Late at night, the tavern is quiet as not many pokemon occupy the bar counter. Zach keeps his head against the top with a glass of liquor in his grasp.
Ralph, a scorbunny and one of the tavern’s bus boys, comes up to the riolu. He is one of the few pokemon who strike up a conversation with Zach when he comes around the tavern, and one of the few other pokemon who is close with the riolu. He dons a red bandana with a matching color cap and apron. “Hey, Zach. Nice to see you again tonight. What’s wrong with you? You’re not even checking out the action tonight.” He points to the primarina drinking alone at the other end of the bar counter. “You’re usually striking up conversations with the pretty girls here.”
“I’m in no mood tonight, Ralph,” Zach says. “The circus gave me the boot after it was taken over by my ex-girlfriend and her new lover…”
“You mean the new company, Elle and Gloria Entertainment Co.?” adds a snivy nearby. Zach raises his head to him. “Yeah, heard about that. They made Betty the Brionne the star of the show. News travels fast.” Zach’s head tilts down again.
Ralph raises his paw to his mouth. “Gee, I’m so sorry, Zach…
“I thought the circus was my family… How I was wrong again… I should’ve been better to know it was all a ruse… And Betty… I thought she was my friend after everything that has happened…”
“What do you plan to do now…?”
“Probably go live out in the forest… I’ve got nothing else left…”
“Hey…” Ralph places his paw on the riolu’s shoulder. “No pal of mine is going to spend his life outdoors in terrible weather while being pummeled by raiders…”
“What do you mean…?”
“When I get off work, I want you to come with me.”
“When is that…?”
“Shouldn’t be too long. Just stick around, okay? Perhaps have a couple more beers while you wait.”
***
Ralph opens the door to his apartment. He lights up a lantern to reveal a small space with a couple of features; the room is a greeting area with a sofa with a kitchenette/cooking area beside it. A tiny bathroom is situated next to a red sheet acting as a hammock, in the corner of the room. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like. What’s mine is yours. If you get hungry in the middle of the night, there’s some leftover curry in the storage.” Zach goes to sit on the sofa. “I know it’s not luxurious, but it’s doable, and it’s home.”
“I… appreciate it, Ralph… You didn’t have to…”
“You’d do the same for me, right?”
“Uh… yeah…?”
“It’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t mind the company. I can also help you get some work if you’re looking to get back on your feet.”
“How can you do that?”
“I hear a lot of things at the tavern. I also have some connections with certain pokemon. Shouldn’t be a problem to get you something.”
“You sure know how to help a pokemon in need.”
“It’s what I do… I don’t need a guild to show I am a good pokemon. It’s all about heart and caring.”
Zach tilts his head again. “Yeah…” He turns and looks out the window behind him, noticing the lights coming from the compound upon the hill. “Look at that, Ralph… That base up there… I bet Team Rescuers are throwing a huge party to celebrate my expulsion from the circus… I know I should hate them…”
Ralph walks up to the riolu. “I know how much you miss them, Zach…”
Zach looks to him. “Oh, you do…? How can you tell?”
Ralph takes a hand-drawn picture of himself with the group of pokemon and shows it to the riolu. “Because I miss them, too…”
Zach becomes slightly surprised, taking the picture from him. “You were with Team Rescuers?”
“Yeah, I was… Those were the good old days… I was happy to help many pokemon. Everyone looked up to us.”
“What happened…?”
Ralph takes a seat next to him. “Ezma had brought in a new member… This pokemon barely had any experience or education from the guild school… She was fresh out of the circus…”
“Cindy the Celebi…"
“Correct… At first, she was okay with her teammates, including me. But then, things began to change… When she discovered my personality, she pushed me away and wanted nothing to do with me…”
“I… understand how that feels…”
“However, I was a part of the team, and I wasn’t going to let a new recruit deter me from doing what I needed to do… It didn’t matter too much… Ezma favored her over me… And there were also the times she set me up over little ‘incidents’ where she pinned the blame on me. Eventually, I was kicked out…”
“And I thought I was the only one she had a grudge against…”
“Oh, you and I aren’t the only pokemon Ezma and Cindy have wronged, I’m afraid… I wish I could tell you more…”
Zach lowers the picture and looks to the scorbunny. “Thank you… It means a lot… I will repay you back when I can…”
“It’s no worry, and I’m not too concerned about it… I just don’t like seeing other pokemon suffer pain and misery, especially you… I’ve seen your acts and I feel pretty bad for you having to go through all of that…”
“You know what… It’s okay… You could say I’m kind of glad to be out of the circus… Maybe now I can focus on something different, for a change…”
“Maybe you can sleep on it.” Ralph stands and makes his way to a pile of belongings. “It’s late… Try to get some rest, okay?”
“Sure… Thanks, Ralph…”
Ralph returns to him with a hay-stuffed pillow and a blanket. “It’s not high-quality items like at Team Rescuer’s base, but it should suffice for slight comfort.”
“It’s fine,” Zach tells him. “I’m used to lying on a hay bag mattress at the circus…” He takes the items and lies back against the sofa with them; setting himself up to sleep.
“Have a good night, Zach.” Ralph gets into his makeshift hammock, places his head on the pillow, and covers himself with the blanket up to his neck. His feet pop out from the blanket, yet he doesn’t seem to care. Zach stares up at the ceiling, deep in thought. He reflects on a lot, including events leading up to his position, before his eyelids obscure the view with darkness.
