Chapter 28 – Evolution Gambit

Owen passed by a tree that had been so badly twisted that the top was touching the ground. Light shined through the gap it left in the canopy, revealing the colorful, fungus-plagued ground he stepped over. His hands, still partly rotten from Anam's strange death fog, felt like they were being constantly prodded with tiny Poison Stings.

"Enet!" Owen yelled.

Amia ran after him, followed by Anam, sluggishly squeezing through the forestry.

Another Psychic blast came his way and he rolled; a rock behind him twisted into rubble. "She means business, huh—?"

"Enet better be careful—where'd she run off to?!" Amia said. "Enet!" She tripped over a vine. "Oh, sh—sugar lumps—" She closed her eyes, scanning for Enet's aura while she tried to stand.

"Wait! But why is she even using Psychic on Enet?" Owen said. "She's Dark, soPsychic won't exactly do all that much!"

James emerged from Anam's body in a black cloud and followed Owen, leaving Anam and Amia behind. "She is trying to disrupt Enet's illusions," he said. "The light is something that Enet isn't used to. It's very likely that if this forest becomes too bright, she won't be able to hide. Rim will likely then use another attack. We must hurry before—"

And just then, Rim sent a strange light directly at something in the shadows. Enet yelped in pain and scrambled into another bush. It must have missed because she wasn't dead yet.

"Ngh—that's not good," James hissed, nearly a hoot. "That was Signal Beam—Enet isn't going to handle a strike like that!" He spotted the Espurr in the trees. James immediately brought a wing forward and made a motion as if drawing from a string; a feather formed from black smoke, and he tugged on a string that appeared from the aether. A second later, he fired. It went straight for Rim. She vanished before it could connect, the feather piercing through the tree behind her.

"Ngh, it's never that easy, is it?" James muttered. "We must hurry!"

"Okay," Anam said, falling over another boulder. Countless forest mushrooms floated throughout Anam's body from his constant tumbles.

More trees fell. Rim was locked onto Enet, no matter how much the wild Guardian tried to maneuver through the darkness.

"Help!" Enet finally cried.

That gave her away. Rim fired another Signal Beam.

"No!" Owen thought fast. His Ember wouldn't block it, nor would any of his projectile strikes. They were all energy-based, and signal-beam might go right through it. But what if—

Owen opened his mouth and launched a vine from his throat. It extended out and he felt his stomach drain as foot after foot of the vine spilled from him, but then realized by some instinct that he was reaching the end of how far he'd be able to extend it. It wasn't going to be enough.

And in that moment, Owen's teeth burst with fire. With wits, instinct, and just a touch of desperate insanity, he chomped down on his own vine, simultaneously searing and cutting it while it was still being launched. It was fast enough that it kept some of its momentum, but the horrible, searing pain that surged through Owen made his vision fade halfway. His blood tasted like grass.

The tip narrowly intercepted the blast, and thankfully, the vine neutralized the attack completely. Owen, feeling significantly lighter, rushed toward where the blast had been aimed and found Enet cowering under a bush.

"Are you okay?" Owen asked.

Enet whimpered, holding her arm. It looked like she had been grazed by the previous attack. Fur was missing the skin beneath was partially charred.

"Just stay by me, okay?" he said. The Charmander immediately stared up at Rim, clenching his fist. His mind was racing with possible ideas on how to take her down—any way at all that could break through those defenses of hers, but she seemed so insurmountable. He couldn't even get a scratch on her before, and Rhys didn't stand a chance, either.

If he struggled against Rhys, then what chance did he have against Rim? At some point, strategy could only take him so far…. Her barrier was the first problem. He could feel it, even from where he was standing. If he got too close, he'd run into that bubble of force; projectiles of any kind would be affected the same way.

"I'm small, but I'm strong," he said to Enet. "I promise." Owen then looked up at Rim, waiting for her next move. He didn't spot a single mutant yet—Rim must be going on her own this time. Perhaps she realized that sending her soldiers wasn't going to do the trick for someone clever like Enet.

Rim's lack of action unnerved Owen.

The Zoroark sniffed, but then nodded. "F-fight!"

"Yeah, I'll try that," Owen muttered. He straightened and stared at Rim. "…H-hey! You better… leave us alone!" he shouted.

He knew that Rim was calculating her next move. She had the luxury of time—she could wait as much as she wanted, and they wouldn't be able to escape. But something just wasn't right about this. There was that inkling in the back of his head again. That this wasn't just some coincidence that Rim found them, no—that there was something else going on. None of this felt right. She could have blasted them by now. Why did she stop?

That didn't matter. She also wasn't leaving. He had to scare her off somehow. He needed a boost—and he really only knew one way to get that. He glanced worriedly at Enet, but then at Rim.

Two lines of thought clashed in Owen's mind in the frantic silence. How did Rim find them now, of all times? And now, why was she stopping, after she was one blast away from killing Enet? What changed?

Something clicked in Owen's mind. A haphazard answer to both questions.

He glanced down at his bag for a split second and then looked at Rim again. "Hey! You know what?!" He dug through his bag; Rim leaned forward curiously. Owen pulled out his Eviolite-Everstone amalgam. That was when Owen saw it—her eyes, those huge eyes, bulging out a tiny bit more.

Owen threw the stone behind him. It hit the ground softly and rolled on the grass, landing a few feet behind Enet.

"Now what?!" Owen shouted at the Espurr.

For several agonizing seconds, they were completely silent. Enet had her eyes locked on Rim. Unstable power coursed through Enet—if he moved too much, he might evolve right then. Amia and Anam were slowly catching up, struggling through the thick underbrush. Anam struggled the most and was far behind the Gardevoir; he tried flying over, but that just spattered him against a tree trunk that blended in perfectly with the darkness.

"Mn…" Rim finally hummed. She looked up, and then closed her eyes. A swirl of light enveloped her, and then she disappeared.

"Teleport," Owen muttered. She was gone, but the tension didn't fade. It was a hot, tight feeling in his chest. "Oh—" He held his head and a bright light surrounded him. "Oh, w-wait!" he said, but then felt the power of evolution take hold. It was too familiar for him. No Pokémon should have to experience more than two of these, and how many times had he gone through it? At least a hundred… This time, he was aware enough of the process to feel his body shift and change, bones lengthening, scales softening and hardening. It wasn't painful, but the fear that accompanied the transformation made it much worse.

He saw black sparks fly out of his body. He never understood what those were. Normal evolutionary light had no such darkness. It always felt like a part of him was being unchained, like a weight lifted from his spirit. He didn't like what he felt when that weight lifted. He focused—he had to stay calm. Stay calm. Don't let it take over. He was Owen. He will remain as "Owen."

When the light faded, he sighed softly and stared at his claws. Charmeleon again… But he still felt that power rushing through him. It was flowing, building, ready to burst. The tension just didn't stop!

"H-help!" Owen shouted. "I—I think I'm—"

A light enveloped Owen again; Owen's fear tripled. Would this be all he could remember? His last memory?

Amia readied a special aura strike. That's when Owen realized what his choice would be. Lose his memories all over again, or lose himself forever.

Owen was trying to resist it—but it was just too strong. What if he just didn't evolve? That would be so much easier. Just so he could be himself for a little while longer. But it was a futile battle. He couldn't keep it bottled up.

Would this be it? Would he even be able to revert back with the help of others? His Mysticism was a lot stronger, after all. What if he didn't go back? What if Amia's seal didn't work? What if he was crazy forever?

Blackness danced around his arms and chest. The last of whatever energy it was that sealed him away was rapidly fading.

Forgetting everything, Owen's eyes squeezed shut and he screamed. His mind became a muddled mess of wordless fear. His very spirit struggled to hang on to what sense of identity it had left, some primal fear that he would disappear taking over. That "Owen" would—

The light suddenly stopped. Vanished. No black, no white. Just his red scales. Owen felt the energy sink away. Down. Deep down, sealed within.

And for some reason, he felt something hard and cold on his back. His heart threatened to burst from his chest. His legs felt like they'd give way at any moment. His arms trembled. Breathe, breathe, Owen thought, trying to steady himself. He thought back to his meditation.

The object on his back followed his spine and touched his right shoulder. He finally had enough composure to figure out what it was and brought his hand back to grab it. He found Enet's paw instead.

The unexpected feeling startled him enough to shout, "Enet!"

Enet shoved the thing back against Owen. He finally grabbed it. Heavy and round, and a bit rough against his claws. He stared dumbly at the Eviolite-Everstone. His fire—which had been a fearful white—slowly settled down to its warm orange and red.

"You… need this?" Enet asked curiously, looking down at him. The Zoroark was still much larger.

"I… yeah," Owen said. "I do need this. I… I guess it scared Rim off, though, so that's good."

Owen's legs finally gave out. He collapsed to a kneel, putting his free hand to the ground.

Amia finally breathed. She rushed to his side to keep him from collapsing completely. "Oh, thank goodness," she said. "Owen! Don't do something so reckless! What if…"

"We would've died if… I mean…" Owen took a second to gather himself. "I'm just glad that I'm not crazy."

"Yeah!" Anam said. "But… don't throw it away again! You evolved so fast!"

"Mhm," Owen said. "I think… if I ever throw that stone away again, I'll evolve," he said. "I'm… am I really that unstable?"

"Unstable isn't the right… word," Amia lied. "Maybe you're… just…"

"It's too much power to contain," Star said, summoned by Anam this time—and therefore, she was only slightly transparent. "I… don't really know what'll happen if you…" she trailed off. "Owen, what did it feel like when you were evolving? Were you… angry? Or…"

"No," Owen said. "When I was evolving… I just kept feeling afraid. I kept trying to remember who I was, and who was important to me… but…" Owen trembled. "I—I was just s-so…"

Something huge and warm wrapped around his body. He abruptly looked up and saw a Magmortar holding him firmly, pulling him close.

"Dad…"

"It's okay, Owen," Alex said. "It's okay. It's okay…"

"I thought I'd forget you…"

Star, still a pink nebula, spoke delicately. "…And did you?"

Owen shook his head. "I—I don't know, Enet got to me before that happened." He moved to a sitting position, still too mentally weak to stand. He rubbed his eyes with the back of the hand that held the stone. "So, I didn't forget anything. I was just…" Owen's voice caught in his throat. "I—c-can I talk later? I n-need a second. I'm f-fine. I just…"

"Hey, take all the time you need, buddy," Star said, looking up. "I don't think Rim's gonna bother us for a while."

Owen took the time to contain himself. During that silence, Anam settled next to a rock with James. The two of them helped pluck out mushrooms and other forest debris from Anam's body, tossing them into a pile for the ferals to enjoy when they left.

Alex refused to let Owen go. He had his cannons wrapped in an X over Owen's chest, and the Charmeleon happily sat in his lap without protest, occasionally leaning against the left one. Amia sat nearby, rubbing Owen's shoulders. Every so often, the Charmeleon let out little whimpers, wiping his eyes. He refused to acknowledge that he was crying.

Enet prodded at Owen's other shoulder. He glanced at the Zoroark. "Enet?"

"Gift."

Enet had an Oran Berry in her paws—how she got it, Owen had no idea. She was so lithe and silent that he didn't even realize she had left. The thought surprised him—he was usually so aware of his surroundings as a Charmeleon. Perhaps the shock, the distractions, and the fact that he had just evolved dulled it more than usual. His breathing eased at the theorizing.

She bumped the berry against his snout, narrowing her eyes. "Gift," she repeated impatiently.

"Oh—sorry." He took the berry, gulping to clear his throat of some invisible obstruction. He finished it in two bites. The warmth was concentrated in his belly and radiated out through the rest of him.

"Better?" Enet asked.

He wasn't—he didn't feel particularly injured from the fight. This was a mental wound. But Enet perhaps didn't understand that, so he smiled. "A lot better."

Enet stared at Owen with an unsatisfied frown. She squeezed under Alex's arm—he protested weakly, but figured she didn't mean any harm. She squished herself between the Magmortar's right cannon and Owen's body, wrapping her arms around him until he sank into her fur.

"Not better," she said, snorting. "Hurt."

"Enet," Owen sputtered, "what're you—"

Enet made a strange sound between a growl and a purr, shoving the thick, red hair on her head into Owen's face. Owen winced—it was still a bit damp from the river and smelled of mud and mushrooms—but his position made it very difficult to fight against it.

"What's she doing?" Amia said.

"Aww," Star said, leaning forward in the air. "She's trying to hide him in her fur like a little hatchling."

"I'm—not a kid—" Owen protested, hand bursting out from the fur.

Enet growled and shoved Owen back inside. The Charmeleon relented in a huff, but after a few seconds in the darkness, he started to enjoy it. It insulated him like a warm blanket. His father's solid body behind him, and the thought of everyone else around him, felt better than even the most persistent Protect.

Owen wasn't sure how much time had passed, but at some point, Amia spoke up.

"Anam," she said. "What… happened back there? At the lake?"

"Huh?"

"Your… your voice changed. I don't know who it was, but it definitely wasn't James. It was… it almost sounded feminine! Did one of your spirits possess you?"

"Mm…" Anam held the side of his arm. "They wanted me to attack Rim… but I knew it might've hurt you if I did… m-my power is really, really scary."

A phantom pain dully prodded at Owen's hands. They always heard that Anam was the strongest Heart, but they never saw him attack. The most they saw was that 'fun' sparring match against Roh when climbing Manny's spire. And even then, that was just Anam's raw power—not his Ghostly powers. Even on missions, when he went on them when no other Heart could accomplish some task, he usually just hugged his enemies into submission, or otherwise found some nonviolent way to subdue them. He always said his actual fighting would hurt them too much.

Owen believed him. Even now, it felt like his hands were tingling from some strange rot, even though that pain was gone. His very aura was still healing from the blast.

"I'll be more careful," Anam said quietly. "Sorry, Owen…. Does it still hurt?"

"No," Owen lied. "But, uh, it goes away, right?"

Anam nodded. "You'll be okay. Um—actually, let me help."

He slowly stood up, picking out the last mushroom from his arm. Enet hissed and shrank away, wanting nothing to do with his slimy body. Owen moved forward and politely held out his hands.

Anam closed his eyes and waved a slimy finger over both, mumbling something under his breath. A little, golden light sparked from his finger toward Owen. His claws reflexively clenched from the burst of energy, but the pain went away instantly.

"There," Anam said. "I'm sorry…"

Owen shook his head. "It's okay," he said. "You were trying to help scare Rim away. But I guess that wasn't enough." He sighed, looking into his bag again where he had placed his sealing stone. "But Rim ran away when I threw this away. Why did she run? What if… I'm strong enough to…?"

"As a mutant Charizard?" Star said. "I think you'll beat her. Mmmaybe. That's why she ran. But to be honest, Anam could've, too. Again, maybe. To be honest, she's been getting stronger, too, with the whole Psychic Orb thing…" Star shook her head. "No telling. But one thing I'll say is that you'd be way more mobile than Anam. That's probably why she didn't run away."

"Hm." He somehow doubted that, looking at Star carefully.

"What?" Star asked.

"I don't think you're right." He looked down. "I'd just go crazy. I feel like there's more to it. If I evolved completely… I wouldn't be strong enough, would I? I'd just be undirected."

Star said nothing, like she was trying to find her words.

"Good thinking on stopping that," Alex spoke up, looking down at Owen with a wide grin.

"More like good thinking for Enet keeping me from going too far," Owen replied, smiling at the Zoroark.

"I did good?" Enet asked.

Owen giggled. "Yes!" Finally finding the energy to get out from his father's embrace, he stood up, tail burning as bright as the light in his eyes. He balled his claws into a fist. "Now—how about we go home? Wanna come with us, Enet?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh!" Anam said. "That's right! Um, actually—let me go and tell Nevren!"

Thoughts rushed back to Owen in an instant. The other answer to the questions he'd asked himself during that tense silence against Rim. Nevren.

Anam found the communicator. "He should know that we got Enet safe and—"

"Wait," Owen said. "Don't tell him."

"D… don't?" Anam's green eyes were wide. "Why?"

The Charmeleon hesitated.

"Owen?" Amia asked.

Owen looked at her. He saw recognition in her eyes. She understood. He was planning something or thinking about something troubling him. His incessant mental mapping must be playing in his favor. It was just a part of how he was created—how he was designed… but that was just for the surrounding area. It had nothing to do with logic. He didn't have a talent for that, did he? What if he was just mistaken? Paranoid?

"…Never mind," Owen said. "I just wanted to make sure Rim wasn't still around, but I can't sense her."

"Oh, okay." Anam nodded. "Good thing you did. That'd be bad if I told him we were fine and then she attacked!"

Owen glanced at Amia pleadingly. The Gardevoir nodded again, assuring him silently that she would ask for the real answer later.

"Nevren! We're okay!" Anam reported to the communicator. "Rim tried to attack us, but Owen scared her off!"

"O-Owen did? How? Did—is he okay?" Nevren asked.

"Yeah! He evolved to a Charmeleon, but that's it! He almost evolved into a Mutantzard, but then Enet stopped it! It was so cool!"

"Mutantzard…?" Owen grumbled. "Can we stop making combo-names of my species…? Grassmander, Charmelon, Florizard… isn't that enough?"

"Char… melon," Amia repeated. "Who told you that one?"

Owen's face flushed. Nobody had. "Uh—Mispy did. But she probably doesn't remember anymore."

"Ah," Nevren's voice came from the communicator. "Very good. Return with Enet so we can have another Guardian on our side, safely."

"Got it!" And with that, Anam shoved the communicator into his chest. "Let's go!"

All of Hot Spot Village was having dinner together in the square—it wasn't anything grand. Most of it was actually centered around those who had to eat—the three others that were part of Owen's set, Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi. Owen, for the sake of nostalgia, got himself a small portion and excused himself to his room to unwind—nobody really protested, after what he went through. He made a glance at Zena and they briefly locked eyes. The Milotic nodded, quietly waiting in line to get a small portion for herself to enjoy. She'd follow him after.

In the square, with Valle as the glowing centerpiece as usual, Demitri hopped excitedly near Mispy.

"So, he scared off Rim by evolving, and threatening to evolve a second time?" Demitri said. "Now I really want to evolve! …But stay sane." He rubbed at the smooth edge of his left tusk.

"Mm." Mispy nodded, bobbing her leaf. "How much longer?" She nibbled on one of the mushrooms near Hot Spot. Amia had said they were edible, but not very tasty, but she didn't mind. It was something to chew on, and it made her tongue glow.

"I'm not really sure," Rhys said, crossing his arms. "Hrrmn… well. I suppose that—ngh!" Rhys abruptly turned around, feeling something brush against his back. Enet flinched and stepped away. "Ah—Enet, is it?"

The Zoroark stared at Rhys warily.

"I think she's nervous about your, you know, Fighting aura, Rhys," Amia said delicately.

"Ah, I see…" Rhys said. "I apologize, Enet. Would you like me to keep my distance?"

Enet nodded.

Rhys flinched. He usually got a polite 'no, it's okay' response, but Enet just wanted him gone. "A-am I truly that intimidating?"

"Don't use too many big words, Rhys," Amia said. "She isn't very good at speaking our language yet."

Enet growled.

"I—I see," Rhys said. "I'll… I'll just speak with my students." He shuffled off.

"Poor guy." Amia giggled. "Oh well. She'll warm up… won't you, Enet?"

Enet shrugged and eyed the food.

"Oh! D'you want to eat? Well—go, eat! You can!"

"I can?" Enet asked uncertainly. "But…"

"Oh, it's for everyone! Please, Enet, go eat! It looks like some of us went out to gather some food for everyone, so it should be just fine." Amia nodded. "Oh, that's right!" She slapped her hands together. "Zena!"

"Y-yes?" Zena said, jumping at the sudden attention. She had been only seconds away from leaving for Owen. She had slithered around Valle, who commented something about Zena to be at an admiration distance than so close.

"The friend you mentioned to me," Amia said. "The one that you said Anam reminded you of. What species was she?"

"Species," Zena repeated, distancing from Valle, who murmured a thanks, despite the fact that Willow was now crawling over the Shiftry's stone head. "Friend? What do you mean?" The Milotic blinked curiously, as if she didn't know what Amia was talking about at all.

Amia blinked. "What?"

"You said something," Zena said. "That Anam reminded me of someone?"

"…I did?"

Rhys, in the middle of walking away, stopped and glanced at the two. "Is something the matter?" he asked. "Amia, you were just asking Zena about a friend she mentioned—that Anam reminded her of."

Zena and Amia both looked at Rhys dumbly. "What do you mean, dear?"

"I…" Rhys blinked. "…What? Do you not remember? Zena?"

"I do remember someone that Anam reminds me of," Zena said. "But I can't remember what she looked like… Are you sure you asked me about her?"

"I think I did," Amia said.

Suddenly alarmed at the rapid forgetfulness of the two Guardians, Rhys said, "Are you two all right? Your memory problems are even more concerning than Team Alloy's."

Amia crossed her arms, pursing her lips. "Goodness, that's confusing. It was during dinner some time ago. Oh, that's right! You did tell me the species!" She said. "It was a Lugia!"

Rhys' paws barely flashed with the blue flame of aura, but he masked it before anybody noticed. "Ah, I see," he said. "That's—quite an extraordinary Pokémon to be friends with, Zena. How in the world would you forget that? Have you met her recently?"

"I haven't," Zena said. "You're right. I can't believe I forgot about her. She was such a wonderful friend…. But I didn't find her in the spirit world at all. Yes, now I remember."

"How long have you been away, Zena? Perhaps she's still around," Amia said. "Ohh, we should go searching for her! A Lugia! That'd be hard to miss!"

"Hrm," said Rhys. "Well, another time. It's late."

Amia nodded, but then spotted Enet scarfing down her meal. She giggled; seeing the wild Pokémon indulge warmed everyone's spirits. With the dinner get-together lively, Amia took the opportunity to slip away and find Owen. "Oh, Zena?" She realized they were going in the same direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Zena said, shrinking back. "I was going to eat with Owen. Is that a bother?"

"No, no, not at all! I'm glad he's making new friends," Amia said. "Please, come with me."

Once inside her home, she summoned Alex, and then gently knocked on the wall of Owen's room before stepping inside. He had already gotten the Charmeleon-ready bed from storage down the cavern hall. By his tableside was his meal, nearly finished, and in his hands was a comic from his personal collection. His tail helped to illuminate the pages.

"Owen, dear?"

"Oh, Mom, Dad," Owen said. "Hey, uh… Sorry, I was just thinking. The noise gets distracting. Oh—Zena. Yeah, hey." He placed the book on the side of his nest of leaves and grabbed his meal.

"Mm." Zena gave a polite nod. "Are you feeling well?"

"Not really," Owen said with a nervous titter. "I kinda almost died and also almost went crazy back there. I think I'm a little shaken up." Owen held out his right hand to demonstrate. It still trembled. The stew in the Aspear bowl in his left hand shook as well. "I'll be fine. To be honest… I don't think I was in any danger against Rim… but Enet was. And… and when I almost evolved again…"

"All the way to Charizard?" Zena said worriedly. "Why, you left as a Charmander!"

Owen tapped at the bag around his shoulder. "Nevren gave me an Eviolite, but it was actually also an Everstone. When I tossed it away, I…"

"Oh." Zena understood. "If you tossed it again…"

Owen nodded. "But… Rim barely tried to attack me. She was going after Enet, but not… me. I think that's something that was bothering me, too. Why…"

"It's okay," Amia said. "You were very strong, Owen. And you're safe now. I don't know why that Hunter is acting the way she is, either, but… you should just relax."

Owen relented, nodding. It was just going to get him more worked up.

Zena slithered closer to Owen and wrapped around his bed, holding her bowl of stew in her ribbons. She looked to the Charmeleon, then at his parents, almost as if asking for permission.

Without thinking, Owen leaned back, using Zena's coils as a rest. "I definitely need a break," he said. But he still seemed troubled, and he knew that the three with him would pick up on it.

"Owen, you wanted to say something before we headed back," Alex said. "What was it? I saw from Amia's eyes—it was like you…"

Owen nodded, but he stalled for time by finishing the last of his stew. "You can't tell anybody else, okay?" Owen finally said. "Not yet. I don't even know if I'm right or not, I just… it's kinda just this feeling I got when I pieced things together in my head. The way everything is starting to slide into place and all that."

"Slide into place," Zena repeated.

"How Rim is getting to these places so fast, and how she just follows us so easily," Owen said. "The way she reacted when I was evolving, and that stone that's keeping me from evolving completely. All of that, and everything before… I think… I know what it might be." He looked down at the stone in his hand—the gift he was given. "I don't… know if Nevren's being honest with us."