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My family, for as long as our history records stood in Paldea, always owned the quaint little shop that was now passed down to me. It was old and rickety — all creaky wooden flooring and ancient stained glass. And it was just downtown, so it was well known... well, locally, at the very least. Anyone who had lived in the area, even just briefly, knew of our excellent selection of your everyday sandwich-making ingredients.

Yes, that's right, sandwiches. It was a treasured tradition, a family heirloom, and so on. That is to say, the beloved recipes. To be completely honest, I wasn't always that jazzed at the thought of inheriting the slips of paper that give you instructions on a lunch menu.

After a time, though, it actually became appealing, and I looked forward to one day owning the small shop. Once I was old enough to do more than minor chores and deliveries here and there, my fantasies of owning my own shop grew. With the help of my mother, I, too, became enraptured by the prospect of our family's living.

It was a hobby, at best, to make sandwiches. On your resume, you can't exactly state: I like sandwiches. You can't dazzle that up anymore without sounding even more foolish. But that's alright since I didn't think I needed anything more than the shop.

Unfortunately, as time passes everyone by and the world keeps spinning, you grow up and out, and at some point that I can't exactly name, staying tied down to the tiny town I lived in suddenly didn't seem all that amazing.

Alas, the only other path would be a Pokemon Trainer, something I didn't think I'd be cut out for. Traveling with no real aim other than to battle others? Thanks, no.

So, as can be expected, the shop was passed onto me, and the days of routine that I never noticed settled into me. It was a constant cycle, every day. The shine and appeal seemed to fade. Clean up the shop and reshelve, open up for the day, serve customers with a plastered smile, close shop, and fall into bed that night utterly exhausted. How did my parents manage?

I'd asked for their secrets, but they had none. No tricks, just work. I suppose my innocent days of playing around with the shop's items and such were gone. As I stared out the window one day, spacing out without any shame due to the lull in activity, I began to regret wanting to take this on.

While my parents still helped here and there, they thought I could handle it. And I could. But... I didn't want to. Paldea was huge, I knew. And I wanted to see more of it. I didn't even go to that one glamorous, prestigious academy most people attend. What I would do to leave even for just an extended vacation of sorts...

"Hey, (Y/N). Earth to (Y/N)."

I was abruptly pulled out of my thoughts at the inquiry. When I glanced up, straightening my posture from behind the front counter, I realized it was one of our regulars. "Arven? What's up?" I asked.

"Do you have any more of those locally grown Tomato Berries from earlier this week?" Arven, the regular in particular, asked. "They tasted amazing, really." He always came multiple times a week to buy ingredients for his picnics and such, and also because he likely lives alone, from what I've seen and pieced together about him.

"Ah, we just ran out," I admitted. "They must've been pretty crazy good since they sold so easily. Probably the low price and quality."

He nodded in understanding. "Do you know where I could get some more then?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to go with it. "Actually... They're from my family's garden. Why?"

His bright teal eyes lit up at my explanation, although it wasn't anything special. "Well, this might come as a surprise although I do come here often, but the fact is, I'm all about that picnic life: the great outdoors, the perfectly prepared sandwiches, all of it. Not half bad at cooking either, I can tell you."

"I could assume as much." I smiled, pleased that my deduction was spot on.

"Right now I'm researching new recipes that'll help Pokémon feel better, yeah? Real healthy food, see. I'm looking for the best ingredients I can get my hands on." He fidgeted with his lengthy blonde streaked brown hair. He glanced away momentarily, his eyes lining the wooden shelves furnishing the shop's main room. "The stuff here is legendary. And if you wouldn't mind..."

"You want to see my garden? It's just out back, and I think there are more things ripe that I haven't harvested just yet if you really want the cream of the crop." I offered with a warm smile.

"You would?!" He gasps, slamming his hands down on the front desk. "Really?!"

From behind the cash register, I nodded in response. "Sure, it's no problem. You're a regular here anyway, and they'd all be on the shelves at some point. Just think of it as some kind of preorder or whatever. I don't mind at all."

He grins the widest I've seen him in a while. "Thank you, thank you, (Y/N)!"

"It's my pleasure, Arven. Just follow me."

I gestured for him to come around the counter, and he did just that, then I opened the door in the back which revealed a small, winding pathway of gravel. The garden boxes lining the trail were raised above the ground and lush with greenery dotted with vibrant Berries and various organic ingredients that were naturally grown.

I made a beeline for the section dedicated to the Tomato Berries, as requested, but Arven's pace slowed and he began to wander, eyes darting from thing to thing with evident awe. When I turn to speak, he cuts in, his gaze eager and shining. "This is incredible! And you grow all this yourself?"

"Yep. Well, and there are a few Pokemon that my mom owns, they often help me with watering or caring for the plants." I grinned and let out a laugh. "Actually, sometimes Smoliv will blend in so easily I nearly pick it like just another Berry."

"Impressive," Arven notes, still gawking at the large garden space.

I lead him over to the Tomato Berries and gather up a handful that is ready to be picked, then I'm about to head back into the shop where I can ring up everything for him.

"Hey, (Y/N)... You've gotta help me out so I can finally make my dream a reality." Before I could ask what he was referring to, he continued. "Your expertise and skills with plants like these are just what I need!"

I smiled, cheeks heating up a bit at the compliment. "And this dream is...?" From the sound of it, this included something more adventurous than my current position. Perfect, that's exactly what I've been looking for.

"Okay, so I found this book the other day, and it had a section about these Herba Mystica things... Basically, they're some kind of special herbs that heal up any Pokémon as soon as it eats them!" He explains earnestly, his hands moving frantically in an effort to make me see what he envisioned.

"I see. And I could help because...?" I tilt my head. Sure, I had a wide knowledge of plants and Berries, but I'd only briefly heard of these herbs he spoke of.

He nodded vigorously. "You'd be perfect! I know you'd be an amazing asset to finding these things! And..." His cheeks turned bright red. "Also, I think it'd be amazing to travel with you. I have really enjoyed coming here so often and seeing you, so..."

At that moment, my throat suddenly felt really dry and my face burned with a blush once more, but I tried to brush it off the best I could and regain my composure to formulate a proper response. "I'd really love to join you, Arven." I smiled wide and the relief of my acceptance was clear on his face.

"Then take a look at this, all of the locations marked on the book I read. Where should we start? When should we start?"

The real question was, how did I not realize how cute Arven was before this?

"We will start as soon as possible, of course. And to where we'll go, anything will do. How about you choose, Arven?" And that was the start of our search across the vast Paldea region, where we started as close companions on a journey, but would eventually blossom into more.

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Author's Note:

Hello, hello! This is officially my first one-shot of a character from Gen 9, so... There's nothing else to say, it's just kind of cool.

Also, I could totally write a part two for this plot, since I left it open-ended. But since I have so many requests already, I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon.

Anyway, this was a request from XxMiA_SANsxXSTORIES

Today's question: Who's your favorite Paldean rival? It will be Penny for me! She is positively adorable in design, personality, and backstory, so she has become one of my favorite characters from Scarlet and Violet.

Thanks so much for reading,
Lillian

Word count: 1567 words

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