Chapter 13
Ravine Woodlands
"Um…" Leo said suddenly. "Are we out of the dungeon already? I thought you said it was four miles! That was only like three!"
Char had noticed the change in the ravine; it was as though they had been warped to a forest in the gorge. He had written it off as a quirk of the mystery dungeon.
"Hmm… odd," Scythe said, examining the surroundings. "Very odd. I remember this place being four miles long as well. I've never heard of a dungeon shrinking in size before…"
"Look," Zachel spoke out, quickly taking the map out of the bag and checking it. "Etcher Ravine is four miles long, according to this."
"Well, that's… unexpected," Scythe said. "It's possible we've discovered a new kind of mystery dungeon anomaly. But I've been through more dungeons than I care to count, and they've always been the exact same length each time. If they change in size, they grow; they do not shrink. And even then, they only expand over the course of decades."
"Are you sure we're outside of the dungeon?" Char suggested. "How do you know we're not?"
"Do you see the way the terrain changed?" Scythe said, indicating the trees around him. "This is the Ravine Woodlands now. We've arrived to our mission's destination. But I'll have to admit, I'm puzzled."
"Time flies when you're having fun," Char said. "Maybe we just didn't notice the distance."
"Wait, wait…" Scythe said suddenly, pacing from side to side and periodically staring off into the woods. "There is one other explanation for this… But it's… unlikely. It's something that I've only seen happen once before in all of my travels."
Scythe knelt to the ground, keeping an eye on the treetops and the canyon cliffs which surrounded them.
"… There is a possibility that we have been found," Scythe said quietly.
Everyone gasped.
"Found?! By who?!" Saura demanded. "I thought you can't find someone when they're in the middle of a dungeon!"
"Quiet, Saura. And all of you, keep your voices down!" Scythe warned. "But yes, that is normally the case. You're completely hidden when you're crawling a dungeon. But there is a chance… a highly, highly unlikely chance… that… if someone sufficiently powerful knows exactly where you are within the dungeon… most notably, the Master's magicians… and it needs to be a perfectly precise guess… they can tear the shelter of the Dungeon's curse right out from over you, revealing you to be seen. It is called… performing an unveiling. And we may have just witnessed it happen to us."
A brooding quiet came over the group. Char saw worry form in everyone's eyes, Saura's most of all.
"What do we do?" Saura whispered.
"To be on the safe side…" Scythe replied, "We should turn around and go back through the dungeon, back to the base, and report the mission as a failure. However… if someone's watching us, they may be waiting for us at the other end of the dungeon, since this ravine is so linear. We'd have to climb up the ravine walls to escape."
With a unanimous "sounds good to me," the group hastily performed an about-face and started back toward the dungeon they'd just inexplicably exited.
"Wait, wouldn't it be a successful mission?" Char wondered. "I mean, if we spotted enemies at the Ravine Woodlands…"
"But we didn't," Scythe said, now sounding annoyed and a little uneasy. "We haven't gathered evidence that there are enemies here. We're aborting the mission for the sake of keeping everyone alive, just in case there are enemies. Char… remind me to never let such a large group come with us ever again…"
Their happy clamor now only a nervous silence, the group backtracked through the ravine. Scythe led the group this time, and he insisted they travel against the ravine wall for shelter.
"If you see anything out of the ordinary, tell me," Scythe said gravely, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
"Right," Leo said, squinting around and trying to use his special vision. "It's kinda dark here though, but I'll try."
And then…
"I see something!" Leo said, startled. "Up there! Behind that rock, on the cliff ledge! I can't tell what it is…"
"Is it a Pokémon?" Char asked.
"Whoa!" the Shinx said in surprise. "I know that Pokémon! It's a Scizor!"
Scythe stopped cold in his tracks. He reeled back, like he'd just been hit in the head with a boulder.
"Are… you sure?" he asked quietly.
"It has to be," Leo answered. "Right there, behind that rock!"
Char saw Scythe's demeanor change. He was afraid. He could see a streak of true fear behind the old warrior's eyes. He realized it was the first time he'd ever seen the Scyther in this state of mind before. Char's heart filled with uncertainty; he could only imagine what would happen now that even the fearless Scythe was shaken.
"All of you," Scythe rasped. "Get up against the cliff. Behind me. And don't move. Do not move! If you move… you might be killed."
Char and the rest followed his command unquestioningly.
"So, it's come to this…" Scythe hissed to himself, watching the indicated rock intensely. "Adiel…"
Adiel? Char wondered.
It was like a standoff. For a full minute, then two, then five, everyone was frozen and dead silent. Only the sound of the animals from the jungle and the rush of the rapids could be heard alongside everyone's muted gasps for air. Scythe's gaze never wavered.
"Is it still there?" Scythe hissed to Leo.
"I don't know," Leo admitted. "I can't see anymore. The light's all wrong."
"What is it, anyway?" Taka asked carefully. "Why are we being so… like this?"
"If there is really a Scizor up there," Scythe whispered, "It's the one responsible for pulling us out of the dungeon. And we are all in grave danger… I believe I know this Scizor, and the only reason he would ever show himself to you is if the Master is looking for your blood…"
Taka's face paled even further, as did everyone else's. Scythe kept his sights on the rock which sat on a shelf on the cliff side far about their heads.
A bounty hunter employed by the Master? Char thought. This is bad. What do we do?! Where do we go?! Can Scythe protect us from this? This happened because our group was too large, didn't it? Are we going to die today…? … … Or is the Scizor even still there?
Finally… after nearly ten minutes of silence, the Scizor chose to reveal itself. It stepped up to the edge of the cliff, taking a few moments to examine the terrain beneath. Then, it jumped. Within seconds, it'd landed on the ground several feet in front of Scythe.
All of the Pokémon behind Scythe let out a muffled cry of terror at the sight of the Scizor, cramming even closer to each other for safety. Scythe lowered his head and raised one blade into the air, a feral stance with a clear meaning: come any closer, and I will fight.
Char felt his heart beating faster than he'd ever thought possible as he gazed at the wicked beast before them, its crimson, full-body carapace standing out among the green trees of the forest. The Scizor was nearly the same size as Scythe, but its broad wings, massive pincers, and long three-horned faceplate gave it the illusion of being even greater and more powerful. Char had to look twice at the spiked pincers; not only were they bigger than the creature's head and looked like they could snap the body of a younger Pokémon in a single grasp, but he felt a nameless fear at the sight of the spotted eye-marks on their sides. The Scizor's eyes were a burning yellow, its piercing and unblinking gaze locked with Scythe's.
Char's fire raged greater than ever before from the terror instinct; he felt as though it would even suffocate him. He could only struggle to suppress it.
The Scizor took a single step forward with one of its two-toed feet, and Scythe's stance jerked and became even more threatening than before.
Then, the Scizor spoke.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" it said in a low, powerful, authoritative voice. "I thought there was a mirage, but it truly is you, Scythe. You know, I thought it was odd when you didn't show up at the canyon yesterday, but this? Protecting your… students… from me? You've really outdone yourself this time."
Scythe said nothing, continuing to scowl. The Scizor took yet another step forward.
"Congratulations, yet again. This is a momentous occasion! This must be the first occurrence in the history of the world where such a perfectly-executed unveiling has been thwarted. And by none other than the legendary Scyther everyone knows and loves. Seems I can never stop underestimating you. You're an amazing creature, you know that? Absolutely incredible. I wonder how you knew to come here? Pure luck, perhaps? Well, either way, I certainly wouldn't put it past you to have predicted this. Well played. Very well played."
"What are you doing here?!" Scythe demanded violently.
"Well," it answered, "ever since I noticed your teams coming back to this place on a regular basis, I couldn't resist planning a little… surprise visit one day."
"This is what you have come to?" Scythe hissed angrily. "Preying on the young? Aren't there enough of you that slaughter innocent children already?"
"I don't see it as slaughtering the innocent," the Scizor replied smoothly, yet pointedly. "I prefer to see it as slaughtering the guilty."
"You can't fight me," Scythe hissed again. "Not here."
"Ah, hah hah, Scythe," the Scizor laughed evilly, giving a graceful bow. "Calm down. After bearing witness to your brilliant devices, I'm no longer in the mood to fight. I gladly concede. You're the one who wins today's little game. Besides, I wouldn't want to make you look bad in front of your children. Even I know you don't deserve that..."
The Scizor paused in mid-sentence.
"...Oh? What's this?" it said in an exaggerated tone of surprise. "What do we have here?"
Taking its eyes off Scythe, it glanced down at the group of cowering Pokémon against the cliff side. It took Char a second to realize something: it was staring right at him! ... No. Not at him. At the Pokémon beside him, the one whose body he was gripping in fear.
"Bulbasaur!" the Scizor spoke, pointing a pincer at Saura. "And not just any Bulbasaur, but Saura, our newest recruit! Are you ready to join us yet? You only have three days remaining!"
Saura's mouth hung open, as if he'd lost complete control of his body at hearing the Scizor's words. Char held him all the tighter.
"I'm… not… joining you…" Saura croaked out.
"You don't have a choice," the Scizor said, its tone of voice becoming stern. "The Master has chosen you. Nobody truly escapes from the Master once they are chosen. Nobody. Although, at times, he may allow you to think that you have."
The Scizor eyed Scythe as he spoke the words, yet Scythe didn't even flinch.
"Well, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm very busy today," the Scizor said. "Go on home, have your fun… I'll be seeing you again shortly. Especially you, Bulbasaur. But once again, it's been an honor to have met you today, Scythe. I hope the next time we meet will be under… different circumstances. Come, Dusknoir! It's time to leave!"
The Scizor bowed to Scythe, Then, wings buzzing, it deftly leaped up the ravine walls and was soon out of sight.
The silence remained for what seemed like hours. Nobody moved. Char felt Saura trembling uncontrollably, caught in a state between weeping and speechlessness. Even his own fire was reluctant to secede, questions looping endlessly in his mind: What… just happened? What does this mean?
"Well," Scythe finally groaned in a desolate tone as he relaxed his stance, "let's go. We're done for today."
Great Flatlands
On the way back to the flatlands, the group shared a morbid silence. Everyone's spirits were either too crushed or confused to say anything. Char walked alongside Saura, rubbing him on the back for comfort. He felt so terrible for him, seeing him even having trouble lifting the seed on his back to walk. He knew exactly what was going through his mind: maybe I didn't escape from the Master at all…
"Scythe… what was that?" Taka said, finally breaking the silence and speaking what was on everyone's mind.
At first, it seemed like Scythe wasn't going to answer. Then, after a long sigh, he replied.
"Adiel," he said. "Long ago, before the Master came for me, he was one of my clan-mates."
So that's why he seemed so… friendly, if you even want to call it that, Char thought.
"He turned to the Master?" Leo asked sadly. "That's awful."
"The Master's forces came for me one day," Scythe explained. "That's when I joined them. But after I escaped from the Master's grasp, they went and took Adiel to replace me. He resisted the Master at first, but the Master's brainwashing worked quickly on him, and he stopped struggling… And since he and I had similar training, he went on to become… one of the Master's greatest generals, commander of a large portion of his servants. The Master only uses Adiel when he truly means business, and he rarely fails his tasks… Also, he's made it a personal mission to… find me, and dispose of me."
That is awful! Char thought.
"Well, look on the bright side," Taka said with a squeak in her voice. "He didn't attack us!"
"There's a very simple reason he didn't attack us," Scythe said, speaking without looking back at the group. "It's the very reason I didn't attack him. It is because… if he were to fight me, he doesn't know who would win the battle."
There was a moment of quiet as this sunk in.
"You are all very lucky to still be alive," Scythe added. "Adiel isn't merciful. If I hadn't been defending you, he would have taken one of you down before any of us would have realized it."
"Hey, I guess Daemon was wrong after all," Char said, trying feebly to lighten the mood. "If we were out on our own today, it would have been a disaster! It's good that you came with us today!"
"Yes, it is," Scythe said grimly. "It would have been a mistake to send you out on your own already. To some degree, I suspected something like this would happen. So… I had to ignore Daemon's complaints and do what I knew was right."
"I've always wondered," Leo said. "If Daemon's wrong so much, why's he your partner?"
"Because, little one," Scythe said, filling his voice with gravity, "For every time I've corrected one of his mistakes, he's also corrected one of mine."
"Really?" Leo replied.
"Yes," Scythe said, still keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "Our basic natures clash, and that is why we are a perfect pair. Daemon is a brilliant Pokémon who can question me, challenge me, find flaws in my plans where I cannot see… and that's why I keep him at my side. And by the same token, I help him make his decisions by disagreeing with him. Do you think it would do any good for my team to choose a partner who constantly agrees with me?"
Wow… Char thought to himself, I never thought of it that way. And now I see why Daemon is so valuable to Team Remorse. Scythe is much wiser than I gave him credit for! And now, he even saved our lives! I can't believe I was starting to doubt him.
From now on… I'll give Scythe my complete trust.
Division Base
It was early in the afternoon.
With bags still half full, the disheartened crew of six made their way back to the base and dispersed to their various teams. No goodbyes were shared, no smiles were displayed; it seemed that they simply wanted to put the day's events out of their minds. To Char, it was his first failed mission.
So much for the immaculate Team Ember, Char thought silently. And now we've got a powerful enemy out for us. What a fortunate day, indeed.
As Char, Saura, and Scythe returned to Team Remorse's hall, they ran into Ursa reading a news bulletin on the wall.
"Well, you're back early," Ursa commented upon seeing them. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't four hours. Wait, you didn't fail, did you?"
"Ursa, go to Intelligence and have them issue a twelve-day ban on all training teams," Scythe commanded. "And tell them to increase the risk on the Ravine Woodlands missions to five-star."
"Wow, what for?" Ursa gawked.
"Because… Adiel is on the move," he replied in a low tone.
Scythe didn't have to ask twice. Ursa could barely contain his shock, shooting looks of disbelief at Char and Saura. It was then that he noticed the glaze of fear which still hung in their eyes, even Scythe's.
"Right away," he muttered, leaving quickly.
"What do we do now?" Char asked once he was gone.
"I'm going to have a talk with the rest of the team, as soon as they get back from the mission," Scythe grumbled, opening the team's door. "We have much to discuss. Unfortunately, that can't happen for a while. The members that went out this morning aren't coming back until tomorrow night. As for you… go do whatever you need to do. You won't be going on a mission tomorrow."
Although it didn't surprise him, Char was hurt to hear those words. He knew it was for his own safety, and he knew it was by no fault of his own, but they certainly didn't help to cheer him up.
"Come on, Saura," Char said. "Let's go eat."
Saura nodded, and the two went to the mess hall.
… … …
"Come on, won't you cheer up?" Char said to Saura, who was refusing to even start on the plate of food in front of him. "You know that Scizor only said that stuff to scare you, right? There's no way he can get to you down here! We're protected by ghosts and traps and hundreds upon hundreds of powerful Pokémon. And after today, Scythe is sure to keep protecting us, even when we go on missions. You're safe!"
Saura didn't answer.
"You know, if you really want to, we could lock ourselves up in the deepest level of the base and stay there for three days," Char suggested as kindly as he could.
Saura's voice creaked. He looked at Char with sad eyes.
"You know, I think I would like that," he said.
Char frowned. "Saura, eat your food," he ordered. "It'll make you feel better. Besides, I don't care how powerful that Scizor is. He's bluffing. There must have been hundreds of Pokémon who have angered the Master in so many other worse ways, and they survived! And we're just a couple of kids! Compared to all them, we're… peanuts!"
Saura plucked a slice of food from his tray and slowly chewed it.
"Listen, all we have to do is follow the rules and be a good resistance team, and we'll do just fine, Scizor or not. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay?"
"You're right," Saura said lowly, setting his forehead on the table. "I'm… just a big whiner, aren't I?"
"Saura…"
"No, no, you're right," Saura said again. "I'm just being a coward. This is a dangerous job. I… have to accept that. But at the end of the day, it's a job I really want to do. Scizor or not."
Char glanced at his surroundings. The cafeteria was nearly deserted, the Pokémon all gone on their missions for the day. He was still trying to swallow the loss, and the feeling tugged at him of being left out of the day's events. What he really wanted to do was start the day anew with a clean slate.
"Saura… how about we go learn some more of the Creed, then turn in early today?" Char suggested. "I don't know about you, but I got up pretty early this morning. I'm tired already."
Saura smiled. It was just what he was thinking… except maybe for the part about the Creed.
… … …
And so, even though the day ended on a low note, Team Ember's resolve could not be snuffed. They spent the rest of the mid-afternoon learning another portion of the Creed, studying the map of Jirachi and researching nearby dungeons, and exploring a new tunnel of the base to help them remember their way around. Soon, there was nothing to be done but to retire for the night and wait for the dawn of the next day.
In the early evening, Char and Saura returned to Scythe's room all on their own. Scythe, however, wasn't there that night for some reason – as he'd accidentally fallen asleep in the planning room – so the two set themselves down to rest without him. They had a long, peaceful rest.
The next day…
"Get up!"
Ugh, Char wondered as he twisted his body across the ground, reluctant to wake up. Again?! I thought we weren't doing any missions today!
"Get up, sleepyhead!" the voice repeated. "We've got work to do! Get up, you lazy bum!"
Char opened his eyes and painfully sat up. He scanned the room with his blurred vision, trying to make sense of it.
"Saura!" Char realized. "Where'd Saura go?! What happened to him?"
"Saura got up long before you did," the voice said. "Now it's your turn."
Char was very confused. The voice was not Scythe's. It was definitely not a voice he recognized before. Maybe another member of Team Remorse?
As Char's eyesight returned to him, and he could pick out the shapes and colors of the room, he identified his visitor. It was… a Haunter?
"Gotta pull your weight in the Gold Division," the Haunter said. "No loafing! Now get up! Since you're not going out today, you need to stay inside and do some chores!"
"Chores?!" Char repeated.
"Yeah, chores, you know, menial labor!" the Haunter said. "The guild don't run itself! Saura's on cleaning duty today. You, on the other hand, will be doing something far more useful. Come with me."
Before Char could react, the Haunter grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Before he knew it, he was being dragged through the corridors of the base toward a destination he could only guess at. Then, something really strange happened… Char walked right into the wall! He realized that, being touched by the ghost Pokémon, he had the temporary power of intangibility. Char watched as many familiar and unfamiliar rooms flashed by as they walked through the very walls of the base.
"We're here!" The Haunter announced, pulling Char into a cramped room. "Here's where you'll be working for today."
Char looked at the room. There were no doors, no windows, no passageways to the outside. He was absolutely trapped. There were no light sources, save for his own, so Char had to lift his tail to investigate the room. There were only two features of the room which he could see: a large gemstone in the shape of a rectangle, and a few smaller diamonds sticking out of the wall.
"…What's my job?" Char asked.
"What's your job?" the Haunter repeated. "Isn't it obvious? Don't you recognize who I am?"
Char looked at the Haunter again. Then, it struck him. He didn't know how he missed it before, but it was clear as day now: the ghost was Gate, the sentry of the base's north-eastern entrance!
"S…sentry duty?" Char guessed.
"Yup," said the ghost. "I need a vacation, so you can take over for me today."
"W…what do I do?" Char wondered nervously. "How do I do this job?"
"Oh, it's easy," Gate said. "You know your Pokémon, right?"
"…What if I don't?" Char squeaked.
"Oh, ha hah, you're joking, right?" Gate laughed. "Everyone knows their Pokémon. Now, here's what you do. See this big gem? You can see the Pokémon who try to enter the base on it, just like a big camera. Your job is to identify each Pokémon who tries to enter the base.
"That's it?" Char said. "Just identify them?"
"Yep," Gate said. "And when you identify them, just touch this little gem here, and say their names! The magic will do all the rest. Well, almost all the rest. You know the Creed, right?"
"…uh…" Char grunted.
"Hah, of course you know the Creed!" laughed Gate again. "Everyone knows the Creed! Now remember, there are over four hundred Pokémon that could enter the base at any time, and you need to get every one right! Get just one wrong, and you could doom us all!"
"Uh, I'm really not so sure about this," Char said, starting to eye the room for a way out. There was, of course, none.
"Oh, it's really not that hard. Here, I'll do one for you. See the screen?"
Char looked at the screen. The image was so very fuzzy, but if he squinted, he could just barely make out the shape of a Pokémon. The Pokémon was… red. And… furry. And… had six hands. And three feet sticking out of its head.
"Quick, Char!" Gate said. "What's that Pokémon? Remember, you can only get two wrong!"
"Uh… Uh… I… Don't… I don't know!"
"Oh, come on! It's an Octofus! Get your act together!"
"What?"
"What about this one?" Gate said, pointing to the screen again. "Oop, too slow! You should be faster than this, Char! It's a Freezle!"
Char gulped. He was on the verge of panic. Were these new Pokémon species he'd never heard before? And how did Gate expect him to know every species of Pokémon by heart?
"Now, there's just one thing left," Gate said. "After you've identified the Pokémon, touch the gem and recite the entire Creed from the top. Careful; if you miss one word, you have to start all over. That's how the spell checks and makes sure the visitor got the password right. And that's it! I'll see you at the end of the day!"
"NO!" Char cried as the ghost floated away. "Gate, stop! I can't do this!"
"Cya, kiddo!" the ghost said, floating into the wall.
"NO! Come back!" Char screamed at the top of his lungs, diving forward as the very last of the ghost disappeared into the solid rock. Char's head brutally collided with the rock. But he didn't even feel it; his heart was racing, and his mind was spiraling in complete panic.
"GATE!" Char yelled, pounding on the wall. "GATE! COME BACK!"
… … …
"Aaahhhhhhh!"
Panting heavily, Char jumped awake. He was in Scythe's room. It was dark except for just his blue tail flame. Saura slept soundly beside him, emitting the peaceful sound of steady breathing.
It had been a dream.
"Ahh… Ahhh…" Char breathed heavily, trying to calm his racing heart. "So… glad… it was… just… a nightmare…"
As his breathing returned to normal, Char's eyes fluttered shut again. He set himself back down on the ground, hoping to the legendary dragons that the next dream would be better.
And then, it happened.
With his eyes closed and his mind already starting to return to the state of sleep, Char started to feel inexplicably dizzy, like he'd just been tossed off the face of a cliff and couldn't tell which direction was up.
Char opened his eyes to try to get a bearing on his physical position… but he found that it didn't help. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd even opened his eyes again, as the image on his mind's eye hadn't disappeared.
What's… happening to me? Char thought. Is this a dream? I just had a dream, and this doesn't feel even one bit like it.
Next, the sound of a deep, powerful hum flooded his ears. Not just his ears, his being. And it wasn't even a sound, more like a feeling. His body reverberated with a tremendous energy that somehow seemed like a sound, yet it could not be heard. He felt like he was floating in space and listening to some sort of great beast humming a one-note song.
What is that noise? Char wondered. Is that… me? Am I making that noise? It doesn't feel like a noise, or any feeling I've ever had. It almost feels like… telepathy!
Suddenly, a loud, mighty bellow of indescribable caliber rang out from the nothingness! Like the humming, it sounded as a deafening silence that couldn't be heard or identified. As the roar sounded through the dark void, brilliant colors erupted before Char's eyes.
Is this… another one of my visions? Char wondered again. No, it can't be! This… this isn't a memory. This isn't a vision. This is… this is… an experience of some sort… It's like I'm peeking into the spiritual realm itself, or something…
The bellow escalated. The colors became even more vivid and intense, turning into rings which circled Char's sense of presence and surrounded him. He couldn't tell if it was getting lower or higher, but it was certainly getting "louder," though it still always remained silent. Char had the urge to cover his ears; but he couldn't move his body. He couldn't even see his body. It seemed like his body was missing entirely.
Finally, the roar exploded into a full-blown, soul-shattering feeling that gave Char the sensation of being blasted away at high speed. With each pulse of the soundless cry, Char could have sworn his entire being had been ripped into a million tiny pieces.
The cry wasn't just a cry; it came with emotion. Some sort of all-consuming emotion flooded Char's being, soaking through every crevice of his soul. It was the feeling of despair, of hopelessness.
The roar, then, became a voice.
DIALGA!
Dialga? Char wondered, using every ounce of his will to retain his self-awareness as he watched the supernova erupt.
I am here, answered a voice.
This voice was not like the roar. It was powerful, yes, but it was calm and wise, and also sad.
And then, before Char's eyes, a figure emerged. It was a great, wingless dragon of incredible proportions. Its blue hide, lined with countless silver blades, glimmered brilliantly in the inexplicable light. Its mighty tail swung behind it, an expression of its dominance. Its eyes were blood-red, and on its chest rested a diamond that shone so bright it could not be seen.
D…Dialga! Char called, his spirit ecstatic. Dialga! It's me!
But Char's voice fell flat to the endless roar.
DIALGA! the mighty roar said once again. PLEASE, HELP ME!
I cannot, Dialga answered sadly. I am powerless!
Suddenly, just as soon as the experience had started… it was over.
Char found himself sitting awake in Scythe's room. He did the only thing he could do—stare wide-eyed at the wall. At this point, he could not put any of his questions into words. He flexed his hands in front of his eyes to make sure he was still solid.
The door's room flung open.
Scythe stood in the doorway, his gaze immediately locking with Char's. Wonder and awe filled his eyes. In the dim light of the room, Char saw something sparkle on the side of the Scyther's face—he was crying.
"Char…" Scythe gasped. "I… heed your call!"