Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 133 - Six Chips

Chasing Gahi down was hard when Demitri was so slow. But, thankfully, Gahi was not going at his full speed. He drifted in circles, going around and down into the roads, and then back up again when he was feeling restless.

"He's just gonna do that all day, isn't he?" Owen asked. He'd caught up with them, asking Zena and the others to stay behind for now; it would be fine if just Team Alloy had been together.

"Or whenever he gets tired," Demitri said, panting. "Oh, wait, we have days again, don't we?" He glanced back at the Tree, where evening sunlight made the prismatic leaves shimmer a brilliant orange.

"You know, since we're on the road, and he's just... going to be flying around, I think I want to check on Hakk," Owen said. "Aside from Anam, he was the only one of us not really at dinner..."

"Well, there's also the Legends," Demitri said. "A-and... that includes Rhys."

The quiet that followed, filled only by the steps or sliding from their walk, subdued Owen once again.

"Yeah. Rhys... He was—he wasn't really in the Voidlands before, though. It's not like he suffered when he... I mean, I don't think he did." Owen didn't want to ask Diyem for the answer. The very thought... Diyem killed Rhys. Killed him, and not even in a way they could see him again.

No, maybe he was still there, in Dialga. They just had to reawaken that part, right? Owen played that memory in his head again, when Dialga had nearly gone berserk. But he'd averted that because a familiar-feeling voice helped him. That voice was Rhys, wasn't it?

But he didn't want to give his team any false hope.

"He can't just be gone," Demitri said in a whisper. "We can still talk to him, can't we? He's... just somewhere in Dialga. So, he's... It'll be fine."

Mispy wasn't one to speak much, but Owen could see in her eyes that she thought otherwise. He didn't want to acknowledge it, though. He couldn't. Not now.

"Hey, what about Hakk?" Owen asked. "We're near his place. Maybe we should see how he's doing, y'know?"

"Hakk..." Demitri nodded. "He wasn't even at dinner. I'm worried about him."

"He won't do anything stupid, right?" Gahi murmured, landing next to them. Owen deflated with relief. So, he at least got curious about their conversation and stopped moping in the skies... "Should've kept an eye on'm."

"We can't watch him every second of the day," Owen said, "but... you have a point."

The Charmeleon started down the road, trying to ignore any buildings that weren't Hakk's. His Perceive was starting to come back to him, and with it were glimpses of Pokémon in their private homes as he passed by. If knowledge of his abilities became widespread, he'd probably be banned from every urban area in the Voidlands. He decided to keep quiet about the extent of that power.

They soon made it to Hakk's home, and Owen did focus on his Perceive then to make sure Hakk was inside before entering. The walls were half-finished, but the door had been repaired. It was unlocked. Hakk was sitting in the basement, looking calm and unharmed, so that was the second good sign. Everything was still too dull for Owen to figure out more details than that, though.

"He's down there; he's fine," Owen said. "He's not moving a lot, though. Might be, you know... reminiscing. I don't think we should crowd him."

"I still want to see him," Demitri said.

Owen nodded. "I'd... like to come, too, if that's alright. But, Mispy, Gahi, are you fine with staying out here?"

Mispy shrugged. Gahi looked restless.