Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 19 - Synthetic

Amia trembled. She stared at the Garchomp, who was barely breathing on the ground and then at the Lucario still standing. The Aura Sphere had sent the artificial Pokémon flying backward, yet miraculously it was durable enough to remain in one piece. Amia didn't know what to think about the strange mixture of fear and relief she felt when realizing that the Charizard—no, the Garchomp was still breathing.

"Guardian Manny," said Rhys. "I think that is enough."

"Eh?" The Lucario looked up. "Oh, well ain't that somethin'. Yer aura. Ain't you Rhys?"

"...I am, but I do not know how you know that. Did Star tell you?"

"Nah," Manny said. "Well, yeah, heh. But I knew 'bout yeh befer that. Long time ago, real long time ago, ran across yer student. Good kid. Real firework, got a blazin' heart."

"E-excuse me?" Amia said. "You know about Owen?"

Manny got out of his battle stance; he put most of his weight on his left leg, swaying a few inches to the left and right. "Baah, what was his name, eh... Gehi... Gaho... Gahi! Yeah, that was it, heh, Gahi. He kinda was real impressionable, I think. Liked m' accent, tried ter emulate it, I figure. He still got that?"

"Wh—you... you're the reason why Gahi talks like that?" Amia said. "...Where is that accent from, anyway?"

Manny shrugged. "Always had it," he said. "That's how accents work, I figure. Been alive too long ter remember where I got it. Maybe it's some ancient accent that's only lastin' with me an' him. Survivors o' th' ancient dialect."

"Dialect, hm," Rhys said. "Well, I regretfully inform you that he still has that manner of speaking, even if he doesn't remember he got it from you. And thankfully it is not as thick as yours." Rhys murmured the last part only to himself.

"Oy, what, he's still alive?" Manny said. "Well ain't that somethin'! He became a Guardian too, eh?"

"N-no, he didn't," Rhys said. "Actually... Owen did."

Amia recognized the tension in both Rhys' stance and his tone. She tried not to point it out, and instead listened for what Manny had to say.

"Owen?" Manny said. "Th' crazy-lookin' Charizard with th' funny techniques? Gahi told me all about'm. Only met yer Flygon student; he told me 'bout all th' rest."

Rhys stared at the ground. "Yes," he said. "That Owen."

"Hah! Well, Star didn't go an' tell me that! Should talk ter her more often! Which Type he got?"

"The Grass Orb," Rhys said, but then eyed the Garchomp on the ground. Her leg twitched to life, barely. "Manny... you didn't have to kill them," he said.

"Yeah, I did," Manny said.

"N-no," Amia said. "You really didn't. You could have easily just scared them off!"

"They ain't got fear," Manny said. "Ain't capable of it. They're in a 'battle mode' an' there ain't no stoppin'um."

The Garchomp growled groggily. Manny eyed her carefully, yet the left side of his face twisted into a challenging smirk.

"But," Amia said, "but couldn't you just tire them out?"

"Don't tire," Manny said, shrugging. "If I didn't kill'm, they woulda done it ter th'mselves from overexertion. If they ain't fightin', then they ain't awake. Never woulda ended. Been through this befer."

"Y-you have?" Rhys asked. "You've been attacked by these mutant Pokémon before?"

"Heh, so that's what yeh call 'em?" Manny said. "Call it like it is, ol' timer. These're artificial Pokémon. Synthetic." Manny rubbed two claws together. "I call 'em Mod Pokémon—short fer modified. 'Cause that's what they are, y'know. Modified." He stared down at the Garchomp. For a moment, his eyes looked serious, defying everything else about his demeanor. "All the way down ter th' very core. I figure even their souls are artificial."