The bunker’s entrance came under a barrage of ghastly flames. George and Blitzer stared at the blasts from the side, both breathing heavily.

“We’re under attack…! What do we-”

“Stick together! We can’t get separated now!” George hissed. “Did you see them?”

“Yeah, I did,” Blitzer planted. ”One’s a Typhlosion, the other’s an Aromatisse. How are we going to…?”

In a panic, he looked around the corner, quickly pulling back with a gasp as another wave of fire came his way.

“Stay calm, we’ve got to stay calm,” George panted back, unable to follow his own advice much to his chagrin. “Don’t split up, we’ll take ‘em one at a time.”

“Okay.” Blitzer gulped. “So how do-”

“AH!”

“Here!! They’re here! Come on around!”

The Aromatisse had snuck up on them from the other side. George’s body was suddenly jerked towards a wall, his scalchop flying right off. A telltale blue glow in the fairy’s eyes said enough: She turned the scalchop back onto George, and sent it flying towards his neck.

Immediately, George reached for his own psychic strength, teeth gritted as he tried swatting the scalchop out of the air with several vines. Blitzer spat out a fireball towards the fairy. She dodged, and Blitzer dodged with her, his fangs blazing red hot. The vines smacked the scalchop down: George directed it his way with his fingers.

Blitzer suddenly growled, and Aromantisse screeched out as his teeth clamped on her head. His tail flaring, the Charmeleon felt the rhythm of the battle, his claws taking on a metal shine as he slashed the fairy with roguish speed. Aromatisse screamed louder, putting all her energy into her next attack. A lunar blast struck Blitzer in the chest. He growled as he flew back towards the wall. Aromatisse was left panting.

Trouble rounded the corner, and George was its first target. The Typhlosion let out a devilish roar, the flames on his back snapping at the air before he charged towards George with blazing speed. George gritted his teeth, channelled water energy into his scalchop, and met Typhlosions paws head on. He struck and struck, fast and with enough force to snap the vines underneath in half. George struggled to hold onto his scalchop.

‘Damnit, damnit!!’

Claw after punch of spectral and fiery energy, each delivered by its own paw. George sparsely had the time to recover from the last before the next came. His grip on his scalchop weakened further. It wouldn’t be long before he was broken through.

“Grr!” ‘Think of something!’

Water bubbled to his mouth just as his hand was thrown aside. His gag reflex kicked in, and George spat a jet of water at the Typhlosion’s chest. He growled, then groaned: Just enough time for George to stumble back, somehow still holding onto the Scalchop. Typhlosion gave chase, struggling over the vines much like George before.

Blitzer and Aromatisse were locked into a duel by now. Aromatisse had learned to dodge the Charmeleon’s strikes, panting and shaking heavily from the onslaught earlier. She kept Blitzer at bay as best she could, but Blitzer was not easily contained. He still scratched her with the tip of his claws, still scorched her with tufts of flame, still kept up the heat with a toothy grin.

“Haah! We don’t die so easily!”

“WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT!” Typhlosion roared. Fire surged from his vents and mouth, and he was prepared to unleash a devastating blast at Blitzer, vines at his feet be damned. The Charmeleon looked back, eyes wide at the inferno being prepared for him.

‘...not on my watch!’

George, seeing the attack reaching its climax, made a desperate move. Noticing his foe’s awkward stance, he channelled water and shot at the Typhlosion’s left foot. Typhlosion was thrown off balance, his foot slipping off the vine. With the grace of a beanbag, he tipped over just as fire erupted from his mouth like a geyser. Unfortunately, his aim was true, and he made his mark.

Just not the mark he had in mind.

“GYAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEE!”

"A-Aromatisse!!"

Typhlosion screamed as his companion fell over. It wasn’t long before shock turned into rage, and that rage now honed in on George, who stood panting. Alas for Typhlosion, he was outnumbered. Blitzer leapt at him with a battle cry, tackling him to the ground and biting him on the arm.

“Get- GET OFF ME! GET OFF!”

“Not in a million years, you ugly bastard! Why are you trying to kill us?!” Blitzer growled in his face. Typhlosion bared his own teeth in defiance.

“Grr! Consider yourself, lucky kid-” The rest of his sentence was a growl, as Blitzer bit him again. George came waddling up with his scalchop in hand, careful to not trip over any vines.

‘I’ll knock some sense into this guy…’

With a gaze that was annoyed more than anything, he got into range, lifted the scalchop over his head, only to find out first hand that he had took victory for granted. The fires surged out of Typhlosion’s vents as he suddenly threw Blitzer off. His eyes were drawn to the first best target in sight. An easy target.

“You… You’re gonna regret ever being born, you traitor!”

A shadow ball emerged in the Typhlosion’s mouth, alongside a horrific screech that pierced George’s ears. In a panic, he struck down the Scalchop. Within the blink of an eye, darkness spread, and an explosion thundered through the bunker.

* * *

The next thing George felt was… the wind. Not the vines, a floor, or the damp and humid air in the bunker. Just the air wavering past with a wintery essence, howling as it went past.

“Nggghhh…”

Try as he might, George couldn’t get up. Upon opening his eyes, the reason why was clear, at the cost of several other questions arising: There was nothing to hold onto. No floor to stand on. No sun that shone, or roof over his head. Nothing to see but a black void… and the Typhlosion from earlier, also struggling to get up.

“Mrrph… you! YOU!!!”

Typhlosion bared his yellowed teeth as he stood up, his body moving as if one with the darkness. George gasped, a chill shooting up his spine as his foot reflexively stepped back. There was nowhere to stand, yet he stood anyway. He was a child lost in a dark forest, all while a predator prepared to descend upon him.

And a predator was precisely what was coming. The darkness harnessed around Typhlosion’s fur, producing a sinking sound that might as well have come from George’s heart. Terrified did the Oshawott look on as an inky black vapour crept out of Typhlosion’s fur, and a purple glow intensified in his eyes. Flames shot from his neck with such violence, that not just George’s flesh alone was on the menu. His soul was as well.

His breaths intensified, George threw his hand into the darkness. Nothing happened. He tried reaching into his body for water, or ice, or anything that would stop the Anomalied Typhlosion’s advance, yet nothing came. All that came was the exhaustion permeating through his limbs. The blast from the shadow ball had taken much out of him, and him alone.

‘N-no… no!!’

He couldn’t scream. There was no one around to hear it anyway. No Blitzer, no mentor to pull him out of this. Just him and a monstrous Anomaly, whose flames now glowed in the back of his throat, which overpowered the surrounding vapour like a lantern in the mist.

And just when things couldn’t get any worse, an enormous chill went up George’s spine… as if he had backed into a glacier. It was a nightmarish scenario, one everyone had to have woken up screaming from. One glance over his shoulder made clear that this was not that scenario, however.

This was worse.

Two giant red eyes glistered in the darkness.

“My, my. This has gotten quite out of hand, hasn’t it?”

A booming voice thundered through the darkness. Male without a question, and overpowering to the ears, yet there was no anger in its tone. Neither did it sound commanding. This was far too jovial for that. Friendly. Playful. Like a jester turned god.

And yet, upon hearing the voice speak, the Anomalied Typhlosion’s flames died down within the blink of an eye, and the beast fell to his knees in George’s direction.

“M-Master-”

“Oh no no no no no, that wouldn’t do, that wouldn’t do! Now is not the time to use such big language now, is there? I am certain you know in whose company you are standing in, and how to behave yourself!... Or, no, hang on a minute.”

“M-Master!” Typhlosion stammered, shivering on his knees. “I, I am your servant, wh-what have I done to d-deserve your-”

The voice rumbled, causing the darkness to ripple. George covered his ears. “Why, this won’t do. You appear to be on the verge of killing my guest. Is that correct?”

“G-Guest?!” Typhlosion’s horribly rasped breathing echoed. It sounded as if he was knocking on death’s door, and someone was about to answer. “Master, I’m sorry, we, no, I-”

“Now, now. All Eravatians are most precious to me, and yet you would respond with such violence and hatred… hatred that is undeserved, no less! You know yourself how much pain your fellow Pokemon go through, and yet you contribute to that anyway? My, it appears I should’ve stepped in much sooner! I’m afraid we must speak again some other time, you and me. Just the two of us, no one else, yes? What was the saying again? Too many cooks in the kitchen? Wait, no…”

Typhlosion’s eyes went wide. One could see the fear pour off alongside the vapour. George felt it. Tasted it. Smelled it. All George’s senses recognised the terror out of instinct.

‘Wh-what’s happening here? What is this voice?!’

Suddenly, the howl of the wind reemerged. Before either Pokemon could gasp, the wind was already blowing through their fur. George felt no different even as the wind brushed against him. It was an ordinary wind to him… yet Typhlosion was not so fortunate. Far from it. Like water onto a fire, the vapour extinguished from his body, vanishing with the wind like dust.

“M-Master, what is happening?!”

“Don’t you worry. You will find yourself back to normal in no time at all! Though, I must warn you, it is not a pleasant passage. Hm. Quite the opposite actually. It will be very painful.”

“No… NOOOO! UUUUAAAAAAARGH!” screamed Typhlosion, as his body disintegrated into a purple dust. His remnants were blown away into the dusk, and just like that, he was no more.

George slowly turned, his heart beating against the walls of his chest in vain attempt to break free. His skin shrivelled, his fur ruffled as each hair tried to break loose. Anything to escape whatever awaited him now. His ears were flat against his head, and his tail had fallen flat against whatever force was keeping him up straight. Breaths went in and out, each heavy and laboured.

‘Wh-what just… happened?! …Be strong George, be strong! You can’t go down like this!’

A scowl is what George ended up greeting the giant red eyes with. A shine went through… before they grew amused.

“Oof! So sorry! This isn’t quite what I had in mind for saying hello, but I’m no expert at turning clocks back!”

“You just killed him, didn’t you? Now you want to kill me as well, who do you think-”

A cackle of amusement echoed throughout the darkness. George’s skeleton almost jumped out of his skin as he fell backwards, flat on his rear, once again to the voice’s amusement.

“My, my! I don’t want to kill you! I don’t want to kill anyone, but you? Oh no no no no no, you my friend are an honour to even be around!” The eyes suddenly shifted to George’s immediate left. “Come on now, don’t be a killjoy. You and I will have plenty of time together, you know.”

“I’ve already had enough time with you!!” George yelled.

“Really?” The eyes shirked back, as if wounded. “Now that’s just horrible, Othersider. We haven’t even talked before. Now, I know this isn’t a fun time or place to meet, but I have limited options, you know? Ever tried getting around when there’s just one rickety carriage… or, ‘bus’? That’s what Othersiders have in their home worlds, don’t they? You get me?”

George squeezed his fists out of frustration. ‘I KNOW it’s you!’ “If you’re not that other voice, then who are you?”

“Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name! I’m going to save Eravate! And oh, don’t worry. This is just a bad dream,” the voice in the dark spoke. “And you know what they say about dreams, they all come to an end. Even Darkrai can’t maintain them forever! In fact, I think you’re about to wake back up, you’ve made a lot of people worried! Who am I to keep them waiting?”

“Wait-”

“Sweet dreams! Don’t let the Soldiers get you!”

* * *

“Gah!”

“George? George! Are you okay?!”

Upon opening his eyes, the first thing greeting George was the worried face of a Charmeleon with a blue scarf. He’d thrown himself onto the bed George laid in, holding the sheets down with both claws as his tail sparked out of worry.

“Grr.. what happened?”

The haze over his eyes gradually lifted, revealing the four mentors standing around the bed. Males on the left, women to his right, each kept their distance, preferring to mess with the black scarves wrapped around their necks over getting as up close and personal as Blitzer was.

“Y-You were out for hours! You wouldn’t wake up, and then the Typhlosion just disappeared right in front of me! It’s like he was made out of water, he just vanished into the floor! I can’t-”

“Calm down, yes? Give your friend some space.”

“R-right.”

Terez helped Blitzer back off the bed, before studying George’s condition herself. She looked over the exposed part of George’s body, a flicker of blue passing through her skin and into her eyes every so often. As if she were checking every hair for a potential defect, she twirled her fingers over George’s head while the others all watched. In the end though, she shook her head, and retreated back to the others.

“This is strange… I’ve been studying injuries and healing since my youth, yet I cannot figure out what happened to you, George.”

“I-Is that bad?” Blitzer and Porov asked at the same time, leaning towards Terez. Allora and Skal were more reserved, wobbling back and forth on their feet. For rocklings, that wasn’t ever a good sign.

Terez sighed. “It’s neither good nor bad. It means we’ll have to wait and see what happens,” she said.

Blitzer couldn’t help but grimace out of fear as he looked at George from the corner of his eye. All the while, George sat upright in his bed, shielding his scalchop and belly with his hands, trying to piece together what had happened, yet nothing came to mind. Not a feeling, not a memory, just an odd voice from the abyss.

“Hey, Georgie, how do you feel?” Allora asked. The Oshawott sighed.

“I feel alright, I guess…”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m not even sure how I got here, other than getting Shadow Balled. Weren’t we in the middle of a competition?”

Porov shook his head, holding onto his black gem like it boosted his confidence. “Me boy, we don’ ever leave ye hangin’, we’d be nothin’ but monsters if we let ye die in ‘ere.” A hot sigh escaped the Darmanitan’s body, his breaths shaky and unfocused. “Thank the gods we pulled ye outta there, we kept an eye on ‘ye… I’d never forgive meself if it all went right to-”

A giant claw suddenly landed on the Darmanitan’s back. “‘Oi, Porov. Have some faith in the Othersider, ye hear? He ain’t no joke! He’d chew up and spit out whatever crap this is, no problem! And there ain’t anyone who’d ever convince me otherwise.” Skal flashed a grin, tilting his head in such a way for his metal jaws to shine in the light. “Ain’t that right, Allora?”

The Carrracosta chuckled, her belly fat jiggling much to muffled amusement. “Darn straight, I know the Othersider can handle a little trouble like this! No backstabbing Typhlosion’s going to get him, much unlike the beatdown I’ll be delivering to that flaming hairball when I find him.” She smacked her flippers against each other like they were butcher’s knives. “And hoo boy, they’re getting a beatdown alright.”

“And I’ll torch ‘em!” Blitzer shouted. “Didn’t go nearly hard enough on them when they decided to kill us! No one’s ever touching me or George, I-I swear!” Despite all the bravado on the surface, the threat sounded empty.

‘I don’t know if they’re all trying to defend me, or prop themselves up. You know, I can handle myself. A little.’

George rubbed his face, trying to wring the last bits of sleep out before stretching his arms. All this concern, and yet his physical condition was fine. Getting knocked out wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t some life changing experience, either.

If anything, the memories of that odd voice were a far bigger threat. More words came back. Eravate’s saviour… What was he hearing, even? Did it have anything to do with the other voice? They sounded nothing alike, and yet George felt a strange connection between the two. As if the voices were at war, and his soul was a battleground.

The Oshawott took a deep breath. “Thanks for all the reassurances, but I feel fine enough. I’m more worried about the Aromatisse, to be honest.”

“‘ey’re under arrest!” Porov said. “Plenty of ti-”

“Plenty of time to question ‘im!” Skal said with a complementary pump of his fist.

“Stealin’ my thunder, are we?” Porov chuckled.

“Not stealin’, sharin’! We’re both Rubyfolk, right?”

“Hah! Damn straight!”

Skal and Porov bumped fists. Then elbows. Then hugged just to add a cherry on top. ‘Rubyfolk must really like each other, huh,’ George thought. ‘Sounds too good to be true.’

“And we’ll pry that little beak of hers loose, not a doubt in my mind about that,” Allora said. She sounded eager to take part herself.

Terez walked past all the commotion, Blitzer hot on her heels. “I’ve spoken to nurse Indeedee about your condition. You seem to be fine, but I will monitor you myself. This all… seems a little peculiar.”

“Peculiar?” Blitzer looked bug eyed towards Terez.

“There… isn’t anything wrong with me, is there? You said you couldn’t find anything. And I feel fine,” George said, while secretly nipping at his cheek. ‘Well, there’s a little itch in one of my thighs, but it’s just an itch. No need to blow this out of proportion like Terez would do.’

“Finding nothing does not mean you’re all in the clear. It just means I haven’t found anything,” Terez replied, shaking her head. Her way of explaining things was getting on George’s nerves. He was fine, except he wasn’t. It rained without a cloud in the sky. Times like these, it was questionable whether she was from Eravate, or planet Cuckoo.

“In any case, take the rest of the day off to rest. That was a hardfought battle there, George. You should be proud.”

“Yeh!” Skal growled, holding up a fist. “Ye should be proud, kicked that Typhlosion right in his-”

“Heeey, what about me!” Blitzer whined, tail swinging around. Porov patted his head; Allora did the same right after.

“Yer somethin to be proud of too, Blitzer me boy!”

“I’m proud as can be to be responsible for both your training! Damned traitors didn’t see it comin’.”

Terez’ eyes turned blue. “Save the congratulations for later. Let the Othersider sleep.”

“Aye!”

Whether agreeing or directed, all the mentors and Blitzer departed, leaving George with the company of nurse Indeedee. She wasn’t one to give out her name, apparently, so nurse or miss Indeedee it was. Not that things changed much. Aside from delivering water and soup, her interaction with George was minimal. All she had to tell were orders to stay in bed. Passed down from above, likely Terez’ insistence.

George sighed, and threw his head back on the pillow. Talk about a surprise. Pillows! Covers! In Eravate! Sure, they were worn out and about as comfortable as the bunk beds in the foster home, but Pokemon had invented pillows after all. Why these were reserved for the ill, George could only guess. Superstition, in all likelihood.

The Oshawott shook his head, before turning over to try and catch some sleep. No point in delaying the inevitable, might as well get it done and over with. But as it turns out, he didn’t have long to himself, for the door to the room flew open.

“Not too long-”

“Yes yes! Not for long, I promise!”

There was hardly time to get up before the door was slammed shut, and someone hopped right onto the bed. Given the voice and smell, it didn’t surprise George one bit to see a Charmeleon’s snout hovering inches above his face.

“You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging here, did ya?”

George scoffed. “God, you’re starting to sound like Skal.”

“Was more thinking of Porov myself!”

The two laughed as they messed around with each other for several minutes. First they tried poking each other’s finger, and by the end they were fighting over the pillow to whack each other with. All in good fun, of course. If anything, both were disappointed they hadn’t found pillows earlier, and were doubly disappointed when nurse Indeedee threatened to kick Blitzer out if they continued.

“Pfft, what a killjoy…” the Charmeleon whispered once they were alone again, his tail tip flicking back and forth. “Well, was fun while it lasted. Are you doing okay?”

“Other than being bored out of my mind and itchy, yeah,” George answered.

“Itchy?”

“Yeah. Feels like someone hasn’t cleaned these sheets in a week.”

Blitzer reeled back. “Oh yuck, that’s gross!”

George leaned back against the pillow, and looked beside him in search of a window that wasn’t there. “Hey, it’s too late now. You’re already sitting on the bed.”

“Oh yeah…” Blitzer sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Guess so. But eh, you sure you’re not okay? Terez wasn’t-”

“-saying much?” George sighed. “Yeah. I feel fine, yet she sure doesn’t think so. Good luck getting her to admit that, though.”

“Neither did anyone else,” Blitzer said. “Not about what happened to you, or where that idiot Typhlosion and his Aromatisse buddy came from. Something about treason. Well what do you mean, treason? Don’t leave us out of the loop, we’re a part of this too! I mean, you got knocked out pretty bad in there!”

George’s ears went flat against his head. “You could say that again. I barely remember a weird voice talking to me… actually, I think that Typhlosion was there too.”

“What?” Blitzer leapt off the bed. “That doesn’t sound good. What else do you remember?”

“Nothing. It’s all hazy.” George scratched his hip. That itch was getting irritating. “Maybe that’s what Terez was talking about, but I really don’t remember… did they say anything about the test we were doing?”

“Yeah, to forget it! Maybe they’ll do it over some other time, but not now,” Blitzer said, then shook his head. “Ugh… you know, I just wanna forget about all this drama. It’s stressful.”

George bit his lip. “Understandable. Anything else would be preferable… you think they have their reasons for not being clear on these things?”

“They’ve gotta,” Blitzer said, then punched himself in the chest. “But anyway! We’ll get our answer later. Why don’t you show me what Terez has been teaching you? I’ve wanted to see that all week!”

To that, George had but a sigh and a soft smile to give. “If you insist.”