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Chapter 59
You Can't Hide
Vera released her hold on her watery blade as she sprang at Zeverous yet again with the speed of a bullet. Then just as she was to impact the fake Greninja, she formed another sword in hand and spun around rapidly, becoming a twirling sphere of blades.
But before the tip of her lethal sphere could touch Zeverous, he leapt out of the way and tossed a number of water stars into the spinning mass. There was a loud screech, and then Vera ceased her attack and brought herself to a halt, clutching her arm that now had several long, bloody streaks running across it. However, it was only for a fleeting second, for she disappeared in a blink eye, only to reappear right beside Zeverous. She proceeded to kick him square in the stomach, sending him flying into the dense jungle, far away from sight.
It wasn't long before Vera chased after him, leaving Zekra alone, undetected and safe in the ground.
For a moment, Zekra couldn't do anything but stand there, at a complete loss. She had honestly expected Zeverous to be able to defeat the Greninja. With how powerful he was, she thought that he would have been able to make quick work of the enemy. However, within what had to be only ten seconds at maximum, he only at best, matched her in power and skill. She hadn't considered that Vera would temporarily overpower Zeverous and leave the little Zorua all alone.
Thankfully, Zekra's stupor was only momentary. She snapped out of her dumbfounded state and swiftly headed in the direction where she presumed the two older ones were still fighting, making sure she remained hidden in the underground world as a Sableye.
Zev should still be okay. Zekra reasoned with herself. He wouldn't go down so easily.
Zekra kept her eyes peeled as she surveyed her surroundings above her, searching for a flash of blue amongst the trees. However, she was only able to do so for a few seconds, for she suddenly felt a wave of intense fatigue come over her. She held her head with her claws as her vision slowly faded in and out of consciousness.
What's happening? Why do I feel all weak?
After quickly surveying her surroundings, Zekra crawled back to the surface and hid behind a large tree. She took in a few deep breaths as her energy slowly came back to her, steadily decreasing the headache that had been building.
I was barely underground for a minute. I shouldn't be getting this tired. Last time, I was able to stay intangible for like five minutes before I starting feeling like this. So why? Why is it different this time?
Zekra sank into a sitting position and tried to close her eyes, but then remembered that she was still a Sableye and didn't have eyelids. She frowned thoughtfully as she looked down at her claws.
Why do you keep using that form even though it reminds you of a certain someone?
Zekra hadn't anticipated the sudden question. While she was resting for the most part, she was still in danger and had thought that her plagued self was helping keep an eye on her surroundings to protect her. The last thing she expected it to do was talk to her.
Nonetheless, Zekra found no reason to leave the question unanswered.
Because it's more useful than a bunch of other ghost forms. I've got hands for one thing, which is a huge help, and I'm still kind of small so that nobody can spot me too easily. All of the other ghost forms either have weird arms, don't have arms at all, or just look too weird. They're weird to use. So it doesn't matter who it reminds me of when it's practical. I mean, one of my favorite forms is a Scyther, and I was "killed" by one on my first mission. If I really thought about all of the forms I use and who they really are… I'd be in for a really bad time since a lot of my forms are Pokémon that I hate or actually tried to kill me at one point.
So you just push all of the memories you have about the Pokémon you're pretending to be out of your head?
Yeah, something like that. And I also kind of alter their appearance a little so that I don't look too much like the Pokémon I knew before. It helps out a lot. Well unless of course I wanna look like the Pokémon I stole the form from.
Interesting.
Why do you ask?
Was just curious since I always did wonder how you coped with taking on forms of Pokémon you once thought were dead and Pokémon you're scared of and things like that. The answer was never in your thoughts or memories.
Zekra didn't know what to make of the statement. However, she wasn't able to ponder in her plagued self's words for long, for a sudden blur streaked across her vision in the distance. She squinted her eyes at the sight.
Before she even could blink, an object rammed itself into her side, knocking her onto the ground with a painful thud. She forcibly shifted back into a Zorua as she darted her eyes about, trying to locate the assailant in the dark jungle surrounding her.
There was a loud buzzing sound, and then Zekra was once again tackled by an unseen force. She slammed into a nearby tree, groaning loudly as a painful ringing filled her ears.
"She said to be cautious about you. She said that you were dangerous because you were filled with the plague. But you're nothing but a joke."
Zekra flinched at the voice. It was cold and detached, and intent on killing her. She frantically looked around her, but still couldn't see the one who was speaking to her.
"Who's there?" Zekra shouted.
Something sliced Zekra's cheek, causing her to shriek as a thick trail of blood slid down her face. She grimaced as she swiftly changed into a Scyther. She didn't know what was attacking her, but she knew that whatever it was couldn't be underestimated. The arms of the Scyther form would be best in parrying the blows this unknown creature.
"Trying so hard to stop me, yet not even knowing where I am. How will being that Pokémon help you?"
Zekra saw another flash of black movement before her. She tensed and swung her arm at the direction of the blur, but unfortunately, she hadn't moved fast enough. The blur curved around her swing and catapulted itself into her chest, sinking what appeared to be two tiny claws into her body. Zekra stifled her cries as she swatted at the Pokémon with her arm, but it flew off her before she could even strike and disappeared once more. Zekra panted as she looked down at her wound to find it wasn't very deep, though it still stung painfully. With tears in her eyes, she began to change into another Pokémon before she could complete turning back into a Zorua.
"I don't think so."
Zekra saw the blur come back and prepare to strike her once more. She allowed herself to become a Zorua and was about to maneuver out of the way, but then, something else happened. She saw another figure, equally as fast as the black one coming toward her, fly into the assailant with the speed of a bullet. The two entities tumbled through the air before crashing into some bushes not far from where Zekra stood.
Loud screams came out of the bushes as the assailant burst out seconds later, its eyes wide with terror. However, it only got so far before it seemed unable to go any farther, as if something were holding it back.
After looking at the sight carefully, Zekra found that actually was what was happening. The enemy, which she could now see was a Ninjask, had a grotesque claw wrapped around one of its arms, preventing it from going anywhere no matter how much the Ninjask tried.
There was a demonic hissing sound, and then the entity holding the Ninjask leapt out of the bushes. Quick as a flash, it slammed the Ninjask down onto the grass, and then with its other claw, sunk it deep into the bug-type's chest. A sickening cracking sound filled the air as the claw broke through the bug-type's exoskeleton and tore into its vital organs. There was a hoarse cry from the Ninjask, and then an unnerving silence as its struggling ceased.
Zekra found herself frozen stiff as she stared at the creature that had just saved her from the hostile Ninjask. At first, she considered it was a Sableye, given that it had a similar body structure and stature, but quickly realized that was as far as similarities went. Its body was covered in a purple flesh that bore more resemblance to muscles than actual skin, making it seem as though the creature was skinned alive. Upon its head, where there only should have been two sets of horns, there were now several more protruding out in different directions, making it almost look like it had a mane. Several more spikes ran down its spine, each one growing more and more jagged than the last one until they were as lethal as the claws upon both its hands, like tiny daggers that could undoubtedly slice through an Aggron's armor with ease.
But what was the most horrifying aspect the creature was its eyes. Zekra had always thought that a creature having jewels for eyes was startling enough, but this creature had managed to surpass that. It simply had no eyes, only leaving two black holes where the eyes should have been, a tiny pinpoint of white light in the very center of each of them.
Zekra didn't know what to do. Yes, this abomination had saved her from this Ninjask that had been trying to kill her, buts she had no idea what would happen now. For all she knew, this monster had only killed the Ninjask because it wanted to save Zekra for itself.
The creature withdrew its claw from the corpse of its victim before picking it up and staring into its empty eyes. Then, it slowly turned its gaze to Zekra, fixing its gaze upon her. Zekra's breathing hastened as she backpedaled.
"Who are you?!" she screamed at it. "What are you?!"
"Good to see you too, Zekra," it greeted in an oppressive, yet oddly melodious voice, as if she was forcing herself to sound more enthralling than intimidating.
Zekra's heart stopped. The creature gave a smug grin, as if knowing how terrified Zekra truly was. Her smile was nothing but a row of dozens of needle-like teeth glimmering in the light of the ethereal orbs of the village.
"Who are you?" Zekra asked again, steeling her nerves.
"Oh, that's right; you and I haven't talked like this before," the monstrous creature realized, almost in disappointment. "Especially when my voice is so different now and I look like some sick perversion of a certain kind of Pokémon. The last part isn't really my fault, though. I wouldn't look like a monster if I had a choice."
"For the last time, who are you?!" Zekra shouted, becoming more aggravated than terrified. "How do you know my name?!"
The abomination kept her gaze on Zekra a second longer, her grin now replaced with a blank scowl. Then, without warning, she dropped the Ninjask and sprang at the Zorua. She wrapped her claw around Zekra's muzzle, and clamped it shut as she backed herself up against a tree, holding Zekra close to her. Zekra squirmed and attempted to scream, but the monster's grasp didn't relent.
"Quiet," she hissed at the Zorua. "They'll hear you."
Zekra stopped moving. She looked up at the creature with her to find that she was glaring into the distance. Slowly, Zekra followed her line of sight into the distance, only to find nothing.
"Don't bother; they're making sure you can't see them," the creature told her. "But I saw them. I know they're coming for us."
She promptly released Zekra, letting her fall to the ground. Zekra groaned as she got back to her feet and looked over at the creature, finding she was still staring intently at whatever she had seen.
"I'll take care of them," the entity announced. "Just get out of this place as fast as you can. I can't stay here long."
Without waiting for a response, she rushed into the darkness, vanishing from sight. Zekra found herself at a complete loss.
What… just happened? she asked herself. What was that thing? That couldn't have been a Pokémon. What… was that…? And how did she know my name? I don't think I've met somebody that looks like that…
The sharp edge of a water blade suddenly pierced the ground, missing Zekra by a hair. She let out a yelp as she swiftly turned into a Sableye and sank into the ground and snapped her gaze upwards. She was quick to find Zeverous now running to the spot where she once stood, agilely avoiding a number of blades being tossed at him from high above, presumably from Vera. There was a seemingly endless amount, one following another in quick succession so that it almost seemed like there were multiple blades being thrown everywhere at once. And yet, Zeverous was able to maneuver out of the way of each and every blade with the ninja-like speed that Zekra had always seen him use as Blight.
Zev! He's still okay!
Zeverous launched himself at a nearby tree, then scampered up the trunk before pushing off it and leaping up into another tree far out of Zekra's vision. There was a loud screech, and then Vera came tumbling out of the canopy, clawing at the trunk to regain her balance. But it was in vain, for Zeverous shot out from above not even a second later and proceeded to deal a harsh blow to her head with his webbed hand.
Vera's eyes shut tight before her body collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Zeverous landed right beside her, taking in raspy breaths as he turned her over onto her back with his foot. He shoved a water star against her throat, as if preparing to end her life right there. Zekra held her breath as she waited for inevitable smell of death to fill the air, but much to her surprise, something else happened. Zeverous kept his gaze on the unconscious Vera for a moment longer, and then made the weapon vanish from his grasp. He gave a tired sigh as he picked up Vera and slung her over his shoulder before scaling the tree again, disappearing from Zekra's view once more.
Zekra flew back up to the surface, poking her head out of the ground and craning her neck to see if she could spot her brother.
She was quick to find him land right beside her. His sudden appearance prompted Zekra to shirk back into the ground.
"Relax, you can come out," Zeverous assured, still using Blight's voice. "She's gone and no one else is around."
Zekra reluctantly rose back to the ground and crawled out, dusting herself off whilst keeping her Sableye form.
"What did you do with that Greninja?" she asked.
"Knocked her out and hid her in those trees," Zeverous answered. "Don't worry though; nobody's going to find her."
"Oh, I thought you were going to kill her," Zekra stated as she gave a surprised frown. "I mean, you did that with those other guys back when we were going to get that pin."
"I didn't want to do that again," Zeverous explained. "Like I've told you before, I don't like killing anybody if I don't have to. It's just my inner Plagued One that makes me want to do it. But that's not a problem anymore, and knocking out Vera is good enough. She won't be waking up anytime soon."
"I guess that makes sense," Zekra replied. "But did you know that Greninja or something? You were talking to her like you guys were old friends or something."
"You could say that," Zeverous uttered as he glared into the distance. "They were classmates was what it was. They learned a lot together and were the same age I think."
Zekra nodded. Her eyes wandered, and soon, she found herself looking back at the Ninjask corpse that was still resting upon the ground. With a cautious frown, she wandered over to the bug-type and stopped before it. She could see the deep hole in its chest, which seemed to go straight through its body as sickly white blood gushed down its sides. She thought she could see the crushed remains of a few organs within the dead Pokémon, but didn't bother to get a closer look. The blood pooling within the corpse was making it difficult to see and she had no intentions of touching the Ninjask. She only shot it a disgusted glare, all the while resisting the urge cover her snout. Dead bug-types were absolutely revolting to her. The blood was the wrong color and tasted off, and the exoskeleton was horribly brittle. Eating one was akin to chewing on a sliver of tree bark, except grittier. Not even in death could the bug-types appeal to her, with a few exceptions.
"What's this?" Zeverous asked, coming over to Zekra's side.
"This was some Ninjask that was attacking me when I got separated from you," Zekra explained. "It got killed thankfully, but I'm trying to figure out if there's anything on it that can help me figure out why it was attacking me in the first place."
Zekra considered telling her brother about what had killed the Ninjask and if he had ever heard of a creature that looked anything like what she had seen, but decided to withhold that information. At least, not until they were out of the village and were in a safer situation. So instead, she focused her attention on the dead Ninjask, who seemed to have no items on it.
"Hey, there's a mark on the side of its head," Zev said as he pointed a finger to the said spot.
Zekra brought her gaze to the helmet upon the bug-type's head, and after searching for a few seconds, saw the mark that Zeverous spoke of. The moment she saw it, she was quick to realize that she had seen this mark before.
"Wait… this is the mark that all of the Oracion Fellowship members have," Zekra said. "I saw the mark all over the place when we went to Dusk Mines that one time. So that means…"
"It means that the Primogenitor's found us," Zeverous concluded gravely.
Zekra shuddered at the statement. Several times the Greninja of the village had reported that many Pokémon were prowling through the jungle for an unknown reason and that this had only started to happen after she and Zeverous had arrived in the jungle themselves. Now, thanks to this Ninjask, Zekra knew that the sudden appearance of all those Pokémon and the timing of Zev and Zekra's arrival to the village wasn't a coincidence. Somehow, the Fellowship had finally pinpointed their location and was bent on eliminating them. A fraction of the Primogenitor's army was closing in on them.
As soon as Zekra realized this, she knew they had to get out of the village. They had never been safe in the first place, as the Greninja never wanted anyone to find the village, but now, Zekra had something actively searching for her and her brother and only them.
"How did they find us so fast?" Zekra wondered uneasily. "I mean, we barely even left Aurora Town, and they show up the very first place we visit."
"I wish I knew," Zeverous replied. "Nyx really wasn't joking when she said that they'd find us. She anticipated this a bit too much, though, now that I think about it…"
"Wait, you think Nyx told the Primogenitor where we went?" Zekra gasped. "Like she double-crossed us?"
"I really don't know," Zeverous stated quietly. "I mean, she did save us back in Erebus Woods when those leaders were going to kill us. If she really was working for the Primogenitor, then she would have let us all die. But at the same time, there's something really off about her. Some weird air about her, and the way she talks. It's like she knows a whole lot more than she lets on. It's really difficult to figure out what I think about her alliance when she's like that. And it kind of doesn't help that she's the one who gave me my inner Plagued One and can make me do things because of it."
Zekra could understand where he was coming from. While Zekra honestly did believe that Nyx was no longer allied with the Primogenitor and wanted to help the team fulfill their ambitions, her trust in the Darkrai was rather shaky. She had never had much of a chance to speak with Nyx in order to gain more trust, and the only real conversation they had was one Zekra ultimately wished never happened in the first place. She wasn't sure what she thought of Nyx anymore thanks to that.
"Let's not think about this anymore," Zeverous then said. "I'm probably just getting paranoid. Let's get out of here."
Zekra swiftly changed into a Joltik, and then hopped into her brother's tongue scarf. As she buried herself in it, he slightly altered his appearance, now becoming Vera before he coiled upon his powerful Greninja legs and bolted into the darkness.
"We're going to the most secluded part of the jungle, and then we're going to fly out," Zeverous explained. "I'd normally just take the way we used to get in here, but those Fellowship members could have found it. Plus, I really don't want to hang out in that jungle if they're already in there. Best if we just get out of this whole area completely."
"Why can't we just turn into ghosts and use our intangibility to get out of here?" Zekra asked as she poked her head out of his scarf.
"Because we'd still be in the jungle if we did that," Zeverous explained. "Those Fellowship members could find us when we're tired and I don't want that happening. Plus, those Greninja have a precaution for this sort of thing. You know those weird lights we keep seeing everywhere? Well, they're special in that they drain ghost-types' energy if they start using their intangibility, and it works on anybody pretending to be a ghost-type as well. It's to prevent anybody from sneaking into the village since sending a ghost spy is probably the first thing anybody would do if they wanted to get here so bad."
Oh, so that's why I was feeling so tired earlier. Zekra realized. No wonder why I only lasted for a minute.
"Alright," Zekra then said. "You think we'll be able to get through without anybody spotting us, though? Sure we won't be in the jungle, but all they've gotta do is look up and they'll see two Pokémon flying away."
"Heh. Of course we will," Zeverous assured with a smirk. "Don't worry; nothing's going to happen to us. You can trust me."
Zeverous latched onto a nearby tree, and then climbed up it before hopping onto the branch of another nearby tree. He peered over the edge momentarily, and then after seeing no one was in the vicinity, dashed across its surface before leaping onto the next tree and repeating the pattern.
After several minutes, Zeverous landed in a small glade far away from the watchful eyes of the village. He glared up at the star-filled sky as he loosened his tongue scarf, allowing Zekra to crawl out of and settle herself on his shoulder.
But before she could prepare herself for Zeverous's transformation, he abruptly swiveled around and filled his claws with a dark power. His movement was so abrupt that Zekra was unable to hold on, knocking her to the ground and causing her to roll into a nearby tree. She shook her head as she quickly scampered into a tiny hole beneath the tree before she peeked out of the hiding place, only to find that Zeverous had company once more. There were two Greninja among him, one locked in a stalemate with him as his darkness-infused claws pushed against the other's, while another Greninja zipped at Zeverous from afar, seemingly undetected to him.
"Zev-"
Zekra didn't have to finish her cry of alarm, for Zeverous was quick to notice the oncoming Greninja. With a loud croak, he firmly grasped the Greninja he was interlocked with and flung it at its partner. The other Greninja unfortunately, wasn't taken off-guard and proceeded to leap over its comrade unharmed. Then, it unwound its scarf from around its neck before swiftly lashing it out at Zeverous, smacking him across the face with its tip. The false Greninja was blown back as his form fizzled out, turning him back into a Zoroark as he thudded to the ground.
"I thought that was what you were," the Greninja spat. "I didn't think Vera would be sneaking around the village like you've been."
The Greninja then proceeded to wrap her tongue around Zeverous, binding his limbs together as she shoved him against the ground. The ninja cast Zeverous a disgusted glare as she summoned two water stars in between her fingers.
"I don't know what you could possibly want from here, but it doesn't matter anymore," the Greninja snarled. "You and your group never should have come here."
The Greninja swiftly tossed them at Zeverous, aiming straight at his chest. Zeverous's eyes gave off a flash as he instantly shrunk down in size, turning into a Zorua, the stars sinking into the ground right above his head. Then, as the binds were to tighten their grasp upon him, he brought his fangs down upon them and pulled them back with a mighty tug. The Greninja lurched forward, unable to resist Zeverous's pull. As she flew forward, Zeverous instantly changed back into a Zoroark, positioning his claws so that they would impale the Greninja as soon as she came close enough.
However, the Greninja seemed to anticipate this, for she maneuvered herself so that she could dig her heels into the ground, slowing herself enough so that she too could form dark claws out of her webbed hands. She thrust them at Zeverous, prompting the Zoroark to do the same.
But just as they were to clash and potentially kill each other at once, a Jolteon tumbled into the glade and landed beside them, causing the two to leap away from the other. It yowled painfully as the Greninja from earlier came bounding behind it. It leapt into the air with its webbed hands cloaked in darkness, but just as it was to inflict the fatal blow, the Jolteon discharged a bolt of lightning from every strand of fur, sending electricity in every direction. Zeverous hastily became a Mismagius and dove into the ground, but the Greninja weren't as fortunate. They let out loud screeches as the electricity coursed through their bodies, their insides frying painfully. Unable to take the strain, the two collapsed to the ground, several severe burn marks scorching their skin.
The Jolteon kicked itself back up to its feet, shook itself momentarily, and then cringed. From where she was, Zekra could clearly see the Oracion Fellowship mark upon its left flank. She didn't have to think long to know why this Jolteon was in the village.
"Hate these Greninja," it remarked. "Making this mission more difficult than it already is… just what I needed."
It glared down at the ground.
"I know you're there, Zoroark!" it shouted. "You can't stay in there forever! So why don't you save yourself some time and get back up here?"
The Jolteon swiftly bolted away from the sight as Zeverous's claw shot out of the ground, having nearly impaled the Eon. The Jolteon skidded to a halt as it shot a stream of lightning at Zeverous's withdrawing hand, hitting him just before he could disappear. The Zoroark burst out of the ground as he cringed, a few sparks leaping out of his fur.
Zeverous shot the Jolteon a nasty look, and then proceeded to morph into a Jolteon himself. Then, quick as a flash, he sprang at the assailant, knocking it to the ground before changing into a Weavile. Just as the Jolteon was to send more electricity into his body, Zeverous fired a beam of frigid energy, immediately encasing the Jolteon in a thick block of ice. Zeverous sighed as he got off the Jolteon, finding that it wasn't moving, but seemingly knowing full well that it was still alive.
"Why were you two fighting?"
Zeverous turned to find that one of the Greninja, the one that he had last fought with, was slowly getting to her feet. Her comrade still remained on the ground, seemingly out cold for good.
"Because that Jolteon's trying to kill me," Zeverous answered calmly, though still keeping his distance from the Greninja. "Its leader ordered it to kill me from what I can understand."
"Are you trying to imply that you two are enemies?" the Greninja then asked, her voice growing dark. "But you and the many Pokémon we've spotted both infiltrated our home on the very same night. How could they have possibly known you'd be here, in this village no one knows about?"
"I honestly wish I could give you an answer, but I don't have one," Zeverous said dryly. "You'll just have to trust me. Or not. It's your choice. Either way, I'm not working with all of those Pokémon in the jungle. I've been trying to get away from them for the longest time, and they chased me into this jungle. And while I was getting away, I found this village by sheer accident. I thought that I could stay here for a while and maybe they'd abandon hope of finding me since nobody is supposed to find this place, but obviously that didn't happen. So, sorry for bringing a bunch of Pokémon into your village that don't belong here. I really didn't want to cause you any problems."
Zeverous pointed up at the sky.
"However, if you let me get out of here," Zeverous then said, "those Pokémon will leave too. They won't have a reason to stay if I'm not here. So if you want to get rid of everybody, let me leave. I swear they'll leave when I do."
The Greninja kept her glower fixed on Zeverous's more solemn expression. Zekra considered making herself known to help with the situation, but quickly realized that doing so would most likely make the situation worse than it already was. Besides, Zeverous had never once mentioned her. He probably didn't want her to get involved, should things go south.
So, with a nervous frown, Zekra remained in her hiding place, continuing to watch the spectacle.
The Greninja stared at Zeverous a moment longer, and then looked over to her teammate for a brief moment before bringing her gaze back over to the false Weavile.
"Fine," she said, a faint bitterness lingering in her voice. "Get out of here and get those awful Pokémon to leave with you. But if anymore Pokémon start sneaking in here after you leave, mark my words, I will personally hunt you down and make you regret ever lying to me."
Zeverous sighed as he took in a few, slow breaths, his eyes flickering dimly.
"Thank you," he said, deeply grateful. "I'll take my leave now. Those intruders should follow suit as soon as they figure out I'm not here anymore. Maybe you could even make an announcement to everybody here so that those intruders will hear it as well and leave even more quickly."
Zeverous swiftly turned into a Pidgeot before spreading out his large wings, flapping them lightly. Seeing her chance, Zekra hastily scrambled out of the tree and made her way over to the large Pokémon before latching onto the tip of his wing. Then, just as quietly, she crawled up his wing until she was nestled safely in his feathers upon his back. The Greninja didn't seem to notice her.
"I've got one last question before you go," the Greninja said, eyeing Zeverous suspiciously.
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"Where's Vera?" she asked, her voice growing hostile. "What did you do with her?"
Zeverous seemed taken aback by the malice mounting in her question, but didn't let that break his solemn expression.
"I knocked her out when she attacked me," Zeverous uttered quietly. "I didn't kill her, don't worry. She's just passed out in one of the trees nearby the shrine."
The water-type kept her gaze on him for a bit longer, and then turned away.
"Just get out of here," she spat. "And don't you dare come back or else I'll have the entire village kill you on spot instead of a few guards like tonight. You're lucky that I've found reason to trust you right now. The other elders wouldn't have done that."
"Wait, you're one of the elders?" Zeverous asked, astonished by her statement.
"I know I sure don't look or sound the part," the Greninja answered bitterly as she looked back at him from the corner of her eye, "but trust me, I am. I was just recently elected after I graduated from my class a couple of years ago. But, I think that's enough talk about me. You should get out of our village before I change my mind about believing you."
Zeverous nodded silently before he turned away from the supposed elder. Then, with a forceful push and a flap of his wings, he shot into the skies, taking the hidden little illusionist with him. Zekra looked back as she watched the Greninja village grow smaller and smaller, soon becoming nothing but a tiny dot of light in the evergreen that covered the land. When they had gained enough distance from the village, Zekra crawled out of Zeverous's feathers and changed back into a Zorua.
"Are you sure you can still fly?" Zekra asked. "I mean, I can fly for you if you want. It wouldn't be that hard."
"No, it's fine. This is nothing," Zeverous laughed. "I've been through a whole lot worse than what we've been through tonight. You don't have to worry about your big brother."
Zekra wasn't sure whether she believed Zeverous's words, but she knew there was no convincing him otherwise.
"It's too bad we couldn't stay there longer," Zekra said. "I kind of wanted to see more."
"We can always go back there another day," Zeverous replied. "Maybe not for a while since those Greninja clearly don't want us there anymore, but one day we'll go back. But, you're not going to see any of the stuff I saw when I was there my first time. There's no way we're going back there in the day time. That place has stricter security compared to the last time I was there, not to mention what happened tonight."
"Aww. Well, I still got to see some cool stuff," Zekra reasoned, mostly with herself. "So, I guess our visit was kind of worthwhile. Hopefully the next place we go has a whole lot more stuff we can see and actually enjoy. And hey, maybe we could convince those Greninja to actually help us. I mean, if you go back as Blight and tell them about these Plagued Ones you discovered, I bet they'd wanna help us get rid of them."
"Hah, interesting little idea," Zeverous said, grinning. "Having all of those Greninja would probably help us find those dragons a lot faster. But, I'm not too sure they'll actually believe that I'm Blight. I mean, Vera sure wasn't convinced, and if she saw me again, she'd know I'm not really him. So I don't know if that idea would actually work. It's cool, but I'm not too sure."
"Well we could always try one day, right?"
"Yeah, maybe. But definitely not for a while since those Greninja are probably going to be on edge for a long time after what happened tonight. Especially since that one elder saw us…"
"Oh yeah, why were you so surprised to find out that one Greninja was an elder anyway, whatever that is?" Zekra then asked.
"An elder is pretty much a leader of the village," Zeverous said slowly. "And I don't think there's a real specific number, but last time I was here, there were like six elders who all worked together to make decisions about how to run the place."
"Oh, so like what Len and his team were at my old Fellowship. There was ten of them, and they all worked together to keep their Fellowship going."
"Yeah, like that. Well anyway, the elders are usually pretty old, hence they're called 'elders'. They're that old since they want leaders who have had a lifetime of life experience and battle experience. But from what I could tell, that elder we just saw was maybe a few years older than you. I'm just surprised they'd let somebody as young as her be an elder. There had to be a special exception with her. But, she could have just been lying to us to get us out of the village."
"Yeah, maybe. Maybe we'll find out one day if we go back and see the elders for whatever reason."
"Not for a while, Zekra."
"Yeah yeah, I know."
Zekra rested her head on the top of Zeverous's false feathery mane, watching as a few clouds came into view not too far into the distance and slowly obscure the moon from sight. And yet, despite how much they attempted to smother the moon's ethereal brightness, they could never completely snuff it out. The light always shined through, remaining adamant in its role to provide the light of the night.
It had been so long since she was able to see such a marvelous sight. The closest thing she had ever seen in recent memory were sunsets and sunrises, but somehow, those paled in comparison to the quiet and soothing wonders of the cloudy night sky.
Zekra let her mind run free as she continued to watch the clouds sweep past the moon. At first, there was only a silent peace, her brain void of any sort of thought as it simply took in the fresh air and took its rest from the excitement of the night. It was comforting and Zekra had no qualms about having her mind empty for a temporary time. But, as the minutes went by and her mind no longer needed to rest, she found herself thinking back to the old days. The days when she was still living a normal life, long before she had ever even known the Plagued Ones. Back when she was still so innocent and untouched by the trials and tribulations that the world had in store for her. Back when she still had her old friends and didn't know what it felt like to carry the burden of a broken heart.
And with these memories, she felt a heavy weight press against her chest.
"Hey Zev," she said, her voice quiet. "I want to ask you something."
"Sure, what is it?" he wondered, keeping his eyes ahead of him.
"Do you think that anything will ever go back to the way it was when we get rid of the Primogenitor?"
Zeverous didn't respond, only doing his best to frown with the beak that he had. Zekra didn't bother to push him for a response. She didn't even know why she had asked the question; it had popped up in her mind and she simply had an impulse to voice it.
"Nothing ever goes back exactly the way it was before," Zeverous answered after a while, turning slightly to look back at her. "Even if you try really hard, once you change something, it's going to be changed forever. Like, when I left home a long time ago, things changed between me and Mom and Dad. I mean, we still got along and loved each other and everything, but it wasn't the same as when I was living with them. I wasn't as attached to them as before. When I'd visit them, I'd be happy to see them again, but not like how I was when I was a kid. I was always happy to see Mom and Dad every time I got home from playing. I remember I used to tackle into them and be laughing so much. But then I grew up and left home, and now that's changed. I don't know if it's because it's just something that happens when you become an adult or when you leave home, but once that point hits, you can't go back. I can't be like that anymore."
"Yeah I know that," Zekra replied. "I know I can't get Mom and Dad back, or our home, or all of my old friends, or Impetus and Syn. Can't really have anything back from before in the better days. But, do you think there will be some things that I can still keep that aren't gone yet? Some parts of my life that I can still have when this is all said and done? Or do you think that everything has to change like before?"
"Well you'll get to keep everything you learned from this whole thing. You'll know all of the lessons you've learned about life, and keep all of the forms and abilities you acquired the whole time you were fighting. Those are some very valuable things that won't ever go away. And nobody can take them away from you either unless they wipe out your memories."
Zekra laughed under her breath at the thought. In reality, she knew that she shouldn't have found the idea amusing, given that she knew how Terron felt without remembering a single thing about his human life, but there was still something hilarious in the thought. She considered it was her morbid humor that found entertainment in it. Or maybe it was that rational side of her mind knew that giving her amnesia was impossible when psychics couldn't enter her mind that easily.
"Yeah, I do have all of these cool forms that I can use for whatever I want," Zekra agreed. "Don't know what I'll do with them besides use them for hunting, but I bet they'd come in handy."
"And lessons," Zeverous added. "Don't forget about everything that you've learned that doesn't have to do with killing Pokémon."
"I don't feel like I've learned too many of those to be honest. I mean, I know that I can't let myself fall apart every time something goes wrong and that I have to keep pushing forward no matter what happens to me, but that's it. I don't think I've learned anything that's really life-changing and profound other than that."
"I'm sure that you've learned something else that's changed you," Zeverous then said. "I mean, you're not the same Zekra I knew the last time I saw you back at our home. You're different. Something must have happened to you. And it's not just because you're saying you learned how to be more persevering."
"I got plagued, so you could say that changed me into whatever I am now. I see things differently now because of it."
"I'm not talking about that kind of change, Zekra."
"Well it's the only way I've changed that I can think of right now. It's done things to me that I'm not going to be able to undo until the Primogenitor's gone. My thoughts aren't even my own sometimes."
Zekra anticipated her plagued self to give her a migraine just then for giving the implication that it was a monster. She waited for the sting in her mind, where she would soon hear its words growling threats at her. But much to her surprise, her mind remained at peace, the being nowhere to be found.
"You're not worse because of that Plagued One inside you," Zeverous said, snapping Zekra back to attention. "I don't know everything that your inner Plagued One has done to you and is doing to you right now, but trust me; you're not turning into a bad Pokémon because of it. Believe me. You've changed in a good way."
"I guess," Zekra sighed, realizing there was no point to further argue with her brother.
And yet, Zekra knew the truth. She knew that thanks to her plague, she was someone she was not proud of. She was no longer a Pokémon, but now some hybrid of Pokémon and demonic being. Even if her plague was beneficial, she still was a walking Plagued One. All it took was for something for her plagued self to change its mind, and she'd become a complete Plagued One like the ones who stole everything from her. Or at the very least, she'd become a killing machine should she ever have her Instinct Infestation activate. She knew that she couldn't go back to being herself until everything was over and the Primogenitor was defeated.
If she could even go back to what she was before, that was. Zeverous had said that once something changed, it couldn't go back to the way it was, so perhaps even if her plague was eradicated she'd still be the same as she was now. She'd still be keeping Terron's secret for the rest of her life and suffer every moment of doing so. Perhaps defeating the Primogenitor wouldn't make a difference at all in some ways.
No… no there'll be a difference. Zekra reasoned with herself. Once the Primogenitor's gone, I won't ever have to worry about this again. Even if I can't get everything back, at least I won't have to worry about so many things and have my mind to myself again…
Zekra buried her face into Zeverous's mane and held him tighter as she closed her eyes, finally feeling the toll of the day catch up to her. Finding no reason to resist the oncoming fatigue, Zekra slowly let herself slip away into the darkness of her mind where she could attempt to find some peace from the somber subject.
No...
The lethargic feeling coursing through Zekra stopped as her plagued self's voice spoke to her. She anticipated to lash out at her for her words earlier, but was soon to discover that the snide tone in its voice was gone. It was now filled with an overwhelming cowardice, like it was deeply afraid of something. Something that Zekra didn't think was possible.
What's wrong?
We need to go. We need to go NOW.
What do you mean? What's going on?
She was never able to hear her corrupted self's answer, for a loud scream was soon to pierce the air.
And then, before she was even able to open her eyes, something impacted her and Zeverous, sending the two of them plummeting into the land below at the speed of a falling star. Zekra's eyes shot open as Zeverous straightened himself out, hastily turning back into a Pidgeot as the ground below came nearer and nearer. He was just barely able to spread out his wings and slow his abrupt descent before the two crashed into the ground. Zeverous held his sister tight in his grasp as the two tumbled along the ground and kicking up blades of grass in the process. By the time they had come to a halt, Zekra had remained unharmed, though at the cost of her brother becoming covered in bruises and with blood leaking out of newly formed cuts. He lay there with Zekra nestled safely in his claws, grimacing in pain with his eyes squeezed shut.
"Zev!" Zekra cried as she squirmed out of his grip and nudged him with her head. "Zev, get up!"
"Sorry little Zorua, but I'm afraid that your brother isn't getting up any time soon."
Zekra's heart stopped as a deep panic filled every fiber of her being. She knew that voice. She knew that brash voice that spoke to her now all too well…
With great reluctance, the Zorua removed her head from Zeverous and brought her gaze to the source of the voice.
"No…" Zekra whimpered. "No… no…"
There, standing before her and her collapsed brother, was Shade, flanked by dozens of Fellowship members. All of them were staring at her, shooting her malicious glares, the dark glimmer of their eyes flickering with the brightness of the moonlight.
"It's been so long, Zorua," Shade said, grinning eagerly. "I was starting to think I'd never see you again."