Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation ~ The Final Chapters

Chapter 181 - Wishes, Fate, and Choice

Mhynt lived next to Hakk, though they rarely spoke. They both had small houses, only three simple rooms for shelter and other basic needs, but it was all they wanted. When Mhynt Teleported home, she heard Hakk quietly snoozing, slipped into her neighboring home, and shuttered the windows and door.

Most doors in Kilo Village were unlocked or only had coverings to keep out the cold. Mhynt didn't like that. The Voidlands wasn't like that; she couldn't trust anything with an unlocked door. She wasn't ready to break that habit.

But she did make sure to cover the window only once she was truly tired. The moonlight reminded her that she was free. She occasionally choked up at the sight of the morning sky. And nobody would ever know the afternoon she'd spent hugging a normal, green tree on her first day on the surface.

The entrance to her little home was a small greeting and sitting room. The local paper, The Morning Kilo, sat three editions thick on the central table. She'd get to the stories eventually. To the right was a kitchen with some clay stoves and primitive utensils. She'd brought some Voidlands luxuries with her, not wanting to part with its technological advancements that had outpaced Kilo out of necessity.

Next to a faucet was a local plant that supposedly made an herb that was somewhere between parsley and mint. She watered it daily, per care instructions, and was thinking of a name.

Something orange caught her eye in the one open window on her way to the third room, her nest of leaves. She knew that flame anywhere.

Teleporting away was an option. His Perceive was limited in range and she knew how to get away. Lunala's powers, unbound by Alexander, had returned.

But... this was ridiculous. She was an adult. More than an adult. Many times over. She'd confront this directly.

Besides, the last thing she wanted was to be the cause of Owen wandering around all night when he should be getting some rest.

So, when Owen approached the door, before he could knock, Mhynt kicked the door open. With her small size, all that did was creak it out a few inches.

"Oh," the Charizard said.

"Hey, uh... Aunt Mhynt," said a Charmander who'd matured too quickly.

Something was off. Owen looked... different.

Gods, he'd removed his horns.

"You look ridiculous," Mhynt said flatly.

"I—I didn't want to be invasive," Owen said, covering his head. "I know it unnerves people..."

"So, you instead brought the empath." Mhynt nodded at Mu. It was a little annoying, but she was more entertained by the way Owen came to his conclusion.

"Hey, I just came for the ride," Mu said. "And, you know, to let him know if you ever want him gone."

Mhynt sighed. Fair play.

"...Come." She stepped back and let Owen open the door.

Owen seemed larger than before. Maybe that was a trick of the mind. He certainly wasn't... Wishkeeper.

He took a seat by a small table that he couldn't even fit his tail under. It was just the right size for Mhynt, and the Treecko tried not to pay any mind to this. Mu, meanwhile, took a seat between them, staring perpendicular to the former couple.

"I'm really okay, Owen," Mhynt said. "I just need time. I'm sorry for being cold to you."

"You don't have to apologize," Owen said. "I didn't... realize. Somehow."