Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 115 - Espionage and Deception

A fair question to ask, so Owen took the time to think on his answer. "I'm feeling better." It was technically true. Not great, but better than before. He could tell that Zena knew. "I'm sorry if I let him get to me."

"He got to all of us, but he was definitely targeting you," Zena agreed with a cautioning tone. "I can't believe he'd say such a thing to you..."

"He was trying to make me doubt everything," Owen summarized. "But the thing is, I think a lot of what he said was... true."

"It can't possibly be," Zena replied instantly, like it had been in her head. "You, aligned with him? With the same powers as him? I can't imagine it at all."

Deny, deny, deny, Dark Matter's words echoed in his mind. It really did hurt to see Zena like that, but wasn't it the truth?

"Are you sure he isn't manipulating you? F-false memories? Ah, I'm... I'm sorry if that's a touchy subject, I—"

"It's alright. It's... I get it. It might be, from your perspective, I just—I don't think that can be it. He takes away memories and he makes negativity, but I've never seen him implant memories. I don't think he can do that. And when I think about what he said, I'm... I feel confident that... at least some of it is true. And I don't think confidence is something he can implant, either."

"Confidence..." Zena shifted her weight. Enet was watching them closely.

"Sorry. I promise, I'm not gonna, like, side with him or anything, not after everything he's done. It's just, there must have been something different in the past that made me think differently, or maybe Dark Matter himself was different! It's just like Eon. He's different now."

"Just like Eon." Zena repeated that to herself, quietly, and that put a little light in her eyes. "That's true. People do change a lot, and perhaps Dark Matter most of all, for you to have once sided with him."

Hearing it back from Zena reinforced it. That was true, wasn't it? Perhaps it wasn't that Owen had once been somehow bent on Dark Matter's nihilistic philosophies—but that Dark Matter had once been different!

Because he was trying to save the world, Owen realized. But what does that mean for Necrozma?

"You have that thoughtful look in your eyes again," Zena said gently.

"Y'know, I thought losing my flame would make me harder to read." Owen huffed, crossing his arms.

"No, I think I just know you well enough by now." She curled one extra coil around the bed.

He couldn't hide a smile. "Guess you do," he said, heart fluttering a little. Then, after a pause, he glanced uncertainly at her. "Are... are we courting again?"

"Well, I—"

"Yeah," Enet stated.

Zena blinked, glancing at her, then at Owen. "Did she just agree?"

"Oh, was that feral again?"

They stared in a brief silence, and then Zena laughed. "Well, Enet has always been more insightful than she lets on. I... I suppose we might be." More silence. She was searching for the words.

Owen weighed it in his mind. He had initially been trying to start fresh with Zena. It was because they'd started off out of necessity, to stay sane. Zena was lonely; Owen was confused. They'd defended each other... but they still had things in common after all that. And now, despite everything, it felt... right, this time. Right enough to try.

Zena went on, "I know that we wanted to take things slowly, or, er—"

"Let's do it."

Zena's scales flushed a deep red. "I'm sorry?"