Author's note: Heya, folks!

Just wanna give a quick reminder about my new PokéPark fic, Smile for Me. It has lots of friendship and, eventually, four different romantic pairings!

Also, my Unova-based fic, Shallow Waters, updated recently, too! Feel free to go and check out both!

Well, with that said, hope you enjoy the chapter!

My best mistake of the day: "(Just don't breaking heart again, alright?)"

Aiya! Breaking heart very bad! You get sadness long time!

Chapter Twenty-six: Explanations

Once Buneary wiped away her tears and picked herself up from the floor, Pikachu decided to follow suit. As he was pushing himself up, however, she held out a paw, a hopeful smile on her face.

He blinked. Recovering, he smiled back and took her paw. She pulled him to his feet, but neither one let go of the other. A pleasant feeling burned on low heat in Pikachu's chest.

A shuffling noise behind him told him that Buizel had also gotten to his feet.

"(Well,)" the weasel said, "(we should probably head back, if we're all done here.)"

Pikachu turned to him to see him smirking. He gave him a light smile. "(Yeah,)" he replied. He paused a moment. "(... Thanks, Buizel.)"

"(Hmm? For what?)"

"(For... you know... doing the thing to help me... get the thing and-)" He felt a throbbing pain underneath his skull. He held it and flinched. "(... Ow.)" He tried smiling again. "(... Thanks for helping me get Buneary back.)"

"(Pfft. No problem.)" Buizel paused as he looked the mouse over. "(Hey. I didn't hit you too hard, did I?)"

"(No... well, yeah, but... I mean...)"

"(What?)" Buneary asked, shocked. "(You hit him, too?!)"

Buizel shrugged. "(Well, yeah,)" he replied. "(There was a chance he'd actually cheated on you. In which case, he'd deserve it.)"

Pikachu pouted at him, though he couldn't deny that statement.

After a moment, Buizel huffed out a breath of air. "(Though I guess I was a little rough. So... sorry.)"

A tiny smile worked its way onto Pikachu's mouth. "(It's okay,)" he replied. "(I did kinda deserve it, I guess...)" He rubbed his head. "(I just wish my head wasn't pounding...)"

"(Oh, that's right...)" Buneary said tenderly. "(You didn't get any sleep, did you?)"

"(Not much, no.)"

"(Aww...)" She looked at Buizel incredulously. "(And you hit him while he'd had no sleep!)"

"(Hey, you hit him, too,)" Buizel retorted.

"(... Well...)" Buneary heaved a sigh. "(Yeah, I guess you're right... Sorry, Pikachu...)"

Pikachu turned to give her concerned face a sheepish smile. "(It's okay...)" he replied.

"(You were being a doofus, but... it probably shoulda waited until you'd gotten some sleep...)"

"(Nah, it's fine. I... shouldn't have been a doofus.)"

"(... This was all one big mess, wasn't it?)" Buizel asked. After a moment, Pikachu felt a paw on his head. It lightly ruffled his fur. "(Just don't go breaking her heart again, alright? Don't give me another reason to smack you.)"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(I won't...)"

Buizel removed his paw. "(Now, let's get back to where the others are.)"

"(Yeah, okay.)"

As Buizel walked past him, a thought occurred to Pikachu. He blinked. "(... Wait. Buneary?)"

"(Mmm?)" Buneary asked, looking curious.

"(When you left earlier, you...)" He pointed in a different direction. "(Went that way, right?)" He moved his finger, pointing it down at the ground where they were standing. "(So why did I find you here?)"

"(Oh! Well... I went off for some alone time, 'cause...)" She fidgeted with her fluff. "(I didn't want everyone to see me crying...)"

His heart did a painful jolt at that comment, but he kept silent.

She continued. "(But, after a while, Piplup came looking for me. By then, I'd stopped crying, so I went back to camp, but... then they asked where you were...)"

"(Yeah,)" Buizel added. "(She just burst into tears again, and the whole camp went in a panic over it.)"

"(Oh...)" Pikachu replied sadly, his ears drooping.

"(And I was kind of...)" Buneary said, smiling awkwardly, "(... inconsolable after that.)"

Pikachu lowered his head. "(I'm... the worst boyfriend... I dunno why you're dating me, honestly...)"

"(... Because I... well... I like you a lot. I have done for... a long time now, so...)" She paused. "(I mean, you're kind of a doofus, but... you're my doofus. The doofus that I... really care about.)"

Lifting his head, he gave her a small smile. "(Thanks, Buneary.)"

Buizel gave a satisfied huff. "(Come on, you two,)" he said. "(Let's go.)"

Walking through a row of bushes, Pikachu saw them. The entire group had settled elsewhere, away from the campsite, to give the trio some privacy. In their absence, it seemed that a degree of normalcy had returned. Ash and Dawn were training with Infernape and Cyndaquil, respectively, while Brock watched from a nearby tree stump.

Everyone else in the group seemed to be trying to relax, though they looked decidedly anxious.

Oh boy... this was going to be fun...

As they approached, the first one to see them was Pachirisu.

The squirrel gasped. "(There they are!)" he cried.

Every head snapped in their direction, including the humans'. Stopping in place, Pikachu felt himself shrink under their gazes. Some of which turned into wary frowns upon seeing him.

Before anyone could say anything, Pachirisu dashed towards them at the speed of light. He skidded to a stop in front of them, looking shocked.

"(You're holding paws!)" he cried. "(Does this mean you made up?!)"

"(Well...)" Pikachu replied, but he was distracted by something blue hurtling towards him. "(... Huh?)"

"(You jeeeeerk!)" Piplup cried, tears streaming from his face. He lunged at Pikachu.

Yelping, he tried to block the attack, only for Buizel to stand in front of him and deflect it. Piplup fell backwards onto the ground.

The penguin scowled upwards. "(What are you defending him for?!)"

"(What are you attacking him for?!)" Buizel retorted. "(You're not even bothering to listen to your own best friend?!)"

Piplup flailed angrily. "(But he cheated on Bunearyyyy!)" He turned his scowling on Buneary. "(And how could you get back with him after what he diiiid?!)"

"(Well...)" Buneary started, but was cut off by a few members of the crowd.

"(So he did cheat on her, huh?)" Croagunk asked, staring unblinkingly at Pikachu.

"(I can't believe it's true!)" Sudowoodo cried in shock and dismay.

"(It was that Eevee girl, right?)" Infernape asked in disbelief. "(That's what Piplup said...)"

A few angry agreements followed this statement, making the group's glares towards Pikachu intensify. Other pokémon, however, still looked confused. Then, suddenly, there was a cacophony of all-consuming noise.

"(What a scumbag!)" Staraptor snapped. "(How could he do that to Buneary?!)"

"(Some boyfriend he is!)" Cyndaquil snapped.

"(She deserves so much better!)" Sudowoodo agreed, now looking caught between distressed and angry.

"(Why'd she take him back after that?)" Mamoswine asked, an eyebrow raised in annoyance.

Pikachu shrunk further and further under their accusations, his heart cold as ice in his chest.

"(Uh...)" Buneary muttered, but she seemed unable to continue.

"(Would he really do that, though?)" Torterra asked unsurely.

"(Naw, he wouldn't... would he?)" Infernape replied awkwardly.

"(He just doesn't seem the type!)" Happiny agreed in concern. "(And with someone he barely knows?)"

"(... What's going on...?)" Gible asked, a distant gaze in his eyes.

Ash was looking around in a panic. "What's wrong with all the pokémon?!" he cried.

"I dunno!" Dawn replied, also looking panicked. "They just all started yelling out of nowhere!"

"Now, calm down, everyone!" Brock called out. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure it's okay!"

The yelling only got louder after his statement. Pikachu could barely tell what was being said anymore.

"(Did you actually cheat on her, Pikachu?!)" Pachirisu asked in dismay. "(Why would you do that?! Why would you try to sink my ship?!)"

"('Cause he's a heartbreaking jerk, that's whyyyy!)" Piplup cried angrily.

Buizel growled. "(Alright, shut up, all of you!)" he yelled. The whole crowd silenced immediately. "(Jeez! I can barely think for the freaking noise!)" He stuck a finger in his ear and twisted it. "(And thanks for the ringing in my ears...)" Pulling it out, he folded his arms. "(Alright, look. Nobody cheated on anybody! Pikachu just thought he did.)"

Piplup sat up, flailing in anger. "(How can you just think you cheated, but actually didn't?!)"

"(It's Pikachu. What do you think?)"

Piplup paused and blinked. "(... Good point.)"

Despite everything - despite the pounding in his head, the ringing in his ears, and his generally awful day, from top to bottom - Pikachu blushed slightly.

"(He...)" Buneary said, taking a step forward, "(he made a mistake. He thought... he'd cheated on me... but it was actually a dream.)" All the pokémon stared at her. "(... He... kept having a dream... over and over again, about an eevee... and then, when the real eevee showed up, he thought it was her.)"

"(... That's stupid!)" Cyndaquil called out.

"(Yeah. I know... but... he hadn't had any sleep either, so... his head got a bit messed up, and he really thought he'd done me wrong, so he... confessed to it... to cheating on me.)" They continued to stare at her. "(In a dream.)"

Pikachu's face suddenly felt hotter than before.

There was a moment of silence. Then half the pokémon fell to the floor in exasperation. The other half burst out laughing.

Except for Croagunk and Gible, who didn't react much at all.

Pikachu wanted to crawl into a hole and... well, not die, but certainly stay there for a long time.

Pulling himself off the floor, Piplup stood up, flailing again. "(Oh, good legends, Pikachu, you're an idiot!)" he screeched.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied, shrinking further, "(I know...)"

Once he'd stopped laughing, Pachirisu breathed a sigh of relief. "(Phew!)" he said. "(I'm glad my ship's as secure as ever!)" He paused. "(I really gotta stop making ship puns.)"

Buizel huffed in amusement. "(Yeah, it's only in danger when Captain Doofus over here thinks there's a problem where there isn't one,)" he replied.

Pachirisu laughed again.

"... Huh," Ash said, putting his wrists on his hips and smiling awkwardly. "I dunno what Buneary said, but the pokémon seem to have calmed down."

Dawn beamed. "Looks like it, Ash!" she replied.

Brock looked directly at Pikachu. "Did you two sort out your problems?" he asked.

Pikachu nodded meekly. "(Yeah...)" he replied, earning a smile in response.

"(I swear,)" Buizel said, "(someone needs to put a leash on this guy...)"

"(Ooh, me! Me!)" Pachirisu said, raising his stubby paw into the air. "(I wanna do it!)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh, though he couldn't counter their argument...

Buneary turned to him. "(Well, it looks like everything's okay again,)" she said, smiling.

He gave her a tired smile back. "(Yeah...)"

He rubbed at his eyes. They stung slightly and... was his vision blurring, too? He tried to suppress a yawn, but failed.

"(... Oh right, you're tired...)" She paused in thought. "(Well, hey. How about you go and sleep? You look like you need it.)"

"(Yeah, I... guess so...)"

A wave of fatigue hit him like a bullet train. It was suddenly hard to stand.

Wow. He really needed sleep...

"Well, since everything seems back to normal," Brock said cheerfully, "how about we all head back to the campsite?"

"(Okay!)" everyone replied.

As everyone headed back towards the area they'd vacated earlier, they passed by Pikachu, Buneary and Buizel. Quite a few of them shook their heads in exasperation at Pikachu. He couldn't really blame them, honestly. He'd royally screwed up...

As Ash and Dawn began to pass by, they stopped. Pikachu looked up to see both of them smiling down at him and Buneary.

"Everything okay, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu gave a tired nod. "(Yeah...)" he replied.

Dawn's smile became concerned. "I hope whatever happened between you and Pikachu is okay now, Buneary..." she said.

Buneary nodded. "(Yeah, it's fine!)" she replied. "(See?)" She swung their joined paws around slightly.

Dawn sighed in relief. "Good..." After a moment, she put her hands on her hips, leaning down with a stern gaze. "Now, I dunno what happened, but try not to make Buneary cry again, okay, Pikachu?"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Sure...)" he replied.

Dawn beamed at him. "Alright, good!" Reaching down, she stroked him on the head. "You be a good boyfriend now!"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

As Dawn removed her hand, Ash chuckled. "It looked kinda sketchy for a while..." he said, "but it seems to be okay now." He pumped a fist. "Hang in there, Pikachu!"

"(Sure thing, Ash...)"

"And good work, Buizel! I guess whatever you did helped!"

"(Pfft,)" Buizel replied in amusement. "(You have no idea...)"

"I don't really get this relationship stuff... but it seems to make you happy, so I wouldn't wanna see it get ruined." Ash put his wrists on his hips. "You and Buneary make a good match."

Pikachu smiled sincerely at his best friend. "(Thanks, Ash...)"

Ash smiled back. "Well, come on! Let's head back to camp." Turning, he carried on walking. Dawn soon followed him.

"(You two coming?)" Buizel asked.

"(Yeah,)" Buneary replied. She indicated Pikachu with her free paw. "(... Though can you tell everyone to leave him be for a while? He kinda needs his sleep.)"

Buizel nodded. "(Sure thing.)" Turning, he followed Ash and Dawn through the bushes.

Buneary turned to Pikachu. "(Ready to head back?)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh, utterly exhausted. "(Yeah...)" he replied, "(yeah, I am...)" He smiled at her. "(And thanks.)"

She blinked in confusion. "(Huh? For what?)"

"(Well, for... for telling them I need sleep... and all the other stuff, too. Explaining and... yeah...)" He yawned.

She smiled gently at him. "(No problem. Now, go get some sleep, for goodness' sake.)"

"(Yeah... sure...)"

Letting go of her paw, he headed towards the campsite. She followed not far behind him.

Pikachu had found the perfect spot to sleep. A fair distance away, but not so far that Team Rocket would have easy access to him. Thankfully, Buizel had already told the others to leave him alone for a while, so, hopefully, he wouldn't be disturbed.

Settling into a curled up position, he nestled his face into the grass. He sighed in delight at how comfortable it felt.

It was also warm from the afternoon sun. Ohh, this was going to be a wonderful nap.

He closed his eyes, taking in the pleasant scent of the grass. Relaxation washed over him like rolling waves.

As the sounds around him began to fade out, and his consciousness began to drift, he couldn't help but be glad that everything had worked itself out.