5: A Roof Over Our Heads (II)

Rei – Snivy

 

My eyes were stung by the blinding sun as I opened them.

Ugh… It’s too bright. Who left the window open?

I rolled to the side and tried to pull up my blanket to cover myself, but the only thing I could grab was air.

I open my eyes and realize I’m not in my bedroom, but on a pile of leaves and twigs, in the middle of some dry land. The sun is rising, the sky is a vibrant cyan that contrasts with the dusty orange ground, and the weather is definitely warmer than it was last night. Ichi is still sleeping on another pile across from me. In between us is a bunch of charred black logs. I don’t have a blanket. Hell, I don’t even have clothes.

“Forgot it wasn’t a dream,” I muttered under my breath as it all came back to me.

I’m still a Snivy. I’m still in another world. Great.

Great, great, great. I forced a grin.

 

I stared at my snakey body, my tail leaf laid out for the sun’s rays to easily touch. 

The light embracing my leaf, it felt… pleasant.

…wait wait wait wait wait what the fuck am I thinking?? Jolting up from my makeshift mattress, I immediately buried my tail under the sticks and leaves. “Holy shit what was that?!”

The yellow rat next to me groaned, his ears twitching as he was rudely awakened. “…ehh… what was what…?”

“N-nothing. It’s nothing. Sorry…” 

Ichi yawned, rubbing his eyes. “…welp, whatever.” Shrugging it off, he hopped up from his nest and smiled, as if he suddenly had a burst of energy. “Rise and shine, Rei! Today we’re building a house!” It was like he had a switch that was flipped, turning him on in an instant. Makes sense, considering he’s got literal lightning coursing through his body… I think. Dunno how Pikachu work. Or Electric-types in general.

“…ah.” I nodded, startled by his abrupt wake-up. “…wait what?”

“We need a house. Pronto.”

“‘We’? So you really are letting me stay with you?” I smiled.

“I mean… I already said yes yesterday, didn’t I? Can’t back down on a promise.” He shrugged. “What, do you want to be homeless?”

“N-no, I just thought… never mind.” I mean, it’s his land… so wouldn’t it be his house? I doubted it’d be for the both of us… Not that I mind, of course! “…so how are we gonna build a house? I know I said I’d help you out, but I’m not a fan of hard labor, haha…”

“Me neither! That’s why we’re hiring a carpenter!” He laughed. “Dunno how to build a house anyway! Gotta hire a professional.”

“Where’re we gonna find a carpenter, though..?”

 

Right as I ask that, I spot a bright blue blob in the distance waddling towards us. At a closer glance, it looked like it was a big, plump, and rubbery fish… thing. The fish thing grinned and stared at us with its dots for eyes.

“Ah, good morning, Mr. Ichi!” He greeted the Pikachu.

“Oh! Mornin’, Mr. Quagsire! What brings you here?”

“Well, mmm, I was curious as to how you were doing, what with, hmm, your new land.” He says. “And I see you, mmm, have a friend with you!” He glances at me.

“…uh, hi. I’m Rei,” I introduced myself.

“Hmm, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He keeps saying “mmm” and “hmm” in-between sentences, as if he’s savoring some food in his mouth.

“…so… are you a carpenter then?” I asked.

Ichi raised an eyebrow. “What? No. Mr. Quagsire’s the guy that sold me this land.”

“Oh. I just thought of, you know, comedic timing and all that. Literally just asked where we could find a carpenter, and this guy just shows up outta nowhere.”

“Hmm, a carpenter, you ask? Mmm, I may know a ‘mon perfect for the job…” Quagsire stared up into the sky, pondering.

“…Huh. You know what, close enough!” I threw my hands up in the air. “I called it.”

“Oh, you do?!” Ichi grinned. “That’s perfect, we really need a house!”

Quagsire looked at the burnt-out campfire behind us. “…mmm, I can tell.” He nodded. “You two must be glad it didn’t rain, hmm?”

“Haha, yeah… camping’s fun and all, but I’d rather sleep in a bed…”

“Hmm, I think I may know somebody. He’s, mmm, in Post Town, as a matter of fact. He can be found in, hmm, Swanna House most of the time,” Quagsire answered. “Recently met the fellow… he seems reliable, mm-hmm.”

“He’s reliable?” Ichi’s tail swayed a little.

“His business is… legitimate enough.” Quagsire nodded again.

“…enough?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Welp, if you’re recommending them, I’m sure they’d be a good pick!” Ichi grinned, seeming to have ignored the fish’s comment. “Come on, Rei! Let’s head over there right now!”

“Eh? We just woke up…” I complained.

“We can grab some breakfast at Swanna House anyway!”

“…ugh.”

 

Quagsire led us back to the restaurant (I swear, how many times are we gonna come back here?). It was just as bustling as yesterday, with clusters of Pokémon gathering together and dining heartily.

The group that sticks out the most is the trio of intimidating, strong-looking Pokémon who I assume are the carpenters Quagsire was talking about. One has huge muscles, an afro (not hair, it looks like it’s part of his head…?), and a huge metal support beam wrapped around his arm. The other two are smaller and look identical to each other: pompadour “haircut” (once again, not hair), and are both wielding a thick piece of lumber.

My assumption? Just a hunch, y’know, what with the construction materials they’re lugging around. And of course that hunch is correct, as Quagsire leads us to their table.

“Hmm, Gurdurr here, from what I’ve, heard, is an excellent carpenter, and so are his apprentices Timburr and Timburr, mm-hmm. Though, mmm, I haven’t heard much about these three, I bet they are very capable of carrying out your request.”

 

“…is that seriously their names?” I scoffed. “Timburr and… Timburr?”

Quagsire looked my way. “…well, why don’t you ask, hmm? I don’t know them.”

“Tsk. You talk as if we’re not here at all, Snivy.” One of them glared at me. “What are ya, stupid? Of course we have actual names.”

“Sheesh, okay… what are they, then?”

“We don’t have to tell ya that.” He scowled.

“So, are you here to do business or what?” the other one asked. Their eyes were all fixated on us, me especially. I was getting major thug vibes from both of them. 

“…Ah, right! Excuse my friend here, hehe…” Ichi stepped forward, pushing me aside as he took the lead. “We heard you three are carpenters, is that right?”

The two identical Pokémon looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at us. “Yes we are,” one of them answered.

“Perfect. We were wondering if you could construct a house for us.” The Pikachu suddenly began to act really professionally—I could see him stiffening up a little, trying to present himself better. “I’m willing to negotiate right now, if that’s okay with you.”

“Hmph.” Timburr #2 (the right one) set down his wooden log. “Whaddya think, boss?”

He looks to Gurdurr, who audibly exhales. He’s got this stoic and menacing look locked on his face. A look that I struggle to take seriously given that he looks like a clown with that big red nose and that afro-shaped head of his. I swear if I make even a freaking peep, this guy might bash my skull in with that big beam of his… He looks like the type of guy who’d do that!

“…alright,” is all Gurdurr says. He seems like the type not to say much up until some emotional moment or something.

Ichi grinned, taking a seat across from the muscular… creature. Weren’t Pokémon all supposed to be based on different animals? The hell is this Gurdurr guy supposed to be, anyway? The closest thing I can think of is a beaver, what with their whole construction shtick, but even that sounds like a stretch. That guy does not look like a beaver. But then again, I don’t exactly look like a snake, so…

Anyways, I stood right beside Ichi. The table had no empty chairs, and neither did the tables around us. 

“Well, mmm, I’ll be on my way then,” Quagsire said, giving us a quick wave before stepping away. “Good luck with arranging your housing situation, Mr. Ichi. Mm-hmm.”

 

Ichi waved back before bringing his attention back to the carpenters. “…okay then! Let’s get down to business.” I could see his tail wagging from behind his chair. “How about some introductions first? My name’s Ichi Pikachu, and this is my… business partner, Rei Snivy.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Rei Snivy…?” I mumbled, but decided just to ask about it later. 

“What about you three?” Ichi asked.

“…That Quagsire already gave you our names, didn’t he?” Gurdurr stared at him. “Gurdurr, Timburr, and Timburr.”

“…well, yes, but what about personal names?”

“We don’t have to give you those.”

Ichi paused. “…uhh, that’s okay too! Confidentiality is important, I understand that completely. Mhm.” He grinned a tad bit sheepishly. “So, Mr. Gurdurr, as we said earlier, we’re here to commission a home to be built right outside town. I’ll show you the plot of land I’m referring to later, but for now… what are your starting prices? I’m willing to pay as much Poké as necessary.”

“I don’t need Poké,” Gurdurr grumbles. 

“…what?” Ichi’s eyes widened.

“I use… a different sort of payment,” Gurdurr explained, crossing his arms. There’s a dungeon nearby called Stony Cave. Go down there and grab, let’s say… five or six gems?”

I grimaced upon hearing the word dungeon. “Uh… Why? Wh-what do you need gems for?” I did not wanna go dungeon crawling. I could easily guess what a dungeon entailed, and I knew for a fact I wouldn’t last a second in one.

“The place where we get our materials only accepts those gems as payment,” Gurdurr explains. “It shouldn’t be that hard to understand, got it?”

“Erm… if you don’t mind me asking… where do you get your materials from?” Ichi tilted his head.

“From a place down south from here,” Gurdurr quickly answered. “Uh, run by a bunch of Drilbur.”

“Why do they need gems instead of Poké?”

“…No clue. Ask them, why don’t ya?”

“…yeah, maybe we’ll go ask later, if you don’t mind.” Ichi sheepishly grinned at Gurdurr, who was insistent on being stone-faced. “Interesting business practice!”

“Oh, we do mind. They’re a… private company. They like to keep their confidentiality with carpenters like us.” He glared at us. 

Ichi and I exchanged looks. “Do I go for it?” he mouthed. Surprisingly enough, he looked thrilled.

“Go for what?” I mumble back, glancing at him with uncertainty.

“The deal! This doesn’t sound too bad. Besides the dungeon bit.”

I was speechless. Does this guy not notice how suspicious this is?! A weird form of payment… vague answers… This just sounds like a scam. And Ichi’s buying it somehow!

About to respond, I paused. Wait. If we call them out on their scam… I looked at the menacing trio of construction workers. …they could easily… get rid of us. I stared up at Gurdurr, whose steel gaze pierced back right at me. We really shouldn’t fuck with these guys. We should dip.

“…let’s go find someone else,” I whisper in his ear.

“Eh?” Ichi looked at me confused.

“Uh, I think we’re gonna take our business elsewhere. Right, Ichi?” I spoke out loud.

“What the– Rei!”

“Trust me on this, dude.”

“…” Gurdurr and the two Timburr were silent as they watched me pull the rat out of his chair and bring him outside.

 

---

 

“What the heck, Rei?! I was about to close in on a deal… I think!” Ichi scolded me.

“…Okay, I did not think you were that dense, Ichi.” I sighed. “They were clearly trying to con us.”

“Ehh?! Seriously?!” He gasped. “I mean… it was kinda weird that they wouldn’t let us pay with Poké… kinda made me disappointed… but a scam? Really? Who would do that? Who would do such a thing?”

“Bruh. You’re kidding me.” I groaned. “Wasn’t it obvious solely from the fact they didn’t wanna use money?”

“…ohhh. Right.” As soon as Ichi realized this, his attitude did a complete 180. “…holy shit, that guy tried to scam us! What the heck?!”

“I know right?! They were… painfully bad at hiding it, too.” I glanced back at the restaurant. I dragged Ichi behind the general store, so we should’ve been out of sight in case Gurdurr or the two Timburr peeked through the window. “…did Quagsire know they were scammers?”

“…N-no way he’d let me get cheated. There’s no way he’d do that!”

“You sure, buddy?”

“…anyway! We better find someone else fast.” He grinned, dismissing that idea.

“Are there even any other carpenters in Post Town…?”

“I dunno! But I’m sure we’ll find one!” Ichi thumped his foot repeatedly. “Uh…” His eyes darted around, eventually landing on a bulletin board right next to the town gate. “There! Maybe there’s an advertisement there! There’s always ads for stuff on bulletin boards!” He quickly made his way over to the board, and so I followed suit.

“20% off all TMs at Kecleon Shop! Offer ends in 1 week! – Kecleon”
“Come to Swanna House! A great hotel with great food – Swanna”
“Suspicious Pokémon sighted near Post Town. Stay high on alert. – Magnezone, Post Town Sheriff”
“[D Rank] I’m lost in Inflora Forest… Please help! — Sneasel | Location: Inflora Forest, 5F | Reward: Reviver Seed”

As someone who loves spending hours on end staring at a screen, looking at all these papers tacked onto a corkboard… feels so old-school to me.

My eyes caught one of the last flyers—some kind of mission. If they were lost… how would they know their exact location?

“…are Pokémon able to magically make flyers appear outta nowhere? How’d this get here?” I asked Ichi, pointing at the request.

“Uh, someone put it up? Duh.”

“But… how do they know they’re lost?”

“Oh, most ‘mon carry a Signal Orb with them when they venture into dungeons. All they gotta do is speak into the orb about what kinda help they need, and once they shatter it, it’ll signal the nearest guild or association. That’s when they put up a mission for rescuers.”

I blinked. “…you really need to lecture me on this stuff, dude… What’s the difference between a guild and an association?”

Ichi sighed. “Ugh, I’ll teach ya later… it’s not our main focus right now.” Ichi sifted through the flyers. “Come on… give me something good… AHA! Here we go!” He put his finger down on an ad in the corner of the board. “‘Looking for a carpenter? Machoke’s got your back!’” Ichi read it out. “This guy seems cool, he says he can build anything! And look at this!” He pointed at a bunch of black-and-white photos attached to the flyer showcasing the Machoke next to a bunch of buildings. “He’s got actual pictures, too!”

“…didn’t think you guys had cameras,” I muttered. 

“Oh, they’re pretty new. But anyway, this ad seems pretty legit, don’t you think?” Ichi smiled giddily. 

“I mean… guess there’s no reason to be skeptical about this one… yet.” I examined the flyer, which listed his address and hours. “…there can’t be more than one scam artist in the same town, faking the same job. There just can’t be.”

“Yeah, no way.” Ichi agreed. “Those are once-in-a-blue-moon chances.”

“Exactly. Let’s just settle for this guy. Not like we have many other options.” I nodded.