Dark Matter stood face to face with Anam. He took on the form of a familiar Charizard, blue eyes tinged with streaks of darkness. Anam didn't like looking at those, and Dark Matter knew it.
All around them were Void Shadows. Under the ground, in the trees, and all around the forest.
"I did everything you asked," Dark Matter stated. "Nothing came of it."
"You just need to wait. He'll find a way to help."
"They're going to kill me. And I know, from the recent arrivals, they are planning an assault soon. I will not wait while they plot my demise."
"Please. Just one more day," Anam begged. The Goodra squeezed his hands together.
"No." Dark Matter redoubled his glare. "I will not allow you to stall for any longer. I am going to fight. I refuse to be erased. Not until I am done."
Another stare down. How long had they been at this pointless exchange? Dark Matter turned around. "When the time comes, I am going to fight you. I will overwhelm you with so many Void Shadows that you will not be able to catch up to my main army. By the time you arrive, it will be too late."
"I won't get in your way," Anam said, and there was a suspicious weight behind his words. "I know that we can't... we can't hurt each other. Because we're linked. Because I'm the Guardian, and you're the spirit."
"You can still seal me. I know what you will do and I won't allow it this time. I will not be held back."
"You're sealed... but you can also draw from my power." Anam held his chest. "...I'm... not going to let you do that. You can't use my power anymore. Necrozma's light... I... I'm going to make you fully vulnerable!"
Dark Matter quirked a scaly brow. "Oh?" He faced the Goodra again, looming over him. "And just how will you do that if we are linked?"
Anam closed his eyes. "...I'm going to release you."
The false Charizard narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll kill you. Nothing would stop me from overtaking your spirit."
"You will still become weak to Necrozma, fully. Even a touch..."
"They won't be able to get close." Dark Matter stepped closer to Anam. "Do it, then."
Anam stared, eyes wide but not with fear. They glowed as they always did, those green irises etching themselves into Dark Matter's mind. Even now, they were bright. Always bright. How he hated and envied that light. If he could blot it out...
"I trust you," Anam said.
A stabbing pain went from Dark Matter's chest to his forehead. He snarled, withholding a wince, as a dark haze leaked from the corners of his mouth.
"I'll kill you the moment you let me."
Anam finally closed his eyes. Dark Matter wondered if Madeline and James were readying a counterattack. If this was all a trap. Perhaps it was. But he couldn't sense it from Anam.
"It's going to be okay," Anam said. Dark Matter didn't know who he was talking to.
A thread of gold appeared between Dark Matter and Anam, connecting their chests. The end attached to Dark Matter severed... and he was released.
<><><>
The rest of Owen's meal passed without much incident. Quietly, they all regarded one another as they stacked their bowls by the counter, and it seemed to be Eon's turn to do cleaning. "Oh, and I can help, too," Owen offered quickly.
That earned a concerned look from Zena, but Owen stared, stone-faced. Their eyes didn't leave one another for a few moments, but then she silently nodded and slithered back to her room with Enet.
Eon got a few booster pillows from nearby to climb, careful that they were stacked securely, and Owen climbed up with him on the opposite side. Eon turned the faucet; purple water flowed out and Owen winced.
"We use the filtered water after the first rinse," he explained.
"Right..."
It was odd to work with running water. Back in Hot Spot, most of their cleaning for dishes involved flames and burning away the mess, then dusting off the ashy remains. Not that the tradition continued once non-Fire spirits were—
What happened to Amia's spirits? Auntie Arcanine, all the false kids that used to inhabit Hot Spot? Were they stuck inside Amia? No...
"Owen?" Eon asked.
"Oh, sorry. I... Right. Dishes."
"If the water scares you, it's alright," Eon said gently.
"It doesn't. I'm not Fire right now anyway."
"Right..."
Despite Owen's current state, Eon was still a proper Charmander. At least they looked different this time.
"So, you're getting better at holding that form?" Owen asked.
"Yeah. Not the best, but it helps to have a default. Being smaller uses less energy anyway."
"Mhm. Not a lot of energy to spare here when everything's so expensive, huh?" Owen glanced behind him. Their home was barren aside from the absolute essentials, if that. For how many people lived in the communal home, it seemed like there hadn't been much space. Maybe Trina sat on Gahi's head because they'd run out of room once he'd arrived...
Enough small talk. Owen knew why he wanted this.
"I remember everything about Kanto," Owen said. "And Almia, and Orre."
Eon nearly dropped his dishes, but he nodded quickly and said, "Y-you did, huh? Just like that?"
"While I was a tree, I had a lot of time to think about things and, you know, remember." Owen passed a plate for Eon to rinse. "You've changed."
Eon was no longer interested in washing the dishes, but he still made a halfhearted attempt.
"The Tim I knew wouldn't have done anything that you did," Owen said. "Raising a whole army of artificial Pokémon just to get me back? Trying to fight the gods themselves and throw Kilo into... just, centuries of fear of those mutants? Turning me into one?!"
"I know, I know," Eon said quickly. "I—"
"If you knew, then why'd you do it?!" Owen had wanted to keep his voice down, but it all spilled out the second he'd said even a small portion of his thoughts. Now the flood was unstoppable. He wanted to stop but didn't. "Did you ever think that I would have hated what you did to me? How many lives you ruined all because of me? How do you think I feel?"
No words from Eon. Despite the false Charmander being twice Owen's height, Eon seemed a lot smaller. Owen hated how he looked like 'Smallflame' even now.
"I hate," Owen snarled, "what you did. And what you kept doing, like there was no other solution. I just want to know... why. Why did you do all of that? Was it really just so you could get me back? Was it because you wanted to go to Kanto? Because Kanto's gone. We've been on Kilo for centuries... m-maybe longer. Everyone we knew there, assuming Arceus didn't just destroy the whole planet, is—"
"Still there," Eon said hastily.
"What?! What are you even—"
"Kanto is still there. W-we found out. Nevren found out."
Owen was still in the mood to argue. He searched for somewhere to counter that, but it was so surprising that he only stumbled over his words. Owen stayed on guard, but he listened.
"Nevren has a room," Eon said. "It's... it's a room where he puts down notes about things he can guess about the world. Things about the Divine Decrees that affected even us. Parts of history that are being suppressed so nobody can remember. It's like a property of the world itself and happens automatically by some... logic of the gods who put it there. Secrets to keep things hidden. And while we can never know what those secrets are directly, Nevren can leave instructions to himself on what to do about his findings, while he's in that room.
"A-and one of those things was that Kanto still existed. That whole world still does; he only destroyed Quartz Isle, and then erased the fact that he did. For all we know, we're just... missing, or we died some other way. And most of all... this world, Kilo, follows a different time flow. We don't know by how much, but... time in Kilo is so much faster. Even after all this, if we go back now, if we can align the worlds, we could go back to Kanto and... and it'll all go back to normal. We can live normal lives again."
"Wh..." Owen stared, slack-jawed. "How can we live normal lives after all this? How can we even think to go back when we've been doing this for so long? That's... stupid! And you know it! I'm not gonna pretend all of this didn't happen!" Owen chirped and roared at Eon, completely disregarding the dishes at this point. "I'm guessing you never bothered to tell us because the Decree made it all hidden away, and we should just blame Star and Barky for all of this, right? Well, maybe, but I'm not... not after this. Not for all you did. Some of that's on you, for taking it this far. You chose to do all of this, and you could have stopped at any point, but you didn't. You even made a copy of me just to try to have me back some other way!"
That one looked like it hurt Eon the most. He held back a gasp and turned his head away hard, biting his tongue.
"You tried to copy my memories and put them in some other artificial body just to have 'me' again. And then you created my friends to do the same thing, didn't you? My 'team,' just like in Kanto."
"I wanted you to be happy," Eon choked.
"No, you wanted ME!" Owen spat back. His eyes felt hot. It hurt to say. He couldn't believe that he was saying it to him at all. Flashes of his memories echoed in the back of Owen's mind of that fateful day in the forest. The day he decided to partner with Tim for good, to leave Kanto behind when he could have easily gone back home with his wings.
Owen wondered, if he went back now to tell his younger self about what would happen, would he have gone back? Would he have let Tim go with Ayame and Ire, and would he return to the lab to live a quiet life?
Deep in his heart, he knew he wouldn't have, no matter who told him. And even deeper, Owen felt a strong, bubbling, hateful realization that he wouldn't try to avert it, either. Why? Why? After spending so much time trying to shove Eon away, that instinctual drive to go back plagued him.
"I'm sorry," Eon finally said. "I... I..."
Owen hadn't been looking, so he was surprised to hear a loud thump, and then Eon not there when he looked up.
On the floor was a blubbering puddle of ooze. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Eon said, unable to focus on any form at all. "I just kept going, little things led to big things, I just kept going, I'm sorry..."
It was pathetic. Owen could only stare. He wanted to leave, to let him wallow in that regret that he was finally feeling...
But he couldn't. Because Owen also knew that Eon had been regretting this for a long time. Driven helplessly by his own willpower.
Eon was saying something more, but Owen was too focused on his thoughts to register any of it. He climbed off of the platforms and walked toward Eon, sitting nearby while he cried it out. Owen wanted to cry, too, but it was quieter. Relieving. He'd finally gotten to say something he hadn't even known he'd wanted. But it was still a wound; he still felt so empty and lost. He also wanted Tim back. And he wasn't sitting next to Owen anymore. He hadn't been for years and years...
"I just don't know what I would have done," Eon said. "But this was all wrong... I did everything wrong... I lost everything... A-and... and I failed you."
He had. He really had. But... "You didn't fail me before. You just... lost your way. I don't remember when it happened or how it happened, but you did. And you became a monster."
"Y-yeah..."
"I can't ever forget that.'
"And I don't want you to," Eon said. "I n-never wanted you to lose your memories."
Owen lost his breath. He forgot whether he'd just let out one, or took one in, and was stuck there, frozen, as those words echoed. That was right. Eon had been driven to near madness trying to restore Owen's memories. Gahi's, Mispy's, and Demitri's, too. But every time he did, it brought out that instinctual madness, too. And they'd get reset, over and over, by some dark power that wrapped around their aura.
Eon was vulnerable, here. Owen could ask anything and he'd probably get the truth. He composed himself, navigating carefully. Owen knew that just as Eon was vulnerable here, so too was he.
"Eon..." Owen sighed. "No. Tim. I... don't want you to try to win me back. It's..." Say it. Say it. 'It's over,' say it. Tim had done far too much for him to ever be Owen's partner again, say it. Owen knew that he just had to say, 'I don't want to be your partner,' and be done with it. He could leave Eon to despair about it, and then he'd move on one day. Or he'd become a Void Shadow, whatever. But Owen owed Tim nothing. Say it. Say it.
"What are you going to do now?" Owen asked.
"What?"
"You did all that. Can't change it. So, what now?" Owen felt some of his anger ebbing away with each careful breath he took. Eon talking slowly, and taking so long to reply, was doing wonders for calming his emotions.
Owen helped Eon regain some semblance of a body. He solidified and shifted until he was at least reminiscent of a Ditto. His dotted eyes still had a sorrowful glint to them, and he couldn't look at Owen directly. As a Ditto, his voice was high pitched and scratchy, not unlike a child. No wonder he tried to avoid it. But for now, it suited him.
"What have you been doing in Null Village?" Owen prodded again.
"I've... I've been trying to help out here. I don't have a lot of power. I think... most of it is sealed, or something, like yours. But what I can do, I've been trying. Helped rescue Palkia, a-and rescue you, er, not that you needed it..."
On the contrary, he did. But at least Eon was trying to downplay it.
"And," Eon continued, "I've... I've been avoiding you a little. I figured you didn't want to... see me right now."
"I didn't," Owen agreed. "I noticed that a little."
Silence. Eon looked like he wanted to transform again, but couldn't think of anything to become.
"It's alright," Owen said. "Pick what form you want."
Eon flinched, his body jiggling. "I didn't want to... take you or anything."
Owen rolled his eyes, sighing. "Oh, don't be dramatic about it. Just... do it like you've always been. It's fine."
Slowly, his body shifted again. Scales formed around flesh and a little flame erupted at the end of his tail. By the time he was done and calm, he glanced at Owen again. "Is there something more I should be doing?" he asked. "I... I know I want you back, but... but if... if that's n-not what you want... then okay. Then, okay. I'll... Then, okay."
He kept repeating it, nodding, like he was trying to tell it to himself. Owen knew Eon. He knew every little tic about him, and when he took on the form of a Charmander, he knew it even more. In the end, this let Owen get a good, hard look at how Eon really felt. His flame, his twitches, his eyes...
All genuine.
He really was going to give him the choice to leave. If Owen left, Eon would accept it. If Owen left, Eon would try to move on. He might fail, and he might fail for a long time... but Eon looked, finally, willing to accept that.
"And what will you do for the mutants?" Owen asked.
"I need to help them," Eon said immediately, and a nostalgic fire was in his eyes for only Owen to see. "I've... been thinking, maybe I could find a way to convince Nevren to make a school. We know their psychology really well, and most of their spirits are from feral Pokémon, so we can help educate them. Maybe Trina, she knew a lot about how to temper their spirits, so maybe if we combined those two, they won't be at risk anymore, and . . ."
He went on and on and on. Always looking forward. Always trying to help others. That... was the Tim he knew. Some of his ideas were silly and frankly wouldn't work, but that was also the Tim he knew.
So, maybe he was still there, deep down.
When Eon paused enough for Owen to interject, the Grassmander said, "Then you want to repair the damage."
"I do." Eon nodded. "That's what I'm gonna do no matter what."
Owen wanted to leave it at that, but he took the risk and asked one more question. "Why?"
And, to his relief, the answer came quickly. "It's just the right thing to do. And a return to form. I liked... when I helped Pokémon, back when I was a ranger. And being a ranger and part of a team for Dungeons, that isn't too different, right? I think I want to do that when this is all over."
Owen felt the fanned leaf of his tail flex. It reminded him of his flame growing. "Yeah," he said. "And... maybe we can start up that partnership again. From the beginning. How does that sound?"
Eon's flame was blazing, but he kept himself calm. Owen could tell he was trying not to look desperate. "I'd like that."
"But for now"—Owen wanted to temper that hope—"I'm not doing anything. We're fighting for the same cause, but... that's all. Okay?"
"Y-yeah. Right, sorry."
And they stood in silence again, and Owen wasn't sure what to do next. He somehow expected this. Maybe, deep down, he knew Eon was still the same trainer he'd trusted his life to. It had to be reawakened... but Owen couldn't be the one to do that. Eon had to find it on his own. And maybe, later, he could prove himself. This was going to be as hard for Owen as it was for Eon.
"It's really okay," Eon added, nodding. "I... I think it's better this way. I don't think, after... after everything that happened, it can just... flip to normal. I-in fact, don't even consider it until this is all fixed!"
Owen let his guard down for a split-second, but then steeled himself, nodding. It all seemed so genuine. And maybe it was. He just didn't know anymore. But Zena and all the others would be so disappointed if he gave in so easily for his old, long-gone trainer.
"Good," Owen said. "And... thank you."
That was it. His heart felt lighter, then. That's all he had to say. Odd... it seemed easier to be in the same room, now.
Awkwardly, Eon picked up the dishes again, returning to washing, and Owen fell back into the old routine.
"Why Eon, anyway?" Owen asked.
"H-huh?"
"I don't have that memory yet. Why did you pick the name 'Eon' after, you know..."
"Oh." Eon blinked, like the thought had never occurred to him. "I don't know. I don't think I remember, either. One day I just went by it. Woke up one day, my name is Eon, and I thought nothing of it. I knew I used to be called Tim, but... Huh."
A pensive silence followed. They were thinking the same thing. "Do you think it has to do with a Decree?" Owen asked.
"It might," Eon hummed. "But what would I have to do with that? Nevren, I—I mean, Michael, he remembers his name the same way. That's so odd... Madeline apparently never forgot hers. Ayame sort of forgot hers, now that she's the Dragon Guardian, but..."
"I thought their names were similar," Owen murmured. "Aramé. I haven't met her yet. She's, uh, kinda scary, from what I heard."
"Y-yeah, she's... time hasn't been kind to her."
"And Brandon..."
"He remembers, too. I think he remembers more than most of us, which is also weird to think about. What makes him so special?" Eon sighed. "Maybe it was just coincidence."
"I don't think anything is a coincidence anymore," Owen said. "There might be more to it. But, Eon, I think your name specifically... Do you think it has to do with the time between Kilo forming, and us forgetting that part?"
"What do you mean?"
"That time when you were a Mew. I've only gotten a fragment of that memory so far, but you used to be one."
Eon stared at Owen dumbly.
"You know, Mew. Like Star? I think you were a little bigger, though..."
"I... have no idea what you're talking about."
"It was definitely you. And—oh, and I also think you... No, I'm pretty sure you were also Jirachi."
"Are... are you okay, Owen?" Eon asked, leaning forward to feel his forehead.
Owen flinched back. "I'm fine! Seriously, I have memories of when I was a huge Charizard, and back then, I knew a ton of Legends! Mewtwo—Aster, I mean—I knew him, and there was this really tiny Arceus, and Azelf was—was..."
"I... think I remember Mispy mentioning something like that," Eon said. "But, Jirachi? Me? I don't have any memories of that at all."
"Nobody does. I think you were split in half. Jirachi was here the whole time, probably with all your memories from that blank era I talked about." Owen hummed. "And I think that has to do with a few other things going on, too. Legends that are weaker than they should be, or ones that don't remember their past compared to those that do."
Eon rubbed his head. "If I'm Jirachi, does that mean we should find him and... I don't know, figure something out?"
"Once we have a means to get to him," Owen said. "I think I heard something about him being in West Null Village. I don't think Dark Matter touched that one. Latias is from East Null Village, too, so..."
"If they're all the same village, why are they in totally separate areas?" Eon complained. "So confusing..."
"It might be something historical." Owen shrugged. "Something to think about. Maybe when Palkia is feeling better, we can try going there."
"Right." Eon finally stood up and climbed the platforms back to the sink. "Um, I can handle the rest, Owen. Thanks for... for talking. I'm going to think about all this a lot. But you should get some rest, alright?"
Owen nodded. "Okay. We'll talk later, alright?"
He turned, glad to be let go. He still wanted to talk with Zena a little, and the rest of Team Alloy.
<><><>
First, Owen checked on Zena and briefly told her that he was going to see Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi. He wasn't sure where Enet was, but he could catch hints of her scent nearby, and that was enough.
Next, he knocked on Demitri and Mispy's door—he'd not want to walk in on anything—but got no response. The door was unlocked, curiously, and opened on its own. Inside he saw no bed and a few books that seemed to be about cooking. Owen wondered if Mispy ate the bed, or they didn't buy one because of the risk of eating it. So, he went down to Gahi's room next, hearing muffled chatter inside between him and Trina.
"Hello?" Owen called, and soon the door opened.
"Oi," Gahi greeted with a casual wave. He and Trina were playing some kind of card game. Owen briefly wondered if this was really Gahi.
"Have you guys seen Demitri and Mispy around?" Owen asked.
"Evenin' stroll," Gahi said. "They always do it. Probably 'cause the walls're kinda thin."
Gahi passed five cards to Owen; he and Trina shared a stack of small discs—tokens, perhaps?—and he realized they were playing poker. Great, what were the rules again?
"How'd yer talk with Eon go?" Gahi asked.
Thin walls. "Uh, how much did you hear?" Owen asked.
Trina tossed in a chip with a vine and said, "All of it, I think. Though, we only really understood half of it. You were growling and chirping for a while."
"I—I was?" Owen was mortified. Slipping into feral when he was distressed... Wait, but Eon still responded. Did he just not want to embarrass him, or did he also not realize it?
"Eh, no biggie, we get it," Gahi said. "That feral thing, right? Bet that'd be pretty useful. Oi, make a bet."
"Oh—sorry." Owen tossed in a token. "Two cards. Yeah, I guess I'm sort of... I had a lot on my mind." He sighed when the two cards he got back were junk. "I want to give him a chance because he said he'd try to fix things. I just don't want to fall into my old habits..."
"I think what you did was a good compromise," Trina said. "If you're anything like Har, it's simply not in you to push someone out of your life completely. He thought about Eon a lot, you know. I think it still torments him."
"Yeah... Same for Ax, Ani, and Lygo, I bet."
"Mm." Trina looked at Gahi, who shook his head and placed his cards down. Trina and Owen did the same, and Trina collected the round's winnings. "I think, after getting to know Eon more, he is someone who was not ready for the power he was given. Perhaps nobody is. And he made terrible mistakes over an unhealthy obsession. A good person with bad choices. But it is not any obligation for you to follow him as he makes those choices." Trina passed out a new set of cards. "While I ensnare wayward outlaws and mutants into my Bug army, I do grant them the will to leave once they have been calmed down. It simply takes time for that to happen."
"I don't really like that," Owen admitted. "It's kind of... creepy."
Trina suppressed a scoff, passing Owen the last card. He started off with two pairs. "Well," Trina went on, "I think I'm far better at keeping the land safe compared to what Eon does with them."
"Ehh, let's not do this," Gahi murmured. "Like, mutants're all messed up, yeah. But I guess we c'n, I dunno, focus on fixin' that later."
"Okay." Owen decided to drop it. Trina's methods were weird, but she at least seemed to care for more than just some obsession. He had to pick his battles. "Trina, why do you do that, anyway? You know, the whole Bug army thing. How'd you get around to doing that?"
"Mm. It just happened, really. I happened upon the Bug Orb a long time ago; it seemed to be unguarded. Star was there to help guide me through things, of course, and afterward I left for my own devices. I was hesitant to enter society proper, so I learned about it from lost souls in the Dungeon where I had found it. Curious, really. I didn't feel the need to leave after I spent enough time there."
"Why'd you leave so suddenly, then?" Owen asked.
And to that, she paused. "I, hm." And thought some more as Owen passed in one card and upped the ante by two. "Well, your group asked. It didn't really cross my mind until then."
"Because we asked," Owen repeated.
"Honestly, when I sent Har's team, it was just a formality. I was already... convinced that I could go with you. Or, that it would be more interesting. Star had prompted me earlier, too. But I wanted Har to help convince the other mutants that it would be okay to go. It's... too bad that never came to be."
"Hey, it's not too late," Owen encouraged. "Once we're out of here, we'll try to pick up where we left off. Dark Matter's in the way right now, but... yeah. We can still work through that. Okay?"
Trina chuckled. "You would say that," she remarked. "Fine. No use worrying about what I can't do anything about right now."
"What're we doin' next, anyway?" Gahi asked.
"Nevren's coming tomorrow with news, or, he should. After that, we can take on Dark Matter from both sides—Kilo and Void! Just like when Star took me over. Maybe if we get Anam back in control of his body, we can seal Dark Matter and, y'know, think of a way to finish him for good after that."
Owen placed his cards down, grinning. He'd won, this time. And just then, he heard the door open from the main hall, so he nodded at them and said, "Um, glad you guys are doing alright. Gonna talk with the others before I get some sleep."
Gahi waved idly and they split Owen's tokens evenly.
Out in the hall, Owen didn't see Demitri and Mispy and frowned. Must have been Hakk and Xypher coming back, so he headed to Zena's room after all. He could talk to the others in the morning.
"Hey," Owen greeted, smiling at the empty spot Zena had left for him in her bed. Crawling in and getting comfortable, he murmured, "Sorry I drew all that attention to you at work."
"Oh, it's alright. I, er, I think I understand what you're trying to do, at least." She shifted awkwardly. "Don't do that again, though."
"I won't." Owen smiled apologetically. "You know, maybe my job can be in farming, or something. A quiet life for a little bit. Dad always wanted me to be a berry farmer."
Zena giggled. "Farming. And here I thought you'd try to avoid plants."
Owen shrugged. "It's growing on me." He shifted around and sat up, restless. He still wanted to try something, so he leaned into his bag nearby and pulled out a dark compass. It seemed to be pointing to the northern part of town.
Zena's expression darkened. "Owen?"
"What do you think I should do?" he asked. "I spent a few kilos on and off thinking about this. Why did Dark Matter give me something to locate him?"
"To control you."
"But he can't."
"What if he can with that?" Zena quickly countered. "If you willingly let in something like that into your spirit... what if he controls you from the inside?"
"If what he says is true, I already have that in me," Owen said. "I don't feel all that controlled. And I know what that feels like."
But Zena was still uncomfortable, so Owen frowned and only looked at the compass again.
"You really believe him, then?" Zena asked. "That you used to..."
"I think it's true," Owen said. "I don't have any memories or evidence of it, but I think it's true. It's... a feeling. And when I get these feelings, it's because it's a hidden memory trying to warn me."
"What do you feel when you think about Dark Matter?" Zena asked. "...Loyalty? Joy? Power?"
He hadn't thought of that. He pressed his back against Zena's coils and thought. Dark Matter, standing in front of him, he'd only felt fear and uncertainty. But if he thought about Dark Matter as someone he'd worked with before, what did he feel? Who was 'Dark Matter' in the past? He felt...
Owen held out his hand to a black haze. He said something and it shrank away, lashing out at him. Owen stepped back, frowning, huffing, saying something, but the haze would have nothing of it.
"Okay," Owen said—this voice was clear, like he'd said it many times. "I'll try again tomorrow."
Owen took in a quick breath through his nose, not enough to startle Zena. He opened his eyes, though he stared at the compass only.
"Pity," Owen finally answered.
"You wanted to help him," Zena concluded, "because he was hurting. Is that it?"
"Dark Matter can't feel positive emotions. They hurt him. I... I think I remember that. He's miserable. I think I wanted to... help him."
"That sounds a lot like Anam."
"Yeah..."
"And look what happened to him."
"He's sealing him away," Owen countered gently. "It doesn't seem like he's under Dark Matter's control, does it?"
"That's... that's true. Owen, do you really want to use that compass? To... crush it, so that power will..."
Another long pause. Then, sighing, he said, "If you think it's a bad idea, I won't. It could be a trap. But it could also be a chance."
"A chance to help him."
"...This is stupid," Owen muttered, tossing the compass aside. "I can't... help him, can I?" He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We're supposed to defeat him tomorrow. What am I doing, talking about helping him?"
He heard Zena moving around while his eyes were closed.
"It really is you," Zena said, "to want to help everyone. I heard your talk with Eon, and... well, I didn't understand all of it, but I think you wanted to give him a second chance. And for you to do that with Dark Matter, too, it's... I think you know what terrible things he's done, Owen. Not just for Kilo's present, but so many spirits in the past. This whole world, the Voidlands, all of it. Does he deserve forgiveness?"
"Who said anything about forgiveness?" Owen asked. "I want to help him, sure... but just like Eon, he needs to make up for what he did. He needs to free everyone in the Voidlands, and then he needs to fix everything he ruined. We can help... but I bet it would be a lot easier with him on our side than if we just destroyed him." He glanced away. "If we can even do that..."
"That's... a good point. If Dark Matter is some kind of entity, we don't really know if we can destroy him. But, still, Owen..."
"I won't defect to him," Owen added. "If he doesn't listen to anything..."
"Then you intend to talk to him again, after what happened last time?"
"I—" Owen flinched. "I... don't know."
"It sounded like that's what you wanted to do. Just... Owen, I don't want to force you. But this is Dark Matter. You need to promise me that you won't defect to his side."
"Promise..." Owen squeezed the compass, then nodded. "Right. Okay." He looked toward Zena. "I can do that."
He held his hand forward, a golden glow emanating from it. "That'll keep things secure. I Promise that—"
"Owen, no." Zena smiled, pushing his hand back with a ribbon. "A promise... between us. I don't want you to feel forced to follow me."
"But—but that will guarantee it. If I defect, then I'll lose my power. It'll go to you."
"Perhaps that dark power will, too," Zena said. "I don't know if we can afford that."
"O-oh." He didn't know if that was true. But it was possible.
"And," Zena said, "I think... just a promise between us would be enough. Don't you think?" She tilted her head, and Owen gazed at her for a few long seconds.
"Alright. Then, it's a promise. To you, and to Team Alloy. I won't leave you, no matter what happens."
Zena nodded, then gestured to the compass. "I'll be right here."
Owen sighed. Enough discussing, time for action. He hoped this was the right decision. He squeezed the compass a little harder; Zena held her breath. She was tense. Understandable. He kept calm.
A little harder. The compass was losing form. And then, once he felt a crack, it burst in a sudden plume of dark haze that collected along his arms and chest, sinking inside with a cold feeling. He felt tired and drained, but it lasted only seconds.
"Owen?"
"I'm fine," Owen immediately said. "Sorry. Sudden. Do I look any different? Sound? Act?"
"Well, it just started, but no, you don't look different."
"Not even a little bigger?"
"That better not have been a reason you did this," Zena growled.
"N-no, it wasn't."
Zena didn't look convinced.
Owen searched for Dark Matter. That was what this compass was supposed to do, right? 'North' was Necrozma, but now he had a second 'North.' And it did feel different; he could tell who was Necrozma, and who this new presence—Dark Matter—was. North, just like the compass said. But closer.
A lot closer.
In fact, it felt like—
Owen sprang from his bed, eyes wide. "H-he's outside."
"What?"
Owen bolted for the door, but a ribbon caught him by the torso and Zena lifted him up.
"What happened to not leaving?" Zena hissed.
"I—I'm sorry, but he's waiting right outside!" Owen pointed at the building wall.
"What do you... mean, outside?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.