As the void expanded across Eravate’s skies, the situation around the world grew all the less predictable. For those unaffected by the Corruption, it was a world of contradictions, uncertainty, and worries. Tomorrow might be a day of peace, or what counted for peace in these times. For others, tomorrow might be their final day on Eravate, whether death or the Corruption claimed them.
From the outside looking in, was there any difference?
Whitiara was no stranger to these contradictions. For the snow had begun to melt in the late afternoons, though the frost returned in the night - city streets transformed into a mess of slush and ice, a calamity for those whose feet weren’t clawed. No one was around to clean it up. Any Pokemon not at the front lines were dooming themselves and their families, and no propaganda was needed to make that clear.
What remained of the Crest had hunkered down around Northpoint, and awaited for the Smaugus and their barbarous allies to storm. It had been quiet for a while, but their campaign had finally gotten started. Among the ranks of the Crest were two dragons who used to be against it. Now, they fought alongside them.
Sneasel’s Hill is what the town was called. It was a primitive town; most of the homes had been buried into the side of the hill that bore the town’s name, a plurality of its inhabitants sharing species with the name as well. Once upon a time, it used to be as unexceptional as the few buildings that stood here; a town hall, a forge. The day to day shops and the inn for travellers to stay in.
Now, it was a warzone, with Pokemon donning the black vapours storming up the hill, roaring, slashing and leaping at the defenders. Winged Anomalies came screaming from the sky, talons outstretched. Sparks and ice flew about with abandon, as electricity surged across the ground, and beams of ice shot through the air like arrows, the targets squawking as they rolled out the way.
“East! Get ‘em!”
Standing atop the hill, Blitzer held the front. An Excadrill came barreling up the hill, diving and leaping from the icy ground like a Palafin from the seas, spiling black vapours into the soil. He came at the Charizard with raised claws; Blitzer ducked, backhanded the beast in the chest, slashed with the other claw, then kicked him as he fell. Excadrill barely knew what hit him - hit after hit, he tumbled down the hill, bleeding from thin wounds.
Flames surging in his throat, Blitzer made a dash for the east, tail and wings straight. He braked with his feet, then spewed fire down at whatever was heading up. The green scarves there had broken, and the Anomalies were plugging the gap, until Blitzer’s fires got in the way. Shrieks and yelps filled the air as fur was singed, and the enemy burned.
‘I think we’re winning, here…’
Up above, Sefonia battled with the airborne threats. Though she had wished to help on the ground, the green scarves were grossly outnumbered in the air. So it was up to her to turn the tide, right against her former friends. She swept right at a Fletchinder going for a fire run, grabbed them by the neck, then flung them at a Kilowattrel following her. The two birds squawked as they collided head on, then fell to Eravate in a tangled mess of vapours and feathers.
“What are you guys doing?! Get that traitor!”
Like moths to flames, the command made the enemy drop their targets, and head straight for the Dragonite. Sefonia caught on quick; before the first talons descended upon her skin, she made a dive away, the enemy flock following her.
“Gonna have to try harder!”
Fast as she was, ten against one wouldn’t end in her favour, regardless of strength. But her efforts gave the green scarves a fighting chance. Didn’t matter how many Swellow scabbed her scales; the plight was worth enduring.
One strike hit her on the tail, another aimed for her leg. The wings struck hard enough to bruise, leaving Sefonia gasping. On the ground, Blitzer’s attention snapped skywards; seeing the Dragonite struggle with her dozen attackers, he craned his neck upwards, billowing out smoke and fire like a volcano. His poor throat sustained worse than the enemy.
Sefonia used the break for all it was worth, soaring back to her allies who had rallied. From confident to stunned, the birds were in for a shock once they had plucked themselves from the smoke. Now, they were outnumbered.
Birds squawking, groundlings howling, the Anomalies’ efforts were in vain. Too disorganised, too aggressive: Sefonia, Blitzer and the Crest forces separated them, then struck them down one by one. Anomalies fell left right and centre, some bearing fresh scars, some bleeding, others kicking and crying from pains beyond the physical, psychics and electric green scarves keeping them pinned.
Eventually, horns calling off the attack sounded. What remained of the Anomalies slithered back into the half-frozen woodlands, their injured and dead left behind to rot. In the end, the Crest was left licking its wounds, Blitzer and Sefonia included.
The Charizard made his way down the hill, then towards the village. He looked to see if anyone needed his help; by the looks of it, all the doctors and medicine people had made it through the fight unscathed, and had plenty of resources to treat the injured. Not everyone was as lucky as he had been; he grimaced.
‘Glad we survived that… This is going to be my life now, isn’t it? Fighting to stay alive.’
He plopped himself down on top of a rock, his tail curling around the bottom. Being a Charizard, certain gestures and behaviour felt natural. Licking his teeth to keep them clean, curling his tail around whenever he sat - sure, growing up he did these things too, but times change. Things stopped being the same, in spite of Blitzer still seeing himself as a Charmeleon, deep inside.
‘Gods, I really did just fight now, didn’t I? That was an Excadrill back there, too. I used to faint even thinking about one way back when! Now I’m just… fighting them. Like it’s no big deal.’
He shivered, breathed in deep, then let out a shaky breath. Steam rose from his nostrils; the battles had kept him warm. Even now, fire itched in the back of his throat, as if waiting for a remaining Anomaly to pop out of the woodworks…
Instead, he clutched his chest, half hyperventilating. ‘Stop. Just stop… Distract yourself, Blitzer. Distract yourself… go to Sefonia. Where is she?’
It didn’t take long for Blitzer to spot the Dragonite; she’d landed a hundred steps away from him, having taken a kneel. A Bibarel was patching up her leg, slapping and pressing a thin bandage down on her scales. The Charizard gasped. He’d started running already.
‘Wh-what happened?!’
With footfalls heavy enough to squish pebbles, Blitzer didn’t let reason stop him. He had to get over there, he had to; any influences to the contrary were being purged out of his bloodstream, adrenaline surging around. His tail swung back and forth on each step, blue sparks flying all over the place. Some flew dangerously close to a tree, enough to startle Sefonia out of her injury-induced silence.
“Blitz! Watch out!!”
The Charizard gasped again, feet screeching to his halt, tail tucking itself firm behind his back, wings squeezing themselves tight. “S-sorry!”
“Wah!” the Bibarel doctor tipped over from all the ruckus. Facefirst into the slush, he wouldn’t be going to bed dry. “Be careful! I cannot work like this!”
“Sorry…”
Sefonia sighed. “I’m fine, Blitz. It’s going to take more than birds to bring me down.”
Blitzer groaned in disappointment at himself, opting to let the doctor do his job. Aside from the bandage, he smeared a sour-smelling salve over the bruises, the scent of which permeated the area, like a Stunky had been running amok. Too many close calls had made him jumpy. Far too jumpy for people to count on. Not to mention his evolution woes.
It had been a close call, hadn’t it? Blitzer hyperventilated. His skin itched in all the wrong places.
‘Just, just sit down! Somewhere. Anywhere.’
Hissing breath through the gaps in his teeth, the Charizard sat down on a pavement stone. The cold spread through his bones. To stand up now, and warm up the stone with his breath was a bridge too far, however. In his head, he didn’t deserve any warmth. Not for now, anyway.
Thus he sat, and waited. After a few minutes, the doctor finished up his bandaging efforts; he had to peel the first batch off for the salve, then wait for the salve to settle. But all was clear in the end. He bid his farewell to Sefonia, leaving the two dragons to fend for themselves.
“So,” Sefonia began, tapping her uninjured foot, “You almost lost it again, didn’t you?”
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Blitzer sighed. “I did. I just,” he paused to gulp, “saw you hurt, and that triggered it.” ‘Almost.’
“Half-triggered it,” Sefonia added. “Blue fire, bared fangs, tail getting longer? I’ve seen you transform once before. I know what it looks like.”
Blitzer covered his belly with his arms, trying to hide what dignity he had left. Not that Charizard were the proudest of what went on there. “Ngh, this isn’t supposed to happen! I just-”
“You need to stay calm,” the Dragonite said, shuffling to his side, then laying an arm in his neck as she joined him on the cold ground, spreading her tail and legs about. “We’ve promised, didn’t we? We’ll stick together until the end. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall some hamlet being the end of anything. Right?”
The Charizard slowly raised his head. “You’ve got that right.” ‘But don’t talk down hamlets, please…’
A gust of wind swept on by, stirring the tree branches above. One glop of snow fell down in a powdery shower, right where the tip of Blitzer’s tail now rested. Winter’s mark went up in a damp; Sefonia cleared her nostrils.
“Right. Well, we’ve won. Now we’ve got to bring some of the sods back to base. Don’t want them getting back home, do we?”
Blitzer shook his head. “Nope. Definitely not. You sure you don’t want to sit down longer?”
“Plenty of time for that later. Let’s get back to work., shall we? Got to identify these guys… might even know some of ‘em personally.”
Blitzer refrained from asking any questions about Sefonia’s connections. A reminder she and her ‘family’ were now mortal enemies was the last thing she needed. Wouldn’t achieve anything. To the contrary, it may just drive a wedge in between him and her. The thought alone made him gulp.
* * *
Not long after the battle, reinforcements arrived at Sneasel’s Hill. Today, the Crest still lived. Tomorrow’s story had yet to be written, however, and how the world looked like a month from now wasn’t exciting anyone. Least of all Blitzer, who was called back from the front. He and Sefonia had a new post to go to… or rather, a new assignment.
The reinforcements came bearing a message for him, and him specifically. Sefonia received nothing of the sort, aside from a simple rotation notice. Nevertheless, she’d stick by him. Whatever Dritch had in store for them.
They got a day off to spend however they wanted to, provided they didn’t leave Northpoint. Most of that day was spent in their dorms, resting the legs and healing from the battles they’d experienced. A day off didn’t mean much in war. You had to be ready at all times. If things went south, you couldn’t take the day off, lest you’d end the week with a blade in your neck.
As such, Blitzer and Sefonia rested up, though they did spend time together. They talked about the quieter parts of life, mostly their childhoods with each other. In spite of the Smaugus seeing her as military fodder and little more, Sefonia had made the most of it. Still got to eat many different foods, still got to experience a few things, still got to meet plenty of people. Plus, now that winter was fading, it was a fine time to joke about the cold. What’s the worst it could do now, besides come back next year?
Blitzer chatted about merry old Greenfield, back when life was rosier. He wondered how the town was doing now, with the world going straight into the void. How were the kids doing? Junior, Corst, Sweitelle, all the others - they hadn’t gotten along well back in the day, but how were they now? What about the elderly Eldegoss who Blitzer had a knack for agitating? What of the farmers? And the mystery dungeon?
More importantly, what of his parents? He still had all the memories growing up with them. The less colourful ones where they grounded him, sure, but also the trips to Agate Township. Going to go on picnics in the woods, mom’s vegetable soup. So many great times, and he recounted them all.
Jolly as it was to reminiscence, Blitzer felt bitter underneath. Sefonia had her eyes locked with him, seemingly incapable of keeping her arms away from his shoulders. She even rubbed the scales a little. Perhaps she saw that bitterness. Alas, even a hug didn’t satisfy a deep seethed longing for long.
‘I wish George was here with us.’
Night came and went. In the early hours of the morning, Blitzer got a second letter, instructing him to head for the harbour. Sefonia’s invitation was missing; she yet again accompanied him. It took more than invites to break a promise. And so they arrived in Northpoint Harbour, right on schedule, almost hand in hand.
They hadn’t actually received instructions where in port they were wanted. Some info didn’t need explaining, however. Letting a situation speak for itself meant more than a thousand words. In this case, the situation being the morning sun’s light shining off a Metagross’ armoured body, at the end of the rightmost pier. Behind her, the hill overlooking Northpoint towered above.
The two dragons landed at the base of the pier. Several green scarves kept their eyes trained on them as they came in, raising nerves in an instant. One wrong move, and a world of pain awaited them. Blitzer kept close to Sefonia; close enough for their arms to brush past each other. Best not to give them any ammunition.
Sea winds blew across the pier as the two made their way across, salt teeming in the air. Once they were halfway, the Metagross’ voice boomed.
“You are late.”
The two dragons stopped dead in their tracks, their tails flopping onto the pier. The sun had yet to fully cross the horizon line, yet Dritch’s schedule ran far ahead. Blitzer didn’t quite know what to say. A simple ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t going to cut it, not in his book. Sefonia had her disagreements as well, but wasn’t afraid to vocalise them. She pointed ahead.
“The sun’s not even up yet,” the Dragonite grumbled.
There was a moment of silence before Dritch spoke. “So?”
“We’re here first thing in the morning, yet you’re saying we’re late. We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”
A metallic hiss crept into the pier. “Alas. Our world is not one of comfort. For we desire sleep, but our enemy never rests. We may get on our knees and beg. But all you plead for is death.”
The Metagross began to turn around, each footstep crushing the stone underneath. For a moment, the seas beside the pier appeared to stir, swaying the ships anchored as if a storm had surged in. “If only we lived in better times. But that is what we are here for. That is why I summoned you at first light.”
Sefonia sighed. “Right.”
“Speaking of summoning,” the Metagross continued. “I do not recall asking you to be present, Dragonite. This is sensitive information I will share. But I see you two are… Attached at the hip, so to speak. So it will do.”
Blitzer stuck his tongue into his cheek. ‘Attached at the hip? What does that even mean?’ he wondered. Ideas and images crept into his head, and none were pretty.
“You may be wondering why I summoned you here today,” Dritch echoed, her voice mechanical and devoid of any emotion. “It is highly irregular. Your inexperience, age and… personal histories aside, I do not make a point to speak with the common soldier. It tends to overcomplicate matters.”
‘Really now…’ Blitzer grumbled in his head. Overcomplicated the matter of getting people to do their bidding, given that the army dealt in death. Soldiers sold their soul to the lord. They didn’t even get to decide where they died, let alone if they got to live. So he believed.
“But this is an exception for several reasons. Before getting ahead of ourselves, let us review the facts,” Dritch said, repeating the words ‘basic facts’ several times, in case the seawinds drowned her out. “Our primary enemy at this time is the Smaugus. But with the Alliance’s influence expanding, it shan’t be a surprise that the two organisations are merging. Perhaps, they were never different to begin with.”
“I never heard of the Alliance until a year ago,” Sefonia interrupted.
Dritch raised her head. “You, yes. But the organisations were never far. That is clear now… and as such, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Alliance’s strongest are making their way north. One in particular stands out.”
“How so?” Sefonia asked.
“He has been put in charge of the cult’s efforts. And he is one you are most familiar with. You have fought side by side with him. You have trained by his side. You have developed more than a casual acquaintance with him over the months. Now, he has come to the North to destroy us. To gain power for himself… and those who lord over him.”
Blitzer gulped. The conversation was taking a sour turn, one whose taste Blitzer wished to wash out of his mouth. ‘It’s who I think it is, isn’t it?’
“There can be no room for holding back. Half measures will only doom all of us,” Dritch said, her expression as cold as the waters sloshing against the dock. “Your objective. Find Aggron Skal. Capture him if possible, kill him if you have to. Make sure that none of the crystals he seeks fall into his claws.” Her gaze narrowed. ”Nor those of any accomplices. Nor his allies.”
A fever-like flare passed through Blitzer’s body. Hindsight had a habit of muddying the waters. Looking back, he should’ve expected to hear the news before ever arriving back from the front. Or from the day he escaped Luminity with his life. When ‘his mentor’ tried to bury him alive.
Still, the sickness took hold, and Blitzer couldn’t help but turn away from Dritch and Sefonia, to the other side of the pier, waiting to hurl in spite of an empty stomach. Skal? Him? Enemies? Fighting to the death? Even knowing their last encounter, it seemed absurd. They were friends, right? They respected each other. Sure, he always had an opinion, and he was as dense as the metal plating on his body, but even he had to have morals. He couldn’t just kill Blitzer over some cultist delusions. Could he?
Sefonia had kept her eyes trained on Blitzer while he retreated to the edge of the pier, waiting until Dritch had finished to open her mouth. At the very least, she kept her tail near him. Blitzer felt it close. A glance over his shoulder, and their eyes met.
‘What am I supposed to do? Skal? Of all the people, me?’
While Blitzer struggled with the revelations, Sefonia had questions on her mind. “Excuse me,” she said with a raised talon. “You mentioned ‘crystals’, right? Are you referring to the relics the Smaugus has been after?”
“Indeed,” Dritch replied, a slight bow following. “Relics, artefacts of a bygone age. That is what the enemy is after. We do not know why. We have a few in our possession, but research on them has been slow. Ever since the sky began to bleed, the project has been on hold.”
Sefonia sighed. “That’s… what I was afraid of.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Chronos believes the artefacts contain great power. Power he wants for himself and his people. I routinely got tasked with chasing down leads. They’re rare.”
The Metagross raised an eye. “Fascinating. Were evolution crystals among them?” she asked.
“I believe so, yes.“
“Then it is imperative we seize as many of them as we can find,” Dritch continued. “That is your primary objective. Aggron Skal is bound to reveal himself to you eventually.”
* * *
The meeting came to an unceremonious end. Dritch cared little for Blitzer’s struggle; he did not bother to vocalise them, fearing rejection. Instead of nurture or care, she continued to thrust the task onto their heads. By the sound of it, Blitzer was to handle it alone. Find artefacts. Bring them back. Destroy them. Kill the enemy. Kill Skal. Don’t die yourself.
He added that last one himself.
Did Dritch want him dead? Not on purpose, no, but she wouldn’t lose sleep should he die. Did this Metagross even sleep?
One thing was certain. He wasn’t doing this alone. Sefonia. Sisu. Even old Speedy, that geezer. Blitzer hadn’t seen Junior in a while, and Speedy had promised. And he’d promised the Raichu he’d never die… as a Charmander, yes, but promises were promises. A few years, a meter or two and a pair of wings weren’t getting in the way of that.
But before that step, he wanted to recover. Get something to drink. Sefonia had the same idea, thus they headed for a tea shop in town. Any tea shop would do, but ‘Aspear & Ampharos’ was the first one they found. Winter hadn’t left yet; so dried Aspear tea it was.
A few Eracoins changed hands, and a few minutes passed before they were seated on the floor, next to the hearth which Blitzer was glad to dip his tail into. Once they had their tea in hand, Sefonia leaned against him.
“Say… we’ve really got our work cut out for us, don’t we.”
Blitzer shook his head. “We’re not going to be alone. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Mhm.“ the Dragonite drank, finding shelter under the Charizard’s wing. “Sisu, right? And Speedy. Anyone we can get. Even if it upsets Dritch.”
The Charizard bit his tongue. “The worst she could do is kill us. Like the Alliance.”
Yup. And the Smaugus.” Sefonia sighed. “Hopefully Sisu gets us. Not sure what she wants, she’s been all over the place since getting here. She’s not even here half the time.”
“We’ve got a few days,” Blitzer said, twirling his tail in the fire, almost stirring it. “She’ll show herself again. Then we’ll ask her. I’ll try to convince Speedy.”
“Why him?”
“I made a promise to him long ago. Plus, he’s the only one here who I actually know.”
“True.” They repeated to each other, before taking big gulps from their Aspear tea - which had been served to them in jars. Big dragons, big portions. So the saying went. The Mareep behind the counter must’ve taken that one to heart, given how fearful she looked of something else not being on the menu instead.
“So about that Skal, huh.” Sefonia licked her lips. “Think you can take him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Why he would be was a better question. Between his typing, his strength, his experience, and everything from his apparent bloodthirst to Blitzer formerly looking up to him, the choice was limitless. Neither Chronos, nor the beast from the nightmares held a candle to him. That was the strangest thing. Who was Skal, besides a bumpkin from the Ruby Province?
“I wish I knew the answer.”