A/N: Welcome to the third part of the Hope and Faith saga! I want to thank everyone who stuck with me to this point. We're almost there. This is the beginning of the Hope and Faith saga's end.

Also, the cover image was done by DeviantART user Rippleshine. Thanks again!

Chapter 1 – A Barely Surviving World

"Good morning, young Eevee! Glad to see you're finally awake!"

The Pokémon speaking to Pelame didn't sound familiar to her. It certainly wasn't Pugno, like it usually was. This Pokémon sounded younger, almost like a child about the age of Azumarill's youngest son at his age when Team Space-Time was founded. When she opened her eyes, the feeling of unfamiliarity grew. Before her stood a Pokémon she had never seen before. It resembled a sea otter, and it carried a shell on its stomach. Its torso was light blue with darker blue feet and a dark blue tail. Its nose was brown and its head was white.

"Am I glad to see you get up! I thought you were going to stay asleep forever!"

Pelame was surprised to find that she appeared to be standing taller than before. The house she was in didn't have a mirror for her to look in to see why that was. But what occupied her thoughts most primarily was who the Pokémon standing in front of her was, and where she was. She started to head outside to see the surroundings.

"Be careful," said the little otter Pokémon. "Don't go too far out of bounds. It's dangerous out there."

"Okay, I won't," Pelame said. She was a bit surprised to hear her own voice had changed a little bit. She had lost a bit of the youth that was in her voice. Like with the height gain, she pushed that thought out of her head and focused on her biggest questions. That reminded her…

"Excuse me, but I've never seen a Pokémon of your kind before," she said. "Are you new around here?"

"Nope, I've lived here all my life," the little Pokémon said. "You must live somewhere where Oshawotts aren't common."

"O-sha-wott? That's your name?"

"Yep. That's my species name, actually. My friends call me Vand."

"Nice to meet you, Vand." Pelame approached the young Oshawott and shook his hand. "I'm Pelame. As you already know, I'm an Eevee."

"I know. You're the tallest Eevee I've ever seen, though. But anyway, I'll show you around."

The two Pokémon left the small house and began exploring the area surrounding it. There were farming fields where Berry Trees were growing, Dojos for a designated move type, shop stands, and game booths.

"Welcome to Pokémon Paradise!" Vand announced enthusiastically. "My friend Torden and I founded it, and Gurdurr and his Timburr crew built everything! How do you like it?"

"It looks amazing!" Pelame said, matching Vand's glee. "You and your friends did an amazing job with this place! It reminds me of my own home, Treasure Town." Pelame's happiness faded away when she mentioned her old home.

"Is something wrong?" Vand asked, noticing Pelame's change in mood.

"No, I'm fine," Pelame answered. "I'm just a bit homesick. That's all. And a bit hungry."

"Oh, that can be fixed. What do you like to eat?"

"If there are any White Gummis available, I'll have some of those."

"Well, you're in luck. We've got lots of those, but no one to eat them. Come on, let's eat!"

Pelame and Vand went to the Post Town Inn for a much-needed meal. Vand had insisted on the meal being his treat, and Pelame was getting attention drawn to her for some reason.

"Vand was just as surprised," she said to a young local Pokémon who had struck up a conversation with her. He had a yellow pouch on each of his cheeks, as well as black fur on his back, head, ears, and tail. He had winglike flaps on his arms.

"I bet," said the youngster. "We never could get him to leave your side. He kept insisting you'd wake up."

"Told you so," Vand said to the child, adding a smug smirk to the remark. He turned his attention back to Pelame. "This is Emolga, another good friend of mine. And this is Dunsparce." Vand pointed to the young snake-like Pokémon with a drill-shaped tail.

"How are you feeling?" Dunsparce asked of Pelame.

"Aside from the hunger, I feel great," she answered. "I am a bit confused, though. The last thing I remember was…" Suddenly, she couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She decided not to dwell on the horrifying thought she came to.

"What? What's the last thing you remember?" Emolga asked.

"Here you are," said a white swan Pokémon carrying two trays of food. "White Gummis for you, Pelame, was it? And Blue Gummis for you, Vand."

"Thanks, Signora Swanna," Vand said, accepting the meal. "Pelame, this is Swanna, the Signora of the Post Town Inn."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Pelame said.

"Same here," said the Signora. "I've saved these White Gummis just for you in case you ever awakened. I hope you enjoy them."

Pelame and Vand dug into their meals and ate their fill at an alarming rate.

"Great as usual!" Vand said.

"I agree!" Pelame added. "I'll definitely be visiting here again! Thanks, Signora, and you too, Vand!"

"My pleasure! It's great to see you happy, Pelame!"

It had been a fun day in Pokémon Paradise. Pelame had almost forgotten about everything that had happened before. Those thoughts kept her up all night, and she irresistibly was drawn to the border of Paradise. Guiding her was a ghostly image of what appeared to be an Espeon. It beckoned her until they reached the edge of Paradise. When it stepped outside of the bounds, it disappeared. Vand caught up to Pelame just as she was about to follow the specter.

"Where are you going?" Vand asked incredulously. "You can't leave Paradise! It's suicide out there! Torden and a few other of my friends already left and haven't returned since! I don't want to lose you, too! Not since I just met you and got to know you!"

"I don't know why, but something's telling me to leave this place," Pelame answered. "I can take care of myself, Vand. I thank you for all you've done, and I wish the best for you, but I have to go."

"Wait a moment. At least explain to me what's going on with you. Did something put you to sleep for all those months I was watching over you?"

Pelame was taken aback by that statement of Vand's. "Months? I was asleep for months?"

"No, you weren't."

Both Pokémon turned around to face another resident of Paradise. This Pokémon had heads where his hands would be at the ends of his arms, and his body was primarily purple, blue, and grey. His six wings were pitch-black.

"You were asleep for eight years."

"Hydreigon, you know something about this?" Vand asked of the Pokémon.

"Yes," he said. "Pelame came here comatose after an incident that happened in her hometown and the outside world. Eight years ago, a protective force field had to be put around Pokémon Paradise to protect it. Aside from the Alpha Sanctuary, this is the world's only remaining safe haven."

"Eight years ago…" Pelame pondered. She then remembered something important. "Is that how long it's been since the world was attacked by—"

"QUIET!" Hydreigon bellowed. He immediately composed himself after. "My apologies; I didn't mean to be so loud and mean. Please forgive me. But you mustn't speak The World Destroyer's true name."

"Why not? It was fine to say her name before."

"That was before. Nowadays, she's put a horrible curse on her own name. Anyone who speaks it loses their identity. Rather, their spirit. A piece of her own spirit forces itself into whoever speaks her name and forces the victim to serve her."

Pelame remembered the explanation about how Dusknoir was unknowingly harboring a piece of The World Destroyer's spirit within himself all his life.

"You are indeed correct, however. Eight years have passed since her rebirth and her attack on the world."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying the world's still intact?! We're not in the afterlife?!"

"No, we aren't. We are alive. The rest of the world is, too, but just barely. It's not doing well now that The World Destroyer's in charge of it. In just eight years, well… you'll have to see for yourself. And be careful. She's been searching for you for these past eight years. The moment you step out of Paradise, she'll know you're alive. As far as she can tell, you're alive, but invisible. Step outside, and you'll become visible to her. And she'll attempt to kill you."

Vand looked increasingly worried with every word Hydreigon said to Pelame.

"Worse still, as developed as your Alpha powers are, they won't be enough to protect you as they currently are. Your best bet to survive is to just avoid The World Destroyer however you can. Though she'll always know where you are, she won't always be able to chase you herself. You'll also have her servants to contend with, and they're ferocious thanks to them having portions of her spirit within them."

"Then why don't you go with her, then?" Vand asked.

"Because I'm needed here to continue hiding this place from The World Destroyer," he answered. "If something happens to this place, I will indeed be joining. But even then, I can only be of so much assistance."

"Also, clear this up for me; I've been watching over Pelame for about four months. So why are you saying she was asleep for eight years?"

"Because she wasn't in Pokémon Paradise until those last four months. I brought her here from the spot where Treasure Town once stood. A super powerful Alpha Guard of her own making surrounded her and protected her from The World Destroyer for all that time until I fished her out of the rubble that once was the Demon Comet. The Alpha Guard disappeared after I brought her here, having no need to protect her anymore. It had already done that for more than seven years, and it single-handedly saved the world from being completely obliterated by The World Destroyer's Death Orb attack. The attack, as a result of Pelame's heroic action, was only able to ravage the world. Her heroic spirit is strong, and she put everything she had into protecting the world. As a result, she had to regain her energy, hence her being put out of commission for eight years. A piece of that protection shielded her for all these years, and it's still shielding the planet. That shield is the only reason The World Destroyer hasn't already obliterated the planet. She certainly tried to multiple times, but she couldn't break through a shield powered by hope and faith, the virtues she's most against. But she has found a way to weaken it. She's attempting to break the spirits of all who live in the world. She's attempting to make them give in to despair, and if that happens, the shield is gone and the planet is completely open to her attacks. They haven't had it easy holding on to their hopes, especially since they think you're dead, Pelame. But if they see you, hope should return to the world in the capacity that saved the planet from annihilation. They regard you as a beacon of hope."

Pelame and Vand had trouble taking all of this in, though they both now understood what needed to be done.

"I was told about that Alpha Sanctuary place," Pelame said. "One of my friends said Arceus was sealed up at that place."

"So, is that where you'll be going?" Vand asked.

"Yes, it is," Pelame answered. "I have a feeling his help may be needed."

"It sounds like you've made your mind up, then. I wish you the best of luck, Pelame."

"Oh, I'm not leaving yet. I have to get some things ready and get a good night's sleep. I'll need to be in top shape just in case I bump into The World Destroyer the instant I leave Paradise."

"Okay, then. Let's get back to the house."

That night at Vand's house, Pelame was getting her Exploration Team Toolbox ready to embark on what would likely be her greatest journey.

"Pelame, even though I only knew you for a day, I'm really going to miss you when you go," Vand confessed.

"Me too," Pelame responded. "You've been so kind to me even though I'm a total stranger to you. Apparently, I haven't experienced such kindness in eight years. Regardless, I thank you for everything. Good night."

"Good night, Pelame."

The two Pokémon were off to sleep in seconds.

The next morning, Pelame had finished packing her supplies. She had her Alpha Amulet on her, as well as an Exploration Team Toolbox full of many kinds of food and drink. Vand was nowhere to be found. Pelame then left the house. As soon as she got to Pokémon Paradise's border, she heard Vand call out to her.

"There you are, Pelame," he said. He was also carrying a Toolbox full of food and drinks. "Let's get going."

"Excuse me?" Pelame asked. "Does this mean—"

"Yes it does. I'm going with you. I've got some friends out there somewhere, and I refuse to believe they died out there. Plus, against an opponent like The World Destroyer, I'd be happy to lend you a hand."

"EXCUSE ME?" Pelame asked, loudly and incredulously. "Sorry, but I don't think you understand the danger of having The World Destroyer as a mortal enemy."

"So what if she's your mortal enemy?"

"So what if—" Pelame couldn't believe her ears. This little kid couldn't be seriously offering to accompany her to the Alpha Sanctuary, could he? "So wha… so wh… Okay, listen. The World Destroyer is a monster of the most horrible kind. I'm her mortal enemy. She doesn't want me to just get out of her way! She wants me DEAD! You heard Hydreigon last night! She's been psychotically searching for me for eight years! Arceus only knows how many she killed while doing so! And if you come with me, she'll label you as an enemy, too!"

"Don't you think I know that? And Hydreigon didn't phrase it like—"

"The point is, Vand, that she doesn't care how young you are! If she sees you even a mile near me, she'll treat you as a problem that needs to be taken care of! You. Could. Die!"

"Yes, Pelame! I know that! If it means getting you to the Alpha Sanctuary and finding all of our friends again, I'd gladly risk my life!"

That statement caught Pelame off-guard.

"The thing is, I trust you, Pelame. I believe you'll make it to the Alpha Sanctuary. I just want to see you get there. And I also have my own friends to look for, too. You must have some friends out there, too. We'll find them together. Just let me come with you. I refuse to just stand here while The World Destroyer goes around massacring whatever she wants whenever she wants."

It was surprising that this little kid knew exactly what to say to make Pelame come to the decision she did.

"When you put it that way, I agree," she said. "I'm not standing here while The World Destroyer makes a mess out of the world. And I won't make you do that. But I can't stress enough; it will be an extremely dangerous journey, and I don't even know how long it will take us to get there. It could be months or years."

"Well, the world held on for eight years. We've kept it waiting for too long."

"Yes, we have. So, shall we get going, then?"

"Yes, indeed!"

"It's sure going to be empty here without you," Emolga said, having arrived to see him off.

"Stay out of trouble, will you?" Dunsparce said.

"We'll try," Pelame said. "And we'll be back when we can be."

"Well then, are you two ready?" Hydreigon asked.

"Yes, we're ready," Pelame answered.

The two Pokémon left the safety of Pokémon Paradise to begin their quest.

Just outside Pokémon Paradise was a sight that horrified the two travelers. Everything was dark and the land was ravaged. No signs of life were around and the ground was uneven. The sky was black, darkening the land. It reminded Pelame of the paralyzed future her friend Grovyle had come from with Pugno accompanying him. It was as though the world had reentered that dark age, and somehow managed to get even worse than that.

"ALPHA DEFEND!" Pelame suddenly shouted, shielding herself and her new partner from an incoming attack. The two hadn't even begun their journey by the time the attack happened.

"When I kill you, Pelame, you are supposed to remain dead," said an unpleasantly familiar voice. As Hydreigon had warned the night before, The World Destroyer had instantly homed in on her whereabouts. "And for you, young Oshawott that I overlooked, the same fate awaits you."

Suggested music for this chapter:

Introducing Paradise – Our First Meeting (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Gates to Infinity)

The Espeon Beckons – Follow Fi (Zelda – Skyward Sword)

The Voice of Life Explains – Fi's Theme (Zelda – Skyward Sword)

Leaving Paradise – The Goddess Sword (Zelda – Skyward Sword)