Having exited Sandstone Trench, the company found themselves back on the road. George realised this was the same road, and the Mystery Dungeon had gotten in between the two segments, somehow.

Further ahead, some ways into the sandscape, George glanced back at what they had gone through. The swiss cheese of the Mystery Dungeon sat there, shrouded in yellow mist. There hadn’t been any mist in the dungeon itself. He sighed. How these strange places worked, he couldn’t even begin to figure out. His reward for trying wouldn’t be much more than a headache, anyway.

His thoughts were cut short by the crow of a Mandibuzz soaring overhead; George shivered, tried grabbing his scalchop, almost cut his fingers on it, then dashed back to the rest who had been moving ahead. Aimless idling like that was bound to get him in trouble.

‘You’re in the wilderness, George,’ he repeated in his head. ‘Fall behind and you’re dead meat for a buzzard… Fearow… what was it Skal said, ‘Mandibuzz’? Birds that hunt here, that’s what! Don’t get lost out here! You’ll die! I can’t just leave Blitzer behind like hat.’

Blitzer and Terez shot glances his way as he caught back up. Terez added a nod, while Blitzer came close enough to cast shade over George. Shade that made George gasp as he was covered by it.

“Ah!”

“Hey, hey! It’s just me George, don’t worry,” Blitzer said, putting a claw on the Oshawott’s arm, to which he could only reply with a shaky breath.

“Sorry about that. Takes a while to get used to not having any peace and quiet.”

The Charmeleon hummed, tugging on his scarf to loosen it a little. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m still getting used to it too, and well… I uh, I got a little more experience, right? All that exploring I’ve done counts for something.”

George thumbed his nose. “Of course it does. Besides that, you’re not exactly an easy target, what with those claws and fiery breath. And I’m not used to being an Oshawott yet,” he responded. A short cramp went through his stubby legs. Nothing major, but not unnoticeable, either.

“I’m not that strong though, am I?” Blitzer asked. From the look on his horned head, he wasn’t saying that as a humble brag. “Couldn’t do much in the dungeon back there, could I?”

“Yer a fire breather, kid! Groundlings ain’t no joke!” Skal growled with a complementary whip of his tail. Both George and Blitzer stumbled backwards, shook their heads, sighed and caught back up. Skal wasn’t one to watch himself, that much was certain.

“...well, what he said. Really, you did well enough back there.”

“Did I?” Blitzer’s eyes brightened. “Th-thank you, George. That means a lot.”

“Don’t sweat it, that’s just what friends do for each other. Right?” George said. Part of him wondered if he was being too idealistic. Maybe friends weren’t that close; he wasn’t sure.

Blitzer sure was sure, though. He put a claw on George’s back, smiling all the while. George almost jumped out of his fur, tail jolting up like he’d been hit by lightning.

“Aah!”

“Wh-whoa, George! Was that too much?”

George shook his head. “Nono, I’m just not used to having a lizard twice my size reach out to me, that’s all.”

“Oh,” Blitzer muttered in a disappointed tone. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” George said. “New world, new rules. I’ll have to get used to it eventually. Else we’d have to go separate ways, and that’s not what we want, is it?”

He grinned towards Blitzer, who gave him a warm and toothy smile in return. “Darn straight!” the Charmeleon said, pumping a fist and playfully swinging his tail around.

Cocky, confident; for a smaller Pokemon, it wasn’t a pretty sight at first glance. Evolution had made him far more intimidating: George felt the strength come off him just looking. But hey, that wasn’t so bad. Not to George, anyway. Even if he sprouted two wings, giant teeth and the ability to burn forests right this second, Blitzer was sticking by him. Those eyes of his didn’t lie.

A sudden gust of wind pulled their attention away. George pinched his nose; there was a strong scent of some kind of spice riding on the wind. There wasn’t any smell like it back home, and given how intense it was even in the middle of nowhere, that wasn’t a bad thing.

“Othersider? Charmeleon Blitzer? Keep the chatter to a minimum, please. We’re back in the weeds again.”

Terez directed them forwards with a psychic impulse. She and Skal waited for the two to catch up, and one glance ahead explained why. Up in the distance, the gravel solidified to a cohesive, light brown landscape of steep hills and treacherous ground. From where they stood, first the sand would disappear in the gravel, then the gravel became solid rock.

George bit his lip. Somehow, he felt as if they hadn’t travelled anywhere over the past week, and they had just gotten started instead.

“See that, kiddos? ‘S the Spice Hills of the Kronn right there. Ye can see it, ye can smell it, ah…” Skal growled out of annoyance. “Arceus almighty can ye ever smell it.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” George muttered, his voice muffled from pinching his nose. An odour consisting of peppers, some kind of flower and composting grass hung in the air. “What is that, even? It smells like plant vomit.” ‘Plants don’t even vomit, do they?’

“Might as well be. Gotta say, human kiddo, ye got lucky bein’ a wott and all. Can’t shut a nose like this, heheheh!” Skal chuckled as he tapped two claws onto his snout. His Gardevoir partner then grabbed onto his scarf out of nowhere, tugging on it a few times.

“Putting aside you being dishonest as can be over this smell, we need to stop wasting time. The Spice Hills are home to more than a few civilised Pokemon, and that means Soldiers as well. Let’s get moving. The sooner we reach the base, the better.”

With Skal snickering like a beast would, and Terez leading the way, they got a move on. George tepidly waddled after the two black scarves, his Charmeleon companion following just behind. What awaited them? Soldiers, trouble, safety, other Pokemon and seeing how they lived? Well, spices for one.

“Hm.” Blitzer sniffed some of the air in. “This doesn’t smell so bad.”

* * *

There wasn’t much fanfare as they crossed the gravel into the rock. Sure, it may have been a milestone, but all it seperated was one nowhere from another. George panted his way forward. They had walked more than enough for today, the spices in the air weren’t getting any weaker, and still the afternoon sun wore down on him, even though it had gone far westward by now.

Once again, trying to ask Terez or Skal for a break was a nonstarter. Both were adamant on pressing on. And so they pressed on, regardless of how their two guests felt.

“Hey, can we stop? My legs are about to give out.”

“Nah, ye can handle more than that, kid.”

“Hello? I’m not faring much better here. Those few water stops didn’’t help much. Tired, hungry-”

“Do you wish to give the Soldiers the chance to catch up? We’re not stopping before the sun has set. Toughen up, lad.”

“Hey, I’m not a kid-”

“Yeah ye are. Try seeing yerself.”

“But I evo-”

“Some evolvin’ means little when ye still whine like a lil tyke. Ye ain’t no big boy yet, kid.”

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“Ngh…”

To say the current state of the group didn’t help morale was an understatement. George had dropped the thought of convincing either black scarf to change their mind. All that experience they got in roaming the wilds had made them cocky. Arrogant. Like talking to a brick wall. They hardly listened to a word George or Blitzer said. Sometimes they wouldn’t even listen to each other. They’d bicker in such a manner, George wondered why they were together to begin with.

George looked at Skal and Terez midway through another disagreement, then sighed, tail dragging over the warm rocky ground. Maybe that’s why they were so cranky. They seemed to bring the worst out of each other. Terez sounded compassionate every now and then, yet that attitude fell off the face of Eravate every time Skal opened his mouth. And Skal’s flashes of optimism went the same way whenever Terez scolded him. That’s the cycle he had noticed, anyhow.

Regardless of how much he or Blitzer disapproved, it was useless to try and break it. Though he’d like to try, they’d dismissed just about everything he’d said before. There were other things to look at besides the brick wall, anyway. Or smell. Somehow he’d forgotten about it. George sighed.

‘Wonder why they're this way . No one dislikes someone for no reason… well, except the headmistress. Argh, why did I have to think about her again. I’m not around her anymore. She’s gone. They’re all gone…because I’m gone. I’m here now.’

The Oshawott rubbed his scalp, then looked out over the surrounding landscape. They were crossing over a hill, deeper into the Spice Hills. The smell was as strong as ever. Spicy plant puke, courtesy of the wind. George didn’t even pinch his nose anymore. He’d have to get used to it eventually, no point in hiding forever. At least the wind here was cooler. He wasn’t hot anymore, not even when Blitzer swung his tail too close for comfort.

‘I wonder how this stuff tastes. Might be better than how it smells, just like garlic. Well, same principle, anyway. ’

The road continued onwards as the sun approached the western horizon. Shade was being cast over George’s feet from the weeds and roots that poked out the rocks. His ears perked up from the trickle of a nearby stream. Despite the stoney ground, this land was far less treacherous than the rest of the Kronn.

As they came over another hill, that idea held far more truth: They weren’t alone here.

“Well. That’s an encouraging sight, isn’t it?”

Sunlight came between the hills, spreading light onto a patch of farmland. A house sat by road, stretching half of Greenfield’s length from the foot of the hill to halfway across the valley, where it stopped by a stream and a bridge. One cohesive house, built out of cobblestone, dirt, and just about anything stable enough that could be found in the area. What struck George as odd was that the house wasn’t very tall. It just barely went above Blitzer’s horn, no further.

Behind the farm lay a field in which various stalks and roots grew. A thatch fence surrounded it on three sides, and the raging waters covered the fourth. A handful of Pokemon, such as Silicobra and Butterfree were rummaging through; not chewing on the produce, rather observing. The spicy musk hung over the farm like nowhere else. George had to resist the urge to pinch his nose; Blitzer stood beside him, sniffing voraciously.

“Hm. Some kind of commune, no?” Terez asked as they all made their way down the hill.

“Sure is,” Skal said. “Damn shame. Coulda used some food in my stomach.”

“We could stop by and ask them, couldn’t we?” George asked, having detached his scalchop to rub his growling stomach. Even the raw stalks sounded nice now. Alas, Skal shook his head.

“Nowhere near enough for all of us, kiddo. Trust me, these Kronn communes got just about ‘nuff for themselves. ‘S about it, really,” the Aggron said with a growl.

“Urgh, are you sure? I’m starving…” Blitzer groaned.

Terez turned her head just as they passed the building. “Kronn Province is anything but prosperous, Blitzer. It is a forgotten place, much like the Solossian lands in the south west of Eravate. These Pokemon have very little to live off. What they do have, they struggle to keep safe from ferals. Their daily lives are a constant struggle… one bad harvest, one ravenous feral, or raid, and misery awaits them.”

She held a hand over her heart. “I wish we could do something for them.”

Blitzer looked down at his stomach; he was very reserved all of a sudden. “I, I didn’t know that,” he whispered, his tail flame dimming. “The Crest would often steal our food back home, and that was always rough. It must be even worse here.”

The Gardevoir nodded. “So bad that any outsiders are treated with hostility. We may mean well, but they will take us for highwaymen. Even with these scarves,’” she said, lifting up her black cloth with one hand.

“They must’ve been stabbed in the back a lot,” George said. He had spotted a small window and tried to look inside the building. Not long after, a Silicobra appeared on the other side, baring its long fangs at the little otter.

“Ack!” A chill went through George; he imagined actually getting bitten.

“Oh yes, as you can see,” Terez said, her eyes dawdling off to a different window, where a decrepit-looking Pinsir was twitching its mandibles. “Clearly they want us to leave. No use dawdling around here. We may invite worse upon us.”

George groaned; the fur around his scarf was itching. “Y-yes. I can see that ” ‘Goodness did something disturb these Pokemon… they’re just as paranoid as the foster’s neighbours, and they’ve been robbed of everything before.’

After they had crossed the bridge, Skal clasped his claws together, producing a series of metal clacking in the process. The rhythm made it sound like he was biding his time.

Halfway up the other side of the valley, Blitzer suddenly growled. “I could eat a whole Bunnelby right now, I’m telling you.”

While George bit his lip and Terez turned her nose up, Skal laughed like a Gengar who had just tripped someone. “Me too, kid! Could eat five! Don’t ya worry though, we got another one of those caches nearby. Food enough in there!”

George frowned. That didn’t sound right. “Wait, say that again? You’re saying now that that there’s food enough?”

“Yeh,” Skal grunted. “Caches connectin’ all the way back to base. They stuff ‘em full of food there, then zoom! Teleported all the way out to the caches. Can only open ‘em if ye got an Alliance scarf-”

“What?!” George shouted, tightly gripping onto the ends of his scarf. “You just said the people here are struggling, yet you’ve got food for them! Why can’t you just leave it for them?” he shouted. Terez tried shushing him, but he wasn’t having any of it.

“You can’t just waltz in here and leave food lying around-”

“George? Please calm-”

“That’s horrible! You say you’re-”

“George! Don’t do this now, please!”

Blitzer had grabbed George by the shoulder. The Oshawott bit his tongue, folding his arms in defiance. The two black scarves had turned around: Terez was shaking her head, while Skal sheepishly rubbed the back of his. Behind him, a Butterfree fluttered: it was frowning.

“Well now, didn’t mean to make ya all mad, kiddo! This a human thing or somethin’?”

“No.” Terez glared daggers through Skal. “Basic compassion is something Pokemon do have, Othersider. My apologies on behalf of this iron oaf.”

“Oi, I’m a steel oaf! Get that right!”

“Uurgh…” The Gardevoir groaned, pinching herself on the arm. “In any case, we have our reasons. At this time, we have little resources to spare. As much as it saddens me to say this, we must devote whatever we can in the fight against the Crest, food included. Until they are defeated, there isn’t much we can spare for these creatures.”

“Are you sure?” George asked. Even with hunger gnawing away at him, he didn’t want to let this go.

Terez nodded towards him, this time raising a hand: a psychic pressure manifested in George’s mind. The message was simple, and somehow crude and elegant at the same time: ‘Shut it.’

“Yes,” the Gardevoir’s voice spoke softly. “Believe me, George. These are not problems that can be fixed overnight. We must keep these Pokemon in our hearts, yes, but we must remain vigilant as well. There will come a time when we can help them.”

George looked away. “Okay,” he said, defeated.

Blitzer tapped him on the shoulder; the corners of his mouth raised slightly when he turned to look, much like Blitzer’s. Something about seeing the red lizard oscillate between a ferocious fire breather and a caring friend touched him deep. Blitzer was always happy to see him be okay. He’d smile, his flame grew, all worry seemed to just disappear. It was a light in the night, one George cherished more than anything.

Skal beat his chest a few times. It sounded like a pickaxe hitting rock. “Let’s get movin’, yeh? Sooner we get goin’, sooner we’re eatin’.”

With a wild sway of his tail, he went on further, affirmations be damned. Terez wasn’t far behind. It was unfortunate, as George wanted to talk with Blitzer, but that would have to wait for now.

* * *

Onwards the path ran, past further commmunes and vast stretches of rocky nothingness. What struck George as eerie here was the contrast between the two sides of the road. On the side where the sun was setting were the communes, each seemingly more decrepit than the last. On the other side of the road, nothing. Just rocks, weeds and roots, or ivy growing over rocks piled up in ways nature couldn’t have. In fact, they looked like ruins of old houses, tightly clustered together.

Worst of all was the loneliness. Not even a Kricketune’s chirp was carried by the wind. The communes were quiet, the ferals had gone into hiding: If not for a trail of smoke crawling up the sky a few hills back, they’d truly be alone.

But something wasn’t right. George bit his lip. The silence was deafening in all the ways it shouldn’t be. Just the wind was audible over Skal’s heavy footsteps, yet George couldn’t shake off the sense that more was going on besides that. Something was knocking on the back of his mind.

‘Be careful. You wouldn’t want to lose your life out here, would you?’

‘...Why did I just think that?’

After the sun had vanished from the horizon, and darkness was settling in over the Spice Hills, the four of them were making their way up a steep hill. It zigzagged back and forth, much like the way out of Sandstone Trench. They were almost at the top.

“Stop. I sense something coming up the hill.” Terez breathed in, then back out. “Soldiers.”

“Wh-what do you mean. Soldiers?” Blitzer said, his initial shock turning into anger. “They’re not going to catch us now…!”

“Oh, they won’t, kiddo. Just watch.”

Skal stomped his way to the edge of the path, swiping an entire arm out towards George and Blitzer in a cocky manner before leaning against an outcrop of rock on the edge of the path. Blitzer got his intent and followed him to the edge. George came along soon after. Terez stayed behind, staring down the way they came with a blue glow in her eyes.

When George approached the ledge, his first instinct was to back right off. Right down the switchbacks was a group of three Soldiers - one a Trevenant, another a Scrafty, the final a Flaaffy messing around with the scarf around their neck.

‘Oh god.’

“Shh. They can’t be far.”

“D-does this mean I have to-”

“Yes. Stay calm, this will be simple. You take the ‘wott, we get the bastards. Simple.”

Blitzer growled. “You’re not taking anyone…”

“Nah. They’ll be takin’ this instead.”

Skal suddenly lurched towards the rocky outcrop, digging his claws into the base and groaning. His groans turned into sinister growls, as the rock split from the earth with a rumble. The energy surrounding his arms intensified as he lifted the rock over his head, then looked down at the three Soldiers who had now noticed him, grinning like a madman all the while. With little effort, he flung the boulder straight down, tail lashing upwards as his body keeled over.

One loud scream sounded as the rock crashed downwards. George buried the sight under his hands, backing away from the ledge as the cracking of bones and splitting of earth reached his ears. Blitzer gasped right after. The flickering of his taillight on George’s hand told the whole story. A story soon confirmed by terrified bleating echoing through the night.

“Ah damnit. Missed. Let’s fix that, shall we?”

Skal stomped on the ledge. A quake shook the earth below; the slope below his feet cracked like a twig. A landslide thundered down the ledge, destroying rock, plant and any feral caught in between alike. George squeezed his eyes shut and desperately cupped his hands over his ears. Two claws seized him by the chest. He felt himself be pulled backwards against a scaly chest as if he were a plushie.

“There. They ain’t botherin’ us anymore.”

Upon hearing Skal’s voice through the gaps between his fingers, George reopened his eyes. The outcrop was gone. Skal looked at him with the dumbest grin in the world.

“Wh- what was that?!” Blitzer shouted

“Soldiers, kiddo,” Skal responded, casually walking away from the ledge. Terez rolled her eyes behind him. “Always watch yer back!”

“N-no, not that! You! What did you do just now?” Bliter asked, his voice having settled down somewhat, but still awestruck. The Aggron laughed in response.

“That’s power right there, kiddo. That’s how ye show ye ain’t messin’ ‘round!” Skal pounded himself on the chest with one claw. “Feelin’ jelly?”

An ember shot over George’s head. “Jealous? What?! That was awesome! I’d have done it fsater if I was that strong. Serves ‘em right-yow!”

George jabbed Blitzer in the chest with an elbow. “Calm down already, darn it. Let’s not get violent if we don’t have to, for the love of god.”

“Hello? They wanted to kill us, you heard ‘em!” Blitzer responded dumbfounded. “And who’s god, anyway?”

Skal chuckled as he came over, gently grabbing George and Blitzer by the arm. “C’mon kiddos, they won’t bother us anymore. Want to know what still botherin’ us? Mah empty belly!”

The Aggron patted himself on the stomach. At this point, George didn’t know whether to be frightened, impressed, or just plain unamused by his antics. It’s as if he had already forgotten about the Soldiers he’d just killed. Scratch that, as if he hadn’t even realised. Scratch that too; as if he didn’t even know what ‘killing’ even meant.

Evidently, Blitzer didn’t know either. “Aah, that’s right! Food… Can’t fight on an empty stomach, no chance. Where’s the food?”

“Right this way, kid!”

With all the subtlety of an Aggron and a Charizard wrestling in a forest, Skal and Blitzer stomped on ahead. Terez shook her head, her hair wavering in the wind. “”No one ask me where to go… ugh. Othersider?”

George sighed. “Yeah?”

“Does sticking together until we can set camp sound good to you?”

“Yeah.”

Terez took George’s hand; they made their way further up hill together. “Once we get to the sanctuary, I’ll find the time to explain more about my partner’s… exceptionality.”

George rested his head against his free hand. ”There’s a history between you two, I imagine.”

“You could say that,” Terez hummed.