to sparkle. Grinning at him, she nodded. "(Okay.)"
As the humans lay snug in their beds, slowly drifting off, Pikachu felt so naughty creeping towards Dawn's bag. It really wasn't like him to be so disobedient - he normally liked to think of himself as a good mouse - but it was oddly thrilling to do something against the humans' wishes for once. It reminded him of the old days.
Reaching into the bag, he paused as Ash shuffled slightly. Holding his breath, he waited, silently pleading with the legends not to be caught.
After a few moments, the shuffling settled down. Exhaling quietly, Pikachu quickly grabbed Buneary's pokéball and snuck towards the door. Climbing onto a nearby table, he reached out his tail, carefully picking at the lock with it.
Eventually, Pikachu and Buneary were settled on the couch. As Pikachu fiddled with the remote, Buneary snuggled up against him.
"(Are we in time to watch it?)" she asked.
Pikachu glanced at the clock. "(Yeah,)" he replied, "(it'll be on in a sec.)"
Looking back down, he pressed a button to turn on the screen. After a few moments, it lit up, revealing a commercial for roserade perfume.
"(... It won't be too loud, will it?)" Buneary asked quietly.
Pikachu lowered the volume. "(I'm sure it'll be fine,)" he replied.
"(I just don't wanna wake anybody. I'm not even sure we're supposed to be up at this hour.)"
"(Hey, it's allowed. It's just not... recommended.)" He paused for thought. "(You know, the Sinnoh pokémon centres are more... uh, time allow-y than the ones in... Kanto...)"
She smirked lightly at him. "(Time allow-y?)"
He blushed. "(Well... you know... The Nurse Joys in Kanto had stricter curfews... is what I meant...)"
Buneary giggled again. Once the title of the movie appeared on-screen, however, she immediately quietened, snuggling closer to Pikachu.
The movie began much the same way as the other one. Nick received Clefairy as his first pokémon and set off on a journey, before falling through a portal into the yokai world. The only difference seemed to be in the lighting, possibly to signal that it was a different movie. It was a few tones darker, and the music appeared to be slower. Pikachu could only imagine how the plotline would change.
Suddenly, Cadin attacked Nick, the same way he had in the previous movie. As before, he held out his sword, while Clefairy jumped in front of Nick with a frown.
"Clefairy, use Pound!" Nick cried out.
Pikachu's eyes widened. There it was! There was the difference! In the other movie, Nick had never called out a single attack on the yokai. How would this change things?
With a battle cry, Clefairy flew forwards, swiping a claw at Cadin. The yokai cried out in pain as he was smacked hard across the face.
"Great! Now, use Pound again!"
Once more, Clefairy smacked Cadin hard across the face, making him tumble backwards and land in a crouched position. Looking up at Nick and Clefairy with one eye clenched in pain, he opened his mouth.
"Th..." he grunted, "thou hath... bested... me..."
A moment passed before he dissolved in a cloud of purple smoke.
Pikachu stared in horror. What? What?! Was Cadin... dead? But he'd been befriended so easily in the previous movie. Why did he have to die?
He watched, mouth agape, as the purple smoke seeped into Clefairy, making her glow purple for a second.
"(Wh... What?)" Buneary whispered in horror.
He had no answer for her.
"Cl... Clefairy?" Nick asked quietly, also staring wide-eyed.
"(I...)" Clefairy replied, looking at her claws, "(I feel so much... stronger now...)"
Buneary clung tighter and tighter to Pikachu's arm as the movie progressed. It had started off so innocent, just like its sister movie, but it had taken a horribly dark turn. He could certainly see why it was on the horror channel now.
Nick's first kill had been an accident. His second had been a test, to see if Clefairy would get even stronger. She had. So he'd killed a third time. Then a fourth. Then a fifth.
The more yokai that fell in battle, the stronger Clefairy seemed to grow, only making the following battles easier. Especially when she started to learn new moves. Enjoying this new development, Nick had revelled in it, ordering it more and more.
Eventually, the major characters - the fun, quirky ones that they'd come to know and love from the other movie - all started to die, too. All painfully. All asking why. All in the name of Clefairy getting stronger.
When Jibanyan dissolved into a cloud of purple smoke, Buneary whimpered in distress, huddling as close to Pikachu as she could. One glance at her face told the mouse that she could no longer look at the screen.
He placed an arm around her. "(... Are you okay?)" he asked gently.
She squeaked, shaking her head against his side.
"(... Do you wanna stop watching?)" he continued.
She paused a long moment. Eventually, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to look back at the screen.
"(N-No...)" she replied quietly.
He watched her for a moment. "(... Are you sure?)"
"(... Yeah. I'll be fine...)"
"(... Well, okay...)"
She was being awfully brave, so he had to commend her on that. He really couldn't blame her for disliking this movie, though. He did, too.
Honestly, what he felt was more like a morbid fascination now. Just how much worse could it get?