Life in chains. When he was young, Blitzer had a slight fascination with the concept. To have your every freedom taken away, forced to live with little more than your own body… What was that like? How would you cope with that being your life?

Alas, he got to experience it first hand, at the edge of a whip.

“MOVE!”

Blitzer cried out as he was struck in the thigh. The whip struck its mark, again and again. Pain shot through his leg and up his spine as he stumbled forward, a few embers sputtering out of his maw. He hacked up a cough, struggled to remain standing on the stony floor, a desperate look on his face.

And just as fast as before, in came the whip for another lash.

The Charmeleon howled it out this time, then whimpered.

“Stoooop…”

“QUIET! Get on with your work. Or do you want to complain about the whip some more?”

“No…”

“Should be counting your lucky stars. Don’t know what Chronos’ blood has done with ya, but electricity ain’t working on you,” the Ampharos holding the whip growled. “Now MOVE!”

The whipping continued, unabated for as long as Blitzer idled. Even if it was just a second, or while he winced from all the pain he’d suffered through that day, Ampharos would hit him right on the thigh, each hit harder than the last. No mercy, no questions, no doubts.

There was no true respite from forced labour. And that labour involved carrying large boulders around. The rubble from expansion down underground. The Smaugus needed new quarters, of course. Chronos had his plans. And Blitzer was but a tool in those plans.

What little time away he got from the torment was precious. Even then, what joy was there to be had? His back burned from all the rocks he lugged around. His claws ached from attempts to slash them apart. His legs burned harder than the fire on the end of his tail.;the Ampharos made sure of that. And that was all precisely what Chronos wanted. So Blitzer imagined, anyway.

‘I hate my life…. I hate my life. How did I end up here…? I haven’t even seen the sun for the past ten days… has it even been ten days? I just went to sleep ten times, that’s all…’

Labour hours continued with every waking moment. Every day, some new disgusting, monstrous task was thrown in Blitzer’s face. Only someone without a soul could come up with them. Sparring with multiple opponents far greater in stature, resulting in Blitzer getting beaten black and blue. Burning through piles of snow on a timer, his fires resembling a baby Charmander’s by the end. Breaking and carrying logs around, with little to no breaks, and forget asking for any. And Ampharos was there for all of them. Sometimes he had help. Whatever species they might be, it meant nothing. As far as Blitzer was concerned, every last supervisor was the same. They’d all torment and belittle him regardless of what he did. Perfection didn’t exist in this world. It doesn’t exist in any world, but that doesn’t stop the cruel from demanding it.

Blitzer detested them all. Imagined himself scaring their fur off. Tearing fur off. Dishing all the pain they gave him back out. He scowled as he thought about it. Wouldn’t that be something? Biting Ampharos’ leg and shaking him around like a ragdoll?

He shuddered.

‘Why am I thinking this way? That’s what they would do to me…’

For some ungodly reason, Blitzer’s lone daylight break came in the form of food. He’d always receive these elaborately cooked meals of meat and various berries, with vegetables from all over Eravate. Some dishes he recognised from the Ruby province. At least, they used all the same vegetables that the festival dishes did. Got plenty of clean water, on top of that.

But Blitzer took little joy in any of the food when it was offered. Coming from them, it might as well have been one big jolly. They worked him to the bone, and he always was starving by the end of it. Whenever they gave him anything to eat, he resembled a feral Snorlax. Savagely tearing through food. The only reason he didn’t hear them laugh is because he sounded like a pig as he ate.

Another humiliation on top of the pile.

In reality, the only true break he got was sleep. At least then, he was alone… with one exception. The night time was when Sisu woke up. Every night, without fail, even though she claimed she didn’t sleep through the day. And as usual, when Ampharos chucked him back into his cell for the night, and he rested his head on a pile of old straws, her voice echoed in his head.

‘Yo.’

‘Why do you keep doing that… you’ve been doing it for the past week.’

‘More like the past two weeks. ‘S how long we’ve been here now.’

‘Really? It’s not like I can see the sun down here.’ The Charmeleon let out a tired growl as he stirred on his bed, his tail flame dim and flickering. ‘And I told you to stop before. It’s not funny. How can you laugh about this?’

‘Because quitting ain’t gonna help, Blitz. They want you to give up, you know.’ Sisu whispered in his ear, an odd cold feeling circling around Blitzer’s head.

‘And? What am I supposed to cling onto, then? It’s easy to talk about hope this, hope that when you’ve been sitting in my head all this time. You’re not the one getting the crap beat out of you on a daily basis…’ Blitzer whipped his tail around. ‘Speaking of knowing things, I used to be hopeful. You know that, right? Guess what happened? Lost my best friend, not even sure if he’s alive any longer. Got captured. Now I’m getting tortured on a daily basis. Only have you to trust anymore.’

An audible ‘tsk tsk tsk’ echoed off the walls of the cell. ‘See, that’s the stuff I’m talking about right there. You think I haven’t snooping around here while they’re busy with you? They suck at detecting ghosts. They really suck at makin’ sure someone won’t talk to me, too. Things are happening, Blitz. Happening fast. I’ll get you outta here in no time… got some surprises on the way, too.’

Blitzer curled up into a ball. ‘Just stop already… I don’t want to hear about it. I just don’t…’

‘And then what? You don’t wanna get outta here? You’d prefer Chronos throwing everything you are in the garbage?’

‘NO!’ Blitzer shouted in his head. ‘Never! Not in a million years…’

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A laugh went through his head moments after. ‘See? That’s the spirit. That’s the Blitz I’ve been hopin’ for. ‘Cause your name ain’t Thanatos.’

‘Don’t say that name either! I don’t believe anything that monster says… I’m not his son, do you hear me? I’m not!’ Blitzer sniffed. ‘I’m not… my dad isn’t…’

His dad wasn’t here. Neither mom or dad had ‘been here’ for the past few months now. Where they had gone remained as much of a mystery as ever, one which Blitzer was further from solving than ever. It felt like years had passed since those times. Better times. When life was simple, and Pandora’s box was still sealed.

Instead, he was here. With his ‘father’. Tears slid out of his eyes as the thought opened an all out assault on his conscience. He was not a monster. He was not related to a monster. Chronos wasn’t his father. That demon couldn’t have been his father, could he? No Charizard haunted his memories, aside from tears falling on his chest as he was left in the woods, not long after he’d broken out of the egg…

…And yet, no matter how hard he attempted to block it out, chills ran down his spine with every reminder. Why did his biological parents leave him to begin with? Why couldn’t he remember? Why?

He covered his eyes, the tips of his claws nearly digging into his scales as he curled further into himself.

‘Ey. Blitz.’

‘Please just leave me alone…’

‘You holding up okay?’

‘Does it look like I’m doing okay to you?’

‘No. That was a stupid question, my bad. But… you know what they say about family, right?’

Blitzer’s mind was silent. He rolled onto his back, the tip of his horn connecting with the cold stone floor.

‘Well?’ Sisu prodded.

‘He’s my father, isn’t he?’ Blitzer asked. ‘My biological father… not my real father.’

‘Good chance of that, yeah… but that’s the thing about family. Ain’t no such thing as blood rights, or whatever silly crap he was saying.’ Sisu’s presence rubbed against the side of his head. It felt as if someone was petting him from the inside. ‘Family’s way more than some blood ties. Who cares if you’ve got the same blood? Does that give him the right to do as he pleases with you? Does that mean you have to love ‘im?’

‘No.’ Blitzer jolted forward a little.

‘Damn straight,’ Sisu said. ‘Your real parents ain’t willingly swallowing cultist crap. They ain’t abusers either. Hein told me all about ‘em.’

‘Hein? What does he have to-’

Sisu giggled. ‘Mom and dad probably never told you. But they knew each other a little. There’s a reason Hein lived in Greenfield with you, y’know. Part of it was keeping an eye on you. Just in case Chronos ever returned.’

‘I don’t get it…’ Blitzer rolled back onto his side, tail curling around his body. ‘Then… did Hein have anything to do with my- with Chronos leaving me behind? Or…’

‘Gonna have to ask him yourself one day,’ Sisu said. ‘Once we’re outta this crappy place. He’s got a whole bunch of stories to tell about that. Ain’t gonna explain ‘em for him, ‘cause I ain’t a thief. Plus, he knows way more about it than I do. Got my own stuff to worry about.’

Blitzer sighed. ‘Right then… But how are we getting out of here?’

‘Got a plan. But before that, just remember. Blood says nothing about family, alright? Your Nido parents are your real parents. Your real family. Heck, George is more like family than that deadbeat fat bastard. Agree or agree?’

Deadbeat fat bastard. Not even George’s name stopped Blitzer from chuckling a little. ‘Agreed, definitely. But yeah, getting us out of here, huh.’

‘Mhm,’ Sisu hummed. ‘Already mapped this whole place out. Know where the key to the cell’s kept. Know the fastest way out. Even got some help from someone you recognise. Big Dragonite gal. Name’s Sefonia.’

‘Sefonia?!’ Blitzer’s head rose, before flinching. “Agh…”

‘Yup. ‘tis her. Managed to pull some strings, get her on our side. Wasn’t easy, mind you, but that’s another story. She’s still got some reservations, so I’m gonna discuss the plan with her tonight again, actually… other than that, just need to wait for the perfect moment. If we can sneak out of here without gettin’ half the Smaugus on our tail right away, we’ll be goooood. But yeah.’ Sisu circled around Blitzer’s head, before continuing. ‘By the way, Blitz. How do you feel? Physically.’

‘Bad,’ Blitzer replied, rubbing his neck. ‘My whole body’s sore all over… can’t go a day without feeling exhausted. They’re working me to the bone. Either that or I’m ending up in duels that feel like I’m fighting for my life. It’s horrible… Sleep barely helps. And it’s getting worse now! Starting to feel cramps all over, especially on my back…’

‘Uh-huh. In that case… actually, I’ll leave that for later.’

‘What?’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Sisu said. ‘Think you’d better catch some sleep. Gotta get some work done myself tonight.’

‘Work? What kind of work do you-’

Blitzer stopped himself. Alas, not before an all too familiar ‘tsk tsk tsk’ lit up his mind.

‘Thought you’d connect the dots yourself, Blitz. I’m working on Sef, duh. ‘Cause this plan’ll be waaayy easier with her.’

The Charmeleon let out a soft chitter. ‘Right… Do you think she’ll agree to this? At all?’

‘Hopefully,’ Sisu said. ‘That’s why I’m out there tonight. To turn hopefully into definitely, you know what I mean?’

‘Throw me to the damn Sharpedos if I don’t…’ Blitzer yawned. ‘I should sleep… tomorrow’s going to suck as hard as today.’

‘Yup. Gonna leave you alone for the night then. See ya!’

‘Later.’

Like snow before the sun, Sisu’s presence melted away. She was off to Arceus-knows-where, the events between her and Sefonia a secret. Blitzer wouldn’t be learning about it anytime soon; He just had to take the Marshadow’s word for it.

This wasn’t worth losing sleep over.

* * *

Say one thing for the Smaugus, say their defence against ghosts was spottier than swiss cheese. Oh sure, some existed, in the form of Pokemon pacing the cave-like hallways at all hours of the day and night, their minds focused in on nearby presences… but they sucked at their job. Couldn’t hone in on someone as small as Sisu, and fell for just about any distraction she thought of. Falling candles, conveniently placed pebbles, anything.

Sucks for them. Sisu didn’t plan on staying, and she sure wasn’t going back for round two. Chronos would probably bite ‘em in half afterwards. If all the jigsaws fell into their right place, that was.

And where the jigsaws ended up relied on a certain someone, whose room Sisu snuck inside of without any hassle.

“I know you’re here.”

Inside, surrounded by candles on all sides, a Dragonite sat with clasped claws on top of a mat. She looked as if she were meditating, or praying, black embers flickering off her body. Said embers fell to the ground, only to be sucked back into her legs.

Sisu emerged from the floor with a raised hand. “You know I show up around this time. How’s those exercises going, Sef?”

The Dragonite sighed, before creaking her eyes open. They lacked the purple glow so many others in the Smaugus now had. “They’ve been okay. It’s… getting easier to ignore the whispers. Though I can’t help but find them interesting even now.”

“Uh huh.” Sisu stretched her arms. “Are they telling you to do anything? Pushing you?”

Sefonia shook her head. “Far from it. It’s more suggesting things. Reminding me of what I really want..” She let out a heavy, weary sigh as she attempted to stand up, only to plop herself back onto the ground. “I… I don’t like this, Sisu. I don’t like leaving all my friends behind.”

“But you’ve heard what they’re doin’ to poor Blitz right now, right?” Sisu asked. “Nevermind him. What they’ve been up to recently. All the cult shenanigans. That sorta deal.”

“I know,” the dragon grumbled, shielding her chest with both arms. “But I can’t just… leave behind the people that supported me for so long. And all the ideals that…” She locked up, swallowed, then breathed in deep. “I can’t let Blitzer suffer like he is now, Sisu. And… I know this isn’t good. But this is extremely difficult.”

The three ectoplasmic horns on Sisu’s head congealed into one. “Believe me, ain’t easy for me either. It’s a strange situation we’ve ended up in, y’know. No one’s quite the way they used to be anymore, and it ain’t just the folks who got the vapours, either.”

“Those vapours,” Sefonia began. “They belong to something larger than any of us. And… I can’t lie, there’s so much comfort in my whole family having them. Having that same internal voice.”

The Marshadow nodded along. “Mhm. And you’re throwing all that away. ‘Cause even though everyone has ‘em, they’re no good. Make us do the craziest things. You know how Chronos believes Blitzer is his son, right? And this is how he treats ‘im?”

Sefonia breathed in deep, before flapping her wings once. “Yeah,” she said, the flickering light passing through a gap in the vapours. Her orange scales had a bright shine to them. “That… is why it’s better, isn’t it? Going through with this.”

“Mhm. You feeling okay about it?”

“Yes… If it’ll make the world a better place. It took a lot to get there. Including some fists from you, but…” Sefonia breathed in deep. Some of the scales on her throat sported bruises. “I’m ready.”

“Can guarantee you it will,” Sisu said. “So. Been thinking about the plan again.”

Sefonia raised an eye. “Did anything change?”

“Sure did. Know how to get my hands on the goods. Plus, did my damndest to make it as quiet as possible, as you suggested… but we’ll have to be fast regardless. We’re going to the north east.”

The Dragonite’s antennas drooped a little. “To the front? Isn’t that extremely dangerous?”

“Uh-huh,” the Marshadow hummed. “But lissen. I got friends up there. One’s always thinking a thousand steps ahead. And she’s quite forgiving once you get to know ‘er.”