Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 102 - Clash at Null Village

Mispy suddenly jerked to the left, changing course mid-stride. Owen fell off and into Demitri's arms with a yelp.

"Mispy?" Demitri called. "What's going on?"

Aster managed a powerful kick on Gahi, slamming him into the ground a few streets over. Not even missing a beat, Gahi appeared in a flash of light above Aster and slammed down on him with his cosmic tail, dealing the same blow.

Then, he whipped around and clawed at the air behind him—where Aster had appeared, only to get a slash across the chest. Aster gasped; Gahi smirked. Then, they both disappeared to opposite sides of the town.

"I can't believe he's holding his own against him." Demitri tripped, but regained himself.

Owen tried to ignore the odd warmth in his chest. This was serious. "Aster might be holding back for fun, or something. Or maybe he's trying to draw me out. This—this isn't a trap, is it?"

"Gahi will die," Mispy replied immediately.

"Right, we don't have a choice..."

Aster was standing still in the air for too long; a second Hydro Pump smashed into him from the forward-left of the town from Owen's perspective. That was only a few streets off—and Mispy was already running that way to regroup. Aster formed a barrier after getting soaked by some of the blast. The rest of the water split the low clouds. Behind the gray splotches was a bright, crimson sky of even thicker fog. It coated the town in a malevolent, red tint. Aster stood in the middle of it with a wide grin.

"You really are hiding someone!"

He raised his right hand. Psychic crescents whipped around it like a small tornado.

"My turn!"

He swung, unleashing the twister of Psychic blades toward Gahi. The Flygon disappeared in a Teleport's flash. Aster dramatically swung his arm to the left and the tornado followed, curving toward Gahi again. The Flygon disappeared higher and it curved toward him again. Gahi disappeared next to Aster, but then must have realized how terrible of an idea that was because he disappeared milliseconds before Aster could grab him.

Demitri hopped off Mispy and went below her after some brief communication. He hefted Mispy into the air and threw her onto the rooftop of a nearby building. After a rough landing—and wrapping a vine around Owen to secure him—she reached down and pulled Demitri up next. At this vantage point, they saw a third Hydro Pump coming from two streets over.

Gahi disappeared low to the ground, like he was about to bait the psionic tornado into the ground.

"Gahi, no!" Demitri cried. "There are people in there!"

Gahi seemed surprised that they were there at all, but he hissed and disappeared again, redirecting the tornado toward him.

Aster was preparing a second twister with his other arm, weaving around another Hydro Pump. He launched that second twister toward the source.

"No!" Owen cried.

Then, Mispy fired. Blinding light forced Owen to cover his eyes just in time for the Solar Beam to connect. The explosion rocked the ground and cracked the reinforced rooftops of the nearest buildings. The ringing in Owen's head didn't stop for a while, but Mispy had sighed with relief. So, it was deflected? But Aster had prepared it so quickly. Mispy took far too long to charge an attack to deflect it; the next one wouldn't be so easy.

"We have to do something," Owen yelled over the ringing.

"They're flying through the air," Demitri said. "We can't fly! And Zena would just be exposing herself if she went out now!"