Chapter 91 – Bonds Inseverable

"This is quite possibly the most foolish thing you've done so far."

"Yup."

Gahi adjusted his neck, ignoring the Snivy that had her vines wrapped around him, futilely slamming her tiny fists against his back.

"Y'know," Gahi said, "seems kinda dumb that you'd wanna come along fer this."

"I'm starting to suspect I'm the sole reason you're still alive," Trina spat back, grunting when she pulled herself to Gahi's shoulder.

Several confused Pokémon stared at Gahi, one of them remarking that he had just come in a few hours ago. Gahi ignored them, went past the front desk, and then ignored even harder the Jynx shouting for him to get back.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Hakk said, carrying a trembling Cyndaquil in his arms.

He tossed the newly scouted Pokémon over to Xypher by his side, who caught him skillfully in an open bag, and then tried to grab Gahi. Instead, he grabbed thin air, and then Trina went in freefall. With an undignified squeak, she landed on top of Hakk's outstretched paw.

"Eh?" Hakk dropped her.

"Ow—you could have at least set me down," Trina grunted, searching. "Gahi!"

The Flygon had teleported behind Hakk. "Look, it ain't anything personal," Gahi said. "I gotta go."

"How'd you—" Hakk spun around.

"Gahi, you aren't leaving without me," Trina said.

"Oh no you don't," Hakk said, stomping a foot on Trina's tail. "You guys are both supposed to be in evaluations, so if you know what's good for you—where'd you go?"

Mid-sentence, Gahi had disappeared again, and so had Trina.

"Are you going to at least explain why you're suddenly teleporting more than an Abra having a nightmare?" Trina asked.

Gahi suddenly wondered what Nevren was like as an Abra, weaving around the trees and then, finally, above them. His wings were black and twinkled like the night sky they could no longer see.

"Gahi!"

"Eh? Oh. Psychic Orb."

Trina squinted incredulously and pursed her lips to emphasize her disbelief. "When did you acquire the Psychic Orb?"

"Star tore it off Rim. I stole it."

"You—she—what?! Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Gahi shrugged. "Thought I lost the power. Guess it reawakened."

Trina looked at her vines and concentrated. After a while, she sighed and said, "Well, I can't."

"Seems like Owen can't, either. Maybe that's just how it is if yer not evolved."

"I still don't know how that happened…" Trina shivered suddenly, the headwind intensifying.

"Cold?" Gahi asked.

"The lack of sun is getting to me. I was actually enjoying my time in my room, you know. They had artificial sunlight. It was wonderful. And then you Teleport into my room, pluck me out—why did you do that?!"

"I dunno. Seemed like a good idea." Gahi rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his claw under his nose. "Guess we traveled a lot. Figured we'd do it again."

"Travel where, Gahi?" Trina motioned angrily behind her. "We've gone so far away from Null Village!"

"Demitri 'n Mispy."

Gahi kept his eyes focused ahead, undaunted by the rushing winds thanks to his lenses. Teleporting forward several feet each time was second nature to him, now, and more than doubled his effective travel speed.

"You can sense them?" Trina said, puzzled. "I don't understand. Have your Psychic powers really gotten that strong?"

"No clue. I mean, felt some weird pulls fer a while, but it's really strong now. Practically like they're callin' out ter me."

Off by the horizon were several mountains. That was new, Trina noted; finally, something that wasn't just a bunch of dead trees!

"And where do you plan to take them?" Trina said.

"Well, th' village? What?"

"We just fled the village without a word. Do you really think they're going to let us in again?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

"How did—how did you even escape? Surely they have precautions for Pokémon like you."

"Yeah, they did," Gahi beat his wings once to speed up, then continued his Teleport-glide forward. "Fer a while, seemed like I was jus' bein' blocked from teleporting out. Didn't work."

"So, an anti-Teleport field of some kind. Perhaps anti-element in general." Trina nodded. "No different than the Protect insulation in modern buildings."

"Yep. But I guess I broke through."

"Broke through. How?"

"Well, usin' Teleport didn't work. So I tried usin' it harder."

"…Harder." Trina pinched the area between her eyes. "Gahi, you can't just willpower your way through anti-Teleport walls."

"Then how'd I get yeh?"

"Some—some sort of flaw in security, I'm sure," Trina grunted, deliberately looking away when Gahi smirked at her.

"Or," Gahi proposed, "I tried really, really hard, an' it worked."

"You're absurd."

Gahi shrugged, confident that he was right, and then continued to scan ahead. "Feels like they're closer the more I go toward those mountains…"

Trina leaned closer, each little Teleport that Gahi did making her a little more nauseous. She tried to keep it together and envisioned that she was back in the sunlit room in Null Village. "Just be careful. Those wraiths below might try to hit you, and we have no idea where they are."

The jittering of the trees was too jarring for her. Every Teleport and the scenery was offset by several of them. Keeping her eyes closed was easier, but she still wanted to navigate in case Gahi tried to 'willpower' his way through a mountain next. Far to their right, a gigantic wraith was lumbering through the treetops, and she quickly alerted Gahi to avoid it.

They were too far, but Trina watched it anyway. This one was bipedal, but it was so large that she couldn't tell if it was nearby and a few houses tall, or far away and the height of Kilo Mountain. Thankfully, it didn't notice them.

The trees were so far away. It was only mountains, now, and Trina, even though she was feeling tired, refused to acknowledge this to Gahi. Instead, she wrapped her vines in a semi-knot around her, and then relaxed her body. The vines, without strain, kept her comfortably tied to Gahi's back. She occasionally looked down to see the rocky valleys. How long had Gahi been flying?

"Are we nearly there?" Trina asked.

"Yeah." Gahi gently veered to the left, then brought a hand to his chest, thoughtful. "Such a weird feelin' that I'm gettin'. Never felt somethin' like this befer."

"Perhaps it's your Psychic Orb resonating somehow," Trina said, and then she looked at her vines, frowning. "I can't tap into my powers at all. Perhaps when I was… well, from what they explained to me, I had been killed somehow, and I was brought back as a Snivy. Perhaps I lost my power then, too."

"Weird."

Trina squinted and growled. "Is that all you have to say? I thought I'd have some insight on why you might not have the same problem."

"What, you think I'm smart? I ain't Owen."

"Of course you're smart," Trina said. "There had to be some way that you escaped all of their facilities."

"I Teleported really hard. Ain't much else to it."

This didn't seem like a fight worth pursuing. Trina was about to return to thinking on her own when Gahi suddenly jerked to the left. With a grunt, she said, "Are we under attack?"

"Found 'em."

And suddenly they lost altitude, and Trina felt her stomach in her throat. She pinned herself to Gahi's back and braced for impact, but thankfully, Gahi had enough sense to slow his descent once they were closer to the ground.

"Hey!" Gahi shouted, gliding over the rocky terrain. The fact that Trina didn't hear anything back worried her, so she tried to look ahead.

It was them, unmistakably. Of course, it could have been Ax and Ani, but they weren't close like the original pair were. The Haxorus was on the Meganium's back, his tail drooping limply. Demitri was looking thin; his muscles, once defined, were replaced by loose skin and scales. Mispy looked a little thinner as well, though not too badly, though Trina did silently note she had fewer vines than usual.

"You guys alright?" Gahi asked, slowing to a stop once he was only a few paces away from them.

Mispy closed the gap, her eyes wide but her voice silent. She brought her head around Gahi and pressed against it, trembling.

"Hey, yer okay," Gahi said slowly, wrapping his arms around her, and then looked to Demitri. He couldn't look at them, but tears were rushing down his cheeks. "Look, we've got a place we c'n take yeh. You just gonna follow us, alright? There's a forest not too far from 'ere. Ain't got much but we've got some wood ter eat fer you two. Ain't like yer picky with the vegetarian stuff."

Trina looked their starved forms, frowning. "Gahi, how are we going to bring them back with us?"

"Eh." Gahi paused, looking blankly ahead. "Didn't think about that part."

"You—" Trina needed a moment to register what he had just said. "What? How? We've been flying for—you don't know how to bring them back?"

"Guess I could Teleport a bunch. But it ain't like Waypoints, dunno if I have th' energy ter go th' whole way."

He had gone all this way just to see them and never thought of a way back. He was thinking of a plan now. How? Anger bubbled in her voice. "Why did you do this without a plan?"

"I dunno! I really wanted ter see 'em, make sure they were alright!" Gahi growled and motioned to Demitri. "We gotta get him some food. I c'n feel it. Let's work on Teleporting fer now. Gonna be a long way back, but we've got 'em."

"Thank you," Demitri finally said, his voice a raspy choke.

Mispy nodded next, sliding away from Gahi. "What now?"

"I dunno. Lemme try something." Gahi looked back at Trina, nodding, and then brought one hand on Mispy's side, and another on Demitri's back. His angular wings darkened and resembled a starry sky, and Trina could have sworn she saw some of those little lights move. Gahi brightened; Trina saw her tiny hands turn white. And then, they disappeared.

With a sore throat, Owen helped himself to another cup of hot apple cider that had been provided by room service. The sweetness was overwhelming. By the poolside, Zena floated idly and in thought, processing Owen's story from start to finish. Occasionally, Owen worried that he had said too much, and that she would go back to being unhappy with the world. And he wouldn't blame her, really.

"I don't see how you were so interested in me," Zena admitted, staring at the empty cup Owen had set down. "I sound so angry and resentful of everyone around me."

"I don't think that's how it was," Owen said. "You were just upset at being lied to by Star. And you couldn't really relate to everyone else, either. But I felt for you, y'know? Because I was lied to a lot, too, and…" He trailed off, thoughtful, and then shrugged. "You liked reading books with me. And remember, I didn't really… know you liked me for a while, either." He tittered, avoiding her eyes. "I told myself you weren't interested because I was a killer."

"Oh, hardly a killer," Zena said. "You said you were made to be berserk, right? I don't think it's your fault. You didn't want that."

"Yeah… Well, I—to be honest, I still like fighting. Sometimes I just have an urge to get into one. I breathe and meditate to keep that in check." Owen pressed his claws into the back of his right hand. "Sorry if that's scary. I know it is."

"A little," Zena admitted. "I can't imagine having such a heart for battle. Yes, a small spar is fun, but… Oh, you probably hear it all the time."

Owen laughed, and it was nice to do it so genuinely. "Yeah. I actually have memories of my therapist saying the same thing."

"Therapist? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound alarmed—I was just surprised that someone of your… position would have the opportunity."

"It was a long time ago, I think," Owen said. "I only have blurry memories of it still, but he lived, or maybe still lives, actually, in Kilo Village. My parents thought that maybe one way they could treat my berserk…ness was something more mundane than Mystic power. It's actually where I got the meditation from."

"What stopped you from going?"

"I think I was reset so badly that I forgot him completely, and they didn't want to raise suspicions…"

"Oh, that's too bad…" Zena bumped her lips against the edge of the pool, blinking.

Owen tilted his head, unable to hide an amused smile.

"I wonder who else you forgot," Zena said, looking up just slowly enough that Owen could look away and hide that previous smile.

"Yeah," Owen hummed. "I can't imagine. Old friends that I just… disappeared to one day. You know, now that I think about it, I heard stories about a… mythical Charmander who seemed to just come and go like a phantom. I always thought it was Deca—who turned out to just be Eon, but, y'know—but I'm starting to wonder if maybe that was me…"

"Surely they would remember you, though," Zena said.

Owen shook his head. "I think Nevren used to keep stories about Mystics under wraps. Tried erasing memories and things like that. He's a very powerful Psychic, you know."

Zena didn't look convinced. "I don't think you can easily wipe memories like that. Not even for a Psychic. I mean, look at you. Even your memories are returning."

"I don't know if it's the same," Owen admitted. "But… I guess, now that I think about it, a single Alakazam keeping a whole town out of the loop does seem kind of strange. Maybe he… worked with orchestrating conspiracies in combination with selectively wiping memories? Even temporarily… Maybe if you make them forget long enough, they'll think it was just a hallucination or something…"

"Making you forget a friend, just like that? E…erasing someone from someone else's life? That's like… wiping someone from history itself. How awful…"

Owen paused. "Erased from history…"

A sharp pain jabbed at the center of Owen's head and she screwed his eyes shut.

"Owen!"

"I'm—I'm okay," Owen slurred, but he couldn't see. It was all so bright. Whether he opened his eyes or not, all he could see was a bright, gold light.

"I was really hoping you'd take the offer, you know," said a familiar, foreign voice. "You'd be wonderful."

"Sorry, it's just not for me," Owen said, yet his voice was so much deeper. "Not yet, a-at least." He looked down, feeling guilty, and focused on the crystalline, golden feet of his superior.

His superior sighed, and Owen found the courage to look up again, though he had to squint a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

The light dimmed to something more tolerable, and Owen could actually see the god's prismatic, crystalline eyes.

"So," Owen said, "um, Necrozma, Our Light, about why I came here…"

"Oh! Of course. I completely changed the subject. Yes. Oatmeal or chocolate chip? Having both will just confuse them…"

"Cookies…"

"Excuse me?" Zena asked.

Owen remembered where he was. "Sorry, just remembered something."

"Is it always that painful?"

"No. I—it's a totally new set of memories. I've been getting a lot. These have been sort of coming out of nowhere and I don't know how to process it all." Owen didn't realize how frantic his speech had become until he saw Zena's worried look. "I'm fine, really."

"I don't think you are," Zena half-exclaimed. "Someone may as well have driven a spike through your head!"

"Do I look that awful?" Owen groaned and leaned back, not dizzy but not feeling up to sitting any longer, either. He rolled to make sure his tail would stay away from the water. "I feel like I lived four different lives, not counting the one I'm in now."

"Four. That's a specific number."

He hated that it wasn't just one. "Yeah," Owen said, and then elaborated: "One as some… feral Charmander who lived in a region called Kanto. Then something happened, and I think I became… I think I was working closely with someone called Necrozma. And after that, I somehow became a mutant… and then, I was back to being a normal Charmander again, just working toward becoming a Heart…"

His next laugh was a mixture of bitterness and befuddlement. "And now I'm here, learning about it all over again. Which is apparently strange, because normally recovering memories takes forever here."

"Literally forever, or—"

"No, no," Owen said, not sure what to think about the fact he had to specify it wasn't literal. "Apparently recovery is measured in centuries."

"I don't know if that's any better…"

He had gone through a handful of them on a similar scale, and he wasn't sure, either.

"Well," Zena said after an awkward silence, "I suppose one way or another, I hope I can become my old self again."

Owen hid his frown too late.

"What? Is that bad?" Zena asked.

"No, I—"

"Oh, you mentioned I was gloomy. But I'm so curious what I used to be like, too. That's only fair, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Owen quickly replied. "Sorry, I was just worried that it'd bring you down, but that's… that's stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid." He sighed out the last of his frustrations and added, "It'd be beyond crazy for me to advocate for staying in the dark about the past."

"I was about to say," Zena replied, playfully spitting a small stream of water just by the pool's edge. She grinned again, adding, "I want to be complete the same way you're trying to. And I think with you to help me, I won't be so gloomy anymore. How does that sound?"

The way Zena was staring at his tail, he figured she already knew he liked it. "Sounds gr—"

Three gentle taps on the doorway caught their attention. The door had a black splotch near the center-bottom of it.

"Oh," Zena said. "Company."

Owen figured they weren't going to be given proper time alone, but could he have just waited until the next morning?

"How was the food?" Marshadow asked, emerging from the door.

"It was great," Owen said. "Thank you, again, um. I'm sorry if I was rude to you back when—"

"Hey, so," Marshadow interrupted, "yer friend, Flygon."

Owen paused, sighed, and remembered his meditation. "What did he do?"

"Busted out somehow. Stole Snivy. Ran off."

Hands over his eyes, Owen moaned and said, "Is that going to get him in any trouble?"

"Not with us." Marshadow motioned vaguely behind him. "Just, dunno if he'll be comin' back. Titans and all that. No clue who he's lookin' fer, but he's on a real mission."

Owen furrowed his brow. "Maybe he's looking for Demitri and Mispy. That's the only reason I can think of for going out and leaving me behind like this."

"Well, what, you think he left you behind?"

"He thinks I'm safe, probably," Owen said. "Or maybe he looked for me in my room and couldn't find me. …Yeah, he's definitely looking for those two."

"Who're they?"

"Part of our team—Team Alloy."

"But isn't it such an expansive forest there?" Zena said worriedly, poking her upper body out of the water. "There's no way he could find them."

"They seers like you?" Marshadow asked.

"Yes and no. They have the same power I have, but not an Orb. Long story. I don't know if he'd be able to find them the same way, but… maybe he can? Gahi's kinda… but he's not that dumb. Maybe he really did find them…"

Marshadow crossed his arms, the wisps over his head serene as ever. "Right. So yer sayin' he might be comin' back with company."

"I think so. And he's very fast, too. And… pretty straightforward. If he knows where they are, he'll be going right to them. Ask the scouts you have if they spotted him going in any particular direction. That's where he went."

"He's that predictable?"

Owen shrugged. "He's honest."

"That's one way ter put it." Marshadow smirked. "Alright. Well, I say you still take it easy 'til we know how he's doing. Rest up. Gather yer strength. If yeh need training, we c'n get some equipment ter help yeh out. Don't wanna risk yeh while we're lookin' fer scouts. That alright?"

Owen nodded, and Marshadow looked like he was about to leave. A final thought crossed his mind, and Owen said, "Um, by the way, Marshadow?"

"Yeh."

"Do you know a quick way to evolve Feebas? I know for me, I just have to get stronger, but for Feebas, it's a special way…"

Marshadow looked at Zena, then at Owen, back at Zena, and finally back at Owen. He stared, silent, and then nodded. "You'll get it. I ain't gotta help."

Without giving them time to reply, Marshadow disappeared through the doorway.

"That was oddly cryptic," Zena said.

"I'm used to it," Owen muttered, nearly crestfallen. "I thought he'd be the one person who'd just give the answers if I asked…"

"That's too bad. But… at least it looks like he plans to help, somehow, right?" Zena drifted closer. "Let's have some faith in him."

"Faith in a Legend." Owen smiled a little, looking back. "I think you know how funny that is for me."

And Zena smiled back, both of their grins changing from forced to genuine.

Rhys awoke with a splitting headache and stiff muscles. A warm blanket covered his body, and the bedding under him was soft and irresistibly cozy. Next to him was a Poké Ball that had a thin layer of dust over it, as well as recently changed sheets to his left. Confusion followed, then dread, and Rhys sat up—bad decision. Fatigue constricted around him until he relented and collapsed back onto the bed. Nausea came after, his body convulsing in a silent, dry heave, but that only added to his fatigue.

Vision rapidly darkening, Rhys closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Held it. Then breathed out, and his vision slowly returned. He knew not to stand up now, but he didn't know if he had a voice. He tried anyway. "Hel—" was all he could get out before the dryness of his mouth became apparent.

Thoughts. He could send thoughts.

Elder. Can you hear me?

No reply. Not a surprise. He didn't have the mental fortitude to reach out with their tenuous connection—not when he was this weak. That battle with Emily had taken more out of him than he'd thought.

At least prayer didn't require as much energy. Arceus. Are you there?

A long silence followed before he got a reply. You're awake.

Yes. I must have overexerted myself with healing Tanneth.

I'll inform Brandon.

Where is he?

Resting.

Resting? Where is Tanneth?

Next to you, I imagine.

Rhys paused, then glanced at the Poké Ball again. He focused, but his aura sense didn't come to him. When he tried again, a dull headache crept in from the back of his skull. It wasn't worth it.

She might be. I can't sense anything right now. How long have I been asleep?

Five days.

Rhys became aware of a dull buzz of a lightbulb in the room. The light was an artificial, bright blue color, nothing like the off-white of the sun, too white.

Five? Days?

Yes.

No energy to laugh, Rhys rolled to stare at the ceiling again, where the white ceiling and square tiles only helped to remind him of Quartz HQ. He turned his head away and stared at the cement walls.

Five days. The factory was still standing. That meant Emily didn't destroy it. But what else?

Emily hasn't moved. But the storm persists and the oceans are turbulent. It's raining more frequently in southern Kilo and there are constant storm clouds in the far horizon. Dark Matter has made occasional movements, but nothing that I couldn't stop. Mutants are appearing more frequently and I suspect a few of them are from Trina's former guard.

It was too much information to take all at once. Rhys tried to roll out of his bed, but then the metal door of his room slid open.

"Nope, none of that nonsense, stay in bed." Brandon's steel footsteps clanged on the ground. "Take it easy before you pass out for another week."

"Week?"

"I dunno, lost track of time."

Rhys weakly sat back, staring at the ceiling. "Elder…"

"As far as I know, Kilo isn't crumbling," Brandon said gently. "Yeah, we've had better days, but society hasn't totally collapsed."

"The hospital?"

Brandon shrugged. "They had to enter triage. Save the ones that were the most likely to survive."

Rhys tried to ignore the tension in his chest. He could have helped heal some of them, if only he hadn't pushed so hard with Tanneth, if he had been more aware of his own—

"What's that look for?" Brandon said, frowning. "Look, there was nothing you could have done. Don't worry. Kilo can go on without you for a little while, Mister Hero."

"I need to get back," Rhys slurred, struggling to sit up. The headache was coming back.

"And do what? Pass out and take up another hospital bed?" Brandon pressed. "Stay down. Now. I'm your doctor."

"That isn't comforting."

"Too bad. Down. I'm gonna see if Zeke came back with those berries. They might help you out a little."

Brandon left, and Rhys had enough defiance in him to consider following, but rationality won over. He settled back in his bed and looked at Tanneth's Poké Ball.

Elder is very happy that you are awake, Arceus reported. He wishes you well and that things are being taken care of in Kilo Village. Do not strain yourself or he will be very worried.

You're toying with my emotions. Rhys furrowed his brow in strain, trying to keep himself awake. Why am I so fatigued?

Aura rot. The shadowy power exerted by Emily did more to your aura than to your body. And, being Mystic, that has horrible effects overall.

Now, his eyes were closed out of uselessness, and some primal part of him wanted the bed to swallow him up and not let go. The thought was fleeting; he was far too busy to stop. Then there is nothing I can do?

For now, no. Stay put. There are other things I am trying to arrange for now.

That useless feeling was the last thing he wanted, but it seemed that he didn't have a choice. Fine. But the moment I have enough strength to fly… I shall return to Elder.

I can't stop you, Arceus lied.

Rhys smirked, but said nothing in return.

A low rumble shook the air, and a chill ran through Rhys' body, and then his aura. That shadowy sky was overhead…

He sighed and brought a paw to his head. "What's happened to the world…"

"Can I see them now?"

A Charizard stood at the front desk with his tail flame humming. Opposite to him, a Jynx with a nervous frown and nobody to fall back to.

"I'm—I'm very sorry," Jynx said. "We can't let you into any of the rooms, even if… It's policy. I just can't. Now, if you keep behaving this way, I'll have to call security."

"Security. Really? And who would—"

"There a problem?" called a familiar, small voice from down the hall.

Eon glanced at Marshadow, his form rapidly losing shape, but he regained his composure enough to maintain his scales. After flapping his wings to make sure he still had them, he said, "Where's Owen?"

"Always with Owen." Marshadow sighed. "He's with Feebas. Ain't to be bothered."

"He's my son," Eon said lowly.

"Doubt that one," Marshadow said lowly. "Y'don't give off that fatherly vibe. Who are yeh, really?"

Despite his tiny stature, Marshadow felt like the dominating presence in the room, but Eon refused to admit that. He stood his ground, dug his toes into the floor, and said, "Owen is my partner."

"Mhm. And how come he never mentions yeh?"

"He's confused. His memories are scrambled, and… I just need to talk to him." The very fact that he had to explain himself… Nobody understood. But he had to play their game.

"Well, yeh c'n talk with him when he wants. If he didn't mention yeh, then I ain't heard o' yeh."

"Why don't you ask?" Eon proposed quickly. "Ask him if he wants to see me—Eon. Or, or if he remembers… Tim."

Marshadow squinted. "…That name… somethin' about that name…" He sighed. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Listen, yeh gotta lay off the guy."

"You won't even tell him I'm looking for him?"

Marshadow sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. Then, he relented. "If he asks, I'll answer. But I ain't gonna go outa my way."

But that wasn't enough for Eon. Marshadow didn't understand how confused Owen was. Eon would have to go to Owen himself. With a bold step forward, Eon advanced down the hall in search of the vulnerable Charmander. He needed protection right now, not to be psychoanalyzed by a bunch of strangers.

A shadowy circle trailed in front of Eon, and Marshadow emerged from the ground several feet ahead.

"Last warning," Marshadow said in a sing-song voice. "You don't wanna break out in a fight with me, do ya?"

"I'm," Eon said, his flame climbing to a blue ember, "a lot stronger than you think."

"I'm," Marshadow said, his shadowy wisps slowly turning green, "glad ter hear it."

The wind starting to swirl around him. There wasn't a lot of earth for him to work with, but he imagined he could simply conjure dirt if he needed. Gahi wasn't the only one who had access to his power still… Though it was more useful as a trump card in this strange land. But if it was to get to Owen—

"Not that it matters," Marshadow said with a shrug, the green fire on his head returning to black. "Think about it. You fight me, the whole town's against you. Nobody's gonna want you around. Rowdy newcomer starts beatin' people up fer not followin' their requests? This ain't a place where we tolerate that kinda behavior. So yer either gonna turn around, er this whole town is gonna make sure you never see Charmander again."

Eon's tail was white-hot by now, but Marshadow did not waver. Instead, a green tinge colored his shadowy wisps again, the very tips transitioning to yellow.

He wanted nothing more than to step through and call Marshadow's bluff. But he also knew that if Owen saw him fighting to get through… After everything else that had happened at Quartz…

"Are you at least taking care of him?" Eon asked, his flame slowly returning to orange.

"I'm pullin' a lot of strings to accelerate his eval. Breakin' a lot of procedure with my override. We know he's safe to keep around." Marshadow paused. "And I want you not to speak about him too loudly, either."

"Why's that?" Eon asked.

Marshadow leaned to the side; Eon looked back and saw only Jynx there, who nodded and returned to her front desk.

"Do you know about the third god?" Marshadow asked.

"…What?"

"Figured." While disappointed, he also didn't look surprised. "Seems like he's a mystery in the living world, maybe totally forgotten by the same Decree that made us ferget each other. Well, here's what's going on: Charmander's spirit is so strongly tied ter that third god that there are gonna be some big names in the Voidlands after him. The King, fer one."

"King? Of the Voidlands?"

"More or less." Marshadow's green and yellow wisps returned to black, and Eon's tail, in kind, returned to its normal blaze. "He lives far north of here, in the Voidlands capitol: Cipher City. And if he finds out we have someone like Owen… Well. Our little… covert resistance network will fall right apart! Heh. You wouldn't want that. A seer like you would be rounded up and forced ter serve good ol' King Alexander."

"Alexander? How funny. Owen's false father is named Alex."

"Heh, well, names like those're weird, but they ain't uncommon. His pops is a Magmortar, I heard."

"Well, that's his current form. He used to be a Hydreigon."

Something in Marshadow's gaze shifted just then. "Well, ain't that somethin'," he said. "That's the tyrant king's species, too."

Eon blinked, confused. That… was too strange to be a coincidence. Yet the possibility that it wasn't pure chance was even stranger.

"Well, either way," Marshadow said, "'s far as I'm concerned, yer part o' the Voidlands Protection Network now. That's us. An' that means I'm yer commander. D'you accept, er are you gonna be a civilian?"

"…What happens if I refuse?" Eon asked.

"Then I'mma kick yeh out fer trespassin'."

"Fine, then… if I accept, can I see Owen?"

"Nope, 'cause then yer under my command." Marshadow gestured forward. "If he asks fer you, then I got no power. Y'c'n taunt me all y'want if that happens."

He could still protest if he wanted. Would Owen be proud of that sort of thing? …He wouldn't. Too careful. Owen's glare still burned in his mind. He had such a track record of doing things for him that Owen ended up hating because of how far he'd gone. Would this be one of those instances?

"Then tell me what I should do for now," Eon said. "I'll wait for Owen."

"I'd normally take yeh ter training, but ain't nothin' better than practicals. I'm gonna take yeh on yer first mission: find Flygon with some scouts. Maybe if yer good, I'll accelerate yer training so yeh have some authority around here…"

Was that a taunt? Eon gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Lead the way."