Jared found himself back in the poor man's shopping district once again. He remembered passing through it earlier on his way to his new home. He had seen a few closed-down stores and a restaurant selling greasy street food, but he wanted something more substantial, like a bag of rice and a few loaves of bread.

After a few minutes of walking, he came across a small grocery store with a sign that read "Pokebites, Fresh Produce and More" in faded letters. Jared pushed open the door and was greeted by the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables. The store was small and sparsely stocked, with shelves lining the walls and a few refrigerators at the back.

Making his way through the store, he actually found exactly what he wanted! They actually had rice and bread!

Some time later, Jared left the store with his bag of rice and bread, as well as some basic cooking spices and tools. H checked his wallet and realized that he still had $195 left. He felt pleased that the prices were so reasonable.

However, he also felt a slight regret for buying so much food as he still needed to fit some clothing in his bag after buying them. He made a mental note to be more mindful of his purchases in the future and not to overbuy. Jared then continued on his way, looking for a store where he could buy some clothes to complete his shopping trip.

After browsing the only used clothing store, he managed to get a few old shirts, jeans, and underwear, leaving him with merely 55$ poke.

Just then Jared spotted the seven kids from earlier sprinting out of Pokebites carrying various things.

As the two plainclothes security men burst out of the store, Jared took a moment to observe them, as the first shouted to the second, "Lokela, I got the one on the left!"

The first man had short, cropped hair that was shaved closely to his scalp, giving him a military-like appearance. His jaw was square and defined. He wore a pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes, adding to his intimidating presence.

The second man was taller than the first, with a ganglier build that still carried an air of power and strength. He had long, slicked-back hair that was tied into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. His sharp features gave him an almost wolfish appearance, with a thin nose and pointed chin. He had a small, barely visible scar above his left eyebrow that added to his rugged and dangerous aura.

As the men threw their Pokeballs, their muscles tensed with anticipation. They had clearly done this many times before.

The two Pokeballs opened to reveal a red dog with a dark white mane. Jared quickly identified it as a Growlithe. The other was a black dog with strange bone plates on its head and back.

"This... must be a Houndour?" Jared muttered unsurely.

The men ordered their respective Pokemon to attack, and soon two of the young thieves were pinned to the ground.

The Pokemon relentlessly tore at the thieves' limbs. Blood spattered everywhere, coating the ground red The young thieves screamed in pain, their voices raw and hoarse as they begged for mercy.

"Wait... what is this, what are they doing?" Jared watched in abject horror as he took a few unconscious steps forward.

"Alright, that's enough, the two men called their pokemon off, and began talking with each other. After the two Pokemon stopped their attack, it could be seen that their snouts dripping with blood as they surveyed their handiwork.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The two men didn't bother chasing the rest down, clearly they seemed happy enough with their current accomplishments.

Noticing the gathering crowd, one of the men cursed, "Look at them gather around their own, damn commoners they're like rats."

Jared quivered out some words, "They went way too far, oh god, there is so much blood..." Jared unconsciously took steps towards the kids, but he was soon blocked by the two guards. "Get back, we got this situation handled!"

But Jared barely heard them, "...Oh god no, the blood keeps coming out, why isn't it stopping, no no no"

Emotions running high, he tried to push his way past the two men. He wanted to help the children in some way, but the two men held him back.

Jared relented after he was pushed to the ground. He asked with gasping breaths, "Why is nobody helping them?"

Lokela spoke to his partner, "Ikaika, go have a call sent out, I'll stay here and watch over the situation."

"Psh, fine."

As Ikaika went back in the store, several people had gathered around the scene, their faces a mixture of shock and concern. Some of them had raised their voices in protest, while others looked on in silence.

The two dog pokemon began growling at the crowd, as an elderly man came forward, "You went too far, they were just kids" the elderly man said, his voice quivering with anger and concern.

The man sneered at the elderly man. "Hmph, what do you commoners know?" he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "This is the third time these thieves have stolen from here, so I was hired to deal with it."

The elderly man looked at the man with disbelief. "That doesn't give you the right to-" he said.

The man flashed his sponsored trainers license in the elders face, "This is official police business now," he said. "I don't want you muddying up the crime scene, so don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

The elderly man shook his head and left the scene with gritted teeth.

Jared felt his sanity slipping. He could barely think; he just stared at the children as they lay there, their bodies slightly shaking. Their eyes seemed to be pleading with him, but soon they turned still, and their eyes became lifeless.

Eventually, a loud voice could be heard from the scene, asking the crowd to disperse. Jared raised his head and saw a familiar face. It was Mokoa, the mustached officer he had met back at the police station.

Standing up shakily, Jared felt his voice was dry. His first few words didn't come out, but he finally managed to say, "Makoa, you have to help them, they're-")

Jared was interupted by the officer, "Jared, what are you doing here?" shaking his head, Makoa then said, "You should disperse with the rest."

"Why is nobody helping them?"

"Get going" with a bit of concern in his eyes, Makoa walked forward and held Jareds shoulder as he led him away from the scene while whispering, "Don't drag yourself into this"

Makoa left a few more parting words, before heading back to the scene, "You have amnesia, so might not know how things work, so let me tell you that there's nothing you can do here. Please go home and don't pull yourself into this trouble."

"But..." Jared croaked.

Standing there in a daze, Jared heard a man and a woman talking, but the words that came out of the man's mouth made Jared's mind go dark, "Yeah I saw the whole thing, It's a pity to see children that young on their own and get hurt so badly, but I suppose that's what happens when you turn to a life of crime."

"Why don't they just disband that orphanage if they can't control their kids?" the woman sighed.

Not wanting to hear more, Jared shambled away into an alley alone, unsure of where he was going or what to think.

After tripping over a trash can in the alley, Jared sat for a long time with his back against the brick wall.

Suddenly, he started crying, but soon his tears turned into laughter. "Hahaha, what the fuck? What the fuck?"

Standing up, Jared began walking home. Anyone who saw his face along the way would detour around him. His twisted expression, which looked like a mixture of laughter and crying, gave off the vibe of a person who had lost their mind.

But from Jared's perspective he no longer cared how he looked, and he didn't care if people could hear his shouts, "You thought this was a paradise? You like telling jokes? How hilarious you are hahhahaha!"

Turning the key and getting inside his home, Jared continued to mock himself. "What a hero you are! Look, look at you slink away and hide in your home just like you always do! Hahaha.")

He laughed and laughed, and shouted some more, "And you were thinking of calling someone to help them?! haahahaha! If you are going to send them to their deaths, then maybe you should just kill them yourself ha!."

Jared raised his arms, "What a grand hero, what a grand hero you are!"

.

When no more tears could be shed, and no more grievances could be vented, Jared just sat there numbly with a twisted smile. After a long time, he fell asleep with his head leaning over and his back against the wall like a long forgotten mannequin.