Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 9 - Lonely Waters

It was quiet for a bit longer. And then, finally, the water rippled—and it didn't stop this time. Instead, it got stronger—most definitely in the middle, now—until something rose out from it. Water, but something that took a shape of its own, something serpentine. It thrust itself from the water, quickly approaching Owen, who was too surprised to move; the water landed near Owen, coiling around itself, taking a solid form. It was a creature covered in cream-white scales, with long, pink eyebrows, and a blue-black-pink tail. The very end of her tail had four feathers with blue outsides and pink insides. Part of her body resembled decorative glass.

The Milotic stared down at Owen. Owen stared back, in awe.

"H-hello," Owen greeted.

"Hello," she said.

There was a silence that lasted seven seconds.

"I—"

"My—"

They had interrupted one another.

"N-no, you go—"

"Please, introduce—"

They both stopped talking again.

Owen fidgeted with his claws; the Milotic's tail twitched.

Owen took a breath; the Milotic did not. "I'm Owen," the Charmeleon said.

The Milotic nodded. "My name is Zena," she said. "It is nice to meet you. I am sorry for keeping you waiting."

"O-oh, no, it's okay, I—I was kinda just talking to myself anyway, but if you heard that, I mean... that's good, so I don't have to repeat myself."

Zena nodded. "You do not," she said. "I'm very... sorry for your fate," she said, "but you're right. We have to remain separated in order to keep the power from combining."

"S-so, as in, it's dangerous for us to even touch?"

"N-no, nothing like that," Zena said. "But, should we fight, perhaps, and then the winner extracts the power from the loser, well... we can't have that."

"O-oh, okay," Owen said. "...But... I heard that it's starting to be dangerous to stay away. W-wait! Um—yesterday, I saw a Torkoal come this way.... Is that, um, is that someone you know?"

"He was not," Zena said. "I dispatched of him."

"D-dispatched...?"

"He was a Hunter," Zena replied. "...They are the ones that we hide from. A Pokémon that intends to find us... and take our power. By any means necessary."

Owen didn't ask further. Instead, he looked down at the water, and then at Zena again. "Um... how... how long have you been here?" he asked.

Zena hesitated. "I do not know."

"H-how long, um—before that Torkoal came, how long has it been since... someone came here?"

She shook her head again.

"...Do you at least know Star?"

"I... I do," she said. "And we talk from time to time, just as I talk with my spirits..."

"...But it's not enough," he said.

Zena glanced away. "I suppose it isn't," she said. "But it's... it's still dangerous for us to converse with one another, isn't it? If a Hunter finds us... they could potentially get two Orbs, not just the one."

"A-actually, we were thinking, um, that it's kinda dangerous to be separated, now, because, like, there's this thing, um, it's this theory..." Owen trailed off. "Like they can detect us now. They'd pick us off one by one.... So instead, maybe strength by numbers?"