Amia trembled. She stared at the Garchomp, who was barely breathing on the ground and then at the Lucario still standing. The Aura Sphere had sent the artificial Pokémon flying backward, yet miraculously it was durable enough to remain in one piece. Amia didn't know what to think about the strange mixture of fear and relief she felt when realizing that the Charizard—no, the Garchomp was still breathing.
"Guardian Manny," said Rhys. "I think that is enough."
"Eh?" The Lucario looked up. "Oh, well ain't that somethin'. Yer aura. Ain't you Rhys?"
"...I am, but I do not know how you know that. Did Star tell you?"
"Nah," Manny said. "Well, yeah, heh. But I knew 'bout yeh befer that. Long time ago, real long time ago, ran across yer student. Good kid. Real firework, got a blazin' heart."
"E-excuse me?" Amia said. "You know about Owen?"
Manny got out of his battle stance; he put most of his weight on his left leg, swaying a few inches to the left and right. "Baah, what was his name, eh... Gehi... Gaho... Gahi! Yeah, that was it, heh, Gahi. He kinda was real impressionable, I think. Liked m' accent, tried ter emulate it, I figure. He still got that?"
"Wh—you... you're the reason why Gahi talks like that?" Amia said. "...Where is that accent from, anyway?"
Manny shrugged. "Always had it," he said. "That's how accents work, I figure. Been alive too long ter remember where I got it. Maybe it's some ancient accent that's only lastin' with me an' him. Survivors o' th' ancient dialect."
"Dialect, hm," Rhys said. "Well, I regretfully inform you that he still has that manner of speaking, even if he doesn't remember he got it from you. And thankfully it is not as thick as yours." Rhys murmured the last part only to himself.
"Oy, what, he's still alive?" Manny said. "Well ain't that somethin'! He became a Guardian too, eh?"
"N-no, he didn't," Rhys said. "Actually... Owen did."
Amia recognized the tension in both Rhys' stance and his tone. She tried not to point it out, and instead listened for what Manny had to say.
"Owen?" Manny said. "Th' crazy-lookin' Charizard with th' funny techniques? Gahi told me all about'm. Only met yer Flygon student; he told me 'bout all th' rest."
Rhys stared at the ground. "Yes," he said. "That Owen."
"Hah! Well, Star didn't go an' tell me that! Should talk ter her more often! Which Type he got?"
"The Grass Orb," Rhys said, but then eyed the Garchomp on the ground. Her leg twitched to life, barely. "Manny... you didn't have to kill them," he said.
"Yeah, I did," Manny said.
"N-no," Amia said. "You really didn't. You could have easily just scared them off!"
"They ain't got fear," Manny said. "Ain't capable of it. They're in a 'battle mode' an' there ain't no stoppin'um."
The Garchomp growled groggily. Manny eyed her carefully, yet the left side of his face twisted into a challenging smirk.
"But," Amia said, "but couldn't you just tire them out?"
"Don't tire," Manny said, shrugging. "If I didn't kill'm, they woulda done it ter th'mselves from overexertion. If they ain't fightin', then they ain't awake. Never woulda ended. Been through this befer."
"Y-you have?" Rhys asked. "You've been attacked by these mutant Pokémon before?"
"Heh, so that's what yeh call 'em?" Manny said. "Call it like it is, ol' timer. These're artificial Pokémon. Synthetic." Manny rubbed two claws together. "I call 'em Mod Pokémon—short fer modified. 'Cause that's what they are, y'know. Modified." He stared down at the Garchomp. For a moment, his eyes looked serious, defying everything else about his demeanor. "All the way down ter th' very core. I figure even their souls are artificial."
"You will not say such things," Rhys said venomously.
The Garchomp twitched slightly and opened her mouth, about to fire a plume of blue fire, but Manny saw it coming. He leisurely pointed his paw her way and shot one final Aura Sphere at it, but this one enveloped her body. She screeched and struggled against the strange field, flailing her arms and legs, thrashing against the air. But then her movements slowed down like the very life was being drained from her. And then, out of her mouth, came a little, golden light, surrounded by a blue ember—and the Garchomp was dead. The ember moved to Manny's paw and vanished inside. The Garchomp collapsed to the ground, blending in with the rest of the corpses that lacked fatal wounds.
Amia nearly fainted, but she was held up by Anam. The shock of seeing Manny extract the mutant's very essence stunned Anam into silence.
"Manny..." Rhys said lowly, his own aura flaring at his paws.
"What?" Manny said. "I'm doin'um a favor." He fired from his paw an aura; it splashed on the ground and condensed into a solid form again. A Garchomp—the very same one, with the very same mutations. She roared; the whole cave shook, and then she ran at him again, claws kicking up rocks. Manny clenched his paw, and she disintegrated into an ember, returning to her host once more. "See?" he said. "Alive 'n' well."
"Th-that's hardly...!" Amia said.
"They live on in th' Orb. They can fight fer as long as they want. Th' old timers from th' last attack a couple decades ago? Found a way ter calm 'em down, so now they fight fer me. Yeh met 'em, didn't yeh?" he said. "Azu, Verd, Roh... yeah. Those three're my best from back then. Trained by an old friend that's too strong fer me ter summon. I gave 'em new bodies, helped repair their heads." He tapped a claw against his skull. "Fixed th' instincts that their master gave 'em. I figured out how ter give 'em a proper free will. Too bad they forgot where they came from. Was curious, but I guess that's a side-effect."
"I... I see," Rhys said. He looked down. "...Are they... sapient? Can they speak? Beyond Azu and your best..."
"Eh. They're gettin' there," Manny said. "But hey, way better'n I first met'm." The Lucario paused for quite some time as if thinking about something. Meanwhile, in the silence, Amia tried to regain her composure; James was inspecting some of the fallen bodies, noticing that most of them didn't have any severe wounds on them. Anam made sure Amia didn't collapse again. Rhys was deep in some other part of his mind.
"So," Manny said. "Yer takin' care o' Gahi an' the other ones? How're they still alive? Figure Mods also age. What's keepin' 'em from passin' through the aura sea, eh?"
"They... have been reverted to past selves, so to speak," Rhys said. "And... Mod Pokémon, as you call them, do not age. They were not built to age and degrade."
"An' jus' who built these guys? Must've been some real genius ter come up with that. They're givin' me some theories, but their past memories're real blurry. Somethin' about bein' in that battle mode fuzzes it up."
"Genius, huh?" Amia said. "Well, it was a Hunter, right, Rhys? It... i-it couldn't have been N-Nevren, right...?"
Rhys sighed. "I thought that without Nevren, the other Hunters wouldn't have been able to continue the project," he said. "Clearly, I was wrong. Nevren is going to be very upset about this."
"I've never seen Nevren be upset," Anam mumbled quietly.
"I have," Rhys mumbled. "This is precisely the thing that will put him in a mood. He assured himself that the stray mutants we've been finding are all there are. Clearly, that is not the case." Rhys scanned the spire's chamber. "Eon is making an entire army."
"Heh," Manny shook his head, tapping the spikes of his paws together to get their attention. "Well, hey, th' whole reason yeh came... Yer here fer gettin' me ter join yeh? That's what m' spirits told me. But y'know what that means." Manny nodded.
"W-wait! Didn't you already get in a bunch of fighting? Y-you must be tired," Amia said. "Why don't you just come with us and rest, and then maybe we'll do a battle?"
"Maybe? Heh, that ain't gonna fly," Manny said, wagging a claw at the blue Gardevoir. "Now er later, yer gonna fight me here an' nowhere else."
"Are you not tired?" Rhys asked.
"Feh, I'll live," Manny said. "A li'l break an' I'll be in top shape, if yeh wanna fight with honor."
"I suppose that would be my preference," Rhys said, carefully eying the bodies scattered around them. "What will we do with these?"
"Was gonna haul 'em out an' bury 'em befer they stink up the place, I guess," Manny said. "Gonna take a while, but with some help, maybe it'll only take three trips, heh."
"Hmm..." Rhys said.
"Oh! I bet it would be easier if, um," Anam said, "we, um, we set a Waypoint here? Then we can warp from here to Kilo Village easily..."
"And they would see us hauling carcasses of Mods," said Rhys. "We should do this the manual way."
Manny sighed and hauled the Garchomp's body over his shoulder first. "Guess we better get goin', eh?" He summoned multiple spirits; they all burst from his free paw and solidified, grabbing a body or two—whatever their respective sizes could handle—and followed Manny. Amia helped as well. Though a bit too dainty to carry one on her own, Alex was able to help once summoned, and she used a portion of her Mystic powers to levitate another, with effort. Anam did the same, levitating three. Rhys manually carried another. James vanished to give Anam more power.
<><><>
The lava stung a bit, but after a while, Owen's body grew used to the hot, dense fluid.
This part of the cave was always glowing orange; the ceiling was high above him, flickering slowly from the ocean of molten rock. The lava flowed gently, and it would eventually reach a point where it became solid, and Owen would no longer be able to follow the current. However, that was a long time away; this particular river was lazy enough to last him a small portion of the day. Normally a lava's flow was tumultuous and a bit of a danger to stay in, but the Mystic flow of Hot Spot was much easier on his scales.
It gave him time to think. Decompress. Be alone with his thoughts. As much as he didn't like what those thoughts were, he had to be with them. It was better than not thinking at all, becoming some mindless beast.
Klent... Did he really kill him? He didn't remember it, but Klent had no reason to lie. Owen didn't sense any sort of dishonesty in what Klent was saying. Star didn't object to it, either. And the spirits within him had gone silent—not that he wanted to ask them. He was afraid that there was even more that Klent didn't tell him. How did he kill him? Who did he kill first? Did the daughter die first? Who is his daughter? How horrible was...?
Owen shook his head and rolled over. Any tears he made boiled into steam before they had a chance to hit the lava.
Owen? Someone called. Owen, are you there...?
Owen didn't want to reply. But, without thinking about it, he did. Yeah, I'm here. He recognized the voice as Star's. She must have returned to the spirit world just to talk to him. He could easily block her again... but he was starting to hate his thoughts in silence. He had to drown it out. Star was a great distraction.
Everyone's worried. They know you're going to be fine out in the river, but... they're worried about how you're feeling. Don't you want to go back?
River doesn't run forever, Owen said, rolling onto his back again. I'll go back when I reach the end.
That's a while from now, Star said.
Silence. Owen scooped up a bit of the lava and tossed it behind him. The disturbance caused the lava to bubble and splatter, and then it settled back like the impact hadn't even happened. An insignificant little outburst in the hot, calm flow.
Owen, Star said softly. Would you like to meditate?
Owen was starting to feel annoyed. He knew that she just wanted him to talk to her more, talk about his problems, how he felt. Star was playing therapist; she was trying to lift his spirits. She was just trying to help... The Charmander's eyes, glaring at the ceiling, softened. Okay, he said.
He steadied his breathing. He shut his eyes and emptied his mind. There was a lot to empty out; even when he was calm, it was never truly without thought. It was even harder this time. Some of it was fear. If he stopped thinking, would he start seeing his past again? He could feel it prodding at the psychic blocks Star had put on his mind. Just one slip, and...
I want you to meditate... inward again, Star said. As deep as you can go, until... until you feel like you'll pass out. You can go that far, as a Mystic. And when you do, you'll wake up in the Orb's realm again—I'll be waiting for you there, alright?
You want me... to go into the Grass Orb again? Owen said. I don't think I want them to see me right now...
You won't have to face them, Owen, Star said. It's just for me. They'll leave you alone if you want.
I... Owen opened his eyes, breaking the trance. I'm not ready for that.
More silence. Owen knew that Star was still thinking of what to say. He could feel her presence. He hated it. She wasn't going to go away until he felt better. Couldn't he just spend a bit of time brooding? All he wanted was some peace. If the lava swallowed him up forever, so be it...
Owen, you know I can read minds... Star said. Thanks for not blocking me, at least. I know you're in a lot of—
Go away! Owen finally snapped. Just... just let me think. I... I thought I could handle all this, but I can't. Just take it all away again.... Just let me forget...
I can't do that anymore, Owen, Star said softly. Now that you're Mystic... I just can't take those memories away. The seal won't work anymore. Like gluing paper on a wet bulletin board... It just won't stick, Owen.
Then... Owen said, then just take it away! Take away my power! I don't want it anymore. I just... I just want to...!
Owen slammed his fist against the lava, making little splashes. The molten rock popped and splattered over him, hardening into little pebbles. They fell off of his scales, into the lava, and become a part of the river once more.
Owen, you... you don't mean that, Star said. Think of all the people you'd leave behind. Your parents... Rhys... the other late-evolvers... What about Zena, and the other Guardians?
Just shut up... Owen said. His heart skipped a beat from guilt. He could block her at any time, but at the same time, he couldn't. He was already regretting being alone. His thoughts haunted him. He needed Star to keep him distracted.
It was another long silence. Owen sniffled a few times, rubbing his eyes. If he could just go back and stop all of this from happening, he'd do it in an instant. Klent didn't deserve to die. And his daughter...
Owen took a deep breath and held it. The hot air cooled him down. He breathed out. I... I know you're right, he said. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. I just... I don't want to hear it right now. I know I can't just...
I know, Star said softly. I know it's hard. And it's not fair. None of this is fair... none of it, for any of you. I'm sorry, Owen...
Don't... don't say that, Owen said.
More silence. Owen sat up; his legs barely dipped in the lava like this. It was simply too dense to allow his tiny body to sink. The Charmander finally sighed, rubbing his eyes. He didn't want to talk aloud. He knew he'd break down if he did. Thoughts were easier.
How did I do it? Owen said. How did they die?
It was... it was fast, Star said. In a way. The... time between the first hit and the finishing blow was... very close together. It's just, before that, it was a lot of... chasing, and stuff.
Owen knew that Star's temporary seal was still working, and he was thankful for that. He felt memories pressing against that seal. If he pushed too hard, they might come flooding back... But he still had to know.
Who died first? Owen said.
Klent, Star said. He stayed back so Amelia could run. But she only ran away for a few steps. She turned around and... saw you do it. Really fast, Owen. It was really fast...
Owen shivered, and he couldn't stop. Even with all the heat around him, there was an icy void in his core. Like a spike was being plunged into his chest. But if he stopped now, it would never go away. He had to keep going. The spike had to go deeper.
What did I do to him? Owen said.
Air Slash to get him on the ground... and then a Flamethrower to finish it off, Star said. You were so strong compared to him that... he was unconscious near the beginning. He didn't... suffer all that much.
And his daughter? What happened to...? Did she run?
No, Star said. She saw you kill him, and... she just stood there. She didn't run or fight. Just... stood there. And, Owen, you... were in a state of mind where your only action was to fight. So, once Klent was down, you went right for her... Same moves. Air Slash, Flamethrower, and she died from it.
Owen noticed that Star left out a detail. The spike twisted and twisted. And how long did that take? He said.
It was... still quick, Star said.
There it was. That was as deep as the wound was going to get. Owen wanted to vomit. But the pit in his stomach was too heavy to heave out. Does it still hurt her? Is she still...?
She's... fine, Star said. I helped her out. Klent and I did. She's great, a really strong Pokémon. But... she isn't ready to see you yet. That's all.
N-no, I get that, Owen said. I get that.
Owen let the lava's flow fill the air again. He killed Amelia painfully. So painfully that even now, she couldn't bear to see him the way Klent did. He killed his daughter, and he still took the time to train him. How could he possibly deserve that? He didn't. He didn't. But that wasn't going to get him anywhere. The icy pit was subsiding, even if the thoughts didn't. He felt he had it in him to ask another question.
Star... Owen said. How old am I?
You're pretty old, Owen, Star said. But since you're repeating the same sorts of memories over and over, you aren't as old, too. Mentally speaking, y'know? And since most of those memories are still all scrambled... I guess you are a kid, in a way, huh?
The pang of irritation Owen felt was a relief compared to everything else. I'm starting to feel really old...
Yeah, getting them back will do that to you, Star said.
What's my actual age? Owen asked.
Ehh... you, uh... well... probably around three, four hundred years?
Th-that long?! Owen audibly gasped, but kept it together, closing his eyes again. Why didn't I just shrivel up and die yet?
Synthetic Pokémon like you were made to not... do that, Star said. You're... a genetic wonder, Owen, and it was Nevren and Rhys' work that made that happen, you know.
Nevren and Rhys... Owen said. They made Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi, too, huh?
Yeah, Star said.
For some reason, Owen got the impression she was nodding, like she was talking right in front of him. The pit in his stomach, while still present, was starting to fade. His breathing was returning to a slow rhythm.
You guys were meant to be the perfect team. Four in a set, she said. To be honest... you guys are as close to perfect as I've ever seen, but...
But, what? Owen said. He thought briefly about the team name that the trio had come up with before he joined them. Team Alloy. A team that could work together to combine their strengths to eliminate their weaknesses. Just like a real alloy, he supposed. Were they designed to be that way? Was all of this... predetermined? What do you mean, Owen asked again, that we were meant to be the perfect team? What went wrong?
I... don't think you should know yet, she said. I can already feel those memory blocks slipping just mentioning it. Can't you?
He could, and Owen trusted her judgment. The Charmander nodded and stared ahead at the lava. The wall was coming up; soon, he wouldn't be able to advance in the river. He sighed and got up, carefully waddling his way across the lava to get to solid ground. When should I remember everything? Owen asked.
That block I put will slow it down so you can handle it, Star said, And I put some on the other three proactively, too. So, when their memories start coming back, it'll be a little easier than that flood you got.
Good, Owen said. I guess I'll... just wait and talk to you when they start coming back again. He paused, rubbing his little claws together. Star? If I was created by Mystic power, doesn't that make me Mystic, too, all this time?
Eh?
I was... created. Doesn't that mean I'm Mystic? How come you can't block my memories now compared to before?
Oh, no, Star said. You weren't Mystic. You were created artificially. Sure, some Mystic stuff contributed, but you were never Mystic. It was... more sciencey stuff for you guys. You can't just make life that easily, even for powerful Mystics.
Thanks, Star, for... dealing with me, he said.
It's alright. Owen, I think... I think I owe you an apology, too. And I want to congratulate you for handling this as well as you did.
This counts as well?
It does, Owen. Because even after all this... I still trust you with this power. Because the whole reason you're behaving this way in the first place is because you hate what you used to be. And with your Mystic power, and with Rhys' help, and everyone else behind you—you can conquer it! Okay? Are you hearing me?
Yeah. I get that, Owen couldn't hide his smile. He did have a lot of people rooting for him. And sure, he disappointed them from time to time, but... he felt different, now. His memories were returning. He wasn't some kid anymore. He had an inkling of what he used to be like. Too bad it wasn't very different from now. He wondered if he was just young at heart. But Anam was, too. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.
Owen continued, And I still haven't forgotten about what I can do with this power, either. I mean—look at Anam! I bet he wouldn't have gotten nearly as far in stabilizing the whole world without the help of his Ghost Orb. He founded the Thousand Heart Association. Just think what we can do with even more Orbs!
That's the spirit, Star said. See, that's why I want you guys to gather all this up. You all can make a good world, Owen. Make it all better...
Huh?
Oh, sorry. Just rambling. Godly things. Ask Zena about it...
Owen looked ahead. The cave wall was approaching; he'd have to get out of the lava soon. Thanks again, Star, Owen said. I think I feel better about this power. I still have a lot of questions, but... you know, I'm going to try to answer the ones I have now, first.
Star laughed. Go back to the others—they won't bother you. They just want to know you're alright.
Owen nodded. The sealed mutant followed the path back to the hidden village. He still felt heavy, like he was sinking into the ground... but at least he knew the others would hold him up.