Chapter 37: Stuck in the Middle With You
About two weeks had passed since Staravia evolved into Staraptor and the gang had arrived at their new destination: Sandalstraw Town for Dawn's upcoming Pokémon contest, Snowpoint City being next. Of course, it wouldn't be normal if something didn't happen when they got to civilization.
Shortly after arriving in town, the crew got wind of some sort of ping-pong tournament happening soon but not without some shenanigans ensuing first.
As Pikachu and Buneary sat against a tree on a grassy hill, they slowly but surely began to lean against each other, watching the clouds go by.
"(That's a gyarados!)" Pikachu chirped, pointing to a somewhat elongated cloud that resembled the terrifying aquatic creature. His other paw was on the grass, gently resting on top of Buneary's.
Buneary giggled as she placed her free paw on her cheek. She opened her eyes and scanned the sky before pointing to another cloud. "(That one kinda looks like Pachirisu!)"
"(Heh, well how 'bout that?)" He chuckled, immediately recognizing the squirrel's face. As his eyes followed how lazily the cloud moved along the sky, he snickered even harder. "(I can already hear his voice, something like-)"
"(Pachirisu's number one!)" Buneary exclaimed, both of her paws raised above her head for dramatic effect.
They both laughed.
This was nice. Just a quiet day together. No Team Rocket, no crisis, no world-ending threat. Just this. And that was more than enough.
When he finally stopped chuckling, Pikachu looked above elsewhere. His smile quickly morphed into curiosity before he pointed at another cloud. "(Hey check it out, that one kinda looks like a lopunny.)"
She too finally calmed down from her laughing fit and carefully looked to see what he was pointing at. Tilting her head a little, she let out an intrigued sound.
"(Huh, neat.)" She muttered, still not taking her eyes off the cloud. "(I mean it'd be better if it was...y'know...)"
"(You?)" He asked, giving her an amused grin.
"(Maaaybe.)" She said, looking elsewhere in an attempt to hide her smile.
"(Heh, still...must be interesting to see your evolved form.)" He said, his focus returning to the sky as he leaned back.
Buneary gave a quiet huff. "(Bet Piplup wouldn't think so.)"
Pikachu looked back at her and leaned forward a little. "(Hmm? What do you mean?)"
"(Well you know...because of what happened.)" She said, twirling her wrist.
He blinked at her before opening his mouth in a silent "ohh" motion. That's right. It was only the other day that Piplup was on the cusp of evolving but much to the group's surprise, he divulged that he didn't want that at all. In fact, the poor penguin had been using Bide to prevent it when it started happening.
Actually, if there was anyone who could understand the poor guy's plight, it was Pikachu. After all, it wasn't too long ago that he himself had a rather intense experience with a raichu that landed him in the emergency room and for the second time in his journeying with Ash, he had to contemplate the possibility of evolving.
In fact, when things were going down with Piplup, Pikachu had actually pulled the penguin aside and gave him a pep talk. Among relating to what he was going through, the mouse wanted to let him know that ultimately it should be his own decision. Then after a few more shenanigans with Team Rocket, Piplup-
"(Pikachu?)" Buneary gently asked.
"(Huh?)" He replied, looking up at her as he was pulled out of his thoughts.
"(You okay? You were kinda staring off into space for a while.)" She said.
"(O-Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just uhh...remembering what happened with Piplup.)" He sheepishly responded.
"(Oh. Well good thing he had you to talk to then.)" She muttered.
Pikachu merely looked at her. "(You...heard us?)"
Immediately, her head whipped back to him, obvious surprise in her eyes upon realizing that she'd been caught. "(Umm...yeah.)"
"(When?)" He asked, tilting his head a little.
"(Word of advice: don't give an important pep talk near a flower bed. Someone might be admiring it.)" She replied with a wink.
"(Oh.)" He muttered, somewhat embarrassed.
Upon seeing his reaction, she started frantically waving her paws in front of herself in an obvious desperate defense. "(B-But don't worry! As soon as I realized what you were talking about, I left. I swear!)"
"(Well...)" Pikachu said, scratching the back of his head. "(...Let's just say that I could relate.)"
"(I'll bet. I remember what happened with that raichu. Still can't believe nobody took me out of my Pokéball the entire time that happened.)" She said with a little huff.
"(I don't think they wanted to worry you.)" He nearly whispered.
"(Tsk, it sounded really serious...you bet I'd be worried!)" She nearly exclaimed.
"(Heh, you've already nursed me back to health more times than Nurse Joy at this point.)" He laughed to which she joined.
"(I think that's a bit exaggerated. Just a bit.)" She snickered. When she calmed down, she stared at him for a beat. "(So it's true then? You have no interest in evolving? I heard about how you smacked away that Thunderstone the first time you ever saw it.)"
He gave her a long hard look before staring elsewhere. "(Yup. I'm perfectly fine being who I am. I don't need to evolve to be stronger. Besides, I took down those raichus right? Both times I saw that Thunderstone, I defeated each of them.)"
"(Yeah that's true. It's just a tiny bit strange I suppose. I mean, most 'mons want to evolve, just look at our group. But I guess you and Pip feel otherwise.)" She said with a shrug.
Pikachu's ears twitched as another thought came to him. "(...And you Bun?)"
She looked back at him before clearing her throat. "(Well...I've given it some thought sure. But honestly...I think I'm happy being the way that I am now too.)"
Pikachu jerked his head back a little upon hearing that. "(Really? I mean even if that means you don't get uhh...y'know.)"
"(Know what?)"
"(Y-You know...)" He stammered only to be met with her blank stare. Inwardly he sighed and used his paws to silently motion out a rather curvaceous body figure.
Buneary looked at him for a moment before it clicked. "(Oh...ohhhh!)" She muttered but when she saw a pink blush appearing on his face, she gave him a rather sly smile. Leaning closer, he saw that her eyes were half-lidded. "(Pikachu~ Are you disappointed about that?)" She purred into his ear.
His eyes widened in horror and now he was the one waving his paws in a panic. "(N-No! I-I just meant that it's a big change you know?)"
She giggled. "(Hee~! Suuure. Big change. Got it.)"
"(It's true! Besides you'd be like three times my height. It'd be weird because you'd squish me when we...uhhh...)" He said before trailing off, seemingly too nervous to say the next part.
She tilted her head at him before realization hit her. "(Nuzzle? Hug? Orrr do you mean...?)"
"(N-Not that! I uhh...I mean...I-I didn't mean...! Just...uggh!)" He exclaimed before burying his now completely reddened face into his paws.
Unable to hold it back, Buneary let out a full-on cackling fit. "(You silly mouse, of course I know that's not what you meant!)" She giggled before using an extended ear to pat him on the top of his head. "(And you know, I'm in the same boat with you. I don't need to evolve to do great in contests. Besides, some...things are just easier if we're the same size.)"
Quietly groaning, Pikachu took his face out of his paws. "(So you don't really care for evolving either?)"
"(Mmm...nah not really. I don't care if I ever evolve actually.)" She nonchalantly replied.
"(Oh...good.)" He remarked before leaning back and easing up.
"(Still, aren't you a little bit worried that you might lean up against a Thunderstone or something and then boom! You're a raichu!)" She said, one paw smacking into the other to emphasize her point.
"(Well, aren't you worried about getting too happy one day and then bam! You're a lopunny?)" He replied, giving her a little smirk.
"(Heh, guess I'll just have to think of something sad then.)" She giggled.
"(And I'll just have to watch my step.)" He said with a smirk.
With that, they laughed and went back to watching the clouds.
The next day, Dawn entered the Sandalstraw Town Pokémon Contest and in the end, lost to Kenny who took home the ribbon.
Before hitting the road, the crew was hoping things would go back to normal but instead...
"(Aww man!)" Piplup whined, trying his best not to perform his famous flailing dance in the field near their hotel. It was nighttime and everyone else had gone back inside after searching for Ambipom only to find her practicing ping-pong against the building's wall. It was only after agreeing to come in after five more minutes did the two have some alone time. "(I can't believe you're gonna leave!)" He shouted.
Ambipom gave him a gentle smile, her paws on her hips as she stood straight up. "(I'm sorry Pip, but this is a great opportunity for me.)"
"(I know...it's just that...I mean, can't you delay it or something? Did you even tell Dawn yet? Maybe there's still a chance you might change your mind!)" He blurted out, clearly trying hard to come up with something to use.
"(Piplup...)"
"(It's just that...the contests a-and the Grand Festival, I mean can't you just-?)" He rambled before she gently pat the top of his head with one of her tails.
"(Pip, I'm not considering this lightly, I really want to do this and I may never get another shot again. Besides, I'm sure O will let you guys come visit anytime.)" She gently said.
Piplup merely looked at her before his gaze slowly drifted towards the ground. "(It just won't be the same without you...)"
"(I know...it's never easy.)" She said, her voice becoming somber.
"(Well...don't get too comfy because I'm definitely taking that offer and we're coming to visit you the moment we get the chance!)" He cried out, clearly trying to hold back tears.
She smirked at him and leaned back with a smile. "(Heh, wouldn't have it any other way.)"
They stayed like that for a beat before Piplup locked eyes with her.
"(And what about...you know?)" He asked, motioning his head towards the hotel. She looked over and blinked before slowly looking back at him. "(...Looks like you'll have to take the reins Pip.)"
His eyes widening in a mixture of horror and surprise, Piplup leaned forward and frantically waved his flippers. "(By myself?! You can't leave me to deal with this alone!)"
"(Pip, I-)" She said before the penguin zipped over and wrapped his arm around her waist and pointed forwards.
"(C'mon Ambipom, you and me...partners in crime! Isn't that the real dream here?)" He asked, trying to sound as enticing as possible.
She snickered at him and placed her paws on his shoulders. "(Oh trust me, I would love to see how things play out, but I don't want to pass up this opportunity.)"
"(B-But...)" Piplup stuttered before she spoke up again.
"(Besides, would you really want me to give up something that I consider super important?)" She asked.
He blinked at her before his expression hesitatingly twisted into a frown and he defeatedly hung his head in shame. "(...No.)"
"(Well...)" She said before she gently started to pat his back.
"(This sucks...)" He muttered.
"(I know.)" She quietly replied. "(But it's okay, I know you'll do great. And hey, you can always ask the others to help out with the power couple!)" She laughed before Piplup whipped his head back up at her and gave her a look of incredulity.
"(Oh yeah, who am I gonna ask? Pachirisu? You know he can't keep a secret!)" He practically shouted.
She couldn't help but let out a raucous laugh. "(Ha! Well Buizel's pretty reasonable, Staraptor is somewhat protective and I'm sure Chimchar wouldn't mind helping out.)"
Piplup let out a rather frustrated snort and turned around, his flippers folded over his chest as he closed his eyes. "(Hmph, it won't be like us. We're the dream team!)"
She looked at him for a moment before taking a step forward and gently placed her paw on his shoulder and turned him around. A little surprised, he let out a small squeak as he looked at her now-determined face.
"(Piplup...listen and listen good.)" She sternly said, not once breaking eye contact with him. He silently looked back at her, completely caught off guard by her now serious demeanor. "(Someone has to keep an eye on them. We've worked too hard to set them up and keep everything afloat even when things got uncertain. Pikachu's our good friend and Buneary's practically like a sister to us. They need you, even if they don't know it. I understand that it won't be the same or as easy with me gone, but you can do this. Please, if not for me, then for them.)"
He blinked at her, still too stunned to say anything. A few moments later, his brain finally managed to rewire itself. "(I...I will...try.)" He finally said in a calm voice.
Silently inhaling, she gently nodded her head. "(Good. Because someone has to do it and there's no better 'mon than you. Please Piplup...keep the dream alive...don't let the flame die out!)" She proclaimed, giving him a rather dramatic and intense look.
His expression becoming determined, he took a step back and saluted her. "(Alright I will! I'll work for the both of us and keep the love boat chugging along!)"
"(Good man! I believe in you!)" She said, raising her fist out in front of herself to which he bumped with his flipper.
Upon doing that, they both laughed before he quickly moved over to tightly hug her.
"(Still...I'm gonna miss you.)" He said with a little smile.
Suppressing a tiny urge to sob, she merely smiled back at him and returned his hug. "(I'll miss you too...all of you.)"
...The next day, Piplup and the rest of the group were waving goodbye to Ambipom as she set out by bus towards her new life.
Some time had passed since Ambipom left and life went on as usual for the group. A little bit of training here, a misadventure there, Ash earning the Icicle Badge in Snowpoint City, dealing with Team Rocket and some other villains, same old, same old. Perhaps most notable out of everything was that Ash and Paul were due to have a full-on battle soon at Lake Acuity.
Still, none of that stopped Dawn's team from practicing their techniques whenever they could.
"Okay Piplup, try to dodge Buneary's Ice Beam!" Dawn commanded as both of her Pokémon got into positions.
"(Alright, ready?)" Buneary asked with a smirk.
"(Take your best shot!)" Piplup confidently replied.
With that, Buneary leaned back and a familiar-looking pale blue beam began to form near her mouth. Piplup leaned forward, waiting for the right moment when his vision was suddenly obstructed by a familiar bushy white tail.
"(Hi Pippy!)" Pachirisu beamed as he got in the penguin's face only for the bird to jolt his head back in surprise.
"(D'ahh! Pachirisu! What are ya doing?!)" Piplup shrieked in shock.
"(Have you seen the ball? I wanna play catch with Happiny!)" Pachirisu nonchalantly asked.
Piplup leaned over only to see that Buneary hadn't taken notice of the squirrel's presence...and she was just about to unleash her attack!
Still, Pachirisu didn't notice either and continued to smile at him. "(I wanted to stretch my muscles before-)"
"(LOOK OUT!)" Piplup shouted as he tackled his teammate to the ground right as the Ice Beam slammed behind them with a loud zapping sound.
"Ahh! Pachirisu, what are you doing?! We're in the middle of training!" Dawn cried out, followed by Buneary's surprised look.
Blinking, Pachirisu looked up at them and then back at Piplup.
"(Oh. My bad!)" The squirrel remarked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Pachirisu, stand off to the side. When we're done, I'll call you in." Dawn calmly said as she put a hand up to her frustrated face.
The little squirrel merely looked at her again before his smile suddenly returned. "(Okey-dokey! See ya later!)"
With that, he ran off the training ground. When he was out of earshot, both Piplup and Buneary slumped their shoulders and sighed.
A few minutes later, their training was reaching its final phase.
"Alright Buneary, try your best to dodge it!" Dawn commanded as Piplup unleashed a volley of bubbles her way.
Using all of the finesse and athleticism that she was capable of, Buneary dodged every one of the deadly spheres of liquid doom.
A full minute passed and after twirling out of the way of the very last bubble, Buneary struck a pose and wink.
"That's it! Great work!" Dawn beamed.
Buneary gave a rather proud smile while Piplup merely nodded at her.
A little while later, both Buneary and Piplup were sitting on the grass nearby as Dawn focused on Pachirisu's techniques. As the two teammates rested, they enjoyed some post-training snacks.
"(So Lake Acuity huh?)" Buneary asked, taking a bite out a berry.
"(Mhmm, I heard that we might be going by bus or train or something.)" Piplup said as he munched on a pear.
"(That's good, a little break from walking is fine by me.)" She remarked in-between bites.
"(And then after that, we'll get our next ribbon in no time and then to the Grande Festival!)" He said before he held up his snack. "(To victory!)"
She laughed and did the same, tapping their foods together. "(To victory!)"
Piplup lowered his snack and looked at her. "(Seriously, that was some good maneuvering back there. Even I have to admit that it takes some serious skill to dodge my Bubble Beam.)"
"(Heh, I guess when you're my size, it's just easier to dodge.)" She laughed.
"(But...we're like the same size.)" He quizzically remarked.
She looked back at him. "(Oh...well...I guess I meant that if I was bigger it'd be harder to evade attacks. Like if I was taller or evolved or something.)"
"(So it's a good thing that you're not evolved then?)" He asked.
"(Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I don't really have any intention to evolve anyway.)" She said with a shrug.
Piplup blinked at her before he smiled. "(Heh, look at us. You, me and Pikachu. The three amigos! The three uhh...never-evolving amigos!)"
She returned his smile. "(Yeah I guess so! That's so funny, I was talking to Pikachu about that a little while ago. Neither of us plan on evolving!)"
Seeing his chance, Piplup's smile became somewhat playful as he leaned over and nudged her with his elbow. "(Heh, guess that's just another thing you two have in common yeah?)"
"(Yup! I mean, I wouldn't mind if he changed his mind but I like him just the way he is and I'm perfectly fine with the way I am now!)" She beamed.
Piplup nodded his head approvingly. "(That's great to hear, you two are in perfect sync! It's just like the old saying goes, you can lead a ponyta to water but...um...no wait, I-I mean a house divided against itself...but you don't...need to evolve...umm...)" He said before trailing off, looking rather confused. Finally he just gave a shrug and sigh. "(Whatever, you two sound good together.)"
She gave a rather hearty laugh. "(Thanks Pip, I think I know what you mean.)"
He silently exhaled and sagged his shoulders. Great...doing this on his own will take some getting used to.
"(Since we're trading compliments...that was some quick thinking with Pachirisu!)" Buneary chirped.
Piplup confusedly looked at her before it hit him. "(Oh yeah...crazy kid.)"
"(Still, you did the right thing. You could've just let him get hit. I know a couple of faces that would've done that instead.)" Buneary said with a shrug.
"(Yeah...plus I could've dodged that Ice Beam.)" Piplup grumbled.
"(Keep that up and karma will reward you y'know?)" Buneary said before she took a bite out of her snack.
Piplup tilted his head at her. "(Karma?)"
"(Yeah, I heard it from Brock. You do good things and good things happen to you and if you do bad things then bad things'll happen to you.)" She said with a twirl of her wrist.
"(...Really?)" Piplup muttered as he watched her continue working on her food.
"(Mhmm. I don't know how well it works but it can't hurt to try right?)"
"(...Right.)" He replied before he too, took a bite out of his snack.
A few days passed and quite a bit more had happened, not all of which was pleasant. Tragically, Ash's battle with Paul ended in disaster with the purple-haired rival defeating him, only losing two of his own party. To say that everyone was at an all-time low after such a crushing defeat would be an understatement. But, as was expected from Ash and Pikachu, they picked themselves off, took something away from the experience and promised to get stronger and to do even better.
And so, life went on as it usually did for the crew, a battle here, a contest there, dealing with Team Rocket or the occasional run-in with familiar faces, both good and bad like Team Galactic.
On the plus side, Dawn got a Pokémon egg which hatched into Cyndaquil and Ash later caught a gible!
...Although, Gible's Draco Meteor had the oddest phenomenon of always targeting Piplup no matter where he was or what he was doing...
It wasn't until they were on their way towards Daybreak Town did something else come up. Sitting at a foldout table with Ash and Dawn, Brock sat and read the paper, sipping from some coffee as everyone enjoyed their breakfast. As per usual, many of their Pokémon were scattered about, Pikachu and Buneary taking up a spot further away to get some privacy while others, including Piplup, were closer to the humans. Aside from the chit-chat between some of the Pokémon, all was rather quiet.
...That is until Brock almost spat out his coffee, causing everyone nearby to jump in surprise and stare at him.
"Brock, what's the matter?! Did you try drinking it too fast without checking how hot it is first?!" Ash nearly shrieked as he saw Brock practically slam his cup onto the table.
"No, it's not that...I just didn't realize the date." The older boy calmly replied.
"Huh? The date? What about it? It's just a normal Thursday right?" Dawn inquired.
"Not only that, but it's also been exactly four months since Solare Island. Check it out!" Brock replied as he turned the newspaper over and pointed to the date.
Both of his friends looked at the paper and blinked.
"Oh. I guess so. Man, time sure flies doesn't it?" Ash remarked.
"I'll say, it feels like yesterday to me." Dawn quipped.
"But that's not all..." Brock said, lifting a finger. The other two looked at him rather intrigued. "It's also the four-month anniversary of Pikachu and Buneary being together!"
In unison, Ash and Dawn made surprised noises and looked toward the aforementioned couple who didn't appear to notice what he had said. Unbeknownst to them, a certain penguin definitely did and he surreptitiously glanced over at them as well.
"Oh yeah, I guess that's true too huh?" Ash muttered.
"Heh, still going strong I see!" Dawn beamed; her smile rather bright as she glanced at the couple.
"I should prepare a special dinner for the occasion!" Brock declared before he quickly set aside the newspaper and started rummaging through his bag. After a few moments, he took out a cookbook, opened it and began thumbing through the pages all the while excitedly talking to himself about what was the most romantic dish he could make.
As he did, Piplup continued to gaze at the couple. Four months huh? Well...maybe something else could be done instead of just a nice dinner...
He looked over and saw Gible gnawing on a boulder. Huh...peculiar that one is...probably even more so than Croagunk. He could only imagine what their conversations would be like...
As Piplup watched the sharp-toothed Pokémon continuing to bite, a shiver went up his spine upon remembering the latest Draco Meteor fiasco. Seriously, what was up with that? Why him?!
He sighed. Well...maybe if he were to help out with this anniversary thing, karma would smile down upon him.
"(Four months already?)" Buneary asked, clearly baffled.
Piplup nodded his head, his flippers on his sides. "(Mhmm. It sounds like a big deal. Maybe you two should do something.)"
"(Like what? Another date? I don't think there's really anything around here to make it special.)" Buneary remarked, quickly surveying the area and seeing nothing but grass and trees.
Piplup put a flipper up to his beak in contemplation. Hmm...well she wasn't wrong. The only thing around here was a little town down the road, nothing really exciting or special. Heck, there didn't even really appeared to be any points of interest or sights to see. Just the one town with a couple of shops. Sure, they were quaint and all but exciting enough to celebrate an anniversary? What else could they do besides go to the store and-?
Piplup's eyes widened a little upon coming across a new idea.
"(Yeah...)" Buneary said, still looking around. "(Nothing really else to do but-)"
"(I know!)" He proclaimed, cutting her off and startling her a little. "(Instead of going somewhere, you two should get each other a gift!)"
She blinked at him. "(A gift? We sort of did that at Hearthome. In fact, I'm gonna use the keychain he gave me for the keys to Dawn's house.)"
In response, Piplup dismissively waved a flipper at her. "(Psshh! No, I mean like actual gifts! Not just little trinkets that you found.)"
"(But they're not-)"
"(Okay fine, they're not trinkets but you know what I mean. You should give each other something that you really, really want!)"
She appeared to give it some thought before she folded her arms over her chest. "(Okay...what would that be?)"
He merely stared at her. Oh...right. Guess he hadn't gotten that far.
"(Ummm...how 'bout...?)" He wondered aloud, looking towards the sky. After a moment he looked back at her. "(Well what do you think he'd like?)"
She shrugged. "(Dunno, he's not really a materialistic kind of guy.)"
"(C'mon, I'm sure there's something.)" Piplup pressed, looking across the way to see Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, engaged in some other conversation. "(How about a ketchup bottle?)"
"(Nah, I already got him those tomato seeds from Solare island, plus it's kind of predictable.)" She replied.
"(A little compartment thing to put all of his badges in.)" Piplup replied.
"(That sounds like it's for Ash instead.)"
"(A gift card to a tuxedo shop.)"
"(Pip, he never really wears clothes. He's on Ash's team remember? Fashion and accessories are the last things on their minds.)"
Piplup groaned and put his flippers on the sides of his head. "(Ughh...this is hard.)"
"(You're telling me. The only thing Pikachu always wants, aside from ketchup, is battling.)"
"(Okay, how about one of those...things?)" He replied, twirling a flipper in front of himself, trying to find the right word. "(You know, those things you get to learn a new move.)"
"(A TM?)"
"(Yeah that! How about getting him one of those to learn something really cool like Hyper Beam!)"
"(I think he would want a different electric attack instead. Also, I don't even think he can learn that move, he has to evolve and...heh, fat chance with that.)"
"(Oh...)" Piplup whispered before plopping on his behind. "(Stubborn mouse. He just has to be the type to not wanna evolve huh?)"
"(Hmph, I can't really blame him. I mean, I don't really want to evolve either remember?)" She nonchalantly said with another shrug.
He looked at the grass before gently stroking the blades. "(I guess you have it a little easier. I mean, one accidental bump into a Thunderstone and suddenly he's a raichu from now on.)"
"(That's what I said!)" Buneary chirped, causing the penguin to look at her again. "(Wish there was a way to help with that. It honestly sounds a little scary.)"
"(Well I-)" Piplup started to say before he paused. Suddenly, his head jerked back up, another idea coming to him. "(Wait...)"
"(Hmm?)" Buneary muttered, looking over and seeing the penguin's rather unusual demeanor.
"(Sooo...he definitely doesn't want to evolve right?)" He finally asked, giving her a look of hope in his eyes.
"(Yeah...?)" She replied, an eyebrow raised.
Suddenly filled with exuberance, Piplup jumped back to his feet and raised a flipper to the heavens. "(Well there you go! Problem solved!)"
"(Pip, what're you talking about?)" She asked before he started gently patting her shoulder.
"(Heh, once again, your old buddy Piplup is gonna save the day!)" He proclaimed before he stopped and turned her away from where Pikachu was. "(Everyone's gonna go into town because Brock wants to get the ingredients for his special dinner tonight. So while we're doing that, just take Dawn aside and kindly ask her...)" He said before leaning over and whispered the rest into her ear to which she closely listened.
"(A gift? What kind of gift?)" Pikachu asked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"(You know, a special anniversary gift!)" Piplup remarked, his flippers up in the air.
"(Gee, I just...didn't know that it's already been four months...)" Pikachu mused aloud, scratching the back of his ear.
"(Well it has been...so what're you gonna get her?)" The penguin asked, leaning forward with a stern glare.
Slightly taken aback, Pikachu looked elsewhere. "(I mean...can't we do this tomorrow? I-I just found out now and there isn't a whole lot of time to-)"
"(What? You're tired from training? Not in the mood to do a little brainstorming?)" Piplup asked, the sarcasm in his voice nearly palpable.
"(Well I-)" The mouse muttered before the penguin pointed at him and gave a determined look.
"(Now you listen to me and you listen good. It's not every day that you get to celebrate an anniversary. You two have been through so much together and every one of us supports you.)" Piplup said with a serious tone, causing Pikachu to slowly raise his paws in front of himself as if he were bracing for an attack. "(So you need to seriously give this some thought!)"
"(Okay...)"
"(This is important!)"
"(Okay...!)"
"(You're not in the mood? Well you get in the mood!)"
"(I-I get it! Don't get me wrong, I really, really like Buneary, it's just that...)" Pikachu nearly shouted in a panic before calming himself down and lowering his paws. "(...I've never celebrated dating someone before and we don't have a lot of time to think of something.)"
Piplup scoffed and looked away. "(Well you know, neither has Buneary but I have a feeling that she's gonna at least try.)"
Pikachu merely looked at him for a few moments. Inhaling, he nodded his head.
"(...Okay.)"
His demeanor completely doing a complete one-eighty, Piplup spun around and smiled. "(Good man!)" He proclaimed before zipping over to him and tapping his shoulder. Just as quickly, he took a step back and locked gazes. "(Okay, so...any ideas?)"
Pikachu took on a thinking pose, his paw under his chin as he looked at the sky. "(Hmmm...she definitely loves contest-fashion stuff but...I don't know the first thing about it.)"
"(Well you better learn fast mister!)" Piplup nearly yelled as he started flailing in place. He quickly composed himself and tapped his chest. "(Trust me Pikachu, make a girl happy and the rewards would be enormous!)"
Pikachu looked back at him and blinked. "(Huh? Rewards?)"
"(Yeah you know, like an extra-hard nuzzle or giving you even more compliments or something.)" Piplup replied with a shrug.
"(Really...?)" Pikachu replied with a little goofy smile, looking off into the distance as he started getting lost in thought.
The penguin noticed his friend's reaction and suppressed a smirk. Interesting, seems that the mouse has a not-so-innocent side to him after all. "(Heh, yeah. Just don't make her too happy or she'd evolve and she wouldn't want that.)"
Snapping out of his somewhat salacious thoughts, Pikachu stared at his friend again. "(O-Oh yeah...right.)"
"(Still, it wouldn't be all bad right? At least you'd get to date...)" Piplup remarked as he used his flippers to make a curvaceous figure in the air.
"(Yeah...right.)" Pikachu muttered as he looked away and rubbed his arm.
Piplup took notice of the mouse's reaction. He looked...uncomfortable.
"(Hey, something the matter?)" Piplup asked, tilting his head a little as he watched Pikachu shuffle in place.
"(Y-Yeah it's just that...ummm...)" The mouse responded before making a dry gulp.
"(Pikachu it's me, you can say it.)" Piplup gently said, leaning forward a little.
Still not looking at his friend and taking in a steady breath, Pikachu heaved a sigh. "(I uhh...really prefer how she is now. I-I don't really want her to evolve either.)" He whispered before his voice became little more than a squeak. "(...If I'm being honest.)"
Piplup opened his mouth in a silent "ohhh" motion. "(I see.)"
A moment of silence passed between them before Pikachu appeared to work up his nerves again.
"(Yeah...and don't get me wrong, it'd be nice to have...you know.)" Pikachu said before making the same curvaceous motion in the air with his paws. "(But I really think she's perfect the way she is.)"
Unable to hold it back, Piplup gave the mouse a large grin and approvingly nodded his head, his flippers on his hips. "(Heh, good man! You love your girl so much that you wouldn't even dare to consider changing her! She's a lucky gal!)"
His face beginning to redden, Pikachu looked away. "(W-Well let's not get too dramatic. It's just that...sometimes when a Pokémon evolves...they change.)"
Piplup gave him a rather curious look. "(Hmm? Change? Like how?)"
"(Well take a look at Mamoswine. When he was still Swinub, he was the nicest kid and when he evolved, it took forever for him to start listening to Dawn.)" Pikachu sternly said.
"(Tsk, well he had to evolve twice to get to that point. It was a really big step.)"
"(And before that, way before, Ash caught a charmander and when I knew him then, he was the most helpful, happy guy and then eventually he evolved into Charizard and then...and then...)" Pikachu said before trailing off, a sad look on his face as he stared at the ground. "(...And then he just changed. He wouldn't listen to Ash anymore. You know he disobeyed him so badly that it cost Ash the Indigo League?)"
"(Really?)" Piplup asked, rather surprised to hear that.
"(Yeah. He just...wasn't the same. A-And I don't want that to happen with Buneary. I mean, maybe it won't but I can't imagine her being different. She's just...her.)" Pikachu said, his voice so low that it was practically a whisper.
"(Oh.)"
"(I know, it's selfish but that's how I feel. And thankfully, she feels the same so we're good there.)"
"(But her species evolves through happiness and not battle experience right? And you already make her really happy.)"
"(...Yeah.)"
Piplup sympathetically looked at the mouse who appeared rather ashamed. He started to open his beak to say something when he thought of something else. "(Sooo...you're saying that she doesn't want to evolve and...you don't want her to evolve either. Right?)"
"(...Yeah.)" Pikachu squeaked, unable to meet his gaze.
Resolved, Piplup gave a proud grin. "(Heh, so there's your gift my man.)"
Pikachu looked up at him rather surprised. "(Huh?)"
"(Well you can't not let her be happy right? The way you make her feel, I'm willing to bet that she'll evolve any minute now! So all you gotta do is put a stop that!)"
"(Ohhh...so you want me to...wait...what are you asking me to do?)" Pikachu asked, unable to grasp what the penguin was implying.
Without missing a beat, Piplup threw his arm around Pikachu's shoulders and turned him away.
"(Listen, we're going into town so that Brock can get special ingredients for dinner right? So all you have to do is take Ash aside and ask him very nicely to...)" The penguin said before bringing Pikachu in a little closer to whisper the rest.
When he was done, Pikachu merely looked at him. "(...You really think so?)" He finally asked.
"(Heh, I know so!)" Piplup smugly replied.
Scratching the back of his ear, Pikachu gave it some thought. "(...Well...okay.)"
"(Great! Just listen to your old pal Piplup, and everything'll be alright!)" The penguin declared to the heavens.
"(Yeah...thanks. Seriously, I-I appreciate it.)" Pikachu whispered, self-consciously rubbing his arm.
"(No problem buddy!)" Piplup said with a nod before he blinked. "(So...you really don't care if Buneary evolves and gets...you know...that figure?)"
His face turning pink, Pikachu cleared his throat and looked away. "(I-I like cute, strong girls. So sue me.)"
It was a good thing he was looking elsewhere, otherwise he would've seen Piplup's rather amused smile.
About an hour after their little talk, Pikachu, Piplup and the rest of the gang were shopping at some of the stores that the nearest town had to offer. All the while, Piplup made sure that Pikachu and Buneary were separated so as to not see what the other got as a gift. In a few short hours, everyone was back at camp to prepare dinner. As it turned out, the special dish that Brock had in mind required more hands-on deck with Dawn taking care of the vegetables while Ash handled the rice. As the humans prepared dinner, off in the distance Piplup was pushing Pikachu towards a grassy hill.
"(C'mon man, just stand over there and I'll go get her!)" The penguin urged as he gently pushed the electric mouse towards the hill. The grass resting on top of it looked particularly shiny due to the setting sun.
"(And you're super sure about this gift?)" Pikachu asked, clear nervousness in his voice.
"(Sure I'm sure!)" Piplup confidently said before giving him a slight shove. "(Now just go stand on that hill and let me handle the rest!)"
"(O-Okay...)" Pikachu replied before he started to walk towards his destination, his gift being held behind his back.
"(Trust me Pikachu, this'll be great!)" Piplup shouted after him. As he watched the mouse walk away, he turned back towards camp and saw the rest of the Pokémon playing nearby, including Gible. "Heh, no more Draco Meteor for this guy!" He proudly thought.
Look out good karma, here he comes!
Pikachu stood atop the hill, having been here for only a few minutes yet it already felt like hours. Nervously shuffling, the electric mouse continued to hold his gift behind his back. Admittedly, if he was being honest with himself, the chances that this gift would go over well was a bit of a long shot. In fact, what if she were to somehow take it the wrong way? Is there a possibility that she would somehow be offended? How could he explain-?
His thoughts came to an immediate halt upon seeing her figure appear over the edge of the hill. His heart already thumping out of his chest, it nearly busted out and flew around the open air upon seeing how the light bounced off her fur. So enraptured with her image that he didn't even notice that she too was holding something behind her back.
"(Hey!)" She beamed upon seeing him.
"(H-Hey...)" Pikachu squeaked before clearing his throat. "(Ahem, hey!)"
It only took a few short moments for her to walk up to him and stand about a foot away.
"(So...I hear that it's our anniversary.)" Buneary said with a smile.
"(Four months. Can you believe it?)" Pikachu replied with a grin.
"(Hee~ I certainly can't! Time flies when you're having fun!)" She laughed to which he joined her.
When they stopped giggling, he calmly looked at her. Suppressing any fear that was arising from his chest, he silently gulped.
"(So I-I figured that today was important s-so I got you something at the store.)" He said, feeling his body beginning to shake like a leaf.
"(Really?! I got you something too!)" She beamed, a big goofy grin on her face.
"(O-Oh yeah? Well, how 'bout we show them on the count of three?)" He said, his face beginning to redden.
"(Heh, alrighty Pika!)" She happily exclaimed, a noticeable blush of her own forming. "(Ready?)"
"(Ready!)" He excitedly replied.
"(Okay.)" She said before they both leaned a little forward.
"(One...)" They said in unison (...two...three!)"
At the same time, they thrust forward what they were holding behind their backs.
Pikachu could only stand in place and blink at what he was looking at in Buneary's paws.
It was...an Everstone.
Likewise, Buneary did the same as she stared at what Pikachu held in his paws.
...Because he too was holding an Everstone.
Blinking in unison, they simultaneously looked up at each other, completely dumbfounded. Then they looked back at each other's gift.
"(Y-You got me...?)" Pikachu finally muttered.
"(...Yeah.)" She replied, utterly perplexed.
At the same time, they started saying the exact same thing.
"(I thought...I mean you said...and then Piplup...!)" They said before it hit them. Together, they slowly looked over at where the penguin was standing at the bottom of the hill. "(...Piplup.)"
His flippers on his sides, the Water-type looked rather smug. He nodded his head and made a satisfied huff of approval.
"(Yup!)" He proudly declared.
"(But Piplup...the same gift?)" Buneary asked, still not taking her eyes off her teammate.
"(Mhmm! You both said that you didn't want to evolve and didn't want the other to evolve either. So I figured that with all of the adventuring you two do, one day you might step on a Thunderstone or get a little too happy!)" He proclaimed, waving a flipper to exemplify his point. "(So now, you two don't have to worry about that anymore!)"
Buneary turned to Pikachu and locked eyes with him. "(Is that true Pika? You don't want me to evolve?)"
Immediately panicking, Pikachu started shuffling in place. "(I-It's not like I don't want you to evolve! I-I mean, you can do whatever you want, it's your choice after all!)" He nervously blurted out before looking down at her gift. "(I just thought of what you said to me. About being happy the way that you are...I just thought that...y-y'know...)" The mouse managed to say before trailing off, clearly too embarrassed to finish the rest. He took a shaky breath before looking up at her again. "(And you Bun?)"
Her face turning crimson, Buneary's other paw quickly grabbed her fluff and she pulled it up to her face as she turned away and tightly shut her eyes. "(Ohh...I-I just remembered about what happened with that raichu and that...other raichu before that. You just seemed really convinced about never evolving so...I just...y'know.)"
Taking a moment to look at her, he felt a cozy warmness emerging from his chest and he smiled at her. Gently, he leaned over and nuzzled her cheek, earning a little squeak from her as her eyes shot open.
"(Heh, I love it, thanks Bun.)" He whispered into her ear. With his cheek pressed up against hers, he could feel her shake in place.
Buneary took a moment to look at him before the biggest, doofiest grin appeared on her face and she immediately moved forward to hug him. "(I love my gift too, thanks baby!)" She beamed, giggling in his arms.
As Piplup looked on at them, he gave a little smile. "(Heh, all's well that ends well. The three of us!)" He proclaimed, valiantly holding a flipper up in the air. "(The never-evolving Pokémon!)"
Pikachu looked down at the penguin before giving a sheepish smile. "(Actually, I evolved once from a pichu.)"
Piplup snorted and looked away. "(Okay, so the never-continuing-to-evolve-Pokémon!)"
Buneary put a paw up to her mouth to let out a rather girlish giggle. "(Sure Pip.)" She laughed before she and Pikachu swapped Everstones. With her new gift in her paw, she put the stone in her fluff. "(There, I'll keep it where I know I won't lose it!)"
As soon as Buneary safely put her gift away, both of her ears uncurled and she looked off to the side only to see Gible about to unleash Draco Meteor with Ash giving orders on the side. It seemed that even with preparing dinner, the young boy still wanted to get some last-minute training in. As the two of them saw energy emanating from the dual-type, they concernedly turned back to Piplup.
"(Uhh...Piplup.)" Pikachu muttered, a slightly panicked expression on his face. "(It's Gible.)"
Piplup merely scoffed and waved a flipper at the mouse. "(Pssh...don't worry about it. Karma's got my back now!)" He confidently declared before taking up a proud pose.
The couple looked back at Gible only to see the Draco Meteor being unleashed and travel high into the air. Immediately they could see the familiar-looking pattern of the attack.
"(No seriously Pip, you should take cover.)" Buneary sternly remarked as she looked back at her teammate.
"(Heh, nahh. You'll see...karma will take care of it!)" The penguin boldly said, closing his eyes as he dismissively waved a flipper at her.
Blinking in complete bewilderment, Pikachu and Buneary looked over again and saw the Draco Meteor veer off its course and inexplicably head towards Piplup's location.
As the attack continued to whiz through the air, the couple saw it beginning to head their way.
A bead of sweat began to appear on the side of Piplup's head. "(Uhh...yeah. You'll see.)" He said before taking a moment to open one eye. Pikachu and Buneary could see that the attack was about a hundred yards away. "(Mhmm...totally safe. T-Totally...)" Piplup muttered before he could see the meteor coming his way. Unable to take it anymore, he immediately dropped the act and scrambled to make a mad dash. "(O-Oh sweet Moltres!)" He exclaimed before turning to run across the field and over a nearby hill.
Both Pikachu and Buneary blankly watched as the meteor whizzed past where they were standing and continue over the ridge of the hill that Piplup had disappeared over. A moment later they heard a loud explosion followed by a frantic scream.
"(AHHHH! WHAT IS THE LESSON HERE?!)" He furiously shrieked to the heavens.
Not exactly knowing what to make of what they had just witnessed, Pikachu and Buneary slowly turned to each other. Suddenly, Buneary bit her bottom lip in a clear effort not to laugh. Pikachu jerked his head back a little, not really expecting that reaction from her. Still trying not let it all out, Buneary gave the occasional gentle snort before waving a paw in front of herself.
"(Teehee~! I'm sorry, really I am! It's just that...every single time!)" She managed to say before the dam broke and she started laughing out loud.
Rather puzzled, Pikachu merely stared as she continued to let loose her snickering. Just as baffling, he himself started to feel a laughing fit creep up on him. Perhaps it was her smiling face, her infectious giggling, or the fact that Piplup's dilemma was pretty ridiculous but regardless, Pikachu began to chuckle too.
Before either of them knew it, the two completely devolved into a raucous laughing fit before they sat down and leaned against each other.
When Buneary managed to catch her breath, she steadied herself. "(Hee~! Poor Pip, we really should do something nice for him. After all, he did come through for us!)"
Pikachu, just now managing to get his laughter under control, looked to the side and saw a lovely pink flower. Still smiling, he plucked it and held it in front of himself for her to admire.
"(Yeah, you're right. He definitely deserves it after all!)" He said before they took a moment to look at each other before laughing again.
Author's Notes:
Felt as if Piplup needed a chapter of his own. Commendable for the penguin to play matchmaker solo if I do say so myself!
Not much else to say other than let us all join hands and bow our heads in a moment of silence for the penguin who hogged the spotlight a little more than he should've in the anime.
One more chapter to wrap up Act II, hang on tight, we're almost there!