Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 144 - Triple Luck

There was no way Star had given Qitlan the Reset Key. The very aura that would send Owen back to an amnesiac Charmander. The key that would make him forget everything, erase his current self, and start anew all over again. Under Alexander. A shadowy soldier. The perfect killer.

But there Qitlan stood, the Key in an orb, and the most confident smile on his face. It wasn't a bluff.

"Now, I understand how much you value being yourself," Qitlan said, taking a step forward.

Owen took one back, sensing guards at the other end of the hall. But with Qitlan there, they didn't advance just yet.

"Surrender," Qitlan said, "and we won't have to use this. It would be inconvenient, I admit, to have you down to Charmander, building you up. It's simply better if you were yourself, as you are now, all your strength, under Alexander. You'll be with Mhynt, too. I'm sure she would be happy to... share her time with you. A happy soldier is a loyal soldier."

"You led me down here on purpose," Owen said. "But you didn't do it to my other half yet, did you?"

"Not just yet. You were... the larger threat." Qitlan nodded. "So, come quietly, will you? I can just make another for your other half, if you're warning him right now."

Owen hid a wince, but his heart was hammering in his chest. Key. The Key. He was going to be Reset. He was going to...

His heart rate was slowing down. The flame on his tail dimmed to something a little calmer. Mesprit had his hand on his shoulder. While the red sprite was trembling, he seemed to be trying to dull Owen's emotions. Uxie had her hand on his other shoulder.

"Stay calm," she said. "Think this through..."

Calm. But this was bad. The Reset Key would undo all of his progress. He could try to flee, but then he would make more from Star, and then what? That wasn't a good option, as far as Owen was concerned.

If he did lose himself... he would just become helpless again. But his other self wouldn't. But would he want to sacrifice his wings just to give the other Owen the chance to flee? Would he then fight... himself? How quickly would he be strengthened? How damaging would that be to himself?

He'd already witnessed one 'recombination' nearly completely erase someone. Rhys wasn't even there anymore, not the same at all.

Qitlan approached and the Reset Key was a little brighter. That confidence in his strut told Owen that he knew he'd won. But it still didn't make any sense. Why was he so confident, why wasn't the other Owen under his control?

He had to take a chance. Reset and lose everything, and put his faith into the other Owen, or flee and leave Star behind. Star, who had caved and provided that Key, despite telling her to hang on a little longer. Did she think granting this would have been better? Or was she trying to stop her torment? Star was selfish enough to do that, but why now? Why had she held out for so long, only to give him a trump card at the very end?

It wasn't adding up.

But Qitlan's confidence. Why? He knew it was real. It...

Owen glanced at Uxie. He thought about all those times he had been genuinely happy, despite living a lie. Despite his memories being modified. To someone with Perceive like him, he would have looked genuinely normal, all those false lives.

What if...

Could that be the answer?

How many seconds had passed? Everything felt slow, and his emotions were starting to run high again, pushing past Mesprit's suppression. He looked strained. Uxie looked like she was trying to get a good shot, but would Qitlan resist it? He was much stronger than any of the guards; there was no telling. He couldn't gamble with that.