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Chapter 26
"It's just business."
"Head toward that gap in between Lickitung's Luncheon and Smeargle's Stationery."
After we sated our grumbling stomachs, the three of us left Miltank's Milk Parlor and returned to the streets. Being that I was the only one here who had lived in Treasure Town for more than half a week, Blue and Brin both relied on me to show them around the long, winding roads of the town.
"Okay, now make a right turn into that alley.."
I've said before that Treasure Town was built out from the center, with the Main Plaza being the first part of town to be established. Everything else around the plaza was built afterward, such as the Marketplace, the Guilds District and the Trading Post. As a result, the closer you are to the center of town, the more maze – like the roads become. For someone who wasn't used to Treasure Town's unique layout yet, it would be quite an ordeal to just get from one location to another!
"Keep walking forward until you see a bunch of ivy growing on the wall. That's our destination."
As for me, I'm pretty well – versed at navigating the town. I knew every single nook, cranny and alley like the back of my paw. So to speak.
"This is a dead end, Fée," Blue said as we came to a halt at the end of the alley. We were surrounded on all three sides by tall, brick walls. Thriving in the cool darkness, multitudes of thick ivy slithered around us. The vines dug in and out of the walls, making the rough contours of the bricks into their homes.
With an expression of confusion wrapped all over his blue face, Blue rapped the back of his paw against the bricks and grumbled, "Did we make a wrong turn?"
Brin made a similar look on her face as she mimicked his motion, tapping her finger against the thick vines. After a moment of silent inspection, my two friends both turned and shot me puzzled looks. Giggling, I shook my head and strode past the two of them.
Taking a seat before the thick, vine – encrusted wall at the end of the alley, I lifted my paw and brushed aside one of the larger vines. There, hidden beneath all the greenery, was a single loose brick. Smiling, I spun around Smiling, I opened my mouth and clamped my teeth over the brick's edges. Then, I started to pull it out of the wall.
Thud!
In no time at all, the heavy brick slid out and hit the ground. Once it was separated from the wall, a series of loud, crumbling noises echoed through our alley. Once it stopped, I grabbed onto the ivy with my paws and pulled the thick curtain of green aside, revealing a large hole that was hidden behind the vines. Speechless, both Blue and Brin goggled at at the secret entrance behind me.
"See?" filled with a sense of pride, I puffed out my chest at blue and sat beside the secret entrance, "It's not a dead end at all!" I patted the bricks with my paw and explained, "This secret passage will lead us straight into the center of the Marketplace. It's a lot quicker than taking the crowded streets outside."
"Ooh..." both of them wore awed looks on their faces as they applauded me. Seeing the two of them act like that made feel a little embarrassed.
"I – it wasn't that big a deal...!"
Still, it still made me feel a little happy, embarrassing or not. Smiling like a dope, I covered my heated face with my paw and quickly ducked into the passage before the two of them saw my reddening cheeks.
I crouched into the hole and turned around, gesturing for the two of them to follow me. Brin entered first, with Blue holding the vines out of the way for her. It was a little bit of a tight squeeze in the passage for the tall Braixen. She had to get down on her knees and flatten her ears down just to fit.
"Mn..." Brin mumbled a bit as she bumped her head against the ceiling. Blue's laugh echoed through the passage as he crawled in after us.
"It's alright Brin," he said, "just lower yourself closer to the ground and crawl. You'll have less of a headache that way."
I turned around and saw Brin nodding at Blue. She got down on her knees and elbows and began to crawl through the tunnel. With more space between the top of her head and the ceiling of the tunnel, she had an easier time making it through without getting hurt.
At the other side of the passage was another ivy – covered alley. Shaking the dust off my head, I turned toward the exit and bit down on the vines growing over the wall. Brin's head popped out of the hole right as I pulled the vines aside. She let out a labored breath as she pulled the rest of her body out. Shaking the dust off her head, she coughed and sneezed as she stumbled away from the wall.
"I'm amazed," Blue remarked as he pulled himself out of the tunnel after Brin. He patted me on the head and remarked, "You must know a lot about this town, Fée. I never would've guessed that viney alley had such a neat little secret in it."
"Oh... I only know a few tricks or two," I said as I waved my tail left and right, feeling bashful, "it's not that big of a deal, really. Just a few holes here and there, a tunnel or cranny... maybe a nook and a stair..."
"You'll have to teach us then! It sounds convenient to know all these secret paths in town!"
"Hee hee, maybe." I flicked my tail at Blue and let out a bragging sniff, "It might take a while to teach you all of them though!"
Both of my friends laughed along with me as we walked down the quiet alley, returning back to the rowdy town.
Many Pokémon tend to refer to the Marketplace as a gigantic shopping plaza. The entire thing is around the same size as the Main Plaza, if not a little bit bigger. However, instead of a great, refreshing water fountain. There was a large, grass – covered garden adorning the center of the plaza instead. Trees, bushes and some benches were placed all around the garden, giving tired Pokémon a place to rest.
However, that really isn't the main point of the Marketplace at all, oh no. No, what really draws the visitors to the Marketplace in are what's around that patch of greenery.
Surrounding the center of the plaza, and stretching all the way out to the edges of the circle that made up the Marketplace were Pokémon of all kinds, sitting on carpets, standing behind homemade stands or working behind tables.
What were they doing, you ask?
Well, it's a marketplace, isn't it?
"Explorers! Today we've got a special sale on rare Orbs that you can't find anywhere else! Trawl, Radar, and even the oh – so brilliant Luminous! Get'em now before they're sold out!"
"Got an itch for that traditional Treasure Town flavor? Want something to keep with you as you head out into the Frontier? Buy some homemade Treasure Town souvenirs here! Flags, replica badges, figurines of the Four Founders...!"
The biggest draw of the Marketplace are the many, many, and many street vendors peddling their wares all over the plaza. Pokémon from all kinds of places, all walks of life and all species get together and compete here in the Marketplace to try and sell their goods to the residents and passerby of Treasure town. It's an incredible battlefield of commerce, or so I've been told.
"Mrphf! Need a place to stay the night? Take the load off here at Kangaskhan's Inn! Rest for as long as you like!"
Of course, there were more than just street peddlers populating the Marketplace. Like that Tauros over there. He's standing in front of a popular inn ran by a lovely lady by the name of Kangaskahn. A few entrepreneurial Pokémon saved up their hard earned money and built fancy buildings around the plaza. Stores and shops that sell all kinds of wares or services lined the sides of roads, at the end of streets and some even crammed in the middle of alleys.
Whether it be from a street vendor or from a store, there's a very good chance that whatever you're looking for, you'll definitely find it here in the great Marketplace of Treasure Town!
"...and that's why a lot of Pokémon call this place the crowning jewel of Treasure Town!" I finished my lecture with a proud smile on my face, "I've heard that some Pokémon even travel all the way across the Frontier just to shop here! It's that famous!"
I turned around, expecting to see my two friends standing behind me. However, all I could see was the endless crowd of Pokémon filing into the Marketplace. Where'd they go? They were following me ever since we left the alley... so when did they vanish?
"Hey! What're these?"
My head spun around when I caught Blue's voice off in the distance. An exasperated grumble left my mouth when I saw that Blue and Brin had both left me behind. The two of them had already ran off toward the rowdy bazaar, crouched over one of the many carpets in the plaza and checking out the wares. Feeling a little annoyed at being ignored, I trudged over to my friends and sat down beside them.
"I see that y'interested in my rare wares, m'blue – furred friend!" The Probopass hovering over the carpet twitched his mustache at Blue, "That item y'looking at right now is a one o'a kind, never before seen rarity here in Treasure Town! Y'wont find it anywhere else, I assure you!"
"Hoh...?"
I looked down at the fancy carpet. Lying before my partner was an oblong, gray – colored box lined with puffy silk. Nestled within the silky interior was a thin, dried – looking thing covered in gray fuzz. The Probopass' stone hat clacked against his head as I tried to figure out what that thing was.
"This, m'young friends," the Probopass said, "is an item y'can only find deep within the treacherous depths of Crystal Caves. This... is a Riolu Tail!"
"A what?"
Brin and I both blinked as we stared at each other, then we turned to look at the grinning Riolu sitting in between us, before finally settling on the tail sticking out behind him. Unlike the so – called Riolu Tail lying in the Probopass' box, Blue's tail was broad, straight and thick. And it also had a hooked point at the end.
It looked nothing at all like what the Probopass was offering!
"A Riolu Tail!" The Probopass said with a voice filled with confidence, "Trust me when I say that this little goodie here is the real deal! Found it myself, I did." He leaned his head in close, pointing his big red nose closer to Blue, "Let me tell ya. I went to the Crystal Caves all by myself, I did. Dark, dank... treacherous! It wasn't an easy find!"
"Crystal Caves?" Blue shoved the shop keep's oversized nose away and crossed his arms, "That sounds familiar..."
The Probopass twitched his mustache as he gave my partner a nod, "Why, it should! Crystal Caves is the only place in the Frontier where those darned Riolu live!" His mustache twitched again as he let out a loud, rattling shudder, "Let me tell ya! It was a real doozy to retrieve this thing! It was all going well, with little to no problems exploring that dangerous place. When suddenly, I found myself beset by a horde of ravenous Riolu! A bunch'a crazed little thieves lookin' to rob m'goods!"
"Ravenous?" I echoed, "A horde?"
"That's right! A horde of those cruel, horrid creatures! I barely escaped from that situation with my life and my belongings intact!" The Probopass paused to release another loud rattle, "It was by pure luck that I managed to get a hold of this rare treasure! It wasn't easy, I assure ya!"
"Hooh..."
"But how do you know it was a Riolu's tail?" I asked. My eyes narrowed as I felt nothing but skepticism listening to the shop keep's words, "Did you accidentally pull it off while you were running away from them or something?"
"Er..." The Probopass turned away from me as he moved back an inch, "h – how I got it isn't important! What's important is whether or not y'kids are interested in getting y'paws on this here rare treasure!"
"Rare treasure, huh?" Blue's tail twitched as he rubbed his chin. He turned to me, grinning like a goof, "What do you think, Fée? A Riolu's tail! Doesn't it sound amazing? Maybe we should pick it up!"
The way he said it, along with the stupid look he had on his face was enough to make me burst out laughing. I wrapped my paws over my face and turned away from my friend, trying in vain to keep my giggles under control. Even Brin was having trouble trying to hold back her mirth. With our paws and hands clasped over our faces in desperation, we both just turned away from the scene, laughing.
"What's the joke here?" The Probopass said, looking a little perturbed by our actions, "If y'said something funny earlier, then it flew over my head. Why're y'laughing?"
"N – no... it's not a joke, it's just..." I tried to explain, but I couldn't even get halfway through my sentence before another tide of laughter washed over me. A puff of steam escaped out the top of the Probopass' hat as fired a livid glare at the three of us.
"Fine then!" He seethed, "If y'three aren't interested, then why don't y'get off my carpet so someone else can appreciate m'goods?"
"Alright, alright," Blue turned to smile at Brin and I before standing back up. He whipped his tail over to his side and grabbed it with his right paw, "I'm really sorry about all of that. We'll... we'll be going now."
"Mmrgh..."
I was still feeling a little bit lightheaded from all that laughing, so I was leaning against Blue's leg as we left the angry Probopass behind. While we were wandering around the crowded Marketplace, Brin was poking and prodding at Blue's tail.
"I wonder what that thing really was?" Blue said, flicking his tail out of Brin's hands and into his own paws.
I gave a little snort and shook my head, "It definitely wasn't a Riolu's tail. Seriously, that tail looked nothing like yours!"
Blue tapped me on the forehead with his tail and smirked, "I dunno, maybe my tail will look like that shriveled old thing eventually."
"Don't even joke about that, Blue! It would be horrifying if your tail turned into that... thing! Right, Brin?"
Brin snatched Blue's tail out of his paws and nodded in agreement with me. She waved it around like a baton, pointing it back at the Probopass behind us. I turned around and noticed that he had already recovered from his indignation, and was trying to sell that odd thing to another group of Pokémon.
"Alright, no jokes," Blue smiled as he retrieved his tail, "why was that guy trying to sell us something like that though? If it wasn't a real Riolu tail, then why was he calling it that?"
"There's a lot of Pokémon like that," I said to them as we passed by another carpet filled with merchandise, "sometimes, sellers try to trick customers and passerby to buy fake 'rare treasures' from them. I've seen it happen a lot of times, with Pokémon being suckered into buying junk that they were lead to believe were valuable treasures or artifacts."
"For money? That, um, Poké thing?"
I nodded, "That's right. The Marketplace is all about making and spending Poké, after all. So there might be a few unscrupulous Pokémon that would try and trick you out of your money for profit." I turned to Brin and held up my paw, "That's why everyone should always be careful when dealing with the Pokémon here. You never know if the store owner might be a swindler!"
After I shared that tidbit of information, we crossed over several carpets until we reached the large, grassy center of the Marketplace. Much to my delight, there was one open bench left for the three of us. I bounded over to the bench and claimed it, sitting and smiling wide as my friends sat down beside me.
As I relaxed under the shade provided by the big tree, I felt a small poke at me side. I turned around and saw Brin prodding me with her finger.
"What is it, Brin?"
"R – R... Riolu..." she mumbled, "Riolu... bad? Darned? C – cruel?"
She looked over me and at Blue, who was playing around with his tail absentmindedly. I shook my head and waved my paw at Brin.
"I think that guy was just making stuff up," I said, "he probably made up his experience in Crystal Caves just to make that item sound more lucrative." I sighed and shook my head again, "Also, that Probopass never saw a Riolu before, I bet." Jabbing a paw at my partner, I smiled at Brin and said, "If he had, he would probably be running away at the sight of Blue."
"I'm not that scary, am I?" Blue poked at my paw with the hooked point of his tail, "If he asked nicely, I might've given him my tail if he really wanted it."
"Blue... don't try to sell off your limbs. Especially not after Brin fixed up your leg."
"Mn!" Brin nodded in agreement, shaking her little book at Blue. The Riolu just made a barking laugh and waved his tail underneath my nose, tickling it. I pondered biting down on it for a moment, but my thoughts were cut off by the arrival of another voice.
"Good heavens! Blue, is that you?"
All of a sudden, a flurry of white and green filled our vision as we turned our heads. Standing before us was a tall, winged Pokémon. His beak was curled into a bright smile, and his white – feathered wings were outstretched as if he was going to give us a big hug.
"Xatu!" Blue shouted, springing up from the bench, "How have you been?"
Xatu clacked his beak as he grasped my partner's paw with his wings, "I've been great, thank you for asking." He shook Blue's paw as he said, "I've been meaning to talk to you again, my friend. But I haven't seen you around the Marketplace or the fountain yesterday."
"We've been off exploring, mister Xatu," I said, "Blue and I haven't been in town for most of yesterday. And we just got back a few hours ago."
"Ah, that explains it then," mister Xatu let go of Blue's paw and returned his wings back across his chest. "I see you've also made a new friend. It's nice to meet you." He held out his wing to Brin. She flinched.
"It's alright, Brin." I said, patting her on the back, "That Pokémon is mister Xatu. He's a friend of ours, and he's a great guy. He helped us out a lot a few days ago, when we ran into a lot of trouble here in town."
Although she still looked a little uncertain, Brin clasped her hands together and nodded at me. She turned toward mister Xatu and have him a small bow.
"Oh no. No, no, no," he said, his green face flushing bright red, "You flatter me too much, Fée. I only did what I should've done then, you needn't praise me for that."
He covered his face with his wing while Blue chuckled. While Xatu was hiding his face, I noticed that he was wearing a strange, circular badge on the back of his right wing. It was a small badge, white in color and had a symbol embossed on it that resembled the outline of a golden coin.
"What's that, mister Xatu?" I asked, pointing my paw at his fancy badge.
"Hm?" Xatu uncovered his reddened face and glanced at his wing. A smile appeared on his face as he displayed the badge to me, "Ah, this? This is actually the reason why I was looking for you two."
"I've left my tent and store behind for a new pursuit, you see," Xatu explained, "this badge is a symbol of my new purpose, so to speak."
"Hm? You're not selling those charms and stuff anymore?" Blue said.
Xatu nodded, "That's right. In fact, I would like to invite the three of you to my new establishment. Would you all mind coming with me for a moment? It would be a little difficult for me to explain what it is without all of you seeing it for yourselves."
"I don't mind visiting," he turned toward Brin and I, "how about it? We have some time to go take a look, right?"
I looked up into the sky. The sun's crossed the midway point now, meaning that the day was already half over. However, that's still plenty of time to take Brin over to the library before bringing her over to the Phantom Patisserie. I looked over at my yellow – furred friend and smiled. She returned my grin and nodded back at me.
"Sure, we have time," I said as I jumped off the bench, "lead the way, mister Xatu!"
"You can just call me Xatu, Fée," he said, "my new establishment is only but a few steps away, we'll be there in a few minutes."
Xatu lead us out of the center of the Marketplace, and took us toward a street away from the plaza. There weren't as many Pokémon on the road compared to the Marketplace, with only a few passerby drifting around. I noticed that the buildings here were a bit more on the dilapidated side in comparison to the other side of town. Cracks, holes and missing chunks were present on almost every building. The road was also much harder to traverse, being covered with plenty of litter and debris.
"This section of the town was struck harder by that storm than the rest," Xatu explained, "many Pokémon that held property here abandoned their holdings to seek better, cleaner buildings on the other side of town."
"This place..." I raised my muzzle up into the air and took a deep sniff. A distinct, salty scent entered my nose. Stretching out ahead of at the end of the street lied a familiar sight to me. A large outcropping of brown stone, hovering in between the sky and the sea...
"Ah, you've been here before, Fée?" Xatu said, "Sharpedo Bluff's seen better days, I'm afraid to say. Having taken the full brunt of that windstorm like that, I'm amazed it's still standing."
"Sharpedo Bluff?" Blue said, "Is that the name of that cliff over there?"
I nodded, "That's right. It's called that because if you look at it from Treasure Beach below, it forms the shape of a Sharpedo's face."
"Huh," Blue muttered as he scratched his cheek, "back at the beach..."
"I don't think we got to see it then," I said, thinking back to a few days ago, "there were a lot of fallen trees and debris lying around the place. It was a real mess."
"And it will remain that way for a while," Xatu interjected, "all the Mankey and Primeape are still up to their nostrils with cleaning up and repairing the town proper. There's not much time nor spare bodies to go down and clear out all the boulders infesting the beach."
"It's that bad?" I said, "I was there just a few days ago, it didn't seem like it was in that bad of a shape. I mean... no one will be able to relax on the beach with all the junk lying around, but boulders?"
Xatu clacked his beak at me and said, "A few chunks of the cliffside were jarred off by the windstorm. Perhaps you didn't see it, but the boulders from the avalanche cut off a good portion of the beach." He rubbed the bottom of his face with his wing, "If I remember correctly, the entire eastern portion of the shore is inaccessible as of now."
"The eastern side of the beach... If that's the case, then it makes sense that we didn't see the blockage." I turned to Blue and explained, "You see, the Beach Cave is on the western side. When we left, we just turned and left the shore instead of going any further."
"I see," Blue said, "what if the boulders had blocked off the eastern side though?"
"Then we'd have to send out a request for a rescue," I said, shaking my head, "and asking for a rescue while trapped on the beach... that's both embarrassing and expensive."
"Ho ho!" Xatu's wing flew up to his face as he made a loud chuckle, "If you're worried about money, then look no further! For we have arrived at our destination!"
Xatu halted in the middle of the road, and threw his wings out wide. His face was turned to the side of the road; his beak was pointed at one of the buildings.
The building, in comparison to the veritable ruins around it, looked pristine and brand new. The entire front of the place was built with shiny, yellow – colored bricks, and there were windows with thick iron bars fastened over them. A large sigil was embedded above the front door, displaying what looked like a large, gold coin.
A small wooden sign lay at the front door's side. I trotted over and sat before it, giving it a quick read.
"'Felicity Pawnbroker,'" I said aloud, "'We buy anything and everything! Exchange your treasures, valuables and artifacts for Poké! We also run an appraisal service!'"
"'Pawnbroker?'" Blue echoed, looking confused, "What's that?"
"Hm, hm, hm...!" Xatu chuckled into his wing as he walked up to the front door, "Come inside, my friends! And I'll give you all the grand tour of my new establishment!"
Before Xatu could put his wing on the doorknob though, a loud squeak sliced through the air, forcing him to take a step back as the door opened on its own. I peered around Xatu's body and spotted a Pokémon with a coat of cream – colored fur standing in the doorway. A small, golden coin glimmered atop the Pokémon's forehead, sparkling as it walked out of the store and into the noontime sun.
"I could hear everything from inside, Xatu," the Pokémon spoke in a low, feminine voice. Her paws were placed firmly on her hips as she walked up to Xatu, her eyes narrowed into a glare, "what do you mean by 'your new establishment?'"
"Ah... erm," Xatu took a step away from the Pokémon and turned to give us a nervous smile, "a – allow me to introduce you all to my assistant. This is Meowth. She's here to run this store with me."
"Call me Surety. Pleased to meet you all." the Meowth said, raising up her paw to greet us. But as soon as she finished introducing herself, her expression sharpened once more. She took a long step toward Xatu and glared right up into his face from his chest, "Now that the introductions are out of the way, I'll need you to explain yourself. Xatu."
"Ahem..." Xatu tried to step back, but before he gained a single inch, Surety's paw shot out and grabbed him by the wing. She twisted his feathers around so that his badge was visible.
"Just because you wear this badge doesn't mean you're the sole proprietor of this place, Xatu," she said, "don't forget. I'm here to keep an eye on you. So don't get funny ideas!"
"O – of course! I wouldn't dream of being presumptuous!"
"Good." Surety revealed a toothy smile and let go of his wing. Then, she turned toward us and gave a quick bow. "You must be this fool's friends. Welcome to Felicity Pawnbroker! Please, follow me inside! That means you too, Xatu."
After firing off another chilling glare at the tall Xatu, Surety spun around and returned inside the Pawnbroker. Once her curly tail disappeared from view, all four of us let out a loud, tension – filled sigh. It was as though a storm had just blown right through our midst.
"W – well..." Xatu cleared his throat and tried to pat his ruffled feathers back into place, "we shouldn't keep her waiting, eheh..."
"Who was that?" I asked, "She didn't seem very friendly to you, Xatu."
"Like I said, Surety's my assistant." Xatu shook his feathered head, "It's a bit of a long story, something that only adults should worry about. For now, why don't the three of you head on in and get out of the sun?"
I had more questions rolling around in my mind, but Xatu simply shook his head as I opened my mouth to ask. The expression on his face shouted 'don't ask, please.' Despite my curiosity demanding that I know more, I felt that it was polite to abstain from prying for now.
Blue and Brin both entered into the store behind Xatu. I decided to lag behind on purpose, staying outside for just a moment longer. I looked over to the end of the street. For a few silent minutes, I just continued to stare at Sharpedo Bluff...
"Woah!"
Blue's excited shout forced me to flatten my ears down as I pushed through the front doors. The first thing I saw was my partner dancing about in the middle of two tall shelves, holding onto a pair of large jars. Both Brin and Xatu looked like they were in a state of panic as they struggled to keep the jars balanced on Blue's paws.
A quiet giggle floated over from behind the three of them. I craned my neck around and saw Surety sitting on a desk covered in paper and sparkling coins. The Meowth was scribbling onto a small clipboard as she watched over them with a small smirk on her face. She waved a paw at Blue, sneering.
"Careful now," Surety said, "both of those jars are estimated to be worth at least 5,000 Poké. Break one, and you might find yourself in debt for quite a while. Break both... well, you don't even want to think about it."
"F – five thousand?" I said, aghast, "I've never even seen half that amount in my entire life!"
Surety let out another giggle and shook her clipboard at me, "Not many do. And not many should."
She leapt off the desk in a flurry of paper and coinage, then strutted over to where my friends were struggling over the pots. With one swipe of her paw, she shoved Blue in the gut and threw him aside. The two jars went flying up into the air, much to Xatu and Brin's shock.
"That's why Felicity Pawnbroker exists, Eevee," Surety's paws shot out as the jars came hurtling toward the ground. In a single deft move, she caught both jars and shoved the two jars into the shelves beside her, one on each side. She dusted her paws off while Blue, Brin and Xatu all wore pale, exhausted expressions on their faces.
"That's why... this place exists?" I echoed, tilting my head to the side, "I don't understand. What is a Pawnbroker in the first place?"
"Hm, hm..." Surety tapped her clipboard against Xatu's side, "you explain it to your little friends, Xatu. After all, you were the ones who brought them here."
"V – very well..." Xatu said, panting. He held his wing up to his chest and took a deep breath before addressing us. "The purpose of this store – Felicity Pawnbroker – is to essentially exchange valuables off other Pokémon for Poké. Whether they be residents, explorers... so on and so forth."
"Exchange valuables?" I repeated back to Xatu, "So... you're buying stuff off other Pokémon?"
"In a sense," Xatu took a small box off the shelf and handed it over to me, "what we do here isn't exactly buying, but rather, holding."
"What does that mean?" I said as I opened the box. Inside was a tiny, silvery – gray medal. It had a small pickaxe embossed on the surface, and below it were the words 'Iron Mine Magnes' engraved near the bottom edge.
"What he means is," Surety snatched the coin from my paws and flicked it into the air, "Pokémon wander in here, throw us their junk, and we appraise it for its worth." Her curly tail flicked out and snatched the medal before it hit the ground, "Then we loan them an appropriate amount of Poké for the item."
"I see..." I said, "but you said 'loan,' so do they have to pay it back?"
Surety gave me a toothy grin and shoved the medal back into my paws, "Only if they want their item back. If they don't return for it after a week, that junk they pawned off is ours."
"That explains why this place is such a mess," Blue remarked, "a lot of Pokémon don't want their stuff back, huh?"
Blue was right. Although the store looked fancy and shiny from the outside, the inside was a whole other case. Treasures, valuables and junk were scattered all over the store with little to no care about their well being. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a shiny, golden goblet resting in the same corner as a bunch of dirty rags. While the two expensive jars from earlier took their seats on the shelves beside a pile of chipped seashells.
Even the Surety's desk was a disaster zone, in a manner of speaking. Piles and piles of paper were scattered all over the place, as well as coins, books and a rather beaten – looking treasure box. The only thing in the entire store that looked as though it was given some modicum of respect was a framed picture of a handsome Persian that was hanging off the wall.
"Reminds you a bit of the Guildmaster's office, doesn't it?"
"I – in a way..." I clasped my paw over my mouth in order to hide my smile, "You shouldn't say stuff like that about the Guildmaster though..."
"Heh," Blue shrugged and returned to examining the shelves with Brin.
"I have a question though," I said to Surety.
"Shoot."
"If all this store does is loan money out to Pokémon..." I said, "then how do you make money back? It doesn't seem like a lot of Pokémon want to come back for their goods."
"Hm, hm..." Surety giggled again and turned her back to me. She walked over to the only clean spot of the store, the area around the Persian's picture. Her paw pointed at the handsome Pokémon as she started speaking again.
"Here's a little secret for you. The economy of Treasure Town is constantly being monitored by our clan of Persian and Meowth, Eevee," Surety explained, "Treasures... valuables... anything of value can be returned into the long, circular river of money with little to no trouble."
"R – river of money?" The image of a flowing brook filled with golden coins came to mind. My imagination was cut short by the sound of Xatu's clacking beak.
"Let me explain it further. Surety's a part of a family that is rather... skilled at selling goods at the Marketplace, my dear," Xatu said, "so even if we're a little in the red from loaning out too much Poké, Surety should be able to get us back up and running if given a little time."
Surety hopped over to the desk and sat down on it, "Of course, Xatu. That depends on how skilled your appraisal skills are." She crossed her legs and picked up the clipboard, tapping it against one of her claws, "After all, if you can't give us accurate estimates on how much an object is worth, as well as make some profitable trades... well, not even your sudden windfall can get you out of your debt this time."
"Erm..." Xatu beak trembled as he hurried over to Blue. He grabbed my partner's paws with his wings and pulled him aside, "W – why don't we get off this dull topic a – and take a gander at some of the interesting wares other Pokémon brought in? Come on, I'll give you a quick look around!"
"Cool!" Blue grinned as he let Xatu lead him and Brin around toward the back of the store, leaving me alone in the center with Surety. I was about to follow him around as well, but...
"Hang on a second, Eevee," Surety hopped off the desk and stopped me. She tapped me on the forehead with her paw and whispered into my ear, "I have a question for you."
"A question?" I said, "What is it?"
"That blue – furred friend of yours..." she glanced over to the shelves for a moment before continuing, "I've never seen one in person before... but he's a Riolu, isn't he?"
As soon as I heard her say 'Riolu,' I heard a few alarm bells go off inside my head. I narrowed my eyes and whispered back, "He's my friend."
"Sure, I'm aware of that," Surety replied with a lofty wave of her paw, "but if he really is a Riolu... then I'd like it if you don't bring him around here any more than you have to. In fact, never bring him here. Just keep him away from the store. Forever."
"What?" I separated my head from hers and hissed back, "Why? He's mister Xatu's friend!"
Surety glanced over at the shelves again. Xatu, Blue and Brin seemed to have vanished somewhere in the store, so they weren't aware of our discussion. She turned back toward me and folded her arms.
"It's nothing personal, Eevee," she said, flicking a single claw at me, "but you must realize how damning it is for our business to have a Riolu wandering around the premises. You know how Riolu are! Rumors could spread, and our reputation could tank as a result." Her eyes narrowed, "And if our reputation drops, so do our profits. And that wouldn't be good for mister Xatu, now would it?"
"But Blue's not like that!"
Surety shook her head at me, "Listen to me. This isn't a case of how your buddy acts or how he is. But this is a case of how our business will look to our customers!" She jabbed her paw toward the shelves and said, "I'm sure your Riolu boyfriend is nice and all, but it doesn't matter if someone comes wandering in and sees him. They'll either get mad or get spooked away."
"That's... that's not fair..."
She snorted and placed her paws on her hips, "The world isn't fair sometimes, Eevee. Let me make it clear to you. I have no personal issue with you or your buddy. It's just business."
"But... why?" I asked, "Why does everyone hate Riolu so much? Even that store owner back at the Marketplace had nothing but bad things to say about Riolu..."
"I'm not too privy on gossip like that," Surety replied with a shrug, "I only care about things that will make profits for me, and I know for a fact that the reputation of Riolu as a whole is enough to drive my income down."
I sighed and sat down on the floor. I touched the ribbon on my ear and shook my head. Over and over again, I keep hearing other Pokémon talk about Riolu in a negative way. Even Loudred back at the guild didn't have many good things to say about them. Just why does everyone hate Riolu?
"Hey, cheer up Eevee," Surety said, wearing a dishonest smile on her face, "look on the bright side! You're an explorer, right? If it ever comes up that somebody wants to see a Riolu in person, you can just show them your friend!" She let out a snide giggle, "For a nominal fee, of course..."
"I – I can't do that!" I stammered back, "Blue's my friend! I can't just... use him like that!"
"Oh please," Surety said, rolling her eyes at me, "life's all about making profit. If you don't take advantages of what you got, you'll never be able to put anything to your name." Her eyes went to the Explorer's Pack at my side, "Though, from the looks of things, you don't look like you have much behind your name in the first place. Do you?"
"That's none of your business!" I snarled back, hiding my pack behind my tail, "I – I'm fine... money – wise, thank you very much!"
"Hoh?" Surety's eyes narrowed even more, giving her the appearance of having two lines on her face, "How suspicious! But... I wont pry." She waved a paw at me and made a toothy smile, "Remember, I only care about what makes me a tidy profit. But... if you're ever strapped for money, little Eevee, you can always pay me a visit."
"Just leave your blue – furred friend behind, mmhm?"
"Suret–!"
Thunk!
"We're back!"
Both of our heads spun around toward the front of the store. Somehow, someway, the three of them had ended up out of the store and reentered through the entrance. Xatu, Blue and Brin all looked as though they had ended up in a pile of dust somehow, with their feathers and fur all covered in gray – brown grime. Blue walked up to me with a big grin on his face, and his paws behind his head.
"How in the world did you get so dirty?" I asked, "And... why were you even outside?"
"I have no clue!" Blue said with little to no shame behind his voice, "Xatu, Brin and I were just wandering around, looking at all the junk and stuff. We went through a bunch'a shelves, and cabinets checking out all the pawned items. Next thing we knew, we were back out on the streets, covered in dust."
"It was fun, wasn't it?" He said to the gray – covered Braixen by his side. She nodded back at him and sneezed, throwing out a little cloud of dust in front of her.
I glanced over to Brin. The yellow and white fur on her face had been recolored with splotches of gray and brown. She was trying to clean herself off with her hands, but all that was accomplishing was getting her arms gray and brown as well. Xatu took his wing and dusted some of the grime off her fur, as well as his own. The amount of dust that ended up littering the floor made Surety hiss a little.
"Hm? My, that ribbon on your ear..."
I looked up from the dust piles and saw Xatu examining the ribbon that Blue gave me. Smiling, I patted it with my paw.
"Oh this?" I said with a little pride in my chest, "Blue gave it to me a while ago. Isn't it pretty?"
"He did, did he?" Xatu covered his beak as he chuckled, "Yes, I agree with you. It is quite a pretty thing, isn't it?"
A sudden thought popped into my mind. A gift... hm?
I glanced around the shelves, running my eyes over all the many different objects and knick – knacks strewn around. A gift for Blue... that's what I wanted to find. Maybe something easy for him to carry around, or an article of clothing?
"What are you looking for, Fée?" Xatu asked, "A souvenir, perhaps?"
I took a quick glance over at Blue. He looked like he was busy trying to help Brin get the dust off her fur, but the two of them were just accomplishing getting more dirt on each other than off of them. Beaming, I hurried over to Xatu's side and beckoned him him to lean his ear in closer.
"I'm looking for a gift to give Blue," I whispered, "like the ribbon he gave me. I want to give him something light, something convenient..."
Xatu hummed as he straightened himself back up, rubbing the bottom of his beak with his wing. "I don't believe you'll find anything like that in here. Everything's still a bit of a mess, as you can see. I wouldn't want to give anyone anything found in here as a gift, anyway."
"Oh..." my ears drooped down out of disappointment.
"I think I might have a suggestion for you if you're looking for a gift similar to that ribbon..."
I spun around and found Surety sneering at me. Surety chuckled again and walked over to her desk. She took a seat behind it and picked up a slip of paper. Curious... as well as a little suspicious, I glanced over the top of the desk to see what she was doing. It looked like she was scribbling down an address of some kind on the paper.
"Here you go," Surety finished writing and folded the paper in half. I bit down on the slip of paper and took it off of her paw. After putting some distance between me and the Meowth, I sat down and took a look at what she had written.
"'Meowstic Bespoke Tailoring...'" I looked up from the paper and tilted my head at Surety, "A tailor shop?"
"I'm rather... familiar with the proprietor of that store," Surety said with a slim smile, "if you say that it was I who sent you, I'm sure he'll give you a discount." She paused for a quick giggle, "He's a skilled clothier, and makes very fashionable clothes. If you're looking to find a gift like that silly bow of yours, there's no better place than dear Meowstic's."
"I see..." although I was still a little hesitant to accept anything from Surety, I figured that something like a tailor store was worth a look. I gave Xatu and Surety quick bows as I stuffed the paper into my pack.
Xatu returned my bow, "Then you'll be leaving now, is it?"
"Well... I don't have much time left..." my face went a little hot as I glanced back at my friends, "There's still a few more things I want to do before the day ends."
"Time's money, they say," Surety remarked with a sneer. I sent her a glare and a frown. If time was money, then I wouldn't want to spend any more of it with her!
"Feel free to drop by anytime, Fée," Xatu said, snapping me out of my irritation, "if you find anything out there during an expedition or anything, you can bring it around here for me to appraise. I'll do it free of charge, just for you."
"I will!" After giving another quick bow, I spun around and ran over to my friends. Blue and Brin had just managed to get the dust off their fur when I ran up to them. With a bright smile on my face, I patted my partner on the leg.
"Blue, let's get going!"
"Eh?" Blue looked surprised as I pulled him along by biting on his paw, "What's the rush?"
"It's a secret!" I said through a mouthful of blue fur, "Now come on!"
"A – alright! Ow, ow, don't tug so hard!" He turned his head around and waved his other arm at Xatu, "Bye Xatu! It was nice meeting you again!"
"Likewise, my friends!" Xatu shouted back, "Good luck with your expeditions!"
Following the directions that Surety handed me, we left the dilapidated road and made our way back into the bustling Marketplace. The activity here was dwindling down, as the day was nearing its end. Many carpets and tables had been picked up and taken away, and their owners as well. No one wants to do business under the cold curtain of night, after all.
There being less Pokémon and stores around made it easier for us to traverse the Marketplace though, so having less activity wasn't all that bad. We managed to cross right through the center of the plaza and reached the other side in no time flat. After taking a left turn, we snuck our way into another side street.
"It should be right around here, I think," I said as I peered down at Surety's letter, "fourth building on the right, should have a somewhat big sign displayed out front. Can't miss it, he says."
A few giggling Yanma wearing colorful ribbons and bells buzzed past us as we scanned our eyes around the street. Right beside us stood a store that was displaying several fanciful – looking headwear, like soft floppy hats or headbands. The building opposite that was advertising something about frilly this – or – thats for your tail. Either way, it was all very foreign and confusing to me.
"I don't think I've ever been here before," I mumbled as we watched a Mightyena wearing a tall, white hat waltz on by, "it feels like a really rich district."
To say that it's a rich district feels like an understatement, to be honest. I've heard before that a lot of Pokémon moved to Treasure Town from more fanciful and rich places like from beyond the mountain range. I suppose a few of those Pokémon must've brought with them a little bit of the city flavor to this place. It's almost as if I've walked into someplace outside of town!
"Excuse me."
Brin, Blue and I all moved out of the way as a gussied up Onix came rumbling through the street. Jewels, baubles and even a pretty shawl were thrown on the huge Pokémon's body. I had to admit, even though I've never been too interested in my self image, I was getting a little jealous of how mature some of the Pokémon residing here looked.
"Wow, that Pokémon was covered in a lot of junk," Blue remarked. He nudged Brin with his paw and smirked, "I think we saw some of those same jewels lying around back at Xatu's place, right? He said that most of them were probably fake, worthles–"
"B – Blue!" I jammed my paws into his mouth to shut him up as Brin started to giggle, "Don't say stuff like that out loud!"
I put on a stupid grin on my face and looked around at all the other passerby around us, trying to mollify them with my smile. Some of the high class – looking Pokémon glanced at us, sneering and scowling before turning away. It was a little like being surrounded by a crowd of Suretys. I could catch a few snide remarks about our appearance being thrown around between them in hushed whispers. Sighing, I let go of Blue's mouth and slumped my shoulders.
Mature or not, I don't think I'm very suitable for this kind of environment...
"Fée..." a small hand patted me on the back, drawing my attention back up. Brin was smiling at me, looking like she was trying to cheer me up. I didn't want to make her feel worried, so I put a grin back on my face and shook my head to clear my head.
"Blue, Brin," I said, turning around, "let's go check out that store Surety mentioned and get out of this snooty place as soon as possible."
Ignoring all the scowls and glares that were being sent our way, courtesy of my loud remark, I resumed my trot down this fancy street. As we walked, I counted the number of buildings as we passed by them. Once we hit the fourth building, I stopped and stood before it.
Like what Surety's letter said, there was indeed a sign standing before the building. Much like everything else on the street, it was a very elegant display with gold edgings and lavish handwriting. Out of all the signs I've seen in town, this one was probably one of the most eye – catching I've seen!
"So what does it say, Fée?" Blue said, snapping me out of my admiration – induced reverie.
"Oh, erm!" Feeling a little hot in the face, I tore my eyes away from the shiny sign and forced myself to read the writing. Much like Duskull's, the handwriting on the sign was filled with elegant loops, curls and swishes. It made reading the sign much harder than it really should've been.
"'Meowstic Bespoke Tailoring: Haute Couture'"
"Tailoring?" Blue echoed, looking confused. He glanced at Brin, who was wearing the exact same expression as he was. Then, they both turned to stare at me, waiting for me to give them an explanation.
"W – well..." I was stammering, trying to figure out the best way to explain it without revealing my intentions to Blue, "X – Xatu recommended that I take a look at this store! H – he said that his friend runs it, and that we should go take a peek at his goods!"
Blue scratched his cheek as he looked up at the storefront, "Xatu recommended it? Weird." He strolled up to the front door and put a paw on the doorknob, "He didn't say anything about this place earlier. Did he, Brin?"
Brin tapped the cover of her book and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, she shook her head and shrugged.
"I – it doesn't matter!" I hurried over to the front door and placed my paw on the doorknob, "We're here anyway, so let's go take a look! Come on!"
Twisting the doorknob – and Blue's paw at the same time – I threw the door wide open. A soft tinkling noise rang out from inside the store, welcoming the three of us in as we walked through the entrance.
The very second I took my first step into the store, a powerful scent assaulted my nose. My paws rushed up to my muzzle, covering my nose. The smell was like a hammer slamming into my face, a hammer made out of a pungent candy! The air in the store was so sweet, it was making the insides of my mouth wet just by breathing in it!
"Mnngh!" Brin was clutching her hands over her nose too, trying to block out the scent.
"Ugh..." Even Blue couldn't handle how overpowering the sweetness was. I could see his eyes watering up as he clamped his paws over his snout.
I flicked my head around the store, trying to find out just what was causing this sticky sweet smell. The inside of the place was filled to the brim with all kinds of elegant, fancy and ornate clothing. There were mannequins placed all around the floor, wearing beautiful clothing like beaded scarves, capes with frilly edges and tasseled coats. Hats, bandanas and ribbons were placed on shelves in a clean and organized fashion, unlike Xatu's store.
Other than the clothes though, there was a small, circular tea table made out of pink glass standing at the side of the store. A small, ornate bowl was placed in the center of the table, with twin pink swirls or steam rising out from it. Two Pokémon were sitting beside the table, one of them looked remarkably familiar...
"Oh my! Now this is a pleasant surprise."
One of the Pokémon left the table and sauntered over to us. With a coat of bright white and pink fur, as well as a pair of dainty bows worn on his ear and chest, there was no mistaking who this Pokémon was. The image of that advertisement we picked up back at the Main Plaza came flooding back into my mind, and with it came a sense of slight dread.
"Good afternoon, Fée. Blue," the Sylveon said in his distinctive baritone voice. He gave us an elegant bow and smiled, "I didn't think we'd meet again so soon. How lovely it is to see you two!"
"Barie?" I said, stunned, "What are you doing here?"
He gave me a chuckle and grinned, "That's a question I should be asking, my dear," he tapped me on the tip of my nose with his ribbon, "I'm not too familiar with this town just yet, but I do believe that this street is moreso for the obscenely rich, no?"
"Obscenely...?" I shook my head and brushed away his ribbon, "W – well we..."
"Ah, you don't need to tell me," Barie said, waving away his own question with his paw, "I'm just happy to see the two of you again. How have you been?"
"We've just returned from an expedition, actually," I said, "Blue and I were out of town exploring yesterday."
"That's right! You two are explorers, aren't you?" Barie chuckled and shook his head, "My, we'll all have to sit down and have a little talk sometime. I would love to hear all about your experiences outside the town."
He flicked his ribbon over at Blue and made to rub his cheek with it, but a low growl from my partner made him quickly withdraw. Chuckling, the Sylveon shook his head and looked at the Pokémon standing beside me.
"My, I see you've made a new friend as well!" Barie held out his paw to Brin, "And quite an adorable one at that, I might add."
Brin glanced at Barie's paw for moment, then immediately hid herself behind Blue. She peeked out at the Sylveon from behind my partner with a scared look on her face.
"Ah... well..."
"Barie? Whoever might you be talking to?"
A high, pompous voice came floating in from behind our Sylveon friend. I looked around Barie to see who it was. I felt my jaw drop when I saw her.
An unbelievably beautiful Pokémon was walking toward us. The Pokémon had a shiny, silky coat of tan fur covering her body, with a collar of purple around her neck and her ears. A sparkling scarf was wrapped around her neck, with little beaded tassels hanging off the ends. Along with the scarf, a tiny, floppy hat adorned the top of her head. She wore a purse covered in sequins and beads around her neck, a stark contrast to the drab Explorer's Pack around mine.
Just standing before this radiant Pokémon was making me feel nervous. To think that someone like this lived in the same town as me... it was startling, to say the least! Compared to her, we must've looked like a trio of rags!
"Ah, Delcatty," Barie turned and addressed the dazzling Pokémon, "I was just greeting a few friends of mine."
"Your friends?" Delcatty's face scrunched up as she looked over Blue, Brin and I with a scrutinizing gaze. Feeling a little self – conscious, I sat down and tried to brush away some specks of dust and dirt off of my ruff. But all I managed to accomplish was making my fur look even more ruffled than before.
After a moment of tense silence, Delcatty let out a loud sigh and touched her forehead with her paw. She turned toward Barie and said, "They look like vagrants! So... ruffled, dirty, messy and... ruffled! I'm stunned that somebody like you would have such inelegant– no, declassé friends like this, Barie. Stunned!"
It was like she had just tossed a bucketful of cold water at us. My face grew red hot as embarrassment and shame washed over my heart. I glanced over at Blue, who just wore a puzzled expression on his face, while Brin looked a little forlorn as she hugged her book tight.
"Now, now," Barie shook his head and frowned at her, "I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't speak of my friends that way, Delcatty."
"Absurd," she said, "simply absurd. And here I thought I finally met someone from the city who understood me. Absurd."
With a flick of her dainty tail, she turned around and strutted toward the back of the store. She nudged open a door with her paw and disappeared behind it, leaving us behind in the store with just Barie.
"I apologize for that," Barie said, giving us a wry grin, "there are some Pokémon who still haven't adapted to the frontier life, I suppose. I'm really sorry you had to experience that."
I shook my head and sighed, "It's alright. I – I shouldn't be bothered by stuff like that anyway. I'm an explorer after all... I'm supposed to–"
"...get dirty, right?" Barie chuckled and patted me on the chest with his paw, "I remember. Still, that doesn't mean you should just accept insults like that, my dear. Get mad a little!" He looked over at Blue and added, "And you as well, Blue. If your lady's being talked down like that. You ought to defend her a bit as well."
Blue nodded, folding his arms across his chest, "I understand."
"...you weren't thinking of punching her, were you?" I said, poking my partner in the leg. He made a quick whistle and looked away, confirming my suspicions. Barie and Brin both laughed as I bonked him in the side with my forehead.
"She mentioned the city, didn't she?" While still headbutting Blue, I turned my head to the side to look at Barie, "Isn't that where you were from?"
"Indeed," Barie said, "in fact, I believe most of the regulars of this rather affluent street here are all migrants from the city. Which is why it looks so... gaudy. It's surprising, really. I came here to avoid the urban life, and now I find myself standing in the middle of a facsimile of it." He sighed as a depressed expression flitted across his face, "I suppose it's hard for some Pokémon to change, even after moving."
He shook his head and put on a smile, "But enough about that. You three must have your reasons for being here, right? You should get on with whatever you were planning to do."
"Oh, that's right!" I pulled my head away from Blue and scanned around the store, looking for the storeowner. Other than my friends and Barie though, I couldn't find anyone else standing around. Confused, I turned back to Barie and asked, "Do you know where the owner of this store is?"
"Ah, Meowstic?" Barie covered his mouth with his bow tie and chuckled, "I believe he might be in the back, dealing with that lovely Delcatty right now. I'll go call him for you, why don't you just sit tight and look around until then?" He looked to Brin and offered her a seat at the table, "Here, you can have my chair."
"Thank you, Barie."
He winked at us and walked to the door that the Delcatty entered through. As he passed through it, I turned my gaze over to all the clothes and garments hung up on shelves and stands. Tapping Blue on the arm, I beckoned for him to follow me for a moment as I wandered around.
Scouring around the place, I found a small box filled with colorful armbands made out of cloth. I took a pink – colored one out of its container and held it up against Blue's wrist. Although I consider pink one of my favorite colors... I had to admit that it doesn't fit my partner at all. Maybe he'd be better matched with a cooler color, like red or green? I tossed the armband back in the box and continued my search.
"What are you looking for, Fée?" Blue asked, sounding amused, "Another ribbon, maybe?"
"No, no," I shook my tail at him as I glanced up at a mannequin modeled after a Ninetales, "I'm just... comparing, that's all. Nothing to worry about!"
The mannequin was wearing a handsome scarf around its neck. It was colored a fiery red, with little yellow patterns weaved around the edges. I stared at it for a moment, imagining it around Blue's neck instead of the fake Ninetales'.
"That scarf costs 3,000 Poké."
I turned around and saw Delcatty walking toward me. A sour look was present on her face, as if something smelly had just fluttered underneath her nose. She jammed herself in bewteen me and the mannequin and sat down, blocking me from seeing the scarf. A nasty smile was on her face as she looked at me.
"Woven with the finest of Mareep wool originating from the northern hills, and lined with Ariados silk. Dyed a pleasant scarlet and gold using the finest of Tamato Berries imported directly from Spring Town..." Delcatty's floppy hat wobbled as she shook her head, "Are you sure you can even afford it?" She said in a condescending voice, "Three thousand... I'm sure that it's much more than your pack there can hold."
"Three... thousand?" The number was boggling to me. In my eyes, all I could see on the mannequin was a simple red scarf. True, it was a very pretty scarf, but to hear that it was worth so much...
"Is that a lot?" Blue asked, rubbing his chin, "Didn't Surety say that those pots I held earlier were around five thousand each?" He pointed a paw at the scarf and added, "So this scarf is worth less than those dirty pots?"
"How disgusting!" Delcatty's expression grew uglier as she recoiled at Blue's words, "How dare you compare this masterpiece of a scarf with that of a pawned pot? Disgusting! Revolting!" She covered her mouth with her paw and glared at my partner, "And for you to speak that... that... Meowth's name! Must you be so uncouth?"
"Surety? You know her?"
"Know her?" Delcatty said with a lofty wave of her paw, "Please, don't ever associate me with such base individuals like that Meowth ever again! Such... disrespect! I feel faint just hearing the two of you speak!"
"That's... that's so rude!"
"Rude? Please, don't be such a child!" She flicked her whip – like tail from side to side, "I am only speaking of the truth! Rudeness means nothing to those who say the truth!"
Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Surety myself, I couldn't help but feel indignant for her sake. A little heat burned in my cheeks as I glowered at the Delcatty, annoyed and frustrated at the fanciful Pokémon. Even Blue seemed to be losing his patience. I could see his fists clenching, and unclenching over and over again.
"Delcatty."
A small white paw touched Delcatty's side, making the snooty Pokémon flinch and turn. Standing beside Delcatty was a short Pokémon with dark blue fur. A tuft of white poked out from underneath a small neckerchief he wore on his neck. His green eyes stared right at Delcatty, who had fallen silent all of a sudden.
After a moment of silence, the Pokémon began to speak
"My name is Meowstic," the new Pokémon said in a quiet, almost monotone – like voice, "and I apologize for my fiance's rudeness."
"Honey, don't apologi–"
Delcatty's protests were quickly shut up by another chilling stare by Meowstic. She appeared to shrink under his scrutiny, despite being a bit taller than he was.
"You're... the owner of this store?" I said, feeling a little intimidated by him. He turned to me, staring at me with those glassy green eyes of his. Without even blinking once, he nodded and pawed at his neckerchief.
"This is my store, and I am its owner," he said. After another prolonged silence, he added, "good afternoon. Welcome."
"Erm..." I was at a loss for words. It felt like the entire atmosphere in here had gone in an entirely different direction since the owner appeared. I fiddled with the strap of my Explorer's Pack and glanced around, looking for anything that might be able to help me.
"You're interested in this scarf?" He said in that monotone voice of his, "It's 3,000 Poké."
"I – I know that..." I muttered as I looked inside my bag. When I opened it, I saw the edge of Surety's letter poking out from underneath one of my berry pots. All of a sudden, I recalled what she had said to me before we left the Pawnbroker.
"I was introduced to this place by a Meowth that goes by the name of Surety," I said.
Delcatty's face scrunched up again, while Meowstic's eyes widened just a little bit. I took out Surety's letter from my pack and handed it to him. He took the paper away and read it with a stoic look on his face.
"I see," he said, "it has been a while. Surety..."
"Honey, you can't still be thinking of that boorish Meowth, can you?" Delcatty hissed, "Not when you have me around, right? Honey!"
Meowstic turned and gave Delcatty another emotionless glare, forcing her to cringe and shut up. He took Surety's letter and tucked it into his neckerchief before turning back to me.
"3,000 Poké." He said, "That's the cost of the scarf."
"T – that's the same as before!"
"That's correct," Meowstic said, "three thousand. No more, no less. This is the price of that scarf. We are a business, we are here to make profits. If you cannot afford to pay for it, then I am sorry."
He had a solid point, and it wasn't something I could argue with. In the first place, it was strange for me to even think about buying something from a store here... there was just no way I could've ever afforded shopping in this high – class district. With a forlorn sigh, I hung my head low and decided to give up on that scarf for now.
"Fée?" I heard Blue call out my name. His paw patted me on my head as I looked up at him. Rubbing my head, he grinned at me and said, "Hey, if we can't get it now. We can always get it later. Right?"
"I guess..."
Was it selfish of me to want to have it now? I have no idea how long it would take for me to save up that much money... and I don't want to make Blue wait for a gift. A part of me thought back to Xatu and Surety's store. Suddenly, pawning off items for money became a very attractive idea.
Ahh, no! I can't. It's... it's not like I have anything to sell anyway...
Shaking my head, I threw away any dark intention I had about selling my belongings. I reached up and pulled Blue's paw down to my mouth and gave him a quick nibble.
"You're right. We'll just come back some other day when we can afford it," I said as I let go of his arm. "there's no rush."
I turned to Meowstic and bowed my head out of respect, "Thank you for your time," I said, "we'll be back eventually for that scarf. If you don't mind holding onto it for us for the time being, I would really appreciate it!"
"You're asking too much!" Delcatty sneered, "What if someone comes in and buys it right then and ther–!"
"I'll reserve it for you," Meowstic said as he held a paw over Delcatty's mouth, "as thanks for delivering me this letter. When you have enough money, come back and we can do business."
"Thank you, Meowstic!"
An eager feeling was flooding through my heart. That scarf... I'll definitely be able to get it one day. For Blue. For my partner!
Smiling like a fool, I turned around and grabbed onto Blue's paw and pulled him away from the mannequin with me. I was enthusiastic to leave and start planning out how I should start saving from now on. Brin had sequestered herself at the little glass table we saw earlier, and was watching the steaming bowl with interest. I was about to walk over to her and tell her that we're gonna go, but all of a sudden...
Wham!
Wham!
Two identical sounds rang out simultaneously, one ahead of me and one behind me. Brin was jarred out of her seat, leaping out and ducking behind a shelf out of surprise. I didn't know where to look first, in front of me or what was happening behind me.
"I'm leaving! Don't follow me!"
"Ah! It's you! That guy from the Battle Royale!"
A fluffy gray – furred Pokémon rushed out in between Blue and I, knocking us away from each other as it charged through the store before disappearing out the front door. A second later, another loud slam rang out through the store as Barie reappeared from the backdoor. He had a dripping wet tablecloth slapped on his face for some reason.
"Hang on, wait!" He pulled the tablecloth off his face with his ribbon as he rushed after the strange, gray thing.
"Espurr!" Delcatty held her paw over her mouth and shook her head, "What has... where's he going?!" She broke away from Meowstic and ran up to the front door as well. She turned to Meowstic with wide eyes and said, "I'm going after them, honey. I'll be back later!"
"Delcatty, wait!"
Meowstic's shout fell on deaf ears as the front door slammed shut one more time. Like a gust of wind, Delcatty disappeared out into the town, leaving a stunned, confused silence behind.
"I... did I interrupt something?"
An unfamiliar girl's voice was the one that broke the silence. We turned our heads over to the front of the store, where another Pokémon was standing. She stood on two legs, just like Blue and Brin. A coat of loose, yellow fur covered her body, except her arms and legs, which were red. She twitched her two thick whiskers at us and frowned.
"Well, whatever it was, it doesn't involve me." She pounded her right fist into her left palm, making a loud clapping noise, "That didn't seem very interesting anyway."
"B – Blue, we should get going," I spun my head toward Blue and shouted, "Barie might be in trouble! We should chase after him!"
"Right," Blue said, nodding at me. He looked over to Brin and waved his paw, beckoning her over. The Braixen crept out from behind the shelves and joined us as we started to make our way over to the front door.
"Hold it," the new Pokémon commanded. She stuck her right arm out in front of the door like a gate, blocking us from leaving the store. She took her other arm and shoved Blue in the chest with her palm, pushing him back and away from the door.
"What the?" Blue stumbled back a few paces before regaining his balance. As he straightened himself back up though, the Pokémon rushed up and grabbed him by his collar with both paws. He let out a strained cough as she lifted him off his feet.
"Blue!"
"B – Blue...!"
Brin and I both rushed over to try and help our friend, but the strange, hostile Pokémon turned around and sent us both a chilling glare. An invisible wave of... something slammed into us, freezing us in place and preventing us from moving.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you, blue – boy!" She snarled at Blue, sticking her face close to his, "Oh what a lucky coincidence that I'd find you here... lucky indeed! Oh... how I seethe when I recall that day... the day you defeated me in that Battle Royale!"
"Who... what? I don't rememb – geeh!"
"You don't remember?" She tightened her grasp on his collar and lifted him up even higher, "Such disrespect! Disrespect indeed! How can you forget the face of your opponent?!"
With a snarl, she hurled him onto the ground as if he was a rag doll. Before Blue could scramble back onto his feet though, she stamped down on his chest with her foot.
"Very well... then I'll have to beat the image of my face deep into your mind and soul!" She jabbed a thumb at her own chest and announced, "Remember this! I, Feyley, the Mienfoo from Mount Travail, challenges you to a rematch!"