School Reunion

Josie nibbled at a small piece of bread as he walked through the town. It was stale, but what else could he expect from cheap bread? Especially considering it was cheap by Grima standards. But what could he do? He wasn't about to throw away any of it, that was for sure. He was hungry! And it helped keep his mind off of... The other things... Going on in his life. Food was good. Other stuff wasn't. Better to focus on the nice things in life, right?

"Even if the food sucks..." Josie said softly to himself, wrinkling up his nose. He set it aside, tightening the scarf around his neck, before looking around. It was a rather empty market-place, all things considered. Things were usually a lot more busy on the week-ends. The Pichu's ears lowered, as he poked a hand against his stomach absentmindedly. It didn't really look injured anymore, but it sure felt like it at times.

He still had to visit that cafe...

Rui crouched down next to three tiny plants peeking through the soil. He smiled gleefully at the sight of them. They were really growing! He had no idea what kind of seeds he’d found in the Ruined Chateau, but they must be pretty hardy. He’d tried growing seeds before, but not much seemed to grow very well in the arid and smoggy environment.

What kind of plants would these be? He was excited to find out! Of course, he couldn’t neglect them just when they were growing so well. The soil was starting to look a little dry and that meant he should fetch some water.

It would be a short trip to the outskirts, but Rui wasn’t exactly busy. He popped his head into the house. “Hey Mom, Rika? I’m going to get some water for the seeds I planted, do you need anything?”

Yua looked up from where she was sat reading, a blanket covering her legs. “I don’t think so, thank you Rui,” she smiled, though it was cut short by a series of coughs erupting from her throat. Yua lowered the book, attempting to muffle the coughing behind her paws. Rui and Rika both hurried over to her side, Rui nudging her drink closer so that she could reach it. Yua sipped it gently, the liquid helping to soothe her throat.

“Are you alright?” Rika asked, concerned.

“It’s just a little cough,” Yua smiled, trying to ease their fears. Of course, all three of them knew that wasn’t the case. This kind of thing wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but without any way to treat the root problem, they could only do what they could. Rika sighed, “Well, if you’re going to get water, Rui, we can use the rest to make some kinda stew or soup for dinner.”

“I know a good Pumkin berry soup recipe. We could use up that big one you brought home the other day?” Yua suggested.

“Ooo, that sounds tasty!” Rika grinned, bouncing over to the worn basket they kept their produce in. Rui couldn’t help but agree. Mom’s cooking was always good though.

Yua slipped a bookmark between the pages she had been reading and got to her feet, neatly folding the blanket and placing it aside. “If we get started now, we should have everything ready by the time you come back, and we'll just need to boil and add the water.” Rika looked about ready to protest. Yua should be resting! Not doing the cooking! But she held her tongue. If Yua taught her the recipe this time, she and Rui could make it the next time.

Rui nodded. “Okay! I’m heading out then… I’ll be back in a little while.”

“See you later!” “Stay safe.”


The biggest, and cleanest water source in the outpost was a bit of a walk away. Rui would have to pass through the market. He’d prefer not to, if he were honest. The market was often bustling with pokemon Rui had never met before. It was intimidating, trying to squeeze through when there were larger and scarier pokemon around. But the water wasn’t going to fetch itself! The sooner he got there the sooner he could come back… and water his plants and try mom’s recipe.

Much to Rui’s relief, the market was actually quite quiet. It was odd, for a weekend, but Rui was grateful for this turn of events. What luck! He trotted through the near-empty market area, hoofsteps ringing on the flagstones. The sound echoed back at him, and the wind whistled through loose wood and stone. The odd dead leaf skittered across the old paving.

Rui slowed his pace. Okay.. maybe near-empty wasn’t as good as he’d thought. Even the tiniest of sounds was amplified by the silence of the area. His ears flattened and his heart rate spiked as he glanced around. Where had everyone gone? Was there something happening? Surely he wasn’t the only one here.

Oh! There was someone else! Rui caught sight of a Pichu, wandering the market with a slice of bread in their paws. He breathed a small sigh of relief. It was oddly scary thinking that no one was around in a place that was usually bustling.

As his nerves calmed, Rui took another look at the Pichu. There weren’t many Pichu in Grima Outpost… Rui’s eyes widened as he laid eyes on the red scarf around their neck. Even from a distance, he would recognise the scarf his friend wore!

“J-Josie…?” He called out. He hadn’t seen Josie in so long! There was a small seed of doubt, that perhaps he had gotten it wrong. He hadn’t seen Josie for a while, so why would he be here, in the market, when no one else was? But that- that was definitely Josie! Right?

Josie jumped, looking around wildly at the sound of his voice. Who had said that? Very few people knew his name, and everyone who had... Well, he hadn't seen any of them in years by now. The Pichu's ears perked up, still looking around in confusion before he caught sight of the source of the voice. The Pichu's eyes widened, setting down the half-eaten loaf of bread beside him.

"R-Rui?" The mouse pokemon asked, before dashing over to the Skiddo. Arceus, he was huge now! The Pichu stopped right in front of him, staring up in awe. Here he was!

"I... thought you'd moved away from Grima! It's been forever, Rui!" The Pichu said lightly, grinning from ear to ear. Sparks crackled lightly; it was hard to control when he was so excited! He gave the goat's leg a hug (If only he could've actually reached anywhere else,) before looking back up at him.

"Where've you been? Naw, forget that, How've you been? You been doin' ok? How's life for ya? How's your family?" The boy was still grinning, and while he recognized that maybe these questions might be too rapid-fire, he couldn't help it in his excitement! He gave the Skiddo's leg another quick hug, before looking up at him.

"I didn't think I'd be... seeing you around here! This is... Dam...-ng... This is great!" It was hard to control the quiver in his voice. Talk about surprises! Honestly, he hadn't expected to see Rui again, ever since they'd drifted away... What a welcome surprise! And at what a time, too...

He needed this...

Rui's ears perked up as the Pichu spoke his name. "It really is you!" He galloped forward to meet Josie halfway and leaned in, nuzzling his cheek to Josie's in lieu of an embrace. It really did feel like forever since he'd last seen him! Rui missed Josie a lot. He'd been the first pokemon Rui had managed to make friends with... and it been a little upsetting when he'd first realised just how long it had been since he'd last spoken to him.

But right now, he giggled, bright and happy to see his friend in person again. "I've been here the whole time! Although... it got a bit busy." He replied, his grin tempering into a small smile as Josie asked after his family. "We're... okay. Mostly... uhm-" Rui trailed off. He wasn't quite sure how best to phrase it. He and Rika were doing fine but... "Mom is... a little sick, right now. But that's why me and Rika both got jobs, so we can try and move out of Grima for real."

Rui shifted on his hooves. He was only answering what Josie had asked, but it was a little sad to have to talk about something not-so-good right away. Rui wished he could tell Josie that they were all perfectly fine and healthy! But.. that would be lying. He'd never been very good at lying.

"She's doing okay at the moment though... she gets lots of rest, and we can afford berries and medicine to help for now," he flashed Josie a small smile. He wanted to reassure Josie that things were fine for now, even if Rui wished they were better. "But... how are you? Are you doing okay?"

Josie grinned, as the Skiddo bent down to nuzzle him. In the absence of arms, like he had, and considering the size difference, this was about the closest the two could get to a hug. The pichu rubbed the top of the goat's head as he leaned in, before hugging it properly. The two separated, and once more, Josie found himself looking up.

"Busy, huh? I get that..." Josie said, biting his lip. It wasn't like Rui to be busy, and Josie found his concerns merited. The Pichu shifted his weight around uncomfortably, concern clearly written across his face. "Y-Yua's sick?" The Pichu said, readjusting his scarf as he looked up at his friend. "Ah, da...dang, I hope she gets better soon... If there's anything I can ever do, let me know, yeah?" Josie said, trailing off with a cloudy look on his face.

Rui soon enquired after him, however, and Josie's ears twitched. He looked down, a small smile appearing on his face. He wasn't really sure what to say, because truth be told, he wasn't fine. It had only been a few days since he'd been... Well... Since the Persian, and a certain sense of paranoia had befallen him, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

But at the same time, why worry Rui? What could the Skiddo do? It'd just be even more stress for him, and they'd only just met! All of that could wait, couldn't it? The pichu's smile brightened, as he nodded up at Rui. He hated lying to Rui, but if it was for his sake, what did it matter? "Me? Yeah, I'm fine, thanks, Rui, just... been looking for a job, is all," He said, tossing in a small grain of truth, if only to make himself feel a bit better about lying to his friend.

"But forget me, dude! It's been forever!" Josie said, grinning up at Rui. "Whaddya wanna do? You can hang out today, right?" The Pichu asked, cocking his head as he looked up at the Skiddo, his smile growing wider by the second. It'd be just like old times! They had a lot of catching up to do, didn't they?

Rui was grateful for Josie's offer and nodded. He wasn't sure his friend would be able to do anything. Or at least, not anything more than they'd already been doing, but he appreciated the offer. It meant a lot that he could rely on Josie if he ever needed to.

The Pichu revealed that he was doing well! "That's good!" Rui smiled brightly, "I'm glad." A little bit of good news after the sad news he'd had to break about his mother was welcome. Grima wasn't always the easiest place to live in, but Rui hoped that things would continue to be good for him.

"I'm not doing anything today! Er.. well, I was fetching water for my plants - and for dinner, but other than that, I'm free! It would be nice to hang out." Rui beamed down at Josie, mirroring the Pichu's joyful expression. This was amazing! The last thing Rui had expected today was to see Josie again. He couldn't wait to tell Mom and Rika. Mom especially would be happy to hear that he was doing well.

Rui wondered if there was any way he could help with Josie's job hunting. He and Rika both had jobs. "Maybe I could show you the cafe I work at?" he suggested. Rui wasn't sure if that was really a good idea for hanging out but- "Evelyn's really nice! Oh- she's a friend of mine, but I work with her. Maybe they'll let you work there too?"

"Well. I didn't really have anything planned today either, before running into ya', so I guess it's settled!" The Pichu said, ears bending back as he beamed up at the Skiddo. Fetching water, huh? Rui had always enjoyed plants, hadn't he? He supposed it was natural, grass type and all, but Josie had always found it endearing. To try to grow anything in this place, it was... Almost inspiring, in a sense. The Pichu, however, simply grinned, nodding up at the Skiddo. "I'll help ya' carry some back," He simply said, the same, joyful grin plastered onto his face.

It diminished, however, as Rui suggested a cafe. Nothing wrong with the cafe, or with his friend! There was no way for Rui to know about what had happened anyway, especially if he hadn't actually told him what had happened. But still, being reminded of it...

It could wait, he reminded himself yet again. He was with Rui, who he hadn't seen in... Had it really been years? It sure felt like it! He could put his worries aside, if only for that day. In fact, he had to!

"Work on your day off, Rui?" The Pichu asked, his tone lighthearted as he cocked his head, looking up at Rui. "So, what, you're a workaholic now? That's unexpected," He let the words linger in the air a couple of seconds, before sending the goat pokemon a light, joking cuff on his leg.

"Only kidding, don't worry," He said, giggling lightly himself, before nodding up, his tone still playful, if slightly more serious. "I'd love to see where you work, and meet your friend! I'm sure they're both great! He said, before sweeping an arm out to the road ahead of 'em.

"Lead the way, then, pal!" He said, the excitement still as palpable as it had been from the very first moment.