Chapter 6
"Well, at least you made it this far," Ursa said as he led the Charmander and Bulbasaur back in the right direction, after they had taken the wrong turn.
"I can't believe how easy it is to get lost in this place," Saura said. "It's so… big."
"Well, you know, the Gold Division didn't build this place," Ursa said. "We just adapted it for our own purposes. Supposedly, it was once an elite training academy for Pokémon, but that was some five hundred years ago or something. Sometime after the Master rose to power, he sabotaged it and forced everyone out. He even sealed the main entrance so nobody would ever be able to enter again. I guess the Master wasn't too thrilled about a school he didn't get to teach, you know?"
"That's pretty dumb," Char said. "This 'Master' is getting worse every time I hear about him."
"So, I guess you got back in?" Saura asked. "How'd you do that?"
"Well, someone, somewhere along the line, found other ways in, I guess," Ursa said. "And, I guess the Master has always assumed this place was empty ever since, because he's never checked back here. In fact, it's been so long, he might have forgotten it even exists. Anyway…"
Ursa led them around some unfamiliar corners, and they finally stopped at a new doorway.
"I thought we were going to see Scythe," Saura said. "What's over here?"
Instead of answering, Ursa opened the door. Within the small and darkened room, Scythe and Shander stood waiting for them. At their side was a new Pokémon, an Espeon. It looked as if the three were all hiding out in this room, waiting for something secret or forbidden. A lump formed in Char's throat.
"Finally, they're here!" Scythe said, turning his attention to the door. "Thank you for your help, Ursa. You can go."
"Can't he stay?" Char asked.
"No, no, I'll go," Ursa told him. "Scythe's keeping his deals with you under wraps, and I don't want to be the one to question what's going on. Besides, I have work to do. Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other again soon… I hope."
Ursa left, closing the door behind him. Char and Saura stood at attention, uncertain of what was about to happen. Now that Char recognized Scythe as a high leader of sorts, he was too afraid to say anything to him for fear of disrespecting him, and even more afraid at how the great bug kept eying him suspiciously. He was starting to feel very uncomfortable, very fast.
"Now, remember how I told you we would need to test you for something?" Scythe said, stepping forward. "We're going to do that now."
"What are you testing for?" Saura asked. "Will it hurt?"
"It will hurt only as much as you make it," the Espeon replied smoothly, revealing that it was a female. "I need to look into your mind. Struggle, and yes, it will hurt. But if you relax and let me work, it will be over quickly."
"Don't worry, we are not looking for your personal thoughts or memories or anything like that," Shander said. "We are looking for something very specific."
"Are you ready?" Scythe asked. "I want to know the results as soon as possible."
"Uh… I guess…" Saura said. "Char, are you ready?"
Char nodded, even though he didn't feel all too ready.
"Good," Scythe said, motioning for the Espeon to approach. "Saura, you'll be first. Char will be next."
Saura gulped heavily as the Espeon approached. She stood over him, the gem on her forehead starting to shine as she readied her power.
"I am Eva," the Espeon said, almost condescendingly. "I have helped Scythe, as well as some others in this division, search for a Pokémon with The Call for years. That search may end today."
"The Call?" Char repeated.
Ignoring Char, the Espeon thrust her forehead closer to Saura.
"Close your eyes," she commanded, her gem shining very brightly. "Try not to move or speak."
Saura did as commanded. Char held his breath as he watched. He still didn't have any idea what was going on, but he hoped that it would be revealed to him soon. He wondered just what the Espeon was doing with her power. She said she wasn't looking for memories, but could she see them nonetheless?
Would she be able to see his memories? Even the ones he could not see? Memories from before his transformation?
"Ugh…" Saura suddenly grunted, tensing up.
"Easy," Eva commanded. "Try not to be too sensitive. I'm almost where I need to be."
"Ugh…" Saura said again. "It feels so… weird…"
"Don't talk," Eva said, a hint of anger forming in her voice. "It only makes things harder for me."
Saura tried to relax. His leg muscles loosened, and his mouth fell open a little bit. His eyes remained clenched, trying to bear the unusual sensations of having his mind read.
"Aaaaaaahh!"
Suddenly, Saura cried out in agony. Not even opening his eyes, Saura unleashed his vines and whipped them forward, wrapping the Espeon and trying to force it away. His teeth were clenched tight, and his vines became taut as Eva pulled back on them. Char bit his tongue very hard at the sight. Scythe looked worried.
"Get off me!" Eva yelled, clawing at the vines and trying to get them off. "I'm finished! I'm done with you! Let go!"
Saura wouldn't let go. He panted violently, grunting and growling with each breath. His eyes remained glued shut as tight as could be. Char's claws formed fists. Did it really hurt that bad? he wondered.
Char gently rubbed Saura on the back, hoping to comfort him. Saura's vines eventually grew limp and fell to the floor. His eyes opened weakly, and his breath calmed.
"Ugh…" Saura groaned. "Eva... I'm sorry. It's just... that didn't feel very good. It was like having a horrible headache…"
"Well…?" Scythe asked impatiently as Eva finally freed her legs from the vines. "Did you find anything?"
A little angered, Eva bowed her head. "No," she replied. "The Bulbasaur doesn't have the Call."
"It's not surprising," Shander said plainly.
"Yes, well, my real hopes were with the Charmander, after all," Scythe said. "Char, it's your turn. Prepare yourself."
Char felt a very familiar feeling overtake him—the feeling of anger. He abhorred the thought of having his mind… probed… by the Espeon. He didn't want to experience the pain he saw Saura take. Not only that, but it seemed this Espeon was not the gentle type. Something told him that she did not exactly take care when intruding into the minds of others.
Char's tail flared. A fiery taste filled the back of his throat.
"Char…" Scythe said sternly, noticing his change of mood. "Remember what happened last time you tried to resist? It will happen again. We need this done."
"Char, it's okay. Settle down," Saura said, still groaning in pain. "Just get it over with."
Char did his best to resist his instincts, but he really wanted to fight back again. Not only that, but it was a tough call between fighting and running away. He glared at the Espeon, the enemy, despising her for what she did to his friend and what she was about to do to him.
"No," Eva said suddenly, taking a step back.
"What?" Scythe asked. "What's the matter?"
"I'm not going to read the Charmander's mind," Eva said. "It is a waste of my time and effort."
"Eva, please," Scythe said. "Don't judge me by the fact that the Bulbasaur was without the Call. He was brought only as a precaution! There are many… strange things about this Charmander, on the other hand."
"No," Eva said again, turning tail and walking to the other side of the room. "I will not. In fact, I am so convinced that the Charmander does not have the Call just by looking at it that I would happily give up quite a number of things if I were proven wrong."
"Then name one, and I will call your bet," Scythe growled. "I did not risk staying overnight with the Watchers to bring these children all the way here, just to have you not cooperate with me. Eva. Test him."
"Fine," Eva sighed, turning back to face Char. "If you insist on being shown you're wrong, fine. But it won't do anything but make you look stupid. Charmander, come here."
Char gritted his teeth and tried to calm himself as Eva moved close to him, aligning her gem to his forehead. He felt her breath on his face, and it made him want to lash out and bite her.
"Close your eyes," she commanded. "Try not to move or speak."
Char closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable pain, however it would feel, of the Espeon's mind probing his.
No pain came.
Ugh, this is killing me! Char thought. Why won't she start? Get it over with already!
Many seconds passed. Still, Char felt nothing out of the ordinary except for the horrid feeling of anticipation. He wondered if something was wrong. He wondered if he was failing the test.
Maybe it's not hurting because I have "The Call"? Char wondered. Or did she not even start yet?
Finally, a voice that was not his own rang out in his head.
I'm not going to do this, the voice said.
Eva? Char asked with his thoughts. Is that you?
Yes, it's me, Eva replied telepathically. I'm not going to test you. It would be pointless. But we've got to make Scythe happy, alright? So, here's the deal. You pretend I checked you. Now, if I find out you told Scythe about this… I will make trouble for you. Do you understand?
Wait, we're going to lie to Scythe? Char asked. Why? Is it really so hard to test me? Eva?
Char opened his eyes to see Eva backing away, the light fading from her gemstone.
"…And?" Scythe said, his face full of hope.
"Do I even need to say it?" Eva sneered. "No, Scythe. This one is without the Call as well. Nice try, though."
"See?" Shander said. "The time isn't right."
"But… I know what I heard," Scythe stammered as he stared, wide-eyed, at the floor. He thrust one of his blades downward, putting a visible scratch in the ground. "The Call is unforgettable… It haunts you, and doesn't let you go. And… I know I felt it…"
"Don't tell me. I know what the Call is like, as well," Eva said. "Remember, I was there the last time it happened. Now, why you thought either of these two children had it, I will never know. Perhaps you were imagining things? Perhaps… you heard it only because you wanted to?"
Scythe remained silent. He stared at her indignantly.
"Eva, enough," Shander said. "Any other Pokémon would have done the same thing if they thought they heard it, including you. Don't persecute Scythe for doing his job."
"Hmph," said the Espeon, turning away again. "Well, next time, make sure you're not just wasting my time. Otherwise, word about your foolishness might get out… somehow."
Blackmail! Char realized. Not to mention that Scythe could have been right all along, and Eva wouldn't even know it, because she didn't even test me!
"Now, get out of my room," Eva ordered.
Gladly, Char thought. I don't think I can stand another minute with you.
Nice to meet you, too, Eva's telepathic voice responded, startling Char out of his wits.
… … …
"So much for that," Scythe said quietly to Shander as they walked back down the hall. "Maybe you were right. Maybe this was all just a big mistake."
"Don't say that," Shander said with a wry smile. "We still rescued them from the Master, right? Not to mention that they look like a promising couple of fighters."
Scythe peered back at the two little Pokémon following his lead down the hall as they constantly chatted with each other. He watched Char intently, knowing full well he still held secrets… secrets he felt inclined to unearth.
"That, they do," Scythe finally said. "That, they do. I think I'll enjoy training them."
When they were done conversing, Shander left the group to continue with his work, and Scythe took it upon himself to finish the tour.
"Judging from what Ursa says he has shown you, there are only a couple more vital locations in this place you must still see," Scythe said. "Keep your strength about you, the next place is a rather long walk from here."
"I hope we're not going to be tested on all this!" Saura said.
"Oh, you will be tested," Scythe said. "Every day, you are tested. Every single day."
… … …
The next place they visited—after the promised lengthy walk—was a cramped, well-lit little room. The strange thing about this place, though, was that the walls and floors were all bright white. The floor was made of something that looked like marble, and the walls appeared to have been covered in a coat of white sand. At the front of the room, displayed neatly on the wall, was a series of stone tablets with engravings on them.
"I knew you'd have to come here eventually," Scythe said. "Now, take a good, long look at the tablets, if you will."
Char stepped up to the first one and squinted to see the small inscriptions on it. He didn't have much luck, because the writing was no language he'd ever seen before. It was made up of markings which looked like tiny Pokémon footprints.
"Uh… I can't read this!" Char said. "What's it say?"
"You can't read footprint runes…?" Scythe said. "Hmm… perhaps Saura could give it a try."
"Hmm," Saura said. "It says… 'Freedom, peace and war, our fathers lived through once before. Freedom, peace of mind, one dream to live for all mankind…' And that's only the first part. This is long."
"It's a song," Scythe explained. "We call it the 'Resistance Creed'. It doesn't mean much; it's mostly just flowery nonsense. However, you must learn it word-for-word. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that we'll let you back into the base once you leave. See… we use it as a password. Whenever you approach an entrance to the Gold Division, you are given a prompt, which is a line from the creed. You must recite the next line to gain entry."
"That's pretty long, for a password!" Saura said, his eyes glazing over as he scanned the many tablets. "Why does it have to be this long and complicated?"
"The creed is long enough that it cannot remain at the forefront of your mind at one time; thus, it is difficult for a psychic spy to read the entire script from your mind," Scythe explained. "At best, they will garner only one or two lines, which is likely not enough for them to gain admission. That is also why we use a call-and-response system for our password; you are meant to forget the song as a whole, but remember the lines sequentially. Hearing a line from the song will easily trigger your memory."
"But… if I can't read it, how am I supposed to remember it?" Char wondered, looking blankly at the massive tablets filled with markings.
"You'll have to work closely with Saura," Scythe said. "…But it's unusual for you to not be able to read. Most intelligent Pokémon know how to read footprint runes."
"What about Unown-script?" Saura said. "I'm sure Char would be able to read that!"
"Ah, I didn't think of that," Scythe said thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, we don't have a copy of this song in Unown-script. You'll just have to manage without one."
For the next hour or so, Scythe forced the two reluctant children to stay in the room until they had completely memorized the first two stanzas. Char became very annoyed that he couldn't read the tablet for himself, and he soon found himself bored out of his skull.
"Fears that we come to know, and the sorrows we ignore," Saura recited.
"Our lives come to be truth or mystery," Char answered. "The fools… we believe, the lies we can't—I mean, the lies that we… were meant to believe. I mean, see."
"Almost," Scythe said, "but it's truth and mystery. Not or. And. Remember, every word must be accurate, even the ones which sound the least important. Otherwise, you could very well be a Zoroark spy trying to get into our base. Or maybe even a Ditto. That's just the way things work around here."
"Can we go yet?" Saura said, trying not to sound whiny. "We'll practice this more later. The words are all getting mixed up in my head now."
"Fine," Scythe said, waving his blade. "That can be enough for today. Let what you've learned today sink in. You'll know whether or not you've truly memorized it if you can remember it later at will. Now… if I remember correctly, we only have one more place we absolutely must visit today. Come with me."
Char was happy to get out of that white room, even though he knew that he and Saura would have no choice but to return there many times in the future.
… … …
As they made yet another trek through the caves, Char noticed that there weren't nearly as many Pokémon competing with them for room.
"It's midday," Scythe explained. "Everyone's out on their missions. Just like you'll be tomorrow."
"So soon, huh?" Saura said, growing weary already from all the constant walking. "Are you sure we'll be up to it?"
"I guess that's something you're going to find out all on your own," Scythe said. "You learn best by doing. But if I were you, I wouldn't be too worried about your first mission. You've already shown me you can crawl dungeons. But before you can go on any missions, there's a place you have to go first…"
At last, they reached their final destination: it was an office. It had a desk, lots of paper, and rows upon rows of shelves, all filled with paper. The shelves went back farther than Char could see. At the desk sat a very gruff-looking Granbull.
"The registration office," Scythe said. "Here, we keep records of most everything that goes on here in the division. All of our missions, our successes, our failures, our teams and members… its' all here somewhere, immortalized on paper. Everything is important; we can't afford to forget anything."
Oh, no! Char realized. A name! A team name! We didn't think of one yet!
"Saura, quick!" Char gasped. "What should we name our resistance team? That's why we're here! We're here to start the team!"
Scythe stepped up to the desk as the Granbull was furiously flipping through some papers.
"Jay, could we see you for a moment?" Scythe said calmly.
"What kind of moment?" It asked back, not even looking up. The voice was distinctly female. "Intelligence wants this summary in two hours, and I've got no idea where I put it. I'd rather you come back later…"
"Jay, you're always busy," Scythe said. "Later won't do us any good. I need you to register a new resistance team."
Jay paused for a moment to glance at her visitor, then immediately shuffled her handful of papers and set them down neatly on the table. "Oh, Scythe. Good afternoon to you," she said kindly. "A new team, huh? What, don't tell me you quit Team Remorse? That ol' dog finally break the last straw?"
"Oh, no, it's not for me," Scythe laughed. "These two."
Jay peered over the desk and onto the floor, where she just barely caught sight of the Charmander and the Bulbasaur standing at attention on the floor below, both looking extremely nervous.
"Hah!" she laughed. "These two? Well, well, we've got some ambitious children nowadays, huh? Now… let's see if we can make this quick. Are you the only two?"
"Yes," Scythe answered for them.
"Wow. And your names? And which one of you will be the leader?"
"I'm Saura, and this is… Char. He'll be the leader," Saura said weakly.
"You sure?" Char said, surprised at Saura's assertion.
"Far enough," Jay said, before Saura could answer. "Now I just need a team name. What'll it be?"
"Uh…" Char groaned, digging deep for a good idea. "Er… How about… Team Freedom?"
"Taken," Jay said, flipping through her papers. "And not only that, but taken by the sixth team ever on record. Hope you've got better ideas than that…"
"Team Courage?" Char tried again.
"Taken," Jay said flatly, "by the eighth team ever on record."
Char glanced back at Scythe, as if for emotional support. The Scyther looked amused.
"I've got it!" Saura said. "Team Fire Flower. Sounds catchy, doesn't it? And it represents us."
"Taken, sadly," Jay said. "And by 'sadly', I mean it's one of the most ridiculous names I've ever had the displeasure of writing on file."
"Hmm," Saura said. "How about… Team Regret? You know, like 'Remorse', but different."
Jay scoffed, dropping her ink pen on the table and making a blotch on the team record. "Scythe, these two haven't had much of a history lesson, have they? Well, I'll have you know that, once upon a time and all that, there was Lucario. He founded the resistance force which later split into the three divisions. His team was Team Regret… the first team ever on record."
Scythe snickered. Char grew angry at the fact that their trainer thought it was a laughing matter and refused to help them out.
"Well, any others?" Jay said.
"Um…" Saura groaned, wracking his brain.
"Good, good," Jay said, putting a stamp of approval on the file. "Team Peanuts it is."
"Team Peanuts?!" Saura shouted. "What?! We don't want that name!"
"Why not…?" The Granbull said, barely betraying sarcasm in her voice as she scribbled on the paper. "The name fits you! You're tiny, inexperienced…"
"Are you serious?!" Saura stuttered. "T-that can't be! That's a horrible name!"
"Then you should have given me one in the first place," Joy said, not even breaking a smile. "But no, you come down here to waste precious seconds of my time trying to decide on a name that you should have decided beforehand. So, I picked one for you. Welcome to the Gold Division, Team Peanuts!"
… … …
"I don't believe this!" Saura said again, gritting his teeth in anger. "Team Peanuts? Peanuts? That's who we are now? Some sissy little kids who can't take care of ourselves?"
Scythe had spent the rest of the day showing the newly-formed Resistance Team around the more interesting (but unimportant) parts of the base. They stopped for dinner at the mess hall right before most of the resistance teams returned from their missions, narrowly missing the rush. Afterwards, Scythe led them back upstairs toward Team Remorse's rooms.
I guess it just goes to show how brutal this place can be, Char thought to himself. We really need to be on top of things, otherwise we might be humiliated beyond belief! Ugh… Saura's really angry right now. I mean, sure, the name is bad, but… I guess it really means a lot to him.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to prove to the division that you shouldn't judge a team by its name," Scythe said encouragingly. "You could become a surprisingly competent team, and your foes would underestimate you because of your name! Then who would be laughing?"
"Hey, Scythe…" Char said, noticing where they were going. "Um… weren't you going to show us to our rooms? Why are we back here at your team's rooms?"
"Oh… there's been a little change of plans," Scythe said, a subtle smile on his face. "You're going to be staying with us from now on."
"Are you sure?" Char said. "Does Daemon know about this?"
"Not yet," Scythe said with a smile. "But there's not much he'll be able to do about it. I need you to stay with me if I'm going to train you. In a few months, we can talk about you moving somewhere else. But you've got your first mission coming up tomorrow… I want to be the one to walk you through it."
"Wow, thanks," Char said. "I… don't know what else to say."
"It was the least I could do," Scythe said humbly as he bowed to Char with the most subtle gesture possible.
… … …
At last, after a whole day of walking, learning, and humiliation, Char and Saura found themselves back in Scythe's room. Char found the hard floor much more comfortable today for some reason. The opposite was true for Saura, who seemed too restless to keep his eyes closed.
"Ugh, Char, this is going to be hard, isn't it?" Saura groaned. "And we have our very first mission tomorrow. I wonder what that's going to be like?"
Still, Saura's willing to persevere, Char thought, even after today. I'm starting to think he wasn't kidding at all when he said he'd stay with me…
"Say, Char…" Saura said, suddenly glancing around the room to make sure that Scythe was still gone. "Did you notice Scythe today? He was acting really funny."
"How so?" Char asked, resting peacefully on the floor.
"Well… I don't know why, but I get the feeling he knows about you. I think… he knows you're a human."
Char opened his eyes. "Why do you think that?" he asked.
"Well, just the little things," Saura said. "First, he didn't think it was funny that you didn't know footprint runes, but still know Unown-script. That's what we call your human writing, by the way. Unown-script. Oh, and earlier, when we were with Eva, he said there were 'many strange things about you', but he said it in a way like he already knew what it was."
I still have to tell Saura… and Scythe too… about Eva's blackmail, Char remembered. I don't trust her at all. She doesn't deserve to have me keep a secret like that.
"And just now, when we were walking back to the room, he bowed to you!" Saura said. "I know he did! He said 'it's the least I could do', and then he bowed to you. Char, that must be it! Scythe must know your secret! I don't know how, but he found out."
"Maybe someone read my mind?" Char guessed. "Maybe Eva told him, or something."
"Well, this might not be a bad thing, anyway," Saura sighed. "That's probably why he decided we should stay in his room. He found out you're a human, and we're getting special treatment because of it. If this keeps up, it might make up for the fact that… well, the fact that we're Team Peanuts now. All I know is that I don't want to be around Daemon when he finds out his team is affiliated with that kind of a name."
Char wondered something. "Hey, Saura," he said, "why would we be getting special treatment just because I'm a human? Do all Pokémon hold humans in high regard, or something?"
"Oh, of course," Saura said, acting surprised at the question. "We Pokémon have something of an innate respect for mankind. Actually, for most of us, our greatest dream is to befriend a human and to serve them. Well, I can't speak for all Pokémon, but most of us are like that… and I know I'm one of them."
"I wonder why," Char thought aloud. "Did we do anything to earn that respect?"
"Remember when I told you earlier that all Pokémon start out wild and only become intelligent if someone teaches them?" he asked, rolling over onto his stomach to face Char. "In the beginning, the very beginning, all Pokémon were wild. Every single one. We were animals, living only by our instincts. We couldn't talk. We couldn't think for ourselves. We weren't intelligent creatures. Now, any guess how we wound up with intelligence?"
"…The humans," Char realized.
"The humans gave Pokémon the gift of intelligence," Saura explained. "They took us and trained us at their sides. They brought us up to their level. Now, whenever we think for ourselves, we know the humans are the ones who made it possible in the first place. You humans made us who we are."
"I never realized…" Char said.
"And not only that, there's more," Saura said. "Even the great dragons… Dialga, Palkia, and even Arceus… are said to have started out as primal beasts. They say that humans are the ones responsible for imparting wisdom even onto them. So, yes, Pokémon have a deep respect for you humans. To us, you're… legendary."
Char had no problem falling asleep that night. However, his head was filled with strange dreams of Dialga eating peanuts.