Chapter 39 – Correct

"Sooo, can we evolve now?" Demitri balled up his fists, shaking them enthusiastically. Mispy listened, but spent her time prodding at one of the Hot Spot mushrooms with a vine to feign a lack of interest.

"Not until we're sure we can get you in a safe environment," Rhys said.

Demitri frowned, tapping into some unused Dragon pride. "Aw, c'mon! I mean—if something bad happens, you can just warp us to Emily's place, right? It's not like we can fly off like those two!" He pointed at the fully-evolved Flygon and Charizard, both of whom smirked at Demitri in almost the same manner.

"How's it feel competing fer third place?" Gahi taunted.

Owen quickly suppressed the smirk. "You know, Gahi, if they evolve fine, they'll be the only ones to do it without some kind of assistance."

"Feh, whatever helps'm sleep at night." Gahi stuck his nose in the air triumphantly, his shining body gleaming against the mushroom glow.

"Well… that much is true…" Rhys considered their reasoning, but sounded cautious.

Owen had to agree. After all, they were strongly biased toward recovering their true forms and memories. For all Rhys knew, even with the two of them stable, Demitri and Mispy could make it all fall apart with a single misstep.

Demitri frowned, looking down. Maybe Rhys was—Mispy prodded Demitri hard on the back with her other vine. "I mean—we're way better at meditating, compared to Gahi," he said. "So, since we're all behaved and all that, that means we'll stay sane easier, right?"

Gahi's right eye twitched. "Oy, that ain't my fault, Eon made me nuts!"

"It's likely a bit of both, Gahi," Rhys said, earning an indignant flinch, then a snort, from the mutant. "Hmm… but I suppose if we have enough containment procedures in place, we should be able to evolve you without waiting for another opportunity where Emily is available. How does that sound?"

Demitri lit up. "That sounds great!"

Mispy nodded eagerly.

"How does that sound to everyone else?" Rhys clarified, turning to face the remainder of the crowd.

Owen rumbled uncertainly, startling himself with how deep the growl sounded. He had to get used to that. The much larger pseudo-dragon cleared his throat.. "We'll have to make sure they can't escape. And that if we get in trouble, we can warp them right to Emily's place. But since we sorta… warped to the Chasm place, and then again to get out of it, I think the Badge is depleted for now. And—oh! The Dark Guardian! Is he—"

"I don't think we should go there for now." Rhys shook his head. "If we return now, he might feel threatened, after how Eon behaved. We should wait at least a day. Until then… Why don't we have some breakfast? A… late… very late breakfast." His shoulders slouched. It was a good thing he didn't have to eat.

Demitri and Mispy's stomachs suddenly growled. Mispy's especially, droning on for several seconds after Demitri's settled.

"W-wow, that's right—we totally forgot to eat…"

"Food," Mispy lamented.

Amia giggled. "Rhys, dear, why don't we make something special for them?"

"That will give the Badges time to recharge," Rhys agreed. "Very well. We will make something energizing. That will give me some time to prepare my training for them… I think we will be able to unlock their potential quickly."

Demitri perked up. "Ooh—is it a secret technique? How come you never showed it to us before?"

"Is it dangerous?" Mispy asked.

"No, not necessarily," Rhys said, holding up a paw. "I simply… cannot use it very often. But for this case, I think it will be worth our time. I can prepare while I am cooking with Amia." He absently rubbed along the spike on his wrist, as if polishing it to think.

"Oh!" Anam said, slapping his hands together. "Um—well, while you guys are doing that, is it okay if I go back to Kilo Village to do some checking up?"

"Oh, of course, dear!" Amia said. "Going to help out Nevren?"

"Mhm!" He clasped his fingers together in prayer. "Also, I wanna do some extra blessings. It helps to calm the mind, you know?"

"Mind bringing over some extra Orans when you do?" Owen asked. "I think someone ate all of mine when I was asleep."

Mispy shifted her weight subtly. Owen's fire flashed an angry yellow, but then settled to a resigned orange. "Good luck with training, you two."

It was later in the afternoon, but Owen was desperate for a nap. Breakfast—at this point, lunch—was still cooking, so Owen took the opportunity to retreat to his room. Zena had briefly followed him, but then saw Gahi speed along to catch up. She watched the pair pensively, but then sighed, deciding that she should remain behind with Demitri and Mispy in case they had to be Suppressed. Owen assumed that was the reasoning.

Most of the others shuffled away to their usual routines. Manny went to train with his spirits again; ADAM returned to his home to "normalize" more perceived imperfections; Valle did as he always did; Enet returned to her abode, instantly darkening the entire inside.

Content at the normalcy, Owen's pace slowed to a leisurely wobble, wondering how comfortable the rocks would feel if he decided to collapse right there. Gahi was hanging around many paces behind him, leaning against walls or otherwise prodding at mushrooms with his feet, similar to Mispy. His walking pace was almost as fast as Owen when he ran, which made him wait for agonizingly long periods of time just to stay inconspicuously behind Owen.

Between Gahi's lack of subtlety and Owen's Perceive, Owen was simply waiting for Gahi to actually speak up.

Once he was at the entryway to his home, his patience finally ran out. "Need something, Gahi?"

"Eh—hey." Gahi flinched, tail wrapping around himself. His slender-than-normal body made all the bends and curls that much more obvious.

"You tired?"

"…A li'l."

The Flygon stood awkwardly by the entrance to his room. Owen, not sure where to go, sat by his bed and left half of it for him to sit on. He noticed that it was bigger than when he had first left it; did Amia take the time to gather more Rawst leaves for his new body?

Gahi sat next to Owen and curled his tail around himself. He played with the fan at the tip, tracing the angular decorations with the back of his claws.

For a while, the silence ate at both of them. The gravity of the morning caught up. Casual air slowly condensed into a thick tension.

Owen glanced at Gahi only once, but he spared him any intense stares. Still, he could feel it; Gahi was trembling. He mimicked Gahi's body language, wrapping his tail around to play with the fire, sustaining a few embers at the tips of his claws like little candles.

"…That was… scary, huh?" Owen asked.

Gahi gulped and nodded. He didn't break eye contact with his tail. "Yeah."

Owen reached for a Rawst leaf and grabbed one; it was still soft. "I should probably get a cover for these to wrap them up. Lasts longer."

"Not like sand," Gahi said. "Stuff lasts ferever."

"Heh… yeah." Owen shifted where he sat.

Gahi scooted himself forward and leaned toward the ground. Not comfortable, he leaned back instead, stretching his slender body. Eventually, the svelte-bodied Flygon settled, belly facing the ceiling. "I just," he said. "I feel like…"

Owen mirrored Gahi again, laying down next to him until they were both staring at the ceiling. Gahi's tail twitched away from Owen's.

"Like you weren't in control?"

"Tch… yeah."

"Yeah…"

More silence.

"…I'm beat." Gahi rolled until he was on his side, facing Owen; he closed his eyes. "I'm just… gonna go fer an afternoon nap."

Owen nodded. "That's fine. I guess my bed is softer than the sand you're used to and stuff." He glanced at Gahi. It seemed like he was already drifting off. Smiling, the Charizard pushed himself into a sitting position. "I'm gonna—"

"Can you," Gahi said quickly; one eye opened.

Owen stopped.

"Can you… just stick around a li'l while?"

The Charizard's gaze softened further, breathing a small sigh that produced no flame.

"Sure, Gahi. I'll be right here."

He laid back down, staring at the ceiling again. His eyes focused on a small clutch of mushrooms in the corner. He always liked staring at that patch. He'd feel out of place if those ever fell; he'd need to find a new patch to call his favorite.

He wondered if it would help Gahi if he read a book or two. Perhaps game of marbles? Now that he actually had hands, it might be a little easier. But Owen couldn't find his voice. They continued to fester in their silence a while longer.

"Am I me?" Gahi asked.

Both of the shiny dragon's eyes were open, staring at nothing in particular, only straight to the rocks above them.

"…Feels like… I'm going through what you were going through…" Gahi's voice got quieter and quieter. "When y'were all…"

"The way you are now," Owen said, "is who you are. Back there… That wasn't you. That was just… something Eon wanted you to be a long time ago."

Gahi didn't react. He kept staring. Owen glanced at him every so often out of the corner of his eye, but Gahi didn't even notice. Owen wondered what it was like to have such little awareness. Even when he was tired, he knew where everything around him was.

Owen continued. "I think you're you, right now."

Gahi's claws dug into the scales of his palms. "I couldn't stop it… I just… wanted ter do it… ter fuse… so badly. I wanted ter fight… just… just fight… wasn't the same… was like I'd die if I didn't fight… Knew I wouldn't… but I…"

Owen kept his voice steady and soft. "I was the same way, Gahi. I remember what happened when I fought Azu the first time. I was the same way—I just went… crazy. I kept attacking, even when he was an ember. And then I tried to attack his ember. Then I started to attack Mom… but I stopped really fast there… I remember that part. I remember stopping…"

"That's pro'ly 'cause yer Mystic. But I'm just… normal. If I go crazy again… I ain't gonna stop it with that li'l… li'l privilege yeh got."

"I don't think you'll go crazy again. Not on your own. Your aura's better now. It's fixed." He made another uneasy glance at Gahi, but it wasn't returned.

Gahi didn't say anything, and the silence filled the air again.

Owen sighed. He could feel Gahi's anxiety. He didn't know how he could help. He went through the same thing—and in the end, Gahi was right. If he did lose himself again… he wouldn't be able to stop it. That was part of his design.

"I don't… I don't wanna live like this," Gahi said. "I j-just don't… don't like any o' this!"

"Gahi…"

He rolled over, sniffled, and buried his head against the leaves. "It's gonna happen. I'm gonna lose it… I'm not gonna be me… This isn't me! I ain't this! I'm—I'm just some kinda—thing! A weapon!" Gahi's claws sank deep into the bedding, tearing leaves with the pressure. "I ain't got a will—I'm just some weapon! All I wanted was ter fight! That's all I am… just like he wanted, all this time… just… just…"

Owen moved toward Gahi and wrapped his arms around him, and then his wings. Gahi trembled, reflexively leaning against Owen.

"It's okay, Gahi," Owen said. "You're okay. You're fine now, right?"

Gahi sniffed and shrank.

"You're you, right now. And that's all that matters. If you got to this state once, you can do it again. But losing your mind again…. I won't let that happen, okay? I'm the smart guy, right? I'll figure it out."

"Y-you better…"

"I will." Owen nodded, making sure that Gahi saw his smile this time.

Gahi coughed, then sniffed, and then wiped his nostrils. "Ngg…"

Owen was ready to let go, but Gahi didn't let him. His arms held him a little tighter. Owen complied, gently rubbing at the Flygon's back.

"You're alright, Gahi," he said. "I think between me and the others, we've got it all under control."

"Mn…" Gahi's eyes blinked a bit more slowly this time.

Another long silence followed, broken intermittently by the Flygon's sniffling. But this silence was cozier. Gahi's body relaxed more, deflating against the soft layers of leaves. The sniffles became less and less frequent.

Eventually, Owen's eyes grew heavy, and finally, closed. Gahi had drifted off long before then.

Some time later, Amia quietly stepped into the room and whispered, "Owen, Gahi, are you ready for—" But she saw neither of them in bed. Instead, there was a single being, curled up with a peaceful smile. Amia didn't have to read their auras to see that they were okay. With a smile, she nodded to herself and stepped back, nodding to Alex just behind her.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"They're just fine."

With that in order, Amia led the way to the Hot Spot training grounds deeper in the complex. She tried to look casual, idly talking with Alex, who fretted about whether they would be too far from them, but Amia was confident/

"They're sleeping for now," Amia said. "I think they're tuckered out from the, um… everything. Rhys—is it safe if they're fused?"

"They fused again?" Demitri said.

Mispy closed her eyes to scan for their auras. "Mmm… Mhm." The Bayleef nodded. "But… stable."

"Yes, I sensed it as well," Rhys said, eyes closed and head down. "They're fused together, but their auras are stable. We needn't worry."

"Oh, good," Amia said. She clapped her hands together, grinning. "They had the cutest little smile! I figured they were fine, but I wanted to make sure."

Alex bumped his cannons together, and the way Alex smiled, Amia suspected he was envisioning the image of those two sleeping. "I'm glad that Owen can at least accept that part of him. Gahi, too."

Rhys nodded, lifting his head to address the others. He had been focused for so long that he almost looked strained. The cyan of his aura coursed along his undercoat. "Well, in any case, we should get to training. Demitri, Mispy, I hope you didn't eat too much. I'm prepared for your training session."

"Are you sure…?" Mispy asked. "Your aura…"

Amia nodded, frowning. "Yes, dear. Why is your aura so…"

"I have been… building it up. I'm not very used to it, so it may seem a bit… volatile. But, please—allow me to start. Give me a moment. This is a very advanced Mystic technique."

His aura flared even more and then concentrated at his paws. He put them together, like he was forming a giant Aura Sphere, and then aimed it at the ground in front of him. His entire body glowed with aura power, and then, finally, he fired—it was a continuous blast of aura energy that piled up, taking the shape of something. Rhys grunted; he stopped and staggered backwards.

"Rhys?" Amia asked.

"I—I am fine," Rhys said. "I was… a bit reckless. But I am fine. Give it a moment…"

The aural mass finished shaping itself.

"Whoa…" Demitri said.

"That's…" Mispy added.

It looked just like Rhys in shape and size, but was cyan like the Aura Spheres he attacked with, as well as slightly transparent.

Rhys wobbled his way to the side of the arena and sat down to stay conscious. "There… Aura Substitute, I call it. Now, you may fight."

"Fight… this thing?"

The aura entered a battle stance, awaiting the first move. It seemed to behave on its own in some autonomous fashion.

"How will that help?" Demitri frowned, looking disappointed. "And why'd you go through all that trouble? I wanna fight the real thing!"

"This will be significantly faster, if we wish to evolve you as soon as possible." He didn't speak again for a while, catching his breath. "The… hah… the aura you see there," he continued, "is based on my theories on a Pokémon's power, and their aura efficiency—their power and the channel that connects them to that divine energy. The aura matter that can widen and strengthen that connection… what you see before you is a manifestation of that in an almost pure form.

"It takes more and more energy to reach greater amounts of power. However, conversely, it takes relatively little energy to go from a low aura efficiency to that of a higher one. Since you are suppressed… this will be an easy way to unleash your powers again, safely."

"…Mm… I think I understand," Amia lied. "But, for the people who don't… could you explain that more simply, dear?"

"Yeah!" Willow said, popping up from behind Mispy's neck. She sprouted her fairy wings and landed on Demitri's right tusk. "That was too many words! Say it again! But easy!"

Rhys sighed. "I took from myself a bit of my great aura matter and am going to give it to them, should they…"—Rhys panted—"should they defeat it."

"Okay, dear. You rest," Amia said. "Demitri, Mispy! Do you understand that?"

They both stared.

Demitri spoke, "So we… beat it up? He can't just give it to us?"

"I could," Rhys said, "but that would waste a lot of the energy. You have to be using your aura—both offense and defense, giving and receiving—to get the most from it. No, er, no pain, no gain."

"Yes," Amia said.

Mispy shrugged. "Makes sense. Easy."

Some small amount of pride made Rhys snort. "Are you sure? I wouldn't underestimate my Aura Substitute."

"Oh, yeah?" Demitri tried to sound tough. "I'd like to see you—uh, it try."

Rhys shrugged weakly. "Enjoy yourselves." He motioned to the cyan double. "It will act when you do."

Demitri stomped on the ground, accidentally cracking a bit of the rocks below. "Uh—Go!" He rushed at the aura as quickly as he could—in other words, at a speed that Rhys could outpace by walking. Mispy sighed, shaking her head; she took the free moment to charge her Solar Beam a quarter way, wiggling her leaf at the same time to form a Light Screen barrier around the two of them.

Rhys' automaton fired an Aura Sphere directly at Demitri. It smashed against his face, yet he took the hit and kept going, closer until he was able to land the first hit, slashing with Fighting energy in his fists, hoping that this aura was still Fighting-Steel like the source material.

The aura sizzled at the attack, jumping away. It looked blurry and then solidified. Demitri looked at his claws, feeling an intense heat course through where his hand had connected until the warmth spread to his chest, and then out to the rest of his body.

"Did—did you feel that?" he said. "That was… strong! I wanna do that again!"

"Keep going!" Mispy shouted, halfway charged. She blasted Demitri with a wave of healing energy, easily repairing the damage Rhys' double had inflicted on his nose.

"R-right!" Demitri followed up with the same pattern as before. This aura copy wasn't as intelligent as Rhys and didn't think very dynamically. It also seemed to only know one technique, Aura Sphere, and kept using it against Demitri. It was raw power—but between Mispy's healing and Demitri powering through any strike, they would surely win.

Zena watched silently, looking like her mind was elsewhere. Only when Mispy's neck leaves started to glow did she snap back to the battle at hand. "I'm impressed at their teamwork. Were they trained that way, or were they designed with that cooperation?"

"I'm not sure," Amia said, "but I think at some point you need to learn how to cooperate, don't you think?"

Rhys hummed. "They could have had the base instilled in their instincts, but we had to train them the natural way for real teamwork."

Amia watched Rhys' labored breathing. "How are you feeling, dear? Does it… hurt you, when they attack that aura?"

"Not at all. It isn't me—it's just my power in a shell, working off my basic fighting reflexes. It's a tiny piece of me, just enough to let it fight at the simplest level. Nothing more."

"…You seem to use Aura Sphere a lot," Amia said.

"Well, er, it's very reliable," Rhys said. "It isn't as if I'm fighting Ghosts very often."

"Hmm… I suppose Owen will have an easier time against you, if that's the case," Amia hummed. "After all, one of his Types can handle Aura Sphere quite well. And the other one has an advantage over Steel!"

"Ngh—well, he doesn't need this training," Rhys dismissed. "…Amia, get ready to bring them to Emily if this does not go well. The moment that aura shell is destroyed, they will evolve. I know how much power I put and how much they need."

"Mm, of course," Amia said. "Zena? Can you help?"

"I will. Emily should be back at her cave by now. Unless she had to rescue someone else… We only need one Badge, right? We should still have one more with energy for a warp there. I just hope we won't have to restrain them."

Rhys wondered what a fusion of Demitri and Mispy would bring about to this group. Something that was unstoppably strong, yet also able to rapidly heal from any of their strikes? That wasn't a battle of containment. That was a battle of stalling for time.

Amia nodded. "We'll just have to hope. If anything, it's on the other side of the world, right? It should be safe. They aren't fast like Gawen. And they can't fly." The Gardevoir paused. "Rhys, they can't fly, when fused, right?"

"No, a Demitri-Mispy fusion shouldn't be able to fly. They won't have wings."

"Good, good…" Briefly, Amia had envisioned them flying using vines for wings, somehow.

"Now!" Mispy yelled.

Demitri dove out of the way and the Bayleef fired her Solar Beam straight at their shell of an opponent. It disintegrated immediately and the Beam left a bright, smoldering spot on the wall for Amia to repair later. Cyan particles rose and evaporated and Demitri and Mispy felt the power contained within rush through them.

"Ooh, I think I felt a bit of that, myself," Amia said, rubbing her arms. "Rhys, just how strong are you?"

"A bit on the strong side," Rhys said. "Shouldn't you be observing them?"

"A-ah, sorry."

Just then, a white light enveloped them both. The group watched with tension; if they had to deal with a fusion that was slow yet unstoppable, perhaps they could focus more on blowing them back with distanced techniques. Hydro Pump—that wouldn't hurt them much, but would it push them back?

More worrisome—combining that with Gawen. Hopefully they kept the same slowness that Demitri had so they could outpace them to Gawen's bed.

The usual white light was tarnished by black sparks. Their forms grew and morphed. And then it faded…

Demitri didn't change very much compared to the normal Haxorus form. A bit taller, a bit bulkier, with defined muscles along his limbs. His tail had an additional ax-like appendage on either side, and the axes on his head were somewhat longer. It looked like they were detached slightly on his cheeks, too, removable like a self-grown weapon.

Mispy, however, was dramatically different. While she still had a Meganium's head and body, her limbs and tail were replaced instead by vines that transitioned from the pale green of her body into a deeper green at the end. The vines writhed constantly and it was hard to tell what else was hidden away there. Likely, more vines, each one as thick as what her legs would have been.

"W-wow," Demitri said. "That's… that's so… powerful! I feel like I can lift a mountain! …C… can I lift a mountain?"

Demitri and Mispy both looked toward one another, then at Rhys, Amia, and Zena, all of them with a Suppressive Aura ready. It seemed that, briefly, the pair worried that they would lose themselves even more than the Suppressors were anticipating. Yet they felt normal. All of Rhys' meditation had paid off after all—at least for them.

Finally, Rhys answered Demitri. "Not quite at that level, Demitri. Mispy, how are you feeling?"

The monstrous Meganium's eyes closed, but the flower petals around her neck, a vibrant pink with a white trim, swayed serenely on their own. She looked at Rhys and smiled. "I feel… correct."

Amia and Willow cheered, the latter jumping from Rhys' head to Zena's and finally to Amia's.

"You're both okay!" Amia said. "I can't believe it! We didn't have to fight you or anything!"

"Can we still do that?" Demitri asked.

Amia held her arms up quickly. "A-ah, let's wait for a moment. Um, Rhys?"

The Lucario finally let loose a laugh. "I'm not surprised. Compared to Gahi, Demitri and Mispy were much more disciplined in their meditation. I expected them to stabilize first."

"Does that mean we beat Gahi and Owen?" Demitri said. "We stabilized first?"

"Well… you evolved last," Rhys said. "But Owen stabilized first anyway."

"But that's cheating, right? Because he's Mystic. So that means that we won, because we got to stabilize all on our own." Demitri crossed his arms defiantly. Mispy nodded sagely. If Demitri was the muscle, and the brain was a muscle, then that meant he must have said the smartest thing in the room just then. They won, and that's what mattered.

Rhys rubbed his forehead. "Yes, I suppose if you go by those rules, you two were the only ones to stabilize through training and effort alone. Congratulations. You win by default."

Amia giggled. Zena puffed her cheeks defiantly but let them have their moment.

"Great!" Demitri said, pumping his fist in the air. "We won, Mispy!" Giddy, the monstrous Haxorus held his arms against his chest, hugging himself in triumph, admiring the toughness of his new set of scales.

Mispy nudged Demitri on the side playfully with her head. A few of her vines twisted around his abdomen.

"What now?" Mispy asked

"Let's wait for Gahi and Owen to wake up," Rhys said. "After that, we can plan our next steps. With the Dark Orb in… uncertain conditions, our options are a bit narrow. The only confirmed sighting we have is the Frozen Oceanside, and we may have already lost that one…"

"But it's worth checking anyway, just in case," Amia said.

Zena hummed. "Of course. And the other, is…"

"Dark Mist Swamp," Rhys said. "Oh, and Arachno Forest. I'm certain there is a Guardian there of some kind, from my discussions with Star."

"And then there's the Orb at Zero Isle," Amia said, counting using tiny embers. "That, counting the ones we know Eon already has, and then the ones that we have…. Oh! Rhys! Isn't that everything? Aside from Brandon at the factory… that's all of the Orbs!"

"It is." Rhys hummed worriedly. "We're nearly there. If we can gain an edge against Eon, this may very well work out…"

Willow hopped onto Rhys' head, nibbling on a tuft of his fur. "And then?"

"And then…" Rhys said.

"…We beat the bad guy up?" Willow asked.

"…I suppose we do."

Gawen woke up with a sharp gasp, eyes opening instantly. Memories flooded his mind and his hand reflexively grabbed at his chest, clutching at an invisible heart. He grunted and doubled over, panting, shaking. He covered his mouth next, gagging. The phantom pain of the old memory was overwhelming. He gagged again, nausea taking over, and for a moment it felt like he had been ripped asunder. He trembled, roaring softly into the bed beneath him, slashing his tail against the wall. He scorched one of his books—thankfully, made of Rawst leaves, it did not burn.

The pain slowly passed enough for him to move again. Dizzy. By the color of the mushrooms, it was late in the morning. Had he slept the whole day and night away?

He sluggishly got out of bed and stepped outside, spotting a few of the Guardians milling about in town, passing the time as they pleased. It looked like Enet was playing a game of chase with Willow. ADAM was polishing Valle's position in the center of town, transforming it into some kind of altar. Valle appreciated the reverent feeling it gave him, and he glowed a little brighter than usual. Manny, meanwhile, was sparring against Azu, Roh, and Verd all at once, shouting something about Yen being much harder to fire them up. It seemed that Anam, James, and Nevren were still in Kilo, likely pulling another all-nighter to catch up on paperwork.

"Oh! Owen—er, Gawen, I mean." Amia approached them. "Um… look! Demitri and Mispy evolved, and they're just fine!"

Gawen stared at the evolved pair emptily. They waved. Demitri was hefting Mispy's entire body in the air as part of testing his strength, though she proved to be too light. Mispy, meanwhile, was re-learning how to walk when she had no legs, yet at the same time, had a hundred legs.

But they stopped when they realized how pale the other half of Team Alloy seemed. Demitri set Mispy down; the Meganium wrapped her vines around the Haxorus, setting him on her back. Clumsily, she slid to Gawen.

"Are you okay?" Demitri asked.

"You look…" Mispy tilted her head to look at them at a different angle.

"Did you have a nightmare, dear?" Amia asked. "It must have been so frightful, for you to look so… ghostly."

Gawen looked at Amia, then at the others. He felt sick from that final memory. And sick from it all finally piecing together. There was a glimmer of relief that it was finally all there. No—not all there. There were still swaths of memories between then and now that were a scrambled blur. But the beginning—his first life—it was all there. But these memories…

Gawen tried to steady his breathing, tried to meditate, but that incessant shaking was back again. It took a long, tense silence for him to suppress it enough to speak coherently. "I… remember."

Amia's eyes flashed in surprise. "You… do, dear?" she asked delicately.

Gawen nodded. He stared at his hands, and then intensely at Demitri and Mispy. With Owen's next words, the same memories came flooding back.

"I remember… Quartz."