Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 57 - Golden Breath

Kilo Village didn't change much from how Jerry remembered it. The early-noon sun was as bright as ever. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it. Then, he breathed out and stretched his wings, soaking in the sun. Step was back to her normal, Rock-Steel form again, and thankfully Enet and ADAM didn't have to change much to blend in. They had been worried about Star at first. Step, the strongest of the three Guardians accompanying them, summoned her, but when she emerged, she was instead taking the form of a similarly-colored, but much more mundane Espeon. Unfortunately, she was still see-through. It would have to do.

"It must be strange," Step said to Jerry. "You are Rock, yet you are also Flying. How do you reconcile your Types' desires?"

"Easy, high mountains," Jerry said. "Caves are nice, but there's no open air. What about you? Steel-Rock, and then Ice."

"Mm. I've grown used to the northwestern tundra. The caves are... not of my Orb's element, but they appeal at least slightly to my primal desires. It will do." Step nodded. "Briefly, I assumed the form of a Kommo-o. Caves and dens were appealing to me at the time. Perhaps some of that remained."

"A Kommo-o, eh?" Jerry said, intrigued. "So, you guys can just alter your forms, just like that?"

"It takes quite a bit of energy and focus to maintain," Step said. "But after a while, you grow accustomed to it. But never completely. It's still easier to be, well... what you were born as."

Enet looked at the nearest building, peering inside, but it looked like a lot of people lived there. She saw three little nests with differently sized Pokémon resting on it. One was being fed a watery, white liquid from a bowl by a Miltank. Another was simply resting. A third was being attended to by an Incineroar. He seemed to have trouble with walking, and the Incineroar was acting as a crutch.

"What's this?" Enet asked.

"Inconclusive," ADAM said.

"Hm? I'm not sure," Step said. "...Ah, wait. I believe it seems familiar to me..." Step suddenly stiffened. She remembered being here, once, only a few decades ago. It was not a happy memory.

"...Are you guys serious?" Jerry asked. "It's a hospital. It's where Pokémon that were badly hurt and couldn't be healed go to recover. I used to go there for my back issues, actually. Threw it out when I lifted something the wrong way back when I worked in construction."

"Construction. For homes?" Step asked, eying the hospital. "Hospital... ah, Cent..."

"Let's not get distracted, guys," Star said. "Let's head to the marketplace! Bound to find a good bed there."

"Are you sure you should be taking the front?" Jerry said. "You look like a ghost."

"Aw, it's fine! I'm just... practicing astral projection."

"Is that even real?"

"They'll believe it if I say it. After all, what else could I be?"

"Literally God."

"What else could I be expected to be?"

Jerry rolled his eyes. Nobody was listening from the Waypoint. They came at a good time. Most of the Hearts were out on their assignments, and most of the civilians were working. Too early for lunch, too late for breakfast. "You're just lucky this is during the lull of the day."

Impatiently, Star tapped her ethereal paw through the ground. "C'mon! Let's go."

Enet tilted her head at Star. "Cute." She pointed at her.

"Cute, eh?" Jerry said, walking with them. "Hmph. She just chose that form because it's got a similar color."

"Hey, I pick different forms all the time! Kinda comes with the job description." She suddenly stopped. "Oh, oh! Okay, actually, can we make a detour for a second? Step, how much did you guys bring?"