Chapter 20
Sitrus Orchard S6… still
Team Ember had made a solemn promise to the Lopunny mother to keep her children safe. Now that the youngest of the children had gone missing somewhere in the cursed orchard, there was no question in Char's mind that the kid had to be found at all costs. But how does one rescue someone amidst a spatial anomaly, where "back" and "forth" are meaningless, and you can never count on the terrain to look the same? It was quite an understatement to say that Beary could be anywhere.
"This isn't the way we came!" Saura cried, already on the verge of panic. "This looks nothing like the place we just were! How do we find our way back?"
"I don't think we can," Char said. "This place is cursed, remember? It tricks you into going the wrong way. We'll just have to keep wandering around until we find him."
"Char, you take two of the kids and go that way," Saura ordered. "I'll go this way."
"Are you kidding? You want us to lose each other, too?" Char responded. "We've got to stick together or we'll be just as lost as Beary. We just need to stay in this section of the forest and keep our eyes open."
"I'm sorry, you're right," Saura said. "I guess I'm not thinking straight right now… But… I just hope he's okay… I still can't believe I wasn't paying attention!"
"We'll find him," Char said, hoping to convince even himself. "We can do this. Just keep going."
The search through the overgrown, enemy-infested forest continued for at least half an hour. The children were sure to stay extra close, and helped out by calling to their missing brother.
"Beaaaaaaaaaary!" Teary yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Beary, answer us if you can hear us!"
"You dumb bunny! You're going to get yourself killed!"
Of course, the sound of their calling only served to attract more enemies. A wild Venonat, a Rattata, and a Beedrill all heeded the voices and came quickly to purge the intruders. Despite some bumps and scratches in the battle, the enemies were dispatched quickly whenever they came.
Even though the group stayed in the same sector of the forest for a very long time, the wild Pokémon just kept coming, no matter how many of them were punctured and burned down by their attacks. It was almost as if the enemies appeared out of nowhere when their backs were turned. Char was starting to wonder how long it would take before they'd see any signs of progress…
"Hey, Char," Saura finally said with a distraught face, "This is the third time we've passed this tree. I'm getting really worried."
"Are we lost, too?" Teary asked. "Can we still find Beary?"
"Hey, Saura, I just thought of something," Char said. "Maybe the spatial distortion doesn't work the way we're thinking. Maybe he could be farther into the dungeon. Remember how we only saw part of the old orchard? The other part might be in a completely different place. So we might have a chance of finding Beary if we continue on to the next section of the forest."
"But what if you're wrong?" Saura said. "I don't want to leave Beary behind!"
"Saura, you even said it yourself. We've been going in circles for the past—I don't know how long. He's not here. Maybe we can find him if we move on."
"I can't do that! I'm not going to risk leaving him behind!" Saura growled, digging his paws into the ground in frustration. "I'm… sorry! We're not going anywhere until he's found."
Sitrus Orchard S7
"I hope to the ancients you're right," Saura mumbled sadly after facing the fact that there was nothing he could do but continue forward. "It doesn't make sense, but… Oh, please… I just wish he's here somewhere… Please…"
I do, too, Char thought to himself. Dialga, if you're watching out for me now… You've put us through so much… is it too much to ask for you to lead us to the missing child?
"Where are we going?" Heary asked, looking sad and confused. "We're not leaving Beary alone, are we?"
"Mystery Dungeons are strange places," Char explained. "We think if we go forward, and leave behind the place where we lost him, we'll find him."
"Oh…" Heary replied, clearly not understanding.
"What if he's dead?" Teary wondered out loud. "He's been missing for an awful long time! What if he got killed by a bee?"
"Teary! Don't say that!" Saura yelped. "Please! Don't even think about that! Just… help me look for him! Keep looking!"
"But what if he is dead?" Teary said again. "What will Mommy say…?"
Saura turned to the four kids who followed him, continuing to unquestioningly persist through the forest at his command. He could tell it by the looks on their faces: they all wanted to ask the same question.
"Listen!" Char said firmly. "I don't care if Beary's dead. We're going to find him, alive or otherwise, and that's final! We're just going to search every last inch of this forest until we do. Do you understand?"
The kids all solemnly nodded.
"I don't want to hear any more talking about 'is he dead' or 'what will we do if we don't find him', okay?" Char told them. "Save it for when we know for sure. Until then… we just keep going."
Sitrus Orchard S11
For six more grueling hours, they searched that forest, inspecting every tree, digging through every leaf pile, diving into every ditch, and fighting the endless stream of wild bug Pokémon as they went. Still, there was not even a single sign—not even a footprint—of the missing child. Worry mounted in Char's heart as the end of the forest drew close—only one more mile remained.
Saura no longer showed signs of panic, anxiety, or weariness. He was beyond it all. He marched through the forest, emotionlessly following Char's lead, scanning everywhere the light touched with his unblinking eyes and rustling through everywhere it didn't with his vines.
The children had changed a bit, too. Char noticed that they were beginning to act a little differently: after only the first half hour of searching, they no longer complained about hunger or weary muscles. Silently, unquestioningly, they followed the commands given to them by their leaders and trudged along beside them. Whenever Char noticed a child starting to get teary-eyed from strain, or starting to limp from fatigue, he'd administer a Sitrus berry and hope it would be enough to help.
The forest was not merciful. The enemies never stopped coming, especially the Beedrills. Every time a Buneary's little voice echoed through the woods, calling out for the missing brother, an angry Beedrill seemed to respond with wings buzzing and poison stingers at the ready. And there were countless more Spinarak webs to walk into, Weepinbell traps to avoid, and Rattatas to fend off… Char even once fell into another pitfall trap, only to have Saura act quickly and catch him in mid-plummet, saving him and all the items in the bag.
There were poison spikes at the bottom of that one.
Eventually, the sunlight started to deepen in color, signaling the beginning of evening. In just three more hours, the light by which they walked would be gone, and in one hour after that, the Watchers would be out. But the search continued on, the group unwavering in their efforts…
…Until Heary, after a very long time of the group not speaking to one another, spoke up.
"Mr. Saura?"
"What is it, Heary?" Saura spoke flatly, but trying not to sound unfriendly.
"You said that Beary might have gone forward in the forest, right? That's why we left behind the orchard and kept going forward?"
"Yes," Char answered.
"Well… What if he went backwards?"
Silence rose from the group.
"What if we couldn't find him because he went backwards, instead of forwards?"
Char and Saura turned to stare at one another, pondering if it could be true. It was, after all, the most likely possibility yet to be offered.
"But you can't go backwards in a Mystery Dungeon," Saura said. "…Or can you?"
"…if you somehow get trapped in the spatial anomaly, maybe you can," Char considered.
"What if… we left him behind before we found the orchard?" Heary wondered. "We looked everywhere for him back there, but maybe we were too late!"
Again, silence. Saura's eyes faded to a faraway gaze.
Was it true? Had they left the child miles behind? It seemed to make perfect sense. Maybe they'd left Beary farther back than originally thought, and that's why their most thorough searches all came up empty. But even then, it was a horrible thought to behold. How would they rescue him now?
"Here's what we'll do," he finally decided after a few minutes of thought. "We finish this search. Then, when we leave the dungeon, one of us goes on to the city with you Buneary, and the other explores the dungeon from the very beginning."
Char knew the idea was absolutely crazy. There was simply not enough time left in the day to scour the dungeon from the beginning. But, he knew that, between Beary and himself (since it was obvious he'd be the one staying to search, since he was the only one with a light), he was the one more deserving to be left as prey for the sinister ghosts. He was the one who screwed up and let his attention slip long enough to lose the child. He was the one who would face the dark of the night to find him—or die trying.
"Sounds good to me," Char said, knowing that he didn't have any other choice. "Onward it is, then…"
Just as Char was ready to continue forward, Meary gasped.
"Wait! I heard something!"
"What is it, another Beedrill?" Char asked, looking up to the treetops.
"No. It sounded like Beary!"
"Where? Which way?" Saura demanded. "You sure it was him?"
"I… I'm not sure, it might have been," she said. "That way!"
Without a second thought, the group rushed forward as fast as they could in the direction Meary indicated.
"I heard it again!" Meary said. "It was louder!"
"I didn't hear anything," Saura said. "What did it sound like?"
"It sounds like Beary crying!" she insisted. "It's getting louder!"
"You heard her," Char said. "Keep going!"
"BEAARY!" Teary cried. "We're here! We're going to find you!"
After traveling just a few more yards, Char thought he started to hear something strange, too… but it wasn't the sound of a child crying. It was like a low humming sound, sometimes escalating in pitch to sound like a shriek. He couldn't quite tell what it was…
"That's not Beary," Saura said, disappointedly. "But… what is that…?"
The noise kept fluctuating, making it hard to follow or identify. Char moved in the direction of the sound, even though he didn't see anything quite out of the ordinary…
But then, Char pushed aside a leafy branch, and he saw it. Everyone froze in horror; it was the last thing they wanted to see.
A small alcove opened in the forest. In the center of the forest, there was a tree. You couldn't tell it was a tree, though; it was covered, completely swarming with Beedrillls. It was a hive. The sound of buzzing wings faded together to form the terrible humming noise.
For a few moments, Char couldn't tear his eyes from the sight. Many cocoons and paper nests stuffed with larvae hung from the branches…
"Oh, no!" Saura whispered upon seeing the invested alcove. "Everyone, run!"
But it was too late to run. Some Beedrills spotted the intruders and quickly called upon their kin to help defend the hive… soon, almost a hundred of the angry bees began to swarm towards Char…
Almost without thinking, Char prepared to blast his fire, then held it back at the last second to release a thick cloud of smoke at the swarm of insects. The cloud spread quickly, reducing visibility…
Trying to resist a coughing fit, Char turned to flee with his companions…
Although some of the Beedrils had become confused as they entered the smoke screen, throwing off their course and directing them into tree trunks, most of them shot straight through and kept coming. They closed in on Char at an incredible speed…
"We're not going to make it!" Heary yelled as he glanced back. "AHH! Mr. Char, LOOK OUT!"
And with that, the swarm was upon them. Nothing could save them now.
Char ducked, narrowly avoiding the poison tip of a Beedrill as it passed by. Saura tried to give him cover by sending out a flurry of razor-sharp leaves, but to his surprise, most of the leaves were stopped by tree branches and foliage—obstacles which the Beedrills so agilely zoomed around as they closed in and surrounded the group…
"CHAR! We're not going to make it this time!" Saura cried, batting at the bees with his vines as best as he could. "CHAR! USE THE ESCAPE ORB!"
The escape orb! Char had completely forgotten about that!
"But... we're not to the end of the forest yet!" Char cried, leaping to shield a terrified bunny from an attack. "What if the Master's forces are still out there? They'll see us!"
"Char, we don't have a choice!" Saura cried desperately. "These kids are all going to die! Char, use the orb!"
It was true. Saura was succeeding in defending the group from the swarm as they hurried for whatever kind of cover they could find, but he couldn't keep it up. The number of bees on their tail kept growing.
"Also, maybe this is our last chance to find Beary!" Saura yelled. "Remove the curse, and the forest might become easier to search!"
Char quickly ducked behind a tree, throwing the bag onto the ground and plunging his claw down into it. Sitrus juice burst from the berries and stained his hand as he dug down for the orb…
When he found it, he held it hesitantly in his hand…
"If the Master's soldiers are still out there…"
"Char, we have to take the chance," Saura said again. "Please, Char! They're starting to… OW! OW!"
At once, Char grasped the shiny, opaque orb with both of his claws. A telepathic voice entered his head.
This is an escape orb, the voice said. Activate?
Yes, activate! Char answered.
The orb emitted a powerful pulse, a strange ripple that spread through the air in all directions. As it passed, the buzzing of the bees and the frantic screaming of the bunnies all seemed to cease for a moment…
Activation successful, the orb said. The curse has been broken. Your party may now leave the dungeon at will.
With that, the orb's color faded, becoming glassy and transparent. It soon collapsed into thin shards which fell to the ground and dissolved away…
And then there was silence.
Char looked around. The bees had… simply disappeared. With the breaking of the curse, they had either given up on their attack and flown away, or vanished into thin air, trapped in a sort of alternate dimension. The forest and the sky looked a lot different, too… it almost felt like they were standing in the true Sitrus Orchard, the one that had been shrouded by the Mystery Dungeon curse for so long. Most of the overgrowth had vanished, and Sitrus trees blossomed with flowers and berries all around…
Char saw Saura still cringing, wrapping all four of the Buneary at once with his vines to protect them... he saw as they opened their eyes, one by one, seeing that the danger was gone…
Saura's eyes snapped open, surprised.
"It… worked," he said. "They're gone… We're safe…"
It was true. There were no more enemies to be seen, and the forest seemed… much more peaceful than it used to be.
"Okay, quick," Saura said. "Now that the dungeon is gone, everyone split up and search for Beary. It should be much easier to find him now that the place isn't all distorted."
So they did. And Saura was right: it was much easier to find Beary. In less than ten minutes, the search was over.
As Char wandered through the forest calling Beary's name, a muffled sound answered him back.
-Hic!-
Char looked up.
"Uhhhhhh…" -hic!-
Sure enough, it was him. Char spotted the little Buneary laying in the branch of a nearby Sitrus tree. His fur was hopelessly stained with Sitrus juice, and his belly was absolutely stuffed. He moaned in pain, half-asleep...
"Beary!" Char exclaimed, rushing to his aid. "Beary! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"
"Mr. Char…" the bunny moaned vaguely, his eyes half-open.
"What happened?" Char asked, trying to pick him up and take him off the branch. "We searched everywhere for you!"
"I got tired… I couldn't keep up…" the bunny muttered. "I… think I'm sick… I ate lots of berries to help me feel better…"
When Char succeeded in picking up and carrying the child, he noticed the problem: there was a gaping, messy wound in the child's side. Scabs had already started cover it, thanks to all the Sitrus berries he'd eaten, but they were having some trouble doing so: the skin underneath the child's brown fur had turned a bright green, bubbling up into large boils around the opening. He was poisoned.
"Oh, Beary!" Char cried upon seeing the wound. "You were stung by a Beedrill, weren't you?"
"No… it was…" the child tried to say. "I think… the Nido got me… I thought it was just a scratch… but it got bad and it started making me tired… so I couldn't keep up…"
Char gently set the child onto the ground to look over the wound. It was infected pretty bad.
"I hid in the tree, because you said that nobody suspects a tree, right?"
"Here, take this," Char said, quickly slipping off his scarf and tying it around the gaping injury. "This should make you feel a lot better. It won't cure the poison, but it should help until we get you some medicine."
"I want mommy," the child moaned sadly as Char picked him up and carried him away.
"How about your Auntie?" Char said gently. "We'll be there soon. Don't worry. You'll be okay."
Route 370
Saura, and the rest of the children, were absolutely overjoyed at the missing brother was found. Once re-united, they all pushed their way out of the forest as quickly as they could, leaving the vicious, unforgiving dungeon behind.
"About time," Scythe called to them as they emerged from the orchard. "What took you so long? It's almost evening!"
Leary answered him. "Sorry, Mr. Bug," he said, "but Beary got lost!"
Char and Saura both bit their tongues as Scythe cast a worried glance toward them.
"You lost a child?" he said with surprise. "Really? You lost him? In the middle of a dungeon?"
"…Yes," Saura answered regretfully.
"But it looks like everyone's all here," Scythe said with a smile. "You found him again. Good for you! You could have been a little faster, but you two did good. I'm very proud of you. Children! How was the Orchard? How'd it go?"
"It was scary!" Leary said. "There were Beedrills and Spinaraks everywhere!"
"I wasn't scared," Beary said, limping along with one hand on the scarf that covered his would like a bandage.
"Mr. Saura helped keep us safe," Teary said. "Mr. Char helped, too."
"I almost cried when Beary was missing, but Mr. Saura said we'd find him," Heary added. "It took a long time, and we got really tired, and hungry. But he promised!"
"Mr. Char is the best at fighting!" Meary said. "But I still think daddy could beat him!"
"I don't know about that! Mr. Char has FIRE!"
"I bet Mr. Saura could beat Mr. Char! Mr. Saura saved us from a whole swarm of Beedrills at once!"
As Scythe led the group back to Route 370, Char and Saura both released a great big sigh. Even though they weren't exactly proud of themselves for everything that had happened, they were relieved that it was all over. The five kids were all alive as promised, and Sitrus City was just over the horizon.
There was a problem, however… nightfall was coming a bit too fast. Noticing this, Scythe ordered everyone back off the path and into the grasslands.
"Where are we going?" Saura asked. "Don't we have to head for the city? We're almost out of sunlight!"
"Exactly," Scythe said. "There just isn't enough sunlight left. We'll never make it to the city at this rate. Here. Dig!"
Scythe slashed at the ground, flinging dirt into to the air.
"Dig?" Saura repeated.
"Yes, dig," Scythe said, putting another long slice into the dirt. "The Watchers never attack a shelter, no matter how it's made. Now, help me! It's our only chance to escape them!"
The team spent the rest of the evening digging a hole for shelter from the looming darkness of night. Thankfully, the Buneary children seemed quite skilled at this activity, and with a little effort, they now had a musty, narrow trench to crawl into. Once they'd hit the layer of clay, they dug the rest of the hole at a slant until the sky could no longer be seen from the very bottom.
There, the Buneary snuggled around Char and Saura, and everyone had a well-earned rest after such a very tiring, stressful day.
The Buneary took turns with Char and Saura retelling all the events of the day to Scythe. He listened amusedly and proudly as they told stories of Weepinbells, pitfall traps, Beedrills, and Beary getting lost. The only time he stopped to reprimand them was the part where Saura explained his plan to take the children back to the city while one of them stayed behind to search.
"I admire your courage," Scythe told them sternly, "but never, ever forget the most important rule of all. Never, ever, ever travel alone."
"Oh, you mean like how you ran off on your own to go spy on the soldiers?" Saura retorted sarcastically. "Sure. We'll remember not to do that. Thanks for setting a good example for us."
"Okay, you got me," Scythe said with a grin. "But still. I was not traveling. I practically stayed in the same place, even as I followed the soldiers down the road. You were the ones who had to traverse the dungeon. That is not wise to do alone, no matter how experienced, or desperate, you may think you are. At the very least, had you carried out that plan, you should have kept the most able-bodied child with you."
Char ignored his excuses. He knew Scythe didn't have to explain himself; that he, not them, was more than able to venture off on his own whenever he wanted. He and Saura agreed never to even consider breaking the buddy rule in the future.
Char got to the part where they broke into a Beedrill hive, saved their lives with the escape orb, and rescued Beary. The children agreed that, by far, it was the most frightening thing they'd ever been though. Beary, though, seemed to be a little disappointed that he missed the event.
"That was the part I didn't understand," Char said, holding his tail close to his chest so as to not accidently burn anyone. "How come the land just changed like that when we used the escape orb?"
"From what we know of Mystery Dungeons, they are simply alternate dimensions that overlay certain areas of the terrain, absorbing their features and arranging them in random shapes," he explained. "If you use an escape orb, it actually transports you from the Mystery Dungeon dimension back into the real dimension which still exists underneath. The result is that you become visible to those around you, and you are able to simply leave whenever you want. Although, if you stay unveiled too long without fleeing the dungeon, you will just get sucked back into the curse. You were lucky you found Beary as fast as you did. In the future, remember to always get out as fast as you can once you activate an escape orb."
"Noted," Saura said. "There's no way we're going to waste something that useful."
"Oh, and another thing," Scythe said. "It is very likely that you could not find Beary because he was dispelled from the dungeon."
"Dispelled?" Saura asked. "I never knew about that part. How's that work?"
"If you lose consciousness in a dungeon, and nobody revives you for more than about a minute, the dungeon will expel you," Scythe explained. "Usually, that means you will be separated from the rest of your team who remain in the dungeon, and unable to join them again until they leave."
"No wonder," Char said, remembering Beary's predicament. "So that's why we couldn't find him anywhere!"
"But he's here now," Teary said. "That's why I'm glad."
"Heh, us too," Saura said.
Char passed out a snack of dried apples that had somehow survived at the bottom of the bag all day, and the weary children started to drift off to sleep.
"So, Scythe," Char said, long after the kids had all passed out for the night. "Did you find out what happened with all those soldiers?"
Scythe closed his eyes for a moment, deep in concentration. Char knew that the day hadn't gone too well for him, either.
"Maybe," Scythe grumbled, staring at the ground. "I can't be sure. They looked as though they were heading to the southwest…"
"Well, at least that means my family is safe for the time being," Saura sighed.
"One thing's for sure, though," Scythe muttered. "The settlement at Basin Canyon will have to be postponed. We shouldn't risk it while the Master has such a strong hold on the nearby area. The team's not going to like this one bit. Especially Daemon. I already know I'm going to have a hard time explaining it to him."
"Why's that?" Char wondered. "It looks to me like your team trusts you unconditionally. Even Daemon."
Scythe forced out a laugh. "Ah, ha ha ha," he grunted. "Sure, but just watch how they respond when I tell them we'll have to work overtime for an entire month. Maybe even two or three, just to keep an eye on the place. I've got to put it to Adiel… he has a way of accidentally executing plans that are more effective than he can imagine. Just by appearing to us, he's forced us to act and put strain on our entire operation."
Adiel, Char remembered. Oh wow, I almost forgot. When he appeared… he said that Saura only had three days left of freedom… and that was two and a half days ago. That means… he only has one day left! After tomorrow, he might come looking for Saura… I sure hope we're safely back in the base when tomorrow night rolls around!
"Say, Scythe," Saura said after yawning. "I've been wondering. What's up with Basin Canyon, anyway? What are you doing there, exactly? Well, I mean, if you're even allowed to tell us."
"It's a very long story," Scythe muttered. "But, I see we've got nothing better to do at the moment. Hmm… Where to begin…? Basin Canyon is a colony. A good number of years ago, a tribe of Sandshrew and Sandslash lived there. They had a whole network of tunnels and chambers in the walls of the canyon… and that was their home. They cherished it and defended it for generations. So, naturally, when the Master moved into the area, they… they stood their ground. Even when the Master demanded they clear out… they refused. They defended their home with their lives, and a war broke out. Many lives were lost. Sadly, most of those lives were the Sandslash that tried to put up a fight."
"But why would the Master do that to them?" Saura asked. "Even for him, that seems kind of low. Why would he force them out of the canyon? He had to have had a reason of some sort, right?"
"Because, the Sandslash were hiding a secret," Scythe told them. "Down, beneath the depths of the canyon… there was a mine. A mine of feral-shards. And when the Master found out this secret, he wanted all the feral-shards for himself, so he went to go take them by force. Even back then feral-shards were very rare, so you can imagine how wealthy the Sandslash made themselves by selling the stones to the markets. But the Master was determined to be the only one in control of the stones, to prevent Pokémon from becoming too powerful for him."
So, they're fighting for the feral-shards! Char realized. I remember when we found one in the thieves' den… no wonder Scythe got all excited when he saw that. I bet they're really valuable!
"Well, the battle over Basin Canyon raged on," Scythe continued. "When this battle was almost at its breaking point, my team decided to go in and help them. So, Team Remorse gathered their strength and fought for the Sandslash. But we soon found that even we were not strong enough. We had underestimated the Master's efforts… and we knew that the battle would be lost. So, we did what we could to evacuate the Sandslash safely. But, during our very final battle in those caves, a very… unfortunate thing happened. It was something I thought I could have avoided, but in hindsight, I know now there was no way for me to prevent it. The soldiers attacked us… and they killed Jahzara, the leader of the tribe."
As he said this, he hung his head as if in respect for the memory of a fallen hero. Char also saw a little resent in his eyes. He could tell that the story was very important to the old warrior; it was a memory he lived in the shadow of, wishing he could change.
"And when the dust settled, and it was all over, Jahzara's tribe was defeated and demoralized. They had lost everything they ever held dear—their home, their precious stones, and even their leader. So, we did the only thing we could do: we led them somewhere safe, somewhere they would thrive and stay hidden for as long as they could. And, that day… I gave a solemn vow to them. I promised them that one day, I would lead them back to their homeland."
"And that's what you're doing now, isn't it?" Saura said. "That's what this 'settlement' is you keep talking about. You're going to take the Sandslash back so they can settle at the canyon again."
"Indeed," Scythe said. "Even after all these years, I kept it in the back of my mind. I never forgot my promise. Well, it was hard to, anyway; it turns out that I had taken a little reminder with me. You see, when Team Remorse turned and left the Sandslash in their new home that day, a little Sandshrew, the second-youngest of Jahzara's seven sons, followed us and wanted to join us. His name… was Shander."
Char smiled. He finally understood why Scythe and Shander were such great friends. Scythe also smiled warmly at the memory, but his smile soon faded as he continued his story.
"Now, when the Master took control of the canyon, he found something he did not expect. The feral-shards which he so zealously sought after were buried at the very bottom of the Basin's deepest chambers… which had, at some point in time, become blocked by one of the longest, most difficult Mystery Dungeons known to this day. After trying unsuccessfully to send forces through the dungeon and claim the stones, he gave up. And now, finally, we have a chance to fulfill our promise to Jahzara's tribe. It wasn't easy to get this far, but we're almost ready to lead them back home and give them adequate protection while they settle in."
"Wow, do you think the Master will fight back?" Saura wondered. "That sounds like a difficult task, defying him openly like that."
"Oh, we already know he will fight back," Scythe said. "But we can fend him off this time. If we can just fend off the Master's first counterattack, and show him that the Sandslash intend to stay, he'll back off and leave them alone; after all, he doesn't even care about the canyon anymore. And believe me, to say that we've put a lot of thought and planning into this effort would be the understatement of the decade. Our master plan is flawless. We will win. Not even Adiel will stand in our way."
"So, seeing those soldiers today threw another whole kink into things, didn't it?" Char asked. "Now you have to postpone the settlement."
"Yes," Scythe said. "One of the most important things our plan hinges on is the size of the Master's forces in the surrounding area. This year, it's been at an all-time low, the perfect opportunity to execute our plan. But now… we will have to wait until we know for sure what the Master is doing with these soldiers. But, rain or shine, we're going to get this done."
"Well," Saura said, now with his eyes closed, "if there's one Pokémon in the whole division that can pull this off, it's you."
After that, the team drifted off to sleep to the sound of wild Kricketot and Noctowl from the surface above, and, of course, the ever-present gentle roar of Char's flame…
… … …
In the middle of the night, Char found himself awake.
Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he made the mistake of craning his neck against the dirt wall to take a quick glance at the world above…
…And what he saw horrified him. A cluster of hundreds of dark shadows, like a giant black cloud, floated slowly through the sky.
Watching.
It took him a while before he was able to calm himself enough to return to sleep.