Chapter 26 – Isolation

"Enet… that's your name. Right?" Owen said, careful to not speak too loudly. The Electric Guardian, feral? A wild Pokémon? How was he supposed to work with that?!

The Zoroark stared uneasily at Owen. The Charmander was never good at reading wild expressions. Was she afraid? Happy? Defensive? Angry? It could be anything. Their culture was entirely alien to him, if he could call it a culture… Maybe it was just instincts. Oh, if only his perception wasn't so dulled as a Charmander. Maybe he'd get a better clue. He just had to guess. How would wild Pokémon normally behave?

Owen took a careful step forward. Perhaps not the best move, Owen considered. He saw the Zoroark tense and he reversed. "Sorry," he said. "Enet?"

Her ears flicked.

"I'm… I'm a friend. Oh, um…" Owen carefully moved his arms. Enet watched every movement, especially when he put them into his pouch. Slowly, making sure he made no sudden movements, he pulled out an apple. Enet lost her tension when she saw the red fruit, but still stared uneasily.

"Here." Gently, he rolled the apple toward her. It stopped a few inches from her feet. Without taking her eyes off of him, she reached down and held the apple, tentatively sniffing it. She took a bite and lost sight of Owen for only a split second. Immediately, she looked back at him; Owen sensed her aura flare with panic at just that moment. When Owen didn't do anything, Enet's tension faded, but not as much as before.

He took another step back, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. But what would she be afraid of? She was at least thrice his size… Maybe it was his flame. But if he transformed now, it would just startle her.

"I—I'm not gonna hurt you," he said. "I'm here to help. Okay? Enet?"

"Enet," the Zoroark finally repeated.

Oh, thank goodness, she can actually talk! Owen tried not to look too excited.

"Yeah, Enet," Owen said. "Do… do you know that's your name? Enet—if you know that, and you can say your name—does that mean you can actually talk?" It wasn't so helpless after all. Still, she was definitely wild to an extent…

The Zoroark took a long time to answer. She was halfway done with the apple. "Talk," she said. "No."

"I—I mean, you can kinda talk," Owen said.

Enet growled.

"S-sorry, I didn't want to patronize or anything…"

Enet growled more.

"What?" Owen squeaked. "I—I'm sorry!"

Enet chomped on the last of the apple and turned around in a huff. She started to walk away.

"Enet?"

She wasn't watching him anymore—did she feel safer?

"Wait!" he called, walking after her, just fast enough to keep up, but not get closer.

The walk was surprisingly long. The Zoroark made specific turns; they seemed random, but Owen had a feeling she knew where she was going. Every so often, Owen spoke up, but Enet would usually only reply with a huff or a growl. It wasn't until at least several turns that he actually got a meaningful response.

"Um… so you're the Guardian? Electric?"

Enet huffed and flicked her tail. Little sparks flew from her fur.

"Wow! Yeah, that's it alright… Cool… I'm the Grass Guardian," Owen said. "See?" He waved his hand, turning it green.

Enet wasn't even watching, and more silence ensued between them.

"Um… do you like apples?"

"…Apples. Good."

Owen thought he'd hallucinated the response. It took him a few seconds to come up with his own. "Okay, that's good. Apples are good."

"Good."

Owen nodded. "Um… how… much do you know? How to talk?"

"Words."

"Yes, you know words."

Enet growled at him again.

"What?"

"Not stupid," she said.

"Oh!" After that, Owen nearly said, 'So, you know that word,' but managed to save his own life by refraining. Instead, he said, "Sorry."

They made a few more turns. The cave was getting even darker. How deep did this burrow get? The ground was starting to feel compact, like rocks…

"Do, um… are you… wild? Always wild?"

Enet took a bit of time again, but then she shook her head. "No."

"Oh, so you used to be… not wild?"

"No," Enet said.

"Um…" Owen hesitated. "So… you're wild?"

"Yes."

"Always wild?"

"No."

"But you used to be wild… wait… um…"

Enet snorted, impatient. "I know words."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, you do." It took a few seconds for him to realize what Enet meant. "Actually, about that—who taught you…"

Enet waved her arms around, briefly shifting her appearance until she resembled a Mew. Then, she reverted back to normal. Owen made a mental note that this Zoroark's illusions were well above average.

"Oh! Okay, okay, I get that," Owen said. "Star taught—wait… s-so you really were wild when you got the Orb! That's… that's crazy! How did they accept—"

Enet was growling again. Owen recognized this as her way of saying he was talking too much, or speaking in a way that she didn't understand.

"Sorry. Um… so… when you got the Orb… they let you?"

"No."

"Oh. How did you?"

"I fought."

"Oh." Owen supposed he should have expected that response. "You fought off… the Electric spirits? Or… the old Guardian? Or…"

Enet shrugged. "Fought. Scary."

How strong was Enet? Owen hesitated, wondering why she was afraid at all. Or was it just her spirit that was powerful? "So, you took the Orb by force? From who? Who had it before?"

"Who?"

Owen paused. So, the Orb was abandoned, or otherwise alone, and Enet found it. It seemed like when she touched it, the spirits tried to drive her away, but she was too strong. That seemed like a reasonable story. A powerful, wild Zoroark.

"Why… follow?" Enet asked.

"F-follow? Oh, sorry, I… I wanted you to come with me."

"To?"

"My home," Owen said.

Enet scoffed. She flicked her hair against the Charmander—the sheer force and weight of just that brush and the odd, teal bangle that kept it all together nearly knocked the tiny reptile over.

"No," she said.

"Why?" Owen asked. He briefly wondered if offering more apples would appease her. Infinite apples for the feral? They were very food-driven, after all. But given how she had reacted when he insinuated she wasn't smart, she'd probably take it the wrong way if he offered her food. He tried a different strategy. "Isn't it… lonely?"

Enet flinched.

Owen saw that as progress. If she wanted companionship, they had lots of that. He could only imagine what it would be like to be isolated like that, just like all the Guardians. He saw hints of that damage from Zena. But for Enet—even if it didn't look like she was Guardian for very long—she didn't even understand why. She was just a feral. Didn't she want to be with a pack?

"No," Enet said. "Not lonely."

But it wasn't going to be easy, it seemed. She was stubborn. Leave it to a feral Guardian to be that way. "Enet…"

"No!" Enet growled. She spun around and pointed at Owen in an accusatory fashion, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Owen let out a small "Eep—!" and stopped when her claw poked at his scales.

"You're… small!"

Owen's eyes maximized. Despite the claw only brushing his chest, it felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. "I… I'm small?"

"Too small!" She stuck her nose in the air, crossed her arms, and turned around. "Want better."

The confidence drained from Owen like blood. Flustered, he tried to salvage what he had left. "I… I mean… I mean, why… My home is… big! Lots of friends!"

"Bigger friends?" Enet asked.

Owen stared down. "Y-yes. Bigger friends. Wait. Um—Enet?" Owen looked up. "Did you see… a Gardevoir and a Goodra?"

Based on the blank look she returned, Enet didn't know what those species were.

"Um, big, purple, slimy. And another one, blue, with a fin, here…" Owen held a hand to his chest to mimic Amia's chest-fin.

"Oh," Enet said, nodding.

"Are they okay?"

Enet shrugged. "Ran."

"Oh," Owen said. "So, they're still somewhere in here. But it's so complex, I dunno if…" He sighed. They were stronger than he was—they'd be okay. Hopefully they'll find their way out. "How come you can't come with me because I'm small? To my home?"

Enet glanced back, staring at Owen like he was stupid.

"What?" Owen said. "Our home is nice. You'll be safe."

"Need better father," Enet said.

Owen blinked twice. "What?"

"Need big, strong dad."

Owen's arms dropped from their fin-pose on his chest. His heart skipped a beat. The flame on his tail flashed white. "W-wait! N-n-n-no, no, no—no! I wasn't—that's not—NO!" Wild Pokémon—why didn't he realize it before? "I don't want to be your mate! I want to be your friend! In… your… pack!"

"Pack?" Enet said, flicking her ears again. "Still too small."

"Oh, come on!" Owen begged. What ego he had left was now smaller than he was. "Others in the—uh, pack are a lot bigger, though! And stronger! We're Guardians, you know?"

Enet looked contemplative, but then stopped walking. They reached what appeared to be a dead end, but the cave had opened up into a small cavern. Owen recognized it as her home, though there wasn't much to it. A few fruits and berries, a nest, a small collection of water in a hollowed-out Aspear berry, and mysterious bones. Owen eyed one of them, praying to Mew that those weren't Charmander bones. It was hard to tell. No, don't be silly—they couldn't be! Charmander didn't live in Nightshade. The darkness was just getting to him. Something about a Zoroark's den made his flame's glow a lot less impactful on the walls.

"Stronger?" Enet said, breaking Owen out of his trance.

"Yeah. And Star's our friend, too," Owen said.

"Star," Enet said softly. "I miss Star…"

A full sentence! Owen thought. "She's really nice, huh?" he said. "Actually… would you like me to try to summon her?"

Enet growled slightly.

"T-to… see her? Want to see her?"

Enet watched.

"I can bring her right here. Now."

"You can?" Recollection flashed in her eyes. The Zoroark made a motion with her claws. To her chest, and then pushing her hands outward in a spreading motion. "Like…?"

"Y-yeah! I think! A summon!"

"Call… summon," Enet said, nodding. "Yes. Summon."

"Okay. Give me a second, yeah?" Owen sat down, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. He channeled his aura and went inward, feeling for his Grass Orb. There. Star…? Star, are you there?

A few seconds passed.

She's coming, Klent replied. She must be in another part of the realm.

Oh, okay. Thanks, Klent.

How are you doing, Owen? Klent went on. Feeling… small?

Not funny.

Don't worry! Amelia chimed in. When you evolve, you'll only be half her size!

You're enjoying this, aren't you?

The Jumpluff and Lilligant laughed to one another. Owen heard the chuckles from the other spirits, too, and his tail flashed white from embarrassment again. Despite this, the Charmander's mouth twitched to a small smile. He never heard Amelia laugh like that before. Fine, fine. You win.

Eventually—Enet was running her claws through her hair to pass the time at this point—Owen heard Star's voice. Yo. Found her?

Yeah. Enet wants to see you. She's… a little… wild.

Yeah, she is, Star giggled. She's got a wild personality, huh?

N-no, I mean, she's literally a wild Pokémon. She can barely talk!

What? Star said. Again? …Hm… well… okay. You want me to come over?

Yeah.

Okay.

A pinkish mist blew from Owen's chest, forming into a cloud that was barely discernable as a Mew-shaped nebula.

"I guess it'll do," Star said, looking at her paws. "Not bad, Owen. Manny must've boosted your power a lot."

"Thanks," Owen tittered. "Anyway, um… Enet, you—"

Enet swatted at Star, passing right through her.

"Hey!" Star said, swatting back. The mist made a small gust of wind that barely moved the Zoroark's fur. "Stop that! I'm not something to smack around!"

Enet flinched and looked down.

The nebula floated in silence, spinning around the Zoroark to get a better look. "It's been a while, huh?"

Enet nodded. "Long time…"

"You were isolated for so long, you must've… forgotten a lot that I taught you, huh?"

"Forgot?" Enet said.

Star sighed, but then looked at Owen. "A long time ago, the old Electric Guardian… kinda got sick of being Guardian. He just… gave up and withdrew into the Orb, leaving for the spirit world. In other words, uh, died. Enet came over after a while, and… touched the Orb, and then we met."

"Yeah, I figured out that much," Owen said. "But what happened after? You… taught her how to talk?"

"Pretty much," Star said. "Taught a lot of things. I'm good with wild Pokémon. And sapient Pokémon. I mean, I'm good with pretty much all life. Y'know, comes with the position."

"Yeah, right, right. But… Enet forgot?"

"Something must've happened to scare Enet off. She wasn't the most experienced Mystic, and she must not've been able to meditate her way back into the spirit world. And then… I mean, time washes away quite a bit, y'know. She must've… regressed."

Enet growled. "Big words."

"I know, I know." Star sighed. She looked to Owen. "Believe it or not, Enet never liked big words."

"I… I believe it."

Enet nodded.

"But I guess now we're back together. Hey, Enet" Star said gently. "Do you want to come with us? It's safer, and it's a lot better than living here, I promise."

"But…" Enet paused. "You said… to stay away."

Star winced. "Y-yeah, I did," she said. "But we had a change in plans. Now we can stay together. How about that, huh?" The misty Mew held out an incorporeal paw.

Enet stared at it, but then stood up. "Okay," she said. She swatted at Star's paw and turned around. "I need… time."

"Oh, to get your things?"

"…She has things?" Owen blinked and leaned ti the left.

Enet circled around her little alcove and picked up two items. The first was a fresh-looking Sitrus Berry. The second was a shiny rock with flecks of something turquoise—some kind of lucky stone. However, Owen's extensive knowledge of Dungeon texts recognized that it had no use in a Dungeon or in battle. It was just pretty.

Owen paused, thinking. That stone reminded him of something, but what was it?

"Hey, Enet," he suddenly said. "I have a pretty stone, too."

"You do?!" Enet said. "Show me!"

Owen giggled and dug through his bag. "Look!" he said, pulling out Nevren's gift. "It's a raw Eviolite for Pokémon like me. Apparently, it taps into the latent evolutionary energy that's stored inside of us, and makes us stronger using that! It's awesome! At least, that's what I read about how it works." Seeing that she didn't understand what he said, he added, "It makes small Pokémon stronger!"

"Wow!" Enet said. "Then, you… super strong!"

"Aha ha… ha…"

"Uh," Star pointed, "that's not an Eviolite."

"…It isn't?" Owen said. "But I felt so much stronger…" And he read Dungeon texts. He knew what they looked like, and he certainly could feel the effects on his suppressed aura.

Star shook her head. "That's an Everstone-Eviolite amalgam… thing."

"Wh—But it doesn't look like an Everstone at all!" Owen said. "Wait—Everstone…. But isn't that what keeps me from evolving!?"

"Yeah, and yet you still evolved," Star said. "…But then again, both times you evolved, you didn't have your bag with you, right? You dropped it when you were running off in a fit the first time, and then the next time, you were fighting Azu unequipped. Huh."

Owen stared at the stone, then at Star. She was right. But if that was the case, did that mean—

"S-so… so this is what's keeping me from evolving?"

"Your aura must be getting to that point where even a reset won't keep you down," Star hummed.

Enet growled.

"Sorry, Enet. Owen goes crazy if he evolves. So, we keep him like a Charmander. But that might not last, looks like…"

"W-well, I'll just… hang onto this," he said, clutching the bag close. "I don't wanna…"

Star smiled sadly. "Hey, don't stress," she said. "You're still a Charmander. And you're fine as a Charmeleon. And… I dunno. Maybe next time you'll make it."

Owen felt less sure.

"Well, anyway," Star shrugged. "Let's go back. I can sense Anam panicking at a dead end, and Amia is still lost. Let's find them and head back, alright?"

"R-right." Owen looked down at the Everstone-Eviolite. As he followed the Mew and Zoroark, he kept the bag clutched a little bit tighter to his chest.

"Aw, hello there. Welcome to Sugar 'n Spice."

The Salazzle leaned over the counter, eying her new customer. Sugar tilted her head at her odd silence.

It was an Espurr with three large, brown bags filled with fruits, meats, and other groceries and treats. Since her arms were so tiny, the bags merely floated behind her, leaving her tiny paws free to point and gesture. Not that she did. She instead stared at the air.

"Um… are you okay, Espurr?" Sugar asked. "Are you looking for Spice? She's out doing Heart business today. Just me."

Rim's huge eyes stared at the wall behind Sugar.

The Salazzle shifted uncomfortably, but kept up her smile anyway. She couldn't hide the nervousness.

Rim's eyes glowed bright. Sugar flinched, readying for some sort of Psychic blast—oh, she knew it was rude, but Psychics always got her on edge.

Rim pointed a paw at the wall.

"Y—yes?" She nervously looked back. "Oh."

The wall was the display of all the menu items they had—all the little sweets and snacks that made Sugar 'n Spice one of the most popular treat stops in all of Kilo. Little symbols of light appeared on many of these menu items in units of five. Others went as high as twenty.

"Wow, talk about a big haul," Sugar said. "You got it. Just give me some time to gather them all up!" She slipped inside the back room, memorizing the order.

Rim stood in place, closing her eyes. Her paws trembled against each other. She breathed slowly. In, out. Sigh. Breathe.

"Okay!"

The Espurr jolted and nodded at Sugar.

"Aw, hey, no need to be shy. I don't bite, much." She winked. "Anyway, that'll be fifteen thousand. A bit pricey, but you ordered a lot. At least it's a nice, even number."

Six coins appeared in front of her—one black and shiny like obsidian, and five white, shimmering coins. "Ten, eleven, twelve… yep," Sugar nodded. "That'll be all. Thanks for your business!"

The boxes of treats floated over to Rim and slipped neatly inside the least full bag. She left; once she rounded the corner, Sugar deflated.

"Ugh…" She clutched her chest. It felt as if the wind had been taken out of her. "Creepy little thing."

Just then, Spice entered the store, looking worse for wear, covered in small cuts and bruises.

"Oh, Spice," Sugar said. "How're you doing? Oof, you look rough. Why don't you rest up in the back room?"

"I'll do that," Spice mumbled, tossing her bag behind the counter. It was quite light. Sugar knew that meant her team had to use quite a bit of their equipment during their mission—or they outright got ejected from a Dungeon. "That's the last time I do anything down south. That place is savage. And creepy."

"Creepy, huh? Sounds like you got near the Abyss."

"Don't even say the name," Spice shivered. "I think I saw a demon. And even worse, it actually started off near Void Basin! We weren't even given the right directions and got sent to the west, not east!" She tossed herself into the back room, moaning out a frustrated sigh into the pillows. "Stupid little outlaw… Should've known he'd misdirect into restricted territory."

"Outlaw?" Sugar said.

Spice clawed her way back to the front room, sliding on a set of pillows across the marble flooring. She rolled onto her back. "Sugar, look at my chest. Do you see anything?"

"Aside from the usual?" Sugar asked, pointing to the awful lightning scar.

"Yes, do you see any slashes or gashes? I don't know if scars can get scars, but that Aerodactyl did me in good."

"Wait, Aerodactyl?" Sugar said. "You mean—"

"Yeah, him," Spice growled. "With Anam and James gone doing who-knows-what, we're getting a little careless. Nevren's doing what he can, but we're a little short staffed on leadership. Maybe we just weren't as organized as we could've been, but the guy ran off. Our team was sent to chase him down, but you know what? He's too clever! Wore us out by making false tracks east, and after warping to Void Basin and nearly going crazy, we retraced our steps and found his real tracks to the Chasm instead. Then, once we finally caught up with him, he tossed poor Leo straight into the crater."

"Into the crater?" Sugar said. "Is he okay!?"

"Somehow," Spice said. "We found him dazed and confused in a cloud of darkness further west. No clue how he got there. It's a demon, I tell you! They tampered with his—something. He's getting checked at the hospital now, just in case, but he says he just remembers falling, and then… not falling. And then whispers. And then… apparently a warm, fuzzy hug." Spice shivered. "Ooh, just the thought is creepy." She paused. "And speaking of creepy! That Espurr! Did you just sell her a bunch of chocolate?"

"Oh, Mew, she was so weird. Not a peep! She just pointed and put little numbers on each item she wanted. Gave me coins and left, but… I don't want to discriminate, but that Psychic was… not settling well with my Poison half."

Spice sighed. "I just don't want to think about it," she said. "It's all back to my sensitivity. That Espurr, the Abyss… even those two Charmander that came in. Something was up with them."

"What? You felt something from them, too? Wait—is this that same vibe you keep saying you feel from the Heart of Hearts? I mean, Anam is strange, but you always…"

"Yeah, that slimy purple wad, too," Spice said. "They all feel… weird. I don't like it. And I dunno if it was one or both of them, but those Charmander—cute, sure—gave me an odd feeling, too."

"Weren't those the same two you met back during the Nightshade inferno a year ago?" Sugar asked.

"Yeah, but… I don't think I felt anything back then. Or maybe I was just too stressed to feel it." She shook her head. "Whatever. I'm just gonna nap. That alright? I'll help out when I'm rested."

"Sure, Spice. Rest all you want."

"Mn." Spice pushed herself and her pillow-bed back to the back room. Her nightmares were filled with whispers and slime.

"Hey there, welcome to—oh, hey, Rim!"

A Smeargle waved his brush of a tail, tipped with black paint, at the Espurr, who gave him a little smile in return.

"Hello," she whispered.

"Here you go," Smeargle said, flashing a paper toward Rim, about as large as her head. "Look good to you?" he asked.

It was a realistic, colored painting of a blue Gardevoir. Rim nodded.

"You know, this one brings up some old legends down south. They say that there was once a Gardevoir whose talent for fire became so strong that her hair became the same color as blue embers. The hottest kind! Well, except for purple… and clear… erm…" Smeargle rubbed his brush under his chin thoughtfully, accidentally painting it blue. "Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, I'll take the other half of your—oh." The coins appeared in front of him. "Alright. Here you go." He handed the paper over; it floated toward Rim and into her bag, slipped in neatly and carefully.

Another paper floated toward Smeargle—a handwritten note. "Oh, your next order? Same style, I take it."

"Mm."

"Right, right… huh… okay. Okay, yeah, I think I can do this one, easy. If you want it to be realistic, I think you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning, though. Getting a little late."

"Mm."

"Okay, so, let me just reiterate. Looks like this time you want me to draw a Joltik… with little pink wings?"

"Mm."

"How big? Like, as big as the Joltik? Or even bigger?"

Rim held her little paws out. "Joltik," she said. Then, she increased the distance between her paws by a little.

"Oh, okay. A little bigger?"

"Mm."

"You got it. Should be easy."

Just then, something buzzed inside Rim's bag—this one was wrapped around her neck, much smaller. A tiny, gray Badge slipped out.

"Rim," the Badge said.

Rim glanced at Smeargle and gave a little nod, stepping outside. Smeargle went back to work without a second thought. A small pile of coins appeared in front of Smeargle again—the first half of his commission.

"Eon?" Rim asked, rounding the corner.

"Come back home and drop off your things. We found one—the Electric Guardian. Turns out she was in Nightshade all along after all. Zoroark are really clever, huh?"

"Zoroark…"

"Make sure you ready yourself for Signal Beam," Eon said. "But… be careful. Owen's there, too. And the Goodra. You should do this one… alone."

"Owen…" Rim frowned. "Okay." She slipped the communicator back into her bag. In a flash of light, she disappeared for home.