Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation (2024)

Chapter 174 – Overseer Evaluation​

Ho-Oh was a lot bigger in person.

And imposing. Compared to Lugia, compared to any other Legend he’d met in Kilo, Ho-Oh radiated an aura of someone who… was far more than a Pokémon.

The metal sphere at the top of Citadark Isle was entirely hollow and decrepit. Constant wind and storms wore away at the structure, which had once been some mechanical marvel based on what Owen’s Perceive told him.

The center of the sphere had a distortion. A tiny, concentrated Dungeon that would be their ticket home.

Ho-Oh stood near that entrance, staring them down.

“I’m glad you’re here, Owen and Zena. And you are…”

The Charmander greeted politely, “Mu!”

Oh, good. At least Mu listened to that much. But the way she slouched again, that was probably the most politeness they’d get from her. What happened to that innocent vanilla bean in Alola?

Zena was already guarded. “How do you know our names?” she said. “And… you… you spoke our language. That wasn’t feral.”

Owen blinked. He hadn’t even realized. “What? Ho-Oh can talk?”

Ho-Oh shook his head. “I’m borrowing this body. Ho-Oh and I communicated in a dream and I explained things to him. After realizing the gravity of the situation, as a part of this reality’s pantheon, he allowed me to borrow his body. He is listening from within for the time being.”

“What?” Zena whispered. “What does that mean?”

“Then you’re an Overseer,” Owen concluded.

“The spirit of one, projected into a Legend’s body. But yes.” His expression grew firmer. “…Now, Owen, I’m here because I do not want you reentering Kilo until I perform a brief… evaluation.”

Owen’s tail flame popped. “Like a battle? Against a Legend…’s body?”

Ho-Oh nodded. “Yes. But it is only after we talk about the nature of the fight,” he said. “Owen… do you know why we’re aware of who you are and the world you’re from?”

He could guess a few things… but it was slowly occurring to Owen that what he said might become incriminating somehow. He didn’t know the extent of this person’s authority.

“Your countenance tells me you have more than zero idea,” Ho-Oh said.

Owen hardened his expression. Zena, meanwhile, shifted uncomfortably and looked around to find other things to pay attention to. This great sphere left little to stare at.

Outside, it was beginning to show signs of an overcast afternoon. The winds whistled through cracked and eroded sheets of metal that made up the sphere. A distant rumble reminded them that this was technically an active volcano.

“What do Overseers do?” Owen asked. “Patrol Ultra Space? We were talking to people in Alola about that.”

“Beyond that,” Ho-Oh stated.

“Beyond… Ultra Space?”

“Yes. In your language, I believe the closest word for where I am from would be… the Overworld. In your feral language, I think another term could be the Sky Past All Skies.”

For some reason, the latter made more sense to him. “Beyond everything? What’s… out there?”

“Everything else,” Ho-Oh stated. “And Overseers, of course, are people who watch all worlds to make sure no one world is in danger of plunging others into turmoil. If there is a risk of danger spreading beyond their local network, we step in. Usually with the cooperation of the local gods… I believe you know them as ‘Mew Star’ and ‘Arceus Barky.’”

Mu snorted. “His official name’s Barky.” She turned a page while lounging on Zena’s back.

“Cooperating with them…”

“Yes. The first Overseer we sent to you was Hecto. He acted under the guise of Star's emissary to investigate a... small risk. You see, Star and Barky are very new gods. This is their first world. Templated, even, for ease of creation. But something went unexpectedly wrong and Barky was unable to contact Star. He reached out to the Overseers to investigate; Hecto was who they sent.

“Afterward, we lost Hecto’s signal, so the situation was escalated. The one you know as Valle was sent next, but by the time he’d arrived, great damage was already done. A dark power sent shockwaves from the material world into the divine through Star… and Barky, seeing Star in that state, went into a brief, uncontrolled rage. This led to the destruction of the island you see here, today.”

Ho-Oh gestured around him.

“This island, formerly known as Quartz Isle, was erased from this world’s history. The souls within were rendered ‘missing’ forever, destroyed. That appears to be how this world reacts to… a Lockout. Even if they wished to restore them… the gods would not be able to. When a soul is destroyed in a universe, it cannot return to that same world. The fabric of its reality will not acknowledge it.

“…Or so we thought.”

“Wait—” Owen raised a hand. “But I’m here now.”

“Yes. And I have determined that you are the same soul that had been Locked Out,” Ho-Oh said. “Or, theoretically so. This means you were never destroyed at all like most of the others there, who had to be reincarnated into the world you know as Kilo.”

“E-excuse me,” Zena said, raising a ribbon. “I’m… confused. I don’t know what this ‘soul Lockout’ has to do with… anything here.”

“Of course. My apologies.” Ho-Oh bowed. “Who sent you three to this realm?”

“Necrozma sent Zena and I over,” Owen said.

“Mu came on her own,” Zena added, turning so Mu was in Ho-Oh’s view.

“Yo, bird up.”

Ho-Oh blinked, stoic as ever. “Yes. Bird up. I’m a bird today,” Ho-Oh replied. He then faced Owen and Zena again. “Necrozma might have sent you here as a mercy, though I wonder if it was to make you lost entirely after the same dark force possessed him. But instead, he proved that you were somehow spared from Lockout. Perhaps your proximity to Mew Star at the time of destruction shielded you enough from the blast. There could be others who were similarly spared… and that may have contributed to your latent talents in Kilo.

“Do you know of others with abnormal talent?”

“Abnormal talent…” Owen hummed. “I guess it’d… be the ones who climbed Destiny Tower in the first generation. You know, all the people who were directly reincarnated. I always thought it was because Star and Barky, you know, rigged the ascent so we’d have an easier time. Since we saved them and all that. But… Are you saying there was more to it?”

“I can’t say. It could have been both,” Ho-Oh said. “But… thank you. That may be important information to us.”

“Are you investigating something?” Zena asked.

“Yes. We are specifically trying to determine how dangerous Kilo’s existence has become. So far, two Overseers have lost contact with the Overworld upon entering this network. Each lost Overseer has led to an escalation of this network’s threat level.”

“Threat level?” Zena repeated. “Yes, it’s a big threat level—Dark Matter is the reason for all of this happening. Can you help?”

Ho-Oh didn’t reply immediately. He instead turned to Owen. No words were exchanged. Owen knew what would have been said. At this point in the world’s fall… an Overseer’s “help” was not what they wanted.

“We’re going to take care of it internally,” Owen said. “I just finished researching an answer here. I’m confident it will work.”

“Our records show,” Ho-Oh said with a sudden, distant coldness to his voice, “that you have done this before… Usurper Owen.”

“…Usurper… Owen?” Zena echoed. “Because of… how he tried to save Kilo?”

“Usurper is the title, translated, to give an individual such as Owen. It can only be applied to a mundane, ordinary mortal in the context of their reality. Someone with no divine instincts, training, or formal knowledge of the process of creating and maintaining a world. Then, this person, a Usurper, must gain those powers such that it rivals the gods in question, and then undermine the will of that world’s creator.”

The explanation left Owen feeling colder. An Overseer—this authority above the gods—was classifying him as an outlaw. He could sense the weight behind the term, even if it was merely a translation from some unknown language.

“And what happens if the gods are wrong?” Owen asked. “Am I still a Usurper?”

“Yes.” Ho-Oh nodded. “It is merely a descriptor. It can mean several things in context and we consider all of them. But you, Owen… When you undermined the power of the gods, who did you instead side with?”

Owen could sense Zena tensing. She was already preparing for a fight. He didn’t want that. Not against an Overseer.

“I didn’t want Kilo to be destroyed. It’s my home. If the Overseers’ answer to problems is to just… destroy our homes, all these lives that we made for ourselves, I…”

“You’ll oppose the decision,” Ho-Oh completed. “We know. And we understand your perspective. It is a common one. But… you sided with Dark Matter, the entity that is now spreading its influence into other worlds. We need information on what you know about this entity. Our knowledge of how it manifests in this world is limited.”

“I don’t… I don’t have time for that,” Owen said. “I’m sorry. I need to go back to save Kilo. I know that time is flowing differently here, but I’ve already been gone for so long. A whole explanation could take… a lot of time, you know?”

“Seconds are precious there,” Zena said. “A Usurper even more dangerous than Owen could hope to be is already harnessing Shadows for evil. Owen may have made mistakes in the past, but he always did what he did to help people. Alexander, this new Usurper, just wants power for power’s sake!”

“Are you sure of this?” Ho-Oh asked.

The foul look Zena gave Ho-Oh… Owen only saw the Overseer flinch thanks to his Perceive.

“Yes,” Zena said, her voice suppressed and even. “I’m positive. Objectively, he has only caused suffering to keep others down and has absorbed spirits to bolster his power. Owen may reflect powers, but he also tries to empower others when he can. We just spent the last few moons researching ways for mortals to defend against Shadows without us.”

“I see.” Ho-Oh nodded. “We understand your rush. But this will not take long if you consent to our procedure.”

“How long will it take?” Owen asked.

“On this planet’s timekeeping system, it should be done within the hour.”

“Oh.” Owen did some quick mental math. “Well… I guess they can afford to wait thirty seconds or so…”

“Raise your head and concentrate. Act as if you are… opening your mind to someone trying to communicate with you telepathically,” Ho-Oh said. “My colleague is waiting for you to reach out to him. Have you done this before with a deity?”

“Yeah, I talk with Barky that way, kinda,” Owen said. “I’ll try that.”

Owen tilted his head upward. It was a little awkward to do it when there was a decrepit metal sphere in the way of the sky, but that was all in the mind. The connection would work all the same.

Hello? Owen called, expanding his aura like unfurling ethereal wings. He peeled the layers back, searching for something with a sixth sense.

Suddenly, he felt like he was falling.

<><><>​

“Oof!”

And he landed in a very familiar forest an instant later, flat on his back. Gracelessly, he grunted and rolled until he was on all fours.

“Oh, not again,” he grunted. “I’ve had enough mental walkabouts for at least… ten lifetimes at this point…”

A canine Zygarde stood at the edge of the glade behind Owen. Compared to the one Owen knew, this one was thinner and… smiling. And not the creepy smile Hecto did when failing to look friendly, either. A genuine smile.

That alone meant this was a different Zygarde.

“Hey,” Owen greeted. “Are you, uh… the Overseer?”

“Yes!” Zygarde replied cheerfully, entering a sitting position. “I’m happy to meet you, Owen! I’ve read a lot about you in the reports. I know you very well, ah—Usurper may be an intimidating title, but it has a lot of good meanings, too!”

Something about this disturbed him more than most things he’d encountered the last year or so.

“Y… yeah…”

“Hm? Is something wrong? Oh, don’t worry!” Zygarde hopped to his feet. “I’m just here to get information. I promise, none of this will hurt, or harm you in any way! I can’t do that! You’ll shunt me right out!”

“I will?”

“Well, he will.” Zygarde flicked his head to the right.

In the shadows was another dim orange flame. Owen flinched. Wishkeeper? Here? But he was… in him, now. He was Wishkeeper.

“Mental guardian, sort of a representation of your inner psyche. Happens during spirit invasions. No need to worry! I’ll be right out, Mister Guardian!” Zygarde called in a singsong voice. “Oh! Where are my manners? I don’t think I’ve introduced myself. I won’t be here long, but you can call me Bean!”

“B… Bean.”

“Bean!” Bean nodded. “Because my tiny Cell form looks like a bean! And because my real name is hard to pronounce. That’s a translation-friendly name I was told about.”

“Okay. …Is my name weird to you?”

“Ah! I’ve studied this side of the Overworld’s language well enough. It’s not strange at all! But mm, if you ever wanted a name like mine… go for Tamato!”

“Huh. I like those.”

Bean giggled and turned around. “In any case, I hope you don’t mind if I put my paw on a few of these trees. I think they’re abstractions your mind is forming for your thoughts and memories. If you cooperate, this will be a lot faster!”

“S-sure, uh, what do you need?”

“I’d like you to think about everything you know about Shadows.”

“Okay, I can do that…”

And as Owen focused, one of the trees further into the clearing glowed brighter. Zygarde thanked him and trotted over to it, placing a paw at the base of the trunk. The light expanded into Zygarde’s body, whose hexagons flickered rapidly. Owen didn’t sense anything bad happening… He glanced at ‘Wishkeeper.’ He was watching like a silent sentinel, nodding at Owen. He, too, sensed nothing wrong.

“Okay.” Bean pulled his paw back. “Thank you! Now, do you mind doing the same for Radiance?”

The process continued, tree after tree. About Radiance, Dark Matter, Kilo, his time as Wishkeeper, Valle…

“So,” Owen said as they walked, “how often do you do these… memory dives?”

“Ohh… Not too often. I’ve usually been a scout, but I did fieldwork, mostly. Working remotely isn’t my strong suit. I hope this isn’t too slow for you!”

“No, uh, it’s fine. It doesn’t feel like a lot of time is passing…” Owen wasn’t sure how he knew that. Maybe it was some kind of… internal clock in his body or brain? The longer he spent thinking about it, the more he felt a headache coming on. He refocused on something simpler.

“How good are you at fighting?” Owen asked.

“Oh, not the best. I do like a good spar now and then, though. My colleague, the one inhabiting Ho-Oh? Not part of the same… culture.”

“Yeah, I kinda had that feeling.”

“He is trying, though. You know, you should suggest a quick spar with him!”

“How come?”

“It might help him understand you more. He doesn’t realize that Pokémon bond by fighting.”

“Bond by fighting… right…”

Michael mentioned something similar. And that bond, the flow of power, was the basis of the purification circle, too…

“Just one last tree, if that’s okay with you,” Bean said.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Could you think about the Voice of Life?”

“I’ve heard that one before… Right. Hang on.”

Another tree glowed like a torch down a long cave. The lack of birdsong or wind started to unnerve Owen. Did that mean his mind had no wind, either? What did that mean? Or was it because he was holding his breath, nervous?

Why trees, anyway? He was a Charizard! At least have a volcano, or a cool cave, or something… Maybe the Grass Core messed with his mindscape.

As they got closer, the tree’s appearance came into view. And this… was the strangest tree Owen had ever seen.

A tree was an exaggeration. It was like he was seeing the idea of a tree. Hollow, transparent, flat. When Owen turned, the tree turned as if to always face him, like an ethereal cutout that tilted to the angle of his view. It wasn’t there, yet it was supposed to be.

“Interesting…” Bean placed a paw on the idea of the tree, but it passed right through. “The only tree that’s not here.”

“Uhh—what’s… that mean? Am I forgetting it?”

“Oh, you can’t forget things in this state,” Bean replied. “This forest holds all your spirit’s experiences. I’m sure if you walked far enough, you might even find past lives! …If this world has reincarnation, at least. I don’t know that one.”

“Y-you know, Overseers have a bad habit of dropping… really existential things at random,” Owen said. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird to say crazy things like it’s normal?”

“Don’t you do that all the time?”

“What?”

“Hm?”

“…Well… anyway,” Owen said slowly, “what’s with this tree? Are you getting memories from it?”

“That’s just it,” said Bean. “This tree? It represents some segment of your memory that’s cut off. And if I had to check…” Bean scanned the environment around him, hexagons flickering. “This is the last one left. It must be frustrating… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Owen said. “I… have a guess where it is. So, I can’t recover these memories at all?”

“Not until you find that final spirit fragment. How interesting, though! This reality must be able to do that…”

“Do what?”

“Well, a soul doesn’t forget, and it is immutable. You cannot split or combine them permanently. But within a reality… well, then it would be subject to that reality’s rules. And here, it seems you can temporarily… split it. And therefore, utterly keep some memories totally inaccessible, even here!”

“We’ve had that happen a lot lately,” Owen said.

“Right, right. The Legend halves, yes?”

These Overseers were a little too thorough with their research. Owen wondered if they had a log on his favorite foods, too.

“Well!” Bean grinned. “I hope you find that final fragment of yours. I think I have everything that I need. Thank you so much for your cooperation.”

“I’m, uh, I’m not in trouble, right?”

“Oh, even if you were, we wouldn’t be able to extract you like this!” Bean nodded. “A soul can only exist in one reality at a time. You’re missing a piece! You’re anchored.”

“…That… didn’t answer my question.”

Bean smiled again. “You aren’t, Owen. You didn’t intentionally cause any of this and you aren’t capable of it, either. We don’t try to take people away unless they’re at that level. But… your friend, Dark Matter—”

“He’s going to be better,” Owen assured him quickly. “He’s been working with us to stop his other fragments.”

“Ahh, yes!” Even after getting those memories, Bean sounded surprised when he spoke of it. “Dark Matter, an ally…”

Owen nodded again. “I gave him a tiny piece of light or something. He can change. And… if I can, I’m going to complete that.”

“I see…” Bean seemed contemplative. “Well… That is a surprise, Owen. We’ll watch to see how this goes.”

“What happens if… it fails?” Owen asked.

Bean was fading away as if withdrawing to some other, upper plane.

“The world will be destroyed,” Bean said apologetically. “Now that it’s spreading into this world… we can’t risk much more. We hope, for your world’s sake, your plan works, Owen. There are no more chances.”

Bean seemed… grave. And then he was gone, leaving Owen alone with his mental guardian.

“No more chances,” he repeated. “This… this is it, then. Now or never…”

A great light enveloped the forest. Owen’s body felt weightless. He took a sharp breath… and felt himself wake up.

<><><>​

The thunder was getting closer when Owen awoke on his back, resting his head against Zena. Mu was reading a book and Ho-Oh had gone to meditate near the Dungeon’s rippling edge.

“I’m awake,” Owen murmured. “How long was I out?”

“Not too long,” Zena said. “About… half a kilo?”

“Oh, that’s not bad…”

“Good. You’re awake.” Ho-Oh nodded. “Well, it seems my colleague got what he needed as an update on this world. It seems that the decision is to leave things to you. And if you fail, we will step in to help.”

“And by help,” Owen said, “you mean you’ll destroy the world entirely.”

Zena flinched.

“Wow, that’s metal,” Mu hummed.

“I’m sorry,” Ho-Oh said. “But I believe now you know the consequences of faltering. Not only will Kilo be in danger, but this whole other world and all connected worlds will be in equal danger of falling to the Voidlands. You recognize that if you fail, the only safe option is to eradicate everything and halt the spread. Correct?”

Owen could sense Zena’s defiance surging in her tense body. But she said nothing. Owen wanted to defy it, too. But… what power did he have against someone who spoke so calmly about it?

“Do you not know how to fix it any other way?” Owen asked.

“Not without risk. And we already took that risk with Hecto and Valle. We are… done with risks, should you fail, Usurper.”

“That… title,” Owen said. “If I succeed, what will you try to do with me next?”

“You are observant,” Ho-Oh said, nodding. “But you don’t need to worry. If you properly hand over that power to skilled individuals to rework the reality, all will be well. You can return to your world and everything will return to normal.”

Owen nodded uneasily. “Okay,” he said. “Well… then I need to follow one last thing that Bean asked me.”

“And that is?”

“Can we fight?”

That disrupted Zena’s tense stance. “Owen,” Zena said, somewhere between befuddled and exasperated. “You can’t possibly—”

“No, no,” Owen said, “That’s what Bean said I should propose! To bond!”

“But with an Overseer?” Zena asked. “He apparently isn’t even a Pokémon, you know.”

“He’s one now.” Mu turned a page. “So that’s something.”

Ho-Oh shook his head. “Fine. If Bean asked that… I’ll humor it. But only…” He raised a wing but then glared at it like it was missing something. “…One strike. From each of us.”

“Uh, I’m out,” Mu said, rolling while still reading her book. “I’m, like, still a minor, or something.”

The three adults squinted at Mu, then looked back at one another.

“You’re aware,” Ho-Oh said, “that I’m a Legendary in this body, yes? I’m not aware of my strength as it stands. I could incinerate you where you stand.”

“I think I’ll be able to handle that much,” Owen said. “Zena?”

“Yes. We’ve… dealt with the gods before. We have the durability for it. Even if we’re weaker in this part of reality, I think it will be fine for one strike.”

“Just one, huh…” Owen’s wings drooped. “Not going to be a whole lot we can get through with that, but…”

“We’ll have to put everything we have into one strike, then,” Zena stated to Owen.

“Mm, exactly,” Owen agreed.

Ho-Oh tiredly fluffed up his feathers. “Right. Well, I have not battled in a very long time.”

“Do you… know how to attack?” Owen asked.

“I’m a bird. So, I’d peck at you.”

The hollow metal sphere around them groaned with another gust of wind. Zena gave Owen an incredulous look.

“He’s not trolling,” Mu stated, turning another page.

“You—” Zena squinted. “You don’t know how to use Ho-Oh’s moves, but you took on his body? What happens if you’re attacked?”

“I’m a scout, not a fighter,” Ho-Oh muttered. “Hold on. Let me consult with him.” He closed his eyes.

As Ho-Oh remained still, standing upright yet seemingly unconscious, Owen turned his attention to Mu.

“So, was that cringe?” he asked.

“Supergod Overseer dude borrowing a body he doesn’t even know how to use?” Mu said. “Yeah, kinda.”

Owen nodded. Good. He was learning.

“I believe I learned enough to channel one move for this,” Ho-Oh said, opening his eyes. “Are we ready?”

The energy in the air changed. Mu closed her book and hopped to her feet, lightly jogging several paces away. Zena shifted and tensed her muscles, entering a defensive stance with her feather-fan tail in front of her. Owen crouched and unfurled his wings, readying a shield. It gave himself away, sure, but he doubted Ho-Oh was experienced enough to sense that. It was just one strike anyway.

“Charmander,” said Ho-Oh, “could you call the match’s start?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Mu looked between the three of them. “Ready… go!”

Zena feinted and slithered to the right, distancing herself from Owen. She hid her head behind her tail, looking defensive, when in reality she was charging a Hydro Pump to strike at Ho-Oh’s flank.

Owen kicked forward, uplifting years of dried ocean salt mixed with rust from the ground. He spiraled to Ho-Oh, who deemed Owen to be the greater threat and opened his beak. His wings lit up with divine fire, spiraling around a sphere of heat in the middle of his mouth.

This attack… Owen wasn’t familiar with it. But he knew enough about the elements to copy it all the same.

When Ho-Oh fired, so did Zena, a cascade of water splitting across Ho-Oh from the side, drenching his feathers and knocking several out of their place. The Sacred Fire hit Owen’s swiftly conjured barrier, crawling around it and threatening to burn him even through that. This divine strength couldn’t be blocked by a mere Protect.

Owen landed harshly on the ground, salt crunching beneath his feet, water from Zena’s attack rippling in deep puddles. The fire sizzled in the water and boiled it into steam, obscuring Ho-Oh’s vision. Owen could tell by the way he was squinting.

But Owen held the advantage there. He seized that power, grasped at the threads of aura left behind in the blast, and curled it around his fingers like weaving a string or knitting a quilt. From his chest, he pumped Radiant energy into his claws, then combined it with Shadows.

That same sphere appeared in Owen’s palm, but now it swirled with a vortex of bubbling black and white embers. He hurled it forward like a softball, striking square in Ho-Oh’s chest where the energy exploded into a flurry of fire. Zena’s residual water bubbled off of him in a plume of scorching steam, cutting through his elemental resistances. That did real damage… even against this divine being.

Ho-Oh shrieked in surprise as the vapor dissipated. The dome creaked again, unbothered by their struggle but complaining about the impending storm.

And when Ho-Oh inspected his feathers again and as Zena lowered her guard, the Overseer bird finally chuckled.

“Now, what was that?” he said.

His gaze was… friendlier.

“Huh?” Owen asked.

“Just then. Did you… use some sort of telepathy?”

“No? I don’t know if I can do that to non-Mystics,” Owen said. “Especially not here… Everything’s weaker.”

“What do you mean?” Zena asked. “Do you mean… the feelings through battle, or something?”

“Is that how it feels?” Ho-Oh asked.

Now that Owen thought about it… he only sensed that kind of thing strongly in this world. In Kilo, it wasn’t as present…

“Yeah,” Owen said. “It’s a special property of this world. Pokémon communicate through battle. It’s like a conversation where you can’t hide your true feelings. Like… how I know you’re curious what I’ll do with this.”

“I see… I try to be stoic. I’d almost call it unprofessional.” Ho-Oh said. “But, if we’re being so transparent… I felt something curious from you two. Milotic… From you, defiance, fiery and desperate. You really wanted to hurt me, didn’t you?”

Zena flinched. “I… wanted to defend my world. And make sure I could prove it. If I couldn’t hurt you…”

“…Then how could you hurt Dark Matter,” Ho-Oh completed. “Yes. Your duty is in strength to save a world out of time.”

“I was born there,” Zena said. “Most souls there were. We deserve to defend our home, don’t we?”

“Well said.” Ho-Oh nodded. “And, Owen…”

“You felt…?”

“It’s what I didn’t feel,” Ho-Oh said. “You gave me a blast of energy that used both Shadow and Radiance. Darkness and light. Negative and positive, overflowing in both. In other worlds where we have seen this kind of interaction, it’s been given many names. Nihil, Blacklight… But personally? I would call it Chaos. Two energies not meant to coexist, swirling in a dangerous vortex ready to explode. Shadows pull up all of your doubts and negative emotions while suppressing anything that would have calmed you; Radiance forces your thoughts outward, turning you impulsive and erratic.

“Yet from you, I felt none of that. You have harnessed the power completely… and it does not corrode you.”

“I’ve had… practice,” Owen said. “I’m just a Charizard. But I had time to train with it, even when I didn’t realize it. I’ve been… exposed to that for so long that it’s become normal.”

“Yes. And yet…” Ho-Oh paced. “I sensed guilt. Self-reflection. Excitement… You do love your battles. But most of all…” Ho-Oh’s expression brightened so subtly that even Owen’s Perceive narrowly missed it. “That light in your eyes… it’s just hope, isn’t it? Mundane, simple hope that I felt… even in the face of so many adversaries back home. You’re returning with an answer and a dream.”

“And the sooner the better,” Owen said with a nod. “I hope it’s… enough. I want to fix this. Not just because I broke it, but because Kilo deserves better.”

Ho-Oh nodded. “Then face this Dungeon and pass into Kilo,” he said. “Consider it your final test before you can turn that hope into action.”

Mu jogged over to Owen and hopped onto his tail. Owen flicked his tail, flinging Mu up to his shoulder with practiced ease.

“Goodbye,” Ho-Oh said. “Should you fail, rest assured that your plague will not spread to other worlds. We’ll cut Kilo from its other neighboring worlds and find a way to destroy it.”

“Oh, sure, yeah. No big deal,” Owen muttered. “Just kill us all if we fail…” He understood why. But the Overseers’ perspective was… too insensitive for him to accept at face value. He had no choice but to save the world. Any other outcome was death or worse.

Zena led the charge to the Dungeon distortion in the center of the dome.

Ho-Oh continued. “But should you succeed… Well. Kilo’s fate is not sealed just yet. Good luck, Usurpers.”

His expression became firmer just as Owen walked through the Dungeon’s barrier.

“And I am not cringe.”

With those inspiring words to remember him by, Owen marched through the barrier with Zena by his side and Mu on his shoulder. He was leaving behind his original home, possibly for good this time. And he was returning to the one he’d truly spent most of his life in.

He wondered if his mother would approve of all this. His necklace felt just a little warmer. Somehow, in some way, Owen sensed that he was walking in the right direction.

<><><>​

“They’ve returned,” Barky announced.

CRASH!

Anam jumped in surprise, his slime dribbling all over his work station.

Demitri, behind one of the desks in their makeshift strategy room in Kilo Village, accidentally split the table in two. Hakk, Mispy, Jerry, and Star happened to be in the room with Anam; everyone else was out doing fieldwork with the stabilized zones in anticipation of Alexander's reawakening.

Demitri tried to push the splintered pieces of wood back together. It wasn’t working. “S-sorry. You startled me…”

“That table was elementally reinforced,” Hakk whispered. “How’d you split it like a toothpick?”

“Barky’s voice is super intense…”

“Wait, what did he say?” Star asked, lounging in a bubble of psychic energy while poring over documents of Dungeon findings. “Barky! Who’s back?”

“Owen, Zena, and Mu,” Barky said. “Gather everyone. I’m currently figuring out where he is… I need to return to Destiny Tower to get communications running.”

“Yo, wait up!” Star said, disappearing and reappearing on Barky’s back.

“What’re we planning on this end?” Jerry said, standing up straighter. “We don’t even have a tenth of Kilo back to normal. How can we even get Owen here?”

Skitter, skitter… Willow zipped into the building. “Nate says Owen’s back!”

“Yes. We know,” Barky said. “…Wait, why does Nate know already? Can he sense his life force, too?”

“How should I know?!” Willow growled. “What, you want me to ask that, too?”

“…Yes, actually. I feel as though Nate is keeping something from us when we can’t afford any variable to be left unknown.”

“Oh.” Anam shifted nervously. “…Um, I’ll go with you, Willow.” Anam had a feeling that Willow wouldn’t be very good at getting the information that was important…

“Get Diyem if you need help,” Barky dismissed. “We need to do our part to secure Owen.”

“O-oh.” Anam played with his feelers. “Okay.”

“Now then, Jerry…” Barky addressed the Aerodactyl again. “We’ve been coordinating with Owen on just where he’d enter. I can sense his presence and we’ll work from there,” Barky explained. “It should be another Dungeon near a powerful aura.”

“…Couldn’t that be Ghrelle?” Jerry said.

Barky closed his eyes. “I’ll let you know if it is through Willow. But I’m hoping not. Star?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Good luck!” Anam called. “I’ll, um, I’ll see Nate!”

And yet, not one empty street later, Anam stopped and waved at an incoming, gigantic leviathan made of darkness and eyes.

“Hey, Nate!” Anam called cheerily. “Thanks for letting us know about Owen!”

I’m going to head to Zero Isle Spiral.

“Huh? How come?”

I… need to meet Owen there.

Anam tilted his head. “So… Owen, Zena, and Mu turned up in Aramé’s place?”

The leviathan’s great five heads nodded.

“Um… okay. But, that reminds me, um, if it’s not too much… why do you need to meet him? Barky said, um… you know, that you know more than you say, so…”

Oh. I thought nobody noticed. I’m sorry.

Anam tittered but didn’t press more. If he did, he might upset Nate…

Okay, Nate said. Since we’re already so close… I’ll talk about it. But first, let me show you something…

Nate extended one of his heads forward. Anam leaned in, curious, as a golden mote of light flowed through that blackened body.

Anam gasped. “But that’s…!”

<><><>​

Warm, tropical air mixed with salty ocean scents. Sunlight bathed Owen, Zena, and Mu with liberating energy. It felt like an oppressive force had finally been lifted.

Owen deduced this was them returning to their proper domain, where they could use their full strength uninhibited. This was unmistakably Kilo.

But it was also still a Dungeon. Tall corridors made of seashells and stone mixed unnaturally with wood and grass sprawled in all directions. A mysterious force kept Owen and Zena from flying too high above them. Thankfully, there weren’t hostile, feral Pokémon, or even wraiths to bother them.

The walls of the Dungeon glowed a gentle cyan.

“This energy,” Zena said. “Is this a Mystic Dungeon?”

“We’ve never been in one with this kind of climate, though,” Owen said. “Unless…”

“We never entered the Dragon Dungeon,” Zena said. “Could this be it?”

“The Dragon Guardian, Aramé. And the final Divine Dragon…”

Mu leaned back while atop Zena’s head, grasping Zena’s horn to keep from falling completely over. “Well, that means we can go through easily, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s find the distortions. We have to go through it to get out.”

It was only a short walk. A few turns led them to one distortion, then another, and soon they found an empty chamber that had fewer strange walls. A stable zone.

Owen sighed. “Finally,” he said. Just as he passed through the stable zone, Zena and Mu disappeared from his Perceive. This was normal; his Perceive couldn’t go past distortions.

The problem was when they didn’t follow at all.

“Zena?” Owen said dumbly, realizing his voice wouldn’t carry through. He knew not to pass through again—that could send him to a random part of the Dungeon again. “What’s…”

He focused harder on his Perceive. Nothing, no living creature other than himself. He tried to ignore how much faster his heart was beating. After spending so many months with Zena and Mu in relative peace, the two suddenly being gone was shaking him.

No. He had to stay calm. He had to trust that Aramé was still an ally. Barky didn’t warn them about anything like this, after all. And he’d surely know after that Ghrelle incident.

His Perceive instead caught a note in the middle of the chamber, recently written and fresh.

“Please leave your horns in the basket before passing through. They are not allowed for this final test. Replacements have been crafted for you.”

Nearby was a basket with two horns that looked a lot like Owen’s, though he could tell they were made of clay.

It was a trap, but a telegraphed one. Whatever test he was going to take couldn’t be seen through his Perceive. Some kind of illusion, maybe? That in itself was a hint…

Owen sighed. If he disobeyed, he would probably be attacked. Could he defend himself?

No, that wasn’t what he had to be concerned about. Zena… Mu…

Barky, Owen thought gently in prayer, I’m here and in the Dragon Dungeon. Zero Isle Spiral. Aramé is asking me to remove my horns and proceed through her test.

I’m going to follow through with it. If you think I should fight back, if you think this is a trap… give me a sign.

Even across dimensions and within a Dungeon, Owen knew Barky would hear him. That mysterious connection the gods left behind was enough.

And for a while, Owen waited patiently. He watched the skies. He felt for tremors. He checked for glows.

Nothing came.

Maybe he should have asked for a sign if he should proceed. But… admittedly, he did not know if disturbances could go through. So instead, he called one last time. I’m going forward. If you didn’t want me to go, I couldn’t hear you. Send rescue if I’m going into a trap. Wish me luck.

Barky could have sent him word back, right? Or… was that cut off here? Aramé was strong. Supposedly the strongest Guardian.

He wondered why Aramé never fought alongside them.

The clay horns fit surprisingly well and felt cozy in their sockets. He left his true horns behind and hoped they would be returned. If not, Nevren had said they’d regrow after a few days…

But he couldn’t afford a few days anymore, could he?

Logically, this was a bad idea. Aramé could be a traitor, somehow. But his instincts told him it would work out. He knew Aramé from the past, vague memories of Wishkeeper informing him that Aramé meant well.

So, he put his faith and trust in her as he walked through the distortion.

The colors swirled, the labyrinth returned around him… and a strange light shone on the far side of the hall.

Owen’s arms tensed, ready for a Protect—but he’d been too slow. The light became a beam before he could react, slamming into his forehead.

“Aghh—”

He shambled forward a few steps and leaned against the wall. “What… what was that?” he huffed, trying to see more than a few feet in front of him. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision…

And he passed out.

<><><>​

Salty air. Tropical warmth. He remembered those. He remembered going on a mission for… something. He had to get back home to Hot Spot.

Right. He remembered that. Gods, he remembered a lot of that. And he knew he was prone to losing his memories. The pang of annoyance that followed informed him he lost them again.

“Alright,” he muttered, groggily standing up. “I fell for… a trap… Hello?” He squinted, rubbing his throbbing forehead. He took several more breaths and did a body check. Tail, blazing. Wings, a little stiff but fine. Arms, legs, doing well. Belly, a little overweight. He looked a little like a normal Charizard again.

Fine enough. Grunting, he got to his feet and stomped down the hall.

It was a labyrinth, a Dungeon, so there was a way forward somewhere inside.

Not five seconds later, he heard the sound of a small Pokémon sniffling. His nature took over. Someone needed help!

“Hello?” he called again.

The sniffling stopped.

“It’s alright. I’m here to help. I mean, I didn’t know you were here, but…” He walked down the nearest twisted corridor.

Just around the corner, in a small room, was a Charmander with his back turned to him. On Charmander’s back was the mark of Necrozma, a little birthmark like a vertically stretched star.

“Oh, hello,” he said gently.

Charmander, startled, sprang to his feet and took on a defensive stance.

“I-it’s okay, it’s okay!” He raised his hands and folded his wings back. “Are you… are you okay? What’s your name?”

The Charmander kept his guard up a while longer. Then, seeming to lose his will, he plopped onto his rear again, head down. “Owen,” he said quietly.

“Owen…” He didn’t know that name. “My name’s Charizard. Just Charizard. May I sit by you?”

“Sure…”

Charizard gingerly approached and took care not to shake the ground when he took a seat.

“Okay, Owen,” Charizard said gently. “What’s bothering you?”