"Pete, what was it like growing up in Nydyhan? We aren't from around here, so I'd like to know," Valerie requested.
"Uh, well, my life is pretty boring…" the Ponyta remarked sheepishly. "I grew up in an average town. Signed up to be a courier when I was thirteen and have been doing it for eight years and counting."
"Is it really that boring?" Shane asked. "You get to travel all over the place, right?"
"Yeah, but there's not much to see and do by myself..." Pete sighed. "I always have a tight schedule anyway. Otherwise, I wouldn't make enough…"
When they had departed from the mountain village, the sky had been a beautiful mix of orange and reds. Pete had raced down the mountain at a blazing speed with Shane and Valerie holding on tight. They were now galloping through the grasslands at a steady pace, and the sky had adjusted into a mix of indigo and deep purple.
"Do a lot of young pokemon get drafted into the army?" Valerie asked.
"Oh, yeah. Tons of us get drafted. I was spared from that since I already worked as a courier, and we delivered supplies to the army. That was the one big benefit of going to work early, I guess. Some pokemon my age from my village never returned from the war…"
"That's awful…" Shane remarked somberly. "I can't imagine being forced to fight, possibly never returning home…"
"Huh? Do the nobles not draft their subjects in- sorry, where are you two from again?"
"Payr," Shane answered. "And no, everyone is a volunteer in Payr."
"That sounds nice… but why would anyone volunteer?" Pete asked. "I can't imagine anyone around here willingly volunteering."
"We want to protect our citizens and make everyone's lives better!" said Shane.
"There's also some pokemon who just want to be strong and powerful," Valerie added. "And maybe some who feel like being in the army is their best option."
"But still, everyone is there by their own choice. I think that's the key. How can those being forced to fight be good soldiers?" Shane wondered.
"Maybe that explains why so many never come home…" Pete said solemnly.
"So it really is that bad… when I was talking with the Seismitoad, he said he was drafted," Valerie recalled.
"You were talking to a criminal?!" Pete suddenly exclaimed.
"Eh, there wasn't anything else to do while I was sitting in jail," Valerie said with a shrug.
Pete shuddered. "When that gang of bandits surrounded me this morning, it was the scariest moment of my life! I thought it was the end!"
"Oh, I'm sorry I reminded you of that…" Valerie apologized.
"I'm never delivering any more shipments around this mountain ever again. I'm even taking the long way back. Even if it means a pay cut..."
"I doubt the bandits here will be able to organize themselves without their leader," Shane said.
"Definitely. The Seismitoad was the only thing holding them together, according to himself," Valerie added.
"I still won't do it. This morning was too much for me," Pete declared. "Especially since they'll never pay for a military escort or deal with the bandits, ever."
"Who are 'they?'" Valerie asked.
"The nobles, of course," Pete huffed. "The ones who own everything."
"I see…" Valerie muttered.
Eventually, the mountain path ended at a more extensive road. "Going right would take us out of Nydyhan and towards Firinia," Pete said. "That should probably lead you towards Payr, I think."
"Are you going left? If so, you can drop us off here," Shane said.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks, I have a long way to go to get back to my station since I'm not retaking the mountain route."
"Thank you for taking us all the way out here," Valerie said as she and Shane hopped off.
"No, thank you! The Garchomp would have locked me up if it weren't for you, remember? Heh, even more reason to never go back up that mountain…" he realized.
"Right…" Valerie sighed, feeling sad at the reminder of the Garchomp.
"Good luck! I hope everything goes well for you," said Shane.
"You too! Thanks again," Pete said before galloping off.
"Whew, today was a long day," Shane remarked. "Should we stay put for the night and continue tomorrow?" After a moment of silence, he added, "We should go some distance away from the path, though. It looks like a lot of pokemon may be passing by."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that sounds good…" Valerie said absentmindedly, following Shane into the wild grasslands.
They ventured a reasonable distance away from the path so that hopefully no one passing by would disturb them. Shane took the blanket out of their basket and laid it out for them. He took some of the food out, making his yellow fur glow to see what he was going since it was quite dark now.
After Valerie sat down on the blanket, the outline of the mountains in the distance against the indigo sky caught her eye. She looked back in the direction they came from with a distraught expression.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Shane softly asked, taking a seat next to Valerie.
The Vulpix turned and saw the Shinx's concerned face, illuminated by the yellow glow from his ears. "Sorry, I was just thinking about how Pete said he'd never go near Sorelin Village again. I hope the villagers we meet there will be okay. I feel guilty that I left them behind."
"You defeated the bandits, stopped Pete's imprisonment, and kept Garrett and Granger out of trouble," Shane listed off earnestly. "What's left to feel guilty about?"
"I didn't do anything about the Garchomp. You saw how he treated his workers. Did we really improve the villagers' lives if he's still in charge?"
"Putting the Seismitoad in jail has to have some net positive effect."
"Yeah, it probably was a good thing. He's annoying, self-centered, and a criminal who belonged in jail, but… I feel kind of bad for him. Things could have been very unfair from the sound of it."
"Are you sure? What did he say to you? I'll try to understand, even if he's a self-centered criminal…"
"He told me he had everything going perfectly for him, but then he got drafted. Then he performed well in the army but never got a promotion because only nobles get high positions. So he began leading a group of bandits to steal from rich nobles, like the ones who order shipments from the village."
"Yikes, that does sound pretty rough and unfair," Shane considered. "But he went too far, hurting the livelihood of the villagers too. We had to imprison him."
"Then he said I'm not helping the villagers by only bringing him down if I didn't do anything about the rich nobles like the Garchomp. I thought a lot about that, and I feel guilty…"
"Don't let a self-centered criminal determine what you should feel guilty about!" Shane insisted. "Why should you even take his words seriously?"
"Well, after tuning him out, I thought hard about it. I remembered what Garrett said about their situation, coupled with how awful the Garchomp was. And also what Matthew and Martha said, remember? Their son got drafted and never came back… So it's not just the Seismitoad that I'm thinking about. Everything we've seen is evidence of how mistreated these Pokemon are by the rich nobles around here..." Valerie paused, then said regretfully, "I should've done more about the Garchomp..."
"It's great to help out, and I certainly would have liked to stick around and help out more, but remember that we aren't even supposed to be here; we're supposed to be on our way back to Payr. I don't see why you should be feeling guilty for going out of your way for a good deed even if you couldn't solve everything."
"I know, but it's unfair that I sent the Seismitoad to jail but did nothing about the rich noble Garchomp. I feel like I'm complicit in the villagers' hardships, like I'm part of the problem!"
"Hold on, are you feeling guilty because you think you're part of that rich nobility?"
Valerie looked down, ears dropping as Shane voiced out what she was too ashamed to say herself. "Yeah…"
Shane pressed into Valerie's side, holding one of her forepaws in his own. "Don't feel guilty," he said firmly. "It's not like that in Payr."
She felt terrible, undeserving of his gesture. "What do you mean?" she hesitantly asked.
"The nobility does not oppress everyone else in Payr the way we've seen in Nydyhan," Shane elaborated. "You know that!"
"I thought so, but I'm not so sure anymore," Valerie said distressedly. "I'm a princess who has lived in a castle my whole life. What do I know?"
"I promise you, it's not like that in Payr, so don't worry! Trust me!" Shane said earnestly.
"How can you say that for sure? After what we've seen around here?"
"Did you forget that I used to be a farmer in a village six years ago?" Shane asked with a grin. "Don't worry, sometimes I forget myself," he joked. "So trust me when I say that things in Payr are nothing like the awful things we've seen and heard here in Nydyhan."
"Still, though… there must be some, maybe a lot of unfairness that nobles like me don't even know to exist. And remember this morning, when we first heard about the stolen food shipment, and my first instinct was to ignore the villagers and keep moving without helping them against the bandits?"
"You still came and turned the tide in the villagers' favor in the end," Shane pointed out.
"Let's be real here; I only came to rescue you…"
"And I love you for that," Shane said, giving Valerie a sweet nuzzle.
Surprised, Valerie smiled, forgetting about her worries for just a moment.
"Don't forget that you helped Garrett and Granger avoid getting fired," Shane added.
"In a way that totally did not assert the Garchomp's power over his workers even more," Valerie remarked sarcastically.
"Okay… but, uh… well, why was he trying to imprison you in the first place? Because you stood up to him and stopped him from unfairly imprisoning Pete!" Shane hoped this would stick because he was starting to run out of ideas.
Valerie thought back to that battle. Sure, she won with relative ease, but it was hardly fulfilling without Shane at her side. "I guess..." Valerie reluctantly said. "But did it really change anything? He's still in charge now…"
"Pete would not be free without you," Shane said.
"But all the other villagers are still pretty stuck." Valerie stared down at the blanket in regret.
Shane shook his head, sad to see Valerie like this. "Listen," he said, gently putting his paws on her shoulders. "Put Sorelin Village in the past, and let's think about Payr."
"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, looking forward so that they were face to face.
"When I become a knight, I want to help Pokemon all across Payr, just like Sir Robin. I want my partner to be there with me every step of the way. Payr is not like Nydyhan, and we will keep it that way. We'll make sure of it, together. Does that sound good to you?" Shane asked with a soft smile.
Valerie felt inspired; this was everything that she could ask for. A meaningful purpose, an opportunity to put their training to good use, and, of course, being able to stay close to the one she loved so much. "That sounds perfect," Valerie said wholeheartedly.
"I thought so," Shane grinned. "So let's get back to Payr and do everything we can to make that a reality."
Filled with warmth and with a sincere smile, Valerie leaned forward and hugged Shane. "Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?" he asked.
"You know… for always believing in me," said Valerie, drawing back to speak to him. "Despite all the stupid things from me that make your life harder…" she trailed off.
"Like what?" Shane asked amusedly with a gentle smile.
"Getting us both kidnapped in a forest… putting myself in jail and making you rescue me…"
"Yeah, and I got myself captured by a huge group of bandits, and you had to rescue me," Shane chuckled. "I know you have my back, and I've got yours. We're in this together," he said, holding her forepaws.
Valerie smiled brightly, brimming with affection. She pulled him close, closing her eyes as she kissed him and he returned it. The kiss conveyed all of her warmth, appreciation, and devotion that words could not. After that, they settled into a loving hug.
The pair took out the food in their basket and warmed it up with some small embers. With the sun long gone and the occasional chilly breeze flowing across the grasslands, Shane snuggled close to Valerie. As they ate, they talked about the things they would do as knights together. There were many places throughout the city and many villages across the countryside that they planned on visiting. It was a relaxing, comforting end to a long, eventful day.
Valerie was more than delighted when Shane cuddled close to her as they settled down for the night. She drifted off to sleep with her mind at ease, knowing that after all that had happened today, they were still safe and closer than ever. There was absolutely nothing that could come between them…
…Right?
The next morning, Shane woke up as the sun rose, bringing a radiant orange sky and warmth to the grasslands. However, Shane felt much more warmth from his beloved companion at his side, both physically from her fire typing and the loving warmth that filled his heart. A field of vibrantly colored flowers greeted Shane when he opened his eyes. He nearly gasped at the beautiful scenery around them. At night, with only his yellow glowing fur for light, he had no clue how colorful and vibrant the place was. Now, with the sun rising, he could admire it all.
Shane gently nuzzled Valerie awake. She mumbled a bit as she stirred, something that Shane found adorable.
"Mmm… good morning, Shane," Valerie whispered, opening her eyes. Then she closed them again and snuggled closer to him with a content smile on her muzzle.
Shane chuckled. "Good morning, Valerie," he said. Then he nudged her head, saying, "Take a look around us."
"Hmm?" she questioned, raising her head and taking a look. She blinked a couple of times as her groggy mind awakened. she took in the flowery sights around them. "Oh, wow…" she breathed out, "it's beautiful."
Shane held her paw and pressed into her side, enjoying her warm fur. "A nice surprise, right?" he remarked.
"Yeah, it's hard to believe we're still in Nydyhan," said Valerie.
After warming up their breakfast and eating, they pulled out the map they received from Matthew and Martha. They found where they were on the map by locating where the path from the mountain path stopped at the main route; that intersection was where they were now. The way that Pete went led to many major Nydyhanian towns. The other way would lead them out of Nydyhan, but there was still a long way to go to reach Payr. A mountain range with a river descending from it separated Nydyhan from Payr and Firinia. The river was then split up into two rivers, with a Firinianian city named Laurelie located in between the two. The path they were on would lead them to Laurelie.
"I can't believe there's no bridge from Nydyhan to Payr," Valerie said.
"Maybe there's no bridge on purpose. Makes it harder to invade us," Shane figured.
"Huh, that's an interesting thought. Makes sense."
"Let's follow this path. It will take us across the river to Firinia, then we can get to Payr," Shane suggested.
"Looks like we have to go through Laurelie since it has the only nearby bridges for the two rivers," Valerie noticed.
"I've heard that it's a really nice place," Shane said. "Since Astraea Village is on the border of Payr, Laurelie is actually closer than Payr's capital. I've never been there, but when I was younger, sometimes my classmates would talk about Laurelie. I bet Payr is nicer, though!"
They set off, following the path towards Firinia. While on the road, a few pokemon passed by them with wagons in tow. Along the way, they passed through two small farming villages. The mood in these villages was dull, similar to Cadowin Town. Nothing here came remotely close to the livelihood they got to see back in Sorelin Village when the food shipments were recovered and distributed (and before Grimwald tried to shut it down). Shane discovered a newfound appreciation for Astraea Village. Sure, his life as a farmer was monotonous, but at least most pokemon were cheerful and lively in his home village.
Despite traveling since sunrise, it was sunset by the time Shane and Valerie could see the Firinian city of Laurelie out in the distance ahead of them. Considering how one could travel from Astraea Village, which was on the outskirts of Payr, all the way to the capital city in one day, one could tell how small Payr was compared to Nydyhan. It also showed why Shane and Valerie, as Payrians, should be glad that there was no direct bridge. They didn't mind the long, leisurely travel, though; they had each other to keep company.
"Finally, we're about to leave Nydyhan," Valerie said.
"And Astraea Village isn't far from here," Shane added.
Valerie looked towards the horizon across the river. She could probably see part of Payr, even if it was just open grassland. They would be back in Payr soon. That was a good thing...
...Right?