To the Soldiers guarding the Crest base in Glaceon Town, it must’ve been a typical winter day. Nothing but snow for miles around, and Pokemon who trudged around on all fours, looking like they were trying to get away from themselves. Another delightful day in Whitiara, they’d say, tell their family, or write in a diary.

Little did they know that there was an unannounced guest in the building.

‘Just need to get out now.’

George glanced over his shoulder, ears perked up for the slightest creak from the wooden floorboards. He breathed in deep. Nothing left to do except the final step in the plan they’d been given. Carefully, he balanced the lantern-like artefact against his chest, before balancing a foot onto the spare lump of coal inside the fireplace.

‘Just like on the road to Rustborough… focus in the middle. Focus in the middle. Up.’

Eyes glowing blue with psychic strength, George lifted the coal out of the chimney. Soot sank into his blue fur on the way out, staining it black. Some slipped into his nose, and he couldn’t breathe until the mother of all sneezes shot it back out. He immediately covered himself.

‘Of all the times!

The Dewott looked around. No one else was on the roof, and aside from a familiar red lizard waving the end of his tail back and forth, the surrounding area was deserted as well.

“Come, come!”

Blitzer held his claws up, expecting George to jump for it. But the snow did nothing to obscure how sharp his claws were. George bit his lip. For a brief moment, he imagined one tearing into his back. He went for an alternative he’d thought up earlier.

With a deep breath, he focused on a pile of snow nearby, careful not to drop the artefact or the gem inside, and lifted it off the ground with a flick of a finger. The snow rushed up and congealed into a platform, crushed and clumped into a ball of ice. George stepped on top, making sure his feet were nowhere near the blue glowing edge, then lowered himself back to Eravate, a disappointed Blitzer looking on.

“...Man, I keep forgetting you can do that,” the Charmeleon whispered.

Eh. I’ve forgotten it plenty of times,” he said, one foot forward while still holding onto the artefact like his life depended on it.. Blitzer followed his move, and before long they were sneaking back off the property, as if stealing from the government was an everyday thing.

“Really? How’d you manage to forget?” Blitzer asked. “If I were you, I’d never forget it. I’d be playing around with the telekinesis all day long, just lifting random objects around my room or just lying on the ground.”

“...Don’t you do that pretty regularly with all your abilities, though?” George asked. “I’ve seen you practise in our room at night.”

“Uh-huh,” Blitzer chirped. “Can’t let my flamethrowers get cold or my claws dull. And I’ve gotta- wait, how’d you know when I’m practising? Aren’t you asleep the whole time?”

The hairs across George’s head stood upright, as a chill passed down his body. “Wh-what? No, it’s just- look, you’re a little louder than you think, o-okay?”

Blitzer tilted his head. “I guess… anyway, how’d you forget the telekinesis?”

They reached the property’s outer fence, and it didn’t take long before they’d discovered the exact spot where they dug under the fence. Some snow had filled the gap back in; Blitzer redug it back out with a few swipes of his claws.

“I guess I don’t think about it in the same way?” George pondered out loud while passing through the hole after Blitzer, who threw some dirt back in to partially fill the gap.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, you’re a Pokemon. Of course attacking comes naturally to you. Breathing fire’s nothing normal where I’m from,” George said.

Blitzer’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you also a Pokemon now?”

George sighed. “Yeah. Still, I-” he paused. ‘Why am I even arguing this?’ “Fair enough, I guess it’s just a mindset.”

Without a word said, George held the artefact they’d just stolen in front of his chest. He finally had the chance to look over what he’d stolen. When Allora described the mission, he imagined a relic, or some kind of ancient tool. A drum, or an art piece. Something passed down through multiple generations.

What he was holding in his hand, however, was anything except ancient technology. It had the shape and feel of a lantern, one with a handle that fit a human hand. In many ways, it was a lantern, as if one had been transported to Eravate alongside George, and somehow gotten lost on the way.

But this lantern was more than what met a dull eye. Behind the glass, in the very centre of the lantern, a dark red crystal resided where the flame should have been. George raised the lantern in front of his eyes. He sensed nothing inside. No mysterious power or energy to speak of. There wasn’t any kind of hatch or fuel door, either. It was sooner a decoration than a lantern, in its current state.

“Weird.”

“What is it?” Blitzer asked.

“A lantern. An old timey one that uses oil. But there’s no way to add any.”

“Wait, you used to power lanterns with oil?” Blitzer asked, then whipped his head back and forth. “Eh, not important. What is that gem in the middle?”

George blinked, then narrowed his eyes on the crystal. Nothing happened.

“I don’t know… Just a gem. it doesn’t look or feel like anything special.”

“Can’t you feel anything from it?” Blitzer continued.

“Not at all,” George said. “The only reason I feel different is because of how similar it looks to an old lantern. Except no one would put a silly red diamond in it. That’s one way of getting your lantern stolen.”

“Stolen?”

“Diamonds are valuable.”

“Oh yeah… that’s right.”

George sighed. He sniffed the air for a moment, smelling the faint scent of oran amidst the wet pines. They’d left their bags in the woods before the raid. Fortunately, they had good noses, so finding them again wasn’t an issue. George tucked the lantern in his bag, then lifted it over his shoulders.

“I’m wondering why the Smaugus wanted us to go all the way out here to get this back, anyway. What is it, even?” George asked out loud.

“Maybe it’s an old heirloom?” Blitzer pondered. “Like… an old pot, or a tea set. Or even these scarves,” he said while tapping his own with two digits. Despite the snow, it had stayed remarkably dry.

“That’s a whole lot of effort for some heirloom,” George said. “I don’t see why Allora was getting all excited and jumpy over this whole plan to begin with. You remember, don’t you?”

Now stretching with one arm, Blitzer snacked on an Oran Berry. “Yeh,” he said between bites, before swallowing. “I mean, that’s just the way she is, isn’t she? If you ask me, she’s always been a weird character. Weirder than anyone else in the Alliance.”

George raised an eyebrow, his ears going flat against his head. “Eh… you have to be a little out there to be in the Smaugus. Let alone married to the brute that runs it. But she’s been one of my mentors for a while now. Do you really think she’s that bad of a person?”

Blitzer shrugged. “It’s something about that laugh, man. Plus, there’s been a few times where she got… really serious for some reason? At the Soldiers… granted, I hate them too, but…”

The wind blew through their conversation as they reached a clearing in the forest. George and Blitzer both shielded their eyes from the snow, and remained stationary for a few seconds. Any attempt to move forward could have led to them tripping.

“No, I get you…” George groaned. ‘That was really weird, actually.’ “Just, doesn’t do any good to try and doubt her, right? Don’t you think the rest of the Alliance would’ve picked up on that by now? She’s been in for a while.”

Blitzer took a deep breath, then sighed, the flame on his tail dying down. “Yeah. You’re right… I mean, Terez is weird too, isn’t she. Disappearing for no reason like that. And then Allora says that’s normal. I guess we’ve all got our weird quirks,” he said, then winked at George with his teeth bared in a… very endearing manner. George gulped.

‘Y-yeah… very endearing.’ “L-like me being a human. And you, uh… getting all jumpy over things.” ‘And being cute…’

“Hey, I don’t get that jumpy, do I?”

A gust of wind blew by; the snowfall was picking up in intensity. George bit down hard on his cheeks, then stretched the muscles in his shoulders. “Right, right… err, we should probably hurry up. Snow’s getting worse.”

“Yeah, it is,” Blitzer said. “I think there’s a shack closeby. Maybe we can stay there until it’s over? Glaceon Town’s pretty far away still.”

“I… don’t think so?” George said, his feet digging deep into the snow. “The road from Glaceon Town to here was empty, wasn’t it?”

“Err…” Blitzer’s teeth chattered as he retraced their route in his head. “I might’ve gotten the roads mixed up… somewhere around Glaceon, that was…”

George squinted as a gust of wind blew by, blowing heavy snow into his face. “Gotta hurry up… longer we’re out here, the deeper the mess we’ll end up in,” he said. By now, he was dragging his tail over the snow, trying to conserve his energy.

As they took a shortcut through the woods into a snowed-in clearing, another gale pelted them right in their faces, sending the ends of their scarves fluttering. George grabbed his and squeezed it tight in his fist, fearing it would fly off his neck.

“Egh, this wind is just… getting stronger…”

Blitzer gulped. “Ngh! Allora said it wouldn’t get this bad, why is it-”

In the blink of an eye, a blur passed over their head, masked by the snowfall. Wind rushed in afterwards, knocking the two into the snow. The cold wormed its way into George’s fur as he lay in a daze, the snow having half buried his face, and gotten into his soot-stained fur.

Blitzer’s breathing intensified, spinning and breathing fire to free himself. “George, get up!”

George shoved the snow aside with a psychic push, then staggered his way back to his feet. He searched the area for any sign of a Soldier. And there was someone looming right over their heads. “Above us…!” he groaned, unsheathing his scalchops.

Blitzer quickly found out that George wasn’t lying. But it wasn’t death who had come riding on a pale horse. The Pokemon above them was far too orange and scaly for that.

“S-Sefonia?! What are you doing here?”

“Ah-” the Dragonite said, her feet plopping down on the ground with a thud. “Sorry, I uh. Overheard Allora talking to you guys and all… She didn’t give you anyone to catch you if you got caught, and that’s just strange if you ask me. Also, I had time to spare, so…”

“Y-yeah! That was weird!” Blitzer said. ”We managed, but still! What’s that all about?”

“Maybe she trusted you?” Sefonia asked.

Meanwhile, George backed away from her, overwhelmed by what he was seeing. Sefonia was tall, tall, tall: He was barely bigger than her leg! Let alone how much more she had on him! Size, volume, and strength most of all. One look at her, and George pictured the ways she could’ve pulverised him. Crushed, bitten, punched, smashed, incinerated…

“Oh hey! Where are you going?” she turned to the side and asked. George gulped. Nothing escaped her sight either, not even his unintentional escape plan.

“E-ehhhh, just… trying to go home? Back to base?” He gulped again, an itchy sensation crawling up the back of his neck. All the water in the world around him, and yet his throat was dry.

Sefonia put her hands on her hips. “But why are you walking there? It’s really, really cold. Why don’t you let me take you guys back to base? I’m headed there, anyway.”

George tightened the scarf around his neck. “Does, doesn’t that bog you down too much? Having to carry us on your back…” ‘I-i’m getting offered a ride by a dragon…’

Sefonia couldn’t help but giggle upon hearing George’s stuttered speech. And then Blitzer joined right in on it, even trying to hide his smiling face behind an arm. George awkwardly looked away.

“Gee, it’s not like I do cargo deliveries or worse! I’ve literally done flights from sea to shore where I carried like ten different Pokemon around! For an hour, no less!” She got onto one knee, the cold not affecting her in the slightest. “Come on, I can handle you no problem!”

She added a wink at the end, tongue clearly in cheek, though George’s instincts still weren’t cooperating. Each of his steps was slow and laboured, like his legs were made out of steel.

“C’mon, George! Hurry up!” Blitzer waved his arms around. “She won’t bite!”

“Is he afraid of dragons, or something?” Sefonia joked, giggling all the while. “That can’t be right, can it? The Othersider, afraid of me? I’m a real cuddly dragon, you know!”

George dragged his tail over the snow. ‘You’re not helping…’

Blitzer held both his claws against his chest. “Are you? Well… uh, just between the three of us, but… George’s had a real bad experience with a certain dragon. Uh, G.”

Sefonia’s eyes widened. She stood straight up right away.

“Oh. I didn’t know that… Sorry.”

George took a deep breath. “It’s okay.” ‘So she also knows about her.’

The Dragonite sighed, a trail of steam leaving her mouth. “Let’s… uh, let me help you guys onto my back. It can be pretty tough.”

It was quiet enough to hear the snow fall as George and Blitzer climbed onto Sefonia, not least of which because no one was saying anything. George least of all, especially the further up he got. Since the alternative was having Blitzer’s tail pressing right against him, he was sitting up front. High up on her back, right behind the joints of her wings.

To say the shivering and teeth chattering wasn’t just the cold wasn’t an understatement. It wasn’t even a sentence.

‘F-flying? I’ve… I’ve never flown before…’

Sefonia tilted her head backwards. “Alright, looks like we’re all set! Are you guys ready?”

“Sure am! Ready as can be!” Blitzer pumped one of his claws, much to Sefonia’s amusement.

“Hahaha! Excited, are we?”

“Of course! I’ve wanted to fly since I was smaller than your foot!”

“Hihihi!” Sefonia giggled. For a large, intimidating dragon, she sure didn’t sound like one. “And you, George?”

“Euh…”

“I don’t hear a no!”

“Wait- Waaaaaaah!!!”

No was the answer given, and whether George liked it or not, Sefonia set off against the ground. An enormous updraft launched them straight into the air, until they were well over the trees, wind and snow be damned. George yelped, squeaked, gasped, made noises he didn’t even know how to describe beyond the fact that he was making them.

“Hahaha! Geoooorge! How does it feel!!!” Blitzer yelled at the top of his lungs.

George gasped for breath. “Horriaaaaahhh!” his voice rose as Sefonia suddenly swooped right down, the wind suddenly pushing right against their backs. It felt like a giant slingshot had slung them forward. And a giant fan was following them.

One claw poked George on his back. His fur was going all over the place.

“What did you say!!! I cant hear you!!! Sounds like you said horiyah!!! What is that!!! Is that a human thing!!!”

“Noooo Blitzer!!!” George shouted back, still gasping.

“Heeey!!! Calm down back there!!! Just sit tight and have fun!!!” Sefonia suddenly shouted. George wrapped his arms around her body with blazing speed, and didn’t budge or say much more after that. A rollercoaster dropping from space wouldn’t have generated this much adrenaline. All the contents in his backpack shifted around on his back. He was as much of an item as they were.

‘S-slow down…!!’

Alas for George, Sefonia didn’t hear his requests, numerous as they were. Going slower wasn’t a term in her dictionary. They soared over Glaceon Town, as forgettable a town as it was, and headed right for Snowviary. A walk of five hours had been shortened to half an hour.

And all the while, Blitzer wooed and hollered, roaring at ferals below and spreading his arms wide. “Look, look, no arms!!!”

“That’s the spirit!!!”

‘Please let this be over soon…’

When the snow settled half an hour later, Sefonia went in for her landing. She ran right to a stop on a stretch of nothing near the Smaugus village near Snowviary, also spreading her arms wide open while running to a stop, like she was a living jetliner. George felt dizzy from it all. The moment she stopped, and Blitzer had hopped off, he slid off her back and right down her tail, until his face was firmly planted into the snow.

‘How’s someone that big so fast…’

“Annnnd we’re back!” Sefonia announced. “How was the trip? It’s your first flight, right, guys?”

“That… was… awesome!!!” Blitzer hopped up and down. “Sefonia, you can’t, I- I seriously can’t believe that just happened! Thank you so much for that!”

The Dragonite smirked. “It’s a pleasure! Always more than happy to give someone a claw, you know! That’s the Smaugus way of life! We all move together!” She got on one knee. “But you’re gonna grow your wings eventually. You’d have experienced it anyhow, unlike the Ottersider.”

Blitzer became all giddy whilst skipping to George's side. “Yup, one day I’ll be able to do the same, and I can’t wait! And I’ll make sure this otter will see the light, too!” He cleared his throat. “By the way, it’s Othersider! Not Ottersider.”

“Eheh, funny coincidence though, isn’t it? The Other Otter… Othersider! Sounds almost like a song!” Sefonia drew circles in the air with her claws.

And all the while Blitzer and Sefonia chatted away, George’s face remained planted in the ground, like a Vulpix hunting Rattata.

‘You know George, the ground is awfully comforting. It’s cold, dirty, and miserable… but my god do you miss it when it’s missing.’

George rolled onto his side, and it wasn’t long before Blitzer had pulled him back onto his two feet. “That was awful…” he groaned.

“Aww… Isn’t it cute how the wingless react to their first time flying? It’s always the most intense, I swear,” Sefonia explained with a grin. “Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to it eventually~” she cooed.

The commotion on the empty strip had attracted attention from the Smaugus stationed nearby. Moments after landing, one of the clan members, a Roselia who must’ve had some bizarre fondness for living in cold regions, began whistling a tune. It didn’t take long before several Smaugusfolk showed up to escort George, Blitzer and Sefonia indoors.

“Aaah, there you all are! Pretty fast, I gotta say!”

Before the front door was even closed, Allora was right there to greet them with a belly laugh, one which Sefonia joined in on.

“All thanks to me!”

Allora slapped her belly with a flipper. “My my, Sef! Weren’t you busy today?”

Sefonia shrugged. “I underestimated myself! Did what I had to, and then… you know, I was wondering how these guys were doing! They got a pretty big assignment on their laps, you know!”

“Okay!” Allora said. “Well, were you two successful?”

All eyes were on George, who slowly lifted the lantern out of his bag. ‘That was quick. She must have a lot of faith in her, huh,’ he thought to himself, before holding up the lantern. “Here it is. Just the way I found it.”

“No cracks, or anything?” Allora asked while holding out her flippers. “It’s an antique.”

George shook his head. “Nope, nothing. Believe me, I checked… Can I ask you a question, actually?”

Allora nodded as the lantern changed from hands to flippers. “Go ahead. What do you want to know?”

“Well, what is this even for?” asked George. “It reminds me a lot of an object at home, but it’s not the same. And what’s with that red crystal in the centre?”

“Hmm…” Allora tapped herself on the chin with a flipper. “That, George, is an old Smagus light beacon. It’s seen better days, as you can tell, but it produced light once upon a time. No more, though.”

“Oh. So it is a lantern,” George said out loud. He covered his mouth. ‘Why did I say that?’

The Carracosta tilted her head. “Lantern?”

Blitzer chuckled. “A human thing. It’s uh, it’s like a light beacon! I think so!”

“Why now! Then you should feel right at home with this one, eh?” Allora asked, once again laughing as she put the light beacon on a table. “Thanks again for bringing it home! This is a piece of our history, you know. Can’t just let the Crest run off with it. And thanks to you too,” she said while patting Sefonia on her shoulder. “I can’t ever thank you enough, can I?”

“You’re welcome!” the Dragonite said, tongue firmly in cheek.

Allora grinned. “Alright! Well then, lads. I think it’s time you two rested out for the day. You’ve got plenty more work cut out for you over the next few days, and I need you to be in the best health possible for that. Yes?”

George and Blitzer both nodded. “Yes.” ‘I wanted to go to bed, anyway.’

“Right then, have a good day! And get something to eat, we’ve got plenty of food here.”

Allora walked off with the beacon, Sefonia headed off elsewhere, leaving George and Blitzer to fend for themselves in the Smaugus’ outpost. It didn’t take long for them to find the kitchen, and they were eating from a plate of soup not long thereafter.

“So, what do you think of Sefonia?” Blitzer asked.

George shrugged. “She’s alright, I guess. Very uh, very energetic.”

“I think that’s admirable about her. She is so cheery and good hearted, isn’t she?”

“You could say that.” ‘But there is such a thing as overdoing it. Not that Blitzer knows what that term means.’

Snow fell for the rest of that day, as the two got settled into their latest temporary home. Things were slowly improving.

But that could change at any time.