Draco: Been running Scarlet & Violet again. Yes, both; I found the levels for Blueberry in advance of this run and came up with a slightly underhanded method to ensure I hit the 80s without suffering too much. Frankly, I had a lot of misgivings about Paldea on my first time through, but I've ultimately come to the conclusion that most what I disliked about it was a result of me going in blind; being informed makes the journey much more enjoyable.
(My Paldean canon has been updated; I would strongly advise checking out the relevant chapter before continuing.)
I'm not going to claim that it's anywhere near my favourite region, because a giant no-holds-barred free-roam world is not how I like my RPGs. I much prefer a concrete order of events, or at least a proper guideline to what's supposed to be done in what order; a game where you can do anything in any order is not a flavour that pairs with a level system where you have to fight in order to get stronger. But that's a personal preference, and I can accept that there are people who enjoy it, so I don't see it as a problem so much as something that appeals to an audience that I'm not part of.
Blueberry Academy really hammered that home for me. So much of what there is at Blueberry resonates with Orre; perpetual Double Battles, competitive tactics, and levels that you need to grind for in order to match up to what your opponents have on offer. Orre is designed to be a challenge, and that's what made me realize that Paldea is meant to be challenging. You have to seek out your opponents, you have to gather the materials to expand your movesets, and you have to work for your levelling because what comes easy just isn't enough. The exact form that challenge takes isn't to my preference, but I respect that there are people who want it.
Aside from my usual "most random shit", all the things that I actually take issue with are minor story implications as a consequence of gameplay conveniences. And I thought I'd have a little fun with those before I got into the more serious stuff.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo.
Porto Marinada, Paldea
"There you are! Hola!"
May stepped off of the ship with a grin on her face. "Heya," she greeted as Red and Nate stumbled off behind her. "Nice to finally meet you in person."
Juliana nodded. "Nice to meet you, too," she returned. "I take it Hilda couldn't make it?"
"No, I haven't seen her outside of Nimbasa in ages," Nate admitted. "Supposedly, she's been on a really good winning streak at the Battle Subway, but between you and me, I think she's just making eyes at her Multi Battle partner."
"Well," May mused, "I say we wish her luck." Red nodded in agreement, a smile on his face.
"No arguments here," Juliana agreed. "Anyways, let's grab something to eat. It's a long road to Cabo Poco from here, and I doubt any of you guys are registered with the Flying Taxis."
The quartet grabbed some sandwiches on their way through the market, eating as they made their way up the hill out of town. "Jeez," May mused, "I'm never gonna get used to this map."
Juliana turned to her. "What's wrong with the map?"
"There's no Routes labelled on here," May mused. "I know you said in the chat that Paldea's a big, open place, but you'd think they would at least label the well-travelled roads."
"That's because there are no well-travelled roads, really," Juliana admitted. "Everyone takes whatever path they like. There's a few places where the dirt's been pounded flat from too many shoes, but streets are for cities. That's why Cyclizar are so common as mounts around here; wheels might take you along the road, but a strong pair of legs will carry you anywhere."
Nate shook his head. "Sounds like an untamed wilderness more than a place where people live," he mused.
"That's... not inaccurate, I suppose," Juliana conceded. "You're not exactly gonna find some recluse living out along the road like you might in Unova. But that's part of the appeal." She finished off her sandwich and licked her fingers clean. "When the academy lets students head off on their own, you can go wherever you like, and there's nothing stopping you except maybe how much your legs will hurt. Least not after we cleared out the roadblocks."
"Roadblocks?" Nate asked.
"Um, not important," Juliana insisted. "Just a bit of a problem that was easily dealt with. I don't-"
She was cut off by a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Red had stopped walking; they were nearing the crest of the hill, and he pointed towards a familiar red-roofed figure. As their company halted, Nate gave an inquisitive hum. "What is that?"
"That's a Pokémon Center," Juliana replied.
Everyone turned to her with a dumbfounded look on their faces.
Juliana shrugged her shoulders. "I know, it's not much," she admitted.
"No Mulch, it's not much!" May agreed. "What kind of a Pokémon Center is that? That's not even a building, it's like an Orrean gas station."
"It's-" Juliana turned to her. "Sorry, a what?"
"Don't avoid the question," May insisted. "Is that really what passes for a Pokémon Center in Paldea? People exposed to the elements?"
Juliana shook her head. "Honestly, I get it," she admitted. "There's nothing there that shouldn't be self-service. The healing machines and Tera Orb charger are customer-facing, and having a worker to accept money instead of a vending machine feels a bit wasteful. But, supposedly, they have people manning the Center so that if a person or Pokémon needs serious, life-threatening medical attention rather than a battle-healing pick-me-up, there's an experienced professional on hand."
"Surely that wouldn't be enough," Nate argued. "Where is there room for anything you'd need for medical attention?"
"Well, you see how one of the support pillars is the Poké Mart shelves?" Juliana pointed out. "I've heard rumors that the other one is an elevator of some sort. Allegedly, the entire parking lot around a Center is the ceiling of an underground medical facility. If someone needs emergency care, the counters come down, the TM Machine sinks into the ground, and they can load someone onto a stretcher and wheel them into the lift to take them below."
Red raised an eyebrow at her.
"I know, it sounds kinda fantastical," Juliana admitted. "But it's a nice thought." She started walking again. "Besides, I'm not inclined to write things off as a fantasy after..."
Ro-to-to-to-to...
The ringing from her backpack caused her to trail of. "Huh? Who's calling me?" She unzipped a low pocket, prompting her Rotom Phone to zip out and soar up in front of her. Penny's face was on the screen, and with a sense of trepidation she swiped to answer. "Hello?"
"Hey, Juliana," Penny greeted. "I know you said not to call you today because your friends from Nightcord were gonna be showing up..."
Juliana's heart sank. "Oh, no. Please tell me it's not what I think it is."
"Sorry," Penny pleaded. "The sensors in Area Zero just went off."
"Speak of Antimatter," Juliana muttered. "Please tell me something's different this time."
"The signals I'm getting seem to indicate it's going through the usual range," Penny admitted. "But there's no way to know for sure without..."
"...without going down there," Juliana finished. "Maldita. I'm sorry to ask, but can't you take Nemona and check it out for me?"
There was a pause, and then Penny sounded incredibly awkward. "We, um... did. Last week."
Juliana blinked. "Huh? You didn't-"
"Nemona was with me when I got a ping last week," Penny insisted, "and asked me to get her through the Zero Gate. Said she really wanted to fight one for herself. When we got back up, we found the entire Elite Four waiting for us. Even after I told them what happened, Rika let us have it. Even after La Primera intervened, we were still told not to go back in."
"You've gotta be Mulching me," Juliana admitted. "Every time I have to go down there, she makes me write an incident report, but my friends try to...?"
Nate took the opportunity to speak up. "Hey, um... What's going on?"
Juliana turned. "I'm sorry, guys," she insisted, "but this is important. There's something I have to do in Area Zero. If you guys want to-"
"None of that!" May interrupted. "If this is serious, we'll go with you!"
"Huh?"
"I... don't know if that's a good idea," Penny insisted. "You're just visitors to Paldea entirely. Area Zero is strictly off-limits to anyone without clearance, and it's incredibly dangerous besides."
Red crossed his arms.
"Dangerous isn't really the problem aspect," Juliana admitted. "But alright. If I'm accompanying you, then Rika at least shouldn't give us any extra trouble." She glanced down at her phone. "Penny, I'll ring you when I get things wrapped up."
"Alright," Penny insisted. "Be careful."
"You want to give us the details?" Nate asked.
Juliana reached for one of her Poké Balls. "We'll talk when we get to the Crater," she insisted, turning around and tossing it forward.
In a flash of light, a large reptilian figure appeared, catching everyone off-guard. Koraidon glanced around among the group before turning to Juliana, who reached a hand forward and ruffled his feathers. "Easy," she insisted, "they're friends."
"I'm never gonna get used to Trainers who can do that," May admitted.
"Now you know why Dawn was always on his case about the rescues," Nate pointed out.
Juliana hopped onto Koraidon's back. "Get on, guys, he can handle four of us." Then, turning back to her phone; "Rotom, text Geeta. La Primera, I got a ping from the Lab. Tell Rika I'm gonna be going through the Zero Gate. I'll be at the League tomorrow for the report." The message appeared on her screen. "Send."
Rotom flew back into her bag, and she zipped it closed before turning back to the group. "Alright, are we okay with going through the desert, or would you rather we take the route around Casseroya?"
Red shook his head.
"Desert's fine," Nate assured her.
May drew something out of her Bag. "Yeah, take the straightest route."
With a nod, Juliana grabbed hold of Koraidon. "You heard them."
+x+x+x+
"Good Alpha, it's full of crystals..."
Juliana nodded. "Welcome to the Great Crater of Paldea," she announced. "Area Zero - the origin point." She turned to Koraidon. "We'll walk our way down. Rest up."
With a nod, Koraidon returned to his Ball; May turned in time to see Juliana set the Ball in her bag, and then noticed that her belt was already full. "Wait, you carry seven?" she observed. "How?"
"Koraidon's not technically my Pokémon," Juliana explained. "His Poké Ball is registered to someone else's ID." She turned around. "Speaking of Poké Balls - keep your hand on your belt at all times. It wouldn't hurt to have a Pokémon out, even, if you want."
Red immediately tossed up a Poké Ball; in a flash of light, a Pikachu appeared next to him, looking around curiously.
"So," Nate mused, "is there a reason you wanted to save the conversation for now? Because you giving us the option to not go through the desert kind of implies it's not to stop sand from getting in your mouth."
Juliana sighed. "I'll tell you, if you insist," she admitted, starting to walk and prompting the others to do the same. "But it can't be publicly known. There's no one to overhear us, here."
"Was kind of wondering why you'd reached out to Cynthia," May mused, "considering I hadn't heard anything about major events in Paldea. But if this entire place is off-limits, I can see how you might've had something happen in a concealed manner."
"Okay, but you just rode the Winged King halfway across Paldea," Nate argued. "How does that not draw anyone's attention?"
"Because people don't think Koraidon is anything special," Juliana admitted. "Everything about the Winged King and its subjects comes from a journal considered to be fiction masquerading as history, and a magazine considered to be rumours presenting as occult theory - no one takes them seriously. He just looks like a big red Cyclizar, so they assume he's some kind of regional variant."
The sound of wingbeats caused her to pause, and her gaze rose. "Part of me wishes I could agree with them."
May started when she saw. "Is that a Salamence?" Then, when she saw the arc of its wings; "Is that a Mega Salamence?!"
The Pokémon roared, soaring towards them; Pikachu quickly wreathed himself in lightning and leapt forward, colliding head-on in a ferocious Volt Tackle. Juliana took the opening to send out a Tinkaton, and after only a glance, the Hammer Pokémon leapt at the enemy, hooking the blade of her hammer around one leg and sweeping it low to drag the Dragon-type along the ground in a Play Rough before flinging it over the edge of the crater's walkways.
Silence... and then Juliana withdrew Tinkaton with a sigh. "No," she said in response to May's question, "that wasn't a Mega Salamence."
May turned. "What?!"
"That was Roaring Moon," Juliana proclaimed. "A Pokémon from incomprehensibly ancient prehistory - like Koraidon."
"You mean... that was one of the Winged King's 'subjects'?" Nate asked.
Juliana nodded. "That's right. Here, in the Great Crater of Paldea - the place where the Terastal phenomenon originated, where Terapagos slumbered for ages on end - there live Pokémon that come from a past so ancient that no fossils remain, or a future so distant that science fiction hasn't even begun to entertain the thought." Her gaze fell. "We don't even know for sure if they're our past and future - the Professors suggested they might be from completely separate timelines, a past that never was and a future that will never be."
She raised her gaze. "We call them Paradox Pokémon. Something that shouldn't exist."
"Wait, hold on," Nate prompted. "If these... Paradox Pokémon are from another time, and Koraidon is one of them... then how do you know it's a legendary Pokémon in the world it comes from?"
"Because of how it arrived here," Juliana insisted. "Many species of Paradox Pokémon were already here when people came to the Great Crater of Paldea - first during the treasure rush of the Paldean Empire, then Heath's expedition of a couple hundred years ago. And when a pair of mad lovers arrived, planning to use the Terastal energy to create some kind of twisted paradise, the Paradox Pokémon were running rampant, here in the crater... but the Winged King and the Iron Serpent were nowhere to be seen. Not until Sada and Turo decided to reach out manually, creating a giant machine to seek out more of the Paradox Pokémon. Even then, they could only find one of each. There were suggestions that others existed, but they couldn't bring them through."
She turned to the others. "Rare Pokémon, nigh-unknown even among those well-informed on the topic - the subject of legends more often than historical fact. People doubt they even exist, and when it turns out they do indeed, they show far greater power than their contemporaries. What is that, if not a Legendary Pokémon?"
"...Okay, point," May conceded.
+x+x+x+
After several more battles with Paradox Pokémon, Nate found the courage to speak up again. "So, I take it you being here has something to do with one of these Paradox Pokémon?"
Juliana nodded. "I mentioned that they could only find one each of Koraidon and Miraidon. Well, one of them was a lot nicer than the other." Her gaze fell. "Miraidon was aggressive - constantly picking fights. That's how I met Koraidon - because Miraidon picked a fight at every opportunity, and eventually, it was too much to stand. So he fled. But Miraidon was still here, under the control of a system that was designed to continue bringing Paradox Pokémon to Paldea, heedless of the chaos it would wreak across the ecosystem."
"Alpha," May muttered. "That's... awful."
"It was," Juliana admitted. "So me, Penny, Nemona, and Arven came down here to put a stop to it. We couldn't send all the Paradox Pokémon back, but we could stop any more from coming in, which means the defenses in place to stop them from escaping won't get overwhelmed any time soon." Her gaze fell. "Unless the Iron Serpent has anything to say about it."
May started. "You mean-"
She ran into someone's outstretched arm - it was Red's, and they followed his gaze to find another Pokémon approaching them. It was one of the future-type Paradoxes; a towering white Pokémon with a metallic gleam to its body, brandishing what looked like a double-bladed sword.
"Hello there," Nate mused.
"It's a Gardevoir?" May observed. "Or maybe a Gallade..."
"Iron Valiant," Juliana identified. "And it's not a Psychic-type."
Nate nodded. "Good to know."
He and May each threw a Poké Ball forward; Sceptile and Samurott appeared, landing eagerly. The Iron Valiant raised its weapon towards them threateningly before lunging forward, Fairy light gleaming around the blades; Samurott quickly moved forward to meet it, drawing one of his seamitars with a rush of water to cross swords. As the Paradox Pokémon struggled against the lock, Spirit Break against Razor Shell, Sceptile moved in from the side and carved an Aerial Ace down its side; this left it stumbling back, allowing Samurott to drive a Smart Strike into its chest. The Iron Valiant struggled to recover, but Sceptile quickly closed the gap with a Leaf Blade, knocking down one blade and then the other before throwing it into an off-branch of the cave... and leaving it tumbling out of sight.
May glanced down at its fallen blades. "So that was in two parts, was it?" Then, shaking her head. "Sorry, never mind that. Juliana, you were saying something about-"
"Yeah," Juliana confirmed. "The Professors' Miraidon is aggressive and violent. It fights for no reason - and it's powerful. I thought it was stuck in its Ball after I shut down the Paradise Protection Protocol, but when I came back here for some Pokédex things, I found it rampaging down near the Zero Lab. If it gets a little too aggressive, I have no doubt it could easily break out of Area Zero - and open the door for every Paradox Pokémon here to do the same. So I had Penny help me set up some sensors that I could place down here, notifying us when it recovers its strength. Then me and Koraidon come down here, and put a stop to it if it's fighting again."
A loud cry from below drew their attention; everyone turned in time to see a Scream Tail soaring up... turn in the air, revealing its dazed face, and then tumble down again.
"And it looks like fight club is still on," Juliana observed.
"Then that 'something different' you were hoping for..." Nate started.
Juliana's gaze fell. "Turo's notes suggested something about Miraidon's behaviour. It's like... it wants to prove it's superior. One of my friends was like that - after he lost a battle, he started raging against anyone and everyone in an effort to get stronger, to prove he was stronger. But after he lost enough times, after there was proof that he wasn't superior, after he saw that his desperate desire for strength was doing more harm than good... he mellowed out. He stopped trying to dominate, and he was willing to coexist amicably."
"And you're hoping that eventually, the Iron Serpent will do the same," May mused.
Red reached for the brim of his cap, bringing it low like he was reminded of some unpleasant memory.
They made their way down to the depths; as the slope levelled out, they indeed found Miraidon lashing out against every Pokémon - Paradox or otherwise - that it could get its hands on. As a Brute Bonnet cluster made to flee, the Iron Serpent turned towards the quartet of Trainers, glaring angrily; with a deep breath, Juliana reached into her bag for Koraidon's Poké Ball.
She halted when someone else stepped forward unprovoked.
May double-took. "Wha-? Red? What are you?"
Red didn't say a word, but merely lifted the brim of his cap, drawing a Poké Ball and holding it before him. Miraidon gave a ferocious cry, and electricity coursed across the earth from below it; Red hurled the Ball forward, and Venusaur emerged, landing heavily and giving a ready cry of his own.
Nate chuckled. "If you need this thing to lose a battle," he observed, "leave it to the Battle Legend."
Juliana sighed. "Alright," she conceded. "Go for it."
Red nodded, aiming a hand forward; Venusaur shook his bud, launching a barrage of Leech Seeds towards Miraidon. The Iron Serpent swatted at the incoming seeds, only for them to burst into draining vines that tangled around its arms, sapping at its vitality; with a low, electrical sound, it reared back and unleashed a hellish Hyper Beam that slammed into Venusaur at a steep earthward angle. The blast hit hard, but it wasn't enough to knock him out; the Seed Pokémon promptly widened his stance, light gathering upon his bud to ease his wounds with Synthesis while Miraidon was recovering from the output.
A cloud of Poison Powder scattered around the Iron Serpent, envenoming it to compound the damage it suffered with the Leech Seed entanglement. With a loud cry, Miraidon lashed its arms out, and Power Gems scattered in the air, soaring towards Venusaur; the Seed Pokémon took each blow, and vines extended from his bud, slamming into the ground and burying deep.
Cracks appeared in the earth beneath the voltage; Miraidon had no chance to react before thorned vines burst out in a ferocious Frenzy Plant, striking it from below and entangling its limbs. For a moment, the Iron Serpent seemed to be knocked out; then its body illuminated with voltage, and it twisted into a whirling vertical spin, its body becoming a wheel of lightning that split the vines around it. Venusaur braced himself, but the blow was too much, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Red withdrew him with a Ball in one hand; with the other, he threw a second.
Charizard emerged with a loud roar, and Miraidon seemed to double-take before the Flame Pokémon lashed a skyward Dragon Claw up its body, hurling it across the depths of Area Zero until it slammed into one of the giant crystals that studded the cavern.
A smile appeared on Juliana's face as Charizard descended back to Red's side. "Oh... I get it," she mused. "If it won't learn from a loss against one who can fight on equal footing, maybe it'll learn from a loss against a group that can work together."
Red nodded.
May turned in surprise. "You mean you've been having Koraidon fight it every time?" she asked. "Just Koraidon, one-on-one?"
Juliana felt incredibly embarrassed all of a sudden. "It's not like I'm leaving the rest of my party behind when I come down here."
Nate shook his head. "Well, let's hope you get a separate result this time," he insisted. "You sure you can save that incident report for tomorrow?"
+x+x+x+
"Here you are." Juliana's mom set the plate of dessert down on the living room table. "There's plenty for everyone, don't be afraid to ask for seconds."
"Thanks a ton, Miss," May praised.
As the quartet dug in, Nate noticed something sitting on the edge of the table. "Say, Juliana," he mused, "what's that book there?"
Juliana followed his gaze. "Oh, that's the journal I mentioned," she admitted, picking it up and passing it to him. "Journey into the Great Crater, by an expedition leader called Heath."
"Considered fiction by most, right?" May mused as Nate started to open it up.
"Right," Juliana confirmed. "There's two different covers - they call this one the 'Violet Book'. I've got a photo of the Scarlet Book cover if you want to see it."
Nate turned through it. "It looks fairly professionally-written," he admitted. "Why would people think this is fiction?"
"You've got me there," Juliana admitted. "My best guess is that there's been so many people who went into Area Zero and never came back, they were unwilling to believe that someone who survived the trip could have actually encountered anything as impressive." She shook her head. "Just more of that 'refusing to accept someone is superior' attitude, I guess."
Nate raised his gaze. "Then... what do you think is gonna happen when Cynthia publishes the IXth Edition of the Collection?"
Juliana's gaze fell. "Well, Briar did her own expedition some time ago," she admitted, "with me and Kieran and Carmine. She's published a book about what she saw - The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. I'm hoping that a second published account will convince people of the truth of the tale."
"But if it doesn't," May insisted, "what's gonna happen to you? People are gonna think that your bit about Koraidon is just you trying to get attention on your 'regional' Cyclizar."
"Maybe," Juliana admitted. "But that's okay. I know what the truth is, and so do you guys. I'm not going to-"
Red's sudden motion drew everyone's attention; he grabbed the book out of Nate's hands, catching the Unovan off-guard. "Hey, what are you-?!"
The Kantonian laid it down on the table, running his hand down the image on the surface - a black silhouette.
"...Huh." Nate leaned forward. "Now that you say that, that looks like..."
May rotated the book towards herself. "...Miraidon?"
Juliana blinked. "Does it?" she mused. "I don't..."
"No, it totally does," May admitted. "The thunderbolt eyebrows, that ridge on its neck - it's a bit stylized, maybe a bit too curvy, but that's totally an Iron Serpent."
"Then..." Juliana drew out her phone, opening to her camera app. "You think this image on the Scarlet Book is...?"
Nate turned as she laid it down on the table. "...Koraidon," he confirmed. "Same thing - a little stylized, weird posture, but that's a Winged King."
May turned to her. "I thought you said there weren't any Kings or Serpents in the Crater until those crazy Professors built that machine."
"Surely not," Juliana admitted. "They might've been mad, but they were still scientists - they wouldn't overlook something like this. If there was a Winged King down there when they arrived, they would have noticed it, surely." Her gaze fell. "Unless..."
Ding-dong
The doorbell caused her gaze to shoot up, and a familiar voice called from outside. "Heyyy! Juliana! You home?"
"Oh no." Juliana turned to Red. "You need to hide before Nemona sees you."
+x+x+x+
"Honestly, now..."
Rika was in a foul mood as she and Geeta arrived at the Zero Gate. "You can't seriously be okay with her bringing a bunch of tourists along for this sort of thing?"
"Red of Pallet Town is hardly just a tourist," Geeta reprimanded. "The same could be said for the others, as well. Each of them has achieved great things in their home regions." She glanced at Rika. "Juliana and her friends have done no less; why do you persist in treating them as troublemakers?"
"How long now has Area Zero been a protected site?" Rika argued, checking the logs on the security system; there were no signs of tampering, which meant Juliana's party must have gone straight through. "If we just let people keep coming in here-"
"Coming in with good reason," Geeta interrupted, "and for the express purpose of keeping this place safe. Which, I might add, was their original reason for coming down here in the first place - at the best of Turo and Sada. You seem overly eager to punish people for making Paldea a safe place."
Rika fell quiet as they made their way down the descent ramp. The air was surprisingly still today, enough that the Top Champion's voluminous hair wasn't being blown about.
"...You think she might be on to something with that theory?" Rika asked. "That there are more Koraidon and Miraidon somewhere in here, and these ones are actively hiding?"
"It's hard to say," Geeta admitted. "The images on the covers of Journey do suggest that Heath had an encounter with a Winged King and an Iron Serpent. But with Paradox Pokémon, we have no way of knowing what sort of lifespan they might have. Who can say whether the specimens from two hundred years ago are still to be found down there?"
"And what if they are?" Rika asked.
Geeta set a finger upon her brow. "Now that the time machine has been shut down," she observed, "there's little chance that the quantity of Paradox Pokémon will be sufficient for them to break out into Paldea en masse. The primary threat comes from Koraidon and Miraidon. If the specimens that Heath encountered are, indeed, still down there, and they are choosing to hide... that must mean they are satisfied with the life they can live in the Great Crater."
Her hair started waving.
"We should do nothing that might change that."
Draco: Pokémon names are both singular and plural; the plural of "Pikachu" is "Pikachu". But I feel like Paradox Pokémon are the exception to the rule, because their names aren't names, really, so much as descriptors.