Chapter 52
Char watched Dusknoir and Croagunk play catch with the Master Ball for a few minutes, impressed at how masterfully the poisonous frog could launch the thing across the room. The priceless ball always flew straight and swift like a missile beneath the low ceiling, landing safely in Dusknoir's large hands. It was obvious that Croagunk had been practicing for a long time, and Char wondered why he even bothered to keep training; it seemed, at least to him, that the Croagunk was already the best there ever was at handling a Poké Ball. But he supposed, if he only had one shot at capturing this "Enigma," he needed to keep himself from growing rusty at the skill until the day came when he'd need to make that one perfect throw.
After a few minutes, Char got bored, exchanged a gesture of acknowledgement with his new rivals, and returned to his room with his friends. He and his team still had lots of relaxing left on the day's agenda, and now they could rest even more peacefully knowing that the Gold Division base had probably not been breached by a true enemy.
… … …
Char rested between his two wonderful fires and sighed contently. He knew it was late in the afternoon; there was still plenty of time to slack off and enjoy the peace of the moment. Tomorrow, although there was no mission that needed to be run, he knew there was much to be done: he had to read the news, collect the new job listings, find out what risk level the base was at, look through whatever supplies were left in the closet that weren't lost on the Temporal Tower mission… but that was all for tomorrow. Today, he would rest.
"Urk…"
A small, pained noise escaped from the Bulbasaur's throat. Saura was pawing at his forehead, cringing.
"Saura, are you alright?" Char asked with concern.
Saura shook his head. "Ah, it's nothing," he muttered. "My head feels a little strange."
Oh… Char realized, his heart dropping. It's been so long, I almost forgot that Saura was hurt by a Watcher… Ahh, this felt so much like our old times together that I forgot that something had changed.
"Oh… your headaches aren't coming back, are they?" Char asked worriedly.
"Ahh, I'll be fine," Saura reaffirmed, shrugging.
"Maybe we can get Eva to try helping you," Ray suggested. "She has to be able to do something to help. Maybe just kill the pain again like Gardevoir did."
"Nah, I don't think I'm ready to let her into my mind again," Saura said frankly. "Besides, Gardevoir said he couldn't help me, and he was good at being psychic. Eva's not a good psychic, so what do you think she could do? I'm just going to… have to live with it. Uhn…"
Saura cringed again, rubbing his forehead against the rim of his bedding. Char pitied him; he knew what getting touched by one of the wayward newborns felt like, and though he had the great fortune of being revived from the curse, he could still vividly remember the sickening feeling and the bad dreams it had given him. He didn't want to believe that Saura would be stuck with those for the rest of his life.
He wondered if evolution would do anything to help Saura someday. Until then, perhaps he would just need to learn to cope with the pain. Maybe.
Are you doing alright, Eva? Char called, sending his thoughts to the newest resident of his hall.
I am comfortable, Eva reported from the room she occupied. Thank you. I am indebted to you for letting me stay here. I promise not to be a bother; I'll stay out of your way and fend for myself when I need to go about the base. But thank you. If you need anything, I'll be available for –
He felt a sudden questioning thought come from the Espeon.
There's something bothering you? she called. What is it?
Hey, you promised not to read our minds, Char said half-bitterly, suddenly feeling paranoid of her.
I'm not reading your minds, Eva replied calmly. Hence, I asked "What is it?" to you, instead of learning for myself. I will not break my promise. But realize, you send feelings to me with your words.
Char calmed his heart, and scorning himself for being still too quick to judge his new ally. He knew he would need to get used to giving her the benefit of the doubt.
It's Saura, he told her. Saura got caught by a Watcher on the trip, and now he has nightmares that give him headaches.
Oh, I didn't realize, Eva replied, sounding genuinely surprised. It's not as bad as Scythe, I hope? What are the symptoms?
He has a recurring nightmare about his family, Char explained to the Espeon. He keeps seeing them getting captured by the Master over and over again. It happens whenever he thinks of them. I – I'll try to convince him to let you look at him.
Watcher curses are strange beasts, Eva replied with some sadness. Though as bad as they are, any Pokémon who escapes the Watchers with their life is fortunate, as they have been known to harm their victims in many ways worse than twisting the mind. I… confess, it might not be within my power to help him, but if he will let me examine him, I will do what I can. Regardless, please keep me informed. It would be a shame to see it worsen –
Char felt a pang of surprise from the psychic Pokémon.
I think there's someone knocking on your door, she reported. I can't tell who it is; their mind is strange. It could be a dark-type.
"Someone's at the door?" Char said to his teammates. "Eva says there's someone at the door."
"SQUAAAAAAAAK!"
A very loud bird-call resounded through the team's chamber, almost startling Char enough to make him fall off his bed.
"Wait, that could be the mail-bird," Ray considered. "Sounds kind of impatient, though."
"I thought they don't usually come around this time," Saura said. "Only in the middle of night and in the morning. Unless there's something urgent."
"SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"
"Sounds like something might be urgent," Ray said, jumping out of his bed.
"Alright, alright, we're coming!" Char groaned, dropping onto the floor and hurrying to the foyer. He sent a thought towards the Espeon: Eva, please tell them we're coming to the door! We'll be right there!
Char scampered through his team's hall, trying to imagine who could be bothering him at this time of day. He knew he was a popular Charmander among the base, at least by association with Team Remorse, but he didn't actually expect anyone to require his team's services, or to need to speak with him on a professional basis like Alakazam had. He knew his team wasn't ready for that, and he hoped whoever was screeching at his door understood this fact.
Nevertheless, he knew he needed to start acting like a team leader, and he resolved to act as professional as possible to whomever was calling upon him.
Char unlocked the door and slid it aside into the wall.
He was greeted by the sight of a single Pidgey. It had no mail to deliver and no companions. Char figured it was a messenger bird and was sent to give them news. However, it stared at Char for a moment, expectantly, making Char wonder if he was supposed to speak first.
"Hello," Char said to the bird. "Did you need something?"
The bird hopped in place for a moment as though trying to peer past Char and his teammates. Finally, it spoke.
"This is your room?"
"Yeah?" Char replied. "If you're looking for Team Ember, that's us, and this is our room. Why? What is it?"
The Pidgey hesitated for another moment, an unreadable expression in its eyes that might have been amusement. Instead of answering Char's question, it leaped, fluttered over Char's head, and landed upon the carpet in the middle of the room.
What the…? Char wondered. Is it an inspector? Is it looking for something? It's not going to find my fireplaces, is it?
The bird glanced around at the many doors and furnishings adorning the spacious main hall. Then, it hopped into one of the bedrooms and didn't come back out.
Char and his friends were stunned in surprise for a moment, leaving their front door wide open. Char didn't know the proper way to deal with this visitor. Would it be impolite to disturb him? Should he throw him out?
"Guys…" Ray uttered, having a moment of clarity. "Guys, I think… I think that was Otto."
Otto? The name sounded familiar, but it took Char a moment for the recognition to set in.
Otto. Their fourth team member. The little Pidgey they had sent to civility-school before they had left for the expedition. Char had, embarrassingly, forgotten all about him until now.
"Buh—what, wait, no!" Char rambled. "Are you sure? Otto isn't—he isn't that big! And his voice isn't like that! That can't be him!"
But even as Char listened to himself speak, he already knew it was probably true. Otto, that little Pidgey that had once been a wild, unintelligent bird… that little cute bird that Char had grown attached to at first sight, and insisted on keeping… what had become of him? He had grown in size and stature, and he had obviously matured. But how had school treated him? What was it like? What kind of a Pokémon was Otto?
Char felt an icy nervousness in his belly as he realized that it was time to find out. It was time to welcome his fourth member onto the team.
The three Pokémon eagerly burst into the room Otto had disappeared into – he had not closed his door – and began showering him with shouts of welcome and congratulation. However, they fell silent when Otto returned a look of annoyance and confusion.
"Did I choose a bad room?" Otto questioned, turning to Char.
"Uh… um…" Char tried to say. "No, this one's fine. But… wow! Otto! Is that really you? It's been so long! How are you?"
"I am tired, and I would like to rest," Otto said plainly, but not bitterly.
Char shared a confused glance with his teammates, quickly feeling his throat clench with awkwardness and hesitation. Saura gave a nod as though to say, "Let me try."
"Uh... Otto, if you want, we can push this nest into the team leader's room with the rest of us," Saura offered warmly. "It's a big room, there's enough room for all of us in there. We like to talk about things at night, like missions and things. We're not a mean team. We aren't strict or anything. We're just friends, really! You can be our friend if you want. We don't bite."
Otto blinked as though not understanding. "Is that a team requirement?"
"Not really," Saura replied oddly, not expecting this response. "I mean, Char never ordered us to stay in his room… we all chose to go there on our own, and he let us."
"I prefer to stay here," Otto said. "I don't like to be kept awake at night. I prefer to be briefed at the team meeting. When is the team meeting held?"
That's when the sad realization struck Char.
He's –
He's still partially feral.
He doesn't understand things. His responses are all simple-minded. He… he might not be all that intelligent.
Char's heart sank, the icy rush of excitement in his chest melting away. Wonder and awe turned to disappointment and dread as he began asking himself how he was going to cope with having a half-feral on the team. What would he do? Would the little bird be able to come on missions? Could he at least fight? He began to regret his impulsive decision to let Otto join the team…
"Um, we usually hold the team meeting right about now!" Ray blurted, speaking up with great cheer. "Just before bedtime. In fact, we can hold it early today so you can get to sleep, Otto! And we can have it right here!"
Otto nodded. "Yes, very well," he replied. "Please show me how a team meeting is held."
Otto glanced at Char, the Pidgey's eyes sparkling in the firelight. Char realized that he needed to begin this impromptu meeting himself. He was the leader, after all. This was his job.
But he'd never held an actual, formal meeting before. He needed to think of something to satisfy the little guy's expectations, and he needed to think fast.
Mustering his pride and confidence, Char stood tall and cleared his throat.
"Fine. We can begin the team meeting," Char spoke, trying to emulate Scythe's style of addressing his teammates. "Since this is a very special occasion, having a new team member and all, let's go around and introduce ourselves! I'm Char, leader of Team Ember. I have trained under Team Remorse and Team Flamewheel. I… I am famous for having the Call. That's supposed to be a secret, but the whole team knows, so you get to know too."
Shifting in awkwardness, Char turned to Saura, motioning for him to speak next.
"I'm Saura, I trained under Team Remorse, too," Saura said. "And I also have the Call. And that's an even bigger secret than Char's, so make sure not to tell anyone about that, alright? Anyway, I joined the resistance earlier this year with Char when the Master tried to kidnap me. I – "
Saura grit his teeth. Char knew he was fighting the headache. He seemed to prevail after a few moments and continued speaking.
"Well, Scythe saved us both and brought us here, and he trained us to explore dungeons. We've been on a lot of missions and we've had many victories. So we're doing well, I think. On this team, I guess I'm the 'idea guy,' I think. Sometimes I see little things that my teammates don't see, so I use that to help them out. Char runs most of his ideas by me to make sure they make sense, and we try to agree on things."
"Good," Char said, motioning his arm the way Scythe would always motion his blades. "Ray? Your turn."
"Hi, little guy," Ray said cheerfully. "I'm Raikouun. But you can call me 'Ray,' since it's easier. Everyone does that. And I'm the odd one out on this team; unlike my friends, I don't have the Call. I guess I finally have some company now? Hah, hah! Anyway, hmm. I've trained under Team Stripes and Team Remorse. I've been here for a long time, really. Few years. How many years? Ah, I always forget; I'd have to check the calendar. The years just seem to blur by."
The little Pidgey showed no emotional reaction, but that didn't faze Ray.
"Anyway. I'm this team's official bag-carrier and equipment expert," Ray continued. "Nice to meet you! I'm also here to keep everyone motivated. I usually wake everyone up in the morning and speak the official team motto."
Ray smiled, but the Pidgey didn't. Not that it was surprising just because Otto was a Pidgey; Char had seen birds smile before, or at least display a lightened expression with their eyes, their cheeks, and their posture. But Otto showed none of these traits as he patiently and stoically waited for his teammates to stop talking.
"Now it is your turn, Otto!" Char spoke to his new team member in a hopeful tone. "Tell us about yourself!"
Char, Ray, and Saura eagerly awaited the bird's reply. The bird blinked.
"I'm Otto," it replied.
It paused, as though to think for a moment.
"I am of species Pidgey. I was discovered in the Wanderer's Meadow by Char of Team Ember as a wild, and trained by Syr and Karow of Team Silverwing for sixty-eight days. I have been extensively trained in reconnaissance missions, exploration missions, assault missions, patrol missions, and survival procedures. I have been trained in outdoor environments, including forests, badlands, and civilizations, as well as indoor environments and caves. I am adept against both land-based and flying opponents. As of my last examination, my attack power is one hundred eighty-six, my defense power is one hundred thirty, my agility is two hundred ten. I have twenty / six vision. My weight is approximately two pounds; I can carry up to one third of my weight. I can fly at eighty kilometers per hour and can remain in the air for one hundred fifty-five minutes without resting if flying distance, sixty-one minutes if battling or laden. My intelligence quotient was unable to be measured, but is estimated as eleven-and-a-half stars. My mission record is forty-four successful, three failed."
When Otto finished speaking, Char's mouth was hanging open. He didn't look, but he figured that his friends were just as speechless as he was.
Well, so much for the idea that he's not smart… or combat-capable, Char told himself.
"Wow, that's pretty great!" Ray cheered to him, breaking the intensely awkward pause in the team meeting. "Ha-ha, wow! I can't wait to go on a mission with you! You sound like a very strong addition to our team!"
Otto tilted his head, not seeming to know how to respond to the compliment. After a moment, he nodded as though to agree with Ray.
"Ah, you know you don't have to be so official with us," Saura tried to tell the Pidgey. "Like I said, we're just friends here. We're not really in this for the resistance, even! We're in this for each other. In fact, if Char wanted us to do something that went against the Gold Division's rules, we'd probably go along with it! That's how close we are."
"Of course you would," Otto replied plainly, scratching himself under his wing as he spoke. "Those are the Division's rules."
"Huh?" Saura responded, confused.
"Rule six, clause twenty-two of the Gold Division codex states: should a team leader issue a command which conflicts, directly or indirectly, with the laws of the Gold Division, the subordinate members of the team are under no obligation to disobey the order; the consequences of disobedience will fall upon the leader who issued the order, not the subordinate who carried out the order, as long as there is a witness who verifies the order was given," Otto recited. "So we must obey Char's orders even if they might contradict with Command's. I expected you might test me on Division law."
The bird hesitated for a moment, appearing confused. "May we continue with the meeting? What is the first item on the agenda?"
Char bit his tongue. He was feeling very uneasy now.
"Excuse me… Team Ember?" a voice spoke from the doorway of Otto's room, frightening Char. He turned to find an Espeon standing just outside the room, motioning for his attention.
"I need to discuss something with you; it's urgent," Eva said, sounding anxious as she peered over her shoulder for a moment. "Come quickly."
Char nodded. Secretly relieved at the interruption to the mock "meeting," Char turned to Otto. "We'll finish this later," he told the little bird. "You can rest now. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"Yeah! Sleep well!" Ray said.
Otto tilted his head. "Shouldn't I come as well? I am Team Ember as well," he said.
"Oh, no, don't worry about it!" Ray insisted, betraying some awkwardness. "You're tired. Go ahead and rest, just like Char ordered!"
Otto nodded in understanding. "Very well," he said turning around and snuggling up against the side of his bed-nest. "Please try not to be noisy."
Char left the little bird to sleep, filing out of the room alongside his friends. He followed Eva across the hallway, stopping just short of the master bedroom. Once they were far out of Otto's earshot, Eva's expression soon changed, dropping the appearance of urgency from her face and her posture.
"What was going on in there?!" Eva whispered, sounding surprised and concerned. "Ray called me over with his mind and asked me to come rescue you from the meeting. What happened?"
"It's Otto," Ray told her, fretting nervously. Char was surprised to see him acting this way; it seemed very unlike himself. "He's… ah, I don't mean to sound mean! Really, I don't. But he's weird. He talks weird, and I don't know what to say! He doesn't respond to anything."
"He seems to know a lot, but he talks like a robot!" Saura added.
"Yeah, I know he used to be wild and all, so I knew he would be a little different than other Pokémon," Ray said. "But I was hoping we'd at least be able to make a connection with him. But I don't know how."
Eva twitched her tail, looking thoughtful. "You say he was wild?" She spoke softly. "This is a common problem with wilds. When a wild is impressed, its prior memories fade into an indistinct blur. So when it opens its eyes to intelligence, it has no childhood, no knowledge, as a point of reference for its life. So a wild will tend to act strange until it learns how to adapt to civilized society."
"Oh, so this is normal?" Char said with relief. "That's good to hear. Is there a way to fix it?"
"Of course," Eva said. "Simply send it to civility-training and feed it a regiment of gummis for a few weeks. If the teachers know what they're doing, they will have its mind opened to the idea of civilized society very quickly."
"Uh, we already did that," Saura said. "Otto just got out of school. It was expensive, too. We're all broke."
Eva twitched in surprise. "How long was it schooled?" she inquired.
"Since before we left on our trip," Char said. "That should have been enough time, right?"
Eva began pacing to the opposite wall, looking down at the floor in contemplation. "I see," she muttered. "Yes, this is unusual. I do not quite understand why it would not have learned manners by now. But you say it shows intelligence?"
"Maybe he's too intelligent," Saura said ironically. "He says his I.Q. is eleven-and-a-half stars. And the star scale only goes to ten!"
"The star scale is not perfect," Eva said, shrugging. "Scythe's I.Q. was, I believe, the same when it was measured: eleven-and-a-half. Alakazam's I.Q. was estimated to be twenty-five stars. Hmm. Did Otto show any sign of disloyalty?"
"Not in the least," Char replied. "In fact he seemed so dedicated to the thought of being a soldier for our team that I couldn't even tell what his personality was like underneath."
Eva shrugged again. "It seems like you have gotten to a good start," she said, sounding much less concerned. "Your new teammate is loyal and intelligent; I see nothing wrong with that. Do you want my advice? Just take him out on missions, have him fight at your side, and develop an idea of his abilities. Develop kinship with him. Once he begins to develop kinship with you, he's bound to open up to you. Until then, you might need to accept that he won't respond in conversations the same way other Pokémon would."
Char peered over at the door to Otto's room, remembering the meeting he had just held and the way Otto had acted. The little bird had only seemed interested in the facts and the important information; he seemed oblivious to their feelings of happiness and excitement.
Maybe Eva's right, he considered. Otto just caught us off-guard. Maybe next time, I'll try to get used to the way he acts. I'll try. Maybe I should go and apologize to him right now…
Ray noticed Char's gaze. "Probably not a good idea to wake him up again," he warned. "Especially since he asked us not to. Let's try again tomorrow."
"Right," Char said with a sigh. "Alright, let's sleep. Thank you again, Eva, for helping us."
"It is what I am here for," she said with a reverent bow. "It is the least I can do for your kindness."
"Are you sure you don't want to join our team?" Ray blurted. "I think you'd be a natural."
"Well, I cannot say for certain that I would not want to join your team," Eva said as she walked back toward the doorway to her room. "But I have not battled paw-to-paw in a while; I couldn't guarantee I'd be useful in your missions. Let us save that question for another day, alright?"
At that, Eva returned to her room, and Team Ember returned to theirs.
"She might still be conning us, you know," Saura hissed to Char. "I wouldn't trust her just yet."
"I don't know why she would be conning us," Char replied. "I thought about that, but I figured: she already told us she's a professional liar, and we're freely giving her food and shelter, which was all she ever wanted from Scythe. So I don't think she has anything to gain by lying to us."
"Not now, maybe," Saura said. "But later, something could always come up. She could turn on us if she really wanted to. She's got enough of your trust to do it. Don't forget Scythe's final lesson: no blind trust."
"I know," Char replied quietly. "We'll just keep an eye on her."
As Char climbed back into his bed, he considered Saura's words. Yes, it was possible Eva could con them. But it was also possible she was another "loyal and intelligent" ally with a unique talent that could soon become useful to their growing team. As team leader, he knew that both possibilities needed to be weighed as evidence presented itself.
But that, too, was a question he'd save for another day.
… … …
The following day began when a voice pierced through Char's dreams.
"The fire will never die!"
Ray's wake-up call filled him with energy, just like it always had in the old days. He jumped to his feet, proudly proclaiming his answer as his voice joined with Saura's…
"Until the last ember fades!"
Char stretched his limbs and smiled brightly. He had forgotten all about this old life of his, and he was excited to return to it.
"Good!" Ray said. "No slacking today. We've been an exploration team for too long. Today's the day we've gotta learn how to be a resistance team again."
Char wiped the gunk from his eyes as he staggered out of his bed.
"Alright," he sighed, wandering towards the door of the room. "That's enough rest. We need to figure out what needs to be done today, I guess."
Char opened the door, intending to start the day by glancing through the contents of the storage room and seeing if there was anything left he could possibly sell to replace all the equipment they had lost on the big mission. But when he did, he was surprised to see the little brown bird standing just outside of his door, waiting expectantly for him.
"Ahh! Oh, Otto, you scared me," Char told the bird as it fluttered out of his way. "Good morning… How long have you been awake?"
"One hour, fifty-six minutes," the bird replied. "I wondered if you were testing my patience, and I hoped to pass."
Char squinted at the Pidgey. It had obviously rested well, as it seemed to hop around the floor with much more energy than it had the previous night. Char also thought it might have been smiling at him.
"No, I wasn't testing you," Char admitted to the bird, trying to say the right words and act kindly. "You give me too much credit! We were just sleeping in, really."
"Oh," the bird chirped, hopping in place with acknowledgement. "What is there to do today, Char? Should we finish the meeting from last night?"
Char froze in awkwardness again. He peered back into his bedroom, where his two friends were giving him odd looks.
"Uh… hold on a moment, Otto," Char said. "S-stay there. We'll be right out."
Char waited for a word or even a motion of acknowledgement, but Otto gave him nothing. Char swallowed hard and returned into his room, shutting his door behind him.
"What are we going to do with him?!" Char cried quietly to his friends. "What should we say?"
"Well, we should try just treating him like a team member, for starters," Saura suggested. "Like what Eva said. Let's just bring him along and see how he acts."
Char fretted nervously with his claws, thinking about it. "I guess, but… I don't know. I don't think I could bring myself to treat him like an equal so soon," he whispered. "I mean, the three of us are all equals. We understand one another. We don't hide any secrets, we all know about the Call, and about me being human, and about Scythe and everything. Otto doesn't. How can we get him to understand that's what our team is like? We're not soldiers. We don't function like Team Silverwing does!"
"Char…" Ray said calmly, looking into the Charmander's eyes, "Maybe you should talk to him. Just you."
"Me…?" Char echoed, gulping hard.
"You were the one that impressed him in the first place," Ray said. "According to his instincts, you're his true master. So maybe you should just go out there and… have a conversation with him by yourself, without us distracting you."
"You're not just trying to get rid of me, are you?" Char said with a nervous chuckle. "Are you scared of him, too?"
"Hah! Char, how well do you know me?" Ray said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm not Croagunk, you know. And yeah, I'm scared of Otto too, a little. But I honestly think it'd be the best way to break through his defenses, if he had a heart-to-heart with you. Honest!"
Char looked at the closed door behind him, biting his tongue.
"If you need us to rescue you, just knock on the door," Ray said reassuringly. "We'll come right out."
"You know… he really respects you, Char," Saura added. "That much I could tell by the way he acted last night. How bad can he really be?"
"Alright," Char decided, bowing his head and putting a claw on the door. "I'll try. Wish me luck, guys."
… … …
The door shut behind Char. In front of him, the little Pidgey stood attentively and expectantly.
Char took a deep breath. He could feel his inner fire flickering like crazy, churning with emotions of awkwardness and hesitance.
"Hello," he said gently to the Pidgey.
Char waited a moment, but Otto did not respond.
"You know, when a Pokémon tells you 'hello,' you're supposed to say 'hello' back," Char said. "So they know you're paying attention."
"You can't tell I'm paying attention?" Otto chirped oddly with a voice that was a few tones lower and stronger than it had been when Char sent him to school for the first time.
Char clenched one fist, but resisted the urge to knock on the door and summon his friends. Instead, he found the courage to reply.
"Not necessarily," Char told the Pidgey. "Sometimes, Pokémon can get… lost in thought. They might be staring straight at you, but not listening to anything you say. So no, you can't always tell if someone's paying attention just by looking."
"I understand," Otto said, giving a small bow of admission. "Hello."
He listened to me! Char said, feeling a spark of hope in his heart. That makes me feel a small bit more comfortable. Maybe Ray was right about Otto…
"How are you today?" Char tried. "Did you sleep well?"
"I am healthy and well; I have no ailments," Otto reported. "My weariness is gone. I am ready to assist with the day's mission."
"We aren't going on a mission today, Otto," Char told the Pidgey. "See, we just got back from a very long trip, and Alakazam gave us one full day to prepare for our next mission. And today is that day."
Otto seemed to understand. "No mission. What is the day's agenda?" he asked plainly.
Char sighed, clenching his fist tighter this time. The temptation to bail from the interview was strong, but he remembered that he just needed to give Otto a chance. Renewing his composure, he answered the bird's question.
"We have a few things to do today; we need to read the news, look at job opportunities, and go shopping for items, to name a few things," Char replied. "But I didn't want to talk to you about the day's agenda, Otto. I wanted to talk about something else. I wanted to talk to you about… about this team."
"I understand; you need to explain to the rules of Team Ember," Otto said. "Your team's rules do not seem to resemble those of Team Silverwing. What are your team's rules?"
Char struggled to choose his words very carefully.
"We don't have rules on this team," Char tried to say, sitting down on the floor to level his eyes with the Pidgey's. "At least, not in the way other teams have rules. Team Ember is a very… different kind of team than other teams in the Gold Division. See, we… we don't follow much of a process here. There are no strict rules and no fixed punishments for making mistakes. We are all equals here, so… it's not right for us to punish each other."
"Then who is your team leader?" Otto asked, sounding very confused. "I was told numerous times by many Pokémon that you are the leader of Team Ember."
"I am the leader," Char said, resisting the urge to raise his voice in exasperation. "But, the way we run this team, it is like… All of us are team leader. We are all equals. I'm only considered leader because they had to write someone down on the registration form."
Otto tilted his head, still plainly confused. "So you do not have the power to make a final decision? This power is split between the team? I do not understand how a team functions under the system."
"Well, yes. I still make the final decisions, so in a way, I'm still the leader, but…"
Char silenced himself, shaking his head vigorously. He breathed deeply and regained his composure, the little Pidgey's gaze never leaving him.
"I will try to explain this in a different way," Char said, making motions with his hands. "Do you know how some team leaders have partners? And usually they consort with their partners in private before consorting with the rest of the team? Like… like the partner is higher in rank than everyone else on the team? It's like… High Intelligence is. They are the leaders of the whole Division, but they are all the leaders, right? They are partners with one another."
"I understand," Otto replied. "Team Silverwing is led by Syr, and his partner is Karow."
"Team Ember is like that," Char said, hoping his meaning would be clear. "On this team, everyone is my partner. I am the leader, and both Saura and Ray are my partners. And… I want you to be my partner, too. See… this is why I had trouble holding a team meeting last night. Because I haven't held a meeting in a long time. Saura and Ray and I, we usually just… talk amongst one another, and usually we just kind of discuss everything and make decisions as a team. I don't usually dictate them."
"Everyone is your partner," Otto repeated, processing the meaning of the words.
Otto was silent for a moment, though he never took his eyes off of Char. Char held his breath.
"I understand how your team functions," Otto said kindly. "Is this why you wanted to move my nest into the other room? Is this for partnership?"
Char breathed a huge sigh of relief, almost accidentally releasing a fireball onto his new teammate. He smiled widely. "Yes, Otto. This is why."
"Then you may disregard what I said yesterday," Otto said. "If you feel it would help to conduct our team and become stronger, then you may move my nest into your room and we will converse about plans in the way you are used to."
A blaze of gladness was building inside of Char. He felt like giving the little bird a hug, though he didn't want to startle him.
"As a partner, may I make a criticism of our team, Char?" Otto addressed suddenly, his little call instantly reminding the Charmander of the days when his name was the only word he knew.
"Of course," Char said, standing back to his feet. "What is it? And by the way, don't ask for my permission to point out things that are wrong. Just say them, alright?"
"I understand," Otto replied, nodding. "There are great risks to the way you run Team Ember," the Pidgey said with surprising frankness and wisdom. "It is a strong and effective option for team structure. However, if this team grows beyond four, this option would be unreasonable. Personal communication would fail. You would need to write rules and conduct team meetings to direct a larger team. Therefore, ideally you should practice giving meetings before this team grows any larger, to acquire the skill."
Char was spellbound by the little bird's observation.
He's right, Char realized. If this team gets any bigger than it is now – especially since we have a potential fifth member already – we couldn't always rely on being personal like this. I'd need to step it up. Even Team Remorse was as close a team as they come, but they still held meetings every day…
"That is… an excellent and well-founded criticism, Otto," Char replied, feeling proud of his new friend. "Thank you for telling me. I will take your consideration to heart."
Otto gave a musical croon, as though proud of himself. He plucked a stray feather out from under his wing. "What is the first item on the agenda?" he asked again. "If you are not certain, we may discuss it as partners."
"Well, I think I already know what the first item on the agenda is," Char said with a laugh. "I'm very hungry. We're all going down to the cafeteria to have breakfast."
"I was told that teams on floor eight and above can request food to be delivered to their rooms," Otto said. "Do you not have food delivered to your room?"
Char winced. "We just got back from a very long and expensive mission, Otto, and we have little money left," he replied. "I doubt we have enough to order food."
"I was told the service was free," Otto said.
Char picked his words wisely once again. "Well, even then, it is not free; it may not cost Poké, but it costs something else: respect. If we requested food here, we may be looked down upon by the Division members. So we won't request food until we have proven our worth to the Division."
"I would not have looked down upon Team Ember for requesting food," Otto said. "But I understand the risk. Very well; let us go to the food room. I am also hungry."
Char couldn't have been prouder to knock on the door and summon his other friends. Saura admitted that they had listened to the whole exchange through the door.
At once, Char and his three companions began their journey downstairs as a unified team.
… … …
As expected, the mess hall was a mess. Two lines for breakfast went all the way out the door. Char and his team patiently took their places at the back of the line, which thankfully seemed to move fast.
Once Char was close enough to peer into the huge room, he wasn't surprised to see that it was filled wall-to-wall with the colorful creatures and that all of the tables were taken. Pokémon were not very tidy eaters, and many of the tables were left with scraps of food left behind as the teams took off to embark on the day's mission. Char glanced around the disastrous room with dread, reminded of why the elite teams chose not to attend the Division's free meals at all. He took a mental note to look into those free deliveries that Otto had mentioned.
Almost twenty minutes later, Char balanced two trays of food in his claws. One held a tray of biscuits and fruit salad for himself, and the other was a pile of plain seeds for Otto.
"Now we need to find somewhere to sit," Char said. "Otto, can you fly up to the ceiling and see if you can spot an open table?"
"Flying is not allowed in the food room," Otto said. "Do you still want me to follow the order?"
"N-no, that's fine," Char said suddenly, almost tripping over as a Pokémon bumped into his back on accident. "We'll find something. Just… just start looking around."
When Char made his way to the area with the tables, the floor was clearer and it became easier not to accidentally run into wandering Pokémon.
"Hey! That's…" Saura suddenly cried out, his vines wrapped around the corners of his tray. "Char, I must be seeing things again. I thought for sure there was someone here from the Emerald Division. Didn't Prince have a Weavile on his team?"
"Yeah, he did," Ray replied. "But we have a lot of Weavile here too. There's Team Dread. They only allow Weavile and Sneasel to be on their team."
"Oh," Saura said. "Yeah. I remember. Still… ever get the feeling that there's someone you know hidden in the crowd, but you just can't look at them fast enough to know for sure?"
"Hmm. Could be," Char replied indifferently. "C'mon, someone's gotta clear out sooner or later…"
"Team Ember! Hey! Team Ember!" Char heard a call rising above the clamor of voices in the room.
Char checked his nearby surroundings for the source of the voice. There was a team half a dozen tables away waving to him and trying to get his attention. He didn't recognize them.
"It's Team Carrier!" Ray said happily. "Looks like they've got a spot for us. C'mon, let's go."
As they took their places at the stony, rectangular table, Char recognized a Pokémon he'd seen around the base long ago: Zachel the Zangoose. Sitting at her side was a large Machoke, a Squirtle, and a Pikachu. All but the Zangoose seemed to be preoccupied by a mouthful of food; Zachel seemed bored with her tray and ate slowly.
"It's been a while," Zachel said, crossing her arms. "We were starting to think you weren't coming back. Where'd you go, by the way? We missed hearing all about your exploits in the news."
"Classified," Saura said with a mischievous smile. "Sorry! Alakazam's orders."
"Ahh," the Zangoose sighed disappointedly, looking down at her food. "That's a shame. Well, hopefully it went well."
"Well enough," Ray said, exaggerating relief. "Now that it's over, at least. It was a pretty tough mission. We're back, and we've got until tomorrow to find a new mission to take."
"Hey, hey. If you're going to take a mission, don't go north," the Squirtle warned suddenly. "There's problems up there."
"Right, you weren't here for that," Zachel spoke with a small shudder. "While you were gone, we had another lockdown. Black torches, everything."
"Whoa! What happened?!" Ray cried. "I'm glad I wasn't here for that. It wasn't Adiel again, was it?"
"Afraid so," Zachel said somberly. "Turned out that Adiel was around again. They say… they say he actually walked across the north-eastern back door to the base."
"And he had troops with him too," the Pikachu added. "Several Houndoom. Seekers. It's a good thing that the tunnel leading into the base is so long on that end. They could have smelled something."
The north-eastern entrance, Char thought. That's… that's the one on top of the Great Flatlands. That's the one Saura and I first came into the base by. That's so far out of the way of any roads… what was Adiel doing up there?!
"So yeah, keep that in mind when you pick a mission," Zachel said, skewering a berry with one of her long claws and casually examining it. "There haven't been any bans or anything this time, but some of the jobs got raised in rank, and I hear there are still troops around to the north. So if you want to play it safe, stay away."
"Right! Wow, that's scary!" Ray said. "Thanks for the warning! We still haven't read the news yet, so we didn't know about that."
Char turned his attention to his food. As always, he found that he didn't enjoy berries and bread all that much. Though they were nourishing, they were unsatisfying. Thanks to Prince, he knew now that he was a carnivore at heart, and the thought of exploring that part of his nature hung in the back of his mind, nagging him. But he knew he would have to put up with it for now; meat was expensive and rare in the Gold Division, and certainly not handed out for free on a regular basis. He would have to live with eating whatever was put in front of him.
Char turned to Otto, who hadn't even made a peep since taking a table. The little bird was pecking at the seeds, seemingly paying no attention to the conversation.
"Wow, hey, this is delicious," Saura said, swallowing a mouthful of berries. "What are these? These red things; I don't think I've ever seen these before."
"Uhm, razz-berries, I think!" the Squirtle said, examining what was on Saura's plate. "I hate those things. Too strong for me. I always pick them out of the fruit salad."
"I'll take them!" Saura laughed. "Heh, wow. I think I found a favorite new kind of berry. Char, you should try these!"
As the teams finished their breakfast, Team Carrier talked about some of the recent missions they had run, mostly just boring delivery missions that had, somehow, yielded some unexpected and rare items as rewards. Char resisted the urge to tell them all about his mission, but he knew it would be a very bad idea. Instead, he just listened to them ramble as he ate.
"Hey, I've always wondered something," Saura said to the other team once his plate was nearly empty. "Why are you guys called 'Team Carrier' anyway? What does the name mean?"
"Hah, hahah, well, let me tell you about that," Zachel said with raspy laughter, skewering another berry with her claws. "Team Carrier was one of the first teams. Twelfth on the record, existed long before the resistance split into the three divisions. We have a long, proud history of... carrying bags for other teams."
Char gave a chuckle of amusement. "Really, now?" he said.
"Yeah, we were the original training team," the Squirtle said. "The new trainees would all get thrown on Team Carrier and they'd get to carry the bags for all the Pokémon who had no arms or whatever. And they'd get to go into the dungeons and train with all the stronger teams."
"Of course, we don't do that anymore," Zachel said, eyeing the bright green berry on her claw. "Nowadays, we just—are—"
Zachel stopped in mid-sentence. Char glanced up at her, wondering what was the matter.
The Zangoose appeared to be stunned. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open; the berry fell off of her claw, rolling to end of the table and dropping to the floor. She was fixated intensely on something behind Char.
"Zachel! Oh, no… Zachel?" her Pikachu teammate called to her, noticing her expression.
"Is she okay? What's wrong?" Saura cried, looking worried.
Char turned his head to follow the Zangoose's gaze.
Several tables away from them, Char spotted Team X. They had just sat down and were beginning to devour their breakfast. They seemed content to talk with the other teams sitting at the same table, as though they were just a normal, everyday team like the rest of them.
Croagunk noticed the Charmander's gaze. The poisonous frog grinned evilly in return, taking a punctuated bite out of his biscuit. He then tapped his teammate to get his attention, and pointed Char out to him.
The Seviper gave an indifferent nod of acknowledgement… then froze solid, staring with the same unblinking glare that had taken over Zachel.
"Excuse me for a moment," Zachel said quietly, leaping onto the floor and trudging across the room in Team X's direction.
"Oh no!" the Pikachu realized, beginning to panic. "That's…"
"A Seviper," the Squirtle cried. "Oh man! Oh man! This can't be happening! Doesn't the Division have precautions to keep this from happening?"
Team Carrier looked absolutely terrified.
"What's going on?" Saura wondered, continuing to eye Zachel as she walked past the other tables.
"Seviper and Zangoose," the Squirtle gasped. "You can't let a Seviper and a Zangoose in the same room together. You… can't. You just can't. They're mortal enemies."
"Oh no… they're gonna fight…" the Pikachu said, quivering. "This whole room is about to… Oh, no! I can't watch!"
Char watched in morbid curiosity as the feline and the serpent approached one another in the isle between the tables. Their eyes were set upon one another; Char could tell that the rest of the Pokémon in the room no longer existed to them.
A few of the nearby tables noticed the confrontation. The murmuring in the general area seemed to die down momentarily as all eyes were fixed on the two Pokémon.
They paused several feet away from each other, staring one another down.
"Hey," Zachel said, beginning to rub her claws together as though to sharpen them.
"Hey," the Seviper replied, a mocking echo.
"Haven't seen you before," Zachel spoke softly, looking at her claws. "You're, uh… you're new here, aren't you?"
"Afraid so," the Seviper replied.
The silence had spread; Char was surprised to realize that the entire cafeteria was soon soundless. The crowd's noises had stopped.
"The Seviper will win," Otto whispered to Char. "It is stronger."
Char began to wonder if this confrontation was a serious problem. He wondered if he should clear out of the room as fast as possible, but part of him couldn't bear to look away.
"Zachel, Team Carrier," the Zangoose said, crossing her arms. "You?"
"No-namer, Team X," Seviper replied curtly. "Nice to meet you."
"Interesting," Zachel said, ignoring the sarcasm. "I don't remember seeing a 'Team X' in the news."
"How is that my problem?" the Seviper calmly replied.
They stared at one another for a moment, as though each expected a reply that wasn't coming. Zachel casually licked her claw.
"I'm not going to have trouble with you, am I?" she spoke.
"Not unless you want it," the Seviper replied. "I think we're both adults here."
Another tense moment of silence. Char thought he saw the Seviper subtly coiling to strike.
"Splint, go stop them!" the Pikachu hissed to the Machoke beside her, still partially covering her eyes and cowering in fright. "Oh no, oh no! I can't watch, I can't watch…"
The Machoke gave a hmph and stood up from his seat. He carefully and calmly approached Zachel from behind. The Seviper noticed him approaching but said nothing.
The hundreds of Pokémon in the room gave a collective gasp as the muscular Machoke grabbed the Zangoose under the arms and picked her up off the floor. The Zangoose did not struggle or resist, but she appeared irritated.
"Put me down, Splint," Zachel said calmly.
"You need to walk away from this," the Machoke warned.
"I promise I will walk away," Zachel replied. "The Seviper is right; we're both adults here. Now please, put me back down."
Splint did so, though not before hesitating for a few moments. With a face that cried "I'm going to regret this," he set his teammate's feet back onto the floor.
Even Croagunk had gotten up from his seat and stood behind the Seviper. He gulped hard, looking worried and powerless to act.
Zachel brushed her teammate off her back, then took a wary step towards the serpent. Her face was emotionless and resolute, but her claws were drawn to their full length.
She took another step. The Seviper recoiled slightly, preparing to strike.
When their faces were mere inches apart, she stopped. She blinked. Char held his breath, as did the rest of the cafeteria.
Zachel gave a slight bow of her head.
"Until we meet again, Seviper," she said humbly.
"Same to you," the Seviper replied, sounding sincere.
Both Pokémon turned and left one another, causing the cafeteria to erupt in applause and cheer.
Hearing the sudden noise, the Pikachu unburied her eyes from under the table and cried happily when she saw that the crisis had been averted.
Ushered by their teammates, the Seviper and the Zangoose returned to their respective tables. Splint stepped behind the Zangoose and followed her away to make sure she wouldn't suddenly pounce when her opponent's guard was down, but Zachel didn't look interested in battling anymore. The cheering from all the Division's Pokémon lasted for over a minute before dying down and returning to the normal level of clamor.
Zachel returned to her seat, her fur ruffled and her claws still fully extended. She breathed hard.
"Wow, now that's something we'll see on the news, no doubt," the Squirtle said dryly. "You okay?"
"Ahh… ah… Sorry about all that," Zachel breathed, scratching her forehead and trying to calm herself back down. "Instincts… blasted instincts…"
"I am surprised," Otto said to Char. "I thought the Zangoose would strike. But I understand now. She was testing the power of her will. And she passed."
"Wow, Zachel, you gave everyone a heart attack! You're going to make everyone end up in the medial wing today!" the Pikachu cried, rubbing her on the back. "We'll get no work done!"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," she rasped. "Didn't mean to. It's instincts. I just saw it, and… blood… filled with fire. Took over me. I'll be fine now though. I'm over it."
"Zangoose and Seviper battles are not pretty at all," Ray told Char. "You have no idea. They're brutal and… well, you wouldn't want to see one. I haven't even seen one. I've just heard terrible stories…"
Char was thankful that the two Pokémon had not started a fight, but something else about the sudden confrontation had nagged him.
"There's just one thing," Char said to the Zangoose. "You said… you didn't see Team X in the papers?"
"Yeah, why?" Zachel replied.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Char said. "Have you been reading all the news?"
"Every day," Zachel said, scratching at the table and looking at her food again. "Kinda have to. It's a team rule."
Char glanced oddly at his teammates.
… … …
"Alright, so here are all the news bulletins that were posted while we were away," Ray said, dropping a large, messy stack of papers onto the table. "Dig in."
After the surprisingly eventful breakfast, Team Ember had returned to their hall, picking up some papers from the newsroom and the registry along the way. They had acquired the current job listings and, at the nagging of Char's gut instincts, a copy of every news post they had missed.
Char sat in his planning room with the rest of his teammates. He began leafing through the stack from the top, glancing over the sheets covered in scrawled footprint symbols and rough, inky illustrations.
"Otto, can you do this?" Char asked the Pidgey. "Look though these news reports and find announcements of new teams. See if you can find one for Team X."
Otto glanced at the papers, then back to Char. "I have read every news bulletin, and have seen nothing mentioning Team X," he said. "But it is possible the bulletin was posted while I was learning to read."
Char collected the stack of papers and flipped it facedown. "Alright, then start from the bottom," he told the Pidgey. "Ray, you can go look at our supplies now. Saura and I will look at missions."
"Got it," Ray said, heading out of the room. "Though, don't get your hopes up. We took most of our best stuff on that trip."
"Anything will help," Char replied. "Even if we can sell it for something better."
As Otto awkwardly scraped the news posts off the pile with his talons and flipped them over using his beak, Char and Saura began scanning the job list. Char mainly looked at the numbers in the column which specified the mission bounties.
"I've got to learn to read," he muttered in annoyance. "If Otto can learn it so fast, maybe I can too. Anyway… how about this one? Reward: thousand Poké."
"It's north, in Skull Town," Saura said. "I'd rather not go to a ghost town if we can help it. Plus, it's a three-star mission. Probably because of the high alert up there."
Char shrugged. "Alright, so… what else is there?"
"Hmm," Saura hummed, scanning the list. "Escort Nidoran, Escort Shinx children, deliver a confidential letter, deliver food… Find a lost escape orb in a dungeon? W-why would someone want us to retrieve an escape orb they dropped in a dungeon? Those are cheap! Can't they just buy a new one?"
Char shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it has sentimental value to someone?" he considered. "Go on; what else is there?"
"Find lost reviver seed, find lost deep-sea scale… find outlaw… find missing Pokémon…"
"Hmm, what's that one like?" Char said with some interest. "A missing Pokémon should be easier to find than a missing item. Or an outlaw that wants to attack you back."
"Kablo the Bagon has not arrived to destination, has been missing for two days," Saura read. "Last seen around Augustus Park. Please send rescue team to scout the nearby mystery dungeons for his presence. Reward: two thousand Poké if found, eight hundred Poké if not, plus gifts from the client. Risk level: B."
"Wait… what?" Char said, immensely interested in this prospect. "We'll get paid even if we don't find the guy? We just have to search some dungeons?"
"That's what it looks like," Saura said. "Augustus Park… wonder where that is."
Char found an old friend of his, the Map of Jirachi, rolled up on a shelf in the back of the room. Though he had lost the portable version of the map on the mission, the larger map had always remained stashed in the study for planning missions. He fetched it and spread it out on the table and made a mental note to get his hands on another copy for traveling.
"Here," Saura said, pointing to a place just south of the Great Plateau. "It's a bit to the west of Iron Town, past the Iron Crevice. That's where we rescued Fern, remember. It's on the outskirts of this place called… Wyrii town. Nearby dungeons are… let's see. 'Shale Cave' which is another dungeon in the plateau itself, and… 'Jormungand's Garden,' which is down here, south of the town. If we want to take this mission, we'll need to look up what kind of wilds live here."
Ray appeared in the room's doorway, looking disappointed.
"Done already?" Char said to him. "Let me guess… there wasn't much to look at."
"It's not pretty, guys," Ray sighed, shaking his head. He held up a tiny object in his paw. "This is literally the best item we have on hand right now. A stun-seed. Other than that, we have a few escape orbs, a bunch of iron thorns, some bags of dried rawst-berries, and a draught-orb which is supposed to evaporate standing water in a dungeon floor. Then we have a pecha scarf, a couple of junk orbs like a hail orb and a lob orb… and yeah. That's it. The rest of our good stuff we took with us, and now it's probably lost in Temporal Tower… We don't even have anything in Morrik's storage, except for… one sitrus berry. If we wanted to sell that, that is."
"Then we shouldn't take the rescue mission," Otto said suddenly. "The minimum objective to succeed at the mission is to explore two mystery dungeons. We do not have enough equipment for even one dungeon expedition. We should take a job that does not require exploring a dungeon."
Char frowned. "I think you're right," he admitted. "Yeah… we're in no position to explore two dungeons, much less one. Maybe we could sell some of our junk and buy some apples for dungeon crawling. Still… it would have been fun to search for that Bagon, I think. Especially if we still got paid even if we didn't find him. That seems like too good of an opportunity to pass by."
Otto chirped, scraping another flyer off the pile to examine.
"I agree, it seems to be a reasonable mission," Otto said. "You could accept the mission and wait for the day after tomorrow to complete it."
"Huh?" Saura replied. "You can do that?"
"Of course," Otto said. "A team may sign up for up to eight missions at once. There are penalties for doing so, however. If the team takes too long to report a success or a failure to the mission, the registrar will add it back on the listings and hold the team responsible for paying the bounty to whatever other team completes it."
"Ouch…" Char said, considering the option. "How long does that take?"
"It is by the digression of Metagross," Otto said. "There is no discrete time limit in the rulebooks. But we can be reasonably certain that waiting one day to complete a mission will not be an issue. But we take a risk in doing so: we rely on the bounty of tomorrow's mission. We must be certain our bounty will be large enough to let us purchase what is necessary to explore two dungeons in one day. Failing tomorrow's mission would become an unpleasant prospect."
"I see," Char said, scratching his head. "So… if we want to go this route… we need a good mission for tomorrow. One that pays well."
Otto chirped once more, fluttering onto the tabletop. "I've searched all news bulletins until I began to recognize them," he reported. "Team X does not appear. May I help you look for missions now, Char?"
Interesting… and worrisome, Char thought. Was Team X lying about signing up as a team? Ah well… if Eva still says their hearts are in the right place, then that shouldn't be an issue, right? Still, I wish I knew why they weren't in the news.
"Yeah, go ahead," Char said, gesturing for him to read the list. "Any input is appreciated."
Otto glanced at the list for a few minutes, fluttering his wings as though some of the list entries were amusing to him.
"This," he said suddenly, scraping the list with a talon. "This would be the optimal mission."
"Whoa, that was fast!" Char laughed. "What's the mission?"
"Find thunderstones," Saura read, scanning the text with a paw. "Solo explorer collected three thunderstones in dungeon, but was knocked out and expelled before escaping. Retrieve as many thunderstones as possible from dungeon and return to client. Bounty: eight hundred Poké per retrieved thunderstone. Risk level: B. Location… Jormungand's Garden? Wait! That's…"
"That's the same dungeon as the other mission we wanted to take!" Ray cried in realization. "We could look for the missing Bagon in one of the two dungeons he could be lost in, and look for the thunderstones at the same time!"
"Yes," Otto said. "It is risky. We would need to prepare for a dungeon expedition today using whatever means we can. But it is a profitable and calculated risk. I recommend this."
"We could kill two birds with one stone!" Char said, grinning. "That's a good idea!"
Otto ruffled his feathers, looking confused. "Why would we want to kill birds with stones?" he squawked.
"Oh… I'm sorry," Char said awkwardly. "That's just a human saying for doing something efficiently, I guess. I didn't mean to offend."
"It is an odd phrase for efficiency, then," Otto said. "There are many more efficient ways of killing birds than with stones."
Char laughed. "I guess you're right! But yeah, good choice. Let's take both missions. Any objections?"
"Nope, looks good to me," Saura said.
"No, but let's make sure we can actually buy what we need first," Ray replied. "Let's check and see what kind of enemies live in this 'Jormungand's Garden' place. Then we'll go to Kecleon's before we officially sign up for the missions. If we can't buy what we need to survive in the dungeon, well… we'll resort to taking a mission from the training teams' lists, I guess. Just to say we did something. Or we could ask another team for help."
"Sounds good," Char said, rolling up the map and replacing it on the shelf. "Alright, we're done here! Next item on the agenda is training. Everyone ready to go?"
The team voiced their agreement.
"Good," Char said, feeling proud of the day's progress. "Oh, and Otto?"
The little bird nodded. "Yes?"
"Good work," Char said affectionately. "You've been on this team for less than a day, and you're already helping out more than we could ask for."
The bird bowed. "Thank you," he replied simply. "I have trained hard to be acceptable to your team, Char. I hope to prove worthy of serving Team Ember."
"I'm thinking we should make you the chief tactical advisor!" Char added with a smile. "You seem to know how to take risks and you know all the rules of the base and everything. You could be in charge of looking for good missions to take and helping us to figure out how and when to take them."
Otto jumped back, as though staggering in surprise. "I am not qualified," he chirped. "I was trained for combat support. I was not trained to manage. I use mere common sense to select missions."
"Well, it's more common sense than the rest of us have!" Ray laughed, gently petting Otto on the head. "No, really. Char's totally right. You're perfect for our team. Where have you been all this time, little guy? We could have used you on our team ages ago."
Otto looked even more confused. "I have been in school," he said simply. "And why do you judge me already? So far I have proven nothing to you, yet you treat me as though I have accomplished a mission. I don't understand your standards."
"But you have accomplished missions! Forty-four of them, right?" Char said with a mischievous grin. "But I'll tell you what. You say you're a combat-bird. Well, then. Show us what you can do."
… … …
When Char arrived to the dojo, he found nothing but a lone Mew using its telekinesis to arrange oran berries on the shelves. It looked bored.
"Domo! You're back!" Ray shouted as he and his team entered the circular room. "Haven't seen you in a while!"
"Oh! Visitors…" the Mew mumbled to itself, floating over to greet them. "Oh, Team Ember! Good day. Indeed, it's been too long."
"So… I heard you were chasing Registeel?" Ray inquired. "How did that go?"
The Mew drooped low in the air, visibly disappointed. "Nowhere to be found," he replied. "Searched everywhere for six weeks, and… nowhere."
Should have come on our mission, Char thought ironically. You would have seen a Regirock, and an Articuno, and Celebi, and Dialga… Wait, Mew is psychic, isn't it? I shouldn't be thinking about this, Domo might notice…
"Aww, that's a shame," Ray said sympathetically, although Char could tell he was fighting with the same ironic thoughts as he was. "But we're glad to have you back!"
"You'll be one of the first," the Mew said, landing on the ground and standing oddly upon its tiny feet. "Apparently I have been gone for so long that Pokémon have fallen out of the habit of visiting me. I have been bored, mostly; only a few students to train this week. Fortunately, that means I have plenty of time to help you! So, Team Ember, what can I do for you?"
"We got a new team member yesterday!" Char announced, indicating the Pidgey at his side. "His name's Otto. He says he's a combat bird! We want to see how well he was trained. Could you maybe examine his skills?"
The false Mew looked delighted. Wasting no time, it began a transformation. Its body glowed brightly, growing to a very great size. A mighty pair of wings spread from the amorphous mass, and soon, the form solidified into a Pidgeot, an intimidatingly large bird of prey. Char instinctively took a step away from it. Saura took two. They decided to clear off of the battle platform, giving Domo and Otto the room they needed to train.
"Croooo!" It cried. "Yes, it's been a while since I have studied my avian skills, although they were always my favorite forms to take before acquiring Mew." The Ditto flapped its huge wings for a moment, testing them. "Ahh, yes! I remember how this body works now. Yes, let us dance in the air, little Otto."
"Javelin," Otto said.
"Excuse me?" the Ditto replied oddly. "What was that?"
"Your form is Javelin, a member of Team Silverwing," Otto said. "He helped to train me. I learned to defeat him in combat training three times to every four, and in races, one time to every four."
"Really, now?" Domo said with intrigue, though Char thought he caught a subtle hint of uncertainty in the voice. "You say you are skilled against this particular form?"
"I am."
"Well then, where's the fun in that?" Domo said, shape-shifting into a majestic grey-and-white bird. "Raaaarrr! Then you will fight Staraptor, strongest and most dangerous of all birds of prey!"
"You are Syr," Otto said to the starling. "He is the leader of Team Silverwing. He also helped to train me, although I have less practice against him."
"Fine, fine!" Domo cried. "How about this, then?"
The Ditto shape-shifted again, this time becoming a strange-looking silver bird.
"Skarmory, the blade-winged bird of steel!" Domo announced proudly, spreading its red wings. "Do you have any experience against this, little Otto?"
"I have not," Otto chirped. "I do not recognize this Skarmory."
"Well, then! Let's begin already!" Domo shouted. "Can you… wait. Otto? Where'd you go?"
Char's jaw dropped as he watched Otto's aerial maneuvers. The little Pidgey had zipped through the air at startling speed, and was now hovering behind the still-grounded Skarmory, staying just within its blind spot.
Domo turned his head, searching for his opponent. Otto zipped back and forth, perfectly in rhythm with the Skarmory's glances, staying completely invisible.
"Otto?" the metallic bird cried in confusion. "I thought we were training, Otto. Did you retreat?"
*PING!*
There was a resounding metallic noise as Otto swooped and attacked the Skarmory, his beak colliding with the bird's steely armor. The attack was so forceful and unexpected that the Skarmory face-planted into the ground.
Otto turned around and swooped at his downed opponent, grasping one of its long, red wing-feathers and forcefully yanking it clean out of the wing as he flew past. It lazily floated to the floor.
"YAAAIIIE!" the Skarmory crowed in protest. "Oh, a back-handed little one, are you? I will join you in the air!"
The Skarmory took flight and tried to engage Otto in combat, but Otto seemed persistently skilled in staying out of Domo's line of sight. He deftly chased the large bird around the air, taking any opportunity to attack from behind.
*PING!* *CLAING!*
Otto mobbed the large bird, landing two hits onto its faceplate before flying away again.
Char could tell the combat trainer was already disheartened. Domo sagged in the air, making weak and floundering motions to catch the annoying little bird that always seemed to remain behind its back.
The battle ended in an explosion of flames. Out of seemingly nowhere, the little Pidgey had summoned energy for a powerful attack which wreathed its body in red and blue fire. It had aimed and attacked the Skarmory from the most unexpected direction – from below – and the collision resulted in an impressive array of colors accompanied by the sound of collapsing sheets of metal.
Domo was lying on the floor when he told finally told Otto to stop, its Skarmory form crumpled and blackened. The little bird landed at its side, gazing curiously at its downed opponent.
"You started before I was ready," Domo growled weakly.
"Your words were, 'let's begin already,'" Otto replied plainly. "I understood it to be the invitation to attack. Should I have waited for a different signal?"
"Ahh… Little Otto," Domo grumbled, transforming back into Mew. "I don't need to train you! You are combat-capable and ready for missions, there's no doubt about that. I have nothing to teach you about being a bird. Silverwing has prepared you well. But… perhaps you might have some things to teach me. Would you train with me sometime?"
"If Char allots me time to visit you, yes," Otto replied. "Although I am not qualified to train. You could consider becoming an apprentice to Team Silverwing."
"Hah, ahh," Domo laughed oddly. "Yes, perhaps. That is one option. Though I would still appreciate your help, as well."
Otto chirped in amusement. "I could battle your Mew sometime," he said. "That is one Pokémon I've never battled with."
"Oh, hahah, you would regret it!" Domo challenged, pride filling is voice again. "No one can defeat my Mew! No one. No one even dares to try! I can read your mind and predict your next move."
"Then perhaps I need to learn," Otto said. "Teach me to battle Mew."
At the side of the room, Char's eyes were nearly tearing up in pride. Otto really was a combat-bird; there was no doubt about it.
"It's almost as though he's too good for us," he uttered to his teammates, still full of amazement. "Can we handle him?"
"Maybe he was meant to be on our team," Saura said with a shrug. "Maybe you were meant to find him. Maybe that was part of your master plan, Char…"
"Yeah, maybe," Char said in consideration. "Since we found him before the Temporal Tower mission, that really is possible…"
Char felt a tingling of confidence in his heart; his team was becoming much stronger than he had imagined. The only thing left, now, was to put Team Ember to the test and see if they could reliably run missions. And the time remaining in the day was quickly ticking past…
… … …
Char gave a whimsical sigh as he and his team entered Kecleon's store. As usual, the emporium contained such an array of wonderful, magical items, but all were outside of his price range. One of the Kecleon brothers seemed preoccupied with a troublesome customer, so Char began shopping around without waiting for a greeting. He knew he needed to focus on the dirt-cheap items, just enough to get him through a reasonably-sized mystery dungeon that was home to some weak dragon and plant Pokémon.
"Char, look!" Saura cried, interrupting Char's appraisal of some whole apples. He sounded almost sad.
Char turned to find Saura playing with a piece of cloth that hung from the wall.
"It's Kecleon's mobile scarf," Saura sobbed. "He… he still hasn't sold it. We used to have one of these, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," Char said sadly, coming to his side to console him. "It's Dialga's now, I guess. Or Celebi's, if she finds it."
"That was given to me by Vazidor himself," Saura remembered. "Ahh, why did we have to lose all of our stuff, Char? Everything could be perfect right now if we didn't lose all of our stuff… ahh, Char… It's going to take so long to get all that stuff back. Our mobile scarf, our goggles… we had some rare stuff."
"I know, I know," Char reassured him, feeling the texture of the mobile scarf with a claw. "But we'll get our stuff back. I don't know how, but we're going to just have to go on missions until we can buy them all again. We won't stop until we do, alright?"
"Alright," Saura grumbled, looking away from the priceless item on the hook. "Alright… Let's just get what we need, then."
Ray and Otto came bounding down the aisle between the tables of merchandise. Ray was holding a small burlap sack.
"I told Kecleon what we have, and he says he'll pay three hundred Poké for our extra items," Ray reported. "Not much, but it's more than he would have given us. I told him our predicament and he's sympathizing. So… that should be enough to buy some apples and some orbs we could use. And maybe another stun-seed. If we're still desperate, we can still sell that sitrus berry of yours."
"Sounds good," Char replied. "But let's not sell the berry. It has… sentimental value."
"That's fine," Ray said, nodding. "We can still manage. Now we just need to get our stuff. Would you mind running up to our room and getting the stuff out of our closet? You can put it in this bag and bring it back, and Kecleon will buy it."
Char took the brown sack from Ray's paws. He wanted to say "Why me?" but he knew that Ray needed to keep shopping for items, and Saura and Otto both couldn't hold a bag very well, so he begrudgingly agreed.
"Keep the stun seed, both escape orbs, two of the thorns, and the pecha scarf. Put everything else in the bag," Ray instructed. "We left the door unlocked. Hurry back, alright?"
Slinging the empty sack over his shoulder, Char left Kecleon's store to return to his room.
… … …
As promised, the door to Team Ember's lair had been left unlocked. Alone, Char entered his room.
The grandiose hall of his own team base opened before him, the vibrant red-and-yellow rug running all the way to the end of the hall and stopping just before the master bedroom. Along the walls, over a dozen doorways to side-rooms opened up, each surrounded with glossy metallic decorations ablaze with spiritual fire.
And finally, for the first time since returning to the Gold Division, Char paused to appreciate it.
The door shut behind him as he gazed at his team's very own lair, the hall which had been given to him by not just one, but two legendary warriors: Scythe, who had given him this room out of an undying respect for his secret humanity and his Call, and Prince, who had lived in this same place many decades prior before the accident that had changed his life.
It was a gift he knew he did not deserve.
But both of those warriors were gone now, and he was the only one left. It struck him that someday, maybe in the near future, these rooms would be filled with teammates. Maybe the storage room would be packed with valuable relics. And maybe he could be a good enough team leader to live up to the legacies of Prince and Scythe, the two heroes who had come before him.
As if peering into the future, Char took a moment to imagine what his hall would look like. He imagined a huge team of fifteen capable Pokémon all crowded around him, awaiting his briefing at the team meeting.
He knew Otto was right; being close partners with his teammates would only go so far. Soon, he would need to be a real team leader, able to handle the logistics of his team members and command his taskforces through difficult times. Just being friends would no longer be enough.
"Well," Char whispered quietly to himself, trying not to let the prospects overwhelm him, "First thing's first: we need a little money…"
But as Char went to enter the storage room, there was a soft rapping at his door.
Confused, Char dropped the burlap sack in the corner and warily opened the door, hoping the visitor would be someone he could deal with.
He found a familiar Infernape staring back at him.
"Somehow, I knew you would be here," Prince said with a warm smile.