Work Text:
“Oh, so that’s who’s been helping us out recently, hm?”
Gurdurr abruptly stopped what he was doing, and whirled around to see who had just spoken. There was a man a little ways away, black coat gently swaying the slight breeze of mid morning. He thought he’d have more time before they came back- but apparently not.
He took a step back, weary of the rail worker that had just found him. He knew pokemon weren’t supposed to be here- not wild ones anyway. He’d either be kicked out at best, or defeated in a pokemon battle. He reached over to grab one of the spare rails he had been moving before.
He knew it was rather stupid to constantly sneak around a very populated area without his usual weapon of choice, but the huge Gurdurr was too obvious to sneak around with. That ment, however, that his attack in battle was lower than usual, making him want to avoid it if he could. Even so, swinging around a spare rail might just intimidate the human long enough for his getaway.
“Ah! Don’t worry! I am not angry with you!” The man held his hands up in the universal sign of peace, and stopped his approach.
Gurdurr tilted his head, but didn’t lower the rail. He grumbled lowly in his chest, involuntary what?
He had, after all, been moving around supplies and equipment all over the rail yard for a while now. Not only was it good for training, but seeing the broken down trains be repaired always gave him a little spark of joy. These rails were probably going to be shipped off to other stations in the small train he had spotted. It had been carrying a lot of other supplies on it, but the workers here were always slow to fill them up.
He had to admit, these rails were not exactly light. Even he struggled with large loads, so he could only imagine how hard it would be for a couple of humans. Especially as they seemed to split work between that and the other trains, leaving fewer people to carry over the heavy materials. He was more than happy to help out, if only to see the trains up and running again, but he also knew he had to be careful not to be spotted.
Yet for some reason- despite him seeing many pokemon be run off, this human did not seem as inclined to do so.
“I should thank you! I believe! You have been sneaking around here and leading us a hand for quite some time now, haven’t you?” The human’s body language was kept carefully neutral, despite the hard frown on the man’s face, which in any other human he would assume to mean they were angry or sad.
He nodded after a moment, making the humans shift slightly into a faint excitement! Which surprised him. Normally humans spoke in their own strange body language, yet there was a distinctive flair on this man that was notably pokemon. How strange…
“Oh! That is fantastic! I’m so glad to meet you!”
Hold on, what?
“The workers here have been spread thin recently, with the still developing battle subway under construction. I'm afraid to say we have wrecked quite a few cars… not to mention the new circuit being built. But you have helped them out quite a lot! So I simply must thank you.”
Battle subway? Wrecking cars? Well, it would explain the sudden increase of trains he saw around here. Yet even so- why was this man thanking him? He hadn’t exactly asked for permission to do what he has- surely he should be annoyed?
“Though I know that you are wild, I was wondering if you might like to keep working with us?” The man shuffled in place, body language speaking of many emotions Gurdurr couldn’t quite decipher immediately, “I know it is quite the odd idea, and I know that you would have very little use for our currency, but perhaps I could pay you in food?”
Was. Was this man hiring him!?
The shock must have shown on his face, as the man fiddled with his hands in an almost nervous gesture. “I am aware of how ridiculous this sounds- but I believe it can greatly benefit the both of us!”
He… he wasn't going to catch him, but Instead hire him onto the staff? So he can keep working on the rails? And not have to worry about being chased off? While being paid?
This man was absolutely insane. He held up a hand to stop the man with whatever he had been saying, and nodded.
“You… you agree?”
He nodded again. Working on the rails, without having to hide… all day… Yes, this was a wonderful deal.
“Oh that is fantastic!” The man cheered, and Gurdurr couldn’t help but find it amusing that every single part of the man glowed with excitement! and joy! As his face remained dower. “I will get started on your paperwork right away! And I’ll see about a uniform- if only to avoid any confusion among the staff. If that is alright?”
Gurdurr nodded, and couldn’t help the chuff of amusement at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“Fantastic! I will see you in a bit, Gurdurr! Have a pleasant day until then!”
The man walked off, a pep in his step that Gurdurr couldn’t help but smile at. It was actually rather familiar… he closed his eyes and tried to remember where he had seen it before.
A faint memory, many years old now, of two young boys hiding with a young Timburr. The three of them watched in fascination as the trains in the railyard chugged along, and others were slowly fixed and shined. The two young boys happily chatted to themselves about exactly how each part of the train worked- how they all moved in tandem to create such amazing machines.
The Timburr was more than happy to sit and listen, watching as, when the sun set, the two boys sneaked out of their hiding spot and ran over to the trains, taking a closer look at the mechanics.
Ah yes, this human… he was the one that had pointed out all the little bits and bobs of the trains in the yard. Gurdurr was already amazed by the trains, but hearing someone else speak about them so excitedly-
So, he thought with a smile, the little boy in the tracks was all grown up. So was he, yet even through the years they both loved trains just as much. It was amusing how such things could reconnect people and pokemon like that…
Gurdurr shook his head and began to wander over to the nearby river. It would be bad practice to arrive to work dirty, now wouldn’t it?