Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 32 - Instincts

"That's off limits!" Amia cried. Her voice carried over the echoing factory, even as Owen stood in paralyzed horror. Was Brandon really ordering his Pokémon to steal his bag? His Everstone?

"Whaaat, scared he'll go crazy?" Brandon teased. "C'mon, it's time we put it to the test. What do you think, Hecto?"

"I have little information on Owen's sanity if he evolves, one way or the other," the canid Zygarde said. "He demonstrated restraint the last time he evolved against Azu, but he was still unstable."

Gahi buzzed his wings angrily. "Well I'm not gonna let ya!" he said. "Owen's gonna evolve on his own terms!"

"I'd love to see you try to stop that," Brandon said, gesturing forward with a smug grin.

Amia immediately ran forward. She promptly slammed her face against an invisible barrier; it flashed white when she hit it. "What—"

Brandon smirked at her. "You said you'd let them fight on their own, right?"

Amia stared at Brandon in disbelief. Then, in a split-second of pure, fiery rage, she slammed her fist against the barrier. Fire enveloped her hands, spreading in five directions upon impact. The sudden heat made Rhys take two steps back.

"Whoa-ho, calm down!" Brandon said, keeping his hand up. "Owen's in no danger, right? Let the guy fight. Charmeleon, Vibrava, take that bag at all costs!"

"Right!" They rushed toward Owen, completely ignoring Gahi. The metal Charmeleon went for the bag, while the Vibrava generated and hurled another volley of mud and sand toward his opponent. The Mud Slap missed, but the Charmeleon had already rushed for the bag.

A burst of fire exploded below—Owen had planted a Fire Trap in case they tried to get close, and he took advantage of the explosion to get some distance. If they were going to try to steal from him, then he just had to escape.

"Mom! Rhys—Gahi! We're leaving!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Brandon said. "Guys! Quick!"

Charmeleon's steel body had a scorch mark on it from the Fire Trap, but he advanced anyway. He didn't have to attack, after all; his mission was now to steal the bag. Vibrava launched another wad of mud just in time. Owen had grabbed his Badge, deciding that escape was a better idea but the Mud Slap blinded him, and he reflexively rubbed at his eyes. He heard another fiery explosion to his right; the metal Charmeleon shrieked but lurched forward and grabbed the bag.

"Let go!" Owen said, and the two reptiles—one metallic, one fiery—held fast on the fabric. Owen was trying to be careful and not tear it apart, but his metal counterpart was significantly rougher. "C-c'mon, this is expensive!" Owen begged, looking at the metallic claws tearing into the lip of the bag. "Nngh, that's not—can you just stop?!" But he saw the bag tear, and as a reflex, he let go.

The metallic Charmeleon fell back with a loud clang, but the bag was in his arms. "Got it!"

"Finally," Brandon said. The Charmeleon stood up. They watched Owen for the evolution to take place. Hecto, off to the side, stood expressionlessly, staring.

"No!" Amia cried. She huffed and slammed her fist on the barrier again, but it didn't budge.

Rhys readied the Suppression Aura. "Amia," he said lowly.

Amia gulped, readying the same technique.

Owen held his breath, looking at his hands. He looked back at Amia and Rhys and their Suppression Auras already swirling to reset him. All that talk about how he'd be ready, all that encouragement to pull through one more time. And it all faded the second things actually happened. So that's how it was. Already prepared to take him down... So much for building him up.