Heiki, the Accelgor

It was that time again.

The streets were pretty saturated. The constant bumping against others was infuriating, but it was a necessary evil if I wanted this to go smoothly. I couldn’t avoid stealing a glance at the ones around me, some were by themselves, others were part of what I can only assume were groups of friends.

…and some were with their families. Children hopped around playfully while their parents held their paws or any other appendages to make sure they didn’t bump against anyone or to lead them onto the right path.

You know, like a parent should.

I sighed. It wasn’t the time to think about this, there were things to do.

I made my way to Roserade’s store. I would’ve preferred to go to Kecleon’s since he treats his items wonderfully, assuring me they’re in perfect quality. However, I was banned from entering there, so this would have to do.

I opened the door and got assaulted with a smell that overpowered my senses. It was sweet, too sweet if you asked me. Like a mix of all berries and flowers blended together without any kind of harmony.

“Hello! What can I help you with?”

“I’m only looking for now.”

That was enough for the Roserade to nod and go back to their spot. They were reading something, a newspaper probably. That was good, more distractions meant more chances of getting out.

I wandered around the shelves while grabbing a few orbs and berries, especially the latter. It was then that I saw a Pecha Scarf. It had been a while since I last saw one of these.

‘I bet Sanni would love this.’ So I added it to my pile.

Now, it was the hard part. I had done this a hundred times by now, but it never got easier. My heartbeat skyrocketed as I looked at the store owner with the corner of my eyes, making sure that I didn’t seem suspicious. My breathing was a bit unstable, but that was the least of my concerns. In one moment, I saw them yawn, and I took my chance.

I ran through the door with my items in my arms. It didn’t occur to me to bring a bag, it probably would’ve looked too suspicious to put anything in one before paying.

It took two seconds for the Roserade to run after me before shouting.

“HELP! THIEF! OVER THERE!” Sure enough, that got the attention of the guild members around. Luckily, I didn’t plan to fight them, just escape.

The mass of townsfolk greatly helped getting around my chasers. They were preoccupied with not wanting to bump into anybody while I ran as fast as I could, not minding the possible pain I may cause whoever I push away.

I looked back, only to find a Monferno with a scarf scarily close to me. I sprinted, I had to lose them. However, that proved to be more and more difficult as I kept running away from the heart of the town. Less Pokémon were around, it was getting harder to cover myself or distract my persecutors.

I looked back again, the Monferno was the closest one to me, and they were a bit farther away than last time. I was gaining distance. However, that moment of relief didn’t last, as I failed to notice the Foongus in front of me, making me trip and fall on my face. The items flew around and dropped to the ground.

‘Shit…’

As expected, the Monferno caught me immediately, followed by a Palpitoed and a Tranquill approaching me too.

“You are under arrest.”

“Yeah, you don’t say.”

The Monferno looked back at me with a stare I could only describe as hateful. I was used to it, however. It wasn’t the first time someone looked at me like that.

They tied me with a rope and led me to the building where the prison cells were located. Apparently they found a material that was immune to every kind of type energy. Ghosts weren’t able to phase through it, psychics couldn’t use telekinesis on it… And what do they do with such a marvel? A jail. Of course.

They stopped in front of who I can only assume was the warden. The team got paid, and immediately left. Meanwhile, the Trevenant at the other side of the desk kept staring at me.

“The investigators will come soon, let’s get you to a cell.” His voice was friendly, but the undertone of it made it clear that angering him was a mistake. Reluctantly, I followed him. There was no way I was getting out of this, much less with a fight I couldn’t win.

He untied me and pushed me into the cell, locking the door behind me. The cell was small, only a small bed and a toilet. Not sure why I imagined anything different.

I laid down on the bed. The only thing I could do right now was wait for the investigators. Investigators were those that did what they could to understand the crime and give an adequate punishment… even if there was often a bias against the accused.

My mind was racing at this point. I had to get out of there, it didn’t matter how. But there was no way for me to do that. No windows, no walls thin enough for me to break through… I was trapped.

I didn’t really care about myself being in prison, but I had to get out to protect them. They were the ones at risk, and now with me here, they were alone. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Done daydreaming yet?”

I sat up and looked at the other side of the bars. A very familiar Hawlucha was waiting for me.

“Kyle? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m an investigator. I just happened to get assigned to you.” He sighed, pulling out a notepad from his satchel. “Honestly, out of every Pokémon, I wasn’t expecting a robbery from you.”

I looked away. This wasn’t the way I wanted to meet with an old friend.

“Alright, let’s start from the beginning. Were you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Had you planned the robbery beforehand?”

“No. I knew I was going to do it, but I improvised.”

Kyle closed his notepad, looking at me directly. “Now a question from me, but as your friend. What the hell happened, dude?”

“I had to do it, okay? Believe me, I would have been the first one to do anything else if I had the option.”

“Why did you have to do it? I know your job at the café isn’t amazing, but it pays you enough to sustain yourself.”

“What makes you think I’m the only one I need to take care of?”

At that, Kyle’s eyes widened, but he stayed silent. I sighed, I knew that would get a reaction, but I wasn’t happy at all about talking about it.

“What will you do with the things I stole?”

“They’ll go back to Roserade, of course.”

“Wait, no. I really need those things. Please.”

“Heiki, you’re going to stay in prison. I’ll try to make it as short as possible, but you can’t ask me to help you keep what you stole, that’s not how things work.”

I got my arms between the bars and grabbed the feathers of his chest, pulling him to me. “Kyle. Gold Leaf Street, building 2. Please, get what I got there, I can’t…”

Kyle forcefully shoved me off him. “What the hell are you doing, man?! Why do you even care that much about that?”

“M-my kids…”

The Hawlucha in front of me visibly flinched. “Your kids…? You have kids?”

“They’re not mine, but…”

“Heiki, please do not tell me you kidnap children.”

“No! They were all abandoned, I’m the only one they have…”

“All? How many kids are you talking about?!”

“Eight… They can’t fend for themselves, the world is too harsh for them…”

Kyle looked at the ground between us, deep in thought. “Okay… Heiki, I promise you that we’ll take care of them, but we’re not done talking.” He packed his notepad away. “I’m coming back tomorrow, because this isn’t okay.”

I wanted to get a word in, but my throat betrayed me, forcing me to watch how my friend left. I was back to being alone.

My kids were all I could think about. It wasn’t the first time I had to rob things to get them something to eat, and I’d do it again if it meant they’d be happy.

Sanni was the oldest, she became 4 years old around a month ago. I still remember how I found her, a small white piece of fluff in a tiny basket, right in the middle of nowhere. The funny thing is that I saw her parents walk away. They weren’t crying, they weren’t sad, they were emotionless. I yelled at them, scolding them for abandoning a child, but they ignored me. I wanted to follow, but a cry from the Cottonee stopped me. She needed help, and it was clear her parents weren’t going to come back, so I took her in with me.

From then on, I went to that same spot again from time to time. It’s incredible how predictable these kinds of parents are, using the same place to abandon their kids. Most of the time, the parents were already gone, and when they weren’t, they would either run away or attack me to get out, completely disregarding the child.

And now here I am, robbing stores like a petty thief in order to keep them fed and safe. Except this time, I didn’t know when I was getting home. I could only hope Kyle’s promise was authentic.

With so much to think about, I laid down on the bed again. The sooner I’d fall asleep, the sooner I could stop thinking about how much I’ve failed them.