Chapter 190 – First Light
"Hokay," Star said, panting while flat on the ground. Not even enough Psychic energy to levitate. "Let me just… rest here for a second. Hoo… can't move my psychic muscles at all…"
"Psychic… muscles?" Zena asked.
Dawn was just barely over the horizon. The black sky had a few strips of color at the edge of Zena's sight—just enough to make things out.
The great beam of light Nate had fired skyward had long since faded. He was recharging for more power to maintain it… and, admittedly, doing it at night would have been distracting and disruptive to a lot of life nearby.
But they'd made it. Zena had seen the struggle from afar and felt it in her expanded, Water Guardian form. She felt that Owen would be able to handle Hecto in a proper fight… but that was anything but proper. Hecto had an objective: that tree Owen found so precious. And Zena knew she couldn't protect it easily, either.
But moving it. She'd considered it but didn't know if it was a good idea. She tried when it became the only viable option: a prayer to the gods. Barky hadn't answered, for some reason, so instead she called upon Star. She and Hecto were mates, yes, but… Star wanted to protect Kilo.
And so the Mew, without so much as a question, Teleported both Zena and the buried Torterra tree across Kilo in one great leap.
"Rest all you want, Star," Zena said. "You did well. I'm surprised it was such a strain."
"Oh, I mean, normally it'd be no big deal, kinda," Star said. "But something about that tree had crazy resistance. Like, divine weight. Made Teleporting a lot harder. Especially with you. You're also heavy."
Zena glared. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Oh, c'mon! It's a compliment! Don't you sea monsters like being big and scary?" Star sighed. "You know, if you want to get Owen excited, a little intimidation works wonders. Just as a little secret tip."
"I think I don't need to hear that!" Zena declared, wrapping a ribbon around Star before pushing her away. "Ugh! Now, we need to focus. Owen said to bring the tree to the Chasm for Nate, and apparently, he'll know what to do from there. So, where's Nate?"
"Well, uh, before that," Star said, "I think we oughta take care of a slightly bigger problem first."
"And that is?"
Star rubbed her forehead, sighing. "Moving isn't gonna stop Hecto. He's probably on his way right now. The guy's… changed."
The final word at the end had weight to it. Star's shoulders sagged; her tail nearly touched the ground even from her floating position.
"Oh," Zena whispered. "Right. He… remembered all the context of being an Overseer and Alexander. A lot of that was sealed, right?"
"I always knew about the Overseers, and so did he," Star said. "But… he thought he was on vacation for a while. Helping look over this world to make sure it's all fine, you know? Then the Divine Decree breaks from the world going all unstable, and…"
"…And Hecto seems like the sort to be very, very dutiful."
"That's one way to put it," Star said. "Overseers are all like that. Well, ones like him. Takes a certain personality to be a scout, and a certain other personality to be an enforcer."
Star flicked her wrist, creating a feeble psychic bubble. She slipped inside and curled up, picking at her toe claws.
"You know, you're lucky," Star said. "Your mate got bombarded with literally thousands of years of memories while you knew him. Yet you barely changed at all, and he still loves you. Do you have any idea how…" She gestured vaguely skyward. "Special that is? How insane that is? You survived a Voiding, too! You saw what happened to Amia, she's only partly herself even after recovering. But you? You're just…"
Zena didn't know what to say to that. In a way, she'd thought about it a lot. In their year of peace, she spoke with Owen about his past. Well, pasts. The many lives he lived and lost.
"But he's not too different either," Zena said. "He's kind and he's sometimes scared of breaking the rules… but once you push him, he'll find ways around it. I guess that's fundamental to him. And… why he's trying to save this world while Hecto wants to avoid that risk.
"And I didn't really know him as that naïve Charmander. When we first met… I saw the Owen I see today, just… younger. I still remember him sitting at the edge of my lake, talking about how everything, everyone he knew was… upended. I thought to ignore him at first, but… something about him reminded me of myself. I felt like I'd talked to him for so long when we first met."
Zena giggled slightly.
"Turns out, we did. But only in my dreams. He'd kept me company when you were away, Star. I wonder… if I stayed sane because of him and didn't even realize it."
"That guy." Star sighed, rubbing her eyes as if just waking up from a nap. "I just don't get it. He wants to help people and he'd go as far as accepting blessings from the gods, but when offered the position of one, he denied it twice."
"Twice?"
"The thing Aramé did."
"Oh, I don't… know if that counts, but I suppose so." She glanced at her silvery feather tail.
"He'd be a lot better at it than…"
Zena tilted her head. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Hey—I sent a message over to Barky, but the guy said he'd send someone else. Which is weird. But uh… yeah."
"To stop Hecto?"
Star nodded. "The guy's persistent and clever. If he wants that tree destroyed, I don't know if you want to waste all that time defending it. You said you had to get this all done today, right?"
"This is only part of what we need," Zena agreed. "But are you going to fend him off for us?"
"Oh, no, no. I don't have the heart for that one," Star admitted. "Don't forget, gods' powers are tied strongly to will. Fighting Hecto… I dunno, Zena. I still…"
"N-no, I understand. But what, then?"
"Have to make him not want to do it at all," Star said. "I know about Overseers. I took tons of classes before I—uh, things. So, I know this'll probably do it. And I get the feeling once Hecto's off our tail, Nate'll finally show up, too."
Zena nervously looked at the horizon. Getting brighter… It was barely morning yet somehow that felt like not enough time at all.
And also over the horizon was a green glimmer.
"No," Zena whispered. "Owen…!"
"Don't worry. He's fine," Star said.
"What?"
"I'm getting some prayers from him. Sounds like he figured out what you did. He's on his way back." Star popped her bubble and levitated higher. "Guard the tree from any potshots."
"Right."
Zena held her ground near the tree and glanced at the pit. Nate still refused to emerge. What was he waiting for? Or was he resting to the point where he didn't realize they were present?
Zena put up a veil of water over the tree, creating a dome. The water wasn't very strong, but it'd deflect energy attacks for a time. If Hecto tried anything like that, he wouldn't get the tree so easily.
With that barrier up, Zena tried to get within earshot of the conversation.
" . . . authority to do any of this?" Star asked. "C'mon, Hecto. No way Barky made the call."
"I was told to guide this world into safety," Hecto said. "What Owen is doing is outside of that scope. It will risk the world again."
"It can literally only help us!" Star shouted. "Are you just mad it's slightly unexpected? C'mon, dude!"
"Any variance is tantamount to risk," Hecto said. "This world can no longer be allowed the privilege of variance. It must follow an exact path to save the souls within."
Star sighed, rubbing her forehead. "More like you can only see that one path. What's gotten into you? Even before you lost your memory, you weren't like this. You were actually nice! You allowed us to try things on our own, you didn't force outcomes, you… smiled, now and then! Now you're… just some machine."
The Mew shook her head.
"No, not even that!" she said. "Even ADAM's got more personality, and he's barely got a soul!"
The titanic Zygarde shifted in the air. Slowly, he descended, and Star did the same until Hecto was standing on ground. Star remained in the air to meet his height.
"When the world is in such a perilous state, procedure must be followed without variance to ensure the safety of everyone," Hecto said.
"Something as dynamic as a whole universe cannot be put to a single procedure, Hecto. Necrozma's recognized this! Why can't you?!"
Zena winced. From what Owen had explained on the way, Necrozma was in on it…
Hecto wasn't answering. Star, growing impatient, said, "And now you're weighing your options. The god of this world is saying to stop. And as far as you're aware, we aren't classified as hostile. That means you have to listen, right?"
"…So you do remember your lessons," Hecto stated.
Star scoffed. "Took a lot to learn all this in the first place."
"And look where it brought you."
The words may as well have been a Thousand Arrows. "Hecto…"
Even Hecto looked like he'd regretted that one. His gaze lowered. "Mm."
Star found her nerves again. "No," she said. "I still know you have to follow that authority, don't you? But… I think I get it. You're trying to ignore that with a loophole, right?"
"Loophole," Hecto repeated, though he didn't dispute it.
"Because… I'm not really the god of this world, right? You're realizing that, aren't you?"
No answer.
"Well, I didn't know, either!" Star said. "So, if you're mad over me lying to you… guess what! I didn't know! How can I lie about something I didn't know? Pretty sure Brandon would've called me out on it, and you know he would've!"
"I did not expect deception from you," Hecto said. "But being mistaken is still… a problem."
"Yeah. I know. But you know what we also know? We—"
And just then, a flash of golden light caught everyone's attention. At first, Zena thought it was Nate doing something… but instead, an Arceus appeared at the source of the flash. Barky? If Star wasn't the true god, then Barky…
No. The frame was thinner. This was…
"Leph." Hecto addressed, his body stiffening.
"Stand down, Overseer," Leph said. "Allow them to fight for their world. I have not violated any of the Overseer tenets, have I?"
Hecto stared, frozen in place, expression inscrutable.
"What will it be, Hecto?" Star said. "You're only doing all this because of your religious following of every rule in the book. Well, here's your answer. A true god is saying to back off."
Zena held her breath. The water gently cascaded over an invisible dome protecting the tree, their one hope for Kilo's long-term salvation. If Hecto chose to disobey, even if they fended him off, the aftermath could leave the tree damaged…
Hecto's lights flickered in a way Zena hadn't seen before, not quite fast nor slow. A conflicting rhythm between fast and slow, like the lights were trying to dance to a swinging tune. "You are correct," Hecto finally said. "I will… stand by for your suggestions." Then, with a pause, he added, "Until things become dire once more."
He clearly didn't want to commit, but 'had' to. Good enough.
Leph nodded. "No obscuring whatever Owen's team is trying to do. Is that clear? We're supposed to be on the same side. And… I trust him. This isn't like a thousand years ago, and you know it."
Star and Leph had both lowered their guard once Hecto did the same, reverting to a serpentine form upon touching earth.
"I understand," Hecto replied.
"But before you go," Leph said just as Hecto glowed as if to split apart. "Hecto, I have one request first."
Hecto remained.
"I want you to speak your mind, free of the Overseers' rules for a moment."
The serpent's hexagons flickered. "Excuse me?"
"What're you getting at?" Star asked.
Zena tilted her head, letting her veil of water rain down. "Do you mean," she said, "how Hecto feels, personally, about all this?"
"Yes." The younger Arceus addressed him. "Hecto, you've always been duty-bound. Even without your memories, you seemed very fond of rules and order. But… you were able to relax. You found someone to care about." Leph glanced at Star, then back at Hecto. "Now, I know a lot of us have gone through personality shifts as of late… as memories of old flood back and bump against new ones. Over time, people shift and change and bonds fade and form. Something this sudden can shatter many bonds."
Star looked down, uncomfortable. Zena thought about Owen's bonds with so many others. Mhynt, Team Alloy, Rhys, Eon, both sets of parents… How many bonds survived that turbulence? Should they survive? Fundamentally, he'd changed so much. They'd changed so much.
Looking at Hecto again, Zena thought about what it meant to be an Overseer. And then, looking at Star, she wondered how young of a god she truly was in the grandest scheme.
"Where do you stand, Hecto?" Leph asked. "We will soon face someone who can dive into anyone's darkened hearts and dredge up all mental vulnerabilities. You are not immune to this. In fact… I recall a fragment of you had already been touched by Shadows."
"Can Alexander really do that?" Zena asked. "That sounds more like something Dark Matter—I mean, Diyem would do."
"That's precisely why Alexander can do the same," Leph said. "He has a fragment of Dark Matter and, at this point, has likely entirely usurped that power. Made it his own. A god of the Voidlands, the former Reverse World."
"Usurped," Zena echoed quietly. That word held a lot of weight recently.
"We can assume, safely, that anything Dark Matter can do, Alexander can as well. He has become the god of the Voidlands, and has emerged to invade Kilo and make it another part of his territory."
Owen's words echoed in Zena's mind. "When the sun rises, its natural Radiance will be our last chance to take Alexander down. When he wakes up, when he emerges into Kilo… the sun will be our time limit."
Zena still had no idea how this Tree was supposed to help them. It seemed strange to use this when apparently it wouldn't even help against Alexander.
"So," Leph continued. "With that in mind, we need to be open and transparent with one another. Clear our doubts. Hecto, speak. What is this really about?"
The wind blew. The sun left a very soft illumination behind Hecto just as his entire stance sagged.
And finally, the serpent replied. "I'm… tired."
Zena tilted her head. "Tired?"
Hecto sighed, looking down at the soil.
"Before the Decree that erased memories of the Voidlands was broken," he began, "I thought I'd gone on vacation. That was the correction I'd given myself when those memories left a gap in my mind. That I'd settle in Kilo for a time, perhaps have a relationship with Star for a few centuries, and take a short break from being an Overseer."
"…Your work managing the afterlife is a break to you?" Leph asked.
Hecto shrugged. "It's a hobby."
Zena felt she'd need a few centuries herself to understand Overseers.
"But now," Hecto went on, "I feel like I've… lost immeasurable time to that Decree. I should have been doing everything differently. And I don't know what to make of the life I've lived during it. It's all… wrong."
"Wrong…" Star winced, holding her arm.
"…I don't think it was wrong," Zena said. "You lived a life on a mistaken premise, but surely it was still a life. Owen lived it for just as long, didn't he?" Zena slithered a few feet closer. "It was all on repeat, a constant loop of being reset over and over, but… wasn't it still fulfilling for you?"
"…I don't know," Hecto said. "I enjoyed my time with Star, yes. I…"
Zena noticed Hecto couldn't look directly at the Mew. This was… the most emotional Zena had ever seen Hecto. She hadn't even considered it a possibility.
"I should not be speaking like this," Hecto muttered. "I'm sure… some of it is because there is still a piece of that darkness within me, leaving me unstable."
"Shadows…" Zena frowned. "I don't know about that, Hecto. Shadows behave in different ways in Pokémon. For someone completely subsumed, it closes their hearts and turns them into mindless beasts. But every so often… emotion flares up. Because the side-effect of Shadows is dredging up true feelings. Too much and it's all instinct. But along the way… I think it makes you unable to deny your hidden thoughts. No matter how dutiful you want to be.
"Overseer, god, something 'other.' That doesn't matter right now, does it?" Zena approached until she was side by side with Star. "Right now, you're still just a Pokémon. And under our world's rules… you can't deny those feelings."
The silence that followed wasn't nearly as thick. The wind blew away the tension; the sun, finally rising, granted them all the day's first warmth.
"Rules that force me to break other rules," he said.
"You were lost," Star said quietly.
"What?"
"Hecto, whenever you're lost or stressed… you fall back to the procedure. To rules. A list, some kind of organization, to tell you what to do next. Necrozma isn't totally like that, but you're… That's just you." Star laughed. "The moment Owen stepped out of line, all of that crumbled, right? You needed everything to be followed. You needed that… structure. And Owen broke it. That's why you took on your Complete body, right? You equated Owen getting some dead tree… to Barky nearly falling to Shadows."
Zena hadn't thought of it like that, but she had a point. She supposed that'd be no surprise; Star knew Hecto better than anyone.
"It's okay," Star whispered, drifting until she was up to his face. She gently placed a paw on the serpent's cheek. "I know you're different now. I know… maybe things are different between us. I get it. It's hard for me, but… I'm sorry I didn't realize it must've been even harder for you."
"Star…"
"This was never about Owen going against your plan," Star said. "This was about anything going against it. You just want… everything to be normal and orderly. And if that means the world ends, but we're all saved from the Voidlands, you were okay with that. You… settled for that, because your rules would call that a success."
"I'm sorry."
Star shook her head. "I'm not mad," she said. "But is it true?"
"…I didn't… want everything to die."
"I know," Star assured, her voice barely over the wind. "You wanted to sacrifice the world to save its people in the grander scheme. Mortals can't see that—won't see that. And they shouldn't. You couldn't tell them; that was also against the Overseers' rules. And as the walls closed in, that path of normalcy got narrower and narrower…"
"…And now," Hecto said, "it's gone. There is no path to take. All of the rules and standards and procedures… I was unable to follow them."
"No." Leph drifted closer. "There is still one more path to follow, Overseer."
She held out a hoof.
"Please," she said. "Bolster our efforts. Prop up the world's gods and mortals alike. We still need your help, Hecto. Will you stand by us for just one more day?"
Hecto's unblinking, hexagon-plated eyes stared at the hoof. The lights flickered rhythmically. Slower rate, this time.
"The procedure of deferring to the local gods," he said, "and allowing them to fight their own battles with reinforcement. I… suppose, in a way, that is applicable."
"You discarded it with me," Star said. "And I don't blame you. I lost my chance. But Leph? She hasn't yet. She never had the chance to be in charge. And Owen…" Star tilted her head with a nervous grin. "A thousand years ago, none of us trusted him enough to stand up to Necrozma with him. And now we don't have to.
"No more fighting Overseers, Hecto. Just stand by us against a real Usurper."
A long shadow drew from the dead tree into the Chasm. Something within it stirred.
Hecto sighed and turned around. "Leph," he said. "What are my orders?"
Star beamed and drifted backward, glancing at Leph encouragingly.
"Right." Leph tapped a hoof in the air, making an ethereal ring on an invisible platform. "Hecto. Send half of you to keep an eye on Alexander's location. Send a tenth of you to Kilo Village to relay all information between your fragments to the rest of our intelligence. Scatter the remaining pieces to key locations you suspect are unstable or at risk. For the part of you across the aura sea, report any and all abnormalities. The afterlife is at just as much risk as Kilo is, and so we must have eyes there, too. Are these acceptable orders?"
"Yes." Hecto slithered onward. "Good luck with restoring the Tree of Life. Be careful with its power."
"I'm sure we will," Star said. "We've got experts on the case."
The Zygarde shifted once again to his titanic, bipedal form and took to the skies. Something about his movements was stronger. Perhaps, before, his heart had not been in it, only desperately flailing to catch a foothold. But now… that turbulence was settled.
But the morning sun reminded Zena that their time was fleeting. Just as she was about to turn around to face the Chasm, a flicker of orange not part of the sunrise caught her eye.
"There he is," Star said, beaming.
"Owen…" Zena sighed, another weight off her back.
It was time to prepare the Tree.
"What's this Tree going to do once Nate restores it?" Owen asked.
Forrest sighed. "It will stabilize the world, both now and in a future where Alexander is no more. That is its primary purpose. But… you're a resourceful tactician, Owen. Where I see potential, you see tangible plans.
"I'm sure you'll find something."
The flattery Owen had felt when Forrest placed so much faith in him had twisted into a little knot of anxiety in his gut.
They'd called upon Nate in the Chasm, and many, many little eyes stared back at them, glowing faintly with a Guardian's light. Tendrils of darkness wrapped around the tree left behind by Forrest and dragged it, gingerly, into the abyss.
From there, Owen sat down and breathed. Finally, he felt like he could sit still and wait for Hecto to inform them of any of Alexander's movements. He'd be needed here, first, to set up this new Tree of Life with Nate. Star and Leph had returned to Destiny Tower to prepare something else for the battle.
"Need help yet, Nate?" Owen called idly.
A little blob emerged and shook its body. Negative. Seemed Nate was still getting things arranged; too many trying that at the same time would only slow things down. Owen sighed and nodded. "Okay."
Eventually, a Smeargle entered Owen's Perceive range.
"Hm?" He craned his neck to look back. Zena followed his gaze.
"Oh, Angelo." Zena greeted. "Hello."
"Oh… h-hi. What're you doing here?" Angelo asked.
"We're setting something up," Owen said, gesturing to the Chasm. "How have you been?" He dug through his bag and offered a Pecha Berry once Angelo was closer.
"I've been alright," he said. "Woke up a little early, had some leftovers for breakfast. My, uh, blob guardian helped me with that… Um. What's this?" He held the Pecha Berry gently.
"For your stomach," Owen said.
"My… stomach feels fine?"
"For now."
Angelo blinked and tentatively took a few bites, sitting down nearby. Zena murmured something to Owen about minding his privacy, to which Owen nervously tittered.
"You still have one of those guardians, huh?" Owen asked. "Most of them returned to Nate."
"I think they're all Nate, right?" Angelo asked.
The Charizard shook his head. "They're actually his Dark spirits. Although… they picked up a lot of his mannerisms from being in there for so long. I think they look like Void Shadows because of some corruption Nate took on a while back."
"C-corruption? But that would mean…"
"Nate and his spirits seem, uh… immune to Shadows, even if it changes his appearance." Owen tapped his chin. "Either that or he doesn't have any darkness to amplify, but… everyone has darkness, right?"
"I don't know," Angelo admitted, bringing his knees to his chest. "…I… sort of just came here to… I don't know."
Owen tilted his head.
"Did you have something to ask Nate in private?" Zena asked. "We could go somewhere else for now."
"N-no, it's okay," Angelo said. "I guess I was just thinking and felt a little lost… Wanted to pass the time." Nervously, Angelo dug through his bag and pulled out a comic book.
Owen's eyes immediately darted to it. "Hey, is that… a new edition of Druddigon Cube?" His flame sparked. "I think I've been behind a few chapters lately…"
"Oh, um, that's—" Angelo quickly shoved it away.
"No, it's okay! Really, I read those, too."
"You… you do?" Angelo asked, his breathing increasing for some reason.
"Yeah. It's my favorite comic book series," he said. "I like how Druddigon has to really train and work hard to beat the next bad guy. Even when everything seemed insurmountable, he… kept a smile and kept fighting."
Angelo stared at Owen, spellbound.
"It's an inspiration for me. Only my most recent lives got to read it… but it stuck with me."
"Really?" Zena asked. "A hero from a comic book… inspired you to keep trying the way you are now?"
"I guess I was kind of like that always," Owen admitted, "But… it reminded me that the spirit's still there today." The Charizard beamed, tail blazing a little brighter. "If Druddigon doesn't give up, I shouldn't, either. Uh—sorry. Guess that's kinda silly now that I say it out loud, uh, Angelo—what do you like about it?"
Angelo closed his mouth. "I, um. I just… like… the pictures."
Owen laughed, though it was genuine. "Y'know, that's fair!" he said. "Essay's so good at paneling. He really knows how to make a fight have weight…"
"Essay?"
"Fans call him Essay. That's what the author's alias is. Nobody knows who he truly is."
Angelo tittered. "I guess when you're having a fight like this, in the real world, does it… remind you of that sometimes?"
"A little," Owen admitted. "But it's different when I'm doing it. I guess… in a way, I can empathize with Druddigon in a way that most people can't."
"Oh, that's true," Angelo said, bringing his knees a little closer to his chest. Always so nervous…
"What's wrong?" Owen asked.
"Oh, n-nothing. But I was wondering… do you think it's… accurate?"
"Accurate?" Owen asked.
"Staring in the face of a planet's doom and… smiling, getting ready for a fight. Trying anyway. Is… is that normal? Is everyone supposed to be like that?"
"No," Owen said.
Angelo flinched.
"I don't think it's normal," Zena said. "Most Pokémon are terrified. They're fighting for their lives. But the people who face it anyway… um, this Druddigon hero in that comic, are the ones we want to aspire to be. I… think." She smiled awkwardly at Owen.
"Kind of," Owen agreed. "Point is… not everyone is gonna be like that. And you don't have to be, either, Angelo."
Angelo winced. "Druddigon had a talent for fighting, the same as me," he said. "I know… every single move known to the world. Even the Legendary ones. And I'm…"
"And you don't have a fighting spirit like I do," Owen said.
Once again, that earned a wince.
"Angelo, it's okay," Owen said. "Pokémon like to fight, but not like this. We need support just as much as we need fighters at the front."
"I can do so much more, though. Diyem… showed that to me. He took control of my body and… I did so much. Effortlessly. Why can't I… shake off those nerves? I'm terrified, Owen, I—but I know if I fight, I'd do so much good! But I… can't."
Angelo looked so small. Zena shifted closer to Owen, leaning against him.
"There's no use in trying to force you to be a hero like in a comic book if you can't muster up the will to fight something like this," Owen said. "And I think if I forced you to the front lines, you'd panic. You might even mess up the coordination of other squads. At that point, who am I helping by sending you in?"
Angelo looked down silently.
"…But the way Diyem showed you your potential," Owen said, "makes you realize that you aren't fulfilling that."
Angelo covered his eyes and breathed. After a silence, he finally answered. "I just wanted a normal job. I know I was born with talent and strength, but… but my father died from overworking himself, getting careless on the job. And my grandfather, I don't even know what happened to him, but he vanished one day on his last trip to explore the world."
Angelo's Dark Guardian spirit inched a little closer to him and gently leaned against his side.
It calmed his breathing. "But even with how short their lives were, Grandpa charted much of the world for the Hearts, and of course Father helped out the same way. Me? I just… draw. And sure, it's inspired people, made people feel good, but it's not what they did. I wasn't a hero like them."
"That's a lot of pressure," Zena admitted. "Do you think your art, your chosen job, is wrong?"
"No, I…"
"But you could 'do more,'" Owen finished. "Maybe when you aren't doing art, you can do something else with that power. Is that it?"
"Something… else?"
"Before all this happened, it's not like you spent all day drawing, right?"
Angelo stared awkwardly.
"…Er… uh, I mean, it's not like you have to, right?"
"Sometimes it is a chore. There are only some kinds of art I like drawing. I actually make a lot of money, but I donate most of it. So, you know, at least I'm helping in some way."
Zena paused, then glanced at Owen. "Why don't you donate all that Heart income?"
Owen tittered. "I didn't realize I could. I must've always forgotten to, you know, since…"
"Ah…"
"Maybe Mom handled that. A-anyway." Owen cleared his throat and looked down at the Smeargle, who had gone back to putting his hand in his bag, over that comic book. "We don't have a lot of time for you to start developing life-altering habits, and you obviously really like your art. But maybe if there are only some kinds of art you like to do, why not exchange the rest of that time to ask the Hearts where you can apply yourself?"
Angelo had a dark look of pure dread.
"You can say it's not for combat," Owen amended. "But you're not happy with yourself now. And we can use your talent for good. So, c'mon. What can you do?"
"I… I don't know," Angelo said. "Anything. It's paralyzing how many things I can—"
"Why not retreat?" Zena asked.
"R-retreat? Fleeing? But that's—"
"Oh, Zena's right!" Owen said. "Angelo, if something goes wrong against Alexander, why don't you help us get people out of there? Tailwind, Trick Room, all kinds of things to get the wounded away so the fresher fighters can come in."
Light returned to the Smeargle's eyes. "A-and I'm always running away!" Angelo said. "So, I'd be great at that! And—and, oh, Phol has me volunteering at the hospital. I'm good at Heal Pulse, and Life Dew, Grassy Terrain—"
"All of those?"
"Yeah, I know everything," Angelo said again, his eyes a little brighter.
"Decorate?" Owen asked.
"Decorate what?"
"No, the—the technique. It's very rare, but—"
"Oh! Yes, I do know that!"
Owen's mind buzzed with thought. There was a certain energy between the two of them.
Zena smiled knowingly and said, "Let's get some paper and write a few things down."
The warmth of the morning sun washed over Fae Fae Forest, but only with a fleeting presence. Just as the shadows became shorter and the clouds lightly obscured the sun's natural radiance, a dark miasma slowly leaked out of the Dungeon's presence. Pastel leaves and wood rotted away into gnarled, ashen tree trunks. Grass wilted into purple dust. A stagnant air wafted into the once-fresh scent of a Kiloan atmosphere.
Immediately, Hecto sent his scouts away to alert Kilo Village and everyone to prepare operations. A single canine remained behind to send telepathic, live updates to the rest.
73. Approaching the Dungeon now. Preparing to self-destruct at the first sign of inescapable doom.
He crept forward.
73. The Voidlands is seeping out of Fae Fae Forest. The destabilization of realms is progressing rapidly.
Then came the dark miasma. Hecto thought to hold his breath, but knew that would be pointless. This kind of corruption sank into the aura directly; breath had nothing to do with it. And this was his purpose. All of his cells compressed within his body, ready to rupture themselves at the first sign of trouble. Voiding out would be too dangerous. He'd already suffered such a setback before, and they could only recreate so many copies for a Titan form.
Alexander had last been spotted only a few zones inward. Hecto continued with that in mind, following where the miasma got thicker and thicker.
Then he saw something—fabric of some kind. Pawing at it, Hecto determined it was organic and ethereal—the matter one would expect from a spectral entity. And the color and texture…
A short while later, Hecto found what he was looking for, though admittedly it was very difficult to tell in its current, tattered state.
73. Darkrai's remains discovered.
Which meant Alexander had woken up.
That was all he needed. Hecto compressed his cells further, pushing past the splitting headache. But a moment before he properly died, he thought he saw something in the distance—a Hydreigon floating forward, but following, as if led, by a bipedal creature.
73. Returning to—
He couldn't complete his self-destruct sequence. His cells abruptly stopped compressing. A psychic force held him in place.
Cut communica—
And then a black fog, dark as pitch, overtook him.