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Chapter 88
So Happy To See You Again
Zekra heard an unnatural cry that drilled itself into her ears and sent deep shudders down her spine. The Zoroark, who had just avoided a massive fireball from Zephyr, watched as his antenna seemed to perk up and brought his gaze toward the screaming. And though it would have provided an excellent opportunity to strike against the distracted Dragonite, Len, Impetus and Yimtri all followed Zephyr's gaze, as if drawn to the cry as well.
Reluctantly, Zekra did the same. As soon as her eyes were locked onto the source of the ominous sound, Zekra had to resist the powerful urge to scream as well and stumble away.
Terron was lying on the ground near a wall of fire, resting on his side and curled into a fetal position. His blue and bright eyes were wide and trembling as tears streaked down his eyes, creating a puddle beneath him. He whimpered as he quietly hyperventilated, occasionally letting out short cries not unheard of from hatchlings when backed into a corner by a fierce predator.
However, the terrified form of her mate wasn't what made Zekra's heart feel dark and heavy. No, it was the fact that every few seconds, a ripple of darkness went across Terron's body, and for just a few seconds, he would no longer look like Terron. His eyes would change, turning into pools of darkness with white pinpoints radiating in the very center. His scales would turn black, and his tail would become long and reptilian, curling around his body with multiple spikes jutting out from it. His usually rounded paws would become sharp and dagger-like, able to slice open someone's throat with but a single swipe. But most noticeable of all, it was Terron's head that was shifting into a terrifying form. His exposed head was being covered by a new skull, though not of bone. It was a skull made of darkness, fitting around his head far more tightly than any of his old bone personas did in the past. And as it shaped itself to him, it took on the form of a fearsome dragon's head, devilish, spiraling horns protruding out of it. Terron's otherworldly eyes illuminated through the holes in the draconic mask, glowing brighter and brighter every time Terron temporarily reverted into the monstrous form.
Terron shakily glanced over at the ones watching him, more tears streaming down his eyes as he feebly reached toward them with a hand.
"Guys…" Terron whimpered out. "Guys… help me… Please… Please help me…"
Zekra reached out her claws toward him as she crept closer to Terron, wanting to take his hand and perhaps purge the darkness from him right there with just her touch. She needed to save Terron. Everyone needed him to stop the Primogenitor. She needed him to be by her side and fight alongside her. She couldn't stand the thought that he wouldn't be there with her, fighting the abomination known as the Primogenitor. She needed him there with her, more than anyone else…
However, before she could even take five steps, Yimtri abruptly leapt from his spot and shoved Zekra out of the way, knocking her very far away. She skidded along the ground, nearly hitting a fiery wall before she dug her claws into the marble flooring and brought herself to a halt. She was just able to look up in time to see Terron fling himself at Yimtri, knocking him down in his demonic form. Terron wrapped his claw-like fingers around Yimtri's neck as his mask shifted so that he could grin at the Sableye, revealing rows of glowing white teeth.
"So glad that you're willing to help me, Shadow Dimitri," Terron laughed, his voice warbled and bearing no resemblance to the Cubone Zekra had known for what felt like years. "I've been in need of your aid for a very, very long time…"
The Sableye lashed out, raking his claws against Terron's head, but he wasn't quick enough. The demented Cubone's elongated tail shot forward and wrapped itself around Yimtri's arm before his claws could connect, pinning it down. Then, before Yimtri could react, Terron's mask opened its monstrous jaws and snapped them down upon the Sableye's head.
"YIMTRI!" Zekra screamed.
Before she even knew it, she launched herself forward and filled her claws with red power. When she closed the distance between her and Terron, she swiped the Cubone with them, sending him flying off of Yimtri and careening into the fire raging around them. Zekra panted as she dropped onto her knees and quickly brought her gaze down to the Sableye. Her claws instantly flew up to her face before she could stop herself.
Yimtri's entire head had been bitten right off. There was not a trace of it to be seen, having been torn clean off by the Cubone's monstrous jaws. Crawling out of the massive hole in his neck were dozens of black tendrils, flailing about and trying to dig themselves into the ground. Zekra didn't dare look inside of the Sableye's body through the massive gap in his neck, fearing that she would witness a far more horrifying scene than what she was already watching unfold before her. Instead, she forced her eyes to wander away from his head and soon saw his entire body was oozing with a sinister haze, as if he were being seared alive. So much of his body was releasing wisps, in fact, that he only vaguely seemed to have the form of a Sableye.
"Yimtri… dear Arceus… Yimtri!" Zekra cried, unable to find the words she wanted.
"Well… I'm not going to admit I have any idea what just happened," Zephyr then said as he shrugged his shoulders. "But all I care about is that you're just down to three now! Happy day for me!"
The Dragonite then flapped his wings, and a mighty gale swept through the room. Zekra felt herself get ripped from the ground, away from Yimtri's lifeless body, and flung into the air. She feebly turned into a Skarmory as she straightened herself before she could crash into a wall and flew straight toward her struggling teammates. She grabbed Impetus and Len with her talons just as they were to be tossed into the fires before locking her sight onto the Dragonite. With a loud cry, she flung Impetus toward him as she and Len landed back on the ground. Then, before they could be blown away once more, Venri quickly manifested herself into reality as a Dusknoir, grabbing Zekra by the foot as she reached into the ground and held onto something fast that Zekra knew to be a pipe. Zekra curled her talon around Len's leg all the more tightly as she watched Impetus close in on Zephyr.
Impetus unflinchingly sped through the wind, somehow not affected by it as her arms took on their lance-like forms. Zephyr scowled just as she was to impact him, flying right over her and landing right behind her.
"Missed me!" Zephyr teased.
Impetus hissed loudly as she dug the tip of one of her arms into the flooring before pushing back against it, allowing her to fly toward Zephyr once more. This time, Zephyr wasn't fast enough, and the Dragonite was skewered in the back with Impetus's other arm. He let out a pained cry as the wind around the room stopped, allowing Venri to finally release her hold on Zekra and allow Zekra to do the same with Len. As Impetus ripped out her arm from deep within the Dragonite's body, Len discharged a large bolt from his mane, sending it flying into the Dragonite's head.
Zephyr immediately fell to the ground, sparks emitting from his scales as he tried to right himself up, but seemed without the strength to do so. Impetus wasted no time in leaping into the air before turning both of her feet into dagger-like objects and landing right above the Dragonite's wings. There was a loud cracking sound as they dug deep into the dragon, cutting past the muscles and sinew and into the very bones themselves. And though the Dragonite couldn't seem to scream, the dilated pupils in his eyes and the twitching of his claws indicated enough to Zekra how much pain he was in.
Zekra grit her teeth together as she filled her claws with the plague-killing power, making the red streaking down her arms glow as Venri's tendrils gathered at her claw tips. Then, while the Dragonite was still down and paralyzed, she sprinted forward on all fours, feeling the murderous thoughts consume her.
He's the reason Yimtri is dead.
He's the reason Terron's not himself anymore.
He's the reason why they can't fight with me anymore. All of this is his fault. All the Primogenitor's fault. All of it. Everything's its fault.
WELL IT'S NOT GOING TO KILL ANYBODY ELSE HERE!
Zekra let out a mighty war cry as she leapt forward, claws ready to sink into Zephyr's body. However, just as she was about to descend upon the Dragonite, she saw someone shoot out of the flames surrounding the room and shoot toward the downed dragon. Something black and blurry.
The Zoroark quickly changed into a Skarmory as she stopped herself in mid-fall and flew away from the dragon. Then she quickly changed back and crouched, ready for whatever was about to come next. She wasn't about to be the next one to die.
The figure closed in on the Dragonite, settling itself by his side. Zekra felt her heart sink as soon as she saw who it was.
It was Terron. Or at least, it was Terron.
The demented, corrupted Cubone abomination stood by the downed Dragonite, watching him carefully, his white pupils moving about the endless sea of darkness that were his eyes. His tail slithered along the ground next to him, brushing against Zephyr as the Cubone slowly started to circle him. There was not a single burn mark upon him despite Zekra clearly remembering throwing him into the growing flames surrounding them.
"Zephyr, you pitiful dragon," the Cubone said apathetically. "Here I thought you were one of the most trusted of the Primogenitor's army, and yet you're lying here, dying to them after their simplest attacks. I expected better of you."
"And… who exactly are you?" Zephyr asked, his voice raspy, undoubtedly from the paralysis that was still wearing off of him. "I mean, you look like that stupid human Cubone, kind of, but you've got this weird vibe to you."
"Oh, what an excellent question," the Cubone said, grinning devilishly. "Well then Zephyr, I suppose I'll tell you. Why not? Why not let everyone in this room know exactly who I am?"
The demonic Cubone cast Len, Impetus, and Zekra a snide smile, causing the three to strengthen their stances. At least, Len and Impetus were able to do as much. Zekra only felt herself hesitate at the sight of the malice oozing from Terron's body's voice. It made her realize that Terron truly was nowhere to be found. There was not a trace to be seen in that demon, and the very thought of that made Zekra's knees feel weak.
"You might think that I'm like the rest of you where I'm just a fragment stuck inside of a host," the Cubone said, continuing to circle around the Dragonite. "In some ways, that's true. I am indeed a fragment of the one known as Rem's Shadow, or the Primogenitor as it wants to be called now. I'm so similar to you Zephyr, and in some ways, Impetus and Zekra. To so many, I'm just a fragment that's supposed to bring a shadow to life and merge with it… nothing more, nothing less. Something that is supposed to be inside of that human and turn him into one of us."
The Cubone then stopped in front of the Dragonite's head. For a moment, he did nothing, standing still and watching the Dragonite with a blank expression. Zephyr watched him in return, his plague attempting to seal up the wounds punctured into his back but seemingly unable to do so.
And then, the pinpoint of light in the Cubone's eyes drastically grew, taking up all of the space in his eyes so that there was not even a black speck to be seen. With a demonic screeching sound, the Cubone's jaw opened wide and a black tentacle shot out of the back of his throat before wrapping itself around the Dragonite's body.
Zephyr didn't even get a chance to scream before the tendril sucked the Dragonite into his maw, somehow shrinking the large and mighty dragon down so that he could fit into the Cubone's mouth entirely. Then, with a loud snapping sound, the maw closed, and Zephyr was no more. Zekra, Impetus, and Len could only watch in stunned horror as any traces of the Dragonite promptly disappeared, and the shadowy head of the Cubone turned toward them.
"But in truth… I'm much more than that," the Cubone said. "I'm something the rest of the fragments can't claim. I'm the original fragment. I HOLD THE PRIMOGENITOR'S GREATEST POWER!"
Wings promptly sprouted out of the Cubone's back, allowing him to rise into the air and hover high above the three. Then, with a devious grin, he exhaled a mighty stream of flame down upon them. The three scrambled away as the fire ate away at the flooring, burning so fervently that it actually melted the stone it hit, creating a deep crater that lead into an oubliette far below the mountain.
The Cubone laughed as he released another stream of fire, though before it could hit the ground, he then flapped his wings, creating a massive hurricane that struck with the ferocity as the ones Zephyr had made, if not with even more power. The flames were caught into the wind, and soon began circling about the room, flying in every direction possible so that it was impossible for Len, Impetus, and Zekra to avoid them.
But thankfully for them, Venri came to their rescue, for she swiftly transformed herself into Reshiram and gathered the three together. Then, before the fire could graze their fur, Venri wrapped her wings around them and shielded them from harm, taking the full brunt of the raging fire storm.
"Are you okay?" Zekra asked as she tried to find a gap in Venri's form to see what the possessed Cubone was doing.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Venri said, her voice distant and fading. "It doesn't hurt… but it takes a lot of energy to hold off all of this fire. I mean seriously, what kind of Cubone can fly and shoot fire and make wind storms? Didn't see that coming at all."
"Cubone can't," Impetus stated. "However, Zephyr can."
"Wait… are you saying that…" Zekra started to say.
"Yes. I think that when that fragment that's controlling Terron said that it holds the Primogenitor's power, I think it was referring to this," Impetus verified with a nod.
"So it doesn't just devour Pokémon it doesn't like and snack on their souls…" Len muttered to himself. "It absorbs them and takes their powers…"
"Well this is just great!" Venri whined. "Now not only is Yimtri dead and Terron's being possessed by the Primogenitor, we've got to deal with the fact that he can do anything he wants as long as he eats whoever has the power he wants! Just great!"
Zekra felt the pain in her heart again. She remembered, once again, that Terron was gone. He was under the control of the Primogenitor now, the monster that had been deep within him and buried thanks to that pin. Now that monster was free, and there was no reason to believe that it would ever relent its hold on Terron. He was gone whether she was willing to admit it or not.
But then, Zekra started to wonder if there was actually a way to bring Terron back. She remembered that Terron had once told her Yimtri saved him by putting the pin back on him while he was under control. She also remembered that they were able to save Nyx from her own plague when she was somewhat under its control by knocking her out. If she could just find the pin, or at least somehow catch the Cubone off-guard so that she could knock him out… then everything could be okay. She could have Terron back and they could keep fighting together.
She wouldn't have to face the Primogenitor without him.
Venri… let me out.
No, just no. You're going to die if I let you out of here. I get that you love him… but no.
Venri, I'll be okay. You can trust me. I'll be okay. Besides, we have to stop him somehow. You can't keep protecting us forever. You're just going to wear yourself out.
I'll have you know that I can last a pretty long time. When you jammed that pin into me, well let's just say it made me pretty tough, because that really, REALLY hurt and I swear my body's not the same anymore.
Venri… please. Just let me try. I promise I won't die.
Augh… alright, alright. Fine. Soon as I open my wings just a little, you get going. I'll distract that not-Tear guy and you try to attack him from behind or whatever. Because I sure don't see that pin anywhere. Probably got burnt up in the fire or something.
Zekra smiled a little, but soon steeled her nerves as she crouched, waiting for her chance to strike. She watched as Venri let out a loud roar similar to the one that Reshiram always gave before releasing his divine flames upon the land, and then allowed Zekra a small space for her to slip past her wings. The Zoroark dashed forward, shrinking into a Joltik as she scurried along, and soon found herself outside of Venri's shelter.
The entire room was alight with fire, smoke and ash billowing everywhere, making it so that Zekra could barely see a foot in front of her. However, Zekra refused to let her blindness stifle her and continued forward, using the smoke to her advantage and reverting back into a Zoroark. She hurried on all fours as she made her way towards where Venri's pillar of fire was hitting the ground, able to make out the vague outline of a Cubone-like figure. With her heart beating fast and her muscles jittering, she readied herself to land beside the Cubone and release the explosive power building within her claws. She knew there was a chance that Len and Impetus might be caught up in the blast, as she knew how large of a radius her power devastated, but she was also hopeful that Venri could at least protect those two. Venri claimed that she could withstand anything, so now seemed like the perfect time to test her bold statement.
The Zoroark locked her eyes onto the Cubone once, making sure that she could still see him holding back Venri's stream of fire with one of his own, and then pounced. She spread out her claws as she landed right next to the Cubone, getting as close to him as possible, and then dug her claws deep into the ground.
There was a flash of red as the ground beneath Zekra trembled, and a powerful wave flooded out of her claws. It washed over the entire room with a loud rumbling sound, tearing apart the ground and hurling chunks of rock high into the air. The flames devouring everything in the room were immediately put out as the smoke was blasted outside through the room's now destroyed doorways. Any pillars that were still standing were knocked down, crumbling into pieces as all of the windows were shattered. Their jagged shards were tossed outside, raining down upon any bystanders who might have been near the windows.
When Zekra's attack finally ceased and the dust cleared, the Zoroark tore her claws from the ground and shot her gaze at where the Cubone once was. She was quick to find that he was no longer there, instead collapsed near a window, rolled onto his side with his back facing her. He didn't seem to be moving, though his demonic appearance had not vanished, and she could very clearly see his wings still protruding out of his back, lying limply beside him.
Zekra cast her gaze over to where her teammates were to find that Venri was still amongst her in Reshiram's form. Her form seemed to be fizzling out, and there was a dim glimmer in her eyes, but she still stood strong. She slowly tucked her wings back into her sides, allowing Zekra to see that Impetus and Len were unharmed and safe, not a single burn or scratch upon them.
The Zoroark sighed deeply as she quietly crept over to the Cubone, though stopped once she was within a few feet of distance. She knew very well that the Cubone could be pretending to be unconscious and was waiting for her to lower her guard so it could devour her right there. She had been through enough to know that by now. Thus, she remained where she was, watching the Cubone carefully and silently praying that Terron would regain control of his body thanks to her efforts.
"Tear…?" Zekra called out cautiously, allowing Venri's tendrils to begin gathering within her claws. "Tear, can you hear me?"
There was no response. Zekra continued watching the Cubone, waiting for a sign of life, but he showed none. He only remained collapsed on the ground, not a twitch of movement or a rise and fall of his chest. The Zoroark thought for a moment, and then against her better judgement, took a step toward him.
That was when the Cubone's wings twitched, and Zekra tensed. She saw the demon begin to rise, and before she knew it, she was bolting away from the Cubone. However, she wasn't fast enough, for with a flash of black, the Cubone had closed in on her. He wrapped his tail around her neck as he dragged her down, slamming her chin onto the ground as his tail only tightened its grip. Zekra let out a choking sound as it constricted her, feeling it squeeze the life out of her as she tried to claw the tail off of the Cubone, but once again she was too slow. His tail split in half, one half keeping its suffocating hold around her neck while the other swiftly tied itself around her raised arm. It smashed her arm back onto the ground with such force that the ground beneath Zekra actually fractured and made a small indent. Zekra would have screamed if she could still breathe.
"You honestly think that you're going to get Terron back?" the Cubone asked. "Do you honestly believe that I'm going to give him back to you when I've been waiting for this day for so long?"
Zekra looked up and saw that the Cubone was shooting her a disgusted scowl, his eyes flickering with spite. And though Zekra knew he had taken the brunt of her attack, not a single part of him seemed to be injured. He was somehow still whole, not a blemish to be seen upon him. The only indication that he had been caught up in the large explosion was the fact that he wasn't standing as straight as he had before. There was a slight stoop to his stance, and every time he seemed to move, he would twitch for a brief second.
"I know exactly what you're trying to do," the Cubone spat. "You think you can just knock me out and then Terron will break free because I'm weak? Guess again. Terron's long gone, and you're never going to get him back. He can't even hear you where he currently is…"
The Cubone then smiled as the white in its eyes began to grow once again, blinding Zekra.
"But since you're so desperate to see him again… I suppose I can let you be with him. You two always were meant to be together."
That was when Zekra saw his mouth open as wide as it could, revealing a long, black and barbed tongue slithering toward her. She screamed and thrashed, trying to free herself from her binds, but it was futile. The Cubone's tail held her firm as the tendril began to wrap itself around her body, and the darkness of the Cubone's maw loomed closer and closer. She even thought she saw multiple pairs of eyes at the back of his throat, watching her and shooting her begging stares, as if wanting her to reach within the Cubone and set them free from their torment.
But just as Zekra was to be pulled into the Cubone and become one with that horrifying abyss, something ripped her out of the Cubone's hold and tossed her aside. Her head hit the ground with a loud thud, dazing her as she landed in a heap. She groaned as she shook her head, trying to shake away the dizziness as muffled screaming soon filled the air. She thought she heard coherent words amongst the screams, but was unable to decipher their meaning as her world continued to spin.
"SKREEE!"
The banshee-like scream pierced through the air so suddenly that it instantly snapped Zekra out of her haze and allowed her to look toward the source of the voices. What she found nearly made her jaw drop open.
Standing at her from quite a distance nearby a broken window was the Cubone, still in his insidious form. However, he was no longer alone. Instead, he was being held against a wall by another creature, this one making unnatural hissing noises as it dug its purple claws deep into the Cubone's jaw.
That other creature was Yimtri.
Somehow, his head had grown back, being perfectly intact without a bite mark anywhere upon his face or neck. Zekra wasn't terribly surprised by this, given that he was plagued and thus could regenerate, but it was when she took a closer look at Yimtri did she realize all was not right.
Though his head had reformed, it had not grown back entirely correctly. It still resembled a Sableye's head with the small horns protruding outward, his eyes being gemstones, and the overall shape being the same, but he no longer held a mouth. His mouth was simply gone, as if erased completely from his face. Not only that, but his head no longer seemed as solid, now holding a more wispy appearance that bore a resemblance to the hazy state his body was also in. Most of the gems that were embedded into his body were now gone, leaving his eyes as the only gemstones he still had. To Zekra, he seemed more like a living flame in the form of a Sableye than an actual Pokémon, and the way that his eyes gemstones radiated with a green light made shivers did not help matters. She could feel shudders crawling down her spine at the sight of him.
Yimtri ripped his claws out of the Cubone's jaw, taking with him the draconic mask so that it was ripped straight off of the Cubone's face. It dissipated into the Sableye's claws as the Cubone quickly began to grow another one, releasing black streams from his maw and making them encircle his head. But just as the shadows seemed to latch themselves onto the Cubone's scaly flesh, Yimtri sank his claws into the side of the Cubone's face, digging them so deep that the bases of his fingers were touching the Cubone's cheek. Then, with a low, guttural noise emitting from deep within him, the Sableye tossed the Cubone against another wall. As the Cubone slammed into it and fell to the ground with a low groan, the Sableye rushed toward him. His legs and arms disappeared as the lower half of his body seemed to slither along the ground at an alarming speed, making it so that he was by the Cubone's side long before he could even get up.
The Sableye loomed over the Cubone momentarily, watching him with his flickering, otherworldly eyes that had become eerily vacant. The Cubone shot the Sableye a spiteful glare that could surely melt steel as black spirals circled around his claws, causing them to elongate. Then, he swiped at the Sableye's face, successfully connecting his claw tips with Yimtri's gemstones. There was a disconcerting cracking sound as the claws tore straight through Yimtri's eyes, creating deep crevices within the stones and allowing rays of ethereal light to leak out of Yimtri's body and onto the Cubone.
And yet, the Sableye did not move. He only remained there, eying the Cubone with his blank gaze as his arms and legs seeped out of his body and allowed the Sableye to hold a more humanoid form.
Multiple tendrils suddenly sprouted out of the Sableye at once, jutting out of his back. Each was topped by a clawed hand uncannily similar to those upon the Cubone's paws, though more slender and more hook-like. They all then struck forward, grasping at the air as they zeroed in onto the Cubone. The Cubone deftly leapt out of the way, narrowly missing the claws as they sank themselves deep into the stone flooring, tearing apart the marble as they ripped themselves from the ground and flung the debris out of their grasps. The Cubone rose to his feet as his mask reformed around his head, panting and shooting the Sableye a resentful glare.
"Oh look, you're finally starting to be more like the real shadow you were always meant to be. Think you're so strong now that you can use all those powers, don't you?" the Cubone growled before suddenly beginning to show the faintest hints of a smile. "But will you really win against me again? You're so much stronger now, but I have a feeling that strength won't mean anything by the time I come back…"
The Cubone shot the Sableye one last snide grin, and then flung himself out of a nearby window, tucking his wings into his body as he went into a nosedive and descended upon whatever unfortunate souls were below him.
Silence fell over the room as Zekra, Impetus, Venri, and Len looked over at Yimtri to find that he was still standing where the Cubone once was, his eyes now on the window that the demonic one had disappeared through. The tendrils groping at the air silently retracted themselves back into his body with unnerving hissing sounds, and within moments, not a trace of them was anywhere to be seen. All that stood before the four now was a lone Sableye, the wisps escaping his body harmlessly licking at the air as he continued to watch the window with an impassive stare.
For a moment, no one did anything. The four only stood there, watching the Sableye cautiously, ready to bolt the second he made a sudden move. Yimtri only continued to keep his eyes on the window, making no apparent effort to follow after the demonic Cubone.
After what felt like an eternity later, Yimtri finally turned away from the window and brought his gaze over to the four. His gemstone eyes still remained cracked and the light flooding out of them did not seem to lessen in the slightest.
And then, a line formed along his face where his mouth once was, like someone was carving a knife into his face. It continued across his face in a jagged motion, making it so that within a matter of moments, his newly formed mouth resembled a grin commonly seen on jack-o-lanterns. Green light flooded out of his maw as he slowly opened it, his shiny white teeth no longer present.
"I think I've grown rather tired," Yimtri reprehended with a glower, "of everyone always giving me that same unnerving stare every time I use a power not seen amongst you Pokémon."
"Yimtri! You're okay!" Zekra cried, feeling her heart soar in her chest as the others near her sighed deeply in relief.
"There was never any reason to fear," Yimtri stated dismissively. "Cutting off my head does not assure my death. You have to try far better than that if you want to kill me."
"I guess that's true," Zekra said with a smile. "Well I'm glad that you're doing okay. I really thought that you were going to attack us or something. I mean, you were pretty freaky looking back there when you were fighting that thing possessing Tear…"
The Sableye said nothing, though Zekra noticed that the exasperated glint in his eyes was slowly being replaced with something else. Something else that made him seem vulnerable and not like the unbreakable leader he always appeared to be. She tried to study the Sableye more in an attempt to understand what strange expression he was beginning to convey, but before she could, he glanced over at a door at the end of the room.
"We need to keep going," Yimtri stated. "Terron's plague is going to come after us as soon as it's done collecting more hosts to absorb. There isn't any time to waste."
Then, without wasting a moment, the Sableye went towards Len, his arms and legs remaining attached to his form instead of disappearing and reverting him into a more amorphous being.
"Yimtri… are you sure you're okay?" Zekra asked quietly. "I mean, your eyes are cracked and I'm pretty sure your body isn't supposed to be like that… not to mention you had your head literally bitten off."
"I'm fine, Zekra," Yimtri said, not even bothering to turn back to face her. "This isn't the first time I've had my head cut off. It's rather painful and everything turns dark for quite a while, but it's nothing that ends up being too detrimental to me by the time I grow back a new head. Don't worry about me."
"Are you really sure, though?" Zekra asked again. "Because you look a little-"
"YOU'RE SCARED OF ME."
Zekra flinched as the Sableye abruptly twisted his head toward her, and was deeply disturbed to find that he was smiling. The corners of his mouth stretched toward his eyes as another crack formed in each gemstone, running straight through the deep crevice that the Cubone had created with his strike.
"YOU'RE SCARED OF ME," Yimtri said again, his words becoming warbled and twisted. "YOU'RE SCARED THAT I'M GOING TO BECOME LIKE TERRON. YOU'RE SCARED THAT I'M GOING TO TURN ON YOU AND RIP OUT YOUR HEART AND DEVOUR IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU'RE SCARED. YOU'RE SO SCARED BECAUSE YOU KNOW THERE'S NOWHERE TO HIDE.
"YOU KNOW I'M EVERYWHERE IN EVERYONE."
The Sableye covered his maw with his claws as he began laughing. Len and Impetus swiftly darted away from the Sableye and rejoined Zekra's side as Venri disappeared, disappearing into Zekra's mind and having her tendrils begin gathering in the Zoroark's claws. And though Zekra didn't enjoy the thought that she might have to kill Yimtri now, she knew there was a good chance she would have to. She couldn't afford for both Terron and Yimtri to turn against her and the others, albeit unwillingly.
But just as Zekra was to consider pouncing at the Sableye, he abruptly ceased his laughter, and a deafening silence filled the room. Yimtri didn't allow Zekra the chance to glimpse at his face before he abruptly turned away, lowering his arms in the process.
"We need to get to the portal," Yimtri stated hastily, his words almost indecipherable to her. "We're running out of time. We need to get to the portal… Time… Time is running out…"
The, before anyone could say anything, the Sableye melted into the ground and reverted himself into a shadow. He hurried toward the doorway on the other side of the room, swooping past Zekra, Len, and Impetus's feet. The three couldn't help but shudder as he rushed past them, feeling a chill sweep through their bodies as he vanished out of the room.
"Yimtri! Yimtri, wait!" Zekra cried before she bounded after him.
"Zekra, stop!" she heard Len scream from behind. "You have no idea what's happening to Yimtri right now! For all we know, he's become possessed just like Terron and is trying to lure you to your death!"
Zekra knew that was a very real possibility. She had seen the almost evil glimmer in Yimtri's eyes when he was smiling at her only moments ago, something she had not seen since he was attacking everyone in their first descent into Erebus Woods. The thought that somehow the more malicious side of Yimtri, whatever was the cause of it, was back and ready to kill her did not surprise Zekra in the slightest.
However… she refused to let that stop her. She had to find Yimtri. She had to track him down and see with her own eyes what was happening to him and find out if he truly was losing himself to an entity locked deep within himself.
She had to prevent him from meeting Terron's fate.
The Zoroark bolted after the Sableye, chasing after his fleeing shadow as he went deeper and deeper into the castle. And though he moved with a surprising speed through the halls, Zekra forced herself to keep up with him, refusing to let his vague, shadowy figure out of her sights.
It wasn't long before Yimtri rounded a corner and fled into another hallway, escaping Zekra's sight. She quickened her pace and was about to sprint around the corner herself, but just before she could, a burly Salamance burst in front of her and blasted a stream of fire at her head. Zekra was only barely able to roll out of the way as the flames devoured the spot where she once stood, eating away at the long carpets strewn about. She snarled at the Salamance as she pounced at it, leaping onto its neck before sinking her fangs deep into its jugular. The behemoth released a loud roar as it backed itself up into a nearby wall, instantly crushing Zekra between the dragon and the stone. The air in her lungs was forced out of her as the dragon removed itself from the wall and bucked her forward, causing her to skid down the hallway. Then, before Zekra could get up, the dragon lifted one of its front paws and stamped it down upon Zekra's head.
The Zoroark thought she heard her skull crack as an unbearable wave of pain shot through her, as though lightning had been shot directly into her head. She screamed as she blindly thrashed her paws at the foot above her until she finally felt her claws sink into something scaly and tough. Then, she made Venri's tendrils leak out of her claws and slide into the dragon, letting them worm their way through the dragon's veins and muscles, tearing apart everything they touched. The darkness that filled Zekra's sight was lifted as loud, ungodly screeches filled the air, allowing her to see that the dragon was thrashing about wildly. It withdrew its foot from her head, ripping out Zekra's claws from its limb, tearing out a number of bones and ligaments that Venri's tendrils were attached to in the process. However, the dragon was unable to go anywhere, for Venri was pinning it down on its side while in the form of a Haxorus.
"Just DIE ALREADY!" Venri screeched.
The false Haxorus then raised her head up high before bringing her tusks down upon the Salamance's neck. Like a hot knife through butter, Venri's bladed tusk cut cleanly through the dragon, causing the head to go tumbling into the distance as the body fell limp. Zekra quickly got up before the growing pool of blood could reach her and rubbed her head with her claws. She could still feel her cranium throbbing and the world around her was toppling ever so slightly.
"Relax, I'm working on that right now," Venri said as she drew closer to Zekra. "I really need you to focus right now anyway. Got a lot of Pokémon coming right toward us now and I can't exactly fight and heal you at the same time. At least, not really well."
Zekra shook her head and blinked a few times before peering down the hallway. She could just barely make out what appeared to be a black shadow retreating into what appeared to be a courtyard at the end of the hallway, but she also saw a horde of Pokémon running her way. And though she couldn't identify all of the Pokémon, she could spot a few, notably a ferocious Charizard with flames billowing out of its maw and an Absol with its horn bright with a white power.
"Ugh, not more Pokémon to kill," Zekra whined as she pressed a paw to her forehead. "We need to find Yimtri… ugh, let's get this over with."
The Zoroark dashed forward just as Venri disappeared, charging at the cluster of Pokémon head-on. She didn't even flinch as they slowly closed in on her, all of them bellowing out war cries at the top of their lungs. Zekra could clearly see the determination in their eyes, the undying intent of murdering her for the sake of protecting the Fellowship. She saw the flames in their eyes and the justice that they wished to deliver. In the end, though these Pokémon wanted to end her life, she knew that these Pokémon didn't deserve to die. She knew that they were only fighting for what they believed in and that had she stayed within the Fellowship and never learned the truth, each of them might have been her allies. Perhaps she would be fighting alongside them against someone else that Nyx imparted the truth to.
But she knew what had to be done.
Zekra waited until the horde of Pokémon were just about to collide with her, and then sank her claws into the ground. She released the power building in her claws into the ground, and watched as red exploded around her, knocking back all of her assailants. Every single one was blown backwards, no matter their stature, and smacked into walls, or tossed out windows that lined the hallway.
She didn't bother to check to see if they were still breathing as she dashed past them. She only ran as her head ceased to throb, allowing her to run in a much straighter line and without needing to wince with every movement she made. She raced down the hallway, and then as soon as the courtyard came into view, she burst into it.
The courtyard was fairly large, and despite the on-going war that was ensuing through the castle, it remained untouched. It was encircled by both the mountain's rocky side and the Fellowship's prestigious walls, allowing it to remain safely enclosed and free from danger. Pathways of cobblestone trailed and circled around areas of neatly manicured lawns of emerald grass, holding rosebushes of red or white along its edges so that they too circled the yard. In the very center of the yard rested a large, white statue of three four-legged beasts Zekra didn't recognize, each of them standing close together and posed as if ready to strike. Their mouths gaped open as they bore their fangs at an unseen enemy, and though they all had a frightening array of fangs, Zekra feared the bite of the one who seemed to have two long, dagger-like teeth jutting out of his mouth protected by what appeared to be a plate resting underneath his nose.
But before Zekra could focus more upon the strange statue and who the identity of the three beasts, she saw Yimtri before the sculpture. From her distance, Zekra could see that he was on his hands and knees. His claws trembled as he dug them into the pavement, leaving deep claw marks into the stone in the process.
"Oh god… oh god no…" she could hear him muttering to himself. "Why is this happening… This can't happen. Not now… not now that I'm so close…"
Zekra grimaced uncomfortably, no longer sure what she wanted to do now that she had finally caught up with the Sableye. Before, she had been so sure that she could find a way to help him, even if it meant killing him out of mercy so that he wouldn't share Terron's fate. However, upon looking at the shuddering Sableye that seemed so weak and frail, Zekra's plans began to crumble, and she found herself at a loss.
"Yimtri…" Zekra decided to say, unable to think of anything else to do.
The Sableye snapped his head back to look at her, allowing Zekra to see that his gemstone eyes were flickering continuously, shifting between his usual blue light and the otherworldly green one. She couldn't help but note that the wisps streaming out of his body seemed to be moving at a much swifter rate, as if his body was readying itself to disappear from the physical realm.
"Zekra…" Yimtri whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear. "Zekra… Get to the portal. Take Len and Impetus and Reshiram… and get to the portal. It's not far from here. It's very close. Very, very close…"
"And what about you?" Zekra asked. "You're coming with us, right?"
The Sableye didn't say anything. He only winced as he grabbed the side of his head with one of his claws, and Zekra watched as the crack in his left eye suddenly widened. It was so wide that the fragments that were once latched onto his face crumbled off of him, leaving a gaping black hole where his left eye once was. Zekra could see a tiny white light glimmering softly within that hole.
The Sableye began to laugh as a maniacal smile worked its way onto his face.
"You've come here to help me, huh?" he asked deliriously. "You think you can save me, don't you? Ah hah, you do. Of course you do. Always so full of hope when despair is circling around you, ready to devour you."
The crack in Yimtri's other eye suddenly expanded as well, and within moments, the gemstones clinging to it also fell off of him. Soon, Zekra found herself gazing at an eye-less Sableye, the hollow spots where his eyes once were gazing deep into her own eyes. She thought that deep within those two abysses, moving momentarily in the light that radiated within Yimtri's body, she saw something unnatural and depraved slithering through him.
"You can't save me," Yimtri told her menacingly. "You CAN'T. THERE'S NOBODY TO SAVE."
Yimtri fell over onto his side before he rammed his forehead into the pavement. His smile instantly vanished as he shot her a pained, desperate look so similar to the one Terron had given Zekra before he had lost himself. He reached out to her with a trembling clawed hand.
However, just as Zekra was to extend her own hand toward him, he suddenly retracted it back.
"No… no Zekra, you can't help me," he said, shaking his head. "Don't help me… Please… get away from here… Stay… Stay away from me."
It was then that Zekra saw Yimtri's claw convulse before it promptly exploded into hundreds of tiny black tendrils with claws of their own, all of them flying wildly and whipping at the air. Yimtri swiftly grabbed his arm with his other, unaltered claw and slammed the grotesque display of flailing tentacles into the ground. The tentacles began to struggle, escaping from his under his grip and digging themselves into the ground, worming their way toward Zekra. They crawled toward her, grasping in her direction as they began to close in on her feet.
Yimtri's eyes flashed as he swiftly pulled back his corrupted arm, tearing the tentacles out of the ground before they could touch Zekra. Then, with an unsettling slurping sound, they were sucked right back into Yimtri's arm, merging back together to become a normal claw. Yimtri grabbed the wrist just as it reverted back and then collapsed on top of it, burying it beneath his weight.
He turned back to Zekra, and for a second, she no longer saw Yimtri, the unwavering and fearless Sableye that refused to let anything move him.
She saw the monster that had consumed Terron, gleefully drowning a frightened and trembling Yimtri in its abysmal darkness.
"I'm sorry…" he told her, his voice growing fainter and fainter with each word he spoke. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Zekra."
Both of the Sableye's arms then burst into grotesque masses of tendrils. They sank themselves into the ground as they became shadows, crawling away from the Sableye as they reached for every single shadow in the courtyard, whether it was Zekra's shadow or a shadow of an inanimate object strewn about the courtyard. As soon as the tendrils' claws grasped around the shadows, they pulled the darkness back toward Yimtri. They all pooled around him, surrounding and watching him hungrily like a pack of ravenous Mightyena circling a lone and hapless Skitty.
And then, all at once, the tendrils sucked the shadows into Yimtri's body.
One second, Yimtri was laying in front of the statue, watching them with a horrified glare as he seemed ready to burst into tears.
And then the next second, Yimtri's body exploded.
His body scattered throughout the yard, landing upon walls or trees in various, shapeless segments before melting into shadows and fleeing deep into the castle. Within a matter of seconds, all of Yimtri's pieces had vanished, along with every single shadow in the area. There was not a speck of darkness to be seen, even as the sun beat down upon the courtyard.
All that remained of Yimtri were fragments of his gemstone eyes resting on the ground where he once lay, glimmering dully.
Zekra could only stand there amidst the courtyard, finding herself at a complete loss. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened before her very eyes. Yimtri's changes had seemed so surreal, as though they were nothing more than something out of a bad nightmare. And yet, Zekra knew that it had been real.
She knew that Yimtri had joined Terron's fate and lost himself to the monster that had been buried deep within Dimitri's soul.
Zekra was only barely able to register something massive descending upon her, carefully landing near her as it tucked its wings into its body. She hazily glanced over to see that it was Reshiram, a frightening amount of puncture wounds set deep into his flesh. Blood trickled down his limbs as approached the Zoroark, but he paid them no mind.
"Rayquaza still roams about, but he is soon to fall," the great and majestic dragon reported. "The blighted Pokémon are making sure of that. I predict he will fall by the time we reach the portal."
"Good… that's good," Zekra said hollowly, still eying the gemstones lying before the statue. "One less problem to deal with."
"Where are the others? I thought all of you were remaining together."
"They're… they're coming. I think."
It was not long after Zekra said this did she hear footsteps stamping against the pavement behind her. She glanced over and in the corner of her eye, she saw Len and Impetus hurrying over to her. She watched as they joined by her side, both of them panting and shooting her dark glares.
"Zekra, we told you not to run off," Impetus said with a scowl. "We are supposed to remain together."
"I know… I know," Zekra said, sighing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that."
It was then that the two finally noticed the absence of light in Zekra's eyes. The both of them dropped their reprehending glares as they moved closer to her.
"Zekra… are you alright?" Len asked. "Did something happen?"
"Yimtri's gone," Zekra blurted out, immediately feeling the sting in her heart. "He's just… he's like Tear now. He's not him anymore. He's… I don't know what he is anymore. He's just not himself anymore."
"I see," Len said, lowering his gaze momentarily. "I'm terribly sorry that you had to witness that, Zekra. I know it's difficult to watch-"
"You don't have to say anything about it," Zekra cut in. "I think I knew this was going to happen. It's not like you can just stop something from possessing you. I just… I think I just wanted to see him again before he totally lost himself."
Zekra dug her claws into her scalp as she turned away from her companions, wandering away from them until she was right before the tarnished remains of Yimtri's eyes. She exhaled deeply as she gave it one last longing look, and then tore her gaze away from it.
"We need to get to the portal," Zekra said. "Len, I heard that it's really close to here. Is that true?"
"Yes, we should be able to reach it within five minutes," Len verified. "We need to exit this courtyard and go into that doorway right there, go down one last hallway and then at the very end of it should be the room that holds the portal."
"Alright, then let's get going. Before anything else happens."
And then, without wasting a moment, Zekra dashed forward on all fours into the direction that Len was suggesting. She could hear Len and Impetus following behind her, as well as see Reshiram himself. Though he was a behemoth compared to all the mortals of the castle, the castle's interior was still able to hold him, its ceiling so high that he had no reason to stoop as he hurried into the hallway with Zekra. He couldn't fly, as the hallways were too narrow to support his massive wingspan, but he could still sprint with a reasonable amount of speed for a creature of his stature.
But none of that mattered to Zekra. She needed to get to the portal. They all did. They couldn't afford for anyone else to become lost to the Primogenitor.
And they absolutely could not afford to have another encounter with Terron and Yimtri.
Just as Zekra's vision began to swim and her heart started to skip beats at the thought of those two, it was then that she saw a cluster of Pokémon fighting in the hallway not too far ahead of her. From the way they were all clashing amongst one another, scratching at one another with their drawn claws, she knew that this was a fight between Yimtri's followers and the Fellowship. She even thought she saw the Talonflame that Yimtri had recruited amongst the group, dive-bombing onto anybody it could before sinking its talons into their eyes. However, there was another Pokémon within the struggle that she recognized even more so.
It was Crystelle, deftly racing about as what appeared to be a Glaceon continuously fired shards of ice from its maw in her direction. And though the Umbreon always seemed to find a way to avoid them, the Glaceon continued to be persistent, aiming his attacks with more precision so that the Umbreon only began to miss them by a hair.
"Crystelle!" Zekra cried, picking up her pace.
She was not about to let Crystelle die. She was already carrying the burden of two broken hearts within her, and she was not about to let a third one form. She could not let Lyra and Frazil's daughter die and make them have yet another perished child to mourn after.
"Hssssssh…"
Zekra's ears perked up as the sound crawled into her ears, reaching deep into her mind. She darted her eyes about, trying to locate the source of the faded noise, but was unable to find it.
"Hsssssssh…"
Venri… what's that sound?
I don't know. I can hear it too, but I sure don't see anything. I don't see anybody making that sound, and I know you're not imaging it.
"Hssssssssh…"
It's… it's getting closer. But where… where is it?
Oh… um. I found what's making that weird noise.
Really?! What is it?
Um… I think you should just see it for yourself.
The Zoroark listened to Venri's directions within her mind and looked up at the ceiling towering high above her. At first, she did not see anything, save for a number of chandeliers dangling on chains and paintings of various legendary Pokémon that reminded of her the drawings commonly seen in some churches.
And then she saw it.
It was a black blob. That was the only way Zekra could describe it. It had a form of some sort, but it was continuously shifting as it slithered along the ceiling like a snake. And though it appeared small from Zekra's distance, she knew that in reality, it was a fairly large creature. She was certain that it was the size of a Bayleef.
Zekra couldn't continue to ponder in the strange creature's appearance, for it swiftly picked up its speed and hurried over to the clashing Pokémon in the hallway. Then, when it was right above them, the creature detached itself from the ceiling and descended upon them.
The moment it hit the ground, it lost its physical form and splattered against the marble, becoming a thick, tar-like puddle. Everyone ceased their battles as they shot their gazes at the strange entity that had dropped upon them and seemingly killed itself in the process. They watched as the puddle of darkness simply sat amongst them, a ripple occasionally flowing across the surface of it.
A dozen shadowy tendrils then slid out of the puddle and wormed their way along the ground in every direction before they latched onto every shadow in the room. Then, with a slurping noise, all of the tentacles pulled the shadows into the puddle at once, absorbing them into the blob of darkness.
A black, vaguely humanoid figure rose out of the puddle seconds later, standing almost as tall as Zekra even as it remained hunched over. It gazed down upon all of the now stunned Pokémon before it with beady white eyes, its unnaturally long and stick-like arms hanging limply by its sides. It did not move as the rest of the puddle seeped out of the ground to become it, solidifying its body so that it now appeared to be physical being instead of a wispy, shadowy creature.
Zekra forced herself to a halt as the being manifested itself completely amongst everyone. She could hear Len, Impetus, and Reshiram doing the same behind her. No one moved as the creature observed all of the frozen Pokémon, watching them as strange clicking noises began emitting from its non-existent jaw. No one knew what to make of it. It resembled nothing that they had ever seen before.
Then, there was suddenly a loud ripping sound, and a maw opened upon the creature's face.
"GRAAAAH!"
Multiple tentacles shot out of its mouth and wrapped around a Delphox, Lucario, and Slowbro in the group. And then, before any of them could struggle, it withdrew them into its mouth, swallowing them whole.
Everyone bolted from the spot, scattering far away from the monster as it raised its head and let out another menacing screech before springing at a Ponyta in the group. The fire-type shrieked before firing a fireball at the entity, impacting it directly into its chest. The monster flinched as the fire ate away at its body, creating a massive hole in its body. It gaped down at the crater for a brief second, and then watched as it soon sealed itself back up. Within a moment, the hole was completely gone, not a trace of injury to be seen. The monster wasted no time in swooping in on the Ponyta before shooting two tendrils out of its maw and had them tie around the Ponyta's neck and hind legs. Then, with an effortless pull, the monster ripped it in half, spilling blood on the floor before tossing it aside and going after a Greninja close by.
Zekra, Len, and Impetus hurried behind Reshiram as they watched the abomination rapidly devour or rend apart anybody it came across. And though it took some time, Venri soon came running over to the four with Crystelle following close behind her. The two wasted no time in joining Zekra and her companions as they hid behind the great dragon, who stood valiantly and strongly between them and the monster despite the obvious dread glimmering in his eyes.
"What is that thing…?" Len asked, his jaw dropping in awe. "I refuse to believe that is a Pokémon…"
"I sense a strong amount of blight from it," Reshiram reported grimly. "However, it's not the Primogenitor. The essence is quite strong, but not strong enough. It's more likely that it's a Blight Demon of high rank amongst its army, similar to Vantis or Chrysalis."
"Its power seems greater than that of either of them quite honestly," Len stated grimly. "I'm fairly certain that its power even rivals yours, Reshiram. What sort of monstrous abomination could possibly hold that much power?"
"I think… that's Yimtri."
Everyone turned back to look at Zekra, who was eyeing the monster as she nervously played with her claws. She continued to watch the monster from afar as it grabbed a fleeing Houndoom that was she distinctly remembered as being one of Yimtri's members before swallowing it whole.
"That's Yimtri?" Len gasped. "Dear gods, Zekra, what happened to him when you last saw him so that you now think that thing is him?"
"He exploded into a bunch of shadows," Zekra said reluctantly. "And then they crawled away into the Fellowship. Now there's this freaky shadow thing murdering everyone and well…"
Zekra saw everyone bring their gazes back to the beast as it skittered through the hallway as more Pokémon began to rebel against it and strike at its grotesque body. It clambered onto the walls as it avoided each of their attacks, moving masterfully and fluidly like a snake. Then, when the Pokémon showed the first signs of weariness, it flung itself at them, burying them under its mass. Zekra could hear their muffled, terrified screams just before they were absorbed into the monster's body.
"Yimtri…" Zekra whispered hoarsely.
"We can't stay here," Impetus said with an unwavering, firm voice, snapping everyone's attention away from the beast. "Whether or not that thing was Yimtri at one point, it doesn't matter anymore. It blocks our way to the portal and we must reach it."
"Right, we mustn't be distracted," Len affirmed. "Reshiram, can you distract that thing?"
"Yes. Though it seems to have regenerating abilities, I imagine that it would take a significant deal of time for it to completely restore its entire body if it were destroyed. Perhaps it will even be vanquished thanks to it being a Blight Demon," Reshiram said before glancing down at the Luxray. "Do you believe you can run fast enough?"
"We don't have any other choice," Len stated. "Impetus is correct; we have to keep moving forward, no matter what has happened to our comrades. We cannot dwell in their losses."
"Very well. The moment I set that beast aflame, run as though you were the lightning an enraged Zapdos casts down upon the lands."
"Not difficult at all," Len said smugly, swishing his tail from side to side.
The great dragon took in a deep breath and then hurried toward the revolting monster as it finished absorbing a Jigglypuff, Kecleon, Abomasnow, and Goodra into its body all at once. Just as the entity clamped its jaws shut, Reshiram bombarded it with a blast of blue fire. The entity let out an ear-piercing scream as its entire body was devoured by the flames, making it melt back into a dark puddle.
Then, as the puddle bubbled and tendrils slowly clawed out of its murky surface, Zekra, Len, Impetus, Crystelle, and Reshiram ran past it, leaving it far behind as they made their way to the very end of the hallway. They could very clearly see a massive, silver door waiting for them, shining like a beacon in a stormy night to them.
Zekra felt her heart soar as soon as she saw it. They were finally going to make it to the portal. They were finally going to be able to stop the Primogenitor so very soon.
All they had to do was reach that room and they could make it to the Primogenitor's realm.
They would end all of this madness soon.
As soon as Zekra and her companions reached the end of the hallway and stood before the Fellowship leaders' room, Zekra nearly ripped the doors off their hinges as she burst in there, ready to dive into the portal the second she saw it. She had no idea what it looked like, but she imagined it wouldn't be that difficult to find, especially with Len in her company.
However, as soon as Zekra entered the room, all of her jittery nerves became ice cold. She froze in place as Len, Reshiram, Impetus, and Crystelle soon flooded into the room with her, and it wasn't long before they understood why she had stopped dead in her tracks.
There was no portal to be seen. It was simply an empty room, not a bed or shelf to be seen for the bedroom it supposedly was.
And yet… it was not completely empty. There were three Pokémon standing in the middle of the room, shooting Zekra bemused smiles. Three, four-legged Pokémon that towered high above her like dominating gods.
And then Zekra realized exactly why she thought that. It was because these Pokémon before her were god-like beings.
They were a Suicune, Entei, and Raikou.
They were the legendary beasts that the Primogenitor had stolen into its home long ago, along with Nyx and Rayquaza.
"Ah Len, you came back. Just as we thought," the Suicune spoke, the white ribbon-like appendages along his sides billowing in a non-existent wind. "You actually made it this far despite everything. Despite Rayquaza, despite having your entire team perish, despite losing even more of your companions on the way up here. You still fight even until the very end. You've grown so much since you first came here as a feckless Luxio. I almost want to say that I'm proud of you."
"The portal… Where is the portal?!" Len screamed, sparks discharging from his fur. "This is where it's supposed to be! You brought me here when you wanted me to see that monster!"
"Oh Len, did you really believe we were going to keep the portal here after we found out you escaped from the dungeon?" the Suicune asked. "Did you honestly believe we would allow you the slightest chance to get to the master?"
The Luxray stumbled back as the three leaders only seemed to grin even more, the plague infesting their souls glimmering evilly in the lights of their eyes.
"The portal is no longer here," the Suicune said. "We removed it."