Chaz

Jolinaxas made his way, for the first time, to Kangaskhan Storage. The Ekans had seen the building plenty of times before, thanks to its prominent location in Tao's town square, but he'd never needed to stop by...it wasn't like he had too much to store, anyway. Jolinaxas kept a close eye on Adam as the young Trapinch happily followed him. Rafael wasn't available to watch the tyke, and Jolinaxas couldn't very well leave his son home alone... He hoped, for once, Adam could go a few hours without sinking his teeth into something or someone.

Jolinaxas rapped on the door to Kangaskhan Storage with his tail, idly watching as Adam bounced and hummed along to a song no one else could hear. A moment passed before the door  swung open.  "Oh, hello! You must be with the Merchants, here to help out with this dreadful clutter. Please, come in, come in."

The motherly Auntie Kanga, owner and proprietor of Kangaskhan Storage, led her visitors into her home. The insides were cozy, not at all like what Jolinaxas expected a business to look like, but he wouldn't want to live in a shop, either. The problem was fairly evident... On the far side of Auntie Kanga's living room was a wall of cubbies, each and every one of which was overflowing with junk.

Ribbons, scarves, bells, hats, and all matter of other detritus spilled forth from the cubby wall in as close a semblance to order as the poor Auntie Kanga was able to emulate. Jolinaxas let out a low whistle. "This here's a real humdinger of a junk pile, Miss Kanga."

The Kangaskhan nodded heavily. "You're right about that, young man. Say, I didn't catch your name? You can just call me Auntie, sweetie."

"Jolinaxas," The Ekans said, "And mah boy here's Adam."

"Ohhh, he's so charming!" Auntie Kanga cooed, bending down to pat the Trapinch and fuss over him a bit. "My little one's named Roo. Maybe we should arrange a playdate!"

As soon as Auntie Kanga made her offer, though, Adam jovially chomped at her fingers, missing them by millimeters. Kanga had drawn them back with an audible "Eep!"

"I don't reckon it'd be a good idea. Adam ain't quite figured out what's fer bitin' and what ain't." Jolinaxas couldn't help but wince. He still had some teeth marks around his own tail.

Auntie Kanga unconsciously wiped her hands on her side, being quite mindful of little Adam. "Oh, oh my...Yes. Well, we'd best get started. So many pokemon have forgotten their things here, my home has become a complete mess!" She approached one of the cubbies and started pulling belongings out of it. "I really hate to sell them off, but I'm afraid I just don't know what else to do."

Jolinaxas nodded. He thought it was a swell idea. "All right, then. When we're done, this place'll be cleaner'n a new coin."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU9Uwh…

After several hours, the pair finally had the abandoned belongings extricated from the claimable ones. The mess had grown a lot less, and the cubbies were now properly organized, but the wall still looked pretty full, and there were even items that Auntie Kanga had had no choice but to put into boxes neatly stacked over in the corner.

She let out a sigh. "Dearie me, there's still too many of them. I should just convert the cellar to storage space. The house won't survive any more business like this!"

Jolinaxas was putting the last of the forgotten belongings into a large sack, when he happened upon something curious. Hidden at the bottom of the pile was a shining locket. Jolinaxas picked up the curiosity, and opened the latch near the top. The locket slowly opened, to reveal a sepia-toned picture of a Chikorita and, on the inside cover, the words 'I love you, Chaz'.

"What's this, Kanga?" Jolinaxas asked, sparing a glance toward the Kangaskahn. She had found a treasure of her own, and was looking over an old hardcover book. Kanga looked over, and walked over to the locket to better study it.

"Ohhhh, this belongs to Chaz! He's such a nice fellow, I wonder how he could have forgotten this here? Lily must have given him an earful when he came home without it." Kanga looked towards Jolinaxas with worry over her motherly features.

"I hate to make you go out of your way, dearie, but I couldn't sell this off. Could you find Chaz and bring this back to him? He's the nicest Meowth I've ever met, and I'm sure he'd be awfully grateful."

Jolinaxas looked out the door. He had other things he could be doing, but...Auntie Kanga looked like a widow, and it was really bad manners to turn down a widow's request. "Reckon I can." He closed the locket, slipping it into his small pack rather than the large burlap sack. "Feller likely slept in the doghouse fer losin' it."

"Thank you again, dearie, having you and Adam here has been so wonderful." Kanga said. "I found this while we were cleaning, too." She offered Jolinaxas the book she'd been holding. "It's a library book. From Alomomola of all places! I hear they've been trying to get a number of their books back. I'm sure you can find something to do with the old thing."

The Ekans took the book, too, and placed it in the sack. "Odds are ah'd be headin' after it anyways. Thanks much, Auntie. Y'all take care now." Jolinaxas looped his coils around the neck of the sack, and drug it after him as he slithered towards the door.

Kanga happily hustled over and held it open for him and Adam, who'd taken to following his father everywhere like a duckling. Jolinaxas was glad he wouldn't get lost, but it was a real pain to try and keep him somewhere while he worked.

"All right, boy. First things first; we drop this junk off at the Merchants buildin', an' then we skeedaddle to rustle up this Chaz dude."  Adam happily hopped up and down. "Rustle Chaz!" The Trapinch repeated. Jolinaxas couldn't help but grin in spite of himself. "Attaboy! An' if we runs, we'll hog-tie 'em!"

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The search for Chaz was harder than Jolinaxas would have expected. Everywhere they went, people seemed to know of Chaz, and unanimously liked him, but nobody seemed to know where he was.

"Chaz? Of course I know him!" said a Clefairy. "He's the most handsome cat I've ever seen. Lily got herself a real catch!" She giggled giddily. "I'll bet they're off honeymooning somewhere!"

"Yeah, I know Chaz." Remarked a Buizel later. "Really funny guy! Great to hang out with. Always buys the first round at the cafe, too! Say, how's he doing? I haven't seen him in ages."

"You're looking for Chaz?" Commented a Growlithe still later. "That Meowth saved my life when I was drowning in the river. You tell him when you see him that he's the best damn poke in all of Tao!"

Exhausted, and with nothing to show for his work canvassing the town, Jolinaxas came to the one place he knew he could find a lead...and which he'd been trying to avoid from the get-go. Defeated, he slithered toward Callahan's cabin, followed by Adam, who was bouncing along as effervescently as always. How the kid kept on going, he'd never know.

Dreading the answer, Jolinaxas knocked on the heavy wooden door. Maybe Callahan wouldn't answer. Maybe the bastard wasn't even home. Jolinaxas was thinking he'd be better off just giving up and going home.  

That's when the obnoxious fox answered the door. "Oh, Jolinaxas!" The Ninetales greeted with a slimy smile. "How's my favorite Rogue doing?"

...At least it wasn't raining this time.

"Merchant, ya huckster!" Jolinaxas spat. "Ah ain't here tah talk. Where can I find a Meowth named Chaz?"

Callahan chuckled to himself. "My, my! Aren't we the bossy ones? And why would I tell you, hmmm? Are you planning on bushwhacking this fellow?"

"Listen here, two-timer! I got you yer damn books, and got put in a damn dress because a weasel like you couldn't do yer own dirty work! Now drop the damn sass-talk and make yerself useful, fer once!"

Jolinaxas fumed, and Callahan coyly put a paw to his lips. "Oh no, did I make the big bad bandit mad? I was hoping, when I saw you in your beautiful dress, I could invite you to the harvest festival, but my maiden's attitude has turned completely sour! Well all right, sour puss, I suppose I could give you what you want. Say please."

Jolinaxas glared absolute hatred towards Callahan, who was wearing his usual self-assured smirk.

Callahan started again. "You know you catch more flies with hone-"

"PLEASE."

Callahan's eyes narrowed, and his smile spread even further. Oh yes. He was pleased.

"Chaz? Why didn't you ask in the first place!" The Ninetales luxuriously threw his mane back. "I have no idea where he is. Honestly, why would you even think I keep tabs on people like you? It's just stupid."

"But...But you knew where to find me!" Jolinaxas blurted out, incredulously.

Callahan gesticulated with a paw while he spoke. "That's because I can exploit you." The fox emphasized the word exploit by bopping Jolinaxas on his snout with his paw. "Chaz was far too much of a goody two-shoes. I had a headache just from his interview. You should check the graveyard. He's probably dead."

Jolinaxas was about to lose it, when Callahan spoke again. "Oh, but I do have something for you, seeing as you were kind enough to acquire those books for me. Wait just a moment." Callahan vanished behind his door for a minute, before re-appearing with an old, worn, book.

"Seeing as you enjoy ferrying books about so much, you can take this one back to the Alomomola library for me." Callahan underhandedly flipped the book towards Jolinaxas, letting it fly short and land against the ground, splayed open.

Callahan shut the door and went back to the pile of forms he had by his fireplace, when a piercing string of cursing so violent it could melt stone issued forth from behind his heavy front door, clearly audible despite it being closed and three inches thick.

Zaru wandered in from the connected room, looking at the door curiously. "What's that all about?" She asked.

Callahan just shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Some people just can't keep their cool."

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Jolinaxas slithered to his last stop for the day. Though he was thoroughly expecting another excruciatingly frustrating trick from Callahan, this was the last lead he had on Chaz, so, hesitatingly, he visited the boneyard. It couldn't hurt to be sure.

As Jolinaxas and Adam approached Tao's graveyard, a Mandibuzz left its perch on a crumbling mausoleum and soared to meet them.

"Hello! What can I do for you two?"

Jolinaxas was a little taken aback. He wasn't used to people in graveyards being so...chipper. "Uh, evenin'. Y'all wouldn't know nothin' 'bout a fella named Chaz, would ya?"

The Mandibuzz leaned forward excitedly. "Chaz?! Of course I do! Come with me, he'll be really happy to see someone!"

Jolinaxas could hardly believe it! Callahan had actually come through for him! Well, Jolinaxas was willing to chalk it up as a complete coincidence, but he was finally at the end of his journey! The Ekans excitedly followed the Mandibuzz deeper into the boneyard, until she stopped to alight on a gnarled tree, with its leafless branches extending toward the sky like bony fingers.

"So...Where's Chaz?" Jolinaxas said, scanning his surroundings and seeing no one.

"Right here." The Mandibuzz answered, gesturing to a stone cross directly in front of them, with four letters etched into the stone.

Jolinaxas bowed his head. He couldn't help but think of all the things everyone had said about Chaz...and how none of them had known about his death.

"Sorry... I'll leave you alone." The Mandibuzz said, before taking to the air, and leaving Jolinaxas and Adam by the stone cross.

A silent minute passed, before Adam spoke up. "Dada?"

Jolinaxas silently looked toward his young son. "Rustle Chaz?" Adam asked.

Adam's father shook his head. "No, son. The good Lord beat us to it."