Chapter 34: Désolé
Pikachu continued laying on his stomach on the bed, his ears drooped to the sides of his head as he firmly gripped the bracelet in his paws. So lost in thought, he didn't even react to the door being gently pushed opened as Ash peeked in.
"Hey buddy, can I come in?" He softly asked.
Pikachu, not looking at him, nodded his head.
The young trainer stepped in and sat on a chair next to the bed. There was an awkward moment of silence between the two before Ash rubbed the back of his head. Lightly clearing his throat, he looked over at the mouse.
"So listen, uhh...Dawn talked to me and umm...postponing the gym battle isn't a big deal." He tentatively said. Pikachu didn't look at him nor give a reaction. Not really knowing what to do, Ash made a dry gulp. "So we're just gonna keep an eye out for Fantina...and we'll just keep doing what we always do and wipe that smug grin off of Paul's face!" He declared with a more determined smile. Still looking away, Pikachu just gave a muffled grumble.
"(Okay.)" He nearly whispered.
Slightly taken aback by that response, Ash blinked at him. Trying to recover from that, he attempted not to stammer as he carefully chose his next words. "So what I'm trying to say is...I mean the grass is always greener right? And I...uhh..." He said before his eyes drifted down to what Pikachu was holding in his paws. The young boy couldn't really explain it but for some reason that little bracelet caught his attention. "Wh-What I mean is that I'm...ummm..." He said before coming to a full stop as he took a good look at the mouse's face.
Still staring off into the distance, Pikachu's eyes looked tired and puffy if not wettened, as if he had just stopped crying a few minutes ago. Ash leaned over a bit and saw that the mouse wasn't moving a muscle aside from his paws gently rubbing the letter bracelet. Taking a moment, the young trainer read what was on it and saw a heart symbol followed by the letters "BB".
"BB?" Ash thought as he looked between Pikachu and the bracelet. "Wait, did he always have that with him?"
Indeed, the boy was caught off guard as he remembered how the mouse was wearing it when he and Buneary returned. In fact, Buneary was also holding something in her paws. Some sort of keychain.
BB...what could it stand for? A series of words starting with the letter "B" began to race through the trainer's mind in an instant. Battles, Buneary, burgers, blazekin, beating-
...
...Wait.
Buneary.
Ash's mind raced back to when the two were holding paws, their eyes wide in apprehension as they stared up at him.
Actually...where was she anyway?
"Hey Pikachu? Umm...where's your girlfriend? Is she with Dawn?" He asked, looking around the room. Pikachu didn't respond at first. A moment passed before he suddenly gripped the letter bracelet tighter in his paws and squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to suppress the urge to sob. Horrified, Ash merely looked at him and he tried not to fumble over his words. "Wait...you two didn't umm...y-you know...right?" He asked, pointing at the mouse. Pikachu didn't open his eyes and stayed perfectly still, merely producing a sniffle.
He looked like he was going to be sick.
Almost too petrified to move, Ash continued pointing at him, his mouth slightly agape in shock. He wanted to say something, scream it even, about undoing whatever it was that his best friend was implying. Instead, his mind went blank and he just stayed in place, his once steady pointing turning into a slight waggle of the finger.
Pursing his lips, Ash suddenly stood up and quickly walked out of the room.
...And still, the mouse didn't give a reaction to any of it.
"(The grass is always greener...)" Pikachu muttered as he stared off into the distance.
Gently closing the door behind himself, Ash stood in the living room in silent contemplation.
"(Why Buneary?! Why would you say something like that?!)" Ambipom nearly shrieked as Buneary remained slumped over the chair. Her face was buried in her arms and her ears fully uncurled and drooped over the sides of her head.
"(Because he was being a big dumb jerk, that's why.)" She grumbled; her voice slightly muffled.
"(All guys are big dumb jerks!)" Ambipom shouted before looking over at Piplup who gave her a slightly unamused look. "(No offense.)"
Piplup sighed and put his flippers on his sides. "(Okay, so you said something that you regret. That's okay. It's not like it's something you can't take back right?)"
"(Yeah...)" Buneary grumbled as she looked up, her eyes peeking over her arms, brow fully furrowed.
"(Okay, so just take a little bit of time to cool off and go talk to him.)" Piplup calmly suggested.
Gritting her teeth, Buneary sniffled and merely shook her head, clearly trying to hold back tears.
"(Why? Why not?)" Piplup sternly asked.
"(Because maybe he's right. Maybe we really do bring out the worst in each other...)" She managed to say, her voice becoming noticeably shaky. "(I was the one to suggest staying out. I made Ash get mad and yell at him.)"
"(Buneary, you said it yourself...it was an accident.)" Ambipom gently said.
"(Doing that kind of stuff...it wasn't the only time. It's like we enjoyed it. Nearly getting into trouble and all.)" The dispirited bunny mumbled.
Ambipom and Piplup looked at each other, slightly surprised. They turned back to her.
"(Okay, it's not a huge deal. It's not like you two did anything really bad right?)" Piplup remarked.
Buneary sniffled again and shook her head.
"(Well there you go! It's not like you were too far gone or anything. Believe me, it's sort of hard to top the stuff I got into! You should've been there for the crown incident!)" Ambipom declared as she patted her chest, appearing somewhat oddly proud.
Slowly, Buneary looked between them, an air of sadness never leaving her. "(I guess...)" She muttered before her eyes appeared particularly sorrowful and her voice became rather soft. "(He's the best thing to have happened to me...)"
"(Buneary...please think about this some more.)" Piplup gently said, a sympathetic look on his face. "(I've never seen you so happy before and I haven't even seen one problem come up between you two. If anything, you two make each other better!)"
Buneary merely looked at him though it was clear she was taking in everything he was saying.
"(Yeah, so why not just take some time and then talk it out?)" Ambipom asked.
"(Because...I think...we broke up.)" She murmured, her eyes trailing down to the floor.
Neither Piplup nor Ambipom gave a reaction. They just stood still in place, holding their dumb smiles.
"(Mhmm.)" Ambipom managed to mumble through closed lips.
Buneary's gaze moved downwards. "(Yeah...and I don't know if he'll want to get back together anyways.)"
"(Mmmm.)" Piplup muttered, his beak not opening at all, his eyes widening ever so slightly though his smile didn't falter.
"(So I think it's best if we just stay apart for a while.)" Buneary said, clearly trying to hold her voice back from cracking.
"(Oh sure!)" Ambipom suddenly blurted out in a rather high-pitched manner, her quick reaction startling both other Pokémon who merely looked at her. "(Take all the time you want!)" She followed with a large smile and wave alongside an almost wild-eyed stare.
"(Uhhh...Ambipom, shouldn't we discuss this a little more?)" Piplup muttered, leaning over through a forced smile.
"(No, no! We should just leave her be with her thoughts.)" Ambipom firmly replied as she turned to the bunny. "(Right?)"
Buneary stared at her for a moment before letting her gaze fall back to the floor. "(Yeah...I think I just need to be alone for a little bit.)"
"(But...)" Piplup managed to say, staring at her sad face. Suddenly, Ambipom grabbed ahold of his shoulder and started to practically tug him out of the room.
"(Okay Buneary, we'll just leave you be. C'mon Pip!)" She cheerfully said as she led a stumbling Piplup out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
A few moments later, the two were on the far side of the living room.
Irate, Piplup pulled away from the purple monkey's grip and stared her down.
"(What was that?!)" He shouted, flailing in place. "('Just let her be'?! Did you not hear what she said? Are you INSANE?!)"
"(Now hold on, things are looking pretty down right now, but yelling at her isn't going to do anything.)" Ambipom firmly replied.
"(So what do you think we should do?! We can't just stand around and do nothing!)" Piplup shouted, taking a step towards her.
"(Well, I'm sure there's something we can do. We just need a moment to think.)" Ambipom said as she stared off into space.
Tilting his head a little, Piplup leaned back and stared off in the other direction.
A few moments of silence passed as they stood there.
"(...Anything yet?)" Piplup blankly asked.
"(No, you?)" Ambipom quickly replied.
"(No...oh this is bad.)"
"(Yeah it's bad!)"
"(I mean really bad!)"
"(This is really, REALLY bad!)"
"(What do, we do?!)"
"(I don't know, I don't know! Just give me more time to think!)" Ambipom nearly screamed, her paws on each side of her head.
Piplup quickly ran up to her and wrapped his flippers around her arms and dramatically embraced her. "(I can't! I'm so depressed! I'm freaking out here!)"
"(Piplup get a hold of yourself!)" Ambipom yelled before raising a paw and quickly slapping him across the face. "(Snap out of it!)" She screamed before reeling back her paw again and with each pause, slapped him again. "(You just need to snap...out...of...IT!)"
With that last slap, Piplup merely gave a shocked look, his attention elsewhere.
"(...Thank you Ambipom.)" He calmly muttered as his grip on her softened. His world came rushing back to him in a panic as he saw her raise her paw again. "(W-W-Wait!)" He yelled before taking a step back and a strange calmness overtook him. "(Freaking out...over.)"
Sighing, Ambipom put her paws on her hips and turned away from him. "(Okay...but we still need to think of something.)"
Rubbing his stinging cheeks, Piplup could only grumble. "(Yeah, but what?)"
As soon as he said that, Dawn opened the door and stepped in.
"Hey guys." She said as she rummaged through her carry-on bag to put away her keycard. As she did, she gave them a side-glance and pointed at the bedroom. "Is Buneary inside? I meant to check on her but I needed to take care of some things first."
They both nodded.
"(Yeah but I don't think that she's-)" Piplup said before Dawn walked over. As she turned around to look at them, the blue penguin didn't feel the need to finish his statement.
"I'm gonna go talk to her." She said, pointing with a thumb at the door.
Looking at each other, they nodded at her again. With that, Dawn gently knocked on the door and stepped inside.
As the coordinator closed the door, the two Pokémon quickly turned back to each other.
"(Okay, we gotta think of something fast!)" Piplup declared, panic rising in his voice.
"(I know, I know...)" Ambipom muttered as she looked at the bedroom door.
"(So what do we do then?)" Piplup asked, his flippers out towards her. She looked back at him, her frown becoming more prominent.
"(I don't know but-)" Ambipom said when suddenly, both of them heard muffled gasping from the room. Simultaneously, they both turned their heads in the direction of the noise as they continued to hear Dawn's horrified squeals. "(...We'll need some help.)"
For the next hour, several members of both parties walked back and forth between the two hotel rooms, discussing things in the living rooms and hallways yet nobody went into the bedrooms where the sources of their discussions lay in their own misery. All the while, they could hear Dawn's muffled talking from her room while there was complete silence from Ash's. After a while, nearly everyone was returned to their Pokéballs, leaving Ash and Brock in the living room.
With some encouragement, Brock nudged Ash to go talk to Pikachu again while he waits out in the hallway, anticipating what was coming next.
After a few minutes, Ash stepped into the hall and quietly closed the door behind himself. He looked up and saw Brock, his arms folded over his chest, solemnly staring at him.
"Well?" The older boy asked.
Unable to ignore the guilt, Ash merely looked at the floor and shook his head.
"I...think we should go see Dawn." He muttered, his hat covering his sad eyes.
Brock nodded affirmatively and with that, they started walking down the hallway towards Dawn's room. About halfway there, they heard loud stomping coming their way. Stopping in place, both boys blinked in surprise as they saw Dawn's infuriated form marching towards them.
"ASH KETCHUM!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs as she got closer, causing the two to jerk their heads back in shock. As soon as she got to them, she made eye contact with the young trainer and put her fists out in sheer fury. "Ash I could just THROTTLE you right now!"
"Woah, hey calm down!" Brock yelled as he got between them.
"Y-Yeah, what's the matter Dawn?" Ash absentmindedly asked, still too surprised to immediately catch on.
"What do you mean 'what's the matter'?! You know damn well what's wrong!" She screamed, not taking her eyes off him.
"I-I..." Ash stammered. Off to the side, he could see the door to one of the rooms open and someone peeking in to see what was causing the commotion.
Brock gave a knowing grunt. "Okay, how about we go somewhere else instead of screaming in the middle of the hallway and waking everybody up?" He calmly suggested. As soon as he finished his sentence, Dawn gave an angry huff and turned away towards the elevators.
Ash and Brock briefly stared at her before anxiously looking at each other.
The three trainers stepped into the empty lobby and stood facing each other with comfortable furniture surrounding them.
"Okay Dawn, how about we try this again?" Brock suggested, bracing himself.
"Well..." She started before locking eyes with Ash and pointing straight at him. "Thanks to you and your little outburst, Pikachu and Buneary might have broken up!"
Ash grit his teeth and was about to say something when he was suddenly caught off guard by Brock's horrified gasp.
"WHAAA?! REALLY?!" He shrieked, completely losing his composure. His reaction was so unexpected that both Ash and Dawn confusedly blinked at him. "Ash...is that true?!"
Taking a moment to register what just happened, Ash took a step back and sadly looked away before nodding his head. "Y-Yeah...I think so too."
Immediately, Brock put his hands up to his cheeks and looked to the ceiling. "D'AHHH! This can't be!" He yelled before he began shaking his head in sheer anger and looking back at them, his tone becoming more determined than ever. "Oh no. This isn't happening! Not on my watch!"
Making eye contact with him, Ash's expression didn't change. "Brock what are you-?"
"Ash, as an expert in the field of love, I simply cannot sit back and let this continue!" Brock firmly said.
Dawn tilted her head to the side and frowned at him. "Brock, it's really none of our busin-"
"Don't you understand?! Love isn't solved by battles and contests! It's about care and struggle! To persevere through thick and thin, good times and bad!" He declared before dramatically turning away and getting down on one knee and thrusting an arm into the heavens, his other hand on his chest. "The heart may wander off but it can always be recaptured!"
Disbelieving, both Ash and Dawn gave exasperated sighs and slumped their shoulders.
Standing straight again, Ash put his hands on his hips. "Well...I guess we could think of- what the?!" He said before a flash of light erupted from his Pokéball belt. The light immediately formed into a figure before dissipating altogether.
"Staravia? What are you doing out here?" Dawn asked as she looked at the bird. He turned to face her and gave a stern look. "I don't-hey!" She screamed as light erupted from one of the Pokéballs she was carrying. Soon, she was staring straight into the serious face of Piplup.
A silent moment passed before light began appearing from all three trainers' Pokéballs, causing them to cry out in surprise. Before anyone knew it, the lobby was filled with their entire party. The spectacle was so sudden that a hotel employee peered from around their desk to get a look.
The three humans confusedly looked around only to be met with determined gazes.
"What's...going on?" Dawn wondered aloud.
"(Tsk, if you think you're gonna do this on your own, you're out of your mind!)" Buizel huffed.
Blinking again, Ash looked at the weasel. "Huh? Are you saying you want to help out with this?"
"(YES!)" They all shouted in unison; their immediate response only surprising their trainers even more.
"Something tells me they're just as concerned as we are." Dawn mused aloud as she looked over at Ash and Brock.
"But what can we do?" Brock muttered when Piplup and Ambipom stepped forward.
"(Hey, we already have a plan ya know?)" Piplup firmly shouted.
"(Yeah, trust us, we're pros at this!)" Ambipom quipped.
Dawn merely looked at them and how they were seemingly leading the group. "What the...?" She muttered, not entirely registering what she was seeing.
Piplup sighed. "(Not exactly the easiest thing to explain but you know what, for them it's worth trying!)"
Feeling a little more confident from their Pokémon's support, Ash gave a determined smile. "Okay guys, if you have something in mind, let's hear it!"
Continuing to wallow in sorrow on the bed, Pikachu rolled onto his back, his arms behind his head as he blankly stared at the ceiling. He felt numb and – perhaps because he had cried out all that he could or maybe due to simple exhaustion – all that he really wanted in that moment was for the blankets to somehow swallow him up and make him disappear.
His ears suddenly twitched as he heard the door to the hotel room open up and frantic steps making their way to him. Turning over, he looked up to see the bedroom door being pushed open.
"(C'mon guys I said-)" He muttered before Buizel and Sudowoodo quickly walked in. The orange weasel jumped onto the bed next to Pikachu, grabbed him by his arm and began tugging. "(Hey! What's-?)"
"(No time.)" Buizel firmly said as he made Pikachu get to his feet. "(It's an emergency, let's go!)"
With that, he practically pulled Pikachu off the bed, the poor mouse so taken by surprise that he was barely able to hold the bracelet in his other paw. Not wanting to drop it, he quickly put it on his free arm.
"(Emergency?)" Pikachu murmured as he was led out of the room only to get a nod of approval by Sudowoodo.
"(Yeah, we need you right away!)" Buizel quickly replied as they made their way across the living room and towards the door.
"(O-Okay but what is it?)" Pikachu stammered as he was led down the hallway, Sudowoodo following close behind.
"(Bad stuff, Ash and the others need you right now.)" Buizel firmly responded, not looking back at him.
"(So what is it? Team Rocket? Team Galactic? More legendaries?)" Pikachu wondered aloud as he looked between him and Sudowoodo. The Rock-type merely gave him a serious look in response.
Before the electric mouse knew it, all three of them were standing in front of Dawn's hotel room. As soon as they got to the door, Buizel began knocking.
Pikachu could only wonder what was going on as the door opened, revealing Dawn's serious face. Before he could say anything, Buizel tugged him in and all three Pokémon were inside the room.
As the door closed behind them, Pikachu blinked upon realizing that their entire group was standing in the living room with him.
Looking between them, he saw that all eyes were upon him. "(What's-?)" He managed to say before the bedroom door opened and he heard shouting. He looked over and saw Piplup tugging Buneary into the living room, followed closely by Ambipom.
"(Pip hold on! Is a torn dress really this necess-)" She said before getting a look at the room "(...ary?)"
They locked confused gazes, Pikachu giving a little shrug.
"Good, everyone's here." Ash said, causing all focus to turn towards him. "Alright everybody, look we have a serious problem here and we need to discuss it." He said, with everyone aside from Pikachu and Buneary nodding in agreement.
"And we figured you two wouldn't willingly come out of your rooms by yourselves." Brock said, looking between the ex-couple.
In unison, Pikachu and Buneary blinked and looked at each other again before quickly turning back towards the group.
Giving Buizel a side-glance, Pikachu grimaced. "(You said it was an emergency and that you needed me.)" He grumbled.
Buizel merely shrugged. "(It is and we do.)"
Dawn sighed and put her hands on her hips as she stood straight up. "I think what we have here is a...failure to communicate. Everyone seems to be on the same page except for you two so Ash, if you would..." She said, motioning for the young trainer to step forward.
Nodding, he did so and looked between them. "Okay guys, we all think that something happened between you two. Some of us here think...that you broke up. Is that true?"
This time, neither of them wanted to look at each other and instead turned their gazes towards the floor, shifting about quite uncomfortably. Pikachu held his arm while Buneary fiddled with her fluff, neither wanting to look up.
Ash turned away to stare at everyone else. He grimaced before looking back at them and giving a heavy sigh.
"Okay, I think I need to say a few things." He said, taking a firm stance. "I don't exactly know what happened between you two but when you came back, you looked pretty happy together. Actually, ever since you started dating, I haven't seen a single problem come up." Ash said as his face twisted in slight pain. "So if this has something to do with what happened, I need to make things clear."
Pikachu swallowed hard and grit his teeth as he looked at his best friend. Likewise, Buneary braced herself with bated breath.
Inhaling deeply, Ash leaned back and gave a rather loud exhale. "I'm...sorry."
Not understanding right away, the two of them slowly eased up.
"(You're...sorry?)" Pikachu mumbled, still not getting it.
Picking up on the mouse's reaction, Ash sadly gave a subtle nod. "Yeah, I'm sorry. To the both of you. I shouldn't have lost it the way that I did. It's just that..." Ash said before looking away. "When everything was going down with that Aerodactyl, we thought we lost you two. We really felt like the world was ending and after what we saw at the lake..." He continued before trailing off, another look of pain flashing across his face. "And everything with Paul...well...I guess it was all just too much. But no matter what, that's not an excuse for blowing up on you like that."
"(Ash...)" Pikachu mumbled, not realizing that Buneary was stealing glances at him.
"Pikachu, all this time that you've been with me...it was to help me become a Pokémon Master, a-and because of you, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as where I am now." He gently said before turning to Buneary. "And Buneary, without you, there's no telling where Dawn would be with her contests and everything with being a coordinator." Ash remarked, his voice steadily becoming weaker as Dawn affirmatively nodded behind him. "So...I'm sorry. I was just so worried about losing you again and I let my anger at Paul..." He nearly sobbed before gritting his teeth and taking another breath to compose himself. "I should've known that what had happened was an accident. That you two wouldn't have stayed out to worry us." He shakily said before deeply inhaling. "What kind of Pokémon trainer would I be to assume otherwise with you?"
"(No of course not. We would never want to make you worried!)" Buneary replied, leaning forward a little. Immediately, she noticed that Dawn was smiling.
"And don't get us wrong. You still shouldn't have stayed out for as long as you did so you'll need to make up for that. But I think we can all agree that things got a bit out of hand. For everyone." She said with a wink.
"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied.
"(Mhmm.)" Buneary muttered, looking her trainer in the eyes as she nodded back.
"But more importantly..." Ash firmly said, giving both of them a rather hard look. "This thing between you two. If it had anything at all to do with what I said, please..." He continued before taking a moment to think his next words through "...please don't. Don't let something an idiot said ruin this. I mean you two..." He said before giving them a light smile and held back a little chuckle. "...You two are quite the power couple! I mean Pikachu, after everything we've been through, I've never seen you happier!"
Not really expecting that, Pikachu began to blush, his ears drooping a little. He didn't dare to look at Buneary but he could imagine that she too was having the same reaction.
Brock smirked as he folded his arms over his chest. "I can second that! I've been with you two since nearly the beginning and I gotta say, winning gym battles or even the Battle Frontier didn't make him nearly as happy as you make him Buneary!"
"Yeah!" Dawn chimed in with a wink. "And Buneary, I can definitely say that contests and fashion can't compare to how Pikachu makes you feel!"
Fiddling with her fluff, Buneary looked away, her face turning crimson.
"(Yeah! What you two have...I mean isn't that what's it's all about?)" Piplup asked as several members of the group murmured in agreement.
Ash gave them a determined smile. "So don't let something as stupid as this ruin what you two have. I was wrong and you should at least consider giving it a second chance!" He declared before walking up to them and squatted down to their eye level. "So I want to give my sincerest apologies." He said before he extended his arm and held out his hand. "Can you forgive me?"
They both took a moment to look at him before Buneary gave a genuine smile and shook his hand.
"(Apology accepted!)" She laughed with warm mirth.
Confidence gradually appearing on his face, Ash continued to smile as he turned to Pikachu.
"And you Pikachu? Can you forgive me for being so stupid? You have my word...it'll never happen again. It's a promise or may I never become a Pokémon Master!" He declared as he reached out to the mouse.
His ears twitching, Pikachu looked at him before he focused on his trainer's hand. A little smile appearing across his face, he gently reached out and shook it.
"Great, now we can-" Ash managed to say before his entire body lit up and he yelped in pain before collapsing onto the floor from the slight shock. Everyone quietly gasped as they saw the occasional streaks of electricity appear on random parts of the boy's twitching body.
Groaning, Ash slowly sat back up and made eye contact with the electric mouse.
"(All is forgiven!)" Pikachu cheekily said, his paws on his hips, so satisfied that his eyes were closed in a clear attempt to hold back a laugh.
Ash opened his mouth to say something...only for a puff of smoke to come out, immediately causing everyone to start laughing. Shaking his head, the young boy got back to his feet and smiled.
"Okay...now that that's settled, what do you two say? Will you give it another shot?" He asked, looking down at them, his hands on his hips.
There was silence as Pikachu and Buneary quickly glanced over at each other. It was clear that neither of them wanted to break the ice.
"Hmmm..." Brock mused aloud.
"Umm...?" Ash muttered as he confusedly looked at them, clearly expecting something to happen right then and there.
"Something tells me that we should give them a little privacy." Brock said, a knowing smile spreading across his lips.
Ash looked back at them, taking his suggestion into account. "O-Oh yeah. Totally. C'mon everyone...let's go." He said, motioning for everyone to leave.
With that, everybody began to walk out into the hallway. Holding the door, Dawn turned back towards them.
"If you need us, we'll be in the other room." She quietly said.
The last one to step through the doorway was Piplup who quickly turned back towards them. He raised a flipper and opened his beak to say something before pausing. He quickly put his flipper back down and promptly walked out. With that, the door closed and the two were left alone in the living room.
Seconds passed with neither of them saying a word. Buneary held on to her arm while Pikachu slightly shifted back and forth, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"(So...)" Pikachu finally said.
"(So...)"
"(So...Ash isn't mad anymore.)"
"(Yeah...neither is Dawn.)"
"(...Yeah.)"
Another moment of awkward silence passed before Buneary slowly looked up at him.
"(I...I-)"
"(Well...)" Pikachu piped up as he looked away, not wanting her to endure any more awkwardness. "(I guess I should go.)"
Buneary blinked in slight surprise before slumping her shoulders and looking at the floor. "(Oh...okay.)" She nearly whispered.
"(Okay...)" Pikachu sadly said as he slowly began to walk to the door. "(...See you later.)"
As she saw him walk away from her, she could feel her heart beat painfully against her chest and a sense of immense dread began to fill her being as if it was swallowing her very soul.
"(Pika, wait!)" She blurted out, looking at him and saw him stop in place to turn around.
"(Hmm?)" He wondered aloud.
"(Umm...I...uhh...)" She said, rubbing her arm and looking away.
"(What is it?)" He gently asked as he continued staring at her.
"(About what happened...I mean, wh-what was said.)" She murmured, still looking elsewhere.
Pikachu gave her a knowingly sad look and nodded as he too set his gaze somewhere else. "(Yeah...)"
"(I guess what I'm trying to say i-is...I...I-)"
"(Bun...I'm sorry.)"
Buneary's ears fully uncurled as she looked up at him in surprise. "(Huh?)"
"(I'm sorry for what I said. I was just...with Ash. I...I shouldn't have blamed you like that...)" Pikachu said before gently resting a paw on his chest. "(I'm responsible for my own actions and...you were right. I wanted to stay out. Heck, I liked doing those kind of things with you.)" He said, his voice remaining firm.
"(I...)" She murmured.
"(And I know what I said was bad, a-and if you don't want to be with me anymore I understand that too.)" He said, walking off to the side, facing away from her. "(I just want you to know that I'm really sorry...even if you don't forgive me.)"
As soon as he said that, he heard her quickly make her way over to him. Instinctively, he turned around only for her to gently press her paw against his lips, a sad smile on her face.
"(Shhh...)" She gently said, looking straight into his surprised eyes. Taking her paw off his lips, she leaned back and took a deep breath. "(I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have just unloaded on you the way that I did. Plus, you can't fully blame yourself for what happened. I was the one who suggested staying out in the first place. And to be honest...I liked doing those kind of things too.)"
Pikachu looked at her before giving a tiny smirk. "(Well...yeah I guess.)"
Buneary's expression turned more sorrowful and one of her ears drooped. "(I'm...I'm sorry for what I said. About how my life was easier without you. It was just a really stupid thing to say. I can't believe that I even said that...)"
"(Bun...)" Pikachu managed to say before she piped up again.
"(I want you to know that none of that is true.)" She quickly said, looking him straight in the face. In that moment he could see all of what she was feeling in one single glance: remorse, pain, exhaustion, fear, care...all rolled into a single second of them locking gazes. "(Y-You're the most incredible guy I've ever met a-and Dawn was right, you make me happy...happier than anything else. So...I...I can't believe what I said...to...you. So...I'm sorry Pika. I'm really, really sorry! You have no idea how sorry I am!)" She practically shouted, her voice cracking as she broke her gaze and sadly stared at the floor, shaking her head. Right away, both of her ears drooped down the sides of her face.
Feeling his heart twisting in knots, his smile faltered before slowly returning. "(Well...I guess you weren't entirely wrong.)"
"(Huh?)" She muttered, looking back up at him.
"(I mean, I don't think you had to deal with bad guys, contests and saving the world when you were a wild Pokémon right?)" He asked, giving a nervous laugh.
Buneary blinked at him in silent contemplation. Suddenly feeling the urge to hold back a very light giggle, she turned away. "(No...I guess not.)" She said before she went quiet and held her arm. "(Pikachu...I haven't told you this but I...I...umm...)"
Pikachu tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. "(Yeah?)"
Inhaling rather deeply, she steeled her nerves as she turned back to him. "(For a while...I've been trying to be better. I mean...I've been trying to be more...well...)" She managed to say before quietly looking at him.
"(Huh?)" Pikachu muttered, blinking at her.
Swallowing hard, Buneary started walking to the other side of the room. "(Well let's face it, everyone always goes to you for help and advice. Whenever we're in trouble or separated, you're the one to lead us and when we're unsure of something...even with kids constantly complaining...you always know what to do. Instead of joining fights, you're the one to break them up. A-And...that's what I want to be too...)" She said, her voice progressively becoming gentle.
Feeling his heart do that weird backflip thing again, he started to blush. "(Well...)" He said, rubbing the back of his head as one of his ears drooped a little.
"(So when you said that we brought out the worst in each other...that's just not true.)" Buneary said, looking down at the floor. "(You help everyone around you. You certainly made me want to be better. To be the kind of...mature leader that you are.)" She whispered before squeezing her eyes shut, tears escaping and going down her cheeks as her voice began to break. "(E-Even if I keep...failing at it...)"
As soon as the first tear started traveling down her face, she tried her best to hold back the oncoming sobbing fit that she had been holding back for so long. She couldn't help it...how on earth could she keep it at bay anymore? Before she could devolve into a crying mess, she felt something gently grab her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she stared right into Pikachu's face, his gentle look immediately giving her much-needed comfort.
"(Bun...)" He started to say as he wiped away a tear from her cheek. "(That's ridiculous.)"
"(What...what do you mean?)" She sniffled, wiping away another tear.
"(I inspired you to be better? If anything, you inspire everyone around you!)" He beamed; his voice still rather soft.
Her eyes widening a little, more tears escaped and went down her cheeks as she stared at him in silent shock. "(I...I don't...)" She managed to say before trailing off.
"(You saved my life three times, you nursed me back to health twice, you led everyone to save me from Team Rocket. Heck, when we were separated on that ice island, you had to take care of two kids and Piplup and Ambipom! And on top of that, you taught Swinub to share...)" He said, his eyes sparkling with a fierce sense of pride. "(You are the most amazing girl and anyone who doesn't feel the same doesn't know what they're talking about...and I'll always stand by that!)"
Buneary continued to look into his eyes. She never noticed before how they seemingly appeared completely black but if one were to look a little closer, they would see a bright brown rim on the bottom. They were...beautiful, not to mention that they served to accentuate his electrifying handsomeness.
"(You've done all of those incredible things and even more...all in your own way.)" He said before briefly looking elsewhere, a noticeably light blush appearing on his face. "(...I should be the one wanting to be more like you.)" He whispered before looking back at her.
"(Pika...)" She whispered, unable to take her eyes off him for the longest time before she somehow managed to find the strength to glance elsewhere. "(...Thank you...)"
Pikachu kept smiling at her as he gently took his paws off her shoulders. "(Honestly, I should be thanking you! After all, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you being so awesome!)"
Buneary looked at him for another beat before managing to snap out of her trance. Shaking her head, she smiled, her eyes more ebullient than ever before. "(Well...)" She said, trying to hide her burning face with a smirk and shrug. "(Somebody has to save your butt! Being captured, taking on tough opponents...frankly Pika taking care of you is a full-time job!)"
Unable to hold it back, both of them laughed, their postures easing up a little.
After his laughter died down, he gave her a hesitant smile. "(So...are we okay?)"
Taking another moment to look him in the eyes again, she gently nodded her head. "(Yeah. We're okay.)"
Feeling as though something in his chest was loosening, Pikachu tried to keep his cool. "(Okay. Because I really am-)"
"(Don't, don't. I'm the one who's sorry.)" She interjected, shaking her head.
"(No seriously because I think-)"
"(Pika. It's okay. We're okay.)" She gently yet firmly said with a little smile.
Pikachu looked at her before nodding again. His gaze moved elsewhere, clearly wanting to say something but struggling to muster the courage to do so. "(So then...what about...?)"
"(Us?)" She asked, her paws on her sides.
"(...Yeah.)"
"(Well...)" She said, as she took both of his paws in hers, causing him to look her in the face. "(Do you...wanna give this crazy thing another shot?)"
He looked rather stunned. "(A-Are you sure? I mean...after what happened?)"
She cocked her head to the side a little. "(Hmm? What do you mean?)"
"(Well I mean...we had a fight. We broke up.)"
"(Pikachu, we've been broken up for all of like, two hours.)"
"(But...we said those things to each other...)" He sadly said, his gaze moving down to the floor.
"(We had a fight. We sort of broke up but it's nothing we can't get take back and move on from.)" She said, looking down and noticing that he was still holding the letter bracelet. Feeling her own heart fluttering, she tried to keep the butterfrees in her stomach down. "(I know how much Ash means to you. Honestly, I don't know how much better I would handle things if Dawn was the one mad at me.)"
"(Yeah...)" He said, his paws gripping hers a little tighter.
"(We've been through thick and thin and then even thicker. We can get past a stupid little argument. We'll be stronger than ever.)" Buneary confidently said before her look softened. "(Pikachu. You're an amazing guy and...I don't want to lose you. I don't want to break up. I-I want to keep dating you.)" She gently said, releasing her paws from his only to rest one against his cheek and immediately feeling that it was rather warm.
Completely stunned, he looked into her eyes. Gosh, was this really happening? A second chance? He took a moment to feel it out, to see if there was any sort of doubt deep down. His heart soared upon seeing her face of which was full of sincerity.
He didn't need to dwell on it any longer. He already knew what his answer was.
"(I...I want to keep dating you too and...and Ash was right. Being with you makes me happy, even more than any gym battle we've ever won!)" He beamed, familiar-feeling tears welling up in his eyes. Upon saying that, he could see her face redden. Wow...did he really just say that? Perhaps what was most shocking...was that he didn't doubt what he said. Not even a little bit.
Buneary sniffled and gave him a shy smile. "(So...do you wanna give it another shot?)" She asked, her voice sounding rather vulnerable.
Looking into her eyes, he could feel himself practically melt as he smiled at her. "(Yeah...I do. I'd love to keep dating you!)"
Seeing her face ease up in clear relief, she moved closer. "(Okay...)" She whispered with a smile as she gently pressed her nose against his. Pikachu blinked in surprise before easing up and gently pressing back. Then she moved her face to the side and embraced him before giggling a little. "(...I mean, if you insist!)"
Laughing back, he continued to hold her and closed his eyes, tears going down his cheeks. He could hear her sniffle behind him and felt the wet pitter-patter of teardrops on his back.
After a few moments, he smirked.
"(Hey.)" He whispered.
"(Hey.)"
"(I like you.)"
"(I like you more.)"
"(I like you most.)"
She laughed as she hugged him tighter. "(Liar~)"
They stayed like that for a good long while, unaware that certain members of their group were already sobbing on the other side of the door.
Author's Notes:
*Peeks around to see if anyone is still holding weapons*
Everyone still good? XD
Shoutout to zarza7786 for influencing some of the dialogue for the past three chapters, especially in the fight. Special credit goes to their fic "First Date". If you're looking for sweet PikaBun fics, why not give their stories a shot? They're always a good read! And hey, they're working on "PokéChristmas 3" which is a continuation of MewLover54's work, the mad lad!
Now that Pikachu and Buneary have gotten past their first huge obstacle as a couple, what's in store for them next? Only one way to find out, next time on About Her!
-Carson55