Although the store was small, it had a wide variety of items.
The store clerk and her friends stood near the checkout counter, their eyes frequently darting toward Rax. More specifically, they were fascinated by the skiploom floating beside him.
Rax carefully browsed through the selection for a while before finally gathering all the supplies he needed. Walking to the counter, he noticed that everyone except the clerk had run off with excited chatter.
"Could you tally this up, please?"
"Okay... Okay, give me a moment," the clerk stammered nervously, clearly flustered.
"There's no rush. Take your time," Rax said with a calm smile. Noticing her gaze flicking toward skiploom, he playfully tapped its side.
"Have you gained some weight recently?"
"Skip-loom!" skiploom gasped dramatically, immediately spinning around to inspect itself, concern evident on its face.
Indeed, skiploom looked much fuller compared to its earlier Hoppip stage.
"Jum-jum..." it muttered in dismay, pulling out a jar of Sweet Scent syrup from behind its back as if to console itself.
Rax chuckled. "Using Sweet Scent on yourself now, huh? That's a first!"
skiploom didn't mind the teasing and nodded enthusiastically, savoring the comforting aroma.
"Sir... I've calculated your total," the clerk interrupted softly, still visibly awestruck by skiploom. "It's 678 Pokédollars. Just give me 670; I'll round it down."
"Here you go," Rax said, handing over the money before turning to leave.
Suddenly, a blur of pink darted past him, followed by two middle-aged women brandishing spatulas.
"Stop, thief!" they yelled, their aprons fluttering as they gave chase.
"What? It's stealing again?" the store clerk exclaimed in exasperation before rushing out of the shop without even locking up.
Rax watched the scene unfold, curious about the identity of the pink figure. "Want to follow them?" he asked skiploom.
"Jum-jum!" skiploom chimed, its curiosity piqued. It sniffed the air and floated forward, leading the way.
Rax kept up with ease, quickly overtaking the two angry women.
"That darn thief ate all my dried berries!" one complained.
"And it stole my jerky! Do you know how expensive that is?" the other added.
Rax smirked at their bickering and jogged ahead to catch up with the store clerk. He found her crouched in an alley, talking to a small Snubbull holding a pile of stolen snacks.
"When you're hungry, just come to my store, okay? Don't steal from the others, or they'll get mad at you," the clerk said gently, trying to take back the food.
"Snubbull!" the pink Pokémon barked defensively, clutching its loot tighter.
Startled, the clerk let go, and Snubbull bolted deeper into the alley.
Rax approached as the clerk stood frozen in shock. "Are you okay?" he asked.
The clerk turned, tears welling in her eyes. "It's never acted like this with me before. I thought... I thought we were friends!"
Rax sighed, not knowing what to say. "Snubbull are timid by nature. It was probably scared and used Roar to make you back off. It doesn't mean it dislikes you."
"It still yelled at me..." the clerk mumbled sadly.
Rax pointed toward the store. "You should head back before someone robs the place."
The reminder snapped her out of her gloom. "Oh no, I left it open!" She dashed off, leaving Rax and skiploom to continue following Snubbull's trail.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a half-collapsed house. "skiploom, use Aromatherapy," Rax instructed.
skiploom spun its petals, releasing a soothing scent to calm any hostility.
Inside, Snubbull stood guard, trembling as it growled at the intruders.
"Meow~" A soft cry came from deeper within the house.
Snubbull hesitated, then stepped aside, allowing Rax and skiploom to pass.
In the next room, they found an elderly Persian lying on a tattered cushion, its fur dull and whiskers missing. Around its mouth were the stolen berries and jerky.
"So, Snubbull was stealing food for this Persian," Rax murmured, piecing things together.
The Persian glanced at them weakly before nudging Snubbull toward Rax with its nose.
"Is it... entrusting Snubbull to me?" Rax muttered, taken aback.
Snubbull stared at Persian, confused and distraught.
Rax frowned, reluctant. "I'm not sure I can take it in. I don't have the resources for another Pokémon."
The Persian's eyes dimmed, and it lay back down, defeated.
Rax sighed. "If necessary, I'll help Snubbull find a good trainer. I promise it'll live a safe and happy life."
The Persian didn't react, but its silence spoke volumes.