Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 66 - From All Sides

"That took far too long," Rhys grunted, looking left and right. He hissed, covering his aura sensors in pain. "What is this feeling?!"

Rhys heard the ethereal cry of Barky in the distance—almost like a rallying cry. Then, the ground trembled. The trees of Aether Forest next to him trembled; Rhys hopped into the air, jumping from tree to tree, until he could get to the tops, using aura platforms to better distribute his weight on the leaves for easy footing.

"Wraiths... here?!"

Barky was still fending off the wraiths. It didn't seem like they were taking any notice of him, but Barky was struggling against the endless onslaught. Why was he here? Rhys shook his head, leaping from treetop to treetop, blasting heavy aura streams to give him an extra boost when he could.

"Bark—er, Arceus!" Rhys shouted.

He looked back, but then stared ahead. "Hello. If you're looking for the others, they have already left for the Grass Realm."

"Why are there wraiths here?"

"I don't know." Another Earth Power shook the land, disintegrating countless wraiths, only to be replaced by countless more. "These things all look the same. I have the sinking feeling that some of these I have already vanquished previously. But it isn't a matter of fending them off before they strike; it's simply destroying them faster than they return. Surely they will eventually run out of energy!"

Rhys grunted, thinking about Anam and the wraiths that seemed to associate with his blessings. Normally, they could stem the flow of them by simply cutting off the Dungeon Core. But this wasn't a Dungeon. Where were they coming from, then?!

"I'll help to fend them off. You're being overwhelmed."

"I do not get overwhelmed," Barky growled. "I am merely limited by Star's domain."

Rhys propelled himself upward with a burst of aura, landing on the great Pokémon's back. "Apologies," he said, though the massive god had ample standing room from on top. "Let me help."

"You can't fight in your aura armor for long, Lucario."

"I have other techniques that can help," he said. "Have you considered calling upon the Trinity?"

"They are coming. I'm sure they are."

"Then I shall stall until they get here."

Rhys raised his paws in the air, forming a small Aura Sphere. Then, he pushed more energy into it, expanding its size and radiance. Barky lowered his head when he felt the aura lick against his fur.

"What are you doing?!"

"Crowd control," Rhys said, pushing the sphere higher. "Apologies. I'm not used to doing this while on top of someone else."

Barky marveled at the Aura Sphere that was approaching his size. "Excuse me?!"

"D-don't—don't unsteady my stance, please!" Rhys requested, nearly dropping the Sphere.

The swarm was getting closer, perhaps only ten seconds away from them. Their shrieks and angry cries were louder than the low rumble of Rhys' giant sphere, but the Lucario didn't seem worried. Instead, he said, "Between the two of us, we should be able to fend them off. How long has it been since you called the Trinity for help?"

"When did you ask me when the Trinity would be here?"

"S-seconds ago?"

"I called for them then."

Rhys didn't have the time to berate the god for his stubbornness. Instead, he looked at the swarm, held back briefly by another of Barky's Earth Power strikes. "Then we will just have to wait."