Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation ~ The Final Chapters

Chapter 173 - Rhythm, Tempo, and the Heart

They're closing in too fast! We've got wraiths on all sides!

What are we supposed to do about something immune to everything we throw at it?

Manny, do something!

What'm I supposed ter do?!

You're the one who's supposed to fix this! Hecto said so!

And what? And how? I don't—I'm not some hero!

"Tch." Marshadow Manny rubbed his forehead and stared idly at his cooling soup in Ludicolo Café. He reached for a spoon and toyed with it in his fingers, thoughtful. It was a quietly buzzing afternoon, somewhere between the lunchtime diners and the evening crowd. Manny recognized a few faces at a glance, but didn't pay too much attention.

The most notable patron was Anam, looking forlorn and pensive all at once while eating a berry salad. Manny... wasn't in the mood to navigate fake cheer and thick anxiety. Maybe a pep talk later when he wasn't feeling down.

"Hey."

"'Ey."

Star appeared on the opposite seat in a flash of light. It only startled him enough to tense.

She spoke. "You... alright?"

"You?" Manny asked.

"Yeah, doing alright. Every day's a little better."

"Mm." Manny tried a few spoonfuls. Still too hot, but he'd endure. The taste was good anyway. Hearty and lots of stuff to chew on to get his mind distracted by something else. Ludicolo danced his way to Star and placed a menu on the table for her, followed by a charming wink as he spun away. Even to the god of creation, Ludicolo was professional. He had to admire that.

"And it seems like every day is worse for you," Star said. "C'mon, buddy. What's wrong?"

Manny sighed. Straight to the point, was she?

"...A thousand years ago," he said, "I watched my team die. I took their souls an' ran. Hid away in Destiny Tower as it collapsed... an' a day later I'm a Guardian. A thousand years ago, I fought and fell inter the Voidlands. There, I made a new team an' defended lost souls from Void Shadows. An' I dunno how ter square these two sets o' memories. A hero from hades, an' a coward who fled."

"Oh."

Manny figured she wouldn't know what to say immediately. He understood. He took a few more sips of his soup. Cooler, now, and more tolerable. He could properly taste the ingredients of meat and spices instead of pure heat.

Star continued, "You... were thinking about this for a while, then."

"What was yer first clue?"

The Mew sighed and pushed the menu aside. "It's not like that, bud," she said. "You were scared. Everyone was scared! I didn't blame you for hiding away. That... that was the point. You were supposed to keep that power away so it wasn't consolidated by whoever Dark Matter controlled. At least, that's the reason we remember now..."

Manny's fists clenched a little, wondering how strong he'd have to squeeze to break a cup or something. He had to be careful. Everything was delicate on Kilo's side. Nothing was reinforced.

"You keep bringin' humans in here thinkin' they'll solve these problems because o' their special properties," Manny muttered. "But everyone in this world's got some human in 'em, don't they? That was all... a mistake. There ain't any amplifyin' goin' on."

"Not true," Star said. "That human blood is thinning every generation. It's been two thousand years now. That's, what, going on a hundred generations or so at this point, isn't it? And... with it, that self-amplifying power keeps getting weaker. Dark Matter was... I think he was waiting."