The road to the western edge of the continent wound its way through various forests and hills. Towns and farmland were scattered about here, though most were mere outposts in the wilderness. Murky swamps and dark forests marked the countryside, something which the population of primarily water, poison, grass, fighting, and dark Pokemon were well adapted to.

In the grand scheme of things, however, that was a matter for another day. George had no time to waste. Everyday spent messing around made the Renegade laugh all the harder. The Dewott frowned at the thought.

‘Agh. Forget the tentacles. Forget him being the size of a building. That stupid laugh is the biggest nightmare. Kind of laugh that makes you want to step on someone’s toes…’

The locals looked and sounded terrified of the encroaching cloud of purple, its influence gradually spreading across the world. Anything foreign was frowned upon in these trying times; Pokemon turned their backs, and doors were shut tight for the trio marching across their land.

In their attempts to ask for directions or help anyone out, the trio received no hospitality. Frowns, jeers, fear, in no particular order. A few cried of ‘The Lone Eye’, but Hein hiding didn’t help Terez and George win anyone over. As far as the locals were concerned, they might as well be Dungeon creatures. Anomalies missing the glow. And they could leave. Slow, fast, or through force.

Option two was decided on. Well, fast by Hein and Terez’ standards, anyway.

Two weeks out west from Greenfield, the sun shone through the clouds. It hadn’t rained today, a miracle these days. The trio had just emerged from a bog, and were greeted by the sight of a murky pond. Lily pads littered the surface; a lone Politoed let out a ribbit. Moments later, a splash disturbed the quiet, as a Frogadier jumped out from the reeds and vanished into the pond.

“We can pass over this,” Hein said. “It does not seem particularly deep.”

“If only you could say the same about the rest of the swamp.” Terez shook her head, the underside of her dress stained with mud. “At least you can hide here easily.”

Hein scoffed. “You say that as if the two aren’t related. There are no roads here for a reason. This was one of the Crest’s most hated regions for a reason.”

George raised an eye. “No Crest here, huh. It’s kind of a surprise there’s no Anomalies here, then. No Alliance, I mean.” His whiskers twitched. ‘What’s the difference now, even?’

The Dusknoir floated out over the pond, the shade from his body making Woopers under the water flee.

“Not quite as surprising as you think. The Crest gave this region autonomy. Left the locals alone, for the most part. And as such, few Pokemon here stuck their necks out for the Alliance, fortunately for us.”

George’s eyes narrowed. “You sure know a lot about this place, don’t you.”

To this, the Dusknoir crossed his arms before turning around, his eye shut. “That would be because I spent the better part of six decades roaming the lands, lad. You pick up on these sorts of things.”

The Dewott raised an eye at that remark. ‘Yeah right… I’m sure you just stumbled on it by accident. Didn’t investigate at all.’

Hein’s lone eye flew back open. “Let’s not get caught up here. We have a pond to cross. Terez?”

The Gardevoir snapped her fingers; her legs lifted off the ground in a blue glow, and it wasn’t long before she floated alongside Hein. “It should be good to cross directly. George’s psychic abilities should be developed enough.”

“Well?”

All the spotlights shining on him, George let out an empty sigh. “Coming,” he said, focusing on his own two legs with a far more intense concentration.

The two adults in the group floated across without any hassle. George gritted his teeth, however. His legs dangled down and didn’t cooperate, no matter how much his hands shook from the force of his telekinesis. He haphazardly used the lilypads to his advantage, feet dipping into the pond. Water gathered around them, as if the pond was toe deep. In a sense, he was walking on water.

‘Pfft. Who am I, Moses?’

Though times were dark, George cracked a small smirk. It wasn’t much, but the little things mattered. He kept smirking for a while. Long after they had crossed the pond, and had returned to dry ground. Long enough to attract unwanted attention.

“Hm? What’s the smirk for, George?”

The Dewott's ears twitched as Terez’ question reached him. “Eh?”

“Don’t mind me, I’m curious. You haven’t smiled much recently, what’s improved your mood now?”

So much for enjoying the little things. Even that ended up under a magnifying glass. George let out a small sigh, then gripped onto the flute hanging around his neck. “It’s uh, nothing much. Just the pond.”

“What’s special about it?” Terez asked.

“Mhm, not much? Just… sort of reminded me of my first day here. You know, the woods near Greenfield. Waking up. You were close by, right?”

Terez smiled as she harkened back on those times. “Ah yes, now that you mention it…it did sort of resemble the woods near Greenfield. Except Greenfield and surroundings didn’t reek quite like this place does, ugh. I’m surprised you haven’t pinched your nose shut yet.”

George shrugged. “You get used to it.” ‘Can’t exactly complain about being here, can you? You’re leading the way.’

“I beg to differ,” Terez said. “But yes, this is similar. Just with far dirtier water.”

An ancient sounding cackle echoed over the breeze. A chill went up George’s spine; Hein had kept himself silent thus far. And boy oh boy if that evil laugh wasn’t something you could miss like a toothache.

“Far dirtier? Ever tried serving drinks using the water there? Throw me straight into a fire if you call that clean.”

The Gardevoir shrugged. “I’m surprised a ghost would even care about clean drinking water. It’s not as if you get sick. And besides, do you even have taste buds?”

“Hmpf.” Hein pointed at the maw in his chest. “Come on, now. Do you honestly believe I wouldn’t be able to taste at all? With a mouth that big?”

Terez cracked up. “Well, excuse me. It’s not as if I run into many centenarian ghosts. Let alone a Dusknoir, like you. Or any other ghost, for that matter.”

Hein brushed her off with a wave of his hand. “Says the woman on a team with two other ghosts.”

“Woman?” Terez smugly lifted her head up. “Is that all I am now, grandpa?”

“Just joking,” Hein mused, his voice cracking.

George smirked behind both their backs. ‘Didn’t think I’d be seeing them fight. Didn’t think his voice could crack, either.’ he thought to himself, letting them have at it for a little while longer.

“Of course it’s a joke to you. You’d find the comedy in a little kid catching a cold.”

“After living for long enough, you learn to stop taking the little things so seriously. Some food for your thought, in case you were planning on living as long as I have.”

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“So is this how you two talk to each other when no one’s around, or something?” George poked into the conversation. “It’s like you’ve turned into different people.”

“Eh.” Hein gave a quick shrug with just his shoulders. “What can I say, we have not had any Corrupted encounters in a while. No one’s on our tail. Not much is happening. Might as well crack a few jokes, no?”

Terez crossed her arms, walking ahead a little before turning around. “It’s not even ‘different’, is it. This is just how you talk when your neck isn’t on the line. Normal, in other words. Perfectly normal, as a matter of fact.”

“Perfectly?” Hein raised his lone eye. “Quite dishonest of you. You talk just a smidge… differently when George isn’t around.”

Terez smacked the Dusknoiron his chest, something which made him chuckle to no end.

“Please. As if I would just run my mouth in front of him. Come on now. Decency is mandatory.”

Hein chuckled. “Why, that is surprising coming from you, of all people. You certainly have much to learn on that front, no?”

Terez’ pupils shrank. She looked like she wanted to peel the skin off her face, all while Hein laughed on in the background. “Just shut it already, you know-it-owl.”

“Know-it-owl?!”

In the end, both were struggling to keep their composure, despite being the self-appointed leaders of the pack. If they could even be called a pack. George rolled his eyes behind their backs this time. They were lucky that the path ahead had no obstacles; just grasses, herbs, and the wind rustling through.

‘It’s like I’m babysitting these two. What are they even talking about now?’ George cleared his throat. “Mind if I join in?”

The two adults turned their heads, though Terez did so abruptly. Hein had a relaxed look on him, and it wasn’t just in his eye; his ectoplasm flowed forth at a steady rhythm, without so much as the slightest pulse or twitch.

“Go right ahead.”

“What’s this about two ghosts?” George asked. “You… are on a team. And there’s another ghost in it. Where are they?”

Hein shot a glance towards Terez, who likewise did the same. About a second later, he gave another simple shrug of the shoulders. “Eh. She is not here with us at the moment, in case you are wondering. She split up with us as we headed for Luminity.”

George raised an eyebrow? “Luminity? What for?”

“To make sure Blitzer got out of there,” Terez said. “She is with us. We were tasked with getting both of you out of there. Preferably together, but separate if needed be. Sadly, separate ended up being the only viable option. We couldn’t find you together.”

“Oh…” George quivered. For a moment, the castle’s collapsing walls fell all around him once more, blocking him in completely. He took a deep breath. “At least… there’s someone you trust looking out for him. Still… I wish it didn’t have to end this way. With us split up.”

The Dewott sighed as he spent a moment pondering over the escape from Luminity. What if he missed something? Sure, the walls collapsed, but there had to have been a second way out. For both of them. Together. He just never took it, whether out of fear, cowardice, or a lack of confidence.

As a frown grew on his face; Terez kneeled beside him.

“Breathe easy, George,” the Gardevoir started. “There was nothing you could’ve done. Better to escape with your lives than to end up dying in the process. Sometimes, you can’t get everything you want. But we can work to fix what’s been broken.”

George rubbed out an eye. It felt heavy, wearing down on his socket. “I… just want him to be alright. I want to know. Any kind of assurance that he’s doing fine is-”

A large hand grabbed the Dewott by the arm. George turned his head to see the Dusknoir loom overhead, a knowing glint in his eye. “Rest be assured, our teammate is exceptionally skilled at her job. She will have found him in the city and gotten him out. The chances of him dying are tiny. Marginally tiny.”

Hein sounded beyond confident. He spoke every last word as if it were an ironclad fact, impossible for even fools to argue with.

George tried to breathe easy, but managed little more than a gulp. “...Who is she? This teammate of yours?”

The Dusknoir leaned in closer. “Does the name ‘Sisu’ ring any bells?”

George reared his head back. “...It certainly does.” ‘The Marshadow girl who vanished. And only I noticed.’

A curious glint appeared in Hein’s eye. “Fascinating. What do you remember about her?”

“She was aloof,” George replied, shielding his chest. “About the same age as me… at least, that’s what I think. She has that kind of personality. Bored, casual, never worried about anything, acted all mysterious to the point where you know there was more going on with them. I knew a girl at school like her.”

“Anything else?” The Dusknoir asked. George blinked back at him.

Though his memories of Mount Tenebrous and the old Smaugus base were spotty, the fog had lifted somewhat. And bared in the daylight were details that didn’t paint a rosy picture. Quite the contrary, in fact.

“Yeah. You weren’t far behind her. You tried messing with my memories right afterwards.”

Hein crossed his arms. “Hmpf. You’re one stubborn, feisty little fool at times, you know.”

George scowled at him. “Pleasure’s all mine,” he said before hopping over a rock in the road. ‘Didn’t take much for him to confess… so he can play around with people’s memories, huh.’

Terez shook her head.“Don’t start arguing now, please.” She crossed her arms before she spoke again.“This is not worth being at each other’s throats over. There’s a reason behind everything.”

“Really?” George rolled his eyes. “Let’s hear it then. Not even the whole story, just why he played with my mind back on the mountain. And Blitzer’s mind. And Sefonia’s mind, too.” ‘Unless you want to convince me it’s group amnesia… like that even exists. Group amnesia.’

Without the slightest pause or worry, Hein stretched his back; for a ghost, his ectoplasm was surprisingly inflexible. “Long story short, we had a mission of our own to fulfil. It required explicit secrecy. Any word of Sisu being there wouldn’t have gone over well… fortunately, aside from you remembering, the plan went off without a hitch.”

“Really? What was your plan, then?” George asked, the fur on top of his head messy. He clenched a fist behind his back.

“Making sure the Smaugus weren’t getting their hands on that artefact they wanted,” Hein explained. “You brought them a replica.”

“Right.”

“You understand what it was for, no?” Terez asked George, moving thick vegetation aside with a wave of her hand. “There is power hidden within that gem. Better if the Smaugus didn’t get their claws on it. They aren’t exactly trustworthy.”

“Could’ve told me that from the start,” George muttered. “That Dragonite’s alright. The rest? Bunch of creeps. Weirdos.” ‘Like the Dusknoir over there.’

Hein nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’re that perceptive, at least. There was plenty linking the Smaugus to the Renegade… hence our reservations. Alas, we do not know any specifics. They keep any and all secrets buried in their closet… right behind whatever skeletons are lurking in there.”

“The skeletons are the secrets, no? That’s the catch with cults.”

“Of course… all the more reason to oppose them.”

Terez and Hein chatted for a while longer about the Smaugus, theorising scenarios with all sorts of malevolence attributed to the group. A secret government, a military, torturing and kidnapping young children, and various theories about what the group could get out of supporting the Renegade. Of everything discussed, the only thing they were confident in was the Smaugus’ support for the Renegade. That much was clear.

George held onto his arm while looking out over the surrounding plains. A gloomy looking forest was not too far on the horizon. Possibly another swamp, or a Mystery Dungeon they’d have to go around. The tone of the conversation wasn’t making the nearby future any more appealing. Not least of which due to his own experiences in Whitiara.

‘God, I hope Blitzer didn’t somehow end up with them. That would be the absolute worst… don’t think about it, George. Just don’t think about it.’

The speculation died down a little by the time they vanished between the trees. Soggy soil replaced the dirt from earlier, leaving a nasty impression on George’s feet. The Dewott’s face soured. ‘Another swamp, great,’ he grumbled in his head, looking for a distraction. He found one in a topic he’d been meaning to get to for a while.

“Hey… got another question, actually.”

Terez and Hein whipped their heads around. “Yes?”

“How come you met each other? You’re not exactly alike. And let’s be perfectly honest with ourselves here, Hein is… quite the character. Not someone you’d get along with easily.”

There was a brief silence as the Dusknoir and Gardevoir looked at another. Then, they both broke into laughter. George bit his tongue. On the one hand, it was sort of heartwarming. On the other, hearing an innocent and evil laugh at the same time made for quite the contrast. Not something he wanted his ears to ever be treated to.

“Just for your information, lad, we were on the verge of killing each other when we first met,” Hein began. “Truth to be told, us finding common ground is nothing short of a miracle. Isn’t that right?” He prodded Terez with an elbow, who casually slapped it away.

“You could say that. Not the whole truth, of course, but it’s close enough.”

George’s ears went flat against his head, frowning all the while. “You don’t sound confident about it.”

Out of the blue, Hein submerged himself into the ground, soggy soil be damned. Ectoplasm didn’t care for sticky mud, it turned out. “In all honesty, it was tense, but not quite so dramatic. The circumstances of how we first met are tricky to explain. I was in the midst of spying on the Alliance when I encountered her. We did not trust each other much. But we trusted the Alliance even less. It was a tense first minute, but we managed.”

“Uh-huh…” George’s eyes dawdled to Terez. “Is that it?”

“Not quite,” Terez said. “But it’s a long story… one we’ll have to sit down for some time. To keep it brief for now, I had stumbled upon the… not so pleasant truth about the Alliance after having been a member for some time. It was a dreadful time. Depressing, you could say. I performed some small actions against them, but there was little I could do. And that attracted Hein’s attention.”

She chuckled a little, before moving along. “Ghosts are rare creatures on Eravate. Most people will live their lives never encountering one. Let alone one as powerful as Hein here. To say I was scared for my life would be an understatement. Hence why I immediately went on the defence. Psychic barriers, holding attacks into my hand, and so on. He did the same, but spoke to me all the while. It was a slow process, unwinding that situation, but it happened. I don’t regret my decision.”

As Terez finished, Hein tapped her shoulder. It wasn’t long before she walked onwards, and he floated right next to her. One glance from the Lone Eye made things clear enough. George didn’t like it, but went after them. Whiskers twitching all the while.

‘One of these days, I’ll be the one leading the way… tired of following others around. I’m not just some follower!’ He groaned. “No regrets. Why?”

Terez refastened her bag, then hopped over a fallen log that Hein passed through. “Because as stubborn, brutish, intimidating, or any other adjective you can pin on that man, he’s far more than that. Honest. Respectful. Someone who’s willing to meet you on equal terms. And quite the jokester once you get to know him. I can actually feel somewhat secure around him. More than you could say for Skal.”

George eyed the back of Hein’s antenna. “Right… Well, you owe me the whole story. Because I don’t see it. Skal though… yeah. Not gonna argue with you there.”

Hein echoed out a defiant ‘hmpfh.’ “Still not very fond of me, are you?”

Terez shook her head. “I’m being honest, George. You might not agree, but this is my experience. I just wish you could understand.”

For a moment, George stopped dead in his tracks. He remained silent, all while staring away into the woods, away from Terez, away from Hein. It wasn’t fair, was it? Hein hadn’t wronged him these past few days. A joke here or there, but nothing malicious. Yet he couldn’t shake off his prejudices. His emotions. His feelings. He kept getting all the wrong vibes just being around the Dusknoir for reasons he didn’t know. It just felt right to follow them.

“I’m trying to.”

“If I may,” Hein chipped in. “Tholiander isn’t far anymore now, is it? No more than a few days until we reach the shore. A week at most.”

“A week is being awfully pessimistic,” Terez whispered. “But you’re not suggesting we-”

“Yes,” Hein rebuked, as blunt as a closed fist. “We do not understand each other. I want to change that.”

George rolled his eyes. ‘Good luck… just why,’ he thought to himself, clutching onto the Azure Flute with a single hand. “So you want to talk.”

“The two of us, yes. But the time for that will come soon enough. I’ll prepare myself as best as I can, George. It won’t be easy to hear. But it’ll explain why I’m…. the way I am.”

Hein let out a tired sigh. “Please. Let’s… get a move on for now.”

The conversation died down as the trio headed deeper into the swamp. As ugly as the green of the nearby vegetation might be, and the scent coming from the water was a strain upon the nostrils, nothing bothered quite as much as the silence that lingered over the trio. Even during encounters with ferals.

It made George feel colder than ever, as the confidence in his own convictions slipped from his fingers.