Chapter 20
The Voices
"Plagued Ones," Terron whispered.
That's what these creatures were named by the Fellowship. That was the name given to such demonic creatures like these. Terron had never tried to imagine what the Plagued Ones looked like, but now as he was forced to look at them, he grew certain that he could have never imagined their horrific appearance accurately.
The Cubone didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight them since there were far too many. There had to be at least a hundred staring at him right now and even more in the other parts of the cave. He couldn't outrun them either. They had him completely surrounded like a thick, impenetrable fog.
He could only look into their flaming eyes. In them, he saw no soul. It was just a gateway into an abyss of bright color.
Yet, Terron tried to keep a calm composure. Panicking wouldn't solve anything. He needed to think of a way out of this. Zekra escaped out of this once, so surely he could too.
"Wait, Zekra," Terron said abruptly. "Zekra! And Impetus and Syn!"
Terron stopped trying to act composed and realized that his friends were probably dead by now. Zekra may have been lucky enough to escape the Plagued Ones once, but that was no guarantee that she was still alive now. Not to mention, she had Syn with her. Protecting herself and someone else decreased her chances of escaping. Then there was Impetus, who was alone and without knowledge of what these creatures were…
"No… they can't…" Terron muttered.
The Cubone started to hyperventilate. He gripped his skull as his vision blurred.
"No… I don't want to die here…"
Terron squeezed his eyes shut.
"I want my friends to live… I want to live…"
He shook his head as his body trembled.
"But… how do we fight the Plagued Ones? There's too many. They're everywhere, and we're scattered. We can't win when there's so many of these monsters…"
Terron…
The Cubone's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice.
"No, not this again!" Terron cried. "Not at a time like this!"
Terron.
"Go away!" Terron shouted as he put his hands over his ears from within the skull. "Leave me alone! I don't want you here!"
Why?
"Because I don't want to die where you are…" Terron whimpered. "Whenever you come, I always go somewhere else. I'm going to get killed anyway, but just let me die in this place rather than your place. That way, I can maybe see my friends before I go…"
Why are you going to die?
"Because there's a bunch of Plagued Ones about to kill me!" Terron said in exasperation. "It's obvious, isn't it? If you're me, you should be able to see that they're right in front of me. They're closing in on me…"
You will not die.
"Of course I am!" Terron cried. "Look at th-"
Terron suddenly stopped talking. His entire being froze. His eyes couldn't blink. He wanted to scream, but he was too terrified to make a sound.
A Plagued One in the form of a Haunter was a couple inches away from his face. The others lingered in the background. They were all staring at him. Terron hesitantly glanced to the side to see that even more Plagued Ones had gathered around him.
Terron slowly brought his attention back to the Haunter. It continued to gaze at him with its bright eyes.
None of the Plagued Ones moved. None of them attacked. Terron couldn't understand why. Why were they so close, yet choosing not to finish him off? What was keeping them at bay?
After what felt like an eternity had passed, the Haunter flew behind Terron and grabbed his shoulders. But, its touch did not bring a chilling sensation as Terron expected. It felt… so inviting and comfortable. Terron's fear no longer seemed to matter. All his worries seemed to melt away. He was no longer troubled by the voice in his mind, or the inescapable fact that he'd die here. Everything he cared for no longer seemed to have meaning.
That is, except one thing.
"My friends…" Terron said slowly, as if under a trance. "Where are my friends…?"
"What friends?"
Though its mouth didn't move, Terron knew that the voice was coming from the Haunter. Despite its startling appearance, it had such a soothing voice.
"My friends… they were here with me…" Terron said.
"You have no friends. Those that were with you earlier are not your friends. They simply want to use you for their own needs. Like that Zorua, who doesn't even see you as who you are. But, don't feel bad. We are your true friends."
Terron's memories of the Pokémon he was traveling with quickly faded from his memory. Then, followed by that one, all of his memories of the Fellowship drifted away. They were replaced by a void of peace.
"You… are my friends?" Terron asked.
"Yes. We are. We care about you, Terron."
A Chespin and Charmander Plagued Ones approached Terron's sides and embraced him. Terron's eyes slowly dulled as he looked at the Haunter.
"Friends…" he muttered. "You're… my friends…"
"Yes, we're all friends. Now, come with us. Come with us to your new home."
Terron looked around at all the Plagued Ones and saw that they were coming closer. Yet, he did not feel afraid. Their presence made him feel at peace. He wanted to be with these nice Pokémon. He wanted to be with his friends.
NO! YOU DO NOT WANT THAT!
Terron blinked. Why didn't he want to be with these Pokémon?
Come back to your senses, Terron!
Terron felt a strange fear growing inside of him. Why was he feeling so scared?
Terron!
That fear amplified as Terron started to remember something was very wrong with his situation.
TERRON!
The hazy look in Terron's eyes suddenly disappeared as he finally snapped out of his trance. Everything he had forgotten in those few minutes came rushing back. He gasped heavily as he fought against the Plagued Ones holding him. He bashed his bones into the creatures and watched as they dissipated into thin air. Terron grabbed his bag from off the floor and flung it over his shoulder.
A surge of unknown power and determination filled Terron's being, completely eradicating his terror. He didn't know what was making him this way, but Terron had no time to ponder.
"I will NEVERgo with you monsters!" Terron declared with a bravado that was not his own. "I know what all of you really have in mind! You want to kill me just like you have with all your other victims! You want me as part of you collection!"
"But why would you want to stay here?" an Eevee Plagued One asked. "What we told you wasn't untrue. Zekra doesn't care for you. You're nothing more than a puppet to project her other Terron's image onto. She's only with you because she can imagine you're her other Terron. If you come with us, we will like you for who you are, not for who you represent."
Terron had enough with their attempted convincing and threw one of his weapons at the Eevee. It burst into a swarm of streams before fading away into nothingness. As the bone returned to Terron, it destroyed a couple other Plagued Ones along the way.
And then, fueled by this newfound strength within him, Terron ran forward. The Plagued Ones didn't try to attack him, but Terron didn't question it. He needed to get to his friends and get out of this cave. He plowed through the cloud of creatures, swiping his weapons forward as he purged his path of the demons.
"Don't do this, Terron."
"Terron, you deserve better than a broken victim, an outcast feral, and an incompetent child."
"Come with us… to your new home."
"Don't stay here with these Pokémon. Our home is a much better place."
"Why do you resist the hospitality we offer you? We only want to help you."
"SHUT UP!" Terron cried.
Terron reached into his bag and exchanged his bone clubs for a dozen bone thorns. He threw them all in different directions, watching them pierce through entire lines of Plagued Ones. He quickly got back one of his bone clubs from the bag as he ran out of the room.
VIP!
Terron looked back to find that Impetus was with him and mostly unharmed, though she was clearly terrified by what was surrounding them. As soon as she appeared, the Plagued Ones lunged at her with mouths wide open.
"Impetus! Fire your Swift at those enemies!" Terron ordered. "And don't stop until it's safe!"
Impetus didn't hesitate. She spat out a barrage of star-shaped energies from her maw at the oncoming creatures. She fired them in every direction she could as the duo retrieved the Light Ball that was still waiting in the main tunnel. Once Terron had grabbed it, they charged into the room they last saw Zekra and Syn in.
Upon coming inside, they found Syn by himself, backed up against a wall. Tears were streaming down his face as he lashed out at the Plagued Ones surrounding him with his vines. With every smack of his vines, a single Plagued One disappeared, but another was quick to replace it.
Terron threw himself into the swarm encasing Syn, carving out a small opening with his club. Even as he brushed up against the untouched Plagued Ones, not a single one tried to attack him. They would attempt to grab him, but Terron easily got out of their grasps with a quick swing of his trusty bone.
"Terron!" Syn cried once he saw the Cubone. "What are these things?! Make them go away!"
"They're things called Plagued Ones!" Terron answered before realizing something. "Where's Zekra? She was with you, wasn't she?"
"I don't know!" Syn said fearfully. "She just started going crazy when these things started showing up and ran away!"
Terron frowned as he grabbed Impetus and made her stand against the wall next to Syn. He then stood directly in front of them and served as a barrier between them and the Plagued Ones. The creatures, upon seeing this, stopped attacking and stared at the Cubone. Impetus and Syn also ceased their attacks.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Syn asked. "Why'd they stop?"
"I don't know," Terron replied. "But, I do know it has to do with me somehow. They don't want to hurt me for some reason. I don't know why, but I think their unwillingness is only thing that's keeping us alive…"
Syn gulped as he backed up further onto the wall. Impetus also seemed to grow uneasy at this thought.
"Syn, where did you see Zekra run off to?" Terron asked seriously.
"Umm, she went that way!"
Syn pointed down another tunnel that connected to their current room. Terron glanced over at the tunnel before looking back at the Plagued Ones. His eyes slightly narrowed as he backed into his companions.
"Alright, we're going to go get Zekra," Terron said. " If you want to live, listen to me very carefully ."
Syn and Impetus gave their full attention to the Cubone.
"I'm going to act as a shield to you two since the Plagued Ones won't attack me," Terron explained. "Together, we're going to scoot along this wall and down the tunnel wall with me right here. That way, the Plagued Ones can't attack you two since I'm blocking all access to you. So, stay with me. Understand?"
"Yeah, I do," Syn replied. "But… can these things phase through walls? Because if they can… then your plan isn't going to work…"
"I can only hope they can't," Terron simply said. "But, I don't think they can. They're not ghosts."
Syn nodded in understanding. Terron took in a deep breath as he grabbed both of his companion's hands. He felt their paws grip around his.
The team slowly slid across the wall, managing to stay together as they made their way into the tunnel. The Plagued Ones steadily followed the group, keeping their eyes specifically on Terron. Yet, Terron kept a calm composure as he went along to find Zekra. If they could just find her, then they could leave the cave and hopefully, the Plagued Ones would stop attacking them. Terron wasn't really sure if leaving the cave would make the creatures go away, but it was the only escape idea he could come up with.
After travelling along the tunnel's side for a few agonizing minutes, Terron saw a hole in the ground near the wall. He could hear whimpering coming from within the hole.
"Everyone's going to die…" a voice said from within the hole. "I can't… stop them…"
The team crept up to the hole and Terron peered down inside. It went down about two feet before going into a downward slope based on what the Light Ball could show.
"Plagued Ones…" the voice continued to mutter. "They're here… with everyone here…"
"Zekra?" Terron asked, recognizing the voice.
"Terron?" the voice replied.
A Drilbur slowly stuck its head out of the slanted part of the tunnel and looked up at him. She seemed rather calm despite how scared she sounded.
"Zekra, we need to get out of here," he instructed. "Climb out of the hole and get behind me. Quickly!"
Zekra was just about to climb out of her hole, but then she saw the Plagued Ones near her.
For a moment, she became frozen in place, staring at them with wide eyes.
And then, Zekra lost it.
"IT'S THEM!" Zekra screamed at the top of her lungs. "THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Zekra changed back to her true form and abruptly got out of her hole. She bolted down the tunnel where the creatures did not gather. The Plagued Ones swiftly chased after her, no longer caring about Terron and his group.
"Everyone!" Terron cried. "Abandon the plan of staying on the wall! Just follow me and attack every Plagued One you see! And stick together, no matter what!"
The Cubone ran after the Zorua, his friends staying right behind him. He reached into his bag and threw a few thorns at the cloud of monsters, slowly making a path to Zekra within the mass. Syn and Impetus continued to use their long-range attacks, helping in the process of eliminating the numbers of Plagued Ones.
A large tear formed in the swarm, allowing Terron to see Zekra. The creatures were closing in on her. There was no chance of escape.
Without even thinking, Terron burst through the hole in the swarm and leapt at Zekra. They tumbled along the floor as he grabbed onto her.
"LET GO OF ME!" Zekra shouted. "I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! LET ME GO!"
"Impetus! Syn!" Terron yelled. "Get against the wall! I'll get there in a second! Stay there and hold off the Plagued Ones!"
While he didn't see whether or not they followed his orders, Terron wasn't concerned with that. He had to get Zekra back to her senses. Though he had managed to stop the Plagued Ones from attacking her, she was desperately trying to get out of his grip.
"Calm down, Zekra!" Terron pleaded. "I'm trying to help you! Get ahold of yourself!"
Zekra refused to listen and bit down on his arm. Terron cried out in pain, but he refused to let go of her. He felt his blood leaking out of the bite marks.
"Zekra! We're going to die unless you cooperate!" Terron said. "Stop fighting!"
The Zorua didn't respond. Her mind was no longer functioning on logic. The only thing she wanted to do was to get away from everything. As soon as Terron saw the sheer terror in her eyes, he finally understood that. There was no way to reason with her. She was in full-out panic mode. Nothing could make her snap her out of it.
So, Terron did the only thing he could do to keep her safe.
Terron's club slammed into the back of Zekra's head, effectively knocking her out. She fell lifelessly into the Cubone's arms, twitching slightly. Terron removed her fangs from his arm and ran over to his other companions, who were firing stars and whipping vines at the Plagued Ones. Terron felt such bitter remorse for having to hurt his closest friend, but he knew it had to be done. There was no other option.
He tossed Zekra's unconscious body to Impetus, who clumsily caught the Zorua as she and Syn stopped attacking. Terron got in front of the three and held out his arms to act as a shield. The Plagued Ones ceased moving and gave the Cubone their ominous stares.
"Now that everyone's here," Terron started to say, "we need to get out of the cave. We'll scoot along the wall just like what we did earlier."
"But, will that really make these things go away?" Syn asked nervously. "I mean… won't they just follow us out?"
"I don't know," Terron said simply.
"Then how do we know that going outside will help us?!" Syn cried. "We're going to die, aren't we?"
"No one's going to die!" Terron snapped, making Syn flinch. "Just do as I say! We'll make it through this!"
"No you're not," an Onyx Plagued One said. "Exiting this cave won't stop us. We'll follow you out of here and haunt you until you come with us. That Snivy speaks the truth. You can't escape us, Terron… false Cubone…"
"Shut up!" Terron snarled. "I don't care what you have to say! I'm sick of your blabbing!"
"Terron, who are you talking to?" Syn asked reluctantly.
"The Plagued Ones," Terron said bluntly. "Who else?"
"But Terron… they're not talking."
Terron's heart stopped beating. He gave the Snivy a disturbed look, his eyes frozen open.
"You don't hear them?" the Cubone asked seriously.
"No…" Syn answered with a shake of his head. "They haven't said anything. They were just staring at you… and you started yelling at them."
Terron didn't know what to say. This… this had to be some kind of joke. He could hear the Plagued Ones so clearly. Of course Syn could hear them talking. He was just saying he couldn't to mess with Terron. Yet, the Cubone could see the truthfulness in the Snivy's eyes. There was no reason for this child to lie…
"Impetus, can you hear those things talking?" Terron asked cautiously.
The Mienfoo slowly shook her head. Terron mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out. He didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say?
Why… why can't they hear the Plagued Ones? Terron thought as he became overcome with dread. This isn't right. Why? Why can't they hear them? Why is it only me?
"Terron, don't keep us waiting here for you," the Onyx said. "There's nothing to worry about. You're safe with us. Why won't you listen to our words? Is it because of what your Fellowship told you about us?"
"Why am I the only one who can hear you?!" Terron suddenly shouted at the creatures. "You won't attack me… you keep trying to get me to come to you on my own will… WHY?! What makes me different than my friends?! WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL?!"
"You don't know why?" a Pancham asked skeptically.
"Why would I know?!" Terron retorted. "Answer the questions! You're just like that voice in my head who won't answer my questions!"
"So… you really don't know," the Pancham stated blankly. "How unusual. Never thought it was possible to forget… even if you've been plagued with amnesia. So that's why you're so unwilling to come with us… human."
Suddenly, all of the Plagued Ones' eyes glowed brightly. They slowly glanced toward the tunnel that would exit the cave, their eyes gradually dimming back to normal.
"Time… to return…" all the Plagued Ones said simultaneously in a monotone.
And then, without another word, they all flew toward that direction and left the cave. The team watched anxiously as the creatures swept past them. That is… except Terron. He ran after the disappearing Plagued Ones, screaming frantically.
"GIVE ME MY ANSWER!" Terron cried. "WHY DO YOU THINGS WANT ME SO MUCH?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!"
The Plagued Ones didn't answer. Terron continued to cry out to them and chased them. Yet, it was all in vain. For as soon as the Plagued Ones left the cave, they went into the sky and disappeared into the distance. Terron, realizing he couldn't do anything, collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily as his teammates caught up to him.
They were quick to join him in collapsing. The entire group lay there, all suffering from physical and emotional fatigue, no one able to move a muscle. All they could do was stare up at the sky where they last saw the Plagued Ones.
After remaining on the ground for an hour, the team finally gained the strength to get up. Tiredly, the three Pokémon sat up and glanced at one another. After seeing that they were all okay, they brought their attention to Zekra, who was still out of it.
"When do you think she'll wake up?" Syn asked.
"I don't know," Terron answered. "I really don't."
Syn let out a melancholy sigh as he closed his eyes. He looked toward the sun and took in its warm rays.
"Can you tell me what those things were inside the cave?" Syn asked. "You said they were Plagued Ones, but I've never heard that name before. What are they?"
Terron stuck his bone club into the ground and used it as a support to rest his arms and head on. He began to explain everything he knew about the Plagued Ones, such as how they swept the land of Shiron at any given time to unleash death upon all those who come. He went on to say that no one knew what the Plagued Ones were or why they were killing everybody. The most important details about these creatures were known by no one.
"A leader of mine once told me that he thinks the Plagued Ones create Mystery Dungeons by fusing with the environment," Terron continued. "It's just a theory, but I think it might be true. It would explain why everything in there is trying to kill you; they mimic the actions of the Plagued Ones. Of course, it doesn't explain why they were in that cave when Dreaded Cavern isn't a Mystery Dungeon. Unless they were getting ready to turn that place into a Mystery Dungeon…"
Terron grimaced at the thought.
"How come you and your leaders know so much about these Plagued Ones, yet no one else does?" Syn then asked. "I'm sure if those things were going around killing everybody, then more Pokémon would know."
"Because the Fellowship's true purpose is to eliminate those things," Terron answered. "As for why no one else knows about the Plagued Ones, it's because the Fellowship hides those things' existence from the public. If everyone knew about them… there'd be mass hysteria. Sometimes, lying is the only option you have if you want to protect others."
Syn gave Terron a long stare. No words were exchanged between them.
"… then why are you telling me about those things?" the Snivy asked after some time. "If you're supposed to keep them a secret, then why are you going against your organization's orders?"
"Because you saw the Plagued Ones with your own eyes," Terron answered grimly. "I'm not going to lie to you when you clearly saw them. You deserve to know the truth. However, I'm going to ask that you don't tell anyone else about what you saw. It's a Fellowship rule you have to follow. Do you understand?"
Syn reluctantly nodded. Terron sighed as he glanced at the ground and tapped his paws against his club. Many thoughts were going through his mind at the moment, but he wasn't sure which ones to focus on. All of them seemed vitally important.
"What were the Plagued Ones saying to you?" Syn suddenly asked.
"They were trying to get me to come with them," Terron said blandly. "And, I almost did go with them. Something about them was so inviting. I still don't understand what it was, but their words were just so tempting… but thankfully, I was able to snap out of it. After that, they started saying things that they really shouldn't know about me. It's like they knew who I was."
"What were the things they knew?" Syn asked.
"I can't tell you that," Terron said with a shake of his head. "That's a personal secret. Sorry."
The Snivy frowned in disapproval, but he didn't question Terron. Terron closed his eyes and imagined the fiery land he was called to not long ago. He envisioned himself standing upon the small piece of land among the lava pool.
You were calling out to me… other me, if that's who you truly are. Terron mentally said to the unknown being, despite not knowing where it was. You prevented me from getting taken by the Plagued Ones. But, why? Why did you help me?
There was no answer. The Cubone waited in his fantasy world, wanting to see if anyone would appear. Yet, after minutes of waiting, no one came. No voices filled his thoughts.
Of course I don't get answers…
Terron opened his eyes and came back to reality. He glanced over at Zekra, who showed no signs of waking up soon. Upon seeing this, the Cubone got up and looked toward the path to Lavender Town.
"We should get going," Terron said. "We can't wait for her to get up. We're wasting time. Besides, I don't want those Plagued Ones coming back. There's a good chance they might."
Terron picked up Zekra and handed her over to Impetus. Once Zekra was in good hands, Terron pointed toward the trail with his club.
"We only need to walk two more hours," the Cubone announced. "Let's tough out these last hours. And then, Syn, you can finally relax when we get there."
Syn didn't reply.
The three then headed down the trail, all remaining in silence as they walked. Their journey was finally coming to an end.
After two hours passed, the team finally saw a city in sight. It was still quite a ways from where they stood, but its distinct outline was still seeable. Terron, for the first time in a while, felt relief upon seeing civilization. His heart lightened up as the team picked up the pace and hurried toward the town.
"We're finally here," Terron said pleasantly. "Finally… after all we went through."
And then… he noticed something was very wrong.
Terron picked up his speed, feeling panic settle into his heart. He rushed into the city and abruptly stopped once he got past the entrance. His friends were quick to follow after him. They were about to ask what was wrong, but they soon saw it for themselves.
There were no Pokémon wandering through the streets. The entire city was vacant. There were still buildings throughout the town, not damaged at all, but not a single Pokémon seemed to be in them. Everything was completely silent…
"Where is everyone?" Terron asked as he looked around. "This… this is Lavender Town, right? It has to be! I mean, the map said it's right here…"
"And the sign right there says 'Welcome to Lavender Town' too," Syn pointed out. "So yeah, this is the place."
"But where did everyone go?" Terron asked no one in particular. "How long has it been like this? Why would-"
Suddenly, a door to a house creaked open. Someone was coming out of their house. Terron was about to call over to them, but he stopped when he saw who was really leaving the home.
It was a Plagued One in the form of a Bulbasaur.
Another door opened, and out came another Plagued One. Then another Plagued Ones came out of a home. And another. And another…
Soon, there were at least thirty of the creatures standing outside of buildings. They didn't seem to notice the group of children standing at the entrance of town, yet the mere sight of seeing them again was unnerving. Terron and Syn became frozen in place while Impetus abandoned Zekra and took off from the town. Terron didn't blame her for such an action.
The various Plagued Ones remained where they were, glancing around at one another. And then, all at once, they took off into the skies.
Even after every last one of them went away, the Cubone and Snivy found they still couldn't move. They had been so certain that they were going to be attacked once more. The fear would only leave their hearts at such a painfully slow rate.
"Tell me again why you guys were supposed to bring me to this awful place," Syn whimpered.
Terron's eyes slowly looked toward the Snivy.
"Your parents said you wanted to visit some friends here," the Cubone answered. "But… it looks like your friends are all dead now. This town has been overrun by Plagued Ones… that's why no one's here."
"But I don't have any friends in this town," Syn said.
Immediately, Terron's mind put the pieces together and started to understand what was going on about Syn's parents. It all made sense now. And yet, he needed one last question to confirm his suspicions.
"Syn… your parents never told you where you were going, did they?" Terron asked.
"No… they just said I was going to a special place with you guys," Syn said. "They didn't want to tell me because they said it was a surprise. I guess that place was Lavender Town. But… why here? No one's here anymore. Terron, why are we here?"
The Cubone didn't say anything.
"Terron! Answer me!" Syn cried. "Why did my parents want me to come here?!"
"… we need to get back to Pecha City," Terron said.
"Why?!" Syn demanded.
Terron still wouldn't answer the question. He walked over to Zekra and carefully picked her up. Just as he did, she started to squirm. Terron set her back down and watched as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Terron?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Terron… where am I?"
"Lavender Town," the Cubone answered blandly. "But now, we're going to the nearest city so we can fly back to Pecha City."
"Did we drop off Syn already?" Zekra asked. "I don't remember us doing that. In fact, I don't remember ever walking there…"
"Terron! Why won't you answer me?!" Syn yelled. "Why did we come here?"
"Terron, what's going on?" Zekra asked. "What happened to me?"
The Cubone started to walk away, heading for a city he could see from here. It looked like it would take another three hours just to get to that one, but Terron didn't care. He just wanted to get to a Drifblim Transportation since they were in practically every city. Syn and Zekra ran after him, demanding answers from him, but never once did he respond. Even after Impetus reunited with them, he didn't acknowledge her presence with anything more than a wave.
Pecha City
After arriving at the city that had been called Sol City, the team found that the place was still occupied by Pokémon. It hadn't been attacked by Plagued Ones. With that acknowledged, they eventually found the Drifblim Transportation and flew out of the town. Thankfully for them, they had brought some money to pay for Syn's flight. It only cost about fifty Poké, but Terron still wished they didn't have to pay for the fee. After all, the team didn't have that much money.
By the time the four made it to Pecha City, the sun was very low in the sky. Night would upon them soon, and they still had to take a flight back to Aurora Town. They wouldn't get back to the Fellowship for quite a while. Yet, none of that mattered at the moment.
The group treaded through the streets until they arrived at Syn's home. Once they made it there, Terron went up to the door and banged his bone club into the door repeatedly.
"Open the door!" Terron yelled, his voice seething with bitterness. "I know you're both here! Open up!"
There was no answer. Terron growled under his breath. He took out his other bone club from within the bag and began bashing the door down. Syn and Zekra tried to pull Terron away from the house, but he wouldn't move. He continued to ram his bones into the door.
"Terron! Stop!" Zekra cried. "Why are you trying to break into their house?! They're not home!"
"I'm breaking in because I have a question to ask them," Terron said gravely as he gave her a dark expression. "And that question is…"
He rammed a bone into the door one last time, causing it to slam wide open.
"… why they're abandoning Syn," he finished.
Zekra and Syn lost their grip on the Cubone as they stood there in disbelief. Terron hastily entered the house and tried to find Syn's parents. But, as he looked around, he realized that no one really was home. Syn's parents had left, and by the looks of how many of their possessions were missing, it seemed they weren't coming back.
The rest of the Pokémon reluctantly entered the house and were able to see exactly what Terron saw.
"Since I didn't answer your questions earlier, I'll answer them now that I know for sure, Syn," Terron said.
The Cubone glanced at the Snivy with a grimace.
"Your parents abandoned you," Terron explained. "For some reason, they didn't want you anymore and they decided to get rid of you. So, they hired the Fellowship to take you on a fake escort mission, where they'd drop you off with us and give us a fake assignment while not telling you anything at all. You were never going to be going anywhere; you were going to be stuck with the team that came to get you. Lavender Town was just a place they chose so they had time to get out of Pecha City. I don't think they knew the place was empty, but even if there hadn't of been, it all would have been the same. We would have figured out that you had no purpose coming to Lavender Town and would have brought you back home… only to find your parents gone."
Syn slowly shook his head in disbelief. Tears formed in his eyes as he mouthed out the word "No".
"I should have noticed the signs," Terron said regretfully. "It was when your mom rushed us out of the house that I should have seen the problem. She was far too hasty to let you go…"
"No!"
Terron cringed at the sudden yelling. The team looked at the Snivy to find that he was trembling. Tears streamed down his face.
"No! You're lying!" Syn cried. "It's… it's all a lie!"
"Syn…" Zekra said quietly.
She slowly approached the child. The Snivy backed away from her.
"MOMMY AND DADDY WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME!" Synergy wailed. "YOU'RE WRONG! I'M GOING TO FIND THEM! YOU'LL SEE THAT YOU'RE WRONG!"
Syn covered his eyes with his hands as he ran out the door, his shrill cries filling the air. Terron and Zekra were about to chase after him, but Impetus stepped in front of the door. She shook her head.
"Stay," Impetus said. "Leave Syn alone."
Terron and Zekra's jaws dropped at the sound of Impetus talking. Her voice sounded a bit unnatural due to her not speaking before, but it still showed such gentleness and maturity. They stared at her in disbelief.
"Impetus… you can talk now?" Terron asked.
"Yes. No," Impetus said.
"I see; you can only talk a little bit," Terron said thoughtfully. "That's fine. At least you're learning. But, I don't really think leaving Syn alone is a good idea. He's still just a kid, and he might hurt himself."
"Leave alone," Impetus said yet again. "Wait."
Terron let out a sigh.
"You're not going to move even if we say no, are you?" Terron asked.
Impetus shook her head. Terron glanced over at Zekra. She nodded reluctantly, seeing that leaving Syn be was the best option for now. With nothing else they could do, the two sat down and waited for Syn's return… if he ever chose to come back at all.
Several minutes of silence went by. Impetus was still standing at the door, making sure the other team members didn't go after Syn. Terron and Zekra hadn't moved at all.
"Terron, will you tell me what happened to me?" Zekra asked after so long. "You know, at the cave. All I remember is fighting that Geodude with Syn and then everything goes blank. Do you know what happened?"
The Cubone glanced at the ground for a moment before he closed his eyes. The words the Plagued Ones spoke about Zekra rang in his mind. He didn't want to believe they were right, but all of their other words about him had been true. So surely, their information about Zekra was no doubt true.
Terron could no longer look at his friend the same way now that he knew.
"Terron?" Zekra asked again.
"I found you in a hole in the ground," Terron said blandly as he opened his eyes. "You were probably trying to hide when the Plagued Ones were coming to get us. After I found you and you saw the Plagued Ones, you started going crazy and ran away from me. I tried to calm you down, but you wouldn't listen. So, I had to knock you out to get you out of the cave. And then after that, we went to Lavender Town and saw it was overrun by Plagued Ones. And then just as we were leaving, you woke up."
"There… there were Plagued Ones?" Zekra asked fearfully. "We… survived? How?"
"I don't know," Terron said lowly. "I don't know."
Zekra was at a loss for words. There was silence between them as Zekra contemplated the revelation.
"You and I… we're friends, right?" Terron suddenly asked.
"Y-Yeah," Zekra replied, surprised by the strange question. "Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I'm different than your other friends, right?" Terron asked rather than answered.
"Yeah, you are," Zekra said oddly. "You're a human. I don't think I've had any other friends that are like that. So you're special. Why do you ask?"
"… Just wondering if I'm still different than other Pokémon," Terron answered. "I can't really tell if I'm becoming more like a Pokémon."
"Well I think you are," Zekra said with a small smile. "So don't worry about it."
Terron nodded slowly, but didn't say anything. He felt a nagging sensation, telling him to directly ask Zekra whether or not she actually saw him as a replica of her other friend, but he didn't have the nerve to. Silence once again resumed.
After about half an hour passed, Impetus finally moved out of the doorway. Terron and Zekra stood up at the same time as a certain Snivy came inside. His eyes were red from crying so much, but at least all of his tears were gone. His tail dragged along the ground as he came up to the two. He stopped in front of them, refusing to make eye contact. Yet, they could see that his eyes were dull with depression.
"I'm back," Syn said, no emotion behind his voice. "I… I didn't find them. But, it's okay. I won't cry anymore. I feel better."
"You sure?" Zekra asked gently.
"Yeah," Syn said blandly.
"If you say so," Zekra said with a melancholy frown.
"So what are you going to do with me now?" Syn asked.
"Well, I'm sure the Fellowship could find you a new home," Terron replied. "They have a lot of connections. I'm sure they'd manage. We'd just have to explain what happened."
"Will my new family just be some random family I've never met before?" Syn then asked.
"… Yeah, they will," Terron said. "I'm afraid that's how it's going to be. Unless you have other relatives; then they might send you to them."
"I don't know any of my other family members," Syn answered dully. "No one told me about them. I don't know where they are."
Terron sighed, feeling more depressed than he had been already thanks to the day's events.
"Then I guess you'll be going to someone completely different," Terron stated.
Syn didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and seemed to hold back more tears. The Cubone wanted to say something comforting, but nothing helpful came to mind. There was nothing that could cheer up this child.
"Let's just get going, Syn," Terron said uneasily. "We have a long flight back to Aurora Town."
Syn still didn't reply, yet slowly started to walk out of the door. Terron and the rest of the team followed, misery filling all of their hearts, except for Impetus, for she didn't understand why everyone was depressed.
Aurora Town
Hours later, the team and Syn stood in front of the Fellowship, seeing all of the cauldrons' fires light up the night. Several dimmer lights from inside could be seen where they stood. While the sight might have been fascinating to Syn, the Snivy didn't seem to even notice it now. He was absently staring at nothing.
"Well, this is the place," Terron said glumly. "Hopefully one of the leaders is still awake."
The team sluggishly headed for the entrance. All anyone wanted to do was get a good night's rest, but they knew they had a more important task to do first. Syn was their responsibility, and they needed to take care of his needs before theirs.
"Wait," Syn abruptly said.
The team stopped and turned back around to face him. He still hadn't moved from his spot.
"What is it?" Zekra asked.
Syn slowly approached the three before stopping right in front of them. He looked up at them, his eyes no longer filled with sadness. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes now.
"Can you let me be part of your team?" he asked.
"What?!" Terron and Zekra gasped.
The two took a moment to compose themselves.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Terron said. "I mean, what we do is dangerous."
"Besides, it's hard work," Zekra added. "There's times where we feel the load's too much, and we're older than you."
"I don't want to be in a family full of Pokémon I don't know," Syn explained. "I want to be with Pokémon who were nice to me and helped me and protected me when I was in danger. Even if they have risky jobs, I still want to be with those friends. I want to stay with those friends… and have them be my new family. A family full of friend… is the best kind of family I'd ever want."
Syn smiled, showing remnants of his old cheery self. The team members and the Snivy stared at one another wordlessly. A couple of minutes passed before Zekra finally broke the silence.
"Well, you've shown potential," she said. "And, hanging around you was nice. In fact, traveling with you felt so natural, like you were already a team member . Sure, you're a kid, but I think you'd be helpful to us. You've proven yourself to us. What do you think, Terron?"
Terron didn't need to think long about his answer.
"You know, it's funny; we just got Impetus as our third member not long ago," he said. "When we made her a member, we stood near this very spot. And now… we're doing the exact same thing with you."
"You're going to let me join you?" Syn asked eagerly.
"Yes, I am," Terron said with a small smile. "Welcome to Team Vendetta, Synergy."