Despite Kaito's earlier surge of energy, the teen tired easily. That didn't stop him from pestering Misty into driving him to the pet store to pick out everything that Sooty would need. If the kitten was going to be his helper, she would be required to have enough training to not run away. Sooty was just old enough to have been spayed, which was good. There would be no future escapades of her trying to look for a mate and getting lost, hurt, or stolen in the process. Unfortunately, Sooty had been left at Misty's house due to her lack of training.
"I'm going to purchase the best treats for Sooty" Kaito smiled, thankful that the aisles were big enough for him to move comfortably in his wheelchair. Some stores were narrow, it was annoying whenever he had to wait outside.
Misty smiled "I should get the food and treats, a fair amount of them will be aquatic flavoured" They'd steered far away from the fish section, but fish were often associated with things made for cats and Kaito was terrified of fish.
"Ah..." The teen's smile fell a bit, becoming somewhat strained "Yeah, that makes sense" A small shiver ran down his spine at the mere thought of what could have happened. Not everyone was understanding when it came to his Ichthyophobia. A lot of people found it funny, it wasn't. The fear was real, and with it the emotions and terror that came with it.
Noting that Kaito's mood had dipped a bit, Misty was quick to try to fix it "Picking out all of Sooty's accessories is more important, that needs more thought than just grabbing the most nutritious food out there" Cat food didn't need to look good, it just had to be good.
Kaito perked up a bit "You're right, Sooty needs to look great" They separated, Misty headed for the cat food while he headed for the accessories. There were a lot, not as much as there was for dogs, but a fair amount. He picked out a nice breakaway collar that was white, he didn't care much for the colour selections available so he'd just dye it indigo at home. Kaito grabbed a white harness and leash from the puppy section, intending to dye them indigo as well before heading towards the tag section. He'd seriously contemplated getting a dog bone shaped tag, but had ended up settling on a simple black circle. It would stand out against her light fur, and the text would be visible. The tag was also less shiny, so it wouldn't gleam as much in the dark. This would allow Sooty to sneak around better.
By the time Kaito had picked everything out, Misty had returned with two bags of food and some tartar control treats. The food was chicken and the treats were turkey flavoured "White?" She asked skeptically as she grabbed a red collar and gold tag for Echo.
"I'm planning on dyeing them" Kaito offered a smirk "There's no point in buying something if I don't even like it after all, thankfully I'm good at dyeing things" He occasionally dyed an article of clothing for Aoko whenever she found something she liked but hated the colours that it came it. To this day, he still doesn't understand why someone thought that mustard yellow was a good fit for that dress... Said dress was now a soft shade of pink.
Misty nodded "That makes a lot more sense" She couldn't see Kaito truly choosing such a boring colour, one that'd easily blend in too. Misty's eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered something "Speaking of colour, I found the perfect boots to match your raincoat!" Sure soggy socks wouldn't really bother Kaito, but the boots would complete the look.
"Oh?" Kaito tilted his head, intrigued. He was totally up for messing with people even more than he already did.
"They're black, but they have yellow cartoon rubber ducks all over them" Pink would just blend in with his coat, the stark contrast would allow them to pop out more. They looked hilarious, but she knew that Kaito would like them. The teen's small stature allowed him to fit into clothes that he was much too old for... Though some of the age appropriate clothing that she'd seen were arguably questionable... Teenagers could be weird.
Indigos gleamed as he imagined the resigned look that both Aoko and Ginzo would give him. He wasn't sure about Lapin and Saguru, but he imagined that their reactions would be at least a little fun. Especially if Lapin's reaction to his raincoat was anything to say about it.
They paid for their items and went back to Misty's house to pick up sooty before setting out once more for Kaito's house. He felt good enough to return home, and he wanted to eat some of the leftover cupcakes since he was just starting to feel hungry now.
"Rest easy Kaito" Misty breathed, giving him a hug right after helping to move his wheelchair out of the van. She then released him to hand over Sooty's cat carrier. The poor kitten seemed confused, but that was better than being fearful.
"Thanks for having me over Misty" Kaito really appreciated that he had the option to stay with her whenever he wanted.
"You're always welcome Kaito" Misty smiled, eyes soft. She may not have adopted Kaito, but the teen was still her son. At least in her eyes he was. Misty ruffled Kaito's hair, snickering when he let out an annoyed huff "Say hi to Aoko-chan for me, the three of us should go shopping together sometime, it's been a while"
Indigos gleamed "No greeting for Keibu? How rude"
Misty just rolled her eyes as she got into her van, a small smile on her lips "We've already talked today" They talked to each other often.
Kaito waved a final goodbye before Misty drove off "Let's get you to your new home Sooty" He wheeled himself to the door and unlocked it, entering quietly. Kaito paused, hesitating on letting Sooty out. Wasn't he supposed to place her in the litter box first or something so that she knew where it was?