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PART III

The Alliance

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A chill hung in the air as the Gardevoir said her piece. The two hadn’t known her nor the Aggron standing strong right next to her for more than a minute, and yet they were being ordered to follow their lead. Just like Soldiers would, just with black scarves and patches in place of the green, and instead of the overpowering yellow Crest, their scarves bore silver medallions that glistered in the sunlight; on it stood the image of a trident.

“Wait, no, just who do you think you are?!” Blitzer said, stomping his feet while his tail flame crackled wildly.

“The people who have been watching over you for some time,” the Gardevoir explained, waving her hand around at Blitzer while looking George straight in the eye. “There is a lot to go over, but this is not the time nor the place to explain it. Patrina’s Soldiers are actively searching for you, and the situation will only grow bleaker once they see us here as well.”

George nervously eyed up at the two tall Pokemon before him. Defying these two was out of the question for all but the most foolish. The Aggron was monstrously well built. Large arms, a broad chest, steel plating covering his body with no cracks or weak points: If someone were to say he crushes boulders his size just for fun, George could believe it. And the Gardevoir… she spoke with a calm tact, the kind that seemed perfectly calculated to get anyone she spoke to on her side. The kind that hid a strength unlike any other, as the Heracross from earlier could affirm. George sensed it. She had immense power inside of her.

But their stature was one thing. Far more unsettling was the way they gazed upon him. The little Oshawott with no real strength. No defining worth. A zero. Wouldn’t they be far more interested in Blitzer? His fire burned brighter than ever, his stance was never stronger than now, and his gaze oozed determination on all sides. Yet they ignored him. Like he wasn’t even there.

“Before we have to get going, allow me to say one thing. Something that I have wanted to say for a long time… It’s a pleasure to meet you, Othersider George.”

A chill passed through George’s body. ‘They know my name?!’

“W-wait! Y-you know George?!” Blitzer’s jaw hung open. Upon hearing this, the Aggron roared his way into a hearty laugh, smacking himself on the belly with his large iron claws.

“Hah, ‘course we do. We know yer name too, lad. I knew we’d have to fill ya in on a lot, but Furrets on a stick, we’ll have to explain from dusk ‘till dawn by the sound of it. But we’ll get to that some other time. Let’s get outta here.”

“No we’re not!” Blitzer suddenly lashed out; smoke was pouring out his nostrils, and the flame at the tip of his tail was sparking up heavily. “We’re going back home, George!”

“No you’re not,” the Aggron retorted.

“Yes we are! I’m not going anywhere! My parents are still there! What about our friends? What about the other villagers?! I’ve known them my whole life, I can’t just leave them there to fend for themselves!”

The Gardevoir shook her head; there was a souring in the atmosphere as she did. George felt a wave of sadness pass through him. For a moment, he knew how she felt, as if they were one in the same. And it wasn’t pretty.

“Young one, it’s too late for that. The Soldiers have taken control there. They cannot have held out this long, not on their own-”

“No, NO!” Blitzer screamed back, “Don’t say that! My mom and dad, they’re… they’re stronger than that! They’re the strongest Pokemon I know!” A tuft of fire spat forth from his jaws, hitting the ground near the Gardevoir’s dress. Blitzer was fuming, preparing to spit more, when he was seized by the arm, lifted from the ground, and pressed against a tree.

“Let it slide, ye…” the Aggron growled, “There is no chance, no chance whatsoever, not even Arceus’ wildest damn dreams they made it out. At best, they’re tied up, thrown onto a cart, and on their way to a prison somewhere. They let ya run for a reason, kiddo. The time for revenge ain’t now, ya hear?”

Blitzer’s breathing grew ragged, and dry. He was gasping for it, kicking his legs around wildly. “No…” he uttered, his voice quiet and shaky as the Aggron held him by the shoulders, the bark of the tree pressing into his back. “They can’t be…”

“Don’t even bother arguing this, kid, they’re gone. End of story. And ya can either run after them and get sent to a dark and lonely prison cell for the remainder of yer days, or ya can come with us.”

The strength and bravery Blitzer had shown earlier crumbled away like dust. Tears welled up in his eyes. George looked away. It made sense that their run from the village was a one way trip. With the amount of Soldiers coming their way, there wasn’t the faintest chance they could simply return as if nothing happened. He’d heard the stories, he’d seen the true nature of the Soldiers first hand when they took Greenfield’s food and tore down half the shop. There was no going back. Yet the tears started flowing from his eyes as well.

“Mom, dad…”

In the end, everything they once knew had been turned upside down, then savagely beaten. Nero, Nera, Speedy and Junior, Corst and Sweitelle, even Lance and that creepy bartender, the village: All gone at the drop of a hat, locked away behind chains. George had only seen it for just over a month, yet it felt as if he’d been here for years. And as for Blitzer, his whole world was gone. Nearly all of his memories were from here. This one village and its residents. Just when everything seemed to be going swimmingly, he lost it all.

The Aggron loosened his grip. “I know. This ain’t easy. We all have stories like these. That is how life under her is. Only a matter of time before everything goes to crap.”

The Gardevoir walked up beside the dinosaurian Pokemon, placing one of her hands on his back. “Skal, tone it down a little. You’re not making this any easier on him.”

The Aggron grumbled out a sigh, and put Blitzer down on the ground. The Charmeleon crumbled onto his feet immediately.

‘Skal?’ George thought to himself as he wiped the tears out of his eyes, ‘I, I know that name.’

“Fine by me, Terez,” Skal said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Who am I to say no to him now?”

‘Terez? I’ve heard that name before, too…’

Terez reached out to the Charmeleon, a faint blue glow present in her eyes. The tension in the air vanished a little. Blitzer raised his head and met her eye to eye, his vision obscured by the water staining his eyes. Terez placed a hand on the side of his head; her eyes glowing a stronger blue. The sad atmosphere seemed to fade away; she wiped the tears out of Blitzer’s eyes with her other hand.

“Hey… we’re here for you. We’ll find a way to set things right, okay?”

Terez briefly looked over her shoulder towards Skal, who gave an affirming nod back after she’d already turned back to the Charmeleon. “What is going to happen to them now?” Blitzer weakly uttered. Terez shook her head.

“We don’t know. We can only begin to imagine. Whatever it is, we can’t linger on it now. But we will save them one day, Blitzer, I promise.” The Gardevoir glanced over her shoulder. “It’s only a matter of time before the other Soldiers will find us here. We will have to move on, and fast.”

“Well, what are we waitin’ for then?” Skal drummed a claw on one of his armored shoulders, his foot impatiently shifting in the dirt. Blitzer got back up, gritting his teeth in a discomforting manner.

“How can we trust you? We haven’t even met before, and now you want to take us to Arceus knows where. Who’s to say you’re not Soldiers, too?”

Skal roared his way into a loud, mocking laugh. “Come on now, kiddo. We’re as far from Soldiers as you can get in Eravate! We’re with the Alliance.”

“The Alliance?” George asked. The name was familiar. Painfully so.

“We will tell you more later. For now, dust those scarves of yours, because we will be walking for a while.”

Unsure of what was going to become of them, George and Blitzer agreed to follow the two black scarves for the foreseeable future. They weren’t happy about it, but they didn’t have a choice. With the sheer amount of Soldiers infesting Greenfield at this time, and the vigour with which said soldiers were trying to capture them, returning would be foolish. For now, they’d stick by these two strangers, at least until the coast was clear enough to return. That was the plan, anyhow.

They made their way through the forest, following the way the Aggron and the Gardevoir had originally come from through a mushroom-filled thicket. Aside from the dampness in the air, it was perfect to take a stroll through. Were it any ordinary day, Blitzer might’ve taken George here to enjoy the tranquillity. There was no time to enjoy any of the scenery now; Skal and Terez moved fast, pushing their way past bushes and swiping foliage out of the way with little regard for the environment.

“Hold on for a sec. Got me an idea here.”

Skal waited until the two had caught up, then stomped his way up to a particularly large tree just beside the thin trail. He placed his claw against the trunk and pressed against it lightly, to little avail. Then, he reeled back, and lurched forward like a battering ram. The tree split at the base with an enormous cracking sound. Right afterward, Terez raised a hand into the air. Her eyes turned blue as a few flashes engulfed the area for brief moments.

George and Blitzer shielded their eyes, then were greeted by sight of an overgrowth as the flash faded: The fallen tree had been covered with vines and thick foliage, as had the area just off the trail. George narrowed his eyes; the newly created foliage appeared to be a little transparent. The path leading through the tree could still be seen.

“There. That ought to slow them down for a while,” Terez said.

“Damn straight,” Skal added.

“D-did that just happen?” Blitzer said as they got moving, his eyes wide with surprise. Skal grinned at him.

“Yeh. Ye just saw it happen, didn’t ya.”

“I guess I did. You two must have been doing this for a while,” Blitzer said, nervously scratching himself on the back of the head.

“Ya sure got that right, kiddo. No one steps up to me so easily. The ones that do live to regret it, if they end up livin’ at all,” Skal said with a smug grin.

Blitzer visibly shivered in response. George wasn’t feeling much better about it, either. The heavy tone of his voice and the demonstration spoke for themselves. If he were a Soldier, then they had just slid down a hole they wouldn’t be able to dig themselves out of. Blitzer slowed his pace down to get next to George, who felt some comfort at his nearby presence. They traded a small glance for a moment. At least they still had each other.

“Skal, tone it down a little. I know you’re as proud as can be, but we don’t want to scare the Othersider, do we,” Terez stated. The last part sounded more like an order than a question.

“Blah, you’re one to talk, miss psycho powers. Like you didn’t just fling one across the continent,” Skal retorted. Terez shook her head.

“That was out of necessity. I am not one to brag about my talents. I simply use them when necessary. Such as the illusion I just put down.”

“Illusion?” Blitzer tilted his head. Beside him, George thumbed his nose in a disinterested manner.

‘Well yeah, it is an illusion. Why else can I see through it?.’

Terez nodded contently. “Indeed, an illusion. I am capable of conjuring up an image that looks very realistic to an unsuspecting eye. No one will suspect a thing, unless they investigate it for themselves. It is incredibly useful in situations like these, where we don’t want anyone following our scent. But it takes a lot of concentration to pull off properly. Only someone whose psychic sensitivity is that strong could understand and create illusions of their own.”

“Wow…” Blitzer’s tail tip twitched back and forth heavily. “I’ve never even heard of that kind of power before.”

Terez nodded along, her arms folded over each other in a calm manner “As I have said, it is a difficult art. Even the gifted would require years of practice to hone it properly.” She raised her head to let the sun shine up to her eyes. “But the results are worth it. Any pursuing Soldier should be held up for a while.”

“Are you sure about that?” George suddenly piped up.

“Hm? What do you mean, Othersider?” Terez asked in an innocent manner.

“Well, uh, I don’t know if the illusion is that effective. I could see through it.”

“...What?” Skal blurted out; a chill ran down George’s spine, overpowering the warmth of Blitzer’s flame. That Aggron was going to take a long time to get used to.

“Could you repeat that, Othersider?”

George swallowed a glob of saliva that had accumulated in his mouth. “Well, what I mean is, the other side of the trail was still spottable. It wasn’t easy, but I know what I saw, alright. It’s kind of like smog from factor- mist, I mean.” ‘Of all the times to blow my cover, not now!’

Terez’ eyes fell upon Blitzer. “Charmeleon Blitzer, yes? Did you see the same?”

Blitzer shook his head. “Nothing of the sort.”

“Interesting.”

“Is something wrong?” George asked. Terez lifted her feet off the ground, turning and floating backwards momentarily just to hold a hand in front of her chest.

“Not at all, Othersider. Carry on.”

George bit his cheek.

They cut their way through the woods for at least another hour, stopping on occasion only to lay down more obstacles on the path they had travelled. Eventually, they stumbled upon a dirt road in the middle of the forest, worn from the feet of all the Pokemon that had used it over the years. Their footsteps blended in with the others, and so they continued.

The road snaked on through the forests, eventually arriving at a short plain before climbing uphill. There were a handful of villages flanking the sides, each a mishmash of variously shaped buildings that looked as if they had simply risen from the ground one day. Each and every single one was bypassed. It was too risky to stop at one, and no empty stomach or tired limb would change that. Then again, with how similar the villages were to Greenfield, moving along might have been the better option.

Little besides warnings about the terrain or potential movement nearby was said to them as they made their way down the road. Blitzer’s attempts to get more information out of the two black-collared Pokemon went nowhere. Either Terez told him to be patient, or Skal threatened him with a foot in his groin - nothing more was said.

As time and villages passed, and questions continued to go unanswered, George and Blitzer grew evermore nervous. Blitzer kept his tail close by, walking like a scaredy Charmander looking for its mother, while George couldn’t keep his eyes steady on the road ahead, continuously fidgeting with the scarf wrapped around his neck.

All the while, Skal and Terez were sticking together up ahead, cracking jokes with each other as if nothing was wrong. At least, it sounded like joking, if their combined laughter was anything to go by. They seemed oblivious to the situation. As if George and Blitzer didn’t just have to leave their home behind.

It wasn’t until nightfall several hours later that some sort of reprieve finally found its way onto the horizon. The windrush of Skal’s tail making a wild lash filled the air; the Aggron’s shape reached out to a nearby hill beside the road with a single claw.

“Right, we’re stoppin’. That cache should be nearby, right?”

“Of course, I do not forget these things,” Terez said, lifting her dress slightly. “Othersider, Blitzer, come. We’ve got much to fill you in on.”

The Aggron had taken the initiative himself, and was already stomping his way up to the top. The Gardevoir breathed in deep, then followed in her companions footsteps. George felt a jitter in his feet; next to him, Blitzer stood holding out his tail. Their eyes met, and both shook their heads, before putting their feet forward as well.