* * *

PART X

Old Faces, New Relations

* * *

Though the storm was fierce, the Crest held on. Week after week, no matter how many Corrupted attacked, the Crest survived. The combined might of the Smaugus and the Alliance was a match made in hell, full of unholy strength. Faced with them as enemies, however, the greenscarved Soldiers had all intentions of being the antidote. For no poison was incurable, only a code to crack.

Winter gave way to spring. The snow under Blitzer's feet gradually melted away, leaving behind a mess of slush and pools across the paved streets. Being one with the flame, fighting in soggy conditions wasn't ideal, but manageable

Then again, one needed no greater motivation than their life being on the line. Gods help those who surrendered to the Anomalied armies. Rumours aplenty reached Blitzer's ears. Rumours he'd prefer to unhear.

'No one can treat their fellow Pokemon like that, can they...? Even if they're all brainwashed, they can't just... No one's soul is that dark. Not even Chronos! Even he must have a heart, somewhere...'

Blitzer had been fighting the Smaugus for several weeks now. His orders were clear; find the Power Crystals the Smaugus empower themselves with, then capture or destroy them. In most cases, destruction was the only option; not just because of size, the Anomalies stopped at nothing to prevent their purple crystals from falling into the wrong hands. Every splinter captured brought the Crest closer to understanding their enemies’ strength, however glacial the progress might be.

One silver lining to the holding pattern is that life became predictable, for once. Wake up early. Fly to Smaugus attacks. Rough 'em up with tooth, claw and flame, chase them back to their crystal: It was behind their front, but never far. By the time Blitzer and Sefonia reached it, they were by themselves. Outnumbered, but never outmatched.

In fact, they made a damn good duo. Especially when it came to the art of stomping Anomalies. Blitzer had a catchphrase for it: 'Anomaly power? Meet dragon power! HA!' he thought to himself, happily roaring away in the heat of battle. Never before had his claws been so accurate, nor his flames burned so bright. He was never good at kicking, or whipping someone with his tail; now he did it without breaking a sweat. And the best part, it felt good. Like he was still getting stronger, and what he had managed so far was nothing more than a taste.

'Haah... I can crush BOULDERS today! And then burn 'em! And then Sef can just smash them to pebbles!!'

Of course, he was but one part of a duo. Sefonia made him look like a pansy. He still didn't know how she did it. Meleeing Anomalies into a coma, or blasting them in the face with draconic fire, sending them flying with swift kicks to the chest, or flying herself and making the birds cry: To her, the sky was but a floor. If a Venusaur tried to snatch her with his vines, she'd grab him by said vines, then toss him straight into the sun.

Blitzer sighed as he thought about her. 'Gah, if only she’d teach me some of her tricks. That would be the best. Only the best from the very best. I can't wait!'

Unfortunately for Blitzer, as he exited his sleeping bunk for the day, he found himself confronted with a sun that had long risen above the horizon. Right after getting out of bed on his left foot, no less.

"Aah!" he squawked. 'I overslept!!'

It hadn't been more than a few weeks, and yet the sound of the trumpet announcing the dawn had escaped his ears. He leapt from the balcony, landing on the flat dirt with a heavy thud, then made a mad dash for the notice board. Not a soul in sight; everyone in his unit had taken their assignment already. Come to think of it, the barrack had been quiet when his eyes opened earlier. Quiet enough for him to pose in view of all the other bunks, like some showoff in the town square. But since no one was still asleep, and no one was here, that could only mean…

'Cafeteria! That's where everyone is! Sefonia included!'

The Charizard bit his tongue during the second part of his run. Not even a flight, a run; old habits die hard, and ancient ones didn't die at all. He hadn’t a grip on his tail, which swung around wildly to keep himself balanced. How fortunate that no one else had overslept that day.

By the time he reached the cafeteria, it too had been abandoned. Just a few stragglers were busy inside, a multi-colored Muk gobbled up dishes from rounded tables to clean, and moving towards the entrance was none other than a frowning Dragonite, holding a plate full of eggs and toast in her claws.

"Slept well, Slowpoke?"

A grimace appeared on Blitzer's face, his wings unfurling slightly. "Sorry Sef, I didn't mean to- ACK!"

The Dragonite's foot pressed down on his right after she swung the door open, a growl shooting out of his throat. Before Blitzer knew what had hit him, Sefonia stuffed the Charizard's face full of breakfast. She dumped the eggs and toast wherever there was space on his tongue, then squeezed his maw shut with both her claws.

"Nope. No apologising. I wanna get to work, and you don't wanna explain yourself, it's okay. You stayed up too long, you've goofed up before, I know what you're like."

Swallowing everything didn't help; Blitzer blushed all the same. Something about being fed by someone his age made his stomach tingle, and it sure wasn't any mold on the eggs. He nodded along rather than answer. Some things just didn't need any words. At least the eggs were creamy, and the toast wasn’t burnt.

Sefonia dashed back into the café to hand the plate in, then rushed back before he swallowed. Her tail didn't touch the door on the way out. "Right then, Blitz. Since you were fast asleep when it was time to pick something out, I did it for us. Wasn't hard, we've still got the same goals," she said, holding up a small piece of parchment in one of her claws.

Blitzer took the piece in his claws and held it up to his eyes, then sniffed it a little. "Trouble in the southern part? Another crystal?"

Sefonia nodded. "Mhm. The Smaugus have been at it for a while now. No point in stopping, right?" The Dragonite's antennae dropped a little. All the while, she fidgeted around with her feet, struggling to get decent footing. Given that most of the ice had melted by now, Blitzer found it strange.

"Hm. But it hasn't been successful, has it? We've held them back successfully thus far."

Though the Charizard's tail flickered with optimism as much as his words did, the Dragonite shook her head. "Everything cracks eventually, even us. Don't take this the wrong way, but look how many are on their side. Look at how many are on ours."

Blitzer bared his teeth. "That's right," he half-growled. "And... with these crystals, they're getting tougher all the time. If we don't figure it out soon, then-"

"All the more reason to get a move on, right?" Sefonia tilted her head forward; her round nose nearly touched Blitzer's snout; an eyeblink later, and his teeth were tucked back behind his mouth.

"Right, right!"

"Then let's go!"

Sefonia flapped her wings, whipping up an updraft that launched her skywards. Being one of the winged, she effortlessly took to the skies wherever she pleased, winds and storms be damned. Blitzer moved after her as fast as he could. Mastery of the winds took time to achieve, however, and thus the Dragonite had a headstart on him. A parchment fluttered in her claws, which she stuffed away in a bag hanging by her waist, attached to a belt and a cord which went over her shoulder. Blitzer raised a brow in surprise.

'Wait, didn't she give that to me earlier? When did she-'

Evidently, he wasn't quite as clever as he thought he was. Perhaps Sefonia snatched the paper back upon take off, and the speed had caught him off guard. Blitzer freed a puff of smoke from his jaws, his cheeks resembling a Skwovet’s before hibernation.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

'Well, here's to hoping she didn't poke a hole in. I think. I didn't even get to ask her about Skal. Why haven't we found him yet?'

Nervous, but clinging to optimism, the Charizard flapped his wings as he followed Sefonia to wherever the winds would take her.

* * *

Swablu's Rest. Another Whitiaran settlement off the beaten path, lacking amenities one would take for granted in settlements on the main roads. No inn to rest the weary legs or fancy restaurants to treat the stomach; just whatever the locals could provide for themselves. Contrary to its name, no Swablu rested here, either. Rather, the name referred to the town's most noteworthy feature.

Fogs thick enough to smother flames hung over the village like an all consuming smog, the Soldiers fighting here be damned. Holding a claw before his snout, Blitzer noticed the tips weren't as sharp as in the morning. Alas, it was a trick played on the eyes, courtesy of the fog

"Grr!" 'Have to rely on my other senses here!’

Fog be damned, the war continued. Few on either side took to the skies; little was to be gained from the space above. Most of the winged Anomalies weren't nimble enough to carry others. At least, that was Blitzer's guess, based entirely from his own experience. For one, the battle happened in a far more piecemeal tempo - one part of the little hillock at the front was stormed at a time. For two, he sure as hell didn't want to go airborne. You had to have a deathwish if you did.

Thankfully, today's defence held up. Due to the fog, helping your friends was damn near suicidal - you had nothing but sound to work with, and it was far too easy to strike them by accident.. Given the ferocity of the combat, Blitzer didn't dare.

'They're all lunatics, all of them! Doesn't matter how hard I claw, they keep coming!'

Biting, slashing with claws; Blitzer was locked in a melee. Opposing him was an Obstagoon, who growled like a swamp demon as saliva dripped from his tongue. Blitzer scowled back, belly rumbling. Flames tickled the back of his throat; at this range, one miss could leave him vulnerable, or burna friend. Lacking his breath felt like missing a limb; no matter how hard he beat his wings, the fog showed no signs of dissipating.

Obstagoon jumped, aiming to slash his neck. Blitzer ducked out the way, headbutting the overgrown raccoon's belly - the Anomaly spun around, but managed to right himself in time. Blitzer clawed, catching and tearing a gash in his enemy's shoulder: Obstagoon yowled out in pain before trying to leap again, panicking. The Charizard knew what he was dealing with now, and leapt up himself, the winds at his back.

"TASTE WING!"

Dead in the chest, Blitzer didn't quite land the tasting part, but Obstagoon sure felt it. He landed on his knees, dropped even further, and had all of two seconds to whimper before Blitzer spun around, lashing him in the face with his tail. The Anomaly went tumbling down the hill, silent and roughed up. It didn't take long for him to disappear, and a second, higher pitched yelp to fill the forest. Blitzer grinned looking down, pumping an arm.

'Haha! I think he hit someone on the way down!'

By all measures Blitzer had at his claw tips, the battle was going as planned, for as much of a plan as he had, anyway. The Anomalies were being pushed back, their side sustained little injury or worse, and morale was high. Blitzer kept at it, making his enemies tumble down the hill or shiver in their pawprints. It took more than magic to shake primal fears loose, and he could be scary when he wanted to.

At least, that’s how he saw it.

A horn sounded in the distance; the enemy fell back to the woods. The Charizard had heard and seen it so many times, it was like following a script on stage...though this time, they retreated far quicker than normal. Odd. He gave chase while the rest of the Crest licked their wounds, sans one other dragon. Sefonia joined his side moments later, gliding down the hill whereas he preferred to run.

“You have wings, y’know!”

“True! But you gotta be careful!”

Both dragons grinned at each other on the way down, and well into the forests where the enemy had run off. The little pawprints in the half-melted snow and the ashlike scent made tracking them down easy. Being a predator did most of the heavy lifting; Blitzer’s whole body doubled as an armory, plus he had a strong control over his step and speed. And that wasn’t getting into his eyesight and sense of smell being well developed, too. Of course, he wasn’t out to hunt, unless it involved crystals.

Heck, the enemy resembled hunters and predators far more than he ever did. Glowy eyes, freshly sharpened talons, teeth bared in the inky void their bodies were soaked in. They were out for blood; the Crest was just defending itself. Were the police hunters, because they went after criminals? From a criminal’s point of view, yes. But from anyone else’s?

By the time Blitzer and Sefonia caught up with what remained of the Anomalies, he got real anxious for another fight. All the fears about what he was capable of were an afterthought. Using his claws and flames was fun, when there were murderers on the receiving end of it. His instincts were satisfied by the excitement of it, and his mind felt rewarded. Nothing like working hard to do good deeds.

“Do you see that?” Sefonia said, having landed a little ahead of Blitzer. She pointed with a single digit at a husk of a building in the forest. At first glance, it resembled little more than a stone frame. But it didn’t take long for the hill behind to expose itself, in all its porous glory. Holes had been dug into the side; purple tinted light shined where shadows should be.

Blitzer gritted his teeth, his tail burning away the snow behind him. “Sure do… looks like that’s where the crystal is. Any idea how big it is?”

Sefonia shook her head, holding her fists beside her head. “Big enough to sustain an army, I imagine. They’re going to go for round two. Keep pummeling us until we crack.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” the Charizard growled, slapping a bag hanging just above his leg. “We’re taking as much of it as we can. This time, we’re getting it done.”

“Careful now!” Sefonia gave him a light shove. “Ït looks dangerous. They’re not in the open, it could be a trap.”

Blitzer breathed in deep. “I know. But I’m tired of coming back empty handed. We have to get one up on them eventually.” He shook his head. “Damn Power Crystals. Dark Crystals, whatever they’re called! I should’ve known better back then…”

The Dragonite lashed out with her tail. “Don’t beat yourself up now, I helped the Smaugus get these too, back in the day. Gods know how Chronos always knew where to find some, or what they were even for - he never told us anything.”

‘It wasn’t that long ago, was it?’ Blitzer hummed to himself. “Time to change things around. Say… do you want to cause a ruckus, while I go in? Or actually, “ he paused “What about sticking together inside?”

Sefonia glanced at him, looking nervous about their prospects. “Egh… it’s hard. You should go in first, but I need to have your back. I don’t know what we’ll find inside… let’s make it quick, alright? And remember, if there’s trouble, get out immediately. I don’t want you dying in there,” she said, her tone growing dire.

Blitzer gulped, his heart cold in the chest. “I won’t, I promise,” he struggled to say through gritted teeth. ‘I have a bad feeling about this, though.’

Before they moved out, Sefonia grabbed Blitzer by his shoulders. “Don’t die on me,” she said, snout pressed against Blitzer. “I won’t die on you. Okay?”

With an unencouraging ‘yes’, Blitzer nodded in agreement. Sticking around and reassuring themselves wouldn’t do them much good; given that some of the Anomalies had spotted them on the edge, reassurement may as well be a Seviper’s strike. The Anomalies rallied to fight the dragons - among them was a Seviper, as were a Sneasler and a Glaceon, in that order.

The trio relied on Sneasler to do the heavy hitting, his massive claws gleaming red in the sunlight. Sefonia took the challenge on, parryng a slash and seizing Sneasler by the wrist. Blitzer breathed in deep, then doused the Glaceon and the Seviper with fire; his jaws had yet to snap shut before his claws were bathing in red heat.

Sefonia snapped the Sneasler’s wrists, making him screech in the process - a kick to the crotch and a snap at his ears made him collapse to the ground, squirming and yowling in pain. Seviper attempted to stab her; she opened her mouth, and a beam of ice shot out, flash freezing the air and scales standing in her way.

It wasn’t long before the Seviper’s teeth were frozen solid, the snake hissing and crying on the snow. As if Sefonia had drilled straight into the nerve, Seviper experienced something no Pokemon should ever have to endure.

By this time, Blitzer had buried his fists into the Glaceon's face. She tried blocking him by stirring winds of ice, spinning her ears to make the winds howl, but to no avail. She fell with the side of her snout scorched black, and a single tear line running along the nose, crying out as the inky black vapours spilled all over the half-melted snow.

“Let’s go! Quick!”

The enemy roared as the two dragons made their way in, their growls quieter by comparison. One needed not make a scene when the deck was stacked against them; to the tune of dozens against two, no less. The complex the Smaugus had occupied resembled a bunker; a shelter for civilians in case of a cataclysm, turned gathering place for a calamity. The hillside corridors were filled with small inlets, rooms containing little more than piles of straws for one or two Pokemon to sleep on. Twists and turns a plenty with little rhyme or reason, with no directional signs to speak of. Some of said inlets had fresh claw marks on the walls, heaps of dirt piling up below.

It was all built to keep as many people inside. Like a village inside of a hill. Or a tomb.

“Blitz! You go ahead, I’ll see if I can find another way out!”

Purple light guided the Charizard’s way. His orange tail light was his beacon, and the Aanomalies standing in his way were moths to the flame. Little by little, he had to bite and claw his way through, one foe at a time. From a Raticate to a Hariyama, from a Hariyama to a Purugly, a Purugly followed by a Morgrem; with Sefonia carving out another path, Blitzer had to take them on one at a time.

‘I’ve got to be faster… why’d Sef go elsewhere?’

Though Blitzer managed to fight through, progress was slow. The Anomalies came at him one at a time: Whenever he struck one of the inky-furred down, another took its place. He gritted his teeth. Fatigue worked its way into his muscles. Each inlet presented an opportunity for an ambush. If the Anomalies made use of this, he was in trouble.

Worse, he could swear the ground was shaking. Nature didn’t play by rules of coincidence. Something wicked lurked deeper within the complex, and had yet to show its ugly face.

But this was the price he was willing to pay. Either he took the risk, or he came back empty handed, again

.

‘They’re not gonna hide ‘em from us forever! We can’t let them… can’t let them widdle us down while they get stronger.’

After ten minutes of meeleeing his way through the complex, Blitzer emerged into acentral chamber. Four Anomalies were gathered around a Crystal the size of his torso, their grubby little claws scraping and clinging onto the mineral as if their lives depended on it. Blitzer quickly looked around. No other Anomalies to his left, nor his right. Just that uncanny stomping, somewhere deep inside.

‘Now’s my chance!’ “Over here!”

Blitzer’s shouting turned heads his way, right in time to see the Charizard rear his head back. Three of the Anomalies leapt at him, their claws coated in a sharp purple light, whilst the final chose to flee. From a distance, their bodies were blurred by the inky haze, as if the Corruption was slowly melting their species down into an anonymous mush.

With a grunt, the Charizard spewed fire hot enough to melt boulders onto his enemy, adding a fiery touch to their inky bodies. They cried and shouted, ran like headless chickens rather than attacking. One ran into the wall, others into the corridor past Blitzer. He was quick to strike with his tail, managed to knock one Tsareena into a pillar, embers sizzling on her head as she fell down and slumped over. He pumped an arm, then moved in.

‘Yeah! Let’s go!’

He hurried to the crystal, struggling to open the flap of his bag. A few medicinal berries and bandages were all that was inside… still, it was a bag just big enough to fit his thighs, and the Crystal stretched from head to toes. Not a chance he’d get it out in one piece. Blitzer gritted his teeth, then stuck his claws onto the crystal. A revitalising yet eerie energy filled his veins. It reminded him of his mega evolution, and the thirst for blood that awakened within.

‘Don’t think, just get something!’

He began to tear chunks off, his claws freeing splinters the size of his fingers from the main body, then stuffed them in his bag as fast as he could. It was hard to fit them in; he had to snap his first two pieces in half. He went for a second batch, stuck his claws inside, when suddenly the ground began to shake violently below his feet. He slipped, grabbed the crystal, only for his grip to be thrown off. He went tumbling down, barely catching the ground before his face hit the rocks.

“Nrgh!” ‘What was that?!’

“Wakey, wakey, kiddo!”

Blitzer’s eyes went wide as the deep voice struck his eardrums. He had sparsely made it to his knees before the stomping resumed; it came from the same entrance he’d come from. Upon turning his head, an ink-black Aggron raised a claw in greeting, eyes sharp with a hollow pinkish glow.

“Did ya miss me?”