Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 136 - What Time Has Done

They really just let him out of Cipher Castle. He walked free. The guards even gave him a firm nod when he walked.

It was surreal. If he wanted, he could, potentially, walk out of the city. But that wasn't something he truly could do, because it would endanger the team.

Once he set foot on the strange, dark pavement of Cipher City's streets, he suddenly felt overwhelmed with choice. It was far larger than anything he'd ever seen before. There were buildings that felt like they could touch the red clouds, streets wide enough for several Pokémon to walk side by side, and buildings so far away that it felt like it'd take a whole kilo just to get to them.

The density of it all forced Owen to dull down his Perceive. He was getting so distracted if he didn't focus on little things first. Kilo Village was nothing compared to here.

In just his first few moments in the city, free to walk and roam, he saw restaurants bustling with activity and strange smells that he recognized as food, yet had no idea what the dishes were. It was a hodgepodge of different ingredients, cooked together from different eras of Kilo and spiced with what little the Voidlands had to offer. Or, somehow, they'd discovered other ways to cultivate different foods?

He passed by places called game corners that seemed to hold all sorts of table-based activities, and even some that used larger versions of the technology he now held in his hand, the communicator. He'd expect that sort of technology from Kanto or Orre.

Also surprising was how many Pokémon weren't fully evolved. That was very common in most of Kilo, if only because it was natural for Pokémon to strengthen themselves at least to the point where they reached their final stages. Here, he was positive he'd seen Pokémon where the parent was at their first stage, while the child stood tall and fully evolved.

Curiosity finally got the better of him. He had to listen in on some of the conversations. He passed by a few restaurants and tuned his Perceive, entertaining the idea of getting a meal to know the local culture more... but then realized he had no funds. Qitlan had failed to provide any, even when he checked through the bag more thoroughly. Frowning, thoughtful, he realized that very few others seemed to carry much cash in their bags, either. Most seemed to just have something like a communicator and other little trinkets. Somewhere, he missed where the goods were exchanged...

But then, he spotted a signpost near the far end of one of the dark streets, just past a crowd who'd just gotten out for lunch. 'Now hiring!' He had no idea how much it paid, but he only needed some funds for a quick meal, right? He could learn a thing or two about Cipher this way.

"Um, excuse me," Owen called, raising his arm to get the attention of a very tall Scizor. "Are you hiring for one-day jobs?"

"A day?" Scizor asked. "Eh, sure. Fifty for an hour, five hours."

That was probably an unfair amount, but it would definitely be enough for getting into a decent restaurant. "Sure! What's the job?"

"...You scared of water?"

"I'm fine with it."

"Dishwashing. I'll even throw in a free meal when you're done."

"Oh! Thanks!" Owen smiled genuinely at that, and Scizor motioned to the back room. As he passed by, a little purple cap was plopped onto his head that said 'Dishes.' Something about it made Owen feel a little more dutiful, and he walked into the back of the room with pride.

"Eh?"

Owen was met with the gruff voice of a Feraligatr, slimmer than the one he had met in another life. "Hi," Owen greeted. "I'm working dishes today."