Shaun scanned them. "Sir, there appears to be a problem with your towel. It's turned into a living creature. You still want it? Well, if you insist. Defective products are heavily discounted."

"Nice."

Hydie rolled her eyes.

Joe paid for his goods. Picked up the towel, cat included, and held it underhanded again. Food packet in the other hand. Moved around the counter. Shaun groaned like standing was the biggest chore ever. Abandoned the chair so Joe could sit down. Now in his seat, Joe placed the cat on his lap. Removed the towel from Sprigatito. Thought about it. Gave it one last drying before putting the towel under the counter. Given the size difference, Sprigatito was less on his lap and more just on one meaty thigh.

He popped the pack of food open. The scent immediately wafted to Sprigatito. The cat perked up. Every Pokemon was like this. His hand barely fit into the packet. It was easier to shake food out. Shook a pellet into a hand. It was the size of half his thumb. Joe estimated that Sprigatito would only eat a few. He put the food in front of the cat. It began nibbling gently but quickly.

"I'll never get used to that." Hydie said.

"What?" Joe asked as he moved another pellet in front of Sprigatito. The cat was relaxing a little. Joe could feel less tension in the way it stood.

"A giant coddling a cute animal. These two things don't go together in my head. They should be mutually exclusive."

"Where did you learn a complex term like that?" Joe showed a toothy grin. Hydie narrowed her blue eyes. Joe knew that Hydie studied at university. Of the people currently working at the PokeMart, she was the smartest.

Sprigatito finally calmed down. Patted Joe's trousers, its claws hooking threads of fabric a couple times. It was making sure the surface was good to rest on. It was. Sprigatito rested on its belly, legs tucked in underneath it. Now it was just a torso and a head. Joe was happy. He wasn't the big, scary man anymore. Just a guy that wanted to help. Joe presented Sprigatito with another pellet and it happily ate.

"By the way, how much is my share?" Joe asked. If people were betting on him, the least they could do is give him some.

"Five dollars." Hydie spoke with a smile. On the verge of gloating. Shaun needed to cough up money before the shift ended.

"You guys are cheap." Joe said, observing the cat. It was eating more than he expected. He didn't mind. It was a calming action. Shake the bag, hold food in front of the cat, let it eat, and repeat.

The PokeMart had been quiet since the storm started. No one was out in this weather. A stray wind could knock most people over. Best to work around the weather and be safe. The store had been busy all morning with what felt like thousands of customers, so this was a pleasant break.

The small group separated after a few minutes of casual banter. They had work to do. Joe couldn't leave the checkout unmanned.

Another pellet later and Joe was worthy of stroking Sprigatito without it thinking its life was going to end. Well, more like scratch it. His hand was big, or Sprigatito was small. Or both. He could only use the tips of his fingers on Sprigatito. Unlike the pet Meowth his mother owned. A beige, lanky breed of cat. Joe could run a hand down Meowth's back. The sensation was about the same. Cats kept themselves well-groomed, so they were both soft to touch.

Sprigatito purred gently as crumbs scattered across Joe's trousers. It finally knew Joe was a good person. Pokemon could sense intent from people. Survival instincts for who to team up with. Sprigatito had been so focused on how scary Joe looked that it failed to sense the soothing aura he produced. The feline could get used to this. It'd lived on the streets for the few months it'd been alive. It'd had to fend for itself. Never had a chance to relax like this. This must be what it was like to have a family. To have parents. Sprigatito was suddenly gripped by a strong urge to retain this feeling.

Hydie and Shaun were restocking shelves. Joe was left alone with his own thoughts about the coming year. A year-long vacation he'd spent six years saving for. He'd been employed by the PokeMart when he was eighteen. Starting tomorrow he was free to do as he pleased for three hundred and sixty-five days.

He planned to visit Kanto, a neighbouring country to the east of Johto. Joe wanted to hike up and down Mt. Silver, the tallest mountain in the range separating the two countries. Once in Kanto, he would simply wander wherever his feet took him. Just him and his backpack. No obligations. His main plan was to sightsee, but if he wanted to relax on a beach for a week then he'd do that.

Joe had done this before, on a smaller scale. Saved up his paid holiday every year. Four weeks. He'd ventured around Johto during that time. Seen most of what the country had to offer. It was time to see another country. He doubted he'd be in Kanto the entire time. It was another mild country with a similar culture. Maybe a country like Hoenn or Paldea would be nice. Different people. Different foods. Different weather.

He looked down at Sprigatito happily eating food still. How much was it going to eat? The packet was nearly empty. Somehow most of the pellets had fit into the small creature.

Looking at the cat, Joe knew he'd be surrounded by fauna a lot of the time. He planned to hike from town to town. That meant walking and sleeping in nature. He'd had plenty of run-ins with wild Pokemon over the years. Expected many more. Despite not caring if he had his own Pokemon, he did consider them all either cool or cute. Depended on the species. He stroked Sprigatito. It looked up and tilted its head. Went back to eating. Cats fit into the cute category.

Joe was excited about his holiday. He expected little sleep tonight, like a child too excited the night before their birthday. But he had a concern. A friend he met a couple of years ago. Jasmine. The local Gym Leader. Not to be confused with the fitness center Joe used to stay fit. He almost laughed imagining her at a fitness center. She was a stick figure and would remain that way for life.

A Pokemon Gym was a place for people to challenge specialist Trainers to battle. Gym Leaders. Jasmine was the master of steel-types in Johto. Joe remembered her saying steel was the most defensive type. Tough to take out.

His worry stemmed from Jasmine's personality. She was a very anxious person. Joe always wondered how she ended up in a public position. But she didn't interact with the challengers much. She just focused on battling. That got her through her job. She had a grand love for Pokemon battles. She was awkward when handing challengers their Badges, trophies for winning, but she managed. Barely.

Joe started to reminisce. During her time off, Jasmine would come to hang out at the PokeMart because it was where Joe was. She was there so often that customers started paying attention to her. She struggled to get a tan and always wore white dresses. She tended to hover and watch, not saying much. A ghost bound to a location.

Jasmine had been confused for a new hire once too. That got a laugh out of Joe. Watching her stutter her way through human interaction. Gym Leaders were celebrities, but Jasmine stayed out of the limelight. She was unknown even in her own city. Olivine Gym was in rotation this year, so Jasmine wasn't here today.

Joe turned his head at the boom of thunder and a flash of lightning. Looked out the rows of windows that made up the wall. They were covered in thick rain drops. He could just about make out red lights from cars. Joe stared out the windows with his green eyes as he recalled the day he met Jasmine.