A cold wind held the plains around Luminity City in a vice-like grip, the blades of grass shedding icy crystals as they wavered in the wind. Standing in the shadow of Eravate’s biggest city, the surrounding area looked so peaceful by comparison.

Idyllic farms and grasslands through which rivers ran their course, streams spreading away to nourish the leafless tree groves. Despite the cold weather, the sun painted the landscape in a yellowish glow, providing a shred of warmth whilst the land awaited spring’s arrival. Snow hadn’t come down from the north yet, but it couldn’t be much longer.

Gareda let out a tired grunt as she looked out over the fields. Atop Luminity’s walls, it all seemed pretty. But with a slight turn towards the southwestern hills, and she was staring at an eyesore. Luminity’s Power Plant, and all the cables running into the city to support the whole mess. Back in Luminity, all sorts of wiring crisscrossed the city streets. Some lay on the ground, others were suspended in midair. All to provide light in the city at night.

She shook her head. ‘To think it’s only going to get uglier from here.’

All across and around the city, worker Pokemon prepared for the worst, their yells and roars disturbing whatever peace reigned over the countryside, and the day-to-day chaos of the city itself. Plumes of smoke rose in the distance; the Alliance’s armies couldn’t be more than a day away. Several scouts reported something big was coming from Drasal.

And that wasn’t the only big thing coming. Gareda heard something slither up the walls, zigzagging back and forth, their long and heavy body resembling rustling leaves. She breathed in deep, and held her talons at bay. Then, she waited, remaining still as the Serperior came up beside her.

“So. Are our defences ready?”

Gareda gave a slow nod. “Yes, your majesty. The whole city is out there digging and building. Every Soldier, every civilian. I won’t call them back until there’s no choice.”

“And what is ‘no choice’, if I may ask?”

Without even looking, Gareda could tell Queen Patrina’s head loomed overhead. Far too close for comfort, given the Queen’s exceptional size. With ease, she could make her head stick out over the Garchomp’s six feet, half her body still on the ground. Once upon a time, she was rather small by Serperior standards. Ever since she embraced the Seal, however, her body had grown. Bursting at the seams, if the occasional shot of purple out from between her scales said anything. Gareda didn’t look. It was best to pretend everything was okay. That’s what she had been doing for years.

“Until it’s time to man the defences. You can’t fight an organised force in disarray.”

The Queen flicked her tongue out of her mouth, tasting the cold air. “Fair enough. Make sure the Soldiers get into position by then. As for the civilians… hmpf. Call on them to get in the city if they can make it.”

“And what if they can’t?” Gareda asked.

“Then they fight with their bodies, as best they can,” Queen Patrina replied. “They should know better than to doubt us. They know what we are up against, don’t they?”

Gareda’s eyes shifted. Suddenly her scales didn’t stop the cold so well. “Of course. Every Crest official has done their duty to support your rule. We’ve seen more Pokemon hand in suspected Alliance cells recently. They should know.”

Queen Patrina leaned her head in, until the tip of her nose pressed up against one of Gareda’s sensory organs. “And you have given the order for them to fight to the death if needed?”

“Of course I have,” Gareda replied, suppressing a growl in her throat. “Do you take me for a fool?” ‘You’d be right to.’

Queen Patrina glared at her. “Watch the attitude. We’ve spoken about this before.”

Gareda breathed in deep, then exhaled. “I will, your majesty. I haven’t been sleeping much lately. The defence of the city is my biggest priority.” ‘How else am I getting myself and Luffy out of here properly?’

With a scoff, the royal Serperior spat out over the walls of the city, the trail of saliva falling far. Down at the bottom, someone chirped out in surprise. Gareda briefly pulled a sour face. ‘There’s your queen for you…’

“Make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight then, Lord Gareda. You are one of the few left who I can place my trust in. I have been shunned, backstabbed, belittled and humiliated too often. And look at where it has gotten all of Eravate…” she hissed, her eyes fixed to the smoke rising in the distance. “Dritch failed, Cerben disappeared… If that foolish Arcanine shows his face again, he would be lucky if I did not bite his head off. The Smaugus backstabbed us, and only the Creator knows what the hell is going on in the west.”

Gareda relaxed a little. Talking with the Queen was difficult enough, but she didn’t seem suspicious yet. “Once we’re done with the Alliance, I will head out west to restore the situation. The last I heard from my agents down south, there were local warlords rising up there. And no, they have not heard from Cerben either. I will fix things myself.” ‘Oh,

I’ll head out west alright. Regardless of what happens.’

“Excellent,” the Queen said. “No wonder the dragons of the Spines are so feared, if they are all like you. You are a killer, Gareda. A true warrior.”

Gareda hummed in approval, trying to move the conversation along. “If I may ask, your majesty, what are your plans for the upcoming battle? You know the Alliance has put a major prize on your head.”

“Of course they have,” Patrina dismissively answered. “Nevertheless, I’m not backing down. I will show them why I’m Eravate’s ruler. I will show them just what they’ve so desperately wanted to release,” she said, hissing towards the end.

“Fine by me,” Gareda replied. “We’re all in this together. The Soldiers at your side should be more than willing to cover you.” ‘I’d start praying if I were you.’ “We can do this.”

“Indeed we can,” Patrina said with a smirk. “Just like all those decades ago… we can do it. We have beaten these same scum many times before. We will do it again. And we will not make the same mistakes out of complacency that we did last time.”

“And how do you intend to accomplish that?” Gareda asked, stretching her back to try and get rid of the chill running up and down her spine. She dreaded the answer before it was ever said. Knowing the Queen for the past few years, and the only direction things had gone, she wasn’t going to fill her with optimism.

Queen Patrina grinned, the slits in her eyes narrowing. “After witnessing the repeated failures of those I trusted most… let’s say that I am not interested in delegating tasks away any longer. It’s time for me to take an active role in governance, instead of letting fools do my job for me. A personal failure… but you know what they say, better late than never.”

“...You will take the role of the Lords?” Gareda asked.

“Among other things, yes.” Patrina flicked her tongue out. There was an ashy taste in the air now. “From now on, I will take high command of all Vined Crest forces. Forgive me for how sudden this is. I know fulwell you enjoy your ‘independence’, Gareda, but this is Eravate’s most desperate hour. I am not in the mood to make exceptions. Things will change drastically… starting today. I will lead the battle. Is that clear?”

Not a question, but a command. That’s how Gareda interpreted it. She glanced at the Serperior from the corner of her eye, seeing the leafy collar rise behind the back of the Queen’s head, supposedly a sign of royal dignity. She breathed in deep.

“It’s clear, your majesty. I accept it.” ‘You’ll see my resignation soon enough. Eravate is doomed.’

The Queen nodded. “As Queen and High Commander of the Vined Crest… my first order is directed at you. Gather the best forces you can find. Have them man the front lines. Is that clear?”

“Yes, your majesty,” Gareda replied. Her throat felt very sore from that acknowledgement.

“Good. Now then, move along,” the Queen said.

“As you wish,” Gareda deadpanned. ‘I’ll see you in hell.’

To no fanfare, Gareda bid her farewell to the Queen. The meeting between the two had been an absolute nightmare. If things weren’t bad enough as was, Patrina knew just how to make them worse. And now all of Eravate was going to suffer the consequences. If not through her, then through what was coming.

She headed into the tangled mess of panicking Pokemon that was Luminity City. Though the fear was great, many had chosen to remain. Gareda pitied the poor bastards. With who was in charge now, the chance they’d be safe here had dropped through the floor. Luminity’s walls might as well have been the fence around a graveyard, and each house a tomb.

Years of experience didn’t make her orders complicated; she had an eye for strength, even a frail-looking Togademaru can put up a fight. Even a stubborn Dewott from another planet can be a challenge. But Gareda couldn’t stop herself from groaning internally as she got to work. She was looking for Pokemon to send to an early end, for a cause that might as well have been hopeless. Patrina’s plan wasn’t hard to guess. You could see it with ease, with all the Swiss cheese-esque holes it had. She had the Seal at her side. And she wanted to use it.

She shook her head. Maybe if she’d come to that idea earlier, all the collateral damage could be looked over. In the moment, anyway. But to go for that now, when one Dewott with a flute could kill her? Utter insanity.

So she roamed about, searching for anyone mean-looking, scarred, braggadocious or foolish enough to take the job. Most of those she approached accepted it. They saw it as an honour. Gareda couldn’t look them in the eye as they ran off.

‘Poor bastards don’t know what they’re in for. First in line to get killed. Alliance or Patrina, the result is the same.’

And so she went on for about an hour, building the vanguard of Luminity’s defence. Her spirits sank with every Pokemon she talked to, whether Soldier or civilian. Just one more day, and she’d quietly slip out of the city, taking Luffy with her. One more day, and she’d be back home with her folks. No more having to listen to those with their head screwed on backwards.

It’s just a shame of what’ll happen when she’s gone.

By a stroke of sheer luck, she ended up bumping into Luffy after an hour. She was helping some families evacuate to the western side of the city.

“It’s right here! You should be able to find shelter in that cellar over there. It’s an old bunker!”

“Thanks… what was your name again?”

“Luffy! Just a girl from the Ruby Province here, that’s all!”

The Magmar waved the family of Aipom goodbye as they headed into the cellar she had pointed out, before spinning back around. She gasped as she noticed the Garchomp standing behind her the whole time.

“Gareda! There you are! I’ve been wondering where you’ve-”

Gareda put her talons on Luffy’s shoulders. “Can we talk somewhere more private? That park should be alright.”

Luffy raised an eye. “Wh-why? Is there something wrong?”

“Sort of…” Gareda nervously licked her chops. “Look. There’s something we need to discuss. Urgently. And privately. It’s between us, okay?”

“O-okay…” the Magmar answered, the flame on the end of her tail dimming a little. “So… to the park? The same spot?”

Gareda nodded. “Yes, that sounds fine.” ‘And I’d rather not have this talk in a shady alley.’

With haste in their steps, Gareda dragged Luffy back to the same park where they had confessed to each other, the trees having long lost their greens. No one had swept the leaves up in days, and the park looked deserted aside from some feral critters. Autumn was a pretty season. All the colourful leaves falling from the trees, wavering in the wind like a thousand kites. And once the last leaf had fallen, winter had come.

This year, winter did not wait until the trees had shed. And it did not come by flakes of snow, but by the tips of claws.

Gareda dropped down under the same tree they’d sat down many moons ago, her tail burrowing into a pile of leaves, Luffy’s doing the same next to her. They were both in a hurry for different reasons, yet their worries matched in intensity.

“Luffy,” she began. “I… I don’t quite know how to say this to you.”

“Why?” the Magmar asked, taking the Garchomp’s arms in her claws, her legs and arms shivering as the flame on the end of her tail dimmed. “What do you mean, you don’t know how to say this? Don’t know how to say what? What’s going on here?”

Each question was like a dirge to Gareda’s heart. How did she have this much trouble telling Luffy the truth, when they promised they’d never lie to each other? Why couldn’t she just spit out what was actually happening, like any proper figure of authority could do when bad times were coming? Patrina hadn’t taken that away with her rank now, had she?

She couldn’t have. Guts weren’t just taken from someone. Unless, of course, you never had them to begin with.

“Gareda…” Luffy continued after five agonising seconds of silence. “Please… tell me. Tell me what is happening.”

“I-” Gareda struggled to speak without choking on her own words. She pressed her talons deeper into Luffy’s claws, whose grip on her only tightened. “Listen, I… the Queen threw me out.”

“How?” Luffy asked. Gareda shook her head.

“Don’t ask that. You know fulwell she has the ability to do that whenever she wishes. And no, I’m not getting it back. I can plead all I like, all that’ll happen is that my head will get mounted on her wall after the day’s ended.”

Luffy looked straight into Gareda’s eyes. She was looking for reassurance, and tried to find it in the one place she thought it wouldn’t ever disappear from.

“But why? Why would she throw you aside? You’ve… you’ve been giving it your all for years upon years, haven’t you? Even for this city now, and-”

“I don’t know why!” Gareda shouted into Luffy’s face. She let go in an instant, falling back against the tree, what little confidence she had shattered.

“Gareda, I-”

“She does as she pleases! That’s always how it’s worked! Didn’t I tell you this before?! I’ve been breaking my back for her for years! YEARS! I’ve gotten nothing but stress out of it, NOTHING. Every tiny mistake is magnified a thousand times over, and every last success? Suddenly it never happened!” The Garchomp snarled out at the air, saliva flying from her mouth as her blood boiled.

“Nothing I do helps anymore. I can’t fix incompetence. I can’t fix having just two talons to work with. I can’t fix the fact that the people who are supposed to have my back all get distracted by the first shiny thing they see. I can’t. FIX. STUPID.” She stomped her feet into the leaves. “This city is doomed. Everyone in it is doomed. Eravate is utterly. DOOMED. It’s OVER. Stick an epitaph on it, it’s DONE.”

Whatever leaves had been thrown into the air by her rampant stomping, Gareda smacked back down to the earth with a swing of her arms. She fell back against the tree, the wet bark staining the scales on her back, teeth bared as she scowled at the city walls in the distance. That Luffy was in her field of vision didn’t seem to bother her. She was far too focused looking for a green eyesore slithering all over those walls.

“...You really just lost it, huh.”

Luffy’s words made Gareda sigh, the heat in her body turning into a bitter cold. “Sorry you had to hear that. I just… had to let it all-”

She paused the moment she spotted Luffy staring at her. Her beak was closed. Her arms were partially folded over her chest, and the sheer contempt coming out of those eyes was unmistakable.

“Take it out on me, you mean?”

“No?” Gareda blurted out, in an attempt to defend herself.

Luffy groaned back at her. “Yeah, sure you didn’t. That’s why you screamed right in my face. Or did you have another reason?”

Gareda shuddered. “I… I’m sorry, Luffy. That’s not what I-”

The Magmar raised a claw. “No. Don’t. Just don’t. I don’t want to hear it right now. I don’t want to hear an excuse. I want you to do better.” She stood up without any grace, glancing at Gareda from over her shoulder. “You know how much I suffered just to be with you?”

The wind passed by as Gareda tepidly nodded. “You’ve been injured several times.”

“Exactly. Because I care about you, Gareda. Just like Vli did.” Luffy’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, did. Why do you think he stayed in Whitiara?”

Gareda swallowed. “His faith-”

“NO.” Luffy spat an ember at a falling leaf, incinerating it in an instant. “To get away from you! All this time you’ve been taking the Tauros by the horns, bossing and shoving everyone around like they’re your property. You don’t take anything we suggest seriously, and you get all uppity and angry all the time over the tiniest things! Of course he’s sick of it! I’m still here because I KNOW there’s someone loveable underneath all that draconic arrogance! I know you can do better! But I have my limits too! Especially when it comes to giving up… and you want to give up, don’t you? You want to run away?”

“I don’t!” Gareda blurted out, struggling to look Luffy in her eyes without slumping over. “I- Of course I want to continue fighting, just-”

“Then show it.” Luffy turned her back on Gareda, the flame on her tail crackling uncomfortably. “Show me you haven’t given up, and stay here with me. If the ship’s going to go down, well… you know what they say. The captain sinks with the ship. We might not be doing this for the queen. But we are doing it for the people.”

The Magmar turned her back on the Garchomp. “I sure am not doing it for the Queen. And to be honest? You sound an awful lot like her sometimes.”

And with those words, Luffy parted ways, leaving a distraught Gareda behind to contemplate. It hadn’t been a breakup. But it might as well have been. Either they would die together, or live with an ocean of regret.

Gareda’s head sank into her arms, and she slumped right over, sobbing all alone under the tree as smoke rose across the horizon.