Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

by Namohysip

[PMD] It started with getting stabbed. Later, mugged. Then, he forgets them both. Owen had lived a simple life with simple dreams, but an ancient conflict catches up with him, as does a forgotten past. With answers easily slipping away and chaos rising the more he fights to find them, there was no telling what hides in his forgotten core, and what he will become once unleashed.

58. Reunion

Chapter 52 – Reunion

"We're back!"

"Owen's back!" Willow cheered, skittering across the caverns to hop onto Owen's head, using his lowered hand as a boost. By now, the gesture had become a small ritual for the Charizard and Joltik. "How'd it go?"

"Uhhh… I mean, could've gone better," Owen said, motioning behind him to the others. "Jerry couldn't get healed. Emily's power couldn't get rid of the melting property, but she was able to enhance his Stable Scarf. Now it's a Stabilize Scarf. Star made up the name again."

"What's the difference?" Willow asked.

Owen hummed thoughtfully. "Well, my version kept Jerry the way he was when he puts it on. Emily's version brings him back to normal if he accidentally takes it off for a little while."

"Yeah, that's the property I felt from it," Star confirmed. The transparent Mew floated around Manny. "How're you holding up, Jerry?"

"Never better," the Aerodactyl growled. "What do you think? I'm still stuck with you lunatics. I was starting to warm up to the idea of indentured service again compared to this—"

"What Jerry means is, he's glad that he can hang out with us for a lot longer." Star gave Jerry a sweet smile.

Jerry glared, clenching his jaw.

The Mew went on. "Until we get strong enough to counter Ghrelle's Mystic power, that's how it has to be. Isn't that right, Jerry? I guess we'll have to find a way for you to be useful until then."

"Oh, I'll show you useful," Jerry said, beating his wings.

"Oh, oh! I know!" Anam's voice sang from his building to their left. The Goodra waddled outside with his bag lodged partway into his chest. "Let's make him a Provisionary Heart!"

Whatever fire Jerry had to lash out against Star extinguished instantly, freezing him in place.

Anam dug through his chest, as if searching around for something. Not finding it there, he dug into his thighs. "Ah!" He pulled out a small, gold emblem, a bit different than the one thousand full-fledged Heart Badges in circulation, and handed it to Jerry.

He stared at it, the only sign that he wasn't a statue being his blinking eyes.

"What's wrong?" Anam asked. "It's not as strong as normal Badges, but it'll help you! They're only good for warping yourself out of trouble, and it only goes to Kilo Village, but if you go with a fellow Heart that has a real Badge, you'll be able to go on assignments really easily!"

Anam held his hands out again, but his horn-feelers twitched nervously. He pushed his arms a bit closer until the Provisionary Badge was mere inches away from Jerry's face.

Finally, Jerry showed signs of movement, but it wasn't toward Anam. Instead, his eyes transitioned from disbelief into distrust. "Why?"

"Why?" Anam repeated. "W-well… because!" He pushed the Badge even closer.

"No," Jerry said again. "Why? Why do you think I should get one? After all… you put me in jail." His mouth twisted into a smirk. "You wouldn't want something like me representing your army, do you?"

Anam's smile briefly faltered, his cheerful eyes transitioning into desperation. Owen, on the sidelines, didn't know what to add. He opened his mouth, but all he could get out was a soft, "Um…"

Owen regretted making noise at all. Jerry flashed a glare at him that made his flame shrink to half its size; then, he looked back at Anam. "They arrested me. I hurt others and stole their stuff. Still want to give that to me?"

For just a moment, Anam's hands drew back, but then he pressed forward again. "Y-yes! You're a Provisionary Heart now. Congratulations!"

Jerry still didn't grab it. Instead, his glare redoubled. "Why?"

"Because… because anybody can become a Heart eventually."

"Even me, an outlaw?"

"Yes!"

A bit of slime from Anam's hand dripped on the ground with a soft plop. Only then did Owen realize how dead silent Hot Spot had become; even ADAM's typical buzzing had silenced itself, or perhaps he was too far away. Owen had a feeling that Jerry had a thousand things to say to Anam, yet he sensed a bit of fear in his body language, too. It was in his wings, like he wanted to fly away. Owen unconsciously flexed his own, slowly, and glanced at Zena. She was busy biting her lower lip, looking between the Goodra and Aerodactyl.

"Where's James?" Zena mumbled to Owen. "Anam needs someone to mediate…"

Owen wasn't sure, either.

But then, finally—and perhaps only to get him away—Jerry reached out and grabbed it, wincing at the slime that squished between it and his claws. "Thanks," he hissed.

Anam nodded, but then spun around, quick to walk back into his home. Owen didn't need Perception to see that Anam was just trying to avoid further confrontation. He then glanced at Jerry, seeing another mixture of emotions in his face. Some of it was relief, perhaps… but he had a feeling what Jerry was thinking, because the stray thought had crossed his mind, too. What kind of leader was he, barely able to handle someone that didn't agree with him?

Owen shook his head of the thought. Anam was a wonderful leader—he was a peacekeeper.

Jerry shuffled off to claim a home for himself, muttering something about where he could go. But then he said, "But they're all dead, right? Figure the spirits that used to live here don't need a home. Hmph. I'll pick whatever."

With Jerry gone, and after a long day and night of activity, there was an unspoken agreement among the Hot Spot inhabitants to disband to relax for a while. For Owen, that meant giving Zena a little glance and jerking his head, offering for her to follow him to his parents' place. The Milotic gladly followed, wondering if they were going to play another game of marbles.

"Mew, that was awkward," Owen mumbled. Zena nodded, lowering her head a bit while she traveled so they were at eye level.

"Can you stop doing that?" Star mumbled, rubbing her ears. Following as one of Manny's spirits—and with Manny a bit further away, now—she was barely tangible.

"Huh? What?" Owen asked.

"Using my name when you say something. Y'mind not?"

"Oh—sorry. Is that… sacrilegious or something?" Owen asked. "Sorry. Before all this Guardian stuff happened, I didn't exactly read the Book of Mew or the Book of Arceus, so… you know."

"You didn't complain much about it before," Zena said. "Is it disrespectful?"

"No, it's not that. It's just you guys have been doing it a lot more often lately, and I figure I'm gonna have to deal with it a lot longer, so, yeah. Don't do it as much."

"How come? Not—not to offend or anything, but, is it a tradition, or respect, or…?"

"You really think I care about stuff like that?" Star said. "No. Any time someone refers to me by name like that, I hear them. In my head. You're supposed to call me for a prayer, yeah? And then I hear it. But if you make a reference to me in that way, while I'm here, I kinda hear it double-time. With my ears and my spirit. And there's a weird delay, so it's like you've got a super-echo. Messes with my brain."

"Oh," Owen winced. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine. Now y'do. I'm gonna go and tell the others now, because I think everyone's been doing that." And then, with only a brief pause, she stared at the Charizard. "Are you fine, Owen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Star pressed. "Eon didn't get to you, did he?"

Owen hesitated for a split-second too long. "He didn't."

Star crossed her arms.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Owen said. "I already told him I'm not interested. Mom and Dad raised me for centuries! I'm not gonna throw that all away just to go back with my first Dad." He stared at the ground. That wasn't what bothered him. No, it did—but what bothered him more was how Eon spoke of Star. He already had shaky doubts about the Mew, and now this? And there were still… stray thoughts. His memories from that day in Quartz to now felt scrambled, but he had a new nugget of doubt in his mind, too. All over again, it felt like he was missing more of himself. The more he gained, the more it felt like he knew nothing.

But Star relented. "Good, Owen. Eon's… twisted. I'm sorry, but he's lost it. He's not the same person you used to know. Okay?"

Owen's claws scratched against his arm's scales. "What do you mean that he's lost it?"

"Him trying to get you back has become an obsession. That's really all there is to it. I don't think it's very healthy, and you don't really want someone with that kind of temperament with all that power, alright?"

Sounds familiar, Owen thought on reflex, but nodded. "Yeah, I understand. He's… he definitely shouldn't—yeah. I already knew that, so don't worry."

Star glanced at Zena. The Milotic replied with a nod. Star replied in turn, and then floated back to the main square.

When she was gone, Zena glanced at Owen. "Not the right temperament, hm? Sounds familiar."

Owen smiled a bit too quickly. He hid it and made a hasty glance at Star, but she was already flying into Willow's tiny home.

"Hm. There she goes," Zena said. "Owen, would you like to, perhaps… read a book together?"

"Oh," Owen said, nodding. "That sounds fine."

Zena brightened, slithering after him. "What will we be reading today, Owen?"

"Uhh, what did we read before?" he asked nervously.

"You don't remember?" Zena asked.

"Sorry," Owen said. "I met you before my last reset, right? Everything is… kinda scrambled still. I'm sorting through it."

They entered his parents' home. Amia wasn't present, and therefore his father. Owen headed to his room and stepped over his bed, digging through an alcove in the back, which held his stash of books in their latest editions. All in the Rawst paper format, of course.

Zena gulped, shrinking. "Of course. I understand. Well, we read a book about Scarves, and other Dungeon equipment. Do you remember that?"

"A little," Owen said, rubbing his left horn thoughtfully. "Mrrgh, I can barely remember getting the Grass Orb, Zena. Did I meet you before or after that?"

"Well, after. You ran away as a Charmeleon, and you went into my caverns to talk to someone you knew was in a similar situation. A Guardian that was sealed away. You were upset that your parents and your idols lied to you." The Milotic slithered closer, leaning over his shoulder to get a look at what book the Charizard was choosing. She was careful to avoid the flame at the end of his tail; while Owen's flame was much colder than the typical flame in his state, if he got too excited, that wouldn't be the case.

"Feels like a really long time ago," Owen said. "A lifetime ago. Literally. It's like… every time I got reset, it's just a new life that I live. Reincarnated, with that life and all its memories just… blended up. It feels… distant. Not… me, now. Sometimes I wonder if there's something even further back than my first memories. Crazy to think about… I wonder if that's what actual reincarnation is—hey, do you think Star does that?"

Zena blinked. "Owen, let's focus. I don't think Star does that, or she'd probably mention it… But you don't remember talking to me for the first time? Meeting me?"

Owen shook his head, but stopped midway. "Well, actually," he amended, "I kinda do. I remember… yeah. Yeah, I kinda remember. I remember I saw… something I really liked. And I felt really bad, too. I remember those feelings, you know? And then, remember when you first moved in? We made that little lake for you in your place, and…" Owen rubbed his head. "I think I remember that."

"Did you enjoy that?" Zena asked. "Did you enjoy being around me?"

"Oh, totally," Owen nodded, pulling out a thick book from the alcove near his bed. Survival Guide: Equipment Synergy for Maximum Effectiveness, Fifth Edition. "I love when we talk."

Zena immediately perked up. "You do?"

"Yeah." He glanced back, tilting his head. "Hey, your muscles did that thing again. So, you're happy? I'm really sorry I keep asking, uh, you know. I'm still learning the serpentine body. I hope I wasn't like this before I reset, too."

"Of course I'm happy, Owen," Zena said, giggling. "So, you love being with me?"

"Yeah," Owen said. "You're a nice friend. Everyone is. I love talking to all—uh, most of the folks here." Owen blinked, looking back. "Zena? Your muscles got weird again."

"Oh, I—" Zena gulped. "It must be your imagination."

"Seemed more like your muscles did the exact opposite thing."

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Zena said. "Please, let's read."

Owen stared uneasily. "Did I say something wrong?"

Zena tried to hide her wince, but Owen's worried eyes forced the words out of her. "Do you truly not remember anything?" Zena asked. "Anything at all from the last time you reset? What about after that? When you fully evolved, and remembered your first life?"

"Well, I'm sure I remember some of that," Owen said, nodding. "After I fused with Gahi for the first time, though, I think I got scrambled again. But only halfway. So, all that's kinda blurry, too." Owen shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry. At this point, I'm just taking things one moment at a time. It's hard to think back to specific times. I just have… flashes." He nodded. "I guess I can't remember you too clearly, ha…. But it's probably fine, right? We can still do stuff now!"

She tensed, wishing she had fists to clench. "Why don't we just get to reading?"

"Um—sure, Zena, but can we talk for a second?"

"No, reading is just fine. Reading with you is all I—"

"Hey, Owen?" Demitri called.

Owen turned back to see the mutant Haxorus and behemoth Meganium at the entryway. Gahi was standing behind them both, trying to lean over their hulking forms in annoyance. His slimmer body allowed him to weave between them, but not much further.

"We're going to Trina's," Demitri continued. "Want to come?"

"Trina's? The Bug Guardian? The, uh, what was she again?"

"Serperior. We want to see her," Demitri said.

"Yeah, I dunno, they're really bent on seeing her fer some reason," Gahi said. "So, y'coming?"

"Owen and I were going to be reading a book together," Zena said curtly. "Do you need him with you? Why don't you take Rhys?"

Demitri and Mispy winced slightly. "He's coming anyway," the Haxorus said.

"Insisted," the Meganium clarified.

"Then you'll be fine. Owen, would you like to read?"

Owen glanced at Zena. "I mean, yeah, I was kinda looking forward to reading," he admitted. "But Trina has a bunch of mutants, too, just like us. Maybe we can win her over if we go?"

Mispy looked at Zena curiously, but then glanced at Demitri. Gahi, who had lost interest in the conversation, wandered into the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards for no reason. He didn't even look inside any of the ones he opened.

Owen sighed, shutting the book. "I guess I should go."

"Wait," Zena said. "Could I come, too?"

"You?" Owen said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Water Guardian, Bug Guardian, but a Serperior… that's sorta tricky. I think it'd be better if we brought Mom instead. Fire Guard—oh, no, but Psychic, versus Bug…" He sighed. "Okay, let's rethink that. Valle? No, he's still kinda weak. Anam? No, he'll probably rub Trina the wrong way. She's regal, right?"

"Kinda," Demitri said. "Do you want us to go looking around and see what everyone says?"

"Are we even fighting?" Mispy pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," Demitri said. "I guess that's true."

"Well," Zena said, "if you're planning, then I suppose I'll just go for the time being." Her throat briefly closed around itself. After a pause, she found her voice again. "Excuse me." She attempted to slither past Mispy, but she was just too large. She had to instead struggle over her vines, tumbling over once she got past most of her. Mispy tried to slide out of the way, but Amia's home, despite being equipped for Owen's father's Magmortar body, was still not large enough to accommodate Mispy's bulk.

Once Zena finally escaped, she headed straight for her home, passing by the Gardevoir and Magmortar in question.

"Oh—what a party!" Amia said.

Demitri and Mispy looked back and jumped. "A-Amia? New look?"

The green Gardevoir waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry. It's temporary. I'll be back to my usual blue soon. I just need to recover a little more. I think my spirit is a bit on the weak side right now. Star told me to conserve my energy. Er, but more importantly, is Zena okay?"

Owen perked up. "What's wrong with her? I know something's wrong, but I can't figure out what."

Mispy stared at Owen. Her wide eyes and seconds of stillness suggested she needed to make sure that he was being serious. "Really?"

"Yes!" Owen said. "Look, I'm really good at body language, just not her body language. When was the last time I've been with someone without arms or legs, you know? …Mispy, what, uh, what's with the…?"

Mispy's vines twitched irritably.

Demitri spoke up, "I actually kinda thought you two had some tension or something going on. Like maybe you were arguing?"

"Arguing? No! Why would we be arguing? We were just about to read a book together, but then this stuff came up."

"She asked to come with you," Demitri said.

"Yeah, but I dunno if that would've been the best idea, y'know?"

"Why?" Mispy asked.

"Well, Serperior is Grass, and she's the Water Guardian. It doesn't really work out all that well, I think."

Amia put a hand to her mouth, but then nearly put them together over her chest as if in prayer. "Oh, Owen, honey."

Alex mumbled something to Amia and started to walk away, but Amia held him on the shoulder and shook her head. She yelped at the heat of the fire on his body, quickly waving her hand.

Alex jumped. "A-are you okay?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine, dear. I'm sorry. Goodness, I forgot what it's like to feel burned."

"Eh? What's wrong?" Gahi asked, finally finished opening every single cupboard of the home.

Demitri rubbed the back of his head. "You really don't notice it, Owen?" he asked. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Did your head get scrambled that badly?"

"I—I'm smart," Owen said. "And I'm perceptive."

Mispy brought a vine forward, prodding his chest angrily. "Body-perceptive," she said, and then ran a vine to the lethally-sized nonfiction in his hand. "Book-smart."

Owen blinked. "And combat-smart!"

"And nothing else."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Mispy snorted, but then jerked her head at Demitri. He nodded and backed out of the home. Mispy suddenly reached out with her vines, wrapping around Owen's body.

"Uh—"

She tugged Owen forward and turned around, sliding out of the home. Zena's abode was diagonal to Owen's, just across one of the cavern halls. In only thirty seconds, with Owen trying to get into a better position along the way, resigned to his fate, they stopped in front of the Milotic's little alcove. She tossed the Charizard inside and turned around, grumbling something to Demitri, who nodded. Gahi listened, too, looking just surprised enough to pay attention.

Zena was staring into her lake when Owen had arrived. It was completely dark in her home, so the light that Owen's tail introduced was enough to get her attention even before Mispy tossed him inside.

"Uff—" Owen grunted, rubbing his head. "Rude!" he shouted at Mispy. But then he turned ahead and looked at Zena. She had turned around, coiled tightly around herself. "Hey—I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" She brought one of her ribbons to her face to scratch at an itch below her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I think I said something that offended you." Owen gave a quick little bow. "Look, there's—there's something wrong with my head, you know that, right? Between being designed as a weapon, and how everything beyond a few weeks ago is a total fog, except for my very first life, and then just in general me relying too much on my Perception, I think I'm interpreting what I'm reading off of you wrong. So, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. If I offended you with something anti-Milotic, or anything."

Zena stared in silence. Her eyes were wide, but her jaw was tense.

"See," Owen said. "I don't know what that means. I just don't. I never read—or, I don't remember reading—any books about how Milotic or other Pokémon like you react on a muscular level to things. I don't know if I'm making you madder or if I'm helping. Maybe Mispy's right. I'm designed to be good at Perception and combat, and I've got the smarts from the academic side, but I guess I just—"

"Owen," Zena finally said.

"Y-yes!" Owen nodded.

"You don't know how I feel?" she said. "You can read my body, but you don't know what it's saying?"

"Pretty much," Owen said. He drooped his wings. "I know it sounds really discriminatory and stuff, but I feel like I'm looking at you in the dark. Or that I can recite something in a secret code, but I don't know what the code's actually saying."

"I see," Zena said, nodding. She took a slow breath. Her stance returned to its more dignified, steady gaze. "Then I just have to tell you. Is that it?"

"Until I get better. I—I promise, I'll get better!"

Zena nodded. "I'm sure you will, Owen."

"Oh, Mew, just kiss already!" Gahi groaned.

"Hey!" Star yelled from across the cave.

Zena tensed, as did Owen. "W-wait, you…" It was Owen's turn to tense up. "You… like me? As in—"

"Owen," the Milotic said. "When you come back from Trina's home, I would… like to have dinner with you. The two of us."

This time, Gahi was silent—as was, it seemed, the rest of the cave. It didn't last; Enet and Willow got into some sort of spat, screeching while tossing Moonblasts and Thunderbolts at one another.

Tuning it out, the Charizard found his voice. "You? Me? Me?"

"Of course you, Owen!" Zena said, halfway between exasperated and relieved. "What else would it be?!"

"But—why? Wait. That's what you've been feeling?" Owen slapped a palm to the side of his head. "I thought you figured I was a nutcase! I mean, with the whole thing with me killing Klent, and the crazy battle-mode headspace—I still get chest pains if I don't get a good fight in, I—"

"That doesn't matter," Zena said. "That's your instincts, but they aren't you. They aren't the Owen I know…" She shook her head. "That was the one that I saw in my lake. The one who talked to me, and… who cared about me. Who spent all that time you could've spent with anyone else! You…" Zena looked at him again, and then laughed, staring at the flame on his tail. "Owen! You—you lit up my life!"

The Charizard stood still. His flame—the only source of light in Zena's dark home—flickered into a bright yellow. Then, it settled back to its cooler orange.

The memories that followed were vague, but powerful. Sitting at the lake. Scrambling back and seeing her for the first time. The fear she felt. The loneliness. And then, the desperation to run away. Seeing Rhys for the first time—the one who had tried to kill her. The betrayal upon hearing Star's revelations, and her involvement with the Hunters. The reason for all that suffering.

Owen didn't know what to do with his arms. He ended up fiddling with his claws, as he always did. "I didn't think you'd think of me that way," he admitted. "I mean, look at me. I—"

"Enough, Owen. H-how do you feel about me?"

The Charizard gulped. "W-well," he said, fidgeting. "I… that, uh, I…"

Zena waited, holding her breath. "Or… or are you more interested in Gahi?"

Owen blinked. "Uh—wait, what? Where's that coming from?"

"Well," Zena looked away. "Demitri and Mispy are together. And you and Gahi… fused together, and you seemed pretty happy about it. I was just wondering if…"

"Oh, no, no, nothing like that," Owen said. "I mean—Gahi's nice, but… that's all. Can't really imagine having a romantic dinner with him without it blowing up in our faces."

"Hey, what's that supposed ter mean?"

Zena hesitantly asked, "So, if Gahi is just a friend, then by comparison, I…?"

The Charizard poked a claw from each paw together. "I always… liked talking with you, and reading stuff, and training, and all that. But, I still feel like we barely know each other."

"I feel like I know you quite well," Zena insisted.

"You don't have broken memories," Owen replied. "I… I'm sorry, Zena. I don't remember a lot of it. I don't remember a lot of… anything. And if I can't even do that…!"

Owen was starting to understand how a serpent's body reacted to despair.

"But," he amended, "I want to know you more. I want to… recover my memories. Because I know they're there. And it's… ugh." Owen rubbed his head. "I just hate that I can't remember what you're remembering right now! So… so if you can deal with that, then…"

"Then… then it's a yes?"

"To—"

"To dinner. It—it doesn't have to be anything grand, just—just so we can talk. This way, you—"

"Yes."

It was delayed, but following a second of silence, Zena let out a sound that was a mixture of a sigh and a laugh, and Owen learned what it meant for a Milotic to feel an emotion that he couldn't find the word for. "I'll hold you to it," she said with a disarmed smile. But then, Zena cleared her throat and straightened her upper body. "Well," she said. "You should get going, hm? To Trina's."

"Yeah," Owen nodded. "…Hey, wait a second." He looked Zena over. "You!"

"A-ah?"

"You'd be perfect for Trina! You're—all dignified, at least, that's how you present yourself, right?"

"Well—is that not how a Milotic should be? Graceful?"

"I mean, I guess. I prefer when you're just relaxed. But this would be great for Trina!"

Zena blushed. "Oh, I'm—wait, so you'd like me to come with you?"

"Yeah! Definitely. I should've thought about it earlier. It'll be Team Alloy, and then you, and I guess Rhys." Owen shook his head. "Aside from Mom, it'd be kinda like right before we went off to get Willow, Valle, and ADAM, huh?"

Zena giggled. "Yes. But we should be careful. From what Rhys and the others have said, Trina sounds quite… mm. I don't know the word."

"She sounds like someone you need to show respect, or she'll make you show it," Owen said. "Okay. Let's see if anybody else is interested."

They quickly gathered everyone up. Owen pressed on why Demitri and Mispy were so eager to leave, but all he got in reply was that they were curious about Ax and Ani—their doppelgangers. That got Owen curious about Har, presumably a fellow Charizard. Gahi seemed indifferent about meeting Lygo, his own counterpart, but for one reason or another, the Flygon stuck around. It wasn't every day they got to go as the full Team Alloy, after all.

"Don't say that," Demitri mumbled to Owen.

"What? Team Alloy? But it's so cool! It—"

"Nevren made it up because we're an alloy."

Owen winced, but decided to drop the subject. "Okay."

Most of the others seemed uninterested in meeting Trina. In particular, when they asked Manny if he wished to join them, he only laughed. For a while. He didn't stop. Instead, he kept practicing summoning someone that he called his 'true' strongest spirit.

When asking Azu, who had been standing nearby, who Manny's true strongest spirit was, he only replied, "Ha HA! While I am among the strongest spirits in the real world, our Guardian has other spirits he can only dream to make tangible! Doll, Elbee, and the greatest spirit, Master Yen, have yet to arrive!"

All the while, Manny kept laughing quietly to the notion of seeing Trina again. They left him alone.

It ended up being their team of seven—the Alloy, Rhys—and Elder, who insisted to accompany Rhys—and Zena. With them gathered in the center of Hot Spot, Rhys and Mispy used their Badges to warp them to Trina's abode, having set a custom waypoint there the day before. In an instant, they went from the cooling corridors of Hot Spot into the white, elaborate caverns of Trina's web-made labyrinth.

Owen needed a moment to adjust to the new environment, blinking at the dim, white web all over. He shuffled his weight, feeling the silk under his feet.

"So," Trina said, her voice deep and soothing. "You've come, right on time, as promised."

"W-wow," Owen said, marveling at the great, silken chamber. He tapped into his Perception, taking full advantage of how much he could extend his senses into the main room. He felt the thick layer of web beneath and around him. Trina, the Serperior, was behind them, by the opposite side of the wall.

What unnerved Owen was the many cocoons that lined the walls. In every single one, he felt the presence of a body, wrapped up and sealed away. Some were struggling. Others were resting peacefully. A few were awake and listening. Owen shivered. Most of them felt like they weren't normal Pokémon. Synthetics, like him? Was this their fate?

He retreated his awareness back into his body, sighing. "This place is creepy," he mumbled, turning around to address Trina with the others. "Oh."

He was so overwhelmed by the many bodies sealed in cocoons that he hadn't noticed the ones that stood beside the Bug Guardian. It was like staring into a mirror.

Har, Lygo, Ax, and Ani all stood in front of their queen, in the exact same formation as Owen, Gahi, Demitri, and Mispy.

"I thought it would only be appropriate to introduce you to one another."

Har was, scale for scale, a complete replica of him. The Grass Guardian gulped, raising a hand to wave.

Har smirked in reply, giving a noncommittal wave at Owen in return. "Hey."

He sounded exactly like Owen.

"Hey…" Owen returned the gesture with an uneasy wave. "Um… Har, right?"

"Yep." He flared his wings boastfully. "Nice to meet you, Prototype."