Chapter 106 – Brewing Darkness
After the chaos of chasing Aster from Null Village, the whole town had gone into lockdown, leaving Jerry stuck with a lot of the others in the evaluation building. Aster had fled with Latias hot on his tail, and after that, it didn't seem like anybody else had remained. The reason for the lockdown, though, was because Dark Matter had been detected rapidly approaching Null Village at around the same time Latias had been spotted, which led to a lot of cautionary procedures Jerry hadn't even known they had.
That left him stuck in a room with Zena, Trina, and a bubbling, growling Amia in her element-proof container.
"So much for running off with them to find Palkia or whatever that plan was supposed to be," Jerry muttered. "He ditched us!"
"It wasn't like he had a choice," Zena said, though she'd been squeezing her ribbons repeatedly to pass the time. "I do hope he's okay…"
"I believe so," Trina replied. "I caught glimpses of that fused version of Team Alloy. They're fast. I don't think Aster will be able to catch up very easily."
"I'm worried about how quickly Latias fled, too," Zena hummed. "One was real, and I think the other… She used an attack I'd only seen from Anam, when…"
"Kggrrr…"
"Yeah, Amia's got a point." Jerry rolled his eyes. "You guys speculate too much. I just want to get out and see if my place is set up yet."
"Your place?" Zena tilted her head.
"You know, for living here." Jerry sighed. "Now that we're cleared of corruption or whatever they search for, I'm going to get a Class and then a job to go with it. Didn't they prompt you at all?"
"No… They're still evaluating my Class." Zena looked rolled her ribbons again. "Since my memories aren't complete, they said they're determining if I'm B or C."
"Rough. I'm A here."
"They seem certain that I'm a Class B as well," Trina added. "But I can't recall what I forgot."
"Uh, duh."
Trina scowled.
Light footsteps followed by a gentle knock at the door caught their attention.
"Finally, maybe we can get outta here." Jerry stretched his legs from sitting down for too long.
The door slid open; in came Marshadow and a red-white, floating Pokémon. There had been a lot of unfamiliar Pokémon recently.
"Lemme guess." Jerry folded his wings. "Friend of yours?"
"Yeh." Marshadow gestured to her. "This is Latias."
"Sounds familiar…"
"Legendary Pokémon, same ol' same ol'." Marshadow waved dismissively.
"It's nice to meet you," Latias said, floating forward with her hand outstretched.
Jerry tilted his head. She didn't seem very friendly. Polite, maybe, but…
Zena reached out with a ribbon and shook Latias' hand, and Trina, struggling to reach, did the same while looking away.
"The sooner I can evolve again, the better," Trina muttered.
Latias then approached Jerry, holding out her hand.
"Kinda formal," Jerry remarked.
"It's polite," Latias said without a hint of a smile.
"It's not so hard, Jerry" Zena stared at him. "Be polite."
"It may be unorthodox, but we may as well." Trina added.
Something about this didn't sit right with Jerry. They were all staring at him. What was going on? The air in the room seemed… different.
"Bbgg…" Even Amia seemed a little more docile than usual. And that was probably the strangest thing of all.
Whatever. This wasn't important. "Alright, fine, fine." Jerry reached out and shook her hand.
As soon as he did, Latias let go and spun around. Wordlessly, she exited the room. Marshadow followed, but before Jerry could say anything in annoyance, Zena and Trina went next. Jerry blinked and, without thinking, followed after them in silence.
What was that? Jerry glanced at Trina. She didn't look back. Instead, she hopped onto Zena's head and stationed herself there, anchoring herself to her horn using a vine. Zena, too, stared directly ahead, though she seemed conflicted about something. Did I black out? Did I forget a whole conversation? What's going on?!
But Jerry knew that speaking up about everyone else acting strange would only draw attention to himself. Then they might attack him or… something.
Keeping his pacing normal, Jerry followed the others down the hall and out the main building. Dialga was probably somewhere nearby. Would he be under the same spell? That was the last thing they needed.
The strange potted plants that lined the halls were a good distraction while they walked, and it didn't seem like any of them suspected him as abnormal. Or, in this case, normal.
Once out of the building, Latias growled and Jerry was certain that was going to be the end for him. But instead, she was focused on some speck of purple in the sky—and then Jerry growled, too. He'd recognize that shade of purple anywhere… And the fact that it was flying in the sky?
Anam for sure.
Wordlessly, Latias flew high and away from town. Zena, with Trina on her head, went in another direction. Marshadow sank into the ground, his black haze following yet another path. Jerry, following their behavior, took off next and flew in another direction entirely, heart hammering in his chest.
Finally, some reprieve. Alone from… whatever just happened. That wasn't right. None of that was normal. And it was right before his eyes, too. That handshake. It must have been the handshake.
But he had no idea what to do next.
Why did they run from Anam?
A horrible realization came over him: Anam was who he had to talk to.
Why? Why like this?
Banking to the right, he redirected his path until he could see the flying Goodra descending. With a permanent scowl, the Aerodactyl lowered next. It seemed like some scouts were investigating whether Anam was safe to let through or not, but Jerry knew. He knew what Anam looked like when he was possessed by darkness, and this wasn't it.
But for now, he'd have to wait it out, and pray that Zena and the others, under whatever spell they were in, wouldn't come for him next.
By the time Jerry landed, he could hear only the last part of Anam's plea.
"You need to let me in! Dark Matter is right inside!"
And that was really all he needed to know. "He's right," Jerry said automatically.
"Oh, hi, Jerry!" Anam said cheerfully, waving at him.
Jerry didn't wave back. He addressed the guards, "Something weird happened inside with Marshadow and some of my friends. There was someone called Latias. She touched Zena, Trina, and me, and I think Marshadow before, and… it was like they just wordlessly followed him after that."
"He didn't touch you?" Anam asked.
"He did. But nothing happened to—back off!" Jerry beat his wings and hopped away when Anam had lunged at him. "You aren't gonna slime on me again, no way!"
"Please, I need to check!"
The guards were having no effect on pulling him away. Any effort led to him literally slipping through their grasps. Several guards readied attacks. A nearby Luxray's fangs glittered with ice, while a Marowak readied his club, which looked like it had been fashioned out of stone.
"Check what? Words! Use words!" Jerry landed when Anam finally looked like he wouldn't go for another awful Goodra hug.
"I need to look if the darkness in your heart is there or not," Anam explained. "I can purify it! I promise!"
"Darkness in my freaking heart, wow, that's something even for you." Jerry couldn't help but laugh. "Let me guess, you're telling me that it's the darkness in my heart that led to my whole life falling to—"
"Yes! Actually!" Anam clasped his hands together, begging. "Please, just let me try something. It won't hurt this time, maybe."
"You're gonna explain exactly what you're going to do, and then we'll see." Jerry couldn't believe he was humoring him, but Anam, being so earnest… He probably wasn't lying. He was misguided and he probably did a whole lot of bad that he didn't even realize, but for once Anam looked like he knew what he was doing.
And it was better than facing those spellbound Pokémon back in Null Village.
Anam quivered, which left ripples in his semisolid body. "I'm… I inherited my mom's power a long time ago, when she died. She gave it to me by breaking a Promise. Y-you remember those, right?"
Jerry had no idea what Anam was talking about, but he had enough pieces to guess. "I'll assume it makes sense."
"Part of her power was from Necrozma—his light could dispel corruption from Dark Matter. Some of his disciples had the same power. Cresselia, Celebi, um—and Mom, too."
"Was this the same thing you tried on me before?" Jerry asked, a phantom pain throbbing in his chest. "Back with my folks. My dad. You took away his power."
"It was evil, Jerry, I'm… sorry. It corrupts you. But it would have brought you to this world if you kept it…"
"Wow, ain't that something, I'm here now!" Jerry had half a mind to leave. He wanted to. He didn't care what would happen. Just one step away…
"I'm sorry! But… I need to try now. Okay? Please?"
"Look, forget it. I don't care anymore. Just tell me if you can fix what's going on in town. You, guards. Any of what this guy says making sense?"
"No."
"Do you think he's telling the truth?"
The guards hesitated.
"Yeah, I get that feeling, too," Jerry grunted. He hated how Anam somehow had that effect on people. Or maybe it was his sheer power. The guards wouldn't be able to stop him if they tried. Was that it?
"Can you show us what that purifying power looks like?" one guard, a Gallade, asked.
"I'm kinda curious, too," said a Greninja next to him. He poked his slimy fingers together. "Been a while since we had this much excitement." To this, Gallade rolled his eyes.
"I will," Anam said. "But I need to see someone who's like that first. Who was acting weird?"
"Zena, Trina, Marshadow," Jerry listed off, "and this Pokémon called Latias spread it."
"That's Dark Matter. I can try to get him to go away, but… I can't beat him."
Something about that was worrying. Of course Anam couldn't beat Dark Matter—he had been possessed by him, for one. Yet if Anam had been so horribly powerful against Jerry and his father so long ago, and even he couldn't beat Dark Matter…
"Let's just try to find Zena and the others," Jerry said. "Maybe Dark Matter'll just leave. He seemed pretty keen on doing that."
"What's he doing here, anyway?" asked the Gallade guard. "What's the point?"
And as Anam stepped through the town, looking pensive, he said, "I think he's trying to build an army."
Poison spikes clanged against metal walls, leaving Owen startled by how loud it was. But he kept going, and right by his side was Tim, panting and nearly tripping over himself. Ayame had gone ahead with Ire. He and Tim had stayed behind to distract some of the humans and their Pokémon. Smoke Screen did wonders for that, but they had to maintain it and give false paths along the way.
All of Ayame's research and their contacts with the police had led to this moment—a lead in where the rest of his team had gone. It was amazing how the clues had practically fallen into their laps, like someone had been helping them from the shadows. And maybe they were!
They'd infiltrated one of the hideouts hidden in plain sight. The place had a strange feeling of both danger and mysticism. Danger from the countless criminals that infested the place, ad mysticism because… Owen wasn't sure. He felt a presence here. Were they keeping something important in the area, or was something else here, watching?
But that didn't really matter. They had to get in and get out. The police would have taken too long and they were already on the move, according to Tim.
Owen had a feeling that wasn't a good idea, but he also wanted to get his team back before they were gone forever. Tim knew the way, and he followed. He trusted Tim.
Ahead was another set of guards, each one with a Poison Pokémon. This team really loved debilitating and wearing down their opponents, and Owen couldn't be more irritated at it. Why did these Pokémon choose to side with them, anyway? Was it for the power? Or were they pampered? It didn't make sense…
Did some Pokémon not care who they were with, as long as they could fight?
Another poison needle zipped past his head and he dove out of the way as a delayed reaction. That was a mistake; a violet glob flew through the air and directly toward his chest. He tried to swat it away, but that was his second mistake as it burst violently, smashing him into the wall. He heard Tim cry his name, then yelped as several needles struck where he'd once stood.
No, Owen hissed, you don't attack my human! How dare you!
He shakily got to his feet and spewed a beam of fire blindly forward. Someone cried out—not a Pokémon. That was a human, and Owen abruptly cut off his flames. Through his blurry vision, he saw a human, standing upright, and a slightly burned Weezing.
That was a trick!
And then the Weezing spat up another Sludge Bomb toward him. He was so stunned by the underhanded move that he only barely dodged out of the way. Rewarded by sharp pains in his side, he tripped into the wall, crying out. That one got into his system. That cold, numbing feeling was starting to seep into more than just his arm. If that kept up, he'd be down in no time.
Tim! Was he okay? Yes, and he was running past him.
"Owen, this way!"
"Hang on!" Owen called, panting, and Tim slowed down.
"What's wrong? Ah—you're poisoned! I—okay, hang on, let me—"
"Do it while we're running."
"Okay, okay—"
Now, Owen was ahead, but not by much. A stinging warmth spread over his back and his arm, potent chemicals seeping into him. Owen had no idea how those things worked, but after that initial pain, the relief that followed was worth every battle. Though, he wouldn't have minded powering through the pain for a little while longer. But not now. They had to go ahead. What if they got—
"Ayame!" Tim stopped by the fallen girl, who was clutching at a wound dripping with poison.
"I'll be fine," Ayame hissed, though most of her left side was splotched with purple. Her eyes were tearstained, but it wasn't because of the pain. "Ire. They took Ire. I couldn't…"
"Which way? Which way?!"
Ayame pointed down the left hall. Tim was ready to go, but then hesitated, looking at Ayame. "Take this, okay?" he said, placing down a Pecha Berry for her. "We'll go on ahead. Owen! Let's go."
"But what if they hurt her again?" Owen asked.
"Just go!" Ayame shouted. "I'll catch up. I'm not letting them take Ire away."
That was enough. They ran for a few more halls, narrowly avoiding a few of the grunts that had ambushed out from the sides, and Owen wondered if they'd even find a way out at this rate. He was strong, but he didn't know if there were any truly powerful Pokémon lurking about here.
Most of them weren't. They didn't have strong bonds with their humans. They weren't disciplined. But maybe there were a few that were.
"There!" Tim shouted. He saw it, too. Ire's Poké Ball was just ahead, with the little stickers that Ayame had put on it. It was in the hands of one of the grunts, out in the open down a dimly lit hall. They sprinted, but Tim was faster.
"Stop!" Tim cried, like they'd listen.
Owen breathed out another Flamethrower, torching a Zubat and a Golbat this time, but the moment they rounded the corner, metal clangs sounded behind him, and a cold feeling spread through his chest and gut. When he looked down, the searing pain followed, his whole front riddled with Poison Stings. He slowly looked left, dreading what he would see…
Tim was slumped over, clutching at one of the worst of his wounds. His breathing was quick and shallow.
"Owen," Tim wheezed. "Pecha. I need…"
Owen hastily grabbed one, hoping it would be enough. They weren't as effective on humans, and he had several needles in him…
Before he could pass the Pecha over, several more needles struck Tim, a few of them several inches into his chest. His eyes bugged out. Owen felt similar stings on his side; he turned in disbelief to see that the guard was still there, smirking, with his Nidorina by his side.
Why were they still trying to fight? The battle was over! They won! But… he was still going to attack. And Ire's Poké Ball was right there. He had to get past Nidorina.
Owen stood between Nidorina and Tim, arms spread out. Nidorina crouched down and stomped and snorted. Owen took one step, and then fell to a knee with a pained howl, an older injury from earlier in the assault catching up to him.
The trainer behind Nidorina laughed. "And here I thought it'd be hard! Whatever! Finish them off!"
Everything moved so slowly. The Pokémon in front of him, the human behind her, and Tim… slower, darker. His mind was running as fast as it could, but his body couldn't do anything more.
And then, he heard a voice.
Looks like you guys are having trouble.
It came from inside his head. Was this… telepathy? He'd seen Psychic Pokémon do it before, but only powerful ones. But this voice was so loud, so clear, that Owen could not even comprehend how powerful it must have been. It felt like he was talking to his mother.
These guys are bad news. But I can't show myself to them. They're too crafty, and they might catch me, too. But hey. If you promise to cause some chaos for them… I'll get you out of this mess.
I want to save my human, Owen replied desperately.
Your… human? Why?
Please… let me save him.
You domesticated Pokémon make me sad. Buuuut okay. One miracle, coming right up!
And then, time started to flow normally again. Was that a vision? A hallucination? Owen took a breath and realized that all of his injuries were still definitely there, if not worse. The poison was seeping into him. Miracle, what miracle? He glanced at Tim. The human was barely conscious.
Miracles were useless here. He had to be his own miracle. Slowly, Owen staggered back to his feet, but Nidorina slammed into him. The Charmeleon went flying into Tim and a few of the poison spikes sank deeper into both of their bodies. Owen whimpered, trying to get back up, but Nidorina slammed into him again, and again, even more poison seeping into him. His scales darkened, closer to purple than red.
Nidorina stomped again, snorting, looking back at her trainer for the next order. The grunt was reveling in this, giddy, ecstatic at some sadistic pleasure in what he was doing. "I've never gotten this kind of action before," he said. "Nidorina, what do you say? They can't fight anymore. Should we catch that Charmeleon next, or maybe… Mm, nah. He'll never obey."
"Definitely not. He's too loyal." Nidorina smirked at Owen. "I'll give you one last chance, Charmeleon. Leave your trainer and we'll let you both live. How's that sound? You know, fighting is fun, and you'll get to do a lot of that with us. Your human will slink back to his home and forget all about you anyway. Partnerships aren't meant to last."
What did that mean? Of course they didn't last. Countless humans and Pokémon paired off and then split away when their journeys were over. They had different lives to live.
But Tim was different. Tim was his human. And he wasn't done with him yet.
"I'm sorry," Tim whispered. Owen knew he wanted to say more, but he couldn't.
But Owen had more to say. A seething, burning rage welled up in his chest. Power from someplace he didn't know built further, ready to burst from his throat. Yet when he tried to breathe it out, nothing came, and his vision went white. The last thing he saw was Nidorina and her human flinching in surprise.
Tim was his partner. He was the best human he'd ever met. Ayame and Ire were the same, and these humans were trying to split them apart.
No, he refused to let that happen. Not again. Never again.
He saw flashes of his former team. A Pidgeot, proud and boastful. A Nidorino, reckless and inexperienced but eager to learn… Gone. Taken. And that a sinking feeling that he'd never see them again came back tenfold in that white haze.
Had they been convinced by these humans to fight without Tim? To forget Tim?
Owen's vision returned. Everything was… smaller. He felt heavier. There was a new weight on his back, and when he turned to look, he realized his head had a lot more mobility. His neck had grown.
Wings.
He had wings…
Nidorina's ears pinned to her head. A single Flamethrower took her out, and rather than withdraw her, the human kept running away.
Running away with Ire.
The rage wasn't going away. That seething heat, that power, that elation was only getting better. Tim was propped up against the wall, trying to eat a Pecha. He got a bite.
"Stay here," Owen said, thumping his tail on the wall. So powerful. And that human. He loved to fight, didn't he?
"Owen," Tim said, "wait—he dropped it. Look."
Ire's ball was tossed to the side.
Owen flew past it. The human was close. Slow. Weak. Weak. Weak. He wasn't going to let him take away another Pokémon.
The human looked back and screamed, pointing at something behind Owen, on the ground. Probably the ball. But the Charizard didn't care about that right now.
Nidorina's trainer screamed; Owen roared. His claws sank into flesh. All he saw was crimson.
Demitri was beside himself, and it took assurances from Latias, Mispy, and even Palkia to calm him down. He kept blubbering that Owen was dead, and that had sent him into a full panic, no matter what that really meant in the Voidlands. Mispy wrapped her vines around him and squeezed hard, rocking him left and right while gently shushing him. Gahi, rolling his eyes, tossed the apple from left to right in his hands absentmindedly.
"Um, maybe you shouldn't do that?" Latias said gently.
"Eh?"
"That's… Owen, after all…"
"Oh, right—eh…" Gahi had forgotten. "Look, it ain't like I'm used ter an apple bein'… an apple."
"I'm recovered enough by now," Palkia said, tapping his claws together while grinning warmly. "This has been very exciting! Though I'm still not sure how long I've been gone."
"Centuries," Latias said. "And yet it's like you hardly changed at all!"
"Well, I imagine so! I don't remember most of it. A shame. I was very curious what it would have been like to rampage as a Titan! Instead, I was placed in stasis. I suppose some Legends are simply too powerful to directly corrupt. Perhaps the higher ones such as myself."
Latias seemed unnerved. "Um, double back for a second. Did you just say you were curious about becoming a Titan?"
"Most certainly!" Palkia nodded. "I feel cheated, really."
"But, um, if you actually Voided, you might forget who you are."
"Ahh, that is a disadvantage." Palkia sighed. "Well, I suppose I should count my blessings. For example, some of my strength has returned, and I would love to see Dialga again. Where precisely is your village? I will warp us there immediately!"
"O-oh, um, you need the exact location?" Latias asked.
"Well, yes. I am the Spacekeeper, not the Locationkeeper. I suppose Zygarde would be more appropriate for such a task. Ah! Is he a Titan as well? I would love to witness a rescue of another Legend."
"This guy sure talks," Gahi murmured to Demitri, who kept staring at Owen's shiny, round, fruity form.
"I'll try to give a good guess," Latias said. "Can you warp multiple times?"
"Certainly!"
After some descriptions and several back-and-forth frustrations on how far a 'minute of flight' was, Palkia nodded and raised his right arm. "Now, stand back! I shall carve a portal for us to go through. It's not the most powerful use of Spacial Rend, but it does clear a path, so don't go between it, yes?"
Palkia slashed the air; the light itself seemed to part in that line before spreading into a black void. A faded image took its place, like a rip in fabric, and a cracking noise vibrated across Gahi's head.
"Geez, sounded like glass breaking," Gahi mumbled.
"Ah, that was not the portal." Palkia clutched at his shoulder, where that large, pink gem inside had gained a few lines, ready to shatter.
"P-Palkia! Are you—"
"Hurry through, now!" Palkia urged cheerfully. "We can handle this later! I shall follow behind."
They didn't hesitate and slipped through. It was surreal; it wasn't like one of the distortions seen within Dungeons, passing through a vertical barrier of water-like ripples. It was simply a flat portion of space that, no matter which way they looked at it, seemed to transfer into a different place than it should have.
In this case, only for a small portion of their vision, there was a forest, and everywhere else was more of the Nil Plateaus. Gahi, curious, quickly sprinted around this segment of space, and found that no matter which way he looked, the forest was always only there in that part of the flatlands. Palkia disappeared completely when he was opposite to the Spacekeeper, the tear in space between them.
"Now, now, in you go! It won't last too long," Palkia added as his second gemstone made worrying crackling sounds.
They all passed through, and Gahi made sure they still had Owen's apple. Now they were in a forest, but Latias' directions hadn't been quite enough to direct them to the proper spot. Latias cautiously went above the trees, but not for too long in case there were hidden Void Shadows among the dead forest's hideaways.
"Not bad!" Latias said, descending. "We're close. If we fly, it'll only be a few minutes. I see the spire ahead!"
"Flight… may not be an option," Palkia admitted, and finally a hint of pain leaked through his expression.
"Are you okay?" Demitri asked, stepping closer. "Those… those stones in your shoulders, they're—"
"A bit of a natural conduit of my power, yes," Palkia said. "Unfortunately, under the strain, and my recent… recovery… I may have overexerted myself. Yes, very unfortunate."
"Then we'll walk the rest of the way," Gahi said, marching. "Gotta be some way ter fix Owen. I liked'm when he was a plant, not an apple."
Mispy whipped Gahi on the arm not holding Owen. "Oi! Plants're nice!"
"Careful with the apple," Demitri squeaked. "Owen might be scared…"
Mispy closed her eyes to check, then frowned. "He's… dreaming."
"Apples c'n dream?"
"Same… feeling," Mispy explained. She looked at Gahi, then at Owen again. "Telepathy?"
"Eh? Telepathy?" Gahi looked down. "With an apple?"
"Mm. If he's dreaming… then…"
"Hey, yeah!" Demitri piped up. "If he's dreaming, then maybe you can use some Psychic power to communicate with him! Try it, Gahi!"
"You'd have… a strong connection," Mispy said.
"Eh? Why us?"
Mispy stared. Like she knew something. Was it something from earlier? Not like it mattered.
"Bah, whatever." He pressed his head against the apple. Owen? Y'there?
GAH!
Gahi, pulled the apple away, staring. "Yep, he's there."
"What'd he say?"
"I think I startled'm."
"Ask him if he's alright!"
Gahi rolled his eyes and obeyed. You alright?
No! I don't know where I am! It's dark and I can't move or see or… I don't know! Am I in the aura sea? It feels… kinda similar.
Nah, yer an apple.
Gahi didn't get a reply, so he used the time to explain to the others, "He doesn't know he's an apple. I told him. He ain't talking."
"Understandable." Palkia nodded. "Goodness, I wonder what it would be like if I were an apple. Hmm, perhaps I could—"
"No tests!" Latias peeped.
The ground shook and a series of panicked cries emanated from town. The team picked up the pace, Gahi leading the way with Owen in his hands. "Dark Matter might still be fighting in there," Latias said. "Be careful. Don't let him touch you."
"How'd we recover last time?" Gahi looked to Demitri and Mispy, but they both shrugged.
"It just wore off suddenly," Demitri said. "Right when… When did it happen for you, Latias?"
"When I bumped into Owen's Protect, it was like Dark Matter flew right out of me."
"Protect…" Mispy nodded to herself. "That."
"Owen's Protect did it?" Demitri looked at the apple.
"Of course!" Latias flew a little higher. "His spirit is infused with Necrozma's light. That Protect must be manifesting it. Just like Cresselia or Celebi!"
More shrieks, and it sounded like a gushing blast of water had slammed into stone.
Just at the edge of town, a Goodra stood beside an Aerodactyl, the former missing an arm. Instead of blood, the Goodra oozed purple mass.
"Anam?!" Demitri shouted.
Anam glanced back, then turned completely around. He gasped and leaned a little, like he was waving, but it was with the missing arm. He leaned the other way and waved properly. "I'm—"
Another blast of water knocked his head clean off, sending it skyward. Jerry watched in horror before diving out of the way of another beam of water. Anam's head landed in Demitri's arms.
"—so glad to see you guys!" Anam finished. The rest of his body wobbled toward them. "Can you guys help me get Zena? I already caught Trina, but Marshadow and Zena are still controlled. Eon's trying to get Marshadow."
"Owen can purify, too," Gahi held up the apple.
"Oh! I didn't know the Grass Guardian could do that."
"Well," Palkia said, raising a claw, "I do not believe that's the case here."
"Hey, can we do reunions later?!" Jerry shouted. "She's getting away!" He gestured left, where the faint prismatic sheen of a Milotic slithered around one of the buildings.
"I got this," Gahi said, speeding forward. He pressed Owen's apple form to his forehead. Hey, you awake?
Am I really an apple?
I want you ter try a Protect.
Why am I an apple? How?
We kinda need a Protect!
Can I even do that? …Okay, fine, but answer me after. Hang on.
Gahi saw Zena ahead. When she looked back, she glared and opened her mouth. Blue energy and mist circled around the edge of her mouth like a vortex; Gahi waited, timing things just right.
I'm gonna do it, Owen said. Ready?
The apple had a faint, golden glow. It wasn't nearly as strong as Owen's standard protects, and he had a feeling he'd have a lot less time to touch Zena, too. Would it even purify her? Gahi tried to channel some power into the apple, too. Maybe that would help. A light, fluttering feeling in his chest, accompanied by a brighter glow in the apple, at least gave him some confidence.
Yeah. Do it when I say, Gahi replied.
The mist flashed white and expelled a concentrated beam of water. The speed would have been too much for anyone but Gahi, who weaved out of the way as it carved a hole in the solid roads behind him.
Now!
Gahi disappeared and reappeared next to her. Zena reared up and slapped Gahi across the face with a watery tail. It stung and left a sharp ringing in his ears. But the apple was golden and Gahi slammed it on Zena's side.
The Milotic went stiff, gasped, and then leaned onto him. Gahi fell over and let go of Owen, grunting. "Oi, get off!" he hissed.
"What happened?" Zena asked breathlessly. "I—why was I—I was attacking you, what did you do to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there must have been a very good reason I wanted to kill you!"
"There ain't!"
Zena narrowed her eyes, pulling away. "Well, I don't anymore… I don't understand. It… was a feeling that came over me—"
"Dark Matter got yeh," Gahi said. "Happened ter me, too. Yer fine now."
"I… what? When? How?"
"Can we discuss this when we're safer?" Latias asked. "Where's Dark Matter now?"
"Away," Anam said. "I think he wants to avoid me…"
"Good! Then let's gather everyone. Who's missing? I, um, I don't know any of you…"
"Eon?" Mispy asked.
"He's at Dialga's," Jerry reported.
Palkia perked up.
"Alright, then let's go there," Latias said.
Palkia clapped excitedly. "This has been a wonderful first day back."