Chapter 31
Tension Rising
The warm, pleasant rays of the sun poured into Team Vendetta's room the next morning, slowly stirring Terron out of his slumber. He tiredly opened his eyes to find everyone was still asleep. Zekra was on her side, cuddling the Cubone as she rested her head under his chin. Impetus slept with her head against the other side of Zekra, with Syn curled up comfortably on the Mienfoo's chest.
Terron smiled at the sight of seeing everyone at such peace. He turned his head and much to his surprise, he found the newest member of their team was actually awake. Novus was still lying in his bed of hay a few feet away from Terron, as if he was asleep, but his eyes were open and he was clearly alert and ready for the day.
Seeing this, the Cubone sluggishly got to his feet and made his way over to Novus before sitting in front of the Quilava.
"How long have you been awake?" Terron asked curiously.
"Since dawn," Novus answered simply. "In other words, approximately three hours."
"How come you got up so early, though?" Terron then asked. "I mean, we don't need to get up early for any missions today. We're just relaxing today since today's our day off. We told you this last night before we went to bed."
"Yes, I'm aware of such thing," Novus stated. "Even still, my resting schedule refuses to change despite this fact. I've become accustomed to arising at dawn every day. I cannot undo such thing after having done it for years. At least, not right away."
"Well, I suppose it prevents you from wanting to over-sleep in the future," Terron shrugged. "I mean, tomorrow we'll have to get up early again, and that might be hard since we've slept in kinda late today. But, sorry for having you stay awake all by yourself while you waited for one of us to get up."
"It's not a problem," Novus said dismissively. "I spent time venturing through the base and town in order to pass the time. There were not many Pokémon, as to be expected, which was rather peaceful."
Terron nodded silently before gazing back at his other teammates. All three of them were still fast asleep, not disturbed by the chatter between himself and Novus.
"So, how do you like being part of the team?" Terron asked, trying to create a bit of small talk with the new member. "I know we haven't really done much yet, but I just wanna know what you think of it so far."
"It's rather peculiar to be working with four Pokémon for most of my waking moments," Novus said cautiously, as if trying to find the right words. "I've become rather accustomed to the idea of operating by myself. It's especially so when those four are merely children. I've never had a moment in my life where I was the only adult surrounded by children."
"You do know we're not that young, right?" Terron then asked, becoming somewhat peevish at the slightly demeaning comment.
"It's only a statement," Novus frowned, but otherwise remained collected. "It is not an insult to wound your pride. There is nothing wrong with working alongside children. It's simply a very different experience for me. Besides, I understand you 'children' are actually nearing adulthood. You're more adolescents than children. I only call you 'children' due to that being what every Pokémon refers to those that are not adults. Except for Syn, that is. He truly is a child. Either way, do not take insult to my statement. You wished to know my thoughts. Do not be quick to judge what I mean by those thoughts without receiving verification."
"Oh," Terron said sheepishly. "Sorry about doing that. I'm just so used to everyone calling us kids and making that sound like a bad thing, that it's kind of getting annoying now. I must get that from Zekra."
"I understand," Novus said dismissively. "Not understanding the intentions and viewpoint of another can give one a rather warped perspective. It'd be best to avoid that. Always try to see the entire picture of a situation. Always search for the truth."
"I'll remember that," Terron nodded. "Anyway, if you don't mind asking, I have a question for you."
"And what would such question be?" Novus asked.
"How come you want to join the Fellowship?" the Cubone asked in return. "I know you're doing it to eliminate the Plagued Ones, but how do you know about them when the Fellowship hides their existence? Did they do something to you?"
Novus cast Terron a long stare. Tiny flames seemed to be burning deep within his eyes. Terron grimaced as a sudden, uncomfortable chill went down his spine.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" Terron quickly said. "I mean, I know it's probably personal and you probably don't wanna talk about it with some Pokémon you haven't kno-"
"They defiled my home," Novus spoke in a quiet voice, his words seething in deep malice.
The crimson spots upon Novus's head and back suddenly became covered in red-hot flames. Terron flinched back at the unexpected heat escaping from the Quilava. He felt he would be roasted alive if he didn't increase the space between him and Novus.
"They corrupted it with their filthy presence and massacred countless unfortunate souls," Novus went on. "I was not there to stop such blasphemy, but I saw their damage. I saw the damage those sickening creatures left behind when I returned to my home. I loathed at the thought that they would continue to do this as a time went on. I simply refused to let their existence remain any longer.
"I side with the Special Tasks Fellowship because no one else will side against the ones called 'Plagued Ones'. No one else knows of their existence except the Fellowship. I need assistance if I ever wish to fight against these demons, even if working alongside others is a rather different concept than what I am used to. That is why I wished to join the Fellowship. I am rather glad I was able to join with Pokémon I know, but I wouldn't have minded how I joined. I would have joined, should an already established team ask for me to become a part of their team. I wouldn't know any of them, but I would join so I can fulfill this mission I have set upon myself. That's all that truly matters. Do you understand now?"
Terron nodded slowly. Yes, he understood everything. It seemed that Novus was similar to Zekra in terms of why they fought for the Fellowship; for vengeance. The Plagued Ones had done something to personally affect each of them. Yet, as the Cubone looked into the Quilava's eyes, he could see that Novus's vendetta was not the same as Zekra's. The vengeance Novus harbored seemed to be under his control, not the other way around as it had been with Zekra for quite a while. It didn't appear to be hindering his reasoning, yet it still kept the ferocity such a powerful emotion contained. Perhaps it really wasn't vengeance. Perhaps it was something so similar, yet not as consuming.
Novus let out a low sigh, releasing a few small embers from his maw as he relaxed. Thankfully for him, the flames didn't touch the floor and were quick to dissipate into the air. The flames still burning upon his body snuffed themselves out as a grey haze escaped from the once burning parts of his flesh.
Zekra, Impetus, and Syn were immediately roused from their sleep as a coughing fit overcame each of them thanks to the smoke. The three of them awoke in start and separated from one another, expecting to find the room on fire. However, as soon as they saw the smoke that was now disappearing from Novus's body, they were able to ease their worries.
"Oh, it's just you, Novus," Zekra sighed as she looked over at Terron and the Quilava. "That's a relief. How come you two are awake?"
"I've been awake since dawn," Novus answered. "And Terron here saw I was awake not too long ago and simply stayed awake to talk to me. And now, you three are awake."
"Yeah, I guess we are," Zekra said with a yawn. "But, we probably needed to get up anyway. We've got to buy our stuff for the trip still."
"How long do you want to stay at the river anyway?" Terron then asked her.
"Oh, probably a few hours," Zekra shrugged. "We can probably go there after we buy everything and then come back here in the afternoon to do whatever we want."
"Like sit around lazily and just talk to each other about whatever?" Syn asked with a chuckle.
"Heh, we can just do that at the river," Zekra said as she pat the Snivy on the head. "We'll see. Maybe we'll just go to bed right when we get back so we can get up nice and early for tomorrow."
Terron smiled at the sight before getting to his feet. He brought his glance to the door of their room.
"Well, we might as well go buy our lunches for the little trip now," Terron stated. "That's all that's left to do since we looked up where the river is yesterday. You guys ready to get going?"
Everyone nodded in agreement before the five exited their bedroom and set off to enjoy their day off.
An hour later, after having bought their meals, the five members of Team Vendetta found themselves hovering above the river they sought thanks to Zekra's Flygon form. Terron, Impetus, and Syn sat upon her back while Novus rested in her arms since his size was a bit too big to allow him to fit with the others. Nonetheless, he seemed content with the different mean of transportation.
The sight before the team was actually part of the forest the children had visited not too long ago for their hunting mission. There was a river that ran through the place apparently, and after carefully searching through the many clusters of trees, the five were able to spot such river. It was not a very wide or powerful river, but rather more of a peaceful stream. Part of the river held a small waterfall that cascaded down into a small gathering of water lilies and small rocks.
Zekra carefully descended near the water's edge and allowed her passengers to leap off her back. Once that had been taken care of, she shifted back into her normal, Zorua self. She cringed for a brief moment as a small portion of her energy was sapped away due to her amulet, but was quick to get over it after it passed.
She glanced upon the running water with a happy, serene smile before jumping into the river with a loud splash. She remained underwater, swimming around for a brief moment, before bringing her head to the surface to look back at her companions.
"Come on, you guys!" she called over. "It feels great! And it's not too deep either!"
Terron laughed nervously as he took a step back.
"I'd rather not," Terron said reluctantly. "Ground-types aren't really good with water…"
"The same for myself," Novus added with the same unease. "Water will douse my inner fire and bring forth an unpleasant experience. I'd rather not submerge myself within the river."
"Awww, lame," Zekra whined. "You can't you just put your feet in the water at least?"
Terron grit his teeth as he cautiously went to the water's edge and put both of his bones in one hand. He stared down at his reflection for a quiet moment, debating whether or not such small exposure to the water would be a good idea. He knew he could always withdraw himself from the river should it be too much, but even still, he found such anxiousness overcome him.
After a painfully long time, Terron finally mustered up all the courage he had and stuck the point of his paw in the water.
Immediately, Terron's hand became filled with such an unbearable cold. Terron stumbled backwards as he withdrew his hand, shivering uncontrollably as he wiped his hand on a barren section of the ground.
"I… I guess you're not coming anywhere near the water," Zekra said, unsure how to react.
"Y-Yeah," Terron shuddered, still feeling the chill going through his body. "Novus and I… we'll… we'll just watch you guys."
"Yes, I do not wish for the pain Terron now feels," the Quilava added with a grimace.
Zekra frowned in disappointment. Though she wished for the two to play with her, she knew better than to cause the two severe discomfort. Thankfully for her though, her other two friends had no such problems.
Syn let out a joyful laugh as he leapt into the river, spraying Zekra with water as he landed beside her. When the Snivy reemerged, Zekra immediately splashed a paw-full of water at him in return for dosing her with the water from his own splash. The two laughed together as they swam through the river's gentle currents, chasing each other around or diving below the surface to see the underwater world.
Impetus carefully made her way to the rocks that sat at the very beginning of the mini waterfall before sitting down upon them. The water rushed past her fur and soaked her bottom half, but she didn't move from the spot. She remained there, for there were other rocks in front of her that impeded the current, and seemed to take in the peaceful atmosphere all around her.
Terron and Novus chose to remain where they were and took a seat in the cool shade of the many trees surrounding them, where Terron finally recovered from his little encounter, for the most part. Though the two of them didn't want to go anywhere near the water and repeat such incident, the two were still happy to be here. The summer breeze drifting through the forest, the sound of the gentle, flowing river, and the fresh leaves descending upon them brought such comfort.
It was something Terron hadn't felt in so long. Most of his days were filled with such daring and dangerous adventures, where the only peace he had was when he retired for the night. But now, with all of his trusted and beloved friends surrounding him, he felt that particular harmony to be nothing compared to the one he felt now. Terron's heart filled with such joy to know that all of his friends were with him, being happy together in this peaceful place.
With a blissful smile, Terron watched each of his friends enjoy their time.
For the next few hours, the five spent their time as they pleased, whether it was talking amongst each other or playing little games, such as skipping stones down the river. It was a good day for the team, and though Terron felt somewhat guilty that he couldn't play in the water like most of his teammates, he still enjoyed his time with his friends. Even if his thoughts were still slightly consumed by his water encounter, he still found that he was satisfied with his time spent by the river.
Now, it was the afternoon, and the five were gathered around together in a circle, eating their late lunches. Such lunches were various sandwiches, a large water melon split for the five, and various berry pastries of sorts.
As Terron ate into his slice of watermelon, he suddenly felt a quick jolt of pain in his mind. His vision started to blur as various colors appeared before his eyes. Terron groaned as he held the side of his head and rubbed the sore spot.
"Are you okay?" Zekra's voice asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Terron said dismissively. "Just a little headache."
Terron squeezed his eyes shut as he held his breath. A moment later, the dizziness and aching subsided, causing Terron to let out a relieved sigh as he opened his eyes. He found that all of his friends were staring at him, and all of them except Novus appeared to be deeply concerned. He tilted his head as he looked upon them oddly.
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" the Cubone asked.
Zekra averted her eyes from him as Impetus chose to remain quiet. Syn, on the other hand, became increasingly uneasy as he opened his mouth to speak.
"You… you're getting headaches," Syn stated. "Just like Yimtri was when we were in Erebus Woods…"
Terron's eyes widened at the remark. He completely understood the horrific implications of such statement. His heart stopped beating as he seemed to freeze in place.
"No… I'm not… I can't be turning into a Plagued One," Terron attempted to say. "I'm not acting like one and we haven't gone to any dungeons… this is probably just a coincidence…"
"But you're getting the headaches Yimtri got," Syn stated again in a quiet voice. "I don't know how much of a coincidence that is."
Terron didn't know what to say. He wanted to deny what the Snivy was saying, but deep down, he knew it was probably true. He was becoming a Plagued One, despite having not done anything to make himself turn into one. And though he worried for his own safety, he also began to fear about his friends' wellbeing. If he was becoming a Plagued One at the moment, then did that mean the others would start becoming such demons as well? Would they begin the transformation soon, even if they didn't go into dungeons? Would they join the inevitable fate of the entirety of Dusk Mines?
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you four are discussing," Novus then said with a grave, penetrating voice. "I'd like to understand what you mean when you say that you're becoming Plagued Ones. That's not something I'd like for you to gloss over with me here. Tell me what you're talking about. I'd like to know. I should know, for I am now a part of your team."
The four children became tense as their previous worries regarding Terron faded away. They had forgotten that Novus hadn't been with them during the Erebus Woods mission. They gazed at each other with uncomfortable glances before bringing their attention to Terron, awaiting his guidance. The Cubone grimaced as he quickly thought over the situation. He knew that this day would come. He knew that there would be a day where the team would have to share their secrets with the newest member of the team. Terron just didn't expect that day to be so soon.
Still, he knew what had to be done. Novus was on their team. He had to know everything they knew. They couldn't keep anything hidden from him if Team Vendetta wished to keep working as one.
Terron let out a sigh as he glanced over at the Quilava, who was giving him a tense, expecting gaze.
"Alright, we'll explain what we're talking about," the Cubone said quietly. "It's kind of a long story, but it should answer your questions."
And so, together, the four children told their newest member about their visit to Dusk Mines. They told him of their descent into Erebus Woods and the horrible revelation they uncovered while traveling through its depths. They went on to explain how a being known as Erebus could somehow make anyone become a Plagued One. They told him that by venturing into its domain and hearing its voice, the process would start, and one would begin the Plagued One transformation and continue to become such a monster should they continue to explore any Mystery Dungeon continuously or become trapped in one. They also gave him all of their evidence that proved that the being within Mystery Dungeons was what made Pokémon Plagued Ones.
They then went on to explain how they could become Plagued Ones soon thanks to encountering Erebus. They assured Novus that they wouldn't complete the transformation because they were set on not exploring anymore Mystery Dungeons, but still expressed their concern over if that was good enough to stop the change.
When they had finished, Novus gave them a long stare. His eyes were completely blank, as if he simply had no reaction to the unsettling news. The children could only wait for his response in anxious silence.
He glanced at each of the children for a brief moment.
"So, you children fear that those of Dusk Mines will become Plagued Ones, including yourselves, despite the fact that the leader himself denies such statement," Novus stated, as if it were merely an observation.
"He knows it's true," Terron grimaced. "He just doesn't want to admit it. I saw it in his eyes. Or maybe he just really doesn't want us to know that he and his members really are turning into Plagued Ones. He's lied so many times to us just to get something done, like when he pretended he was lying about Erebus Woods being dangerous or the whole Drae thing. It wouldn't be surprising that he's pretending he doesn't believe our theory. He might be doing that so that we don't tell anyone about Erebus…"
"Well, your theory certainly explains many things, such as why feral Pokémon within Mystery Dungeons cannot be expelled when defeated or recruited by civil Pokémon," Novus said quietly. "Much of your evidence ties in well to your theory. But, why didn't you tell your Fellowship of this? This would be a rather important piece of information for them, seeing as how they wish to eliminate Plagued Ones permanently."
"Because Yimtri said he'd kill us if we did," Zekra muttered. "He doesn't want anyone except his own members to know about Erebus since he thinks the other Fellowships will kill everyone that works for him. He didn't even want to tell us until the whole incident happened and figured we deserved an explanation. I guess he did that though so that we didn't go ask our Fellowship what had just happened and then get everybody at Dusk Mines killed."
Novus frowned unpleasantly.
"The threat of death should not penetrate your being and fill your core with its terror, should you have a firm resolve," the Quilava said brashly. "Tell your superiors of this vital matter. If you truly wish to end the Plagued Ones, you mustn't become terrified of dying. Fearing death will only hinder you."
"We're taking care of the problem in a different way," Terron snapped. "We just need to convince Yimtri to listen to this idea we have, and then we'll tell our leaders about the idea. We were going to discuss that today, in fact. We're not scared. The reason we didn't tell our leaders about this wasn't because we were scared."
"And what is this idea you speak of?" Novus asked.
"Getting the other Fellowships to study everyone at Dusk Mines so they can figure out how to kill Erebus or at least cure everyone of this Plagued Ones epidemic," Terron answered lowly. "It's the best thing to do that will help stop the Plagued Ones in the long run. Can't kill the Plagued Ones for good without killing Erebus."
Novus considered something in his thoughts.
"I understand," the Quilava spoke. "Your plan seems reasonable. Very well then. You've proven that your silence isn't a display of cowardice. Let us discuss the strategy you will use to convince the Dusk Mines leader that he should also consider your plan, then."
Terron let out a short sigh to release the bitter emotions building inside him. To help with this, he took a pastry from the pile of food before him and ripped a chunk off it with his mouth. The sweetness was quick to act as a remedy and get his mind focused.
"Alright, so let's get this straight so that we all understand the plan," Terron began to say. "When we get to Dusk Mines tomorrow, we request an audience with Yimtri. I'm sure they'll let us do that, but if not, then we can have Vantis convince them since he's a leader and all. After that, we'll tell him that we haven't told the other Fellowships about Erebus so that he'll at least be in a good mood and be more receptive to us. And then, we'll give him our idea about having the other Fellowships study everyone at Dusk Mines instead. We'll persuade him really gently, like saying how great of an idea it is because it'll help end the Plagued Ones. But if he starts refusing, we've got to be more firm and refuse to back down. We have to start telling him that he and the others are going to meet their inevitable fate of becoming Plagued Ones unless they do something, no matter what, which will hopefully get him to see what we want.
And if that doesn't happen… well, just keep giving him reasons. We have to make him see reason. His decision is the only thing standing in the way of ending this Plagued Ones nightmare that's been going on for too long. Do whatever you can think of after that point to get him to understand the situation. Are we all good with that?"
"Yeah, I'll go with that," Syn said with a nod. "Sounds like a good plan to me."
"I have the same thoughts," Impetus said.
"Yeah, me too," Zekra added.
"This strategy seems to be the best we could think of, so I believe it should work well," Novus also said. "All that must be done is to visit such Fellowship tomorrow whenever your leader chooses to bring us to such place. And you're certain that we have no missions to complete for tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm certain," Terron replied. "Vantis took care of that for us. And, we're leaving at dawn tomorrow. So we'll just get up a little before then, eat breakfast, and then get going."
"Hm, very well then," Novus nodded. "I thank you children for informing of this information. It brings solace to me to know that you children are willing to share such dark secrets that you harbor deep within yourselves to me."
Zekra and Syn grinned weakly, knowing full well that there were secrets they hadn't shared with the Quilava. Specifically, about their pasts. They didn't feel very comfortable with discussing such personal matters with him just yet. They felt they needed to spend more time with him before they could share those painful parts of their lives.
Terron, on the other hand, suddenly had a thought strike him. He remembered the strange visits he had within his mind and the voice that had spoken to him in such place. Upon thinking of this, he remembered how he had forgotten to speak to his team about that particular secret. Though he felt unease come upon him, he knew he had to share the one secret he had kept from the others. It didn't bother him that Novus was now a part of the team; the Quilava would have to learn about the secret anyway. Terron figured he might as well share it with him now to get it out of the way.
"There's something I wanted to tell all of you before," Terron announced. "But I forgot about it since I'm so used to pushing it out of my thoughts really quickly."
Everyone turned their heads to the Cubone in curiosity.
Terron swallowed hard. He curled his paws into fists and squeezed his eyes shut. The intense anxiety came upon him, flooding his entire being, but he knew he couldn't let it control him.
He had to talk about what was happening to him.
He needed his teammates' support with this unsettling situation.
"There's been something happening to me lately that I feel I should tell you guys," he started to say. "I've… I've… I've had these… these… visions. No… I mean, dreams. Or something… I… I don't know what to call them. They're just…"
Terron found his voice trailing off as the words stopped coming to him. He was once again finding it difficult to talk. He let out an irritated groan as he grit his teeth, cursing himself for being so unwilling to share his thoughts. He pushed his fists into his skull helmet.
"Remove your persona, Terron," Novus suddenly said.
"What?" Terron asked, taking his hands from off his head.
"Your helmet. Remove it from your head," Novus said again. "It will help you speak."
Despite not understanding the Quilava's words, the Cubone reached for his mask and pulled it off his head. He set it on his lap and stared at it oddly for a brief moment before looking back at Novus.
"Try speaking once more about your visions, as you call them," Novus instructed.
"Um, well you know when I pass out sometimes for no reason? Well, there's more to it than that. I'm actually going to this strange place in my head whenever that happens, and I'm speaking to this strange thing that's there."
Terron's eyes widened at the sudden ease of his words. It no longer felt like something was trying to hold him back. He glanced at the Quilava, astounded by the success in Novus's advice.
"Many believe Cubone and Marowak wear helmets to aid in them in combat, and while that is true for Marowak, there is actually another reason for the Cubone," Novus went on to explain, not waiting for Terron to ask a question. "It serves as a Cubone's literal and figurative persona. This helmet your kind wear becomes a psychological mask that you use to help you get through life's various hardships. It provides you strength that your true self does not hold at the moment."
"So that's why I was able to kill things so much more easily after I got this helmet…" Terron said in realization. "I could never do it when I wasn't wearing the helmet. It's why I couldn't kill Impetus, but I could kill that Axew during that mission where we met Syn. I never realized the connection at all…"
"Yes, the helmet became a persona and helped you overcome your weakness," Novus went on. "That is why Cubone wear helmets; to let them kill others to retrieve their bones without any remorse from a very young age until they learn how to use their true inner strength. They could not do so without the use of their personas, for they would be consumed by the suffering that killing brings. And yet, this persona has its drawbacks. It prevents them from speaking their reluctant thoughts to others. They cannot express the feelings locked within their hearts because the persona prevents them from doing so. The only way to share their hidden emotions is to remove the persona, thus bringing forth their vulnerable, true self, which is precisely what you are doing now."
Terron lifted his mask from off his lap and held it in front of him, looking into its hollow eyes.
"Persona…" he said to himself. "This is my persona… it's actually a physical mask that makes me have a psychological one every time I put it on…"
"Yes, that's correct," Novus said. "Now, please go on and tell us about these strange things that happen to you."
"Oh, right," Terron said as he set his skull back on his lap. "Well, like I said, I sometimes visit this place that lets me talk to this strange thing. I don't really know how I get there, or why it happens, but that thing talks to me there. And, just yesterday, I saw it again when I was training with Vantis. I don't understand much about it, but it keeps claiming to be me. And… it keeps telling me to leave the place or else I'll die, or something like that. And, to be honest, I'm not really sure what to think of it."
"You don't know what to think at all?" Zekra asked, showing her genuine concern.
"No, I really don't," Terron said quietly. "I mean, I feel worried about what's happening to me, but I'm just so used to pushing it out and forgetting about it that I sometimes forget to even be worried. I think I'm more… confused than anything else. I know I should feel scared about whatever the voice talks about, but I don't really feel that way when nothing seems to make sense…"
"What does this other you look like?" Zekra asked cautiously.
"At first, it didn't really have a form," Terron said as he held his helmet close to his chest. "It was just nothing in a void. But when I saw it yesterday, it was Groudon. But… it told me it wasn't Groudon. It said it was just a form I gave it. I don't really know what it means by that, but it was saying that it looks like Groudon because it's getting stronger. And… I just don't know what any of it means… nothing makes sense…"
The Cubone hugged the helmet tighter as he felt an anxious chill go down his spine. Pondering in these strange encounters with the unknown being was actually putting him at unease, now that he no longer pushed out the thoughts. Then also, it probably had to do with how he wasn't wearing his skull. He didn't have its protection to help him with the fear. Terron was about to put the mask back on, but Novus stopped him with a raise of his paw.
"Is there any reason as to why you think you might be having these occurrences?" Novus asked. "Has anything peculiar happened to you in the past that might have triggered such bizarre encounters with this being?"
"Well… there might be one reason," Terron said as his anxiety started to amplify.
"And what might that reason be?" Novus pried.
The Cubone shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Terron knew one of his secrets was a potential link as to why he was having these strange encounters. Yet, even as he left his physical persona in his hands, he found himself having a hard time in giving out the answer.
"You need to give the reason if you wish to find the answer to your question," the Quilava stated in a firm voice. "You cannot hold back. Speak your mind, Terron."
The Cubone gripped his helmet tightly, nearly causing more cracks to form upon it. He knew that Novus spoke the truth. He couldn't afford to be withdrawn with his newest teammate.
"… I think it might have to do with the fact that I'm actually human…" Terron said quietly. "Because I don't know any ordinary Pokémon that would have this problem…"
Novus gave Terron a long stare, becoming completely blank. For a brief moment, Terron thought he saw the flicker of either tension or zeal in the Quilava's eyes. But, the second that it appeared, the fleeting emotion vanished as Novus's eyes narrowed another second later.
"If you are a human, then why are you in the body of a Cubone?" he asked.
"I don't know," Terron said sadly. "I've got amnesia, so I don't remember anything about myself or why I'm a Pokémon now. But, I think my humanity might have something to do with that voice. Maybe something happened to me when I became a Cubone and it made this thing appear in my head. It's the only reason I can think of, but I can't really imagine what could have possibly happened for this me to get this voice."
Novus quietly nodded as he seemed to think to himself. Terron felt somewhat relieved that Novus wasn't taking negatively to the news, but his unease still remained as he continued to think of the Groudon in his mind.
"Maybe you got mixed up in some weird time travel or dimensional stuff," Syn then suggested. "I'm not really sure how you got turned into a Pokémon, but maybe you got caught up in some accident and the turbulence from the accident put a different side of you inside of your head somehow. Like split personalities or something."
"I don't think so," Terron replied. "I don't have multiple personalities. I don't even get controlled by the voice whenever it talks to me. Right, Zekra? I just stayed passed out when Garter gave me my helmet?"
"Yeah, that's right," Zekra answered. "You looked kinda dead when you passed out, but otherwise, nothing really special happened to your body when you fainted that one time."
"Oh, I see," Syn said. "But then, what could it be? What could have happened to you to get that other you in your head?"
"Have you told anyone else that you are a former human?" Novus suddenly asked.
Everyone stopped talking and brought their attention to the Quilava. They found he was staring at Terron with such solemnness.
"What?" Terron asked, caught off-guard by the question before realizing what he was being asked. "Oh, um, I only told everyone here and a couple of members from Team Valor about that. Specifically, Len and Emdox. Though, they might have told the others since they're a team and all."
"I understand," Novus stated simply. "Well then, be sure to keep it that way. I suggest you do not tell anyone else you are a human in the guise of a Pokémon."
"Why's that?" Terron asked curiously.
"… sharing your true identity with others might bring forth less favorable reactions from them," Novus answered quietly. "Some might consider you a threat for whatever paranoid reason they can come up with. Do remember that and keep your true nature a secret. Do not tell anyone else that you are a human. That's all I wish to ask you for the sake of your own safety."
Terron didn't know what to say to the comment. He couldn't think of a reason for why Pokémon would want to hurt him due to his origins, but the news still struck him with a dread that penetrated deep into his core. Even if it seemed to be a silly thing to be worried over, Terron could still feel such paranoia overcome him at the thought. He nodded slowly, trying to get such feeling to leave his heart. Novus smiled somewhat pleasantly at seeing this.
"Now that such has been taken care of, I've thought over why you might be having these encounters with a being that claims to be yourself," Novus started to say, "and I'm afraid I can't come up with any reason for why you would have this occurrence happen to you. I do believe it has to do with your human origin, but otherwise, I'm at loss. I will continue to ponder in this, but otherwise, I have no theories as to what's happening to you."
"Yeah, I'll do the same," Zekra chimed in.
"And me too!" Syn also added. "We'll figure out what's wrong with you eventually if we all think about it!"
Impetus, rather than say something, gave an affirmative nod. When Terron saw this, he gave a bright smile to the four members of his team. Though they hadn't figured out anything in regards to why Terron had another being in his mind, he was glad to know that he had their support at least. Surely, with their help, they'd be able to solve the mystery and perhaps also figure out why he was a Cubone.
Dusk Mines
The leader of the northern Fellowship entered his vacant office, phasing straight through the metal block that was the door of such room with no effort. He was rather exhausted from the day, despite it only being the middle of the afternoon at the moment. There had been much to do. There had been a new team to meet and to give a personal welcome into the Fellowship and endless piles of paperwork that required his paw-print.
The Sableye made his way over to his desk before crawling into his chair. Once he was seated comfortably, he let his posture slouch as he let out a long sigh. Perhaps now he could find a moment to rest. He still had a few more tasks for the day, but those didn't require immediate attention. He could spend some time to himself at the moment.
Just the Sableye was to let his mind rest, he noticed a familiar scarf lying across his desk. He had left it there all day and hadn't bothered to inspect it since he stole it from Drae. His busy schedule had made sure of that.
Seeing as how he had time now, Yimtri carefully picked up the scarf and ran his claws through it. There didn't seem to be anything peculiar about this article of clothing. It didn't have any sort of special properties as far as Yimtri could tell, such as how a Pecha Scarf held the antitoxins necessary to cure the user of whatever poison was injected into their bloodstream. It was a rather ordinary scarf, if rather worn from the damage it had sustained over how many years it had been used. There was no reason as to why Drae would be so concerned over it.
And then suddenly, Yimtri felt his claws go over something very different. Something that felt cold and hard to touch, like a smooth stone. He brought his attention to the spot to find that there was a faint outline of something on the back of the scarf. It was so small and seemingly insignificant, that the Sableye wasn't surprised that he hadn't noticed it before.
He turned over the long piece of fabric to find himself staring at a strange object attached to it. It was in the shape of a teardrop, and was roughly the size of one Poké coin. It was a silver color mixed in with an icy blue that somehow gave off an iridescent sparkle in the candlelight of the room. Within the main shape were two circles overlapping one another, one being a snowy white and the other being a deep black.
Curiously, Yimtri took the object and gently removed it from the scarf. As he suspected, it was a steel pin of sorts, but it did little to help him understand what this object was. But, he did know now that Drae was probably referring to this pin rather than the scarf when he demanded the item back. He no doubt wished to keep this object's existence hidden, which was further proofed by how he wore it on the backside part of the scarf that no one could see.
With this newfound discovery, Yimtri leapt out of his seat with the object in tow and headed for the prison holding Drae. He had questions he needed to ask a certain Weavile, and he could only hope that such Weavile would begin to talk now that he had been stripped of a possession he was strangely fond of.
When the Sableye entered the lower section of his Fellowship, he did not hear the frantic screams of the Weavile. Yet, Yimtri wasn't quite sure if he was to consider this fortunate or not. Pushing that thought aside, he made his way past the various cells before coming to Drae's. He stepped into the stone wall, requiring no effort on his part since his body was always intangible, unless he wished otherwise.
"Drae, I was inspecting that scarf you cherish so much and found this odd item attached to it," Yimtri said as he came out the other side of the wall. "Would you like to tell me w-"
The leader found that his voice was frozen, just as his entire being was now. He couldn't move at all and found that all he could do was stare at what was before him in stunned, unnerved silence.
Drae was no longer in the cell, wrapped up in his metal bindings. No, there was no longer a Weavile in the presence of the Sableye. There was something much different now.
A Plagued One in the form of a Weavile.
It stood there where Drae once was, gazing upon the Sableye with its fiery, malicious eyes. It was smiling at him, as if enjoying the sight of seeing Yimtri stiff with fear. The Sableye grit his teeth as he tried to regain some composure.
"Drae… what happened to you?" he asked quietly.
Asking such question was rather pointless, seeing as how Yimtri understood exactly what had just happened, but he found he didn't want to believe what had become of Drae. He wanted to deny what he was seeing so very much. There had to be another reason as to why Drae was missing and there was now a Plagued One in his place.
And why this Plagued One had the same scars upon its face that Drae held thanks to the Sableye's last visit with the Weavile.
The Weavile seemed to laugh in a distorted voice before speeding toward the Sableye. Struck by the sudden fear, Yimtri instinctively lashed out at the Plagued One with a shadow-infused claw. Much to his surprise, and horror, the Weavile managed to avoid the attack and attempted to slam head-first the Sableye. It went straight through Yimtri's intangible form, filling the Sableye with an unbearable and suffocating cold. The clouded thoughts in his mind immediately ceased to be, as if they had been completely wiped from his mind. He found he could no longer remember how to breathe as the demon came out of his body, grabbing ahold of his cape as it did so.
The Sableye was suddenly pulled backwards by a violent tug of his cape, sending him tumbling to the ground. He fell into the wall behind him, where he was quick to come rolling out the other side. As he came to stop upon the ground, he found the Plagued One releasing its hold on his cape, it having used him to escape the cell. After all, touching any part of the Sableye granted anyone temporary intangibility, even if it was part of his cape due to how it was always connected to him. The cape always remained tangible, which the Weavile had no doubt used to its advantage.
The Plagued One shot him a smug smile and a quick wave of its claw before it bolted out of the prison. Yimtri attempted to get to his feet, but found that his body wasn't responding. His entire being was numb and was completely incapable of doing anything. He couldn't even feel the rocky ground his body rested upon.
All he could do was take in raspy breaths to help ease the dread building in him. But, it was futile. He understood exactly what was happening to him, and knowing such did nothing to help decrease the terror that was now engulfing him.
A throbbing pain struck his cranium, causing the Sableye to wince. He tried to reach for his head with a claw, but his body remained immobile. He could only tolerate the pain.
An image appeared in his mind, showing a quick flash of what appeared to be a large, snow-covered mountain standing before a small village before it quickly disappeared completely out of his view.
Though he did not see it long, the Sableye thought he recognized the place in the short vision, yet he could not remember why.
Then, another image came before his sights. It was a different location, one that didn't seem familiar in the slightest. It was of a surreal location where a seemingly endless amount of islands were suspended in the air, all of different sizes. Some were just big enough to hold a single Pokémon of small stature. Others sprawled for miles, and some seemed to go on forever. There was nothing below or above the many masses except the strange, sun-less sky filled with a chaotic mesh of whirling colors.
This image was also quick to vanish from Yimtri's mind. More images came upon him, all allowing the Sableye to see something for one second before it disappeared entirely only to have another sight replace it. They offered him no rest.
Until, without warning, a horrifying scene came upon his mind's eye. It did not vanish into the far reaches of oblivion as the others did. This one relentless vision stayed in his sight as he was forced to watch everything that happened. He could not avert his focus from the gruesome image. It was invading his mind, obliterating any other thoughts he had. He could no longer see himself in Dusk Mines now. He could only see that unnerving vision.
And then, he heard a voice. A voice that gave a single command.
Yet it was not the voice of Erebus.
Aurora Town Fellowship
After spending another few hours at the river, Team Vendetta went back to the place they called home. The five felt that they had a wonderful time on their little trip and felt quite refreshed for the next day. Their visit to Dusk Mines would surely go well now that they had spent their time planning and easing the stress away.
The team now sat at a table in the mostly vacant mess hall in the early evening, having their dinner. The team once again felt hungry from the games they played while at the river and the endless, happy conversations they had with one another.
"So after we're done eating, do you guys just wanna go to bed early?" Zekra asked as she ripped off a piece of her seasoned steak and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Syn shrugged. "I'm feeling kinda tired from today anyway. What about you guys?"
"Yeah, I don't mind," Terron said. "It'll help us be able to get up early for tomorrow after we slept in for so long today."
"I probably will not retire for the night until nightfall actually comes," Novus stated. "But, I will still accompany you four in the room until it is time for my rest, despite this."
"Well, it's up to you," Zekra said with a casual shrug. "You can just wander around town if you want. We don't mind."
"If that is the case, I might also do as Novus does," Impetus then said. "I do not feel tired and wish to remain awake for a few more hours. Perhaps I'll go outside and train until I feel the need to sleep."
"But weren't you training while we were at the river, even though we told you that you were supposed to relax?" Zekra asked with a chuckle. "You don't have to train that much."
"Training is relaxing for me," Impetus stated simply. "It brings my thoughts into focus, just as meditation does. Besides, I did spend time in activities that you found relaxing in your own terms. I swam in the water and I talked with each of you. All of these activities were relaxing to me. I only wish to train more so that I might fall asleep soundly from being more tired than I am now."
"Well, whatever you wanna do, Impetus," Zekra said. "Whatever makes you happy."
The Mienfoo nodded in understanding. Zekra then looked at each of the Pokémon surrounding her and started to smile.
"Thanks for coming with me to that river today," she said tenderly to the four. "It was really nice being able to see it after wanting to visit there with a friend of mine. Being able to go there with you guys makes me feel like I've had some closure now, and it really lifts some weight off of me. So thanks you guys. It means a lot."
Everyone except for one Pokémon returned the smile. That one Pokémon who now stared at Zekra in confusion was Novus, being the only one who didn't understand the true meaning behind her words. He opened his mouth to ask what Zekra spoke of, but before he could, a certain Flygon buzzed his way over to the table and stopped beside the five. Vantis wore a cheery grin as he looked upon the team.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite team," Vantis cooed. "How'd you guys enjoy your day off?"
"It was fun," Syn answered pleasantly. "We got to go to a river and chill there for a while. What about your day?"
"It was quite good," Vantis replied. "Spent some time visiting a friend of mine. But now, I'm all ready for tomorrow!"
The Flygon beamed at the four children before finally realizing that there was a new face among them. His smile faded as he gazed upon the Quilava curiously.
"Oh, I didn't see you there," Vantis said to Novus with an awkward laugh. "Who might you be, Quilava?"
"I'm Novus," he answered with a bow of his head. "I'm the fifth member of Team Vendetta. I joined yesterday evening."
"Oh, I see," Vantis said, still feeling as awkward as before. "I didn't know that you had just joined. Allow me to introduce myself to you then. I'm Vantis, one of the leaders of the Aurora Town Fellowship and member of Team Valor. I'm sorry I didn't notice you. I feel pretty bad now…"
"Don't give yourself such a hard time," Novus said politely. "I'm not insulted or outraged by your small blunder. But yes; nice to meet you, leader of the Fellowship."
"Soooo, are all of you good for going to Dusk Mines tomorrow?" the Flygon then asked, sounding like his normal self once more. "And… you kids explained this to Novus already, right?"
"Yes, we did," Impetus assured. "Novus was informed of the situation earlier today. The five of us will be ready in at dawn. Do you think you can carry all of us?"
"Yeah, I should be able to," Vantis said. "Haven't really had a five passenger flight before, but I bet I can manage. All of you are small and light enough for me. We might need to take more breaks but-"
There was a sound coming from outside. It was a loud, unnatural shriek that pierced into the hearts of every Pokémon within the mess hall.
Everyone knew that sound. Everyone knew that horrifying, banshee screech that was now echoing through the entire Fellowship base.
Everyone bolted out the exit, praying to every deity known to make their suspicions a mere overreaction. No one wanted to believe that the thought running through their mind was true. It had to be false. There had to be a different explanation.
Yet, when the crowd of Pokémon came outside, they found that all hope had been shattered.
Their worst nightmares had been realized.
Completely filling the sky and flying through the city like an angry swarm of hungry locust…
… with their demented forms and horrid smiles…
… was a tremendous storm of Plagued Ones consuming every living thing in sight.