Season IV: Ember
Chapter 51
…
…
… … …
"I don't like this."
Two enormous figures stood before a backdrop of swirling celestial colors.
They were dragons. One studded with sapphire, the other adorned with various shades of lavender.
"Do you think he will make it?"
Dialga and Palkia.
Dialga glanced in Char's direction.
"He'll come through," Dialga said, nodding confidently. "The soul is strong enough. And he's smart enough to know not to give up."
For the first time in a very long while, Char became aware of himself. He remembered that he was not just a disembodied ghost witnessing the conversation between the legendary dragons; he remembered that he had an identity. Though, at the very moment, it was difficult to remember what, exactly, that identity entailed.
He could not seem to cry out to them. His arms and legs were as stiff as cement. His lungs only gave heavy breaths when he tried to produce sound.
But it seemed that he was already the topic of conversation.
"Then what don't you like about it?" the spatial dragon wondered, turning to glance at Char as well.
"Well," the great diamond dragon told his companion, "I honestly do not know what else I can do for him. Every day, it's always 'Help Char! Bring Char back!' Char this, Char that. Even the orders coming down from superiors are all, 'Char is your highest priority.'"
"I suppose I agree; it may set something of a false precedent," Palkia replied. "Celebrities will always be the highest of our priorities whether or not they deserve it. Just because everyone's heart goes out to them. You fail them, you fail everyone. And all the poor nobodies we've got in back who need our help more than Char does are going to get neglected."
Char felt confused. He had no idea what the dragons were talking about. They almost didn't seem to acknowledge his attention even though they were both glaring directly at him.
"Not that, so much," Dialga replied. "What I mean is, I, well, there is only so much we can do. We can only pave the road on which he walks. When he comes through, it will be him, not us." The temporal dragon looked inquisitive, peering close to Char with his gleaming red eyes.
"And there is no way to tell them," Palkia affirmed. "At least, no way which they will easily accept. It was the same with Aether such many years ago. Ahh… She couldn't—"
"Quickly, the chesto, please," Dialga suddenly barked, interrupting the spatial dragon's thoughts. "His fire has flared, and his breathing seems to have escalated. It seems as though Char might be coming back to us. His battle has been won, it seems."
"Yes, here."
"Good! Good… now… the only thing standing between poor Char and the world is… his beauty sleep."
A blur of vivid colors opened before Char's eyes. The dragons continued to stare at him expectantly. He attempted to move, and perceived that he had come to a mild success; with enough struggling, his arms and legs gave way.
"Char?"
The colors faded to darkness, returning to full force just moments later.
In a brief flash of clarity, Char thought that Dialga had possessed two sets of eyes.
"There he is. Awakening at last. Char… what a fright you've given all of us."
"Indeed; you've been asleep for fifteen days. The Division will be happy to see you animated again."
"Not to mention your friends."
Char stirred. He was intoxicated with weariness, but not uncomfortably so; the sacred fire pulsed with health from inside his chest, and he was pleasantly warm. The biting cold of ice and wind, the deep gashes from battle – they had vanished somewhere, fallen into a forgotten abyss of memories, as though they had happened in another life entirely.
"Where…" Char tried, annoyed that he couldn't keep his eyes opened for more than a split-second.
"You're upon a bed in the intensive care unit at the Gold Division base, under the caring eyes of Dr. Orde, and also my own. You are safe."
Safe…
That one word rang true to his heart, causing his fire to leap with gladness. Safety was not something he was used to feeling in a very long time. Yet… somewhere, deep within his soul, he knew everything would turn out alright.
Though it didn't make sense, he felt as though something had told him not to worry.
Char succeeded in prying his own eyelids open and adjusting to the light of the room. The odd visage of Dialga and Palkia turned into the faces of a Hypno and a Slowking. They each stared upon him with satisfaction and relief. Even the Shellder upon the doctor's head seemed to acknowledge and share his gladness.
"Saura…" Char uttered, testing his tongue again. "And Ray. Are they okay?"
"They're perfect," Hypno replied, "if not endlessly worried about you. When you arrived here in our care, your bodies were flooded with a type of ruthless poison and an overdose of sleep-seed, which made you very sick but kept you so deeply asleep that you were shielded from your own misery. Saura was not affected by the poison, naturally, so he was the first to awaken after the sleep-seeds wore off, and later, Raichu recovered from the poison and joined him. They are in perfect health and we released them back into the Division just two days ago, although they have spent most of their time here at your bedside waiting for you to show signs of life."
We made it, Char realized. We're alive. We survived. Against all odds...
"Can I go see them?" Char struggled to say, rolling to his side and watching as the infirmary room turned sideways around him.
"If you think you can move, do whatever you think you are capable of doing! I sent them out to the waiting-room while we examined you. They should be there," the Slowking replied cheerily, turning to do something at a table next to Char's bed-side. "Ah! Good day, happy day, to have Team Ember reunited at last."
Feeling a surge of joyful strength welling in his limbs, Char gave a thrust with his muscles and sat himself up. Blinking several times more, he examined the skin of his orange limbs and his white belly. There were no cuts or bruises, no aches or pains. There were only a few faint scars from his battle wounds. With a sudden compulsion, he reached behind his back and gathered his tail into his claw to gaze upon his flame. It, too, was perfect, burning vividly and smoothly like a well-oiled lantern, flickering slightly as he jerked it around. It was a deep orange color, signifying that the Watchers had subsided just hours before. It was morning.
Char grinned, feeling a wave of exuberance fast approaching. He did it. They did it. They had braved the merciless northern savage-lands of Ambera, got mixed up in political and legendary affairs, died and returned to life…
…And through it all, they were still standing. They were given another chance at life, at being the team they always wanted to be. He remembered all the promises he had made to Saura and Ray as they trekked hopelessly through the snowstorm, all the resolutions and changes he would make if they lived. How they would stop being helpless and start being self-reliant. How he would strive to be a better leader, and live up to the high standards held by the Gold Division and all of its members who treated him as some kind of prodigious celebrity.
He knew now, as he stared into his tail-flame, that each and every one of those resolutions would be kept. All he needed, now, was to meet his dear friends face-to-face.
After stretching and yawning, Char leaped from the flame-proof bedding and landed on the warm, tiled floor. Before he escaped from the room, he sent a questioning glance to the caretakers who had helped him pull through.
"Um… do I need to pay?" Char asked awkwardly.
"You pay us with your dedication to the Division," Hypno replied. "Remember, the good doctor here is one-fourth of High Intelligence itself; he already receives a steady tax from every team here. There is no need to pay him extra for his medicinal practice."
"Yes, yes! Now go, get out there!" the doctor shouted proudly, almost melodramatically. "Keep up the good work and mess the Master up! Get out into the world, and NEVER COME BACK! …Well, what I mean to say is, never come back to this particular wing of the base, because that would mean that you are sick and injured again, and I do not wish that upon you! … Good luck and fortune to you, at any rate!"
Char earnestly thanked the doctor and his assistant for their services before dropping to all fours and scampering away.
… … …
The white-tiled floors and brown walls swept past Char as he sprinted through the hospital and dodged the startled passersby he met in the corridors. He was driven by a fiery longing and thought about nothing else: he just wanted to see his friends. He wanted proof they were still alive, like him.
He followed the paths and hoped they would eventually converge on the exit. At one point, he faintly recognized the admissions room from a tour he had taken long ago and knew he was on the right track.
A few seconds before he burst into the main waiting room, he heard their voices.
"Should we go back in? They've been away a long time."
"Maybe they got him to wake up!"
"Maybe. Should we go see?"
A few moments too late, Char saw Saura's forehead peeking through the doorframe as though intending to venture inside but hesitating.
*SMASH*
Char ploughed into Saura head-on, and they both tumbled back into the waiting room floor. But they made no move to separate, and the collision soon turned into a tight embrace.
"CHAAAAR! Char, it's YOU!" Saura cried happily, squeezing his vines around the Charmander and not caring that one of them had caught on fire.
Ray eagerly gathered his friends up from the floor, holding them dearly and putting out the tiny flame that sparkled upon Saura's vine. They stood, united, for an entire minute, unable to hold back their gasps of amazement or their hearty laughter.
"Char, you're back!" Ray screamed in glee. "We're all back! We're all in one piece! Can you believe it? Haaaaa-yeaaah!"
"I can't believe it," Char gasped, almost so happy he could cry. "This is probably the happiest day of my life. Too many times, I thought all was lost. Just too many times… and now… Now, we're here."
"They said once there was a slight chance you wouldn't make it," Saura admitted, his voice profusely wavering. "So we promised that we would stay here in the hospital until we knew for sure… Ahh, Char, thank you for staying alive. It means so much to us."
"I couldn't have done it without you," Char told his friends, his arms quickly growing sore from holding his friends so tightly. "Thank you for everything. I owe everything to both of you."
"Aww, look. The peanut-brains are finally awake."
A sneering, arrogant voice broke through the heartwarming moment. Char turned to see a Seviper and a Croagunk standing beside them in the waiting room.
In just that single moment, the profound happiness had turned into sheer terror.
"Could you guys try to cut it with the mushy-gushy friendship stuff for once?" the Seviper said nonchalantly in the moment of shock, its red fangs glistening in the orange torchlight. "You're making us both sick."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Saura panicked. Instantly hyperventilating, he leaped back from his friends and drew both of his vines into the air, though he seemed too afraid of attacking anything with them.
"TEAM X IS IN THE BASE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "TEAM X! IS IN! THE BASE! Team X… in… the base… WAAAHHH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW! AUGHH!"
Char's blood was searing with adrenaline, his tail-flame flaring into a beacon of strength. He was at full health and in the company of his friends; he knew he could put up a good fight. He dropped to all fours, but hesitated in pouncing. Instead, he glared at the foes, his mind still not seeming to comprehend that the villainous duo had indeed penetrated the defenses of the Gold Division to its very core and stood within its confines, all of its deepest secrets laid out before their prying eyes.
Feeling the instinct to act as the leader of the team, Char stepped out from his friends and approached the poisonous ones.
"How did you come here?" Char demanded, a growl escaping from his throat.
The Croagunk matched his hostile stance, holding his fists in front of him and saying "Well, maybe if you'd put a gag on your friend and let us have a word in, we might be inclined to tell you!"
"Hss. Don't bother," the Seviper sighed. "They wouldn't believe us if we told them. Their simple little minds just wouldn't accept the truth."
Stepping up to the Croagunk, Char rose again to his full height. He glared into the eye of his foe.
"Try us," he challenged.
The Croagunk smirked. "For your information, pipweeds, we were invited. By none other than your Scyther friend."
Char tried to resist the urge to stagger, but his face paled as the suggestion sank in and he stumbled backwards. Saura and Ray wore horrified expressions.
"Scyther? You know, big green insect?" Seviper goaded sarcastically, whipping his bladed tail around to display it before the flustered Team Ember. "Has blades for arms, they look like this? You've hung around him for long enough, surprised you don't know who I'm talking about."
"Scythe…" Ray hissed to himself, looking very confused. "Why…? Why did he let you in?"
"It's simple," Croagunk explained, crossing his arms. "We made a deal. We wanted to get into the base; he needed to babysit you because he was afraid you'd get pneumonia and die. So he struck a deal with us: he said that if we'd be his fallback and brought the three of you back to Iron Town alive, there'd be an operative there from the Division that would let us into the base. So, we did it."
"You're thieves," Char growled. "We can't trust you because you're thieves. When we first met you, you had a whole hideout full of stolen goods…"
"Aww, bwaaaah, that's the best reason you've got?!" Croagunk scoffed. "Every single member of this base is a thief and a criminal, and you know it. Not like a resistance force are criminals or anything? Not like Kecleon is an evil criminal with his shop full of stolen goods? Heh heh, we're good at what we do. We fit in here."
"But… you're…" Saura squeaked. "You're… Master… the Master… you work for him… why would Scythe… why would he…? Why would he trust you?"
"…Excuse me for a moment," Croagunk uttered as brushed the Charmander aside and walked past, coming to stand over the frightened and cowering little Bulbasaur. Before Char could react, Croagunk lost his temper.
"BECAUSE WE'RE GOOD GUYS!" the Croagunk blasted down at the Bulbasaur's face. "GOOD. GUYS! Arceus ABOVE, We've been TRYING to TELL YOU THIS since almost the BEGINNING, and you JUST. DON'T. LISTEN! Do you have any idea how FRUSTRATING this was trying to get in here?! Being good guys and have nobody BELIEVE US?! Gods almighty, Team Peanuts, would you stop and consider JUST ONCE, maybe JUST ONCE, that we MIGHT be telling the truth, huh?! EVER CONSIDER THAT?!"
"Is it because we're poison-kin? Is that the reason why you can't bring yourself to trust us?" the Seviper added, slithering closer to Char. "If that's the case, Char, I want you to take a deep breath, turn about eighty degrees to your right, and take a good, close look at the Pokémon you're standing next to. You might find that they're just as untrustworthy as we are, by those standards."
Char turned as instructed, facing Saura. Saura looked up at him with tearful, uncertain eyes.
"He's even a frog!" Croagunk furthermore blasted. "Legends forbid a poisonous frog could ever be a good guy, right? *CROAK*"
Silence fell over the group. Char thought to scan the waiting room for the presence of other Pokémon and spotted only a meager Taillow clinging to the rim of a chair in the far corner of the room, looking absolutely breathless as it watched the scene unfold.
Mustering his courage, Saura spoke back to the Croagunk. "I… don't… believe you," he forced out. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just… you work for the Master."
Croagunk emitted a gurgling sigh, slapping his own forehead with a fist.
"Okay, look," he said, surprisingly lowering his tone. "I'm only going to say this one more time, and I don't care if you believe me, but you'd better listen. So yeah, maybe we work for the Master, or maybe we don't. Don't matter. Either way, revealing the location of this base and getting it blown up isn't going to help anybody, and it sure as the blazes isn't going to help us. Not now, not ever. See, we have a foe we want to take down, and she works for the Master, and so the only way we're going to defeat her is if we stick with the resistance. And that makes us a resistance team just like you. We both want the same thing. We're both fighting the empire. So we belong here. So quit getting in our way!"
"I'm surprised you don't see the blatantly obvious writings on the wall," the serpent added. "If your Scyther buddy trusted us enough to make the offer in the first place, not to mention arranging us travel so we could secretly tail you into Zerferia, and your High Intelligence trusted us enough to let us stay in here, and your registrar let us become an official resistance team… you still suspect you know better than all of them? Can you truly claim that? Pray tell, what do you know that they don't?"
Char was silent. He only clenched his fists tightly, feeling the tingle of his inner ember as it flared with disgust and lingering suspicion.
"I warned you they wouldn't believe us," Seviper hissed. "It was pointless to come down here and check on them. We're done here; we've got more important things to do than to argue with children."
"Yeah," Croagunk spat, looking disdainfully at the Charmander. "Hey, twirps, we've got missions to run. When you're ready to, y'know, actually thank us for saving your lives – which, by the way, wasn't easy – catch us around."
And they just left, a speechless and bewildered Team Ember standing in their wake.
Char instinctively turned to look at the Taillow's reaction. The little bird returned a blank stare of confusion and a shrug.
"Well," Char said, finally breaking the silence, "I think… we should at least go and see if our rooms are still in one piece. We can have some privacy to think about this a bit more."
"I second that," Ray sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I guess we could lock ourselves in there if the base suddenly went on high alert. I think I'd feel safer."
… … …
Making their way back to their team headquarters was a challenge. The Gold Division was bustling with activity as the morning rush was in full force, and trying to walk against the flow of a Pokémon crowd was never pleasant. Char was always afraid that someone's spikes or poisoned barbs would unexpectedly skewer him. He and his friends made a few attempts to push their way to the staircase, but they were always forced back to the entryway of the hospital wing. Eventually, they decided to give up and wait for the crowd to subside, at least enough to make it to the elevator.
Char watched all the Pokémon of the Gold Division marching past, yapping and clamoring with a hundred strange and interesting voices. Some of them seemed happy and excited, others seemed stoic and strong, and others visibly wore contempt for the missions they were assigned. But one thing was prevalent among the troops of the Gold Division: there was energy, so much energy and hope and vibrancy in the room that Char couldn't help feeling a bit uplifted at the sight. It was nothing like the Emerald Division he'd spent a few nights in, where the Pokémon needed to remain hardened and emotionless lest the sting of bitterness destroy them from the inside. These Pokémon were always alive and active and focused, like the whole Gold Division was a place on fire.
Char realized how much he missed this place. This was his home, or the closest place to home he knew as a Pokémon.
For a few moments, he oddly considered to himself that none of the Pokémon paid him much mind. None of them knew what he'd gone through. None of them knew the dangers he'd faced, the legendary Pokémon he'd spoken with, or the disasters he'd escaped from. There they were, all of them on their way to whatever daily missions they had undertaken, their minds absorbed with exploration strategies or route-planning or money-making or politics or whatever else they were doing; none of them knew what Temporal Tower truly looked like on the inside, or what heart-speak was, or what it felt like to die and be reincarnated, or how Dialga's demeanor truly sounded like.
Some caught sight of the little Charmander and let a gaze linger for a few moments, others waved to him, but most kept their eyes upon the road ahead or upon their teammates, leaving the famous and prodigious Char neglected in the corner of the chamber. Most probably didn't even realize Team Ember had taken a vacation at all.
"They don't know the Call is useless," Char realized, speaking quietly to Ray and Saura. "Do you think we should tell them? The Call was always one of their greatest hopes…"
"Nah, let's wait a while," Ray replied, a hint of melancholy creeping into his voice. "No need to tell them if it's just gonna make everyone depressed… We can keep it as our little secret."
Char nodded. He knew that was the right thing to do. There was no need to take away the hope these hardworking Pokémon had if it meant giving them nothing in return.
"Whoa, hey!" Saura shouted, gazing with surprise into the crowd. "I thought I saw someone familiar in there…"
"Hmm? Who?" Char responded, scanning the crowd for anyone he recognized.
"I don't know… it was just a face," Saura replied. "Someone I saw at the Emerald Division, maybe. Or maybe I could just be seeing things…"
"You think someone followed us here from up north?" Ray wondered. "It's possible! We were asleep for two weeks, right? That's enough time for someone to fly down here."
Char was suddenly reminded of Team X, who were no doubt somewhere in that loud procession. No one would ever know they were actually servants of the Master, and indeed, the entire Division might have been enjoying its final day of freedom before the duo would bring back legions of forces from the Master to siege the base. The fire in his stomach turned sour just thinking about it.
"We'll keep an eye out," Char decided. "If someone's here from the Emerald Division, I think we'll run into them soon. Let's just go to our rooms now, alright? There's a break in the crowd. Quick!"
Forcing their way through the steam, Team Ember stumbled into the elevator cart and waited impatiently to be taken to their long-missed rooms.
… … …
Everything was just as they had left it.
The plaque above the door reading "EMBER" in Char's native human language hadn't moved, nor had the four ornate ghost-torches which framed it. Holding his breath, Char pounced toward the door, pushing it next to the frame where the locking mechanism was situated. He forced his claws against it for a moment before realizing it was still locked.
"Uh, we have to get the ghosts to open it," Ray remembered. "You can't open the doors from the outside at all if they're locked like that."
Char sighed, but before he could turn around, the door slid open, revealing a pleased-looking Alakazam.
"I figured you would be coming up here shortly," the High Intelligence officer said. "The doctor told me you had recovered, Char. I welcome you back. Come in, we have some things to discuss."
While Saura and Ray seemed delighted at the personal greeting given by the Division's leader, Char's heart sank into his gut. There was one part of his room he was most looking forward to seeing again: the real-fire torches beside his bed. His mind immediately fled to them, wondering – no, knowing – what High Intelligence had done once they discovered the illegal mechanisms commissioned within his room. Though they had been turned off for the duration of the trip, Char had no doubt that Alakazam had wandered into his room and taken or dismantled them with no further thought.
He felt as though a spike had hit him in the chest, but he focused and retained his composure as best as he could. He knew he probably couldn't have controlled the way his tail-flame was wildly dancing, so he decided to ignore it and show Alakazam the most reverence and respect he could manage.
Shaking with nervousness, Char followed the psychic Pokémon into his own hall and straight to the meeting room.
"The mission was very intense… sir," Char blurted, awkwardly trying to start a conversation. "We have a lot to tell you about."
Char took a seat at the meeting room's table, Saura and Ray filed in beside him, and Alakazam stationed himself at the opposite end of the table, several leafs of paper and scrolls set out in front of him.
"In truth, you have nothing to tell me," Alakazam spoke. "While you were asleep, I took the liberty of extracting your mission report from your memory. I know everything."
"Everything?" Char cried, stifling the incredulous tone of his voice at the very last moment. "So… you know about what happened to Scythe?"
"I do."
"And you know what happened in Temporal Tower?" Ray asked in disbelief. "You know what the Master did?"
"I do."
"And you know… about the Call, I guess," Saura said. "You know why it actually happens."
"Indeed," Alakazam sighed. "Indeed, I do. In many ways, your mission was an utter success. Your expedition has taught us many truths about this universe, many indeed that we have never glimpsed at. And it has answered many questions I have held for as long as I have remained in office here."
An awkward moment of silence presented itself. Char bit his tongue, wanting nothing more than to escape to the privacy of his room and to light his torches. If they were still there. Which they probably weren't.
"But, you see, I did not come to discuss what has happened in the past," Alakazam told the team, rearranging the papers upon the table. "Instead, I have come to discuss what is going to happen from here on out. Char… I beg of you, please pay attention to me. I sense you are not listening."
"S-sorry," Char stammered, shaking his head and gluing his eyes upon his commander. "…sir. I'm just not used to being back here… yet."
Alakazam's eyes narrowed upon him. "Understood, but you will have enough recreation time shortly; you will be relieved of missions for both today and tomorrow to help yourselves become re-acquainted with our facilities. But as of now, I require your full attention. Can you give me your full attention?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very good," Alakazam spoke. "Now, then, our business: while it is unfortunate to learn the true uselessness of the Call, a force we have placed our hope in for many decades here in the resistance, and it is even more devastating to hear of Dialga's fate, I have reason to believe that our hope may still lie with you, Char."
This was the last thing Char was expecting to hear. At best, he thought Alakazam would demote him to a training team because his Call was useless.
What was still special about him?
Alakazam proceeded to answer this unspoken question. "As a former human, your past is unknown, but I have reason to believe your nature might be inextricably linked with the Master, seeing as how he was willing to destroy the very time stream in his grand attempt to destroy you. Furthermore, as I recall, when speaking to the Dialga illusion, it mentioned a divine plan which was already in place to dethrone the Master. Does this sound correct?"
"You're right…" Ray gasped, surprised at the memory. "Dialga… or, Celebi-Dialga… he did say that. It made Scythe happy. I remember."
Char remembered it, too. He didn't think much about it at the time, especially after Celebi's illusion had been revealed as fake, but it dawned upon him that Celebi's illusion had purposefully told the truth in almost everything it said. And it had said there was a divine plan against the Master.
Alakazam nodded. "In consideration of these facts, I have concluded that there is a possibility… Char, as a human, may have conceived this very plan. Because this plan might mean the downfall of the Master, I cannot turn a blind eye to its existence. No; I am forced to consider this as a true possibility."
Char's eyes lit up. He suddenly felt thankful that Alakazam had volunteered his genius to put the pieces together in ways he could not. The Division's leader was right; it was a possibility.
"Unfortunately, there are no means by which we can know for sure," Alakazam continued. "No natural means, at the least. Supernatural means, on the other hand, could provide the answers."
Alakazam slid a torn segment of a scroll in Char's direction. Peering down at it, he saw that it held an inky sketch of a strange figure. It was a long, serpentine beast with armor, spikes, and unusually-shaped wings. Its tail curled in knots at the side of the parchment; it had no visible feet.
"This is Giratina," Alakazam said. "Or, at the very least, this is how we believe Giratina's physical form appears. As I recall, Dialga's spirit ordered you to find this Pokémon with the understanding that this Pokémon would tell you everything you had once known as a human but had forgotten as a Charmander, including your true name and the nature of your plan."
As Char stared at the drawing of the underworld god, his stomach felt uneasy. This Pokémon didn't look pleasant or comforting, certainly not like the incarnations of Dialga he had witnessed. Instead, Giratina's form was disturbing, like some kind of twisted sea creature or alien demon. Its depiction on the coarse orange paper didn't make things better, as splotches of ink dripped from its outline like slime or blood.
"That's a Pokémon?" Saura remarked. "That's a weird-looking Pokémon."
"Locating this Pokémon will be your top priority, Team Ember," Alakazam ordered. "But you are not in this alone. I and my colleagues will do our best to research this legendary figure, just as we had done with Temporal Tower and Dialga, and we will compile our findings in an attempt to play a hand in reuniting you with the legendary dragons."
"Thank you," Char replied earnestly. "…sir. I'm in debt to you. I'm not sure I could have done any of this on my own."
"You lead me to my next point," Alakazam spoke, striking Char as odd. "According to Dialga, you were thrown-off course from your plan, and we must do what we can to return you to the proper course of fate, or else we risk never meeting Giratina or having any of our questions answered in the end. I have given some careful thought to this matter…" He sifted through his papers and pulled out another one, this one a clean white rectangular sheet, and set it before Char.
Char blinked at the text. It was written in Unown. He could understand it.
"This is a list of things I need you to accomplish," Alakazam spoke. "I have taken my best considerations, and asked Metagross to perform some general simulations, and here is an agenda I believe you would have accomplished had you not embarked on the Temporal Tower mission. If you follow your old course of action, it becomes more likely that you will encounter the circumstances that will eventually lead you to meeting Giratina."
Char squinted at the list, trying to make out the letters as they were rotated and connected in unusual ways. The list itself was very short, but the handwriting was large.
Char read it:
One. Learn to read and write in footprints.
Two. Install a bulletin board outside of your team base.
Three. Learn to succeed at one-star ranked missions with your team.
Confused, Char flipped the paper over to view the back. It was blank.
"That's it?" Char wondered, turning the page face-up again."Is there another page?"
"No, that's all we have determined you should do for now," Alakazam replied. "These three simple tasks should set off chains of causality which, if we are lucky, will return you more or less to where you were before you left. If there is one thing which fate teaches us, it is that a simple act is never only a simple act. Do you understand? Can you, and your team, comply with this?"
"Yes, sir," Char affirmed, setting the page down and gazing at his high commander. "Anything else?"
"Perhaps," Alakazam said, folding his hands upon the table. "I ask that you please continue to keep your usual secrets from the public at large. Confide your knowledge to your intimate friends and teammates as you see fit to trust them, but do not let the public know about the Call, or Dialga's capture, or anything which could cause mass hysteria. This should be a self-evident directive."
"Alright, sir!" Ray replied cheerily. "That won't be a problem."
"We will make announcements as we determine information becomes important for the Division to know," the psychic Pokémon reassured them. "The weight of these revelations should lie upon us, not upon you."
The Alakazam shuffled several of the papers into his hands, leaving only a few on the table for Char's team to keep. He then stood very formally and addressed the team with a solemn, sincere tone.
"That is all I intended to say to you, Team Ember. There will be no further interruptions from us, unless, of course, a breakthrough is made concerning Giratina's whereabouts or your relation to the Master. Until then… you are a resistance team. You are not a training team, and you are no longer truly children; you answer to no other team and no other Pokémon but my fellow officers and I. Your fate is ultimately in your own hands, and what you choose to do with the help I give you is your own decision. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"I do understand, your honor," Char replied with conviction. "I knew this day was coming, sir. Ever since… I mean, I always knew that things would be different if we ever made it back alive. I'm ready. We can do things on our own. We can be a resistance team."
Char turned to his friends who returned small nods of support. They understood what Char was saying.
It was finally Team Ember's time to shine.
"Then I have no further business here!" Alakazam spoke cheerfully, taking his papers with him. "Good day to you all, Team Ember. I must be off to address some new recruits in a couple of minutes. I should mention; I owe you a reasonable debt for your efforts in the northern lands and the answers you have provided me, and I intend to pay it back to you somehow. But as of now, I will simply thank you for your good work. Please do keep it up. I hope to see you out on the field on the day after tomorrow."
*TZAING*
Alakazam simply disappeared in a strange, distorted flash of light and sound. He had teleported elsewhere.
Char and his friends glanced at one another for a moment, their first true moment of peace and quiet in what seemed like years.
Then Char remembered something. He bolted out of his chair and down to the very end of the hall, the place where the team leader's room stood. He gave an energetic headbutt to the door, opening it easily. On the other side was a dark room with stagnant, dusty air.
Almost reluctant to know the truth, he ran around the edge of the room and activated all of the spiritual torches, touching each one and giving a psychic command much like the way wonder orbs were used. As the flames carved away the darkness, Char squinted into the center of the room and beheld his bed.
The giant fire-dishes were still there.
"Ha-ha-HA!" he cried happily, leaping into his bed and gazing wistfully at one of the huge empty bowls of coal-rocks beside him. They hadn't been taken away. Alakazam probably didn't even enter his room to see them; after all, he could only see through minds, not through walls and doors.
Just this one little thing, this silly little perk, seemed to make everything worth it. This was the one comfort he always seemed to remember when his mind wandered back to the Gold Division base, and now this was his reward for all those hours spent in the cold, snow, and deadly dungeons.
He spat flames into the metal dishes, sustaining his breath until the coal-rocks caught on fire. He then scampered down and around the base of the dishes, opening the oxygen-grates so the fire would gather faster. Finally, he sat upright on his bedding, marveling at his work and waiting for his teammates to catch up.
Alright, alright, enough acting childish, he said to himself, sighing contentedly. I'm finally happy. Time to put the past behind me and start acting mature. I can do this.
It's just like Saura said. I was a leader as a human, so I can be a leader as a Pokémon. It's that simple.
And it's all going to start right after… right after I relax for a while.
… … …
For the next few hours, Team Ember took their well-deserved rest. Char, Saura, and Ray curled up upon their respective bed-nests, staring at the ceiling and saying nothing save for a quiet comment every now and then.
For just this one moment, there were no missions, no crises, no one dying and no one threatening to kill them. It was absolutely heavenly. Char let the pulses of warmth from his bedside flames massage him as he tried to clear his mind of all thoughts about anything. After all, if he thought too hard, he might remember that their team was totally broke, devoid of any valuable supplies, and without their Scyther mentor they had come to rely on for so long. And when he did remember those things, he drowned them out with the blessedly warm breezes from the fire and told himself that it wouldn't matter. They could overcome anything. The Temporal Tower mission proved that.
"Hey, I've been thinking," Ray uttered absentmindedly. "What are we going to do about Team X?"
Char softly bit his tongue. This was an issue he couldn't merely avoid or ignore. This one required some thought.
"I… guess we should have asked Alakazam at the meeting earlier," Char admitted. "I'm sorry, I didn't think of that."
"You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe Alakazam knows about them already," Saura mentioned. "If he collected our memories, he would have seen what happened in the Scarred Crags and he would have known they had brought us back here and came into the base. So maybe… maybe they really are trustworthy. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… maybe they really are a resistance team."
"But on the other hand, maybe they're not," Char grumbled. "I don't know, I'm just getting this foreboding feeling every time I think about them. Just… remember? Remember how they kept trying to weasel their way into this base? And remember how they said they serve the Master with all of their hearts? I just don't see how we can feel safe with them walking around the base. For all we know, they could be scheming to get their way into High Intelligence's treasury and steal their relics. That's what they do; they're thieves, after all."
"But can we trust Alakazam's judgment?" Ray wondered. "Or maybe Alakazam really doesn't know about them. Alakazam doesn't read minds all the time. He might not have read theirs. The real question is, can we trust Scythe's judgment about them?"
Char shook his head. "Before Scythe left, he tried to teach us one more thing," he recalled. "Scythe's final lesson: don't blindly trust anyone. Not even him. So… no, I'm not going to blindly trust anyone this time. If we want to trust Team X, we need something to base that trust in. Some kind of evidence. Maybe… maybe we need to see them make some sort of sacrifice."
"Well, uh, they did kinda save our lives," Saura said meekly. "Hard as I try, I can't overlook that."
"Right, yeah, but… that doesn't count, because they were willing to do anything to breach this base," Char considered. "What we need is… We need to know what kind of decisions they make, and what kind of things they say when they think nobody is watching."
"Alright, let's eavesdrop on them!" Ray said excitedly. "But wait, how are we gonna pull that off? We don't even know where they're staying or what they do around this place. This might take a lot of work."
Char didn't reply.
Something in his mind had clicked; he remembered something from a long time ago, something from before they had left the base. His eyes glazed over as he stared into the fire and contemplated a certain option that had just come to him. Perhaps there was a way to peer into the mind of the poisonous team after all…
A voice echoed in his mind.
Stay on guard, and return safely.
I'll be waiting for you.
"I know how we can tell if Team X are good guys or not," Char declared. "I know how we can find out."
"How?" Ray wondered, curious at the change in Char's tone.
"Follow me," Char instructed, dropping out of his bed and heading for the door. "There's someone we're going to meet."
… … …
*knock, knock*
Char rapped on a certain door that was a few floors below his own and on the opposite end of the complex.
"Whose hall is this one?" Ray wondered. "I don't think I ever met the team that lives here."
"That's because no team lives in here," Char told him, knocking on the door again. "It's deserted. But there's a certain Pokémon who's hiding in here… well, they could be, if they're still in there after all this time… HELLO? Anyone in there? Eva?"
"Eva?" Saura repeated quietly. "You mean, that filthy rotten Espeon… She's here?"
Char…?
Char stopped knocking when he heard the telepathy.
Char, was that your voice? Are you there?
He almost couldn't believe that Eva had managed to hold out in these deserted rooms for the entire time they were gone. Yet, there she was, her telepathic reply resonating in his head.
She had waited for him, just as she had promised.
One dedicated Pokémon right here, Char thought. Either that, or just desperate.
He waved off his friends so Eva wouldn't see them at first, and tried to force their presence off of the surface of his mind. Though part of him was relieved to meet the Espeon again, a larger part of him had a bone to pick with her. Several bones, in fact. She was going to need to answer to her past transgressions if he was to trust her with the task at hand.
The door opened by a crack, and Char spotted her deep violet eyes glimmering inside. She peered out the door, as if in terror of monsters that were hunting her.
Char! It is you! She shouted telepathically, her mind beaming with joy and relief. I heard rumors, fragments of thoughts, saying you had returned, but your room was deserted! And then I sensed Alakazam nearby, and I became terrified…
"Eva!" Char hissed, not caring about speaking telepathically since he wanted his friends to hear. "You've been hiding here this entire time?"
You had my word, Eva replied, bowing her head. I would never go back on my word to a human. I stayed here, because after all this while it remained the most effective place to hide, and a place where I could occasionally spy upon stray thoughts which Pokémon sent my way. Char, I am… overjoyed to see that you have survived the attack which Scythe was planning. The attack you asked me not to tell you about, remember? Because I would have, if only you'd have let me.
Eva opened the door a bit more, and Char got a better look at her. Her velvet fur was a mess, patchy and overgrown in places. True terror and desperation sparkled behind her eyes, as though she had been running for her life just moments ago. Through them, she gazed upon Char with the same sense of adoration and concern she had shown him months ago.
I sense bitterness and hesitation in you, Eva told him, her telepathic voice seeming so gentle and nurturing. Please, despite having lost a deal of my… dignity over these past weeks, please know that things between you and I have not changed. I still… wish to be your servant. Help me remain hidden from High Intelligence, and I promise you, Char: every mind in this Division will be opened at your command. You will know any secret they keep from you, even Xatu's or Alakazam's if that's what you desire.
Char scowled. "Alright, Eva. That's fair," he told her. "But could we maybe start with… yours?"
Char motioned for his friends to step into view, and Eva balked upon seeing them, giving an audible eeep and quickly retreating back into the darkness of the room. She tried to close the door with telekinesis, but Char kept it from closing with his foot.
Char! You… brought your… team, Eva stammered as Char forced his way into the dark room. I am in… no condition to… entertain visitors! Char… why?
Char glanced around the room. It was dusty and stank of rotten berries. Only two ghastly lanterns were lit at a far corner of the hall, presumably lighting the way to the bedroom where Eva stayed and casting a dim glow throughout the whole chamber.
The Espeon took careful steps backward as Saura and Ray filed into the room. Char held his tail forward to light the way, and in the light he saw the distress upon Eva's face. The fur on her back was standing on end.
"We have a few questions we need to ask you," Char told the frightened Espeon threateningly. "Eva… back when you tested us for the Call, why did you blackmail us?"
Char… we've been over this! Eva replied nervously. It was because…
"Speak, so we can all hear you!" Char snapped, causing the Espeon to jump back.
"Very… well," she spoke in a cracked whisper, her true voice sounding broken and ineloquent compared to her telepathy. "I told you this already, Char… I… I… after I… tested Saura for the Call and he didn't have it, I decided I… didn't want to… expend the effort to test you. So I… skipped you. I thought it was pointless. I didn't realize… because the odds were so astronomically unlikely…"
Char and Saura glanced at one another. "Tell her," Char told his friend.
"Eva," Saura said carefully, stepping closer to the unkempt Espeon as though to confront her. "I have the Call. I was tested in the Emerald Division."
Eva blinked. For a brief moment, she squinted in confusion before her expression turned to pure dread.
"You can't…" Eva coughed, her voice raspy and weeping now. "You… no. No!" she twitched nervously and glanced all around her as though searching for an escape route. "No… so what you are meaning to say is that… you, Saura, and you, Char… you are… both… Call-bearers…"
"See our problem, Eva?" Char replied. "So now we know you didn't test Saura either. You didn't actually test either of us! Instead, you just gave Saura a little pain, and you gave me blackmail. So what's your secret, Eva? Why didn't you test us?! Why did you lie?!"
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Eva whispered, beginning to break down. "How can… how… it wasn't possible, for you both to have the Call. This wasn't supposed to…"
She sat herself on the floor in defeat, her head drooping ashamedly away from those who confronted her.
"Fine," she rasped. "I'll tell you the truth. Close the door and I'll tell you."
Ray did so, and Team Ember crowded around the poor Espeon, expectantly awaiting her reply.
"I didn't test you because…" she hesitated, her shame-filled eyes turned to Char. "…because I don't know how. I don't know how to test for the Call. I never learned how."
"This is starting to make some sense now," Saura uttered. "Finally."
"But wait," Eva said, glaring disdainfully at Saura's comment. "I – I do have a talent. But this talent is not for sensing the Call. You see…"
She pawed at the ground for a moment before giving her answer.
"I am a con artist," she admitted simply, looking each of them in the eye. "My talent is… lying. I use my limited psychic abilities to feed Pokémon words they want to hear, and I gain their trust. See, my psychic potential is pathetically weak for an Espeon. It always has been this way; for whatever reason, there was a malfunction in my evolution, and I was never able to train in the ways of the psychics because my signals are inadequate. So I did what I could with the power I had, and I learned to deceive Pokémon into trusting me, and become accepted by them, and profit from them. As I did with Scythe. I convinced him that I could hear the Call by reading the responses he expected me to make. When he trusted me, he paid me to help him secretly search for the Call. And I was able to live here in the base. Now that I lost him, I thought I could make a client out of you, Char, and get out of this abandoned hall into someplace more dignified. Even if you weren't going to pay me, I just wanted somewhere to stay. With other Pokémon, I mean. As a psychic, even one so pathetic as myself, loneliness is torturous; I require the mind-waves of other Pokémon for comfort, and for… sanity."
She sighed deeply, running a paw over her head. "And that is the truth, team of Ember, and without any guile to hide it. As you requested."
Char hummed in contemplation. Though he was no psychic, he was certain the Espeon had told the truth this time. He turned to Saura, who had a mixed look of sympathy and uncertainty on his face, and at Ray, who looked as though he would cry for her.
"What now, human-turned-Char?" Eva spoke dejectedly, glaring at the floor. "I'm not even reading your mind now, I have closed off my mind. So what will become of me now, in your eyes? I will soon be banished from the Gold Division, perhaps even worse. There's a new team that will move into this hall soon. I have nowhere else to go…"
Char turned to his team, as if to soundlessly ask them a question. They shared an unspoken answer.
"Eva," Char said gently, "We have fourteen unused bedrooms in our hall. You're welcome to stay in one."
Eva shook her head. "You're insane," she sighed. "I just told you that I'm a filthy liar, by career, and you still choose to trust me? Are you even listening to yourself talk?"
"Well… to tell you the truth, we could use a filthy liar," Char told her with a small grin. "What I mean to say is… we could use your services. We've never been all that good with the division politics. You could help us with that. And maybe… if we all decide on it, maybe you could be a member of our team later on."
Eva's expression changed; Char saw a twinkle of pride in her eyes.
"I would not want to join your team," she admitted, pawing the ground again. "Not… not yet, at the least. I would not wish to associate you directly with someone who is effectively a Division outlaw such as myself. Although, in regards to the prospect of helping you… In exchange for shelter and rations, I would do anything for you. And I say that not as a liar this time, but as a beggar. And perhaps a friend, if you would permit it."
"So… it's a deal, then?" Ray said, looking quite excited at the prospect of having another friend.
Eva laughed bitterly. "As you can see, I'm not in the position to reject any offer I'm presented with," she sighed. "But it would be an honor to work with you. Not all of my respect for you was fabricated, Char. I am truly fascinated at the idea of working for a human. I will try not to let you down."
Char smiled. "Alright," he decided. "You can live with us. But to start out with, there's one condition."
"Yes?" Eva asked respectfully.
"You need to do us a favor."
… … …
Later that day, it was time for Char to put his plan into motion.
"So even if you're not such a very good psychic, can you still read secrets?" Saura wondered to the Espeon as he and Char helped to escort her quietly through the empty base halls.
Yes, mostly, Eva explained. Reading secrets requires cleverness, not force. It is trivial for any respectable psychic to read the thoughts on the very top of one's mind, and though I hesitate to call myself a respectable psychic, I am no exception. I can read secrets by striking conversation, bringing up the proper topics, and causing the secret to rise to the top of the target's mind. For instance, if I wanted to know how much money you possessed in the bank, I might come to you and say something along the lines of, 'I just purchased a mobility scarf from Kecleon,' and that would raise pangs of jealousy in your mind, as well as the particular number I wanted. It is a game of strategy, a game which happens to be my specialty. I will have no problems learning the true fidelities of Team X, as long as you ask the questions I need you to ask.
Char and Saura tried to act naturally as they conversed with the Espeon, knowing she had notoriety with some members of the base and trying to make it look as though she was simply a business partner. It was uncomfortable to imagine that Alakazam could teleport before them at any point and banish her on sight, and that wasn't to say anything of the other enemies she had apparently made which she seemed too exasperated to list. It was lucky that Scythe was not a threat at this point in time; he would have probably been the most dangerous one to meet with.
Char tried not to feel uncomfortable. With enough time, he figured, maybe she would become an accepted member of the resistance again. She had at least taken some time to groom herself so she no longer looked like the cave-rat she had become.
Ray came bounding up the nearby stairs.
"I got 'em," he announced. "They're in the base after all. Floor nine, next to cold storage. I saw them go in the room where the freezers are. I don't know what they're doing, but they're there."
Well done, Eva said to him. Now, I will need to go to floor eight. If I am in the room directly above, I will be able to read their waves. Alternately, a dark corner or a hidden room on floor nine would work, but if my only option is the freezer, I'd prefer looking at floor eight first.
"Sounds like a plan," Char said. "Alright, Ray, take her to floor eight. Saura and I will catch them and keep them busy.
… … …
I've got them, Eva announced as Char and Saura hesitated to approach Team X. I can read them at this distance. Remember, Char and Saura, you can speak to me as well. Just imagine your thoughts being broadcast upward and I'll hear them. The only disadvantage is that your friends won't hear what you say.
Right, Char replied silently.
Well? Are you going to go in? Eva said oddly. You were supposed to be there by now.
Char peered into the next room which was the freezer lobby. It was a medium-sized room with low ceiling and a brown, tiled floor. A few small metallic doors were fixed on the walls, each leading to the cold storage rooms. They were not nearly as large or heavy-duty as the ones he'd seen in the Emerald Division, but he imagined that they'd be just as cold inside and he had no interest venturing in.
Instead, Char fixated upon the only Pokémon standing in the room. Team X stood on the opposite end from the door, yammering to one another about something. It seemed like idle chatter, and a very odd place to be occupying at this time of day. Char couldn't make out anything they said, but he knew Eva had linked with their minds from the floor above and knew every word they spoke.
We'll go now, Char told the Espeon. But what should we say?
Simply making your presence known would be a good start, Eva replied. I'll let you know when they start to reveal their secrets, and what to say.
"Alright, let's do this," Char hissed to his best friend. "Let's see what Team X is hiding."
They walked into the room. Team X continued yammering to one another, not noticing their sudden company.
"I sold it to Kecleon," Croagunk said. "No sense holding onto them."
"Idiot!" the Seviper hissed. "We needed those! We're short on orbs, good sir, in case you haven't noticed."
"Heh heh, it's called liquidity, my dear friend," the frog shot back. "Just buy it back later when it's on sale. Cheap profit. Besides, we wouldn't use all six of those orbs on the same day."
"Except that any one of them could have been useful, and now we don't have them," the Seviper seethed. "Croagunk, look at me. We're never going to get anywhere in this place without supplies. Supplies get us through dungeons, not money. You have no earthly sense of –"
They turned in surprise to notice their company. Their jovial attitude turned cocky and smug, as expected.
"Peanuts," Croagunk addressed them. "What's the deal now? Need something?"
"Please, spare us a lashing, we've had plenty of them in the mystery dungeon today," Seviper said. "And we've nothing to even show for it. Croagunk here went behind my back and sold all the rewards we got for pouch-change."
"That pouch-change wasn't taxed by the Division, now was it?" the Croagunk returned. "It's called gaming the system. Learn it. But yeah, Peanuts, if you're just here to argue with us, do us all a favor and scram. We're not in the mood for it at the moment. In fact, we're about to be busy."
Char fished for words. "Actually, we, um… we wanted to apologize."
Croagunk looked surprised, but Char couldn't tell if his reaction was sarcastic or not.
"Hey, now that's something I didn't think you were capable of saying, heh heh heh," he goaded. "Go for it, kiddos. Apologize away. We're all ears!"
Their attitude was making Char's fire roil with annoyance, but he made an honest attempt at letting it slide. After all, he wasn't after their respect. He was after their motives.
Saura spoke up, piecing together a forced reply. "Yeah, uh… I'm sorry… we both are… for lashing out at you and all. Thank you for saving our lives from Zerferia. We know that was hard and you didn't have to do it. We owe you."
"Am I hearing things?" Croagunk gasped in mock-shock. "This can't be! Respect? Actual, down-to-earth respect? Are you getting this, Seviper?"
"Yeah, I'm hearing the same," Seviper returned. "Can't say I believe it, but it looks like they're saying something sensible for once. By the way, you're not welcome. We only did it to get into the base, and we have no real concern for you. But we appreciate the sentiment."
Char's flare of rage was cut off by a telepathic announcement.
I'm getting something, Eva called down. There's a train of thought building in the Seviper, and I think we can pull it out. Try saying this:
"To be fair, all those times we rejected you, we were just trying to be a good resistance team," Char repeated as instructed. "If we let you in so easily, we might as well have let an enemy in too, and then the Division would be destroyed. And you wouldn't have been able to join it."
"Yeah, we had no way of really knowing," Saura added, presumably also at Eva's instruction. "If we just took your word for it, what if you really were bad guys? We would have ruined everything."
The Seviper appeared thoughtful, swiveling his body around and coiling up his tail. "He's got you there, Croagunk," he teased. "The Peanuts make a good point."
Yes! Progress! Eva cheered. There's something coming to the surface. I think it's only a few thoughts away. Also, Ray says 'hi'. He's keeping watch.
Char couldn't restrain a smile.
"What're you laughin' at, firebreath?" Croagunk shouted at him. "You think you cornered us? Think you can just… blame it all on us, huh now?"
"I'm certain that's not what he meant," the Seviper said to him, then to Char: "You need to pardon my colleague. He has temper issues."
"I DO NOT HAVE TEMPER ISSUES!"
"Then calmly explain to us why you're yelling."
They're actually on the intelligent side, surprisingly, Eva warned them. They know what they're doing. I believe they've conditioned one another to appear clumsy and idiotic so that they would be underestimated by foes. But they're respectable fighters. Think twice before crossing them.
Croagunk took a swing at his partner, but the serpent shifted his head and dodged it. Char watched them bicker and gave an ironic chuckle at Eva's definition of "respectable".
"Whose side are you on now?" the frog demanded. "What's the problem, huh?"
"The problem is that I believe we made a mistake when we told these children that we served the Master," the Seviper said, eyeing Char sideways. "If you think about it, do you really think that would have gone over well with anyone else in this place? How do you think the gatekeepers or the registrar would have responded if we just waltzed up to them and proclaimed some kind of patriotism for the Master? We'd not have gotten this far. It only worked with the Scyther because the Scyther was nuts. Dare I say, these Peanuts might be as sane as they come."
Interesting! Eva reported. I just found a very unusual thought in the Seviper's consciousness.
What is it? Char called back. I don't know why, but I think Seviper is actually siding with us.
Seviper is under the impression that the Master is… I mean to say… They believe the Master is good, and also that the resistance is good, Eva explained. This probably indicates the other one's loyalties as well. They view the Master, and the resistance which opposes him, as… on the same side?
That's a joke, Char thought to himself. The Master tried to kill me.
What? Eva said in surprise. What do you mean?
Never mind, Char replied quickly, backpedaling. I forgot you were listening to my thoughts for a moment. But I don't get it. How could they think we're on the same side as the Master? Doesn't that defeat the point of calling ourselves, you know, the 'resistance'? That's ridiculous.
Feelings often are irrational and ridiculous, Eva said amusedly. There's nothing unusual about that. But the trick is to find the root cause of those feelings. Carry on the conversation for a bit more, and I'll have that answer for you.
"Croagunk, I believe we offer these kids an apology of our own," Seviper said. "They took the time out of their busy lives to come down and make amends with us, and we stomped on them. Perhaps they're merely looking for some respect as well."
"Well, they wouldn't have their godforsaken lives left if we hadn't pulled them out of the snow!" Croagunk shouted, stomping around and punching the air in anger. "How's that for showing respect? We don't need to show them any more than that."
"But as I said just moments ago, plain as the day, we only did that to get into the base. We meant them no respect by that. They have every right to feel threatened by us, because we've given them no reason not to."
Interrupt them, Eva instructed to Char, sounding urgent. Remember to sound as honest as you can, and say this:
Char swallowed hard; this next line took a measure of courage. But he stepped up and he shouted just what Eva wanted him to shout:
"Hey, guys. Maybe we could… start this all over?" Char called to the poisonous team, faking humility as best as he could. "Look, maybe it's because the first job request we ever took in this place was to get into your hideout. It was our job to be your enemies and that got us off on the wrong foot. Let's forget that ever happened, alright? We can start over."
"Oh? Now you want to be friends?" Croagunk spat, laughing bitterly. "Hate to break it to you, but I don't think we have the stomach for that."
"Maybe not friends," Saura said, stepping up beside Char. "But we could be allies. After all, we're in the same base, fighting on the same side, right? You said you were fighting someone that works for the Master. That's good enough for us."
Croagunk paused, as though he was genuinely surprised Char had actually listened to something he'd said. Seviper smiled, but not evilly.
Got it! Eva called down in triumph. That's precisely what's going on. Char, you and Team X have a common enemy: a Pokémon named Enigma. That's all they care about. They want to destroy a Pokémon named Enigma who is on the Master's side. Their so-called fidelity to the Master doesn't mean anything. Perhaps it is misguided, but their service to the Master has no bearing upon their actions. They mean you no harm, and they have no intention of infiltrating this base. They just want the Division's support in opposing Enigma. That's all. There are no deeper motives. They hate Enigma with the same passion that most of the resistance hates the Master.
Char blinked, processing this information.
"That's exactly what they've been saying all along," Saura hissed quietly in disbelief. "They were telling the truth."
There you have it, Eva said, proud of herself. My verdict is that they're trustworthy. That's your answer.
Char couldn't believe himself.
Perhaps he had wanted Team X to be villains all along. Perhaps it was just easier to believe.
But they weren't villains; not really. They were just fighting their own war, and they needed help.
Char and his team had always assumed they had been lying, but to prejudiced ears, the truth sounded too much like a lie.
Maybe the minds of other Pokémon were more complex than he gave them credit for.
Char had his answer. He could go about his everyday life without worrying that the poisonous team was plotting to destroy them. He could let them mind their own business. They were harmless.
"Alright, alright," Croagunk said reluctantly, but with a hint of amusement. "Okay, good idea. Let's start all over. Hi, I'm Croagunk, and this is Seviper. We're Team X. N—nice to meet you."
Char obliged. It was the least he could do. "I'm Char, this is Saura, and Ray the Raichu is somewhere else. We're Team Ember."
"The pleasure is ours, I'm sure," Seviper said half-ironically. "Now, with that out of the way, we're about to start some training, so we'd be thrilled if you'd clear out. Alright?"
"Training? Down here?" Saura said oddly. "Next to the freezers? You know, there's a dojo upstairs."
"We know about the dojo; we just enjoy training in private," Seviper said. "Until they start preparing dinner, this room is no thoroughfare."
"Fair enough," Char said, trying to escape from the awkward confrontation as fast as he could. "Alright, see you around."
He turned to flee. Saura followed.
"Hey, Peanuts!"
Char cringed. Against his better judgment, he answered to the call, facing the Croagunk once more.
"So is this it?" the frog shouted. "We just gonna go about each other's business and not meet up anymore?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," Char replied. "Don't see why not."
"Well, for one, I think that'd be a real shame," Croagunk replied, nodding to his partner. "You aren't half bad a team, you know that? You went through Temporal Tower and lived to tell the tale. That's not something we can croak at."
Char felt confused. It took him a moment to realize that the Croagunk had actually given him a compliment.
With a subtle swagger, the frog approached the Charmander. "It seems to me, a promising team such as your own would be needing some rivals," he said.
"Rivals?" Saura squeaked.
"Yeah," Croagunk said, smirking. "Not enemies, just someone to… y'know, keep you on your toes? Help you get stronger? Competition breeds character and all. And if you want to know a secret, we feel a bit lonely here. We could use some friendly rivalry our own, 'cause… well, we aren't the best team in the world either. No shame in saying it."
Char didn't know what to say. Croagunk was actually showing humility.
He's not faking it, is he? Char called up to Eva.
Not in the slightest, Eva replied with a hint of laughter in her telepathic voice. Want to know what's on his mind right now? "Rivals: friends who do their best not to act like friends."
Saura nearly cracked up, and Char knew he had heard Eva's reply.
"Deal," Char said, resisting the urge to shake hands after he remembered it wasn't Pokémon tradition. "Rivals."
"Heh, heh!" Croagunk chuckled, looking pleased and giving Char a teasing punch in the side of his head. "Better start watching your back."
"You, too!" Char shouted back, deciding to join in the fun. "See you around!"
"Yeah, you can count on it," Croagunk said, "Next time you're – oh! Boss! There you are!"
Croagunk looked surprised at something above Char's head.
Char spun around and was nearly horrified to find a large ghost Pokémon looming over him. It had a large, black, zig-zagging body, two massive hands, a single red eye, and a strange metallic helmet.
"Waaah!" Saura yelped, jumping backwards from the intimidating Pokémon.
"Boo," the ghost said ironically. "Good evening, Char and Saura. I'm Dusknoir, leader of Team X. I was overseer of your rescue operation from Zerferia. It is good to see that you're finally awake."
"Wait, you have a boss?" Char said almost reflexively, the thought having never crossed his mind that Team X had more than two members.
"Well, uh, yeah, you think we'd be a team without a boss?" Croagunk said oddly. "I'd like to know how that would work."
Still trying to overcome his surprise at the large figure of the Ghost Pokémon, Char watched as the Dusknoir produced an object from inside his own body.
It was a small, round object with a circle on the front. Half was white, the other half was pink and purple.
Char's breath caught in his throat.
No.
That can't be. That can't be what I think it is. …Can it?
Before Char could say anything, the Dusknoir pitched the object across the room. The Croagunk, who had already backed up to the far wall, skillfully caught it.
"WAIT!" Char cried, panicking. "What… what is that, exactly?"
"Heh heh heh, only the most valuable object in all of Ambera," Croagunk bragged, tossing the ball from one hand to the other and judging its weight. "Master Ball. It's a human Poké Ball, but it can imprison any Pokémon you throw it at – on the first try."
"Can I see it?" Char nearly squeaked, feeling his memories and anticipations circling through his head like a whirlwind.
"Sure," Croagunk said. "Catch."
Croagunk hurled the ball at Char's face, a masterful pitch. Acting on instinct, Char reached up and caught it.
"Nice catch," Saura commented flatly. "Nice throw, too."
"Yeaah, years of practice," Croagunk said. "Careful with that thing. Just don't arm it. You'll capture yourself. That kind of thing's happened before, by the way. It's not pretty."
Char turned the small, spherical object over and over in his hands, admiring its beauty. He traced a claw over the tiny button on the front, over the strange pink bulges on the top, and over the letter "M" – an Unown letter – imprinted between them.
"How did you get this?" Saura gasped in awe, marveling at the alien object with eyes wider than they were when he saw Dialga.
"Long story," Dusknoir said. "This ball used to belong to a Pokémon. We had it reset; we can use it again."
"Humans are greedy with their Poké Balls," Seviper explained. "They designed the things to only be used once, even if they failed to catch a Pokémon. If they caught one, it would imprint with the Pokémon's DNA so the ball would be forever attached to just one Pokémon. See? That's so you'd have to buy more and more and more, and the greedy humans would get money. But with some technical knowhow, you can take off the DNA imprint after the Pokémon is released, and it can be used again."
I can't believe I'm holding this! Char thought to himself. What if…
What if this is the ball that I saw in my dream?
"How does it work?" Saura wondered. "How do Pokémon fit in there?"
"No one knoooows!" Dusknoir said spookily. "It's a human secret how it actually contains Pokémon. We'll probably never figure it out. But it has something to do with the material it's made out of. If you want to open it, gently tap that button," the ghost instructed. "Don't hold it down; that'll arm it for capture. Just tap it."
Char did so, clicking down the button on the front of the ball and releasing it again. There was a delay of about three seconds, and with a tiny ping sound, the ball snapped open.
Inside the ball, it seemed there was a hexagonal network of mirrors all meant to reflect light at one another. Char wondered if Pokémon were actually converted into light energy and endlessly reflected off the mirrors.
"That delay is because some humans like it when they toss the ball and the Pokémon bursts out in midair," Seviper said. "For showmanship, I suppose."
"Alright, you've had your turn," Croagunk said, reaching for the ball. "Give it back. I have some pitching to practice. We're going to use this to catch Enigma, and we only got one shot, so we've gotta practice."
Char barely heard anything they were saying. He stared at the ball, caressing it with his fingertips, as one singular thought took hold of him:
This isn't it.
I'm sure of it. This isn't the ball I saw in my dreams!
No… it looks different. The one Dialga and Palkia were holding… It has a different design.
This isn't the same Poké Ball.
And Dialga is still captured somewhere, obviously not in this one…
Could it be…?
Could there really be more than one Poké Ball in Ambera?
Author's note:
Welcome back! I would like to thank everybody for their understanding in my absence. I really needed that break! Unlike the forced break I took in the middle of the Temporal Tower expedition, this one was actually refreshing.
I have a few notes for returning readers.
One: As of the revision, I have divided up the existing part of the story into three "seasons," previously called "parts." The seasons are named "Gold," "Emerald," and "Temporal." This chapter begins the new Season IV. Three down, three to go!
Two: I have changed the name of "evolution stones" because they were getting confused with the game items used to evoke evolution, like fire stones. As of the revision, they are now called "feral-shards." If you're curious as to why they have that new name, don't worry; it'll be mentioned again very soon.
Three: Document 58, previously "The Inevitable Author's Note," has been updated with actual content, so go check that out if you're interested. Try to read it in the mindset of foreshadowing the climax of the previous season, because that's what I tried to make it feel like.
Four: I answer a lot of reviews you guys post, especially if you're asking me questions. So if you want an actual answer to your questions, be sure to log in rather than posting an anonymous review.
Finally: As of this writing, the revision is not yet complete. I will continue to work on it between new chapters. By the time the revision catches up to this chapter, I will have probably found errors to fix anyway.
The following season is one I have been looking forward to writing for over two years. I'm really excited, so I hope this will mark the beginning of frequent, steady updates again.
Glad to be back! See you next update.