Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 46 - Weapon

"Is he still sulking?" Jerry said.

"Looks like it," Star said.

Owen paced through Hot Spot Cave's main road, waiting for everybody else to settle in and discuss their next steps. Enet was bathing with Gahi and Amia in the cave's nearby hot springs—courtesy of Zena and Amia combining their abilities—washing off the stench of Ghrelle and Ano's poisoned swamp. Enet, in particular, was desperate to get it out of her fur. Rhys and Elder had retreated to Rhys' home again to relax together. The rest were milling about, decompressing after their successful or failed Guardian recovery attempts, followed by witnessing Owen get his throat slashed by an outlaw.

The current talk seemed to be checking up on Anam, and sending Jerry over to Kilo Village again. While Jerry wasn't looking forward to it, he also didn't protest it outright. The way they talked, perhaps Anam was merciful enough to give him another chance, foolish as it may be. If someone wronged him in that way, he wouldn't have trusted that person for the rest of his life. It seemed like Jerry was still searching for an escape route, however. With so many around—particularly with Star right next to him—it wasn't easy.

Owen stopped walking and turned, following the same path in reverse with his head down. He was running the battle through his head over and over, looking for ways that he could have improved, scenarios where he wouldn't have lost. There was also a pit of guilt in his stomach for looking down at Jerry, but also apprehension. Why should he have thought so highly of him in the first place? He was an outlaw! He was the sort of person Owen was assigned to take down.

"Bahh, what's his deal?" Jerry rubbed a wing on his forehead. "One loss and he's bluer than a Mudkip's rump."

"Well, it was a bit of a beatdown," Star said. "What, he only landed one hit on you, right?"

"Hmph." The victorious Aerodactyl gave a noncommittal shrug. "Look, I fought, and I won, so there's no reason he should be mad at me for doing what I was asked to do. What, unless he wanted me to lose?"

"That's kinda the point of fighting, but, I see what you mean."

Jerry glanced to his right. Near the central square, Mispy, Gahi, and Demitri were watching Owen pace. Whenever he met eyes with Gahi or Mispy, the glare they gave him nearly caused paralysis.

He flinched, deciding not to look at them for too long. "What's their story, anyway?"

"Genetic weapons meant to fuse together, but the fusing part broke them the first time, so we're gonna be more careful about it," Star said. "It's kinda a long story."

"You don't say." He rolled his eyes. "So, Vines is their healer?"

"Pretty much. Demitri, the Haxorus, he's most of their offense. Gahi, the Flygon, he's their speed. And Owen ties it all together with, uh, I guess they call it his Perception ability."

"Perception? You mean how he doesn't need to see to see what's going on around him?"

"Yeah," Star said. "Something about expanding his aura to inhabit the world immediately around him. Pretty crazy stuff. Apparently, it's something like seeing in three dimensions."

Jerry eyed the moping Charizard. "It also slows him down. I think I figured out how to put him in a trance by just breaking rocks in the sky. His eyes were going all over the place."

"Yeah, Owen isn't used to his powers. It's been almost half a millennium of re-living being a Charmander over and over again. He'll need time for all those memories to reassemble, even if he thinks he remembers it all. He doesn't. It's just too much to absorb."