Chapter 108 – The Reaper

Mhynt hit empty air, sticking her blade into the wall instead. The Sandslash shouted in lamentation and anger, but then covered his mouth when Mhynt flashed a glare at him.

"Uh—he broke in, by the way," he said. "I'm not harboring—"

"Stop talking."

"Y-yeah, okay."

The Corviknight fell over, unconscious.

"Hm…" Mhynt slowly pulled her blade from the wall, eyes closed. Enet had run off somewhere. Gahi, where did he go? She couldn't sense him anymore.

Except for one instant—right beside her. He grabbed her arm, and suddenly she was high in the air above Null Village, hanging by his grasp.

"Nice try," Gahi said, smirking.

Mhynt hissed and swung her blade, knowing she'd miss. Gahi was too fast to fall for something so basic, and indeed, he disappeared and left her to fall. The Treecko grasped the air and caught a ledge she'd conjured from the darkness. There, she feigned helplessness, dangling in midair.

…He wasn't falling for it. How could someone so dumb be so sharp? No wonder he paired off with Owen.

Letting go, she landed on a dark platform just large enough for her feet. She adjusted her stance and the platform adjusted with it. From high above, she could see the buildings of South Null Village and the many Pokémon staring in awe from the ground. Gahi was probably among them, looking for an opening, because distance was not a factor for him. How long had he been with her Orb? Apparently long enough to become adept at Teleportation. She was almost jealous. Almost.

"Hah!" Gahi was behind her, so Mhynt swung around and blocked the claw attack with a conjured, circular shield. Gahi's speed forced her to skid back on her platforms, which followed her feet.

"You telegraphed your attack, you dolt!" Mhynt spat. "Who shouts just before they're going to strike?"

"Someone who's totally gonna win and doesn't gotta be careful!"

Mhynt twitched. "Are you seriously doing this right now?"

"I think so. Dunno, feelin' playful."

"Things aren't the same between us anymore, Gahi." Mhynt tilted her blade behind her. "I'm not here to spar."

"Eh?"

Mhynt kicked off of the shadowy platforms and accelerated through a dark vortex. Her blade followed behind, inches from Gahi's chest before he'd vanished again. She looked up; wrong guess. Indigo flames crawled across her eyes and a sharp pain in her chest sent her flying higher. Half-blind, she grabbed at the air and slowed her fall, but another blow sent her plummeting to the ground. She twisted in the air and landed on her back, leaving a small crater from the speed. Clay tiles and dust rained down.

Gahi was shouting something, but he was too far away to hear. Mhynt grumbled, arms crossed in thought. So, he was fast, but his attacks weren't very strong. Typical. He hadn't improved much, it seemed, even if his appearance had changed. And why was he carrying that apple? Was he toying with her?

And that aura of all the Unown in his system was messing with her senses. She wasn't going to be able to find Owen like this. Restraining him, or perhaps even subduing him to find Owen, would be the right plan of action here.

And then Gahi disappeared.

Right. What trick was he doing this time? She couldn't feel him nearby yet, but—

And now she was doing cartwheels across the ground and out of town. Another strike; she didn't even know what it had been this time. His tail? He wasn't this fast before. Not even the Psychic Orb could do that.

"Uff!" Mhynt hit one of the trees at the edge of town hard, smashing further into the wood. She came to a stop on her back and stared at the sky, eyes narrow.

So, he was too fast to hit. Hm. She'd have to get him while his guard was down. Thankfully, he was an idiot. Perhaps some acting would do.

Mhynt clutched at her blade and staggered to her feet, feigning weakness. "Ngh, don't think a lucky shot or two is going to be enough to win, Flygon!" she shouted, wincing at how humiliating this was. Like she was acting out some kind of play. "The… the darkness will claim you!"

"The darkness will claim me? What are ya, a comic book villain?!"

He had a point. But she couldn't drop the act now or he'd get suspicious. "We'll see who's laughing when I'm through with you!"

Gahi liked attacking from the left. Or perhaps that was coincidence because of the way she often rotated when fighting. When he approached, Mhynt knew that he would be at the highest alert. She'd have to focus her efforts on withstanding the hit without losing her stance, and then counter with a jab. He was fast, but he was predictable.

Countless lesser souls were watching her. Guards, civilians, those of Null Village seemed surprised at how she was being attacked by Gahi. If she didn't demonstrate her power soon, they'd pester her about her true strength. As a Treecko, she only had her reputation to go by. If that was tarnished, it was square one again for building it back up, no matter how established the truth had been in the past.

The air shifted and the tingling on Mhynt's scales meant Gahi was approaching from the left again. She planted her feet on the ground, firm, and spiraled tendrils of darkness from her ankles into the dirt, deep and hooked.

Gahi's claws slashed along her scales, leaving only a small blemish, but that alone surprised her. It cut through the dark armor just beneath her skin. So, Gahi really did still have Necrozma's light in him, and not just from the Orb…

Just what she was hoping for.


"This way!" Demitri shouted, riding atop Mispy's back. "Mispy sensed him fighting on this side of town!"

"Why does he have to be such an idiot?" Jerry beat his wings to fly higher.

"Condition," Mispy theorized, charging a Solar Beam as she kept up.

"It's rhetorical!" Jerry dipped below when Mhynt glanced his way. "What are we supposed to do about this Treecko? How is she taking such a beating and looking like she's not even hurt?"

"We keep being told that we just don't beat her," Demitri said. "We need to hide. And especially hide Owen! They're after him, right?"

"Don't say that out loud!" Jerry hissed. "We don't know how good her hearing is, either!"

"Oop! S-sorry." Demitri lowered his head, then pulled one of his tusks, ready to throw. "They're so far… I can't aim from here. Gahi was the one who guided them last time."

Gahi and Mhynt were still clashing in the air. Mhynt lacked wings, but she made up for it with platforms that appeared to be made of nothing but black haze. She didn't have any maneuvers otherwise, and Demitri wondered why this was the one they were so afraid of. The sword did look kind of scary, though. Did she kill a Honedge just to use it like that?

"Gahi!" Mispy suddenly fired a Solar Beam at him. The flash caught his attention and he weaved out of the way, which was just in time to dodge an upward slash from Mhynt.

"Oi! I don't need yer help!" Gahi shook his fist at Mispy, but then dodged out of the way of another slice. This one grazed his thigh, leaving a tiny trail of blood.

"Gahi! Watch out!"

Mhynt didn't move naturally. It was like some other force was moving her body, but nobody could see it. But Mispy's eyes were darting in odd directions, too.

"Mispy, what is it?" Demitri asked in a whisper.

"Something's… moving with her," Mispy said. "It's dark…"

"More of that dark power? What's it look like?"

Mispy shuddered, not wanting to look for long. "I don't know."

Gahi flew down, narrowly dodging another slash. He was losing his momentum. No matter how much he struck Mhynt, she didn't tire out. Every scratch he made closed up before she could even bleed. Every pummel that should have broken half the bones in her body only tossed her around like a dense bag of sand. Gahi was panicking. Demitri could feel it. They had to help. Maybe if they—

"Here." Gahi had appeared right in front of Demitri and handed him an apple. And in another blink, he was gone.

"Ga—"

They were clashing again, but Gahi had a more desperate look in his eyes. And that's when that playful look in the Flygon's movements had transitioned into something more primal. He was acknowledging what he verbally couldn't, and what the others were realizing… Mhynt really was stronger.

And she wasn't even trying.

She said something to Gahi in midair that made Gahi stumble.

"Like I'll tell you!" he shouted back.

Mhynt tilted her head. She seemed to be smiling, amused.

"Shut up! Y'don't know! I'm way too—"

Mhynt said something else, then gestured to Demitri, whose blood ran cold.

Gahi turned toward them and shouted, "Look out—"

Mispy suddenly pushed herself off the ground to look larger. "Gahi, up—"

A shadowy figure materialized above Gahi. The silhouette of a Sceptile. It smashed into Gahi's back, sending him tumbling into the ground. The Flygon wailed and roared, cut short when he hit the clay roads. Tiles clattered against tiles; a plume of smoke and debris obscured the state of Gahi's body, aside from the silhouette where he stood. Mhynt's small figure rushed toward it; Mispy, Demitri, and Jerry all fired at once, a Solar Beam, tusk, and rock flying toward her at the same time. Every single one was dodged.

She pulled her blade back—

"GAHI!"

—and plunged it into his spine.

His head jerked upward and he froze in place; Mhynt jammed the blade a little deeper, a faint glow radiating out of the impact site. Gahi's wings drooped and his arms went limp.

Mispy choked. "No…"

The sword trembled a little. As the dust settled, they saw Mhynt pushing the blade lodged into Gahi's back, her feet planted on his upright body like she was bracing for a climb. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the blade, and then, for an odd moment, she looked like she was bracing for something else.

Mhynt's eyes widened. "Ng—"

A bright light erupted from Gahi's back and Mhynt was jettisoned across town, into the outskirts, and against a tree. The blade followed, soaring so fast that its metal whistled in the air before landing with an audible thud. Mhynt shouted, but it had been cut short—the blade was lodged directly through her chest, into the wood behind her. She was pinned.

Gahi's body moved on its own and disappeared toward the rest of Team Alloy. He looked at the others unblinkingly, his wings twinkling with cosmic light. They were see-through, and his body darkened until it looked like a starry sky.

"Gahi? You… your back," Demitri pointed at the wound, which was slowly closing.

It was not Gahi, but the Unown inside of him.

"What?" Demitri blinked. "The Unown? Since when did—"

"Psychic Guardian," Mispy said. "They're still there?"

They were, and with Gahi's spirit taken away, the Unown took over. They had to get away and devise a strategy to rescue him.

"Wait, we need to get away?" Demitri repeated. "H-how are you—wait, you all heard that, right? Gahi isn't talking."

The Unown were communicating with them in their usual way, and they shouldn't be alarmed by it.

"I'm kind of alarmed," Demitri admitted.

There wasn't any time to waste. The Flygon gestured for them to follow, and then disappeared, because he had left further into town. They knew where Palkia and the others were.

"Wait!" Demitri shouted. "Ugh, this is weird…"

"Let's go," Mispy said, pursuing.

Demitri glanced at Mhynt, who was still pinned to the tree. Did she really take Gahi's spirit? How could they get him back?

"Even like that, I get the feeling she's still too strong to take on," Jerry said. "Let's go before she gets another one of us."


The Ice Orb's inner realm was starting to grow on Alex.

Yes, for a while his true, Dragon nature—and his preferred climate being the Fire Orb—made the Ice Orb nearly inhospitable to him. Perhaps it was psychological, or perhaps it was due to the nature of his spirit, but Alex had barely been able to move in the icy tundra for quite some time.

But now, his scales, and whole body, were transparent like the many other Pokémon that lived there. The bitter cold of the snow was like a welcome breeze, and now, he was nestled under a thick layer of soft snow. He wriggled, testing his six tendrils that made up his wings, and then flicked his tail.

Aside from the snow, it had been awfully quiet lately. He still wasn't adept enough at his new element. The other spirits that Step used for battle were much stronger. And so, the Hydreigon stayed behind, buried in snow with his thoughts.

"Do you really think Owen and Amia are okay?" Alex said softly to nobody. Perhaps to himself.

He pushed his left, smaller head forward, opening and closing the mouth like a puppet. "They're too strong to simply be killed, aren't they? They aren't in the spirit world. They must be fighting somewhere else."

This comforted Alex a little. He always did this if he was truly conflicted. Alex brought the right head forward next, making similar motions.

"But if they're sealed anywhere, it's in Hot Spot, amid all that darkness. If they're fighting, it's not a winning battle."

Alex whined a little. He didn't like the right head. But he also knew he spoke the reality he often tried to ignore.

"Xander, please," Alex said for the left head. "Can't we have some hope?"

"Only if that also includes action," Alex said for the right head, deepening his voice. "Look at us, moping around in the tundra!"

The left head nodded. "We'll do action, as soon as we—"

"—As soon as someone tells us? That Aggron doesn't take us at all seriously." The right head's face twisted into an annoyed snarl. "Meek as always, Alex."

The left head shrank away, as did Alex himself.

"Owen is out there, lost and confused, no doubt. And Amia… She's probably holding her own, but she could use our help, too." The right head stared the left head down.

The left head sank down. "We're usually just in her shadow…"

The right head glared. "What a better time to change than now?"

"Um, what are you doing?"

Alex shrieked and leapt out of his snow puff, spinning to face a Kommo-o standing only a few feet away. How had she come up so quietly? Behind her were two others of the same species, one a little smaller, and one much larger.

"A-ah, hello. I, er, um, I was just resting."

The largest Kommo-o, Ra and mate to Step, crossed his arms, his large, icy scales clanging dully. "I overheard that you were talking about trying to help out?"

The two daughters, Cent and Ana, seemed pensive.

"To be honest," Cent, the larger one, said, "trying to clear a safe route from here to the other side of the spirit realm would be nice, but even Hecto is saying we shouldn't bother because of how strangely the aura sea is flowing."

"Sorry about your family, um, by the way," Ana added.

Cent and Ra both glanced worriedly at the smaller Kommo-o.

"Um, we won't bring it up if you don't want us to," Cent added.

"It's fine, it's… well, it's not fine, but I appreciate the concern. I just don't know where to begin with trying to find them. How is planning for the assault on Hot Spot going?"

"Mobilizing is taking a while." Ra huffed. "We're growing impatient, too."

"I suppose I'm the same way." Alex poked his two smaller heads together. "Ohh… I just wish I wasn't so…"

"Meek?" Ana asked, repeating what the right head's commentary.

"Unaccustomed?" Cent asked, gesturing to his icy body.

"You don't have to say it," Alex muttered, floating a little lower. "I'm not even used to this species in general sometimes. I haven't used it for combat in such a long time…"

"Right." Ra frowned. "Despite this being your original form, why did you choose a Magmortar, of all things?"

"Well—similar arms, for one, and it's used to the fire…" Heads and cannons weren't quite the same, but they were reminiscent. He did miss flying, though. But he also enjoyed not having to fear Amia's Fae element… Ah! He shouldn't call it that. Old terms. Fairy.

"You alright?" Cent asked. "You're kinda…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Alex shook all three heads. "I'm all out of sorts. I don't really like this body but I know that I'm ultimately better in it for fighting."

"How come?" Ana asked.

"Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Cent added again.

"Oh," Alex said with a sigh, "it's really okay. I'm just not proud of my father's lineage. I suppose at some point I made the decision to change what I looked like to defy it. Silly when I say it out loud…"

"Oh. Daddy issues." Ana nodded. "I get it."

"Ana, please," Cent begged in a whisper.

Ra rubbed his forehead.

"I'm, um, I'm sorry for your dad," Cent went on. "It's… fine, right? Your dad isn't around anymore?"

"Goodness, no." Alex shook his heads. "He's long dead. And g-good riddance, at that." He felt awful for saying it, and the brief fire that burned in his chest felt like it'd melt him. "He's… he was truly an awful person. I'd rather not get into it. But he held great power, the—he was the Fire Guardian, once."

The three all flinched.

"What?" Ra whispered. "But is your mate not the Fire Guardian? How did she acquire it?"

"Well… typically, to extract an Orb, you must kill the host."

"Then, your father is within the Fire Orb, or did he leave afterward?" Ra asked.

"No duh he left," Ana said. "I bet Amia rejected him the second she gained control."

"She didn't need to," Alex replied, feeling his mood plummet. "I'm not really sure what happened. But somehow, he'd been killed, and Amia took the power before anyone else could. After that… we fled."

"…Fled?" Cent said. "Why?"

"There were a lot of people after that power," Alex said, "as I'm sure you know. Whole wars had been fought over them in the past… Though I don't think you were aware?"

"I kept to myself per Star's advice," Ra said. "It was… lonely. But if the alternative was war…"

"How big was the war?" Cent asked. "How long ago was it?"

"Centuries," Alex said. "So much was lost… We had to go into hiding before it got out of hand."

"What stopped it?" Cent leaned forward like a journalist getting a big scoop. "I don't think I was around for this."

"This… feels familiar," Ra said, "but I don't remember, either. Too long ago, perhaps…"

Alex shook his head. "I don't know what stopped it. I was only a small part of something that ravaged the whole world. Civilizations and settlements wiped from Kilo. We probably don't even follow the same calendar system after something like that…"

"But this war—it was over the Orbs?"

"Yes. A-and…" Alex hesitated. "And… my father was the lord of the losing side, so to speak. N-no… there were not really any winners here. But in the end, my father lost his power, and the southern area off Kilo was fragmented from its former kingdom."

A beat of silence passed over as the three considered Alex's words. Then, Ana blurted, "Hang on a second! That means you're a PRINCE?!"

"Don't… please do not call me that," Alex begged. "I truly don't want that."

"Oh, um. Right, sorry. It just—"

"I don't really think Ana gets it, but we won't call you that," Cent promised. "Right, Ana?"

She nodded, and then said, "So, that means your father was the southern king way back when?"

"Yes. I don't really know if my lineage survived for very long, but I was not the only child. I'm certain that darkness carried on…"

"Um. Darkness?" Cent asked. "As in… the same darkness above Hot Spot right now?"

"It feels similar," Alex admitted. "I don't know. It's been so long. Perhaps this is a new darkness, or something related to what my father had. Passed on by blood, I—"

"But your spirit doesn't seem all that dark," Ana said. "What gives?"

"Anam took it away from me," Alex said. "Amia and I fled from the kingdom after my father was slain. And we took the Fire Orb with us. And for a while, we remained in hiding, hoping to not be detected or found by anyone. And goodness, we were good at hiding. But… Anam had a sense for darkness. When we met, we had a talk, and he asked me if I wanted to be rid of that power. I… don't really know what kind of power it was, but, oh, I was more than happy to get rid of it if it had anything to do with my father."

"Anam was able to purify you?"

"I think so. Just as he was able to seal Dungeons and make them safe to traverse. So… I suppose that's how we became involved with the Hearts."

"I see…" Ra nodded. "Very… interesting. I did not know this about Anam."

"For some reason, he never talked about it much," Alex said. "Still… oh, I've rambled…"

"Well, regardless," Ra said, "I hope this shame of your species won't hinder you when we put it to use. Perhaps we can train, Dragon to Dragon."

"I, er, perhaps." Alex shrank at Ra's glare. "I-I mean, yes! I definitely would like to train under you. I, er, oh, dear, I don't know where to begin…"

"Hmhh." Ra gestured to Cent and Ana, who went left and right. "We'll start with some basic sparring to get your fighting instincts active. We'll train you in the traditional Dragon way."

"Oh, I see. Er. Traditional Dragon way. What does that mean, specifically? I do not believe we are from the same regions…"

"You'll learn. Are you ready?" The icy Kommo-o entered a battle stance.

"Um! Ah! Right now? We're beginning training now?"

"Yes."

Ra socked Alex in the jaw, spiraling him across the tundra.


Hakk emerged from his rudely destroyed home and checked the damage of the street where he lived. Somehow, only his house had been damaged in all that carnage, even if parts of the road had also been destroyed. Annoying. At least Xypher wasn't hurt. He wasn't sure about his tech, but he could at least replace those with time.

"Xypher, let's get out of here before—oh, come on." Hakk spotted a bunch of guards gathering around Mhynt, who was pinned against a tree by her own bla—

"Holy—"

Hakk cursed several times, rubbing his eyes as if he'd been hallucinating. No, that was it. Mhynt was stuck against a tree, pinned by her own blade. She was reaching for the hilt, but he couldn't tell what her expression was like. Morbid curiosity drove him closer.

Xypher, finally outside, cawed at Hakk.

"It's alright. She's stuck," Hakk said. "I need to see this."

And a crowd was gathering anyway. If she broke free, he could scatter with the rest of them. He knew the way around, and from the outskirts, there was an easy way to escape while the others fled in the open.

They only got close enough to hear what they were saying. It was easy since nobody dared make too much noise while in her presence.

"Well, this is annoying," Mhynt muttered. She reached for the hilt again. "Curse these short arms…"

Hakk dared get a little closer until he could see the basics of her expression. Narrow eyes, gritted teeth, and the sword glowed a little. She really was stuck. Dark energy coursed through her arms in spirals, fizzling out when it tried to leave her scales. Something was sealing it away. Hakk had seen this before—her method of attacking by summoning the spirits of those she'd absorbed. That was the rumor, and apparently there was also a Legend or two. How much was true? Could he find out? Did he want to find out?

But it was how she was so strong. How she could do that, he didn't know… but he didn't want to be her next victim, either.

Most of the crowd was civilians. Several guards were telling them to disperse, but this unprecedented situation left them lingering. And who could blame them? Mhynt was their superior, yes, under only the Void King in terms of authority. And there she was, pinned and helpless. South Null Village didn't view Cipher City in the most favorable light, either. What were they going to do?

"Someone." Mhynt had been glaring at them, the words at the tip of her tongue, yet she'd hesitated until now. Perhaps swallowing her pride? Something about that forced Hakk to hide a smirk. "If someone could remove this blade…"

Nobody moved. They all hesitated.

Mhynt growled again. "Now," she snapped.

Hakk's claws twitched into a fist, but he didn't move. He felt even more frozen than his breath. Just being around her made the air cool over his spikes, ready to snap into frost at a moment's notice. This was Mhynt, the strongest hand of Alexander, pinned to a tree. What if they—

"ATTACK!" shouted a nearby Espeon, followed by a wave of psionic energy warping the light around Mhynt. The rest of the idiots followed, blasts of water, fire, electricity, rocks, everything all at once concentrated on Mhynt. Several of them missed wildly; it was all topped off by a Hyper Beam where Mhynt was still pinned to the tree, which was amazingly sturdy. Hakk didn't know why until he saw several vines curling around and reinforcing the trunk thanks to a nearby Venusaur.

Unsurprisingly, Mhynt was still there, the blade still in her chest, and the Treecko still pinned to the tree. She was dripping with water. Lingering elemental energy danced around her body, dissipating into the tree behind her.

"If one of you removes this blade from my chest," Mhynt said, her lungs completely undaunted by the obstruction, "I will pretend that didn't just happen."

Hakk was positive at least a few of the guards were looking for a way to run, now. Tails between their legs, ears pinned behind their heads… What happened to all that bravado?

"You."

Her gaze pierced right through him. Hakk stiffened and gulped. Gods, was she looking right at him? She was! Why? Why him? No—it was because he'd been there when Gahi was—curse that Flygon!

"Come here."

All eyes were on him, now. He could turn around. Ignore it. Walk away. But then he'd be dead later. Dead now, dead later? Maybe Mhynt would be in a good mood because he hadn't tried to attack her.

Just to survive. He just had to survive another day, and then another. This was the next step. And so, the icy Sandslash approached, his legs like lead.

"Pull the sword out?" Hakk asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

He was going to regret this. There was no way he wouldn't. But he already had his claws over the hilt and, after pushing away one final doubt, and ignoring all the Pokémon that were staring at him, he tugged.

It was really jammed in there. He grunted and pulled a little harder, sticking his foot on the trunk behind Mhynt. "Nnnngh! What did you do to get pinned like this?!"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

"Well, just remember, I was the one who helped—agh!" The lifeless Honedge broke free and Hakk tumbled onto his spikes, wincing. "Ugh. There. H-happy?"

The blade lifted out of his hands, but not because Mhynt had grabbed it. It was floating on its own. Mhynt, still with a large wound in her chest, stepped forward. Darkness poured from the wound, and within her body seemed to be a core of golden light sealing itself away.

"Yes," Mhynt said.

The blade spun until its point was aimed at his chest.

Hakk couldn't react in time. "Wait—"

Hakk jolted and stiffened, trying to gasp, but it wasn't working. He heard the crowd shriek and he looked down at the blade plunged into his chest. It didn't hurt. Why didn't it hurt? He felt warm. Too warm. His vision was going dark, and something tugged at his torso.

Then, nothing.

He was falling. He couldn't hear anymore, and he only had a body because he remembered what having one felt like. He flexed his claws, and it didn't feel real, even though he was sure he could.

He couldn't breathe, but he also didn't need to. In this endless darkness, the only thing he saw was a slim Flygon floating in the void. The Flygon crossed his arms, looking pensive and irritable, floating in a slow rotation. Their eyes met.

Gahi snorted, looking off.

Hakk snarled back. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

Gahi dug his claws into his arm. They were intangible, and it seemed like they pressed far more than they should have. Despite this, he did not bleed. "So?"

But before Hakk could respond, another tugging motion pulled him up and away. Gahi rapidly became nothing but a distant, green speck of light.

And then he was standing again, taking his first breath, staggering forward before catching himself. "What? What happened? I—" He felt his chest. Bruised beneath his fur. But there was an odd color there, some mark. It looked like a star.

Mhynt cleared her throat. "Your help is appreciated."

"Gah!" Hakk jumped away, then blinked when he realized he had to look down quite far to see the Treecko. "What? When did you get so small?"

"Try again."

Hakk looked himself over, marveling at how everything suddenly looked a few heads shorter. He felt a little heavier… but the strength in his movements made him light as a feather.

"Where is Owen?" Mhynt asked.

"Uh?"

"Owen. That is your first assignment under my command. Get him, bring him to me, and we can work from there."

The guards and civilians—those who remained, at least—watched with their breaths held. Hakk knew that they only didn't move because they didn't want to attract Mhynt's attention, like she was some motion-based predator.

"So, what, that's it? Just like that, I'm under your authority?"

"You always have. The difference now is I'm giving you direct orders."

"Fair." Hakk still didn't like it. He rubbed at his chest. "What's this supposed to be?"

"The mark of Necrozma. I have his power. Now, you have a hint of it as well. …The growth is a side effect."

"You don't say." Hakk tried to get used to his new size, unnerved at how he made the ground rumble a little more than he was used to after so many centuries being the same.

Mhynt still regarded him with that cold, indifferent stare. She tapped her foot. "Are you going, or not?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Hakk growled back. "You know, I don't really like this whole recruitment thing."

"You don't need to like it. You just need to understand that you have to."

"Or what?"

Mhynt tilted her blade.

"Okay, okay! Geez, it was rhetorical." Hakk steadied his heart, then looked down at her chest. Defiance was welling up inside him, though. He wasn't going to let this Treecko get control of him without a fight. "I think this mark thing is pretty stupid, though. It gets in the way."

"A slightly different color gets in the way?" Mhynt frowned.

"Yeah. Now people are gonna ask, and that'll blow my cover, won't it?"

"Hm, perhaps you're right," Mhynt said, though her tone hadn't changed in the slightest. "Do you want it somewhere else?"

"Yeah, how about the same place you can kiss?" Hakk snapped, stomping his foot. "Why do you think some threats are gonna—" An electric feeling forced him to crouch and clutch at his chest. It had lasted only a second. When he looked down, the mark was gone. "What did—"

"I put it where you wanted me to kiss." Mhynt smiled wryly, crossing her arms.

Hakk flinched and felt around his mouth, like the color would have a different texture.

"Try again."

Hakk snarled. "You b—"

"Pray I don't change it further." Mhynt's glare intensified. "Is there anything else you want, or are we through here?"

Hakk gritted his teeth, frosty air circling around his spikes. But before he could continue with his death sentence, he heard a squawk from far away. A Pokémon had bumped into Xypher, and he was trying to stay calm. The Corviknight kept muttering apologies and bowed frantically.

He'd stared for too long; Mhynt had followed his gaze. Cursing under his breath, he looked back at Mhynt and said, "Don't… hurt him."

Mhynt stared up at Hakk and tilted her head, inquisitive.

"…Please."

And she continued to stare, calculating, thinking. Then, she closed her eyes and nodded. "Understood."

Some sort of caveat or snide remark was the next thing Hakk was expecting, but when none came, he hesitantly stepped away and said, "Well… okay. I'll go find Owen."

He didn't know why she couldn't just do it herself.

Wait, if he was trying not to be obvious, why was he twice as big?!

Before he had the chance to question it, Mhynt was already gone.