Chapter 17

Zekra's Lost Days

Blackoak Town had not changed much since Zekra had last seen it. It was still the same, somewhat small town Zekra had grown up in since she hatched. The homes and shops were in good condition. The many gardens still grew a fair amount of fruits. The grass stayed at a decent height.

Despite having only been gone for a few days, Zekra felt that she had been away for months. She had thought time would have taken its toll on the city and made everything decay. But, seeing how everything remained the same reminded Zekra that she truly hadn't been gone for a long time.

She looked around and beheld the sights of her beloved hometown, realizing just how small her town was when compared to Aurora Town.

Blackoak always had a small population for as long as Zekra could remember. At least, it was smaller than Aurora Town's population. She had always been told that there were only about four hundred citizens here. She considered that to be a large amount of Pokémon despite what she had been told, until she went to Aurora Town and saw the massive amounts of Pokémon that roamed the streets at all times. Here, there were times when Zekra could be wandering down the main square and no one would be around for a good five minutes.

After dwelling in this thought, Zekra made it to the main square of town. In the very middle of the square was a fountain. There weren't any devices to make the water shoot up, though. Instead, the water simply sat in the fountain, resting underneath the stone figures of a Milotic and a couple of Wartortle. Zekra stopped in front of the fountain and gave it a long stare.

Zekra was standing in front of the very same statue. However, she was not alone this time. A Torchic was standing beside her. Beside them on the ground were two small coins which gleamed in the midday sun. No one else seemed to be around, but the sounds of others in the distance could be heard.

"So, you going to throw your Poké into the fountain, or not?" the Torchic asked.

"I don't really know," Zekra answered. "I mean, I could think of a lot of good uses for this money. We could buy some candy with this. I don't want to waste it on some stupid superstition that if we give the fountain money, we get a free wish."

"You just don't know how to believe, do you?" the Torchic asked with a sigh.

"I can believe, Chi," Zekra scoffed. "It's just that this doesn't seem legit. If we really wanted to get a wish, we could just go find Jirachi. Wherever he is…"

Chi shook her head in disapproval before picking up one of the coins with her beak. She then tossed it into the fountain, watching the water's surface ripple as the coin sank to the bottom. Zekra watched as her friend closed her eyes and mouthed out her wish.

"What did you wish for?" Zekra asked curiously.

Chi smiled.

"I can't tell you that," the Torchic replied. "Otherwise, it won't come true."

"That's lame!" Zekra cried. "Ugh, whatever. I'll just try this coin wishing thing and see how it goes."

Zekra then took her coin and flung it at the Wartortle. It bounced off its stone face before plopping into the water. Zekra was quiet for a moment as she thought of what she wanted.

"There, made my wish," Zekra said.

"Alright, cool," Chi said with a smile. "See? Trying wasn't so bad. Now let's go to my house and get some of that pie my mom made yesterday. Hopefully, there's still some left."

Chi started to walk away. As she did, Zekra peered at her reflection in the water. She could see all of the coins at the bottom, surrounding her mirror image. There were so many. There had to be at least one thousand Poké in this fountain. Yet, she didn't pay attention to all the money she could steal out of the fountain. Instead, she continued to look at the reflection.

But, it was no longer her reflection. It was a Zoroark reflection.

"I wish you'd come back… you never came when I wanted you to come the most. So please… come back."

Zekra let out a sigh. She walked past the fountain and went to find a particular place she knew in this town. She went past the many shops, seeing how all of the doors were wide open. Many of the windows were shattered. Zekra gave a melancholy frown when she saw this. Her town was already being broken into and robbed of its supplies.

Eventually, Zekra came across a certain store. Just like all of the other stores, this one had been sapped of its possessions. But, this one had special meaning to Zekra. She wanted to walk past it, but her curiosity overcame her. Zekra cautiously approached the abandoned building and crept inside through the open door.

This store was, or at least used to be, a bookstore. It still held traces of evidence that this still was a bookstore. There were books that still lined up on shelves with their price tags still attached. The little café inside was still intact, even if it was missing all of its food items that were on display. The advertising banners strung from the ceiling were still there.

Still, the place was a mess. Most of the floor was littered with books and torn out pages. Shelves were knocked over on their sides. The cushions to provide seats for readers were torn apart.

Zekra walked through the abandoned store until she noticed something. She came across an atlas, which was opened to show a drawing of the entire world. The illustration took up both pages, filling them with its detailed coloring. Most of the pages were simply the land of Shiron, accompanied by a number of small islands and the ocean surrounding the lands.

Zekra stopped and glanced at the drawing.

"I never realized just how big Shiron really was," a Buizel said as he looked at the world map. "It says here that the main land covers roughly twenty million square miles. All the islands nearby don't even come close to that! They're a million miles at best! I guess there really is a good reason for why we call our world the same name as the region."

"Yeah, guess so," Zekra replied. "And how'd you find this book? You're always reading comics whenever we come here, so I don't know how you would have found this."

"Someone just misplaced it I guess," the Buizel shrugged. "It was next to this comic I was going to read. It's really nice, though. I've never seen a map before. I didn't know our world could be so big."

"Well, let's look at this some more where it's more comfortable to sit, Fen," Zekra then said.

Fen nodded as he picked up the book from off the ground and the two exited the comic section where the Buizel had found the book. They then headed for an area where some cushions were before sitting down in them and placing the book in front of them.

The Buizel started to turn the pages. He stopped when they came to a page that held a section of Shiron with their city as a small dot. It was so insignificant compared to the other locations around that particular part of Shiron.

"Huh, we have a lot of towns around us," Zekra commented. "I never realized that. Of course, that's probably because neither of us have left here. We've been stuck here since we hatched."

"I don't mind that, though," Fen said. "This place is a nice place to be. And, you seem to like here too. Do you not like being here?"

"I like it here," Zekra assured. "I really do. It's just that… well… you know my brother, right?"

"Zev?" Fen said unsurely. "I don't really see him much, but I've met him once or twice."

"Yeah, that's him," Zekra said with a nod. "Well anyway, Zev travels a lot since he doesn't really live with us anymore. Whenever he visits though, he tells my parents and I all of the cool things he's seen on his travels. Like, he tells me about this city of crystal he once visited or these fields of endless sunflowers. And sometimes, he'll bring us back stuff. Like last time he came, he got me that awesome Frism. So, knowing that he goes around seeing all of this stuff kinda makes me wanna see what he sees. So, when he comes back this summer, I'm going to ask if I can come with him."

"What about your parents?" Fen then asked.

"I'm going to talk to them about it," Zekra said. "I've still got a month left until he's supposed to come home. And, maybe during that time, I can try to improve my illusion abilities."

"Well, good luck with that," the Buizel said with a smile. "Maybe I'll come too. I'd like to see more of Shiron."

"Thanks," Zekra said cheerfully. "Now, let's keep looking at this book and see what cool stuff we could go visit when we go with Zev."

Zekra closed the book and started to leave. It was a bad idea to come here. She should have just kept going. She didn't want to see the ruined place of her memory anymore. Once she got back to the entrance, Zekra went out and kept going through town.

At some point, she came to the residential area of town. She saw many houses, all of them having their own unique little design. They weren't very large houses, but they still seemed quite cozy. Zekra wandered into her neighborhood, seeing how none of the houses had been broken into like the shops. Perhaps the thieves didn't feel like raiding homes.

She went up to one of the houses and went to its side. There was a large tree growing between this one and the one next door, thankfully not causing damage to the houses with its roots. There was a large hole towards the bottom of the tree. Zekra peered into the hollow spot. She saw a little room that was meant to hold two small Pokémon, the flooring lined with hay. Rolled up from the inside of the tree was a tarp, to allow as a makeshift door when needed. Carvings of sorts were etched into the inside of the tree.

Zekra closed her eyes.

Zekra was with a Sandile in the tree, where they both stared at a strange object in front of them. It was a bluish, vase-like object that was about the size of a grapefruit. It seemed to be made of crystal, and little icicles surrounded the neck of it. It was a rather strange thing to the Sandile, though Zekra already knew what it was.

"So… your brother got this for you, huh?" the Sandile asked curiously.

"Yeah! He says it's called a Frism," Zekra said cheerfully. "He gave it to me last week. It's pretty cool, isn't it?"

"It looks really nice, that's for sure," the Sandile said. "But, what's it supposed to do?"

"Well, I guess I'll show you," Zekra said as she slid the Frism over to the Sandile. "Say something into the opening."

The Sandile gave Zekra an odd look. The Zorua gave him a reassuring smile, causing the Sandile to look back at the Frism.

"Um, this is Terron," the Sandile said unsurely into the object. "Who are you?"

Suddenly, the opening of the Frism became covered in white ice. Terron backed up from the shock, causing him to smack into the back of the tree. He groaned as he recomposed himself.

"Now go ahead and warm up the white part," Zekra instructed. "You can touch it or breathe on it. Either works really."

Terron nodded slowly before blowing his breath onto the sealed opening. The ice immediately melted away and a voice emerged from within the object.

"Um, this is Terron," Terron's voice said from within the Frism. "Who are you?"

The Sandile stared in disbelief at the Frism as his message ended.

"It's a voice recorder," Terron stated. "I didn't think there were any objects that could do that."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?" Zekra said in a pleased tone. "Zev said he found it while wandering through some ice cavern. He thought it'd make a nice gift for me."

"You know, I wish I had an older brother who'd give me cool stuff," the Sandile replied. "All I've got are younger siblings who annoy me all the time."

"You could just become what Zev is to me and then you guys will get along," Zekra suggested.

"I could, except my siblings are annoying and I don't want to dedicate time to them if they're like that," Terron scoffed. "But, whatever. Your brother seems like a cool guy. Maybe I could meet him one day and he'll get me something next time he comes here. How often does he visit?"

"He visits once a year, every summer for about a week," Zekra answered. "He's been doing that for about six years now. Kinda wish he stayed home like he did up to when I was a year old, but I guess that's how things are."

"Hm, looks like I've gotta wait another twelve months," Terron remarked. "Hopefully I can wait that long. In the meantime, what should we do with this Frism? If you don't mind, I've got a few pranks in mind that we can do with the help of this thing…"

A few tears came out of Zekra's eyes. She shook her head as she tried to contain the memories.

"I knew I wasn't strong enough to resist looking at things from my old life," Zekra muttered to herself. "But… I can't leave just yet. There's still something I need to do."

Zekra brushed aside some of the hay within the tree hole and after a moment, she found a key. She grabbed the key with her mouth and went over to one of the houses next to the tree. She carefully put the key in the lock and slowly turned it. Once the door was unlocked, she pushed the door open and walked inside.

She shut the door behind her and set the key on the floor. With a heavy heart, Zekra looked around the house, finding that everything was exactly the same as she remembered it.

This was her home. Everything was here. Yet, it was missing a vital piece.

Her parents were no longer here. They were no longer here to greet her when she came home from visiting friends.

The house was so empty without their presence.

Zekra silently made her way through the house until she came to a particular room; her bedroom. It was a small room, but nonetheless, quite comfortable. It was a simple bedroom with a bed of hay and a couple drawers for storage. Despite such a small amount of possessions, that was all Zekra really wanted in her room.

The Zorua went up to one of the cabinets and slowly pulled out the lowest drawer. There were a few items within, such as some stored-away candy that was beginning to grow brittle and a couple books that were becoming covered with dust. But, what stood out most in this compartment was a single object: a Frism.

When Blackoak Town had been evacuated, no one had enough time to take their belongings with them. Everyone was simply ushered out of the city in a quick instant. Some Pokémon had managed to lock up their houses before leaving, thinking they would return later, but that was all they were able to do. Zekra had wanted to take the Frism with her on their trip, but she wasn't allowed to go back home to get it. She had been with Chi in another part of the town when everyone was forced to leave.

Zekra took the Frism out of the drawer and set it on the ground to inspect it. There was no message recorded within the object, nor was it damaged.

Once she had done that, she picked it up again and left the room with it.

Zekra eagerly waited by the front door of the house as her Zoroark parents sat in the nearby living room, eating their lunch. Zekra had been waiting for this day for so long. Now, with it being the early afternoon, she knew the special time was soon.

"Zekra, do you want some lunch?" her mother asked. "You've been sitting there since dawn. Surely you must be hungry."

"No, I'm fine, mom," Zekra assured. "I'm not hungry."

"She does this every year Zeverous visits," Zekra's father then said with a laugh. "It's a wonder that her excitement can blur out her hunger. Of course, she'll be eating everything in sight once that excitement mellows down…"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Zekra hastily jumped to her feet and with a wide grin, she unlocked the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was a Zoroark with a messenger bag strapped over his shoulder. He had a somewhat tired look in his eyes, but there was still a smile on his face.

"Zev!" Zekra cried with glee.

The Zorua leapt at the Zoroark, where he then caught her and held her in a hug. Zekra rubbed her face against his.

"You're back!" Zekra said. "I missed you! This year has gone by so slowly!"

"Feels the same for me too," the Zoroark replied. "I missed you too during that time. I'm really glad I can see you again."

Zekra's parents then entered the room, happy to see their son as well. Zekra's brother went inside the house and gently set Zekra down. He then gave each of his parents a hug.

"Welcome home, Zeverous" his mother said warmly. "How were your adventures this past year? Things been going well?"

"They have, for the most part," Zeverous said. "I got to see a lot of wonderful places. It's amazing where you can go if you can turn into practically any Pokémon at any time. Which reminds me…"

Zeverous reached into his bag and searched through the various items he kept. After a moment, he pulled out a blue crystal that was roughly the size of one of his claws. It shined beautifully as he twisted it around in his claws. He handed it to his mother with a soft smile.

"I found it at this place known as Crystal Cave," the Zoroark said. "If you touch it…"

Zeverous gently poked it with his claw. A small flash went off from the crystal, enveloping it in white light. When the light died down, the crystal was no longer blue. Instead, it was a dark shade of green.

"… it changes colors," Zeverous finished. "There were crystals all over the cave, but for some reason, only certain crystals in a specific area did this. It was some place where three giant crystals were."

"Thank you," his mother said his mother started to play with the gem. "It's very beautiful. I never thought such a treasure could exist."

Zeverous smiled as he dug into his bag once more and brought out a blue, metallic box. It was rather small, and a turn-able handle could be seen sticking out of the side. The Zoroark showed it to his father.

"This is something called a music box," Zeverous said. "You just wind this up a bit and it plays a song. I found it in some old ruins the locals called 'Buried Relic'. I don't really know why it was there or who even made it, but it's pretty interesting."

Zeverous gave it to his father. The father stared curiously at the odd device before slowly turning the handle as Zeverous had said. When he stopped, a peaceful tune came from the device and filled the room with its music. All of the family stayed silent as they listened to the wonderful music. After about a minute, the music stopped.

"I've never seen anything like this before," the father said as he examined the music box. "What part of Shiron did you find this in again?"

"It was the Eastern side," Zeverous replied. "Things look rather different over there. The culture is very different from here as well. It's an interesting place."

Zeverous then turned to his sister and took out her present. He gave her a warm smile as he set down the treasure in front of her. He knelt down so that he could talk to her at eye level.

"This is a Frism," Zeverous explained. "It records your voice whenever you talk into it. It's a strange little item I found when going through some ice cavern. I don't quite understand how it's able to contain your voice so well… but it's truly a wonderful treasure. I thought you'd like it."

Zekra smiled.

"Thanks, Zev," Zekra said happily. "The Frism is awesome. I'm really glad that you're home. It means more to me than this gift you got me. Seeing my brother after so long is always a gift…"

Zekra set her Frism down nearby the front door, the very spot she would sit in as she waited for Zeverous to return. She squeezed her eyes shut as she banged her head against the wall.

"Don't cry," she told herself. "Just don't. Finish what you wanted to do and then you can leave this place. And then… you'll never have to come back."

The Zorua took a deep breath and slowly went back to the Frism. She looked upon it with a melancholy gaze and let out a sigh as she sat down. She stared deep into the depths of the Frism.

"… It's been two years since I've last seen you, Zev," Zekra said reluctantly. "The last time you were here… you gave me this Frism that I'm using right now. Since then… no one's heard from you. Everyone thinks you died. In truth, I think you're dead too. At first, I refused to believe it and held onto the hope that you were still alive, but refusing to come home for some reason. But, as the months went by… that faith I had, died away and I found believing to be so much harder. And before long, I found that I no longer believed. I had accepted that you died somehow. That's where I stand now. But, if that's the case, then why am I sending this message to you by a Frism?"

Zekra let out a bitter laugh.

"Well, I guess it's because there's still a part of me that refuses to believe you're dead. I don't know why it clings to such small hope, but it's a part of me and I have to learn to accept that. But, I'm not here to talk about what I believe your fate is. No, there's something else I need to tell you. If you're dead, then you'll know all of this already. But… if you're still alive… then you need to know something in case you come back here for some reason."

Zekra took in a deep breath.

"Everyone's dead. Everyone who lived here… they all got killed by these demons. Everyone was being evacuated when something strange was happening at Emerald Mountain… and then these things came along while we were traveling and took everyone away. I… I was the only one who made it out. Nobody's left but me, Zev. But, I'm not here anymore. I left Blackoak after the incident. I knew I couldn't live here anymore, so I went to the original town we were all traveling to; Aurora Town. Things have been tough… but I've found a friend, at least, who's helping me. We even joined the Fellowship together. So, that's where I am now at this point in time."

Zekra shut her eyes.

"So, if you ever come back here… and you hear this message, you know where to find me. Please… come home and listen to this message. I've missed you, Zev. You're the only family I have left. So please, don't be dead like everyone I used to know. Just be alive. Please… I just want my brother through all of this. Find this message… before anyone else does."

Zekra stopped talking. After moments of silence, the Frism's opening became covered in white. Her message had been recorded. Her purpose for being here had been fulfilled.

The Zorua wearily grabbed the key and opened the front door. She could remember the last time she went out this very door. The last time…

… she ever saw her parents.

"Well, I'm going to go hang out with Chi," Zekra said to her parents. "I'll see you later!"

Her parents, who were sitting at the table in the room and reading books, looked over at the Zorua. They both gave her a friendly smile.

"Have fun, Zekra," her mother said. "Be sure to come back home by evening. There's been a lot of strange reports about odd creatures roaming around at night."

"It probably has to do with whatever's going on at Emerald Mountain," the father reasoned before looking back at Zekra. "So do as your mother says and come home before dark! Don't get into any trouble!"

"I won't!" Zekra said. "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! See you!"

She then opened up the door and went dashing off toward her friend's house.

The last image Zekra saw of her parents, before they disappeared from her view, was them watching her go with anxiety in their eyes.

Zekra's vision started to blur. With every step she took, her body would tremble.

I'm done here. I can leave.

Zekra gave one last look to her Frism before locking up the house.

I just need to get back to Terron now.

Zekra put the key back into her hiding spot. She headed down the road to get to the Drifblim.

Just need to…

Zekra suddenly felt numb. She stopped walking and stood there in the middle of the empty street.

A few tears streaked down her face. Her breath became shallow.

Zekra fell to the ground not a second later, felling too weak to stand. She buried her face into her paws, crying loudly.

"Why was I the one to live?!" Zekra wailed. "Why was it me of all Pokémon?! I shouldn't have been the one who survived! There were better Pokémon than me… there were many better Pokémon. I don't deserve being the 'lucky survivor'. It's not worth it."

Zekra sobbed some more as she curled up into a ball.

"… Terron," Zekra said. "… I hope you don't mind that I gave another friend of mine your name. It's just… I wanted to pretend you were still here. I wanted my friends to live on. And so… when my new friend needed a name… I gave him yours so I could pretend I still had at least you. Sometimes… I even see you there instead of him. I know what I did was selfish, but it was the only way I could cope. But, it's not enough to keep going lately…"

Zekra continued to lie there, crying silently.

"I don't know what I should do," Zekra said. "I can't keep living like this… with all of you in the back of mind… but I don't have what it takes to end it all…"

Zekra then noticed the Mark of the Fellowship engraved in her paw. She stared at it for a long time, her thoughts slowly processing through all of her grief. A particular memory came to her mind when she looked at the symbol. It was the memory of when she and Terron were naming their team. It was such a small, yet significant moment.

"… Team Vendetta," she said slowly. "When I came up with that name… all of you went away, if just for a while. You were all satisfied in knowing that I was fighting for you guys. Your faces… your voices… they weren't bothering me anymore. I never really thought about the name afterwards since I was so caught up in other things. As soon as I stopped thinking about that name… you all came back."

Zekra paused.

"Maybe… my team name… is what I need to focus on. Maybe… that's the key to continue living."

Zekra slowly got to her feet as she wiped away her tears. She felt stronger. She once again held a stare with the mark on her paw.

"I'll fight… for all of you," Zekra declared. "I'll keep that thought in my mind at all times, so that my spared life has a purpose. I lived so I could have a reason to fight against these Plagued Ones. I'll fight to protect others from your fate, but my true purpose is to avenge you guys. I'm supposed to bring justice to the demons who stole my life and your lives away. I'm supposed to become…"

A determined glare became etched into Zekra's eyes.

"… the living vendetta against the Plagued Ones."

As she became filled this new strength, Zekra began to walk away, failing to notice the many pairs of flaming eyes that had been watching her from high above. As she left the town, the Plagued Ones slowly went on their way as well, leaving her be once more.

Aurora Town

Zekra found herself standing outside the Fellowship after her departure from her old home. There was a peaceful smile on her face.

The sun was beginning to set behind Zekra. It was hard to believe that a whole day had passed already. Not much had happened today, but she was going to make sure tomorrow was a day where they got some work done. Tomorrow, for sure, they'd go on a meaningful mission.

Zekra made her way into the mess hall, where she believed Terron and Impetus would be since it was dinner time. When she went inside, she found many members were here due to it being the end of the day. In fact, the entire mess hall was nearly filled to its maximum occupation. Of course, Zekra wasn't alarmed by this since she had seen this several times already.

Instead, she glanced around in search for her two companions. She wandered around the cafeteria, occasionally eavesdropping on various conversations to see if anything interesting was being said. Unfortunately, it was always something rather uninteresting to her such as a review of the day.

Eventually, she found Terron and Impetus sitting at a table on a higher section of the tree. Terron was attempting to have a conversation with Impetus, while the Mienfoo would listen and appear to be interested while she messily ate her slab of steak.

But as Zekra watched her teammates awkwardly proceeding with their meal, a wave of memories returned to her. She thought for a moment that her Cubone companion was no longer there. In his place, still endlessly yammering to the Mienfoo between bites of his berries, was a Sandile. One she had known from the life she had left behind.

Terron.

Zekra shook her head until she found herself back in reality.

"Hey, I'm back!" she called over to her friend.

Terron and Impetus looked over at Zekra. Immediately, the Cubone jumped out of his seat and hugged her. Zekra attempted to return to hug, despite having no arms. Impetus stared at them oddly, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Welcome back, Zekra," Terron said happily. "It felt weird not having you around. I had Impetus, but it wasn't quite the same without you around."

Zekra chuckled.

"I felt the same way," Zekra said bashfully. "Guess it's what happens when we're always around one another."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Terron said thoughtfully. "But, how'd your trip go?"

"Oh, it went fine," Zekra said simply. "I just needed to leave a message for my brother."

Terron looked at the Zorua oddly.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"I'll explain that to you later," Zekra replied. "Right now, I'd just like some time to relax. I'll tell you before we all go to bed."

Zekra looked over at the Mienfoo, who was attempting to figure out what this "hug" was. She watched as Impetus slowly went up to her companions and continued to stare at them curiously. After a moment of time had passed, she awkwardly mimicked their actions and wrapped them both in her own hug. It only took a couple of seconds before she became very uncomfortable with the gesture, and was quick to release the two.

"Thanks, Impetus," Zekra said. "Thanks for trying. I understand what you're trying to do."

Zekra smiled.

"Thanks… both of you," she said warmly, "for being my friends."