"Okay," Owen whispered shakily, "you can wake me up now, Darkrai. This is... just an extended nightmare, right? Please. I give. It's too much..."
Nothing replied to him. The communicator was murmuring with the others frantically coordinating what was happening on the other side of reality. Palkia gathering his bearings. Xerneas rushing over to treat the rest.
Owen lowered the communicator and tried to ease his breathing. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening on their side anymore, only that he was powerless to stop any of it.
"Alright, Owen," Mhynt said. "Zena is too kind to you. Open the door or I'm cutting it down."
"I—I'll open it."
Awkwardly, the Charizard started pushing aside the wood meant to keep anyone from entering, realizing how futile that was against so many of them. He had simply not been thinking. It was all a panic. And his first instinct was to push everyone else away. What did that say about him?
The door creaked open. On the other side, the Trio of Mind, Zena, Trina, and Mhynt were all there, which surprised him until he recalled tossing his horns away.
And they could tell he was without them, too.
"Owen," Zena said. "What happened?"
Mhynt eyed the horns tossed on the ground. Owen quickly picked them up, snapping them into place.
"I'm sorry if I... scared you, or anything," he added. "I'm okay. I'm... I'm okay. And I think Palkia and the others are okay, too, just—"
"We heard," Mhynt said. "It's okay. We can't do anything about it right now, but... they're smart. They'll figure it out. From where they were to Kilo, how long is it? It could be hours—many kilos for them." Her eyes narrowed. "But you were distressed even before that, Owen. Speak."
Zena frowned at Mhynt and amended, "We're just worried about you. Please—"
When she moved forward to hold him, Owen staggered back and shouted, "No, it's—!"
She pulled her ribbons back, startled and hurt. That hurt Owen even more. But what was he supposed to say?
"Sorry," Owen said, deflating, "it's okay. I can talk."
"What's happening?" Zena whispered to him, not moving closer again. "Are you... hurt? You're so afraid..."
"He fell into the ocean," Mhynt said. "The rest of Team Alloy was also behaving strangely..."
"Perhaps I should return to them," Trina hummed. "My hypnosis seemed to keep them from stirring..."
"Of course it would; that's what Hypnosis does," Mhynt murmured, earning a brief glare.
Owen found his way to the wall and slid down, staring at his tail flame, which was dimmer than usual. He couldn't find the effort to disguise his mood. It wouldn't have been honest to them.
"May we come in?" Zena asked, her voice delicate.
Owen nodded weakly. "But... don't touch me," he said, "for your own good..."
Mhynt's eyes narrowed, and then she glanced at Trina. "Check on them again, actually," she said.
Trina seemed confused but nodded and slithered out.
The door closed behind Zena, and it was just the three of them in a gently swaying cabin on a boat going deeper into the black oceans.
"Don't touch you," Mhynt echoed. "You don't look Voided. Which isn't a surprise; none of us are surprised by this. Now, please, Owen. Speak."
No matter how many times Mhynt demanded it, Owen still felt that horrible feeling in his gut about giving the truth. Maybe, if the currents of the ship were a little friendlier, they would get there sooner. Maybe there wouldn't be any time to talk. That would make this easier. And delay the inevitable.
So, with a defeated sigh, Owen squeezed his eyes shut. "I... think something killed them down there. Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi, I mean. And... a-and the dark power down there awakened something in me, too. I c-can't control it, I don't think I can control it."
Mhynt's expression was stoic, but there was a hint of grave darkness in her eyes. Zena looked more confused than anything.
"What awakened?" Zena asked. "Why are you... Are you hearing any voices? Of the spirits in the ocean? We—we'll free them, Owen. That's the whole point of what we're doing, right?"
"That isn't it," Owen said. "The sea, Zena. It killed them. No, not even killed, it—it Voided them. They aren't immune like I am. Even Guardians like Gahi aren't immune. And... I saved them. But when I did that... they're mine now."
Owen's claws went to his head, digging into his scales.
"They'll follow my every command, Zena. I don't even have to try. I say it, and... and they listen... no questions... they just do it, Zena."
Steady breath in, steady breath out. He could feel the horror in their bodies. That cold shock, that tension of trying to say the right thing. In Zena, he sensed... what might have been fear or hesitance. Did she think he would control her next if they reacted badly?
"I know how to work around this," Mhynt replied.
Owen blinked, pausing, registering the words. "You what?"
"I've seen something similar with how Alexander commands Void Shadows," Mhynt explained. "If you are worried about their free will... until we find a way to revive them—perhaps a trip to Xerneas, or even Diyem—I know how you can get their true desires out of them. It's a small logic trick that can work around the new rule of obeying you."
Zena seemed lost in the explanation. "That means they can still... be themselves?"
"I believe so, or close to it," Mhynt said. "It's not a clean fix. However, Owen... not being able to touch your allies is going to be a problem."
"I think I agree," said Owen. "After all, if I can't be close to allies in battle, that'd be like having another enemy on the—"
"I meant psychologically," Mhynt hummed. "You're a very physical person. I suspect it's some of your feral instincts, but you prefer to huddle against things at night. The isolation is not going to be good for your mental health."
"That is true," Zena added. "And I... do not know how I feel about not being able to so much as hold you, Owen. There must be a way to control it."
"I think he's overreacting," Mhynt stated.
"Over—"
Mhynt held up her hand and Owen simmered down, though his flame sparked.
"You can't control people with a touch so easily. Here's my theory: you spoke to someone already weakened by the sea, and you were already damp. Therefore... you are likely safe now."
"I don't want to test that," Owen said flatly. "I'm not testing any of my friends to see if I'm—"
"Would you like to live the rest of your life in fear of basic contact?" Mhynt pressed. "I'm confident you are safe here. And if you aren't safe, Diyem can help, or Xerneas, or even Necrozma himself. If even they cannot override you, well... that puts you at a great advantage against Alexander. So. Test?"
Looking briefly helpless, he turned to Zena for her opinion. She seemed conflicted, but then gained resolve in her eyes. She held a ribbon forward.
"I trust you," she said.
"It's not me you have to trust," Owen countered. "It's... my power."
"I trust you to use it right," Zena replied. "Even in the past, you only wanted what was best. And you wouldn't ever impose your will on others, would you? Not after what you did."
Mhynt only crossed her arms, as if studying Owen.
"You're afraid of it," Zena went on. "That's reason enough for me to think you won't misuse it. And I don't want you to be afraid. We'll accidentally touch anyway, I know it. So let's just get it over with."
Owen sighed. That was probably also true if a careless scale brush would be enough. "I'm sorry," he said in advance, reaching out. Zena showed a flash of fear before he touched her.
The tension remained. Anticipatory.
One second. Two. Five.
"...Does it feel like anything?" Zena asked when Owen let go.
"I don't know," Owen replied. "Coil up."
"What? Why?"
Owen laughed a little; Mhynt smiled wryly, heading for the exit. Just as Owen pulled Zena in for a tighter hug, Mhynt said, "I'll take care of Team Alloy. Owen, you relax."
"Thank you," Owen whispered as Zena wrapped around him.
"Am I under your control?" Zena asked.
"No," he replied. "No, it's... it was just a flare-up, maybe. It's not so bad. We... we can work through this."
He took more steady breaths, trying to sort through his thoughts. They could save Team Alloy later. And they probably had a workaround for now. That just left...
"Ngh—!" Owen struggled for his communicator, which Zena grabbed for him. "Palkia? Wait, no—Spice? Any news? Is Alexander coming?"
"Not the best time, buddy!" Spice replied over the noise in the background. Explosions and shouts.
"Oh no." Owen looked at Zena, then back at the communicator. "Light! Shoot light at him!"
"We'll let you know once that starts working!"
"Just listen for updates, Owen," Zena said. "Don't distract them." Gently, she helped him set the communicator down. Reluctantly, Owen obeyed.
He just didn't understand. How was he becoming so strong, yet feeling so much weaker?
<><><>
Spice lost track of how many times she'd cursed.
But every time a new frantic blast of darkness came, a new protector had to block the strike, and ultimately be too tired for the remainder. That forced Spice to get out to the front and block it with her own, black barrier. And each time, that barrier wasn't enough, and it instead blasted away some part of her body.
Her body was a suggestion. It was a startling revelation, but she'd lost her arm three times, and with a little focus, she had grown them back.
Because she was a Void Shadow. She'd forgotten for so long that those powers had gone dormant, but she had the power to shift and adjust her body as desired. The healing, the scarring, all of it was just to get back to a normal appearance.
She wondered if those blessed items not working, the scarring, all of it was just... her fooling herself. No. Surely her body was solid enough that she'd just been unable to heal it.
She still had that normalcy. She still had a body!
Spice cursed again when a blast struck the side of the crater. Another missed shot. Alexander was firing wide; there was no way she'd be fast enough to block all of them, and Nate was already hiding inside the crater to avoid getting hit too often. He was practically as big a target as the caldera itself.
"He's coming in!" announced one of the Hearts.
"Fall back!"
"But what do we do?!"
"Defend from inside buildings if you have to!"
Those buildings would be pointless. Alexander was shattering Protect barriers with some of those attacks; the weaker barriers in the buildings wouldn't hold up nearly as well.
"Get the Guardians!" called another.
"But they're our backup!"
"And we need that now!"
Another blast drowned out the rest of their deliberations and Spice was left defending again. She'd gotten distracted; a blast was coming straight for her face. Hastily, she brought up a sloppy barrier, but then a blur of gray dove in, bringing up his own.
An ethereal clang followed, and then the shot went high into the clouds, splitting them apart.
"Jerry," Spice wheezed.
"You good?"
"Yeah."
Jerry stood by her side and got into a defensive stance. "You handle the left side. I'll handle the right. I think our backup's coming soon."
With a firm nod, they went in opposite directions and prepared for Alexander's next assault.
<><><>
Storms, gales, rain of dark and flashing lights. Nate didn't know what to make of the return of such terrors, only that he was hurting, and he had to save up his power for another great blast. But he didn't know if the spirits within him had the power to offer. Not yet, so soon.
But maybe he had to try anyway to slow Alexander down. That shadowy Hydreigon... Nate could sense countless tortured spirits just beyond the surface of his scales, protecting him, insulating him, from the atmosphere. The spirits were being used like an artificial Void atmosphere around him, but the outer surface was evaporating away rapidly, called back to the Voidlands. Soon, the same would happen to Alexander.
But he was coming too fast. Nate had to stop him!
He called upon the spirits within him to help, and of course, they agreed. Energy funneled through his long body, swirling in his chest, and channeling their way to his five heads. Many of his eyes closed as each spirit, each eye, closed in turn, concentrating to donate their power to their host.
Nate opened the palm that made up his face and aimed his five finger-heads toward Alexander. The power of the lost Tree flowed through him, and it would only be poetic that it would be aimed at its destroyer.
But moments before Nate could fire, he realized, to his horror, that he could not. It was not because he lacked the energy, but because of the angle. If he fired at Alexander, and missed—and surely, he would, at least for an instant—then he would hit... Yotta Outskirts.
He simply could not do that. They were innocent, and to strike Alexander, especially if he dodged or survived it... their blood would be on Nate's hands.
The closer Alexander got, the higher his angle became. It was deliberate. He knew Nate wouldn't fire...
The leviathan squirmed nervously. What was he supposed to do?
Nate dispelled the charge. He wouldn't destroy a village just to target Alexander. He had to use weaker, more precise attacks. He aimed upward, firing a shower of similar energy skyward, and then directed them down. In response, the Hydreigon weaved between many of them but shrugged off the few that hit. But each one wore away at his shield.
Nate winced, hearing and feeling their screams. Those poor souls were used as shields and then dragged back to the Voidlands to be used over and over by this dark god's whims.
Alexander got past Nate's barrage, and then past Nate himself, even after a desperate swipe and grab to pin him down. Nate was too large and Alexander was too fast, and now, even Nate's shower of attacks would risk harming the civilians of Kilo Village.
He'd have to instead try to empower others. He shifted his energy again, many eyes opening and searching for fighters who were about to take on Alexander.
At least his barrier was almost gone. They just had to outlast him for a little while longer...
Most of the citizens were hiding, but he sensed many of them with heightened energy. They were going to attack if Alexander got too close, and that was probably a good thing. More slowing down.
He just hoped nobody would die because of this.
Angelo was hiding in his room. Nate could sense his aura shifting around as if trying out different techniques, unable to choose which one to open with.
The strongest auras were emerging from the Heart HQ, including Anam. His powers had been significantly reduced, but he was still the Heart of Hearts. Even without the power of darkness, he was formidable. By his side was ADAM, the strange Porygon Z, as well as Willow, the tiny Joltik. Both of them were so adorable, even if Willow was only a half-soul. She hadn't wanted to go with the others just yet for Titan hunting—her shrinking powers didn't work on things that large; she'd tried on Nate—so now, she was trying to shrink Alexander down.
And to Nate's amazement, as Willow pushed her power over him, he did shrink. Within the pink cloud, Alexander's body became a small, berry-sized thing unceremoniously. That was it! He was contained!
...Ah, no, he just blasted Willow three streets down and undid the effects.
Nate lobbed a dark spirit toward Willow, who quickly enveloped her and cushioned the impact on the ground. Then, he turned his attention to the remaining Guardians. Anam was trying to score a few hits, but he was too slow. Alexander was avoiding him entirely.
Get him away! Nate urged, holding his attacks. He was tempted, ever so tempted, to fire, but then he imagined all the citizens in the area. Buildings, people... He already felt bad about killing those who wandered too close to the Void across his crater. But the citizens here weren't corrupted or about to enter a fate worse than death. In fact, their world was just about to turn things around!
"Fire!" Spice cried.
What? Fire? Why would he do that? Down below, the cute little Salazzle-wraith was waving and urging him.
"C'mon, we can treat injuries, but we can't treat what that guy'll do!"
She had a strong argument. But he was a big scary monster. If he hurt the citizens, would they exile him? It was why he'd fled at all in the first place...
But she was also a monster to them, and they accepted her even when she was a little rude. Could he be rude?
The Porygon-Z Guardian blared a distressed klaxon before firing a Hyper Beam down the road, melting part of the main street. Alexander endured almost the full hit, but his shield looked significantly depleted. Maybe he was starting to evaporate...
But now, the Guardian was exhausted. He wouldn't be able to fire again.
Yes! It was time to fire!
Nate shot into the air, and as the energy beams curled downward by his will, it was like a fabled meteor shower had turned hostile.
But Alexander was fast, dodging and weaving. Sometimes he went too close to the fleeing Porygon-Z to fire. He might hurt him instead...
What was Alexander going to do to him, anyway?
That stray thought rattled around in Nate's mind for a second too late. By the time he realized what it meant, Alexander lunged and finally connected.
He was going to enter his Orb.
Nate charged the most concentrated blast he could, hoping that the lives within the nearby buildings would survive—or forgive him if they did not. He used only one head, aiming not at Alexander, but the Porygon-Z. It had to be done. The air warped around the blast, the smallest vapors in the air sizzling. Alexander pulled the startled, flailing Porygon into the ground.
No! Nate tried to angle his shot toward the ground instead, but it missed. The boulders just beyond where Alexander had been exploded out, molten rock leaving the spot aglow.
Where did he go?
Nate couldn't sense him anymore. Did he kill him?
No... it was too easy.
"Did you get him?!" Spice called up.
He didn't, but he also didn't know how to give a response.
He hesitated for a few seconds too long, because Spice sighed and said into a communicator, "He seems to be gone for now. Not sure what happened. We'll get back to you after we regroup."
<><><>
Mhynt's blade struck the wall just beside Demitri's yead. The Haxorus screamed and covered his eyes a split-second after it hit, his reflexes too slow. Mispy snarled and was about to wrap the Treecko in thorns before she hopped back and across the room. The conjured Leaf Blade disappeared, reappearing in her hand.
"Good," she said. "You still have a sense of self-preservation."
"Duh?" Mispy said, still looking cautious and annoyed.
Demitri uncovered his eyes. "Wh-why are you saying that?"
"I just wanted to see how far gone you were. But it seems that you're still mostly yourselves."
"Hey," Gahi said. "How's Owen?"
"Strategizing with Palkia and the others," Mhynt half-lied. "I wanted to talk to you about something you may not be aware of. Where are your other halves?"
"Helping the crew repair the boat," Demitri said.
Mhynt nodded, crossing her arms. "Then we can talk in private and you may choose what to do with this information. You're Void Shadows."
A beat.
Then, Demitri tilted his head; Mispy's scaly brow furrowed; Gahi scoffed.
"Yeah, right," Gahi said, holding out his arms. "I'm green, sleek, scaly, an' a real good looker." He flexed, revealing vaguely defined muscles.
Demitri, curious, did the same and looked at his arm. When he flexed, the air around his arm pulsed outward.
Gahi scowled. "Cheater."
"Did you just flex out a shockwave?" Mhynt narrowed her eyes. "How strong are you?"
"I—I don't know... That just happens when I channel my strength. You know, aura stuff..."
"Aura stuff." Mhynt waved it away. "I want you to think back to when Owen told you to go to this room. Did you feel compelled to follow that command?"
"I dunno about compelled," Gahi said. "Jus' seemed reasonable, so we did it. What, is listenin' ter our leader a sign o' bein' a Void Shadow?"
"How can we tell?" Mispy asked.
"...Later, I'm going to call for Owen to come this way. And when he does, he will ask you to do a few things, and that will be enough, rationally, for you to realize this. But before we do, I would like to ask a few questions of you, for Owen's sake."
"Okay..." Gahi still looked skeptical. He crossed his arms and glared. "I ain't in anyone's control. I'm me."
Mhynt nodded at the mutant super soldier and then looked at Demitri and Mispy. "Now, first question. If Owen told you to die, would you?"
"Um. No?" Demitri poked his claws together. "That doesn't sound like him at all..."
"Hah!" Gahi pointed at Mhynt. "We disobeyed Owen! We ain't Void Shadows!"
"Hypoth... thetical," Mispy chided, gesturing with a vine for Mhynt to continue.
Mhynt nodded. "And if he told you to do anything, would you listen?"
"I mean... he's our leader," Demitri said. "And aside from Mispy, he's usually the best person to go for tactics..."
Mispy shrugged. "Not the smartest... but... tactics."
"Exactly," Demitri explained. "I mean, I guess now that he's got all his memories back, he might have an edge there, too, but—er, I mean—sorry, Mispy."
The Meganium seemed competitive and indignant. Demitri rubbed her side and she seemed to settle down.
"Hmm. Overall, this is good," Mhynt said. "Perhaps it's a credit to Owen's unconscious desires that you've kept your individualities."
"How can you prove it?" Gahi asked again. "C'mon, just get Owen in here already!"
Mhynt sighed. "Will you have some patience?"
"Feels like we can't do anythin' else 'til that happens! C'mon!"
"Okay. Fine." Mhynt was getting a headache from the Flygon, and not because of his psionics. "Wait here. Surely you have the patience for that."
Gahi scoffed and pressed his back against the wall, crossing his arms in a pout. But she saw a few uncomfortable twitches in his claws. It was bothering him.
Perhaps this proof would at least help them come to terms with it, and then they can figure out ways around it.
<><><>
Mhynt returned only a few minutes later with Owen behind him. The Charizard was a nervous wreck, mumbling about how he could face his team again, and Mhynt offered halfhearted assurances to him while he and Zena walked down the ship to the other room.
Once they were back, Mhynt stood aside and watched how things played out. She didn't intend to step in unless Owen looked stuck, but as far as she was concerned, this was something for him to figure out. Spotting Zena already looking for ways to step in, she whispered her over.
"Yes?" Zena asked.
"Let him handle this."
"He seems overwhelmed, Mhynt..."
"Has he done well under pressure before?" Mhynt asked.
"Sometimes," Zena said.
"How about now that his memories are returned?" Mhynt offered. "He's quite different now, isn't he?"
"In a lot of ways, he's also the same," Zena said. "Is that necessary?"
But before Zena could object further Owen stepped up to his team.
"Hey," Owen greeted.
"Hi?" Demitri said. "We're Void Shadows, apparently."
"Y... yeah."
"We don't feel like it," Demitri said. "Mhynt said you'd have some proof."
Owen nodded. "For... for this proof, will you be mad? If it turns out... you are Void Shadows?"
"No," Demitri said, "that's—"
"Yeah, I'll be mad!" Gahi waved his fist at Mhynt. "I ain't someone ter control!"
Mispy rubbed her forehead with a vine. "Circumstances," she said.
"She means, she'd be mad at the circumstances," Demitri explained. "Let's just do the test. I don't think any of us will be mad, Owen. A-at you," he hastily amended when Gahi glared.
The ship rocked gently. Mhynt wondered how much faster they were going now that Owen had, perhaps consciously or subconsciously, encouraged the currents to speed their trip up. Zena picked at a splinter in the wood, trying to repair it with a gentle stream of water and ice. Mhynt quietly informed her this was a bad idea.
"Okay," Owen said. "Demitri."
Demitri's head snapped to attention. Owen glanced at Mispy and Gahi for their reactions; they did look a little unnerved.
"Punch your left arm with your right."
Demitri raised his right arm, curled his claws in, and slammed it into his left arm. There was a horrible, sickening cracking and squelching sound as the arm bent impossibly in two places. Owen looked ill.
Mispy and Gahi both blinked, staring at the injury, then at Owen.
"What was that fer?" Gahi asked.
"This sort of hurts," Demitri mumbled.
"You... you aren't freaking out," Owen said. "Mispy, heal him!"
Mispy obeyed, almost mechanically wrapping her vines around the injury and pumping healing energy into him. Bones snapped back into place, flesh wrapping and stitching together, wrapped finally in scales. The blood remained on the ship and the wall—now cracked—behind him.
"You know," Mhynt said, "you should have asked someone without absurd strength to do that."
"It was the first thing that came to mind," Owen said. "I didn't want to get... elaborate on my friends hurting themselves!"
Mhynt sighed, punching her snout. "Please, continue."
"Well—look, that was weird, right? Guys? Do you agree that was weird that Demitri just listened to that without a care?"
"It was," Mispy said. "But... you commanded it."
"Okay—no, no, see, don't do that. Don't listen to my commands just because I say them, okay? Because you're Void Shadows now, and... and I'm the one who controls you. Void Shadows just... do that, and usually it's Diyem, or Alexander, b-but now it's me, too. So... I don't want that. Especially not you. Okay?"
"I don't want that, either," Gahi muttered. "But... it ain't like I can freak out about it."
There it is. "Good," Mhynt said. "You're self-aware of your condition. That's what we're looking for. Owen?"
"Right. N-now that... that you're aware... I want you to answer my questions, as a hypothetical. Okay? A hypothetical where, if I didn't command you to do something, what would you do in response, okay?"
The three exchanged looks, as if a little confused, but Mispy got it the fastest.
"Okay," Mispy said.
"Demitri, Gahi, follow her lead. Mispy, if I wasn't controlling you... what would you want to do right now?"
"Sleep," Mispy said.
Owen paused. "Oh. Right, it's... been a while since we had our last sleep."
"Has it?" Gahi asked. "I ain't tired."
"I'm a little tired," Demitri added. "Maybe it's because it's darker below deck."
"Okay, so Mispy, if you want to sleep, you can sleep after this is over. Is that okay?"
Mispy nodded.
"...If you weren't under my control, would you say that's okay?"
Mispy nodded again, after a pause.
"That's good. She thought about it," Mhynt said. She offered a smile, "They aren't all gone, Owen. But until we get a way to free them from your spell, that's how you need to ask questions, okay?"
"Impract... actical," Mispy said. "Battle."
"Oh, Mispy means... like, if in the middle of battle, you had to do that whole thing," Demitri said, "we won't be that effective."
"I... I know, but..."
"I'll agree," Mispy said.
"I trust you," Demitri said. "...Even if I wasn't under your command, I say I'd trust you!"
Gahi crossed his arms, giving Owen a little glare. Of the three, Gahi seemed to resist this control the most, and for that, he appreciated it. He huffed. "Only fer as long as y'gotta. My will's mine."
"I know, Gahi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Nah. I know y'didn't. I'm just sayin', my will's mine."
"It is. And I'll... respect it. Always. But in battle, if I give a command, I can't... do it with all the caveats if you're in danger. Do you trust me to make the right decisions?"
"No," Gahi growled. "...But if y'gotta, I'll listen. I ain't gonna hold it against y' 'til this is over."
Owen's wings lowered, and Mhynt felt that little tightness in her chest loosen up. "Well," she said, "it seems you have some loyal allies even without the Voiding. Congratulations." Mhynt nodded at Zena. "Now, we should get ready. With how fast the ship is going, we'll probably arrive at the Abyssal Sea far ahead of schedule, perhaps by the time you wake up. You should get an early rest just in case."
"Right, okay. Um... does everyone want to rest in the same room again?" Owen glanced at Team Alloy but was deliberately avoiding Zena's gaze.
"Is it safe?" Zena asked Mhynt. "Owen tends to get battle-excited in his sleep. His tail can go from ethereal to burning. Can the same happen with these Voiding powers?"
"As far as I can tell," Mhynt said, "it wasn't Owen who did the Voiding, but a splash from the sea augmenting it. As long as Owen stays dry, he is safe."
"Good." Zena slithered up to Owen and curled around him. He leaned into it as if he'd been touch-starved. Perhaps he was.
There was that small pang of longing in her chest. Something that she dutifully tried to shove away, mentally, while on this trip. She only closed her eyes and sighed. "Very good," she said. "I'll get Trina and the Trio and let them know you're alright."
"Thanks for all the help, Mhynt," Owen added, looking relieved. "I'm... er... sorry if..."
"Don't," Mhynt replied tiredly, stepping out.
She'd said she would be strong, but it was admittedly getting harder than she'd anticipated, seeing them together. She really needed to sort through her feelings when this was over.
But on the next awakening, they would finally be on the island. From there... Necrozma awaited.