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Chapter 87

Storm The Castle

When dawn had struck after the last meeting to be held in the former Aurora Town Fellowship's base, everyone congregated before the great network of trees and waited patiently for orders. Not long after Yimtri's few hundred members, Crystelle, and Terron's group had assembled, Len and Yimtri appeared on the scene. Once they had quickly glanced over the crowd and verified that all of the supplies nessecary for the journey were gathered, Yimtri then gave Len the word to lead them to Pledge Mountain. And so, with the Luxray at the head of the large assemblage and Yimtri not far behind, everyone traversed east-ward to the fated cluster of mountains where their destiny lay.

It was a difficult journey. With the impending arrival of winter in but a few more weeks, the cold was already beginning to settle itself upon the land. There were a few places that were untouched by the cold, such as a few forests and deserts, but the rest of the land was not spared the cold's unrelenting grasp. Fields that were normally blooming with flowers and life were now covered in thin layers of frost, encapsulating the plants so that they were frozen in a time from days ago. Other areas were harsher with blizzards stirring up a frigid tempest so that there was not a speck of color to be seen amongst the heavy blanket of cold white. Some lakes were even beginning to have ice form along their surfaces, occasionally allowing the group to tread across the frozen surface and use it as a shortcut.

Sometimes the group saw wild Pokémon prowling about, watching them from the shadows so that they might strike when their guard was lowered. Sometimes they were alone, sometimes they were in large packs that seemed to be made of at least thirty Pokémon. They were all quite fearsome with the way their eyes glowed amongst the snow's white and with how their forms were surrounded by white wisps from their hot breaths. However, whenever one of the wild ones did attempt to strike, it would die long before it could harm anyone, and be used for meat for whatever meal was soon to be upon them.

It was also not uncommon for civil Pokémon to attack the crowd as well. Whether they were bandits desperate for supplies or Fellowship members that had been in the area and recognized that they were all fugitives, they had been attacked various times. However, they were only met with the same fate as the ferals of the land. It took longer for them to die, and some members were hurt from these sudden attacks, but all of these intruders were killed eventually and no one from the group ever perished due to injuries. There were even cases where some of the assailants would show themselves willingly before the group and explain that they wanted to join the fight against the Fellowship. Some would say this because they were far too cowardly to die, others would say this because they could no longer trust the Fellowship thanks to Len's sudden disappearance and the shady explanation the three leaders of Pledge Mountain gave to dismiss it.

Whatever the reason was, Yimtri would actually allow some of them to join the group while he would kill the others. No one knew exactly how he was able to deem who lived and who perished, but even more worrying, many thought that Yimtri was allowing enemies to be amongst them. They worried that as soon as their guards were down, they would attack and sabotage the group. However, Yimtri was steadfast in his decisions, calmly assuring that they would not die and that he knew the new recruits would not betray them. He had spent enough years to know when Pokémon were truly speaking from their hearts and sharing an earnest willingness to create a commitment. And though the doubt was never completely alleviated from everyone, no one spoke of it again after Yimtri had given his explanation.

Everyone only continued traveling onward until finally, several days later, the fated day had come.

It was the middle of the day when Len finally brought the group to a cliff that overlooked Pledge Mountain. Even from the distance, the mountain stood above them all like a behemoth, resembling more a giant tower than a mountain with how thin yet immoveable it was before them. It cast its dark and great shadow over the land as it stood amongst other mountains that could not rival its size. They only stood by in the distance, circling about Pledge Mountain, attempting to pierce the cloud-filled skies with their jagged summits, but only able to reach half its size.

When everyone had gathered around the cliff, all they could do was gaze upward, only barely able to see the summit when the passing clouds could not completely encompass it. In those temporary times, they could see what appeared to be a large, stone monument of sorts. They even thought they saw little specks that they felt were Pokémon standing amongst the foothills, watching their surroundings intently.

As everyone began to chat amongst themselves in hushed tones, Terron couldn't help but marvel at the mountain that stood before him. Here he was, standing at the original Fellowship, the very organization that the Primogenitor had established to preoccupy Shiron's inhabitants so that none knew they were slowly being consumed. The second he began his ascension to the castle that awaited at the summit, it would be the beginning of his end. Once he set his foot onto the Fellowship's ground so high above him, he could never go back. He would have to fight his way to the Primogenitor, or die trying.

It seemed so long ago that Terron had joined the Fellowship with Zekra, the both of them so naïve and full of hope. They had both felt that they could stop the Plagued Ones if they worked hard enough, even though they were so weak compared to those monstrosities. They knew that their Fellowship would take care of them help them see their goal. Even their friends that they picked up along the way would surely help them overcome any tribulations that came their way. They would succeed, no matter what.

Now here they were, actually ready to stop the Plagued Ones, albeit in a completely different way than they had anticipated. Terron was fairly certain that he never would have dreamed that in order to kill the Plagued Ones, he'd have to destroy the very Fellowship he worked for, allied with his very shadow that he had hated the very day they met. He never would have imagined that he and his friends had to become Plagued Ones themselves to accomplish their goals. There were many things about Terron's current circumstances that he questioned and wondered exactly how he came to be in such conditions. The only thing he felt was still something that he thought might have happened long ago was Len aiding him with the deed. He had always imagined that Len, as one of his Fellowship leaders, would help him destroy the Plagued Ones, even if Len could no longer be called a Fellowship leader as of now.

The Terron that awoke in that grassland without a clue of who he was and the Terron that now stood before Pledge Mountain seemed to be two different Cubone. He never would have thought that they were the same person if he hadn't been the one to make the transition.

Terron glanced over at his friends. First he saw Zekra, whose eyes seemed hazy and faraway, indicating to Terron that she was most likely talking to Venri. Terron felt his heart fill with warmth when he saw her. She truly had grown since the day they first met. Before she had been an overconfident though weak Zorua, only able to change into Pokémon that she could see before her and still not able to copy their elemental powers. She stood bravely before anything that dared challenge her, her heart burning with hate, all the while fearing the misery that threatened to drown her. Now what stood before Terron was a strong and secure Zoroark, no longer fearing the darkness that threatened to consume her, instead embracing it completely as she charged forward into the danger without hesitation.

It was no wonder why Terron had grown to love her. Her strength radiated as brightly as the sun of high noon, and her affectionate, if unnerving ways were quite endearing to him. Whenever he stood beside her, he felt some of her strength within himself, invigorating him and filling him with a power that he felt could allow him to topple buildings with a single stamp of his foot.

After marveling at Zekra for a while, he finally brought his gaze to his next friend, Reshiram. Though he could not see the great dragon with as much clarity as he could with Zekra due to standing in the very back of the crowd, he could still make out the dragon's outline far behind the group. And while he could not see Reshiram's expression, he knew that the dragon must have been beaming with his proud reverence, finally able to fulfill of his dream of destroying his darker half once and for all. And though he not changed as much as Zekra had in Terron's eyes, he knew that the dragon amongst him was not the same one that was pretending to be a Quilava for the longest time. The fire god that guarded the group with his divine flames was much stronger and more devoted than he ever had been, his eyes always glimmering with the very flames of his soul. Terron couldn't but feel a swell of pride within his heart at the thought that he was friends with one of the very divine beings of Shiron.

But when Terron brought his gaze to Impetus, the warmth within him became cold. Though she stood strongly, watching the Pokémon before her with an intent gaze, Terron knew that there were dark thoughts brewing within her mind. She hadn't said anything at all during their entire trip to the mountain, but Terron knew that she was grieving over Syn's loss. She would often sit by herself when the time for rest came, away from the others, seemingly gazing at nothing for hours at a time. She would eventually come find Terron so that she could cuddle against him, Zekra, and Reshiram in the pile they made each night, but whenever he woke up in the morning, she would always be gone.

When Terron saw her standing there all alone, he decided he needed to talk to her. This would be the last time he could ever converse with her in peace, and he wanted to help her if he could. She had heled him plenty of times in the past whenever he was suffering, and it was finally time he returned the favor.

Impetus already had her eyes on Terron by the time he was standing beside her. Terron tried not to let the sinking feeling in his stomach bother him as her glowing red eyes remained fixed on him.

"Hey there, Impetus," Terron said gently. "You doing alright?"

"Yes," Impetus said simply. "I'm waiting for orders to go up the mountain. I believe Yimtri said I was going to be the one to see the progress of things up there before we all go there. He said I was silent and fast, which makes me perfect to him for this job."

"Well, it is true," Terron agreed. "I mean, I guess Zekra's always a good choice as well since she can pretend to be anybody, but you know she's not as detail-oriented as you. She might miss telling us a lot of things. But you know, don't tell her I said that to you. She might bite my head off if she does."

"You wouldn't die if she did," Impetus said impassively. "It would only hurt for a few seconds depending on where she bit you."

"It's a joke, Impetus. I know she's not going to hurt me, don't worry," Terron said with a small smile. "She and I are mates now, remember?"

"That doesn't make you two less likely to hurt each other. It only makes it more likely," Impetus then said. "The closer two Pokémon get to each other, the more it hurts when one does something to the other. You're both Scyther now. You both have arms that can cut off limbs and you're trying to hug each other with them."

Terron looked over at Impetus to find that she was still wearing a stern expression. He cast her a gloomy gaze after he sighed.

"Impetus, are you okay?" Terron asked her quietly. "Ever since Len told us about Syn… you've been acting really off lately. It's starting to worry me."

"I miss Syn, yes," Impetus answered without hesitation. "I miss him a lot. I wish he was still here with us so that I could talk to him again. I feel like something's been torn out of me now that he's gone. Especially when he promised me that he would always be there for me."

"I know how you feel," Terron said with a saddened frown. "He was my friend too, but I know that it's probably worse for you because you guys spent so much time together. I know you guys were pretty much inseparable, especially if he promised you something like that. He must have really cared about you. So it's okay if-"

"I'm not depressed about this," Impetus cut in. "I'm not falling apart or whatever you Pokémon call it. He broke his promise, but thinking about it, I should have expected that. Promises are broken all the time in situations like these. I had no reason to believe that he'd be able to keep his promise when we were always staring at enemies who could kill us."

"Are you really sure, Impetus?" Terron asked tenderly. "I mean, it's okay if you need to cry or-"

"I'll see him again soon," Impetus said firmly. "There's no reason to cry when I will see him very soon. He just needs to be patient and wait for me to come join him after all of this is over."

Terron felt his heart dampen. He wanted to keep talking to Impetus and continue to understand if she was truly speaking her heart and wasn't trying to hide her pain, but then he saw Yimtri coming toward him and Impetus.

"Impetus, it's time," he said simply. "Go investigate the foothills and as much of the Fellowship as you can and then report back what we're dealing with. But don't explore too deeply into the base. The Fellowship members will find you if you go too far into the castle and they will-"

"I know," Impetus said curtly. "I will not die."

And with that, the Mienshao dashed away from the two before leaping off the cliff and making her way toward the foothills. It wasn't long before Impetus became nothing more than a purple dot against the emerald landscape. Terron sighed as he shook his head and turned away from the mountain.

"She'll be fine," Yimtri told him. "She's stronger than you think she is, both physically and emotionally."

"I know…" Terron replied. "But I still worry about her. If this really is going to be the last thing we're all going to do, I at least want her to be okay. I don't want her feeling crippled because she's heartbroken that Syn's gone."

"She's from the wild, Terron. Though I'll admit that our world can be quite harsh and taxing, her old feral world had its own form of suffering," Yimtri stated. "If she was able to survive in that world and be able to take down that Lairon and Drae at the time you found her, imagine how much more resilient she is now."

Terron glanced at the Sableye through the corner of his eye to find that Yimtri was still watching Impetus ascend the great mountain. And yet, despite not being able to see the Sableye's face clearly, he still knew exactly how Yimtri was feeling. He could hear all of the plans that Yimtri was plotting, and all of the conversations that he had with Len to make the attack on the Fellowship as successful as possible. And amongst all of these thoughts, he felt the powerful tension throughout his being, latched onto every thought and every movement he made. He knew how much it made his claws want to tremble and how it often put doubts into his confident plans.

Terron began to wonder how much longer he and Yimtri would have to stay separate.

"I don't know if we're synchronizing, Terron," Yimtri said without even looking at the Cubone. "We're still separated as you can see, and I don't feel my body disappearing."

"But our brains are getting merged together, aren't they?" Terron asked. "We can literally see any of each other's memories at will and we can hold conversations with each other in our heads… we couldn't always do those things."

"No, we couldn't," Yimtri admitted. "Perhaps we will only mentally synchronize given how much our minds sharing information amongst each other. I'm still having a difficult time understanding how our forms will merge, however. Though I am a ghost-type, I have a physical body that cannot be destroyed so easily."

"Yeah, I know," Terron then said. "I just can't help but think about it sometimes though, you know? Especially when literally every day I spend with you, more and more of you gets into my head… it makes me think that pretty soon, I just might blink, and you'll literally be in my head."

Yimtri didn't give a response to that. Terron considered speaking with Yimtri more about their possible synchronization, but then the Sableye brought his solemn gaze back over to the Cubone.

"There's no reason to continue talking about this," Yimtri said. "The second Impetus comes back down with her information, we're all storming up the mountain. Until that happens, I think we both have other things we can do to make the most of our remaining time."

Yimtri then unceremoniously wandered away, though not without Terron receiving a flash of an image that involved Yimtri discussing with the new recruits he had gathered during their journey to the mountain. He had six of them to talk to them in total, the Pokémon a Talonflame, Espeon, Raichu, Pidgey, Bulbasaur, and Charmander. Terron wasn't sure why half of those Pokémon hadn't evolved yet despite appearing to be quite a number of years old, but he knew it wasn't in his place to ask. All he knew was that Yimtri wanted to talk to each of them and very bluntly explain that they could not betray him without suffering heavy consequences.

Terron was about to ponder in what Yimtri meant when he said that Terron also had something more important to do than talk with his shadow, but all he had to do was notice a clump of black fur sticking out from behind a rock. With a soft and understanding smile, Terron strode over to the rock and before long, found Zekra sitting behind it, idly playing with her claws. When she saw Terron, she stopped and gave him a bright smile.

"Oh, hey Tear," she said warmly. "Guess you saw me."

"Yeah, I sure did," he said as he sat down next to her where no one could see him. "What brings you here all alone?"

"Well there were just a lot of Pokémon around, and it was getting a little too noisy and a little too cramped for me," Zekra explained. "So I decided to sit here where it's a little quieter, but not too far away so that I can still hear Yimtri or Len when they're ready to make an announcement."

"Smart."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, neither one of them finding they had anything more to say. Terron only sat closer to her and leaned into her side, which made Zekra laugh before she shrank herself down into a Zorua. Terron's head fell onto her back with a soft thud, dazing him temporarily, but soon found himself able to run his fingers through the tuft of hair on Zekra's head.

"You don't have to keep turning into a Zorua," Terron told her. "You can keep looking like a Zoroark. You evolved, so you earned being as huge as you are."

"Yeah, well if I do, then you'd find that really awkward, wouldn't you?" Zekra asked snidely. "But hey, if you become a Marowak right now, I'll change back into a Zoroark. Because then you'll be way taller. Maybe not as tall as me, but it'd be close enough."

"Right, because I'm totally going to be able to evolve within ten minutes," Terron scoffed. "Very funny, Zekra."

"Well you could," Zekra said hopefully. "I mean, pretty much everyone else in our group has evolved, and you're really strong now. So why wouldn't you be able to?"

"Because if I haven't evolved yet, then there's no reason why I'm going to evolve in the next ten minutes," Terron stated. "I think it's just a problem with me being a human turned Pokémon. It's like how Yimtri thinks about his Sableye body. He's not really a Sableye… he just looks like one. But he's not one. He's just my shadow with really weird powers. I think it's the same with me. I just look like a Cubone, but I'm not really one. I'm not human, and I'm not a Pokémon. I'm just some weird in-between."

"Well I think both of you guys are whatever you want to be. Doesn't matter who you were before or what you look like now. You can be whatever you want. You can be Pokémon or humans or that weird in-between thing. You guys are just fine the way you are. Which means that if you really are stuck as a Cubone, I'd be totally fine with that. I'll just have to stay looking like a Zorua whenever we're like this."

Terron couldn't help but laugh as he sat up and grabbed Zekra before pulling her into his lap. He then pressed his forehead against hers and nuzzled her, prompting Zekra to do the same. After a few seconds of this, Terron then pulled Zekra's face away from his and looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but serenity and light.

"I love you," he told her.

"Aw Tear," Zekra cooed. "You actually said it this time like you mean it and not like you're stating a bunch of facts."

Terron chuckled, never ceasing to find amusement in Zekra's ability to make uncalled remarks no matter the mood. However, after she said those words, Terron realized something he had not thought about since he and Zekra agreed to be together. When he understood why his thoughts were no longer blissful and now teetering with tension, he felt his heart grow heavy and dark.

"We're not going to be able to be like this anymore pretty soon," he said somberly. "Impetus should be coming back down the mountain soon..."

Zekra's bright and radiating gaze dampened as well as she flattened her ears against her head.

"I know," Zekra said, just as quietly. "I know. This is… well, this is pretty much the last time we get to talk and hang out together really, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Terron said with a nod.

"Are you really sure it has to be, though?" Zekra then asked. "Are you really sure… there isn't some other way for us to live after this is all over? I keep thinking of ways that we can keep living, like maybe just sealing away the Primogenitor like Arceus did a long time ago or something. Because if we did that, it wouldn't be dead, and we could keep living! We can live as long as it does, I think…"

"I'm afraid that's not how it works," Terron sighed. "Nyx told me once that when that happened, she and all of the other plagued Pokémon went into a coma with the Primogenitor. So we wouldn't really get to enjoy our victory. We'd honestly just be suffering a fate worse than death.

"But even if we didn't go into a coma when the Primogenitor's sealed away… we're not stopping the problem. We're just putting off the problem. Because somehow, one way or another, it's going to get free again. It happened once thanks to me, so it's going to happen again thanks to somebody else. We can't let that happen, Zekra. We just can't. We can't have more Pokémon suffer just because we want to keep living and stay together."

"I know…" Zekra said with a defeated sigh. "It's just… I really don't want to die. I want to keep living and everything. I don't want everything to end…"

Terron only smiled sadly as he pulled her head into his chest and hugged her, all the while fighting off the tears that were forming in his eyes. He had to be strong. He couldn't waver because the beginning of the end was upon him. He had to keep going forward, even though he would be walking right into death's very jaws.

Impetus is back. It's time, Terron.

The Cubone sighed as he pulled Zekra away from him and got to his feet. .

"Yimtri says it's time," he told her. "We have to get going now…"

Zekra glanced at Terron with a melancholy frown and seemed unwilling to move from her spot. However, just as Terron was to offer her encouraging words, the Zorua changed back into a Zoroark and got back on her feet. Then, after casting Terron one last longing stare, she made her way back over to the large congregation of Pokémon, Terron shortly following behind her.

By the time the two found themselves amongst the crowd once more, they found everyone had taken their sights off the mountain and each other. Terron followed their gazes to see that Yimtri was now standing beside Len and Impetus atop a rock that stood over everyone. Any hushed conversations were silenced as the Sableye stood before them, boring down on them with his glowing gemstones.

"My fellow Pokémon, as you can see before your very eyes, we have finally made it to Pledge Mountain," Yimtri announced. "Finally, we stand before the very feet of the Fellowship, home to the Primogenitor!"

A loud cheer sounded through the crowd, but it was soon silenced by a flicker of Yimtri's gemstones.

"However, it will not be I that will be leading you up this mountain to engage in combat against our former allies," Yimtri went on. "Even though I have always been, and always will be very proud to be the one to guide each and every one of you through the trials and tribulations we have faced for the past twenty years… there is someone else that deserves to lead each of you to this final victory. Someone who deserves the title of being a leader more than any of us."

When he said that, Len then stepped forward, his dark red eyes gazing down upon the crowd before him, glimmering with unbreakable resolve. Everyone watched the Luxray carefully, unsure of what to think before he spoke.

"I will be leading this charge," Len stated firmly, unwavering in his declaration. "Yimtri and I have had a talk, and we have decided that I will be the one to lead us to victory atop this mountain. And though I know that many of you do not know me as much as you know your true leader, I vow that I will not fail any of you. I will lead you with the undying valor and dedication that is needed for this monumental task that is ahead of us. I have lived amongst these mountains for many months, allowing me to know every room and pathway there is to know. You will not feel trapped or lost within that monstrous castle's layout. You will be safe, and you will be victorious so long as you can do exactly as I say."

The Luxray paused for a moment.

"I know the fate that awaits each of you," Len said continued to say, refusing to let the somberness of the situation break his voice. "Whether you will perish because you fell by the claws of a Fellowship member, or because we truly succeeded in our mission, all of you will be whisked away to Giratina's realm before the sun is able to set. And though I truly cannot understand how that feels, remember that you are not fighting in vain. Remember, you are fighting for the future, for the well-being of those whose hope dwindles each day in this world that is nothing more than a hollow shell of Shiron's former, glorious state. Remember that you fight for them, to give their world back to them. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten, and you shall remain immortal in the stories for generations to hear."

Though no one spoke, silently dwelling in reverence for the melancholy subject, Len did not stop. He only gave them a moment more of silence, and then flicked his tail and stood tall before the crowd.

"Impetus has given me the current state of the Fellowship as we speak," Len announced. "According to her, there are large numbers of Pokémon standing among the foothills, guarding the Fellowship fiercely with their lives. Then, directly outside of the castle, an entire circle of Pokémon guard the exterior. Get past that, there are at least three Pokémon guarding each room, standing before the doorways. In every corner of every hallway, and clinging to the dark corners near the ceilings, there are assassins that will kill anyone on sight. Flying-types circle the air or are standing atop concealed roosts. Ice-types are buried in mounds of snow that cover the exterior and various courtyards. Ghost-types hide themselves within the walls of the building itself. There are many Pokémon waiting for us up there, ready to overwhelm us and extinguish every single Pokémon that stands here.

"However, though the situation seems grim and against our odds, there is no reason to fear. There is a way to invade the Fellowship and kill the Primogenitor successfully. However, I am going to need each of you to listen to me very carefully and do exactly as I say. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a unanimous agreement amongst the gathering of Pokémon. Len briefly smiled before he wore his stern gaze once more.

"Yimtri, Zekra, Terron, Impetus, Reshiram, and myself are the ones that must reach the portal to the Primogenitor," Len explained. "Though it would be wonderful if all of you could come with us, that cannot be allowed. You must keep the Fellowship away from the portal, at all costs. The second the Fellowship comes after us in that realm, everything will begin to fall apart. It must be us six instead, for we are the ones most fit for the task for varying reasons. So, here is what must happen in order for this plan to work. Reshiram, come here."

The magnificent white dragon flew over to the Luxray as everyone cleared the way for him to land, allowing him to settle himself before the Luxray with fire burning in his sapphire eyes. The Luxray didn't even hesitate when those large and powerful eyes locked onto him.

"You must fly to the foothills and ravage the Fellowship's forces as much as you can," Len instructed. "After that, do the same with the Fellowship itself. Burn everything to the ground if you must, but take out as many forces as you can. Make it so that our ascent up the mountain will not be interrupted and problematic. Do this for as long as you can, and then after thirty minutes have passed, meet me at the portal. My group and I should be there by that amount of time. I believe I have told you where it is."

"Yes, you did," Reshiram said with a nod.

"Good. Then great Reshiram, great dragon of fire, rain down your divine fire upon the Fellowship now, if you may," Len said with a reverent bow of his head. "Aid us in our last moments and protect us as we end this nightmare that has befallen your cherished world."

"With pleasure."

Then, with a mighty flap of his feathery wings, the god of fire shot up and soared toward the foothills resting before Pledge Mountain. Everyone watched as he released a mighty roar from his maw before breathing streams of blue fire upon the ground, causing the Pokémon standing watch to scatter frantically about as several Pokémon attempted to douse the fires with water. However, their efforts to be for naught, and within a matter of minutes, the entirety of the foothills were set ablaze with Reshiram's divine fire, scorching everything in sight. There was not a speck of green to be seen, only an endless sea of orange and red, crackling sinisterly. It was not long after this did Reshiram then release a victorious cry before he ascended up to the mountain, disappearing into the thick white clouds above. Len quickly brought his gaze back down to the rest of the crowd.

"The rest of you, engage anyone you can find in combat," Len instructed. "Do not let anyone follow my group as we make our way to the portal. Slaughter anyone that dares attack you and divert the Fellowship's attention away from us as much as you can. Work your way from the exterior to the interior, and destroy anything you must. Destroy the very castle if you must, but do not, under any circumstances, allow the Fellowship to get to the leaders' slumbering chamber. That is where the portal is, and you must not allow anyone except my group and I access to it. The battle between the Primogenitor will already be difficult enough, and we cannot afford to have more of its minions aiding it."

The Luxray then turned toward the mountain and glanced up at it. There were now black clouds swirling amongst the white, making it seem as though a great storm were brewing at the very summit.

"Terron and Yimtri, get onto my back," Len stated. "Zekra and Impetus, stay close behind me. I expect you two to be able to keep up with me thanks to your synchronized states."

Terron and Zekra silently made their way over, and once they were standing before the Luxray, Len lowered himself down into a crouching position. Terron and Yimtri both carefully climbed onto Len, settling themselves behind his great mane. Yimtri wrapped his arms around Len's neck while Terron encircled his arms around Yimtri's waist, somehow not phasing through the Sableye in the process. When they were both securely seated onto the Luxray, Len stood up and let out a low growl, discharging a few sparks from his mane.

"Now then, the time has come," Len said, preparing to pounce. "Pokémon of Shiron… ATTACK! STORM THE FELLOWSHIP AND TAKE BACK SHIRON FROM THOSE THAT STOLE IT FROM YOU FIFTY YEARS AGO!"

Faster than lightning, Len leapt forward and landed on a foothill, nearly causing Yimtri and Terron to go flying off of his back. However, they were somehow able to keep themselves settled onto the Luxray before he took off once more. He raced through the burning hills around them, leaping over flickering flames as they devoured every single living thing they could find. Entire trees that once stood for centuries were now completely engulfed in white flames, peeling off the bark with ease. The very ground was barren and smoldering with embers. Bodies lined the hills, melting away as their fur was stripped from their flesh and their skeletons became exposed for the world to see.

There was not a single living creature to be seen.

Len ran past all of these things and within a few seconds, he was at the very base of Pledge Mountain. Terron looked behind him to see that the others had quickly followed after Len, running up the fields with loud cries and fire burning brightly in their eyes. Zekra and Impetus were not far behind Terron, running even more briskly than the entire group behind them.

Terron had only barely brought his gaze back to Len when the Luxray leapt forward and landed upon a mountain path, and then sped upward. Terron and Yimtri held on tight as the Luxray soon found himself ascending a stone staircase with the swiftness of a lightning bolt. Any Pokémon that were still guarding the staircase, somehow spared Reshiram's fiery wrath, were immediately knocked down the side of the mountain by Len barraging past them.

It only felt like a moment had passed when he, Terron, and Yimtri arrived at the castle. It was extremely close to the summit, having been built into the side of the mountain directly beneath the peak, and showed no signs of collapsing any time soon, standing as tall and firmly as one of the gods themselves, even as it burned with Reshiram's divine flames.

Not far behind them, Terron could see Zekra and Impetus catching up to them. And behind them, the others were closing in as well. Within a few minutes, the other Pokémon would soon be at the top of the mountain with him. It was all going according to plan. Now, all they had to do was successfully infiltrate the inside of the base and find the leaders' resting quarters. And though Terron knew that everything would only get more difficult from here on out, for the interior would always be guarded more fervently than the exterior of any fortress, he was confident they could make it to the portal.

A massive shadow passed over Terron, prompting Terron to look over to see Reshiram flying by before shooting a large stream of fire into the castle, setting ablaze the entry hallway and causing many Pokémon to come scurrying out, screaming and scattering like frightened ferals. He glanced over at Terron and shot him a smug smile before landing beside one of the giant spires of the castle and breathing more fire down upon the building that dwarfed even Reshiram's size.

However, before Terron could revel in the security of knowing that all was well with Reshiram, another large and equally imposing shadow passed over him. When he brought his gaze toward this mysterious shadow, expecting it to be Reshiram soaring amongst them once again to take out more Fellowship Pokémon, he nearly fell off of Len's back.

Flying toward Reshiram was an emerald serpentine creature, being so massive that it could easily wrap its entire body around the entire mountain once. Strange vein-like symbols along the creature's long body emitted a powerful, otherworldly light that burned even brighter than Reshiram's flames. Its eyes immediately flashed with the same light as it opened its massive jaws, revealing rows of jagged red teeth. Then, before Reshiram could even look up, the beast wrapped itself around Reshiram twice-fold, strangling him.

"So you came, just as master said you would!" the monster guffawed in a warbled voice. "You truly do fly amongst us, Candlelight Rem!"

"R-Ray-Rayquaza," Reshiram struggled to spit out as the serpent wrapped itself tighter around his ribcage. "So… it-it ma-made you one o-of the-them…"

"Why of course!" the draconic monster said as he flicked his forked tone out of his mouth momentarily. "Did you really think that master would squander this host's potential? Did you really believe that it would find no use for the Guardian of the Sky? You amuse me."

Rayquaza then tossed Reshiram out of his tight hold and flung him into a nearby mountain. There was a large explosion of dust and rubble as the fire dragon slammed into the mountain before tumbling downward into the foothills below. Rayquaza wasted no time in opening his massive jaws to reveal a bright, white sphere gathering at the back of his throat. And then, with a loud war cry that shook the very ground that Len stood upon, Rayquaza shot a pillar of energy down at the fallen dragon.

There was a large explosion as everything became white. A powerful gale then swept the area, blowing Len, Terron, Yimtri, and any other Pokémon in the area backwards and flying in several different directions. And though Terron tried to catch himself and slow his descent, he was unable to find his footing and did not stop until he finally hit the very wall of the castle. The ground shook as he lay there against the Fellowship, causing debris from above to tumble down onto him. Terron was only barely able to get out of the way before a large boulder fell where he once lay, sinking into the ground and creating deep fissures around it.

"You have got to be kidding me," Terron huffed in exasperation as he wearily got to his feet. "The Fellowship is siccing Rayquaza on us? Is this for real?"

"Unfortunately, it is, and not entirely out of question."

The Cubone watched as Yimtri crawled out of the ground before him, though not without some difficulty. He sank his claws into the stone ground as he pulled himself out of his own shadow, and as he did so, Terron saw that some of the gemstones on his back were cracked. They were thin and minimal, but seeing the mere sight of them being damaged when they had been unharmed for as long as Terron could remember sent a shudder down his spine.

"Don't worry about them," Yimtri stated dismissively when he was fully amongst the surface world. "All I need to do is eat more gems and the cracks will seal up. But they're entirely trivial right now. Right now, it seems that we have a rather challenging obstacle before us."

"Wouldn't the Fellowship members question this?" Terron then asked. "I mean, if I was working for here and then out of nowhere, this giant legendary came out of nowhere, I'd be wondering where it came from and kind of make me wonder about a lot of things…"

"I highly doubt anyone truly cares where Rayquaza came from," Yimtri said grimly. "As long as Rayquaza is defending them from us, then they will not care. They'll consider this divine intervention, or perhaps believe that my old masters persuaded Arceus to send help from his realm, given their stature and reputation amongst us mortals."

It was then that the Sableye grabbed Cubone and dove into a wall with him in tow, just as the end of Rayquaza's tail slammed into the spot where they once stood. Debris flew into the air as the ground beneath his tail caved beneath him. But just as Rayquaza was to withdraw his tail, Yimtri shot out of the wall with Terron and descended upon the dragon's tail. Then, he tightened his hold on the Cubone and began running up Rayquaza's long and winding body. Terron quickly saw the land beneath them, growing further and further away from them with every second.

"Yimtri, I'm really getting second thoughts about what you want to do!" Terron cried nervously, pushing himself to keep Yimtri's pace.

"It's too late to back out now," Yimtri stated simply. "You're going to have to help me whether you like or not."

The great serpent quickly took notice of the puny Sableye and Cubone's presence and flipped itself over mid-flight. Yimtri wasted no time in becoming his shadow, his form disappearing as he melted into the dragon's scaly flesh. However, Terron wasn't as lucky. He felt his feet begin to slip towards the air, forcing him to take out a large bone club and drive it into Rayquaza's body. Then, once it was stuck deep enough within the dragon's flesh, Terron held the bone for dear life just as Rayquaza turned himself upside-down. It wasn't long before Terron found himself dangling miles and miles above the foothills of the mountain.

Just as Terron was to think a way out of his situation, the bone stuck deep into Rayquaza's flesh began to pull out. Thanks to Terron's weight and gravity, the bone could not support him, and was steadily withdrawing itself from the dragon's body. Terron felt his heart sink into a dark pit as he desperately clawed his way toward Rayquaza, trying to find something to latch onto. As Terron feebly grasped at the dragon's scales for a groove, he saw Yimtri's shadow make its way toward him. It seemed to glance at him for a moment right beside his hand, watching him in silence.

Don't panic, Terron.

Before Terron could ask Yimtri what he was talking about, a shadowy claw grabbed Terron's wrist and pulled him forward with a strong tug. Terron lost his grip around his weapon as he was pulled toward the shadow, and before he knew it, he was absorbed directly into Yimtri's new form.

Terron felt his world become cold as Yimtri's essence melted his physical form, rendering him unable to move as the darkness wrapped around him. His vision of the outside world was cut off as his vision turned to black, and Terron found he could no longer breathe. However, instead of having his heart race and have his lungs cry for air, he found himself to be perfectly content. It was so unlike the first time he had turned intangible. Back then, it had been so frightening and he felt that he was going to die from the lack of air. But now… it was oddly peaceful, if cold. Like he actually belonged to the darkness and that he truly was a ghost-type.

However, Terron couldn't enjoy this strange peacefulness for long, because something ripped him out of the darkness and brought him back into the world of light. Terron quickly grabbed what appeared to be a large horn before the wind could push him off of the giant dragon, his returned physical body easily under his control once again.

Terron breathed in and saw that he was standing on the crown of Rayquaza's head. He looked over to see Yimtri standing near him, gripping the other horn and gazing downward. Terron didn't even have to ask to know what Yimtri was planning to do next.

Before Rayquaza could even notice the two, the Sableye reverted back into a shadow and made his way toward the dragon's left eye. As he did so, Terron dug into his robe and pulled out the largest bone thorn he had and locked his sight onto Rayquaza's right eye. Then, he threw the projectile forward, sinking the thorn deep into the dragon's right eye just as Yimtri reached the other eye, shot his claws out of his shadow, and then stabbed them directly into the center of the glowing eyes.

The dragon emitted a loud, blood-curdling shriek once the damage was done, causing Terron and Yimtri to both fall off of the dragon because it was so great. The two of them plummeted and watched from their descent as Rayquaza grabbed his eyes with his clawed hands, shielding them from further harm. Terron couldn't help but smile victoriously before glancing downward. They were both falling rapidly toward the Fellowship, and from the height they were at, he knew neither of them were going to have a pleasant landing. He imagined they'd both live due to their plague, but the regenerative process would take quite a bit of time due to the amount of broken bones their plagues would have to repair.

And it'll hurt. A lot. Terron thought morbidly.

Just as Terron was to entertain the thought of how much pain the fall would bring him, he was abruptly grabbed out of the sky by a Skarmory. It snapped its beak around Terron's robe, and then quickly darted after Yimtri and allowed him to fall onto its back. Terron could see the Sableye shake himself before glancing down at both the Skarmory and Terron.

"Thanks, Zekra," he said as he brushed his claws against the back of the Skarmory's metallic head.

"Oh hey, it's no problem! I don't want you guys to be pancakes!" the Skarmory said with Zekra's voice.

She nosedived toward the Fellowship, and then opened her wings just as she was going to crash into the castle's entrance and gently landed. She carefully set Terron onto the ground as Yimtri hopped off her back and cast his eyes toward Rayquaza. Terron and Zekra quickly did the same to find that the dragon was coming right toward them. Even with both of its eyes bloodied and red, it could still somehow see them. The fire in Rayquaza's eyes burned so powerfully that Terron was deeply troubled that he would incinerate the entire mountain if it even gave him the slightest chance of killing Terron and Yimtri. Zekra quickly changed into a Zoroark and filled her claws with red light.

But just as the dragon was to collide into them, or fire its great obliterating beam upon them, a large bolt of lightning struck Rayquaza, stopping it in mid-flight as it shrieked. Terron followed the path of the lightning to see it was coming from Len, standing by the edge of the mountain. Though his fur was singed and was bleeding from many spots, he still stood strong, discharging as much electricity as he could possibly muster up from his body.

A black pillar of darkness then impacted Rayquaza in the head, knocking him back and forcing his head to hit against the side of a nearby mountain. Shortly after that, an entire swarm of ghost and fly-types flew toward the serpent and latched themselves onto him. They clung to his scaly hide, pecking away at his flesh with their jagged beaks or firing ghostly energy into his very soul. The dragon thrashed and writhed, scattering each of the Pokémon off of him and tumbling downward with sharp cries. But just as Rayquaza was to open his mouth, Reshiram shot up from the foothills he had fallen into and tackled himself directly into the sky dragon. He coated his mouth with his divine and blue fire, and then sank his white-hot fangs into Rayquaza's neck. The sky dragon shrieked and tried to smack Reshiram with his tail, but the ghosts and flying-types that had been attacking him earlier rose once again and attacked his wounded eyes, making him scream further and write like a tortured creature.

Terron, Yimtri, and Zekra stood there in awe, almost unable to believe the scene that was unfolding before them.

"Zekra! You guys go!"

The three turned their heads to see that Crystelle was amongst them at the very top of the stone stairs, many more Pokémon flooding in behind her to either storm into the Fellowship or engage Rayquaza in combat. The Umbreon stood amongst all of them as she shot the Zoroark a stern, imposing glare that showed off a power that he had never seen in Crystelle before.

"We'll take care of this!" she said again. "We'll catch up with you guys later or something! Just go! Get to the portal!"

For a moment, Zekra wasn't able to say anything. She only stood there, baffled by what was happening, seemingly struggling to find the words to speak. Before she could attempt to respond to the Umbreon, Len and Impetus then rejoined the group.

"She's right, we need to go," Len stated. "The longer we stall, the longer everyone has to keep fighting to keep us safe."

"Alright…" Zekra said carefully before giving Crystelle one last look. "Good luck, Crystelle. Stay safe."

The Umbreon shot Zekra a knowing smile, and then ran toward the edge of the mountain and fired a blob of dark energy at Rayquaza in the distance. Terron looked away from the scene as he and Yimtri quickly climbed onto Len's back, and then together with Impetus and Zekra, hurried inside of the Fellowship.

The very second the five entered the castle, they were quick to find themselves amongst an ongoing war. Sweeping through the entire entryway of the Fellowship, amongst the main hallway and flooding into lesser ones that lead elsewhere into the Fellowship, were Fellowship members clashing with Yimtri's Fellowship members. They fought, slashing their claws at one another, firing beams of energy at the other's bodies, or sinking their fangs deep into the other's necks. Everywhere Terron looked, there was someone fighting, tearing apart their opponent with a ravenous ferocity that rivaled that of the feral Pokémon he had seen in the dead of night. Blood stained the marble floors that were once as white as the winter's freshest snow, and many of the stone pillars that had stood the test of time had fallen, smashed on the ground and shattered into pieces.

Terron felt a grim frown form on his face as the destruction raged on around him, showing no interest in his presence.

This is all so we can get to the portal. Terron realized. All of this…

Len continued running through the Fellowship, ignoring the fighting as he raced down the large hallway and went up a long flight of stairs. Terron watched from atop Len's back as a Seviper coil itself around an Altaria before biting its head right off. He didn't even bother to turn away as the Seviper released its hold on the dead Altaria before darting after a nearby Clefairy, strangling it as well before sinking its long, venomous fangs into its neck. Terron wasn't sure whose side the Seviper was on as it slithered away to presumably find more Pokémon to kill, leaving a trail of blood behind in the process, but his thoughts were still all the same.

All of these Pokémon are dying for us.

Many more Pokémon are going to suffer worse fates if we don't get to that portal, Terron. Don't mourn for the deaths that have occurred today.

Terron peeled his eyes away from a Machoke ripping a Smeargle in half and looked over at the Sableye to find that he was glancing back at Terron. There was no expression upon his face, only emptiness, as if he had lived through a great many bloodbaths far more gruesome than the one they were now witnessing as Len continued bringing them to the portal in silence. Terron didn't need to think long to understand Yimtri's apathy.

They're your members. Don't you feel a little bad that so many of them are going to perish?

Of course I do. But you must understand… I have seen so many of them meet terrible fates. You've seen my memories; you know what happened to so many over the years. I have to wake up every day knowing that one day that the ones remaining with me might not live to see the sunset. Besides… I know they're only meeting their fates prematurely. In the end… we will all die. One way or another, we'll all be in the same place very soon.

Yeah… I know. I know.

Terron…

Before Terron could hear Yimtri finish his thought, Len abruptly changed the course of his direction, causing Yimtri to go flying off of the Luxray and take Terron with him. The Sableye gripped his claws around Terron's sleeve as he sank into the ground, taking the Cubone with him, before bringing him back up to the surface world unharmed a second later.

Terron was about to ask what had happened, but all he had to do was look around to understand. He found that they were now in what appeared to be an old throne room, though now arranged so that it could adequately hold meetings for the Fellowship. However, it was difficult to discern this, for there was now a raging fire eating away at the carpeted flooring that was actively spreading. It only took a few seconds for it to completely encompass the room and reach the very ceiling, trapping Terron, Yimtri, Len, Zekra, and Impetus within the room.

And there, hovering above the flames, was a Dragonite.

"Zephyr," Len hissed.

"Oh hey Len!" the Dragonite said in an unsettling cheery voice, as if greeting an old friend. "The Primogenitor was wondering if you were coming back. It sure thought that you were just going to tell these guys where the portal is so you can stay alive, but I guess you just couldn't resist coming here yourself and be some grand hero…"

"Out of our way, Zephyr," Len growled, sparks flying from his mane. "You know you can't stop us. Terron and Zekra already killed Chrysalis and Shade on their own, and have grown stronger since those days. You pose no threats to us. You'll die within five seconds when it's five of us against one of you."

"Oh, will I really?" Zephyr asked with a grin. "Would I honestly die like Shady and crusty old Chrysalis? I think you underestimate us dragon-types."

Zephyr snickered before he abruptly released a large blast of fire from his mouth upon the group. Terron tried to scramble away from the blast, but in his desperation to escape, he accidentally got too close to the flames keeping him enclosed within the room and had a tongue of flame lick his sleeve. It swiftly caught on fire, burning away the fabric as it worked its way up his arm. Panicking, Terron instantly dropped to the ground and smothered the fire under his weight, thankfully not catching the rest of his robe on fire. Terron sighed as he inched away from the wall of flame.

That was when he heard something drop behind him.

Terron looked back to see what had made the sound, and immediately felt his heart stop.

There… resting on the ground where he had collapsed… was his anti-plague pin.

It had been attached to the sleeve that had been burnt away by the fire.

Terron shot toward the pin faster than lightning, but before he could touch it, his body suddenly stopped working. He collapsed on the ground as his body began to shake, and an unbearable cold washed over him.

No… No…

Yes, Terron. It's me again. I'm back from being silenced by that pin your shadow so KINDLY gave to you.

No… this isn't happening. Not now… not now… Oh god no…

Oh but it's true Terron. It's all real. And you know what I'm going to do now that I'm free again?

I'M GOING TO TAKE WHAT'S RIGHTFULLY MINE.