Author's note: Heya, peeps!
Looks like we've hit the big 3-0! That's an oddly proud achievement for me. Onwards to new horizons and even higher numbers!
As for right now, hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirty: Additions
Several days later, the gang were in Arrowroot Town. They'd arrived a lot sooner than they'd intended - due to getting a lift from Bertha of the Elite Four, of all people - and were currently browsing a store.
"Wow, there's so much to choose from!" Dawn said, eyeing up some accessories. "There's beads, bangles, necklaces... even ribbons!" She grabbed a couple and held them up. "Hey, Ash, which do you think would go better with my dress?"
Ash shrugged. "Beats me, Dawn," he replied.
She pouted. "AAAAsh...! I'm gonna be in the Grand Festival soon, and you know I have to look my best! So, let's try again." She smiled, holding up the accessories. "Which one?"
Ash groaned. "Look, I dunno, Dawn, I'm no good with this kinda stuff!"
Atop his shoulder, Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Me neither, really...)" he said. "(I think they'd all look nice.)"
Dawn heaved a sigh. "Alright, fine," she said. "You go check out other stuff in the store, if you want." She glanced over the accessories again. "I might be a while..."
Ash laughed. "Knowing you, I'll bet!" he replied.
Pikachu couldn't help but chuckle, too. "(Yeah,)" he added.
Dawn huffed lightly, though she was also smiling. She turned to look elsewhere. "Hey, Brock, come here a sec!" she called out.
"Let's go check out the store, Pikachu," Ash said, glancing sideways at his best friend.
Pikachu nodded. "(Sure,)" he replied.
Ash wandered away, passing Brock as the breeder made his way over to Dawn.
"Hmm, what should we look at?" Ash muttered as he walked along an aisle.
Scanning the shelves with his eyes, the trainer shook his head and continued on to the next aisle. He did this several more times, then groaned.
"Man, shopping is so boring..."
Pikachu smiled awkwardly. Sure, it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it wasn't horrible. Sometimes, you could find some really cool things in a store! As long as you looked in the right place, anyway.
Ash turned down another aisle. Pikachu's ears shot up at what he saw.
Merchandise.
Not just any merchandise, though.
He looked around, seeing them everywhere. Strange creatures that looked kind of like pokémon, but weirder. Wackier. Otherworldly.
Yokai.
Oh, good legends, there was merchandise of those movies now?!
He stared in slight horror at the Jibanyan doll that was smiling back at him. The character that had been obsessed with seafood, to the point where it was unhealthy. The same character who'd tried to befriend the villain, only to vanish in a cloud of purple smoke.
He'd also been Buneary's favourite character.
He looked along the shelves as Ash walked. Yokai toys everywhere. Komasan, Komane, Komajiro, Dismerelda... They brought back so many memories of that night a month ago.
His gaze froze on a certain set of dolls.
Oh, good legends above, was that Nick and Clefairy?!
He glanced around, seeing more dolls of them. Then his gaze landed on a pair of banners advertising the toys.
Both had Nick and Clefairy in the centre, standing back-to-back, with the movies' most iconic yokai surrounding them. In one, everyone had smiles on their faces, with Nick and Clefairy looking determined. Ready to save the world. The colours were bright and hopeful.
In the other, everyone was screaming and crying, with Nick and Clefairy looking sinister. Ready to cause death and destruction. The colours were dark and foreboding.
... Yep, that summed up the movies pretty accurately, he'd say.
"Huh..." Ash said, looking at the banners. "Pretty cool, huh, Pikachu?"
"(Yeah...)" he replied with an awkward smile, "(real cool...)"
Ash continued staring at the second banner, an eyebrow raised. "Dunno why this one looks so sinister, though..."
"(Yeah... who knows?)"
"Alright, guys," Dawn said with a smile as they all regrouped, "I got my accessories! Let's head out."
Ash put a hand on his hip. "About time, Dawn," he said, sounding amused.
"Yeah, it took her a while to decide," Brock added, smirking slightly. "Even with my help."
Dawn blushed. "Yeah, well..." she replied, "a girl has to look good for her grand entrance..."
Ash laughed and Brock chuckled. Pikachu, though, was still too distracted by the aisle he'd passed through earlier. He stole a glance backwards in its direction, but couldn't actually see it from where he was.
The concept of it was still so jarring...
The day had progressed, with a lot of strange things happening. Dawn had been blindsided outside the contest hall by some woman with a rather posh accent, before being brought to someone called Princess Salvia. A girl who looked exactly like her.
... If Pikachu had thought the merchandise had been jarring, well, it didn't compare to that. It had looked like something straight out of a fable! But this princess was apparently a huge fan of Dawn's, having watched all of her contests on television.
Things had only gotten weirder when she'd asked to trade places with Dawn for the day, so that she and her togekiss could sneak away and compete in a contest. In exchange, Dawn had needed to pretend to be the princess and take over her rather taxing duties.
He had to admit, it had been very strange, watching not-Dawn compete. She certainly looked like Dawn, but her accent was far more posh and refined. It had been quite a sight, watching her and her togekiss on stage.
Afterwards, however, Princess Salvia had given her togekiss away to Dawn, asking her to use the bird in contests, while she went back to her royal duties.
Now, out in the forest with their camp all set up, everyone had been let out of their pokéballs for dinner. Being the new member of the team, Togekiss was attracting a lot of attention.
"(We finally got a new team member!)" Pachirisu said happily, jumping up and down.
"(Yeah, we hit the big six!)" Cyndaquil added with a grin. "(Yay!)"
"(I said we didn't neeeed a sixth member...)" Piplup said, "(but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.)"
"(Nice to meet you, Togekiss,)" Buneary said with a smile.
"(Yeah, hey,)" Mamoswine added, his face neutral as usual.
"(My, my,)" Togekiss replied, beaming, "(this team is lovely. I'm delighted to be a part of it~)"
Gosh, she was so formal. Then again, it made sense, since she'd lived with a princess possibly all her life.
... Wait, hadn't Dawn's pokédex said that togekiss was the evolved form of togetic? With that thought in mind, Pikachu couldn't help but wonder something...
"Dinner time!" Brock called out.
As everyone hurried over to grab a bowl, Pikachu made a mental note to ask about it later.
Pikachu hummed in satisfaction as he nibbled on a pellet. Mmm, so dry and crunchy! He always loved it whenever Brock made their food like this.
Beside him, Buneary also seemed to be enjoying it. Not as much as him, by the looks of it, but hey. At least she didn't hate it!
He glanced elsewhere. When his gaze landed on Togekiss, he paused a moment. The bird seemed to be looking down at her bowl in confusion.
He watched as she pushed the bowl around with a wing, then looked up at everyone else. Most of them seemed to be enjoying the food, which only made her look more confused.
He kept watching as she tilted her head down and sniffed the pellets. She still looked confused. Then she opened her mouth and nibbled on one.
She blinked a few times, clearly not used to the taste of pellets. Huh. Maybe she'd never eaten them before? Well, he supposed that made sense, since she'd lived with a princess. She was probably used to far more extravagant meals.
Judging by how she was now eating the pellets with a smile on her face, he could only assume that she found them tasty.
Pikachu smiled, happy that she was fitting in okay.
Finally, everyone had finished their dinner. Now Pikachu needed to get over to Togekiss before she made other plans.
"(Good meal,)" Buneary said. She smiled. "(So, what do you wanna do now?)"
"(I dunno,)" he replied. "(Though I wanna go ask Togekiss something real quick.)"
She blinked. "(Oh, okay. Can I come along?)"
He smiled. "(Sure thing! Might be fun hearing her answer.)"
"(Kay.)"
Standing up, the two of them made their way over to Togekiss. The bird was stretching out her wings, apparently satisfied with her meal.
"(Hey, Togekiss?)" Pikachu asked.
She looked over at him with a smile. "(Oh, hello there,)" she replied. "(To what do I owe the pleasure?)"
It was still really weird being addressed so formally, but he decided to just run with it.
"(Yeah, um... I was wondering if I could ask you something.)"
"(Oh, do ask away, dear boy~)"
"(Right, well... have you ever heard of Togepi Paradise?)"
"(... Huh?)" Buneary asked, sounding confused.
Togekiss' face lit up. "(Ah, yes, indeed I have!)" she replied. "(Though it's not a place I, myself, have visited, I have heard tales of the land.)"
Pikachu blinked. "(Oh, really?)" he asked.
Togekiss nodded. "(Indeed.)"
"(... What's a togepi paradise?)" Buneary asked.
"(A land that my own father often spoke of, back when I, too, was a togepi.)" She gazed at Pikachu in intrigue. "(How have you heard of it, might I ask?)"
"(Well, see...)" Pikachu replied, "(I knew a togepi once. Uh, he's now a togetic... and he left to live in Togepi Paradise and keep it safe from... well, invaders and stuff.)"
Togekiss smiled. "(Ah, I see. Well, my father was born in the paradise. He told me that, once togepi are ready, they leave it, in order to bring joy to those in need.)"
"(... So the place is filled with togepi?)" Buneary asked curiously.
"(Yeah!)" Pikachu replied, smiling at her. "(It's a forest in another dimension that has nothing but togepi in it! And I guess togetic now.)"
"(Splendid!)" Togekiss said. "(Oh, it's simply wonderful to meet someone who has seen Togepi Paradise!)"
He turned back to smile at her. "(Yeah! The second we got near the place, Togepi was drawn to it like a moth to a flame!)"
"(Ah, yes, I have heard about this. I have often wondered if, once I got close, I, too, would be drawn to it.)"
"(Maybe. He'd never even seen the place before, and he went straight to it! Like he knew it was home, or something.)"
"(I see! Most fascinating.)" She paused a moment to think. "(Pray tell, where did you meet this togepi?)"
Pikachu paused for thought. "(Uh... somewhere in Kanto... Was it...?)" He racked his brain, trying to remember. "(What was it called? Grampa... Canyon?)" He smiled. "(Yeah, that was it! Grampa Canyon! That was where we found his egg.)"
"(I can't say I've heard of the location. Had someone just left the egg there?)"
He shrugged. "(I guess so.)"
Togekiss shook her head sadly. "(How unfortunate. Though I assume he led a full life?)"
"(Yeah, Misty- Uh, that's a friend of Ash's... she took great care of him.)"
Togekiss smiled. "(Oh, well, that's delightful to hear! I, myself, was born in Sinnoh.)"
"(Sinnoh? That's quite a way from Hoenn.)" He paused. "(But, then again, so is Kanto.)"
"(Yes, I can't imagine why your friend was so far from Hoenn.)" She glanced at a probably confused Buneary. "(That's where Togepi Paradise is, dear.)" She glanced back at Pikachu. "(But my reason is that my father migrated to Sinnoh.)"
"(He did?)"
"(Yes. After spreading joy throughout Hoenn, as both a togepi and a togetic, he joined a flock of... I believe he said taillow and swellow, off to the Sinnoh region.)" Her smile glowed warm. "(That was where he encountered my mother. A chatot. Since falling in love with her, he has never wanted to return to Togepi Paradise.)"
Pikachu blinked, awed by the story. "(Wow...)"
"(Yes, quite. He has said that, were he to return, the pull would be too great to resist, so he daren't return. For his happiness lies with my mother.)"
"(Wow, that's so beautiful!)" Buneary said in glee.
"(It is, isn't it?)"
"(... So, how did you end up with Princess Salvia?)" Pikachu asked. "(If you don't mind me asking.)"
Togekiss shook her head lightly "(Oh, no, not at all, dear! You see, my father told me that it was in a togepi's nature to bring joy and, one day, I would do the same... and, one fateful day, I encountered a young girl, struggling with her responsibilities as princess. I decided to remain at her side from then onwards. My parents wished me luck as I departed.)"
"(Wow...)" Buneary replied.
"(Huh,)" Pikachu said, "(so then... why are you with Dawn now?)"
"(Well,)" Togekiss replied, smiling brighter, "(I had always been rather fond of contests. Viewing them on television with Princess Salvia had always been a joyous hobby of mine. My enthusiasm even convinced Her Highness to attempt combinations! We became rather competent, if I do say so myself.)" She gave him a slightly sad smile. "(Alas, there is no time where a princess may attend contests. She is simply far too busy.)" Her smile brightened again. "(She thought it best for me to join a team where I could do just that.)"
"(... Won't you miss her?)" Buneary asked a little sadly.
"(Of course I will. Though I believe I have already fulfilled my duty of bringing light to Her Highness' life.)" She gave a slight bow. "(She shines brighter now than she has ever done before!)"
Pikachu smiled. "(Wow, that's a really cool story, Togekiss,)" he said.
"(Why, thank you! I aim to please~)"
"(Um...)" Buneary said awkwardly, "(so... by the way... have you always sounded so, um... posh?)"
Togekiss chuckled. "(Oh, no, dear. I spoke rather informally as a togepi. It was only through living in the royal palace that I developed a more... grand tone.)"
"(Oh, okay!)"
"(... Heh,)" Pikachu interjected, amused, "(it kinda makes you sound like a princess, yourself.)"
Togekiss chuckled again, slightly more heartily. "(Oh, you flatter me, dear boy~)" she replied.
"(Well, I'm glad you're on the team!)" Buneary said. She giggled. "(Even if you do make the rest of us look like peasants.)"
Togekiss looked surprised. "(Dearie me, that was never my intention.)"
Buneary giggled again. "(It's okay, I'm kidding.)"
Pikachu chuckled at his girlfriend's mild mischief. "(Oh, you...)" he said fondly.
Giggling even more, she grabbed his paw in hers. He felt a happy warmth spread through him.
"(... Do pardon the question,)" Togekiss said, attracting his attention, "(but are you two, perhaps, in romantic relations?)"
Pikachu blushed, smiling bashfully. "(Heh. Yeah, we are.)"
"(Yep~!)" Buneary added happily.
"(Oh, how delightful!)" Togekiss replied, beaming. "(May your courtship of one another last for many years to come.)"
Wow, what an embarrassing thing to say! Not that he didn't want that, but he hadn't even confessed yet! Not properly, anyway.
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "(Aheh, thanks...)" he replied.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Buneary pull her fluff up to her face. "(Thanks...)" she mumbled in reply.
"(A-Anyway, nice talking to you, Togekiss!)" Turning around, Pikachu lightly dragged Buneary along with him. "(We'll see you later, okay?)"
"(Of course,)" Togekiss replied. "(Ta ta~!)"
"(Yeah. Ta...ta.)"
He could only assume that meant 'goodbye'. Well, whatever worked, he supposed.
"(... Say...)" Buneary started. He looked at her to see her deep in thought, her fluff back down to her waist. "(Do you think the 'evil' togepi we met came from the paradise, too?)"
He blinked. "(Oh yeah...)" He'd almost forgotten about her. The one who'd hijacked Team Rocket's rocket and used Attract on him, to make him do her bidding. He cringed at the memory. "(I dunno. Maybe.)" He chuckled sheepishly. "(Though she certainly wasn't spreading joy, that's for sure.)"
She giggled. "(Not even with her Attract?)"
He cringed again. "(Definitely not...)"