Chapter 40 – Regrets and Reconciliation

Gawen watched silently as Demitri and Mispy recalled their past, or at least a small portion of it. They remembered bits and pieces of their first lives. Perhaps not all of it, but enough to understand exactly what had happened to them, and why they had been reset. Minds scrambled and left to insanity, spending centuries being slowly repaired by Rhys. At some point, Rhys must have spirited them away so they wouldn't have to fuse ever again.

The Flygon-Charizard fusion glanced at the Lucario in question. He was standing as he always had, stoic and silent, but the tension in his body spoke volumes. Compared to Owen alone, Gawen couldn't sense the extreme details, but it was enough. It was as if the guilt of a hundred lifetimes had concentrated itself into a thick, bitter bile in the pit of Rhys' stomach.

"It hurt so much," Demitri said in a shaky whisper. The Haxorus wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering. "My head was all over the place, and… a-and I didn't know what was going on, and… and I was just… I just had to move… I had to… I don't know what I had to do. I just had to… get it all out. F-fight…"

Mispy, next to him, wrapped her many, many vines protectively around her mate, pulling him close. Demitri flinched away—Gawen was certain it was because he was afraid of fusing with her, but she refused to let go. If anything, she held on tighter, pressing her head against his.

"It's okay," she said.

"Oh—M-Mispy…" Demitri shuddered again, giving in. He fell toward her, squeezing five of her vines close. The remainder wrapped around him until he was pressed against her main body. She craned her neck, brushing her cheek just above his axes. Even if she couldn't feel pain, she knew that it upset him if she accidentally cut herself on his axes. The muscle memory of how to hug him despite the axes returned to her immediately.

Demitri sniffled, relaxing when he was finally enveloped. He remembered her scent. It was always strongly of plant life like this, like grass sliced by his axes. He always liked the smell of cut grass. Now he knew why. Demitri deflated against the monstrous Meganium, still sniffling, but feeling relaxed.

Rhys and Manny both subconsciously rubbed at their aura sensors. The former glanced at Gawen, briefly meeting eyes.

"I think we should all retire for the day," Amia said delicately. "Hopefully by tomorrow, or the day after, Star will have some Orb locations for us to look for. Not too many are left, right?"

"We know where a few are," Rhys said, "but I doubt any of them would be productive. Eon is going to send someone to the Frozen Oceanside soon, though. Likely Rim. We should be ready for that."

"Do you think if we ask Hecto, he'll tell us when Eon starts making another move?" Gawen suddenly spoke up. "I mean, by now he's probably trying to keep an eye on him, right?"

"No can do there."

Gawen glanced around, spotting Star's faded form hovering just behind Manny.

"Thanks, bud," Star said.

"Heh, no problem."

Star addressed the group. "Hecto still hangs around Eon to keep an eye on him, but Eon sorta keeps a lot of things from him. There's no way he'll find out if Rim's gone. I mean, she could probably just be heading out to get supplies for the army, you know?"

Gawen gulped. "R-right. Well, Hecto can at least check if something's going on in Frozen Oceanside, right? And Star, d'you know any other spots?"

"I thought I knew where the Bug Guardian was, but she must've moved again. And she's not talking to me, so I have to go scout around the spirit world again. I'll let you guys know if I find something. I also want to get a better read on where the Ice Guardian is in Frozen Oceanside. That place is huge. You'll freeze before you find her if I can't get a good read, so sit tight, alright? That's probably one reason why Eon didn't go there right away."

Gawen nodded, looking at the others. "I guess that's the plan. Thanks, Star."

"Gonna head off. Thanks, guys!" Star disappeared into Manny.

Amia tilted her head at Manny. "Now, why does she always pick you to get summoned?"

Manny shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe she feels safer since she's got a Type advantage. I know she hates goin' through Anam. Fits the pattern. Besides, I dunno. I don't mind. It's kinda cute. Don'cha just wanna scratch under her chin?"

Zena stared. "…No."

"Bahh," Manny waved a paw at them. "I'm gonna go train. Gotta try summoning Yen again. Figure if I can half-summon Star, ain't too hard ter make'm solid."

Demitri was composed enough to nod at Mispy. "I think we're going to take a… nap."

Rhys made a motion to go after them, but Mispy was already sliding off to their room, carrying Demitri with him. Something held him back, feet planted firmly in the ground. Others in the group dispersed as usual, and Rhys, looking lost, turned and walked to the training grounds.

"Hmm…" Gawen saw that while everyone was dispersing, nobody quite paid attention to Rhys, perhaps because the Lucario was very good at leaving without being followed. He always was quiet. But something was bothering him. The Owen half was screaming to follow after, and that was enough to convince the Gahi half to take reluctant steps along.

Watching Gawen from behind, Zena opened her mouth to speak—but Gawen was already too focused on Rhys to acknowledge much else. She winced.

Amia placed a hand on Zena's neck. "Don't worry, dear. Owen is still trying to remember things—and don't forget, that's Gahi in there, too."

"He didn't remember me, Amia." Zena looked at her. "I thought he was supposed to get all his memories back. But I didn't see a single… a single flash of recognition on his face. I was just another Guardian. What if—"

"Zena, Zena, dear," Amia said delicately, placing her other hand on her ribbon.

Alex stood on Zena's other side shaking his head. "You can't force this. Owen's mind is in a delicate state right now, and memories are probably going to be coming to him in flashes for a while. Maybe a few days, or moons, or… well…" He bumped his cannons together. He wiggled his arms against one another, almost like a hand puppet, like his hands were two heads debating an idea. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

"We'll help you, dear." Amia took her hands off of Zena to clasp them in front of the fin on her chest. "We've had to raise Owen for so long. We know he'll remember you eventually. We just have to jog the memories out of him."

Zena could only watch Owen, fused with Gahi, walk away. "Of course."


"Rhys?" Gawen called.

Rhys jumped. "Oh—Gahi—er, Owen, er…"

"I think Willow picked Gawen," the fusion said, flashing a resigned smile.

They didn't quite make it to the training grounds. The cave was still tall and wide, making Gawen's voice echo. Rhys slowly turned around, though he was looking at Gawen's chest rather than his face. Eventually, those eyes trailed to the wall instead, trying to look casual.

It only occurred to Gawen then just how small Rhys was, now. He was at least a head or two shorter than him, fully evolved. After half of him spending almost all of his life as a Trapinch or Vibrava, actually looking down at him was a surreal feeling.

It also occurred to Gawen that they had been standing in silence for a while.

"I, er," Owen's half fumbled.

And then more silence flooded in.

Rhys shifted his weight to his left foot. "Well, if you were looking to train with me, I'm still a bit tired from donating my aura matter to Demitri and Mispy."

"Right, yeah. Ain't a problem," Gahi's half said.

The following silence didn't last as long, broken again by Rhys. "How have you been feeling? Are you… acclimating to being fused together? Is that how you prefer things?"

"I mean—either way is fine. I guess we just never bothered breaking up yet," Gawen said. "And, actually, er… I think right now, I want to be two-in-one for this."

"For… this?"

This time, Gawen shifted his weight, almost mirroring Rhys' posture. It was impossible to ignore Owen's dulled Perceive like this, with just one Lucario and everything else motionless enough to satisfy Valle.

Gawen crossed his arms, and then crossed his wings over them. "I felt how you were when Demitri was breaking down."

"Ah."

His neutral tone was characteristic as ever, but his body had tensed considerably.

"Sorry, but you know I can tell."

"Of course. I cannot blame you."

"I just wanted to say that… even if it's hard on them, I'm still happy that we can finally remember who we are. It… it hurt a lot. Back then, and remembering it now. But we had to. Because before, it was like… living in a fog. It still is, but… for the first time, it feels like that fog is clearing up. Like my head can breathe again. Like I can actually see, even if it's still blurry, and there's still so much left to clear up, and…" Gawen rolled his eyes. "Ugh. You get it. I'm sick of Owen's side explaining it. He's too wordy."

Rhys allowed a smile to escape him. "Well, that, too, is something I can't blame him for. He always was the one to read the most."

"Yeah." Gawen grinned, unfolding his wings, then his arms. "Anyway, the real reason I wanted to come here is just, I'm sorry for how guilty you feel for all this. I dunno how hard it must've been to raise me—er, to raise Gahi and the others, like that."

"You're sorry? I'm the one who should be sorry for putting you through it all." Rhys looked away, paws clenched. "I shouldn't have allowed it to happen in the first place. All the ceaseless suffering… and for what? For—"

"Rhys." Gawen thumped his tail on the ground, startling the Lucario enough to break his posture. The thud echoed for several seconds, and in a way, it didn't seem to stop. "Enough."

Rhys raised his arms in some kind of protest against an invisible force, but then lowered them, along with his head.

"Enough of that already."

Rhys nodded. "Of course."

"We're moving forward, got it?"

"Of course." His voice was even smaller.

Behind the red lenses, Gawen's eyes softened. "There's one last thing I wanted to say."

Rhys listened without a word.

"The Gahi side of me never wanted to say it, but the Owen side ain't giving me a choice. I figure it's a good idea to get it out there." He looked down, trying to make eye contact, but all Rhys was interested in were the glowing mushrooms in the corner of the cave that gave the hall its light.

"For all the time you spend raising Gahi, and Demitri, and Mispy, and for all the trouble you went through just to fix us… when it could've been easier to just leave us, or to just let us keep being weapons, or to control us, or… anything. For taking the hard route to make us better… I just wanted to say thank you. And… that I love ya, Pops."

Far in the distance, like a faint echo, Willow screeched at Enet about playing unfairly, and that she was going to shrink her and stomp her into the ground. Then, the panicked voice of ADAM drowned them both out, followed by blaring an alarm signal. That, too, was so faint that it quickly faded into nothing.

Rhys brought his paw to his mouth to hide his smile, but a chuckle betrayed him. He looked at Gawen directly for the first time, the Lucario's expression brimming with a strange light. His paw migrated to his eyes next, tilting his head back. The little chuckles got a bit louder, accented by sniffles.

"Pops," he repeated. "Oh, such an informal nickname, Gahi. And you'll never call me that as yourself, will you?" He laughed again, his mouth some strange combination of a smile and frown. "Oh! Pops…"

Gawen stepped a bit closer, bringing a hand on his shoulder. Rhys couldn't see, but he felt it. His body immediately leaned forward, though his free arm didn't move just yet. Gawen wrapped his wings around the small Lucario, pulling him closer. He had to lean a bit awkwardly to get at a good level with him, but that was okay.

Rhys' laughing eventually died down, replaced by quiet, undignified sniffles. Gawen took care to avoid the spike on his chest, but otherwise kept the Lucario in a full, warm embrace. His undercoat was so matted. He smelled vaguely of Pecha Berries that had long since gone bad, but it was only noticeable when he was right next to him. Little imperfections.

Rhys finally composed himself enough to speak, still holding Gawen close. "That's all I ever… that's all I ever wanted to hear. Oh, Gahi…"

Gawen slowly let Rhys go. He resisted at first, so he stayed that way a while longer. The sobbing Lucario eventually relented, releasing the mutant fusion to stand properly. He stretched, cracking his back once.

Rhys made one last sniff, wiping his nose with the side of his paw. "In any case," he said, accompanied by a sigh. "I did intend to meditate. I may spar with Manny again if he is not too busy with summoning his mate."

"…Wait. Mate? Yen?"

"Apparently so, from chats I've had with him," Rhys said.

"…You guys chat?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"You guys are, like, complete opposites."

"Two sides of the same coin, hm? There is a lot to empathize between two Lucario."

Gawen still seemed unconvinced, but he nodded anyway.

"Would you care to join us? Perhaps we can spar or train as well."

At that moment, the two halves had completely different answers. Gahi wanted to lean forward to speak, while Owen wanted to look back. The result was a Flygon's head moving forward, while a Charizard's head pulled back, the original head splitting in a clay-like two before solidifying to normal.

"Hah, you bet I wanna—"

"Well, actually, I think I'm—"

The disorientation of two heads trying to control the same body made the partial-fusion fall over, caught only because Rhys was quick enough to break the fall from below.

"W-wait! Stuck! Can't—Gahi, quit moving the tail!"

"Stop movin' my arm!"

"F-focus! Just focus!" Rhys said from below, holding them up. "Perhaps it's time you separated, yes?"

"Okay, okay. Just give me a second. We did it before." Owen tried to turn his head, but his neck muscles weren't quite cooperating. "Gahi? A little help?"

"Hang on, hang on," Gahi muttered. He planted his feet on the ground. "Rhys, grab Owen's arm. Owen, wiggle yer arm. Yeah, that one. Got it? Okay, now pull… little more…"

With a tug and some focus, they separated out into two halves. Owen stood up, making sure that his flame was singular and his scales were orange. Gahi made sure his tail wasn't on fire and his body was sleek. "Finally, yer outta my headspace," Gahi snorted.

Owen grunted, holding back his own words. Instead, he nodded at Rhys. "Um—thanks, again. I'm gonna head back and… read something. I need to relax. A fight sounds nice, but… I don't know. I don't think it's healthy."

"I understand," Rhys said.

"I don't." Gahi snorted. "See ya, nerd!" In a green blur, he flew deeper into the caves.

Rhys watched, then followed, a noticeable spring in his step. It didn't take Owen's Perception to see it. The Charizard smiled at the thought, returning to the rest of Hot Spot. It wasn't a very long walk, and in no time, he spotted his home, the gentle glow of Alex's shoulders illuminating the inside of the home a bit more than the rest of the mushroom-lit caverns.

"I'm home," Owen called, tapping his claws on the doorway. "Everything alright?"

"Owen! You didn't go training with Rhys? And what about Gahi?"

"That's who went training." Owen laughed, heading to his room. He plopped onto his bed belly-first, tail raised in the air while he rummaged through a little alcove near the back of his room, searching for a good book to read. Something light. Academics were nice, but he wanted something a little more on the entertaining side.

Maybe The Steel Chemist—he couldn't remember a few of the volumes, so it would be worth reading again. Or maybe he could reread Perish Book? That sounded better. He grabbed the comic and placed it delicately at the edge of his bed, but then another thought crossed his mind. He couldn't read without getting it taken care of first.

Owen sighed, sliding the book away. He quietly stepped out to see Amia preparing dinner with Alex. Small portions, since they didn't really have to eat; it was mostly for Owen. "Hey, Mom? Dad?"

"Yes, dear?" Amia asked.

"I just wanted to say, um, since I don't think I said it before… I mean, er…" Without Gahi, somehow the words were a lot more difficult to come by. Let alone being able to say it. "I…"

Amia and Alex both turned fully this time, the Magmortar of the pair hesitantly approaching. "Are you feeling okay? What did you want to say? Does it have to do with… your memories?"

Gahi was always someone to take action. To step forward without really thinking about it. It was stupid and reckless. But sometimes, was it the right thing to do? Was he overthinking this?

Amia stepped forward next. "Owen, if—"

Owen brought his arms and wings out, grabbing them both. He pulled them in, wrapping around them, and closed his eyes. Alex suppressed a yelp in surprise, while Amia let out a quiet "Oh!"

"Thank you," Owen said.

Amia and Alex looked at one another over Owen's shoulders. They both smiled, returning Owen's gesture as well as they could. Alex leaned in, gently tapping his left cannon on Owen's back.

Far away, watching through the simple window into their kitchen, was a Milotic. And while there was a pang of envy and longing at the sight of Owen having such a close moment with two others… Zena still smiled and retired to her home.


The rest of the day passed with little happening. Hecto indeed kept an eye out for any possible movements from Rim, but nothing suggested that she had headed to the Frozen Oceanside, or anywhere else, all through the night. Still, that didn't keep some in Hot Spot from getting antsy while they waited for Star to talk about any leads on where they could be.

"Can't we just go to the places we know about?" Owen had said.

But the reply was simple. They were too exhausted from the fight against their berserk fused form to do much of anything for the day. Instead, they spend the night recovering, and felt refreshed by morning.

And to their fortune, Star had returned with news, summoned once again by Manny. "Gather everyone up! I've got three places we can look!"

Gahi and Owen had been in the middle of practicing their fusion technique again. They were getting better at the transition, though separating still took a lot longer than fusing. Demitri and Mispy were a bit more hesitant, more content with spending the day sparring with one another.

"Oh, hey, you're fused together again," Star said. "Feeling alright? Who's active right now?"

"Uh… both?" Gawen said. "I guess we sort of just shift around when we need to, but right now I'm feeling pretty fifty-fifty."

"At least he took on Owen's vocabulary," Demitri mumbled to Mispy.

"I heard that," Gawen said. "Don't think Gahi isn't still around, y'know."

"Kept Gahi's attitude," Mispy giggled.

Gawen grumbled, shaking his head. "That reminds me, Star," he said, noticing that the others had yet to fully gather, "in our memories… you were solid. How come? I thought you were dead even before all this happened."

"Oh, I was… I was actually there," Star said. "I'm… not allowed to do that anymore."

"Wait… you mean…" Demitri said. "You mean that's why you never, um, physically visit this world anymore? Because Arceus doesn't let you?"

"We don't let each other," Star said. "Barky came down after I split you four up, and… and he wasn't very happy. So, we sealed each other off, trapped in the spirit realm until we both agree that we can both descend without a summoning. So… basically neither of us can come down at full strength anymore."

"Wow…" Demitri said. "So, you guys are… in a standoff, kinda?"

"Pretty much," Star said. "Isn't really any other way to phrase it than just a divine deadlock between the two of us…. Which, by the way, is probably why he's so obsessed with this Orb business. If enough Orbs get into either of our hands, well—we'll overpower one another, and who knows after that. Whoever gets all the Orbs will tip the scales."

Gawen nodded. "…But… I'm not aligned with you, Star. Or Ba—or Arceus. Why would you want me to have an Orb? After all, you were the one who…."

"I guess," Star said, "I… think you'd know to make the right choice, in the end."

"That's not part of my design, is it?" Gawen said.

"No, no, nothing like that," Star said. "Just, once you guys all get together—"

"We're going to just put an end to what's happening and live peacefully," Gawen said firmly. "No pooling the power together. We're stopping Eon, and then we can be done." Gawen frowned. "When can we do that, anyway?"

"Once we have everyone we can have," Star said. "This is gonna be the last of it. Barky's Trinity isn't gonna help, but I want to at least give one more shot to the second person there. The Dragon Guardian's a no-go, but the Poison Guardian is… maybe there's a chance? I say we try. Don't worry—I'll go over that when everyone else gets here."

It didn't take long for everyone to be gathered, but Star's instructions were quick. She sighed, sitting on top of Gawen's head. "Alright, here's the deal. We've got the last three Guardians that we want to check out, and hopefully these can go without a hitch. Bug, Poison, and Ice. The last one is Dragon, and we ain't gonna touch that one yet."

"Why not?" Gawen crossed his arms, incredulous.

"You wanna die?"

Gawen frowned, tri-flame tail flicking. "Y'know, if this Dragon Guardian is so strong, how come Barky doesn't just send that one to Eon and be done with it?"

"Ask Barky that one," Star said. "Maybe we can have a talk with her after Eon. I'd rather take on a known evil than her. Alright?"

"I bet the Dragon Guardian is just cool and you don't like that." Gawen growled.

"I can't… tell if that was Owen or Gahi," Star said. She looked at the others, but they seemed equally unsure. The Mew rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's keep going. So, here's the thing. Poison Guardian, I have a team set up for that. I know how she is, and I think it'd be a good idea if the most agreeable personalities went there. So… just from my guess, that's gonna be Owen, Enet, and Amia. Oh, and, uh, I guess Gahi, since… you know."

"You sure Gahi won't be a bad influence?" Amia said.

This earned an offended look from Gahi's half, nearly splitting their heads apart; he slammed his hands on either side of his skull, as if that helped to physically keep them in place. "Not funny," Gawen muttered.

"Perhaps I should go instead." Rhys raised a paw. "As a Steel Type, I would—"

"No, no," Star said. "Bad idea. You four are fine," Star said, "And, Rhys, I think you should go to the Bug Guardian instead. You will be more useful for that. Manny, maybe… you, too. Demitri, Mispy, I think it'd be a good idea for you to go with."

Amia frowned. "Well, Anam could still go to the Poison place, right?"

Gawen, exasperated, said, "How come yer so against me?!"

"Gahi will be fine," Star said. "And about Anam, I know I said that, but…" Star looked up. "Where is he? He's still at Kilo Village, and I dunno if he'll be back for a while. I thought it'd be a quick little trip, but something must be keeping him. Is Nevren answering any of you?"

"No, not yet," Amia said. "Should we try contacting him again? Perhaps they're caught up in paperwork again."

"Yeah, try that," Star said. "I'd go try talking to Anam again, but those Ghosts play pranks too much in their realm… It's hard enough to go through them, but they've been pretty antsy lately. Anam was just about to summon them against you, Gawen, but once he held back, well, they're still pretty angry about it. If I go now, I might have a problem leaving." She shuddered. "Something about that place… doesn't sit right with me."

"Must be your Type," Manny said in a half-joke.

But to Gawen, it still didn't settle right anyway. Anam was their strongest Guardian—shouldn't he be accompanying them? "Hmm, well, we should probably keep Anam in mind once we're done with these Orbs. While that happens, we can check out the Poison Orb."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Star said. "Rhys, how about you go to the forest with Demitri and Mispy?"

"Eh, I'll tag along, too," Manny said.

"Okay, that works. Another team of four. Zena, you think you can handle the ice?"

"Oh, er…" Zena glanced at Gawen, then at Amia, who gave her a small, apologetic smile. She sighed, looking back at Star. "Very well. If it's necessary."

"I wanna go too!" Willow said. "I said that last time!"

"I shall go as well," said ADAM. "I feel that a team of three is adequate for that location. Valle will accompany me; four will be a redundant and secure amount."

The Shiftry statue was unmoving as always, but finally spoke up. "I did not agree to this."

"You will accompany me." ADAM turned his head, and only his head, to the Shiftry statue.

The cave rumbled quietly. "Very well."

"Okay, okay," Star sighed. "You two Luvdisc can go. Someone leave a note for Anam to see when he gets back so he doesn't freak out that everyone left, alright? You know how panicked he gets if he feels alone."

"I'll get to that," Amia said.

"Okay, team. Let's break! Don't forget your communicators!"


"You know, Owen," Amia commented, "you're very obsessive about everybody's inventories. I think you were starting to rub people the wrong way."

The forest was an odd, hazy purple color. The trees were dark, and the leaves were a sickly violet. The ground felt cold and sticky, despite nothing actually sticking to their feet. The Dungeon itself was not a labyrinth like the normal variety they were used to; instead, it seemed to be by the Poison Guardian's personal design, a simple, flat, and open field of trees.

As they passed by, a hazy Pidgey watched them from above, flying away when they got too close.

"But—but you saw how they were preparing it! They had clear holes in their inventory." Gawen, with Owen as the dominant mind, pleaded his case. "Willow didn't even pack Oran Berries! Who goes on a mission without Oran Berries? Even if you're Mystic, you can't go unprepared. A single Oran Berry can mean the difference between life and death, you know. It'd be even better if you brought two. Or three."

Enet nodded. "They taste good. And things that taste good are good."

Amia rubbed her head. "Well, that's true, but did you really have to sort through their items one by one?"

"Well, I found that empty Elixir bottle in Demitri's bag, didn't I?" Owen said. "I knew something didn't feel right. What if he ran out of power for Dual Chop, tried to restore his aura, and got nothing but an empty bottle? They'd be done for!"

"O-okay, Owen, you made your point," Amia said.

"And Rhys! I can't believe him! I thought he'd be better about it, but he didn't even bring a Petrify Orb with him. It's not as if he has crowd-control techniques, either. Just because he has super cool aura powers doesn't mean he might get hit from behind. One ambush and—okay, okay, she said she gets th' point already! I'm takin' over, yer actin' up!"

Amia sighed. "Thank you, Gahi. I think Owen was getting more worked up than he needed to."

"Yeah, no kidding." Gahi snorted. "I was considering de-fusin', but af'er that, I'm gonna let'm simmer down."

"He talks a lot," Enet said. "Big words."

"Feh, worse 'n Rhys," Gahi said.

Enet nodded. Uneasy, the Zoroark took in their surroundings. They had been going through a forest, and the last river they passed was quite clear. But now it was starting to smell a bit different, and while she at first thought they had passed by a river, it was actually a thick stream of bright, purple sludge, the consistency of flowing mud.

Something dripped from a branch above them. Amia reflexively touched her shoulder and shrieked. "Oh—GROSS!"

"Wh-what?!" Enet's fur puffed up, making her look twice her size.

Amia flicked her hand against a tree trunk; purple goo spattered against the wood. "Poison Guardian indeed—oh, where's my Pecha Scarf, I'm just going to mmmnfff…" Amia tied the scarf around her face.

"Stinky," Enet complained, grabbing her own scarf.

"Good thing I prepared for this…" Owen said, taking over the body. He grabbed a scarf and wrapped one around himself. There was a spare in the bag in case they decided to separate.

They weren't even sure where the goo came from—inspecting the trees above revealed nothing. But they were certain that the Poison Orb was here. They felt the Mystic aura getting stronger, corresponding directly to the prevalent, purple fog that polluted the atmosphere. But Owen sensed another presence nearby that didn't get stronger nor weaker. Were they being followed? It felt… vaguely familiar. It was recent, compared to his long, long life—but it still felt distant. Probably a reset before his current memories, or two, or maybe three. Someone he met in a previous 'life,' in a set of scattered memories.

"Is that…?" Owen mumbled.

"Is what, dear?" Amia asked.

"I think someone's following us."

"Oh? W-well—we wouldn't want to frighten them. Maybe you should separate."

"Frighten?" Owen asked. "What, I'm scary er somethin'?" Gahi asked.

"…You… are very kindhearted," Amia said delicately. "You don't seem very scary since we know you."

Owen's wings drooped. "So, I look kinda…?"

"Big and strong and scary." Enet nodded.

"Oh, Owen, it's not your fault!" Amia said. "Or you, Gahi, it's just—how the dragon Pokémon tend to look, usually! It's just how you are, but it has nothing to do with—"

"Okay, okay." Owen sighed. Despite it, he smiled. "I'll de-fuse. I think I still sense—whoever it is…. I swear I know who it is, but…"

After a bit of focus, Gahi stepped forward from the malleable body of the fusion; Owen closed up behind Gahi, rubbing his chest to make sure everything was where it should have been. He didn't feel as empty. Maybe he was having an easier time fusing and parting, both mentally and physically, now that they were more in sync—or perhaps because he was starting to get sick of sharing a mind with Gahi.

"What d'ya see?" Gahi asked.

"I see…" Owen closed his eyes. "…It's an… it's someone sneaking around, I know that. And he's been following us for a little while… W-wait! Hey!" Owen shouted, pointing at a nearby bush. "It's—it's Aerodactyl!"

"Eh? Wait, yeh talking about the one from way back then, ehh… that was the life befer this one, right?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I was a Charmander, but it was before the last time our memories got reset. H-hey! Aerodactyl! I thought you were serving time!?"

At first, there was no reply. But then, a moment later, he emerged, smirking. "Well, look at you," he said. "All evolved in such a short time. Guess you were a late bloomer after all… eh?" He snorted. "…I escaped. Turns out it's pretty easy to just fly away if you find the right opportunity."

"B-but… but you could've gotten a job! And everything!" Owen opened his wings and arms completely, as if protesting reality. "Wouldn't that be better?"

"Ugh, what sort of bleeding heart are you?" Aerodactyl said. "Look, Charizard, I dunno what your deal is, but that boring kind of life isn't for everyone. I'm a Pokémon—and I can live off the land as I please!"

"Um, Owen, who is this?" Amia asked.

"Smells mean," Enet said, growling.

"He's that outlaw, remember? The one I got on one of my last missions before all this Orb stuff happened. He must've escaped and hid here where nobody could get him…."

"Yeah, well," Aerodactyl hesitated, "That's exactly it. Problem is, this place isn't exactly the best place to hide, either. Can't get too close to the center without feeling sick. Nobody comes here. No food to steal. And all the fruit tastes… tainted." He looked off. "But it's still better than how I was living after you caught me."

Owen held his chest in a similar way that Amia does, with his right arm against his heart. "B-but I was trying to help! You can't live this dangerous life! There aren't enough… resources to keep living that way!" Owen looked Aerodactyl over, realizing that he seemed skinnier than an Aerodactyl should be. He could see his ribs pressing against his skin, and his legs looked like they were barely able to hold him up.

"Pah! It's better than struggling just to make ends meet. You have it easy. You're strong, and part of the Thousand Hearts. Did you ever wonder why so many people want to get into such a dangerous business? Or why there are only really a thousand of you at any one time?"

"B-because of standards? Right? And because it's for people to help everyone! What else would you put yourself at risk for? And—and you could take a job that isn't rescuing, too! You could help clean the buildings, or gather food, or—"

Aerodactyl snarled, cutting Owen off. "I can't live off of that without living my whole life doing it. Look at you, all pampered and groomed to be a Heart. And don't think I don't know your story." He pointed at Amia. "You used to be a Heart, too! Now I don't know why you're still alive after all this time, but you guys are part of a long line of Hearts. The elite class! And then there's us, at the bottom. As if we ever had a choice."

Amia flinched. "I—I'm not who you think I am," she said. "Gardevoir simply don't live that long."

"I'd bet you come from that line, though. Am I right? Of the Fire Clan? My family line was at the bottom ever since our little feud with yours. That's how the story goes, and it seems pretty obvious, even now, that it's true!"

"Fire Clan?" Owen said. He had no idea what that was. He deduced that this was how the Fire Orb was presented to the general public, and based on how Amia had suddenly flinched and closed in on herself—even if it was slight—perhaps Aerodactyl was saying the truth after all…

Aerodactyl snorted again. "I'm in a bad mood. I haven't had a good meal in days. But you know what really fuels me? It's seeing folks like you who don't know how the world really is. It's time to even the playing field!" He got into a battle stance, wings forward and jaws clenched. "Give me all you have, and I'll let you go. Otherwise… You'll die, right here!"

Enet hissed, fur on end.

"Honestly…" Owen rubbed the back of his head, playing with his left horn with the tip of his claw. "Aerodactyl, c-can't we talk? It sounds like we have like three layers of issues to go over here! Maybe we can—"

"I'll talk if you hand over everything you have."

"That's not right, either, y'know!" Owen said.

Gahi beat his wings, kicking up a small cloud of hazy dirt. "Bah, ferget this guy! Let's beat 'im up!"

"Gahi, we can't—this isn't a normal Dungeon. If we defeat him here, he might not get sent back—and we don't even know if he'd be able to survive an ejection anyway. Look at him!"

"What, scared?" Aerodactyl said, maintaining his stance, but it didn't take Perception to see his trembling form. He was fueled by pride alone.

"Ngh… then we'll beat 'im up gently," Gahi muttered.

Owen considered their options. What Gahi proposed, at this point, was probably the best thing they could do. "Enet, stay back," he said. "I don't think you can attack softly, and I don't want to hurt him."

"Attack… softly?" Enet asked. "Like playing?"

"Not… not really. We'll handle this one, okay?"

"Hmph…" Enet didn't fight it. She took a few steps back; her foot landed in more of that purple slime. She winced and kicked away; it stuck between her paws. She sat on a nearby rock, picking away at the goop with her claws.

Owen stepped forward.

"Oh, really?" Aerodactyl said. "Hah! Charizard wants to fight?"

"Yeah," Owen said.

"I'm a lot stronger than before, you know," Aerodactyl said. "Don't think this'll be some easy repeat compared to last time!" He slashed at the air, making a small shockwave that nearly knocked him off balance.

"That's cool," Owen said uncertainly. It was a strong hit, but he had nearly fallen over from pushing too hard just with that. "I guess that training helped you out, huh? You know, with all that work, you might've even made it into the Hearts…"

For some reason, this made Aerodactyl's face screw up into some strange mixture of anger and desperation. He opened wide and chucked a Rock Blast straight toward Owen. The Charizard ducked—the blast hit Gahi, standing behind him, instead.

The three consecutive blasts broke open against the Flygon's head. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the small wound.

Owen started to walk forward; his lithe frame, for a Charizard, allowed for easier movements, even up close to his opponent. Aerodactyl took a nervous step back. "S-stop dodging!" He took another step. "How d'you know where all my attacks go?" But then he smirked. "Heh… got you!"

Nothing happened.

"E-eh?!" he said. "But—but the—" He looked down. Owen's legs had a small tint of green; vines had covered the pitfall he had set. "Where'd those come from?! Y-you—got lucky!" Aerodactyl tripped on another vine and fell backward. His wings beat frantically to stand up, but by then, Owen was right in front. In a panic, Aerodactyl lunged forward. His teeth sank into Owen's arm—powerful jaws that could split logs in half, normally. And yet… when Aerodactyl crunched down, nothing broke. No blood spilled; not a scale got dented. Owen's body simply resisted the attack—bending against the teeth, yet not breaking. The aura behind his strike was gone.

"Aerodactyl… A lot's changed. I'm not that weak Charmander anymore. And you're… starving. This just… isn't worth my time. Please, just go. If you go back… I'll tell Anam to go easy. You can get a second chance, okay? I'll… I know. I'll buy you something to eat, too. You… you feel so hungry. I know that sounds weird, but…"

All the while, he gnawed as hard as he could against Owen, but it was as if he was immortal. Even with his strength, even if he was a little weak because of the miasma he'd been living in for so long, how could he be doing almost no damage against this Charizard? Owen felt his disbelief, and he saw the subtle blotches of poison that spread beneath his skin.

Aerodactyl let go and fired toward Owen, point blank, with a Rock Blast. Owen felt this one—he winced, but he still took the blow. A small blemish on his scales was left behind when the five consecutive blasts connected.

"Y-you're crazy! Y-you're some kind of—some kind of—freak!"

"W-well, I mean…" Owen, caught off guard, glanced away for only a second. That was all Aerodactyl needed. He jumped away with a single wingbeat, panting.

"This… this isn't over!" Aerodactyl searched for a way out; this deep, the forest looked the same in all directions.

"Hey, you ain't gonna get away! I'm faster'n you'll ever be!" Gahi threatened, taking a single, quick step forward. His foot landed right in a large puddle of purple sludge. "Aw, c'mon!" he shouted, stepping away. He glanced at Owen. The Charizard had it covered. Disgruntled, he sat next to Enet and picked at his foot with her.

Owen turned his attention back to the escaped outlaw. "Please. Just… think about it, okay?" Owen said. "I know where you'll be."

"It's… it's not worth it!" He shook his head, swinging his wing sideways at the air. "Just—leave me alone! And I'll figure out my life on my own! I don't need you to tell me how to live, you—you pampered little—"

Another glob of slime fell from the tree, landing on Aerodactyl's right wing. "Ngh—I hate this forest!" he shouted. "What is all this?! If you go even deeper into this place, what happens?! Purple goo falls from the trees! Disgusting!" He pointed toward Owen; it seemed like the purple goo was getting larger, sinking into his wing. "I hate all of this! I hate you! I hate this life! I…! I…!"

A long silence filled the air just then, like Aerodactyl couldn't find the words. He shook his head, locking eyes with Owen. The Charizard almost flinched—there was a strange… emptiness in them, like the desperate eyes of a hungry feral.

Those eyes glistened with tears at the very edges. "It's just—not—fair!"

Enet looked up for just a second. Her eyes bulged. "Wing!"

Owen focused on the wing of Aerodactyl and saw the membrane… melt away—turned into more of that poisoned goo. Aerodactyl didn't even notice it, not until Enet said so. He bent the stump of his wing back. "Wh-wh… what—"

It advanced; the goo that dripped from his wing landed on his leg, which melted next. He screamed; it didn't look painful, but the Rock-Flying Pokémon was panicking. He flailed, and that caused more goo to spatter on different parts of his body. Aerodactyl only had one leg to stand on; he tried to hop away. "S-stop… make it stop…!"

"A-Aero—it's okay!" Owen scrambled toward him, digging through his bag as if that would help.

"N-no! You get away from me!" he said, swinging his other wing. The melting was advancing rapidly—he couldn't move with his legs anymore. Even his tail had dissolved; his upper half remained, just his one wing and head. He dragged what remained of his body across the ground to keep running.

"Stop!" Owen said. "H-hang on!" He dug through his bag, his mind racing. There had to be a way to help. Had to be! And then Owen saw it—a Pecha Scarf. Could he—

Aerodactyl's wing was gone now. Without a chest or even a torso, he had no means to speak—just fearful eyes staring ahead. Owen wrapped the Pecha Scarf around his head. "Th-there!" he said… but nothing happened. It kept going; his long neck dissolved next. Just the head. Desperate, Owen stared a bit longer. "No, no…!"

He closed his eyes tight. He had an idea. He focused on his power a bit more—deep within him, that divine energy held within that Orb. He channeled it from those depths and pushed it into his claws, and then into the scarf. It was all he had left to try. All he was thinking about was trying to save this outlaw's life. He wasn't going to forget that fearful look in his eyes. What a horrible way to die. He refused to let it happen. Stop it—make it stop. Owen commanded it to stop.

And the melting… stopped. The Pecha Scarf was glowing. Not even Owen could believe it at first. With his heart racing, Owen checked to see if Aerodactyl was alive. It was hard to tell; the only indication was that he blinked. He wrapped the scarf around the stump that was Aerodactyl's neck and turned his head. "A-are… are you okay?" he said.

He opened his mouth and, somehow, was able to speak. The Scarf glowed a bit with each word. "What happened? Why am I…? I… I can't feel… I can't feel my body…"

"It's okay," Owen said. "I'll—we'll get you to Mispy, okay? She's a great healer. I bet she can patch this right up…"

"Is—is that gonna happen to me?" Gahi said. "H-hey, wait a second—ain't that mine!?" he shouted, pointing at the scarf.

"I—I feel like this is a little more important, Gahi!" Owen said.

"Ngh… yeah, I guess," he relented.

"A-Aerodactyl, sir, does… does it hurt at all…? W-we can go back right now if you want!"

"N-no, it… it never hurt. B-but I can't feel… my body anymore. I'm just a head…." His voice raised with confusion. "What happened to the rest…?"

"I—I don't know," Owen said. "But we'll figure it out, okay? We're just going to carry you with us for a little while."

Gahi sighed. He looked at his foot. "…How come that never happened to me?" he said. "I… I dunno. I feel fine. Am I in one piece?" he looked at his tail, then his wings. All fine.

"It touched all of us," Amia said. "but it only affected Aerodactyl…. That's so strange. But we should still be careful. Gahi—are you Mystic?"

"Nah," Gahi said. "I think Owen's still got all that. Still, eh… good thing I ain't a puddle yet. I don't wanna melt… Looked painful…"

"It wasn't," Aerodactyl said irritably. "Do you even listen?"

"He's not the best listener," Owen whispered.

"Oy, what're yeh sayin' about me?" Gahi growled. "Meh, let's keep goin'. If he ain't hurt he's fine."

"Okay," Owen said. "Oh—here, Gahi. Take this," Owen said, handing his Scarf over. "If you're not Mystic, this purple fog might hurt you anyway. I'll be fine."

"Thanks," Gahi said, wrapping it around his mouth. "M'kay. Let's go."

And so, the five advanced through Dark Mist Swamp.

"…Your name is Owen," Aerodactyl said.

"Yeah. Um—what's your name?" Owen asked.

He snorted. "Like I'd tell…"

Owen nibbled at his tongue but said nothing.

"…It's Jeremy," the head said. "Just call me Jerry."

Owen nodded. "I'm glad I could help, Jerry."

"Don't celebrate just yet," he growled. "If I have to live like this forever, just kill me."