Chapter 110 - Halves

Hakk had forgotten what the sky was supposed to look like.

He'd gone blind for a long while. Suddenly, everything had been a bright light, originating from the center of town. Only after some time passed did Hakk feel it was safe enough to open his eyes again.

"Oh, you're kidding me…"

In the center of town, where the sentinel tower had once been, an even greater structure now loomed over Null Village. At first, Hakk didn't recognize it; it was too foreign. Tall, cylindrical at the base, but with a great, overflowing bloom of prismatic leaves and golden lights. It hurt to look at for long and Hakk averted his gaze.

Something brushed against his nose and he sneezed, blinking several times. His vision was spotty, glimmering lights obscuring his view, before he realized that the spots didn't move with his eyes. He grabbed blindly at one and felt something in the air.

Transparent leaves, like feathers, rained down. It got in his spikes and clung to his body.

The leaves sparkled against the bright glow that the tree gave off, and for a while, despite everything that happened, Hakk could only stare at it, transfixed. He'd never seen anything like it in… ever? Had he ever seen something like this before, even when he was alive? He couldn't remember anymore. It had been so long. Shimmering, prismatic rain.

Someone pecked at his shoulder. He knew the feeling anywhere; there was no need to look. "Hey, Xy." He rubbed his cheek, thoughtful.

Xypher cawed.

"Pretty, huh?" Hakk said.

"You're big. Big, big…"

"Oh, yeah. That. Don't worry about it. Hey, did Mhynt mess with you at all?"

"No. No, no. We ate."

"You… ate?" His heart skipped a beat. "You didn't cook anything for her, did you?" Trying to keep his tone even, he glanced at the Corviknight. He had to crane his neck a lot less to address him. This wasn't so bad.

Xypher cawed again. "She liked it! Good. Good, good."

But then, someone just down the road caught his attention. Mhynt was coming closer, though she was speaking into her badge.

"Yes," Mhynt said to it, "I am not able to get Owen at this time. The mission was a failure. I will be returning with my intel as soon as my powers return."

"Until your—what do you mean, return? Where are they?!"

"The sheer radiance of that tree, combined with my encounter with the new Psychic Guardian, countered your power, sir. My powers are not usable. I will return once I am able."

"Is Dark Matter also there?"

"Yes. He is likely also not going to be able to approach Null Village."

Hakk wasn't sure if he was supposed to be hearing this. Mhynt was looking right at him. Oh, Stars, he was dead. He was supposed to get Owen and he just walked away. Did she find out? Suddenly, Hakk wanted Xypher to get away as fast as possible.

"Rrgh, fine. I'm going to send guards your way to escort you back early so you can't be attacked. Wait a day in hiding."

"Of course." Mhynt shut the badge off, then stared at Hakk. "You are now my bodyguard. Understood?"

"What?"

"You heard this. Now, hide me in your home." Mhynt gestured behind him. "I will be sure repairs are funded."

Hakk stood back in slight awe, but then sighed. "Well, guess I am under your authority," he muttered. "Fine. But keep Xypher out of this, you got it?"

"Very well." Mhynt looked at the Corviknight. "I suppose he should be earning his ranks over time anyway."

"Right." Hakk wondered if Mhynt could undo the memory locks within Xypher, maybe upgrade him to Class B… There was no telling with her. She kept those powers quiet. Only now did he realize how truly powerful she was, despite only being a Treecko…

"Are you going to continue staring?" Mhynt asked.

"Geh—no. Right. My place." Hakk spun on his heel.

"And how did acquiring Owen go?" Mhynt added with a knowing hum in her voice.

"One of those freaking mutant things threatened to eat me, so that was way above my pay—way more than I could handle."

"A wise rephrase." She tapped her blade on the ceramic tile. "Very well. And they evaded me, as well, so I suppose I cannot blame you completely."

Oh, completely? "Yeah, they're clever. Y'know, they know where I live. They might find you."

"Hmph. Even if I'm weak, I can handle them," Mhynt said leisurely. "Let them come."


The peace and quiet that Nevren had to work on his projects had been a true godsend. And, ironically, it was largely because a certain god was not trying to speak to him. Nevren greatly preferred ninety seconds of silence so he could Revise as much as he liked to think and think and think over the same issue before finally putting something to work.

Nevren was very particular about his free moments. If there was any little disturbance or any sudden noise, he'd reset his countdown. Any idle noise, any constant hum, even the smallest pitter-patter of a mutant walking outside counted as a disturbance. And once he was met with a completely empty moment, that was the best time to revise. Peace, for as long as he wished.

And with all that time, he was finally able to get the next mockup of his Dungeon opener, and this time with a faster closure mechanism! He could only hope that whatever that pearl resonated with would not resonate again… or they were at least less hostile. Owen—or someone that was certainly much like Owen—had been fighting that behemoth. It would be safer now, yes? Or they were dead. That was also possible. But not knowing was worse. If they were dead, he could report that as a certainty to Arceus and the others. A decrease in morale? Likely. But they at least would get it over with and focus their energy elsewhere.

Back to the repurposed Beammaker he went. Standing in the observation deck, he revved up the engines required, drew from the power like before, and idly wondered if Lavender would be back soon to exchange the spirits within so they didn't get stir-crazy. He supposed it wouldn't be much of a bother.

The beam fired, forming another eight-sided star that constantly felt familiar and frustratingly at the forefront of his mind, yet unreachable. Cursed Decree. Nevren wondered how long it would torment him.

Below, a truly unexpected sight greeted Nevren. This time, it was a town with a huge, glimmering tree in the middle, with bright bark and glassy, rainbow leaves. A town of dark stone and clay streets, which he saw from a bird's eye view. Countless wraiths shuffled about inside, near the edges of town, and Nevren hopped down when he realized that there was no titanic monster this time. Still, he kept the remote shutdown switch in his hands to be absolutely safe.

Several wraiths stopped moving and looked skyward—at least, he imagined so. Why else would they stop moving? Their undiscernible forms made it hard to read where they were looking.

Nevren squinted. Could that be right? Were those… actual Pokémon? It was hard to tell with the rainbow leaves speckling the ground with color, but—

Yes! They were! Though, they were only gathered around the tree. He recognized a few of them instantly.

"Team Alloy!" Nevren called, hoping he was close enough and loud enough that they noticed. "Hello!" He waved from the edge of the portal, careful not to fall in. Curiously, the portal's edge felt rounded and warm.

And there was someone else there. Two someones that were so large they were hard to ignore.

Nevren's heart fluttered. Dialga. Palkia. He recognized them. Dialga especially, with an odd fondness. And Palkia… His form had been so thoroughly missing from his memory. He couldn't look away. Those pearls within his shoulders glowed brightly. They looked cracked.

"Ah…" That explained it. The pearl he had used for the Dungeon resonance machine and the power within Palkia were one and the same—yes! That meant if he had another means to resonate with someone, he would be able to create a portal above them! Frantically, Nevren wrote down several of these notes as Palkia ascended to the sky and toward the portal.

Halfway there, his form suddenly dissolved into a monstrous, blackened creature that was only vaguely the same shape as before. Nevren steadied his heart and prepared to close the portal.

"Hello!" greeted the beast, waving.

Nevren was millimeters from pressing the button when he stopped.

"From what I was just told," it said, "you have opened the sky twice now! Congratulations! That means your experiments are slowly forming a pattern. Very good!"

"Yes, very good indeed…" Nevren slowly lowered the device. It really was Palkia. Inhabitants of that horrible landscape appeared this way naturally, and yet when near that tree, the illusion was dispelled. Or was the realm itself the one casting an illusion? Or were they both real? So many questions… He could start with one he suspected the answer to. "You are… Palkia?"

"Indeed! And you are Alakazam!"

"Yes. I am Alakazam Nevren. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise!" He gestured below. "Do you recognize anyone else? Perhaps my comrade in arms?"

"…Dialga?" Nevren said. "Yes. I remember Dialga fondly. I'm… afraid I do not recall why."

"Ahh. Erasure from history, and yet your bond with Dialga has not been shaken! How poetic! I do hope we can compare notes on how we have interacted with that phenomenon."

…He liked Palkia.

The titan attempted to emerge from the portal, but once he did, he seemed to wince and fall back. "Ah… I'm afraid I do not think I can go through here. Quite painful. You are in the living realm, correct?"

"Yes. And where are you?"

"A place known as the Voidlands. It is Dark Matter's domain, though I have recently been told that it is also Hydreigon Alexander's, too. They are competing for power. Very curious."

"Hydreigon? Alexander?" Nevren tilted his head. "I know an Alex of the same species. Are they related? What is his temperament?"

"Quite evil! Devious! Devilish!"

"Ah, unrelated." Nevren noted it down regardless. "In any case, I will be opening this portal regularly within the next few days to continue contact. Will that inconvenience anyone?"

And he wondered why Gahi was not flying toward him. Surely, they felt a need to do that. In fact… where was Owen?

Dialga was coming with Demitri and Mispy atop his back. Curiously, Gahi was not present. Their bodies also dissolved into shadowy wraiths, and once again Nevren suppressed his reflexes to close the portal.

"Demitri, Mispy," Nevren greeted, but then smiled at the four-legged titan they were riding on. "And… Dialga."

"Nevren. I can't believe it… After all this time, you're still alive."

"I could say the same to you, old friend." Nevren's heart fluttered a little. "I kept your charm safe all this time, by the way."

A horrible rumble that was supposed to be his laugh shook Nevren's chest. He suppressed a wince. This darkness was truly awful; he had to find a way to free them.

"Really!" Dialga shouted. "Well, I hope it was of use!"

"It certainly was. But right now, I'd like an update on what exactly is happening down there. Who all is there?" Nevren pulled up yet another notebook. "We're missing quite a few from Hot Spot,. But seeing everyone there is encouraging."

"Right, um, Zena, Jerry, Enet, and Trina are with us, too. It's called the Voidlands, and we're in Null Village. And Anam, but, um, he's busy searching for Dark Matter. Owen's that tree." Demitri pointed down toward the radiant landmark. "Gahi got… attacked. We're trying to find a way to get his spirit back. Right now, he's under control of the Unown."

Nevren jotted it all down and decided to cover the more absurd statements later. "And what of Star and Valle?" he asked. "Those are the two still unaccounted for."

Demitri made what might have been a shrugging motion. "No idea for either of them."

"Hmm." Well, Valle wasn't very important, but the fact that Star was missing was worrisome. "Thank you. Now, I'd like to return to something you said."

"Okay."

"Owen is a tree."

"Yeah."

"How and why?"

"Um, Aster turned Owen into an apple, and Owen had the idea to be planted with a bunch of energy so he'd become a tree. Actually, it was kind of both the Unown's idea and his, or something."

That… led to more questions than answers. He wasn't sure how much energy was left in the Beammaker to maintain the connection.

"I see. Well. I will try to resonate with you again shortly," Nevren said. "It was good to see you again, Dialga."

"Likewise," said the Timekeeper.

"Ah, and Palkia… from what Rhys has told me, I will be sure to send him your regards."

"Ah, perfect, perfect! So he's alive as well? That's truly wonderful."

"Rhys, Rhys…" Dialga hummed. "I don't know who that is."

Nevren was about to explain, but then paused.

Something… felt strange about that.

Irritatingly, it was rattling around in his mind but he had no means of sorting it out with the Beammaker's distracting hum in the air. "Right. I will contact you all later. Do take care, and—ah. I would like to return the bag that one of your companions dropped. One moment."

After a few Teleports, Nevren returned and handed it over.

"Oh, that must be what Latias lost," Demitri said. "Um… thanks, Nevren. So you're helping us now?"

"I always have been," Nevren said.

A tense silence followed, and Nevren was glad the Beammaker was starting to fizzle, because he did not have the time nor patience to explain himself again.

"The portal will close soon," Nevren said, "Goodbye for now."

"Right…"

With a wave, they descended back into the Voidlands, and the portal closed.


The pillar of light had briefly turned the nighttime sky to something like the late afternoon. And when it faded, and after only the stars were left to light the sky, a meeting was held with all the top Hearts. Leo and Spice came first, followed by Phol carrying a half-asleep Angelo; Rhys, Step, and the other Guardians with their spirits were also there. Representing Trina's mutants, Har also attended, though the Charizard's dim flame suggested he'd barely gotten up from the mutant encampment in Kilo Village's outskirts.

"Right." Rhys sighed. "This complicates things. What do we do? Was that a signal? Not even Arceus knows what that was truly about."

"All I know is when I first saw it, felt like I'd been in the sun for five days straight." Spice rubbed her arms, as if the burn was still there.

"It was very bright," Leo agreed. "I was seeing spots for a while." The Delphox gestured to the Salazzle next to him. "But it also looked like it really took out that dark vortex. Do you think it'll happen again?"

"If it does, that may be our best time to storm Hot Spot and eliminate the vortex completely." Rhys paced in the middle of the main lobby of the Heart HQ. Bright lights countered the nighttime sky and felt somehow more intense, perhaps because most of the mortals among the crowd just wanted to sleep. "If only we knew when another strike like that would happen…"

"Hey, so, what's this mean for our current mission?" Spice asked. "I'm set to go to Void Basin, down southwest?"

"That may still be necessary for scouting," Rhys said. "But perhaps a smaller team, if we decide to go for that vortex. We're communicating with Arceus now, who is speaking to one of our researchers to see if we can get more information before heading in."

"Speaking to Arceus," Phol said with a wry smile. "To think he's saying that seriously, and it's true. What a time to be alive."

Elder stood by the Lucario's side, leaning his shell against his thigh. "There is a lot that we still do not know, and yet that light is one of the greatest beacons of hope we'd seen in a long time." The Torkoal smiled at the corners of his mouth. "Blinding as it was, I think everyone was filled with hope from that."

"Gyehh." Nearby, one of the many shapeless things that came from Nate bobbed in affirmative. There were a few speckled around the conference area.

Rhys tried to be cordial. "Nate, or, er, one of Nate's… disciples… do you have any news?"

The thing trembled and three of its seven eyes blinked.

"That means… no, I believe. Well. It's not a bother. Thank you. Has Nate's strength returned at all?"

"Nngg."

Spice shifted uncomfortably. "What are those things? They've been here for days and I don't really know what to think of them. Do they eat? Breathe? Sleep?"

"As far as we can tell," Rhys said, "they appear to be the Dark Guardian's spirits. But I've never seen creatures become so warped by a host's influence—well, aside from ADAM, but that's beside the point."

The Porygon-Z in question buzzed. "Systems are fully operational."

Suddenly, Rhys' gaze shot to the ceiling of the Heart HQ. "What? …They—they're really alive? That blast… was Owen?!"

A ripple of surprise washed over the group, striking Willow the strongest. She jumped onto Rhys' head in a single bound. "What? Owen? We talked to him?! Where? Let's save him NOW!"

Rhys plucked her from his head and placed her on Elder's shell. "Owen… has apparently been residing in a strange world where the inhabitants all appear as wraiths. And not only that, but Legendary Pokémon that have been faded into myth are there, too. It must be a plane of reality that is beyond just our own. And if they're wraiths…"

"Whoa, that was five different crazies you just said there." Spice raised a hand. "One more time, and slower."

"…It's apparently called the Voidlands. Our top researcher is investigating it now, opening a portal several times to ask more questions while he can. And Owen has become something that can blast from within the Voidlands, and apparently to our realm. Since his body is probably still in Hot Spot, that must be where it manifested…"

"Owen became something?" repeated Brandon, looking incredulous. His steel fingers tapped loudly against his biceps. "What's that mean, exactly?"

"Er. A tree. A large tree."

Silence.

"Eh. I buy it." Brandon shrugged. "Better question: can he do that again?"

"We don't know. But it's likely he can, when he has the energy. I think we have our new mission." Rhys faced them all. "Most of us will be preparing a timed assault on Hot Spot to see what we can do against that vortex and, if immediate action can be taken, eliminate it right then. Some of you will continue investigating points of interest." Rhys nodded at Spice and Leo, who were tasked with investigating Void Basin. "Some will also remain behind in Kilo Village to continue defending the city." And at this, he nodded at Phol.

"Is everything clear? I will be setting out specific assignments to you all in the coming day."

There were various affirmations from most of the team. Rhys took note that Angelo had looked away, murmuring something. He'd have to talk to him later.

"Good," Rhys said. "Dismissed. Good work, everyone. Perhaps this will be over soon."

Mercifully, the rest of the night passed uneventfully.


"MUTANT!"

"H-hey, get out!"

"Get out!"

"Seriously?" Ani snarled, her many vines thrashing in random directions. "I'm here to help!" She pinned the injured Croconaw down and channeled healing energy through one of her vines and into his shoulder.

"G-get off! AAAH! It's—it's gonna eat me!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ani tossed the terrified creature into a few of the other onlookers, several of them making empty, threatening gestures toward her. They scrambled behind tables and hid around the corner of the hallway that led into the patients' room, where several recently rescued Pokémon lay injured. Healing supplies were short as usual and the usual healers were totally tapped out of energy. Ani had sensed their dying auras through the wall. How could she turn away from that?

An Incineroar shoved his way past a few terrified nurses. "What's going on in here?" he snarled. "We—oh. Ani."

"Can you get your idiot subordinates to lay off?" the mutant Meganium pointed an accusatory vine at them. "If they actually removed me, these Pokémon would have died!"

"They seemed stable…" Incineroar pointed out.

"Their auras were weak. I could tell from the outside," Ani said. "In fact, everyone here seemed weaker, maybe from fatigue, but these ones were a flicker away from dying."

"…Ani, the walls here are Protect-insulated. It makes it harder to see through by elemental sight. For privacy."

"What?" Ani looked back again, even as the Croconaw and others pressed firmly against the wall.

"They were healthy."

"O-oh."

The head nurse sighed and rubbed his snout. "Go back to the rest of your team, please. I—"

"Hang on," she said. "Is there anyone here who does need healing?"

"I don't know what you can do that we can't on our own," Incineroar said, "and there isn't anyone who—hrm." He stopped himself. "How powerful is your healing?"

"Mutant injuries linger because they disrupt aura," Ani said. "But I can heal even aura. What's wrong?"

"…Come with me."

Ani followed Incineroar—who, after asking, said he was Phol—and entered a small room that had several patients resting on small beds in different parts of the room, and then, curiously, a single empty bed that had and odd, red capsule. Ani recognized it immediately. "Why do you have a Poké Ball here?"

"The Machoke who gave it to us called it the same thing but didn't bother explaining what it was," Phol said, gesturing to it. "Inside that ball is a Vaporeon who was very badly injured. We brought Rhys here to take a closer look, but he said that her aura was so badly damaged that her body can't sustain itself. Vaporeon are known for relying in part on their latent energy to keep their bodies together… and something disrupted it for this one."

As Phol spoke, Ani inspected the capsule and saw a little, scrunched up ball of energy hidden inside. It was weak and faded, but stable, which was expected if they were stored in one of those. She didn't know what would happen if they released her.

"I can help," Ani said. "Or, I'll try. It's hard for me to heal when they're inside that, though. How much time do you think she has if you release her?"

"I don't know." He looked pensive. "But she's been in there for days. We don't know how it's possible to—"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just release her, but be ready to bring her back in, alright?"

"Brandon showed me how to do that." Phol picked the capsule up. "When you're ready?"

After some time for Ani to charge, Phol clicked the sphere, expanded it, and tossed it clumsily. Out came a Vaporeon that oozed with dark, blackish-purple liquid from several wounds, and radiated a horrid aura that made her antennae scrunch up. Ani fired her mutated Heal Pulse at the creature and—to her surprise—a significant portion of that dark energy had disappeared like brush to a flame. So, she pressed, and indeed, more and more of that darkness washed away until just a depleted, weak, and oddly melty Vaporeon remained.

But she still sensed a dark nugget in the center of her aura, and Ani wasn't sure how to get rid of that. Most of that had been rot, but that core of darkness felt… different. Worse. "Okay," she said. "I did what I could. But she still seems like there's something wrong. Can you do your other checks or whatever?"

Phol was already on it, taking a few devices and tools from the nearby cupboard. He placed one on Vaporeon's chest and looked at a needle that bobbed in a radial meter in his hands. "Hm." Then, he grabbed a small towel and placed it on Vaporeon's thigh, then pulled away and inspected the dry cloth. "Mmhm." Finally, Phol pulled away. "She's healthy. Weak, but healthy. You really are a miracle worker." Despite his words, his expression remained stoic.

Vaporeon stirred, one eye barely opening.

"Tanneth, correct?" Phol said, looking over a notepad that had been by the wall. "You were rescued out at sea by a Machoke Brandon. Do you remember—"

"No…"

"Right. That's okay. All you need to know is you're safe now, and—"

"No, I'm… I'm not… Tanneth."

Phol stared, eyes looking up from the notepad without moving his head. "You aren't Tanneth? Who are you? Brandon seemed very certain—"

"Tanneth… isn't real. I was never real…" The Vaporeon weakly curled up, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm… Emily…"


"Thank you for the tea." Mhynt sipped the cup that was two sizes too large. The starry sky was above them thanks to the destroyed roof from their recent clash. "How did you know I liked mint?"

"…Hunch." Hakk didn't make eye contact. He kept struggling with all of his tools. Everything was so small. He had to be extremely delicate when pouring, delicate when putting things back in the fridge—how did Xypher deal with it all?! Maybe that's why he kept breaking everything.

"I will not be here for very long." Mhynt took another quiet sip. "Escorts from Cipher City will be here in a few days to return me there, and I intend to distance myself from Null Village."

"I take it the roaming Void Shadows aren't a problem for you, even if they're out of Alexander's control?"

"Trivial," Mhynt confirmed.

Xypher kept eyeing the dead Honedge next to Mhynt. The Treecko finally noticed, following Xypher's eyes. He squawked and preened his feathers.

"It's a sword," Mhynt said. "A weapon from the era of humans meant to augment their fighting abilities, because humans themselves did not have much. They modeled swords after the effectiveness of a Honedge and, in fact, there are old, old tales of a human and a Honedge who worked together in combat."

"So, you killed a Honedge to make that happen for you? Why not craft a 'sword' yourself?"

"Natural blades from Pokémon are simply much stronger than what can be crafted by underdeveloped metallurgical facilities." Mhynt pulled the blade toward her. "They naturally sharpen themselves through Infinity Energy. I only have to channel some into it and the edge is good as new."

Hakk wondered if Mhynt would kill him if it would be more useful that way.

"And for the record, I didn't kill this Honedge," Mhynt added. "I displaced his spirit and made use of the body left behind."

"Oh, that's much better," Hakk let slip, realized his mistake, and quickly added, "I mean—okay, sure. I, uh… take that back."

Mhynt eyed him, expression stone-like, and Hakk searched for the best thing to do to look busy. More tea. Yes, that would do. Hakk brushed aside a few feather-weight, glassy leaves from the counter and got to work.

"So, uh." Another bag in the kettle. "Why a sword?"

"As a Sceptile, I made use of Leaf Blade at all times. As a Treecko, it's not very large."

"Why not evolve? You're probably, like, a bajillion times stronger than what's needed for it…"

"Simple." Mhynt rested her chin against the end of the blade's handle. "My strength is not drawn from my body nor my evolution. Evolving would only provide a marginal improvement in what I can do. Far less than the benefit being a smaller target provides. Using this blade to augment my reach is all I need."

"Still seems pretty out of the way," Hakk said. "Especially since it looks like someone used it against you in a fight, eh?"

Ah, he shouldn't have said that. Mhynt held the blade, now.

"N-not that—I mean, you were caught off guard and stuff. That's no big deal—"

"No." Mhynt sighed. "You're right." Her grip relaxed, as did Hakk's muscles. "I suppose… some of it is sentimental and nostalgic."

"Sentimental, huh…" Hakk knew not to pry there.

"Yes. Someone important to me once said it was… appealing, the way I fought with Leaf Blade. And I'm used to the fighting style as well. There are simply a lot of factors that make it the best approach." Mhynt tapped the blade's hilt, thoughtful. "Of course, that was a long time ago. Perhaps now I'm just used to it on a practical level. Muscle memory."

"Yeah, that's fair, too. Dunno how I'd be able to change up my strategies in a fight, either, after all this time." Hakk sat down again, having to use one of the spare seats once meant for Xypher. "Y'know, you aren't half bad."

"Don't get comfortable, soldier." Mhynt glared, but for the shortest, briefest instant, Hakk saw a soft look in her eyes. It… puzzled him. "You are still my subordinate."

"Right, right." He raised his claws. "My bad, sir."

"That's more like it." She took another sip of her tea.

Knock knock.

Mhynt tensed. The door had been pieced together and then taped. It was still barely functional while awaiting repairs, so whoever knocked must have been very polite. So, not any of that Team Alloy crowd. Through the cracks of the door, however, Hakk was surprised to see that it was Gahi.

Which was the last person he expected to kn—wait. Gahi was dead.

"It's the Flygon," Hakk mumbled.

Indeed, it was, and it would be nice to open the door. They wished to get their spirit back.

"Bodies don't move on their own! What's going on!? You should be dead on the ground!" Hakk stepped back, his spikes bumping into the table behind him. "Ugh! It's like you're talking in my head! Who are you?"

Open the door, Hakk.

"Go away!"

The door fell forward, nearly crushing Hakk's toes had he not jumped left. Xypher squawked and Mhynt was already on her feet.

"I'm not keen on giving up anything right now," Mhynt said.

The Unown knew Mhynt was vulnerable.

Mhynt hissed and jumped away, her nimbleness allowing her to get to the broken wall's hole in a single bound. The Flygon followed with a jittering, cosmic wingbeat, disappearing and reappearing in front of her and grabbing her by the throat.

"Ghk—!"

And then, she disappeared with him.

It took a while for Hakk to find the courage to move. Slowly, he advanced to the tea, where a few more prismatic leaves had fallen in.

"…Right… she'll… be fine, I think." Hakk didn't want to help. He also didn't know how to help. "You alright, Xypher?"

Xypher was upright and conscious, but he'd gone mute until just then. He opened his beak, made a little, uncertain caw, and closed it again. He shook his wings and several fallen leaves drifted to the ground.

"I want things to be normal," Xypher said. "Normal, normal…"

Hakk dug his claws into his fists. "Yeah," he said. "Me, too."

The Sandslash patted the Corviknight on the back and gestured to the wall. "How about we relax in the basement for a while?" he asked. "Just for some quiet."


Mhynt smashed against a tree near the southern outskirts of Null Village. The buildings were several stone's throws away, and this was a dangerous place for anybody who didn't know how to fight Void Shadows.

Sliding down the trunk, Mhynt glanced to her right and saw her blade sliding along the dirt. She reached for it, only for the Flygon's claws to plunge into the bark around her arm, pinning her there.

"Tsk." She eyed the Flygon directly, those blank, stoic eyes staring back. "It's been a while."

It has, to a mortal.

Mhynt smirked and the Flygon let her go. She reached for her blade and shoved it into the dirt, using it as something to lean on, like a tall desk.

"What's been happening in the living world, hmm?"

Typical stagnation under the rule of the Thousand Hearts.

"Oh, Thousand Hearts? Someone expanded."

Indeed.

"And the… idiot that claimed your Orb. Was that your choice? Mm. Don't answer. I suspect you had to pick the least of all evils." Mhynt tapped her chin. "I think I've done enough. Owen's smart, and between all the allies he's amassed, they're bound to realize Alexander's weakness and how to exploit it."

The Flygon approached the blade and pointed at it, because that was something they intended to retrieve.

"Yes, yes, but I don't want him hearing this." Mhynt sighed. "Don't tell him anything. I still need to work by Alexander's side, and I'm sure you know how unable he is to keep his mouth shut."

He was not the ideal host.

"Indeed. And perhaps not the ideal mate for Owen, either." She rolled her eyes. "I digress."

Owen was with another.

That one gave Mhynt pause. "Oh?"

The Milotic. They recently wished to only be friends as they discovered their codependency, but inevitably the Unown suspected they would rekindle.

"I see."

The Unown were curious whether or not Mhynt harbored ill feelings because of that.

"Do you really think I'm so petty?"

The attacks against the Flygon's body were more than necessary.

Mhynt chuckled, shrugging. "It was part of the plan. I only added some flair."

The Unown stared, then gestured to the Honedge again.

"Very well. I hope to see you soon. Be careful while you're here. If Alexander gets too agitated, he may attack on his own, and that won't be good. They aren't ready, not until they become whole. They will hopefully think to go to West Null Village next."

The Flygon unearthed the Honedge and looked it over, but they were not familiar with how to retrieve Gahi.

"I need to touch it and I can work from there." She gestured for it to be handed over.

Nodding, the Flygon flipped the blade in the air, grabbed it by the hilt, and then lifted Mhynt with a Psychic hold.

"What are you—"

The blade plunged into Mhynt's abdomen, pinning her to the tree.

Mhynt tried to gasp, then growled and tried to pull herself free. Once again, it was out of her reach, and her dark powers weren't properly manifesting yet. "What are you doing?!"

The requirement was needing to touch the blade; the Unown were only adding some flair.

Confusion, befuddlement, then anger, and then resigned defeat in that order washed over Mhynt's face. She sighed. "You win this round. Now, hold still."

Mhynt drew from the blade, tugging as if from a loose thread on a scarf. Out came a strand of gold, and then a hazy glob. She lobbed it toward the Flygon and, like a magnet, it flew into the body, and suddenly it went stiff.

"Ngh—you pest!" Mhynt shouted, struggling against the blade as it started to loosen. "How dare you—consider yourself lucky, because I will not allow a—"

"Hah! Well, lookie there, I really can beat yeh in my sleep!" Gahi sneered at Mhynt, leaning forward. "What's the matter, eh? Couldn't beat me over my dead body af'er all?"

"You spent far too long in my blade coming up with those," Mhynt said as she finally managed to get her palm against the base of the hilt so she could push.

"Eh…"

By now, Mhynt suspected the Unown were telling him something to get him to flee.

"Geh! Yer lucky I ain't gonna finish yeh, but I gotta make sure y'ain't got an ambush fer the others. That's right, I saw through yer plan. Y'ain't clever." With a smirk, Gahi disappeared in a flash.

Left alone with her thoughts, Mhynt pushed the blade out as her wound sealed itself without even a scar. Some of her Shadow power was back.

She picked the Honedge up and, if only to get out some pent-up frustrations, sliced the tree that she'd been pinned on. The trunk fell, and countless extra blades of darkness diced it into firewood.

"Idiot."