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Chapter 78
Part 2
… … …
The immortal Espeon swiveled her tail as she met the Marowak's fiery glare with a confused look.
"Marrow…" she began saying, more carefully this time, stepping softly away from Char and watching as the bone club followed her. "You think I'm trying to sabotage the Basin Canyon project?"
Marrow thrust the rounded end of his bone club into her chest, and she reeled backwards. "I know you're tryin' to sabotage it," he growled. "Probably already did. Probably no sense in tryin' anymore. Too late now, ain't it? You already did your damage and everyone here is walkin' their last day among the living. And here you're sittin' all prissy and smug knowin' you've already won. Am I right?"
With another thrust of his club, he pinned Eva against the wall by the neck.
"Tell me I'm right," Marrow said with a guttural growl. "Tell me. Nothin' I can do about it now, so just let me die knowing that I was right."
There came a spark of light from Eva's gemstone as she shoved his club away with strong telekinesis. But the moment Eva's body slumped to the floor, Marrow jumped at her and pinned her down, pressing his club against harder against her neck.
Despite rasping for air, Eva's retort remained calm. "What reason would I have? Why do you think I would betray the Gold Division?"
"If your allegiance lies with the Master, you don't need a reason," he said darkly. "The motives lie outside the realm of our comprehension. You're only following orders. Maybe you're brainwashed. Or maybe you're even one of his generals! Who knows!"
Eva gargled on her words as Marrow pressed even harder. "Char… is my master…" she declared. "My allegiance… is with him. No one else."
Char found himself shaking with fear as he reached out to Eva telepathically. You okay…? he said. You're starting to panic. Please tell me you're just pretending.
Not pretending. It's very painful… came her labored thoughts. Char… I'm immortal… not invincible. I'm about to pass out.
Oh… Char said with sudden horror. Oh… I didn't know.
"Marrow, wait!" Char pleaded, rushing closer to Eva. "Eva isn't –"
Thwack. Marrow swatted the Charmander aside with a swing of his club, repositioning his foot to crush Eva's neck as he pointed his weapon angrily at Char.
"YOU'RE PART OF THIS," he accused. "You're the one who fell for everything! We all trusted her because you trusted her. Now look at you. She has you wrapped around her little claws. So don't you go tellin' me to wait. I'm done with the waiting."
Char knew exactly what he had to do. He dropped to all fours and pounced once more. Try as he might to duck and dodge the poised bone club, Marrow swung at him with a master's precision.
But the attack never connected. The Marowak froze in bafflement for a moment. It was enough of a moment for Char to lunge at Eva.
The next thing Char knew, he struck down hard in some new, empty tunnel, with Eva gasping desperately for air even as she slumped down beside him.
Char sighed in relief. "Mobile scarf," he explained, pointing at his neck. "I dropped us through the floor."
But the Espeon didn't look too thrilled about her rescue. "Char… did you know this tunnel was here?" she said with strange concern.
Char glanced around the new tunnel. It was a poorly lit, oval-shaped cave scarcely decorated with any sort of interesting architecture. It looked somewhat like a large burrow, the way Char had always imagined that the deep inner tunnels of Basin Canyon would look.
"…No," Char admitted, still panting from the confrontation with his former mentor. "But I figured there'd be something. There are so many tunnels in this place."
Eva nearly shrieked her reply. "Char! The first rule of mobile scarves: never ever drop through the floor, unless you're absolutely sure where you'll land! If you fall too far through solid ground, nobody can save you. You're gone forever. Never do that again. Understand?!"
"I'm sorry. It was the only thing I could think of doing," Char replied, backing away a bit further. "But Eva… just to be sure… all those things Marrow said about you aren't true… are they? You didn't really sell out Basin Canyon to the enemy… did you?"
Eva wore a strange, faraway expression for a moment. Then she looked at the floor, saying nothing.
Char felt his heart stop. "Eva… Please don't tell me…" he breathed. "But wait! That… doesn't make any sense… Why would you…?"
Eva stayed seated on the ground. She flicked her tail. There was a sad sparkle in her eye as she looked at Char again.
In the last moment before Eva decided to say something, Char realized it wasn't a "I'm about to tell you something horrible" sparkle, but a tiny look of betrayal and offense.
"You really believe for a moment any of that is true?" came her forlorn reply. "I've tried everything to earn your trust. What more must I do?"
Char looked a little ashamed. "I'm just… I trust you. But I've always trusted Marrow too. So, I don't know, he seemed pretty sure of himself, I had to at least consider what he said. Even if you're trustworthy now, maybe you did something before we became partners and I'd have no idea about it. Look, if you did something before you joined my team, I want you to tell me about it. I won't automatically think the worst of you. I promise. But if you told Cepheus something, and Basin Canyon is doomed… I want to know."
Eva thought for a moment, deciding what to say. "Before we were partners, yes, I had an encounter or two with Cepheus," she admitted slowly. "It had nothing to do with Basin Canyon. It had nothing to do with anything, really. I only approached him because he knows exactly who I am, and I wanted to irritate him for my amusement. As a gesture of ill will to Enigma, you might say. Annoying the everliving sanity out of Enigma and her cohorts is the only real pasttime I had left on this continent before I joined your team. Char… if I still shared any sort of interest with Enigma, I would not have told you the secret of the Master and given you the ammunition to destroy her plans. And please believe me when I say that the only reason I would sabotage Basin Canyon, betray the Gold Division, and bring mortal danger upon Team Remorse and their associates… is if you told me to."
The finality and confidence with which Eva professed her statement surpassed any of the accusations Marrow had tried making. Even her mind-waves rang pure and clear with unmistakable honesty.
Char blinked for a moment in his own bafflement. "Alright. I believe you," he decided. "But then… what the heck's gotten into Marrow? What does he know that he's not telling us?"
Eva glanced sourly at the ceiling above. "I'm not sure," she said. "I don't think he's breaking from reality. He's not that far gone. I'd like for him to explain himself so we can all try and figure out what's happening here. But as long as he's being so disagreeable… I can't help him, and I don't think anyone else can, either."
"Can you paralyze him or something?" Char wondered, following Eva's upward gaze. "Could we find a stun seed? Anything to get him to just talk and stop swinging his club at everyone? Something is really wrong with this."
There was a startling smack from above, followed by the sound of crumbling rocks. A small hole burst open in the ceiling, through which the Marowak dropped, still angrily brandishing his weapon. Char scuttled backwards and cowered next to Eva. Looking up into Legend's room, Char saw how surprisingly thin the ceiling was. There was no possible way that Marrow didn't just hear everything they said.
"Alright… alright. You want me to talk? I'll talk," he sighed in resignation. "Maybe you'll do a better job of listinen' than everyone else in this blasted place."
To Char's surprise, Marrow dropped his bone club. He bowed his head forward and grunted for a moment, pulling off his helmet and dropping it down beside his bone. Without the mask on, the Marowak looked strangely vulnerable and fragile.
Marrow folded his hands in front of himself, showing no more hostility. "I'm sorry; it's just that I've already realized this is my last day to be alive," he said solemnly. "I guess I'm just tryin' to find a meaning to it. If I'm going to die, I want it to be for something. I'm just tryin' to figure out what it's gonna, while I still got the chance. 'Cuz right now, I feel like it's going to be a meaningless sacrifice."
Char was quick to respond. "Die?! Marrow, no! Don't die!" he pleaded in astonishment. "I… what are you even talking about?! What happened?! Why did they kick you off the project? Why do you think you're going to die? What if everything goes well? What if you guys win? You can win somehow, I'm sure!"
"Ahh… nah. If my gut is right, there's no way I'm survivin' tomorrow," he said plainly, pacing slowly towards Char. "Cepheus has some airtight plan that nobody sees coming, and he's just gonna overwhelm us. And it's either I go down fighting, or I go on the rest of my life knowin' that I fled like a coward and left my friends to die. Of those two options, I already know which one I'm gonna choose. I mean, they call me 'fearless', so… So I'm real sorry, Char. It's been real fun working with you. Heh, if I'd known this woulda happened, I probably woulda taught you a bit more of my real secrets while I had the chance."
"Enough dodging questions," Eva grunted in frustration. "Before you just throw your life away, you're at least going to give us the chance to help. So don't make me read your mind. What's got you so convinced something's going wrong?"
"Alright. Fair, fair," Marrow sighed, leaning against the wall beside Char. "Alright, see, I solved the puzzle. I figured something out that I wasn't supposed to know. I don't know what it was, but I learned something. And then… someone erased my memories of it. There's a big giant hole in my head where my thoughts are supposed to be. And whoever did it… they're around here. A real traitor in our midst, standin' round knowin' all our plans and secrets and nobody even suspects them. Nobody else coulda done it. It had to be someone I trust. And with you, Eva, everything seemed to line up all too convenient. You're a blasted psychic, you showed up about the same time Cepheus started getting on our tail, and you're someone that not even Scythe would think to suspect. See, I know Cepheus, that's just how he works. He learns every last one of your secrets and he just strolls in all high and mighty knowin' he's untouchable, and usually the way he does it is with traitors. He doesn't just beat you. He owns you. He takes everything you have, he snuffs out every ray of hope, he crushes all your hopes to absolute smithereens, and then he wins the fight once he knows he's taken the last of your will to live. And I know I'm graspin' at straws here, but if you aren't the traitor, Eva… I just can't… I can't imagine how else this happened."
Marrow looked like he changed his mind about what he wanted to say. He gave Eva a particular look. "Actually… you're right. Maybe I don't want to die. Eva, if you're workin' with Cepheus, tell him I defect. You both know how valuable I am. So I give up; ya got me. I'll work for the Master now if it means I get to live. I know he'll be real happy if you bring him another traitor. You might get a promotion out of it."
Eva grinned knowingly. "Clever. You're testing me," she said. "Were I working for Cepheus, you know I'd have no reason to deny your request. So there, are you satisfied?"
Marrow shrugged. "Yeah. Satisfied," he said. "Alright. Yeah. I'll trust ya. So there. That's mostly my whole side of the story. Tried telling everyone else. Tried telling Scythe and Daemon and Adarc. Nobody listens. It's like they're all in on the conspiracy. And there's got to be some conspiracy here. You won't convince me otherwise. Because you don't just get precision-guided amnesia for no darn reason."
"May I take a look? Into your mind, I mean," Eva offered. "I'm not the best with mind-magic and I never learned how to erase memories, but I know what the effects of memory erasure look like."
Marrow threw up his arms. "Yah, whatever, why not," he mumbled.
Eva stepped close to the helmetless Marowak until she could put her paw on his foot. She closed her eyes.
So I'll defer to your decision, Eva secretly said to Char. Were I really to find evidence of memory erasure, should I tell him the truth? Or should I lie and tell him that he's imagining it? To give him a greater sense of hope for the battle?
Tell him the truth, Char said without hesitation. He deserves to know.
So Eva's gemstone sparkled and flickered for a few moments as she closed her eyes, pressing her head into Marrow's chest. Marrow awkwardly tired to ignore her, looking away down the hall.
"You're right," she said after about two minutes, stepping away from him. "I looked at the memories at the very top of your mind, and they have a very distinct void carved out of them. They have unmistakably been meddled with. The meddler was not so clean. Whoever did this left some connections intact they should have severed, and severed some they should have left alone. I wouldn't call it a sloppy job, but it certainly isn't masterful. Regardless, it's much better than I could ever accomplish."
Marrow swung his arm at the air and snapped his claws. "Knew it. Knew it. Part of me was hoping you'd find nothing. But ah. Guess my instincts are just too good. Basin Canyon is doomed. Maybe you should go down there and grab an evolution-shard while you still can, Char. After tomorrow, none of us will be any closer to them than when we all started. And I'll be gone."
Char quickly cut him off. "Anything we can do? Me and Eva? Anything at all? Is there some way we can help? Help you find the traitor or something? We'll do whatever you want!"
Marrow shook his head. "Nah, Char, unless you have a way of producing miracles… there isn't a way for you to help with this," he said matter-of-factly. "Probably shouldn't have even come here at all. Now you're probably going to blame yourself for my death. Tell yourself you could have somehow stopped it. That's the last thing on Earth I want you to be doing when I'm gone."
"Marrow, please stop!" Char begged again. "It's not funny. Don't say you're going to die."
Marrow only shrugged. "I knew exactly what I was gettin' into, joining Team Remorse," he said flatly. "I knew this day would come when it would come. Got no regrets about bein' a casualty, and I'm sure some of the others feel the same. My career meant something and I'm quite proud of it. Got lots done. Again, I just… wish I could say the same about the way it all ended. Wish I could have solved the puzzle."
"Wait, I just thought of something," said Char brightly. "Can you help us get back up into the room? There's something I think I should show you."
With a little support from Marrow and some help from the mobile scarf, the three Pokémon ascended through the ceiling to the upper floor, where there was now a small, albeit ugly and dangerous hole in the ground in the middle of Legend's chamber. Char dashed over to the little pile of supplies that Eva had brought. There they were, still sitting on the floor where they'd fallen: the two reviver seeds. Char collected one of them and held it out to Marrow.
"Here," he said. "So you don't have to die. I have two. You can have the other one."
Marrow held up his hand, rejecting the offer. "Nah. You know those only work in dungeons. And I'm not gonna be fightin' in the dungeons."
"Well, maybe you… somehow… could? I don't know." Char feebly tried. "Maybe if you got overwhelmed or something, you could run down into the mystery dungeon so you'd at least get another chance to keep fighting. Marrow… please, just take it. I insist."
Marrow took the shiny golden seed in his hands, looking at his reflection in the shell.
Char added, "I mean, even if you're not fighting for yourself… maybe, I don't know… if you go down fighting to save someone, now you have more than one chance to save someone."
Marrow flung the seed back at Char, which he reflexively caught before it had a chance to fall down the hole in the floor. "There," he grunted. "I just saved someone."
The Marowak hung his helmet from the end of his bone club, which he then hefted over his shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some last things I need to make my peace with. And hey, maybe if I feel so inclined, I'll try and go snag a feral-shard down from the deep-mines, just for you. Oh, and tell Legend I'm sorry about the floor. Not like we'll be needin' these rooms after tomorrow, anyways."
Char wanted to follow Marrow, chase after him, and reassure him everything would be okay. He wanted his fearless ex-mentor not to give up hope so easily. But a sad thought from Eva stopped him in mid-stride, and he watched Marrow wander off, wondering if that was the last of him that he'd ever see.
Let him go, advised Eva with a warm stream of sympathy. To him, being fearless means not to fear his death once he knows it's coming. He only wants this one last chance to determine where things really went wrong. So let's let him have this moment, alright? We can't really help him past this point. I think we should worry about ourselves.
Char realized, though he didn't want to admit it to himself, he rather felt like starting to cry.
He always knew in the back of his head that resistance work was not really some exciting, adventurous career. It wasn't about facing challenges and getting stronger and making friends and collecting treasure. It wasn't about having fun. If he tried not to tell himself this every morning he woke up, and instead thought of his friends and their big accomplishments and how great it was to be a Pokémon constantly getting stronger and living in this wonderful world full of mythological creatures, everything would be okay.
He was reminded swiftly that he was fighting a real war, with real stakes and real consequences.
He was reminded that Scythe's team, and all those similar teams who agree to take the largest and most dangerous missions, were fighting so that everyone else in the Gold Division, from the young trainee kids to the determined mid-level teams, could keep their illusion unbroken. So they would never have to really face this kind of hopelessness for as long as possible.
Char steeled himself against his own tears, forcing himself into the mindset of a leader. Or at least, he tried.
I wanted him to watch me evolve, Char couldn't help but thinking. I wanted him to be there for Ray when he joins Team Remorse someday. I remember… once, I even wanted him as a teammate. Marrow, no…
He knew he couldn't hide his distress from Eva. She could tell all too easily that he wasn't taking this well. But he was too ashamed to let her into his mind, to show his weakness. It was hard enough to endure the same level of worship she undoubtedly showed the Master some centuries ago. Or rather, it was hard to feel like he could live up to the level of deserving it. She wanted Char to be her new master, and he didn't want to disappoint her.
But it also forced him to remember that he wasn't really a Charmander. His soul was human.
And that human had a plan. That human had a reason for being here. A good reason, regardless of whether any of his friends died or whether the Basin Canyon project failed. Regardless of whether he could evolve anytime soon, regardless of whether he'd ever see Saura again, regardless of whether he could live up to Eva's impossible standards, and regardless of whether he could read. It was the only thing he knew with some certainty, the only message he'd indirectly conveyed to himself through Xatu: that for whatever reason, he was meant to be right here, deep in Basin Canyon, on the eve of something great or something terrible.
That knowledge, tiny as it was, gave him enough strength to hold back his tears, at least for now. Marrow didn't have to die. None of them had to die. Maybe something could be done. He would only have to trust in the human he once was, and the plan he once made. Maybe that human knew what he was doing.
"Eva…" he whispered once he felt he had enough control over his surging fire, "Do you think we should go and explore the canyon? While we're waiting for everyone to get back from the meeting? Should we look around? Maybe try getting into the mystery dungeon? I've always been looking forward to evolving."
"I would not advise it, master," Eva said softly. "We could easily get lost. Nobody could find you in case of an emergency. The mystery dungeon might be very difficult to escape once Cepheus attacks. And even if we kept out of the dungeon, what good would it serve?"
"So what, you think we should just sit here and wait?" Char asked.
Eva nodded. "If you are asking for my opinion, it would be best for us to stay put," she said simply. "The thought of getting lost makes me uncomfortable. And you need your rest and nourishment for tomorrow. But if you wish to go somewhere, I will gladly accompany you, of course."
Nourishment. The very word brought a hunger pang to Char, and he prowled over to the basket of nuts and shriveled dried berries. He bit into something that looked like a mango, but wrinkled beyond recognition. Dry and sweet, but immediately filling.
I almost forgot. The mobile scarf makes you hungry if you stand inside of a wall for too long, Char said using telepathy, since his mouth was stuffed. If I'm going to need to use it, I should make sure I'm nice and full. Are you hungry? Do you need anything?
Yes, if you don't mind, Eva replied. I admit I oftentimes get distracted and forget about my own hunger. Some days I wake up tired and sluggish, wanting to sleep for twenty hours, only to realize I haven't eaten anything in months.
Char tossed her a few berries from the basket, which she caught mid-air with telekinesis, and the two relaxed and ate their fill.
Eva, I think there's something I need to ask you, Char said as he munched on dried pinap. Seeing that we might find ourselves in a dungeon tomorrow, what makes you so afraid of dungeons? Everyone's afraid of dungeons, but you really made it seem like something much worse. Could you tell me why?
Eva flinched at the question, as though having involuntary flashes of awful things, but swallowed her mouthful and replied, Ah. Yes, that. Now that you are aware of my immortality, I see no reason I can't tell you the truth. I'm afraid it's a very simple matter: I cannot die, and so whenever I step inside of a dungeon, there is a very significant chance that I will be trapped within for all eternity. Eternal loneliness… there is no worse fate for an immortal. Whereas your worst nightmares might involve being sliced open by Scyther blades or drowning in the ocean, mine often involve being buried leagues below the earth's surface where no soul might ever find me, and without even death to rescue me. Dungeons show disturbing signs of sentience, and if one were to hold a particular grudge against me, it could defeat me and curse me with such a fate.
Char shivered deep inside just imagining it. That's terrifying! he said. I wouldn't wish that kind of a fate upon my worst enemy. Alright, Eva. I'll keep that in mind from now on. I'll try not to send you on dungeon missions. Thank you for telling me.
Thank you for your consideration, she replied. But I think, as long as you grant me one of these scared rescue emblems, which provide certain immunity from eternal imprisonment within a dungeon, I will have nothing to fear.
Now it was Char's turn to gulp down his final bites of whatever sour berry he'd just eaten, and gather the courage to return her the favor.
I think it's time I should tell you one of my secrets too, Char decided, pressing through the hesitance with brute willpower. About the Call. You told me secrets beyond my wildest imagination, so I think it's only fair I should tell you mine.
Eva tilted her head in fascination, but failed to hide a sparkle of inner joy in her eyes. Oh? You do not have to tell me, you know, she reassured. You never have to tell me your secrets. There is no obligation.
No, I think I want to tell you, Char forced himself to say. I think it's time. I'm sure you helped the Master with all his secrets back when he lived. So if you want me to be your new master, I should let you help me with mine.
A burst of panic from his chest! Was he really about to do this? Admit to Eva something about himself that would change, and possibly sour, her opinion of him forever? Every gut feeling he had told him this was a bad, bad idea.
And yet… when he ignored the gut instincts, and instead listened to the fires of the heart, they told him differently. Eva – or rather, Aster, as he needed to start calling her – she bore the weight of terrible secrets every day for all of eternity. She bore the secrets of Enigma, of the Master, of the other immortals, and her own. All dangerous, earth-shattering secrets. And yet, Eva – Aster – held onto them so gracefully for so many years, decades, even centuries.
He needed to tell her. He needed to give her this chance to share his burden, something she obviously wanted with all of her heart.
You know you have nothing to fear, she said quietly. There is nothing you could say that would make me hate you. Absolutely nothing.
Char broke the tension with a chuckle of his own. Not even if I told you that I lied, and I'm not really a human? he kidded.
The hair on Aster's back stood straight up at the suggestion. She lashed her tail. No, not even that, came her reply, sounding like she was choking on her own telepathic words. Especially since I know it to be a blatant lie.
Hah, didn't see that one coming, did you? Char said with a real-world laugh and a kindly smile. But be honest, if I really told you that, and it were totally true, what would you do?
She sighed in amusement, tilted her head at the ceiling, and repositioned her tail back to its usual regal curvature. I would not hate you, she said. I would consider you a friend and a partner. We could keep our professional rapport. But I would likely revoke my personal vows of servitude… and likely ask Scarlet if she were interested in my unconditional loyalty instead. There, you have my honest answer to your nonsense. Satisfied?
Aster mirrored Char's smile back at him, showing that she was only playing around. But Char, having momentarily dispelled his nervous resistance, spat out his confession before it had a chance to return.
The truth is… I am the only one in the world who knows the truth of the Call, he said quickly. Scythe, Alakazam, and everyone else all think that it can't be weaponized. That it happens randomly and I can't control it. But actually, I kind of can control it. And I kind of… can… use it as a weapon after all.
Intense fascination flashed across Aster's face. She leaned her head forward disbelievingly, perking her ears the highest they could go. She gave him a small, eager nod, as if to say, "Go on, go on…"
Aster… the Call… it actually lets me mind control other Pokémon! he practically shouted in telepathy. I can't control when it happens, and it never happens more than once a day, but when it does happen… I can shout some sort of command, or some kind of desire, at as many nearby Pokémon as I want… and they'll do what I tell them! And not just that! Their mind makes up some kind of disguise for it! It makes them think that it's all their idea! So I can even rewrite the memories of other Pokémon with it! And they'll never suspect anything! It's actually insane… and I still can't really decide how often I should use it, or whether I should use it on my friends or my enemies, or how far I can take it before my conscience starts stabbing me in the heart… But finally I have someone else to talk about it with. If… if… you aren't horrified of me right now. Are you?
For just a moment, Aster's gaze fell awash with amazement, eyes wide and sparkling with wonder and awe. But she nodded again, expertly composed herself, and said, Oh. I see. So you have Enigma's power.
Enigma's… power? Char echoed. What are you talking about?
Enigma can brainwash any Pokémon she wants, and make them do whatever she wants, Aster explained in a strangely casual manner. I believe there are several limitations on her power, the main one being that she needs to make eye contact with any Pokémon she intends to bewitch. And there exist Pokémon with the mental fortitude to resist her. But she's the reason for the Master – or, those masquerading as the Master – command so many troops willing to fight and die for his causes, much like the Pokémon who might attack the canyon tomorrow. I can almost assure you they will all be brainwashed. So… yes, I'm quite familiar with that sort of power. And I'm quite familiar with offering advice about its use.
The Espeon tried to hide her silly grin by laying her chin on the floor and covering her mouth with her front paws. See? What wasn't so hard, was it? she added. When I say you have nothing to fear of me, I really do mean it.
So… you're not terrified of me? Char said, just to make sure. I mean… you have no way of knowing I brainwashed you! Or that I might brainwash you in the future! For all you know, your whole desire to serve me as your master might be a thought I incepted into your mind, and you just think it's your own idea. Your memories might all be false! Maybe you aren't even immortal! Maybe you didn't even meet the Master at all, and I only rewrote your memories to make you think that you did! Because I can do that! That's how crazy this power is! And you're still not scared of me?
Aster wiggled her tail in playful amusement. Enigma's power no longer works on me, she told Char. I have a feeling your power wouldn't work on me either, especially since I haven't felt any of your giant Call bursts so far. But see, even if it did work on me… what makes you think I wouldn't give you my permission to brainwash me? If I'm being a terrible servant, I see no reason you shouldn't just rewrite me to be a better one. And I'd rather be brainwashed by you than by Enigma. Easily.
Eva – Aster – Stop. I'm not going to brainwash you! Char admonished. I wouldn't do that. I feel like it's really just… not right to rewrite another Pokémon's mind to be the way I want. And even if I did, what if I rewrite someone's mind to be all wrong, and suddenly they're all ruined? What if I destroy their talents or take away their important memories or something? And then not being able to change them back?
Char clenched his fists, reining in his runaway, rambling thoughts. Even still, he added, I feel like I have the power for some sort of reason. So maybe you could help me decide how I should use it.
Can I tell you something…? Aster said, acting more and more childish by the moment. Do you know who else had so much power, but so many endless reservations about how he should use it? Nearly every day, we would share these very sorts of discussions, the Master and I… Discussions about what's ethical, what's evil, what's advantageous and what might backfire… Even how he should treat the other five… And sometimes he would do things he would regret, and he would come to me and we would discuss for hours how we might undo his mistakes, how we should make things better, and avoid such things in the future… Oh, Char. Oh, master. I'm starting to see so much of him in you, so much more than I ever thought possible.
I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that, Char said with an awkward laugh.
It only means I'm finding myself very pleased with the new master I've chosen, said Aster, wiggling her tail like she would pounce and failing to hide her bright new smile.
Char cast her a look of disapproval. You're awfully happy for a Pokémon who's probably about to witness a massacre. So what's gotten into you?
You don't get it yet, do you? Aster said with another giggle. There doesn't have to be a massacre. Nobody here has to die. Not Marrow, not anyone. If what you say about your powers are true… you only need to use the Call and you can save everyone here.
I thought of that already, Char said with a sigh. I wish it would happen, I really do. But like I said, I can't change when it happens. I can only sit around and wait for it.
When does it normally happen? Aster asked.
Before noon, usually, Char explained. Around ten or eleven o'clock on most days, if you are familiar with the way humans keep time. So if Cepheus would just so happen to be attacking when it activates… I can save Basin Canyon. But it's such a longshot. Such a gamble.
Oh, but it's such a perfect solution! Aster sighed with whimsy. I can already imagine you standing proud, shouting your invisible command to the entire canyon, and watching as all the Pokémon here bow to your will, as they should.
It's not that loud, either, Char confessed. The Call that I have control over, it isn't as strong as the Call that can upset the entire Gold Division. I think it can only engulf one or two rooms. So that makes things even worse; I'd have to use the Call while all the enemy Pokémon are barging in the door, wherever that is. If they start running around all the halls here, there's nothing I can do. I'd almost have to hope for one of the involuntary Calls if I want to pacify every Pokémon in the whole complex. (Not to mention how the involuntary Calls were probably all Saura's to begin with, Char thought to himself in a way that Aster couldn't hear).
Master… despite everything, I still think this is exactly what will happen, Aster said again, snuggling up to Char like a lap-cat. I can't really explain why, but I'm so certain if it! You're going to use the Call to save everyone. Maybe that's why Scythe insisted you come here. Scythe is sensitive to the Call, is he not? Maybe he hears traces of it within you. Maybe he knows it's going to happen. Maybe you're his secret hidden weapon. You'll save the canyon. Then you'll be given a feral-shard and evolve into a Charmeleon. And I'll have all the honors of witnessing it happen. Let's make that future come true.
And what if it doesn't happen? Char said, idly stroking the Espeon's back just as he always did. What if I can't use the Call tomorrow? What if I can't save anyone?
Then I'll barge in on Enigma and give her exactly as much misery as she inflicted on you, Aster fiercely declared. And I'll steal a feral-shard from the fortress so you get to evolve anyway. Nobody gets away with hurting you. No more. Never again.
As the time passed and it seemed unlikely that Legend would return, or anyone else for that matter, the two partners agreed that they needed their rest for whatever was going to happen tomorrow. They settled down on the red sleeping-mat. Immediately, the glow-lights dimmed down to a fourth of their brightness, and they cuddled together. Char rested his head against Aster's neck, curling his tail around to his front to protect her from accidentally getting burned. He felt her warmth, the radiance of her devotion in her mind-waves, and her pure, childlike joy for finding a worthy master for the first time in probably centuries.
Her joy was infectious. Her happiness stoked his inner ember to a proud blaze, making him feel wanted, safe, and content. The stress and uncertainty of Basin Canyon sizzled away to nothing when wrapped in Aster's embrace.
But at the same time, a little worm of a thought crept in. A little tiny doubt.
Did he really deserve to be treated this way? Even Scythe, with all his warrior's honor and devotion to the human in him, wasn't so outspoken about calling himself an inferior being. Saura had always been deeply devoted too, declaring his allegiance to his 'human trainer' on the very first day they met. But that devotion manifested as only a strong friendship and partnership, and Char truly felt like Saura's equal.
Aster was something else. Something much, much different. To her, this was no mere matter of friendship. This was a serious matter to her. She had millenniums of experience in service to a single human. She had millenniums to decide upon the best way to be, what she considered, a perfect companion, partner, servant, and apparently even a girlfriend all at the same time. And she seemed determined to pour all of that boundless loyalty upon Char all at once, and showed no signs of stopping.
Was it really okay to enjoy that? Was it selfish? Or was it really so easy just to make her happy?
The Master had apparently done great things to maybe deserve that sort of loyalty – things like commanding the power of gods and claiming rule of an entire continent. Char hadn't yet done anything of the sort. He had the feeling that maybe the human version of himself deserved this level of respect – he who befriended the creation gods and tried to wrangle control over a timeline – but that had very little to do with whomever he was now.
As much as Char was beginning to deeply enjoy being treated as the honorary new Master of Ambera, he found himself asking: what was the catch?
"I know I won't have you forever," Aster whispered sweetly into Char's ear. "But while you're around, I want you to know that I love you, just as I loved him. And just as I was at his side until the very end, I will always be at yours."
"Aster," Char tried to say, suddenly feeling very uncertain and uncomfortable. The words 'I love you' were not always easy to say, even when he did kind of want to say them.
"Shh. Don't you dare feel like you need to say anything back," she told him, curling her tail around surprisingly close to his fire. "Everything I give you, I offer freely. I ask nothing in return. So just relax, let go of your words, and listen to mine, as I say: I love you, I love you. Whether you love me, or you hate me, or you merely find me useful, it matters not. There is nothing you can give to me that I do not already have. But I have everything to give. I only wish for a master who is willing to receive it."
Hearing such professions and promises of the Pokémon closest to him – this amazingly selfless Espeon whom he was admittedly starting to really fall for – it sparked a particular memory. He remembered something which Eva once told him on the first night they cuddled together like this. It made him decide to accept her as a partner in the first place: the moment she dispelled a certain fear and uncertainty with one single promise.
He wondered if that promise were still true.
"I can try to be that master the best that I can," Char sighed. "But there's something I need to ask."
"Yes, master?" she said, her voice trembling with affection.
"I remember when I first started to be your master," he said, reminiscing on a warm memory. "There was something you told me. You said to me… if Saura ever came back… you promised you'd let him have his position back as my partner. And let him have his place back in my room. Is that… still true?"
Char couldn't see her face, so he couldn't read her reaction. But he felt her body tremble, he felt a sudden throb of her heart, and he felt her hold him tighter.
She answered in a charged whisper, as though she were angry at herself. "Char… If… if you ever catch me breaking a vow I made you… any vow, no matter how insignificant… I want you to brainwash me into feeling eternal remorse over it. Because that's exactly what I would deserve. Of course I would never get between you and Saura. Remember, I once shared the Master with five other immortal Pokémon, so I understand how it works. I know what you mean to one another, and I know my place."
Hearing Aster reiterate this promise, Char felt the reservations in his heart dissolve away, just like they had on the first night she spoke it. It was enough to let his body relax, sinking deeper into the Espeon's fur and into the fireproof mat beneath the two of them. He thanked her, and soon thereafter drifted to sleep, feeling like maybe everything was going to be okay.
Char had no idea how long he'd peacefully slept. After all that he'd been through that night, all the dread about what was to come, it felt like at least twelve hours, even though Char knew it couldn't have been even half of that amount of time.
He woke up in the middle of his rest when he felt like something was wrong. Aster wasn't there anymore. The comfort she offered was the reason he slept so well, so he somehow knew the moment something happened to her. He stirred awake, reaching for Espeon fur that was no longer there. He blinked his eyes open to find that the room was now barely lit at all, the glowstones having turned down to barely the level of a night-light. His own tail flame was brighter. And still, Legend hadn't yet returned.
"Eva…?" He whispered quietly. "Aster?" he called, quickly correcting himself.
Then he saw her. She was sitting a few steps away, near the basket of cloth at the side of the room.
She was wide awake. Her eyes were huge. Her body was visibly shaking. Her claws were drawn. Her fur stood entirely on end and almost made her look sharp to the touch. Char hadn't seen her this stressed before, except for perhaps the time she almost got left behind in the Quarry dungeon. She stared agape at nothing, as though she'd just witnessed something that would scar her for life.
"Aster, are you alright? What's wrong?" Char called to her.
"Nightmare…" she absently muttered. "Very bad nightmare…"
"Yeah? What happened?" Char wondered.
Aster forced herself to look at the Charmander, tearing her gaze from her faraway thoughts and visions. "Sometimes I have terrible dreams when something is happening," she said blankly. For a few moments, her eyes seemed drawn to Char's tail flame.
Char shuddered at the eerie ring in her voice. "When something is happening?" he repeated. "What are you talking about…? Do you think you saw a vision of the future?"
"Sometimes… I know when things happen… terrible things…" she whispered. "Not premonitions of the future, but echoes of the very present. Something is happening right now, so far away that I have no control over the outcome… I can only sit here and know that somewhere else on Ambera, disaster strikes… and there's nothing either of us can do about it."
"Wait, you don't think… something's happening at the Gold Division right now?" Char gasped in panic, jumping completely awake. "You don't think Cepheus is attacking the base? Or Adiel? While all of our best warriors are over here? Oh, great Arceus… is that why Scythe stayed back? Because he knew something like this could happen? Team Ember is in danger! We have to get back to the base! We have to do something!"
But Aster quickly shook her head. "No. Not the Gold Division," she said. "Somewhere even further away. And I can't… do anything. It's completely out of my control, no matter how much I would have wanted to stop it. I can only just let it happen. Why do I have such a useless power… such a useless, useless power…"
She bitterly dug her claws into the stone floor. Char realized the blank gaze on her face was one of guilt. Soul-crushing guilt. As though she somehow considered it her responsibility to stop this supposed far-off catastrophe. As though being an immortal Pokémon meant having a role of guardianship over the land.
He felt an odd sort of relief at knowing the Gold Division was safe, at least from this particular crisis. He also felt intrigued at this power which Aster seemed to describe, but figured now wasn't the best time to ask about it. "Come back to bed," he bid her. "It's okay. No time to lose sleep over things you can't change. Maybe we'll find out about what happened later. But right now, we need our rest."
"Yes, master," she said blankly, as she obviously still tried to replay the nightmare over again in her mind, dwelling on the futility of it. Following orders, she took several slow, robotic steps back to Char's side. Char noticed her staring at his tail flame again, as though trying to use its light to burn the visions out of her mind, before she cuddled back around him.
"I'm sorry…" she said in a broken voice, clinging to him. "I'm so sorry, Char… I'm so sorry…"
"It's not your fault," Char said, trying to soothe her. "Just relax. Maybe it was just a nightmare."
"A nightmare that makes me worry I'll lose you," she sobbed softly. "I know what I said yesterday… I know I said you don't need to say anything. But please tell me you'll never let me go. You don't even have to mean it. You don't even have to be sure. Just, please. I need to hear you say it right now. Please."
"I'll never let you go," Char said without hesitation, happy to console her worries and return the favor for everything she said to him last night. "And I mean it. I want to be your master forever."
"Thank you," she whispered.
And without another word, Char and Aster fell deep into a sleep once more, not to awaken again until the fateful battle of Basin Canyon would begin.
Grayleaf Reserve
Saura peered out from his den at the crack of dawn. He knew he couldn't waste a single moment of this fateful day.
"Alright, this is our last chance," Saura whispered to his brother and sister. "Whatever we can do to protect the family, we have to do it today. And the only traps we haven't set yet are the ghost-zapper traps."
"I hope we don't get attacked by ghosts," Saurlee whispered with a shudder. "That'd be too scary…"
"Yeah, I know, but we have to do what we can," Saura replied, still blinking off the grogginess from the short night's rest. "The Redeemer says that he doesn't know what attacks us. That means, whatever it is, it doesn't leave traces. So unfortunately we might be up against ghosts."
Saurvor frowned. "Do you really think we can set them up in time? If the danger is supposed to come today, we have no idea how much time we have left."
"That's why we've got to rush into town, get those glass orbs that dad needs us to get, and rush home as fast as we can," Saura insisted. "I think the forest is safe. We can't waste any time. I think we can get some in Purevine, and we could easily get there and back in just a few hours. Ready to go?"
"Yeaaah, ready as I'm getting, I guess," Saurvor said with a massive yawn. "Last big mission for Team Grayleaf, huh?"
"Yeah, that's the idea," Saura replied, looking back at the rest of his family, all still sleeping. "I still have no idea what's going to happen… but if there are Pokémon trying to attack us, the traps we set should give us an edge. And then hopefully the danger will be gone… and everything will go back to normal."
The little Bulbasaur girl tilted her head. "Saura, didn't you ask your old friends for help?" she wondered. "How come they never answered?"
Saura shrugged. "Maybe they were busy," he said. "Maybe they forgot to check their mail. I don't know. It would have been nice to see Char again, but… guess it's just up to us now. C'mon, let's go."
The three children tiptoed into the dark, chilly morning. Saura had to orient himself for a moment, remembering which road he needed to take to get to Purevine Village, the place where he'd reunited with his father, as well as the place where he'd seen Char for the very last time.
Some deep, dark part of his soul had still been afraid of Char's fire. At least, if the Watcher visions were to be believed. But that morning, with the threat of some mysterious danger, he would have given anything to have the warmth and protection of Char's fire at his side again.
Half an hour down the road, the sun was rising far too slowly, but at the same time, not slowly enough. Though the forest was still dark and chilly in the brink-of-morning shadows, Saura heard the birds starting to awaken and sing in the trees on this early-autumn day. He recognized the songs of the Pidgey, with the trills and wobbles of their voices reminding him of a very intelligent talking Pidgey he himself once befriended. He'd encountered that Pidgey in some of his dreams and tried asking it for advice, but the Pidgey only ever sang songs back to him.
Saura was really starting to hate his dreams. They were never useful. They only ever brought him panic and stress, even now when he'd stop having the recurring nightmare about the forest burning.
But he supposed that's just what happens when you get touched by a Watcher; you don't get to decide what happens to you. Still, he rued fate for not letting him have prophetic dreams, or something that could have helped him in the long run.
Well, there was that one dream that seemed helpful. Or at least, it seemed like it was trying to be helpful, though it hadn't really succeeded: that one where a wise, eccentric Nidoking told him he could figure out exactly what was going on.
"I gave you a big hint," the dream had told him. "Don't think of what I said. Think of what I did."
And oh, he had. He'd gone over his encounter with The Redeemer a dozen times, at least. He remembered Charon, the Redeemer's ghost companion, who threatened him with a circle of fire. He remembered the encounter with the Redeemer. He remembered the way the Redeemer led him down the same path he walked on the night he met Char. He remembered the Redeemer guiding him and Saurvor through the Gravelerock Tunnel dungeon. He remembered trying to outrun some Pokémon who were chasing them. He remembered the Redeemer drawing in the dirt with his staff, trying to explain how the timeline worked.
And… that was it. He didn't remember anything else. Was he missing something? Or was the dream itself just speaking nonsense and trying to grasp at straws?
An hour down the road, and the trio was almost at the edge of the forest. They'd reach Purevine Village in only about half an hour more. The forest was waking up now, with all the forest's different kinds of birds singing in the treetops, the bug-types all zipping and crawling between the shrubs, and the Deerling and Rhyhorn lumbering across the meadows in their family packs.
Are all the animals of the forest in the same danger as we are? Saura wondered. How many of them are going to die by the end of today? Or is the danger only after us, specifically? Can it single us out, the only family of civil Pokémon in the whole forest?
"Ahh, I still have no idea what I'm going to tell my guild when I get back," Saurvor groaned. "Oh yeah, I'm sure it'll be great when I tell them I just had to take some time off and stop some cosmic disturbance from wiping out my family. I'm sure they'll totally believe me."
"Brother, if you're going to lose your job over this, I'm really sorry," said Saura earnestly. "But I'm really grateful you stayed to help. Ever since quitting my job, I've started to realize I don't really enjoy doing things all by myself. I'm happier when I have a team."
"You make a great team leader, big brother!" cheered Saurlee. "You always have a plan and you know just what to do!"
"Don't say that yet, not until the family is safe," Saura reminded her. "For all we know, I didn't help at all. Not until we see what's going to attack us. But I get the feeling you're going to be the real hero of this story, Saurlee!"
"Me?" she gasped. "What did I do?"
"What did you do?" Saurvor repeated in disbelief. "You helped us make so many of those traps, Saurlee! You made even more of them than me! Just wait until Father hears what kind of natural gardener you are!"
"Oh… oh yeah…" Saurlee said with a strange faraway voice.
Saura's ear twitched. He glanced over at his little sister with sudden concern. Saurlee returned a wide-eyed gaze of worry. Or maybe it was shame. She glanced suspiciously at Saurvor.
"Hey, big brother…? Can I tell you a secret?" Saurlee said meekly.
"Um… sure?" Saura answered. "What is it?"
"I mean… can I tell you a secret? Without Saurvor hearing?" she said oddly, suddenly looking very nervous. "It's kind of a big secret."
Saura exchanged a shrug with his older brother. Saurvor hung back on the road, giving Saura and Saurlee enough distance to be out of earshot.
"Alright, Saurlee, what is it?" Saura said again, not sure whether to be worried or amused. "What's the big secret?"
Saurlee pawed at the ground. She looked up at her brother with big, bashful eyes. "I… Brother, I… I don't think I actually built all of those traps."
"What do you mean?" Saura said, stopping in his tracks and staring at her in deep concern.
"And that's not all. I… I… I don't think I made those gardens, either." Saurlee confessed.
"Saurlee, what are you talking about…?" Saura croaked. "You didn't… but… wait, how come you told me you made them? Saurvor made them, didn't he? You were just trying to impress me, right?"
Saurlee looked mortified to say anything more. But she pawed at the ground again and finally admitted to her brother: "I'm so sorry, Saura. I said I made them because the forest told me to say that."
"The forest… told you…" Saura muttered blankly, looking at Saurlee like she was crazy.
And finally, in that moment, everything clicked together, and Saura understood exactly what was happening.
In that same moment, the forest – the entire forest – went dead silent. The birds stopped singing. The rodents stopped their rummaging. Even the breeze through the treetops stopped, and the leaves and branches stood in a haunting, otherworldly standstill.
Saura took a step back, and glanced around at the forest, trying desperately to convince himself he was having another one of his nightmares.
The birds in the trees were all staring directly at him, with evil intent in their eyes.
His heart stopped. But only for a moment. As quickly as the panic had set in, Saura took a gasp of breath, threw a vine-lasso around Saurlee's bulb, and dashed back to his older brother as fast as he could, pulling Saurlee along.
Saurvor was still meandering along, seemingly unaware that the entire forest had become frozen in time around him. He smiled at Saurlee and was about to say something, but Saura's desperate shout cut him off.
"Saurvor!" he cried. "I need you to go back to the den and get everyone out of the forest. Right now."
"Wait, but the traps?" Saurvor returned.
"FORGET THE TRAPS!" Saura nearly shrieked. He had to take two deep breaths before he continued. "Saurvor. Look. I'm dead serious. You run back to the den as fast as you can. And you get everyone out. I don't care what you have to tell them. I don't care if you have to tell them the forest is on fire. But you do whatever it takes and get them all out, and you meet me at Purevine Village. Understand?"
"Uh, no? I don't understand?" Saurvor said awkwardly.
"I'll explain everything when we're all together again, I promise," Saura replied. "There's no time to explain, but the danger is here. Just go. I'll get Saurlee out. You go with the others. Alright?"
"Alright, brother," Saurvor said with a nod. "I'll do my best."
As the Ivysaur took off running, Saura pulled his little sister in the opposite direction, yanking her along as fast as her little legs could carry her.
"What's going on?" Saurlee cried, struggling to keep up. "It wasn't that bad of a secret, was it?"
"Saurlee, we're all in big trouble," Saura gasped, pulling her along. "The forest was never in danger, Saurlee. The forest is the danger. Grayleaf Reserve is a mystery dungeon. I don't know how long it's been this way. Maybe all of our lives, I don't know. But it's not safe anymore. We have to get out now. Oh Arceus, I bet that's why the Master didn't want to send us help! They knew! They knew all along!"
"Brother, I'm scared," Saurlee whimpered.
"Stay close," Saura told her. "I'll protect you. We'll get out of here. I promise."
The forest looked so different now as it reeled past. So frighteningly familiar, yet so disturbingly different. As though Saura was only just now noticing how all the leafless branches in the trees were shaped like raptor-talons, or how all the dewdrops on the shrubs glistened like caustic acid, or how the tree-roots slithered beneath the soil like tentacles. He kept Saurlee as close as possible and followed the path, hoping it still led out of the forest the same way it always did. But it seemed like the forest was just repeating itself now… he already saw Saurlee's garden copied twice on the sides of the road, and thought he saw the little twigs sticking out of the soil indicating the traps they'd spent the prior days building.
He ignored them and kept pushing forward. He tried to ignore everything, hoping that the Pidgey wouldn't start dive-bombing them. He didn't know how many birds he could fend off all by himself.
But as the trail ran into a huge grassy clearing, Saura had to dig his paws into the dirt and grind to a stop. In the middle of the clearing, staring straight at the two small Bulbasaur, was a large, powerful Rhyhorn, eyeing them intently.
Before Saura could decide on an escape route, the Rhyhorn charged at him.
Basin Canyon
The day of the settlement had arrived.
The air was filled with a strange blend of hope and doom as Legend came to take Char to the Firehall the next morning, where all of the canyon's inhabitants quietly waited. Aster had quickly escaped down the hole in the floor to remain unseen.
How are you going to get back up through the ceiling? Char telepathically called to her before she was out of reach.
Sheer leg strength, she replied. I can make the jump with some effort. Don't worry about me. Come back and call for me as soon as you are able.
I will, Char promised.
Char glanced once more at the stunning Sandslash architecture as he passed by. It looked no different than it had the prior night; they were too deep for sunlight to reach, so it all looked like the same softly-lit temple chambers, or perhaps something more like the torch-lit, deserted ruins of an ancient pyramid. Char wondered if any of it would remain standing by the end of the day, or if it would all come crashing down from the inevitable attack.
"There's only one viable way to attack the canyon," Legend explained as he carried Char through the magnificent halls and chambers of the soon-to-be battleground. "If Cepheus intends to get in, he's coming in through the Firehall."
"Wait, there's an entrance in the Firehall? To the outside? Really?" Char asked.
"Yes and no," Legend said, carrying Char through what he vaguely recognized as the same series of tunnels. "He will have to break down the wall. But it is the only vulnerable point in the Canyon's walls; the rest is reinforced with a kind of diamond-onyx filament which the Sandslash invented. Certainly our foes could expand the effort to break it down if they wanted, but it would make noise and alert us to their efforts long before they could breach the wall. Instead, we left Cepheus an opening, so we could be sure where he would attack. Adarc's idea."
"So we're going to the Firehall now?" Char asked with a twinge of worry, but also a blaze of eagerness to see the giant fire again. "You're taking me to the front lines?"
"I will take you to the front lines, because we will likely know in moments what our odds of victory are," Legend said. "If it turns out they are unfavorable… we will easily have enough of a chance to escape."
The Firehall was just as dreamlike and gorgeous as Char remembered it. Everything within the great chamber was drowned in the deep colors of sunset, but with a glowing, ever-changing glimmer like boiling lava. If nothing else, it made Char feel like he was in his natural element as soon as he stepped into the room, and he wondered if Prince, Legend, Daemon, or any of the other fire-types among the elite teams felt the same way.
Because the elite teams were there. They were all there. All stationed in orderly rows and groups in the center of the room, facing the great wall which supposedly was the only weak point of the entire complex – the wall opposite of the fire, the very one where Adarc had been giving his final presentation. Char wondered why the fiery wall wasn't chosen as their line of defense – the fire itself seemed mighty enough to deter attackers from trying to cross through it – but Char realized everyone would need to squint to even see their attackers in that case.
Adarc stood front-and-center. The other teams – Team Remorse, Team Flamewheel, Team Absolution, Team Righteous, and a few others Char didn't recognize – all were stationed at pre-determined positions, ready to execute their plans of channeling and drawing attackers down into the dangerous tunnels to be swallowed up by the mighty Basin Canyon mystery dungeon, where they would be rendered harmless. Even the seven Sandslash princes were there, standing in anticipation of the ensuing battle.
And for a moment, all was quiet. Peaceful, even. Char had to dismount from Legend, who had been given his own orders. Instead he found Prince and held his hand.
And they waited for the breach.
"Alright, Cepehus!" Adarc shouted at the wall. "Go on, then. Play your hand. We're ready for you!"
"Oh, are you?" said a sudden, booming voice from the other end of the room, near the wall of fire. "At last. I was only awaiting your permission, after all."
The warriors in the room, all fifty or so of them, turned to behold the most horrifying sight. There was Cepheus, of course, standing against the backdrop of the mighty fire, with barely even his silhouette visible against the blinding fire. But in front of him… there were Pokémon. Hundreds and hundreds of Pokémon. Filling the room. Rhyperior. Excadrill. Swampert. Just rows, and rows, and rows of Pokémon, having appeared out of absolutely nowhere – standing still and awaiting their orders.
Char felt the collective bursting of hearts. The enemy Pokémon had even appeared between the ranks and files of the Gold Division warriors, separating them all and breaking up their groups.
"Well. After giving you so much time to prepare, I'll admit – I was expecting something more," Cepheus said, sauntering casually down the aisle between his waiting forces. As he stepped closer, Char could start to make out his massive, intimidating stature. He began to notice the coat of rough-silvery armor, the black-red warlord robes, and the dozens of enchanted rings and bands and objects he'd seemed to have stacked onto himself wherever they would fit. He was certainly dressed for the occasion.
"But I suppose I will admit… you've given me one singular surprise, at least," Cepheus told the tense group of Pokémon now starting to cower before the sheer number of enemy forces. He pointed a claw at the Scyther at the front of the group. "It took me a shamefully long time to realize that you are not Adron," Cepheus said. "Incredible. I thought for certain he was here, and this was his doing; I only discovered the truth about twenty days ago. So I will applaud that effort. Well done. Fortunately, now that I know this isn't the work of Adron, I no longer need to tread so carefully."
He strode closer, until he was nearly standing among the Gold Division warriors – yet still comfortably surrounded by his own forces. "And now I suppose that before everything comes crashing down upon your heads, you'd like to know how I've done it. And I'll admit, it wasn't so easy to formulate the plan this time, but things somewhat fell together in the end. See… I found your supplier of invisify seeds. A little place called Ingrain Town, yes? I paid them off, I took control of their economy, and I helped myself to as many invisify seeds as I wanted. I used them to sneak Pokémon into the canyon's walls, day and night, for weeks. Crobat did most of the work, as did other flying-types, so they would not leave too many footprints or traces on the floors and walls. And little by little, night by night…"
He pulled something out of his robe – something like a large golden coin – and held it high for all to see, its shiny surface glinting in the firelight.
"We made over five hundred teleport compasses from Poké-coins. The army you are seeing in this room… less than half of the Pokémon who've come to visit today. The rest are thoroughly infiltrating the entire canyon as we speak. Yes, and I've also cracked your codes. I know where the safe hallways are. We lost several spies to the dungeons, but we found the main entrances. And so… that brings us to here and now."
Cepheus stood closest to Kain, grinning evilly at the Luxray, as though to intimidate him with the type advantage. Kain scowled back at him, but Char could tell he, like everyone else in the room, was utterly heartbroken.
"I'll give you all two minutes of a head-start," he said. "I suggest you use the time to vacate the canyon. I'd prefer that you live to tell the tale of your crushing defeat here. But if you absolutely must stay and die for a hopeless cause, I'll be happy to oblige. And your time begins now."
The enemy Pokémon stood absolutely still as the Gold Division warriors broke apart in a mad, panicked scramble. Some of them even attacked – Char noticed Nidoroch punching a Sceptile in the face – but Cepheus's soldiers did not lift a claw to fight back, dutifully standing in wait for their attack order.
Char had a sudden thought. He broke away from Prince and rushed through the crowd, right up to the feet of Cepheus himself. The Nidoking warlord noticed him instantly, and grinned down in amusement.
"I knew it," Char shouted definitely at him. "I knew there was a traitor! Nobody believed me, but I knew!"
Cepheus squinted oddly. "I'm afraid you're quite mistaken, little lizard," he scoffed. "While yes, hiring double-agents is my favorite modus operandi, I did not find it necessary for this operation. I'm afraid your loss of the Canyon is solely on your heads this time." With an odd smirk, Cepheus then shouted an order at the surrounding Pokémon: "Spare the Charmander's life. No need to slay a child." And then to Char again, "I still suggest you leave while you have the chance. Even though nobody is going to kill you on purpose, I can't promise your safety."
And so, Char fled.
He didn't bother looking for Legend. There was no sense. The Gold Division warriors had absolutely dispersed by now, and there were too many enemy soldiers standing in the way to see what they were doing. But Char knew the way back to Legend's room, and that's where he fled, dropping to all-fours and pushing himself to run faster than he'd ever run before, his blazing tail streaking brightly behind him.
Halfway to Legend's room, he heard the moment when Cepheus gave the attack order. Though there were no Pokémon close by, he heard the battle begin… the crashes, the explosions, the shouts and cries of dozens of Pokémon… he felt the floor shake from powerful attacks…
But he kept running. He didn't stop until he reached Legend's room, where he dashed around the corner and in through the doorway, stopping to catch his breath for a moment.
Aster! He called with alarm. Aster, Marrow was right. The canyon is doomed… it's too early for the Call to happen, and Cepheus is here… We have to leave!
Aster, however, was no longer on the floor below. She crawled out from her hiding space behind the supply baskets in the corner of the room.
"So that's… it?" She said blankly. "We just… leave? Right now?"
"Yes. We have to leave," Char urged. "The enemies are attacking. Soon they'll be all over the canyon. I don't know how many of our teams are going to run away or stay and fight."
There was a noise of footsteps outside the door. Without thinking, Char dashed down into the hole in the floor, and Aster followed close behind. He clung to her for a second, not knowing which way to run. The earthquakes were only intensifying by the minute.
The nearby footsteps became louder, until Marrow dropped down through the hole.
"Yep, 's what I thought," he sighed, twirling his favorite club in his hand. "We never stood a chance. Guess all that's left is show you the way to the exit."
"Marrow… I'm sorry," Char said quickly. "But… can't you escape with us? You don't have to stay here…"
"Like I said, either I die a martyr, or I live a coward," he grunted. "And I'm not livin' as no coward. Now shut your face and listen. That way –" he pointed down one direction of the dark hallway "—that goes into the dungeon. It's one of the decoy paths, actually. The other way goes to the exit. So if you stay behind me, I can probably get you outta here. No promises, though. But I'll do the best I can."
Marrow held his bone club at the ready, and led the way down the hall, with Char and Aster sticking close behind them. The walls of the canyon rattled hard, shaking loose rubble from the walls.
"…Oop. On second thought, can't go that way," Marrow said suddenly. "I can feel them comin'. We're stuck. Gotta go into the dungeon. It's the only way."
Char bit his tongue and glanced at the Espeon beside him. In rueful telepathy, he said, Can you still go save Legend?
Aster trembled in surprise. Yes, but…
Then do it, Char decided. Go. Find Legend and make sure he gets out alive. Marrow and I are going into the mystery dungeon. And the last thing I want is to get you trapped down there. Will you do that for me, Aster?
…Yes, master, she said sadly. I will do as you wish. But you'd better come back to me alive. If I get Legend out, I'm coming back for you.
Fine. Just go, Char told her. And I will do everything in my power to get back in one piece.
Casting one last regretful look, Aster turned around and dashed behind Char, jumping up through the hole in the ceiling even before he had a chance to turn around and watch her leave.
"Eva's run off somewhere," Char told Marrow. "It's just you and me now."
"Bah. Good. Still not entirely convinced she wasn't the traitor, to be honest," Marrow growled, adjusting his helmet and leading Char in the other direction.
"Wait, Marrow," Char said. "There was no traitor."
"Huh…" Marrow said, stopping to think for a minute. "What makes you say so?"
"Because I uh… because Cepheus himself told me, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't lying," Char replied.
Marrow kept walking, staring at the wall in silence for a moment. "But… that makes no godforsaken sense!" he growled, smashing the wall with his club in frustration. "I know someone erased my memories! I even feel the gap in my brain where there should be somethin' important! And even Eva said so herself! If Cepheus wasn't in on it… then what in the blazes…"
The floor rumbled again. Char heard voices and footsteps echoing down from the hall behind them, coming fast.
Then, the Marowak had a moment of clarity.
The odd behavior from Scythe. The memory erasure. The fateful missions that Scythe didn't seem to want to be a part of.
It all flashed before him. Suddenly everything made sense. The answers were laid bare before his eyes.
"Char, got a favor to ask of ya'," he said offhandedly, like they weren't standing in the middle of the apocalypse. "If you get outta this alive… I need you to make me a promise."
"Uh… what is it?" Char replied.
His eye glinted at Char through his helmet. "I need you to make Scythe laugh. Old bug hasn't laughed in a long time, so I think he just needs someone to brighten up his day. Alright? Can ya' do that?"
Char was utterly baffled by the request. "What are you… why? What?" he only sputtered out.
"Oh for the love of Groudon!" Marrow growled. "Look, I'm about to sacrifice myself to save you. They're way too close. There's no way we're going to outrun them, so now I've gotta stay back and hold them off so you can get into the dungeon. The least you can do is to honor my dying wish."
For a moment, Char wanted to protest. Tell Marrow he wasn't going to die. Tell Marrow they could still make it.
But Char saw the dire look in his eyes, the look of finality and acceptance. Marrow knew what he was saying.
So then, instead of arguing, Char gulped down his pride and said, "Alright, Marrow. If I make it out of here alive… I'll make Scythe laugh for you. Promise."
Marrow nodded. "Good," he grunted. He turned in the direction of the oncoming stampede of enemy Pokémon, poising himself in a battle stance with his club held behind him. Ready to go up against an army all alone. "Thank you. Now I can die happy. Ah, heh-heh. Scythe would be so proud of me right now, knowing I solved the puzzle. Now go, or they'll catch you and make this all for nothin'."
"I'm sorry," Char could only say in a soft solemn voice, looking back at him one more time. "Goodbye, Marrow." Then, he dropped back on all fours and took off, leaving Marrow alone and running deep into the tunnel. He cursed himself for abandoning him, for failing to trigger the Call and saving everyone, for failing to do anything useful… but he knew that it was not the time to dwell. So he said nothing more, and focused on his escape.
"Oh! And hey, Char!" Marrow called back, just before he was out of earshot. "Enjoy bein' a dragon, alright? I hear it's a ton of fun."
And that was the last Char heard of him.
He didn't know how long he ran. It didn't feel like much time. He kept waiting for the tingle of the mystery dungeon to overwhelm him, letting him know he'd breached the entrance to the deep, dark chasm that threatened to swallow him alive with a single step. He realized he still had one of the reviver seeds tucked beneath his rescue-emblem scarf; he had no idea what had happened to the other one. And that was all he had: one rescue emblem, one reviver seed, and one mobile scarf. That was all that stood between him and the unfortunate end of his journey, the end of his ill-fated plan to possibly save the world. And he hated that despite all the friends and partners and teammates he'd met since becoming a Charmander, he would meet the end of his journey all alone.
Now, Char kept running for as long as he could. But at one point, he realized the Pokémon behind him were gaining fast. They'd gotten well past Marrow.
The tunnel just kept going and going. The mystery dungeon was nowhere to be seen.
Char realized in horror what he needed to do.
He waited until he could see the eyes of the ensuing Swampert and Aggron.
He took one last deep, fateful breath…
He prayed to Arceus, he prayed to his human self and whatever plan he had, and he prayed to his inner ember not to fail him until the bitter end.
He willed himself to drop through the floor.
And so, Char fell.
Chapter 79: Twitch reading on April 18th, publication on April 19th
Chapter 80: Twitch reading on April 25th, publication on April 26th
Twitch readings are planned for Mondays at 7:30 PM US Central time.
While Twitch readings are subject to possible delay or cancellation, publications will always occur as planned.