Chapter 189 – Before Dawn

"Now that you understand the urgency behind this… would you like to hear what I have to say?"

"…Yeah. Tell me everything."

Owen sat up from his nest next to the lake. He looked at his hands and squeezed them. Still a little sore, but over the day he'd feel better. He was recovered enough.

The Charizard stretched and flapped a wing into the pool of water next to him, splashing droplets into the air. Moments later, the water rippled… Zena's head and neck emerged from the water, though most of her was still melted into the pool.

"Owen? It's… not even morning."

"Yeah." Owen sighed. "Sorry, Zena. But we need to cut our rest short."

She slowly emerged more. "What's going on?"

"…Remember that story I told you about Mhynt and I in Cipher Castle, about the deck of cards?"

"I do. About… something about jokers in the deck."

Owen nodded. "I need to do that again," he said. "This time against… the Overseers themselves." Owen leaned outside and checked his Perceive. Everyone else was either asleep or out of earshot. "But a deck has two jokers. Zena… are you in?"

But really, with the glint in her eyes, Owen didn't even have to ask.

"Alexander is set to wake up from Darkrai's clutches tomorrow. The radiance of the sun will suppress his power when that happens, but once night falls, anything the light can no longer touch will fall under his domain. The sun will not be strong enough afterward… and the world will fall to the Voidlands once more."

It was the beginning of Kilo's final day.

Kilo Village was much quieter just before daybreak. It was too late for the nocturnal Pokémon to be out, but too early for most of the diurnal crowd to rise. That left a quiet, tense coldness in the air, punctuated by Owen's footsteps that seemed much louder than any other time of day.

Behind him was Zena, equally tense under that strange silence. That surreal feeling of Kilo's last sunrise if they failed. But one way or the other, they had to win.

"It's so different this time," Zena whispered. "I feel like if I speak too loud, I'll disturb the moment…"

"Probably would," Owen said. "Anyway, let's see…"

If he remembered his Waypoints right, and if they were all properly restored by now, the best Waypoint to take would be…

"Here. This is the one," Owen whispered, pointing at one that went close to Atto Town.

"There? I thought that place was still awaiting reconstruction."

"It's the closest Waypoint to where we have to go," Owen said.

"Why so secretive?"

Owen's Perceive felt it all. That they were being watched by someone Owen always had trouble reading—a certain Zygarde… or one of them, at least.

"Let's head in," Owen said with a more serious nod. Zena understood enough to follow him through.

Atto Town was a quiet, abandoned settlement just southeast of most other Dungeons, including Fae Fae Forest. Despite being so far east, mutants had even gotten here during the outbreak, laying waste to many buildings and hurting—or worse—so many. Now, it was a ghost town. Owen could Perceive homes in still-life, abandoned by its inhabitants and yet with its furniture still in place. Food had long since rotted; doors half-open; nests with blankets thrown off and left alone since.

It was all… so empty. So much of the world had already been ravaged by one superpower or another. There wasn't any time to recover; everyone was trying to find their place in Kilo Village. But that wasn't their home.

"It's so sad," Zena whispered, slithering by Owen's side. "You can tell that people were evacuated without warning… if they were able to get out at all. Owen, can you tell how many made it out?"

His Perceive gave hints. Scratch marks here. Patches of dirt that had dried after a drink of blood.

"You know… you mentioned, back before the Dark War you had a power to 'Perceive' the past. Is that true?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Aura trace." Unconsciously, Owen ran a claw over his bone necklace, thoughtful. "It's not Perceive, though. Or, it kind of is, but using a different power along with it. It's more like… reading the memory of someone and playing it back. And it's not as easy, either. It's usually something that's at the forefront of their mind."

"Their thoughts?"

"No. More like… the backing of those thoughts. I can see where they 'used to be,' and the things that happened at around that point." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I—was just wondering if you could Perceive the 'past' of this town," Zena said. "But it sounds like you can't."

Owen nodded. "No essence here. Just dust and an abandoned… Hang on."

Scanning the town, he switched from Perceive to basic aura senses. Underground…

"Owen? Wait!"

At the edge of town, the ground was recently disturbed, and below he could Perceive the bones of a fallen Pokémon. The way it was positioned… two-legged, but he didn't want to spend too long figuring out the exact species. It was buried deliberately—out of respect.

"Maybe I can," Owen said.

"Is someone alive down there?" Zena whispered.

"Oh, no. It's just a skeleton. But… there might be a trace for me to check."

Zena seemed confused as she slithered after him.

"Remember what my father said?"

"…Um…"

"Oh, sorry." Owen tittered, scratching his cheek. "My Marowak father. About bones."

"…Oh! That they believe spirits remain in the bones of the deceased, right? That's why you…"

Owen held his necklace again, nodding. "I know it's weird… and not really the reality of what happens… but there's a bit of truth to it. And I want to respect that tradition. I think Mom would've wanted that, too."

Zena nodded solemnly. "We know the spirit doesn't remain there. We've seen the dead and where they go, so… what's still there? The aura?"

"Traces of it. Not sure how long it lasts, but it's always faint." Owen knelt by the ground, placing a palm on the soil. He dug his claws into the earth and extended them as roots. "But in this town, there isn't anyone else around but us. It's a lot easier to sense those faint auras. You try."

Zena closed her eyes. In a silence that left Owen antsy, realizing they were wasting time, he glanced at the sky. Still very dark. He'd get nervous once he saw the sunrise.

"Oh!" Zena nodded. "It's very faint, but… yes! I do see it. It's like how we couldn't see the stars back in Kanto because of all the light pollution. But once we were in Alola's wilderness…"

"That's a good analogy," Owen agreed. "And with that faint trace…"

He focused. He was rusty, but maybe, just maybe, he could reawaken that power again. He reached toward those bones and coaxed out the essence.

What happened? he asked.

At first, silence. Then… something.

Owen followed it with his body, not thinking about it. First, he stood and stepped away, toward town. He felt a foreign feeling—not thoughts, but feelings that were not his own. First, nothing, as he had been relocated to this burial site. Then, tracing the memory backward, the feelings began. Former, living feelings, etched into those bones.

A duty to save others. An urge to enter a protective stance, right at the town exit. A content, final feeling. Exhaustion. Relief. Hints of sorrow… There was a sense of being outnumbered, yet mirth in how long he'd lasted. How long had this gone for?

Owen steadied his breathing. A cold wind whistled through open windows and doors. "…I think the people in this town did well," Owen said. "These bones… They're of someone who held off the mutants for a while. That's all I can get from these traces."

"That's enough for me," Zena said. "Sorry. I think I wasted time with that. Let's go."

"It's alright." Owen gently nudged Zena as they walked on. "I… think I needed that anyway."

"…You did?" Zena asked. Then, she suddenly gave him a half-glare. "You better not be thinking of sacrificing yourself—"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Owen said with a nervous laugh. "Just—just to remember that other people are fighting, too. Not just me."

"I'm watching you," Zena said, though her glare became a cautious smile. "…Do you still feel her?" she asked, pointing a ribbon at Owen's necklace.

"Huh?" He glanced down. "…You know, for a while, not really," Owen said. It's been a year, after all. This kind of thing—those traces—they only last so long. Not a whole year. But… ever since I returned to Kilo, I felt it again. Or, it became more pronounced."

"Really? I'd've expected the opposite," Zena said. "It's not even her world anymore."

"Same. But something about Kilo…" Owen frowned. "I think… it might have to do with how unstable everything is here. Life and death are a blur, even in terms of what Kilo treats things as. Back in Kanto, it was a clearer divide. Here? Dungeons tear a gateway between the living and dead… I think once we clear up the Dungeons and seal the Voidlands for good, and once we separate Astral Kilo from real Kilo, I think I'll lose that essence again, too."

"Oh…"

Owen shook his head. "I'm not sad about it. It's useful. Means I'll be able to tell when we're done."

"Still… I can't imagine. With my parents, they sort of… well, we simply grew apart over time. You…"

"…Yeah." Admittedly, it was starting to get to him, too. And he didn't need those thoughts clouding him. "Well, I can mourn about it later if I need to. I already got a lot of that done before."

"Right—sorry."

Owen shook his head. "Hey, actually. Let's talk about the plan now that we're somewhere private. I can't sense Hecto."

"Finally." Zena sighed, weaving down a marked path toward the Endless Expanse. The ground was already whiter with remnant salt blown by the winds. "Go on, then. Explain this grand plan of yours."

"It's… complicated," Owen said, "but the premise is… we're going to recreate, and modify, the Tree of Life. And our base tree… is buried in the Endless Expanse right now."

Had it not been for Owen's Perceive, finding the tree would have been an utterly impossible task. Even with it, the truly open skies and flat, reflective water dizzied Owen. The world had suddenly become an endless ankle-deep ocean, reflecting the stars so they also danced on the ground with every minute ripple. The heavens and the earth met in this place.

He was thankful, and lucky, that he'd better honed himself since then so he didn't get lost in that emptiness like before. But it still tired him out.

"Are you okay?" Zena asked.

"I… forgot how big this place was."

The salt flat's illusions tricked Owen's eyes, and it was certainly far larger than his Perceive range. The mirrored ground made the sky and land a perfect blend. And in the dark, he could only see the sky—up and down. The water was icy against his scales and he instinctively kept his tail raised, even if his default stance kept his flame high enough from the water.

"I wanted to come out early because it'd take a while. But unless we get lucky, I… don't really know…"

"We're looking for a tree buried down here, right? And nobody really visited here since then."

"Rhys buried the body, but I don't think it was thorough. They got attacked by Rim back then… Never saw this place in person after, either."

"Well, it hasn't been too long," Zena said. "But are we sure the tree didn't decompose by now? Wait, this is a salt flat, isn't it? Would it… be preserved?"

"I… don't remember what my science books told me about that one," Owen said. "But Forrest said he left a trace of divine power in the tree to preserve it."

"Oh! Then we can sense it that way?"

"Yeah. We can scour the whole place in my Perceive, and—"

"I can be faster," Zena said.

"O-oh?"

"Could you wait here?"

"Uh, sure."

Zena nodded and raised her head, scanning the landscape. "Mmm… right."

And then, she melted into the water. A small but persistent ripple expanded in all directions.

"…Oh. Right. Should've thought of that."

Owen stood awkwardly, wondering if she could hear him. Forrest's words echoed in his mind. Bearing the world, not realizing others had capabilities, too… He'd overlooked Zena completely, too.

"Ugh… He's right," he muttered. "How am I supposed to break that habit in a day?"

Crossing his arms, Owen tried to find a good place to sit, but plants refused to grow in this salt, and everything was wet. Would be nice to have Star's psychic bubbles to sit on right now… What did Barky do? He just stood a few inches off the ground for some reason. He wondered if that took energy just so he could be a little taller. That sounded like him.

Owen lost track of time, knowing only that the sun hadn't risen yet. Nevertheless, his foot tapped in the water, kicking up little bits of salt and sand. He knew wandering would only slow them down, and Zena certainly would find it sooner. But standing around doing nothing… Was there anything he could do? His flame grew hotter with his restlessness.

"I don't know what the solution is, and simply telling this to you has certainly disrupted any predictions I could have made. But know this: keep to your current path, and I suspect your downfall, and therefore Kilo's, will be from shouldering too much."

"That already nearly happened to me earlier, but I knew to trust others. They defeated Emily without me."

"That's good. That's very good."

"But that was with a special circle. There's no way the same thing would work on Alexander, and he's even stronger with a whole afterlife's worth of spirits within him… How can mortals stand up to that? I don't want them to die. I don't want them to Void out and not be able to understand the world they'd saved."

"I don't know, Owen. I'm sorry. I only know that… you alone won't be enough."

Owen sighed. "Really giving me a lot to think about," he muttered, playing bits and pieces of the conversation over and over in his head.

Something caught Owen's attention, breaking his train of thought. Zygarde—this time, a whole serpent—entered Owen's perceive range from behind.

Owen swiftly turned around, all other thoughts leaving him.

"…A serpent this time," Owen said slowly.

In the darkness of pre-morning, Zygarde's rhythmic, slowly illuminating hexagons reflected off the salt flats. The only other lights, as the stars finally faded to an approaching sunrise, was Owen's flame.

"This must be pretty serious."

"What are you doing here?" Hecto asked. His tone was perfectly neutral despite the accusatory words.

"It's part of my plan," Owen said. "What's going on?"

"It's very early."

Owen nodded. "I don't want to waste any time. Guardians don't have to sleep, remember?"

"You're still hurt. You need to rest."

"This isn't strenuous. I'll be fine," Owen said.

This wasn't simple scouting. Was… Hecto about to enforce something? Force Owen to go based on how things should be? He needed to navigate this carefully. But if Hecto interfered here…

The serpent continued. "This… is a sudden and odd change in behavior, Owen. You understand my concern when powers beyond the living realm can interfere with anyone's behavior. So, who spoke to you?"

Owen winced. The truth was the only option. If he made anything else up, Hecto would know.

Sorry, Forrest. Even if you knew this'd happen.

"It… wasn't an enemy. And someone who never was an enemy. So that's fine enough, right?"

The water was completely still. Neither side made a move. The only hint that time hadn't stopped was the flickering of Owen's flames and the shifting lights of Hecto.

"If you answer me one question truthfully," Owen said, "I'll answer one in return. We'll exchange questions until one of us is satisfied. How's that?"

"I will not leave until I get my answers. I must find values for every unknown variable."

"But you already know for sure," Owen said, "that you can't kill me, or you already would have tried. Zygarde… the Balancer. Meant to only step in if something is teetering too far in one direction. If life and death's flux lost their parity. Even as an Overseer… that's true. But right now, no matter what I'm doing, you know that without me, this world is worse than destroyed. You need to keep me alive, and you need me strong. So, you're stuck."

Complete silence was the answer Owen received. His Perceive wasn't going to work on Hecto—he was, down to every muscle twitch, too disciplined. No, this wasn't discipline. This was the body of a god. He only moved if he wished, or if he could somehow fluster him past that Overseer veneer.

"Does that," Hecto finally answered, "count as your first question?"

"No," Owen replied. "I already know the answer. And I'll give that question you gave me… as a freebie."

"Mm." The serpent's eyes dimmed. "Fine. We will trade questions."

"Since I'm the one proposing it," Owen said, "You start."

"Who—" But Hecto stopped himself. It was the first moment of potential insecurity Owen had witnessed. With a variable out of order, Hecto was already doubting himself. Good. He could use that to shake him off later.

Hecto finally continued. "What do you intend to do here?"

"…Graverobbing."

"That's a crime."

"I'll pay for it later. My question: If I follow your instructions exactly, will Kilo still exist as we once knew it two days from now?"

No reaction whatsoever. No matter what Hecto said, Owen would have no way to tell if it was a truth or a lie. Forrest could have been mistaken. Hecto, as far as Owen was aware, only lied by omission. He never said direct lies. But there was a first time for everything, just like Forrest's betrayal of Hecto's trust.

"No," Hecto answered. "It will not."

The honest answer. Owen tried to find any form of a baseline, but Hecto gave nothing. Not yet. He still had to chip away.

It was Hecto's turn again. "After your graverobbing," he said, "what do you intend to do with whatever it is you dig up?"

"I'm going to do some recycling."

Another long, heavy silence followed. Hecto hadn't moved even slightly since they'd started talking. Some part of Owen knew he was being unfair by answering so vaguely when Hecto answered directly… but at the same time, Owen wondered why Hecto wasn't asking for clarity.

Unless… he also already knew. Owen cursed in his mind but held back any outward reaction. Hecto was ahead of him. He probably already deduced so much…

No. He had to keep going for now. Too much silence would give away just as much compared to if he'd answered directly. "Order the following scenarios in order of desirability, regardless of how likely each one can occur: Alexander is defeated and the world is saved; Alexander wins and the world falls under his rule; all of Kilo is destroyed, both Alexander and everyone else; Alexander is sealed again to be dealt with later."

"Saving the world is the most desirable. All of Kilo being destroyed is second best. Worse is Alexander being sealed. And, finally, Alexander winning would doom more than just Kilo."

Then Hecto simply felt Alexander's defeat was impossible. As an Overseer, he saw the greater picture. Destroying one doomed world to save adjacent ones, like a diseased cell in a body being eliminated for the sake of the whole.

But this diseased cell was their home. The analogy fell apart there. He couldn't back down.

"Before you ask your question," Owen said, "I need to tell you a little extra."

Hecto didn't reply and listened attentively.

"How often do Overseers annihilate worlds? What is the threshold?"

"The Overworld is vast, the container of all realities. The Overseers, just as vast, can still only cover the known portions. And what we know as unknown becomes larger the more we discover. It is an eternal quest, and so that number fluctuates. But, typically, it is very low. All worlds eventually resolve themselves without interruption. We only step in when the process would otherwise be needlessly long and full of suffering… worlds where souls would be born only to suffer in constant torment."

A world that the Voidlands could become, even more than it already was, Owen assumed. Perhaps that was Hecto's drive.

"I think we haven't gone to that threshold," Owen said. "I think if the Overseers acted for worlds like this one, we would never have a chance to grow and solve our own problems without Overseer help. You and Necrozma overstepped."

Again, silence. No muscle movements considered abnormal. But… the lights. They flickered differently. Ahh… Owen's Perceive couldn't sense light. He had to use his eyes. Could that be the key?

"My next question," Hecto began, "is simpler. How will your recycling help you against Alexander?"

"It won't."

"Then why are you here?"

"I have a question first," Owen reminded.

And for the first time, Owen caught a pattern from Hecto's mannerisms. The lights flickered subtly faster. His Perceive would be useless here. He had to rely on his eyes.

"Your question, then."

"The way things are right now, do you see a way to avert Alexander taking over," Owen said, "without my help?"

"…Logistically yes. Practically no." Hecto replied.

Well, that explained why he wasn't dead yet, or at least Hecto wasn't trying to make that happen. He was a figurehead of morale, whether they liked it or not.

"Now, answer mine," Hecto said. "Why are you here?"

"In the best-case scenario, where Alexander is totally defeated, and the world is not destroyed, we need to help make this world stable again. What Nate's doing with keeping the planet from losing its orbit… the Worldcore's divine power in overdrive… those are all temporary solutions that won't last very long. We need a strong anchor again. Something Nate had to sacrifice to save the world once with its power. What I'm doing here will build toward that."

"None of this is known for sure," Hecto stated. "It's yet another risk when things could be averted. You are repeating history, Owen. The same mistake, having hope for something and, with that hope, risking the souls of a world to do it. You have no right."

"Nobody does," Owen said. "But right now, it's clear that everybody wants to save this world, not let it die. So—"

"They don't even know the true alternatives," Hecto said. "The Overworld is—"

"Meaningless."

To that, Hecto finally flinched enough for his Perceive to pick it up.

"You said it yourself as part of your policy," Owen said, carefully pacing to get Hecto to move at least slightly.

Now that he'd flinched, maybe some other movements would give a better idea of his thoughts. For now, the Zygarde only moved his head to watch the pacing Charizard.

"The Overworld shouldn't be known to mortals. That they should live within the context of their realities. To tell them about the Overworld and all its implications, to give them that option and to let them abandon their 'first' lives, their homes… That will forever take away from them that privilege. That genuine first life.

"By not letting them fight for their world, aren't you depriving them of that?" Owen questioned. "And yes. That is my next question, Overseer. How do you make those two philosophies work? One where this world chooses to fight back, and one where you want to take away their mortal rights."

…No reactions to read. Darn. Hecto was good. The lights were also returning to a rhythmic pulse. Did Hecto find his composure again? But Owen had him!

"Priorities," Hecto answered. "You present these things as two equal, isolated philosophies. But that is a false comparison. As you are aware, from those same policies… Overseers step in—inherently violating a reality's right to sovereignty—if and only if they are on a doomed path that could otherwise lead to eternal suffering, or something close. And in this case, yes. Kilo was on such a path, and it runs the risk of walking that same path again."

Owen stopped his walk, finding it wasn't effective on Hecto. He faced the Zygarde directly again.

"My turn," Hecto said. "You recognize that I cannot kill you, as you are still a key in keeping this world safe. I recognize something else, which you must now confirm. If this venue you are trying to follow, right now, were to become… unavailable. Would you return focus to your proper role in all this?"

Owen's tail crackled. So, in the end, he couldn't talk Hecto out of this. He was convinced this was the only way to 'save' Kilo—or at least, its inhabitants.

"Is that a threat?" Owen said.

"It's my turn," Hecto reminded.

A small wave rippled from behind Owen, and the Charizard realized this would certainly give away Zena's location at the center of that ripple. Then, the water went still.

Owen shifted his weight—

Hecto, without so much as a muscle twitch, shot an indigo beam as thick as he was toward Owen. Too fast to dodge, Owen crossed his arms and blocked the attack with his Protect, crackling with Chaotic energy. Black and white sparks rippled across Owen's scales and into the ground, which had been carved by the deflected blast into a V-shape behind him. Saltwater poured into the crevices.

Owen grasped at that essence. He'd need it later.

Zygarde shifted forms, going from serpent to titan, during the blast. His legs pivoted on the ground, kicking up a small hill, further ruining the Expanse's perfect reflection.

Owen flew into the air, directing his shield skyward, and parried another, physical blow from Zygarde's fist. He sank into the salt, forming a crater twice as wide as he was tall. Water poured into the pit, mixing with salt and dirt. Swiftly, Owen shifted to Grass and pressed his claws into the ground. His vines shriveled, but he pressed onward and launched several thorny vines into Hecto's thighs.

His scales were tough—most plinked off, but a few found purchase, forcing Hecto to jump back and blast again.

Owen's Protect was already getting weak. He elected to take this blow as a grazing shot, flying out of the pit before he could be buried—but just then, as that strange beam carved a Z-like shape into the ground's mirror, Owen suddenly went blind.

No. Not blind. But it felt like it—as suddenly, his Perceive completely disabled itself.

Gasping, Owen reached for his horns—but they were still there. Intact. Unharmed.

"Core Enforcer," Zygarde said, right by Owen's side before he realized it. Hecto's fist slammed Owen into the ground again. "It seals the natural, passive powers that Pokémon have. Normally, a Charizard's flame burns hotter as they grow weaker. But for you, Owen, Necrozma and then Nevren transferred the gift of Perceive to replace that innate property.

"You rely on it enough that without it, you are usel—"

Owen opened his mouth and blasted Hecto with the same Z-shaped blast, sending Owen careening backward from the sheer force. But it connected, earning a frustrated roar from Hecto. Indigo flames burned on his scales.

"And I bet the same is true for you, then," Owen said, wiping his cheek of blood. The saltwater pronounced every injury, stinging him. He tried not to get drunk from the heat of battle, but he always wanted to know how well Hecto fought in battle when he needed all his cells… "What just got sealed, I wonder?!"

Hecto let the flames die. His lights flickered again.

"Nothing."

Hecto vanished.

"Gh—"

Panicking, Owen formed a full sphere around him. His guess was correct—Hecto appeared to his right, an Extreme Speed narrowly blocked as it clanged over his barrier.

"This ability… is not something that can be sealed. It is divine. And while your power is divine in origin… within you, it is not divine in nature. The blessed and the blesser are two distinct classes in this realm, Owen."

His Protect was cracking. Hecto pushed onward. Owen claimed this essence next.

"You'd best remember that," Hecto hissed, "before you condemn this whole world again!"

The barrier shattered. Owen kicked off the ground and suddenly, channeling that same energy, chose to go backward, softening the inevitable strike as their velocities matched. Extreme Speed—Owen had no idea where he was going. In any other landscape, he wouldn't know what to do. But in the Endless Expanse, there was no obstacle to fear.

"So, in the end," Owen shouted, weaving around Hecto's large frame, "you're just like the rest. Trying to control me… to put us in our place!"

He countered with a heavy thwack with his tail and blasted Hecto with flames. While weaker, something caught on Hecto's body anyway—a lasting burn. The embers danced around his body; powered by aura, plain water wouldn't be enough to douse those flames.

"You know, Forrest told me I had a bit of an ego. Maybe I do! But you know what?" Owen dodged Hecto's Extreme Speed this time, letting the punch graze his cheek.

"Ngh—"

Owen switched his essence. He blasted Hecto in the chest, point-blank, with Core Enforcer once again. The whole Endless Expanse lit up to an early, brief sun. Hecto skidded across the Expanse, leaving a new fissure to be covered by the salt flat's mirror.

"At least I'm not an Overseer who lost what it means to guide!"

"Mew's Blessing," Hecto whispered. "Star…"

"I'll accept that Overseers are here to get us out of trouble. But I think you preparing us for failure is a step too far. Get something else ready, fine, but let us try things our way first."

"We did," Hecto snarled, smashing a fist cleanly into Owen's chest. "And you failed a thousand years ago! This world's end is long overdue, Usurper!"

"And there it is," Owen said with an angry smile, showing so many of his teeth as blood trickled out of his mouth. The punch wasn't enough to down him. He'd been through worse. "Usurper! The term you Overseers love to say to anyone too strong and too mortal!"

"You know that's an oversimplification."

Owen kicked away, thwacking Hecto with his tail. A meaningless gesture, but the flame's flash gave him a moment to gain distance. "I don't want to be a god, Hecto, and you know it. I'm here to save this world and find a way to keep gods from making it our problem again! It all started with a god failing to account for Dark Matter, didn't it?"

"Yes, and that rot will remain no matter what is done!"

"Maybe." Owen kept his guard up. "Or maybe we haven't found a way to get rid of it!"

"You can't get rid of it," Hecto said. "That negativity… is an expression of the world's very fabric" He pointed at Owen. "As someone who lived in the Worldcore, you know this."

"And despite being in there a thousand years," Owen countered, "I've still found surprises to the very end. What's one more?"

Hecto slowly lowered his arm. He was no longer in a battle stance, but Owen's Perceive was still shot. He felt it coming back, but… not enough.

"Chaos and order. Mortal and god." Hecto's lights flickered again. The burn on his body was finally fading, but Owen could tell he had, somehow, gotten an upper hand. He didn't know if Hecto had been holding back or not, either, but…

Well. Owen had been, too. He didn't want to risk that gift Xerneas had going off yet.

"We will fundamentally not see eye to eye on this," Hecto said. "I understand that now, after… our battle. I can feel your heart… just as I'm sure you felt mine. We are both resolute."

Hecto looked away.

"And I admit," Hecto said, "I sense your intent is true. I apologize; the term 'Usurper' is not accurate, and would be corrected in an official report, should I make one referring to you. But… that changes nothing for my duty as an Overseer."

Hecto charged up again. Owen winced and crouched down, feeling the Mega Stone in his bag warm up. Yes, he had to finish this.

"I apologize, Owen. This is for everyone's good."

"I get it," Owen said, shifting his weight again. "When this is over… I want to laugh about it with you, okay?"

"Hm." Hecto sighed. "I wish you luck."

Hecto fired. Owen readied for a Chaos shield, but… Hecto's shot was a misfire. It struck the ground, kicking up salt and water into the dark, sunless early morning. Hecto's lights disappeared behind it. A diversion—another Extreme Speed!

Owen brought his shield up, black and white obscuring his vision. His Mega Stone grew hot, filling the barrier with prismatic light. Owen accepted this light—now wasn't the time to hold back. Hecto meant business.

His scales darkened. His tail flame shifted from orange to an even hotter blue. An overflow of fire spewed from the sides of his mouth. And it all felt so familiar—yes, he hadn't been sure at first, but he did transform into this before! It was against Necrozma. And… he needed to fight. This endless energy was too much to keep inside.

He dropped the barrier.

"Hecto!" Owen shouted. "I'm ready!" He crouched, hungry for the first blow. The blood of his mouth boiled away with the flames.

Flaring his wings, Owen looked left and right for his attacker, suddenly feeling more keen to use physical attacks himself. Something about this body wanted to get up close and personal for strikes. He envisioned sinking his claws into divine flesh, how easily he could tear through scales…

But… no attack came.

"…Hecto?" Owen called. He waited a few more seconds until he lowered his shield completely. His Perceive was still shot, but… even the water wasn't disturbed.

Even the water wasn't…

"…ZENA!"

The water boiled as Owen tore through the Expanse. Hecto had several seconds on him; he had to go as fast as possible to catch up. The only advantage he had was he knew where Zena could be, as long as his Perceive came back on time. In the dark, he could only frantically search for Hecto's glimmering lights, but just as easily he'd be spotted catching up.

He couldn't believe how easily he'd been tricked. He replayed the exchange over and over in his mind, trying to find some way he could've done better. He cursed Hecto for deceiving him at all. He envisioned the many ways he'd tear him apart.

No, no. He had to… focus. Had to focus on the task. The world, not Hecto. It was so hard to think…

Just ahead, Owen spotted a green flash. Undoubtedly Hecto. He was catching up. Hecto's doubt while searching for Zena must have slowed him just enough…

Owen left a trail of boiling water and clouds of steam in his wake. His blue flame illuminated the fog like an ever-growing ghoul of the pre-dawn's darkness. There was no matter of stealth here. He didn't need it.

"Hecto!" Owen roared.

The titan halted his search and aimed another Core Enforcer beam ahead of Owen, billowing up more steam. This time, Owen went above the cloud and formed a shield to block most of the hot water. Hecto couldn't get far.

"Running away?!" Owen taunted. Savagery fueled his movements. Hecto retained his grace, but he was too slow. He weaved left as Owen dived, but the indigo-flamed Charizard redirected with ease. A full-body tackle sent Hecto into the salt flat, cratering them again and sending them ten feet into the ground.

Owen didn't think. He opened his mouth and blasted Hecto's face with blue fire, boiling the water. Owen wondered if even the salt would turn molten to these flames. Everything sizzled, drowning out whatever Hecto was saying. Owen sharpened his claws, coating them with Dragon might, and tore into Hecto's scales, peeling away scaly armor like candy wrappers. One, two, three chunks of scaly plate armor that naturally protected him. Green blood and bits of large Cells disintegrated into the water. His heart throbbed in his ears as predator instincts roared for him to tear deeper into his prey.

And then Owen came to his senses. With a gasp, he pulled back and stared at the greenish mess in front of him, still alive, trying to get up, but… reverted to merely a serpent again. Hanging from Owen's claws were the remnants of a few of Hecto's cells that he'd sliced off.

Hecto groaned. "When… did you gain this… power? To go… toe to toe… with an Overseer…"

Owen's claws trembled with pent up energy. He had to focus. The battle was won. He wasn't supposed to go for the kill. Breathe, focus. Meditate. He remembered that…

Slowly, his scales lightened. The flames receded from his mouth. Blue shifted to comforting orange. Water slowly flooded the crater, though with how large it was, it'd take a while for it to submerge Hecto.

"It must have been Aramé," Owen said, helping the serpent out of the pit, at least so he didn't drown. He wasn't sure if Hecto needed air like mortals did, though… "She gave us a small boost. Or, that's what she called it… Not to mention my time in the Worldcore helped teach me how to use Hands well."

Hecto grunted as Owen lifted off the ground. After a short flight, Owen set Hecto down at the crater's edge, looking back at the plumes of steam and fissures that had run as far as he could see behind him. They'd really made a mess of the place…

"Sorry," Owen said. "I… I got carried away there. Something about that power from Xerneas…"

"Mega Evolution," Hecto grunted, not bothering to stand. Owen sensed that Hecto would survive, though he'd really done a number on him… "It exchanges sanity for power. Puts a Pokémon's natural instincts to fight into overdrive. In the human world… a good trainer regulates it. Keeps the psyche of the Pokémon in check. Here… too long, and you'd lose yourself to it until the energy runs out."

"It's a familiar feeling," Owen admitted, feeling ashamed. "I…"

"I'll heal," Hecto replied. "Won't take long… I'm sure… Xerneas owes me a healing session as an apology for not properly training you with it…"

"I didn't even know how to trigger it until recently," Owen admitted. "I was too hesitant before. But I think… it happened when I took on Necrozma. Maybe the need for that power is…"

The ground rumbled.

"…What was that?"

Hecto didn't answer.

"Hecto?" Owen scanned the horizon, spotting a green glimmer not too far from where he was. Green… glimmer?

"NO!" Owen roared, completely forgetting the Hecto by him to chase after the stray that Hecto must have tossed the moment he lost his titanic form. He'd thought it through from the start—shot his Perceive so he could get away with it. That attack… did Hecto—

"Why, Hecto?!" Owen roared. "After everything, you'd still do this?! Why?!"

The canine was staring into a pit in the ground. It had been recently unearthed again, and something big used to be at the bottom. Sand and salt were still pouring into the empty bottom. But there was no tree or any debris. Hecto had struck nothing. Where did the tree go?

"What?" Owen whispered. "It's…"

"…You're surprised," Hecto said, turning his head to Owen. "Then you were not one step ahead of me?"

"I…" Owen was shaking with… rage? Relief? He didn't know anymore. He was just shaking. "What…"

Hecto stared at the pit again, exhaling through his nose.

"We're done here." The canine trotted back to his main copy, leaving Owen in the cold morning air as the adrenaline finally wore off. Owen collapsed in the water to catch his breath.

He pressed his palm into the water and tried to sense the area's lingering 'past.' Just like before, when it wasn't on a person, but a place, he only got lingering, passing feelings. And he felt… reluctance, and then begrudging relief. Zena had gotten help, somehow, from someone she didn't like?

Only then did he let out a small laugh. "You really did it," he said, glancing behind him. "Hecto's… not gonna like that one."