Chapter 62 – An Unwelcome Visit

Within his temple at the far end of the spirit realm, Arceus stood in the middle of his pristine chamber. He watched the world silently, tuning in to the areas that he could, though as of late, that wasn't much. With most of the Mystics rejecting him, he could only hope to watch from a distance, powerful distortions preventing him from looking too close at anywhere actually important. Quartz HQ, distorted. Kilo Village, distorted, so long as a Mystic as defiant as Step remained nearby. And of course, Hot Spot itself, a place so infested with powerful spirits that the very interface Arceus used to watch Kilo could not even get near before the display warped.

With an ethereal growl, Arceus tuned it toward Brandon. He was lying on the beach of the factory, scratching his thigh.

Brandon opened his eyes, staring at the clouds. Ya need something?

No, I was performing a routine inspection of the world.

Cool.

Arceus tuned next to Ghrelle. The Poisonous Altaria was entertaining Ano. The amorphous Gastrodon blob tackled her, giggling, even though he missed. The Altaria weaved to the side with grace, countering with her own dive. She pushed his purple body against a tree. They were face to face, her beak nearly touching his lips.

Ahem.

Ghrelle immediately bounced away from Ano, straightening her poison-soaked plumage. Arceus, Your Grace.

I assume things are going well.

Yes. I have nothing to report. No mutants have tried to approach my area.

Thank you. Goodbye.

With an irritated blush, Arceus readjusted the overseeing display to Zero Isle. Suddenly, it blacked out completely.

Come back later. I'm busy.

Arceus' left eye twitched. What exactly are you doing, Aramé?

Personal time with Ire. Kindly leave me alone, Your Grace.

It wasn't as if Arceus had a choice. The display was forced toward the empty crater that had once been the Chasm of the Void.

He supposed after such a long time interacting with them, it was only natural for a sort of disrespectful familiarity to form. At least Ghrelle still knew to act properly when he was present.

A disturbance rippled across the hall, earning an irritated eyeroll from the deity.

"Barks!" Star appeared seconds later, slamming into the side of his chest. Her size and weight barely disturbed his fur. "Bad news!"

"About the Silvally? I'm aware of the mess you ultimately caused."

"Okay, can you not with that for a second?" Star clambered onto his back, kicked off, and rose to eye-level with him. "What, did Hecto already tell you about it?"

"He did. Apparently, Eon created some kind of soul eater. I am looking into ways of taking care of that problem."

"Yeah, well, there's another problem, too, if you haven't noticed." Star tilted her body, revealing an odd blemish on her shoulder.

Arceus squinted, taking a closer look. Dark clouds radiated from her fur in the localized area, though it was fading. "What is this?"

"I was hoping you'd know. I dispelled the rest of it, but this hurts like I got socked in the shoulder by Manny's Bullet Punch." Star slapped the dark aura with a small flash of light in her paw, dispelling it completely. She sighed in relief.

"That resembles the wraiths that Rhys and the others spoke of in the past." Arceus hummed in thought, finally giving up on the display to turn his full attention to Star. The wraiths had been a problem before, but thanks to Madeline's—and later Anam's—blessings, they had been eradicated. A mysterious blemish of their creation, needing to be fixed from the inside. "Are they appearing again?"

"Hecto's telling me a new one appeared in Hot Spot for some reason."

"A new one? A Dungeon?"

"Yeah."

Arceus growled. "Why…"

"Like, again, I was kinda hoping you'd know."

Arceus shook his head. "Then you encountered a wraith of some kind in Hot Spot's Dungeon? Who summoned you?"

"No, I was trying to check on Anam, but I couldn't get in again. I don't know what his deal is; maybe his spirits are in a mood again. But on my way back, I was going through my forest, and that's when I ran into them!"

This got his attention. "Wraiths in the spirit realm?!"

Star gestured for Arceus to follow and disappeared in a flash. Arceus was about to leave, but then realized that he'd be in her realm if he left. With a low growl, he kept his guard up, disappearing next.

The white, marble halls flickered into open air above a forest of dimly glowing, blue leaves. Arceus scanned for any strange presences, but nothing came. He could only sense the Mew just below him.

"Wait, but…" Star blinked, floating forward again. She flew around Arceus, looking in all directions. To look past the mountain behind them, she flew high into the clouds.

"What game are you playing, Star?" Arceus warned, his gold tendrils sprouting from his back.

"Nothing, nothing, I swear!" Star said frantically, waving her tiny arms. "Barky, you gotta believe me on this one, there were wraiths everywhere! It was crazy!"

"And yet there are none now, and I sense not even the slightest presence of one."

"Since when could we even sense them all that well?" Star said. "Can you at least come looking with me? I need to find Owen and the others."

"Then go. It isn't as if you have to find him." He flicked a hoof dismissively forward. "Just fly and you'll wind up in the Grass Realm. I have more important things to do."

Star flicked her tail. "Oh, come on! Where's the chivalry, huh? You gotta walk a cute lady down the dark forest and to her destination!" Star put a finger to her lower lip, curling her tail around her body. "Pleeease?"

"If you want chivalry, seek Hecto." Arceus turned his head upward with a grunt. "I'm leaving for—"

A black beam fired from below, striking Arceus in the chest. It completely annihilated the trees below them and cut a purplish-black hole into the blue sky.

Star screamed with him, the great deity falling into the forest below. "Barky!"

He grunted, catching himself in the air. "Star, run!" he shouted. "I'll take care of this!"

"But—"

Star looked down. Another beam narrowly missed her had it not been for a dive to the right.

"Leave!" Barky shouted. "Warn the others! If they can get here, then they can infest their Cores as well!"

Star shook her head, the wraiths oozing out from the tree trunks below. As the glowing forest turned dark, Star flew away, weaving through two shadowy blasts. "Owen, Owen, Owen, Owen," she chanted to herself, as if this would somehow bring her to him faster.

Valle rumbled with alarm, disrupting the end of the Guardians' impromptu gathering. "A powerful presence has just entered Hot Spot's entrance. I recognize it as Eon."

It only took that single announcement to throw the peaceful picnic into a brief and total chaos, followed by rapid mobilization of all the Mystics present. Owen fumbled through his bag for his Badge, but then realized that he had already used it to warp away from Hot Spot Dungeon. "Uh—Demitri! Get your Badge ready!"

"B-but we don't have enough of a charge to get everyone out!"

Owen winced. That was also true. Why did they have to have so many people together?!

"Baah, ferget this run-away plan!" Manny stomped on the ground, bulking his body out into his Fighting form. "Let's go!" He summoned three spirits, Azu, Roh, and Verd. Then, he attempted to summon a fourth; it was a swirl of green and white colors, not quite forming into anything at first, before it became the semi-solid, huge figure of a Drampa, several feet taller than Manny and even larger lengthwise. He was transparent, but it would be solid enough to assist.

"Hah! I actually did it!" Manny pointed at Drampa. "How's it feel ter be in the real world again, Yen?"

Drampa gave a little smile in reply, though he knew time was short. "Well, I've been in your fur for a while, you know."

Willow crackled with pink electricity, landing on top of Manny's head. "He won't get past us! Just you wait! I'm gonna destroy him just like that. I'll shrink him down and squeeze him between two pebbles!"

The crowd rushed for Hot Spot's entrance, readying themselves for an onslaught. The Shiftry statue floated behind them. "He is alone."

"He didn't even bring a mutant or two to back him up?" Yen asked as the others glanced at one another confusedly. "Regardless of how strong he is, you'd think that he would have some help."

"Don't ferget, he's a Guardian. Fer all we know, he's got mutants in him." Manny looked at his own trio.

The Feraligatr shouted bombastically, "Mutant spirit against mutant spirit! The poetry speaks for itself!"

"Quiet!" Mispy shouted, but her voice, despite her size, was too soft to go over the others readying themselves.

Owen, near her with Zena, shouted for the Meganium. "Everyone, quiet!"

It had a marginally stronger effect, Azu and the other two quieting down, while Yen and Manny stood beside one another, watching the entryway closely.

"Geh…" Gahi rubbed at his arms. "Is this what bein' Mystic is like? I think I feel his aura, and it's messin' with my scales. Feels all…"

"You're just more sensitive to flares," Owen explained hastily. But what puzzled Owen most of all, based on his Perceive, was that Eon was currently in the form of a Charizard. And as a Charizard, it was easier than ever to deduce his mood and his intentions. It was nothing like one that was ready for battle—not a physical kind, at least. He also had a blindfold on. More importantly, it seemed like there was something tucked away beneath the blindfold, held between his eyes, resting on the top of his snout.

Owen weaved his way around Mispy, past Manny and Yen, and finally between Azu and Roh. Both muscle heads grabbed Owen by either shoulder.

Azu let go and posed, flexing his muscles. "Be careful, young Owen. Eon is a very dangerous foe!"

Roh mirrored the pose. "We shall defend you!"

"…I'm older than you."

They grasped Owen again, as if channeling positive vibes into his soul.

"Owen." Zena slid her body through the same path the Charizard took with ease. "What are you doing?"

Willow hopped from Manny's head to Mispy's back, and then onto Zena's, skittering along the scaly path until she was between her eyebrows. "Do you think Eon's gonna fight if you're in front?"

"No." Owen shrugged Azu's scaly hand off. He then tried to get Roh to let go next, but he was much more persistent.

The Infernape shook his head. "Don't let his mind games fool you, young—er, ancient Owen."

Owen glared, though it was mostly due to the new title. He brought a hand onto Roh's, pulling it away. "I can Perceive his body language. He's a Charizard, and he's still walking down. He doesn't want to fight. So, everyone, just calm down." He watched all the others' incredulous looks. His tail dimmed with doubt, but flared again with defiance, turning to face the entrance.

Eon's tail flame barely registered against the walls. By the time the flickering orange ember lit up the caves, they saw his toes up the incline. Then came the rest of him, an uncanny replica of Owen's form.

"First Har, now Eon." Yen chuckled darkly, adjusting his furry legs into a more agile battle stance, ready to leap in any direction. Though, without Owen sensing it, that was hard to tell; his legs were hidden under thick, soft, furry armor. "You must be very popular, Owen."

"Not funny." Owen beat his wings once to shake away his frustrations. He stared at his second doppelganger of the day, tail blazing with anxiety.

Mispy, who had been right behind Owen, realized that part of her vines was on fire. Lazily, she tried to snuff the flames out with more of her vines. It wasn't working. "Um. Zena?"

Zena blinked in surprise. "M-Mispy!" She aimed a small stream of water over the flame, putting it out.

"Sorry," Owen mumbled, swinging his tail forward to keep it away from the others. He could feel Mispy's concerned gaze. His flame wouldn't be that hot unless he was ready for a battle, or anxious, or… any number of things, and he wished his tail wasn't so expressive.

Eon's voice suddenly echoed across the hall. "Owen."

Owen snapped back to attention. His fire flashed in front of him, illuminating the other Charizard's face, so far away. "Yeah, what?" Owen said. "Why're you here? Don't think you can just—"

"I give up."

It took a few seconds for Eon's words to fully register across the group. A wave of befuddlement followed. Even Valle had flinched in some small way, his left arm moving one or two degrees upward.

"Yeh what?" Manny repeated.

"Okay, so—I don't give up give up, but—I just—I, that's, I…" Eon rubbed the back of his head. "Hang on, give me a second. I lost my words."

Owen glared, crossing his arms. "What do you mean, then? You give up? Give up what? Being a Hunter?"

Eon brought his arms forward, wiggling them together and apart. "M-maybe? Yes? No? I—I don't know. I just—I wanted to come here to talk. That's mostly why I came here."

Amia held her hand up, blue embers threatening to burn Eon where he stood, even with his Fiery form. "Give us one reason why we should believe you."

"Well, I, er…" Eon fiddled with his claws nervously, looking away. Amia's fire intensified, and Owen knew exactly why. That little tic that Eon was doing, messing with his claws—it was the same thing that Owen did.

"Mom, it's fine." Owen gestured with his left wing for her to stand down. He looked at Eon again. "Look, you can't be here. This is our home, alright? And… you know that coming here would've been a bad idea. If you really feel that you don't want to fight, then… just go back home. And leave the Guardians alone."

Eon winced. "I just wanted to try to smooth things over."

That earned an immediate, sharp, and scalding laugh from Zena. "Do you honestly think that's going to work?!" She slammed her tail against the rocks, making Demitri, near her, flinch back a few steps. "Smooth things over! After all the grief that you specifically caused for lifetimes!" Despite her words, she was still keeping behind Owen and Amia. "I don't care how strong you are. If you try to make peace with us, I'll kill you with an ocean's worth of water."

Eon lowered his head, but his tail kept blazing. Each word made the embers dance a little higher. "I know," he hissed. "But this obviously isn't working anymore. I just—I wanted to try to make things right."

"Oh, make things right? That's a wonderful idea!" Zena breathed in, steadying her tone. "Now, tell me this, Hunter. Why didn't you think about that in the first place? Perhaps when you drove Owen insane? Hm? Or was that not enough? Oh, it certainly wasn't enough. You made an entire army of his kind. Don't think we've forgotten about that. We have some of your army right here." She gestured to Azu, Roh, and Verd, all three of whom stared at Eon with vague recollection.

All the while, Owen stood, silent, but pensive. He saw Eon's pleading and desperate glances toward him, but Owen just shook his head. "Well?" the synthetic Pokémon asked.

Eon flinched, mouth open, yet no words came. His fire was dimmer than ever.

"You've spent centuries building everything up to something," Owen said. "You want all the Orbs so you can usurp Star and Barky, right? So that's what this was all for. Killing the Guardians because you thought it would free them from their duty."

"Isn't—isn't that exactly it?!" Eon protested, holding his hands out. "The Guardians were killed the moment they touched the Orb. Their lives were over. The best I can do is give them peace!" Eon put both hands to his head, nearly digging his claws into his skull. "Don't you get it? Star and Barky are just using you."

"We aren't even aligned with Barky," Owen said.

"Okay, fine, so Star is just using you," Eon said. "You've obviously noticed it, haven't you? Where is she right now?"

"She's—" Owen paused. "Where is she?"

"We never really know, do we?" Eon mused bitterly. "She's playing it safe by letting you think you're doing what you want, but do you honestly think she's just going to let you guys all live happily once everyone's together? That's the biggest threat to her, you know. Gathering the Orbs will be enough power to usurp her completely."

"Well, we aren't gathering them. We're just grouping everyone together." Owen crossed his arms. "Most of us can't anyway. They all made Promises not to gather more than one Orb into the same person."

"Except for you."

"Yeah, but—" Owen squinted, tail trying to wrestle its way out of his own grasp. "I'm not going to do that. Everyone here is my friend. How could I—"

"Where's Rhys? Nevren?"

"They left for Hot Spot Dungeon."

"Hot Spot Dungeon?" Eon repeated. "What do you mean, Dungeon?"

Owen just raised his arms in an exasperated shrug, then settled back down. "Why do you need to see them? What's this got to do with anything?"

Eon rubbed his snout, "It's pretty obvious to me that Star might be trying to get everyone together so she can then control you to gather them up, simple as that. Because, Owen—you can be controlled."

Owen's pupils widened to focus on every movement Eon made. "And how do you know?"

"You know how."

Owen stared in angry silence, the embers of his tail enveloping his chin. Zena slithered a bit closer, careful to avoid his tail, and placed a ribbon on his shoulder. It almost startled Owen, but then he remembered to breathe. He closed his eyes, calming the flame. "Because I'm a mutant," he said. "I was built to be controlled."

The other Charizard nodded, a solemn, apologetic expression taking over. "It's not easy to control someone for very long, especially if they're Mystic like you. But you have a… predisposition to it. Even… even if you eventually regain control, she could just be waiting until you can get everyone at once. Then you won't have time."

Zena coiled protectively around Owen, who was still standing still, listening to every word. She positioned herself so her front was between the two. "And you expect us to believe you?" Zena asked. "Of course you would know about that—because you created him. You designed him. Owen." Zena turned, grasping the sides of his head, though Owen was still staring through her. "Owen," she said more intensely, shaking his shoulders.

"H-huh?" Owen blinked, rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, I was… distracted. What Zena said." Owen addressed Eon, though he didn't even bother moving his head to see past the Milotic. He didn't need to.

"What are you saying?" Eon pressed. "That I would try to control Owen myself? Why would I do that?"

"Because you can," Zena said. "Isn't that true?"

The tension that Owen sensed from Eon was answer enough. Owen's flame flashed blue. "If you're trying to take me away, you can leave now." Owen snarled, though Zena flinched. She was still in his line of sight. "Oh—sorry, Zena." Owen leaned to look at Eon with his eyes rather than his horns. "Well?"

Another tense silence followed. Owen could feel everybody behind him ready to strike at any sudden move that Eon made, and Owen was positive that Eon was keenly aware of it. On the other hand, they were in the middle of Hot Spot's entrance. The narrow passageway didn't make for a convenient spot to attack a single target, and it only gave Eon an advantage should he lash out.

But then, far behind Eon, near the entrance boulder, voices echoed.

". . . didn't even finish that piece Star commissioned." Jerry growled. "The Smeargle didn't even tell me what it's gonna be. Now I just gotta wait. Hrgh."

Step's voice came next. "His building was partly destroyed by the battle with Rim. A delay is understandable."

ADAM next. "Tomorrow we can try again."

"What do you mean, we? I'm gonna go on my own, not with any of you lunatics."

Enet growled confusedly. "What's lunatic?"

ADAM buzzed louder. "The powerful aura has stopped moving. Get ready."

Eon tensed, bringing a hand to his blindfold. After a steady breath, he said to Owen in a hushed tone, "Perhaps we should find a less awkward place to talk."

"I think right here is just fine," Owen replied coldly, knowing that now, Eon would be surrounded.

"I'm not here to fight," Eon said. "I just want to talk."

"You talked," Owen said.

"Owen… your Perceive must be telling you how I feel. Can't you just listen?"

Owen's flame dimmed.

"Owen, no," Amia immediately spoke up. "Don't let him get to you. Remember—he's Eon. He knows about your Perceive. And he can transform into whatever he wants. What if he's just tricking you? Don't fall for his games."

Eon's fire sizzled. "Do you really think I'd toy with my son like that?!"

Amia narrowed her eyes, squeezing past Mispy, then Zena, and finally, past Owen. The Charizard grabbed her by the shoulder, but she flashed a glare at him. Owen squeezed harder, returning the same glare. Amia's hair burst into blue fire, but Owen still didn't let go. He pulled back, keeping her by his side. Alex remained just behind them, though his glare toward Eon was just as intense.

Amia finally turned toward Eon who, despite the blindfold, had shifted to the shape of a blue Gardevoir. By now, Jerry and the others had turned up on the opposite side, watching in stunned silence. Amia's hair was partly aflame, too bright to stare at. "He's not your son."

For a split-second, Owen thought Eon was about to obliterate Amia right there. His heart stopped, blindly taking a step forward, but Eon just turned his head away, spitting a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

"Who is that?" Step murmured to Jerry.

"That's Eon, alright," Jerry whispered. "Leader of the Hunters. Hey—no. Look. Don't mess with him. You're still weak from your fight with Rim."

Step had tensed for battle, but then relented, settling for a defensive stance. Enet's fur bristled, crackling with electricity. ADAM buzzed, arms twitching.

"What're you gonna do, Dad?" Owen said in a hiss. "You can't… trick me anymore. I'm not gonna fall for it—not when I know everything that you did."

"Why are we all standing here?" Step shouted. "Attack him and we can end this!"

"Owen…" Zena curled her body around him, squeezing.

He shook his head, realizing that Zena was trying to keep him grounded. He flashed a small smile at her, but his Perceive wasn't doing him any favors to calm down. He could sense every minute movement of those around him. The tension—even ADAM, as foreign as his body was, seemed more jittery than usual. Mispy's vines writhed. Demitri was ready to throw his axes at any sudden move. Gahi was already shifting his weight from foot to foot. Alex's body was shifting, threatening to become a Hydreigon again if only for more power and intimidation. How effective that would be against Eon was a mystery.

But he knew that if Owen so much as launched an attack, or even called for them to strike, they would listen.

He took in a slow breath through his mouth, closed it, and breathed out hot air through his nostrils. Slow breaths. Meditate. Calm. During the tense silence, Eon transitioned back to a Charizard.

Upon seeing Owen do it, the rest of Team Alloy did the same, mirroring his breathing. It didn't help much for Mispy, but Demitri and Gahi were noticeably calmer.

Owen gently pushed against Zena's coils, giving her an assuring nod. He stepped over and held out a hand to Eon.

Amia stepped forward. "Owen—"

Owen held a hand toward her, shaking his head. He turned his attention back to Eon. "After everything you've done, there's no way that we can just forgive you. Pretty obvious, don't you think? Make sense?"

Based on Eon's brief incredulousness, it didn't.

"And," Owen continued, voice a bit lower, "I doubt any of us are going to trust you to not do anything with all that power. We have you surrounded right now, and it's not like Emily's cave, either. We aren't afraid of you." Owen could only hope that Eon wasn't as good with his Perceive to detect that some of the group were downright terrified.

Eon growled, looking away despite his blindfold. "I'm pretty sure I can still take you all on."

Step slammed her tail loudly against the wall next to her. "Is that a challenge?!"

Jerry jumped, nearly beating his wings with fright. "C-calm down already."

Manny grunted, motioning to Eon. "Jeez, ain't you something. Surrounded and all boastin' about takin' us all on…"

Owen's flame slowly went from orange to an irritated yellow. He refocused on Eon. "So, if you think you really mean it, then first, tell me exactly what you want."

"I want…"

Eon gulped, looking down. And for a while, that was all he did. Both Charizard's flames dimmed to a neutral orange, but then Eon's dimmed further, down to a dying ember. Owen took the pause as an opportunity to glance at the others, motioning for them to stand down. There was no need to fight right now.

Reluctantly, about half of the crowd stood down, but a few of them refused, particularly Amia and Step, who redoubled their tension.

Finally, Eon spoke again. "I just want you to come home."

Owen was ready to pause at that, but Amia didn't give him the time. "Are you really trying this again?! Leave!" Amia's right hand flashed with blue fire, but Eon didn't even flinch. Alex stood by Amia, ready to blast him with the might that Amia couldn't yet muster.

Owen raised his voice. "You may be the strongest Hunter, and you know what, you might have two Orbs in you… but against all of us? When Rhys and Nevren and Anam come back, too, you… you need to just leave, Eon. We aren't going to listen."

"Leave?" Step slammed her tail on the wall again. "I don't think so. He is the reason that we all suffer, is he not?! The reason that our lives were ended the moment we became Guardians?" She aimed both hands at him, frosty air concentrating in her hard palms.

Eon held his arms up. "N-no, I'm—look. I'm sorry, okay? I think, maybe, I went about this the wrong way. Owen—you believe me, don't you? About Star?"

Owen hesitated, his expressive flame saying everything he couldn't.

Step slammed her tail one final time. "Stop trying to get in the naïve one's head! Your silver tongue means nothing here. If you're sorry, then you will pay with your life!"

At that final word, Step fired a beam of ice toward Eon. He suddenly turned, bringing his wings forward to block the blast with a shield of golden light. Owen flinched, stepping back at Step's intense blast. Jerry, meanwhile, beat his wings and flew further out of the cave, yelling something about wanting nothing to do with the fight.

Step cut off her Ice Beam, snarling at Eon when the shield of light faded. ADAM buzzed next, firing a triple-volley of fire, ice, and thunder spheres toward the Hunter; Step used her other hand and fired another Ice Beam.

Owen sensed a new energy behind him. "Mispy!"

Mispy shoved Owen aside with several vines, done with talking. "Too late!"

The Meganium aimed her Solar Beam past Owen and toward Eon next; Zena opened her mouth and sent a furious, concentrated blast of water; even Willow had a Moonblast prepared, its lunar energy propelled forward through Zena's Hydro Pump. Amia and Alex, combined, produced three spires of flame, spiraling past Owen.

For a split-second, Owen felt Eon tense. As if this time, he didn't have a means to defend against the attack. Just Amia was one thing, everyone else so petrified and hesitant in the cramped quarters that had been the back of Emily's cave. But now, in Hot Spot—despite its narrow hallway—they had Eon completely surrounded. He had no escape. What if they did it? Could it all be over if—

"Owen."

Eon's hand was on his shoulder.

It took a few seconds for it to register, but Eon, once in the middle of a converging blast from all sides, was now right in front of him. His blindfold was off, too. In his hand was the pink scarf; wrapped up in it—that strange object he had sensed on the top of his snout—was a little blue gem.

"G-get away from—"

Eon tugged Owen forward, not letting go. "Just breathe—calm down. Okay?"

"What do you mean, breathe?! You—"

How were they talking? Wasn't Eon just in the middle of getting blasted? Where did all the noise go? His Perceive was giving him the strangest reading. Everything… stopped.

Zena was staring furiously at the empty air where Eon had been. Her Hydro Pump was mere seconds away from striking where Eon had been, yet the water was frozen there like a perfectly clear ice sculpture. Amia and Alex's spiral flames, blue intertwined with orange, remained frozen in place, the very tip turning Zena's water to frozen steam. Every ember, every little particle, captured in time. Willow's Moonblast looked particularly surreal, the once flickering ball of light now a blurry sphere of white.

In the chaos, Owen hadn't realized until just then that Enet was crouched just in front of Owen, ready to pounce at Eon's legs. He'd never seen such a ferocious look in her, teeth bared, eyes showing her feral nature in full. Up above, Roh, Azu, and Verd had vaulted off of Yen's massive form, like they planned to strike Eon after the initial blasts had worn off.

But they were all still. Stuck in midair, gravity having no effect. Angry expressions that never changed. Attacks that never connected.

Rendered speechless, Owen could only stare with his arms, wings, and jaw slacked.

"A long time ago," Eon said softly, "I was given a small blessing by Dialga, a Divine Dragon in his own right."

"D-Dialga…?"

Eon nodded. "The Timekeeper, whose spirit was given special privileges over the flow of one moment to the next. I was entrusted with a small amount of that power before he perished." Eon looked down. "I don't remember how it happened. I just remember that he and I were great friends. And… if I was ever in trouble, he wanted me to be able to have time to think. Time to escape." Eon looked at the frozen figures around them.

"But… but this shouldn't be possible!" Owen babbled. "If time stopped—how can we see? How can I breathe right now? I—I remember reading about stuff like this—there's no way that—"

Eon chuckled, holding up the small, blue gem again. "Dialga's Adamant Fragment helps alleviate that. When you are at their level, reality can bend as you want. The light you see, the power you feel—it's all simulated. It's like a little, temporary Dungeon, controlled by me, warping the rules of the universe in the way that I want. For a little while from our perspectives… I can make time flow as quickly or as slowly as I want."

Owen stared at Zena—those angry eyes… then, back at Eon. "Why do you want me to come home so badly?" he said. "What's this all for? I… I may be your son… in a way… but this is still too far, just for me. So just tell me the truth. Why do you want me to come with you?"

Eon stared for a while longer, the flame on the tip of his tail dimming significantly. He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "You really grew up," he said quietly. "If you were younger, you would've just listened."

"Times change."

"They do." Eon puffed out a small plume of fire. "I want to save you from Star. That's the truth. I want to keep her from controlling you to kill the others when the time comes. If you're with me… the chance of that happening is as small as it can get. I… I get it. I know you don't… see me as your father any longer. M-maybe it can work out. For all of us. For your… for them." He motioned to Amia and Alex. "But right now, with Star, it isn't safe. Please, you… your Perceive can tell everything, right? I'm your form, now. I'm not lying."

That much was true; as far as Owen could tell, Eon's body language showed no signs of deception. It had never failed him before, not with such a familiar form. If anything, it felt like Eon wanted to say even more, but couldn't. Perhaps it was the Divine Decree… Yet another part of Star's manipulation.

But… that still wasn't enough. He couldn't rely on his instincts entirely, especially after all the trouble Eon had caused before.

"I need proof," Owen said.

Eon's body deflated with what Owen could only guess—with great confusion—was relief. "If I can prove it to you," he said, "then will you come with me?"

Owen nibbled at his tongue uncertainly. He couldn't answer that. "What's the proof?"

The gem in Eon's hand slowly dimmed. The deafening silence ate away at Owen's head, throbbing against his skull. Eon held his free hand forward. It started to glow with a golden light.

"I Promise that so long as you are in Quartz HQ… I will not be a Hunter." Eon gave Owen a pleading smile. "Do you accept?"