Chapter 42
Part 4
My name is Raikouun. You know, after the legendary beast of lightning.
A long time ago, my bro just started calling me "Ray" and I guess it caught on and it turned into my new name. I've got no problem with it; if it makes it easier for other Pokémon to call me by name, great! But it's just funny how other Pokémon can change your name like that. I don't even think I've ever told Char and Saura my real name.
I've always sorta been the odd one out on Team Ember. Char's the transformed human, Saura's the one he bonded with first, Scythe is… well, he's Scythe, and he's got some kind of relationship with Char that I don't really understand…
…And then there's me. The tagalong.
It's all my fault, though. I'm only here because I want to be here. I begged Char to be on his team in the first place. Let me tell you, when I heard that there was this new team that was adopted by Scythe himself… wow. Ask anyone on Team Stripes, I went absolutely crazy and I just would not stop ranting about it. I just had to get onto that team, somehow… And I usually get what I want if I put my mind to it.
It's been my lifelong dream to be on Team Remorse, just like my brother Rautzen was. Ever since I was a baby, Bro told me bedtime stories about this mythical gathering of Pokémon called Team Remorse, and how they were led by this genius named Scythe and how he got to meet legendary Pokémon and fight epic battles and travel all around Ambera. Since childhood, it's been dead-set in my mind that I just have to live up to this ideal and see this Team Remorse for myself and join their ranks.
Bro was never home very much, so I got left on my own a lot. We were both orphans. Eggs were separated from our parents, and he hatched first. So he cared for me. Every chance he could manage to take a leave from his resistance work, he'd come home and tend to me, teach me how to defend myself, and tell me stories… (In fact, seeing today how tight a schedule Team Remorse holds themselves to, I understand now how hard that must have been for him…)
I didn't stay a child for long. Life did what it does best, and it got more complicated.
For one thing, Bro just disappeared one day.
I know he probably died. I'm okay with that. I mean, what else could have happened? Maybe he got deported off Ambera somehow? Maybe he even… I don't know… got captured by the Master or something? Whatever happened, I tried not to cry for him; he wouldn't have wanted it. He had a great life. I think the best I can do is follow the example he led, and try to be a better Raichu than he was. That's what he would have wanted.
But anyway, imagine this: one day when I'm still just a Pikachu, and I'm waiting for Bro to come home like he said he would like three weeks ago, this huge black hound comes barging into my home. I panic. Bro has always told me that he had real enemies that could put me in danger if they found me. So he told me to always stay on my guard. So when this hound breaks in, I do my best and try to electrocute him. But he breathes fire! Now I know I'm doomed, so I just cower in the corner…
…Then the hound (Daemon, of course) says that he's from Team Remorse. He tells me Bro's gone missing and probably will never come back. And he says that he's going to take me to stay with the Gold Division.
Oh yeah. Then I learned what the resistance was all about. And who the Master was. And how many Pokémon die because of him. That wasn't very easy to take in, learning about the brutality of life and all. But you know what? I tried so hard just to keep a smile on my face, because that's what Rautzen always did. I didn't want to see life as some kind of ongoing tragedy. I wanted it to be an epic tale of a power struggle, where we were the good guys. I told myself that this was the best bedtime story ever told, and I was living it for myself!
That was a long time ago. Wow, it's crazy whenever I look back on it. I stayed on Team Stripes for so long, just wanting to perfect myself and graduate into Team Remorse… Getting on Team Ember was a real accomplishment for me. You have no idea. That night Char accepted my humble plea to join his team, I was so excited I couldn't sleep. For days. And I still had enough energy to finish my last few missions with Team Stripes. I was that happy.
…Of course, Team Ember turned out to be something totally different than what I was expecting. Turns out Char was adopted by Scythe just because he was a human. An actual human in the body of a Charmander. Yeah. Those humans. The ones who train Pokémon. The ones who they say passed knowledge itself to Pokémon-kind. The ones who they say taught Uxie and Arceus everything they know. The creatures that every Pokémon alive are secretly dying to befriend.
Oh, and he had the Call, too. Yeah, that Call. The one that can make you do its bidding like you were some kind of puppet. The thing that the resistance has been expecting for like thirty years now.
And now he's my boss. Char, the human in Charmander form, is my team leader. And Scythe is my boss, too. I'm a servant to both my childhood idol and my wildest dream.
I am the luckiest Raichu on the face of the earth.
It's an absolute honor both to witness Char's story and to be trained by Scythe. And it's an even bigger honor to be here on the Temporal Tower mission with everyone, even though it hasn't gone so smoothly. Even though Scythe and Prince are having some sort of feud. Even though Scythe is losing control of his anger, and Prince is a little creepy obsessive over Char, so I don't really know who to trust the most. Even though I almost died when Char called the Watchers down on me, and a lot of Pokémon did die, and Lucario actually banished Char from the Emerald Division forever because of that. Even though Saura seems to have turned into someone I've never met before. And even though now we're walking in a place where it's so cold I think my tail is going to freeze and drop off.
And yet, there's still a smile on my face. Because, you know, there comes a point when you just say "By the hooves of Arceus, this is an epic, and I don't even care if all this ends in the most horrible failure... as long as I'm there to see it all!"
I'm way past that point. Way, way, waaaaay past.
So, yeah. Here I am, along for the ride and regretting nothing. And while I'm here, I'm going to be the best assistant I can possibly be to the real heroes of this story in any way I can. Even if it means going back home, which I almost did. But I'm willing to do anything for them, really… They're the ones going to be the legends. If I'm lucky, I'll be a legend by association. But that's fine by me!
Oh… uh… did I mention it's cold up here?
We're headed into Zerferia. Also known as "Articuno's domain". Whoever gave it that nickname was not exaggerating. I can't feel my paws! And I'm even wearing this Aspear Scarf we got from Kecleon before we left. Supposedly it's preventing frostbite from kicking in, but that's almost not good enough. Char's flame is a lot smaller than I'm used to, and it's bothering me. And Saura… Saura's bulb is starting to turn brown. I'm not joking. The very tip is starting to wilt.
But I'm not too worried about Saura. Turns out that Lily decided to come on the trip with us, and she's been giving Saura all kinds of advice on how to focus his energy and keep his seed healthy in the extreme cold. And I don't think I have to worry much about Char either; Prince is helping him keep his fire burning.
Yeah, Lily the Bayleef is here. That was some kind of surprise. Lily was the one who had the Call before Char appeared. Scythe and I found her just… sleeping back down the path, like she was trying to catch up with us but she fell asleep on the way. And now she's coming along the trip with us, and I don't think there's anything we can really do to stop her. Scythe isn't very happy about it, either. In fact, has Scythe even said anything since Lily came? I… don't remember. At first, he didn't want anyone but Char coming with him. Now he has four others… Just looking at him now, I can tell he's really angry. I really hope something really bad isn't going to happen.
The next morning, I wake up with this awful feeling that the rest of the team is freezing to death. So I go and dig into our team's bag and pull out the Aspear Scarves and offer them to everyone. We have three, so I offer them to Char and Saura. Then I remember Lily's here now, so I grit my teeth and offer her the last one, but she lets me keep it. Whew…
Then Lily starts giggling at me. She says that last night, Char had used the Call to say "I'm cold", so that's why I'm compelled to help everyone get warmer. Then I remembered that we had all woken up in the middle of the night, because apparently Char and Lily had activated their calls and were calling back and forth to one another and having a conversation.
…That's weird! But I guess having two Pokémon with the Call together like that is really rare, so we don't understand what it's like when the Call connects with another one like that. It even made Scythe burst out laughing from the ridiculousness of it all, because he can hear the Call and he heard everything they said.
I wish so bad I could hear this Call for myself. Then I could have laughed along with him. Scythe said once that anyone can learn to hear the Call, you just need to learn to listen to your subconscious mind, and that takes a lot of practice. Also, you don't get very many chances to tell if it's actually working. Since I still didn't hear anything, I'm guessing I'm not there yet.
So we keep going. Days are spent covering grounds, and our rest stops are short, so a lot of our travel time is in the dark. Since the Watchers are nowhere to be seen, we can afford to travel at night. Soon, we're only a few days away from Zerferia. I tell Prince that I don't even think I'll even be able to tell the difference when we get there; I say that I can't imagine anything colder than this weather. Prince says not to worry, that I'll be able to easily imagine something colder than this when I'm being whipped in the face by hurricane-speed winds. I say not if I can't feel my face either way. He just laughs as though I have no idea what I'm talking about.
But yeah, I'm spending a lot of time around Prince and Char now, and not just to talk.
Actually… that's not totally true. That's another weird thing about this trip: at nights when we stop to rest, Char is actually talking with me. A lot.
Char and Saura used to be the masters of gossip. Every chance they got to be alone, they'd spill their hearts out talk about everything. Secrets, other Pokémon, everything. It's staggering. I know they even talked about me a lot. And hey, I'm okay with that. I mean, it's kinda their right. Char must feel really weird being a Pokémon now, so he'd need someone to talk to all the time.
At first, it bothered me because it felt like they weren't letting me be on the team with them. But that's back when I didn't know about Char being a human. Once Char told me, everything started to make sense. And then Char and Saura started letting me gossip with them a lot, and it felt really good knowing that they trusted me.
But now, on this trip, I don't think Char wants to gossip with Saura anymore. So now he's gossiping with me instead.
I don't know what's going on with Saura… Char said he got the memories of his family erased, because the ghost made them start to hurt. I don't know, I wasn't there to see the whole thing when it happened. But if you ask me, it's more like he got all his memories erased. Now he babbles a lot, and he's acting all bubbly and happy all the time.
(It's actually putting me to shame. That's sad.)
So Saura's really not himself. I mean, he talks to Char, but I don't think they understand each other on such a deep level anymore. So now Char's trying to use me as his outlet. And I'm… really bad at being a replacement for Saura. I mean… when Char's talking with me, things get really intense. First, it's kinda hard to get past the awkwardness when he just starts talking about all his human stuff. His human feelings. The way likes to pretend his nature is separated into a human trainer and a Pokémon. …And then he talks about other Pokémon in a way that would make them strangle you if they heard anything you're saying about them. (Not to mention that I know Scythe's somewhere nearby, totally wide awake and probably hearing every word).
As he's talking to me, I start to gain a respect for Saura's role in his life. Saura was really good at this. And I'm… I'm not.
This is going to be hard.
But you know what? I'm going to try. I'll learn how to gossip like Saura if that's what Char needs me to do. It might take a while, but… Hey, I said I would do anything for Char, right? Well, I will. I can't let a friend down, not to mention a human friend.
"I'm getting even more worried," Char tells me one night, keeping his voice low. "Scythe looks like he's about ready to snap… he's looked like this ever since Lily came…"
"I know," I admit. "I noticed it, too. He's not even talking."
"What are we going to do?" Char wondered. "How can we help him, Ray? What do we do?"
At first I thought it was a rhetorical question. But then I realized he was looking at me, and his eyes were desperate. He was begging for an answer.
"Besides going to Temporal Tower?" I tell him. "That's what we're all here for…"
"That can't be the whole picture!" he insists. "It's more than just… the tower. There's something Scythe can't tell us. And the rest of you are ruining it just by being here. Just look, at first he didn't want to bring anyone besides me. You don't think that means something?"
"But if Scythe's plan had gone according to plan, wouldn't you be dead?" I reminded him. "You'd be out here with just him… freezing to death. Without Prince being here. And nowhere even near the tower."
"What are you saying?" he asks, sounding surprised. "That I shouldn't trust him? Seriously?"
"Maybe not," I say. "Pokémon make mistakes. Nobody's perfect."
"Funny, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that," Char grumbles, looking displeased at the idea I presented. "Thought you were his biggest fan and all…"
"Well, you have to remember something," I say, admittedly being a self-proclaimed expert about my life-long idol, "Scythe does make stupid mistakes sometimes. Usually he has Daemon around to yell at him whenever he has a stupid idea. Now, Daemon's not here to help him, so… yeah, he could make a mistake. Just like he made one wanting to take you to the tower alone."
"Eh… wasn't even his mistake," Char muttered. "It was mine. I suggested it, remember?"
"It's alright," I tell him. "I think… everyone who's here right now, we need here. Well, except for maybe me. But look, Saura might have started to really wilt if Lily hadn't come to help him. And… Prince is helping you control your fire. Plus, I think Prince is helping a little bit to take Daemon's place. Scythe needs someone to challenge his ideas. So… I don't think it really matters what Scythe thinks. Really, he might just be upset that he was wrong."
"I do need you here," Char said reassured me, looking totally serious. "Believe me…"
We're both quiet for a bit, and I, as usual, start to feel horrible because I don't think my responses helped Char to feel any better.
"I think you need Saura more than you need me," I say honestly.
That was probably the worst thing I could have said, because Char gives me the biggest frown I think I've ever seen. Suddenly I feel like I want to run around the corner and call a lightning bolt down onto my head.
Yeah… I told you I'm bad at this. I cringe back a little.
Char looks away. "Saura was talking to Lily all day today," he reminds me. "I think… he's actually avoiding me."
"I don't think he is," I offer. "He's just learning how to keep from wilting…"
"Saura is a newborn again," Char says. "He's… as far as his mental health is concerned, he's only been alive for a month. He's trying to impress upon other Pokémon now. And I think… I think some little corner of his mind remembers me. But on the outside… well, yesterday we had so much time to talk, but every time we had a chance, he'd always go and talk with Lily instead… He only gave me a 'hey Char! Wonder what Temporal Tower will look like! This is going to be fun, right?' and then… he went back to ignore me again…"
Char slumped to lay on the ground, looking miserable. My tongue was tied; I didn't know how to respond to that. I did remember Saura saying that, as well as a few other little quips here and there that either had nothing to do with anything, or were really impersonal. Saura talked about the weather a lot. He also liked to laugh at how odd it was that one of his friends was a fire Pokémon, even though he hates fire. Then he just falls asleep at night with a huge smile on his face, not even thinking twice about Char.
I remember back when Saura would always stay awake as long as Char was awake. I would try, too, but I'm more of the deep sleeper, so I didn't always know when the others were awake. But to me, that was one of the things that made Team Ember what it was: if one of us suffered from insomnia, then we would all share the pain. And there was something really special about that, even though it was… well, inefficient when it came to actual resistance work.
"Figures another plant-type would make a better friend than me…" he said. "Heh, you know, before this is all over, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts being interested in her…"
"Whoa, I don't think that's going to happen…" I respond, a little wide-eyed at the suggestion. "I mean, I hope not. Hey, that reminds me: did you know… there are no less than two plant-type girls in the training teams back at the Gold Division who have a crush on Saura?"
This got Char's attention pretty quick.
"Huh?" Char responds, turning back to me and looking really amused at the news.
"Yeah, but they made me promise not to tell anyone, under penalty of death," I say with a wink.
"Wow, didn't know that…" Char admits, looking very thoughtful. "Huh… wonder what Saura would think of that. Do you think he would like any of them?"
"Maybe…" I trail off. "I can tell you who they are, if you'd really want… but I'm just saying, you know, they might be better choices for him than Lily…"
"Nah, you're my strongest teammate. I don't need to have a bunch of girls trying to carry out that death sentence," Char replies with a wry little smile. "But maybe… maybe a little later. I don't think they would want to kill you if I were to… you know… actually help their cause. … …But hey… Ray… just curious, you know, because I… I'm still kinda getting used to being a Pokémon, but… there aren't any trainees who… have a crush on me, are there?"
There were.
Five.
"Aww, come on, Char, do you really want me to answer that?" I tease him. "No matter what I would say, I'd only make your life harder…"
"Heh… I guess not," he says, looking like he's about to laugh. "Hey, Ray?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for talking with me," he says. "I really appreciate it."
"Hey, no problem," I reply. "Whatever you need, it's what I'm here for."
So… yeah, I might not have been so good at getting to the roots of his issues like Saura could. Saura had some kind of magical ability to do that.
But at least I cheered him up, right? That's got to count for something.
It's like Bro would always say. There are a lot of Pokémon in this world, and a lot of them are unhappy. But it only takes one Pokémon to change that. To make someone happy. One Pokémon, and all that unhappiness can go away. And for a lot of them, that Pokémon can be you.
And I know that when you're mad, or depressed, or unhappy, the mind just doesn't work right. Sometimes, what you really need most is a jester to make you laugh. Or a close friend to make you feel comfortable. Once you cheer up, all your thoughts will just be so much clearer. And you might be able to figure out the answers to problems that seemed so impossible before.
The real power of joy. That's one of the things Bro taught me that I will never forget.
Alright, so maybe I'm not so useless after all. Maybe.
... ... ...
A few more days have passed, and we're about to go into Zerferia.
Prince warns us all. Cedar Stone Crossing is about to open up into a tundra, and then we'll be officially in Zerferia. Of course, I hold my opinion that it doesn't really matter what you call it, cold is cold. And this… is cold.
Now I'm actually missing our last rest stop. There were a lot of little nooks in the crossing we could hole into at night. And the heat from Char and Prince was well insulated most of the time, so nights were relatively comfy and cozy. … but then, then we'd have to continue our journey in the mornings, and it was always murder.
I used to think I was lucky for having a fur coat. But that means nothing here. Just stepping out into the open air makes your whole body numb! And since you can't feel your body at all, you act real clumsy and your muscles convulse a lot… I actually tripped and fell on my face a few times. Do you know how hard it is to trip while walking on four legs? Yeah, that's pretty sad.
One morning I put on my Aspear scarf as fast as I could, but I didn't notice a bit of difference. Maybe it was never meant to work in Zerferia. Maybe it broke.
So then, I open up my battery sacs and let my Spark start to coarse all through me. That does help a little, the tingle helps at least make me feel like I'm still alive. Though I have to try not to touch anyone else or I'd zap them real bad.
So we're heading for this entryway into Zerferia. I've got static running all over me like some kind of armor to keep the cold at bay. In my mind, I'm getting psyched for this new challenge. I can't wimp out now.
It's dark in this last part of the crossing, and I see this blueish-grey glow from the opening in Zerferia. And I hear the howl of the wind. It's blowing sideways across the lip of the crossing; Prince says that if it had been blowing through the crossing, we wouldn't have been able to survive actually walking through here. But it's gonna sweep over us all as soon as we step out, and there's not really anything we can do to stop it. And it's probably not going to stop. Ever.
"Alright, Articuno, do your worst!" I shout for all to hear, my body sizzling with my pent-up energy and my heart racing. "Bring it on!"
Everyone else looks steadfast, like we know we're all walking into our dooms, but we're going to do it anyway. Prince looks the most confident, since this isn't the first time he's been this far north, but I can tell even he doesn't like coming here…
Char's flame is burning pretty brightly. Maybe he got himself psyched, too.
Saura is shivering, and his body isn't such a vibrant shade of green anymore, but at least it's green. Lily keeps assuring him that it's shady here in the crossing, and that the sun is the most important part for a plant-type, so he shouldn't be afraid.
Scythe looks indifferent. Maybe he can't feel the cold at all. I don't know how bug Pokémon feel temperature, but it doesn't look like he's suffering as much as the rest of us… or maybe he just looked so tired and annoyed beforehand that it's hard to tell the difference.
But we're ready. We know we are, and there's no going back! This is it! Into Zerferia!
…
But then, just as I'm starting to feel the wind… just as we're about to actually leave the crossing…
Something moves in the air.
I look up into the sky, and I see…
… something.
It's something big and blue. That's what it looked like at first. Like a big, blue blur of… movement.
And then it starts to take shape as it comes closer.
And it's like… A bird Pokémon of some sort, with huge wings that sparkle like ice crystals and seem like they're filling up the entire sky each time they flap… and a long tail that's twisting in the wind and trailing behind it…
And then it clicks. And I hold my breath. Honestly, I became totally unable to breathe for a moment. Because I knew exactly what I was looking at.
Articuno.
I…
I…
I'm standing in the presence of a legendary Pokémon!
It's… it's so magnificent! Articuno is… you see drawings of it all the time, but to see it in real life… it's like an ice sculpture, come to life! It's so blue, so many different shades of sparkling blue, and it must have a wingspan of miles. You'd think I'm exaggerating, but… you'd have to see it for yourself to understand.
And it just has this aura about it, like it has the eyes of a god, and this crown made of sharp icicles on its head, and… Oh, what am I trying to do, describing what Articuno looks like? I couldn't do it justice!
At this point, I'm frozen. And not because I'm cold. Cold? What's that? It doesn't mean anything to me. There's this winter snow spirit that just swooped out of the sky, and it's standing right in front of me! In fact, I think I can even feel its breath on my face! My heart is beating so fast, and I can't even get a meager little squeak out of my vocal chords…
I…
I'm experiencing a type of awe that I never thought possible.
"Ah, Nameless, what a pleasant sight on such a cold day" Prince said to it with a measure of reverence. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to a close friend and invaluable ally of the Emerald Division. This is Nameless, the Articuno, our shepherd in the lands of Zerferia."
Of course, I can't reply at all. And neither can Char or Saura. They're just rooted to the ground, gaping at this beautiful sight, just like I am. Prince smiles at us.
"What, you thought 'Articuno's Domain' was only a figure of speech, didn't you?" he chuckled. "Nameless, I thought you were still in hibernation for another four years. Had we gotten your schedule wrong?"
The Articuno spoke. And it had a weird voice, like I didn't expect it to have at all. It had a much lower pitch than any bird I've ever heard, but it still spoke with a squawk in its voice. And it spoke very slowly, as though our language was foreign to it, and it was still learning.
"I slept," Nameless squawked, "but I woke. There was a voice. The voice complained of cold."
"Well, this is wonderful news!" Prince proclaimed, also speaking slowly and carefully to it. "Since you are awake, would you mind assisting us in our journey? We are going to the tower."
"As you wish," Nameless said.
Then it looked at me.
Right at me. Into my eyes. Its eyes were even going cross-eyed. Those little, red, god-like eyes, between that huge, supreme beak and that divinely-sculpted crown, were focused right onto me.
"I am a friend," it said. "Don't fear."
I don't remember what happened after that. The memory is a bit fuzzy.
I think I might have just fainted.
…
…
…I did, didn't I?
I actually fainted. I fainted from the pure awe of seeing my first real legendary Pokémon.
Me, Raikouun, the one who can take million-volt surges of lightning from thunderheads into my own body… fainted from seeing Articuno in person.
…
You know, I'm on the way to see Dialga. The dragon that created the time stream. Who probably looks like a living skyscraper made of blue diamonds. And I couldn't even handle the sight of a little bitty bird?
I'm such a wimp!
Well, if the gravity of this whole series of events hadn't really dawned on me yet, it has now! This story I'm living is an epic story. And epic stories have legendary Pokémon. It's no good witnessing something if you just stand there telling yourself "this isn't really happening!"
I make a resolution: when I come face-to-face with Dialga, when he squints at me like that, I'll be ready! And I'll tell him "hi"!
In the meantime, I wonder if Nameless really wants to be my friend…