“What do you mean, we have to walk THAT distance? Why can’t we teleport any closer like everyone else?!”

George’s stomping echoed throughout the teleportation chamber. The furrow in his brow shouted irate much like the tone of his voice. To him, it’s logical to react to utter ridiculousness that way. Blitzer stood beside him whipping his tail and playing with his blue scarf, figuring George echoed his sentiments. The Lurantis in front of them shrugged.

“Sorry kids, but they don’t want to risk anything after what happened in Mountainshade. Gotta make sure you don’t get busted, after all,” Len said.

“Alright, alright…” George pouted as he pulled on the straps of his backpack. “Guess that’s why they gave us these silly things, didn’t they?”

“Guess so.”

Annoyed as he was, Len and anyone passing through probably thought George was adorable. Sure enough, the Lurantis chuckled. Oshawott weren’t intimidating Pokemon, after all.

Still, knowing that didn’t help. The leadup to the first assignment had been ridiculous. His mentors pushed them harder than ever in their training the past week, and the itchiness in George’s limbs hadn’t faded. To the contrary, his neck had joined in, and his fur had an odd feel to it that wouldn’t wash out.

Why all this hassle had to pop up now, George didn’t know. But it was an all too familiar slap in the face. The good in life always had to be bogged down by annoying tidbits, it seemed. Like back home.

Blitzer wasn’t any happier either. He had the appearance to back it up.

“All that training and they still won’t trust us to handle ourselves right,” the Charmeleon growled, his tail flame flickering. “Can you believe it, George?”

“Oh yes I can,” George muttered while rubbing his head. “Just one big pain in the-”

“Head, yeah. A headache!” the Charmeleon snarled. Len backed away, blushing nervously while motioning for Blitzer to calm down.

“Now now, there’s reasons for these things, yeah? No one knows what’s going on. Besides, Rubyfolk don’t like strangers popping up out of nowhere in the middle of town all of a sudden! We had to learn that the hard way,” Len said.

George sighed. “Yeah, I know.” ‘Told me a dozen times that was the case.’ “Let’s just get going, I’m tired of standing around here. It’s cold.”

“Yeah, me too,” Blitzer said. His tail flame didn’t calm as they made their way to the teleporter. “Ugh! I woke up in a good mood, and now I want to torch a tree. This is so damn stupid.”

George rubbed himself behind the ear. “Can I set it out right after?”

Blitzer’s head shot sideways. “Why? Can’t let me blow off steam, either?” he grumbled. George stopped dead in his tracks. Blitzer then realised the impact he’d made, and a shiver passed through him.

“I… just want to blow off some steam too.”’

“Y-yeah. S-sorry. My feelings just… got to me.” Blitzer clutched the end of his blue scarf out of shame. George grabbed his own scarf’s end, and held it close.

“You… have had that since you evolved, haven’t you.”

Blitzer nodded. “I-I don’t know why.”

George’s tail fell onto the ground. “I guess it’s biological.”

“And I won’t do it again. Not if I can help it.” They resumed walking, Blitzer with his eyes glued to the floor. “Sorry, George.”

“It’s alright. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up the same when I… also evolve.” ‘God, I hope not.’

One pep talk in front of the teleporter later, they put their best foot forward - together. It meant little: If anything, the teleporter experience was all the more awkward when two people made it at the same time. But it was the thought that counted, and they weren’t going to let bad omens ruin their first assignment before it even started.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing on the porch of a country inn, being waved off by the innkeeper, a large Indeedee. “Take care, lovelies! The Ruby Hills are lovely this time of the year! You should stick around for the festival!”

“Thanks a lot!” ‘Festival? What festival?’

The door of the inn fell into its frame, and George and Blitzer caught their first glimpse of west Eravate. A landscape of auburn trees and grasslands stretched out in front of them. Sun beamed through the thin clouds and across the plains, shining light on a herd of Farigiraf and Girafarig crossing a thin river in the distance, the Farigiraf on the look for predators.To the south, a forest of vibrant yellows and oranges filtered the sun through its leaves. To the north, the plains faded into hills and houses.

“Wow…” said Blitzer as he stepped off the porch. “Dad always told me the Ruby Hills were warm before… It doesn’t just feel warm, it looks so warm, too…” he admired, his eyes drawn to the yellowed grass.

“And we’re not even in the Ruby Hills yet,” George said, his eyes drawn to the wildlife most of all. ‘What’s with that giraffe? It’s like it’s wearing a vest, or as if some creature’s eating it alive! It… really is something else, seeing them in the wild!’

“Haha!” A happy, childlike chuckle left Blitzer’s mouth. “Oh gods almighty, I feel so warm inside, too! We haven’t seen the sun in so long, and… I just feel happy being here!”

“Just like me in water?” George asked with a smile.

“Yes! Yes it’s exactly like that!”

“Instinc- whaa!” George barely registered his feet leaving the ground before his face was smooshed against Blitzer’s chest. “Heey! Reign it in a little!”

“No worries!” Blitzer said as he put George back down, biting his tongue in a goofy manner. “Aah… this is nice, George, it really is. I’ve always wanted to explore the world, and this is exactly that. First time we’re truly out and about! You know, maybe having to walk all the way there isn’t so bad, just think of all the sights we’ll be seeing! Sure, we’ve got Soldiers to worry about and all, but they’re not going to take anything away from me!”

George rubbed himself from cheeks to nose, the former itching hard. “Absolutely, but we can’t admire things for too long. We only have so much food, and Soldiers are looking out for us. Plus, our mentors won’t like us taking too long,” he said, patting his backpack. “And we don’t know where any of those caches are.” ‘Didn’t tell us about any either, come to think of it.’

Blitzer nodded as he rummaged through his own backpack, his tail swaying up and down. “Yeah!” he chirped. “Very true, and foraging’s real miserable if you’re not doing it for fun. And killing a feral for food is uh, also strange. But I’m not gonna not enjoy my time here. Right? Look at this place!” He spread his arms and basked in the sunlight as he spun around. “It’s great being here!”

“It sure is,” George said, as he looked at the road snaking northwards through the yellow grass. ‘You wouldn’t have any idea. Come to think of it… this is the first time I’ve… ever been all by myself in the middle of nowhere. Stranger in a strange land… glad Blitzer’s here for it. This is going to be something great, I can feel it!’

“Let’s go!”

And so began the journey to the north, with optimistic smiles and hearts full of hope. There was something relaxing about wandering the roads, smelling the leaves and petrichor. Soldiers and limited food be damned: This time around, they weren’t helpless, and they knew it. Blitzer’s flames were hotter, George’s water was like a raging river. What more did they need?

Little, it would turn out. After a traveller tipped them off to a Soldier checkpoint in the distance, they took a detour through a forest road turned Mystery Dungeon. Auburn leaves fell in perpetuity, and various mushroom Pokemon danced in their shadows. From Shroomish to Foonguss, from Paras to Morelull, George and Blitzer speared right through them, even the odd Anomaly or two that descended upon them stood no chance.. It was almost unfair, were it not for the ferals starting every last fight in there.

And that aggressiveness wouldn’t stop there. A second Mystery Dungeon in the evening ended up much the same, with ferals leaping from trees, ponds and burrows the second they walked by. Mystery Dungeons weren’t hospitable places, what with the ferals and constant shifting of the terrain, but what was odd was how much of the path was infested by them. Almost every detour was marked with a sign:

“4th Narrow Thicket MD - Keep out!”

“7th Narrow Thicket MD - Keep out!”

“3rd Border Pond Trail MD - Keep out!”

George and Blitzer tried sticking to the main road as much as they could to preserve their energy, a task that wasn’t made easy by Soldier-manned checkpoints cluttering the roads. The good news was that they were easy to spot, given the green banner flying above, and how most had been established near small towns. Of course, that left little opportunity to rest the legs. Mystery Dungeons on one end, Soldiers on the other, and wide open plains in which Blitzer stuck out like a sore thumb - literally, given how red he was. By the middle of the afternoon, their legs were feeling it, and their bellies too, given the growls coming from them.

“Nrgh, George… I need a break. Can we just sit down next to the path for a while? We can see whoever’s coming,” Blitzer grumbled, his stomach talking with him. George, now frowning, took off his scalchop to pinch his belly. Hard.

“Takes just one good shot at us and we’re goners. We’ve got to find a safe spot eventually, right?” His stomach disagreed, and wasn’t afraid to voice its opinion. George gritted his teeth before punching himself in the chest with enough force to make someone puke. “Shut up!!”

Blitzer suddenly seized the Oshawott’s hand. “Come on, this is ridiculous. How are we gonna defend ourselves on an empty stomach? My parents never let me explore until I’d stuffed my face! Let’s just stop for a while, okay?”

“We’re gonna be fine, don’t worry… Maybe we’ll find a quieter Mystery Dungeon we can-”

“Oh for crying out loud, you've seen how bad the ones out here are! I’m not gonna risk it!”

“Oh, don’t do this, not- No!...”

George’s protests fell on deaf ears, just like he fell on his behind next to the road. His protests stopped right there and then. Even when Blitzer dragged him further back on the grass, not a peep came out his mouth. Blitzer could’ve squeezed his arm like it was clay, and it still wouldn’t have beat the weariness in his legs.

“You know what, you're right.”

Blitzer plopped his bag on his lap with a thud. “Apple?”

George put up his hand. “I have my own, thanks.”

“Got it.” Blitzer streched his arms, then threw his jaws open to let a yawn out, flashing his teeth for the whole world to see. George sighed, as he got to work taking his bag off his back, stopping to scratch himself on the thighs and take deep breaths through his nose. His nose had been full of petrichor and rotten leaves on the way so far. Anything else was an improvement. Even the noseful of smoke he got. His head shot backwards. It was just Blitzer’s tail burning a hole in the grass.

“Oh,”

“Something wrong?”

George shook his head. “No, just wasn’t expecting to smell something burning.”

Blitzer chuckled. “You’ve been my friend for how many months now, and you’re surprised to smell fire?”

“No, not that,” George said. “Just uh. Uh.. actually, yeah. I am surprised.”

The Charmeleon laughed as George pressed an apple against his cheek.

“Well, better get used to it. They say the Ruby Province is full of fire types, y’know? Now, granted, that’s only a stereotype, but hey.”

George shrugged. “Well, you better get used to the smell of barbecues, then. Shouldn’t take too long after living in the fire habitat for so long, right?” he said with a mouth full of apple.

Blitzer tilted his head. “What’s a barbecue?“ he asked, much to George’s amusement.

“You’ll find out in a few days, don’t worry.”

They finished their apples, and added a biscuit on top for good measure. After drinking a little from a nearby stream, it was time to get moving. The wind picked up, sweeping the warmth of the afternoon away. Not even George’s fur held onto much after the wind did its work. He groaned once the cold set in. Just what he needed as the clock ticked closer and closer to dusk.

For the next hour and a half, as the sun went below the treeline, George and Blitzer made their way across the yellowed landscape, crossing a field and making another detour through the woods, which once again was infested with mushroom Pokemon. George now realised how bad his idea of pausing in a dungeon was, given how often the purple glow of an Anomaly popped up. They managed to get through just fine, except for Blitzer receiving a dose of poison that had to be cured with a Pecha Berry, but they weren’t sticking around to find out how bad things could get.

Alas, their luck had to run out eventually. The warnings caught up with them as they reached the end of their latest detour. The forest broke apart to reveal a hamlet. All the homes were burrows, and the farmlands looked haphazardly put together, a row of three fences separating it from the woods. Right at the first house, a Combusken was getting pushed around by a Fletchinder and Mightyena, the latter two both wearing green scarves. George and Blitzer jumped off the road and hid behind a bush as the Fletchinder struck the Combusken across the chest with a wing attack.

“Hey, hey!! Stop it already!”

“You want us to stop? Then pay up already!”

“I told you, we don’t have any money!”

George’s ears perked up from a nearby snarl. Combusken shrieked moments later.

“Not our problem! You want to have fun fighting off creepy looking ferals in your house instead? We’re the only reason that dungeon hasn’t spread any further, and you don’t even have a single coin to spare?”

The argument continued on with Fletchinder and Mightyena threatening to break Combusken’s bones. George had enough, and tapped Blitzer on the arm, only for Blitzer to end up poking George’s shoulder at the same time with a stern frown.

“What do you think? I take Fletchinder-”

“-you take the Fletchinder?”

George and Blitzer both blinked, then nodded. “Sounds like we got the same idea,” Blitzer whispered, his tail tip bobbing up and down in excitement.

“Sure do,” George said, then took off his backpack before grabbing onto the branches of the bush, preparing to jump into the fight. Blitzer followed in a similar fashion, first taking off his bag, then setting his claws against the ground in anticipation to pounce the enemy. He looked predatorial, something which gave George slight pause at first. He quickly brushed it off, however. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen.

“Are we going on my mark?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, hold…”

George pulled on his energy until the water stirred in the back of his throat, while Blitzer let flames burn up to his mouth. Just like they’d learned. George steeled himself.

‘Lesson one, use the element of surprise… finish up fast, variety. Here goes…’

“You think I get paid enough to deal with your crap all day? You should be-”

“Mark!”

George threw himself from the push and onto the path, firing a shot of scalding water onto Fletchinder while their back was turned. Fletchinder cried out in pain, and Mightyena howled out as its fur was scorched.

“AAH! Ferals!”

The Soldiers barely had time to react before George and Blitzer were on the move. George ran off to the side of a burrow, dousing Fletchinder with torrent after torrent. It was almost therapeutic how the water passed from stomach to mouth, then made its mark. A smirk grew on George’s face, even as Fletchinder recovered and took wing,

‘He already looks stressed.. Must be going for a wing attack ’

He psychically tossed his scalchop into his hand, a watery glow shining off the scalchop as Fletchinder swooped at him. George’s eyes narrowed. Just as the wing came for his neck, he struck. Mild pain passed through his arms and feet as the attack knocked him off balance, his feet digging into the dirt and his body turning ninety degrees. He gritted his teeth, his eyes still hawkish for the foe.

Fletchinder fared worse. Much worse. George had never seen a bird limp away before, but Fletchinder’s desperate wing beats as they wobbled left and right had to be just that. They couldn’t even get far off the ground anymore, looking more like a child flapping his arms around pretending to be a bird over an actual bird.

“I-it’s him!! It’s the Oshawott!!”

George bit his lip. ‘Crap. There goes our cover,’ he thought before looking over his shoulder.

Mightyena stumbled over their own legs as they tried to flee the flames consuming their fur. Blitzer was fast on his feet, his fangs flaring red hot. Nothing stopped him from being on Mightyena’s heels. Not the black cut on his arm, nor the Combusken who’d fallen backwards against a hovel.

As Blitzer’s claw shined silver for the knockout blow, George turned back to his own enemy, who now limped away in the direction of the Mystery Dungeon. His eyes glowed blue, and he picked up two rocks. He was no killer, but Fletchinder already knew too much. He breathed in, then sent the rocks flying at Fletchinder’s head. The fiery bird let out a sharp chirp as it was struck in the back, before falling to the ground.

‘Boom. That’s how it’s done.’

Hearing a yelp shortly after Fletchinder fell, George tucked his scalchop back on his chest, then refitted his scarf before turning around. Mightyena lay unconscious on the floor, fur singed and tail limp, while Blitzer stood on top of them with a single foot, nodding along with a relieved smirk.

“Phew… what a rush,” the Charmeleon said. “How’d it go over there, George?”

Blitzer’s call fell on half deaf ears, for George was far more concerned with making sure he hadn’t killed Fletchinder by accident. He checked for a pulse under the green scarf. Fortunately, there was one, yet the Oshawott couldn’t help but shake off a ghastly chill when he touched the fire type on the neck. It spread from finger to spine, bringing a sense of doom with it for reasons he couldn’t explain.

“Hey, George?” Blitzer called again, cupping his mouth. “Don’t leave me alone with Combusken here, I can’t explain things on my own!”

The Oshawott began dragging Fletchinder along the grass. “Give me a moment, okay? I’m not letting him die on me like this.” ‘Him, her, they? I couldn’t tell too well.’

“It’s okay!” Blitzer called back. “Sorry about all the ruckus, hehe,” he chuckled while rubbing the back of his head, his tail flame jittering. Combusken, who’d been a quiet onlooker thus far, looked like he wanted to crawl out of his feathers.

“Wh-who are you guys? A-and what did you just- how?”

“Just passing through,” George said, having dragged Fletchinder to Mightyena’s side.

“Couldn’t just let these two bully the crap out of you like that, can we? So we stepped in.”

“Yeah, exactly! Besides, we need a place to stay, and you know full well how awful Crest Soldiers can be, right? Always asking questions…”

“Th-they’re gonna have you killed for this!” Combusken said, fear evident in his voice. “We can’t just keep you around! They’d wipe us off the map! And what did he even mean with ‘the Oshawott?’ Who are you?”

“Uh…” George rubbed his nose while coming up with an excuse. “I’ve uh, gotten myself into some trouble, that’s what. It’s all nonsense, I swear, but good luck telling any Crest people that.”

Combusken put his claws on the side of his head. “Oh Arceus almighty, weather gods have mercy on us all…”

“Hey, no need to be a- ow!” Blitzer was cut off by a punch to the chest, courtesy of George.

‘Don’t say the quiet part out loud.’ “We’ll handle ourselves, okay? If you ever get interrogated about this, don’t feel shy to blame us for it, okay? Say we’re brigands or with the Alliance.“

Combusken fidgeted. “O-okay… but, in any case, thank you so much for knocking some sense into them. You have no idea how awful they’ve been to us here! They’ve been getting away with every dirty trick and demand you can think of. We can barely keep our heads over the water with how they’ve been robbing us! They aren’t even stopping that Mystery Dungeon from spreading!”

George nodded. “It’s a pleasure. Just doing what we can to make the world a better place,” he said, looking off into the distance. “Even if it makes our lives a little more difficult, egh. Finding a place to sleep will be hard. Don’t think it’s wise for us to stay here, now that… well, you know.”

“Yes,” Combusken sighed out, kicking his feet at the dirt trail running through the hamlet. “Even if you wouldn’t get us a visit from Soldiers in the middle of the night, we don’t have much to help out, anyway. You should try your luck with the lodge up the road. It’s a little while off… you might make it before dusk if you’re lucky. They’ve been helping us out for a while now.”

”Mhm.” Blitzer licked his lips. “How do we find it? Is there anything we need to look out for?”

“It's just up the road, you can’t miss it,” Combusken said. “If you see people wearing these odd looking black scarves, you’re there.”

Blitzer nodded. “Alright, got it.” He turned towards George. “We should get going. Don’t want to get lost in the dark. And besides, I’m hungry, and it gets cold this time of the year.”

Combusken chuckled. “With that bonfire you’re swinging all over the place, it’s a miracle if you’d get lost. Also, just start a fire if you’re cold! You’re of fire, this is Ruby country, c’mon now.”

Blitzer’s cheeks puffed up out of embarrassment. “Yeah, uh, that’s true, haha.”

George bit his lip mid frown. ‘No one asks for my opinion, sure…’

“Alright then.” Combusken mock coughed. “You should get going. We’ll have enough trouble here trying to take these two off our hands.

George made a short bow. “Understood.”

“Sure thing! See you around!” Blitzer said.

Once further up the road, George gave the hamlet one last glance. Combusken was busy dragging off the Soldiers somewhere else, trying to set up some kind of scene that would’ve taken the blame off him or any other townsfolk should Fletchinder and Mightyena get reinforced. Of course, given them knowing the secret already, the question of how much use that was came to George’s mind. Their time in the Ruby Hills was only getting started.

Blitzer then walked right in front of him. “Phew… we really showed those Soldiers who’s boss, right George?” the Charmeleon said, walking backwards and unfazed by a rock he almost tripped over.

George simply shrugged. “Sure did. After all that training though, I’m not surprised. We’d better have been able to pull something like that off. Though I don’t like blowing our cover.”

“Couldn’t have happened sooner, if you ask me,” Blitzer replied. ”After doing what they did to my parents… no, I’m not going to hold back. I’m going to keep going. Beat up whoever it takes to get my parents back, alright. That’s just the way it is.“

There was a determined, stubborn look in the Charmeleon’s eyes. George shook his head. “I get that, but you can’t possibly fight through a hundred at the same time. Or more. They’re gonna jump us with that many eventually, mark my words. They want me bad, and I don’t want to find out what’ll happen if they get their hands on me. Do you?”

“We’ll find a way to manage,” Blitzer said. “We got the Alliance now. I know they’re a weird bunch, but they’re good people. They saved our lives! They just want to help everyone.”

“That’s not going to help us if we get jumped, is it?”

Wind swept over the plains, as the sun touched the horizon. Blitzer took his tail in his claws and shone it in front of him.

“We can worry about that later. It’s not even a big secret that you’re the Othersider, is it?”

George clicked his tongue. “No. But still, if everyone knows exactly what I look like, then-”

“But they already do, George,” Blitzer said as he stomped ahead towards a large cabin in the distance. “I mean, that Garchomp knows better than anyone. She’s literally in charge of all those Crest Soldiers, she’d have told everyone by now.”

“Ngh, I’d rather not be reminded of her,” George muttered. A nauseous sensation coursed through him, one he felt urged to still with the coldest of his energies.

“I’m right though, aren’t I?” Blitzer said, dropping his tail to pat George on the back. “Take it easy, yeah? She doesn’t know we’re here. And we’re not alone. And we’re not unprepared for her, either. We’re gonna get what we came here for, and no one’s gonna stop us. Are you with me?”

“...Yes,” George said after a short pause, his mouth curled into a pensive smile. ‘It’s not like running back is an option, is it?’

“Good!” Blitzer growled. “ Now let’s go, we’re almost at the lodge. We should be able to sleep there.”

* * *

A crescent moon stood among the stars, its dim shine the first thing Fletchinder saw when they regained consciousness. Their first instinct was to search for threats. None seemed nearby, but it was too dark to see much of anything. Way, way too dark.

“...Where’d they go? Where, where is this?”

In a daze, Fletchinder struggled to get a grip on their surroundings. Combusken had disappeared back into his house, and there was no one else out at this hour. Not even Mightyena… where was he? Had he gone to sleep?

“Mightyena? Are-”

“No… I’m here, but I can’t move…”

Fletchinder tried reaching out to help, only to discover that they were also unable to move. Something was blocking them. Not pain or exhaustion, no, this was too restrictive for either of those.

“What… what’s going on? I can’t move either…”

“Agh,” Mightyena snarled, “We need to… need to report them… are you sure he’s-”

“Yes, yes… the Oshawott, I saw him with my own eyes, it’s him!... He had the scarf and…”

“Grr…” Mightyena struggled to speak. “should’ve been more alert, we’d have ripped them to pieces… then Lord Cerben would’ve-”

“Given you the promotion you’ve wanted for so long, I take it?”

A voice echoed from the dungeon’s direction, one which awoke a nameless fear in the Soldiers’ hearts. Aged, grave and mysterious, much like a myth that had spread across Eravate for decades. Fear intensified, as they witnessed the shape of a Dusknoir materialised over their bodies, its red eye a crown upon the darkness.

“How unfortunate that you will have to stay silent.”

“L-lone…”