My Name is Loto [Pokémon Fanfiction]

04| How I Met My Partners in Crime

Time passed. How much? I wasn't keeping track, but it must've been months. The once-warm weather had slowly begun to chill, bringing with it new hues to the plants. Something in me found all of this odd, as if I'd never known changes like this were possible.

I definitely liked the warmer weather better. The farmer's market on the south side of the city was always bustling, and though that meant there were more people about, that meant there was more produce for me to "peruse." Too bad other people had the same idea as me. Still, what I'd heard about the Tranquelum guards' ineffectiveness persisted, and I would get away.

But then the chill came. When it did, more people than normal began to watch over the stalls as well as the farms when I tried to turn my attention to them. And that sucked, because it seemed like there was a lot more crops being harvested.

In spite of weather's shifts and everything horrible I would encounter with the locals, I remained in Erinne. Why? Well, I felt I had no choice. These were the last-known whereabouts of the purple-eyed man, so I couldn't afford to leave.

Also, ships came in and out on a near-weekly basis. Besides the market, I had new opportunities to try and help myself to some of the cargo. The city was big, so I could easily make myself scarce if needed, which I had to do on a near-daily basis. I spent these months running, whether it be from other people or chasing leads of men with purple eyes. Always running.

"It's about time we caught one of you Rattata!"

But it was a shame when I was caught before I could escape.

I glared at the man standing over me, trying not to sweat nervously as a cutlass was leveled straight at my face. My fingers clenched tighter around the wrapped package I held. Since the cargo bearing food had been too closely watched these past couple weeks, I hoped stealing and reselling whatever this was could get me some money. It was apparently from Verelum, so it had to be worth something.

"Now hand it over, or I won't have a problem cuttin' you down." With the blade still pointed at me, the man held out his other hand.

   There was no way I could weasel out of this one with words. I'd abandoned the innocent poor kid persona the moment I tried to fire off an Ice Shard when I was spotted, so acting as such while still coated in frost and icicles wouldn't work.

   "You got three seconds," the man said, starting to reach out towards me. I flinched back from the outstretching hand, a horrible shiver running down my spine. There was no way that I was going let him touch me. I gritted my teeth, my scowl deepening. I had to give it up. Everything in me tried to object the thought, but I knew I had to, because deep down I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I just couldn't.

"Fine." I threw the package to the ground as hard as I could, which cracked open like an egg upon impact. The man yelled out in anger as his attention was drawn to the smashed package of what seemed like tea leaves. The moment his eyes left me, Ice Shards burrowed deep into his leg.