Season II: Emerald
Chapter 22
"Well? Are we ready?"
"I don't think it's possible to be any more ready if we tried. I know, because we did try."
"Are you sure we didn't forget anything?"
"We went through the bag at least four times last night. We're fine!"
"Plenty of food?"
"We got enough food to last us two days."
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be worried… I'm just a bit nervous…"
"I know. I am, too."
Not two minutes after the all-clear had been sounded signaling that the world above was safe to travel, Char, Saura, and Ray stood at the southeastern doorway of the Division base. The hall was dead silent save for only a couple other early-bird teams who insisted on seizing the day the moment it became available. But, unlike Team Rattata or Team Firebolt, who were still blinking the flakes from their eyes and trying to walk straight, Team Ember was as alert and energized as if they'd already been awake for two hours prior. Actually, they had; it was a bit difficult for any of them to get a good night's sleep with nervous anticipation tugging at their minds…
Team Ember was ready to embark on their very first mission… alone.
"C'mon, guys, we'll be fine!" Ray said comfortingly, hefting the bag over his shoulder. "We're experienced enough. Scythe knows we're ready for this! Just think… months from now, after we've done hundreds of missions and become a famous high-ranking team, we'll be standing at this same door, and we'll look back, and think 'Wow, remember how scared we were the first time?'"
"Scared? Hah!" Saura laughed heartily. "I'm not scared! I just want to make sure we're not going to make some stupid mistake, like forgetting to pack our orbs, or... okay, fine. I'm scared. But that doesn't mean I'm not excited!"
"I'm scared just as much as you," Ray admitted. "This'll be the first time ever I've gone into a Mystery Dungeon without a trainer. You two at least have that Sitrus Orchard mission to look back on. Me? Nothing. Team Stripes had always supervised their dungeon explorations. But c'mon, we can't just dwell on everything that could go wrong! This is our day to show everyone how bright we can shine! Just think of how proud Scythe will be of us!"
"Yeah," Char chimed in. "We're a fully capable team, and this mission will be easy! As long as we give it half an effort, it'll be over before we know it." Then, under his breath, he added, "…And if I keep saying that, maybe I'll start actually believing it."
The team took a deep breath, trying to muster up the last bit of courage needed to begin the day's journey…
"Hey, you three," a Rattata yawned from behind. "Gonna move, or what?"
"Oh, sorry!" Char yelped, stepping aside. "We're just… getting ourselves ready…"
"Scythe's kids, right?" The Rattata said, eyeing them oddly as he and his team walked by. "First day on your own? Bah, you guys probably got nothin' to worry about. Just get it over with."
"He's right," Saura said with a surge of confidence. "Guys… it's time to go. Whatever happens, we can at least say we tried, right?"
With gritted teeth and heads held high, the team headed out.
It had been five whole weeks since the addition of Ray to Team Ember.
The day following Saura's freedom party, Scythe helped to complete the paperwork that would officially make Ray a member of the team. Scythe seemed very thrilled with the idea; he'd long since known about Ray's desire to eventually join Team Remorse, and agreed that letting him join Team Ember would be the perfect opportunity to bring him closer to his dream. Saura admitted he was a bit surprised at how willing Scythe was to allow the new addition to his group of personal apprentices, but Scythe shrugged and said that it was part of the learning experience.
"You are a full-fledged team, after all," he'd said, "so why shouldn't you be able to recruit new members from the training teams, just like all the rest? Deciding on new members is one of the most important decisions a team needs to make. A new member requires a heavy investment in companionship, understanding, and trust, not to mention resources. If you've chosen a poor teammate, you'll find that life can become very difficult, very fast. But, frankly, I don't think I could have picked a better choice myself for your new teammate. I think we'll all get along very well."
And he was right. Char and Saura soon found that it was very hard not to get along with Ray. The Raichu was constantly beaming with energy, and never once made even a tiny effort to contain his happiness. As he joined the team on their missions, he eagerly soaked in every lesson and piece of advice Scythe would give, and proved to be quite a formidable opponent against the wild Pokémon with his powerful electric attacks. Sometimes, it even seemed that Ray was giving more effort than Char and Saura put together, and the two were constantly surprised at how he never seemed to tire out, even after the longest and hardest of missions. In fact, Char was secretly beginning to think that Ray would make a better team leader than he ever could. But Ray never once complained about the team's leadership; he always had the highest level of respect for his teammates and especially his mentor, and it seemed that he wanted nothing more than just to wake up another day and face the world alongside his friends.
It wasn't long before Char and Saura started to experience the repercussions of having a new teammate. Even though Ray obviously never wanted to be unfriendly or bothersome, his overeager nature made him intrusive at times. Seeing that it was something that simply could not be changed, Char and Saura knew that they'd just have to get used to it. Ray had a very unique personality and always saw things in ways that Char and Saura could not, and his input on potential missions and strategies could be quite unexpected. His preferences for missions and even for items to fill the bag with were different than Char had been used to, and it often took a bit of compromising among the three to arrive at a final decision. The team's nightly planning sessions had never been the same.
But the negative was easily outweighed by the positive. Having an extra set of hands meant that shopping, packing supplies, and running errands were many times easier. Having a larger group meant that bigger and tougher challenges could be taken on, and having an electricity-wielding Pokémon on the team meant that they would be better suited to take a wider variety of tasks. But, most of all, having another close friend made the harsh life of a resistance team seem so much more comfortable and bearable. A feeling of fellowship quickly formed among the three, and it made everything seem worth it.
Even after just four days of having Ray on the team, Char and Saura began to understand what Scythe had meant. Even with just one new member, Team Ember was now a completely different team than it had been before. Char saw that accepting a new member was not a small matter, and one that he knew he couldn't take so lightly again in the future.
For the following five weeks, Team Ember fell into the daily routine of a resistance team. Each day presented a brand new opportunity to score another victory, to build upon the team's reputation (as well as their bank account), and to help make the world a better place beneath the shadowy reign of the mysterious one whom they all opposed.
Despite his overloaded schedule, Scythe somehow found the time to accompany the fledgling team on their missions, taking every opportunity to teach them what he could about all the different types of challenges and environments they met. Under his watchful eye, the team grew in knowledge, experience, and confidence…
…But, in what seemed like no time at all, a certain fateful day fell upon them.
"Listen," Scythe had said to the team as they planned out the next day's events. "I need to accompany my team to Basin Canyon tomorrow. They need me over there, I can't get out of it this time. So… you'll be on your own."
Although Char was able to smile and nod in reply, he felt a surge of panic erupt inside of him when he had heard those words. If there was one thing his adventures had taught him, it was that there was no such thing as a simple or easy mission. Many things could go wrong, and commonly did go wrong, and Scythe had always been there to get them out of their worst binds. Knowing they'd be on their first independent mission suddenly brought back horrible memories of that fateful day in the Sitrus Orchard; he could practically taste that feeling of despair and anguish he'd felt when he'd realized how badly they'd screwed up…
"Let's make this a test," Scythe had said. "If you succeed on the mission without me, I'll let you start taking real missions instead of using the training teams' agendas. And maybe, if I am so inclined, I'll stop taking half your earnings."
"Don't worry about us!" Ray had said. "We'll do it! We'll pass your test!"
Of course, it was always like Ray to be overly optimistic. This time, though, it didn't seem to make Char feel any more confident.
So, after the longest and most intensive preparation session yet, and after a rather restless night's sleep, Team Ember found themselves heading out on their very first unsupervised mission.
It was a rescue mission, much like a couple others the team had done. One of the Division's messengers reported the disappearance of a Pokémon, a Furret, outside of Iron Town. It hadn't come back before dusk, so it was safe to assume it had taken refuge from the Watchers in the caves outside of town and gotten stuck in the Iron Crevice Mystery Dungeon. The dungeon wasn't a difficult one, but being fifteen floors and filled with rock- and steel-type Pokémon, it would not exactly be a walk in the park, either. But with a handful of tactical advantages, a bagful of supplies, and weeks of training from a true master, they knew they were up to the challenge… even though it didn't really feel like it.
Cliffside Academy
The southeastern entry to the Division base was the most interesting of them all. Being the "main" door to the entire base, it needed protection from the most innovative and convoluted security system Metagross could come up with. And that's exactly what it had: the entire entrance was disguised as a business establishment on the outskirts of Iron Town, built into the edge of the great plateau that housed the underground base. It was a training academy, to be exact. The academy—and it actually succeeded in functioning as one, to maintain the most believable guise possible—stood in for the elite and prestigious establishment that once made its home in the very caves of the Division base. So, whenever legends spoke of this academy, Pokémon assumed it referred to Cliffside Academy, having no earthly idea of its true identity, or its fate. It was the perfect cover-up for the underground resistance force in nearly every way, and a very profitable one at that; tuition fees were a close match for the income earned by the Division's everyday efforts like missions, taxes, and piracy from the Master's trade routes.
After ascending a very lengthy staircase, Team Ember met with a Slaking who served as the keeper of the southeastern gate. After bidding them a good day (between heavy yawns, being so early in the morning), they proceeded through a fake dormitory building and out the front door.
Taking a deep breath of the chilly morning air, Char shuddered in anticipation of the day's events. He was thankful that it was Ray's turn to carry the bag, but he knew he'd have to be the navigator in exchange. Unrolling the map and trying awkwardly to hold it in the light of his tail, he struggled to see the path the team had marked in what could practically be the dead middle of the night.
"You know," Char commented, flipping the map around when he realized he was holding it upside-down, "one of these days, maybe we could sleep in and do our missions like everyone else, you know, in the middle of the day."
"We could, but then… well… wouldn't we just be like everyone else?" Ray said with a smirk. "Scythe is trying to train us above the standards of the other teams. I don't think he'd be too thrilled about seeing us break the sleep schedule he's been molding us into for the past weeks."
"Yeah, plus, this is a rescue mission," Saura added. "That Furret spent all night in that dungeon. We have to get him out as fast as possible! But I agree with you, Char. It would be nice to take a break and sleep in once and a while, especially if we're becoming independent from Scythe… but if we do, I think we have to consider how it would affect the missions we plan."
"I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't be able to sleep in if I tried!" Ray exclaimed. "Training is just too exciting. But maybe if we get a fourth team member someday, you two could take the day off from time to time…"
"Ray, that's not what I'm saying at all," Char laughed. "I'm not a wuss! I'm just saying… some sunlight wouldn't hurt for some of our missions."
"Luminous orbs are five hundred Poké a piece at Kecleon's," Ray winked. "Maybe next time, we could pack one."
Char grumbled. He could never win against Ray. With the Raichu around, Char and Saura found it much harder to even ithink/i about being lazy; they quickly learned that they could count on their new companion to push them hard and rebuke even the slightest suggestion of slacking. Beneath it all, though, he and Saura were thankful for every bit of it.
Route 325
"Okay, here we are," Char announced, squinting at the map as they approached the outer boundary of the campus. "We follow the cliff down south. But we should stick to the path if we don't want to wander into the wild Onix and Graveler. Six and a half miles, and there it is: the Iron Crevice."
As always, the crack of dawn always felt like the dead of night, and the homogenous landscape didn't help with the visibility. Devoid of any grass or trees, the badlands south of the academy were comprised of flat, barren stretches of clay-saturated dirt, riddled only with the occasional standing boulder or rock pile. Route 325 was the only true spectacle to be seen amidst the dull scenery: a wide, bright white walkway paved with fine gravel that wound its way down to the south. The small rocks that made up the road seemed to be cemented in place; they never shifted underfoot.
Char glanced at the eastern horizon, but wasn't surprised to see that there was still no sign of the sun. If it had started to peek over the horizon, there were too many distant hills in the way to see it.
"Walking is always so fun," Saura said, rolling his eyes. "It feels… weird, though… Scythe is always here to lecture us while we walk. But now…"
Letting the statement hang, Saura cast the group into the very thing he feared: a nervous, uncomfortable silence…
Ray started whistling a little tune. Char immediately recognized it as a children's nursery rhyme he often heard among the Division. He'd first heard it sung by Leo the Shinx on a long-ago mission, where it had gotten stuck in his head and stayed there permanently, much like the Resistance Creed. He started to sing along. What a great big world, a sight to behold...
It was a children's song, but it did the trick. Char always felt his spirit lift whenever he heard it.
Char had long since started disregarding how weird it felt to have Pokémon instincts and emotions, and even started to completely forget how he would have expected himself, as a human, to feel. It scared him a little, but he was honestly starting to feel comfortable as a Charmander, and starting to feel like he'd been a Charmander for his whole life. It'd been a whole month since his last vision of the legendary dragons, which was all but forgotten in Char's mind as he went about his day-to-day life…
"Something wrong?" Saura said quietly, as if to keep Ray, who was still whistling, from hearing. "Are you okay?"
Char cringed. He knew that reflecting upon his humanity had caused a change in his demeanor, which Saura instantly noticed. Char sighed, displaying a small, broken smile on his face. Saura was such a good friend. He was always so sensitive.
"Nothing, it's just…" Char mumbled back, reluctant to answer. "I… think I'm slowly forgetting that I'm a human."
"Oh…" Saura said, his tone changing, becoming more empathic. "That's right. You… haven't seen Dialga and Palkia for a while, have you?"
"No…" Char said.
"Well, I'll always be here to remind you," Saura said comfortingly. "Someday, we'll figure out your past. I'll never forget that it's our main purpose for being together. I did make you a promise, you know."
Char's smile brightened. Not only was Saura sensitive, he was compassionate. He always knew just to say to make him feel better.
As Ray started into another verse of the song, Saura looked back to Char.
"Hey, Char," Saura said, a bit awkwardly. "Have you… considered… you know… whether or not we should tell Ray about… you know… everything?"
Char was actually rather shocked at the question. No, he hadn't thought very much of the idea. Ever since Ray had become a team member, Char had started to consider himself a Charmander through and through. It never occurred to him to extend the intimate details of his identity and his fellowship with Saura to a third member. For the first time, he tossed the idea around in his head a little bit, trying to judge it. Ray probably already knew that he had the Call. In fact, he was sure of it; Scythe had since referred to his ability many times in casual conversation with both Team Ember and Team Remorse, and Ray never found it odd. But Saura, and probably Scythe, were the only ones who knew his deepest secret. How would Ray handle the truth? How would he react when he learned that Team Ember was something a little more than just a Resistance Team?
"Hey, what's going on?" Ray suddenly called forward. "You're not telling secrets, are you? I'm part of the team, too! I don't want to be left out!"
Although Ray was obviously just concerned and not trying to be rude, Char had to bite his tongue before he said something he'd regret.
"Ray, Char and I have a history together," Saura said politely. "Sometimes we just like to comment to one another. Can you blame us for that? We don't mean any harm."
Char sighed again, happy that Saura had found a good response. Yes, he realized, among the three of them, Saura was definitely the one who had a way with words.
Ray didn't respond, but a hint of disappointment flickered through his eyes. Again, Char considered the question of whether or not to let Ray in on the secret. Surely, he couldn't bear to hurt the Raichu, friendly and loyal as he was, by making him feel rejected or distrusted… but did he actually trust him enough? He'd trusted Saura on the very first day they met, but that was out of necessity. Yet, after knowing Ray for as long as he had, he was still reluctant.
I'll think about it, Char determined. This is a really big deal. On one hand, we're a team. We really shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other. But on the other hand… Ugh, I just don't know if he's ready to know.
Saying nothing more to Saura about the matter, Char simply fell silent as he and his team continued hiking down the path.
Rumble…
About half an hour later, an ominous sound from the sky above brought Char back to his senses from his thoughts and daydreams. Thunder? Just the suggestion of getting caught in the middle of a rainstorm made him start to tremble. He looked up and tried to scan the sky for clouds. Even though the sky had now turned from pitch-black to dark gray, it was still too dark to tell.
"Uh-oh," Saura said, also noticing the noise. "Think it's going to rain?"
"For Char's sake, I hope not," Ray said.
They kept going, hoping that it had just been a far-off roar or perhaps a Pokémon's electric attack. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Rumble…
About one minute later, the sound once again echoed down from the invisible clouds. Char's throat started to tighten. He knew that Charmander were perfectly capable of braving a rainstorm—the tiny drops of water would all evaporate on contact with his tail—it wasn't a pleasant experience. At all. Having been on a few missions during some scattered showers, he liked to compare the experience to getting caught in a hailstorm and getting constantly pelted with painful chunks of ice. He would live through it, but the pain and pressure would impede his ability to produce powerful fire attacks, reducing him to a weary deadweight in the upcoming mission…
"Hmm," Ray said, a little disappointed. "I did check the weather report last night, and there wasn't any mention of a thunderstorm…"
"Well, as they say, I guess Kyogre goes where it wants," Saura said. "If it starts coming down too hard, we packed an Airlock Orb, didn't we?"
"We packed one," Ray said, "but it was supposed to be for the dungeon…"
There was a tiny sizzling sound as the first little raindrop struck Char's flame. Char winced, the sensation not unlike a pinprick to the skin.
"On the other hand," Ray said, noticing that the rain had begun falling, "I guess we see how heavy it gets. If it gets too bad, we'll use the orb. But, in the meantime… maybe we should pick up the pace a little bit?"
In unanimous agreement, the team's steady hiking soon became a jog.
To everyone's dismay, the rain never let up. Fifteen minutes and about one mile later, the rain was still falling at a steady pace, accompanied by the occasional lightless thunder that would erupt from the sky. It wasn't bad enough to warrant blocking the weather with the power of the orb, but it was easy to tell that the rain was—ever so gradually—getting heavier. Char remembered the law of storms, perhaps from his humanity: storms leave exactly as fast as they come in. Judging by that, he knew this storm would probably be hanging in the air for the remainder of the morning…
Having long since packed the map into the bag, Char resorted to dashing on all fours down the road as fast as he could. Ray and Saura had followed suit and did their best to keep up, Ray trying to balance the bag over his back as he ran. But, it was ultimately futile; with a rush of the wind, the falling rain soon turned from a drizzle to a moderate downpour, and they were still a few miles shy of their destination.
Trying to bear the stabbing feeling in his tail, Char glanced back at his teammates. Both of them seemed to be enjoying the rain, especially Saura, as it provided his seed with a fresh drink of water to absorb. He knew their concern was solely directed at him.
"This is getting heavier," Saura called. "If you want, we could try to move closer to the cliff and get some shelter."
"Not now!" Char answered. "We can't risk getting beaten up by wild Rhydon!"
"If this gets any worse, we'll risk having you pass out!" Saura cried. "Please, I don't want to see you faint before we even get to the dungeon!"
"I'll be fine," Char called back. "It's just an annoyance. It's not serious."
"Char, don't try to be courageous now," Ray warned. "The moment I see your tail start to flicker, we're heading for shelter, no questions! Got it?"
Iron Outskirts
Char's tail didn't last for ten minutes. It soon began to waver, sometimes appearing to go out for a split second before re-lighting itself like a gas-powered lamp, as it always would when Char experienced relentless suffering. There was no arguing with Ray, and soon, the team left the path and it was off to the shelter of the cliff-side. Thanks to a light breeze, the rain fell at an angle; getting close enough to the cliff would protect them from most of the downpour, but it would require treading on the territory of the local wild Pokémon. Although they weren't in a Mystery Dungeon and thus the wild creatures would not be constantly driven to attack them, the team knew from experience that many of the Pokémon would probably not like being disturbed at such an hour…
Char was the first to rush up the incline and to the cliff wall, hugging it for dear relief. He stopped to catch his breath and let his fire recover. Char gathered the end of his tail in his claws and held it against his belly, trying to protect it from the stray raindrops blown by the shifting wind. Saura cast a consoling glance of pity at him.
"Okay, now is the hard part," Ray said. "The dungeon is still two miles away. I guess we should stick to the wall and keep going. Just be prepared for anything."
Navigating the base of the cliff was difficult. The ground was nothing but a big, uneven pile of rocks, making it very difficult to keep one's footing. The team found that hurrying forward was no longer an option if they wanted to stay dry.
After twenty more minutes, as the sun was just starting to hint at granting some useful visibility, Char noticed why he couldn't see the sky before: it was completely, utterly covered in a dark blanket of clouds for miles around. The menacing thunderhead crawled across the sky, plunging them into the endless depths of a severe storm. The wind was picking up, the rain was worsening, and the lightning was starting to seethe within the clouds…
"Wow, I wouldn't be surprised if Kyorge actually was around here somewhere," Char commented in awe of the weather. "This is a pretty bad storm! You can't tell me that nobody saw this coming!"
CRASH!
Lightning struck somewhere over the top of the cliff, and Char jumped three feet into the air. It was so close by, there wasn't even a delay between the flash and the big bang. Char felt his ears starting to ring.
"How much farther?!" Char cried. "This is getting ridiculous!"
"A little more than a mile," Ray reported. "C'mon, if we keep moving, we'll get there."
Rumble…
Another alarming noise crashed through the air, this one even closer. As Char was starting to wonder just how it would feel to be struck by a bolt of lightning, he noticed Ray stopping dead in his tracks.
Rumble…
"What?! What is it?" Saura demanded, trying to yell over the noisy storm.
Rumble…
Fear flickered through his eyes. "I don't think that last one was thunder…"
Just then, the endless pile of rocks underfoot shifted, like something was crawling around underneath. Char and Saura both went pale for a moment when they realized it…
And then, the pile of rocks simply erupted in all directions, knocking the three off their feet. From underneath the rocks emerged a rather small-sized Onix—but a very angry one. The stones that made up its body had blended in perfectly with gravel pile it slept underneath, which it angrily tried to shove out of the way to confront the intruders who had the audacity to step on him during his rest.
"Ahh…" Saura cried, startled, trying to fill his lungs with air after the fall. "Well? Ray? Do we fight? Do we run? We were prepared for anything, but what do we do?"
"Hold on," Ray said, quickly standing upright and charging electricity in his cheeks. "I think I might be able to take care of this…"
"Ray, you know it's just going to ground your attack if you try to shock it, right?" Saura told him. "I don't think that's a good idea! You'll only make it more angry!"
"He can't ground it completely," Ray responded. "Onix is a rock creature. He can still take some damage! Now… stand back if you don't want to get shocked!"
As the giant rock beast shifted and glared crossly at the little orange rodent, Ray sidled away from his friends, focusing on his target…
Soon, an impressive positive charge had built up across his whole body. Bright white Static rippled across his fur and jumped from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail, some of it discharging into the rocks around his feet…
"Oh, and you might want to cover your ears," he warned with an evil smile.
Just as the Onix reared back to attack, Ray threw his arms up into the air, summoning a bolt of lightning from the storm clouds above! The air flashed brighter than day, and a soul-shattering KABOOM shook the ground…
Ray opened his eyes, ready to accept the raw energy of the lightning into his body and to discharge a mighty Thunder attack at the opponent, when he realized something was wrong.
"…Huh?"
As Char and Saura were uncovering their ears and opening their eyes, Ray saw that the scene had not changed. The lightning had not actually struck him or his opponent, and while the Onix was a bit fazed from the strike, it remained unharmed.
"W…what happened?" Ray wondered, his eyes darting around for any sort of explanation. "I thought I did a perfect thunder-attack..."
"Ray, what happened?" Saura cried. "I think that lightning bolt struck behind us!"
"What?! How's that possible?" Ray cried back. "I missed? That's… that doesn't make any sense! Lightning doesn't work that way! Besides, this is a thunderstorm! How did I miss during a thunderstorm?! What's going on?!"
Baffled, Ray turned his attention to the Onix once again. It was no use complaining about a failed attack when the Onix had almost recovered from the jarring surprise and was about ready to retaliate…
Focusing once more on his charged electricity, and this time relying on his own power, Ray's body started to shine with a bright yellow aura. With an angry cry, Ray discharged his Thunderbolt point-blank at the Onix's face.
To his horror, it missed.
Ray couldn't believe his eyes. As soon as the bright, zigzagging bolt of electricity left his body, it turned a sharp corner, flew right over the heads of Char and Saura, and into to the darkness.
"WHAT?!" Ray yelled in frustration. "What in the name of Zapdos am I doing wrong?! I can't be…"
It was then that he noticed that his friends were no longer paying attention to him. Their gazes were turned in the direction the thunderbolt had gone…
From out of the shadows emerged a truly massive beast, even more intimidating than the Onix. Its body appeared to be made completely of rock, adorned with orange plates of armor. A long, pointed horn protruded from its forehead.
A lightning rod.
Truly infuriated, the Rhyperior barreled forward, swiping its long, blunt arms at the trio of friends. Gawking at the sight of the incredible Pokémon, It took Char a second to realize he had to actually move his legs if he wanted to escape alive.
"RUN!" Char ordered, dropping to all fours and dashing back out into the pouring rain. Saura and Ray unquestioningly followed. They knew there was no way they were going to defeat two powerful Pokémon at once. Char barely even felt the agonizing pain on his tail as he ran for his life.
Route 325
So, it was back to the road.
The rain had become worse. Much worse. It was coming down in torrents, easily enough to reduce visibility. The wind had grown so strong, it sometimes made it difficult to stand upright.
I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm strong, Char kept telling himself, trying to hold his own in the merciless weather… I can do this. It's only a little tingling. It's only a little pain. Any respectable Charmander could make it through the rain... I just... I just have to take my mind off it and keep pressing forward... Oh, what a great big world... a sight to behold... what a perfect place... to...
Suddenly, Saura felt something snag him from behind. He turned to see that Char had completely thrown himself onto his back, and was hugging him tightly. Tears streamed down his already soaked face, his front teeth biting down hard on his quivering lower lip. With just one look into his eyes, Saura knew that he'd been reduced to a whimpering fool.
"Ray," Saura said flatly, "use the orb."
"Yes, sir," Ray said, looking sorrowfully at his broken friend.
It only took a minute for Ray to dig through the bag and find the proper item. He quickly produced it and held into the air, telepathically ordering it to activate…
Not even thirty seconds later, the last raindrop hit the ground. While the clouds still hung in the sky, exchanging bolts of lightning amongst each other, the rain had been sealed away by the spell of the Airlock Orb. It was an item that attempted to copy Rayqaza's legendary power of stopping any and all harmful effects of the weather, leaving them with a sky that neither rained nor shined. Unfortunately, using up the orb meant that one of their planned strategies for battling through the Mystery Dungeon would be a lot more difficult to pull off, but it was a price Char was happy to pay for getting there with his sanity intact.
"Thank you," Char whispered, dropping limply to the ground.
Char's friends waited patiently for him to recuperate, nurturing him whenever they could. Char used all the techniques he knew of to help re-light his Ember, to breathe deeply and hold his breath often, and soon, he was starting to feel much better. About twelve minutes and several Oran berries later, Char made a full comeback, and from then on it was smooth sailing all the way to the dungeon entrance.
But the day's troubles had still only just begun.
As the resistance team rushed down the road in hopes of making it to the Iron Crevice before the orb's effect would wear off, a pair of eyes watched them from behind one of the faraway boulders that lined the ground…
"Heh, there they are," Croagunk muttered, peeking around the side of the boulder. "Just like we planned…"
"Very good," said the Seviper, smiling with satisfaction at the remaining shards of the rain-orb they had just activated. "Now, it's about time we finally put this plan into motion."
"I still say it won't work," Croagunk groaned. "It's not like we can count on those kids to be stupid after they've been trained by that Scyther…"
"We've got to make it work," the Seviper hissed. "Boss is counting on us to do this. We can't let him down this time! Besides, we're not trying to make them agree to something stupid… it's something smart!"
"Heh heh, you're right, you're right," the Croagunk chuckled.
At that, Team X fled from behind the rock, closely trailing Team Ember all the way to the dungeon…