Chapter Four: Paradise

"This side of paradise, is where I want to be.

This side of paradise, for you and me.

This side of paradise, what you get is what you see.

And I never thought I'd see a place as nice,

This side of paradise." - This Side of Paradise, Bree Sharp

A part of me was really hoping the light wouldn't be there in the morning. But what has hope ever done for me, anyway?

The journey might have been a two-day trip, but we decided to walk around the Mystery Dungeons to conserve our strength. It's really hitting me how much of the land is taken up by the dungeons. We detoured around Kingdra Canyon this afternoon. It took us several miles directly to the east, and we're as close now as we were when we woke up this morning!

Our detour took us to the southern tip of the plainlands. The short green grass gave way to tall, pale-brown stalks. I went ahead to flatten a path so that Alex's tail didn't catch in the dry growth. We were in a flat, treeless field, with a clear view of the vast terrain around us. We could see the low mountains as murky-blue risings in the distance, and ahead of us we could see the dark-green figures of the woodland region. We had no shelter, but in late autumn the sun wasn't too strong, and a cool breeze was blowing, making the grass shimmer as it swayed.

Wooloo rolled along, bouncing through the grass. An Arcanine lay patiently as his young pups chewed and pulled on his ears, tail, and mane. A lone Dodrio strutted by to our right, his long legs stretching over the tips of the grass. Further into the distance, a herd of fire-type Rapidash and Ponyta galloped across the plains, kicking up a cloud of dust as they ran.

We stopped to eat on top of a small flat boulder. There was rustling behind us, Alex's head whipped around.

A Dedenne and a Pachirisu shuffled through the grass. They were smaller than average, only kids. They were gazing up at us with big black saucer eyes. I broke off a piece of my apple and held it down to them. The Pachirisu accepted it with a delighted squeal. Alex held up a tiny apple, the Dedenne hopped up and down in joy. He tossed it, she jumped and caught it in her mouth.

"Thank you!" they said in unison. We watched the grass shake as they scurried back the way they came.

"You know," said Alex, "sometimes I forget how peaceful the wild can be."

"This isn't a Mystery Dungeon," I said. "Most truly wild Pokémon are pretty passive. The only ones you really have to worry about are predators, but even then a lot of them are weaning off meat these days. It's just a matter of there being enough alternatives for everyone."

"Those Arbok weren't dungeon Pokémon. They certainly didn't seem weaned."

"You can't really blame them after we broke into their nest while they were nursing five newborn Ekans."

"What about those Houndoom? The reason we were in the Arbok's nest in the first place?"

I leaned back and looked up at the sky.

"Houndoom aren't native to the Yūdaina Plains," I mused. "The closest place I can think of would be Dust Delta, and that's part of the Desert Region. I wonder what drove them to the plainlands…"

The sky was a clear, pale blue. A few white wisps of clouds sailed by. A flock of Swellow and Taillow flew over our heads.

"When we get back from Tenrai, I was to see more of the peaceful parts of the World," Alex said. "I haven't been around for very long, technically speaking. I'm already nineteen, and there's so much I haven't seen…"

He trailed off. He was looking down at the ground, seemingly at nothing in particular.

"Well…" I said. "If you had been "around" for all those years, you would have seen it all by now. This means now you get to experience it all for the first time."

"Hey, you're right!" Alex said, and a smile dawned on his face.

We had to veer wide around Everspring Fields, and ended back in a lower part of the clifflands. It was dry, brown, dusty. You could walk for three hours without seeing a single plant or drop of water. Tall rocky shelves reached high into the air, and a troop of Primeape and Mankey peered down at us, daring us to make the mistake that would send them into a wild frenzy. There's an example of Pokémon needing therapy.

Quarry Graveler came tumbling down stony slopes, we had to scurry backwards to get our of their way, the ground rumbling beneath our feet. We crossed a crumbling bridge over a low canyon. A Fearow circled over our heads. We paused every few steps to keep an eye on her. I kept my chest cold in case an Ice Beam was needed.

A party of Axew stood on top of the cliffs kicking gravel down on top of our heads. Alex winced as the dust and stone clogged up his tail, the fire sputtered. Ice Beam burst out of me, a pale-blue spear; cold air arched and collided together again and again, and in less than a second it struck edge of the cliff wall, sending rocks flying and freezing the gap over with crystals. The Axew yelped and scarpered away.

A Nosepass passed us by. We asked him where south was, as in all the confusion we'd lost our way.

"Carry on down the left path, you'll see Hallore Village in around half a mile."

Our surroundings turned reddish-brown, and the bumpy, unpredictable terrain turned to tiered stone. To our left, cleanly-cut steps have been carved into a cliff face, leading up to wide wooden bridges with bamboo bannisters going higher and higher, to rustic-coloured houses made of wood, straw, and clay. Dark greens and reds and faded yellows were the colours of the buildings and walkways, and the loose hemp clothes on the Pokémon up above us.

Bare-skinned Axew chased one another across a bridge. A Haxorus in a poncho and straw hat sat with their arms folded, napping against the wall of one of the huts. A Rhyhorn trudged along with bags of clay strapped to his back with hemp rope. A Dwebble knocked pegs into the ground. A Spearow carried a rake in her beak and dragged it across the ground next to a line of berry trees. A Tyranitar, dressed in flowing robes and a crown of tall yellow leaves embedded with a common green garnet, was carrying an I-Beam on one shoulder and a bucket of gravel in the other hand.

In the centre of the village was its only three-story building, on top of which waved a bright yellow flag bearing a Tyranitar, a spade resting at their shoulder, a patch of cultivated land behind them.

The path rose and we could see the land beyond the village. There was more greenery growing here than we'd seen anywhere in the southern clifflands. There was also a small spring and a short waterfall with a water wheel at the bottom. Lined up along the bank, a Heatmor was heating pots for boiling and purifying the water. Nearby (cleverly), they'd set up a bonfire where dozens of Pokémon came to cook food. We could hear the distant sound of chattering, laughing, singing.

"Why don't we come visit this place too, once we're home?" I said. "There are amazing things to see in the civilised Pokémon World too, you know."

"Yeah," Alex said, "I guess there is."

A couple hours later we passed by Hallore Village. Behind it, the wide cerulean-blue Summer Mountain stretched 300 feet into the air.

"I wonder what Caesar and Tom are up to."

"Probably still risking their lives for food," I said.

"Relatable."

We passed under the mountain's cliffs. An Onix slinked by just above us but didn't pay us any mind. Alex went quiet again. We were coming up to a cleft in the wall. I pointed to it and said:

"Alex, look."

"Hm? What?"

I pointed harder. "Look! That shine! I think it's a Treasure Chest!"

There was a small boulder in the way. Try as I might, I couldn't lift it or roll it out of the way.

"I don't think anything's in there, Tobias," Alex said.

"I think it's behind this boulder," I said.

"You mean that small rock?"

"Could you give it a try?"

I stepped aside. Alex pulled back his arm, then crushed the rock with his Metal Claw. He smiled proudly at his handiwork.

I dug my finger into the crack and took out a piece of cream-coloured stone.

"Not a rock, but we found something!"

"Ah, this is quartz, Alex. It's worth about as much as a gravelerock."

"… Can I have it anyway?"

"It isn't valuable."

"Subjective, gimme."

I handed him to the stone. Then he realised he wasn't carrying the items bag and gave it back to me. You know, Alex doesn't really seem to care about money. That might seem a little strange for a treasure hunter. But personally, it's a quality I like in a teammate.

That night we reached the woodlands.

"These ones are called silver birch," Alex said, pointing at the canopy high up above our heads. "They're far apart, which lets in a lot of light for the plants below. The bushes around here are called azalea, they're a kind of rhododendron."

He plucked a flower and span it around between his fingers.

"This one's a buttercup." He held it under his chin and it looked like it was lit up from below. "I don't know much about these, but they turn your skin yellow." He held it under mine. "Huh. Green."

"You've become quite the scholar," I said.

He shrugged. "I spent a long time researching that book. Some of it was bound to stick."

"You actually have a pretty good memory."

He tapped the side of his head. "Nope! I just have a cheat sheet with me wherever I go."

The grass was short enough for us to walk side-by-side, though occasionally we had to hop over a root or watch our feet for what looked like a ring of flowers but was actually a dozing Comfey. The moon was bright, and the trees were an almost eerie white, but the ground was covered in soft-coloured plants, and fairy-type Pokémon strolled by or slept in dens decorated with flowers, leaves, and mushrooms. It was actually quite lively. And the Pokémon seemed quite friendly!

But it's also important to know that they are tricksters.

I'd gotten several paces ahead when I noticed Alex wasn't with me. I turned around and saw him lying flat on his face, not moving. I sprinted over and skid over the dirt on my knees, shook him. It was then I heard giggling behind me, followed by a Pokémon's soft singing voice:

"Ji-gga-ly-puff, Jigg-"

I span around and punched the Jigglypuff in the face. She went off like a popped balloon and shot into the azalea bushes. I checked the fastens on the items bag. Last time a Jigglypuff put us to sleep like that they stole all our items and replaced them with chesto berries.

Alex jumped as if he'd just woken from a nightmare. His claws had turned to metal and he turned twice in a circle, looking for the opponent.

"It's all right, it's all right," I said, "it was just some kid playing a prank." Or trying to rob us, but no need to bring that up.

"Oh. Oh, all right." He took a deep breath. "Okay. Cool. Just a prank."

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked. "Should we head back and try to find a way around this place?"

"No, no no, I'll be fine," he said with a wonky smile, "I just need to get used to it, right?"

"I don't want to push you too hard."

"This isn't even a dungeon!" he said, waving his arms. A Cutiefly on a nearby branch took off. "There's nothing to be scared of?" He paused. "Right?"

I forced myself to smile, for the second time that day. "Right. Let's carry on, then."

The trees got thicker. The light from the moon was blocked by the canopy, but our path was lit up by the glow of countless phosphorescent fungi. Shades of pink and blue and purple, and subtle whites made the green in the leaves and grass faintly shine.

We passed by a glowing red-and-white toadstool large enough for Alex to sit on. Alex sat on it. I sat back against its stalk and we watched the wild Pokémon milling about. Spritzee, Ribombee, Flabébé of all different colours. None of them paid us any mind.

A Shiinotic was picking some of the smaller mushrooms from the ground. Their glow faded as he added them to the growing pile in his arms. Phosphorescent plants (and whatever it is that mushrooms are, who knows at this point?) have magical properties, I knew. I wondered what this wild Pokémon was using them for.

Sometimes I wonder about Hage. They've been in Emerald Town for as long as I can remember, and no one I've asked can tell me what exactly their magic does. The only thing I know is that Pokémon who've stuck with it have reported good things. They've just never been able to give any specifics. "I just feel good," is the line I always hear, "I feel more alive."

I looked up at Alex, absent-mindedly kicking his feet in the air, watching a Kelpie Ponyta chewing on some of the luminescent grass. Maybe we should keep trying, I thought to myself then. Just in case.

A sick-looking Cutiefly was sucking on the corner of a Parasect's mushroom. The bug-and-grass-type was sitting patiently, and the Cutiefly seemed to be gaining more and more of her strength with every sip. Nature is equal parts beautiful and gross.

We carried on, and Alex picked the head off a tiny mushroom and placed it on my head.

"Ask me why," he said.

"Why?"

"'Cause you're a fun guy."

"This isn't a poisonous species, is it?"

Alex flicked it off my head.

"No."

We stepped over red mushrooms that looked like hexagonal cages, holding glowing orange orbs at their centre. We passed mushrooms that looked like yellow-and-orange plated corals, white fungi that grew on top of one another like tiered towers. Past a row of honeysuckle azalea bushes, we found a whole field of smooth-surfaced mushrooms that glittered like gemstones, amethyst and garnet and pearl and rose quartz and pink diamond.

We came to a stream that fell in tiers, almost like steps. Small fairy-types like Togepi and Igglybuff nestled under the miniature waterfalls. There was a sturdy-looking rock path on the other side. Alex held out both arms for balance, put one foot in front of the other, and slowly stepped across the bridge.

Then a geo pebble shot down from the trees, a stone shifted under his foot. He didn't wave his arms or shift his footing or cry for help. He fell like a statue.

I grabbed him by the tail and yanked him back up onto solid ground. I heard giggling from high up in the tree. A small pink Pokémon was hanging from a low branch with his nose turned up at us.

Impidimp feed on the negative emotions of others. He looked like he was enjoying the feast.

"Do you think that's funny?!" I yelled up at him. "He's a Charmander! He could have died!"

"Tobias, it's okay," Alex put a hand on my shoulder. "He's just a kid. He's just playing a joke, like the Jigglypuff."

"The worst thing that Jigglypuff was going to do was rob us," I told him. My heart was racing, and I felt my tail twitching, eager to be put to use. "Somebody needs to give that jackass a taste of his own medicine."

"What, drown him? Please, just leave it. I don't want any more trouble."

The Impidimp laughed again. He swung onto another branch and became a shadow in the dim. Alex stood on my back and I carried him across the stream. A Cleffa poked her head out to take a peek at us.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine!" Alex said with a smile. "No need to worry!"

A Hatenna wandered into our path. She took one look in our direction, then scarpered back the other way. We were coming up to a hill that stretched above the trees. It was a steep climb, but as soon as Alex was up above the canopy, he took a deep breath, and I could see some of the tension dissolving.

We found a crevice in the hill that'd shelter us from the elements. We could see Mt. Burgeon from there. Across the green treetops and the glow from the undergrowth, there stood the jutting grey spears of Mt. Burgeon, and the winding green path leading to the abandoned inner caverns. A clouder of Jumpluff took off from the peak. So the wild Pokémon had taken their home back at last.

"I hope Mickey's doing okay…" Alex said.

"Maybe just worry about yourself for the time being," I said, unfolding the blanket and laying it across him.

"What about?" he said. "You've been doing a lot of worrying about me lately, not so much about yourself."

"I'm not…"

I wasn't fooling him.

I sighed and shuffled in next to him.

"I'm just trying to take it one day at a time."

"Sounds good to me."

We gazed up at the stars until he drifted off to sleep. I've been using these brief moments to write in this journal. It cuts about two hours of sleep out of my day, but strangely enough, I don't feel all that tired!

"Tobias, you look exhausted."

"Huh?"

"How long were up last night?"

"I didn't bring my sundial," I said, maybe a little snarkily.

We'd made to the coastal border. The grass was lush and green, the air was fresh, with a tinge of salt. The sky was a cloudless rich blue, cut through with the sandy wings of Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot flying overhead.

"Is your journal really that important?" he asked.

"You said it helped you. Even though…"

"Hm?"

"When was the last time you actually read it?"

A pause. "Not that long ago. Why?"

We hopped over a fallen branch from a nearby tree. What kind, I couldn't tell you, I'm not Alex.

"It's just… you said you were going to read it whenever you needed to process something, but most of the time you just end up staring at the recording."

"Tobias, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but they're my awful memories, and I get to decide how I handle them."

I flinched. It's an involuntary thing, I don't even know why I do it. Alex isn't a threat to me, he's my best friend. But for some reason I only seem to flinch around people who are close to me.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Apology accepted, but my point stands. I'll just come out and say it, I don't think this is good for you."

A Pidgey with clipped wings raced through the sky, fighting to keep up with the flock.

"We'll talk about it when we get back, right?" he said.

"Okay," I conceded, "you're right. That was the deal."

A rustling sound came from behind us. Alex's claws turned to metal and he whipped around. The grass was parting to the north, south, east, and west, all headed towards us.

We stood back-to-back. I saw the gleam of scarlet eyes, the flash of a red jewel that told me exactly who were up against. Four Cream Persian leapt out of the grass. Alex drove his Metal Claw into the north-comer's stomach like a skewer, and the Classy Cat Pokémon yelped and kicked at the air until his arm gave out and he dropped him to the floor. The Persian from the west tackled him to the ground.

Brine foamed from the swell of energy I held inside my hand. It smacked against the southern Persian's face and sent him back-flipping into the grass. But I had to duck into my shell to protect myself from the eastern-comer's sharp teeth. Pinning me down with her paws, she dug her claw into my shell and tries to swipe at me from the inside. I've learned how to deal with dirty tricks like that, it's happened to me more than once. I bit down on East's claw and pulled. Not all the way, but enough to draw blood. She shrieked and yanked her paw away.

Alex couldn't risk a fire attack in the tall grass. West was pinning his arms down and biting down on his cheek. He screamed, then choked, as smoke poured out of his mouth. You need proper breathing to pull off a move like Smokescreen, he told me, so it was a risk for sure. But it worked, as the Persian coughed and hacked as she breathed it in, and Alex was able to kick her away and roll back onto his feet. Then rocks shrouded in of ruby-coloured light came cutting through the smog and smacked into his face.

I felt a powerful thud from behind and went flipping over the ground. When I looked over my shoulder South was running at me, I saw his haunches raise as he prepared to pounce. I twisted my body around as I ducked into my shell, and I went shooting through the grass right under him. He landed and I tilted my shell to bring myself to a stop, then hit him from behind with Ice Beam.

My triumph ended when East pinned me on my back. I ducked into my shell and got ready to bite back another searching paw. But instead the Persian slammed her paws into me again and again and again, until I could feel myself sinking into the ground. She was trying to crack me. I jumped out of my shell and tried to kick her away. She Slashed me across the face and blood swam in my eyes and after a second I realised it was mine. I tried to retreat back inside but I felt her claws digging into my skull…

Then pull away as she went tumbling across the floor. I wiped the blood from my eyes; an Eevee stood between me and East, her bushy tail swishing in agitation. Or excitement.

East looked up and I followed her eyes to where a Grovyle leapt out of the grass and landed on North's head, bouncing off him to cross his Leaf Blades over West's eyes.

West's claws stretched to twice their length and she pounced at Mikey. He parried and countered her Fury Swipes with a flurry of Leaf Blades, and was holding his own until flying Poké dug into his ribs.

"Catch!" I said.

I tossed Alex an inky-black blinker seed. He passed it on to North, and it cracked open between his eyes, soaking them in harmless but stubborn jet-black ink.

West Slashed, Mike parried, he struck out, she pulled back. It didn't look like either one was going to best the other, until Alex's Metal Claw cut her across the cheek. West yowled in pain before Mike's Leaf Blade cut up under her chin.

East let out a horrible screech. Eevee folded in her ears and grit her teeth. I ran to help her, but then saw South getting to his feet.

"Finish him off first!" Eevee yelled above the noise. "Leave this one to me!"

South tried to dodge but the grass was too thick and his movements were slowed. Brine washed over him, soaking into the soft spots, and his strength finally gave out.

East came running. Eevee swerved around her with Quick Attack, made a 180 turn and slammed into her shoulder. East went rolling across then scrambled to her feet. She looked to her clouder for support, but none came. The defeated Persian slinked away, the grass parting gently before them. A dazed North went wandering off in the opposite direction and West had to call for him to turn around.

"And stay out!" Mikey yelled.

"Thanks for the help," I said, reaching into the bag. "Are you all right for healing items?"

"Yep, all set," Eevee said, pulling two oran berries out of her bag.

Mikey took one. His bracelet had now been replaced by a blade of grass hanging from his mouth. But he'd dropped the old one during the battle, and now plucked a new one from the ground.

"Were you following us?" Alex said with a frown.

"Might have been."

"Lucky thing too," Eevee said, brushing the dust out of her collar.

"Mickey set you up to this, I'm guessing," I said.

She gave as an apologetic look. "He still doesn't believe you guys. We're all trying our best to talk him round, even the guardsmon aren't yes-monning him anymore, but he still won't accept that Ford's alive."

"That doesn't explain why you're here," said Alex.

"He thinks your up to no good," Mikey said. The blade of grass fell out of his mouth, and he picked out a new one. "Up to something devious."

"That's charming," I said, "after we risked our lives to protect him."

"You kinda can't blame him for not being all that trusting," Eevee said. "Alister and A.J. were two of his closest friends, and they stabbed him in the back."

It took me until then to realise, but his father's betrayal must have been even more difficult to bear so soon after two of this closest friends had manipulated him to get to Alex. I suppose being stabbed in the back hurts a lot more when you're still patching over a wound that's already there.

Well. I would know, wouldn't I?

"Yeah, I get why he wouldn't want to trust two Pokémon he barely knows," Alex said, "but the feeling is mutual. What makes you think we're just going to let you stalk us?"

"Come on, it doesn't have to be like that!" Mikey said. "You, me, and Tobias would make a great team together; grass, water, and fire! It's perfect! Also there's this one."

"This one who doesn't have soil in her mouth."

Mikey let the grass drop to the floor.

"Listen, it's not personal," he said, "it's just business."

"Well this isn't business," I said, "it's just personal. So you have no right to follow us."

Mikey only shrugged.

The grass got thinner and the earth turned to sand as we got closer to the sea shore. The sun was brighter, but the breeze was stronger as it blew in fresh ocean air from the south. Alex and I weaved our way through the dense patches of thin, spiky grass, while Mikey and Eevee trailed a couple paces behind.

Mikey's blade of grass was swept up by the wind. He picked another one out of the ground, tore it to size, and slipped it in. Then he spat it out in revulsion.

"It's not happening, is it?"

Eevee shook her head. "No, I really don't think it's working for you."

Our feet sunk into the thin sand. Alex slipped and fell on his backside. I offered a hand but he didn't see it, just pushed himself up and furiously brushed off his tail.

Our new travel companions decided to try and make conversation.

"What's it been like since you came back to Emerald Town?" Eevee asked.

Alex didn't answer. He looked irritated, but I knew he was just on edge having them around. Still, I thought talking to them might melt the ice a little.

"Livelier than usual, I guess," I answered.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"A bit of both. People are a lot more inclined to give us their opinions of us now. Kind of a double-edged sword, in a way."

"Have you had any new recruits?"

"Aha, no, not yet."

In truth, we've actually had quite a few requests, but they'd all been unanimously turned down. I'd assumed Alex had shared my concerns, that Pokémon looking for fame (and Pokémon who'd been inspired by war) weren't the kinds of teammates we wanted. I hadn't anticipated how uncomfortable Alex would be travelling with other Pokémon.

"Don't most teams usually have three or four members?" Mikey asked.

My cheeks warmed.

"Some teams are smaller," I said, making a conscious effort to control my tone.

"I thought that was just beginner teams?"

Eevee cleared her throat.

"Oh, no, I just meant," Mikey struggled with his words, "I just meant the more the merrier right?"

I glanced at Alex. He didn't look all that merry.

We heard a squawking in the distance. It sounded like Cramorant. The beach was close.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Eevee's tone was suddenly lower.

"Go ahead," Alex said, stony-faced.

"Did they ever find Fortis?"

For a still moment, no one spoke.

"No," Alex said at last, "they didn't."

They didn't find Harriet, either. Six stories down. Who could have survived that? A bird Pokémon. Which Harriet was, only she happened to be one of the few kinds that couldn't fly. It would be funny, if it wasn't so painful.

I tried to push it out of my mind.

"Yeah, I kinda figured…" Eevee said, staring at the ground.

"I guess he died doing what he does best," said Mikey. "Looking out for other Pokémon."

A sea wind rustled through the grass and brought the salty smell of the ocean with the cooling air. Alex's face softened.

"I still don't actually remember anything from before I woke up in Grande City. I don't remember meeting Fortis or Harriet, or travelling with them, or losing them. But I've watched it all in succession eight times now. I wish I could have met them, not just that other Alex."

Suddenly I noticed the other two had moved closer.

"You know…" Mikey began, "Mickey might not believe you, but I think the rest of us prefer knowing what really happened. Somehow I don't think a note saying "your friend died in battle, sorry," is good enough for most of us."

"I'm glad you were there with him," said Eevee. "It's comforting to know he was with friends."

We walked in more comfortable silence after that. The wild Wingull soared high above our heads, and the beaches of the Itoran Shore stretched out before us.