Chapter 60: Unmonization.

Revival Falls Arc.

"Ramon!" Penelope yells.

The Zoroark screams: His body deforming, his black claws gripping. The Gardevoir's hand nudges her chest. "Change back into a Zorua!"

"I-I—" the black blood jolts out of his chest, stabbing an unconscious guard before yanking them towards him. He whimpers. "I'm sorry! I-I—AAAH!" Ramon devours the guard, tears raining down his cheeks.

He looks at Justin and Ada, his eyes alternating between different scleras: Black, white—sometimes even no irises at all! Ramon coughs, gagging left and right.

"I'm sorry, y-you two." The teens remain staring at him, stuck in petrification. "I'm, ngh, very sorry for what I've done." He sniffles. "F-For hiding the truth."

"The truth?" Ada asks.

Ramon yelps, his limbs jittering, his arms cracking. "RAAAAH!" Several more black goo usher out of his back, coating a few more guards.

"R-Ramon!" Justin and Ada scream.

"Gah…" Ramon strokes the ground. "I-I…I thought Nomar was my long lost brother." Whimpers. "Someone I could relate to. S-Someone I could tr-trust." Tears hit his paws. "I-I didn't think he'd do something like this—AAAH!" Two substances jolt out of him, engulfing two corpses.

The teens shake in place, Ada's hand pressing her lips. Ramon…

"So…that Nomar guy was telling the truth: He IS Dne." Justin forms his fists. "And he's been using Ramon the whole time."

"Without us knowing about it." Ada strokes her chest.

Ramon pants, blood sliding down his maw. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm s—RAAH!" He unleashes plenty more goos, aiming towards an unconscious Chikorita guard. She wakes up, her armor shuffling.

"U-Ugh…what ha—" she eyes the goos, gasping. "N-No! I'm a rookie, plea—ACK!" The liquid stabs the guard, absorbing her quickly. She screams, screeching across the whole area as the group gazes, eyes rattling endlessly.

Ramon cries. "N-No…"

"Okay: Now I REALLY don't want to become an Unmon!" X shouts.

Another black liquid springs towards Roan and Coleo, the two widening their eyes.

"HOLY BINACLE!"

Roan gropes his face and, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Simon grits his teeth. "ROAN, NO!"

Roan shields himself, closing his eyes.

SLING!

The Axew opens, gasping. Tress coughs out blood, the substances engulfing his main body. The Sylveon slowly looks at Roan. "A-Ah..." He whimpers, the goos yanking him away.

"Tress!" Both Ace and Nered yell, the latter running over to the Sylveon.

"Don't!" Henry yells. "It's too dangerous."

"No! Tress needs hel—" a ribbon wraps around the Roserade's leg, tripping her. "AH!" She gets dragged, stroking the ground desperately.

"Oh shit!" The teen groans, his glasses tilting forward.

Tress whimpers, hoping his ribbon gets him out of the substance: It doesn't, the bloody ooze gripping further. Penelope frowns, jolting towards Nered. Henry gasps.

"Penelope, come back!" Henry groans, keeping the shield up. Shit!

The humanoid lifts her arms, stopping Nered with Psychic. She grunts, her feet dragging against the concrete due to the goo's strength, bleeding. "Ngh!" Her sun hat shuffles. "I knew Unmonization was tough, but I never knew it's this tough!"

Ramon widens his eyes, shaking his head while the Sylveon shifts close to him. His heart beats with panic, feeling on the verge of collapsing. "I-I didn't mean to do any of this! I'm sorry, I'm sorry—I'M SORRY!" He wails, tears ruining him at this point.

Penelope grunts. "I can't hold on much longer!" She gasps, being flung forward. "AH!"

"..." Henry groans. "God dammit!" He leaves, dashing after Penelope.

"Henry!" Simon yells, groaning as he, Merlin, Ace, and X keep the shield up.

Henry jumps and grabs Penelope's arm, both moving mid-air. He then stabs the ground with his katana, slowing down. The Gardevoir sighs, keeping her focus on the Roserade. "Thanks."

Simon gulps. "Things aren't looking too good."

"Oh Arceus, no…" Ace whines, his arms trembling. The man sees most of the Sylveon submerging into the slime, his eyes trembling. "TRESS!"

Everything feels as though it comes to a halt: Tress eyeing his trainer, tears raining down. He thinks about how he met Ace, when he was an Eevee—upbeat, lively, hopeful…All thanks to him.

"Ma…ster."

His face is devoured, the substance climbing the ribbon afterwards.

"Tress!?"

No response.

Ace sheds a single tear. "TRESS!"

Henry shakes his head. Dammit. He gnashes his teeth.

Penelope sighs, the ribbon growing numb as Penelope and Henry descend. The Gardevoir releases her Psychic, the ribbon freeing Nered. The Roserade holds her hand out. "N-No!" The ribbon jolts straight into the Zoroark: Completing Tress' consumption.

Ramon weeps, closing his eyes. "I-I didn't mean to! I sw-swear I didn't!" One large goo jumps out of his chest. "AAAAH!"

Henry lets go of Penelope and yanks his arms forward, his blue shield blocking off the large slime. It rams over and over, the boy coughing, his arm trembling. "Tch." He looks behind him: Everyone staring at the fox in pure horror, Ada and Delia cover their mouths from nearly gagging as Justin outright vomits, coughing.

"Oh screw that noise, fam!" His eyes quake, the boy backing away. "W-We need to do something about this!"

"AND FAST!" Courtney yells, her and Sylock hugging each other.

Ace weeps, lowering his arms. He drops to his knees, covering his face. Why? Why did this have to happen!? He remains there—trembling and whimpering and trembling once more, struggling with the reality bestowing him.

Tears crash down Jewel's cheeks, covering his chest while eyeing the dysfunctional Zoroark. Tress…

Blackburn closes his eyes, looking away. He clenches his fists, Ariel downright crying on him. Tress! the two think.

X, Merlin, and Simon are the only ones keeping the shield up, groaning. The Conjures hammer and slam, some rapidly jabbing the shield everywhere.

X coughs out purple blood, snarling. "Ack! Guys, we're not doing so well here!"

Simon looks at the Gardevoir, panting. "Penelope: Please use your Super Teleport to get us out of here."

Penelope gropes her chest. "But—" she pauses, eyeing Ramon. "…Let's fix him, first. I can't do this while someone is undergoing Unmonization." Gulps. "The risk of us getting hurt is too high."

"Then how are we going to fix Ramon?" Delia asks, not taking her gaze off the fox.

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Roan nods. "Y-Yeah."

The green humanoid's hand rests on her chin, her head shaking. "I…have no clue, really." She looks at the two. "All I can think of is Ramon devolving back into a Zorua. But—" she whimpers. "He's in so much pain that he can't think properly."

The Mega Audino stares at the fox's barely noticeable wound, sniffling. "Audi…?" He then gasps, slamming a fist on the palm of his hand. "Audi!" He rushes towards Penelope, Blackburn staring at him.

"Jewel?"

The Audino taps Penelope, the Gardevoir eyeing him. "Hmm?"

Jewel places a hand against his chest. "I can heal him with Heal Pulse! That should at least calm him down a little." He lowers his head. "I think…"

Penelope caresses her chin. "Hmm…It's worth a shot." Nods. "Go for it."

The Audino frowns, standing in front of the Gardevoir. He brings his feelers forward as a pulse-like energy shoots out of him, jolting towards Ramon. The pink ball lands, circulating throughout the fox. His stab wound slowly stitches itself, the substances calming down around the fox.

Ramon sniffles: Lying in a pool of dark blood, tears covering his cheeks. He strokes the ground, repeating the following words: "I'm sorry." No pauses, as if his life depends on it. He keeps apologizing. Over and over and ov—

"HEY!"

Ramon blinks, his rainy face looking up at the voice's location. "Huh…?"

Henry pants, retracting his katana, keeping the shield going. "Devolve. Now." Frowns. "Before it's too late."

"I…" Ramon whines. "I d-don't know what you mean by—AH!" Black blood oozes out of his maw, splattering.

"Once again: I will explain everything. Right now, your goal is one thing and one thing only: Devolve back into a Zorua." He sighs. "Focus on that please, Ramon."

"H-How do you—Ngh!" Tears mix with the liquid, the fox panting in exhaustion.

"Just focus, Ramon: Focus on devolving!"

The Zoroark nods. "O-Okay…"

The Hypno covers her mouth, shaking. The three magic users continue grunting as the others gaze at the fox with concern: Delia pressing her bow against her, Ada and Justin gripping their fists, Coleo caressing his chin, Roan quaking in place, Courtney and Sylock holding their hands together, and Zethor folding his arms. Blackburn and Ariel nudge beside Ace, whimpering at the sight.

We really need to leave, Zethor thinks, glaring.

X looks at Ace, Jewel rushing by his side. The Buizel groans. "Hey dude, I'll need your help here!" he says, coughing.

"Of course you do! A sorry little dipshit like you would ask for help!" Lycus yells in front of X, Ice Punching the shield.

X snarls. "Says the asshole that ditched me! SHUT UP!"

Ace looks at his hands. "I…" Whimpers. "I lost one of my closest friends. My companion…" Shakes. "Right in front of me." Tears drip onto those hands, the man forming his fists.

X groans. "Look, dude: We need you ASAP! Hell, we need any of you Sorcerous or whatevs to help us out already!"

Merlin winces, blood dripping down his lips. "Y-Yeah! N-Not sure how long I can keep this up!"

Ramon takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. He soon glows white, decreasing his height. His red hair fades along with his claws, his big fluffy tail returning. Everyone gasps, hearing the fox weeping through it all. His light fades, the Zorua lying in the melancholic pool. He shakes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ramon's eyes widen. "I-I…I've killed…" The fox can't even finish his sentence before erupting into more tears, crying. Henry lowers his hand, the shield fading. Everyone rushes towards Ramon: X, Merlin, Simon, and Ace remaining behind along with his three Pokémon.

They huddle around, Mesmeren being the first to pick him up, hugging him. "R-Ramon!" she cries, nuzzling.

"I-I'm…I'm sorry." Ramon gnashes his teeth. "I-I've caused so much trouble for you all. I-I kept him—them a secret from you…" The 11 remain silent, keeping their gaze on the fox. "I've lied about so many things: When asked if I'm okay, when asked about any further details on my past—just…so much." Whimpers. "I did all of this just so Nomar c-could help me recover my past. They were the one who guided me to Gloria Falls."

The Zorua's eyes tremble. "I'm not okay: I never was."

"Ramon…" Ada caresses her chest. "I…wasn't aware of you keeping all of this to yourself."

"But there's still that Transvian who survived the incident, right?" Justin says. "That part gotta be true."

Ramon shakes his head. "No, Justin: I am the Transvian who survived the Prospective Institute incident." Everyone gasps, eyeing each other with perplexion. Henry, Penelope, and Zethor remain silent, listening in on the Zorua. "All of this is my fault—the Prospective incident, the Synchronic incident: It all ties to me."

"Wait, what?" Delia blinks. "What do you mean by that?"

"Carly, Team Conjure's leader, was communicating with Nomar the whole time. On the same day your village was burnt down by them."

Ada's hand nudges her chest. "No way…"

The shield bashing persists, Ramon sighing. "The…reason why Team Conjure was there is because they wanted to obtain the Teleportation Spell."

Justin, Ada, and Delia's eyes widen, mouths ajaring.

"That means Mayor Herbert was a Spell Guardian," Ada concludes.

"Which…explains that Carly girl tossing him into his office. While holding the spellbook." Justin looks off to the side. "I…I need a moment to take all of that in, fam."

Ada bites her thumb. To think our village was connected with the incident…

Ramon lowers his ears. "The worst part is: I still don't remember my past…"

Henry presses his glasses. "We can talk about all of this in a better environment. But also Ramon…" Sighs. "Blaming yourself on all of this isn't helping: It's not your fault. You just…unfortunately got dragged into this whole mess."

"But how!? I wasn't being forward with how I feel, I have an ability that can be easily abused, a-and just…" Ramon grits his teeth. "Ugh!"

Mesmeren hugs him tightly. "C-Calm down."

Ramon gasps softly, looking up. "Mesmeren…"

"Just…please relax." Her eyes close, caressing the fox's head. "R-Relax…okay?"

"...O-Okay." Ramon buries into the Hypno's fur, whimpering softly.

"CRAP, DUDE!"

Everyone yelps, looking at X: The three coughing out purple blood while Ace strokes his head, his Pokémon doing their best to cheer him up. Merlin whines, his arms trembling.

"I-I can't hang on much longer!" He cries, Carly ramming her fist against the shield. "ACK!" He coughs, falling to the ground.

"MERLIN!" X yells, groaning. He eyes everyone behind him. "HELP US OUT, DAMMIT!"

Henry grits his teeth, the shield fading its auras away. "God, this isn't looking good at all." He looks at Justin and Ada, tilting his head. "Let's go help them."

The teens nod. "Right!" The three rush over to X and Simon's side, their auras displaying onto the large shield: Keeping it up again.

"PENELOPE!" Zethor slams his electric fist down, the Gardevoir yelping. "USE YOUR SUPER TELEPORT, NOW!"

Penelope's hand presses her chest. "But…"

Team Conjure continues the assault: Carly sending Blizzards at the shield, Raiden casting random explosions on it, R Jump Kicking it, Arthur jabbing with his lance, Jester raining down, Sully using Mystical Projectiles with her hand and cane, Lycus continuing his Ice Punches, Xenia delivering multiple jabs with Invisible Hunter, and Nomar's Enforcer Reign throwing a large building at the shield.

The Gardevoir gulps, breathing irregularly, the group around her stroking their heads in panic. So…many of them.

"Well!?" Zethor exclaims, glaring.

Penelope shakes. None of this was a part of the plan. She looks at Henry, the older teen groaning alongside X.

"Ugh! These guys are RELENTLESS!" X shouts.

"You don't know the half of it," Henry states, grunting.

"Yeah no: These guys burned down my home village! I do know!"

"Tch, fair point!" Henry thrusts his arms forward, his glasses tilting.

"PEN!" Zethor yells. "What part of using Super Teleport do you NOT understand!?" He snarls. "USE IT ALREADY!"

"But—" Penelope bites her lower lip before shaking her head. "There's too many, okay!? There's too many people here to teleport!" Winces. "I've never teleported this many people before with my Rune, so I'm not sure if it's safe to use it!"

Henry sighs. "Penelope, we've talked about this before: It's part of the plan."

Penelope frowns. "No it isn't!" She slams a hand to her chest. "You specifically told us that we came here to rescue Ramon and teleport away. You never mentioned anything about others being with him!"

"That's because I didn't expect him to have so many friends. None of us did." Sighs. "So the plan changed to teleporting them away, too." The teen groans.

"But…" Penelope looks down. "I'm worried about what this could do to us, Henry."

"Pen, we have no choice: Sorcerous' teleportation is limited and you know it." Henry coughs. "Please hurry!"

Penelope stares at the teen, his glasses nearly falling off. She sighs, walking close to him. "Alright." She gazes at the others. "Everyone: Come close. We're all getting out of here." Black scleras take over her eyes as green irises form.

Roan nods. "No need to tell me twice!"

I agree! Sylock thinks. He and Roan rush over to Penelope's side, everyone following suit.

Bright pink auras glow from the Gardevoir's body, casting around everyone else. It shines, radiating throughout. Penelope closes her eyes, gritting her teeth. Gah! S-So many… She takes a deep breath. Focus. Please focus…

Jester tilts his head. "Eh?" The rivers keep pounding the shield. "The heck is going on in there?"

Soon, the gang teleports: All of Team Conjures attacks landing on the spot they once were, Carly Quick Attacking into it. Large smoke forms from the collision.

R stops and gasps. "Carly!"

The leader zips out of the spot and gets beside the teen, the flames dissipating. "It's fine. None of your moves hits me."

R sighs. "Phew. Thought we'd lost you for a moment, haha."

"Man." Nomar smacks his lips, folding his arms. "I wanted to see my descendant turn into an Unmon!" He lifts a rock via his force, sighing. "Imagine controlling your descendant. Wouldn't that be cool?" A sly smirk plasters across the blue fox's face.

Lycus shrugs. "Can't imagine doing that. I don't even want to come near my mistake, let alone control him. Ever."

Nomar lifts his hand up and down. "Your loss then."

"Alright, Conjures: We got the spellbook along with reviving Dne." The grunts clap enthusiasm as Carly takes out her Teleportation Spell. "Let's head back to HQ and see what Norris has in store for us."

Nomar claps. "Ooo, right! How many Spells do we have so far?"

"4," Carly confirms.

"Niiice!" The Zoroark puffs out his chest. "Looking forward to becoming my true deity self, once we get them all." He then blinks. "Wait, who's Norris again?"

Carly opens the book. "I thought you knew from our past telepathy discussions."

Nomar caresses his forehead. "Huh. I probably did, but being dead made me…forget things. Some flawless deity I am, huh?" He snorts.

"You're perfect, Dne! No worries!" Xenia says, purring. Sirens are then heard from afar, the Conjures eyeing up. "Cops are coming." She smiles.

"Understood." Carly keeps her book opened, eyeing Nomar. "I'll tell you who he is once we get back." The girl proceeds to chant the words 'Teleportation Spell' over and over, glowing blue along with the others.

The Shiny Zoroark grins. "Lovely."

Over by the large waterfall, Kellie arrives at the top, panting. They eye the light by the crater, limping close, stroking their arm. As soon as they and the cops are near: Team Conjure disappears.

Everyone gazes at the destructive spot: Broken structures, water, blood, and some corpses littering everywhere. One officer frowns.

"What happened here?" he asks, eyeing Kellie afar. Kellie strokes their head.

"U-Ugh…" Kellie strokes their forehead, falling to the ground.

The same officer gasps. "Let's go help them, quick!"

The officers rush around the crater, some doing quick patrols before reaching them. Meanwhile Elizabeth remains in the bushes, eyes trembling.

Th-That group…reminds me of those Hunters.