“Ah… you have finally returned, George.”

The darkness of the night gave way to a clear sky. George worked his way to his feet, once again finding himself in the vast clouds of his dreams. It had been some time since he’d last been here, but he remembered it well. Indeed, when pressing his feet into the surface of the clouds, his feet sprung right back; whatever voice had called him here didn’t want him to leave.

‘It’s you again, isn’t it?’

“Indeed it is. I am who you think I am.”

‘You’ve never told me who you are.’

“Correct. And it will not be necessary…for now. What matters is your immediate situation, George.”

‘Wait, no, what about you? Who are you? How can I even trust you when-.’

“Take my word for it, George. You are not in a good position at this time. The Crest and its Soldiers are closing in on you as we speak, similar to the ones who have haunted you in the past.”

‘The other residents…?’

“Correct again. But this time, the consequences will be worse… much worse. You must have faith in me. I want nothing more than to see you thrive. You were brought here for a reason, after all.”

‘Hngh…’

George had nothing to respond with - not even a half baked thought. The voice’s knowledge on the situation was slightly reassuring, however. At least it seemed to care.

“Trust is difficult. I fully understand your doubts, but listen to me carefully. Eravate’s future is fragile, and easily shattered. Follow the two who have taken you under their wing. They and they alone are your only way to safety at this time.”

‘They don’t have wings, though. They’re awfully suspicious to me as well, I’ve never met them before, and here they come up to me telling me that I’m important for… whatever reason. Just because I’m not from here. Oh, they already know my name and my friend’s name too, somehow.’

“They have been monitoring your presence in this world for a while now, George. Remember, you are an Othersider. You are technically not supposed to be here, and yet here you are. You were brought here for a very important reason, and they know it well. Eravate’s future depends on you. And your future depends on them.”

‘But why? Why do they-’

“They want nothing more than to see their homeland thrive free, George. Believe me, they mean the very best for you and your newfound friend. You may choose not to follow them, but it will not end well. The Soldiers will not treat you with the same kindness those two have shown you, and will continue to show you.”

‘Yes, I understand that, but-’

“Follow them. That is all the advice I can offer at this time. Our time runs short. It takes much out of me to speak with you in my weakened state.”

‘But there’s so much I don’t know yet! How can I-’

“Easy now, George. The answers to those questions will come in due time. For now, follow what you know deep down. Your friend depends on you more than any other right now. His and your safety is paramount at this time, George… do not forget it.”

With those parting words, the voice fell silent once more. An exhale from above sent the blue skies and clouds back into the darkness, leaving George with many unanswered questions running through his head. Far, far too many questions, none of which he was going to find the answer to anytime soon.

Frustrated, he took his scalchop from his chest, and tossed it into the darkness with a yell.

* * *

The night did little to heal the wounds of the previous day. It was a struggle to get Blitzer off his bed without him breaking into tears. He’d been having bad dreams, and wouldn’t elaborate on them. George had no trouble guessing, however. When all of someone’s dreams had been shattered, nightmares were all that was left over.

Blitzer didn’t want to eat. No appetite. Even when Orans were being held up right in front of his face, he didn’t want them. Too tired, he said. A dreary churring sound came out of his throat. It sounded demoralised, like he had given up altogether. His body language was lethargic, as were his responses.

Nevertheless, they had to move on. It took a promise from Terez that Nero and Nera were still saveable to get him to move. Even then, when they hit the road, Blitzer dragged his feet behind the rest of the group. Skal threatened to sling him over his shoulder if he didn’t hurry. So Blitzer bit his tongue, and sped up just enough to keep up with George, who had his own questions to ask.

“Hey…”

George looked beside him with a frown. “Hey, are you okay?”

“No,” Blitzer whimpered, “I just want to go home…”

George's frown grew deeper. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

“I don’t get it anymore. Why is all of this happening to us? What did we ever do wrong? What did my parents ever do wrong? I should’ve… I should’ve stayed behind with them, they might’ve had a chance then…” Blitzer said with a sniff. George grabbed him by the hand.

“Hey, don’t be so harsh on yourself. This is what they wanted, right? They told us to run.”

Blitzer shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t… they told me we’d stick together forever if it came to this… Why did she tell us to run? She shouldn’t have, we promised-”

George tugged on his hand. “Because they probably knew better. That we’d have no chance to make it out if we all stayed behind.”

“That’s not true…” Blitzer whimpered. “I refuse to believe it, we would have found a way.”

George shook his head. “Had we all stayed and fought, they would’ve surrounded us. You saw how many of them there were, right? They would’ve thrown themselves against us until we’d give up, there was no way we would’ve outlasted them all. And if we had all run, they would’ve caught up with us eventually. One was almost enough if not for you evolving, and… those two.” He looked towards the black scarved Aggron with an uneasy gaze.

They silently followed the trail Skal and Terez were laying out for them, accompanied by the wavering wind, and the smell of cut grass. Blitzer wiped the tears out of his eyes again and again, like a beaver trying to dam in a raging river, while George held his head low, his tail dragging over the ground as he walked. The roads were not being kind. Any place but home wasn’t kind at this time.

But what home was there? A vague one the black scarves promised, which in all likelihood wasn’t a suitable replacement. They were just ragtag rebels. Powerful ones, but ragtag regardless. They wouldn’t be well off no matter how hospitable they and their partners in crime could be.

An unwell feeling stirred deep inside of George. He could try to comfort Bitzer all he liked, but in reality, he was in no position to give. The voice in the dream may have told him to be strong, but he wasn’t. He was just an undeveloped fourteen year old that couldn’t handle that headmistress nor the others he lived with. Couldn’t handle them, even though he was on equal footing.

What chance did he have now? In a world full of creatures capable of moving waters, he knew little besides spitting some water. Yet the world was being asked of him. He couldn’t help himself, let alone others. And the fact that Blitzer was no better off now spoke for itself. He squeezed his eyes shut, and leaned against the Charmeleon’s arm.

That’s just who he was.

“George…?”

He looked up and met Blitzer’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.”

“I’ve tried, I can’t make this any easier. I’m-”

“If… If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve given up already.”

George’s ears poked up. “Do you mean that?”

Blitzer nodded. “You’re all I have left now, George. Please don’t end up like me, okay?” he said with a sniff.

George bit his lip, as Blitzer’s long arms spread around his back and lifted him from the ground. He returned the favour as quick as he could, his head leaning against Blitzer’s. It felt relieving. What a shame it took this long to get to this point.

All the while, Skal and Terez marched onwards, occasionally glancing back to make sure the two were following. Their moment of calm and respite didn’t last long. The two black scarves made clear with their eyes alone that now was not the time for respite.

* * *

The trek continued past thickets and villages, over hills and through thorns. They didn’t stop for much: For wild berries to stave the hunger, the occasional stream to quell thirst and rest their legs. That was about it. No amount of complaints changed this. Skal and Terez were determined to get to the sanctuary as fast as possible. It was necessary, so they said.

It was late in the afternoon when Skal finally stopped for a breather. From the aching in his feet, George could tell they had made quite the distance. He was more than ready for a reprieve, but that wouldn’t come for many more moons.

“Right. Here we are, gotta see here real quick.”

Skal walked up to a signpost at the edge of the crossing. He drummed on the hands of the post with his claws, eye darting back and forth over the boards while the trees behind shook from the wind passing through. It was warmer here than in Greenfield. If not for the wind, the sun would’ve been a nuisance.

All the while, Terez’s gaze was drawn to the sky, as she carefully paced her way from one side of the crossroads to another.

“What’s wrong?” Blitzer asked. Terez’s routine was interrupted; she raised her hand towards him.

“Nothing much, Blitzer. We need to discuss what route we’re taking. This won’t be long, do not worry.”

“Ya heard her, gotta have a team meetin’ here. That includes both of ya, by the way. Yer as much a part of this as we,” Skal said with a nod. His horns shone in the sun’s light.

George thumbed his nose. “That’s the first time you’ve ever said something like that.”

“‘Cause out here sucks for talkin’. But we got some time now, and this is important enough, alright.” Skal bared half of his teeth in an odd manner: He only showed half, and kept his head at an angle. George reached for his scalchop.

‘Maybe I spoke too soon.’

Skal cleared his throat. “Right, here’s the deal. We’ve gotta decide what route we’re pickin to get to base. Got two options. One is to go northwards, so to our left here. That’ll mean goin’ through populated areas, which means no worryin’ about food. ‘Course, Crest Soldiers plenty there, so we’ll have to be careful. Otherwise, we’ll be goin’ out east, through Kronn province.”

“Kronn province?” George inquired.

“Never heard of it before?” Skal asked. His eyes then widened from what seemed like a sudden realisation. That, or Terez getting in between him and George.

“Of course he wouldn’t know, he is the Othersider, you chippy idiot.”

“Hahah… that’s right.” Skal turned away towards the neighbouring trees with a sway of his tail, which landed back on the path with an audible crunch. George folded his arms over his scalchop.

“Well, what’s so different about this Kronn province, then? Is there any reason why we should take it over the other path?”

Terez gave George a nod deep enough to seem like a bow. “Most certainly. The Kronn is the quickest route available to us. It is a sparsely populated land of sand, rock and gravel. There is little vegetation there, quite a contrast from what you must be accustomed to by now.”

George bit his lip. “That-”

“That sounds alright, actually!” Blitzer said, his tail twitching back and forth. Skal then growled in approval at Blitzer, then laughed. George raised a brow at him, his tail smacking the ground.

‘Well, don’t mind me here, damn.’

Terez clasped her hands together. “Indeed, for a Pokemon such as you, the climate of the Kronn is most suitable. And I have more than enough anecdotes to tell you how much Skal feels in his element there, but that is of little importance,” she said. Skal stood behind her, jokingly shaking his head.

“Sounds like a plan then!” Blitzer shouted.

“Wait, no. There’s bound to be downsides there as well, right?” George asked. The idea of travelling through a land of rock and sand made a parched sensation cross through his body.

“And I was getting to that,” Terez responded. “As I said, it is a sparsely populated land, and there are many reasons for this. Most important is that there are few proper opportunities to rest. There are few streams, few villages, and the few people there are not fond of sharing the few resources they have. Furthermore, the skies are open as can be. It will not take long for any pursuing Soldiers to spot us.”

George shook his head. ‘More than enough strikes against that option’, he thought.

Blitzer fidgeted around with his claws, his tail hanging limp on the ground. “I-is that true?” he asked, looking towards all three, George most of all.

“Yah, ain’t a word wrong there,” Skal blurted out as he stomped his way past Terez. “But c’mon now. It ain’t that bad. For one, there ain’t nowhere near as many Soldiers there! Less people, less control. And second, there ain’t many places to rest, but ye can hide yerself there just fine!”

Terez’s facial expression soured. “Skal, you are not seriously considering making the Othersider cross through the Kronn province’s Mystery Dungeons, are you?”

Skal grinned back at her. “C’mon Terrie, ya know me too well.”

Terez sighed. “It’s not Terrie… like it even matters, we cannot go through the Kronn, it is far too dangerous.”

“Um, actually, George and I have gone through a few Mystery Dungeons before,” Blitzer said.

“I can guarantee you they’re nothing compared to the utter misery the Kronn has to offer,” Terez rebuked. She spoke with such a blunt tone that it seemed like she had contempt for anyone who suggested going through the Kronn in the first place. Given that George was the only one she still looked at bright eyes, it wasn’t out of the question.

Blitzer didn’t respond, instead preferring to hold and caress his own tail. Arguing this required a strength he didn’t have right now. A strength Skal very much had, on the other hand.

“Oi, ye and I watched over ‘em ourselves, right? Ye saw it happen yerself with me there right next to ya, for Arceus’ sake! Don’t know about ye, but I know what I saw alright. These two ain’t pushovers when it comes down to it!” Skal shouted so loud that any attempt to get him to shut up went nowhere. It wasn’t angry shouting, either. Rather the kind one would hear from someone who took ‘happy hours’ a bit too literally.

“Sure, Kronn’s tough livin’ on its own, but lemme tell ya, they got us. They can handle it. And if they can’t, well, might as well teach ‘em now, right?”

Terez put her hand out in front of her. “This is not the time to start betting odds, Skal. Leave that to your spare days.”

“Yer sayin’ that like I ain’t ever done it before.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

The Gardevoir turned her back on the Aggron, and shook her head. “You know, sometimes I wonder just how I managed to end up next to you. All the millions of Pokemon in Eravate, you.”

The Aggron then stomped his feet into the dirt with enough force to cause the earth beneath to crack. George and Blitzer, who had tepidly watched on until now, both backed away.

“Ye know… this ain’t exactly my idea of good livin’, Terez. You live, breathe, eat and sleep this thing every damn day, always actin’ all stressed out when things ain’t the way you want it. But lemme tell you somethin’. I wanna have some time to relax. Sometimes, I just wanna beat the distortion outta some ferals or Soldiers without anyone gettin’ in the way over nonsense. Livin’ this sucks. Lemme… no, let us all have some fun, yea? I’d lose my damn mind otherwise.”

Skal leaned over Terez with an intimidating glare. He had more than a third of her height on her, and was making use of it. George searched for Blitzer’s company once again; the feeling was mutual.

Terez wasn’t impressed. “This is no time for fun and games, Skal. You’re an adult, not an Aron fresh out of the egg. You know full well what is at stake here.”

“Yeh. I do. Ye don’t.”

And so the two bickered among themselves for a little while, jabbing and prodding at each other. First with words, then they escalated it with mild attacks: Terez prodded at Skal with slight psychic pushes that only made the Aggron sway around a little, and Skal sent vibrations through the ground under Terez’ feet, which she brushed off like the spring breeze.

George frowned as they kept going at it. Somehow he just knew that neither of them had any interest in deescalating: No need to study their body language or what verbal dreck they were spewing, he just knew on instinct. At the rate they were going, they wouldn’t even notice something was amiss, not when their faces were inches away from each other. They looked like criminals arguing in a back alley.

After a minute, George finally had enough. He stomped like Skal had a moment earlier several times. Neither of the black scarves noticed; his stubby feet wouldn’t leave a mark on a pebble. He groaned, shook his head, and breathed in deep.

‘No other way of fixing this, not my fault!’

“George, no! Don’t!”

Blitzer tried pulling him out of the way, but to no avail. George spat a jet of water out of his mouth, spraying both black scarves soaking wet in the process. That got their attention, alright.

“Aargh! You little!” Skal blocked the beam with an arm; the hiss of his breath sounded over the water splashing all over his body.

“O-othersider, what the actual-” Terez stumbled over her own words. She had been taken by total surprise and jumped into action: Her eyes took on the telltale blue glow. George felt a force trying to snap his jaw shut. He gritted his teeth and fought against it. Easier said and done: the force was immensely straining for the second that it lasted before wavering.

“My- what was that for?!”

“Why are you two fighting over this?” George shouted. Skal had taken a stomp forward, but stopped now. Terez stared uncomfortably at him, holding onto one of her arms as if nursing a wound. It was quiet in the forest. No birds sang, no insects chittered, no critters skittered.

“Does this really matter?! I don’t care how we get to safety, as long as we get there, okay? Left or forward, they both get there, you said so, who cares whichever road is best, just pick one and let’s get out of here, alright?”

George panted. Skal and Terez looked each other straight in the eye as if they’d both just woken up from a loud scream.

A loud growl suddenly crept into everyone’s ears. George was caught off guard: He turned to see the Charmeleon with his back turned, staring at the left hand path with his tail flared and claws spread. George’s hand instinctively went to his scalchop.

“I- no, you’re right. We need to pick.”

“Yeh, and fast…! Damnit, look!”

“They’re coming!” Blitzer snarled.

In the distance of the left hand path, a group of five Pokemon came marching. They had cleared a hill in the distance. Each had a green scarf: One stuck their claw out and yelled something out to the group. Suddenly the five of them took off with a roar, sending sparks and dirt flying across their surroundings

Skal wasted no time raising one foot, then bringing it down with a loud heave, much like an axe upon the chopping block. The path cracked and split open; none of the five let themselves be halted by that alone, continuing their roaring onslaught over the ruined earth.

Terez went in after, sending a wave of sonar pulses from her arm rushing towards the five, who scattered to dodge the attack: Some were hit, others ended up tripping over the large crack, falling face first into the ground with sharp growls. “Hurry, hurry!” she shouted.

George’s hand shook. The Soldiers in the distance were already recovering, even as Skal launched earth over a wide range with his feet. He and his scalchop stood little chance, and he wasn’t going to stick around to find out what would happen, but Blitzer wouldn’t budge. He was heaving, growling, holding his claws besides him, spoiling for a fight. George’s ears went flat upon hearing Terez call for them both to flee. He couldn’t leave Blitzer here to die.

“Blitzer, Blitzer it’s not worth it-”

“BACK OFF!” the Charmeleon snarled. George froze in an instant; for a brief second, Blitzer glared at him with hatred blazing in his eyes. It was as if he wanted to tear George apart, and was on the verge of following through. George’s tail fell onto the ground as he backed away, heart racing.

It was then that Skal ceased his attacks. “Oi, what are ye…”

Blitzer shot a glare at him as well, his sharp teeth laid bare. Skal immediately grabbed Blitzer by the chest; the anger melted off his face like ice in the desert as he was slung over one of Skal’s shoulder spikes.

“Hey- aaaah! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!” Blitzer shouted, thrashing about with his arms in Skal’s iron grip.

“Shut up, we’re goin!” Skal growled back at him, before stomping off.

George suddenly jolted forward with a burst of speed; it was like he was being pushed forward. Further up the road to the Kronn, Terez stood channelling a blue glow in her eyes, her hair whipping about as if caught in a storm. Their choice had been made for them. As they all made their getaway, George and Blitzer’s gazes met: Both were filled with regret.