*Chapter 76*: Chapter 56: The Mind Game, Part 1

o

Chapter 56

After the Pokémon had been released from the medical wing, Ray said he needed some time alone and went to wander off somewhere. Char and the rest of his friends made no attempt to follow. Instead, they resigned themselves to helping Otto finish the chores Marrow had saddled him with for failing the bet.

Team Remorse's planning room was trashed, presumably after a difficult night of researching what to do about their powerful new foe. Team Ember set themselves to the task of sorting the crumpled papers and collecting the items, intermittently broaching the glum topic about what they should do to help their Raichu friend feel better.

Or, at least, two of them were glum.

"We accomplished the mission," Otto remarked between preening his wing-feathers. "Our plan to accomplish two missions at once was a success and we have collected our payment. But we are acting as though we failed. I do not understand."

"Because we found out that Ray has an illness that cut his life in half, alright?" Char replied with a measure of irritation, glaring at the papers covered in footprint lettering. "It's not easy to learn something like that. Not even for the rest of us."

"But his illness existed since long before now," Otto said plainly. "It has never affected his behavior before. It is not as though the Bagon gave him the illness. Why then does he need to mourn today?"

"Because Ray has feelings," Saura said bitterly as he dusted the war-room table, also growing angered with the little bird's stubbornness. "He loves his brother and he never imagined his brother would have done something like this to him. He just needs to think about it for a while and come to accept it."

Otto shrugged. "Slowking implies, the taint was not designed as an illness, but as a weapon," he rambled. "Even with the repercussion of a shortened life span, some Pokémon truly have more need of the present than they have of the future. Then it is beneficial for them to sacrifice time in the far future in exchange for additional strength at present. This is especially true for the resistance as we are fighting a war for the sake of others who will enjoy the peace. It is understood that resistance members might fall in battle any day. Do you disagree?"

"N-no," Saura admitted. "Yeah, fighting the Master is a dangerous job. But I'm still not sure it's fair to have something that takes away half your life without you even knowing about it…"

"Ray is the strongest member of our team," Otto said, a strangely frank remark. "He overshadows the rest of us in strength, ingenuity, and perseverance. Perhaps it is so because of the taint. Without his strength, Team Ember would fail to assist the Resistance in their endeavors against the Master. It seems to me, the taint was effective in empowering him, but only until he learned of its existence. In mourning the loss of half of his life, he is wasting the power he has gained in the other half. This seems irrational to me."

"TEAM EMBER!" Daemon suddenly barked, walking past the doorway. "Remember! I need those mission papers in reverse phalangeal order!"

Char bit his tongue for a moment, shuffling through the incomprehensible papers and unable to think of an effective reply to the Pidgey's assessment. Failing to conjure an argument, he finally said, "Alright, fine. Maybe you're right. But, good luck telling that to Ray. You won't make Ray feel better just by telling him that. Now, do you have any ideas about how we can help Ray feel better, or are you just going to stand there and keep complaining about how he shouldn't be feeling bad that he has no old age to look forward to?"

Otto blinked. "No, I have no ideas," he confessed. "I am not skilled in manipulating irrationality, except in battle."

"Maybe… we shouldn't," Saura sighed, balancing on the edge of the table and checking for spots he missed. "There just… doesn't seem like there's anything right to say. We can't just tell him not to worry about it… it just seems selfish. And we have no reason to judge his brother. And we can't offer him any advice because we aren't tainted ourselves."

"So… we shouldn't do anything?" Char wondered.

"That's what I think," Saura said. "Let's just… wait for him to come back, and be there to listen if he wants to talk to us. That's how I always made you feel better, Char. I just let you tell me whatever you wanted, and listened. But I didn't try to force you to feel a certain way. I knew you could always figure it out yourself if I let you. And I think you always did the same thing to me even if you didn't realize it was happening."

Char nodded thoughtfully. "Fine, then," he decided. "Then we'll be there to listen to him. Guess we're going to go back to our old days of staying awake at night for our teammates."

"Is that a team rule?" Otto wondered.

"More like a tradition," Char told him firmly. "In the days when we first formed our team, if one of us couldn't sleep, then we'd all stay awake with them."

"That does not sound very effective," Otto squawked. "If one team member cannot sleep, it should follow that the others should be sure to rest well, to compensate for the poor performance of the one who has not rested well."

Char glared at him, pointedly slamming the stack of papers in a haphazard pile on the corner of the table.

"You told me I did not need to ask permission before criticizing your team's rules," Otto reminded him, noticing his frustration.

"Yeah, I said that," Char said, giving up on the papers entirely. "But I don't think you understand something, Otto. Sometimes, the strength in the mind is more important than the strength in the body."

"I do not believe that is true," Otto replied back. "Mental weakness is most certainly a symptom of physical weakness. If you plan intelligently and avoid failure, there is no cause to mourn, and mental weakness is not a problem."

"Yeah, well, we're staying up for Ray whether you think it's a good idea or not," Char decided, turning away from the Pidgey. "You can sleep if you want. Saura and I will be there for him if he stays awake. Because that's important."

But it turned out that Ray wasn't the one to keep the team awake that night.

After Saura sorted through all the papers and Char packed the maps back into their proper places on the shelves, Team Ember returned to their rooms and settled down to rest for the night with one less team member, leaving the doors unlocked to welcome him back.

Before the torches became blue, the Raichu entered the room quite candidly. Char thought he did not look upset anymore, and if he was, he did a great job of hiding it.

"Hey," he said softly, as though afraid to wake up any sleeping teammates.

Char jumped out of his bed at the sound of his voice, and Saura snapped to attention as well. Otto simply slumbered away, oblivious to the Raichu's return.

"Ray, we were worried about you," Char said to his teammate, approaching him at the door. "Are you… okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I… I just wanted to pray a little, heh," Ray admitted with a hint of embarrassment. "I know my brother might not be dead, and if he isn't then he wouldn't have even heard me. But if he could hear me, I just wanted to… thank him."

Reaching out, Ray caught the Charmander and the Bulbasaur in a soft embrace.

"He did this for me. This is his… it was his gift to me, I realized," Ray said plainly. "He wanted me to be here in the resistance. He was worried I wouldn't be strong enough to take it and they'd kick me out. That's what he always told me when I was little. He was always worried I wouldn't be strong, couldn't grow as strong as him. So I think, maybe, he gave me this… as his gift, so I could carry on fighting in the resistance like he did, after… after he wasn't there to help me anymore. But yeah, here I am… I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry. I'm right here… where I'm supposed to be."

"Ah, Ray, you don't have to be here," Saura replied profusely. "Your time is more valuable than ours now. You don't have to waste it on this team! You should go and… appreciate the time you have left."

"But I already appreciate every moment I have," Ray said, almost with a laugh. "I always have. I savor every moment of this life. There's nothing new for me to learn about that. Right now, I'm here to get you to Giratina. After that… I guess I can figure that out when I get there."

"There's no way we can repay you for what you've done," Char said. "You are irreplaceable. All we can do is thank you for being here."

"And I'm going to be here for as long as I can be, don't you worry," Ray promised them both. "You are the gift that my brother gave me. There's nowhere else I'd rather be but here."

After parting from the embrace, the three Pokémon took their places upon their beds and settled down for a night of rest. Char took one last look at the slumbering Pidgey, wondering what he could ever do to demonstrate that emotions and morale were important, sometimes moreso than strategy and analysis. He hoped an opportunity would present itself.

Because, deep down, part of him worried that maybe the Pidgey had a point.

"IIAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A blood-curdling scream caused Char to jump out of his bed.

He was surrounded by blue fire. It was very late at night, and he could easily tell that his sleep had been interrupted at a tremendously deep moment.

But it was another moment before he could place the sound of the voice.

"IAAARR-AAAAAHHH!"

It was Saura.

He wailed in pain, stretching his vocal cords far enough that they no longer sounded like himself. Char dashed across the room to his side in an instant, finding that his head had slipped off the bed and was planted onto the floor, and that tears flooded from the sides of his closed eyes.

"That is very noisy," Otto commented as he flew over. "Are we being attacked?"

"Saura! No, wake him up!" Ray cried, scrambling to help him down from the bed. "Char, help me wake him up! It's his nightmare!"

"You do it! Shock him!"

Pzzat.

With a gentle shock, Saura's eyes opened wide, his pupils widened farther than Char had ever seen them. He continued panting like a frantic dog.

"Saura!" Char gasped at him, holding his front paw. "Saura, it's just us! You were having a nightmare."

"I- I- I know," Saura finally said. "I… ah, my head, what's wrong with my head?! It's going to explode… ahh…"

"Ray," Char ordered firmly. "Get Eva. Right now."

"No… no, please," Saura insisted. "I don't need her. No, no… I'll be… I'll be fine. It's going away."

Hesitating for far longer than perhaps was needed, Char shook his head at the Raichu, retracting his order. "Saura… I've never heard you scream that bad. Not even when the Watchers hit you. Is it getting worse?"

"I… uh… Ah, maybe… maybe it is," Saura gasped.

The door to the bedroom room swung open; Char remembered then that he had forgotten to lock it after Ray had come home. The Espeon he had wanted to call upon earlier barged in.

"What is going on in here…?" Eva hissed in concern, joining the circle around the Bulbasaur. "Saura, I was woken by your mind-wave. It was so overbearing, it may have rivaled the Call. Something is deeply wrong with you. Char… when you spoke of a problem with Saura's mind, you didn't suggest it was this bad."

"This bad?" Char croaked. "Um, this is the worst it's been for a while. Usually he just has a headache. It's never been this bad."

"Char… his mind is destroying itself," Eva snapped at him. "You do not understand the simple cry for help I felt from him just now. If this curse remains unchecked, he could become feral, or worse, psychotic. Or dead."

Stunned at the thought, Char caught his breath. Eva turned to the Bulbasaur and said, in desperation, "Saura, this is important. You must tell me what the Watcher did to you. Tell me precisely where the pain is coming from."

"Well, um… it's complicated," Saura tried to say. "I was attacked by a Watcher. It put something in my head and made one of my memories painful. It was the memory I had… of my family…" he paused for a moment in a terrible cringe, struggling to not cry out again. "Now, whenever something reminds me of my family, it… hurts… so bad… it was the memory of the time they got captured, and… and… and killed!"

"Hmm, yes, I believe I see," Eva said solemnly. "And I suppose you rejected the obvious treatment, that is, severing the affected memory from the neural network?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ray told her. "Gardevoir wanted to erase his memories of his family to stop the pain. But Saura didn't want to forget his family, so he just pretended to have his memories erased for a while to trick Scythe."

"Understandable," Eva said, narrowing her eyes upon Saura's forehead. "Show me the affected memory. I know it will hurt. I will try to dull the pain for you, but I need you to replay the memory for me so I can watch."

"Eva… I don't trust you in my head," Saura said bitterly. "The last time I let you in my head, you gave me a headache."

"Not as deadly as the one you are having now," Eva replied coldly. "I won't do anything to your mind, Saura, not without your consent. I promise this. I just wish to watch the memory which is causing you pain. Depending on the contents of the memory, I might have additional help to offer to you, but there is no way of knowing unless you let me see."

Saura looked her briefly in the eyes as though judging her, but was soon satisfied with what he saw. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, beginning to play the memory for the Espeon. The Espeon's ruby ignited with light as she touched it against Saura's forehead.

And for several moments, Char and Ray waited in terrified silence, and Otto merely watched in curiosity.

When the moments were done, Saura hissed in pain once again, and Eva withdrew her attention from his mind. She blinked in confusion and sat down before Saura's bed.

"…Well?" Ray shouted. "What did you see?"

"It was not the type of memory I was expecting," Eva reported. "It plays like this: from a disembodied point of view, Saura watches an elder brother and a younger sister walk a path. The brother tells the sister some white lie, that they are vacationing, in an attempt to avoid explaining to her the reality that that they are fugitives and are running from the Master's punishment for something which Saura himself did. That is, fleeing to the Gold Division, I presume. Then, a Flareon appears."

"…AND?" Char nearly shouted.

"And that is all," Eva said plainly, shifting her tail. "The memory ends there. Yet, it brings Saura great pain whenever it is recalled. It is cursed, and it cannot be destroyed directly. It is attached to so many other memories in so many twisted ways that the only means of severing it altogether is to destroy his awareness of his family. And yet… there is one thing which bothers me about this vision…"

The Espeon turned to the Bulbasaur, who reluctantly looked her back in the eye.

"Saura, how did you come to acquire this memory?" she asked carefully. "In the memory, you are a disembodied spirit, watching something which does not involve you. How did this memory come to enter your mind? Surely, it was not something you witnessed yourself, unless by supernatural means."

"I, uh… um…" Saura stammered. "The Watcher gave it to me, I think. The Watcher put that memory in my head!"

"Yes, but the Watcher could not have known this truth, either," Eva said. "The vision plainly happened during the day, meaning that this Watcher would not have been awake to witness it and transfer the vision to you. The only logical conclusion I come to, then, is that this is not a memory at all, but a work of your imagination. Unless you can tell me that you had no reason to suspect your older brother and younger sister had been destroyed by a Flareon, even before the Watcher assaulted you."

"Well…" Saura admitted, pawing at the floor. "I did meet Saurlee before I left on the trip, and she told me she was walking with Saurvor… taking a vacation… so… it was something I was worried about, I think…"

"That's it, then," Eva nearly shouted, in an accusatory tone. "Saura, this memory of yours is no memory. It is a guess. Your mind invented this scenario because you do not have a way of verifying the true fate of your family. For all you know, this scenario might have happened, or it might not have happened. And that is why it is painful to you. The pain comes from the anticipation of the vision's ending. Thankfully for you, this changes the nature of the Watcher's curse. I believe I know how it can be cured."

"Cured…?" Saura gasped in reply. "You can cure the curse? …How can you do it?"

"Simple," Eva said with a shrug. "We must allow the vision to play out to the logical conclusion. In your imagination, you must be forced to watch your brother and your sister burn to death."

Saura tensed, cringing back from the Espeon's presence. "W-wha?! What!? N-no! No, why would I want to do that?! Why would that help?!"

"Because it would grant you what is perhaps the most powerful defense mechanism the mind has to offer: acceptance," the Espeon said pointedly. "Saura, you hurt because you cannot accept the possibility that you indirectly caused your family to die. Your vision is a manifestation of this. If you can be forced to watch the Flareon commit the murder, it will hurt you dearly, but only for one last time. It will allow the mind to begin healing itself and gaining acceptance of the fate you so deeply fear."

Saura turned away. "I don't think I want to," he grumbled. "I don't… I can't… I can't do that. I can't. I don't want to see them die… I don't want to…"

"Which is why the vision will torment you for the rest of your days, until you allow yourself to accept it," Eva replied. "In my humble opinion, this what needs to be done. When it is over and the pain has gone, you will thank yourself."

"Eva…"

The pained Bulbasaur looked sadly at her, then to the rest of his friends. Char saw that he just wanted to forget the whole issue and go back to sleep, so he decided to make the call a bit more forcefully than his friend was.

"He'll think about it, I'm sure," Char said, answering for his friend. "But it looks like he'll be okay for now. Are you okay, Saura?"

"Yeah, it's better," Saura replied, pawing at his head and climbing back into his nest. "I can sleep, I… think."

"Fine," Eva replied curtly. "As a possible future teammate, I hope I can rely on you if we happen to work together. I would not want the nightmare to overcome you at a moment of need. You need to understand, this is killing you from the inside, Saura. I have seen my share of Watcher's curses in many minds; they are not gentle. You need to get rid of it. If the headache gets worse, and you wake me up again, I am going to pin you down and finish the dream for you myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Saura only nodded, and Eva cast a sideways glance to the rest of the team before strutting back out into the team hall and returning to her borrowed room.

"Thanks," Saura croaked, after she had gone. "I didn't think I could do it…"

"If what she says is correct, you will need to bring yourself to destroy the curse as soon as possible," Otto remarked sleepily. "You should not have to die from this, if it can be cured."

"Well, uh… maybe… later, but not now," Saura rambled. "Just not now. That already hurt enough, I couldn't… do something else, I just… couldn't."

Char wondered for a moment if Saura wanted a hug, but the Bulbasaur had fallen fast asleep again, so he hobbled back to his bed between the giant blue torches and tried to get himself back to sleep. The others did the same.

*takky-takky-tak! Takky-tak-tak!*

The next morning came much sooner than it had any right to, and it came with the sound of Marrow noisily rapping on the front door, apparently with a much smaller bone club this time.

"I'll get it!" Saura shouted, apparently feeling better from the night's rest, as he tumbled from his bed and went to meet their temporary mentor.

"Wait," Otto shouted from in his bed. "There is a possible problem."

"What?" Saura asked.

"We did not pick a mission for the day," Otto said. "It is possible we will need to visit the public job boards downstairs to pick one. Marrow will not be pleased."

Char's mouth went dry when he realized it was true. He had been so distracted with chores and personal dilemmas that he had forgotten to make his team function. He knew he needed to think of something fast, and the incessant rapping at the door Marrow continued to make wasn't helping.

"Another fine day, Team Ember!"called Marrow's muffled voice from far out in the hall. "I thought you were better than this. Don't make me knock the door down!"

Saura and Ray stood at the door, silent as rocks, casting uncertain glances back at Char.

"Otto!" Char called. "Do we have the job listings at all? In the war room, maybe?"

"No, it is out of date," Otto replied. "Team Remorse had a newer copy."

"Do you remember any of the missions on their list?!"

"I only remember an eight-star mission involving assistance at Basin Canyon. I believe they submitted the listing themselves."

Sighing in shame, Char crept up to the door and decided to open it anyway. Marrow stood there, energetic as ever, with a very long, thin bone in his hand that was at least four feet long.

"You were askin' me what my favorite club was, weren't'cha?" Marrow said, letting Char say nothing. "This one, right here. Bisharp's leg-bone. Long for range. Steel-reinforced. Light as a feather, hits like a tree trunk to the face. Used it so much, feels like an extension of the arm. Can't wait to take it for another spin."

Char only nodded.

"So, where we headed today, Ember?" Marrow said jovially. "What's the mission?"

"Oh, uh… w-w-well," Char stammered out. "We were thinking that maybe you could take the day off."

"Nonsense!" Marrow shouted. "Scythe's orders. I've still got some tricks to show you before I – "

Suddenly, he stopped shouting. Char could see the knowing gleam in his eye from behind the skull.

"You forgot to take a mission, did you?" He chuckled, raising his club. "You whiners turned in early and forgot to check for another job!"

"I-ahhhh, n-no wait, don't hit me!" Char pleaded, backing away from the ridiculously long range of the Marowak's weapon. "Wait, no! No, we have a job for today. But we have a different mentor than you so… we don't need you!"

Saura and Ray cast odd glances at one another.

"Ah, really now," Marrow said disbelievingly. "Really, you're gonna make me walk all the way back upstairs after I came all the way here. Really, now."

"We'll go with you tomorrow, promise," Char assured him. "Just today, we were going with another team. Serious. We really are."

Marrow set his bone down to the floor, bringing Char a huge sigh of relief. "Ah, and here I was lookin' forward to runnin' off with you four again, and, y'know, not having to chase after Cepheus with the rest of 'em," he grumbled. "This isn't really fun."

"Oh? How's the hunt for Cepheus going?" Ray asked warily.

"Typical," The Marowak replied dejectedly. "Real typical of how you'd expect a search for Cepheus to go. Let's just say if we had a map of the constellations in the sky, there'd be one that'd manage to erase itself from every map ever drawn. In short, he's nowhere. And, perhaps, everywhere."

"Oh, that bad?" Saura moaned in sympathy.

"Yeah, that bad," Marrow continued. "What's even worse is that all the critters down at Ingrain Town are all pretending they've never seen him before when we know for a fact they have. Now we're going to have to spend all of our money on invisify seeds and then we can't use any of them for the big settlement, because Cepheus probably knows we're using 'em and he'll have all his troops outfitted with those ghost-watching goggles and be all ready for us. So now we've got to find a way to do something Cepheus isn't expecting. But who knows, he might be expecting everything. It's… a nightmare, believe me. Some days I want nothin' to do with it. Almost feel like diggin' my own grave. Yearn for the free days of earning a hundred Poké a day for climbin' down four floors in a dungeon cave."

"He has you trapped," Otto said. "And you are trying to diffuse the trap."

"Not quite," Marrow said. "Ah, didn't Scythe ever teach you this, how to deal with it when you know the enemy's gonna spring a trap? Basic rule is: let them. Let 'em spring the trap. Walk right into it and let the cage fall on top of you."

"Why would you do that?" Otto wondered. "That does not seem productive."

"Ah, but'cha see, traps work both ways," Marrow said cleverly. "In that moment, that one moment when the trap springs, that's your golden moment. That's the moment when the enemy will be watching and waiting to see if the trap works. They won't take any notice of what's goin' on behind 'em. That's your chance to strike. Cepheus isn't immune to it. We just need to figure out what kind of trap he's setting, and what to do in that one golden moment. It's really the only chance we've got now."

The Marowak gazed wistfully back down the hall. "Guess I'll be seein' you the day of next, Ember," he said. "Have a good day with whatever you're doin' today. And I sure hope you're doin' something and not just givin' me the run-around. Gotta pay the fees to Intelligence if you take time off, y'know."

"Yeah, we know," Char replied. "That's why we're running a mission today. Good luck…"

"Myeh, you sound like Daemon now," the Marowak grumbled, walking away. "But perhaps luck is what we truly need now. Yeah, luck…"

When the Marowak was gone, Char's teammates turned to him to congratulate him on avoiding the painful smack to the head.

"Eh, he'll still give you a smack on the head when he hears you lied to him," Saura said oddly. "Though hopefully it'll be with a different bone than his all-time favorite."

Char grinned wide. "Actually… I didn't lie," he said, fretting his claws together. "I really do have a plan for today. I thought of it at the very last minute. This is gonna sound really weird, but… there's something I've been meaning to do all week. There's someone I really need to talk to."

After Otto conducted a very brief search of the upstairs facilities upon his swift wings, Char found the Pokémon he was looking for at the dojo. Though the Ditto master was absent for the time being, it didn't prevent these Pokémon from using the high-roofed, circular room for their own ends, especially since the majority of the Division was rushing out the door for the morning in pursuit of their missions. Char led his team through the door to find the Pokémon having a friendly sparring match.

Rather, the Croagunk had managed to tie his Seviper companion into somewhat of a knot, holding him to the ground by the strength of his foot.

"Give up?! Say it. Say you give up," the Croagunk laughed, twisting the serpent tighter. "Alright, how about now?"

"Sunghzz," moaned the snake. "You cheater."

"No such thing as cheating," Croagunk goaded. "Ain't that right, boss?"

"No, no! I told you to you practice projectile attacks, not physical!" the Dusknoir yelled at them, waving his arms. "Get off him. Off, off! We're not going until I'm happy with what I see. Not after the disaster yesterday."

"We'd be here all day, at this rate," the viper hissed. "Never seen Croagunk follow a single rule in all his miserable life… oh, would you look what just stepped in the door."

"Alright, we found them," Saura hissed to Char. "Now what? I don't want to spend any more time with these guys than we need."

"I want answers," Char replied under his breath. "I need to figure out why they weren't registered like a normal team. And if they're actually spies. And, well… there's an old human saying: 'To make a friend out of an enemy, ask them a favor.' But I don't actually remember if it works… I guess we'll see. Just follow along."

The two Poison Pokémon, still locked in the death grip, stopped struggling as they noticed the entirety of Team Ember entering the dojo. Char confidently led his baffled team towards their professed rivals, feeling a tickle of mischievousness within his inner fire.

"Greetings," Seviper said to them, his face turning colors from lack of air. "Pardon us, just having a morning stretch… some of us stretched a bit farther than others."

"Yeh, and we aren't done yet, so scram," Croagunk added. "Unless… you up for a double-battle, peanuts? Might have more of a chance when I'm not throwing sleeper-seeds at you. Maybe."

"No, they are not up for a battle," the Dusknoir firmly admonished from the side of the battle platform. "Excuse me, team Ember. They are practicing projectile attacks before we leave for our mission today. And if I have anything to do with it, the floor will be cleared away and ready for you to use in minutes."

The startled Poison Pokémon soon untangled themselves and stood at attention before their boss.

"Actually, I was looking for you," Char told his rivals. "I needed to ask you something."

"Answer's no, unless you're giving us something," Croagunk grunted. "Hah, that was easy. Nah, just messin'. What's the question?"

"Well, we got up this morning, and, uh, we realized that we forgot to pick a mission for today," Char explained. "I was wondering if… you'd let us help on your mission today. Let us tag along."

Croagunk couldn't conceal his bewilderment at the question. Seviper did a bit of a better job.

"That is indeed a very backward question," the snake spoke, eyeing Char. "What business would a perfectly capable and wealthy team such as yours have tagging along with the lowest-ranked team in the facility?"

"Well," Char replied deviously, folding his claws together and eyeing the Croagunk. "The other day when we met you on the road, you were tackling a three-star mission with nothing but a sack of rocks," he said. "That's impressive. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. I was wondering if… you could show me how it's done."

"Heh. Heh, heh," Croagunk chuckled oddly. "Threw you for a real loop, I bet. Somehow we knew it would. Oh, by the way, peanuts. We figured out how you survived the rock I threw at you. You were using an item, weren't you? Probably somethin' that makes fire mons invulnerable to rocks. Like a globe. Was it a globe?"

"Actually, that was exactly it!" Ray interjected, much to his leader's chargain. "Good guess. I bet that threw you for a loop, too."

"Indeed," the snake said. "I puzzled about it all day. I swore, up and down every scale on my body, there didn't exist such a globe which granted immunity to rocks to a fire-type. Yet, one scroll I once read implied there was a possibility they could exist, and so it became my best guess."

"So, let me get this straight," Croagunk said, looking oddly proud of the challenge Char had given him. "You want us to demonstrate to you how to run a mission with a pile of gravel in a bag? What, do you not believe us? Callin' us liars?"

"I believe they wish to learn some of our wisdom," Seviper said keenly. "Namely, the nature of the mind game, which is at the forefront of the battle when not using weapons."

"Why would we teach our best tricks to our rivals?" Croagunk croaked. "What's the good in that?"

"So they become better rivals and thus a stronger challenge to us, perhaps?" Seviper said with a grin. "I for one hold no objection to this idea. Boss, what do you think of this?"

The giant ghost almost keeled over in laughter. "What do I think?! Good. Do it. Char, you've no idea how long I've waited for an excuse to take a break from these idiots. Take them off my hands for the day. Please. By all means."

Char smiled and clenched his claws. His plan was working.

"Uh, right, we can't all go," Croagunk noted. "Team of… what, seven? Nah, that won't fly past the ghosts at the doors. We'll need to take this down to four. So what's it gonna be? Me, Seviper… Char, since you're the one whose idea this all was, and… hmm, let's see. The birdie. Never used a birdie before."

Then, something very odd began to happen with no warning.

Char was preparing to accept the Croagunk's conditions for the mission. He was preparing to turn around and tell two of his teammates that they'd get the day off, and that they could shop for items and maybe look into getting that bulletin board posted in front of their team hall.

But he couldn't.

Char felt a weakness overcome his body. He keeled over in place, nearly slamming his forehead onto the side of the dojo platform. He could barely perceive the Pokémon around him rushing to his aid, but he couldn't seem to hear their voices anymore, and he couldn't seem to speak.

And the awful truth hit him.

No… No, not now.

Not now. Not after all this time.

His vision began fading away, replaced with strange colors. A soft humming sounded from the center of his head.

No… I'm…

I'm having another episode of…

…of the Call…

He wanted to thrash. He wanted to cry out in protest. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs to Celebi, or at least the past-Celebi, telling her to stop, telling her that trying to locate Dialga like this was pointless. But he knew better by now; the Call had completely sapped his ability to control his body, leaving him like a limp carcass upon the floor just as it always had.

And that terrible humming kept escalating, and the rainbows of colors rushed past his mind's eye, drowning everything else from existence. All he could do was wait for it to burst…

Wait for it… to make his mind explode…

Wait for that powerful, inescapable voice…

Calling…

Char! Char! Is that you? Can you hear me?

But something was different about this time.

The humming leveled out into a gentle, hypnotizing roar. It did not continue to escalate as it normally did. It simply… restrained itself.

And there was a voice.

CHAR! Char, oh my goodness. Char, I've got you!

Oh my, Char, you can't believe how happy I am I finally got you!

Wait, do I have it? Yes, YES! YES! I HAVE YOU!

Char knew this voice from somewhere.

Char, it's me, Celebi. I'm sending you this message from Temporal Tower.

Celebi…?

Don't panic. Nothing bad is going to happen this time. And don't try to reply to me because I can't hear you.

But oh my goodness, this is exciting… I finally did it… okay, listen to me!

Char, ever since you came here and told me about your quest to find out what the Call was and use it… I was heartbroken! I couldn't believe you came that far just to have me disappoint you with my own silly foolishness…

But then I was sitting and thinking for eons. Days for you, eons for me. If that makes any sense. And I realized something! The Call is something I created, all on my own! All my life I've been sitting around watching Lord Dialga create things and… I never got to be a creator of anything myself.

Well, now I am. I created the Call all on my own. And it's not useless, Char! Not anymore at least! Now it can be a weapon, just like you wanted!

Ahh, and you just don't know how hard it is to call you Char. I wish I could say your real name. Really wish. But no. I've been working on my aim. In different timelines, that is. Branches with no souls so nobody's hurt. And I figured out how to sound the Call just where I want!

Finally, I'm going to do something important. I'm going to help you win the war against the Master. And here's the weapon you're going to use!

Alright, here's how to use it. Every day at around this time… this is the morning for you, isn't it? Well, I'm aiming for more like noon. Working on it! Anyway, I'm going to give you a tiny pulse from the tower. Just like this except maybe quieter than this. It won't be as loud as it was when I was calling for Lord Dialga, so it won't affect whole cities hopefully. Whatever happens, I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen at night so it won't draw the Newborns in.

I'll try to send you a warning before it happens so you can get ready! Then when you hear the Call, that's your chance. Say what you want to say with your heart-speak and the Pokémon around you should listen to it and do exactly what you say.

Ah, I hope I didn't interrupt anything! Please forgive me if I did, I don't know… And I won't make any more messages this long ever again. Promise. I just really hope this works for you. I really hope this answers the prayers you had and all the Pokémon you brought with you to visit me.

Say hello to Scythe and Prince and Ray and Saura and Lily for me, too, okay? I miss them too. An eon never passes when I don't remember you all.

Ah, hah, hah! I can't believe it! I'm actually answering a prayer for once! Me, little Celebi, a god who can answer prayers! Wait until Lord Dialga hears this…

To victory, Char!

And then Char woke up from the odd dream. All he saw was Croagunk's face.

"Char…?" the frog said, betraying quite a bit of worry. "Whoa, Char. You weren't supposed to pass out yet! I didn't even hit you yet!"

"Char…? What happened?" Saura cried in panic, shoving the bigger frog out of the way. "Don't tell me… don't tell me that was what I think it was. Char, can you move? Can you get up?"

"I… don't know," Char groaned, trying to do so. He found the edges of the dojo platform with his claws and attempted to straighten himself out, but soon found himself too dizzy to stand on anything but all fours. He dipped his head toward the ground.

"Char, I'm not quite confident in taking you with us if you're going to be passing out with no provocation," the Seviper said. "Did you eat something which disagreed with you? …Too much water, perhaps?"

"No, I…" Char tried. "I think I'm…"

ALRIGHT, CHAR!

The voice came back suddenly, shattering his thoughts and his attempts to speak.

I'm sending a pulse now! Ready?

When I say go, try telling another Pokémon to do something! With your mind, I mean. Then watch and see if it works!

Okay… GO!

And Char felt a humming sensation in the depths of his soul. It was soft and easy, nothing like the Call explosions he had felt before.

Not only that, but he could perceive the world in both sight and sound as the humming persisted. No longer was his vision wracked with rainbows of light, or his ears drowned in haunting ethereal noises.

As the humming continued, he stood up to his full height and swiveled his head around, glancing at all the Pokémon who encircled him.

Croagunk. Otto. Dusknoir. Ray.

Seviper. Saura.

His head seemed to float upward, though he knew he was not moving. The room felt as though it was completely underwater, and every twitch of his limbs a swimming stroke.

Try… telling another Pokémon to do something, Char remembered, hearing Celebi's distorted voice repeating in his memory. Um… okay.

He looked at Ray.

Ray, Char ordered telepathically. Bring me an apple. …Please?

The humming stopped. The odd fluidity in the air drained out of the room along with it, leaving Char in the center of a very odd situation where he was the center of attention and had no idea what to say about it.

He stared intently at Ray.

"Um… hi?" Ray tried. "Can you hear me, Char?"

"…Yes," Char replied. "Yeah, I'm… I think I'm better."

"HE'S BETTER!" Dusknoir shouted unexpectedly, giving Char a ringing, metallic round of applause with his hands. "Good for you, Char. Here I was starting to wonder if you'd had a heart attack. I'd have to start searching for your soul. And I really wasn't in the mood for it. Still willing to take my stooges off my hands for the day? They're all yours."

"Excuse me, but they're all ours," Seviper corrected. "They are the tag-alongs, not us. Croagunk will be their team leader."

Char continued to stare at Ray, but the Raichu did nothing but oddly return his gaze.

He's not doing anything, Char noticed, his pounding heart calming down with disappointment. Hmm… Celebi might not have perfected the signal yet. I'll wait until tomorrow and see if anything happens next time.

"Char, you didn't just… have a… you know…?" Saura whispered to him the first moment they were out of earshot from Team X.

"I'm not too sure what happened," Char half-lied. "It was like the Call, but weaker. I guess nobody heard it. Maybe the Call is broken."

"Thank goodness for that, I guess," Ray said. "For a second I thought we were about to have the whole Division crowding into the dojo. Hey, maybe Celebi figured out what was happening and she tried to shield you."

"Yeah, maybe," Char said dismissively, still peering at him and wondering what exactly the signal might have done to his mind.

In truth, Char was still lost in a world of his own, and it would take a minute before he would snap back to reality and remember that he had just agreed to run a mission with Team X. He knew his tail was flaring to great heights, but hoped it would be disregarded as a reaction to the fact that he had just fainted for seemingly no reason. He could not stop his mind from spinning out of control and thinking of the path which fate was setting out ahead of him.

Because if what Celebi had said was true, he could not even begin to fathom the repercussions.

The ability to control the Call, even just once a day, would become such a terrible power and a huge responsibility that it scared him. He began to see how he always took comfort in the knowledge that he was just a regular Charmander with no special power, and even took relief in the revelation that the Call was entirely outside his domain.

Now, he almost hoped Celebi had been mistaken in her message. He hoped that her signals would remain broken for the foreseeable future, at least until he could come to terms with the new power and not on such short notice.

I've grown stronger since I first came here, Char realized, looking down at his own claws. But I'm still a coward. I don't want power. At least, not that kind of power…!

I just don't know what to do with power like that.

I never wanted to be the one who would change the world myself. I wanted Dialga to do it for me. Or Giratina. Not me…

But more than his own cowardice, which he had been partially aware of for a long time, there was something else which bothered him even more deeply. Char found that he held a certain reservation in his heart. It told him not to tell anyone about Celebi's message, not even Saura and Ray.

But I've always told them everything, Char reminded himself. Every little thing. They know me better than I know myself. How is this different?

We'll go to sit in our room tonight and I'll tell them all about it. I need advice with this. I need their input. I can't… handle this on my own.

Should I tell Scythe about it? Even though he's going to just start using me as a weapon again? Should I use it for my own means?

Should I try to take over the Division and destroy the Master myself?

I can't answer these things on my own. I need to trust someone. I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell my teammates at least. They deserve to know.

But the instinct was resolute. It insisted that nobody else, even those he trusted the most, should know about his new secret. There were no reasons behind his instinct. No convincing evidence. There was only a bottomless sense of dread that something would go terribly wrong if just one of them were to know.

Before he knew it, he was standing with his team at the South-east entrance to the base, ready to depart. He hoped the day's mission would help to clear his mind and untangle his insecurities.

"Bag of rocks, check!" Croagunk reported, slinging the large, uncomfortable-looking sack over his shoulder. "And that's it. You in, Char?"

"Well, I guess I'll hold down the base today," Ray said. "Good luck with those guys. Are you sure you're going to be okay? Sure you don't need rest?"

"Ah… as long as the Call didn't do anything, I'm fine, yeah," Char said, eyeing him suspiciously one more time. "As long as it didn't do anything… I'll be fine."

Route 325

It was a picture he never thought he'd see: Char was heading out of Iron Town on his favorite road, led by two of his least-favorite Pokémon in the world, and his only teammate was the one he felt least comfortable talking to. And even then, the Pidgey left him to keep watch from high in the air, leaving him alone with the poisonous duo who had saved his life from the icy northern lands.

Before his sudden contact with Celebi, Char had felt moderately confident that he could act like a tough guy and play mind games with Team X, at least enough to work with them as a team and learn more about them. Now, it was a taller challenge to keep his mind off the potential repercussions of Celebi's pulses from the tower, leaving him open to teasing and ridicule from those he hoped to stand up to. His mind kept simulating the surreal moment the Call had happened, hoping it had not done any unforeseen damage, and grimly anticipating the moment it would likely happen the next day.

"Char, for having begged for our company so vehemently, you certainly aren't paying much attention," Seviper commented. "Have you listened to anything we've been saying?"

"Um… yeah, I have!" Char lied, snapping to attention.

"Funny, because we haven't said anything yet," Seviper goaded. "Are you still perhaps asleep? Do you need a chesto?"

"If you've got one, sure," Char said ashamedly. "Guess I didn't get enough sleep – OW!"

A small stone thunked Char on the side of the head, landing in his claws.

"There's your chesto!" Croagunk laughed, pulling the string on the bag shut again. "Meh heheh, or wait, was that a rock? We don't have any chesto today, do we?"

"No, because someone insisted we take only rocks," Seviper said with an evil grin. "I wonder who could have given that order?"

"Also, looks like you don't have that pesky globe on you today," Croagunk teased, eyeing Char as he rubbed his forehead. "Stay outta the way of flying rocks. Probably be the smartest thing."

Thunk.

"Oww!" Char whined, flailing with his arms after a second rock clunked him in the chin.

"That means knowing how to dodge when you see one flying at your face," Croagunk said with a grin. "Yeesh, why did we take this useless guy with us again?"

"Because we're teaching him how to be less useless," the viper said, slithering alongside Char.

"Heh heh, then I guess I should stop poking holes in him," Croagunk said. "But really, why come with us at all, Char? I'm not buying this story that you just forgot a mission. You've got some sort of motive. Are you comin' out with it, or should I try using some more of these rocks?"

Char shook his head, deciding to stop taking the abuse laying down. He knew he needed to get the Call out of his head if he wanted to focus on getting answers from the team, so he clenched his fists and made an attempt to push back.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Char demanded, pointedly sidestepping the question. "What's the mission?"

"To raid a thief hideout," Seviper replied. "Sound familiar to you, Char? Bring back old memories? But you don't have to worry, the thief is already down and out. We took him out two days ago. It was a Marshtomp who set up a hideout in Stabwound Bog. Croagunk pelted him with so many rocks that he begged to be taken into the authorities. But the day after he was captured, they got a tip that he had a hidden cache of stolen merchandise somewhere in the bog. So that's where we're going now. We're cleaning up."

"And that's just what we're in the market for, more stuff!" Croagunk boasted. "That's why we're takin' rocks with us most of these days. Can't afford to use our good stuff. Savin' up for the real tough shots."

"So if there's no thief, do we even need the rocks at all?" Char wondered.

Croagunk tried to pelt Char with another rock to the gut, but Char finally had the sense to jump out of the way.

"For keeping you on your toes!" Croagunk laughed, not even bothering to glance back at the Charmander. "Bet you're starting to wish you had that globe with you again!"

Thwack.

To Croagunk's surprise, Char had grabbed the rock back from the ground and pelted it at the back of his head. The poisonous frog gave a startled croak as he recoiled, eyeing Char knowingly, then cast a glare at his teammate.

"Yeowch! Hey!" he commented, though remaining mostly unfazed. "Hey! How come you didn't warn me he was fightin' back?"

"Honestly, you deserved it," Seviper replied coyly. "About time someone knocked you on the head. Well-aimed shot, Char."

By the afternoon, the awkward team of three found the beginning of the side-road which would lead down south and toward Stabwound Bog, their destination. It was near the very same place Team X had ambushed Char on their way to the dragon reserve. Char even recognized the rock which the poisonous team had hidden behind on that day.

The sun bore down from a cloudless sky, roasting the dry land to obnoxious temperatures even in the early days of autumn. Char had no reason to complain about the heat, but he sensed that the Croagunk was feeling uncomfortable. He knew that he frog had particularly dry skin that became sensitive in such situations.

Despite the constant bullying, Char was starting to have fun with these strange Pokémon. Through playing their games and teasing them back, he thought he was beginning to sense a bit of true respect they had for him, as though they would readily fight on the same side of a battle in a moment of dire need.

It was progress. Char hoped this respect could be used to his advantage, and that he would win some of the answers he sought from them. Maybe then, he thought, they would finally be worthy of winning his trust.

As they neared the turn-off where Route three thirty-four began, the Croagunk swiftly reached into his bag of rocks, making Char tense up and prepare to dodge. But instead of pelting Char with another cheap shot, the frog tossed the stone high and easy, and it landed almost perfectly in Char's arms. Char eyed the chunk of gravel, turning it over in his hands. It was very lightweight, reminding Char of the exact weight of the Master Ball. Char wondered if the Croagunk specifically searched for rocks which matched the size and mass of the Poké Ball he practiced with.

"So, how are you at throwing?" Croagunk wondered. "See if you can't hit that signpost from here."

Char clutched the stone, peering over its surface at the tiny wooden post which marked the intersection between routes three twenty-five and three thirty-four. It was tall and thick, surely not a difficult target. But when he heaved his body to toss the rock, a motion which took both of his arms, the rock made a pathetic arc and stopped well short of the target.

"That was terrible!" Croagunk said, drawing another stone. "If you're gonna help me throw rocks around, you've gotta be better than that. Alright, look. First thing's first: I don't care what species you are, or how good your eyes are. The target is always farther than it looks. You've gotta know how the eyes trick you. Things that are farther away look smaller, right? So distances look smaller, too. So look at the distance between you and the sign. Pretend it's farther away than how it looks, got it?"

Tossing another stone to the Charmander, Croagunk stepped forward and stood between him and the signpost. Char squinted, trying to imagine the correct perspective he was supposed to see, questioning the information his eyes showed him. He clutched the stone in one claw, sure that he could make a better shot the second time.

"Also," the frog said from several feet away. "When you throw overhanded, don't aim at the target, right? Instead aim at the halfway point between the target and you. Because you don't have any control over what the rock does after it hits the peak of the toss. Everything after that's just gravity and momentum. So try to find where the peak is, and aim for that. Eh… looks like for you… it's right here. There, Char! Here's the moment you've been waiting for. Aim right at my face!"

Char didn't have to be asked twice. He grinned, clutched the rock in his right claw, and flung it right at the frog's head. The frog ducked out of the way, letting the rock sail harmlessly past and strike the signpost very near the base. The signpost wobbled with a satisfying rattle. Char was admittedly impressed it had worked.

"That's the way it's done," Croagunk said smugly. "Now you've got the basics."

"So… that's how you throw things so well?" Char asked. "You just look for the peak of the toss? That's all it is?"

"Heh, not even close. Especially when there's wind, moving targets, all kinds of things. It's a whole science," Croagunk chuckled. "But for point-blank, you've got it."

Char smirked. He chose his next words carefully.

"So… is that all you're good at?" Char asked, pretending to sound honest. "Just throwing stuff? That's your talent?"

"For your information, our team has a much more important role to play to your Division," Seviper cut in, sensing Char's true meaning. "Hmm, Croagunk? Should we tell him our big secret?"

"Big secret? Whaa…?" Croagunk replied. "Oh, oh. Right, the peanuts don't even know that yet. Fine, go ahead. Let's see the look on his face."

"We're spies," Seviper told him pointedly. "We are double-agents. Not for the enemy, mind you. For the resistance. Mostly it's boss who's in charge of the operation. We're just here for support. Boss is the one who has ties with Adiel."

"…Adiel?!" Char gasped. "You're spying on Adiel?"

"Yep. And Adiel thinks boss works for him!" Croagunk said. "Of course, the two of us are just idiots who don't know any better than to tag along with boss… if you catch our drift."

Char's eyes widened. Team X was finally starting to make sense.

"This is how we will get close enough to Enigma to have our shot at capturing her in the Master Ball," Seviper explained. "Adiel is going to give us the opportunity, whether or not he suspects it."

"W-wait," Char stammered, nearly choking on his tongue trying to swallow the news. "You talk with Adiel…? Does Scythe know about this?!"

"Of course," said the viper. "How do you think we convinced him to let us in? How do you think we won the favor of your High Intelligence? Although, it has been a long time since boss has made contact with Adiel. Last we knew, he was still after your Bulbasaur friend. We're not too sure what happened to him after that. Boss says he's nowhere to be found, and we're growing worried, to be frank."

"Okay, okay," Char said, gripping his temples. "So… let me get this straight. Dusknoir is a master spy getting information from Adiel, and Croagunk, you're the one training to catch Enigma in the Master Ball… so what are you doing here, Seviper?"

Seviper slithered into a pose, flashing Char a fang-filled grin as he boasted about himself. "I am what you might call a witness," the viper explained. "I commit everything I witness to memory, and I rarely forget anything. How do you think I managed to remember such a tiny detail as your team name, when you first encountered us?"

"Yeah, except when he forgets boss's orders," the frog shot back. "You remember everything fine, except when boss says 'whatever you do, don't forget to—' and you draw a blank! That's what happened yesterday. He forgot the one item we needed for the job and it ended in a wreck. Long-toss band. That's all we needed. Instead, we got our first failed mission."

"I was distracted," Seviper hissed ashamedly. "That was different."

"By what?" Croagunk snorted. "…the Zangoose?"

The Seviper paused in silence for a moment, turning away.

"…Yes," he finally admitted. "She is pranking me. Yesterday she sneezed into my defense scarf. When I put it on, my scales were slathered in her mucus."

"Bah. But you can't prove it was her," Croagunk scoffed. "How do you know I didn't do that?"

"Because you know I can freely retaliate! If I retaliated against the Zangoose I would be thrown into the dungeons for mutiny. Thanks to prejudice, I cannot lay a scale on the Zangoose without sparking an outburst of terror from the whole Division. There is no other explanation. It must have been her."

"Yeah, yeah, blame everything on the Zangoose," Croagunk said, shaking his head. "Typical of you. Better learn to control those instincts of yours, or the base will be in shambles before you know it! Heh, just the way Char thought we'd destroy the base, I bet, when he saw us in there."

And it was like that for the rest of the trail down south. Char listened to the two of them banter, rarely finding an opportunity to say anything. But somehow, he didn't quite mind. In just that one walk, he'd gained a new respect for his so-called rivals, realizing that they were much more skillful than he first gave them credit for—even after learning they had so stealthily trailed them to the north to save their lives.

Though he hadn't gotten all his answers, he couldn't help but trust the two in some small way. He knew he had some things left to learn from them.

Stabwound Bog

Stabwound Bog was a disgusting place, and Char wondered how any sane Pokémon could stand spending any length of time there, much less setting up a hideout in the place. But the poison Pokémon looked happy as could be to have arrived, leading Char off the path and into the dense, humid wilderness.

As soon as Char's foot stepped off the road, it sank into a wet, mucky pile of mud. It soon became clear that the reeds and undergrowth he stepped on were merely a false cover for a never-ending puddle of muck which covered the entire swamp's floor, except in the places where the ground fell away into a thick pool of standing water, so foul and stagnant with ooze that it resembled mucus. He soon began to expect that every step would involve his feet soaking entire inches down below the surface of the earth, slurping and squealing with gross noises as bubbles of air escaped from beneath them. He dreaded the prospect of getting down on all fours to battle, hoping he could bear to stand on two legs the entire way.

The air itself was intensely humid with steam trapped beneath the dark canopy of the swamp's willows and ferns overhead. Every single piece of vegetation was nearly black in color and sagging low, as though trying to wilt and put themselves out of their grimy, polluted misery. Beads of dew, like sweat, lined the edges of the leaves.

"This way," Croagunk ordered. "This is the way we came yesterday. Urf, this bag is getting heavy. Yesterday I did more target practice by this point."

"Is it very far?" Char couldn't help but ask, yanking his foot out of a shallow puddle of quicksand. "This place smells terrible."

"Smells fine to me," Seviper commented, slithering deftly through the heaps of mud. "Though, that might be because I smell my own poison every day of my life. I can imagine how torturous this must be for you. Try not to trip and fall in the water, at the least."

"Yeh, it's not a nice place, don't matter who you are," Croagunk muttered, shaking the goop from his foot. "That's why the crooks hid their stuff here. Just not worth it to come get 'em. Unless you're broke and desperate like us. Nah, not too far if you know where to look. At least this is no Zerferia… Alright, so the paper said the goods are farther west of where the hideout was yesterday…"

Char shortly became skilled in finding ridges of dry dirt and standing rocks, balancing on fallen logs, and other methods of taking respite from the murky floor of the bog. As he followed the lead of his odd companions, he noticed that there were very little signs of wildlife coming from the area, which did not seem natural. He knew bogs were normally a haven for wildlife, especially amphibious creatures and birds, yet he failed to spot anything that could possibly be alive besides himself and his two rivals. It almost reminded him of the Jaded Woods, the first mystery dungeon he had ever explored as leader of a team.

At least this place isn't a dungeon, he remembered, balancing on a rock. Glad nothing is around to attack us.

Then, a sound came from the sky.

"Cheee-cheea!"

Char tensed, and so did Team X.

"That was Char's bird," Croagunk realized. "It sees something."

Char craned his neck, but couldn't spot his Pidgey teammate above the sagging treetops.

"Yes, I know," Seviper replied, coiling around a tree for a better view of the distance. "He signals there is danger ahead."

"Danger? What danger…?" Croagunk said. "There's nobody here. The Marshtomp goon is in jail. You don't think someone else got to the goods before we did…?"

"Improbable," the Seviper said. "The tip about the hideout was given exclusively to the Gold Division, and we took the job before any other team. Thus, unless another Pokémon knew about it, we should be alone."

"Cheee-cheea!" Otto called again.

"No, you idiot, that wasn't the danger signal," Croagunk grunted, hefting his bag of rocks higher onto his back. "That was the 'hey, come check this out' signal. You're also terrible at remembering your bird signals, you know that? Some witness you are. Maybe he found the entrance."

"Very well, then follow him," the viper decided, slithering back to the ground.

But they didn't trek very long in the direction of Otto's call before it became clear something was very wrong.

There were other Pokémon there in the bog swarming the place. Many were types of Pokémon Char didn't recognize: some resembled turtles, others were like walking fish. The thing which worried him the most, however, was that they were all blue-skinned creatures: water-type Pokémon.

Great, just what I needed, Char said to himself, digging his claws into the dirt. Fighting against water attacks that'll probably blast me into the swamp water. Though, makes sense they'd be the Pokémon to put up with this place…

"Gettdown!" Croagunk hissed, yanking Char by his tail down behind a mound of mud. "Ugh… Char, we're in trouble. Wasn't expecting opposition, and all we have is a pile of rocks."

"What do we do?" Char wondered. "Do you have a plan?"

"Well, only one thing we really can do at this point," Croagunk said, reaching into his sack.

Clutching one of the rocks from his bag, he peered over the peak of the mud pile. He squinted, reeled back his hand, and let the rock loose. It sailed in a long arc over the swampland, touching against some low-hanging willow branches above, then sank firmly down onto the forehead of a seal-like creature. It collapsed at once.

"Walrein!" cried a nearby Pokémon. "Walrein! What happened?"

"He got hit by a rock. That blasted Croagunk from the other day must be back."

"They're here. Search the area!"

Char scowled at the frog.

"Well, it was worth a try," Croagunk said, shrugging. "Up for a battle, Char?"

"He's clearly out of his element," Seviper noted. "Let's not have him get knocked out by some water. He can stay back if he wants. Let's finish this."

"Fine," Croagunk said, lifting the bag of rocks. "Alright Char, watch and learn. And try not to die. Bad Pokémon come your way? Dodge and run. Leave the rest to us."

Then, Team X bolted forward into the open, leaving Char alone to watch the events unfold.

The enemy Pokémon converged upon them as soon they were spotted, yet Team X did not seem to care that they were outnumbered. Croagunk lurched forward in pouncing leaps and launched volleys of rocks at the oncoming foes, each one striking a Pokémon in the forehead or the chest. Seviper slunk low through the undergrowth, striking at an attacking Quagsire and coiling around the foe until it became motionless.

"Kurrrrreeeii!" Otto called from above, a signal Char didn't recognize.

Though they demonstrated skill with their assault, Char couldn't possibly see how Team X stood a chance against the attackers, or even what they intended to accomplish just rushing out into the open the way they did. Char kept his head low and his tail lower, not caring that half his body was now coated in the oily mud.

But to Char's surprise, the action stopped. The enemies were called away by some shouting among the ranks, and Team X came to a halt themselves. Char squinted to see that a Pokémon had come out of the mob, approaching the attackers.

It was a Swampert. A very powerful, very large Swampert.

"Who might you be?" Seviper demanded.

"I am Koladius." the huge beast proclaimed. "This is my land. What do you think you're doing here?"

"Nah, can't be," Croagunk shot back. "We arrested Koladius two days ago. He's in jail. You're just a crummy look-alike, that's what you are! Tryin' to take his place?"

"Am I, now?" the Swampert said, crossing his arms. "Or maybe the Marshtomp you arrested the other day was a decoy, someone I planted to make it appear as though I was no longer here? Maybe that Marshtomp was my own son?"

"Your son," Seviper echoed. "You planted your son to get arrested in your place. Impressive, I'll say. Your twisted mind seems to live up to your reputation."

"Humph, that was a twist," Croagunk croaked. "Well-played. We walked right into it."

Char cringed at the sight of the encounter. He still couldn't see how the poisonous duo could succeed against this foe, even if he fought alone and with none of his minions. It struck him that if Team X were to fall, he'd need to navigate the bog by himself to make it back to the road, a task that could become truly fearsome if the darkness fell and threatened to release the Watchers…

Yet, he could only watch and see what would happen.

"Seems as though someone ratted out my plan," Koladius roared. "But that's fine. I will find them and deal with them. Now, you can turn around and leave, or I'll deal with you the same way I'll deal with the rat. Your pick."

"Nah, you're a real good guy, I can tell," Croagunk said with false politeness. "We can't just turn around and leave without at least showin' you a fair fight. It just wouldn't be right! You deserve more than that."

"Indeed, the famous Koladius deserves more than that," Seviper added, nodding to his teammate. "Now, how shall we begin? Ahh, perhaps like this."

Croagunk held up his arm, as though stretching out a cramp from carrying the bulging bag. A moment later, a blue-flamed missile pierced the canopy. It was Otto, performing his favorite combat technique which involved surrounding himself in blue energy and dive-bombing the foe, something he had seen the little bird perform in nearly every battle. Croagunk had signaled the attack. Char gripped the dirt in suspense as the Pidgey descended upon the foe, reveling in excitement as the tip of its beak and the focal point of the energy striking the Swampert on the back of the neck.

"Way to go, Otto," Char said to himself. "Can you help them win?"

What followed next was a violent battle, that much was for certain, although he could barely see most of the action behind the saplings and branches which had gotten in the way. Croagunk kept a distance and flung rock after rock at the large water-beast, and Seviper seemed content to just lure the attention of the foe without attacking, although at one point he had slashed at the Swampert's back with the blade of his tail, presumably in an attempt to infect him with poison. The Swampert was enraged, retaliating with impressive displays of power, attempting to strike the duo with supercharged water or shards of energy. Though as hard as the Swampert fought, Otto never once intervened again, and neither did the servants of Koladius who all stood behind the trees and watched the fight in nervous anticipation much in the same way that Char did.

After the battle had gone on for several minutes, Koladius could take no more, and roared to the heavens with rage. Char noticed that the standing puddles of water around him were rippling. Char found it odd that a roar could be so powerful as to shake the ground.

What was even odder was how the puddles continued to ripple even after the Swampert's roar was over. And the earthquake became worse.

Char peered back at the battle and found that it had come to a complete standstill. Seviper and Croagunk stood together, frozen in place, and the Swampert knelt down into the mud, clutching his forehead in pain.

Then Char noticed the droplets of water hovering in the air.

They were everywhere, like rain suspended in time. All around him, small drops of dew and mud-water rolled up leaves and into the air, or simply leaped out of the puddles, ascending back into the heavens from which they had come. Even the slimy patches of mud released moisture, letting whole strands of water flow upward with some kind of reversed gravity, until the air all around Char was speckled tiny glimmering orbs.

The earthquake intensified, causing Char's teeth to jitter. He couldn't tell if the ground itself was shaking, or if he was feeling something huge moving across the ground in the distance…

Croagunk and Seviper directly toward his hiding place, fearful for their lives.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Seviper cried, frantically slithering past him.

"What?! What's wrong?" Char cried, though got on all fours and made an attempt to keep up with them.

"Char… If you wanna live, just run!" Croagunk called, leaping and hobbling through the mud. "Surf's up!"

Crash. A pillar of water shot straight out of a nearby pond to Char's right, as mighty as a volcano's eruption, rising into the treetops.

Crash. A second explosion from a pond on Char's left.

Char began to fear for his life. Forgetting about staying out of the mud, Char labored on his four legs to keep up with the Poison Pokémon, trying not to think about what was happening to the swamp water all around him, or why the ground kept shaking as violently as he did. Until, that is, he made the mistake of looking over his shoulder.

A giant wall of water washed through the bog straight for him, tearing down any trees in its path. A tidal wave.

"Char! Here!" Croagunk called, stopping in his tracks for a moment.

When Char ran to him, panicked beyond all reason, the frog snagged the middle of the Charmadner's tail and whipped him upward into the treetops. Char didn't realize he was flying until he noticed a limb about to strike him in the face, and he clung to the branch with all of his claws.

The surf-water crashed through the marsh floor, turning the bog into a raging ocean for just a moment. Trees sagged and leaned against the water's pressure, and Char held on for dear life, curling his tail upward as he felt the loose spray stinging his flame.

The branch cracked a little, and the tree buckled under the force, but luckily for Char it remained standing.

And just as soon as the storm had started, it was over. And Stabwound Bog didn't look much different than it had before. It was still soaked in muddy water and watery mud, covered in fallen and decaying trees, and still damp with dewdrops.

Seviper untied himself from the base of the tree, and Croagunk unburied his head from a pit of quicksand. The bag of rocks still sat next to him, too heavy to be washed away, and the frog picked it up and watched the water dribble out of the stitches on the bottom.

"I suppose high tide came a bit early today," Seviper said. "Wasn't expecting that, really."

"Guess I was in the mood for a bath after all," the mud-covered Croagunk groaned, hefting the bag one more time. "Guess we're done for the day…"

Route 334

With a solemn silence hanging over the three filthy Pokémon, they left the bog the same way they had entered, found the road, and headed back the way they had come.

Char scowled as he eyed Croagunk's bag of rocks. He was admittedly more than a bit disappointed to learn that Team X couldn't work miracles with them as they had implied. Another part of him wondered if maybe the failure had been his own fault; the poison team hadn't planned for Char to leech onto his mission the way he had did, after all.

"Sorry," Char said meekly, breaking the silence. "Bet you could have finished if you had Dusknoir with you."

"Heh," Croagunk said. "Heh, heh, heh."

"Kahaha," Seviper replied. "Ka-ha-hahaha!"

"Heh heh heh heh! Heh heh heh heh!"

"Hahahahahah!"

"Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh heh heh!"

"Kyaahhahahah! Kyaahaha! Hahah!"

Team X had fallen to the ground, rolling in laughter. Char crossed his arms, heavily tempted to light one or both of them on fire.

"Seviper," the mud-covered frog said, climbing back to his feet. "Watch. Just watch this. Just watch the look on Char's face."

"I will. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Croagunk set the bag of rocks onto the ground and loosened the string which held it shut. The opening slumped downward, allowing the bag's contents to spill out.

Gold things. Metal things. Some orbs and some jewely.

Treasures.

"Bu-buh, But how! How!" Char stammered in utter disbelief, grabbing a silver coin from the bag to make sure it was real. "How did… how could y- how?! You never left my sight! I was watching you the whole time! You never could have gone into the hideout to get this stuff!"

"You make a faulty assumption," Seviper said, slithering in a circle around the bewildered Charmander. "You assume we were truthful when we said that we only brought the bag full of rocks. In reality, it was a bag full of rocks, plus one useful object. A particularly rare object. One known as a 'trawl orb'."

"Your birdie found the entrance for us," Croagunk explained, yanking the coin out of Char's hand and gathering the loose treasures back into the sack. "We got his signals. Then it was just a question of getting enough rocks out of the bag to make room for the stuff. That's what we started the battle for."

"And since we defeated Koladius's son using only rocks, they assumed – just as you did – that was all we had in the bag," the viper slyly said. "Once there was enough room in the bag, Croagunk stood near the underground hideout was used the orb, which warped most of the treasures into the bag, or at the very least, those which would fit. It is enough to satisfy the conditions of the mission description."

Char was speechless. He glanced up into the sky and saw the silhouette of Otto still trailing them silently, and realized just how much the little bird had done for the mission's cause without uttering one word. He had done everything with signals. He made a mental note that he would need to learn the signals himself inside and out, seeing now what kinds of remarkable strategies could be built upon them.

"So yeah, thanks for being completely useless, Char!" Croagunk teased, gently slapping Char on the head as he walked by. "Though, your birdie did help tons, so I guess we'll give you some of the spoils after all."

"I, for one, am most impressed by the ploy Koladius demonstrated," Seviper mentioned. "I couldn't have seen that one coming – Koladius still guarding his hideout even while in jail. After he appeared, I was certain our mission was doomed. Char's bird is the one who saved us. He is the hero of the day."

The Seviper slithered close to Char with a gleam in his eye. "Are you starting to see, now, the nature of the mind game?" he said. "You won't get anywhere unless you learn how to lie, and how to cause your foes to draw assumptions upon demand. Just the way we incorrectly assumed the bog would be unguarded… and the way you incorrectly assumed our bag had only rocks in it. You control others not by what they don't know, but by what they believe they know."

"I see," Char simply said, still contemplating the events of the day and watching his Pidgey hover in circles overhead. "I think I'm starting to learn something…"

And I think I'm about to find the last answer I'm looking for, he added with a devious grin. But I'm not going to tell you this was all an evil plan of mine from the start, now am I? That would take the fun out of it…

Division Base

After taking a dip in the hot springs near Iron Town to make themselves presentable, the victorious team returned safely to the base with their satchel full of riches. They stood in front of the registration office and got in line behind a long trail of weary Pokémon to report the completion of the job.

"Are you going to just turn all that stuff in?" Char asked them, indicating the bag. "Did it say in the job description it has to go back?"

"Unspecified," Seviper said with an evil grin. "We'll see what they demand of us when the mission is reported as a success. If we need to give it back… well, let us just say that they probably will not be getting it all back, kyeheh…"

"I see," Char replied. "Reminds me of something we did to a client a few days ago…"

"You ripped off a client? Bah, somehow that just doesn't seem like you!" Croagunk teased.

"Yeah… well, they were trying to rip us off first," Char explained. "They were giving us seeds instead of money for finishing the job! But anyway… I guess we're done for the day?"

"Yes," Seviper said, nodding. "We are. Now is when we part ways."

Char didn't budge. There was an awkward silence, even amidst the noisy room of Pokémon.

"It's been good having you. Maybe catch us again sometime when, y'know, you're ready to not be so helpless," Croagunk said.

Char stayed put. He wore a smug grin and tried to exchange it with the Pidgey, but Otto only returned a blank, unknowing stare.

"Char, Y'know I can put you on the mission, even though you were useless," Croagunk said, beginning to show some worry. "I'm not gonna shaft you or anything. You'll get credit."

"I don't know what," Char challenged. "You have no reason to put me on the mission. So I'm going to stay here and make sure they know I helped."

"Char, I understand you may still think we're the scum of the earth or whatnot, but it is truly not necessary," Seviper said, betraying some worry. "You do not need to be here."

"Yeah, scram," Croagunk shot suddenly. "Go away. We got this. No really, scram. Get out of here."

"NEXT…"

At the sound that they were next in line, Croagunk hung his head in defeat.

He grimly shuffled to the Chansey who took notes on the other side of the room.

"I'd, uh… I'd uh… like to… report a… mission success, yeah," Croagunk muttered almost under his breath.

"Wonderful! Congratulations!" the Chansey cheered. "Mission number or description?"

"Stabwound Bog, that was the location, there should only be one," Seviper spoke.

"Great, yes, I see it," the Chansey said. "And what team?"

"It was a uh… joint… effort…" Croagunk mumbled, his voice becoming incomprehensible. "Team Ember and… uh… um… Team… blundabundah…"

"Team what now?" the Chansey said. "Sorry, I couldn't quite hear that."

"TEAM BLOndabunda…"

"Oh… Oh, Team Blockheads!" the Chansey said, instantly recognizing it. "Alright, all marked down. Says here there are no clients to remit to, so you're good! You can keep whatever you got. Congratulations on the victory!"

Char could barely believe his ears. He started to chuckle, and couldn't stop, grabbing his tail into his hands and wringing it tight.

"HEY!" Croagunk shouted, his voice ringing clear even above all the murmuring of the room, causing everyone to fall silent. "QUIET! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

He shot a finger at the Charmander. "YOU SHUT UP! YOU SHUT UP! SHUT UP! DON'T SAY A WORD! I'M SERIOUS! I'M…"

And then Croagunk stormed out. Seconds after he was gone, the murmuring of the room started up again, and the line of waiting Pokémon shoved Char out of the way to get to the mission desk.

"Team… Block… heads?" Char echoed in disbelief to the Seviper, failing to hold back convulsions of laughter.

"We tried to register the name 'Team X', but the team registry would not allow single-letter names," Seviper explained plainly. "The registrar, a particularly menacing Granbull, instead chose the name for us before we could object. I believe… I now see where Team Peanuts originally came from."

"You know you can change your team name, right?" Char told him, still grinning.

"Oh, of course I do," the viper said with a swagger. "But Croagunk hasn't figured that out yet. In the meantime, I am finding this very entertaining, as I'm sure you are now, too."

With that, the Seviper slithered away, leaving Char with the last of the answers he wanted.

"TEAM BLOCKHEADS?!" Saura and Ray shouted, nearly in laughter.

"Apparently so!" Char said, his friends welcoming him back to the team hall from the day's mission. "Now we know why we didn't notice their team mentioned in the news!"

"Yes, I remember Team Blockheads," Otto noted. "It is a memorable name. They were in a paper. But there was no description and no picture. Only the announcement of the team name."

"Yeah, that was my evil plan," Char explained, stretching his arms in celebration of his victory. "I figured they had some other name, it was the only possible explanation. So I thought, go on a mission with them, find out if they're actually doing legitimate work, and at the end of the day I'd see what their team is actually called. And it worked!"

"Brilliant," Ray cried, pounding the floor with his foot. "Char, that's amazing. Now, what? We know they're a real team, they fight the Master…"

"And they're spying on Adiel for us, too," Char said. "Or at least Dusknoir is. And I think he's telling everything he knows to Team Remorse. So, yep! They're all good. No reason to worry about them, as far as I can tell. I think they've finally earned our trust."

Char laughed again, clawing at the skin on his head. "Yeah, other than getting covered in mud, it was a fun day," he said happily. "Hey, let's order some food up here. I feel like celebrating."

"I'll do it!" Saura shouted, running out the door. "I'm starving. Be right back! Ray, go tell Eva we're going to have dinner soon."

"Okay!" Ray said happily. "Oh, and that reminds me. Here, Char."

Ray opened the team closet and withdrew a huge red apple. He handed the apple to Char.

Char blinked. "Um, what's this for…?"

"Oh, I just remembered you asked for an apple earlier!" Ray said. "I said we didn't have one, so I'd have one for you after your mission was over."

Char's heart stopped.

He felt the blood run out of his face. He clenched the apple in his claws until the skin broke and the juices flowed forth.

"You never said that," Char said, all of his joy gone, as he cast a burning glare into the Raichu's eyes.

"Yeah… yeah I did!" Ray replied, looking worried. "Remember? After you passed out this morning in the dojo. You said, 'Ray! I have the weirdest craving for an apple right now!' Those were your exact words. I said, 'We don't have any apples, but I'll buy one for you and give it to you after the mission today,' and you said 'Sure, that's fine.' I wasn't really sure why you wanted an apple just then, but it didn't really matter to me!"

Char shook his head in horror, looking down at the apple he held. It was nearly in shreds.

"No," he whispered breathlessly. "No, I didn't say any of that. And neither did you."

"Char… are you… are you okay?" Ray gasped, gawking at the mutilated apple in Char's hands. "I know you fainted or something this morning but… you didn't block out that whole conversation, did you? You're not… you're not having more amnesia, are you?"

And Char panicked.

He flung the apple to the ground, dashed through his bedroom door, and shut it behind him.

And he locked it.

"Char!" Ray's muffled voice shouted from somewhere outside. "Char? Char, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

But Char ignored him. He only curled behind his bed and cowered, staring at the flame on his tail.

The Call… he realized. It…

It's not just mind-control. It…

It's worse than that. It's more powerful.

It doesn't just give orders.

It changes minds. It re-writes memories.

It changes who you are.

Char endured a deathly shiver. Though he felt the pluses of warmth from his perpetual torches, and heard his friend shouting his name from the other side of the door, he had never, in all his time as a Charmander, felt so cold and so alone.

This is the power I have, he realized.

This is the power Celebi is giving me.

This…

This is the power I'm going to use to defeat the Master.

This is how I'm going to change the world.

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