Tetris held his breath in his throat. Wide eyes rolled up to look at whoever was addressing him. A Chesnaught, dressed in a black robe, loomed over him with a stoically curious gaze. They had no emblem of their own anywhere on the garb that the Riolu could see.
"P-Please, you gotta help me," Tetris whispered, huddled into a ball and gesturing to the crunching front door. "There's some guys after me, they're gonna kill me, I-I…"
The Chesnaught held up his palm and nodded. "I understand. Allow me to handle them."
With a level and even stride, the large Grass-type strolled to the large door that still banged from the outside. "One moment, please," he called out, then lifted the latch holding it shut.
The doors swung open to reveal the frustrated pair of thugs, huffing and holding their limbs tight to their bodies. They didn't say anything.
"May I help you?" said the Chesnaught.
"We're looking for someone who came in here," the Throh asserted, continuing to glare at the Chesnaught. "A Riolu with a bag. They've got something we need. You seen them, priest?"
The priest in question shook his head. "I have not. Even if I had, I can see you do not mean well. This is a sanctuary of peace-"
"Cut the bullshit, old man!" the Sawk cut in. "We know they're in this stupid holy box! You either give him up to us, or we'll make you regret it!" They cracked their knuckles to drive the point home.
The priest held his stoic gaze and tugged on his robe. "I do not recommend inciting violence against this man of faith. The All-Saint's disapproval aside, it will not end well for you."
This turned the Sawk's face redder than their partner's. "Oh yeah?! We'll see how it ends when your fucking face caves in!"
With a shout the Fighting-type swung a wild fist at the Chesnaught. With a smooth motion the Chesnaught caught the swing in his hand and countered with a heavy Wood Hammer. With a cry the Sawk crumpled like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh shit!" the Throh said, scrambling back a couple steps. They stared at their downed comrade, then up at the priest, then back down. They raised their own fists up, and then lowered them. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm really sorry, please tell me you didn't kill him."
The Chesnaught rolled his shoulders back and sighed. "Please do not force my hand any farther. I highly recommend you end your pursuit here and take your friend to a doctor."
The Throh rapidly nodded and bent down to pick up the groaning Sawk, the latter muttering, "I almost got 'em, Olly, I almost…"
"Yeah, yeah, Bud, you did great," the Throh replied, then sighed. "The boss is not gonna like how this turned out…"
Once the thugs had limped out of sight, the Chesnaught shut the door and turned towards the interior. "Are you alright, young man?" he called.
Tetris poked his head out from his hiding spot. With the adrenaline fading, he found it hard to stand but managed to get up anyway.
"T-Thank you," he replied, "thank you so, so much. Gods, if I had picked anyone less friendly…"
He straightened up when the Chesnaught returned to the altar, and the Riolu extended a hand. "I owe you a huge favor for that. I'm Tetris."
The priest smiled and took the handshake. "Father Riddel Wallace. Although simply Riddel will suffice. Might I inquire as to why those two were after you in the first place?"
Tetris gestured to his bag. "I was… making a delivery to someone. I guess those guys figured I'd be an easy target and tried to take what I had. They must've been desperate to get their hands on the package."
He paused. "I've seen a couple of deliveries get jumped before, but this was… unusual. Most of them happen right at the transaction. I don't think I've seen a client get ambushed as a set-up before today."
Another pause passed, and then the Riolu's eyes went wide. "Shit, the poor guy… I gotta go see if he's alright."
Tetris took a running start down the chapel aisle. He stumbled halfway there as a leg gave out from under him, only just catching his fall on a pew. "O-Ow, gods… no, no no no I'm fine, I'm fine."
From behind him, Riddel approached with crossed arms. "You don't seem fine. Here, let me see your wounds."
"I said I'm good!" Tetris barked, wincing as he tested a knee. Something wet was matting the fur on his calf. "Just give me a minute here."
"Pride will do you no good here. Rest for a moment and I can help you."
Tetris felt a palm come to lie on his shoulder and gently press on him. This was not a request from the priest. He slowly lowered himself onto the wooden bench and let the Chesnaught begin examination.
After a thorough inspection from the priest, and an application of bandages, Riddel finally reported on the problem. "Bruises above the ankle. A large but shallow cut just below the back of the knee. No signs of breaks or fractures, thankfully. You can walk, and the gauze should hold, but you must take it easy from here on."
"Thanks. I thought you were a holy man," Tetris said, "not a doctor."
Riddel put on a soft smile. "No, not a doctor. But while this chapel is a place of spiritual healing, I learned what I could so that those with physical ailments can be taken care of until they find professional care. It's only right."
It was a valid point. And frankly, Tetris was glad that the Chesnaught had thought of that. "Guess I'll just have to limp for a bit." He drew a breath. "Look, I need to check in on my client. Do you think you could come with me just to make sure they're alright?"
"I would be glad to. Show me the way."
—
A loud grunt sounded from the barn. A moment later, Riddel appeared in the doorway cradling the hurting and slowly waking Pikachu. Tetris, leaning up against a tree, let out a huge sigh.
"Mr. Taylor here needs treatment immediately," the Chesnaught said. "I fear they suffered a concussion. Praise the All-Saint that the blow didn't kill him outright."
"I'll live," coughed the electric mouse. "Been through far worse than this. Sorry about everything, though- I didn't think I'd be found out here."
"It's not your fault," Tetris stated. Was it not? As far as he was concerned, getting ganged up on was the client's problem.
The Pikachu took the statement at face value. "Even still, I feel like this could've been avoided. I guess we're all lucky nothing of value got stolen."
Tetris blinked and leaned forward. "Wait… they didn't snag the payment?"
"Hah. Wilson didn't tell you?" The Pikachu smirked, coughing again. "The payment for this isn't money- it's a trade. He gets me what I want, and I make sure he gets seen favorably by certain people."
The Riolu stepped off of his post, eyes narrowed. There was a question lingering on his tongue, but he held onto it, not knowing if asking now would give his motives away.
"Well, in that case," he said instead, "I should hand this off and be on my way." Another question came to the front while he held out the package. "What is this anyway?"
The Pikachu took the sack into their paws and clutched it tightly after confirming the contents. "The Rosarios will be very happy with this," he deflected. "Thank you."
Riddel had a frown that quickly vanished. "It may not be my place to say so, but I seem to understand that you have found yourself in over your head this time, Mr. Tetris," he said. "I would highly advise that you consider yourself lucky and make note to not let this happen again. I may not be around to help you at that time."
"I can take care of myself. Usually," Tetris remarked. He bit his lip to hold down the remaining snark.
"Then you should continue to do so. But for those who are relying on you, please be more careful in the future." Riddel adjusted his grip on the Pikachu in his arms. "I will be taking Mr. Taylor to find medical care. Please take care of yourself on your way home, Mr. Tetris. May the All-Saint bless your days to come."
The Riolu watched the priest leave for the edge of the forest. He didn't move himself until his legs ached, begging to move to a place of rest. This was going to sting for a while, but it would heal. For now, he needed to get home. Get home, and sleep the rest of the day away.
He could already imagine Kievr giving him an earful.
—
"You slipped off an awning into a rose bush? Did I hear that correctly?"
Tetris nodded, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling from the couch. "Yeah, that's what I said. The roof was worn pretty smooth, so…"
Kievr, standing in the kitchen area, made a very grand sigh. "Tetris, that's ridiculous. Even I know a fall like that wouldn't bang up your leg as much as it was."
"Look, man, that's what happened, okay? Take it or leave it," the Riolu argued. He heard another huff from his friend.
The Quilava threw his arms in the air and exclaimed, "Regardless of how you got injured, you're still injured. You're putting our situation in further jeopardy by taking unnecessary risks."
"Oh am I now?" Tetris retorted. "Busting my ass to make sure we have money to work with is unnecessary?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Reckless behavior puts us both at risk. If you're hurt, you can't work and that's lost income we can't make up." The Quilava gestured to the now almost-empty icebox. "Which means we can neither feed nor house ourselves."
He paced by the stove for a moment, then turned back to Tetris. "Every setback we take is a risk that we lose the little that we have gained here. I would much rather not have to move again if I can help it."
Tetris stared harder at the ceiling. He wished the fire-type would back off, but it was hard to fault his reaction. Kievr didn't have to come with him to a brand new city, but he did anyway, and Tetris had an obligation to make sure this worked out for both of them.
Kievr continued on, "This sort of behavior got you- and sometimes myself- into a lot of trouble in Sasbara. This is supposed to be a fresh start. Promise me you won't bring your old habits back, will you?"
The Riolu gave a small thumbs-up. Kievr, satisfied for now, turned back to the meal prep he was working on, and the rest of the evening was quiet.
Tetris couldn't shake the feeling that he might not be able to keep that promise long term.
