Brock woke up in complete darkness. When he tried to move his hands, something cold and metal tightened around his wrists. When he tried to call out, something muffled his mouth. Handcuffs and a gag. Anita wasn't taking any chances.

The boy struggled for a moment, but nothing came of it. The way he'd been handcuffed, he couldn't even maneuver his hands to remove his gag. Dammit! Now what do I do…Are Ash and Dawn okay? Arceus, what is going on?

Noise. He heard a door open and the sound of several small feet pattering into the room. Room? He couldn't tell…was that a light? Everything was so blurry and faded…there must've been a blindfold around his eyes. All he could do was listen.

Anita's voice. "Now stay here, and don't make a sound. I'll make sure the bad people don't find you. Everything will be just fine." She sounded almost…nervous. Good.

Brock grit his teeth on the gag. What was that sicko talking about? What could possibly…He felt other bodies brushing against him. Scared breathing. Anita was herding several children into the room he was locked in. After a few moments had passed, Anita let out a shushing noise and shut the door, leaving everybody in claustrophobic darkness.

Thankfully, one of them had the decency to get Brock's blindfold off. He looked up to see a brunette with green eyes in the darkness. The girl Dawn had talked to when they first arrived. She put her finger to her mouth before removing the gag around Brock's mouth.

"Shh." She whispered. "Whatever you do, don't talk too loud."

"What's going on?"

Mary gulped. "Someone's coming. Someone she doesn't like. Things are going wrong, and she's only letting the ones she trusts outside."

Brock looked around the tiny room. There were several other kids, and they all looked frightened and confused. But even in the dim light, he could tell that none of them were the ones he was really scared for. "But…wait, where's Dawn? And Ash? The…the other two kids I was with?"

"I don't know about Ash, but…" Mary swallowed nervously, her face a mixture of hope and dread. "I was talking with Dawn, but then she vanished…I think…I don't know."

"Vanished?" Brock asked. "Maybe…maybe she escaped! Maybe it's the police! We could call for help!"

"No." Mary shook her head. "Even if it is…we can't yell. Anita built this room so nobody will hear us in the hallway…" she then pointed to a small hole in the roof, rimmed like a pipe. "but her helpers will know we tried to call for help. They'll punish us, and we'll still be here."

Brock's spirits deflated. This was bad. He was helpless AGAIN. All he could do was hope beyond hope that somehow, someway, everything would turn out alright.

As he watched the Houndour pup vanish into the darkness, it occurred to him that the small puppy didn't really stand a chance to escape. Between the monsters, the cultists, the rabid Pokemon, and the Missionary, it was incredibly unlikely that the dog would make it out of the next room, much less the water tower.

The boy sighed to himself. Well, it was a nice sentiment, at least. But neither of them were going anywhere. There was no escape from this hell. No matter what he'd do, he was going to die here.

Drained of even the smallest hope, Ash fell to the floor. His face sunk into his hands, and he began to weep silently. All he could do was sit down and wait. Wait for…what, exactly? The Missionary? Walter? The gas lines to finally ignite? More monsters? The puppy?

He had been sitting there for several minutes before he felt something nudging his hand. Reluctantly, Ash looked up to see the tiny Houndour right in front of him, holding out a piece of paper. The boy shook his head and chuckled.

"What are you, still here? What's the point of…" Ash blinked. The paper…he recognized that writing and drawing style…but the words weren't the same…

His eyes wide, Ash tore the paper out of the dog's mouth. Another look confirmed it. It was another page of the fairy tale!

The king and his people shed tears at the death of the kind priestess. God took pity upon them and, granting their wishes, healed the priestess. The priestess opened her eyes just as she had done every morning of her life.

She went once more to the monster's lair. "Fool! You wish to die again?"

"No... this time it's your turn."

The priestess had come to defeat the monster once and for all. As the priestess was very very kind, she felt sad about this task. But it had to be done.

"Swords and spears won't work. Arrows and bullets will just bounce off. You can't kill me," the monster laughed.

But the priestess used neither sword nor spear. She chanted but a single spell.

"TU FUI, EGO ERIS."

Do you know what happened then? The monster let out a huge cry and then died and vanished!

Thus the villagers were able to use their gates once more. Everyone lavished their gratitude upon the priestess, and they all lived happily ever after.

Ash stared at the paper in utter confusion. The heck? What was this story talking about? The Glutton was killed by magic…words? What the heck did these words even mean?

"Tu…fui…ego…eris?" Ash recited, scratching his head. "I don't…I don't get…"

WRRRIIGHHHHA!

The cry was short, sharp, and loud. It echoed through every hall of the water tower, causing the walls and floor to rumble. Ash felt a shiver go down his spine, but he wasn't sure if it was fear or…excitement…

The monster let out a huge cry…and then…

Suddenly regaining all of his energy, Ash took the puppy up in his arms and started running.