Destiny Village ~ Pasta Plaza

[Virgil134]

"To buy your food!" Pleo cheered. "It looks really yummy!"

He looked over the different types of Poffins the stand had to offer, before letting out an excited chirp.

"I'd like a whole bunch of those pink ones! So there's enough for both me and Cabot! Maybe some of those red ones too... And, oh! Do you have any with chocolate on them?"

 

[Namohysip]

Nidoking stared for a while longer, then grunted. "And why exactly do you need them? You don't need to eat. Why don't you go back to that Guild of yours and get food there?" He crossed his arms. "You may have everyone else fooled... but I know a false Lugia when I see one." He tapped at the silver feather emblem on his necklace.

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo's smile muted a bit, as he tilted his head puzzledly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" the shadowy bird asked. "I am a Lugia! Just because I'm a Shade doesn't mean I'm not a Lugia as well. And the guild doesn't have those thingies, so why shouldn't I buy them here?"

 

[Namohysip]

Nidoking snarled. "You will never be Lugia," he said, squeezing his necklace tighter. "How dare you mock Her appearance." He gestured toward the exit. "No. I don't think you need to eat at this establishment." He thumped his tail again. "Dark Matter ruined my life years ago and I'm not going to simply forgive him over some change of heart. Leave, hellspawn."

 

[Virgil134]

"E-Eh?!"

Pleo was visibly taken aback by the shopkeeper's hostile demeanor, his beak quivering slightly.

"B-But I really am a Lugia! Just like her! And aren't you supposed to give me what I ask for and then the guild pays for it later? That's how it worked with the Kecleon earlier!"

He beat out his wings in protest, accidently whipping up a small gust of wind in the process that knocked over some of the Poffins in the stand. Pleo watched as the Poffins hit the ground and some went rolling down the street, prompting him to look back at the Nidoking with a sheepish grin.

"Er... oops?"

 

[Namohysip]

Flames jutted out from Nidoking's nostrils and he stomped on the ground, looking like he was ready to hop over the counter to get Lugia. "I said get out!" he snarled. "Look at you, already ruining my stock...! You'll bet your ass the Guild's paying for that!"

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo let out a startled squawk and hastily darted away from the shop in a panic. Once he was far enough from the Nidoking he paused, looking back at the shop while he tried to catch his breath. T-This wasn't how things were supposed to go! He'd done the exact same thing as with the Kecleon, so why did the Nidoking get so angry at him? Had... he done something wrong? And if that Nidoking was gonna tell the guild, did that mean everyone else would be mad at him too?

Droplets began to form in the corners of Pleo's eyes as his head visibly drooped, before he slowly began to trudge back towards the guild in low spirits.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

From a nearby alleyway, Kate idly loitered watching Pokémon pass by when she noticed a small, black Lugia trudge past. Why, that was the shade that had been out at the crater on the day that she arrived in Cibus... Pleo, Cabot's shade. Except he looked like someone had just stomped his tail. The Sneasel shuffled out and approached Pleo, giving a curious tilt of her head at him.

"Oh? What are you doing here, Pleo?" she asked. "Something the matter?"

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo looked up in surprise. "H-Huh?! Kate?"

He stared at her with bleary eyes for a moment, unsure where to start, before speaking up in a hitching voice.

"I- I wanted to get some snacks for me and Cabot, but then that Nidoking got really mad at me! He said that I was a hellspawn instead of a Lugia, and he didn't want to sell anything to me! And then I accidently blew over some of those thingies, and he said he was gonna tell everyone at the guild, and then it looked like he was gonna attack me, and- and-"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"Easy! It's alright!" Kate insisted, raising her claws with a calming pause. "I doubt your friends are going to take the words of a 'mon calling one of their buddies a 'hellspawn' all that seriously."

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo quieted down at Kate's reassurance, still sniffling a bit, and spoke up in a soft voice.

"Y-You really think so?" the young Lugia asked. "Even all the other 'mons at the guild?"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"I mean, I have only been here for a few days, but even I would find that story a hard sell," Kate explained. "You just stayed there and tried to buy some snacks for yourself and your friend, didn't you?"

The Sneasel folded her arms and shook her head a moment before blowing a puff of breath up at her ears.

"Though I'm surprised you still tried to buy something from that jerk the entire time," she harrumphed. "If it were me, I'd have just taken some of those snacks after getting badmouthed like that."

 

[Virgil134]

"Huh?"

Pleo paused a moment, tilting his head slightly as he thought over the last thing that Kate said.

"But... how can you take something if that Nidoking doesn't want it? He almost attacked me when I just tried to talk to him!"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"Eh? Why would it matter if he wants it or not?" she asked. "He's a jerk and got the snacks, and you want it more."

The Sneasel moved her claw to her mouth in thought.

"Though about that attack part... well, nobody said you had to take those snacks while he was looking," she said. "You can't attack what you don't see, after all."

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo mulled over Kate's words. While some of it did make sense, didn't what she was proposing sound a lot like...

"But, isn't that the same as stealing?" the young Lugia asked. "Cabot always says that stealing is bad!"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate frowned back at Pleo's mention of stealing. Clearly Cabot was one of the straight and narrow types. Though... Brisa proved to be different enough from her shade Luz, so maybe with the right framing, the little black seabird before her could be made to see things in a different light.

"Well, he didn't ever say you couldn't get even, did he?" she asked, giving a small smirk back. "I mean, this shopkeep made you cry and called you all sorts of awful things. Wouldn't you say that's worth at least a snack to make up for it?"

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo put a wing to his beak as he thought the matter over his head. The shopkeeper had been pretty mean, and if someone was mean to another 'mon, it was only natural that he'd need to make things up. And if the Nidoking wasn't going to do it himself... was it really still considered stealing?

"Okay! Let's do it then!" he chirped, before trailing off as he realized one potential problem about Kate's plan. "Though... how am I gonna take anything without that Nidoking seeing me? Since he's gonna be watching those snacks the whole time!"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate moved her claw to her mouth before giving a small smile back.

"Sounds like you need another 'mon to hold his attention then," she said. "Why don't you show me the place? I'm pretty sure I can keep him busy long enough for you to nab something nice."

 

[Virgil134]

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Pleo replied, before moving a few paces and pointing at a stand all the way at the end of the street. "And it's that shop over there with the Nidoking."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate followed along with Pleo towards the Nidoking's stand, as she neared, she picked up her pace, talking from the side of her mouth.

"Just hang back a bit and keep an eye on me," she said. "Once the Nidoking's got his attention off his goods, come in and nab whatever you want quickly."

The Sneasel carried on, making her way to the counter ahead of Pleo as she turned up to the Poison-Type baker.

"Hey, you're a baker, aren't ya? I could smell your shop from across the street, so what exactly have you got at this place anyways?"