Chapter XXV: Tantalus

It's happened; His Majesty has finally lost his mind. Perhaps staying cooped up in that palace is what did it. Frankly, I couldn't care less.

Two months of bloody battle, Ioannes. Do you know how many of my legionaries I ordered to their deaths to capture this ridge? We've long stopped burying the bodies.

And in a few strokes of the pen, they're gone. Taken from me. Redirected to the interior with no forewarning, for some godsdamned manhunt mission he won't even disclose the details of!

I cannot, in good conscience, leave what remains of the XVIII Legion to be slaughtered on this ridge. The withdrawal will commence tomorrow at 06:00.

- Segment of correspondence between Mergo Gallade, Commander of Army Group Tartarus, and Ioannes Serperior, Governor of Basileia.

Flame couldn't help but shudder as the distant crashing of water from the river reached him even here, deep within the cavern, tucked away in this tight alcove.

Then again, everything made him shudder. He sat on the hard cavern floor with his knees stuck to his chest and his claws still in his shoulders, his entranced gaze glued to the campfire in front of him. He felt too drained to do anything else.

Trying his best not to shake, Flame lifted his eyes slowly. He traced them along the rock walls, to his teammates resting against them—every nook of the alcove glowed in the will-o-wisp's ethereal blue. It was a tiny space they were in: barely large enough for the three of them to cram around a fire, and the ceiling was so low that even while sitting, he had to duck to keep his horn clear. Only a small crawlspace behind the fire connected them to the much darker main cavern.

In the silence of his thoughts, he picked up the distant gargle of flowing water again. Flame curled the claws of his feet as another shiver ran through him, and he hugged his own chest tighter. He was still wet. Maybe that was why he couldn't stop shaking.

Unable to find comfort in the campfire, or his knees, Flame cracked his eyes open. Gaius and Alice were still there—the former crumpled against the wall, his head hanging back, and the latter gathered up in a tight coil by his side. Even while shivering, the closeness brought the vaguest spark of warmth in his chest.

Numb as he was, it took him a few moments to realise that he'd locked eyes with Alice.

She stared back at him, her red eyes baring the anxiousness and fatigue that lay underneath. A quivering smile formed on his lips. They stayed like that for a few moments.

"… You're shaking," she said.

"G-good eyes," he snickered under his breath.

He felt his attention drift away for a time. When he snapped back into focus, though, he found Alice still watching him from atop her coils. Her eyes were red, her face read pain all over—and yet, she smiled at him with an intensity that made his cheeks flush with heat.

"… Wh-what?" he said.

At that, Alice released a soft, sad laugh. "Gods, Flame, I thought you were dead," she whispered raspily. "When I saw you jump off that bridge—after all this time, I was… I… I couldn't…"

Flame winced as her voice cracked. Unable to find words himself, he mustered a trembling half-smile and shrugged. "It… worked, didn't it?"

"Y-yes, but that's not the point I'm—what I'm trying to say is…" She squeezed her eyes tightly, then shook her head. "Gods, how can you be so casual about it?"

A newfound heaviness invaded his chest cavity, right along with another fit of shivering.

"I'm sorry," he said, and hated that he could think of nothing better.

She did her best impression of an angry huff, and lowered her head to her coils. "You b-better be…"

"Oh, c'mon," Gaius interjected. "He deserves some credit."

At that, Flame paused in surprise, for he hadn't expected Gaius to back him so readily. The Grovyle sat back with his arms crossed, but his face was as unreadable, his eyes heavy and red.

"What you did back there, Flame, was absolutely crazy." Gaius chuckled weakly. "And my life's been pretty messed up. But… you sure as hell did it." He lowered his gaze. "I'm glad I followed you. 'Cause I almost didn't."

Flame stared blankly at Gaius for a time. He wanted to feel confused, to wonder what on earth Gaius was playing at, but he was simply too numb for that.

"Th-thank you," Flame muttered. "For trusting me. I… didn't think you would."

"Yeah, yeah." Gaius averted his eyes, then snickered under his breath. "Bloody hell… First you tell Sycorax to fuck off, then you nearly blow yourself up, then you actually jump off a bridge? I think we've got the wrong Charmeleon."

I could say the same for you. He felt a strange warmth filling his chest. Uttering nice words about him? Just how much had Gaius changed?

"Don't enable him, Gaius…" Alice chuckled from atop her coils.

Gaius snickered even harder at that, before breaking into a fit of violent coughing. "O-okay." He said raspily. "Yeah. I'm glad you've grown some balls and all, but—maybe tone it down with the suicidal streak, will ya?"

There! There was that warmth again. He glanced down to find his tail fire chirping merrily to the pulse of his heartbeat.

"… No promises."

Hugging his knees, and with an idiotic smile on his face, Flame merely sat there and looked at them both, at his teammates. They were here. They were with him—no longer a figment of his vivid fantasies, but two breathing, quivering bodies…

Suddenly he was shaking again—though not from cold. He laughed to himself and hugged his knees tighter. His pulse quickened.

He'd done it.

After so many nights gone sleepless to plan out his escape, after the ambush, after so much pain, so much cold—he'd finally done it. It was over.

He shut his eyes, smiled, and knew that it had all been worth it.

"I m-missed you." He sniffled. "Both of you. Th-there's so much I want to say, I don't even know where I can—wh-where to… to…" He gritted his teeth even as he felt his voice wavered. "Where were you at the battle? You never came."

He saw the expression on their faces darken. Flame quickly bit his tongue, darting his eyes around, but before he could scramble to think of something else he saw Alice shift.

"Sycorax knew," she whispered eventually. "He knew about our plan to escape. They captured us before we could even reach the rendezvous—took us to their camp." Hesitating, she lifted her glistening eyes to him. "I-I thought they'd get to you, too! But we kept waiting and waiting, and, a-and then Virgo and Yvaine came back, saying you'd been… you'd…"

As he listened, Flame exhaled slowly and let his gaze drop down to the campfire. So it was official: he was being hunted. Not that he hadn't already known that, but… perhaps he didn't want to believe it.

However, the distress on Alice's face was enough to at least take him out of his thoughts.

"Alice…" He said quietly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just—we should have been there. We should have done something to… I, I don't know, to help. It's our fault that you were captured." Just then, a terrible realisation dawned on her face. "Oh, gods, Flame, did they… d-did the Scum…"

Flame blinked several times, trying to decipher her sudden worry, before it clicked. "No!" He smiled quickly. "No, they didn't do anything to me. I'm… okay."

Gaius' expression hardened. "Of course," he muttered. "That's 'cause you're one of them. Is that right?"

Flame quickly averted his gaze. He should have known this question was coming. "Kind of," he answered quietly. "Daedalus, their leader—he explained everything to me. About… who I was."

"He did?" Alice lifted her head from her coils. "Oh, Flame, your amnesia, that's—that's wonderful! What did he say?"

For some reason, Flame found himself cracking a dry smile. "Oh, nothing much." He shrugged. "Just that I come from another dimension, apparently. One where the Benefactors used us as slave soldiers."

Both Gaius and Alice dropped their concern and stared at him as if he had grown a third arm.

"And…" Gaius furrowed his brow. "You really don't think he's fucking with you?"

Flame blinked. "What?" He scowled. "Why would he—no! I knew him, Gaius! I've known him from before my amnesia. He cares about me."

Gaius squinted at him. "… Really."

Flame's eye twitched. "Yes!" He snapped. "Really! Why, since when have you cared?!"

Gaius flinched and turned away under the weight of his glare. For a couple of moments Flame sat there and continued to breathe deeply, but with that look on the Grovyle's face, he couldn't motivate himself to stay angry.

"Gaius…" Alice said, glancing carefully between the two of them. "I… I believe him."

"Another dimension, Alice?" Gaius mumbled, but couldn't even look her in the eye.

Alice paused for a moment, before she turned to glance at Flame. "Flame… When I spoke to Sycorax, back at their camp…" Her lip quivered. "He told me the Benefactors have a 'greater purpose' for you. What he meant by that, I do not know—but if what you said just now is true, then…" She fell off, eyes lost in nothingness.

Flame heaved a charged breath. Greater purpose… He hugged his knees tighter. In some ways, he was almost thankful that he couldn't remember his past.

"Sorry." Alice shook her head. "There's so much to take in…"

Flame looked down, and twiddled with his claws. "Welcome to my world."

Arms crossed together, Gaius peered at him from the tail of his eye. "Bloody hell," he said quietly. "Guess it would explain a lot of things about you."

It would, wouldn't it? Flame thought, trying to find the lighter side of the situation. He failed.

There was so much he had yet to tell them. About Daedalus, that his memories would return one day, how much he'd thought of them, how much the Teutonii revered him…

They'll never believe me if I tell them I was some kind of hero.

Heck, he didn't believe it.

Dread weighed on his chest, but he shut his eyes and brought his knees closer. He didn't want to think about it now. Deep breaths—in, then out. In, then out. He'd spent enough of his short life worrying. He was with Alice and Gaius now.

"Flame?"

"Hm?" He sucked in another breath, then cracked his eyes open.

She was staring at him again. Were it not for her white underbelly she would have blended in with the walls, so intense was the fiery blue glow that enveloped the small alcove.

"Did you…" Alice held her breath for a moment. "… did you find out your real name?"

Flame's heart raced for a brief moment. He lowered his eyes to his knees. "I… never had one."

Alice blinked. "What do you mean you never—" She stared deadpanned at him. "How is that possible? Oh, Flame I… I'm so sorry—I shouldn't have…"

Still hugging his knees, he shrugged. "Don't worry about it." A feeble smile settled on his face. "I have one now. Even if it is a bit bland."

He'd never seen Alice's face turn so red in so little time.

He laughed into his forearms. "Flame…" he whispered, as if to test the name out with his own jaws. "Alice, I just realised: how common is this name you gave me?"

"W-well…" She glanced at him sheepishly, "I'll have you know, Flame is a completely respectable name! A-a rather unique one, at that."

"Unique?" He tilted his head. "Flame? For a fire-type…?"

"I'm positive."

From his corner, Gaius chuckled openly. "Yeah, 'cause it sounds ridiculous."

Flame swallowed. "R-ridiculous?" he said in a small voice.

"No shit," Gaius smirked. "Why do you think my name isn't 'Leaf'?"

Flame's pulse quickened. Smiling sheepishly, he leaned back against the wall and started laughing softly. "Great. Not only am I being hunted, I'm also stuck with this ridiculous name."

Alice squirmed, still hiding in her coils. "Y-you're still in time to change it, if it's so ridiculous."

"It's a bit late for that."

"Nonsense! How about…" Alice narrowed her eyes at him, humming loudly. "... 'Cornelius'. Yes… yes, I think it would suit you perfectly."

Flame stared at her blankly. "… You're joking. Right?"

Alice let out something between a laugh and a groan. "Yes, Flame. I see you're as perceptive as ever."

Flame felt his face burning up.

The faint squawk of a bird echoed through the cave suddenly—a welcome distraction that drew their gazes to the main cavern. Hidden away as they were, Flame had almost forgotten about the outside world. About the distant whir of flowing water, the mountains, the ambush.

"What do we do now?" Flame frowned. "The Praetorians, they're… they're probably out there right now. Looking for us."

"No matter," Alice said quickly, glancing between Gaius and him. "We'll find a way. After all we've just been through, nothing can stop us anymore."

At that, Flame felt a warm, fuzzy feeling invade his chest. He raised his eyes at the same moment as Gaius and Alice, the three of them taking a moment.

Even Gaius was smiling. Slumped as he was, though, and clutching his stump wrist, it only lasted a moment. "Our map's gone. Do we even know where we are?"

Flame sat up and into a cross-legged position, humming in thought.

Where were they? He vaguely remembered approximating his position on the map days earlier, but between the days of travel and the river ride, gods knew where they had ended up. Where was it he'd looked? If only he could remember a name, a landmark…

A terse sigh left him. As much as he wanted to forget about everything outside this cavern, they were still lost in the wilderness, and with the Imperial Army's best soldiers on their tails. He squinted, watching the ethereal dance of the blue will-o-wisp.

"W-we're in the Tartarus Mountains." He glanced between Alice and Gaius, biting on his tongue. "Northern half, I think."

"That's not enough." Alice stared at nothing, eyes narrowed in concentration. "These mountains run for hundreds of kilometres, across three provinces. We could be anywhere."

Flame resumed twiddling his claws. Of course. And he supposed going outside to scour the landscape wouldn't help. If I were a Charizard, this wouldn't be a problem.

Then again, he supposed that Praetorian air patrols would be hard-pressed to miss a big, hulking red dragon. One with a literal fire on its tail.

Alice turned to Gaius. "Gaius, do you remember seeing, or hearing anything back at their camp? Anything at all?

"Fuck if I know." Gaius shrugged, his eyes half-closed and his arms crossed. "You're the one the Praetorians let roam free. I wasn't allowed to ask jack shit."

With the silence in the cavern stretching, Alice rested her head atop her coils, and let out a small sigh.

"It's gotten colder recently," she said with a small voice.

Flame blinked. "Has it?"

Alice produced something between groaning and laughter. "Oh, hush, you—look: my point is, winter is close. These mountains are barely inhabited. Depending on how deep we are and what direction we head in, it could be weeks before we stumble on civilisation. And if temperatures keep dropping…" Her eyes glazed over for a moment, before she squeezed them shut. "W-we need to know where we are. Even a rough estimate would do—anything that tells us where we can seek asylum."

Flame thought and thought, yet he couldn't stop fidgeting with his claws. He combed mentally through all of his conversations with Daedalus, and with Brynn, squeezing his brain for any snippet of a place name. Maybe that of the valley they'd passed through, or a prominent mountain, or, or…

Something clicked in Flame's head. He felt his eyes grow wider.

"… I was in a village," he whispered.

That got their attention. Though their eyes were red and heavy, they looked to him, and he took it as a cue to continue.

He finally managed to stop himself from fidgeting. "A-after the Teu—er, Scum kidnapped me, they took me to one of their villages. Can't be more than two days away from here. Think about it: if they're living here, out in the open, then…" A smile crept on his cheeks. "We must be in Scum territory. Right? Is there any part of these mountains that's in…?"

Alice's mouth hung open, and her eyes were glued to the ceiling. "Yes… yes, there is! The very northern edge of Basileia province! We have to be in Scum territory!"

Gaius sent her a weird look. "I don't get why that's exciting."

"W-well, not quite, no—but it means we know roughly where we are!" She stood out of her coils a little and tapped her tail tip to her chin. "Let's see. There are too many rivers for me to estimate which one we just came from. That mystery dungeon, on the other hand, back at the bridge…" Her eyes lit up. "Of course! It's the largest dungeon in the region—one that swallowed an entire mountain whole! You saw it, Flame, didn't you? Tell me you did!"

"Y-yeah," he mumbled out, and leaned closer.

Alice hung her mouth open as a look of awe slowly took over her face. Her head shot up from atop her tail, and she uncoiled fully.

"Gods almighty," she whispered, her head turning between him and Gaius. "Do you two know what this means?"

Flame turned to Gaius, and they shared a blank look.

"… No?" Flame scratched the back of his neck.

"We're right by Thermae Himerae!" Alice whispered as a smile crept on her snout.

Thermae Himerae… Flame furrowed his brow as he searched the depths of his limited memories, sitting cross-legged.

He'd heard the name from somewhere. The bell it rang sang of importance, too. Was Alice the one to utter it? Staring into the campfire, he searched through more muddled memories. The memory of a dimly-lit tent resurfaced, a map lit by the glow of his tail fire.

Of course! Now it all came back to him—they'd been planning their escape. Alice had said the city was renowned for its many luxuries, like its namesake thermal baths; nestled in the mountains as it was, it had evaded imperial conquest throughout the ages, exactly the reason why they'd chosen it as their… destination…

Flame's heart sputtered.

Gaius looked caught off-guard, too. "Hang on. You can't seriously mean…"

"Yes." Alice's eyes betrayed excitement. "Despite all we've just been through, with the Scum, and the Praetorian Guard…"

Flame released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "… We're where we planned to escape all along."

Quiet overcame the alcove. The members of Team Phalanx looked into each others' eyes in a tidal wave of excitement and disbelief.

Flame could hear his own heartbeat in the silence; grinning, he clutched his chest amid quivering gasps.

They'd done it. As impossible as it seemed mere hours before, they'd challenged the world—the Scum, the Praetorian Guard, fate itself—and emerged victorious.

Alice started laughing—a breathless, liberatory laugh, and Gaius reluctantly followed along, with the mildest hint of joy.

Sitting back against the wall, Flame smiled—his eyes felt too heavy to join them, but his tail fire grew all on its own. He sat back and watched them, and as they laughed, he noticed that he felt just a little more complete.

Tartarus Mountains

Flame maneuvered his way through dappled light and shade, venturing deeper into the pine forest. The earth was littered with needles that snapped audibly under his every step. Nettles grew alongside ferns and seemed to intermingle into one thick, messy layer of underbrush. From somewhere deeper in the heart of the woods came the droning of Spearows.

"… If we keep heading east," Alice went on, "we're bound to run into the main road. Merchants use it to trade goods between the provincial capital and Thermae Himerae."

"Yeah, yeah," quipped Gaius. "Keep the history to yourself. How long's it gonna take?"

Flame found it hard to follow what the two behind him were saying. He drew in ragged breaths and focused on staying well in the centre of the dirt path. Away from nettles, especially. The stinging on his tail did an apt job of reminding him.

"No more than a week," Alice said firmly. "Perhaps even five days."

"Five days?" asked Gaius, part amused, part annoyed. "You made it sound like we were there."

Flame was hardly paying attention anymore. The soles of his feet hurt like hell, but he could not rest. Not yet. They'd stop for the night soon enough. Right? He glanced around them but could not find the sun above the thick branches of the pines.

"Oh, hush," Alice said. "Our original escape plan had us starting all the way in Aesernia. It would have taken—Flame? Could we stop for a moment?"

Flame took a few seconds to fully acknowledge her question. He stopped and turned back questioningly. "Wh-wha—"

"I can hear a creek." Alice jabbed her tail tip to the side, smiling softly. "We should fill our canteens while we have the opportunity."

Gaius glanced down at his mud-caked feet. "And get washed," he grumbled.

"Yes, and get washed," Alice added.

Flame merely frowned. "Get washed…? Do we really—"

But Gaius had already disappeared into the bushes; Alice motioned with her head to follow before doing the same.

Muttering curse words he didn't know the meaning of, Flame was left with no choice but to follow them into the thick vegetation. The leaves scratched his scales all over as he crept forth—he prayed there wasn't another nettle here he couldn't see. He emerged into the open woods—somehow unscathed—and followed the shapes of Gaius and Alice downhill.

The sound of rushing water was getting louder now. He hopped over a fallen pine trunk, before, finally, he and his teammates reached the creek at the bottom of the slope.

It was only a few metres across, with round, moss-laden rocks poking out here and there. Flame walked up to the edge of the water. Further upstream, a frail-looking Deerling on the other bank stopped lapping up water to meep at the sight of them; it trotted away in a hurry before Flame could even speak.

"Damn," Gaius muttered. "Could have had it for dinner."

"Not to worry." Alice slithered to the edge of the creek, and unslung her bag. "Do we still have those Magikarp left from lunch, Flame?"

Panting a little, Flame stood there numbly at the edge of the creek. He blinked. "Uh—yeah."

As his teammates fished their canteens out, Flame felt his legs shaking. He crumbled onto his knees with a gasp and just barely caught himself from slumping over—in the water, no less. He held back a hiss. Almost like clockwork his whole lower half erupted in protest; his feet, his knees, his legs. When he unslung his own bag, his shoulder suddenly remembered it was aching and joined its brethren in protest.

He almost felt a little guilty at how tired he felt. Almost. After this morning, he narrowed his eyes, I think I've earnt the right to feel tired.

Still panting, Flame managed to get himself into a seated position. He found himself staring up as he felt inside his bag. Down here, he almost forgot that they were still surrounded by mountains behind those thick pines.

Flame dipped his leather-bound canteen in the creek to refill it. He held it there a few seconds, then blinked; there seemed to be something blue moving in the—

A Dragonair's head poked out of the water. "Tired?"

Flame scrambled back in a panic. "Gah! Alice! Don't do that!" He looked left and right. "Wh-where's my…?"

As if to answer his question, Alice approached the creek's edge and set down the canteen she held with her teeth. His canteen. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly closed it with its cork.

"I shall take that as a yes," Alice smiled, her head wings dripping heavily. "Gods, it's been so long since I've had a proper swim!"

Flame nearly objected, but he figured that their great escape of approximately twelve hours ago did not quite count as a swim. She'd also dipped back underwater and could not hear him.

Regaining his composure, he found himself strangely drawn to her motions. Her serpentine body undulated and battled the current effortlessly just beneath the surface. She reemerged a little further upstream, closer to where Gaius was splashing water onto his arms.

A small, tired smile grazed his snout. "Isn't it cold in there?"

Alice turned to him, her head wings dripping heavily. "Yes. Very much so. It's not quite like the thermal baths in Urbe, but… it shall do." She tilted her head. "Care to join me?"

Flame shifted uncomfortably. Suddenly he became aware of his toes being just shy of touching the water. His feet and shins were coated with dried mud, after all, up to his knee. If only he submerged them for a few instants…

"I—I think I'm good." He swallowed. "Here. O-on dry ground."

"Maybe…" Gaius started, quietly. "He's spent too long around those Scum. Doesn't like baths anymore."

Flame glanced to Gaius; he was sitting at the creek's edge with his shins submerged, looking down into the water.

"By the gods," gasped Alice playfully. "Must we dump you into the creek, Flame? Are you going to start smelling like a Muk?"

Flame rolled his eyes theatrically. "I don't remember any of us smelling that great back in Aesernia. Ever."

"Y-yes, well…" Alice looked off to the side. "We couldn't exactly afford it."

Gaius dropped his half-smile. "Frankly, I'm still surprised you didn't come back full of body paint."

Flame blinked, even more puzzled. That tone… The Grovyle's eyes were set dead ahead and his expression as unreadable as always—but Flame had a queasy feeling that he knew what was on his mind.

It's who I am, damn it. Do I really need to justify it? The mere thought boiled his blood a little, but if the two of them were to start a new life together, he supposed they would need to make their differences clear.

That, or to endure more passive aggression.

"Gaius…" Flame frowned. "Does it bother you? That I'm a part of the Scum?" He rubbed his forearm. "S-sort of. Not by blood, but—you get the picture."

No answer. Flame glanced to his side repeatedly, but was met with a face he couldn't decipher. Maybe he hadn't heard him?

Alice sank down until only her eyes and head wings were above the water's surface, glancing between the two.

Flame twiddled his claws and sighed, accompanied only by rushing water and the buzzing of bug-types somewhere in the treetops above.

"Honestly?" Gaius finally said, his voice quiet. "If this were three weeks ago, I'd have killed you."

Flame's eyes widened. His stomach sank into an icy pit. "… Oh."

How reassuring. He swallowed.

Alice peered to him from the water, and despite being mostly submerged, the utter shame on her face told Flame that she couldn't bring herself to fully disagree.

Meanwhile, Gaius merely sat there and filtered water between the two remaining claws on his good hand.

"I hate the Scum," Gaius sneered. "They can all die in hell for all I care. But…" He clenched his only two claws together. "Fuck me, I guess you're family now."

Flame did not know how to feel. What was he supposed to feel? His teammate had just mused about killing him, and was now declaring him family.

"Thanks." Flame muttered quietly. "I… didn't know you thought of me like that."

In response, Gaius did little else than shrug. "I can't pretend you're anything like 'em, Flame. And… after this morning, it's clear you're not that clueless idiot I thought you were. So, yeah." Gaius rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe I was a little harsh on you."

Flame stopped breathing as he absorbed that last sentence. When Gaius avoided his eyes, he found Alice staring back at him from the water, with wide eyes as if to say 'shocking, right?'.

And yet, despite those kind words, Flame could not bring himself to feel grateful, or even happy. He narrowed his eyes and thought back to their time in Aesernia together. Of those first days.

"I didn't know you had a conscience," he said.

At that Alice flinched slightly from the water; Gaius said nothing, continuing to stare down into the creek.

Rather than sadden Flame, his reaction only irritated him further. He stood up and slung his bag back over his shoulder.

"Let's go."

With little more to say, Team Phalanx soon dried off and joined back on the main path flanked by bushes.

Flame promptly resumed scanning their surroundings for threats, in an effort to bring his thoughts away from Gaius. A flying-type's chirp echoed from somewhere distant.

They'd caught glimpses of winged pokémon all throughout the day, looping around distant mountaintops—but it was nigh impossible to tell Praetorians apart from ferals. Or perhaps it was the Teutonii—this was their territory, after all, and they too could have been looking for him.

With a heavy sigh, Flame squeezed his eyes and clenched his claws together. The Empire, the Presence, and now the Teutonii. Why him, of all pokémon? What was so important about him?

What did I do in my past life? He kicked a cobble up the path. Slay a god?

Only a distant Kricketune's buzz answered him.

Before long, the forest's trees had begun to thin out. The pines gradually became more distanced between themselves, leaving more of the sky and the mountains visible—and eventually disappeared completely . The open field in front of them gave way to an incline littered with large rocks and bushes, but otherwise, no real source of cover.

"Here we go again…" Flame muttered.

The three crept right up to the end of the treeline. They each picked a different tree to hide behind. Flame didn't dare steal another peek. The same tension he'd felt gripping his chest for most of the day returned.

They would once again have to walk out in the open, exposed to prying eyes.

"I'll be back," Gaius said promptly. "Don't get yourselves killed."

In a swift movement the Grovyle latched onto his tree and climbed up steadily. Flame was surprised he was able to climb at all after losing a hand—but through a combination of his clawed feet, his good hand, and his leaf blade, he scurried beyond the thick pine branches in a matter of seconds.

Flame watched him disappear. Then, he let his back slide down against the tree's rough hide until he sat against it, heedless of the awkward position his tail was in. He had to keep himself from relaxing. The hardest part was just ahead of them.

"Funny," said Alice suddenly, coiled up the next tree over. "I believe I once told Gaius the same thing two days ago. In the Praetorian camp."

Flame took a moment to process her words. "Does he really expect me to just… forget?" He snarled. "He treated me like garbage, Alice."

"I was there." Alice smiled sympathetically. "Frankly, I'm worried for him. I fear that losing his hand proved a greater trauma than I first realised."

"If it helped him get a stupid moral compass," muttered Flame, "I guess we can't complain."

Alice chuckled softly. "Indeed."

Flame tried to hold his breath to listen for ferals, but only succeeded in hearing the growl of his own stomach. He clutched it with his claws and sighed. That was one aspect of living with the Teutonii that he would miss: the food. It was always so plentiful, and he'd never eaten portions so large in his life before!

Flame allowed himself to smile. From beyond the pine branches above him he could see the sky tinted a soft shade of orange. His meagre Magikarp dinner awaited him at the end of this final sprint.

All things considered, perhaps being hungry together wasn't so bad.

Bringing his bag between his legs, Flame peered down and rummaged idly through its contents. There wasn't much left; a pouch of berries, a few orbs, a blanket that had yet to fully dry from that morning…

… and then his claws fell on something flat and round.

Flame blinked. He dug the object from the blanket which it was under and held it in his claws, though he kept them inside the bag. The shape, the button in the middle… This was a communications badge. But it made no sense—he'd tossed his old army badge long ago. How had he gotten a new one? Widening the bag's lip with his other paw, he studied the badge's features more closely. Its rusted hue, the heraldic eagle carved upon its back, though the writing on it had been… scratched off…

Something clicked in his head.

All of a sudden, Flame locked up in fear. His claws—no, his entire arm beginning to quiver. Breathing became impossible. A vision once relegated to the reaches of his consciousness now poured forth and took over his body. He could see himself on that cursed mountainside again, time at a standstill as the Praetorians and Teutonii edged ever closer to battle. He remembered himself, trembling, staring up into Daedalus' glowing eye for what felt like the last time.

"There is a badge in your bag," Daedalus had told him. "Once you're in a safe place, use it to contact me."

Those words echoed ominously in his head, yet all Flame could do was sit there and stare down at the badge, his claws clutching around it, still incapable of breathing.

Whispers of a past life caught up to him. A life he'd all but removed from his head that very morning. Could he do it? Talk to them?

"… Flame?"

Flame jolted and dropped the badge; he lifted his eyes to meet a concerned Alice, still coiled up by the next tree over.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

"Y-yeah…" Flame uttered. "I just… remembered something, that's all."

Alice nodded with some reluctance. "I see. I too get those moments, sometimes."

Before Flame could say anything else, Gaius suddenly dropped down from above, sending both him and Alice scrambling back with a gasp.

"G-Gaius!" Alice squinted. "We could use some warning!"

"I see a burrow from here." Gaius motioned to the sharp incline ahead of them. "Just over the top there. It's not too far—we'll be out in the open for less than ten minutes."

"Did you spot anybody?" Alice pressed.

At that, Gaius hesitated. The mere fact that he was hesitating caused Flame to tense.

"… There were two flyers to the north-east. One of 'em Hydreigon. They disappeared behind a mountaintop, though—couldn't have seen us."

Flame felt his heart tighten. A Hydreigon… it couldn't have been that one. Right?

"They are native to these mountains," Alice conceded. "Ferals, most likely. We should still be cautious."

Flame breathed a literal sigh of relief. Thank the gods. What had they been talking about? Oh, right. He glanced up at the rocky incline rising before them.

"You said there's a burrow." Flame squinted at the distant mountaintops. "What do we do if it's occupied?"

"Hell if I know." Gaius shrugged with a smile. "You told the great Sycorax to fuck himself—I'm sure a Sentret or whatever won't scare you."

Flame rolled his eyes theatrically. "Love you too, Gaius."

"We should sleep in turns, regardless." Alice glanced between them. "Make sure no ferals sneak in at night."

Flame nodded in assent. "Let's go, guys. Last ten minutes for today."

Doubts nestled at the edges of Flame's mind. Subtle, creeping doubts, but he could already feel them begin to nag away at his conscience. Even as Team Phalanx finally emerged into the open, he struggled to concentrate fully on keeping alert. There was still that vague feeling of nausea deep within him.

For his bag felt just a little heavier now, and the badge's presence could not be unseen.

I should just throw it away.

Flame found himself laying on his side with his eyes wide open, staring at the tight confines of the burrow, the brown dirt walls lit by what feeble light his tail could produce.

He clutched that very tail between his claws, holding it against his chest. As he lay there the memories of the previous week rushed to him all at once.

He'd already made his choice. Heck, he'd spent sleepless nights plotting this choice—fantasising like a prime idiot of this very moment, when he would once again be laying next to his teammates!

No, there could be no turning back. He had thrown in his destiny with Alice and Gaius. It was what he wanted.

… So why this doubt, then?

Eyes narrowed, Flame rolled to face the low ceiling as the wind howled outside the burrow. Why did the thought of tossing the badge off a cliff twist his stomach? It was a relic of a life he'd put behind him. A mere memory.

Perhaps that was all it took. Maybe he took solace in holding on to the one thing that would grant him a glimpse into a life that could have been. The thought sent his heart into a frenzy.

I don't even know if they're alive.

The last he'd seen of Daedalus, of Brynn, of all the others, they were crying out for him as he leapt off that fateful bridge.

A scowl came across his face. What had become of them? Could Sycorax have attacked regardless? Flame shuddered at the thought as he cupped his head into his paws. He couldn't do it. He couldn't think about that right now.

Lifting his claws from his face, Flame turned his head to check on his teammates, his only source of comfort right now. Gaius was crumpled into a ball on the ground near one of the burrow's walls, resting peacefully. Alice...

He blinked; his tail fire flickered for a moment. Alice?

He turned his head around, but in a burrow so small, his eyes quickly settled back on the entrance tunnel. She had to be outside. Why would she go outside?

Flame rose to a slumped sitting position and wracked his brain for an explanation. He clutched his tail for comfort. The wind was howling as it buffeted the exit to the burrow, a still breeze occasionally reaching him. Then came a distant rumbling that was more akin to a deep groan.

Thunder? Flame thought, leaning closer to the burrow's entrance. What would have provoked here to go outside in this weather? He mulled the question again and again, yet no answer came. For a brief moment he toyed the idea of the burrow's owner having returned to claim what was rightfully theirs.

Flame let go of his tail. I have to look for her.

Down on all fours, he crawled past a still-sleeping Gaius and into the narrow entrance tunnel that led out of the burrow. When he was but a few meters from the exit, a harsh wind buffeted against his scales, and the fury of the elements outside only became louder.

He sank his claws into the soft earth below him, as if to steel himself for what may have been ahead. He hesitated for a moment. Only the thought of Alice compelled him to move forward.

When he finally emerged into the world, Flame did not have time to brace before the full force of mother nature collided with his scales. Bristling cold quickly soaked every inch of his body. He covered his face with a forearm and hissed through gritted teeth, flinching as he was pelted with leaves and dirt and tiny branches from all directions.

With complete disregard for the weather, he kept upright and raised his protective forearm to look around, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

It was barely a moment before his heart skipped a beat: Alice lay just a small distance ahead, coiled up on a rocky bluff that jutted out of the cliff. Her gaze seemed to be locked towards the dark valley beyond.

"Alice!" he shouted, yet she did not so much as stir.

The wind whipped his scales savagely once more. Flame gritted his teeth; she couldn't have heard him.

Fearful of being lifted away, he gathered his courage and stepped forth—only to stop when he set eyes upon what Alice had been so entranced by.

Rippling masses of murky storm clouds blanketed the skies above them in a matte penumbra. Hazy violets morphed to tar-black, and from tar-black to midnight blue. The enormous conglomerate orbited around a central pulsating mass that hovered over the ravaged landscape.

Flame struggled to take in the sight, his stunned gaze scanning through the sky."Woah…"

Hideous tremors shook the air, a sensation Flame could feel in his own chest, like he was being shaken violently. He could do little more than gape in awe—the destruction was like nothing he'd ever seen. Hundreds upon thousands of trees ripped from the earth, their limbs viciously torn apart.

The portal storm held no bias. It savagely mutilated the landscape: the plains, valley, forest, even the mountainsides. Seemingly endless swathes of debris gravitated towards the central mass of the storm, carried high by winds that he could only describe as impossibly powerful.

And yet, in the midst of all this, Alice lay mere inches away from the cliff's edge without a hint of fear.

With hesitant steps, Flame closed the final gap between them and plopped down beside her. She must have been lost in her head, as she nearly jumped a foot when she saw him.

"Wha—Flame?" Alice said in a hoarse voice, just barely audible above the howling wind. "What are you doing up?"

"I… couldn't sleep. " Flame stared out towards the storm, the sheer size of it boggling his mind. He sat forward a little and allowed his legs to dangle off the edge a little, feeling a bit more secure that he wouldn't be lifted away.

"Oh…" Alice said, shifting her gaze towards the misty sky, like she had hoped to find solace in the stormy night. "But… why did you come out here?"

Flame looked away as a gust of wind threatened his face with loose soil and leaves. "I was worried about you. Didn't find you in the burrow, and… my mind kinda did the rest." A meek sigh left his lungs. "Aren't you supposed to keep watch?"

"I… look, I was doing that!" Alice admitted sheepishly, burying her nose in her coils.

"Then what are you doing?" he said with the tiniest smirk. "After what we've been through, I wouldn't want a feral to be the one to stop our journey."

Any semblance of a smile that Flame had brought to her face drifted away as she stared out towards the storm. "Trust me, there won't be ferals. Not with a portal storm like this…"

Flame had to resist the feeling he would be pushed off the cliff as an intense wind whipped his body. As he observed the last resisting trees being torn asunder by the gales sweeping through the valley, he couldn't bring himself to disagree with her.

"I guess that makes us the only two crazy enough to be outside, then," he said, likely coming off as a whisper in the breeze.

He was able to barely make out the slightest of chuckles from the Dragonair, setting his mind at ease.

After grasping the edge of the rock with his claws, Flame tilted his snout up to more fully take in what was in front of him.

Flame had seen a portal storm once before. It was the night after his first mission with his teammates, just on the outskirts of Aesernia. All the sensations were the same, yet he couldn't resist the pure spectacle of it. There was something therapeutic about the destruction. Perhaps it was because he felt it was some higher power delivering the retribution upon the world for all the times it had wronged him.

Another low groan split the world apart, sending Flame's heart into a frenzy. He squinted to better see the dark sphere writhing again near the centre of the clouds, but the sight merely filled his chest with an unbearable dread.

He shut his eyes, and turned to Alice once more as the wind battered their bodies. "Maybe I should return the question—why are you out here?"

Alice didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she lifted her delicate eyes towards the smog-filled sky, her face gripped by tension. "Do you see where that portal storm is, Flame?"

Flame bit his lip; the sun was nowhere to be seen, and with the ongoing storm, most of the valley was veiled in near-total darkness.

Alice did not wait for his answer. "That's where we were around midday." Flame saw her shudder out of the corner of his eyes. "Just… just imagine if we'd slowed down at all today, for any reason. Imagine where we'd be right now."

The fear in Alice's voice was more than enough to take him out of his awe-struck stupor.

"It's the third one this week," she said hoarsely. "The Praetorians wouldn't stop talking about it back at the camp. Another one near Portus, as well as one in the far eastern provinces. And now… now…"

Flame heard her voice crack, and his frown deepened. Alice, no…

"Portal storms used to be such extraordinary events, Flame," she rambled on, still on the verge of tears. "Th-they were a once-in-a-year kind of disaster. Now they're every day! By the gods, we ran from the storm in Aesernia. We barely ran from the one in Portus. And now…"

She squeezed her eyes together. "I know I shouldn't be thinking this way, b-but… if these storms keep multiplying, what should we do then? How far do we have to run?"

Alice's sobs jabbed at his heart painfully, yet as he faced the storm, he knew there was nothing he could say that could stand up to the storm's sheer magnitude. He searched his mind for something to do or say.

Suddenly, without thinking, he slipped his claws to her tail, cupped them around her twin blue orbs. As he peered into her eyes, he said nothing—didn't know what to say—but even still she appeared to draw comfort from the contact, the tension draining from her face slightly despite the tears welling in her eyes.

"Alice…" He lowered his eyes to the ground. "This past week has been the craziest in my whole life. Not that I can remember much of it…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free paw. "Anyway—just think about it: the entire world has tried to keep us apart. The Scum, the Empire, the Benefactors… Yet here we are."

Only the wind whistled between them. As he realised he had nothing more to add, Flame shuffled closer and squeezed her tail orbs ever so gently.

"I-it might not look like it now," he added quickly, clearing his throat as he sat upright, "but I know we'll make it. I really do. All this pain we've gone through—all this hunger, this cold, everything, just to be together…" He gazed off into the brewing storm. "It has to count for something."

Eyes glued ahead, Flame held his breath as he waited for an answer, a reaction—something. The wind whipped against his body. After a sideways glance, Flame released a heavy sigh and figured that she needed some time to think things through.

Come on, Al, you're supposed to be the rational one… Flame raised his eyes once more and felt his breath leave him as he once again beheld the raging storm clouds that carpeted nearly the entire sky.

Maybe he'd made it worse. What else was he supposed to say, though? That the storms were going to stop? He couldn't possibly promise her that. He didn't even know what caused them—the Empire claimed it was the Teutonii, Daedalus claimed it was the Presence, and, and…

A frown overtook his face. He realized it now—he hoped the Teutonii were safe. He wondered what they were doing. Most likely they were searching for him, right alongside Sycorax's Praetorian Guard. This was technically Teutonii territory, after all.

Suddenly the image flashed in his mind of Daedalus cupping his cheek with a fatherly smile. Rather than reassure him, though, the thought only injected a chill down his spine. Taking his claws off Alice's tail, he hugged his knees and clenched his eyes shut.

Maybe one day, I'll meet him again. And Brynn, too.

Maybe one day they'll forgive me.

His mind once again flashed back to the badge he still held in his bag. He had not yet lost his chance to make it happen…

Unsure what to think, Flame dropped his eyes to the darkness that swallowed the valley below.

"… Thank you."

It took him a moment to realise that it hadn't been the wind.

He turned his head to Alice, blinking. "For what?"

Though she wasn't looking at him, the faintest, saddest smile was etched on her cheeks. "For being here. For talking to me. And… for bringing us back together."

"Oh... yeah." Flame felt his face warm. "I couldn't just leave you alone with Gaius. You'd go insane."

Alice chuckled dryly at that. "I don't know how you can stay so optimistic, despite it all."

Still hugging his knees, Flame shrugged. "Comes with the amnesia, I guess. If I'm not optimistic, if I start thinking about everything…" He shivered.

Alice bit her lip slightly. "Actually, that leads me to something I've been meaning to ask you all day. Flame, is this… is this what you want?"

Flame turned to stare at her with the most confused look he could muster. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Alice buried her muzzle in her coils. "This. Going to Thermae Himerae; starting a new life together. I know you had a life with your people. Ever since we escaped from Sycorax, I can't help but think that we… took that from you, in a way."

Flame's eyes dropped to the darkness engulfing the valley. He shook his head. "My life's always been with Team Phalanx."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Really?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I'll always be grateful to the Teutonii. To Daedalus. They've helped me figure out so much about myself… Gave me hope. But, right from that first day, I couldn't stop thinking of you two."

"You see, that's the problem," she whispered. "You were just beginning to discover your past. The Scum, Daedalus—they could be the key to getting all your memories back! Now… now you may never get that chance. B-because of Gaius and I."

Flame frowned. He stopped to consider her words.

Alice took a shaky breath. "L-look, what I'm trying to say is: if you want to go back to them, I…" She swallowed, her voice cracking a little. "I'll understand."

For some reason, Flame teared up a little. Not from sadness, but from the sheer joy in his chest. He wanted to hug her with inappropriate strength, and managed to take it out on his knees.

"Th-thank you." He half-sniffled. "For what you just said. And… yes, this is what I want."

"But—your memories!" Alice frowned.

Flame's smile widened. "I haven't told you yet, have I?" he whispered excitedly. "Alice… I'm going to get my memories back."

"… You'll what?"

"One of the Scum looked into my mind back in the village." He cracked a smile. He'd tell her about Brynn at some point. "She said it might take a couple of years—maybe a decade, but I'll have them back. They're not… they're not lost." He brought a quivering paw to his chest. "They're still in here. I'm still here."

Joy blossomed on her face. She shot up and nuzzled his neck, leaving Flame with barely enough time to meep and hug her back properly.

"Gods, Flame, that's incredible!" She drew back, and looked at him with glistening eyes. "I can't imagine what it feels like, to know that."

Flame's mind was rushing to places; he could barely hold back the joy she'd spread to his chest—whether from the realisation, or the contact, he didn't know.

"It feels…" He paused, his heart chirping happily. "Like I'm someone again."

"Perhaps you're right," Alice whispered, and wiped her eyes with her tail tip. "Maybe… the gods do have pity on us, after all."

The gods… It was almost funny to Flame; if the gods had any pity on them, none of this would have happened. Aside from Arceus and that weird ghost serpent, he didn't even know who most were.

"Alice?" he spoke up suddenly. "Do you… believe in the gods?"

"I used to." She lifted her eyes to the storm. "I suppose that ever since my exile, I've stopped caring much about them. Certainly stopped praying to them."

She chuckled, and Flame couldn't help but laugh along with her. Then, she turned to face him.

He met her eyes and found them filled with a vague fondness, a warmth…

"If there's one thing I've learnt," Alice said in a soft whisper. "It's that… you don't need their grace for good things to happen to you." A fond smile graced her snout.

"I know," he replied, gazing skyward. "I still can't believe we're so close, after everything that's happened…"

Alice blinked, suddenly confused, then opened her mouth before finally uttering, "Uh—y-yeah. I can't believe it either." She turned away from him. "Do you believe in the gods, Flame?"

He gazed down at his knees.

"I… don't really know much about them. I barely had time to study much of anything in Aesernia. But, if they do exist…" He looked out to the horizon, to the devastated valley, to the portal storm raging through the night sky. "To hell with them."

Alice giggled and covered her mouth with her tail. "Well said."

The wind that battered their bodies only grew chillier. Yet there they sat, unmoving. Somehow Flame was still smiling, despite the ghastly spectacle unfolding right before his eyes. The portal storm showed no sign of quelling, and the chaotic maelstrom in the sky kept exploding in clouds of blue and violet.

The thought of the Teutonii badge, and his need to chuck it off the cliff, suddenly entered his mind—but he expelled it just as rapidly. Right now, he just wanted to sit next to her. He couldn't care less about a stupid badge.

"This is so crazy…" Alice uttered. "I'd always dreamt of coming to these mountains, ever since I was a Dratini. I never quite expected it would be like this. Watching a portal storm with my… half-Scum, interdimensional teammate."

"Minor details." Flame shrugged his shoulders. "What did you expect?"

"I…" She laughed after a moment's thought. "I'm not quite sure. I suppose never really planned out my life that far ahead."

"This isn't so bad, then, is it?" Flame glanced to her with a tiny smirk.

She smiled fondly. "No… No, I suppose it isn't."

They sat there and gathered precious rest, uncaring of the mighty winds buffeting their bodies.

As Flame sat by her side, he shifted his gaze beyond the distant mountaintops—beyond even the reaches of the portal storm. Beyond it all, a yellowing glint tinted the horizon.

Tantalus Valley

Flame hated walking. Perhaps it was the future Charizard in him speaking, wishing he could grow wings to ferry his teammates up into the sky; or, perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he'd walked more in the last five days than the rest of his life combined—first with the Teutonii, now with his teammates. To say that the mountain range felt infinite was an understatement.

Now, however, as he hoisted himself onto another boulder with a grunt, he looked up at the tall rock-strewn slope they had left to climb and realised, in his chest, that maybe walking wasn't so bad after all.

"G-guys…" He panted and sat down on his rear. "Remind me—why are we going up there, again?"

"Simple," replied Alice's voice from a rock below his. "There's only two ways we'll find the main road again. We can either backtrack all the way to where we were yesterday, or—would you kindly help me up, Flame?"

"Oh! Right." He scooted to the edge of his rock and reached down, lifting Alice from just below her neck orb.

They grunted in unison, but after a moment the whole length of her body was on the rock ledge alongside him. Flame fell back on his rear, and laughed openly at the hint of red in Alice's cheeks.

"Th-thanks." She looked away, flustered. "As I was—oh, stop laughing!" She said, chuckling a little herself. "As I was saying, main road. We can try to spot it from up here."

Flame nodded and turned to the next rock to climb. He grabbed the rock's ledge and got a solid grip, but hesitated for a moment. He cast his worried gaze to the greying sky behind him—no treetops or close-by mountains to conceal them.

"I guess. It's just that I—" He grunted as he hoisted himself up again. "—don't like being so exposed, that's all." He sat on the rock's edge and gazed down at her. "Feels like they could be watching right now."

"They sure as hell will be if you two keep messing around!" Gaius shouted from above them.

After sighing, Flame turned to look up at the Grovyle who was glaring down at them from quite a few rocks above them, arms crossed.

"It pains me to say," Alice smiled playfully, "but he's right. Let's make this brief."

"All right, all right." Flame smiled and rolled his eyes theatrically.

They shared a final smile as Flame lifted her up with a grunt again. After another tall rock, the rocks took on a more gentle upwards gradient that allowed Flame to walk, though he still needed to carry Alice across gaps her serpentine body could not hop across.

Before long, he climbed up the last rock to join Gaius atop of the hill. Thankfully there were quite a few pine trees up here—something that struck him as odd but nevertheless welcome. He helped Alice up, and then they set off uphill once again.

"You know…" Flame wondered aloud. "I'm, uh, starting to think we didn't all need to come up at once."

Alice laughed sheepishly. "Yes, well…" She gazed off into the mountains. "Occupational hazard."

Gaius huffed. "I don't think we have an occupation, Alice."

"Nonsense!" shot back Alice, smiling playfully. "We're… what, bandits, now? Outlaws? I'm sure that counts as an occupation."

Flame held back a grin. "Please don't actually tell that to the border guards."

Alice laughed in return—a sound that got Flame's heart racing. He couldn't help it; it was such a relief to see her this jovial, this hopeful again.

They walked side-by-side up the wooded slope, and as he looked over to her—to Gaius, even, a fond smile hit Flame's snout. It felt like they were a Civil Protection team again: venturing into the wilderness in search of their next mystery dungeon.

On second thought, Flame grimaced slightly; he wouldn't miss that part of their job. He would miss their tent, and the camaraderie, and the night sky above Camp Tempest—but he certainly wouldn't miss the mystery dungeons.

Still, we make a hell of a team… He mused with a smile, as the forest floor climbed steeply. Not that it mattered much, now that they'd defected. Although…

Flame squinted in thought. "Hey, Alice…" He glanced at her. "What do you think we'll be doing once we get there?"

"Hm?" She eyed him curiously. "What, after we… claim asylum? Celebrate with wine and crackers?"

"No, no," he chuckled back. "We'll have to get new jobs at some point, is what I mean. Think: what if they let us choose? What do you want to do?"

Alice stayed quiet as they climbed through the forest underbrush. "Oh, my. I… never really stopped to think about that. Perhaps, uh…" She darted her eyes left and right. "Run… a library?" A distant smile slowly took over her eyes. "Yes… Yes, I think I'd like that."

Typical, Flame smirked slightly and shook his head. "And what about you, Gaius?"

It took a moment for Gaius to acknowledge him, perhaps surprised that he'd been called. "Huh?" The Grovyle looked away for a moment, confused, then shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Never had the privilege to think about it, I guess."

"There must be something," Flame said. "Not even… what would grass-types like…" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, planting your own garden?"

For a split second Gaius' step faltered, and surprise flashed across his face.

"Wait." Flame blinked. "Seriously?"

A grunt left Gaius' throat, and he kept his eyes set forward. "You wouldn't understand."

"Incredible," Alice added playfully. "Gaius, I try to disregard stereotypes about grass-types, but you're making that difficult. A garden?"

Gaius grunted again, but his eyes betrayed the tiniest smile. "Shut up."

"Just incredible," Alice whispered. "And what about you, Flame? What do you want to do?"

Flame struggled to respond. He knew this question would come, yet as his eyes danced around in the treetops, he still couldn't figure what he wanted. What was it he liked? Apart from eating and trying his luck with the ladies. Trying, more than anything. He liked fighting, a little bit, but he was barely any good at it.

With a heavy sigh, Flame gave up on finding an answer. In the end, much like his teammates, he supposed he'd spent too much of his time worrying about their next meal or mission to really think about it. And he did have the added excuse of amnesia.

"Honestly, Alice? I have less than no idea," he admitted. "By the gods, I just hope it has nothing to do with mystery dungeons."

This was the final stretch of the climb, Flame noticed; he could see the cliff's edge just ahead of them.

"Gosh, Flame, what have those places ever done to you?" Alice asked in feigned surprise. "Apart from… getting your leg bitten through by a Carnivine, of course. And… your tail drowned in a fountain. And almost dying of hypothermia."

"That last one was you two," he said, holding back a smile.

"… Oh." Alice hummed. "Right."

"Surprised you forgot," muttered Gaius. "I don't think I'll ever get that hellhole out of my mind."

"C'mon," Flame said softly. "If we make it to Thermae Himerae, that will be the last mystery dungeon in our lives."

He saw the hint of smiles in both their faces, and it was all Flame could ever ask for.

The treeline ended abruptly behind them, leading instead to a rock tongue jutting out of the cliff, and over the valley far below. They walked up to the edge of the overhang, and Flame made sure to sit before he dared to look down. He swallowed; though snow-capped mountains towered all around them, they were nevertheless at a stomach-twisting height above everything.

While Flame focused on deep breaths, he saw Alice slither up to the very edge.

"Okay…" Alice mumbled, squinting. "The last time we saw the road, it was headed north-east. Based on that trajectory…" She raised her eyes to find the sun in the sky—hiding behind a patch of clouds—then adjusted her snout accordingly in a different direction.

"There's nothing there" Gaius crossed his arms. "Are you sure it was north-east?"

"Yes," she said. "I distinctly remember noting that. Would you rather go back and check yourself?"

With a tiny sigh, Flame turned his attention to the opposite direction. He swept his eyes across the world below, across the bumpy grasslands enclosed between the mountains. Nothing. He shifted his search to the mountainsides themselves, then further afield, until—

Flame squinted. Mountains aren't supposed to be flat.

He blinked.

Or… have buildings…

His heart skipped a beat. He took his claws off his legs and leaned forward, at which point his eyes grew wide.

"… Guys?" he whispered, never. "I think… I think I found our road."

The arguing between Alice and Gaius ceased at once. Though he didn't see them turn around, he sure as hell heard Alice's gasp.

Standing atop the steep rocky walls of a distant plateau was an entire city, occupying the near-entirety of its area. Milky-white structures rose right on the plateau's steep edge, long rows of them, glued together with little windows dug in their walls and into the rock below. Little dark specks flowed in the skies above the city, some landing, some lifting off, others circling above the great plateau as well as the more disparate houses dotted near its base.

Flame had never been more happy to see other pokémon.

"Bloody hell," Gaius muttered behind him. "Is that…?"

Alice slithered up to Flame's side. "Just like in the history books…"

At those words, Flame felt his tail fire burgeon and a tingle rushed through his body. He wanted to laugh, to cry. He twisted around to stare at her, unable to contain his smile.

"You mean…?" he said, staring at her wide-eyed.

He waited for an answer, but didn't need one; he could see it plainly in her eyes. As he gazed off at the shining city, for a single moment, he forgot all about his aches, all about the godsforsaken badge that still weighed on his chest.

He merely looked and tried to imagine what could lie within its walls. Salvation? Purpose?

"That," Alice started, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "is Thermae Himerae. Capital of the Kingdom of Galatia."

End of Chapter XXV