The groves thickened with each step forward. Ferns covered the ground, with nettles dotting the green landscape wherever the sunlight broke through the leaves above. Many slid past George’s fur, but alas he wasn’t always so lucky. Some broke through, leaving their energy sapping rash in their wake.

Nettle rash meant nothing compared to what they were running from. George gritted his teeth as he ran after Blitzer’s flaming tail. A storm of thoughts and worries razed his mind. Where were they going now? How would anyone find their way through here without getting lost, even Skal and Terez who had done this for years? How far behind was that beast, and what did they have to do in order to lose her? Were Terez’ illusions strong enough to throw her off the scent? Could she even track their scent at all?

Given the strong scent of nature, the last didn’t seem as likely. From muddy mushrooms to fruits hanging from trees, the vines hanging off tree branches and the ferns with their bright green glow, everything omitted a damp odour, as if someone had treated the forest like their own garden. The ground felt a little soggy as well. George stuck his tongue out. The humidity in the air was palpable. It had to have rained recently.

Was that enough to save them? George didn’t know, especially not with Blitzer’s tail dangling around as the lone exception. That smokey scent was still unmistakable..So onwards they went without catching their breath. Past foliage, past rows of vines, past saplings and over fallen trees. Were there ferals nearby? Probably. They weren’t keen on showing themselves, but they had to be around.

The terrain sloped upwards. They were climbing a mountain without a path. Usually that was a surefire road to pain and suffering. Memories of the time he got lost in a city park were fresh as the surrounding vegetation in George’s mind. Guided or not, it didn’t make a difference. The sour taste in his mouth wasn’t making him confident.

But what did give him confident was the Aggron barrelling through anything in his way. Despite limping along, nothing was stopping him, no dead tree or rock or steep incline. That determination was beyond admirable. He really was a titan. An unstoppable force when let loose. Even after being beat to smithereens, he pushed on. George punched himself in the chest to keep his adrenaline pumping.

‘He hasn’t given up. Neither will I!’

The run went on, nettle rash and risk of getting lost be damned. Ears shot up at the sound of rushing water in the distance. George’s curiosity grew with the volume. Was there a river coming up? How would they cross it? He wasn’t strong enough to cross rivers alone. Let alone help any of the big lugs behind him.

It wasn’t long before he found himself staring right at the stream. It reached up to George’s scalchop, no further. Skal was already crossing, Blitzer dipped his feet in but didn’t move; he was holding tighter onto his tail than ever. George rushed right in, pushing through the water. Halfway across, an argument started behind him.

“Go. Now!”

“I can’t! The water’s going to throw me-”

“You see the Othersider! He’s half your size and getting through fine! Go already!”

Terez’ voice was shrill, almost ghostly. “Give me some time,” Blitzer responded. And Terez decided the argument ended right there and then. As George stepped over the rocks on the other side of the stream, Blitzer and Terez suddenly levitated right past, Blitzer looking like he was halfway through tripping the whole way across.

“Aah!” Blitzer went face first into the gravel shore upon being put down.

“There. Now let’s move!”

So their trek continued. Blitzer wasn’t keen on a repeat, as he crossed the next stream in their path by himself. It wasn’t as deep, yet he was hissing halfway through anyhow. George clicked his tongue. It was a good thing he could keep his frustrations under control when it counted.

For what felt like an hour, they continued pushing ever deeper into the forests of Drasal. There were more hills to go over, rivers to cross, and clear Pokemon made tunnels to pass through. Tunnels kept upright by wooden beams strengthening the mossy ceiling. On top of that, there were paths through the vegetation nature couldn’t have formed alone, either. They were somewhat muddy from a good amount of pawprints. A sign they were approaching something resembling civilisation.

The ferals who made Drasal their home had caught on to their presence. Some attacked, or blocked tunnels. Bugs, grasslings, groundlings or the dark attuned. Skal and Blitzer took care of most, and George and Terez watched their flanks and sixth. George also set out any fires Blitzer started with quick sprays of water.

‘No wonder half of Greenfield was so paranoid about him. Could set half the jungle on fire by accident.’

At long last, Skal and Terez stopped at a hollowed out tree stump, which stood all by itself in a clearing surrounded by mist. George and Blitzer eyed from the moment they saw it. The top had been torn off violently, and the few branches that remained were twisted and decayed. It was a sad, lonely sight. Haunted, one could say. As if the hollow interior was inviting them to come in and stay for a while. Forever, even..

“Here we are,” Terez said as she approached the stump. “This is our sanctuary, Othersider. It’s been a long ten days, but we’ve arrived at last.”

George shot a glance at the entrance one more time, bit his lip, then looked at his feet. All the walking and running had worn on him, yet turning around and going somewhere that wasn’t here spoke for itself.

“...What am I supposed to be looking at? There’s nothing here, except this creepy old tree.”

Terez nodded towards the Oshawott. “That’s what it seems to the naked eye. But the inside bears a secret. Come.”

“I don’t know about this either,” Blitzer then said, holding his tail out in front of him. “This looks like a place a ghost would drag you to the underworld from.”

Skal laughed at the Charmeleon’s words. “‘Tis the entrance to the base, kids. No biggie. Real rude to say that ‘bout ghosts, ya know. There ain’t many, but they ain’t bad people! We got some on our side, even! Show some respect to yer elders.”

The Aggron clutched his shoulder as he stumbled his way into the tree. “Ah, damnit… Patrina’s lil’ servant got me bad.”

Terez stepped in right after him. “Well? Come on in. We’re seconds removed from safety.”

Blitzer and George looked each other in the eye. Neither was psyched to follow, even with both black scarves’ reassurances. George had other worries on top of the eeriness, however. They had escaped that Garchomp’s talons by no more than a hair. Being safe meant more than getting away one time.

“What if we were followed?” George asked. Terez pointed a finger between his Oshawott ears; George predicted, then felt a psychic smack on the back of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“We’re in the clear, George..”

The Gardevoir’s arms were folded. Her hands looked as if they were trying to pull the other arm off. “Had she followed, I would have known. She hasn’t. And she couldn’t have. Let’s go,” she spoke. Her tone was stern; this wasn’t a request.

“Y-yeah. Let’s go.”

The two weaselled their way into the tree. George kept a straight face as he stepped in, holding his head high for whatever was about to happen. In truth, it was all smoke and mirrors, as his jittery legs confirmed. He had no response for any danger lurking ahead..

Terez gently brushed her leg past George’s side, much to his shock and annoyance; “Calm yourself. This is when you should be relieved, not terrified.”

George bit his lip. ‘Sure I am. Spooky tree in the middle of nowhere, what could go wrong?’

“And that goes double for you, mister.”

“M-me?” answered Blitzer.

“Yes, you,” said Terez. “You look ready to bolt as well. Calm yourself.”

“Alright…”

For a second that lasted far too long, nothing but Blitzer’s tail flame made any noise. In a way, the unease by which it crackled was comforting for George, if only because it meant he wasn’t alone in his suspicion. Of course, that wouldn’t get them out of the weeds. Skal and Terez led the way. They were staying here, end of story.

When the second ended, the outside world vanished. Everything past the tree stump just disappeared into a nondescript void, even the ground. A void that spread into the bark, then the dirt under their feet. There was no chance to ask what was happening before something tugged on George’s legs. He gasped. He was falling, no, being pulled downwards. A hollow, howling wind blew past, the kind that blew in barren wastelands.

George’s gaze shot over his shoulder. First he saw Blitzer doing the same, then Terez and Skal staring ahead, bored like they were waiting on an elevator. George had the nagging to ask a question or twelve, but the answers were guessable. If anything, those elevator eyes were the correct response. It was kind of like they were standing in one, except with invisible hands pulling on their legs instead of a platform.

Half a minute later, the void lifted like a mist as candlelight shone through, revealing a room that resembled a mineshaft; thick wooden beams with no rivets held up the rocky ceiling looming overhead. A black carpet covered the ground, leading to a wide metal door on the other end of the room, guarded by a black cloaked Lurantis and two small candles, the waxy, lemony scent of which had well seeped into the air.

“Don’t need to ask. Protocol’s protocol though. Password?” the Lurantis chittered, flicking back his cloak with one of his scythe arms.

“Bloodshot,” Terez answered. A nod came back.

“And you too, big guy.”

“Bloodshot!” Skal happily grumbled back. The Lurantis chittered out a laugh.

“Yep. Knew it. Skal and Terez not knowing the password, that’s a good one.”

“Damn straight Len, haha!” Skal lumbered his way forward, his tail swaying wildly past a frightened Blitzer as he went on to lean against the door. “We ain’t ever gettin’ fooled by some silly password. Me and Terez are too smart for that!”

“Wonder how well it’ll go if you’re on your own,” Terez softly mused.

“GAHAHAHA!” Skal roared into a belly laugh, complete with complementary pats on said rocky belly. “C’mon, Terri! You gotta give me at least some credit, right? I knew where to find these two myself!”

The Gardevoir rolled her eyes. “First off, I’ve told you to stop calling me Terri a million times now. Second, let’s just say your brawn is a lot more advanced than your brains are, yes?”

Skal’s response to this latest jab was yet another laugh. A softer one than the previous, but a content one nevertheless. “Never gets old,” he said. His spirit was an indomitable one. Nothing ever truly bested him. No jokes, no ribbings, not even the limp he still walked with.

“So, this is it? Behind that door is where the base is, isn’t it?” Blitzer asked, looking longingly ahead.

“But of course. No other reason for them to take you here,” the Lurantis replied, leaning against the wall while sharpening his scythes. “Good chance you’ll be seeing me often. If you plan on signing up, that is. Terez said it, but I’ll repeat. My name is Len. Lurantis Len. My usual post is the teleporters.”

“Was about to ask, why d’ya got front door duty again, eh?” Skal drummed his claws on the door.

Len tugged on his cloak. “Switch up. Previous doorman’s taking a break. Got told to stand here for today.” He paused to hum a note devoid of energy. “It’s cold here.”

“Could say that twice,” George replied, rubbing his arms. “This scarf isn’t helping me much. Why is it so cold here, anyway?”

“We are deep underground now, Othersider,” said Terez. ”The cold is to be expected, unfortunately. It’s a sacrifice that has to be made for safety, and there are plenty of fire breathers staying in this base, anyhow. Ventilation is still a problem-”

“Oh. You’re the Othersider, are you?”

Len shuffled over the carpet towards George. The Lurantis, who was taller than the Oshawott, inspected his features from above with an inquisitive look. George simply stood; no one was doing much to stop him, aside from Blitzer coming over. He was eyeing the Lurantis with the intensity of a parent shielding their kid from a stranger.

“Hm. Fascinating,” Len mused. “Doesn’t quite compose himself as an Oshawott would. Nervous to do so, even.”

“What are you talking about?” Blitzer growled. Len craned his neck sideways.

“Clearly, he is not a Pokemon. Does not know the strength of his species. A blank slate. Open to change. Open to strength beyond his species, even,” Len said in a jolly tone, one that made George fidget with his hands more than he already was. “I feel blessed to see this for myself.”

“We are all blessed, aren’t we?” Terez said with a smile.

“Yes!” Len exclaimed towards the Oshawott. “What is your name, Othersider?”

George wasn’t looking Len in the eyes anymore. “Uhm, it’s George.” ‘Didn’t think it was possible, but this Len makes me feel even less normal.’

“Jor-je?”

“It’s George!” Blitzer stomped his feet; Len didn’t budge.

“Easy now, Charmeleon. Chars already get a bad rap, yes?” Len cleared his throat. Blitzer craned his neck away, grumbling in annoyance. “Well George, glad to have you aboard.”

George tepidly nodded as Len bowed. “Thanks.” ‘I guess.’

Len stepped back to his post at the door. “Now I’ve kept you waiting long enough, haven’t I? Time for you to go inside.”

“Was about to say!” Skal said.

The Lurantis reached into a hole in the wall with one scythe, while keeping the other held against his black cloak. A click sounded. The metal door fell backwards from Skal’s weight leaning against it. The Aggron lurched sideways and caught himself on the carpet.

“Phew! Always fun ‘n games, heheh. Let’s go! Gotta whole base to show ya!”

“Yes!” Blitzer replied full of bravado, while George affirmed far more subdued.

‘Guy goes from almost dying to laughing and joking away like it’s nothing. He got injured, didn’t he? Ran through the woods, now acting the same as usual. Do Pokemon heal that fast?’ The Oshawott knocked himself on the head. ‘What am I thinking, of course they would. How else could they shrug off hunger and being tired so easily for an entire week. Or should I say we. I’m one myself now.’

Blitzer and George went past the door after Skal and Terez had already entered. They were still blocking the path while Len was shutting the door behind them. This being their home, they were out to make a good first impression, in all likelihood.

“Have a g’day, yeah? Speak with you later once my shift is up.”

“See you around,” Terez said as the door clicked back in place. “Well, here we are.”

The two black scarves stepped aside, and George’s eyes widened. Next to him, Blitzer’s mouth fell open from what he saw. Right in front of them was a vast, wide tunnel, some ten meters wide and four meters tall. The walls were covered in steel, sporting a dazzling shine from the many candles shining throughout the tunnel. The floor was a path of wooden boards laid perfectly horizontal from one end to the other, flanked on both sides by dirt and rocks.

And that wasn’t even getting to the great many Pokemon of varying shapes and sizes that were wandering through the space. Small, tall, fat or muscular; insectlike, plantlike, furred or scaled, even the odd aquatic Pokemon floating in a self made bubble: All were united with a black scarf or ribbon much like the ones Skal and Terez wore. That same black banner hung ahead of them from the ceiling, the yellow trident clear to see instead of hidden away in a fold.

“Well? Whaddya think, kids?”

“I don’t believe it…” Blitzer whispered with a soft chirp. “It’s like, it’s like we’re inside Luminity City!”

The Charmeleon stepped into the traffic ahead, amazed like a kid in a candy store. How the tunnel went past his eyesight and bent away. How it got taller in places. The doors in the distance leading to parts yet unexplored.

“Hahahaha! Look at ‘im! He’s havin’ a blast!” Skal chortled, slapping himself on the chest and gently elbowing his partner, who shooed him away with her own elbow.

“You could say that.”

“A blast?! This is amazing! How did you build all of this?” Blitzer excitedly chirped, his tail playfully dancing around. George chuckled seeing the flame flash back and forth. “No, really! I, I’ve never seen so much metal before!”

Skal grinned. “Heheh, well kiddo, when yer down here for many many years, ya’ll do some things to make it nice, y’know? Got plenty of ordinary folks down here who did that for a livin Sure beats havin’ to stick around in the dirt all day!”

“Indeed. Welcome to our humble abode. Hm, it’s not so humble anymore now, is it?” Terez said while fixing her hair up. “You could say we’ve gotten comfortable here.”

“You sure have,” George said as he turned from one side of the space towards the other. It was truly stunning to witness. Ever since he had woken up, all the world had shown him were towns that had jumped straight out of a history textbook. The most advanced technology hadn’t gone further than water pipelines and primitive forms of electricity, the latter only seen in Agate Township’s lighting.

His eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. An entire city made of steel, built deep below the reach of the light. A closer inspection of the ground revealed a small railway track running along the dirt. Nothing bigger than a small trolley could make use of it, but still. This was a world apart. For a moment, it felt like being back in his world. Well, even the air back home wasn’t as cramped. Life underground had its own struggles.

Still, the amazement had a rusty lining to it, one especially noticeable once Terez took George and Blitzer on a tour. There were special habitats for all kinds of Pokemon here, and plenty of food stands on top of that. Food which was so scarce back in Greenfield, and the communes of the Spice Hills. Sure, the Alliance was in no position to provide anyone else, yet it still stung. It didn’t feel right. So much so that George wondered how the Alliance could thrive down here in the first place. You couldn’t create something like this without outside help. Could you?

“...And this right here is the fire habitat. Blitzer will feel right at home here, but we’ll get to it soon enough.” They walked past the cavernous entrance and its twin braziers without a second thought. Given how she and Skal were pushing the other black scarves aside, it was like they were five minutes late for a doctor’s appointment. Blitzer’s gaze went back and forth between the cavern and Terez, his mouth opening a little further each time.

“Why are we going so fast? I want to see it myself if I’m going to be staying there!”

“Because we’ve got more important matters to deal with first,” Terez replied. “Unless you think a meeting with Prince Artanouk himself is a waste of time. Well?”

Blitzer came to a dead halt. “p-Prince Artanouk?!”

George stopped right after with a dumbfounded expression on his face. “Who’s Prince Artanouk?” he said out loud, raising a few eyebrows from passersby.

Blitzer jumped right in front of George. “Y-you don’t know who Artanouk is?!”

“Well uh, no,” George deadpanned. That red lizard’s jumpiness wasn’t so scary anymore.

“‘Course not, he ain’t from this land, remember?” Skal chuckled.

“Oh…” Blitzer sighed. “Yeah, that’s right. How did I forget that?”

“I’ll let the Prince speak for himself when we get there. For now, take comfort in knowing he’s wanted to see you for a long time, George. He’s a man of peace. Don’t worry.”

“I-If you say so,” George stuttered. He didn’t get it. Monarchs always put themselves beyond mere commoners, let alone one thrown aside by his own parents. Rich, uncaring, narcissistic at best, plain cruel at worst. The history textbooks George had to study hadn’t painted a bright picture. It was one thing to read, another to experience.

Answers weren’t far away. They went down the corridor, eventually turning to a spiralling staircase past the trolley tracks on the left. Besides the stairs, there was a windtunnel for the winged, a crawlspace for the bugs, a vat of water stretching far upwards for the fish, and a gutter for the small fry to walk through. Before George stepped into that gutter, Skal picked him up and placed him on his head.

“There ya go, kid. Don’t wanna meet ol’ Art while all panty, right? Hahaha!”

George stuck his tongue in his cheek. ‘Meeting him at all is impossible enough. Old Art, he’s acting like this is an old friend, too. Agh.’

Pinching himself, George watched with bated breath as they passed another floor, and then another, finally coming out at the top of the staircase. Blitzer was breathing rather heavily, still recovering from Drasal’s jungles, by the sound of it. Skal set George back down. They were in a circular room with an enormous metal trident embedded into the floor.

“Right in front of us, kiddo.”

The Aggron pointed George to the metal door ahead. There, two Pokemon wearing black masks stood guard. On the left, an Aegislash with black hilts. On the right, an Alakazham. They both watched on, statuelike, unbudging even as four Pokemon approached.

“Are you ready, Othersider?”

“No.”

“It ain’t a big deal. Just watch.”

The guards opened the doors. George tried staying by Blitzer while entering, who was more than pleased to see him at his side. But a psychic impulse from Terez cut those plans short. George tried to fight it, but no dice. Terez’ strength was unlike anything else. He gave up, and let his feet take him ahead, all alone. The rest stayed by the metal door, going no further than where lights by the door would take them.

Right in front of him, kneeling in front of a table with a single candle on it sat an Empoleon, whispering something in a language George did not understand. George said nothing. George did nothing. He stood and let fate’s hand guide whatever happened next. The black banner with the yellow trident was embedded into the walls on both sides, surrounded by thin layers of black and purple, then a wide cast of gold. Metal beams bearing lights seperated the tridents from one another. George clicked his tongue.

Then, the Empoleon’s eyes creaked open. He took one good look at the Oshawott with the red scarf in front of him, stood up, then smiled.

“Well now. Look at who we have here. It’s an honour to meet you, Othersider George.”