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Chapter 40
Don't Want Your Help
Terron stood in front of a mountain, gazing into the gaping hole that was Oblivion Cavern. Darkness greeted him, but he wasn't frightened. He knew what was within the cavern was nothing to be afraid of.
After Chrysalis had given Terron and his companions their task, the group had stocked up a few supplies to prepare for the mission. It wasn't much, mostly a few Oran berries and two apples, but they were necessary items needed for exploring Oblivion Cavern. Even if the place wasn't a Mystery Dungeon, there would still be a good chance of combat within the cave.
With their new items stowed, the team then looked up where the very cave was on a map they came across in a store. They were happy to find that their destination was rather close to the city and it would only take five minutes to fly there. They wouldn't have minded if the cave was an hour away of course, but they still found satisfaction in knowing that they would not waste so much time in travelling.
And so the next morning, after a quick breakfast, Zekra took the group to where Terron stood now.
Terron stopped gazing into the cavern entrance and looked back at his teammates.
"So, you guys ready to go inside?" Terron asked.
"Yes, I am," Novus replied. "It will be nice to actually go on a 'mission' with you. Perhaps now I can finally see how you and Zekra used to work during missions before I came along."
"Well guess you'll see," Terron grinned until he glanced over at the Greninja. "And what about you, Blight?"
"I think you already know the answer to that question."
Not entirely sure how to reply, he turned away and looked into the cave before them. He still couldn't see past the darkness that engulfed the inside of the cavern, but he wasn't concerned. He had Novus with him to offer light. Then even if Novus couldn't provide his fire for whatever reason, Zekra was always around with her shape-shifting abilities. She would be able to turn into a fire-type in a second if the situation really called for it.
Terron took his paws out of his pockets and reached for the two bone clubs attached to his coat by small loops. He put one in each paw, tightening his grip on them both. It felt so strange holding these weapons again, knowing that he actually would use them in the next few moments. Every other time he held these clubs or any other bones was for trivial purposes. The last time he had ever engaged in combat was when the Plagued Ones struck Aurora Town. Since then, his weapons had been nothing more but trinkets. Useless toys that held no true purpose. But now, that was no more. Starting today, he would once again use his bones for battle. He'd be shedding the blood of countless Pokémon with these weapons that he was destined to use since he became a Cubone.
But, Terron was ready. He took a paw and pressed down on his helmet, feeling it compress against his face. The boldness that persona allowed him to feel only seemed to amplify within him.
"Let's go," Terron proclaimed. "Novus, if you will."
The Quilava stepped forward and stopped before the very entrance to the cave. Then, with a deep breath, the fur upon his head and back became ignited with glistening flames. Without another word, Terron entered the gaping hole of the mountain, his three teammates following right behind him.
Oblivion Cavern
"Of course! Of course this place had to be filled with these things! Of course it does!" Zekra cried in exasperation.
The team didn't have to think very hard to understand what Zekra was screaming about. They only had to venture five minutes into the cave before it became apparent that this environment was the home to many bug-types. Strung along the rocky walls in such messy fashions were dozens of spider webs. Each web seemed to tangle with its neighboring webs, as if the crafters couldn't seem to understand that someone else was already occupying the space. Some of the webs were the standard silk kinds as Ariados were known to make, and then others seemed to have an electrical current flowing through them. They would occasionally let out a small burst of sparks that would make the cavern just a small amount brighter before fading away into nothing.
Sitting among those many webs were countless bug-types, all of them staring directly at the team. And yet, none of them moved a single muscle. They simply gazed at the group, their eyes never blinking and their mandibles occasionally snapping together. Terron and Novus returned their stares with indifference, knowing that they could easily stamp the bugs out of commission if they truly wanted to. Or, in Novus's case, roast them alive with a single breath.
Zekra, on the other hand, had all of fur standing on end as she tried to glare at each and every one of the bug-types. Her teeth were bared, and her drawn claws were scraping against the rocky ground.
"I swear, if one of you things try to touch me with your webs, I'll rip you apart!" Zekra snarled. "Or maybe I'll put you on fire! Yeah! I can turn into other Pokémon you know! Don't you dare get near me!"
None of the wild Pokémon gave a response to the threat. They sat among their webs without twitching even in the slightest. Zekra continued to give the bugs such malevolent glares.
"As long as you don't touch the webs you should be fine," Novus stated. "These bug-types usually don't leave their webs and attack those who happen to pass by. They're very patient beings who simply wait for clumsy Pokémon to wander into their web."
"But they're everywhere," Zekra shot back.
"There's still room to maneuver around them," Novus sighed. "They don't occupy every single space of this cave."
Zekra ignored the remark as she brought her gaze into a particular Galvantula who had its eyes on her . She let out a hiss at it, her eyes dimly illuminating with a blue light. The electric-type, as all the other Pokémon had, did nothing. Zekra continued to glare at all of the potential enemies despite this.
"Well, at least this place doesn't look too bad," Terron remarked as he looked around. "Just might have to clear out a few webs if it comes to it. And, that shouldn't be a huge problem, right Novus?"
"No, it won't," Novus said with a short chuckle. "I can only hope that this cavern is not a very deep cavern, however. It's somewhat exhausting to keep my fire burning continuously like this."
"We'll just have you and Zekra take turns then," Terron decided. "So, just let us know when you get tired, and we'll help out."
"I highly doubt that I will need to have Zekra be the light of our little expedition, as I should be able to stay strong until we reach the very bottom," Novus said. "But, thank you for the offer."
Terron nodded and then looked back to see how Blight was. Blight was carefully eyeing each of the bug-types watching the group. While he didn't appear to be unnerved by the sight, Terron still figured that the Greninja was at slight unease, since he harbored the same affinity as Zekra. The Cubone always noted that every time someone saw an enemy that held an element that could bring great harm to them, that Pokémon would always feel an immediate sense of fear, even if it was just for a second. Terron himself could still feel that fear sometimes when he looked upon Blight. It didn't matter that he had a small amount of faith in the mercenary; deep down, he still felt that there was something very peculiar about Blight. And until that feeling went away, Terron always knew he'd still be slightly afraid of the Greninja, even if it was just a quick spark of fright in his heart.
He looked away from the Greninja and back over to Zekra, finding that she was having a tense staring contest with the Galvantula from before.
"Alright, let's ge-"
A blur shot into the illuminated room, quickly catching everyone's attention. Terron tightened his grip on his clubs as his eyes hastily darted around the chamber, trying to find the unknown creature. The blur had seemingly disappeared.
"Where is it?" he growled. "Did you guys see it?"
"I saw it, but I can't locate it right now," Novus reported.
Terron frowned further. Before he could ask anyone else the same question, he saw the blur enter the illuminated area once more. It swept past the many webs with such grace, somehow not becoming entangled in them. Terron heard Novus give out a sharp cry. He swiveled his head around to find the Quilava now had a thin, bloody line running across his side. Novus's flames seemed to flicker as he glanced over at his teammates.
"I saw it," he stated. "Crobat. It struck me with its wing when it saw that it couldn't latch onto me because of my fire."
"Ugh, those things," Zekra scoffed.
The Zorua turned away from Novus as she crouched into a hostile position, as if ready to pounce at any moment. Terron, on the other hand, put his two clubs away and reached into his pockets to pull out a new set of weapons: vertebrae projectiles. They were just like small stones, which would be perfect to knock that Crobat out of the air if he spotted it.
He was rather glad that he had managed to create these additions to his bone collection when he had been dismissed. Surely, it would make so many of his battles much easier when he was so much more versatile.
He saw the blur once more, but this time, it aimed straight for Zekra. It swiftly sped at her, jaws wide open. Terron curled his paw around a hand with a bone piece, and reeled back his arm to launch the object. He had to be very precise with this, or else he might hit Zekra. Or, it wouldn't even hit a target and the Crobat would manage to succeed in latching onto Zekra. Neither outcome was something he wanted.
But just as Terron was going to throw the bone forward, something else happened. The Crobat suddenly dropped out of the air like a rock, collapsing in a heap around Zekra's feet.
She , Terron, and Novus cautiously gathered around it. They were horrified to find a gaping laceration over its body, directly in the chest. The hole went straight through its body, allowing fresh blood to leak out of the Crobat's back. From what the three could tell, the heart had been completely severed in half.
"How did this…?" Terron asked, unable to finish his sentence.
Suddenly, a star-shaped object became embedded into the Crobat's corpse. It was as large as an apple in terms of length, and somehow seemed to be made out of compressed water. Yet despite what it was made of, the object remained stuck in the creature's flesh, retaining its form.
The three glanced in the direction where the throwing star had come from. They found Blight staring back at them, one of his hands gripped around another one of the water stars.
"How did you do that?" Zekra asked in awe.
"It's an ability known to only us Greninja," Blight answered as the weapon in his fingers seemed to vanish. "We call it ' Water Shuriken' . Very quick and very lethal when used with accuracy."
"Wow…" Zekra said, completely fascinated by the power.
The Greninja didn't give a response. Seeing that their battle had abruptly ended, Terron took the projectiles in his hand and tucked them away into his pocket and exchanged it for his dual bone clubs. He looked over at the Crobat once again and found that the shuriken that was sunk into its body was no longer there. Only a deep gash was present where it once was. Terron stared at the first injury, amazed by how the Greninja had managed to hit it with such precision, and how the attack had gone straight through the Crobat's body.
"I believe it's time to continue," Blight then said.
"Yeah," Terron replied. "We don't need to hang around here anymore."
The Cubone gave one last look at the corpse before bringing his attention toward the further reaches of the cave. They needed to keep moving forward. No one knew how deep this cave was, nor did they know if it had any sort of exit like the Mystery Dungeon caverns. There was the very real possibility that they would have to backtrack once they found the item and use the entrance as an exit. Terron knew they didn't have a time limit on this particular mission, but he wanted to accomplish it as soon as possible. He wanted to find the secrets the Fellowship was holding.
Just as Terron was about to get going, a searing pain shot through his skull. He let out a pained yelp as he pushed his hand into his mask. For just a second, he thought he heard a voice. However, it was so quiet and muffled, that he couldn't tell what was being said.
"Tear, you okay?" Zekra asked as she went up to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Terron assured her. "I'm fine. Just a little headache."
Zekra grimaced and looked away. Terron knew she didn't need to have an explanation of what was going on. She already knew that it came from Terron's plagued self. Whether it came from it shifting around in his mind or from trying to communicate with him, she and Terron didn't know, but they understood what was happening.
The migraine ceased a few seconds later. Terron let out a low sigh and released his head.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I get them sometimes."
He looked over at Novus to find that the Quilava had nothing to say, but had his uncomfortable gaze averted from the Cubone. However, it wasn't Novus's expression that worried Terron the most; it was Blight's. Though he appeared stoic, Terron could see very uneasy glimmers in the Greninja's eyes. And yet, the Greninja said nothing as he continued to stare at the Cubone.
"Is something wrong, Blight?" Terron asked.
"No," the mercenary replied. "Everything's fine."
Terron didn't believe him, but he knew that Blight wasn't going to say anything else. Besides, they had stalled enough time. They needed to get moving. He turned away from Blight and headed deeper into the cave, his companions quick to follow behind him.
For a while, the thick webbing littered every inch of the cave, making it a challenge to get through the chambers without touching the webs. Eyes would always be upon the group, watching them from every corner and angle possible. But, as had been the case before, the bug-types didn't bother leaving their spots upon the silk and were content to simply observe the four. While it certainly was rather unnerving to have so many creatures surrounding them, the group was not too frightened since they knew the bugs were rather weak creatures that could be defeated rather easily. Then also, they had Novus and his ever-present fire. They knew they could easily burn down everything if things got too out of hand without much of a problem, and they took solace in that.
At least, everyone except Zekra. Zekra was still rather disturbed by the seemingly endless amount of bug-types and could not keep her eyes off them. But thankfully, she was able to walk past each of the creatures without stumbling into their webs or having some kind of mental breakdown.
Then, after wandering through the many chambers for a good amount of time, they came to a point where there were no more bug-types infesting the cave. The walls and ceiling were once again barren of any sort of Pokémon, much to Zekra's great relief.
"Those little pests are finally gone!" Zekra cried happily. "Hah! Now when we have to take on someone, I won't have to worry about all those things!"
"Well, as long there aren't any really hungry ferals, I don't think we'll need to do any fighting," Terron stated with a chuckle. "You know, since actual ferals don't like to fight, unlike Mystery Dungeon ferals."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Zekra said carelessly. "Still, maybe we'll run into something we can fight. I want to be able to fight at least one thing. Yeah, just one thing that I can rip to shreds…"
The Zorua grinned evilly, amused by the thought of a violent slaughter. Terron rolled his eyes at the comment.
Before Terron could think of a snide remark to make to Zekra, he saw her wander to Blight's side and walk beside him. She looked up at him, the zeal in her eyes now replaced with reluctance. Terron watched from ahead of them in silence as the group continued to walk.
"Hey, Blight," she started to say.
The Greninja gave a simple nod as he looked down to her. Zekra frowned uncomfortably and seemed to fight off the urge to break eye contact with him.
"So, you really seem to know a lot about the Fellowship," she said. "You know, since you knew what the dismissed mark looked like."
"I know about as much as the public knows about the Fellowship," Blight said simply. "I just know of that mark because I was once hired by one of their factions for a time and I happened to see someone become dismissed. If you are trying to figure out if I know the information you seek, I don't have it."
"No, it's not that," Zekra said with the shake of her head. "I know you don't know what we're looking for."
"Then why are you asking me?" he asked.
Zekra glanced at the ground, seemingly wrestling with a thought on her mind. Terron continued to watch her, waiting to see what she had to say.
"Soooo, do you know what the Fellowship does?" she then asked.
Terron almost stopped walking. He knew where this was conversation was heading.
He wanted to stop Zekra from talking. He wanted to abruptly end the subject before Zekra could reveal the existence of the Plagued Ones to Blight. It didn't matter if he deserved to know because he would be working for the Fellowship; Terron had a sudden urge to keep the secret safe. Perhaps it was because that was what the Fellowship had constantly taught him, or because he didn't have too much trust in Blight, but Terron didn't want Blight to know about the creatures that he and Zekra would one day become if something wasn't done.
Let them finish.
The familiar voice entered his mind, saying that command so simply. Terron recognized this voice to be the voice of his reason. It had been so long since he last heard it.
I can't trust Blight with this secret. You know that. Terron said to himself.
"The Fellowship assists Pokémon in need," Blight answered. "That's their role to society."
Everything will be fine, Terron. Let everything continue.
No. Everything's not going to be okay if this goes on. Terron argued back.
He opened his mouth to say something to Blight and Zekra, but then, he felt a migraine come over him. It wasn't as painful as his previous one, but it still cut his voice short of speaking.
You trust Zekra, don't you? So trust her. Trust me on this. You can trust me, can't you?
Wait… you're…
"And they also have another purpose that they keep away from the public," Blight went on, stopping Terron's thought process and ending the headache. "Their true purpose. That purpose is something I'm sure you're quite aware of; eliminating creatures called Plagued Ones."
"You know the truth?" Zekra asked, sounding rather surprised.
"Yes," Blight nodded. "I've known since the day I was hired to assist them for a time. Did you think they wouldn't tell me what their true goal was if I was to work with them for so long? Did you think they could have possibly hid that from me for so long?"
"Well, maybe," Zekra answered shyly. "I mean, you weren't an official member, so I didn't think they'd need a reason to tell you. You know, since you'd just leave after a while."
"Sadly, they did not," Blight answered in a bitter tone.
Zekra released a sigh, relieved to know that the team didn't need to hide the Plagued Ones' existence from the mercenary. However, Terron didn't feel any of this relief. He was more concerned with what had just happened in his mind. He finally understood that his "voice of reason" was perhaps not what he thought it to be. However, he knew he couldn't talk about it with his friends now; Blight was with them. Even if the Greninja knew about the Plagued Ones, Terron knew there was a very good chance that Blight didn't know about Erebus and how the plaguing process worked.
He would have to discuss this with his team was Blight not in their company. Nodding to himself, he pushed the troubling thought aside and continued onward.
They didn't have to travel far to come across an interesting sight. Blocking the way to another chamber was a large pile of slumbering Aron, all of them huddled close together. There had to be at least a dozen of the tiny Pokémon. The group came to a halt, finding their path blocked completely.
"I believe it's obvious what we must do now," Novus said calmly.
"Yeah, I know," Terron stated. "Well, which one of you guys wants to do the honor?"
"I think you should, Terron," Novus then said. "These Pokémon are of the steel and rock affinity. Surely you can defeat them with ease. That is, assuming that you know of any abilities that match your own affinity."
"Well, I know how to make earthquakes," Terron replied. "But, that's obviously not a good idea with you guys here. Hmmm, oh! Ah, I know something that'll work. Haven't really used this ability in battle yet, but I guess now is probably a good time to try it out. Everyone, stand back a bit."
With a nod of understanding, the three Pokémon took a few steps back and let Terron stand a few feet away from the Aron by himself. The Cubone stuffed his bone clubs into his coat pocket as he tried to remember the technique Vantis had taught him so long ago.
That special power that lives inside all ground-types. Terron noted. That's what I need to tap into. That's how I use Earth Power.
He made a tight fist with his right paw as he searched for that very power within him. He had found it once, so surely he could do it again. He just needed to focus on what that power was and then it would come to him.
It came in a matter of seconds. He could feel the strange energy coursing through his clenched claws. Without a second's delay, he slammed his fist into the cave floor, releasing all of the energy into the rocky terrain. A thin fissure tore through the ground and made its way toward the little Aron, and soon, was right beneath the sleeping Pokémon. Then, a bright light erupted from the crevice.
Every single Aron was blown into the air, all shrieking frantically. Then, one by one, they hit the ground with very loud clanks that filled the entire area. Unfortunately , Terron's attack had not knocked any of them out, as each one managed to get to their feet. They were much weaker now, but nowhere near close to fainting. All of them were glaring at the Cubone and seemed ready to charge him at a moment's notice. Terron grimaced as he pulled out his two clubs, realizing that the Aron weren't going to flee in terror.
Before anyone could even move an inch, all of the Aron suddenly toppled over, their bodies now cut cleanly in two. Terron cringed at the sight, but it didn't take him long to understand what had just happened. He glanced back to find Blight standing nearby, several Water Shuriken resting in the spaces between his fingers.
"You killed them for me," Terron stated.
"Yes, that's rather obvious," Blight replied in a dull tone.
"Why didn't you let me fight any of them ?" Terron then asked. "I can fight you know. I'm not helpless."
"Because I was hired to aid you," Blight answered. "And being your aid means that I have to fight alongside you."
Terron frowned, scowling at the Greninja.
"But that doesn't mean you have to fight all of our battles. We made it through the Fellowship, we can take care of ourselves you know. So, stop helping us so much. You can help, but don't knock out everybody for us in one hit."
Blight gave Terron a long stare, but Terron didn't break his gaze from the Greninja. A moment passed, and the throwing stars in Blight's hands disappeared.
"Fine, I will let you fight on your own unless you truly need my assistance," Blight decided.
The ground shook and a deep rumbling noise filled the air, growing louder and louder with each passing second. Blight let out a snort as he glanced at the chamber the team sought to enter . He took the X-Ray Specs that hung around his neck and pulled them over his eyes.
"Well, it seems you'll be allowed to fight on your own just like you wanted," the Greninja announced, glancing back to the team as the picked himself off of the floor. "It appears that the mother of those deceased Aron is very upset."
Without warning , a mighty Aggron burst from the wall and landed on all fours. She let out a loud, fierce cry at the four as she stood back up on her hind legs. She glanced over at the corpses of her young for just a brief second, her face twisting into an expression of deep pain. She brought her gaze back to the team, the anguish twisting into a deep, powerful wrath seemed to overcome her as she let out a piercing roar.
Terron scowled as he reached into his pocket and exchanged his clubs for a small pouch, hastily reaching into it for a single bone thorn before shoving the bag back into his coat. His clubs weren't going to work against the Aggron; he had no intentions of getting anywhere near her in her current state.
"I think I have an idea of what to do," Terron stated. "Novus, blast the Aggron with your fire and keep her distracted."
The Quilava nodded as he raced toward the enraged feral, spewing a large fireball at her face. The Aggron let out a loud scream as the metal of her hide seemed to warp from the intense heat. She didn't let that stop her as she swatted away the fire and charged at Novus, slashing at him with glistening claws. Novus was quick to avoid the swipe and began running circles around her, pelting the Aggron with embers in between dodging the creature's slow but vicious slashes and tail swipes. With each miss, she roared threats at him.
Terron glanced over at Zekra.
"Okay, that's working! Zekra, I need you to turn into something that flies," he ordered. "Anything. And then get me really close to that Aggron."
"Um, why?" Zekra asked, taking an unsure step away.
"Just trust me here," Terron replied as he firmly grasped the bone thorn in his paw.
Zekra gave an unsure shrug, but didn't say anything more. The Zorua leapt into the air, a violet light spread throughout her form, and a Skarmory came down. She grabbed Terron him by the back of his coat with her beak, then swiftly tossed him onto her back, where he immediately wrapped his free arm around her neck. Zekra sped toward the Aggron, the beast still preoccupied by Novus to notice the duo approach.
Terron didn't waste the opportunity. The second Zekra zoomed by the Aggron's head, he tossed his bone thorn forward. The Aggron flinched as the thorn sank deep into her eye. Novus ceased running and took the moment to catch his breath. The loud, screeching wails of the Aggron nearly shattered everyone's eardrums as blood trickled down her face.
"Now for the other side!" Terron shouted to Zekra as they climbed higher into the air, beyond the reach of the flailing Aggron.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that!" Zekra smirked. "I've got this!"
Zekra dropped into a nosedive, leaving Terron to cling Zekra's neck as tight as he could. She swerved around the Aggron's head and landed upon her, digging her Skarmory talons into the iron plates lined upon the feral's back. Then, without even a hint of hesitation, she jabbed her jagged beak into the Aggron's other eye.
Terron could have sworn he saw Zekra grin eagerly as the feral let out an anguished, tormented cry.
Zekra withdrew her beak from the Aggron's eye socket as she leapt off the creature, just narrowly missing a set of claws to her face. Zekra landed a few feet away from the hysteric Aggron, blood dripping off her metal beak.
"Everyone, finish it!" Terron shouted.
He jumped off Zekra as she changed into a Mienfoo, before bolting toward the Aggron on all fours. When she had closed the distance between the two of them, she sprang at the feral and pressed a paw into her chest. There was a bright light, followed by a very loud explosion as the Aggron was tossed back, tumbling across the cavern floor. The beast slammed into a nearby wall, indenting herself into its mass. The Aggron tried to get back on her feet, only to be met with a stream of flames that erupted from Novus. She let out a loud scream as the fire ate away at her steel-covered flesh.
Terron was quick to put her out of her misery. He gathered up the strange power in his fist once more and then slammed it into the ground. The ground quaked, and a crevice made its way toward the Aggron. The second it reached her, the golden light shot out, engulfing her. She let out one final roar that shook the caverns, and then finally fell silent.
When the dust cleared, the group found the Aggron collapsed on her side, blood oozing from her ruined eyes. Still, they knew she wasn't dead; it took much more than what they had done to actually kill a mighty Aggron.
But they had won.
The three all released a collective sigh. Zekra wiped the blood off her mouth with a paw while Terron and Novus simply observed the damage they had brought upon the Aggron.
"So, it truly does seem that you can take care of yourselves in regards to combat."
The three looked behind them to find Blight leaning against a cavern wall, observing them from a distance. He had a very unimpressed look in his eyes and whatever frown he wore was hidden by his tongue-scarf. It was quite clear he had a half-dozen ways to kill the Aggron in half the time, but Terron didn't let it get to him.
"Yeah, told you we could," Terron said proudly.
"So you did," Blight said with a nod. "You three collaborated skillfully."
"Well, you kind of have to when you're a team," Terron stated.
"Yes, but I found it most interesting to watch you and Zekra combine your skills together," Blight then said. "I don't think I've seen anyone do that. Typically Pokémon use their powers separately, but you two actually worked together to accomplish something greater."
"Yeah, it was something an old friend of ours taught us," Zekra then said, a sad frown now forming across her muzzle. "Our friend… he called it… synergy ."
"An interesting tactic he taught you," Blight stated.
Zekra only nodded absently in response.
Bittersweet memories flooded Terron's mind. He could see the memories of that Snivy so clearly. He could remember the very first day he met Syn and the mission that followed. He remembered how Syn was his only trusted company while they were trapped in Erebus Woods. Then he remembered the short-lived happy moments he had with the Snivy before he was abruptly taken away.
No, no I can't think about this. I don't want to think about Syn. I don't want to be weak again.
Terron balled up his hands and pressed them into his persona with as much force as possible.
Let me forget about him. Please. I've been doing so well…
He looked over at Zekra and Novus to find that the light in their eyes seemed dim. Terron frowned as he glanced over at the many Aron corpses resting nearby.
Need to get my mind of this. Need to think of something else.
The iron of the Aron's bodies glinted from the light of Novus's fire. An idea was very quick to form in Terron's mind, giving his mind something else to dwell on. He hastily shoved his unpleasant memories out of his mind to some success, though could still feel the lingering melancholy in his heart.
"Hey, help me get some of the steel off these things," Terron said. "I think I can to make weapons out of them somehow when we get out of here."
Terron wandered over to one of the bodies and grabbed ahold of the faceplate. With grit teeth, he pried the metal off its face, finding it to be less of a challenge than he anticipated since the body was cut in half. Once he had ripped the steel off, he stuffed it into a pocket. He looked over to find that Zekra and Novus had managed to do the same and were now bringing him the pieces of metal. He smiled, glad to see the task helped bury the memories away but said nothing of it. I nstead, he simply took their shards and tucked them away into his coat.
After everyone had managed to gather eight pieces total, Terron decided that he had enough. His coat was starting to feel heavy, and he worried if the fabric would rip or if all the weight would be a burden in combat.
"Thanks for your help," Terron said. "Now maybe I can make some cool weapons out of these things. Like maybe a dagger or something."
"Hmm, weapons of metal rather than bone?" Novus noted curiously.
"Yeah, you know, something with more of an edge to it," Terron replied. "I think it's a pretty cool idea."
"I see," Novus said. "Well, though I do find it good that you are expanding your collection of weapons, I also recommend that you learn abilities that don't require items. Perhaps an elemental ability other than ground, since I do believe that Cubone can learn those if taught properly."
"Really?" Terron asked as he looked at a paw. "Huh. Well, maybe one day. But, I'm fine for now."
"I am only saying that you should consider it," Novus said as he turned away. "You cannot always rely upon items of any sort, for it will be your downfall one day."
Terron nodded slowly. He looked toward the next chamber and with a short sigh, headed toward it. His teammates followed behind him in silence. They went through the cave, seemingly everything growing darker the further they tread. However, they never worried about the darkness, for Novus's light still shined so brightly. He never seemed to grow exhausted despite Terron's concerns.
"Zekra, what illusion abilities do you know?" Blight asked after walking in silence for a few minutes.
"Well, I know how to copy other Pokémon's forms and use any powers I see them using," Zekra replied. "And, I can copy their voice. That's it really. Why?"
"Curious," Blight stated. "So, you have all of the abilities a typical Zorua has. Yet you don't have any of the Zoroark abilities, except for copying another foe's abilities."
"I thought that Zoroark illusions were just like mine, but they could change entire environments," Zekra stated oddly, not bothered by the sudden avoidance of her question. "I mean, that's what my brother could do when he really felt like it."
"They can do much more than that," Blight said quietly. "And I'm fairly certain you could too, since that Deception Amulet amplifies your illusion powers, making them about as strong as a Zoroark's. Judging from what I could see during your battle with the Aggron."
Zekra's eyes lit up with wonder, her mouth hanging slightly open.
"Like what?" she asked.
"For starters, Zoroark can create an entirely different world in someone else's mind," Blight answered. "They can take that Pokémon out of reality and put them in a distorted one. It can only be done for a short while, but it's entirely possible. It's very similar to putting someone into one of Darkrai's nightmares. So similar, that I sometimes wonder if Darkrai himself taught Zoroark that ability when the world was new. One cannot tell the difference between the true reality and the distorted one when the Zoroark and Darkrai use that particular kind of power.
"Then there is another ability they know that not many know about; they can dispel illusions of any kind."
"Dispel?" Zekra asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "You mean, like they can get rid of other illusions?"
"Exactly," the Greninja nodded. "If they are ever trapped in an illusion of some sort, or face multiple illusion-users, they can break out of that illusion. If they can see that they are imprisoned in that false world, they can reverse the illusion. Since I'm not an illusion user, I'm not entirely sure how that works. I just know that they can. It's a valuable ability that they use if a pest gets into their dreams and manipulates it for whatever sadistic reason they can think of. And also, against other Zoroark or Zorua in battle."
"Huh, okay," Zekra said as she nodded to herself. "Well, I really wanna learn those abilities! They sound so awesome! Now I just need to find a Zoroark to teach me! Somewhere. Somehow."
Blight didn't give a response. He adjusted his tongue scarf, raising it to cover his mouth more.
"How do you know such information about Zoroark abilities?" Novus then asked the Greninja.
"Because I've encountered Zoroark," Blight stated matter-of-factly. "I am a mercenary; I see many things throughout my travels."
"That's still quite a bit of detailed information you hold on such a species," Novus countered. "Especially on a species that I believe is not seen too often."
The Greninja gave the Quilava a bland glance of indifference before bringing his attention back to what lay ahead. Novus continued to keep his eyes glued to the Greninja, as if waiting for something to be said, but Blight continued to remain silent. Terron was about to pester the Greninja, as Novus was asking a rather intriguing question, but he stopped himself short as he realized something.
The cave had seemed to come to a stop. There were no more tunnels to venture through, nor were there any chambers. It was simply a spacious room with nothing but pillars of rock hanging from the ceiling and protruding out of the ground. Crystals, to be precise. There were numerous scattered throughout the chamber, all of them such vibrant colors that seemed to give off a dim glow, as if each of them had a tiny light within their mass.
The group stopped as soon as they entered the crystal-filled area, marveling at the beautiful sight. Terron looked over at a small cluster of bright red stone, when he saw a small sack resting beside the rocks. Upon that sack's front was a sigil of six, leaf-like objects connecting at a center with three lines slashing through it in different directions. He immediately recognized it as a Mark of the Fellowship. Chrysalis's Fellowship mark, no doubt. Those leaf-like objects were shaped exactly like her wings.
He eagerly rushed over to the bag and hastily undid the string tying it shut. He dumped the contents of the bag into his hand, wanting to see what item they had been tasked to obtain. He expected to find an orb of sorts from how heavy the bag felt. Much to his surprise, a dull, ordinary rock came tumbling out with a piece of parchment following behind it. There was a very elegant scrawl all over the paper, but he knew he couldn't read it, for it was written in footprint runes. He let out an irritated sigh, cursing himself for still not knowing Shiron's written language.
"Hey, Zekra," Terron called. "I need you to read this for me."
The Zorua came bounding over with Blight and Novus not too far behind her. The adults stopped behind Terron while Zekra went over to his side and peered at the note.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It's the thing we were supposed to be looking for," Terron answered. "But, there isn't an item in here. Just this rock and this letter. So, can you read what it says?"
Zekra nodded as she glanced at the top of the page.
"'So I see that you made it this far,'" Zekra read in Chrysalis's voice. "'Very good. Of course, I figured that you would have no trouble coming here. This cave is much less of a challenge than a Mystery Dungeon. I would have preferred to send you to a dungeon in all honesty, but I sadly cannot do that after certain events. What a pity. I'm fairly certain your competence would have been proven with much more ease in such a twisted domain. But I suppose there is no point in being wistful in this. I'm simply wasting ink space.
"'You are probably wondering why there is a rock in this sack, judging that you have opened up this sack the second you found it. Well, I will tell you. This rock is supposed to trick you. The rock is not the item you're supposed to bring back to me. I simply told you that the item was already in the bag to see if you would actually check the bag, since the rock in there would no doubt fool you. But if you're reading this message, then you no doubt checked to make sure. Very good. Perhaps you're actually as competent as I wanted you to be. The crystals you see before you are what I actually want. Retrieve a crystal and bring it back to me. That is your new instruction. Have fun.'"
"Well that was such a lovely message," Terron deadpanned. "Tch, what a trick she tried to pull. Telling us that the item was there already when it really wasn't…"
"She was measuring your competence," Novus said. "I'm sure she does that with every recruit she tests, even if it is a rather low tactic. Still, something about her message intrigues me. Her remarks about the dungeons were rather strange. What events prevent her from sending us to a dungeon?"
"I believe it's better not to wonder," Blight cut in before Terron could answer. "You were given an easier mission. I think that's all that matters."
"Perhaps…" Novus replied. "But I suppose it matters not like you said. Well Blight, can you retrieve one of the crystals for us? I believe your water stars will cut through the gems with ease."
"Yes."
The Greninja swiped a hand through the air, and not even a second later, the tip of the red crystal before them slid to the ground. A single throwing star was embedded into the distant wall behind the severed crystal. With a happy smile, Terron reached down and picked up the jewel before stuffing it into the sack. Then, he put the sack into his coat.
"Alright you guys, looks like we'll have to go all the way back to the entrance to get out of here," Terron announced. "There sadly isn't an exit here. Would be cool if we had an Escape Orb since those work in places like this too, but we sadly don't have one of those."
"Lame!" Zekra whined.
"Anyway, let's get going back," Terron said, ignoring Zekra's remark. "We're done he-"
"Grrryeeeh."
Everyone looked over at Blight, finding that he was now crouched low to the ground, a dark glint in his narrowed eyes. He was still emitting the unnerving, croak-like noises.
"Umm, Blight," Zekra said nervously. "What's wrong?"
"Sable… eye," Blight hissed.
Terron, Zekra, and Novus cautiously looked behind them at whatever Blight seemed to be glaring at. They were shocked to find three Sableye among the many clusters of crystal, their claws twitching. Thankfully for the team, none of the Sableye smiled. The ghost creatures didn't seem to relish the thought of seeing the startled team.
"What are those things doing here?" Zekra asked as she snarled at the imps.
"Sableye tend to eat gems, so they most likely live in this section of the cave," Novus answered. "And if I had to guess, they aren't exactly fond of others taking their crystals."
"So in other words," Terron started to say, brandishing a club from his coat, "they're not going to let us leave until we give the crystal back."
"Probably," Novus replied.
Terron scowled. While he wasn't afraid of fighting these Sableye, seeing them did bring several unpleasant memories to his mind. Most of which were of course, about a certain Sableye he knew.
Seems I can't really get away from thinking about you, Yimtri. Terron thought unpleasantly. Tch, you just couldn't tell the Fellowship the truth. You just couldn't. You're just letting them suffer just to save yourself. You're letting me and my friends suffer. I should have no reason to trust you. I should tell the Fellowship about Erebus and the Plagued Ones the second I get back to Chrysalis.
Terron frowned harder as he watched one of the Sableye dash toward him, its speed much slower than Terron had anticipated. It wasn't like the blur of movement Yimtri became whenever he was in combat. Terron clenched his grip around his club.
So then why do I trust you? What have you done that gives me a good reason not to say anything to anyone? Why am I keeping your precious secret for you?
Terron shook his thoughts way as the Sableye finally closed the distance. He pulled back his club to slam it into the thing only for Blight to appear between them. Blight leapt at the Sableye, his fingers becoming encased in the violet light as he snatched the little ghost up. Terron watched in horror as the Greninja slammed the feral into the ground and plunged his sharpened fingers into the creature. It was killed without a single sound.
Terron, Novus, and Zekra watched in stunned silence as Blight's eyes flickered with a deep and powerful spite. They almost didn't think they were still looking at Blight and that instead, they were watching a demon that pretended to be the mercenary.
The other two Sableye were quick to leap at the Greninja and ran toward him with claws poised to strike. Blight snapped his head back at the two ghosts and the fire in his eyes only seemed to grow.
The next thing everybody knew, both of the Sableye were collapsed on the ground, unmoving. In-between Blight's fingers were several Water Shuriken. He glared at the defeated creatures as he made the throwing stars disappear.
"Gryyyyeeeh," Blight continued to snarl.
He remained where he was, eyeing the many crystals in the room. It was as though he was waiting for Sableye to appear. However, no more came. This didn't stop seem to change Blight's behavior. He continued to croak eerily as his fingers curled into the ground.
"Blight… all the Sableye are gone now," Terron said cautiously.
The Greninja's head snapped back at Terron.
"They are," Blight stated. "But the one I want isn't here. That… Sableye isn't here…"
Terron cringed as the Greninja got up and turned around to face the Cubone. Blight held up his hands, which were still coated in the light of Night Slash. He flexed them a few times as his eyes seemed to become wider.
"You don't know what he's done," Blight said, his voice becoming more of a hiss with each passing second. "You don't know anything. You don't know what he did to me."
The Greninja was suddenly right in front of the group, crouched at their level, glaring directly at Terron.
"You don't know what my client did, but he needs to be found," Blight said. "He needs to DIE. I will find him. You'll see children. You will-"
"Stop it!"
Zekra leapt in front of Terron, as if to shield him from Blight's murderous stare. She wore a dark expression of her own, but it was less malevolent than the Greninja's.
"Back off!" Zekra said with a snarl. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but stop it! Or else I'll make you!"
Blight cast his glare upon Zekra, but her gaze didn't falter. Her eyes and fangs dimly glowed in the aqua light.
Then, Blight's malicious expression went away, and was replaced with his typical blank one. He seemed to cringe before abruptly breaking off the stare and getting back to his feet. He quickly walked away from the group and stopped by the entrance of the chamber.
"We should leave," Blight spoke, once again sounding composed. "We found what we need."
"I guess…" Zekra said unsurely, the bravado in her voice now gone. "But why were you being all weird just now?"
"I don't know why," Blight answered.
"You don't know?" Zekra asked in disbelief. "What do you mean? You just randomly sound like that for no real reason?"
The Greninja remained silent. He looked away from the group, bowing his head in what could only be assumed was shame.
"Don't make me answer that question," he said quietly. "Though you are my clients, that is the one favor I ask of you. I ask for nothing else, except for you not to ask me that question."
Zekra appeared at a loss of how to respond. She opened her mouth several times, but nothing came out. Terron nor Novus had much of a response either.
"Come along. We're finished here," Blight then said.
With some reluctance, the three Pokémon went over to the mercenary and together, they left the crystal-filled chamber. But even then, Team Vendetta made sure to stay a considerable distance away from the Greninja.