Pokemon adapt to misery in strange ways. That’s what Blitzer thought to himself once, whilst trying to fall asleep one night. Nights used to be a nice reprieve, now they’re their own unique hell. He lay awake sore and broken from a day of torment, contemplating his fate.
‘Am I ever getting out of here…?’
That question haunted his mind more than anything else on sleepless nights. It wasn’t the torment, the abuse, or even coping with his supposed biological father trying to turn him into a mirror image of himself. It’s that this was all life was from now on. Wake up, be subjected to the most humiliating ‘training’ exercises a Pokemon could devise, be forced to scarf down grotesque portions of food, fall asleep and repeat the cycle tomorrow.
Three weeks in, and Blitzer wanted to peel the scales off his body. The muscle underneath itched as if he’d been prodded by thousands of needles. Every day, each waking hour, the same brutal regimen. He refused to call it training. What kind of training demanded he’d tear off a piece of his soul every day? That’s what he had to do to last. To stop himself from giving in, like Chronos wanted.
And that Ampharos sure loved to tempt fate. Between the whippings, the shockings, the non stop taunting and belittling he did. He stopped at nothing that didn’t insult Chronos by proxy. Didn’t hesitate to call Blitzer a waste of oxygen. He’d mock him for having no friends beyond ‘a pansy, wimpy otter that would be dead any day now.’ Blitzer wanted to bite his head off whenever George was mentioned. He’d picture it for a moment; ten times as big, a high pitched scream, no effort.
And afterwards, guilt crept in. That was how Chronos would handle it. And it was so, so tempting to give in then, and abandon the dim light at tunnel’s end. If the light even existed.
Sisu had limited her communication over the last few days, for reasons Blitzer didn’t know. Getting any information out of her than a ‘You’ll see soon’ was nigh on impossible. The most she ever told Blitzer was that he’d have to haul out of bed when the time was right. Not that he knew when. Not that he even had a bed to sleep in. He wasn’t exactly doing well, sleepwise. Wake up early every day, then have the sleep beaten out of him soon after. Passing out? Resting? Breaks? In his dreams.
So he resigned himself to waiting, enduring the torment all the while. Ampharos got all the more unbearable, his limbs got all the more sore, his muscles itched to no end, and he clung onto what little hope remained.
‘What is she even doing anymore… trying to find a way out? I guess. I don’t know, but I guess… what are the odds we’ll even make it out? They’ll catch us, won’t they? Arceus almighty, I’m so damn tired…’
Blitzer stirred on his bed, letting his thoughts haunt him until his body gave out. The Charmeleon felt no presence in his head. Not Sisu’s, or anyone else. It remained odd how no Smaugus goons had taken her place, or sniffed her out. Why they hadn’t caught on wasn’t important. It hadn’t happened yet. And that was something to smile about.
‘Ha. That fat bastard can’t even get a ghost. And he calls me weak. Hate his guts. Wish I could wipe that smirk off his face. Who’s laughing then, huh. Thanatos… who does he think he is, calling me names. He’s not my dad. Doesn’t matter what blood says… he’s not…’
Slow as the process might be, the day’s exhaustion caught up with him eventually. The Charmeleon let out one final yawn as the thoughts simmered in his head, and it wasn’t long before he passed out. Cold, shivering, a weak tail flame, but sleeping regardless. Tomorrow would be an old day.
* * *
‘Wakey wakey.’
The Charmeleon’s mouth stood open as his sleep was disturbed. A puddle of saliva had gathered under his head. He pulled a sour face.
‘It’s too early for this… no one is standing over me.’
‘’Cause they’re gonna find an empty bed come the morning, Blitz! Wakey wakey! It’s time!’
Eyes weary in their sockets, Blitzer pulled himself off the ground. His scales were dirty. And a night of lying on a cold floor had more than made an impression. He struggled to crack his eyes open; his stomach rumbled.
‘I’m up… I’m up.’
Blitzer sat cross legged on the straws, a low growl lingering in his breath. The first thing he noticed was that the cramping in his back hadn’t gotten any better. The second was that the cell door was shut as ever.
‘So you’re saying I’m supposed to get out of here?’
‘Nope!’ echoed Sisu’s voice in his head. ‘Just gotta sit tight for a few minutes. Gonna bust that door wide open, but it’s best if you’re awake already. Saves time.’
‘Right…’ Blitzer grumbled. ‘What should I expect?’
Sisu didn’t answer. Because Sisu had already left his head, no explanation given. Blitzer sighed.
‘Guess I’ll find out when it happens, huh…’
The cell fell silent, as Blitzer waited for the door to open. If their escape went through that cell door in the first place. For all he knew, a team of Excadrill would bore into his cell from outside. The Charmeleon shuddered at the thought.
‘She doesn’t know any Excadrill, does she? Maybe they can’t get through the mountain from outside. Yeah, that sounds about right… I hope…’
His shivering didn’t cease as Blitzer waited. The few weeks he’d been here, he hadn’t noticed how cold the cell was. It felt as if the Smaugus had been pumping air in from the outside, then let it linger. Or it resembled one of those ‘refrigerators’ that George mentioned once. How he’d slept here was a miracle. How come he never noticed? Is this why he woke up tired every morning?
He shook his head. ‘What’s the point? I’ll be out of here soon enough, right?’
A few minutes went by. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. A guard stationed outside snorted like a pig. Said guard didn’t so much as glance inside; there was a view window in the door, but no one used it. Blitzer breathed in deep. Had anyone peered inside, the whole escape would be a bust. Or they wouldn’t care. His sleep deprivation wasn’t their problem. Or was it?
Whatever the answer was, Blitzer wouldn’t ever know, and he wouldn’t ever care. Either he’d be out, dead, or a shadow of himself in the next few weeks. He’d grown numb to the concept of his captors being fellow Pokemon. On the one hand, it was frightening how fast it happened. On the other hand, it was amazing how fast the mind adjusts to things. Even a life of torment. You start to forget the world outside, adopt an ‘every-mon-for-themselves’-type of mindset.
‘They sure aren’t helping me out, here…’ Blitzer mused to himself, tail sparking a little. ‘Just doing what they’re told, looking out for themselves. Chronos sure doesn’t care about me. Sisu does… maybe. I don’t know. Is there anyone out there that actually likes me for me? George? If he’s still alive…?’
He felt a pain behind his eyes. ‘I’m going to lose it if I keep thinking about this…’
Fifteen minutes of fighting off sleep later, something happened. A set of footsteps came marching down the hall, stopping just besides the cell door.
“Chronos wants the prisoner. Can you hand him to me?”
Blitzer raised his head in an instant. ‘Sefonia?’
“Uh, my apologies…” one of the grunts outside mumbled. “We never got any heads up about this… usually that’s the case with prisoner visits from the boss.”
“Yeah, this is kinda weird, y’know?” the other grunt stationed outside said. “No heads up, no nothin’. What’s this about, Sef?”
“Excuse me?” Sefonia said. “You do remember the code, yes? When a situation crops up, you can’t just say no to your superiors. What’s the hold up all about?”
“W-well, this uh, this is irregular. And pardon me, you never sounded like the irregular type to me, Sef.”
“Yeah, what does the boss even want the prisoner for? He ain’t nowhere done with his training! Still got like, months to go! Chronos said he didn’t want to see him again until he’s ready, he’s told us that personally! And you know the boss, the boss ain’t the type to lie. It ain’t in his character.”
“Actually, he’s got new orders for ya,” a fourth voice spoke.
“Wha-”
An audible ‘oof’ coincided with the sound of a cheap punch, the kind a thug would use on the street. Not long after, one of the guards hit their head against the cell door. The piggish guard outside squealed in surprise, before a different, far kinder yet brutal punch knocked him cold to the floor.
“Easy peasy,” voice four said. “‘Aight Sef, do your magic. Get that door open!”
“No problem.”
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With a single kick, the door to the cell flew off its hinges. A Dragonite covered in shadowy vapours stood on the other side, her eyes white and clear. Beside her, a Marshadow wandered into the cell with a bounce to her step, looking no different aside from a bubbling-like effect to her horns.
“Didn’t fall asleep while waiting, did you?”
Blitzer sat upright, his back as straight as a candle, his eyes wide with dilated pupils. “Errr,” he churred, “Sefonia? Is that you…?”
The Dragonite sighed. “It is. I know this isn’t how you expected to see me. But I can explain later.”
The Charmeleon gulped. “But, but Sisu? What is going on here? A-are you sure she’s not-” he stammered, tripping over his words.
“A hundred percent sure, Flamey boy.” Sisu winked at him, then hopped his way to kick at his ankles. “Now d’you wanna stay here and get slapped around some more, or does leavin’ sound nicer? Ain’t no time to think about it now!”
“O-of course I want to leave!” Blitzer exclaimed, struggling to get to his feet. Between the Marshadow kicks, the cramping and his tail resembling an anchor, standing upright was a lot easier said than done. The Smaugus had done a number on him.
Sefonia had already left the cell by the time Blitzer managed to stand. “Quick, I know the way out. We should hurry.”
“Yup. Ain’t no need for anyone to see this.”
“Hang on… I’m still tired. It’s hard to-”
Sisu suddenly jumped up Blitzer’s back, using his spine like a ladder. “Yeah, it’s hard. You think this’ll get easier if we wait, though? Sef here just knocked two of her people out. She’s screwed if we stick around. We’ve gone too deep already!”
“Okay, okay!” Blitzer grumbled. “Just… be ready to support me, okay?”
A claw landed upon his free shoulder as he left the room, nearly making him jump in surprise. “We’re with you,” Sefonia whispered, before she led the way onwards, through the maze-like corridors of the Smaugus base. Blitzer shuddered watching her. She walked with such determination, yet with her wings folded behind her back. It looked as if she fought off emotions stirring inside.
Blitzer struggled to keep his breath from shaking. ‘I… okay, they’re doing this for me. Sisu said we’re in too deep… because this is Sefonia helping me over the Smaugus, right? The people she’s been with since birth, yet she’s helping me and not them? She… oh gods, Chronos is going to kill her if he ever finds out, isn’t he?’
As Sefonia led the way, Sisu leaned up against Blitzer’s head, choosing to not creep inside him this time. “Psst. Don’t make too much noise. Gotta keep this under wraps, ‘aight?” she whispered.
“O-of course. Not saying anything.”
“Don’t have to say anything, but don’t have to say nothin’ either. Just gotta keep the volume down. Lil’ quieter.”
“Like this?”
“Eyyup, that’s it.”
Despite Sisu’s advice, Blitzer quietened down until little more than dragon’s feet wandering the tunnels could be heard, set to the ambience of his breath, heartbeat, and distant cavernous rumbling. He gulped every so often, trying to take the edge off by fidgeting with his claws. It could’ve been the mountain, or Smaugus practising during the night. Or that monstrous lug himself, shambling through the corridors in search of a meal.
“Morning, Se-”
A few syllables emerged on an intersection. The whispers of a quiet morning greeting, silenced by a chop to the throat. A Blaziken with a dark glow collapsed besides Sefonia, whose head turned around moments later.
“These men won’t stay down for long… only got a couple minutes until they’re back up.” The Dragonite’s concerns were laid bare in her eyes, the only part of her not conquered by purple.
Blitzer’s fears grew by the second. Even as they sped up, the clock was ticking. Time was their enemy. Before they’d know it, there’d be a horde of Smaugus barreling through the tunnels, searching for whoever’s been causing trouble. And it wasn’t bound to be pretty.
In search of further comfort, Blitzer’s eyes darted back and forth. Candles and torches flickered on the wall, their light dim and inconsistent. The brickwork looked grey and worn, with hints of purple accenting the cracks. As the mountain rumbled, dust fell from the ceiling onto his horn. He swiped at it with the back of a claw, uneasy.
“You okay there?”
His attention would settle on Sisu, who still sat atop his shoulder. It was like having a bird perched there, except with her legs swung overboard. Funnily enough, how odd her ectoplasm felt distracted from the cramps going on inside the shoulder. Like a living bag of ice… if Ghost Pokemon counted as living, or ice, anyway.
“I-I’m fine. Honestly. Just nervous,” Blitzer whispered back.
“Aw, don’t be.” Sisu patted his neck. “Ain’t my first rodeo. ‘Is that what the saying is? Ain’t too good with human origin phrases and all that. But still, we’ll be outta here soon.”
Until now, nothing about Sisu caught Blitzer’s attention. She looked just like she always did, mythical as Marshadow might’ve been beforehand. But then he noticed a large chunk of string sticking out of her right hand. She had said hand clenched into a fist.
“What are you holding?”
Sisu held the fist up. “Oh, you mean this?” She smirked at him, then let more of the string fall out. “Put it around your neck.”
“...What?”
“You’ll see. Meant to give this to you earlier. It’s special.”
Blitzer gulped, then put the string around his neck. It turned out to be some kind of cord. Afterwards. Sisu let go of whatever she was holding; a blue sphere. It dangled on the cord as gravity took charge, swinging until it stopped in front of his chest.
‘...What is this?’
The Charmeleon took the sphere into his claws. It resembled a smoothened marble, and shone bright blue much like his eyes did. Inside, some kind of essence swirled around. Energy poured off the sphere and into his claws at the touch; a sensation that relaxed, yet unnerved. Blitzer stared at it, frowning.
‘What is that inside? It looks like a fat lightning bolt… why do my fingers feel like I’m dipping them into a hot bath? What’s going on?’
Sisu, smirking, elbowed Blitzer’s neck, getting a short gasp out of him. “‘Ey. You like it?”
“No,” Blitzer rebuked, a growl lingering in his mumbled voice. “I don’t even know what it is. It looks like a pearl, it’s bright blue, my fingers feel like I’m bathing, and now it’s around my neck. What is it? Where did you find this?”
“Got it from Chronos,” Sisu said. “More accurately, I stole it from Chronos. Guy put a loooot of security in place ‘round his quarters. Slept with these things in the same room, ‘cept he didn’t have ‘em in the open. Snatched ‘em, and he hasn’t noticed they’re gone yet.”
Blitzer’s eyes narrowed. “So what is it, then? Aside from a guarantee he’ll rip my head off later?”
“Something you gotta keep around your neck at all times,” Sisu said. “If there’s ever a time where you’re about to get caught again, or you’re in an extremely dangerous situation, you clench the thing in those claws of yours. Okay?”
The Charmeleon stopped dead in his tracks, blinking while trying to stop his jaw from falling over. “Clench… what? Clench a rock?”
“You’ll see,” Sisu said. “Now, let’s stay quiet, yeah? Can tell you more ‘bout it when we’re done sneakin’ outta here.”
As much as he wanted not to let this slide for now, Blitzer relented. She was right, after all. They might’ve been whispering, but a single decibel too loud meant blaring alarms. Sefonia had shot a glance back at them. Her shadowy figure made Blitzer put whatever courage he had away for the moment. If not for her, he’d never be able to escape. He’d never have ever dared to.
With a tired breath, Blitzer continued to follow Sefonia out of the mountain. Some of the passages they’d come across looked vaguely familiar. They reminded him of when George was here with him, many moons ago. Or so his gut told him. There was no real way to discern these tunnels from the ones around his cell. Same torches, same pillars lining the walls, same cold floor. Wishful thinking, in other words.
The longer they walked, the more voices sounded in the distance. Patrols out and about. Perhaps they enforced a curfew. Or looked for intruders. Or escapees. No alarms had gone off; though that could’ve been little more than a red herring.
All Blitzer had to go off was a single conversation between Sefonia, and an unknown member of the Smaugus. She told him she ‘had things covered’. By the time the Charmeleon followed her footsteps, the other voice was nowhere to be seen. He gulped.
‘Where is everyone?’
After an uncountable amount of twists and turns, Sefonia guided them through the last few steps. A giant metal door stood before them, two doused braziers flanking it on both sides. The path to freedom, and the same gate Blitzer had been carried through. The same gate he and George passed through. The Charmeleon took a deep breath.
‘Okay… so there’s no other way out of here. None Sef knows of, at least. This is going to suck bad.’
“Point of no return,” said Sefonia as she turned around, a slight smile breaking through her black veil. “I hope you’re ready for this. There’s two guards outside, and they’re told not to expect anyone at this hour.”
“No one gets to leave at night, huh?” Sisu pondered.
A firm shake of the head was Sefonia’s answer. “Nope. That’s… part of policy. No one leaves when it’s dark. It’s been that way for years.”
The Marshadow spun a finger around in her horns. “Weird bunch, you guys. Ain’t the nighttime best for sneakin’ around? Crest didn’t ever really like you guys.”
Sefonia sighed, her antennae drooping. “We got along with the Crest just fine. The curfew is a way of keeping things under control. And no, I never liked it, but… I never really questioned it.”
“Why not?”
“I just assumed it was normal. I’ve been here since I was a little girl.” The Dragonite sighed. “Can we get this over with? I want to get out of here. I don’t want to hear voices, or feel sick with… this. Get him out of here.”
She gestured at her body, all while staring Blitzer in the eyes. Blitzer himself did the same. Dark as the cavern might be, Sefonia’s half Anomalied appearance needed no light to stand out. She looked tired. Not in body, but in spirit. The look in her eyes told the whole story, the vapoury soup swirling around her be damned.
‘She shouldn’t be this way… she shouldn’t. Especially not because of me…’ Blitzer let out a shaky breath. “Who’s on the other side?”
“Two, maybe three guards,” Sefonia whispered back. “If we’re fast, we can knock them out before they hit the alarm. We need to-”
Suddenly, shrill trumpets blared from the corridors. It sounded like an orchestral cacophony, as if the conductor died right as the performance started. Each and every crevice vibrated with the noise, harsh enough to make a man want to be deaf. Blitzer sure wanted to be. He covered his ears, gritted his teeth, yet still heard it. Felt it in his bones.
Sisu put her fists up. “Damn! What now?”
“No two ways about it, we’re going!” Sefonia shouted.
Just as the Smaugusfolk stationed outside rushed in to lock the door, they were met by a charging Dragonite. One was an Avalugg, who got a swift kick to the face. Sefonia punched and clawed at him right after, making sure his lights went out.
“S-Sefonia, what is-”
A Ceruledge was her second target. They were quick on the move, sword going up against claw with no hassle. As Sisu leapt off Blitzer’s shoulder, the Charmeleon’s gaze darted all around. It couldn’t be long. Something had to be done. The trumpets faded, and any guard with ears would hear the melee taking place.
Flames surged into the back of Blitzer’s throat. For a moment, his claws went to the marble around his neck, before falling down. That was a last resort, and this wasn’t the end. Not with Sefonia smashing through the Ceruledge’s swords with bare claws, and Sisu sucker punching a Medicham like the world’s dirtiest Heel.
He spat little more than an ember at Medicham, and couldn’t even join in on beating Ceruledge , whose eyes were wide with terror. Sefonia, long a hero to the Smaugus, tore through Ceruledge like they were made of clay, and all preventing her from looking any more draconic was a roar. Meanwhile, Sisu punched Medicham in the face over and over. She looked like a bully.
Not that this was the time to play fair. Far from it.
Sefonia tossed Ceruledge away. “Quickly, quickly!” she shouted. Sisu was through the door first, then the Dragonite, then Blitzer. He shot one last glance back. Something moved deeper inside the base. His heart skipped a beat.
‘Don’t even think. Don’t even think don’t even think don’t even-’
Cold swept over them once outside. Blitzer’s tail flame dimmed in an instant. Night was in full sway, and the snowflakes danced as the wind spat them across the land. Sefonia still shouted something. Blitzer didn’t hear, but leapt onto her back regardless. He hoped it wasn’t the wrong move. He just wanted to feel safe.
“We’re on, let’s go!”
Sisu near shouted in Blitzer’s face as she waddled over his back. She jumped up to Sefonia’s neck just as she took off. Moments into the flight, a sudden cramp shot up Blitzer’s back, right from his feet.
“Nnnnnng!”
“Hang in there, Blitz!” Sisu shouted, before she gripped onto Sefonia’s shadowy neck. “Can you go higher?”
“No,” Sefonia huffed, “Too cold…”
The Marshadow punched the air. “Damn… right, just keep going. The further you get, the better!”
Blitzer reeled instantly. “Wh-what do you mean, the further you get?”
“Don’t even think about it!”
Sisu’s response didn’t leave room for optimism. Blitzer’s reeling intensified. He peered over his shoulder, only to be greeted by an icy gust. The wind cut into his scales like a knife, chilling him to the bone.
‘I-If we’ve been followed…’
Blitzer and Sisu clung onto Sefonia’s back for dear life, the gusts and snow getting worse by the minute. Winter hadn’t ceased for a second since Blitzer first left. Much like the night, winter’s end was but a fever dream, and Whitiara suffered through it all. Stories of how harsh the weather got up north were known as far down as the Azzurros. Blitzer sure had heard of them from his parents. Back then, it scared him. A time in the year without fire, without heat, just endless cold. A little Charmander’s worst fear. Now, he got to live through the winter. Again.
Sefonia’s wingbeats lost their focus as time plodded on by. Sisu shouted encouragement out, begging the Dragonite to hang on. All Blitzer got out of it was that they were headed north east. Exhaustion tore at him. His body cramped like crazy. And the light on his tail weakened ever further. What were the odds they’d make it to safety? To any settlement that would take them? Did those even exist up north, or had the Smaugus conquered them?
He glanced at the marble again. The essence inside twitched, anticipating release. Blitzer frowned. What wouldn’t he do to have that energy for himself right now. He needed energy. Any energy. Even if it wasn’t much, he wanted to eat it so bad. Savour it as best he could.
In the end, he let go, yet again. Sisu would be so disappointed in him if he’d swallowed it. He’d disappointed everyone too much already.
Yet he was far from the only one struggling. Sefonia’s wingbeats deteriorated into flapping, as if one of her wings had broken. The wind sheared and tore, and it wasn’t long before she descended into the pines below.
“Sef, Sef?! We’re almost there? Just-”
“I can’t!” the Dragonite spat out. “I can’t…”
Blitzer looked around in horror. There was no refuge in sight.