The Unyielding Façade

Part 14 - Reunion

Don't tell me... oh, no! Not again! I thought.

"Is something wrong...?" I asked and pulled my hand back slowly.

"Ah, sorry..." he said and put both of his hands into his trousers' pockets.

"Never mind that... where are we going?" I asked.

"Ohh... that way... that alley... it's full of good stuff," he said, nodding towards a rather big alleyway on our right.

I shot him a questioning look.

"Not that kind of 'good stuff'- it's actual food, promise!" he said.

"Okay..." I said and walked in front of him, "do you go here often?"

"Hmm? Not really..." he said and fell into step with me, "but I've been here a few times. This alley has tons of cheap food and they're great..."

I looked ahead. Sure enough there were many small stalls opening up in the small lane. Some of them had food wagons in front of them, the seating area was covered by a large plastic sheet hanging overhead. Tables covered by polymer tablecloth in different colours, and small plastic chairs were placed around the tables.

"Might be not very hygienic, but..." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I love street food," I said, "it can't be too bad. I'm pretty sure I've eaten so many street foods it doesn't matter anymore,"

He just smiled as he walked beside me.

"So... what do you want to have?" he asked.

"Anything you'd recommend?" I asked, still with my gaze to him.

"Hmm... follow me," he said, gesturing me to come with him.

~~~

"Seriously, how come you know everyone in there?" I asked and bit into the churros I bought earlier. The two of us were walking out of the alley with goods in hand.

"I don't know, I'm just famous," he said and laughed, "nah, it's nothing special. The people in there are always nice to whoever's around,"

"I can't believe they give away freebies to people they don't know," I said and held the cup of milk tea I have in my other hand higher, "I never thought there would still be people like that..."

"Yeah, that old man's really nice," he said while opening a paper bag he was holding to his chest, "I still remember when he first opened the bakery... that was like a really long time ago, when the abandoned supermarket was still running... I was his first customer and... he was really happy because I like what he sells... he still gives me some extras to this day..."

"Really? That's so cute," I said.

"Or maybe because my sister was really nasty at that time. So, probably, compared to her I just happened to look really well-behaved," he said and snickered, "she's a really spoiled brat who feels entirely entitled for everything. Around our second or third visit to this island, I was so fed up with her that I slipped away unnoticed and somehow end up in Loquat,"

"Really?!" I asked.

"Yeah, but full of bruises and scars from battling wild Pokémon and that's how... I ran into Azul..." he said, his gaze looking distant.

"I see..." I said and sipped my tea.

Ohh... so that's how it happened, huh... I thought, I wonder what would happen if I were the one who met him that day?

"How long have you guys known each other?" he asked with his gaze to the ground.

"Forever," I said, "she's my only real friend for years. I used to get bullied just because people were jealous of my grandpa and my ability to read Pokémon's thoughts, and Azul is one of the first people to be truly happy for me. She always told me I could save people and go higher,"