Author's note: Heyo!
Researching stuff for this chapter was... interesting, that's for sure. XD Despite that, though, it was pretty fun to write!
Hope you guys enjoy it, too!
Chapter Nineteen: Losing Sight
"(Emmaaaa!)" Terry called out loudly. The pikachu frantically looked left and right, his heart hammering in panic. He'd lost her! He'd actually lost her!
Oh god... oh god... No, seriously, where was she?! How had she just vanished?!
Had... had she been kidnapped?! His gaze rapidly shifted from one pikachu to another, desperately looking for any sign of the buneary.
Surely, she hadn't been swiped from right under his nose!
Oh no, had it been Team Rocket?! He turned his gaze to the sky, looking amongst the clouds for their trademark meowth balloon.
... Nothing. Okay, maybe it was a robot, then! He looked around the lake for anything large and metallic.
... Still nothing.
He stopped to think. Hmm... Actually, Ash's team had already disposed of Team Rocket earlier, right? So it was unlikely they'd come back that fast. And would they really steal Emma, instead of him?
Well, only if they were planning to make a song and dance of it.
... Quite like they had earlier, in fact. Literally.
He held back his cringe and glanced around again, still seeing nothing in the sky or in the distance. Hmm... so maybe they hadn't kidnapped her?
So then, where was she?
"(Emmaaaa!)" Terry called out, carefully manoeuvring around the crowd. "('Scuse me. 'Scuse me... Emmaaaa!)"
Shouting over this noisy crowd was hard. He'd have to keep trying, though. If he kept it up for long enough, then, surely, he'd come across her eventually, right?
"(Whoa, dude-bro,)" a masculine voice said from nearby. Terry turned to see a male pikachu with an afro looking at him in surprise. "(You feelin' okay? You're covered in bandages, my man.)"
"(Y-Yeah, I'm fine,)" Terry hurriedly replied. He didn't really have time to be discussing his injuries again. Instead, he glanced around himself. "(Hey, uh... have you seen a buneary around here?)"
"(Hmm? Don't know what that is, dude-bro.)"
Terry clicked his tongue in mild agitation at his poor luck. "(Okay, thanks.)" He moved on, making his way through the throngs of pikachu.
"(Emma?!)" He looked around him, realising that there were plenty of people to ask. "(Hey, has anyone seen a buneary?)"
A few heads turned in his direction.
"(A what?)" a female pikachu asked.
"(What's one of those?)" a male pikachu asked.
"(Hey, you okay?)" another female pikachu asked. "(You look hurt.)"
"(Yeah, I'm fine,)" Terry replied, glancing around.
Argh! Did none of them know what a buneary was?! He kept moving, looking everywhere for the rabbit.
... Rabbit! That was it!
"(Hey, has anyone seen a brown rabbit?)" he asked.
A few different heads turned in his direction.
"(Brown rabbit?)" a male pikachu replied. "(No, sorry.)"
A female pikachu with a small cowlick shrugged. "(Didn't come this way...)" she replied.
A few others shook their heads. Terry gritted his teeth in frustration. Argh, where was she?!
"(Okay, thanks,)" he said to them before turning around and trying a different direction.
"(I like your costume!)" a female pikachu said.
... Oh. It seemed like someone other than Sho thought he was dressing up today.
"(Thanks...)" he mumbled awkwardly as he moved.
Glancing around, he suddenly noticed that it was a fair bit brighter than it'd been before. Surprised, he looked up and saw that that the festival lights had finally come on. Huh. Had they been on long? Maybe he'd been too distracted to realise...
A moment later, he heard the whine of a microphone, and then someone clearing their throat. Instinctively, he turned to look at the stage. As he did, he saw a girl wearing a yellow dress, with an orange bob haircut. She winked at the crowd, using her hands as bunny ears.
"Aloooolaaaa, pika!" she shouted, beaming.
He stared at her. Pika...? Wow, he hadn't heard a human trying to speak pikachu since Johto...
He paused. Wait. That outfit she was wearing...
It was yellow. With red circles and bits of black on it. And... was she wearing pikachu ears and a female pikachu tail? He felt a shudder of cringe go up his spine. Oh good lord, what was he in for? Was she some sort of kiddie entertainer hired for the festival?
Next to her, by the other two microphones, was an old man with a grey beard and tiny glasses, and a young girl with long purple hair in a pigtail.
The orange-haired girl continued, pointing a finger to the sky. "Just so you pika know... that means hello in Alola!" She swung out both of her arms dramatically. "Where I'm pika from!"
... Why... was she saying pika in every sentence?
Also, Alola? The same place that Puka had evolved? So they... said their region name as a greeting over there?
Terry tried to imagine himself saying 'Kanto' as a greeting, and cringed. Urgh, no thanks...
The girl did a strange salute with just her thumb, index and pinky fingers while winking. "Nice to pika meet you all!" She dramatically threw her arms up in the air. "My name is..." She covered her eyes for a second, then did another bunny ear pose. "Pikala~! Pika!"
... Oh god, the cringe was getting worse. Why was she flailing her arms around like she belonged to Team Rocket, or something? This was the second time today Terry was getting second-hand embarrassment from a stage performance...
Also, Pikala? That was really her name?
"And I am pika Frank, from Kalos!" the old man on the other microphone said in a grand voice, his arms open wide in front of him welcomingly.
Oh, Terry had never heard of Kalos- Wait. Oh no, he was doing the pika thing, too?!
Actually, now that the mouse looked at him, he could see that Frank was also wearing a pikachu-themed outfit. A yellow jacket with red circles, and a couple of yellow and black ears on it. There was also a yellow lightning bolt on his hat.
Good lord...
He looked way too old to be doing this cringey entertainer thing, though...
Frank continued, indicating the purple-haired girl on the third microphone. "This here is my pika granddaughter, Jean!"
Jean smiled awkwardly. "H-Hello!" she said, waving. "Nice to meet you!"
It was kinda strange that she was the only one not committing to the routine, but Terry appreciated having a bit less cringe on stage.
Frank threw his arms towards the crowd as he continued. "Yes, welcome, welcome, fellow pika fans of pikachu, to our glooorious Pikachu Festival!" He threw his arms in the air dramatically.
The crowd roared and cheered in response, but Terry's brain had skidded to a halt. Had Frank said their festival?! So they were the ones in charge?!
Actually, glancing around the yellow stalls again, it suddenly made a lot of sense.
... Wait, so this wasn't a hired act then?
Oh god, that made it even more embarrassing to watch!
Pikala beamed. "It's a pika pleasure to meet so many fans of pikachu!" she said. She hopped from one foot to the other in a giddy dance. "You know, it was a complete pikoincidence that Frank and I met here!"
Ohhh no, now they were combining words! Terry wanted to bury his face in his paws, but he refrained.
"Indeed, it pika was!" Frank agreed. "We were both on separate pika vacations in Sinnoh..."
Stopping her dance, Pikala pointed a finger to the sky. "And just happened to end up at Lake Pikacuity at the same time!"
Frank dramatically put a hand to his head. "And, to think... I never thought anyone in the pika world loved pikachu as much as I do!"
"Me pika neither! You even talk in pika pika speak, like me!" Pikala winked, pointing to herself with both her index fingers. "It's my biggest pika wish come true to meet someone like you!"
Frank crossed his arms and nodded. "Mine as pika well." He flung out his arms. "Ah, if only I were forty pika years younger, eh?" He cackled maniacally to himself, sounding like an absolute madman.
Pikala gave an equally insane giggle as she clasped her fists by her face. "Oh, pika stoooop, you! You're way too pika old for me!"
Frank laughed, while Jean gave an awkward smile that Terry didn't blame one bit. This conversation was making him shrink into himself from the cringe.
"I'm only pika kidding, of course!" Frank replied. "Though I'd love to pikadopt you as my second granddaughter!"
Pikala's eyes lit up. "Oooh~! Now that's something I can pika get behind!"
"Yes, well..." Jean said, smiling sheepishly, before she turned a genuine smile on the crowd, "we do hope you enjoy the festival that my grandfather and his friend painstakingly put together, in hopes of sharing their boundless love of pikachu with the rest of the world."
"Pika right!" Frank and Pikala agreed in perfect synch.
"Be sure to enjoy our pika entertainment!" Frank said.
"And check out our pika merchandise!" Pikala added. She pointed to the ears and tail she was wearing. "You can even buy your own pikachears and pikachails, as I pika call them!" They somehow moved around in response to her words.
Jean nodded. "Hm," she said. "All the funds will go to Lake Acuity's Nurse Joy, to help pay for a new healing machine!"
Frank threw out his arms again. "We owe her everything for letting us hold our pika Pikachu Festival at this beautiful lake! So please, feel free to pika help out!"
Pikala jumped to one leg and punched the sky. "Pika right!" she said. "Now, before we leave you to your Pikachu Festival, there's one more pika thing I wanna say!" She gave herself bunny ears. Or, actually, they were probably pikachu ears, now that Terry thought about it. "Feel free to come visit Pikachu Valley in Pikalola anytime! I'll pika be there!"
Frank threw his arms into the air. "And Pikachu Manor in Pikalos!" He indicated his granddaughter. "Jean and I look forward to meeting you in pika person!"
Jean nodded. "Right!" she agreed. "But, for now, please look forward to our first performance of the evening. We have a lot lined up for you tonight!"
"Have pika fun~!" Frank and Pikala said in perfect synch, before bowing.
The crowd cheered as the three of them left the stage, waving as they walked.
Okay. Finally, Terry could stop cringing. Regardless, it was pretty cool that they'd put this whole thing together after a chance meeting at Lake Acuity. All to show the world how much they loved pikachu.
... He wasn't really sure why they loved pikachu, but whatever worked for them, he supposed.
He cringed again as he remembered their outfits, and the weird speech mannerisms that they somehow shared, despite meeting not long ago. Seriously, just how could someone love pikachu that much? It was crazy to him. Sure, he did like his own species, but that was a bit much.
He was about to turn to Emma to ask what she thought, when he froze. Oh right, Emma! He still hadn't found her yet!
Well... she probably wasn't in danger, right? Though it'd still be tricky to find her in this crowd.
He sighed, ready to start the search anew.
"(Oh dear, are you okay there?)" a feminine voice asked.
He turned curiously towards it, only to see a very pretty pikachu giving him a concerned gaze. She had long eyelashes and a perfectly-curled fringe.
"(Oh, yeah, I'm fine,)" he replied, quite used to the question by now.
She smiled brightly at him. "(Oh, that's good! I'd hate for anything to happen to that handsome face of yours~)"
His heart stopped in his chest, and he felt his face grow warm. "(H-Huh?!)"
Okay... this was new... Someone other than Emma flirting with him...
She approached, far too close for comfort, and started sniffing him. He felt nervous chills run up and down his spine, and his face was growing hotter by the second.
"(U-Um...! Wh-What are you doing?!)"
"(Greeting you, of course!)" Turning around, she offered him her tail.
He felt nothing but confusion. "(Huh...?)"
"(What, don't you greet other pikachu like this?)"
"(No...?)"
She blinked. "(Oh.)" She giggled. "(Must just be an Alola thing, then!)" She waggled her tail. "(Come on, gimmie your tail!)"
"(Uh, okay...)"
He turned around, offering his tail. The two tips touched each other, and the girl let off a spark of static that made him jump in surprise.
Turning back to face him, she beamed. "(Nice to meet you, cutie!)" She indicated herself. "(I'm Curlicue. Curly, for short!)"
He slowly turned back to face her, dumfounded and still red-faced. "(Uh... hi...)" She smiled at him, batting her long eyelashes expectantly, and it took him far too long to realise what she wanted. He jolted again. "(Oh! Uh...)" He thought about what to say, and decided on the safe option. "(Y-You can just call me 'Pikachu'.)"
So far, only Emma knew his real name. It felt a bit too personal to be sharing with a complete stranger. Besides, 'Curly' - or even 'Curlicue' - probably wasn't this girl's real name either. It sounded more like a nickname.
She hummed in delight. "(Okay then, Pikachu~)"
Suddenly, he felt a light spark hit him on the back of the head, giving him a small jolt. Surprised, he whirled around to see what had caused it. Seeing nothing immediately, he glanced around the many pikachu milling about.
Blinking in confusion, he turned away again. He opened his mouth to tell Curly he was looking for someone, when he felt the same spark hit the back of his head. Whirling around again, he took another look.
An orange figure walked through the crowd, stopping in front of him with his arms folded. Terry's eyes widened. Was... that a shiny pikachu? And... one with a huge pompadour, at that!
On either side of him, the orange pikachu was being flanked by two other, regular male pikachu, who were frowning with their wrists on their hips.
"('Ey,)" the shiny pikachu said. He turned his head briefly to spit on the floor. "(Paws off my girl, you punk!)"
... Oh dear. What mess had Terry found himself in now?
This guy had been giving him warning shots, hadn't he? Because he thought Terry was trying to steal Curly away. Terry held up his paws, ready to defend himself, when Curly interrupted.
"(Boss!)" she cried, huffing in annoyance. "(How many times have I told you, I'm not your girl!)"
The one apparently called 'Boss' huffed back, turning his head away.
Oh double dear. The last thing Terry wanted was to get involved in their relationship drama.
Curly took a few steps forward, apparently not done yet. "(And another thing, mister!)" She pointed an accusing finger at Boss. "(You can't just go hurting someone who's already in bandages! What kind of thug are you?!)"
Boss glared in another direction. "(Feh.)"
"(H-Hey, listen,)" Terry attempted, trying once more to hold up his paws defensively, "(I don't-)"
Boss glared at him, his mouth contorting into a snarl. "(Hah?! You got something to say, punk?!)"
Terry stalled a moment. Especially when the two lackeys glared at him, too. "(Y-Yeah, I just-)"
Unfolding his arms, Boss stormed straight past Curly, and got right in Terry's face, lording over him threateningly. "(It ain't enough that some dumb broad said I was too orange... Too orange! Whazzat supposed to mean?!)" He pointed to himself with his thumb. "(I ain't orange! I'm dark yellow, you punk!)"
Terry blinked, unsure how to respond to that. "(Uh...)"
"(And now here you are, putting the moves on my girl!)" He bonked Terry on the head a few times with his pompadour, which was surprisingly heavy. "(You wanna die, punk?!)"
"(I told you,)" Curly said angrily, "(I'm not your girl!)"
"(L-Look,)" Terry said, "(I'm not putting the moves on anybody!)" He backed away from Boss' pompadour. "(I already have a girl I like!)"
He felt his face warm at the admission as all four of them gave him surprised looks, but he stood his ground. None of that had been a lie, after all.
"(Eh?)" Boss asked. "(No foolin'?)"
Curly's face fell in disappointment. "(Aww, really?)" she asked.
... It was kind of embarrassing that another girl liked him. It also probably would have been a lot more flattering if he didn't already have Emma. Instead, it was a bit awkward.
"(Y-Yeah,)" Terry replied. He turned around, intending to get far away from these two and back to what he'd been doing. "(Speaking of which, I need to go find her. So, uh... see you around!)" He took off.
"(Oh, uh, bye!)" he heard Curly call back.
Admittedly, she wasn't so bad, despite her embarrassing crush on him. Dealing with Boss' jealously on top of that, though, was just too much.
So he focused back on his task: finding that brown, fluffy rabbit!
