"Wow, this little guy, how can he be so cute?"
After lunch, Ash and his friends were resting under a large tree on the plains. But Dawn seemed to be mesmerized by a Pokémon, squatting motionlessly as she observed its form. It was a squirrel-like Pokémon with large, blue ears that extended into stripes. It had the same electric pouches on its cheeks as Pikachu, but the color was slightly different, changing from red to yellow. With a tail larger than its entire body, it sat quietly, giving off a very well-behaved and adorable vibe. This Pokémon was, of course, the "White Demon" that is a hot topic among many gamers: Pachirisu. In a past world-class tournament, a Pachirisu used Follow Me to tank a Draco Meteor, allowing its trainer to win the match.
"Chima~"
However, this Pokémon seemed a little too hyper. Instead of being afraid of a human like Dawn, it boldly twirled its tail in front of her. Dawn's eyes turned into hearts, as if she had been completely captured by this Pachirisu.
"A White Demon with so much energy... it's probably a home-wrecker!" Looking at this Pachirisu, Ash felt that it was both dorky and foolish, just like a certain black and white pet back on Earth.
"Ah, who cares! I'm going to catch it!" Dawn was completely captivated by Pachirisu's appearance, becoming a slave to a cute Pokémon.
"Go, Piplup! Use Peck!" As a person of action, Dawn immediately threw her Poké Ball.
"Piplup~" A red flash later, the round-headed Piplup jumped out of its Poké Ball and rushed toward Pachirisu with an extended version of Peck.
"Chima" But the nimble Pachirisu easily dodged and then turned back to give Piplup a Sweet Kiss. The unprepared Piplup was hit and immediately became confused.
"An interesting little guy. Its level seems pretty high!" As a player who once owned a Pachirisu, Ash remembered that Sweet Kiss could only be learned at level 29. Dawn's Piplup was at most around level 15, so their strength was miles apart.
"Buneary! Ice Beam!" Luckily, Dawn also realized this and recalled Piplup, sending out her higher-leveled Buneary.
"Bun~" When Buneary came out, it first winked at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, and then, after Dawn's gentle command, it fired a light-blue beam toward Pachirisu. But Pachirisu calmly used Quick Attack, not only dodging the attack but also hitting the unsuspecting Buneary and sending it flying.
"Buneary, you can do it! Use Bounce!" The knocked-down Buneary immediately got up, put all its strength into its legs, and leaped high into the air. Using the advantage of its fall, it kicked Pachirisu, sending it flying and face-planting into the dirt.
"Don't let up! Ice Beam!" Just as Buneary was about to gather energy for an Ice Beam, Pachirisu quickly got up. Its body glowed blue as it used the wide-range move Discharge.
"Chima~" This attack from Pachirisu was clearly a bit clumsy, as it also hit Ash, Brock, and Dawn, who were outside the range. However, Ash was fine because Pikachu stood in front of him, absorbing all of Pachirisu's electricity. The other two weren't so lucky.
"Poof~" Brock spat out a puff of smoke, feeling a little wronged as his body went numb. He thought to himself that he shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place and should have just stayed lying down.
"Ah, my hair!" Dawn's blue hair stood up completely, turning into a spiky hairdo that also glowed with a faint blue light.
"Pfft!" The unique hairstyle made Ash, Brock, and Pikachu burst into laughter.
"Stop laughing!" Dawn stamped her foot in frustration as she tried to fix her hair.
"Okay, okay!" Faced with her angry glare, Ash quickly covered his and Pikachu's mouths. He then pointed to the Pachirisu across from them. "Dawn, this is your chance!"
Although Pachirisu had successfully used Discharge to defeat Buneary, Buneary's Ice Beam had also successfully frozen Pachirisu's feet to the ground.
"A good chance!" Dawn didn't care about her hair anymore. She immediately took out a Poké Ball and threw it. Pachirisu turned into a red light. After a few seconds of shaking, the ball settled firmly in Dawn's hand.
"Yay! I finally caught Pachirisu! I knew it would be okay!" Dawn was so happy she showed off the Poké Ball to them.
"Pfft~"
"Dawn, your hair!" The girl's joy lasted only a second or two before she came back to her senses amid their laughter and the sight of her fainted Buneary.
...
With the mischievous Pachirisu joining the team, screams and the sounds of Bubble Beam commands came from Dawn's tent early the next morning.
"Just as I thought, this guy isn't well-behaved!" Seeing Dawn, Piplup, and Buneary chasing after Pachirisu, Ash knew his instincts had been right. This Pachirisu's personality was just like a Husky. It was full of energy from morning to night. On the second day, it even tore down Dawn's tent, and her blue hair was turned into an afro. Even with Dawn and her two Pokémon trying to catch it, they just tired themselves out without catching the nimble Pachirisu.
"Looks like it's full of energy, huh?" Brock said with a laugh as he prepared breakfast.
"Ah~" This was enough to make Dawn lose all confidence. She sat on the ground looking dejected, watching Pachirisu, who was like a living doll.
"Alright, I'll help you." Seeing the miserable look on Dawn's face, Ash shrugged and gestured for Pikachu to go.
"Pika Pi~" Pikachu gave a look that said, "Leave it to me." It leaped forward and landed steadily, then used Quick Attack to get a super speed boost. Without giving Pachirisu a chance to counter, it pinned the small Pokémon down, easily ending the game of hide-and-seek. Ash's expression was a little strange, as the position looked a bit awkward, but he didn't think too much of it. He walked over and grabbed Pachirisu's fluffy tail.
"Chima~" But the Pokémon wasn't a fan of being held and used Discharge to try and escape Ash's grasp. However, a person with a Super Pallet Town physique was only slightly numbed by Discharge. It was nothing compared to Pikachu's Thunderbolt. Looking at the unruly Pachirisu, Ash gently stroked its big tail and advised, "Little one, being so unruly isn't good. Don't you agree, Dawn?" He called out a few times and got no response. He turned to look at Dawn, who was listless and silent.
"What's wrong, Dawn?" He walked over to her with the fluffy Pachirisu in his arms.
"Ash, does Pachirisu hate me? It never listens to me. Should I just let it go... Ouch!" Before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead. She looked up and saw that Ash, who was holding Pachirisu, had flicked her.
"Are you so lacking in confidence? That's not like the Dawn I know!" Ash patiently advised. "Besides, Pokémon will give you their answer!"
At that moment, Pachirisu had already wriggled out of Ash's arms and into Dawn's lap. It snuggled against her cheek, showing its affection.
"Pachirisu..." Dawn seemed to understand. She hugged the now well-behaved Pachirisu tightly.