Chapter 63 – A Difference in Opinion

Shrouded in shadows that stung her skin, Star floated unevenly through the forest of the Grass Realm. She shook herself off, dislodging some of the clouds that permeated her spirit, and released a pulse of golden light to get rid of the rest of it. "Ugh—" She grunted, wrapping her arms around her sides. "Wait." She looked around. The light trees, the sunny weather, the clear sky—The Grass Realm! "Finally!"

"Stop!"

A series of high-speed seeds popped on the ground just under her. Dirt and rocks flew from below, blocked by a reflexive Psychic bubble. Star snorted, flashing a glare ahead. "What's your problem?!"

Grassy Pokémon of all kinds lined the treetops near the entrance, with even more appearing as reinforcements.

"W-wow, you guys are fast. Uh—it's just me! Don't worry! Did any wraiths show up here?"

"Why are you here?" a leafy Murkrow said, puffing out her feathers.

"Stop trying to mess with Owen!" said a Grassmander strongly reminiscent of their host's lowest form—there were actually quite a few of them. It seemed he had a bit of an impersonator fan club.

"No, guys, hang on! I come in peace?" Star waved her arms frantically, but she didn't put her Psychic bubble down. "Look, we sort of have a situation going on, and I need to talk to Owen right away! So again, did any wraiths come through here?"

Star made a move to fly past the spirits, but a flurry of rainbow-enveloped leaves sliced at her bubble when she tried. She yelped, holding her arms up to keep the barrier strong.

Lilligant Amelia emerged from the bushes, a scowl on her face. "Here to mess with Owen again?" Just behind her was her father; the Jumpluff floated down from the treetops next to her.

"What's gotten into you?" Star said, looking between Klent and Amelia, then at the rest of the spirits. A wave of horror washed over her face. "W-wait. Klent? Amelia? H-how close to Owen have you guys—"

"Not very," Klent said, "but enough that we can feel what he feels. We all accepted this long ago, Star, when you told us Owen would take the Orb. Don't forget."

"H-how he feels? How exactly is he feeling right now?!"

The cold stares said all she needed to know. Star's paws trembled, tiny claws threatening to emerge. "Are you serious?! Is he still mad about having him fight Jerry?! Come on!"

Star tried to fly forward again, but every spirit—the crowd rapidly growing—tensed to strike.

Klent continued, not taking his eyes off of Star for longer than he needed to blink. "Right now, Owen is wondering if you're just planning to use him. And you know, Star, I'm beginning to wonder the same thing myself."

Star flinched, scooting back slightly. "Look, this isn't the time. There are wraiths that might come here, and you wouldn't want that to happen, okay? Just let me see Owen so I can warn him, and then I'll help out with defense! He'll be able to warn the others, right?"

"We'll tell him," Klent said.

That wasn't good enough. "I just need to get to the Core so I can talk to Owen. Let me through, and you guys can watch me as closely as you want. There isn't any time for this, Klent! Why doesn't Owen want to see me?"

They answered Star with an uneasy silence. Klent shifted his weight. Star squinted, a small, subtle wave of Psychic energy radiating out of her. If she could just take a quick peek at what they were thinking…

Star only saw a single flash of an image in Klent's mind: Owen, staring down another Charizard with a blindfold. Their hands were held firmly together with a golden light.

"NO!" Star roared, all pretenses of civility evaporating in an instant. A massive psychic blast bent the light around her, shattering nearby trees into nothing but twisted splinters. More than half of the spirits became embers; the remaining, stronger ones retaliated with seeds, vines, and Energy Balls from all sides. They slammed against Star's barrier, popping it.

Star screamed with rage, swinging her tail in the air with a powerful, cutting motion that sliced even more of the spirits in half, sending them right back to the Core. The very Core that Star had to get to. She grunted—that meant she was going to have to fight them again and again just to get to it.

"Klent! Call them off! You IDIOT! THAT'S EON! WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM—"

"Perhaps he has a point," Klent said calmly. By now, it was only Amelia and himself remaining, and it seemed like he knew that fighting would be of no use. Star realized seconds later that Klent was stalling for time.

She rapidly flew into the air, air rushing over her ears, but a volley of explosive Seed Bombs fell from the branches of trees that had been out of her first Psychic shockwave. The explosions deafened her briefly, the harsh ringing distracting her from the incoming vines of a Venusaur wrapping around her body.

From the sky to the ground, the vines slammed her several feet beneath the dirt where more vines met to constrict and tear at her body, but to no effect. She was stunned and immobilized for only as long as the ringing lasted. After only a handful of seconds, the ground heaved upward, golden filaments carving through the dirt. Klent and Amelia doubled back, but no amount of reflexes would help them escape from the explosive blast that followed. A wave of light-distorting energy disintegrated everything within seven trees of the dense forest, sending the rest of the spirits to the Core.

On the bright side, now Star knew where to go. She went in the direction of all the embers, filaments of light trailing behind her like the tendrils of a leviathan. And while the Core was far, far away, it would only be a matter of time before she got to it, no matter how much petty resistance Owen's stubborn spirits put up.

Star saw the second wave of spirits waiting to greet her, projectiles ready to fire. Beyond words, now, the seething Creator readied a volley of her own.


Rhys struggled to walk.

Yes, his body was fatigued, and yes, his aura was on the verge of total collapse. But that was completely dwarfed by the fact that his best friend had been deceiving him for so long, without so much as an ounce of emotion behind it. He stared blankly ahead, alongside Anam, who was similarly struggling with his walk. Ahead of them both was the Alakazam in question. The very sight of him made Rhys' stomach turn with anguish.

There was nothing he could do. If he tried to strike him, Anam would go berserk again. Even more confusing was that this strange entity within Anam wasn't part of Nevren's plans. Or was he lying about that, too?

Nevren mumbled something to himself, tapping his left spoon on his chin. "No, no, that can't be it," he dismissed himself. "Ah, Rhys, you mentioned to me before that these wraiths have trace amounts of aura. Is that correct?"

Rhys didn't reply with words, but a glare.

Nevren, not looking back, continued speaking. "Apparently, they're very strong up close, but otherwise undetectable from afar. Like black holes of aura. Quite curious, like something is syphoning them off. Or perhaps they simply cannot persist for long. They can't exit Dungeons, after all. We've long since left the radius of Hot Spot Dungeon. Ah, is that what we're calling it? I suppose it's only natural."

Rhys' face simmered beneath his fur. His unstable aura flickered and crackled in his paws.

The Alakazam went on with his usual humming tone. "Anam, do you know anything about this? After all, you're the only one who seems capable of properly blessing Dungeons." Nevren waved his spoon in the air. "I wouldn't mind learning such a technique. Could you teach us about it?"

"I'm tired," Anam said. "I just… want to sleep…"

"Hmm, I see," Nevren said. "Well, if you won't tell me about it now, perhaps another time. Or perhaps to Rhys. Regardless, there is mutual benefit in taking care of this wraith issue. We will have to send another party into the Dungeon with you to re-bless it, in case that scuffle… un-blessed it. Hm. I'll need to find another term."

"How can you be so nonchalant?!" Rhys suddenly shouted. He could only muster the strength for a stern growl; an actual roar or bark was too much for him, barely able to bring one foot in front of the other.

"Nonchalant? Rhys, you know I am not the most expressive Pokémon. This is a very grave situation. Still, I suppose I should emulate my cheerful demeanor again now that we've come within range of the others."

The ground rumbled beneath them, making Nevren pause in his steps. "Hm. That's a bit concerning. We just came from the training grounds, unless they found a new spot in the caves to spar? Rhys, can you sense anything?"

"Unfortunately, my ability to sense aura is… dampened. But it feels as if…" Rhys concentrated, trying to feel for something. It sounded like some sort of explosion. But he had the sinking feeling it wasn't from sparring.

For just a moment, Rhys sensed Eon's presence. The Lucario broke into a full sprint, only for fatigue to catch his legs. He fell over, nearly hitting the ground; his muzzle was mere inches from the rocky floor, a Psychic force holding him in place.

"Don't overexert yourself, Rhys," Nevren said, pushing him back up with a gentle flick of his spoon. "I'll go ahead. You help Anam to his room and get some rest yourself."

"As if I would trust you," Rhys growled. "I just sensed Eon's presence. I'm coming with you."

Nevren blinked several times. "I beg your pardon? Eon? Here? Now?"

"He knew about Anam, didn't he? He's probably just… trying to make up his side of the plan. That's it, isn't it?" Rhys panted, shuffling ahead of Nevren even as the Alakazam kept his usual pace.

"Eon wasn't supposed to come here, actually." Nevren frowned. "Anam, you should get some rest. Be sure your spirits are okay after the events in the Dungeon."

"I can't hear Mama…" Anam mumbled, standing in place.

"To your room, Anam," Nevren said with a gentle flick. "Get rest. You need it more than any of us. And… whatever it is within you, perhaps try to calm it down, hm? We can discuss this later."

"Jam-Jam…" Anam breathed, wobbling home.

"If you refuse to rest," Nevren told Rhys, "then at least walk carefully. Let's see what happened; it sounds like it came from the entrance."


Guardians and spirits alike lay on the ground in a scattered, groaning mess. Willow was trapped somewhere inside Yen's furry legs. Manny was sprawled on his back, grumbling about a rock stuck somewhere. Enet, who had been closest to the blast, was now lodged inside Mispy's vines, growling. Large clumps of her fur seemed to be missing or burning, though with her beneath the Meganium, the fires were quickly extinguished. ADAM twitched in the corner of the hall, part of his body partly cracked. He buzzed about performing a system diagnosis.

In the middle of where the blast had been was a Charizard—just one. He was surrounded in a sphere of golden light, the Protect shield vanishing once the steam completely billowed out of the caves. Just beyond that sphere of light, the cave walls, floor, and ceiling had been almost completely obliterated, rocks smashed or melted in one way or the other. Remaining was a deep, ring-shaped pit in the ground and several rocks that had fallen from the ceiling all around him. Owen sensed the others' alarm from behind him, but Mispy seemed calmer than the rest. Perhaps it was because she could sense that it was his aura, and not Eon's.

After several seconds in relative silence, Jerry shouted from the entrance. "You guys done yet?!"

Step grunted, leaning the part of her that wasn't melted from the intense heat against the wall. "Where did he go?"

Owen sighed, looking at his hands. From his left, a dim, golden glow faded into nothing. "He's gone." Owen turned around to address the others. "He's not coming back."

"Urgh…" Part of her face was blackened by intense fire; another part felt numb from a stray portion of ADAM's Tri-Attack missing its mark. "What do you mean, he's gone? How do you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Willow said, her voice muffled from inside Yen's fur. "We got him! Eon's dead!"

Owen winced, looking away. "No. He just ran away. We had a talk."

"Excuse me?" Amia asked, looking around for Alex. She suddenly jerked her head up, touching her chest; it looked like, during the blast, he had protected her from the aftermath. "Owen, how did you have a talk?"

"I—"

"Hello!" Nevren called, waving them down. "Did I happen to miss any festivities, by any chance?"

"Not funny, yeh brainy starfruit," Manny grunted, putting most of his weight on his left leg.

"Manny, your fur's on fire," Yen said.

"Eh?" the Lucario felt a heat on the top of his head. "Eh." He licked his paw and pat out the flame. It didn't go out. "Ehh…!" Suddenly, he was doused in water by Zena, making his fur stick to his body. He snorted, shaking himself off. Demitri shrank away from the wet fur; Mispy wrapped her vines around Demitri, scowling at Manny.

"I sensed Eon," Rhys spoke up. "Where is he?"

"He left," Owen said. "Let's… get everyone inside so we can talk. Alright?"

"Owen?" Gahi asked worriedly. "What're yeh getting at?"

Owen dismissed Gahi with a quick wave. "Let's just gather in the square so I can say everything."


Despite his expression never changing, Valle seemed very happy with being back in the center of Hot Spot as its main fixture. "Much better. I shall work on repairing the entryway now."

"Oh, is that what you do, now?" Demitri asked. "Wait, is that why I got lost in the caves that one time? Were you making the caverns change around?!"

"I am stillness. I do not alter the caverns. I only return them to the state that they should be."

ADAM buzzed. "I also took the time to polish and further enhance the walls as I see fit. Perhaps I shall make the entrance smooth. Is that to your standards, Valle?"

"I shall consider it."

With everyone settled in a circle around Valle—he insisted—Owen took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. That gave Mispy time to get another bowl of food for herself, which in turn tempted a few others to grab some. Nevren took a small portion and then a second helping for Rhys, insisting. The Lucario glared, but relented. Owen glanced uneasily at Rhys, noticing the sudden animosity. Perhaps he should ask about that later.

"Okay. Is everyone settled? Don't start eating yet. This might be big." Owen rubbed his claws. "Eon made a Divine Promise with me."

First, silence. Owen expected as much; the shock came after, when his words registered.

"He what?" Rhys and Nevren both said, exchanging startled looks. The others buzzed, murmured, or otherwise mumbled to one another.

Zena cleared her throat, using her size to her advantage to call the room to attention. "What did he Promise you, Owen?"

"He Promised that…" Owen hesitated. "He, er… that, er…" Now that he actually got around to saying it, this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. If just saying he made a Promise was enough to get them riled up… No, he had to get this over with. "That as long as I stayed in Quartz HQ—his home, with the other mutants—he would not be a Hunter."

The second wave of shock was quieter this time; Owen sensed similar reactions to how one would feel after something horrible dawned upon them. Perhaps something more like impending doom, with no idea of how to stop it.

He could relate.

"So…" Owen looked away. "Does anybody… want to come with me?"

"Wait—you're going?" Amia said, her hair already threatening to burst into flames. "Absolutely NOT! You are staying right here, and that's final!"

Alex summoned himself again, the Magmortar's eyes wide and pleading. "Owen, please think about this. This is Eon. He's the one who—he's behind all of this!"

"Star was the one behind all of this," Owen said. "Maybe Eon's finally getting a change of heart, huh? He literally Promised that he wouldn't be a Hunter anymore if I went with him. When did Star ever make a Divine Promise to us? All she ever did was try to ask me to make one."

To this, the others had no counter. As much as Star had been helping them gather the Guardians together, it was at arms' length at best.

"I just… I wanted to tell you guys, first. So if you came with me, it'd be okay."

Zena's eyes were somehow wider than Alex's. "Owen, that's—it's—that's unthinkable. I can't just… go to Eon. He… he led the force that kept me isolated! The—" She glanced at Rhys, then back to the Charizard. "Owen, you aren't going."

Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi seemed conflicted with themselves; Owen was familiar enough with their bodies to tell that Gahi was the most uncertain. After everything they had been told about their former father, they thought he was a lost cause. But if he would go so far as to make a Promise to give it all up…

"I have to try," Owen said. "L-look, I know it's sudden, and I—"

"Owen, you aren't going!" Amia cried, clapping her hands together as if that would snap him out of it. It almost did, Owen shaking his head mid-sentence.

"Mom, Eon literally Promised to stop being a Hunter if I went. I can end this whole thing right now if I just… go there."

"And then what?" Amia said. "And then you'll stay with him forever? Just to…"

"Just to save the world?" Owen said, the words spilling from his mouth before he had the chance to think about them. "I… I think I have to, M-Mom."

Zena clenched her jaw. "Owen…" She looked away. "I don't—I don't know if that's a good idea. He could be tricking you, or—"

"You can't just trick someone with a Promise," Owen said. "Remember, Rhys did the same thing with you."

Demitri shifted his weight. "Yeah, um. When we were trying to get Valle, Rhys almost hit him too hard, and his paw started… glowing. That happened, right?"

"Yes, that's true," Rhys said.

"It's sorta foggy… I think that was the life before this one. What happened?"

"I was preparing an Aura Sphere, but Valle's aura was simply too weak. It could have killed him. Had that happened…"

Zena's ribbons twisted against one another in an anxious knot. "So that's what you meant when you Promised to no longer be a Hunter. Are those Promises sensitive to what the Promiser is thinking?"

"It only works if we both had the same thing in mind." Rhys looked at his paw. It was still shaking slightly from fatigue. "It seems we both equated being a Hunter to being a murderer. Owen, if you and Eon had successfully made a Promise… whatever you were thinking at the time was also what he was thinking."

Owen looked back to his mother, but regretted trailing his eyes over to his father next. While Amia was defiantly upset, ready to fight Owen to keep him home, Alex was quietly beside himself in a fit of silent tears. He had to look away, but his Perception forced him to see the weeping Magmortar, even with his eyes closed.

"Just one night," Owen said. "I'll—I'll try to talk to him. Just so… just so I can see what's going on in his head. Maybe I can talk him out of it. We can make another Promise for him to… give up completely."

Nevren hummed, raising a spoon, drawing Owen's attention. "Do you really think that would work? Eon is quite unhinged. He may not be thinking rationally. If you go to him, it is very likely that he will not allow you to leave."

"Well, if that happens…" Owen trailed off. The Promise was to not be a Hunter, but he didn't say anything about holding him there. But… that just didn't sit right with him. Not after how he saw Eon react. There was more to it. Suddenly, Owen's tail flashed, corresponding to an idea. "If I'm at Quartz, he can't fight back. If he does anything to me, and I end up not returning here after a few days… then you can attack him, and he can't do anything about it."

Owen scanned the room pleadingly. Manny crossed his arms, pensive; Yen was nodding slowly, but the caution was clear. Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi looked like they were the most convinced, while Zena was coiling with conflict, as if she hated the point Owen was trying to make, yet couldn't argue against it. But Amia was the worst of all. Owen couldn't bear to look at the Gardevoir.

"Better idea." Step slammed her icy fist into her palm. "You go to Eon, and we follow, killing him when he cannot fight back."

"Hey, I like yer attitude," Manny said, clapping his paws. "Eon went and trapped 'mself! Hah! If he can't kill us, then we'll—"

"He can just beat you up," Owen said casually, his heart fluttering at some reflexive need to defend him. "I—I mean—" He shrank at the startled looks Amia and Zena both gave him. "He can still not intend to kill you. What if the mutants accidentally go berserk? You could set them off, or… I mean, he can still defend himself, right?"

Rhys looked at the spike on his left wrist, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't intend to kill Valle, yet when I came close, I felt the Promise nearly break. I doubt Eon's would be any more lenient."

"I don't want anybody to die from this," Owen said adamantly, his fire getting just a bit brighter. "So that's it, alright? I'm going to try. And if it fails, you can… do what you want. But I'm not… giving up on him. Because… when I talked to him—" Owen stopped himself. If he said what he intended to, that wasn't going to help anybody. He quickly pivoted, "He seemed genuine. And he was a Charizard. You can't… go past that with my Perception." Owen looked away. Eon wasn't his father anymore… but Owen couldn't shake that quiet, cold desire to change that fact.

What if Eon was right? And what if he could stop this all by just having a talk? If they all just sat down, said how they felt, and found a compromise? This sort of opportunity never came up before. He couldn't just pass it up.

Maybe they could all be together after all.

Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi all looked at one another, but then the former two gave Owen a reluctant, yet genuine smile. Owen flashed one of his own; the infectious grin finally broke through to Gahi.

"Y'know," the Flygon said. "Maybe."

Step rumbled lowly, icy eyes piercing through Owen's bright, hopeful expression. "The Grass Guardian is compromised." Icy wind swirled around her body. Owen felt frost collecting on the fringes of his wings. "Restrain him."

Owen's breath caught in his throat. "W-wait, hang on, that isn't—"

Nearly all bodies moved at once, briefly overwhelming his senses. Manny and his spirits moved toward Step; Amia and Alex dove in front of Owen; Zena weaved past them all, trying to get to him, but Owen could not tell if it was to stop him or to save him. Willow and Jerry jumped out of the way; Enet, in a panic, discharged several arcs of electricity in random directions. One narrowly grazed Owen's shoulder.

Anam stumbled out of his room from his nap, screaming, "What's happening?!"

Nevren slammed his claw on his Revisor, trying to ignore the sting of Rhys' aura flaring back to life in the chaos. Yet, for the second time today, it failed to work. He stared at it, incredulous, until a furry paw grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Nevren," Rhys hissed. "If you want to stop Owen, then I'm letting him go."

Nevren's eyes widened, just barely. "This is against both of our interests."

"I don't believe you."

Nevren glanced at Anam. Darkness was already swirling near his chest area. He glanced at his Revisor, and then at the almost stinging, radiant aura flowing out of Rhys' paw. The Revisor burned in his hand.

Nevren lowered it, as well as his shoulders, even amid the chaos unfolding around them.

Step had her arm steady, aiming directly at Owen's feet. With a precise strike, she hit the ground just below his left foot, ice immediately encasing the limb.

Owen yelped in surprise, tripping over himself. Alex burst into flames, sprouting wings as his arms shifted into the two smaller heads of a Hydreigon. Owen felt his father's presence rapidly approaching from behind, and yet the form he now took, chasing him down, ready to tackle him to the ground. Those eyes—those eyes. Without thinking, Owen screamed, pulling his leg frantically out from the ice that encased it.

A Hydro Pump extinguished the fiery Hydreigon's body, hurling him across the ground. Owen gasped when instead of his father, it was Zena who caught up to him first. She was just in time for Owen's naturally warm body to weaken the ice enough to break free.

"Owen!" Gahi shouted, rushing for him next. Demitri and Mispy were right behind him, but it was Gahi who slammed into Owen's back, disappearing just as quickly.

Owen yelped, arching his spine inward, head to the sky in surprise as his mind struggled to mingle with Gahi's again. He thought they were going to be fighting for control on to stay or go—but the final thought Owen, as himself, had was one of agreement with Gahi.

Demitri and Mispy spun around. "H-hurry, Owen. If you say this is the right idea—" Demitri said, but then wailed at an Ice Beam slamming into his chest, freezing half of his torso over.

A second one came careening toward them, blocked by a series of Mispy's vines. The cold energy froze them completely, solid vines shattering on the ground with a loud crash.

Step snarled, readying a Blizzard next. "How ironic that three parts of the Hunters' ultimate weapon shares a common weakness to Ice!"

"Owen, STOP!" Amia cried.

Zena only had seconds; she used it to say just four words to the Charizard within the fusion. With her ribbons on his shoulders, her eyes staring directly at his, even through the Flygon lenses that formed around him, she spoke: "You have one day."

Then, she shoved him back and turned around. Gawen spared no time in escaping, his speedy body already past the entrance to Hot Spot. Amia was screaming for his name, nearly making Owen's half turn back, but Gahi kept him pushing forward. They had to take the chance.

In a blur, they were suddenly flying over the grassy fields just outside of Hot Spot. But no matter how quickly Gawen moved, it wasn't fast enough for second thoughts to catch up.

"W-wait—" Gawen suddenly said, stretching his wings to a halt. The wind behind him disturbed the grass of the fields outside, the late-noon sun reflecting off his scales. "Th-this… this isn't…"

His mother's cries echoed in his mind. Gawen clutched his head.

"No, you idiot, keep going! Otherwise, what's the point?!"

The explosions rocked the ground. Step shouted in pain, followed by a loud thud of ice on rock.

"W-we can talk it out. We just have to talk more," Owen said, spinning around. "M-maybe if we…!"

"No! No, no!" Gahi knocked at his cheek. "Zena said one day! We're gone!"

"But Mom, she—" Owen clutched at the other side, of their one head, Gahi clutching at the other, then at his horns, squeezing them as if they would somehow give him the answers.

And, in a way, they did. He sensed a Zygarde watching from the tall grass in the fields, and then he sensed a tiny Espurr appear just behind him, holding a small, gold Badge.

"Wait, Ri—"

They disappeared as quickly as Rim had arrived.