Chapter 24
Iron Crevice B8F
Having their rest period cut short, the group started to feel a little weary and hungry as they continued into the catacombs. The hostile Pokémon were becoming ridiculously numerous, and there were always more waiting for them around every turn…
And then the Aron started appearing, and they knew things were not going to get any easier. The little armored rodents were a huge pain to fend off; they attacked in a berserker style with head-butting and jumping, using their steely bodies as bludgeoning weapons as they ferociously pounced at the team. What made them more difficult than fighting Rattata, though, was that their steel armor seemed to make them impervious to any damage at all.
Char found himself in a standoff with an Aron. He'd engaged it in battle, but soon found it to be a very difficult foe to beat down. After a painful scuffle that left him with some bruises, he backed off to catch his breath and to figure out what his next move would be.
Physical attacks do nothing to it, Char reminded himself. Only my fire seems to do any damage. I've got to keep my distance and try to burn it!
Although the creature was slow and easy to outrun, Char didn't want to be chased into places he wasn't looking. He knew that he could stumble on an inconsistency in the floor at any time, or possibly bang his head into a metal protrusion that had been filed down to a blade by Aron.
"Okay, this one's down," Ray reported from across the room after having knocked out a second Aron. "Do you need any help?"
Char didn't respond. No, he didn't want help. He wanted to take this one all on his own. His instincts insisted. He'd been a liability for nearly the entire trip, and he wanted to prove his strength just once…
Char blasted embers at the little creature, making sure to spread his attack wide to make it hard to dodge. But he couldn't hold himself back, and his attack turned into a full-blown flamethrower. The cave passageway filled with light as Char's fire blasted through the air, the flames roiling and billowing against the rocks…
When Char paused for breath, the Aron was still standing, a black scorch mark burned into the rock under its feet and across nearby walls. The thing blinked as if to get the smoke out of his eyes, and struggled to remain standing…
But then, with an angry bellow, it charged forward again. Char flinched at the sight of it coming, having thought for sure it would have been weakened by the attack. Before he could do anything, the Aron pounced and tackled Char head-on, knocking him down and sending them both sliding across the ground. Char tried to throw the thing off, but it was incredibly heavy, and it struggled fiercely to keep itself attached. Char jerked back each time the small, toothy mouth underneath the creature's helmet viciously lashed at his chest, dodging it by millimeters.
Unable to free himself, and starting to panic, Char felt his instincts tell him to do something he'd never done before. He returned the Aron's attacks, lashing with his own jaws and biting down on its foreleg. The powerful taste of steel filled his mouth, but he bit as hard as he could… and he realized that it wasn't his teeth that were dangerous, but the internal heat of his body. The Aron cried out in sudden agony, its leg burning at a temperature that its body was never built for. As Char kept his teeth clenched, he thought he could even feel the creature's steel armor starting to liquefy and become malleable within his maw…
After several seconds holding the Aron hostage, it thrashed and struggled and bashed Char in the head, leaping out of his hold. Char was amazed when he saw the result: the Aron's leg was glowing red-hot! Yet, it wasn't down for the count quite yet. As Char was getting back to his feet, the Aron bounced back and delivered a mighty head-butt to his chest, keeping him from recovering his balance and sending him careening face-first into a nearby gravel-filled crevice. He roared at the sudden shock of having dozens of rocks covering and colliding with his face, and felt his energy level starting to drop once again.
No, I will not be defeated by a little rat, even if it is covered in steel, Char told himself. I've got to defeat it! I don't care how…
That's when Char got an idea. It was a silly, underhanded idea, but it was something that Scythe suggested in a past mission, and it had worked surprisingly well in fending off a small swarm of Ninjask that had moved so blindingly fast that they were practically immune to most conventional attacks.
-Ping!-
The Aron winced when a small piece of gravel collided with its faceplate. It blinked in confusion, as if wondering what had happened.
-Ping! Thunk!-
More rocks came flying at the creature. It blinked and glared at Char in sudden uncertainty, as if to ask "What do you think you're doing? That's not fair!"
Char grinned as he picked up another large chunk of gravel from the pile in which he lay, taking aim and hurling it straight at the foe.
-Thunk.-
The rock hit the Aron between the eyes, rattling it. It didn't have much time to recover before another one came, glancing off the end of his faceplate. As Char pitched and lobbed rocks at the thing, he saw its resolve, surprisingly, start to waver. It thought for a moment of what to do…
Ultimately, it decided that it wasn't going to be outdone by some measly pebbles, so it decided to keep attacking. But when it tried another charge…
-Schink!-
Char gasped, not even realizing what had happened. The Aron suddenly had a rather large blade lodged deep within one of the black spots in its armor. In his scramble for rocks to throw, he'd picked up a sharp metallic formation that had fallen from the wall and hurled it. The Aron gave up control of itself, falling forward from its momentum and twitching as it slumped to the ground. It had been defeated.
"Yeouch," Char whispered to himself as he stared at the sight.
Saura was there in a second to help pull him out of the gravel pile and congratulate on his victory, though he tried not to take too much notice of the gruesome and potentially fatal injury that had ended the battle. Ray, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off it.
"That was pure genius!" Ray cheered. "Wow! I never would have thought that throwing rocks at a rock Pokémon would be so effective! And, wow, what is that thing? A knife? That looks lethal!"
"Well, you did it," Saura said warmly. "You took it out all by yourself. Do you feel proud?"
"You bet," Char said with a smile. "But we should keep going. If any more of these things show up, this is going to get old very fast."
"Hey, wait," Ray said suddenly. "Look. Look in the rocks. I think there are more of those spike things. Think we should take some with us? They look like they'd make some great weapons in a pinch."
It was a good idea. The team dug through the rock pile, searching for the slim remnants of metal that had been filed down and broken off the walls. They managed to find four silver spikes to pack in the bag before two more Aron appeared and prompted them to flee.
"Okay, new rule," Char said as they raced down the halls. "No more fighting, unless something's blocking our way. We've got to take every chance to flee. I'm starting to think that this place is a little over our heads. We can't be wasting our energy and our supplies until there's just no other choice."
"Just as long as we don't pass up places to search because we're running," Saura reminded him. "That Furret could be anywhere."
"Yeah. Our mission could be over any time now," Ray said. "I mean, what are the odds that the Furret is all the way on the bottom floor?"
Iron Crevice B11F
A few floors later, it was clear that the team was reaching its limit.
Their continued efforts had almost drained the bag. Two of the silver spikes were used in an attempt to escape a Rhyhorn encounter, and the Sleep Seeds were used to disable Gravelers. On floor 10, it was the end of the Stun Seeds and Blast Seeds, too…
Once, the group finally succeeded in knocking out a Graveler. It took two fully-charged energy balls from Saura, but it worked; the second attack actually chipped away a large portion of the boulder beast's head, causing some kind of black blood to ooze out and draining the thing's desire to keep fighting. It was a short-lived victory as another one showed up shortly after, but a victory nonetheless, and it gave Char a twinge of confidence to know that the team could defeat one with their own power.
Char was getting exhausted. Opportunities to take a breather were becoming too scarce, and countless unavoidable battles left him covered in scrapes and bruises. Char didn't dare heal himself with an Oran Berry, as there were only three of those left in the bag, and he wasn't going to use them until it was absolutely necessary. As for the food, only one apple and one bag of fruit were left, and Saura had all but vowed not to eat a bite until the thirteenth floor. So much for having enough food for two days!
Indeed, as they journeyed into the deepest levels of the dungeon, Char knew that there was one thought on everyone's mind:
How long can we keep this up?
Unfortunately, they were about to find out the answer.
Between running from Onix, belching fire at Golbat, and calling out for the Furret, Char was sure to keep his eyes open for items laying around on the cave floor. That Evasion Orb he'd recovered earlier wasn't the only thing he'd found. He also spotted two more, one of which identified itself as a "Longtoss Orb", and another as a "One-Shot Orb". Both were gladly stuffed into the bag upon sight. If they were going to complete the mission, he figured, they could use whatever supplies they could get.
That's why, when Char saw another gleam in the corner of his eye, his heart leapt. Laying on the floor in an adjacent room were not one, but two orbs! They sat in the center of an empty room, free for the taking. Char was always overjoyed to see the little blue spheres; it seemed that there was no limit to the useful things they could do. Secretly, he was hoping to find one that could cure his hunger, or heal his scrapes and scratches, or maybe even let him fly… or anything, really, to make this dungeon exploration more bearable!
"Sweet!" Char yelled happily, running straight for them. "More orbs! Ray, come here! Look at this!"
"Wow, Char! You must really have eyes for these things, or something!" Ray said in surprise, hurrying over with the bag. "Let's see what they do!"
Char eagerly clutched the first one, demanding identification from it. When it came, he was surprised that the telepathic voice seemed… different, somehow, if that were even possible. The voice sounded more elderly, or royal, or mystical, than any of the other orbs that he'd heard.
Spellcaster of One-Room, it said.
Char scratched his head.
"One Room?" he repeated. "Interesting… I think this orb might be different."
How does it work? Char asked the orb.
There was no answer.
"Different?" Ray asked. "Here, let me see."
Ray touched the orb, and soon wore the same puzzled expression as Char.
"Oh, weird," Ray said. "That must be one of the really old orbs, back before they started mass-producing them. It's definitely not a standard one… and it doesn't have built-in instructions, either. Oh, well. I guess we have Kecleon inspect it later, or we save it for when we're desperate."
"I can't imagine what it would do," Saura commented. "One Room? Do you think it would do something bad, like, seal us inside of a room or something? We wouldn't want that!"
The memory of being stuck in the storage room back at the base came to Char. Indeed, he didn't want to be trapped in a crack in the earth with no way out, especially without Saura's cherished Mobile Scarf, which his friend had not yet brought on a single mission for fear of losing it.
Whatever was the case with the orb, it was not going to get left behind. Ray shrugged and put it in the bag as Char turned his attention to the second one.
This is a Totter Orb, it said. Activate now?
"A Totter Orb!" Char repeated. "Does this… do what I think it does?"
Instructions? Char asked it.
A Totter Orb will disrupt the sensory processes of all Pokémon in a nearby radius, causing confusion and increasing the likelihood of collateral damage. Sentient or highly intelligent Pokémon can easily see through the effect and will experience no negative consequences from the spell, leaving only wild Pokémon subject to the full effect. Affected Pokémon will fully recover in one to five minutes.
"Wow, this is a really useful one," Char said. "I can see this one really saving our hides! What if… uh, guys?"
"Something tells me we shouldn't have come in here," Saura squeaked.
Surprised by Saura's tone, Char took his attention off the orb and glanced at the surroundings. It was then that he took notice of the room they were now standing in. It was a massive cavern with a surprisingly high ceiling and an even floor, except for some shallow, circular stair-steps of flat rock flowing out from the center of the room. The ceiling was adorned with a huge amount of the metal deposits, which covered the rock like shining fish-scales or pearls.
The room was so big, it was impossible to see completely. The light from his tail, bright as it was, wasn't enough to see very far; the flame only cast a small circle of light around them on the floor, and everything beyond it faded into the shadows…
Char didn't even have to ask what was wrong; the subtle vibrations in the floor and the occasional sound of scraping rock told him that there was trouble.
Slowly, very slowly, the sounds became louder. Closer.
Eyes started to gleam in the shadows. Many of them. They approached the strange new source of light which the intruders had brought.
Eyes… of many shapes and sizes.
Then, when they started to enter the circle of light so that Char could make out the shape of their shadows, he became truly afraid.
He saw a Geodude. Two of them. Three of them. Five of them. Behind them, the silhouettes of no less than three Graveler. Around them on the floor, countless Aron and Rhyhorn, amounting to at least twenty. Above them loomed the distinct shadows of Onix.
…All steadily drawing nearer.
His breath starting to catch, Char instinctively took a step backward. He found himself almost tripping over Saura, who'd huddled up against him closely. Ray was also close at his side.
"Char, no wonder those orbs were laying here," Ray whispered. "It was a hoard. Wild Pokémon like to hoard stuff… This room… must be… some kind of nest…"
-Crash! Thump!-
The group collectively jumped as several Aron, who'd been enjoying a meal of metal deposits on the ceiling, dropped to the floor to confront the intruders. Three of them fell in front of the hall, sealing off the escape route.
Char could feel the panic escalating. The Pokémon were closing in. They were about to be brutally, brutally massacred, and they were powerless to defend themselves against such a huge force of opposition…
…Unless…
The Totter Orb was still in his hands, and now would be the perfect time to use it.
"I'm going to use this," Char announced. "Once… I activate… all the Pokémon will get confused, and we all run for it. That should give us time to escape. We get to the stairs as fast as we can, so they can't follow us…"
"But… we only just got to this floor," Saura said. "What if… the Furret… was here?"
The Aron encircled them from one side, and the Geodude from the other. All they were waiting for was one sudden move… one tiny little reason to be provoked… and Char and his team would find themselves buried alive under a monstrous pile of rock Pokémon.
"Char…" Ray said. "Do it. It's either that, or… we fail the mission for good…"
Char squeezed the Orb in his hands, contacting it telepathically…
The moment he issued the order, a pulse resounded from the orb, accompanied by an odd white ripple which spread across the entire room. As the ripple struck the Pokémon, they appeared to suddenly become unfocused and lost track of their targets. The orb's color quickly faded, and it then shattered into thin shards of glass which struck the ground and disintegrated.
The Pokémon which filled the room started to wander around in various directions, as if their sense of purpose had been suddenly destroyed. Char turned his attention to the door through which they came. It seemed so far away now that the room had revealed its true identity… and now that dozens of wandering Pokémon stood in the way. Char knew that the Pokémon were still fully capable of attacking in their state of confusion—he'd learned that from experience—but their attacks would probably be less than accurate. Either way, it was probably best to keep away from them as they made their escape.
But as Char was tiptoeing around a confused Aron, an awful feeling shot through his body. Before he could realize what was happening, he stumbled and fell to the floor. The ground was violently vibrating underneath, and wouldn't stop. Pulse after pulse tore through him, making him feel like his body would crumble and apart.
Dimly, Char could see that the other Pokémon in the room were also suffering from the problem. In fact, the room had erupted into total chaos as every Pokémon sought to unleash their rage onto one another for the collateral damage the earthquakes were causing.
"No…" Saura cried once he realized what was happening. "The Gravelers are so confused, they're causing earthquakes… We've got to get out of here!"
"I… I can't get up…" Char replied weakly, resigning himself to laying on the floor. "It's… too… much… I can't… see straight…"
The earthquakes didn't stop. Rocks and chunks of metal fell from the ceiling, further propelling the madness as the Pokémon all beat up on each other. Feral roars filled the air, roars of both rage and pain, as well as the constant sound of stomping and clashing…
Char felt himself being pulled in Saura's direction, and only barely realized that Saura had sprouted his vines and was trying to drag him across the floor to safety. But the relentless shaking sensation had also taken its toll on Ray, and Saura was finding it difficult to drag them both along at once. Char knew that he wouldn't make it before the confusion would start to wear off from some of the Pokémon.
"Saura… you've got to do something," Ray moaned, unable to even move. "We won't… make it out unless you do something…"
"I'm trying!" Saura cried, pulling harder.
"No, Saura," Ray said. "Use… something… another orb… something… anything… from… the bag…"
Reluctantly, Saura let go of his teammates and attacked the bag with his vines as fast as he could manage. Swearing to himself, he dug into it, looking for anything that could possibly help the situation…
And then, there was silence.
Even though the earthquakes had ceased, Char couldn't tell… his head was still vibrating at painful speeds, making it impossible to focus. But the pain started to subside almost immediately, and the cacophony of cries that had filled the room just moments before was replaced with total silence, save for the gentle sound of gravel raining from the walls and ceiling after the last of the earthquake died down. All the Pokémon in the room… were gone.
"I used our Spurn Orb," Saura reported. "Now, quick! Get up, before we lose our chance to escape."
Char understood. Spurn Orbs contained spells designed to tap into the spatial anomaly of a Mystery Dungeon, causing sort of funnel which sucks in surrounding Pokémon and scatters them randomly about the same floor. The enemies were far from gone, and their safety was only momentary at best; it would only be a matter of time before the Pokémon would recover from confusion and find their way back to their nest room. In fact, he couldn't decide whether using the orb had been a good or a bad idea, as it simply filled the rest of the dungeon floor with the same countless crowds of Pokémon that had once been confined to the single room… but what was done was done, and now, survival was the first priority…
Char tried to stir, and felt as an Oran Berry was shoved in his face. He gobbled it up, and waited eagerly for his head to stop spinning and pounding. Ray also welcomed the berry that Saura fed him, and did his best to find his senses quickly.
The moment Char got back to his feet, there it was: the sound of Pokémon cries echoing through the halls. They were on the move, and they were everywhere…
When the group was finally ready to escape, they began their all-out rush back to the hallway to search for the stairs and to be rid of this awful, unfortunate floor…
…but it was not meant to be. After only a few paces back into the hall, they could tell that the wild Pokémon where there, fully recovered from confusion, and in an all-out stampede. There was no way to continue onward.
Panicked, the team retreated back to the nest room, and quickly checked for another way out of the room. There wasn't one.
That's when they realized… even after all that, they would have to fight. There wasn't any other way out of it.
The Pokémon were coming. Nothing was going to stop them this time. Char, Saura, and Ray stood before the nest room's entrance, waiting for them to arrive.
"You know," Ray said feebly, "remember when Scythe taught us that it's a lot easier to fight enemies when they're funneling down a hall, rather than when they're surrounding you? Well, at least we have that advantage…"
It was true; fighting enemies as they practically came single-file down a hallway was so much easier than fighting them out in the open… but somehow, now that they were about to be faced with an entire wave, the tactical advantage didn't seem all that… advantageous.
For the next few moments, the team stood in silence as they waited for the Pokémon to arrive. In less than a minute, they would be there… Char could feel his heart pounding harder than ever before, anticipating, in horror, the hopeless and brutal scene which was undoubtedly about to play out.
"Char, I need to know something," Saura said, breaking the silence. "Before this happens, I just want to know what our resolve is. Do you want us to use the Escape Orb when all seems lost, or… are we going to… fight to the very end? Whatever you say now… it will be the final word. I just need to know what you want us to do."
Char thought for a moment. He recalled all of Team Ember's previous missions. They'd failed missions before, even under the guide of Scythe… but never this badly. Char saw in retrospect that he'd decided upon a mission that he was in no position to take. Why? Why, he asked himself, did he agree to this mission? Was it because it sounded easy? Or was it because he let Ray talk him into it, in order to impress Scythe? Or was it just because he overestimated his strength, and the strength of his team? Or was it because he was afraid of underestimating their strength, and wanted it proven to him? Did he get caught up in Team Ember's hype? Their popularity? The way that other teams praised them as prodigies? Why, oh, why, did they pick such a mission as their first independent mission, the one mission they would always remember as their first opportunity to truly prove themselves?
Honestly, Char didn't know. But, in thinking about it, one thing became abundantly clear. He didn't know whether to call it courage or insanity, and he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just his inner fire speaking for him, but he knew the answer to Saura's question.
"We fight," Char said solemnly, even though his voice was wavering with weakness and uncertainty. "If we fail, we learn what failure tastes like, and just how badly it hurts, so we can become stronger and take our risks that much more responsibly next time. But if we have a chance… just… whatever slightest chance we may have to get through this… if the legendary dragons were to smile upon us and grant us the power to win… If there's even one chance we'll someday be able to look back on this mission and not see a failure, but an incredible victory against all odds, or a story to tell… we can't turn it down."
"Well said," Ray replied. "I didn't expect anything less from you, Char. Since the moment I joined this team, that's exactly how I expected you to feel. This is the Team Ember, after all! Well, whatever happens, I'll be right here, fighting at your side, until I can't fight anymore!"
"Then, it's decided," Saura said. "No using the orb. This isn't over until all three of us pass and get expelled from the dungeon. Whatever happens… we fight to the end!"
"To the end!" Ray cheered. "To the end! To the very end! We fight!"
"The fire will never die," Char said to himself, breaking a weak little smile, "until the last ember fades."
Char knew that Team Ember finally found its mantra. Just saying the words for the first time sparked something powerful inside of him, just like it had the first time he heard Team Remorse collectively proclaim why they rise each morning. It was a purpose, a phrase he could live by. He knew, now, what he wanted the team to stand for: they were united by a burning passion for victory, and they were in it together, no matter the cost… and it would not be over until it's over.
The grunting and grumbling of an agitated Onix sounded from down the hall. Char didn't see anything yet, but he could tell that the final moments were upon him.
"We… have to use everything," Char realized. "Now's the time. All the orbs… All the tricks we have … If we want to have a chance, we've got to use them all now!"
Ray dug into the bag. He produced the one they'd been waiting to use, the Rain Orb, and activated it. Immediately, a dark blanket of clouds formed just beneath the cave's ceiling… which soon produced a moderate drizzle. It was a truly impossible to sight to see a rainstorm inside of a cave, but the power of the orb could not be questioned. Even though it would weaken Char's power, it caused a great advantage over all the rock Pokémon, who were damaged by water, as well as gave Ray an opportunity to summon lightning bolts from the storm itself, his most powerful technique. Char did not welcome being covered in rain, but his tail fire was now burning so brightly that he felt barely any pain from it.
Next came another orb: the Evasion Orb, the first one they found in the cave. It would only work for one user, so Ray decided to give it to Char to compensate for having to bear the rainstorm. He used it, and he felt his reflexive instincts rise to a level he never thought possible.
Finally, Ray distributed the remaining supplies to everyone else: He gave the two silver spikes to Char, the Cross-Eye Seed to Saura, and he held the One-Shot Orb for himself. Then, he tossed the bag into the farthest corner of the room, and waited with his teammates in a moment of burning tension for the attack to begin.
The first wave came: One Onix, two Graveler, and four Aron. Char got up close to the Onix and blasted fire in its face. Whenever it tried to strike back, it seemed to Char that he could see the attacks several seconds before they actually happened, and was able to nimbly leap out of harm's way each time. Eventually, he found that he could use the spikes he held as slashing weapons, and that they were especially effective for damaging the beast. Brandishing the spikes like metallic claws, he managed to leap onto the rock snake's back and repeatedly thrust the spikes into one of its body segments until the rocky skin was pierced in multiple places and the weird black blood oozed out. After taking enough injury, the Onix crashed to the ground. Char was the victor.
Flashes of lightning illuminated the intense battle as Ray summoned the power of the thunderstorm, targeting the Aron and electrocuting many of them at once. They swarmed forth like rabid dogs, but they fell like flies to Ray's attacks, and he was able to cull the flow before they got any closer to him or his teammates.
Saura focused on the Graveler, assaulting them with a barrage of bullet seeds. When they were sufficiently damaged, he stepped back to prepare an energy ball. In the confusion of the battle, the Graveler were distracted and didn't seem to notice Saura much, giving him plenty of time to cultivate the ball to its maximum size, take aim, and release at the nearest one. When the attack connected, a shower of dust and rock shards exploded from the Graveler's side, knocking it out. The second one, he realized, was preparing a truly devastating attack—to self-destruct in protection of his home—so he cried for help, and Char pounced on it to drive the metal spikes into its body. Char figured that he'd struck a weak point, because as soon as the spikes were plunged in, the Graveler's eyes rolled into its head and it fainted, falling onto its side and settling motionlessly against its arms and legs. To Char's disappointment, he could only recover one of his spikes, the other was hopelessly wedged in.
When the last of the enemies fell, the team stopped to catch their breaths and to gaze upon the pile of defeated Pokémon which surrounded them. They gave a wholehearted and triumphant cheer, truly impressed with their own strength.
The next group came, composed of several Rhyhorn, Many more Aron, and two Onix. Ray began the attack on the Aron, only to find that the bolts of lightning he created diverged from their paths and were drawn harmlessly to the Rhyhorn. Cursing the existence of the biological lightning rods, he focused power into his tail to attack them physically. Running past the sea of Pokémon and barely dodging their attacks, Ray unleashed the Iron Tail technique upon it, missing his target but slashing deep into its face and mortally damaging it. On another one, he unleashed the power of the One-Shot Orb, causing its consciousness to leave immediately. On another he charged his tail once more and attacked, this time connecting perfectly and lopping off the beast's horn, disabling its bothersome ability. He repeated the process twice more with the remaining Rhyhorn, not resting until he could make his electric attacks work again, but taking considerable damage as he rushed through the sea of attackers to single out his targets.
Between batting away the pesky Aron with his vines, Saura rapidly launched his leaves at the nearest Onix which pierced the sides of its rocky flesh in many places. The snake took notice of him and descended to attack, But Char jumped in the way. He leapt onto the beast's head and plunged his spike between its eyes. The snake thrashed about for a few moments before collapsing onto the pile of beaten Pokémon and becoming part of it. Char retrieved his weapon, shuddering as he found it covered in the thick, oily substance…
Char turned to the second Onix, taking aim with the spike to attempt the same trick. However, when the Onix loomed near, Char was suddenly struck in the face by an angry Aron and tackled to the ground. Saura rushed into help, tossing the Cross-Eye Seed at the Onix to destroy its sense of vision. He grappled at the rock snake's head with his vines to pull it close, then launched an energy ball point-blank into its face. It couldn't recover, and slumped down.
Soon, after Ray had succeeded in his efforts to destroy the Rhyhorn, lightning once again rippled through the sky and brought a quick finish to the rest of the Pokémon that were not resistant to it. Before they knew it, there was another moment of silence when the second wave had been finished off.
The team gave another heartfelt cheer at their accomplishment, but a weary one. They could feel their energy getting drained as they repeatedly used their most powerful attacks, and their wounds were getting quite numerous as more and more wild Pokémon successfully connected attacks with them. But the rain continued to fall, and Char still felt the full effects of the Orb he'd cast on himself, and many of the attackers were still heavily damaged from the earthquakes earlier—Team Ember still had plenty of fight left in them.
But then, the third wave arrived, and it was much more than they were prepared for.
A fully-grown Rhydon, A rather large Onix, several Graveler, an entire swarm Geodude and Aron, of Golbat and Zubat…
And that's when the floodgates broke. The team found themselves having to fall back, letting the Pokémon trample over the pile of fallen foes and pour into the room. That's when Char realized that they were probably not going to win a third time.
Char charged at the Rhydon with his spike, but soon found himself in awe of how massive the beast was! It swept its tail forward, which Char easily jumped over, then bent down to swipe at Char with its claws. Char jumped onto its face and prepared to finish it with the spike, but the beast lurched and threw Char all the way across the room. He hit the ground hard and skidded across the wet rock floor, stopping when he collided with a large stalagmite near the corner of the room. A clang resounded as his spike hit the floor a few feet away.
… As he lay there, he felt strange, like he was falling out of reality...
...He was blacking out.
No, no, no! Char said to himself, feeling his senses fading. I'm not finished! I can't fall asleep now. No… no…
Char knew that his limit was drawing near. The battle that raged on the other side of the room seemed so distant, as if it was in another reality, or a memory. Char could barely feel his own body… He couldn't feel the rain hitting his face, or his tail… He winced wildly, fighting the urge to succumb to weariness…
After a while, Char had the horrible realization that he didn't have the slightest idea how long he'd been laying there.
They need me, Char told himself. I need to fight. I need to… get up! They can't do this without me!
Taking no time to recover his spike, he pulled himself up and dashed on all fours back to the front line.
But when he got there, he found that the wild Pokémon had all settled down.
…Saura and Ray were nowhere to be found.
Pure dread washed Char. He didn't waste a moment wondering what happened; he knew. While he was down, both of his friends had been defeated. They'd taken too much damage and gotten expelled from the dungeon, leaving Char completely alone with the army of enemy Pokémon.
"Orr?"
The Onix grunted in surprise as turned to Char, noticing that the intruders hadn't been completely eradicated. It scowled and assumed its battle stance once more, and the rest of the Pokémon congregation did the same.
This isn't even possible…
Char gazed upon his enemies. They filled the room, outnumbering him almost fifty-to-one. He was faced with dozens of Aron who'd been feasting upon their dead comrades, dozens of Golbat that lined the ceiling and stared at him, Several Graveler that stared back with their evil gaze… and, in front of them all, one giant Onix that loomed above them all, like some kind of leader or commander. The rock Pokémon waited and watched the little Charmander for a move that could provoke them…
I'm not going to win this battle…
Char felt very sick to his stomach. He'd never been faced with such overwhelming odds before. He was so little, and weak, and they were so numerous… And he was so hungry, and tired… For the first time, he noticed the stinging of the rain against his flame.
But… we promised to fight… Ray and Saura fought until the end… and now, it's my turn…
And then, Char felt something truly incredible. A sort of euphoria overtook him, igniting his fire and bringing it to a full-bodied blaze. A brilliant white light filled the room as Char's flame grew to a marvelous size. Char felt all his pain and discomfort fading away. His dizziness, his hunger, and the feel of the rain were all drowned out, leaving him with only the burning feeling.
When a Charmander is faced with its final moments, Domo had told him once in a training session, it will experience a sort of second wind, re-igniting its Ember and giving its fire unprecedented power. When you find that your energy is no more, when there is no longer fuel for your fire, you will start to use your very life force as fuel. It is during this time that you can reach your full potential as a Pokémon, able to overcome impossible challenges and insurmountable tasks…
Char clenched his fists. Even his fear was fading away now, giving way to the passion that engulfed him.
Once you feel the blaze of your second wind, he remembered Domo saying, don't hold it back! Let it all out, for it is your last hope for survival, and you might be impressed at just what it can do… Just let yourself go, and let Moltres take control!
Char couldn't really remember what happened next. He attacked, and it was like a fire spirit was taking over his body and discharging power he could not comprehend. Still under the effects of the Evasion Orb, he could dodge nearly every attack that came at him, and retaliated with incredible streams of fire. Every Aron that got close to him was burned. Every bat that got too close was singed out of the air. The Onix became infuriated as Char easily danced around his efforts to attack while spitting red-hot embers into its eyes.
As much as Char tried, he couldn't stand his ground. The Pokémon flooded in, pushing him farther and farther back towards the corner. But he kept dodging, and attacking, and dodging some more, not able to count all the Pokémon that fell… but the wave just kept coming.
The bag!
At the sudden realization, Char began an immediate retreat, lunging for the back of the room. It seemed to baffle the attacking Pokémon, and they approached a little more slowly, giving Char some extra time to gather himself…
He spotted the bag and dove into it. An Apple. The Escape Orb. No, no… that's not what he wanted…
He pulled out the strange Orb that he'd found in the same room. The "Spellcaster of One-Room". He hadn't the slightest idea what it did, but if it was something at all useful, he needed it now more than ever!
Activate! He cried to it with his mind.
As the Orb cracked and discharged its power, Char started to feel the very last thing he wanted to feel: an earthquake. Up and down, side-to-side, the ground shook violently. Char grabbed the bag and held on as tight as he could to the nearest stalagmite, still not knowing what to expect from the Orb's power…
To his amazement, Char watched as the walls of the room simply crumbled away, revealing the halls and corridors beyond the room. And those walls, too, were also soon destroyed, revealing even more corridors and halls. The walls seemed to unnaturally collapse in on itself, leaving an impossibly small amount of rubble behind… The chain-reaction continued until char found himself standing in a flat sea of darkness, surrounded only by the circle of light from his tail, and the faraway noise of collapsing rocks as the spell continued to work, and, of course, the gentle sound of the rain…
That's it! Char realized. One-Room… it turns the entire dungeon floor into one room! Yes! That's exactly what I needed! Now I can keep going! I can win! I don't believe this. I was right! We really did have a chance. Dialga and Palkia must really be smiling on us!
He hefted the bag onto his shoulder and made a mad dash away from the angry crowd of Pokémon. They were still very numerous and scattered all around the dungeon floor, but with no obstacles in the way, Char found it so easy to avoid them. Now, all he had to do… was find the stairs…
And he soon found them. They were at the very, very corner of the entire dungeon floor. There was just one problem.
Coiled around entrance to the stairwell, guarding it, was a rock snake more massive than any he'd ever seen before.
It was not an Onix. No, instead of having a rough gray hide, this one had a shining silver sheen. Its jaws mouth was many times bigger and filled with a large row of teeth… almost like a dragon's…
And when it spotted the tiny little fire-lizard, its evil eyes betrayed its resolve:
You will not get past me!
Char knew he had to defeat it if he wished to get past it. He could see in its eyes that it would not have things any other way.
Char dug into the bag one last time. He grasped the last useful thing he had, the remaining Oran Berry, and started to pull it out… But he realized that, if he ate it, his firepower would return to normal, giving him no chance whatsoever against the Steelix…
So, with a determined sigh, he tossed the bag aside and turned to the monster.
It was steel. Fire could melt steel. And he had fire. He had a chance.
Char focused his fire on the beast's face, deducing that it was the best weak point. He saw, though, that the rain did not seem to be bothering the Steelix as much as it did the other Pokémon, and was only helping to dowse his own fire attacks.
The Steelix responded by sounding a high-pitched screech and uncoiling itself, aiming its long, spiked tail at Char's position. Seeing the attack coming, he rolled out of the way, just to have the tail smash the ground beside him, barely missing his feet. Char somersaulted out of the tail's reach before it could glance him with a sweeping blow.
Seeing Char out of range, but not wanting to back away from the stairs in which it guarded, the Steelix reared its head into the air and roared, releasing a bright beam of light from its mouth. Char wondered if it was a Hyper Beam, and took special care not to get hit by it. He came in closer, prompting the Steelix to cease the attack and to try again with its tail. Like a giant mace, it snaked forward and tried to bludgeon Char's entire body…
But as the Steelix jerked its tail forward, it lowered its head and gave Char just the opportunity he was waiting for. He leapt over the tail as it passed underneath him and caught the ridges on the monster's face, quickly climbing out of the reach of its toothy mouth.
And he bit down as hard as he could.
The Steelix thrashed violently, slamming its head against the wall and trying to knock Char off. It roared in fury, working its tail up near its head to try to remove Char, but it couldn't quite reach, or it couldn't think of a way to unhinge the Charmander from its forehead without also hurting itself. It proceeded to uncoil itself and bash Char against the ceiling, then shake violently in hopes of throwing him off.
Through it all, Char's jaws held on.
He could feel, underneath his tongue, the steel starting to melt. He could see as the red-hot glow started to creep from underneath his maw…
The world seemed to turn in all directions as the Steelix contorted itself in unbelievable ways. It managed to squeeze Char between a segment of its tail to rip him out of place, but Char held on. It took huge bites of rock out of the wall and slammed its head into the craters, but Char held on. It whined and wailed as its faceplate actually began to melt, repeatedly slamming itself against the floor and shaking the cave with earthquakes, but Char, with all his strength, held on. His blazing Ember drove him.
Finally, when the metal between his teeth became too soft to grasp, when his face was practically smeared with molten steel, Char let go.
…And the Steelix crashed to the ground, unable to survive the impalement.
Char was thrown off and finally fell back to the floor. The battle was over, but he didn't feel all too well himself. After everything the Steelix had done to him, he felt like one living bruise…
I defeated a Steelix… with my bare hands…
An odd sensation came over him. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, but somehow, it felt… pleasant…
I don't believe it… I can't believe how powerful I am… I defeated… a Steelix…
Char stumbled around, his vision spinning wildly before him. His whole body tingled and responded strangely to his commands.
Why… do I feel like this? What's happening to me?
Char tried to keep walking, wondering about this new sensation that was overtaking him as his surge of fire was dying down. He welcomed it, wanting it to intensify…
No, it can't be! I… I must be… evolving!
A gleeful smile formed over Char's face as he looked down at himself.
Finally, I've exerted my strength, and I'm going to be a Charmeleon! I'm… so happy…!
Char's next step didn't connect with the floor. He slumped down onto his face, unconscious. Of course, he hadn't been evolving at all; he'd passed out from hunger.
Iron Outskirts
Blurry…
Muffled voices…
Light… it was light…
Hunger…
Pain…
Char began to stir, not having the slightest clue where he was. He deduced that he was lying on his back, and that he was outside. He was soaking wet, covered with sweat. No, not sweat, but the rain from the cave. A blurry blob entered his line of sight, and it took him a moment before he recognized it as Saura.
"He's waking up," Saura said.
"Finally," Ray said from somewhere else.
"Char, how do you feel?" Saura asked gently.
Unable to speak quite yet, Char simply shook his head. He felt a little better than before, but not by much.
"Ray is looking for food," Saura told him. There was a distinct sadness in his voice. "As soon as we are ready, we'll… head back to the base."
"We… lost…" Char struggled to say.
Saura nodded. Even Char could see that he was holding back tears. Yes, the dungeon had overpowered them. They had not succeeded on their mission to save the Furret. They had quite a story to tell Scythe and the others, but it wasn't one with a happy ending. Char just sighed and rested his body, watching the dark storm clouds in the sky shift by, reflecting upon the monumental effort he'd just given, and feeling proud of it, in a way. They did exactly what they promised to do—they fought until the end. For better or for worse, they fought until the end.
It had been a victorious defeat.
Of course, the bag had been left behind in the cave, so the team had no food or supplies at all. Ray searched around and found some odd little twig-shrubs growing among the gravel and bearing tiny blue berries. After Saura confirmed that they were not poisonous, Char filled his aching belly with them and eventually regained enough energy to stand. About half an hour later, after his body had regenerated enough, and after his team had taken one last look at the dungeon entrance, Char hung his head and took his leave with his team, heading back to the road to begin their journey home.
…But then…
"Hey! Hey! Come back!"
When they were just a few paces away from the dungeon entrance, a voice cried out. It was coming from the cave.
Surprised, Char turned… and could not believe his eyes.
A little brown Furret, in a state of absolute joy, bounded out of the entrance of the Iron Crevice. Tears of happiness flooded from its eyes as it rapidly approached Char's team. There was no doubt in Char's mind: this was the Furret they had been tasked to rescue. And now, it seemed, after all their effort, it had simply rescued itself…?
"Hey! You! Come back!" it said again, running closer.
"Not possible," Saura said, shaking his staring blankly at it. "If that's the Furret… the one we were looking for…"
In a state of speechlessness, the team allowed the Furret to approach them. Once it did, it jumped for joy in their faces and ceaselessly uttered words of thanks.
"You were in the cave, just now, right?" It asked, standing on its back legs and bowing before Char. "You were the ones who were exploring the cave?"
"Yes, that was us…" Saura managed to say.
"Well, you have my greatest, deepest thanks! Indeed, indeed! Yes! I had given up all hope, every last ounce! But now you're here, and I'm free! I don't know who you are, but I owe you everything!"
"Um…" Char said meekly. "What… happened to you? I'm a little confused…"
"Well, you see, I was out late last night," the Furret explained. "But it got really dark, and I was too far away from Iron Town, so I hid in a cave. But the cave was a Mystery Dungeon, so I got trapped there, and I hid in the shadows for my life, hoping that my friends would notice my disappearance and report me missing. But nobody came… I waited for hours, but nobody came… Well, at least it felt like it was hours, it's a little hard to tell how time passes in those dungeons, anyway."
"Yeah, but how did you get out just now?" Saura asked. "Why are you thanking us? The dungeon wiped us out!"
"Well, you see," it explained, "I was getting really hungry, so I started searching the floor for food. Rotten old berries, gummies, anything… And then, I found something that wasn't there before! A bag! And the bag had food in it! And not only that, but there was an Escape Orb in there, too!"
Char felt his jaw drop. It just couldn't be possible. Could the legendary dragons possibly favor him any more?
"I'd searched the floor dozens of times before, but it had just appeared there, so the only explanation is that you guys left it behind and it somehow got sent to me. So, you're the ones who saved my life!"
The Furret suddenly lunged forward and gave Char a hug.
Char was unable to say anything as he returned the sudden embrace. He held the Furret tight as it trembled from pure relief and joy, while he himself could only stare blankly at the cave entrance.