"I'm off, Mom!" A young boy cried out just outside his mother's house. His hair was a dark grey that matched his eyes, and a Riolu stood proud right beside him. The bag strapped to the boy's back strained under his excited grip. His mother looked at him, her arms folded tightly across her chest—yet she smiled, even as her eyes carried a quiet sorrow.
"Be careful on your way." Her grip tightened on her clothing, watching on as her son already took his first steps away from the porch. His hand raised in a lazy wave, distracted by the road ahead, not even bothering to look back.
"Yeah, I will! Come on, Riolu!"
Riolu yipped in response as he ran behind the boy by the time the poor mother blinked. They were gone. She sighed and closed the door, her hand pressed against it long after it shut.
"Please don't get into trouble… Kaito."
***
"What do you mean we can't cross?!" Kaito shouted, his voice filled with distraut. A man stood before the pair, his wifebeater doing nothing to hide his impressive beerbelly. They stood right near the village's edge that lead to the route ahead. Riolu tried to peak down the path, trying to hopefully get a glance but he would just stand in his way.
"Like I said, there's a roadblock and lil brats like you will just make things worse!" The man snapped, his arms firm and crossed not letting up for a second. "You'll just have to wait! But if you want to travel so bad go to Seastrut or somethin'! Ya hear?!"
His voice left no room for argument, Kaito sighed with disappointment and stepped away, rocks kicking up under his feet.
"This sucks…" he muttered with a pout, hands deep in his pockets before stopping and looking at the sun, still high in the sky. "Now what…"
"Bwuh!" Riolu tugged at the boy's shirt, Kaito shaking his head vigorously at the mere mention of it.
"No way! I'm not going back home! That'd be so embarrassing!" He practically got to his knees, hands digging into his scalp at the thought of crawling back home with his tail between his legs. The boy sighed and dug into his bag, pulling out a crumpled map.
"I guess we can visit Seastrut like he said…" He mumbled, though his voice couldn't lack more enthusiasm. Kaito rolled the map up haphazardly; it wasn't his ideal spot, but it would have to do—better than just staying at home, right? "Right…"
Kaito shot up to his feet once more, hands on his hips as he took his first step forward, pointing to the way ahead. "Let's go, Riolu, this way!"
Riolu nodded and chased right after him, the two setting off down the narrow path that would begin what could only be their very own Pokemon Adventure… I, on the other hand was going through, some financial trouble…
"This sucks…" I mumbled to myself, head pressed against the counter of my cafe. Eevee sat right beside me, her head tilted to the side in worry. The sound of repeated tapping came from the room as my finger hit the counter in a stressed stim. This is it; the business dies with me. That order ate the last of my money; what'll I do now?! I can't even go to the Pokemart!
"Sorry, Mom..."I groaned into the wood beneath me, the sound of jingling bells interrupting my sorrows.
"If it's not free fish, I'm not interested, Kai!"
"Um, is this the Seastrut Cafe?" A little boy stood by the door; he was no older than ten, with a Riolu by his side. His stomach growled loudly, clearly hungry from the journey here. His Riolu looked just as miserable, leaning on the door for whatever support he could get.
"We're closed," I mumbled, in hopes that the kid would leave, but their stomachs only growled louder than before. I sighed to myself, picking myself up from the counter. "Fine, I'lll see what I can do…"
The boy's eyes instantly lighted up at my words his hunger temporarily forgotten along with Riolu, they were like a pair. The two of them instantly took a seat and waited as I headed to the back.
I tied my apron around my waste, opening the cabinets to see what I was working with. The more I searched the more empty hinges hit the walls in my effortful search, alas in the end I was left with nothing but oranberries and pechaberries with some oats…
"Right…" A groan escaped my lips, witnessing the display before me. Though I guess it was better than having even less. I started by smashing the berries in a bowl with a fork, making sure not to get rid of all the lumps. The smell of the berries already escaped the pan, a sweet floral scent filling the kitchen.
Next was the oats; I poured them into the mix and stirred it evenly. Then drizzled in some honey from my cabinet at home for binding. By the time I was done, the mixture had bound well. I watched the amalgamation of oranberry, pechaberry and oats, some of it sticking to the fork.
I scooped the mixture and pressed it with my palms, forming rough, sticky spheres. They weren't pretty, but they held together. I laid them in a dry pan over a low flame, the gentle heat firming them up and filling the café with a humble, sweet aroma—the scent of sheer stubbornness.
Eevee watched the process, her tail giving a tentative thump against the floor.
When the patties were warm and firm, I placed two on a simple plate and carried them out. The boy and his Riolu were sitting perfectly still, their eyes wide with anticipation.
"Here," I announced, resting the plate before them. They came out like little bite-sized golden nuggets; the outside was caramelized in baked honey, giving it a crusty outer shell. The boy looked at it with eyes of anticipation, his hand grabbing one and chewing into it. It instantly melted in his mouth, his eyes widened at the sweet flavor
The boy didn't hesitate. pushing the plate closer to his buddy so he could reach them.
I leaned against the counter, watching them eat with a sudden, quiet pang. Their simple gratitude was a spotlight on my own self-pity. Eevee nudged my leg, and I reached down to scratch behind her ears.
"It's really good!" the boy announced, his plate already clean. Riolu barked in agreement, licking the last crumbs of his snout
"How much do I owe you?" He was already reaching for his bag, but stopped when I stretched my arm out, stopping him
"Please," I said, my voice softer than it had been all day. "Don't pay me for this. It's on the house."
His face lit up with pure, unadulterated gratitude. "Really?! Thank you, ma'am!"
I wasn't sure if it was just stress getting to me, or maybe I was just tired, but a small smile formed on my face at the sight of it. Two happy customers leaving happy.