Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Special Episode 2 - What You Deserve

The ice did not make Ra flinch, even as it crawled over his scales. "A very strong one."

The ice stopped. Aggron glared at him, crossing her arms. "Incredible."

Oh, and who was that? Yes, yes. He saw someone. But what was it? It was too difficult to tell from this far up. Should he come closer? No. He saw it now. He saw the little flame on his tail. That flame seemed to appear out of nowhere. Charmander! Another one! He seemed to be helping with a Jolteon after he'd caught up with the Salazzle-Charmander duo. Yet his aura was quite strange. Their auras—both of theirs—felt suppressed, but in different ways.

Where was that feral? There she is. Yes, keep coming. Closer, closer. She was just what Star deserved.

They nearly had the Jolteon awake. They were too close to Ra, though. If they got too far into the forest, they would certainly find him. And then what? Star might even get a proper minion out of them. That wouldn't do.

Static formed in the clouds, ready to shoot down and into the trees. This time, he wouldn't miss. The Charmander. That same Charmander that carried the Bulbasaur to safety. That light in his eyes. How irritating to see. He'd snuff out his aura first.

Ra took aim. A bolt of lightning went straight for the little thing—but, midway through, it diverted and gravitated for the Jolteon instead. The Salazzle was fried right through her back. Perhaps Jolteon attracted the electricity. How inconvenient.

His power was fading—he had to land to recover. He took a few fleeting seconds to check on the feral. Closer, closer. She was still going blindly in the right direction, right to him.

Ra landed back in the forest with a rough grunt. "Perfect."

"Ra, stop this!" Star bumped weakly against him; she felt like a breeze. "Why?! What did I do?! I'm just trying to—"

"You know what you did."

"I don't!" Star said. Her tiny, transparent hands grabbed the Kommo-o's giant scale on his left shoulder. "Please! Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it! Okay? I'll fix it! I can, I promise!"

Ra stared at Star, glaring a hole through her head. Thunder boomed above—whether that was from a latent surge of his power or the natural momentum of the weather, he did not know or care. The rain drowned out the sound, splashing over his shoulders and dripping down his forehead. He could barely hear Star. The rain, too, passed through her body, only briefly slowed by her presence.

"Please, Ra," Star said. "You know I can't read your mind from here. Is this about Step?"

Ra and the Aggron sat next to each other at the edge of the forest in a rare moment of serenity. The Hunters seemed to have calmed their activities lately, and he sensed no odd auras in Nightshade Forest. The sunlight was welcome.

"I have to comment, Ra," she said, "For someone who follows Mew, you're quite Arceus-like."

Ra squinted at her. "And that means?"

"Hmm..." She crossed her arms, making a deep, metallic boom when they hit one another. "Why do you like Her more than Him?"

Ra twisted his face into one of concentration and uncertainty. "That's... a difficult question, Step."

Step's frozen face expressed her skepticism through her eyes. "Oh? More difficult than 'Do you love me?'"

Ra looked to the ground instantly.

If Step's metallic face was capable of smirking, Ra was sure she would have. Instead, he felt it in her voice. "Indeed," she said. "You said I should be more direct. I am granting that wish."