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Chapter 51
Darkness's Embrace
Erebus, the plagued Darkrai, still lay collapsed before the victorious Cubone with eyes shut tight.
Terron looked upon the monster with a blank stare, his thoughts still running empty and all feeling in his body gone. The forest surrounding him remained silent, for now that he was no longer in a nightmare, there were no creatures that could attack him. He was the only one who was left in the Darkrai's home.
Almost the only one. I believe you forget the ones who came with you to defeat Erebus. Your friends, as you would call them.
His plagued self said no more as it retreated into the hidden reaches of his mind. With its impromptus leave, all of his thoughts came flooding back to him. The sudden rush startled Terron for a moment, but he was quick to recover as memories of the battle came over him. And with those memories, he remembered the fates of the Pokémon that were with him.
As his heart beat violently in his chest, he scurried off to the one closest to him: Zekra. He found that she was still collapsed under one of the many trees sprouting around the forest, still streaming with a black haze. For just a moment, Terron hesitated, thinking that his friend was long gone and only her plagued self remained. Surely, if he woke her up, she would attack him and turn him into a Plagued One as well.
No, she's not a complete Plagued One. Terron then realized. Fully plagued Pokémon don't sleep. If they're ever defeated, they completely lose their forms. Zekra's still got a body even though she's passed out.
With that comforting thought in mind, Terron reached down and slowly shook her.
"Hey, Zekra?" he asked gently. "Can you hear me?"
The Zorua didn't stir. Terron grimaced as he shook her more vigorously.
"Zekra! Wake up!"
One of her ears twitched, and soon, a pained scowl followed. Terron felt his heart soar as Zekra's eyes sluggishly opened. The wisps oozing out of her fur quickly ceased to be.
"What happened?" she asked wearily. "Where's Erebus?"
"Gone," Terron answered. "We defeated it. It's over now, Zekra. We've won."
Zekra's eyes widened. With a groan, she hurried to her feet and glanced around. It didn't take her long to spot the motionless Darkrai sprawled out on the ground in the distance. She gasped as she brought her gaze back to Terron.
"Erebus is dead," she breathed. "You killed it after it took me out… which means all of the Mystery Dungeons in the world are gone now. It can't plague anybody anymore…"
"Yeah, but let's not celebrate just yet. We need to wake everybody up and then maybe go check Erebus one last time to make sure it's actually dead. We don't want to make a stupid mistake like just assuming it's dead after all."
"Right," Zekra said, quickly composing herself. "We'll meet up by Erebus after we get everybody. So, I guess I'll go get Zev and Novus while you look around for Chloe and Yimtri. That alright?"
Terron internally flinched at the Sableye's name. Hundreds of thoughts immediately flashed through his mind, all of them reminding him of the grim "truth" Erebus had revealed to him. According to the plagued Darkrai, Yimtri and Terron were once the same person, the human that Terron thought he was.
Just the mere thought of thinking about the Sableye made Terron sick to his stomach. To think that the one he had despised so greatly in the past was, in fact, a part of him. He didn't want to believe it was true, yet the very thought kept clinging to him, insisting that it was, in fact, the truth.
"Uh, Tear? You there?" Zekra asked, waving a paw in front of his face.
Terron snapped back into reality and looked back at his friend. Of course Zekra didn't know what was going through his mind; she had been unconscious when Erebus had told him of the unnerving information. Everyone except himself and Yimtri didn't know what had happened.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said blankly. "I was just zoning out for a second. But yeah, I'll go find them. See you at Erebus."
Zekra cast him a confused glance, but made no further comments. Terron watched her leave his side and wander off to the presumed location of one of his fallen friends. When she was out of sight, he looked in the direction of where he knew Yimtri lay collapsed. Then, with a reluctant grimace, he made his way toward the Sableye.
Yimtri is me… and I'm him. Terron pondered. It would explain so much, but... how did it even happen? How are we separate beings? I mean, is there another explanation? Could all of this just be a lie Erebus told us so that it could catch us off guard? But… then why did Yimtri and I have that weird connection back then? And why was I seeing all of his memories in that realm while everyone else saw their own? If he's really me… then all of that would make sense. But…
Terron pushed the thought out of his mind as he hastened his pace, treading through the forest until he came across the one he sought. Just like Zekra, he found Yimtri's body was releasing endless wisps into the air. Collapsed by his side was his Spell Cape and the pin still attached to the collar. Tied to his wrist was still a piece of the cape that he and Terron had used to attack Erebus together. A piece of that same cape was still fastened tight to Terron's own wrist.
The Cubone gulped at the sight, and it wasn't because he feared that Yimtri was further plagued.
"Yimtri," Terron said, unable to raise his voice to anything above a whisper.
Much to Terron's surprise, there was a flicker of light in the Sableye's jeweled eyes. It was dim at first, but then, it steadily grew until it was as though a fire was burning behind them. The Sableye slowly turned to Terron, his face blank. Terron, despite feeling unnerved at the stare, went on.
"Erebus is defeated. After it knocked you out, I managed to take care of everything. So… it's finished."
Yimtri continued to say nothing. He only rose back to his feet before he reached down and picked up the discarded cape with the special pin. He proceeded to tie the cloth around his neck, taking extra care to make sure that the pin pressed its surface against his neck. However, even after he had attached the cape to himself, the streams escaping his ghostly form didn't disappear. They only continued to waft out of his body.
Terron slowly backed away, not sure what to make of the scene. Yimtri looked over himself, seeing what had happened to his body before he brought his claws close to his face. He watched with a blank, eerie stare as several wisps seeped out of his hands, never ceasing. There was no horrified scowl or twisted smile upon the Sableye's face; there was only a complete lack of emotion.
Yimtri dropped his claws and cast the Cubone a glance, his jeweled eyes flickering with a light very akin to the Plagued Ones. The two stared at one another, neither saying anything to the other. Terron could feel the awkward tension gathering between the two, growing stronger with each passing second. He could feel it driving itself deep into his heart, and he knew that Yimtri was feeling the exact same way. He didn't need to have his intangible connection with Yimtri to tell him that.
There was a brief flash of his eyes, and then Yimtri averted his gaze from the Cubone and unceremoniously wandered away. The heavy atmosphere filling Terron only amplified, even as the Sableye grew further and further away from him.
Terron couldn't take it anymore.
"How are you me?" he blurted out. "How are you me when you've been on Shiron for at least twenty years and I've barely been here for a couple of months?"
"We're not having this conversation," Yimtri stated. "End of discussion."
Terron scowled as he curled his empty claws into fists.
"Yes, we are," Terron stated firmly. "You're not backing out of this conversation. I need to know what's going on. I need to know how you of all Pokémon are supposed to be me."
Yimtri came to a halt. He kept his back to the Cubone, letting his claws hang limply by his side. He remained like this for a time, completely silent as he stared off into the distance.
Then, he slowly turned around and looked straight at the Cubone. Just as before, there was no soul behind his eyes. He was simply gone. Detached from reality.
"You're not me," Yimtri said. "I'm not you and you're not me. There. There's the answer. Erebus was lying to us."
Terron didn't know how to respond to the statement.
"You and I are not the same being," Yimtri went on, his voice cold and calculated. "I refuse to accept that such an absurd statement is the truth for countless reasons. You'd best do the same."
Terron stared at the Sableye, his own eyes now dulled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yimtri was absolutely bent on not believing he and Terron were the same being. He was in complete denial over the entire situation.
And then, Terron realized something. He slowly shook his head and he narrowed his eyes as the thought became more concrete in his mind.
"You're not in denial over this," he said in a low, quiet tone. "No, this is just like with the time you kept pretending you were in denial over how Erebus was turning everyone into Plagued Ones. You were just being that way so that you didn't have to confess anything. And you're doing it again right now because even though you know we're both the same person, you don't want to talk about it."
"Don't be absurd," Yimtri snapped. "You too know that we're not the same being. This conversation doesn't need to happen. And do you want to know why? It's because of the secret I kept from everyone across all of Shiron. That secret outright proves that you and I aren't the same human. And since you've helped me defeat Erebus, I'll finally tell you exactly what that secret is."
Yimtri glared at the Cubone as his Plagued One haze seemed to darken and leave his body more rapidly.
"I was never a Sableye my entire life. Once upon a time, I used to be another being who went by the name of Dimitri. A human being who lived in a world called Kuron that was very similar to Shiron in regards to the layout of the land, with it having only one large continent and several smaller islands scattered around the ocean. But otherwise, it was a completely different world. There were no Pokémon; they were only legends that supposedly worked alongside humans centuries ago before they promptly disappeared without warning. They were just like the gods of ancient cultures that no one believed in anymore. Instead, we had creatures called animals that were very similar to Pokémon, yet not quite the same.
"I was no one of significance; I was simply a youth who would be entering adulthood in due time. A child, just like you. But then, one day about twenty five years ago, that changed. I woke up one morning and found myself in a glade, no longer a human. No, now I was this… Sableye. Though thankfully for me, I had all of my memories and thus knew what I was, as I read much regarding legends and mythology, if you haven't managed to figure that out by now. The adaption to my sudden transformation was much swifter because of that.
"But, that's beside the point. The point is that never in my memory do I remember this plagued Darkrai stealing me from Kuron and tearing my soul in two. I highly doubt that I'd forget such a traumatic detail. I don't know precisely who you are, except that you're human based on a variety of characteristics you display. The cryptic questions I asked you after you revealed that the name Erebus sounded familiar proved that to me. But, despite that, you're not me. You're still a child, the age I was when I was whisked here amusingly enough, but you're not me due to that. If you were truly me, you would be as old as me. You're not. You're still a child."
Terron didn't say anything, well aware that what Yimtri stated was true. He had already realized the significant age difference between him and Yimtri. That information alone should have convinced Terron that Yimtri was right.
And yet, Terron knew it wasn't good enough.
"If you really believe that," Terron stated, "then I want you to give me an answer to this question: why did you and I trust each other when we first met?"
Yimtri scowled hard. Terron didn't feel a swell of confidence come over him upon seeing the reaction. He felt nothing at seeing the Sableye's stupor.
"Let's face it," Terron pressed further, not giving Yimtri the chance for a rebuttal. "Even though you and I pretended to have a reason to trust each other when we first met, we didn't really. To me, in my misguided perspective, you were nothing but a gutless coward who was letting everybody suffer because you feared that the Fellowships would kill you and your members if they found out what was going on with Erebus. Something that I found was incredibly selfish and it didn't help that you outright refused to admit what Erebus did to me until I threatened you in Aurora Town. And then to you, I was a giant thorn at your side. I was some Cubone who knew one of your darkest secrets and made your life more difficult than it was already. You knew what would happen if I told everyone about Erebus and its ties to the Plagued Ones. You knew that no matter what, no one would listen to you and give you a chance to prove you weren't completely plagued and gone.
"So then why did we trust each other? Why did you decide to let me live and bear your secret when you could have easily killed me? You could have made up a lie and said that my friends and I all got lost in Erebus Woods. It would have been so easy. But you didn't. And then why did I choose to keep that information safe for you? Why didn't I let anyone tell the Fellowship about Erebus? I could have done it; I really could have. Len would have protected me if you ended up coming for me. His entire team would have. But I didn't.
"Yimtri, why would we trust each other that much if we hated each other back then? Why would we do something so stupid? What excuse did we have? Can you answer that for me?"
The Sableye didn't give a reply. Terron's scowl grew as he took a step forward.
"Go ahead, answer the question," the Cubone challenged. "Tell me why we trusted each other back then. Give me a better explanation than the fact that we're the same person and could somehow sense that even back then."
Yimtri continued to stare at the Cubone for a moment longer. And then, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he gave a long, tired sigh. He hung his head and slowly shook it.
"… what does it matter if we're the same person?" Yimtri asked in a subdued voice.
"Because I want to know what happened," Terron stated. "You're the one who probably knows better than me. You're the one who has all of… our memories."
Terron had to stop, finding that referring to the both of them as the same being felt strange. Even if saying it in his mind brought no problems, it was an entirely different story to say it aloud.
"I already said it; I don't remember," Yimtri confessed. "Not a single memory of mine has a Darkrai tearing apart my soul. I simply woke up as a Sableye when I had fallen asleep as a human."
"But there has to be an explanation," Terron insisted. "There has to be a reason for how this happened. I know there is. I just want to know so badly. I just want to know why Erebus split us apart… I want to know why we were brought to Shiron."
Yimtri remained silent, grimacing uncomfortably. But, Terron knew it wasn't done out of reluctance; it was because the Sableye truly had nothing left to say. As of that moment, Yimtri had given the Cubone every secret he had withheld from the world. Everything he knew about Erebus and his own humanity was all within Terron's mind now. There was nothing left to tell. There was no more information the Cubone could get out of the Sableye, the only source he had left to gain more information about their separation.
Terron felt his heart sink at the epiphany.
"You two are safe."
The two former humans froze. They knew that voice; it was Chloe's voice. She was among them again somehow, despite what had happened to her during the battle.
"Chloe?" Yimtri asked as he glanced around. "Where are you?"
"Over here."
Without hesitation, Yimtri hurried toward the direction of the voice, the wisps escaping his body now ceasing so that he had the appearance of a normal Sableye. Terron was quick to follow, staying close behind him. They treaded through the forest, searching for the Turtwig that had disappeared after combating Erebus. Terron still wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her and why she had vanished so quickly when she tried to save him, but he realized that the only way he would find out was to find her and ask. That was, among many other things he wanted to ask her, given the cryptic words she spoke when they were traveling in the dungeon.
So many questions for just one Pokémon. Terron thought to himself. She just better answer them.
After a time, the two found themselves wandering in the area where Erebus still lay. They found Zekra, Zeverous, and Novus gathered nearby the body, but Chloe was nowhere in sight.
"Oh, there you guys are," Zekra said as she glanced over at them. "We just got here and were wondering where you guys were."
"So I see," Yimtri stated simply. "Is Chloe here?"
"No, Tear was supposed to be looking for her," Zekra replied. "You didn't find her?"
"Not really," Terron admitted. "But we heard her voice and we're trying to follow it to wherever she is. Are you guys okay, though?"
"I feel rather exhausted still, even after having an Oran berry," Novus answered. "But otherwise, I am fine. I'm rather happy to know that I wasn't infected with the blight, so I still remain myself."
"Alright, that's good. We really don't need everyone here to be plagued. And what about you, Zev?"
"Yeah, I guess I'm alright," he answered with a shrug. "Kind of the same as Novus really."
"Same here," Zekra chimed in. "I just want to take a nap or something. I feel kinda woozy and it's getting kinda hard to keep standing. And no matter how many Oran berries I eat, I just don't feel any better."
"Huh. That's strange. I kind of figured that Oran berries can't heal us completely, but I still figured they'd make you guys feel a lot better."
"Yeah, I guess it's just what happens after you fight a legendary. But at least we're all still alive. I really thought somebody was going to die back there or get turned into a Plagued One…."
Zekra flattened her ears against her head as she cast a sad glance to the Pokémon surrounding her. The Zoroark standing beside her smiled softly.
"Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore," Zeverous assured. "The battle's over. We've won. Now we can get out of here and go do… whatever now."
"We still need to find Chloe," Yimtri stated. "We're not leaving until we find her."
"Yeah, alright," Zeverous sighed. "We won't leave her behind. Hopefully she got out of that weird realm she was trapped in."
"I need to ask her questions too, so yeah, let's go find her," Terron stated. "But since we're here, we should check to make sure we killed Erebus. We don't want it coming back to life on us."
Everyone turned to look upon the comatose Darkrai. It still slumbered before them, having not moved an inch since the moment it fell into its current state. There were no signs of life in it from where they stood, save for the wisps that continued to leak out of its body. But even then, Terron doubted the streams were an indicator of whether the creature was still alive or not.
Before anybody could decide who would do the task, Yimtri went forward and approached the fallen Darkrai. Everyone stepped out of the way as he stopped before it, staring into its closed eye with a blank expression.
He then raised a claw up, its sharp points glimmering in the light of his gemstones.
The Darkrai's eye suddenly opened and gazed directly at the Sableye.
Yimtri tensed, but only for a second. He quickly twisted his surprised frown into a scowl as brought his claw down upon Erebus. However, before it could make contact with the creature, the Darkrai deftly moved out of the way and sprang into the air.
Everyone took a step back, wearily psyching themselves for yet another battle with the Darkrai. Though they had suspected Erebus wasn't dead, they had thought they at least crippled it and made it immobile.
They should have known better when fighting against such a mutated, powerful force of nature. Now, it seemed that they would be forced to fight all over again.
But, much to everyone's surprise, Erebus didn't attack them. Instead, it stared at each of the five from its position high above, its one unconcealed eye barely illuminated.
"You have put me on the brink of death. Not many Pokémon can do that, especially when I am filled with the blight."
Everyone flinched as the Darkrai spoke to them. They did not cower because it was a voice they had never heard before; they cowered because the voice was familiar. They knew the voice that now spoke to them and hearing it from the plagued creature greatly shook them. However, it was Yimtri who was most disturbed by the words. He took a few steps toward the Darkrai, never taking his eyes off its own.
"Your voice… it sounds just like Chloe's," he stated. "You're speaking with her voice."
"Yes, this is my true voice. The voice you have heard me use in the past, the distorted one, that one was used so you would not realize the ties the Turtwig and I held with each other."
Yimtri's eyes flickered.
"So what you're saying… is that the Turtwig I knew as Chloe for so long… the one I trusted more than anyone… that was just you."
"Yes. She was a fraction of myself I split off into another being."
For a moment, Yimtri did nothing. He only remained stationary as he stared at the Darkrai, his eyes glassy. It was as though time had completely stopped all around Yimtri.
And then, something in him snapped.
"You were her?!" he cried, drawing his claws as his eyes filled with an ethereal brightness. "All of those years… all of those years I thought I had someone I could trust. All those years I thought I had a companion… a friend who stayed by my side no matter what happened… no matter how much I was plagued and became the mess I am now... that was just you?!"
There was a flash of black, and then Yimtri closed the distance between him and the Darkrai, his claw sunk deep into her front. She winced at the sudden attack as she let out a pained groan. She fell out of the air and crashed into a nearby tree, sliding down to its base before becoming sprawled out along the ground. She looked over at the Sableye, who still had his claw within her and was somehow unharmed, but seemed unable to make an effort to stop him. She only kept her gaze on him, watching as his vicious scowl melted away to reveal an expression so broken.
"So this whole time, you were her," he went on, his voice cracking further with each word he spoke. "You were just… leading me here. You were just there for me so that you could keep me near your home and turn me into a Plagued One. You did all of this just so you could make me one of your sick, twisted creations… everything you did was nothing but a lie. Chloe was just a lie…"
Yimtri ripped out his claw from the Darkrai, watching as she cringed and held the punctured spot. The Sableye stared at his claw, watching the black wisps stream off it. He looked back at the Darkrai, who continued to writhe in place.
"Somebody kill her," he stated in a low, venomous voice. "Somebody take care of this so we can leave."
No one moved a muscle. Yimtri somehow seemed to realize this, for he swiveled his head around and glared at the four.
"One of you kill her right now!" he screamed.
Everyone flinched. They could see how much Yimtri's eyes shimmered with a dark, melancholy light. They knew if it weren't for the fact he had gems for eyes, he would have been crying.
"Yimtri…" Terron muttered.
"Stop stalling and do it!"
"It is best not to kill me."
Yimtri snapped his gaze back to the Darkrai. He found that she had pushed herself up into an awkward sitting position against the tree. Her arms hung limply by her sides as she stared at him with a hazy eye.
Yimtri forced his broken scowl to twist back into one filled with animosity. He spread out his claws as he let out a low, menacing snarl that belonged more to a demon rather than a respectable leader.
"Why shouldn't I?" he asked coldly. "Give me one good reason after all that you've done to Shiron for the past fifty years."
"Because I have the answers you want. You cannot obtain these answers if I am dead."
Yimtri scowled and directed all of his misery at her in a vehement glare of pure hatred.
"Why would you bother to tell us anything?" he hissed. "You have no reason to give us information. Telling us the answers we seek would never benefit you."
"Why not listen to my words and decide for yourself if they are true or not?"
The Sableye scowled harder, dissatisfied with the answer. The Darkrai wasn't fazed by his hostile demeanor, only choosing to remain collected and motionless.
"I will start with something simple. You wonder why you were so determined to come to my home as of recent times when before, you were so reluctant. I was the one who made you like that. I told the blight within you to hurry here so that you would come to me. The blight told you to hasten and hurry to me. It fed into your rashness."
"Of course that is your fault," he muttered bitterly.
"Yes. It was my fault. I will not deny it. I have many ways of luring Pokémon into my nightmares. One of them is a method I am sure you are quite aware of."
Erebus's eye glimmered. The darkness all around the six suddenly retreated into the far reaches of the forest, allowing them to see the vicinity with better clarity. What they found nearly made them backpedal.
There were hundreds of evolution stones scattered throughout the canopy. They lined each and every branch, covering the wood with their presence. Each one glowed softly from the strange power within them, like tiny, flickering candle lights.
"You might think that the stones were nothing but a part of my nightmares after realizing what Mystery Dungeons truly are, but the truth is that they are very much real. I make sure that if you collect any items in your journey through my nightmares, I allow you to leave the nightmare and my homes with the same amount of true items. After all, if they were not real, they would surely disappear from reality after a time once you left. I can only have a piece of the nightmare remain in reality for so long before it disappears, if I can even allow that at times. I am fairly sure that if my evolution stones were fake, you would have noticed and would soon figure out what my Mystery Dungeons truly were. But most importantly, you would no longer come to my home. I could not allow that to happen."
"So you're the reason for the evolving stone shortage in the world," Yimtri said. "You stole so many of them and brought them here so you could lure my members and I into your nightmare. And then you would plague us every time we visited, knowing we would never leave because we needed them for all of the Fellowships…"
"Yes, that was the purpose of the stones. You are right. Whether it is through bribery in some sense, or simply drawing you in using the influence of the blight I put within you, there are many ways I draw you into my true home."
Yimtri scowled at the comment. He let out a scoff as he turned away, still incredibly disgusted with the Darkrai. Erebus cast him what appeared to be a saddened gaze, but said nothing else to him. She seemed to know that he no longer wished to speak to her, let alone look at her.
Terron, on the other hand, grew strangely curious about her. He took a few steps forward against his better judgment, looking at her. She stared back at him, and he noted that her eyes seemed even dimmer than before.
But, before he could think of anything to say, someone else spoke.
"Hmm, another question I wish to ask," Novus said. "In the corpse forest, there were Pokémon who you said were those that you infected with the blight. But, then we found out that the forest was nothing but a nightmare. So if that is so, what are those Pokémon then?"
The Darkrai said nothing, only choosing to stare at the Quilava with a blank expression. Novus frowned.
"Are you going to answer my question?" Novus asked again.
There was still silence.
"Erebus?" Terron then spoke up. "You going to answer him?"
She immediately seemed to snap to attention, as if waking out of a deep daydream.
"They were projections of the Pokémon I tainted with the blight. The Pokémon you saw were very much real; they were simply somewhere else and I only chose to show you precisely how many I had captured in the nightmare using that forest. That way, you have an idea of how many new recruits the Primogenitor will have added to its legion by my own doing. Then you will know what you are truly fighting against."
"So that's what it is," Novus said with a nod.
He seemed to think to himself for a moment.
"Though, once again, you speak of this Primogenitor," he stated. "You have mentioned it a number of times. What exactly is this creature you refer to by that name?"
Once again, Erebus didn't speak. She only brought her vacant stare to the Cubone, occasionally shifting it between him and Yimtri.
Novus scowled harder as the crown of his head slowly became aflame. He opened his mouth for what was assumed to be a lashing, but then, the Darkrai shifted her glance back over to the Quilava. It was only for a second, but in that fleeting moment, Terron thought he saw something glimmer in her eyes. Multiple emotions that flashed so quickly before him.
But there was one that was most prominent: vulnerability.
"The Primogenitor is the creature I found when I ventured into the Blight Forest so long ago. I do not know what it is. It is unlike any other creature I have seen. It is not Pokémon and it is not a human. It is an unknown. It is an abomination. It is what made me what I am now. It was the one to give me and the others the blight."
Novus stared at the Darkrai, narrowing his eyes at her as he processed the information. And then, his eyes slowly grew wide.
"Wait… are you saying that the Primogenitor is the original Blight Demon?" Novus then asked. "Is this Primogenitor the one that trapped each of the legendary beings inside of the Blight Forest? Are you implying… that this creature injected the other legendary beings it captured with the blight and are about Shiron, spreading the blight even further for it?"
Everyone turned toward the Darkrai, intrigued by the question. They all stared at her, anxiously awaiting what she had to say. Yet, she didn't speak. Her eyes only seemed to grow hazier.
"Erebus, stop zoning out and answer the question!" Terron demanded.
The Darkrai released a low sigh as she cast her gaze to the Cubone once again.
"That is what the Primogenitor does. It injects the blight into other Pokémon and makes it do its bidding. It shelters and guides its own opposition, its own enemies... so that it can make sure its enemies never grow strong or intelligent enough to defeat it. It has its allies pretend to be its enemy's ally, offering them the best of protection from the blight… when they are actually being consumed by the blight without realizing it. Because why kill its enemies when they can all become food for its growing army or even become a very part of that army?"
Those were the last words she muttered, for after she had finished, her eye fluttered shut. She fell over onto her side, collapsing along the grass with a dull thud. She didn't get up, only remaining motionless.
"Darkrai! What are you saying?!" Novus cried.
There was no response from the plagued creature. She was completely out cold. Novus grimaced at the sight.
"I guess she didn't have the energy to stay awake anymore," Zeverous said. "Probably didn't help that Yimtri pretty much attacked her too. She wasn't kidding when we said we put her on the brink of death…"
"Well, what do we do now then?" Zekra then asked. "I mean, she's passed out now, so we could kill her for good right now, if she didn't just die right now. But, she was saying a lot of stuff that sounded pretty important, like what's up with that Primogenitor thing."
Everyone cast each other a confused glance, finding themselves at a loss. Almost everyone, that was.
"The next time she awakens, she will probably not give us an answer," Yimtri stated. "She gave us a few answers just now so that she could gain her trust. But, the truth is, she is tricking us so that when she awakens once more, she can attack us when we are not expecting it."
He turned to the four surrounding him, his gemstones of eyes glinting with a smoldering, almost malicious light.
"None of these answers are of any help anyway," he went on. "Notice that she did not give us anything of significance, such as where this Primogenitor supposedly is and why it is infecting the world with Plagued Ones. She only gave us vague answers to mostly unimportant things, and even then, they are only partial answers. She knew we would gain nothing from giving us such answers. But, she knew that she could gain our trust that way."
"So you're saying we should just kill her now instead of maybe seeing if she has anything left to say?" Zekra then asked.
"You make it sound like you actually don't despise Erebus, despite how much you seem to loathe Plagued Ones," Yimtri stated bitterly.
"Hey! It's not like that!" she shot back. "Look, I don't like her. I know that even if she's not the real cause of the Plagued Ones, she's still making a whole bunch of them. She's like building an army for this Primogenitor or whatever, so it's technically her fault for a lot of things that have happened. But she still seems to know stuff that we're probably not going to get anywhere else. I'm pretty sure we need those answers she has. We can't kill her until we get those answers."
Yimtri frowned at her remark, but Zekra didn't back down. She only kept her stare fixed to the Sableye.
Terron watched as the two of them kept their gazes glued to the other, and just like everyone else, remained silent.
I don't know what to do. Terron thought to himself. They both have good points. Erebus might end up taking us out if we don't do something right now. I mean, it's done that in the past. It's a master planner and knows how to manipulate Pokémon. It knows how to toy with everyone. I mean, it did that with Yimtri for a long time with Chloe, which is probably why he wants to kill her so badly right now. So Yimtri is right with being paranoid and just wanting to kill her while she's weak… assuming she's actually passed out right now.
But Zekra's also right. Erebus seems to have a lot of answers that we need. She knows about this Primogenitor who's apparently the one we really need to kill if we want to actually stop the Plagued Ones for good. And also… she knows about me and Yimtri. She was saying that in the battle. She's the one that tore us in two. And I really do want to know why she did that. More than anything.
So what do we do?
And then, something came to Terron's mind. Something that Terron was surprised he hadn't realized sooner.
"Something isn't right about this whole thing," he blurted out.
Everyone turned their attention away from the stand-off between Yimtri and Zekra, and brought it to the Cubone. He felt his innards twist at all of the eyes on him, but upon pressing his persona deeper into his head, the feeling vanished and his conviction soared.
"When all of you guys were knocked out, and it was just me and Erebus, something kind of strange happened," he started to say. "Erebus was about to plague me or whatever, but then Chloe showed up and she started fighting Erebus. Like, she literally came out of nowhere and started attacking Erebus before she just vanished again. And right after she disappeared, Erebus started attacking itself. And that's why, for the most part, I was able to defeat Erebus when I was the only one left. Why would Chloe attack Erebus if she was so close to finishing me off just then? Why would she stop her true self from doing that?"
"What are you trying to imply?" Yimtri asked quietly.
Terron glanced over at the Darkrai, finding she was still lying motionless. He grimaced as his thoughts continued to piece everything together.
"What if… there's more to Erebus than we realize?" he wondered. "What if-"
"What a sight to see. Here we have four traitors to the Fellowship, the plagued leader of the old Dusk Mines Fellowship, and a legendary that has not been seen for centuries. It truly is not something you see every day."
The five Pokémon stiffened at the regal, condescending voice. They drew close together as they turned around toward the source of the one speaking.
There, hovering in the distance, was a Volcarona with eyes fixed in an icy glare. Standing at either side of her was a burly Tyranitar and an overzealous Dragonite. No one had to think long to figure out who they were.
"So this is what we find after you've ran into Erebus Woods, what could easily be described as the most horrendous and dangerous place in all of Shiron," Shade said as she glanced over the group. "You've completely gotten rid of the Mystery Dungeon so that this place is an ordinary forest, and not only that, but you've got what I assume is Erebus collapsed right next to you too."
She smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You really aren't as incompetent as I first thought. Then again, you've got that plagued Sableye and that Zoroark with you, so I digress."
"What do you guys want?" Zekra asked as she took a few steps back. "Why are you here?"
Chrysalis flexed her wings as she let out a snort. However, rather than give a lashing, she quickly composed herself and cast the Zorua a more tranquil, somber stare. The ones beside her also did the same, save for Zephyr, whose unnerving smile seemed permanently fixed to his face.
"Well, I will be perfectly honest with you," Chrysalis started to say. "After you went into the dungeon, we thought you were going to become Plagued Ones or die. We would have preferred it if you died, as you are traitors and we wanted to get rid of you anyway, but we are not Erebus and thus had no control over that. So none of us bothered to come after you and simply waited for Erebus to do whatever it pleased with you. But then, after quite a few hours passed, the entire dungeon disappeared and was replaced with this forest. We really did not have to think hard to realize what had happened."
"What Chrysalis is so poorly attempting to explain is that we know you killed Erebus," Zephyr cut in, grinning even as the Volcarona shot him a glare. "And because of that, we're going to forgive you of all of your treasons and let you come back to the Fellowship."
The five said nothing at the remark, speechless. Shade sighed at the Dragonite's explanation and pressed a clawed hand into her face, grumbling irritably.
"You two really brought this up rather abruptly," she muttered. "What a graceful way to talk about such a reassuring topic. You couldn't simply wait for the five to calm down, even for just a moment."
She took a deep breath and shook her head. Chrysalis merely gave a dismissive shrug while Zephyr chuckled under his breath.
"Look, as Fellowship leaders, we're rather impressed that you managed to defeat Erebus," Shade said to the five startled Pokémon. "I mean, you pretty much took out the Plagued One's main producer. Somehow, you made it through this horrific dungeon and got to Erebus and actually killed it. And you did all of this even when you were traitors to the Fellowship when we swore to kill all of you if we spotted you. It's baffling, honestly, that you would still help us in our goal when you were being hunted down by us."
The Tyranitar removed her paw from her face and held it out to the five. A small smile creased across her face.
"And so because of that, we want you to forgive us and rejoin the Fellowship again. We'll alert everyone of what has happened here and will no longer consider you an enemy. Even you, Yimtri. We'll tell everyone to stop hunting down your Fellowship and allow you to have Dusk Mines back. We'll overlook the fact that all of your members are plagued and allow you to keep fighting.
"So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for slandering you four with treason and turning you into fugitives. And I'm sorry, Yimtri, for whoever told the Fellowship about your predicament and forcing you to go on the run for so long. Please accept my apology and come back to the Fellowship. Give us your aid to defeat the Plagued Ones once and for all. The battle is surely almost over with Erebus now gone."
Terron and his friends stared at the claw, noticing the Oracion Fellowship mark etched upon it. The mark of the organization each of them, save for Zeverous, had been a part of for a time before being either dismissed or outright chased out. Now, they were allowed to go back. They were allowed to rejoin the organization that had become so ingrained into their lives.
"And hey, if you come back to us, I bet the Pledge Mountain leaders will give you guys some great honors for killing Erebus," Zephyr pointed out. "I bet they'll give you some grand title, like 'Erebus Slayers' or something awesome-sounding. And I bet you'll also get a lot of riches from them too because of everything you've done! You'll be like celebrities in all of the Fellowships!"
Chrysalis rolled her eyes at the Dragonite's undying zeal, but was quick to rid herself of the condescending expression the moment she looked back at the five.
"So what will you do?" she asked them. "Will you come back to us and defeat the Plagued Ones with the unity of all of the Fellowships, where we will have the greatest protection you can ask for? Or will you remain to work within your own group, separate from the Fellowship? The choice is yours. Either way, you will no longer be hunted by our organization."
Terron continued to keep his eyes glued to the three leaders, finding himself at a loss at what they offered him. They were truly trying to butter up the situation; they wanted him and the others to come back to the Fellowship. They were seemingly giving him the reassurance that he didn't have to, but Terron knew they were pushing him toward becoming one with the Fellowship once again. They wanted his group's power. They wanted their tactics. They wanted the ones who slayed Erebus when all of the odds had been against them.
Terron thought for a moment. He could go back to the Fellowship and have this life be luxury. He would have to work hard as he always had, but this time, he would actually be competent. This time, he could take care of himself and be the reliable leader he dreamed he'd be. After everything he had been through, he knew he could be just that. With his teammates at his side, he could surpass every obstacle that came his way. Yimtri could be allowed to go back to his own Fellowship and continue to be the successful leader he was, and he too could surely lead his members to their goal.
All of it sounded so wonderful to him. All of it was so tempting. He could see it so clearly in his mind.
But then, something stopped him. A memory he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried.
It was a memory of him and Yimtri in Aurora Town after it had been gutted of its citizens by the Plagued Ones. It was the moment when Terron could stand it no more and threatened to expose Yimtri's secret to the Fellowship.
It was what Yimtri told him when he was pleading that Terron remained quiet. The final reason why Yimtri said he couldn't tell the Fellowship about Erebus.
"If my darkest suspicions are to be heeded…Terron… telling the Fellowship would do us no good; it would not be in their best interests to heed what you say…"
And with that memory, Terron suddenly remembered the words Erebus had spoken to him and his friends.
"You're lying," he stated.
Shade tilted her head slightly to the side, shooting him a confused glare.
"I beg your pardon?" Shade replied.
Terron narrowed his eyes as he reached into a pocket and wrapped his paw around a bone club.
"Because that's what the Primogenitor does. It shelters and guides its own opposition. It has its allies pretend to be its enemy's ally, offering them the best of protection from the blight… when they are actually being consumed by the blight without realizing it. Because why kill its enemies when they will all become food for its growing army or even become a very part of that army?'" he whispered hollowly.
"Child, you're not making any sense," Shade stated in a bland voice.
"That's what Erebus said. She was telling us that right before she passed out. She was warning us about some Pokémon who worked for the Primogenitor. She was telling us about some Pokémon who were making it so that the Primogenitor's enemies could never oppose it."
He cast them a glare as he tore out his club and clenched it in his claws.
"I wonder what she could have been referring to. I wonder who the Plagued One's enemies are. Could she have been referring to the Fellowship? Could she have been referring to the very leaders standing right in front of me, who are even saying that they can offer me the greatest protection from the Plagued Ones?"
Shade, Chrysalis, and Zephyr seemed deeply stunned by the questions. Terron scowled as he looked upon his teammates. Each of them also appeared horrified by the information, knowing what Terron's logic was stating.
That was, except Yimtri. The Sableye didn't hold a confused scowl of any sorts. He only glared at the leaders, having been the one who had supplied Terron with the information in the first place. He had probably known all along that they were not trustworthy and was waiting for Terron to realize it himself.
Terron swiveled his head back to the Fellowship leaders.
"You don't actually want us to come back to the Fellowship," he stated vehemently. "No, you want to catch us while we're vulnerable. You want to get rid of us… because we know too much. Because we defeated Erebus. Because we're the only ones who can actually stand in your way and be a threat to you.
"Because you three work for the Primogenitor!"
Shade twisted her horrified expression into a vicious scowl, snarling. A fiery ring orbited around Chrysalis as she shot the Cubone a malicious glare, her wings glowing with a bright power. Zephyr's grin only seemed to widen as he spread out his claws, their tips gleaming.
Then, with a flick of her wings, the ring of fire surrounding Chrysalis burst, blasting a multitude of white-hot projectiles at the group. No one was able to move fast enough as the attack seared into their flesh with the speed of a bullet, charring their skin and scales black. They each let out an anguished screams as the burning crawled up along their limbs.
"You are a clever little Cubone," Chrysalis hissed. "I truly did underestimate you; you are not incompetent at all. No, you are far more intelligent than I gave you credit for. But do you really think you can defeat us? You have just fought Erebus and you are weak because of it. You do not have much energy left. So can you defeat us, three Fellowship leaders who are in perfect health, when you are barely able to remain standing after your long and tiresome battle? Can you honestly answer that question for me?"
Terron's scowled harder at the question, knowing full well that he couldn't answer it. He knew she was right; they were weak and it was a miracle that they hadn't collapsed from exhaustion yet. They couldn't take on three Fellowship leaders in their current state.
He cast a glance at each of his teammates, seeing that they too knew that their chances were slim. The uneasy, weary expressions upon their faces told Terron everything he needed to know.
His heart shattered in despair at the sight. His confidence faltered further.
"Did you really think you could win?" Shade taunted. "Did you honestly think that after you killed the one you call Erebus that you'd be able to take out the rest of the Primogenitor's followers? Especially the ones who are practically the very generals of that army? Did you really think that?"
She stomped her foot into the ground, creating fissures beneath her massive form. Hundreds of razor-sharp rocks sprang out of the cracks and flew at the group, further tearing apart their bodies. Red streaks flashed across their vision, almost ridding them of their sight.
Zephyr sprang into the air and let out a gleeful laugh as he beat his wings with all of his might. Within seconds, a powerful gale blew through the forest, flinging the five Pokémon into the air. They violently flew around in circles, screaming as their world spun around chaotically. The Dragonite snickered as he rushed forward, a white energy encasing all of his claws.
"I don't know how such wimps like you managed to beat that old Darkrai!" he teased. "Then again, she probably went easy on you because she was managing all of those dungeons. But oh well! It means I get to kill you guys instead! It's so much more satisfying to watch all of your blood spill everywhere as I tear you guys apart!"
He sped past each and every one of them, ripping his claws straight through their forms as he zoomed by multiple times. Blood filled the air with each slash the Dragonite made, and before long, much of the ground was littered with the crimson.
Within seconds, all five of the wounded Pokémon crashed into the ground, battered and covered in cuts, barely managing to stay in one piece as their bodies throbbed painfully from the brutality of the many attacks. They all wearily looked up as the Dragonite landed beside Shade and Chrysalis once again, all of them wearing the same mocking smile as they fought off the urge to give into the darkness that lingered in their vision.
"You truly were an admirable threat," Chrysalis said with a chuckle. "I can say that much. It is almost a pity we have to put an end to you. But alas, we cannot have those like you among the living nor the among the Primogenitor's army."
Terron looked at their malicious expressions before looking back at his scattered teammates, finding all of them barely clinging to consciousness. Everyone was casting each other a saddened gaze, knowing that they could not win.
And though Terron wanted to tell them otherwise, he knew he could not.
They had lost.
Terron was sure he would have cried if he had the energy to. So instead, he did all that he could do: wait. Wait for the inevitable. Wait for the final attack from the Fellowship leaders and let himself drift away.
He closed his eyes.
"I will not let this continue. You have no reason to tremble, Cubone Dimitri."
Terron knew that voice. He knew that voice that now spoke with such unwavering passion.
His eyes shot open, and he was shocked at what he saw before him. He had to blink several times to make sure he was not disoriented from blood loss.
There, floating just a few feet in front of him, was the Darkrai they had just fought. She was significantly weak, as her entire body was covered in deep cuts that leaked of black wisps, but the Darkrai didn't seem to care. She remained hovering resolutely, her eye glimmering with the light of a thousand suns.
From where he lay collapsed, he could see the three Fellowship leaders staring at her with pupils dilated to the extremes, jaws left hanging ajar.
"You! How are you still alive?!" Shade demanded. "Those Pokémon killed you!"
"No, they did not kill me. They rendered me unconscious and pushed me to the very edge of death, but I still live. Now that I live as how I want to live, I can be controlled no longer."
"But… you're still infected! The plague should still be influencing you and making you want to create more Plagued Ones! Knocking you out wouldn't undo that when you are a completely plagued!"
"And yet it did because you underestimated me so greatly and also fail to understand how the blight truly works. And now, at long last, after twenty five years of planning and waiting for the pieces to fall in place, I am no longer your Primogenitor's puppet."
The Darkrai filled her claws with a violet power, forming the nightmare-inducing spheres at her fingertips. The three leaders cringed as she flung the orbs forward, but just as the attacks were to impact the Pokémon, they darted out of the way, just barely escaping the grasp of a nightmare.
"If you really think you're going to defeat us all by yourself, you've got to do better than to resort to such cheap tactics!" Zephyr cried.
He spat out a mighty stream of fire from his maw and aimed at Erebus. She immediately flew toward Terron and grabbed him by the coat, cradling him in her arms as she maneuvered out of the way of the attack. When the attack ceased, she gently set him upon the ground, and cast him a glance.
"Gather everyone together. We are leaving."
"Wait, I don't understand what's going on!" Terron babbled. "You're… helping us?"
"Is it such a surprise?"
She abruptly took off and flew at the Dragonite, filling one of her claws with a frigid energy. When she had gathered enough of the energy, she shot a beam of ice at Zephyr. He deftly moved out of the way, but had not reacted fast enough, for the ice still struck his right wing. He screeched as he was pinned to the trunk of a nearby tree before he breathed fire upon the cold substance.
"I did not have a part of myself become Chloe so I could lead you to your demise as the Sableye child thought. No, I used her to help lead you here to free me."
The Darkrai flew out of the way as a barrage of rocks came her way, nearly slicing her into pieces. She narrowed her eyes at the Tyranitar who stood at a distance, teeth grit tight.
"With the Deception Amulet imbued with my power, I sent her to be with the Sableye child, where she would be his companion and keep him safe when I could not. She would help him combat Erebus, giving him the support he needed until the day would come. She would give all of you support and find a Zoroark that could use my amulet to dispel the nightmares my brainwashed self would encase you in."
She put her claws close together and fired a Dark Pulse upon the Tyranitar. Shade screamed as the blackness encased her and surged into her soul. The Darkrai winced as she suddenly ceased her attack, shuddering.
"You cannot fight as much as you may think you can! You forget that you are nearly dead!"
A loud, ear-shattering buzzing sound filled the air, forcing Terron to cover his ears. He wearily looked up to find Erebus doing the same, except unlike him, she was clawing at her head, tearing apart her own flesh as she let out a low groans of agony.
Dozens of fiery petals pelted the Darkrai from the distance, knocking her down into the ground with a loud crash. Debris flew up into the air, obscuring her from Terron's view as Chrysalis loomed in from high above, peering down at the spot of the fallen Darkrai with a disgusted scowl.
"There are none who defect from the Primogenitor and are allowed to live!" she screamed. "You are no different!"
The Volcarona sent another barrage of flames into the dust-filled crater, resulting in more screams. Chrysalis smiled devilishly at the sound.
She's… she's going to die. Terron thought desperately. There has to be something I can do! Something I can do to save her!
Terron was about to rush forward, but then, his legs suddenly locked and prevented him from moving. Then, a voice entered his mind.
She gave you an order. She wants you to gather everyone. Do not worry about her; just does as she says.
But…
Do as Mother says. Listen to Mother. She knows what she's doing.
And with that, the paralysis on his legs ceased, allowing him to move. He gazed at the sight of where the Darkrai still lay, not sure of whether she was alive or not. All he knew was that Chrysalis, Shade, and Zephyr were all closing into the clouded area, none of them giving him any mind.
Terron grimaced, and then tore his gaze away from the sight before looking over at his fallen companions. All of them were struggling to get to their feet, all seemingly ready to collapse at any moment.
"Guys… we need… we need to get together," Terron huffed. "We're getting out of here. We just… need to get… in a group."
"Erebus… told you that… didn't she?" Zekra asked.
"Yeah, she did. So… come on. Everyone… gather around… each other."
The five sluggishly made their way toward the center of their loose circle, hobbling on their weak limbs and smearing their blood along the blades of grass lining the ground. Then, after what felt like an eternity passed, the five stood together.
The second they gathered together, the Darkrai shot out of the crater and swooped toward them. Each of them cringed at the sudden sight of her, especially given the fact that her very body seemed to be ripped to shreds and was ready to fall apart at any second, but they did not run away. Instead, they let her grab each of them and carry them into the air. The tendrils trailing out of body wrapped around each of their forms before holding them to her securely. The only ones she kept in her arms were Terron and Yimtri, one held in each claw.
She looked at the two of them with a remorseful gaze.
"Sableye Dimitri and Cubone Dimitri… I am sorry that you are the way you are now. If I had known what would have happened when I brought you to Shiron, I would have never bothered you in your world of Kuron."
An Ice Beam promptly struck her in the back, causing her to wince as the crystals lined her wispy flesh. She plummeted toward the ground, though kept her grip tight on the Pokémon latched onto her. She, Terron, and Yimtri looked back to find the three Fellowship leaders dangerously close to them, all of them charging a massive amount of energy in their maws or wings.
Terron saw Erebus's eyes widened at the sight.
"No, they will not let me escape. They refuse to do so. I cannot fight more nor can I fly faster when my energy is nearly gone. You two cannot fight either when you are so weak and frail at the moment."
"Are you sure there isn't something you can do?" Yimtri asked. "Can you not become a shadow and speed away using that power of yours with us in tow?"
"I could very well, but I am afraid that I can only do that if I have more energy. There is one way I can obtain more energy, but I do not know if you will agree to it."
"Do whatever you want!" Zekra shouted from below. "Anything to get us away from them! Just get us out of here! Please!"
"Do all of you have the same thoughts as her?"
Everyone quickly nodded, seeing the energy nearly finished gathering in the enemy's bodies.
"Very well. Then I will extract your energy from the blight I have put within all but one of you and use that energy for myself. You will not be able to remain awake when I do this, but if you truly want to survive, you will have to remain in slumber for a while."
The end of the tendrils holding Zeverous and Zekra pierced their bodies, causing low cries to emit each of their throats. Then, in a blink of an eye, their eyes shut tight and they slumped against the Darkrai's body.
Erebus cast Terron and Yimtri a pitiful stare.
"Sleep well, my poor Dimitri children."
She tenderly stroked the back of their heads with her claws, and then sank her sharp points into their flesh.
There was no pain. There was only cold as the last of Terron's energy left him. A numbing, soothing cold that enveloped his mind as a peaceful darkness fell over him.
It was not long before Terron became one with the darkness surrounding him.