Talk about an exercise in tedium. George had it alright living as a Pokemon, all things considered. Sure, life might have been worse in all respects, what with literally having a price on his head, but it wasn’t so bad compared to life in the foster’s home. At least he had a friend and a supportive community around him, and wasn’t relegated to being a defenceless punching bag. Life was more than getting pushed around and never ending boredom.

Apparently, someone in the Smaugus knew the difference too, given the fifteen days of menial nothingness George and Blitzer were subjected to. Their lives were little more than training and serving tea. Well, not entirely, they’d have to move boxes too, or sweep the floors. All to ‘prove’ themselves.

‘Fifteen days of this garbage already… how long is this going to take? We’re doing nothing!’

Meanwhile, Blitzer could barely lift his head up. Tired from all the hard work, and reeling from the scoldings that scarred lug Chronos shoved into his face, the Charmeleon was spent. The physical work wasn’t even the issue; Chronos was. Constantly barging in, pointing that fat mouth and teeth wherever he pleased, and flashing the scars on his body, all to call Blitzer lazy and ‘unwilling to sacrifice’, whatever that meant.

George squinted his eyes behind the Charizard’s back. By day sixteen, he figured Chronos didn’t like Blitzer for reasons god alone understood. Some kind of interspecies rivalry? Pettiness? Did he have something jammed up one of his scars? Did it even matter? George pondered over it in the morning. Nothing changed.

‘Not worth the energy, that guy.. Don’t even know what the rest sees him. Oh, big pompous dragon thinks everyone’s his property… ugh. And Allora married him? How? What does she even see in him? What’s her problem?’

Ultimately, George concluded that Chronos was uglier than the splotch on his back, and left it at that. If they both kept their heads down, and did their jobs, they’d walk out of this gloomy fortress, and that would be the end of it.

But there was one detail George couldn’t shake off. Everyone was quiet, Chronos deserved sand in his face… and yet, Terez didn’t object to any of his antics. She’d literally been with Blitzer several times while Chronos was there, ranting and raving about nothing. She said nothing. No criticism, no objections, demands for anything better…

George squeezed his fists just thinking about it.

‘Grr! Knew she could be prissy too, but damn it! What’s wrong with her?! Why aren’t you standing up for us, huh?!’

Without a second thought as to where he was, George punched the ground beside his plate. All the berries on top jumped, then landed with a splash. They were in the middle of having breakfast. Were. Blitzer and Terez sure weren’t anymore.

“George? What the?”

The Dewott looked up; blood rushed to his cheeks. “N-nothing-”

Terez yanked on his ears by snapping her fingers. “Not ‘nothing’. You’ve been agitated all morning. What did I tell you earlier?”

George folded his arms. "Well? Why don’t you tell me again? Another one of these stupid rules we have to follow?”

Without warning, Terez bent over with an open palm. George could hardly blink before she did it for him, smacking him right across the cheek.

“Ow!”

“H-hey!” Blitzer said, raising a digit for a second.

“Open your damn ears!” Terez grumbled. “The Smaugus expects nothing less than our best, and all you’re giving is attitude. Petty, catty attitude! I don’t know what’s happening, but something’s gotten into you. You’re turning into an angsty little tyke!”

She yanked George by the whiskers this time; by now, he was angrily gritting his teeth.

“Listen to me, for Arceus’ sake. None of us like being here. I know you’re tired. I know you’ve been stressed. But if you don’t get your act together, we’re all going to be deep in the crap.”

George lashed back with his own telekinesis; Terez’ hair was whipped back before she caught his hand. “THIS is what ticks you off?!” he yelled. “Right after that fat bastard of a Charizard insults my best friend to his face?!”

“Shut it!” Terez sealedGeorge’s lips shut. “I know! I know… but listen very carefully to me. If we get that final piece of the Azure Flute… then we will be able to set everything right, do you understand? We will get the Smaugus on our side, kicking and screaming if need be, and you’ll be able to get back at… all of this. And Blitzer too.”

Terez patted the Charmeleon on the back of his head. Never before did a Charmeleon look more like they wanted to crawl out of their own scales.

“Just… believe. Chronos, Blitzer- there is a reason for everything.”

George folded his arms, frowning all the while. Blitzer remained quiet, and George imagined just how uncomfortable he must be feeling. His thoughts were vivid enough to get his fur tangled, like his psychic powers were playing tricks on him.

“Fine.”

Despite what he said, George wasn’t buying any of it. And Terez probably knew that, given the agitated look lingering on the Dewott’s face. But fighting wasn’t an option. He sighed.

‘Better not be lying to me…’

Terez stood up with a sigh. “Right… finish your breakfast and tidy up. And tighten those scarves as best you can, we’re going out today.”

“Today?” George’s eye twitched. “Why didn’t you tell us so?!”

“Because I am stressed as well, George,” Terez grumbled. “Just… drop this for now, alright? Please.”

Blitzer sighed. “Yeah, let’s just… let’s just go, alright. I’ve been dying to get outside for two weeks now. Don’t… don’t start fighting now.”

“Grr…” George clenched his fist. ‘This day’s only getting worse, I swear.’

Exhausted after eight hours of sleep and breakfast, the trio was quietly escorted back outside by the same Ampharos that had escorted them in the first time. No contact with anyone else, period. Aside from the ‘Sefonia’ Blitzer rambled about in his sleep a few times, they hadn’t spoken to anyone else.

The cold was a better friend. Or so George thought until he stepped outside. He’d mistaken ‘bitter’ for ‘better’, because stepping outside to a face full of icy wind was everything except welcoming. Thick as his fur might be, he still wasn’t suited to be walking around in weather this frigid. Not for long, anyway.

At the very least, it wasn’t as bad as the first day. Terez had given them a greyish coat before they headed outside. That blocked most of the wind: George wasn’t shivering, Blitzer wasn’t blowing fire on his claws constantly, and Terez didn’t even take her own advice, given how loose her scarf dangled around her neck. The yellow trident was squished in the folds. A sad sight, were it not for Terez telekinetically hiding it in the first place.

Still, tame by Whitiara standards meant well below the freezing point. And they had plenty of travelling to do over the territory’s frozen roads. From the Smaugus base, they made their way up north, past many small villages. The population was, much like the temperature, the polar opposite to that of the Ruby Province. No one looked or growled in acknowledgement when they passed by. Everyone had messy fur, and red eyes.

‘No one likes living here, do they?’

After a while, however, it became clear the weather was only a piece of the puzzle. Homes here weren’t more than old shacks and burrows. There weren’t many shops, or services like an inn. Even Greenfield had an inn, though it was run by a creepy old ghost.

But worst of all were the sheer amount of Crest patrols on the roads. Once every fifteen minutes, a group of three green scarves passed by, each growling with a ‘I’m going to rip you to pieces’ kind of look in their eye. Psychic energy flowed all around, however. Terez was working her magic. Their trip would be short lived if not for her.

All the poor residents weren’t so lucky. In no less than two hamlets, George saw someone get shaken down for any information the Soldiers could get their claws on. ‘Have you seen so and so, what kind of Pokemon were they? Was there a black scarf around their neck?’ and so on. It started on the way in, and it sure didn’t end by the time they were out.

Only positive thing to say was the lack of dungeons. None whatsoever, not even in the dark forests in the distance. George bit his lip thinking about it. At least the one near Greenfield gave supplies. And who knows, maybe Anomalies were preferable to Soldiers, anyway.

‘At least you know you’ll have to fight. At least you have a chance with ‘em. If you’re lucky… I guess.’

From hamlet to hamlet, the trio trudged their way through the snow and ice, until they reached their destination at last. One bright spot in the snowscape, known to the locals and by anyone reading the signs on the road as ‘Snowviary’. It was situated on a crossroads; To the northwest was Tirasford, capital of Whitiara. To the south east was the long route to Eravate’s biggest city, Luminity. And the southern approach, where the trio had come from, was Smaugus territory.

Biomes met here as well: The hilly terrain turned flat, leading to plains to the north and forests to the east. Three lands, whose only common traits were the cold and being home to feral Braviary, hence the name of the town.

‘Eagle Pokemon love the snow, huh. And… I totally look like a meal to them, don’t I?’

George grimaced as Terez called his name… well, his ‘name’ that wasn’t actually his name. ‘Dewott’ sure wasn’t how he wanted to be called. Terez had her reasons, of course. George stuck out like a human among Pokemon enough already.

Architecturally, Snowviary was a town of stone and timber. The most abundant materials nearby, of course, next to snow. No one here was fond of ice houses. George didn’t blame them. More than enough cold to go around, right down to the drinking water. There were several ponds dotted throughout town, and plenty of Pokemon were busy cutting into the ice with their claws or pickaxes, then lugging it back home. There was no river, and no wells to speak of, either.

Nevertheless, there wasn’t any opportunity to interact. Compared to the city, the countryside might as well have been anarchy: Soldiers on street corners, patrolling the streets, even glaring at the water collectors loading up their carts. George had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, watching it all.

‘I didn’t think I’d ever hate seeing the police around… can’t get much further from home than this. Instead of criminals, Soldiers. I don’t feel any safer.’

Terez took them inside a restaurant for something to eat, before moving along. Somehow she was even quieter inside the town, more shy.

At least she’s doing something now. And I’ve argued enough today.

After chowing down a big bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy, they headed for the woods to the east. Passing by soldiers and travellers on their way to Tirasford, Terez pushed them on the first country trail they found. Out of sight, out of mind: being alone never felt so comforting. Their cover wouldn’t be blown from one unlucky gust of wind.

“Okay, so… should be around here, right?” said Blitzer, still keeping himself one with embers.

“Should be,” George replied, then shivered. “Man… we really walked all that distance without ever talking, huh?”

Blitzer raised an eye at him. “You were next to me the whole time, right?” he said while holding onto his tail. “I dunno about you, but I’m not going to say anything with all those ugly green scarves listening in.”

George clicked his tongue. “True.”

Thirty minutes into the woods, a soggy wooden sign stuck out right next to the road. ‘YOU ARE ENTERING SMAUGUS TERRITORY - TRESPASSERS BE GONE’, it read, in letters bolder than Blitzer while daydreaming. From that point on, the threat of Soldiers was gone, and it was back to worrying about the contempt of the Smaugus people.

The loneliness continued until they reached a cabin in the woods. A few Pokemon were waiting for them, and greeted with a low growl. It was hard telling Smaugus folk apart from the feral Vulpix George saw earlier, not until they motioned to follow. An awkward silence filled the air as they were taken around the building. With none of their hosts paying attention, George shook his head behind their backs.

‘For the love of god, let there be someone here I can actually talk to…’

Behind the cabin was an opening in the woods; many of the trees had been cut down. And George’s eyes just so happened to be drawn to the one stump that someone was sitting on.

Namely, an all too familiar Carracosta with a large belly and an infectious laugh.

“Hahaha! I was beginning to worry where you guys were!”

Allora got up, and straddled her way over while spreading her flippers. George could guess what she was up to, but he didn’t mind. It was enough of a relief to see a familiar face, at last. So when Allora scooped both of them up in a hug, he didn’t mind so much. Her chest might’ve been harder than a rock, but it was comfy in a way.

“Uuuumm…” hummed Blitzer, snout pressed against Allora’s belly fat. “Nice meeting you too…”

She put them both down, then patted them both on the head. “Haah, been a while, hasn’t it? Been enjoying the cold so far?”

George stared at her with his ears flat against his head. “Not… really.” ‘Freezers are warmer.’

Allora didn’t seem to mind the attitude. “You’ll get used to it,” she said. “It’s actually got a charm to it, believe it or not. But that’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself! Anyway, Blizzie! Tell me, how is it?”

The Charmeleon gulped. “Cold. Uh… not just the weather. No one we’ve met likes to talk. N-no offense of course,” he said, his voice meeker than a little Charmander. “It’s just, uh… everyone growls more often than not. Is that normal here?”

“Pfft.” Allora scoffed at the notion. “Oh, don’t mind that so much, either. Whitiaran folk are naturally a little… hm, let’s say quieter. They mean no offense! It’s all in the culture.” She got on a knee, and leaned up beside Blitzer to whisper in his ear. “If you don’t get it… think of how cold it is, yes? Every bit of energy counts, so you can’t just squander it on small talk.”

Blitzer responded with another gulp. “Okay,” he said, nervously glancing at the hosts behind him.

Allora got back up, then held her hand out. One of the Smaugus rushed his way over, and presented her the black scarf she usually wore. She accepted it with a smile, put it on, then put her flippers on her sides.

“I’m guessing Terez went off on her own again?”

George and Blitzer both looked back. To their surprise, no Terez in sight. Couldn’t be her blending in with the snow, she had been wearing a brown cloak just like they were. And George couldn’t feel her presence nearby, either, which caught him off guard unlike anything else. A tap on his shoulder from a Soldier wasn’t that unexpected.

“What?”

“Where’d she go?” Blitzer asked, legs itching to take off running. “George, did you see her?”

“Not at all,” the Dewott replied. ‘How did she conceal herself from me? I know she’s way stronger than me, but I’m no slouch… and why did she, even?’

Blitzer grimaced. “We… we should go look for her. What if it’s Soldiers?”

“Actually, don’t worry about it.”

Allora took a few steps through the snow, tilting her head right around the cabin. “This isn’t unusual for her. Always has to meditate or something. Psychics, am I right?” She grinned at George, who stuck his tongue in his cheek in response.

‘Thanks, I needed that. Also, nice of you to not take this seriously…’ “What if she’s really gone?”

“Again, don’t fret about it, Georgie. I’ll help her get up to speed when she’s here.” Allora stretched her flippers. “Speaking of which… you’re here for something bigger, aren’t ya? Recovering something from the Crest.”

“That’s true,” George said. Allora was delighted to hear it. Almost too delighted for something so rudimentary.

“Wonderful, simply wonderful! Come, follow me. Let’s have a little walk while we go over this, hm?”

Snow began to fall as Allora took them through the fallen woods behind the cabin. There were several Timburr lugging logs around, paying Allora a nod while ignoring the two following her. George rolled his eyes. Nothing he wasn’t used to by now.

Blitzer, however, had his head stuck in the clouds. Not from being ignored, mind you, because he was no better in that regard. Whatever Allora was explaining about the mission, he didn’t hear it. For at the edge of the woods, a fight was going on. An utterly lopsided fight. Five Pokemon versus one. Two Luxray, one Abomasnow, a Sylveon and a Ninetales were on one side. And they were all getting clobbered and thrown around by a Dragonite.

One glimpse of those orange scales in the distance, and Blitzer was captivated. Instincts told the whole story. Who else could it be but Sefonia? The speed with which she punched the Abomasnow, the grace of her tail crashing into the Sylveon and Ninetales, and the sheer, unrivalled strength of her Hyper Beam blasting the Luxray into a nearby tree made Blitzer feel fuzzy inside, like the attacks were hitting him too, somehow.

He’d never seen any Pokemon as strong as her. Gareda? She’d beat that landshark into a pulp, no questions asked. She’d beat anyone. Anyone! Blitzer was beyond toast if she’d ever set her sights on him.

Which she was doing right now. He almost jumped out of his scales as he saw her eyes widen in the distance. An awkward smile formed on her face, before she waved at him. Blitzer slowly waved back. For someone who’d just come out of a fight, she sure was calm. Blitzer gulped. Of all the ways to run into Sefonia again, he wasn’t expecting this.

And given how fast she was gesturing towards Allora and George, perhaps that was for the better. They sure weren’t stopping for him, and Blitzer was left scrambling to keep up without drawing any attention to himself. So off he ran, feeling he just got an electric shock.

“So!” Allora continued. “You get the idea, right? You’re gonna take it, then replace it so they won’t notice.”

“Sure do,” George said, waddling along with her.

“I don’t!” Blitzer panted. Allora turned around and tilted her head at him.

“What’s all the panting for?”

“N-nothing.”

Allora snapped her tongue a few times, her eyes curiously dawdling off to the Dragonite in the distance. She couldn’t help but put up a funny smile as the orange dragon gave her a thumbs up, winking back.

“Gotcha,” she said, giving her belly a pat. Behind her, George was smacking his tail around.

‘Am I being left out here, or is this all one big joke?’

No one bothered to check up on George. Something else was taking up brain space. Or nose space, rather, given that Allora pulled them into a mess hall that was mostly empty, spare for one decked table. It was on the end of a trail, and sounds of a lively kitchen could be heard halfway across.

“Why don’t we have a bite together, eh? Have a seat!”

“Sure. But where is everyone?” Blitzer asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Allora replied. “They’ll get theirs soon enough. Until then though… dig in!”

Two Furret jumped on the table with a large pot of soup. Peas and an assortment of various spices was on the menu, given the smell. George flinched after his second whiff, then pinched his nostrils shut.

‘Who knew food could punch you in the face…’

Moments later, the Furret were done, and it was time to dig in. No need to thank anyone or be polite, given that Allora dug straight in first and foremost. Her bowl was thrice the size of what George and Blitzer had in front of them. Quite the privilege. Given who she was married to, perhaps that wasn’t so surprising.

George bit his tongue. The spiciness and his taste buds weren’t fond of one another. Blitzer managed far better than him, eating at a regular pace.

And that was arguably not a good thing.

“Egh… hey, can I ask you something?” he asked Allora, who put her bowl down in response, her mouth covered in soup.

“Go ahead! Don’t be shy!”

Blitzer sighed. “It’s… about your husband. I don’t know what his problem with me is, but he doesn’t like me. At all.”

Allora raised an eye. “Really? What makes you say that?”

The Charmeleon stirred his soup with the spoon. “These past two weeks, he’s constantly been barging into everything I’m doing, just to tell me how I’m lazy and that I don’t care. That I’m pampered.”

“Mhm.” Allora nodded along. “Hm… well, Blitzer, it is somewhat complicated, but don’t take it the wrong way. He’s part of an older generation. Faith and hard work is his motto. Believe me when I say that he did not like me either when we first met, but if you prove yourself? He will quickly come around. You will see how loving he can truly be,” she said with a wink.

“I don’t know if I buy that,” Blitzer said.

“Oh, you’ll happily buy it soon enough. Seeing is believing, after all.”

Allora didn’t object any further, and went back to stuffing herself. And Blitzer couldn’t get a word more out of her on the matter, no matter how hard he tried. He just had to take her word for it.

* * *

Frigid were the winds keeping Terez company as she strayed from the road. The boys should make it to the cabin just fine… they were but one piece of the puzzle. One piece of Eravate’s fate.

Once their ways had parted for five minutes, she stopped to take off the black scarf wrapped around her neck, and she finally let go of the mind trick she’d been playing. They had just about reached the shack by now. Allora would give them the typical excuse… if she had no idea, that was. The Smaugus had a reputation for trustworthiness, but nothing could be further from the truth. In past times, perhaps. No longer.

Terez pushed on, keeping herself obscured from prying eyes. Any unwanted attention could completely destroy the repertoire she’d built for herself. It was another piece of the puzzle. Her ‘connection’.

She held her hands before her chest, and hummed what sounded like an old folk song.

“To our clear skies,

and our blue seas,

to the ferals, and all Pokemon…

Great plains call! Great plains call…

our beloved home…

our beloved Thole…”

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, and waited. It didn’t take long before a ghostly presence manifested. He was never far away.

Slowly, the black ectoplasm of a Dusknoir rose from the ground. First came his antenna, then his lone eye, followed by the rest of his body. One of the dead, come back to life to haunt the living. His ectoplasm stirred lightly as Terez opened her eyes.

“You know that song only brings bitter memories. Yet you still sing it.”

Terez tilted her head backwards. “You asked me to sing it yourself. Or do you want me to stop now, Hein?”

The Dusknoir shrugged. “Oh, I am quite fine hearing it. The rest of Eravate though? Perhaps they have a different take on the matter. But I digress.”

He floated up to her. “So you have brought those two fools here, have you?”

Terez blinked. “Yes. It won’t be long before they’re doing Allora’s dirty work. Do you have the copy?”

Hein nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do…” The maw in his chest opened, and he reached in with one hand. “Two of them. One for the trial run… one for the actual example. The Smaugus won’t be able to tell the difference.”

“Good,” Terez said with a sigh of relief. “We’ll need every last advantage we can get.”