On the eighth sublevel of Quartz HQ, all Nate could feel were the distant rumblings from above. It was such a strange feeling to have all this activity going on. It was exciting, in a way! But then again, he was starting to wonder why Eon wanted him here in the first place. He was so full of hope and promise when they talked. That's one reason why he was so drawn to him—not that Owen and the others weren't, either. But they seemed to be afraid of him. Perhaps being the Dark Guardian was more frightening than he had anticipated. But he couldn't help that. He couldn't help much of his appearance, either... but at least he had darkness to cover that up.
Still, their spirits were bright with hope and kindness toward one another. That was impossible to ignore. But so was Eon's. Not to mention all of the strange new Pokémon that lived here. There were so many that he could make little images of, little variations that didn't excite him ever since he discovered what southern Pokémon were!
The fact that Eon was a Ditto made coming to the lab all the more appealing. If Nate could just ask, maybe he could transform into something exotic. Something that he'd never seen in a long time. Dialga! Oh, to be able to draw a Dialga again. He missed that Embodiment. What ever happened to him?
"N-Nate! Nate!"
Oh? Someone was calling for him. He had to get used to that; it had been so long since anybody wanted to speak with him, aside from his fellow voices. That voice sounded like Eon, though there wasn't a lot of joy from his heart this time around. His light felt very faint.
How was he supposed to talk again? Eon taught him how. Ohh, how frustrating! He couldn't remember. He had to form a body, and then make some vibrations, just like their throats. Something like that.
Ohh, but he sounds so frantic. He'd just talk the old fashioned way.
Getting his voices together, Nate asked, Is something wrong?
"Gah—" Eon stumbled over himself, taking the form of a Mew. He seemed to have a lot of trouble floating through the air. Wait. A Mew! That's wonderful! And he seemed so tiny! Or was it she? Eon sounded very feminine. If it wasn't for how panicked he or she looked, he'd ask to make sure. "I thought I told you not to talk with all those voices?!"
Sorry, I forgot how to talk again.
"Oh, for the love of—not important." Eon held his tiny, adorable hands up. "How good are you at fighting? Because the person who looks like me right now is possessing Owen, and in his body, is trying to kill me."
After a pause, Nate's presence shuddered. Darkness poured out of the large room that he housed himself in, more like a stadium, really, before he recollected himself. That would be rude, after all, invading in the space of the others. It was still a bit cramped, though, compared to how open the crater felt.
What was Eon talking about again? Kill! Yes, kill. Why?
"It's a long story, Nate, but—I just need you to help me. C-can you? Anything? You're some kind of—I don't know what you are, but you certainly have some sort of way to stop her, right? I'm at the end of my rope here!"
Nate's darkness fizzled uncertainly. I don't know how to fight.
"H-how?! You have—a thousand limbs in there! I saw them! And aren't you a Mimikyu? At least Shadow Claw or something? Star's terrified of Ghost attacks!"
But I'm the Dark Guardian.
Eon slapped his paws to his face. "Ohh, come on! Mimikyu! Shadow Claw! I've seen it before, when you—gah!"
Eon suddenly plopped on the ground, his form shifting to a strange, black mass. A shoddy imitation of a Pikachu coated him seconds later.
"This! You can do this, can't you?!" Eon said, waving his newfound, ghostly claws out of his disguise.
Well, he could certainly try. Nate brought one of his tendrils out into the halls, swinging it haphazardly. It slapped against the walls and dug into the stone, leaving cracks and chips in the marble.
"Th-that's perfect! Exactly that, do that!"
Oh, dear, what was he supposed to do with that? That looked like it could really hurt somebody. I hit Owen?
"Y-yes? No! Yes! It's Owen's body, but Star's in there instead. He'll be fine—we just have to weaken her until Owen can take over ag—"
"FOUND YOU!"
That voice didn't sound normal at all! Who was that? It sounded like Owen, but it was distorted, like he was talking from beyond a great inferno.
Oh, that's why! His head was on fire!
"H-how did she find me so quickly—?" Eon squeaked. "Ah—Owen's Perception—it must be..." Eon spun around.
The Charizard was completely green, covered in leaves, except for his head. There, it was made from branches and vines twisted together in the vague shape of a head; white fire—oh, those are the holy flames of Mystic energy!—erupted from the back of the Charizard's throat, and made up the entirety of its 'eyes,' if they could be called those. And from what he could tell, the Charizard's body in general seemed very unstable; the sheer magnitude of all that Mystic energy was tearing it apart. Poor Owen! That was going to hurt in the morning, assuming he'd be able to see another rising sun.
"Uhh—I mean—I, uh—" Eon looked back, turning into a Charizard while the Pikachu disguise that covered him tragically melted away. He staggered back, crossing his arms. A shield of light protected him from Star's first blast—white fire that curled around and—Ouch!
Nate's tendril dissolved away at the burning light, leaving a black mass that evaporated in the air. He recoiled, pulling the rest of it back. If that's how Star was going to be, he didn't want to fight!
But Eon wasn't giving him much of a choice. Eon ran back and into—him! Oh, that felt strange; he was lodged somewhere between the arms. The voices were getting agitated; they pushed against Eon, trying to send him out of the darkness, but he was persistent—and surprisingly strong.
Also surprisingly strong, Star. "Get out of there!" Star hissed. "Nate! Let him out! He's evil, don't you get it?! Eon is killing people!"
He is? How could he? Someone with so much light in his spirit couldn't possibly be killing people. Star, meanwhile... Nate felt very little light coming from her at the moment. That could only mean her heart was filled with malice and hate, given how she was behaving, trying to kill a spirit of light.
No, that was too presumptuous. There was still light in her, but it wasn't at all directed at Eon. It felt... what was that feeling? What was her light toward? It felt like hope. Like she was close to something, close to...
"Nate, please," Star begged. "I don't want to hurt you to get to Eon. This is between us!"
He had to know. Star might have been telling the truth, if there was at least a little light there. What did Eon do?
"Don't listen to her!" Eon said hastily, but Eon's light felt weaker just then.
"All those Pokémon you see that live here? They were made to be weapons to kill Guardians! Guardians like YOU, Nate!"
That was silly! In fact, that cute Zygarde said the same thing, and he couldn't feel any light from him. He couldn't be trusted that easily. But then again, he wasn't able to feel much from Eon, either. Of course, that was until Eon approached him in the Chasm and offered himself; oh, he felt so full of light then! How odd that it had been so hidden away before, but then again, Eon had such a strange soul to begin with.
But Star? He knew Star. She had light already, but it was weak. Could they both be telling the truth? Was that possible? Eon?
"I—it's not like that at all," Eon said, his light even weaker. Suspiciously weaker.
Suddenly, Star jerked her head up. "You're kidding me—" she said, as if she'd heard something that nobody else could. Countless Hands sprouted from her back again, curving back into her; Nate had never felt such a turbulent aura before. It wasn't just on the outside; the very spirits within Owen's body were rebelling against Star from within!
"Aaaagh!" Star suddenly clutched at her stomach, leaning forward in some strange pain. "I don't—have time for this—! Sorry, Nate, I need to—"
Star made a move to leap into Nate's darkness, but she didn't even have the chance. Another tiny, adorable creature appeared right behind the divine Charizard—an Espurr, grabbing onto her thigh.
"What—?" Star looked down in a snarl.
Nate felt Psychic energy deep within her Mystic aura flow out. From it was the power of Teleport—and in a flash of light, the Espurr and Charizard disappeared.
Eon sprang from the darkness, shaking off some of the odd, black material that covered some of his scales. He screamed for Rim, but they were long gone.
<><><>
"Owen, Owen, talk to us again! What do we do?!" Manny shook the delirious Charizard; he had been falling in and out of consciousness ever since his first warning, yet they didn't know what to do with that information. Star was trying to kill Eon—but wasn't that a good thing?! Wasn't this what they had been planning from the start?
Step had blasted it with a tentative strike of ice after Owen had fallen, but when he had cried out in pain from it, she stopped herself from doing a follow-up, just in case. "Perhaps we should allow Star to summon us to assist," she suggested, staring at the Core with a glare.
Manny, Amia, and Zena all gave Step an uneasy glance. Owen's eyelids fluttered open. "H-huh? H-help Star? Why would you want to do that right now?" the Charizard said.
Zena cupped his head in her ribbon-eyebrows, but said nothing.
"I was joking," Step replied. "That was a joke."
"It... it was?" Amia said.
"Well, it ain't funny," Manny said.
Step grumbled under her breath. "Ra would find it perfect," she muttered. "Tend to Owen. I will disrupt Star's—"
A flurry of green beams of light shot out of the Core and into Step, chipping away at her icy body. She roared in surprise, blocking the rest with her arms that extended into shields of ice. She dared to peek through when the blast finished.
A Zygarde stood before them, but not of the sort that they were familiar with. Rather than a canine, it was a great serpent of black and green, staring at Step with the same expressionless look of his canid form. Yet without ears, it was even more difficult to tell what the Embodiment of Balance was thinking.
"I warned you not to come here," Hecto said, his voice much deeper than before.
Connecting Hecto to the Core were several filaments of light—several of Star's Hands. Step had planned on boasting to Hecto that she knew of his weaknesses—and that she was one of his greatest threats. Yet with those Hands in the way...
"What are you doing to Owen?" Step said.
"Whatever it is, you could have asked, first!" Amia said. "Look at him! Owen's hurt!"
"Owen will be fine. Star is borrowing his body and using it as a vessel in order to combat Eon when he is most vulnerable. Owen was not capable of the same thing. He was unwilling to fight Eon."
"That's the point!" Zena said. "Owen—he said that he could have ended this without fighting. Without any of us having to risk our lives for your war!"
Owen struggled to sit up; with some help from Zena, he was able to at least get upright, though not without a heavy slouch. "My head's killing me..."
"Eon is too unpredictable to trust, even with a Divine Promise, and especially with one as easily exploitable as the one he made with Owen." Hecto's eyes brightened. "Now, please, leave Star to do as she must. It won't be long now."
That icy, sinking feeling returned to Zena's stomach. She gave a single look to Amia; she was thinking the same thing. Not this time.
Step spoke for them. "No. You will return Owen his body and leave this place. Now is not the time to simply betray us."
"Betray," Hecto repeated. "We are fighting Eon. This is the exact opposite of betrayal."
"You betrayed our trust. We came here ready to help you fight Eon, and yet look at what you have done to the naïve Guardian." She motioned to Owen, who could only give a halfhearted, irritated glare at Step.
"Were you not ready to rescue Owen from Eon?" Hecto said. "I recall observing that Owen had been compromised by his own emotions."
"I do not trust anybody who wrests control of another's autonomy." Frosty air filled the room, making Amia shiver. "If we are being refused entry to Owen's spirit, that is suspicion enough. If I must fight Star and Eon, I shall."
Uneasy silence followed, Owen rising to his feet. He leaned heavily against Zena, shaking off the last of his dizziness. "Hecto, please, tell Star to hold off. This isn't helping anyone. Eon—he was really listening to me. I could feel it." Owen shook his head furiously, spreading his wings. He held his arms out, clasping his claws together. "It's not too late!"
<><><>
"There, you should be better, now," Lavender said, stepping away from Gahi. He was taking the form of a Blissey, tossing golden, glowing eggs toward everyone in the room who needed it; The fused Seviper-Tyranitar body, intact yet lifeless, was placed in one of the rooms near the mess hall. Some of them nudged at his cheek helplessly, asking him to wake up, but there was nothing inside to wake.
Lavender sniffled. "What happened to them...?"
The Flygon grunted, rubbing his head. The shine of his scales were smudged by deposited smoke, embers, and plant matter. Everything ached. But what felt worse than all of that was the fact that Owen was still under Star's control... and he couldn't stop her.
He should have known that Star would pull something like this. Sure, maybe Eon was completely twisted, but Owen almost had him! Why couldn't Star just trust Owen the same way everyone else did?
All of these mutants would be devastated if they lost their father. It just didn't feel right to kill him, not anymore. Maybe it would stop the Hunters... but it still didn't feel right, in his gut. He didn't care if those were his instincts; his gut was all he had! He wasn't smart like Owen, and he knew it. He knew it the moment he fused with him.
"Owen..." Gahi slammed his fist against the wall, wincing when the pain shot through his wrists. Lavender hastily threw a tiny golden egg at him. "That freaking pink god... I'm gonna..."
Lavender transitioned back to his Scolipede form next, sniffling again. "Daddy... wh-what do we do? Where did he go?"
Gahi stood up. "I dunno. We gotta just check all the floors. Yer pops ain't gonna die that easy, y'got it? Even if some crazy god is after 'im, he feels like Owen. Gives off the same kinda energy, y'know? And he ain't someone that'll back down."
Lavender looked down at Gahi, yellow eyes wide with hope. "You mean it? Owen... is like that?"
Suddenly, countless mutants crowded around Gahi in the mess hall, a cacophony of questions filling the air. They all asked about Owen and Eon, how similar the two were, and what Owen was like, as if they could extrapolate from what Gahi knew of the Charizard to what that meant for their father. If Owen could really fight back from within.
"Oy, oy, stop with the questions!" Gahi shouted, waving his arms above his head. "We can chat after. I'm all energized. Thanks fer all the help, Lav."
The Scolipede perked up, hopping on all fours.
Lucas skipped to Gahi next, nudging him with his snout. He tilted his head and gave a small growl-snort of concern.
"Bah, I'm fine," Gahi said, scratching Lucas between the eyes. "You feral er something?"
The Mega Houndoom barked, nudging Gahi again, but then winced, stumbling to the side. Lavender rose up quickly. "Lucas? Is it too much?"
Lucas growled defiantly, crouching down to hide beneath his paws as well as the giant skull-chest plate would allow.
"Dispel it, Lucas. The stress of the fight was too much!"
Lucas whined again; Gahi, meanwhile, said, "What's up with him? He's a mutant, too? How d'you even make a feral mutant?"
"No, he's—"
"RRAGH!"
In a flash of light, a Charizard appeared a few corridors ahead of them. It was made of glowing vines from the chest up, with white, flaming eye sockets. Rim was in Star's claws by now, her tiny form grasped easily. "Stop teleporting me!"
The mutants were too stunned to react—except for Gahi, who disappeared from the middle of the crowd.
Star raised Rim in the air, squeezing her claws into her body. "Drop your Orb." Star growled. "I may not be able to take it, but I'll at least make you lose it!" She squeezed harder; Rim's huge eyes bulged wide.
Hands spiraled out of Star's back, each one taking aim for Rim's body. Star knew this method well—the same thing that Barky had tried on Owen. But now it was for the right reason; even more convenient, with it happening in the living world, she could relocate the Orb at the same time.
Rim's mouth was open, but she couldn't find a way to scream. But at the same time, she had glanced at the other mutants; a small smile formed.
Star squeezed harder while the Hands behind her got into their positions. The fire in her eyes glowed even brighter, drawing out whatever she could. They plunged down—
Gahi slapped into Star with a full-body tackle. What surprised Gahi was how much give Owen's body now had; it felt like a cross between Anam and Emily. He wasn't quite solid anymore. Gahi flipped his body with a wingbeat and kicked at Star next, catching a glance at the damage he'd done. Whole portions of Star's belly spewed white fire, covered up by a tapestry of vines immediately after.
"Get out of my—"
Gahi rushed for Star again, slamming a dragon fire-coated fist in her face, tearing apart some of the vines. Furious eyes stared back at him, but Gahi returned with a smirk. He beat his wings and flew further back.
Star realized that something felt like it was missing. She turned and saw that it was her hand—Gahi had ripped it clean off her destabilized body. Now all that was left were writhing vines and holy fire.
"Take care o' her," Gahi muttered to Lavender, but then a mutant Meganium pushed Lavender aside.
"I'll do it," she said, giving Gahi a nod. She tore away at Star's hand that still held onto Rim; it fell to the floor, writhing mindlessly.
"M-Mispy?" Gahi blinked. No, it didn't act like her—and not like Ani, either.
"Try again," the different Meganium giggled, wrapping her vines around Rim. "Tell Big Sis I said hi."
<><><>
The Core suddenly let out a shockwave of Mystic pressure that made all of the Guardians in the room—even Step—wince and shudder in pain. Their bodies bled aura embers and golden light, but it stabilized seconds later. Those were the same shockwaves that had nearly dissolved their weaker spirits when they had first entered the Grass Dungeon. The distortions were getting stronger; whatever Star was doing, it was intensifying.
Amia gasped for air, her whole aura fizzling dangerously, but then stabilized.
Hecto spoke with his typical, neutral tone. "Eon has been performing his original mission for longer than you have been alive, Owen, and for much longer than you can possibly remember in your current state. Eon is impulsive; his feelings, while genuine in the moment, are fleeting and fickle. No matter how good your Perception is for how someone feels in the present, Owen, you simply do not know how someone will feel in the future. We know Eon. It is far too late."
Owen had no words, but he still wanted to refuse. His desperate eyes said all he wanted for Zena and Amia, who finally stood a bit taller in front of Hecto. Owen tried to step with them. "Wait..."
"Stay back, Owen," Zena said softly. "We'll take care of this. Just get ready to return to your body."
Step slammed her tail onto the ground. "What will it be, Embodiment of Balance?" She held her hand toward Hecto, frost surrounding her palm in a brighter and brighter sphere. "Will you move aside... or will I have to destroy you?"
Hecto didn't reply at first, hexagon eyes staring at Step a bit more intensely than usual. Then, they flickered, and the serpentine Zygarde shook his head, as if he had been briefly dazed.
Owen raised his voice again, just a bit louder. "I said... wait..."
This whole time, Owen was watching all of their actions, feeling the subtleties of what he could from their strange bodies. Hecto was as difficult to read as ever, especially in his much larger form. Step, with her icy, solid body, didn't make things any easier for him. Amia and Zena were a lot easier to read, along with Manny, all bodies that he had grown accustomed to. Amia was tense and ready to fight, all to defend him. What mother wouldn't? Zena just wanted to keep Owen safe, refusing to leave his side. And Manny... he felt odd. He didn't seem to want to fight, yet he stood by anyway and let Hecto and Step work things out for themselves.
Manny spared a glance at Owen. "Oy, just rest up. We'll take care o' yeh."
"This is beyond your scope, Grass Guardian," Step said without even sparing him a glance. "You've fallen to Eon and you've fallen to Star. I have fallen to neither, and I have no plans to now."
"But I don't want this," Owen said quietly, even while Step and Hecto continued to stare one another down, both of them looking for an opening. Green energy pulsed through Hecto's body; if Step fired, he would, too. Step had the advantage of her element, yet Hecto had Star's divinity behind him.
And neither even gave him a second thought. Hecto didn't acknowledge Owen; Step had made it clear with her last words. But that's how it always was, wasn't it?
"Can't you just... stop?" Owen said dumbly, the words falling from his mouth.
Because even from the beginning, that's what it was always like. He was created to be used by Eon to usurp Arceus. He was born to be obedient and loyal to some divine leader. And then he was put under the care of Amia and Alex, raised anew to be docile and as far away from his life as possible.
He had been ignorant of it all. And then, memories returned, they did all that they could to keep him under their eyes. Star telling him only what she wanted to; Rhys keeping him away from the rest of Team Alloy, the first friends he'd ever had. His kind. His family.
Not once did they ask him what he wanted. And he just let it happen, because that was his nature. It was in his nature to obey.
"I... You guys need to listen to me," Owen said. "You're both just staring each other down. I can tell that even with all that you're saying, Step, you know you can't beat Hecto, not with Star's—"
"Bite your tongue," Step spat, flashing a glare toward him.
"But you aren't even thinking," Owen said. "You want to take down Eon! Star does, too! And I don't!"
"Owen, please," Amia said softly, "Don't—don't let Eon fool you like—"
"No, he's not fooling me," Owen interrupted, voice rising in volume. "You know who's been fooling me? You! Rhys! Star! Eon's been the only one who has been trying to tell me the truth!"
"Owen—you know why we couldn't have told—"
"Oh, because maybe I would've learned too quickly?" Owen wobbled forward. "S-Step, that's enough. Hecto, get Star, just... tell her to stop. She can't take us both on, so just have her stop, and we can talk this all out."
"I'm afraid I won't be doing that," Hecto said. "But I do agree that a battle here would be disadvantageous for all of us. With the Core nearby, any disruption could harm not only Star, but Owen's body, his spirits, and perhaps the entire Grass Realm."
"Then you'll know to back down?" Step said, making a gesture to feign her icy blast.
Hecto responded with an abrupt blast of green energy—an arrow that struck the center of Step's blast. The Aggron's eyes widened in surprise, firing her own blast at the same time. That earned an even more powerful retaliation from Hecto, countless spears of green energy buffeting Step's thick hide and armor on all sides. Step opened her mouth and fired a thick beam of ice at Hecto next, but the Zygarde retaliated with a second volley of Thousand Arrows.
Step roared, flicking her head toward the incoming attack; some of the ice nicked against the Core, making the whole thing flicker.
Owen wailed, clutching at his chest; he sank to the ground, his whole spirit fizzling for a split-second.
"O-Owen!" Zena breathed, wrapping her ribbons around his shoulders.
"You should be careful, Step," Hecto said tersely. "You don't want to harm Owen."
"Tch, then neither do you." Step struggled to stand, countless parts of her body missing in tiny pieces all over her, like she had been chipped away by a spiteful sculptor. Subtle plumes of aura embers and spiritual light leaked from those missing pieces.
Manny raised his paw, Amia mirroring the gesture. "Well, if yer gonna be like that," the Lucario said lowly. He gave Owen a quick glance and a reassuring smirk. "Guess we'll have ter protect Owen, too."
"You aren't going to control my son." Amia's hair flashed to fiery life. "Not Star, not Eon."
Zena let go of Owen and slithered in front of him; all Owen could see were their backs, all four of them acting in his stead. Hecto, meanwhile, looked between all of them with that same expressionless gaze.
Owen wanted to say something—anything—but once again, he felt too small. He felt like a Charmander again, everybody around him making the moves in his place. Nothing had changed at all, had it?
He was still someone that had to fall in line.
<><><>
Star examined her empty paws; that Flygon, using his intense speed, had stolen Rim from her at the last moment. "GAHI!" she roared, pointing her reformed hand at him.
Before she could say anything, Gahi spat back. "Save it! Everyone!" He raised his wings, channeling what he knew about Owen to give the command. He was the leader, after all. And what would a leader do? "FIRE!"
That was all they needed. A flood of attacks of all elements—ghostly orbs, flaming beams, icy blasts, electric bolts—trailed along the walls and through the air, all toward Star. She crossed her arms, forming a shield of light, but Gahi shouted to fire again. "Keep at it!"
Through the smoke, he saw the shield of light fading. Vines writhed to protect Star from the rest, but their onslaught was too much, even for her. She had been worn down too much, and perhaps, finally, their wills were performing a Backlash against her own power. No matter how desperate she was, she was not going to keep Owen's body. He was family. She was not.
Star screamed; Gahi saw that the blasts were missing, flying straight through the smoke. "Stop!" Gahi shouted; embers, smoke, and debris obscured his view, but the Meganium next to him had her eyes closed. "See anything?"
"She's still there."
Gahi grunted, flexing his wings, feeling that tension in his back. One by one, the filaments of light returned. "I'll finish 'er off. Force Star out."
"W-will that work? What if—what if you kill Owen instead?"
"Feh, he's survived worse." Gahi didn't actually know, but anything was better than letting Star have free reign.
Gahi disappeared in a flash; his green blur trailed through the halls, straight to the core. He spotted a heap of vines in the center of the corridor, a bright, glowing ball in the middle. That was Star, no doubt about it. He leaned forward—
A huge pillar of wood slammed into Gahi's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He spat blood when that same pillar slammed him into the ceiling.
<><><>
"I s-said... that's enough. Please, it's... just going to hurt me." Owen took a step forward, nearly losing his balance, but his exasperation fueled him. The flame on his tail got just a bit brighter. For some reason, seeing all of their backs toward him made it all worse. "Just listen to me."
Step snorted. "Stay down, child," she said. "Save your strength for when you can take back your Core."
"Be ready, Owen," Zena said, not sparing him a glance; she was too focused on Hecto, like all the others.
Hecto's eyes flashed as if he was giving off a warning signal. "Then you choose to defy Star? This is a fight that you all wished to assist. The fight against Eon."
Amia's hair matched Hecto's brightness. "I never agreed for anybody to take Owen away from me."
"Has Star been able ter do this all the time?" Manny said. "Just take us over? Fat chance I'll let 'er inter my realm again!"
"That's likely why she never did so until now," Step said, her eyes gleaming with malice. "She was waiting for the perfect opportunity to take the power all at once. To gather us together, so she can have Owen kill us all in one fell swoop. Because he's the easiest to control. Isn't that right?"
"Completely incorrect," Hecto replied. "Star intended to end Eon and the Hunters and nothing more."
"Your words are meaningless!" Step shouted back, and with that, she fired her icy blast. Manny, Zena, and Amia all fired their respective elements toward Hecto at the same time in a four-way onslaught.
Hecto retaliated with another Thousand Arrow volley, hundreds of beams of light knocking away at the individual blasts. The many Hands that connected Hecto to the Core brightened with every arrow sent out, channeling more and more of Star's divine energy into the fight.
Some of the fire and ice got to him, stinging his scales. Hecto winced, shrinking back from the four-on-one. Manny's Aura Sphere exploded on Hecto, the blast partly hitting the Core again.
"N—gh—!" Owen gasped, falling to one knee.
"Bah! Sorry, Owen!" Manny shouted, taking a more careful aim with his next one, but a volley of arrows struck him through the arm. He yelped and clutched at his shoulder, blue embers pouring out of the wound. The Aura Sphere that he had been forming fired at Hecto, but he brushed it away and to the wall. Step snarled and flicked her wrist, summoning a pillar of ice to bounce the Sphere back; it struck true, hitting Hecto on the head.
His eyes flickered; more energy channeled through and into his body, even as Zena prepared another Hydro Pump.
The Core glowed brighter.
<><><>
The heap of vines in the middle of the ruined corridors of Quartz HQ twisted themselves into something vaguely Charizard-shaped. Beyond words, Star looked at all the other mutants next; without warning, countless vines tore open the walls and the floor, entangling the mutants all at once. Some of them shrieked, struggling against them, flailing and biting and spinning. But even if they destroyed a few, more vines took over, thorns prodding into their bodies.
It started glowing. They screamed even louder, recognizing this feeling from before. The same thing that happened to Seviper and Tyranitar.
Lucas whined, his power uncontrolled and too weak to fight.
Lavender was not; he flailed one last time and curled into a ball. His whole body spun, knocking any vines from wrapping around him, and he rolled forward. The Scolipede bounced over even more lumps, screaming quiet apologies when he accidentally ran over some of his mutant brethren. He slammed into the pillar keeping Gahi in place next; at first, the gesture further crushed the Flygon, but then he was freed, both the pillar and Flygon falling to the ground.
Star's body exploded into even more plant matter, the bright, white core protected by a solid layer of wood, leaves, and brambles. The rest crowded around Lavender, slowing down his spin until he, too, became lodged in the mass.
He squeaked, shifting back to a Silvally. The strange bolts in his cheeks turned red and his body erupted in flames. "L-let go!" he screamed, but the more he burned, the more came to take their place. He turned cyan next, frosty air cracking and smashing it, but more came. He bit down with his jaws next, tearing away at the vines that tried to choke him, a Bug-infused aura further eating away at the plants. When that didn't work, he shifted to a clear white, compressed slashes of air ripping them apart. But no matter how much he struggled, the vines were faster to replenish.
Lavender screamed, as did the spirits inside him.
<><><>
Through it all—this battle between Guardians and gods—Owen gasped as residual damage struck his Core, and as he felt the very power within his body drain into Hecto, all for the sake of fending off the ones that fought in his place.
"Please..." But nobody heard him.
They were all fighting their own war, and he was just being dragged along for it.
"St... stop..." But nobody heard him.
Hot, burning energy bubbled in the back of his throat, but it didn't feel like fire. It felt like the sun. Why? Why did he have to be born into this position? Was he just designed to be this way? Trina had said that he wasn't born from the reckless hand of nature. He was designed with the careful hand of a creator.
"I'm... I'm so tired..." But nobody heard him.
What if he didn't like what the creator came up with? Eon turned him into something that he could raise as some underling forever. All of the mutants were like kids to him. He was like a kid to him. He wasn't some equal.
"I'm so... s-sick... of..." But nobody heard him.
<><><>
Star stared at Lavender, moving closer. Her movements were slower, almost a struggle. Her flames flickered. "You shouldn't exist," she said, her hand narrowing into a single point. "None of this should have happened. The Hunters, the mutants, the wars... Every single spirit here... none of you deserved this."
Lavender struggled even more, whimpering. "Th-these spirits are my friends! I promise! P-please! D-don't kill us!"
"Everybody here has already died once." Star pointed at Lavender. "I'm ending this... NOW!"
Star slammed her spear toward Lavender; a Psychic barrier blocked it, the spear clanging against the ethereal wall.
Star snarled. "WHAT NOW?!"
Lavender dared to glance behind him.
It was Rim, glowing again, with a fierce look right at Star, fearless against the god that had nearly killed her moments earlier. "No."
She held her paws forward, closing her eyes. Small embers flew from them, materializing into strange, black creatures in the shape of letters, each one with a single eye somewhere on their bodies.
"Unown?" Star hissed. "Why are they on YOUR side?!"
"Go."
The living runes swarmed Star without fear, blasting spheres of energy of all attributes toward her. Every attack was weak, yet built up, Star had to release Lavender to Protect against them.
"Don't think this is enough!" Star raised her hands, taking several Hidden Power strikes. A wave of vines took out half of the Unown spirits. Another wave took out most of the rest. Rim just summoned more. But that's what Star wanted; she let the smoke build up and let her blazing aura obscure even more of Rim's aura vision. Slowly, Star brought as many Hands as she could out without inhibiting Hecto's defense.
Rim squinted, eyes shining to see where Star's aura was. With all the smoke, normal vision was useless. But when she tried to see anything, all she could see was a blur of white fire in all directions—Lavender's spirit alone was blinding, and she could see the bright spot that was his spirit cluster. But Star was everywhere. In the walls, in the vines all around. Her core would be too hard to see, let alone strike, with all the chaos.
Rim realized too late that Star was in front of her. Intense pressure—vines constricted all around the Espurr. The last thing Rim saw was the white eye sockets of Owen's possessed body, and then a piercing pain in her back. Not vines, but Hands, sprouted from Star and into Rim. It didn't pierce her body; it pierced her aura, and further, into her spirit.
Rim blacked out when Star tugged. It came ripping out of Espurr's body, bloodless, yet with a flood of golden embers.
In that brief moment, Star could feel the Orb within Rim struggling to resist her hold. At first, she wasn't sure what to make of that. The Unown were easily influenced, from her past experiences with them. Impressionable and easily swayed, especially if they were attached to Rim's spirit. Perhaps they were working for her because of that reason alone—so well-synced to her mind.
That was just another reason to put an end to it so the Unown could think for themselves. She got Rim. All that was left was Eon. If she could get him to forfeit his Orbs—they could be done with all of this. No more hunting. No more wars. The Mystics can get out of Hot Spot and live normally. Maybe they can find a place to live in Kilo Village? Maybe when she was done apologizing to Owen, maybe when they forgave her in a few decades, they could laugh about it...
A sphere of pink clouds fell to the ground and Rim's limp body dangled in Star's clutches, eyes half-open and vacant. The few Unown that remained outside screamed, dissolving into the Orb again.
Star pulled her Hands from Rim and glanced at the Meganium nearby. She feigned a toss; her vines lurched forward reflexively. They locked eyes, and Star gave a quick nod, tossing the motionless Espurr to the Meganium, who caught her in a clump of vines.
Star squinted; two of her vines seemed to have been severed... A rush of wind blew past Star; she looked down. The Psychic Orb was gone.
Gahi, using the severed vines like gloves to keep the Orb from touching his body directly, flew straight for the warping wall. He muttered a number Star couldn't hear and vanished.
<><><>
The Core's radiance blinded them all. Owen closed his eyes, but his Perception let him see the whole field and all of its flurries. Amia was doing the most damage to the Core, her Shadow Ball strikes disrupting Star's control. But at the same time, it made Owen feel like throwing up, like he was going to rip apart at any second. But if he could just outlast it, then maybe—
Amia shrieked, but the cry was cut off just as quickly. The Core had blasted the Fire Guardian with a Psychic blast, followed by Hecto's follow-up Thousand Arrows when her guard was down. Owen felt the holes running through Amia's aura, and then felt her entire body burst in a flurry of blue embers. And then she was gone.
"M-Mom—!" Owen opened his eyes, blinding himself.
"Amia!" Zena shouted.
"Amia's down!" Manny announced.
"W-wait—where—where did she—" Owen frantically searched for her, but she was gone. Just gone. "St—stop! STOP!" Owen cried. "Where'd Mom go?! What happened?!"
"Aura sea! Precisely where we will send these traitors!" Step hurled an explosive chunk of ice toward Hecto, who dispelled it with another volley of arrows and divine light.
More energy; more blasts; more injuries. Owen didn't bother to keep track of it anymore. His mind was replaying the moment that Amia had vanished in his head over and over; the way her ember hadn't even gone anywhere. It just disappeared.
They were all bleeding their auras all over the ground; his Core was shining from something happening to his body. They fought over him, just so they could be the ones to control him.
That's how it always had been.
"I said to stop—I said to stop...!" Owen begged, but once again, nobody heard him. Those that did, simply ignored him. Zena, on the opposite end of the fight, was too focused on trying to free him. Manny was too busy dodging attacks from the god and her disciple. And of course, then there was Step, who was not only closest to him, but also the least likely to ever give him a chance to speak his mind.
"You aren't stopping—why aren't you stopping? I said enough! E-enough!"
Step snorted; her reply was a flick of her tail and another flurry of ice crystals toward Hecto.
For a brief, brief moment, that hot, boiling feeling his Owen's chest became unbearable, and he wanted to do nothing more than pass out and push it away. He wanted to curl up and cry to himself, to just forget that it was there. But now, with all of these spirits here, invading his realm, assuming what was best for him... He took that energy instead. A handful of filaments of light exploded from his back.
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
The ground heaved, a massive shockwave centralized around the Core sending the three remaining Guardians into the wall and Hecto flat on the ground. The Hands that had connected him to the Core separated, retracting inside. But Owen wouldn't allow that. Completely unaffected by the shockwave, Owen beat his wings and, in a single leap, slapped his body into the Core. Hitting it hurt him a lot more than he thought—it was like he'd stabbed himself in the heart.
He slammed his fist against the core, screaming. "GET OUT!" He ran his fist against it again. "I SAID GET OUT!"
<><><>
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Star roared, speeding through the halls right after Gahi fled. She only got through a few corridors, ignoring the flyby strikes of the mutants she'd passed, before her entire body seized up. "W-wait—no, that's—Owen! S-stop!"
The vines that had been holding the mutants all in place slackened. Most of them were able to break free in that brief lapse of focus; the rest were freed by the stronger mutants. All eyes turned to Star, but none of them attacked. It seemed like something was attacking from within.
"Owen!" one of them cried.
"Owen! Fight it!"
"Kick her out!"
"Owen! Wait! I'm so close! I'll give your body back in a second! Just—let—me—FIX—THIS—STOOOOP!"
<><><>
Hecto tried to get up, but another shockwave blasted him further into the floor; the other Guardians suffered a similar fate.
Owen brought his arm back one last time, one of the Hands spiraling around his arm until it enveloped his fist. He swung forward; it pierced the Core, the sphere glowing so brightly that the entire room looked white. Inside, he felt the presence of countless spirits, but he wasn't looking to take any of them out. In fact, he felt many of them helping, wriggling, shifting to press the one that he was looking for toward him, no matter how much she struggled.
Found her.
With a roar to drown out the pain, Owen tugged as hard as he could at the spirit he felt deep in the Core. He pulled out Star, and all of her Hands, where she struggled, startled, in his scaly grip.
"Urgh—what—what happened?" Star gasped, locking eyes with the huge Charizard that was holding her.
The typical, soft look that Owen always had was gone, replaced by a snarl that showed all of his teeth, and pupils that had become nothing but lines against his blue irises.
Star's many filaments twitched weakly; in Owen's domain, she could no longer do anything. With wide eyes, Star forced a cheerful, disarming smile. "H-heya... Owen... h-how's it goin—hrgnk!"
Owen squeezed. "Get out of my realm."
A sphere of fire formed in front of Star; for the briefest of seconds, the embers reflected in her eyes. Then, in the explosive inferno, she burned away.