Chapter 56 – Mirror, Mirror

The first clash was between Gahi and Lygo.

The first blood on both sides came from claw marks, identical, from the two Flygon. They instantly turned around and went at each other again, startling Demitri in the middle of his dash.

"Demitri, block!" Owen shouted.

Demitri looked forward and narrowly grabbed Ax's arm, just before one of his blades would have come down upon him. That left Mispy and Ani to both close their eyes and bring a reflective barrier around both of their teams. The transparent bubbles partially obstructed the strikes from the Haxorus and Flygon pairs—but it wasn't nearly enough to stop them completely.

Har shouted next. "Lygo, distract Mispy!"

The Flygon redirected himself in an instant, slamming straight into the Meganium's many vines. This was enough to keep her from interfering with Demitri and Ax, who were still grappling against one another near the center of the caverns, though it seemed like Ax had a slight edge in strength.

Ani slid back. Owen instantly knew what that meant, and he could feel it in the way her muscles tensed, channeling energy through her body. She was charging her Solar Beam—a single one of those strikes could disrupt the entire clash. And with Lygo distracting Mispy—

Owen didn't have time to think further. Gahi was moving on his own, chasing Lygo down to keep him away from Mispy. The Meganium, seeing Ani charging, mirrored her strategy—

"No, Mispy!" Owen shouted, knowing that she'd do it too late. "Heal Gahi! He's hurt!"

Gahi, hearing the order, retreated back to Mispy with Lygo in pursuit, but once Mispy sent a wave of healing energy toward him, he smirked at Lygo.

Har raised his arms and wings. "No, Lygo! Back!"

The two Flygon narrowly missed one another. Mispy tried to swat at Lygo with a vine, but he was too fast to hit.

"Ax, now!"

Ax pulled away from Demitri, but the latter pressed forward in retaliation. He fell on top of Ax.

With his tail and legs, Ax kicked Demitri into the air. Just then, Ani blasted a solid, white beam of energy from her petals. It was a direct hit, singing Demitri's scales and blinding him at the same time. Excess energy spiraled in all directions, bouncing off walls and disintegrating mushrooms. Zena ducked and narrowly avoided a stray blast; Rhys remained still, the energy singing a bit of his fur.

Demitri roared and stumbled back, covering his eyes.

Ax drew his tusk-blade again and rushed for Demitri for the finishing blow.

Oh, great, he's blind?! Owen clutched at his horns in a panic. Ani charged her Solar Beam just a bit faster than Mispy could. Ax was a bit stronger. And while Owen couldn't quite tell, it seemed like Lygo was a bit more agile, too. They really were slightly better versions of Team Alloy. But that didn't mean they'd lose. He was better than Jerry in almost every way as far as combat was concerned, and he still lost. It wasn't hopeless.

First things first—Demitri was blind. Owen had to be his eyes. "Demitri, dodge right!"

He obeyed, and just then, Gahi slammed into Ax from the side, knocking him over. Lygo came swooping in a split-second later to grapple against Gahi for a second time.

"Ani, heal up Lygo!"

Healing would be the worst thing for Owen. If they could just take out Ani, the whole team's stamina would go down tremendously. "Gahi, keep Lygo away from Ani!"

With Owen distracted, Demitri was wide open. Ax swung his blade horizontally against Demitri's side, slicing through part of his scales like butter. It only stopped because Demitri used his hand to push the blade down, jamming it against his own flesh. Demitri screamed and thrashed his free hand forward, connecting with a single, desperate punch to Ax's chest.

The impact was so loud that even Owen felt the air compress around his head. The resultant shockwave was even more devastating to Gahi and Lygo, who had been right next to them. In midair, they stumbled away from the two Haxorus, yet they still clawed fiercely at one another. Blue flames coated their arms, Dragon fury imbued within each blow.

They wouldn't last at that rate, and Owen needed Gahi to keep the pressure on the rest. "Gahi, fall back!"

"Lygo—keep chasing him!"

Owen flinched. Har was actively trying to break the symmetry in their battle styles, wasn't he? He was being defiant. That wasn't an optimal choice—Lygo pursuing Gahi would bring him right into their territory. Was Har just trying to break their similarities?

Owen pushed the thought away. Not important. Not now. He had to win. "Gahi—get to Mispy!"

"Take him down!" Har roared.

Owen realized that he neglected to give Mispy any orders; now, she was operating on her own. As a result, she blasted her own charged Solar Beam at Gahi. His reflexes were quick enough to see the flash that he tumbled out of the way in midair. The blast singed his wings, but nothing else. Lygo, who had been focused on Gahi, didn't tumble fast enough. It grazed his entire right side, badly burning his arm and wing. He shouted in pain and banked back, falling toward Ani.

Owen realized just then that there was no way they were going to make any progress on either side until they took out Ani. Owen recalled during sparring sessions long ago that Gahi could never hurt Mispy faster than she could heal. It had to be Demitri.

"Gahi! Attack Ax!"

By now, Gahi was back at full strength, stretching and flexing his wings to ignore the relatively minor burn. "You got it," he growled.

"Lygo! Go after Gahi!"

What's he doing?! Owen did what he could to stop from hyperventilating. That wasn't a good strategy at all. That left Demitri free to strike Ani, didn't it?

Ani slid away from Demitri, her petals aglow with solar energy. But Demitri, while slow, was still faster than the opposing Meganium's charge.

"Mispy, Light Screen! Weaken that Solar Beam as much as you can!"

Mispy obeyed, a second barrier enveloping and enhancing the first, coating around the team like a suit of armor reminiscent of Rhys' aura techniques.

Har stuttered, "A-Ani, quick, Reflect!"

Demitri was already there, Dragon fire coating his arm. With a single swipe, he slashed across Ani's huge body, cutting countless vines with the shockwave of his claws while further singing the main body in a diagonal line. Ani roared in anger—she, too, did not feel pain, even as green blood gushed from her body—and slammed her remaining vines against Demitri. That was when the Haxorus used his free hand to pull out one of his tusks.

Demitri brought his arm up. The blade—A crimson red color like the lining of his claws—swung across all of the vines that wrapped around him, slicing through them like noodles. He pulled back and grabbed his second tusk, knowing that Ani was already severely weakened. They only needed one more strike to finish her off.

Sick, pale green energy coursed through the blades, channeled through his arms and his thrashing aura. Demitri stepped back once to get in a better position, flicking his tail. Ani flinched, looking for a way out, but her huge body was too sluggish. Lygo was occupied with Gahi; Ax was chasing after the Flygon pair. Mispy struggled to keep up with the speedy duo.

That left Demitri completely open, no matter how helplessly Har yelled for her to get out of the way. He slashed down, sending that green energy out in a devastating, cross-shaped slash that lit up the cave.

The X-Scissor left Ani stumbling forward, hissing. Her neck was low and her eyes were crossed. Her petals—a few of them cut up—glowed, then dimmed, and then flickered defiantly with life. But after a few seconds of struggle, the blood loss was too great. With an angry look in her eyes, her head drooped, eyes narrowed, too weak to move.

"Gahi! Left! Right!"

All while Demitri was fighting with Ani, Owen struggled to guide Gahi out of the two-pronged attack. Mispy's petals were alight with energy, but she couldn't get a clear shot at Lygo or Ax. Was Ax a bit faster than Demitri? No, he wasn't—but he was staying close to Lygo. They were fighting near one another intentionally—was that part of Har's plan? To keep Mispy from firing any shots by keeping an ally too close?

"Wait, no!" Owen said.

In a brief upper hand, Lygo wrapped his tail around Gahi's legs. Then, he used his arms to bind him from behind, his slightly serpentine body doing wonders to keep Team Alloy's mutant Flygon from struggling free. Ax rushed toward Gahi, fist balled up in blue flames.

"Mispy! Aim right in front of Gahi! FIRE!"

Mispy obeyed, but the blast came too late to save Gahi from the blow. Lygo pushed him forward at the exact moment Ax landed his Dragon strike. The sound of fist on chest echoed through the cave, the impact sending Gahi flying straight toward Owen. He dove in the way, reflexes telling him to cross his arms in a Protective stance, but he fought it. He held his arms out and caught Gahi with his softer body, skidding backward and onto his back.

Weak, golden light enveloped Gahi's body; in seconds, the restored Flygon jolted awake, gasping. "Buh—guh—wh—what—eh?!"

"HALT!" Rhys shouted.

The authoritative voice cut through the cave's chaos. First, Rhys walked to Ani, who was barely conscious, yet standing upright. Rhys' feet were coated in a bit of aura armor to avoid the blood pooling around her.

"What're you doing?" Har said.

Rhys inspected Ani carefully, holding his hand in front of her face. Her eyes followed them weakly and a low growl emanated from her throat. Rhys felt something gnaw at his shin. He reflexively jumped back—one of Ani's vines had tried to bite his fur.

"I was wondering why the Reviver didn't work," Rhys muttered. "Ani, you're in no condition to fight. Return behind Har."

"No," Ani growled, blood pouring out of her mouth.

"Ani, just because you can't feel pain doesn't mean your body won't shut down. Any further and the Reviver will activate. And you know that means a loss, yes?"

"No," Ani hissed again, her vines clumsily pushing her body forward. "I'm… not… losing… first…"

"Ani, you didn't lose first," Rhys said. "Gahi already activated his Reviver."

"…Oh." Ani promptly collapsed. A split-second later, golden light enveloped her, restoring a great deal of her body—but not entirely. It seemed that even for the Reviver—small ones that only restored the body, and not so much in terms of energy—Ani's body was too bulky to work with all at once.

Ani hissed to herself and turned around, gliding over the blood that she had lost. She went behind Har and curled around herself, moping. Gahi, it seemed, was doing the same behind Owen, clawing at the ground with an irritated glare.

"Hey, you did great," Owen assured Gahi. "You distracted Lygo and Ax! We took out their Meganium!"

Gahi muttered something in reply and looked away, taking off his goggles to clean a perceived bit of dust from them.

"Keep it up, Owen!" Zena called.

Owen nodded, though he sensed a bit of anxiety from Zena. That was anxiety, right? Owen still had trouble figuring it out, but he was having a lot of fun. They never got to go all-out against someone else in so long. He watched Rhys leave the arena and return to his referee position.

"Are the combatants ready to resume?" Rhys called.

Haxorus Ax and Flygon Lygo on one side. Meganium Mispy and Haxorus Demitri on the other. Owen knew that their biggest problem would be Lygo. He'd be too fast for either of his team to strike. Owen also predicted that Har was going to try to capitalize on that. He had to take him out first before he became a nuisance. But just as he took down Ani, Ax could take out Mispy.

He could tell that Har was fuming. Ani was the cornerstone of their team's durability, after all, and they took it out. It was all because Har got careless. Perhaps this time it wasn't out of arrogance like Owen had with Jerry, but defiance, just trying to go against what he—and therefore Owen—would have done. He wondered, if they fought symmetrically, would Har have won by now? They were slightly better than they were, after all.

Or was Har just not as good at strategy? They spent their time under the Hearts, training as a rescue team. What did Har do? They were guards for Trina's realm, but that was all. Perhaps that was their edge. How could Owen capitalize on that?

"We're ready!" Har shouted.

Startled, Owen responded as well. "Y-yeah, I'm ready, too!"

Rhys held up his arm. "Resume!"

"Demitri, guard Mispy!" Owen struggled to recall what techniques Demitri was readily capable of. "If Lygo gives you trouble, try—Stone Edge?! And Mispy—charge a Solar Beam and aim for Lygo!" It wasn't the best combination, but they both worked from a distance, and since he had two slow team members, that was going to be their best bet at striking the speedy Flygon.

"Lygo, attack Demitri! Take him down, but don't get hit! Try for Earth Power! Dodge his blows! Ax, go straight for Mispy! Blades out, X-Scissor whenever!"

With Owen's team close together, it was much easier for him to keep track. All of the moving bodies had been close to overwhelming his Perceive, just like it had against Jerry. But now, with just Lygo to worry about as a fast body, Owen thought even faster.

"Mispy, aim up!" Owen said. "Aim higher!"

Lygo reacted by dipping down. Perfect.

"Demitri, now!"

The Haxorus stomped on the ground. Sharp rocks erupted from just below Lygo; he twisted and barreled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the strike.

"Mispy, now!" Owen yelled.

"Right!" Mispy fired her Solar Beam where Lygo had barreled out of the way. Lygo's eyes widened, but rather than freeze, he beat his wings one last time and narrowly avoided the blast. The residual heat singed his tail, but he sustained nothing more.

Har hissed and shouted, "Counter now! She can't charge up another one of those! Lygo, stagger Demitri! Ax—throw!"

Ax obeyed immediately, grabbing his first tusk. He hurled it straight at Mispy. Both she and Demitri were too slow to do any sort of dodge or deflection. The blade pierced straight through Mispy's side, cutting through the vines to get to her ribs, but it stopped short from anything vital.

Har cursed. "Second one!"

"No you don't!" Demitri said, acting on his own this time. He glanced at Mispy, who seemed angrier than anything that they got such a good hit on her. Demitri gave her a little smile. "I have an idea."

Owen sensed from Demitri's muscles what that idea was. The arms were tensing too much, and so were his legs, like he was getting ready to lift something truly massive. "Mispy!" Owen said. "One more Solar Beam! Aim for Ax this time!"

"What, forgot about me?!" Lygo taunted.

Demitri grabbed Mispy by the vines and snuck beneath her massive body. Then, with a grunt, he lifted Mispy into the air, the Haxorus' much smaller body standing firmly beneath. Mispy's petals glowed brighter, Solar Beam nearly charged. She flashed her neck in Lygo's direction. He reacted by flinching away, gaining more distance from her. Exactly what she wanted.

"Now!" Owen said.

Demitri bent his legs and then hopped—still carrying Mispy—and slammed hard on the ground. The shockwave went out in all directions through the ground, rocks heaving in a single, destructive jolt that shook the sturdy ceiling of the cave. Thankfully, this part of the caverns could withstand such force.

It was a different story for Ax. When the ground heaved, he was tossed into the air like a bag of berries, flailing uselessly. He crashed down on his right arm, leaving a dull pain whenever he tried to move it again. Lygo, in the air, was unaffected. Owen and Har both hopped to avoid the rocks, beating their wings a few times to outlast the Earthquake. Rhys levitated off the ground with an aura platform, as did Zena when she saw the shockwave coming toward her.

Mispy's Solar Beam was fully charged. She aimed her shoulders toward Ax—

A blur rushed past her and suddenly she was blind, dragon fire coating her face. Mispy roared and shook her head, still feeling something caught in her face, though Lygo was already banking around to go for the second strike. Her flailing made Demitri fall underneath her. He frantically climbed out, "M-Mispy! Can you see?!"

"No!" Mispy reported.

"Now you!" Lygo said to Demitri, his claw coated in green blood.

"Heard that!" Mispy hissed, turning her body.

"W-wait—" Owen said, body twitching into action. This was bad. If they collided like that, they'd be down another fighter—and the last one he'd have was blind! He felt a tingling in his legs; he glanced down. They were green and leafy, his toe-claws digging into the rock. His heart skipped a beat. He looked at the Flygon spinning and zig-zagging to throw Mispy off. At his high speeds, his wings sang in the air. No matter how fast Lygo went, she could hear him.

Owen recognized that Har saw this, too. The Charizard's claws were clenched and coursing with wind along his arm. They had seconds—and at the same time, with Lygo rushing toward Demitri, the two Charizard acted.

Vines shot up from the ground and snatched Lygo right from the air, pulling him onto the ground. A concentrated blast of razor-sharp air slashed along Mispy's chest, the force knocking her shoulders just enough to miss the Solar Beam completely. Instead, it shot into the walls, incinerating the mushrooms and leaving the wall with a dull, red glow.

Rhys had been screaming some sort of protest—something about illegal interference—but it was already too late. Owen and Har stared at each other with smoke coming from both their nostrils. Rhys scratched his head with both paws, tugging at his ears. Zena just smiled.

Owen and Har stared at each other with a strange gleam of recognition in their eyes. Perhaps they were similar, but at the same time, their differences already seemed quite apparent. Owen hoped that Har could see that more as the battle progressed so he could fight at his best instead of defying strategy just to prove a point.

"So, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Har said.

"I guess it is," Owen replied.

"I'm sick of watching the fight and giving orders."

"Yeah, I think we're better than that," Owen agreed. "As leaders…"

"We fight with the team."

"GET ME OUT!" Lygo roared, fighting the tangle of vines.

Owen and Har both smirked at one another—a challenging stare—and flew into the fray.

Har rushed for Lygo and slashed at the vines that bound him. Owen went in the opposite direction and beat his wings toward Ax, creating a flurry of orange dots in the air. These dots—all trapped explosions of fire—floated toward and circled around Ax like little Volbeat in the night.

Ax held still, unable to find an opening. If just one of them detonated, all the others would, too.

"Uhh—" Ax said.

Har jumped away from Mispy just in time to dodge her vines. He curled a second Air Slash toward her, this time right to her face.

"Mispy!" Demitri yelled. He pulled out one of his axes and threw it at the incoming shockwave. Owen sensed their trajectories—it was going to miss.

He slammed his foot on the ground, turning it green. Vines dug through the rocks and emerged right in front of Mispy, taking most of the blast. She earned only a few cuts against her face, red blood trickling down her cheeks.

Another vine grabbed Demitri's ax in midair, twirled around, and hurled it right back at Har. The Charizard dodged out of the way, but then abruptly turned back. "LYGO!"

The ax grazed the Flygon's wing, leaving a long, shallow gash against the scales. He hissed and landed on the ground, waving his arm toward Demitri next.

"Uh—" Demitri saw the ground well up beneath him. Earth Power again, and he was too slow to dodge out of the way. Owen didn't have a counter this time, so instead, he tried to pin Lygo down with more of his vines.

"Lygo, jump!"

Lygo obeyed without hesitation, just in time to dodge a frenzied assortment of roots and plant life erupt from the rocks below. Owen cursed—of course Har would've been aware of that. Invisible to the eyes, but totally obvious to Perceive.

What was less obvious were the plans that were cooked up in the minds of the opponents. And, in Owen's case, his allies.

Mispy's remaining vines—few as they were—wrapped around Demitri's waist. At first, he seemed startled, but the confusion lasted only for a few seconds. As if by some wordless communication that only they understood, Demitri readied himself with his one remaining ax.

Many of Mispy's broken vines receded into her body, lengthening the few that remained intact. Then, she pulled back—with Demitri in her hold—and whirled them forward.

"WHAT?!" Lygo tried to fly back.

Owen took action. He wrapped his vines around Lygo's legs when he was stunned by the sight of a Meganium swinging a Haxorus-tipped whip toward him. She only needed a second, and Lygo broke free a scale's width before that. Not that it mattered. Mispy released Demitri at the apex of her throw. Lygo could only twitch his arms in an attempt to block the incoming Dragon. Demitri held his blade back and sliced forward, piercing through his shoulder.

Lygo roared and retaliated with dragon fury in his claws, slashing with his one good arm at Demitri's face and chest. The impact broke Lygo's chest, and the rocky wall of the cavern was behind him. At the last moment, Lygo rolled his body in the air, whipping Demitri around so that he would hit the wall instead. They crashed into it with a loud thud, the whole cavern trembling one last time.

Golden light enveloped Lygo and Demitri at the same time.

Owen sensed something flying through the air. He ducked to avoid it, but realized too late where it was heading. "Mispy!"

Har blasted Owen with an intense beam of fire. At first this puzzled him—he could just take the heat and protect Mispy with his vines. No—his vines. He was still Grass! Owen shut his wings and formed a barrier of light, blocking the rest of the blast before his whole body would've burned to ash. He had no way to save Mispy.

Mispy was still recovering from her far toss of Demitri when the axes struck her. The one lodged in her body was still a nuisance, but this new ax went straight into her neck. Both were deep, cutting through bone and muscle. Har ceased his flames and cut through the air with his claws again, sending another Air Slash toward the blades in Mispy's body.

The hit was precise and decisive. The blade in her side dislodged, opening the wound. The blade in her neck went even deeper, cutting something vital. Her whole body went limp in an abrupt instant. Her petals fired a weak Solar Beam in a random direction, hitting nothing but the ceiling.

"No!" Owen turned just in time to weave past another Air Slash from Har. He turned and spotted the smoking, but standing, Ax, who had survived his Fire Trap barrage. Two on one.

Ax slammed his foot on the ground. Owen felt the stone beneath his feet rise and sharpen. He immediately dodged to the left—right where Har had blasted another Air Slash, which grazed Owen's head. Why was he aiming so often for his head?! If that hit his body, it might have actually done some damage.

Owen's reckless dodge made him fumble. He could deal with Har. He knew his body. But Ax was dangerous. A single hit from him would end the fight. Owen stretched his wings and flew toward Ax, knowing that without his blades, he couldn't throw anything. With gusts of wind twisting around his claws, Owen sent wave after wave toward the weakened Haxorus.

Har was hot on his tail, pursuing with the same technique. Owen couldn't afford that hit. Just one blow would put Har too far in an advantage. How was he supposed to protect against Har and strike Ax?

Ax blocked the Air Slash and stepped out of the way, but he was too slow to avoid Owen after a trivial redirection. But now he was going to collide with Ax!

Owen's first instinct was to fly back, but a second thought stopped him at the last minute. His eyes glowed with the idea. He made one final wingbeat and flew a body's length higher in the air. Then, he closed them completely, creating a Protect barrier around him. Then, still Protected, he went straight for Ax.

So surprised at the ball of light, Ax only stood there with wide eyes. The high-velocity impact clanged with an ethereal echo that twisted the air around them, golden light from the Protect radiating in all directions.

But then Ax reached his arms around what part of the barrier he could and clenched his claws around it. And, for the first time, Owen saw his barrier waver.

"What—"

Ax squeezed his arms together and the barrier shattered like a glass bubble.

That's right…! Owen was helpless. The mutant Haxorus… can smash through Protect!

The world moved slowly. He saw Ax's arms crash down around him. It'd crush his neck. In what felt like forever, but was truly only an instant, Owen ducked. It missed his neck—but they hit his horns instead.

It was like going blind. Ax slammed on both horns and knocked them loose, and then off completely, leaving those same strange holes that Zena had left when she pulled them off in Trina's abode.

Owen screamed and slashed at Ax point-blank twice during their fall. Then, he rolled on the ground, bouncing twice with his momentum. Golden light enveloped Ax's body, but not Owen's.

But he couldn't see. No—he could see, but only with his eyes. His head felt bare. His horns were somewhere near the center of the arena.

Now, with Owen on his back, Har walked forward cautiously. Ax crawled away, knowing he was defeated, to recover his axes from Mispy, who had since also been restored partway by her own Reviver.

One on one, Owen to Har. In the back of Owen's mind, he wondered if this counted as a loss because Mispy had passed out first. But based on the way the counterpart Charizard was staring at him, that wouldn't be satisfying for either of them. This was the final fight.

Har didn't hesitate. He flew over the ground with intense wingbeats, never once touching the rocks on his rapid approach. Owen sprang to his feet and opened with a defensive Protect, blocking the first strike. Har kicked off of the barrier and left behind a cloud of Fire Trap dots in Owen's way. A trivial matter.

Owen jumped back and blew a gust of wind at the cloud, sending it to Har. They detonated, harming nobody, but they left behind enough light that Owen had to squint. He tried to Perceive his surroundings, but no sensation returned to him. His horns—they were gone. Were those truly what granted him his Perceive? That explained why it was so weak as a Charmander, and partway strong as a Charmeleon. But with them disconnected and scattered on the battlefield, he felt… normal.

It was awful.

He saw Har coming in from the right with another Air Slash. Owen dodged to the right and countered with his own, knowing that was the only effective attack he had against his counterpart. But with Har's Perception, how was he supposed to be able to strike him?

The exchange went for a while, Air Slashes going left and right, yet none connecting. Both played evasively. And with only one target to think about, Owen didn't need his Perception for very much, even when Har occasionally touched down on the ground to throw him off. It was just a duel at this point, but in their clash, they kept stealing glances at one another. Har's eyes were wide in some strange recognition. Owen, puzzled, squinted at him. Har shook his head in response.

Neither wanted to stop to speak. They kept fighting, almost at a synchronized rhythm or dance of battle. While Owen had no sense of Perceive any longer, he had a strange feeling that they were breathing as one, hearts in sync. Yes, they were almost the same. Perhaps there were some differences due to how they had been raised differently, but in the end, they were cut from the same cloth. Perhaps literally? And this was something Har refused to acknowledge. But it was something that Owen had already accepted.

That's when he realized what he could do. His own weakness was all he had left. The same way Gahi had an advantage over him.

Owen rushed straight to Har.

"H-hey!" Har shouted, weaving to the left. He retaliated with another Air Slash; Owen blocked it with another shield of light. Then, when it dropped, he slammed shoulder-first into Har, square in his chest. He felt the wind knocked out of his opponent and dug his claws in. Har did the same, but Owen had the plan mapped out in his head. With his free hand, he slashed at Har point-blank, intense wind ripping away scales. Some of it cut through the membrane of his wings next, tearing the right one apart until it was no use for flight. They went crashing down, tumbling to compete for who would hit the rocks first.

In the end, Har had more strength remaining, and he gained enough leverage to force Owen's back toward the ground. Owen concentrated and formed another sphere of light behind them—he bounced, cushioned by the barrier, and rolled further away, kicking Har back. He landed on his feet next and rushed closer while Har was down.

Air Slash, straight for Har. It connected against his left wing this time, putting them both in tatters. He cried out and struggled to stand. Owen rushed even faster, heart beating in his ears. One more strike—

The air around him suddenly exploded with whipping, compressed air in all directions. One of his eyes was cut to the point where he couldn't see through it, and the sudden explosion of air left a deafening ring in his head. Owen didn't know what happened, or how, or why. But it was like a hundred tiny Air Slashes had been launched on all parts of his body at once. He crumbled forward to the ground, bleeding from nearly every scale. His hearing returned, but barely.

Har puffed, a foot away from Owen. He had no strength remaining to attack. "…Unlike you…" Har wheezed. Owen felt something squirming in his stomach, but Har was too busy relishing his victorious strike. "I can Trap… all of my attacks. Air Trap… has you done…" Weakly, he raised his arm, gathering energy. His legs didn't cooperate; whether Har could see Owen's counter coming or not, he had no way to dodge.

Owen swung his head forward, mouth agape. From the back of his throat, at rapid speed, emerged a vine. Har jumped, trying to fly away, but his wings didn't allow that anymore. It wrapped around his leg instead. He raised his hand and slashed at it, severing the vine for a painful sting to Owen.

But then he turned his arms green. They lost their shape and split apart into countless, tiny tendrils. He slammed them around Har, ensnaring him in a firm bind. His legs lost their shape next, plunging into rocks. The maneuver was enough to barely prop up what remained of Owen's mangled body, an amalgamation of vines making up his limbs.

Har opened his mouth and torched Owen's face with fire. Fire and lava from the environment was trivial. But flames enhanced by aura were dangerous. With the Flamethrower to the face, Owen was blind in both his Perceive and his eyes. But it didn't matter; he had Har right where he wanted, and he refused to pass out until he landed that final blow.

Two vines emerged from the ground, sharp like spikes. Har had to have known it was coming, but that was the beauty of this strike. Har had no way to escape. Wings worthless, legs bound. He couldn't dodge. The one way to beat him—to make even the knowledge of an incoming attack useless. To be too fast to counter. Just like Gahi.

Perhaps he got lucky. Owen didn't care. All he knew was that he felt his legs' vines pierce straight through Har, from the chest to the back. Owen let go, pulling the vines out, and fell onto his back.

Now on the ground, muscles exhausted and vines wilted and charred, he heard Har let out a grunt. Owen didn't react. He didn't have the energy to react. He breathed steadily. His body felt wet from the blood all over, pooling under him. He felt very warm. Almost tranquil. But there was a lingering doubt that Har was still standing. That's what kept him from giving in. No, Reviver. Don't activate. Not yet. He could still fight, even if his body refused to move.

One of the vines from his right arm twitched like a finger. That was all he could manage.

And then, Owen heard Rhys. "All four of Team Trina have activated their Tiny Reviver Seeds. Therefore, Team Alloy is the winner!"

A small grin escaped Owen. He heard someone move near him. They weren't steps, and they weren't the hulking slide of Mispy. Zena? Owen tried to speak, but nothing emerged.

Something nuzzled just beneath Owen's neck. "Open your mouth, Owen," she said.

Owen obeyed. Something cold—a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter—all sorts of tastes—slipped just above his tongue. He chomped down. After a brief warmth, his eyes returned to normal. He blinked the blur away, squinting. To Owen's surprise, his Perceive also returned. He brought an aching arm to the back of his head, feeling the pointed tips of his hooked horns. Did the Oran Berry also restore them? Those were removable!

The first thing that crossed Owen's mind was searching for them. He closed his eyes… yes, there they were, on the ground to his right. If he removed his horns again and ate another Oran, would he grow a third set?

Owen stood up, but then winced. His wounds weren't completely healed, and everything ached. With the heat of battle leaving him, the pain of the fight came at him in full force.

"D-don't push yourself," Zena said with a titter, supporting him with her ribbons. Owen gave up on standing alone and fell against her body. "Oh, Owen," she said, sighing. "Good work."

Owen weakly nuzzled Zena, mumbling something that even Owen wasn't sure of. This felt about twice as bad as his training as a Charmander with Azu.

With his horns back, Owen also sensed Zena's tense muscles and finally realized that she was nervous. At least he was getting better at detecting her feelings. "Zena?" he said. "Are you okay?"

"Oh—I'm fine," Zena said. "It's just, well… it was a bit… brutal, don't you think?"

"Brutal?" Owen asked. His first reflex was to remark that it didn't seem brutal at all—if anything, it was one of the best fights he'd ever had. But then, with a slightly less blood-drunk mind, he thought about it more objectively, particularly if such a match had taken place in a dojo within Kilo Village. "O-oh. You're right, I guess in hindsight that was pretty… mmm… Sorry." He sighed. "I think we all got a little carried away."

"Well, it's in your nature," Rhys said, shrugging. "I suppose it's healthy to let off a bit of that steam with those who can reciprocate those feelings. I'm just glad Elder's napping. He never was one for fights."

Owen still ached, even after the Oran. "I hope we didn't use up too many Revivers," he said.

"It wasn't much. Only seven Tiny ones meant for training like this," Rhys said. "They hardly are as difficult for Anam to make—let alone hard to find in Dungeons. They aren't practical enough for proper explorations; without the energy to keep fighting, they're best used for running away or for practice duels like these."

"I'd hope they aren't hard," Gahi shouted from the sidelines, slumped over. "I still feel like I got slammed against rocks a million times." He rubbed his head.

Demitri laughed, patting Mispy on the side. She was snoozing next to him, and for just a moment, Owen seemed to relearn why they were together in the first place. And then a small realization dawned on him. This was the first time they truly got to fight at their fullest as a team—Team Alloy. A part of him was frustrated that he wasn't able to do that until now. But most of him was happy that it finally came. His memories with them were cloudy, but it felt like the fog was slowly clearing. Yet it still felt like there was so much more he didn't know.

Ax and Ani weren't nearly as close, it seemed, and they both stared at Demitri and Mispy with confused frowns. Lygo shrugged and bumped his head against Ani. "Hey, are you holding up alright? You really pushed yourself back there."

"Hmph, I'm fine," Ani said, turning her head away. "I'm just mad I was beaten before their Meganium was."

"At least it was fun," Ax said, laughing. "We never got to fight the same models before! And not with Revivers, either. They must really get a lot of money to be able to just throw away seven of them like that."

"Mm," Ani said, but then watched Har. He was approaching them, albeit slowly, and with his drooped wings. "Poor Har."

"Why's he so invested in beating Owen?" Lygo said, tilting his head. "I don't get it. Sure, they're the same species as us, but how's that any different from, say, Rhys and the stupid one fighting?"

"It's different for him," Ax said. "We… don't have their memories. We were made off their models, but… Har was made from Owen. It's not the same as us. At least, I think so… You don't think Har's keeping something from us, do you?"

"Maybe, but who cares?" Ani said. "Har's always moping. Maybe Owen's why."

"Oh." Lygo nodded. "I guess so. But that was decades ago. He's a totally different person now!"

"Hmm." Ani waved at Har. He didn't return it. "Like I said… he's in a mood."

"I'd be, too," Ax said, looking back at Owen.

The victorious Charizard finally looked up to see Har walking back to his own Alloy. A thought crossed his mind. "Owen!" Owen shouted.

"What?!" Har roared back, but then flinched at himself. "D-don't call me that."

"I'm glad we fought."

Har stared at him. His fists were clenched, almost trembling. "I won," Har said. "My team lasted longer than yours."

"Yeah, they did," Owen said, grinning. The Oran was not enough to heal his missing left fang that he only now realized was gone. He'd need another one.

Har flinched, guard lowered completely. After several seconds of confusion, perhaps both at himself and toward Owen, he huffed a cloud of smoke and walked toward the winner. He held out his hand. "Fine," he said. "Good fight."

Owen held out his hand, grasping it. Har's grip was stronger, making Owen flinch and squeak.

"What?" Har let go, tilting his head.

"Wh-why do you shake hands so hard?" Owen whined.

"You don't?"

"N-no," Owen said, pulling his hand away to nurse it with the other. "I guess I just… got into the habit of being more delicate from Mom."

"Mom," Har repeated. "The Fire Guardian?"

"Yeah. I guess she always shook hands delicately. And Dad—his arms are… different, so he's kinda always careful about what he does with them."

"Oh," Har said, looking at his hand. "Right… yeah…" He looked at Owen's hands again, then at his eyes. "I… I can't go by that name anymore. Owen. I can't."

Owen frowned. "How come Ani, Ax, and Lygo are different?" he said. "They don't… feel as upset about all this. But you…"

Har couldn't look at Owen in the eyes anymore. "It's complicated," he said. "I don't… I don't know if I know how to say it. I'm just… I'm you. And I'm not you. And they're…" Har shook his head. "Well, after a hand shake like that, you're nothing like me anyway." He forced a smile.

"Heh…" Owen mirrored it, but knew the issue wasn't over. But he knew himself well enough to know he shouldn't push it. Not now. He did, however, have another concern. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm freaking starving."

"Anam, out for a stroll?" Nevren followed him carefully.

"Mhm!" Anam happily walked down the caverns. "I heard that Wen-Wen came back! Right? You told me!"

"Ah, yes, I did tell you," Nevren nodded, walking with his spoons floating in front of him. "Quite an interesting pair, the two."

"Two?" Anam said.

"Yes. Owen and Har are of the same species. That is to say, they're of the same Charizard base, made from the same Synthetic model."

"Oh! So, is the other one also called Owen?"

"Hmm, he used to," Nevren said. "But I overheard that he changed his name to Har."

"Har. I like that name!"

"I suppose as good as your name hypothetically being Ood," Nevren said.

"Ood. That sounds like it could be a fun name, too! Would you call me Ood, Nev-Nev?"

"I would prefer Anam."

"Oh, okay," Anam said, walking for a while longer. "And I prefer not being controlled."

Nevren stopped in his tracks. Anam did the same. The caverns were completely silent. A small bit of slime from Anam's right arm plopped on the ground, and Nevren was almost positive that he could hear the echo repeat three times.

It had been longer than a moment that Anam knew this—there was no way he could Revise long enough to make him never realize. After all this time, he became careless. No, that was because of Eon. Anam would have been used by now if it wasn't for his order.

"Controlled?" Nevren repeated.

Anam turned around, frowning. "How come, Nev-Nev?" he asked. "I thought we were friends."

"We are certainly friends," Nevren said. "I value your contribution to the world greatly. It was through your efforts that Kilo is stable. I have no intention of destroying what you worked toward."

"Then how come?"

"It was part of Eon's orders."

"You said you didn't like Eon anymore," Anam said. "When I saved the world from the Divine Dragons' War, you said that I was better than Eon. When I saved Rhys, you said that I deserved to save the world. And that Eon wouldn't do it right."

"And I held my word for four hundred years," Nevren said. "Times change, I'm afraid. In fact, time is running out." Nevren held his hand forward, pointing it toward Anam's head.

"Don't."

"I must," Nevren said.

"I won't do anything," Anam said. "If you're still friends with me… you won't control me."

"I'm afraid you're already under my control, Anam," Nevren said. "Your instincts have been rewired. If I give the command, you will obey."

"Do you care about me?" Anam asked.

"I care about you dearly."

"Nev-Nev… let me go."

"I'm afraid I cannot."

"But we're friends."

Nevren nodded. "We are. But I cannot. This is my duty."

"Why?" Anam asked. "Why do you need me like this?"

Nevren was silent.

"Nev-Nev…" Tears flowed thickly from the Goodra's eyes. "What're you gonna make me do…?"

Nevren stared at Anam for a long while then. And for a single, fleeting instance, Nevren wondered if he felt something. He shoved the emotion away; that sort of useless thinking was what made Eon throw this entire plan into chaos. He had to press onward. Follow his duty.

The Alakazam finally answered. "I'm going to make you save the world."