Chapter 19
Route 370
"Route Three-seventy" Char reported, looking at the map as the long journey continued. "This curves to the northwest and goes right into Sitrus City. But… it's still a six-hour walk."
"Yeah, it's pretty far," Saura said. "But we should still make it, no problem. I'm just worried about the trip back home. Do you think we can make it back to base by evening?"
"If we keep a steady pace, we should be able to, yes," Scythe said. "But, if not… we could always stay overnight in the city. Worst that'll happen is Daemon will get worried about us."
As they left the golden meadow behind, Char looked ahead at the upcoming landscape. It was a pleasant-looking countryside, with a tree sprouting up here and there to provide shade from the sun. The dirt road which they traveled upon was faint and hard to see, overgrown in places with grass and shrubs. Char got the impression that this was a road less traveled.
"Why aren't we meeting anyone else?" Char wondered. "If this is such an important road… we haven't seen any other Pokémon at all."
"Pokémon don't travel much anymore," Saura explained. "They don't feel safe. There are too many thieves out, some work for the Master, some just getting whatever they can from the weak and defenseless."
"The Master also uses these roadways to transport his forces from place to place," Scythe said, "so Pokémon stay off the roads for fear of running into them."
"I remember when I was younger, lots of Pokémon traveled this road," Saura said. "I would go to visit Sitrus City every month. But then, the Master started increasing his forces in this area, and the thieves started breaking out, and everyone started getting scared. That's when I started battling against wild Pokémon and learning to defend myself."
"We haven't been to Auntie's in a long time," Heary said. "Mommy said all the roads got blocked, so we just stayed at home."
"I see," Char said simply, falling silent to ponder this information. No wonder Pokémon would request an escort for themselves and their loved ones, he determined. The Master never stops getting worse every time I hear about him. He's really got the entire country afraid to do anything on their own for fear of crossing him… Well, that's why we're here! Nobody's going to stop us from getting these kids safely to the city!
The children stayed manageable for a while, at least. Char and Saura lead them down the road in a single-file line, and Scythe brought up the rear so he could keep an eye on all five of them at once.
After another hour's worth of walking, the inevitable happened: the children started to realize they were bored. After a couple miles of the dull dirt road underfoot and the unchanging countryside, the Buneary kids were more restless than ever, starting to yell and jab at each other and sometimes run around off the side of the road. Scythe did his best to keep them in line from behind, but something else… something other than mere scare tactics… had to be done.
"How much farther?" Meary asked. "My feet are starting to hurt!"
"But we just took a rest an hour ago," Saura said, looking disappointed. "You can't be getting tired already!"
"Hey, how about we play a game?" Char suggested.
"Game?" Saura asked. "What kind of game?"
"Yeah, let's play a game!" Beary shouted. "What kind of game? Finders Seekers?"
"Oh, no you don't!" Saura said. "We're not getting anyone lost! Not here! Not with the Master out!"
"I'm not scared of the Master!" Beary said confidently. "I bet I could just bite him in the toes and make him cry!"
"Er… how about… I Spy?" Char suggested.
"What's that?" Leary asked. "I've never heard of that game before!"
"It's easy," Char said. "First, you try to spot something cool, but don't tell anyone else what it is. Then you say what color it is, and everyone else tries to guess it. Like this: I spy something… green. Can you guess what it is?"
"This is nature! Everything is green!" Beary proclaimed. "That's boring! Let's play battle!"
"I'm RAYQUAZA!"
"Not fair! You're always Rayquaza!"
"I'm Groudon!"
"I'm Groudon, too!"
"Hey, that's against the rules!"
"I don't care! EARTHQUAKE!"
"HYPER BEAM!"
"I'm DIALGA! I summon a BLIZZARD and knock Rayquaza out of the sky!"
"You can't do that! Rayquaza stops your blizzard!"
"I'm ARCEUS! I can beat all of you!"
"Hey, you can't be Arceus!"
"Can too! I sing the death song! La, la, la, la! Now you're all going to die in three days!"
"Dialga goes back in time and stops you from singing the song!"
"Arceus goes back in time and UN-MAKES DIALGA! Now you can't beat me!"
"Now you're frozen because there's NO TIME STREAM!"
"Hey! Look!"
Heary suddenly shouted over all the others, pointing to the side of the road. Sitting and staring at everyone was a small, pink Nidoran with its ears perked high. It didn't look happy.
"Whoa, it's a Nido!" Teary said. "Hey, Nido! Are you alright? You don't look too good!"
"I think it's a wild one!" Leary said.
"Aww, it looks scared stiff," Saura said, stepping forward to examine the Nidoran. "Hey there, little guy…"
Quivering in fear, the Nidoran took a step backwards. It hunched down, as if prepared to pounce and defend itself. It didn't look like it wanted to run away. Saura wanted to console it, but it only scowled and lowered its poison tip to strike.
"Whoa, what's its problem?" Heary said.
"I think we should leave it alone," Saura suggested. "It doesn't look like it wants—"
"Let's BATTLE IT!" Beary proclaimed, leaping forward. "Nobody can beat the mighty GROUDON!"
Before Char or Saura could do anything, Beary pounced on the Nidoran. The wild Pokémon hissed and dodged backwards.
"What the heck are you doing?" Saura cried in horror. "Stop that! Leave him alone!"
Beary pounced again, but this time, the Nidoran attacked! They collided, Beary just narrowly missing the poison horn, and they both fell to the ground in a scuffle, the Nidoran violently growling. Beary found an opportunity and nipped at its nose, causing it to squeal and jump away again.
Saura rushed forward to break up the fight, but it was too late. The rest of the kids had decided to help out their brother and were already jumping into the fray on all fours.
"I'll get it!"
"Take THIS, you dumb Nido!"
"HYPER BEAM!"
"Oww!"
"Hey, watch it!"
Saura lashed forward with vines and wrapped the closest bunny, trying to fish him away from the brawl.
Char quickly yanked his Pecha scarf from the bag and tied it around his neck. A numbing, tingling feeling spread across his skin as the antidotes diffused into his system. He rushed forward, although he had no idea what he was going to do to help the situation.
The Nidoran sprung itself up above the pile of bunnies, still refusing to back down and run away. Char cringed as he saw it come down with a violent headbutt upon one of the children, but the Buneary shifted away just barely in time. Another Buneary struck back, its ears laughably swinging like whips, and batted the Nidoran away.
"Guys, stop! Someone's going to get really hurt!" Saura cried, each of his vines yanking on a different bunny as hard as he could. "Nidoran are poisonous, you know!"
Char rushed in and tried to detain a bunny, but it squirmed and fell out of his grasp.
"Scythe!" Char yelled. "Scythe, we could use some help here!"
"Fine," Scythe sighed.
-Slash!-
Once again, Scythe swooped in with blinding speed, slashing at the poor little Nidoran. It was tossed into the air from the impact, and fell to the ground some feet away from the Buneary kids. A deep, red slice was now visible across its face. It wormed around in the grass, trying to bear the pain. The kids instantly stopped their struggling, all amazed at the show of the Scyther's speed.
"But I thought for sure, between the seven of you, you could chase away a little Nidoran…" Scythe said, folding his wings. "Now, come on, everyone, let's go. We don't have time to—"
Then, even Scythe paused in surprise, joining Char, Saura, and all the children in a speechless stare. The injured Nidoran, after slowly and painfully climbing to its feet, stood once again with its legs locked, refusing to back down. Its entire body shook with weakness and blood dripped from its wound, but it scowled and stood its ground.
"It still wants to fight?" Char said, amazed.
"A tough one," Scythe said thoughtfully. "Though, it's probably just defending its family. We should go."
All of a sudden, the Nidoran's ears perked. It blinked. A genuine look of fear came over its face, even more so than before. With a yelp, it turned and bounded away into the wilderness.
"…Or not," Char commented. "I guess it figured out it couldn't take any more."
"We did it!" Beary yelled. "Bye-bye, Nido!"
"It didn't stand a chance," Leary said.
"Nidoran, Nidoran, run away home!" Teary sang.
"That was awfully weird," Saura said, frowning. "When it ran, it almost looked like…"
"Quiet!" Scythe hissed suddenly, staring intently at the ground. "Something's wrong…"
On command, the children silenced themselves and tensed up.
The group stood still for a few moments. All Char could hear were the distant songs of Pidgey, and the sound of the gentle wind… He looked over at Saura, who shared a shrug with him.
"We… weren't too loud, were we?" Heary said, shuddering. "Do you think… did the Master hear us?"
"Perhaps…" Scythe said, squinting into the distance. "Perhaps…"
Scythe's eyes widened.
"There!" he hissed. "Do you feel that? Feel how the ground shakes underfoot?"
"I don't feel anything," Char admitted, looking down at his feet.
As Char looked down at the ground… he noticed a little pebble shifting across the ground. Only then did he begin to feel the tremor. It was like an earthquake, except that it was not a constant vibration; it came in pulses, as if a giant were marching across the land.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble…
"I feel it!" Saura said. "What is that?"
"The Master's army is upon us!" Scythe said, not moving his eyes.
The children once again gasped in horror, hugging each other for comfort.
"W-what do we do?" Saura cried. "Do we run?"
Scythe knew there was little time to waste, but he stood and thought for a moment. He looked around at the landscape, analyzing it…
"Char, Saura, take the kids and go that way," Scythe ordered quickly, pointing into the wilderness to the north. "I'll be right back. I want to see what's going on."
"Scythe, don't go!" Saura pleaded. "What—"
"Go!" Scythe ordered again. "I'll be back in five minutes or less. I promise. Now go!"
The earthquake steadily got heavier. Char looked to the road ahead, but didn't see anything. There was a shallow hill in the way, blocking his view of the horizon.
"Kids! You've got to come with us!" Saura barked. "We could be in danger. Let's go this way!"
Scythe darted away down the path, and the children unquestioningly followed Saura to safety. Char brought up the rear, carefully watching to make sure none of the children would get separated. They all scampered into the safety of the deeper wilderness, never daring to look back.
Rumble, rumble rumble…
After a quick search, Char and Saura found a concealed ditch, a good place to hide. But the rumbling was still getting louder…
"Mr. Saura, I'm scared," said Heary quietly.
"Me too," Teary said.
"We're all scared," Saura said. "But don't worry. Scythe is a really good fighter. He'll help us get through this. We're here to protect you."
… … …
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
They waited for what seemed like half an hour… until, finally, Scythe showed up, leaping down into the pit and scaring everyone half to death. He looked astonished.
"Good hiding place," Scythe said as he gasped for air. "I almost passed it right by."
"What's going on?" Saura demanded. "Did you see them?"
"Hundreds," Scythe gasped. "Rhyperior, Blastoise, and Tyranitar. All marching down the path. And bad news… I think they had scouts. Some of them are coming this way! I think they saw us!"
"Scythe, what do we do!?" Saura cried.
"There's only one thing we can do," Scythe said, dropping his bag. "We've got to make a break up north. Char! Isn't there a dungeon up north? Get out the map!"
Char fumbled around in the bag, pulling out the map. He unrolled it as fast as he could.
"We are here, approximately," Scythe said, pointing to a brown patch on the map near Route 370. "The Sitrus Orchard is only a mile north of here. It's your only chance to hide. From there, you can lose the army and possibly still make it through to the city."
"A mile is too far!" Char said. "We can't run that fast!"
"You'll have to," Scythe said. "If you go now, they won't see you. But you have to hurry!"
"Us?!" Char gasped, noticing Scythe's choice of words. "Aren't you coming with us?"
The rumbling never ceased. Scythe glanced up at the sky. He looked extremely worried, as if torn in a decision.
"I really should come with you, yes," Scythe said, slicing the dirt in frustration, "but… I can't understand why the Master has his forces here… and I don't have the slightest idea where they're going…"
"I thought you said the Master uses the roads for his troops," Char said. "What's so different about this?"
"Never this many at once!" Scythe said. "It just doesn't make sense! Char, Saura, I'm sorry. I need to go follow them. It's my responsibility. For the good of my team and the whole division, I need to know what the Master is doing with all these Pokémon! I want you to go on without me. Take these children to the Orchard and get them to safety!"
"No, Scythe!" Saura pleaded again. "Please! Don't leave us alone! Not now!"
"Saura," Scythe said sternly. "This is not an easy situation for either of us, but we are a resistance team, and we must function as one. Besides, I have confidence in you. Gather your courage, use what I've taught you so far, and save these kids!"
Saura gulped.
"I'll meet up with you later," Scythe said. "I promise. Now, go! Wait any longer, and they'll see you! Go!"
Without another complaint, they went. Char and Saura ushered the Buneary children out of the ditch and hurried as fast as they could toward the orchard up north.
Sitrus Orchard S1
Everyone was out of breath when they finally reached the boundary to the orchard, but it wasn't nearly the end of the road. Char and Saura hurried the kids inside as fast as they could, gaining the protection and shelter of the dungeon's curse from the Master's army. The fact that the shaking of the ground had stopped was a relief, the sight of the thick and confusing woods ahead of them was not.
"Children!" Saura barked, trying his best to sound like a leader. "Listen up! We have escaped from the Master, but now we're in a very dangerous place. This is a Mystery Dungeon. If you meet any wild Pokémon, they will attack without hesitation. If you take a wrong turn and get separated from the group, you will get lost for a very long time. If you don't pace yourself, we will run out of food and get very hungry. I want you to stay very close to Char and I. Does everyone understand?"
"Yes, Mr. Saura," some of the Children replied.
"Good," Saura said. "If your belly starts to hurt, tell us, and we'll feed you. Now come on. We've still got a long way to go if we want to make it to your auntie's. Char, you lead the way. I'll bring up the end of the line."
The Buneary children huddled close to their guides as Char and Saura as they began their expedition.
The Sitrus Orchard looked anything like an orchard. It looked like a thick, overgrown forest, and there wasn't even a single fruit tree in sight. Green and brown vines ran across the leaf-padded ground, running up tree trunks and strangling dead logs. Char couldn't take a step without his claws or toes getting snagged on the vines, and it made him wish Scythe was there to slice through all the overgrowth for him. The smell was fresh and humid, as if it had just rained. The incessant sound of insects buzzing and birds chirping filled the air; it made Char really wonder if there were other animals besides Pokémon in this strange world.
Char was more nervous than he'd ever been. He knew that the day would come when he and Saura would have to brave a dungeon without Scythe, but he never pictured having a whole handful of kids in his care!
What an overwhelming responsibility, Char said to himself, glancing back at the party following him. I can't believe I'm even doing this!
"It's okay, Char," Saura said. "I've got us covered in the rear. Just keep going."
Char turned back to the path at hand, doing his best to push and forage his way through all the shrubs. He tried to keep an eye out for anything that could pose a threat to the team; it wasn't easy, since animal sounds came from all directions and visibility was often limited to a foot in front of his face.
After a few more minutes of walking, Char stubbed his toe on something. He looked down to see a small grey rock. A small green vine ran over it, sprouting green eye-like flowers as it went.
"Guys, poisonous flowers," Char reported. "Watch out."
"Uh oh," Saura said. "Kids, Look out for the green flowers. They'll poison you."
"We know that," Leary said. "What was that song mommy taught us?"
"Ruby flower will give you power. Sapphire berry will make you wary. Emerald eye will make you cry," Heary recited. "The Rageflower, Chesto Berry, and Dragon's Eye."
Char had a thought. He curiously inspected the green flower, then plucked it right from the vine. Immediately, his fingers tingled violently as the antidote from the Pecha scarf neutralized the poison.
"Mr. Char!" cried Heary.
"It's alright," Char said. "I can't be poisoned right now, I have a..."
"Mr. Char, LOOK OUT!"
Char spun in all directions, looking for danger. When he didn't see anything, he turned to Heary, who was pointing into the air…
"CHAR! ABOVE YOU!" Saura cried.
Char felt a horrible stinging sensation as he was knocked aside by something very large. Immediately his back flared with the tingling feeling, warding off a new shot of poison. A horrible buzzing sound filled the air, and the kids all shrieked.
Char turned around to see a Beedrill harassing the group. Not just that, but a second one popped from behind of the tree leaves and joined it.
The first Beedrill circled in the air, coming for another attack at Char, but Saura skillfully extended his vines and swatted it out of the way. As it wobbled through the air and tried to re-orient itself, Saura followed up with a barrage of tiny seeds from his bulb. This time, the attack hit; several holes immediately appeared across the bug's body. It fell to the ground, where it hopelessly buzzed and thrashed in place.
The second Beedril hung in the air far above Char's reach, as if waiting for a moment to strike. Char concentrated, fueled his inner fire, and a long stream of flames exploded from his mouth. They engulfed the bee before it could even react, lighting it ablaze with flames and knocking it right of the air.
Char panted heavily as his fire subsided. He surveyed the damage.
"Good job, Char," Saura said. "We did good."
"Yeah, we did," Char said, watching as the Beedrills both slowly ceased moving. "Maybe we can get through this on our own after all."
Sitrus Orchard S3
As they went farther into the dungeon, the trees thankfully started to space themselves out and give the group some breathing room. Still, Char didn't really know what to think about the place.
"Why is this place even called an 'orchard', anyway?" Char wondered as he helped the kids carefully descend a small drop-off.
"Well, it's a long story," Saura said. "A few years ago, this place was a beautiful orchard where Sitrus berries grew. There were at least a hundred trees here, and they were all in orderly rows… It was really beautiful. Wow, it really brings back some memories… That's what made Sitrus City so popular. Everyone would always go there for the Sitrus berry medicines, or just to pick them from the orchard… the city was filthy rich, and it was a great tourist place, too. But when the Mystery Dungeons started cropping up, one of them consumed the entire orchard and turned it into a dungeon… and because of the temporal anomaly, it got all weedy and overgrown in no time."
"Wow," Char said, unable to believe the messy forest he now walked through was once a lush garden. "Are there… any Sitrus trees still here?"
"There should be, yeah," Saura said. "But because of the spatial distortion, you never know where they are, and just searching for them is pretty dangerous. That's why Sitrus berries are so rare. Nobody likes coming in here and searching for them."
"What are Sitrus berries, anyway?" Char asked. "What makes them so special?"
"You're kidding, right?" Teary said. "You've never had a Sitrus berry?"
"Sitrus berries are one of the best medicines known to all Pokémon!" Saura explained. "Eating just one feels invigorating, and it takes all your pain away. They speed up your body's own regeneration if you're injured, and they can even keep you alive if you're on the verge of dying."
"Wow, that must be a pretty powerful fruit," Char said.
"Yeah," Saura said. "And they even say that if you eat Sitrus berries when you're perfectly healthy, you'll add years to the end of your life."
"Maybe we can find some," Char said, still unable to see any fruit trees around him. "I think I'd like to try one."
"Hey, Mr. Saura," Meary said, "I'm getting hungry now."
"Really hungry, or just sorta hungry?" Saura asked.
"Just starting to get hungry," Meary said.
"Me, too," Leary said. "Can we have a snack?"
"Not quite yet, but we will soon," Saura said. "If we don't pace ourselves, we'll run out of food. You can waste food if you eat too fast, you know. Eating a lot of food really fast doesn't always mean it'll take you longer to get hungry."
"We'll take a rest soon," Char promised. "But for now, we've got to keep pushing on. This trip isn't going to get any easier."
"Uh oh," Saura said, glancing up. "More enemies on their way. A Beedrill, and a Butterfree. Get ready!"
Char and Saura took out the intruders before they even had a chance to pose a threat. Char found it easier than ever to control his fire, and he was getting really good at aiming with his flamethrower technique.
Saura's gotten good with his bullet technique, too, Char noticed. We're actually getting fairly powerful. Just a few more miles left! We can do this!
Sitrus Orchard S5
An hour later, there was no doubt about it: it was about time for a break.
After having singed at least ten feral bugs to a crisp, and gotten into a rather heated battle with a Roselia, Char was getting pretty winded. Still in the lead, he limped along and looked for a good place to stop and eat.
"My tummy hurts a lot," Heary reported. "Can we eat now?"
"Yeah, my belly's getting pretty empty, too," Saura said. "I think it's time to stop. Char, see anywhere to take a break?"
"Not here," Char said. "Maybe this way…"
The ground was littered with nothing but thorny shrubs and Dragon's Eye, so Char pushed through some more foliage, hoping to find something more fortunate on the other side…
…and tripped over the anchor-thread of a large Spinarak web.
The Spinarak leapt down to subdue the potential prey, but Char rolled onto his back and spat fire upward, burning the web and snapping the spider up into its own string. Saura quickly jumped in, wrapping up the spider with his vines and tossing it away.
"Guess not," Saura said disappointedly. "But we can't keep this up for much longer. I really don't want to pass out. Not in this place!"
"I know, I know," Char said, pushing on. "I'm starting to get dizzy… Here."
Char reached into the bag and produced a small apricot. He passed it back to the children.
"This'll tide you over until we can find a stopping place," Char said, grabbing another apricot to pass back.
"Char, watch it," Saura warned. "Willow trees up ahead. There might be Weepinbell."
Char kept a wary eye overhead, wondering if the dungeon would ever let him take a rest.
Sitrus Orchard S6
"Char… I can barely see straight…" Saura moaned. "Please… Let's just stop right here… I don't care…"
"We can't," Char said. "Not… safe…"
"Oh, not again," Saura grumbled. "You're right. Char, watch out. Get ready…"
Some bushes rustled, and an annoyed Ledyba emerged. Char sighed, taking aim at the bug, then reached for his fire.
…But his fire was not there. His inner Ember felt like a smoldering, flameless chunk of coal…
"I… -cough- I think… I'm… out of fire," Char moaned, backing away from the wild Pokémon.
"Char, your tail," Saura said. "It's…"
Char turned to glance at his tail, and was horrified at the sight. It was almost out, reduced to just a tiny, flickering candle flame. It made him feel even weaker knowing how close to the limit his body was…
"And I'm out of bullet seeds," Saura said. "Here… I'll take care of it…"
Saura stepped forward to confront the little ladybug. Grunting in weariness, Saura dispelled a small flurry of leaves at the enemy. Most of them missed, and the ones that hit only helped to disorient it. Saura panted, disappointed at his effort.
Char jumped at the enemy, but its wings buzzed and it flew out of the way. It circled around and tried to dive-bomb Leary, but the bunny whipped its long ears at the bug and bumped it away.
"Char, maybe we should just run," Saura suggested. "We're… not doing so well."
"I can't run," Char gasped. "I'm…"
"Char, just go," Saura said again. "If we go, it can't catch up with us. The trees are too thick for it to fly."
Too tired to argue, Char picked himself up from a slump and ran forward as fast as his numb legs could carry him. His entire body stung as he pushed himself through the wall of shrubs, twigs and rough leaves scraping all over him…
And then…
When the shrubs cleared, they cleared. Char was awestruck at the sight before him: the forest ended, and a small clearing opened up. The messy ground became a gorgeous, rolling plain covered in short, soft, lush grass. Sprouting up in the clearing were no less than twelve large, fruit-bearing trees aligned in perfect rows. It was like a well-tended garden. An orchard.
Is this… a mirage…? Char wondered, his vision so very blurry…
"Char, this is a miracle!" Saura cried, pushing his way into the open area. "Sitrus trees! We found Sitrus trees! We did it! It all paid off!"
"No way!" Teary cried upon seeing the small fragment of the once glorious orchard.
Nobody even had to be asked. Char, Saura, and all of the bunnies rushed forward to the nearest tree as fast as they could. Char pounced on a low-hanging branch, grabbing a whole handful of the golden berries. He stuffed them into his mouth, and was immediately overcome with the sweetest, most wonderful taste he'd ever felt. He grabbed the branch again, viciously tearing off another handful of berries and stuffing his face with them. He felt the thick, sappy juice smeared all over his muzzle, but he didn't care.
"Heavenly," Saura moaned, his mouth full of fruit. "The gift of Arceus…"
Char collapsed against the tree truck, still munching. A total, absolute comfort flooded him; he felt life pumping back into his stagnant limbs, his sight shifting and sharpening, returning to normal, and his inner fire sparked back to life, bringing warmth back to his belly.
Char wanted to just fall asleep in contented bliss, but strangely, the berries would not let him. They had an invigorating effect, rather than a suppressive one. In just a few minutes, he knew his belly would be satisfied, his fire would be re-fueled, and he'd be ready to stand back up and lead the team on a strong final leg of the journey.
"Char, here," Saura said, holding a branch of berries with his vine. "Put as many of these as you can in the bag! If we just take some of these with us, we'll be undefeatable!"
Char smiled, and completely emptied the bag onto the ground. He sorted through the contents, replacing only the most important items like the orbs, and filled the rest with the magnificent berries. Twenty-three berries fit into the bag before the thread wouldn't close anymore, and even while it was stuffed, the contents were unbelievably light.
"Ahh," Saura sighed, enjoying another berry. "I thought we were done for, but we did it. We pulled through again."
"I hope Scythe's doing alright," Char said, lounging on his back. "He said he'd meet us later. I wonder if he's waiting for us on the other side of the orchard."
"Wow... I never thought our first mission alone would be so stressful," Saura said. "But it's actually pretty satisfying, knowing we're actually doing—"
"Mr. Saura?"
Heary approached the two, his fur tangled and stained with both dirt and Sitrus fruit. He still looked scared.
"What's wrong, Heary?" Saura asked. "What do you need?"
"Where's Beary?"
"What do you mean, where's Beary?" Saura repeated, looking around the orchard at the rest of the bunnies. "He's… wait…"
Even Char could see it… there were only four bunnies in sight. The fifth… the little rebellious one… was nowhere to be seen.
"Beary!" Saura gasped. "He's… he's not here…? W… where is he? How… how… how long… was he missing?"
"I don't know," Heary said, almost ready to cry. "I was so hungry, and dizzy, I didn't see him… I don't think he came into the orchard with us…"
Char and Saura realized the same was true of them. They'd been so disoriented and tired, they both failed to notice that one of the children had not been with them for a while.
"No… By Arceus, no…" Saura whispered, trying to grasp the horror of having left a child behind in the brutal depths of the dungeon. "Char… We have to find him. I don't care what it takes. I'll spend the rest of my life in this dungeon if I have to. We're going to find Beary!"