3: Contractor

“Hmmm… Had a good night’s rest?”

Thunder groans. “No…”

I was just waking up myself. The night was long, cold, and very uncomfortable. It appears that Thunder fared no better. “Quagsire?” I yawned. “What are you doing back here?”

“Hmmm… I was just checking up on you. Hmmm… It appears that you don’t have a home yet.” Yeah. No duh. Why else would we be sleeping exposed to the elements. Also, forget your bad hair day. Thunder looks like a mess. His fur going every which way. Man, grooming that must suck.

“Do you have any idea how to build one? Or maybe some who does?”

“Hmmm… Yes, actually. Hmmm… In the nearby town of Post Town, there is a Gurrdur who has a long history of construction. Hmmm… If there’s anyone that can build you a home, it’s him and his team.”

“Can you take us there?”

“Hmmm… Absolutely.”

“Great! I’ll get washed up in the river and get ready to go!”

“Hmmm… Sounds good. Hmmm… I’ll just meet you back here.”

“Sounds like a plan. Come on, Alex. Let’s go.”

I get up and stretch, still groggy from my sleepless night. But, we need a home so I’ll just have to deal. We make our way to a nearby river and wash up. Sadly, the river is not warm. Quite the opposite. It’s fricking frigid! Well, on the bright side, it woke me up. It did that very well.

With both of us cleaned (and Thunder’s fur back in order) we return to Quagsire.

“Alright. We’re ready to go.” Thunder says.

“Hmmm… Good. Hmmm… Let’s go then.”

A short while later, we arrive at Post Town. It’s a cozy little place. Not much there, but still. The main feature was the inn built into the side of a hill known as Swanna’s Inn. Apparently, that’s where we’re meeting up with Gurrdur.

I notice how primitive everything here is compared to back home. No electricity, no running water, none of the amenities that I would take for granted back home. Still, it feels… Simple. No need for convoluted repairs, things are so much more peaceful. I could get used to this. Part of me just wants to stay in this world for the rest of my life. But I can’t. I have a family and friends back home. I couldn’t just abandon them. Maybe I could–

“Hey! Rockhead! Watch where you’re going!” My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of an argument between a duck and a rock… I can’t believe that’s actually happening…

“Maybe you should be the one to watch out! I’m the small one here! You should be watching out for me!”

“Ugh! Get lost you little piece of stone!” With that, the two angrily part ways.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

“This world is slowly becoming colder and more callous. People are looking out for themselves more than they are others. It’s getting really bad in some places. Some are even comparing it to the hostilities from the Great War.”

“Great War?”

“I’d explain, but we really need to get that house built.”

“Fair enough.” We enter the inn. The first floor appears to be a food court. And a rather graceful looking swan (I’m going to guess that’s Swanna) is serving the residents. At one of the tables there’s

a rather muscular Pokemon holding an I-beam. He’s probably the most human–like Pokemon I’ve come across yet.

“Hmmm… That’s him. Hmmm… That Gurrdur.” My stomach starts growling. I suppose I haven’t eaten anything yet. I probably should.

“I’m a bit hungry. Mind if I go get something to eat while you work out the details with Gurrdur?”

“Sure.” Thunder replies. He hands me a few Pokè. “Remember that we are a bit tight on cash. Try not to get anything too expensive.” And he’s trusting me, some guy he just met yesterday, with his money? Even when he’s so tight on his budget? We’re he back on Earth poor thing would be taken advantage of left and right.

“Alright. I won’t.” I tell him honestly.

I walk up to the main counter. One of the first things I notice is that there are no meat based products. Mostly berries, seeds, and greens. Thinking about it, considering the huge diversity of Pokemon out here, there are probably not any forms of livestock. And eating other Pokemon would be cannibalism. So it makes sense.

So I look over the menu and find a nice looking cheap Berry platter. Now for something to drink. Oh… Ok… They all have unique names. Flamethrower, aeroblast, dragon breath, heat wave, very nice sounding names, but the descriptions depict ingredients that don’t exist on earth. How do I know how they taste?

“Need some help?” Next to me, a monkey–like Pokemon that looks like he’s a fan of fire chimes in helpfully.

“Uh yeah. I’m kinda lost. What drink should I order? Nothing too expensive, please. Budget constraints and all that.”

“Sure. Let’s see…” He looks over the menu. *If you’re a fan of spicy, I’d recommend you go with the Heat Wave. Word of warning, though. It’s Got a little kick to it.” Spicy? Yeah. Back on earth I’ve been growing fond of spicy foods. I say it’s worth a try.

“Thanks…”

“Pansear”

“Right. Thanks Pansear.” I turn my attention to the server. “I’ll have the mixed berry platter and one small Heat Wave, please.”

“Coming right up.” Swanna said cheerfully. After a few minutes, my food arrives. I’m quite curious as to the flavor of the Heat Wave drink so I take a sip. That was a mistake. That thing was hot. Like volcano hot. Like surface of the sun hot. And… Did I just breathe out fire?! What is in this thing?! The fire coats my berries and Swanna ducks out of the way, almost as if she knew it was going to happen. After the first fireball I cover my mouth, not wanting to burn down the inn. Swanna casually sets out a glass of milk which I immediately gulp down to quell the flames.
With the painful ordeal over I turn to Pansear, who looks about ready to burst into laughter. “A little kick?”

“So I underestimated it a little.”

“Ugh. You and I have very different definitions of ‘little’.” With that I eat my now toasted berries as Pansear finally gives and doubles over in laughter.