When the going gets tough, everyone reveals their true nature. More often than not, those invoking the sentence refer to people; Blitzer knew his dad meant it that way whenever he quoted it. But in hindsight, the world shared a lot in common with the sentiment. Not a one to one match, but close enough.

  Wherever the Smaugus went, the Corruption followed. It blighted the earth, cast down upon the land from the gods as punishment. Towns, farms, forests, wildernesses; wherever the Smaugus went, dungeons appeared. Wherever the Smaugus wanted to go, their armies sharpened their claws. And wherever the Smaugus were, so too were their crystals.

  The night was young, yet dark. Slush crunched under Blitzer’s feet as he followed Sefonia through her footsteps, the Dragonite carrying Sisu on her shoulders. A foreboding presence lurked away in the trees, the spectre of a fresh dungeon looming nearby. The Charizard gritted his teeth, the muscles in his tail tense in an attempt to dim the flame.

  ‘Blegh! This is worse than the snow!’

  Ahead, the Dragonite hopped over the trunk of a fallen tree, her momentum carrying her over with no hassle. Blitzer didn’t push his luck, and grabbed onto the tree with one claw before vaulting over. Aside from his talons, no other part of his body touched the tree. For him, it was good enough; Sisu and Sefonia counted on him to watch their backs, and he wasn’t about to let a tree stop him.

  The Charizard raised his nose to the wind. The scent of a Dragonite and a ghostly ectoplasm passed through his nostrils first, followed by the murky, half-muddy smell of slush and soggy bark. Blitzer licked the back of his teeth. Spring was upon Whitiara, but the plants remained in hibernation. How many ferals would have the rudest awakening of their lives, seeing the corrupted sky come the dawn?

  He shuddered at the thought, before resuming the task at hand: keeping up with Sefonia, who once again was gaining ground on him. He tucked his wings back, lowered his head, and kept his tail straight as he dashed ahead. They weren’t close enough for subtlety to be the highest priority. And given the living torch Charizards were, they weren’t staying stealthy forever.

  Soem time later, Blitzer got close enough for his taillight to reach Sefonia’s back. His predatory eyes stayed sharp as she jumped behind a snowbank, Sisu grabbing onto her neck and pointing at something in the distance. A growl escaped the Charizard’s throat as he joined them, ducking behind the snowbank.

  “Are we there yet?” Blitzer asked, his tail curled up a little.

  “We sure are,” Sisu whispered. “‘Tis Lumisby, alright. Have a peek over if you don’t believe me. But do keep it quick.”

  Blitzer nodded, a soft harrumph leaving his throat before poking his head over the snowbank. One huge mound of snow, shovelled up by townsfolk to keep their roads clear, with help from the children who loved to build forts out of ice. Alas, the fort was melting, and the Charizard’s claws dug into the icelike remains for support. Ahead was a small town, about twice the size of Greenfield. A few fires burned in the distance, the smoky frames of Corrupted big and small huddling around for warmth. The homes were either boarded up, or had been cracked open like eggs; wooden cabin, mound or colony, none had their homes spared by war. At the edge of a fire’s glow, the tatters of an old Crest banner lay strewn over the ground, waiting for a Corrupted Pokemon to use them for kindling.

  Grumbling, Blitzer got onto a knee, back into cover. “The town’s in ruins.”

  “Pfft.” Sisu stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry. “Guess they’re not sitting still, are they? ‘Cause that’s fast. Town’s only been evacuated for a day.”

  Sefonia’s antennae perked up. “That was an order, wasn’t it?” she asked, sniffing and glancing over her shoulder. “Apparently it was a planned retreat, not a rout.”

  The Marshadow nodded. “Eyyup. Came from Dritch herself, in fact. Said somethin’ about the front being too long and hard to maintain, so they had to pull back. Too many Corrupted against us, runnin’ wild all over the place.” She kicked at the snow. “I think it sucks. Should’ve stuck around, we don’t have much space.”

  The Dragonite sighed. “Yeah, but what comes from above doesn’t go back up.”

  Sisu raised a brow. “That a Smaugus saying?”

  “Sure is,” Sefonia grumbled. “No one objected to assignments, even the dangerous ones. Unless you’d like to get disowned by your friends and family. Or humiliated. Or thrown in prison. Might even have Chronos himself rip your head off if it was bad enough.”

  Blitzer groaned before drawing a weary breath, his rear firmly planted into the snow. “So everyone just up and left? Because the fighting was too difficult?”

  “Sure did,” Sisu said. “Been rough as is. But there’s only more comin’. Will take some divine work to save the Crest now, lemme tell you.”

  Blitzer leaned back against the snowbank, a steamy breath leaving his jaws. All the personal struggles had overshadowed the threat at hand. The Crest had a rough few weeks; though the Soldiers fought on against overwhelming odds, it didn’t take much insight to see the dark path ahead. Slowly, the Smaugus and the Alliance were pushing them back towards Northpoint, the final redoubt of the old order. Wars didn’t stop for any one person, they ran them straight over. Pulverised them into dust. Either you got your turmoil under control, or you wouldn’t be long for the world.

  “And it’s up to us, then?”

  Sisu crossed her legs, looking Blitzer in the eyes as her three horns congealed, then slid down Sefonia’s belly after hopping off her shoulder, the Dragonite wincing as the Marshadow landed in the slush.

  “H-hey!”

  “I mean, I’m here. Ain’t exactly divine, but I’m pretty dang close, aren’t I?”

  The Charizard’s mouth went ajar. “Rare breed, yeah, that’s not divine, though.” ‘How shameless do you have to be to call yourself divine, anyway?’

  A leafless bush rustled as the wind skirted past, its naked branches clattering against each other. A wet crunching sound echoed nearby; the two dragons whipped their heads about, sniffing the air for unwanted guests.

  “Like I said, it ain’t far off, is it?” Sisu stuck her hands into her horn, then yanked the smaller ones back out. “Anyway. We got a big job to do. We got the plan, don’t we? Jabbered long enough about it on the way. Why don’t we get around to it?”

  Sefonia rolled over, curling her tail up lest it get exposed. “Hang on. Did you see the Power Crystal just now? Did Blitzer?”

  “Dunno. Did you?”

  Blitzer bit his tongue. “Didn’t see anything like it, no. It should be deeper in town. In a place that’s easily accessible. Big buildings or in the open, not sure which,” he said, claws itching as he raised his neck to have another gander. Thought you’d have my back, Sisu. Don’t just shove the job onto me.’‘

  Sefonia rolled her eyes. “We’ll have to figure it out as we go, then. Now quick, before we get pounced back here.”

  Unprepared, the trio snuck around the snowbank, running from pile to pile as they skirted along Lumisby’s edge. It was a matter of time before Blitzer’s taillight aroused suspicion, whether from witless ferals or Smaugusfolk. Blitzer gritted his teeth. Was the enemy with the Smaugus, or with the Alliance? Was there a difference?

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ‘í’ve never seen any Pokemon with the Alliance talk about any crystals. Well, maybe they liked shiny objects, or they just wanted money, but never a Power Crystal. Heck, I didn’t even know what a Power Crystal was before coming here.’

  The Charizard blinked, then shook his head to try and clear it. Thinking about an answer didn’t differ from deciding on which way to spell ‘Tamato’. This wasn’t a neighbourly dispute. If he didn’t pay attention, the two factions got to debate whose silver platter his head would end on.

  And it wouldn’t be long before the first shouts echoed across the town. It hadn’t been more than a minute at most, but the flickering light on the edge of town had gotten attention. Corrupted jumped from their spot around the campfires, moving in squads of four towards the snowbanks. Blitzer grimaced, his heart skipping a beat; first he heard the snow, then he smelled the smoky unkempt fur. It wouldn’t be long.

  “G-guys!” the Charizard growled under his breath. “Quick!”

  Sefonia held her claws up, her feet shifting her back around to face Blitzer whilst remaining in a combat ready stance, as if she’d been stalking prey. “How many?” she muttered back. Blitzer held up a whole claw, all four digits dangling in the wind as he backed up against the snowbank. “Damn.”

  “Guys, I see it!” Sisu whispered, her voice carried over the wind. Faint as it was, Blitzer and Sefonia heard her. “The crystal! Wait-”

  “Stragglers!”

  Alas, the Corrupted squads moving to the snowbanks had caught up, and were upwind from Sisu as she announced her discovery. Shouts rang from behind the bank, as Pokemon roared for their comrades.

  “Crap!” Blitzer growled, jumping out of cover, fires surging into the back of his throat. A Glalie made his way over the snowbank just as he got up, his glowing eyes blinded by the glare from Blitzer’s taillight. Blitzer reared back, then spat a wave of fire from his jaws. Right between the horns; the Glalie never saw what was coming.

  “Trouble, trouble!!”

  Roars and shouts haunted Lumisby in the dead of night, the Corrupted shook out of their rest. Two had left the scene of action to rally the others, and those left in their wake jumped into action. One Hawlucha, one Medicham, an Electabuzz and a Ludicolo wearing a thick coat leapt over the snowbanks, each aiming for Sefonia. The Dragonite hardly had the time to stand up before the attacks rained upon her. Hawlucha and Medicham punched and kicked at her belly, the force knocking her back several steps.

  “Argh!” the Dragonite groaned, shifting her feet to halt herself. A wave of slushy water rolled over the snowbank, and she jumped in the eyeblink she had to react. Her wings whipped up a small updraft; her feet remained dry, while Mechicham’s slipped and fell. Blitzer joined in with his fire; the water kept him at distance, but his fires burned bright in the darkness. The two fighters among the enemy distracted, he aimed for Electabuzz and Ludicolo.

  “Oi! Hurry up already, we can’t stick ‘round here forever!”

  Fire sputtered from Blitzer’s jaws as lightning crackled overhead. Electabuzz had gone ballistic, sparks surging from his fingers and zapping whatever got in their way. First Sefonia was struck, then a whip of electricity lashed Blitzer across the chest.

  “Augh!”

  Blitzer hacked and sputtered up a cloud of smoke, thick enough to shroud his body. The electricity faded as fast as it came; Blitzer felt nothing past the impact; it might as well have been an actual whip. Sefonia came running towards him, her scales worn and torn; he felt the wind rush past as the smog covered his eyes.

  What began as backing away now resembled a retreat, as the two dragons made a mad dash away from their hiding spot, now compromised with far more Corrupted ready to swarm it down. Would they stop for their fallen friends? Blitzer gritted his teeth. He had no time to look, and every reason to assume they wouldn’t.

  They covered about twenty trees sprinting, Sefonia first to hop over the snowbank herself, with Blitzer following not long thereafter. A blackscarved Machoke and a Zebstrika laid groaning on their sides, their essence spilling onto the snow like blood; parts of their legs had lost their shadows, and didn’t so much as twitch any longer. Just ahead, carving a path between the outermost buildings in town was Sisu, face to face with a Kleavor. Far in the distance, in the middle of a circular road, a Power Crystal hummed behind its defenders.

  Kleavor swung an axe; Sisu disappeared into the ground before it would cleave straight through her, leaving the axe-armed mantis stumbling from the sheer force he’d put in. After catching himself on the building with the other axe, Kleavor’d awkwardly contorted his body; Sisu jumped out from her ghastly hiding spot, launching a barrage of punches up and down the mantis’ blackened body. It freed him, at the cost of his conscience; Blitzer kicked him out of the way.

  “Quick, over there! No time to waste!”

  Corrupted popped out from in between the buildings, some climbing to the top to try and pelt the trio from above. A glob of watery energy splashed into the snow beside Blitzer, kicking it up into a fine mist that splattered all over the Charizard’s scales. Blitzer hissed, damn near bit his tongue; shouting and growling came from all directions. He’d been in the middle of the column, sticking to the plan. Sefonia and Sisu were once again engaged against the foe, who teamed up against the attackers.

  ‘Where is the waterling? Where is he?! On the roof!’

  As luck would have it, a Dewpider shivered on a rotten sloped roof, its legs twitching while the wood cracked underneath. Blitzer was on it as fast as he could, rearing back with his wings and kicking up a fierce wind at the rooftops. Blowing with enough force to make paper fly, the Dewpider winced and squinted all of its eyes, the snow on the roof pummeling his legs as it was knocked up.

  Alas, Blitzer’s attack had thrown a mist up in the air. Each breath now chilled his lungs, the mist damn near leaving them blind. A cold smokescreen had been established, whether he liked it or not. “Crap,” he growled, holding a claw over his nose. “This isn’t-”

  “Don’t apologise now, follow me!”

  Sisu forced her way through the mist, Blitzer and Sefonia having no choice but to follow. Both gasped for breath, and struggled to straighten their posture. The attackers held back for a moment, reeling from their injuries. The break in the onslaught was more than welcome; snow crunched under their feet as they dashed up the hills, and between the rickety and battered homes. Blitzer bit through the pain. This was no race, but a marathon. Passing a half-extinguished campfire they emerged onto the circular road with its ruins, the Power Crystal humming before them. Sisu ran up to it, kicking over a nearby fencepost.

  “Alright, you know what to do! Blitz, do your thing! Me and Sef’ll cover ya!”

  Thunder crackled overhead as the Charizard made a mad dash for the crystal. Sefonia and Sisu split off to cover him. There was no time to waste, no time to doubt. Yet Blitzer held back for a second, tail falling onto the ground as he watched the Power Crystal in awe. The bottom hovered just over his toe claws, while the top reached up to his belly. Energy teemed within, faint yet ever present. The lack of light made the Crystal resemble an illusion, a trick played by the mind’s wishful thinking.

  When Blitzer’s claws dug into the surface, however, any doubts were dispelled. Each talon dug into the mineral, little cracks spreading from the dents they tore. He breathed in deep, heaved and hissed. The crystal’s weight wore down on his arms; this was not a one man effort.

  Yet helping hands were a scarce commodity in Eravate these days. Corrupted Pokemon aimed to catch them all, flinging themselves at Sisu and Sefonia in piecemeal fashion. Cries of the Power Crystal being stolen were shouted through Lumisby and beyond, the Smaugus remaining in the town desperate to prevent its theft. Their attacks bore little fruit; weariness from previous battles, and the strength of a Dragonite and Marshadow working together held them back. Some feared the consequences. Familiar names haunted the air.

  “S-skal will tear our heads off!!”

  “I-If Chronos finds out…!”

  With one last push, Blitzer broke the magical bond tying the Crystal down, leaning the bulk of his body forwards to push it forward. His tail dragged over the floor as he walked, leaving a trail across the slushy ground as it soaked the scales. The tip sizzled with a stinging pain, the flame growing colder and wetter by the second. Blitzer gasped, winced, hissed like a Charmander sticking his claw down a Drilbur hill.

  “Egrh!” ‘This is a… pain! The snow!!’ His thoughts kept him company; the Power Crystal took up half his vision, his eyes shifting side to side as he pushed it with his bodyweight. With his claws occupied, any Pokemon aiming for him would have the drop on him, no matter how well his eyes worked. If not for the fire in his throat, he would be defenseless.

  Sisu and Sefonia held his back; their job was to fight off whichever Corrupted came at them. Blitzer heard their voices, smelled their scent, heard their feet trampling the slush underneath; the sound made him uncomfortable in his own scales, his feet had to have been soaked in a muddy slurry. A variety of sounds broke through as they headed into the woods; punching, growling, a yelp followed by an elemental blast.

  Blitzer sucked in a breath through his teeth. ‘Have fun dealing with Skal later, gods almighty.’

  Alarm trumpets went off behind the trio as they fled Lumisby with their prize, the ruined town left behind in the cold state they’d found it in. The journey back to friendly lines was an arduous one. The retreat had not been the cleanest, and the Smaugus had taken far too much. Village after village, miserable and infested. Corrupted followed their tracks and scent, Blitzer’s tail flame lighting up their surroundings. No Pokemon would struggle to find them, no matter how warped their senses.

  Squads of Corrupted answered the trumpet’s call, chasing Blitzer down. Yet again he heard Skal’s name, some of the Corrupted even running back to guide the way. He grimaced, looked back, searched for any sign of that monster. That backstabbing bastard. The Aggron had sold his soul; the memories of his aching limbs made that clear enough for Blitzer.

  Sefonia and Sisu did their duty at the Corrupted’s expense. In the end, the Pokemon of the Smaugus had three guides to their enemy: tracks, scent, and the beaten bodies of their brethren, their skin black and blue, the essence of their god spilling into the snow, their fur half torn out. All Sefonia, Sisu and Blitzer had to do was hold on, keep up the pace, push their bodies to keep going no matter what, energy be damned.

  And for the longest time, it worked, in spite of the Corrupted making their way across the snow. After two hours, the finish line was in sight: Fires burned bright in the night, illuminating the green banners of the Crest in the distance on a hill. At the edge of the light, a handful of Pokemon lay strewn in the cold.

  “Keep going! Keep going!!”

  So close, yet so far. Blitzer’s knees buckled under the weight forcing down upon him. His torso did half the carrying, yet his arms struggled regardless. The Charizard growled, his tail flaring.

  ‘C’mon… make it… if only I could mega evolve whenever I want…’

  Clashes resumed behind him. Alarm trumpets went off yet again, starting from afar, then creeping closer until they punched Blitzer in the eardrums. Any louder, and his horns would’ve fallen off. Yet he kept going. Trumpets went off again. Clashes followed. Sefonia roared out a battle cry. Trumpets in the distance. Something slid through the snow. Blitzer groaned. Sisu threw a punch, a ghastly voice echoing as it connected. Trumpets. Feet. Roars.

  “Ngh! Guys, help me out here!! We’re almost…!”

  “Blitz! Hang in there, just give me a moment!”

  Sefonia ultimately became his savior, as she joined the Charizard in pulling it forward. They had just reached the edge of the Crest’s torchlight, stepping over the clutter littering the approach to their outpost. Trumpets went off in the camp; friendly faces breaking through the line were a welcome sight, and their cargo an even greater one. Soldiers rushed out to meet the trio head on, many joining Sisu in holding off the Corrupted. As great a job as the Marshadow did, the Corrupted did not let up for a little imp.

  It wasn’t until the Crystal had been carried into the outpost that the Corrupted relented, retreating back into the woods. The Soldiers gathered around the crystal, pointing and growling at the faint flickers of energy coursing within. Blitzer and Sefonia finally let go, much to the former’s relief. They’d made it back, somehow. Half their bodies were covered in freezing mud, with scabs and bruises aplenty making their mark. Scales had fallen off; Sefonia had lost a small patch on her knee.

  Blitzer groaned, then looked back from where they’d come. He could’ve sworn he saw a pair of eyes attached to a steel helmet in the distance, glaring straight through him. A chill crawled up his spine, while a snicker left his throat. ‘Didn’t get me today, sucker.’