Chapter 3: Differing Mindset (Blake)

Emma glanced up to me. I looked back at her, then at Yorick, who was just walking off stage. She nodded and turned around, silently shuffling through the crowds and heading towards the clubhouse. Matt stuck close to my left, and Ruva filled in on my right as we continued towards Dragon's Claw.

"…What the heck?!" Ruva quietly screamed.

"Good question," I mumbled back. "This can't possibly be legal."

"How can it be?! We came here assuming we'd be out in two weeks!"

"We did. Now he has our pokemon, the camp and the surrounding mountains on lockdown, and we have no clue how long we'll be here or what he intends to do. …Worst case scenario."

The people ahead of us shuffled under the awning of the mess hall, and through the double doors of the faux-log building. The interior of Dragon's Claw immediately opened into the dining room; a huge, high-ceiling room with seven massive, wooden round tables, labeled by cabin with the standard type-symbol and corresponding color. In the back left corner was a hall that lead to the bathrooms, as well as a back exit.

"What's this whole talk of 'Team Gamma?'" Matt asked. "Does it have anything to do with Siphon?"

"Siphon was all about controlling what people can know," Ruva chimed in.

"And therefore controlling people, ruling with an iron fist," I grumbled. "But this whole 'Gamma' shtick seems quite the opposite; no government at all."

On the table closest to the door, a small sign was in the center. It was simple white flame with a red background; Fire cabin's table. Three chairs were open directly in front of us, so I took the middle one and sat down. Matt and Ruva sat down on either side of me.

"Which is just a terrible idea!" Ruva turned towards us. "Our National Parliament ain't perfect but we can't get just rid of it! Who's gonna run the police? The .O.? Heck, what about those Valkyries?! They're the ones who beat Siphon after all!"

"I think we could use one of those guys here," Matt leaned back in his chair.

"I'm with you on that one," my eyes fell to the middle of the table as a breath left my lungs. "We really could use one of them…"

"But it doesn't look like we're gettin' help anytime soon," Ruva said.

"Right," I sat back up. "So we look into this on our own. Emma's probably finishing up with Yorick by now, so I'm gonna meet her at the lake."

"Alright, I'm goin' back Fairy's table," Ruva stood. "I'll be there in a bit."

"I'll see ya there," Matt added.

I nodded and stood from my chair, turning around. The last of the masses were flowing into the building from the main doors. I ignored them, sliding past as I started out.

Wet sand crunched under my feet as I took a few more steps, before I turned towards the lake and sat down. Opposite of the pond was Dragon's Claw, and a path lead down to a small pier floating on the glassy-still water. I looked over my shoulder and into the valley below, where two salamences were squaring off in a battle ring, a camp-staff trainer behind each. One of the dragon pokemon wore a blue wristlet on its front right leg, the other wore a green one on its front left.

The trainer behind the blue-banded salamence pointed at his opponent, and his dragon pokemon lunged forward, but the green banded salamence juked right on-command to dodge its opponent. As green-band slid to a stop, its claws channeled a glowing indigo ether, and it lunged forward again, landing a slash on blue-band's side. The blue-banded salamence snarled as it stumbled back, only to turn and fire a purple beam back at its green banded adversary.

More footsteps crunched in the wet sand behind me. I turned back around, seeing Emma walking up the shore and towards me. She had a navy sweater on, with dark wash jeans and grey fur boots. Her long, brown hair was straightened, and her round hazel eyes were calmly scanning the lake on her left. A small, well-kept hand bushed her hair out of her ovular face, the nostrils on her small nose flaring slightly as she inhaled. Emma always wore makeup, but it was somewhat heavier today; eyeshadow, contouring and all.

"Pardon my French, but what the fuck was that?" I asked.

"To be true…" Emma sighed, stopping next to me and sitting in the sand. "I can't say I didn't see this comin'."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He said this is the way to make things-"

"Yeah, yeah, world peace or whatever," I waived it off. "What is he going to do here? To us?"

"He… He promised he wasn't gonna hurt no one. He just said he'll 'help us along' in joinin'."

"…What the fuck does that mean?"

"I don't know," she shrugged and shook her head. "But he promised me he wasn't gonna hurt no one."

"Do you trust him?"

"…Well, yeah," she looked to the lake, playing with her hair again.

I exhaled, placing my thumb and index finger on the bridge of my nose. I closed my eyes.

"…Alright then," I moved my hand and looked up again. "Was there anything else he said?"

"Nope, but he gave me one of 'em radios the workers use."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie. Small enough to fit comfortably in her hand. All black, with a red button on the side, and a small antenna sticking out of the top.

"He said I'd know what he's doin' this way," she added.

"…Huh. Well, that's interesting. Do you think he's-"

"Hey! Where's Ruva?" a voice shouted from across the lake.

We looked to the other side of the water. Matt was standing on the end of the pier, his hands cupping his mouth. I waived him over, and we watched him turn back, round the shore and jog to our position.

"Where'd you see her last?" Emma called.

"She was with her cabin a few minutes ago," I said.

"Yeah, she was with us," Matt stopped next to Emma. "Went to the bathroom and didn't come back. I thought she was here by now."

"I see… We better check Fairy cabin. Maybe she met someone else there."

Emma and I stood up. As Emma started around Matt, I took one last glance behind me to see the salamence duel reach an end; the green band salamence had pinned its blue band counterpart to the ground, with a front foot on its opponent's neck.

Matt and I followed Emma around the lake, the sand underneath us turning to blacktop again as we started towards the central courtyard. Campers were trickling out of Dragon's Claw, quietly whispering in groups of three or four, their eyes scanning the area before each sentence.

"…Why would Yorick tell us now?" Matt whispered to me. "Why at the end of the trip?"

"I'm not sure," I whispered back. "But one thing's for sure, I won't be joining this, 'Team Gamma' or whatever he calls it."

"Team Gamma, you're right," Emma glanced back at us.

"Right," I nodded. "We need to figure out what his plans are. But that probably won't be easy, especially with those salamences around…"

"Yeah, those things look pretty mean," Matt glanced up.

"They are; trust me."

We passed the bell in the center, and walked straight to Fairy cabin's front door. Matt and I stopped next to the two-story building, glancing around at the identical cabins next to it, while Emma didn't slow down at all, going straight inside without us.

"Where could Ruva have gone…" I turned around, facing the bell in the middle of the camp.

"It's weird for her to go off like that," Matt mumbled. "Heck, it's hard enough to get her and Emma apart for even a minute."

"You're right about that much," I blinked. "But who knows. Maybe she just had to make a call to her family, let them know of her 'extended visit' or something."

Matt nodded, following my eyes to the bell in the center of the courtyard. The camp staff were moving the speakers back towards the staff building. Yorick had returned to the stage to direct his men; a black, fingerless glove was on his hand, with a sharply stylized, neon-green "G" plainly visible on its back.

"No sign 'a her," Emma stepped back out, wiping her brow. "Where else could she gone?"

"Blake said she might have gone to give her family a heads-up," Matt answered.

"Don't sound like her, but maybe."

"So what do we do?"

"…Maybe we just wait," I said. "I see no other course of action."

"I guess," Emma replied. "What else was on the plan?"

"Free time until lunch, then some activity before dinner, I think," Matt turned to her. "That's what the schedule said."

"Then let's go back to the lake," she rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "I need a quick dip."

The crowd shuffled out of the mess hall, dragging me with them. The sun was inching closer to the mountains by now, the skies dark red and growing darker. I glanced behind me, at the clock above the door-frame: "6:31 P.M. March 23, 0215."

I shuffled out of the crowd towards the right, and turned, scanning the masses. Matt and Emma walked out of the door side by side, quietly chatting. When they looked at me I waived them over, and they silently came to my side as we ducked behind the building.

"Did you see Ruva at all?" I turned to face them.

"Naw," Emma answered.

"Me neither," Matt followed.

"Same here," I scratched my head. "Any other ideas?"

"…Maybe she went to Blissey's Clinic?" Matt asked. "I think we should check there."

"Good idea. Let's go."

I walked right between them, and started for the path on the other side of the courtyard. Campers were dispersing for their respective cabins, in small groups of three or four. From behind the clubhouse on our left, another formation of salamences took off and turned, screeching overhead at low altitude. The wind nearly knocked Matt over, who kept his head down. I followed suit, my eyes stuck to the asphalt beneath our feet. Emma watched the dragon pokemon round the mountain in the distance, taking a breath as she looked ahead.

Our path curved right for the clinic, but another continued to the left as a dirt hiking trail. I stuck to the blacktop, following the path straight to the clinic's double doors and walking straight in, with Emma and Matt at either side. Inside was a small lobby, with a few couches, chairs, coffee tables, and a front desk. The walls and ceiling were faux logs, like the rest of the buildings. A woman in a staff uniform, brown hair in a bun and wide-rimmed glasses, was at a computer behind the desk. I walked straight up to the counter, and resting my arms on the granite. She didn't look up.

"Excuse me, we were looking for our friend, Ruva Alfaro," I said. "We haven't seen her at all day. Has she been here by chance?"

"Ruva Alfaro, you say?" she still didn't look up, only typed more at her computer. "She… has, actually. She came for a prescription refill, but there was some kind of mix up, so she is sorting that out with Yorick in private."

Emma blinked, and furrowed her brows. "Ruva? But she-"

I looked behind me and glared at Emma. She only stared back, her eyes widening slightly as she went silent. I held my gaze for a moment, then slowly turned back to the desk.

"Is, there a problem?" the secretary looked up at last.

"…No, we were just, wondering where she was," I answered. "…Thank you for your time."

I turned around and started out of the clinic. Emma and Matt stood where they were, taking a quiet breath and glancing at each other, before slowly following me out.

The clinic's doors opened with a shove, and cool rush of air told me the temperature was dropping. I marched straight ahead, passing the asphalt and continuing along the dirt. As I started down the hiking trail I glanced over my shoulder; Emma and Matt were right behind me, and we were definitely out of earshot. I slowed my pace, before stopping completely and turning around.

"Blake, that makes no sense!" Emma shouted. "Ruva don't have no prescription!"

"I know," I answered flatly. "Which means I have a guess on where she really is."

"…And where's that?"

"…Wherever they go to be, 'helped along.'"

Emma blinked, and looked to the ground at my feet. A breeze rolled from over the mountain, tossing her hair slightly.

"…'Helped along?'" Matt asked. "What's that mean?"

"I'm still not sure," I answered. "But it's what Yorick said to Emma about joining Team Gamma; he'll 'help us along,' in recruitment."

"…So, he's talking to Ruva, or…"

"Heh, heh… if only we were all so naïve. The secretary either lied or was lied to on Ruva's whereabouts; Yorick is hiding something. And given his use of the word 'Team' during announcements, we're probably looking at some form of physical, mental, or emotional abuse, all things we saw Siphon do."

"But he won't do that," Emma looked up. "He promised me he won't hurt no one."

"…I suppose we'll find out soon enough," I sighed. "I'm going back to my cabin. Gonna take a quiet minute to think."

"You feeling alright, Blake?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… wanna try piecing this together on my own."

"We'll follow you there."

"Thanks," I started back up the trail. Matt stuck right behind me, while Emma stood where she was for an extra moment before following us up the hill.

"What time is it Matt?" I asked as we slowed down, stopping in front of Fire cabin's door.

"6:40-ish," Matt answered.

"Camp Council's in 20 minutes," Emma added.

"Bet he's gonna tell us more about how great Gamma is," I grumbled. "No more talks on training pokemon. …What are your plans?"

"Just hang out with whoever's there," Matt said.

"I'll be there in 15," I nodded. "Stay safe, both of you."

I turned and walked through Fire cabin's open doorway. Looking behind me, I watched Matt and Emma turn and stroll towards the clubhouse, starting a quiet conversation.

"Howdy there, Blake!" Noah's voice shouted.

I stopped and snapped a gaze to my right. Noah was the only other person in the room, sitting in the brown upholstery chair by the window. He was wearing sweatpants and a dry-fit tee shirt, both black with neon green details. His long, black hair had bits of dirt scattered throughout, and his brown-speckled eyes were locked on mine, slightly wide, slightly… unfocused.

"…Hey, Noah," I said quietly. "What have you been-"

"You gotta minute Blake?!" he sprung to his feet. "I have to tell you about something!"

Noah marched around the table in the middle of the room, stopping right next to the doorframe and directly in front of me. I took half a step backwards; his stare remained locked on mine, a reptilian smile on his face.

"…Are you okay, Noah?" I asked. "You seem a little… off."

"Me? Oh I'm fine! Great! Awesome! And how are you? Cause I got something that'll make your day!"

"And, what's that?" I turned, taking one quiet step towards the stairwell on the other side of the room, then another.

"I'll tell ya!" Noah stayed right by my shoulder, walking with me towards the stairs. "Okay, so Yorick had mentioned that whole Team Gamma thing before right? Well he and I were talking about it around lunchtime, and let me tell ya something, he's got it all figured out!"

"Does he now…"

"He really does! Parliament's just gonna sit on their butts and take our cash while we get screwed over! We're not getting laws we want, so we gotta get rid of them completely!"

"Uh-huh…"

"He was showed me just how bad Parlaiment really is! They're so bad, they couldn't get rid of Team Siphon for years! Like, how does it take so long to beat those guys?!"

"…Yorick knows nothing about Siphon, Noah," I glanced at him, turning towards the right as I approached the stairwell.

"I thought that too, but he showed me wrong! They were around for over 30 years, and the politicians, the police, heck! Not even the Valkyries were doing ANYTHING against-"

My elbow shot back into Noah's gut. Before he could double over I turned and shoved him into the wall, pinning his neck to the logs with my wrist. Noah gasped for a breath, staring at me with eyes as wide as could be.

"Yorick, doesn't know shit, about Siphon," I growled through my teeth. "And if he thinks his little club is gonna fix Orryn's problems… he's got something else coming."

I dropped my arm and turned around, letting Noah slump into the corner. I quietly started up the stairs and glanced over my shoulder; my cabin leader had curled into a ball, sobbing slightly.

The bedroom was quiet; no one in their beds, backpacks on the floor, a reddish light pouring in from the windows and scarcely illuminating the room. In the farthest corner was my bed, my dark-blue duffel bag sitting at the foot. With a few silent steps I approached, turning and sitting down on my mattress; it was kinda stiff, but not unbearable. A deep breath filled my lungs, and I held it for a moment before it escape through my nose.

I reached down, putting a hand in my bag and searching through it. Once I had a grip on a spiral binding, I pulled out my notebook and flipped it open before glancing down. It had opened straight to an entry I had made two weeks ago:

"Mission Introduction. March 9th, 0215.

Classification: Reconnaissance.

Location: Camp Crauss Trainer's Retreat.

Time Frame: March 9 – March 23, 0215.

Prime Directives:

1) Enter camp as a student, observe Yorick's actions.

2) Search for signs of criminal activity, shut down as necessary.

3) Remain undercover at all costs."

I read the last three lines again, blinking once, twice. I reached for my neck and touched a piece of string, which I grabbed and pulled up. A small, black stone emerged from underneath my shirt, and it rose completely over my head as I collected the thread in my palms, then set it down on the paper in my lap. The yellow circle was facing upwards, highlighted by the fading sunlight.

"…If Yorick thinks he's starting the next Siphon, he's got something else coming," I mumbled. "And that something is me."