o

Chapter 70

Part 2

The ground shook as the Nidoking stomped into the room, his cape waving in his wake. A toothy grin spread across his face as his eyes scanned the shadows at the edges of the firelight.

"Hmm, most fascinating," he said evilly, touching his chin. "I come back to my hideout after a long and tiresome day, and I find… hmm? Three invisible Pokémon here? Ohh, but they're not any old Pokémon, are they? Here we have none other than… my longtime acquaintance. Kebb, is it? Or is that your brother? I always forget, you look the same to me."

"If it does not concern you, then I will not bother to tell you my name," Kecleon said defiantly, shifting his scales back to visibility. "I implore you, great Cepheus, we mean you no harm or interference this evening. We are only here to set a trap for a thief, nothing more; would you consider leaving us to our own devices? This matter concerns only a petty street-thief and myself, it is no concern of the Master's."

"…What, and waste this golden opportunity to catch my own petty street-thief?" Cepheus mused. "Don't think I don't know about you, Kecleon. Don't think I don't know what you've done to the Master and what he rightfully owns. Do not think that I don't know how you… built your empire."

The Nidoking stepped closer, narrowing his glowing eyes.

"Do not think that the continent is big enough for more than one empire," he growled lowly. "It has been a dream of mine, a longtime dream, to dismantle what you have built, and take back what you have taken."

Kecleon crossed his arms. "Pah! Says the one who doesn't even know my name," he laughed. "I'd like to see you try. My brothers and I have occupied this continent since before the empire was founded. We know it like the very scales on our hides. And what do you know about Midwestern Ambera, easterner? Don't you have your own city to rule?"

Char felt a paw nudge his side.

"I'm going to get the other Kecleon," Ray whispered as quietly as he could. "He should be outside… the brothers could defeat Cepheus together…"

The Nidoking's ears perked, and Char heard the invisible Raichu gasp. A gleaming red eye was cast in his direction.

"I see you underestimate my hearing," Cepheus said, "not to mention my eyesight. Do not bother getting your brother. I've brought him in for you."

Scales glimmered in the darkness as the Nidoking thrust his hands up to his shoulder, flinging a blurry shape to the ground just beside the fireplace. The shape flickered and flashed as scales turned colors, the failing camouflage of an unconscious Kecleon.

A gasp rose from the room, the loudest coming from the green Kecleon still standing. He rushed to the side of his fallen brother, holding his hand.

"Brother!" he cried. "Brother, what has this brute done to you?! Brother… are you still… are you still alive?"

Kecleon lifted his brother to survey his injuries, and noticed a large, gaping hole in his chest. The wound was completely dry, as though the blood and fluids had been sucked out and burned away.

The room fell so silent, Char thought he could hear Kecleon's pulse rising.

"Seems as though your brother doesn't have the heart to get up," Cepheus said nonchalantly. "Wasn't my fault, though. He struck first."

"Oh… oh no," Ray whispered in despair. "By the gods above… He can't be dead!"

"This is all our fault," Char replied quietly. "We set this up. We made the Kecleon bothers come here… We… we led him to his death."

The green Kecleon stared at his lifeless companion, his breaths deepening as he let the umoving body slide from his claws and slump to the dusty ground.

He clutched his brother's claws. He gave Cepheus a narrow, deathly glare.

Veins of red began streaking across the chameleon's scales.

"You will pay," Kecleon said with a hollow, terrifying voice. "You will pay for what you have done to my family. I will never rest until you get what you deserve."

The Nidoking chuckled. "Hmm? Oh, what was it you said just now? Ah, yes, that's right. 'I'd like to see you try.' Because you see, your brother said the very same thing, but his vow didn't quite last too long. As you can see, he's quite busy resting at the moment."

"Oh, and he will be avenged, you can trust me about that," Kecleon said darkly, taking sideways steps around the great Nidoking as his scales turned the color of blood and anger. "See, I am known for vengeance. I am known far and wide for… the things I will do to someone who steals my merchandise. But you want to know what I am not known for? I am not known for what I do to those who hurt my family. And that is because, like your own victims, Cepheus, nobody has lived to spread the word. You will be no exception! I have slain greater things than you. Meet your doom, Nidoking!"

Kecleon disappeared just as the Nidoking lunged for him.

"Ah, you poor misguided lizard. Haven't you learned by now that I can see you while you are invisible?" the Nidoking sighed.

There was a cracking sound as the Kecleon appeared directly behind the Nidoking, connecting with pointed headbutt into the back of his neck. Cepheus waved his claws to swat the aggressor away, but Kecleon was already gone.

"An invisible double-team. Not bad," Cepheus said. "Unfortunately for you, the same trick isn't going to work twice. I learn from my mistakes. But you… you can't seem to learn that the same thing is about to happen to you that happened to your brother."

"Say, do you actually fight, or do you only speak your opponents to death?" Kecleon called from somewhere.

Cepheus shrugged. "Trust me, you will know the very moment I decide this is worthy of anything more than words," he said, sounding bored.

"Yes," said Kecleon evilly, voice coming from everywhere at once. "It shall be the same moment that you realize you've underestimated me!"

The red shopkeeper appeared on the ceiling, propelling himself for the Nidoking's open hide. Cepheus glanced up, giving his tail an effortless flick and sending the Kecleon flying. In a shocking move, however, Kecleon snagged hold of the Nidoking's horn and swung around, redirecting his momentum and clawing at the Starborn's unguarded belly on the way down. He vanished into a cloud of dust the moment he hit the ground, leaving visible gouge marks on his foe's white scales.

The Starborn Nidoking sighed again, producing a pair of blue berries from a pocket somewhere on his person. He popped them into his mouth, and Char already saw the gouges begin to heal within moments. "You still don't understand, do you?" the beast groaned in frustration. "I'm not even using a small percentile of my power. You are not even worth wasting white-energy on."

Wham. Kecleon appeared in midair, swatted the Nidoking's cheek with a forceful fist, then vanished just as quickly.

"And you want to know why?" He goaded, straightening his cape. "Heh heh… because… after today, all of Ambera will know that I, Lord Cepheus of Centauri's lineage, have defeated the great and renowned Kecleon brothers… with naught but one claw."

The Nidoking swiped at the empty air. A moment later, a strangled, struggling Kecleon appeared in his grasp.

Ray and Char both gasped.

"Tisk, tisk," said Cepheus. "So very predictable. Your threats are worthless and full of empty promises, just as the wares you peddle."

Kecleon clawed at his throat and tried to open his windpipe, but the Nidoking's claw was too massive. His tail flicked and writhed as it dangled beneath, his scales flashing in patches of strange and random colors.

"Char…" whispered Ray gravely, "We've gotta do something. We can't just let Kecleon die…"

"At this point, I'd say you have only a few options," Cepheus replied directly to Ray, flicking an ear in his direction. "If I were you, I'd leave. I'd say there's about, hmm, twenty seconds before this lizard's heart stops and I get bored of watching him die. If you get a running start, you might live to bear witness for him. Somebody needs to tell the world how they both died, I think. And I do hate spreading my own rumors of myself."

When Kecleon started to visibly grow limp, Cepheus dropped him like a dead rat. He made no attempt to get up for fight, only glaring helplessly up at the mighty king who'd defeated him.

"But since you're still here, you may as well stay to hear Kecleon's last word. It is only fair," Cepheus said, putting the spike of his toe against Kecleon's chin. "Now then, you sniveling, slimy street-bandit who's been a thorn in my side for my entire reign, you've ten seconds to decide how you wish to be remembered."

For those ten seconds, there was silence. Cepheus simply glared down at his victim with gleaming red eyes, and grinned evilly.

At the last moment, Kecleon grinned back.

There was a scuffling sound from a direction Char didn't expect, and a sudden force struck Cepheus in the side, toppling him to the ground. Char noticed a strange shadow briefly obscure the firelight, and it flew with impressive agility across the ground to where Kecleon lay.

"Is that…" Char said, grinning with glee.

"Yeah," replied Ray. "It is. Right on time! I was hoping she'd show up. Now we might actually have a chance."

"Oh, NO you don't!" screamed the shadow, scooping up the fallen shopkeeper and dragging him away from the scrambling Nidoking. "Nobody hurts Kecleon, not while I'm here! Kecleon, you have to get up!"

The grumbling Nidoking was back on his feet in seconds. He came lumbering over to the corner of the room where the shadow had fled, but the shadow tossed several objects at him, each of which made a pop sound upon contact.

"AUGH!" he cried, shutting his eyes. "Oh, so you've got those blasted blinding seeds, do you?" He ruffled through the pockets on his garment, but clumsily spilled half of their contents on the floor.

"Kecleon, please, you need to get up right now!" the thief begged. "I'm not going to let my rival die. Not today. Now here, eat this." She stuffed what appeared to be a sitrus berry into his mouth. "Hang in there. You're gonna survive, I promise. I've got enough supplies for both of us."

Kecleon's scales flashed in various colors as he reluctantly accepted the berry. "Who's that? Who are you?" he said hazily. "Are you…"

Fern threw off the penumbra cape, revealing her identity.

"I'm… I'm the shadow bandit," the thief said proudly. "You invited me here, remember?"

"In that case, I'd bet my tail that most of those supplies are mine," the Kecleon laughed. "A pleasure to meet you, Furret."

In a few moments more, Cepheus had succeeded in swallowing a healing seed, curing his magic-induced blindness. His eyes flashed angrily, scanning the dark edges of the room.

"Oops, got to go take care of this king freak again," she said. "Be right back. Try to get up! Get out of here!"

Fern jumped up and pounced at Cepheus again. She leaped right at his face, only for him to reach out and grab her upper body in one claw, the same motion that had caught the Kecleon just moments prior. But somehow, her body slipped out of his grasp like a wet worm, and she scurried away, running behind him and nipping at the end of his tail.

Cepheus yelled in annoyance, whipping his tail around and trying to slam the Furret aside. Her body contorted, seemingly in defiance of physics, as it danced and entwined with the Nidoking's tail, never seeming to make contact.

With his tail failing him, Cepheus turned to fully face the Furret, but she tossed another seed at his face, and his whole body was instantly paralyzed.

"Good, now he won't see us," Fern said, noting that the Nidoking's stunned form was faced away from the fallen Shopkeeper.

Kecleon groaned as he rose. "You seem to have come prepared, miss," he said.

"Yeah, because I thought I was going up against you!" she laughed. "I didn't want to disappoint you. Now, if we're fast, we can get out of this place and lock him in here."

"ROAAAAAR!" Cepheus's challenge was that of a lion, shaking the few remaining supports of the bunker and causing rubble to come rattling down the sides. He spread his arms wide, his claws and his horn radiant with white energy, his eyes sparkling with relentless malice.

Fern gasped. "No… how did he… I paralyzed him! How did he heal so fast?!" she muttered in panic.

"YOU FOOLS!" cried the anguished king. "I AM CEPHEUS, CHILD OF THE STARS! THE VENOM OF CENTAURI FLOWS IN MY VEINS! I AM INVINCIBLE! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY TWO PATHETIC THIEVES!"

"One of his articles of clothing must have been enchanted, and cured his paralysis quickly," Kecleon noted. "If you've got any more ideas, miss, please be quick about it."

The furious Nidoking shook the earth as he barreled towards Fern.

"I know just the thing!" she whispered, fishing around in one of her bags.

As Cepheus stared down at her, she brandished an orb. It dissolved in her paws with a flash of magic, and Cepheus soon found himself picked up off the ground and hurled across the bunker chamber with startling force, smashing into the pile of rubble and sinking into it. The blowback orb had done its job well.

Char and Ray moved quickly.

In a moment that felt far too soon, the rubble burst open and the Nidoking appeared again. So enraged he was, that the light from his eyes looked as though it were seeping into his scales.

"Come on, really?!" Fern gasped. "Again?!"

"Cepheus is not one to be trifled with, it seems," Kecleon said. "If a mere item could defeat him, then his reign would have been toppled ages ago."

"Naaaah, you can beat anyone with the right item, you just gotta know which one it is," she insisted, pulling a number of objects out of her bag quickly. "What I gotta do is neutralize his enchantments. I wonder what he's wearing that's making him so resistant to everything? Whatever he's wearing, I've gotta tear it off of him!"

Kecleon knowingly eyed the appraisal specs as Fern pulled them out and pressed them against her eyes.

But what she saw… didn't make sense.

Shaking her head, she took them off, then put them on again.

Odd.

"Huh… it's not working," she said worriedly, shaking the bifocals in her claws. "Why won't they work? They were working just a minute ago…"

She put them back on her face, and turned to look at Kecleon.

She blinked. She looked again at Cepheus.

"Huh…?" she muttered. "They still work… but… but… wait a minute."

"What is the matter, miss?" Kecleon said tersely.

"It's… he's…" Fern took the glasses on and off, not believing what she saw. "He's not enchanted at all. None of this clothes glow! The Nidoking should have clothes that glow bright white through the glasses, but… he doesn't glow at all… That must mean…"

Defiantly, the Furret scurried up to the raging Nidoking. A quiet standoff lasted only a few seconds.

"You're not the Starborn!" Fern shouted. "You're… You must be an imposter!"

Again, there was silence. The Nidoking's rage seemed to fade, and the light from his eyes dimmed down as an evil smile spread across his face.

He began to laugh.

Kecleon began to laugh.

Char and Ray began to laugh.

"What?" Fern muttered, confused and frightened. She turned to see everyone in the room laughing at her expense, even those who were invisible.

The corpse of the purple Kecleon brother began to move, his false wound disappearing as his scales faded back to their correct color.

"Nice to meet you, miss," the Nidoking said cordially. "Name's Nidoroch, but you can call me Rocky. Everyone else does."

"So… you aren't the scary Nidoking I saw in the warehouse…?" Fern gasped. "How… but your eyes, they were red!"

"Oh, that? That was just your most basic leer," he said, turning his eyes into a blank red glow. "Pokémon learn to do that when they're three days old. Helps them look scary in the forest at night."

Fern blinked, baking away warily, even though the Nidoking was no longer making a move to catch her. She eyed the exit.

A terrible realization dawned on her.

"So… that must mean…" she said.

"Indeed," Kecleon said jovially, collecting all the loose items that had fallen on the floor and stashing them into his bag. "Our contest is over, and it seems as though you have failed."

"Thank you," said the purple brother, snagging Fern's appraisal specs right out from her claws and joining with his brother, who'd collected the penumbra cape from the floor. "You've given us quite the entertainment for the night. We thank you very much for returning our valued merchandise to us."

"B…but…" Fern stammered, turning in panicked circles. "What about… what about the… the imbuing canister? It never arrived! Where did it go?"

"Unfortunately for you, and you would have known this had you done some research on the matter, there is no such thing as an imbuing canister," the purple Kecleon informed her. "Enchantments take time and dedication from skilled magicians. There is no shortcut for the lay Pokémon, which is precisely why they sell at such high prices."

"And there was no blast door, either. It was yet another fact we fabricated, once we knew you were listening," said the other. "The Talonflame spotted you entering the bunker, and we knew it was time to begin our performance. Everything that was spoken in this bunker tonight was meant for your ears. We even kept most of the room hidden in shade, so you would think we couldn't see you as you hid in the shadows."

"Yep, and the invisible Pokémon here helped me out of the rubble heap you put me in," the Nidoking said. "All in all, it worked out pretty well, I think. I'd like to think I really nailed the part of Cepheus. Had that pompous sneer down to a science."

Fern's mouth hung open, and tears welled in her eyes as she tried to comprehend the falsehood of the battle she'd just fought.

"You see, this is what a little bit of information gets you, Ferret," said Nidoroch condescendingly. "Your Pidgeotto friend, the one you made friends with the other night? He told us everything. And we used everything he told us to lead you right into this trap: he told me what to wear and how to talk 'n how to make myself look like Cepheus, he told us that you're compassionate to your foes, and probably most important, he told us your motives for stealing from Kecleon. You just wanted to be the best thief in the world. So how could you resist an item that would, supposedly, allow you to enchant anything you wanted?"

"So we wrote you a note that we knew you couldn't ignore," the green Kecleon said smugly. "And it all worked wonderfully."

Fern sighed in defeat, although her heart was still pounding. "Alright, alright… are you going to capture me, or what? Are you going to take me to jail?"

"No, we really have no interest in apprehending you personally," Kecleon said. "Without the penumbra cape and the appraisal specs, and especially due to the fact we now know your identity and your weaknesses, you pose no threat anymore. We are merely here to take back the merchandise you have stolen."

"Indeed," said the other. "In fact, we have located your hideout yesterday, and we lured you here to distract you while our agent cleans out your stockpile of stolen goods! Hmm, if I am not mistaken, they would not have arrived yet, would they have, brother?"

"Indeed not," said the other. "If you hurry, you might be able to beat them. You're certainly welcome to try."

But Fern was already gone.

Iron Outskirts

The Furret ran faster than she'd ever run before.

She'd lost track of all the pedestrians she'd nearly run over in her mad dash. Her last remaining bag of belongings whipped in the wind as she fled Iron Town into the badlands beyond.

She envisioned her hideout – coincidentally, in another old abandoned Watcher bunker, designed very similar to the one where she'd been duped – and imagined all the stolen loot, the mountains of rare, valuable, useful enchantments that lay within, all meticulously sorted by size, shape, and potency… All the loot she hadn't even had a chance to use yet…

It can't be gone. It's not gone. It can't be, Fern told herself, spurring her faster onward. Please, oh Lugia please, please don't let them steal my things!

When she finally arrived to the secluded flatland and the secret passageway to her hideout, she scanned the surrounding horizon. Only the far-off wall of the plateau rose up from the earth, accompanied by some barely-visible Iron Town skyscrapers. Nobody was around. No birds in the sky. No hostile scents. No footprints. It certainly didn't look like she'd been followed…

The moment of truth came when she threw herself down into the tunnel and beheld the steel lock, shining in a ray of light from the evening sun, still intact and holding firm.

"I… I did it," she breathed, unbelieving. "I made it… I made it… Oh, thank the heavens."

Realizing she couldn't relax just yet, she fumbled for her key and dropped it. When she finally got her shaking paws to grasp the key and fit it into the keyhole, the sound of the tumbler was like a blessing. She opened the door and threw herself into the dark depths of her home.

Beneath an aura-light, an Espeon waited patiently for her arrival.

Fern nearly swallowed her tongue. "How… How...!" she shrieked angrily. "How did you get in? The door was locked!"

Eva grinned. "Tumbler locks don't work on telekinetics," she said simply. "Perhaps you should have invested in a psyche-lock instead."

The Furret, physically and emotionally spent, collapsed to the floor. She heard a clunking metal sound as the lock slid back into place, sealing her in the room.

Click.

"Gotcha!" Eva chimed.

Ten minutes later, Char, Ray, and Tallie arrived at the entrance to the thief's hideout – the short tunnel which led into the abandoned Watcher shelter. They'd made use of Canniah's help after all, who teleported Char and Ray across Iron Town as soon as Tallie had given the signal that the Iron Town Shadow Bandit was, once and for all, cornered. Eva sat in front of the locked door like a sentinel lion, looking very proud of herself.

"She's really in there?" Ray inquired, his invisibility effect wearing off alongside Char's.

"Yes, and going nowhere," Eva replied smugly. "I used an embargo orb to keep her from using anything in her stash of belongings. But that is likely not even necessary; she's completely given up at this point. Accepted defeat and resigned to her fate. Those are the only thoughts in her mind as of this moment."

Eva put on an unnaturally large smile. "Well?" she sang, mostly in Tallie's direction. "How's that for efficiency?"

"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you this time," Tallie sighed, spreading her wings and fake-bowing. "All hail the master of wits. I couldn't have done it any better. And that's not something I say often."

"Yeah! That was so perfect!" Ray beamed. "And you came up with the plan so fast!"

Eva shrugged with what Char knew to be completely fake humility. "After you spend a certain length of time on this world, you start to notice patterns," she said. "Pokémon nature is quite predictable. Sad, really, once you start to notice it, how we're all doomed to act the same way in the end. But very useful once you happen to take notice. Once I knew how the thief idolized her foes, the rest was simple."

"Alright, kittycat, do it a second time and maybe I'll believe it wasn't luck," the Talonflame teased with a flicker of newfound respect. "No, but seriously, I can't wait to see you do that again. I never get bored of watching mind games that end with the bad guy walking into their own demise. Absolutely a riot."

"Seeing that I'm now Char's partner, I will be available to provide you with many more hours of entertainment in the foreseeable future," Eva said with a sly grin.

While his team exchanged congratulatory words, Char tiptoed up to the metal door and placed his claws against the rigid surface, wondering what lay on the other side. He saw nothing through the keyhole, and heard no commotion from the supposed thief. Was she really in there? If so, was she really so heartbroken as to just sit in a corner and stew over her failure? I would be adamant to escape, even now, if that were me in there, Char thought quietly.

Char felt a trickle of sympathy against his inner ember; this thief had saved Otto's life, and had similarly attempted to save Kecleon's. And now, due to the Espeon's cunning plan, she was doomed to whatever cruel fate the vengeful chameleon Pokémon had in store for her. Perhaps she deserved the punishment, but perhaps she also deserved a little kindness as well. All this time, the thief was only trying to impress her hero; how bad could she really be?

The Kecleon brothers had not teleported – they were walking the distance to the hideout, leading a whole moving crew who would help to clear out the contents of the room before nightfall. They would be arriving soon. Char knew that whatever the thief's fate was, it would be upon her within the hour.

Char turned to his teammates. "Think we can see her before the Kecleons get here?" he wondered. "I don't know what they'll do to her, but I feel like we need to thank her for saving Otto, at least."

"Yeah, and then she'll bolt out of here as soon as the door's cracked open," Tallie said flatly. "Just watch, that's what'll happen."

Eva shook her head. "No, I'm most certain she won't; she's currently lost in a self-deprecating daydream. In her mind, she has already accepted the shackles. Without her prized cape, she seems to have no confidence at all, so I doubt she will pose a threat."

The lock clicked, and Eva cracked the door open.

"Yeah, well, I'm keeping watch anyway," Tallie said, straightening herself. "Besides, all the huggy stuff is your specialty."

Char crept into the room. A single aura-light cast a yellow beam from the ceiling, as though the sun were shining straight through the roof. The floor was covered in heaps and piles of shiny things like a dragon's lair. Dozens of piles spanned the room from wall to wall in straight lines, as though the thief had invented some kind of chaotic sorting system. In the shadowy distance, there were even more items placed museum-like atop shelves and tabletops. Char thought he could feel an eerie disturbance from the enchantments, a sensation that reminded him of the magical rooms behind Kecleon's store.

In the middle of the room, curled up on the highest pile of treasure, the Furret lay with her head in her tail, sobbing softly.

Clink. Char kicked a golden coin at the base of the pile, and the Furret's head perked to attention.

Char searched for the words to say as the Furret only blinked, looking deeply surprised.

"Charmander?" she uttered, catching the Charmander off-guard. The sound of the word, the way it was spoken, triggered distant memories. "Is that really you… Charmander?" The Furret slithered down the pile of treasure, knocking things along the way. "…You don't even remember me, do you?" she said with a sad laugh.

"Wait…! Fern?" Char cried, the truth finally dawning on him. "That was… you? You were the thief?!"

Rather than replying, the Furret pounced on the Charmander, tangling him into a huge, furry embrace. Char didn't feel the need to resist; he returned the gesture as his mind buzzed with questions. He remembered this Pokémon who he'd rescued from a place called the Iron Crevice. He remembered the day when he denied her permission to join the team. Even now, he felt sour and regretful about how that must have made her feel at the time.

"I'm sorry," Char said, his voice half-muffled into her side. "I didn't even recognize you back there. When you took off your cape, I thought – you were just another Furret. They're so common around here, I see them every day."

"Yeah, but there's only one Charmander in the world that I know," Fern said, hugging more tightly. "I never thought I'd see you again. Not like this, anyway. You were the one who inspired everything that I do."

"Huh?" Char replied, trying to look at her face. "What do you mean?"

"I remember back when we first met," she explained sadly. "I didn't know what I should do with my life. Tried dungeon hunting… but that didn't work too well, and you had to rescue me. I asked you if I could join your team. I remember what you told me, you told me to go chase the legendary Pokémon. But I didn't know how. I didn't know the first thing about legendary hunting.

"But then you came back one day! Remember that? We made up that whole plan to break the Bulbasaur out of jail, and I pretended to be a witness to the jailers, and that Marowak snuck in and made all the Bulbasaur invisible? Remember when we did that? And it worked! It was so thrilling! I… I'd never had that much fun in my whole life. Before then, I never even dreamed of breaking the Master's law. But that day made me realize how much I loved breaking the law. That's what made me decide to try being a thief. "

She freed the Charmander from the curl of her body, scampering back to the top of the treasure pile.

"I was meant to be a thief," she said with her head turned downward. "The days I spent collecting all this were the best days in my whole life. Part of me knew that I would get caught someday, but I didn't know it would happen this soon." She sighed forlornly, caressing some kind of magical brooch with her front paw. "Still, it was worth it. It was all worth it."

Char was at a loss for words. He inspired this? He made this happen? Because of what he said?

Somehow, Char didn't feel guilty about leading her into this life of crime. He knew he probably should have, but his inner fires burned a completely different color. Somehow, he felt proud of her.

"I'm sorry that my friends and I had to catch you," Char finally said. "If I knew it was you, if I knew what your story was, I'm sure I would have thought of something different. But Kecleon is such a powerful Pokémon! You picked a fight with him, and now I don't think there's anything I can do for you. Kecleon never forgives anyone who steals his treasure."

"I know," Fern squeaked. "I know."

Char looked again at the countless quantities of shiny things that filled the old Watcher shelter. He picked up a gold coin from the floor and turned it over in his claws.

This isn't Poké, he realized. This is gold. These are the coins that are in the treasury. They don't just trade with these on the open market.

Impressive, Fern. Maybe I should have let you join the team after all. But I guess it's too late now. You've got a lot to answer for.

He was just barely aware of Eva and Ray approaching him from behind.

"Char, they're here," Ray whispered.

Char nodded, dropping the coin into the pile with a plink and looking sadly up at the Furret. "I don't know what they'll do to you," Char said.

"I know, I know," Fern said again, slumping her body on the pile. "But whatever it is, I deserve it. You caught me fair and square. Whatever happens now, I'll take it. Charmander… hey. If I never see you again, I want to thank you. For everything. Even for… you know, this. I can't tell you… how happy I've been to have found a reason to live, even if it was just for a little while."

"You can call me Char," he said, stifling a sigh.

He left the room with his two teammates at his side, and met with the Kecleon pair standing just outside the door. Their little beady eyes were glinting with energy, and their scales were a rainbow of red shades. They looked absolutely unnatural and fiery.

"Are we ready, brother?" one said.

"Absolutely," said the other, his little claws curled into fists. "I've spent enough time just anticipating this moment! Come, brother! Let's give this slippery Furret just what she deserves!"

"Hey… uh," Char said to them as they started to push past and into the room. "Could you… maybe… go easy on her?"

The Kecleon brothers paused for a moment, staring at one another, before bursting into harsh laughter.

"Easy?!" said one. "After what she's done to us?"

"We've never gone easy on a thief!" said the other.

"No, never! Our punishment will be as cruel as the losses we've suffered from her mischievous exploits!"

"Twice as cruel!"

"Seven times as cruel!"

"Seventy!"

"Aye! It will be long and Painful!"

"Heartless and grueling!"

"Indeed, she shall know our wrath for the remainder of her living days!"

"Come, brother! Let us waste no more time! Let us dispense justice! I live for moments like these!"

Together, the two red Kecleon brothers paraded into the treasure room, slamming the door behind them.

Char counted the heartbeats of silence, giving sideways glances to his friends.

"Hah, this should be good," Tallie muttered. "I heard that once, the Kecleons caught one of their thieves and rearranged their limbs. That's painful. Even if you live through it, what a miserable existence. You can't fly with claws on your arms instead of wings."

"I've heard similar tales," Eva replied, nodding. "Wonder what this Furret's fate will be. I'm certainly expecting something… creative. Perhaps we shouldn't look; I know I certainly don't want nightmares for the rest of the year."

"AIEEEEEEEEE!"

A long, piercing shriek of anguish sounded from within the room. It was Fern's voice, making a sound that suggested that Kecleon had found a way to impale her very soul. His fire danced nauseously as pinpricks of pain crawled over his skin.

Then the door burst open, and the Furret flew straight into Char like a cannonball, knocking him onto the floor.

"CHAR!" she shrieked down at her captive. "They… they… they're making me their apprentice! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I-I can't! I can't breathe!"

"Ah! Neither can I," Char gasped, pinned under the Furret who beamed with an otherworldly sort of happiness.

The Kecleon brothers exited the room, side-by-side. Their scales had turned colors of yellow and blue, as though to blend in with the gold and diamonds of the treasure in the room.

"Indeed! She's a natural!" said one of the shopkeepers. "An absolute prodigy if ever we've seen one."

"And we'd be emphatically honored if she would repay her debt with a lifetime of partnership," said the other.

"Of course, we have you to thank for the idea, Raikouun," said the other.

Ray winced. "Huh? Me?!" he said.

"Yes!" said the Kecleon. "We've taken your words to heart. You were absolutely right, my good friend. In this day and age, in our changing times, we simply need more than four claws to run our business! The time of our stubborn denial is at an end. We have decided that it is time to break with tradition and choose a new partner. And what better partner could we want than one who so cleverly outmatched us?"

"Of course, she's very welcome to keep the cape and the glasses. As priceless as they are, she's found a use for them beyond anything we've dreamed of, and they suit her identity as the Shadow Bandit. But she still has a lot to learn."

"Indeed. So much to learn."

"Yay! All hail the Shadow Bandit!" Ray said, joining in the group hug and mercifully getting Fern off of Char's stomach.

Fern shared a joyous laugh with her old acquaintances as Tallie just seemed to roll her eyes and Eva simply sat back and observed. Char couldn't help but absorb some of the Furret's contagious happiness, and he felt his heart soaring over the clouds on Charizard wings for her.

"So, I guess this means I'm joining your club after all!" Fern said.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Char replied with a smile almost as big as hers. "You did it. You made your dream come true. Congratulations."

"Pardon us, but there's just one question that you've left hanging," one of the Kecleon brothers inquired. "Not that we mean to tread upon your trade secrets, O Shadow Bandit, but as our partner, would you mind explaining to us how you were able to pinpoint our location with such consistency?"

"Yes, I find it quite puzzling myself," said the other. "Even when we were carrying nothing of value, you always found us in the city, wherever we'd try to sneak. However did you manage to track us with such astonishing accuracy?"

"Oh! Uh, the glasses," Fern explained, parting away from the group hug. "It was the glasses. They let me see enchanted things. And uh… some of your scales are enchanted! They glow in the glasses just like the things I wanted to steal from you."

Both of the Kecleons blinked in unison.

"Yes! Yes, indeed!" said one. "A remarkable observation, O Shadow Bandit! It is one of our family secrets, in fact. The scales of our species are quite receptive to enchantments, the same kind that are often imbued into the jewelry and scarves we sell as merchandise. Likely because of our natural powers of camouflage."

"Yes, and although a Pokémon generally cannot be enchanted directly, it was our great-great-great-grandfather Kolagu –"

" – The greatest thief who ever lived! Bless his scales! – "

"Who discovered that Kecleon eggs can be enchanted, and the enchantments would pass into their scales during incubation. Ever since, our ancestors have been enchanting their eggs, and this is how we were able to maintain our dynasty as the greatest master thieves in Ambera, the Magi-Kecleon! Even now, there are a number of powerful enchantments still upon our very scales for strength, agility, and stamina."

"Yes, and their power multiples when we are enraged. Magi-Kecleon must learn the discipline to remain calm and rational until their power is needed, lest we break something we would regret breaking! I'd imagine our fire-type friends here can sympathize, what with your fire power being tied to your emotions. Our powers operate very similarly."

"As for the appraisal spectacles, we have never imagined such an innovative use for them! To us, they have always been used at the appraisal desk to analyze the magical threads on our merchandise before putting them up for trade. We've certainly never worn them outside of the workshop, or even looked at one another while wearing them. Or if we had, we'd simply gotten used to seeing it this way."

"But it appears as though you, O Shadow Bandit, do not need enchanted scales to stand with us. Your innovation with our merchandise works just as well! Come with us, and we will teach you how to use everything in our inventory. Perhaps one day you will find something you prefer using even more than your cape!"

"Perhaps you will find yet other ways to weaponize the mundane tools of our craft."

Fern looked overwhelmed. "Oh… oh Lugia, you can call me Fern, you know. You don't have to keep calling me… Well I mean, unless you want to… It does sound nice. I'm not dreaming, am I? Is this real? Char? Did I really just get hired by my idols? Is this actually happening?"

One of the brothers pat her on the head. "Appears to me that your dream has just begun! You can start immediately. Come with us, there's no time to lose."

"Indeed, the movers we've hired only have hours to clean up this mess you've made. In the meantime, let's get you approved by our landlords and into a suitable room! And you, Char, Raikouun, Miss Eva – consider this a completed mission! Your payment will be sent into your account by the end of the evening."

"Well, um, actually," Char said suddenly, "Do you think… I could buy an item?"

"…Oh? Why of course, we'd never say no to a reasonable request by our favorite customers!" the Kecleon responded, sounding genuinely surprised. "But I wonder, whatever do you have in mind…?"

Division Base

In all the celebratory clamor, Ray had almost forgotten to get his bag back. Fern happily handed it over, and Ray verified that everything was in there, especially the reviver seeds, the frozen flame, and his brother's precious compass. He sighed deeply in relief, hugging the bag even harder than he'd hugged Fern.

That evening, Team Ember reported their first successful one-star mission to the registry. Char instantly felt different, as though he and his team had graduated to a higher echelon of the division, one of higher responsibilities and harsher realities. No longer could they hide behind the old excuses – they were no longer in training, or low on funds, or without the necessary members.

It was proof enough to Char that there was nothing left to hold him back. From now on, he would be expected to repeat this success every day.

While Tallie and Eva went to check on Otto's health, and Ray went with the Kecleon brothers to welcome Fern into the base, Char took a walk to Team Remorse's room. It was a sidetracked walk, and he carried with him a tan-colored bag slung over his shoulder. Now that the mission was over, there was something that he knew in his ember had to be done.

"What?! Already?" Marrow yelped upon hearing the news, peeking his head out from behind the front door to Team Remorse's hall. "How many days did it take you? Three? Yikes, and here it takes Scythe months to get one of those red assignments done! Awfully jealous of you guys right now, in more ways than one."

"Right… this is the last time I'll be seeing you for a while," Char realized.

"'Fraid so," Marrow replied, "Time for me to get back to work at the canyon now. Glad I was able to see out the end of your mission from Xatu, at least. Any idea what you'll be up to next?"

Char shrugged. "Bulletin board missions until we drop, I guess."

"Well, that and team tryouts until you drop, am I right?" Marrow replied. "That way, when you drop, someone else can pick ya up and carry on in your place."

Char nodded in understanding, remembering all the new recruits and how eager they were to impress him. It didn't help his current state of mind, thinking about all the Pokémon he'd have to disappoint by rejecting their applications, or all the stress that would come with managing a team that would be double the size.

"Hey, I want you all to know that I'm real proud of you," Marrow said, sounding melancholy. "As far as I'm concerned, you're a good team. A real unit. I've got a feelin' Scythe'll want to give someone else a shift at watchin' you all, just because Scythe cares about you, but in my mind you don't really need it. You did this job on your own. You're going to be an elite team someday, and I don't think that day's very far. Someday soon, they'll be saying, 'Oh yeah, the Gold Division. Home of Team Absolution, Team Remorse, Team Flamewheel, Team Avalanche, and Team Ember!' and Xatu will start writing you more letters, and… actually scratch that. When you get too good at this job, it stops bein' fun. But you don't fight for the fame, or for the fun. You fight for a cause. You pick that cause, you hold it close to your heart, and you'll be a golden team, mark my words."

"Thanks," Char said, bowing his head. "And thank you for watching over us for these past days. I know I've learned a few things. I'll let them know what you said. And Saura too, if I see him again sometime."

Char shifted the tan-colored sack that was slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, what's that? A gift for me? Going-away present? Aww, you shouldn't have. No really, you shouldn't have. Whatever it is, we probably have one of 'em already…"

Char sighed. "Yeah, it's uh… not for you. To be honest, I'm dreading what I have to go do with it. Well… I was kind of hoping if I came to talk to you, some of your fearlessness would rub off on me right now..."

"Fearlessness?" Morrow said, chuckling. "Hey, you put your tail in the water earlier this week, and just the other day you went claw-to-claw against a dragon. How much fearlessness do you need?"

Char said nothing. The sack seemed to grow heavier on his shoulders.

"Oh… so it's one of those problems. Yeah, I getcha. Alright, alright. Day's not over yet, so technically I'm still your mentor. Guess you can get one last lesson from me."

Morrow stepped completely out of the door and kneeled down to Char's level. With a brief struggle, he clawed his helmet off and stared at Team Ember with his warm, mousey eyes.

"Hey look. You want to know what fear really is? Fear is like an annoying friend who's always disagreeing with you. It's okay to let them give you input. Sometimes it gives real valuable input. But there's always gonna be that time where you've heard enough input, and it's time to act. Y'know? So you just turn to the fear and say, 'Look, thanks for the advice, but I've heard enough, and now I've gotta go do what needs to be done'. Ya hear me? That's really all there is to it. And if the thoughts don't shut it up when you tell 'em to, then you just go out there and do it and try not to think. And if you're quick enough, the thoughts aren't even gonna catch up."

Char sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "Guess I just need to get it over with."

"Yup. There's a time for thinkin' and a time for actin'. Try not to do those things together, and life makes a whole lot more sense. Don't spend time thinkin' when you should be actin' and don't go actin' when you should be thinkin'. Cuz our brains just aren't built to do both at the same time, they gotta take turns. And what fear is, it's a thought. So when you quit thinkin' and start doin', it'll go away. Soon you'll be feelin' either regret because you messed it up, or relief because it's over with. Either way, you won't need the fear anymore at that point."

Marrow stood up, crossing his arms. "And now the mask's off, and you know my big secret to being fearless. Normally I never give out trade secrets like that, but I've grown a real liking to you guys," he added with a wink.

"Thanks, Marrow," Char replied with a small, forced smile. "In that case, I can't let your secrets go to waste. Guess there's only one way out of this…"

As he walked away down the hall towards a place he really wasn't looking forward to being, he remembered Tallie's words from earlier that day:

Sometimes showing off your strength makes you look weak.

And sometimes letting your weakness show is what takes the most strength.

He thought of the friends who'd helped him on the mission. No, not just friends anymore. Teammates. Subordinates. Pokémon he had authority over, and responsibility over.

Now I know what you mean, Tallie. You were right. I was only on lesson one.

That changes right now.

He approached Team Flamewheel's hall. Canniah greeted him, asking him to come in. They exchanged some pleasant remarks about the successful mission, with Canniah making some odd jokes at Tallie's expense and remarks about Otto's unexpected evolution. The smalltalk lasted for longer than it should have, and finally Char spoke up, asking if he could speak with Lily.

Before he knew it, Char was standing face-to-face with the Bayleef. Char knew that this was something the rest of the team didn't need to be concerned with. It wasn't their job to talk to her, or to support him. This was his ordeal, and his alone.

"Oh, so you've finally got it?" were her first words, flat and unamused, as though she wanted the Charmander to go away so she could get back to sleep.

"Yeah, we finished the mission," Char replied, his words equally as soulless. "Here."

Char sighed long and deeply, setting the flesh-colored sack on the ground in front of him. He still held the opening shut, as the bag was going to roll to the side if he let go.

"Thank you," Lily said, extending a vine to collect the sack. "I'm sure Prince will send his regards."

"A-about Prince," Char said carefully, letting go of the bag, "I talked with him earlier today before the mission. I tried to give him the frozen flame back. But he wouldn't let me. Look, Lily, I gave it an honest attempt, but he insisted I keep it."

"That's fine," Lily replied. "Don't worry about Prince. I'll talk some sense into him later. But I appreciate you bringing it back to me. Thank you for seeing things my way. I think you and I are going to be okay from now on."

Char hesitated with a sudden flare to his fire. "Uh… well, here's the thing. I'm not… giving the frozen flame back. Prince wants me to keep it. So… that's not what's in the bag."

Anger flashed in the Bayleef's eyes, but it was overridden by curiosity just a heartbeat later. The Bayleef fished her vines into the opening, lifting the contents and letting the sack fall to the ground around it.

She beheld a glass orb, exactly the same shape and size as the frozen flame. But this one was a different color. The flame inside was green, shaped like a serene patch of grass. She squinted at it, her eyes softening as she gazed inside of the crystal glass, as though its enchantment was already washing over her heart.

"What is it…?" Lily said, absentmindedly.

"It's called a soothe globe," Char said meekly. "It's the only other globe that Kecleon had in stock. It works just like the frozen flame, but instead of protecting fire-types from rocks, it… well, it… it protects grass-types from fire."

Lily's breath caught, and she almost dropped the priceless artifact on the carpet. Her mouth hung open as she stared blankly at Char, her mind processing dozens of emotions and thoughts all at once. "And why are you giving me this?" she inquired pointedly.

"I'm sorry that I burned you," Char said to her, speaking carefully. "I know that's something I can't undo. And you don't have to forgive me for that. Here I am, worrying about how I need to save the world and defeat the Master and whatever the heck my human self's plan was for turning me into a Charmander, trying to be the hero of my own story, and this whole time, I forgot… you were the hero of your own story, too. Now I understand that. And I know I can't fix everything the world did to you. I don't think anyone can. I can't even take back the things I did to hurt you. But I feel like you deserve to have this. I know how much the frozen flame meant to you, and I feel like you deserve something that… that's all your own. Not Prince's, not Flamewheel's. So… yeah. This globe is yours. It's for everything you went through for Prince, for me, for Ambera. I know that there isn't enough in the world to pay you back for everything you did, all the sacrifices you made, all the friends you lost and the pain you felt when the Silver Division fell. But… if you hold on to that, I can promise you that I won't – t-that nothing – ever has to burn you ever again."

Lily said absolutely nothing as she returned her unblinking gaze to the little crystal ball, the sealed glass orb that encapsulated the serene magical fire within, its soft green radiance washing over her face. But Char could see flashes of emotions in her gaze that he couldn't be described in words. She was holding back tears, and she was holding them back hard. She looked as though someone had driven a steel spike into her chest, and she was standing in place dying, cycling through her deepest regrets in her final moments.

"How much did this cost?" Lily said suddenly. "Do you have any idea how rare these globes are?"

"Uh… we used almost all of the rewards from our mission to pay for it," Char said, avoiding a direct answer. "And that was even after Kecleon's 'favorite customer' discount."

Lily scoffed. "You know he gives that discount to everyone, right?" she said bluntly, before gluing her eyes again to the orb, unable to resist watching it for more than a few heartbeats at a time. "Listen, I—"

"You don't have to thank me," Char said quickly. "I'm the one who has to thank you. You might not realize it, but when you came and asked for the frozen flame back, you taught me something. You reminded me of what I'm supposed to be doing here in the Pokémon world."

And why I lost Saura, his thoughts added ruefully.

Char turned to glance at his tail, and he was met face-first with a billowing, full-bodied flame.

He smiled in wonder.

The ego makes my flame strong. That was lesson one, he thought.

Back when I was running around in the little mystery dungeons and spitting embers at Pidgey and Oddish, that's just what I needed.

But it's selflessness makes the ember burn even brighter! And that's the kind of strength I'm going to need starting now.

Because I'm a team leader. And that means it's not all about me anymore.

It means that it's my job to make sure Ray can be the best Ray, and Otto can be the best Otto, and Tallie can be the best Tallie, and Eva can be the best Eva.

It means that everything is my fault, even the things that aren't.

I'm not their idol, or their master. I'm a servant. Just like Xatu calls herself one of our best servants. I'm their servant.

I get that now.

And if Saura ever comes back… well, maybe I'll be a better friend to him. Maybe I'll be the Pokémon he deserves to have as a friend, not the Pokémon who needs a friend.

Somewhere deep in the base, in a gloriously sunlit chamber, a quill carefully drew a line through a row of runic symbols.

A pair of bird eyes narrowed upon the final instruction, the only one of dozens which yet remained incomplete:

XXVI. I shall become fluent in the written language of your people.

The darkness of uncertainty swept across the heart of the Overseer as she read and re-read the line, calculating some way – any way – it could come to fruition.

She reflected upon the powerlessness she felt, praying to the winds of fate to come once again and surprise her…

End of Season V