Chapter 26
Succumb to Madness
Erebus Woods S29
"Rooooh!"
The sharp end of Terron's bone sank into the Croagunk's stomach, making the large frog let out a deafening cry. Terron pulled out the bone as he kicked down the enemy, bringing forth a large burst of blood into the air. Without further delay, he jumped onto the Croagunk as he brought his bone into its body once more, this time into the heart.
The Croagunk let out one last cry before it fell silent, its eyes becoming dull as its spirit left its body. Terron let out a sigh as he took his weapon out of the corpse.
"Finally killed one of them, I see. I didn't think you had desensitized yourself into killing yet."
Terron turned his head to find Yimtri standing a few feet away, right next to a corpse of his own. From what the Cubone could remember, it had been a Torchic that was attacking the Sableye earlier. Yet, it was hard to believe it had been one thanks to its distorted state. Yimtri had ripped it to pieces.
"I don't really kill things that often," Terron said. "Only when I have to. But yeah, I can kill things. It's not that hard. It's really easy, in fact. And I had to kill this thing since it was moving too fast for me to hit its head."
"Good to hear that," Yimtri stated as he glanced at the Dusk Sphere in hand. "No one can afford to be so reluctant for long. Not in this world."
Terron nodded slowly as he made his way off the Croagunk. He took the bloodstained bone and wiped the blood onto one of his many bandages. He really hated holding his weapons whenever they were covered in blood. It always felt disgustingly sticky and reeked of his recent kills. He hated that smell.
As Terron cleaned the bone, he saw Syn come his way. He had wandered off while the three of them were walking, which was shortly followed by the attack of the Croagunk and Torchic. Terron had been too busy fighting the frog to really concern himself with where the Snivy had gone to. But now that the Snivy drew close, Terron could see what had been going through Syn's head.
In his hands were not one, but two evolutions stones: a Thunderstone and a Firestone. He must have seen them off in the distance. With a large smile, Syn came rushing over to the Sableye and Cubone. But, when he saw the corpses resting by their bodies, his smile immediately faded.
"Oh… sorry for leaving you guys," Syn said unsurely, averting his gaze from the decaying bodies. "I probably should have waited and helped you dealt with these guys…"
"No, it's fine," Yimtri assured. "They attacked us after you had run off anyway. You have no reason to feel guilty. You've collected Erebus's valuable treasures, and that is nothing to be ashamed of."
The Sableye took the evolution stones from the Snivy's hands and carefully put them in his satchel. Syn glanced at his now bloody paws before shuddering and wiping the blood onto the grass. He was very quick to bring his hands off the ground, for not even a second after he made contact with the grass, the tentacles appeared to grab him. Thankfully, he had managed to avoid their grasps.
"So, that makes five stones so far, right?" Syn then asked as he adjusted the bandages around his head.
"Yes, that's right," Yimtri said as he searched through the bag. "Two Thunderstones, one Moonstone, one Leafstone, and one Firestone. A decent collection that I'm sure your Fellowship would appreciate."
"And you guys don't know why all of these evolution stones are here?" Syn asked.
"No, we don't," Yimtri said blankly. "We really don't. All we know is that Erebus seems to produce them endlessly. We know nothing else."
Syn nodded silently to himself. The Sableye started to walk away, followed shortly by Terron and Syn. As the three wandered through the sector, avoiding all of the strange skin-snatching tendrils, Syn and Terron looked at one another.
"We still haven't found the others," Syn said in slight despair. "We've been searching this whole 'Yomi' place as much as we can, and they're nowhere to be found. This place is really creepy… and I'm getting kind of scared to know what's next. I want to find our friends… but this dungeon just keeps getting worse. I almost don't want to keep going. If this place is filled with things that take our skin, what's the next place going to be like?"
"Well, I'm not really sure, but we have to keep going," Terron urged. "We have to find them. We can't just give up because this place keeps getting creepier the further we go."
"I don't want to give up either, but this place…" Syn said as his voice began trailing off.
Terron sighed. He understood how Syn felt. Continuing through this nightmare of a dungeon was becoming increasingly difficult. He could feel the increasing amount of dread the further they went into Erebus Woods. It was beginning to feel like the atmosphere that gathered around Yimtri whenever he seemed to become possessed by another entity.
The Cubone could see why Syn was giving up now, since he didn't have the same level of determination as Terron did to find Zekra and the others. Terron himself already found it to be a battle to keep up his resolution, despite it being so strong a few sectors back. Erebus Woods was sapping away their willpower, like a parasite leeching the blood out of its prey.
Terron glanced over at Yimtri, finding that he didn't seem affected by the atmosphere. He seemed exactly the same since he was dragged into the dungeon: eerily composed.
How does he manage to stay so calm? I get that he's a dark and ghost-type, but I bet even Zekra would be feeling nervous by now…
"I see the exit," Yimtri reported. "We're nearing it. As soon as we go through it, we'll enter a new environment. There's light there, meaning we won't have to use my Dusk Sphere, but that doesn't mean that Erebus makes things easier for you there…"
Terron and Syn squinted their eyes as they looked forward. Just up ahead was a gaping hole in the giant forest. Within the opening was a light, and there seemed to be large amounts of red, orange, and brown within its depths. They couldn't tell what the environment was supposed to be from where they stood, but they could feel intense heat leaking out of the opening, giving them an idea of what it might have been.
"What happens in there?" Syn asked reluctantly.
"I'll explain that to you when we get there," Yimtri said. "For now, we need to actually get inside. Getting inside can be a bit of a challenge."
Syn was about to ask what he meant, but before he could, Yimtri abruptly came to a halt in front of the opening and motioned for the two to stop. Not even a second later, five large tendrils shot out of the ground and formed a wall in front of the entrance of the new group of sectors. They stood about ten feet tall, and were as thick as tree trunks. They didn't reach for the three, but they didn't go back from whence they came. The strange tentacles remained rooted there, swaying back and forth, not bothering the travelers.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Terron said incredulously.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Yimtri said as he reached into his satchel. "A nasty tactic used to prevent progress. Yet, there is a way past them. You just have to be willing to sacrifice something."
The Sableye pulled out a wad of bandages and carefully started to wrap them around his left arm. Terron's eyes grew when he realized what was going on.
"You're not actually going to…" Terron started to say, but couldn't finish.
"Yes I am, Terron," Yimtri confirmed. "I have to. Unless one of you want to volunteer in my place."
Terron and Syn winced at the thought, seeing the Sableye had a point. Yimtri let out a quiet chuckle at their reaction as he finished covering his claw in the fabric. Once he had managed that, he tore the bandage away from the roll and made sure it was secure to his arm. Now, his entire left arm was covered in the bandages, being several layers thick.
"The second the barricade disappears, you need to rush inside," Yimtri instructed as he put the leftover bandages away. "Don't worry about me; I'll be right behind you two."
"If you say so," Syn said as he rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably.
Yimtri flexed his covered claw, allowing a dark spiritual energy to sprout out of his body and surround his claw from the forearm down. He stared at his paw for a brief second, as if suddenly becoming reluctant to perform the task in mind. But, it didn't last long. For not even a moment later, the Sableye swiped his claw through the five tendrils blocking their path.
The tendrils were severed, their tops dropping to the ground all around the group before flailing around wildly like worms. All that remained were the very bases of the strange ensnares, only a few inches tall. Wasting no time, Terron and Syn leapt over the damaged blockade, managing to avoid the complication of having their skin ripped from their bodies. Once they made it to the other side, the two looked back to find that the tentacles were already regenerating. The tentacles reached for the two, quickly wrapping around their legs. Terron and Syn screamed in fright as they yanked their feet out of the tentacles' grip, watching as their skin peeled away. As usual, there was no pain, but more skin than usual was taken. They could see parts of their bones in the gaps of remaining flesh.
Desperately not wanting to lose anything else, the two immediately ran into the new sector, leaving behind the tendril-infested nightmare.
Erebus Woods S30
After running non-stop for a few minutes, Syn and Terron finally stopped. Terron found himself having a coughing fit as he took in raspy breaths while Syn waited for his recovery, not feeling the fatigue Terron had. After all, Syn was the one with the best speed and endurance on the team, right next to Impetus.
When Terron managed to catch his breath, he and Syn took a moment to take in the new environment. This terrain of Erebus Woods was a land that was filled with lava pools all around them. It was no doubt meant to resemble the inside of a volcano or the home of demons. When Terron saw this new terrain, it reminded him of the world he sometimes was summoned to by the strange voice in his head. Yet, he knew this place was not there. There was not a volcano in sight and there was too much land, much unlike the lava world that held the unknown entity.
"Ugh, it feels so hot here," Syn moaned as he stuck his tongue out. "I feel like I'm going to be set on fire at any second."
"Well that's what happens when we're surrounded by lava," Terron stated. "Still, what an odd place. It's got light like Yimtri said… but what makes it worse than the previous place?"
"Hey, where is Yimtri anyway?" Syn then asked. "I didn't see him following us."
Terron looked behind him and was quick to find that the Snivy was right. Yimtri was nowhere to be found. Terron grimaced and tightened his grip on his two clubs. He couldn't panic just yet; he needed to stay calm. That Sableye had to be around somewhere. He wouldn't leave them here. At least, Terron hoped Yimtri wasn't going to ditch himself and Syn. He still wasn't quite sure what the Dusk Mines leader was thinking.
"Do you think we should wait for him?" Syn asked.
"Maybe," Terron replied. "I just can't help but wonder why he's not here. I mean, he said he'd be right behind us."
"Maybe those tentacle things got ahold of him," Syn muttered. "They grew back so quickly…"
Terron didn't say anything as he kept waiting for the Sableye to appear. He decided that if Yimtri didn't show up in another five minutes, he'd have to keep going. He and Syn couldn't stay in this dungeon forever. They would just need to find Zekra and the others and get out of the dungeon the usual way.
"Terron, how do you keep going?" Syn suddenly asked.
The Cubone glanced at the Snivy oddly.
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"You don't want to give up on finding the others," Syn stated quietly. "I'm just wondering how you're doing that. It feels so hard to do that now."
Terron let out a sigh as he recalled his revelation about his behavior. Perhaps it was a good time to tell Syn what had happened to him. He needed to start talking again, and this was his first opportunity to do so. He couldn't let this chance go. It would help him for when he actually needed to talk to Zekra about what was truly bothering him.
"I can keep going because I have to find Zekra to tell her something," Terron explained, finding the words were coming with more easily than he expected. "I have to tell her that I'm sorry for acting so differently and uncaringly to her than I used to do."
"You've been acting differently?" Syn asked oddly.
"Yeah, I have…" Terron said, puzzled that the Snivy didn't notice his change of behavior. "I've been really quiet and won't talk about what's on my mind. You haven't noticed that?"
"I thought you were always like that," Syn then said. "I mean, you start talking more whenever we go on missions or get into sticky situations like these, but otherwise, you're all quiet when we're relaxing at the Fellowship. You haven't changed much since I first met you."
The Cubone continued to stare at Syn with a bewildered expression. It was only until he really started thinking about it, did he realize why Syn didn't understand what he was talking about. It all made sense now.
"That's right; you met me around the time I started becoming really quiet," Terron realized. "You didn't see how close I was to Zekra during that mission. You only saw how I acted around her after the mission was over. That's when I started becoming reserved. So… this current me… that's the only me you know then."
"Yeah, I guess so," Syn replied with a frown. "But, I understand what you're saying. You were different back then. How did you and Zekra used to get along then?"
"We got along pretty well," Terron answered. "We used to tell each other everything… sort of. I mean, there were things she didn't tell me… and things I didn't tell her… but we were mostly honest with each other. If there was something bothering us, we'd tell each other what was wrong. We used to have actual conversations, not the failed attempts of ones we have now. They were meaningful. She… she was my best friend. But, then after that day, that stopped happening."
Syn's eyes lowered to the floor. He blinked a few times.
"It's because of me, isn't it?" he muttered. "You said you changed around the time you met me. I'm the reason you're like this now, aren't I?"
"No, of course not!" Terron said hastily, flinching at the statement. "You're not the reason!"
The Snivy slowly shook his head and looked up at the Cubone. There was no soul behind his eyes.
"You became what you are now right when I showed up," Syn insisted, his voice becoming more hollow by the second. "There's no other reason that I can think of. Sure, we had that Plagued Ones encounter, but what would that do to alter your personality? Nothing that would make you so quiet to your closest friend. And then you got me on your team… some kid who clung to you because he didn't want to be alone in this world. A kid who held back so much pain… that you started copying what I did after a while without even realizing it. You're basically me now; hiding your thoughts behind a mask of happiness. I'm the one who made you change. My personality rubbed off on yours… and you got the worst part of me."
"Syn, that's not the reason!" Terron yelled, growing frustrated with the child's increasing depression. "You have nothing to do with it! It might be true that friends affect each other and they start acting like one another, but you're not the reason why I'm like this! It's just a coincidence!"
"Stop trying to lie to me!" Syn cried, his bottled-up pain beginning to manifest. "I know I'm the reason! Stop trying to pretend I'm not! You can say it! And then you can expel me from the team and go back to normal! I know none of you guys really want me anyway! I'm just some kid who pressured you into letting me join! I have no reason to be here! I'm just tearing all of you apart! I bet that's why mommy and daddy didn't want me! I was probably making their life worse somehow!"
Before Terron could bring some sense into the Snivy, a Flareon suddenly leapt off a nearby rock and tackled Syn to the ground. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a set of fire-coated fangs, before biting down on the Snivy's neck. Syn screamed as the fire spread off the teeth and onto his body. The smell of burning leaves and flesh filled the air as he flailed around uncontrollably, in too much of a panic to think properly.
"MAKE IT STOP!" Syn wailed desperately. "PLEASE! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"
Terron became stiff, too horrified by what was happening to do anything. He had never seen the Snivy in this much pain before. Syn was so helpless as the fire consumed his flesh, slowly turning him into ash. The Cubone had never seen a sight as gruesome as being burned alive. It was petrifying.
Thankfully, his mind was able to snap him out of it a few seconds later. Terron quickly took one of his bones and flung it at the Flareon. The foe released its hold on Syn as it leapt out of the way before releasing a stream of fire at the Cubone.
Terron hastily got out of the way, feeling the flames sweep past him, almost scorching his arm. He grabbed his arm and rubbed the nearly-burnt spot as the Flareon charged at him. Its fangs were glistening with the white-hot flames once more. Terron cringed at the thought of being bit by the fiery maw, but managed to remain focused on reality.
As the Flareon closed in on him, Terron swiped his bone at the enemy. However, it managed to leap over his club and was quick to sink its teeth into Terron's arm. His arm didn't catch fire, but the burning that spread throughout it was excruciatingly painful enough so that his arm might have well been ablaze. Terron took the bone in his unharmed hand and bashed it into the Flareon's head, knocking it off him. He let out a short cry as his flesh was torn away with the enemy's maw, allowing blood to leak out and drip around his feet. He bit down on his tongue and watched the Flareon tumble along the ground from his attack.
Realizing that his bones weren't working for this battle, Terron decided it was time for him to try another tactic. He took in a deep breath before clenching a fist as tight as he could, nearly cracking the bone in his grasp. He sent his fist into the ground in front of him, sending every bit of power he could muster into the land.
Everything around him began to quake. Pieces of the ceiling crumbled as they fell to the ground, and his vision started to become distorted. Yet, he managed to prevent himself from getting a headache by holding a stable stance. It was exactly as Tunra had taught him, and it prevented him from falling over as well.
When the earthquake stopped, he found the Flareon collapsed on the ground, its eyes reflecting its dizzy state. Terron rushed forward to deal the final blow, but before he could, he found Syn running toward the Flareon. It was very easy to tell that he had been affected by the earthquake due to his constant swerving. Yet, he managed to keep going, for he seemed more powerful than ever at the moment. A green aura surrounded his burnt being, and his tail and collar leaves seemed to be moving on their own. His eyes had changed to that of an eerie bright red. Four vines were hanging out of his collar and assisted him in keeping his balance and sense of direction as he ran.
Terron had seen this before. This was Syn's Overgrow ability. Whenever he reached critical levels, his inner plant gave rise to a power that it normally kept out of his control so that he could eliminate whatever was putting his life at stake. A second wind, Syn had always called it.
Syn made it to the Flareon long before Terron ever could. With a loud scream, he formed the explosive seeds in his hands before throwing them at the Flareon. They scattered all around the enemy before exploding one at a time. Terron came to a halt as he watched the Flareon withstand the explosions, bits of its flesh becoming blown off from the increased amount of power. He realized it was best to stay out of this battle. Syn would finish off this Flareon.
When the Snivy had used about six seeds, Syn slammed all of his vines into the ground, sending him flying into the sky. His tail leaf became as sharp as saw blades as he descended upon the barely-conscious Flareon.
"UAAAH!" Syn yelled.
A second later, his tail sliced into the Flareon. Its body was cut into two bloody pieces. Syn fell back to the ground, panting as he looked upon the corpse.
"I… I killed it," Syn said with wide eyes.
Terron didn't say anything. Syn had never killed a Pokémon before. Every time he came close to killing one, he always handed that opportunity to someone else. But now, he had actually done it himself. Terron wasn't sure how Syn would take that in, but he knew he'd find out soon enough.
"I killed something…" Syn said as he looked at his hands.
He began to laugh. It sounded nothing like his usual laugh.
"It's… it's so simple," Syn said as he continued to laugh. "I thought I would feel bad… but I don't. But, then again, I'm doing the exact same thing to everyone in a different way. I'm killing them from the inside. I'm ruining their lives, killing their spirits. It's just murder in another form. Actually killing someone isn't all that different. I'm killing everyone all around me… but I just didn't realize it until now. Not until I saw this dead body."
The Snivy retracted his vines as his powerful aura continued to flow all around him. He stopped laughing as he stared down at the carcass, his eyes becoming emotionless once more.
"Syn, you're not a murderer," Terron finally said. "You know that."
Syn glanced over at the Cubone. He almost looked terrifying with his Overgrow ability still activated. His eyes seemed so malevolent as they radiated the crimson color.
"I said it before; stop trying to lie to me," Syn said coldly. "I know what I am. Just leave me here. Go find Yimtri and then the others. You don't need me. Nobody does. I'm just a life destroyer."
"No, you're not!" Terron stated angrily. "You wanna know what happened to me?! You wanna know why I suddenly changed after I met you?! I'll tell you right now so that you can stop with this nonsense about you being a burden!"
Terron squeezed his eyes shut as the painful memories appeared in his mind.
"The day that the Plagued Ones attacked us, they told me things," Terron said bitterly. "They told me things only a couple of Pokémon knew about myself. And they told me something else about Zekra. You wanna know what that was? It was that she might not even care about me! She's using me so that she can keep her other friend alive through me! I'm just her puppet! I don't exist to her! All that exists is her other Terron! Once I found that out, that's when I started becoming so withdrawn from her! Because I felt so broken to know that! You had nothing to do with it! The only connection was that you were the reason we went into that cave with the Plagued Ones! But you know what?! Finding out the truth was inevitable! Even if we hadn't taken the mission to escort you, I would have found out eventually!"
Syn remained silent, his gaze unwavering.
"So stop blaming yourself!" Terron cried as he glared at the Snivy. "It's not your fault! It's true that I sometimes don't want you on the team, but that's because I worry about you! I worry that you're going to explode at one point from all the stress! Like now! But, I finally realize now that keeping you on the team was the best option. Leaving you would have solved nothing. You're still going to be traumatized by your abandonment no matter what, whether you're with us or whoever the Fellowship sends you off to! At least if you're with us, you can attempt to learn to move on with your problem since you've got friends to support you!"
"Friends… to support me," Syn repeated.
"You're not the only one who needs support," Terron said, lowering his voice. "All of us do. The Zorua who had everyone she knew killed before her eyes… the Mienfoo that has to live a whole new life as everyone looks down upon her… and the Cubone who can't remember anything, including his own name… we all need help. You're not alone. You're not any different from us. You're one of us, and you're not the reason for my problem. You're not the reason for anyone's problem. So stop thinking that. I don't know why your parents abandoned you, but you're wrong. It's their fault for leaving you, not yours. You've done nothing wrong."
Syn closed his eyes as he hung his head. Whether he had taken Terron's words to heart or not, Terron wasn't sure. All he knew was that the Snivy had finally calmed down.
Terron let out an exhausted sigh.
"You've felt the effect of this particular environment," a new voice said. "Quite powerful, isn't it?"
Terron and Syn turned their heads to the side to find a Sneasel making its way toward them from a few yards away. It wasn't rushing toward them strangely, but walking toward them rather casually. Still, it was an enemy. It was probably doing this to catch them off guard. Instinctively, Terron threw one of his clubs at the oncoming enemy. Much to his surprise, the Sneasel caught the bone in its clawed hands without sustaining any injuries. Even more surprisingly, after it had stopped the attack, the Sneasel was no longer there.
It was now a Sableye wearing a tattered cape.
"Yimtri?!" Terron gasped. "But the Sneasel… it was right where you were!"
"Now you've seen the other side effect of this environment," Yimtri noted. "I wonder why I was a Sneasel to you."
As the Sableye drew closer, Syn and Terron were able to see that Yimtri was not well. His left arm was several shades lighter and was mostly transparent. His other arm was covered in bandages, presumably because much of his skin had been ripped off, yet not as much as his left arm. His eyes seemed dimmer as well, and each step he took made his being wobble for just a moment.
"What happened to you?" Terron asked in horror.
The Sableye stopped in front of the two and gave Terron his club back. He carefully reached into his satchel with his wrapped hand and pulled out an Oran berry. He gave it to Syn and watched as the Snivy ate it. Slowly, Syn's aura disappeared as he regained his strength. Yet, the charred sections of his body didn't heal. Perhaps the burnt pieces of his body weren't going to go away for a while.
"I destroyed the exit to the previous section. I lost the organic part of my left arm to the skin-takers. Only the spiritual arm is left," Yimtri answered, his sentences becoming increasingly disconnected as he continued to speak. "Sableye are made so that despite being ghosts, we have organic bodies. Like the Froslass. Only they have ice bodies and we have something else. I don't know what kind of material my organic body is. I still have my arm. Not my organic arm, though. My right arm was taken on my way out. It's not as bad as my left. I tried to follow you. Erebus wasn't happy. It sent legions after me as you two ran. I wasn't able to follow after you two. Not until I had defeated the legions."
Yimtri reached into his bag yet again and took out a roll of bandages. He handed the bandages to the two and watched them wrap their skin-stripped legs. Once they had done so, he took the bandages and put them away, where he then took out an Oran Berry. Slowly, he began to munch it down.
"I saw what Erebus did to you two," Yimtri stated. "You know what it does to you now."
"What do you mean?" Terron asked.
"The first side effect is amplification of bottled-up emotions," Yimtri explained. "Locked up secrets will be free. They plague your thoughts. They consume your heart. It never goes away until you leave this particular environment. Erebus does it to confuse you. To distract you."
Syn frowned uncomfortably, having been the one to experience this first-hand.
"Second effect is hallucinations," Yimtri went on. "Everyone looks different. Your team members turn into other Pokémon. You see them differently, and they see you differently. The two of you attack each other. You kill each other. Avoid that by asking the attacker questions. If they talk, they're your friend. So simple, yet so many members die to the confusion…"
The Sableye rubbed his head as he went forward, no longer seeming so fatigued. Yet, he appeared to be whispering things to himself.
"Is everything okay?" Terron asked as he and Syn followed after the leader. "You're sounding really weird right now. I mean, not as weird when you go crazy, but it still sounds pretty weird."
"Yes. Everything's fine," Yimtri replied. "Everything's fine. My thoughts. They cloud my mind. But I can think. I can still lead you out of here."
"It's the emotion amplification thing, isn't it?" Terron asked seriously. "It's making it hard to focus because you've got something troubling you."
The Sableye glanced at the Cubone with a shamed frown.
"… yes," Yimtri said. "It goes in my mind. My thoughts race around. My focus wavers. You wish to know what's in my mind right now. You do. But, you can't know. I can't let you know. They are my thoughts. Not your thoughts. But, you are not the thoughts. You are nowhere here. You are elsewhere."
Terron wasn't satisfied with the Sableye's answer, but he knew he wasn't going to get any real answers out of him. With a sigh, the three continued their search for the missing Team Vendetta members, wondering what else the dungeon had in store for them.
Erebus Woods S33
Zekra, Impetus, and Vantis were still nowhere to be found. All that had been found were countless denizens of the dungeon, which now lay in heaps around the three travelers. Some of the Pokémon were simply unconscious while others were in several pieces.
Terron and Syn sat down to take a breather from the recent fight, which had been a group consisting of Charmander, Numel, and Baltoy. They tightened the bandages wrapped around their flesh-stripped limbs, as well as replacing the soiled ones. As they did this, Yimtri sat behind the two, his back to theirs as he ate what appeared to be a large ruby.
"So eating jewels really doesn't hurt, huh?" Syn asked the Sableye. "I heard Sableye can eat jewels, but you're eating it so easily, as if it wasn't a rock."
Yimtri ripped off a piece of the red stone with his teeth before crunching it down.
"Doesn't hurt," the Sableye replied. "Painless. Like eating butter. It's why being bitten by me tears through bone. Get bit by me, and your arm comes off."
Syn quietly increased the space between him and Yimtri with a look of disgust. Yimtri didn't pay any attention to his behavior and stuffed the rest of the gem into his mouth.
"Why do you have to eat those things anyway?" Terron then asked him.
"Organic body needs them," Yimtri answered. "Uses the nutrients and gives me flesh. Gives me jewel eye lens. Lets me see in the dark. Makes teeth sharper."
"I see," Terron said thoughtfully.
The Sableye got back his feet and once again began to wander away. Terron and Syn went to go follow him, but were quick to notice that something was wrong with him. He no longer went in a straight line and seemed to travel in a small zigzag pattern, as if suffering from some sort of dizziness. Every time the children saw Yimtri's eyes, they seemed to be filled with intense fatigue.
"Uh, you need some help?" Syn asked.
"No, I don't," Yimtri assured. "No help. I'm not tired. I have to keep going. This is nothing."
"But you look like you're going to collapse any second now…" Syn stated uneasily.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Yimtri said again. "No worries. Find your friends. Then we leave. We leave before Erebus comes."
Syn grimaced as he glanced at Terron. He was wearing the same anxious expression as Syn. The two of them looked back at the Sableye to find that he was now pressing his hands into his scalp, even his intangible hand. Yet, he managed to prevent it from phasing through himself. He was muttering uncanny things to himself again, but this time, Terron and Syn could actually understand what he was saying.
"Erebus watches me… watches my members… watches my home…" Yimtri said slowly, as if under a trance and forced to utter a chant by some other being. "Erebus… everywhere. It's in my mind… it's in my soul… it's in everything…"
Erebus Woods S34
Terron and Syn were still right behind the Sableye as he lead them through the dungeon. Everything had been peaceful for a while, as no Pokémon had bothered to attack them. And yet… Yimtri hadn't stopped his mantra.
"Erebus watches me… watches my members… watches my home…"
Erebus Woods S35
"EEAAAH!"
A dead Cyndaquil now lay on the ground, its stomach completely gouged out. Yimtri carelessly tossed aside the organ in his claw before holding his head again. The organ smacked against Terron's mask before sliding to his feet. The Cubone reflexively took off his skull and tried to wipe the blood that had been splattered into his eyes with the bandages.
Yimtri didn't seem to realize that he had just killed something.
"It's in my mind… it's in my soul… it's in everything…"
Erebus Woods S36
"No matter where I turn… it will see me. No matter how far I run… it will catch me. I cannot escape Erebus."
Erebus Woods S37
"It is always waiting… waiting for me to join it. I cannot escape… my members cannot escape. We are trapped. We are in its grasp."
Erebus Woods S38
"It smothers you in darkness. It steals your precious skin to keep for its own. It ruins you from the inside… and kills your allies with your hands. Just when it all seems over… it shows you your inevitable fate and forces you to welcome it."
Erebus Woods S39
"The ones with me here… shall see that fate. Just as me. Just as Dusk Mines."
Without warning, Yimtri suddenly collapsed onto the rocky ground. Terron and Syn quickly gathered to the Sableye's side.
"Hey, you can't just pass out now!" Terron cried. "You have to get us out of here with our friends! You said you would do that, didn't you?!"
The radiance in Yimtri's eyes dimmed until it was completely gone. He wasn't moving, and neither of the children could hear him breathing.
"You're not dying, are you?!" Syn asked frantically.
There was no answer. Syn took out his vine and wrapped it around the Sableye's body. Somehow, the vine didn't phase through the ghost as Syn flipped him onto his back. The Snivy tried to check for the Sableye's heartbeat, but when he did, his hand went straight through the Sableye's body. Syn quickly retracted his hand out of the ghost as he panted heavily in fright. He began to mumble gibberish before looking at Terron.
"I can't feel anything since he's a ghost! What are we going to do?!" Syn asked desperately. "Why is he like this?! Does it have to do with all that weird stuff he was saying earlier?"
"I don't know, but we can't just leave him like this," Terron said. "We can't leave behind the leader of one of the Fellowships. Even if he's dead… we have to get him out of here. A Mystery Dungeon would normally expel him by now, but since this dungeon is special, it's not doing that. He's going to be trapped here forever like this. Maybe we can carry him out of here, though. I mean, we're almost done with the dungeon. We can probably find the others soon and then we can just use that Escape Orb he's got."
"You sure that we'll be able to go through the rest of here without him?" Syn asked. "What if there's something that happens in the next place that we should really know about?"
"Well, if he made it through here once without help, maybe we can too," Terron said boldly. "Can you drag him around or something with your vine?"
Syn nodded as he tightened his plant's grip around the Sableye. Terron carefully took the satchel out of Yimtri's grasp and put it around his shoulder before taking the lead. Syn stayed by his side, dragging the Sableye behind him. He was having some trouble with lugging around the leader, but he managed to keep up with the Cubone.
Why did he pass out like that? Terron asked himself mentally. I mean, he fought a lot of Pokémon as we were walking… but he never looked tired. He just kept going on and on with whatever he was talking about. It was like he wasn't even here… in spirit anyway. What was he talking about? Why was he doing that? What's happened to him…?
Just then, Terron saw something. He saw something flying through the air close to where he was. Even though it sped out of his sight a couple of seconds later, Terron was able to spot the familiar black and red figure that had been riding on the creature's back.
Terron abruptly changed directions and started chasing after the creature.
"Vantis! Zekra! Impetus!" Terron hollered. "It's us! WAIT!"
Syn, who understood what was happening, grabbed his vine with both his hands as he ran with Terron, bringing the Sableye with them. He couldn't quite catch up to the Cubone, but he did manage to stay close to his companion. During the process, Yimtri somehow managed to not gain any injuries from rubbing against the rocky ground.
"STOP! PLEASE!" Terron shouted as loudly as he could manage.
What appeared to be Vantis immediately stopped flying. He remained motionless in the air before bringing his gaze over to the Cubone. With a quick burst of speed, Vantis changed his course and sped toward Terron and Syn. The two stopped running as they excitedly jumped into the air. They would finally be leaving this nightmare of a place. Now that they had found their friends, they could escape and go home. Everything was finally over.
The Flygon descended upon the ground in front of the two children. He looked upon them, a vacant expression in his eyes. His two passengers leapt off his back and also stared at the Fellowship members with a similar blank look.
"We've finally found you!" Terron cried joyously. "You're all okay! We've been looking everywhere for you!"
Terron rushed toward Zekra and stopped in front of her, smiling widely.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Terron said warmly. "I was so worried that I couldn't talk to you anymore…"
Suddenly, Terron felt something sharp pierce into his shoulder. He cringed at the pain as he saw what was harming him. Much to his horror, he found Zekra's maw biting into him. She was snarling as blood dripped out of his wounds, her eyes reflecting such intense malice.
"Zekra… why…?" Terron asked in quiet disbelief.
Before he could ask anything else, Impetus suddenly shot forward at Syn and tackled him to the ground, making him lose his grip on the Sableye. She held her clenched paw before slamming it into the Snivy's face. Syn attempted to get up, but the Mienfoo kept him held down with her other paw.
As Terron watched Impetus continuously bash her fists into Syn in petrified horror, Zekra sank her teeth further into Terron and dragged him toward the nearby lava.
"Why are you doing this?!" Terron demanded. "Why are you killing us?! Is it because you're mad at me for ignoring you?!"
Zekra didn't respond, though it provoked her to growl viciously as she continued to pull him toward the molten rock. Terron dug his feet into the ground, but it did little to create resistance. Realizing he had no other choice, Terron reluctantly raised the bone in his free hand and prepared to smack Zekra with it. Yet, before he could manage, Vantis suddenly snatched the bones from his hands with his mouth.
Terron's eyes widened as the dragon proceeded to slap him with his tail, sending him flying toward the lava. Terron screamed as he fell toward the bubbling pool of heat, its skin-frying temperature already cooking his flesh as he neared it.
This was the end. He was going to die by the hands of his friends. He didn't know why they were doing such a heinous act, but it was undeniable. They would succeed in killing him a few seconds from now. There was no way he could live through this. He would be incinerated in a matter of seconds, destroying any trace of his body.
Terron closed his eyes as the lava prepared to make him a part of it.
"TERRON!"
Terron felt something grab him and safely get out of the lava's reach. He slowly opened his eyes to find a Flygon holding him by the arms, hastily zooming back to solid land. Upon his back were a Zorua carrying a bag and a Mienfoo, who were both completely overwhelmed by a terror that shined so clearly in their eyes.
The Flygon gently set Terron back onto the ground just as his passengers sprang into action. They jumped off the Flygon before sprinting at the other Zorua and Mienfoo. The panic that once overtook their beings was now replaced with a fierce rage that reflected not malevolence, but rather something more honorable.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" the new Zorua screamed.
Terron's eyes grew as he heard the Zorua talk. This new Zorua… it was Zekra! It had her exact same voice! Which meant…
As Zekra transformed into a Zoroark and sank her fangs into the Mienfoo holding Syn down, Terron's vision changed. He no longer saw two copies of his missing companions. The "Zekra" that had tried to kill him was now a Poochyena. The "Impetus" that Zekra was attacking was a Monferno. And finally, the "Vantis" behind the two foes was actually an Aerodactyl, still holding Terron's clubs in its enormous mouth.
That's right… the hallucinations! I almost forgot about them since we haven't seen them in so long! I should have seen it when they were attacking me! Zekra and Impetus would never hurt us for any reason!
Zekra ripped the Monferno off Syn as she slashed at its stomach with her thick claws. She clamped the fire-type's mouth shut with a set of claws as she dug into its flesh with her free paw, piercing deep into its being and ripping out anything that got in her way. Its muffled screams filled the air as everything around Zekra was dyed crimson.
Impetus slammed her foot into the Poochyena's back, allowing her to land on top of its collapsed form as she pressed her paw into its head. She released the power in her palm upon the Poochyena as she leapt off its body, blowing it away and making it tumble into the lava.
Just as the Poochyena melted away, Zekra tore out what appeared to be a heart and watched the Monferno lose all signs of life. With a cry that sounded nothing like her own, she tossed the freshly-slain carcass at the Aerodactyl's feet. The Aerodactyl let out a mighty roar as it spat out Terron's bones onto the ground and flew at the Zoroark. Yet, before it could do anything, Vantis abruptly appeared in front of Zekra with a dark glare etched into his eyes.
A bright beam of raw power shot from his maw, completely encasing the Aerodactyl in its wake. The screams of agony rang from its mouth as it was slammed into a wall from the sheer force before toppling to the ground, defeated.
For a moment, Zekra, Impetus, and Vantis simply stood there, staring in the directions of their defeated opponents. Terron glanced over at Yimtri to find that he hadn't moved, which was rather miraculous in their given circumstances. Once he saw this, he brought his attention back to the ones he had just been reunited with. No one said a word, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the lava hissing.
Until finally…
"Is that really you guys…?" Syn asked, wanting to make sure he and Terron weren't being deceived again.
The three glanced over at the two. Zekra slowly changed back to normal, cringing for a moment before returning to her unreadable stare. And then, slowly, she picked up Terron's clubs in her teeth and brought them over to him. She gently placed them back in his hands before staring at him wordlessly.
"It's you, right Zekra?" Terron asked. "You're not just some illusion, right?"
"… yeah, it's me," Zekra said quietly.
Without warning, Terron embraced her tightly. He hadn't felt the feel of her fur against his body in so long. It was only until now that he realized how much he missed this feeling. He could feel tears forming in his eyes.
Zekra nearly clawed Terron from the sudden hug, but she was able to compose herself before she did anything. She let out a sigh as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"You're still alive," Terron said. "We've found you. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to see you again, especially when we couldn't find you the deeper we went. I thought… I wouldn't be able to talk to you anymore…"
"I missed you too," Zekra mumbled. "But, everything's okay now. Everyone's together. And now that we're all here, we can leave. And then once we do… there's something I need to talk to you about. I want to talk now, but here's not the best place."
"Yeah, you're right," Terron said as he released the Zorua. "We can talk later when we get out of here. Somewhere that's safer."
Zekra nodded as everyone gathered around her and Terron. Vantis smiled pleasantly upon seeing the Cubone.
"Good to see that you're still in one piece, Terron," Vantis said cheerfully. "Looks like you kept yourself alive pretty well. Though, that was a pretty close call back there. Good thing we heard your yelling while we were flying around. But what's with the bandages?"
"That's kind of a long story," Terron said uneasily, feeling rather reluctant to discuss how he had been stripped of skin. "I'd rather not talk about it now. But, were you guys okay without us?"
"Yeah, we were fine," Vantis replied casually. "Got separated in the beginning, but once we figured that out, everything was all good. We just flew around and managed to avoid most of the enemies that way. We didn't really travel that far here. We did a lot of double-checking in case we missed you guys."
"We also found two of the stones we need for the mission," Impetus then said. "They're in our bag. I know it's not many, but we found what we could. I believe the Fellowship will be happy with that."
"Well, we found five evolution stones on our way here, so plus yours, that makes seven in total," Syn replied. "I think that's a pretty big number of evolution stones."
"Yeah, it is," Zekra stated. "But, can we please get out of here? This place gives me the creeps. I don't want to stay here any longer. In fact, I don't think I'm ever coming back here again."
"I can agree with that," Terron chuckled. "Alright, just let me get out the Escape Orb so we can get out of here."
Terron felt for the orb that was in the satchel he still carried. Except… he didn't feel anything. There was nothing by his side. Terron quickly brought his attention to his waist to find that the bag he once carried was now gone.
"Wh-Where's the bag?" Terron asked, growing nervous. "I just had it! It didn't fly off while I was falling into the lava, did it?"
"Why do you have the bag anyway?" Zekra asked curiously. "I thought Yimtri carried that thing around."
"He usually does, but he passed out. So I started carrying it for him," Terron said as he started looking around him to find the missing bag. "Now where did that thing go?"
"Yimtri was passed out?" Zekra asked, becoming even more confused.
"Yeah, you didn't see him lying on the ground?" Terron asked distractedly. "We had to drag him here with Syn's vine. Surprised you didn't notice him since he seems like something you'd see right away. I mean, look at him."
Zekra glanced at the spot where Yimtri lay. She rubbed her head with a paw as she gave it an odd stare.
"Terron, Yimtri's not here."
Terron stopped what he was doing. Reluctantly, he brought his eyes over to where Yimtri was… only to find that the Sableye was now gone.
"Where'd he go?!" Terron cried. "He couldn't have gone anywhere! He was passed out! Did something-"
"Umm, everyone," Syn interjected.
The four of them brought their gazes to the Snivy, temporarily forgetting about the current problem. He was staring off into the distance as he anxiously held his hands. Slowly, everyone followed Syn's eyes and found what was making him this way. The answer to all of their questions was finally found.
Standing at a distance was Yimtri, the satchel around his body. Whatever had been wrong with him was no longer present. None of his previous injuries were there. Both of his arms were whole, and not even a single scratch was present upon him. His jeweled eyes glowed with such radiant energy.
Yet… Terron saw what was very wrong with the sight. A horrifying atmosphere was spreading out of the Sableye's being. This time, however, the atmosphere actually held a physical appearance. Terron could actually see a black energy surrounding Yimtri. It was creeping all around him, like tentacles wishing to grasp anything that they could get ahold of…
But this time, Yimtri was not wearing his favorite smile. He was faintly grimacing as he kept his claws against his head. He gazed at the group with such empty eyes, his cape billowing in the non-existent wind.
Even though Zekra, Impetus, and Vantis had never seen Yimtri like this, it didn't take them long to vaguely understand what was happening.
"It brings me a sense of joy to know I have prevented Erebus from taking your spirits," Yimtri spoke, his voice ringing with clarity and order once more. Yet, the voice was still not his own. It was too hollow to be his. "So many deaths have been at the fault of this dungeon. So many of the Fellowship members died here when they came to get the stones. Those stones are so valuable… which is why we never left here. Even at the cost of our lives and sanity… we stayed here to keep the Fellowship functioning. We stayed here to give the Fellowships this precious resource, so that they might stop the Plagued Ones. For twenty years, we have stayed here, giving you these evolving stones as Erebus rots away our sanity."
"Okay…" Zekra said, not sure if she was to sound frightened or worried. "Can we get out of here now?"
The Sableye only stood there, gazing wordlessly at the group.
"If you're not going to get us out of here, then I will!" Zekra shouted irritably. "I refuse to stay here any longer! We need to get back to Dusk Mines! I have to do something there!"
Zekra marched toward the Sableye and snatched the strap of the bag in her teeth. She pulled the bag out of his grasp and searched through its contents to find the sought orb. The aura around Yimtri flowed all around her, but didn't seem to cause her any harm.
"I'm afraid you're not allowed to leave."
Everyone froze in place. The chilling and powerful voice was echoing all around them, striking terror into their cores. It didn't have any specific source; it seemed to come from everywhere all at once, as if the dungeon itself was speaking.
"No one can leave here. There are those who believe they have escaped my grasp, but they have only deluded themselves. Nothing escapes from me. Not even this little imp."
Zekra slowly took her head out of the bag and stared at Yimtri. He was hadn't moved, but now, he had his blank eyes fixed on the Zorua.
"You five are no different."
Zekra was suddenly sent tumbling into the group, just barely managing to come to a halt before she crashed into them. Her face now had three crimson lines that ran from her cheek to the tip of her muzzle.
The five Pokémon glanced forward to find Yimtri with the satchel clenched tightly in his claw. That claw was dripping with Zekra's blood.
All of his teeth became visible as the demonic smile appeared.
"No one escapes from Erebus," Yimtri said, a delirious laugh seeping into his words. "I've told you time and time again, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted that there was a way out. Well, Erebus wishes to prove you wrong. It wants me to show you that. It's why it let me be revived to a perfect state."
The Sableye secured the satchel onto his person before reaching inside. Out came a blue sphere that Team Vendetta was all too familiar with.
An Escape Orb.
"You think this is your salvation, don't you?" Yimtri asked. "You think this will let you leave, don't you? The second this is activated, you'll be allowed to leave Erebus Woods. That's what you think, isn't it?"
Terron tried to say something, but was cut off by more insane laughter.
"Well, if you believe that, then why don't you try to get this back?" Yimtri asked.
The Sableye abruptly sped down the trail, looking back at the group as he waved around the orb teasingly. His movement was surprisingly quick for a Sableye.
"Go on! Try and catch me!" Yimtri taunted evilly. "You want to escape, don't you?! Do you want to live to see another day?! Do you want to see your precious Aurora Town again?! Well then, hurry! Hurry before you lose me forever! HURRY before it's too late! Before Erebus decides to finish you off! HURRY! HURRY MY LITTLE CHIDREN!"
Yimtri's maddening cackles filled the air as he continued to run away, beckoning for the group to follow him. Despite feeling the impending dread of knowing Yimtri was long gone, the five Pokémon bolted after him without a second thought.
"Yes, come my children!" Yimtri cried gleefully. "Come with me! Frolic deeper into these woods with me!"
"Terron, what are we going to do?!" Syn asked, his eyes trembling with panic. "This is the last sector before we go to a new place! We don't know what it's going to be like! What if it's got a bunch of weird traps there?!"
"We don't have any other choice! We can't stay here!" Terron said firmly despite his voice wavering between absolute terror and bravado. "He's got the Escape Orb, and we have to get it back! I don't care how we do it, but we have to get the orb!"
Without another word, the team followed the Sableye into the sector's exit, the world around them turning black for just a moment until a new world came to view...
Erebus Woods S40
"By Arceus… he wasn't joking when he said this was our end…" Vantis said as he glanced around in disbelief once they entered the sector. "It's a…"
No one could finish his sentence. All that could be done was to stare into the horror that was the final terrain of Erebus Woods.
Erebus Woods had become a forest once again. It bore resemblance to the forest that Terron and Syn had encountered while in the Yomi section of the dungeon. Yet, this forest did not have the strange prints of paper entangled within the branches nor the skin-snatchers. There was light filling the area despite there not being a sun.
Yet, this particular environment had a much more disturbing feature to it.
There were corpses on every tree in sight.
They were attached to the trunks by thick spider webs, somehow strong enough to hold the bodies in place. Every corpse was in a different state. Some were completely whole and gave the appearance of a slumbering Pokémon as they rested there a few feet off the ground. Others were nothing but mere skeletons with any remaining flesh slowly decaying away. Many were somewhere in-between these two phases.
"Yes! A place of slumber for those who become a part of Erebus Woods!" a familiar voice said. "What a lovely sight to see, isn't it?"
The five looked toward the source of the voice to find Yimtri sitting in one of the tree's branches, tossing the Escape Orb up and down in his claw. He smiled at them.
"I knew you would come here," the Sableye laughed. "Even if I told you the Escape Orb won't let you leave, you'd still follow me. You're desperate to leave here."
"It's going to let us get out of here," Terron proclaimed. "This dungeon might be special, but it's still susceptible to dungeon items. Meaning, that orb is going to let us leave. And even if it doesn't, this dungeon is almost over. We only have about ten sectors go through. Either way, we're leaving Erebus Woods."
"You keep telling yourself that there's a way to escape Erebus," Yimtri scoffed. "You keep telling yourself that…"
"Why are you like this?" Terron asked. "Ever since we came to this dungeon, you've been changing into what you are now. It's like you're being taken over by someone else…"
The Cubone shuddered as something came to mind.
"You're not possessed, are you?" he asked weakly. "That voice we heard earlier… that wasn't the Erebus you keep referring to earlier, was it? You're not actually being taken over by it, are you?"
The Dusk Mines leader gave Terron a long stare before jumping off his perch. He quietly landed on the grass a few feet away from the team, only to increase the distance between them. He took a few steps backwards, keeping his eyes on Terron the whole time.
"You really don't understand, do you, my child?" Yimtri asked once he came to a stop. "Of course, that is to be expected when I refused to answer your various questions the further we tread into Erebus's domain. Well then, allow me to explain what troubles your mind."
The Sableye outstretched his claws to the forest all around him.
"I am Yimtri, leader of the Dusk Mines Fellowship," he declared as the smile etched itself onto his face. "I am no one else. No one else is me. This me you see before you… it is still the Yimtri you met at Dusk Mines. I am not Erebus. Or at least… not completely Erebus."
The aura flowing all around Yimtri became darker.
"Twenty years ago, the original Fellowship called for the construction of four new Fellowships," Yimtri said, his words gaining an unsettling power behind them as he spoke. "They found it to be convenient if the Fellowship was divided to cover the four cardinal directions of Shiron and its very center. They felt they could serve more Pokémon with ease this way and in turn, increase the chance that they might encounter Plagued Ones and learn more about them. They called forth for four new leaders to lead these new Fellowships. Once we were chosen through a series of qualifications, we set out to create our Fellowships as the original Fellowship became the Pledge Mountain Fellowship.
"I was the leader tasked with creating the northern Fellowship. With eight hundred members, I trekked through the northern region until we found a suitable location. After a few days, we found it. It was an unoccupied piece of land, completely isolated from the rest of the world. Not a single city was near it for a hundred miles. It was the perfect place. We could work in peace without a city to distract us. We would have to grow our own food, and our clients could only reach us by mail, but we did not mind. Dusk Mines was to be our home. A place to call our own so that we could continue the duties of the Fellowship. And so, we constructed the mines within the large mountain in the area and before long, we had established our base. It was a grand Fellowship, filled with gems of all varieties. Our lives became eventful once we began receiving assignments, but it was still a quiet life. We cherished such peace. We felt it would last forever."
Yimtri let out an ironic chuckle. He placed the Escape Orb in his bag and took out two evolution stones. With one hand, he held a Firestone and with the other, a Thunderstone. He raised them up and presented them to the five Aurora Town members. The dried blood upon his claws somehow became fresh as they oozed out of his hands and trickled onto the grass.
"And then, days later, on that fateful day... Erebus Woods was discovered. We did not know anything about it at first, but we were quick to discover how different it was from other dungeons. And also, its precious little treasures: the evolving stones. We could have left Erebus Woods once we realized how twisted it was. It would have caused such a commotion to abandon our home, but we could have done it. But NO, we didn't! We stayed here to continue to harvest these precious stones for the other four Fellowships! They NEEDED these stones and we were the ones to supply them with the stones! We couldn't bear the thought of abandoning this new task brought upon us! We had to stay here with Erebus Woods and collect the evolving stones! We had to stop the Plagued Ones! We had to keep gaining information using these stones!
"And so then what happened to us? What happened to my members and I as we continued to live near Erebus Woods?"
The Sableye grinned as he dropped the stones back into the bag. He outstretched his claws all around him as he looked upon the many trees.
"Erebus, great Erebus, the one I named this dungeon after, did something to us. It spread its influence into Dusk Mines and seeped into our minds, slowly consuming us as we lingered near its home.
"Do you ever see the faces worn by those at Dusk Mines? Do you ever see the malicious glee in their eyes as they wander through its tunnels? 'What's wrong with everyone?' you might ask. Why does everyone look like a psychopath? Why is there such an overwhelming atmosphere crawling through their home? Why am I suddenly hearing things that don't exist?! Why am I hallucinating?! What's happening to me?! Why are my thoughts being overshadowed by such bloodlust?! Why am I suddenly changing?! Why do I feel like another being has suddenly meshed with my soul?!
"BECAUSE EREBUS MAKES US! IT AMPLIFIES THE BLOODLUST EVERY POKÉMON HOLDS WITHIN THEM AND MAKES IT CONSUME YOU! WE ARE NOT POSSESSED! WE ARE STILL US, BUT NOW WE HAVE EREBUS WITH US! EREBUS WATCHES US AND FORCES US TO BE THIS WAY AND DO AS IT SAYS! EREBUS IS EVERYWHERE! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE EREBUS ONCE IT GAINS A HOLD ON YOU! YOU ARE FOREVER THIS WAY!
"IT IS IN EVERY DUNGEON, WATCHING YOU AT EVERY TURN! WE COULD HAVE LEFT! WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS FATE THAT WOULD BEFALL US, BUT WE DIDN'T! WE HAD TO STAY FOR THE OTHER FELLOWSHIPS! AND NOW WE CAN NEVER LEAVE ITS GRASP! WE ARE HERE FOREVER! FOREVER AND EVER! JUST LIKE THE ONES ALL AROUND YOU!"
The Sableye let out a loud, unstable laugh. It pierced the through the Aurora Town members' hearts and struck them with a paralyzing terror. After a few moments of this, Yimtri brought the stunned and speechless group back into his sight.
"I think that's enough chatter," Yimtri said menacingly. "I've answered your questions, unlike my actual self. Now show me this dedication you harbor. Show me how much you wish to escape from Erebus's grasp."
His eyes glinted with an eerie excitement as his hands became encased in black shadows. He crouched, ready to pounce at any moment, as his claws twitched in anticipation.
"Come, my children! Show me your will to leave here! Choose what your fate shall be! Defeat me to retrieve your temporary salvation! Or succumb and become a part of Erebus's collection! Erebus and I await your decision!"