“I read in an ancient text that there is a paradise for Togepi within the Mirage Kingdom. Since I happen to have a Togetic, I wanted to come and see it for myself. I wonder if Your Highness has ever heard of this Togepi Paradise?”
“Togepi Paradise?” Princess Sara froze.
She vaguely remembered hearing about the place, but her impression of it was extremely hazy.
According to rumors, a balance had always existed between the kingdom and the paradise. Togepi born in the paradise would grow through spiritual connection with the people of the kingdom, and in return, the Togepi would bring happiness to the kingdom.
“You mean… you came here to search for the Togepi Paradise?”
“Yes. It’s said that many Togepi live there, and that it contains a power that is extremely beneficial to Togepi…” Terrance smiled faintly. He had already abandoned the idea of slipping away. Judging from the princess’s reaction during their brief conversation, he could tell that she was rather easy to fool and seemed extremely curious about Togepi Paradise.
With these two points in his favor, he might even be able to recruit this princess as his guide.
“Ancient text… Why don’t I know anything about that…” Princess Sara looked puzzled. Having lived here her entire life, she actually knew very little about such matters.
“…”
Terrance couldn’t be bothered to explain. The so-called ancient text had actually been obtained through the internal channels accessible through the Elite Four medal. They were unique resources, secrets not available to ordinary people. Only the Elite Four, League’s highest combat power, were qualified to explore such secrets.
Handled poorly, these secrets could become disasters. Handled properly, they could benefit an entire region.
“Regardless, you entered the palace without permission, which violates the laws of the Mirage Kingdom. I advise you to leave as soon as possible. If the soldiers discover you, you could end up in prison,” Princess Sara said, shaking her head.
“Your Highness, you seem troubled by something…” Terrance suddenly said.
The princess was actually quite kind-hearted. Just moments ago she had called him a bad person, yet now she was trying to let him go. However, Terrance had no intention of leaving so easily. Moreover, she seemed capable of sensing the unique energy associated with Togepi. She might prove helpful for what he wanted to accomplish, making her worth befriending.
“How did you know…” Princess Sara asked in surprise.
“It’s written all over your face. It would be hard not to notice,” Terrance said with a smile. In reality, he had sensed it through her Aura. The Aura had told him everything.
“Let me think… When I entered the Mirage Kingdom, I heard the citizens talking. It seems there’s some sort of coronation ceremony taking place in a few days. Could your worries be related to that?” Terrance’s eyes lit up as he suddenly recalled the kingdom’s traditions. “You haven’t found a Togepi that acknowledges you yet, have you?”
In this kingdom, anyone wishing to inherit the throne had to receive the recognition of a Togepi. Terrance had no interest in investigating the origins of such a strange tradition, but right now it was clearly causing the princess distress.
“What exactly are you trying to do…?”
“How about we go take a look together? If we visit Togepi Paradise, maybe you’ll meet a Togepi that recognizes you,” Terrance said.
“But…” Princess Sara was stunned. Yet when she thought about the coronation ceremony only days away, she found herself tempted.
Sometimes she even wondered whether there was something wrong with her. Why had no Togepi ever appeared to acknowledge her? Because of this, the current king had already considered ignoring tradition altogether and simply allowing Sara to inherit the throne. Yet Sara herself felt that doing so was inappropriate, fearing that she would have difficulty earning the people’s acceptance.
“If I could find a Togepi…” Princess Sara thought for a moment. Togepi Paradise should be somewhere within the kingdom. She wanted to see the Togepi there with her own eyes and ask why none of them acknowledged her.
Every previous king had been recognized by a Togepi before ascending the throne. Why had it not happened this time? Was it really because of her?
Sara’s mind was in turmoil.
“Do you know where Togepi Paradise is?” After a moment, Princess Sara seemed to make a major decision. She remembered that her mother had once told her about these things. Humans were supposedly unable to enter the Togepi Paradise at all. Did the man before her actually know a way inside?
“There is, but… aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person? I recall you saying earlier that I carried an ominous aura,” Terrance said, still dwelling on it.
“I was probably mistaken,” Princess Sara shook her head and said. “I’ve never heard of a Togepi giving off an ominous aura. Besides, Togepi only bring happiness to others. They are the embodiment of warmth and joy. Even if a Togepi encountered a bad person, it wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Maybe… something went wrong.”
As she continued talking with Terrance, Sara genuinely couldn’t sense any ill intent from him. Someone who owned a Togepi couldn’t be a bad person. As embodiments of warmth and joy, Togepi would rather die than follow an evil person. Sara was absolutely certain of that. Thinking about it that way, she felt she had been overly suspicious earlier. Perhaps it was simply a misunderstanding caused by her recent worries.
“The embodiment of warmth and joy…” Terrance muttered inwardly. Forget it. Once this princess met his Togetic, she might end up tearing down the Togepi Temple herself.
“Your Highness, if you’d like to come along, then come with me.”
Terrance immediately agreed. Once this princess inherited the throne, she would become the kingdom’s queen. Building a good relationship now meant he could openly come back and explore Togepi Paradise in the future. There were no downsides to it. Besides, they were both young people, getting to know each other better couldn’t hurt.
“If you’re going outside… be careful of the soldiers.”
“Don’t worry. No one will see us.” Terrance had originally planned to get there with Teleport, but now that the princess was joining him, he decided to travel on foot instead. Before long, under Mismagius’s cover, Terrance and Princess Sara arrived in front of the temple.
“This should be the place…” Terrance stroked his chin. Behind this location lay a small world—an alternate dimension?
How were they supposed to get there?
After Gallade Mega Evolved, its Teleport had gained the ability to traverse dimension itself…
But… it still felt somewhat dangerous.
After some consideration, Terrance decided to let Togetic try first. The ancient text stated that the Togepi family seemed capable of freely traveling between the two places.
“Hey…” Princess Sara tugged on Terrance’s sleeve, signaling him to be careful.
“Let’s have my Togetic try first. If that doesn’t work… we’ll force our way in,” Terrance nodded and took out Togetic’s Poké Ball, pressing the button.
A moment later, Togetic appeared. Upon seeing it, Princess Sara immediately relaxed.
“So you really do have a Togetic…”
This country… was way too obsessed with the Togepi family.
You can read ahead upto 65 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.