Chapter 26
The next day, nothing was going to go wrong.
Char learned from his experiences down in that godforsaken crevice. There was no use trying to act brave or strong by taking a challenging mission; he wanted Scythe's rewards, plain and simple, and he wasn't about to let another close call ruin the team's recent winning streak. So, for his second independent mission, he sought out the easiest and most straightforward mission on the list, not even caring about whether or not it had a nice reward. He wanted a mission that his team couldn't mess up unless they tried.
And they found one. In their rushed attempt to pick a job and get back to sleep, they found a mission that would, quite literally, be a walk in the park: a sentry mission at a place dubbed "Shadow Meadow."
There was nothing shadowy about it, though, except for how it was shaded on the map of Jirachi. Because of its landscape, it had been in the past a favorite perch for thieves to lay in wait for travelers on routes 412, 414, and 415 which surrounded it; the coloring on the map was an indication to travelers to exercise caution when in the area. The division regularly assigned missions to make sure it was clean of thieves, as these routes were commonly traveled by its members; but ever since the patrols started, there hadn't been a report of a single thief in months…
There were a few risks involved, but they were minimal. For one thing, there was a Mystery Dungeon nearby, but it was a "Wanderer's Dungeon"; that is, it was such a small and low-risk anomaly that a traveler could simply wander into it, and then out of it again, without knowing anything had gone wrong. This was a good, because it was unclear where it exactly started and ended. For another thing, the destination was a good distance from the base… it would be a day-long venture, for sure.
But, since the mission was essentially to wander around and explore nature for a few hours, Char didn't see how anything could possibly go wrong.
…And, for once, he was right. Fate had very little in the way of unforeseen complications to throw at Team Ember that day. But, that's not to say it didn't still have a surprise or two in store for them…
"Until the last ember fades…"
At the sound of the voice, Char stirred in his sleep.
"Until the LAST EMBER FADES…"
That annoying voice, it was getting louder this time. Char rolled over and covered his ears.
"Oh, come on! I'm not even supposed to be the one saying this in the first place!"
Oh, it's just Ray, trying to get me up, Char realized absently. It's too early. I feel like I just went to sleep. Even Scythe doesn't get us up this early, does he? Why can't Ray let me sleep in a little—
Char's body was sent into a violent spasm as a jolt of electricity filled him, causing his eyes to snap open and his arms and legs to involuntarily spring out to their full length. His breath left him for a second, and he could have sworn his heart even stopped for a few moments before gathering itself and starting up again. Ray was standing over him, looking disappointed.
"Awake yet?" Ray hummed, retracting his forepaws from Char's shoulders.
"Y-y-y-yeah," Char struggled out.
"Good. Scythe's already gone, and Brock's not here today to wake us up, so it was up to us this time. We still need to pack the bag and do some last-minute stuff we didn't do last night. Saura and I've been awake for awhile, now we just need you to catch up."
When the feeling flowed back into Char's muscles, he rolled onto his side and tried to force himself up onto his feet. It was hard, though, because he felt covered in pins and needles, and every little contact with the floor felt like cactus writing beneath his skin.
"You still need to say the response!" Ray said. "We're not going to let that awesome motto of yours go to waste. Until the last ember fades…"
"The fire will not die?" Char answered.
"Awesome!" Ray applauded. "Now we're ready for the day! C'mon!"
Char smiled. Ray loved his job so much. It was still hard not to like him, even when he was electrocuting you awake in the morning.
As he limped out of the room, Char once again wondered about a question tore at him lately, ever since Saura had brought it up the previous day: it was clear to see how much Ray desired to be a skilled and respectable resistance team member. Would Ray's impressions of the team change if Char told his secret? Part of him saw how Ray had proven himself as a friend and ally, and he was starting to think he should tell him everything. But… would it be like ruining his dream? Would it be like a betrayal? As Saura had assured him many times, the first purpose of their team would always be to help Char find his identity and his purpose, but that's not what Ray had signed up for when he joined the team. To Ray, it was just an opportunity for firsthand experience with Team Remorse, not some… secret club, as Fern had called it. Yet, in reality, it was more like a secret club than anything else. Would Ray want to be a part of it?
Enough, Char told himself. I won't let this bother me right now. Right now, we have a ridiculously easy mission to accomplish. Let's get it over with!
Route 410
Team Ember hit the road at the break of dawn, as usual, and set off down the paths to their faraway destination. The simple beauty of Ambera's countryside was pleasant as always, even as it faintly glowed in the tiny sliver of sunlight that escaped the horizon. The only problem so far was that it was Char's turn to carry the bag this time.
"Hey, Char, I'm getting hungry," Saura said. "How about some breakfast?"
"You read my mind," Ray said. "Want to stop for a second and eat? We've come a pretty long way."
Char groaned as he flung the bag off his shoulder and onto the ground, welcoming the chance to unburden himself. It was so heavy! He despised carrying the bag, especially at the beginning of the day when it was still jam-packed with supplies. He recalled the first time Scythe took him to the storage room and teased him about carrying the bag for the following mission, when he couldn't even stand up while holding it… Char realized too late that it hadn't been a joke at all; the bag actually was that heavy, and he found himself lugging it along on mission after mission. If anything, his arms were getting really strong.
As the team sat on the side of the road and enjoyed a light meal, Char watched the eastern sky as it turned various shades of blue and yellow. A few puffy clouds hung around the advancing sunlight, and a tiny but chilly breeze swept across the land. No stormy weather today. It would be clear sailing all the way out to the meadow. But, probably due to being only the second mission without Scythe, a thought popped into Char's mind.
"Remind me again why we go out so early in the morning?" Char asked, popping a raisin into his mouth. "Why can't we do our missions later in the day? It'd be the same, just with more sunlight."
"Weren't we just over this yesterday morning?" Ray laughed. "We do it because that's how Team Remorse does it. If we want to be as great as them someday, we've got to get ourselves into this habit. Someday, our team could be responsible for defending whole cities and directing armies and stuff. We can't be slacking!"
"Why do you care so much about how great Team Ember gets, anyway?" Saura asked jokingly. "We all know where you really want to be! You'll abandon us in a heartbeat when Scythe invites you to join Team Remorse."
"I've got to prove myself," Ray answered. "Scythe's not going to let me on his team until I help make this team the best it can be! Hah, by the time he finally invites me to join, Team Ember will probably be his equals. Or greater! Besides, I'll always consider myself one of you guys, even after I join Scythe's team. I promise!"
Char forced a smile. "That's great, but that's not really what I was worried about," he said.
"Oh?" Saura said, pausing his search through the bag for more food. "What's the matter now?"
"Well," Char said fretfully, "It's just that I realized something. Look at where we are. It's so dark out. There could be thieves waiting to jump out at us! Or the Master's forces could run into us, and we'd never see it coming. Traveling this early in the morning is just as bad as traveling at night."
Saura tilted his head. "I don't think Pokémon get up early enough to cause a problem," he said thoughtfully. "We've been out at sunrise dozens of times, and we've never seen an ambush."
"Yeah, with Scythe," Char said. "But now that we're alone… There isn't some big scary Scyther to chase away thieves!"
"I don't think we should worry too much about it," Saura said. "I don't think very many Pokémon get up at this time of day, anyway. And even if they do, we're powerful enough to resist them, I think. Just stay on guard, and we should be fine."
"Yeah, plus, you've got a big scary Raichu on your side!" Ray said evilly, letting some static sparkle across his fur. "I didn't evolve for nothing! Thieves better know to stay away, or they'll find out what it's like to get struck by lightning!"
"Struck by lightning? Oh, I am so scared!"
The voice came from nowhere. Dread filled the team as a pair of shadows approached from the wilderness off the side of the road.
"Big, scary Raichu, huh?" a second voice said. "I don't know who could consider a little rat to be scary."
Just as the voices clicked into place in Char's head, the newcomers came close enough to be seen: they were none other than the bothersome Seviper and the Croagunk.
"Team X," Char spat, throwing his pear onto the ground in disgust. "They're still stalking us! I don't believe it."
Saura and Ray had already assumed the stances for battle, and Ray's body was beginning to glow in the dark as he prepared a powerful discharge for the rival team. Char got to his feet quickly and joined them, sending a scowl at the poison Pokémon.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh. Relax, we're not here to hurt you," Croagunk said as it walked up to face Saura. "I told you before, we're your allies. Why'd we want to hurt you?"
"We're still not letting you into the base!" Saura said forcefully. "It doesn't matter what you say. We don't trust you."
"And just why not?" Seviper asked curiously. "What reason have we ever given you to distrust us? We've never even attacked you!"
"Let's put it this way," Croagunk said coolly. "What could we do to earn your trust? What could we do to prove to you that we're on your side?"
Char searched for a clever retort, and couldn't find one. He then searched for a serious answer, and couldn't quite find one either. He couldn't think of a single thing the poison Pokémon could do to clear their names from his book.
"…See? See?" Croagunk said, anger growing behind his voice. "You don't have an answer. It just goes to show how hypocritical you are. How can a resistance team like us operate like this? Answer that."
Char frowned even harder. "Do you serve the Master?" he demanded of them.
"We do," Croagunk said. "With all our hearts."
"Then how can you call yourself a resistance team?" Char exploded. "Resistance teams don't serve the Master! Resistance teams resist the Master!"
"Hey, hey, wait for a minute," Croagunk said. "You're assuming something. You're just assuming that the Master's forces are all on the same side. The Master's forces aren't nearly as… unified… as they might seem. In fact… there are whole legions of troops and generals that… betray him. And then there are the teams like us that resist them and try to bring them back under the Master's true reign. Honestly, did you think that the Master really wants all this destruction to be happening? What's happening now is that the Master's reign is out of even his own control!"
"That's a lie," Char challenged. "Our Scyther friend has seen the Master's forces from the inside out, and he says that the Master's forces never fight amongst each other."
"That's precisely why we couldn't afford to approach you while he's around," Seviper explained. "He would slice our heads off before we would have the chance to even make our case. Your Scyther friend knows very little about the Master's forces. If he once knew much, the information is probably obsolete. Times have changed"
"The Master is not evil," Croagunk tried to assure Char. "If we lived by his rules, there would be peace in Ambera that would even make Arceus smile. But these are changing times. Some Pokémon resist the Master, and so, we have war. Team X wants to do its part to resist the Master's forces who've gone astray, and we think we could help by siding with your base for the time being."
Char paused for a second to collect his thoughts, but he found that he couldn't. Their story was so ridiculous, so contradictory, that there were simply no words with which he could reply.
"Go," Char finally said. "Go away. Just go."
"What? Haven't we convinced you of anything yet?" Croagunk pleaded. "What more do you want?"
"No, you're not even close," Char told them. "If you really are our allies, then… just turn around and leave us, and stop stalking us. Don't come back until you figured out something much more convincing to say. I don't know. We just don't trust you. We can't. So leave. Because if you keep bothering us, I think you should prepare for a fight next time."
Croagunk emitted a loud croak, making Char jump in surprise.
"Well, if that's the way things are," Croagunk said, "Fine. Be that way. But we're not finished with you yet. Resistance Teams such as you and I don't just give up. We'll come back, and you'd better be prepared to change your minds. Because if you don't…"
Char waited until the suspicious team had turned their backs and were walking away before he ordered his own team to do the same.
"Well, that went a little bit better than last time," Seviper said. "I think we might have swayed them a little bit. I told you, the better strategy is to act diplomatic, not hostile."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Croagunk grumbled. "But we're still not any closer to making them trust us. I told you, that Scyther taught them good not to be idiots and fall for every scam they hear."
"You know," Seviper said, "I don't think anything we say is going to get us into that base… I think we must to do something for them. Actions do, after all, speak louder than words."
"Well, we've got to figure out what it is," Croagunk said. "We've only got until the end of the month to get into that base. Otherwise, Dusknoir will have our heads. And Adiel will have his!"
Team Ember picked up the pace down the road, taking Char's previous worry to heart. Ray's body sizzled with excess energy, Char's flame had grown sizable from his rage, and Saura furiously scanned the surroundings for more trouble.
"I can't believe those guys," Char said. "Yesterday they were trying to bribe us, and today they thought just acting friendlier would work better? They couldn't tell a convincing lie to save their lives. What do we do next time?"
"We do just like you said," Ray growled. "Next time we see them, we fight."
"Hopefully, they won't show up again," Saura said. "With any luck, tomorrow we'll have Scythe back, and they'll stay far away…"
Route 412
After two hours of walking and chatting nervously about things like what prize Scythe was going to give them, the sun was finally high enough to light the world and the birds were all giving their morning cheers. The team was able to relax a little as their path and surroundings became clearer.
After four hours of walking, Route 410 converged into Route 412, the road which would lead them right to the meadow. But as the excitement of coming down the final stretch started to set in, so did the anticipation of accidentally wandering into the dungeon and getting lost. They had to leave the path and head to the meadow eventually, but where?
"It's useless," Ray said, looking over the map. "This travel map doesn't even have the dungeon marked like the big one does. We'll just have to take our best guess."
"Bah, it's not like the dungeon is much to worry about, anyway," Saura scoffed. "Worst that'll happen is we get turned around and lose a few hours, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Char said, yanking the bag back up to his shoulder to keep it from slipping. "But there are Pidgey and Spearow in there, and there's even… ugh… a slight chance we might see a wild Scyther."
Not to mention the fact that a few extra hours will probably do it for my arms, Char added silently.
"Oohh, okay, okay, point taken," Saura said, shuddering at the thought of feral birds attacking him. "Eh, we shouldn't worry about it. We'll probably miss it completely, right?"
Wanderer's Meadow
"…We're in the dungeon now, aren't we?" Saura groaned, suddenly noticing that there was no way to tell where they'd come from or where they were going.
Sure enough, when they picked a place to step off the road and head into the meadow, they got caught up in the tiny Mystery Dungeon. There was nothing to do now but find the way out. Char knew somehow that it'd been inevitable.
"Don't worry, this'll be a cinch," Ray said, surveying the cursed meadow. "We'll be out of here before you know it. The birds here don't stand a chance against me, and Char's a Steelix slayer!"
Char tried to give an awkward little laugh at the statement, but it was muffled by a grunt when he pulled the bag back up to a balanced level. He was tempted to exercise his authority over the team and designate Ray as the permanent bag carrier, as his larger body and taller form were better suited for the strain. He just wanted to get out of the dungeon and into the meadow, where he could set the thing down and set up the watch they'd hold for the remainder of the day.
The Wanderer's Meadow was as tame a dungeon as they came. A gentle, serene countryside spread out before them, a few rocks and trees dotting the landscape in places. There were no birds in the sky, or any feral Pokémon at all, to be seen. Char hoped that it would stay that way.
"Hey! Ow, that hurt!"
At Saura's cry of pain, Char glanced back to see that a Pidgey had appeared from absolutely nowhere and was repeatedly attempting to swoop down and peck at his friend's back. Saura waved his vines around like whips to try chasing the thing away, but the Pidgey was agile enough dodge them and zero in on its target.
"Ugh! Not fair!" Saura yelled at the thing when it raked its talons across his side.
Ray jumped into action, readying his electricity for discharge. He took aim and released what appeared to be an amorphous orb of static at the bird. It barely dodged the attack, and it gave a startled cry as it retreated higher into the air to avoid a further brush with electricity.
Then, with amazing agility, it switched targets, swooped back down, and nailed Char in the forehead with its beak!
"Augh! Oh, man, that hurts!" Char yelled, dropping the bag and clutching the fresh dent above his left eye.
Do that again, Char said to himself, feeling his Ember rise higher. I dare you. Do that again!
As if in response, the Pidgey doubled back and came at Char again. But this time, Char was ready for it. Just as the bird was about to collide with him a second time, he released a torrent of flames so powerful it halted the bird's attack in mid-air and left it struggling to stay aloft. It failed, and it tumbled down to the grass covered in flames.
"Good riddance," Saura said, watching the bird tumble around to put the flames out. "C'mon, let's go. I don't want to stay in here longer than we have to."
They wandered around for a few more minutes, looking for the exit. The Wanderer's Meadow was said to be smaller than a mile, so it was like a painful tease as Char watched the repeating landscape, knowing that the exit was just barely out of reach the entire time. Through it all, no more birds attacked; it seemed like they'd knocked out the only Pidgey in the entire dungeon at the time. Char once again hoped that the remainder of the dungeon would be peaceful.
… … …
Twenty minutes passed, and Char couldn't take the strain anymore. He had to pass the bag to Ray, grumbling that they should have been there already and that he'd pay him back later. Free of his burden, Char watched the meadow intently for the tiny details that would mark the end of the curse and allow them passage to Shadow Meadow. When he found something that looked like a new feature of the landscape, he rushed to it in hope that it was the way out.
A few minutes later, they were back where they started.
"I don't believe this," Char groaned. "I know it usually takes people an hour to get out of this place, but there's got to be some way…"
"Chirp!"
Although a little startled, Char recognized the sound as another Pidgey, probably trying to sneak up on him from behind. He turned, preparing to loose his fire again…
But when he turned, he did not see a crazed bird homing in for an attack. It stood on the ground just a few feet away, looking at him.
Odd, Char thought. It doesn't want to fight? I thought the curse makes them—
That's when Char took a good look at the bird, and saw that some of its feathers had been discolored. Black burn marks covered its body.
It was the same Pidgey that had attacked them before.
"Um, is that thing… following us?" Saura wondered, eyeing the little bird as it hopped closer. "It doesn't look like it wants to fight."
"It's the same one we beat!" Char said. "What's it doing here? Didn't we leave this thing behind?"
"That's really weird," Saura said, stepping away from the bird. "I wonder how long it's been following us like that. Maybe it's trying to attack us again, but it's too weak?"
Char decided to ignore the bird, focusing his attention again on finding the way out of the cursed meadow. But with every step he took, he glanced back to see that the Pidgey was hopping along behind him in procession, as if it considered itself part of the team.
Finally, it took off and flew over Char's head, landing directly in Char's path and presenting itself to him.
"Chirp!" it said again.
What do you want? Char wondered. Are you trying to tell me something?
"No! Wait!" Ray suddenly cried, his voice full of excitement and surprise. "Char! Do you realize what's going on? Char! You impressed it! I don't believe it! You impressed the Pidgey!"
"What's that mean?" Char asked, bending down to inspect the bird up close.
Ray rushed forward, nearly pushing Char out of the way to get a good look at the bird. The bird winced as Ray practically ran into him, but it stayed calm and kept its eyes fixed on Char.
"I heard stories about this happening, but I… I never thought I would actually get to see it happen!" Ray said. "Char, you beat it in battle, and you earned its respect. Now it sees you as its master!"
"What?!" Char cried in response. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah! That's why it's following you!" Ray said. "That's how resistance teams recruit wild Pokémon from Mystery Dungeons. But it never happens! Char, you have no idea how rare this is! I mean, I've even heard of teams in the resistance whose purpose is just to try to get wild Pokémon to join them. They use psychic tricks and even wear special pieces of cloth just to increase the odds of impressing the wild ones… but they're still lucky just to see it happen once a year! But just to have this happen to us, with no planning or anything… what a stroke of luck! It's like… being born shiny!"
"Chirp! Chirp!" the bird said, as if it were trying to communicate with Char. Respect glittered in the little bird's eyes as it hoped to be acknowledged. As Char looked at the bird, the little thing just tugged at his heart. It was adorable, like a lost little child looking for a friend. He smiled at it, and it ruffled its feathers in joy.
"So, what does this mean?" Saura asked. "Is it just going to keep following us like this?"
"It'll follow us anywhere!" Ray said. "It thinks Char is its master now. It'll follow us out of the dungeon, and all over the world, and even back into the base if we take it there. It'll even obey Char's every command if it can understand him."
Really? Char wondered. It'll do what I say?
Curious, Char waved his hand, signaling the Pidgey to come to his side. It instantly complied, then looked to Char for more orders.
"Whoa," Char said, just trying to consider all the implications. He wondered if this was what it was like to be a Pokémon trainer.
"You know what this means, right?" Ray said, still excited. "Impression is the first step for a Pokémon towards sentience! Char, if we wanted to, we could make this Pidgey smart! You know the day care center back at the base? They could help us raise it! And then, we could have it join the team! …Or, we could send it away. It's your choice, Char."
"Hold on a moment," Saura said. "Do we even want it to join the team? If we wanted a bird on our team, we could have our pick from anyone on Team Silverwing."
Char realized that Saura was right. Team Silverwing was a very reputable training team of the Gold Division, one that Char had the pleasure of working with several times on past missions. Its membership was limited exclusively to bird Pokémon, all of which had been given top-notch training and were ready and willing to serve on a resistance team. He knew that any member of Team Silverwing would probably leap at the chance to join Team Ember.
Yet, this little Pidgey which stood before Char, this wild, weak, inexperienced little Pidgey… couldn't be turned down.
"I… want to keep him," Char said, petting the bird on the head.
"Really?" Saura said. "We just turned down Fern, and now you want a little Pidgey chick? Fern might have been a better choice!"
"I don't know, I just… want to keep him," Char said again.
Saura frowned. While he didn't dislike the idea, he thought Team Ember could do better than just a little bird as its fourth member. But, like all Pokémon, he knew it had the potential to grow and become stronger, and maybe even become a good friend. Either way, there was no way of changing Char's mind. He was infatuated with it, like a trainer with his first Pokémon.
"Well, if that's really what you want," Saura sighed, "I guess I can't complain. If we were so lucky to impress him, I guess we should take advantage of it. I'll trust you on this one, just like with Fern."
"In that case, I guess we take him back to base and enroll him in day care," Ray said. "Hey, little guy! Welcome to the team!"
"Cheee!" it happily replied.
Division Base
And, just like that, Team Ember had a fourth member.
Well, what can be said about the rest of that mission? It came. It went. It was a cinch, as expected. But Char didn't do much in the way of watching for bad guys, as the mission required. He was too busy giving attention to the Pidgey. Something in his heart had snapped—whether it was with his human or his Pokémon instincts, he couldn't tell—but he saw the Pidgey like a brother or a son, and he just couldn't let the little thing down. He wanted to see the Pidgey through growth and development.
It was nearly evening when the team's watch time was up. When they returned to the base, Ray went down to the registry to report the mission completion (the area was clear, as expected) and Char and Saura took the Pidgey down to a wing of the base they never had much of a reason to visit before: the day care.
The day care was a facility composed of several spacious rooms, including classrooms, playrooms, and bedrooms, for the extremely young children to live in. Pokémon who were too young to actively participate in the teams, such as orphaned survivors of the Master's raids, were given a home there until they were old and mature enough to participate in the Division's work. Char had known about the day care for a while, but never knew it also served the function of raising wild Pokémon…
An elderly Kangaskhan greeted them at the front lobby. Its pouch was empty; Char figured that her baby was probably off playing somewhere.
"Oh, it's Team Ember!" the Kangaskhan exclaimed. "Well, now! What brings everyone's favorite team down here, dears?"
"Well, we found this Pidgey on a mission today, and it followed us here," Saura explained. "We were wondering… if… you could help us?"
Kangaskhan smiled as her eyes scanned over the little bird, inspecting it thoroughly. The Pidgey had looked a little scared and unsure of itself since entering the base, but it stayed close to Char and never stopped casting glances of trust at him.
"Well, aren't you lucky?" she said. "It's a handsome young boy! It looks nice and healthy, too! Hmm, wow, it's got some pretty big talons for its age, hasn't it? And look at that sharp little beak! He's an armed little fellow! I bet his attacks could really hurt!"
They do, Char wanted to say, remembering the still-healing gash in his forehead.
"So, can you, um… help us take care of him?" Saura asked.
"Of course, dears!" Kangaskhan hummed. "We'd be glad to; that's why we're here! As long as you pay the fee, of course."
"Fee?" Saura repeated. "How much is the fee?"
"For one hundred thousand Poké, we'll keep him here, and we'll raise and educate him until he's ready to meet the standards of your team."
Saura gulped. "…That's a lot of money," he balked. "I don't think our bank account can take that big of a hit right now! We might have to think about this!"
"Oh, not to worry, you don't have to pay all at once!" Kangaskhan assured him. "We'll bill you gradually. Raising children doesn't happen all at once, you know!"
Char and Saura agreed that it was a good idea, so they agreed to Kangaskhan's deal.
"You won't be disappointed," Kangaskhan said. "After all, we can't afford to disappoint our beloved Team Ember! We'll give him the best education we can manage, and when he's ready, we'll make sure he gets personal training by Team Silverwing."
"How long do you think all this will take?" Char wondered. "How long will it be until we can see him again? Years?"
"Oh, sweetie, you can come and visit him whenever you'd like!" Kangaskhan laughed. "But the whole process might take around… oh… two months?"
"Two months?!" Char repeated in disbelief. "That quick? Are you sure?"
"Of course, as long as we keep him on a proper diet of gummis!" she answered. "In fact, that's where a lot of your money will go to. Gummis aren't cheap, you know!"
"Um… what's a gummi?" Char asked. "I've heard of those, but I've never seen one before. Are they food, or something?"
"They're supposed to make you smarter if you eat them," Saura said. "I've never had one myself, but I've heard a lot about them. Kecleon once had some in his store, but they were really expensive!"
"Oh, gummis don't actually make you smarter," Kangaskhan said. "They don't feed knowledge or experience into your head, after all. But if you eat enough of them, they'll keep your mind stimulated and open, and let you learn new things faster! In fact, if your little friend here eats his gummis, we might be able to have him speaking in just a few weeks. Speech seems to come naturally to Pidgey."
"Interesting," Char said. "Do you think we'd get any smarter if we ate gummis? I wonder what they taste like."
"If you want, I can let you try one," Kangaskhan said. "Just a moment, I'll be right back!"
Kangaskhan leapt away and disappeared down the hallway, and soon returned holding some colorful pieces of candy. One was red, and the other was green. Char recognized them immediately: they were jellybeans!
"Here you are, sweeties! On the house!" she said, handing Char the red one. "Enjoy! I think you'll like them!"
Char looked over the small, shiny jellybean. He sniffed it, but couldn't discern anything unusual. He popped it into his mouth. It tasted like nothing, until he bit down and broke the glossy skin of the candy…
And then, Char felt his entire mouth erupting with flavor.
It felt like a bomb had exploded in his mouth! It was an extreme, ultimately indescribable taste: it had a subtle kind of sweetness to it, but it was drowned out by an overbearing… stabbing sensation that spread into every smallest crevice of his mouth as well as down his throat. Char thought it tasted like a combination of fire, which he was familiar with, and the hottest cinnamon he could have imagined. His taste buds felt like they'd all come alive and were busting at the seams, pleading for mercy from the intense onslaught.
…And he liked it.
When he finally, reluctantly swallowed the candy, his eyes were watering. His entire mouth was tingling.
"Well? How was it?" Saura pleaded, his own green-colored gummi sitting on the ground in front of him. "Do you feel any smarter?
"Not really," Char managed to answer, gasping for breath to cool down the lingering taste of fire in his mouth. "But I think I want another one."
Saura sniffed at the candy in front of him, then hesitantly gobbled it up.
Char watched amusedly as Saura's eyes widened. He chewed once.
But then, his face turned into a horrible, disgusted scowl.
"BLAUGH!" he spewed, spitting the candy back onto the floor. "EUGH! That's the most disgusting thing I ever tasted! It was bitter, and slimy! Eughh, I think I'm going to throw up!"
"Oh, no! I'm so, so sorry!" Kangaskhan cried, horrified. "I'm sorry! Oh, dear… I must have given you the wrong kind! That must have been one for the bug Pokémon. They're the same color, so I get them mixed up sometimes… Here… Here… I brought more… I think I have the right kind here…"
Kangaskhan dug into her pouch, and produced an assorted handful of colorful gummis. She sorted through them and picked out another green one. It was discernibly a lighter shade of green than the mess Saura had left on the floor. Kangaskhan handed it to Saura, who glared at it suspiciously.
"It's okay, you'll like this one," She told him. "Go on! Try it!"
Saura cringed as he took the second gummi into his mouth, but as soon as he chewed once, his face lit up with a big smile.
"Wow! Now that's more like it!" he exclaimed. "It tastes like… a really fresh salad! With honey! Wow, that's really wonderful! Do you have any more?"
"Sorry, but if you want more gummis, you'll have to pay for them, fair and square," Kangaskhan laughed. "Everybody loves them, but nobody seems to have a budget to eat a lot of them. So, we just use most of them on the younger children to help with their development. Speaking of which…"
She handed another gummi, a turquoise-colored one, to the Pidgey. The bird took it from her hand and tossed its head back to swallow it down.
"There you go, little guy," Kangaskhan crooned. "Better get used to eating those! Oh, that reminds me of something. One more important thing before you leave: do you want to give him a name? If you do, you should give it to him now, so that he'll be able to associate the name with himself."
"Otto," Char blurted out. "We'll call him Otto."
Saura and Kangaskhan both gave him a funny look.
"That's… an interesting name for a Pidgey," Kangaskhan said. "Any reason for the name?"
"No, not really," Char said. "It's just the first one I thought of."
"Well, whatever you wish," Kangaskhan said. "That'll be what we call him, then. Well, I know you two are very busy, so we can start getting little Otto acquainted with his new home right away…"
So, Char and Saura said goodbye to Otto the Pidgey. It was hard, but Char eventually got the Pidgey to see that he wanted it to go away with the Kangaskhan. The Pidgey looked sad to go, but its desire to please its master was strong, so it obeyed. Char told it that he loved it, and that he'd visit it as often as he could.
Then, he was gone.
… … …
"Otto?!" Saura said to Char as they returned to their rooms. "What kind of a name is that, anyway? That almost sounds like a name for an Oddish."
"I don't really know," Char admitted. "I just suddenly remembered out of nowhere. It might even be from my human life."
"A human name?" Saura said. "Interesting… you humans must have interesting names. Do you think… it could be your name?"
Char dug through his thoughts, but his memories, save for his visions of Dialga and Palkia, were still completely blank. He couldn't place the name anywhere, much less on himself.
"I don't know," Char said. "But… I think I need to have a talk with you. Without Ray here, I mean."
"Okay, sure," Saura said. "To the meeting hall, then?"
Char sat with Saura in the empty meeting hall, just like they always did when they wanted time alone. The grandeur of the hall and the sight of the dragons always gave Char a level of peace that he couldn't seem to find anywhere else.
"My team is four members big now," Char sighed, relaxing and spilling his thoughts out for his best friend. "But you and I are still the only real members. I think it's time we told Ray. Ray is… well, our friend, and our teammate, and I'm really starting to feel like I want to trust him as much as I trust you. But, whenever I think about it, I can't seem to get the courage to tell him."
Saura nodded thoughtfully.
"It's just… we have four members now. What about when we have five? Six? Or ten? I really feel like things could get out of hand. If we get more members, and I still only trust you, I feel like… our team won't be able to work. So, I want to tell Ray about my secrets. I think I owe it to him. I just don't know how he'll take it. What do you think? Do you think he's ready?"
Saura thought for a moment before answering. "Ray is… well, at least from what I tell… he's thrilled to be a part of something big," he speculated. "That's why he wants on Team Remorse so badly. That's why he sets such high standards for himself and us, too. He wants to see the legends as they happen. He wants to be the one making them happen."
Yes, Ray certainly had a clear purpose in life. To Char, that much was certain. Unlike Fern, who may have fancied seeing the legendary Pokémon but never intended to do anything about it, Ray was giving his all day after day to make his dreams come true. But Saura was right: he'd never really considered why Ray had the dreams he did. He always thought it was because he idolized Scythe and wanted to be like him.
"And, any way you put it, Char, you're a legend," Saura continued. "The way I see it, Ray would be honored to know you for who you are."
"Maybe you're right," Char said, "But… I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think about telling him. You'll have to help me do it. You're so much better at talking than I am."
"I'll be right behind you," Saura promised. "That's not going to change. Whatever happens, I'm right behind you."
They sat in peace for a while before deciding to head back to Scythe's room, remembering that they had a reward to receive.