Pokémon The Cool Breeze Upon the Mist [TR Fifth Anniversary Drabble Bingo]

[Arukona]

The Cool Breeze Upon the Mist​

A masterful feat of regeneration was occurring in the central plains of the Mist Continent. On the ridges where the small outpost of Post Town lay - a small enough town but a vital stopping point for travellers heading into the frigid northern reaches - a new settlement had cropped up seemingly overnight that its founder, Haxorus Cadmus, had called 'Paradise'. Many would have laughed at the very thought of purchasing such a stagnant, infertile piece of land with the intent to turn it into a rich haven that would attract people from afar.

But those same people weren't laughing when suddenly Cadmus and his partner, a mysterious Oshawott by the name of Noah, felled the Bittercold, an enigmatic malice made sentient that threatened to sunder the Mist. Now they were heroes, and people therefore flocked to his new settlement to see him. In many cases, the Haxorus, in his coy but eager manner, convinced them to stay and help him build Paradise into the desired haven he envisioned.

Within two years, Paradise's growth was sprawling to the point that Post Town looked to become engulfed within its sphere. The town's officials and Cadmus therefore signed a merger that allowed the two settlements to become one. Victory after victory was being scored by the Haxorus, and it was an agreement everyone seemed to be content with. Few of Paradise and Post Town's citizens could complain about being under the aegis of heroes, after all.

There were also the first citizens of Paradise, namely Cadmus and Noah's allies that had helped them in their quest to defeat the Bittercold. All had chosen to stay at their side, and two years on from that monumental victory, they had made new lives in the nascent settlement.

What goes on the lives of these people today? Let's find out…

---

Hydreigon​

"Say, uh…I'm surprised you're still hanging around us."

"That, I am. …Is there an issue with that?"

"Oh no, not at all! It's just…I thought a Voice of Life would have better things to do than hang around me and my little vanity project."

"My duty is as an arbiter to summon humans to this world in its hour of need. But until that time comes again, I am free to do as I wish. And I must say that I have enjoyed my time in Paradise, watching this settlement flourish and become the bustling town it is today. I will certainly be staying here for a while longer, if Fate permits me."

"Well, hey - you're all too welcome, Valakai. We're happy to have you."

Hydreigon Valakai felt the morning breeze blowing gently across his fur and scales, as he sat on the roof in his house in Paradise, newly-built just for him. It was one of those days where he was glad to have a physical body again, just so he could feel the sensations of the life of the world around him. It was harder to do that as a collection of motes, like Kyurem had disintegrated him into back in Scorched Desert.

To think it has already been two years since that happened…

Years were fleeting to the Voice of Life, an eternal arbiter of the world, but not to the young souls of Noah and Cadmus, and it was pleasing to see them grow from the plucky young heroes they were to experienced veterans. Two years' worth of training and going on rescue expeditions had seen them both evolve to their final stages, and now they looked like proper heroes as opposed to young first-stage kids, like some visitors with dampened expectations had passed them off as at first.

Valakai chuckled, thinking about this. Young ones are so impatient to evolve these days. I do not remember such agitation from the Grass and Air Heroes regarding their own evolutions. Did they accept them as they came?

It was a while ago. Not too long ago - only a decade or two - but enough that Valakai couldn't quite put his maw on their own desires to evolve.

Memories seem to be eluding me. With all that's happened here, perhaps it might be worth repaying those humans a visit. Oh yes, and while I'm at it…perhaps I should see how the Hero of Water is doing. I do recall the sudden urge to visit a while back.

He narrowed his gaze, frowning at that thought. I hope that's not a sign the world's about to go through another calamity soon…Concerning. I shall have to arrange time off from my duties if this proves to be urgent.

That wouldn't be for another while, though. In the meantime, Valakai lay back and enjoyed the breeze some more, humming contentedly as he felt it blow gently across him.

He would've laid there all day, if the peace and serenity wasn't interrupted by a loud rumbling that was all too familiar to the Hydreigon.

Valakai looked down and immediately located the source of the noise.

It was his belly, voicing its displeasure at its emptiness.

Well, no matter. He could always go inside and get some foo…

Ah.

There would be food in his pantry…if he didn't have that midnight snack last night. Well, snack - it was really more of another whole course meal that would've unnerved the likes of Belka. By the Voice of Life's standards, however, it was a snack.

Valakai sighed. Looks like it'll be breakfast at Signora Ginerva's again. He got up from where he was resting, flapped his thin wings, and headed in the direction of Post Town.

---

Since Paradise's founding, new eateries had begun to pop up in Paradise itself. But Swanna House still remained a popular eating spot for travellers and residents of Post Town itself, and one of their most loyal customers was Valakai. The Voice of Life still found the food at Swanna House to be his all-time favourite, and the first time he'd eaten there, the meal had been sublime - so much so he ordered more food, enough that he forgot to keep track of it all and ended up with a bill that went through the roof - much to Belka's horror, who he'd accidentally left the bill with.

That was certainly a first impression to make, looking back. It had taken a lot of smoothing out over the two years since that incident, but even today, Belka still occasionally reminded the Hydreigon of it.

"Keep eating as much as you do and you're not gonna be able to fly anymore." A more recent snark from the Emolga still rang in his head.

As he entered Post Town, Valakai glanced down at his stomach. Sometimes when he thought about his portions, he did occasionally wonder…was he getting too chubby?

No, he told himself. You are fine. The amount you eat is natural for Hydreigon. The three headed dragons were known for their colossal appetites, and behind their sheer power came a need to fuel it appropriately. Valakai was no different. At least he used that power for good, like blasting apart rock faces in Paradise to clear land, back in its early days as an overgrown badland.

Valakai shook away those negative thoughts as he entered Swanna House. It was somewhat busy today, although thankfully not crammed to the brim like it was on some days. The savoury smells of Signora Ginerva's delicious cooking filled the air, and the Hydreigon began to salivate as he headed for the counter.

"Back again, are we?" A mirthful smile crossed Swanna Ginerva's beak. "Good to see you, Valakai. Although the cooks in the back won't be," she chuckled.

"I-I imagine not," the Hydreigon replied sheepishly, fluffing out his fur.

"I suppose I'll get you your usual, then." Ginerva then gestured above her. "Upstairs is fairly quiet. There's bound to be a free table you can have all for yourself."

"Many thanks, Signora," Valakai trilled, bowing his head in thanks, before heading upstairs as instructed.

Before long, the Swanna House Special - a dish of chopped berries, potatoes and vegetables, with gravy smothering the berries and potatoes and herbs on top - was brought up to Valakai. Though per his 'usual' request…four servings of it were brought up to him.

"Ah! Thank you so much!" The Hydreigon's eyes shone as Ginerva brought the food up to him.

"No problem! Enjoy." The Swanna graciously curtseyed, before heading back downstairs.

No sooner had she gone than Valakai immediately dug into the food, gobbling portion after portion with the hunger of a Hydreigon. His two smaller heads aided him in this task, eating in unison with the main head and working their way through the generous meal. Not long after, the first serving of the special had been completely wolfed down, and Valakai wasted no time moving onto the second.

Onlookers watched in wonder as he ate, some whispering in amazement that he could eat all that. The ravenous Valakai tuned out everything else as he focused on his food and eating it all up. It was a rare day that the Voice of Life didn't eat everything on his plate, and on nights where the Crossblades dined together, he was always happy to eat the leftovers of others. He wasn't a fussy eater either - be it sweets, vegetables, carbs, or berries, he ate them all.

Before even ten minutes had passed, all four plates were licked clean, and Valakai was patting his belly in satisfaction.

"Mm mm! Delicious," he remarked, before letting out a loud belch. "Pardon me," he apologised to an Indeedee couple on the nearest table to him.

Just as he was licking his lips to get any residue and leftover morsels on his maws, Ginerva came up to gather up plates.

"Done already? My, you eat fast," Ginerva commented, brushing her wings.

"It was too good to resist," Valakai said, deciding instead to take a napkin and wipe his lips with it.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Seeing you eat my food with such gusto is…oddly comforting. Even if your table manners could use some work," the Swanna giggled, putting her wing to her beak.

"Ah…Thank you." Valakai smiled at the praise.

"Plus, you eating as much as you do means I'm getting my fair share of money from this. Four House Specials isn't exactly what one would call 'cheap', you know." Ginerva's grin turned somewhat coy, while Valakai's smile dropped instantly once he was reminded of the dreaded bill.

"I'll see you downstairs, Valakai~" In a teasingly sweet manner, Ginerva took his finished plates and flew off towards her kitchen.

Valakai looked down at the empty table, gulping as he considered his monetary situation.

Looks like I'll have to ask Cadmus for a loan again…

 

[Arukona]

Gurdurr​

Gurdurr Rigiel had been feeling more motivated lately.

Over the past while, he began feeling odd aches in his arms and legs that seemed to come and go. He initially thought nothing of it, but after a few days of this strange feeling, he began to realise this was a familiar feeling to him. He'd felt this exact same way back when he was a young adolescent Timburr, ready to evolve.

The trepidation of being near evolution again had him eager to trigger it, and so he'd been putting his all into construction work lately. This suited Cadmus well, who had many building projects in mind and needed someone to facilitate them and fuel his ambitions in expanding Paradise. The Haxorus was also a generous employer, and Rigiel soon found himself raking in cash by the bagful.

Maybe I oughta take a holiday once I evolve, he thought to himself one day, while on the job building a bridge over a gully in one of the less developed parts of Paradise. That'd make a nice reward for the hard work I've been doing lately. Until then…gotta keep up the good work.

He looked at the bridge he'd been building; it was mostly wooden with rocks in mesh at the base of the bridge to keep the supports protected. The wood had been painted a bright red with star designs painted along the posts – a little too gaudy, Rigiel had to admit, but it was a concession given to Cadmus when the Gurdurr already had enough on his plate keeping the dragon's ambitious ideas down to a more realistic level.

The bridge was coming along nicely so far, but there was still much more to do before it would be finished.

"Saw some more planks, will ya, Viga?" Rigiel asked one of his Timburr apprentices.

"Yes, boss!" The Timburr saluted, before taking out his saw and beginning to cut the plank down to size. As he did that, Rigiel leaned over and picked up one of the smaller planks of wood, before moving it to the bridge. It would be another plank across the main body of the bridge itself, roughly about halfway across.

Rigiel leaned over and got ready to nail it into place, before he heard a commotion behind him. He turned around to see what it was, before a tall, yellow figure suddenly slammed into him.

"Agh!" Rigiel cried, as the force of the other Pokémon knocked him from the temporary bridge and into the gully, where he landed on his side against a rocky surface. "Ow, ow, ow…!"

He winced at the fall. Thankfully the gully was shallow, and the damage didn't appear to be anything more than a scrape that would bruise and fade with time. Still, that could've ended a lot worse, especially given the previous state of his back, and how progress on that end could reverse at any moment…

Rigiel then looked up at who had knocked into him. An Ampharos wearing a badge stared back at him, an apologetic look across his face.

"Oh dear, I didn't see you there!" They sounded like they were in their thirties; not middle-aged, but not in his absolute prime like Cadmus and Noah were. "My apologies for that." They reached out to lift Rigiel out of the gully.

"Urgh…How'd you even get down here?" grumbled Rigiel, taking his hand as he was brought back up to the half-finished bridge. This Ampharos was stronger than he would've expected, and the badge was eye-catching. Were they a part of an organisation of some kind? He had some feeling this wasn't just any old Ampharos.

"We'd like to know that too," another voice said, and looking behind the Ampharos's tall figure, Rigiel saw the familiar duo of Cadmus and Noah on the scene. The latter's frown told of his displeasure, while Cadmus's expression was more…curious?

"This part of Paradise is off limits to the general public. It's still under construction," Noah said sternly, his moustache twitching in annoyance. "We have signs to clearly let people know of this."

"They're pretty hard to miss," Cadmus added. "Even young kids know what 'DANGER, KEEP AWAY' means."

"Oh, I can certainly read," the Ampharos defended. "My literacy capabilities are second to none back home! But hmm…" He crossed his arms, racking his brains. "I don't recall seeing any such signs on my way here."

"Oi, what do you mean?" Rigiel objected. "I put those up myself a few days ago! I saw them this morning too when I came in for work." He turned to his Timburr apprentice. "You saw them too, didn't you, Viga?"

"Sure did, boss!" Viga acknowledged.

"You must have your head in the clouds if you missed warning signs like those," huffed Rigiel, folding his arms. "Good thing you didn't damage the bridge. That would've ruined my day altogether." He looked back at the bridge under construction, where luckily, the structure was still intact in spite of the Ampharos's clumsiness.

"Regardless for that…I do apologise." The Ampharos bowed his head in sorrow. "I will be more vigilant in future."

"Hmph. You better be."

"Now then…to figure the way out of here." Ampharos turned to Noah and Cadmus. "Could you gentlemon help me?"

"Uhh, sure," a mildly nonplussed Noah said. "Surprised you got lost in here, though. I thought our streets were straightforward enough? Do we need to review that at all, Cadmus?"

Cadmus didn't answer him, his focus on the Ampharos. For whatever reason, he was staring at the badge adorned on his chest.

"Cadmus?" Noah said.

"That emblem…" Cadmus gazed at the Ampharos's badge, eyes widening in recognition. "I've seen it before. Isn't that the Expedition Society's logo?"

"The Expedition Society?" Noah puzzled, his head cocked. "I've never heard of it."

"You haven't heard of it? Oh my…" The Ampharos looked to the side in mild despair. "Are we really losing our renown in these parts? Perhaps we need a renewed advertising campaign. Oh, but that'll mean more funds will need to be diverted there, and less money to be spending funding our expeditionary work and wages for our apprentices-"

"Yeah, whatever," Rigiel butted in. "You still haven't told us your name, buster."

"Ah, forgive my manners." In an instant, the despair evaporated from the Ampharos's eyes. Suddenly he looked more dashing and gallant as he straightened up, moved his body and struck a dramatic pose with his right hand in the air.

"I am Taranis, the Dashing Wanderer! Leader of the Expedition Society in Lively Town on the Water Continent! Where mystery lies, I will uncover it! There is nothing I will not do to chart the uncharted and know the unknown!"

At the mention of his name, Cadmus suddenly let out a shout of realisation.

"I knew it!" he declared. "I knew I recognised you from somewhere! Y-You're the Dashing Wanderer?!"

"That I am." Taranis took a bow of grace and poise.

"Never heard of him in my life," Rigiel huffed, as he adjusted the plank of wood he was carrying.

"How do you not know who this guy is?!" Cadmus yelled, taken aback. "He's, like, one of the most iconic people ever!"

"I haven't heard of him either, love," Noah admitted, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Hey, you at least have an excuse, Noah!" Cadmus threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I live with a bunch of squares! Squares, I tell you!"

Rigiel rolled his eyes at the dramatic display. The Haxorus could certainly be a character when discussing his passions, and he'd gotten well used to seeing that passion on display when negotiating building work with him. Often it'd be Cadmus being overambitious with a design, Rigiel telling him to scale it back, Cadmus rejecting any compromises until persuaded by Noah, and the three of them being able to move forward with a building design a bit more sensible.

(Some of Cadmus's more ludicrous ideas included tall houses made up of letters spelling PARADISE, a pub in a carved out cave, and a minecart ride that weaved through the undeveloped land. Often Rigiel knew when a plan wasn't going to get past the drawing board, and Cadmus's ambition sometimes overrode common sense, especially in Paradise's earlier days.)

"Oh!" Taranis suddenly uttered, as if remembering something. "Now I remember. I was looking for an inn in these parts before I got lost." He turned to Cadmus and Noah. "You wouldn't happen to know of a place in here where I could stay the night, would you?"

"Sure I do!" Cadmus said, that familiar eagerness to help out coming over him. "You can stay at mine and Noah's house! We just had it upgraded and gave it a few more rooms, thanks to our resident builder Rigiel here!"

He pointed a claw at Rigiel. "Without him, Paradise wouldn't be anywhere near the mega success that it is today."

"Puttin' me on the spot, are ya?" Rigiel murmured, though a little part of him was glad for the attention.

"Hm. Is that so?" Taranis studied the Gurdurr closely, a mildly impressed smile coming across his face. "The hard work of the builders to maintain our facilities is certainly one that should not go unmentioned. I have similar praise for Epithymios back home. Without his maintenance of our Pokémon Nexus, the Society could simply not function."

"Damn, you really are buttering me up here," Rigiel snarked, with a light chuckle.

"Go on, you love the praise," Cadmus teased. "Just accept it."

"F-Fine." Rigiel looked away, before his gaze caught the unfinished bridge, and he found the perfect distraction. "Oh yeah! Gotta get back to building this bridge. Can't stand around here dawdling, otherwise Paradise'll never be finished."

"Perhaps I should head too," Taranis said. "Now then…Cadmus, was it? Haxorus Cadmus, feller of the Bittercold? I had heard you were the leader of this place."

"Hey, it wasn't me who defeated the Bittercold, it was Noah!" Cadmus corrected. "But how about we tell you all about that back at our place?"

"Sounds good! It would be great to hear over some tea and biscuits."

"You're in luck, then!" An excited look came over Noah's face as the three began to walk away. "I just made a batch of homemade chocolate biscuits this morning that were absolutely delicious! Just like Ma used to make…"

His words faded out, as Rigiel watched them go.

Good employers, those two. If not for them, I'd still be running that fraud business. He cringed, thinking back to darker days, when Paradise was still a thought in Cadmus's head. Still can't believe I even…

He shook his head, batting away those bad memories.

Gotta keep moving forward. No use dwelling on the past – that'll just bring up bad feelings again. And those aren't good for anyone.

He looked back at the unfinished bridge, picking up some nails and a hammer to nail the next board down across the structure.

Life's been on the up for me lately. Let's keep it that way.

 

[Arukona]

Pelipper​

Larum didn't normally take trips to the Mist Continent. A native of the Grass Continent, from Capim Town, he found the frigid temperatures of the Mist Continent hard to handle. If it weren't for one of his colleagues being sick with the flu, he wouldn't be in this part of the world.

But this was an important letter from Wigglytuff's Guild, to be delivered to an address in the vicinity of Post Town. The sender was one of high prestige within the Guild, and if the Pelipper was found to be leaving their letters on hold, that wouldn't be good for anyone.

At least that was what the higher-ups in the Pelipper Post insisted. And as one of the rank-and-file of the organisation, Larum didn't really have a say in matters. He was uneasy about going too far from the Grass Continent, although the knowledge that he'd be paid a fair bit more than usual for this work, given that he was travelling all the way to somewhere called Pokémon Paradise, was one of the reasons he'd plumped for it. It was a journey far longer than his normal paper route around Capim Town, that was for sure.

Though Larum had his reservations, he didn't complain, making his way across the ocean to Noe Town and northwards towards Post Town. Apparently, there'd been a new settlement that had sprung up seemingly overnight next to it, called Pokémon Paradise. Over on the Grass Continent, it was spoken of in hushed, excited whispers about this place where one could stake a claim and forge their own destiny on the Mist, transforming barren land into a luscious, productive haven.

Sounds like a load of hot air to me, Larum thought, as he made his way towards where Paradise was supposedly located. From the air, he could make out the big tree that marked Post Town's location. And to the right of that…lay the location in question, in what looked to be a surprisingly bustling town on a set of badlands.

Larum began their descent, and within a few minutes, they were flapping their wings as they landed in front of an office-like building.

"Why, hello there!" a cheery Azumarill greeted from behind the desk. "Mail, is it? Hm, you're not our usual mailmon."

"I'm from the Grass," explained Larum. "I've a letter addressed to…What was his name again?" He checked the envelope and the name scribbled on it. "Samurott Noah."

"A letter from the Grass to Noah?" The Azumarill tilted her head in confusion. "But Noah hasn't left the Mist at all. What business would someone from the Grass have with him?"

"Not my business." Larum shrugged. "I'm just the deliverymon."

"Fair enough." The Azumarill went from behind her desk to take the letter from Larum. "I'll take this to him. Thank you very much for coming."

"No problem," Larum said, as he preened his wings. "Say, do you know of somewhere where I can stay the night? I won't be able to make it back to Capim Town before nightfall, and I'm pretty tired after a flight of that length."

"We have some inns here in Paradise!" the Azumarill said. "Come, I'll show you to one of them."

"Thanks, er…"

"You can call me Ratona!" came the upbeat reply, as the Azumarill started down the path deeper into Paradise, hopping with a spring in her step. "Paradise's Mission Manager and Under-Secretary of the Crossblades!"

"The Crossblades, huh?" Larum said, as he fluttered after Ratona. Ain't that a fearless name…Reminds me a bit of Team Auraflare back home. He kept that name in his mind as he followed the Azumarill to where the nearest inn was located.

Why is it that teams with humans on them always have the most interesting names? That is…if this Samurott Noah fellow really is a human like the rumours say.

---

"A letter?"

Noah looked at the letter that Ratona had handed to him before returning to guiding a Pelipper mailmon around Paradise.

The handwriting on the address looked strangely messy, as though the writer wasn't used to writing. It reminded him of his own attempts to write back when he was bipedal, trying to get to grips with having paws instead of hands. Though he'd gotten past that difficulty, his handwriting was nowhere near as neat as some other folks.

In fact, the manner in which the handwriting was messy…thinking about his own experiences, the Samurott had a mad thought occur to him. Could it be…?

Curiosity got the better of him and he began reading it.

Dear Samurott Noah of Paradise,

I do not believe I have met you in person, yet I wish to correspond with you on a matter I imagine you would want to be kept close to your heart. Alas, the rumour mill has its way, and when people over here on the Grass Continent speak of the recent calamity involving the Bittercold, one thing comes up time and again: that a human was the one to stop that menace in its tracks.

Noah froze, upon hearing mention of the word 'human'.

Therefore, by putting two and two together, I would presume you are a human. A human just like me.

'Just like me'? Another human? Noah let out a silent gasp. Are they a leftover from when Valakai summoned humans here? Yet this is from the Grass…Did a human make their way over there?

With his curiosity running overtime, the Samurott kept reading.

If we have that common thread, then we should keep in contact with each other. Someday I would like to meet the hero who felled the Bittercold. As a hero who stopped a calamity in my younger days, we also have that much in common.

Wait, a hero? Noah blinked at seeing this next part. Who stopped a calamity? Th-This is from one of the other heroes?!

Alas, I am too busy right now with explorer work at Wigglytuff's Guild to meet you in person. But that is a goal to aspire to. Until then, may we keep in contact? I would like to hear of your tales and exploits through letters like this, and I in turn will tell my own tales to you in my replies.

I wish you well.

Regards,
Lucario Robin of Team Auraflare.

Noah's breath hitched in surprise when he read that name at the end. The name Lucario Robin had been a name he'd heard in passing a good few times, as a revered hero that saved the world in its darkest hour, in a time back when he was still on Earth as a human. Cadmus idolised them, and often cited them as one of the reasons why humans were so amazing and cool – praise Noah often shrugged off. He wasn't really fond of attention.

I wonder, though… A thought occurred to Noah. Maybe they're the same way. Maybe they don't like being idolised either. We could have that much in common. And if we talk more…we might find out more about each other.

He considered the offer being given to him on the letter.

I'll definitely reply to that later. But I gotta tell Cadmus first. He's not gonna believe this. Noah chuckled, imagining the aghast reaction of his partner telling him he'd just had contact with one of the most famous Pokémon walking the planet right now.

He even knew where the Haxorus happened to be right now. The Samurott left the kitchen, walked down the hallway to their bedroom, and opened the door, where a snoozing Cadmus lay, clutching a Zekrom plush.

"Love?" Noah said, as his partner's eyes fluttered open. "You may want to hear this…"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, took a while, but I told you that I’d be back for another review. I’d had my eye on your Gates shortfic/drabble series for a while since I remembered your oneshot about Rampardos being particularly endearing and figured that as one author of a GtI story to another, that it was worth stopping by to get to see some of those background characters from that one-shot in a bit more detail.

No idea what this is going to be like, but there’s only one way to find out:

Intro + Hydreigon

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

A masterful feat of regeneration was occurring in the central plains of the Mist Continent. On the ridges where the small outpost of Post Town lay - a small enough town but a vital stopping point for travellers heading into the frigid northern reaches - a new settlement had cropped up seemingly overnight that its founder, Haxorus Cadmus, had called 'Paradise'.

Many would have laughed at the very thought of purchasing such a stagnant, infertile piece of land with the intent to turn it into a rich haven that would attract people from afar. But those same people weren't laughing when suddenly Cadmus and his partner, a mysterious Oshawott by the name of Noah, felled the Bittercold, an enigmatic malice made sentient that threatened to sunder the Mist Continent.

Now, they were heroes, and people therefore flocked to his new settlement to see him. In many cases, the Haxorus, in his coy but eager manner, convinced them to stay and help him build Paradise into the desired haven he envisioned.

IMO, your opening crawl is a little wonky in terms of paragraph flow. Here’s a suggestion of something that might sound a bit smoother plus a couple of wording nitpicks that I felt made things flow a bit better.

Also, I still can’t help but snerk a bit internally at your rendition of GtI also having a swordsman named ‘Noah’ that saves a world.

Within two years, Paradise's growth was sprawling to the point that Post Town looked like it would inevitably to become engulfed within its sphere by it. The town's officials and Cadmus therefore signed a merger that allowed the two settlements to become one. Victory after victory was being scored by the Haxorus, and it was an agreement everyone seemed to be content with. Few of Paradise and Post Town's citizens could complain about being under the aegis of heroes, after all.

Oh, so that’s when Between a Rock and a Heart’s Place happens relative to the events of GtI. Those kids sure grew up fast there.

There were also the first citizens of Paradise, namely Cadmus and Noah's allies that had helped them in their quest to defeat the Bittercold. All had chosen to stay at their side, and two years on from that monumental victory, they had made new lives in the nascent settlement.

Scraggy: “Excuse me? I didn’t exactly choose to get dragged out here by that psycho Quagsire!” >_>;

What goes on the lives of these people today? Let's find out…

And looks like our first subject of this piece is going to be Hydreigon. Wonder if he’ll actually be doing any work trying to keep tabs on Dark Matter’s eventual arrival, or if he’ll be too busy stuffing his face at the Swanna House.

"Say, uh…I'm surprised you're still hanging around us."

"That, I am. …Is there an issue with that?"

"Oh no, not at all! It's just…I thought a Voice of Life would have better things to do than hang around me and my little vanity project."

I take it that this must be some sort of past recollection given the formatting and the lack of portrayed events happening in between dialogue. Not fully sure how I feel about it just yet, but duly noted.

"My duty is as an arbiter to summon humans to this world in its hour of need. But until that time comes again, I am free to do as I wish. And I must say that I have enjoyed my time in Paradise, watching this settlement flourish and become the bustling town it is today. I will certainly be staying here for a while longer, if Fate permits me."

Well, except for Super where he got lazy and just grabbed one he summoned thousands of years ago a second time.

"Well, hey - you're all too welcome, Valakai. We're happy to have you."

Not sure where that name comes from, but I’m willing to wager that this is probably some sly way of saying something like ‘voice’ or ‘shout’ in a foreign language.

Hydreigon Valakai felt the morning breeze blowing gently across his fur and scales, as he sat on the roof in his house in Paradise, newly-built just for him. It was one of those days where he was glad to have a physical body again, just so he could feel the sensations of the life of the world around him. It was harder to do that as a collection of motes, like Kyurem had disintegrated him into back in Scorched Desert.

Huh, I’ll have to fire up that one cutscene from Gates again to check for deets. I didn’t quite remember that happening canonically, but eh. It was a 240p screen and it honestly feels like a decently fitting added detail even if it was added wholecloth.

To think it has already been two years since that happened…

I take it that Cadmus did all the sidequests in those two years given how much Paradise has mushroomed in the intervening period.

Years were fleeting to the Voice of Life, an eternal arbiter of the world, but not to the young souls of Noah and Cadmus, and it was pleasing to see them grow from the plucky young heroes they were to experienced veterans. Two years' worth of training and going on rescue expeditions had seen them both evolve to their final stages, and now they looked like proper heroes as opposed to young first-stage kids, like some visitors with dampened expectations had passed them off as at first.

inb4 they still get treated like kids due to age, since you just know that “oh yeah, I’ve only been doing this for two years” would be bound to raise some eyebrows in certain circles.

Valakai chuckled, thinking about this. Young ones are so impatient to evolve these days. I do not remember such agitation from the Grass and Air Heroes regarding their own evolutions. Did they accept them as they came?

Ah, I see that you basically binned the “can only evolve in specific spots of the world” part of the games. Unless if that’s meant to be implicit in Valakai’s line there.

It was a while ago. Not too long ago - only a decade or two - but enough that Valakai couldn't quite put his maw on their own desires to evolve.

Ah yes, handy for not having to commit to species or morphs. /s

Memories seem to be eluding me. With all that's happened here, perhaps it might be worth repaying those humans a visit. Oh yes, and while I'm at it…perhaps I should see how the Hero of Water is doing. I do recall the sudden urge to visit a while back.

Oh, so this is a post-Super story. Boy have those been a busy two years there in that case. ^^;

He narrowed his gaze, frowning at that thought. I hope that's not a sign the world's about to go through another calamity soon…Concerning. I shall have to arrange time off from my duties if this proves to be urgent.

Scratch that, make that ‘concurrent to Super’. Though yeah, I smell a flight out to Serene Village in your future, buddy.

That wouldn't be for another while, though. In the meantime, Valakai lay back and enjoyed the breeze some more, humming contentedly as he felt it blow gently across him.

He would've laid there all day, if the peace and serenity wasn't interrupted by a loud rumbling that was all too familiar to the Hydreigon.

Valakai looked down and immediately located the source of the noise.

It was his belly, voicing its displeasure at its emptiness.

Valakai: “... Right. I should probably play around with other guises that don’t leave me perpetually hungry sometime.”

Well, no matter. He could always go inside and get some foo…

Ah.

There would be food in his pantry…if he didn't have that midnight snack last night. Well, snack - it was really more of another whole course meal that would've unnerved the likes of Belka. By the Voice of Life's standards, however, it was a snack.

That actually makes me wonder if it’s possible for a Hydreigon to eat enough to the point of becoming flightless, since we know that that works on Pidgey in the anime…

Valakai sighed. Looks like it'll be breakfast at Signora Ginerva's again. He got up from where he was resting, flapped his thin wings, and headed in the direction of Post Town.

Oh, so Valakai is just wasting time pigging out at the Swanna House. >:V

Since Paradise's founding, new eateries had begun to pop up in Paradise itself. But Swanna House still remained a popular eating spot for travellers and residents of Post Town itself, and one of their most loyal customers was Valakai. The Voice of Life still found the food at Swanna House to be his all-time favourite, and the first time he'd eaten there, the meal had been sublime - so much so he ordered more food, enough that he forgot to keep track of it all and ended up with a bill that went through the roof - much to Belka's horror, who he'd accidentally left the bill with.

He’s more or less singlehandedly keeping Ginerva in business right now, isn’t he? ^^;

That was certainly a first impression to make, looking back. It had taken a lot of smoothing out over the two years since that incident, but even today, Belka still occasionally reminded the Hydreigon of it.

"Keep eating as much as you do and you're not gonna be able to fly anymore." A more recent snark from the Emolga still rang in his head.

Oh, so Pudgy Hydreigon is something that can indeed happen.

As he entered Post Town, Valakai glanced down at his stomach. Sometimes when he thought about his portions, he did occasionally wonder…was he getting too chubby?

I mean, if you can see perceptible weight gain as a Hydreigon...

No, he told himself. You are fine. The amount you eat is natural for Hydreigon. The three headed dragons were known for their colossal appetites, and behind their sheer power came a need to fuel it appropriately. Valakai was no different. At least he used that power for good, like blasting apart rock faces in Paradise to clear land, back in its early days as an overgrown badland.

Huh, wouldn’t have pegged the Voice of Life stopping by to help expand Paradise, but I suppose it does make sense given that he apparently just chills there in the postgame.

Valakai shook away those negative thoughts as he entered Swanna House. It was somewhat busy today, although thankfully not crammed to the brim like it was on some days. The savoury smells of Signora Ginerva's delicious cooking filled the air, and the Hydreigon began to salivate as he headed for the counter.

So… pasta or pizza there? /s

"Back again, are we?" A mirthful smile crossed Swanna Ginerva's beak. "Good to see you, Valakai. Although the cooks in the back won't be," she chuckled.

"I-I imagine not," the Hydreigon replied sheepishly, fluffing out his fur.

"I suppose I'll get you your usual, then." Ginerva then gestured above her. "Upstairs is fairly quiet. There's bound to be a free table you can have all for yourself."

What on earth is Valakai’s ‘usual’ at the Swanna House anyways?

"Many thanks, Signora," Valakai trilled, bowing his head in thanks, before heading upstairs as instructed.

Before long, the Swanna House Special - a dish of chopped berries, potatoes and vegetables, with gravy smothering the berries and potatoes and herbs on top - was brought up to Valakai. Though per his 'usual' request…four servings of it were brought up to him.

Oh, so he’s basically ordering Giambotta with some extra fruit thrown in. So you did lean on Swanna’s ‘Italian’-ness from the English localization.

Ginerva: “I have always wondered why you always insisted on four servings when you have three heads.”

Valakai: “One for takeout!” ^.^ ^.^ ^.^

"Ah! Thank you so much!" The Hydreigon's eyes shone as Ginerva brought the food up to him.

"No problem! Enjoy." The Swanna graciously curtseyed, before heading back downstairs.

No sooner had she gone than Valakai immediately dug into the food, gobbling portion after portion with the hunger of a Hydreigon. His two smaller heads aided him in this task, eating in unison with the main head and working their way through the generous meal. Not long after, the first serving of the special had been completely wolfed down, and Valakai wasted no time moving onto the second.

I’m honestly a little surprised that he’s not just eating three portions simultaneously, but I suppose this is how the stock animation for Hydreigon eating since Gen 6 has worked.

Onlookers watched in wonder as he ate, some whispering in amazement that he could eat all that. The ravenous Valakai tuned out everything else as he focused on his food and eating it all up. It was a rare day that the Voice of Life didn't eat everything on his plate, and on nights where the Crossblades dined together, he was always happy to eat the leftovers of others. He wasn't a fussy eater either - be it sweets, vegetables, carbs, or berries, he ate them all.

I smell Muskedeers there. Though I wonder if Valakai has gotten wise to showing up in dead hours to try and get a deal on food that would otherwise be thrown out.

Before even ten minutes had passed, all four plates were licked clean, and Valakai was patting his belly in satisfaction.

"Mm mm! Delicious," he remarked, before letting out a loud belch. "Pardon me," he apologised to an Indeedee couple at the nearest table to him.

Indeedee:

Just as he was licking his lips to get any residue and leftover morsels on his maws, Ginerva came up to gather up plates.

"Done already? My, you eat fast," Ginerva commented, brushing her wings.

"It was too good to resist," Valakai said, deciding instead to take a napkin and wipe his lips with it.

I can kinda relate to this since I’m a bit of a fast eater myself. Even if I’m not quite as much of a black hole as Valakai is.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Seeing you eat my food with such gusto is…oddly comforting. Even if your table manners could use some work," the Swanna giggled, putting her wing to her beak.

"Ah…Thank you." Valakai smiled at the praise.

Oh, so that’s why Ginerva kicks him upstairs, huh? >:V

"Plus, you eating as much as you do means I'm getting my fair share of money from this. Four House Specials isn't exactly what one would call 'cheap', you know." Ginerva's grin turned somewhat coy, while Valakai's smile dropped instantly once he was reminded of the dreaded bill.

"I'll see you downstairs, Valakai~" In a teasingly sweet manner, Ginerva took his finished plates and flew off towards her kitchen.

Valakai:

Valakai looked down at the empty table, gulping as he considered his monetary situation.

Looks like I'll have to ask Cadmus for a loan again…

Nah, I think that’s a sign that you need to do more missions with the rest of the gang back in Paradise. Even if I suppose the Voice of Life eating himself into an epic tab at the Swanna House would explain a thing or two about him being around Paradise so often.

Gurdurr

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

Oh boy, him. Though on the plus side, he’ll probably be in a much better mood than how he starts out in Gates?

Gurdurr Rigiel had been feeling more motivated lately.

Over the past while, he began feeling odd aches in his arms and legs that seemed to come and go. He initially thought nothing of it, but after a few days of this strange feeling, he began to realise this was a familiar feeling to him. He'd felt this exact same way back when he was a young adolescent Timburr, ready to evolve.

Oh, so Gurdurr’s about to become a Conkeldurr, huh?

The trepidation of being near evolution again had him eager to trigger it, and so he'd been putting his all into construction work lately. This suited Cadmus well, who had many building projects in mind and needed someone to facilitate them and fuel his ambitions in expanding Paradise. The Haxorus was also a generous employer, and Rigiel soon found himself raking in cash by the bagful.

I mean, it helps that the partner strikes me as the type to heap a lot of praise onto Gurdurr’s handiwork. Which considering his backstory… yeah, I can see that going a long ways to winning his loyalty.

Maybe I oughta take a holiday once I evolve, he thought to himself one day, while on the job building a bridge over a gully in one of the less developed parts of Paradise. That'd make a nice reward for the hard work I've been doing lately. Until then…gotta keep up the good work.

I’d say “what keeps you from doing it now?” but I suppose that Paradise mushrooming for the last two years would certainly keep Gurdurr backed up with projects even past the canonical facilities you can throw at Paradise.

Though that makes me wonder if in this continuity if some combination of Cofagrigus / Cinccino / Rampardos wound up moving their shops like they do in Companion Mode.

He looked at the bridge he'd been building; it was mostly wooden with rocks in mesh at the base of the bridge to keep the supports protected. The wood had been painted a bright red with star designs painted along the posts – a little too gaudy, Rigiel had to admit, but it was a concession given to Cadmus when the Gurdurr already had enough on his plate keeping the dragon's ambitious ideas down to a more realistic level.

Also, you just know that Cadmus as a dragon likes his shiny and gaudy architecture.

The bridge was coming along nicely so far, but there was still much more to do before it would be finished.

"Saw some more planks, will ya, Viga?" Rigiel asked one of his Timburr apprentices.

"Yes, boss!" The Timburr saluted, before taking out his saw and beginning to cut the plank down to size. As he did that, Rigiel leaned over and picked up one of the smaller planks of wood, before moving it to the bridge. It would be another plank across the main body of the bridge itself, roughly about halfway across.

Oh, so the Timburr also have names as well. Or at least one of them does. I wonder what the other one is called.

Rigiel leaned over and got ready to nail it into place, before he heard a commotion behind him. He turned around to see what it was, before a tall, yellow figure suddenly slammed into him.

"Agh!" Rigiel cried, as the force of the other Pokémon knocked him from the temporary bridge and into the gully, where he landed on his side against a rocky surface. "Ow, ow, ow…!"

Can’t tell if Dunsparce or if Ampharos cameo.

He winced at the fall. Thankfully the gully was shallow, and the damage didn't appear to be anything more than a scrape that would bruise and fade with time. Still, that could've ended a lot worse, especially given the previous state of his back, and how progress on that end could reverse at any moment…

Rigiel then looked up at who had knocked into him. An Ampharos wearing a badge stared back at him, an apologetic look across his face.

O U, I had a feeling there. So did he also put in a failed bid for this place back in the day? /s

"Oh dear, I didn't see you there!" They sounded like they were in their thirties; not middle-aged, but not in his absolute prime like Cadmus and Noah were. "My apologies for that." They reached out to lift Rigiel out of the gully.

"Urgh…How'd you even get down here?" grumbled Rigiel, taking his hand as he was brought back up to the half-finished bridge. This Ampharos was stronger than he would've expected, and the badge was eye-catching. Were they a part of an organisation of some kind? He had some feeling this wasn't just any old Ampharos.

Even if you’re a long ways from the Water Continent right now, Ampharos.

"We'd like to know that too," another voice said, and looking behind the Ampharos's tall figure, Rigiel saw the familiar duo of Cadmus and Noah on the scene. The latter's frown told of his displeasure, while Cadmus's expression was more…curious?

"This part of Paradise is off limits to the general public. It's still under construction," Noah said sternly, his moustache twitching in annoyance. "We have signs to clearly let people know of this."

>implying that would stop a character as directionally-challenged as Ampharos

Though I take it it must still be fairly early on in Super’s plot given that the Dashing Wanderer doesn’t have much local notoriety.

"They're pretty hard to miss," Cadmus added. "Even young kids know what 'DANGER, KEEP AWAY' means."

"Oh, I can certainly read," the Ampharos defended. "My literacy capabilities are second to none back home! But hmm…" He crossed his arms, racking his brains. "I don't recall seeing any such signs on my way here."

Noah: “You’re sure you didn’t just overlook them? Since you seemed kinda spacey just going about there.”

"Oi, what do you mean?" Rigiel objected. "I put those up myself a few days ago! I saw them this morning too when I came in for work." He turned to his Timburr apprentice. "You saw them too, didn't you, Viga?"

"Sure did, boss!" Viga acknowledged.

[ ]

"You must have your head in the clouds if you missed warning signs like those," huffed Rigiel, folding his arms. "Good thing you didn't damage the bridge. That would've ruined my day altogether." He looked back at the bridge under construction, where luckily, the structure was still intact in spite of the Ampharos's clumsiness.

It might have made sense to get into Rigiel’s head a bit more to give a bit more of an internal commentary / judgement on Ampharos there, especially if it could be spun into something funny or snarky.

"Regardless for that…I do apologise." The Ampharos bowed his head in sorrow. "I will be more vigilant in future."

"Hmph. You better be."

[ ]

"Now then…to figure the way out of here." Ampharos turned to Noah and Cadmus. "Could you gentlemon help me?"

Um, yeah, that would probably be wise given how canonically terrible Ampharos’ sense of direction is. ^^;

"Uhh, sure," a mildly nonplussed Noah said. "Surprised you got lost in here, though. I thought our streets were straightforward enough? Do we need to review that at all, Cadmus?"

Cadmus didn't answer him, his focus on the Ampharos. For whatever reason, he was staring at the badge adorned on his chest.

"Cadmus?" Noah said.

Oh, nevermind, so the Expedition Society has been making waves lately. Since I can see Cadmus’ reaction there.

"That emblem…" Cadmus gazed at the Ampharos's badge, eyes widening in recognition. "I've seen it before. Isn't that the Expedition Society's logo?"

"The Expedition Society?" Noah puzzled, his head cocked. "I've never heard of it."

"You haven't heard of it? Oh my…" The Ampharos looked to the side in mild despair. "Are we really losing our renown in these parts? Perhaps we need a renewed advertising campaign. Oh, but that'll mean more funds will need to be diverted there, and less money to be spending funding our expeditionary work and wages for our apprentices-"

Wait, the Expedition Society has an advertising budget? ^^;

"Yeah, whatever," Rigiel butted in. "You still haven't told us your name, buster."

"Ah, forgive my manners." In an instant, the despair evaporated from the Ampharos's eyes. Suddenly he looked more dashing and gallant as he straightened up, moved his body and struck a dramatic pose with his right hand in the air.

"I am Taranis, the Dashing Wanderer! Leader of the Expedition Society in Lively Town on the Water Continent! Where mystery lies, I will uncover it! There is nothing I will not do to chart the uncharted and know the unknown!"

Well that name is certainly fitting for Ampharos there. Cute reference.

At the mention of his name, Cadmus suddenly let out a shout of realisation.

"I knew it!" he declared. "I knew I recognised you from somewhere! Y-You're the Dashing Wanderer?!"

Let’s just hope he’s better known in these parts for his expedition prowess than his ability to get lost and bump into everything. ^^;

"That I am." Taranis took a bow of grace and poise.

"Never heard of him in my life," Rigiel huffed, as he adjusted the plank of wood he was carrying.

"How do you not know who this guy is?!" Cadmus yelled, taken aback. "He's, like, one of the most iconic people ever!"

"I haven't heard of him either, love," Noah admitted, brow furrowed in confusion.

Ah yes, only being on the planet for two years minus however long it took Cadmus to do the postgame will do that to you.

"Hey, you at least have an excuse, Noah!" Cadmus threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I live with a bunch of squares! Squares, I tell you!"

I mean, you are basically in the boonies, Cadmus, since Post Town doesn’t exactly show on the world map in Super. ^^;

Rigiel rolled his eyes at the dramatic display. The Haxorus could certainly be a character when discussing his passions, and he'd gotten well used to seeing that passion on display when negotiating building work with him. Often it'd be Cadmus being overambitious with a design, Rigiel telling him to scale it back, Cadmus rejecting any compromises until persuaded by Noah, and the three of them being able to move forward with a building design a bit more sensible.

I mean… yeah, sounds pretty believable for the partner given that their brilliant idea was to buy a batch of badlands and then turn it into a paradise for Pokémon.

(Some of Cadmus's more ludicrous ideas included tall houses made up of letters spelling PARADISE, a pub in a carved out cave, and a minecart ride that weaved through the undeveloped land. Often Rigiel knew when a plan wasn't going to get past the drawing board, and Cadmus's ambition sometimes overrode common sense, especially in Paradise's earlier days.)

Snerk. Though yeah, that’s definitely quite a bit more labor-intensive than the facilities that the games will let you build.

"Oh!" Taranis suddenly uttered, as if remembering something. "Now I remember. I was looking for an inn in these parts before I got lost." He turned to Cadmus and Noah. "You wouldn't happen to know of a place in here where I could stay the night, would you?"

Cue him getting pointed to the Swanna House right as Valakai comes back from it.

"Sure I do!" Cadmus said, that familiar eagerness to help out coming over him. "You can stay at mine and Noah's house! We just had it upgraded and gave it a few more rooms, thanks to our resident builder Rigiel here!"

Probably a good thing that Swanna isn’t here to hear this since I can already tell she’d scream internally from losing a chance to rent out a room to someone whose presence would drum up business for however long he decided to stay.

He pointed a claw at Rigiel. "Without him, Paradise wouldn't be anywhere near the mega success that it is today."

"Puttin' me on the spot, are ya?" Rigiel murmured, though a little part of him was glad for the attention.

"Hm. Is that so?" Taranis studied the Gurdurr closely, a mildly impressed smile coming across his face. "The hard work of the builders to maintain our facilities is certainly one that should not go unmentioned. I have similar praise for Epithymios back home. Without his maintenance of our Pokémon Nexus, the Society could simply not function."

Oh, so that’s what you named Jirachi in your take on the canon setting. I take it that that’s a play off of epithymia there.

[ ]

"Damn, you really are buttering me up here," Rigiel snarked, with a light chuckle.

"Go on, you love the praise," Cadmus teased. "Just accept it."

"F-Fine." Rigiel looked away, before his gaze caught the unfinished bridge, and he found the perfect distraction. "Oh yeah! Gotta get back to building this bridge. Can't stand around here dawdling, otherwise Paradise'll never be finished."

It might’ve made sense to show off a bit more of Rigiel’s reaction somewhere in this block. The very beginning was my kneejerk moment that I’d have given it to.

"Perhaps I should head too," Taranis said. "Now then…Cadmus, was it? Haxorus Cadmus, feller of the Bittercold? I had heard you were the leader of this place."

[ ]


"Hey, it wasn't me who defeated the Bittercold, it was Noah!" Cadmus corrected. "But how about we tell you all about that back at our place?"

Oh, so these two have built up quite the reputation in the past year, huh?

"Sounds good! It would be great to hear over some tea and biscuits."

"You're in luck, then!" An excited look came over Noah's face as the three began to walk away. "I just made a batch of homemade chocolate biscuits this morning that were absolutely delicious! Just like Ma used to make…"

His words faded out, as Rigiel watched them go.

Oh, so Noah still has family back in the human world, huh? I wonder if he has a way of going back and forth through the Worldcore or if the trip back was one-way?

Good employers, those two. If not for them, I'd still be running that fraud business. He cringed, thinking back to darker days, when Paradise was still a thought in Cadmus's head. Still can't believe I even…

He shook his head, batting away those bad memories.

That actually makes me wonder if Scraggy is still hanging around Paradise, or if he’s moved onto greater things without Quagsire breathing down his neck after serving his presumed sentence.

Gotta keep moving forward. No use dwelling on the past – that'll just bring up bad feelings again. And those aren't good for anyone.

I mean, I’d think that the healthier response would be to remind yourself that you’re not the ‘mon you used to be back then, but that works too, RigIel.

He looked back at the unfinished bridge, picking up some nails and a hammer to nail the next board down across the structure.

Life's been on the up for me lately. Let's keep it that way.

Well, that’s certainly an uplifting note there. Definitely quite a contrast to the way we initially get introduced to Gurdurr in GtI canonically, but it feels like a well-earned outcome.

Pelipper

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

Larum didn't normally take trips to the Mist Continent. A native of the Grass Continent, from Capim Town, he found the frigid temperatures of the Mist Continent hard to handle. If it weren't for one of his colleagues being sick with the flu, he wouldn't be in this part of the world.

I presume that Larum is the titular Pelipper there. But I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.

But this was an important letter from Wigglytuff's Guild, to be delivered to an address in the vicinity of Post Town. The sender was one of high prestige within the Guild, and if the Pelipper was found to be leaving their letters on hold, that wouldn't be good for anyone.

Wait, they’re still around? Guess Wigglytuff must’ve suckered found replacements to all those NPCs from Treasure Town that are implied to have bailed to go elsewhere in Super’s NPC chatter.

At least that was what the higher-ups in the Pelipper Post insisted. And as one of the rank-and-file of the organisation, Larum didn't really have a say in matters. He was uneasy about going too far from the Grass Continent, although the knowledge that he'd be paid a fair bit more than usual for this work, given that he was travelling all the way to somewhere called Pokémon Paradise, was one of the reasons he'd plumped for it. It was a journey far longer than his normal paper route around Capim Town, that was for sure.

That actually makes me wonder if he had to fly the entire way, or if his bosses would’ve signed off on him just hitching a ride on the Lapras Liner for most of the way there. ^^;

Though Larum had his reservations, he didn't complain, making his way across the ocean to Noe Town and northwards towards Post Town. Apparently, there'd been a new settlement that had sprung up seemingly overnight next to it, called Pokémon Paradise. Over on the Grass Continent, it was spoken of in hushed, excited whispers about this place where one could stake a claim and forge their own destiny on the Mist, transforming barren land into a luscious, productive haven.

Oh, so Paradise has been getting big, big. Especially if word of it is straight-up spreading to other continents at this rate with that sort of Word of Mouth.

Sounds like a load of hot air to me, Larum thought, as he made his way towards where Paradise was supposedly located. From the air, he could make out the big tree that marked Post Town's location. And to the right of that…lay the location in question, in what looked to be a surprisingly bustling town on a set of badlands.

Larum:

“Okay, I’ll admit, that’s impressive.”

Larum began their descent, and within a few minutes, they were flapping their wings as they landed in front of an office-like building.

"Why, hello there!" a cheery Azumarill greeted from behind the desk. "Mail, is it?”

[ ]

“Hm, you're not our usual mailmon."

IMO, Azumarril’s “hey wait” reaction would’ve been worth depicting a bit more clearly there.

"I'm from the Grass Continent," explained Larum. "I've a letter addressed to…What was his name again?" He checked the envelope and the name scribbled on it. "Samurott Noah."

I can’t tell whether “the [X]” instead of “the [X] Continent” is a deliberate stylistic choice or an oversight, but I figured that I’d at least point it out since it read a bit weird to me.

"A letter from the Grass Continent to Noah?" The Azumarill tilted her head in confusion. "But Noah hasn't left the Mist at all. What business would someone from the Grass have with him?"

Wigglytuff trying to sucker him into getting scammed out of 90% of his earnings for at least a year? /s

"Not my business." Larum shrugged. "I'm just the deliverymon."

"Fair enough." The Azumarill went from behind her desk to take the letter from Larum. "I'll take this to him. Thank you very much for coming."

"No problem," Larum said, as he preened his wings. "Say, do you know of somewhere where I can stay the night? I won't be able to make it back to Capim Town before nightfall, and I'm pretty tired after a flight of that length."

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that Larum’s not going to get a free room at Cadmus’ place given that he’s not exactly Cadmus’ idol there. :p

"We have some inns here in Paradise!" the Azumarill said. "Come, I'll show you to one of them."

"Thanks, er…"

"You can call me Ratona!" came the upbeat reply, as the Azumarill started down the path deeper into Paradise, hopping with a spring in her step. "Paradise's Mission Manager and Under-Secretary of the Crossblades!"

Wait, the Muskedeers have an Under-Secretary?” ^^;

[ ]


"The Crossblades, huh?" Larum said, as he fluttered after Ratona. Ain't that a fearless name…Reminds me a bit of Team Auraflare back home. He kept that name in his mind as he followed the Azumarill to where the nearest inn was located.

Riolu + Vulpix team detected with a name like that. Though IMO, it’d have made sense to show off Larum’s reaction to Ratona’s explanation of her role there.

Why is it that teams with humans on them always have the most interesting names? That is…if this Samurott Noah fellow really is a human like the rumours say.

Oh. Oh. Yeah, I’m slow. But I suppose ‘Crossblades’ is a decently fitting team name for an Oshawott/Axew combo in Gates.

"A letter?"

Noah looked at the letter that Ratona had handed to him before returning to guiding a Pelipper mailmon around Paradise.

The handwriting on the address looked strangely messy, as though the writer wasn't used to writing. It reminded him of his own attempts to write back when he was bipedal, trying to get to grips with having paws instead of hands. Though he'd gotten past that difficulty, his handwriting was nowhere near as neat as some other folks.

Well, that perspective change was a bit unexpected, though I guess that it would be a bit unlikely that Larum would get a chance to actually read the letter, which is where I’m pretty sure this is going.

In fact, the manner in which the handwriting was messy…thinking about his own experiences, the Samurott had a mad thought occur to him. Could it be…?

Oh. Oh. I take it that this is coming from the “Aura” half of “Team Auraflare”, who you cast as the human.

Curiosity got the better of him and he began reading it.

Dear Samurott Noah of Paradise,

I do not believe I have met you in person, yet I wish to correspond with you on a matter I imagine you would want to be kept close to your heart. Alas, the rumour mill has its way, and when people over here on the Grass Continent speak of the recent calamity involving the Bittercold, one thing comes up time and again: that a human was the one to stop that menace in its tracks.

Well, getting straight to the point there, huh?

Noah froze, upon hearing mention of the word 'human'.

Therefore, by putting two and two together, I would presume you are a human. A human just like me.

Cue the Plankton meme again.

'Just like me'? Another human? Noah let out a silent gasp. Are they a leftover from when Valakai summoned humans here? Yet this is from the Grass…Did a human make their way over there?

With his curiosity running overtime, the Samurott kept reading.

If we have that common thread, then we should keep in contact with each other. Someday I would like to meet the hero who felled the Bittercold. As a hero who stopped a calamity in my younger days, we also have that much in common.

Wait, a hero? Noah blinked at seeing this next part. Who stopped a calamity? Th-This is from one of the other heroes?!

I mean, most of the ones who weren’t heroes wound up getting light bubbled back home/to the afterlife. Even if I suppose that now makes me idly wonder if the Voice of Life just summoned a bunch of humans for each plot so there’s just a couple dozen Pokémon on Air and Grass bumbling around doing dead-end jobs until they inevitably get kicked out for destabilizing the world pre-Worldcore quest.

Alas, I am too busy right now with explorer work at Wigglytuff's Guild to meet you in person. But that is a goal to aspire to. Until then, may we keep in contact? I would like to hear of your tales and exploits through letters like this, and I in turn will tell my own tales to you in my replies.

I wish you well.

Regards,
Lucario Robin of Team Auraflare.

I KNEW IT

Noah's breath hitched in surprise when he read that name at the end. The name Lucario Robin had been a name he'd heard in passing a good few times, as a revered hero that saved the world in its darkest hour, in a time back when he was still on Earth as a human. Cadmus idolised them, and often cited them as one of the reasons why humans were so amazing and cool – praise Noah often shrugged off. He wasn't really fond of attention.

Rescue Team Protagonist: “What am I here? Chopped liver?”

I wonder, though… A thought occurred to Noah. Maybe they're the same way. Maybe they don't like being idolised either. We could have that much in common. And if we talk more…we might find out more about each other.

That actually makes me wonder if Robin got a similar letter from the Rescue Team protagonist back in his day, and if Noah will one day wind up doing the same to the ‘Hero of Water’ who’s just strutting around in Serene Village right now.

He considered the offer being given to him on the letter.

I'll definitely reply to that later. But I gotta tell Cadmus first. He's not gonna believe this. Noah chuckled, imagining the aghast reaction of his partner telling him he'd just had contact with one of the most famous Pokémon walking the planet right now.

That sounds like a recipe for Cadmus to just drop everything and book a trip on the Lapras Liner out to go see him fanboying the entire time, just saying.

He even knew where the Haxorus happened to be right now. The Samurott left the kitchen, walked down the hallway to their bedroom, and opened the door, where a snoozing Cadmus lay, clutching a Zekrom plush.

Well, we know what side of the Truth vs. Ideals conflict Cadmus would fall down on. Even if it does feel fitting for a Pokémon that was motivated to turn a set of badlands into an out-and-out town.

"Love?" Noah said, as his partner's eyes fluttered open. "You may want to hear this…"

The squeeing is going to be audible from clear on the opposite side of Post Town, I can already tell.

Alright, time for the obligatory highlight reel. Though TL/DR: I liked it. It felt like a very true-to-the-games “where are they now” sequence just following up on various characters in and around Paradise, and you did a good job at adding your own spin to the canonical setting to make it feel more “yours”. Like there were a few things where you obviously went out on a limb like Cadmus’ sillier tendencies or tie-ins with the casts of other games, but they all felt like pretty believable things to expect from the different characters based on my own experiences with Gates. Also, you wrote content for best PMD game, so I was obviously going to give some kudos just for that.

I’m a bit loath to give too much criticism since this series was explicitly written in drabble format where compact length was a priority, though I did find myself wishing at a couple points for a bit more content, especially for getting into the heads of different characters a bit more. It was a bit more noticeable in the second and third drabbles in particular. I also noticed a few spots where I didn’t really see eye to eye with paragraph formatting or some word choices and left a couple suggestions there, though I suppose those things have some degree of subjectivity to them.

Glad to have been able to stop by and finally check these out, @Arukona . I don’t know whether or not you’ll ever get around to writing out the other six drabbles on your initially assigned card, but I sure hope you do, since just the three that you have so far have been quite charming, and I’d love to read more. ^^