After yesterday’s bath and dinner, George and Blitzer went to bed early. They wanted to rest up for the journey to the Azure Hills, hoping to better the village’s bleak future. Sure, they wouldn’t be the only ones going, but to one expected them to be anything more than a burden. Being so young, it was up to them to change that.

After some light fun and games, they wished each other a good night, drifting off into sleep shortly afterwards.

“...George!…”

’...Is someone there?’

“...George, this is serious. Come out right now…”

‘Who are you?’

“...You think you can get away with everything, don’t you? Did you seriously believe I wouldn’t find out?...”

‘What do you mean?!’

“...Little scamp. Always hiding from his responsibilities. No wonder you ended up here. Karma is a real downer, isn’t it?...”

‘Running from what?! I’m not running from anything!’

“...Sure you are. Think I’d believe that? After every other lie you’ve told me?...”

‘Headmistress?! What are you doing here?’

“...Of course I am here, you little dreamer. Always lost with his head in the clouds! ‘Oh, I’ll get the world to respect me!’ You can’t even get me to respect you. You can’t even get a cat to respect you! You’re an embarrassment! How do you ever hope to become a well rounded adult!...”

‘Just stop it already…’

“...And here comes the apology, of course. Let me tell you one thing, mister…”

‘For the love of…’

“...Your daydreaming ends right here. And you’re not snapping out of it, ever!...”

‘Look, I’m sorry! Cut it out already!’

“...And since your parents aren’t around to bust your behind out, I’ll do it myself. Say goodbye to your little imaginary monster friends, because they’re GONE…”

‘I swear I-’

“...Wakey, wakey! You’re never seeing any of this again!...”

‘I swear to GOD I’LL-’

The cold dirt causing him to wake, George’s head ached from what felt like a fever. Dazed, he stood up, the room dark in spite of Blitzer’s tail light. His eyelids were still heavy, and bits of dirt fell out of his fur. A few bits of straw had gotten stuck in there as well, and he took one to twiddle around with his fingers. It was tangible. Real.

‘I’m still here… why did I hear the headmistress just now?’

“Hey… are you awake?”

George’s breathing slowed down. On the other side of the room, Blitzer’s eyes were half open, his head still pressed against his bed.

“Yes… I’m up.”

“What’s the matter? Why are you awake?”

“I had a bad dream, that’s all.” George eyed the half asleep Charmander from afar. Shivering, he curled back onto the bed, keeping his tail close. Apologies never meant much in the end, but it needed to be done. Perhaps Blitzer might be more receptive than others.

Alas, the value of an apology didn’t change, and Blitzer had plenty of questions. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Is it still night?” George asked, rubbing his eyes. “We should sleep. I’ll tell you more in the morning.”

“Yes, but you’re scared. I can tell.” Blitzer said, sniffing the air. “We should talk.”

“How do you know?” George bit his lip. The worst part is that Blitzer was onto something. George was scared. He was trapped between a rocky excuse and a hard truth. This conversation wasn’t fit for the middle of the night. Talking about past horrors was so very difficult, even a whole world apart. Difficult to understand, let alone accept.

“I can tell you’re scared, George,” Blitzer said, lifting his head. “It’s coming off you. You smell afraid, and look afraid. I just want to know if you’re okay or not.”

George shook his head. ‘I’m going to regret this.’ “No. Can we talk about it later? When we’re on our way.”

Blitzer nodded. “That’s alright. If that’s better for you, I’m all for it. Do you think you can sleep some more?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Alright. Well, have a good night.”

It wasn’t long before Blitzer had drifted back into a slumber, his calm breaths flowing through the room. George laid awake for a little while longer. He wasn’t in the mood for more sleep.

‘Blitzer smelled it. How, though? You can’t smell how people feel inside. Does he really know me that well? You know, maybe he does. Would be nice, having someone who understands me on that level…’

After some minutes of thinking, George’s own tiredness got the better of him, and he fell asleep once more.

* * *

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

As the sun emerged on the eastern horizon, they prepared for their journey into the unknown. The time for fun and games had ended: The Azure Hills were bound to be a step above bug filled woods. Berries were rife there, which meant feral Pokemon aplenty.might be lurking there, enraged wild Pokemon or Soldiers not letting them get off so easily.

Of course, the fate of their world wasn’t resting on their shoulders, as they weren’t going to be alone there. As such, Blitzer sported a cheery mood when Nero and Nera saw them off, all throughout breakfast and right when it was time to get going. It was another day of exploring.

“Alrighty then. Do you think you’re prepared?” asked Nera.

The two nodded; Blitzer with a wide smile, while George tried smiling and biting his cheek at the same time. Nero gave both a woven basket that looked like something one would carry picnic equipment in, and Nera took the time to wrap a scarf around their necks. And she sure wrapped it tight. Blitzer’s was blue, George’s was red.

“What is the point of the scarf?” George asked, trying to loosen his a little.

“Against the cold, of course! And to make sure that anyone you might bump into won’t think you’re feral,” Nera said, clasping her paws together. “Honestly, you look cute in those! We should have given them to you sooner.”

George sheepishly smiled back at her. ‘No one asked me anything.’

Nero grunted; his eyes were drawn to the blue sky. “So, do you lads think you can fill up those baskets?”

“Yes!” Blitzer raised his hand; he had put the basket on the floor. “We’ll be there until they’re full!” To this, Nero only shook his head.

“Don’t put yourself in needless danger. You’re still young, and not the only ones making sure we’ll have something to eat at the end of the week. Okay?”

“I won’t let anyone down!” Blitzer said, picking the basket back up. George stuck his tongue into his cheek. The basket was heavy enough as was, let alone with the weight of all the berries added on top of that.

Adamant as Blitzer was, Nera attempted to calm him down with a wave of her foreleg. “Easy now. The most important thing is that you have fun, okay? Take it as a learning experience, both for yourself and for George,” she said. But Blitzer wasn’t so easily stopped.

“We’ll be fine, you’ll see!”

Nera hummed; far less grand than perhaps she had imagined, it was time to send her children off. With a nod, Nera pointed Blitzer and George towards the square. “Then I wish you the best of luck. Stay safe!”

“Yes, stay safe,” Nero said after her.

“See you later!” Blitzer said. George merely put his hand up, before being nudged down the road by Blitzer as the door of the hovel fell back into place. “We’ve got to make them proud of us, George. If we do good here, they might let us explore even further,” the Charmander then said.

George shook his head. “Worry about that later. We haven’t even started this one yet.”

Blitzer shrugged. “That’s true.”

Without further interruptions, the two got to work making their way out of the town. The streets were deserted, and could have been confused for a ghost town. No one to be seen, not even in the square, or in the fields covering the hillsides. There was but one lone shadow visible in the porch of a small wooden farmhouse at the end of the village; the field next to it lay in ruins. George gave it a dreary glance as he and Blitzer passed by.

‘The soldiers must’ve taken even more than half… After they promised they wouldn’t take any more than that. Nera must’ve been lying to make us feel better. Everyone really is counting on us, aren’t they?’

Worries bubbling in his stomach, George kept close to Blitzer. The two came to a crossroad outside of town; three dirt trails met under the watch of a weary wooden signpost, which bore the same lettering as the Mystery Dungeon sign and the tree. The left bore the names ‘Klin, Mossy Hill,’ and ‘Poliwag’s Bend’, the right sign pointed towards ‘Agate Township’. George turned towards Blitzer and poked him on the shoulder.

“Your parents said that we had to go left here, right?”

Blitzer nodded. “Yeah. Go left and keep going until we come to a bridge. Then cross that bridge and follow the first trail left. Sounds simple enough.”

“Do you think we’ll find anything on the road?” George asked.

“Maybe some travelling Pokemon. Maybe Soldiers, I don’t know. I haven’t been out of town much.” Blitzer set his first foot forwards, breathing in the air until his lungs were full. George followed him down to the breath. It was a peaceful day, something remarkable on its own. And the air was clean, too. Compared to the smoggy city, it was like heaven.

They made their way over the road, passing through fields and bogs on their way to the Azure Hills. The skies were filled with birds and the pollen of a thousand flowers, while grounded Pokemon frolicked in the fields all around. Distant yelps kept the tension flowing for a while. Then again, the gravel crunching underneath their feet was a far more prevalent companion than any howling Pokemon, let alone the scarf pressing against George’s neck. The wind wasn’t making any easier to wear. On the positive side, it was at least a little cold out.

On this first leg of the journey, Blitzer and George kept themselves entertained by spotting nearby wild Pokemon. It was something, seeing all the species and how they lived. The groundlings burrowing all over the place, the normals running in herds, the flying types flocking together overhead - George tried calling out to them, but got no response back. They were just animals, as Blitzer would go on to explain. Even some of the species George saw in town were nothing more than feral critters out here. The same, yet wildly different. What separated the wild from the civilised? How did this situation even come to be? There weren’t any feral humans back home, or were there? George didn’t know, but found it fascinating to think about. It was a good way to waste time and not have to think about the prior morning.

‘Wonder what would happen if we ran into a feral Oshawott, or a feral Charmander. That would be funny, not going to lie.’

About an hour and a half into the journey, Blitzer and George reached the bridge they had to encounter. It was a simple wooden one, like the one in town, albeit with a more active stream running underneath. By this time, George felt a little weary in his legs. He wasn’t alone: Halfway across the bridge, Blitzer sat down with his basket, carefully manoeuvring his tail away from the guard rails.

“It sure is a lot farther than I thought it would be…”

George dipped his foot between the rails, then sank until his tail touched the ground. “You could say that again. It feels like I have blisters on my feet already..” He sighed, twirling his toes as spatters from the water below landed on them. “So… we’re resting for a moment?”

Blitzer nodded. “Good idea. I wanted to talk about a few things, anyway.”

George gulped. “You mean my dreams, don’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” Blitzer crawled his way over to George. “I just want to know what happened. You weren’t feeling all too well. Do you still feel that way, or…?”

George shook his head. “No, I’m not sick or anything, if that’s what you mean. All it is, is well,” he breathed in deep through his nose. “I had a dream last night.”

Blitzer gave an affirming hum. “You told me. What was it about?”

For a few seconds, George kept silent to prepare himself. He carefully stroked his scalchop for reasons he once again couldn’t explain. Some sort of instinct he had to have been acting on, like Blitzer interacting with his own tail. “My life before coming here. It was all there again. The dust, the other kids, the grey and the black, and the headmistress…”

“Oh yeag, the headmistress,” Blitzer blurted out. “You told me about a headmistress yesterday, I think. I’ve been thinking about that, actually. What is she like?”

George briefly closed his eyes. In that moment, he heard her voice yell at him, and he could place himself back there in that house. So many memories came rushing back. So many awful, awful memories.

“She was a horrible person, Blitzer. Nothing I ever did made her happy. The way I played, how I interacted with the other kids, or how I did my chores, or how I did my school work. She’d always grab me by the neck just to berate me on everything. It was like she wanted to tear me apart,” he explained, hands resting on his legs. He stared at the water surging beneath him. “I don’t get why. It… just kept happening that way.”

Blitzer grabbed him by the shoulder. “George, that’s awful! Who does this headmistress think she is? Why didn’t your parents say anything?” Blitzer yelled. George could feel the warmth of his flaring tail press against his head, as well as his hand gently squeezing his shoulder. It felt encouraging in a way, yet crushing in another.

‘He really does care…’

George tried to wipe his eyes dry, before turning away from the stream. “I haven’t seen my parents in years. I don’t know what happened. One day I remember being with them, and the next thing I know, I was suddenly living in that foster’s home. There were so many other kids there, and they were all cold. They almost never said anything to me. It was always so quiet when I was around. And that was my life until, well, I woke up in the forest.”

With a sombre groan, George fell silent. Blitzer let go of George’s shoulder; his own gaze turned to the flowing of the stream. George looked up to him. To his surprise, Blitzer was shaking his head. Something in the air felt morose.

“George, I… I understand. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not your fault.” ‘I’m not sure whose fault it is.’

Blitzer breathed out a lungful, then took one back in, puffing up his chest as if to prepare himself for what lay ahead. “You’re not the only one. I know, I’m not alone, but… Nero, Nera, they’re not my original parents. They’ve told you that, but…”

“Yeah. Do you know what happened to your real parents?”

“It was a long time ago,” Blitzer said. “My earliest memories are hazy. Really dark, for some reason… that’s the main thing. But I still remember that day. I wasn’t able to talk yet. My father had put me down in a bed of leaves. He told me that it was time for us to part ways, that it was for the better. I don’t remember why. And after that, all I remember is feeling water on my chest. His tears, I think. Whenever I’m lying on my back, I can still feel them on my chest.”

‘Blitzer…’ George stood up, gently patting the Charmander on the shoulder. “I never would have guessed. Your parents told me that they just found you there, and I assumed that they just didn’t want you anymore, or something.” ‘That might not have been the best thing to say.’

“That’s what my parents believed as well. I’ve never told it to them, ever,” Blitzer said, looking towards George with just the corner of one eye. “I wasn’t ready to tell anyone, until now.”

George let his hand rest. “Do you think your parents are still alive?”

Blitzer nodded. “Yes. And I want to find them. That’s why I want to get stronger, too. So that when I do find them, they can be proud. And happy again.” He took a deep breath. “Do you feel the same way?”

George hummed. “Somewhat. I want to know why they left me at that foster’s house. But I don’t think I’ll ever see them. Maybe that’s for the better.”

Surprised, Blitzer flicked his head around. “Huh? But they’re your parents...”

“I don’t think it matters much,” George said. To be honest, my memories before ending up in the foster’s home aren’t the best. And I don’t know if I’ll ever see my world again, so it’s best not to think about it,” George said.

Blitzer stepped back up. “That’s very brave of you.”

George nodded. “Thank you for saying that.”

“Come here,” said Blitzer, spreading his arms wide. George gave a slight smile, and spread his arms out as well, embracing the Charmander in a short hug.

“You are so much like me, George. We’ll be the best of friends forever, won’t we?”

“I sure hope so.”

“Thank you. So, do you want to stay here for a little while longer, or are you rested enough?”

“I think it’s time we got going.”

“Alright then, let’s get some berries.”