Chapter 17
"C'mon, Char… you can do it! Think!"
Saura was almost ecstatic. They'd spent the last three hours in the white room, memorizing the Creed… and it was all about to pay off. Char leaned his head against the wall, racking his mind for that last handful of words…
"C'mon, Char!" Saura begged again, his excitement wavering a little. "This isn't too hard! We don't have to start all over again, do we?"
After nearly two whole minutes of silence, Char lifted his head and cast a beaming smile at Saura. "Futile is our attempt to… turn and reverse the past!"
"Yes!" Saura shouted, jumping in the air. "Char, we did it! We memorized the whole thing! Wow, isn't Scythe going to be thrilled?"
"That wasn't so hard after we found the rhythm," Char agreed. "That really wasn't so hard at all."
There were many other Pokémon feverishly studying the Creed in the little white room that day, mostly due to the training team restriction. They all gave Team Ember a weird look as Char and Saura shared a little hug.
Char really felt good about himself. For once, the Creed didn't feel like some bulky baggage in his head, like trying to carry the bag of supplies through a dungeon. He felt it ingrained in his memory like a catchy tune. Knowing the whole creed made him feel a little stronger, as if he'd just evolved; now, he was ready to take on just a little bit more of the world than before. For once, he started to feel as if he were a part of a real resistance team.
"What will we do to celebrate?" Saura asked eagerly, pacing around the room. "Should we go show off to Scythe? Or maybe to Gate! Let's leave the base for the first time, and then—"
Suddenly, the room's light changed color. The Pokémon all yelped in surprise, muttering to themselves as they glanced up at the now-red torches on the walls.
"What?!" Saura cried. "Already? It can't be! It doesn't feel late yet! You can't tell me we just spent a whole day!"
"Time flies when you're having fun," Char suggested. "Come on, Scythe's waiting for us. We have to attend a meeting."
… … …
Char and Saura hurried up to Team Remorse as fast as they could. When they arrived, Char eagerly rapped on the front door.
"Hey, Scythe!" Saura called. "Scythe, guess what we learned!"
The door slid open, but it wasn't Scythe standing on the other side; a very displeased-looking Houndoom stared back at them.
"…Oh," Saura said suddenly. "Uh… good evening, Daemon. Welcome back."
Daemon didn't look impressed. The hound was clearly worn out from his two-day venture, and it showed in his eyes. Char guessed he wanted badly to sleep, but Scythe had insisted he stay awake for the long-awaited meeting.
Saying nothing, the hound turned and left. Char and Saura followed soundlessly, sure to close the door behind them on the way in.
"So, everyone's here?" Scythe grunted authoritatively as Daemon led Team Ember into the war room. "Good, good. It's a bit daunting how much we have to discuss tonight. You three missed too much."
"Well, it'd better be important," Daemon growled, sitting down near the front of the table. "And I don't see why we had to wait for these children."
"You have no idea," Ursa told him.
The war room, tiny as it was, was packed. The members of Team Remorse were crowded around the rectangular table at the center of the room, with Scythe and Daemon near the front and the rest standing in two ranks down the sides. Scythe motioned for Char and Saura to take their places at the very end. Trying his best not to be intimidated by the whole scene, Char obeyed.
"Now, first off," Scythe said, standing up at the front of the table, "The status at the canyon."
"…It's going as expected," Daemon said. "The tunnels are completed. The citizens are prepared. Settlement is in two weeks."
"Nothing went wrong?" Scythe asked forcefully. "They're all prepared for the settlement?"
"If you would have been there, you could have seen for yourself," Daemon growled. "But no, nothing went wrong. Everything is according to plan. All that's left is for you to do your part when the time comes."
"Good," Scythe said. "It's what I wanted to hear."
Char cast a glance at Daemon. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he was ready to collapse onto the table right then and there. His teeth were partially bared, as if he was struggling to stomach the grating sound of Scythe's voice.
"Here, though, things haven't been so fortunate," Scythe said, lowering his voice. "Adiel is out."
Shander and the Exploud gasped.
"Oh, my," Shander muttered. "This adds a twist into things…"
"No!" Daemon snorted. "Where? Who spotted him? I heard some rumors that he'd been spotted at the canyon, but I wrote them off…"
"Do not write it off," Scythe warned. "He was at the canyon. And he was here. I know… I saw him with my own eyes. While I was taking these two on a routine mission to the Ravine Woodlands… he came."
Daemon's mouth hung open. "So… he targeted the Ravine?" Daemon repeated, a measure of humility entering his voice. "That doesn't make sense."
"Indeed, it doesn't," Scythe said. "When we spoke, he claimed that he was simply trying to pick off some easy prey. But I suspect something greater is at hand here. Metagross is currently focused on this issue. We will have to wait for his thoughts on the matter. But if you ask me, it looks like… he's trying to create some sort of a diversion."
Daemon's face had changed at the news, like someone had struck him in the heart. Char knew why; Daemon had realized that, if he had it his way and sent out the team all on their own, it would have been a big mistake.
"Did you see this coming?" Daemon demanded. "Is that why you insisted on protecting the children?"
"In the back of my mind, I suspected Adiel might have been somewhere behind the conflict at the canyon. It seemed like his style," Scythe said. "But if I told you I predicted just what would happen, I would be lying. But there was something in the air lately, and it didn't make me feel comfortable."
"In that case, I expect that you've requested at least a seven-day hold on the trainees?" Daemon snorted. "Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."
"Twelve days," Scythe responded, "Just to throw them off this time."
Daemon slouched back, defeated. Char couldn't quite tell if it was in humility, or just exhaustion.
"What do we do?" Shander asked. "We can't keep a constant watch over Basin Canyon for the next few weeks, can we?"
"With Adiel afoot, we have to," Scythe said. "We don't have a choice. A well-placed strike could ruin our months of hard work."
"But there's no time! The Red Haven mission could be at stake as well!" Craw noted, pounding a pincer on the table.
"Right, we still haven't found the perpetrators," Markov the Feraligatr reported. "We need more forces there if we want to get this done before the Master crushes us."
"And we've got to focus on the base if we care for the safety of the division," Ursa noted. "If Adiel pops up somewhere else, we've got to be here."
"Hmm," Scythe hummed, staring down at the table in thought. "There's got to be a solution to this. I get the feeling Adiel's trying to pull something… and we've got to pay attention of we want to catch it."
"Hey, some of us could pull double-duty," Raon suggested. "We could stagger our missions so that we're always in both places at once."
"Just like the Aero Cliff mission?" Ursa said. "Might work. That was a little tiring, though."
"Please, do not bring up that mission," Daemon growled, shaking his head. "We were all living corpses by the end of the week. It was almost a complete failure!"
"But we did pull it off," Raon said. "We could do it again!"
"We were lucky," Daemon said. "I thought Aero taught us a lesson. We can't rely on luck. We only succeeded because the Brutals underestimated us and launched only five squads to assault us. If there'd been six… or even five and a half…"
The entire team fell silent, taking Daemon's words to heart. Char could barely follow along, but he started to understand how much effort the team put into their work.
"I've got it!" Scythe announced, triumphantly slamming his blades down on the table. "We get help."
"Help? From who?" Nidoroch shouted in surprise. "Team Dread? Team Entei? You don't think they'd be up to this, do you?"
"Team Absolution," Scythe said firmly. "They'd be the most reliable choice. They just finished their last mission, and they haven't accepted a new one yet. Last I saw, they were just running errands for the division."
Daemon snarled disapprovingly. "Team Absolution is a handful of brainless juggernauts," he said. "With all due respect, they couldn't strategize their way out of a box! You expect them to hold their own on this venture?!"
"Hold their own, no," Scythe said. "They'd accompany us and give us the increased headcount we need. We'd still be directing the venture."
"It wouldn't be very good publicity," Daemon noted. "I can't remember the last time we asked for help. It would make us look like we've spread ourselves too thin and succumbed to bad judgment."
"Well, we haven't," Ursa said. "We've spread ourselves just right, just like always. It's Adiel who's screwed it all up. With him in the picture, our hands are suddenly too full. I think the division will understand—they even announced the whole situation at the meeting this morning."
"In that case, I would have to agree," Daemon said. "It would be a good move. Fine, alright. We get help."
"Would they be accompanying us to the settlement at Basin Canyon, then?" Shander inquired.
"I don't see why not," Scythe said. "I think their strength would make a good addition to our efforts there. Daemon—do you think you could take over Red Haven once Team Absolution is on board? Think you could lead them down the road?"
"My pleasure," Daemon said.
"And I guess that leaves me with the canyon," Scythe said. "If Adiel shows up there… I could thwart him, especially if Team Absolution's here to help."
"So, good enough?" Shander sighed. "Problem solved? I'm a bit tired, myself…"
Char was quite impressed at the team's problem-solving skills. Through an open forum, and input from multiple team members, they'd quickly arrived at a solution to a dire problem. One day, Char would have to be the one making decisions for his own team. It was a scary thought, but if Scythe was the one teaching him, he'd probably turn out alright. Char knew that this ability would only come with more skill and experience, especially the kind which Scythe possessed.
"Since we're here, there is another issue I'd like to bring up, if I may," Daemon said, assuming his serious posture once more. "About these children. Team Ember…"
The entire team, save for those who still didn't know the truth, held their breath. Char did as well, sensing that the focus of the meeting had just shifted to him.
"Oh, I was just getting to that," Scythe said, taking a deep breath. "You see, when I said that something was in the air… I suppose I could have been a little more specific. Daemon, Shander, Brock… I would like to announce… that we have uncovered the Call."
Char still felt a little nervous as the whole team turned to fix their eyes on him and Saura. He gulped.
"What?!" Daemon spewed.
"The Call…" Shander said, his eyes full of awe. "Which one? Which one has it?"
"Char does," Scythe said with a gleaming smile.
"How… how powerful is it?" Shander asked, simply stunned. "Is it… just as we expected?"
"It's more powerful than we could have imagined," Scythe said. "Just last night, he woke the entire base. The entire base. The entire base was on our doorstep last night. All because of him."
For a moment, there was silence. Daemon's jaws were closed tight, and a faraway look hovered in his eyes. He was speechless.
Shander backed away from the table, then approached Char with a sort of awe and reverence that could barely be contained. Char bit his tongue as the Sandslash stood over him, examining him with his black, beady eyes…
"There was a meeting this morning to address the… issue," Scythe explained.
"You've done it," Shander interrupted, placing a claw on Char's head. "Scythe, you've done it! I never thought it would be possible, not now, but you've done it. You found the Call. It's here. It's finally here! But… Eva…"
"Eva was a fitly liar," Scythe said simply. "Eva lied about checking him… and she missed the only diamond in the sand. But here he is, right in front of us… the living legend!"
"I never imagined you would do it…" Shander continued, starting to smile. "I can't believe I didn't believe you. You did hear it! And…what now? What can we do now? How do we… deal with this?"
"That's the other thing," Scythe said. "At the meeting this morning… High Intelligence…"
Suddenly, a sound echoed through the room. It was the sound of a knocking. Scythe silenced himself and glanced at the door, looking very surprised.
"Uh… is someone here?" Ursa wondered. "One, two, three… yep, all twelve of us… and Team Ember, too…"
"Who could have the audacity to bother us now?" Daemon growled. "It's almost after-hours!"
"Oh, by Arceus, is it happening again?" Raptor the Gabite groaned, holding his face in his claws. "Not again, please…"
"No, no," Scythe said. "Believe me, if this was the Call again, I would have heard it. Somebody! Ursa! Get the door!"
Ursa hurried out of the war room to open the team's front door, while everyone else waited nervously to see who, of all Pokémon, could be visiting them at such a strange hour…
When Ursa returned, he wore an expression of wordless surprise.
"What was it?" Scythe asked him.
Ursa didn't answer. Instead, he simply stood in the hallway and gestured into the war room. To everyone's surprise, a Xatu filed into the room, followed by an Alakazam.
"It's High Intelligence!" Saura hissed to Char.
"Good evening, Team Remorse," The Alakazam said respectfully as Ursa closed the door behind them. "Scythe, if we may, we would like to have a word with you and your team."
For a moment, Scythe looked afraid to say anything. The Alakazam spoke with extreme authority and urgency; Scythe knew nothing he could have said would have made a difference. Although he was clearly displeased at the sudden intrusion on his team's meeting, he gestured kindly to the guests and conceded his position at the front of the table.
"Of course," Scythe said simply. "It's an honor to have you here. The floor is yours."
"The honor is all ours, Scythe," the Alakazam said, standing at the head of the table and staring down the team. "Because of you, a new era in the resistance has begun."
What's going on? Char wondered. Are they going to apologize to us for lying?
"As you probably know," the Alakazam said, "the disturbance last night was not caused by an earthquake, as we might have suggested earlier today at the gathering. It was undeniably, unmistakably, the Call. Of course, you have probably figured this out by now. We have come here tonight because we wanted to clarify our position to you. You, Scythe, and your team have always been one of our division's greatest assets, and we do this because we would like, despite recent developments, to continue to have your complete trust."
Char looked into Scythe's eyes. He was annoyed at the words, bordering on infuriated. He figured that the psychic Pokémon, of course, probably picked up on this as well.
"Yes, we knew," Scythe said lightly, controlling his temper. "But why was it necessary to lie? What was wrong with telling everyone what they probably already knew? Now, the base is divided between those who agree with you and those who do not."
"I wanted to announce the news," the Alakazam said. "It was my intention to do so when I first called the meeting. But Metagross didn't agree. It ordered me to cover up the news with a fabrication of truth. Despite the moral ambiguity of such an act, I knew it would have been foolish to disobey him."
Scythe didn't respond, but he still smoldered on the inside. The Alakazam walked over to the confused little Charmander, his hands folded behind his back, as a short silence hung in the air.
"We know how you've been searching for the Call," Alakazam said, glaring down at Char much in the same way that Shander had done earlier. "But we also know, now that you've found it, you still are unable to comprehend its power, its effect on our very surroundings. Metagross insisted that, if the news of the Call were to become public… the division's members would be split in a much direr manner. They would, too, be unable to grasp the Call's power… its gravity… and, in doing so, may make decisions the division would regret."
"What do you want us to do?" Scythe demanded politely. "Do we pretend to be oblivious to the whole matter? For how long?"
"Do not take us wrongly, Scythe," the Xatu said. "The Call can, and will, tilt the balance of the war. But… it will only come in due time. Alakazam and I… have begun a new leg of research dedicated to this phenomenon. We… have been recovering and reading all the earliest records of the Call and its effects. Once we obtain a deeper understanding of its power… it is our intention to announce our findings to the division at large. But… until then… we must trust Metagross that it is best to be dishonest."
"All attempts to measure the magnitude of this Call have been unsuccessful," Alakazam continued. "It has surpassed any scale we thought we had. It is indeed possible that a legendary may have heard it. What we are dealing with… is, for the time being… above our heads."
Alakazam knelt down to Char's level, examining him from head to toe. Char was so nervous that he felt he would die from hyperventilation, but as the Alakazam looked him over, he felt a sudden feeling of relief come over him, subduing his vibrating nerves and helping his spinning head come to a rest. Char knew that the feeling was coming from the Alakazam.
"It is you, isn't it?" The Alakazam said, smiling warmly.
"Y-yes," Char replied.
"You may not yet understand it, but the world's balance now rests in your hands," The Alakazam said softly. "We want your trust. Let us help you to understand and use your power. Will you do that?"
"Yes."
"Good," said the Alakazam. "You are in good hands here with Team Remorse. Let them continue to guide you, and we will do all we can to uncover the secrets of the Call. With your cooperation, Charmander, and yours, Scythe, we could bring about changes the world has never seen."
"As has been my life's mission," Scythe said, "to change the world."
"Keep training him," Alakazam said, standing back up. "Help him develop to his full potential as a Pokémon, so he may be ready when the time comes."
Xatu and Alakazam bowed, then excused themselves from the room.
… … …
The meeting dispersed rather quickly after High Intelligence had left, as Scythe had nothing left to say.
As another day finally came to an end, Char and Saura settled down in Scythe's room to rest. Scythe was still away, presumably preparing for the next day's missions, as Char reflected on the day's many events.
"I'm not sure whether to feel comfortable or not," Char sighed to his friend. "On one hand, Team Remorse and High Intelligence are working with us. On the other hand… I don't know if I'll ever be able to take all this. I'm just a little Charmander! I hope Dialga knew what he was doing when he sent me here."
"You should try to feel comfortable," Saura suggested, his eyes already closed. "You know what I think? I think that your Call ability has a lot to do with why you were turned into a Pokémon. If Alakazam and Xatu are going to help you with the Call, they might help you uncover your past, too."
"I didn't think of that," Char admitted.
"Still, you're right, this is getting really stressful," Saura said. "I'm starting to lose count of all of our problems. But I'm sure we'll feel better in the morning…"
Just as Char was ready to close his eyes, the door slid open. Char took a glimpse at the entrance, expecting to see Scythe back from his errands… but it wasn't.
"Daemon," Char said groggily, standing up and meeting his superior at the door.
"Team Ember," Daemon replied.
Char saw that Daemon's eyes were still broken and longed for rest, but he noticed a change in the Houndoom's voice. Was it… weakness? Friendliness? Saura rushed to Char's side as fast as he could.
"There is something I must say to you," the hound said. "For the past week, at every possible opportunity, I… have been treating you unfairly. I apologize."
Char didn't know what to say. He wanted to accept the apology, but he didn't want to sound rude.
"Thank you," Saura said simply.
"It's because I doubted Scythe when I shouldn't have," Daemon said. "You must understand something about Scythe and I. We do not tend to get along. He likes to rely on his instincts, whereas I… try to use common sense wherever possible. He's always had a gift for that sort of thing. You might have noticed how he loves to try and finish your sentences when he knows just what you're going to say."
"Oh, yeah, he sure does," Saura said, breaking a smile. "It can get really annoying, too."
"Indeed," Daemon said. "His instincts tend to be accurate more times than I can predict, however illogical they may be. As was the case with you. When he first brought you here, I couldn't stand the sight of you. And now that it is revealed you have the Call, I see now that I should have trusted him, but instead, I chose to voice my disdain without giving you the benefit of the doubt. For that, you deserve my apology."
"Apology accepted," Char said. "We didn't mean to make you mad. We were the ones dragged into all of this, after all."
"However," Daemon said, his voice strengthening, "You still have a long ways to go if you wish to earn my respect. But, from now on, know that you have my support."
After wishing Team Ember a good night's rest, Daemon left.
"Wow, now that was something I wasn't expecting in a million years," Saura yawned, settling back down. "I guess Daemon really isn't so bad after all. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel a lot more comfortable."
As Char's eyes fluttered closed, he knew he couldn't agree more.
… … …
"WHAT'S GOING ON in here?!"
Char and Saura jumped nearly a foot in the air as a screeching voice rang out across the room, waking them up. Scythe stood at the door, looking very displeased.
"You're sleeping?" Scythe roared. "And you haven't prepared for tomorrow?"
"W-what do you mean?" Saura yelped.
"What do I mean?" Scythe repeated. "You are a resistance team! Resistance teams accomplish missions to serve the division! Each and every day! You think you can just lounge around the base forever? You had your day of rest already!"
"B-but…" Saura stuttered. "I thought… we were banned from missions! For twelve days!"
"That ban was placed on training teams," Scythe said. "You are not a training team! You are a full-fledged resistance team! Now, go! Get out of here!"
"Yeeesh!" Char whimpered as he and Saura rushed out of the room.