Aisle 5: Troublemaking, Toiletries

"So…" Kite started, glancing at Tori, who stood beside her. In front of them was a short line of two people waiting for their turn at the ForEx. "Why are we in line again? I don't recall you telling me."

"Ah. I need to exchange currencies." Tori pulled out an envelope of pokédollars, counting the amount of bills inside. "I can't pay for anything with the kind of money I have on hand. I need to get it exchanged for sparks."

"Sparks?"

"Yes. Turns out that's what they call money in this city."

"Oh, I see."
Both Tori and Kite came alone to the nearest grocery store, which was several blocks away from the house. Zephyr had opted to stay behind, wishing instead to spend the rest of the night home. Whether her reason was either out of tiredness or simply just not wanting to be with either of them, Tori and Kite were grateful that they wouldn't have to deal with her perpetually loud voice and unpleasing attitude for the next hour or so.

Tori let out a sigh she didn't know she had been holding. "Feels good to not hear her voice for a change."

The Trainer had Kite's attention when the latter heard her speak. Kite was unsure what she meant at first, but given dinner's exchanges, she understood. "Zephyr?"

"Who else?"

Kite couldn't help laughing. "Tell me about it," She shook her head. It had only been their first night together, and she already couldn't stand the traveler's mere presence. "Just thinking about it is giving me a headache."

"Clearly." Tori snorted a chuckle. She felt comforted that she had someone to share her sentiments about their impolite companion back home. Kite wasn't exactly the kind of company Tori preferred, but the Trainer would admittedly choose her over Zephyr nonetheless. At least Kite had some manners, self-control, and a more favorably reasonable attitude. "Honestly, I have a really bad feeling that girl is going to end up getting us into more problems than I thought." Zephyr could care for herself, but Tori doubted the traveler cared enough for her companions' well-being and peace of mind. Sighing, Tori murmured under her breath, "I'm a Trainer, not a babysitter… But then again, someone's gonna have to look out for you two while we're trying to get around this city."

Kite pouted defiantly. "I can take care of myself…" She grumbled, turning away.

"I'd like to think you can," Tori tried to appear as understanding as possible, realizing she had said something that was only meant for herself. "But I'm the only one with the money to keep us all sustained."

"I can always get a job or something!"

"That would be helpful, but remember, Kite… We don't have time for that."

"Next!" The cashier at the ForEx counter called once the man in front left, interrupting the pair's conversation. Tori briefly averted her gaze from Kite and moved forward towards the counter. Behind the glass stained with fingerprints and littered with yellowing ads was a bearded man in his early thirties, scribbling down on his work-worn ledger. He leaned back on his seat when he finished recording his previous transaction, before lighting a cigarette between his fingers. With a puff of smoke from his lips, he regarded the stoic Trainer--who watched him finish patiently--with some curiosity.

"New 'round these parts, I guess," He muttered, more to himself than anything.

"Good evening," Tori greeted out of courtesy, choosing to ignore his comment towards her. She laid the envelope on the counter. "Do you accept pokédollars?"

"We accept anything, lady; as long as you've got the money to pay for your sparks, that is."

Kite simply watched Tori do business with the ForEx cashier from a distance. She wouldn't admit it, but despite her earlier claim, apparently the Trainer was more knowledgable about the responsibilities of being an adult compared to herself.

Just then, she felt a strange chill. It wasn't cold that evening, but it felt more as though she were being watched. Paranoid, she swivelled her head to the area behind her. All she saw was the small, dimly lit parking area, desolate from the lack of cars and customers. A stray cart wheeled creakily across the asphalt, played by either the cold, night wind…

Or possibly something else.

Kite blinked, then shuddered, rubbing her forearms. The lack of any people didn't quell the weird feeling she had.

"I'm finished." Tori approached her following the exchange, tucking away the rest of her sparks inside the envelope before keeping it secure inside her bag. The Trainer noticed Kite's visible change in demeanor. "Are you alright?"

"Err… Yeah," Kite answered while facing her. Suddenly she wanted to get this whole thing out of the way and get home as soon as possible. "A-Anyway. Let's get shopping?"

Tori knew Kite was lying, but instead chose to pay the girl's troubles no mind. "Sure."

As the two entered the nearby grocery store next door together, they were both unaware of the pair of orange-red eyes that watched from the shadows…

—

"Go on, go on… Leave me breathless…"

"Hey, it's this song!" Kite piped up in recognition of the familiar voice on the radio, now playing the song’s guitar intro. "I can't believe they play this band here. That's really cool!"

Behind her, Tori lifted her head as she placed some canned meat inside the cart she was pushing. She, too, was familiar with the band, which was just as renowned in the world she was born into. "You a fan?"

"What I'd do to go to a concert of theirs!"

The reaction said more than enough. Tori snorted a chuckle. “They’re not as active as they used to be though.”

“Yeah… They said they’re on hiatus. But the way I see it, I highly doubt they’re ever gonna make a reunion and perform as a band again.”

“Nothing wrong with hoping for a comeback.”

“That’s true… Oh.” The hanging sign labeled Sweets, Biscuits, and Cookies grabbed Kite’s attention when she turned to move ahead. She felt her sweet tooth twinge at the thought of crispy, chocolate cookie goodness crushed between her molars and dancing on her tastebuds, and was about to break off to a sprint, when she stopped herself short. She remembered that Tori was the one paying for everything they were buying at the store, and the Trainer didn’t seem so enthusiastic being the trio’s financial provider for the duration of their time together.

Still though, her cravings pushed her to at least try. “H-Hey, Tori…”

Tori lifted her head from the cart, where she was arranging all the items inside. “Yes?”

To Kite, Tori’s expression seemed considerate enough. Yet she didn’t want to appear rude, or do anything that would elicit a negative reaction. Embarrassedly and almost anxiously, Kite asked, “You don’t mind if I grab some cookies and stuff, will you? I mean, I’ll just be getting a few…”

When Tori regarded her questioningly, Kite flinched backwards, thinking that she had just said something wrong. She was about to take it back when, “Depends on what else you mean by stuff.”

“J-Just cookies…” As an afterthought, Kite added while shaking her hands in front of her, “That’s all, swear!”

Her reaction earned her a bemused look from the quiet Trainer, who chuckled at her actions. She walked over to the other shelf, where she searched for a particular brand of ramen she liked. “Why not? A few cookies never hurt, no?”

At this, Kite’s face quickly became a wide, hopeful grin. “Wait, r-really? I can?”

“I suggest you get going before I change my mind,” Tori simply replied deviously. Kite saw this as her cue, and bolted over to the other aisle before she could hear the Trainer say no.

As the older of the two watched the other disappear around the corner, a fond smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Cookies were always good; it wasn’t like they were expensive either… But that aside, Tori felt a small sense of relief knowing that Kite wasn’t impulsive… Or at least, tried not to be. Tori appreciated it; she wouldn’t need to worry about her wallet with Kite around.

She came to a pause, however, when she reached the edge of her cart with ramen packs in hand. Then again, too much consideration over some little things like these were bound to pile up over time, and were sure to leave a considerable hole in her savings if she wasn’t careful.

Tori sighed, dismissing her worries and returning to her groceries. She was thinking too much. If it happens, then she’ll just deal with it in the future.

Her hands found the handle of the cart and she started pushing, when suddenly—

“Alright, nobody move!”

Fired shots and panicked screams drowned out the background music. Impulsively, she ducked down to protect herself from any stray bullets flying in the air. From where she was, she saw crowds of people run to and fro past the aisles, their fight-or-flight responses leaving them frantic to get to safety. Someone smashed the fire alarm and the sirens blared throughout the establishment, while a team of five security personnel were already rushing to the scene. The relaxing atmosphere had completely transformed into mass hysteria within minutes.

Tori’s hand went to her Reuniclus’ pokéball. She needed to get to safety too. But Kite…

“T-Tori! Tor—Mmmph!”

“Pipe down, kid, or it’s the end of ya!”

Dread paled Tori’s face. Against her better judgement, she came out of her hiding spot, both hoping the situation wasn’t what it seemed and fearing the worst. It can’t be…

Unfortunately things were what it seemed. Past the terrified shoppers curled up to a ball on the floor, the security guards armed with pistols, and the littered boxes of cereal once carefully stacked next to the aisle of sweets, stood a man in a black hoodie and shades, his mouth covered by a black bandanna. Vice gripped and silenced by his left arm was none other than Kite, no longer struggling to free herself out of fear of the pistol now aimed to her temple.

Kite’s green orbs met Tori’s cyan ones, and the Trainer could see the horror painted on her companion’s face. Kite made a muffled noise in acknowledgement, but this made her abductor notice whom she was gesturing to. Tori saw the man look straight towards her and she was about to hide when the man yelled, “Don’t you fucking move, bitch! You can say bye-bye to this kid if you do!”

Just her damned luck.

“Now… On the floor like everybody else!”

“Tch…” Tori didn’t have much of a choice. Inwardly cursing herself for her rashness, she slowly lowered herself down to the floor, her hands flat against the tile. Just as she had laid down she felt something metallic poking the side of her head, and her heart nearly stopped when she saw that another man in black had come up from behind her with his assault rifle. It was an accomplice.

“Yeah, that’s right… That’s what I wanna see!” The abductor now aimed his gun at the guards around him. “Now if any of you cops wanna see this gal’s brains blown out, y’all gonna do the same as that lady over there and drop your weapons, capiche?”

The security shared frustrated looks with one another. But then, four more of his companions showed up, all clad in black and armed with guns, surrounding them. At this, they collectively agreed on following the abductor’s demands, putting their weapons down and laying themselves on the ground.

“Heh… If you’ll excuse us, we’ll just be looting whatever we can find out of your cash registers… And pockets.” He waved his gun, signalling a command. “Boys!”

Three of his men started ushering the innocent civilians to either take out their wallets or any of their jewellery, while two remained with their guns aimed at the guards on the floor. Tori felt the man above her reach past her exposed waist to her hip, where her pokéballs rested along the belt of her fanny pack. It would have been good if she could release her Ferrothorn right now and have him assault their captors, but even then Kite’s life was still at stake. Unless she could get rid of their leader’s gun it was too soon to make any moves.

Tori racked her mind for tactics. She needed to do something—fast.

At the sight of Tori almost getting felt up while being looted of all her money, Kite panicked and flailed in a frenzy. The man holding her hostage became visibly annoyed at the struggling girl, and he smacked her on the side of the head with the hard butt of his gun, effectively making her body stiff and her voice silent.

“What the fuck did I just tell you, dipshit!? I told you not to—ARRGH!”

Everyone, including the armed men, looked at Kite’s captor. A ball of flame had come out of nowhere and engulfed his hand in flames, causing the gun he held to explode. He clutched his hand painfully and screamed in agony, letting go of the now dazed Kite in the process.

From the corner of her eye, Tori saw the man above her was too stunned by the sight of his superior’s burning hand. Taking this as her cue, she reached for the fourth pokéball in her belt without a second thought, and released her Ferrothorn onto her offender. The sheer force of the bulky, metallic Pokémon’s weight was more than enough to send him crashing into the cooling racks of dairy products, knocking him out-cold.

The two men watching the guards became shocked at the appearance of the Thorn Pod Pokémon, and were immediately joined by their other allies. “What the hell!?”

“Now that that’s over with…” Tori brought her hand forward. “Gyro Ball!”

Natto hurled forth before spinning his entire body into the air, appearing like a metal frisbee flying straight for the five thieves. They fired their bullets yet these clearly had no effect on the half steel-type, who fired iron spikes right for their weapons, destroying them. In their struggle to make their guns work they ended up becoming the Ferrothorn’s pinball targets, knocking them right onto loaded shopping carts and display racks.

One of the five men, however, started making a break for it down the nearest aisle once he saw his other accomplices getting their asses handed right to them. But Natto was relentless, pursuing him past the rows of cleaning items. His prey’s haplessness became more than apparent when his foot slipped on a wet mop left by the housekeeping, making him fall backwards. Natto bounced his spinning body onto the now helpless man, who flew across the air, landed face first into the tile, and slid into a heap of powdered soap boxes.

Meanwhile, Tori had rushed into Kite’s aid, kneeling down beside the younger girl. “Kite, are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah… Ow.” She carefully rubbed the side of her head. “That’s gonna leave a bruise…”

“Grr…” The abductor managed to put out the fire on his hand, but the burn his hand sustained left it in such a mangled and deformed state. Furiously, he pulled out a knife from his jacket with his other hand, intent on getting back at Tori for meddling in his plans. “You’re gonna get it now, bitch!”

“Tori, watch out!”

But just as Tori spun around and reached for her Emboar’s pokéball, another ball of flame bursted in between them and consumed his only good hand, causing him to rear back and let go of the melting knife he held. Before he could even get rid of the fire though, a small, orange, fox-like creature came leaping and slashed its claws across his concealed face, tearing the bandanna away and leaving a deep gash along his skin. He let out a horrid scream from the unbearable, searing pain and he pressed on his wounds to stop the bleeding. When he did, it had been too late to stop the fire from spreading all over his face, and he fell to the tile, still screaming.

Their eyes fell on the creature, who landed gracefully on its feet just some distance away. It turned its head just slightly to look at the two girls, and soon found itself having eye contact with Kite. They shared a brief moment gazing into each other intently, but then it soon left as quickly as it came, leaping out of sight.

Kite reached out her hand. “W-Wait—”

“GOOD GOD, IT BURNS! GAAHHHH!”

Their attention quickly reverted back towards the man still on the floor. Tori watched him struggle for a few moments more, then brought her Swanna out, much to Kite’s surprise.

“T-Tori?” Kite gawked in disbelief. “You’re actually going to help this guy?”

Admittedly, Tori didn’t wish to. But she wasn’t inhumane. “Kamoro.”

Kamoro understood quickly, firing a jet of water from her beak. The flames were instantly doused, but even with the fire out, the man was still writhing and breathing heavily in pain.

Tori approached him, her Swanna following closely behind her. Two guards had gotten up from where they lay and came up to them, keeping their guns ready and aimed at their charge just in case. The man weakly looked up at them. He was nothing but a poor mess, no longer able to move, let alone speak. “Urrgh…”

Kite peered in from behind. The sight of his face made her stomach curl. “Is he even still…?”

The man sustained some serious injuries, that’s for sure. Despite this, he was still alive and able to recover, though his face was going to need some professional help, and he most likely wasn’t going to be able to use his hands for a while.

Tori shrugged. “Mm, he’ll be fine.”

—

Red and blue lights flashed across the parking lot of the grocery store, where the customers and passersby alike gathered in crowds, chattering among themselves about the recent happenings inside. The local authorities arrived not long after Tori had dealt with the armed robbers, who were cuffed and sent inside a police van as soon as possible. Their leader had to be given medical treatment, and was instead stretchered into an ambulance with some officers accompanying him.

Following the incident, the management had to close down the grocery for the rest of the night. Thankfully, that didn’t mean Tori and Kite would be going home empty-handed, as they loaded in their bags of groceries in the police cruiser’s compartment.

“Let me, miss.”

“Oh.” Tori handed her bags to the policeman with a smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Kite walked up beside her. Another policeman had been just as courteous to take the task of loading their groceries in the compartment, and she was left with nothing to do until then.

Suddenly, watching the policemen made Kite smirk impishly. “Huh,” She started, grabbing Tori’s attention. “Pretty polite police, don’t you think? Eh?” Kite nudged Tori lightly with her elbow, her face mischievous. “Eh, eh? See what I did there? Eh?”

“…” Tori just stared at her flatly. “Really?”

Kite was still laughing but the sight of Tori’s face made her just laugh nervously until, “Ahaha, hahaha, ahaha—Okay, I’ll shut up now.”

“…I can’t believe you just… Never mind,” Tori groaned, rubbing her temples. “He didn’t hit your head that hard, did he?”

“Well it did hurt pretty bad…” Kite patted the side of her head lightly. “But I’m fine though!”

I’d like to hope so… “Anyway,” Tori straightened herself. “I’m quite thankful they decided to give us a ride home, given how far the house is from here.”

“Yeah, me too,” Kite agreed. “Carrying all those groceries are gonna be a hassle. Though…” A thought occurred to her. “Couldn’t you just let your… Uh, pets take care of that for us?”

“They’re not pets.” Tori frowned, disliking how the other referred to her Pokémon. “And I don’t feel very comfortable making them my pack mules.”

“Oh, I see… Sorry. Pokémon, right?”

“Yeah.” That was better. “That’s what they are.”

You know… We don’t mind, Echoed her Reuniclus telepathically from her pokéball, cutting through to her thoughts and speaking for her other Pokémon in general. And it’s not like you have to pretend it’s perfectly okay with you either—

Shush, Tori replied back, briefly closing her eyes and rolling them. She didn’t want to hear the end of it.

Both physical and telepathic conversations were soon interrupted by one of the officers approaching them. His partner had just finished the last of their groceries and hopped in the driver’s seat. “We’re just about ready to go when you girls are.”

And they were. Both of them got in the back seat together, Tori on the right while Kite went left. When the doors shut, the smooth drive back began. Signs and roads they passed on their way to the grocery came flashing back in view, things which the two of them were most likely going to get used to seeing for the duration of their stay in Crossover.

And it feels like it’s gonna be a while… Tori mused. Despite what Eldritch said about there being so many worlds out there that could hold all their answers, the problem itself was just that. How easy was it going to be to find the solution they were looking for? Would any of them even actually work either? Which world they venture into wouldn’t leave them feeling like their journey had been all for naught?

After a few more moments, Tori sighed, shaking off her worries. She was overthinking things again, but be that as it may, they nonetheless remained legitimate reasons for her to even worry at all. The thought of her companions didn’t help matters either… Or her wallet. Not to mention I still need to be taking care of these two…

“Tori?”

The Trainer turned her head to her left, where Kite somehow managed to get ahold of the cookies they bought earlier and was now looking at her with mild concern. “Hmm?”

“You okay? You sound pretty worn out.”

Tori relaxed against the comfort of the leather seat. First the happenings at the temple, then their journey to Crossover, and then all the stress over the money, their food, and Zephyr… It had been a long, eventful day for her. She didn’t expect it to get even more so on a simple trip to buy groceries. “It’s late, and too much has happened today, so I am pretty tired, to be honest.”

“You and me both.” Kite scrunched the wrapper of the cookie pack open with a puff. “Just glad it’s almost over… I can’t wait to shower and go to bed.” 

“You know, you still need to help me arrange these groceries when we get home.”

“Yeah, because that lazy ass Zephyr isn’t going to help you, for sure,” Kite chuckled. Pulling out the tray inside, the younger helped herself to a cookie before offering Tori one with her other hand. “Cookie?”

“Sure,” Came Tori’s reply, and she took the cookie from Kite’s hand. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

They spent the next few minutes in silence, with both girls just taking the time to finish their cookies. Tori gazed out the window contemplatively as she munched on hers, the neon signs and streetlights lighting her face in short, quick flashes. Kite, however, found herself glancing towards her companion every few seconds, bothered by something she had in mind which she felt only the Trainer could answer.

Eventually, Kite decided to stop being shy about it. “Um, hey, Tori…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking, since you know so much about this stuff…” Kite looked up to the ceiling of the car. “That thing that stepped in and helped us earlier. Was that a Pokémon too?”

Tori recalled the fox-like creature they encountered in the store. Now that she thought about it, it somehow never really occurred to her that it was even a Pokémon in the first place. Given the nature of this alternate dimension, for all they knew it could have been a monster from one of the other worlds connected by the Gateways. And if it was a Pokémon, she had never actually seen such a specie of it before, and she knew the names of more than six-hundred of them. That certainly wasn’t from any of the Pokémon from Unova…

Tori nodded after some time. “It’s possible that at it is,” She answered. “I can’t say for certain.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. I’ve seen a lot of Pokémon, but I’ve never seen that one before.”

“But you’re the Pokémon Trainer! Shouldn’t you know all this stuff?”

“I’m not a walking Pokédex, Kite. You can’t expect me to know everything… Besides, we’re not even sure if it is a Pokémon at all.”

“True…” The more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt that it came in when it did earlier, otherwise neither of them would have been here. “I’m just so curious as to what it is, though. I wonder if we’ll run into it again?”

Tori finished the rest of her cookie. “Who knows?”

Neither of them could say for sure. But as the police cruiser sped off into the night, somewhere in the trees, the very same creature that saved them watched the car disappear from view. The wind picked up, gathering a flurry of leaves, and in the next instant, the creature was gone, vanishing back into the darkness whence it came.

---

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