This oneshot was written for a writing prompt event on the PMD Writers United Discord server during December 2023/January 2024. The prompt was:
'Often unsung, the Shopkeeps of the Mystery Dungeon world have some equally interesting stories with their strange items and dangerous locales…'
Special thanks to @Spiteful Murkrow for beta reading this and giving feedback.
Autumn was beginning to set in across the Mist Continent, a prelude to the heavy snowfalls that normally blanketed the land during wintertime. The continent rarely escaped the frigid weather near the end of the year, and the first signs of the cold weather came during autumn, as the warmth of summer began to fade and more unsettled weather started to take hold.
In Post Town, the signs of change were already evident. Trees were beginning to shed their foliage, peppering the town's paths in leafy patterns of red, yellow, green and brown. Windy days would occasionally strike the town, a woeful grievance for the merchants who had only tents to sell their wares from. In the famous Swanna House, the white-winged innkeeper Swanna Ginerva was beginning to shelve the thin summer sheets for thicker blankets, and prepared herself for the deluge of customers seeking out her sumptuous hot chocolate once the cold began setting in.
Whether in rain, sleet or snow, Post Town remained a busy outpost, and people far and wide came to it for supplies. It had mostly been that way since its humble founding as a trading post off the highway, and as people gathered over time, a settlement was born.
Post Town had seen an uptick in traffic in the last few years, mostly due to a spillover of interest from a new settlement to the town's east named 'Paradise' by its founder. Once upon a time, the land was nothing but a barren wasteland, but founder Haxorus Cadmus, along with his partner Samurott Noah, somehow defied the odds and moulded that land into a bustling centre of commerce where adventurers came to stake their claim in it with hopes of making a quick Poké.
Paradise's rise did not go unnoticed by Post Town's residents, and rumours were spreading that Post Town and Paradise might well merge in the near future if the upstart settlement continued to grow and sprawl beyond the badlands it was born in. Merchants from both sides were all in favour of the idea, hoping for greater opportunities for commerce and greater profits as a result of the merger. Some of them talked openly and excitedly about it, and it was beginning to look more and more likely by the day.
Change was in the air. But not every merchant was excited about the prospect as the others.
Rampardos Feldino wouldn't say he was against a merger with Paradise. The heroes who'd stopped the Bittercold had been valued customers of his for years, and Cadmus in his ambitious way made the plans sound grandiose and fruitful. Post Town's resident Box Buster didn't tend to think too much about the future; he very much liked living in the now, doing his job of smashing treasure chests plundered from Mystery Dungeons to get at their contents.
It was a job he liked doing, and one he was well-suited for. He was never good at stock-taking or money crunching - not like Kecleon Pirklys across the street from him, who navigated accounting spreadsheets almost as effortlessly as he did Mystery Dungeons to gather wares for his shop - and it was a wonder he was able to pass the exam at all to become a merchant. That had been a stressful time, but it was in the past where it belonged. Now he focused only on the present, where he bashed people's treasure boxes for a living. He was happy with his job, and wouldn't want it any other way.
The present was where Feldino liked being. The future, however…that was a different story.
Recently, his father, a Rampardos just like him, had swung by the shop, and began to inquire into a topic his son was reluctant to approach.
"You know, son, one of these days you're gonna need someone to take over the shop for ya," he had said. "Perhaps it's about time to start seriously looking around for a mate? I have connections all across the Mist Continent's merchants, and some beyond that! Here's one for ya - you know the famous quarrymon Garchomp Aeldrys? He's looking to marry off his daughter. He might be interested in hooking her up with a strapping young lad like yourself, eh?"
Feldino sighed as he remembered the exchange. Marriage meant change, something different which might mess up the happy life he had right now. What if his married partner turned out to be controlling and took advantage of him? What if he didn't look after his children enough, if he had any? It was a fearful look into the future, and the Rampardos didn't feel anywhere near ready right now to make that step.
Marrying some random merchant's daughter he didn't know was something he had no interest in. Nor did he want to follow Cadmus' romantic route and engage in what his Samurott partner called 'bromance'. Not that it was bad - it just wasn't the way he leaned.
No, Feldino had eyes for someone different - someone he already knew fairly well.
Cinccino Alva ran the gift shop opposite his Box Busting enterprise. She was a friendly, kindhearted sort whose smile was contagious; Feldino rarely saw customers walk away from her store dissatisfied, and often they had big smiles on their faces. She was also very amicable to him, waving to him from across the street and making small talk when they arrived at their stalls to set up shop for the day.
There was something about Alva's charm that made Feldino fuzzy and warm on the inside whenever she talked to him. Sometimes at work he'd have to avert his gaze from her so she couldn't see him blush. Even so much as hearing her voice made him want to hear more of it.
His job also gave him plenty of time to daydream until the next customer came along. And so his imagination would run wild with scenes of the two of them together, sitting under a tree eating homemade food for a picnic. Maybe she'd even lean in for a kiss, and love would be in the air then…
Suffice to say, Feldino didn't need to be told he had feelings for the girl. And he knew all he had to do was simply ask her out on a date.
But that was easier said than done.
Feldino could never pluck up the courage to do so. Even on the occasions when he rehearsed what he was going to say, nervousness shackled him, and the fear of looking foolish weighed him down to the point that he couldn't say what he wanted to say to Alva. His lack of courage tormented him, and he would beat himself up for missing too many good chances.
The Rampardos ruminated over how to get around his dilemma one afternoon, with his head in the clouds as it usually was. This time it was an imagined scenario of him saying his piece to her, and her laughing him off in a gut-wrenching rejection.
Alva wouldn't do that, he told himself. She's too much of a sweetheart to mock people.
Would she really not? another voice in his head said. You're too different from her. Come on, get that pipe dream out of your head. She's got much better people to-
"Oi! Feldino!"
"Ah!" Feldino snapped out of his stupor, and looked across his shop's counter. A familiar duo had shown up - Cadmus and Noah, the fellers of the Bittercold themselves.
"H-Hello, you two. What can I do for you?"
"Why else are we here?" Cadmus said, hauling a big treasure box out of their bag and onto the table. "There's the money," he added, sliding 150P the Rampardos' way.
"Thanks!" Feldino then gazed down at the box, before raising his head-
"HRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
-and slamming it down, breaking open the box. Cadmus's eyes lit up once he saw what was inside.
"A gold bar!" he exclaimed.
"Wow, lucky find!" Noah cheered.
"There you go, you two," Feldino said. He took the item out of the smashed box and presented it to the Haxorus.
"You know…how about you keep it this time?" Cadmus suggested.
"Keep it?" The Rampardos blinked. "Me?" Did I hear that right?
"Why not?" Cadmus shrugged. "Honestly, I don't need it. I've been raking in the dough over at Paradise. I don't really need more on top of what I already have. I mean, I could give it to Akhenaten, but eh, I'm feeling generous today."
"We do have plenty of funds," Noah added. "Plus, we've known you since we first arrived. Consider it a gift of friendship from us."
"Well, um…if you're sure."
"Of course I'm sure!" Cadmus said. "Take it!"
"...Alright, if you say so." Feldino took the gold bar and filed it away somewhere safe.
"I'm surprised, dear," Noah chuckled. "You normally give Murkrow a run for their money with your love for the shiny stuff."
"Hey, nothing wrong with a bit of generosity," retorted Cadmus. "Sure, I love money, but charity can go a long way."
"You definitely know your way around charity." Noah nuzzled his partner's side.
"Sure glad I took your little cute Oshawott face on board back in the day," Cadmus flirted. "Now I have a muscular, hunky otter for a partner - in more ways than one, eheh~."
"Oh stop it, you!" Noah laughed. "You're gonna make me blush!"
"That's the intended goal," Cadmus teased as he leant in to kiss his partner. "Come on, let's get back. I'm beat after that Dungeon delve."
The pair walked off, leaving Feldino behind. Their loving exchange did not go unnoticed by him.
Maybe that could be us, Alva…
He shook his head.
Nah. Surely she wouldn't fall for someone like me? She'd want someone more her type, like a Furret or a Spinda she can have an heir with. How would a big lug like me fit in with her?
His gaze then fell upon the gift shop. It was closed today, and he hadn't seen Alva that morning like he usually had. Maybe she's ill, he thought to himself. Or she ran out of wrapping paper. It could be a million different things. Don't worry about it too much; you have your own work to get on with.
Feldino put those thoughts to the back of his mind, as he saw a Mienshao approach his stall with a treasure box in their paws.
"Welcome!" he said, going into his familiar sales pitch. "I'm the Box Buster! Bring treasure boxes and I'll open 'em for 150P! Now what do we have here?"
For the rest of the day, Feldino resolved to keep his mind focused on his work. This was mostly successful; today happened to be busy by his standards, and so he could ignore the absence of his fellow merchant and muse.
But then evening arrived with its familiar chill, and still no Alva. Feldino frowned as he went to shut up his shop for the night. Where could she be?
Examining her stall yielded no results; there was a notice nailed onto it reading, CLOSED. Oh, that's helpful, Feldino inwardly snarked. Maybe I should ask someone if they've seen her? Shoulda asked Cadmus and Noah. They tend to know these things.
He headed up the street to where a Herdier was milling in the town square; a face he recognised.
"Hey, Archie!" Feldino asked. "Have you seen Alva at all today?"
"Alva? Och, I wish." Archie shook his head. "I was there in th' mornin' wantin' a gift for mah wean's hatchday, but she wisnae in. I dinnae ken where she is, laddie."
"Oh…" The Rampardos bowed his head in disappointment.
"Dinnae fash," the Herdier assured. "I'm sure she's in good nick."
"I guess…"
Feldino wasn't satisfied by that answer as he walked back to his stall, and his mind was on the Cinccino for the rest of the evening.
Feldino woke the next morning ready to set up shop once again. He hoped the doubt within him would dispel after seeing Alva at her shop, and that he was worrying over nothing.
But the early hours came and went, and no Alva. Extra strange - the Cinccino was never late to set up shop. Feldino had rarely seen her open her shop after him, if at all.
His gut twinged with anxiety. Something had happened to her. I'd bet my merchant's licence on it.
"Where could she be?" Feldino muttered worriedly. He found his mind running astray with various possibilities for what could've happened to her. Sick and bedridden, fallen and broken her leg, or - worst of all - being trapped in a Mystery Dungeon with no one to help her.
"Fwohoho! Worried for your fellow merchant, are we?"
Feldino jumped at the sudden telepathic connection. He wasn't expecting to hear it, and not from him of all people.
Perhaps the loudest, boisterous, most obnoxious of all of Post Town's merchants, a Cofagrigus spoke. Feldino could see in his head the leer of menacing opportunity ever-present on the Ghost-type's face.
"Well, I ASSURE you! If you hand one gold bar over to I, Cofagrigus Akhenaten at GLORIOUS GOLD, then I'll tell you EXACTLY where Cinccino Alva disappeared to!"
Feldino would normally have dismissed his fellow merchant yelling loudly at him. Sometimes Akhenaten's sales pitches were delivered so over-dramatically that it'd make passersby and other merchants roll their eyes. Even Pirklys' sales pitches were never that ostentatious.
But the Cofagrigus's offer gave him pause. A gold bar…I have one! he realised, recalling Cadmus's generosity from yesterday. He took the bar out of storage, and looked around to see how customer traffic looked.
…No one for a while. Gonna chance it.
Feldino hung a notice on his stall indicating his temporary closure, and headed over to Glorious Gold a few streets away. There, Akhenaten awaited him.
"Ah! GLORIOUS!" His eyes lit up at the sight of the gold bar. "Welcome to GLORIOUS GOLD, fellow merchant! I see you've come to take me up on my offer!"
It's way too early for this, Feldino inwardly groaned. "Only if you promise to tell me where Alva is." He gave the Cofagrigus a serious look. "She could be in big danger right now. I'm not having any 'strings attached' dealings here."
"You WOUND me!" Akhenaten said in mock hurt. "There are no shady dealings here at GLORIOUS GOLD! Only GLORIOUS dealings with GOLDEN integrity here at GLORIOUS GOLD! You only need give me GOLD, and in return you will get GLORY! For that GLORY, you-"
"I'm not here for your sales pitch!" Feldino yelled. "Just tell me where Alva is!"
"Down to business right away? Very well!" The Cofagrigus was unfazed by the Rampardos's yell, his grin never faltering. "That Cinccino merchant has been troubled lately! You see, there's a sickness in her family! Her aging mother, to be exact! And so she's gone hunting for medicinal ingredients to cure her! Mystery Dungeons are rife with such cures! She's gone to Panacea Meadow to find one!"
"Panacea Meadow?" Feldino gulped. So Alva had gone to a Mystery Dungeon. It was a newer one that had cropped up in the past few months. He didn't know much about it, but from what he'd heard, it had been a handful for some.
"Indeed! Is she alive? Or has Yveltal claimed her soul? What a GLORIOUS suspense!" boomed Akhenaten.
Our definition of 'glorious' differs in this case, buddy. "S-Sure. Thanks a lot, Akhenaten," Feldino said, before turning to leave.
"Come back again! And make sure to bring GOLD with you!"
Once out of sight of the merchant, he broke out into a sprint for Paradise. In times like this, he knew just who to call upon.
"What do you mean they're out right now?!"
Feldino could hardly believe what he had heard from Ratona, the Azumarill receptionist that worked in Paradise.
"Just that," Ratona told him. "I'm sorry, but they headed out on a mission a half an hour ago. We can take your request and give it to them when they come back, though."
"No!" Feldino protested. "We need to do something now! Alva's trapped in a Mystery Dungeon and she needs to be rescued! Every minute matters!"
"I understand your desperation, but please calm down," Ratona implored. "Cadmus and Noah can't be everywhere at once."
"...But Alva's in danger…" Feldino begged, his head hung in a pleading manner.
"I'm sorry, but you may need to take it up with someone else if you aren't willing to wait."
No…I can't wait. Feldino was beginning to feel desperate. Alva's out there alone with no one to rescue her. If I don't do something, then…!
If I don't do something…
Feldino then made his decision.
"...Fine. If Cadmus and Noah aren't around to save her…" The Rampardos then turned on his heels and began to leave Paradise.
"...Then I'll go."
Feldino had experience with Mystery Dungeons. Any merchant who travelled would eventually have to go through them and either have to hire escorts or fend for themselves. Since the former option quickly grew expensive, many merchants opted to learn self-defence of some kind, in order to protect their wares from the ferals that inhabited the Dungeons.
Alas, it had been some time since Feldino had travelled, and he was largely out of practice with his combat skills. His attacks against the ferals of Panacea Meadow were sluggish and weak, and he found his sense of balance to be off, with him falling over in one altercation against a feral Eldegoss.
Three floors in, and it also occurred to him that in his haste to save Alva, he had forgotten to bring any items with him. But now that he was in Panacea Meadow's Dungeon, he couldn't just turn back and get some. Going into a Mystery Dungeon without adequate supplies was one of the more common reasons for Pokémon needing rescue, and Feldino had put himself in that unenviable position in his rush.
Dammit, he cursed to himself. Dad would kill me if he heard about this. He was always one to bang on about necessary preparations…Still, no turning back now.
He did make use of some items he found on his way, such as blast, stun and sleep seeds which he hurled at ferals in his path. However, with no bag, he couldn't hold all the things he picked up.
It didn't help that the ferals often held an advantage over him. He could stamp out the Ribombee and Combee without issue, but the Grass-types were a completely different story. Lilligant's Teeter Dances made him dizzy while the Leech Seeds of Whimsicott drained his energy and ensnared him in place. The ferals also cast spores and powders of all kinds, impeding Feldino's progress
Worse still, the Razor Leaf and other Grass attacks would pierce his rocky hide, much as they did after an attack from a persistent Leafeon. Feldino found himself wincing in pain and panting hard from the skirmish, and had he not luckily happened across an oran berry not long after, he really would've been in trouble.
Through it all, the Rampardos kept searching. She has to be in here somewhere, he thought. Come on, Alva, where are you?
Six floors in, and still no sign of the Cinccino.
By now, Feldino's gut was a storm of anxiety. He had scoured all of the previous floors thoroughly, and he was really beginning to grow worried. His head swirled with thoughts, all of them doubts and what ifs.
Did I not search enough? Was Alva on one of the previous floors and I missed her? What if she's not even here? What if Akhenaten was lying and led me to the wrong place? That sly ghost! Why would he even-
He stopped himself in his thoughts and breathed in and out.
Calm down, calm down. Feldino reassured himself. Akhenaten may have screws loose, but he wouldn't lie and put me in danger. Right? Alva has to be here - she has to be!
He strolled through the floor, keeping his eyes peeled for a grey and white shape amidst the green grass and vibrant flowers. He found an apple on his travels and munched on it. He didn't feel like eating with how anxious he'd been, but his tummy had been voicing its growing emptiness as his delve went on. Collapsing out of hunger was not something he wanted to deal with either, and so he ate in spite of the unease in his gut.
Oddly, the floor seemed quiet. On each floor thus far, Feldino had at least one scuffle with a feral, sometimes several. But here, the sounds were distant, of feral Tranquill chirping in the distance or Kricketune trilling their familiar shrill cry.
It was too quiet. Something was off about this floor. There was normally some reason why floors would be this quiet in Mystery Dungeons, but his absence from Dungeon delving had meant he couldn't recall what it was.
The Rampardos racked his brains, but came up short. I never was a thinker, he lamented. A thinker would've at least remembered a bag before coming here. I'm not cut out for this…
Those thoughts didn't ease his anxiety at all. But he knew that giving up was not an option. If he gave up, he would slump to the ground in despair until the Dungeon kicked him out. And with the stories he'd heard about those who had been kicked out of Dungeons before, that was not something he wanted to deal with.
It occurred to him that in his search, he had not yet seen the stairs. But then he rounded a corner in the labyrinth, and happened upon a big open clearing.
At the far wall of it sat a set of stony steps. But in the middle of the clearing, he saw a grey and white shape laying there with big ears and a scarf-like fur around their neck. Feldino's eyes widened like saucers as he realised he knew exactly who the figure was.
"Alva!" Feldino cried out, running towards her. He lightly shook her, attempting to rouse the Cinccino from unconsciousness.
"Mmm…nrgh…" The Cinccino's eyes opened. She looked over, before blinking at the sight before her. "F-Feldino? Is…that you?"
"It is me! Thank the gods you're alive! I was really worried about you!" The Rampardos almost shed a tear. "Are you okay?"
"Not really…" Alva didn't sound well. She seemed weak, and Feldino noticed a number of cuts and bruises flecking her body.
"What happened to you?" he asked, as he lent a hand forward to help her up.
"A-Attacked," the Cinccino said, taking his hand in hers. "The f-ferals got me and took my herbs." She winced at her wounds.
Oh dear…The ferals got to her. Feldino worriedly gazed down at Alva's cuts. Good thing I found her, otherwise she'd still be at their mercy.
"Don't worry, Alva! I'll patch you up!" The Rampardos was full of resolve. "There should be some orans somewhere on this floor! Let me just-"
"G-Get out of here…"
Feldino stopped in his tracks.
"...What?" He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly.
"Y-You need to get out of here now. F-Feldino, we're in a…"
Alva didn't need to finish her sentence. Feldino looked around him in horror, as a multitude of Pokémon suddenly emerged from the trees and undergrowth. Various species looked upon the foreigners to their habitat with varying reactions - the Shiinotic glowed, the Ribombee giggled, the Whimsicott grinned and the Lilligant glared.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Feldino now realised why the floor had been so silent. Why he had the nagging feeling that the quiet floor was a bad omen.
"It's a M-M-M-M-M-Monster House!"
Just as he'd yelled these words, multiple projectiles flew his and Alva's way. Energy Balls, Stun Spores, Poison Powders and Bullet Seeds sailed in at them, some of them striking true.
"Aaaaaargh!" Two Energy Balls grazed Feldino's front, and he staggered backwards. That left Alva open, and a Vivillon enveloped her in a Poison Powder.
"Urgh…N-No…" Alva let out a sickly cough, before a Seed Bomb exploded in front of her, throwing her back and eliciting a cry of pain from her.
"Alva!" Feldino cried.
Feldino's worry turned to fury as the ferals drew closer. He stamped his feet angrily, with shards of rock and earth breaking from the ground and hitting ferals all around him.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Feldino moved in to protect her, his arms spread out in a defensive manner. The wounded Cinccino stared in amazement at the Rampardos's zeal, but that amazement was immediately overwritten by fear.
"R-Run, Feldino!" she cried. "You can't fight them all off!"
"I won't run away! I'm not leaving you behind!" Feldino shot, before taking a flurry of Bullet Seeds to the stomach. "Ow! Ouch…"
"Feldino, please! You can't-" A fit of coughing overtook the Cinccino.
"Nnnrgh…" Feldino panted in exhaustion, looking at the horde closing in on them. Their ranks hadn't thinned in the least, while he was a stone's throw away from losing consciousness.
I can't fall here…Not until I've gotten Alva out safely!
He looked around in desperation. The stairs were blocked off by a swarm of angry Beedrill. A group of Whimsicott and Lilligant blocked the way he came in. Feldino and Alva were well and truly trapped.
Then Feldino's gaze looked down, and over towards where an Arboliva danced, a small round object glinted. An orb.
Maybe I can do something with that? It's not like I have any other options!
Feldino summoned his strength to charge towards the Arboliva, his skull aglow in a pink energy. He slammed his head against the feral, which stood no chance against his Zen Headbutt. With the obstruction cleared, he grabbed the orb and smashed it.
He hadn't bothered checking what orb it was - there was no time to.
But suddenly, Feldino's vision was enveloped in white, as the world around him shifted.
"Urrrrrgh…"
It took a bit before the white faded from Feldino's eyes. But once he could see again, it became apparent to him what had happened.
He wasn't in the labyrinth anymore, but rather out in the open. On top of that, something about his surroundings looked familiar, when he realised he'd seen it going into the Dungeon.
I'm at the entrance, the Rampardos thought. Must have been an escape orb, then. Whew…that was a close one. I might well have been a goner if I'd stayed any longer.
Then he remembered.
"Alva!" he cried. Did she come with me? Oh Creator, please, please, please don't tell me I left her behind in the Dungeon! No no no no no no-
He looked behind him in panic, but then he saw the familiar form of the Cinccino, lying a few feet behind him.
"Oh, thank heavens." He let out a sigh of relief, and went over to her side. She's safe.
"We're…outside?" Alva asked, looking around her.
"Yeah. I think that orb I shattered in there was an escape orb," Feldino told her. "At least we're out of there."
"What?" Alva's ears pricked in mild alarm. "...But my herbs…I-I need them. My mother's not well…" She broke off, as a harsh fit of coughing came over her.
"You're not well right now, either," Feldino fretted. "We need to get you home. The cure's gonna have to wait another day."
"But Mama…"
"She'll understand, won't she? I don't know if any mother would want her daughter risking herself like that." Feldino knew his own mother would probably be the same way.
"..." Alva didn't respond. Instead, she leant against a nearby tree, panting heavily.
"You alright?" the Rampardos asked.
"N-No…I feel dizzy," she said. "And nauseous…"
"I'll carry you home," Feldino offered. "That way you don't have to walk."
Alva looked up at him in surprise.
"A-Are you sure?" She looked him up and down, concerned at his wounds. "Y-You don't look to be in a good way either."
He wasn't. The Rampardos felt like he was going to pass out, after the onslaught against him in the Monster House. But I can't do that, he told himself. Not until I get Alva home.
"I know," he said. "But I can get by. Maybe we'll find an oran bush on the way. Pechas too, hopefully." He was trying to sound optimistic.
"...A-Alright," Alva accepted. Feldino bent down and picked her up, putting her on the scruff of his neck, like he was giving her a piggyback.
He took a breath, and began the long walk home.
Feldino's hope for berry bushes was eventually answered. Shrubs adorned with familiar blue and pink berries lay by a quiet side path just off the main road back to Post Town.
It couldn't have come at a better time, either. Alva had become less responsive as the journey had gone on, and she had stopped talking in order to conserve her energy. Feldino tried to hasten his pace, but he too had to contend with his injuries slowing him down and him having to make stops every so often so the two of them could rest.
As a result, it was nearing evening by the time he reached the path in question. At least a handy signpost nearby read 'Post Town - 3km', meaning that they were a stone's throw away from their destination. Another bit and they'd be home.
Feldino let Alva down, and picked some orans and pechas for the both of them. The Cinccino nibbled at them, praying they weren't lookalike berries that would make her more sick than she already was.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case; the sickly purple patches on Alva began to fade after she started eating, and she began to feel a bit better. Feldino too, felt the cuts along his hide start to heal up after gobbling a few orans.
"You alright now?" Feldino asked.
"Yes, I think I am," Alva said. "We just need to wait a bit longer, and then I'll be right as rain."
"Good." The Rampardos leaned back against a tree. "Man…I'm beat after all that." He couldn't hide the weariness in his voice. "Can we rest a bit longer?"
"...As you wish."
Alva's gaze drifted away from her fellow merchant to the land around them. The setting sun bathed the land in an orange glow, and shone upon the autumnally colourful trees as a distant lake's surface glinted under the evening sunlight. The whole landscape was rather stunning to look at. The Mist Continent was known for its wintertime auroras, but the scene before the two merchants was proof enough the continent's beauty was hardly limited to just the winter months.
The Cinccino would normally be fixated on the view and taking it all in. But her mind was elsewhere that evening. She couldn't get Feldino's actions earlier out of her mind, and the way he'd braved a Mystery Dungeon and a Monster House to save her.
She just wasn't sure if she understood it at all, and one question kept lingering with her the entire time…
"Why?"
"Hm?" Feldino looked over at Alva.
"Why did you save me?"
"W-Well, I…" The Rampardos hesitated as a flustered look came over his face. "I was getting worried. All yesterday and this morning, you weren't there at your stall. You're normally always there! But It couldn't hurt to double check, but Cadmus and Noah were out doing missions, so I couldn't ask them. So…I went to Panacea Meadow."
"Even knowing how dangerous it was?"
"I know Dungeons are dangerous. But what if no one else came? What if you were hurt worse than you were? Or worse still…" Feldino didn't finish that sentence, shuddering at what could've been.
His worry gave Alva pause for thought, and seeing him fret over her made the Cinccino feel a twinge of guilt.
"...I was absent from my stall because I was looking after my mother," Alva explained. "She fell ill recently, and we ran out of medical supplies. Hence why I was in Panacea Meadow getting more."
"Yeah, I heard." Feldino nodded. "Akhenaten told me." Alva's expression briefly turned sour at the mention of the Ghost-type, her arms folding in contempt.
"That Cofragrigus needs to keep his mind out of others." she harrumphed. "I would've asked Cadmus and Noah, but they were busy with other missions. So…I didn't really have a choice. I had to go on my own.
"In retrospect…that was a mistake. I should've asked Cadmus and Noah's other peers. Like Falchion or Belka. ...At the very least I could've explained why I was absent." Alva said, giving an apologetic look to her fellow merchant. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Feldino."
"It's fine," the Rampardos said. "At least you're safe and sound now."
Silence reigned for a while, as Feldino continued to rest. Luckily, he nor Alva were in pain, with their cuts beginning to heal thanks to the berries. The Cinccino said nothing, instead taking in the quiet of the evening and mulling over her thoughts. However, that feeling of guilt had grown within her as she thought more about what the Rampardos had done for her.
He braved a Mystery Dungeon and a Monster House just to save me, she thought. He braved all of that out of the kindness of his heart…for me. For someone who doesn't talk to him nearly enough for how regularly we see each other.
They did see each other just about every day, and now that she thought about it, Alva recalled the various times her gaze met his, when he seemed to be absentminded. On a number of occasions, he'd immediately averted his gaze, and now that she thought about it some more, she swore she caught the vaguest hint of a blush on his face a few times when they talked.
Hmm…I wonder. Could it be…?
"Feldino?" Alva asked.
"Yes, Alva?"
The Cinccino pondered how to word her question, before deciding to just ask it outright.
"Do you like me?"
Feldino went rigid.
"O-Of course I like you!" he said. "I-I wouldn't have come out to rescue you if I didn't like you! …Why?" His expression suddenly became pleading. "Did I make you sad at all?"
"No, it's not that. You haven't done anything." Alva shook her head. "I meant 'like' as in…like."
That got a reaction out of him. Feldino suddenly became flustered, and his eyes darted around looking anywhere else but at the Cinccino.
"...Um! U-Um, er, um…!" he stammered. "M-Maybe? I-I-I don't know!"
"...You think that I haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Fear began to creep into the Rampardos's voice.
"The way you look over at me whenever you're running your stall," Alva said. "It's the face of someone who wants to admit their feelings, but is too shy to ask them. From my experience with you…that does seem like you. No offence intended, of course."
"Ah! W-Well, that's…!" Feldino's face was beginning to redden with embarrassment. "I-It's not what it looks like! I…" He trailed off, having no words.
"It's okay, Feldino. Just speak your mind," Alva said. "There's no one around to hear you or make fun of you. It's only you and me. Just tell me yes or no to this simple question:
"Feldino…do you have feelings for me?"
"D-Do I have…?" Feldino trembled with nervousness. But eventually, he took a deep breath, and shakily gave his reply.
"Y-Yes. I…think I have feelings for you, Alva." The Rampardos tried to look her earnestly in the eye. His attempt at composure was undercut by his shaking hands.
"...I see. So I wasn't wrong."
"I-I like seeing you at your stall every day. It makes me happy seeing you there," he insisted. "A-And the way you're so kind and upbeat, and the way you smile and talk and just keep a happy face…It makes my day. It really does. I-I like you, Alva. I really do."
Feldino stopped, sheepishly clawing the back of his head.
"S-Sorry," he apologised. "Didn't mean to ramble."
"It's alright," the Cinccino said, before letting out a titter. "Well, there you are. All you needed to do was admit your feelings. That wasn't too hard, was it?"
"Y-Yeah, hehe…" Feldino laughed, and Alva swore the blush on her fellow merchant's face grew deeper after her laugh. "I do like you, Alva. I like you a lot. I-I don't know if this is love, but…i-it could well be."
Alva didn't say anything at first. In truth, she was partly stunned at the sudden confession from the Rampardos. She had suspected he had feelings for her for a while now, but to actually hear the words come out of his mouth was a different experience altogether.
She honestly wasn't sure what to think. The only people that had ever asked her out were folks that had too much to drink over at Ginerva's. But that was just casual flirting, and she wasn't one for feelings confessed on a whim by drunks who barely knew her, if they even knew her in the first place.
This was different. Feldino's confession was much more heartfelt. It was the words of someone who clearly had those feelings welling up in him for some time. And she knew him; he was an honest soul who couldn't tell a lie. It was almost cute how flustered he had become in his confession.
Maybe I should speak my mind too.
"I'm glad you like me," she began. "Genuinely, I'm glad. Truth be told, I've always liked you too. The way you run your shop, how friendly you are, and the enthusiasm with which you bust those treasure boxes." She giggled at that last part. "Enthusiastic to the point of busting up your own shop a few years back."
"H-Hey! You gotta put gusto into your work!" Feldino defended. "That's how merchants do it! You know what Pirklys and Akhenaten are like with their sales pitches!"
After his initial defence, the Rampardos sighed. "Busting up the shop…Man, that was embarrassing. Now you know why I do my business outside these days."
"Indeed. Hee hee," Alva laughed. "I also like how friendly you are, Feldino. You're a real gentle giant; that's what you are."
Giant was certainly true from her perspective; he was at least twice her size, and she had to crane her neck upward to see his reaction.
"But I like that. You're honest and would never tell a lie," she said. "Those looks you keep giving me when we're running our stalls aren't the wily looks of a flirter. They're the looks of someone who cares."
Feldino's eyes widened at the unexpected praise.
"A-Alva…"
"And now, after how you saved me from the meadow, I can see you do genuinely care for my wellbeing." Alva felt her lip begin to tremble, as emotion crept into her voice. "This might be insensitive to say, but I confess I never did think of you romantically. Until now, I only really saw you as a friend."
"...Oh. I see…" Feldino hung his head in dismay.
"But maybe I should reconsider that," Alva continued, making the Rampardos lift his head up again. "Because after today…I think I may have feelings for you too, Feldino."
"Y-You mean it?" Feldino's eyes sparked with hope.
"Yes, Feldino. I-I do." Tears of joy began to drip down the Cinccino's cheeks, as the words left her mouth.
"A-Alva…Alva!" Similar tears cascaded down Feldino's face. "Y-You…Oh, Alva!"
He tried to hug her, but that proved tricky with his short arms and her small stature. But once Alva grasped his claws and he felt the warmth of her furry paws, he settled into that, leaning into her as he let the waterworks flow. Alva stood by his side all the while, making sure that his love was reciprocated.
"Shh. It's okay," she soothed. "Let it all out."
It took another while of crying before Feldino calmed down enough to speak again.
"Y-You like me…I can't believe it." His voice was quiet, and he sounded well and truly astonished.
"All you had to do was ask." Alva rested her head against the Rampardos' body. It was hardly pillow-like, being rock hard instead, but in that moment, it felt comforting to lean against the one she was feeling affectionate about.
"I-I'm sorry," Feldino suddenly apologised. "I should've spoken up sooner."
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Alva said. "I wasn't sure of my feelings either. But at least we've confessed them now."
"...Better late than never, I guess."
"Mmhm." Alva nodded. "Better than having our unconfessed feelings eating us up from the inside."
Silence reigned briefly. Feldino lay back against the tree, still processing what had just happened.
"So…I guess I gotta take you out on dates now, huh?" he said, mirthfully.
"If you want. But there's no pressure," Alva said.
"Would you like to have a picnic somewhere sometime?" the Rampardos suggested.
"Ooh yes, please." Alva's eyes lit up. "I haven't had a picnic in some time now."
"I can't remember the last time I had one," Feldino said. "That's why I want to have one with you. I'm not really much of a cook, but I can make sandwiches with berry jam and bring them."
"And I'll bring homemade biscuits and scones," Alva offered. "I'll see what else I can make when I get home."
"A-Ah…" Feldino had a silly, happy smile on his face, complimenting the blush plastered across it. "I can't believe it. I'm actually going on a picnic with Alva…"
"You're cute when you blush," Alva pointed out, with a slight giggle.
"H-Hey, I'm not blushing!"
"Sure, you're not. Now could you come a little closer, please?" A coy look had suddenly come across Alva's face.
"Um, sure." Feldino did as Alva requested, bringing his head down to meet hers. Alva leant closer and…
…Brought her lips to his cheek, before giving him a kiss.
Feldino went stiff in shock, his eyes wide in amazement as he stared down at Alva.
"A k-kiss! Y-You kissed me!" he exclaimed. "M-My first kiss…"
"Hopefully the first of many to come." Alva winked at him.
"A-Alva!" If Feldino's face got any redder, it would put the ripest tamato berry to shame. "Th-Thank you so much for that! How am I ever going to repay you for this..?"
"With lots of love," Alva replied. "But you'll be giving that in spades in the future, I'm sure. Consider it something to be repaid over time."
"Don't be a merchant now of all times," Feldino said, with a mirthful chuckle. "You'll sound like Pirklys."
A smirk crossed Alva's face.
"Maybe that's how he dates, using only merchant lingo," she joked.
"That…doesn't sound like he'd get very far." The Rampardos tilted his head.
"My point exactly. When was the last time you saw him dating anyone?"
"Haha!" Feldino laughed at that. "Does anyone even date Kecleon merchants?"
"...Other Kecleon merchants?" Alva shrugged. "Though I'm not sure. Why not ask Pirklys when we get back?"
"I think I'll pass." Feldino shook his head. "He'll probably say that's 'confidential business', anyway."
"Fair point."
The two said nothing for the next while, choosing to bask in the evening sun and also savour the feeling of joy between them. The Rampardos and Cinccino's gazes fell upon one another, and they smiled; Feldino's was a silly, goofy grin, while Alva's smile was more serene.
Eventually, Feldino moved to get up.
"We should get going. It'll get dark soon." He rose to his feet, wincing at the phantom pains of the ferals' attacks. "Oof, I'm gonna feel this tomorrow…"
"Are you okay?" Alva asked.
"Yeah. Just need to rest up once I get home," the Rampardos assured her. "At least I won't have to carry you anymore, now that you're healthy again."
"Yes." Alva got up from her sitting position. "Again, thank you for saving me."
"No problem," Feldino said.
"I wish I could've gotten what I wanted with the search for medicine," the Cinccino admitted. "But I can always go another time. Maybe I'll ask Cadmus and Noah tomorrow to get it."
"We can't rely on them all the time, surely?" Feldino said.
"I overheard Cadmus saying the other evening in Swanna's that he would need to change things up with how many mission requests he and Noah were getting." Alva chuckled at that. "It turns out saving the world from calamity has quite the effect on one's popularity."
"It sure does." Feldino snickered at a memory. "They can't go shopping these days without someone asking for an autograph."
"Their deeds have certainly helped Paradise's growth," Alva said. "People come from all over just to see them in the flesh. Some of them then choose to stay in Paradise with the hope of working under them. And I hear Cadmus has been hiring some of them to carry out the same adventurer-style work that he and Noah do.
"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Noah set up their own independent rescuer branch away from HAPPI, with their own fleet of 'mons," the Cinccino went on. "Paradise is attracting a lot of people, and doing these missions might help those people to better get a foothold in the new land."
"That…makes sense," Feldino said. "It'll probably attract a fair amount of people. With more people in town, there'll be more business, and with more business, Paradise'll keep getting bigger and bigger…"
His thoughts then went to the talk of the town, especially among merchants like him and Alva: the rumours of a merger between Post Town and Paradise. A source of change he had been mildly anxious about.
I wonder what Alva thinks about it? Feldino thought, and decided to ask.
"Say, what do you think about that merger everyone's talking about?" he wondered.
"Oh, that? Well, if it does happen, we'll probably get more customers, which is a good thing," Alva said. "But honestly, I don't care what happens. As long as I can still run my shop like I do every day, I'll be happy."
"Yeah…same here," Feldino decided. "Hopefully most things will still be the same. I'll be fine as long as I can still do business."
He looked down at Alva, and smiled warmly.
"...And I also have the one I love."
Alva smiled back at him, with a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest.
"Feldino…"
"Alva…" Feldino kept up the smile of contentment.
The two lovers walked home to Post Town as the sun set. The day was coming to a close…but with its close, a new beginning was dawning.
They'd finally found the loving relationship that had laid in wait for them for so long.
'Often unsung, the Shopkeeps of the Mystery Dungeon world have some equally interesting stories with their strange items and dangerous locales…'
Special thanks to @Spiteful Murkrow for beta reading this and giving feedback.
Autumn was beginning to set in across the Mist Continent, a prelude to the heavy snowfalls that normally blanketed the land during wintertime. The continent rarely escaped the frigid weather near the end of the year, and the first signs of the cold weather came during autumn, as the warmth of summer began to fade and more unsettled weather started to take hold.
In Post Town, the signs of change were already evident. Trees were beginning to shed their foliage, peppering the town's paths in leafy patterns of red, yellow, green and brown. Windy days would occasionally strike the town, a woeful grievance for the merchants who had only tents to sell their wares from. In the famous Swanna House, the white-winged innkeeper Swanna Ginerva was beginning to shelve the thin summer sheets for thicker blankets, and prepared herself for the deluge of customers seeking out her sumptuous hot chocolate once the cold began setting in.
Whether in rain, sleet or snow, Post Town remained a busy outpost, and people far and wide came to it for supplies. It had mostly been that way since its humble founding as a trading post off the highway, and as people gathered over time, a settlement was born.
Post Town had seen an uptick in traffic in the last few years, mostly due to a spillover of interest from a new settlement to the town's east named 'Paradise' by its founder. Once upon a time, the land was nothing but a barren wasteland, but founder Haxorus Cadmus, along with his partner Samurott Noah, somehow defied the odds and moulded that land into a bustling centre of commerce where adventurers came to stake their claim in it with hopes of making a quick Poké.
Paradise's rise did not go unnoticed by Post Town's residents, and rumours were spreading that Post Town and Paradise might well merge in the near future if the upstart settlement continued to grow and sprawl beyond the badlands it was born in. Merchants from both sides were all in favour of the idea, hoping for greater opportunities for commerce and greater profits as a result of the merger. Some of them talked openly and excitedly about it, and it was beginning to look more and more likely by the day.
Change was in the air. But not every merchant was excited about the prospect as the others.
Rampardos Feldino wouldn't say he was against a merger with Paradise. The heroes who'd stopped the Bittercold had been valued customers of his for years, and Cadmus in his ambitious way made the plans sound grandiose and fruitful. Post Town's resident Box Buster didn't tend to think too much about the future; he very much liked living in the now, doing his job of smashing treasure chests plundered from Mystery Dungeons to get at their contents.
It was a job he liked doing, and one he was well-suited for. He was never good at stock-taking or money crunching - not like Kecleon Pirklys across the street from him, who navigated accounting spreadsheets almost as effortlessly as he did Mystery Dungeons to gather wares for his shop - and it was a wonder he was able to pass the exam at all to become a merchant. That had been a stressful time, but it was in the past where it belonged. Now he focused only on the present, where he bashed people's treasure boxes for a living. He was happy with his job, and wouldn't want it any other way.
The present was where Feldino liked being. The future, however…that was a different story.
Recently, his father, a Rampardos just like him, had swung by the shop, and began to inquire into a topic his son was reluctant to approach.
"You know, son, one of these days you're gonna need someone to take over the shop for ya," he had said. "Perhaps it's about time to start seriously looking around for a mate? I have connections all across the Mist Continent's merchants, and some beyond that! Here's one for ya - you know the famous quarrymon Garchomp Aeldrys? He's looking to marry off his daughter. He might be interested in hooking her up with a strapping young lad like yourself, eh?"
Feldino sighed as he remembered the exchange. Marriage meant change, something different which might mess up the happy life he had right now. What if his married partner turned out to be controlling and took advantage of him? What if he didn't look after his children enough, if he had any? It was a fearful look into the future, and the Rampardos didn't feel anywhere near ready right now to make that step.
Marrying some random merchant's daughter he didn't know was something he had no interest in. Nor did he want to follow Cadmus' romantic route and engage in what his Samurott partner called 'bromance'. Not that it was bad - it just wasn't the way he leaned.
No, Feldino had eyes for someone different - someone he already knew fairly well.
Cinccino Alva ran the gift shop opposite his Box Busting enterprise. She was a friendly, kindhearted sort whose smile was contagious; Feldino rarely saw customers walk away from her store dissatisfied, and often they had big smiles on their faces. She was also very amicable to him, waving to him from across the street and making small talk when they arrived at their stalls to set up shop for the day.
There was something about Alva's charm that made Feldino fuzzy and warm on the inside whenever she talked to him. Sometimes at work he'd have to avert his gaze from her so she couldn't see him blush. Even so much as hearing her voice made him want to hear more of it.
His job also gave him plenty of time to daydream until the next customer came along. And so his imagination would run wild with scenes of the two of them together, sitting under a tree eating homemade food for a picnic. Maybe she'd even lean in for a kiss, and love would be in the air then…
Suffice to say, Feldino didn't need to be told he had feelings for the girl. And he knew all he had to do was simply ask her out on a date.
But that was easier said than done.
Feldino could never pluck up the courage to do so. Even on the occasions when he rehearsed what he was going to say, nervousness shackled him, and the fear of looking foolish weighed him down to the point that he couldn't say what he wanted to say to Alva. His lack of courage tormented him, and he would beat himself up for missing too many good chances.
The Rampardos ruminated over how to get around his dilemma one afternoon, with his head in the clouds as it usually was. This time it was an imagined scenario of him saying his piece to her, and her laughing him off in a gut-wrenching rejection.
Alva wouldn't do that, he told himself. She's too much of a sweetheart to mock people.
Would she really not? another voice in his head said. You're too different from her. Come on, get that pipe dream out of your head. She's got much better people to-
"Oi! Feldino!"
"Ah!" Feldino snapped out of his stupor, and looked across his shop's counter. A familiar duo had shown up - Cadmus and Noah, the fellers of the Bittercold themselves.
"H-Hello, you two. What can I do for you?"
"Why else are we here?" Cadmus said, hauling a big treasure box out of their bag and onto the table. "There's the money," he added, sliding 150P the Rampardos' way.
"Thanks!" Feldino then gazed down at the box, before raising his head-
"HRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
-and slamming it down, breaking open the box. Cadmus's eyes lit up once he saw what was inside.
"A gold bar!" he exclaimed.
"Wow, lucky find!" Noah cheered.
"There you go, you two," Feldino said. He took the item out of the smashed box and presented it to the Haxorus.
"You know…how about you keep it this time?" Cadmus suggested.
"Keep it?" The Rampardos blinked. "Me?" Did I hear that right?
"Why not?" Cadmus shrugged. "Honestly, I don't need it. I've been raking in the dough over at Paradise. I don't really need more on top of what I already have. I mean, I could give it to Akhenaten, but eh, I'm feeling generous today."
"We do have plenty of funds," Noah added. "Plus, we've known you since we first arrived. Consider it a gift of friendship from us."
"Well, um…if you're sure."
"Of course I'm sure!" Cadmus said. "Take it!"
"...Alright, if you say so." Feldino took the gold bar and filed it away somewhere safe.
"I'm surprised, dear," Noah chuckled. "You normally give Murkrow a run for their money with your love for the shiny stuff."
"Hey, nothing wrong with a bit of generosity," retorted Cadmus. "Sure, I love money, but charity can go a long way."
"You definitely know your way around charity." Noah nuzzled his partner's side.
"Sure glad I took your little cute Oshawott face on board back in the day," Cadmus flirted. "Now I have a muscular, hunky otter for a partner - in more ways than one, eheh~."
"Oh stop it, you!" Noah laughed. "You're gonna make me blush!"
"That's the intended goal," Cadmus teased as he leant in to kiss his partner. "Come on, let's get back. I'm beat after that Dungeon delve."
The pair walked off, leaving Feldino behind. Their loving exchange did not go unnoticed by him.
Maybe that could be us, Alva…
He shook his head.
Nah. Surely she wouldn't fall for someone like me? She'd want someone more her type, like a Furret or a Spinda she can have an heir with. How would a big lug like me fit in with her?
His gaze then fell upon the gift shop. It was closed today, and he hadn't seen Alva that morning like he usually had. Maybe she's ill, he thought to himself. Or she ran out of wrapping paper. It could be a million different things. Don't worry about it too much; you have your own work to get on with.
Feldino put those thoughts to the back of his mind, as he saw a Mienshao approach his stall with a treasure box in their paws.
"Welcome!" he said, going into his familiar sales pitch. "I'm the Box Buster! Bring treasure boxes and I'll open 'em for 150P! Now what do we have here?"
For the rest of the day, Feldino resolved to keep his mind focused on his work. This was mostly successful; today happened to be busy by his standards, and so he could ignore the absence of his fellow merchant and muse.
But then evening arrived with its familiar chill, and still no Alva. Feldino frowned as he went to shut up his shop for the night. Where could she be?
Examining her stall yielded no results; there was a notice nailed onto it reading, CLOSED. Oh, that's helpful, Feldino inwardly snarked. Maybe I should ask someone if they've seen her? Shoulda asked Cadmus and Noah. They tend to know these things.
He headed up the street to where a Herdier was milling in the town square; a face he recognised.
"Hey, Archie!" Feldino asked. "Have you seen Alva at all today?"
"Alva? Och, I wish." Archie shook his head. "I was there in th' mornin' wantin' a gift for mah wean's hatchday, but she wisnae in. I dinnae ken where she is, laddie."
"Oh…" The Rampardos bowed his head in disappointment.
"Dinnae fash," the Herdier assured. "I'm sure she's in good nick."
"I guess…"
Feldino wasn't satisfied by that answer as he walked back to his stall, and his mind was on the Cinccino for the rest of the evening.
Feldino woke the next morning ready to set up shop once again. He hoped the doubt within him would dispel after seeing Alva at her shop, and that he was worrying over nothing.
But the early hours came and went, and no Alva. Extra strange - the Cinccino was never late to set up shop. Feldino had rarely seen her open her shop after him, if at all.
His gut twinged with anxiety. Something had happened to her. I'd bet my merchant's licence on it.
"Where could she be?" Feldino muttered worriedly. He found his mind running astray with various possibilities for what could've happened to her. Sick and bedridden, fallen and broken her leg, or - worst of all - being trapped in a Mystery Dungeon with no one to help her.
"Fwohoho! Worried for your fellow merchant, are we?"
Feldino jumped at the sudden telepathic connection. He wasn't expecting to hear it, and not from him of all people.
Perhaps the loudest, boisterous, most obnoxious of all of Post Town's merchants, a Cofagrigus spoke. Feldino could see in his head the leer of menacing opportunity ever-present on the Ghost-type's face.
"Well, I ASSURE you! If you hand one gold bar over to I, Cofagrigus Akhenaten at GLORIOUS GOLD, then I'll tell you EXACTLY where Cinccino Alva disappeared to!"
Feldino would normally have dismissed his fellow merchant yelling loudly at him. Sometimes Akhenaten's sales pitches were delivered so over-dramatically that it'd make passersby and other merchants roll their eyes. Even Pirklys' sales pitches were never that ostentatious.
But the Cofagrigus's offer gave him pause. A gold bar…I have one! he realised, recalling Cadmus's generosity from yesterday. He took the bar out of storage, and looked around to see how customer traffic looked.
…No one for a while. Gonna chance it.
Feldino hung a notice on his stall indicating his temporary closure, and headed over to Glorious Gold a few streets away. There, Akhenaten awaited him.
"Ah! GLORIOUS!" His eyes lit up at the sight of the gold bar. "Welcome to GLORIOUS GOLD, fellow merchant! I see you've come to take me up on my offer!"
It's way too early for this, Feldino inwardly groaned. "Only if you promise to tell me where Alva is." He gave the Cofagrigus a serious look. "She could be in big danger right now. I'm not having any 'strings attached' dealings here."
"You WOUND me!" Akhenaten said in mock hurt. "There are no shady dealings here at GLORIOUS GOLD! Only GLORIOUS dealings with GOLDEN integrity here at GLORIOUS GOLD! You only need give me GOLD, and in return you will get GLORY! For that GLORY, you-"
"I'm not here for your sales pitch!" Feldino yelled. "Just tell me where Alva is!"
"Down to business right away? Very well!" The Cofagrigus was unfazed by the Rampardos's yell, his grin never faltering. "That Cinccino merchant has been troubled lately! You see, there's a sickness in her family! Her aging mother, to be exact! And so she's gone hunting for medicinal ingredients to cure her! Mystery Dungeons are rife with such cures! She's gone to Panacea Meadow to find one!"
"Panacea Meadow?" Feldino gulped. So Alva had gone to a Mystery Dungeon. It was a newer one that had cropped up in the past few months. He didn't know much about it, but from what he'd heard, it had been a handful for some.
"Indeed! Is she alive? Or has Yveltal claimed her soul? What a GLORIOUS suspense!" boomed Akhenaten.
Our definition of 'glorious' differs in this case, buddy. "S-Sure. Thanks a lot, Akhenaten," Feldino said, before turning to leave.
"Come back again! And make sure to bring GOLD with you!"
Once out of sight of the merchant, he broke out into a sprint for Paradise. In times like this, he knew just who to call upon.
"What do you mean they're out right now?!"
Feldino could hardly believe what he had heard from Ratona, the Azumarill receptionist that worked in Paradise.
"Just that," Ratona told him. "I'm sorry, but they headed out on a mission a half an hour ago. We can take your request and give it to them when they come back, though."
"No!" Feldino protested. "We need to do something now! Alva's trapped in a Mystery Dungeon and she needs to be rescued! Every minute matters!"
"I understand your desperation, but please calm down," Ratona implored. "Cadmus and Noah can't be everywhere at once."
"...But Alva's in danger…" Feldino begged, his head hung in a pleading manner.
"I'm sorry, but you may need to take it up with someone else if you aren't willing to wait."
No…I can't wait. Feldino was beginning to feel desperate. Alva's out there alone with no one to rescue her. If I don't do something, then…!
If I don't do something…
Feldino then made his decision.
"...Fine. If Cadmus and Noah aren't around to save her…" The Rampardos then turned on his heels and began to leave Paradise.
"...Then I'll go."
Feldino had experience with Mystery Dungeons. Any merchant who travelled would eventually have to go through them and either have to hire escorts or fend for themselves. Since the former option quickly grew expensive, many merchants opted to learn self-defence of some kind, in order to protect their wares from the ferals that inhabited the Dungeons.
Alas, it had been some time since Feldino had travelled, and he was largely out of practice with his combat skills. His attacks against the ferals of Panacea Meadow were sluggish and weak, and he found his sense of balance to be off, with him falling over in one altercation against a feral Eldegoss.
Three floors in, and it also occurred to him that in his haste to save Alva, he had forgotten to bring any items with him. But now that he was in Panacea Meadow's Dungeon, he couldn't just turn back and get some. Going into a Mystery Dungeon without adequate supplies was one of the more common reasons for Pokémon needing rescue, and Feldino had put himself in that unenviable position in his rush.
Dammit, he cursed to himself. Dad would kill me if he heard about this. He was always one to bang on about necessary preparations…Still, no turning back now.
He did make use of some items he found on his way, such as blast, stun and sleep seeds which he hurled at ferals in his path. However, with no bag, he couldn't hold all the things he picked up.
It didn't help that the ferals often held an advantage over him. He could stamp out the Ribombee and Combee without issue, but the Grass-types were a completely different story. Lilligant's Teeter Dances made him dizzy while the Leech Seeds of Whimsicott drained his energy and ensnared him in place. The ferals also cast spores and powders of all kinds, impeding Feldino's progress
Worse still, the Razor Leaf and other Grass attacks would pierce his rocky hide, much as they did after an attack from a persistent Leafeon. Feldino found himself wincing in pain and panting hard from the skirmish, and had he not luckily happened across an oran berry not long after, he really would've been in trouble.
Through it all, the Rampardos kept searching. She has to be in here somewhere, he thought. Come on, Alva, where are you?
Six floors in, and still no sign of the Cinccino.
By now, Feldino's gut was a storm of anxiety. He had scoured all of the previous floors thoroughly, and he was really beginning to grow worried. His head swirled with thoughts, all of them doubts and what ifs.
Did I not search enough? Was Alva on one of the previous floors and I missed her? What if she's not even here? What if Akhenaten was lying and led me to the wrong place? That sly ghost! Why would he even-
He stopped himself in his thoughts and breathed in and out.
Calm down, calm down. Feldino reassured himself. Akhenaten may have screws loose, but he wouldn't lie and put me in danger. Right? Alva has to be here - she has to be!
He strolled through the floor, keeping his eyes peeled for a grey and white shape amidst the green grass and vibrant flowers. He found an apple on his travels and munched on it. He didn't feel like eating with how anxious he'd been, but his tummy had been voicing its growing emptiness as his delve went on. Collapsing out of hunger was not something he wanted to deal with either, and so he ate in spite of the unease in his gut.
Oddly, the floor seemed quiet. On each floor thus far, Feldino had at least one scuffle with a feral, sometimes several. But here, the sounds were distant, of feral Tranquill chirping in the distance or Kricketune trilling their familiar shrill cry.
It was too quiet. Something was off about this floor. There was normally some reason why floors would be this quiet in Mystery Dungeons, but his absence from Dungeon delving had meant he couldn't recall what it was.
The Rampardos racked his brains, but came up short. I never was a thinker, he lamented. A thinker would've at least remembered a bag before coming here. I'm not cut out for this…
Those thoughts didn't ease his anxiety at all. But he knew that giving up was not an option. If he gave up, he would slump to the ground in despair until the Dungeon kicked him out. And with the stories he'd heard about those who had been kicked out of Dungeons before, that was not something he wanted to deal with.
It occurred to him that in his search, he had not yet seen the stairs. But then he rounded a corner in the labyrinth, and happened upon a big open clearing.
At the far wall of it sat a set of stony steps. But in the middle of the clearing, he saw a grey and white shape laying there with big ears and a scarf-like fur around their neck. Feldino's eyes widened like saucers as he realised he knew exactly who the figure was.
"Alva!" Feldino cried out, running towards her. He lightly shook her, attempting to rouse the Cinccino from unconsciousness.
"Mmm…nrgh…" The Cinccino's eyes opened. She looked over, before blinking at the sight before her. "F-Feldino? Is…that you?"
"It is me! Thank the gods you're alive! I was really worried about you!" The Rampardos almost shed a tear. "Are you okay?"
"Not really…" Alva didn't sound well. She seemed weak, and Feldino noticed a number of cuts and bruises flecking her body.
"What happened to you?" he asked, as he lent a hand forward to help her up.
"A-Attacked," the Cinccino said, taking his hand in hers. "The f-ferals got me and took my herbs." She winced at her wounds.
Oh dear…The ferals got to her. Feldino worriedly gazed down at Alva's cuts. Good thing I found her, otherwise she'd still be at their mercy.
"Don't worry, Alva! I'll patch you up!" The Rampardos was full of resolve. "There should be some orans somewhere on this floor! Let me just-"
"G-Get out of here…"
Feldino stopped in his tracks.
"...What?" He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly.
"Y-You need to get out of here now. F-Feldino, we're in a…"
Alva didn't need to finish her sentence. Feldino looked around him in horror, as a multitude of Pokémon suddenly emerged from the trees and undergrowth. Various species looked upon the foreigners to their habitat with varying reactions - the Shiinotic glowed, the Ribombee giggled, the Whimsicott grinned and the Lilligant glared.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Feldino now realised why the floor had been so silent. Why he had the nagging feeling that the quiet floor was a bad omen.
"It's a M-M-M-M-M-Monster House!"
Just as he'd yelled these words, multiple projectiles flew his and Alva's way. Energy Balls, Stun Spores, Poison Powders and Bullet Seeds sailed in at them, some of them striking true.
"Aaaaaargh!" Two Energy Balls grazed Feldino's front, and he staggered backwards. That left Alva open, and a Vivillon enveloped her in a Poison Powder.
"Urgh…N-No…" Alva let out a sickly cough, before a Seed Bomb exploded in front of her, throwing her back and eliciting a cry of pain from her.
"Alva!" Feldino cried.
Feldino's worry turned to fury as the ferals drew closer. He stamped his feet angrily, with shards of rock and earth breaking from the ground and hitting ferals all around him.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Feldino moved in to protect her, his arms spread out in a defensive manner. The wounded Cinccino stared in amazement at the Rampardos's zeal, but that amazement was immediately overwritten by fear.
"R-Run, Feldino!" she cried. "You can't fight them all off!"
"I won't run away! I'm not leaving you behind!" Feldino shot, before taking a flurry of Bullet Seeds to the stomach. "Ow! Ouch…"
"Feldino, please! You can't-" A fit of coughing overtook the Cinccino.
"Nnnrgh…" Feldino panted in exhaustion, looking at the horde closing in on them. Their ranks hadn't thinned in the least, while he was a stone's throw away from losing consciousness.
I can't fall here…Not until I've gotten Alva out safely!
He looked around in desperation. The stairs were blocked off by a swarm of angry Beedrill. A group of Whimsicott and Lilligant blocked the way he came in. Feldino and Alva were well and truly trapped.
Then Feldino's gaze looked down, and over towards where an Arboliva danced, a small round object glinted. An orb.
Maybe I can do something with that? It's not like I have any other options!
Feldino summoned his strength to charge towards the Arboliva, his skull aglow in a pink energy. He slammed his head against the feral, which stood no chance against his Zen Headbutt. With the obstruction cleared, he grabbed the orb and smashed it.
He hadn't bothered checking what orb it was - there was no time to.
But suddenly, Feldino's vision was enveloped in white, as the world around him shifted.
"Urrrrrgh…"
It took a bit before the white faded from Feldino's eyes. But once he could see again, it became apparent to him what had happened.
He wasn't in the labyrinth anymore, but rather out in the open. On top of that, something about his surroundings looked familiar, when he realised he'd seen it going into the Dungeon.
I'm at the entrance, the Rampardos thought. Must have been an escape orb, then. Whew…that was a close one. I might well have been a goner if I'd stayed any longer.
Then he remembered.
"Alva!" he cried. Did she come with me? Oh Creator, please, please, please don't tell me I left her behind in the Dungeon! No no no no no no-
He looked behind him in panic, but then he saw the familiar form of the Cinccino, lying a few feet behind him.
"Oh, thank heavens." He let out a sigh of relief, and went over to her side. She's safe.
"We're…outside?" Alva asked, looking around her.
"Yeah. I think that orb I shattered in there was an escape orb," Feldino told her. "At least we're out of there."
"What?" Alva's ears pricked in mild alarm. "...But my herbs…I-I need them. My mother's not well…" She broke off, as a harsh fit of coughing came over her.
"You're not well right now, either," Feldino fretted. "We need to get you home. The cure's gonna have to wait another day."
"But Mama…"
"She'll understand, won't she? I don't know if any mother would want her daughter risking herself like that." Feldino knew his own mother would probably be the same way.
"..." Alva didn't respond. Instead, she leant against a nearby tree, panting heavily.
"You alright?" the Rampardos asked.
"N-No…I feel dizzy," she said. "And nauseous…"
"I'll carry you home," Feldino offered. "That way you don't have to walk."
Alva looked up at him in surprise.
"A-Are you sure?" She looked him up and down, concerned at his wounds. "Y-You don't look to be in a good way either."
He wasn't. The Rampardos felt like he was going to pass out, after the onslaught against him in the Monster House. But I can't do that, he told himself. Not until I get Alva home.
"I know," he said. "But I can get by. Maybe we'll find an oran bush on the way. Pechas too, hopefully." He was trying to sound optimistic.
"...A-Alright," Alva accepted. Feldino bent down and picked her up, putting her on the scruff of his neck, like he was giving her a piggyback.
He took a breath, and began the long walk home.
Feldino's hope for berry bushes was eventually answered. Shrubs adorned with familiar blue and pink berries lay by a quiet side path just off the main road back to Post Town.
It couldn't have come at a better time, either. Alva had become less responsive as the journey had gone on, and she had stopped talking in order to conserve her energy. Feldino tried to hasten his pace, but he too had to contend with his injuries slowing him down and him having to make stops every so often so the two of them could rest.
As a result, it was nearing evening by the time he reached the path in question. At least a handy signpost nearby read 'Post Town - 3km', meaning that they were a stone's throw away from their destination. Another bit and they'd be home.
Feldino let Alva down, and picked some orans and pechas for the both of them. The Cinccino nibbled at them, praying they weren't lookalike berries that would make her more sick than she already was.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case; the sickly purple patches on Alva began to fade after she started eating, and she began to feel a bit better. Feldino too, felt the cuts along his hide start to heal up after gobbling a few orans.
"You alright now?" Feldino asked.
"Yes, I think I am," Alva said. "We just need to wait a bit longer, and then I'll be right as rain."
"Good." The Rampardos leaned back against a tree. "Man…I'm beat after all that." He couldn't hide the weariness in his voice. "Can we rest a bit longer?"
"...As you wish."
Alva's gaze drifted away from her fellow merchant to the land around them. The setting sun bathed the land in an orange glow, and shone upon the autumnally colourful trees as a distant lake's surface glinted under the evening sunlight. The whole landscape was rather stunning to look at. The Mist Continent was known for its wintertime auroras, but the scene before the two merchants was proof enough the continent's beauty was hardly limited to just the winter months.
The Cinccino would normally be fixated on the view and taking it all in. But her mind was elsewhere that evening. She couldn't get Feldino's actions earlier out of her mind, and the way he'd braved a Mystery Dungeon and a Monster House to save her.
She just wasn't sure if she understood it at all, and one question kept lingering with her the entire time…
"Why?"
"Hm?" Feldino looked over at Alva.
"Why did you save me?"
"W-Well, I…" The Rampardos hesitated as a flustered look came over his face. "I was getting worried. All yesterday and this morning, you weren't there at your stall. You're normally always there! But It couldn't hurt to double check, but Cadmus and Noah were out doing missions, so I couldn't ask them. So…I went to Panacea Meadow."
"Even knowing how dangerous it was?"
"I know Dungeons are dangerous. But what if no one else came? What if you were hurt worse than you were? Or worse still…" Feldino didn't finish that sentence, shuddering at what could've been.
His worry gave Alva pause for thought, and seeing him fret over her made the Cinccino feel a twinge of guilt.
"...I was absent from my stall because I was looking after my mother," Alva explained. "She fell ill recently, and we ran out of medical supplies. Hence why I was in Panacea Meadow getting more."
"Yeah, I heard." Feldino nodded. "Akhenaten told me." Alva's expression briefly turned sour at the mention of the Ghost-type, her arms folding in contempt.
"That Cofragrigus needs to keep his mind out of others." she harrumphed. "I would've asked Cadmus and Noah, but they were busy with other missions. So…I didn't really have a choice. I had to go on my own.
"In retrospect…that was a mistake. I should've asked Cadmus and Noah's other peers. Like Falchion or Belka. ...At the very least I could've explained why I was absent." Alva said, giving an apologetic look to her fellow merchant. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Feldino."
"It's fine," the Rampardos said. "At least you're safe and sound now."
Silence reigned for a while, as Feldino continued to rest. Luckily, he nor Alva were in pain, with their cuts beginning to heal thanks to the berries. The Cinccino said nothing, instead taking in the quiet of the evening and mulling over her thoughts. However, that feeling of guilt had grown within her as she thought more about what the Rampardos had done for her.
He braved a Mystery Dungeon and a Monster House just to save me, she thought. He braved all of that out of the kindness of his heart…for me. For someone who doesn't talk to him nearly enough for how regularly we see each other.
They did see each other just about every day, and now that she thought about it, Alva recalled the various times her gaze met his, when he seemed to be absentminded. On a number of occasions, he'd immediately averted his gaze, and now that she thought about it some more, she swore she caught the vaguest hint of a blush on his face a few times when they talked.
Hmm…I wonder. Could it be…?
"Feldino?" Alva asked.
"Yes, Alva?"
The Cinccino pondered how to word her question, before deciding to just ask it outright.
"Do you like me?"
Feldino went rigid.
"O-Of course I like you!" he said. "I-I wouldn't have come out to rescue you if I didn't like you! …Why?" His expression suddenly became pleading. "Did I make you sad at all?"
"No, it's not that. You haven't done anything." Alva shook her head. "I meant 'like' as in…like."
That got a reaction out of him. Feldino suddenly became flustered, and his eyes darted around looking anywhere else but at the Cinccino.
"...Um! U-Um, er, um…!" he stammered. "M-Maybe? I-I-I don't know!"
"...You think that I haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Fear began to creep into the Rampardos's voice.
"The way you look over at me whenever you're running your stall," Alva said. "It's the face of someone who wants to admit their feelings, but is too shy to ask them. From my experience with you…that does seem like you. No offence intended, of course."
"Ah! W-Well, that's…!" Feldino's face was beginning to redden with embarrassment. "I-It's not what it looks like! I…" He trailed off, having no words.
"It's okay, Feldino. Just speak your mind," Alva said. "There's no one around to hear you or make fun of you. It's only you and me. Just tell me yes or no to this simple question:
"Feldino…do you have feelings for me?"
"D-Do I have…?" Feldino trembled with nervousness. But eventually, he took a deep breath, and shakily gave his reply.
"Y-Yes. I…think I have feelings for you, Alva." The Rampardos tried to look her earnestly in the eye. His attempt at composure was undercut by his shaking hands.
"...I see. So I wasn't wrong."
"I-I like seeing you at your stall every day. It makes me happy seeing you there," he insisted. "A-And the way you're so kind and upbeat, and the way you smile and talk and just keep a happy face…It makes my day. It really does. I-I like you, Alva. I really do."
Feldino stopped, sheepishly clawing the back of his head.
"S-Sorry," he apologised. "Didn't mean to ramble."
"It's alright," the Cinccino said, before letting out a titter. "Well, there you are. All you needed to do was admit your feelings. That wasn't too hard, was it?"
"Y-Yeah, hehe…" Feldino laughed, and Alva swore the blush on her fellow merchant's face grew deeper after her laugh. "I do like you, Alva. I like you a lot. I-I don't know if this is love, but…i-it could well be."
Alva didn't say anything at first. In truth, she was partly stunned at the sudden confession from the Rampardos. She had suspected he had feelings for her for a while now, but to actually hear the words come out of his mouth was a different experience altogether.
She honestly wasn't sure what to think. The only people that had ever asked her out were folks that had too much to drink over at Ginerva's. But that was just casual flirting, and she wasn't one for feelings confessed on a whim by drunks who barely knew her, if they even knew her in the first place.
This was different. Feldino's confession was much more heartfelt. It was the words of someone who clearly had those feelings welling up in him for some time. And she knew him; he was an honest soul who couldn't tell a lie. It was almost cute how flustered he had become in his confession.
Maybe I should speak my mind too.
"I'm glad you like me," she began. "Genuinely, I'm glad. Truth be told, I've always liked you too. The way you run your shop, how friendly you are, and the enthusiasm with which you bust those treasure boxes." She giggled at that last part. "Enthusiastic to the point of busting up your own shop a few years back."
"H-Hey! You gotta put gusto into your work!" Feldino defended. "That's how merchants do it! You know what Pirklys and Akhenaten are like with their sales pitches!"
After his initial defence, the Rampardos sighed. "Busting up the shop…Man, that was embarrassing. Now you know why I do my business outside these days."
"Indeed. Hee hee," Alva laughed. "I also like how friendly you are, Feldino. You're a real gentle giant; that's what you are."
Giant was certainly true from her perspective; he was at least twice her size, and she had to crane her neck upward to see his reaction.
"But I like that. You're honest and would never tell a lie," she said. "Those looks you keep giving me when we're running our stalls aren't the wily looks of a flirter. They're the looks of someone who cares."
Feldino's eyes widened at the unexpected praise.
"A-Alva…"
"And now, after how you saved me from the meadow, I can see you do genuinely care for my wellbeing." Alva felt her lip begin to tremble, as emotion crept into her voice. "This might be insensitive to say, but I confess I never did think of you romantically. Until now, I only really saw you as a friend."
"...Oh. I see…" Feldino hung his head in dismay.
"But maybe I should reconsider that," Alva continued, making the Rampardos lift his head up again. "Because after today…I think I may have feelings for you too, Feldino."
"Y-You mean it?" Feldino's eyes sparked with hope.
"Yes, Feldino. I-I do." Tears of joy began to drip down the Cinccino's cheeks, as the words left her mouth.
"A-Alva…Alva!" Similar tears cascaded down Feldino's face. "Y-You…Oh, Alva!"
He tried to hug her, but that proved tricky with his short arms and her small stature. But once Alva grasped his claws and he felt the warmth of her furry paws, he settled into that, leaning into her as he let the waterworks flow. Alva stood by his side all the while, making sure that his love was reciprocated.
"Shh. It's okay," she soothed. "Let it all out."
It took another while of crying before Feldino calmed down enough to speak again.
"Y-You like me…I can't believe it." His voice was quiet, and he sounded well and truly astonished.
"All you had to do was ask." Alva rested her head against the Rampardos' body. It was hardly pillow-like, being rock hard instead, but in that moment, it felt comforting to lean against the one she was feeling affectionate about.
"I-I'm sorry," Feldino suddenly apologised. "I should've spoken up sooner."
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Alva said. "I wasn't sure of my feelings either. But at least we've confessed them now."
"...Better late than never, I guess."
"Mmhm." Alva nodded. "Better than having our unconfessed feelings eating us up from the inside."
Silence reigned briefly. Feldino lay back against the tree, still processing what had just happened.
"So…I guess I gotta take you out on dates now, huh?" he said, mirthfully.
"If you want. But there's no pressure," Alva said.
"Would you like to have a picnic somewhere sometime?" the Rampardos suggested.
"Ooh yes, please." Alva's eyes lit up. "I haven't had a picnic in some time now."
"I can't remember the last time I had one," Feldino said. "That's why I want to have one with you. I'm not really much of a cook, but I can make sandwiches with berry jam and bring them."
"And I'll bring homemade biscuits and scones," Alva offered. "I'll see what else I can make when I get home."
"A-Ah…" Feldino had a silly, happy smile on his face, complimenting the blush plastered across it. "I can't believe it. I'm actually going on a picnic with Alva…"
"You're cute when you blush," Alva pointed out, with a slight giggle.
"H-Hey, I'm not blushing!"
"Sure, you're not. Now could you come a little closer, please?" A coy look had suddenly come across Alva's face.
"Um, sure." Feldino did as Alva requested, bringing his head down to meet hers. Alva leant closer and…
…Brought her lips to his cheek, before giving him a kiss.
Feldino went stiff in shock, his eyes wide in amazement as he stared down at Alva.
"A k-kiss! Y-You kissed me!" he exclaimed. "M-My first kiss…"
"Hopefully the first of many to come." Alva winked at him.
"A-Alva!" If Feldino's face got any redder, it would put the ripest tamato berry to shame. "Th-Thank you so much for that! How am I ever going to repay you for this..?"
"With lots of love," Alva replied. "But you'll be giving that in spades in the future, I'm sure. Consider it something to be repaid over time."
"Don't be a merchant now of all times," Feldino said, with a mirthful chuckle. "You'll sound like Pirklys."
A smirk crossed Alva's face.
"Maybe that's how he dates, using only merchant lingo," she joked.
"That…doesn't sound like he'd get very far." The Rampardos tilted his head.
"My point exactly. When was the last time you saw him dating anyone?"
"Haha!" Feldino laughed at that. "Does anyone even date Kecleon merchants?"
"...Other Kecleon merchants?" Alva shrugged. "Though I'm not sure. Why not ask Pirklys when we get back?"
"I think I'll pass." Feldino shook his head. "He'll probably say that's 'confidential business', anyway."
"Fair point."
The two said nothing for the next while, choosing to bask in the evening sun and also savour the feeling of joy between them. The Rampardos and Cinccino's gazes fell upon one another, and they smiled; Feldino's was a silly, goofy grin, while Alva's smile was more serene.
Eventually, Feldino moved to get up.
"We should get going. It'll get dark soon." He rose to his feet, wincing at the phantom pains of the ferals' attacks. "Oof, I'm gonna feel this tomorrow…"
"Are you okay?" Alva asked.
"Yeah. Just need to rest up once I get home," the Rampardos assured her. "At least I won't have to carry you anymore, now that you're healthy again."
"Yes." Alva got up from her sitting position. "Again, thank you for saving me."
"No problem," Feldino said.
"I wish I could've gotten what I wanted with the search for medicine," the Cinccino admitted. "But I can always go another time. Maybe I'll ask Cadmus and Noah tomorrow to get it."
"We can't rely on them all the time, surely?" Feldino said.
"I overheard Cadmus saying the other evening in Swanna's that he would need to change things up with how many mission requests he and Noah were getting." Alva chuckled at that. "It turns out saving the world from calamity has quite the effect on one's popularity."
"It sure does." Feldino snickered at a memory. "They can't go shopping these days without someone asking for an autograph."
"Their deeds have certainly helped Paradise's growth," Alva said. "People come from all over just to see them in the flesh. Some of them then choose to stay in Paradise with the hope of working under them. And I hear Cadmus has been hiring some of them to carry out the same adventurer-style work that he and Noah do.
"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Noah set up their own independent rescuer branch away from HAPPI, with their own fleet of 'mons," the Cinccino went on. "Paradise is attracting a lot of people, and doing these missions might help those people to better get a foothold in the new land."
"That…makes sense," Feldino said. "It'll probably attract a fair amount of people. With more people in town, there'll be more business, and with more business, Paradise'll keep getting bigger and bigger…"
His thoughts then went to the talk of the town, especially among merchants like him and Alva: the rumours of a merger between Post Town and Paradise. A source of change he had been mildly anxious about.
I wonder what Alva thinks about it? Feldino thought, and decided to ask.
"Say, what do you think about that merger everyone's talking about?" he wondered.
"Oh, that? Well, if it does happen, we'll probably get more customers, which is a good thing," Alva said. "But honestly, I don't care what happens. As long as I can still run my shop like I do every day, I'll be happy."
"Yeah…same here," Feldino decided. "Hopefully most things will still be the same. I'll be fine as long as I can still do business."
He looked down at Alva, and smiled warmly.
"...And I also have the one I love."
Alva smiled back at him, with a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest.
"Feldino…"
"Alva…" Feldino kept up the smile of contentment.
The two lovers walked home to Post Town as the sun set. The day was coming to a close…but with its close, a new beginning was dawning.
They'd finally found the loving relationship that had laid in wait for them for so long.
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