As Above


Kamil Orman-Janowski's Lioneye’s Watch


The sound of loose gravel beneath hooves was an unfamiliar one for the road leading into the venerable city of Noe. Ages ago, perhaps the sound of a sawsbuck making its way towards the city of Noe would have been familiar, for back then many similar species held their trade as aids to merchants, selling their bodies as beasts of burden to carry their master's wares.

No longer was that so, for in recent times self-propelled machines had been invented, capable of carrying twice the load with none of the strain or pay.

But those days, too, were bygone; the road was strewn with these dilapidated machines, all of them stripped bare of any salvageable materials. The vaporeon mounted on his sawsbuck companion took note of this.

"Perse," he said with a thick accent, patting the sawsbuck's side, "Stay in the center of the road for now. I'll let you know if we must move."

"Alright," was his quiet response, followed by a snort.

The vaporeon rubbed his paws over Perse's neck, comforting him. "We'll be there by day's end. I'm sure of it, my dear friend."

The duo had seen much in their journey across the new continent, but it was clear that life here had taken the greatest hit from the demonic incursions from the hellish portals that have been cropping up across the globe.

It was here in Mist that the bulk of the portals had appeared, and with their abundant quantity came, too, their unmatched ferocity. If the world was to die, these lands would be where death would first take hold, where hades would rise on earth. That was the reason they were here, after all.

Still, the high, wrought-iron walls of Noe stood adamant against the invading forces, offering itself as a haven for the countless refugees of the continent. The pokémon that was a mix between a fish and a cat leaned forward and described it to Perse, telling the blindfolded sawsbuck of the distant figures on the battlements and the spotlights that shone over the dusking lands. He described, also, the line of assorted pokémon that formed as they approached the gate, a chromatic array of colors from their scales, fur, and cloth.

"We don't need to join them," declared the vaporeon as they passed them, saying it louder so that they might overhear. "Our papers demand we enter immediately if we're to make the Cerberus."

Perse nodded and stuck to the far side of the road, and he enjoyed the reassuring pats as the duo passed the line. The vaporeon was glad that Perse was blind, as the stares they received were harsh. No one likes someone that cuts in line, and even less someone that appears to be well-off enough to ride another pokémon.

To Talon and Perse it wasn't like that at all, but explaining it would have been a pointless endeavor anyways, so the vaporeon didn't. As they advanced unobstructed the stares turned into points and whispers, causing Perse's sensitive ears to fall back.

But that was expected, and a harsh stare from the rider was enough to silence them, at least in his immediate presence. But as they approached the high gates of Noe that cut through the low-lying clouds, the disdain for their cutting likewise grew. Inevitably, it boiled over into a piercing laugh, echoing high above the hushed jeers.

"It is clear that the steed is in command, as its rider sees no line!"

The vaporeon shot the speaker—a towering incineroar wrapped in a cloak—a glance, and saw opportunity. Letter of writ or not, he doubted it would be accepted by the watch stationed at the gate. This scoundrel, however, would bring the authorities to him. Thus, the vaporeon was extra theatrical with his response.

"You," declared he, still mounted but only barely able to meet the incineroar at eye level. "You should not laugh at others. It is unbecoming."

As he said this, he made an effort to cock his head upwards in a sort of gesture of superiority. A twitch of the incineroar's yellow eye let him know that the bait was taken.

"I didn't laugh at you, O high-and-mighty one," said the tiger, clad in cloth save for his claws which bore gauntlets of thermalchromic iron. "I was laughing at the blind sawsbuck. Do you think you can cut the line just because you put cloth over its eyes and pretend it also sees no line? We all wait patiently to seek refuge in Noe."

"I'm not a sawsbuck," came the comment from Perse, but the vaporeon reassured him that the perpetrator would apologize for saying such an outlandish thing and that they could, indeed, afford this time spent.

The vaporeon's spoke loud for all to hear, his thick accent forcing his words to be said slowly and purposefully. "We have business with the Guild Chthonic, aboard the Cerberus."

The incineroar laughed. "You? Perhaps. As for your sawsbuck, I see them accepting it only to feed the blind mule to the engines, though I doubt such a poor specimen would be used for such an honor."

The vaporeon raised his cape as he dismounted from Perse and revealed a sword tucked away in a scabbard. "There are people who would laugh at a horse that would not dare to laugh at its master!"


Strangers in New Lands

"You'll come! Wonderful! I'll attach a writ from the Cerberus inviting you aboard to join our efforts. Just remember these lands differ culturally from yours. Do try to not offend too many others, cousin."


"Heh, with that puny pinprick? I take back what I said. And I'll laugh at you all the same if you so desire, little fish."

The vaporeon drew his sword, revealing an icy, white paw beneath his cloak. The incinerorar threw off his own robes, causing it to cascade to the floor, and let fire wreath the gauntlets, the blaze explaining their iridescent and rainbow coloration. Unsurprisingly, the crowd dispersed, with various screams and calls for someone to go get the gate's guards. At this, the vaporeon smiled.

But of course once enough room had been given, the dispersion turned into an encirclement, the grass-and-gravel field of combat bound by a rainbow's worth of colors and faces by those who remained. The incinerorar stepped forward, flames bursting from his belt and gauntlet, outshining the dusking sun. The vaporeon's sword was drawn, a stately steel rapier that glinted in the incineroar's fire.

Neither moved, waiting for their unfamiliar opponent to make the first strike. The vaporeon also knew that if he wanted any chance of not being imprisoned, he couldn't afford to escalate; he'd have to bait it out of him. Thus he said, "You, incineroar, are double my height and yet you stand still. Is it because you've only half my honor?"

A well timed, highly-pretentious grin sold it, and the incinerorar let out a deep growl.

"Tch, I'll show you," he said, and with a burst of flame that seared the grass below, charged.

"Face me if you so dare, you scoundrel," said the vaporeon. His remark was met with a flurry of blazing fire and light that was in an instant upon him, but he, too, acted in that very same moment. Over his left paw, adorned in white, was where he focused the bubbling energies that coalesced into acid armor, intensifying its defensive properties. He met the searing gauntlet with his own scaled gauntlet, ensuring that water gathered from the moisture of the air formed around it.

With a deft parry the two gauntlets clashed in an explosion of smoke and the sound of metal striking solidified energy. A second fiery gauntlet struck at where the vaporeon stood, but he had already moved, and from his new position his sword made a series of light slashes against the side of the giant.

A yowl of furious pain was met with a second fiery flurry of fists, but it too missed its mark, leaving only scorchmarks on the ground and gravel. It left the incinerorar open for another set of shallow cuts from the sword, which the vaporeon took happily.

The third time it happened the vaporeon felt bad that the incinerorar was this dense; he didn't consider himself that great a combatant but was glad that there would be no opportunity for the spectators to realize that as his opponent staggered to the ground, fiery claws clutching his side and searing the wounds shut.

The vaporeon walked up to the downed opponent and raised his blade; the red beast's flames diminished as the tip of it rested against his neck.

"Yield," said the vaporeon.

"Tch. Fine, I yield."

"Apologize to my companion. He is neither a fool nor a sawsbuck."

The incinerorar hesitated with the last demand, but a quick glance at the sawsbuck that was met with an aggressive snort told him that it was a completely serious one. He obliged.

"Good," said the vaporeon, putting the sword away. "Now we wait here for the proper authorities to arrive. And as if summoned by my very tongue, here they come!"

It took a handful of breaths for the vaporeon to unroll the letter he had received from his distant cousin and in that time two gatekeepers—a skarmory and pidgeot, both their tail feathers bearing a cloth with the emblem of Noe on it—landed, having swooped in from their perches on the top of the gate.

The vaporeon took a step towards them and bowed. "Good fortune to you two. I am a visitor from distant lands and I—"

He was unable to complete his sentence as two pairs of talons shoved him to the ground.

"Wait you barbarians! Grab my paper! I've business here; I was requested to aid the services of Guild Chthonic!"

As one pair of talons held his back and tail pressed to the floor, another picked up the paper. A musing "caw" was accompanied by a heavy, metallic voice.

"What's your name?"

"Talon."

"What about it? Is it pressing too hard against you? It's only because you're resisting."

"That is my name, you imbecile. Talon of House Eeveelution, of the Skywatch clan."

"Hmm. Strange name for a vaporeon. Fake, almost. Besides, you got it wrong. I happen to have a friend whose partner is a part of House Evolution—not Eeveelution—and aboard the Cerberus. You're a fraud."

"Er, it's a regional dialect."

The claws pushed him harder to the ground. "Sure, and there's no clan 'Skywatch.'"

Talon grumbled, "Oh, how I wish that were so."

"Skarmory," said another voice, "this letter looks real; the seal appears authentic."

The pressure holding Talon down loosened he raised his head to be met with the armored face of a skamrory whose beak careened open. "I'll verify that it's real, Pidgeot. Until then, vaporeon of a clearly fake name, you'll be coming with us into Noe."

"Wonderful," Talon replied, "I get to avoid waiting in this line."

Skarmory shot him a disdainful glance. "Yes. You're going to wait in a cell where we'll stand by for it to get back that this is a forgery. Then you'll be punished for both that and assault."

Another set of gatekeepers, this time a sceptile and a bayleef, both donning plated armor, appeared with a trail of upturned gravel behind them. "Is this the attacker?" asked the sceptile.

"I did not strike first," declared Talon, "and I would hope you people have laws protecting self-defense!"

It was no use, however, and he found himself hoisted up by the sceptile and his arms bound by rope.

"Is this sawsbuck yours?" asked the bayleef.

"He is neither a sawsbuck nor is he mine. He is a leafeon, and we're companions."

This comment received strange looks from everyone surrounding them—the crowd of course had only grown to witness the arrest—but Talon was used to it and Perse could not see how they silently glanced at was most certainly not a leafeon.

"Do we tie him up?" asked the bayleef.

"He's blind," replied the sceptile. "I doubt he can do much. Just grab another rope to guide him."

Perse let out a snort and said, "I have a name. And don't tie me up like you would some lowly deerling. A leafeon can follow just fine."


Kamil Orman-Janowski's Overseer’s Tower


While Perse munched on some delicious hay, Talon was trying to remain still on his poor excuse for a bunk, his finned ears trying to catch every wave of sound that floated his way from the other room through the iron bars that entrapped him. He found himself grinning as the conversation he eavesdropped on proceeded. He could tell the first voice was Skarmory's.

"So you're telling me the letter is actually real?"

An airy, soprano-like voice replied, "Yep! A morale officer is on their way right now for pickup."

"Damn. But everything that vaporeon said—"

"I know. I read the report you scratched out. I think everything he said is total nonsense, but the Lady's Guild Chthonic says he's welcome to come aboard, and considering what they've been doing for us, it's best to oblige.

"Shouldn't he be tried for assault though? The arrest of some outsider harrowing a poor refugee would be perfect for a promotion!"

"He'd be tried if you arrested the right one, Skarmory. Bystanders said it was an incinerorar that started it, both the comment and the physical attack."

Talon grinned as he overheard Skarmory's squawks and pleas to not tell the Grand Gatekeeper about this, that he was this close to a promotion and that it could've been anyone's honest mistake.

Talon looked at his left paw and studied it, seeing how the white fur beneath curled around and reached upwards to his forearm. He continued looking at it, entranced by both memory and feel, until a second commotion caught his attention.

It was a thoroughly androgynous voice, one which spoke with authority. It rang throughout the jail, jostling the attention of not just Talon and Perse, but the other imprisoned pokémon that had been foolish enough to try to bypass the gates of Noe.

A shaymin appeared, flanked by Skarmory and a red oricorio, and Talon knew the oricorio was the previously-unknown voice he had heard earlier when she said, "Thank you for being so understanding, Shaymin! We just followed protocols. We have our orders just like you do."

Shaymin, who donned a black jacket over his upper-half that let his red chest-tuft breathe in the less-than-stellar air of Noe, nodded. "My Lady's aides are aware you were just following procedure, Lieutenant Oricorio. If anything, you and your crew should be commended! We all play our part in this war by following the commands of those who see the grander picture."

At this, Skarmory stood upright a bit more and positioned himself so that his armor would gleam in the candlelight, but Oricorio just rolled her eyes as she used her wings to grab a set of keys.

With the rattle of metal and slide of a door later, Talon and Perse walked out of the prison, the former making sure to bow to the gatekeepers in thanks. But he stopped before they exited and, turning back to the Skarmory, said. "I believe you have my wrongfully-confiscated sword, do you not?"

Oricorio let out a hearty chirp and Skarmory mumbled as he flew off to grab the sword, and this gave Talon time to speak formally to their savior.

"My thanks for you retrieving us, Shaymin. My companion and I cannot relay our appreciation enough regarding your assistance in our release. I assign no blame towards the Lieutenant, of course, merely a... misguided underling," he said with a wink which was met with another chirp.

Shaymin waved his paw dismissively. "Nonsense my friends! My Lady is appreciative of your willingness to journey so far from your lands in aid of our noble cause. We've many free agents aboard the Cerberus that have joined our efforts in defending the continent from these incursions, and many are... how might I put it... not accustomed to the laws of these lands. Thus, we anticipate some issues to arise."

Skarmory returned with a flap of his wings, and Talon smiled that his metallic body was not nearly as lustrous as the sword that he held in his claws. After an ostentatious whirl of his sword in the air, Talon returned it to its rightful place by his side before saying, "Well, no need to remain here any longer. Shall we make our way towards the Cerberus?"

Shaymin nodded and gave a small curtsy to the guards. "Thank you, Gatekeepers, for your protection of this great city. Talon, Perse, follow me, if you will. We're on the eve of departure."


Kamil Orman-Janowski's Highgate


They exited, and Talon was able to finally appreciate the Wrought City with both his arms untied and from a greater vantage point while atop Perse. As the sawsbuck's heavy hooves clacked alongside the countless other clawsteps and slithers of other pokémon, Talon described to him in detail their surroundings.

The vaporeon firstly failed to mention how disgusting the streets were, the main reason why he rode atop Perse's back. Among much of the information Talon exchanged with his cousin, the wizard he had come to join was all too happy to complain that the streets were ridden with waste. These medieval lands, harrowed by war, saw the infrastructure for cleanliness the least of their priorities, so this was of little surprise. Still, Talon smiled at the mental image he conjured when his cousin wrote he would cast a spell to avoid walking entirely.


Glaceon & Zorua

"If ever you visit Noe, cousin, be weary of the roads. I cannot bear the thought of even my apprentice walking these streets!"


He didn't have the heart to tell Perse why he would wash his hooves the moment they were settled in. Instead, he craned his head up as he told Perse of the narrow streets they tread upon, the various shops with countless wares being advertised alongside the heat from the endless candles illuminating the city under the dark sky.

As they made their way through a wide street they saw the epicenter of the Noe skyline, a massive foundry whose high pillars of smoke—doubtless by cause of countless fire-types employed to support the survival of the continent—blotted out the shining moon and stars. It was truly a testament to how far the world has come.

He described in detail the towering buildings that shot up to the sky, scraping the clouds and smoke alike. They made their way through hospitals overflowing with the injured and places of worship teeming with the unfortunate, both services overwhelmed by the influx of refugees seeking shelter.

"I once sought to join a Hospitaller order," explained Talon, "but my House refused to sponsor me."

"By what account? "asked Shaymin as he, just like Talon's cousin, hovered above the crowded street, looking back at the two newcomers.

"My paw," responded Talon, uncovering it from beneath his navy cloak. "They believed I could not handle a blade with it. How I have proved them wrong by my journeys! By fortune, it is also how I earned my name; I was pricked by the talon of an Articuno after I plucked its feather. A foolish endeavor, but one for a friend."

Talon patted Perse. "He wears it now, beneath his thick coat. The cold it radiates is what keeps him a winter... leafeon."

Perse nodded. "Of course! We all know leafeons change with the seasons!"

Talon caught the strange look Shaymin gave him, so he explained, "Perse has a... strained history with deerling and sawsbuck."

"That's right," Perse interjected, "they are terrible. Called me one of them when I'm obviously a leafeon."

"How do you explain you evolving?" asked Shaymin, genuine curiosity thick in his voice.

Talon spoke in Perse's stead. "Well, you see it's a rather long story and I'm not sure we've the time..."

"My Lady's ship is still some moments away," Shaymin replied with a grin.

"So be it," said Talon with a sigh. "Perse was hatched alongside—"

"Incorrectly," corrected the sawsbuck.

"Incorrectly hatched," repeated Talon, "alongside deerling. He told us his name was Perse because his eyes were a deep, beautiful indigo before some disease took them and clouded them over."

Perse nodded. "Indeed. Those terrible deerling and sawsbuck said I was a burden, and threw me out. Clearly they didn't have the capabilities of taking proper care of a leafeon like myself."

Talon rolled his eyes and spoke, but not before telling Perse that they were to turn a corner in a few paces. "Yes, he became a squire for House Eeveelution—the lands from which I come call it Eeveelution, not Evolution—and... realized he was, like us, a leafeon."

"A special one that could evolve twice!" he said with a pride that caught the attention of passerbyers.

Shaymin half-raised an eyebrow, but said nothing regarding that topic, instead letting the winds carry him above the duo as they navigated through the corridors of Noe.

"Regardless," continued Talon, "I met Perse as children in the fields and we grew up together. He said he preferred his winter forme one long winter, so I decided to make that permanent for him. Thus I set out one day on a childish adventure, the sort that you read about in books. That's how my paw became so."

Shaymin let out a hum of acknowledgement before he said, "The letter I received had said something about you being of the clan Skywatch."

"Was," Talon corrected. "It is still the name I am attached to, but I cannot watch the skies for storms. That was what my family was best known for, our duty to the House. But since I was unable to, I was useless and thrown out, alongside Perse here. We decided to journey together."

"So, you're here as a free agent?"

"Of sorts. I know not how the letter found me considering our travels, but Glaceon and I wrote to one another before we left. It was an... initiative, you see. One house, two lands."

Shaymin scratched his snout with a paw. "But, isn't House Evolution all over the five continents?"

A loud commotion—a barkeeper throwing out an unruly and inebriated drifblim—caught their attention, and they swiftly carried on to avoid the latter's likely wrath. Talon continued, rubbing Perse and reassuring him of the certainty of the path they traveled. "There is more beyond the great sea, Shaymin, and that is from where I come. I would have believed that those of the world's greatest Cathedral Airship would know as such, though given the voyage it might as well be a different world altogether so I cannot assign too great a blame."

"Continuing!" said the vaporeon, basking in the attention of his captive audience. "My cousin, Glaceon, wrote to me. He told me of how he and his Zorua apprentice joined alongside others of House Evolution aboard your magnanimous ship."

Shaymin said, "I must confess, I do not know him; I had the pleasure of receiving two such swordsvees by request of My Lady last time we docked for supplies and repairs, but neither were a glaceon."

"Regardless, he wrote to me of an expedition into the Infernal Realms he partook in. It... it went awry. The—"

Shaymin interrupted with a gasp. "The Hellstorm?"

Talon nodded. "Indeed. He and his apprentice barely escaped from what I read. All caught were consumed and lost. It was at the time without precedent and completely routed the expedition there. Is that so?"

"It is. We've had two more since that first one, all with significant losses that led to counter-offensives, hence why we've been docked longer than usual for repairs here in ever-adamant Noe. It did, however, let you catch us. What might the Hellstorm have to do with you?"

Talon pawed his white, webbed ears. "By fortune or misfortune, I can sense them with these. A tradeoff for being unable to tell the arrival of a regular storm, I suppose. I experienced it many times in my lands, warning others of what was to come. Somehow Glaceon heard, and reached out. Now here we are."

Shaymin looked at him with deep curiosity, but as they rounded a corner and pushed past a particularly touchy cyndaquil, their attention shifted from Talon's history to the scene before them: The Verdant Valley.

The valley was artificial, of course, so named because of the massive gap that practically split Noe into two, the towering buildings on either side so far and the air so thick that they were nearly impossible to see. Its sheer wideness allowed vegetation to grow that wouldn't be blocked by other buildings, with massive trees and wide, hanging gardens that basked in the moonlight.

Perse, with his excellent nose—one of the benefits of losing sight was that his other senses were sharpened—caught the waft of fresh flowers and meadows that tried to pierce the countless other unpleasant smells that came with cramped city life. His ears, likewise able to hear even a droplet of melted candlewax, picked up the echoes of hammers against metal, seemingly unceasing in their droning, even if Talon told him it was nighttime.

For Shaymin had guided Talon and Perse to the Cerberus, the pride of the Exploration Federation which was in endless service to the First Flame. Even docked in the valley made for servicing such a behemoth it was a magnificent sight to behold, one which Talon had to catch his breath for before being able to describe it to Perse.

As Shaymin guided them towards the gangway, Talon was sure to inform him of the towering pillars that strutted the sides and retained immense windows of mainly purple, stained glass which illuminated the gargantuan interior. The entire armor of the ship was a grey even more stalwart than the walls of Noe, the endless winged pokémon using their claws and talons to reinforce where the plating had been damaged. He craned his neck towards the heavens and told Perse, with awe, that they were looking only at a single wing of the ship.

For in the center there was a cathedral, connected by gothic arches of immense length and with a design only the gods could dare envision, double the length of the exterior portion. With an involuntary gasp Talon knew that the other side held another such wing, and the entire rear of the ship was adorned with bat-like wings which must have been used by the pilots of the Cerberus to guide it through the skies.

Talon looked up and said how there was a cathedral that rose above the rest, situated in the center of the colossus. At the cathedral’s aft there was the highest point of the ship, a spire Talon could only see by chance as the clouds parted. At the fore there was a massive pane that no doubt served as the bridge whose auspicious navigators and heroic leaders stood at attention, readying to pilot the airship in its imminent departure.

Talon saved the ship's namesake for last; three cobalt blue heads made in the image of pokémon unknown, adorned the front of each of the three cathedral-like sections, though Talon's focus went to the one at the very fore. He spoke of the maw as one which could be host to a dozen Articuno's roosts—unsurprising considering various winged pokémon flew in and out—and how the statues beside it stood watch over whatever lands the airship would fly over.

Although Talon's description, he felt, could not do the true image of the airship justice, Perse was nonetheless awed at what he heard from his companion.

"I think you did well, my friend," Shaymin said as they passed various onlookers—residents of Noe and refugees alike who saw the only hope for their lives before them—and proceeded to make their way on the gangway where last-minute supplies were being let on and carts of martyrs sent off, the felled Explorer's badges pinned to the cloth which retained their dignity even as they had been unable to continue their good fight.

"Now now, with me, please! We must head south where our spies have reports of cult activity; a portal is due to open and a battle be fought," said Shaymin, speaking with depth and clarity to overcome the rising shudder of the igniting temporal engines. Although the line seemed practiced, the pride in his voice was unmistakably genuine. "We're just about to get underway."


Kamil Orman-Janowski's The Fall of Oriath


So immense in size was the ship that various lifts needed to be employed to move its inhabitants from one floor to the next, and Talon described once more to Perse what he saw through the glass walls of the lift: various shops and quarters with countless pokémon teeming about, all lit by candles both in the open and shining through painted panes, providing otherworldly glows of azure and lilac.

"Talon," said Perse, "I don't know what regular colors look like, much less those fancier ones you say."

Shaymin and Talon both let out a chuckle, and Talon broke from his description to talk to the morale officer. "I know you had said the fleet is past its prime, yet the Cerberus is more magnificent than I could've possibly envisioned."

Shaymin patted the floor of the lift as it stopped, the doors opening to another floor like the last, chock-full of wandering pokémon. "The Cerbie is a mobile city, after all, and the Exploration Teams of Guild Chthonic need serfs to aid them in their operations, alongside personnel to likewise support them."

They stepped out into the crowd, and Talon—dragging his tail on the ground so that Perse might follow him—asked, "I... my apologies for being so brash, Shaymin, but are we not to meet the Supreme Commander for a briefing?"

Shaymin looked at Talon as if he declared he'd tear the ship asunder. "Oh, my apologies, Talon, but I'm not sure what gave you such an impression! An audience with My Lady can take a decade. I only had the privilege of seeing her after a five year's wait, and that was merely to be dismissed immediately after presenting to her those swordvees I mentioned to you before."

Talon gave a small bow in apology. "Ah, I see. Houndoom of Obsidia is known far and wide, even in my part of the world, so I would be remiss if I didn't inquire. I must ask, though, who are we to meet with? I was under the impression my services were needed."

"They are! My Lady is... aware of your potential, but it's yet to be demonstrated here, before us. Surely you understand."

Talon's paw waved the concern away. "But of course, I understand. I do beg of you, however: don't call me Shirley. I knew a very unpleasant fish by that name, once, back where I come from."

Shaymin stuttered over an apology before finding his confidence once more, continuing, "Nevertheless, my friends, you will be attached to where your cousin currently is operating from. Which is the hangar that stands before us now."

Talon was hardly paying attention to what lay before him. Perse, unsurprisingly, was not seeing much at all. But the sight he took in was to be expected considering the nature of the Cerberus: he was awestruck.

Various machines—dropships of incredible craftsmanship and complexity beyond him—stood at the ready or under repair, the scent of metal scorched by fire-type energy reminding him of his encounter outside of Noe. Talon also wondered if they were underway, as the scent of ozone in the air had started to rise, though that could very well be by cause of the electric types rewiring various parts.

He spotted a designation etched into one of the pillars, informing him as to where he stood: Hangar 4.


Kamil Orman-Janowski's Still Alive


As they worked their way into Hangar 4, the path they walked strewn with various machine parts not unlike the exterior of the city they departed from, a terrible pun echoed and caught Talon's ear. He looked and saw a corvisquire alongside a leafeon, the former donning a large jump-pack and the latter a jacket inlaid with the corvisquire's feathers.


Cory & Rain

"You love my puns, Rain; I just know they make you green with envy!"


"Cory and Rain," explained Shaymin as he tried to herd an immobile Talon. "They are part of our... unique CLOVER unit. I'm sure you've heard of them."

They continued onwards at Shaymin's behest, and Talon was sure he had heard of them before since the duo seemed eerily familiar. He had to admit, though, that while Rain was as fine a leafeon as any, his eyes focused more upon Cory than he'd have expected.

He shook his head and followed his companion and the morale officer, though Talon's attention was caught by another member of the CLOVER unit—he could tell because of the emblazoned clover emblem on their armor—a droopy-eyed typhlosion with purple flames.

"That's the unit's alchemist, Icarus," Shyamin explained, scrunching his nose as they passed an unpleasant smell that wafted over his workshop. “He's, how shall I say... fitting for the group."

Talon nodded as he saw the alchemist fight off a few floating dreepy messing with his indecipherable experiments, the various vials and tubes lit by tiny purple flames, before Shaymin guided them away. He spotted many other colorful characters; two twin growlithes, though one had long hair and was of a rockier build, a feral-looking sneasel, a quite rotund phanpy, among many, many others.

It wasn't long before they got to a corner of the hangar and Talon saw a zorua, knees weak from the gargantuan bag on its back that was chock-full of items. Embroidered onto the bag was an all-too-familiar symbol: the crest of House Eeveeluton, though to all others aboard the Cerberus it was House Evolution.

That was doubtless the case for the glaceon who stood upright, wrapped in a cloak that covered his torso, as he inspected their new dropship for their upcoming mission. He happened to glance back as Zorua, his apprentice, shook the entire hangar as he dropped their bag to the ground. Though he was about to berate his apprentice, he saw Shaymin guiding two pokémon that definitely looked like they did not belong aboard the Cerberus; Glaceon smiled as he knew exactly who they could be.

"Cousin!" Glaceon and Talon both exclaimed as they opened their arms up for an embrace.


United at Last

"The Cerberus world is in need of help. Come, dear cousin, and join us. Together we might yet make a difference."


The two eeveelutions caught one another in a warm hug and laughed before both stepping back.

Talon said, "Never did I think I'd have the good fortune of meeting my dearest cousin from across the great sea! When we first started writing, I thought I'd only know you by imagination alone."

"It's fortunate that I can see you," Glaceon admitted, "but not so much the circumstances that brought you here. I joined up for a bit to help..."

Glaceon glanced at Shaymin who raised an eyebrow. Glaceon chuckled to himself and shrugged. "And, like most free agents that have come aboard, we get a share of... artifacts that we come across."

"So I've heard," Talon replied. "Our wanderings were admittedly aimless, in both fortune and purpose. This could perhaps be a new leaf; the winds of change are, after all, blowing."

"So they are," said Glaceon before introducing Talon to his apprentice, and Talon in turn introduced the two to Perse. They both greeted him as a leafeon, just as Talon's letters had advised them to.

Perse the blind sawsbuck, happy to be recognized as a leafeon for once, greeted them as warmly as Shaymin had seen him the entire time. His small and unmistakibly deer-like tail wagged as they exchanged customary greetings.

"If I never knew better, my friends," Shaymin said, "I would have guessed you four would have been a team."

"An odd team," mused Talon, "that would be. My companion and I, alongside a zorua and glaceon? I cannot say why but such a group echoes in my fins like a recipe for disaster!"

Talon was met with hearty laughs all around, and the laughs quickly became mutterings of hunger, which in turn led them to sit and feast—in consideration of their new arrivals Glaceon was sure to have Zorua bring their finest foods—and Shaymin was glad to accept an invitation to join.

As the meal winded down, though, the need for business became apparent.

"Unfortunately," Shaymin said, "the unit Glaceon and Zorua are a part of—ARCANE, the most prestigious unit in Hangar 4—is at full strength. You could join another unit in here since they all work in tandem with one another."

Talon, ever the sloppy eater, cleaned his paws with his mouth of the delectable sauces they had alongside their meal. "Well, that is unfortunate, but so long as I can contribute to the cause, I see little issue with that. What openings might there be? How do the different units operate?"

Glaceon and Shaymin both began to discuss what units of Hangar 4 could be a good fit for the rather amateur swordsvee and his steed—MYTHOS was great but were primarily defensive, SUMMON and LEGEND are both too weak to operate—but Talon had them stop after Glaceon quickly dismissed the last.

"Did you mention the CLOVER unit?" interrupted Talon.

"Yes, cousin. I did. Specifically as the one to not join. Hangar 4 has a particular... reputation for a reason. I've fought beside them once, you know."

"How was the fight?"

Glaceon smiled wistfully as he recalled their mission together.


A Daring Mission

"Well this is a heretic's temple. Just not the one we're supposed to destroy... we'll just carry through with sacking it."


"A fun lot of misfits; their infamous repute is no doubt earned. Strong beyond words if they can somehow be organized, but rarely is that accomplished"

"Well, why ever not?" answered Talon. "Am I not a misfit of sorts anyways? I am sure their... unorthodox operations, as I understand them, would be able to fit in a team such as Perse and myself rather adeptly. Besides, I feel myself... drawn to them."

"Talon," Glaceon said, "I do not wish for you to die. We've only just met."

But Talon was already speaking to Shaymin, confirming with glee that a dropsuit would be required and that braviary feathers—those of the white variety to match his paw—would be preferred to don himself in. He then turned to Glaceon, and the ice-type couldn't help but think his cousin was wearing a smile of very misplaced confidence and bravado.

Talon, however, paid no mind to the worry on his cousin's face, and said, "Worry not, my dear cousin. We're all going to live forever; if not now, then by the pens of poets and in the hearts and minds of those we save."

"You are an odd one, Talon," Glaceon admitted.

Talon fed Perse and apple and then, after a moment's consideration of what Glaceon said, smiled. "Well then. I'm a perfect fit for them, am I not?"


Read the sequel, So Below, here.


Story written by DrakonFish (Find him on Twitter and Bluesky) Co-written and inspired by the universe of goblin_serf (Find him on Twitter and Bluesky)

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Pub: 24 Mar 2026 15:38 UTC

Edit: 29 Mar 2026 22:49 UTC

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