Chapter 68 - Quiet

"Big Brother? What happened to Mom?"

Klent wasn't really sure how he wound up in this situation. In some twisted sense of irony, he was the Grass Guardian again, at least temporarily. And not only that, he was taking the form of the very person who had killed him.

He had to admit—he was envious of actually having fingers and claws. But being in such a heavy body was new—not to mention the splitting headache he had, or how strange everything felt. His body was tougher; tough, yet leafy feathers covered every part of his body. Running his foreign claws over his face, he felt that with Star's divine energy fading rapidly, his head was returning to normal. He had eyes again, and proper flesh and blood, and the vines that had once made up his warped form slowly transitioned into something at least vaguely resembling a Charizard's natural insides.

It felt like his entire head had been squished and pressed many times over, and all the other parts of him that had been damaged in the fight—from his arms to his gut—felt like they had been crushed under a thousand Emilys.

Klent only realized a bit later that the reason he was conscious at all was because of the healing waves of a mutant Meganium, in addition to other healer mutants.

"You're… you're Big Brother, right?"

Klent figured that, for now, it would be best to tell a little white lie. "I am," he said. "I'm… sorry, though. I need to rest." Oh, how did Owen talk? He was polite, but informal. He was from a different time. He had no idea how to emulate it. Hopefully the kids wouldn't catch on. "I don't feel like myself. Sorry if I sound strange… I think my body is trying to… go back to normal."

"You do sound funny," Meganium said, frowning. "Are you sure the scary god is gone?"

"She's gone," Klent assured her, raising a claw. "I made sure of that. Star can't fight me in my domain… She just caught me, and all my spirits, by surprise. We didn't think she'd ever do something like that… but now we know better."

The Charizard finally found the energy to sit up. Rim was lying on the ground with countless mutants many times her size huddled around her unresponsive form. Her eyes were half-open, yet empty and unfocused. Her mouth was similarly neutral.

Klent approached and ran the back of his claw along Rim's chin, earning barely a response. "Do you know what happened?" he asked. "Right before she became… like this?"

Klent felt the presence of someone behind him. Owen's Perception was such a strange thing to comprehend. He had flashes of it when he was part of Owen's consciousness, but to experience it firsthand…

The sensations were almost overwhelming, but he could at least discern that it was someone large. Looking back, he confirmed that it was another Charizard—Eon. Klent instantly tensed, but then remembered—yes, Eon couldn't possibly hurt him. Not without risking his Orbs next.

He seemed a bit preoccupied anyway.

"Rim…!" Eon ran past everyone—who instantly parted ways—and scooped the Espurr in his arms. But the gesture couldn't last; his body shifted and shrank until he was just another Espurr, barely able to hold her with his new, tiny arms. "Rim, what—"

"The scary ghost controlling Owen…" One of the mutants sniffled. "These big… scary… white tentacle things… they stabbed Mom, and…!"

"The Hands…?" Eon stared at Rim, wide-eyed. "Rim. Rim, answer me. Rim?"

No response. Her eyes stared at Eon—she focused on him, but she said nothing. But it was a sign that something of her remained.

Eon's huge eyes welled up with tears; he pulled her close, wrapping around her limp body. "Please… Rim, what…"

"What happened to her?" Lavender said, squeezing past a few of them, though he didn't dare move closer. He winced, looking like he was about to retch. Several mutants huddled around him, urging him to change into something other than a Silvally. He nodded; his eyes glowed and the bolts in his cheeks spun rapidly. He shifted to his other preferred, Scolipede form. He collapsed soon after, but he shrugged off any assistance, giving a little smile. Still, Lavender said nothing afterward, focused on his breathing.

Lavender wasn't the only one having similar issues; some mutants, too stressed to cope, were being shuffled out by the more sane ones, like it was some sort of procedure. Murmurings of 'Get his Poké Ball' and 'Put her to sleep' filled the rapidly thinning crowd. As much as they wanted to see Rim, they couldn't do anything if their minds were slipping.

A loud, deep whine shook the walls. Eon recognized that one. Lucas was on the ground, pressing his paws over his eyes, but flames gushed from his mouth and claws. Any attempts to touch him made the Mega Houndoom lurch and snap, and then immediately recoil into a frightened, curled up position.

"He's going berserk, Dad!"

Eon finally found enough sense in him to bring a tiny paw forward. A ball of rainbow light formed on his paw pad, shot into Lucas' chest. His entire body glowed white; when it dissipated, a normal Houndoom remained, collapsed and unconscious. A few mutants got closer, deflating when his breathing steadied.

Eon, after making sure he was okay, looked back at Rim, whose only reaction had been a weak, empty glance to the sound of Lucas whining.

"A pink orb fell on the ground," another mutant reported. "But then Gahi stole it. He ran away."

"Star… tore the Psychic Orb out of her. She ripped her spirit apart…" Eon pulled Rim away, looking at her vacant eyes again. She finally blinked. Eon held her a bit tighter. "She didn't take all of her power. I still feel… a little bit of Mystic power in her—maybe the one Hand she has as a Hunter. She's… she can… I can help her. I have to. There… there has to be a way. I…" His eyes grew more and more desperate the longer some imaginary idea, some awaited miracle, eluded him.

Klent, watching from the side, had intended to say a million things to Eon for what he'd done to Owen. All of the sins he'd committed for hunting down Guardians, playing Creator by designing the mutants, all of these strange experiments that he'd been running. The terror that he had put them through. The trauma he'd caused Amelia. The horrors that bubbled into the surface, killing innocents of Kilo every time a mutant went berserk.

Yet now, seeing Eon desperately holding onto Rim's faded husk… He couldn't find those words anymore.

"It's not the first time someone's been shattered," Klent said gently. While he could tell that his own eyes were cold, what he said at least had some truth. "Team Alloy had been shattered by Hands in the same way, right? And Owen—er, I had been threatened by Arceus by the same thing. There must be a way to reverse it… even if the only cure is time."

Slowly, Klent's words calmed the trembling Espurr.

"…What about Tox and Soli?" another one squeaked.

"What?" Klent asked.

"Tox and Soli… th-the scary god… she said she… stopped their reincarnation… d-does… does that mean…?" Her voice cracked. "What happened to them?! You can't… you can't d-destroy a…"

Klent's heart sank, but then said, "N-no, that's… Star wouldn't…"

But then he felt something in his core. He looked down, touching his chest. Two spirits, desperate to come out.

Before Eon could ask, Klent made a gentle motion with his claws. Two little embers emerged, expanding and solidifying into a familiar, yet confused, Seviper and Tyranitar.

After a second of disbelieving shock, the mutants erupted in subdued shouts, crowding around the pair to see if it was really them. Mutants near the back wept with relief, while more boisterous ones tried to pinch or squeeze them to make sure they were real. The dazed spirits tried to shake them off, since they seemed just as confused.

The Tyranitar spoke up first. "I thought… we died," he said. "She stabbed us and… and then everything went dark. I thought we'd go into one of the spirit chambers, but… but then there were all these voices…"

"That was the Grass Core," Klent said. "Were they okay to you?"

"They were telling me to… just stay put. That Owen would make things right." Tyranitar looked around. "I guess he did, huh?"

"I… I certainly hope he at least made things better," Klent admitted. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, Soli."

Tyranitar gave him a confused look. "I'm Tox."

"I—I'm sorry?" Klent said.

"I'm Soli," Seviper said, raising his tail.

"But… Tox means…"

"We traded names when we were really young. We thought it'd be cooler that way!"

Klent looked between the two mutants—who were back to grinning dumbly, as if they had never been killed. Choose your battles, Klent, the former Guardian thought to himself. "Well—regardless, I… I don't know if there's a way for me to reverse this. Star certainly stopped you two from being Reincarnated. She severed your ties to whatever machine Eon has and linked your spirits to Owen instead."

"I don't know if it's something I can do right now, either," Eon admitted, finally letting Rim go. "They'd have to cross Aether Forest and into any of my realms."

"That might not be a good idea," Klent said. "Apparently wraiths are showing up there."

Eon jolted, glancing at Klent. "What do you…?"

"I—it's okay!" Tox said, raising his arms. "M-maybe Owen can take care of us for a while! Right?"

Eon winced, but it seemed that he knew it was the best option. He turned his attention back to the vegetative Espurr. "I… I need to take care of Rim right now. Whoever you are, just… take care of Owen for me." He looked down. "I assume he doesn't want to be with me right now."

That… was true. But Klent wasn't sure if it was Owen's natural kindness or how pitiful Eon looked that made him instead say, "I'm sure he'll want to visit again later."

Eon laughed sadly, glancing at a nearby Rapidash with an extra set of arms that resembled a Scyther's. He hesitated at first, but then looked to the Breloom with a Parasect's' mushroom cap next to her. He handed Rim to Breloom, then turned around to Klent.

"Just tell him that… that I'm sorry."

"He hears you," Klent said. "He's waiting for me to… get further away. He needs to think for himself right now. I think you understand."

Eon, a Charizard again, drooped his wings and nodded. "Just make sure he's careful. You're… you're his guardian just as much as he's yours. I—I need to start repairing the damage here." He looked at all of the mutants, then at Rim, and it was only then that Klent realized that Eon was the last of the Hunters in Quartz HQ. Rim, if she could be considered present, wouldn't be of much use for the cause. Everybody else left him.

"Take care of yourself, Eon," Klent said without quite registering his own statement. "If you can promise not to control Owen again, perhaps he'll be willing to visit."

"I never wanted to—" Eon started, but something stopped him from finishing. His wide eyes, protesting, contrasted the dim flame of his tail. Looking even smaller than before, he lowered his head and nodded in silence; he didn't watch when the mutants parted ways to allow Klent to leave. A Tauros, Ninetales, and Roserade shuffled past Klent, helping to carry Rim to one of the many rooms in the labyrinth.

Realizing they didn't have much of a choice but to follow, Tox and Soli hastily said their goodbyes to the other mutants, saying that they'd be able to visit later with Owen again. Despite their optimism, the shock of what had happened was keeping the gravity of what had happened to them from truly sinking in.

Klent imagined that this would be true for everyone.

Everything became quiet after Star's aura disappeared. The glow of the Core softened back to normal; Owen let go, landing heavily on his feet. His wings draped over his sides, but he didn't collapse. He refused to collapse. His eyes met Hecto's next; his body had dissolved into five canid Zygarde instead, all crumpled over one another. It seemed that he was no longer able to sustain his form without Star's assistance. They wobbled to their feet, all staring at Owen.

"Well?" Owen said lowly. "Aren't you going to get her in the aura sea?"

The five all stared at Owen; despite their expressionless faces, Owen could tell by their flat ears and lowered tails that Hecto was in complete shock.

"Leave."

After a bit of delay, the five scampered out of the Core.

Owen looked back at the others, finally getting to their feet. "Heh." Manny rubbed his snout, still bleeding aura from his shoulder. "That wasn't so bad. Good job, Owen, heheh… eh…" Manny realized that Owen was glaring at him, too.

"I need to think." Owen pointed toward the Core's entrance. "Just… go."

Step growled. "Do you really think that's—"

The Core blasted Step with a green wad of energy; she reached out and blocked it, only for it to knock her hard against the wall again.

"I am done," Owen said, still pointing at the entrance. "I'm done with you assuming I can't handle myself. That I'm compromised because maybe you're wrong. I'm sick of you fighting everyone when maybe we could have talked."

Step's glare didn't lower, but she stood up anyway. She gave a wordless snort and walked toward the exit. The Ice Guardian looked at her paws, inspecting the way that his blast had melted them. "Hmph… then I trust you to not fall to Eon."

Owen looked to the remaining two next. "I need to… I need to sort out my thoughts. I—I'm sorry." Owen lowered his head. He felt that subservient nature kicking in again; defiant, he intensified his glare. "Please, go. And find Mom. She might be in the aura sea, too, and… I don't want Hecto to do anything to her. They… they can't. They still need me anyway."

They both stared, still stunned and recovering; Manny held his shoulder again and left first. "Just make sure that Eon guy doesn't go off and—" Manny accelerated his pace when the Core brightened.

That just left Zena.

She had stared for quite a while, with Owen not returning her gaze. Instead, he was staring at the ground—it wasn't her fault. None of this was. But he couldn't give in to that instinct again.

Eventually, Zena followed Manny, glancing back at Owen while his head was still facing the floor. Owen clenched his fist, digging his claws into his scales. He wanted to call out to her—maybe she could stay? But it would be dangerous to keep her away for long; as much as Star had betrayed him, he had a sinking feeling that she wasn't lying when she implied that straying from one's realm in the spirit world would be bad for the body. He didn't want to tell her as much; he couldn't speak. He felt that if he made a single sound, he'd break down in front of them. He couldn't have that.

And so, even when Zena stopped at the entryway, staring back at him, Owen remained frozen. He prayed—to whom, he didn't know—that Zena wouldn't notice how dim and conflicted his flame was.

"Owen…" The Milotic sniffled. "Please… look at me."

"P-please go," Owen squeaked. "It's dangerous."

Zena stared for a little while longer, but Owen just wished she would understand. Who was commanding him now? Who was he supposed to follow? No—those weren't the thoughts he was supposed to have! He was… who was he? Star, Eon, Rhys, Amia, Anam—they all kept him in the dark for so long, all for his own good, but was it really?

Despite all the Perception in the world, Owen didn't realize that Zena was in front of him again. He only noticed when he saw her prismatic scales and felt her ribbons wrap around his back. Her cheek rested against his. She felt cold, so cold. Her body was so familiar, now. He was starting to understand the subtleties of her limbless form and what all those powerful muscles meant. His eyelids lowered halfway, finally bringing his arms around her. Maybe this was all too much. He should just…

He felt it again. That feeling. Like he was going to lose himself—was that the feeling? He didn't know what it was, but it was toward Zena. Just like how he felt toward Rhys, and Amia, and even Eon. His heart pounded against his chest; he grabbed Zena and pushed back, making her yelp.

"P-please, go," Owen finally said, eyes wide. "I—I need to be alone. Please…"

Zena's eyes were wide, stunned, even when Owen let her go and stepped away. "B-but…"

Owen shook his head and focused on the ground again. This time, Zena didn't approach, but he could still feel her presence. He shut his eyes tight and reached for his horns, plucking them out.

He couldn't see anything, now. It was all gone. His flame was burning the grass beneath it into a little black scorch. He grasped each detached horn firmly; his legs felt weak and every breath he made was shallow at best.

After so long in darkness, Owen wondered if he should at least tell Zena that it was going to be fine. She deserved it. It wasn't like she was trying to coerce him into anything, right? If anything, it dawned on Owen—now that he had time to actually think rationally—that perhaps Zena was the only one who had been consistently on his side, not lying.

Well, aside from when she played along with Star and the others when his memory had been reset again… but… that was different, right? But wasn't that the same for all the others? What if it really was for his own good?

He felt it again and shook his head violently. He wasn't going to listen to that feeling. That's what he was designed to do. He refused to let it control him again.

Owen finally opened his eyes. "Ze—"

Nobody was there.

Owen's flame slowly shrank until it almost disappeared completely. He lowered his wings and shoulders the more the silence ate at him, the dying light fading to the overwhelming glow of the Core behind him. But even that was fading now that the battle was over, the Grass spirits finally settled.

The fatigue finally caught up to him. His legs wobbled and shook, and then, finally, he fell back and onto his rear with a light grunt. Just that one little noise reminded him that he had a throat, something to breathe with. A lingering, distracting thought ran through his mind—did spirits need to breathe? He was so used to being alive that he didn't know what it was like to be a spirit. The thought passed, replaced by images of the Guardians' backs toward him, Hecto in front of him… that feeling of their attacks striking his Core. That uselessness of just sitting back. Of Star stealing his body. Of Zena slithering away.

Owen covered his eyes, taking in a long, deep breath. In, out. Meditate. Calm. He took in another long, deep breath. In, out. His exhale was shaky this time.

Something shuffled nearby; remembering that he still had his horns off, he jumped and looked for them.

"Here."

Owen blinked, looking at the leaves that held his horns. Then at the Lilligant before him.

"Amelia," Owen greeted with a sniffle. He took his horns, staring at them, yet not putting them on. "Hey, I—sorry. I'll get back to my body soon, and—"

"It's okay. Daddy has it covered for now. He's giving Eon a firm talking to."

"Wh—what?" Owen said, about to stand up.

"Shh, it's okay. Eon can't hurt you, remember?"

Owen was stuck in the motion of standing up, but he eventually relented, returning to the floor. He glanced at Amelia; her leaves shifted uncomfortably. His wings drooped further. "You're still scared of me, huh?"

"N-no," Amelia lied.

Owen smiled slightly, looking down. "So you mean if I put my horns on, your body language will feel just fine to my Perceive?"

Amelia didn't answer, but the flower on the top of her head lowered subtly. But then it went up, Amelia puffed her cheeks, and she defiantly approached Owen, sitting right next to him. She bumped her hip against his and crossed her leaf-arms. "I'm not," she said. "You're my Guardian, so of course I'm not afraid. Besides, you're just a big hatchling."

"H-hatchling?!"

"Yeah." Amelia turned her head up. "So I'm not scared of you at all. You're too nice."

Owen stared, mouth agape between insult and shock, but then it melted into a relieved smile. "Right…"

They sat in silence for a while after that. Owen flipped his horns over, inspecting the little rivets at the edges. He traced his claws along the edge, feeling for how it must have snapped into his head when he needed to. As much as he hated the fact that his powers could be taken apart like some kind of build-it toy, he couldn't deny Nevren's ingenuity when designing him.

"A lot of the spirits really like your Grassmander body," Amelia said, giggling. "I think it's cute. Even though they're so old, they're like kids again. It's nice to see."

"I saw." Owen grinned, returning Amelia's giggle with one of his own. "I had no idea. I really need to visit you guys more often. Maybe if Zena did, she wouldn't have felt as lonely…"

"It's not the same," Amelia replied sadly. "Talking to your spirits… doesn't give the same sort of need that the body does for having company. It's weird, in a way. Besides… in a lot of ways, it can start feeling the same." Amelia motioned to the Core. "See… spirits take on a lot of traits from their host. Because we're part of you, kinda. For now, at least. And everyone else used to be part of my Dad, when he was Guardian."

Owen frowned, looking away. "I don't really like that."

"Huh?"

"That you guys start acting like me after a while."

"I mean, I don't feel that much like you," Amelia quickly amended, raising her leaves. "It's more like—we feel what you feel, sometimes. We just know how you are and what you think, because, well…" She motioned to the Core. "That's you, right there. We're all connected to it. So, what do you expect, right?"

"I guess…"

Amelia frowned, placing a leafy hand on Owen's side. "Come on, what's up with you? You fought off Star! That's gotta count for something, right? And there's no way Zena's mad at you. She understands!"

Owen winced, wrapping his wings around himself. "I don't want to talk about that right now. Sorry."

"O-okay." Amelia shrank away, fidgeting with her leaves. They made a soft, fabric-like sound with each stroke. She sat back down next to him, making little motions on the ground. Out of curiosity, Owen watched what she was doing. A little vine popped out of the ground, no larger than his fingers. A flower sprouted from it; the little vine swayed left and right before sinking back underground.

Owen tilted his head. He turned his hand green and made a similar motion toward the ground, forming a similarly sized vine with a daffodil, just like his Grassy form's tail. He and Amelia exchanged a glance, a smile, and then looked back at the ground.

With a small smile, Owen finally found the courage to put his horns back on. He felt a bit of nervousness from Amelia right when it came on… but it didn't seem to be because of his presence. She was just worried, perhaps, of what he'd see. A self-fulfilling prophecy. An amused smile formed on his mouth, but not on the side that Amelia could see.

Finally, while making another small, intertwining set of vines, he spoke again. "All this time, I just wanted to be myself. I wanted to… I don't know. Maybe make decisions for the way I want things to go for once."

While Owen spoke, Amelia made smaller vines form around the large vine that Owen made, growing in a small, protective circle.

"Not have… my parents, or my mentors, or our freaking gods decide what I'm going to do. And now, look. I have you guys, and you're falling to my will, just like I fall for theirs. I don't… I don't like that."

"Oh." Amelia halted the vines that were guarding the larger one. They shrank back into the dirt.

"I know that you guys think that it doesn't really matter," he said. "That maybe it was your choice to follow me, or whatever. I get it. Because that's exactly how I had been. It's what that Bug Guardian, Trina, told me. What she told Demitri and Mispy—you know, that whole thing about choosing who to follow."

Amelia listened obediently, and that just dug away at Owen further.

"I want you guys to think for yourselves," he said firmly. "If there's… if there's any way that I can have you guys do that, that'd be great."

"W-well—if that's the case, I choose…" Amelia brought a leaf to her chin, orange eyes focused on Owen's arm. "…I can't think of a good reason to go away, Owen. Sorry."

"I can think of a few," Owen said reflexively.

"Oh, what?"

"Well, I killed you, for one."

Owen had been expecting Amelia to flinch and shrink away at that, but instead he felt a strange anger from her body.

Her eyes narrowed, "I blame Eon for that, not you. The Owen that I'm looking at right now would never kill me. That's just some beast that Eon tried to make you become. That kill's on him, got it? I'm sick of feeling you get all self-pitying about that like it's somehow your fault. Just… get over it."

"Get… get over it." Owen took off his horns, flipping them in his hands. Did he put them on in reverse? He swapped hands and replaced the horns They didn't quite fit properly, so he switched them back. Still felt the same.

Amelia tapped one of her vine-feet on the ground. "Yes, get over it," she said. "Look, I know I took a few centuries to get over it, but now that I see who you are, and the kind of Pokémon that you want to be, and just… just everything about you, Owen, no. That wasn't you, and you can't convince me otherwise."

Owen opened his mouth to speak, but Amelia brought up her leaf.

"And I know you're about to say something like—" she comically deepened her voice "—Oh, but Amelia, it was me, that was my body and my movements." She huffed. "No, Owen. That wasn't what I mean, and you know it. I didn't read enough books or whatever like you did to know what the right word is for it, but I know that the you back then and the you now aren't enough the same for me to call you now… the same one that killed me. Alright?"

They locked eyes again, blue and orange. This time, Owen shrank away; he had no idea Amelia could feel so imposing. Morbidly, he missed when she was timid. But one thing was true: either he couldn't feel it, or Amelia was displaying no fear.

So, the synthetic Charizard breathed a small stream of fire that went no more than a head's length away from him. "Alright."

"Good." Amelia said, finally relaxing. "I know that you still don't know who you want to follow, or… if you want to follow anybody at all, but…" Amelia struggled to reach up to pat his shoulder. "Just know that you have us with you, okay? And it's not just because you have us under some kind of control. We can leave whenever we want; you never forced us to stay or anything. This is our choice. And you know, Owen—here's a little taste of your own medicine. You have your Perceive to feel what others feel, right? Well, I'm part of you. I know what you feel, too." Her eyes softened again. "Besides, I'm dead. I'm not ready to pass on while all this is happening, so I choose to fight for you."

"Choose to fight for me, huh?" Owen's smile was wider, but mixed with perplexed amusement. "I… I think I know who I want to talk to, actually."

"You do?" Amelia paused, squinting at him. Then, her eyes widened. "Ohh!"

Owen stood up, facing the Core. He reached up, pressing his hand gently on its surface. "Hey, Klent? I'm ready to come back."

Golden light leaked from Owen's form, siphoning into the Core. Amelia giggled, giving him a little wave, and he was gone.

The aura sea flowed with its usual, tranquil rhythm. Dots of cyan embers, barely containing the golden spirits within, went past Hecto above and below him, to his sides, and around him. The Dusknoir's single, red eye scanned the void, and the large antennae on his head tuned in to the various thoughts of death that emanated from each one. He was used to listening to so many voices at once; it was easy, really. At the same time, he reserved part of his mind to keeping up with Star's endeavor in striking Eon down.

He couldn't deny the recklessness of what Star was doing, and he'd warned her as much. This was going to betray all the trust that she had tried to build up with Owen. More worrisome, there wasn't even a guarantee that she'd be able to get to Eon in time. Hecto wasn't sure what exactly that device of his did, but it seemed to let Eon do countless things in an instant. Did it pause time? That was his running theory. If only he knew how he'd gained Dialga's blessing… Particularly when they didn't know what happened to Dialga at all, body or spirit.

But based on how well Star was doing against Eon, it seemed that either that power was not as effective now, or he simply didn't have the device with him. He had been in the middle of dinner with Owen, after all. A bit rude, but certainly advantageous if she wanted Eon dead. She took care of Rim already… but Star became quite incomprehensible after that. Clearly what happened next didn't go as planned.

And then, inevitably, her time ran out. Hecto was surprised she lasted this long. Then again, Owen had a tendency to not rebel. The trend broke, it seemed. It wouldn't be long now until Star wound up in the—

She appeared moments later. Hecto let out a small grunt, the sound echoing in his body, and watched the dejected, pink Pokémon float toward him. It was listless, like she was still coming to her senses—understandable. According to what his copies were telling him, Star had been incinerated by Owen. Witnessing that had been apparently more shocking than Ra's Thunder.

She wasn't drifting toward him. It seemed that the currents of the aura sea were running oddly—that was concerning, but there were more pressing matters. He made a gentle gesture with his hands, drawing Star toward him. The Mew drifted a bit closer, eyes barely open.

Then, suddenly, she shot up with a gasp. She looked at her paws, then at Hecto, and the realization hit her.

Hecto took a breath that he did not need and braced himself.

Star screamed. She flailed her body in the air, creating Psychic bubbles in front of her just so she could punch them out of existence. Solid blocks of purple energy formed in their place; she slammed her whole weight in it, biting, tearing, clawing at all she could. The blocks flickered away; she couldn't maintain enough concentration to keep it stable. She squeezed the air, glaring into space. Various auras nervously drifted away from Star along the current, accelerating toward the great light on the other side of the sea.

Star shot herself to Hecto next, slamming into his ghostly body with a wail. With how tiny Star was, Hecto could only wrap one of his hands around her, gently using one of his fingers to stroke behind her ears. She sobbed, pressing harder against Hecto. He watched her body curl up, tighter and tighter, until she was just a pink ball in his palm. He brought his other hand over her, protecting her in a little dome.

They remained this way for a while in silence. Quiet sniffles crawled out through his fingers, punctuated by hiccups and sobs. But, eventually, Star uncurled herself, migrating to his wrist, and then she graduated to his shoulder. Her eyes were red, but Hecto didn't have any words to help. He knew that this could have happened—and so did she. But she had just hoped that, for once, it would have worked out in her favor. Yet Fortune did not favor this god. He wondered if Star would have had better luck if she actually tried to create a sense of fate for the world. But that went against her philosophy; she never liked trying to predetermine anybody's actions… even if, ultimately, it would have made this ordeal much easier.

Even in a deterministic world, she could only predict so much before she interfered with the system directly. Hecto brought one of his hands—massive compared to Star—to her again, rubbing her back. Her sobs were getting quieter, but she still trembled, pawing at her eyes.

The aura sea returned to its quiet peace. She and Hecto watched it for a while. Countless lives coming and going with no idea about the divine battle that took place for centuries. The ideal outcome, in a way, though Hecto wondered, morbidly, how many of those lives had been ended, one way or another, by mutants.

Finally, Star took in a breath, and Hecto knew she was finally going to speak. "It's over… isn't it?"

"Hm."

"Eon's gonna win Owen over. He's gonna get all the Guardians rounded up. H-he's gonna k-kill me… kill us…"

"You're already dead, Star."

"Y-you know what I mean!" Star sniffled again, her voice cracking. She settled back down, mumbling a quiet apology, though Hecto hadn't felt offended. He had expected as much of a response. If anything, he was frustrated—there was nothing he could say or do to help. With all his copies and all his knowledge, all of his experience, he didn't know what he could say to help. Perhaps there was a situation in the deep past that he could recall, but now, seeing Star like this, his mind was a blank.

His single, red eye flickered. No matter how useless, he had to say something. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

"Oh, please," Star said, bumping her head against his shoulder. "It's not your fault at all. I messed this all up. You warned me! You… you warned me that this could backfire! A-and you were right! As—as always, maybe I should've just listened instead of getting impatient! B-but… but Eon! What if… what if he just controlled Owen right then? That Promise wasn't gonna do anything for him if he was under Eon's control, right? I—I had to, I… there was nothing else I could've…"

Through Star's rambling justifications, Hecto nudged her until she was resting in one of his arms, nestled against his chest. He knew the phase. Trying to justify every action she took, making sure that, had she done it again, it would have made perfect sense. Even when, ultimately, it failed. Covering up her regrets with a patchwork of reasons and excuses.

"Owen's never gonna let me in again," Star said. "And then he's gonna tell all the other Guardians. Zena, Manny, Amia, Step… oh, God, Step. She's gonna make sure everyone never lets me in again. I'm… I'm gonna be stuck here. Aether Forest is filled with wraiths. Where are they even coming from?! No way Barky'll let me in the Hall of Origin after all the stupid stunts I've pulled. Once he finds out, I'm done. I may as well just cross the sea and never come back. I…"

Hecto switched arms, letting Star toss and turn to get more of her energy out. "Give it time," Hecto said. "There's nothing you can do with Owen right now. He'll just kick you out again if you try to reenter, and I do not think it would be safe to go to Aether Forest yet."

"Right…" Star hesitated. "Wait—Barky. Is he okay?!"

"He is fine. Arceus, the Trinity, and Rhys are recovering in the Hall of Origin. Ghrelle was able to dispatch of the wraith army with Perish Psalm, but there's no telling when another horde may return. So far, none have appeared, but do remember that the last time they came, they had first appeared when trying to get you."

Star nodded, shuddering. She rubbed at her shoulder where the wraith had first struck her. "Are they okay?"

"Rhys was badly hurt."

Star shrank again.

"But he is recovering. There is no need to worry about them."

Star nodded, relaxing slightly. She then turned over, using one of Hecto's fingers like a pillow. "Eon's making so many horrible experiments. He's making a Pokémon stay in a Mega form, Hecto. That poor feral's aura is tearing itself apart. A-and speaking of that. Did you see that… thing?"

"I had thought nothing of it at the time," Hecto said, "but I believe you are talking about Lavender."

"Yes!" Star shuddered. "I—I never felt so sick in my life. All of those spirits are just trapped inside him, and for what?"

"Based on his performance, it's an effort to mimic the power of Hands without any need for them. Concentrate enough spirits into a single aura and you can achieve similar, albeit unstable, effects." Hecto blanketed his other hand over Star; she curled up, hiding in his palm's shadow. "But, Star, you have to acknowledge that none of them seem to be suffering."

Star didn't reply.

"The mutants are happy together. Lavender and Lucas are among them; while they are all experiments, I have observed Eon doing nothing but good things for them… aside from their creation, at least."

"Yeah, and that's the problem," Star said flatly. "None of them deserved to be born that way. Just look at all the grief it caused Team Alloy. Look at their doubles with Trina. Aside from Har, they were so upset that they sealed their memories. Lucas' aura is practically melting from the inside-out. Lavender's could explode at any second if he's not careful."

"Then what did you plan to do with them?" Hecto said.

"Just… undo it."

"Undo it."

"Just think about it, Hecto. If I took Eon's Orbs out, and then Rim's, and then maybe did a thousand apologies to Owen, I'd be able to convince them to lend me some power to fix them up. Normalize the mutants, or something. There's gotta be a way, right? And then free the spirits in Lavender. He's usually a Scolipede, right? Just let him be that all the time. Or maybe he can keep that Silvally body! I think it looks awesome! Just not the soul eating part. And Lucas… Just stop him from Mega Evolving so long. Maybe smooth out his aura a little."

All the while, Star's voice calmed down. The entire hypothetical, perhaps now completely out of reach, at least gave her something to focus on.

"You could have potentially talked to Eon instead," Hecto stated.

Star poked her head out from between Hecto's fingers. "You've tried that a thousand times. What makes you think he'll listen to me?"

He didn't have a counter for that.

Star shrank down again. "I know. I should've. But when I saw that flash of… of Owen and Eon making that Promise… that was a worst-case scenario, Hecto. The guy knows Owen more than anyone; of course he'd get into his head. They were partners forever."

"Then perhaps trying to interfere with that bond was your first mistake," Hecto said.

"Go tell that to Rhys," Star muttered, rolling over. "He's the one who stole him away with Team Alloy."

"Mm." And they settled into silence again. Hecto watched the currents with her until a new thought crossed his mind. "What happened to the Psychic Orb?"

Star snorted, rubbing her eyes again. "I was about to give it to Owen, but then Gahi snatched it. Stupid Flygon… he's way too fast. I should make that illegal or something. If I could…" Star curled up again, grabbing the end of her tail. "I think I overdid it on Rim… m-messed her up pretty bad… But—but she's strong. She'll push through it; I know her. But I had to get it out. What were the Unown doing on her side, though? I thought for sure the spirits would've abandoned her the second she took it. You don't link minds that fast."

"Hm. It is likely that Gahi now has the Orb, one way or the other."

"Well, either way, no way I want to go to the Psychic Realm for this one. Ugh… I used to love going to that place, too. The Unown were really fun."

"You certainly enjoyed the Unown visitors." Hecto briefly admired the auras flowing along the sea. "Something still doesn't feel correct."

"Yeah, Eon's about to steal Owen's mind or something."

Hecto looked down at Star. "You do realize that Owen is perhaps the last Pokémon that he would want to control in that way… don't you?"

Star curled up. "Maybe long ago, but I dunno anymore. He wants Owen back so much that he tried making another one. I wouldn't put anything past him anymore."

"Some bonds may be too sacred to forsake, even for Eon in his state."

Star didn't reply. Instead, after a silence, she rose out of Hecto's arms. "I'm… I'm gonna try again. I need to at least warn the others about what happened before—before Step gives the wrong idea. I, uh… I know. Manny's spirits. They know me. You think Elbee and Doll are still there?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't," Hecto remarked. "Are you sure you want to go there, though? Manny will be quite displeased."

"I'm—I won't do anything crazy. Once I sense he's coming, I'll just slip away." Star glanced around. "Actually, speaking of that, did you send Amia back to the Fire Realm already? I, er, you know what happened back there. I felt her aura get destroyed, so…"

Hecto hesitated in his reply.

"What? Did she tell you off or something?" Star smiled. "Sorry. I know you don't like getting yelled at. But I guess she fits her Orb Type, huh?"

And still, Hecto said nothing. His fingers briefly twitched, earning a confused blink from the Mew.

"…Uh, so, where'd you send her instead? I'll—I'll get her and apologize and bring her back. She needs to protect her Realm anyway."

Hecto didn't want to admit it—it didn't make sense to him to begin with. Amia's aura was distinct. It glowed with Mystic power. She was likely strong enough to retain her body's appearance, even here. And yet, despite this…

"I can't find her."

Guest review replies:

Flygon: As you can see, Rim is still there... kinda. I'm not sure if that can be considered better or worse.

"Heartbreaking" guest: Yes, last chapter was definitely on the heavy side, though because of how shocking it all was, the real fallout didn't really happen until this one. Now it's time to pick up the pieces...