Alec shuffled his feet, feeling a deep ache in his soles. Legendaries Above, these wooden shoes are awful. I can’t wait to get out of them.
Dorian and his two Buizels waved from the distance as Alec headed towards them. The afternoon sun bore down on them, barely staving off the chill brought by the winds. Auster circled above him, riding the breeze without a care.
He walked without any conviction, simply tired from the events of the day. After spending the entire day hunting for a Wurmple and diffusing a fight between a mother and her son, he just wanted to be away from people for a while.
Today, Alec would explore the mirelands for the first time. As Dorian had previously told him, he’d have to give them about thirty minutes of notice beforehand to prepare the cart. He glanced at his necklace watch. It was 3:42, meaning it would be ready at about 4:15.
An intense feeling of excitement bubbled through Alec’s stomach as he considered all the options that would open to him now. The fieldlands were great and all, but to seek out all Pokemon, he did not doubt that he’d have to leave his footprints across every hill and valley that Hisui had to offer, and then some. Regardless, the daunting task placed ahead of him a month or so ago shrunk just the tiniest bit in his head. But strangely, instead of feeling intimidation, he felt confident. He could do this, he’d come so far, he just had to run a little longer.
And then…
No, Alec thought, viciously shaking his head. He’d think about that later, when he had the time to slow down and rest.
Since neither he nor his Pokemon had eaten anything yet, he planned to swing by Beni’s restaurant and get food there before heading out. He longed for some good-tasting food, and not his standard campfire ration or berry. Don’t get him wrong, berries are delicious - but eating nothing but berries gets boring very quickly.
“Afternoon!” Dorian called, descending the ladder. “Lemme guess, you’re here for the escort to the mirelands?”
“Yep,” he replied. “I’ll be right back; I’m gonna eat lunch while you get it ready.” Auster fluttered down and Alec stretched out his arm for him to land on. The motion already felt second nature. Like he’d been doing it since birth, he barely needed to hear the sound of his Dartrix’s wings to trigger the movement of muscle memory.
“Sounds good,” Dorian said with a thumbs up and a signal to his Buizels. They scampered off toward the pastures, likely to collect the Pokemon that would be pulling the cart.
Cool. That was easy, Alec thought, turning to head toward Beni’s to get some food. From his arm, Auster warbled inquisitively. He shuffled his talons, restless and ready to get the journey started.
“This won’t take long,” Alec reassured with a nod. “Aren’t you hungry too?”
“Dar.” No, he seemed to say.
“Well, I am. Starving, as a matter of fact. You’re welcome to fly there yourself and wait for me to catch up,” Alec deadpanned.
“Dar!” Though the syllable wasn’t inflected in any way, Alec got the distinct impression of sarcasm from it. Just watch me. If you take too long, I just might leave you behind. Alec just laughed, calling his partner’s bluff.
A brief moment later, he arrived at Beni’s restaurant. The owner held a rag and calmly cleaned dirt and debris off a wooden table. He didn’t notice Alec’s arrival, too engrossed in his repetitive work and the tune he was whistling.
Several weeks ago, Beni had treated Alec like he was carrying some deadly disease and that going within a couple of feet of him would infect him too. He was seriously strict on his rule of no outsiders - too much so, in Alec’s opinion. What kind of restaurant turned away any new customers? It just didn’t make any sense.
In the following weeks, he’d slowly warmed up to Alec. Not entirely, but that’s progress nonetheless. Currently, Beni more considered Alec as an outsider who also happens to be wearing the uniform and credentials of an insider. Alec figured that it would take months of work to get the old shopkeeper to warm up to him.
All the other villagers came to like me relatively quickly, Alec thought. Legendaries Above, it’s pretty much just him who doesn’t like me. I’ve got no intention of stopping, though. His food’s way too good, honestly.
Beni slowly looked up from the table when Alec grew close enough, only about a couple of feet. Several immeasurable emotions passed behind his eyes as he inspected Alec, eyes darting from his clothes to his face to Auster, still on his arm.
After a moment’s hesitation, he returned to his work, swiping the rag across the smooth tabletop. Without looking up, he asked, “Just you today?” in a gruff voice.
“Yeah,” Alec shrugged. He hadn’t taken the time to seek out anyone else and hadn’t run into anyone else at all. He assumed it would be lonely, but the notion didn’t really bother him at all. He’d have his team with him, and even if they couldn’t have a proper conversation, they were still good company.
“No, actually,” a voice suddenly said from beside Alec. He jumped and snapped his eyes over to see Cyllene, standing with a perfectly straight posture. She regarded him with furrowed brows, as if she couldn’t understand why he’d been surprised by her unannounced presence.
“I will take two orders of potato mochi, please,” she said, walking past Alec and sitting at one of the freshly cleaned picnic tables. “And-”
“-you’re in a hurry, so I’ll make it quick,” Beni deadpanned. “You know, you don’t need to say it every time. I can take a hint.”
“Thank you,” she simply replied, pulling out a piece of folded paper from a pocket on her jacket. Like a laser, her eyes scanned across the lines at a nigh-robotic pace. She shot a brief glance up toward Alec before returning to whatever she was reading.
As Beni set his rag down and ambled back to the kitchen to prepare their food, Alec hesitantly sat down at the same table as Cyllene, sitting diagonally across from her. He figured that it would be even more awkward for him to sit at a different table. Just the thought of Cyllene’s eyes occasionally drilling into the back of his head made his skin crawl with nervousness.
At first, he dared not make any noise, instead choosing to sit with his hands clasped in his lap, counting the grains of sand and blades of grass on the floor. Auster, on the other hand, simply did not care about human customs like these. He tilted his head and chirped to get Alec’s attention.
Alec’s head jolted upward and he immediately shot a panicked glance over to Cyllene. She sat unperturbed. Phew.
He kept nervously looking around, first toward the door where Beni would emerge with the food, then down to Tricky’s Pokeball on his belt, then up to the sky. The wind peacefully blew in the background, filling the silence with an empty white noise.
The silence hung in the air like radiation at the site of a nuclear meltdown. With how inhuman the whole situation felt, Alec felt as if he might’ve grown an extra arm or two.
Luckily, Beni returned a moment later with steaming cups of tea for them. The earthenware vessels were faded and chipped around their rims, as if they’d served their master for all their lives. Thin trails of steam wafted up from them and Alec’s nose caught the distinct scent of comfort and serenity. Like he’d just woken up from a nap in a soft bed, with sunlight through the curtains.
As he set the cups before each of them, Beni muttered a faint warning about their temperature, before disappearing back into his kitchen. Wearing her ever-stoic expression, Cyllene folded her paper and tucked it back into the pocket of her jacket. She cradled her tea in her hands, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of its golden aroma.
Alec mirrored her actions, feeling the tea drape a weighted blanket over him. His shoulders noticeably drooped and the wind chill vanished from his bones. It had a smooth and vegetal flavor, tasting distinctly earthy and natural. It was like nothing Alec had ever had before in his life in Unova, that’s for certain. He savored the mouthful for only a moment longer.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Cyllene asked. “To slow down and relax once in a while.” Alec looked at her incredulously, as if she’d just admitted she’d killed a man. Her glare which could bore holes into solid stone had been washed away by the tea’s vapors.
Alec blinked twice. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” he shrugged.
“I’m glad to have a place like Beni’s to come and unwind,” she continued in her typical deadpan. Though, it seemed far less emotionless this time. Like the melody of a muted trumpet in a jazz song. The rhythm was still there, just invoked differently. “I suspect that there is more to it than the quality of his food, though that is the leading factor.”
A beat of silence. Alec looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the shop. “Maybe it’s just being away from your office?” he supplied.
“Perhaps,” she mused, taking a deep sip from her tea. Alec again followed suit, savoring its golden and halcyon texture.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had tea like this before,” Alec asked. “Is this a Hisuian tea?”
“No. Beni hails from Johto, and he brought his recipes with him when he traveled. I suppose that means we can rule out Johto for your land of origin.”
“I guess so,” Alec hummed. He took another sip of his tea.
“You must be far away from your home. Have you found a place like this, here in Hisui? Where you can relax? Where you can simply… be?"
Alec furrowed his brows. That was the last thing he’d expected Cyllene of all people to ask him, especially now. He stared deep into his cup, watching the miniature ocean toss back and forth from his movement.
In the golden waves of the tea, he saw beyond the bottom of the cup. He saw all of Hisui, all the ground he’d walked, all the skies he’d slept under. All the Pokemon he’d seen, and the two that he called his friends. He saw all the people that he cared about here, and all the places associated with them. He supposed that Laventon’s lab or the twins’ campsite could be a place for him to relax, as he had nothing but calm memories there. But still, there was an acute difference between a comfortable spot and a comfort spot. One merely evoked the emotion of calmness. The other was shaped by its peace. Not even his campsite, where he’d spent a month’s worth of nights alongside his Pokemon quite counted. Stretching the definition that far nearly ripped it in two.
“Well, I hope you find one,” Cyllene said. And Alec just saw the clay bottom of the cup, jolting his mind’s eye back to reality.
He took another sip of tea, nearly draining the cup. “Thanks.”
A moment later, Beni emerged, bearing two plates of his signature potato mochi. One plate was stacked significantly higher than the other, and Alec’s eyes momentarily widened when he deduced which one was his - and which was Cyllene’s.
Beni set the large plate - laden with what seemed to be a dozen balls of mochi - before Cyllene, who thanked him and quickly dug in. Alec did the same when Beni gave him his plate, which also held a portion of potato mochi, albeit far smaller.
Before he took a bite for himself, Alec released Tricky onto the grass beside him. The little Shinx immediately sat down and sniffed the air, moving his head back and forth with closed eyes. Once he zeroed in on the scent of fresh food, his eyes locked onto Alec in his typical attempts to look cute and beg for food. And Legendaries Above, it nearly worked.
“You don’t need to beg like that,” Alec muttered with a chuckle. He took a portion of his food - roughly one fourth - and set it before Tricky on the floor. He did the same for Auster, giving a slightly larger portion to him too. Both happily voiced their gratitude before digging in.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Something Alec had noticed over the past few weeks was that Tricky’s appetite had been increasing steadily. He wasn’t very well-versed in the dietary habits of Pokemon - that was a bit too nerdy for him, thank you very much - but he still figured that Tricky’s appetite had been slightly below average. Maybe it was because Tricky was smaller than the other Shinx had encountered.
Either way, Alec smiled. Where he previously would’ve given Tricky about a sixth or a fifth of his food, now he was more than capable of eating a larger portion. That’s probably a sign of an approaching evolution, Alec thought. His body has to store up enough energy to pull off such a drastic change. Who knows, though. I’m no expert.
He checked his necklace watch. It was 4:03, and he’d figured that his ride to the mirelands would be ready at about 4:15.
Not wanting to keep Dorian waiting, Alec quickly turned to his food and devoured it with newfound vigor.
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The cart rattled gently beneath him, sending a faint vibrating buzz through his bones. Not enough to break his confidence, but enough to act as a bit of an annoyance. By now, it had faded into the background, becoming one with the whispering of the shifting trees and the gurgling of the occasional river.
Around him, snow-capped mountains and tree-scattered hills ambled by. The occasional Flying-type Pokemon soared above, becoming a part of the gorgeous scenery of Hisui. Compared to the massive landscapes, easily large enough to trample him alive, Alec was a small Joltik. Frail enough to be crushed without a second thought, but somehow clever and quick enough to survive as long as it had.
On the floor of the cart, Alec had removed his wooden shoes. He’d weighed his choices carefully: Keep the shoes on and be uncomfortable, or take them off and risk getting splinters.
I choose the splinters, Alec had thought at the beginning of the journey, pulling off his hard shoes and tossing them onto the floor. Legendaries Above, those things were uncomfortable. Just from wearing them for the little stretch of time he had, his feet already ached like they’d been shredded in a blender.
Carefully, Alec held a soon-to-be Pokeball lid, though it currently was just an uncut apricorn lid. Extra carefully on account of the bumpy cart, Alec brought the blade across it and made the first cut. The freshly sheared small piece of peel dropped to the floor of the cart. It joined a pile of the other scraps from the other already carved apricorns.
Beside him, the Pokeballs weren’t anything special. They were lumpy, misshapen, and overall dissatisfactory, but they were above average compared to his usual work. Being effectively trapped on a cart had the effect of infinite time, where Alec didn’t have to rush the process and make sloppy results.
Still, the Pokeballs themselves didn’t have to be perfect spheres. The effectiveness of the capture was only minimally impacted by the wooden half - that was the tumblestone’s doing. The apricorn served to correct the center of gravity and aerodynamics of the Pokeball. If it was bumpy, it wouldn’t fly as straight or far. These things didn’t matter most of the time, as spending an extra fifteen minutes per Pokeball to make them perfect only to squeeze a measly one or two feet out of them definitely was a waste of time.
Apart from the Corps member driving the cart, Alec was alone. Auster and Tricky had since retreated back into their Pokeballs, bored of their slow-moving surroundings. Alec had just shrugged, knowing he couldn’t control whether they wanted to stay out or not.
Off in the distance, reclining just below the horizon, was his destination. It looked like someone had taken a razor and shaved off all the trees around it, as if it was Hisui’s massive bald spot. From Alec’s perspective, peering between the massive mountain range the cart was driving through, it looked like some mysterious valley, thrust underneath the mountain’s impossibly tall shadow.
It was majestic. Beautiful. Indescribable.
Dorian, from his position in the driver’s seat of the cart, noticed Alec’s awestruck expression as he looked onward. “You see it, don’t you? We call it Coronet Valley. The part where the Coronet Spine breaks and you can see the mirelands just beyond it. Let me tell you, it’s especially beautiful in the morning.”
“Why’s that?” Alec asked, without taking his eyes away from the view.
“We’re going east,” Dorian grinned, holding up his thumbs and pointer fingers in a framing gesture. “The morning sunrise splits the Spine clean in two.”
Alec exhaled, letting out a low whistle. He attempted to picture it in his head, trying to superimpose the blazing sun on the fading horizon. The surroundings would darken, silhouetted by the light. The sky would be a brilliant red-orange-yellow mix…
And he shook his head, knowing that he certainly couldn’t come close to seeing it in person. Honestly, just the thought belonged in an art gallery.
He’d be back, that’s for certain.
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“Legendaries Above, I wish I stayed on that stupid cart…” Alec muttered. With each footstep, a nauseating squelch sound squeaked out from his wooden shoes, caused by the disgusting quantity of mud that had already found its way inside.
If the cart ride to the mirelands had been a gorgeous wing of an art museum, full of priceless relics and masterpieces, then the mirelands themselves were the bathroom down the hall. Part of the museum as a whole, but somewhere to be avoided.
Luckily, a cool breeze countered the sun’s attempts to overheat him. He was thankful he didn’t have to turn to an alternative method of cooling off and try rubbing mud over his body like he’d seen in movies.
When they’d arrived, Dorian had asked him when he was planning on calling it a day. Since it was so late in the day, Alec planned to only explore for an hour or two, just long enough to catch a few Pokemon and head back. In the future, it turned out that he could ask Dorian to return the next day, meaning he could spend the night.
Can’t imagine ever wanting to do that, Alec thought. Maybe in another area of Hisui, but definitely not here.
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Alec marched through the damp landscape, keeping his eyes glued to his surroundings. Knowing that he was on the opposite side of Hisui, he figured that the mirelands would bring a slew of new Pokemon species and materials for him to find. So far, he hadn’t seen much of anything. The most noteworthy elements he’d come across so far were the occasional muddy lake or patch of dry grass that whispered as it swayed in the wind.
One of the first things he noticed about this area was how easy it was to identify plants. Since the ground was grassless almost everywhere, the occasional root or tuber stuck out like a Shiny. He’d already come across a slew of plants that resembled leeks, with their green leaves that faded into a purple stalk that disappeared into the ground. The only difference was these were massive, standing up an entire foot.
At first, he’d tried to carry them - they were far too large to fit into his satchel - but he could only carry a small handful under his arm. I bet I can ditch the leaves, he thought, knowing that the only use of the leaves of a regular leek was for flavor. In Hisui, the flavor of food was a luxury that most did not have the head space to consider. If given the choice between one full leek and two leafless ones, any sensible person would choose the latter.
Using a piece of twine he’d strategically stowed in his satchel, Alec tied up the leeks he’d found into a bundle. Once they were all evened out, he used his knife to slice off the leaves. They separated easily as the stem of the plant easily gave way to the blade. For now, he’d grab any more that he found and see what profit he could make selling them to Anvin.
As he kept exploring, he found another strange plant, this time unlike any fauna he’d ever seen before. It was only a few inches high and had two stems that twisted into a knot. Strangely, Alec thought it looked familiar, as if he’d seen this type of plant before. He couldn’t place it, though.
Cautiously, he knelt down to examine it. He expected it to be some kind of tuber, so he tightly wrapped his fingers around the twisted stalk and yanked.
“Budew! Bud bud budew!”
Alec yelped and dropped the Pokemon, backpedaling several steps. Now he understood why it seemed so familiar - Colza, the gardener back at Jubilife, had pulled the exact same trick on him.
The Budew glared at him, furious over having its sunbathe interrupted. Acting on instinct, Alec bolted away, sensing that it would soon launch an attack at him.
As he ran, he dodged a round of Bullet Seeds that had been aimed directly at his head. He dove to the side to avoid the salvo, disappearing behind a rock.
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The dry grass brushed annoyingly on Alec’s face.
A few feet away from where he was hiding, a Budew stooped to soak up some water. He’d been watching it for a while now, interested in learning its behavior patterns. Ever since he’d narrowly escaped the one from earlier, he’d been determined to catch one and learn more about it.
So far, the only Grass-type Pokemon he’d seen up to that point had been Auster, all those weeks ago. Laventon had previously expressed curiosity about them, wondering where to place them on the “plant to Pokemon” spectrum. Auster was more of a Pokemon, but the Budew line clearly had the anatomy of a plant.
Alec was a bit confused about how to handle this. From his past life, he knew that plants gained energy through photosynthesis and some Pokemon simply took advantage of it in favor of normal metabolism. Laventon would likely give up his left foot for this information, but then he would question Alec on how he’d gotten that information. Best to keep quiet for now.
Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t report as much information he could gather about how Budew spent their time.
Ever since he’d come across it, the Budew he’d been tracking had buried itself halfway into the mud, leaving only its leaves exposed. Just like the previous one, this seemed to be some kind of disguise mechanism that doubled as a convenient way for it to absorb sunlight and nutrients from the soil. He watched it for a few minutes longer, until it popped out of the dirt and waddled over to the river to take a drink. That checked off the three basic needs of a plant: Sunlight, rich soil, and water.
I think I’ve got enough information, Alec thought. He readied a Pokeball, lobbed it, and watched hopefully as it sucked the little Budew inside.
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About an hour later, Alec stowed another Pokeball into his satchel. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook the sweat from his hair. If he’d thought his feet ached earlier, they were on fire now.
Slowly, he trudged up the river, having noticed that the landscape grew more lush as he progressed northward. Gapejaw River, according to the huge map plastered on the wall of the city hall. He kept his distance from the river, as its bank was more mud than ground.
His immediate surroundings were peppered with trees, which looked completely different to that of the fieldlands. These trunks twisted and curled as they grew, not quite pointing upward. Many were barren and the ground was covered with leaves. Yet somehow, the area seemed just as alive as the fieldlands. More so, even. Patches of flowers grew here and there, breaking up the entirely brown and gray color scheme the area had going on.
In the river, a new species of Pokemon lounged about. Psyduck, he’d figured they were called. He’d only grabbed one and stopped after seeing how little resistance it posed. The large duck Pokemon seemed perfectly content to stare at him and blink slowly while he caught it. He didn’t feel guilty - he’d be releasing it later just like all the other Pokemon - but he figured it would be best to leave it at one and not waste any more Pokeballs on it. Something told him this Psyduck wouldn’t object too strongly to being studied.
Suddenly, Alec stopped in his tracks. He heard something.
He strained his ears, taking in as much information about his surroundings as he could. On instinct, the gurgling of the river and the rustling of the trees faded into the background, immediately flagged as unnecessary information. His eyes unfocused as he began to rely on another sense.
There, he thought after a moment, locking on to a patch of flowers a stone’s throw up the river. There was more than the normal noise of the flora’s motion, he was sure of it. Slipping back into the mindset of a hunter, he crouched low and crept closer.
Inside, a small pack of green Pokemon frolicked, playing with each other. They weren’t Budew, but they looked very similar. About half a dozen in total, they danced around circles and play-tackled one another. Curiously, the foliage in their proximity seemed to grow more vibrant and colorful. The flowers formed a gradient moving away from their location, growing less and less saturated the farther away.
Petilil, Alec thought as he watched from the bushes. While he hadn’t seen any in Hisui yet, he’d seen a few at the supermarket a few times. With their uncanny ability to keep wildlife (and produce) fresh for a long time just by being close to it, many stores kept as many Petilil nearby as they could to keep their stock perfectly ripe. They were also a rather shy species, meaning the ones he encountered back home would always flee as soon as they saw him.
The little Grass-types were each about six inches tall, fourteen or so if you counted the leaves sprouting from their heads. Seeing them up close, Alec could make out a faint layer of fuzz on their bodies, like felt or velvet.
I bet Colza would love to meet one of these little guys, Alec thought. He couldn’t help but grin as he watched them play. Their little stubby legs - hidden underneath their leafy cloak - were so cute.
Just then, one Petilil took its play fight too far and sent another Petilil flying back. It landed with an uncomfortable-sounding thud on the ground, sending up a small dust cloud and halting everyone’s play. Alec stifled a gasp, then felt his heart sink as the fallen Pokemon let out an absolutely pathetic-sounding cry. It wiggled its little feet as fast as it could, trying to get up. After a moment, it gave up, letting its limbs droop in surrender.
Alec watched from the brush for a moment longer as it struggled before making up his mind. Slowly and with his hands held up, he crept out of the brush for all the Petilil to see. “Pet!” they all cried as all but the fallen one ran for their lives, diving into the thicket. The one on the ground panicked too, but was unable to go anywhere. It rocked back and forth with renewed vigor, desperately trying to get away.
“Easy, easy,” Alec soothed. He gingerly cupped his hands under the scared Petilil and helped it upright. It barely protested, allowing him to lift it with no resistance. With eyes as wide as the moon, it stared up at him in confusion.
“Lil?” it asked in a low voice, tilting its head.
“Go ahead, go rejoin your friends,” Alec smiled, resting down on one knee. “See, what’d I tell ya? I wasn’t gonna hurt you.”
“Petilil…” It said in wonder, eyes still wide in shock. It stayed for a moment longer, before darting off into the brush.
That was adorable, thought Alec with a chuckle. I’ll find some more around here somewhere, I’m sure. I’ve gotta catch at least like three for Laventon to study.
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“Why does the sun have to be directly in front of us?” Alec grumbled as he tried to keep his head down.
“That’s just the way Sinnoh made the land, son,” said Dorian with a laugh. “Us mortals aren’t meant to understand why They made it the way it is. It’s, uh, heresy, or blasphemy, or something like that.” He waved his hand in circles.
Alec groaned as he involuntarily looked up at Dorian and got a faceful of sun, leaving purple spots dancing in front of his eyes. He shot his eyes downward, staring intensely at the wooden floor of the cart.
Overall, his first trip to the mirelands had been very successful. He’d found plenty of new species of Pokemon, just like he’d thought he would, and they all seemed to be - on average - stronger than those in the fieldlands. That tracked with Cyllene’s rule that this was a higher clearance area. That did also bring a slew of greater dangers in the landscape itself, but those were easily manageable.
Mentally, he went over his catch: Four Psyduck, three Petilil, four Budew, and one strange teal-and-white Electric-type Pokemon that he’d spied in a tree (He didn’t know what it was called). Overall, this was an extremely respectable catch, considering he was only in the mirelands for a handful of hours.
“Well, I’m from some faraway land,” joked Alec. “I don’t have to worry about blasphemy against a god that I don't follow.”
“Fair enough,” laughed Dorian.