As a cosmic glow shone and a gentle breeze blew overhead in a wide valley surrounded by sandy dunes, towering trees and differing flora of multiple kinds, an individual not of the world originally looked up to take in his surroundings.
His tufts ruffling and blowing in the wind and his crescent irises reflecting the starry night sky and the moon, the male found himself slumping into the earth below him. It was not uncommon for this to happen for him of course, since he had been in this world for a while. To help others as a natural cause.
So what made this night particularly different? Well for one, he realised he needed some space. There was a pressure on him somewhat. He still missed where he had originally came from - the human world. A world where he lived a life of remembering his identity, unlike others who had been in his place. And when his eyes adverted, they began to-
โFlicker? Whatโs up?โ
His thoughts got immediately interrupted by an accompanying male voice behind him. A stubby, fanged-like creature began to approach Flicker, the cracks on his tusks ever apparent even from a distance. He looked at him, wondering what was making him look away so much into the sky.
โWhatโs up? Uh, well we have constellation one, constellation two, a meteor, the moon, other parts of nature and then when weโre indoors we have the ceiling, why do you ask?โ
His companion laughed out loud. โAw cโmon Flicker, youโre hiding your thoughts behind humour, again. What, you think I wouldnโt pick up on that quirk by now, as well as all the other parts of yourself that make you so wonderful?โ
โVery flattering Tusk, very flattering.โ
โHey well, you know me, proprietor of Paradise, partner to the best tepig in the whole wide world and also the regular checking-in-on-staring-in-the-stars axew who hopes you losing yourself looking up like that doesnโt mean anything here down on the surface.โ
The former human scoffed. โWell maybe I just like looking up at the stars every night! I didnโt get to see them as much as I wanted to when I was still a human. All the light pollution, yuckyโฆโ
Tusk looked at Flicker with a confused expression, before the Tepig realised he used yet another human euphemism again. He hated talking about the human world like the Axew would fully understand, but when his thoughts were led astray, his brain had other ideas.
โOh uhโฆ yeah right. You wouldnโt know what I would be talking about, would you?โ
โIโd like to know,โ began Tusk, before an incredulous look made him stammer, โi-i-if itโs alright with you. Yโknowโฆ so I can know more about you. The you who tries to hide it so hard from the others.โ
Flicker lifted himself up, before scooting closer to his partner. โI didnโt mean it like that.โ
โSo what did you mean by light pollution? Is that like something to do with poison type Pokรฉmon?โ
The tepig had to chuckle at his partnerโs naivety. He was far too pure for this place, which is why he became so codependent on him to bail him out in this world he woke up in - the Pokemon world, and in it, mystery dungeons that made him form his exploration team, Team Whirlsprint.
โNo, nothing to do with them. Look at me, separating my Arboks from my Trubbishes!โ
โHey, I didnโt ask for the teasing either!โ
โItโs you Tusk, youโve always been the target of my teasing. Itโs only fair I have my fun every time you pull my tail to make my tufts glow like Iโm some sort of fire starter.โ
โSay that again Flicker?โ
โLike Iโm some sort of- oh. Ohhhhhhh.โ
The dragon type fell over in laughter. โWhoa gee Flicker, I sure do wonder what you could possibly be right now, totally not like, I dunno, a fire-type? Who breathes fire? From this?โ
Before he could come up with a cheeky retort, he found his snout being grabbed by a few of Tuskโs claws and being squeezed.
โWow, I totally donโt know what could possibly be in here. Like why else would I also ask you to light a campfire? Itโs around here where I did ask you on our first night too.โ
As Tusk let go with a smirk, Flicker sneezed and a puff of smoke flared out his nostrils. Okay, fine, on this occasion his partner could take the superior ground and actually win this side of the argument. Maybe not for much longer if he was gonna continue winding him up.
โYeah yeah, our first night, I remember. But what light pollution actually is relates to why I look up to the sky so much. Iโve never seen the stars shining so bright so consistently over so many nights.โ
This caught the axewโs attention. โWhat do you mean Flicker? The night skyโs always been like this.โ
โNot for me it hasnโt. Iโฆ well Iโve always wanted to see the stars. Looking up, seeing the different shapes, identifying nearby constellations, maybe different planets, something along those lines, but I think I always wanted to seeโฆ well this. Just this.โ
โThe fire pig with a moon tail and moon eyes is fascinated by stars? Colour me shocked.โ
Tusk rolled his eyes with a laugh, and Flicker in turn then approached him. Oh he was really in for out now.
โWell even if- wah, hey Flicker!โ
โSurprise tackle to make you shut your witty mouth up!โ
Play-fighting. One of the things that the fire type and the dragon type would use as a means of testing the other in an endurance contest. Whoever cracked under the pressure first would spill the beans on what was going on. Only this time, Flicker was actually trying to explain and Tusk with his ever-so-insistent-brain wanting to crack a joke meant the former human needed to rope him in to make him realise he was serious.
โGet off me you moon pig!โ
โYou take that back!โ
โNuh-uh! Not after you spoke first!โ
Laughing and rolling over each other, the two had to finally catch their breath before they grinned at each other.
โWell I was before someone thought it would be a smart idea to be funny.โ
โI like being funny!โ
Flicker rolled his eyes, shook his head and then went to sit down, blowing some flames from his snout to light a makeshift campfire. Tusk joined with him, a clawed hand making its way to the shoulder of the tepig. Some things never change after being brought back to the same page.
โWell again, as I was saying - and no interruptions this time - itโs justโฆ nice to see the stars without so many buildings and their lights blocking the view.โ
An acknowledgment from Tusk finally made him realise he needed to stop talking and then he became immediately understanding he was talking seriously.
โYouโฆ couldnโt actually see the stars at all in the human world?โ
Tusk pouted, his tusks making audible cracking noises as he felt a wave of surprise wash over him. His partner not being able to see the stars was real? Thatโฆ was something he wasnโt making up?
A moment of silence washed over him, and he reminded himself that yes, whilst there were moments where the fire type would explain everything like an encyclopaedia and he would only nod to pretend to understand, this was perhaps the first time he understood what it meant. To not realise you couldnโt see what was above you the whole time, and with it, his reminded idea of wanting to see these so called โRainbows of Hopeโ.
Coming to Post Town with Flicker all those months ago, making friends with Dunsparce, Emolga, Virizion and the magnagate duo felt all like a blur and a lot of positive memories, but to see the very first one he met that let him down this path look so absentmindedly felt off.
Was something else bothering him?
โSo why do the stars mean so much to you?โ
Flicker paused. He wasnโt expecting that question to be asked so quickly. Sure, he could answer that it was because they were mesmerising and made these nights in Paradise even more special, that simply wandering first into an empty valley and having Quagsireโs โhmmsโ in the back of his mind made him also think of what was in front of him, but that wasnโt just it, was it?
Contemplating in his mind, he began to wonder the real answer to that question. What actually did the stars mean in one regard or another? Why was he so fascinated with them? The human world blocked his vision of him looking up at them through an observatory telescope due to the air pollution being that bad, but he then remembered something that had just been mentioned in an off-hand comment by Tusk.
His first night in this brand new world. Cold, breezy, almost shiveringโฆ for a fire type, it felt like a bitter snap had taken ahold of him. Because he couldnโt sleep, he was forced to look up. And as he looked up, thatโs when he saw them for the first time so clear.
Those bright, shining glittering objects that gleamed down into his pupils and made him feel warm inside.
Tusk shivering from the cold nearby in their laid out straw nests began to subconsciously settle in his sleep and unknowingly turned over to cozy up to Flicker. A small blush appeared on his face at the time, but it made him realise that as he felt warmโฆ his tufts would begin to glow as well, like a nightlight.
Every time he concentrated hard on that particular memory, the glow in his tufts would appear stronger. They would beam a constellation-like setting when both members of team Whirlsprint found themselves in a dungeon and the fire type was worried about something jumping out at them from inside a cave. Tusk was so happy to see his partner having a special ability that he began making cave-shapes to cheer his friend up, pretending one hand was him and the other his partner.
Ever since then, a nighttime story routine in favour of a traditional diary to record their adventures became their norm. Recounting the dayโs events, both would take it in turns to do different shapes on their homeโs wall, replacing their individual digits to represent themselves, an enemy or one of the team members that brought along with them into the dungeon.
Of course, Flickerโs humour and Tuskโs humour bounced off each other naturally, like these two were fated to meet.
Yet somehow, remembering that solitary day made Flicker realise the simple truth - the answer to his question was sitting right in front of him.
โItโs because of you Tusk.โ
โHey I can think about other things than humour you know!โ
Tusk winced but gave a small chuckle. โI know, I know, but you thinking for a while and suddenly just blurting out that answer caught me off guard.โ
โCatching you off guard was what made the first night here so special.โ
โTheโฆ first night? Why are you bringingโฆโ
As Tusk began to remember, he realised that he couldnโt stop shivering due to the cold. He couldโve sworn through his sleepy irises that he caught Flicker glowing in the dark, a beacon of warmth that heated the flow in his heart to feel calm and letting the world of sleep wash over him.
He didnโt realise that it was something that painfully obvious.
โThat nightโฆ I feltโฆ warm. Warm for the first time in I donโt know how long. Was that because ofโฆ?โ
โYeah, it was uhโฆ yeah it was me.โ
โSo thatโs why I slept so well that night. But stillโฆ howโd it happen? Howโd you suddenly manage to produce a glow that helped keep me warm for the night, apart from you not being used to being in a fire type body?โ
โWell I umโฆ I did say you, butโฆโ
He knew it. He knew there was something that was bothering Flicker. But why try and hide it?
Was it due to him being a bad influence?
โThe reason isโฆ wellโฆ I umโฆ Iโm just so happy to have you in my life Tusk that I wouldnโt know where Iโd be if it was without you. Youโre the bestest friend Iโve ever made. Spending a night feeling so cold where you gave me warmth and the stars gave me guidance seemed to just make something unlock in me I didnโt know I had. Andโฆ I feel you complete the time where I was up alone and felt I had to cry as I missed my home, but also would miss this home too, a nightmare of being torn between this life and the other life I remember.
โI donโt know why I keep thinking sometimes Iโm just not worthy enough of being in this team, that I donโt know where Iโd be if not for not just your humour but you being the biggest and loveable dork Iโve had the pleasure of being with. Tusk, thank you. Thank you so much.โ
No. It wasnโt him being a bad influence.
It was Tusk not realising how his own loneliness fixed someone elseโs loneliness.
It was the orphan who had nowhere to go, with no friends or family, having to move from place to place before finally getting into contact with Quagsire after taking him in when he had no home, finally realising that that feeling was reciprocated.
A former human being that somehow, against all odds, not just turned into his best friend, but also somehow felt he wasnโt worthy of him. Felt so troubled that he would miss seeing the stars, miss having his life here, miss havingโฆ him.
โFlicker, youโฆ Iโฆ howโฆ thatโฆโ
His brain couldnโt comprehend any words, so instinctively his body acted in place of him. The fire type found himself on the receiving end of a hug. A tight one at that.
โYouโreโฆ thanking me? For justโฆ being me? Why thank me when I should be the one thanking y-you?โ
The floodgates began opening.
โFlicker, youโฆ you know I told you one night right about how I had no friends and no family? Well Iโฆ I remembered the time I was growing up, with no place to go, finding my own food and drink, finding my own place of warmth, getting fractured on these things,โ he pointed at his tusks that were precipices, โand still wondering why every time I looked up at the stars, I hadnโt found the one place I always dreamed of. My place of paradise. The place that one day, I hoped with my heart that nobody would ever have to put up with what I suffered so when I looked up, there was a reflection of that hope in my heart that I could see everyone smile. But deep down, I couldnโt. I couldnโt feel like I could smile all the time. That wasโฆ until I met you.โ
The fire type stopped and looked at the crying awe his partner was giving him.
โMeeting you Flicker not only figuratively changed my life for the better, but I actually did it. I actually found the paradise of my dreams. It became real, this land, these Pokรฉmon, these townsfolk we say hi to, all of this wouldnโt have been possible if you hadnโt fell down from the sky the day you woke up here. All of these things, all of them, simply made me realise one simple thing. Paradise wouldnโt be paradise without you being the one that helps shine those stories every night. Paradise wouldnโt be paradise without you being in my life.โ
He couldnโt help himself now and Flicker reciprocated the hug. โTuskโฆ thank you. Iโฆ thank you.โ
โNo Flickerโฆ thank you.โ
His tufts began to glow now. Not because of danger, as his tail would have it. No. Nothing of the sort.
It was because of him that both Tusk and Flicker realised that paradise was paradise as they had each other in their life.
A night where the both of them could be happier knowing that one simple fact.
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