Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 40 - Regrets and Reconciliation

Gawen watched silently as Demitri and Mispy recalled their past, or at least a small portion of it. They remembered bits and pieces of their first lives. Perhaps not all of it, but enough to understand exactly what had happened to them, and why they had been reset. Minds scrambled and left to insanity, spending centuries being slowly repaired by Rhys. At some point, Rhys must have spirited them away so they wouldn't have to fuse ever again.

The Flygon-Charizard fusion glanced at the Lucario in question. He was standing as he always had, stoic and silent, but the tension in his body spoke volumes. Compared to Owen alone, Gawen couldn't sense the extreme details, but it was enough. It was as if the guilt of a hundred lifetimes had concentrated itself into a thick, bitter bile in the pit of Rhys' stomach.

"It hurt so much," Demitri said in a shaky whisper. The Haxorus wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering. "My head was all over the place, and... a-and I didn't know what was going on, and... and I was just... I just had to move... I had to... I don't know what I had to do. I just had to... get it all out. F-fight..."

Mispy, next to him, wrapped her many, many vines protectively around her mate, pulling him close. Demitri flinched away—Gawen was certain it was because he was afraid of fusing with her, but she refused to let go. If anything, she held on tighter, pressing her head against his.

"It's okay," she said.

"Oh—M-Mispy..." Demitri shuddered again, giving in. He fell toward her, squeezing five of her vines close. The remainder wrapped around him until he was pressed against her main body. She craned her neck, brushing her cheek just above his axes. Even if she couldn't feel pain, she knew that it upset him if she accidentally cut herself on his axes. The muscle memory of how to hug him despite the axes returned to her immediately.

Demitri sniffled, relaxing when he was finally enveloped. He remembered her scent. It was always strongly of plant life like this, like grass sliced by his axes. He always liked the smell of cut grass. Now he knew why. Demitri deflated against the monstrous Meganium, still sniffling, but feeling relaxed.

Rhys and Manny both subconsciously rubbed at their aura sensors. The former glanced at Gawen, briefly meeting eyes.

"I think we should all retire for the day," Amia said delicately. "Hopefully by tomorrow, or the day after, Star will have some Orb locations for us to look for. Not too many are left, right?"

"We know where a few are," Rhys said, "but I doubt any of them would be productive. Eon is going to send someone to the Frozen Oceanside soon, though. Likely Rim. We should be ready for that."

"Do you think if we ask Hecto, he'll tell us when Eon starts making another move?" Gawen suddenly spoke up. "I mean, by now he's probably trying to keep an eye on him, right?"

"No can do there."

Gawen glanced around, spotting Star's faded form hovering just behind Manny.

"Thanks, bud," Star said.

"Heh, no problem."

Star addressed the group. "Hecto still hangs around Eon to keep an eye on him, but Eon sorta keeps a lot of things from him. There's no way he'll find out if Rim's gone. I mean, she could probably just be heading out to get supplies for the army, you know?"

Gawen gulped. "R-right. Well, Hecto can at least check if something's going on in Frozen Oceanside, right? And Star, d'you know any other spots?"

"I thought I knew where the Bug Guardian was, but she must've moved again. And she's not talking to me, so I have to go scout around the spirit world again. I'll let you guys know if I find something. I also want to get a better read on where the Ice Guardian is in Frozen Oceanside. That place is huge. You'll freeze before you find her if I can't get a good read, so sit tight, alright? That's probably one reason why Eon didn't go there right away."