Chapter 179 – Last Tasks
Some time passed since Dungeons were nearly entirely eradicated, and for lunchtime afterward, Demitri wasn't sure how to feel about it all. Just like that, Owen swooped in and solved one of their biggest problems. Not only that, but he had more in mind for what to do next and was mobilizing their forces to take on the Dark Fragments, as they were called.
It had become a big game of "hurry and wait." As the first to get back to Kilo Village and properly mobilize, Team Alloy was tasked with standing by and resting up for major confrontations.
That only left Gahi restless. The constellation-winged Flygon had left Ludicolo Café several times just to go on quick walks while waiting for their orders to arrive. Sometimes simply walking wasn't enough and he'd Teleport to different parts of the restaurant. Days ago, it unnerved other patrons. Now, it was a local attraction… even if Gahi didn't seem to realize it.
Demitri sighed to himself. Such a bother. If he was feeling restless, he could only imagine Gahi's boundless energy.
Gentle hands tapped Demitri's shoulder.
"Hm?"
His other half, Mesprit, floated into view. "Um, do you have a second?"
"Plenty of time," Demitri replied.
Mispy, who had been eating rocks to pass the time, glanced at them and tilted her head.
"Can you come to our table?" Mesprit asked.
Across the café, Azelf was glaring daggers at them, while Uxie was reading the menu with her eyes closed as usual. Somehow.
Wait, how did she—
"It's important," Mesprit clarified.
Mispy shrugged and gently pushed Demitri.
"Okay, sure," Demitri said. "Um, I won't be long," he added to Mispy and Gahi, who had briefly been at his seat again. Or it was a trick of the eye.
The Haxorus nervously approached the Trio of Mind's table and found a seat opposite to them. "What's wrong?" he asked, claws looking for something to do.
Azelf continued to glare.
Demitri shrank away. "Um…"
"I… I didn't get far," Mesprit said, "but I wanted to speak my mind about something, and, well, and I know you'd probably have my perspective but on the other side of things. It's about… unification. How we probably have to do that sooner than later. And now that Owen's back… Where is he, anyway?"
"Oh, well, after we finished the whole anti-Dungeon thing," Demitri said, "Owen said he wanted to enjoy Kilo Village again. I think he's on a stroll."
Mesprit's gaze, as Demitri spoke, had turned to the café entrance. Just outside, through one of the windows, Owen was currently walking down the road with his chest on the ground and legs pushing him forward, rubbing his cheek against the soil. His wings were spread outward to soak up the sun. Several onlookers were confused.
"…Okay, I have no idea what he's doing, but he's busy," Demitri said. "What about unification, then?" He faced Mesprit again.
"Right." Mesprit drifted to Azelf and Uxie. "We were talking about it. I proposed something, and… I mean, it didn't go well."
"To… not unify at all?" Demitri asked.
"No. No, the opposite." Mesprit looked down. "I was considering if… we'd cede entirely to Team Alloy."
Azelf smashed his fist against the table, making an ineffectual bump when he did. "It ain't right," he said. "We… we fought too hard just to fade! How can y'think that?!"
"So have they," Mesprit said, "and… Azelf, just… think about it. What have we done? We've been in the Voidlands biding our time just trying to survive. Meanwhile, our other halves were suppressed and they still found a way to make changes in the world. Legends… stagnate. But Team Alloy's mortal minds are what we need now, and for the future. Not… not us. Not our static minds."
"Is that really how it is?" Demitri asked worriedly. "You can't change?"
"It's a side effect of a mind that can handle such long stretches of time," Mesprit said. "I mean, there are lots of ways to handle long lives, but in the short term, for Kilo? We are… less likely to change. Resistant to alterations to our mind. It makes handling a thousand years so much easier."
"Ain't our fault," Azelf protested. "That's jus' how it was…"
Demitri sighed. "It's not really that simple, but… I know what you mean, Mesprit. But there has to be a better way! I mean… we can't just—take you. Think about if you did that to us. We wouldn't be happy. And we'd torment you on the inside with that conflict, wouldn't we?"
"I—I know," Mesprit said. "I know that. But that's why I was trying to convince Azelf about it… Uxie, what do you think?"
The impartial one, Uxie shook her head. "You are both correct. It must be done. But it will cause inner torment. In the short term, perhaps they will push past it. In the long term, it will be lifetimes of struggle to unravel our minds again."
"Lifetimes…" Demitri winced. They'd already gone through that as mutants. Did they have to go through that kind of shattering again? "Can't we compromise?"
"How can you compromise on an absolute?" Mesprit asked. "We'll only hold you back. Just… suppress us for a while. Until this is all over."
"For what?" Demitri said. "We need to work together. You heard what Owen said. It was all about trust… That was what we couldn't do before. Trusting each other and trusting ourselves." The Haxorus' hands trembled like he was fighting for his life. Yet it wasn't his that he was worried about.
Then, Mispy spoke. "It's not… complicated."
Heads turned to Meganium, who'd slid over to the table and curled her vines around one of the seats next to them.
"Mispy…" Demitri pulled his seat closer to her, ripping it out of the spot it'd been affixed into the ground. "Ah—s-sorry," he said, trying to put it back. It didn't work.
"I agree with Mispy," Uxie said. "We're overcomplicating this because of the primal fear that comes from dying. And in many ways, this is risking our lives. More than our lives, our 'selves.' In the worst case, one of us will be completely eclipsed by the other. Such was the fate of Rhys."
Demitri was glad Gahi wasn't within earshot. It was still a sore spot for him.
"Nothing but afterthoughts and memories of a past life. In the best case, somehow you will remain in perfect coexistence with the other. And, plainly, that is not realistic. Parts of both will die, irreparably, to bring about a new person."
Demitri didn't need Mesprit's power to see Azelf's fear. As a being of will, he would certainly be the most afraid of being 'eclipsed.'
"Azelf, what do you want from this? To exist? To continue?"
"Well… duh!"
"I can assure you of one thing, Azelf. I do not think it will be an end for any of us. We simply are overthinking it all. In the end, both sets of us changed very little. They were reincarnated, static and unable to change. We were in the Voidlands, and are ageless, with unchanging minds.
"I do not think it will be so dramatic. We will be okay." Uxie turned her head to Mispy. "I trust her. There is no need to worry."
"Azelf," Mesprit said quietly, "what did Gahi say? When you talked to him about it?"
Azelf winced. "Well, he said it'd be fine, an' stuff. That we'd fuse. But… now we're talkin' about fadin' completely, givin' ourselves up! What's that about?!"
"Pah! You do that if yeh want," Gahi interjected, appearing on Mispy's other side. "But Azelf an' I ain't like that. We're gonna take on bein' the same person, an' we got the will ter overcome that!" He slammed his fist on the table. "C'mon! Owen's back. We gonna ask 'im er what, get it over with!"
Azelf flinched. "Yeah, well… how do I know yer gonna stick t' yer word?" The argument was halfhearted, like he knew the answer. That's when Demitri realized what Azelf was really looking for…
Assurance. Hollow assurance that it'd be okay in the face of the unprecedented…
"Heh." Gahi smirked, puffing out his chest. "'Cause I know me, an' I expect yeh ter fight when we join up. I'm gonna fight, too. An' what happens af'er our battle o' wills is what we'll be. An' that's how it should go."
The dragon and pixie stared one another down. At first, Demitri thought they would beat each other up. Or worse. A fight to the… death?
But then, spontaneously as Gahi always was, they vanished. Demitri jumped and immediately turned to Mispy.
Her eyes were already closed. Then, she slid out of the restaurant, leaving a half-eaten wooden seat behind.
"Ah—sorry, "Demitri murmured, digging through his bag before placing a lump of coins atop the broken seat before following the Meganium.
Just down the road, Gahi and Azelf were picking Owen off the ground and dusting off the dirt from his chest.
"Owen!" Demitri called, rushing over. "Owen, what are you doing?"
"I was touching grass," Owen said like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Mu said I should try it if I spent a thousand years in one of my lives watching everything through a giant 'computer.' I think I got carried away after a bit… Grass element in me, you know?"
Demitri stared, mouth slightly open to find the words. There were so many absurdities in that statement. Demitri didn't know where to begin.
"…Gahi!" Demitri pivoted. "What's gotten into you?!"
"We were gonna tell Owen our choice!" Gahi said, punching Owen in the gut just as he stood up.
"Uff—do you really need to hit me for that?!"
"Yes. To feel my fightin' spirit!"
"…I did feel it," Owen admitted. "So you're really resolute on this, huh?"
Azelf punched Owen in the same way. The Psychic reinforcement left a shockwave that knocked Owen back half a foot.
"Yep!" Azelf flexed his tiny arm. "We're gonna have a battle o' wills the moment we fuse t'gether, an' the result's the way it's s'posed ter be!"
Demitri and Mesprit both sighed. "I guess that's how it will resolve anyway," Demitri said. "Owen, I'm glad you're back… We didn't want to bother you during your planning, but now that you're"—He noticed some grass stains on Owen's chest—"…Less busy, we just wanted to… see you? To see 'us' off?"
Owen nodded, his expression growing more serious. "I get it. And… I hope you guys work it out when you do."
Mispy nodded firmly. Uxie spoke for her, "Mispy is looking forward to this. My telepathy has her… envious, and we will certainly retain that power."
"Hah! Only thing that held Mispy back as Team Alloy's leader was she couldn' talk easy," Gahi said. "Guess now she'll be leader again!"
Mispy nearly thwacked Gahi with a vine, but the Flygon had vanished too quickly.
Azelf floated higher. "So, how 'bout it, Owen? We got yer blessin'?"
"You don't need it," Owen said with a smile.
He was nervous. Demitri could tell. But perhaps even more than they did, he wanted them to get it over with. Maybe it would have been fine if they'd done it sooner… but it felt better this way. With Owen knowing.
"But you do," Owen finished. "Go ahead. What's the process? I don't think I ever saw one of these in person before…"
The wind blew. Passerby Pokémon eyed them all curiously and they eventually shuffled out of the way so they weren't in the middle of the road.
"I, uh, I think it just happens," Mesprit said. "Maybe it's, like… a fist bump?"
"Why would it be a fist bump?" Owen asked.
"I—I don't know."
"Hmmm…" Gahi and Azelf both crossed their arms in unison.
"Heh. I got it," Gahi said. "We jus' gotta Teleport inter the same spot!"
Mispy dipped her head down. "Try," she said, defeated.
"Hmph! Think we're stupid? Jus' you watch!"
Gahi and Azelf stepped away from one another and stared each other down.
"…What happens when two Pokémon Teleport into the same spot normally?" Demitri mused. "Do they, like… overlap each other? That sounds… messy."
"The stronger aura wins and the weaker aura fails to Teleport. I believe most Teleportation operates by swapping matter from one location to another. I hear scientists have tried to take advantage of that for energy production if done in a certain way…"
Demitri recalled when Star had complained about something to do with 'energy' and Pokémon back in Hot Spot…
"Who cares how it works. We're gonna make it work th' way we want!" Gahi declared.
"For anyone else, that'd be stupid. But Gahi has Teleported past anti-Teleport walls." Uxie glanced at Azelf. "I'm sure between the two of them, they'll find a way to make reality work how they want."
Demitri didn't want to admit it, but Gahi's achievements in ignorance were a sight to behold…
In a flash, both Pokémon disappeared and reappeared in the same spot, or, so Demitri thought. He only saw a ball of light where they should have reemerged.
Uxie suddenly rose and leaned forward. Mispy's eyes were closed, brow furrowed with concentration.
"Um. Did something happen?" Demitri asked. "…It worked, didn't it?"
"I don't know why I'm surprised," Uxie said.
The light peeled away from the new figure beneath, flaking off like old scales of a bug's wings. And beneath was… Gahi, the Flygon, though the galaxy of his wings had taken on a more pronounced blue shade. His red lenses shined with the same ruby color as Azelf's gems.
"…Hello?" Demitri asked gently. "Do you know who you are?"
The cosmic Flygon blinked a few times, squeezing his hands, staring at them tentatively. "Hah!" he suddenly declared. "Was hopin' I'd get this bod'!"
Demitri flinched. "W-wait, who are you? Gahi? Azelf?"
"Eh?" The Flygon scratched his chin. "Ehhh… dunno. Those both feel like my names." He shrugged. "Oi, I did it! Yer turn now!"
"Wh—my turn? Wait, but we have so many questions!" Demitri protested.
Owen laughed. "Demitri, I think you'll only get your answer once you try," he said, "But… it looks like, the way things are, it might be the same for the rest of you. You're ready. And… so am I." Owen looked down. "I'm sorry you held yourselves back just for me."
"Don't be," Mesprit said. "We could have, but… we had second thoughts. We wanted your blessing. Didn't want to run away from, you know… the past."
"Sort of funny to think about how I… nudged you to do that anyway," Owen said nervously. "Well… you have it."
"Enough mushy stuff!" Flygon said. "You next!"
Mispy rolled her eyes. Uxie sat atop the Meganium's back.
"Well, if you insist, and if Demitri and Mesprit are so nervous, then we shall go next. I think we have a more elegant way to do this."
Uxie and Mispy both concentrated, Mispy closing her eyes to match Uxie. The tiny pixie pressed her forehead against Mispy's back. Both glowed, completely covered in light…
And the same as Gahi, the light peeled off of the newly-formed, subtly different Meganium. Most of her seemed to be the same, save for a ruby red hue in her antennae… as well as her striking yellow eyes.
"Eep!" Demitri suddenly averted his gaze.
The Meganium tilted her head. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but frowned. "What? Do I look strange?"
"Stranger than usual?" Owen asked.
She glared.
"Wh-whoa! Your eyes! They're so yellow!"
"Oh. That's why…" She nodded, looking herself over. "…Mispy. I'll answer to Mispy. It's still familiar to me, and, well, I kept the body. Or, Mispy did? Ugh…"
"So, in other words," Demitri said, "you feel like… both of them, too, huh? So much for discarding the past, huh?" He smiled nervously.
"I think… it's mostly Mispy. But I have Uxie's knowledge, which she valued the most. I'm okay with this."
"We already share the same feelings," Demitri said to Mesprit. "I don't think we have to worry about our bonds fading if we fuse. That's good…"
"I'm… ready, too," Mesprit said, tittering. "Look at me. Advocating for it in the first place, and now I'm the last one to try…"
Demitri reached out, holding Mesprit's hand. He felt… a connection, electric and magnetized, and couldn't let go. This was different than the other times.
He pulled Mesprit into a hug, doubling that stuck feeling.
This was it. One way or the other, the reunification of a life from so long ago. But at this point, he was just following the trend, wasn't he? A coming of age that most Pokémon never have the displeasure of worrying about.
Then came the light. It overwhelmed Demitri's vision and all the senses. First a warmth, then a cold, and then neutrality. His heart and breath stopped.
He fell into a great, dark void. In front of him was Mesprit looking just as confused. Everything felt distant and abstract.
Is this it? Demitri asked.
I think so, Mesprit replied. Azelf and Gahi probably… wrestled or something, didn't they? In this vision…
Sounds like them. Demitri smiled. …I don't need any ceremonies. But thank you for everything, Mesprit. I want to use your insight most of all. And I want you to use my power. Okay?
You're a lot more than muscle, Demitri. No matter how faded I become, don't forget that, okay?
Bashful, Demitri looked away. Okay.
It became too hard to hang on. The vision melted into a wash of darkened colors…
And he stood there again, the memories of centuries flooding into him. Unlike Owen, though, it came easier. Half of it was from an immortal mind that shrugged off the changes.
Was he Demitri? He remembered being Demitri.
…He also remembered being Mesprit. Sorting out those memories was going to be… difficult. But for now, he could act in the moment and follow what feels right.
That was how most people got by, right?
Recalling Mispy and Gahi's slight changes, Demitri looked himself over, simultaneously unnerved at how large and heavy he was, while also relieved he was still the same. Ugh, double-thinking…
"Oh, there," he said aloud. The blades of his axes—both on his tail and on his face—had Mesprit's colors. Yes, he remembered wanting to be wielded, his powers harnessed… That made sense.
"Do you think my axes don't hurt anymore, and they just do emotional things now?" Demitri theorized.
"I dunno, find out," Gahi said with a shrug.
Mispy pondered this and held out a vine.
Owen blinked. "Uh, Demitri, those—"
Demitri sliced the vine in two. "Ah."
"…I could have told you that," Owen said.
"It was worth testing," Mispy said as the vine regrew and several other vines cannibalized what was cut off.
Owen sighed, though he wore a smile.
"…Hey," Demitri said. "Why don't we get back to Ludicolo Café, huh? Let's eat!"
"Hey, yeah! Y'know, I think all that Teleportin' worked up an appetite!" Gahi thumped his tail on the ground. "C'mon!"
He disappeared before they could reply.
Demitri had sensed some relief from Gahi, though. Enough that he knew Gahi only needed space to recover. He must have been terrified, yet forced himself to go through with it.
In some ways, that was always how Gahi operated.
The rest of Team Alloy walked to the café, finally whole and in one piece.
Owen had come for a visit, leaving Eon quietly festering with mixed feelings of honor that he'd think to visit and nervousness about the subject. He'd been with Rim, Lucas, and Lavender for most of their recovery days, though Rim in particular was still… a much weaker Cherrim without the Psychic Orb bolstering her. It was like Gahi had stolen much of her power along with the Orb.
With Owen on his mind, Eon had uncontrollably transformed into an exact copy. He got his blindfold and put it on quickly so his transformations wouldn't get distracting, locking him in to that form. Owen wasn't the only one he was thinking about—Rim, too, had come home with a friend, Celebi. While Jirachi and Celebi didn't know each other too well, they were familiar and crossed paths now and then during their old work.
Owen had been discussing a plan that needed many of them. He'd gotten it from the human world from a region called Orre. Apparently, they had a lot of experience dealing with Shadows… But was it the same kind?
He heard a familiar trotting from just outside, and Owen stopped explaining. Which was good, because Eon had gotten distracted mid-conversation and would need to hear it again. It was the trotting of Lavender, as a Scolipede—It was his favorite form, and the soul of the person he'd taken the body of was so cheerful and flattered when he became one. His true, Silvally form frightened people anyway, and Eon wasn't surprised he took on more familiar forms because of that.
Eon's family found it so strange being in a society that didn't fight all the time. It bored them, though eventually, they found silver linings in peaceful settlements.
"Visitors?" Lavender called. He must have sensed more life than usual. "Oh!"
"Hey, Lavender," Eon said. "Thanks for getting groceries," Eon—taking the form of a second Charizard—said. Lucas, the Mega Houndoom, barked and tackled Lavender as a greeting.
"Need help setting things down?" Owen asked. He pointed ahead and shot a few seeds on the ground, quickly sprouting into little plants that he controlled to help move the groceries around.
"Thanks!" Lavender cheered. He curled up and shifted back to Silvally. "Wow, so you saw the human world, right?"
"I did," Owen said. "I was just telling Eon about it."
"Huh? Oh, right! He's human, too, right?"
Lavender beamed at Eon, but then his gaze dampened. Eon winced, realizing that his blindfold might've been wet—he always got a little overwhelmed when Owen returned. His joyful look faltered. "What's wrong?"
"Oh—oh, nothing." Eon quickly looked away despite not seeing a thing. "Owen was just… sayihng hello. And I was happy to see him."
"Ohh." Lavender nodded sagely. "So, they're happy tears!"
"Yes." Eon sighed, wrapping the blindfold over his eyes again. "I know things are different between us, but… I want to heal. We can start over. Right?"
He couldn't see Owen's reaction.
"And how about you, Onion Head?"
"M-me?" She seemed stunned. "Um. My name is Celebi. I was actually trying to get to you all sooner, but uhh… things got a little complicated over on the Abyssal Sea. I'm Rim's other half. Rim found me before I could find you!"
"Oh! Ohhh! That's you!" Lavender beamed. "I was wondering where you were! What happened?"
"She was guarding Necrozma," Eon said. "She was kind of an intermediary between some people in the Null Villages and that island in the Abyssal Sea. Long-distance telepathy, but it was a lot of energy. She couldn't do much to help Necrozma, but as someone who has that same power of purification as Cresselia, she was more resistant to those Titans. She kept them weaker so nobody could make a move… But like a lot of things before the Worldcore's timer reset, it was a stalemate until recently."
"It's a quiet job," Celebi said, "but I tried to use my power to slow down the advance. I hope it worked…"
Rim tilted her body up while leaning against Eon. Right.
"And how about you, Owen?" Lavender asked. "Are you feeling better now?"
"A little," Owen said. "I just wanted to check on everyone to make sure they were good. Oh, and also to find a Willow. There are… multiple of her, now?"
Eon shuddered. "We had to un-corrupt ADAM from a Shadow incident with Alexander. Something about ADAM's environment… duplicated things we put in our bags. And then I tried to catch Willow in one, and…"
"Oh. Literally the worst possible person to duplicate on our side," Owen murmured. "Let's hope Alexander didn't do that to himself…"
"Too big to fit in a bag," Jirachi said.
"…Huh…" Owen crossed his arms.
"I don't like the tone you just got," Eon said. "What are you thinking?"
"Oh—nothing." Owen dismissed. "Anyway… Glad you guys are doing alright. Will you all be fusing soon?"
Eon flinched. Gods, really bringing that up now? Eon still wasn't sure what he wanted with Jirachi, or if he wanted anything. If he'd give up everything. And Rim… felt the same, he knew. But that also meant…
"That's very forward to ask," Celebi said. "But… we are. Rim and I are ready. We're awfully different, but… I shared a lot of my memories with Rim already. We're about caught up, and she wants to be more assertive. Like me!"
"It doesn't have to be so soon, Rim," Eon said gently. "I…"
But Rim leaned against Eon. He knew that feeling. She was trying to say, it was okay.
Celebi continued, "Rim spent too long being weak ever since the Psychic Orb was taken from her. And… everything about… what led up to this was just one big mistake. I told you this already, Eon. The mutants, the lab… All that work was aimed at the wrong person. And all that mess… Rim has trouble speaking, but I felt her thoughts and feelings."
Rim stiffened, trying to get words out. Eon could tell that many eyes were on her.
"It's… a mistake. I want… to try… again." Rim forced out. Rim sounded afraid but resolute. "I'm… s-sorry. But… I want… I wanted it. When I s-saw… Celebi…"
Eon took a breath and focused. He took off his blindfold and looked directly at Celebi, then Rim, maintaining his form with some focus. Celebi looked conflicted, ironically. He was expecting Rim to be the one afraid, but the purple-petaled Cherrim was the one more determined to go through with this.
"She followed me a couple of days ago," Celebi said. "All across town! I didn't even notice her at first, she was so, um… Well, she blended into the evening at the time… But I knew it was her. There was this tugging feeling, you know?"
Eon and Jirachi glanced at each other. If only it was that easy to be resolute the same way…
"I… can't convince you, can I?" Eon said. "Rim, I… I'm not ready yet…"
Guilt flooded Rim's eyes, but she looked down. "I have to."
"N-not that I'm forcing her!" Celebi quickly interjected. "I think she was saying that symbolically."
"Eon," Owen interjected, wings folded back. "I think I understand why this is happening. All this time, Rim was following your orders. She trusted you. But even though it wasn't totally your fault, you were all marching down a path that'd take down Barky. And, yeah, he had problems, but he wasn't our real enemy. Now all this work is… scattered. The whole aim of the Hunters is completely lost, and that was her identity for a long time.
"Rim just wants a fresh start. Celebi's duty is over in the same way now that Necrozma is free, uh… for better or worse."
Celebi tittered nervously. Lucas, who was probably having trouble following along, made a confused whine.
"It's okay, Lucas," Lavender said gently. "I have no idea what's going on, either!"
"I guess… we can wait a little longer," Celebi said. "But only a couple days, tops! Okay? It's okay, Lucas. Nobody's hurting."
The Mega Houndoom's tail wagged a little, cutting up the ground.
Rim pondered it, but then said, "…Need… timer. Countdown…"
"I can give one," Owen said. "Can you hold off for two days?"
Two days… It was a relief that he had more time. But that was two days of anxiously waiting. Eon hoped he could enjoy them.
"Two days? How come?" Celebi asked.
"I need as many people as possible to get this working, and—uh, having some extras can help with arrangements. I still need to sort it out…"
"Oh, one of your plans," Eon said. "Can I help?"
Owen seemed slightly uncomfortable. He'd overstepped. Agh, why did he ask so suddenly? He messed it all up again…
"Sure," Owen said. "Oh, actually. I guess I really should stop putting that off and get some names down. Eon, weren't you one of the leaders for your squad while I was gone?"
"I actually have a good roster in my head," Eon said. "Jirachi, too, right?"
Jirachi nodded. "Between the two halves of us, we have a good idea where everyone is and when they should be back."
"Okay. Maybe… you can help. Lavender, can you spread the word once I get you a letter to write? Once you find a Willow, that'll make things a lot easier. Or a Hecto."
"Oh, Hecto's mostly in one piece now," Eon reminded. "He gathered up to knock some sense into Shadow Barky."
"…You know, that might help. Not sure how effective having a bunch of Hectos doing this would've been anyway…" Owen murmured more to himself that Eon didn't understand. "First, I'm going to need thirty-six people in nine groups of four. . ."
Palkia stood in an open field with Dialga in the center of a smoldering crater.
"Are you still alive?" Palkia called leisurely.
"Yes! Why did you need to ask that!?"
Palkia checked his device again, prodding at a few buttons and adjusting a few settings. It whirred, then smoked, and then fizzled down. "Ah, what a shame. Ah—Dialga, on a scale of one to ten, how injured are you?"
"…Two?" Dialga called, stumbling over loose rocks as he tried to climb out of the pit. "I thought you said this was going to be a test blast of the portable Beammaker. Why in the world did you ask if I was killed by this?"
"It's worth checking maximums for uncharted territory," Palkia said idly. "Unfortunately, I still need to tweak a few things. Truly a shame. The recoil is just too much for the energy tunnel."
Poke, poke. He kept poking at the device until it sizzled unhappily.
"Ah." Palkia carved a hole in space and dropped it inside.
"…Palkia, what was that?" Dialga asked.
For several seconds, the sky had a new star.
"Safe disposal."
Dialga glared at him.
"Rhys!" called a gravelly voice.
Palkia tilted his head at Dialga.
"Rhys!" he called again.
"I believe that's you, Dialga," Palkia reminded.
"Ah—right. Right. I remember now."
Rayquaza flew over with Torkoal Elder balanced atop his head. They both seemed healthy and in good spirits, though it was hard to tell with Elder.
"Rayquaza, Elder," Dialga greeted. "How are you?"
"Doing well," Rayquaza replied. "We've been trying to find Nevren, but unfortunately he continues to evade us. We're positive he's somewhere in the Voidlands, too, which makes things difficult…"
"He has to return for supplies, I'm sure."
"Yes. Knowing me, though, he certainly is abusing that tool Dialga had gifted him to flee. And until Dialga can properly disable it…"
"Are you implying you would abuse any blessing given to you?" Rayquaza frowned, crossing his little arms.
"Well, not abuse in my case, more… explore."
"I worry about you, Palkia," Dialga said. Then, he addressed Rayquaza and Elder. "Well, it's good to see you both anyway."
Rayquaza nodded. "Elder and I have been talking more about… you, Dialga. Elder is trying to accept what happened."
"Ah… right. Right." Dialga nodded. "If it's any help… I do remember everything now. It was very hazy, shrouded in darkness, but time on the surface has helped unearth things again. Even if it's distant… it's not gone."
"Yes. That is… good to know," Elder said. His tone was odd; Palkia wasn't sure if he was sick. "And it's good that at least Rhys' spirit is… content. Are you content?"
Palkia's eyes darted from Elder and Rayquaza to Dialga when each spoke, trying ever so hard to understand the pathos behind every gesture. It was all so fascinating.
"I am," Dialga said. "Even though there are some things I wish I could… dredge up with more passion, all these things that Rhys left behind, I'm content. I'm managing that past and finding ways to do better. It's only… the emotional side of it all that I'm struggling with. It's more like a recollection. It's nostalgic."
Elder nodded. There was a pained look in his expression like he'd eaten an unagreeable lunch.
Mourning. That was it, wasn't it?
"Ah," Palkia suddenly said, shoulders sagging only slightly. Now that he thought about it, Elder and Rhys were very close. Perhaps in better circumstances, he and Rhys could have returned to their full selves at the same time. Now, Elder was scrounging for a way to say goodbye.
"I… ah…" Palkia quickly looked to his notes. He shouldn't interfere with this. Some things were not meant for science to interfere. Very few things. But this was one of them. The 'heart' and its language were most important, and Palkia was not fluent.
"I don't know if the same will happen to me," Elder said, "but… there's one thing I wanted to give you, Rhys. Er… Dialga."
"Rhys is fine," Dialga said gently. "What is it?"
Elder looked down at Rayquaza, who dug through a tiny, tiny bag tied around his wrist. Rayquaza produced a small paper.
"Before… all of this happened," Elder said, "I'd written you a letter. I'd meant for Rim to deliver it like she usually does, but… well, then the Orbs started illuminating, and you know how that all went. I just… felt that, to finish this… chapter of our long lives, that I'd finally deliver it."
"Oh." Dialga nodded. "Well, alright. I'd love to read it."
Palkia tried to lean over to read it, but Dialga flashed a glare at him. Palkia understood this meant it was rude, though his curiosity would not be sated like this… He sighed. Perhaps he could ask later so he could understand their hearts more.
Palkia started to pack up his supplies for a less risky experiment while Dialga read the letter. Rayquaza drifted nervously in the air; The smoke from Elder's shell had all but stopped, like he was holding his breath the whole time.
All for sentiments on paper. It was so fascinating. Sometimes, Palkia envied how invested people could become in such mundane things… but then he'd be so much less productive. It was a fair trade.
Finally, Dialga breathed out through his nostrils. Palkia recognized that as him being finished.
"Elder," Dialga said gently. "I understand why you'd want to send that to me, even if it isn't relevant anymore. But…"
Dialga closed his eyes. Light enveloped him; his body shrank and shrank, changing shape until he was a Lucario again.
"I do appreciate it anyway," he said.
"Rhys…" Elder finally breathed. Rayquaza lowered his head and Elder clumsily got off, losing his balance. He toppled over, nearly landing on his back had the Lucario not caught him.
"Sorry," the Lucario said, setting him down. "I, er… I felt it would be more appropriate to assume this form. After reading that letter, I mean. I believe, had I read it at the time… yes, I would have been happy to see it. And I would have put it with all the other letters. I… do regret, in a small way, discarding all the other ones, but they were from a previous time. And, really, all that hoarding was unhealthy…"
Elder nodded solemnly. The smoke from his shell came out in short bursts, like tiny gasps.
"…But… perhaps I can keep just this one. Here, I'll even… add a little temporal power…"
The paper glowed a soft blue. Palkia cocked his head again and leaned over, but once again, Rhys hid the paper's contents from him.
Palkia scoffed. "Well, now it's certainly on purpose."
Ignoring him, the Lucario showed it to Elder. "Now it will last much longer. The erosion of time will not touch this paper for as long as I remain. I will treasure it as a fond memory, Elder."
Elder's jaw quivered. He wanted to say something… Just what was going unsaid? It was like telepathy, this communication between them.
Well, he recalled they literally had telepathy, though since Rhys died, that connection had been severed. Palkia wondered if, somehow, it had been re-established across the aura sea now that the world was more stable…
Still… at some point, Palkia stopped thinking about taking notes on the exchange. Something about it no longer felt relevant for notes and findings. This was… a moment for them. A complicated tapestry of emotions that Palkia could only see the edge of. An indescribable network of feelings of times lost and times ahead. Palkia wondered… why Rhys had not been allowed that luxury.
Palkia's brow furrowed. His chest hurt a little. That was an odd one.
"Thank you," Elder whispered. "Thank you… I… I think I'm ready now, Rayquaza."
"I can tell," the great sky serpent replied. "Well. I would like to go on a flight for this one. Dialga… or, Rhys, if you'd accept the old title. Would you like to come with us?"
The Lucario nodded, but then flashed a cross glare Palkia's way. "No experiments while I'm gone. Understood?"
"Yes, yes." Palkia sighed. "I'll catch up on some reading and tidy up my notes."
But even Palkia recognized the relief Elder had. It felt as if that final letter held the last of his wishes. The final task of an old, old soul. And as they flew away, the Torkoal atop Rayquaza's head, and 'Rhys,' retaining that form, just behind him… Palkia had a feeling he was not going to see either of 'them' again.
But maybe this time, it was on their terms.