Talk about an extended lunch. Evolving was something worth celebrating, sure, but Blitzer’s idea of celebrating was rather extravagant, and that was putting it mildly. He and George had been sitting on their wages for a while now. Why not splurge for a day? It doubled as a celebration for Blitzer evolving, too. A well overdue one.

“So, what do you say we do now?” George asked, rubbing his belly. He felt fatter than a Grumpig, just a few centimeters removed from being round.

Blitzer leaned over the table, snout resting on his claws. “What about dessert?”

George shook his head. “Uh… kind of stuffed, don’t have room for much more.”

“Doesn’t have to be big!” Blitzer assured. ”Can take something smaller, no problem. Well?”

‘Blegh.’ George grumbled as he picked up the menu card. “One more round, then. ‘Hazelnut cake with Oran filling’? You think that sounds good?”

“Sounds perfect! I’ll have that too,” Blitzer replied, his smile beaming bright enough to make his teeth shine.

“Alright, I’ll call the waiter over real quick…”

By some stroke of luck, the cooks had prepared one such cake that morning. The waiter, a Tinkaton, explained that the locals were fond of hazelnut cake, thus they always made one or two in advance. Just one today, as less customers showed up this time of the week.

Dessert was served off a Tinkaton’s hammer. Blitzer scarfed it right down, while George neatly cut pieces off with his lone utensil: a knife that looked more suitable for painting than eating. George was slow taking each bite, while Blitzer revelled in licking the sides of his mouth after every dive into the food.

‘Did his parents make him eat slowly? He wasn’t this fast back then. Guess that’s his loss, huh… I really used back then to describe something after coming here, didn’t I.’

The Dewott sighed, spilling his whipped cream breath all over the air in between. He cut another chunk with the knife, raised it towards his mouth, and lapped it up while trying to not get any in his fur. Oran went well with hazelnut, yet the sweetness was better left for a time he didn’t feel so bloated.

“Egh.”

“Are you full?”

“Yeah. Feels like someone dumped a truckload into my stomach.”

Blitzer chittered a few times. “I see. What’s a truckload, though? Or just a truck.”

George sipped from a bowl of water he’d been given. ‘I should invent drinking glasses.’ “Do you remember me talking about giant steel Miltanks when we’d just met?”

The Charmeleon tapped his chin, tail playfully curling around his back. “...Sort of? What did you say back then again… ‘car’. Cars? Car.”

A nod came his way, courtesy of George. “Correct. A truck’s like one of those, except they’re much bigger than an ordinary car, and you use it for carrying things.” ‘Or to show off.’ “One truckload is this table plus two more, seats included. Around that size, I don’t know the exact measurements.”

“Got you.” Blitzer drummed his claws. “Kind of exaggerating there, but Dewott bellies aren’t so big, I guess,” he said, sheepishly eyeing the half eaten cake George left on his plate. “Can I have the rest?”

George shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Sure enough, he dragged the plate his way, and true to his future Charizard self, he devoured it. George was too busy nursing his stomach to comment. All the food had done a number on him. Drinking was rough, and the succulent smells coming from the kitchen weren’t even pleasant to the nose anymore. That was never a good sign.

“Mmm!” hummed Blitzer as the last bit of cake slid down his throat. He patted himself on the belly, like he could feel the energy. “That was delicious! Just like my mom always made it.”

Tapping his feet on the floor, George sat upright. “If you say so. She never made any for us, did she?”

Blitzer sighed. “Yeah. I’m sure she would have if she’d got the chance. Life just came along to scratch us all in the face, didn’t it?” His eyes dawdled off to the floor. George sighed.

“You… okay. This isn’t the first time I’ve asked you this, but you don’t blame me for what happened, do you?”

“No? Why would I?” Blitzer asked. George stared towards the wooden ceiling, unable to look him in the eyes.

“If I had ran in any other direction after waking up, you wouldn’t have gotten roped into this whole mess to begin with. Skal and Terez would’ve found me right there and then. And that would’ve been it.”

Blitzer shook his head, then wiped his mouth with the back of a claw. “No. The Soldiers were bound to do something to Greenfield eventually. It was inevitable, really. We all knew it. You just made it happen a little sooner, that’s all. Besides, you’re just as much a victim as the rest of us. Greenfield was your home then, too, wasn’t it?”

George slowly nodded. “You’re right. But still, I’m not-”

“Stop.” Blitzer leaned over the table, and grabbed George’s hand. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re not from this world, not even a Pokemon, technically. But if that’s the case, then why did you become my friend? Help me out when I had no one left? My parents always said that life is worth it if you just make one other person happy. And you made me happy.”

George idled uncomfortably for a moment, before reaching over the table with both arms. Blitzer followed suit, shoving the plate aside just to return the gesture. They held onto each other for a good ten seconds. For George, it felt closer to a minute. The warmth they were sharing was something precious. Hugs had no saturation point. Magic never lost its wonder, after all.

After letting him go, Blitzer took a deep breath through his nose. “No… no way I’d ever blame you for that. If it wasn’t for the Crest, nothing would’ve happened. I’d still have my parents, my home… and you’d be there too, with all of us.” He clenched his fist. “With Speedy, and Junior, and Corst, and Sweitelle, and Lance… they’re why everything burned down. I never burnt down anything in all thirteen years I lived there. But I will burn them down!”

George winked at him. “Us. We’ll get ‘em, Blitzer, won’t we?”

Blitzer bared his teeth as he polished his claws. “Absolutely we will. And we’re going to find out what happened to mom and dad. If they put their grubby little claws on them…”

“We’ll see about that when we get there,” George said, and shota glance over the other customers enjoying their food. ‘No need to jump the gun while sitting in a restaurant.’

A soft growl came out of Blitzer’s throat. “Right…” he muttered, then stretched his arms,and then tapped himself on the chest. He’d been developing a slight amount of muscle there. Nothing to write home about, but it was noticeable. Given how often he got hit in the chest, the extra resilience would go a long way.

After rubbing his face, Blitzer put a smile back on. All the food must’ve been kicking in.

“So, what’s it like being a Dewott? Not so little more now, are ya?”

George held his hand in front of his face, twirling his fingers back and forth. His whiskers prodded up; the muscles around his cheeks had new reflexes that acted on instinct. He breathed in deep.

“Somehow, it feels different, yet it doesn’t feel any different. Which makes no sense when I put it like that, but… egh.” He clicked his tongue. “It’s hard to explain. On the one hand, I’m taller. I feel a lot fitter. My legs are a lot more nimble than before, I’ve got two scalchops now, and I’m stashing them away on my hips, where the fur’s a lot thicker. Feels like I’m wearing pants.”

“Pants?” Blitzer asked, much to George’s embarrassment.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“...yes, pants. Clothing. Like a scarf, except for this area.” He gestured towards his legs. “Anyway, nothing is quite the same, yet none of it feels unfamiliar. Just natural. Normal. Like it’s always been this way and I just never noticed.” George’s tail flopped on the floor. “Did the same happen to you?”

Blitzer tilted his head in a confused manner. “...No? Everything was different after I evolved, and Charmeleon aren’t that much different from Charmander when you think about it. Still, my weight was all different, I could balance and control myself better, I’d become so much stronger… it was amazing. I would’ve celebrated it more if I could.”

“Really.” George folded his arms. “With how seamless it’s been for me, I just assumed all Pokemon experience it this way naturally. Cramping aside.”

“Nope. Mom and dad told me that everyone enjoys getting bigger and stronger when I was really little. Everyone! Even little Sunkern look forward to it,” Blitzer said, then stared out of a window. A crowd had gathered across the street; they were pointing skywards. He rubbed the scales on the side of his head.

“Do you think it’s another human thing? Are you not noticing the extra power so much?”

George folded his arms. “There’s gotta be other Pokemon who didn’t notice much after evolving either… Not everything I do’s related to me being, well… the ‘Othersider’. Everyone’s got their own response to things.” ‘Still a silly name, ‘Othersider’...’

“But that’s stupid,” Blitzer responded. “I swear, every adult ever has said evolving’s great. Everyone in the village looked forward to evolving. Hey, we even spoke to that freshly evolved Florges in the base, didn’t we? She was in awe! And it had been a week already by then! How come you aren’t the same?”

“...I did just say everyone reacts differently,” George mumbled. ‘This is silly.’

“You’re weird, you know that, right?” Blitzer said with a wink. George simply rolled his eyes in response.

‘Pokemon would follow each other off a cliff if everyone was doing it, huh.’

A loud pop went off outside. George and Blitzer’s eyes, as well as those of the other customers were drawn to the windows. It sounded as if a firecracker had gone off. Pokemon hadn’t invented firecrackers, had they? If he said the word, Blitzer would probably shove a question right into his face. Nevertheless, everything seemed alright, aside from the crowd still being there. He sat upright in his seat.

“Right, we should probably ask for the bill. We’ve had more than enough.”

Blitzer nodded. “Yeah. Do you think we’ll have to pay much?”

George shrugged. “Given how much we’ve eaten? I’d be surprised if we didn’t-”

A second pop ripped through the building, blowing a segment of the wall open. Debris scattered across the restaurant, causing patrons on the other side of the restaurant to scream. George threw himself under the table; Blitzer joined him a second later. The wind outside quickly spread inside. Coldness settled into George’s fur as distant yelling and flames shooting into the sky came from the gaping hole in the wall. The other patrons had backed against the wall, opposite of the hole.

“What was that?!” Blitzer poked his head out from under the table. “The wall! It’s- Gods almighty, is anyone hurt?!”

George crawled out of cover. The damaged section of the restaurant had no customers in it, to his memory. No one had called for the waiter moments ago, had they? If not for that debate…

“This can’t just be an accident-”

Suddenly, the damaged section expanded. A third, explosive pop tore through the building. Now the panic was real. The other customers were running for their lives out the door.

“I KNOW you’re in there! Come on out, Othersider! You’re not getting away from me this time!”

The voice shouting from outside was full of venom. Had the source been visible, fumes would be coming out of their maw, the frustration was so palpable. Male, and a pitchiness that took nothing away from the anger.

Blitzer edged away to another table. “Is that-”

“No. It’s not her,” George said. “But the apple didn’t fall far from the tree …”

“Do you hear me?! I will unturn every last stone in this town to find you! And I WILL chuck those stones at your head, if you do not surrender yourself immediately!!”

George gritted his teeth. “STOP! I’ll come out now! No need to break more than you already have!”

He took one step closer to the exit before Blitzer rushed to his side.

“A-are you insane?! You can’t just give yourself up!”

The Dewott’s brow furrowed. In truth, he himself knew this wasn’t the best course of action. There wasn’t much time to think of any strategy, however. Even if there was, the surprise had gotten him good. From toiling away at a cake to walking face first into danger in the span of a minute. What choices did they even have?

“We’ll figure something out, okay? Right now, we just got to make sure we know what we’re up against here… and Porov should be here soon…”

“OUT HERE! NOW!!”

Blitzer gritted his teeth. “Let me come with you!”

“Be my guest,” George said with a nod, before stepping up towards the gaping hole in the building, hands hovering over his scalchops.

Outside, several Pokemon lay scattered across the street, groaning face down. They had been caught in the blast, cuts and scorch marks covering their bodies. The houses across the street had been damaged in the explosions as well, bits of wood, pots and stone strewn over the porch. Right across where the hole was, the source was gazing down upon George as he came walking. A Toucannon bearing a green badge.

“There you are. Thought you could run forever, hm?”

George’s frown deepened. “Run? I’m right here. Who are you?”

The Toucannon tilted his beak in a dismissive manner. “Major Vlinder-yuliel, Vined Crest. And don’t you dare give me any cutesy nicknames. You WILL treat me with respect!

I know that’s a foreign concept to you, you little bandit you, but I’ll beat it into your face if I have to!” He flapped his wings, kicking up a storm that George had to shield his face from.

“Big words for someone who just barges in here, trying to kill everyone just because you want me,” he spat out. “You work for Gareda, don’t you?”

“That’s LORD Gareda to you! And don’t you dare drag her name through the mud, you!!” the bird spat out. George sent a snide glance his way, the contempt pouring out of his eyes.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

Blitzer came stomping outside of the hole in the wall, having summoned all the courage in the world now that George had cleared the way. “Hey! Why don’t you get out of here?! We don’t want you here!”

“Pfah!” The Toucannon laughed. “Gladly, as long as the two of you come with me! You have more than enough to answer for, don’t you worry… if you play along nicely, Gareda won’t be so harsh on either of you, either! And that goes doubly so for you, flame boy.”

“Grrr!” Blitzer’s tail sparked. “You better turn tail right now, or else!”

Cold crept up George’s throat. ‘Nah. Too late for that.’

“Or else wh-AAAAAAAHH!” A beam of ice shot straight into Vli’s wing, causing the Toucannon to almost tip over and tumble right off the roof. As George’s mouth closed, his beak opened. A projectile jumped out and headed straight for Blitzer. Both jumped out the way just as it exploded, and they were knocked further back, hitting a barrel of rainwater and civilians respectively.

“CAW!”

Vli swooped down, aiming to strike Blitzer with a wing. The Charmeleon rolled and clawed: Both missed the other. Not to be outdone, they shot at each other. But the hit from earlier had left Vli lethargic, and Blitzer’s flames singed at his feet. Vli’s beak swung back and forth, unleashing another blast right on top of a house. The explosion rocked the building, its inhabitants screaming in terror as they barged through the front door.

Vli was coming back for another round, unmoved by the collateral damage. Flames were stirring inside Blitzer’s mouth and on his tail in anticipation. Behind him, George had gotten up, a blue glow in his eyes as he pointed towards the Toucannon. He’d been leading Vli with his fingers, waiting for the right moment.

All the while, Vli kept going for Blitzer, swooping down at him twice. The first strike grazed his arm, the second was a direct hit: Fiery saliva flew out of the Charmeleon’s mouth as he was knocked over. He scrambled to his feet and tried to jump into the hole: Vli slowed down, and charged another shot…

‘Jackpot.’

With winter’s wrath stirring inside, George fired off another beam of ice. From the pit of his stomach and through his throat, soaring like a lance to strike the Toucannon right on the wing. Vli shrieked; George tilted his head, and the beam connected with the weak. Vli fell from the skies as if a hunter had shot him, right by Blitzer’s feet.

“Ngh..ngh.”

Blitzer stepped right on top of Vli’s chest. “There you go… You want to be roasted? Huh?!” he growled, tail still flaring. “You’re lucky it’s just me and not the whole town!!”

“Ain’t gonna be necessary, me boy.”

Bilitzer looked up. Porov emerged from the gathering crowds, whose fear was rapidly turning into mob anger. “I’ll sort this sorry bag o’ feathers out meself.”

George made his way to Blitzer as well, having wiped the blue glow out of his eyes. Small fires burned, and there were injured to tend to; he’d gestured for a few of the civilians to help out, but they were already on the case, helping get the injured to safety. The waiter and cooks of the restaurant were among them.

‘There’s that fighting spirit Skal was talking about. God, what a mess that damned toucan made…’

“Porov? Porov?! Listen, we’ve got a big problem here,” Blitzer said. “He’s high up in the Crest, apparently. I don’t know exactly what he meant, but he knew her. The Garchomp, I-”

The Darmanitan raised his hand; Blitzer shut himself up in the blink of an eye. “Ain’t none of this going to reach her ears, me boy. Got a special surprise planned for ‘im,” he said, snapping his fingers right at the side of Vli’s head. “Dont ya worry about that, though.”

As Porov turned to the crowd and started ordering people around, Vli was left groaning on the dirt, wallowing in his failure. George looked at him without the slightest pity. The longer he looked at him, the more he clenched his fists. Gareda had sent him here. Gareda wanted him bad. He was just a scout, too: If word of this spread, George was far from the only one in danger. Verdant Valley. The entire region. The Alliance…

He gritted his teeth, then took a deep breath.

‘Focus… focus. That didn’t happen. No need to keep thinking about it.’

“‘Ey, Georgie. Ye gonna help out ‘ere? Got a loooot of work we gotta do all of a sudden.’”

George glanced over his shoulder. Porov was staring awkwardly at him, half annoyed and half confused.

“I’m on it.”

A slight smile made its way to Porov’s mouth. “Don’t ya worry, eh. Plenty of time to celebrate takin’ down this sorry bag o’ feathers right here. Plenty of townsfolk who’ll want to thank ye later, too.”

“Uh huh. Plus, we still have the bill to pay, don’t we?”

“Yeah… we do,” Blitzer said. “Especially now, that, you know…” He tilted his head towards the hole in the wall.

Porov stretched his arms. “Like I said, don’t worry ‘bout it. Everything ‘ll be just fine.”

George sighed. ‘This is going to be a long night, isn’t it.’

* * *

The sun vanished behind the horizon, casting shadows over the Source Hills. Most civilised Pokemon had settled in their nests by now. Deserted roads, empty streets, the wind howling through the streets… Just a few souls were still up, carrying out the work best left in the darkness.

“Egh…”

Vli awoke on the side of a hill. No sign of civilisation anywhere nearby, just shrubbery and other bits of vegetation amidst the dusty paths and slopes, and a few trickles of water streaming down into a small, isolated gorge. His feathers were sullied, and his wings were sore. For a moment, everything seemed like a bad dream. Why would he be here, far far away from home? In an attempt to stand up, he let out a soft squawk. He couldn’t move.

“Look who’s woken up.”

“Great. See? Told ye we should’ve just gotten this over with. Now it’s gonna be even dirtier work to kill this waste of space.”

“Don’t get why we just lock him up, there’s good intel in him.”

“Yeah, and I don’t care. Let the ferals pick him clean.”

A few more attempts to move went nowhere. Tears welled up in Vli’s eyes as he realised what had happened back in the town, and what was going to happen now. This was the end.

“C’mon… what are we waiting for? Kill him already!”

“...I’m afraid that I cannot let you do that.”

The darkness opened up, and swallowed Vli whole. In those final moments of consciousness, he contemplated everything in his life that had led to this point. His family needing money. Him working hard to get stronger, rising up the ranks. Being honest. Stiff. Angry that the peace had been broken. Vengeful. Had it been all for nothing?

So he thought, even when he woke up to a bright red glow, courtesy of a lone eye.

“Two less of them in the world, one saved from their clutches… now, just close your eyes. Some days are better left forgotten, aren’t they?”

A bright flash engulfed the area, before Vli’s consciousness drifted off again.

When he awoke in the exact same spot as daylight struck, he had no idea where he was, nor any idea what he was doing. All he knew is that there were many, many rebels in the Source Hills.