A short term plan

"Hey, you wanna granola bar?" You call out over your shoulder, packing away the items which had been strewn about during the attack. You're in a jolly mood, despite the aching wounds which line your body. The victory had been energizing... almost addictive.

After you'd knocked the lead Spearow ****, the others had quickly fled, only briefly circling back around to collect their fallen comrade. They were horrible, violent little shits, but it seemed they were nothing if not loyal. You probably should've taken the opportunity to capture one of them, but once you'd seen the desperation plastered on their little faces, you couldn't bring yourself to do it.

You hear Margo calling back to you. "Nah, granola bars suck ass."

"...WHAT?!" Though neither of you are looking at each other, you still drop your jaw in a show of pantomime outrage. "I KNOW I did not just hear you say that about granola bars."

"It's just facts, dude. Now, cereal bars, THAT's where it's at."

"Granola bars and cereal bars are the same thing. Granola's a type of cereal."

Margo snorts. "Cereal bars are those soft ones that have jelly and stuff inside of 'em. They're not literally made of cereal."

You turn around to face her. "Oh yeah? Then why're they called... cereal... bars..."

Standing across the camp, Margo's ass grants you the barest of jiggles as she shimmies into her leggings, nearly dressed. You turn away, your face flushing. It had been twice now that you'd seen her naked, but both times you'd been under too great of stress to really contemplate it. But now...

You hear her clear her throat. "...Do you think, anything looks, like, off, with me?" You turn back once more to face her. Seems she hadn't noticed your unintentional peeping. "I feel kinda weird."

"Well, uh, according to the Dex, you leveled up twice, from 4 to 6. Maybe it's that you're feeling?"

"... Could be." She pauses awkwardly. "Well, it's a good thing if that's what it is. Higher level I am, less chance of getting fucked over and recaptured once I'm on my own."

A cloud passes over the sun. "...On your own?"

"Yeah. On my own. Now that we're even, I mean. We don't have much of a reason to stick together. You helped me back in Pallet Town, I helped you with the Spearow-"

"Hold on, hold on. I'm not gonna just ditch you! That's way too dangerous, and it was my fault you got captured in the first place!"

"Dude, you had NO reason to help me back at the Poké-Mart. I appreciate it, but you had no obligation to help me run, let alone to put your ass on the line to stop that Rocket fucker! You'd never catch me doing the same, my ass woulda been out. Of. There." She jabs her finger, emphasizing each syllable. "At the end of the day, I don't really know you, and you don't really know me. You don't owe me anything."

You throw your hands up in frustration. "I am trying to help you! You're in a completely shite position; just let. Me. Help. For fuck's sake, you were saying earlier how if you ran into Viridian City, you'd immediately get recaptured! Do you have any plans about what you'll do? Where you'll go?"

"My point is that that's none of you business! I can make my own god damned decisions, and I don't want your help. I told you before, right? I'm not some fucking damsel in distress, so don't count on using me to jerk off your ego. I appreciate what you did, but we oughta split up. And I'm thinkin' sooner, rather than later." She pauses. "If you meant what you said about not enslaving me dude, you'll let me."

The two of you size each other up, refusing to break eye contact. In the end, you concede. "Fuck. Fine. But I'm not leaving you penniless. You got any savings? Humor me."

"...I was pretty much working paycheck to paycheck back in Pallet Town. You must know how crazy rent got, with all the people rushin' to get the fuck outta the cities."

It's a familiar situation indeed. "Hear me out here; let's find some work, make some money- just a little, so I can have peace of mind that you'll be alright." You extend your hand. "Deal?"

She hesitates for a moment. “...Fine. But! If this gets drawn out into some bullshit, don't expect me to stick around."

You sigh. “...Okay. The next question is, what can we actually do? I'd say taking some farm work would be nice, but the roadways are off limits, considering how many gangs are biking around, and I really don't feel great about cutting east through the forest without Pokémon."

Margo nods. "That'd be kinda dicey. Viridian City's probably the best bet. What's your resume look like?"

You shoulder your bag. "Worked at a McCargo's flipping burgers back in high school, but since the crisis started I've been stuck at that Poké Mart. You?"

"I got a job as a delivery person when I moved to Pallet Town. Only job I’ve ever had."

Silence descends, as you trek forth. Doesn’t leave you two with many options.

Ghostly; that’d be the best way to describe Viridian City. The city had always been known for being sleepy, but the quiet that now engulfed it bordered on creepy. The streets are practically deserted, but you feel eyes on your back at all times.

Margo exhales loudly, sneaking over her shoulder. She seems a little thrown off. “Hey, uh, Joel. Viridian... doesn’t have any protections, right? Like, how Pallet Town does?”

You pass beneath the shadow of a large building. A “closed” sign sways in the wind, clacking against the door. “...No, I don’t think so. The police booth near the entrance was abandoned too. Why?”

“You haven’t noticed? Look. No graffiti, no abandoned buildings, no thugs on the street corners. Nothin’.”

“...Huh.” A Murkrow caws. “...Let’s just hurry over to the Poké Mart.” You and Margo had agreed to scope out the Mart. At least at the one in Pallet Town, management had kept a bulletin board with local job listings up. It was a place to start.

Ding!

Ah, the familiar, dull atmosphere of the Poké Mart. The only thing out of place is the heavily bandaged man leaning on the counter, talking with the cashier. Seems his wrappings aren't all that effective; you can see splatters on the floor where he's been leaking. Margo had chosen to stay outside, citing some recent unpleasant experiences inside a Mart.

"Welcome to Poké Mart! I'll be with you just as soon as I finish helping this gentleman."

Chipper. Must be a new hire. You make your way to the bulletin board in the back. "Take as long as you need."

As your eyes roam the board, you grimace. Lost Meowths, months old promotions... but no jobs. Your gaze finally comes to a rest on one particular flier, and you let out a hollow laugh. Poké Mart: Now Hiring!

As you trudge back towards the exit, you can't help but feel defeated. 'Course, that's only made worse by the fact that the whole point of casting away your old life was to start living without regrets. But you can't even find a job, and you don't have the will to starting working your old one? Pathetic. But then, something catches your ear. The bandaged man.

"...Yeah, no bro, fuck that shit. No way I'm trekking all the way to Cerulean to deliver this shit. There's no way. I don't even know if I got the strength, and those Spearow are still prolly out there, you know? It's totally unfair, totally. I haven't even been working for the man that long, and I get stuck with this? Unreal..."

You falter. "Sorry, did, you, uh, say Spearow?" Your mind flashes back to the man running from the Spearow. "You wouldn't happen to be..."

The bandaged man's eyes are wide as you finish your story, and the cashier's mouth is agape. "That's fuckin' craaaazy bro. Like, wow."

You feel a small fizz of pride. "Yeah, right? Mean little shits..."

The bandaged man nods, then sighs. "Doesn't change much for me though. Still no way I can deliver this shit. Gonna lose my job for sure."

You eye the satchel slung over his shoulder, your interest piqued. "What all are you delivering, anyway? Weird that your boss didn't just mail it."

"No idea. I'm a lab assistant for Oak back in Pallet Town. It's some top secret research stuff he wants sent to a guy called Bill over in Cerulean City. Apparently didn't want it going on record with the post office. Must be really important. But I ain't risking getting, like, an infection or something. But shit!" He voice rings with sudden frustration. "I really fuckin' wanted to keep this job!"

Hold on. There's.... an opportunity here, isn't there? It couldn't be more clear. It's perfect. "...Say. My friend outside is a veteran in the delivery business. How about you let us deliver it? For a small fee, of course."

The man squints, in a mixture of surprise and suspicion. "...I don't know... this is really important stuff, for me to give it to you like that..."

"Come on! The alternative is it not being delivered at all. You know we can handle ourselves! Look at those Spearow!"

"...Fine. I'll need to lay out some ground rules with you."

"Fine by me! But we should probably figure out expectations on pay, first."

The man pulls out his phone, opening his banking app. "I need you to stay quiet about this. I don't want Oak finding out. With that in mind... how does $500 now, and $1500 more when you get to Bill's sound?"

Ding!

Margo glances up, annoyed, as you exit the store, a smile plastered on your face. "What took you so long?"

Your smile persists. "You're gonna love this..."