Surely you can do that much for me.
They hadn't been words, exactly. He wasn't much for speech; neither of them were. But that had been the implication, on top of a new anger and rage that seemed to come out of nowhere, a quiet raised-hackle fury.
Where had that come from?
Before he could think too hard about it, a girl approached, smiling. Though she looked different now, still he knew her. Gone was the visor she'd worn when they'd met in the tournament years prior, gone were the culottes. Now she wore a simple pantsuit with a t-shirt underneath, but she retained her signature hair, the high ponytails, like something out of the cartoons he'd watched as a boy in Kanto.
"Hi Red! Long time no see," she chirped. "Thanks for visiting Join Avenue. Can I help you find anything?"
He stared at her, blinking hard, and then stammered.
"Oh, I know, you don't really talk. But I'm here to help."
"Presents," he spat out.
"Oh, you're looking for a souvenir? Follow me!"
He didn't bother to correct her as she spun on her toes and scurried over to a rather impressive cubby lined with old-fashioned paintings and sculptures.
"This is Amando's Museum," she explained. "If you're looking for something unique, this is the place to go. Although, if you visit Armina's Garden, there are rare berries, and Jeanne's Market has some Rage Candy Bars. I guess those aren't really souvenirs to you, huh?" she asked, giggling.
He nodded blankly, looking up at the sign over the museum.
Then a quiet voice drew his attention, and he listened to Amando ramble about what was for sale, and the appraisal process. It seemed to Red to be a gimmicky ripoff, a poor excuse for gambling instead of a way to get a souvenir for someone he didn't understand.
He wandered up and down the avenue, hoping his face wasn't as blank as his mind. He stalled as best he could while he thought about his options, and there were plenty of diversions. He had Pikachu groomed at the salon, fed his team a meal, won berry juice in a raffle, and finally perused the other shops. The garden's berries were the sort he wasn't really sure would be useful; the market was wholesale club, and repels didn't strike Red as a great gift. He bought a rage candy bar for a souvenir, and an ether for himself, and stormed out, ignoring the pigtailed proprietor.
When he found his friend, he scowled and held out the candy bar, frowning. Mewtwo shook his head and pushed it away. Then he reached for Red's other hand. Raising an eyebrow, Red offered up the Ether.
Mewtwo smiled, a strange look on such a dour face, and took the Ether into his paw. And then he laughed, a mewling chuckle.
Red had to crack a smile. At least this time, it was the purchase, and not the bag it came in.