Large mounds of dirt moved on their own, floating in the air. Little particles fell to the ground, collecting near the bottom of this forcefield. The evening sun cast long shadows to the trees that surrounded the spire, as well as the mounds of dirt covering the bodies of the mutants. The longest shadow seemed to be from Rhys, staring at the last pit. Unceremonious, thanks to Manny's careless speed.
"That'll be enough," Manny said. "Dunno why you wan'ed ter make individual graves fer 'em."
Rhys shook his head. "It was necessary," he said.
"You could have burned 'em," Manny said, looking at Amia.
"O-oh, I wouldn't..." the Fire Guardian shook her head. "I don't think that's... my choice to make."
"They deserved marked graves," Rhys said.
"Y'know they're all still here, right?" Manny said, holding his paw up. A few embers spun furiously around his claws.
"Their lives are still over," Rhys said. "Just because they are still with us does not mean that a number of doors have closed for them."
"Not like they had all that many, heh," Manny said.
"Do not trivialize their lives," Rhys said, keeping calm. "They had feelings and dreams, just like the rest of us."
"Yeah, a dream ter fight," Manny said. "Ain't got much more than that 'til y' fix'm. They're broken."
Rhys jerked his head at Manny, eyes firm with light. The other Lucario smirked and held his two paws up as if he intended to avoid an argument he clearly started. For just a moment, Rhys felt his composure wane. Manny showed no respect for the Mods that he controlled. Did he even understand the gravity of the potential that he stole away from them by ending their lives? Or... was it truly not worth it? How much did Manny know about these creatures?
"Hey, c'mon," he said. "I should know more'n anyone, these guys're built ter fight an' nothin' else. They're stuck that way, down ter th' core. Seems like someone made'm that way. Berserk. They'll fight 'til they drop. If they weren't spirits, they'd all be dead anyway."
"You can turn them back," Rhys said. "There's—there's a key to it if you radiate the proper aura signature. It's... merely different than the one I know," he said.
"Oh, yeah?" he said, smirking. "Yeah, yeah, that's th' story, ain't it? Yeh helped design these things. Gahi an' the rest o' their lot. They were the originals...."
Amia bit her lower lip and glanced at Anam and James. James was keeping his head down toward the graves in observance; Anam was nibbling nervously on his slimy fingers, gobs of purple slime flowing off of his thighs and onto the ground.
"Rhys...?" Anam said softly. "Does that mean these ones are... even stronger than Owen's set?"
"Unlikely," Rhys said. "Even if they are, they are untrained. If we can keep Team Alloy controlled, we still have a chance at outpacing them."
"Heheh... now yeh got me curious," Manny said. "Pretty confident in those early models, I take it. Well, if yer their teacher, then yer pretty strong, too."
"You speak like the other Pokémon you house are lower creatures, yet all you want is a fight, too," Rhys said, countering with his own smirk.
"Oy, who said I thought they were inferior, eh?" Manny said.
Rhys' ear twitched irritably. If he didn't think he was superior, then what was the issue with his attitude?
"They're fightin' machines, so they're perfect fer my whole gimmick! Hah! Jus' sayin' it's a fact that they ain't set fer living normal lives unless yeh, what was it? Turn 'em off? Yeah. Ain't easy without that, an' I dunno that. So, quit barkin' at me."
Indeed, the graves were all filled. Rhys finished placing stones at the top of each one. He looked at Manny, sizing him up, and then snorted. "So, you truly won't join us without a fight?" Perhaps Manny felt he was the Mods' teacher, just as he was to Owen and his team. In that sense... perhaps they were more alike than he'd allow himself to admit.
"It's in my blood, my mind, my soul, Hunter," Manny said, tapping his claw against the spike on his chest. "You ain't worth it if I can't be beaten by yeh. Or at leas' put up enough o' a fight ter get a draw er a stalemate, eh? As th' strongest."
"Technically, I am not," Rhys said. "Anam would be the strongest, should he unleash his power to its fullest extent. But it was recommended that I fight you... likely due to my species."
"Heh, yer coordinators got good taste." The Fighting Guardian went into a battle stance, one leg forward, one leg back, both arms glowing with aural fire in front of him.
Anam jumped and wobbled to the sidelines with James and Amia. "G-go, Rhys! Beat him!" he said.
"Of course," Rhys said, mirroring Manny's battle stance. He looked at the Lucario and shifted awkwardly. This wasn't a stance he was familiar with; Manny's guard was completely open. Was it some sort of ruse? Was he taunting him to get up close? The way Manny's lean muscles tensed against his oddly thin fur, his stance to run straight into battle... Manny was a fighter up close. Rhys could use that to his advantage. He shifted his stance to something more evasive, legs ready to jump back with no delay.
"Oh? Yer gonna go fer that, eh?" Manny said.
Rhys didn't reply. He was waiting for Manny to make the first move.
Manny stayed still but then vanished from view. Rhys vanished at the very same time. All that they left behind was a small plume of dust where their feet had once been planted.
Anam squeaked and tried to figure out where they went.
James merely closed his eyes. "They're taunting each other," the Decidueye said.
"T-taunting?" Amia asked.
They appeared in the middle of the makeshift arena, clashing at each other at high speeds. The impact created a shockwave that blew up even more dirt from all sides; Rhys felt the recently departed spirits within Manny flare up with aggression and fulfillment, entertained by the battle. Rhys felt a bit of their soul in Manny's eyes. They were watching.
"Heh... so yeh know that move, eh?" he said.
"As do you," Rhys grunted.
Their fists had hit one another in the same spot, near the base of their ribs. Yet, both of them had tensed enough to resist the blow's effects.
They jumped away from one another and launched two blue spheres of aura energy in complete sync—the two collided and exploded, sending the two Lucario back even further in the resulting, blue blast. Aura embers swirled and dissipated.
"Peh—" Manny skidded to a stop.
"Ngh—" Rhys stumbled but steadied himself.
"Not bad," Manny said. "But I figure that's where our techniques're gonna stop bein' th' same."
"Oh?" Rhys said. He moved his paws forward, metallic light energy swirling between them.
Anam tilted his head, puzzled. Why would he use such an ineffective attack against Manny?
Manny, meanwhile, rushed toward Rhys at blinding speeds again.
"What—" Rhys had no time to react; he was punched in the gut, but he launched his Flash Cannon at the same time, point-blank. Manny jerked his head sideways and punched Rhys just below the spike on his chest. The blazing light singed the fur on his right cheek, but nothing else.
They both jumped away again, kicked off of the ground, and rushed toward each other again. Rhys formed another ball of steely light in his paws. Manny weaved out of the way and crouched down, flipping his body for a kick in the stomach. Rhys grunted and fired his Flash Cannon on the ground, redirecting himself and his momentum just enough to dodge the kick. Manny's foot grazed his fur. Rhys immediately formed another Flash Cannon in his paws, aiming it right at Manny's face again. This time, he didn't miss, and Manny had to jump back.
"Hah!" Manny said. The fur on his face was singed slightly, but he was ignoring it, or perhaps didn't notice it. "Bullet Punch versus Flash Cannon! Guess yer a distant attacker! So, what're you doin' luggin' around Extreme Speed?"
"In case I can't fight from a distance, I suppose," Rhys growled, pulling away. "I can outpace almost anybody with it. Why would you have Aura Sphere?"
"Aaah, c'mon, what's a Lucario without Aura Sphere?" Manny said. "Besides, hard ter miss with that one, heh, since it zeroes in on th' enemy. Heheh... So... what's yer next technique?" he asked. "Gimme somethin' good. Yer holdin' back. I feel it. Who uses Flash Cannon on a Lucario?"
Rhys smirked slightly. "I suppose it was quite obvious. As it was for you, Manny. Bullet Punch? Really?"
James' feathers abruptly puffed out. "Are we really doing this right now?" he said, raising his wings in exasperation. "Truly, you were toying with one another?! Rhys, I thought better of you."
Rhys flinched. Perhaps he got carried away. Manny's fighting spirit was infectious, even for him. And he could feel the many spirits inside of the opposing Lucario roaring for a good fight. He felt a small bit of Team Alloy in that. He had to entertain them, at least in some small way. Tiny joys to satiate their sad lives. Or, that was what Rhys told himself. He worried that perhaps Owen and his ilk were rubbing off on him after all...
"I wasn't going to do the dishonorable move and fight him at my best when he's simply grappling," Rhys said, figuring that was a noble enough excuse.
"Hah, that's th' spirit," Manny said, holding out his paw. "Then let's shake on it! We'll go all-out, an' see who wins, eh?"
Rhys hesitated. "I... cannot fight at my best," he said. "I made a Promise to not attempt to kill another Guardian. A Divine one."
"Well, ain't you confident," Manny said. "So sure you'll beat me. Aah, so what'll happen if yeh try?" he asked. "If y'come close, will yer power get taken away?"
"Not necessarily," said Rhys. "The last time this happened, before I launched my final strike, my paw glowed with divine power leaving me—as if it was a threat that proceeding would revoke my status as a Hunter, or at least the power that came with it."
"Well, how 'bout this, then," Manny said. "Yer paw glows, that counts as a win. Sound fair teh you?"
"Hmm... Very well," Rhys said.
"Then let's go all out," Manny said, stomping his foot on the ground.
This single motion created a crater in the dirt larger than Manny. He remained floating in place; the ground beneath him vanished, compressing into the earth. The Lucario's body bulked up, muscles toning his legs and arms, followed by the spikes along his paws and chest vanishing. Rhys recognized this as a subtle change, but an important one—he was now fully Fighting Type, in his Guardian form. Aura Sphere would hold no advantage against him. More worrying was that a single punch would end Rhys. Three, four, perhaps all of his ribs?
"Well?" Manny asked Rhys. "As a Hunter, I know you've got somethin' ter show!"
"Hmph," Rhys said, slowly entering a neutral stance.
"Eh?" Manny rose up, entering one as well, standing on an invisible platform created by his Mystic power. "What, y'done? Forfeit?"
"Far from it," Rhys said, looking at the opposing Lucario. "But I believe that if I go, as you call it, all out, this battle won't last very long at all." He looked at the spectators. "Anam!"
Manny looked genuinely insulted, face screwed up in a scowl. He crossed his bulging arms.
"Y-yes!" the Goodra said, straightening.
"We have a few Reviver Seeds, do we not?" he said.
"Yer jus' tryin' ter get me mad, ain't yeh?" Manny hissed.
"We do, um...!"
"Give one to Manny. Then I can fight without holding back or worry of losing my power to my Divine Promise."
"O-oh!"
"Oy, I take offense ter that!" Manny waved his fist in the air. "What're you playin' at?"
"Just take it and if it is used up, it's the same as being defeated, hm?" Rhys said. "You don't want me holding back. I have a Promise to keep. This is the compromise."
Manny glared like he'd been tapped on the nose as a punishment. He snorted. "Ehh... Fine."
Anam wobbled over and gave the Mystic his Reviver Seed. Manny didn't seem very pleased with this perceived handicap, but he shrugged it off. Anam gave him a small bag to tie around his neck to keep it safe without encumbering his fighting. "Thanks," Manny said. "Heh... y'got a strong aura."
"O-oh, I guess so...!" the slimy Goodra replied. He wobbled back to the sidelines and watched.
"Let's get it on already!" Manny said. "My muscles're achin' fer a good punch!" He slammed his fist toward Rhys; the resultant gust of wind nearly knocked away Rhys' breath.
"Ngh—Of course." He closed his eyes and tensed his body for a split-second.
His two paws glowed with a bright, blue flame—and then, with a sudden flurry of power, that flame spread up his arms, over his shoulders, over his head, and then down his torso and legs, ending only when his feet were engulfed in a great fire. Rhys opened his eyes, breathing deeply. He brought his left arm forward and bent, his right arm back and ready to strike, his legs poised to jump back or leap forward as the situation called.
"Now we're talkin'!" Manny said, entering a similar stance. He made the first move again, dashing with an Extreme Speed, but then transitioned into what Rhys could only guess was his opponent's personal favorite move. With a flurry of punches and kicks, leaving his defenses completely open, the Fighting Guardian traded his defenses for a complete, unmitigated offense. Rhys took every single hit. Every blow cratered the ground beneath him; the shockwaves were deafening. The nearest tree trembled, dropping a few apples onto the ground.
Anam covered his mouth at the onslaught, but the flame of Rhys' aura made everything obscured. Manny laughed maniacally with every strike, knowing that every single one was connecting. He felt the impact of every punch. His spirits roared, pressing him to fight harder. Rhys could almost sense their restless souls lashing against his fur.
"Haaaaa!" Manny finished it with a punch to the gut that bent the light around them in a ring-shaped pulse; Rhys grunted and bent over by only a few degrees. Manny panted, fist numb. "H-had enough?" he asked; he was completely open. His Close Combat never failed! Rhys was probably passed out upright.
"You expected me to fall from that strike..." Rhys said, strained. "So, you pushed yourself to guarantee your win... But you didn't expect this... did you?"
The aura flare that surrounded Rhys was dying down. The embers danced and mingled with his blue and black fur, sinking inside like a dying candle. But some of it remained. The fire around Rhys obscured it at first, but now that they died down, it was clear: a thin, cyan layer of solid aura—the same sort that Rhys had used to deflect Zena's Hydro Pump—coated him from his ears to his toes. Every move Rhys made, the armor followed, bending at the joints just as his bones did.
Manny's eyes widened. "Armor?"
While the strikes indeed connected, they were dulled by this strange barrier.
"You wanted to know my final technique," Rhys said.
Manny realized too late what was coming. His legs bent to jump away, but Rhys already struck in return—a single, precise thrust, squarely in Manny's chest. The strike wasn't with Rhys' paw or even an Aura Sphere—no, instead, it was an extension of his paw, made of that same armor, that elongated and tapered off into a single, fine, and flat point. It went right through Manny, splitting his chest open where it sliced. More aura energy rushed through Manny, spreading through his whole body explosively. He couldn't even grunt.
Then, Rhys jumped away. The Fighting Guardian collapsed to the ground.
Anam stared, wide-eyed. Amia reacted similarly, trembling. They both knew how strong Rhys was, but they thought he wouldn't actually go all-out. But by some twisted honor of the Fighting Orb, Rhys granted Manny his wish.
The blessed seed inside of Manny's small bag healed him of his injuries in a wash of golden light. Manny gasped for air and rolled onto his back, huffing with strained breaths. He raised his hand—it was shaking—and held at where he still felt the lingering, yet woundless pain of Rhys' strike, as if his mind and aura were still adjusting to not being injured.
"S-so that's yer power..." he said, puffing. "Yer... Mystic desire..."
Rhys nodded. "My specialty is the aura—to the point where I can use what little divine energy I possess to make my flare manifest as a solid object. I... try not to do it too often." He closed his eyes; the flare became a cloud again, evaporating into nothing. "I hope you are satisfied."
"Heh... yeah. You win," Manny said. "Without that Reviver Seed, I'd've been down fer a while. Takes a lotta time ter heal from a wound like that. I wouldn't'a been able ter fight."
Rhys nodded. "Good. Then you will be coming with us?"
"O'course," Manny said. "If yer not ev'n th' strongest... then I gotta see th' others, an' how yer students're doin'." He held out a paw.
Rhys nodded, smiling with relief. At least Manny had his honor to accept a loss. He held out his paw in return... and then fell backward, straight into the dirt.
"Rh-Rhys?!" Anam said; he and Amia rushed to either side of the Hunter. Amia took the liberty of sitting him up.
Rhys opened his eyes and looked around, ascertaining the time of day. "I—I will be fine," he said. "What happened? Was I unconscious for only a moment?"
"Yes, dear. Please, don't strain yourself," Amia said.
"Ngh... how embarrassing," Rhys said.
"Oh, sure, no, don't worry 'bout me er anythin'," Manny said, holding his paw in the air to be helped up. James ended up being the one to assist the Guardian to his feet, using his wing as Manny's anchor.
"That... that technique takes out quite a bit of me," Rhys said. "I can only use it for a short while before I, well... become unable to fight, too. I prefer to only use it if I know I'll win quickly."
"Yeah, sure, rub it in," Manny muttered, turning away.
Rhys chuckled weakly. He leaned weakly against Amia, dropping any pretenses of dignity. Everything felt numb. "You're a very strong fighter, Manny," he said. "But... I may need to be carried back."
"Aw, I gotcha covered," Manny said. "But... how 'bout we jus' sit an' rest fer a sec? I think my aura still feels like it's gotta repair. What'd you do, bust m' spirit?"
"I may have done some of that," Rhys admitted. "N-nothing to be alarmed about. You will recover shortly."
"Feh." Manny leaned back and then plopped his back against the ground again. The angle seemed awkward, considering he was still partway inside the crater that they'd generated during their fight.
Amia and Anam looked at one another and sat down, too. Amia crossed her legs and adjusted her dress; Anam plopped down with a wet wap and started playing with his little clawless toes, humming quietly to himself. James inspected his feathers, preening where necessary.
"Yeh really managed ter stabilize them?" Manny asked.
"Hm?" Rhys said.
"Gahi seemed fine when I saw'm. But then I saw more like'm, an' they were all hostile. What's up with that? Stray mutant Pokémon like'm poppin' up here an' there..."
"I'm not sure what caused that to happen," Rhys said. "I personally would like to know myself. If they're intentionally being let out to cause chaos... they aren't doing a very good job. Hmph. But regardless, yes. Team Alloy—the group Gahi is a part of—became unstable after an... incident, and we've been repairing the damage ever since. They defaulted to their battle mode, as you call it. And have been in it ever since. They can only stay sane if we suppress their forms in their unevolved states, which haven't been modified. In a way, it is a means to seal them away in a smaller, safer form."
"Heheheh..."
"You find that humorous?" Rhys asked, tensing.
"Nah, nah," Manny said. "Well, that explains it. So, what, yer sayin' they're... not at their evolved forms righ' now?"
"No. If they were, they would be unable to... think beyond their instincts for battle."
"Well, ain't that a shame," Manny said. "Guess yeh've got it covered."
"Mm... I am a bit concerned," Rhys admitted. "Owen is starting to learn about his past early. When suppressed, their memories are also sealed away. But now that he's Mystic..."
"Yeah, I spotted that bit when he visited an' fought Azu, heh," Manny said. "Y'think he c'n handle it?"
"I think he will," Amia spoke up. All eyes turned to her, and she shrank down.
"Y-you... you do?" Rhys said.
"It's different," she said. "I think the timing is perfect, Rhys. Owen's having a hard time right now, but... I have faith that he'll pull through with everyone else by him."
"Faith..." Rhys said.
"Heh. Faith. That's a good one," Manny said, looking away. "Before I got into this Mystic business, I figured all those stories about Mew an' Arceus were jus' that. Stories. 'Cause I work with facts. Solid, tangible facts. Somethin' I can punch, eh?" He threw his fist weakly in the air. "Even now, I'm gonna work with that."
Amia gulped, looking down. She didn't say anything, but James quietly moved closer to try to assure her that Manny was an idiot.
Manny shook his head. "An' th' fact is... I agree." He flashed Amia a genuine grin. "He's close, th' way he was fightin' Azu. A bit o' him was in there, even when he evolved. Kinda."
Rhys looked at Amia, then at Manny. "Amia," he said, "I understand that it was difficult for you to explain what had happened before, but, please, could you tell me what happened?"
The Gardevoir looked at her hands in her lap. "Mm... I suppose it was different than the other times. Closer than ever, Rhys. First, he evolved, yes. But then... ooh... he tore Azu apart." She shivered.
"L-literally?" Rhys asked.
"Yeah," Manny said with a dry chuckle. "Heheh... shook Azu up good, that."
"I find that hardly funny," Rhys said.
"I dunno, seemed pretty funny," Manny said.
Rhys rubbed the bridge of his snout. "Amia, please continue. Azu was defeated. Then what?"
"Well," Amia said, "Owen was, er, he... tried to attack Azu's spirit next, but that didn't work out so well. He just fled. Then Willow and I were calling for him to calm down, and, well, that never really worked..." Amia hesitated. "Except, this time, it actually did."
Rhys blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Owen stopped. He... he stopped. But... but then he turned around, and he walked toward us. Oh—oh, Rhys, his body was shaking. And his eyes... oh, his eyes, I—they were so..."
Anam and James looked at one another. "Angry?" Anam asked.
"Savage, I figure," Manny said.
Amia shook her head. "Afraid," she said. "He said... 'help.' He said help, Rhys. He was there, Rhys...!" Amia smiled, but then gasped back a sniffle. "He was so close, Rhys...!"
"But... he wasn't able to be in control," Rhys said.
"He was hurting," Amia said. "He said it was in his chest. Like he had to fight, his body was moving like he had to fight, but he wasn't actually fighting. Too much... energy. I told him to breathe and meditate, and it worked a little, but... oh, if I waited a little longer, maybe he would've...!"
"No," Rhys said. "You did the right thing. I—I had something similar happen to me," he said. "But rather than continue fighting, after our encounter with Rim, she simply disappeared. Mispy, Demitri, and Gahi all evolved, and then I felt... quite a few vines wrapping around my body. And then I felt energy, and my vision came back, my wounds were healed..." Rhys nodded. "Mispy told me to hurry. Yes. I remember that quite well. So, I returned them to their lowest forms again, but... she was very composed. I honestly think she was just afraid of herself."
"Composed?" Amia said. "Y-you think—?"
Rhys nodded. "I do," he said. "It has been centuries, but... I think they're almost completely healed."
"Took long enough," Manny said absently. "Centuries! Hah! That'll be fun fer them ter sort through."
Rhys growled to himself. "It isn't ideal, but it's better than permanent insanity, wouldn't you agree?"
"Nah, nah, I get it, I get it," Manny said.
Rhys was beginning to get second thoughts about inviting this Guardian over. He already demonstrated himself as a bad influence on Gahi. What if they relapse?
"Heh," Manny went on. "Guess we should head back."
Manny nodded and stood up, looking refreshed. He held out a paw and released Azu, who happily posed and flexed with a showy shockwave. He leaned forward and hauled Rhys over his shoulder like a log.
"Urf—"
"Ha!" Azu declared. "The challenger Lucario won the battle, and yet he is the one who must be carried!"
"Easy, Azu," Manny shook his head. "I'd be bleedin' out if it wasn't fer that Seed. Oy, Goodra."
"Y-yes!"
"Lead th' way back!"
"Okay!" Anam fumbled through his bag, still lodged partway into his chest. With a cheerful grin, he raised the slimy, glistening Badge into the air. "To Hot Spot!"