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Chapter 64
For the first time ever, the fabled Team Ember is opening its doors for interviews!
We are looking for five dedicated Pokémon to join our family of adventurers.
Are you a member of a training team looking to graduate? This could be your chance!
You'll get to train under the watchful protection of Team Remorse every day!
You'll get to meet famous figures like Scythe, Marrow, and Prince in person!
The Gold Division's finest warriors will be your personal friends!
High rank is not necessary! We are still learning about the world, so come learn with us!
If you're interested, come tell us in person on the ninth day of this week. We'll be waiting.
Everyone is welcome, but fire-types will be given special consideration!
Adventure is calling! Will you answer the call?
"That should give us the rest of today plus a full day to get ready," Ray said, drawing the last footprint punctuation mark. "How's it sound?'
Eva gave a wry grin. "Good to note that we'd like more fire-types to make use of that orb of ours. And I like how you subtly referenced the Call," she said. "After all, Char's power is known by everyone. We just aren't allowed to talk about it because it still hasn't been officially acknowledged by High Intelligence. That's quite a mischievous way to draw attention."
"Yeah! I thought so," Ray said, rolling up the paper. "Of course, we'll probably have to tell them the truth anyway, at least to whoever joins us, so I figured it would be fair to add that in. Doesn't matter how many members we get, I think we need to make sure this team is still based on trust."
Right, trust, Char said to himself, another painful reminder that he was hiding the Call from his friends. It seemed that he couldn't escape the reminders lately. He briefly entertained the thought of using the following day's Call to erase that idea from their minds, but only briefly.
Char didn't honestly know what to think about Ray's idea of just broadcasting a call for help to the whole Gold Division. He worried that the advertisement would draw too many underachievers and new recruits from the training teams applying for a chance to graduate just so they could escape the dredges of the lower floors, but then again, recruits didn't come from many places else. Teams were like families, at least in the Gold Division; it was rare to find someone willing to defect so easily and join a team with a bunch of children who were just barely starting to understand what they were doing. He'd come to the grim acceptance that their newly-added members would have to be graduates from Team Stripes.
"Hey, don't knock Team Stripes," Ray had told him. "That's where I came from, remember? Trust me, there are some great Pokémon on that team."
But Team Stripes wasn't the only training team. There was also Team Carrier, and Team Cog, which was a lesser-profile training group mainly for the ghost-types who managed the base's internal systems. There was Team Silverwing for birds, Team Chasm for rock-types and ground-types, and the daycare halls for ferals-in-training. There was Team Lexicon, the team who mainly served as the board of directors for Cliffside Academy, making sure it served as a real learning environment that new recruits and Iron Town citizens alike could attend. And that wasn't counting the rest of the newcomer teams, like Team Ember themselves, who were higher in rank than a training team but rarely stood on their own, like Team Spider who served under Team White Rain. Char still wasn't familiar with all the teams in the division, especially those who had rarely crossed paths with Team Remorse. Since he couldn't read the daily posts, many of the teams on the opposite side of the base were unknown to him even in name.
He had no idea where his new recruits would come from. They could come from anywhere. But Ray assured him that he'd still get to hand-pick the candidates and have the final say about who got in, and he reluctantly agreed. He was only dreading all the interviews he'd have to perform at such short notice, and the foreboding feeling that maybe he'd let someone onto his closely-knit team he'd end up regretting.
"Ah, I'm not ready," Char sighed. "I know we need more permanent help. I know that. But I'm still not ready for this team to change."
Ray pat him on the head. "Hey, you know you don't have to do it alone," he said gently. "That's what the rest of us are for. I'll zap everyone into shape, Eva can be our eye on the outside world, and Otto can work out all the plans. You just keep being you, and I think it'll all fall into place."
"But I feel like Saura was part of me. I can't really be myself while he's not here," Char admitted, fretting with his claws. "It's hard. And even if he was here… We can't keep going around banding together like we're the 'original four' … or, five, I guess. See, that's the problem. We can't treat these new recruits as outsiders. Whoever we let in, we're going to all be Team Ember. So the only way to move forward from here is… well… we need to stop being so personal with one another. If I can't be personal with the whole team, I can't do it with you either. It wouldn't be fair."
"That is true. Alienating our new members would be very bad for morale," Otto said. "However, it is acceptable for you to assign a second-in-command and consort closely with them. It is how most teams operate. Just as Master Karow is to Syr, or Daemon is to Scythe. It is accepted that the team leader needs a personal assistant, and perhaps more than one at times."
"And I sent my second-in-command away," Char said, rubbing his forehead. "Great… well, I guess that means I'll need a different second-in-command, doesn't it?"
Char's three teammates looked at him expectantly, as though they were all expecting his decision immediately and were all secretly hoping they could be the one to take Saura's place. Char felt his stomach sink. He knew they were all qualified to be his personal assistant in different ways, but he couldn't have all of them at once…
"I'm not choosing anyone just yet," Char said, crossing his arms. "Not until I've seen the rest of the team we're going to hire."
"In other words, you're stalling until Saura comes back," Eva said cleverly. "Understandable. We'll stop pressing the matter. But in the meantime, if you feel lonely, you know it's your own fault."
Char thought for a moment with a heavy feeling in his chest, but he shook it off. "Well, how about this," he said. "Regardless of who we hire, the thief mission is going to be ours. Just between the four of us. If we hire someone new while we're working on catching the thief, we'll give them jobs off the bulletin board. How's that? I mean, we can't expect the new teammates to be able to work on a one-star mission with us. That would be too much for them."
"That is a good point," Otto said. "Very well. Let this thief mission be our last effort as a small team. It will represent our graduation into the elite ranks. I am in agreement."
"If it is really this important to you, Char, perhaps you could consider summoning him back," Eva suggested with a tilt of her head, "if only to help with the thief mission. I'm sure he would not mind spending a week in Iron Town following your instructions. Perhaps he is sitting on a rock somewhere right now, bored out of his mind, wondering about whether he should beg you for permission to come back."
The image stuck in Char's mind for a moment too long, and he sighed. "Nah, we don't have to do that," he decided. "And besides, we've had enough last hurrahs as a team. Heh, sometimes it feels like last hurrahs are all we ever have. No, we don't need to drag Saura all the way back here. He wanted to leave, he gets to stay with his family as long as he wants. But regardless, in two days from now, we're going to have a bunch of kids running around our halls… so let's at least enjoy the time we have left."
The team spent a moment deciding what they would do with the rest of their day. It was determined that the talk with Kecleon would happen on the next afternoon following the morning supply rush. It would be the least busy time for the shopkeepers, at least according to Ray, who seemed to know more about Kecleon than everyone else. Depending on their workload, they would need to run a mission that day as well, or decide to take the day off to focus solely on their most important task. Eva kept insisting that the thief mission would not be too difficult, but Char wasn't so sure. At the very least, he wanted to hear Kecleon's thoughts on the matter before deciding how much effort it would take.
By the end of the evening, the advertisement was submitted to the publisher, and the four Pokémon ordered a meal brought to their room. Over dinner, they discussed the different types of new teammates they might hire. Otto wanted to see the team balanced with different elemental types, such as a water-type or a ghost-type, if any were available. Char hoped that at least one fire-type would apply, as the Frozen Flame was an incredible asset to the team, and he wanted to see its effects multiplied. Ray didn't seem to mind about types, but he just hoped that the new recruits would be open-minded and ready for anything. The energy and positivity was what made Team Ember who they are, he said; anyone who could have the heart to keep up with the team would surely find a place.
At the end of the evening, the team retired to their bedroom. It was an unspoken, yet painful truth that it would be the last full night Team Ember would spend together in the master bedroom, but they spoke as though it was just another night. Eva seemed more comfortable than ever in the presence of the others, and Char was starting to consider her as one of his close friends.
I think we're going to be okay, Char said thought to himself as he relaxed. Just wish you were here to tell me that, Saura. It doesn't sound the same coming from me.
One floor above, an exhausted Marowak trudged into his team's room, dragging his bone behind him. He swung the door open to the planning room, already expecting to find some of his teammates gathered around the planning table.
"Alright, alright, I read the reports," he groaned. "So we know where the Starborn is now, but…"
"Jake, forget about the reports," the Feraligatr cut him off, waving a leaf of paper up to the light. "Come look at this. Just arrived this afternoon."
The Marowak threw his club aside and joined the Feraligatr and the Exploud at the table, squinting at the handwriting upon the paper.
"Mother… always loved you best?" he read. He turned the page over to see if there was anything else written on the back. There wasn't.
"Yeah, but do you recognize this handwriting?" the lizard replied. "You've seen it before. Just earlier this week, in fact."
Marrow held his breath. He tore the paper out of the gator's hands and examined it more closely. "By the blazes, this is Adiel again, isn't it? What's he want this time?! I thought he was done toying with us after we settled that whole thing with Saura…"
"It's for Scythe," Brock grunted. "You know. Mother. You know who 'mother' is, right? It is a taunt for Scythe."
"Aye, well, Scythe isn't here to see it, and I'm not sure how I feel about that," Marrow said, setting the paper down and shifting his helmet nervously. "It's a calling card. Adiel obviously wants us to know he's still got his eye on us. Though for what reason now, I couldn't tell you."
"Distraction," said the Exploud. "Divides Scythe's attention between here and the canyon."
"A solid theory, yes. That was my first thought too," Marrow replied, pacing away. "But it's not like Adiel to do something so obvious. I mean, he hasn't been this eager to get our attention since before Team Ember went—"
He froze in mid-sentence. The thought was lodged in his throat as though he was choking on it, and he stared at the torchlight for a minute.
"What?" demanded Brock. "Speak…"
Marrow then violently shook his head, nearly hard enough to rattle his helmet loose. Then he grasped at the eyeholes in exasperation. "…Nah, that's ridiculous," he said. "The world's a strange place, but it's not that strange."
The Feraligatr frowned. "Nope, no you don't. Speak up. Whatever's goin' on in that brain of yours, it means something. Let us have it."
"Fine, but as long as you humor me," the Marowak said, propping himself up by the tabletop. "Alright, so hear me out. Adiel's been keeping a close watch on Scythe since we kidnapped Saura for the first time. Then, in the middle of it all, Scythe vanishes… right? Gets a red letter from Alakazam, goes north, takes Team Ember with him."
"I follow," replied the gator.
"Alright. Then Team Ember comes back, but something's wrong. Scythe didn't come with them. Instead, it was those Blockheads that brought him back. Adiel's sitting somewhere in Iron Town and he sees this, and he starts to panic. So he plays one of his trump cards. He taunts Saura with the promise of reuniting with his family. But there's still a problem."
Marrow's eyes glinted in the firelight as he glanced at his Feraligatr friend.
"Scythe didn't respond to his taunt. Instead, it was a pile of loose ends led by a bozo Marowak with some stupid ideas, am I right? And Adiel's left all in the dark."
Markov touched his chin. "So, what? You're saying…"
"Adiel lost Scythe," Marrow said. "Or at least, that's a very distinct possibility in my mind. Adiel doesn't know whether or not Scythe's returned back to on duty here in Iron Town. And if I had to be the judge of Scythe's actions since he came back, I'd say that Scythe knows this very well and he's doin' everything in his power to keep Adiel in the dark. That's why he's been acting all funny. He needs us all to act like he's not even here."
"Scythe would have told us," the Exploud grunted. "But you think he manipulates us."
"Maybe just upright tellin' us wouldn't have had the same effect," Marrow said, shrugging. "Maybe he thought we wouldn't act right. But I'll say this bluntly: Scythe's been nothin' but an unhelpful airhead since he came back. And we've all been on our toes thanks to it. I'm just sayin' this could all be orchestrated. If it is, he's doin' a bang-up job taking advantage of Adiel. Might throw him off long enough to get the Sandslash home in one piece."
Marrow jumped off the table and went to retrieve his bone. "But hey, that's only a theory. Scythe's at the canyon now, I'm sure someone's gonna see him there if they're paying enough attention. At least if they can tell him apart from Adarc."
"What should we do with this note?" Brock shouted at the departing Marowak, waving it in the air again.
Marrow fixed his helmet and hefted his club up onto his shoulder. "Save it, show it to Scythe, then burn it," he suggested. "Pretend it got lost in the mail."
"Hey, Jake… we miss you out at the canyon, y'know," Markov said, leaving his seat. "It's not like anyone else knows the tunnels better than you. Is your Team Ember duty almost over?"
"Almost," Marrow said dejectedly. "It looks like I got one last mission to see them through, then it's back to the caves for me. Just in time for this all to explode." He looked back at his teammates. "I won't lie, I don't feel ready to go back. I'm havin' fun with Team Ember. If I hadn't given Scythe my oath, I'd have half a mind now to move in with 'em. They're an interesting buncha kids. Though I guess that's just me wishin' I was a kid again. Simpler days, y'know? They always go away before you're ready…"
Of course, I didn't tell them the rest of what I was thinking, Marrow thought, walking away. Glad they accepted what I said, at least. Even if I'm right, I'd better not say anything just yet. Not until I can figure out what's really going on here
Char spent the night dreaming that he was talking to Saura. They weren't sad dreams. In fact, he even suspected he was dreaming the whole time. But he hoped that somehow their dreams really were linked together through the spirit realm, and that somehow it really was Saura smiling at him, telling him that everything would be fine.
He sprang out of bed the next morning, full of hope and energy. The torches were still blue. He knew that the news had already been posted to the whole base, and he had just one day left before Team Ember was open for interviews. He wanted to make it count. He wanted to stand tall, act confident, and be the leader he always wanted to be. It was the last day he could practice before the newcomers came.
He startled everyone awake with the team motto, even Ray, and shortly later they stood in the main hall for the daily team meeting.
"Our top priority today," he announced, "is to talk to Kecleon. We need to find out what kind of Pokémon we're supposed to capture and how they operate. We need to know what this thief has already stolen, how often he strikes, and what Kecleon has already tried."
"Understood," a groggy Otto replied.
"Ray, I want you to barter with Kecleon for some rare equipment," Char said, pacing the floor. "Tell him we'll give it all back once the mission's over, but if this thief is as tough as he sounds, we'll need Kecleon's help."
"Uh… yeah," Ray said, trying to smile. "Sorry, Char… it's just… really early. I mean… really early. I feel like we only slept for three hours."
"A generous estimate," Eva sighed, squinting at the wall. "I'd give it two-and-a-half, at best."
"Don't care," Char said, turning around and pacing the other way. "Now, there is another problem we face that requires our immediate attention, and I'm not just talking about that board of requests outside of our door. Ray, we also need to find the money that your brother left for you. Somehow, I think we'll be needing it soon."
Ray blinked. "Oh. I was wondering when you were going to say something about that again," he said happily. "I didn't want to pressure you."
"So, we need to schedule a point in time for you to at least find that compass," Char decided. "Sometime during all of this madness of interviewing new recruits and trying to catch the thief, we need you to visit the safe-holding bank in Iron Town and withdraw it. Then we can figure out when to go on the adventure to find it. But for now, we need the key."
This got Ray beaming. "Right! Just let me know when I'm allowed to go," he said. "I'll be ready—"
There was a rapping at the door. Team Ember was collectively stunned.
"A bit early for Marrow to be here," Char muttered, glaring at the door. "I can't imagine, unless… there's another emergency."
"Char… that's not Marrow," Eva said, her gemstone gleaming. She closed her eyes tightly, padding closer to the door. "Also, I wasn't joking when I asked you to install a peep-hole. May we put that on the agenda as well?" she added snidely.
The rapping happened again. Eva was quiet for a moment, then the shine disappeared from her forehead. She glanced back at the team with a concerned look. It is a Pokémon I've never met before in my life, she replied.
In silence, the teammates warily approached the door. Char nearly jumped to the ceiling when the knock sounded a third time, escalating in volume.
"I got it," Char announced quietly, stepping forward to slide the door open.
The four teammates stood and stared at the strange Pokémon standing outside. It was a large raptor with feathers of striking red and gray, staring back at them with a frighteningly intense glare. Char vaguely recognized this bird, but couldn't recall where he'd seen it.
"It is Tallie," Otto stated.
"Who's the team leader here?" the Talonflame demanded. "That's you, Charmander? Right?"
"Yes," Char said.
The Talonflame leaped over their heads and glided into the room. Landing again, she began to appraise her surroundings.
"I'm going to make this as simple as possible," Tallie said, glancing at the ceiling. "I want in."
"Want in… what?" Char babbled.
She turned to glare at him. "In? As in, I want to be on your team. That's what you said in the paper last night, right? You're hiring new members?"
Char found himself simply speechless, and shut his mouth in fear of just gaping at the powerful fire-bird who'd invaded his room. Thankfully, Eva stepped up for him.
"Please excuse us, but you must have misread the paper," Eva said with a false politeness that simply dripped with disdain. "It says clearly that we are holding interviews on the ninth day, and this is currently the eighth. …And to be quite honest, I'm not entirely convinced it isn't still the seventh…"
"I read the sign," The Talonflame said in annoyance, flaring her wings. "That's why I had to get to you before everyone else. Where I come from, that's called initiative."
"Some would call it disobedience," Eva shot back. "Perhaps not the best way to make a first impression on your future employer."
The glower they sent one another, even in the dark blue light from the flames, was sharp enough to kill.
"…Tallie, why are you here?" Otto suddenly said, hopping closer to her. "You are a member of Team Flamewheel, a very high-ranked team."
"Was a member, until I saw your posters. Then I quit," she stated. "I couldn't take Flamewheel anymore. I just can't stand them. Can't stand the way they run the team. It's nothing like the way it was at the Black Division. They don't know what they're doing! They don't know how to… utilize the talent they're given. Can't stand… Can't stand flying everywhere. Flying lookout. Flying messages. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth to the blasted canyon. Four times a day. Like I'm some kind of mail courier. It's not my fault that nobody has a bird on their team over here. Not my fault that nobody on Silverwing is willing to work at a decent price at such high-risk jobs. Not my fault that blasted Kabir says to me every day, 'Please understand, Tallie. Please understand. This is important work. We need to get these messages through and you're the best chance we have. Please understand. Please understand.' I'm so sick of understanding. I'm so sick of it! I'm a special agent. I can do more than fly back and forth. I am a falcon of many talents. I can do anything! I can do anything better than anyone else! I AM OVERQUALIFIED FOR EVERY SINGLE TEAM IN THIS GODFORSAKEN BASE!"
The raving bird stopped to catch her breath. The feathers on her chest had become terribly ruffled.
"You promised special consideration for fire-types," she added, folding her wings in a huff. "Well? Are you going to give me special consideration?"
Char gathered his courage and stepped forward from the rest of his team. He held himself professionally, and tried to wear a friendly and welcoming expression. He hoped that the fiery falcon didn't know how to read his tail flame.
"Tallie, you're welcome to come in for an interview," he said carefully to her. "But… we're just not ready for you yet. We need more time to get things done."
The Talonflame scowled. "Last I checked, work gets done faster with more help. That's not an excuse," she squawked.
"Well, but… I can't just hire you right now," he tried. "We need to go through a whole process."
"…What kind of process?!" she demanded.
"…Well, you know, like… maybe run a mission with us, see how we get along on the field, that kind of thing," Char said.
"I already ran a mission with you!" she blasted, flaring her wings again. "I went on that stupid apple tree mission. I played as a mailbird. Didn't you notice me?"
"Tallie. Calm down."
Char was surprised the words had even escaped his throat. They seemed rude and condescending. But he was a team leader; somewhere he had mustered the confidence to say them. The falcon's beak clamped shut, and her eyes seethed with offense. But he straightened himself and tried speaking with authority.
"I'm willing to give you a chance to be on my team. But right now I think it's your ember that's doing the speaking. Now please leave my hall. Take the day off to let your fire simmer, and come back tomorrow morning when we start our interviews. I'll even give you a free pass to the front of the line. But I need to spend the day alone with my team today. I want you to leave."
"Sounds like an edict to me," Eva said to her. "If you want Char to be your team leader, you may start by demonstrating that you can follow a simple order."
Tallie cast her gaze downward in indignity, looking like she wanted to duck her head beneath a wing.
"Look, I… I'm sorry, alright?" she finally said after a long moment's hesitation. "I still don't get how things work around here. The Black Division is different. You don't get noticed unless you take initiative. That's what they're all about down there. It's all about the initiative. It's all about… speaking what's on your mind. Swooping on an opportunity as soon as you can. I mean… we're the resistance, that's what we do, right? We're mavericks. We ignore the rules and make our own. But here, it's completely different. You have to always shut up and do what you're told, and I… I guess I don't get it. But yeah, I'll leave you alone now."
She hopped towards the door, fluttering over Otto's head on the way out. Once on the other side, she glared at everyone one last time.
"Hey… I'm not on a team right now. I quit Flamewheel already. Would you… hire me as a freelance? At least until you decide whether or not to let me join? I can do anything. Honest. There isn't a skill I don't have. Just give me work to do. I don't care what it is! Just as long as it's not flying back to that canyon again."
"Please leave," Eva hissed at her. "We won't ask you again."
The fiery bird gave a protesting squawk, then flew away. Char closed the door and then slumped against it, letting himself slide to the ground. He stared at his teammates in disbelief, still jittering from the rush of nervousness.
"You stood up to her," Eva said with a smile. "Very good. I thought I was going to have to do all the talking."
"Yeah, well… what do you guys think of her?" Char said, catching his breath. "Should we give her a chance?"
For a second, nobody knew what to say. Tallie was a difficult first applicant to swallow.
Otto stared at the ground. "She has spoken to me of her accomplishments. She has great potential," he said, looking thoughtful. "But I do not understand why she would leave such a high-ranking team for this one. It confused me. Her disdain must be very strong."
"And she doesn't seem all that easy to get along with," Ray added, frowning.
"Well, it was you who said all they needed was the heart," Char said dryly. "Tallie has the heart you wanted, that's for sure…"
"But she abandoned her team. Perhaps even betrayed them, if her help was greatly needed," Otto said. "And before that, she left her position on the Black Division. She is volatile. She might be skilled, but I wonder if she is trustworthy."
"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Char said, climbing to his feet. "Well… I think I'm willing to give her a chance, but I'll need to ask her some questions first."
Though it had only felt like minutes, the encounter with the Talonflame had lasted quite a while – the flames on the torches flickered and turned orange, and Char felt resolve filling him again.
"But we'll deal with all that tomorrow," he decided. "Today, we have work to do."
The morning seemed to last far too long. The rush of Pokémon through the lower floors of the base took hours to subside, made all the more painful because Team Ember needed to wait until every last Pokémon was on their way before they dared approach Kecleon. They decided to pass the time by spending the morning at the cafeteria, eating with the recruits.
At first, it seemed like a big mistake. When Char sat down to a table, he was stormed by Team Stripes and several other groups of young Pokémon he didn't even recognize, all who had seen the morning notice.
"Hey, you're going to pick me, right?" shouted a Buizel nosing up next to Char. "I know you don't have a water-type yet."
"Yay, we might get to be teammates again, Ray!" shouted an excitable Leo. "I missed you! I've learned so much! I'm almost read to evolve!"
Luckily, Ray was able to take the pressure off Char by occupying the attentions of his former teammates, and Char found that everyone else was especially polite to him, backing off even at the slightest hint of his annoyance. After making it clear he wouldn't make any decisions until the first day of interviews, he restored peace to his table.
"So, how are the others doing?" Ray asked a Larvitar, supposedly one from his old team, who stood on the bench beside him. "Sorry I haven't been keeping in touch a lot lately. Life's been crazy."
The Larvitar rolled her eyes. "Oh. You have no idea the anarchy you caused this morning," she snorted. "Ansie couldn't keep anyone in line. Everyone was asking for permission to go to your interview. It's a wonder we even got out the door."
"Well, you tell everyone that we're gonna be extra strict about who we hire!" Ray warned. "We're not hiring anyone just because they wanna graduate. We're only looking for five, so we're only gonna hire Pokémon who are up to the challenge. So tell everyone to bring their best!"
After the surprisingly cheerful breakfast, Team Ember went back for seconds of berry cobbler. When the cafeteria was dead and the cooks were closing the kitchen, they made their way to Kecleon's shop, stopping to ensure that not a single customer was remaining in the store. The green Kecleon brother counted his money, looking quite exasperated.
"Running a bit late today, Team Ember?" he said, not looking up from his pile of coins. "My apologies if my shelves are not quite stocked at the moment. I have extras of everything in the back. How might I help you?"
Ray leaped up onto the counter, nearly knocking over the shopkeeper's carefully-stacked coin piles. "It's funny, because we were just about to ask you the same thing!"
He threw the red letter onto the countertop at his feet.
"We're here to catch your thief," Ray said.
Kecleon pointedly slammed the last coin onto a stack, then stopped to think for a long moment as though he had forgotten how to count. He turned his small, beady eyes to the note.
"…Of all Pokémon, they assigned you?" he said.
"Yeah! They said we were a perfect fit for the job!" Ray replied with a wide grin. "See, it even says right here on the note!"
Kecleon seemed to explode joyously. Char thought his scales had even turned a lighter shade of green.
"Wonderful! At last! Ah, I would hug you, but that would be most unprofessional of me!"
Char breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the shopkeeper's mood swerved sharply into happiness.
"It was you who inspired me to submit the job request," he said, forgetting all about his money and holding the note in front of him. "After considering what you said about hiring some help, I decided to submit a request into the division's system to see if I could get some assistance dealing with the thief. I see that it has been escalated and assigned directly to you. Ah, what a glorious day! You've been one of my best customers, and now I only hope that I can turn the tables and become one of your good clients. It will be the first time I have ever been a client in one of these sorts of transactions."
"We'll start work immediately," Char told the shopkeeper. "But we need to know what we're up against. I want to know everything that you know about this thief. What kind of Pokémon is it? How strong? What's it stolen so far? Where does it strike? What time of day? Tell us everything."
"Ah, of course, of course," the giddy Kecleon said, motioning to the team. "Why not come on back with me?"
He threw a switch and a hefty metal gate dropped in front of the door, locking the store down. Then he guided the four Pokémon back into his labyrinth of strange and wonderful treasures, a place that only the most privileged division members had ever witnessed.
Though Char had seen Kecleon's warehouse once before, it was still just as wondrous as the first time. The place was like a great dragon's hoard, with mounds of gold and treasure, shelves packed with arcane magical things, and entire boxes filled with wonder orbs. It made enough sense that the Gold Division was one of the most secure places in Ambera to hold the conniving burglar's valuables, and he wondered if it was actually Kecleon's main headquarters. Char knew not to touch anything, and he held his tail close with paranoia.
Unfortunately, their walk through the magical realm ended at the most boring room imaginable, a white boxy place with a tiny table in the middle.
"When I need to think about things, I don't like visual distractions," Kecleon explained, activating the torches in the room. "I cleared out this room just for these kinds of circumstances. Wait here, I'll bring everything we need."
He returned a moment later with a mound of papers and scrolls, dumping them onto the tabletop.
"Perhaps I'll begin with the most difficult issue I face, and that is, that I don't know the thief's species," Kecleon admitted, drawing a paper from the stack. "All I know is that it is less than two meters in height, and more than one, but its height seems to change. This is the only visual illustration I can offer."
The paper had an ink blot on it, and nothing else. Char thought it was some type of joke, although he began to see that the dark patch on the paper vaguely resembled an animal. But what kind it was, whether bipedal, quadrupedal, or just an amorphous blob, it was impossible to tell.
"There is a reason for this," he said. "The first time the thief struck, it stole a particular item from my brother and I. We had found a buyer for it, but the thief had tracked us and taken it during transit. This item was called a 'penumbra cape,' and its power is to cast a shadow over the wearer, so that it is impossible to tell the Pokémon's species, size, or anything in particular about it."
He slid a rough sketch of the cape overtop the other papers.
"Intelligent little weasel," Eva said. "Was this penumbra cape the only one of its kind in your possession?"
"Yes, and it is quite unfortunate that it was stolen; if the cape had been purchased, I would have had records showing who had bought it, and we could track the thief's actions more easily," he continued. "Judging from the thief's patterns, I can only conclude that the thief cannot fly. I believe it also certainly has legs, judging by the way I have seen it escape, but how many legs I could not say."
"So it's not a bird… probably," Char said, scratching his chin. "What kinds of things has it stolen?"
Kecleon went notably quiet. He grimaced as he produced a scroll from the stack of documents, then unrolled it for the team to see. It was long. Char couldn't read it, but he could hold his mouth agape as the scroll kept unrolling.
"The… total combined value of all the thief's profits have come to… just over five hundred and seventy-eight million Poké."
"Ouch," Ray said. "I can see why you turn red some days. Wow. Even golden apples. Cross bands. Invisible seeds… So many gold bars… And an amber tear? Those actually exist?!"
"Yes… No matter where I am in St. Gracious City or Iron Town, the thief is there to harass me. Every market day, every back-alley trade, every museum expedition… it is as though I have no secrets from this thief. But there might be another explanation for this … you see, I believe the thief might also be utilizing an item called 'appraisal specs,' which measure the rarity of an item's enchantment. In my line of work, I use appraisal specs quite often, especially when setting the market value of things. But the thief might be using it to pinpoint the valuables I keep on my person, which is why it will always strike me while I am in public."
"Yes, according to your list, the appraisal specs were only the fourth item that went missing," Eva noted. "This thief had a clear agenda. He knew the things he needed to begin the campaign against you. Hmm… in all your time struggling with him, have you ever engaged in battle?"
"I'm afraid not," Kecleon said, shaking his head. "Believe me, I would have liked to teach it a lesson. But it always flees the scene of the crime! It runs as fast as a Jolteon, and even working together with my brother, we cannot seem to corner it. And believe me, we have experience with catching thieves! If you do not already know, my kind is able to naturally camouflage ourselves, so we can become nearly invisible to the naked eye, but that doesn't seem to have helped. Furthermore, we have tried baiting it with exhibitions of rare items laced with traps, but it always evades the traps and gets away with the item. We once tried planting a psychic tracer in one of the treasures, but the thief chiseled the tracer off and left it outside of town. Cleaned it perfectly. No hairs, no pawprints, no anything. No tracks through the mud."
"Interesting," Eva said with an evil, fascinated grin. "This thief knows what he's doing. A real challenge we have."
"I have a question…" Otto said suddenly. "You say that the thief strikes at St. Gracious City as well as Iron Town. The distance between to St. Gracious City is over ten leagues. Does the thief strike anywhere else within a fixed radius?"
"A good question, but we have not tested this theory," Kecleon said "Neither my brother nor I have ever held a reputable business outpost in any surrounding city. They are all too… low class for our tastes, you could say. Although, should the opportunity present itself, we might stage an appearance in a nearby city, say, Nincadia perhaps, and see if the thief takes the bait."
"Another question: have you ever encountered any of the items which the thief has stolen?"
The green lizard shook his head. "No, not once, I'm afraid! I keep a close watch on the black market, I would know immediately if any of my own stolen items were to appear for sale."
"Then we can conclude something," Otto said. "The thief is putting the stolen items somewhere, just as you are collecting all of your valuable items in these back rooms. Instead of catching the thief, we might instead try to find the thief's hideout. It may exist within some fixed radius of Iron Town and St. Gracious City."
Char was impressed at the little bird's deduction, although it never surprised him anymore that Otto would reach such conclusions on his own. The shopkeeper, however, seemed thrilled.
"Yes! I like the way you think," he said, waving his arms in celebration. "A marvelous idea. I myself have never raided a hideout before, I rely on all you resistance teams to do that for me. But certainly, that seems to be a valid second option, should the thief elude our capture. I would pay dearly to have all of my valuables back! But I would still prefer to see the thief captured, or else it could just establish a different hideout and continue its work."
Though they spoke for a few minutes more, Kecleon didn't have much in the way of information to offer. According to him, the thief struck any time of day, in any weather, and always stole the most valuable of his possessions. Without knowing what kind of Pokémon it was, Char wouldn't even guess how he should attack it or try to ensnare it; even the best-laid plan could be useless if the thief had some sort of immunity to the wrong element.
"I understand it isn't much to operate with, but I trust that you will try your best," Kecleon finally said. "And I will be fully cooperative in your efforts, granted I am not busy. I will call off the rest of my engagements for the remainder of the week, and close down the store, should that be necessary. Or I can have you work with my brother. He might be just as helpful. He should be arriving back shortly. I will make sure to fill him in on the situation."
"Thank you for your help," Eva said, bowing her head. "I have already begun to devise a plan of attack, which we might begin immediately."
"Oh? And that is?"
"Obviously, we don't have enough information yet," she said. "I want to begin profiling this thief. I need to get into his mind. So, to start out with, why don't we forget about capturing it… and just let it steal something?"
"But Miss Espeon, I've already tried that, as I've stated," Kecleon replied flatly. "We have tried to bait it before. It simply does not work in our favor."
"No, not baiting," Eva replied, swiveling her tail. "No. Let us give it something free of charge, and just sit back and watch what happens. I want to see how this Pokémon reacts to… a dilemma, you might say. Every Pokémon needs a dilemma to bring out their true nature."
"Very well, then, Miss Espeon," Kecleon said, scratching his chin. "I am yours to command. What, exactly, do you have in mind?"
Tiny Plains
A very angry Ivysaur padded down the path, his forlorn brother trailing behind him.
"Saura… we can't do this," the Ivysaur growled. "Not if this Starborn thing is as bad as you say."
"We have to," Saura said simply, staring at the ground as he walked.
"No, we don't," Saurvor growled back. "I'm not letting you. If this Starborn is a murderer, he could kill you, understand? I don't care how dangerous your life was back in your guild. I'm not just going to stand around and let you die."
Saura stopped walking and nudged the dirt with his paw. "Well maybe I'd rather die than see fire in my nightmares forever," he grumbled.
Saurvor sighed, turning back to face him. "Well, what if he's trying to get you to betray your friends, huh?" the Ivysaur pleaded. "Huh? How about that? Would you really betray your friends from your old team over some curse?"
"I don't know why, but I feel like I already have," he said very quietly.
Saura looked up at his brother sadly. "I know it's dangerous, but I feel like I need to see him," he said. "Maybe… I dunno. Maybe I can betray Cepheus. Maybe I can get him to say something then go and tell my old team about it. But… I feel like… something's all wrong about this. Why does Cepheus know where I found Char? And why did that ghost say that Cepheus doesn't work for the Master? It doesn't make any sense… I feel like there's something I'm not understanding here. And I need to know."
He turned to glance down the path that led back to Shamble Forest, the path that they'd need to take on the next morning to fulfill the ghost's demand.
"Brother, the cave has a secret exit," he said. "There's a mystery dungeon in there. If… if something happens, we can run for the mystery dungeon, and we can get through it together. We can be safe. We won't die. I promise."
"Alright, well, I guess I have no choice but to go with you," the Ivysaur replied in a pained voice. "I just don't know if I'm ready to protect you against whatever's in there. Just letting you know that. But Saura, You've got to tell me something… what did you do back with your team to attract so much attention?! Why does everyone want to kidnap you? What's… so special about you, brother?"
The Bulbasaur grit his teeth.
"You really don't want to know," he replied, turning his head away.