George blinked several times at the surprised Dragonite in the distance, completely dumbfounded.

“Marshadow? What are you talking about?”

“What?” Sefonia gasped, then shook her head. “George, don’t tell me you don’t know your… that’s a Legendary Pokemon next to you! In the flesh!”

With all the grace of someone who just missed the bus, George spun back towards Sisu, tail hanging limp on the ground.

“Uh…?” ‘Looks normal to me… except the head, what’s with those ghost curls?’

Sisu shrugged. “Dunno. People keep making some big deal about it. They’re like ‘Whoaa, that’s Marshaaadow’ when I’m eating ice cream or something. Like c’mon, how much do you believe in fairytales to think that stuff? ‘S not like I’m the only Marshadow out there. There’s gotta be more.”

Right next to Sefonia, Blitzer tightened up his scarf and sharpened his claws, all while keeping his eyes locked onto Marshadow. Despite the beaming smile on his face, he looked like he was spoiling for a fight.

“Okay, okay, okay… I didn’t ever think I’d meet a legendary Pokemon in my life, but after being the first guy to meet George… maybe I should’ve expected it! George, do you have any idea who Marshadow is?! The master of copycatting! One of the greatest fighters the world has ever… they’re the stuff of legends! We once had to sing a song about them growing up! Marshadow’s mittens, they ain’t no kittens, Marshadow’s little, but not so brittle~”

George raised one eye, the other dull and unfocused. His ears went flat against his head. What an odd situation this was. Here they were on a snowy mountain, shivering and obsessing over some small Pokemon instead of focusing on the mission. ‘Legendary Pokemon’, at that. Sefonia looked like she was on the verge of asking for an autograph.

‘Okay, what…’ He turned back towards Sisu, the mythical Marshadow, whose ectoplasm simmered low against the rest of her head, all while rolling her eyes hard enough to pop out of her skull. If she even had one.

“Okay, now I’m confused.”

“Yeah, welcome to the club,” Sisu said. “Look you guys, don’t you have something better to do than gawking at me all day? I get enough of that crap. It’s just annoying. Especially coming from someone like her! You’re Sefonia, right? Of the Smaugus?”

Sefonia held an arm over her chest. “H-how did you know that?”

Sisu stuck her grey tongue out. “Duuuh! Who the hell in Whitiara doesn’t know you? You’re like, the Smaugus Pokemon. You know that ship trying to come into port? The one where you flew like, forty Pokemon out of their watery graves and all? Or beating up crazy ferals? Crooks and all that other stuff? If anything, you should give yourself that credit. I’m just some girl, y’know?”

Sefonia’s antennae curled around her head. “O-oh… yeees, but you can’t just take all the credit. And you shouldn’t talk yourself down, either.”

“Aren’t you a master of martial arts?” Blitzer asked. “Way bigger than just some girl. Why else did I have to sing about you growing up?”

“I dunno, maybe ‘cause mommy and daddy thought it was cute?” Sisu kicked at the snow.

The Charmeleon blushed, then frowned.“Of course… does that change you being…”

George folded his arms, as Blitzer tried convincing Sisu of all the great things she’d done, of which Sisu denied just about everything. All those grandiose accomplishments, and it fell off her much as water in rain.

‘For a martial arts master, she sure doesn’t kick very hard.’

“...so yeah, you’re basically just a clown if you believe everything you heard. You know they got a Zeraora in the Crest, right? Saw him goofing around Tirasford once, trying to buy fresh Basculin or something. Had a limp, or some weird walk. Gonna say he’s the king of Slowkings too? Combee’s knees?”

Blitzer let out a deep, deep sigh, then puffed out a cloud of smoke that left a black stain on the snow. It even smelled like ash.

“Alright… have it your way, then.”

George let out an audible groan. “Urgh…” ‘Come on, don’t just turn your brain off now.’

“That you who just did the ‘HURGH’, George Dewott? Dewott George?” Sisu hopped off the rock she’d been sitting on, then waddled up to George to tussle through the fur on his head. “You know, I like you, actually. You’re like the only person that didn’t just start gawking when they see me. ‘S not that common. No wonder they say you’re the Othersider.”

“Yeah? Speaking of which, what are you even doing up here?” George inquired, arms still folded. An itch crept up his hip, right up until it reached his scalchop. “Other than not liking town, because I can think of better places to spend than all the way up here, next to some dusty old ruin. How do you even know who we all are? What’s your game?”

“Hey, easy on her,” Sefonia grumbled with a thud, the sound of her claws as loud as ever. The snow did little to muffle them.

Sisu threw her hands behind her head. “Nah, it's okay. To be honest, I could ask you the same, but I don't really need to. It’s not like you’re making it too difficult to guess here. You’re gonna go into that old base to rummage through something. I like to hang out in there. Wouldn’t recommend it. Place is one big crappy Mystery dungeon these days.”

George quirked a brow. “Go on.”

“All sorts of… what are they called again? Corrup- no, Anomalies. That’s right. The guys that got this purple black glow to them. Like someone dunked ‘em in a vat of ink. Crazy aggressive, can’t control their actions, reduced to their most basic impulses, you know.”

“What? Most basic impulses?” Blitzer asked, the tip of his tail twitching with curiosity. “Sef, have you ever heard of this before?”

Sefonia shrugged. “I don’t know that much about Mystery Dungeons, no. Just what’s been explained to me. But it’s no surprise that Marshadow would know more about dungeons than we do. So yes.”

“Hmm…” Sisu looked rather aloof, as her arms swayed around loosely from her body. “Not entirely correct. It’s more like… your main traits as a Pokemon are amplified ten fold. So the aggressive ones fight ‘till the death. The scared ones start weeping and running right away. Like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Anyway, do you really wanna go in there? It sucks. Also, crazy dangerous. Especially when there’s three of you guys in there. And one of you’s that large.”

Sefonia frowned. “What do you mean, large?”

Sisu folded her arms. “You know how many times I see these big groups of Pokemon go in there? All these tall ‘explorers’ and other idiots who don’t know what they’re doing? Every time I have to bail ‘em out, ‘cause they stomp around in there fighting everything, until every Anomaly in there wants to carve a piece out of ‘em. If I were you, I’d wait outside here, with me. Let those two in there.”

‘...What?’ George stomped his feet. “She is literally here to help us. The strongest fighter in the whole Smaugus! Who are you to say she can’t go in?”

The Dewott clenched his fists. Sisu’s behaviour and the whole ‘legendary’ story Sefonia and Blitzer had mentioned were raising red flags across the continent. ‘Who is she, really?’

Sisu, meanwhile, rolled her eyes at George’s outburst.“You know Othersider, I don’t think you’re even listening to me right now. Don’t think any of you are, really. Same exact crap all the stupid idiots in Tirasford do. They come here, see me, talk this big game about how they’re going to be the ones to explore in there, and what happens? Either they ain’t coming back out, or they end up screaming and crying like little girls while Anomalies chase ‘em off their turf. All the way to Tirasford.”

George let out a soft groan that the winds didn’t carry. Sefonia sighed, and leaned into Blitzer, who squeaked in surprise.

“And before y’all get all uppity with me again, I ain’t the one telling you what you can and can’t do, alright? Look, I’m just a bored girl sitting here doing whatever. Don’t have a green rag wrapped around my neck, or a black one. Not gonna call anyone else’s shots or anything. You do you, but don’t come to me crying when it turns out I was right. Yeah?”

The wind howled, as it kicked up a snowy mist that pelted George in his eyes. He bit his lip, and shifted his feet to avoid a fall.

Sefonia said “ow” out loud from the snow whisking past her scales, as did Blitzer close his eyes from runaway flakes.

Sisu didn’t budge or react. She was as unimpressed as ever. “Like, I dunno why this is such a big deal to you guys. You think I’m lying to you?”

“No,” George groaned, “but come on. She is there to help us. She is a strong fighter. You know the stories, you’ve literally told us one. If there’s anyone who could get through there no problem, it’s her.”

Having said his piece, George retreated, the fur across his body lightly bristled. What this line of questioning would accomplish was something he himself wasn’t even sure of. Pursuing it felt urgent enough.

Sefonia let out a deep, deep sigh, waddling through the snow while holding onto Blitzer’s arm, the Charmeleon powerless to resist. Not that he was putting much effort into resisting to begin wtih.

“George, with all due respect, ehrm… I don’t think she’s lying. No need to make a fuss.”

A baffled George turned around with a frown, his tail flopped onto the ground. “...You’re joking, aren’t you?”

The Dragonite shook her head, then dropped onto one knee. “Not at all. In the Smaugus it’s taught to no end, but really. You’re supposed to treat people with respect, and not just dismiss what they’re saying out of hand. No offence, but I think you’re getting upset over nothing. Worse, I think it’s actually pretty bad faith.”

Sisu whistled. “Thank the lords, someone actually believes me for a change!” she pumped her fists into the air. Her being made of ectoplasm didn’t affect her musculature one bit. George had to bite his lip after spotting them from the corner of his eye.

‘Man… ack!’

Sefonia suddenly rubbed George’s cheek. “Honestly George, if you’re worried about going in there without me, well… you probably got more experience fighting against Anomalies than anyone else in the world. Blitzer too.”

George sighed. “We don’t know what we’ll find in there, though. What kind of Anomalies, how many…”

“They generally leave you alone if you don’t provoke ‘em,” Sisu said, poking George on his other cheek, much to the Dewott’s chagrin. “Unfortunately for you guys, being tall and intimidating like her counts as provoking. Again, I don’t make the rules.”

“You’ll be fine George,” said Sefonia, still rubbing the same cheek, while now simultaneously scratching Blitzer on the back of his head. “You too, Blitzer. Faith in yourself goes a long way, you know?”

“Yeah, it does…” Blitzer crooned. He sounded like a purring cat.

George stared unamused ahead of himself, while blowing air out of his nose. “Alright, can you let go of me already… I get it. Let’s just get this done and over with, Blitzer.”

“Mhm,” the Charmeleon chirped.

With Sefonia applauding them on, the two wrapped their scarves on extra tight, then George pulled out a lantern from his bag. Ahead, darkness beckoned, as the peak of Mount Tenebrous towered overhead. Gazing inside made George’s insides churn, as if the void called out to him. ‘Enter, enter.’

George pinched himself in the belly, using a whole hand to get the message across.

‘Not the time to hallucinate. That time is never, George…’ Each finger squeezed until they dug into his skin. ‘Stop getting sick when things don’t look good, for God’s sake. You’ve dealt with this before! You’re better than this!’

With a groan, he raised the lantern over his head. “Blitzer? Are you ready?”

The Charmeleon sucked in a breath. “About as ready as I can be. Just another dive into a dungeon… we should be strong enough, right? We’ve done it before.”

George nodded, his fur fluttering in the wind. “And we’ll do it again,” he growled.

“Look at ‘em. So prepared he brings a lantern. ‘Cause apparently the living lantern next to him wasn’t good enough.”

“Well, there’s no such thing as being too prepared, is there? Would you say the same about me wearing armour?”

“Yeah? It’s not like anyone’s getting through that thick skin of yours.”

“Is that a… ah, nevermind. They’re about to turn the corner.”

Sisu and Sefonia watched as they ventured into the depths of Mount Tenebrous. Sefonia looked on longingly, her feet itching to stay caught up with them. Blitzer shot one glance over his shoulder before he vanished from the outside world, a tinge of sadness shedding from his eye.

“You’ll take me onto a real mission of yours after this, right?”

Sefonia smiled. “Of course I will! And that’s a promise, mister! Doesn’t matter if the logistics or the rules don’t work out. You better raise some hell if I don’t come through!”

“I-I will!” Blitzer said, trying to show confidence through a grin, only for his tail to flop onto the stone floor.

The last thing he’d see was Sefonia’s laughing face, before following George into the depths of the base. Soon the oppressive atmosphere of the Mystery Dungeon passed over them, putting pressure onto their bodies and alerting their senses to the slightest noise. Though neither lamp nor tail flame revealed much beyond the wall, it was evident they weren’t alone.

At the entrance, Sefonia let out a sigh, wings drooping into their resting position. “So, Sisu… Since we’ll be waiting for a while, what was that about my weight, again?”

Sisu looked at her with folded arms, cheeks inflated and puffy. “I didn’t say anything about your weight.”

Sefonia frowned at her. “You did.”

“Only that the Anomalies woudn’t like your size, yeah,” Sisu pouted. “What else did you want me to say? Lies? ‘Tis the truth.”

The Dragonite shook her head, tail flicking up and down behind her. “My apologies, then. People keep making rude remarks about my weight. It’s awful.”

“No problem.” Sisu waved off. “‘Kay, let’s just tidy this place up, ‘aight? Too cold.”

Sefonia breathed in deep, antennae itching around her horn as a puff of smoke left her nostrils. “About time you suggested as much.”

* * *

All the familiar sounds and smells faded away the deeper they got underground, as George led Blitzer further inside the once abandoned base. He held his lantern high, its light reaching little except the nearby walls. Age had gotten to them: Specks of dust and claw marks covered the brickwork, erosion leaving its mark on some parts. One peculiarity that stood out was a repeated claw marking. It looked like a huge “X” and ran deep through the stone. After the tenth such pattern, George stopped to point it out.

“Look. Someone else has gone inside here.”

Blitzer pitched his tail up until the grooves were void of shadows. “Huh… you’re right, this doesn’t look natural at all. And it doesn’t look like a feral would’ve made it, either…”

“What kind of Pokemon made it?” George asked.

The Charmeleon shook his head “No idea. Don’t know of any Pokemon that would do it like this. It’s just one big shape, not a set of three. You know, three,” he explained while dangling his claws besides his face. “Most Pokemon got three fingers like I do.”

George raised an eye. “Huh… okay, that’s really weird. And you’re sure it wasn’t a feral who made these, right?”

“I’m not even sure how they exist in the first place, to be honest with you. Mystery Dungeons shift around all the time. And didn’t Terez say they should be able to repair damage like this when it happens? It’s not an effective way of getting out at all…” Blitzer put his claw on the wall, then took a step back. “Maybe it’s natural, somehow?”

Sand fell from the ceiling not far from where they were standing. George looked up for a moment, then groaned.

‘Probably a rat, or something. Rattata.’ “That’s a question for Sefonia when we get out. Or Allora. I don’t know if that’s going to answer much, but…” the Dewott shook his head. “No point in debating this now. We should continue. And be careful.”

Blitzer nodded. “Yeah, let’s go… sooner we get that artefact, the better.”

The tunnel continued on for a while longer, before opening into a large hall. It was empty. No Anomalies yet, nor any sort of furniture or old torch stand. Just a large blip in the darkness, and an odd white mist. The ceiling didn’t go that much higher here than in the tunnel; Chronos would’ve had a hard time craning his neck up. George clung onto that detail most of all.

‘Maybe that’s why they built a new base. “Volcano? Yeah, it couldn’t erupt. That’s why we moved.”

There was only one path forwards from the entrance hall, which they followed. The remnants of a huge iron door lay in pieces across the brick floor, shattered and battered from a tremendous force. Further beyond, the hollow growls of a small Pokemon echoed off the walls. It sounded like they were in pain, almost.

“Do you think they were attacked?” Blitzer asked, pointing the tip of his tail at the door.

“Maybe,” George said. “Allora didn’t tell us too much about this place. Not even that there was a Mystery Dungeon inside… just got to keep going. See that we don’t get attacked ourselves.”

Blitzer blew on George’s lantern to keep it alight, before they pressed on. In the next clearing, the first Anomalies slithered out of the darkness. A pack of Bergmite and several Sizzilipedes. They took no chances, and attacked before anyone had a chance to spot them. Being so small and young, most went down from a single shot of water or breath of fire, respectively. The few who would have had the chance to respond in kind, chose instead to flee.

The purple vapours dissipated from the knocked out ferals. George searched them for any oddities, while Blitzer searched the rest of the room. To their surprise, they found what seemed like an old map hanging on the wall. Dusty, the corners were torn off, but still readable.

“George, look.”

“Is that going to help, though? It’s a Mystery Dungeon. Place should have shifted until the bathroom's in the market. Imagine that one for a moment.”

“Uh, yeah… but the map’s been accurate so far. Look, it starts with that turn to the right, then bends back to the left there… then the entrance, then right here. And there’s paths going in four directions just like on the map, exactly like on the map.”

George decided to compare for himself, and ran a lap around the room to study every last nook and cranny. Blitzer appeared to be right… until one of the tunnels going deeper stopped dead in its tracks. Rubble had blocked the way past a few steps. He kicked a pebble by his feet.

“Look, you’re wrong. We’re not getting through here in a million years.”

“That used to be a path, though.”

“Not anymore. Maybe the Dungeon’s shifting adapts depending on the dungeon. Or there’s not that many Anomalies in here.”

Blitzer shrugged. “Sounds more far fetched than finding a leek in here.”

George rolled his eyes. ‘Ha. Ha. Ha.’ “Riiight… anyway, where do you want to go, then? If you think the map’s going to work.”

Blitzer traced a claw over the map. “It says the uh… ‘Leader’s Seat’ is straight ahead. Past a dinner area and some kind of security thing. ‘Security Box’... Do you know what that is, a security box?”

“Probably some kind of checkpoint,” George said, brushing the dirt off his hips and fixing the hair on his head. “Fingers crossed that’s what we’ll find, but I don’t see any better choice.”

“Maybe we’re gonna be in luck,” Blitzer said, already moving towards the passage.

George pressed his tongue against his cheek, not wanting to bite it out of instinct. ‘I’ve heard of ignorance being bliss, but that’s really naïve… especially after Sisu said what she said.’

On the path to the Leader’s Seat, Blitzer took the lead. A handful of other Bergmite were blocking their path, their courage short lived before a strike from Blitzer’s claws. The Charmeleon went through them like a hot knife through butter. Predators and prey, in some people’s eyes. George wasn’t among those people.

‘This can’t be all there is to this place, can it?’

First came the former mess hall, where long broken furniture and wooden splinters littered the floor, covered in pawprints and stretch marks. Then, the security checkpoint. Two stone statues damaged past the point of recognition was all that remained of the defence. Here, it was quiet enough to hear the beat of one’s heart.

And then, upon opening the door to the leader’s seat, there was no leader nor seat to be seen. Only a sight that struck dread into those who laid eyes on it.

The path forward.