Chapter 163 - The Pressure of Independence
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Chapter 163 – The Pressure of Independence
The panic in the village had been too much for Anam. Seeing what Diyem had done to Angelo… He didn’t know how to confront that, and the others took care of it anyway.
He’d run off, and he hoped the others noticed and would find him because he’d happened upon a small miracle when he did—Kilo Village.
Still, helpless and alone, Anam sat in the middle of the town square, pressing against the distortion to dissolve and merge its borders to restore Kilo Village to what it had once been.
It was the least he could do.
So far, he’d freed up the main roads from the Central Waypoint to Heart HQ. Perhaps, with some extra effort, he could stretch into Waypoint Road.
And that was nice. He did something good. If the others were okay, they could find their way home. Right? The teleporters were back online thanks to Palkia, so it would be fine, right?
Mister Matter?
No reply. Anam remembered that he wasn’t there anymore.
His horns drooped. He went on with his work. Maintaining what he’d restored was easier than expanding more territory.
A few citizens were sheltered and afraid in their homes, their relief only slight by the fact that they could recognize their neighbors. A Helioptile was trying and failing to comfort a Wimpod in one building, and in another, a Garchomp and a Drakloak were quietly talking about where the others might have gotten lost.
Anam wondered, too. How extensive was this damage? Was he going to have to travel all around Kilo again? Unite all lands… again.
He was so tired.
Just as Anam turned to Waypoint Road to continue his expansion of the Dungeon, he heard voices coming from the other side of the distortion.
“Huh?”
“. . . closer by now. I recognize these roads.”
“Close!”
“Yes, Enet, very close.”
“Are you sure we’re the same soul?”
“We are.”
“Just in the denial phase, I guess…”
A Smeargle passed through first, followed by a Zoroark. The distortion down the path completely vanished, revealing an almost completely cleared Waypoint Road. Water ran along the storm drain divots on the side of the road as they approached; was it raining where they’d come from? Enet was so soaked that fur covered her eyes, yet the way she pranced, she seemed energized and thrilled.
“Heart of Hearts!” Leo shouted, rushing toward him. “Thank goodness you’re okay. Where did you go? Have you been restoring Kilo Village?”
“Yeah!” Anam replied. “Nate’s resting right now. I dunno what happened to Necrozma, but Nate got a clean shot in and somewhere else. I think he’s recovering, but…”
“Good on Nate,” Angelo said. “That bought us some time.”
It was still weird to see Angelo talking like… that.
Spice, noticing Anam’s expression, said, “Diyem’s borrowing his body to help with the distortions.”
“Oh.” Anam’s chest tightened. “Is Angelo okay?”
“Yes, yes, he’s fine,” Angelo said idly. “He’s been quiet, but I can sense him. He says hello. …And also wants to know if his home is preserved.”
“I think not yet, but soon?” Anam asked. “I’m trying to get the main roads first, so, um…”
“The storm drains will help us,” Diyem said, gesturing to the running water beside the roads.
“Ain’t that what helped drain Kilo Village of all the snow after that Aggron’s episode?” Jerry asked.
“Yes. And now we can use it to restore Kilo Village.” Diyem nodded. “We can use it to restore all waterways, but that isn’t important to me right now.”
“Huh? But… Kilo Village is super important…” Anam nibbled on his grabbers.
“We need to go to Destiny Tower,” Diyem said curtly. “Arceus is not answering prayers, the world has fallen into a mess of scrambled Dungeons, and I suspect one of my missing fragments is in Destiny Tower as we speak. I think it’s quite clear why that’s a very big deal.”
“A-Arceus is Shadowed?!” Anam asked.
“In the worst case, yes. We need to find the Waypoint to Destiny Tower.”
“That’s, um… nearby?” Anam looked around. “Um, we had to move it from the S section for Spire of Trials, because now it’s Destiny Tower, so it’s in the D section, um…”
“We could use your help,” Diyem stated. “I may have left you, but much of my strength remains.”
That anxiety gripped Anam’s chest again. It was so strange being mostly solid. “But if I use it too much, I melt,” Anam warned.
“That’s meaningless,” Diyem deadpanned. “Why are you afraid of melting? You’ve been melted for five hundred years.”
“B-but you aren’t there anymore!”
“And? If anything, you’d be even more stable now. Blessings do not leave once they’ve settled. You have my darkness, just as well as Necrozma’s light. That’s a rare and special thing. It’s no wonder you’ve been able to restore the space of Kilo Village on your own. We had to rely on a team effort.”
“Isn’t everything a team effort?” Anam asked, tilting his head.
Diyem stared at him.
Anam nervously shifted his weight.
“…Right. I suppose it is,” Diyem said evenly.
Anam and Diyem stared at one another. He couldn’t get a read on him at all, and not a trace of Angelo was there. He trusted Diyem. Angelo was still in there. But…
“Is Angelo okay?” Anam asked.
“I said he was fine. He’s better than before. It was stressful.” Diyem crossed his arms. “You look tired.”
“Oh, um, I’ll be okay. It was just a lot of Dungeon dispelling, so—”
“No.” Diyem shook his head. “Emotionally tired. More than before.”
Anam gasped and staggered back. “N-no.”
Nobody believed that. He didn’t need Diyem’s negative sense to know.
“Anam?” Leo asked. The Delphox shook his head. “Er, I mean, Heart of Hearts Anam, I—”
“N-no, Anam’s fine,” he said. “I don’t… know if…”
If he deserved the title? If he could carry it anymore?
“Um,” Anam went on, “h-how are we? Can I help, or something?”
“We plan to go to Destiny Tower,” Diyem said. “The Waypoint for that spot still works?”
“Yes! They all seem to work still!”
“Good. Then you may come with us or continue to restore things here.”
“Oh, um…”
Diyem gestured to the roads. “You’re in the perfect spot. As a Goodra, surely you know Rain Dance?”
“Oh, um, I do…”
“Infuse Shadows and Radiance into it, one part Shadow three parts Radiance, approximately. Let the water flow down the storm drains. In the center of the village, such as the Central Waypoint, you will be able to restore all main roads as it exits through the crater. That will be critical.”
“Oh, wow… I didn’t think of that…”
Even now, Diyem was giving him useful advice. He wouldn’t have been able to do half of the feats he’d done without him. Did he ever thank Diyem for that? No, he always did. But did Diyem ever feel it?
“Um, thank you,” Anam finally said.
“Mm,” came the reply. As usual. Diyem turned around. “Protect the village, Anam. I’ll return soon.”
Enet looked between Diyem and Anam worriedly. “Some stay?” she asked.
“Hm?”
Enet gestured at Anam, making a worried growling noise.
“Mm. Anam, do you need company?” Diyem asked.
“Oh, um… I mean, if you’re doing something important… I can do this on my own…”
“Why don’t you come with us to Destiny Tower?” Spice asked. “You were helpful with ADAM. How’s he doing, anyway?”
“I dunno what building he was in when the Dungeons appeared…”
“We can help!”
Anam perked up. What was that tiny voice?
Three little Joltik skittered toward the team, each one raising a claw in unison.
“Oh. Hello, Willow. I see you still are in pieces after the ADAM incident.”
“Yep!” all three said. “We’re talking to all the other me’s right now!”
Diyem’s eye twitched. “You what.”
“Oh! That’s perfect! Willow, do you know where everyone else is?”
“Yep! What should I tell them?”
“Why have you not approached us about this until now?”
“I just thought of the idea!”
“Over two hundred of you and only now have you come up with the idea. There’s an analogy about infinite Mankey somewhere here.”
“Hey, gimme a break!” The Willows hopped and sparked angrily. “We were busy hiding from wraiths trying to eat us!”
“I suppose that would be a concern,” Diyem stated dismissively. “Fine. Willow, tell the others to find any piece of Kilo Village they can, and then stay put. The same goes for anywhere that might be near a Teleporter. We are going to unify it.”
“Hmmm…” Willow on the right brought a claw to her tiny mandibles.
“What?” Willow on the left asked.
“I think she has an idea,” Willow in the middle said. “Kuhuhu, I think I know what…”
“What’s in it for me?” she finally asked.
“…What.”
“If I make aaaall of my other me’s do this, what’s in it for me?” she asked, giggling. “That’s a lot of work! Every minute is two hundred and fifty-five minutes for me! Will I be paid?”
“You cannot be serious. The world is ending without your help.”
“Sounds like I’ll be paid a lot!”
Spice and Leo both held their foreheads, covering their eyes with one hand.
“You are more numerous than Hecto and countless times more insufferable. You realize that this will save lives, correct?”
“Yup!”
A beat of silence.
“Oh!” Anam raised a hand. “I can let you have a bunch of Pecha Berries each! They’re super sweet, and also Aspear shells so you can have shelter!” Anam nodded. “You’ll have a whole house for your whole colony until you’re back to normal!”
Diyem’s shoulders slumped. “That’s hardly a payment. She won’t—”
“Deal!” The Willows stuck their faces up proudly. “Hear that? I’m a homeowner now!”
“You had a home in Hot Spot.”
“That was renting.”
“How do you even know what that is, you lived in a forest for hundreds of years!”
“I read!”
“You don’t.”
“Pfft, whatever.” Willow waved him off. “I’m gonna go save the world now. You better pay me!”
“I will!” Anam said with a cheery smile.
And as Willow skittered along, Diyem offered a dumbfounded expression to Anam. “How did you know that would work?”
“Huh?”
“Well, he’s the Heart of Hearts,” Spice said. “Of course he’d know what people like.”
“…Hm.” Diyem eyed Anam again, though Anam shrank back.
Did he do something wrong?
“I suppose,” Diyem said, “you could have learned a thing or two from me.”
Oh, he didn’t! “Yeah!” Anam said. “I, um… I guess a little. But I can’t tell if people are unhappy or not anymore… so I don’t know if Willow’s secretly upset…”
“I don’t know if Willow can hide her feelings,” Jerry finally spoke up, glaring at the fleeing Joltik trio. “Don’t know if they have the brain power for it.”
Enet scratched her mane with her hind leg. An arc of electricity ran down to her little bauble.
“Enough sidetracks. Who’s staying in Kilo village? Who’s coming to Destiny Tower?”
“I’m… staying back,” Leo said, breaking what might have been his contemplative silence. “Destiny Tower? Approaching Arceus? Possible… Dark Matter fragments? That’s… too much for me, even as a Heart. You’re beyond even the Elites. I can’t keep up with that.”
“Tch. Well, I’ve got faded Shadow blessings,” Jerry said. “Maybe I can figure out how to use that for the Dungeons here because I’m not gonna risk my life for that again.”
Jerry was messing with the scarf around his neck again. Anam remembered that it kept him from melting, but wasn’t that cured after he left the Voidlands and was helped by Xerneas? Anam assumed as much, at least… Maybe Jerry was just being careful.
“…I’ll go with you,” Spice said to Diyem, though Anam wondered if it was also to Angelo. “Leo, make sure Anam’s got some backup. You can help with communication while Anam and Jerry focus on stuff.”
“Wait, uh, I’m staying with…” Jerry seemed to realize what he’d volunteered for. Anam gulped. He was…
“You coming with me, then?” Spice asked as Enet hopped to Spice’s side.
“N… fine. I’ll stay here. But don’t die, alright?”
“What’s another death to me?” Spice shrugged. “But yeah. I’ll be careful.”
They made some minor arrangements and supply exchanges. Anam nervously fiddled with his feelers and antennae. Soon, Diyem left with Angelo’s body, Spice, Enet, and her spirits. Anam wasn’t sure how many people that team comprised.
Anam took a steady breath and looked at Jerry, then Leo, smiling. “So,” he said. “Um… how’s it been?”
Leo offered an awkward smile. Jerry looked even more defeated than Leo.
Anam already knew he’d said something wrong.
<><><>
Yet another distortion ripped through space. This one was an Ultra Wormhole. Mhynt emerged, ferrying several Pokémon on her back with more strain than she planned to admit. She spread her wings wide and shouted, “Safe to disembark!”
And the weight was lifted.
Migami, the strange fusion of Owen’s friends, jumped off first, flying in a steady circle. The three sprites that were their other halves rested atop their back, making sure their mind remained steady.
Trina remained on Mhynt’s back, hanging with one vine in her much more convenient, small size. “Gahi! Are the spirits fine?”
“Yep!” Migami answered.
“That’s one thing taken care of. And what luck, we aren’t dead.” Trina looked at her leafy hands, nodding. “So we didn’t die. We weren’t entirely certain about that until now, were we?”
Mhynt gazed downward. “I feel as if that has lost its meaning.”
Kilo was nothing like she remembered it. Fields melded with mountains. Snow fell on the left in patches while exposed craters of lava from Hot Spot curled around forests to the right. The distortions were horrible, but what worried Mhynt even more was the duplicate locations she was seeing.
After seeing the distortions across the aura sea, she knew exactly what those were.
“Everything is melting together,” she said. “Life, death. Will it even matter by the end of this?”
“We shouldn’t waste time gawking,” Migami said. “Let’s go. Arceus, right?”
Mhynt stared at the chaotic tapestry for a while longer, wondering if Necrozma was somewhere in one of those spheres. They were too numerous to know for sure. He could have been anywhere.
“Right. Let’s go,” she said.
They flew over the skies—where, thankfully, the place was not yet distorted. That made for a clear path to Destiny Tower, where surely they would at least empower Arceus to do away with these distortions.
If they lost Arceus, too, it was all over.
<><><>
Destiny Tower was eerily empty.
They were lucky they made it to Destiny Tower before it became an impossibility even for Diyem. Anam being able to get things in check at Kilo Village was an emboldening development. That meant, at the very least, they had a ‘home base’ amid the chaos.
“I suppose we overprepared,” Diyem said.
“What, you thought we’d fight an army?”
“Yes.”
“Arceus is our ally.”
Diyem shrugged. “Maybe I’m pessimistic.”
Spice squinted at him. “That’s… isn’t that literally what you embody?”
“I’m improving.”
“Optimal!” Enet cheered.
“I think you mean optimistic, Enet,” Amelia said, emerging from her mane and giggling.
Spice squinted at Amelia. She seemed… solid.
“What? Something wrong?”
“Hm.” Diyem glanced behind him as he led the way. “You’re more solid here. That makes sense. The upper parts of Destiny Tower cross into the spirit realm. It’s easier for you to manifest tangibly in your domain, after all.” He nodded at Amelia. “You could probably summon your other spirits, too, if you wish.”
“They’re sitting back to come out in case we need to fight,” Amelia said. “Klent’s gonna lead them just like old times.”
“Do you think this’ll be ending in a fight?” Spice asked. “Now that I think about it, why is everything so quiet?”
This place was supposed to be bustling with communications, right? Or at least divine soldiers under Arceus’ rule, or… something. Or Star, or the Legends that weren’t in the Voidlands taking down Titans. But to be completely empty like this?
“If we’re lucky, they’re at the top of the tower in some sort of meeting,” Diyem said, “and we caught them at an awkward time. If we’re unlucky, they’re all waiting in ambush. Or corrupted and lost somewhere.”
Suddenly, Diyem stopped his advance. Spice bumped into his back.
“Hey!”
“Hush.”
Spice simmered with irritation but obeyed. She eyed the walls. To her left, a marble plaque that read “52” told her the floor they’d climbed. It didn’t feel like 52, but Diyem had used some of Angelo’s seemingly endless abilities to Teleport, float, or otherwise speed their ascent.
Their first oddity was that the Teleporter that should’ve taken them to the top didn’t work, but Diyem had been unsurprised.
“Someone’s coming closer,” Diyem hummed. “The way it stings my fur… It’s someone with a high concentration of light. That’s either Necrozma or Mhynt.”
“Mhynt!” Enet said.
“How do you know?”
Enet tilted her head like it was obvious.
Diyem sighed. “Whatever. That means backup. Let’s go quickly.”
They ascended the next few floors in tense anticipation. Occasionally, Spice felt that sting along her scales, sensing something powerful approaching the tower, but it still felt distant. Hopefully, it was Mhynt and not that mad light dragon.
But something still felt wrong. For several floors, Spice couldn’t shake that feeling, up until she was so distracted that she’d bumped a shoulder against Enet.
And nearly fell into her. Stinging, hot pain surged through her shoulder and she cried out, leaping the other way and against the marbled wall. She hissed and clutched her shoulder like it had been melted. When she pulled her hand away, black sludge evaporated from her claws.
Diyem muttered a curse and swiftly approached her, holding a hand on her shoulder. Dark fog wafted off his fur, but the pain eased. In seconds, she was fine again, but a phantom pain lingered in her memory.
“Wh-what was that?” Spice said. “What did you do?”
Enet stood there, looking befuddled and concerned. She must have had enough presence of mind to keep her distance.
“It’s as I said,” Diyem answered. “This part of Destiny Tower… the upper half… is of the spirit realm. Spiritual effects are stronger.” He looked at Enet next. “You should keep your distance. You may inadvertently absorb Spice.”
“What? Just like that?” Spice said. “I’m… I can’t just be taken out that easily.”
“But you can,” Diyem said. “You were always a partial spirit, clinging to life because you had a speck of light within you already, inherited from your parents. But here… the true nature of your spirit is unraveling. And Enet, holding an Orb, has… dominion over spirits. Much greater dominion than you.”
Diyem paused.
“Amelia. Where is Amelia?”
“I’m fine!” Amelia called, waving a leaf out of Enet’s mane. “I… I think. I did feel a tug, but…”
“Your Radiance must protect you more than Spice. Still, be careful, if you aren’t ready to become one.”
“Yeah, I’m not!” Spice said immediately, staring at Enet like she was a predator.
Enet’s ears flattened against her head.
“Aw, Spice, she didn’t mean it…”
“I… I know.” Spice couldn’t stop shaking. Maybe it was subtle enough that they didn’t notice.
Don’t you see it, now?
Spice froze. That voice again…
But Diyem was right there. Couldn’t be him. He was busy explaining something to Enet and Amelia.
They hold dominion over you. Once you disobey, you will be consumed.
It was like her gaze was forced toward Enet. Her chest tightened, but she pressed onward. Diyem was standing between her and Enet, which made it at least safer that they wouldn’t bump into one another.
You will become nothing. You will be an old, forgotten past. At best… an afterthought, even less than a memory.
Wasn’t true. Couldn’t be true.
Where is Rhys?
That Lucario. Right. He’d been absorbed into Dialga, and…
A faded memory. How much left of him remains?
That… was also not true, right? He was still ‘there,’ he just had a lot more duties to attend to now, as Dialga. He still took time to care about his old team, right? Had she ever seen that?
Everything you are will disappear forever. Do you want that?
“Spice.”
She gasped. Diyem was standing in front of her, arms crossed. It was so alien to see Angelo’s face so stern.
“If you’re afraid, say so. We will keep you separate.”
“No, I…”
Diyem continued to stare. She wondered how much he could already sense with that ‘negative detection’ of his.
“The last thing we need right now is a complication,” Diyem said.
If you tell them, they will kill you.
She knew the voice was right.
Especially Diyem. She recognized his practicality. And it wasn’t like she would complain once it was all over. The dead didn’t speak. The forgotten even less so.
Spice paused for too long. Diyem closed his eyes and sighed. “Is it something that will make you betray us?”
“Wh-what?” Spice stuttered.
“…We will do nothing to you, Spice, without you agreeing. If you are afraid of becoming ‘Remi’ again, or anything of the—”
“I don’t… that’s not what I’m… Don’t talk about that. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Enet crawled a little closer but bumped into a barrier. She snorted and rubbed her snout. Diyem, who’d put it up, remained focused on Spice.
“We will discuss this after Destiny Tower is taken care of,” he said. “Until then, we can’t do anything, correct?”
“Right… But that’s—I’m just thoughtful. That’s all.”
The way Diyem was staring at her… he probably knew. Maybe this voice was… that fragment of Dark Matter trying to get to her.
That had to be it. Now it made sense. And it was toying with her insecurities. But… it was right, too, wasn’t it? It spoke logically. They even had evidence thanks to what happened to Rhys. That… was an inevitability.
Was it telling her this to demoralize her? Aside from Diyem, she was one of the few Shadow resistors the Hearts had.
She wouldn’t let that stop her. She’d keep fighting, especially if it was against Dark Matter.
“…Alright,” Diyem said. “Let’s keep going. We should hurry. I’m quite confident the fragment is here somewhere. I’ll try to tune my senses.”
“Okay. C’mon, Enet! Let’s go!”
“Yeah!”
They scampered forward. Diyem kept in the middle, and Spice followed from the back.
She wouldn’t let annihilation keep her from fighting. She was alive now, and that’s what mattered. What came later… at least her legacy could be remembered.
But then, the voice spoke one last time. Only one will persist of the three.
Her body felt cold, yet restless. That fire to fight felt… redirected.
Your trajectory into becoming an afterthought is not yet guaranteed. All you must do…
Spice’s gaze focused on Enet and Amelia, already half a flight ahead of them.
Is kill them first.
<><><>
Owen did everything he wanted to do in his old hometown. He said his final goodbyes, he humored a few playful spars, and he gave what information he could to the professors and scientists of the facility.
According to Zena, they had to go to another region entirely to find a way back home. However, while they were here—with all the time they had—Owen had another idea in mind that he wanted to air to her and Mu. Though, the latter was probably just happy to be there.
He took Zena to the small route to the north where beginning trainers fought against bugs and birds to learn the fundamentals of battling. Then, they delved into the forest, where it was harder to find them—some bothersome humans were trying to interview them at every turn now that news of their existence had spread.
“Orre?” Zena asked. “Is that another region?”
“It is,” Owen explained. “And it’s where something similar to Dark Matter was once researched. I want to go there to ask if they figured out ways to counter it, or—anything. It might help for Emily, or even Dark Matter himself, and Necrozma, too.”
“I see… Research here can help us over there,” Zena hummed. “But… this world is massive, isn’t it? How long would it take for us to go there?”
“If one day in Kilo is a hundred here,” Owen said, “we have time. I think it only takes a few days with their best forms of travel, once, er, we find a way to afford it…”
“The money we have is incredibly valuable here. I don’t think affording travel will be an issue.”
“Really?” Owen asked. “Common gold?”
Zena shrugged.
“So, all we need to do is either fly there or get something that can fly us there, right?” Owen said. “Maybe we can turn out gold into the money they use here. I don’t know if normal stores will accept gold.”
“Right.” Zena’s gaze went behind him. “Hm?”
Just in Owen’s Perceive range, a human approached from afar. He must have had good eyesight to see them from the normal route…
“Oh, isn’t that… Yeah! The human who rescued us.” Owen’s flame brightened. “Wonder what he wants.”
He approached and flared his wings in greeting, bowing his head. The red-capped human tilted his hat in return, offering a subtle smile. Zena slithered next to Owen.
“Oh, you wanted to say goodbye,” Zena said. “You must have heard from the others that we were leaving, huh…”
“Wow, we forgot to say goodbye to you!” Owen added. “Sorry about that. We had no idea where you were.”
Owen had a feeling this person always wandered. But he seemed to also find his way to the right spot when he had to be there.
The human nodded his head again, facing Zena.
“Oh, but…” Zena tilted her head. “Yes, do you want to battle? Like a spar?”
The human’s eyes sharpened with an excited glimmer. Oh, yes, he wanted to battle. And Owen was happy to oblige. He’d forgotten how the culture was here. He missed it so much.
“Well, I don’t see why not,” Zena said, looking at Owen for approval, who happily nodded.
“It’s cultural here!” Owen explained. “Pokémon love to fight. I, er, that’s where I inherited it, actually…”
“I see… and humans also participate in Pokémon battles?”
Owen nodded.
“Well, alright.” Zena slithered back and coiled up in a defensive stance. “Let’s have a battle.”
Owen grinned, though he hadn’t entered a battle stance yet. He wanted to see just what the human fought with first—maybe they could think strategically about who would tag in first.
The human reached for his bag—
Zena fired a jet of water directly into his chest, blasting him several feet back and into a tree.
It was so unthinkable that Owen didn’t register it until a second later. By then, six beams of light had fired out from his bag and materialized right toward Zena; narrowly, Owen sprang into action and formed a Protect barrier.
“W-WAIT!” he cried. “Mistake! It was a mistake! Zena—what—why?!”
“What? He’s a Guardian—” Zena slithered back more, confused and startled. “A clever approach. Do we have to get past them first to—”
“No, Zena, we—”
The Pokémon—a Charizard, Pikachu, Blastoise, Espeon, Snorlax, and Venusaur—were all formidable on their own. Six of them slammed into his barrier at once—Owen saw cracks forming in the shield before the human grunted. At once, all six stopped their assault.
They stepped back and turned to face their trainer, who was back on his feet, soaked but somehow safe. His arms were slightly red from where he’d shielded himself.
“He… took that hit?” Owen said. “Wow…”
The trainer gave Zena a puzzled expression.
“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t realize humans didn’t literally fight. I never… met one before.”
That earned a surprised expression, but then a friendly smile. Powerful and forgiving. Owen wished he’d seen that combination more often.
“Right, well…” Zena shifted awkwardly. “I know now. Your six spirits—er, sorry, your… summoned Pokémon?”
“From those capsules, Zena. The same ones at the lab in Kilo, with Eon?”
“Oh. The same technology.” Zena was hiding a displeased expression; her tightened coils told Owen the real story. “Well… alright. They seem happy. Sorry, bad experiences with…”
The human frowned but then nodded in understanding.
Owen’s gaze trailed to Charizard. The power he radiated in that one moment… Was that the power of a human’s aura? Or was this some kind of… Legendary human instead, to augment them so strongly? Was this the secret between humans and Pokémon? Was this why Rhys and Nevren and the others—humans and Pokémon at the same time—were naturally so powerful?
He had to know. He wanted to see how strong his brother—mortal, but under a legendary human’s training—held up against him.
“Let’s try this again,” Owen said. “How about… a spar? Two on two. Me against… Well. You probably already know. And Zena, maybe you can fight Blastoise? Similar type matchup.”
“Oh, I would be okay with that. Of course.”
Owen thumped his tail on the ground, pleased. The other Charizard made a similar gesture.
“Let’s have a good fight,” Owen said, his flame sparking blue.
The human tilted his red cap down and withdrew all but Charizard and Blastoise. With not a word, he swung his arm out and shouted; Charizard and Blastoise rushed forward in unison.
And Owen hadn’t felt so thrilled in decades.
<><><>
Squadron A reporting.
Squadron B gathered.
Squadron C gathered.
Good. All gather in Kilo Village using the waypoints found. It has been restored.
Headcount.
Countless voices echoed in a collection of cells’ minds.
Almost all are present and accounted for. We are missing the one within Spice.
And that will be the one to get last.
The voices continued, all of them him. But they were so much closer. So little of Kilo was under his observation now. All he could see were a hundred perspectives of the same place—different angles of the caldera as they all came nearer. A thousand-foot radius contained ninety-nine percent of himself. Such a thing hadn’t happened since the Dark War, which he could finally remember in full clarity.
One hundred thousand years.
That was how long he had been purposeless and lost, imprisoned in Kilo from simply forgetting his proper job.
To most, it was a ‘mere’ thousand. But Hecto existed in a hundred places at once, a natural surveillance as most Zygarde Overseers were good at doing. He saw and lived each day a hundred times and consolidated those memories.
Even when he lost his past, his purpose and habits remained. He had more than enough information to continue, even if now he was plagued with feelings for one of the gods of the world.
He had to distance himself from her before he became further compromised.
“I think they’re almost here,” Star hummed. The Mew floated right next to him, gently stroking behind his ears.
Compromised. He was entirely compromised.
“Yes,” he replied, leaning against Star. “Soon, I will have my full power again.”
“How are you feeling?” the Mew asked. “Do you know where Spice is? Could’ve sworn she’d be around here by now…”
“She went into a Waypoint,” Hecto said. “I plan to follow her. I will easily know where she is after that. Curiously, it seemed to be Destiny Tower’s Waypoint.”
Anam had informed them. As much as Hecto wanted to go after her now, he needed as much of his power as he could. Diyem was with her—she was likely following his orders. Diyem wasn’t supposed to go there; it was too risky. For him to do this behind their backs…
“Huh? Wow, we must’ve just missed her…”
“I suppose that’s the nature of the Dungeons' twisting space. It would have been surprising if we did run into her before Kilo Village had been restored.”
“Right…” Star nodded. “Well, hey. Destiny Tower is our home! Once we have everyone gathered, we can just get Spice, ask her for that gem again, and then… figure out how to deal with Necrozma. Simple if we put all our heads together.”
“Mm.”
She was comforting herself. It was obvious in the way the Mew kept rubbing her arms, holding her tail, and leaning against him. He wanted to help. An emotional impulse of his compromised mind wanted to help her.
He gave in again. Gently, he leaned his serpentine head against her body, massive as he was, and said, “I’ll do all I can as an Overseer.”
Even if it meant…
No. He’d find a better way. This world could still be salvaged.
As the rest of his selves gathered together in the town square, and as Anam happily waved at them during his trip around town to restore the roads, Hecto took one steady breath.
The key was in this world’s power of Shadows and Radiance. If they found a master of both, or something at least an echo close to it… perhaps the world could be saved.
If only the one key they found hadn’t been spirited away to another dimension.
