Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 20 - Blade and Fist

Large mounds of dirt moved on their own, floating in the air. Little particles fell to the ground, collecting near the bottom of this forcefield. The evening sun cast long shadows to the trees that surrounded the spire, as well as the mounds of dirt covering the bodies of the mutants. The longest shadow seemed to be from Rhys, staring at the last pit. Unceremonious, thanks to Manny's careless speed.

"That'll be enough," Manny said. "Dunno why you wan'ed ter make individual graves fer 'em."

Rhys shook his head. "It was necessary," he said.

"You could have burned 'em," Manny said, looking at Amia.

"O-oh, I wouldn't..." the Fire Guardian shook her head. "I don't think that's... my choice to make."

"They deserved marked graves," Rhys said.

"Y'know they're all still here, right?" Manny said, holding his paw up. A few embers spun furiously around his claws.

"Their lives are still over," Rhys said. "Just because they are still with us does not mean that a number of doors have closed for them."

"Not like they had all that many, heh," Manny said.

"Do not trivialize their lives," Rhys said, keeping calm. "They had feelings and dreams, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, a dream ter fight," Manny said. "Ain't got much more than that 'til y' fix'm. They're broken."

Rhys jerked his head at Manny, eyes firm with light. The other Lucario smirked and held his two paws up as if he intended to avoid an argument he clearly started. For just a moment, Rhys felt his composure wane. Manny showed no respect for the Mods that he controlled. Did he even understand the gravity of the potential that he stole away from them by ending their lives? Or... was it truly not worth it? How much did Manny know about these creatures?

"Hey, c'mon," he said. "I should know more'n anyone, these guys're built ter fight an' nothin' else. They're stuck that way, down ter th' core. Seems like someone made'm that way. Berserk. They'll fight 'til they drop. If they weren't spirits, they'd all be dead anyway."

"You can turn them back," Rhys said. "There's—there's a key to it if you radiate the proper aura signature. It's... merely different than the one I know," he said.

"Oh, yeah?" he said, smirking. "Yeah, yeah, that's th' story, ain't it? Yeh helped design these things. Gahi an' the rest o' their lot. They were the originals...."

Amia bit her lower lip and glanced at Anam and James. James was keeping his head down toward the graves in observance; Anam was nibbling nervously on his slimy fingers, gobs of purple slime flowing off of his thighs and onto the ground.

"Rhys...?" Anam said softly. "Does that mean these ones are... even stronger than Owen's set?"

"Unlikely," Rhys said. "Even if they are, they are untrained. If we can keep Team Alloy controlled, we still have a chance at outpacing them."

"Heheh... now yeh got me curious," Manny said. "Pretty confident in those early models, I take it. Well, if yer their teacher, then yer pretty strong, too."

"You speak like the other Pokémon you house are lower creatures, yet all you want is a fight, too," Rhys said, countering with his own smirk.

"Oy, who said I thought they were inferior, eh?" Manny said.

Rhys' ear twitched irritably. If he didn't think he was superior, then what was the issue with his attitude?

"They're fightin' machines, so they're perfect fer my whole gimmick! Hah! Jus' sayin' it's a fact that they ain't set fer living normal lives unless yeh, what was it? Turn 'em off? Yeah. Ain't easy without that, an' I dunno that. So, quit barkin' at me."