Special Episode 3 - When the World Was Small

Bright lights lined narrow hallways of concrete and metal. White walls surrounded polished floors of marble tile. Every sound echoed for ages across the labyrinth. A youthful, albeit deep, voice echoed from the inside of one of the many rooms that lined these halls. It was monotone, growing more and more bored with each number said.

"253."

"Next."

"…812."

"Next."

"439."

"Next."

"…Uncle Hecto?"

The Charizard looked up, eyes half-closed. The canid Zygarde in front of him stared in his usual, unblinking expression. Between the big, empty room that surrounded them—a pure white cube that would take a full minute to traverse at a leisurely walk—and the only thing of note being the two individuals and the jars between them, Owen had nothing meaningful to focus on. The lack of anything was overwhelmingly underwhelming to his Perception.

"Are you unable to determine the value of this collection?" he asked.

Owen shook his head. "No, it's… it's just 170 pebbles, but… this is boring, Uncle. I feel my tail-fire dimming. I think I'm actually dying of boredom."

Between them was an assortment of glass jars of varying sizes and contents. Each jar was filled with many tiny objects. Pebbles, seeds, leaves… Owen counted the number of them in seconds.

"Hm. I see. You wish to end this test?"

"Can we just skip to the hardest one and work backward?"

Hecto looked at the many jars—about fifty in total. Then, he looked at Owen's bored, yet pleading eyes. "Very well. Three tests. If you pass them all, we can end the exam prematurely. Do you have any objections, Nevren?"

A voice echoed from the ceiling in response, out of some sort of device that emitted the sound accompanied by a static buzz that obscured the clarity of his tone. "No, that will be just fine."

"Good." The flame on Owen's tail brightened significantly.

Hecto pawed at the largest jar and slid it over. "Next."

Owen stared at the jar, filled with countless little marbles, all of the same indistinguishable color. "Exactly a thousand."

Hecto nodded and then slid the second jar over. "Next," he said. But there was a twist to this one; the jar was completely black. It was impossible to see inside.

Owen didn't take very long. "Fifty, exactly."

Hecto nodded. "Next."

Owen frowned, looking left and right. "You didn't move anything."

"There is a jar outside of this room, where you have never gone. How many items are inside, and what are they?"

Owen blinked, but then he nodded and closed his eyes. He navigated the emptiness around him, trying to focus on the presumed jar outside of the test chamber. He saw something. It felt like a container, certainly had the shape of one, but it seemed emptier than any of the others he'd dealt with. "Two Cheri Berries."

Hecto paused. He and Owen shared stares. When Owen didn't amend his response, Hecto said, "That is… incorrect."

"What? But that's all I see."

"The correct answer was two Cheri Berries, seven Oran Berries, and a Pecha Berry. Ten objects."

"But I only see two Cheri Berries," Owen said firmly. "Go check." He flicked his tail irritably.

Hecto stared, but then stood up and trotted out of the room. Owen rubbed at his arms and stretched his legs, bending his spine inward until he felt the tension release. He heaved a sigh and stretched forward next, beating his wings twice. Then he curved his neck and rolled on the cold ground, spewing a gentle plume of fire just over the jars.

He felt numb. He sat down on his left side for too long and everything felt tingly. But he couldn't strike at the numbness; that would be unbearable. He'd be incapacitated and on the ground for ages. Just rolling around was starting to hurt, transitioning from a lack of sensation to the feeling of infinite needles under his scales.

"Oh, no," Owen muttered, stiffening his whole body. "Oh no. Bad…" He was stuck. The needles took over completely. Any little muscle twitch and his whole world would shatter. No! He moved. His little toe claws twitched. Oh, it was starting to spread. Now his foot was feeling it. It squeezed along every part of his leg, needles prodding every bit of his body. Mercifully, it stopped there. Owen shut his eyes tight, praying that it would go away soon. But this was it. This was the end.

Hecto returned, staring at Owen prone on the ground. "Are you dying?"

Owen grunted. "I might be."

"Hm. We should consider five-minute breaks for extended tests like these." Hecto then looked up toward the speakers. "Owen is correct."

"What? Where did the other berries go?" Nevren said. "I was going to have those as part of my lunch!"

Still on the ground, Owen grumbled his explanation. "There are little bits of Auntie Rim's fur near the jar."

Hecto left to inspect Owen's claim. In the meantime, Owen tentatively flexed his toes again. Less pain. The needles gave way to a gentle cold. He breathed a sigh of relief, accidentally spitting up a Fire Trap sphere. He caught it before it'd hit the jars, squeezing it in his hands until it popped in a plume of fire in his face.

Hecto returned in time to see the blast, but did not comment on it. Instead, he looked up. "Owen is correct."

"Well," Nevren growled. "In any case, Owen has finished all of his tests. I will not need the extra data, considering what I have already obtained. This will do for now. Thank you, Owen. You may return to the recreational room."

"Um—actually, how are the others doing?" Owen finally found it safe enough to stand, swishing his tail behind him to rid the last of the tingly numbness brought upon him by the accursed test.

"They are nearly finished," Nevren said. "But you must remember, Owen, that their training is much more taxing on their physical bodies than yours. Your core ability isn't quite as tangible."

"Yeah, well, I'm starting to get a headache…" Owen said.

"Ah, let me note that down," Nevren said. After a pause, the voice resumed, "Well, do as you like, Owen. Just don't interfere with the testing."

"I'm gonna see Gahi first. I know the way, and he's closest, right?"

"Hmm… Let me see the map… Yes, at the moment, he is the closest, followed by Demitri, and then Mispy."

"Thought so. Okay. Thanks, Dad!"

In another room with even more white tile, a green blur flashed across the field. This open area would take a normal person at a walking pace five minutes to cross; this blur, however, was doing laps in just under five seconds—the bulk of that time being the beginning and end, where he reversed directions.

A loud buzzer sounded; the mutated Flygon stopped in the middle of the field, collapsing on all fours, panting. "Peh… peh… beh…" He rolled onto his back next, chest rising and falling rapidly. "Yeh went… way too long…"

"That was very good, Gahi," Nevren said. "I gained a great deal of data from observations and vital readings. That is your final test for the day."

"Good," Gahi wheezed out. His wings fell to his sides lazily on the ground. "Was gonna just melt away if that kept up…"

"Gahi!" Owen called

The Flygon tiredly turned his head. "Oy, how're yeh doing?"

"Fine! I just finished my tests. D'you wanna go see the others? I'm gonna see Demitri next."

"Sure," Gahi said. He was still on the ground and showed no signs of movement. If it wasn't for his quick breathing, he'd look long dead.

Owen stepped closer worriedly, tapping his chin. "Are… you gonna stand up?"

Gahi's left leg twitched weakly. "Too tired."

Owen sighed, stepping over the Flygon with an amused smile. "I'll help," he said. "Just roll over so I can carry you on my back, alright?"

He approached and got Gahi's right arm first, hauling him over his shoulders; then, on his back, Gahi wrapped his arms around Owen, and then his tail coiled around the Charizard for security.

"Thanks; I can barely move…"

They walked through the halls in silence for half of the trip. Then, a thought crossed Owen's mind. "Gahi?"

"Eh?"

"Tell me about the outside world again."

"Heh…" Gahi bumped his head against the side of Owen's neck. "It's big, and there's a huge light in the sky that makes up fer all the lights that we've got down here. Yeh saw that befer, when we were let outside. But it's different when yer flying all around in that sky… knowing yeh don't gotta go back until y'wanna. Yer free."

"Sky…" Owen repeated. "That sounds amazing. You can just… go, as far as you want, and there's no wall that keeps you enclosed."

"Yeah. No walls. No Quarts HQ ter keep us holed up in. And up there, in the sky… space. Outer space. Ain't any air, though. That's what Manny said."

"The crazy guy you met when you ran off?"

"Yeah."

"What was he like? How come you talk like him?"

"'Cause he's cool. He's like Uncle Rhys 'cept better."

"Aww, but Uncle Rhys is great," Owen said. "But this Manny guy sounds pretty cool. Maybe we'll meet him sometime. If we ever get let out again… Why'd you have to run away like that? Now we're grounded forever! Rhys said so!"

"'Cause it looked fun." Gahi shrugged, his tail squeezing a bit tighter around Owen's. "I came back!"

"After, like, a week!" Owen said. "Uncle Hecto had to search high and low for you! All of his Zygarde, too! Well, most of them…"

"Feh." Gahi rolled his eyes.

They finally reached the exit of the massive running room, entering a small, square hallway lit by lights a uniform distance away from each other. Owen suddenly smiled, as if he saw someone that Gahi couldn't. Seconds later, a tiny shadow came down from a hall to the right.

"There you guys are!"

"Auntie Star!" Gahi and Owen said.

The Mew happily floated over to greet them, bumping against Owen's chest. "How far did Nev push you this time, Gahi? Or are you just faking so Owen can carry you?"

"I ain't faking!" Gahi said. "I, eh, I was running fer a while, is all. Felt like my legs're jelly. And my wings. I tried alternating but it still got tired, all that."

"Wow, must've been for a while." She flicked her tail, forming a purple bubble beneath her. She landed on top, bouncing a few times. The ball followed them through the hallway while she ran her paws along its malleable surface.

"What're you doing back here, Star? I thought you were busy touring the world again."

"Today's a big day," Star said. "We're gonna put your final ability to the test."

"Our final ability? W-wait! Do you mean that thing that Uncle Nevren told us never to do?"

"The melty thing?" Gahi asked.

"Yeah. But now, we're gonna do it! He thinks we're ready, and I think so, too. Or, as ready as we'll ever be. If things go wrong, we'll just split you guys apart again, but—yeah! Isn't that cool? C'mon!" She pressed down on the Psychic bubble, accelerating it forward. It made an ethereal whirring noise when it sped up. "Rhys and Elder are making us some lunch, and then we can go."

"Sweet!" Owen pumped his fists toward himself, practically shaking with excitement, and picked up the pace. "Oh, but we have to get Demitri and Mispy first."

"Yeah, of course. Demitri just finished up, but Mispy's taking a little longer."

"How much did Demitri lift this time?" Owen asked.

"Well, he broke the presser, uh, again." Star rubbed her forehead. "So, I guess Nevren has to find a way to double the pressure… again. But that's for another test! D's pretty pumped about breaking Nev's things."

Star floated for a while longer, her tail curling around the bubble. She pressed her right paw a bit harder on the bubble, causing it to turn around to face them. "Walking all that way is boring. Can I just teleport you guys there?"

"You have a Badge?"

"No, silly! Nev's still testing that. I meant with Teleport. C'mon!" She tapped their shoulders, and then they all vanished in a flash of light.

Demitri's test chamber was much smaller than the others, mostly because Demitri didn't have to move very much. It was only ten feet across with a metallic pillar lodged in the ceiling, though the pillar was bent at an odd angle, jammed against its slot with no way to be pushed out or retracted inward. The ceiling also had a worrisome crack running all the way toward the wall.

"Sorry about breaking your things again, Uncle Nev…" Demitri rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno what got into me."

"Ah, but what do you mean by that?" the voice in the ceiling said.

"I felt like I was at my limit, but then I just… felt more power well up! But I think if I went any further, I'd've collapsed."

"Ahh, thank you, Demitri. That is just the information I was seeking. Perhaps we can actually move on to different another type of strength testing again. Perhaps we can revisit throwing? We've repaired the walls since the last time."

"That sounds fun! Yeah!" Demitri nodded, flicking his tail against the wall, accidentally carving into the concrete with one of his tail-axes. He jumped, looking back. "Oops—s-so, uh… What do I do about that?" he asked, pointing at the metallic pillar lodged in the ceiling.

"I will handle it later. I believe Star and the others are heading to the dining room."

"Oh, okay. But can I see Mispy first?" Demitri asked. "I want to see how she's doing with her training."

"Demitri!" Owen called, walking down the hall after having appeared in a flash of light.

"Oh, guys! Did you see Mispy yet?" Demitri tugged his tail out of the wall and followed after them.

"No, not yet," Owen said, leaning to the side. "You, uh… really need to be careful about that tail of yours, Demitri. Didn't you cut off Mispy's vines a few times?"

"I mean—yeah, but…" Demitri fidgeted. "If it gets dull, I feel all gross and stuff. I need it sharp. Maybe you should put out your tail, huh?"

Owen grabbed his tail protectively. "Th-that's totally different! That hurts! Also, I think it kills me!"

"Just a myth," Nevren sounded. "It emits steam otherwise. Though you are correct, it does hurt. The water-shock involved may also cause you to pass out, hence the myth that it spells death."

Owen shuddered. "Please don't say water shock. I'd rather die than deal with that."

"Well, considering that drowning often happens afterward, you'll likely experience both."

"Hey, um," Demitri held up a claw nervously, "can we see Mispy?"

Star spun until she was upside-down on her Psychic bubble. "Aww, what, worried about your girlfriend?"

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!" Demitri flicked his tail, startled, accidentally leaving another mark in the wall. He reached over and yanked it back out. "I—I mean, is she still doing her tests?"

"She's nearly finished," Nevren said. "I'll have to talk to her shortly for the final phase. Feel free to go to her observation room. Star?"

"You got it, Nev," Star said.

"Well… congratulations, Mispy," Nevren said. "You've outlasted the Beammaker at its full sustainable capacity."

"Good!" Mispy said. Her countless vines writhed with pride, sitting atop a pile of burned mulch mixed with a strange, greenish, burned liquid mixed together with it. The mutant Meganium looked up. "I win?"

"Yes, you win," Nevren said. "Now, for the, ah, bonus fight."

"Bonus?" Mispy's eyes lit up. The modified Meganium bounced on the ruined ground—of all the training areas, Mispy's was the most in need of repairs. The concrete floor was riddled with craters and cracks; the metallic walls were warped and bent in some areas. Thankfully, this particular room was reinforced with a secondary wall beyond the first one, specifically because of Mispy's training.

"Yes. Ah, but we should wait. I recently got off of a talk with Demitri and the others—they've come to wait for you."

A flash of light caught Mispy's eyes.

The source of light was Owen's tail, the Charizard waving to get her attention. "Hey, Mispy! How's the Beammaker going?"

"I beat it!" Mispy said.

"Y-you did?"

Mispy nodded. "And now… the bonus fight."

Star sighed. "Wow, Mispy. That kinda blows me away, actually. For Nevren to be able to create someone so, uh… you!"

The creature giggled, covering her head with three vines.

"You mean she withstood that giant blaster?" Demitri asked. "Mispy, doesn't that hurt?"

"Nope!" Mispy said.

"Don't forget, Demitri," Star said, "Mispy doesn't register pain the way normal people do. She knows she's getting hurt, but… it doesn't hurt hurt, you know?"

"Not really," Demitri said. "Maybe if we fuse I'd understand!"

"We-e-ell, let's wait a while, huh?" Star teased. "It's scheduled first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Mm." Mispy nodded, but then shooed them away with her vines. It was time for the bonus fight, after all.

"Oh, right," Star said. "Everyone! To the other room! Let's wait until Mispy gets her test done, okay? We can watch with Nevren!"

"Ahh, of course. Please head into the other room so you don't get hurt by the shockwaves or thermal energy. Be sure to put on your UBGs, too, yes?"

They shuffled out of the area and into another, smaller room. There, a thick, clear window separated them from Mispy's area. A weak buzz vibrated the ground.

"Nevren must be charging up," Owen said.

"Protective gear, everyone!" Star announced, popping her Psychic bubble. She flew over to a small chest in the corner of the room with a label on the front: Ultra Black Glasses. Opening it with a little Psychic wave, she passed along the nearly totally black lenses for the others to wear.

"Is that really necessary?" Owen said.

"No, if you don't mind going blind," Star said. "I can't heal you every time, y'know!"

"…But you can."

"Well, maybe I don't want to." Star winked.

Just then, Rim appeared behind them.

"Oh, hey Rim!" Star greeted.

The Espurr smiled.

Owen's tail fire briefly enlarged. "Rim, did you eat those berries during my test?"

The Espurr's eyes widened. "H-huh…?"

"The berries out in the hall." Owen narrowed his eyes, watching every telltale muscle of a little thief that got caught.

Rim's eyes widened even more. Owen worried that they'd pop right out of her head.

Owen snorted a small jet of flame through his nostrils. "Yeah, those were part of one of my tests."

"S… S… S-sorry…!" She looked down, shivering.

Owen's demeanor immediately softened, his once irritated attitude replaced with an urge to pet her. "Aww, it's alright. I got to prove Hecto wrong because of it! That must be, like, bonus points or something." Owen helped Rim with her pair—extra-large lenses for her body size. "Let's watch Mispy, huh? How about you rest on my head to watch better?"

Rim grinned, floating in the air until she was sitting on top of Owen's head, using his horns as support for her arms.

The vibrating got louder. The ground shook with power. "Uhh, what's Nevren doing…?"

"He's charging the Beammaker 3.0 to its fullest output," Star said. "To the point where, well, it's not gonna be operational afterward. But seeing as Mispy can withstand the non-breaking blast, I guess he's gonna have to make 4.0 anyway…" Star hummed. "We're starting to run out of power sources. You can only get so much from solar energy. We might need to look for different options soon…"

"Wow… she's so strong…!" Demitri said; Owen practically saw the Haxorus' happy eyes through the glasses. Though that was probably just his Perception.

"Of course she is," Owen said. "I mean, she has to be! She's our defender component!"

"Keep 'em on!" Star announced.

In an instant, a giant blast of light, heat, and forceful energy hit the ground where Mispy stood—it was a constant, rumbling stream that shook the very ground beneath them, not unlike a Hyper Beam. The building withstood the shaking, but Owen wondered if Mispy would be able to do the same thing. She always carried a Reviver Seed with her when this happened, hidden within the many tendrils beneath her. The Beammaker would stop prematurely if it was ever activated. But Owen still worried.

The Charizard saw many of Mispy's vines disintegrate away; at the same time, parts of her body burned and reformed at the same rate that her vines vanished. Indeed, that was the secret of Mispy's power source—by using all of that extra mass below her, she could recover constantly for quite a while. Just how long was still being determined by Nevren. Owen figured that's what the tests were for.

The Beammaker finally stopped with a stuttering blast, and Mispy, less than half her original weight and surrounded by the ash of what had been destroyed, shook her head and coughed out even more of the black, burned mass. "Ugh…" she said.

"Mispy!" Demitri called. He took off his glasses and ran into the main room, tripping over the mounds of damp ash the closer he got to Mispy. "Ugh—gross—Mispy, did it hurt?"

"No," Mispy said. "But I feel… weak."

"You feel weak?" Nevren said. "That's good to know. Thank you." He paused to log down his findings and the results in his notes. "You may eat as much as you like, Mispy. The food is ready."

"Great!" Star cheered. "Man, that's perfect! Okay, let's go! Mispy! Need help walking?"

"I'm fine," Mispy said; she was already latched onto Demitri, riding on his back with her cheek pressed against the back of the Haxorus' head. Gahi and Owen smirked at the dragon; he blushed but did nothing to push Mispy away.

The mess hall was the first room that Owen had seen all day—other than his own room—to have any sort of color to it. Reddish-brown paint colored the walls. A long table of polished, dark wood acted as the centerpiece of the room, with three quartz chandeliers uniformly hanging on the ceiling, glimmering like diamonds.

The long table was filled end to end with food and dishes made by a team of five Hectos. Star hopped onto the back of one of them. "You're such a good cook, Hec." She planted a kiss on his cheek.

The expressionless Zygarde's ears rose imperceptibly. "Thank you." The other four stared at the lucky Hecto, but then resumed their work.

Star tilted her head. "Are you sure about having five of you here? Even though Nevren helped you bypass your cell limit, five is pretty big out of a hundred."

"Five is adequate for here without weakening my observational abilities for the rest of the world," Hecto said. "Hmm… I should also point out," he said, "that I believe the Ghost Orb is stirring… A Goodra wandered into its location, and the Ghost spirits attempted to kill him. Or, well, absorb his aura to become part of their brood. However, it appears that he is too strong… They may have found a vessel."

"A Goodra?" Star said. "You don't mean…"

"Yes, Madeline's child."

An uncomfortable silence washed over the group of Divine Dragons, mutants, and Star. "Madeline…" The Mew rubbed at her left arm.

"And the Ghost Orb, you say?" Nevren repeated—this time, his voice came from himself, and not from the ceiling. The Alakazam walked toward the table and made for himself a modest plate of food. "Hidden in plain sight, yet too strong for us to approach safely… It's unfortunate that the Ghost Orb was the first one we could locate."

"Yeah… those guys are just beyond mean, too," Star said, looking off. "They like to play pranks on me. Not even I have an easy time getting close to them."

Owen lifted his plate, bringing the flame of his tail underneath it. "I mean, they're Ghost Types, right? Don't they sorta play with life and death, and you're kinda… y'know… a Creator?" He focused on the ethereal flame to make it hot enough to sizzle the dish.

"The Creator," Star corrected.

"What about—"

"Arceus didn't do the creation of life part," Star said. "That's all me. He did the physics and all that… And maybe a few on the pantheon, but, y'know."

"O-okay, okay." Owen nodded. He tested his food with his claw, now satisfied with the temperature. "But maybe they just toy with you because they kinda break your rules?"

"Pbb, rules, I didn't make any rules. W—wait! I made their species too, you know! I think they just do that because they have an advantage over my natural Type. And I guess I'm a little spooked by Ghost Types…" The last part was said too quietly for them to hear. "I should switch to Fairy…"

Owen scanned the room and spotted Rhys picking from the berry salad plate, getting a heaping pile for himself. "Uncle Rhys!" he said. "Are you good against Ghost Types? No, right?"

"Not particularly," Rhys said. "Two of my best techniques are completely ineffective."

"Isn't that awesome aura-armor thing also Fighting?"

"It's without an attribute," Rhys said. "It affects all Pokémon equally."

"Wow…" Owen said. "That's kinda cool!"

"Heh, too bad yeh pass out after usin' it," Gahi said.

"Ngh, I'm working on it," he said in a growl, angrily eating a Pecha in one bite. He scanned the room between bites, finally speaking when he downed the sweet berry. "…Where's Eon?"

"He's inspecting the lab," said Nevren. "You know how he is."

"Oh! You mean our new siblings that you're making?" Demitri asked.

"Yes! Precisely," Nevren said.

Gahi glanced off uncomfortably. Owen glanced at him, gently bumping his tail on his side. Gahi just grunted and nibbled on a piece of bread.

Nevren went on. "They're coming along very well. It won't be long before they're ready to be activated. Though, they may not be as strong as you all. Perhaps future creations… Ah, that reminds me." Nevren tapped his spoon on his chin. "When you're done eating, perhaps we should attempt the full-fusion first thing in the morning, when you're rested and refreshed from today's tests. If the Ghost Orb found a vessel… we may want to nip that in the bud now."

Mispy flinched, face stuffed full of a whole plate of sliced fish.

"Figure of speech, Mispy," Nevren said. "Hecto, how is the vessel faring?"

"He is…" Hecto said. "Befriending them."

"B-befriending?" said another, shaky voice.

"Elder!" Rhys stood up with a second plate in his hands. "I made your plate, Elder. Please, enjoy."

"Ahh, Rhys… Thank you."

The giant Torkoal—at least twice the size of the average of his kind—gave Rhys a grateful smile. He was also twice as slow; he may have been on the way to lunch all morning, for all they knew.

Elder chuckled. "It seems that Mispy is having her fill."

The behemoth's vines had morphed into mouths, chomping away at entire piles of food; the food channeled directly into her body, forming more vines to eat away. It was horrifying, but Owen and the others were so used to it that it was a comforting, if not slightly disturbing, sight to see her so content.

"She's got the right idea," Owen said.

The family settled down to eat in a brief, comfortable silence. Elder went for mostly greens and fruits, while Demitri focused on many of the meats instead. Gahi and Owen had a more balanced diet; Mispy ate whatever was placed in front of her, including one of the plates. Rhys, concerned, asked if Mispy was feeling okay. She responded with a nod, mouth too full to speak.

Star asked Elder, "Didn't you try to negotiate with the Ghost Spirits a while back?"

"I did," Elder said. "One of the first to show up before me, at least. But those spirits…" He shivered. "It's no wonder they're not hidden – even with the knowledge of where they are, approaching it is simply too difficult. Assuming you aren't killed by the feather-arrows of their commander from afar, the…" Elder shivered again.

"It's okay, Elder. Perhaps this is for the best," Rhys said. "If someone has befriended the hostile spirits, then perhaps we can then befriend the vessel. Hecto, how is…?"

"The vessel has fully assimilated the Orb. However, I was unable to determine anything more, as the copy I used to keep track of it has perished."

"O-oh." Owen gulped, fire dimming. "Did it… hurt?"

"It was surprisingly painless. Mostly. A dull ache, followed by a metallic taste in my mouth. Silent killer." Hecto nodded. "However, my final observation indicated that the Goodra was completely dormant. We should wait until tomorrow so I can scout the area again, just in case."

"Astonishing. What an incredible Pokémon," Nevren said. "I have full confidence that Madeline's son would be able to finish what she could not. Perhaps I should contact him later… He would be a substantially useful ally in gathering the Orbs, wouldn't you agree?"

"Totally," Star said, nodding. "But anyway, that's for tomorrow. I don't think you guys should be fusing after your training, so we'll do it first thing in the morning! Let's break for now. How's that?"

"Alright," Owen said, rolling his shoulders. "Urgh, yeah. I think I'm gonna take a nap or something…"

"Yep," Gahi said.

"Me, too," Demitri said.

Mispy swallowed multiple piles of food with her vines and her normal mouth. "I guess," she finally said.

Owen blinked. "Uh, Mispy? What happened to the table?"

"Mm?" Mispy looked down. There were whole chunks of wood missing in front of her. "I dunno."

"We should really move to stone tables," Nevren mumbled.

Owen threw himself onto a large, white couch, rubbing his face along the soft, cotton mattress with a low rumble from his throat. "So sooooft," he mumbled, rolling until he was on his back. He squirmed, getting that cushiony feeling all along his scales and his wings, flicking his tail against the fabric—thankfully, fire-resistant.

He watched Gahi with one eye. The Flygon prodded at one of Owen's books, reading it aloud. "Charizard and You: Best Care for Your Favorite Fiery Pokémon." Gahi stared at Owen, squinting.

"It's informative," Owen said, shrugging.

Gahi turned the book over, flipping through the pages. "How come a bunch of these're blank?" he asked, staring at one particular page that had absolutely nothing on it.

"I think it's a misprinted version or something, but a lot of the books are like that. Dad says it's because the printing technology is still sort of developing, so sometimes the words get printed funny."

Gahi shrugged. "Hey, at least yer getting knowledge outta it." He shoved the book back in its shelf, picking out another. "…There's no cover on this one," he said, squinting. "Wait, y'know, if I look at it just right…" He tilted the book.

"Oh, that might be the one with a bunch of advanced battle techniques," Owen said. "Super useful when you're fighting in pairs, too!"

"Heh." Gahi returned the book. "Y'know, I wouldn't mind a fight. Never had one in a while." He flexed his wings. "Too bad I feel like jelly."

"I could use a fight," Owen admitted. "You guys did all your physical tests, but mine were all mental. I need to get some energy out there." Owen paused, thoughts lingering on his conversation with Gahi before lunch. "Hey," he said. "I know what we can do. Everyone's busy with fusion prep and stuff, right?"

"Mhm," Mispy said.

"How about… we sneak out?"

Gahi, Mispy, and Demitri all flinched. "Sneak out?" Demitri squeaked, tail flicking worriedly. "B-but that might just get us in trouble…"

"Yeah, but what're they gonna do? They need us to fuse tomorrow! C'mon, it'll just be for a little while." Owen squeezed his fists, almost mimicking a battle stance. "Just so we can see the sky again!"

"But how?" Mispy asked.

"Aw, c'mon," Owen said, tapping his head. "I've got Perceive. This'll be easy."

"There's, like, five Hectos patrolling the halls."

"Doesn't matter. Nevren isn't watching right now, I don't think, right? Let's go." Owen nodded. "It'll be easy!"

The three looked at one another uncertainly. Eventually, Mispy nodded. She pointed a vine at him. "It's your idea."

Owen tittered. "O-okay."

He stepped toward the door and pressed his hand against the metallic door. In response to the pressure, the door slid into the walls. Owen immediately led the way; Gahi sped on after him. Mispy picked Demitri up, placed him on her back, and squeezed through the door last, vines spilling into and out of the doorway that was just barely wide enough for her to squish through.

"This way," Owen said in a whisper, rounding the corner of the grid-like arrangement of hallways. Forward, forward, left, forward, right, right.

"What're you doing?" Gahi said impatiently.

"Shh," Owen hissed. He looked ahead again and made another left, but then stopped.

Gahi crossed his arms, grumbling. Owen was thankful that Gahi was at least patient enough, or faithful enough, to keep with Owen's lead. "Okay," Owen said. "Almost!"

A few more turns and they saw a number at the end of the hall—the number three, painted in red and outlined in yellow. Owen rushed for it and waited for the others. Once they were all squeezed near the end of the hall, Owen whispered to the wall, "One."

The "3" became a "1" in a blink. They all spun around and went down a new hallway. Left, forward, right, forward, right, forward, forward, forward—"I see it," Demitri said excitedly, leaning closer.

There was a great door at the end of the grid by the western exit of Quartz HQ made of metal. Owen quickly approached the door and pressed a hand on it, hoping it would work.

By some miracle, it did. The huge doors parted, sliding into the walls, revealing—more hallways, the same as behind them. "…What?" Owen said. "No, that's not right. I know I felt the exit on the other side a little bit ago!" He rushed through. Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi followed.

"What?!" Owen said again, staring up.

"Is something wrong?" Demitri asked.

"We're not on the top floor anymore," Owen said. "This isn't floor one. We're, like, three floors down again! And—" Owen spun around. "Uh oh."

"Hello." Nevren greeted, waving a spoon. "Going somewhere?"

"How did—when did—" Owen backed away, flustered.

Mispy jabbed Owen in the back, shoving him forward. "His idea!"

"Now, you know you aren't supposed to go outside," Nevren warned, shaking a spoon. "Last time that happened, we lost Gahi for a week."

Gahi pouted. "Aw, I promise I won't do that again."

"That's what you said last time." Nevren sighed. "How about this. After the fusion, we will begin arranging for taking you all out on individual trips, perhaps while we go on missions to find Orbs and whatnot. Does that sound acceptable? It may be dangerous, but we could use your talents anyway. Mispy, I plan on bringing you to see that Ghost vessel, for example."

"You promise?" Mispy growled.

"I do." Nevren gave her a formal bow. "In any case, if you're looking for entertainment, why don't you see Eon? If you have any excess energy, you can ask him for a sparring match."

Owen's tail fired up. "Sparring with Dad?" he said. "Y-yeah! Sure! Where is he?"

"Floor eight."

On the eighth floor, Owen navigated through the halls with the rest of the Alloy and finally reached another door. Owen gently pressed his hand against it; they slid open, revealing a large, open arena in the shape of a dome. The ground was marble-white, but the walls had simplistic, linear designs of blue that zig-zagged toward the top of the dome in a jagged spiral. A Greninja stood in the center of the arena, slicing the air with ease. Droplets of water surrounded him, forming small, explosive bubbles.

Then, from his hands, he blasted water into the floor, propelling him up and into the air. He landed on the ground again, then hopped higher, shooting water below him again for an even greater jump at the apex of his leap. The Greninja flipped in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. "Perfect," he said to himself.

He spun around, pleased, and took a few steps forward—promptly stepping on his own tongue. The Greninja yelped and fell forward, slipping in a spectacular front-flip that ended with his face meeting the ground. His head burst into a pile of pink slime, followed by the rest of his body, becoming nothing but a puddle.

Owen and the others giggled. "H-hey, Dad," Owen said, waving at the bubbling ooze.

"Mrrngh." The puddle re-formed into an orange mass with a flaming rear. A few seconds later, it solidified into an exact copy of Owen. "And I maintained that form for so long, too…" He rubbed his forehead, staring up at the other Charizard. "And how are you, kids?"

"Just fine," Owen said. "Hey, can we spar? The other three are tired, but I didn't get to do anything exciting all day. Just a quick fight! Please?"

While Owen spoke, Eon sighed and glanced at the other three, transforming into someone when he glanced at them. "Okay, okay," he said. "Just give me a second to get my lucky scarf."

Eon looked at Owen again, becoming a Charizard. "Want to see a magic trick?" he said. "And just like that… presto!" He flicked his hand, revealing a simple, pink scarf. "Bet you didn't Perceive how I grabbed that one."

Owen did not, and that made it all the more impressive. "W-wow! Where'd you get it?!"

Eon pointed at the small bag at the very corner of the room. "Magic." Then, he wrapped the scarf around his eyes, tying it around the back of his head. "There. Now I won't transform randomly. I want you three to stay quiet, alright?"

The rest of the Alloy knew the routine. With Eon's overactive Impostor ability, he couldn't help his transformations—anybody in the forefront of his mind would be the form he took. He usually had to stare at someone very intensely to maintain a single body for long, though the blindfold certainly helped keep things stable. For a time.

Eon grinned "Come on! I haven't got all day. Well, I do. But you need to rest."

"Okay, okay," Owen said, following the blindfolded Charizard to the center of the arena. "How about this, if you're in such a rush. The first person to land a single hit wins."

"Sure," Eon said casually. "I'll give you the first ten shots."

Owen's tail burned bright, pupils narrowing dangerously.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Eon raised his hands, not even having to look to sense Owen's glare. "Two shots."

"You're gonna regret that. I know your tricks this time!" Owen stomped on the ground. "I have just the plan to get you this time!"

"Mhm, mhm." Eon tilted his head leisurely. He turned around. "Let's go, Owen. I'm waiting."

A tense silence festered between the two. Owen made careful steps around Eon, strafing the Charizard in a slow circle, looking for an opening. He watched his flame. When it flared up, Owen knew that an attack would be coming, right? Compressed air danced around Owen's claws, swirling in a spiral that collected at the very tips. His wings lit up with little specks of light, drifting away from him. The Fire Traps remained where he stood, floating delicately. It wouldn't be much, and Eon would certainly not let him make a full circle—last time he tried, Eon struck early, claiming that his extended Trap counted as two moves.

Eon's flame flashed blue.

Owen jumped to the right to avoid some invisible maneuver, yet Eon didn't move. Instead, he turned his blind eyes toward him, smirking. "Made you flinch."

Owen blinked, then snarled. "Oh yeah?!" He rushed forward, blasting Eon with an Air Slash that had been charged on his right claws. Then, he sent a beam of fire ahead of Eon, cornering him in a V-shape. The left was solid air; the right was searing flames. Still spewing fire, Owen smirked and turned his head, closing the gap.

And then Eon vanished.

And then Owen realized he'd used up his two strikes.

Eon was behind him. He sensed it. Owen spun around and closed his wings, forming a golden barrier to block him.

Eon wasn't there.

"Wh—"

Eon flicked Owen on the back of his head, between his horns. "Got you."

Owen spun around for a second time. Embers still floated in the air behind Eon, where Owen had last fired. The true Charizard stared with wide eyes. "But I—you—that—"

Eon grinned. "Hey, you almost got me that time," he said, chuckling.

"H-how'd you do that?!" Owen said, pointing at him. "You were behind me! I felt it! And then you—blipped in front of me! That's no fair!"

Eon shrugged. "Magic," he said. "I'm super-fast."

Gahi's tail flicked challengingly.

"Anyway, did you at least get a bit of your aggression out, Owen? You put your all into those attacks. I felt the heat." He tapped at his cheek.

Owen grumbled.

Eon pat Owen's shoulder. "I'll give you a proper fight tomorrow. I just don't want you to ache when you evolve." He motioned for him to follow. "Why don't I take you to your beds?"

Owen's wings drooped in defeat. "Okay…"

Metal doors parted and they were back in their room again, Eon escorting the four of them back to the couch, still blind. Along the way, they rambled to Eon about their training, how they managed to exceed Nevren's expectations yet again, and how Rim stole Nevren's berries. Eon laughed. "I guess she couldn't resist. You know how much she loves them. Just like Rhys and his Pechas."

"Or Elder and his Orans," Demitri said. "Or Owen and his Tamatos."

"H-hey, those are amazing and you know it." Owen stuck his nose in the air, snorting a small cloud of embers.

Mispy shrugged, while Gahi and Demitri both shuddered.

"I don't get you Fire Types," Gahi said.

"Well, to be fair, I think that's more an Owen thing than a Fire thing," Eon explained. With everyone inside, Eon walked toward the shelves and opened a small case. "Let's see…" He lowered his voice while struggling with the case, clearly not used to the three claws a Charizard had per hand.

The clicking of the chest opening was enough to make Mispy, Demitri, and Gahi all yawn at the same time. Even Owen was starting to feel a bit tired, longing for a good night's sleep.

Eon tossed four colorful spheres toward them. Owen caught two; Mispy caught the other half. She inspected the stickers on the top. One had a little flame symbol; Mispy handed that one to Owen. Meanwhile, Owen passed a leaf-sticker sphere to Mispy in return. Demitri's ball had a little purple claw mark sticker, leaving Gahi's as one with a small sand dune.

Demitri and Mispy stared at one another and exchanged balls such that they were holding one another's. Then, then squeezed it, thrusting them forward at one another; a beam of light enveloped them at the same time. The balls opened, splitting in half, as the Meganium and Haxorus washed away in that same, red light.

Gahi tossed his ball in the air, bumping it with his nose. It cracked open and enveloped Gahi next, the sphere falling to the ground with a dull clatter.

Owen grinned at Eon. "Hey, so," he said, "tomorrow, after the fusion… what if we sparred as the full Alloy, huh?"

"The full Alloy? I dunno if I'll win against that," Eon said, mirroring Owen's expression. "I'll wake you guys up if you oversleep." He nodded toward Owen.

Owen nodded back. "Night." Owen tilted the ball toward him and squeezed, firing the beam toward himself. Owen's vision went dark, his body felt weightless, and then he felt a rough rumble around him. His mind breathed a sigh that his body could not emulate. In this cozy darkness, he felt someone pick him up.

"Good night, you four," Eon said.

Owen felt Eon's claws wrap around the ball. His consciousness sank deeper, a grin forming where he had no face. Despite not feeling much, he felt warm in his bed.

Eon set them all on the couch and left the room.

Owen's Perceive didn't work within this space, yet despite this, he still had a subconscious idea of what was around him. He felt Gahi's bed wiggling as he settled down for bed, eternally restless. Mispy's was completely motionless. Demitri's shifted every so often until it finally rolled to the back of the couch, balanced in the corner.

The coziness was too much. Already in darkness, Owen's mind drifted away completely.

The Alloy components walked through the halls and eventually went to another training room. The four excitedly bounced with each step; Mispy nuzzled at Demitri's back and Gahi elbowed Owen, remarking that they'd finally get to put all this work to the test. And finally, they entered the training room—a somewhat smaller area, more like a waiting room than anything, and stepped into the very center of the chamber. The echoes were strongest here, as if the past was reminding them of its existence. Nevren, Elder, and the others stood at the edges of the room to observe and prepare for any potential mishaps. Rhys stood closer to keep watch on how their auras interacted.

The four components of the Alloy faced one another.

"Where's Eon?" Demitri asked.

"Right here!" Heavy footsteps—the voice came from someone that sounded exactly like Demitri. And, indeed, a doppelganger of Demitri entered the room, holding his knees. "Sorry for the wait—I lost track of time…"

"Eon, did you eat at all?" Nevren asked. "You didn't show up for lunch, or dinner, or breakfast…"

"No, I'll eat later. This is more important," Eon said, transforming into Nevren.

Nevren nodded. "Very well. Okay. Are we ready?" He turned his attention to the four synthetic Pokémon.

"Ready!" they all said.

"Use Mispy as the central figure," said Nevren. "Given her size, it will be the easiest. Good, a bit closer… Now, you must all close your eyes and focus. Relax your minds, and then your bodies. Try to tune in with the auras of one another…"

Owen breathed slowly, and he indeed could feel their presence. He breathed a bit faster when he felt his body lose its shape, enveloped in the many vines in front of him. Gahi was next to him, and his side was melting into his. He didn't know how to describe it. This happened now and then in the past, but they always woke up before they totally fused. It was such a warm, tingling feeling, as if their very nerves were being attached and intertwined with one another. But they'd always pull away. It wasn't too hard to do that. But now—was this…? He didn't want to stop. This was deeper than they'd ever gone—and he couldn't get enough. Just a little more…

"Keep going…" Nevren said slowly, glancing at something in his hands. Some sort of blue emblem in the shape of a badge.

Eon watched, tense, still taking on the form of Owen. Countless tense seconds passed, their first fusion as an Alloy done slowly and steadily. Perhaps it had been minutes. None of them could tell, especially the Alloy components themselves.

Rhys winced with unease. "Their auras are starting to link," he said. "It's… incredible, but… it feels wrong, somehow."

"It seems fine so far," Star said. "Their auras are merging fine, but it's just getting started."

Despite this, Star was playing with her pawpads anxiously.

More silent seconds passed. The auras mingled together, but the closer they got, the more their flares lashed out wildly. Nevren's blue emblem abruptly dimmed to a gray color.

Rhys' expression darkened. "Nevren. I don't think we should keep going. We should separate them."

"What's wrong?" Star asked.

"I agree," Nevren said immediately.

"Their auras aren't attaching properly. Something isn't right with it. They aren't ready—perhaps some more training, or—"

"We need to separate them." Nevren looked at his gray emblem, snorting. He shoved it in his bag. "Reverse the fusion process!"

"Guys!" Star interrupted Rhys, shouting at the four.

Gahi, Demitri, and Mispy were all too involved in the fusion to sense anything else. Owen, however, heard them. "What's… what's wrong?" he said in a slur. "Wait… I need to go… further…"

"Owen!" Rhys said. "Back away! Stop the fusion!" Rhys' paws burned with aura and he rushed toward them.

"I… I can't…! It's… too…" The fusion accelerated rapidly by Mispy's own defiance. Vines wrapped around Owen's head, and his body was lost to the amalgamation. He felt Rhys pulling at his body, but he was already attached to Mispy, part of her—just as she was part of him, and the others a part of the whole. He let out a final breath; he could hear the thoughts of his components plague his own. And his thoughts plagued theirs. He couldn't feel his arms any longer. His wings went next, and then the rest of him. His mind was the last to go.

The rest of the memories, while there, felt blurry and rushed. With his mind not fully intact, he only felt raw emotions and instincts, reflexive actions. Without any mirrors, he didn't even know what he looked like in this final, monstrous, whole form. Fading images filled his mind—fragments of memories that pieced together to show, finally, the full picture. He remembered roaring—feeling an overwhelming power that forced out all other thoughts.

He remembered Star floating in front of him with great, white wings made from long, glowing tendrils. She had tears in her eyes. Of what, he didn't know. Horror, sadness, regret? It could be any of them, or all of them. He remembered feeling blood between his claws and his vines, the squished form of one of the many Zygarde that had accompanied them torn to bloody shreds beneath him.

He remembered all of them firing tirelessly against him. Aura Sphere, Flamethrower—even Eon, who tried to mimic his body, couldn't properly copy a creature that was composed of four auras. Nevren had shouted something to Star, and then the Mew shook her head. And then she floated above them, the tiny Creator's tearful expression the last thing Owen remembered seeing.

"I'm sorry," Star said.

And then those wings… The light stabbed into his—no, their body. Light coursed through them like magma. They roared, flailing in all directions. Flamethrowers and Solar Beams scorched the walls; tremors cracked the ground; countless vines carved into the room. The pain only got worse. The twisted minds of the Alloy, combined with the exponential, excruciating, soul-splitting pain of the filaments burrowing into them became the only thing they knew.

This was the memory that had been blocked—the pain, the insanity, the creeping shockwave of madness that came back even after so many centuries sealed away. The memory that required a reset just to stay sane. But they couldn't let that happen. Not again. Never again. They had to see this memory through. They couldn't let it take them. This was all the past.

Whose memories were these? They were Owen's, but they were also from the others. Pieces of conversations from both sides flitted through the singular mind.

They all watched the same set of memories unfold. They all, now separate again, had to relive being the Alloy, as if it had just happened. Owen knew that they were seeing the same memories. And he, with Gahi, helped him deal with them, unable to handle it on his own. He guided him along, holding his hand for every step. He felt Gahi's fear, but Gahi felt Owen's confidence. And that saved him.

As the Alloy, Demitri could only think about Mispy. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to tell her that everything was okay. That nothing could go wrong, if only to assure himself that the pain would subside.

Mispy couldn't stand it. She had forgotten what pain felt like. She was the one that felt them all attach to her. She felt Demitri's fear. She wrapped her vines around him in her mind, agreeing with him. It was going to be okay. She had lost her mind first to the Alloy.

Gahi writhed from within, screaming to regain what sense of self he had. But it was all lost that day, stolen from him and melted into the rest of the Alloy. Gahi was gone. The others were all gone. Yet they were all together. He felt Owen's warmth, and that kept him anchored to the present. He felt his assuring thoughts, his calm words, and he followed that like the one light in a dark void.

Just a little longer. They had to remember just a little longer.

The wings, made from hundreds of filaments of light, parted. Still, they were pierced through their body. The light tore them apart, ripping their merged essences into quarters. Four bloodied pieces fell to the ground, indistinguishable masses of flesh.

Owen recognized his memories for his own, but he also understood the new memories that were forced into him. Foreign pasts that he would never be able to get rid of, because now, they were his, just as they were also theirs. He remembered two sides of the same conversation. He remembered winning and losing the same battle.

There were even memories where he was not present. The gentle caress of a tapestry of vines around his body and a huge head gently nuzzling against his tough scales. The feeling of air rushing past him through the air, free and in the sky, flying toward a great spire in the ground.

But now, he knew which memories were his, and which were theirs. And he accepted them all.

The pain stopped.

After countless lives repeated, the four souls breathed a sigh of relief.

End of Act I