Chapter 19

The Return

The past comes back to haunt the present


"Ow! Ow! OW you F- OW!"

"Stop moving already will you?!" Zed scoffed, transformed into a Sneasel like Jake for the high precision of his fingers as he sutured and stitched up one of Sam's wounds. "The more you move around and wiggle the harder it is for me to suture this."

"Just ask fuckin' Vincent to patch it up then! Where's the fuckin' dickweed at anyways! Vincent! Stop hiding you little shit!" Sam's complaining and grunting was getting on Zed's nerves… though to be fair his wound was pretty terrible, so the fact he wasn't outright howling in agony was a miracle. "It's the same fuckin' spot where I got hurt when we fought that metal thing in that desert. Ya remember that shit?"

"Arceus don't even bring it up…" Lucy, also wrapped up in bandages around her midsection, groaned and covered her eyes, laying flat on her belly. "I'm so fucking tired, my head hurts and now you're reminding me of all that stress." Everyone else was really quiet, likely stewing and sitting on those key questions they had saved up for those three, attempting to cope with their growing concerns by making small talk… And then there was Jake, who was merely sitting by the window and looking out at the night sky, silent as a grave, and watching over an unconscious Serge. "Seriously, why is Vincent not just healing us up?"

"If you were paying attention, he mentioned that healing takes his own life away, and withers those spots on his body. And considering there are many in far worse shape than us, and that he already went over and examined most of our most grievous wounds, I see very little reason for him to waste his time caring over average wounds like ours." Ayame's words rang true in all of them, but it didn't make the pain fade in the slightest. Following yet another silent spell, during which they ruminated on their current predicament, Cherry, who was mostly unharmed and just sitting by Jake quiet and sad, looked up.

"I heard Maria say that Elly got hurt in the fight… I wonder if she's ok." Bringing up the Eevee's predicament made everyone even more tense than before, and the taste of their recent defeat even more bitter. The uncertainty of her fate and even her location had all of them incredibly anxious, though none were as distraught as Eric, whom they hadn't seen a hair of since they were brought to the hospital. Though Sam and Ayame might not know him as well as the others, they knew enough from context clues that the Riolu was taking this much worse than any of them. And of course, with Elly gone, he was the de facto team leader, and without him to call the shots they were starting to feel lost.

The next room over however, was a much different picture, that being where Vincent was currently healing and operating on a Midday Lycanroc. When she'd been brought in, she was at death's door, stabbed through by a wooden beam from a house collapse. Where that hole had once been however, it was all healed up, thanks to energy he'd borrowed from survivors and other contributions. It wasn't unlike blood donation, which they were going to have to set up one way or the other, as there were things even he struggled to regenerate. Once he was done with her, he approached the nearby nurse, in awe of his ability, and told the Gothita that she should be looked after by an in-house doctor from now on. "She's past the worst, now it's going to be a matter of reconditioning and helping her recover. Her stomach was punctured and nearly destroyed, so I had to remake most of it. Feed her non-solids for a week, and after that you probably know how to handle it." He wasn't a professional doctor, and it showed, but he had extensive experience in healing, as much as he liked to deny it. She thanked him, breath taken still at his abilities, and he walked out of the room.

After nearly twelve hours of running about, healing and taking energy and expending it and doing all that he could to save as many as he could, it was finally over. He'd made a point to treat and cover all the most extreme and serious wounds that very day, and thanks to Alakard's quick thinking and coordination of the guards in Cunabula, they'd pretty much rounded up most of the survivors and victims and taken them to that hospital. Wounds ranged from flesh wounds and cuts to the kinds of life or death situations he'd been dealing with all day, and now that there was no one in dire need of attention, he could turn his attention to a certain someone, sleeping a few rooms down the hallway. He was spotted by the rest of the team as he walked by their door however.

"Oi, Vincent. You good?" Nox called out from inside the room, and Vincent leaned in and pushed the door slightly ajar.

"Keep it down will ya? Lots of pokémon are trying to sleep and get some rest after today. What a shitshow." He leaned against the doorframe, rubbing his tired eyes.

"You know… I really, really want to ask, but what does it feel like? The whole healing process." As a way to make conservation and take their minds off of the missing Eevee heavy on their conscience, Zed started that line of conversation, whilst also being personally interested in the Roselia's own abilities.

"Eh? Oh, well there's not much to how it feels. The area I heal is the one that is affected within my body, say your stomach's stabbed through, all that general area and my insides are withered. It… doesn't hurt, thankfully, otherwise this'd be a lot harder, but rather they feel numb and unresponsive. Depending on the area it's a lot harder to deal with. Earlier I had to deal with an Ampharos whose lungs had been punctured, and… Well I'll skip the details, the workaround I found was to heal my affected area from another spot on my body. So by doing that, I healed my own lungs as I gave up the use of my legs, which yes, is as weird as it sounds."

"I bet the doctors around here are feeling jealous, then? I've seen some pokémon with some healing abilities, but nothing that's remotely similar to what you can accomplish with your own body, even from other grass types." Ayame's comment made the Roselia smile and fix the leaves on his head.

"I'll take that as a compliment… But hey, I'd wager none of us here are normal by any stretch of the imagination." He showed them the back of his right hand, sure as day there was a symbol there, of a tree sapling with withered-like tree roots underneath, and markings on his hand and arm in faded white. "Don't show often, but when I overuse them, it starts glowing up a storm. Anyways, I'm going to head to Ferrus' room, need to check a few things with him."

"He's up? With all those wounds?!"

"I expect him to be, given the fact he was conscious whilst I healed him. No anesthesia either, according to him." The Zorua's aghast reaction just made Vincent shrug and smile. "I ain't complaining, it's a bitch to produce. Anyways, catch you all later… Also, before I leave, I saw Eric heading up to the roof earlier, said he needed some fresh air. Don't know where he's gone after that, but if any of you lot find it in yourselves to go talk with him, he looked like he could use some cheering up." Before they could ask why he didn't do it himself, he was gone, pacing down the hallway and headed straight for Ferrus' room… as he expected, he found him sitting up on his bed, bandaged and worse for wear, since Vincent couldn't heal him to full health outright and risk not having enough for other patients. However, it didn't seem like his castings and wrappins were keeping him down.

"Welcome back."

"Yes, hi. You may notice the lack of smokes, alcohol and paperwork in the room?" He shut the door behind him so no one would hear what he was about to say. "I'll be honest, you had pokémon all ready to send you your homework and I turned them away, hope you don't mind? Oh, also, I will take the liberty to tell the doctors the kind of diet you're going to be taking from now on, and some medication to help because, as you know, moving into the last fourth of your life is bound to bring some issues… then again, I doubt you're going to listen to me you old fleabag." He turned a chair around and sat beside the bed, arms resting on the back of the chair, and staring at Ferrus' confused, but serene look.

"...is there a problem?"

"Hmm… is there? Well, kinda, and it's your problem, being the total lack of care and respect you have for your body. I dug around in there, and I'm going to be honest: once you pass away, submit your lungs and liver for investigation, I'm about ninety percent sure they'll further medicine by being the most abused and yet resilient organs I've seen this side of the world. And I'm not talking bruises and scars, though I found some of those all over your body. If I didn't know you, I'd say you're trying to get yourself killed."

"You aren't exactly qualified to judge and critique my lifestyle, nor did I ask for an opinion."

"Yeah well, consider this more of a warning: you're like, what late sixties? The fact that you're alive and kicking isn't surprising me, but the fact that you are like this is just…" He sighed, and stopped talking to gather his thoughts. "Alright then, different angle then: you smoke and drink far, far more than the average pokémon of your age, and I'm pretty sure the only reason you're alive at this point is the fact that you won the gene lottery, which not only lets you not be a comatose vegetable right now, but also the fact that you can still fight and move and run as if you were in your thirties, and you are double that age now. Now, with all due respect, and considering how… important you are, have you considered not acting like a teen and taking care of yourself, old man?"

Ferrus held his gaze with Vincent and looked at him as if he was talking gibberish… before he laid back down on his pillow and closed his eyes. "No rest for the wicked."

"Oh fuck off with that garbage… Look, people actually care about you alright? I'll be honest, I'm not one of those people, I care about you as an informant and business partner and-"

"As a boss."

"A what now."

"Come on, you think I haven't noticed or heard of your mingling with Team Star? You might lie to yourself all you want and say that you aren't a member of the team, but I'm afraid that they already see you in that light."

"Well boo fuckin' hoo, I'm not going to turn a new leaf for them. 'Sides, last I checked they're having money problems, probably because they don't actually take money for payment for their god damn job except when they know they can take it… Which is admirable, yes, but with food prices going up it's not exactly profitable or sustainable long term. Besides, they're all walking emotional landmines, about six of them are still teens! Or feel like it."

"Listen, Vincent… While our business relationship has been quite short lived, I pride myself in being able to spot potential, though in your case it's quite difficult to miss it. I don't know why you keep on refusing it, and though I could, I won't pry into it. Chances are if I did I'd definitely scare you away… so instead, I will do so by playing your game, if you can say it like that."

"Oh yea? Alright, lay it on me, "boss", how are you going to convince me to join that ragtag team of theirs?" The fact that he was now open towards it didn't dawn on the Roselia until he saw the smile on Ferrus' face, and by that point… he was in too far, hook, line and sinker.


Eric had been gripping the crystal around his neck for so long that he had markings around the areas where the corners of the stone had been cut, gazing at his paw and messy fur, and gripping the railing of the building. The roof was mostly empty, with some floodlights for the higher floors that mostly comprised the bureaucratic part of the hospital, still abuzz from all the excitement. From that vantage point, located to the southeastern end of Cunabula, he could see some buildings still smoking, hollowed out shells of former homes contrasting the starry sky and piles of rubble randomly scattered across the sprawling city, and still seeing some guards running about, either patrolling for any hidden or left behind terrorists or victims buried under the aforementioned ruins.

He tried and grasped for his crystal once again, calling out to Elly, asking repeatedly, trying to get some kind of connection with her… yet for as long as he'd tried, it didn't work, no one was on the other end. With twelve hours behind them, and exhaustion now finally settling in as the adrenaline was wearing off, it was a miracle he was even standing like this… Yet he knew sleep wouldn't come easy that night, knowing Elly was out there somewhere, and they were doing Arceus knew what to her. Just the memory of their only previous separation, and what followed it was enough to make him even more tense and anxious, releasing his crystal and panting, catching himself holding his breath out of sheer panic.

He shouldn't be like this, he should try and put on a brave face at least, and if someone came upstairs to check in on him they'd find it, of that he'd make sure. They knew he still had feelings and his emotional state wasn't the best, no doubt, it was his duty as their leader to try and make sense of things, even at times like these. His resolve wasn't faltering… at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"I know she's safe." A voice called out from behind him, quickly turning around to find a familiar Absol pacing towards him. "They wanted her for something, alive and as healthy as possible."

"That doesn't really put my mind at ease. I feel like… I would know if something had happened to her." He sighed, turning to face forward again as Maria joined him near the railing, and overlooked the city. "You look different, by the way."

"I have not been able to fix my fur all day long, if that's what you are referring to." True enough, her bangs were ruined. "Still, you look far worse than I do. Are you sure you shouldn't be resting right now?"

"I'll manage. Me and the others… we're made of sterner stuff."

"I realized that when you and Serge rushed into the plaza looking all bloodied like that, yet didn't stop even after they took her away. If Serge had taken off with all those wounds, I'm not sure he would've been able to fly ever again."

"Still don't know how you even managed to convince him to stay grounded. To be fair I wasn't in the right state of mind either, telling him to take us up into the sky but…" He sighed, covering his eyes, then thought for a long time. "You were there, right?"

"Mhm… I tried my hardest, and though I managed to wound one of them, I was eventually overwhelmed and had to back away. By the time the rest of you arrived, they'd already gathered all their strength and prepared to get away." Maria's heavy voice only made her following words make Eric feel worse. "I am sorry I didn't struggle harder."

"Don't be. For all intents and purposes you're a civilian… that we involved twice now in our affairs is our fault, and no one else's. Still… I'm thankful that you tried to fight alongside Elly." He turned to face her, forcing a smile. "When we get her back, we'll invite you over for dinner at home. Zed is a wonderful chef, I'm sure he can give your cooks back in that ivory tower a run for their money."

His invitation was met with a smile and a chuckle. "I think I might take that offer, though before then you'll have to apologize if I extend you a proper invitation first. Not like the first time, which was… quite rushed and unofficial. I had to leave earlier today to inform the Readers on the current situation in Cunabula and convince some of the Reciters to send aid and relief… As for my father, the Interpreter, he insisted on coming to gauge the situation himself, but with myself here…"

"The Interpreter… That's the highest authority, right? So your father really is…"

"...Yes, he's the head of the Readers of Arceus. His health these past few days had been quite dire, but he is making a swift recovery now, and perhaps he was over eager to prove this by making the journey here from Johto. Alas, I've managed to convince him to stay put, unlike a certain Riolu that I know." The fighting type couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Really? Huh, I might actually like the guy then. From my point of view I always thought those high and mighty guys were too afraid to get their feet muddied. Hadn't really heard about them to begin with until about a year back, when they actually started spreading to Sinnoh."

"Yes… with the time freeze, things were quite complicated, but my father is very much different from those that came before him. Perhaps you might meet him in the near future… With the power and influence he holds, he could prove to be a great ally, something I fear we'll need if we wish to stop these agents of darkness."

Eric blinked and turned to face her. "We?" The Absol covered her mouth, and blushed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume that I was… um… Well, if I can explain myself please. I, well, cannot help but feel responsible for what has transpired today. Whilst my actions today were heroic in a sense, and my remark earlier to continue fighting was foolish enough on its own… There is this nagging feeling in the back of my mind, telling me that I could've done more. Myself." She looked down at the ground, sitting and staring at said paws.

"You didn't have to. Again, this isn't really your fight, it's ours. It's bad enough you got involved in the first place."

"I'm tired of being such a pretty face for everyone to gaze upon. While I love what I do, and helping others find faith and strength in said beliefs is what I have dedicated myself to for most of my life, I know full well the ways of the world, and that some cannot be swayed by words." She looked at Eric. "I held my own against that assassin and then that Zoroark. While I may not be as experienced as you are, I know how to fight. Furthermore… If we are to stop Tharmius, like you promised, you will need my help, of this I am sure, and in order to do that, we need to get Elly back." Whilst her help was appreciated and the conversation was cheering him up, the Riolu shook his head.

"Without knowing where they took her, it's impossible… It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Maria knew that he was saying the truth, but bit her lower lip, closing her eyes and falling silent for a time.

"You are right… Then can I ask you something that's… unrelated?" He glanced at her. "Does the name Rigel mean anything to you?" Eric furrowed his brow and tried to think, shaking his head at first, then nodding slowly.

"I… faintly, I might've heard it somewhere before, perhaps a client or something along those lines. Not a name you hear often, so it's probably why it stuck with me. Why? Is it someone that you think could help?"

"Well, he's m-" The door to the rooftop swung open all of a sudden, interrupting Maria before she had a chance to elaborate. It was Nox, huffing, looking like he'd done a full sprint up the stairs.

"Hey. Eric. Hah… It's Palkia, downstairs… says she knows where Elly is." The look on Eric's face went from one of exhaustion to reinvigorated, and rushed past the Houndour and downstairs, almost shoving him out of the way. "Oi, watch it dude! Relax, she's not going anywhere!" He was already gone by the time Nox called out after him. "Asshole…" He turned to Maria. "Oh, you're that Absol. Maria right?"

"Mhm. Nox, correct? You're… Serge's protegé?" He tilted his head. "Disciple, adopted son, close friend?"

"Oh… Eh, I'd say the latter, the first and second aren't our style. Anyways, he's up too, if you wanna talk with him." The news brightened the Absol's face, and she gracefully walked past him, thanking him and going down the stairs herself. Nox couldn't help but feel a pang of concern, though he couldn't quite put his paw on it, and went back down to the room they were all resting at currently. Whilst he was gone, Vincent seemed to have returned as well, sitting down quietly by the doorframe. Inside, Palkia, still disguised in her Abra form, was discussing something with Eric, which he overheard as he walked inside.

"Those sick bastards took her back there?!" Hearing the location in question made Serge grow concerned.

"...If by what you're saying, I can guess that this place holds great emotional significance to her, then it might be related to her past, as you suspected."

"Of course it does." Serge stepped in as Maria sat a foot away from his bed. "It's where they took her once, when Blake was alive and kicking. And where shit went down. Big time." Only Eric knew the specifics of what had happened that night, when Blake had taken control of her mind and pushed her to do the unthinkable to her mother, and the trauma that had ensued. To think that she was back there, after they'd buried it all and left everything behind made Eric's blood boil. Meanwhile, most of the newest members on the team were incredibly confused.

"I'm sorry, but wot's this about Blake? Like… THE Blake? Fuckin' bloke that froze time, killed all those people? What's he got to do with any of this shit?"

"Elly's his daughter." Nox had overheard it in an argument a long time ago, but from Vincent to Cherry, Ayame, Sam and even Maria were shocked to hear the news. Seeing that they were going to go straight into the lion's den, Eric decided to briefly retell the story of the events that had transpired that night, the truth behind her relationship with Blake, Skye's murder and the aftermath. By the time he was done, Nox was all caught up and now made sense of a lot of things he'd overheard them saying over the years by this point… whilst Maria was mortified.

"To think someone so gentle and kind could be born of such a hideous monster… And now they've taken her there again? Why?"

"Yo, you think they want to like, fuckin' revive him or somethin'? Using her body or blood or whatever?" Sam's wild guess made them all tense up, specially Eric, but Vincent shut him down with a cough.

"First of all, that's not even possible, you can't bring back someone that's dead. Trust me, I've tried, and it doesn't work. Second of all, if we are wondering why it is that they've decided to make a move now and actually kidnapped her… My guess is that our previous exploits, killing their agent at the Banshee Hook mountains, and all you guys did related to my sister probably pushed them a little too far against the wall. Ferrus was of the same opinion as me, and he's got even better intel, so I'd wager a guess that they're just trying to get back at you lot."

Eric was unconvinced however, shaking his head at Vincent's dismissal. "No, there's something else to this. If they wanted revenge they'd just tried to kill us straight away, and whilst some of them did, they took Elly alive. Why? They need her for something and they know that she's Blake's daughter."

"So they're trying to rev-"

"That's not even possible, stop spouting random bullshit!" Vincent slapped the back of Sam's head, much to his annoyance, but he didn't dare raise his hand against the grass type, crossing his arms and pouting. Before anyone else had a chance to spout some more random theories, Ayame spoke up.

"Whatever it is they are planning on doing with her, it cannot be anything good. There's far too many connections to her family in this area for it to be a coincidence, and even though it might be impossible for them to bring someone back to life, like Vincent was saying…"

"...that won't stop them from trying some bogus method to do so. You know how crazy these fuckers are, the bastards that followed Blake around were all sorts of messed up to begin with."

"It doesn't matter though!" Cherry sprung up in the middle, floating and pouting. "Why are we all wasting time here and not going to rescue her! We know where she is, we know where the baddies are, so we go there, kick their butts, rescue her and we can all have cookies and milk by the fireplace this winter!" The mental image that she gave them was… quite comforting, and it filled some of them with renewed vigor.

"We must analyze the situation objectively however: they have a hostage, and while we know not what they plan to do with her, they might not be above outright killing her should we push too far."

"If they can't have her then no one can… Leave it to Jake to ruin everyone's expectations again."

"I am not done yet, Lucy. There is also the matter of traveling such a distance." The unspoken issue finally reared its ugly head. "To say that she is currently on the other side of the planet would be an understatement. By the time we cross the ocean, they could be done with whatever it is they are doing, and Elly would be-"

"Don't." Eric interjected, and everyone fell dead quiet after that, the mood souring quite a bit. In this silence, Nox glanced nervously at everyone, noticing that Ayame seemed quite anxious too, rubbing her armor coated shoulder, whilst Serge and Maria were talking and whispering about something.

"If you are all done arguing and discussing all these matters then, I may perhaps turn your attention to my reason for being here? You might be shocked to learn that the issue of transportation may not be such an issue after all." All of them turned to face Palkia, waiting for her to continue. "While we do not normally involve ourselves in the affairs of mortals… The services you have provided for this world and its inhabitants, as well as your aid in rejecting the invaders that sieged this city and were doubtless after mine and my brother's heads, I have decided to grant you a boon. Originally, I intended to merely tell you the location to which this Alakazam had teleported to, but hearing this argument has made me realize that this information does little to benefit you, and it would displease my brother to know that I could do little else than to worsen your anxieties. Thus, for this one time, I shall use my powers and teleport you all to a location that while still remote to this forest, will allow you to reach it in an hour's time at your fastest. Somewhere…" She would point at the map they'd pulled out earlier to discuss the location, and poked the location somewhat near Fogbound Lake… which was about a hundred kilometers away from it!

"Why so far away?! Just drop us right in there so we can kick their asses!"

"They will know you are coming then. Teleportation at this scale is not something you can do without being noticed. It is for this very reason that I have managed to locate them so swiftly, and they are doubtless aware of this fact: they will be expecting you, and Dementia will surely be trying to find any forming tears or folds in space. By teleporting you at this distance it will guarantee you have a modicum of the element of surprise on your side, which given the situation may very well be the difference between Elizabeth's survival or demise." When she put it like that, none of them had the knowledge or courage to really talk back, especially when she was already offering to help them. "I must also add that I will not join you in the ensuing fight."

"So you're just dropping us off there and forgetting we even existed in the first place?" Having the help of a legendary would've been a great boon, and there was frustration in Eric's voice as he spoke up, something the Abra didn't tolerate.

"I will let you know that heroes such as you are not unique. Dozens of them have sprouted up throughout the story of this world, and many dire situations comparable to this one have been accounted for, my brother can give you plenty of examples. You may have great power and helped to protect the world and my brother, but you are mortals. Know your place." All that they could hear however, was her fearing that her supposed immortality may be put at risk if she goes near those who without a doubt were at the root of some of those legendaries losing their lives.

"...Fine. That little help will be better than no help at all." Eric agreed to her terms, with the legendary once again reminding him that her offer, for all intents and purposes, was extremely generous. "Where is your brother then? If you refuse to help us, then perhaps h-"

"Do not speak of him so lightly!" Her voice boomed in the building as the fighting type's remark struck a raw nerve. "I will not have my brother risk his being again because of you foolish mortals and your meddling! And furthermore, he has far more important matters to attend to, and issues that were no doubt caused by your own meddling and fighting earlier that he will have to repair and mend, so do not dare bring him into your mortal squabbles!" Her addendum was the final nail in the coffin for the conversation, yet it left a question in Eric's mind.

"To mend something? What, himself?"

"Time itself, fool. That is the realm over which he resides, and that you hapless wits managed to tear, if slightly." Her comment greatly confused them, but she was too exhausted to elaborate, knowing she too had to fix and inspect the fabric of space after she was done here. "This is pointless. Tell me when you wish to be teleported. Mend all your wounds and bodies first with the lifebringer's ability, and prepare. I will wait for you on the roof." With that, she stood up, floating away and closing the door behind her. Once a few seconds passed and they were pretty sure that she was far away enough not to hear them, Sam spoke up.

"What a fuckin' pussy."

"I was thinking the exact same thing, so fucking high and mighty but she turned tail and left us to rot without a second thought."

"Kiddo, you've gotta understand one thing: legendaries are, for all intents and purposes, way, way above us. Given they kinda keep everything in check and make sure the world goes round, we're just here to protect it." Serge's doting of Nox wasn't well received by Ayame however, who laughed sarcastically.

"How like you, to let someone step all over you and talk you down like you're rubbish. Have you no pride?" It was hard to tell if she was trying to cheer or taunt the Pidgeot… like both. "I for one dislike that she talked down to us like this, as if we are merely insects under her heel, insignificant to her point of view."

"Not saying I'm not pissed, but I definitely don't care nearly as much when she's willing to help us rescue a friend, even when it's the base fucking minimum and she pretty much got kidnapped because she was fighting in order to protect them, in a roundabout way." Serge spat back with venom in his voice, but before their argument could take off, Eric rose a paw.

"Whatever she said doesn't matter to me in the slightest, so I'm with Serge here: I dislike that she views us in that light, and that she refuses to help, but I am not turning down her help."

"Neither am I." Lucy jumped off her bed, stretching, groaning at her still healing wounds, but otherwise trying to put on a brave face. "I need to get there and get some answers, and rescue my friend. If she lets us take the express way, I'm fucking down any day of the week!"

"Hear hear!" Cherry teleported herself to Lucy, pulled her into a half hug with her right arm and then to Ayame and made her lean into her other hug awkwardly, pulling the three of them together. "It's not the same if Elly ain't here! Three girls isn't as fun as four!"

"I love like that's what you're focusing on, and ignoring Maria over there." Sam pointed to the Absol, who blushed… but it was too late, Cherry had set her sights on her and she was pulled into the girl group hug, much to the other two's annoyance: not because they disliked the Absol, quite the contrary, but rather because of how close they were all being shoved together.

"Wait, she's coming then?" Zed finally spoke up, having been quiet all this time and just listening, as Maria struggled to break free of the surprisingly tight hug from the Espurr.

"Yes… I… Gah! Yes I am… I have been thinking and arguing internally about it. I was there when Elly was taken away, and while I did what I could, I want to do more… I cannot leave her to her fate, not after knowing what I now do. To think that a parent could do something so horrible to their own child, and now they're keeping her there, to force her to relive those memories… I won't stand for it!" She emphatically stomped, and then shied away. "Apologies, I may be getting a little carried away…" Her reaction prompted a chuckle from the others.

"Hey, it's alright. If you want to join the gang, even if permanently, she's got my vote!" Serge wrapped a wing around her shoulder, smiling. "Should we put it to a vote then?"

"I don't think any of us have any issues with it." Eric said, smiling, and nodding. "Welcome to the team then, Maria. Even if it is for the moment, if we can get Elly back, we'll be indebted to you for life." Before the Absol could speak up and thank him for the opportunity to fight and finally show her mettle, considering her as an equal and not a pretty face to protect, Sam stood up and roared.

"AIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! I'm pumped! Let's fucking go! Maximillian's gonna be there right, alongside those assholes, right?" He hit his fists together, making the room shudder. "Then I'm coming too, whether ya want me to or not, I want some fuckin' payback!" He stayed quiet when no one else mimicked his enthusiasm, feeling he had to add something else… "And uh… aight fine, Elly's like, the only fuckin' girl I know that wasn't a total bitch to me and you know… she's nice 'n stuff, so I feel like I gotta help her aight?!"

"Well… if you're going then, I suppose that means I need to get dragged along." Vincent shrugged as he walked into the room fully. "You lot will need someone to heal this dumbass, alongside all of those wounds you're doubtless going to sustain fighting such a diverse band of evildoers, yada yada yada…" He trailed off for a bit, then looked straight into Eric's eyes. "Consider this another temporary arrangement… with no payment this time."

"How come? Finally growing a heart, are we~?" Lucy teased him, but the Roselia shook his head, and spoke with brutal honesty.

"I still don't get why you run a team like this like it's basically a charity, and frankly I am not looking forward to staying with you in the same building, given that you get along terribly to begin with… But you were also the ones to put a stop to my sister's rampage, and after hearing what I have about her actions and what she was doing with those bastards… I owe you. And I never leave any debts unpaid. So I will help you get her back and put a stop to these assholes' plans before it's too late."

"Awwww, he did grow a heart!" Lucy's taunt earned her a vine whip to the muzzle, making her yelp and grunt. Ayame, the only one who hadn't spoken up, sighed and gave a faint smile.

"It'd be remiss of me to not attempt to aid Elly after what she did for me and my clan earlier this month. Furthermore, these terrorists are a threat to the world and its stability, and thus stand in opposition to mine and my family's interests. So I too, will help you in stopping them and returning Elly to safety." With her words, the others would hear Nox excitedly smirking and giggling, and almost pumping his paws somewhat… which was weirdly adorable, but nevertheless, confirmed what they'd all been thinking about the Frogadier. With that, all ten of the other pokémon in the room stared at Eric expectantly. He felt… intimidated, the team having grown almost twice as large in the span of a few minutes, and took a brief step back… Only to imagine and feel Elly's paw grasping his own. For a second, he could've sworn he felt her touch, her smile, and her voice soothing him, and encouraging him… clenching his fist, and closing his eyes, he raised the former up, and shouted.

"Let's go get her back, Team Star!" Everyone cheered in unison.

And on that night, the course of the world would be forever changed.


Elly stirred awake in a cold sweat, feeling sick and dazed, she held back the need to throw up the lack of food in her stomach, instead just heaving and coughing as she couldn't even find her way onto her feet, nauseated and confused. She heard something besides her, a voice, her left leg felt cold, painfully so, and couldn't feel anything below it, further driving her anxiety and opening her eyes. The lack of light in the room made her panic, but her eyes adjusted quickly, and was slightly relieved to see that her foot was intact, but concerningly she was shackled to an icy chain and cuff to an old and decaying wooden wall. She tugged and pulled, trying to free herself, then attempted to use her psychic… an attempt that was stopped by a frozen needle nearly poking into her left eye, stopping her in her tracks, and holding her breath, glancing up at the impassive and cold hearted gaze of the Froslass keeping guard over her.

"Do not move. We desire you alive, but not intact." She made it clear that she was free to mutilate her body as long as she was kept alive, and given her deadly precision during the previous fight, and her demeanor, she had a feeling that the ice type was specialized in such tortures. The Eevee yet remained quiet and defiant however, pulling away from that needle, and promptly getting a slice across her cheek, painful cold then uncomfortable warmth running down her cheek, and promptly telling her to remain still from there on out, as that needle followed her shifting and moving. Elly was even afraid of breathing, something in the Froslass' demeanor betrayed her calm and cold composure, as if she had a burning question within her chest that she felt compelled to scream at her. Before she had a chance to however, the Zoroark returned with some berries in a bowl and some water, laying it besides their captive, and huffing as he slowly sat down, nursing several cuts alongside the left side of his body.

Elly started to remember now: she'd been in Cunabula, fighting them, she'd gotten jumped on by the Zoroark, pretending to be her mate, and Maria had attempted to save her. She'd moved in terrifying and experienced ways, but she soon passed out after. She grunted, looking at the bowl, then glancing at the bowl. "They're not poisoned, so eat up. Lord knows you'll need them…" She seemed to consider it for a minute, before brutally kicking the bowl and splashing the berries and bowl on his left side, making him grunt and hunch over in pain, and spilling the water in the process, much to his annoyance. "Fucking bitch!"

Before either he or Jiho could hurt her however, a voice boomed in the hollowed out tree home. "Leave her." A few seconds later, a familiar Alakazam walked inside, one that Elly didn't recognize at first… but once she did, her face turned from shock, to horror, then nothing but venomous hatred as she finally connected the dots. "If she does not want to eat, then leave her to starve. It won't take long, one way or the other." He clearly stated, dismissing them from the room, and while Alois left the room without much more complaining, holding his side, Jiho resisted, remaining still and threatening the Eevee with that needle. "You are dismissed. The both of you."

"I must… Ask her a question, if I may master, and I simply cannot wait or hope for her to be capable of answering later."

"Then ask, and begone!" His demeanor had changed, anger flaring up, and becoming a lot more energetic as he leaned against the wall, tapping his foot impatiently. The ice type impassively put her needle away, and knelt besides the Eevee.

"Who is she? That Espurr." Her question perplexed Elly, unaware of her true identity or her interests, but even if she had, especially then, she wouldn't have answered, instead shuffling and trying to stand up to claw at her face. A futile effort however, as she received a swift kick to her gut before she had a chance to do anything, sending her crashing against the wall and heaving, drool and bile gathering at her mouth before she had no choice but to cough it all out, whilst the Alakazam let out a mocking blare.

"Awww! Sorry, time's up~! Guess I'll just have to excise that information out of your brains and tell Jiho all about it. I'm sure you don't mind, right?" He glanced at the ghost type, who was already turning around and leaving, then adjusted the collar of his tattered cloak. "Sheesh, never seen the ice queen so worked up over someone. Bet she'd really lose it if I told her that the Espurr is real chummy with that Sneasel. Jake, was it? Eh whatever, he'll be cute as a button once I'm through with him…" He lifted a hand, and grasped Elly's neckfur with his psychic. "Just like you will~"

The implications of his words didn't go unnoticed by Elly, whose traumatic experiences and memories of this very place and what he was saying got her fight or flight instinct to activate, and would begin to crash and move in his grasp, to no avail however as she felt her legs being held in place by his psychic as he moved to hold her by the neck with his real hand, smirking. "Oh don't worry, we're not going to be retreading on familiar ground here. Well, actually, yes, but no, it's- Oh don't give me that look, you'll see you'll like it by the time I'm done with you~" He walked over and pinned her with his psychic, before placing his hands around her temple, and forcing her eyes open in order to stare into his purple glowing ones… and immediately the struggling began.


A purple flame descended and flickered down into darkness… only for a sea sky blue flames to surround it, quickly lashing out and knocking it away.


Dementia was thrown back far across the room, whilst Elly was given the worst headache she'd ever experienced, a cold shiver running down her spine, feeling as if someone had been crawling under her skin… and the Alakazam's sinister laughter didn't help to ease her nerves, as he wiped a small trickle of blood that ran down his lip. "Hehehe~ Feisty… then again, that's what I expected from his daughter…" He closed his eyes, and she saw his pupils change colour to a deep blue, and a much controlled, but sinister smirk spread across his lips. "But I wonder how you will manage under our assault." He closed the distance with a teleport, and grasped her head to dive back inside.


That raging flaming sky was now far more prepared for that dark blue flame that dove inside and thrust into that sea of blue, clashing and quickly being overwhelmed and pushed, though taking with it a chunk of the flames.


Elly let out a scream as she felt like something inside of her head was boring through her skull, clasping her head and twitching in agony as Alakazam fell to his knees, huffing. "If you only stopped resisting… it'd be less painful for the two of us. But nevertheless that just goes to show the kind of power and spirit the last of a pure line can present." He chuckled, before bursting out in laughter. "Hundreds of years and generations, all building up to you, and you barely even understand the role you're meant to play in the coming months…" He glanced down at her. "I pity you, really. And him too." He held his hand towards her forehead, eyes purple once again. "He truly was right when he said that the world gives those who are undeserving. But together… we will make sure those ivory towers crumble, won't we Blake?!" He dived back inside, to continue the cycle of wearing down her mental defenses and try to achieve whatever his goal was within her mind, all whilst her screams echoed through the forest.

"She really couldn't have dropped us further away from the fucking forest, could she?!" Nox's exasperated complaint sounded off from the back of the company as the squadron of eleven pokémon that made up Team Star ran, flew or floated after the determined Riolu at the front, who wasn't full sprinting across the rocky plains in order to conserve his strength and stamina, and not leave his companions in the dust.

"She did say that if she did it any closer, they'd know immediately and ambush us!" Cherry reminded him as she floated past him and near Serge and Ayame, near the front of the company, as the Pidgeot looked down at her.

"Pretty sure they're already waiting for us anyways." From his vantage point he could see the edge of the forest, and saw some lights flickering, likely guards stationed near the entrance that were going to sound the alarm the moment they got too close.

"Let them know." Ayame responded, summoning her water katanas and speeding up, with Eric summoning his light staff and speeding up as well. The mad hour-long sprint had done a number on them, but they were drawing strength from somewhere deep within… and from Vincent, who had pretty much been coerced into giving them boosts of energy before leaving and halfway through this maddening run. The fact they'd appeared near the northern reaches of Fogbound Forest and made it this far north in little less than two hours was astounding, if not concerning. Regardless, the hard part was about to begin, and Lucy dashed forward even faster, taking the first contact to try and shut down any attempts at calling for help with her sheer speed, essentially aiming to cut off any messengers… Only to find out there was no need.

Because the guards were already dead.

She slid to a halt, burying her class into the dirt and the gathered static on her fur dispersed, just staring at the scene in awe, with Eric and Ayame gaping from further away and slowly approaching: about twenty pokémon lay strewn about, slashed, bludgeoned and either unconscious or bleeding to death, suggesting to them that the carnage was very much fresh. Vincent got to work keeping as many as he could from death's door, if anything to keep them as prisoners to interrogate then knock out, just like he'd done in Cunabula. "Alright, he's all patched up… won't be dying or bleeding out anytime soon."

"We should just go in though, we're wasting time here just trying to interrogate these assholes!" Nox was pacing back and forth between the larger group and the pokémon standing guard a little deeper in the forest, being a meditating Eric, a stoic Ayame and a very jumpy Lucy, whilst he was nervous at the prospect of whatever had caused this much destruction.

"I'd say that it's worth at least asking him what happened. The more information, the better." Vincent kept on waiting for him to wake up, Serge, Cherry, Jake and Zed were all expectant… and Sam just gruffed and walked past them before just fucking kicking the guy on the side.

"Wake up, dickhead!" Whilst his most serious wounds had been healed, the Typhlosion definitely wasn't at full health, his body presented scratches and gashes, so when they saw the Krokorok kick him awake and howling in pain, everyone but Vincent winced and glared at Sam. "What? He's woken up."

"He's wounded though."

"He was unconscious."

"Bleeding out just a second ago."

"Pretty sure that's a war crime." Serge, Cherry, Zed and Jake all chimed in with their respective opinions and made the Krokorok almost doubt his actions… before Vincent slung him up without a care and pinned him against the tree with some vines.

"Actually, healed him just enough to the point where it's perfectly legal to rough him up a bit and not be either immoral or breaking some kind of pesky law!" His comment wasn't met with much enthusiasm except for Sam, who snickered and gave him a thumbs up, fully confident… and meanwhile everyone else saw the fake shit eating grin on his face whilst he was sweating bullets and trying to figure out how they could avoid getting into massive trouble over this later.

"Ugh… I'd rather bleed out than be healed by you bastards…" The typhlosion's hoarse voice finally caught their attention, and they all looked up at him, even the ones further along the path, the fire type's eyes scanning the area, and then glaring at Maria specifically. "The seer… then that one must've been… the Warrior…" Everyone looked at the Absol, but the dark type held no answers, just shooting him a puzzled look. "...no way there's more monsters like him in this world then…!" He coughed up blood, but wasn't going to get any sympathy as Sam reached down and grabbed at his throat and hoisted him up. Despite his rather large size, the Krokorok stood a full head over him.

"Stop fuckin' speaking in riddles and answer asshole, what the hell happened here, and where's Elly! We ain't gonna fucking take silence for an answer!" He pretended to take a full swing at his face… or well, it looked like he was pretending to everyone when Eric, Serge and Maria all combined their brute force or psychic to hold back his punch, and Vincent, quickly taking advantage of the situation, stepped forward.

"Listen, I don't know how long we can keep my friend here from caving your skull in, and I can't heal anything or anyone if their brains are totalled, so speak up or it's off to the next world for you." He just threw caution and legality to the wind at this point, Sam's methods were effective, but also very questionable… At the same time, they doubted he cared. And effective indeed, because the Typhlosion spoke up through the chokehold.

"Tharmius! He… he isn't here then…!? Then… that blue and black demon who…" And perhaps Sam was too effective, because he passed out in his grasp, likely from being lightly asphyxiated, the large pokémon releasing him and letting him slump and slide down the tree.

"Sam you clutz, you choked him to death!" Cherry floated around and inspected the "dead" Typhlosion, but it only took a finger from Vincent for him to correct her.

"Just passed out, you really overdid it you musclehead!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Sam, but before the ground type could reply Eric quickly took a hold of the conversation.

"I don't think we were going to gather much from him anyways, and we're wasting time just talking about it. Still… it seemed like he didn't expect us to be here and confused someone else with Tharmius."

"I don't think that's quite what he meant…" Maria answered as they started walking. "A blue and black demon… as strong as Tharmius?"

"What? That old lizard asshat you asked us to take care of? What's he got to do with any of this? Isn't he like, halfway across the world?"

"He probably just saw you then and made a wrong assumption." Ayame rationalized. "I know of Tharmius, though I know very little of his past, and from what I have heard in conversations here, you seem to have some history with him."

"...you could say that. If so, then let's go, Elizabeth must be close!" Everyone agreed, and they began running again, Eric leading the march due to his familiarity with the forest… though it was hard to not find their way through the carnage and destruction. And in spite of it all, Maria seemed deeply troubled.


The sky blue flames were rescinding and tired, struggling and pushing back both violet and deep blue fires that were still roaring as fervently as they had before… Still, with one desperate struggle, they were enveloped and pushed out!


Elly fell to the ground, exhausted and panting, coughing as she had tears running down her face, the floor underneath her a mess of sweat, tears and drool, heaving and trying to breathe in desperately. Her initial resistance and strength had been sapped and torn apart by Dementia's constant barrage, during which she'd finally come to realize just what had made him so dangerous and powerful from the moment they'd crossed paths: there were two minds within the same body. The similarities to a multiple personality disorder began and ended there however, as this was not a condition, but something quite literal, as if two people were sharing one body simultaneously.

"Man, you look like shit… Don't worry though, I think this'll be the last one… just sit still and…" His right eye was a deep blue and his left one was violet, as she readied herself for one more assault, and held out hope for her friends in her heart… something that the Alakazam sensed as he dove inside, and made his more sadistic side burst out laughing. "You stupid little thing! We're halfway across the world, and that Espurr's abilities are nowhere near the necessary level to teleport that far safely! Especially carrying more than one pokémon with her! And if she showed up, then Jiho would enjoy cutting her to ribbons!" He stomped on her left forepaw, rubbing and pressing down harder and harder. "So give it up, no one's coming to save you! Now stop resisting… and let me get what I came here for!" He reached forward again, Elly screaming and defying him still…


But it was at best a symbolic resistance. Though they were worn down, their alternating attacks had ensured one got some rest while the other attacked. They'd aimed to wear her out, knowing they had plenty of time to do so, and finally after so long, that sea of vivacious flames had been reduced to but a thin layer, underneath which seemed to be nothing but darkness… and they found it easy to push through those flames, singed and taking bits with them, but passed through regardless. The flames attempted to chase after, but were quickly left behind as they delved deeper, and deeper. Nothing to be found down here… or so one may think.

They knew it was there. They knew they'd find it… and find it they did, submerged in all of that darkness, imperceptible, even to her… and once they touched it and kindled it, a deep, dark purple flame began to flicker and grow slowly, almost asking them to feed it a-


"Boss!" Alastor dashed into the room, panting and groaning and drew Dementia out of its focused state, much to his ire! So close! So very close!

"What?! I asked to be left alone and defended while I did this! What is it, Alastor!?" The room was in pitch darkness, his eyes would have to adjust to the light again, and Alastor's shape was diffused, but it was definitely him.

"Someone's ripping through the guards boss, and they're coming this way, and fast! I can't get a hold of Maximillian and Jiho has yet to respond!" That felt like a bucket of ice cold water to Dementia, who left the twitching and barely conscious Eevee on the floor, her vision blurry, dizzy enough to be unable to tell what was up and down, and fully convinced that she was going to die, crying as thoughts of her friends and her mate flashed before her eyes.

"The hell? It can't be Tharmius, he's still halfway across the world… Could it be she actually…" He stomped out of the room, angered. "It seems that Jiho will get her desire after all. Using their lifeless corpses will likely break her, so come! If they're so eager for another fight, we'll give it to them!" He slammed the door shut behind him, knowing that they wouldn't be able to sneak past him if they were going for such a frontal assault. The minutes passed, Elly fading in and out of consciousness, feeling worse and worse and her body twitching and moving on its own, head pounding and feeling like it as about to split open… yet something inside of her bubbled with laughter and glee, and giving in just made her feel worse. This continued for what felt like an eternity to the normal type… before she heard someone stepping into the room, just the faintest crack of light entering before the light faded once more, wet paws touching the wooden floor. In her delirium she could only distinguish a faint dark blue hue as a pair of orange eyes looked down at her. And then they focused on her own. She felt the ever similar presence entering her mind.


Even in their weakened state, her sky blue flames could feel something was off about the dark blue wave that entered the dark plains of that mind, the roaring dark fire at the bottom gathering strength and covering more and more. The dark blue flames took their time, covering and soothing over it all, mingling and gently nudging the sky blue flames back to life, nursing them back with such care and thought that it felt almost familiar. Then the black flames noticed its presence, and attempted to struggle, but in the face of that blue sea, they stood no chance.

No…

Why you… She was mine…

Why now… coward…

Hate… deeper than these depths still…

You will pay…

Brother…


And with that, like a weight was lifted off her head, the Eevee snapped back to consciousness, overwhelmed by a coughing fit and frantically looking around. She found that pokémon staring down at her, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, and recognizing them: a shiny Umbreon with orange eyes with thick fur and a large canine frame, looking at her in silence. She's never seen them in her life, but she had a feeling that they, no, that he had just saved her from something. He helped her up onto her feet with a firm, but careful psychic grip as she staggered onto her paws, hurriedly so, as she could guess there was no time to waste.

"Who are you?" She managed to gasp out after she properly found the strength to stand up, as despite her newfound freshness she was very much physically spent, hungry and thirsty. He had no such comforts to give her, not even words, as he turned around to face the door, cracking it open with his psychic and revealing part of the scene outside: whatever guards Dementia had stationed, they'd been taken care of, small pools of blood and twitching bodies, yet not a single scratch was to be found on his body. "How? You must've thought through their entire camp a-" He tensed up, grunting as he turned his head to look at the door leading outside, to see something black squishing and sneaking into the building through the cracks of that door. The window was broken, likely his entry point, and soon enough the door was ripped off its hinges, revealing an irate Dementia… whose face transitioned to one of pure shock and horror.

"You?! You're supposed to be d-" He was cut off before he had a chance to speak by what was perhaps the strongest psychic wave Elly had seen in her life, the energy ripping into the three and the floor, blasting and tearing everything apart, twisting roots and beams blowing the tables and chairs to splinters as Dementia narrowly escaped with a teleport, before the entire front of the house was blown off in a cloud of dust and chunks of wood, the other half of the house being launched back over their heads and keeling over in the middle of the woods, revealing the small army that Maximillian had brought. He was there, alongside Jiho, Alastor and Alois and of course Dementia, all five of them looking like they'd come out of a challenging fight. The Umbreon turned to face Elly, and finally spoke. "Go, Elizabeth. Your friends approach from the south." Then he turned to their opponents, brandishing and preparing their powers as he approached, and revealed something to Elly: as far as she could see, he had no powers of his own. Besides him, pebbles and branches gathered up, and formed an Umbreon that was then shifted and looked identical to him, eyes glowing orange too. "I commend you for defeating my puppet… Shall we try this again?"

(Silent Scream - Final Fantasy XIV)

He didn't immediately spring into action, at least the Umbreon's main body didn't, but his clone did, vaulting and covering the distance separating them and Dementia's group, scattering into chunks and shrapnel and forcing them to defend, before reforming behind Jiho and slamming down an engorged stone tail on her head and back, shattering her ice barrier and sending her hurdling back whilst Alastor and Alois attempted to assault it, finding it quickly weaved under Alois' swipes and then jumped up and off of a tree to avoid Alastor, all whilst the real Umbreon was just standing there… and another clone formed to his right, the newer clone joining the old one this time with a psychic blade in its fangs as it got in the way of Maximillian, holding its own against the physically overwhelming Garchomp without so much as sliding back, though of course it only had to disassemble then reform itself behind the ground type to continue the offensive, moving quickly, that small illusion making them look like the real deal making them turn into shapeless shadows as they darted around.

The real Umbreon seemed to be focusing, his eyes closed, and attention elsewhere… or at least, so did Elly and Dementia think, the latter attempting to teleport and strike at the Umbreon from behind, before the Eevee could even warn him… but his blade was stopped several inches away from his head, a dense psychic barrier flashing as it absorbed the impact, and then had the Umbreon turning to glare at him, before another strong blast sent ripples and branches and leaves flying above them, Dementia narrowly dodging and putting some distance before lunging with a stronger blow, shattering the barrier, but finding the Umbreon's own psychic blade on the other side, deflecting and parrying him and beginning his own ruthless offense. "Damn you! You of all of pokémon, interfering at this time… What is it that made you change your mind?!"

"You did." He snapped back and slashed across his stomach, cutting into his cloth and moving blindingly fast with his psychic blade in his jaw, meeting up with his clones immediately and twisting and bending in between them. The naked eye could no longer tell which one of them was the real one, and Alois was targeted quickly after, the Zoroark panicking as the three Umbreons moved in tandem and released a simultaneous three spheres of purple energy. The dark type didn't receive that much damage from them however, even when he crossed his arms in front of himself, confusing him… then quickly getting smashed away by an entire tree that got ripped off the ground and hurled at him, smashing into the incoming crowd of goons, before the real Umbreon slashed across the tree with his psychic sword, energy spreading and catching it all on fire, purple and blue flames that seared into any who dared approach, even fire types, and split the five leaders off from their troops.

Following this Alastor would attempt to catch him off guard, but the clones dashed in, tackling him and leaving a trail of dark mist obscuring his vision. A scream from Alois telling him to duck was the only thing that saved him from being decapitated, though there was no dodging the following downward swipe from the Umbreon's claw, gashing out the left side of his face and sending him rolling away. Icicles crashed and skewered his side from the dark fog, taking his breath away and looking around: from Elly's perspective they'd come out of nowhere too, but before Jiho could finish him off, the clones intervened and went on the defensive, deflecting her projectiles and being forced to fend off Maximillian and Dementia teleporting and moving together.

The clones moved and spun around their master as he removed the circles from his side, closing his eyes and looking skyward, a flash of light soaring up and holding himself in that position, having his clones defending him… only for the flash to come back down from the very sky itself, much brighter and larger, and envelop his wounds, healing them considerably, and allowing him to rejoin the fray much faster. Elly was in awe, the Umbreon seemingly capable of swapping places with his clones, likely an effect of her being unable to track who the real one was… halfway through this last assault, Dementia turned to glare at her, and attempted to teleport in to grab and take her away somewhere once more… before he could grasp her a single hair of her fur, the clones disappeared and turned to pebbles, as all of that psychic energy the Umbreon wildeed seemed to be channeled into what could only be interpreted as teleportation, blinking from one spot and appearing in between her and Dementia, much to the latter's horror as he weaved backwards and cartwheeled away. The dark type quadruped gave her one last stern look. "Leave. Now."

"You'll get killed if you stay al-" Her sentence was cut short when she found herself flying… or at least she thought she was flying. She'd blinked and found herself somewhere else entirely, the force that had moved her disappeared just as quickly, likely his psychic abilities as she was left falling through the air… and crashed down on top of Serge!"

"Ow! What the f-" The Eevee's familiar squeak and the flying type's reaction got everyone to turn around and find the roughed up Eevee having just suddenly fallen onto their laps, and staring at her flabbergasted. Before anyone could say or do anything, Eric rushed over and almost stomped on Serge's face to grab and hug his mate, kissing her and holding her close. In that moment, all of the adrenaline disappeared from her body, and she felt the exhaustion crash onto her again, hugging him back and kissing him… though their moment of reunion was short lived as they all heard a thunderous crack echo in the direction they'd just been headed, and to their awe, saw trees shaking… and floating, alongside those purple and blue flames spreading.

"Hey hey hey! Whoa!" Nox was forced to step back, the heat from those flames was unnatural, completely different from his own, primarily in the fact that they weren't actually burning away anything they touched, but very much felt like they were if they were touched. "This looks bad… what the hell's going on over there!"

"He's fighting them. Alone. He needs our help." Elly was out of breath, gasping those words out, but it soon became apparent to everyone there that it wouldn't be that simple, as the entire forest around them was shuddering, and trees were being ripped off the ground in front of them, approaching them.

"What the hell is that?!"

"No idea, but I don't like the looks of it, fall back!" Eric grabbed and held Elly in his arms as the entire group turned around and began to run back the way they'd come, this time breaking into a full sprint as the forest around them shuddered and ground, seemingly coming to life as they heard stomps and groans and what could only be considered explosions and crashes behind them, though the noises were getting further and further away, the range of influence of whatever was causing it seemed to only be growing larger. They didn't stop running even as they dashed past the checkpoint at the outskirts of the forest, not until Zed tripped and fell onto his face and front, Lucy turning around to go help him, and everyone else nearly following her, though they all stopped running as they turned around as they saw what they'd left behind: several trees, hollowed out houses and boulders floating above the forest, leaving them all astonished at the sheer raw power on display.

Meanwhile, back in that clearing, the Umbreon was staring down his opponents, Dementia was winded, Maximillian looked to be perfectly fine, but a closer examination revealed bruises, Alastor's face was still bleeding, Alois was bloodied stabbed with boulders and debris and Jiho had fully gone into defensive mode, using all of her ice to protect herself, as the Umbreon held up all of the ruins and buildings that once formed that small, quiet village.

"The memories of this place, they have been corrupted and twisted, abused time and time again, by you and your kin." He looked over all of them, that melancholic voice of his fading and disappearing, replaced by nothing but pure venom. "No more." It all stopped floating and hovering, before that wave of projectiles rained down on the clearing, followed by the very earth rumbling and shaking from the repeated impacts as the clearing and surrounding forest were annihilated. All whilst Team Star could watch from the outskirts in awe and confusion, but nevertheless, victorious, for Elly was now back with them, even if passed out from the exhaustion of it all.

(Stop the music)


Man, lately it's become much harder to find the motivation to write these. Things around here have been feeling quite empty, and I've been feeling quite down when it comes to my quality dropping. I doubt most will care to read this, but if you are, don't worry, I have every intention to finish this story unless life decides to really get in the way. One way or the other.