Finally, a very special thanks goes out to rabidcatking and Sicarius Riuyoh for giving me assistance with parts of this chapter!
Chapter 29
A majestic Charizard soared across the sky, enjoying the powerful sensation of the wind whipping across its face and beneath its wings.
This is heaven, it thought. I could never ask for anything more.
The Charizard gazed upon the endless splendor of the sky which surrounded him. Towering clouds formed a landscape of mighty pillars and hills, casting the orange sunlight into streaming rays. The ground was so far below, it was invisible. But the ground was irrelevant. Only the sky existed, his gorgeous and eternal playground.
He danced in the heavens, swooping and spiraling and bursting through the mist of the clouds. He felt the way his course was changed at every little twitch of his wings, every little effortless flap propelling him faster and higher…
He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care; only the bliss of his momentum, his dominance over the world of the sky, mattered to him…
But then, he beheld something unusual emerging from a far-away cloud. A shining ball of fire appeared in the distance, almost like a second sun, ablaze with a strange and glorious radiance as it hung in the air. The Charizard emptied his wings and dove closer, curious to inspect this new entity which had joined him among the world of the heavens.
As he approached, the shape of the fire began to take the form of a great orange bird, whose perpetually ablaze wings cast explosions of flame across the sky with each flap.
Oh, it's just Moltres, the Charizard realized.
"Hey, Char! Good morning to you!" Moltres called, drifting around in a semicircle to fly alongside the Charizard. "Are you ready to head back to the base? We're all getting tired of waiting for you!"
Char felt a sudden dismay fill him.
"I can't," Char replied. "I would, but I can't."
"Why not?" Moltres asked concernedly. "Is something wrong?"
A horrible feeling began to fill Char's body. It was a feeling that Char knew well, but couldn't quite place. It felt as though someone was weighing his body down with sandbags, piling one after another onto his shoulders, until it took all his heart to even move a muscle. He found his flight simply slowing to a stop, and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew this was the end.
"Because… I can't move," Char said to Moltres. "Forget about me… Go on without me… I'm fading… away…"
Soon, reality itself seemed to disappear, leaving only blackness.
… … …
Aww, man! Char thought absently. What an awesome dream that was! So vivid! Maybe… if I stay completely still, and don't open my eyes… it'll come back!
… … …
Char the Charizard arrived back to the mountain range which he called his home. He soared between rocky cliffs, following a gorge that apparently lead back to his base.
"Hey, Char!" a Dragonite yelled from a cliff. "Good to see you back! Ready for the big day?"
"Hey, Ray!" Char called to it. "Good morning!"
Char flew on, disregarding the odd feeling that something about Ray wasn't right today.
After navigating over the craggy landscape and between the jutting mountains, Char found his home. It was a mountain cave crawling with Pokémon—his team. Dragons flew in circles around the peak, and rock Pokémon teemed across the slopes and cliff faces. They all gave a cheer when they noticed him.
Char crashed down onto the platform in front of the main entrance to his cave, and was immediately met with a small congregation who were waiting for him, lead by Dialga and Palkia. He was surprised to see them, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he expected them to be… well, bigger, as they were only about the size of himself.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Char asked the temporal dragon. "Aren't you supposed to be… um… somewhere else?"
"You recruited us, remember?" Dialga answered. "We're on Team Ember now!"
"Today's the day we head out for Temporal Tower," Palkia said. "Maybe we'll finally figure out why you're a human!"
A few more Pokémon joined the group, including Mew, Entei, and Groudon. At the end of the line, a Leafeon emerged from the cove, bursting with excitement as it stepped up to Char.
Whoa… Char thought, staring at it. Why does that Leafeon look so familiar?
"Are you ready to go, Char?" the Leafeon asked. "We have to get going! It's now or never!"
Oh, it's Saura, Char realized. Wait… SAURA?! Why is Saura a Leafeon? That makes no sense! Oh… wait! That's right! I remember now! I finally convinced him to evolve! Hah, this is the best resistance team ever!
Rayquaza flew down from the sky and stood at attention.
"Happy to help out, Char!" it said. "Ready, steady, go!"
Char stumbled. The dreadful feeling of heaviness was back, and was quickly spreading through his body. He tried to take a step forward, but collapsed to the ground and resigned himself to his fate…
Oh, why won't they last longer? Char whined to himself. I never have such awesome dreams like this! They always happen in the morning, right when I'm about to wake up… But usually… I always… get woken up… by…
Char and his friends were on the road to the destination, wherever it was. He didn't know where they were all headed, but it sure wasn't Temporal Tower. Instead, Char found himself soaring over oceans and prairies and forests that repeated themselves over and over. After a while, Char started to get annoyed, wondering when the journey would end.
They finally arrived to a small, secluded cottage which sat in the middle of a meadow. Some Nidoran and Buneary were dancing around outside. When Char and his friends crowded around the door, a large Nidoqueen stepped out and greeted them.
"Hey, you're back!" the Nidoqueen said merrily, welcoming them in with a wave of her arm. "We missed you! Hey, why not bring all your friends inside? I've got a lovely dinner waiting for you!"
So, they all went inside. Char had to keep from tripping over the countless Buneary kids which constantly circled around his feet and asked him questions about why he was so awesome. Char performed tricks to impress them, such as using his skills with telekinesis to pick up the children and make them float in the air.
Some of the other children were bothering the legendary dragons.
"Dialga! Can you send me back in time so that my head is on backwards!"
"No can do," Dialga said, shaking his head. "If I sent you back in time you might meet yourself and the world would explode! Want to be sent forward instead?"
"Hey Palkia!" another kid pleaded. "Could you turn me into Lugia! I want to fly! Pleeease?"
"Sorry kid," Palkia said. "I can't let you do that, you'd drown in the ocean! How about a game of tag instead?"
"Hey Rayquaza!" another child said. "Could you help us build a big tower of blocks?"
Suddenly, all the talking in the entire room ceased. Everyone froze in horror. A fork dropped somewhere.
"Oh, no," Char muttered, cringing. "He didn't… he didn't just say that…"
Rayquaza uncoiled itself and floated up to the top of the room, seething in anger.
"BLOCKS?" it roared. "You want me, the legendary dragon of the skies, to play with blocks?"
Char covered his eyes and peeked through his claws, awaiting the inevitable response….
"RAYQUAZA DOES NOT PLAY WITH BLOCKS!" it boomed, shaking the entire building. "RAYQUAZA UNLEASHES HYPER BEAM AND DESTROYS ALL!"
A brilliant yellow glow filled the inside of the house as Rayquaza charged its hyper beam…
But Char didn't get to see the end. As the yellow light increased in intensity, the heaviness had set in again, leaving him only able to close his eyes and drift away as the dream came to an end…
… … …
The dream was gone, but the yellow glow remained.
Yellow…?
Char's eyes drifted open. His body was finally satisfied with the sleep it had gotten, and it was ready to wake up for the day. A terribly blurry vision came to him as his eyes opened farther, flooding his sense of sight with yellow and causing him to squint…
Yellow… Char thought. This seems unusual. Usually when I get up, it's…
"W-AAAH!"
A horrible realization suddenly dawned upon him. He jumped awake, almost falling out of his new bed. It couldn't be!
He frantically scanned his surroundings. The torches which lined his room, as well as the two large dishes of fire which continued to burn away on either side of his bed, were all burning bright yellow… the normal color of fire.
It was already midday. He'd slept in.
"AHH!" Char yelled again, leaping onto the floor and out into Team Ember's hall. "The mission! Saura! Ray! We're late! We slept in! Oh, man, are we in trouble! The first day on our own, and we can't even—"
Char rushed into Saura's room, but it was empty.
"Saura?!" Char called, making sure he wasn't missing something. "Saura? Are you here? Ray! What about you? Are you here?"
Hurrying into Ray's room, he found it empty as well.
"You guys didn't leave me behind, did you?" Char demanded of no one. "This is horrible! I only slept in because of Alakazam—"
Another thought crossed his mind: he remembered that he really needed to speak with both his friends as soon as possible! They had to hear about what happened the previous night, about Scythe and Alakazam and Temporal Tower, so they could start preparing for the expedition. It was the first thing he had intended to do that morning, before even the mission or anything else… and now, it seemed, it was a little too late.
Char looked around at the empty corridors, feeling seriously confused. Why had his friends abandoned him like this? Why didn't they wake him up, like normal?
Maybe they didn't leave on the mission yet, Char speculated as he trudged to the front door. Yeah. I bet they're just up with Team Remorse. Or maybe, they're having lunch! Yeah! I bet Ray finally took my advice, and we're running our missions in the sunlight now!
As he soon found, none of it was true. There was a note tacked to the wall by the front door, surely left by Saura and Ray to explain their absence. He tore it off and held it before his eyes, squinting to read it.
Footprint runes.
"Grr…" he growled in frustration, rolling his eyes. "Why does everything have to be written in footprint runes?!"
… … …
It was understandable of Saura and Ray to leave him a note in the language he still didn't understand: to the Pokémon, his human writing ("Unown-script" as they called it) was non-standard and difficult to learn. Neither Saura nor Ray knew his language, so they did the best they could to communicate to him on paper, knowing that he'd be able to figure it out somehow. Char scanned the page and could make out his name written at the top, as well as Saura's name at the very bottom, but all the other words were gibberish to him, as usual…
"This is so embarrassing," Char moaned, crumpling the edges of the paper with his claws and hanging his head in shame.
"Uh… hey! Hey, someone! Anyone! Can anyone help me?"
Char stood at the balcony to the main room of the base and waved his arms, trying to catch the attention of any bird Pokémon that would come close enough to notice him. A Pidgeotto eventually flew near and heard his call.
"I'll help if I can," the Pidgeotto said oddly as it landed before Char. "What's the trouble?"
"Well, um, I'm having trouble reading my friend's handwriting," Char lied, trying to keep a straight face while he held up the note. "He left me this. Could you maybe read this for me?"
"Hah," the Pidgeotto squawked amusedly. "Nice try! Hey, don't take it the wrong way, Char, but everyone knows you're illiterate."
Char balked, and suddenly felt a little humiliated. He should have known. It wasn't a secret that Scythe would have kept from anyone. Wow, he thought. That that's sure to change the way I feel about all the other Pokémon in this base. This day is really starting out great, isn't it?
"Hey, now," the Pidgeotto said quickly, hopping forward. "I told you not to take it the wrong way! Besides, you can write human, how many Pokémon can do that? Now, let me see this note already."
Meekly, Char held up the note and turned it around for the bird to see.
"Erhm. 'Char—Ray was still feeling guilty about zapping you, so he convinced Scythe to let you have the day off. Enjoy your rest, and we'll see you when we come back from the mission! Saura. Postscript: the fire will never die!' Well, now, isn't that thoughtful of your team? He-he-he, I see your Raichu friend must be having some electrical discharge problems?"
"I've got to go," Char said, feeling like he was blushing. "Thank you for helping."
… … …
Char went to the only place he could think of to go: the meeting hall. For the first time as a Pokémon, he felt overwhelmingly lonely. Saura had always been by his side, and he could always talk to him, even in the middle of the night if he had to. Not only was Saura gone, but his other two most-trusted friends had gone with him. And now, more than ever, Char just really needed someone to talk to—and he figured that Dialga was as good as anyone at the moment.
"Well, Dialga, here I come," Char whispered humbly as he sat just before the great statue. "I'm coming to visit you in only three days. I have to tell you something: I'm really scared. I've heard so many legends about how… how mighty you are, and how great your rage can be… But I know that you had something to do with why I'm here, so... I hope you'll take me in and tell me what's going on."
The dragon, of course, didn't answer, but Char gave himself a moment of silence so he could at least pretend that it was listening.
"Wow. This is going to be a huge trip," Char continued. "I'm scared just thinking about it. We'll have to pack so much… I hope that Scythe lets us take some of his supplies…"
Again he paused, just to let his own words sink in. Yes, the trip was going to be insane. The thought of traveling so far from the base, his now-beloved home, made him feel unspeakably uncomfortable, especially when considering the Watchers and the Master which inhabited the overworld. He didn't even know the first thing about getting ready; he would have to trust Scythe to guide him through the plans.
"Scythe," Char whispered. "Something's wrong with Scythe. He told me about it last night. I think he's about to fail his mission! What can I do to help him? I can't do anything! I'm just…"
"HEY!" a voice suddenly screeched from one of the room's many entrances, echoing madly through the whole dome-shaped hall. "HEY! YOU!"
Char jumped up in surprise and stood at attention. A Ghastly had found him.
"What are you doing here?" it demanded. "Don't you know this room is off limits?"
"I—uh—" Char tried.
"Get OUT!" the Ghastly blasted. "NOBODY'S supposed to be here when there's no meeting! Besides, don't you know how much power it takes to burn all these torches? We can't run the rest of the base and this room at the same time! Go! Get out of here!"
Char was about to complain, but he felt the taste of fire escalating in the back of his throat. So, he shut his jaws as hard as he could and simply walked out of the room, speechless.
… … …
I'm going to scream! Char thought, clenching his fists as he crossed the hallway to go to the cafeteria. I can't believe I can't go in the meeting hall anymore. What am I supposed to do now?!
"Hey, whoa there, little guy," an Ariados said, grimacing at the sight of Char's swollen flame. "Careful with that fire…"
There's got to be some way I can calm down, Char thought, completely ignoring the spider. Maybe some breakfast will help.
… … …
"Sorry, we don't have anything ready yet!" Bellossom said. "Breakfast was over a long time ago, and lunch isn't for another hour! Could I get you a glass of water?"
"No, thank you," Char tried to say politely. "I hate water."
Char sat himself down on a nearby bench to mope. Even the cafeteria, he now realized, was mostly empty, save for a few Pokémon that were relaxing at other tables to read piles of documents. Setting his head in his claws, he took a deep breath and tried to console himself.
There's got to be some way to pass the time, Char thought, feeling the minutes pass by like hours. This place is always boring when there's no job to do. But there's a hundred Pokémon in here… I'm going to find someone to help. There's got to be someone.
After a quick walk downstairs, Char rapped on the door of Team Stripes. An Eevee greeted him.
"Hi, Char," it greeted cordially. "Can I help you?"
"Hey, Evan," Char said. "Hey, uh… I got stuck at the base today, and I'm kinda bored. Want to do a mission?"
"Sorry, I can't," he replied. "I got stuck back today, too. I've got work to do."
"Well, um… could I help with it?" Char offered.
"I don't think it's anything you could help with," Evan laughed kindly. "I got stuck with the accounting today. And they say you can't read, so…"
"Ah," Char said dismissively. "Well… that's okay, then. I'll find something else to do."
"Are you feeling okay?" Evan spoke concernedly, eying his tail. "We could talk for a few minutes if you want to... I think I could take a little break…"
"Nah, that's okay," Char said politely. "I shouldn't distract you from your work. I'll find something else to do."
… … …
Char trudged back down the hall, wondering if he was the only Pokémon in the base that felt left out of the resistance for the day.
Maybe I could talk to Team Remorse? Char wondered. No… not after how much they're straining themselves. They need all the peace and quiet they can get… Maybe Team Entei? No… they're probably out on missions… it's not worth the walk to their room…
That's when Char realized that there was one Pokémon in the entire base that he knew, with some certainty, he'd be able to talk to. With a light smile forming across his face, he took off down the hall.
Char waited anxiously on the bench of the day care lobby when Kangaskhan emerged from the door, guiding a little Pidgey with her.
"Here he is!" Kangaskhan sang. "Hyperactive little guy, he's been. He plays rough with the other kids. Bet he's happy to see you!"
When Otto noticed the figure before him, he gave a loud chirp in exaltation and launched himself into the air, fluttering and landing before his master.
"Have fun," Kangaskhan said. "Take all the time you need!"
Char cast a loving glance at his newest friend, giving him a gentle pat on the head. If he ever once assumed that birds were not capable of smiling, it was misconception totally expelled now: Otto was absolutely beaming.
"Hey there, little guy," Char spoke in a high-pitched voice, like he was speaking to a baby. "Did you have a good rest? Do you like your new—"
"CHAR!" it chirped loudly, catching him off-guard.
Char's blinked in surprise. It knew his name?
"You can talk now?" Char yelped in disbelief. "It hasn't even been a day, and… you can talk?"
"CHAR! CHAR!" it sang.
"Well… he learned your name, at least," Kangaskhan said with an amused smile. "The first things we always teach the wilds are the name of their master, then their own name. He knows his own name now, but he hasn't gotten around to speaking it yet. But he picked up yours really fast!"
"Wow, Otto!" Char congratulated the bird, affectionately ruffling the feathers on its forehead. "You're just a little genius, you know that?"
"CHAAR!" it squeaked.
"Oh, and another thing," Kangaskhan said, putting her hands on her hips. "This little guy won't stop eating gummis! And after he ate practically all our gummis for bird Pokémon, he started eating the fire gummies and the rock gummis, too! He just won't stop!"
"GOOOOOOOMII!" Otto screeched.
Char laughed, pleased to see that his new friend was making such great progress.
Char was able to pass the time for a while, just telling the bird whatever came to mind. He figured Otto didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about, but the Pidgey listened intently, happy to be in the presence of its master. After a while, though, Otto grew unmistakably bored. Char saw that the little guy probably just wanted to run off and get more exercise, so he cut off the conversation and let Otto go, wishing it good luck.
For a second time, Char was pained to see Otto leave. His heart fluttered at the thought of the day when he'd be able to speak with Otto as an equal. Or fly with him in the sky…
… … …
Well, that put me in a better mood, Char realized as he crawled the base, looking for something else to do. I wonder how much time that passed? Eh, I bet it was only about half an hour. Hey… Domo's gone, but I wonder if the dojo is still open? I could use some exercise myself…
Once Char found his bearings in the confusing corridors, he descended some flights of stairs and made his way to the dojo entrance.
Along the way, he met a few other Pokémon on their various errands throughout the base, but one seemed to be following alongside him: a Graveler, and a pretty large one at that. Char figured by its size and the way it held itself that it was a member of Team Avalanche, the Division's most well-known Rock-oriented team.
"Excuse me," Char addressed the Graveler, "Are you, by chance, going to the dojo?"
"Yeah," the boulder Pokémon replied in a low and gravely voice. "Why?"
"Could I train with you?" Char beseeched. "If you're not busy, that is."
"Uh, sure," the Graveler grunted. "Can do. I was gunna practice alone anyway."
When they got to the dojo, Char found that it was still fully active even during the Sensi's leave of absence. He waited at the side of the room, watching curiously as a Floatzel instructed a class of Poliwhirl and Vaporeon in some water-based techniques. The class ended shortly, and Char took the floor with the Graveler.
"Name's Ged. Team Avalanche," the Graveler said. "I know you're Char. Team Ember. Everyone knows you. How should we train?"
"Well, I, um, I'm not too good at fighting your kind," Char confessed. "There were a lot of you in the Iron Crevice, and they just destroyed me. So I was wondering if you could give me some tips on… fighting you."
Ged snorted. "Reveal my weaknesses?" hechuckled. "It humiliates me. But fine."
Char stood at attention as the Graveler fell silent for a moment, as if to get his thoughts in order.
"First. I hate water," Ged declared. "It gets into my cracks and makes me miserable. Strong water pressure can wash me away. I have nightmares about Blastoise chasing me. Second. I hate plants. When plant Pokémon attack, they chip away at my skin somehow. Saura would be better than you."
"Yes, I know about your weaknesses," Char said. "But do you have any tips for me? How would a fire Pokémon like me defeat you?"
"Steel," it replied. "Harness the power of steel. Learn how to channel energy so your claws become hard like steel. Then you can slice through rock. Channel your energy so your tail becomes hard like Iron. Then you can break rock. Metal is harder than rock."
Char looked oddly at his claws. "Um… I don't know how to do that," he admitted. "I guess I have to learn a new technique…"
"Can't help you. Ask Pokémon who know the techniques or get Training Machines," Ged instructed. "Second. Learn martial arts. Martial artists learn the art of breaking rocks with their bare hands. Land a well-placed punch and you can crack me open."
"Hmm, I don't know that either," Char grumbled in disappointment. "I guess I have a little more to learn. Any other tips, or anything? Wait, no, I have a question. The reason Graveler scare me so much is because they can make earthquakes. I hate that! Is there any way to stop those?"
"Heheh," the Graveler laughed evilly.
Char should have seen it coming, but there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Ged raised a foot and stomped the ground, creating a minor shockwave that caused the room to vibrate. Char clutched his head, feeling a sharp headache coming on as his skull was rattled around.
"Ow ow!" Char moaned in pain, falling to one knee. "Stooop! Ow, that hurts so much!"
"Earthquake," Ged said as the shockwave subsided. "Good, strong technique. But it hurts friends and enemies too. Someday, you can make them. Charizard are big enough. But not now. Now you are powerless against earthquakes. You can't avoid them."
"Really?" Char asked sadly. "I can't stand them. I was really hoping you could help. Are you sure there's no way?"
"No way," Ged said, "but grow wings and fly. You can't feel the earthquake from the air. Become Charizard and you will be free from earthquakes."
"Well, in that case, it looks like I should just leave all the Graveler to Saura, then," Char sighed. "Oh, well. Thanks for your help…"
"Wait, where are you going?" Ged shouted. "What about a battle? You wanted to train. Let's train!"
"What good is battling if you'll just dominate me?" Char whined. "I can't fight you! Not as weak as I am now!"
"That is why we train, to get stronger," Ged said. "Even if you lose. You get stronger. No pain, no gain, humans say. So. Let's fight!"
Char grumbled. Yes, that was what he promised, so he couldn't in his right conscience just walk out on the Graveler. He owed the rock Pokémon a battle.
"Fine," Char decided, mentally preparing himself for a real beating. "But please, just don't use earthquakes on me. Okay?"
Char concentrated on igniting his fire for battle. It wasn't hard to do; he was already irritated enough by the day's events, and the thought of getting pummeled by his opponent put him in an even more profoundly bad mood. He glanced back at his tail to find that the flame had almost risen to eye-level, more than adequate for putting up a good fight.
He started the battle by leaping close to his opponent and choking out a cloud of black smoke. As soon as it billowed from his mouth, Char had to marvel at the depth and opaqueness of the cloud as it spread and reduced the visibility of the room to nearly nothing. It was his greatest smoke screen yet, he judged, and he knew he was going to need it if he wanted to stand a chance. Ged made a strange grinding noise that sounded almost like a cough, then began to wander through the fog in search of Char.
Jumping at the opportunity to strike while the enemy was impeded, Char scurried around to the rear end of the Graveler, backed up, and made a running start for the Graver's feet…
Thunk.
Char's head brutally collided with solid rock, sending him careening back in dizziness and collapsing onto the floor. He'd hoped to knock Ged off-balance, but he'd only succeeded in getting a bump on his head.
"OWWW!" Char cried, gritting his teeth and clutching his forehead with both claws.
"What was that?" Ged laughed. "A Headbutt? You should be smarter, Char!"
"I was trying to knock you down," Char groaned in frustration, managing to get back to his feet even though his sense of balance had been rattled.
"Hahah," Ged cackled. "You cannot knock Graveler down. Every way is up!"
To illustrate his point, Ged propelled himself into a roll, emerging from the darker recesses of the fog and stopping right before Char by throwing down his second pair of hands as brakes. Char saw what he meant: with six limbs, the Graveler was always in control of its balance. Knocking it into a roll would do nothing.
"Good black cloud," Ged admitted. "But it will clear soon. What will you do?"
Char replied by blasting the Graveler in the face with a very impressive burst of flames. Ged gagged and reeled as the flames drowned out his vision, forcing him to roll backwards in retreat. Even Char was surprised at the fire's magnitude; his Ember was not letting him down today.
Still with the cover of the cloud in his favor, Char rushed close to his opponent and jumped onto its head, holding on tight and biting down hard with his jaws into Ged's forehead. While he knew he couldn't melt the rock like he could melt steel, he figured he'd be able to do some damage by ingraining his white-hot teeth and maybe putting a few dents into the Graveler's hide…
Big mistake. No sooner did Char get a firm grip with his teeth than he heard a sickening crack, and knew instantly that one of his own bones had snapped apart. Ged had responded by rolling his entire body forward and flattening Char against the ground, sending him into the awful agony of being smashed between rocks that he'd prayed he would never have to experience a second time. When he felt the giant bolder roll off him, he let himself lay in place, not even sure if what he saw with his eyes was a vision of the room or just a colorful collage of stars.
Smack! Wasting no time, Ged struck again, striking Char's poor body with the sharpened edge of his forearm. Char tumbled hopelessly away, giving himself up for lost when he came to a stop, plopping down on his stomach and finding himself unable to get up.
"I'm finished," Char begged weakly. "I'm done. You win! Please! No more!"
"Nah, that's nothing," Ged insisted. "Charmander are strong. You can take much more. Take a break and heal, then we fight again. You will do better next time."
Ged pointed to the far wall of the Dojo, where there sat a long shelf lined end-to-end with Oran Berries. It was a necessity to have them on hand, especially to the serious trainers. Already more sore than having spent all day on a stressful mission, and with a fracture in his shoulder, Char fought the searing pain and dragged himself across the room to where the Oran Berries waited.
"You must truly fight!" Ged said encouragingly. "That is the only way you can become Charizard! You must fight! Don't be fragile!"
This is going to be a long training session, Char miserably realized.
… … …
Many painful bruises and concussions later, Ged decided that Char had enough and let him go, but not before congratulating him on his great matches. He insisted that Char's technique had improved a little, that he'd learned something from the experience, even though the only thing Char was sure he'd learned was how to take even more pain. Covered in tender spots from being slammed with rocks in more ways than he could count, and with at least a dozen Oran berries dissolving in his stomach, Char wandered out of the dojo.
This time, though, he didn't have to think hard about how to further pass the time. He knew exactly where he was headed; there was a thought stuck in his mind now, a thought that wouldn't go away:
Charizard.
"Heya, Char," Morrik said as he stepped out from the wall, sensing that a visitor had entered his lobby. "Whatcha need? Oh, wow. You don't look like you're having too good a day. Is that a black eye?! Maybe y' should see Dr. Orde. There's only so much those Oran Berries can do, y'know…"
"Get me my feral-shard," Char commanded. "I know I have one in storage. I got it from our first mission. I want to evolve now."
"W…wah?" Morrik cried. "You're joking, right? I've seen your area at least a hundred times… you don't have one!"
"I have to!" Char insisted, slamming his fists down on the counter-top. "It was at Empirical Falls. We stole it from Team X. I put it in the bag myself. Can you go check, please?"
"Char, there's no way," Morrik told him. "Do you realize what kind of commodity these things are right now? Nobody has them. They're locked out of the market. It's been a problem for a few weeks now. The Master's tightening his grasp on the market. Even Kecleon can't get any."
"Please! Check!" Char ordered. "I have one! I know it!"
"A'ight, I'll go have a look, since you insist," Morrik said. "But I'm telling you. Don't get your hopes up too high."
Morrik disappeared into the wall, then returned not even thirty seconds later.
"Char!" he yelled, a look of pure shock upon his face. "I don't believe this! You were right! There was one!"
Char nearly threw himself over the counter. "I knew it!" he cheered in joy. "Give it to me!"
"Ah, heheheheh," Morrik laughed. "So gullible, heheh. No, you don't have one."
Char sent a dangerous glance to the Gengar, then slumped down onto the floor, disheartened.
"Where did it go?" he wondered. "I'm sure I had one! I was keeping it for when I knew I could evolve!"
"Uh, this is just a hunch," Morrik said, a hint of curiosity now in his tone, "but if you're so sure of yourself, I could go check in Team Remorse's stuff to see if they, y'know, took it from you. Though, I think I would have remembered transferring it."
Char nodded an unspoken consent, and Morrik disappeared again. He returned very shortly, shaking his head.
"Nope, they don't have one either," he reported. "T' tell ya the truth, I don't think there's one feral-shard in the whole storage right now." With a wink, he added, "If there was one, I'd let y' steal it. Really! I would!"
Well, that's just great, Char thought. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that. Oh, but I want to be Charmeleon… so badly…
… … …
Char was sure that an hour had passed, so he forced himself back down to the cafeteria. Sure enough, it was now lunchtime. The kitchen was serving a light meal to those who were staying back at the base for the day, or those who had accomplished the mission early enough in the morning to be back by now. Char accepted his portion: it was a very strange-looking meal, something like globs of colorful gelatin with berries suspended inside. He took it hesitantly, not sure if his stomach was in the mood for something so unsubstantial or full of sugar. He sat down to eat all by himself, hoping that the food could do something to satisfy him.
Why does Pokémon food always need to be so sickeningly sweet? Char wondered, feeling the first serving wiggle around in his mouth as he chewed it. Everything they serve here is just… all…
Char felt the beginning of a gag reflex, and he knew he wasn't going to go any further.
… … …
After throwing his food away, Char was out of ideas. He decided that he'd head back up to his room and simply sleep the rest of the day away, as Saura's note had suggested of him. In hindsight, he realized that it would have been better if he'd never gotten out of bed, and wondered why he'd even left behind the soothing presence of his bedside fire. Already, as he ascended the merciless staircases back to his high-ranked lair, he could feel them… roaring away… flooding his exhausted body with warmth…
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
Char pushed repeatedly, but the door wouldn't open.
He'd locked himself out of his hall.
"ARRRRCEUS!" he moaned, leaning his forehead against the solid tablet that stood between him and his room. "WHYYY?!"
… … …
Char awoke with a sudden start. Feeling the pressure against his forehead, he remembered that he actually fell asleep while leaning on his front door.
But something wasn't quite right. He'd woken up for a reason.
Something… changed.
He couldn't place the feeling, he just knew that something had changed. He wondered if his instincts were sensing something he couldn't see, or feel, or hear…
Or could he? The air was frozen in a sort of brooding, unnatural silence. It was very unnatural, he soon realized. This was the Gold Division's base, a place constantly alive and echoing with the voices of hundreds of Pokémon about their day's work. And now… it was quiet.
Curious, and somewhat disturbed by the unnerving feeling that the Charmander within him had picked up on, Char opened his eyes…
And the entire hallway was dark.
Black. Still illuminated, but… black.
It didn't make sense. "Black" wasn't a color in the cycle of signals the torches were programmed for. "Black" wasn't even a visible color. Yet, somehow, Char found that the hall was now filled with… as if such a thing were even possible… shining black light.
Char looked around. The torches themselves now burned with a bizarre black fire.
Is this some kind of signal? Char wondered, wandering back down the hall in awe of his surroundings, which seemed to become something new and different in the reality-defying light. Does this… mean something?
If it did, Char could tell instinctively that whatever it meant was not good.
Not wasting another minute in speculation, Char dropped to all fours and shot back to the nearest stairwell, heading upstairs to Team Remorse.
Char didn't go far before he found the team, or at least the members who had been home at the time, gathered in the hallway just outside their door. Marrow was there, as was Raon, and Markov. Char was at first taken aback by the sight of Raon: the golden rings on his body were glowing brightly, forming weird white rainbows as they mixed with the radiant black light which still filled the corridors. He knew, like his own fire, it was an indication that the Umbreon was experiencing some kind of elation; showing Char that Team Remorse was equally as upset with the phenomenon as he was. It filled Char with dread at seeing them arguing loudly and nervously amongst one another as he approached.
"What's going on?!" Char demanded as he rushed to their side, feeling his panicking instincts yearn for their company.
"This is bad," Marrow said. "Char, black means the entire base is on lockdown! Nobody can come or leave!"
"W-why would the base be on lockdown?" Char asked weakly, already imagining the answer.
"It means that the base is in danger of being infiltrated. Or attacked," Raon explained grimly. "This is very bad. They don't issue this measure unless the Master is literally on our doorstep. We need to find out what's going on, and now. Something must have slipped through the cracks."
"Char. Stay with us," Markov instructed. "We're going downstairs. High Intelligence should tell us what's going on."
Char didn't have to be asked; he clung to them as a child to his parents. After casting one last glance at his black tail flame and feeling a chill at the sight, he followed closely behind Team Remorse as they proceeded downstairs.
Down below, at least a hundred Pokémon were gathered in the main chamber of the base. But no voices rose above a solemn whisper; a terrified, yet reverent silence settled over the crowd as they awaited news of the development, or perhaps orders to carry out. They all looked lost and afraid.
"This is exactly why Scythe made sure some of us stayed back," Markov muttered. "He knew something like this could happen…"
"Then we need to do something about it," Raon declared adamantly. "What we really need to do is get out of this base before they set the traps. We need to assess the situation out there. Scythe needs to know what's going on."
"No, that wouldn't be too smart of us," Markov warned. "Let's find out why the alert was thrown in the first place, then we can think about what to do."
"By the gods, this came out of nowhere!" Raon gasped.
Char watched as more and more Pokémon filed down through the staircases and emerged into the chamber, most of them wide-eyed in fear and dead silent. He realized that the congregation was for a purpose. While he'd never been instructed of a procedure to follow, or even of the "code: black" at all, he figured the rest of the base knew what they were doing. Since most of the Divison's members were out on missions for the day, Char saw only about four hundred Pokémon attending that meeting, standing on the floor or at the edge of the higher floors' balconies, waiting for something to happen.
And still, that strange black light radiated from every torch, blinding yet invisible.
Char became even more nervous as the gravity of the situation continued to dawn on him. The base could be under attack. The base could be destroyed! The Master's forces could burst in from any of the entrances, leaving the Division with nothing to do but fight back… He felt like clinging to the nearest Pokémon for comfort.
A long, white bone appeared in front of Char's face.
"Scared?" Marrow asked, his eyes glimmering with sympathy behind his skull helmet. "I am too."
Char accepted the other end of the bone and held on, squeezing it tight to help calm his horrible anticipation.
"Remorse," a very deep voice suddenly addressed.
Kain the Luxray, leader of Team Absolution, appeared before Char and his companions. He, too, had the same look of uncertainty in his eyes as he approached Team Remorse with respect and bowed to them.
"Kain, I thought you were out at Red Haven today," Markov said. "Why are you here?"
"Today was my shift off," Kain explained. "Galavan and Arrow are with your team at the mountains. But even then, it only leaves us. You realize you and I have a grave responsibility to this division should things go awry? We could be the ones fighting on the front line in mere minutes."
"At this point, we just wish we knew what was going on," Raon told him.
"Well, I can inform you, at least to some extent," Kain said. "I heard why the alert sounded. As we speak, Adiel is stationed in Iron Town with a number of soldiers."
Char could feel the sudden tension escalate among the four of them as the news sank in. His heart felt like it was going to cramp. For a few moments, Kain and Team Remorse subsided into the same silence the rest of the room held.
"Not good," Raon choked, the rings of his body glowing brighter than ever. "Maybe it's just a random visit. We can hope that he has business there. He could be gone before evening."
"We can hope," Kain said. "Otherwise… worst case, we could see the end of the Gold Division this very day. And we would go out with a fight."
And then… the room went black. Pitch-black. The torch flames had all vanished.
A gasp rose from the crowd, then silence. Dead, uninterrupted silence.
Char could still feel Marrow's bone in his grasp, and he hung on to it for dear life, as there wasn't anything else in the room to let him know that he hadn't just descended into a spatial void. It was as if he'd gone completely blind. All light was gone, including his own flame and the markings on Raon's body. He trembled, wondering if he would soon die with his tail having gone out… or if the base was under attack…
"The traps are set," Raon whispered. "This is it… now we wait…"
So, Char waited.
With only the bone he held with Marrow for comfort, Char waited through the darkness. His world became the feel of the bone in his claws, as everything else had been taken away. Even his own source of light, which he could always count on, was now invisible; he'd never been in the dark before, and now, he realized, he was deathly afraid of the dark.
For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened.
He focused on the bone, sometimes tugging on it involuntarily. He had to. He didn't want his imagination to take over, to think about or to realize what could happen to him and the entire base. To imagine Adiel, that wretched Scizor, destroying everything he ever knew.
Is this what Scythe meant? Char realized. He said it was all going to come "crashing down" because he couldn't be in four places at once. Did he see this coming? Did he know Adiel was planning something?
That's when it hit him: he remembered that his team—Saura, Scythe, and Ray—would have finished their mission by now, and were probably even on their way back to the base.
No.
…NO!
Char's breath caught.
They were on their way back to the base! They were probably returning to Iron Town at that very moment! They would walk right into Adiel's trap… They were… they were going to die!
Char released his hold on the bone, letting the end fall away.
His mind filled with horrible images of his friends fighting hopelessly against the Scizor's mighty army. Or evading the danger, only to be destroyed by the base's active security system. Or being captured. He couldn't force them away, because he knew every last one of them could be true. His friends were in danger. And he wasn't there with them.
They could be killed… or captured… or…
"Saura," Char gasped. "He's after Saura. He's after Saura! Adiel's going to take Saura! That's why he's here! That's why he's here! He's going to capture Saura!"
"Uh… oh," Raon muttered.
"Hold him," Marrow ordered.
Char felt two powerful Feraligatr claws wrap around his body to hold him still, but he struggled desperately to get away. His mind was in a full-blown panic. He had to help his friends! He had to be there! He had to save Saura!
"SAURAAA!" Char yelled, tears erupting from his eyes. "NO! SAURA! I PROMISED!"
WHACK!
Char felt himself get clubbed in the head with Marrow's bone. He fell silent.
"Geeze, get a hold of yourself!" Marrow hissed. "Quit your worrying. Scythe's got his back, alright? Actually, I'd dare to say Saura's safer than the rest of us put together at the moment! Now stand down. Don't do anything stupid."
Char knew he was right. Scythe was watching after Saura. If there was one Pokémon in the world he'd trust with his care, it would be him. Plus, they were free of the base, allowing them to escape to somewhere safe if they had to. He relaxed a little, and Markov loosened his grip until he was standing free once again. Char felt Marrow's bone thrust onto his stomach, and he grasped it again.
Saura's safe, Char told himself. We're the ones in danger. But there's nothing we can do. All we can do is wait to see what happens.
And waited, he did.
… … …
The lockdown lasted for two hours.
Char waited in the darkness, unable to move for fear of bumping other Pokémon. He kept his mind blank, like his vision, trying hard not to let his fear or worry overcome him again… To just remain still, and quiet…
Through it all, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. There was no uproar, no horrible news that Adiel was destroying the city or preparing to attack the base. After a while, Char realized that this was the most promising sign that everything would be okay.
Finally, light began to fade back into the room. It started out tiny and hardly noticeable, presumably to go easy on everyone's eyes, but it became clear that the torches were re-lighting themselves and slowly bringing order to the sightless chaos of the darkness. Char thought it was his imagination at first, but he gathered his tail into his claws and could just barely see his fire returning to him. He realized that his flame was probably still there the entire time, just turned invisible due to the spell.
A relieved murmur arose from all the Pokémon in the room as they realized the lockdown was ending. But, just when it seemed that the division would erupt into a hectic pandemonium, an extremely loud voice suddenly silenced them all.
"Excuse me. May I have everyone's attention!"
Char looked up, and saw Alakazam and Xatu standing on a high-up balcony. The uproar soon quieted down as everyone gave High Intelligence their complete attention.
"Thank you," Alakazam spoke a little softer than before, now that the crowd was calmed. "I will fill you in on the day's events without delay. Earlier this afternoon, Our sources reported that Adiel the Scizor lead an army of approximately three hundred war-ready Pokémon into the limits of Iron Town. Two minutes and forty-seven seconds after the news reached my ears, I called for the lockdown. Understand: the alarm was not to signal that the base was in danger, it was to prevent any and all members of this Division from using the portal to the academy, as fast as possible. While the Master knows our base exists, he has not yet found any of the ways in, which is why it was critical to draw attention away from the Cliffside Academy until we would no longer risk the possibility of notice. Two hours and twelve minutes later, I received word that Adiel was leaving, and so now, the alert is lifted. His motives for the visit are as yet unknown, but will be determined shortly. I also heard that he spoke with the council of Iron Town, supposedly to make a demand of them, although this news has not been confirmed. I thank you very much for your patience and your adherence to our precautions, and I am pleased to report that things are, for the time being, back to normal. However, due to these circumstances, I must also re-instate the hold on the training teams until further notice, but rest assured that it shouldn't be long to expire as last time. Also, both the day watch and the night watch will be tripled, starting immediately. Thank you, once again, and may Arceus grant blessings upon us all."
"Welp, that's that," Marrow said, gently jerking his bone out of Char's claws. "This'll be an earload for Scythe when he comes back."
"I guess we couldn't have done anything," Raon shrugged. "Alakazam would've asked for our service if he needed us."
"Be glad he didn't have to," Kain said, turning to walk away. "It could have been a bloody day."
"Well, only five hours left until we head out again, guys," Markov reminded them. "We've gotta get ready to slay some Watchers."
"Hey, take care of yourself, Char," Marrow said, giving him a gentle punch in the shoulder. "Be strong."
Team Remorse left, and the rest of the Pokémon dispersed and wandered away in their various directions, leaving Char alone.
Char realized that he was crying. He'd been crying for a long time, too, probably since his panic attack. His face was completely drenched with tears, and the muscles in his cheeks were painfully cramping. But it wasn't out of fear, or pain, or worry over his friends that he cried, it was from the simple, pure, relentless stress he'd gathered throughout the day. It had grown so unbearable that his body was simply expelling it for no other reason than relief. So, Char stood there in the center of the chamber, ignoring all the Pokémon that passed him by, and cried until his tears had run out.
With nothing else to do, Char forced himself upstairs to the storage area. He needed to borrow Saura's mobile scarf if he wanted to get back into his hall.
"Whoa! What happened to you?" Morrik exclaimed. "You looked pretty bad earlier today, but now it looks like a Gulpin chewed you up and spat you out!"
"Morrik, I need—"
"Char?"
It was a voice Char had been waiting all day to hear. He turned around to see Scythe, Ray, and Saura coming into the storage lobby.
"Did you have a good rest?" Saura asked. "Sorry we're so late. We would have been back earlier, but we got locked out of the base, and we had to wait for them to…"
Now, it was Char's turn to tackle his friend.
Without warning, Char threw himself onto his best friend and squeezed with all his heart. Now that Saura was back, he knew everything would be okay.
Until now, he'd never realized just how deeply Saura's side of the promise really mattered to him.
"Owow, hey, watch the cramps, watch the cramps!" Saura yelped, but in a welcoming tone. "I spent all day dragging carts of food around. I'm a little stiff in the knees."
"Sorry, I'm just so glad to see you!" Char sighed. "You have no idea. Please, don't leave me behind like that again!"
"You're standing in the doorway," Scythe said in an unusually harsh tone. "Care to make this day any longer than it has been?"
Char unquestioningly backed out of the way and let Scythe pass, who proceeded to the counter with his bag of supplies.
"Um… Scythe, you heard about the lockdown, right?" Char asked.
"Yes," Scythe grumbled. "And I figure I'll spend all night hearing even more about it."
"Do we… go on a mission tomorrow?" Char asked.
"Are the torches still black?" Scythe asked.
"…No," Char replied.
"Did High Intelligence place a restriction on your team?" he demanded louder.
"No," Char replied again.
"Then yes, nothing has changed," Scythe said. "Work tomorrow as always."
"No, that's not what I meant," Char replied. "Shouldn't we be… getting ready?"
Scythe looked into Char's eyes, and Char saw just how annoyed and stressed he was. The Scyther's eyes were practically bloodshot.
"Pick a fast mission, and we will prepare once it's over with," Scythe growled. "Besides that, no, nothing has changed."
Scythe plunked the half-full bag of supplies on the counter and marched out of the room.
Char looked oddly at the door Scythe left behind, then at his friends.
"To tell you the truth, I couldn't wait to get home myself," Saura explained. "Scythe's been in a really dreadful mood all day. I don't know why, I think something's bugging him."
"Long day," Ray shrugged. "I love working with Scythe, but he really didn't make today easy on us. I guess when Scythe has a bad day, everyone has a bad day."