22: Checking Out Keck’s (I)

Aiden – Audino

 

“Hnngh~” I stretched as I walked down the street, my arms reaching the sky. Sleeping on the Moguls’ couch was okay at first—until I woke up with a sore back… Nests are so much more snug. Especially mine…

Curiosity got the best of me, and before doing my errands I visited what was left of my house. With the smoke gone, all that was left was a pile of charred wood and stone. My big bookshelf… my beautiful garden… all gone.

I… shouldn’t be thinking about it too much. Just… just keep calm, Aiden. My mouth creased as I tried to keep a straight face. I wanted to run in to see if I could salvage anything else, but I didn’t want to get my paws dirty.

Thank Mew Ichi is so kind to let me be his roommate… If he didn’t, I’d have to rebuild my house… that would have meant Dad would lend me more money… which would mean more guilt… more debt I owe to my family…

Oh, but that means I’m in debt to Ichi, too. I’ll work extra hard for him! 

And that starts with… doing their groceries, I suppose.

 

As I strolled to the Kecleon Shop, I absentmindedly gazed at Keck’s big sign that stood as tall as the hill beside it. It had the logo that everybody knows—a cute, simplified Kecleon’s face. They stand high everywhere, so travelers can see as they travel down the highway.

Keck’s is one of the only stores I go to in town… not like there are many options in the first place. I highly doubt normal ‘mon go to the Box Buster on a daily basis—Mr. Rampardos is too loud anyway… In any case, Keck’s is the second centerpiece of this town, the other being Swanna House, of course.

 

 

Creaking open the door, I picked up a basket from the entrance, ready to do some grocery shopping for my new team. Even before opening the door, though, I could already hear some sort of scene occurring…

“Where’s the free meal for the hero of the Pokémon world, huh?!” A loud-mouthed Charmander was practically screaming at the Kecleon behind the counter. “ I’m your bringer of salvation, and I’m absolutely famished!”

“Ma’am this is a Keck’s.” Mr. Kecleon wore a straight face, but I could’ve sworn a vein was about to pop on his forehead… “I’m sorry, but we don’t hand out freebies to ‘heroes of the Pokémon world.’”

“I just woke up here today! I don’t have a single dime to my name!”

“Then please have some money before walking into my store.” Kecleon gestured to me. “You’re being disruptive to other customers, please leave.” 

“Unbelievable. UNBELIEVABLE!” Charmander huffed, a small puff of smoke escaping her nose. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to go, all the Pokémon are supposed to be nice …” she grumbled as she stormed out. I stepped to the side to let the traveler pass through the door, which she slammed open.

“Oi, if you break that door, you’re paying for it!” Kecleon snapped. Grumbling, he picked back up the newspaper on the counter and buried his head in it. “The nerve of some ‘mon… third or fourth beggar this month…”

 

I gave a friendly wave to Mr. Kecleon. “Morning, sir!” I didn’t wanna pry into whatever happened then—it wasn’t my business.

Mr. Kecleon peeked his head over his newspaper. After a quick sigh of relief, he raised his brow at me with a wry smile. As per usual, the green and yellow reptile was wearing an apron with a name tag that had “King” written on it. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Arsonist… Don’t go burning down my shop, eh?” His expression and tone were a lot more genuine and relaxed now that the troublemaker was gone.

“Wha—Oh Mew, please don’t joke about that, Mr. Keck… It was an accident!”

“Ah, lighten up, will ya? I’m pulling your tail! I’m just remembering those rowdy Squirtles that day marching around town, making a big fuss about hunting down the culprit!” He laughed, and I just stared at him with a frown. Halting his cackling, Mr. Kecleon awkwardly coughed. “…in all seriousness, I give you my condolences, Audino. Have you found a proper place to stay yet?”

 “Yes. There’s this nice Pikachu living just outside Post Town who’s taken me in, in exchange for work.”

“Ey, good for you. What kinda work are they making you do?”

I paused. “…that’s a good question.” Ichi never exactly specified what this new job of mine is… At first I thought I was going to help him make his oasis thingy. Paradise, or whatever it was called. But suddenly I’m a rescuer? And currently I’m doing errands for Ichi and Rei? 

Not that I’m complaining about that last bit, I did volunteer after all, but… I pouted, looking up at the green ceiling pensively. I… think I’m supposed to be a rescuer now? I think. Mhm.

I suppose in the end, I really did get to be on a rescue team with Stella!

 

“That thoughtful look on your face makes me think you’re not certain, heh.”

“Oh, um, pretty sure it’s rescuer work.”

“Hm. Well, I just hope you’re able to get back on your feet. Housing prices here are getting lower by the day, so no need to rush!” He smirked again, before taking a deep sigh. “Sorry you had to witness that just now, by the way. I got no clue who the devil that Charmander was.”

“Are you alright? She wasn’t causing too much trouble, was she?”

“Of course I’m alright, kid.” Kecleon rolled up his newspaper. “That was a first though. Claiming to be some savior… Who in the world was she?”

“I dunno… Is she a rescuer?”

“If she’s some Solo, I’ve never heard of her.” Kecleon shrugged. “Been getting ‘mon like that more often than I’d like lately—loud-mouthed kids with no coin begging for something. Started with a Snivy begging for a job, then got progressively worse. Don’t know what’s up with that… In any case, what brings you here, Audino?”

“Oh, um, just doing grocery shopping.” I thought about the Snivy he mentioned, but didn’t dwell on it. “Apparently they hadn’t stocked up their pantry since moving in,” I said. “Plus, I want to bake a Cheri pie for my new friends!”

“Well, holler if you need help finding anything.”

I nodded as I strolled down to the produce aisle first. I need Cheris, Orans, and Leppas… then I suppose the basics like bread, apples, and eggs… cooking essentials like oil, salt, pepper, flour, sugar, and garlic powder… erm… what else? What would the others want? Darn, I should’ve asked… 

 

Kecleon Shops—Keck’s for short—have been around for as long as I can remember. They’re the world’s largest chain of general stores. My dad told me that when he was a little chick, Kecleon Shops used to be compact stalls like you’d see in any old marketplace, carrying a select number of goods that changed daily. Most of their goods would cater solely to rescuers.

Slowly but surely, they expanded their businesses into the large stores seen today. This Keck’s in particular is one of the biggest I’ve seen, about the size of Swanna House’s bar. It’s convenient, yes—I get nearly everything from this store. But the atmosphere of the store sometimes irks me. Cold floors. Ceiling lights that are too bright. Signs hung up everywhere pointing at deal after deal after deal. Bright walls with green and yellow horizontal stripes.

At least Mr. Kecleon is nice—to me, at least. He isn’t very fond of anybody that isn’t a Post Town resident. If I wasn’t living here I’d be getting the same cold reception that Charmander was receiving.

 

Okay, then—produce aisle. “Produce aisle, produce aisle, produce aisle…” I repeated under my breath as I strolled over to where the berries were— oh wait, 20% off all seeds? I got distracted by a sign pointing to the rescuer goods aisle. Oh. Not garden seeds. Seeds like Stun Seeds. Drat…

I do wonder how hard it is to grow utility seeds. I know you can’t simply grow them in your own backyard—you need a dedicated field with the right soil, and the right supplements to grow those Plain Seeds into what you want. I hear you need to be extra careful growing dangerous seeds like Blast Seeds—the ground Petaya powder could easily ruin neighboring plants if you aren’t careful…

I pouted. All these thoughts about growing seeds make me miss my garden. I should pick up some flower seeds, I need to start my garden anew! I put on a determined look as I backpedaled to the gardening aisle. 

“Wait.” I halted. I’m supposed to be grocery shopping, flowers aren’t groceries, sadly… I pulled out my wallet. I need to keep into account the fact that I now have three extra mouths to feed. Thankfully Dad gave me a lot more than I needed to pay off that fine… still feel a little guilty about that, ehe…

Gosh, did he seriously have to do that? Dad is too nice sometimes. But I don’t think the rest of my family would be happy to hear that I’ve been spending all their money so frivolously, especially when I’ve been avoiding my responsibilities by living out here… I can’t just spend it all willy-nilly!

Um… right. Where was I?

 

“…need help over there, Audino?” Mr. Kecleon called out.

“Ah! Um, uh, no thank you!” I nearly jumped—I’d lost myself in my thoughts… Blushing, I walked over to where the berries were, as I intended to in the first place.

The very last set of aisles was what I was looking for—berries and other fresh produce, alongside all the foodstuffs and ingredients a housemon could need. Well, all the common goods, anyway. Wish they had glutinous rice… the Keck Shops in the Mist don’t carry imported goods, I lamented, frowning. There’s a store that carries goods from the Air back in Noe Town, but I don’t want to go all the way over there for those.

A shame—I wanted to show off my mom’s chocolate porridge recipe… it was so darn good…

I plucked a few Orans off the shelves and plopped them in my basket. I don’t care too much about how they look—well, except if they’re rotten. If nobody else is going to take the slightly bruised or misshapen Berries, then I might as well~ 

“Maybe I’ll make something simple for lunch today,” I mumbled to myself. “Berry salad? Hm, that alone won’t do… I’ll pick up some cheese and make sandwiches, too. I’ll also need Tamatos…”

 

---

 

“Huff… r-ring me up, please!” I heaved as I put the basket, filled to the brim, on the counter.

“…Kid, you do know we have carts over there, right?” He pointed to the shopping carts next to the baskets at the door.

“I didn’t… think about that, ehe… At first, I didn’t think I’d need to buy too much. Besides, I always only use a basket every time I come here,” I chuckled. “Too used to shopping just for myself.”

Mr. Kecleon brought out a little notepad and pen, marking down each item. “Six Cheris, eight Orans, four Leppas, four Tamatos, four apples, half a pound of cheese…” As he went on, mumbling to himself, I tapped my foot as I waited patiently.

“…a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a bag of sugar, bottles of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, a bag of flour, and a bottle of cooking oil,” he finished jotting down. He then punched in a bunch of keys in his cash register to add up the total. The click-clacking could be heard throughout the entire store. Mr. Kecleon was humming a tune to himself as the mechanism spun a larger and larger number on its little indicator. “With sales tax… it comes to 325 Poké.”

“Oh, that isn’t… too bad.” I could’ve sworn it was going to be cheaper… I opened up my wallet, and handed him the correct amount.

“Well, that’s what happens when you shop at Keck’s~ Low prices that our competitors can’t beat! ” He had a big grin…

“But… you’re the only general store in town. What competitors?”

…a grin that quickly dropped. “Exactly. There is no competition. That’s the point.”

“O-oh,” was all I stammered, before picking up my receipt and looking at it—”W-wait, 22 Poké for a dozen eggs?!” I gasped. “It… it used to be just 15…”

Mr. Kecleon shrugged. “Sorry, that’s just the flow of supply and demand. Latest egg shipment was delayed, if you wanna blame anybody, blame the Combusken.” He started packing my purchases in two paper bags.

“I see. How honest of you, ehe…” I politely nodded.

 

The cashier smirked. “Hell, if you think 22’s outrageous, just wait ‘till I tell ya this tale… See, when I was a kid, there was this sickness going around…” Kecleon started rambling… and rambling… and rambling. By then my bag of groceries was ready for me to take and leave, but… I couldn’t just leave a conversation! That’s rude!

“…’mon everywhere were going crazy, impulse buying everything off store shelves…”

So I stood patiently, nodding. “Mhm.” Please let the story be quick this time it’s very interesting but I’m in a hurry sir.

“…35. Thirty-five Poké. For a carton of eggs. Can you believe that? ‘Mon were rightfully furious…” Mr. Kecleon went on. 

Mentally sighing, my gaze wandered over to the window, where I spotted a familiar Emolga and Dunsparce outside. Oh, I wonder what Morgan and Danny are up to… oh! They’re walking over here! I should go say hi to them. I inched toward the door, but guilt tugged me back.

“…my old man caught a Zangoose trying to steal from his shop, it did not end well for him, I’ll tell you that…”

I huffed. Just sit tight, Aiden… “That, um- that’s nice, Mr. Kecleon, but—” I mumbled.

“ Let me finish. ” Kecleon cut me off. “Where was I…”

Just then, the door opened, and in came my acquaintances. “Heyo, Mr. Keck,” Morgan waved. Danny was quiet, slithering behind the Electric-type. “Oh, and hey, Aiden. What’s up?” the Emolga greeted me.

“O-oh, um, just doing some groceries, ehe…” Thank you so much Morgan. “A-actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you two!” I half truthed. I did want to catch up with them anyway. “Let’s step outside.”

“Hey, wait, I was about to get to the good part!” Mr. Kecleon tried to take my attention back.

“S-sorry, it’s urgent!” I lied, picking up my bags and stepping out the door, holding it open for the two to follow.

“Eh..?” Danny meeped.

“Please,” I whispered.

 

I led them outside the store, and after putting down my grocery bags I bowed to them. “Sorry about that! I just really needed to get out of the store… Mr. Kecleon’s rants go on for eons.”

“Ohhh. Yeah, I get that. Once Mr. Keck starts talking about something, he never shuts up,” Morgan laughed. “No worries, man—we aren’t in a rush to buy anything, anyway. Danny just wanted some snacks.”

The Dunsparce nodded behind him. “Y-yeah. I was in the mood for something refreshing, ehe…” His smile was noticeably wobbly.

“…Danny, are you alright?” I asked, instantly noticing. “Are you still holding up okay after… you know who?”

“I-I’m alright!” he blurted out, tiny wings fluttering rapidly. “Th-there’s no need to worry about me, Aiden!” The Dunsparce deflated a bit after that outburst. “I-I mean… for the past couple days I’ve been trying to forget about what Virizion said to me… I-I’m strong!”

Morgan pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah, you tell her! Who gives a damn what that Verdant Sword tells ya, you’re the strongest Dunsparce out there! Remember yesterday in Forest Grotto? That Litwick didn’t see that Rollout comin’!”

I nodded. “Mhm, what she said back then was just plain harsh… but enough thinking about that, like you said!” I picked up one of my grocery bags. “Erm, I do have a favor to ask, though…”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, I gotchu.” Morgan carried the other bag, lifting it up from the ground with both paws. “Oof… man, this is heavy. You having a party at your house or something?”

“W-wish I could help carry things,” Danny sighed.

“Thank you… and, um, nope. I’m restocking the pantry for my new team.”

“New team?” the Dunsparce looked up at me.

“Mhm! I’m a rescuer now, just like you two!” I smiled, before taking a step forward. “Come this way, my new home’s just outside Post Town.”

“You got a new house that quickly? Damn, that’s nice,” Morgan said, his voice a little strained as he helped me carry my groceries.

“Well, it’s not really mine, more like my leader’s… he’s been so nice to Stella and I, he let us live with him and his roommate.”

 

Danny followed, slithering next to his friend. “A-are you sure you’re able to carry it all, Morgan?”

“It’s fiiiiine. I’m doin’ just great. ” Morgan gritted his teeth.

“P-put it on my back, I can take it! H-hopefully.”

“Dude it’ll fall off of you.”

“Then you can keep it upright! W-we carry it together!”

“…you know what, fine.” Morgan heaved as he set the bag down on the Dunsparce’s back. 

“Oof!” Danny squeaked.

“You alright, bud?”

“Y-yeah! It’s not too bad! Let’s keep going!” Danny slithered forward, and Morgan kept pace with him, the pair working together to carry the bag. I looked back at them and grinned, happy that Danny was able to perk up.

Morgan smirked. “Heh, alright… so, anyway, Aiden. What’s your leader like, huh? They live in town, or…?”

“His name’s Ichi, he’s a Pikachu. And, er, he doesn’t exactly live in town. He lives really close , though—he bought that big plot of land across from here.”

“He bought that shitty wasteland? Really? And he put a house down there?”

“Mhm. He plans to turn the land into his very own shopping district… In fact, he woke up extra early today to head to Swanna House so he could meet with Mr. Gurdurr. He wants to hire him.”

“Mr. Gurdurr really did become an honest mon again… t-that’s good for him!” Danny smiled.

“I’m glad I was able to help him… I’m honestly not very mad he scammed me, ehe… I’ve been over it for a while.”

 

“So like… Is this Ichi guy trying to run a business on top of doing rescuer work?” the Emolga asked.

“Yes. Apparently it’s going to be an extra source of income for him. I haven’t gone on any missions just yet though, we officially became a team yesterday.”

“Damn. Ambitious, huh? Might have more gumption than Cole.”

“Cole? Oh, right, the Riolu! I remember him,” I nodded. “What do you mean?”

“I dunno, he’s just kindaaaa…” he moved around his paw, trying to find the right word. “…eh, off , I guess. I’m trying not to be mean about it.”

“I’d say he’s aloof,” Danny added.

“ Aloof, yes, thanks.” Morgan affirmed, snapping his finger. “He’s a good leader but he spaces out all the freakin’ time, it’s weird. Probably a Riolu thing, maybe he’s reading auras or somethin’, I dunno.”

“Y-yeah… Lately he hasn’t been talking to us at all. When we first met him, h-he seemed cool, but suddenly he’s always lost in thought, barely responding even to Swift when she’s rambling to him…” Danny mentioned.

“Really? I didn’t think he was that distant from you guys when you helped me out… did something happen between you?”

“T-that’s the weird thing, no!” the Dunsparce exclaimed.

Morgan shrugged. “Eh, it’s not like it’s that important anyway. He’s our leader but like, it’s not like I gotta be friends with the guy, right? I’m mainly on the team for Danny. Also ‘cause I got nothing better to do.”

“What about Swift, though? Is she nice?”

“She’s very nice!” Danny said. “Though, she does like to talk a lot, mainly about different places she wants to go, books she’s read, things she’s seen on missions…”

“Yeah, she’s alright. Got a lot more energy than Cole, that’s for sure. I dunno, I just don’t really see her as a friend just yet.” The Emolga shrugged once more. “I don’t got much to say about her. I… don’t think there is much to say ‘bout her, anyway.”

“W-what about your team, Aiden? What’re they like?” Danny asked as the three of us passed the town gate.

“Hm…” I looked up at the sky. “Well, I already described Ichi a little bit, but he’s very friendly. A little hyperactive, though. And money-crazy. And you two already met Stella…”

“Erm…” Danny grumbled when I mentioned her name. “I still feel a little bad that I weirded her out…”

“And last but not least is Rei… he’s a Snivy. He’s… rather aloof too, now that I think about it—”

“Rei?” Danny asked. “W-wait, that Rei?”

“Yes, why? What do you mean, ‘that Rei’? ” I raised an eyebrow, slowing my pace once we reached the crossroads.

 

“I swear, why is Cole so obsessed with that Snivy? What’s so special ‘bout him?” Morgan wondered.

“Erm, f-for context, Aiden, not long after the whole V-Virizion thing, Cole told us to keep an eye out for Rei. He wants us to help him out if he ever needs it…”

“…for some freakin’ reason, I don’t know. It’s weird,” Morgan added, finishing Danny’s sentence. “And right after that is when Cole just became so aloof,” Morgan complained. “Who even is this Rei guy, what’s he like?”

“Um- well, I haven’t talked with him too much, but… he’s quiet, but not in a cold way, more… melancholy, I suppose? Though I have seen him get standoffish at times, specifically against Stella.” I tried to describe him the best I could.

“…Aiden, a-are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Hm? OH. ” It took me a second, but I understood. “Yes, I can see it. After all, I do remember him being eager to talk with him the other day…”

“What’re you two nerds talking about?” Morgan asked.

“Cole definitely has a thing for Rei, doesn’t he?!” Danny exclaimed with a big smile.

“Ooh, for sure! Maybe he’s been lost in thought for so long because he’s in love…” I sighed with a smile.

“What.” Morgan stared at the two of us, stopping in his tracks, forcing Danny to stop too.

“R-remember after you guys were all comforting me outside Swanna House, Cole just ran off to talk to Rei? And- and I saw with my own two eyes… C-Cole was getting really close to him, like reeeeally close.”

“Wait, what?! ” I gasped. “No way!”

“…I mean, I do remember Cole eyeing a Snivy very carefully while we were in Swanna House—wait holy shit was it Rei that he was looking at??” Morgan realized mid-sentence. “I mean, not gonna lie it was kinda weird that Cole’s eyes were just locked onto him but… oh my Mew it makes so much sense now.”

“SEE?!” Danny’s wings were fluttering again. “T-they’d make a good match too, don’t you think? The cool and aloof pairing…”

“Well sadly I can’t say for sure… after all, I don’t know Rei too well just yet,” I answered, shaking my head. 

“Yeah, uh, maybe don’t try shipping two people you hardly know,” Morgan groaned.

“Aw… I still think they’d be c-cute together though…”

“You don’t even know if either of ‘em swing that way, Dan…”

“R-right…” Danny sighed.

“Maybe when I get the chance, I’ll ask Rei what he thinks of Cole,” I suggested.

“If Rei says he’s interested in him, then… d-do you think we can try to get them together, somehow?”

“Well… maybe.” I think I remember Rei not being too pleased when I told him Cole wanted to talk to him… I have my doubts.

 

 

I waved goodbye to Morgan and Danny once we reached Ichi’s house. Inside, I took the two grocery bags over to the table, and opened them up so I could start stocking the pantry. The house was quiet—I seemed to be the first one back. Ichi was out planning with Mr. Gurdurr, and I assumed Stella must’ve taken Rei out on their first job.

“Whew~ Once I’m done filling the pantry, it’s time to prepare lunch,” I murmured to myself. I thought about the way Morgan described his own team… how he was only really friends with Danny, and that he wasn’t very close with Cole and Swift.

I wasn’t too fond of that, honestly. I thought they were close when I first met them… Meanwhile the three teammates I’m with feel less like coworkers and more like new friends. 

I liked it that way. I wanted to get to know Stella, Ichi, and Rei more.

 

I stared out the window. I’m expecting Ichi would most likely come back before the other two… hm. I wonder what he’s up to.