No Silver Lining - Part 1: The Foundling
There were two things wrong that he immediately noticed when he woke. One, he was no longer under the chair but on the couch, and two, he was covered up. Meowth sat up with a start and realized that somehow over the course of the night, he'd been moved and then covered with a soft blanket. Slightly disoriented, he looked across the room, but both Ash and Pikachu were still sleeping.
Either of them looked as though they had moved much during the night. The sun was just brightening the window; it was still very early, just past dawn. Meowth was NOT a happy Pokémon. To know that someone had been moving around the room last night and he hadn't woken up at the sound of it made him… annoyed. Things like that shouldn't happen.
Quietly, he stood up, pushing the blanket away. The platter of food was still on the table -- all the sandwiches were gone but there were still some other things. The two were asleep, it would be easy enough to eat now. But that would mean that he was still accepting food from the twerp. Intolerable ! Unacceptable !
So, with silent movements, Meowth went to the door and pulled it open. He had to reach, because even standing on two legs almost every door handle was too high for him. But, this being a PokéCenter, everything was built a bit smaller for the not-so-tall trainers. The door swung inward and once he was in the hallway, he pulled it shut again. It made a soft click as it shut, but nothing more.
Rested, healed, and quite hungry, Meowth went down the stairs and let himself out the door, again walking on all four feet to avoid attention. It was still too early for most people to be up -- even Nurse Joy was not yet at her usual place. Everyone was still sleepy, gullible, and unaware he was on the prowl. Perfect…
Back inside room 6B, Pikachu opened his eyes from their slitted position. "Chuuu…" he sighed sadly, looking at the closed door.
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This was going to be different than the fruit vendor the day before. This person, a younger man, was watching his shop closely. His store was not one for fruit but rather for fresh meats like sausages. There were a few displays hanging outside the door, but the best stuff was inside. Meowth would have to try a different tactic. But it would be easy; it always had been for him. If it was anything his life had taught him, it was street smarts. If he could get food in a place like Hollywood, he could get food in the sleepy little city of Cobalt.
He had to get inside the door, first. So he sat patiently until the shopkeeper opened the door to dump some swept-up dust. When the man turned around, Meowth slipped in the door behind him and around a shelf and out of sight. Then he waited until the man turned around to get something, and placed himself directly in front of the counter with his most innocent expression. He knew it looked good, good enough to fool an unsuspecting stranger -- it even worked on Jessie and James, occasionally.
Had worked, that malicious voice in his mind howled gleefully. No more !
Go away, Meowth snapped at the voice, but a lump rose in his throat. He would have broken down had the shopkeeper not turned around and spotted him at that moment. It was a good thing his mask was firmly in place.
"Well, hello there." The shopkeeper said in surprise. "How did you get in here ?"
"Mrrrow." Meowth purred, trying for adorable. And, like the charm on his forehead, it worked, and the man smiled endearingly.
"Awww… how cute. Hungry, huh ? I may have a few scraps for you, little fella."
Idiot, thought Meowth, you think I'm here for scraps ? When the shopkeeper turned around to look for some older, smaller pieces, Meowth snatched a string of fresh sausages off the counter. Time to go !
He whirled and headed for the door as fast as he could, but he'd overlooked one crucial fact in his escape plan -- the door at the PokéCenter might have had a low handle that he could reach, but this one didn't. He couldn't reach !
"Hey !" The man yelled, finding instead of a cute, hungry Pokémon, a thief with some of his prized sausages. "Come back here, thief !" He grabbed a broom from its position against the counter and swung at Meowth. The cat dodged easily and dashed around a shelf. The shopkeeper swung again but Meowth wasn't there anymore and he only succeeded in knocking cans and boxes off the shelf.
Meowth smirked as the shopkeeper searched for him. He'd ducked into a closed shelf unit and was watching through the crack. The man was a fool. All humans were fools.
He heard the front door open and bolted from the safety of his hiding place. Past the swinging broom of the furious shopkeeper, around the tall shelves that swayed as he used them for traction, through the legs of an elderly lady who had just walked in and gave a shriek as he passed, and out onto the street. Home free !
He could hear the man yelling and cursing after him, but not giving chase. Meowth gripped the sausages that were his breakfast and laughed as he ran.
All humans were fools.
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Ash was awake, dressed, and folding the blanket that had been left on the couch when Meowth returned. He hadn't been facing the door when it opened, and without turning around, commented, "I didn't expect you to come back."
"Pi-pi-chu ? Pikachu." Why do you have those ? Ash heard Pikachu say, and he turned around. Meowth was carrying a length of small-link sausages. The chain was short enough for him to realize some had already been eaten. Ash gave the cat a stony glare.
"Where did you get those ?" He demanded, and when Meowth volunteered no answer, Ash sighed. "You stole them, didn't you ?"
Meowth gave the teen a smug look and took his breakfast to the chair he had occupied yesterday evening, as though flaunting his disobedience. Then Ash caught himself -- had he really expected anything else ? Like Meowth was really going to listen to him ?
"Pi ?" Why ? Pikachu questioned.
"Because I was hungry." The cat retorted, as though that were the only justification he needed.
"There's food here at the Pokémon Center !" Ash exclaimed, annoyed.
"So ?"
The trainer shook his head in exasperation. "It's not right to steal." He said.
The look Meowth gave him was one of disinterest, which infuriated Ash. He realized he was going to have to deal with this, but getting mad would not help. He would have to come up with a solution in another way. So instead of getting mad, he calmly asked, "Which shop did you get them from ? Can you show me ?"
The scratch-cat gave Ash a look that said, 'Are you crazy ? Why should I ?' more plainly than any words could have.
"Please ?" Ash questioned, picking up his jacket and putting it on, then reaching for his backpack.
There was a long silence in the room, during which no one moved, and then a silent acquiesce as Meowth again stood and walked to the door, waiting.
By the time they reached the vendor, the sun was completely up and there were a few early risers on the streets of Cobalt. The city was winding up for another busy day, it seemed.
"'Dat's 'de place." Meowth said, stopping across the street from the small building. Ash stepped off the sidewalk and went to cross the road when he realized that only Pikachu was with him. He stopped and turned around.
"Aren't you coming ?"
"Do I look crazy to you, twerp ?" Was the reply. Ash gave a half-sigh, half-growl and left him there. Pikachu looked about as exasperated as he felt. When he pushed open the door, a little bell above him jangled. The shopkeeper looked up gave a smile.
"Good morning." He said. "What can I do for you today ?"
Meowth watched Ash and Pikachu enter the store. How stupid did Ash think he was, anyway ? Go back into the shop he had just stolen breakfast from ? Some days he wasn't sure if maybe Pikachu hadn't zapped a few too many brain cells from Ash, because some days, he thought, the human sure acted like it. Whoever said thieves always return to the scene of the crime was obviously not a thief. Or at least, not a very good one, because smart thieves sure didn't !
Still… he wanted to see what Ash did. Curiosity, at the very least. So he crossed the road after looking both ways (a habit he'd picked up in Hollywood where the posted speed limit was usually observed only in car washes) and peeked his head in the door.
Ash had several small packages on the counter in front of him, and the man was wrapping up another.
"… north of here ?" Ash was saying.
"You'll want to go to the harbour." The man answered kindly, handing the last of the packages to the trainer. "Just follow the main road through town and straight into the forest. Keep going down the trail and follow the signs. You'll come to a hill called The Ferry Dock. Go right until you come to a bus stop, and there'll be a woman there who will take you to the harbour. It'll be quite the hike through the woods -- not many people use it."
"Thanks." Ash said, memorizing the directions and pulling out some money to pay for his purchases as Meowth watched. He couldn't read the total from here but he was sure that the amount Ash gave the man was a lot more than what he needed to pay. Money was something he understood just fine. Meowth frowned. What was with this kid, anyway ?
"Thanks again." Ash said as he turned to leave.
"Hey, wait," exclaimed the man. "Don't you want your change ?"
"No. I'm paying for him, too." Ash said, pointing at Meowth, who had curiously moved part way into the shop.
The man looked past Ash and spotted Meowth, who had not drawn back fast enough to avoid being seen. The shopkeeper obviously recognized the cat and, grabbing the broom again, started to come around the counter. Ash stepped in front of him quickly and asked, "Is what I gave you enough to cover what he stole ?"
"Yes." The man answered without hesitation, still gripping the broom and glaring murderously at the cat.
"Then it shouldn't be a problem." Ash said quietly, taking the packages and putting them in his backpack. Then, ignoring the shopkeeper, left the shop. Pikachu waited until Meowth had exited first, then followed. Ash was walking down the street, and Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder.
"Here you go, Pikachu." Ash said, offering the Pokémon a berry. Pikachu ate it happily and said, "Piii."
"You're welcome." Ash answered. "Would you like some too ?" he called back to the cat, who was following a few meters back in silence.
Meowth had watched in incredulous silence as Ash had paid for not only his food but for the sausages Meowth had taken also. The only explanation the cat could come up with was that Ash was a bit out of his mind. Why would he do that ? It didn't make any sense. He hadn't been caught, in fact, he'd gotten away scot free. Why waste the money ?
He was jolted from his musings by Ash's question. "No." he answered, then muttered, "No, thank you." He was not without all manners, after all.
He expected the human to lecture him about not stealing some more, but he just continued to share his breakfast with Pikachu. For the umpteenth time that morning, he questioned just why he was trailing along behind the twerp, of all people.
He had yet to come up with a decent answer. But he kept tagging along, much to his chagrin.
