Chapter 161 – Time Has Passed

"This information," Granbull Jin said, "was the synthesis of spirits from the one you call 'Nate,' and other observations we've been able to gather from spirit fragments. Augmented by your accounts, Mhynt, I think we have a much clearer picture of what happened during the Dark War."

"Mhynt… I'm so sorry," Demitri said. "That must be awful to learn…"

"I knew," Mhynt replied. The Treecko turned her head away, feigning nonchalance, but everyone could tell that her mood had dampened. It didn't take an empath to see it. "All the more reason to put Alexander in the ground… and then some."

"Nobody disagrees with that," Jin said. "However, actually pulling that off is another matter."

Angelo—the bright-eyed Smeargle, and the father of another Angelo the team knew—stood straight and as tall as his short body allowed. "Well! Considering this is the first action we've seen in quite some time, perhaps it is about time we mobilized the spirits! We're already dead, so there's far less for us to worry about losing! Ha!"

"You can still be pulled into the Voidlands," Mhynt warned. "And, believe me, that is much worse than being dead and buried."

"Ahh, no, I perfectly understand! My own father… may have fallen into such a place." And for a short instant, Angelo's light had dimmed. But then the smile was back, this time with deeper determination. "All the more reason to liberate the Voidlands."

Mhynt nodded. "Good attitude. And what of you?" She turned her attention to the Aerodactyl, who also seemed to have a peculiar determination.

"I have… a personal investment in getting rid of these 'Shadows,' as you call them," Brigid said. "I have some experience with commanding armies. Most of the spirits here have become docile and… inactive. They'll need someone to command them, and I'm one of the few spirits who have not faded to inactivity. They will need someone rousing to get back to their living energy."

Mhynt nodded. "Any help will do," she said. "Just be sure they do not fall under Alexander's forces in return. That is a real risk with his corruption."

"Do we have any update on his status?" Jin asked.

"We got word from Hecto, actually," Brigid said.

"Huh? Hecto?" Demitri asked. "He's here?"

"He's this place's guardian," Brigid said. "…For better or worse, he keeps the spirits on this side and the living on the other side, as a matter of policy."

Demitri sensed a hint of bitterness in the way she said that, but chose not to prod.

"What did he update us with?" Jin asked.

"Alexander had nearly dissolved in the living world before invading a Guardian's aura. He used their realm as a means to escape back to somewhere else, presumably the Voidlands to recover. He is likely severely injured."

"In other words, the perfect time ter strike back!" Gahi declared.

"And," Jin cautioned, "the exact time when he would be the most fortified, defense-wise."

"We can't let this opportunity pass us by," Mhynt pointed out. "We should send scouts immediately to determine where he is. Even if they're spotted, it isn't as if they can raise their defenses more than we already expect."

"That will do," Jin said. "If that's everything… let's split off for now and regroup tomorrow."

Almost everyone nodded, but Demitri raised a hand. "Um, how long are days here?"

He glanced worriedly at Mispy, wondering if she already knew, but to his relief, there was a slight surprise in her eyes like she hadn't considered it either.

"Thankfully, the same as yours," Jin said, "assuming the sun still operates the same way in our realm. Which it should. Hopefully."

"Hm." Mhynt nodded. "Let's regroup. We have a lot of information to disseminate and the world falling apart a little more each second."

They had their tasks. They had the first echoes of a plan. And, hopefully, that meant they would have an answer for the greatest crisis the world and afterworld had seen yet.

Humans were such strange creatures. Zena thought the questions would never end. Their little eyes were so wide with wonder whenever she spoke, and yet it didn't feel like they had been ogling at her as Pokémon would have. They seemed fascinated instead. It was more like they'd never seen a Pokémon like her in the first place.

But she'd asked. They knew a lot about her species. A little disturbing, but these humans had professions dedicated to studying Pokémon. That made sense. Perhaps these humans published books like the editions of Pokémon species that Owen had in his room.

After finally answering enough of their questions, the professor relieved her of answering even more by saying that she probably wanted to see her partner. Thankful, she bid them farewell and slithered into the fields behind the lab. It was easy to guess where Owen had gone since it was split into a lush forest, a gentle lake, and an ashen field. The smell of smoke reminded her just slightly of the natural smell Owen had.

Several Charmander, Charmeleon, and even some Charizard lived there. They all had a feral look to them, but only a few resembled Owen in any meaningful way. Others seemed like they were from a different mother, perhaps. They all stared at her with wonder and wide eyes. Unlike the humans, she was certainly the first of her kind that they'd seen. A few younger Charmander sprinted over to look at their reflection in her scales, chittering to one another in a language she didn't recognize. Owen would've understood.

As she went deeper into the fiery field, two Charizard stood up, looking guarded. The path was open, and yet it felt like she was being restricted from advancing down the natural path that had formed where no grass grew, cleaving the grayish field in two.

Owen had gone this way. She could sense his aura near others. But if she couldn't go past… then his mother must have been on the other side.

"I'm with… Smallflame," Zena explained. "Did he mention me?"

The two Charizard—both resembling Owen, yet subtly different—glanced at one another in surprise, then at Zena again. The left Charizard asked something.

"I… I'm sorry, I don't know what you said," Zena said. "I'm from a land where Pokémon speak… like humans do."

It wasn't entirely the truth, but it was close enough and practical.

They looked guarded, but one growled something at her that sounded like a question. Zena shifted awkwardly in response. How terrible to not know a single word of Owen's native language…

"Um… grr?"

Whatever she said must have confused or offended them. The left one grunted and said something to the other, who spread his wings once. At first, Zena thought it was a warding gesture, but then he stood aside and turned away.

"Oh, um. Thank you." Zena nodded, slithering past them both.

Perhaps when she had time later, she would ask Owen for lessons. Surely this was something that could be taught.

The field property of the laboratory was deceptively large. Zena had been slithering for what felt like almost a whole kilo by now—but it was probably less, realistically—by the time she'd spotted Owen's upward-spiked horns ahead. In front of him was a small clan of Charmander-line Pokémon and a Marowak. The way the others gathered around the Marowak made it easy for Zena to tell this was their father.

Owen's father… He seemed like a proud Pokémon. Sturdy and unwavering. Perhaps, even after all the changes he'd gone through both in body and mind, some of that was passed on to Owen's soul.

They were all gathered around the largest, oldest Charizard of them all. Even in Owen's current size, he seemed dwarfed, if the matriarch thought to stand.

However, Zena had a feeling her time of standing had passed long ago. She was old. Very old. Loose, half-shed scales and a much skinnier body coupled with sluggish movements and—most telling of all—her dim flame meant this Charizard was barely hanging on.

"Owen," Zena said quietly. "Or, er… Smallflame, correct?"

The Charizard gestured for her to come forward. "Calling me Owen's fine. I explained some things to Mom and Dad already. I'll translate for you if you want."

"Oh, ah, of course."

Zena turned her attention to the Marowak next. The way he was staring at her behind his natural helmet was intimidating. She was several times his size yet felt so dwarfed.

"This is my dad. He's called Daichi by the humans, but his native name translates to Earthclub. My Mom's human name is Amber, and her native name is Scarflame."

"Scarflame and Earthclub," Zena repeated. "I'm happy to have met your son, Smallflame."

Owen translated, and then she heard her name in some of those words. He must have introduced her.

Amber growled something and offered a weak nod to Zena.

Daichi asked Owen something and Owen paused, then shook his head. Daichi bowed his head, thoughtful, and then approached Zena as if sizing her up.

"Hello," Zena greeted again.

Daichi said nothing, still studying her. Then, he grunted something.

Owen laughed and nodded. "He wants to name you," he said.

"Oh! A… name of your culture? Of course. That could be useful."

Daichi's eyes glimmered even if the rest of his face remained unchanged. He paced around her twice, clearly deep in thought. He used his bone club to support him occasionally, but he stubbornly tried to walk on his own for more than half of the trek.

Looking a little winded, he completed his second lap and grunted something to Owen.

"Brightscale," Owen concluded. "Makes sense, with the natural glow you have from, er, all that Mystic power."

They were a very straightforward culture. "Did that mean your flame was abnormally small?" Zena asked.

"A little," Owen said while avoiding her eyes. "But I was just as healthy. I just… didn't have a big flame. I was still strong."

"I see… Flames are important to your line like our scale's shimmer is to mine. I understand." She nodded. "Though, why would their parents name you something if you didn't like that aspect?"

"Dad believed that if a Pokémon had a bad attribute, you'd name them after it to ward away vengeful ancestors."

Zena blinked. It sounded absurd, but… she had to be respectful. "How do you mean?"

Owen walked over to Daichi and took a seat, offering the earth beside him to Zena. Settled in a semicircle, Zena and Amber on opposite ends, Owen continued to talk.

"He believed that ancestors that were satisfied would rest beneath the earth, but unsatisfied ancestors would jeer and curse their living descendants. But they often meddled with the strongest ones, dragging them down. A bad name was supposed to ward those spirits, who wouldn't envy someone with a bad name. And since they were already not, uh, not in the best bodily condition, they needed all the help they could get."

"So, a bad name… was meant to be a good luck charm?" Zena asked.

Owen didn't exactly have the best luck…

"That's what Dad believed," Owen said. "Mom liked straightforward names. Most wild Pokémon do; they don't think at an extremely high level like we do. I mean, I used to be the same, but I was still smart, you know. But I was… kind of an exception. My whole species is."

"That isn't too surprising. Even on Kilo, the feral Charmander line is on the upper levels of intelligence. I don't think they're even on the hunting list."

"Well, that's more because feral Charmander are critically endangered," Owen admitted with a nervous titter. "Not a lot of favorable environments for Fire Pokémon on Kilo, so most of those ferals died out and only the intelligent ones are left. Take out Mom—er, Amia's place, and all you have are the depths of Kilo Mountain and Pyrock… and both of those are very rocky, which we aren't good with."

Zena nodded. That made sense. She'd brushed up on some of the ecology books Owen had in his room, but she didn't read them too thoroughly. Maybe she should…

"And," Owen rambled on, "now that we know about the whole Quartz Isle thing, I don't think Charmander were native there in the first place… so the feral lines were probably only a few small species at first."

"I see…" Zena nodded again. "Goodness. I wouldn't have expected the starting population of Kilo to be a creation story, but… it is."

Amber and Daichi seemed confused, so Owen apologized in feral and translated for a few minutes. Zena watched Owen's flame while he talked. It was much calmer without a hint of a spark. He was relaxed here.

Amber seemed confused and tired, but eventually smiled and said something to Owen that made his flame glow a little brighter. She had a good guess. She was proud of how strong Owen had become, and how smart. Someone of this world to become as smart as the humans that cared for them must have been a legendary or unthinkable feat. They were… not quite feral, not the way Zena knew them. But their mannerisms were familiar, and apparently, these Pokémon were highly intelligent for this world.

How bizarre… to have no intelligent Pokémon otherwise. No "human" intelligence.

But they seemed plenty smart already. That meant something.

Daichi was staring at her. "Oh, ah… yes?" she asked.

Daichi tapped his bone club on the ground, then took on a defensive stance, club forward as if to block an incoming attack.

For the first time, Zena understood the look in his eyes. It was the same look Owen had—a challenge for a spar.

She didn't feel as strong as she should have been. The spirits within her were so much quieter, almost dormant, in this realm. Her powers were muted. But she was still strong.

And he was… old.

When she hesitated, the Marowak's tail lashed on the ground, kicking up dirt.

"You should listen," Owen advised. "He's, uh, a little stubborn like that. He wants to make sure you're strong."

"…Is this a… cultural thing?" Zena asked, hoping she hadn't offended him.

"It's a Battleheart thing," Owen answered.

Zena nodded back and decided that she wouldn't use her strongest against him. She could channel physical attacks instead; she was worse at those, and he seemed much more oriented toward those kinds of attacks. She slithered into a small battle ring that seemed to be made from countless spars. Charmander and above started gathering with interest to see the battle.

Standing ten feet apart, Daichi tapped his bone club on the ground twice. Something stirred in Zena and she tapped the feathers of her tail on the ground twice in return. That must have been the signal because Daichi dashed forward, closing the gap halfway with only a few short bounds. Then, he swung his arm back and hurled the bone club her way.

She brought her tail up and fanned out her feathers, blocking it. The attack was solid, but it was from a mortal old Pokémon. With a push, she bounced the club away and slammed the ground with the same motion. Water spouts formed where she'd struck; by some instinct, the crowd reeled back while Daichi sidestepped the splash zone.

He reached for his bone club, which answered his call by gravitating back to his hand. He whirled around and swung it again. Zena went for another block, but the hit never came. She ducked on instinct; it barely grazed her horn.

Old meant wise, it seemed. He was sharp. After just one blow, he'd figured out how to outmaneuver her initial defense.

The bone club was coming back for another strike. She thought quickly and spat a small glob of water onto the club, but held her focus on it even as it whipped past her. Zena raised her tail to slam next to Daichi again, creating more water spouts that settled and softened the ground.

Daichi made his move again, reaching for the club. That was when Zena focused on the water she'd left in a layer around the club. It flew to his hand—and then burst in a plume of thick fog. Daichi shouted in surprise—it had also made a small concussive blast—and Zena swung her body ahead, wrapping around him in a tight coil. But not too tight.

He struggled to pull out; he slammed his club onto Zena's side, but it did nothing. He couldn't get a purchase nor a good angle to swing. After a few seconds of flailing, he grew tired and huffed, tapping her scales three times.

She released him. Daichi fell to the floor with a grunt, turning his head away.

When he growled at her, she thought she understood his words. 'You fight kindly.'

"Oh." Zena nodded. "Thank you. I… didn't want to hurt you, but I didn't want to deny you a battle, either."

Owen perked up. "Zena, you understood him?"

"I… I don't know," Zena said. "I thought he said I fought kindly. But it was only a feeling."

"No, that's exactly right," Owen explained, eyes glimmering with wonder. "Pokémon speak with a lot of feeling. A lot of us are born with the language from listening to it in our eggs. That's… it was lost to Pokémon descended from humans in Kilo, but that's how it's supposed to be for us."

"Oh, how interesting…" And this was more interesting than anything she'd heard before about them, now that she felt it for herself. Maybe lessons wouldn't be so hard after all…

When Daichi spoke again, Zena got the gist, but not any of the subtleties of his wizened way of speaking. 'Smallflame is very lucky,' seemed to be the gist.

"I feel lucky, too," Zena said. "Er, thank you."

Daichi's eyes glimmered the same way Owen's did. Even if they were only here to visit and gather their bearings, it was nice. She only hoped that Owen would be okay once they left… but he certainly wouldn't have been able to leave without seeing them one last time. This, she understood. Perhaps if she'd been separated from her parents suddenly in the same way, she would have also been distraught.

At least Star had given her that mercy.

Owen had a concerned look. Zena was about to ask if something was wrong—perhaps she seemed upset on accident for thinking about Star—but then Owen abruptly turned around where he sat.

Amber seemed fine, but Owen was looking right at her. There was a vacant expression that didn't match Owen's sudden moves…

And then, Amber seized up, and other Charmander chittered in alarm and called for help, confused at what was going on.

"Zena," Owen said quickly, descending upon Amber, "call the humans!"

"R-right!"

Even as Amber convulsed, Zena made use of her water propulsion to slither even faster to the main building, swimming through the air. The peaceful field had suddenly fallen to panic.

"The worst of it's over," said a human doctor. Despite not being a Pokémon, Owen was confident she'd know exactly what to do. Her red hair and Chansey assistant were already looking Amber over. By the time she'd arrived, Amber had already stabilized visually, though his Perceive told him a much graver picture.

Owen overheard some of the others of the clan murmuring to one another. This hadn't been the first time, and it was becoming more frequent. This had been the worst one yet. It wasn't any new disease or terrible curse, though. She was just… old. Owen could point out three issues at a simple Perceive-powered glance that would measure Amber's life in days at most.

Had he taken just a little longer to come here… Or, no, had he simply not been sent at all… she would have died and he'd never have been able to see her.

"Take it easy, alright?" the doctor said to Amber, who replied with a soft grunt. Then, she turned to several of the other humans that had gathered around. Some were in tears, comforted by others.

"How is she?" asked the professor. He was also very old at this point, but lively. Not like Amber. It wasn't his time yet. Owen's Perceive was geared to those kinds of checks more than usual.

The doctor sighed sadly and nodded at Chansey, withdrawing her into her Poké Ball. Their work was done.

Zena was startled at first, but when nobody else reacted, she played along. He'd explain later.

"Well," she said, "it's… not going to improve, I'm afraid. Amber is an old, old Charizard."

"She was at her peak only a few years ago," the professor said. "Ah, but that is how it goes for her kind. Their flames are beautiful during their last years, but then the fuel runs out, and… well." He bowed his head, adjusting his white lab coat. "Amber… I do hope you're not too uncomfortable."

Amber was in pain. Owen knew that. Should he say so to the others? Would Amber not want anyone to know?

Daichi's knuckles were tense. He held his bone club tightly. While he wasn't as interested in understanding humans, they were using simpler language, and their feelings were conveyed obviously. It was clear to Owen that Daichi knew what was discussed.

"I'm afraid that she's already suffering," the doctor said again, putting Chansey's Poké Ball gently in her pocket. "And even if she lived for… I want to say a day at most, it will not be any better. It will get worse."

The professor's eyes darkened, but he nodded knowingly. "Are you suggesting… we end this early so she does not need to go through that suffering?"

Cold waves ran across Owen's scales even before the doctor nodded.

The others in the clan were murmuring in confusion with one another, but the older ones—Charmeleon and up—had more solemn expressions. They must have known about this. Perhaps some of them knew of past matriarchs or others who had their suffering cut short.

"What do you mean?" Zena asked quietly.

She'd already talked when the doctor had arrived, so her intelligence wasn't much of a secret.

The doctor bowed politely to Zena. "When a Pokémon is suffering a great deal, to the point where they may not understand what is going on, or they have no chance of recovery—such as if they're very old, or very hurt—where not even healing can help them… we help them pass on. I can get the paperwork done quickly and get the solution, and we can help her rest."

Zena was horrified, but after the initial shock, she appeared to understand, sparing Amber a guilty look.

"I refuse," growled Amber.

The humans all looked at her. Even though it was feral—Owen had to take a moment to realize this—they seemed to understand what she meant.

"My last son… finally came home," she replied. "I don't care… how painful… this last moment will be. I will stay. I will… hear his stories… for as long as I can."

Guilt and gratitude, all at once, squeezed Owen's heart. His breath hitched when he tried to sigh, but he nodded and let the others do the talking.

The professor crossed his arms and nodded, firm and decisive. "She may be weak, but her mind is still there. I don't think she's ready to go."

"I understand," the doctor said with a bow. "I'll come every day to make sure. But it's her choice."

Owen wondered if she'd even have the night.

Someone entered Owen's Perceive range. It seemed to be another human with several Poké Balls and equipment. He had the aura of someone who was equipped to travel wherever he wanted…

He was holding a Charmander in his arms. Perhaps it was another one who wanted to visit the old matriarch. But why did this Charmander feel so familiar…

"Ah, I'm glad you could make it," the professor said, smiling sadly. "I—eh? Oh, did your Charizard have a child? Congratulations!"

Wait.

"Mu?!"

"Papa!"

Mu held her arms to Owen, and she suddenly disappeared in a strange warping of light. A moment later, she reappeared a few feet above Owen, landing perfectly on top of his head.

The professor laughed. "A teleporting Charmander! Now, I've seen Arcanine with that technique, but never a Charmander! I'll need to write that one down."

Even Amber smiled, tilting her head. "A daughter? Then my granddaughter…"

"Y-yes!" The actual answer would be way too complicated. Maybe if Amber could hear the whole story…

The human in the red cap nodded, wordless yet calm. He seemed relieved to return the Charmander to where she was supposed to be.

"I suppose if he already rescued a pair of talking Pokémon," the professor said, "he had a good idea where the third one was supposed to be!"

Though, he then brought his hand to his head, looking concerned.

"Where are you from, again? This seems like a serious issue if there are now three of you suddenly landing right here."

The red-capped human knelt beside Amber. She relaxed in his presence and murmured something in greeting to him.

"We're… from a land called Kilo," Owen said. "I think while I'm here, I need to find a way to get back. Because—"

Owen stopped, glancing skyward. He felt the presence of an incoming message from above—telepathy from Barky? He recognized this energy…

I hope you are safe. We will manage here until we find a way to bring you back. Take your time finding your own; we gave you a lot of it. Also please find Mu. I don't know how she got there.

Well, that answered one question. At least he already got Mu… who somehow came here. Did her ability to warp also cross whole realms? It couldn't be that strong. Something else was wrong…

"Owen?" Zena asked.

"I heard, uh, a certain friend of ours from the other world sending a message through… very strong telepathy. He said we can try to find our way back and they're going to try on their end, too. That they hope we're alright, and that we can take our time because they 'gave us a lot of it.' What does that… mean?"

"Hmm… This sounds like a very powerful friend," the professor said. "Gave you a lot of time. Did they fend something off?"

"I don't think they would've done that very easily…" Owen shook his head. "I'll… think about it later. But if he's telling us to relax…"

His eyes trailed over to his mother, but then he glanced at Zena.

"Owen, please," she said. "Spend time with family. You haven't seen them in so long. I'll handle whatever we need to do for now."

He still felt guilty, but it was what he wanted, too. "Thank you, Zena…"

Red-cap summoned a Charizard from one of the capsules in his bag. They looked at one another and, without a word, seemed to understand what the other was thinking. Red-cap nodded at Charizard, who took a seat next to Amber. Then, the human left as soon as he came, not a single word was said. What a strange one, but… Owen felt a pang of envy at the bond Charizard and his trainer shared.

If he had just been a little luckier, could they have turned out the same way? That bond? If those criminals hadn't kidnapped the rest of his team… or if they'd rescued them… anything, would he have lived a happy life? Would Kilo, Quartz, or any of that ever happened?

Mu tapped on his forehead while sitting between his horns. "Papa?" she asked.

"When did you learn that word?" Owen asked, reaching up to grab her, but there was only empty air. She was on his shoulder now.

"Why… sad?"

"Oh, Mu…" Zena slithered closer. "Papa is… losing someone special to him. He has to say goodbye, and… well, it's going to be okay. Right, Owen?"

He paused for a second too long and he knew Zena suspected there was more. But he nodded anyway and said, "Yeah. It'll… be okay."

Even Mu looked concerned. The things this little child could see… He still had a lot to learn about her.

But as he turned his head back to Amber, to Daichi, and all the others of his old, old family, what was important to him, now, returned to him.

"Mom?" Owen said. "When you're ready… I can tell you about where I've been."

Daichi tapped his bone club on the ground. "I want to hear this, too."

"While you do that," Zena said, "I'll give the humans information about how we got here. They might be able to help."

"Thanks, Zena. I'll be here."

It was surprising, but he had Barky to thank for it. The gods, after all they'd taken away from him, gave him this opportunity. This freedom to come and stay home for… He'd have to do the math.

Staring at this field from thousands of years ago, the very beginning of his long, long life… Kanto was no longer his home. He had to return to Kilo, even if he didn't know how yet. It had to be done.

But for now… he wanted to be with his family.

One last time.