Chapter 12
Etcher Ravine S1
Spirits were high as Char and Saura led the massive team into the Etcher Ravine. The six members marched proudly across the border of the Mystery Dungeon, not looking back.
The Etcher Ravine was a long, narrow canyon with a small but violent river running through the center of the valley's floor. From wall to wall, a lush, humid garden of trees and vines sprouted up around the stream—many budding with colorful flowers and fruit. Even though the environment was so inviting, Char found himself a little nervous on the venture; it was a very difficult place to find one's way through. Not only were the bushes and saplings often difficult to push past, but the ravine walls themselves cast the whole place into an eerie twilight—even though it was already mid-morning by the time they arrived. Ultimately, though, Char wasn't worried; as the little Shinx had said, there was no way they could lose today.
To add to everything, the solemn silence that had taken up most of Char's trip through the Jaded Woods was replaced by the constant banter between the team members. It was like a party! Even Scythe seemed cheerier than normal, and the tag-alongs took every opportunity to chat with him.
Before long, the group had met their first wild opponent. To Char's horror, it wasn't anything he'd expected to meet in the dungeon the night before. It was an Azumarill—a water creature. It had been trying to climb a tree when the oversized resistance team barged into its territory, and it immediately dropped to the ground in a hostile stance.
"Hey, look!" Leo shouted. "It's one of those big water mouses! I forget what they're called! Who wants to fight it?"
"Uh… wait!" Char said, a lump now lodged in his throat. "What's that doing here? A water Pokémon? I thought there would be more plant Pokémon here, not this!"
"Oh, yeah!" Taka said. "Etcher Ravine is home to a lot of water Pokémon—Marill, Quagsire, Poliwag... Don't you research your dungeons before you go out?"
"Uh…" Char answered, slowly backing away as the Azumarill centered its gaze on him. "It's looking at me all funny! What do I do?"
The mouse took aim at Char, and with a mighty squeak, unleashed a stream of water at him. Overcome by panic, Char dove for cover behind Scythe as fast as he could.
"AHH!" he cried. "HELP!"
"Let me try this!" Saura said, stepping up into Char's place. "The perfect place to use my new move!"
Saura squatted with his front legs, lowering his head and pointing the tip of his bulb forward at the enemy. He focused, and soon the bulb began to vibrate with built-up energy. As the energy got more intense, Saura closed his eyes…
A shower of tiny projectiles erupted from the tip of the bulb and flew towards the enemy.
Saura opened his eyes to find that some nearby trees now had a few punctures in their bark where the bullets had landed, but the enemy itself was unharmed.
"It missed?" Saura said in disbelief. "Aww, come on!"
"You really thought you could aim with your eyes closed?" Taka laughed. "That move is next to impossible to hit with as it is. But good job learning it! It's something I've still got to do."
As Saura stared with disappointment at the results of his failed attack, Leo stepped up next to him.
"My turn!" he shouted.
Leo gritted his teeth in concentration. His fur stood on end, and some yellow bolts of static electricity rippled across his form as he charged energy. Before the Azumarill could dodge, Leo released a bright static spark at the creature. The water mouse screeched in surprise as it was violently electrocuted. With eyes frozen wide, it collapsed backward onto the ground. Leo followed up by quickly slamming the creature with a headbutt, sending it flying a few feet and tumbling against the trunk of a tree.
But the Azumarill was strong. It soon recovered and was back onto its feet, even though it was still clearly rattled from the attack.
"Hey, hey! Good job, Leo!" Saura shouted, surprised at the little guy's performance.
"I'm not so strong yet, but I'm getting good practice!" Leo answered with pride.
The mouse looked like it would retaliate, but it was unsure of itself.
"Alright," Taka said, stepping up to the front with the others. "I can finish it. Stand back!"
Taka cupped her hands together. As she slowly spread them apart, a glowing sphere of light materialized between her palms. It started at the size of a marble, but kept growing as she kept it balanced in front of herself.
"Whoa!" Saura said, watching in awe. "What's that?! How're you doing that?"
"Energy ball," Taka replied simply, trying to concentrate.
When the energy ball grew to be the size of her head, Taka thrust her hands forward to throw it. The Azumarill bounced to the side to evade it, but the ball swerved in mid-air and changed its course, connecting with the enemy in a brilliant explosion.
The next thing anyone saw, the mouse was upside-down and smashed into the side of a bush, the front of its body completely charred. Tears dripped from its eyes; it was out for the count.
Saura's mouth was agape. "You have got to teach me how to do that!" he cried, examining the completely debilitated animal from afar as it twitched and tried to free itself from the thorny twigs.
"Is it over?" Char yelped, still cowering behind Scythe's leg. With his eyes closed tight, he hadn't seen most of the battle.
"It's over," Saura told him. "You can come out now…"
"Scaredy-cat…" Taka added lightheartedly.
"Hey, I hate water, okay?" Char grumbled as he got up, a hint of shame in his face. "The last thing I want is to get hit in the tail with a water attack. Besides, I just wasn't expecting water Pokémon here…"
"Now you know the value of doing your homework," Scythe said. "You assumed there'd be plant Pokémon here, instead of looking it up for yourself. Thankfully, today, we're more than equipped for the water creatures. I don't think you have any reason to worry. Team Stripes came prepared."
"Yeah!" Leo said. "I eat water Pokémon for breakfast!"
"Heh heh, good for you," Scythe laughed. "Saura and Taka here also have an advantage over them, being plant creatures. Just keep a wary eye for the enemy, and you'll be fine."
"Yeah, Char," Saura said. "And remember what Domo said about panicking."
Ugh, just shut up about it, Char thought, his face growing warm from embarrassment.
Suddenly, Char gasped. Wearing a look of pure horror, he pointed up to the sky. "LOOK OUT! A PIDGEOT!" he yelled.
"AHHH!" Saura and Taka yelled in unison, casting panicked glances upward. "Where?! WHERE?!"
Terrified, they both leaped to Scythe's legs and held on tight. Char, however, was laughing so hard that he couldn't stand. What was even funnier, though, was how Scythe had also gotten a shot of adrenaline from the prank. For a moment, he'd cast a worried gaze to the sky, his scythes slightly raised in preparation for attack. But he'd dropped the stance and smirked at Char as soon as he realized the truth.
It wasn't long before Saura's expression of terror faded into a scowl. "Okay, Char. Very funny," he said, stepping away from Scythe. "Point taken, point taken…"
"Hmph," Taka said, crossing her arms and recovering from the humiliation.
After walking a little while longer, the team ran into a Poliwag. Char wanted to prove his courage by helping to defeat it, but ran for cover as soon as the tadpole blew a stream of bubbles at him. Saura stepped forward to swat it senseless with vines and knock it out of the way. After that, they stopped to rest for a while and eat before ending the first mile of their journey.
Etcher Ravine S2
"This dungeon is pretty straightforward," Char commented. "We just follow the river. How long is it, by the way?"
"Four miles," Taka said in a flat tone. "You know, it says this stuff right on the map."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, we need to do more research," Char said. "I got that already. But this is only our second mission, after all."
In this leg of the trip, the shrubs cleared up a little and allowed some breathing room in the cramped jungle. The ground here was mostly gravel, so the trees couldn't grow. Char was thankful for it; it meant that there weren't so many hiding places for Water Pokémon to jump out from.
"So far, so good," Saura said, taking a deep breath.
As they walked, Saura noticed something odd about Leo's face. At times, his facial expression would scrunch up, and he would squint as if he were getting the sun in his eyes.
"Uh… Leo? Are you okay?" Saura asked. "Is something wrong with your eyes?"
"I'm practicing!" Leo answered, squinting around again.
"Uh… practicing what?"
"If I try hard enough… sometimes I can see through stuff!" he replied.
"Whoa! That's cool," Saura said. "That's what Luxrays can do, you know."
"I know that," Leo said. "I'm not dumb. But it's hard. I have to focus really hard or it won't work. And there has to be lots of light… Hey! There's something! I think…"
"What is it?" Char asked, looking around. "What do you see?"
"There!" Leo said, pointing forward at a large stone. "I think there's a Pokémon there! Behind the rock!"
Eagerly bounding forward, Leo took a look around the large stone. As soon as he peeked, he jumped back and returned to the group. An angered Chikorita chased him out, frozen in surprise when it saw the whole group. With a startled "kiiu," it stood its ground and prepared to fight the trespassers.
"Chikorita, huh?" Taka said. "Hmm… those can be really strong."
"I'll fight it!" The little Shinx called, his fur starting to sparkle with static.
"Maybe you shouldn't, Leo," Taka suggested. "Plant Pokémon are resistant against your electric power. I know: let's give Char a chance to fight this one! I know he must be itching to fight something that's not going to spray him with water."
"Okay!" Leo said, calming his static and jumping behind Char and Saura. "Good luck, Char!"
Char took a small step toward the enemy, fists clenched. It would be his first real battle of the trip. He had figured out that plant Pokémon burn easily, thanks to his battle with the Bulbasaur and Taka's earlier remark, so he didn't expect to have much trouble.
"Go on, Char," Saura said encouragingly. "Show them all what you've got."
My fire, Char remembered. I need my fire to fight. My "Ember," it's called. Where is it? Is it going to help me this time?
The Chikorita struck first. Twirling its little leaf, it jumped into the air and flung something like a single green blade straight at Char. Before he could dodge, it struck its target, cutting a sizable gash in Char's stomach area. But the gash wasn't too deep, and it didn't seem to hurt all that much…
"Oww!" Char moaned, rubbing the wound.
I've got to focus here! Char said to himself. Yeah! Here we go. I need… emotion. I need to feel angry! Right! That Chikorita will pay for what it did to me! It has no right to injure me, the mighty and powerful Charmander! It will feel my fire! I will make it respect me!
It wasn't much, but Char felt it when the flame in his stomach started to rise and flare. The pleasant smell of smoke entered his mouth and his nostrils.
I did it! Char cheered to himself. I summoned my fire at will! All on my own! But… it's not very strong. Do I have to get even more annoyed than this?"
The Chikorita stood in its battle pose for a moment, examining the environment. Then, it leapt into the air, pivoted, and jumped into a shallow puddle of water which ran off from the main stream through the gravel underfoot. Little droplets of water rained down on Char, one causing a disturbing sting as it managed to strike his tail flame and turn to steam. It started slapping the water with its leaf, trying to keep Char at bay.
"Heh heh, smart," Scythe commented.
Oh… that is it! Char said to himself, immediately becoming infuriated with the enemy.
Char exhaled in the Chikorita's direction. He spewed a great bright ball of fire, bigger than any he'd produced yet, which completely engulfed the enemy and set its entire body ablaze.
"KIIIII!" it yelled, flailing wildly and trying to put the fire out in the puddle.
Oh no, you don't! Char thought again. I'm not done!
Char reared back and exhaled again. Another fireball of equal caliber came forth, lighting the Chikorita on fire all over again. Desperate, it leapt into the rushing stream. Char saw that its body was almost completely black, like a chunk of coal, as it bobbed in the surface and washed away.
Char turned back to the group, still panting from the experience. Black smoke bubbled from behind his teeth and through his tiny nostrils. Team Stripes let loose a cheer for him.
"That was awesome, Char!" Saura congratulated. "You're really getting the hang of using your fire!"
"Did you see that?!" Leo said. "His tail fire was as big as he was! And it turned blue on the inside!"
"Okay, remind me never to make you angry," Taka said, exaggerating a shudder. "I wouldn't be surprised if that poor thing doesn't even live!"
"Good work," Scythe said, smiling warmly to him.
Char looked down at himself in wonder. He stared at his light-orange underbelly, wondering how bright his inner Ember really could get. With enough battles, perhaps he'd find out…
Etcher Ravine S3
After another whole mile and dozens more battles, the team's morale hadn't changed one bit. Char even got to help with another battle against an annoying Nincada—it was fast, but it couldn't dodge Char's blasts of fire. Char felt more proud of himself the more he used his "Ember".
On the third mile, the trees and bushes closed in once again, making it hard at times to keep pushing forward. Scythe was more than happy to lend a hand, effortlessly slicing down the thicker clusters of plants to make a passage for the rest of the team.
This stretch was quite unusual; almost no wild Pokémon attacked. There was a Rattata and a Wooper, but they both fled without battling, and it was all anyone saw. The team wasn't complaining, though, especially Char, who stayed at the front of the line most of the time and held the lead.
After about an hour, everyone took another break to eat. Scythe encouraged them not to be afraid of eating their fill, as both bags held enough food to last them for the rest of the day, and even more hung on the trees all around them. After the short rest, it was back to crawling through the ravine.
As they walked, Leo started humming a catchy little melody.
What a great big world, a sight to behold,
What a perfect place to be!
What a great big world for life to unfold
and it's filled with mystery!
All my friends are gathered around
and it's such a sight to see,
and we work and play and get through the day
Like a great big family!
From the mountains to the parries,
The heavens down to the ground,
All the creatures great and small,
Our song makes the world go 'round!
It's a great big world, a sight to behold,
An enormous place to explore,
With the friends we make and treasure we take
Who could ask for something more?
In this world there's so much to do
And so much we can't understand,
But we work and play and get through the day
And we do the best we can!
In the mornings when we wake up,
And in the night as we lay,
All our spirits join together
In song, to sing our tears away!
The song quickly got stuck in Char's head.
"Leo's so adorable," Saura commented to Taka. "How'd a kid that young get into the resistance force, anyway?"
"I heard he was orphaned," Zachel said quietly. "His parents were killed in one of the Master's raids, and the good guys got there too late. Found him alone. Took him in. That was two or so years ago. He's been living with the resistance teams ever since. He only joined Team Stripes two months back."
"If that's the case, he sure is taking it well," Char said.
"Same thing I say," Zachel said. "Remarkable little kid he is. And he's got a personal reason to fight. I think he'll be something great someday."
"Enemy!" Leo announced. "Uh-oh. It's a Parachisu. Or however you say that. Those squirrel things! Sorry, I'm still learning my Pokémon! They're electric, right?"
Char looked forward. The Pachirisu scampered down a tree trunk, looking very eager for a fight. But that wasn't all; a second one followed behind it. Both faced the group, static bolts jumping over their white-and-blue fur.
"Uh oh," Leo said. "What do we do?"
"Hey, I've got an idea," Taka said, examining the squirrels. "Let's all ATTACK AT THE SAME TIME!"
In a flurry of vines and claws, all six team members gleefully bounded forth into the fray. Priceless expressions covered the Pachirisus' faces as they beheld the wave of Pokémon descend upon them.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" they squeaked, quickly darting away into the depths of the forest and never looking back.
"Hah hah HAH!" Saura laughed. "Good job, everybody! We showed them!"
Saura and Taka spent the next hour having a silly argument over who the Pachirisu were more scared of, and Scythe chimed in with a hearty laugh whenever one made a good point. Leo's energy was still bottomless, and it just Char happy every time he saw the little child leap around in joy. Zachel was mostly silent, but wore a constant smile.
Char sighed contently. Surrounded by his friends and nearing the end of a pleasant and successful journey, he was sure that the day couldn't get any better.
He was right.
(Note: The lyrics are sung to "Treasure Town" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky)