Two Nice Pokemon in Crime Town

Mission:

Honestly, from the moment she'd stepped foot into this settlement, Darcy's whole existence had felt out of place. Seedy little tents dotted the landscape, growing more and more frequent as the Skitty approached what she presumed to be the city center. Were they houses? Shops? A pang of sympathy emerged from the Skitty's heart as she stared at one tent in particular. There was a tear in its side, as if someone had clawed their way in, presumably to take whatever was inside. Darcy didn't investigate further. It wasn't her business. Darcy's toes curled as she walked through the town, her head down and ears flat. Passers-by stared daggers at her, at least, it felt like it. Everyone was a poison type. Her coloring was wrong. She felt sick. She did not belong here.

The Skitty's stomach churned as she felt a new surge of sickness. The smog was everywhere, it felt like. Her scarf was pulled up to her nose and mouth, but her eyes were still exposed, and the scarf wasn't doing much to prevent the smog from entering her lungs. She could taste the air, and it tasted foul. That could hardly be a good sign. Darcy sat on the edge of the road, wincing as she felt the gravel digging into her. Arceus, she needed a rest.

And people here lived like this? If it weren't for the fact she was there experiencing it, she'd hardly be able to believe it. The Skitty's tail flickered, her face betraying her clear discomfort. The kitten pokemon sighed, closing her eyes as she tried to get her senses under control. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. They didn't seem to help much. Darcy gave up, opening her eyes once more, as her eyes settled on another Pokemon, a bit up the road. A... Grass type? She didn't think any grass types would be able to live here.

...Would he be friendly? A guide would be nice. He seemed nice. But... This was Grima, wasn't it? There were rumors about this town everywhere in the guild, and even Grassveil in general. They chased guild members out. They murdered guild members on sight. They ate guild members.

...Darcy had a hard time believing most of them, but a small part of her brain threw them all back at her, and Darcy shifted on her paws, trying to get her stomach under control once more.

She'd be fine. Just... find the pawn shop...

The sun was already beginning to set before Rui awoke. He squinted at the last ray of light that filtered through cracked walls, shifting his blanket so it covered his head and blocked out the sun. Wrapped under the thick covers, Rui was reluctant to move. He snuggled further into the fabric. Soft and stuffed with wool to keep him warm, it smelled like home.

Rui shifted the blanket with one hoof, peeking out from underneath it. He couldn't see Rika - she must still be working. And mom was asleep just across the room – that was good. She needed her strength.

Ah. But that meant it was his turn to buy groceries…

…and it was already sunset.

Rui rose to his feet and looked longingly at the blanket. Slowly, he folded it and placed it neatly on his bed of straw. Ahh, how he would love the be curled beneath it once again, spending the rest of the day swaddled in comfort. It was so very tempting.

It was just a quick trip, right? He’d be back soon.

With one last wistful glance, Rui peeled himself away from the siren song of sleep. He nosed a threadbare coin pouch from its hook on the wall and slid it over his head. Ready to head out, Rui shifted from hoof to hoof in the doorway.

He was apprehensive, for sure. Buying groceries was hardly his favourite task and the last time he’d been they’d raised the price again! It was just a few berries! Rui had timidly tried to ask if the Toxicroak would be able to lower it – Rika had always said it was better to haggle. But the salesman had cut him off before he could even stutter his question out.

Rui’s ears flattened at the memory. He glanced back to his mother, asleep in her own straw nest. It was okay. He could do this! Maybe.

--

Rui’s hooves echoed on worn paving stones. The sun was beginning to sleep too, darkness crawling in to take its place. He needed to hurry, but every inch of him wanted to turn around and go back home. The darkness was scary and the town was so much emptier at this time of day. His eyes darted around as he made his way towards the run-down stall.

The area was so oddly quiet that when Rui finally spotted someone pink in the near distance, he startled, hooves catching on the uneven stone.

“Eek!” Rui squeaked, legs failing as he hurtled face-first into the ground. Coins clattered across the stones, ringing out through the impending dark. Rui stiffened. Almost immediately he could feel hungry eyes upon him. On the money they’d set aside to buy food.

Scrambling back to his feet, Rui stumbled after the runaway coins. He tried to catch some of them under his hooves but was only mildly successful. Hurriedly, Rui gathered up as many as he could and slipped them back into his coin pouch. Rui knew were others here who were not well off, who probably needed this money too. Very few people in Grima were wealthy. But he couldn’t give this money away! Sorry!

Darcy jumped at the sudden squeaky sound, only for her surprise and shock to be exacerbated by the noisy clattering of coins, almost echoing through the darkened street. The Skitty brought herself back to shaky paws, eyes squinting in the direction of the very same grass type she'd seen before! He seemed to have taken quite a fall, hooves already scrambling back into place as he pounced on the coins that by now were rolling every which way. Already, other Pokemon were beginning to step towards the coins, and from the way they carried themselves, Darcy wasn't sure they were particularly intent on helping him.

"Blegh." Darcy groaned, prodding herself to move forward, although her stomach hadn't quite settled, nor had her headache lifted. But she had to help him! Already, a bunch of Pokemon was making away with whatever coins they could find, and it wasn't exactly... A small amount. The Skitty ambled over to the area, as fast as she could handle, before she began to collect coins under her own paws, protecting them from any other Pokemon who might want the money for themselves. She pinned down as many as she could find, holding them under her front two paws, focusing in on the biggest denominations first. Focused on her task, she didn't say a word to the Skiddo until all the coins seemed to have been secured. All the ones that hadn't been stolen, anyway. Darcy exhaled a shaky breath before turning to the Skiddo, a very queasy smile on her face.

"Sorry I c-couldn't g-grab them all," Darcy said, pushing the coins forward towards the boy. As she relinquished her hold on the coins, she plopped down on the ground, taking a seat. She maintained the queasy smile on her face, nodding at the Skiddo. Arceus, she felt awful. The smog really was something else... "Erm, m-my name's Darcy," She stammered, shifting in place as her tail twitched back and forth. "I h-have some c-coins, to m-make up f-for what they t-took?" Darcy offered, removing her bag from her shoulder and placing it in front of the Skiddo. The queasy smile remained on her face, as the Skitty suppressed a coughing fit, only a light, muffled wheeze emerging from her throat.

The onlookers jumped on the opportunity to collect the coins for themselves. The further away from Rui they rolled the more they were ripe for the picking. A Stunky hopped in and swept a number together with the hairs on its tail, gathering them up before skittering away. Finders keepers, as they say – although Rui wished they’d waited just a little bit longer before considering the coins lost.

The pink pokemon that had startled him also joined the fray and soon enough all of the coins had been claimed one way or another. Counting the ones he had left, Rui knew he wouldn’t have enough to afford what he needed, especially if the stall owner raised his prices again. Rui scanned the area for any more that might remain, poking at the edges of nearby flagstone as if they would reveal more. He slumped dejectedly as no glittering metal caught his eye.

He was supposed to be earning money to help his family! Not losing it and making it harder for them. What was he supposed to tell them..?

Sorry I c-couldn’t grab them all.

Rui turned to the Skitty as she pushed the coins she had gathered towards him. His eyes widened, ears perking up. She’d collected them to help him? Not because she needed them too?
“T-thank you!” Rui smiled brightly. He didn’t know this Skitty, but anyone who was kind enough to give him his coins back couldn’t be a bad person, right?

“I’m R-Rui.” Darcy had introduced herself, so it was only polite that he did so in return, “T-Thanks-“ Wait, he’d already said that. What else should he say? He was incredibly grateful.

Darcy suppressed a coughing fit, and Rui’s smile faltered, forming a concerned frown. That quiet wheeze – it was the same kind of sound he’d hear from his mother. She always tried her best not to make them worry. Playing things down, and saying she was fine, but… trying to suppress it only ever made Rui worry more. He was concerned that maybe her illness would get worse, and that he wouldn’t know about it until it was too late.

“A-are you okay? I don’t- I’ll be fine. With these coins, I think. I-It’s nice of you to offer - I don’t want to take yours. Uhm…" It was clear that Darcy wasn't okay. She seemed sick. Rui floundered in place. Could he do anything to help? The most he had been able to do for his mother had been giving her more time to rest... Maybe something to drink?

Darcy blinked, her bemused smile still lingering even after her wheezy cough. The boy introduced himself as Rui, repeating his thanks shortly after. That's how she knew he was really grateful, and while it didn't do much to settle the queasiness she felt in her stomach, nor did it resolve her splitting headache, it did reinforce the fact that this had been a good decision, deciding to help the Skiddo in spite of those things. She smiled sheepishly, ears twitching in good-natured amusement. "It ain't no thing," She managed to squeak out, before her cough, and Rui's subsequent concern.

"Naw, really, it's alright!" Darcy insisted, pushing the bag towards Rui with her nose, until the bag was leaning on one of his legs. "I'm happy to help, and I'm not... Um. T-Too... pressed for money," The kitten pokemon shifted her weight around, before taking a seat, neatly folding her legs under her body. She wasn't a very good liar, but maybe it'd convince the Skiddo? "A-And, don't worry about me! I'm definitely from around here, it's just I had... f-food poisoning, e-earlier. It's... I can help you and still afford a berry or something to help! Really! ...Please?" The Skitty looked up at the larger pokemon, cocking her head as she shot him a sheepish smile, before she lowered it once more, coughing at the ground. Either way, she wasn't gonna take no for an answer! She wanted to help him more! She couldn't believe people would just steal right from under somebody like that, and she was in a position to help him!

The pawn shop she'd come for in the first place could wait. She had to help him first!

"I-" Rui found himself hesitant to accept Darcy's offer. That money was hers, and although Rui was sure his family could make good use of it, he had done nothing to deserve it. It was incredibly kind of Darcy, but Rui was all too aware of the cough she was attempting to hide. She could be using that money to help herself! To get some kind of treatment...

But at the same time, after how much Darcy had insisted, had pleaded with him to take the money, it seemed almost rude to decline. She said her sickness was only food poisoning... and surely Darcy would know herself better than Rui would. But maybe... maybe Darcy was mistaken? Rui didn't think coughing was a symptom of food poisoning. Even if it was, the eerie parallels to his mother's condition still remained. It didn't sit right with him.

"Can we... buy the berries first...?" he suggested, "It would help you feel better and- and then whatever's left..." It seemed like Darcy wouldn't take no for an answer. Rui was still reluctant to just take her money, but knowing that she would not be sacrificing her own well being just to help him would bring him a little peace of mind.

Turning his attention back to the coins Darcy had returned to him, Rui began to slip them one by one back into his coin pouch. He counted them as he retrieved them, praying all the while that the amount they had managed to recover between them would be enough to afford the food he'd set out to buy.

As the last few coins were being counted, Rui came to the realisation that this was not the case. The other residents of Grima had sped off with more than he'd thought. Rui pawed at the flagstone. Even the very last coin, a mere five poke stuck between the stones, would not change that.

Darcy tilted her head, before nodding slowly. That was as fair a compromise as any, and now that the Skiddo seemed willing to accept her help, Darcy could hardly complain about his insistence. Her throat itched, and some medicinal berries would feel marvelous right about now. She couldn't believe she hadn't had the presence of mind to pack any! ...Mostly cause she'd thought the rumors about the smog of poison had been overblown. It seemed the rumors were true. At least, about the smog.

"Y-Yeah, sure, sure," Darcy squeaked out, nodding at the Skiddo's thoughtful suggestion. She'd have enough between the two of them! She'd packed a decent amount of Poke; after all, once she was done with this mission, she'd have more than she started with! She'd have enough to help both of them out, with any luck. "But, I'll help you buy whatever you need too. I only really need a berry or two, at most. It's... It sounds worse than it really is, promise,"

The Skitty's tail twitched, to the left, then to the right. She hated lying. She wasn't good at it at all, and more importantly, it made her feel horrible. She really, quite badly, wanted to tell the Skiddo the truth! But... What if he told others, and she ended up getting run out of town? She couldn't have that! She couldn't even risk it! She'd heard that some people here could be really violent towards guild members, and even though Rui didn't seem like a bad person, at all, well... It was still scary. Too scary for her.

The Skitty's thoughts were interrupted as she noticed the Skiddo's dismayed face, as he silently let the coin pouch fall loose about his neck. He pawed at the ground, and... Oh! A coin!

"H-Hey!" She cried out with excitement, before a small burst of coughs interrupted her. She waited for them to subside, before pawing at the same flagstone as Rui, then looking up at the Skiddo. "We missed one!" She said, pawing at it more intensely. It was only a five-poke coin, but it was still just... There. Staring up at them. "It's... stuck, though." Darcy bit her lip, thinking. She wished she had hands. Paws weren't great for getting things unstuck, but what could she do? "Don't... s'pose you have any ideas, huh, Rui?"

Darcy was so insistent! He really hoped that she was right and that her coughing wasn't as bad as it sounded. It didn't stop him from worrying though.

Rui could not reach the coin stuck between the flagstones with his hooves. They wouldn't fit through the small gap. Even Darcy with her dainty little paws couldn't seem to make it budge. "I'm not sure..." he frowned, "Oh! Maybe..."

His hooves clicked on the stone as he took a step backwards and his leafy mane began to glow with a pale green colour. Rui directed the green energy outwards and it cascaded around their immediate vicinity. Blades of grass sprouted up through the gaps in the old stonework, curling into small patches of foliage and moss develop within moments on rock long worn from daily use. As the light subsided, Rui stepped forwards, to check on the coin again. Surely grass growing beneath it would shift it from the gap?

Alas, as he nudged aside the small patch of grass, sure enough, the coin was still there. The grass had merely grown around it. "Aw..." That was a shame. Sure it was only five poke in the end but that was still a whole five poke that might come in handy one day.

Rui shook his head. This was no time to be dwelling on five poke! Darcy was sick! He shouldn't be faffing around in the street. "I guess we can come back for it later?" he suggested, "Maybe we can think of something else on the way..."

Darcy tilted her head as Rui gave it his best shot. What a cool move! Or maybe an ability? Either way, it was incredible! Grass was growing all around them, and in a place like this? She hardly thought it possible! It grew in clumps, concentrated around the coin, and for a brief second, Darcy found failure an impossibility! There was no way the coin was that stuck, after all, right?

"Aw, shucks, that move a' yours is cool," Darcy said, marveling at Rui's abilities.

The Skitty's grinning smile fell ever so slightly as the Skiddo pawed at the ground once more, only to find the coin just as stuck as it had been previously. The Skitty poked at it herself, only to be met with the same pitiable result as before.

"Yeah, I s'pose so, we can come back later?" Darcy said, the dejection in her strained voice palpable. She stared at the patch of grass for a few seconds longer, and as Rui turned away, seeming to suggest a return, an idea crossed the Skitty's mind.

"Oh! Wait, hol' on a moment, I learned a new move pretty recently, and... M-Maybe I can wash it out?" Darcy said, looking up at the goat pokemon with a grin on her face. This would be the first time she'd ever be using it for anything practical! Not to mention, it was just plain fun to use!

The Skitty turned around to face the coin once more, the small bulbs on the tip of her ail glowing as droplets of water accumulated about them. The droplets grew, and multiplied, before a small bubble formed. Growing, growing... The Skitty turned to face it, directing it towards the coin. Maybe water would loosen it? It was worth a shot!

By now, it was full of water, floating, suspended over the main patch of grass, and then...

Plop.

It all came tumbling down, water cascading onto the grass, and the coin underneath. The Skitty looked giddy with excitement, as the glowiness of her tail faded, and she turned between the grass and Rui, beaming up at him.

"Did it work? Can ya check, Rui?" She exclaimed. Her bubbly excitement would've continued, had it not been interrupted by a cough, which she (poorly) disguised as a laugh. That wouldn't stop her! Despite the small outburst, she seemed just as pleased with herself before, although she brought her scarf back up to her mouth and nose. The less smog, the better...

"O-oh t-thank you!" Darcy's complement caught Rui by surprise. "It's- ah, Grassy Terrain," he explained briefly, flustered by how genuine Darcy was. The move was nothing too impressive. He'd known it for his entire life - although he hadn't quite known how to use it well for all that time. Rui was proud of how far he'd come in being able to use it, so it was nice for someone to think it was cool.

Darcy seemed to have another idea for how to get the coin out. Her own move was something that Rui had never seen before. She made a bubble out of thin air! Darcy wasn't a water type, was she? Rui watched, eyes brimming with curiosity as Darcy controlled it, dropping it right on the coin.

"Whoa! W-what was that?" Rui asked, tone tinged with awe at the ability. Would Darcy be able to water plants whenever she wanted with a move like that? Darcy's bright grin was contagious, and Rui found himself smiling right back at the Skitty. That was amazing! Surely the coin had to have come unstuck now!

Rui stepped forwards at Darcy's request, pushing aside the soaked grass fronds, only to find that once again, despite all their efforts the coin did not seem to have budged. Not an inch. "Nooo," Rui whined quietly, slumping next to the coin, "It's still stuck..." He'd thought for sure that would do it!

His ears perked at the sound of Darcy's muffled coughing. The coin could wait!!
"It's fine if we leave it behind! It's only... five poke." He stepped back from the grassy, now soaked flagstone and indicated the direction of Grima's salesmon area. "We can pick up what we need first..." He paced forwards, before pausing, double-checking to be sure Darcy was on board with this decision.

Darcy smiled, committing the move to memory. Grassy terrain. It made sense, grass type and all, bu she'd never actually seen a move like that in action. It was rather pleasant, truth be told! Darcy found herself wishing she could learn a move like that as well. It'd be... Well, she didn't know what it's properties actually were, but the sudden, pleasing contrast the appearance of the plants provided was... a welcome change, from Grima, and the area surrounding it.

The Skitty beamed back as Rui, in turn, noticed her own move. Was he the first person to actually see it...? He might've been... Darcy giggled, ears perking up as she nodded up at the larger pokemon. "It's my hidden power! Water! I can... Well, I dunno how useful it actually is in a fight, but the basic's just... Erm, I c-can make bubbles!"

Well, it didn't sound impressive at all when she put it like that. But... It was the truth! So why should she hide it? The Skiddo seemed to like it, didn't he?

The kitten Pokemon, however, wilted ever so slightly as it turned out her own attempt had been a dead end as well. Rui quietly confirmed her fears, his soft voice affirming the coin remained unmoved.

"Aw, shucks," Darcy said, lowering her face into her scarf, pulling it tighter around her neck. "I was sure that'd do it..."

Rui turned in concern as she broke into a cough, before hastily offering to get going. As much as Darcy wished they could fish out the coin; that was five Poke they wouldn't be getting back, after all, she found it ill advised to keep the Skiddo waiting. And honestly, after she'd expelled some of her own energy using the move, she felt a queasy sensation in her stomach begin to worm it's way back.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds alright," She nodded, with one last, longing look at the soaked, grassy coin, before following behind Rui. They walked only a few paces before the Skitty spoke up once more.

"By the w-way, Rui, after we go to the market, do you know of any pawn shops nearby? That's why I came..." The Skitty froze mid sentence, the fact she was supposed to be a local re-entering her mind. Slowly, she continued. "Erm... came... Uh... Out of my h-house today. C-Cause... I'm lookin' for a pawn shop, if you... Erm... k-know? Of any?"