Latias was getting closer.
"Migami?" Owen couldn't figure out how fast they were going. The Teleports were so far he couldn't see what the previous landmarks were. Everything in the Nil Plateau looked the same, from the deep violet rocks to the lighter magenta tops. What Owen did notice, however, was how much less frequent the Teleports were becoming, and his flier's labored breathing.
"We can't keep running," Owen said after Migami didn't answer.
"Gotta run," Migami replied, their voice ragged like something was stuck in his throat. Owen caught a thin splotch of blood in the corner of his cheek.
"Migami, you're pushing yourself way too far," Owen urged. "Find a plateau to disappear behind!"
Latias was a dot in the distance, but that meant she could still see them. Aster was much further behind, but Migami was much more afraid of Latias, and they never explained why.
"Just hide now! We can't keep this up!"
"No... gotta—" The sky's jittering position told Owen that they'd Teleported again, but that was when Migami's flight suddenly hit turbulence. Migami coughed, tiny drops of blood blowing in the wind, spraying Migami's chest with a spatter of crimson.
"Migami, please," Owen begged. "As... as leader, I'm commanding you to hide instead of run. Understand?"
Migami scoffed, though it was strained. The vines tightened around Owen, but Owen held his glare and refused to let out even a wheeze.
This was for Migami's own good. They were too stubborn. This team needed a steady hand, one that wasn't hungry for battle. And while Owen was still that, he was the sanest of the four right now.
"Now, Migami," Owen said firmly.
"Tch."
Migami flared their wings, the petals looking a little stretched from all the flying. Owen had been unsure of its aerodynamics before, but now they seemed like they were only there for decoration. That was made a lot clearer when Owen realized that, despite their flight stopping, they were still floating.
And then, in a blink, they were on the ground of another cave. A cold chill ran through Owen's spine at the similar scents and sights. Dark purple, shadowy alcoves. The dry, oppressive, vaguely foul stench of void dust, like an ancient and uncleaned room. Owen thought he smelled the beginnings of rot, and then he saw Amia's face.
Migami collapsing snapped him out of his thoughts, but Owen's heart was already racing. "Migami?" he asked automatically, but received no response. They were still just outside the cave that he'd spotted.
"Come on, we have to get inside," Owen begged, struggling out of his hold. He pulled at the vines, thought of pulling at the tail but decided against it after seeing the blades, and then sprinted around to the head. "Migami?"
They were breathing and they were conscious, but not completely responsive. He waved his hand in front of one eye, and the pupils followed him, but when he said their name again, he got little reaction.
Owen stepped away, steadying his heart. He wasn't strong enough to pull Migami in. The three of them together were at least an order of magnitude larger than he was, and several times more than that in mass. He needed incredible force to get them inside, even a little.
An indifferent wind blew past them, and Owen briefly wondered if he could find some way to fashion sails to sweep them in with the wind, but that would take too long.
Time was short. Latias would be here soon if they were unlucky.
His eyes darted left and right, but there was nothing to use other than himself and what Migami could provide.
...Maybe... that would be enough.
Better than nothing. Owen rushed to Migami's back and stomped several times on the ground, channeling energy from his core to his feet. This time, he didn't store Flame Bursts, but a more gradual, yet intense flame. Then, he moved to Migami and climbed their body, traversed the vines, and finally stood atop their back, where he squatted down and tried to heft their wings up. The vines fell away, revealing nothing more than useless, floppy petals. Needed to be reinforced.
"C'mon, c'mon..."
Owen thought back. There had to be something in his memories that could be useful here. Another breeze blew. A distant thundercrack shook the air. Owen didn't know it could storm here. Was that even a storm?
Storm—rain. He'd seen barriers fashioned into bowls to capture the rain. Could he do the same to capture the wind?
Owen crossed his arms, forming a golden Protect. He knew how to concentrate the barrier ahead of him, how to make it a sphere around him, and he saw it twist and turn itself inside-out. Could he reshape it another way?
Slowly, he uncurled his wings and concentrated on the barrier. He envisioned wings, his Charizard wings. Maybe like an armor around them, like a Steel Wing strike. Something vaguely flight-worthy formed in front of him.
Now the hard part. The part where he didn't know if it was possible or not.
Owen clutched at the base of Migami's wings and held them up. He stared at the gold, concentrating as hard as he could, digging into parts of his aura that felt weak from atrophy. Small flashes of memory raced through him. The storage of his techniques, his Fire, into the ground. Of Har, storing even more techniques the same way. Marshadow's words, that he could somehow transfer power into simple objects. It was like Anam's blessings. And Jerry, that time he'd been so desperate to save him.
Why did all of that feel related?
A dragon of light was before him, four wings outstretched, standing tall. His prismatic eyes shined a little brighter, and the great Charizard's heart thumped with awe and anxiety. "This is my power," Necrozma said. "The same power I am using to give it to you: Bestow."
Owen didn't realize it until a second later. The Protect disappeared from the front and curled around Migami's wings. Now they were at least twice as large with the golden extensions, and when Owen gave them a testing flap, they held. It was no heavier, but it was larger.
Next, he concentrated on the spots he'd stepped, curled his toes, and spat an ember at the base of his target. He braced for impact.
A pillar of fire several feet tall—but relatively quiet—burst into the air. The energy pelted his body and cut through his own Fire resistance, and some of the scales of Migami's body turned dark from the scorch. The wind nearly blew Owen away, had it not been for his grip. The ground heaved—and the ground, for Owen, was Migami themselves. The wings caught the burst of wind and dragged Migami's entire body back several feet into the cave, but then their body caught on the soil and bumped Owen off.
Migami crushed his lower body, and then rolled further and on top of Owen—and then it all went dark.
<><><>
It was still dark, and Owen wasn't sure how much time had passed. He felt fine, but he couldn't move properly. And he couldn't feel properly, either. Was he falling? Floating? There was no floor, and his flame wasn't lighting anything but the parts of his body that its light touched.
Tentatively, he tried to move his arms. They felt longer, and his three claws told him the rest of the story. Charmeleon again, so he was dreaming.
"You've got this, Owen! Mimic that Ice Beam!"
He tried to shape his aura into the icy, chilly stance required to channel that cold energy, but there was nothing to draw from. These were blurry memories, less significant to him. Training, over and over and over, getting ready to take on that organization that stole away the rest of the team.
"Owen?" someone called, to his left.
"Oh, Klent." Owen turned. In the void, all he saw was the Jumpluff.
"Asleep again, are we?" He tried to be funny, but his tone had a hint of gravity.
"Yeah." Owen sat up, swishing his tail. Looks like I got crushed or something, or the exhaustion overwhelmed me. I extended myself too much."
Klent rubbed his pompoms together. "You're oddly calm about it."
"Because if I wake up, I need to think of my next move. I get really groggy when I get up but I might not have the time to react."
"That's great! Keep it up! Blast them with Ice Beam some more!"
"Ire, don't let a little ice take you down!"
Owen chuckled. "That hardly feels like me anymore. It's not, is it?"
"What do you mean?" Klent asked.
"Smallflame. I'm not... really Smallflame, am I?"
Klent frowned, pensive. "I suppose, no more than when I had been a mortal Pokémon. Give enough time and your past self will be unrecognizable. But what does it matter?"
"Mm." He had a point there. "Guess that means the same is for Tim, then. And what Eon is now."
Klent looked relieved just then, but Owen's disapproving stare brought some of that fear back.
"I'm not dismissing all of it," Owen said. "I still want to get everything back. There's still more I need to know. But I won't forget the present."
"Mm. Of course." Klent looked up. A glimmer of light cut through the void. "It looks like you won't be asleep for much longer."
"Yeah. Klent, were you watching?"
"I was, but I don't know more than you do."
"Did it feel like you were closer to being summoned?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"That's alright. I'll keep trying." He stood, knowing time was short. "Again, sorry that these memories don't make you happy."
"That isn't..." Klent sighed. He was about to say something else, but then Owen woke up.
<><><>
"Migami," Owen slurred, sitting up despite the dizziness. "Migami, are you okay?"
"Just fine," Migami half-wheezed.
Owen groped for any sign of him, touching dust and rocks before finding a vine. "I'm right here."
"I know, I'm not blind."
Owen almost was. Everything was so blurry. With a free hand, he rubbed at his eyes, blinking.
Migami was holding their forehead with one hand and a few vines with another, breathing steadily. "I need... I need to fight."
"Well, there isn't anyone you can fight right now," Owen said.
"There... there is."
Owen wasn't sure what they meant at first, but then sighed when several vines rushed him. Owen stepped back and crossed his arms, parrying most of them. He weaved left and dodged a few more, which lacerated the rocks behind him. Before Migami could strike again, Owen spat a small ember at Migami's chest, which barely did anything, and Migami struck at Owen for a second time. And again, the Protect parried the vines away.
It was like a twisted dance, though there were only a few steps, and it lasted only seconds. By the end of it, Owen was trying to hide a smile, and when he finally managed to land another little ember at Migami, he went for the kill. Owen leapt for Migami's face, using one of the vines as a spring when it had pulled up, and bopped Migami on the snout before clutching at their shoulder.
Owen giggled. "Got you."
Migami sneezed, vines slashing at more of the rocks, and then let out a bestial growl. "...Cheater."
A vine wrapped around Owen's abdomen, holding him in midair so they could stare eye to eye.
"Feeling better?" Owen asked.
Migami's intense, brown eyes dilated, and then he looked away, shameful.
"Hey, it's alright," the Charmander said. "I knew you wouldn't really hurt me." When Migami didn't say anything in response, Owen added, "You didn't break my Protect. There's no way you lost that part of Demitri." He reached up and patted the vine that held him. "Good job. You held on. That's the important part, right?"
"I still... attacked you."
"Well, hey, uh, every hatchling takes their first step, right?" Owen pried one of the vines loose and the rest fell away. He landed with a stumble at Migami's feet. "Migami, can you sense Latias or Aster?"
"Oh." The task, Owen hoped, would distract them from that urge to fight. Migami closed their eyes and hummed, and Owen waited nervously. He tried to feel around for a bag, but then realized that they hadn't brought anything with them. They had been in such a rush to flee...
A creeping sense of dread washed over Owen. They were lost in the plateaus again. No food, no equipment, nothing but their scales.
But panicking would only make Migami's psyche worse. Steadying his breath, Owen said, "It's alright. We got all the way out here, so when we get our strength back, we can make our way back. We just have to lose them. If we don't have anything on us, then that means there's no way they can track us, either."
"About that..."
So much for optimism. "They're getting closer?"
"I can feel Latias getting closer. Not... not Latias. Dark Matter."
"What?" Owen's flame snapped and he tried to hide it behind him. Now was not the time to show fear, for Migami's sake. "Is she coming this way right now?"
The cave didn't look deep enough for them to hide at all. It only went a few more feet inside from where they were hiding. Latias would find them easily if she knew where to look.
How long had they been out? Last Owen remembered, Migami had been bleeding from the mouth, barely conscious, and now, they were standing and ready to run. Latias had been perhaps only minutes away from them... Mispy's part didn't heal that fast, did it?
"She—he, she knows where we are," Migami said. "He's coming right for us."
"Can we run?"
"I don't know." Migami tested their wings, but winced. "I feel fatigued."
So, running wasn't an option. Not yet. "Can you gather your strength for one Teleport?"
"Maybe," Migami said. "I'll need time."
"Then get that ready," Owen added, stepping to the mouth of the cave. "I'll, uh, stall for time?"
"You?"
"Just be fast." Owen approached the cave's mouth, steeling himself. He just had to keep Latias out, maybe parry a few attacks with Protect, and if he was lucky, that Teleport was still part of his aura thanks to Mimic.
"She's right around the corner," Migami whispered, sliding further into the cave. "I'll support from behind."
"Focus on that Teleport," Owen replied flatly.
"Don't let her touch you," Migami suddenly added.
"What?" Owen glanced back.
"Trust me."
So, not enough time to explain. Alright. Owen could ask later.
A dim shadow crept to the mouth of the cave and Owen readied himself. He was just one Charmander about to face off against a lower Legend, but he knew all he had to do was stall. He had to bank on the idea that they wanted him alive. Killing him would only send him somewhere else to find again. If that was the case, they'd be forced to hold back. And he would just become a Charmander again. There was little to worry about. He literally could afford to die.
Migami did not have that same luxury.
Latias swooped down like red lightning. Owen quickly erected a barrier, blocking a predicted Psychic blast, but nothing came.
"What's taking you so long?" Latias said, glaring at them. "We have to get back to the village!"
Owen remained skeptical and Migami refused to move. That was reason enough to retreat further into the cave.
"Hello? What are you doing?" Latias angrily gestured for them to come out.
"How do I know you aren't Dark Matter?" Owen said. "We saw that blast of black energy. That was..."
"Shadow Ball? What, you never played around with how your moves are shaped?"
"No, I just did for Protect, I—there's no way that was Shadow Ball. That was the same thing Anam did when he was corrupted!"
Migami was breathing quickly and shallowly. They didn't have Gahi's nerve; Demitri's flighty tendencies were starting to take over. If Owen didn't do something soon, they might panic, or worse.
"Just stay calm," Owen assured. "She isn't coming in because she knows she can't take us."
"Take you?" Latias jettisoned forward. "I'll show you taking, I just need to—"
Owen crossed his arms and formed another Protect; Latias bumped her hands against the barrier, and Migami, screaming, fired a charged Solar Beam over Owen and into Latias' face. She had been staring, transfixed, at the barrier for that split-second, and that was all Migami needed to send her skidding outside the cave. She didn't get back up; she trembled and curled, hugging herself, sniveling.
"That... was too easy," Owen mumbled, gesturing for Migami to stay put. This could be a trap. "Get another Solar Beam ready, just in case."
"Don't let her touch you."
"Right."
But he still had to get closer. They were at a stalemate now, and unless they forced Latias to flee, the stalemate would remain. "Hey," Owen said. "Dark Matter. I know that's you, so drop the disguise."
He wasn't sure what Dark Matter actually looked like, now that he thought about it.
"I'm—I'm not Dark Matter," Latias choked out, though she still trembled on the ground. The dusty ground dirtied her feathers.
"Okay..." Owen carefully approached. "Then who are you?"
"Latias. I'm Latias, I'm... oh, gods, I can't... I'm sorry, can you give me a second?"
This seemed too genuine to fake, but Owen didn't have his Perceive to tell for sure. Afraid to so much as take his eyes off of Latias, Owen called back, "Migami? Did her aura change?"
"I... don't know." Their vines uncurled. "Maybe? She's really distressed. It wasn't like before."
"I was under his control," Latias said. "I was... I was just, it was in my head, I just felt like it was perfectly n-normal to follow what he said, like s-suddenly I... oh, gods..."
Owen's compassion was forcing his legs forward, but his mind halted him after one step. "You're saying he controlled you?"
"She's safe," Migami suddenly said.
"What?"
Migami emerged from the cave with much less fear than before, and Owen finally took his eyes off of Latias. When she moved again, though, his head snapped back to her and he crouched into a defensive stance, arms tense. But nothing came.
Latias tried to rise, but she was so unfocused that she couldn't even levitate. She thumped on the ground and curled up again, sniffling. A few tears fell into the dust, turning that part of the purple ground a deep red.
"Hey, it's... it's going to be okay," Owen said, and he finally took those last few steps forward. "I'm going to hold your shoulder, alright?"
She was soft like a pillow; a little deeper, below the feathers, her collarbone revealed a lithe frame meant more for stealth and flight than combat. Perhaps her psionics made up for it, but Owen still didn't think she was much of a fighter.
She lunged for him, pulling him into a hug. Owen yelped and tried to break free, but no matter how weak a Legend may be, he was still a Charmander. Latias sniveled and cried and squeezed the Charmander into her chest, where his face drowned in sleek feathers.
"You're... squishing me...!"
Latias sobbed, and between her sputters, she said, "I'm so glad you're alive, Owen."
Owen furrowed his brow even as his breath left him. Struggling to turn his head, he saw a similarly dumbfounded expression on Migami's face.
Mercifully, Latias released Owen, and the Charmander plopped on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Sorry," Latias said, laughing between sobs. "That was just... really scary. Like a nightmare where I was in total control, and yet... wasn't."
"I know what you mean," Migami said, holding a hand to their chest. "Felt the same thing when that other Latias touched me. That's what happened, wasn't it? Dark Matter transformed into you..."
Latias nodded. "Can... we go in that cave?" And just then, the ground rumbled. "I think we have a lot to talk about."
<><><>
"So Anam's in East Null Village," Owen said, sighing. "At least he's okay. And he can fight off Dark Matter..."
Latias nodded. "My brother is probably warning the other towns right now. We're doing it manually so Alexander won't intercept. But... Owen!" Latias laughed, a direct contrast to her trembling form only a little while ago. "I can't believe it's you! I mean, you certainly, um, downsized, but—"
Small, small, always with the small remarks. "Yeah, well, before I died, I was a Charizard, you know."
"I know!" Latias giggled. "Which is why it's so cute to see you like this!"
Migami was puffing their cheeks, holding back what must have been a bellowing laugh.
Owen liked her better when she was trying to kill them. "So, you knew me before."
"Of course I—what? What kind of question is...Well. That's fair." Latias frowned, looking away. "After all, it's been... how long? Lifetimes... So, you must have forgotten."
"Yeah." Lots of forgetting lately. "My memories are really spotty right now, but I'm getting a lot of them back. Maybe I'll meditate to get more of them. Fill me in?"
"That's a big request! But, sure. I'll try." Latias settled into a more comfortable position, laying her body flat on the ground. Then, she rotated and curled her neck so she could look at Owen. "Hmhh, where to begin..."
"Who is Necrozma?" Owen immediately asked.
Latias looked taken aback. "Oh, Owen... You can't be serious?"
While Owen and Latias talked, Migami started to pull apart into their components, starting with Gahi. He, in turn, tried to shake away and grab Demitri with him.
"I am serious." Owen dug his claws into his thighs. "I have little fragments of it, but that's all. I barely remember anything about my time with Legends. That's crazy to think ab—just a few months, I mean, moons ago, I thought you guys were just that! Legends! Myths! And now apparently I used to live among you guys like it was a thing to do."
"That's awful..." Latias squeezed her claws. "I'll try. And I hope those memories come back, Owen. Necrozma was your master, after all. Or, well, not master. Teacher?
"He was just another Legend?" Owen asked.
"Not at all." Latias nearly gasped. "He was in charge of everything! In fact, I was a little worried about how Star and Arceus were going to take up the mantle since he's stuck in the Voidlands with us..."
Necrozma... was above Star and Barky? How? Owen frowned. How did they not know about him, or even acknowledge him? Were even they under the effects of a Decree? Because despite everything, Owen did not think that was something they could keep a secret for so long. But it didn't look like Latias knew much more.
"Either way," Latias said, "you worked under him. You and a few other students, a lot of them Legends themselves..."
"Which ones?" Owen asked.
"Well, Lugia, Rayquaza, oh, Giratina, too. Azelf..." She winked at him there. "And er, um... and Lunala."
Owen tilted his head. Why the awkward hesitation? Why the wink? Before Owen could hide his incredulous expression, Latias frowned and said, "Oh, you... you don't remember them."
"I remember Lugia," Owen said. "She's still in Kilo. I don't remember partnering up with her, though, or anything. I didn't know she existed for a while. She also, uh..." Not worth bringing up. "A little eccentric."
"You don't remember Rayquaza?"
"I remember... wondering about him, I guess," Owen said. "But only as in, wondering where a Rayquaza was in this world, like Lugia. And Azelf... Isn't that from the Creation myths?"
"The being of willpower," Latias said, nodding. She waited a little while, but when Owen didn't say anything, she frowned and sank lower. "He's very strong-hearted. And he's still himself, here, in the Voidlands. Most of the smaller Legends had a better time hiding from Dark Matter, you see. Until recently..."
Owen kept digging his claws into his arms. There was this burning, heart-pumping frustration that kept crawling up and down his spine and it made the back of his head feel cold and tingly. All of these people Owen knew that weren't triggering even the slightest sense of familiarity to him now.
"You don't remember him?" Latias asked.
"I don't remember any of them in that way," he said. "Just Lugia because we met recently. And she didn't recognize me, either. She was really nice, though."
"Nice?" Latias asked. "To you?"
"Yeah?"
"Hmm..."
"Was she... not supposed to be?" Owen released his arms, the puzzled expression on Latias distracting him.
"No, unless she got over it," Latias mumbled. "You were on opposite sides of the war. Lugia had aligned herself with Dark Matter, even! There's no way she'd..."
"You know, maybe it was a different Lugia," Owen said flatly. "Emily wanted nothing more than to help others. She's a benevolent sea monster."
"Emily... I don't know if that was the name she went by." Latias floated a little higher as her strength returned more. "As part of becoming a Legend, you're supposed to abandon your mortal name. Erased, practically, so you can make a proper transition to being a Legend..."
Owen stared at Latias like she'd suddenly started talking in a different language.
"What? You don't remember?" Latias asked.
"Just assume no. Actually, before we go further into that, please don't tell me I used to be a Legend."
"No. You denied your ascent, remember?"
"Just said not to ask if I remembered," Owen replied with a smile both jovial and annoyed.
"Oh. Um, right. No, you didn't. That made Lunala pretty upset, actually. You two broke up."
Owen clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. Some small part of him had been expecting this.
"Um, Owen—"
Owen held up a hand and Latias silenced herself. He brought them back together and took a long, slow, deep breath. Then, a few more.
Finally, he moved his hands to his lap. "Okay. Say that again?"
"You... and Lunala broke up because you denied, um, you didn't..."
"This ain't a giant fib, right?" Gahi asked.
"It's... incredible," Demitri added, looking at Owen with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Owen with Legends, sure, but courting one?"
"It's not quite like that," Latias said. "He knew her from before she ascended Destiny Tower and succeeded. They had trained together under his partner, erm... I'm sorry. He ascended, too, so much of their mortal time was—"
"He became Jirachi?" Owen asked.
"Yes! That's why you worked under him, actually. You guys went way back. That's all I really knew."
"Right." Owen didn't need to know more.
Eon...
"And what was my relationship with Rayquaza?" Owen asked.
"Hmm... Not much. Rayquaza was more interested in Dialga."
The image that appeared in his mind wasn't pleasant. "Right, uh, okay—how about Azelf, then?"
"He was your rebound."
"What."
"You and Azelf. Um. It was kind of the talk of the town for a while, but—"
"So, not only did I court, break up with, and forget Lunala," Owen said slowly, "but I also then got together with Azelf right after?"
"Not right after. A lot of time passes for Pokémon! And well, it's complicated. We're gods, yes, but we came from mortals. We still have remnants of that time even if we're given minds to whether eternity. And part of that is companionship, simple petty desires, and things like that."
"Why in the world are gods acting like mortals?!" Owen shouted, a sudden, throbbing anger surging through his temples. "I didn't even believe in you guys a few seasons ago! And now this! Maybe you were better off as mortals! What's the point of gods if all they're going to do is gossip about who's with who and, and, how can we trust something like that?! No wonder I denied ascent!"
"I-I'm sorry," Latias squeaked, shrinking away. "G-gods, even as a Charmander, you're scary when you get mad, Owen..."
"I," Gahi said, "think it's cute. And he's right, y'know." He seemed to be ignoring Mispy's incredulous expression. "Sounds ter me like Arceus, I'm gonna guess, ain't got his head screwed on right if that's how he wound up makin' all the Legends. Can't just make 'em from scratch?"
"Why need them at all?" Owen muttered, taking some time to quell his flame, physical and mental.
Latias bit her lip.
"Sorry, sorry." Owen sighed. "I'm not mad at you, just... What's more? I was with Azelf, so I knew them as a mortal. Do you remember who they were?"
"No, sorry." Latias sighed. "It's strange, actually. I know who I used to be as a mortal, but I simply can't remember for some of them. Maybe it's just been so long..."
Owen squinted. "You do?"
"Mhm. I used to be a Blissey!"
"...Not much correspondence between mortal body and Legendary body, then?"
"No. It's more based on your personality and mental aptitudes."
"See, that's strange, because Marshadow never told me any of this."
"Marshadow's one of the ones I don't remember," Latias said. "Jirachi, too."
"Lunala and Azelf, too, then?"
"Lunala... I can't remember as easily, but it's strange. I feel like it's always on the tip of my tongue, just barely there, but it slips away. I know that you two were around the same size before, uh, getting bigger, though. In fact, I think you were almost the same height... Ohh, and she was probably Grass, too. You always had an affinity for Grass."
"You don't say."
"Hmm... and Azelf..." Latias hummed, then sighed. "Nope. Same as Marshadow."
"Strange," Mispy remarked.
"So, there are some Legends that you simply can't remember who they used to be, and others that you can?" Demitri leaned against Mispy, humming. "Why?"
"Like everything else," Owen said, "there's a reason for it. It's too... distinct. What are some other differences they have?"
"Hmm... They're weaker," Latias said. "Dialga, Palkia, Giratina? The three Dragons of Creation? I don't know what any of them used to be, and they don't, either. And they're a lot weaker than they should be for their status. Jirachi barely has any wishing power, not like he used to. The same goes for Azelf and his partners."
"So, they don't remember their pasts, and they're weaker."
"We think Dark Matter had gotten their spirits more strongly upon entering the Voidlands, and they simply haven't been able to recover their strength." Latias lowered herself a little and covered her eyes when another breeze sent dust into the cave.
"Suppressed..." Owen nodded. "That's possible, but..."
Jirachi was among them.
He wasn't sure why Lunala was such an anomaly. He'd ignore that for now and focus on the easy pattern.
"Why only Azelf?" Mispy spoke up.
"Huh?" Latias asked.
"Azelf, the..." She tried to speak more, but her words halted. Her vines curled, and Demitri whispered something to her, and she whispered back.
"Mesprit and Uxie are the other two, right? Why didn't they align with Necrozma?"
Latias shrugged. "Necrozma was very picky. Just because they were part of a set doesn't mean he'd accept all three to be his students. Though... if you ask me, he played favorites. It might have been because Owen taught him how to play on his good side." Latias smiled a little, but nobody else did.
It was all so strange...
But Owen was focused on something else. "Azelf and I were close... and he had the same marking as me, then? Necrozma's mark?"
"Oh, he did. You two got matching positions, too. Right in the middle-ish of your back."
Mispy gasped quietly, and had it been any other time Owen would have mistaken it for a sharp breath or the beginnings of a sigh. But Owen's heart had leapt at the same time.
There was no way—
But just then, the ground shook, followed by an ear-splitting roar. Owen covered his earholes and tried to see through that hammering pain. It was something that, at first, was foreign to him—bright, white light. It was coming from the right side of the cave's mouth, skyward. Without thinking, he walked toward it, and Latias did the same. Mispy took more initiative and shoved past them both, shielding them from the unknown threat. Demitri stayed behind, nervously playing with his claws, and Gahi disappeared completely.
"Oi!" Gahi pointed up, now outside the cavern. "Sky's fallin' again!"
It was like someone had ripped a hole in fabric. A great gap had torn itself open in the sky, revealing what appeared to be a white background and little else. At the edge, Owen saw someone, a figure, something Pokémon-sized that showed the sheer massiveness of this rip in the sky.
They also saw a Titan a few plateaus over, bipedal and wide, running toward the hole.
"Should we investigate?" Owen said, the roaring finally subsiding.
"We fusin' again?" Gahi asked, stretching his wings.
Owen looked at the hole, then at the Titan, then at Latias. Finally, he nodded, saying, "Let's go."
<><><>
"Fascinating. It actually worked."
Nevren stood in what had once been a large chamber for training, having fashioned the Beammaker into a conduit for the first Dungeon prototype. He was on the observational deck a few stories higher, looking down at his handiwork—or at least, the center of it. He'd turned all of Quartz HQ into a Dungeon.
An artificial Dungeon... The technology was large, bulky, and required extensive configuration, and also needed a linking catalyst—he used an old gemstone from Palkia from long ago—but it was enough.
Now that it was working, and he had created a Dungeon, he also got to finally bear witness to a Dungeon Core. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting. It wasn't a core at all—without the shadows and dark fog obscuring his vision, it was a gateway. It was more like a long, eight-sided star, the cardinal directions longer than the diagonals. Something about it was familiar.
There were so many things to derive from this! It had to be studied further.
Several notepads hovered above Nevren, each one with its own pencil. Each one frantically scribbled down as many notes as he could in what little time he had to observe it. Nevren did not know how long the Dungeon would last, but with the energy required, and their already somewhat scarce resources, he predicted only a Revisor's worth of time.
The other side of the gateway was clearing. He saw a great landscape from high above. Red, perhaps a magenta color? It was like a desert in twilight, with many rocky plateaus. He saw a few black figures running about, but one was much larger than the rest. It was gazing up at him.
Nevren's writing halted. He heard something. Wordless, thoughtless, but it was there in his mind, when he stared at that creature. It pulled at something deep within himself, and he knew in an instant who it was.
"Palkia?"
The gemstone had linked the Dungeon's gateway directly to...
No, that simply was not possible. Palkia, Nevren knew what Palkia was supposed to look like. But this gateway, what was it? Where did it lead?
The thing reached out toward the gateway, and Nevren realized that it was tall enough to grasp the edge. A great hand emerged from the gateway, its black body practically absorbing the light around it. Its arm was made up of countless smaller organisms, all meshed together into a great being, an abominable mockery of the work Nevren had designed long ago.
This was too dangerous. Time to close the gateway early.
With a few button presses, Nevren cut power to the gate. The hole shrank, but then the creature reached out with a second hand and held either end of the shrinking portal...
And it stopped.
"Ah." Nevren distanced himself from the observation deck. "Time to go."
In a flash of light, Nevren Teleported away...
And reappeared directly in front of the Titan, his feet inches away from the gate.
That wasn't intended.
When the beast roared again, stretching the portal even further, Nevren realized that this experiment had been far longer than a moment to rewind away.