Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 125 - Shattered Core

Dark Matter, taking the form of a Goodra, turned to face Owen just as he cleared the final set of trees. Void Shadows had no chance to catch up to him, and any attempt at stopping Owen was met by a ruthless slash of golden energy. His body was glowing unnaturally, and Owen didn't care why. It was, undoubtedly, because of that stored light.

"So, you're finally here," Dark Matter growled. "Have you come to give up?"

A dark atmosphere filled the air, filling Owen's nostrils. The light countered it; nothing weighed Owen down. Wordlessly, he continued to run, closing the gap. They were twenty feet apart.

"You shouldn't bother," Dark Matter stated. Ten feet. "Surrender, and I'll—"

Owen lunged, roaring, and Dark Matter sidestepped him, far too fast for a Goodra's form. He fired a beam of darkness that Owen reflected with only a flick of his wrist, perfectly parrying the blast into Dark Matter's face. It only proved to annoy him, but the distortion of light obscured the demon's vision. Owen seized that opportunity to lunge again, but Dark Matter had predicted it. He hopped away, leaving behind a pulsating orb of darkness that burst in Owen's face.

Holding his breath, Owen powered through, coating his body in a thin shield. Some of his scales tore off of him from the blast, but the rest of his body was intact. He pressed on, Necrozma's light fueling his Protects for far longer than they should have persisted.

Every claw slash that Owen attempted was dodged by Dark Matter's simple maneuvers. He knew each one was coming, but Owen was keeping up the pressure while devising a good way to get him despite the advantage. He already had one plan ready, and just needed time.

When it was clear that they had fallen into a rhythm, neither side tiring, Owen knew persisting was futile. He slowed his pace and shouted, "Why? Why are you doing any of this?! What's the point, when the whole reason I helped you before... was to fix things! Not make them worse!"

"Your attempt clearly backfired. Everyone's has. There is no point in trying to help me." Dark Matter weaved to the left, his body hardening. While the body type was similar, something shifted as he fought Owen. Scales; shorter, harder horns; and something growing from his back...

"We had every reason to help you," Owen said. "It's because if we didn't... then the world would just be destroyed, wouldn't it?"

"You don't remember it all, do you?" Dark Matter asked, swinging his lengthening tail at Owen, who hopped over it before landing his first, grazing punch. Dark Matter's scales were dry and cold.

Owen caught his breath, but kept on his guard. Dark Matter wasn't attacking, but Owen had a feeling it was because he hadn't left an opening. "I'm here. Isn't that what you wanted? Withdraw everyone."

"You haven't surrendered."

Owen was going to say, maybe he would if he withdrew. But once again he couldn't bring himself to say it. A fire in him refused to allow it. Pride? This felt like more than pride.

Dark Matter's body shifted again, becoming a little taller. Wings emerged from his back as his slimy body hardened to a proper, scaly hide. Orange scales dotted his sides before becoming the dominant color, as did an off-white front. A black flame emerged from his tail.

"You think that's going to scare me?" Owen said. "Mimicking my species?"

"You said it was cute, once," Dark Matter said in a mocking tone. "How things change. How some things don't change at all."

Owen held a breath, steadying it. Dark Matter shifted his weight, but Owen quickly refocused, and Dark Matter relaxed again. He was still looking for an opening. He couldn't let his focus down for an instant.