Through Their Eyes: Season 3 - Capt_Hikimari - Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (2024)

Chapter 1: Dire Implications (Season 3 Prologue)

Chapter Text

"You can relax, Medicham. Believe me, if I were here to kill you, you would already be dead. I just want to talk."

Medicham stared at Betrayer-Of-Kin with widened eyes as she stepped nonchalantly down the riverbank.Talk? All this time spent trying to murder my Trainer and now she wants to talk? What could this monster possibly have to talk about?

Medicham swallowed as Betrayer-Of-Kin inoffensively sat down next to her. "Why?" she asked. "Why should I even begin to hear you out after what you've done?"

"I'm not asking to be heard out, Medicham," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "It is just that you have done something that not many have done in my very long lifetime." She leaned in closer. "You haveinterestedme."

"How so?" Medicham did not untense.

Betrayer-Of-Kin's smile widened. "Over the years, I have met - and killed - many pawns of the Heralds," she said. "Trainers old and young, Pokemon of all kinds. Yet none of them - not a single one - had what you have.Knowledge." She learned back. "Youknowabout the Heralds. You know who they are, what they've done, what they want. So tell me, Medicham. Why continue to work for them? Knowing what they've done to you, knowing that they've done the same to countless others…why do you so readily do their bidding?"

"It's not like Ienjoyit," Medicham retorted. "It's not like Ilikethe Heralds. But when it comes down to it…I'd rather live than die."

"And do you consider a life serving the Heralds' every whim a life worth living?" Betrayer-Of-Kin asked.

"It's only until-"

"Only until I'm stopped?" Betrayer-Of-Kin's eyes narrowed. "Come now, Medicham. Have you given no consideration to what happens next? You know Bringer-Of-Visions. Say she does succeed in stopping Giratina's rise. She now is at the head of a shadowy, world-spanning organization with knowledge of all possible futures…and the understanding that she can now, with impunity, alter those futures to suit her desires as she wishes. Do you really think she's just going tostop?"

Medicham felt a horrible feeling in her stomach at the thought.

"Imagine," said Betrayer-Of-Kin, "a world where every single being lives or dies at Bringer-Of-Visions's whim. Every single decision is made under Bringer-Of-Visions's watchful eye. Every Pokemon, every Trainer, everyone and everything exists to serve Bringer-Of-Visions. Is that the so-called life you would champion? Can you honestly claimthatis preferable to death?"

Medicham shook her head. "There has to be another way to avert that than allowing the apocalypse to happen! Tell me, did you eventryto think of another way before you stabbed him in the back and left to join Giratina?"

Betrayer-Of-Kin stared at Medicham. "Him," she whispered; Medicham realized her slip of the tongue, and panic filled her mind. "You don't just know about the Heralds…you knoweverything."

I can't deny it…I have to double down. Medicham gulped. "Yes," she said. "I do…Bringer-Of-Visions."

Betrayer-Of-Kin didn't even twitch. "That is not my name," she growled. "That is atitle. One representative of a position that I have long since abandoned."

"Why?" Medicham demanded. "Why would you throw away everything he gave you? Why would you allow someone likeherto come to power? Why would you allow that just to become a killer in the service of an abomination like Giratina?"

"Because I had no choice!" Betrayer-Of-Kin snapped, her calm demeanor slipping for a moment. In another she was back to calmness. "I did not betray Darkrai lightly, Medicham. The Heralds gained their name because ofme. I was Darkrai's emissary. I was his eyes, I was his ears, I was hiswill. For a thousand years, I served him without question. I believed in him. Iworshipedhim. And together we worked to ensure one thing: that time was protected from those who would try and control it, to use it for their own gain." Her eyes narrowed. "To create Splinter Timelines in order to exact their will upon time itself."

"This is different," Medicham argued.

"No," Betrayer-Of-Kin said curtly. "No, it isn't. You must understand, Medicham: if there had beenone singletimeline where the apocalypse did not take place, I would have stayed with Darkrai, and I would have doneanythingto ensure that timeline came to pass." She sighed softly and shook her head. "But there was not. Every single timeline, Prime or Alternate, ends in Giratina's rise. The apocalypse cannot be averted without the creation of a Splinter Timeline. Time itself has stated that this world is doomed. To go against time…to do the very thing that we had spent a thousand years fighting to prevent others from doing…I cannot accept it."

"And yet," said Medicham, "it seems like you're the only one."

"Yes, it seems I am," said Betrayer-Of-Kin, her voice momentarily taking on an air of wistfulness. "For what it's worth, Ididtry and think of another way. Before I evenconsideredbetraying Darkrai, I went to him and told him of my qualms. I hoped he would listen to me. He always had before. But this time he refused. When I told him he was going against everything the Heralds stood for, he said in response that he knew, but that he couldn't just sit back and let the world be destroyed."

"And you can?" Medicham asked.

"Yes." Again Betrayer-Of-Kin's response was curt and blunt. "That is mypurpose. My veryreason for existenceis to keep time on its course. And as much as I owed Darkrai, as much as I worshiped him, I simply could not bring myself to follow someone who was willing to abandon that charge the instant it was convenient for him."

"It's not aboutconvenience!" Medicham cried. "It's aboutlife! Darkraicaresfor the lives of everyone living in this world - our experiences, our knowledge, our connections! But you don't even care who Marcus is, do you? You don't care about the friends he's made, the path he's taken, the life he's lived. He's just an obstacle to you, isn't he? An Arceus-damnedhurdlein your path!"

"Precisely." Betrayer-Of-Kin continued to stare into Medicham's eyes. "And if you were really as smart as you seem to think you are, you'd let me kill him."

"Never," Medicham snarled.

Betrayer-Of-Kin sighed again, taking a step back. "You really are shortsighted," she said. "I see now why you continue to serve the Heralds. I wish I could say that speaking to you was worthwhile. But even with your memories intact, you're still content to act like a mindless puppet, to foster a world where time is bent and twisted at the Heralds' will, and where Bringer-Of-Visions controls all. I see no reason to further waste my time."

Medicham opened her mouth for a retort, but as Betrayer-Of-Kin stood and began to walk away, no words came to her throat.

Betrayer-Of-Kin stopped at the edge of the treeline, glancing back at Medicham. "Your Trainer is lucky," she said. "Killing a normal Trainer is easy enough. Local authorities and perhaps the Trainers' grieving families are easy enough to avoid. But killing a Gym Leader would bring far too much heat. Other Gym Leaders, the International Police, even Elite Four members might become involved. And if that happened, the Heralds would find it all too easy to take advantage of it. Perhaps they would even be able to use them to bring me down. So your Trainer is safe from me. For now."

The Absol's eyes narrowed once again. "But if you think I'm done, you're wrong. It could take years…but I will find a way. Marcus will die by my hand. That is a promise." With that, Betrayer-Of-Kin disappeared in a burst of Oblivion, leaving Medicham alone with only the familiar surroundings of the stump-dominated clearing for company.

Medicham waited for several more seconds before she finally untensed. Betrayer-Of-Kin was gone, but her words remained, and they repeated over and over through Medicham's mind as she stood in the center of the clearing.

Do you consider a life serving the Heralds' every whim a life worth living?

Medicham had always considered Betrayer-Of-Kin an enemy. She saw no reason to change her mind on that front. Whatever the Absol's motives, the fact remained that her goal was to kill Marcus, and there was no way Medicham would ever let her do that.

But the thought of a world ruled by Bringer-Of-Visions terrified Medicham. All the pain and suffering, both physical and psychological, that the leader of the Heralds had inflicted on Medicham came roaring back to her mind in full force. The thought of her friends enduring such torment made Medicham's blood boil.

But causing the apocalypse isn't the answer.

In Betrayer-Of-Kin's mind, stopping the apocalypse would inevitably lead to a world ruled by Bringer-Of-Visions. But Medicham had no intention of accepting either outcome.There has to be another way, she'd told Betrayer-Of-Kin, and the Absol's refusal to believe that hadn't changed Medicham's position.

Medicham finally roused herself. Turning, she began to step away from the gigantic tree stump, moving in the direction of where she knew Sarah and James's house lay.There is another way, she told herself.And whatever that way is, when the time comes…

I will find it.

TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER

"Primeape, Focus Blast!"

"Houndoom, block with Flamethrower!"

With mingled cries of "Anger Point: Furious Shot!" and "Flame Tongue!", the two opposing Pokemon flung energy outwards, a gigantic sphere of Fighting energy meeting a stream of Fire energy. But with the Primeape's Anger Point Ability allowing him to channel his emotions - namely rage - into his attacks to power them up, and the fact that Houndoom had already exhausted himself finishing off the opposing Trainer's Heracross, the Focus Blast swiftly overpowered the Flamethrower, and Houndoom was struck head-on by the explosive attack, sending him flying backwards, his limbs flailing limply as he sailed past Marcus straight into the wall behind him.

Drapion watched from his Luxury Ball as Houndoom's unconscious body was recalled. He knew he had an uphill battle ahead - Trainers with type specialties good against Dark were always annoying. This particular Trainer was an aspiring Fighting-type master named Don who had only lost his Hitmontop and Heracross in the process of bringing down Liepard, Pangoro, and Houndoom.

Which left another Pokemon for Drapion to face even if he managed to bring down this Primeape. At least, from the opposing Trainer's comments, this Primeape was his Starter, meaning that his last Pokemon would be weaker than it.

"You've done well so far," said Marcus, "but it's time to see just how much you rely on your precious type advantage. Drapion, let's finish this!"

Drapion grinned as he was sent out. He'd liked the 'precious' Marcus had tossed in; it was good to maintain the tough image Marcus had cultivated over the past years. And Drapion was always pleased to reinforce that image further; plenty of Trainers had lost their challenges to him, unable to make it through his bulk and his peculiar typing that left him with no weaknesses against the common Dark-type answers of Fighting, Bug, and Fairy.

Officially, Pangoro was Marcus's Ace, since it was the only member of his team that originated from Kalos. But any Trainer who had challenged the Laverre City Gym knew that Drapion was his real strongest member, and since those who hadn't didn't know that, oftentimes Trainers who had beaten Pangoro would get overconfident, lowering their guard, expecting the battle to effectively already be over.

Just one more piece of misdirection in a Gym that thrived on it.

Drapion glared into the eyes of the Primeape opposite him. The Fighting-type hadn't needed to expend much effort to fell Houndoom, but he had revealed his Ability. A straightforward power increase would be easier to handle than, say, that Cradily last week - how was Drapion meant to know that Suction Cups would allow it to cling to his body, using his own arms as platforms to launch attacks while he'd been unable to shake it off no matter what he tried?

"You think I haven't studied my type matchups?" Don retorted. "Primeape, Stomping Tantrum!"

Primeape leaped forwards, bunching his legs under him, and as he descended he slammed them both into the ground. "Anger Point: Furious Quake!" Primeape bellowed; the power of the blast of Ground energy that shot outwards was impressive for a five-badge Trainer.

"Protect, then Poison Jab!" Marcus called.

But all that power was rendered useless by Drapion's Protect. The barrier of energy took the bulk of the attack, and as the remnants flew past Drapion on either side the Poison/Dark-type lunged forwards at the off-balance Primeape. "Rip!" he snarled, lashing out at the Fighting-type with one arm, claws glistening with Poison energy.

"Block with Brick Break!" Don ordered, but Primeape was still staggering from his clumsy landing. He clearly hadn't expected Drapion to be able to negate the attack, and all he could do was get up one Fighting energy-enhanced arm. Drapion's strike bulldozed through Primeape's defense, and his claws sank deep into Primeape's shoulder. Primeape snarled in pain, dropping to one knee.

"Stomping Tantrum!" Don cried worriedly.

"Battle Armor!" Marcus called, recognizing that there was no time to get up a Protect.

Drapion stepped backwards, echoing Marcus's words as his chitinous reserves sprang forth, wrapping around his front legs and belly as Primeape unleashed another Anger Point-fueled Furious Quake. The attack hit, and Drapion stumbled backwards with a growl of pain, but the chitinous armor dampened the impact significantly, whereas as Drapion came down, he could see Primeape's wound glistening purple and knew he'd managed to inject some poison into the Fighting-type's body.

"Figures," Primeape growled, glancing at the injury.

"Close Combat!" Don ordered. "Overwhelm him!"

Primeape charged, fists drawn back in preparation for a barrage of punches. "Anger Point: Furious Flurry!"

"Protect and Dig!" Marcus retorted.

Drapion saw Don purse his lips and shot the Trainer a smirk as he raised another Barrier. As Primeape's rapid-fire barrage of fists slammed into the Protect, Drapion reared up and slammed his claws into the floor. "Burrow!" Ground energy rippled around him as he dove into the ground, evading Primeape's swinging fists as the Protect dissolved.

There was only so much space between the floor of the arena and the ceiling of the room below, but Marcus had made sure it was enough to fit Drapion, and so he had plenty of space to maneuver. "Go in after him!" Don told his Primeape.

Drapion heard a grunt of effort from behind as Primeape obeyed his Trainer's order. He hid another grin; it was always nice when his adversaries were foolish enough to try and confront him underground. Drapion twisted in the narrow confines and began to dig upwards, listening to Primeape's footfalls as the Fighting-type rushed down the tunnel Drapion had dug.

He's coming closer…closer…

Now!

Drapion slammed through the earth underneath him and dropped down right on top of the charging Primeape. Primeape grunted in surprise as Drapion, with a growl of "Prey!", jammed every spike on his body into the Fighting-type. Primeape struggled furiously, but was unable to break free as Drapion tore into him with claws and teeth.

"Anger Point: Seismic Fury!" Primeape snarled through gritted teeth; Fighting energy flared up around Primeape and he surged upwards, carrying the surprised Drapion with him. They exploded through the floor, Primeape bearing Drapion on his back; the Fighting-type swiftly hauled back and, with a yell of "Anger Point: Furious Fist!", delivered a vicious punch right to Drapion's face that sent him reeling back.

"Anger Point: Furious Flurry!" Primeape pressed, hoping to catch Drapion as he staggered backwards. But Marcus's cry of "Protect, now!" galvanized Drapion into action, and he raised a barrier in time to deflect another barrage of fists from Primeape, giving Drapion time to recover and regain his bearings.

He could at once tell that Primeape was weakening. The poison combined with Drapion's successful ambush had done a number on the Fighting-type, and Drapion could see it in the stumble of Primeape's foot as he broke through the Protect, could see it in his wearied eyes as they focused on Drapion once more. "Keep up Battle Armor," Marcus urged. "And Earthquake!"

Gym Leaders were allowed to change their allowed movesets via appeal to the League submitted during the three-month break after the Pokemon League Tournament. After the first year of battling, noticing that Drapion's allotted moveset made him incredibly one-note - defensively powerful but not much else - Marcus had successfully appealed to the League to allow Drapion to use Earthquake in his Gym Battles. Now Drapion, grinning at the sight of Don's eyes widening, reared up with Ground energy rippling around his front legs once more. "Quake!" he roared, slamming his legs down and unleashing a fast-moving wave of Ground energy across the field.

"Counter with Stomping Tantrum!" Don cried. "Then Outrage!"

"Anger Point: Furious Quake!" Fueled by rage, the blast of Ground energy Primeape unleashed was even stronger than the previous ones, and it was enough to counter the Earthquake, the two waves breaking against one another. Primeape let out an enraged howl. "Anger Point: Raging Fury!" Dragon energy burst forth across Primeape's body, and he sprang at Drapion with the force of a thunderbolt.

"Protect and Dig," Marcus stated simply.

Once again, Drapion raised a Barrier, then reared up and dove underground as Primeape flailed ineffectually. "Under again!" Don cried, but this time Primeape, caught in the throes of Outrage, was deaf to his Trainer's command, stomping around with eyes flicking from side to side as he searched blindly for his adversary.

"If that's your strongest, this will be over quickly," said Marcus. "Finish it, Drapion."

Drapion leaped upwards; Primeape's stomping let Drapion know exactly where the Fighting-type was, and he cannoned out of the floor straight into Primeape's midsection. Primeape was flung backwards, the Dragon energy fading from around him as he flew through the air. Drapion watched as Primeape landed on the ground, skidding to a halt at Don's feet.

Don reached for Primeape's Pokeball, but his hand stopped halfway there. Marcus frowned; Drapion's gaze, which had turned away from Primeape, swiveled back towards the fallen Fighting-type in time to see him beginning to glow with light.

Evolutionary light.

Primeape's entire body erupted with it, and Marcus, Drapion, and Don all watched with amazement (and alarm in the eyes of the former two) as the Fighting-type's eyes opened and he began to rise in the midst of the storm of light. Drapion watched as the light faded, leaving behind a very different Pokemon than the one he'd sent flying. This new Pokemon had the features of Primeape, but instead of the tan furry skin and darker brown limbs that had formed Primeape's body, the new Pokemon's body was dark gray, its fur looking almost like smoke as it shifted back and forth through the air. Its eyes were now pure blood red, and the shackles that had once adorned its wrists were cracked and broken.

And yet, somehow, Drapion could tell that under that simmering exterior the new arrival onto the field was perfectly, impossibly calm.

"Annihilape…" Don grinned. "Let's take this stupid Drapion down! Stomping Tantrum, then Rage Fist!"

"It's weak to Dark-type moves now!" Marcus countered. "Counter with Earthquake, Battle Armor, and then hit it with everything you've got!"

"Quake!" "Furious Quake." Blasts of Ground energy flew from both Annihilape and Drapion; this time, though, no Anger Point strengthened Annihilape's attack. Instead, the Ground-type attack was focused, a spear rather than a shockwave, and it split Drapion's Quake down the middle, leaving the rest of it to fly uselessly past Annihilape. The newly evolved Annihilape rushed forwards, Ghost energy gathering around his fists as he charged Drapion; Drapion readied his Battle Armor and lunged as well, arms flaring with Dark energy.

Annihilape's movements were far more controlled than earlier; it was like fighting a completely different Pokemon. Whereas Primeape would have charged straight in, leaving himself open, Annihilape stopped short, raising his fists in preparation as Drapion hurled himself at him. Drapion's initial swipe was accompanied by a snarl of "Battle Armor: Slam!", but Annihilape drew back a Ghost and Fighting energy-enhanced fist and drove a swift punch into Drapion's swinging limb, stopping it cold from the sheer force of the attack. Drapion stumbled, having not expected the sudden resistance, and Annihilape twisted towards him, hauling back once more. "Furious Fist." Annihilape's punch ripped straight through Drapion's Battle Armor, and once more Drapion was sent reeling, this time with blood shedding from his jaw as he recoiled.

"Furious Shot."

"Barrier!" Drapion snarled, deflecting the Focus Blast with a rapid Protect. "Pursuit!" Marcus ordered. "Keep him at range!"

"No Escape!" Drapion growled, but Annihilape was again ready for Drapion's assault. "Furious Flurry," the Ghost/Fighting-type retorted, unleashing a blisteringly fast barrage of punches that tore the Pursuit rays straight out of the air. "Blast!" Drapion cried, but Annihilape was swift to counter the Cross Poison with a Furious Fist, and this time he followed up with another spear-like Furious Quake that Drapion had to counter with another Earthquake of his own.

Drapion grimaced.He's a lot stronger now. At full power I could easily crush this thing…but at my Gym Leader-regulated power level, I'm not sure I can win this.

In that moment of nervousness, Don called another order. "Swagger!"

"Inciting Fury," Annihilape stated, and something in his words infuriated Drapion. Rage filled him, blinding him as he lunged forwards, wanting only to rip Annihilape to shreds. Marcus's voice sounded dimly, but Drapion couldn't hear him and didn't care what he was saying.

His arm flew forwards, augmented by Battle Armor, and Annihilape smoothly twisted away from the blow and, with a murmur of "Furious Fist", delivered a vicious blow to the side of Drapion's face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Furious Quake."

The spear of Ground energy arced towards Drapion as if in slow motion, and even through the haze of fury Drapion knew it was going to hit him. There was no time for Protect; Drapion tensed, hoping he could somehow tank the blow-

And then he was back in his Luxury Ball as Marcus recalled him out of the attack.

Marcus sighed. "Congratulations on your evolution," he said. "And on your victory. The Dusk Badge is yours."

He stepped across the field to shake Don's hand and give him the badge. Don recalled his Annihilape before reciprocating, praising the Ghost/Fighting-type for his hard fight as he did so. Despite the anger at losing, Drapion felt a measure of pride - he remembered so many examples of similar situations from Marcus's own Gym Challenge, and knew exactly how Don must be feeling right now.

"Thanks," said Don. "Not sure if I would have won without it, to be honest."

"Hey, a win's a win," said Marcus. "If I may ask, how did you beat Viola?"

"I've also got a Gurdurr and a Hakamo-O," Don answered. "They're both good with Rock-type moves. Still wasn't easy, though."

"I'll bet," Marcus murmured. "You've gotten lucky so far with your type matchups, but you're not going to be able to beat Olympia with just brute force."

"I had a feeling." Don shrugged. "Heracross is my main answer for Psychic-types, and, well, now I've got Annihilape…but I might want a Dark-type."

"Maybe," said Marcus. "As you've seen, I'm partial to Pangoro myself. But aside from that, this might help." Reaching into his pocket, he handed Don a TM. "This contains Sucker Punch - your Hitmontop should be able to learn it."

"Thanks, I'm sure he'll be able to make good use of it," said Don. "Anyway, I should probably be getting to the Pokemon Center."

"Yeah, me too," Marcus admitted. Nodding, Don stepped away, moving through the back door that led out of the Laverre City Gym and down to the ground. Marcus did not follow, instead turning towards the intercom system set up in the main room that led to all the other rooms in the building. "All right, we're done for the day," he said into the speakers.

Drapion smiled exhaustedly.Another day done. Though not quite done for Marcus…to be honest, I'm glad I get to stay in the Pokemon Center while he has to go to this 'League dinner party' or whatever official name they're calling it.

And I also can't help but feel sorry for Medicham and the others - I know they like it when Marcus visits, but the visit really shouldn't involve them having to accompany Marcus to such a boring event.

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as Marcus turned and began to head out of the Gym after Don. Right now, all he was worried about was getting a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. That was the life of a Gym Leader's Pokemon. A life of constant battling and even more constant exhaustion.

But it was a life that Drapion very much enjoyed.

"Skill Link: Wave Blast!"

Cloyster spun in place, unleashing five separate streams of Water energy arcing through the air, the outwards-soaring streams curving inwards as they flew so that all five streams streaked at his adversary.

The adversary in question crouched, his clawed feet digging into the earth. "Strong Jaw: Air Gnash!" Kamado's jaws clamped shut, the force of his bite strong enough to unleash a wave of air outwards, intercepting the barrage of Water energy and dissipating it in midair.

Kriesh watched as Kamado surged forwards, a roar of "Rock Wave!" flying from his open maw as he did so; the ground around him surged upwards, a barrage of Rock energy flying forwards at Cloyster, only for the Water/Ice-type to deflect it with a shout of "Skill Link: Impenetrable Shell!" A Protect sprang up in front of Cloyster, while another one did the same behind him. The first Protect deflected the Rock Wave; as Kamado charged, head lowered with a roar of "Rock Slam!", Cloyster spun, carrying the second Protect with him, and deflected that as well, retaliating with a swift Ice Blast that sent Kamado stumbling away.

"Strong Jaw: Air Gnash!" Again Kamado's jaws snapped shut hard enough to unleash a sharp blast of pseudo-wind, and it was Cloyster's turn to stumble backwards. The Tyrantrum had unlocked his Ability a little over a year and a half ago; Strong Jaw drastically increased the force of his bite, which naturally made his melee biting attacks stronger, but under tutelage from Medicham Kamado had learned to send out waves of disturbed air by slamming his jaws shut with his Ability active, giving him a fast and powerful ranged attack that he otherwise lacked.

"Skill Link: Self-Duplication!" Cloyster countered by forming several copies of himself, similar to Double Team. "Split Wave Blast!" Each of the duplicates of Cloyster produced a powerful Hydro Pump, the powerful streams once more arcing towards Kamado's form. The Self-Duplication technique had been another new Ability usage taught by Medicham; thanks to her, all of Marcus's Pokemon had learned several new uses for their Abilities in the past couple years.

Kriesh herself had not been excluded; neither had Trevenant, who was standing beside her, watching as Kamado and Cloyster sparred in Sarah and James's yard. "Who do you think's winning?" the Grass/Ghost-type asked.

"I don't know," Kriesh murmured as Kamado, utilizing a quick activation of Rock Polish, leaped away from Cloyster's barrage of Hydro Pumps, each blast of Water energy sending up a spray of earth as it impacted the ground where Kamado had been standing. "They seem evenly matched."

"Figures," said Trevenant. "Ice beats Dragon, Dragon beats Water, Water beats Rock, Rock beats Ice. Neither of them has a clear type advantage over the other - it's a battle of pure power, except Medicham isn't involved."

As Trevenant chuckled at his own joke, Kriesh sighed and turned away, her eyes focusing on Medicham. The Fighting/Psychic-type and Marcus's Ace was sitting on the other side of the yard, legs and arms crossed in a meditative position. Kriesh's eyes flashed for a moment towards Medicham's missing right forearm. She'd long since gotten used to seeing a rounded stump where that had been, but sometimes she still caught herself thinking of it as unnatural; she quickly tore her gaze away.

"She's been sitting there for the past few hours," Trevenant observed. "Do you think she's all right?"

"You know she does this sometimes," said Kriesh. "She's a Medicham. It's in the name."

"I guess," said Trevenant. "Oh, wow!"

That last comment was drawn from Kamado slamming the crown of his head into the chest of one of Cloyster's duplicates. The duplicate disappeared in a puff of dissipating energy as Kamado spun, tail slashing through another duplicate. "Strong Jaw: Electric Gnash!" Kamado snarled, his teeth crackling with Electric energy as he lunged for another Cloyster. Based on the Impenetrable Shell that sprang up, this was the correct one, and indeed the Cloyster in question shifted backwards as his two remaining duplicates moved forwards, arraying themselves in front of the real Cloyster. Kamado crouched again, readying for another charge.

And then there was a flash of light from Kriesh's left, and Kriesh turned to see Marcus, materializing a little ways away from the house's gate with a League Kirlia - one he'd used several times before - standing next to him.

"Marcus!" Trevenant greeted excitedly. Cloyster and Kamado swiftly abandoned their spar, stepping over to greet Marcus as well. Kriesh hung back, turning her head towards Medicham. "Sniper:Vox," she whispered, aiming her voice next to Medicham's ear. "Marcus is here," she whispered; Medicham's head snapped upwards and she turned. Seeing Marcus, she rose and began to move over towards the rest of the team. Satisfied, Kriesh twisted herself, following Trevenant, Cloyster, and Kamado as they clustered around Marcus.

Using her Sniper Ability to 'aim' her voice and senses, allowing her to extend them far beyond where they normally could reach, was one of Kriesh's personal favorite newer techniques.

"It's good to see all of you," said Marcus, looking around at his assembling team. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring the others this time; they're still recovering in the Pokemon Center from our last battle."

"It's good to see you too, Marcus," Medicham said telepathically as she walked over, speaking for all of them.

"Now I wish I could just hang out," said Marcus, "but Diantha unexpectedly arranged a League dinner party tonight on fairly short notice. I didn't want to cancel my planned visit here, so…I was hoping you'd be willing to come, and I could enjoy some time with the rest of my team on a night that would otherwise be…ah…"

"Boring?" Medicham guessed.

"Yeah, that," said Marcus.

"I'd be willing to go," said Kriesh. "Do you want me to fly you?" She glanced at Medicham, waiting for a telepathic translation.

"It's fine." The League Kirlia piped up. "I can teleport him. It's my job, after all."

Kriesh nodded at Kirlia. Trevenant spoke up. "I'll go as well!"

"I think we can all go," said Cloyster. Medicham looked to Kamado, who nodded, and then back to Marcus. "We'll all come with you."

Marcus smiled. "That's good to hear. We don't have to leave for another half-hour, so why don't you all catch me up on what you've been up to in the past week?"

The Kalos Pokemon League was shining with light; the sun had only just dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky purple and starry but not yet ink-black. As Marcus materialized, the League Kirlia at his side and five Luxury Balls clustered around his belt, the facade of the building where the dinner would be rose up in front of him. Medicham recognized the building; it was the same building that Steven had hosted his brunch social in. The same building that had been the site of Marcus's confrontation with Calem, just before their fateful battle.

Medicham knew Marcus had been to several of these League dinners. It was expected that Gym Leaders (at least ones without scheduling conflicts due to Gym Battles and the like) would attend them. But this was the first one she'd been to, and as such she was initially taken aback by the sheer amount of lights that blazed from the building. It was like a signal; clearly the League didn't want anybody to get lost in the admittedly expansive cluster of buildings that surrounded the main Kalos Pokemon League building and its adjoining arena.

"Ah, Marcus." An elderly female voice came from the side. "Glad you could make it."

"Drasna," Marcus greeted, shaking the hand of the Dragon-type Elite Four member. "You're looking well."

"Age hasn't caught up with me yet," said Drasna with a smile as the two of them began to step towards the lit-up building. "How's that Tyrantrum of yours holding up?"

"Pretty well," said Marcus. "Have I told you about Air Gnash?"

"No, do tell," Drasna responded. Medicham found herself tuning out their chatting; it wasn't that their conversation wasn't interesting, it was that her eyes had fallen on another Trainer who was standing in front of the building. She recognized Karen immediately, and also recognized the Absol standing beside her, looking up at his Trainer as Karen spoke to a League official about something Medicham couldn't make out.

Walker-Of-Paths. The last time she'd seen this Absol, he'd made it clear that he was very much a fanatic in the vein of Bringer-Of-Visions. Medicham liked Karen - from what she'd heard, the Dark-type Elite Four member had visited the Laverre City Gym a couple times to see Theo, and had been nothing but cordial to Marcus - but Walker-Of-Paths was a Herald Medicham wanted nothing to do with.

Medicham hoped Marcus wouldn't attract Walker-Of-Paths' attention, but those hopes were dashed as Marcus raised his voice. "Karen! I didn't realize you'd be here."

Karen and Walker-Of-Paths both turned. "Marcus, good to see you again," said Karen, stepping over. "How's Theo?"

"He's doing well," said Marcus, but as they spoke, Medicham's attention was once again drawn to Walker-Of-Paths. Her worst fears were confirmed; the Herald was staring right at her Luxury Ball, and as Medicham locked eyes with him she heard a telepathic voice in her mind.

"Third door on the right. One hour."

"What do you mean?" Medicham asked, but Walker-Of-Paths had already looked away, and no response came. Marcus, Karen, and Drasna were already walking through the wide-open double doors and into the building; the interior was, if possible, even brighter than the exterior. The room was illuminated by a great chandelier and dominated by a long, white-clothed table in the center of the room, covered with all manner of dishes. Glancing around, Medicham noticed that aside from Karen, everyone else in the room was Kalosian; she could see Wulfric and Ramos talking on one side of the room, Clemont in a cluster with Wikstrom and Grant on the other, Siebold, Viola, and Korrina waiting in line to select from a plate ofhors d'oeuvres, and Diantha standing in the back of the room, chatting with Olympia and Emma over glasses of wine.

So why would Karen be here?

Medicham did not have much time to ponder the reason for Karen's presence, for Marcus had just excused himself from Karen and Drasna to move over towards a fairly large area on the right side of the room that was occupied by quite a few other Pokemon. As Marcus moved in that direction, Medicham spotted four doors lining the right wall of the room; all of them were closed, and from the lack of light shining through from the other side, none of them were currently in use.

Third door on the right.

"I'll get you after the dinner," said Marcus, "and we'll have a good few hours to ourselves, okay?"

"Okay," said Medicham halfheartedly. She felt a measure of guilt at Marcus's sigh; clearly he'd misinterpreted her lack of excitement. The Trainer swiftly released her and the others into the Pokemon area, murmuring a last goodbye before stepping back into the main room.

Left alone, Medicham shifted over to Kriesh as Trevenant, Cloyster, and Kamado spread out to socialize with the other Pokemon in the area. "Kriesh, there's a Herald here," Medicham told the Fearow telepathically; she saw Kriesh stiffen slightly. "Karen's Absol - his name's Walker-Of-Paths. From what I know of him, he's as fanatical as they come."

"What does he want?" Kriesh asked, giving no outward indication that she was speaking to Medicham.

"All he said was 'third door on the right, one hour," said Medicham; Kriesh's eyes quickly swiveled over to the door in question. "He didn't bother with clarification."

"It's been two and a half years since they've tried to contact you," said Kriesh. "Why here, and why now?"

"I don't know," Medicham admitted. "Something about this is off. But I can't ignore this."

"I'll keep my hearing up," Kriesh promised. "If they do anything to hurt you, I'll be there before you know it."

"Thanks, Kriesh," said Medicham. "Let's…try and enjoy ourselves in the meantime. We've got an hour until I need to meet Walker-Of-Paths - it won't do to spend all that time worrying."

"Right," said Kriesh, turning away. But as the Fearow moved after the other three members of the team, Medicham found herself reluctant to follow her own advice. For the next hour, she moved around the area, attempting to socialize, but she found her speech was awkward, her words halting and distracted.

The hour passed by glacially slow. At some point, the Trainers in the main room sat down and began to eat, and several large plates of food were summarily distributed to the Pokemon. Medicham nibbled on a few berries and Pokeblocks, but they all tasted wrong, and even though her stomach growled with hunger at the sight of so much delicious-looking food, Medicham found herself unable to swallow more than a few bites. She found herself closely eyeing a clock perched upon a wall in the main room, watching the minutes and seconds tick away.

At length, though, as the final seconds of the hour passed by, Medicham spotted Walker-Of-Paths again; the Absol was stepping out of the Pokemon area, moving towards the door he'd told Medicham to come to. His head swung around as he walked up to the door, his eyes locking with Medicham's. With a gulp she fervently hoped wasn't too loud, Medicham rose, stepping after Walker-Of-Paths, trying not to look too hurried.

The last thing she needed was someone asking where she was going.

Thankfully, the surrounding Pokemon were engrossed in eating or making conversation with one another, and Medicham reached the edge of the Pokemon area without being stopped. Over the edge of the low barrier surrounding the area she went, and now the door was within sight. Walker-Of-Paths was already moving through it; picking up her pace, Medicham hurried towards the door, reaching it before it closed fully.

She was already in the room before she even began to wonder how the door had opened in the first place. Then the sound of footfalls came from above, and Medicham looked up to see none other than Bringer-Of-Visions, perched atop one of the many shelves that lined the room; clearly, she had been the one to open the door. Medicham had to stop herself from shuddering at the sight of the leader of the Heralds as Bringer-Of-Visions carefully but quickly hopped down from the shelf, landing lightly on the floor behind Medicham. The door slid shut.

"Why-" Medicham began.

"You will speak when spoken to," Walker-Of-Paths growled.

Bringer-Of-Visions glanced backwards, making sure the door was closed. Even after it was, she waited a torturously long time before finally opening her mouth. "Hello, Spirit," she said. "It's been a while."

Medicham nodded, unwilling to speak.

"Your questions must wait," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "We will take you to Oblivion. All will be explained there. Walker?"

Without hesitation, Walker-Of-Paths began to hum the notes of a Perish Song. Medicham stood where she was uncomfortably, waiting for the song to finish. Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes were fixed on her, and Medicham began to shift under her gaze, scared to even adjust her posture.

Finally, Walker-Of-Paths' voice reached a crescendo, and the room faded from existence around them as Oblivion took its place. Only when the blackness had fully enveloped the three Pokemon did Bringer-Of-Visions speak again. "I believe," she said, "you were about to ask why we chose to contact you again."

Medicham nodded. "I've kept quiet for the past two and a half years," she said.

"I know," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "which is why I have not seen the need to pay you a visit in the past two and a half years. I did not arrange this meeting to offer you a rebuke, Spirit. I arranged this meeting because Marcus is about to embark upon the next stage of his journey. Follow me."

Bringer-Of-Visions turned and began to walk. Medicham followed, keenly aware of Walker-Of-Paths bringing up the rear, his eyes locked on her back. As the three stepped through the formless expanse of Oblivion, Medicham saw a hole beginning to open some distance away, a hole through which Medicham could see light and hear the murmur of speech.

As they reached the hole, Bringer-Of-Visions stepped aside. "They cannot see or hear us," she said. Medicham stepped up to the hole, slightly confused, and then her eyes widened as she spotted Marcus.

He was sitting in a chair, Karen on one side and Clemont on the other, taking a bite of what looked like roasted Fletchinder while carrying on a conversation with the Electric-type Gym Leader about the new lighting system he'd installed in the Lumiose Gym last month.This is what he's doing right now, Medicham realized; as she thought that, she saw a waiter slide up between Marcus and Karen. "Diantha wants to see you both," the waiter whispered; Marcus looked suddenly nervous as both he and Karen rose, following the waiter towards a flight of stairs.

"We will follow," said Bringer-Of-Visions, stepping forwards unexpectedly. To Medicham's shock, the hole to the real world moved with her, as if it were the lens of a camera Bringer-Of-Visions was holding. Medicham followed once more, watching as Marcus, Karen, and the waiter moved up the spiraling staircase and towards a fairly ornate-looking door.

Through the door they moved, and Medicham saw Diantha sitting on the other side of a lovely wooden desk. Her Gardevoir was at her side, as it always was. Diantha smiled as Marcus and Karen entered the room. "Thank you," she told the waiter; the waiter bowed, and at that Diantha indicated a pair of chairs on the other side of the desk. "Please, sit," she said.

Marcus and Karen sat. "Thank you for the dinner, Diantha," said Karen.

"It was my pleasure," said Diantha. "But I am afraid I have not been entirely honest with you, Karen. I did not invite you here on a whim - in fact, I must confess that this dinner party was staged in order to bring you and Marcus here. So let us get this over with. Have either of you had any contact with Piers in the past two months?"

Marcus looked puzzled. "No," he said; Karen gave a similar answer.

Diantha frowned. "I suspected as much. Two months ago, Piers and all his Gym Trainers went dark - no pun intended. My attempts to reestablish contact have met with failure. From what I can tell from the other Galarians, he's still technically the Dark-type Gym Leader of Galar, but they're being frustratingly cagey about the situation. I invited you to this dinner, Karen, in order to ascertain whether you happened to know anything about Piers's situation - I know both you and Marcus are tangentially associated with one of his former Gym Trainers, Connie."

"I can ask Connie," said Marcus. "I haven't heard anything from her regarding Piers, but then again, I haven't asked recently."

"Please do," said Diantha. "I hope this situation can be resolved in the coming months. But…well, as you know, this coming year Kanto-Johto will be hosting the International League, and if Piers's non-contact persists, Galarian participation in the International League will be in jeopardy. Marcus, if by the end of the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament there is still no contact with Piers, then I must ask you to check on the situation."

"You want me to go to Galar?" Marcus asked.

"If it becomes necessary," said Diantha. "As has been established, you're the Dark-type Trainer with the closest relationship to Piers - he's notoriously fairly standoffish with other people of authority. So you're the one he'll be most likely to talk to."

"I suppose that makes sense," Karen admitted. "You'll be right in the thick of the Galarian Gym Challenge. They do it differently over there - they select a bunch of Trainers through endorsem*nts by Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and other authority figures, then send them through the Gym Challenge. It only takes a month from beginning to end. Point is, if Piers is still a Gym Leader, the Gym Challengers will have to go to him for a badge."

"So I should try and tag along with a Galarian Gym Challenger?" Marcus asked.

"It would probably be your best shot at getting to him," said Diantha. "Understand that our hands are pretty badly tied on this. Chairman Rose is historically not the biggest fan of the UPW, and I'd rather not give him an excuse to accuse us of poking our noses where they don't belong. I can't just, say, teleport to Spikemuth and start asking around without risking a political fiasco. But if you were to come for a friendly visit, and you just so happened to, as you say, tag along with a Galarian Gym Challenger…"

"Since you're the only Kalosian Gym Leader with a generalist team," Karen added, "you can use training your team as an excuse to tag along. Going to Milo's Gym to train your Trevenant, Nessa's to train your Cloyster, and so on."

"Indeed, Karen," said Diantha. "Additionally, you could act as a sponsor. Galar does allow foreign endorsem*nts. If you could find a Gym Challenger to endorse, that would give you an even better excuse to tag along with them."

Marcus nodded slowly. "So do I need to search for a Trainer I can endorse?"

"No," said Diantha, "I will take care of that. I will send you the details when I have succeeded in finding such a Trainer. Assuming, of course, that you accept this mission."

Marcus nodded again, this time much quicker. "Of course."

"Thank you very much," said Diantha with a smile. "Again, we hope this does not end up being necessary. If you do manage to reestablish contact with Piers, let me know as quickly as possible. I will begin searching for a Trainer you can endorse. You are both dismissed - enjoy the rest of your night."

As Marcus and Karen turned and began to step towards the door, Bringer-Of-Visions closed the image with a flick of her horn-blade, leaving only Oblivion surrounding Medicham and the two Heralds once more. "We have ascertained that there is 0% chance that Piers will reestablish contact," the leader of the Heralds said. "As such, in three months, Marcus will be departing for Galar. But what awaits him there is far more dangerous than any of them expect."

Medicham swallowed. "Of course it is. What's the danger?"

"A group of Heralds have gone renegade," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "They are led by a former member of the Kalosian Heralds, Teller-Of-Tales. They believe that they know better than the Master. That there is a solution to the impending apocalypse that the all-knowing Darkrai has not considered. They are, of course, wrong, but they are fanatical in their beliefs, and that fanaticism makes them dangerous."

Medicham had to hide a disbelieving chuckle. To hear Bringer-Of-Visions speaking of the ills of fanaticism was like a Pyukumuku calling a Shuckle slow. But Medicham knew such mirth would not be tolerated, and so she kept her mouth shut.

But despite Bringer-Of-Visions' hypocrisy, the news of renegade Heralds worried Medicham. More than once she'd heard Darkrai worry about more Betrayer-Of-Kins springing up due to Heralds losing faith in him. If these renegades were following similar ideals to Betrayer-Of-Kin, the consequences could be disastrous.

"The problem," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "is that the renegades have chosen to set up shop in Galar, as it is the region where the Heralds have the least presence in the UPW. And they know full well about Marcus's association with us. As such, when they learn that Marcus is coming to Galar, they will naturally assume that we sent him as an agent to eliminate them, and they will respond in kind."

"Can't you deal with the renegades before Marcus arrives?" Medicham asked.

"If we could, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Walker-Of-Paths growled.

Bringer-Of-Visions sighed, shaking her head. "Like I said, we have no real presence in Galar. The Dogs of War have refused to allow us to establish a foothold in the region - and truth be told, we initially believed the renegades would be met with similar resistance. But somehow, they were able to settle in the region. We still do not know how - their Psychic shielding is extensive, and we still do not know the full scale of their plans or even where in Galar they are hiding."

"What we do know," said Walker-Of-Paths, "is that the renegades are dangerous, and they will not take Marcus's arrival in Galar lightly. You must ensure you and your teammates are ready to defend Marcus from them."

"Precisely," Bringer-Of-Visions stated. "In particular, there is one you must watch out for. Her name is Arbiter-Of-Fates. We did not call upon her often due to her lack of morality, but her combat skill is impressive - I don't know how Teller-Of-Tales managed to recruit her, but Arbiter-Of-Fates is dangerous."

Medicham saw Walker-Of-Paths' nose wrinkling at the name; from the look on the Herald's face, he'd had at least a couple previous run-ins with Arbiter-Of-Fates.

"And," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "of course, you must do all of this without alerting your teammates to our existence. I do not believe I need to inform you of the consequences should any of them find out the truth."

Medicham nodded shakily.

"Very good, Spirit," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "I believe that will be all. You may return to your friends, but do not forget about what lies ahead. I wish you luck." And with that, Oblivion faded from around Medicham, and she found herself back in the small side room, its walls bare and its confines empty of Heralds.

Medicham looked up at the door; a quick application of Psychic power was all she needed to open it. As she walked out, closing the door behind her, she craned her neck to see around one of the large pillars blocking her vision, and she was able to spot Marcus and Karen descending down the last few steps of the spiral staircase, Marcus in particular clearly trying to hide his nervousness.

He's worried, Medicham thought as she moved back towards the Pokemon area.And so am I. We've enjoyed a peaceful life for two and a half years…I suppose it was inevitable that something would upend it eventually.

Her eyes locked on Kriesh; the Fearow was chatting with a pair of Hawlucha that Medicham recognized as Korrina's and Diantha's.I'll have to tell her, she thought.And make sure the rest of the team's ready for a fight. Going against an entire group of renegade Heralds without support…even with all the training we've done, it's going to be tough.

I just have to hope we're all ready.

Elsewhere, at the same time, a man stepped through an archway of rock into a fairly sizable cavern.

The man was very strangely dressed for the area. This cavern was far off the beaten path, in a place only Hikers and a few wayward Trainers would probably ever go. Yet this man's attire did not resemble a Hiker's or even a normal Trainer's in any way. He was dressed in a fine gray business suit, a dark red necktie hung from his neck, and he wore a pair of fine red-and-black shoes, the color of which was slightly muted due to the dust that had accumulated during his walk.

The man's green eyes glanced around the cavern he had stepped into. Several people dressed in black and white and wearing sunglasses were situated around the area. Some were perched atop various ledges, a few Steel-types at their sides. Others were clustered around the strange gigantic rock in the center of the cavern that was emanating indigo energy every so often, energy that matched the auras around the half-dozen titanic Pokemon that lay unconscious around the cavern.

A tall, blonde woman, appearing even taller thanks to the high-heeled black shoes she wore, stepped to the man's side. "Chairman Rose," she said. "We have secured the area. The Absols performed effectively."

"Very good," said Rose, gazing at the fallen Dynamaxed Pokemon. Each of them had a pair of Absols standing over it, their eyes fixed on their defeated adversaries, horn-blades at the ready in case any of them woke up. "Oleana, how long do you believe it would have taken to find and secure this place without their aid?"

"At least a few more months, Chairman," Oleana admitted.

Rose nodded. "Which one is their leader again? They all look the same to me from up here."

"That one." Oleana pointed to the fallen Pokemon closest to the center, a Gigantamaxed Sandaconda. Whereas all the other fallen Pokemon were being watched by two Absol, this one was only being watched by one, and as Rose looked, that Absol turned its red eyes towards him.

"Thank you, Oleana," said Rose. "Go oversee the workers - we must prepare for transportation immediately."

"Yes, Chairman Rose." Oleana stepped away as Rose began to walk down the narrow stone path that led towards the center of the cavern, passing by several other workers and Absol on his way.

The lone Absol's eyes remained locked with Rose's as he approached. Rose spoke first. "I am impressed. You and your compatriots have proven themselves as capable as you promised."

"Thank you," the Absol responded, inclining its head.

Rose thought for a moment. "Teller-Of-Tales, you call yourself?"

"That is indeed my name," the Absol replied.

Rose smiled. "You have done Galar a great service, Teller-Of-Tales," he said. "I believe our partnership will lead to even greater things in the future."

"Yes." Teller-Of-Tales returned Rose's smile. "I believe it will."

Season 1 did Kalos, Season 2 did Alola, so it's only natural that Season 3 heads to Galar.

...

Oh, you wanted to talk about the time-skip?

Yep. I went there. Nothing else needs to be said.

Chapter 2: Galar (Start of the Postwick Arc)

Chapter Text

Seeker-Of-Endings sat with his paws tucked under him by the side of the ornate bench. On the bench above him sat Serena, and to her left Connie was frowning as she clutched her Pokedex. Her Tyranitar was standing tall on the other side of the bench, looking down nervously at Connie as she tapped buttons on the large device.

Around them, the atmosphere was jovial. The bench was one of many that dotted the small town situated around the Kalos Pokemon League, where the 119th Annual Kalos Pokemon League Tournament had just concluded, and the many spectators were buzzing with excitement at the down-to-the-wire battle that had taken place between the two finalists. But the mood around this specific bench was nowhere near jovial, and as Seeker-Of-Endings offhandedly looked up, he spotted a similarly non-jovial Marcus moving towards the bench; he was drawing a few glances from passersby who recognized him as a Gym Leader as he stepped up to Connie's side, just in front of Tyranitar.

"Nothing?" Marcus asked.

"Nothin'," Connie murmured, looking up at Marcus. "I still don't get it. Piers ain't like this - he's never cut contact like this before, and certainly not for this long."

"From what you've told me," said Marcus, "he did seem to be getting more and more disheartened in the months before."

"Yeah." Connie nodded slowly. "Spikemuth hadn't been doin' well, an' he was gettin' more withdrawn every time I called him…but I wouldn't have expected this."

Marcus sighed. "Looks like I'm going to Galar, then."

"Looks like." Connie set her Pokedex down. "You sure you don't want me comin' along? I'm from Galar - I know my way around."

"I'd love that," said Marcus, "but as I've said before, Diantha wants this to be as secretive as possible, and it'll raise more questions if one of Piers's former Gym Trainers shows up with me."

"I get it," said Connie. "So…you just goin' off?"

"The timetable's pretty strict," Marcus said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Serena smiled. "We'll keep things running in Laverre while you're away. How long do you think it's going to take?"

"Karen said the Galarian Gym Challenge only takes a month," said Marcus - Connie nodded in agreement at that - "so I'll be back in a month and a half, tops. Definitely before the next Kalosian Gym Challenge starts up."

"That's good." Serena looked relieved; Seeker-Of-Endings knew very well that worries of Marcus missing part of the next Kalosian Gym Challenge had been dancing through her head.

"So yeah," said Marcus. "At this point, all I have to do is hop on a flight. I've got tickets for a plane leaving from Lumiose in three hours."

"Well, good luck," said Connie. Serena echoed the sentiment; Marcus quickly hugged both of them one at a time, casting a glance at Seeker-Of-Endings as he did so. Seeker-Of-Endings nodded in response. "Good luck," he said telepathically.

Marcus smiled, then turned and began to step away. Seeker-Of-Endings watched as he sent out Kriesh; there was a brief exchange, and then the Trainer mounted the Fearow, Flying energy began to swirl around them both, and they lifted off, Kriesh's wings beating as she slowly flew Marcus away from the Kalos Pokemon League.

Towards Lumiose.

Seeker-Of-Endings watched until they disappeared from sight. Bringer-Of-Visions had briefed the Kalosian Heralds many times about the situation in Galar. He knew exactly what Marcus was getting into.

Not for the first time, he remembered the moment, almost three years ago now, when Teller-Of-Tales had approached him, alerting Seeker-Of-Endings to his treasonous beliefs. Back then Seeker-Of-Endings had been sympathetic, his dislike towards Bringer-Of-Visions ensuring that his reaction to Teller-Of-Tales' proposal was simple refusal rather than fury. But now…

Now that Marcus and his team were going into the teeth of what Teller-Of-Tales had unleashed…

Seeker-Of-Endings wished he'd told Bringer-Of-Visions about Teller-Of-Tales' plan from the start.

Cloyster was feeling, simply put, a constant surge of wriggling excitement.

Galar. Ever since that Kalos Pokemon League Tournament three years ago, when Marcus had first broached the possibility of traveling to Galar, that name had filled Cloyster's imagination, transforming from a regular region into a magical, perfect place. And now he was finally going. He knew he'd have to temper his expectations - he knew it was, actually, simply a regular region - but he was excited all the same, barely able to contain himself.

The Lumiose Airport was busy today, and Marcus had to maneuver around a couple crowds as he moved swiftly through one of the terminals. He'd already gotten to his gate, but he'd barely sat down to begin waiting for his flight when he'd received a message on his Pokedex from none other than Diantha, telling him to meet her at a gate about halfway across the terminal.

Yes, she was the Champion, but still, Cloyster could understand Marcus's frustration at Diantha's chosen meeting place. Would it really have been too much to ask for Diantha to just walk to Marcus's gate herself?

But as Marcus reached the gate Diantha had indicated, Cloyster realized that there was a reason Diantha couldn't make it further into the terminal.

An absolutely massive crowd had formed, countless tourists flocking to see and take pictures of the Kalosian Champion. Faintly Cloyster could see Diantha through the throng, a pair of League employees surrounding her, ensuring that the horde didn't engulf her completely. Grimacing, Marcus released Drapion onto the floor of the airport. "Roar," Marcus ordered.

Roar was commonly used to force an opponent back into their Pokeball, similar to Dragon Tail, via careful manipulation of Normal energy to trigger the device and send the enemy Pokemon flying at the same time. But it was also, well, aroar, and Cloyster giggled as he saw quite a few tourists jump as Drapion let out a fearsome bellow.

As silence fell, Marcus cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said.

The crowd melted away, leaving Marcus alone with the two League employees, a grateful-looking Diantha, and a grinning Drapion. "Thank you, Drapion," said Diantha; Drapion's grin grew even wider as Diantha turned to Marcus. "I apologize for the short notice," she said. "Thank you for your prompt arrival - I am far from unused to the public eye, but all the same airports are not my preferred gathering point."

"I get it," said Marcus, side-eyeing Drapion as the Poison/Dark-type warned any other aspiring crowd-generators away with pointed glares. "So who am I sponsoring?"

Diantha gestured; one of the League personnel handed her a small tablet, an envelope, and a single Pokeball. "The details of your assignment are gathered on this tablet," said Diantha, handing it to Marcus. "They are best read rather than told - you will have plenty of time to study up on the flight. The envelope is a letter of endorsem*nt - required for entry into the Galarian Gym Challenge."

"And the Pokeball?" Marcus asked.

Diantha handed it to him; Cloyster could at once tell that it was occupied, for it was wiggling slightly and the light was on. "It is customary," the Champion said, "for a sponsor to provide their sponsored Trainer a Pokemon of their own. This one has volunteered for the duty."

Marcus smiled, taking the Pokeball and swiftly and securely stowing it on his belt.

"Let the occupant get some fresh air and companionship on the flight," Diantha urged. "They are recently hatched; they will need time to acclimate themselves to the world."

"Of course," said Marcus.

"Thank you again for undertaking this mission," said Diantha. "I pray it goes well. Good luck."

With a last nod, Marcus turned and began to stride back towards his gate, recalling Drapion as he went.

Corviknight Airlines Flight 34 was a crowded plane - quite a few people seemed to be traveling to Galar at this time. Cloyster knew why - the Galarian Gym Challenge was one of the most watched events in the world, second only to the International League that was only held once every decade.

However, many of those watchers didn't seem to be Trainers themselves, for despite the fullness of the flight, the Pokemon area at the back of the plane was fairly empty. This was good, as it meant Marcus had space and time to follow Diantha's request - to give the Pokemon Diantha had given Marcus some fresh air.

Cloyster had been chosen for the job of keeping the mysterious Pokemon company for the flight. The rest of the team would spend the flight relaxing, mostly, although Medicham and Drapion would be having a limited duel in the battle arena. They always loved to test each other, and Cloyster knew from experience that their battles were often spectacular.

But he also knew that this was more important. And besides, it wasn't like Cloyster would begrudge a chance to meet and greet a new Pokemon, even if it wasn't actually going to be a member of the team. So he sat and watched closely as Marcus set the Pokeball down on the ground in front of him.

"Ready?" Marcus asked.

Cloyster nodded excitedly.

Marcus smiled and tapped the Pokeball's release mechanism.

Cloyster watched as the occupant of the mysterious Pokeball was revealed. Before his eyes materialized a small, bipedal form with a pair of long ears that each looked about the same size as the rest of the Pokemon's body. As the light faded, Cloyster began to see colors - brown and gray, with aslighttinge of pink inside the ears and upon the nose. Two large white eyes stared out at Cloyster, and two small buck teeth could be seen where Cloyster assumed the mouth was.

A Bunnelby. Cloyster knew the species well - they wereeverywherein Kalos, both in the wild and on the teams of young Trainers. Bunnelby were quite common starting Pokemon due to their high availability and being famously easy to train. A small part of Cloyster couldn't help but wonder why Diantha hadn't gone for a more exotic Pokemon, but he supposed it wasn't all that surprising that she'd go for a safe option, especially since the sponsorship wasn't the actualgoalof this mission.

"Hi." The Bunnelby's voice was more confident and assured than Cloyster had expected. "I'm Bunnelby - though you probably already know that."

"Yeah," said Cloyster. "I'm Cloyster. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Bunnelby responded. "I have to say, I expected a Dark-type."

"Well, Marcus isn't your ordinary Gym Leader," Cloyster pointed out. "And you're one to talk - I expected someone a little less erudite, to be honest."

Bunnelby grinned. "Well, I'm not your ordinary Bunnelby."

"Fair enough," said Cloyster, returning Bunnelby's grin. "So…I guess you know what's going on?"

"Of course, I signed up for it," Bunnelby pointed out. "You know, after I told my parents that I wanted to go, they made sure I kneweverythingabout Galar. I've spent my entire life studying Galar - literally."

"Wow," said Cloyster. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you…"

"Two months and four days," said Bunnelby. "But enough about me - tell me about yourself! Who is this Cloyster I'm going to be spending the rest of this flight with?"

Medicham smiled exhaustedly as she watched Cloyster regaling Bunnelby with stories of past exploits. Her body ached all over - the consequence of any sort of spar with Drapion - but she was, at least for the moment, happy and contented.

Marcus had come over to watch the spar; now that it was over, he was sitting down in the Pokemon area, pulling out the tablet Diantha had given him. Swiftly, Medicham sidled over, curious about what exactly that tablet contained.

The first thing Medicham saw was a picture of a girl with dark brown hair that perfectly matched the color of her eyes. According to the profile, she saw, the Trainer's name was Gloria. She was 17 years old, she was mentioned as having a 'quiet but excitable' personality (whatever that meant), and she lived in the town of Postwick with her mother, Casey, a former Kalosian who was apparently second cousins with Diantha. Her profile also mentioned that she was close friends with Hop, the younger brother of the Champion of Galar, Leon.

"Huh," said Marcus as he scrolled down the tablet. "I have to say, I was expecting someone with a bit of a lower profile."

"It's not like everyone in Galar is second cousins with Diantha," Medicham pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Marcus. "I'm looking forward to meeting her - you know, I'm thinking back to when I first started out. The two of us, walking down from the mountains. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been three whole years since that day."

Medicham wanted to reminisce, to share in Marcus's wistful joy, but at that very moment, Bringer-Of-Visions' face flashed in her mind and she swallowed, a lump suddenly evident in her throat.

"Medicham, what's wrong?"

Medicham locked her eyes on Marcus's suddenly-concerned face. She saw the nervousness in his eyes and knew she couldn't lie, couldn't just say that nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath. "Marcus," she said seriously, "before we left, i talked to Seeker-Of-Endings, and he…he mentioned that we might encounter some trouble in Galar."

"Of course we will." Marcus leaned back in his chair. "I'd be more surprised if we didn't, considering how Alola turned out. What kind of trouble?"

"The Betrayer-Of-Kin kind."

Marcus's expression didn't change, but the way he reflexively shifted his hand to the scar across his torso told Medicham all she needed to know.

"I don't think she's there personally," said Medicham. "But there's a group of…other Absols in Galar. Seeker-Of-Endings and his friends are…at odds with them, and…Seeker-Of-Endings warned me that once they find out you're in Galar, they'll assume Seeker-Of-Endings and his friends sent you. They'll see you as a threat, and…"

"And they're going to try to get rid of that threat." Marcus sighed. "Damn…so much for an easy trip."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Marcus murmured. "I'm glad for the warning; I'd rather not be caught unawares. ButArceus…an entiregroupof murderous Absols?"

He slumped in his seat, letting out another explosive breath. "I really hope I don't come to regret accepting this mission…"

Unlike Kalos, which had its airport right next to the central hub of Lumiose City, Galar's main airport was located near the northernmost city in the region, Wyndon, rather than its central hub, the so-called 'Twin Cities' of Motostoke and Hammerlocke. This was a bit of an annoyance, considering that Postwick, Marcus's destination, was one of the southernmost towns in all of Galar, separated from the coast by the vast forest known as the Slumbering Weald and the harsh snowy wastelands of the Crown Tundra.

But Galar was a fairly oddly-shaped region. Whereas many regions were roughly equidistant in height and width, Galar was incredibly elongated, easily three times as long as it was wide. As such, there was a wealth of north-south transportation available; a pair of train lines running down the east and west coasts, a series of Corviknight-carried taxis capable of transportation between the three main cities of Wyndon, Hammerlocke, and Motostoke (plus their surrounding areas), and regional flights from Wyndon to as far south as Freezington. Not to mention that Trainers with their own Flying-types could easily fly themselves, though Marcus had chosen not to fly with Kriesh in the name of keeping a low profile.

Instead, Marcus had booked tickets for a pair of Flying Taxis - one from Wyndon to Hammerlocke and another from Hammerlocke to Motostoke. From Motostoke, Marcus would take a train south to Wedgehurst, a town just north of Postwick, close enough to walk.

Kriesh would not deny that she was impressed with Galar so far. Not only was the organization of transport some of the best she'd ever seen, but she'd heard that Galarians were widely regarded as some of the best at finding alternative uses for Pokemon. In Galar, Pokemon didn't have to just be battlers; they could work in stores, volunteer at businesses, help run Pokemon Centers, and even act as musicians - one of the most popular bands in Galar, known as the Orbeetles, was made up entirely of Pokemon, the only such band of its kind in the world.

And in the Wyndon Airport alone, as Marcus and the rest of the team had disembarked, Kriesh had seen exactly that. Alcremie and Milcery frequented cafes and bakeries alike, she'd spotted a well-groomed Galarian Rapidash towing a vehicle full of people down one of the airport's many hallways, and a Falinks, separated into its six component Pokemon, occupied a kids' play area near the gate Marcus had exited through, interacting with the four or five small children also playing in that area.

Not to mention the Corviknight-carried Flying Taxis. Kriesh relaxed in her Luxury Ball; the ride was extremely comfortable, even though the idea of a Corviknight carrying effectively a plastic bubble through the sky sounded terrifying on paper. Kriesh did note that most if not all of the Pokemon working these jobs were species that originated from Galar. The region had held a very isolationist stance for a long time; in fact, Galar had been the last region to sign up for membership in the UPW, and for most of its time in the organization, foreign Pokemon had been confined to the Crown Tundra and the Isle of Armor. Only recently had foreign species begun to be introduced into the Galarian mainland.

No wonder the Heralds were unable to establish a presence here, Kriesh thought idly.

So the journey passed. It took about an hour, all told, and Kriesh would have found herself nodding off if it weren't for her excitement at seeing everything the new region had to offer. She watched as snowy mountains, grassy plains, and winding paths came and went, either laid out in a tapestry below or sweeping by through the surprisingly clean train windows. Here and there she spotted another species she'd only seen before in pictures - Eldegoss floating by in the wind, a Cramorant diving into a lake after something it had seen but that Kriesh couldn't make out, and at one point a Sinistea attempting to masquerade as a teacup. From the bored face the train attendant was making as she shooed the latter through a cracked-open train window, that kind of thing was a regular occurrence.

But at length, the train slowed to a stop in Wedgehurst Station, and Marcus exited along with a surprisingly large crowd of twenty or thirty people. Kriesh hadn't expected such a large group - perhaps there was some sort of event going on in Wedgehurst or something - but she brushed that off as Marcus released her, eliciting a few stares from nearby Galarians.

"You know the drill," said Marcus. "Look out for anything that could pose a threat."

Kriesh nodded swiftly and took to the air, keeping a steady wingbeat as she and Marcus exited the station and stepped out into the small town of Wedgehurst. From here it would be about a ten-minute walk to Postwick, and hopefully a calm and relaxing one.Now that I've thought that,Kriesh thought sardonically,something's definitely going to go wrong.

But the next ten minutes were just as peaceful as Kriesh had hoped.

It was an absolutely beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky as Kriesh lethargically flew above Marcus as he stepped down the road to Postwick. On the road a few Trainers stood, mostly young boys and girls wanting to test out their new Pokemon. None challenged Marcus, and for good reason; Kriesh cut an intimidating facade as she flew above, and no fresh Trainer would want to challenge someone with such a clearly powerful Fearow.

I'll admit that does make me feel a little proud.

But as they reached Postwick, Kriesh noticed that Marcus's expression was growing slightly nervous. Eventually, Marcus stopped moving and beckoned Kriesh to come down. Kriesh came swiftly, not wanting to waste time when her Trainer was so clearly disturbed by something.

"It's just occurred to me," said Marcus, sounding a little embarrassed, "that I don't actually know which house Gloria lives in. And I really don't want to walk into the wrong house by accident. So maybe go back into the Pokeball for now, and I'll ask around-"

"Hello, hello! What's got you standing around like a lost Wooloo?"

Kriesh and Marcus both turned to see a curly-haired boy with dark skin and a fairly distinctive-looking blue-colored coat striding up. A Wooloo was trundling forwards at his side on its stubby little feet, staring at Kriesh with big black-and-white eyes.

"I'm sorry, just a little lost," said Marcus. "And you are?"

"I'm Hop!" the boy said cheerfully, holding out a hand. Kriesh remembered the name - this would be the Champion's younger brother. He certainly looked enthusiastic, but the motion, Kriesh observed, was surprisingly wooden despite Hop's clear earnestness; it was clear he was copying the motion from someone else's example, most likely his brother's. "What's your name?"
"Marcus." The Dark-type Gym Leader grasped Hop's hand and gave it a shake.

Hop's grin grew even wider. "Are you competing in this year's Gym Challenge? It's going to be a good one, I can already tell!"

"I'm afraid I'm not," Marcus admitted.

Hop's smile only dipped slightly. "I suppose I should be grateful - that Fearow looks tough. But then again, one can't win the Gym Challenge if they're scared of facing tough opponents! You up for a battle, Marcus? I daresay Wooloo could use the practice!"

Kriesh very clearly saw the Wooloo by Hop's side blanch.

"Thanks," said Marcus, "but I've got an appointment to make." Kriesh saw Wooloo noticeably sigh with relief. "I'm actually here as a sponsor, if you'll believe it."

"Really?" Hop's grin returned full force. "Who are you sponsoring?"

"A girl named Gloria," said Marcus. "Lives in this town - do you happen to know which house?"

Hop looked shocked. "You'responsoringGloria?" He quickly gathered himself. "I mean, that's great! Gloria's a good friend of mine, and I'm really glad she's getting this kind of opportunity! She's been worried about not getting sponsored for a while…although I have to say, you seem pretty young for a sponsor. Where are you from?"

"Kalos," said Marcus. "I'm a Gym Leader there, actually."

Hop's eyes widened. "You're aGym Leader? No wonder your Pokemon look so tough! So are you a Normal-type Gym Leader, or are you a Flying-type Gym Leader?"

"Dark-type," said Marcus. "Kriesh isn't part of my Gym Leader team, but she was one of my first catches. Anyway…Gloria's location?"

"Oh, right, yeah." Hop pointed towards a fairly sizable house that lay alone atop a nearby hill. "That's where she lives, right up there."

"Thanks," said Marcus. "I do actually plan on traveling Galar during the Gym Challenge, so if you want, maybe we can have a battle once you've toughened up a little."

"Yeah, that would be great!" Hop said brightly. "So, uh…as it happened, I was kinda thinking about heading to Gloria's house too. After all, Leon promised to come by today, and he kinda hinted that he'd be bringing both of us a present, so I was going to pick her up so that we could meet him together!"

"Well, I don't see why you can't tag along," said Marcus.

"Awesome!" Hop pumped his fist. "Let's go, then! It's not far, though sometimes Wooloo stray onto the main path and block the way, so if that happens you might need some help getting through the…oh, who am I kidding, you're a Gym Leader with a Fearow, you'll be fine!"

Kriesh couldn't help but crack a smile at Hop's sheer enthusiasm. It reminded her of Trevenant or Cloyster, neither of whom ever seemed to run out of good cheer. As Hop and Marcus began to step down the pathway together, Kriesh saw the younger Trainer recall Wooloo. That was a shame - Kriesh would have liked to maybe talk to the small wooly Pokemon. Instead, she flew slowly after the two Trainers, keeping an eye locked on the house that Hop had pointed out.

Kriesh hadn't really noticed until now justhowmany Wooloo could be seen in and around Postwick. But Hop clearly had a fondness for the species, for he was making sure to excitedly point out every single one he saw. The boy seemed tireless, far more so than Kriesh, who by the halfway point was barely even bothering to glance around at Hop's numerous exclamations, keeping her gaze locked on the slowly-approaching house.

At length, the path twisted, winding back around on itself as it rose up towards a set of steps that led to the front door of Gloria's house. Hop glanced at Marcus. "You're up, I think. I'll let you take the lead - Gloria's seen me loads of times."

Nodding, Marcus stepped forwards. "Here goes," Marcus murmured; moving swiftly up the front steps, he clenched his fist and delivered a sharp triple-rap to the door.

A few moments passed before the door swung open; Marcus stepped back slightly as a Roserade, rather than a human, was revealed in the doorway, receding a long vine that it seemed to have used to twist the doorknob. It eyed Marcus, Kriesh, and Hop in turn, its eyes narrowed.

Just as swiftly, behind the Roserade a dark-haired woman stepped into view, wearing a pair of expensive-looking red glasses that clashed slightly with the farmers' overalls and rain boots she was clad in. She looked apologetic. "Rosie, sweetheart, please don't bother them! It's Hop, remember? Gloria's friend?"

"Sorry," the Roserade muttered, swiftly moving out of the doorway.

The woman beamed. "Hello, Hop! And you…I don't think we've met. I'm Casey. Come in, come in, and bring the Fearow along, there's plenty of space inside!"
Marcus stepped through the door, followed by Kriesh, with Hop bringing up the rear. Casey hadn't lied; the roof was high and uncluttered by lamps, giving her plenty of space to spread her wings. She looked around quickly; to each side was a fairly large, well-lit room, and Kriesh at once gravitated away from the room to the right, where Rosie could be seen staring warily at Kriesh and Marcus, and towards the room to the left, which seemed to be half-occupied by a barely twitching Snorlax.

"That's Pudge," said Casey; at that, the Snorlax raised a hand and waved lethargically before slumping against the wall. "And you've already met Rosie - she's a little thorny, but she's a real sweetheart once you get to know her." Casey glanced around. "Gloria! Hop's here!"

"Coming!" The shout came from elsewhere in the house; Hop quickly stepped into the room with Pudge, leaving Marcus, Kriesh, Casey, and Rosie alone. Casey glanced at Rosie before speaking again. "I'm sorry, Rosie doesn't take too kindly to new faces. Who are you?"

Marcus swiftly introduced himself. "I'm from Kalos," he added.

Casey's face lit up with understanding. "You're Diantha's errand boy!"

"Um…" Marcus clearly was lost for words.

Casey chuckled. "I'm joking," she said. "Diantha told me all about you. Thank you so, so much for sponsoring Gloria - she's been looking forward to this for so long!"

"Hop told me," said Marcus. He lowered his voice. "I brought a Pokemon."

Casey beamed. "Don't tell me - I want it to be a surprise for both of us. You must meet Gloria, she'll be so happy to see you!" Grasping Marcus's hand, Casey practically dragged him into the other room.

Which left Kriesh alone with Rosie.

The two glanced at each other. Their gazes held for a second. Then, jerkily, Rosie stuck out a flowery hand. "Rosie."

"Kriesh." Kriesh shook it as best she could with her wing.

"Sorry about that," Rosie murmured. "Casey said it - I don't take all that kindly to new faces."

Kriesh frowned. There was a haunted look in Rosie's eyes, an unmistakable look. "Flare?" Kriesh asked.

Rosie nodded slightly. "You?"

Kriesh shook her head. "Rocket."

The Roserade's expression softened slightly. "Seems you're doing well."

"So are you," said Kriesh.

"Yeah." Rosie glanced around. "It's a nice place. Large, comfortable…safe. Your Trainer seems nice."

"He is," said Kriesh. She glanced around uncomfortably, not sure how to continue the conversation.

Thankfully, at that moment, a low rumble came from the other room. "Rosie…"

"Coming, Pudge." Rosie stepped past Kriesh and into the other room. Kriesh followed, her eyes swiveling towards a doorway on the other side of the room, where a dark-haired girl wearing a red shirt and ripped pants could be seen stepping down the last few steps of a staircase.

Gloria was a little smaller and a little more unkempt than Kriesh had expected. The sheer amount of people and Pokemon in the room seemed to take her aback momentarily; she paused for a second before stepping fully into the room.

Casey gave Marcus a nod. Marcus stepped forwards, a smile on his face. "Hello, Gloria, I'm Marcus," he said.

"Hi." Gloria shook his hand; there was a lot of hand-shaking going on, Kriesh noted. It seemed to be the main Galarian form of greeting. "Have we met?"

"No," said Marcus. "I'm a representative from Kalos, and I'm here to deliver your official letter of endorsem*nt for the Gym Challenge." He withdrew the envelope from his pocket and handed it to Gloria.

Gloria took it; she held it for a few moments, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing, and then her face suddenly split into a grin. "Thank you!" she said excitedly. "Thank you so much! This…I…I…" She stopped speaking, lost for words; slowly, she turned to Casey and Hop. "I'm going to compete in the Gym Challenge!" she cried.

Hop beamed. "Yeah, you are, mate," he said. "Congratulations."

"Slow down there, Gloria," said Casey. "You're going to need a Pokemon of your own first." She shot another glance at Marcus as she spoke.

"You're right, mum," said Gloria. "Can I go catch one?"

"Actually," said Marcus, clearing his throat, "I think I might be able to help with that."

As he withdrew Bunnelby's Pokeball from his pocket, Gloria sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I'm sorry, mum, I really didn't want to ask you for money to buy my own…"

Casey stared at Gloria levelly. Marcus held out the Pokeball, and Gloria finally realized that it was lit up. Her eyes widened. "No."

Marcus nodded.

"Oh…" Gloria took the Pokeball almost reverently, her eyes shining. "Th…thank you, Marcus, I…I don't know what else to say."

"How about," said Casey, "you start by saying hello to your new friend."

Kriesh watched closely as Gloria knelt down and slowly, timidly, tapped the Pokeball's release button. The Pokeball flashed, and Bunnelby materialized; clearly, she'd been watching Gloria through the crack in the Pokeball, for her eyes were already fixed on the female Trainer.

"Hi," said Gloria.

"Hi," Bunnelby responded. She held out a paw. Kriesh chuckled to herself as she watched Gloria shake it, realizing Bunnelby had likely been told beforehand how Galarians issued greetings.

"Oh, wow!" Hop grinned. "A Normal-type of your own! Now you and I can have a proper battle!"

"I guess so," said Gloria with a smile. "Bunnelby, would you be up for that?"

"Sure," said Bunnelby. "Although maybe you should check what moves I have first…"

"Wait a second!" Hop cried suddenly. "We can't battle yet! I forgot to tell you - Lee's coming! So you'd better come with me to see him! And you know he always brings presents, so don't forget your bag! I need to get mine from my place - congrats again, see you soon!"

Twisting, Hop dashed off, shouldering the door aside and rushing out of the house with a joyful whoop. Gloria chuckled softly. "That's Hop," she said to Bunnelby. "He's my best friend, always excited about one thing or another. With Leon coming, that's all his mind's going to be on for the next several minutes, so I guess our battle will have to wait." She rose, clutching Bunnelby's Pokeball in one hand. "Actually, that's probably a good thing - I need to figure out your moves before we get into any battles!"

"That's more like it," said Bunnelby, a second before Gloria recalled her and swiftly began to move back up the staircase.

Marcus looked nervous again. "Leon's cominghere?"

"Oh, yes," said Casey. "Postwick is his hometown, you know - he visits often, though Gloria's never met him. Have you?"

"No, never," said Marcus.

"Oh, if you liked Hop, you'llloveLeon." Casey grinned. "He's just as exuberant, if not even more so. You should meet him. He always loves it when foreign Trainers come to Galar - especially if they challenge him to a battle."

"Thanks," said Marcus.

"So, Marcus." Casey leaned against the nearest wall. "How long will you be staying in Galar?"

"For the whole Gym Challenge," said Marcus. "I'm going to be traveling Galar along with the Gym Challengers - my Pokemon could use some experience, and their types correspond with a lot of Galarian Gym Leaders."

Casey nodded, but her expression was growing a little bit darker. "Do you plan on traveling with my daughter?"

"Yes," said Marcus; at that moment, he finally noticed Casey frowning. "Not in a creepy way or anything, Ipromise. Andonlyif she agrees."

Casey nodded. "Thank you." Her countenance lightened once more. "My apologies. Just a mother's worries, is all."

"I get it," Marcus stated swiftly.

Casey smiled. "So, about Leon…"

"Oh, right," said Marcus. "I…um…I'll think about challenging him. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see."

Kriesh glanced at Marcus. Marcus returned her gaze as Casey nodded in acceptance. "Where has Gloria gotten to?" she asked, beginning to shift towards the staircase.

Alone temporarily, Kriesh locked eyes with Marcus once more, co*cking her head in a questioning stance.

Marcus clearly understood. "Yes, I know," the Trainer murmured. "I probablywouldenjoy a battle with Leon. It would really let me know just how far I've come. But…I can't. Not if I'm trying to keep a low profile. A battle with Leon would pretty much be the opposite of 'low-profile'."

"Yeah," Kriesh admitted. "That makes sense."

The sound of footsteps turned Kriesh and Marcus's heads once more as Gloria stumbled into the room. She was now fully dressed in a gray coat over a pink dress, with a floppy green hat on her head and a large bag, about as large as she was, hanging from one shoulder. Bunnelby's Pokeball was clutched in her other hand. "I'm ready!"

Casey held back laughter. Rosie and Pudge didn't.

Gloria sighed as she stared at the Roserade and Snorlax. "I'll miss you both."

"Ahem."

"And you too, Mum," Gloria added with a quiet laugh of her own. Casey reached out for a hug, and Gloria accepted it, grasping her mother tightly. Kriesh smiled; she stole a glance back at Rosie and Pudge and saw them smiling too.

"So, Gloria," said Marcus, "I'm planning to take advantage of the Gym Challenge to travel Galar and strengthen my own Pokemon. Would you be adverse to me tagging along with you?"

"Not at all!" chirped Gloria. Casey sighed, but nodded; Marcus gave a grateful smile back before turning back towards Gloria. "Shall we, then?"

"Sure thing!"

And so, with a few more goodbyes, Gloria and Marcus stepped through the front door and out into the sunlight. The day was just as beautiful, if not more so, than it had been when they'd come in, and Kriesh took extreme pleasure in spreading her wings and allowing the sun to beat down on them.

Scarcely had she done so, though, when Kriesh saw a shape barrelling down the path towards Gloria and Marcus. It took her a moment of sudden panic before she recognized Hop.

"He's here!" Hop cried. "Lee's here! You gotta hurry - or hurry as best you could with that bag you've got! That old bag looks like it could pull you over, to be honest!"

"I'll try," said Gloria.

Hop scarcely waited a moment; as soon as the word 'try' left Gloria's lips, Hop turned and dashed off down the path. Gloria staggered after him, clutching her bag tightly - she reminded Kriesh of Lillie, in a way - and Marcus walked after her, keeping a hand at the ready in case Gloria's bag slipped from her grasp.

It had only been a minute since Hop had dashed off when they found him again. The boy was standing still as Gloria and Marcus approached. "Shh!" Hop whispered. "You hear that!"

Marcus and Gloria stopped moving, and Kriesh did so as well. "Sniper:Auditus," she whispered, casting out her hearing. At once she heard it - a loud, regular thumping noise, like a gloved fist striking a wooden post again and again.

"Sounds like it's coming from over there," Gloria murmured.

"Yeah," Hop responded with equal quietness. "That's what I think too…we'd better see what's up."

Slowly, the group crept forwards, moving down the path at a snails' pace. Kriesh followed behind, not wanting to beat her wings and risk making too much noise, despite the oddness of walking down the stony path on her taloned feet.

The noise grew louder and louder. Slowly, Marcus, Gloria, Hop, and Kriesh edged around the hill, eyes scanning for the source of the sound.

"Is that…a Wooloo?"

Marcus was the one to speak; his taller stature had enabled him to crane his neck around the corner faster than the other two. Kriesh, Gloria, and Hop all quickly looked around the side of the hill as well; there, indeed, was a Wooloo who was, at regular intervals, gathering his haunches, powering himself up with Normal energy, and lunging at the wooden gate that lay before him, blocking the end of the path from the dark forest that lay beyond.

The Slumbering Weald. Regarded as one of the most dangerous places in Galar.

"Hey!" Hop's voice broke through Kriesh's thoughts. "You silly Wooloo!" The blue-jacketed boy stepped forwards, staring down at the unlucky Wooloo with a piercing glint in his eye. "I see what you're up to! Don't go using Tackle on the fencing!"

"S…sorry…" the Wooloo murmured, shrinking back.

"Now, you listen." Hop knelt down, his voice growing less sharp, more smooth. "No going past that fence. No. Everyone knows there are scary Pokemon living in the Slumbering Weald."

The Wooloo nodded shakily.

Hop stood, smiling. "Now that that's taken care of," he said, turning back to Gloria, "how about it, Gloria? Let's race! Bet I can make it to my house first, what with you lugging around that big old bag!"

"You're on." Gloria threw off her bag, letting it fall to the ground, and broke into a spring.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Hop dashed after her, their laughter fading into the distance.

Marcus sighed. Kneeling down, he picked up Gloria's bag from the ground. "I'm going to have my hands full, aren't I?"

Kriesh nodded sagely. Marcus cracked a smile. "Please make sure they don't run into any trouble," he said.

"Got it." Kriesh rose into the air once more, and together she and Marcus set off after the pair of running Trainers.

Wooloo stared after the trio of Trainers. He knew the female and the younger male, but the older was a stranger. And that Fearow wasscary.

Were the things in the woods really that scary? And if so, should he really be doing this?

He swallowed. But even as he hesitated, the taunts of his older brothers danced once more in his head.Look at Youngest Brother. Too much of a fluff-puff to go into the big scary forest. Oh, so scary, so dark. Is Youngest Brother scared of the creepy trees?

Wooloo shook his head. He knew it was wrong, and he knew the young male Trainer was entirely right. The young male Trainer was a friend to all Wooloo. The young male Trainer certainly had Wooloo's best interests in mind.

But Wooloo had to prove he wasn't scared. That would show his older brothers. Then they'd finally stop making fun of him.

"Hey."

The voice came from above. Wooloo looked up to see a large, black-winged Pokemon with what looked like aboneon its head. The new arrival looked down upon Wooloo as if appraising a potential meal.

"Um…" Wooloo began to back away. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"No problem," the new arrival said. "I'm Mandibuzz - I live in the woods back there. You want to come in?"

"Well…I…I was…"

"Hey, don't be scared." Mandibuzz smiled. "I may look scary, but Pokemon like you have nothing to fear from me. You wanna come in, be my guest."

Mandibuzz reached down to the latch of the gate. Wooloo didn't see what Mandibuzz did, but all of a sudden the gate swung open, exposing the forest beyond.

"Your choice," Mandibuzz said simply. Wooloo glanced around nervously.This is a bad idea, he told himself.

But he took a step forwards all the same. Then another, and then another, and so Wooloo kept walking, stepping through the gate and towards the thickly-clustered trees that lay beyond.

Allowing a slight smirk, Mandibuzz spread her wings and flew after Wooloo.

I've definitely used the Kalos and Alola games for reference in previous seasons. But this, I think, is the first chapter where I lifted an entire scene near verbatim from a Pokemon game.

Goodness knows this won't become a regular thing. I certainly don't plan on just retelling Sword and Shield. If you know me, you know there are going to be more than a few curveballs...

Chapter 3: A Champion Time

Chapter Text

Liepard had heard quite a bit about Leon. The Champion of Galar was very well-known across the UPW, with his brash and boastful personality just as legendary as his battling prowess. And indeed, Leon was known to be strong. In fact, several polls ranked him as among the top half of Champions in terms of strength, which was quite surprising, considering that Galar was near-universally regarded as one of the weakest regions overall in the UPW.

Nowhere had this unbalanced power dynamic been more evident than in the previous International League. Liepard had not been alive at the time, but her first Trainer had been an avid reader of recent history and had perused videos of that International League quite a few times. While the Galarians as a whole had put up a poor showing, Leon, who at that point had only been Champion for two years, had gone all the way to the Champions' Finals, where he'd lost to Cynthia, widely considered one of the strongest Champions the world had ever seen, in a tight 1-0 defeat.

And he'd only gotten stronger since then. Many saw his Ace, Charizard, as on par with that of Red's. Oddly, not much was known about the rest of his team - in his fight with Cynthia, he had wielded a Dragapult, Haxorus, Aegislash, Mr. Rime, and Seismitoad, and he was also listed as possessing a Rhyperior, but documentation on those six was ridiculously limited in comparison to the absolute morass of videos, papers, and information on his Charizard.

All in all, Leon was perhaps the strangest Champion Liepard had heard of. And if it weren't for her nervousness about Marcus's cover being blown, she would have been quite excited to meet him. But she knew the loud and excitable Champion of Galar would see no reason not to happily and loudly greet Marcus, offer him a welcome to Galar, maybe a potential battle if he was up to it.

Which, if there happened to be reporters there (which there probably would be), would announce to the entire region that a Kalosian Gym Leader - of the same type as their currently missing Gym Leader, no less - was in Galar. And that would raise allsortsof questions that Liepard could tell Marcus had been hoping to save until later.

Clearly, Marcus had considered refusing to meet Leon. But there was no way he could outright beg off, or Gloria or Hop might start asking questions.Brilliant, Liepard found herself thinking.Two hours we've been in Galar, and already things are going wrong.

So it was that Marcus was following Gloria and Hop down the road to Postwick's main square, still holding the large bag that Gloria had dropped in order to race Hop. Said race had ended inconclusively, as the two friends had both exhausted themselves before they'd even gotten to Hop's house, and were now chatting aimlessly about this topic and that as they slowly walked. Watching from her Luxury Ball, Liepard could see a fairly large cluster of people further down the path. She couldn't see what they were surrounding, but she was pretty sure she knew what - or rather who - it was.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard a loud voice faintly on the wind, a voice that grew more and more distinct as Marcus, Hop, and Gloria moved closer until Liepard could make out words. "…Charizard is blazingly strong. But other Pokemon can be strong as well! That's why I want the strongest of challengers to fill the Gym Challenge and come battle me!"

As cheers erupted from the crowd, Liepard rolled her eyes.Advertising? Really? It's not like the Gym Challenge is an unknown thing. Does he like hearing himself talk that much?

Hop was already running forwards, leaving Gloria and Marcus behind as he ran towards the crowd. Gloria gave an apologetic glance towards Marcus and quickened her stride; Marcus did not, following behind leisurely as Hop cried out. "Lee! Lee!"

"Hop!" The crowd parted as Leon stepped through. He cut quite the impressive figure, with his cape flowing in the wind and his Charizard standing tall behind him; said figure was immediately undercut by him kneeling down to give Hop a hug. "I knew my number one fan would come out of his way to pick me up!"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Hop rose. "Oh, by the way," he said as Gloria walked up, "this is-"

"You must be Gloria!" Leon cut Hop off as he shook Gloria's hand. Hop looked slightly bemused. "I've heard loads about you from my little brother!"

"Really?" Gloria asked.

"Really," Leon confirmed. "To be honest, he had to remind me we haven't met yet! And…" He looked over Gloria's shoulder at the approaching form of Marcus.

The Champion's eyes narrowed in concentration even as he stepped past Gloria and reached out his hand. "I'm so sorry, I don't think I know you."

"Marcus." Marcus grasped Leon's hand and gave it a shake - by now he'd already gotten plenty of practice.

"He's a Gym Leader from Kalos," Gloria added, "and my sponsor for the Gym Challenge."

As Leon's eyes lit up with recognition, Liepard sighed.And there we go.Instantly, she began looking around the crowd for reporters. Thankfully, no cameras were immediately visible, but Liepard kept one eye locked on the crowd anyway while watching Marcus and Leon's conversation play out with the other.

"Sothat'swhere I remember the name from!" Leon's hand grasped tighter around Marcus and he shook his hand again, this time a good deal more fervently. "The UPW's newest Gym Leader - great to meet you in person at last!"

"Good to meet you too, Leon," said Marcus; Liepard could see he was fighting back a more enthusiastic reaction.

"Let's see…" Leon pursed his lips. "Liepard, Houndoom, Pangoro, Drapion?"

"Yep, that's the team," said Marcus.

"Ha!" Leon grinned. "Diantha owes me fifty Pokedollars…anyway! So you're sponsoring young Gloria. Good for you! And as for you, Gloria, congratulations! I look forward to seeing you at the opening ceremony!"

He rose, looking around at the crowd. "All right, everyone, I bid you all farewell for today. But don't fret - I'll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have an absolute champion time!"

As the crowd dispersed with a last bout of clapping, Liepard found herself staring at Leon. It was strange to her how he could be so egotistical and yet so friendly. Was the ego more of a cultivated personality, an image that was not his true self?

A lie constantly being told to all of Galar?

"We should probably get back home," said Leon. "After all, once we get there, I've got a surprise for you, Hop - and you, Gloria, as well!"

"Awesome!" said Hop. "Can't wait! Let's go, then - I bet I can beat the both of you back home!"

This time he didn't even give Gloria time to respond before dashing off. "Come on!" Gloria cried, hurtling after him once again with laughter on her lips.

Marcus sighed and hoisted Gloria's bag, which she still had not reclaimed, up on his shoulder.

Leon chuckled as he watched them go. "All right, Charizard, back in your Ultra Ball," he said, recalling the Fire/Flying-type. He and Marcus began to step after Hop and Gloria, both of them moving swiftly but unhurriedly.

"So, Marcus," said Leon, "you planning on staying long?"

"I'm planning to stay for the whole Gym Challenge," said Marcus. "Actually, I was also planning to go around the region - team could use some instruction from the local Gym Leaders."

"Right, you have the generalist team too." Leon frowned. "Diantha did say I'd have to name thewholeteam…I guess I'm the one who owes some Pokedollars. What was it - Medicham, Cloyster, Trevenant, Tyrantrum, and...Pidgeot?"

Liepard could hear Kriesh's furious squawk even through the walls of her Luxury Ball. So, too, could Marcus, judging by the fact that he was fighting a smile off his face as he corrected, "Fearow."

Leon snorted. "Of course - that's my bad. But yeah, that makes sense. The Trevenant especially - we've got a Ghost-type Gym and a Grass-type Gym, though Allister's thinking of moving down to the minor leagues after this Gym Challenge. Oh, and word of advice - we're still waffling, but Allister's replacement is most likely gonna be Bea. She's a Fighting-type Gym Leader, and I have a feeling your Medicham's gonna like that."

"So you've got a Gym for every type over here?" Marcus asked.

"Yep." Leon grinned proudly.

"Who's your Psychic-type Gym Leader, if you don't mind me asking?" Marcus queried. "Medicham's quite a bit stronger on the Fighting-type front than on the Psychic-type front."

Leon deflated a little. "Actually, that's a little…turbulent at present," he admitted. "Avery'ssupposedto be the Psychic-type Gym Leader - he's about your age - but his status was recently revoked for, ah, levitating opponents? I don't really know the details, but I'm afraid that's one of the Gyms that'snotavailable at present."

"And what about the Dark-type Gym?"

Liepard felt a flash of momentary confusion at the question - wasn't Marcus supposed to keep quiet on that front? Then she realized what he was doing: by asking the question, he was appearing ignorant of a situation he actually knew all about, intentionally deflecting suspicion.

Leon sighed. "Man, you're really hitting me where it hurts, Marcus," he said. "I'm afraid that's a topic for another time - rest assured, it'll be open by the time the Gym Challengers actually get there. Oh, by the way - you should take that Tyrantrum to Raihan. He's a Dragon-type Trainer, a wielder of Sandstorm, and the Trainer I consider my greatest current rival - not to mention he's got a Tyrantrum of his own."

Liepard noted the rapid change of subject with a frown. She'd been hoping to maybe get some information about the Galarian side of the situation with Piers.

"Sounds perfect," said Marcus. "What's his team?"

"Aside from the Tyrantrum," said Leon, "he's got Garchomp, Flygon, Dracozolt, Dracovish, and Duraludon. Pretty much every Dragon-type that works well in sand."

"And three fossils," Marcus observed.

"Oh, Dracovish and Dracozolt hardly count as fossils," said Leon. "Anyway, Marcus…before I forget, I have something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"I'm listening," said Marcus.

"So," Leon explained, "at the end of the opening ceremony for the Gym Challenge, I always take part in an exhibition battle. Show the Gym Challengers the heights of power they can reach, give them something to aspire to, and of course, put on a show. I've done it with all the major league Gym Leaders, I've done it with a couple of the previous year's winners, and I even fought Rose once - he's got quite a strong team for a non-battler. But I've never done it with a visiting Trainer, and I was thinking maybe you might want to take part? I know the International League's happening later this year, but maybe we could show off a little preview of what other regions are capable of?"

Liepard glanced up at Marcus. From his expression she knew that he wanted, more than anything, to accept. He'd never battled a Champion before - even if it was almost certain he'd lose, the experience of facing one of the strongest Trainers in the world was unmatched. But showing off his power in such a way would ensure that everybody in Galar knew exactly who and where Marcus was.

Any and all anonymity would be completely out the window.

"I'll think about it," said Marcus. A noncommittal answer.That's dangerous, Liepard thought.Sure, you can swing either way depending on circ*mstances…but 'think about it' too long and the decision might end up being made for you.

"Sure," said Leon. "It's still a couple weeks away anyway. Let me know what you decide. Now, we'd best get a move on - Hop and Gloria are probably already at the house by now."

Indeed, by the time Leon and Marcus arrived - Marcus huffing a little under the weight of Gloria's bag - Hop and Gloria were already ensconced in chairs on a fairly sizable patio, along with, surprisingly, Casey, who was talking with a woman who could only have been Hop's mother. Casey glanced over as Marcus and Leon stepped into the yard; her eyes widened as she beheld Marcus. "Gloria, really?" she admonished. "He's yoursponsor, not your pack-Mudsdale. Take your bag and apologize to Marcus."

"Oh, no, it's perfectly fine," Marcus said politely, but Gloria was already stepping over. With a murmur of "I'm sorry, Marcus," she grasped the bag and stepped back, not making eye contact with either Marcus or her mother.

Casey sighed. "I'm Casey, Gloria's mother," she said to Leon.

"Great to meet you, Casey!" Leon shook her hand. "All right, Hop, Gloria, get over here! It's time for your present!"

"You brought us Pokemon, didn't you?" Hop was already speaking as he and Gloria stepped over.

Leon sighed theatrically. "I can never get anything past you, can I, little brother? All right, since you're so eager to get this over with, I'll just release these three right now! Let's see what you make of them!"

Liepard watched eagerly as Leon plucked three Pokeballs from his otherwise Ultra Ball-filled belt and tossed them on the ground. As they hissed open, three small forms emerged, already moving into a straight line as if they'd rehearsed this moment many times before.

The first was a bipedal Pokemon that looked oddly like a Fire-type Bunnelby. It was more humanoid-esque in terms of proportion, with smaller ears and a larger if thinner body, and it was bouncing over to the line rather than walking as the other two were.Definitely the most excitable of the three, Liepard observed.Possibly too excitable - the first step in training it will probably be ensuring that excitement doesn't conflict with battle strategy. Looks like a melee fighter - those feet would definitely be able to deal some damage.

The second was clearly a Water-type. Their body was similar to the Fire-type, but their head was large and round, with two gigantic eyes that took up half the head by themselves. It walked slowly and with clear nervousness.That one's the opposite,Liepard thought to herself.Anyone who trains it will need to instill more confidence. Being constantly worried is nothing but a hindrance. As for fighting style, someone like that is almost certainly a dominantly ranged fighter.

The last was a small, rotund Grass-type who was carrying a stick about as long as they were tall.A weapon-based fighter, Liepard noted.Seems in the middle in terms of both personality and fighting style - I can see them using both melee and ranged attacks, using that stick to either deliver blows or keep opponents at a distance, and they seem nowhere near as worried as the Water-type or as excitable as the Fire-type. I'm willing to bet that one is going to be the easiest to train.

One thing was for certain - these were definitely Starter Pokemon, grown in laboratories rather than caught in the wild. Liepard wasn't surprised that Leon had managed to procure them - he was the Champion, after all - but she was a little surprised that it was Leon gifting them to Hop and Gloria rather than a Pokemon Professor doing the gifting. Most of the time, Professors were quite protective of Starter Pokemon and insisted that, even if they weren't the ones giving them away, that they were nearby so as to ensure they were taken care of.

"Meet the Fire-type Pokemon Scorbunny, the Grass-type Pokemon Grookey, and the Water-type Pokemon Sobble!" Leon gestured to the trio as they formed their line, all three looking around expectantly. "Take your pick as to which one you want to take on your journey!"

"Gloria, you can choose first," said Hop. "Seeing as I've had Wooloo longer than you've had Bunnelby."

Gloria nodded. Stepping over, she looked at each of the three Starters, all of whom were staring up at her. At last her gaze swiveled back to the left. "I'll take Scorbunny," she said.

"Of course," said Hop. "What, are you gonna be some sort of rabbit-themed Trainer?"

"I might," Gloria retorted. "Depends on how many rabbit Pokemon there are."

She was interrupted by Scorbunny leaping into her arms. "Hi!" said Scorbunny. "I'm Scorbunny! When do we start? What do we do first?"

Gloria laughed softly. "Slow down, Scorbunny, let's get you in a Pokeball first, and then we can start figuring out moves and stuff."

"Okay!" Scorbunny hopped out of Gloria's arms. Gloria dug in her pockets. "Um…I don't actually seem to…"

"Here." Leon handed Gloria the Pokeball that he'd released Scorbunny out of.

"Oh! Thanks!" Gloria quickly recalled Scorbunny into it, then stepped off to the side as Hop moved confidently forwards.

"Then I'll go with…" Hop stepped over to Grookey. "Grookey, you're mine!"

The Grass-type grinned cheerily. "All right!" he said, swiftly (if a little clumsily) jumping up into Hop's arms in a clear imitation of Scorbunny. It seemed to Liepard like he was trying and failing to one-up Scorbunny's enthusiasm.

"Huh," said Leon. "Not going for the type advantage, little brother?"

Hop shrugged. "To be honest, I wanted Grookey from the start. And besides, if I'm going to be the greatest Pokemon Trainer in the world, I'm gonna have to learn to work around type advantages, aren't I?"

"Right you are," said Leon. "Goodness knows Charizard's battled more than his fair share of Rock-types."

"Am I going to get a Trainer?"

Liepard's eyes snapped towards Sobble, who was now standing alone. A sudden pang of sadness filled her heart - she'd completely forgotten that with only Hop and Gloria picking Starters, there would always be one who didn't get chosen by either. She could very easily imagine the confusion and sadness Sobble must be feeling right now.

Leon knelt down beside Sobble. "I bet you're feeling a little left out," he said. "Well, don't worry, because you're coming with me!"

"Really?" Sobble asked.

"Yeah," said Leon. "I think if you worked really hard, you might be able to become part of my team someday! But it's gonna be difficult - are you up to the challenge?"

Sobble nodded. "Of course!"

Smiling, Leon withdrew another of his Ultra Balls from his belt. Tapping the button, he sent out a Seismitoad just as large as his titanic Charizard and a good deal more burly. "Seismitoad will show you the ropes," he said. "He's strict, but real strong and real kind too!"

Sobble's eyes widened as he looked up at the massive form of Seismitoad. Seismitoad looked back down at Sobble, the large Water/Ground-type's eyes softening. "All right," Seismitoad grunted, "follow me, squirt. Let's get started."

"Already?"

"When else?" Seismitoad asked. "If you wanna be strong like me, you're gonna have to work for it, and that means being ready to get up and go at a moment's notice. Now come on, squirt, let's start by figuring out what moves you've got and then go to some basic exercises."

Liepard felt a fair amount of relief as she watched Sobble follow Seismitoad towards the pond.I should have guessed Leon had already planned for that problem.

"Hey, Gloria!" Hop cried from nearby. "So, now we've each got two Pokemon…are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know," said Gloria, who was busily examining Scorbunny's Pokeball with her Pokedex, clearly trying to figure out what moves the Fire-type Starter had. "What are you thinking?"

"We should have our first official Pokemon battle as rivals!" Hop stated. "Come on, you know you want to! We can't call ourselves Pokemon Trainers until we've had a proper battle, and what better way to get to know our Pokemon?"

Liepard could think of a number of better ways, but Gloria's widening grin told her that none of those better ways were going to happen. "You're on," she said.

"Now hold on!" Leon cried. For a moment, Liepard hoped rationality would win out, but then Leon said, "You don't just say 'let's battle' and then start a battle! There's an order to things! First, you need to come up with some way to decide who releases first!"

Liepard sighed as Leon began to coach Gloria and Hop through proper pre-battle procedures. As he did so, Marcus swiftly sidled over to the patio where Hop's mother and Casey were standing. "Mind if I send out my team to watch?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Hop's mother. "Just make sure they don't eat anything off the grill."

Chuckling a little, Marcus released Liepard, Houndoom, Pangoro, and Drapion. The patio was suddenly a lot more crowded; Liepard glanced around to see where was occupied and where she could move freely, noticing as she did so that Leon's Charizard, Seismitoad, and Sobble were moving closer as well.

"One of the best ways to learn," Seismitoad was saying to Sobble as they drew closer, "is to watch what other Pokemon do. That's why, even when Leon doesn't use me in the battle, I still watch the whole thing, because that way I get experience that I wouldn't otherwise have gotten."

"Quite right," said Charizard.

Liepard tuned their conversation out and focused on her own teammates. Marcus had only sent out his Gym Leader team, clearly still trying to keep at least some of his cards close to his chest (even though Liepard didn't really get the point of that, seeing as Leon already knew that Marcus had the generalist team as well). Drapion glanced over at Liepard. "Excited?"

"Oui," said Liepard. "It reminds me of my first time battling."

"Ah prefer ta forget mah first time battling," Drapion growled. "But it's a little exciting ta watch, ah admit."

Meanwhile, Houndoom and Pangoro were watching wordlessly as Leon stepped back. "All right, so Hop releases first! Here's to a good first battle, you two!"

Both Casey and Hop's mother called out from beside Marcus. "Don't push your Pokemon too hard!" Casey cried, while Hop's mother's contribution was "Please don't damage the lawn too much!"

Liepard turned to watch as Hop released his newly acquired Grookey onto the battlefield. "Right, then, Grookey!" Hop said with a wide smile. "Let's see what you can do!"

In answer, Gloria released Scorbunny. "You've got this, Scorbunny!"

As the two Trainers readied themselves, Grookey stared at Scorbunny across the small battlefield. "Our first real battle, huh?"

"Looks like it!" said Scorbunny. "Don't hold back on me, Grookey!"

"Get him!" Hop cried. "Use Branch Poke!"

"Same to you, Scorbunny!" Grookey replied. The Grass-type hurled himself forwards, materializing green wisps of Grass energy across the branch he clutched in his right paw. "Branch Stroke!"

"Goal Kick!" Scorbunny rose to meet Grookey; as Grookey's branch came down upon Scorbunny, the Fire-type Starter raised a Normal energy-wreathed foot to block it. "Corner Kick!" Scorbunny cried, twisting to deliver a spinning kick to Grookey's face.

"Nice one!" Grookey admitted. "Branch Poke!" Hauling back, Grookey thrust his branch forwards into the off-balance Scorbunny's midsection. It was Scorbunny's turn to stagger, though his natural resistance to Grass meant he was able to recover quickly.

"Remember to command your Pokemon!" Leon called from the sidelines. "The true strength behind a Trained Pokemon is both the Trainer's and Pokemon's minds working as one!"

"Right!" Hop cried. "Grookey, you've got reach with your branch, use it! Keep Scorbunny from landing more kicks!"

"Scorbunny, keep him at bay with Ember!" Gloria cried.

"Goal Shot!" Scorbunny unleashed several motes of Fire energy with rapid kicks from his feet, forcing Grookey to abandon any further attempts to get in close in favor of dodging the barrage. This he succeeded at with aplomb, using his impressive agility to duck and sidestep each Ember Scorbuny through, but it did not escape Liepard's attention that the Embers were successfully preventing Grookey from going back on the offensive.

"Sooner or later, one of those is going to connect," Pangoro growled from beside Liepard. "He needs to be less cautious if he wants to win this battle."

"What, you're rooting for Grookey?" Houndoom asked.

"Yeah," said Pangoro. "So what if we're sponsoring Scorbunny's trainer? I like strength more than speed. Strength marks a battler, speed marks a coward."

Liepard coughed.

"Insomecases," Pangoro added hurriedly.

"Heh," Drapion chuckled. "Real smooth there, Pangoro."

"Oh, shut up," Pangoro growled.

Drapion sighed. "Ah guess ah'm rootin' fer Grookey, too," he growled. "Ah just like an underdog, is all."

"Vous êtes tous les deux ridicules," Liepard murmured.

"An' Houndoom," said Drapion, "ah suppose yer rootin' fer Scorbunny?"

"Of course." Houndoom grinned toothily. "Us Fire-types have to stick together."

"I agree." The low, rumbling voice of Leon's Charizard cut through the four Dark-types' conversation as the towering Fire/Flying-type stepped next to them. "I apologize, I could not help but overhear. You are Marcus's Gym Leader team?"

"Yeah, we are," Drapion growled.

"I don't suppose you have met Piers?"

All four Dark-types stiffened, their true mission flashing back into their minds at that very moment. Liepard spoke first, knowing that if it came to outright lying she was easily the smoothest of the four. "Not personally, no," she admitted. "But one of his former Gym Trainers is now a Trainer at our Gym."

"Really, now?" Charizard bent down towards Liepard. "Has she heard anything from him recently?"

"No," said Liepard, her heart beginning to pound. She recalled Diantha had mentioned Galar was being cagey about the whole situation with Piers.Could it be that they don't know where he is either?

Charizard sighed. "That is a shame," he said. "We…you know what? Forget it. This is a happy time, watching two rivals embark upon their first battle of many. Why should I weigh my burdens upon you?"

Liepard hid a grimace.If Galar doesn't know anything about Piers's whereabouts, that would be crucial information. But I still don't know for sure…that's twice now these Galarians have stopped just when they might have been about to give some information. How frustrating.

A chorus of "ooh" came from the rest of the audience; Liepard turned just in time to see Grookey, parts of his fur ablaze, clock Scorbunny in the jaw with his branch. Scorbunny staggered backwards, obviously winded. Gloria's cry of "Scorbunny, duck!" was completely overwhelmed by Hop's exuberant yell of "Finish it!"

"Branch Stroke!" Spinning, Grookey brought his branch down upon Scorbunny's temple. The Fire-type dropped like a stone, crumpling to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Cheers arose from the audience, most notably Hop's mother. Hop himself pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! All right, Grookey, one more!"

Grookey nodded excitedly, though Liepard could tell he was already tired. What hits Scorbunny had landed had clearly done a number on him.

"Good work, Scorbunny," Gloria murmured. "Take a nice rest." She looked put out - clearly she'd thought Scorbunny would have a free win thanks to type advantage - but she steeled herself as she sent out her second Pokemon. "Bunnelby, this is going to be an uphill battle."

Liepard stared with renewed interest as the Kalosian Normal-type materialized on the field. Determination glinted in her eyes despite the clear disadvantage she was at. Liepard had to admit that she was quite curious about Bunnelby's strength. She'd watched the Normal-type speak with Cloyster and later Gloria; she'd seemed quite confident and knowledgeable in both situations.

Does that knowledge translate well to battle?

"Grookey!" Hop cried. "Branch Poke! Do the same thing that you did to that Scorbunny!"

Grookey grinned despite his exhaustion, sweeping his branch in an arc. "All right, let's do this, weird Pokemon I've never met! Branch-"

"Swift Ear."

Bunnelby lunged forwards in what could only be a Quick Attack and buried one large fist-like ear into Grookey's stomach.

Grookey gagged, doubling over, the attack completely abandoned. Bunnelby took a step back. "Whirling Ears." Twisting her head, Bunnelby struck Grookey across the face with first one ear, then the other, landing back-to-back hits in the space of a single second. Grookey was thrown a good five feet, landing hard on the ground with athumpthat drew winces from most of the audience.

He didn't get back up.

Hop gaped. "What…was that some sort of critical hit? What kind of beginner's luck is that?!"

Bunnelby turned and trotted back to Gloria. "Sorry," she said. "I really need to get better about waiting for my Trainer's commands. Did you want me to do something else?"

"Um…good job, Bunnelby!" Gloria's initially confused expression turned to a smile.And deservedly so, Liepard thought.That Bunnelby's strong.

"It's not over yet!" said Hop, though his smile was a little forced now as he recalled Grookey. "I've still got my trusty ally left! Wooloo, let's show this Bunnelby a thing or two!"

Hop's own Normal-type now materialized out of his Pokeball. Liepard stared at him curiously. She hadn't seen Wooloo as especially strong when she'd first seen him, but now that he was on a battlefield, she noted his clearly practiced stance and the way his eyes instantly glanced around the battlefield, taking in the size of the arena he had to work with. Clearly, this Wooloo had been in his fair share of battles.

"Bunnelby, um…I guess just do the same thing you did," said Gloria.

"Okay, then." Bunnelby turned back towards Wooloo. She crouched, readying for another Quick Attack combo to try and fell Hop's second Pokemon as easily as she had the first.

"Swift Ear."

"Defense Curl!" Hop cried.

"Wool Ball!" Even as Bunnelby flashed across the field, Wooloo's wool puffed out into a protective coating, Normal energy giving it substance beyond the standard soft fluffiness. Bunnelby's ear struck Wooloo's wool, and though the fluffy Normal-type stumbled slightly it didn't seem to affect him all that much.

"Woolly Rush!" Bunnelby was forced to expend another Quick Attack to dart away from Wooloo as he rolled forwards. "Left!" Hop called; as Liepard watched, Wooloo curved, still shaped like a ball, and rolled at Bunnelby once more, forcing the quick Normal-type into another dodge.

It's almost like Rollout…Hop and Wooloo must have practiced this a lot.

Indeed, Hop was shouting command after command, calling for Wooloo to change direction this way and that as he rolled around the field, narrowly missing Bunnelby over and over again.

"Now it's the reverse situation," Houndoom observed. "Gloria's Pokemon is the one stuck playing defensive."

"Grookey overcame it," Charizard growled. "Bunnelby just needs to do likewise."

"How did Grookey overcome it, exactly?" Liepard asked. "I didn't see."

"He just charged," Pangoro answered. "Tanked a couple Embers to get in range - that's why he was so badly damaged."

"That ain't gonna work here," Drapion stated. "Wooloo's just gonna bowl her over."

"Bunnelby, use Leer!"

Drapion started as Gloria's cry echoed across the battlefield. A toothy smile crossed his face as Bunnelby, looking surprised, nonetheless obeyed Gloria's order. Normal energy flashed across her eyes, and the Normal energy began to dissipate from Wooloo's wool even as he rolled.

All at once, Wooloo's wool collapsed under him; his momentum was completely arrested as he flopped anticlimactically to the ground. In one fluid motion, Bunnelby dashed in. "Striking Ear."

Wooloo took Bunnelby's ear right on the nose and reeled, groaning in pain. "No, Wooloo!" Hop cried. "Hold on!"

"Finish him!" Gloria cried energetically.

But as Bunnelby rushed forwards once more, ears at the ready, Hop's expression changed in an instant. "Double Kick!"

Wooloo twisted. "Dual Hoof Slam!" A pair of Fighting energy-enhanced hooves came up, slamming into Bunnelby's torso and sending Gloria's Normal-type flying back across the field.

"Ouch," Houndoom stated, wincing in sympathy.

"You said it,mon ami," Liepard murmured. "I thought it was over when Gloria pulled that trick with Leer."

"So did I," Charizard admitted. "The fact that she realized the only thing keeping Wooloo's wool sturdy enough to roll around on was the Normal energy of Defense Curl…that marks an impressive amount of battlefield awareness for a Trainer so young. But Wooloo has been Hop's battler for many months. No matter how strong Bunnelby is, the fact is that she is vastly inexperienced in comparison."

"Hold on there," Drapion growled. "This ain't over yet."

All eyes turned to Bunnelby to see that, in fact, she was rising to her feet. A nasty-looking bruise was already forming on her stomach, but she stood tall regardless. Her head turned to Gloria. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Just one more hit!" Hop interjected. "Charge her with Tackle! Overwhelm her with bulk!"

Gloria looked down at Bunnelby. "Um…Quick Attack, Tackle, Double Slap, Leer…wait a minute, I know! Bunnelby, use Agility!"

Agility? Liepard frowned.That's a move you don't see on low-level Pokemon very often.

But indeed, as Bunnelby concentrated, Psychic energy began to glow around her feet. As Wooloo trundled forwards, a yell of "Woolly Slam!" emanating from his mouth, Bunnelby crouched.

"Full Speed: Rapid Ear."

The speed-boosting nature of Agility combined with the explosive burst of speed associated with Quick Attack meant that it only took a quarter of a second for Bunnelby to close the distance between herself and Wooloo. Wooloo had no time to react; once more he reeled backwards as Bunnelby's ear slammed into his nose, though this time it had hit even harder due to Bunnelby's momentum.

"Double Kick!" Hop cried, but this time Bunnelby was fully prepared, and with the aid of Agility it was clearly a trivial matter to pull back. Wooloo's Dual Hoof Slam hit nothing but empty air, and as he was stumbling from the whiffed attack, Bunnelby streaked around to his side. "Full Speed: Whirling Ears."

The Double Slap sent Wooloo flying; Hop's Normal-type hit the ground rolling courtesy of an instinctive Defense Curl that had come too late to protect against Bunnelby's attack. But Hop, seeing Wooloo was still conscious, called out excitedly. "Wooloo, you've got this!" he cried. "Roll around and come at her again!"

"Quick Attack and dodge!" Gloria cried.

"Ha, gotcha!" Hop grinned. "Copycat!"

It was Liepard's turn to smile. As much as she wanted Gloria to win, she couldn't deny Hop's Wooloo was an impressively capable battler. Liepard watched closely as both Bunnelby and Wooloo blurred, Normal energy coursing around their bodies; both surged towards each other at such high speeds that several of the watchers started, clearly nervous about potential injuries.

"Full Speed: Rapid Ear!"

"Woolly Rush!"

The two came together in a small explosion of Normal energy, an explosion that for a few moments masked the two from view. Hop and Gloria both craned their necks, hands at Wooloo and Bunnelby's Pokeballs, ready to recall them. The cloud of energy began to clear.

Both Bunnelby and Wooloo were revealed at the same time. They were standing on opposite sides of where they'd started, Bunnelby in front of Hop and Wooloo in front of Gloria.

Both stood. Both swayed. And both fell to the ground at the exact same time.

But in the brief moment before they both landed, Bunnelby's paws lashed out, catching her before she fully impacted, though they were clearly trembling under the strain of holding up her entire weight. There she lay, on hands and knees, while behind her Wooloo collapsed limply, completely out cold.

"I think I win," Bunnelby murmured, just before her arms finally gave way and she, too, fell unconscious to the earth.

The audience erupted in clapping and cheering. Casey and Marcus both clapped with special enthusiasm, while the Pokemon roared and cheered in equal measure. Hop stared at the battlefield for a moment. Then he began to chuckle ruefully. "You beat my two Pokemon with your one?" He shook his head. "You and that Bunnelby are too much!"

Both he and Gloria recalled their unconscious Pokemon. As they stepped forwards to shake each others' hand and congratulate one another on a good battle, Leon moved into the arena to meet them. "That was an excellent battle, you two," he said. "Almost made me want to send in Charizard to join in on all the fun!"

Charizard snorted. "Youalwayssay that…"

"I have to say," Leon continued, "you two look like you're gonna be great rivals! So here's a tip from the unbeatable Champion - the role of a rival isn't to knock each other down, it's to pull each other up. To make each other stronger! I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today if it weren't for Sonia."

"The Professor's granddaughter?" Hop's eyes widened. "Shewas your rival?"

"Yeah." A tinge of wistfulness crossed Leon's face. "And she was a great Trainer, too. The best rival someone like me could ask for. But enough about the past - let's talk about your future! Gloria, I hear you've already been endorsed by Marcus here. But Hop, little brother, you haven't been officially endorsed yet, have you? Well, that's about to change, because after seeing a battle like that, I feel I have little choice but to give you my endorsem*nt for the Galarian Gym Challenge!"

"YES!" Hop's cry was earsplitting. "Thanks, Lee!" He grabbed the envelope from Leon's hand before Leon even let go of it, nearly ripping the paper in his enthusiasm. "I swear I'm gonna win my way through the Gym Challenge to reach you!"

Leon chuckled. "That kind of enthusiasm's what I like to see," he said. He glanced over at Gloria. "And you, Gloria…be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, and make the both of you stronger!"

Hop's mother raised her voice. "All right, you three, I think that's enough excitement for one day." She gestured towards the grill, where food could be heard sizzling loudly. "Food's ready, so let's all sit down and eat! Marcus, you're obviously welcome to join in, if you'd like, and so are your Pokemon!"

"I think we'll take you up on that," said Marcus, stepping towards a nearby chair. "I might take some food to go, if that's okay."

"Certainly!" said Hop's mother. Liepard knew perfectly well that the 'food to go' would go straight into the mouths of the rest of the team the instant Marcus had a free moment to send them all out, and so she felt no guilt as she tucked into the plateful of food that Hop's mother happily shoved over to her.

Part of me wishes this entire trip could be this simple. Just wandering around, making friends and watching or participating in battles.Liepard heaved a sigh.But I know there's no way things are going to be this peaceful forever.

In a darkened room in the depths of Rose Tower, Teller-Of-Tales surveyed the ranks of his Absols.

Twenty they numbered, hailing from all across the UPW. Some had been deployed in Kanto-Johto, and some as far away as Paldea. Some were old, seasoned operatives, and some were younger and fresher. But all were united under a single common belief - that Bringer-Of-Visions had overstepped her bounds.

That her way was no longer the right way to go about averting the apocalypse.

All eyes turned to Teller-Of-Tales as he cleared his throat. "Thank you all for attending on such short notice," he said. "Watcher. You are the one who requested this meeting. Why?"

Watcher-Of-Time stepped forwards. The only other Kalosian Herald among the group, he was effectively Teller-Of-Tales' second-in-command, and it had been the two of them that had started this whole renegade movement in the first place. He spoke crisply but with a hint of nervousness. "Marcus is now in Galar," he said.

The meaning of that statement was instantly clear to all in the room. A few groans came from some of the Absols; quickly, Teller-Of-Tales raised his tail, wordlessly demanding silence. "I should have figured Bringer-Of-Visions would do something like this," he said. "Watcher, what is the probability that Marcus will interfere, directly or indirectly, with our mission?"

Watcher-Of-Time swallowed. "I have calculated a 67.49% chance."

More groans. Teller-Of-Tales bit back a curse. That number was dangerously high. But, he reminded himself, that wasn't anywhere near 100% odds. Marcus could be headed off. Confrontation could be avoided.

And so Teller-Of-Tales raised his voice without a single quiver. "Thank you, Watcher," he said. "Marcus must be watched carefully. I want two Absols on him at all times. Follow his journey, make sure nothing goes amiss."

"Or we could just kill him."

Teller-Of-Tales stiffened, as did many of the other Heralds in the room, as the eerily calm voice of Arbiter-Of-Fates sounded. Arbiter-Of-Fates was...frightening, to put it bluntly. Teller-Of-Tales would never have recruited someone like her, someone who was so fantical and so pragmatism-oriented that even Bringer-Of-Visions hadn't wanted to send her on any missions, if he wasn't desperate for numbers and power. And while there was no denying Arbiter-Of-Fates' strength, there was also no denying that there was areasonBringer-Of-Visions had wanted nothing to do with her.

Slowly, Teller-Of-Tales turned to face Arbiter-Of-Fates as she stepped forwards, separating herself from the circle of Heralds. "Is there a problem with that?" she asked, locking eyes with Teller-Of-Tales.

Teller-Of-Tales did not blink as he responded. "We are not savages," he said. "And besides, I like to keep my options open. If this plan we have conceived somehow fails, then Marcus is the next best thing we have."

"Ah," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Forgive me. I was under the impression that you had broken away entirely from Bringer-Of-Visions."

"Wehave."

"And yet you are acting as if the two of you were working together," Arbiter-Of-Fates pointed out. "As if this was just an experimental foray, and if it fails you'll just return to the fold as if nothing had happened."

"That's not what I'm saying," Teller-Of-Tales growled.

"Then why keep Marcus alive?" Arbiter-Of-Fates asked. "You heard the probability. 67.49%. Those are fairly high odds, don't you think? Wouldn't it be best to nip that potential problem in the bud? After all, it seems foolish to prioritize Plan B over Plan A, does it not?"

Teller-Of-Tales glared at Arbiter-Of-Fates, trying to think of a rebuttal. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, Arbiter-Of-Fates was absolutely right. Marcusdidrepresent a threat, a threat that it would be best to neutralize before it came to pass.

But Teller-Of-Tales wanted to avoid murder, if at all possible.Especiallythat of Marcus. And that was the thought running through his mind as he spoke again. "Did we not break away from the Heralds," he asked, "precisely because of Bringer-Of-Visions' mistreatment of Marcus and his Pokemon? And knowing that, are you truly willing to turn around and kill him the instant he poses a potential problem to our plans?"

Several Absols noticeably shook their heads; murmurs generally in the negative emanated from around the room. Arbiter-Of-Fates looked unconvinced, but at a look from Teller-Of-Tales she stepped back, saying nothing.

"My orders with regards to Marcus, stated previously, are to be followed," said Teller-Of-Tales. "That is all."

Roughly half an hour later, in a room elsewhere in the same building, Chairman Rose slowly tapped a number out on his Pokedex, hesitating before each digit. His face was an emotionless mask as he finished; as his Pokedex buzzed, indicating an outgoing call, he raised the device to his face and waited.

He did not have to wait long.

"Well, well." The voice coming from the other end of the call was filtered and unrecognizable. "Chairman Rose. I must say, I would not have expected someone of your stature to come to someone like me. What is it that you want?"

"Two jobs," said Rose. "Both to be undertaken at the same time. The first concerns a group of Absol that have recently relocated to Galar. There are twenty in all, and all are highly dangerous fighters. I want you to capture and neutralize as many as you possibly can. You will receive fifty thousand Pokedollars for each successful,provencapture…and a bonus of one million Pokedollars if you are able to capture all twenty."

"Quite a sum, even for someone like you," the voice observed. "And the other?"

Rose hesitated for a moment. "There is a Trainer currently visiting Galar," he said. "His name is Marcus, and the Absol group appears to be targeting him for assassination. I want you to protect him. Ensure he is not harmed until the first job is done."

The voice sounded again, this time noticeably colder in tone. "I do not run a daycare, Chairman. Especially not for Kalosian Gym Leaders. And I do not appreciate you attempting to conceal Marcus's position from me."

"You will receive another one million Pokedollars for Marcus's protection."

A pause. "Two million."

"How about," said Rose, "we split the difference. One point five million."

"Two million."

"Or maybe, one point seven five-"

"I do not haggle, Chairman. Two million for Marcus's protection, or you can find someone else to deal with your Absol problem."

Rose heaved a sigh. "Two million."

"Thank you, Chairman," said the voice. "Consider your jobs accepted. I will contact you again once I have arrived in Galar." Rose's Pokedex beeped to signal that the call had been ended.

Left alone once more, Chairman Rose leaned back and looked out over the countless lights of Wyndon, his face still completely unreadable.

Every step Wooloo took made him want to turn back even more. He hated this place. He hated the fog that covered the ground. He hated the snaggly branches that seemed as if they would snatch him off the ground at any moment. He hated the emptiness, the silence, and the near-total absence of any visible life.

It would have been total but for Mandibuzz. Her words were soothing even though they startled Wooloo every time. "It's all right," she said, her voice cutting through the mist. "Don't be afraid. Nothing's going to jump out at you. And even if it does, I won't let it hurt you."

Wooloo kept walking. He didn't really know why. By all rights he should have turned around. He'd proved he wasn't scared. He'd gone into the Slumbering Weald. So why was he going deeper in?

He stopped suddenly, straining his ears, for he had begun to pick up the sound of more voices, coming from ahead. He could not make them out. Mandibuzz spoke again. "It's all right," she said. "They're not going to hurt you."

Wooloo trusted Mandibuzz. Why? He didn't know. But something about Mandibuzz was comforting to Wooloo. Comforting in a way he couldn't describe, but comforting all the same. And so Wooloo began to walk again, moving towards the voices that Mandibuzz had promised were friendly.

He began to see movement. Pokemon were flitting through the trees in front of him. Wooloo recognized the shape of a Rookidee. Then he looked around and realized that there were actually quite a few Rookidees. Ten, twenty…Wooloo's head began to spin as he reached thirty.

So many Rookidees…is this Mandibuzz their leader or something?

A few of the Rookidees glanced at Wooloo, but at the sight of Mandibuzz they looked away. Wooloo kept walking, looking up as more and more Rookidees came within view. He could now see several Corvisquires flying amongst the gigantic Rookidee flock, seemingly issuing orders that Wooloo couldn't hear.

Mandibuzz landed on a branch. "I have returned," she said loudly but calmly.

"Good."

The new voice came from high, high above. Wooloo's eyes widened as what he'd thought was merely a section of leaves suddenly spread its wings. From above descended the form of a massive Corviknight, its steely feathers reflecting what little light was coming from above. Wooloo saw one of the Corviknight's eyes fall upon him, and gulped.

"Is it Trained?" Corviknight asked.

"It was approached and spoken to by Trainers," Mandibuzz answered.

"Then it will do." Corviknight raised his voice. "SILENCE!" he bellowed.

The flapping of wings stopped in an instant as every single Rookidee scrambled to perch on the nearest branch. Wooloo noticed the various Corvisquires had already been sitting on branches; the Rookidees were so numerous that some of said Corvisquires were squeezed in between the ranks of smaller Flying-types, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"We have gathered here," Corviknight began, "for months on end, rallying more and more to our cause. For months we have watched from the woods, waiting for an opportunity to prove ourselves. To prove our truth. To prove oursuperiority."

A cacophony of agreements came from the surrounding branches. Corviknight raised a wing; the hush began anew. "For generations," he continued, "the Wild Pokemon of the Slumbering Weald have been seen as a curiosity at best, an annoyance at worst. Young Trainersdareeach other to go into the woods. Old Trainers move through its trees, capturing us in their Pokeballs,stealingus. Our friends, our families. But now…now it is time to end this!"

Corviknight took a breath; one eye swiveled down towards Wooloo once more. "We, the Great Flock, are superior to those pathetic Trainers!" he cried. "Our numbers and our combined skill will overwhelm any resistance they muster! And I, Corviknight, will lead this Great Flock into a new era! One where Pokemon reclaim their rightful status as greater than humans!"

He gestured downwards with one metallic wing. "Mandibuzz, my second-in-command, has kindly tricked a Trained Pokemon into these woods," he said. "Humans will follow. They will not abandon theirpet." He spat the word, to jeers from the surrounding crowd. "And when they do," said Corviknight gleefully, "we will show them no mercy! The humans will learn that the Wild Pokemon of the Slumbering Weald will not be subservient any longer! The humans will learn that Pokemon are far greater than they are! And when they learn, they will spread our message across this entire region, and Wild Pokemon from all across this region will join our cause. We will create an empire stretching all across Galar, and the humans willlearnnot to cross us…no matter how many bodies it takes."

Wooloo's eyes were wide as saucers.Tricked? No mercy? Bodies? This is insane! How could…how could I have been so stupid as to come here? How could I-

And then the fog across his mind dissipated, and the reality of the situation hit Wooloo full force. Twisting, he broke into a sprint; he didn't know where exactly he was going, only that it was away from this monster of a Corviknight and his horde.

"Shifty Slash!"

The earth in front of Wooloo exploded as a blade of Flying energy slammed into it inches from Wooloo's face. Wooloo froze, quivering in place, as Mandibuzz flew delicately to the ground in front of him. "I didn't lie, you know," she said. "Nothing is going to hurt you…"

"…at least not as long as you cooperate."

I actually wrote a massive scene for Chairman Rose in this chapter. I scrapped it because (1) it was too infodumpy, (2) it made an already fairly lengthy chapter even longer, and (3) it was just boring. And if there's one thing I don't want this fic to be, it's boring.

Which is why, as you can see, I'm throwing aminorcomplication into the Sword/Shield intro.

Chapter 4: The Weald Beckons

Chapter Text

"There," Gloria whispered as she sprayed the last of the Potion on Scorbunny's injured cheek. Scorbunny sighed with relief as he felt the pain ebb. He'd fought Grookey before, but it had always been simple spars, designed to test out attacks rather than actually knock one another out.

He hadn't expected Grookey's branch to hurtthatmuch.

Two months.Scorbunny bowed his head, dejection still filling him despite Gloria's kind words and praise for his performance.Two months since the three of us were created in Magnolia's lab. Two months I've been waiting for a Trainer, and in the first battle I didn't even get a single knockout.

At least they'd won. But that somehow made Scorbunny feel even worse. Bunnelby had been so exhausted after the battle that, even with healing, she was still resting up in her Pokeball.

Maybe she wouldn't have had to exert herself so much if I wasn't so weak. I'm a Fire-type! How did I lose to a Grass-type?

"Hey, cheer up, Scorbunny." Scorbunny looked up at Gloria's smiling face. "Look, I get that you probably don't feel too good. But it was really my fault. I just told you to keep firing Embers. Hop adapted, and I didn't. You have nothing to blame yourself for. And besides, you did enough damage that Bunnelby didn't even need to expend any effort to finish Grookey. All that damage and exhaustion she took came from Hop's Wooloo."

"Really?" Scorbunny's eyes widened.

Gloria seemed to get the gist of Scorbunny's query, for she nodded. "Yeah," she said. "So don't feel too bad. Sure, we've got stuff to work on, but that's what training is for, right?"

"Right." Scorbunny nodded.

"So how about you eat something," said Gloria, passing over a small plate piled with food, "and then we can start thinking about how to improve your moveset."

Scorbunny reached out and began to work his way through the plate of food, his good mood somewhat restored. He couldn't deny that he'd been pretty confident - perhaps a little too confident - that he would beat Grookey. They'd trained together for so long. But all that time Grookey had shied away from Scorbunny's Embers, and so Scorbunny had usually been able to win their practice bouts.

But as Gloria had said, Hop had adapted. Scorbunny had never seen Grookey charge straight into his Embers before, and it had thrown him off. Next time he'd be ready.

Next time would be different.

"I don't get it."

Kamado looked up from his meal at the sound of Cloyster's voice. It had taken a whole fifteen minutes for Marcus to excuse himself from the patio, allowing him to slip into a side room so that he could release the rest of the team to eat. Now he was just outside the door, keeping watch for anyone who might be coming by. Time was of the essence, Kamado knew, and so he, along with most of the rest of the team, had quickly scarfed his portion down. But as he glanced at Cloyster, Kamado noticed that the Water/Ice-type had barely touched his food, and his face was filled with an uncharacteristic sadness.

"Leon knows about us," said Cloyster, gesturing to the rest of the group. "And it's not like we need to hide our existence from Hop and Gloria, right? They're not reporters. What are they going to expose that Leon isn't? And…for that matter, why are we even hiding our existence from anyone? Isn't part of ourcover storythat Marcus is going around to the local Gyms to train us up?"

His speech faltered as he noticed the team were all looking at him. "I'm sorry," he said. "Look, don't get me wrong…I trust Marcus. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like he's overwhelmed. Sure, he's been to other regions - I don't think any of us can ever forget Alola - but not like this. Not on an official mission designed around subterfuge. I think it's something he doesn't really understand, and I think he's psyching himself into making…poor decisions. And while I hate to say it…I can tell you're all thinking something along those lines, too."

Still no one else spoke. Cloyster slumped. "I'm sorry."

"Cloyster." Pangoro's rough voice brought Kamado's attention to the burly Dark/Fighting-type; he and the other Dark-types were sitting off to the side, seeing as they'd already eaten. "Don't apologize. You're absolutely right. He's not even talking to us - he sent us Dark-types out without even asking any of his Pokemon about that. He didn't even ask Kriesh, and he hadherout for pretty much the entire journey to Gloria's house."

"Yeah," Kriesh murmured. "I figured he was kind of hoping to keep us hidden from any reporters in the crowd, but then he still didn't send us out even when that crowd was long gone."

"It feels like," said Trevenant, "he's trying to be 'subtle', except he only really has a general idea of 'subtlety', without any real understanding ofhowhe has to be 'subtle'."

"If I may," Liepard interjected, "all these points are being made, but it's not like Marcus is hearing them. Only one of us can actively communicate with Marcus." She glanced pointedly at Medicham, who was sitting next to a wall and had clearly been eating quietly throughout the conversation.

Liepard sighed. "Medicham, are you even listening?"

Medicham's head twisted as though someone had punched her in the cheek. "I'm sorry?"

"We need you to talk to Marcus," said Houndoom. "About…y'know…his 'subterfuge'. Surely you've seen that he's acting oddly, too?"

Medicham frowned; the expression disappeared almost as fast as it had arrived. "I…I guess I haven't been paying much attention," she said, her voice thick with guilt.

"Are you…all right, Medicham?" Kriesh asked.

"I'm fine." The Fighting/Psychic-type rose from where she was sitting. "I'll talk to Marcus. Tell him…what do you want me to tell him?"

Kamado spoke up. "Just that we can all tell he is overwhelmed," he said. "And that we are willing to help him out, if he will let us. We are his Pokemon. Our role is notonlyto follow his instructions."

Medicham nodded a little too quickly for Kamado's liking. "All right, I'll see what I can do."

She could tell they could see it. The guilt that filled her eyes, thickened her voice, made her every step slower than she wanted it to be. But she also knew they couldn't understand the reason why.

Likely they thought it was simple guilt over not paying attention. For how could they know Medicham's thoughts?

How could they know that Medicham was feeling guilty because she knew Marcus's erratic focus on 'subtlety' was her own fault?

How could they know that Marcus was trying to hide his true strength from the Heralds he knew, from Medicham's words, would be watching?

Medicham sighed as she ambled towards Marcus. The rest of the team was right. This pointless fixation on stealth needed to stop. It wasn't like it would help, anyway, not against the Heralds. They knew who Marcus was. They knew his team composition. And even if they didn't, their Future Sight meant that they could easily find out.

Her foot touched something solid; she looked up and realized she'd reached the cracked-open door to the room. Through the opening she could see Marcus standing guard, eyes scanning every direction someone might approach from.

He's too paranoid.Medicham cleared her throat - a meaningless gesture due to her telepathy, but it felt right anyway - and spoke. "Marcus."

Marcus glanced down, instantly spotting Medicham peeking through the crack in the door. "You done?" he asked. "That was fast. All right, let's-"

"Marcus, we need to talk."

Marcus sighed. "Is this about the Absols?" he asked.

"Sort of." Medicham looked over her shoulder at the rest of the team, all of whom were watching her. "Marcus, I know you're nervous. You have every right to be. But you're only making things more difficult for yourself,andfor us."

"I just don't want them to find out-"

"Marcus, they already know everything about you," said Medicham. "They know about all of us. They know our fighting styles, our personalities, when and where we wereborn."

Marcus looked slightly ill.

"But that's not the point," Medicham continued. "The point is, you need to stop playing this by ear. We can tell you're not confident about anything, we can tell you seem content to just follow Hop and Gloria around and hope it turns out well, we can tell you're making decisions based on some vague and frankly incorrect idea of 'subtlety', and it's painfully obvious that you don't really have an actual plan."

"And I suppose you have a better plan?" Judging by Marcus's rapid gasp after the last word left his mind, he had not intended for his tone to be as harsh as it had been.

Medicham sighed. "I'm not saying this to be mean, Marcus. I'm saying this because I'm worried about you. The whole team's worried about you. So listen to me, Marcus - right now, as fast as you can, tell me what your plan is for learning Piers's whereabouts and tracking him down."

"I'm going to accompany Gloria on her Gym Challenge," Marcus responded impatiently, "and wait for her to get to Spikemuth."

"And what happens then?" Medicham asked. "What if Piers isn't at Spikemuth? What then? Or, even worse, what if the Gym Challengers get detoured to a minor league Gym of some sort? What if Gloria never gets to Spikemuth in the first place? I will say it again - you aren't going to be able to accomplish this mission by just 'being subtle' and making things up as you go along. You need a plan. And you're right - I don't have a better one, at least not yet. So why don't we come up with one,together,and stop all this needless hiding?"

"Marcus?"

Both Marcus and Medicham jumped at the sudden sound of Gloria's voice. Marcus swiftly opened his mouth; just as swiftly, Medicham spoke telepathically again. "Think twice about what you're going to say."

Marcus closed his mouth, then opened it again. "I'm here, Gloria. What do you need?"

Gloria stepped around the corner. "Sorry. Hop's mom brought out a pudding, and I thought maybe you or your Pokemon might want some…are you still busy?"

Marcus hesitated for long enough that Medicham began to worry before speaking again. "My team's still eating," he said. "I think…if they're okay with it, would you like to meet them?"

Medicham sighed with relief; she glanced back to notice pleased expressions on most of the rest of the team's faces. "Um…sure?" Gloria's voice sounded uncertain, but the sound of echoing footsteps indicated she was coming closer regardless, and Medicham took a step back as the door swung open.

Gloria's eyes swiftly took in the group of non-Dark-type Pokemon, all of whom were looking up at her, before descending towards Medicham. Medicham was annoyed, though not entirely surprised, when they swiveled near-instantly to the half-length stump protruding from her right shoulder. "Oh, I…is she-"

"Missing an arm, yes."

Gloria's eyes widened as she realized Medicham had just spoken to her. Medicham's voice had come out a little more sharply than she'd hoped, for Gloria sighed, looking down at the floor. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Is…is this why you didn't want them to eat out with the rest of us?"

Marcus's eyes betrayed his feeling ofsure, let's go with that. "That's one of the reasons, yes," he said.

"I'm so sorry," Gloria said again.

"Don't be," said Medicham. "It's an innocent mistake - and besides, I'm used to it."

Marcus seemed to decide that it would be best to change the subject. "Shall I introduce you to the rest of the team?"

"That…that would be great." Gloria was clearly still feeling guilty, but she stepped fully into the room regardless, Marcus following one step behind.

"You've already met Kriesh, my Fearow," said Marcus. "So let's start with Cloyster. He was my fourth catch - after Medicham, Drapion, and Kriesh - and he actually just walked up to me on a beach and asked to be caught!"

"Really?" Gloria asked.

Cloyster nodded in affirmation.

"Sometimes it's like that," said Marcus. "Some wild Pokemon want you to prove your strength, while others just ask to join up. I was lucky enough to have quite a few of the latter. Trevenant, for example…"

The meal was done, the plates cleaned, and the Pokemon back in their balls. As Casey handed a stack of plates to Hop's mother for carrying inside, Leon cleared his throat. "All right, everybody!" he said. "If you're going to participate in the Gym Challenge, the first thing you have to do is visit Professor Magnolia over by Wedgehurst and get - guess what - your Dynamax Bands!"

"Awesome!" Hop's reaction was, naturally, enthusiastic. "Oh, Gloria! What Pokemon are you going to Dynamax? Do you think you're gonna get Gigantamax? I certainly hope I will!"

"Yeah, so do I," Gloria murmured. Medicham narrowed her eyes from inside her Luxury Ball; Gloria seemed surprisingly distracted.

Clearly, Leon noticed it as well. "Something the matter, young Gloria?"

"I, um…" Gloria looked down. "I kind of…just realized I forgot my…camping supplies at home."

Casey sighed. "Well, it's not like it's too far back to the house. Go back and get them while you're still thinking of it."

"I'll come with you!" said Hop. "I've seen your gear - you'll probably need some help carrying it all, even with that big bag of yours!"

"All right, then," said Leon with a chuckle. "Go on, you two. We'll head to Magnolia's place, and you can meet us there!"

"Sure thing, Lee!" Hop cried. "Just don't take all the Dynamax bands before we get there! C'mon, Gloria, I'll race you back to your house!"

"Hey!" Gloria protested as Hop took off. "I don't have anyone to carry my bag this time!" She hurled herself after Hop as fast as she could, her heavy bag swinging from her shoulder. Casey let out a long-suffering sigh and moved after them at a much slower pace.

As she departed the front yard, Leon turned to Marcus. "You're welcome to come to Magnolia's place too, if you'd like. A young Gym Leader like you might learn a thing or two over there."

"I wouldn't mind," said Marcus.

"Great!" Leon looked over his shoulder at Hop's mother. "Bye, Mum!"

"See you on the telly soon, Leon!" Medicham had forgotten that Hop's mother was Leon's as well; she waved to Leon with one arm as with the other she picked up another small pile of dishes. Turning on his heel, Leon began to trot towards the path to Wedgehurst. Marcus scrambled after him, slowing to a normal walk only when he reached a point right beside Leon.

From what Medicham remembered, Wedgehurst was barely ten minutes away - not so long as to be frustrating, but long enough that a conversation could be easily held. And so she was not at all surprised when Leon began to speak practically the instant they'd turned onto the path to Wedgehurst. "So, any particular reason the rest of the team couldn't join us?"

Medicham sighed.Of course he'd notice something like that.Thankfully, Marcus was ready with a swift lie. "My Medicham…doesn't exactly like to be around strangers," he said. "And the rest of the team likes to support her. My Dark-types are a lot better at interacting with others than my other team members."

Leon nodded. "It's good that you keep track of your Pokemon's feelings like that," he said. "I hope you can impart those same values onto young Gloria."

"From what I can tell, she's already pretty good at it," Marcus pointed out.

"True that," said Leon. "To be honest, I'm glad Hop's finally got a true rival. He always wrote to me whenever he got into a battle with his Wooloo, but I sensed he eventually got bored of beating random Trainers. Did you know he'd never lost a battle before today?"

"No, I didn't," said Marcus.

"Yeah." Leon smiled wistfully. "You know, people call me the 'unbeatable Champion', but everyone forgets my battle with Cynthia back in the most recent International League."

"I've watched that battle more than a few times," Marcus admitted.

"You're far from the only one," said Leon. "I still think I might have won if she hadn't lured my Mr. Rime in with her Garchomp…once he and Charizard were down, her Roserade absolutely tore through my team. I should've used Dragapult instead…I thought I was being clever by saving it for Lucario, but Seismitoad could've taken Lucario down easy."

He smiled. "But hey, nobody's perfect. Y'know, I was really hoping she'd get to keep her title, so that I could challenge her again in this year's International League. But now I get to fight her successor - I don't really know how strong Dawn is, but anyone who could beat Cynthia with aPachirisuis okay in my book."

Leon trailed off, chuckling to himself as he reminisced about past battles. Medicham seized the opportunity. "All right, Marcus. Now's as good a time as any to come up with a plan."

It took a few moments for Marcus to respond. "Hold on," he said. Out loud, he said, "So you were talking about the opening ceremony before we got to your mother's house. What exactly does that entail?"

Leon grinned, clearly pleased to advertise. "Well, it takes place in Motostoke Stadium, which can seat an audience of two thousand. Chairman Rose opens the ceremony with a speech, the Gym Leaders walk onto the field to be introduced, then the Gym Challengers get the same treatment. After that, they all head to the stands - we've got front-row seats reserved for all of them every year - and then the exhibition battle takes place. Speaking of which, have you given that any more thought?"

Marcus smiled. "I have," he said. "And…you've got yourself a participant."

"Ha!" Leon slapped Marcus on the back. "I knew you'd come around! Get ready - we're going to have an absolute Champion time, I just know it!"

Marcus chuckled. "I'm going to make sure to put on a show the audience won't forget."

"That's what I like to hear!" Leon's grin abruptly dipped as his Pokedex suddenly rang. "Oh, sorry, Marcus - I need to take this."

As Leon brought his Pokedex to his ear, Medicham spoke again. "So that's your plan?"

"Part of it, yeah," said Marcus. "Simply put, we need to be at that opening ceremony. Leon said the Gym Leaders would all be attending, so if Piers shows up, great, we talk to him. And if Piers doesn't show up, then we've got a reason to ask what's going on without drawing any suspicion. Once we find out more, we can figure out what our next move is, but at this point all I know is that if Leon's offering a surefire way to get into the opening ceremony, then I'm taking it. And besides, since we're already sticking with Gloria…well, she's going to be at the opening ceremony too."

"Nowthat'sa plan." Medicham smiled. "I trust I'll be participating?"

"Of course," said Marcus. "You are my Ace - if I'm going to be taking on a Champion, I'm not using anyone but my strongest.Be ready to take on his Charizard."

"You got it." Medicham began running through the techniques in her head, racking her brain for the best way to fight a Charizard. A thought came to her. "Hey, what about that one TM you taught me last year?"

Marcus grinned. "Oh, yes. That'll throw a scare into him."

"Now what's got you so happy?"

Leon had apparently finished his call. Marcus coughed. "Um…plotting strategy with my Medicham?"

Leon burst into uproarious laughter. "Ofcourse, telepathic communication! I should introduce your Medicham to Mr. Rime - he might be able to teach her a thing or two on the Psychic front."

"Once our battle is over?" Marcus asked.

"Why wait?" Leon chuckled again. "The more prepared you are for our battle, the more Champion of a time we'll have! Let's introduce them to each other once we get to the lab!"

"Sounds good," said Marcus. Medicham's reaction was a good deal less subdued - she hadn't known that Leon had a Psychic of his own, and a thrill shot through her at the possibility of learning from a Champion-level Psychic.

Marcus cleared his throat. "So, do you mind me asking what that call was about?"

"Oh, just a report from Rose." Leon's face soured. "Team Yell's been causing trouble in Motostoke again."

Medicham's fists clenched involuntarily as Marcus nearly tripped over his own feet.Team Yell?A sinking pit began to grow in Medicham's stomach.On top of the renegade Heralds and whatever's going on with Piers, we've also got to deal withanotherevil team?

Leon sighed. "You don't need to be alarmed, Marcus," he said. "They're just a bunch of hooligans. It's not like they steal Pokemon or anything. The worst they've done is block a few roads and made a lot of noise."

"Yeah, well," said Marcus, "Team Skull were 'just a bunch of hooligans', too."

Leon frowned. "Didn't they turn over a new leaf after the Battle of Alola?"

"Before, actually," Marcus corrected. "But I was there before they did that. They seemed like a group of thugs just out to cause trouble, and then they turned out to be working with Lusamine and using artificial Legendaries."

"Maybe I'll call Rose and tell him to send out a group of his Macro Cosmos people to disperse Team Yell," Leon murmured. "From what I've heard, Team Yell aren't proficient battlers - their Pokemon look intimidating, but in a fight they fold like paper to any halfway decent Trainer."

"That'll be a relief," said Marcus. "But it's not like they're just Grunts. Do you know anything about their boss?"

"No," said Leon, "but to be honest, I haven't really been keeping up with the situation. Rose handles things like this most of the time…I'll look into it."

Most of the remainder of the walk was spent in a fairly uncomfortable silence. The pit in Medicham's stomach wasn't getting any smaller. On one hand, Team Yell didn't seem all that threatening. On the other hand, as Marcus had said, neither had Team Skull. And uncomfortable memories of Alola, and the horrors that had spawned from that catastrophe, were beginning to shift in Medicham's mind.

She was thankful when Leon called out, "Looks like we're here!"

Peering out of her Luxury Ball, Medicham instantly beheld two female humans standing in front of the door to a lovely-looking purple-roofed house. One was an older, white-haired woman dressed in a white lab coat - clearly the local Professor - while the other was much younger, with peach-colored hair with small white hearts dotted throughout, and was far more casually dressed.

"Magnolia! Sonia!" Leon waved hello.

As the two women returned Leon's greeting, Medicham found herself staring at the younger woman. Leon had said the professor was Magnolia, so the younger woman must then be Sonia. Could it be that this was the same Sonia Leon had mentioned, the one who had been his childhood rival?
"Good to see you again, Leon," said Magnolia. "And where are Hop and Gloria? I was told they'd be arriving."

"They had to pick some stuff up," Leon answered. "They'll be here soon."

"Hi, Leon!" Sonia stepped forwards to shake Leon's hand.

"Hello, Sonia!" Leon responded in kind. "I'd like you to meet Marcus - he's a visiting Gym Leader from Kalos!"

"Oh, really?" Sonia turned to Marcus. "I'm Sonia, the professor's assistant! Nice to meet you!"

As Marcus shook Sonia's hand, Magnolia gestured. "Well, let's not stand around outside for no reason! Come in, come in!"

Leon turned to Marcus. "They have a yard around the side. If you could let Medicham out over there…"

Suddenly remembering Leon's promise, Medicham felt a small measure of excitement restore itself in her mind as Marcus, with a nod of his head, moved over to a nearby fence and released Medicham onto the grass on the other side.

Medicham wasted no time in looking around. The yard was quite large and full of grass; it was also occupied by a few other Pokemon; one of the herds of Wooloo that seemed to be everywhere around this stretch of land stood by the back fence of the yard, while closer to Magnolia's house, Medicham could see a large Venusaur plodding around the yard, saying something Medicham couldn't hear to an Orbeetle floating above its head.

The sound of another Pokeball opening drew Medicham's attention as Leon's Mr. Rime materialized next to her. Medicham had never seen a Mr. Rime before; she'd expected something similar to a Mr. Mime, but what she beheld was an oddly portly humanoid Pokemon with large feet that were already moving in some sort of tap dance and a cane that looked like it was formed from a giant icicle. With a last encouraging smile, Marcus stepped into Magnolia's lab after Leon, leaving Medicham behind with Mr. Rime.

To his credit, Mr. Rime's eyes didn't even stray to Medicham's missing arm. Instead he said, "So I hear you might be facing my comrade Charizard?"

"It's beginning to seem that way," Medicam responded.

"Well, then!" said Mr. Rime joyfully, his feet continuing to dance as he spoke. "Let us get started swiftly, in that case. How about you show me the extent of your Psychic on…say…that slightly yellowed blade of grass over there."

Mr. Rime pointed with his cane; following said cane-point, Medicham indeed beheld a blade of grass that was a little more yellow than the others. Eyes narrowing at that spot, she gathered a simple Mind Blast. In the past, she would have called the attack; now it was simple enough to draw on, like a basic punch or kick, that Medicham didn't bother.

Instead she tossed it wordlessly, unleashing a bolt of Mind that slammed into the indicated blade of grass in a split second, strong and fast enough to send up a spray of dirt and displaced grasses and form a small divot in the ground.

Mr. Rime grunted. "You have decent control over Mind for someone as young as you are," the dancing Pokemon observed. "Quite impressive, quite impressive indeed."

Yeah, well, that's what training with a Legendary every night gets you.Medicham shoved that thought aside - no reason to appear arrogant - and said, "Thank you."

"Ah, but see?" Mr. Rime pointed with his icicle-cane to the spot Medicham had hit with her Psychic blast. "5.83 inches in diameter - powerful but unrefined. Your Psychic is a spear - mine is a needle. Observe."

Mr. Rime's cane glowed purple as he spun it with a flourish. From the tip shot a bolt of Mind so concentrated Medicham had to squint to see it as it lew towards a cluster of three blades of grass swaying in the wind. The concentrated Psychic slammed into the blades; the central blade was effectively disintegrated, blown out of existence, but the blades to either side were completely untouched.

"0.66 millimeters." Mr. Rime sighed. "I'm afraid I'm a little out of practice, but that should give you a general idea of what to aim for. What else can you do with your Psychic abilities?"

"I can…telepathically communicate," said Medicham. "I can use it to augment my attacks, though-"

"-you normally prefer Aura for that," Mr. Rime finished. "I understand, I understand. There's nothing to be ashamed of on that front - Medichams with Pure Power always do seem to lean more towards their Fighting-type sides. Though Zen Headbutt is a predominantly Psychic-type technique - I assume you know that one?"

"Yes," said Medicham.

"Good, let us focus on that." Mr. Rime spun his cane again. "Just like with Psychic, Zen Headbutt can be focused to a pinpoint. Most use it to enshroud their head - simple augmentation. But if one focused it, then unleashed it just as their forehead made contact, well…let's just say it's effectively two Zen Headbutts for the price of one. I use a similar technique with my cane - observe." Again Mr. Rime spun his cane in a circle. "Tap-Dance Style: Cane Tap," he stated simply, bringing the tip of his cane down onto the ground.

The explosive blast of Mind that emanated from where Mr. RIme's cane touched the earth nearly sent Medicham staggering backwards even though she wasn't really anywhere near it. As the cloud of Mind cleared, it revealed Mr. Rime standing over a terrifyingly large crater in the ground. "Explosive force applied after the initial strike," Mr. Rime explained. "Strong naturally, but for the especially experienced there is another layer to it. You see, a spear of Mind is merely an impact on the body. But a needle can pierce the skin and muscle and flesh and penetrateinside. Imaginethatexplosion - a blast that strikes directly at your inner organs or your brain, scrambling your body. Even an experienced battler might be knocked out instantly, or at the very least staggered enough to leave themselves open for a finishing blow. That kind of power can be yours if you become capable of focusing your Zen Headbutt enough."

"Is Tap-Dance Style your Ability or something?" Medicham asked.

"No, it is simply my preferred method of fighting." Mr. Rime raised his cane off the ground, twirling the tip upwards. "My Ability is Screen Cleaner. It allows me to create and manipulate barriers. Observe. Screen Cleaner: Barrier Riffle."

A Protect barrier materialized as if stemming from the tip of Mr. Rime's cane. Just as quickly, it curled up into a ball and, at a swish from Mr. Mime's cane, rammed into the ground twice in quick succession, striking first in one spot then in a spot just behind it, leaving two tiny craters in the earth in the blink of an eye. Swirling, it then flew backwards, carving a neat curve into the ground straight through the two craters before dematerializing. Medicham winced, imagining an attack like that striking an enemy Pokemon.The first strike to the forehead, the second straight to the tip of the nose, probably breaking it, and then a hammer to the top of the head as the opponent reels, slamming them to the ground and leaving them easy prey for that Cane Tap or something similar. All in a split second, all with a Protect barrier completely unbreakable under normal circ*mstances.

If this is how strong his Mr. Rime is…how in Distortion am I going to be able to stand up to his Ace Charizard?

"But enough about my Ability," said Mr. Rime. "Let us return to Zen Headbutt. Obviously, honing your Mind into a needle-sized cluster of energy will take far more work than can be achieved in one day. But unleashing an explosion of Mind from an already-delivered Zen Headbutt is far easier to master, and so I believe that is what we shall focus on with our limited time. Unleash a Zen Headbutt into my Protect barrier, then try and detonate the energy after the attack is dealt."

A twirl of Mr. Rime's cane yielded another barrier; thankfully, this one didn't curl into a ball. Medicham stepped forwards, suddenly nervous - she didn't want to crack her skull or give herself a concussion on Mr. Rime's Protect. Normally she would avoid this by cushioning the blow with Aura, but if she was going to master this new form of Zen Headbutt she would have to only use Mind.

Mr. Rime watched, tapping his foot on the ground, as Medicham crouched. Leaning back, she gathered Mind across her forehead. She took a moment to brace herself for pain, and then, with a cry of "Psychic Strike!", unleashed her Zen Headbutt straight into the Protect.

"Psychic Blast!" she snarled through gritted teeth even as the blow connected. In the next moment she was flying backwards through the air; weightlessness filled her body for a solid few seconds before gravity took hold and she fell to the ground, landing with athumpon her back.

Mr. Rime chuckled. "Not bad, not bad at all! I daresay you'll have a good handle on this technique with just a couple days of practice."

"That…didn't seem all that good," Medicham grunted, picking herself up off the ground.

"Nonsense!" said Mr. Rime. "The fact that you were able to unleash the energy at all on your very first try is astounding - that would have done quite a bit of damage! All you need to do is focus the blast so it doesn't strike you as well!"

He materialized another Protect barrier. "Now, practice makes perfect! Let's see if we can't get a few more repetitions in before Hop and Gloria arrive!"

Medicham's head was pounding with pain, but she stepped forwards to try again anyway. After all, Mr. Rime was right.Practice makes perfect.

"Psychic Strike!"

"So, what brings you to Galar?" Sonia asked.

Kriesh tuned out Marcus's response, preferring to glance around the laboratory as best she could through the crack in her Luxury Ball. Leon and Magnolia were chatting up on a raised balcony overlooking the main room of the lab; Marcus and Sonia were sitting at a table near a large side window, through which Kriesh could see Medicham practicing Psychic-type attacks with Leon's Mr. Rime. The only Pokemon she could see in the lab was a small Yamper who was running around the first floor with surprising speed for such a small, fat-looking Pokemon, a Sinistea floating next to a bookshelf and looking serene, and a Polteageist floating next to the Sinistea and looking equally serene.

"Are they yours?" Kriesh heard Marcus ask.

"Yamper is," said Sonia fondly. "The other two are Gran's. C'mere, Yamper!"

"Okay!" Yamper hopped over excitedly, leaping up on the table. "Do you need anything? Or is it time for cuddles? Oh, boy, cuddles!"

Yamper rolled over, paws in the air, as Sonia reached out to rub his now-exposed tummy. "Is he part of your team?" Marcus asked.

Sonia looked down at her Yamper. "Sorta. Yamper's the son of my Boltund. And then the rest of my team's Venusaur, Corviknight, Kingler, and Orbeetle, so Yamper's sorta became my sixth after he was born."

"You only had five?" Marcus asked. "Weren't you Leon's rival or something?"

"Oh, did he tell you that?" Sonia looked up at Leon. "Yeah, I was his rival. And not a bad one, either, if I do say so myself. I'm surprised he told you - these days it feels like he remembers that a lot less than I do. Nowadays he only comes by to ask for info on never-before-seen, super-strong Pokemon. I keep having to dissuade him from going after Legendaries - just two months ago he came by wanting to know how to find Zarude." Sonia scoffed. "I had to tell him that Zarude is the only Legendary that isn't completely unique. I also had to tell him that packs of Zarude are notoriously aggressive and will beat the snot out of anyone not part of their pack." She shook her head. "But yeah, I was his rival, at least until I dropped out of the Gym Challenge five Gyms in."

"You can do that?" Marcus's mouth snapped shut as soon as the last word left his mouth - clearly, he knew the question had been insensitive.

"Of course," Sonia murmured. "It's not all that common, but…" She sighed. "Anyway! What's your team?"

Marcus swiftly listed off all the members of his team. Sonia smiled. "Sounds like a big, strong team," she said. "I have to ask - doesn't nine Pokemon get a little difficult to deal with? Even Leon only has seven - eight, now, counting Sobble."

"Well, most of the time I only have the Dark-types with me," said Marcus. "Being a Gym Leader takes a lot of time out of my day. The other five stay at my parents' house and train. But once the Gym season is over, I'm free for three months, which gives me time to pay attention to the rest of my team."

"Your Gym operates fornine months?" Sonia's eyes widened. "That must beexhausting!"

"Right, Gyms here only really operate for one month," Marcus recalled.

"Technically it's two months," Sonia corrected. "They have to get ready for the Gym Challenge, iron out changes they want to make and kinks that need to be corrected."

"Still," said Marcus, "what do they do for the other ten months?"

"Same as you're doing now," said Sonia. "Visit other regions, train up Pokemon that aren't part of their main teams - Raihan, I think, is trying to experiment with creating teams based around other weathers. Or they just do other work - Nessa's a model, Milo's a farmer, and Opal's been running auditions for a replacement Gym Leader for almost two decades now-"

She cut herself off as Yamper rolled over. "Okay, my tummy's been cuddled to my satisfaction! Now do the top of my head, and scratch my chin while you're at it, please!"

Oh, Arceus, it's Scamper all over again.Kriesh rolled her eyes as Sonia resumed her petting of Yamper. "So, Marcus," said the Professor's assistant. "How'd you become a Gym Leader?"

"Well, first I was lucky enough to get the opportunity," said Marcus. "But after that, it was mostly a lot of work. There was some more luck at the end, though."

"Heh." Sonia co*cked her head to the side. "Wish I got an opportunity like that."

"Well, youarea Professor's assistant," said Marcus.

Sonia shook her head ruefully. "Not really. It's not like it's official. Magnolia's just my Gran, and…uh…I help her out sometimes. So I call myself her assistant."

"I have a friend who does something similar with Professor Sycamore," Marcus pointed out.

"And do you ever get the feeling that your friend wants…more?" Sonia asked.

"Not really," Marcus admitted.

"Well," said Sonia, "I do want more. Let me tell you something - dropping out of the Gym Challenge was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life, even if I'll never admit it to Leon."

"So why did you drop out?" Marcus asked.

"Because Leon was so much stronger than I was." Sonia bowed her head. "I tried to ignore it, but…when we reached Opal's Gym, he absolutely steamrolled her, without a single offensive type advantage against Fairy since he only caught his Honedge after I dropped out. Meanwhile, I came in having just evolved both my Venusaur and Corviknight, and she took me down to a one-on-one. If Venusaur wasn't capable of Gigantamax, I'm…not sure if I even would have won."

"Hey, I've been through a lot of close Gym Battles," said Marcus.

"Yes," Sonia murmured, "but do you know how disheartening it is to put all that work into your team just for them to struggle so hard? And Leon…he wasn'tmean, but when he talked and talked about how easy it had been for him, it…hurt. I just couldn't shake the feeling that, even if I somehow beat the next three Gyms, I'd just get knocked out in the first round of the final tournament. That I'd be a total waste of a slot in there. And so…I dropped out. And every day after that, I've kicked myself for doing it. I disappointed Gran, I disappointed my team…you know something, Marcus? Every day, Gran asks me, "Sonia, what are you doing with your life?" And I say-"

"Marcus?"

Kriesh was almost relieved to hear Leon's voice; it wasn't that she disliked Sonia, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that the so-called Professor's assistant had decided to just vent all her problems out, with Marcus little more than a mouthpiece for such venting. But that relief died as she peered out of her Luxury Ball once more and saw Leon, Pokedex clutched in one hand and a worried expression on his face.

"Have you heard anything from Gloria?" Leon asked.

"No," said Marcus.

"I just got a call from Casey," said Leon. "She said that she didn't see them when she got home, so she assumed they'd already gotten their camping gear and left and she'd somehow missed them. But if that's the case, they should've been here five minutes ago."

"Do you think they've gotten lost?" Marcus asked.

Leon frowned. "Hop's always had a much better sense of direction than me. I doubt he'd get lost, especially when he's walked this route plenty of times before to pick me up when I arrive in Wedgehurst."

"Well, I'll send out Kriesh to look for them," said Marcus. "She's good at spotting things from afar."

"And I'll do the same with Charizard." Leon swiftly began to move towards the door out of the lab, fingering Charizard's Ultra Ball as he did so. Marcus followed him, readying to release Kriesh.

"Hopefully they're just being slow or something," said Marcus as they stepped through the door.

"Hopefully." Leon released his Charizard onto the ground, eliciting a few cheers from some nearby civilians. "But I can't help but worry they might have gotten hurt in a wild Pokemon attack or something."

Wincing at the thought, Marcus sent out Kriesh. "All right, you know what to do," he said.

Nodding, Kriesh swiftly lifted off. The sound of wingbeats behind her indicated that Charizard had done the same. As the two Flying-types began to fly in the direction of Postwick, Kriesh's heartbeat grew louder and louder until it seemed to fill her ears.

Is Leon right? Are they hurt? How badly?

Arceus, I hope that nothing bad's happened to them…

Scorbunny was, to put it bluntly, terrified.

Why are we even here?

He knew why. To find that Wooloo.

But why does it need to be us?

It had all started when they'd reached a gate. A gate that, apparently, Hop and Gloria had encountered before Scorbunny and Grookey had joined them. Hop had said there had been a Wooloo using Tackle to try and get it open. But when they'd reached the gate on their way back to Gloria's house, the gate had been open and no Wooloo had been in sight.

It had all happened so quickly after that. Scorbunny had no idea why Hop had gotten it into his head that the best thing to do was to go trekking into the Slumbering Weald after the Wooloo. Nor did he have any idea why Gloria had decided to go along with Hop's plan. Even though he'd been grown in a lab, Scorbunny had still heard stories from the other Pokemon around the lab. Warnings to never go into the Slumbering Weald, for the Pokemon there were vicious and dangerous, and it was all too easy to get lost.

Yet now here he was, less than an hour after meeting his Trainer for the first time, watching from his Pokeball as she carried him deeper and deeper into that very forest.

Thankfully, Hop had quickly found a set of Wooloo tracks and was following them closely, so at least therewasa sort of path through the dense trees and bushes. That didn't change the fact that the Slumbering Weald was absolutely terrifying to look at, the dense mist and crooked trees combining to make it feel like something was going to jump out at them any second.

So it was that it was almost a relief when somethingdid.

A flap of wings came from above, and both Hop and Gloria stopped short as a large Mandibuzz landed in front of them. The Mandibuzz peered at the two Trainers for a few moments, its beady eyes scanning their bodies. Then it turned and gestured with a wing. "Follow me."

The Mandibuzz lifted back off the ground and began to flap lazily down the same direction as the Wooloo's trail of tracks. Hop and Gloria exchanged glances. "Should we follow it?" Gloria asked.

"It's going where we're going," said Hop. "Maybe it's leading us to the Wooloo? I mean, if wedon'tfollow it, we aren't following the Wooloo's tracks anymore, so I say we follow it."

"All right," said Gloria reluctantly.

The two Trainers set off once again, following the Mandibuzz down the Wooloo's trail. As they continued to move, traveling deeper and deeper into the Slumbering Weald, Scorbunny began to register forms flying through the branches to either side. The forms were shrouded in shadow, but Scorbunny could tell they were Flying-types of some sort, and he could also tell that there were alotof them.

Then Hop and Gloria stepped through a section of bushes, and all at once a wave of sound seemed to hit them full force.

Cries of many, many Flying-types came from above, so many wingbeats sounding that it seemed like an echoing roll of thunder. Near-instinctively, Hop and Gloria both released their Pokemon; Scorbunny materialized on the forest floor alongside Bunnelby, Grookey, and Hop's Wooloo, all of whom were already looking around, taking in the sheer amount of Rookidees and Corvisquires surrounding them.

For that was, indeed, the makeup of the Flying-types that Scorbunny had heard and seen the shadow-shrouded outlines of. He could also see the Mandibuzz, now seated at the opposite end of the small clearing they were all standing in. The Mandibuzz was looking upwards; before Scorbunny could do more than ponder why, a booming voice sounded. "SILENCE!"

All four of Hop and Gloria's Pokemon looked up with widening eyes; Scorbunny nearly staggered backwards at the sight he beheld. He knew what a Corviknight looked like - he'd grown up in Magnolia's lab, and every so often Sonia would send out her Corviknight for a short flight - but the Corviknight he saw now was both even larger than Sonia's and looked far more fierce. It slowly descended from the tangle of branches above, its eyes flitting around, looking between the two Trainers and their four Pokemon with scorn in its expression. It landed with athumpon the forest floor; it had barely settled before it spoke, its voice echoing from its mouth as it addressed the entire horde of Rookidees and Corvisquires.

"My Great Flock!" The Corviknight was clearly male from the tone of its voice. "You see, standing before you, the very same Trainers whom you have feared and hid from for generations! The Trainers who have exploited Pokemon like us for so long!Toolong! And now, my Great Flock, you will see just how weak they truly are! You will see why we deserve to rule over them! Why, thanks to our combined strength, they will be forced to acknowledge our superiority!"

The Rookidees and Corvisquires cheered, their screeches echoing even louder than Corviknight's voice. Scorbunny gulped as Corviknight spread his steely wings. "For I will show you," he said, "that even four against one, my power is greater than that of the feeble Pokemon the Trainers command! I will show you that you need not fear Trainers any longer! And when I am done, these Trainers will be left defenseless, so that you, my Great Flock, can descend on them and slaughter them where they stand! They will serve as a warning! A message to all other Trainers across this region that we Wild Pokemon will no longer be subservient to them!"

Scorbunny felt like vomiting. He'd been fervently hoping that this Corviknight would stop at beating Hop and Gloria in battle. But now Scorbunny knew that if he and his three friends weren't able to win this battle, then their Trainers' lives would be in grave danger.

And against a fully-evolved Pokemon like Corviknight, let alone Mandibuzz and the rest of Corviknight's army, when all four of Hop and Gloria's Pokemon were still weakened from their earlier battle…Scorbunny wasn't sure there was even a chance.

Is this where it ends? So soon after beginning? Are we all really going to die here?

Corviknight glared at Hop and Gloria's four Pokemon, all of them standing in a line. "You will all die alongside your Trainers," he snarled. "But take comfort in that your deaths will be the start of something much greater! An empire of Wild Pokemon born in blood! I give you this one mercy - do not resist, and your deaths will be swift."

Screw that. Despite his fear, Scorbunny lowered himself into a fighting stance, aware of Bunnelby, Grookey, and Wooloo doing the same. Even if there was no way they could win, none of them were going to give up.

None of them would let their Trainers die.

Corviknight scoffed. "Very well," he said, flaring Steel energy across his titanic wings. "Witness the true power of a Wild Pokemon!"

Chapter 5: Birds of a Feather

Chapter Text

Something different was happening.

That was the best way he could describe it. Normally the Slumbering Weald was a quiet, calm place, mostly left untouched by Trainers who dared not venture into it and risk witnessing the truth behind one of the many, many ghost stories told about the dark, mist-shrouded forest. The woods were left undisturbed, the Wild Pokemon free to go about and do as they pleased. Sure, occasionally some brave or foolish Trainer would stumble into the woods - such was the nature of Trainers - but oftentimes they soon left again, with or without a freshly-caught Pokemon, and all was calm once more.

But this was different. On the edge of his senses, ranging over the entirety of the vast forest, he could feel chaos. The stirring of hundreds, upraised in fear or rage or something else entirely.

He grunted. It was his duty, as one of the foremost protectors of Galar, to investigate. From far away, hopefully, for he did not prefer to be seen.

And so Zamazenta rose from where he lay and began to step into the surrounding forest.

"Sniper:Aspectum," Kriesh murmured, tapping into Sniper to enhance her sight. With zoomed-in vision, she began to look around, searching the surrounding hilly, pasture-covered landscape for any sign of Hop or Gloria.

"Keen Eye?"

She'd momentarily forgotten Leon's Charizard was right behind her. Kriesh shook her head. "Sniper - I'm just using it to aim my vision further away than I could normally."

"Heh, not a bad trick," Charizard admitted. He said nothing more as he moved to Kriesh's side, straining his own eyes.

Sense enhancement had been quite a difficult trick for Kriesh to learn - when Medicham had first suggested it, she'd thought the Fighting/Psychic-type had gone insane.My Ability is Sniper, not Keen Eye,she'd told Medicham.

That doesn't mean you can't approximate the latter by using the former,Medicham had pointed out.Look at Connie's Tyranitar! Sand Rush is supposed to be the Ability that lets you turn into living sand, not Sand Stream. But he figured out how to approximate Sand Rush through training and experience - what's stopping you from doing something similar?

Kriesh would freely admit that Medicham had been right. Her sense-magnification techniques - plusVox- had proven to be some of the most useful utility moves in her arsenal.

The names had also been Medicham's suggestion - actually, they'd been Darkrai's, apparently taken from an ancient language spoken even before the War of Legends. Despite them not following her usual theme for attack names, Kriesh had ultimately decided she'd liked the ring of them.Vox. Aspectum. Auditus. Gustus. Odoratus. Tactus.

Of them,Tactus- touch - was the only one she hadn't yet figured out. When mastered, it would give Kriesh the power to 'aim' the point of impact of her melee strikes at another point entirely, essentially allowing her to turn a melee attack into an insanely accurate ranged attack. But unlike the others, which simply allowed her to point a single sense at a specific direction,tactushad to be combined with another attack, which was the difficult part. She simply couldn't wrap her head around the concept of doing so much at once, and the technique always seemed to fizzle out.

Kriesh started as she realized she'd gotten lost in her own head, and that Charizard was looking at her as if waiting for a response to something. "I'm sorry?" she asked.

Charizard's voice held an obvious undercurrent of irritation. "You're flying too far to the left - I doubt they would have strayed too far from the path."

"I'm sorry," she said.

Charizard sighed, expelling a small gout of flame from his nostrils, and looked back down at the hills. Kriesh glanced over at him; the Champion-level Pokemon seemed outright alarmed, eyes filled with something resembling desperation as they scanned the area.

Of course. Hop's his Trainer's brother…no wonder he's so irritated.Kriesh swallowed.Does he think I'm not taking this seriously enough?

Tapping intoAspectumagain, Kriesh resumed her search of the hills below. Every time a new hill came within sight, she tried to calm her fluttering heart by telling herself that Hop and Gloria were probably on the other side of it. Every time she was disappointed, and with each disappointment her heart fluttered faster and faster, until she thought it would leap straight out of her chest with how hard and fast it was thumping.

"Look."

Charizard's voice came out as a whisper, barely audible over Kriesh's own heartbeat. But Kriesh heard, and so she looked to where Charizard was gesturing. He was pointing to a fence gate that Kriesh recognized after a few seconds as the one that Marcus, Hop, and Gloria had seen a Wooloo trying to tackle down.

The gate was now open, and that Wooloo was gone.

"That gate isneveropen," Charizard growled. "It leads straight into the Slumbering Weald - if it's left open, wild Pokemon from the Weald could easily come out and attack passing Trainers."

Kriesh focused herAspectum-enhanced sight on the gate - and let out a quiet gasp. "What?" Charizard asked.

"Two sets of footprints," Kriesh murmured. "Human. Fresh."

Charizard let out a curse. "We must alert our Trainers."

"Can't we just go in ourselves?" Kriesh asked.

"The Slumbering Weald spans hundreds of miles," Charizard growled. "We could search for days and not find them."

It's the Swarm all over again.Kriesh nodded. "Then let's not waste any time," she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

Ten minutes later, Kriesh and Charizard were flying towards the gate to the Slumbering Weald once again, this time with their respective Trainers on their backs and at the fastest speed Kriesh could manage. Charizard, whodefinitelycould manage a faster speed, was hanging back to allow Kriesh to keep up - she knew this by the fact that he occasionally put on a burst of speed, fear disrupting his steady pace.

Leon was equally worried, judging by the fact that his hands were white from gripping Charizard so tightly. He'd practically hurled himself onto Charizard's back the instant he'd heard Hop and Gloria were likely in the Slumbering Weald - and, judging by what few snatches Kriesh had picked up about the place, there was good reason for that worry.

The Slumbering Weald was, simply put, a forest filled with Wild Pokemon that was easy to get lost in. A strong Trainer likely wouldn't encounter that many dangers in it, but Hop and Gloria, who had just two young and inexperienced Pokemon each?

Kriesh thought back to her first meeting with Marcus. He'd just had Meditite and Skorupi then, and she, by herself, had defeated both of them and likely would have badly wounded Marcus, if not killed him outright, if he hadn't managed to catch her while she was off-balance and wounded.

The thought of Hop and Gloria encountering something likethat- and what might happen if they did - was not one Kriesh wanted to entertain.

"We're here."

Leon's voice was curt. Kriesh at once maneuvered into a dive, noting Charizard doing the same. Air whirled around him, slowing him as he dove - a calculated use of Tailwind, perfectly calculated so that it would slow his descentjustenough to ensure he wouldn't be hurt by the landing. Krieshwishedshe could do something like that - Tailwind was a fiendishly complicated technique, and easily one of the most versatile Flying-type moves available for a Pokemon to learn.

Kriesh was forced to content herself with a normal, much slower landing. She'd grown quite practiced at Fly, but even so she was slow enough that Charizard was shifting impatiently by the time she finally settled onto the ground.

"We'll need to split up," said Leon. "Cover more ground."

"Agreed," said Marcus. "You go right, I'll go left?"

"Sure." Leon wasted no time, striding into the forest with Charizard, taking to the air once more, flying close behind.

Recalling Kriesh into her Luxury Ball, Marcus followed.

Normally the gel inside was comforting, but at this point no amount of comfort could assuage Kriesh's worry.Oh, Arceus,she thought,please let us find Hop and Gloria soon…and please don't let them have gotten themselves into trouble…

Grookey tried and failed to stop the trembling of his body. It was impossible to stop himself from feeling afraid; how could henotbe scared when facing such a terrifying foe?

Even if we can somehow beat this Corviknight, there's still that horde of Rookidee and Corvisquire. Not to mention that Mandibuzz.Grookey saw the Dark/Flying-type that had led them to this clearing, standing up on her own branch and watching the proceedings with a terrifying smirk on her face.How are we going to ever get out of this?

Throughout the first two months of his life, when he and Scorbunny and Sobble had all been growing up in the laboratory together, things had been so very carefree. They'd played and sparred and eaten together without a care in the world. There had only been two things to disrupt that playful atmosphere - firstly, the knowledge that eventually they would be forced to split up, given to different Trainers, probably even forced to fight each other in real battles.

And secondly, the stories, told by older Pokemon, about the dangers of the Slumbering Weald. And about how they were to never, ever go in there.

This would be why.

But even as fear temporarily froze Grookey in place, he saw out of the corner of his eye a fluffy white shape on the opposite side of the clearing. A trembling Wooloo, watching with widened eyes, a Rookidee on either side of him.That's the Wooloo we've been hunting,Grookey realized.So he got captured by this 'Great Flock' as well…was this all one big trap that we've just walked into?

"What's the matter?" Corviknight asked mockingly. "Scared? You should be. I wouldn't expect mercy if I were you…after all, you've already made your choice."

"Scorbunny, Ember!" Gloria shouted. "Bunnelby, get up close and keep him away from Scorbunny!"

"Grookey, Wooloo, join Bunnelby!" Hop cried. "He won't be able to concentrate if everyone comes at him at once!"

All four Trained Pokemon sprang into action at their Trainers' commands, Scorbunny hanging back while the other three lunged for Corviknight.

Bunnelby was the first to reach Corviknight; with a cry of "Swift Ear!" she swung a Quick Attack-boosted ear-swipe at Corviknight's side. Corviknight raised his wing to block the attack; his steely body didn't even budge from the powerful swipe, and with a growl of "Mirror Wing," Corviknight lashed out with a Steel energy-enhanced wing-strike that caught Bunnelby in the chin and sent her flying backwards head-over-tail.

"Mirror Wing," Corviknight snarled again, twisting to catch the incoming Wooloo with his other wing. As Wooloo flew off to the side, Scorbunny finally launched his Ember with a yell of "Goal Kick!", while at the same time, Grookey swung his branch at Corviknight with his own yell of "Branch Stroke!"

"Hmph." Corviknight dug his claws into the ground, and in one fluid motion unleashed a spray of Ground energy at Grookey. Reasoning his resistance to Ground might help, Grookey kept running, but as he flung himself into the teeth of Corviknight's attack he felt a sudden stinging agony in his eyes as his vision practically shut down. Grookey reeled, swinging his stick wildly; the attack hit empty air, and a rough growl of "Mirror Beak" was all the warning he got before something hard and sharp struck his stomach and sent him flying backwards.

Rubbing his eyes to try and clear out what was definitely a Sand-Attack, Grookey opened his eyes just in time to see another of Scorbunny's Embers falter in the face of Corviknight's Sand-Attack. The cheers of the surrounding Rookidees didn't help the situation.

"We have to get an opening for Scorbunny to land an Ember!" Gloria cried.

"Got it!" said Hop. "Wooloo, Rollout! Grookey, go in again!"

Shaking his head - the Sand-Attack was still irritating his eyes and blurring his vision - Grookey charged, watching Wooloo do the same, calling out "Woolly Rush!" as he did so.

"Idiot," Corviknight spat. "Mirror Wing."

"Twist and Double Kick!" Hop cried.

At the same time, Gloria called out, "Bunnelby, Agility and Quick Attack!"

Unfortunately, Corviknight was a lot faster than any of them had expected. "Iron Mirror!" he cried; his entire body erupted in a sheen of Steel energy, and as Grookey, Bunnelby, and Wooloo all slammed their attacks into him, they were all met and disappointed by what had to be Iron Defense. Corviknight, completely unscathed, glowered at the trio. "Dual Mirror Wing," he growled, lashing out with both wings in a sweeping double-blow that knocked all three of his attackers away once more.

"Goal Kick!" Scorbunny cried, but once more Corviknight was fast enough to send up a Sand-Attack to overwhelm the Fire-type Starter's Ember. "Don't you get it?" the Steel/Flying-type cried. "I am your superior in every way! You'renothingcompared to me. You should just give up and let your pathetic excuses for Trainers be slaughtered!"

A tiny flare of Dark energy seemed to spark in Corviknight's eyes as he spoke, and Grookey felt a sudden flash of rage. "He's using Taunt!" Hop warned; Grookey, who had been about to throw himself at Corviknight without any strategy whatsoever, felt himself snap back to reality just in time to see Corviknight coming at him with Flying energy coursing around his beak. "Mirror Beak!"

"Branch Poke!" Grookey thrust his stick forwards, attempting to contest, but Corviknight's attack was simply too powerful. A loud sound of cracking wood rent the air as Corviknight's beak pierced straight through the Grass energy surrounding the stick, then the stick itself, cleaving it in two before slamming straight into Grookey's chest. Grookey fell back, pain exploding across his chest; the only reason he wasn't unconscious was because his now-shattered branchhadmanaged to blunt the impact somewhat.

"Dual Hoof-"

"Mirror Wing." Corviknight casually backhanded Wooloo with a swing of his Steel energy-wreathed wing. Hop's Normal-type slammed into a tree and fell to the ground, clearly winded if not unconscious. "Now, let's see about-"

"Full Speed: Rapid Ear!"

"Iron Mirror!" Corviknight snarled as Bunnelby slammed an impressively quick ear-strike into him, though again his Iron Defense completely blunted the attack. "Mirror Wing," Corviknight growled, but to both his and Grookey's surprise, the Agility-boosted Bunnelby was fast enough to duck the attack and come up to deliver another Rapid Ear to Corviknight's stomach. Again, though, Iron Defense frustrated Bunnelby, and this time Corviknight simply lashed out with a point-blank Mirror Beak and sent Bunnelby flying away once again. Gloria's Normal-type rolled uncontrollably across the ground; even before she came to a stop, Grookey could tell she was out of the fight.

But she'd given Scorbunny the opening he needed, for now the Fire-type was leaping strongly towards Corviknight, an Ember larger than anything Grookey had seen from him before atop his left foot. "Corner Kick!" he cried, sending the mote of flame streaking towards Corvknight from a high enough angle that no Sand-Attack would be able to counter it.

Corviknight smirked. "Mirror Armor."

Instead of the Steel energy of Iron Defense, Corviknight's armor erupted with a shining sheen. Scorbunny's Ember struck true, striking right at the center of one of the Steel/Flying-type's wings; the wing flashed with light, and to Grookey's shock the Ember bounced off and flew back at Scorbunny. Completely unprepared, Scorbunny was tossed away by his own Ember, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Corviknight let out a shrieking laugh. "All that work and all you did was make me use my Ability!" He glared at Scorbunny, who was staggering to his feet, and Grookey, who was still standing, holding half of his broken stick while the other half lay ruined on the ground. "Mirror Armor allows my body to act like a mirror! Any attack you launch at me, I can simply reflect it back at you! With Iron Defense to stop physical attacks and Mirror Armor to counter everything else,nothingcan overcome my defense! I'munbreakable!"

Grookey looked over at Wooloo and Bunnelby's fallen forms and gulped.He's right…with how weak our attacks are, none of our physical hits can possibly make it through his Iron Defense. And if he can deflect Embers that easily…we lost this battle before it even started.

We're all going to die here.

Corviknight erupted into another bout of triumphant laughter as around him his Great Flock cheered for him. "Do you all see?" he called to the sky. "You need not be afraid of Trainers, for that is how weak they truly are! Now, my Great Flock, it is time! Descend upon these Trainers and rip them apart! Tear them into bloody pieces for daring to believe that they could possibly be stronger than us Wild Pokemon!"

Grookey rounded on Hop. "We have to runnow!" he cried; knowing Hop couldn't understand him, he punctuated the statement with a rapid thrust of his hand in the opposite direction.

Hop glanced at Gloria. "Let's get out of here!" he cried, running his fingers over his Pokeballs to recall Wooloo and Grookey into them. Gloria did the same with Scorbunny and Bunnelby. As the entire horde of Rookidees and Corvisquires began to come down upon them with echoing screeches, Gloria turned and ran as fast as she could away.

So did Hop. But not away.

Instead, in a move that Grookey at once realized was at the same time extremely brave and blindingly stupid, Hop dove forwards. The two Rookidees guarding the captured Wooloo hadn't expected him to charge, and leaped backwards, startled; Hop scooped up the Wooloo in both hands, turned on his heel, and hared after Gloria.

The horde fell on Hop; he paid for his recklessness with a few claw-swipes and pecks that left small pinpricks of blood on his face, but he managed to somehow get clear. Grookey couldn't see where Gloria was, couldn't see the path that they'd come here by.

Hop was faster than the pursuing horde. Gradually, Grookey could hear their shrieks and cries growing further and further away, their wingbeats echoing more and more as Hop kept running heedless of where he was going.

Only knowing that he needed to getaway.

"Youlostthem?"

"We didn't think they would be so fast." The Corvisquire addressing Corviknight was trying to keep from trembling. "Once they got out of sight, we-"

"Decided to turn around and start complaining to me?" Corviknight interrupted. "Idiots. They can't run forever. Their stamina is lesser to ours. You would have caught up with them if you'd kept pursuing."

"We apologize, Corviknight," said the Corvisquire with bowed head. "What should we do now?"

"Split into groups andfind them," Corviknight snarled. "If they are allowed to leave this forest alive, no one will take us seriously. Do you understand the stakes of this?"

"Yes," said the Corvisquire, "I do."

"Thengo," Corviknight growled. "And do not return until you have found and slaughtered every last Trainer and Trained Pokemon in this forest!"

"All right, here's the plan." The gathered members of the team looked up at Marcus as he addressed them. "At this point, Hop and Gloria could be anywhere in this forest, so we're going to have to split up. Teams of two - Drapion and Houndoom, Liepard and Pangoro, Kriesh and Trevenant, Kamado and Cloyster, and Medicham, you're with me. No one stray too far - no less than half a mile away. We don't want to get lost ourselves."

Liepard nodded along with the rest of them. But she couldn't help but feel a small amount of confusion as the team began to gather into their respective groups. She was quite good at sneaking, and would be difficult to spot for any wild Pokemon who might want a piece of her, but Pangoro was about as good at stealth as a drunken Hydreigon. Houndoom would have been a much better partner for her in this situation.

"Well, shall we?"

Pangoro's gruff voice stirred Liepard from her thoughts. She looked up at the towering form of the Dark/Fighting-type. "Which direction?" she asked.

"I'd say we head to the left," Pangoro growled. "The rest seem to be moving straight ahead or to the right."

"Bien, then to the left it shall be," Liepard agreed.

Ten minutes later, Liepard was already realizing exactly why this forest had earned its reputation.

It was almost unnaturalhoweasy it was to get lost in. A fog constantly swirled across the ground, covering tracks and ensuring that one could not retrace their steps. Every tree looked identical to every other tree. Half the ground was covered in thick bushes that were also nigh-indistinguishable from one another. And there were absolutelynopaths through this endless tangle of nature.

The only reason Liepard and Pangoro hadn't gotten lost yet was because Liepard had been marking their path via swift and careful claw-slashes across the various tree trunks, producing a trail that would lead them back to Marcus when the time came. The Trainer and Medicham had stayed where they were so as to make sure none of Marcus's Pokemon got lost.

A loudcrackcame from beside, and Liepard turned to glare at Pangoro. This was the third branch he'd stepped on in the past five minutes, and each snapped branch nearly made Liepard jump. Pangoro huffed, turning his head away from Liepard, his eyes scanning the sea of tree trunks and swirling mist.

"Are you…sensing anything off about this forest?" Pangoro asked.

Liepard glanced up at him once more. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Of course not," Pangoro growled. "Remember, I lived a full life in the forests of Alola before I even met Marcus. I know what kind of dangers lurk in them, and I conquered those dangers long ago." He paused. "But Iamslightly unsettled."

"Ah, pray tell," Liepard murmured.

"Listen," Pangoro. "Hear anything?"

Liepard stopped. Listened. Her fur began to rise at the realization that no, shecouldn'thear anything. Not even the typical faraway cries and shuffles that marked the presence of wild Pokemon. It was as if the forest was completely barren, empty of all but the two of them.

Liepard allowed herself a quiet sigh; even that seemed far too loud. "I see," she said. "I think we can both safely admit that something is not right here. We should probably-"

The remainder of Liepard's sentence died in her throat as a sudden rush of wings assailed her ears. She twisted to see a group of half a dozen Rookidee lunging out of the bushes behind her, battle cries emanating from their beaks. Their outstretched, energy-wreathed claws left no doubt as to their intentions.

But if they'd intended to launch a surprise attack, they'd chosen the wrong Pokemon to conduct it on.

"Farceur," Liepard hissed, tapping into her Prankster Ability. Once she had merely used it to increase the speed of her moves, but under Medicham's tutelage, she had learned to imbue her muscles with it as well, increasing her own speed and reaction time. As such, even before all of the Rookidees had left the bush, Liepard had already spun and launched herself at the group of assailants, claws outstretched.

"Farceur: Tranche Furieuse."

Again augmented by Prankster, Liepard's claws lashed out with a Fury Swipes, slashing one, two, three, four, five times in the space of a single half-second. By the time the sixth Rookidee had emerged from the bush, the other five were already tumbling to the ground. Their unconscious bodies landed with athump-thump-thump-thump-thumpon the mist-covered forest floor; the sixth Rookidee, suddenly realizing that itmightjust be outmatched, abruptly backwinged, trying to lunge to the side to avoid Liepard.

Unfortunately for that Rookidee, that put it near Pangoro.

"Iron Fist: Bullet Blow."

A loudcrackechoed through the woods as Pangoro's Bullet Punch broke what had to be a good few bones and sent the Rookidee flying into a tree trunk. The Flying-type bounced off and joined the rest of his fellows in unconsciousness.

Another flutter of wingbeats sounded from the bush. Liepard crouched, ready for more enemies, but instead she beheld a seventh Rookidee ascending in the opposite direction, flying away from the clearing as fast as its tiny wings could carry it.

Liepard glanced at Pangoro. "Let's see if we can't take that one conscious."

Pangoro grimaced. "Fine." He stepped forwards so that he had clear line-of-sight to the fleeing Rookidee, narrowed his eyes, and tapped into Quash.

Marcus, inspired by his first encounter with the Pancham line before he'd even caught Pangoro, had decided to teach Pangoro the move fairly soon after the Battle of Alola. It hadn't really caught on - Pangoro preferred to simply punch his way out of problems rather than apply any sort of mental strength - but in a situation like this, when the quarry was out of melee range and not closing for a fight, Quash was most definitely the best option Pangoro had for simple incapacitation.

Liepard watched as a wave of pressure lanced out from Pangoro, crossed the distance between him and the fleeing Rookidee, and slammed into the Flying-type; instantly, the Flying-type's wings locked up and it fell into a bush. Liepard was hurtling forwards in an instant; still augmented by Prankster, she cleared the bush in front of her in a single bound and was at the one the Rookidee had fallen into in four more.

She reached the bush just in time to see the Rookidee stumble out, clearly badly unbalanced by the slowing effect of Quash. Liepard fixed it with a glare, tapping into her rarely-used Growl to add that extra intimidation factor. It worked perfectly; the Rookidee stopped moving, gazing up at Liepard and the approaching Pangoro with terror in its eyes. "What…what…what kind of Wild Pokemon are you?"

Wild Pokemon?Liepard glanced over at Pangoro before looking back at Rookidee. "We're Trained Pokemon, not Wild," she said. "Why did you and your group attack us?"

"Trained Pokemon?" The Rookidee's eyes widened even further. "That…that's impossible! Corviknight said that all Trained Pokemon were weak! Heshowedus how weak they were!"

"Corviknight?" Pangoro growled. "Who's he, your leader? Did he tell you to attack us?"

"He…he said that we had to hunt down and kill the two Trainers he beat!" Rookidee was obviously terrified, and obviously not focused on keeping secrets. "He says all Trainers and Trained Pokemon in the forest should die! When…when we saw you, we…assumed you were Trained Pokemon, because we didn't recognize you, so we attacked. We didn't think you were actuallystrong!"

"Two Trainers?" Liepard's eyes narrowed. "What did they look like?"

"Um…um…" Rookidee seemed barely able to get out a coherent sentence now. "A…dark-haired…male Trainer, and…a brown-haired female…"

Pangoro's eyes darkened. "We need to get to Marcusnow," he growled.

"Agreed." Liepard's paw lashed out, striking straight between the Rookidee's eyes and dropping it like a stone. The two whirled and raced back in the direction they'd came, not even paying attention to the clearing behind them.

The clearing where a single fallen Rookidee was beginning to feebly stir.

Hop was lost.

There was no other word for it. Any attempt at retracing his steps had been thwarted by the mists of the Slumbering Weald, and as Grookey watched from inside his Pokeball, he could see nothing but an endless maze of identical trees in all directions.

"Well, this is a right mess…" Hop murmured, grasping the Wooloo he'd rescued tightly with one hand while reflexively brushing his finger across one of the scratches the Rookidee horde had left with the other. "I'm never,evergonna rib Lee about getting lost, ever again."

Grookey's ears perked up, for he had begun to hear a sound coming from behind them.

Hop clearly had heard it too, for he began to look behind him, his expression shifting into a frown. "What is…"

Several seconds passed in silence, save for the sound that was growing louder and louder. Grookey felt all his fur beginning to stand up on end, for now the sound was close enough to make out.

Wingbeats.

Hop let out a muffled curse as he dove for the nearest cluster of bushes he could find, nearly dropping the Wooloo in the process. The Wooloo let out a frightened squeal; Hop quickly clamped a hand over its mouth. Ducking into the middle of a copse that lay behind a thick tree trunk, he crouched as low as he could manage. Grookey peered out of his Pokeball, curiosity warring with fear, and saw the vague outlines of a Corvisquire and at least a dozen Rookidee flying swiftly past the tree trunk, disappearing into the foliage in an instant.

It took five more seconds after that before Hop moved again. Grookey's Trainer slowly rose and stepped out from behind the tree, looking around slowly and carefully, getting ready to run. But Grookey saw the rise and fall of his chest, heard his breaths coming out harsher than usual, and knew Hop couldn't run much further before exhaustion overcame him.

"All right," Hop said to himself. "C'mon, Hop, think! There's gotta be a way to figure out which direction to-"

A loud screech galvanized both Hop and Grookey into action.

In an instant Grookey was out on the forest floor - Hop's own Wooloo, being unconscious, didn't join him - and Hop was diving to the side as a Rookidee exploded out of the treetops, throwing several leaves aside in its haste to assault Hop. It missed, its claws slashing through empty air as Hop landed on the ground, grasping the Wooloo tightly. Grookey rounded on the Rookidee as it landed; it twisted, staring into Grookey's eyes with nothing but hatred.

"IthoughtI heard something back here," the Rookidee growled. It was female, with a voice filled with malice and triumph. "Too long have I been just one of the Great Flock. But when word gets out of my success here today, I will be hailed as a hero to all Wild Pokemon in the Slumbering Weald!"

Despite his own tiredness, the aching from the wounds inflicted upon him by Corviknight, and his lack of his stick - shattered and left behind - Grookey faced the Rookidee with fists clenched. The Rookidee snorted. "And ifyou'reall he has left to stop me, I've already won. A Trained Pokemon could never defeat a Wild Pokemon,andI have a type advantage!"

"What is your problem with us?" Grookey asked. "What have we done to you?"

"For generations," the Rookidee growled, "Trainers likehimhave assaulted us. Captured us. Taken us from our homes and our families. Why shouldn't we rise up against such tyranny?YourTrainer may not have done anything wrong, at least not yet…but he represents a people that haveendlesslywronged us Wild Pokemon! And if you choose to stand in the way of me exacting my vengeance, then I will kill you where you stand! Power Talons!"

Fightingenergy, of all things, flared across the Rookidee's talons as she lunged. Grookey dove to the side as the Rookidee impacted upon the space he'd been standing, punching a divot in the earth through sheer force. The Rookidee skidded, unable to stop herself momentarily, but by the time Grookey had recovered and whirled around, the Rookidee had managed to halt her skid.

"Power Beak!" This time the attack was formed of the more traditional Flying energy, but that by no means made Grookey more comfortable. Again he was forced to dive to the side; this time the Rookidee's attack only missed him by inches.

I can't do this without a weapon!

Swiftly, Grookey reached out and grasped the nearest stick. It was irritatingly flimsy, little more than a twig, but it was better than nothing. "Power Talons!" he heard the Rookidee cry again.

Grookey spun. "Branch Stroke!" Grass energy blazed across his stick as he twisted and swung it as hard as he could into the oncoming Rookidee. The stick snapped with a horrifically loud shattering noise, and the Rookidee was sent tumbling to the side, missing Grookey completely.

Swiftly, Grookey snatched up another stick - it wasn't like they were hard to find on the forest floor - and turned to face the Rookidee. What he saw shocked him; the Rookidee was stumbling to her feet, one wing upraised awkwardly, and Grookey took in a rapid breath as he beheld a jagged splinter of wood sticking out of that wing, blood oozing from the point where it had stuck.

The Rookidee glared at Grookey. "You piece ofcrap! Power Beak!"

With her injured wing, Grookey hadn't expected the Rookidee to go back on the offensive; all he could do was bring his new stick up in front of him in a two-handed grip, trying to ward her off. He was only partially successful - the Rookidee's beak slammed into the center of the stick, shattering it, and the force of the impact sent Grookey stumbling backwards, but he did manage to avoid the worst of the attack.

Of course,thatwas rendered moot when the Rookidee simply followed up with another Power Talons. Grookey felt the air leave his lungs as the Rookidee's Fighting energy-wreathed claws slammed into his stomach like a vicious punch. He fell to his knees, gasping for air.

The Rookidee twisted and swatted him across the face with another blow from her talons. She cried out as the blow landed; as Grookey tumbled to the ground, his face stinging, he saw her fall as well, having seemingly worsened her own injury through overexertion.

Reaching out, Grookey grasped yetanotherstick, this one a thick knobbly one more like a club than an actual stick, and began rising, bracing his hands against the forest floor to allow himself to stand. The Rookidee, too, was rising back to her feet; she was nowhere near as badly wounded, but her wing was clearly hampering her.

"Damn it!" the Rookidee cried; Grookey could have sworn she was actuallycrying. She shook her head. "Come on…" She let out another cry of pain as she rose to her feet, her eyes narrowing at Grookey once more. "How inDistortionare you still up? You tookthreehits from Corviknight, andthatfrom me - how can you possibly be standing?"

To be honest, Grookey didn't really know. But he chuckled anyway, even though his mind wasscreamingat him not to provoke the half-mad Flying-type. He glanced over at Hop, who was standing again, the Wooloo in his arms, readying himself to recall Grookey and run should this battle go badly or more Flying-types arrive. But the Trainer had not recalled and ran yet; instead, he was watching the battle closely.

"Because…my Trainer is trusting me to win this!" Grookey retorted. "And I won't let him down!" He flung himself at the Rookidee, surprising even himself with how much energy he was able to dredge up. "Branch Poke!"

The Rookidee tried to dodge, but as she twisted her wing hampered her again, and she wasn'tquitefast enough to avoid Grookey's stab. The blunt end of the clublike branch caught the Rookidee right in her already injured wing. Shescreamedin agony, crumpling to the ground.

"Branch Stroke!"

"Power Beak!"

The Rookidee's beak met Grookey's descending club-stick, and while this time the branch didn't shatter, it still was stalemated by the Flying-type attack. The Rookidee twisted. "Power Trip!" Her uninjured wing, enhanced with Dark energy, came around and slammed into Grookey's chin with an uppercut, knocking him to the ground once more.

"You've got this, Grookey," Hop encouraged.

"Come on…get up!" The Rookidee sounded on the verge of tears. "Get up!" There was a vehemence in her voice that pained Grookey's heart, but he shoved that feeling away. This was an enemy. An enemy who wanted to kill him and his Trainer.

He could not feel sorry for this Rookidee.

"Grookey, she's using all her weapons," Hop said. "You're only using one."

Grookey blinked as he rose to his feet, his entire body aching.Of course.He'd gotten so caught up in replacing his stick that he'd forgotten he had other methods of attacking.

"I…I won'tlose!" the Rookidee cried. "Not toyou! Hone Claws! Power Talons!"

Mingled Dark and Fighting energy wreathed her talons in a red-black hue as she lunged wildly, hurtling across the ground. Without flight, the Rookidee was nowhere near as fast as she had been, and so Grookey had plenty of time to prepare for the attack. He whirled his stick. "Branch Poke!" he gasped out, jabbing his clublike stick forwards once more, meeting Rookidee's charge.

For the fourth time today, Grookey's stick shattered on impact, the wooden shards flying everywhere but thankfully missing both him and Rookidee. But ithadserved to stop Rookidee's charge. And as Rookidee stopped short, temporarily motionless, Grookey summoned all the remaining strength he could muster and hurled himself forwards, his non-stick-wielding paw glowing with Normal energy.

Grookey hauled back and delivered a vicious Scratch to the Rookidee's face.

The Rookidee fell once more; Grookey winced as she topped right onto her injured wing. He hadn't known a Pokemon could screamthatloudly. Forcing back sympathy once again, Grookey reached down, picked upanotherstick (without even looking this time), and began to stumble towards the fallen Rookidee.

As he reached her, raising his stick, the Rookidee looked up at him. Her eyes were wild and desperate, and when she spoke there was no more malice. Only terror.

"Please-!"

Grookey couldn't stop himself. The branch slammed into Rookidee, and she crumpled again, her screams finally, mercifully, silenced.

Grookey fell down himself, dropping the branch, sucking in greedy gulps of air. At this point he was pretty sure a strong breeze would be enough to knock him unconscious. He looked over at Hop exhaustedly, but instead of triumph, the boy's eyes were filled with terror, and both he and the Wooloo he was carrying were staring over Grookey's head.

And as Grookey turned his head, trying to see what was wrong, he became suddenly aware of the sound of incoming wingbeats.

Of course the Rookidee's friends were alerted. How could they not have been, with all the screaming?

His heart sank as the Corvisquire and the group of Rookidee that had flown past them earlier emerged. Their eyes flashed with fury as they beheld their fallen compatriot. "Typical Trainers," the Corvisquire snarled. "Separating us to hunt us down one by one like the cowards they are. Rookidee,eliminate-"

Distortionfoldedin the center of the clearing.

"Hundred Dragon Darts."

Grookey's eyes widened as the ghostly form of a Dragapult materialized, a near-solid wall of Eterna-formed projectiles forming in front of it. The Corvisquire didn't quite have time to shriek, give orders, or really do anything before the barrage of Eterna shot forwards, blasting the entire group of Flying-types back the way they'd come in a flurry of explosions, their shrieks of pain abruptly cut off.

"Lee!" Hop cried joyously as the form of a Trainer - Leon, Grookey recognized - burst into the clearing in a full sprint.

We're safe,Grookey knew, and with that thought darkness came.

Gloria hurtled through the woods, practically hurling aside any branches that got in her way, ignoring any cuts she got from the wood. Scorbunny wanted her to stop. Knew she was hurting herself. But at the same time, he knew that stopping wasn't an option.

The wingbeats behind her made that quite obvious.

Her mistake had been stopping when the wingbeats had receded. Scorbunny could understand the decision - she needed to catch her breath - but she'd held still for far longer than necessary. And now Corviknight's 'Great Flock' had found her again; Scorbunny could tell there were at least two dozen behind her, mingled Corvisquire and Rookidee, their cries indistinguishable from one another as they vied for the opportunity to…

To kill Gloria.

She knew their intentions. Scorbunny could tell by the fear in every shaky breath, the speed she was running despite her clear tiredness. But even terror could only stave off exhaustion for so long. Eventually, she would fall, her body simply giving out. Corviknight's followers would catch up, and…

Scorbunny nearly vomited just from the thought.

Gloria nearly tripped over a root and fell, losing precious time. Scorbunny desperately wished there was something he could do. But no way could he fight off the army behind him by himself.

This could all have been avoided if I'd just managed to take down that Corviknight.

This could all have been avoided if I wasn't so pathetic.

He told himself he could never have won that fight. That even four-on-one Corviknight had beaten Hop and Gloria's teams simultaneously - what was he supposed to do? He'd done everything he could. But that didn't make him feel any better.

I'm such a failure. And that's how I'm going to die. A worthless faliure.

Gloria burst out into a clearing and stopped dead.

"What are youdoing?" Scorbunny cried, even though he knew Gloria couldn't hear or understand him. "Run! You have to-"

And then he sawit.

Standing in front of Gloria was a massive four-legged Pokemon with dark red fur. It was covered in scars from many battles, and it dwarfed Gloria in size. Gloria shrank back as the new Pokemon let out a wordless snarl.

Behind Gloria, the Flying-types poured out of the trees, shrieking in ecstasy. All stopped dead as soon as they saw the scarred Pokemon. Scorbunny was pretty sure a few of them gasped outright.

The scarred Pokemon inhaled, and then let out aroarthat shook the surrounding trees. "ENOUGH!"

Gloria wobbled, swayed, and then fell. Scorbunny paid no heed to the sound of rapid wingbeats as the Rookidee and Corvisquire took flight; he was focused on his Trainer, who now seemed unconscious, fallen from fright or exhaustion or a mixture.

And on the gigantic form of the scarred Pokemon as it loomed over her, its gaze unreadable.

"What?" Corviknight's eyes glowed with fury. "You're saying that your team ofseven Rookideeslost totwo Trained Pokemon?"

"They werestrong," the Rookidee protested tremblingly. "One of them took down five of us before we could all even engage, and the other-"

"Silence," Corviknight demanded. "I will not hear excuses. It seems that the Great Flock needs another display of my power. Call back the search parties. Which direction were these two Trained Pokemon in?"

"North," the Rookidee answered.

"Then we shall all fly north." Corviknight shifted. "Move."

The Rookidee was up and away in an instant, flying off into the trees to find the nearest search party.

"Interesting," said Mandibuzz. "StrongTrained Pokemon."

"They may have been strong enough to defeat a small fraction of my Great Flock," Corviknight growled. "But they are certainly not strong enough to defeat me."

"Maybe," said Mandibuzz, "they'll at least be strong enough to give me a decent fight."

"I doubt it," Corviknight responded. "TheyareTrained Pokemon, after all. And Trained Pokemon are, by their very nature, weak. Perhaps if you engage multiple at once."

"Perhaps." Mandibuzz shifted.

Corviknight smirked. "Lighten up, Mandibuzz. This may have become an even greater opportunity. After all, the more Trainers we kill, the more inclined the other Trainers will be to respect and fear us."

"Indeed," said Mandibuzz. "If I may, Corviknight…I must eat. There is no sense in fighting on an empty stomach, is there?"

"Not at all," said Corviknight. "But do not delay. I expect you to be ready when the rest of the Great Flock returns."

Mandibuzz, as she had done so many times, hid a roll of her eyes as he shifted behind a tree and out of Corviknight's sight.

Arceus,Corviknight was an idiot.

What else could one call a Pokemon who honestly believed Trained Pokemon were weak? Sure, the four Trained Pokemon Corviknight had fought had been weak, but Mandibuzz knew what kind of Trainersthosehad been. Starting Trainers, likely on their very first adventure after receiving their Pokemon.

She remembered when she'd been in that same spot. A Vullaby, stepping into the world alongside her new Trainer. It had been so long since then. So long since she'd had a proper fight.

That had been the one thing she'd enjoyed about her time under that Trainer. A year it had been since she'd finally managed to get away. Six months since she'd met Corviknight, then a mere dreamer of a Wild Pokemon with a grand design and nothing else, and the ideas for this plan of hers had begun to fall into place. Since then it had just been pointless smackdowns of Wild Pokemon. But now, with the news of the Trained Pokemon that had so effortlessly dismantled an entire squad of Rookidee…

Thatwas more along the lines of what Mandibuzz had been hoping for.

And now Mandibuzz's plan was falling into motion. The plan she had served alongside that total moron of a Corviknight for six months in the service of. She could see it now. Corviknight would lead his Great Flock into battle with an actually strong Trainer. He would fall, his followers scattered. And Mandibuzz would be there, ready to pick up the pieces and mold them into her own. After so long spent running, scrapping, and following others, she would finally become a true leader.

Of course, it was a risky plan. After all, she couldn't arouse Corviknight's suspicion by hanging back. She would have to participate in the battle herself.

Which meant the success of her plan likely hinged on her overcoming one of this Trainer's powerful Pokemon. But Mandibuzz was up to the task. She hadn't trained for years, plotted for months, even unlocked her Ability, all to lose this coming battle.

And when it was done, Mandibuzz would finally,finally,get everything she deserved.

Yeah, Hop and Gloria have it rough.

I'm trying to give them better treatment (development-wise,nottrauma-wise) than I did the Alolans. In my personal opinion, they were heavily underutilized and underdeveloped. I'm trying to fix that for our Galarian protags, without taking away too much focus from, you know, theactual main characters.

Let me know if you think I've struck a good balance - as always, I enjoy reading your feedback!

Chapter 6: Hall of Mirrors

Chapter Text

EDIT: It appears that I accidentally missed a chapter in the process of updating - there was supposed to be another chapter in between A Champion Time and Birds of a Feather. I have now added that new chapter, The Weald Beckons, in the place where it should have been. My sincere apologies for any confusion this might have caused.

Kriesh sighed in irritation as she gazed around, searching for any signs of life in this forsaken forest. But nothing stared back at her except for trees and mist. Kriesh knew Trevenant was somewhere down there, moving from tree to tree, but judging by the fact that they hadn't contacted her for the past ten minutes, Kriesh was fairly certain they hadn't found anything either.

It was all sofrustrating. Honestly, Kriesh didn't really know if she hadn't already looked in this part of the Slumbering Weald, because everything looked exactly the same. It felt like she was going in circles, checking the same areas over and over again.

We're never going to find them like this.

But Kriesh kept looking anyway. She had bothAspectumandAuditusstill going, the sounds of the forest filling Kriesh's ears from half a mile in every direction as she scanned tree after tree with her enhanced sight. It had been months since she'd strained the technique this much; she could feel her eyes watering and her mind pounding with the beginnings of a vicious headache. But she knew that she could not drop the technique until she found Wooloo, Hop, and Gloria. That was her mission, and she would not be swayed by something as simple as exhaustion.

A voice sprang into her mind. Medicham's. "Liepard and Pangoro came back," she said. "Apparently Hop and Gloria were attacked by a large group of wild Flying-types led by a Corviknight. The rest of the team's assembling back at Marcus - we need you to come in as well."

Kriesh sighed. "On my way," she said. ConcentratingAuditus, she quickly established Medicham and Marcus's location as about a quarter-mile northeast of them. Kriesh knew she didn't need to search for Trevenant - Medicham's Psychic communication would have reached them as well - and so she turned and spread her wings, readying them to fly back to Marcus. Failure rankled bitterly in her mind; sighing again, she cast outAspectumandAuditusone last time, quickly scanning her surroundings just in case she'd happened to miss something,anything-

A flutter of wings.

It was coming from the south, a little bit to the east as well. Kriesh focusedAudituson that area as she heard another flutter, then another and another. She could not see through the trees that far, but as more and more wingbeats came, Kriesh realized that this was no mere patrol of wandering wild Pokemon.

This was a gang. The only reason Pokemon would be traveling in groups such as this would be either forced migration or an attack. And judging by the fact that the group of fliers seemed to be heading in Marcus's direction, Kriesh was fairly certain it was likely the latter.

Attacked by wild Flying-types?A hunch was beginning to stir in Kriesh's mind.

"Sniper:Vox," Kriesh whispered, aiming her voice at the point a quarter-mile away - about the upper limit of where the technique could reach even after months of training - where she knew Medicham was. "You've got incoming. Fliers. Many. A quarter-mile to the south and closing fast."

"Got it," Medicham responded telepathically. She said nothing more, but a quick application ofAuditusto the northeast let Kriesh know that Marcus was beginning to move to the south, along with the rest of the team.

ThrowingAuditusout to the south once more, Kriesh began to rise, moving to the east so that she could get between Marcus and the incoming Flying-types. She knew the best move was probably to get back to Marcus as fast as possible rather than attempting to fly an intercept course, but she wanted to be certain what her enemies were before she did that. It was a risk, sure, but she was fairly sure she could outfly a group of Wild Pokemon if it came to that.

As soon as Kriesh arrived at her desired location, she found a sturdy enough branch to stand upon relatively quickly; the Slumbering Weald had no shortage of them. "Sniper:Vox," Kriesh whispered as she settled down. Aiming her voice at Medicham once more, she said, "I'm between Marcus and the horde. Trying to do some scouting before I go back."

Medicham's telepathic response came swiftly. "Don't do anything too risky, Kriesh."

"I won't." Kriesh droppedVoxand turned, readying to cast out her senses again.

"Kriesh?"

Kriesh very nearly jumped off the branch at the sound of Trevenant's voice; she shot a glare at the Grass/Ghost-type as they emerged from the side of the tree onto Kriesh's branch. "How many times?" she whispered angrily.

Trevenant chuckled. "Okay, serious time - what are you doing here? Shouldn't we be getting back to Marcus?"

"You heard about the Flying-types, right?" Kriesh asked. At Trevenant's nod she added, "I just want to get a look at what we're up against."

"We're up against Flying-types," Trevenant pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Thank you, Trevenant," Kriesh murmured sarcastically, tapping intoAspectumandAuditusonce more as she spoke. At once she stiffened; the enemies were flying alotfaster than Marcus was moving, even though the Trainer was practically sprinting through the forest.

Crap. Tailwind. Kriesh stifled a curse. With Tailwind in play, there was no longer a guarantee that Kriesh could outfly these enemies. And they were getting worryingly close, worryingly fast.

"What's wrong?" Trevenant asked.

"They're definitely under a Tailwind," Kriesh murmured. "Which means this is definitely an attack, and they're gonna be here a lot faster than Marcus. We'll need to fend for ourselves for maybe a minute."

"No retreating, then?" Trevenant queried.

"No, they'll be on us before we get to Marcus," Kriesh growled. "Ugh, this was stupid. I should've-"

"Shh." Trevenant covered Kriesh's beak with a vine. "Don't worry. We're in the middle of a forest, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Kriesh murmured; it took a few seconds before she realized justwhatTrevenant meant by that. "Oh."

"Yep." Trevenant's grin stretched to the edges of their face. "Relax, Kriesh. We need a minute? I can give us a minute."

Kriesh smirked. "I'm getting the feeling I'm going to enjoy this."

"Yeah, so am I," said Trevenant; the Grass/Ghost-type swiftly stepped back, dematerializing into the tree in a flicker of Overgrow.

Left alone once more, Kriesh swiftly sent a thirdVox-borne message to Medicham, apprising her of the new situation. As she did so, she kept her eyes peeled, listening as Marcus and the incoming Flying-types raced to get to Kriesh and Trevenant first. It wasn't much of a contest with Tailwind in play. Kriesh narrowed her eyes, focusing on the south withAspectum.

It took several more agonizing seconds before the first of the enemy fliers came into view. It was followed by the second and third together, and then an entire horde behind.

Kriesh felt a measure of shock - she could see at least a hundred Flying-types, a mixture of Rookidees and Corvisquires, and still more were coming on behind them in a torrent of flapping wings.This isn't some standard Wild Pokemon attack - this is a horde.Kriesh steadied herself. "Trevenant," she murmured, "now would be a good time to do your thing."

There were a few agonizing seconds where she didn't think Trevenant had heard, as more and more Rookidees and Corvisquires came into view, talons outstretched and eyes glowing with fury, their hostile intent obvious from their piercing battlecries alone.

And then the forest spoke.

"HARVEST: FOREST'S CURSE."

Kriesh knew full well that in Kalos, fighting a Trevenant in the forest was considered suicide. In fact, she'd given her old flock that warning many times. Now, she reflected, she could see exactly why that warning had been given so much prominence.

The entirety of the Slumbering Weald surrounding the horde seemed to explode to life in an instant. Trees twisted and lashed out with dozens of snaggly branches. Leaves flew from above, a barrage of green projectiles to throw all those impacted into complete disarray. Grasses sprouted ten times as tall as normal, grasping those who tried to drop and dragging them down. And to top it all off, a barrage of mingled Confuse Rays, Curses, and Will-O-Wisps was flying out of the trees as well, felling at least half a dozen Flying-types who managed to get clear of the nature-borne onslaught.

The horde of Rookidees and Corvisquires collapsed in an instant. Some of the Corvisquires called out orders, but the Rookidees had already fallen into near-total chaos, flying every which way in a desperate effort to escape the surging forest. At least three dozen Flying-types were unlucky enough to be caught. The Corvisquires managed to break free, utilizing swift expenditures of Flying energy to tear away the grasping branches and grasses, but the Rookidees were unable to, struggling uselessly as Trevenant drained their vitality away with the Leech Seeds that he seemed to have imbued into every one of his branches.

For a moment, Kriesh wondered if Trevenant alone would be enough to fend off this horde. And then a loud, commanding voice spoke up. "Enough!"

Kriesh turned her gaze upwards to see a pair of much larger Flying-types descending from above. One was a massive Corviknight, his steely wings spread and eyes glaring down at the scene; the other was a Mandibuzz who was already plunging down towards the fracas, Flying energy glowing across its wings. "Shifty Slash!" the Mandibuzz snarled; a barrage of Air Slashes flew from the Dark/Flying-type's wings, and a roar came from the forest as several clusters of branches were torn clean off by the super-effective attacks.

These would be the commanders of this assault.Kriesh swallowed; swiftly, she usedVoxto warn Medicham, by now not very far away at all, of these two new arrivals. In that time, Corviknight and Mandibuzz's arrival had galvanized the horde into rallying. Trevenant's attacks were now met with concentrated formations, multiple Rookidee and Corvisquire working together to free their fellows, ripping apart bark and sending grasses and branches flying.

As that battle continued, Trevenant once again stepped backwards out of the tree next to Kriesh, grimacing in pain. "I got a few of 'em," they said. "They're just grunts, but that Mandibuzz is pretty strong, and I'm willing to bet that Corviknight is too."

"Do you think you can keep going?" Kriesh asked.

"Of course," said Trevenant, grinning once more. "It'll take more than a few Air Slashes to bring me down. But if help doesn't show up soon, we're gonna have to start thinking about a fighting retreat."

As if on cue, Cloyster's voice rang out from under them. "There they are!"

Glancing down, Kriesh spotted Cloyster and Kamado springing out of the undergrowth. "Skill Link: Ice Flurry!" Cloyster cried. A storm of icicles flew upwards, multiplying as they did so; a many-throated screech erupted as two dozen enemy fliers fell, their bodies pierced by multiple icy projectiles.

"Hey, Kriesh!" Kamado cried. "We weren't back at Marcus yet; Medicham told us to go on ahead!"

"Good thing you did!" Kriesh gestured to the gigantic flock of Rookidees and Corvisquires battling back the forest around them. "Trevenant could use some help!"

"Yeah!" said Trevenant from beside her. "Trevenant coulddefinitelyuse some help!"

Kamado chuckled. "Got it! Rock Manipulation!" Twisting, Kamado called upon Ancient Power; an entire section of Rock energy-wreathed earth in front of the Tyrantrum lifted off the ground, split into several smaller sections, and flung itself at the horde, felling several more enemies and sowing further chaos.

"Idiots!" the Corviknight cried from above. "It's just a few Trained Pokemon! Get it together, and find the Trainer!"

They're aiming for Marcus. Kriesh felt fury rising in her throat. "Cloyster!" she shouted. "Beam Split!"

"You got it!" Cloyster yelled back.

Kriesh opened her mouth. "Sniper: Beam Impact!"

"Skill Link!" Cloyster called. "Attack Duplication!"

Even as the Hyper Beam left Kriesh's beak, it shivered and split into three. The trio of blistering beams of Energy slammed into the horde, eliciting more startled and agonized cries. Several of those hit were flung backwards into their fellows, and the group, which had been on the verge of rallying from Cloyster and Kamado's attacks, fell into chaos again.

But then Kriesh saw the Mandibuzz's eyes lock on her branch, and realized that with the attack she'd broken both her and Trevenant's cover. The Dark/Flying-type snarled in fury. "Ambush, to the left!" she called, wings spread wide. "Shifty Slash!" Another barrage of Air Slashes flew from her wings, arcing down towards the branch upon which Kriesh and Trevenant were standing.

"Go!" Drapion lunged out of the undergrowth, Marcus and the rest of the team at his heels. "Get him - we've got this!" His eyes lit up with rage as he unleashed a No Escape, flinging a barrage of rays into the horde and sending a further four Rookidees plummeting to the ground.

Nodding, Kriesh lunged upwards, seeing as she did so Trevenant drawing back into the side of the tree to avoid any effects of Mandibuzz's attack. Kriesh twisted, spinning to avoid the barrage; her beak opened and she unleashed another Sniper-boosted Beam Impact at the descending Mandibuzz, but the Dark/Flying-type's body flared with Tailwind and she dodged the curving beam, continuing on towards Kriesh even as the beam circled around and came after her.

She's trying to redirect it to me.Kriesh grimaced.Clearly an experienced battler - is she Trained? Regardless, it's not going to work. It's been a long time since I've been worried about being hit by my own techniques.

Calling upon Agility, Kriesh twisted, lunging sideways to avoid Mandibuzz's charge and her own Beam Impact. Whirling again, Mandibuzz snarled "Shifty Wave!" and unleashed a Dark Pulse at the retreating form of Kriesh. Kriesh countered with yet another Beam Impact, this one a straight shot that blasted through the Dark Pulse and flew past Mandibuzz's shoulder.

Mandibuzz glared at Kriesh as the two Flying-types rose, the initial exchange done. "Not bad," she admitted. "But you can't protect your Trainer forever."

Kriesh glared back. "You wanna bet on that?"

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Fearow," Mandibuzz snarled. "Shifty Charge!"

"Sniper: Sky Impact!" Calling upon her Ability to steady herself, Kriesh lunged at the charging Mandibuzz, and the two Flying-types came together in a flurry of clashing beaks and talons.

A horde of over a hundred Rookidees and Corvisquires should have been intimidating. A couple years ago it would have been, sheer numbers enough to compensate for lack of individual power. But so many had fallen already, and before Medicham, Marcus, and Marcus's Dark-types had even arrived, the remainder had been scattered by the chaos Trevenant had unleashed upon them combined with the barrage of attacks let loose by Kriesh, Kamado, and Cloyster. Now clusters of two or three dozen Rookidee or single Corvisquires were coming at the team individually, and though they came from every direction, the team was strong and numerous enough to easily handle each group individually.

By all rights this battle should have been over already. Even with their numbers, the sheer amount of fallen should have alerted the horde that their adversaries were too strong for them, and they should have already fled. But every time they seemed to falter, the Corviknight hanging in the sky above shrieked out in defiance, ordering them to continue onwards. His voice was hard, his tone uncompromising - for whatever reason, he wanted Marcus hurt, or even killed, at all costs.

Medicham gritted her teeth.Notwhile we've got anything to say about it.

"Aura Blast Barrage!" Medicham called, flinging out her arm as a Corvisquire and half a dozen Rookidees came at her in a clump. From her outstretched hand came a succession of blasts that sent them all flying into the bushes and trees behind them; not a single one rose back up to challenge her again. To Medicham's right, she could see Cloyster unleashing barrage after barrage of duplicated projectiles, shredding ranks of Rookidees with each volley, while simultaneously bringing up Protect barriers to deflect any Flying-types that attempted to get through. Kamado stood above him, sniping Flying-types out of the sky with blasts of Rock energy or Strong Jaw-formed aerial blades. And any attempt by the Flying-types to establish any sort of formation was swiftly disrupted by the surrounding trees reaching out and grasping at any Rookidee or Corvisquire they could reach, or unleashing Confuse Rays, Will-O-Wisps, Curses, and Leech Seeds to disable those unlucky enough to be hit.

Medicham smirked. Trevenant was very much in his element.

On the left, Marcus's Dark-types were working in perfect harmony. Drapion and Liepard were standing side by side, hurling flurries of Pursuit rays at any Rookidee or Corvisquire they saw. Any Flying-types that made it past that was dealt with by Houndoom - the Dark/Fire-type wasn't using his Fire-type moves, not wanting to accidentally burn down the forest, but his Dark Surges and other assorted ranged attacks were more than enough to pick off straggling Flying-types - or Pangoro, who was alternating between firing Focus Blasts and Dark Pulses at his foes and simply punching them out of the sky with rapid Bullet Punches that effectively neutralized anyone who came within arm's reach of the Dark/Fighting-type.

And Medicham was holding the center. She drew her attention away from the Dark-types to the left in time to spot another group of Rookidees charging her. Another Aura Blast Barrage was sufficient to send them all falling to the ground. A Corvisquire came in from above, talons extended as it streaked towards Marcus; Medicham let fly with a Psychic, stunning it and causing it to drop out of the sky, and then caught it with a rapid Thunder Punch as it fell into her range. The Corvisquire was blasted away, its unconscious body crackling with Electric energy.

Yet still, despite all the punishment and all the casualties, the horde pushed forwards, spurred on by the shouts of the Corviknight above. Medicham had been hoping that Kriesh would handle him, but apparently that Mandibuzz was stronger than expected, for she could still hear shrieks and the clash of energy as the two of them battled somewhere Medicham couldn't see. Which left Corviknight free to call out order after order; it was legitimately frightening how much his cries were impacting the battle, for every bellow from his beak seemed to give the enemies new life. Medicham could even see some who had already fallen rising from the bushes, eyes wild as they forced themselves to push through wounds that should have knocked them out just to please their leader.

"Marcus," Medicham said rapidly, "we need more firepower. The longer this takes, the more likely it is that one of these Flying-types gets a lucky hit on you."

"Yeah, you're right," said Marcus, before opening his mouth. "Everyone, get back! Houndoom, in front of me!"

Marcus's intent was immediately obvious. With a barrage of ranged attacks that felled at least two dozen more adversaries, the team scrambled backwards, forming a tight circle around Marcus with Houndoom in the center. The trees around them ceased to shift as Trevenant leaped out of a nearby tree trunk to join the rest of the team. "Forward,now!" the Corviknight bellowed triumphantly; gleeful cries emanated from the remaining Rookidees and Corvisquires - still a hundred or so, all told - as they charged, seeing their foes retreating.

"Houndoom, do it!" Marcus yelled. "Inferno!"

Houndoom stepped forwards, eyes narrowed as he stared down the oncoming Flying-types. "You will go no further," he growled. "Flash Fire:Flame Surge."

Horrified screams erupted from the horde as a tidal wave of Blaze burst from Houndoom's gaping maw. It twisted and expanded, setting ablaze every tree it touched. Through the whirling flames, Medicham could see Rookidees and Corvisquires falling, trailing flames behind them. The forestburned, and the Flying-types burned with it.

The horde broke. It didn't matter how many frenzied orders and threats Corviknight screeched at the top of his lungs; no amount of discipline could survive a full-blownforest fire.Rookidees flew away in all directions as fast as their wings could carry them; some Corvisquires tried to stop the rout, shouting over the din, but Houndoom, continuing to tap into his Ability, directed spurts of concentrated Blaze at anyone who tried to mount a rally. The smart Corvisquires followed the Rookidees in fleeing the battlefield; the rest fell.

Medicham couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat as she saw so many Flying-types tumbling limply out of the sky. A true master of Blaze would be able to release the flames from each individual body, leaving them unconscious but not dead. Houndoom was no master, even with Flash Fire; more likely than not at least some Rookidees and Corvisquires were already dead, and more would follow. But Medicham knew she couldn't dwell on such pity. These Flying-types had come with murder in their hearts, each and every one.

Even if they'd just been following orders, that didn't excuse them in any way.

"Cowards!" Corviknight bellowed from above. "Traitors! Worthlessscum! Fine! I'll slaughter them all myself!" Steel energy flared across his entire body as he dove downwards, streaking over the flames, his wings spread wide. "Die!"

Houndoom readied a Flamethrower, but Medicham threw out her single hand. "I'll handle this," she said, both telepathically and out loud. The rest of the team nodded, maintaining their circle around Marcus just in case, while Houndoom turned his attention to controlling the flames he'd unleashed, drawing it back from the trees lest his Inferno transform into a disastrous wildfire.

"I'll take the stragglers!" Trevenant said cheerfully. "Forest's Curse!" They slid back into the side of a tree; a few seconds later, renewed screams arose from the fleeing Rookidees and Corvisquires as Trevenant hurried them along with another onslaught of manipulated branches and various status moves.

Satisfied, Medicham turned her attention upwards as Corviknight came down, massive wings ripping through the treetops. His eyes glowed red in the light of the still-retracting flames, panting a terrifying image as he pounced, one wing drawn back and ready to swipe. "Mirror Wing!"

"Pure Power: Aura Blast!" In a fraction of a second, Medicham created and tossed an Aura Sphere at the oncoming Corviknight. Corviknight was still under the influence of Tailwind, though, and managed to dive out of the way. He twisted, lunged once more for Marcus-

-and was caught in the beak by a Pure Power-boosted Aura Strike.

His startled cry echoed through the half-burnt trees as he was sent flying backwards through a couple; scorched by flames, the trees could not stand against the Steel/Flying-type's flight, and two tree trunks shattered entirely, their boughs falling to the ground, while the third was stove in so deeply that Medicham was surprised that tree was still up. As Corviknight, his flight finally arrested, fell to the ground in a tangle of steely feathers, Medicham began to stride forwards, fist clenched and Aura flaring across her body.

The light of Houndoom's flames lit Kriesh and Mandibuzz with a glowing red as the two sparred in the air. The Dark/Flying-type was weaker and slower, but her continued Tailwind was allowing her to keep up with Kriesh, and neither one had been able to land a clean hit for a while, though their attacks had continued unabated for a minute on end, possibly two.

"Fall!" Mandibuzz snarled. "Shifty Wave!"

"No chance!" Kriesh backwinged, plunging downwards to avoid Mandibuzz's Dark Pulse. "Flurry Impact!" The seeking rays wouldn't hurt Mandibuzz much, but they would distract and harry her, and most importantly force her back.

Mandibuzz grimaced as a couple of the rays caught her. "Ha!" she snarled. "Nowthisis more like it!Thisis the true power of a Trained Pokemon!"

"I thought we were supposed to be weak," Kriesh growled.

"Oh, that's just what Corviknight thinks," said Mandibuzz. "That's notmyideology. I'm just looking for an army. And when Corviknight falters, I'll takehis."

"Why?" Kriesh demanded.

"Simple," said Mandibuzz. "With an army, with all this power I've amassed, the whole of the Slumbering Weald will bemine!"

"And what of those who don't want that?" Kriesh countered.

"Whocaresabout them?" Mandibuzz cried. "My entire life I've been fighting for scraps! Ideservethis!"

Kriesh frowned, remembering the Swarmlord, so many months and years ago. "No onedeserves that kind of power," she retorted.

"Then we are at an impasse," said Mandibuzz. "And such an impasse can only be resolved throughbattle!" Her wings began to glow with Dark energy. "Your Ability - Sniper, was it? Perfect aim isn't half bad - those curving Hyper Beams are certainly hard to avoid! But let's see if it can compete with my Overcoat Ability! With it, I have total control over the very feathers that adorn my body, allowing me to shift and manipulate them at will!" Several of Mandibuzz's feathers spontaneously detached from her body. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechettes!"

"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh cried as Mandibuzz's feathers streaked towards her. Another barrage of Pursuit rays was sufficient to blast the oncoming feathers out of the sky.Overcoat seems akin to Multiscale…scale manipulation vs. feather manipulation. But while Multiscale shifts scales across one's body, Overcoat seems to be even more versatile, though it appears to exchange some defensive utility for that versatility.

After all, feathers are a lot softer than scales.

Kriesh lunged forwards, seeking to take advantage of that lower defense. Mandibuzz shifted. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Sword!" One wing, its feathers sharpened into a blade and flowing with Flying energy, shot out in a swift overhead blow; Kriesh twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding the strike, and lunged for Mandibuzz's side. "Sniper: Sky Impact!"

"Overcoat: Feather Coat Defense!" Mandibuzz's other wing came up, glowing with Steel energy of all things. It was like slamming into a wall; Kriesh stumbled backwards, barely keeping her wings beating, and Mandibuzz lunged with another Shifty Feather Sword that Kriesh only narrowly avoided with a quick backwing.

Iron Defense? I don't know how she learned that, but regardless, that completely shores up her vulnerability. It doesn't matter how soft feathers are when they're hardened by Steel energy - with that combo, she's got all the versatility of Overcoat with none of the drawbacks.

Mandibuzz pressed, swinging feather-sword after feather-sword at Kriesh. Kriesh continued to backwing, deflecting some of Mandibuzz's attacks with swipes of her own wings or stabs of her beak. Finally, Mandibuzz, by now panting slightly, overcommitted on a swing, and Kriesh lunged backwards, beak opening wide. "Sniper: Beam Impact!"

"Overcoat: Feather Coat Full Defense!" This time both wings came up, reinforced with Overcoat and Iron Defense, but even so Mandibuzz was thrown away by the sheer force of Kriesh's Hyper Beam. Her protected wings caught the blast, holding it back even as it propelled her across the sky. Kriesh fired her Beam Impact until she had to pause for breath, by which point Mandibuzz was quite a ways away from her; swiftly, the Dark/Flying-type spread her wings once more, tossing away the remaining vestiges of energy.

Mandibuzz laughed gleefully as she twisted and shot upwards under a renewed application of Tailwind. "I haven't been pressed like this in alongtime!" she shrieked. "But let's see how you handlethis! Overcoat: Shifty Feather FlechetteStorm!"

Kriesh shook her head - her mind felt strangely cloudy all of a sudden - and narrowed her eyes as Mandibuzz spread her wings wide. Dozens of feathers detached from her body, glowing with Flying energy; twisting in midair, the storm of feathers plummeted, all aiming towards Kriesh. Spreading her own wings, Kriesh turned and fled, flying as fast as she could through the air as behind her Mandibuzz's barrage of feathers slammed into the treetops.

She was just ahead of the feather barrage, but Mandibuzz was turning faster than Kriesh could fly, and the storm of feathers was catching up. Grimacing, Kriesh ceased her flight, twisting and bringing her wings up. "Steel Impact!" she cried, taking a page out of Mandibuzz's book; two Steel Wings were enough to improvise a makeshift Iron Defense, and aping-ping-pingsound came from Kriesh's upraised wings as Mandibuzz's feathers bounced off the steely surface.

She has to run out of feathers sometime…

Glancing upwards, Kriesh felt a measure of irritation at the sight of Mandibuzz's feathers regrowing as fast as she detached and fired them.Of course Overcoat lets her regrow her feathers…guess I'm not going to beat her by playing defensive.

"Beam Impact!" Kriesh bellowed, abandoning her patchwork Iron Defense in favor of countering the stream of feathers with her own attack. Mandibuzz dove to the side as her feather storm was subsumed in an instant; twisting, she dove downwards towards Kriesh, Tailwind blazing across her body. "Yes!" she cried. "This kind of challenge…this is whatdrivesme! This is why I strive to become stronger every day, why I work to break the bonds that I have labored against since I've beenborn!"

"Sky Impact!" Kriesh shook her head again and launched herself upwards, aiming to meet Mandibuzz's beak with her own.

"This iswhy I fight!" Mandibuzz yelled. "Overcoat: Full Feather Body!Shifty Charge!"

An array of feathers coalesced in front of Mandibuzz as she dropped, forming a mask of sharpened feathers that threatened to protect Mandibuzz from Kriesh's charge and provide additional power to her own. Kriesh glared at Mandibuzz. "Sniper: Beak Impact!" she cried, focusing all the Flying energy she could muster into a single point right at the tip of her beak and aiming that tip right for a gap between two of Mandibuzz's feathers.

They connected, and Kriesh's Peck pierced right through Mandibuzz's mask and straight into the Dark/Flying-type's left eye.

"Argh!" Mandibuzz recoiled, bringing up one wing to cover her eye. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh snarled; before Mandibuzz could react, the Hyper Beam lanced out, striking her across the face and sending her spinning across the sky, feathers flying everywhere.

"You paint me as your equal," Kriesh growled. "But you haven't really been paying attention, have you? If you were, you'd realize something. All those techniques, all that power you're throwing around, all that skill you command…and yet you still haven't landed a single proper hit on me, have you?"

Mandibuzz glared with her one good eye at Kriesh. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechettes!"

"Flurry Impact." Kriesh effortlessly deflected this latest barrage with her Pursuit rays. "You're not equal to me," she continued. "You are very muchinferior. You're wounded, exhausted, and you've used every technique you've got to no avail. This battle is already over. I'll ask you just this once: surrender, and abandon this foolish plan of yours."

"Heh…" Mandibuzz lowered her wing, revealing her left eye swollen shut, but determination still glinted in her right eye. "You're right about one thing, Fearow. This battleisalready over.Flatter."

Kriesh blinked. Then blinked again. Her mind was suddenly foggy, filled with odd thoughts that weren't hers. Thoughts that told her how kind Mandibuzz was, how amazing her plan was, how Kriesh should just let her have the dominance she deserved.

Dimly, she heard Mandibuzz's voice, upraised in triumph. "All those compliments!" she cried. "All that praise for how well you were doing, how much you were pressing me…I've been filling your head with Flatter the whole time!"

Through half-closed eyes, Kriesh saw Mandibuzz streaking towards her. "I win, Fearow!" she bellowed, hauling back with a wing that she was shaping into a thick, blunt appendage. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Fist!"

"Steel Impact."

Mandibuzz's remaining eye widened comically as her fist slammed into Kriesh's upraised wall of a wing. Kriesh opened her eyes fully, glaring straight into Mandibuzz's face. "How?" Mandibuzz demanded. "Your mind should bemush!"

"I spar with a Psychic every day," Kriesh snarled. "My mind's stronger thanthat. Now that you've shown off so many of your techniques, Mandibuzz, I think it's time I showedyoua new one of my own."

Kriesh inhaled, relishing the look of fear in Mandibuzz's eye. "Sniper:Vox," she murmured, and then raised her voice as loud as she could. "VOX IMPACT!"

Voxwas most often used, as it had been in the minutes before this battle, in order to deliver messages further away than Kriesh's voice normally could. But in recent months, Kriesh had begun working on a more offensive use forVox. Thanks to Sniper, she could aim her voice anywhere she wanted - including, as it happened, inside one's inner ear.

Such a perfectly precise placement of her voice was difficult, and even after months of practice Kriesh still had not fully mastered Vox Impact. But it was workable enough for limited use. And Mandibuzz's sudden agonized scream told Kriesh that the technique had worked perfectly.

The Dark/Flying-type's steady flight completely fell to pieces, the Tailwind surrounding her body petering out as she lost all concentration. It was clearly all she could do to even stay in the air as Kriesh's voice bellowed straight into her eardrums. Kriesh took full advantage of the stumble; with a cry of "Sky Impact!", which also blasted Mandibuzz's ears, Kriesh surged forwards and slammed bodily into the stumbling Mandibuzz.

"Barrage Impact!" Kriesh snarled; drawing her head back, she unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of beak-strikes into Mandibuzz's reeling body. Mandibuzz screamed, wings flailing desperately. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechette Storm!" she cried, but Kriesh simply dropped, easily dodging the wild flurry of flying feathers.

"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh snarled, and without Tailwind Mandibuzz was too slow to dodge the curving beam. Kriesh's Hyper Beam drove straight into Mandibuzz's chest, and the Dark/Flying-type's scream of denial and agony trailed off as she was sent flying up and away.

Kriesh watched as Mandibuzz's body arced across the sky; as gravity took hold and Mandibuzz began to fall limply towards the treetops, Kriesh realized she was finally unconscious.She put up a pretty decent fight, Kriesh admitted to herself.But at this point, I'm far beyond the level of even the strongest wild Pokemon. As strong as she was, she never stood a chance.

Shrugging, Kriesh began to flutter back towards the ground, barely even registering that Corviknight was no longer in the sky.

Corviknight's feathers were dented and his breathing was harsh, but he rose regardless as Medicham stepped towards his form. She was vaguely aware of Marcus and the rest of the team watching from behind; they all knew that this was Medicham's fight, and she knew that they wouldn't interfere.

Corviknight let out a chuckle. "That will be the last hit you land on me," he growled. His wings flashed with light as he spread them wide. "My Mirror Armor Ability allows me to reflect any attack you throw at me. Combined with Iron Defense, I am unbreakable!"

Medicham continued to stride forwards, uncaring of what Corviknight was saying.

"Andthisis what your Trainer throws at me?" Corviknight scoffed. "A crippled Fighting-type? Pathetic! No wonder Trainers are so weak ifthisis the best they can do!"

Arceus, he's not just tyrannical, he's outright delusional.Medicham fought back the urge to point out the burnt trees all around them, or the many, many bodies of fallen Flying-types strewn around the forest floor, their forms half-shrouded in the mist that still flowed across the ground despite the fact that up until a few seconds ago this place had been filled with Blaze.After all that, he still seriously thinks Trained Pokemon areweak?

"What's the matter?" Corviknight mocked. "Too scared to speak?Good. That's how it should be! Today, you will learn just how weak Trained Pokemon are, for no Trained Pokemon can defeat me!"

With that, Corviknight lunged, Flying energy flaring across his body. "Mirror Beak!"

Medicham tapped into Aura Avoidance. Smoothly, she ducked to the side, allowing Corviknight to sail past her. As he twisted in midair, Medicham raised her palm towards him, forming another sphere of Aura in her outstretched hand. "Pure Power: Aura Blast!" she cried, hurling it at Corviknight.

"Weren't youlistening?" Corviknight cried. "That pathetic attack won't work on me! Mirror Armor!"

Smirking, Corviknight raised his glinting wing in defense - and was sent flying backwards as the Aura Blast exploded against the appendage.

This time, Corviknight managed to stop his involuntary flight before he ripped through any more trees. But as he lowered his wing, his eyes were filled with shock and confusion. "How…" He blinked, and in an instant the confusion was replaced by fury. "Whatever you did to get past my defense, I'll make sure itneverhappens again!"

Twisting, Corviknight kicked up a spray of Ground energy - a textbook, if decently powerful, Sand-Attack. Medicham blasted it away with a swift blast of Mind, revealing Corviknight charging once again, trying to take advantage of the blinding move. "Mirror Beak!"

"Pure Power: Aura Sweep!" Medicham spun herself, bringing up one muscular leg to block Corviknight's charge. Beak met foot and both held, Corviknight's type advantage canceling out Medicham's greater power. "Ha!" Corviknight snarled, whirling to try and strike Medicham with a swift wing-strike. "Mirror Wing!"

But again Aura Avoidance enabled Medicham to easily dodge, leaning back as Corviknight's wing swept overhead. Corviknight reared up, wrath on his face. "Stop dodging and fight me, coward!" he cried, his eyes glowing black.

Taunt.

Medicham stifled a chuckle. Did Corviknight seriously -yes. Hedoesseriously think I have no way of dealing with Taunt.

"Have it your way," Medicham growled, bringing up her arm once again. "Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!"

"Mirror Armor!" Corviknight cried, bringing up his shining wings to try and deflect Medicham's assault. Once again, he was sent reeling as the attack pierced through his Mirror Armor and exploded against his wings. Steely feathers flew in several different directions as Corviknight staggered backwards.

Medicham pounced, knowing that with Taunt afflicting her, defense was not an option. "Pure Power!" she cried. "Blaze Strike!"

Along with empowering her Aura and Mind, strengthening the Elemental Punches had been one of the focal points of Medicham's training in the past few years. It was difficult, seeing as none of them matched her typing, and as such her capacity for wielding Blaze, Aurora, and Lightning was nowhere near as high as Mind and Aura. She still couldn't properly manifest Lightning or Aurora in her Thunder and Ice Punches.

But Blaze was a different story. She didn't know why Darkrai had initially focused on Blaze specifically - Lightning and Aurora were much better at shoring up her type weaknesses - but that initial focus meant that while she couldn't consistently pull off Lightning and Aurora…

…Blaze worked just fine.

"Iron Mirror!" Yet again, Corviknight called upon his defense, bringing up a barrier of Steel energy to try and hold off Medicham's assault. And yet again it failed, as Medicham's fist, enshrouded in mingled Aura and Blaze, shattered Corviknight's Iron Defense and drilled straight into his face, hurling him away with a loud shriek of pain.

His body sailed through four half-burnt trees before finally striking an unburnt one and coming to a sudden halt. All four trees collapsed, slamming into the ground one after the other, each one sending up a spray of earth and plant matter. Medicham walked through the dissipating clouds of dirt, watching as Corviknight struggled to his feet.

"You…youcan'tbe doing this!" the Steel/Flying-type cried. "How? How could you break my defense?"

"Simple," said Medicham. "I'm stronger than you."

Corviknight let out a furious screech. "I don't carehowstrong you are!" he cried. "Try defeating me when you can't evenreachme!" Spreading his wings, Corviknight hurled himself into the sky, not stopping until he was high above the treetops. Medicham watched as he spun, glaring down at her. "Come on, then! Where's all that strengthnow?"

"Do you even have a ranged attack?" Medicham called back. "Because from what I can tell, all you have is melee. Can you evenhitme from up there?"

Corviknight looked like he was going to erupt in a bout of furious cursing; then he took in a deep breath, regaining control of his emotions. Instead he let out a shrieking laugh. "Look at you!" he cried. "Standing down there, boasting about howstrongyou are, and yet you're too scared to come up here and face me in afairfight! Iknewyou Trained Pokemon were all cowards!"

Medicham gaped.How in Distortion can someone be this delusional?Sighing, she clenched her fist once more. No matter how stupid Corviknight was, he was stilldangerous. Hop and Gloria still hadn't been found - if Corviknight was left conscious, there was always the risk of him finding one of them before Marcus or Leon could.

And there was no question he'd slaughter them in an instant in service of his delusions.

"You want me to come up there?" Medicham asked. "Fine." She raised her hand to the sky. "Pure Power: Aura Platform!"

From her hand, a circular disk of Aura emerged, three feet in diameter and several inches thick. Medicham leaped upon it and willed it to rise. Corviknight's expression as the disk began to carry Medicham up into the sky was a sight to behold.

Aura Platform was one of the multiple products of Medicham's experiments with the limits of her Ability. Being able to manifest strong enough Aura to hold Medicham for an extended period of time had been quite difficult. But she'd managed it a year and a half ago, giving her a much better way to counter high-flying Pokemon than her earlier tactics of 'spamming Aura Blasts and praying'.

Corviknight hung in the sky, openmouthed and unmoving, as Medicham rose up towards him. "What's the matter?" Medicham asked. "Too scared to speak?"

"You…" Corviknight sputtered. "You…" His sputtering turned into yet another bout of laughter. "Youidiot!" he cried. "You fell right into my trap! You think reflecting projectiles is myonlyuse for Mirror Armor? Well, think again! Mirror Flash!"

Corviknight's wing shone once again, reflecting the sunlight streaming down from above and sending it straight into Medicham's eyes.

"Ah!" Medicham cried out, instinctively squeezing her eyes shut and throwing up her arm to shield them, but it was too late. For the moment, at least, she was blinded. As much as she hated to give Corviknight credit for anything, Medicham had to admit that was a decent technique he'd been holding in reserve.

Of course, any strategic advantage he would have gained from Medicham being temporarily blind was ruined by his insistence on continuing totalk. "You can't fight me without being able to see!" he bellowed, his voice drawing nearer and nearer. "Like I said, no Trained Pokemon can possibly defeat me! I am Corviknight, leader of the Great Flock! I will usher in a new age of dominance for Wild Pokemon! And no one,least of all you, is going to stop me! Mirror Wing!"

Crouching, Medicham tapped into Aura Avoidance.

Instantly her Aura dragged her to the right. She obeyed its call, bending sideways; a rush of air flew past her face as Corviknight's attack narrowly missed. "Pure Power," she murmured as she felt the wind recede. "Aura Wave."

After all, it didn't matter that she couldn't see where Corviknight was if she used an attack that hit everywhere around her.

Corviknight cried out again as the Aura Wave slammed into him. The cry came from just behind Medicham - clearly he'd been coming around to strike her in the back - and so Medicham at once whirled around, drawing her fist back. "And likeIsaid…I'm stronger than you," she growled. "Think onthat. Pure Power: Blaze Strike!"

"Iron Mirror!" Corviknight cried desperately, but once more his defense simply wasn't enough to stave off Medicham. Medicham felt her fist connect with the point of Corviknight's beak, hitting so hard it crumpled inwards. She heard Corviknight scream out in pain, and just a little bit of fear, as he was launched away, his last cry rapidly trailing off as he flew further and further. Still blinded, Medicham had no idea how far she'd launched him. All she knew was that the fight was most definitely over.

Stifling a grunt, she blinked, trying to regain her vision, but still all she could see was light and blurry, vague outlines. One of those blurs shifted to a point directly in front of her. "Medicham, you all right?"

"Kriesh," Medicham recognized. "He got me with a blinding technique - is he gone?"

"Yeah."

"Good," said Medicham. "Can you…guide me down? I'm pretty sure my sight will come back in a minute or two, but…I'd rather not stay up here while it does."

"Sure," said Kriesh. "Down, and a little to the left…"

"That was amazing, Medicham!" Kamado cried. "You wereblindand you still beat him! Some 'unbreakable defense', huh?"

Laughter came from all around. Medicham smiled; her vision had returned by the time she'd finally reached the ground, allowing her to fully enjoy her victory with the rest of the team.

"'Ooh, Wild Pokemon are stronger than Trained Pokemon!'" Trevenant backed up. "Where did he evengetthat idea?"

"I'll bet the Mandibuzz encouraged it," said Kriesh. "I'm pretty sure she was manipulating him in order to get his army."

"Where is that Mandibuzz, by the way?" Liepard asked.

"Yeah," growled Pangoro. "Are we sure she won't come back?"

"I think Marcus will tell Leon about this," said Medicham. "And I think Leon will have it handled. Heisthe Champion, after all."

"Guys."

The tone of Marcus's voice dispersed all remaining mirth. The gathered team looked up at him. "As much as I get we're all glad that's over…we still have to find Hop and Gloria."

"Right." Medicham looked around, the reality of the situation coming back to her. "Okay, so now that we're in a different place in the Slumbering Weald, it would probably be a good idea to split up into teams of two again, and…"

She trailed off as the sound of rustling leaves came from behind her.

Whirling, Medicham crouched down, readying for battle. The rest of the team did the same, while Marcus took a step back, readying to dart behind his Pokemon if necessary. "Who's there?" Marcus asked.

A female groan came in answer. Afamiliarone.

Marcus's eyes widened. "Gloria!" He was off before any of his Pokemon could stop him; swiftly, Medicham and the rest of the team scurried after him. Sure enough, on the other side of a small copse of trees, Medicham saw Gloria lying on the ground with Marcus kneeling over her. The girl was stirring feebly, her eyes blinking open. "Marcus?" she asked, her voice faint.

"It's all right, Gloria, you're safe," said Marcus. "Pangoro, pick her up; Kriesh, fly up there and show us the way back. We need to get out of this forest as fast as possible."

Pangoro hesitated, but at a look from Drapion knelt down and picked Gloria up in both arms as gently as possible. As the team turned and began to head back the way they'd come, Kriesh pointing the way from above, Houndoom stepped to Medicham's side. "So do you think that Corviknight's learned his lesson?'

"I don't know," said Medicham. "I certainly hope so…but I really don't know."

Corviknight was in agony. Agony he hadn't felt since before he'd evolved.

He snarled in fury. He was supposed to beunbreakable! But that Medicham had broken him.Hurthim. His beak was crooked, his wings were aching badly, and he was missing quite a few feathers, leaving him feeling uncharacteristically bare.

And by a Trained Pokemon…

Was she truly stronger than me?

Corviknight shook his head. No. A Trained Pokemon couldneverbe stronger than him. She must have used some trick. Weakened him earlier with some move he didn't know. Wasthatwhy she'd been dodging so much at the beginning of their fight? So that she could weaken him?

I won't fall for that again. I will restore my Great Flock. I will find that Trained Pokemon. And I will bring pain and suffering upon her for this humiliation!

Corviknight's eyes beheld something below him. Multiple forms moving in the opposite direction he was. His eyes narrowed, for herecognizedone of those forms.

That curly, black hair, that dark skin, that cut-up face. There was no question - that was one of the Trainers who had escaped him!

It seemed he was being escorted by another Trainer, this one taller and wearing some sort of brightly colored cape. A large orange Pokemon with gigantic wings was moving behind them, watching them carefully. Corviknight held back a snort.One Pokemon and two Trainers? Easy prey, even in my condition.

I will avenge my defeat with this great victory.

Corviknight descended, letting out a challenging cry. He saw all three of the beings beneath him look up, and took great satisfaction in seeing alarm fill the small Trainer's eyes. "That's…that's the Corviknight!" the Trainer cried. "The one that attacked me and Gloria!"

Corviknight laughed; it came out strangely through his crooked beak, but it still sounded appropriately menacing. He spotted the other Trainer and the orange Pokemon both glaring up at him, and shot his own glare down at them. "You thought you could escapeme?" he snarled. "Never! No matter how many worthless tricks you have up your sleeves, we Wild Pokemon of the Slumbering Weald will always prevail through our strength! And soon,allTrainers will know that only death waits for them here! I'll kill you, and then I'll kill your friend as well, and then I'll hunt those other two Trainers down and I'll kill them too! Because I am Corviknight, and I am…"

His voice trailed off as he noticed the orange Pokemon had flown up to join him. The Pokemon's eyes were filled with a burning hatred that, despite all of Corviknight's bravado, made him want to flinch away.

"Soyou'rethe one who hurt my Trainer's brother." The orange Pokemon grinned savagely. "Heh…that's good. Because I've been pretty frustrated this past half-hour…and Ireallyneeded someone to work out my frustrations on."

Corviknight gulped.

The orange Pokemon opened his mouth, revealing a throat full of fire. "I thinkyou'lldo just fine," he snarled. "Wildfire Blaze."

And Corviknight's world became heat and fire and all-encompassingpain.

Corviknight was a fun villain to write. I often go for complex villains with understandable motivations, because I feel that makes for more interesting characters...but sometimes it's fun to write just a straight-up 'bad guy' that everyone can hate.

In terms of power level, Corviknight was around the same level of strength as the Swarmlord. In terms ofrawpower, he was a little weaker, but if it came down to a fight between the two of them at the power levels they were at during their respective arcs, Corviknight would probably edge it out (if only due to his superior typing).

What a difference three years can make, hm?

Chapter 7: Reassertions (End of the Postwick Arc)

Chapter Text

A nice breather of a chapter to end the Postwick Arc. With no ominous setup for later chapters whatsoever.

"-and do you have any idea how worried we've been? You both could have been hurt, or killed - youwerehurt! And we've had to sit here for the past half-hour wondering if our children would come backaliveor not! Do you think that'sfun?"

"No…" Gloria looked absolutely miserable.

"Listen to me, Gloria," said Casey, her voice dropping in volume but not in intensity. "I have half a mind to pull you out of the Gym Challenge altogether after this."

Gloria's eyes widened. "Mum, please-"

"I'm not going to," Casey interrupted. "Butonlybecause your sponsor came all this way for you, and I don't want to waste his efforts. However, Gloria, if Ieverhear about you doing something like this again, I don't carehowmuch effort Marcus has gone to in order to help you out - I will yank you right out of a Gym Battle if I have to. Understand?"

"I understand, mum," Gloria murmured.

"Good," said Casey; only now did her voice soften. "Now get some rest. You need it."

As Gloria rose and headed towards the stairs, Casey glanced over to Rosie; the Roserade had been standing near a bookcase during the entire conversation. "Make surenothingcomes anywhere near her without my permission," she murmured. Rosie nodded and began to move after Gloria. Satisfied that the conversation had reached its conclusion, Trevenant ducked away from the window, looking back towards Medicham. "Okay, sounds like Casey's not taking Gloria out of the Gym Challenge."

"Thank Arceus," Medicham muttered. "I was not looking forward to telling Marcus that he needed to pull a Valerie."

"I'm not even sure how that would have worked," said Trevenant as the two began to move back towards where Marcus was sitting on a small bench on the opposite side of the front yard.

Judging by how the Trainer's eyes shifted over to Medicham, the Fighting/Psychic-type was telepathically communicating Trevenant's findings. Marcus sighed. "You know looking into someone's windows without their permission is creepy, right?" he asked. "In the future, maybe ask for permission before you do something like that?"

Trevenant's face fell. "Sorry," they murmured.

"It's all right," said Marcus, clearly understanding. "And I won't say I'm not glad to hear the news." He sighed again, leaning against the back of the bench. "Heck of a first day, right?"

"Yeah," said Trevenant. "Not gonna lie, that was fun."

"Not exactly what I'd call it," Medicham murmured. "Hop and Gloria were in real danger. Though I'll admit beating down that Corviknight felt pretty good."

"That's the spirit!" Trevenant said with a grin. He missed Medicham's reflexive flinch at that last word, for his eye abruptly swiveled towards a figure walking very quickly up the path towards them. "Oh, hey! Isn't that the assistant lady from the lab?"

"And what's…" Medicham's voice trailed off as she beheld the unmistakable form of a Corviknight flying above the figure, and she stepped protectively in front of Marcus, staring warily at the Steel/Flying-type.

"Sonia?" At the same time, Marcus rose, clearly having recognized the figure as well.

"Marcus!" Sonia strode through the open front gate, a Yamper that Trevenant recognized as the same one she'd been petting in the lab rushing after her as the Corviknight landed on the nearby fence. "Leon told me to send you his thanks - he doesn't want to leave Hop's side. And I should thank you as well - I can't imagine what might have happened to Gloria if you hadn't been there."

"I'm just glad everyone got out all right," said Marcus. "So what are you up here for?"

"Well…" Sonia looked a little embarrassed. "There's actually a bit of a story behind this. See, I came up initially to let Hop and Gloria's mothers know about the situation…"

As Sonia continued to talk, her Yamper scampered up to Medicham. "Hi!" the small Electric-type said cheerfully. "Didn't I see you out in the yard with Leon's Mr. Rime? I really liked the way you kept bonking your head into those barriers! That must've hurt, but you didn't even flinch!"

"Um, thanks," said Medicham. "I…um…"

Yamper's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my gosh!" he cried. "Your poor arm! Man, those Slumbering Weald Pokemon must be every bit as fierce as the stories say!"

Trevenant stifled a giggle as Medicham looked even more flustered than she already had. Thankfully, at that point, the Corviknight on the fence spoke up. "Yamper, she did not lose her arm in the Weald," he said. "And whether she did or not, that was insensitive. Apologize to Medicham at once."

Yamper looked downcast. "Sorry," he murmured sadly.

"It's okay," said Medicham.

Yamper's good mood was restored in the blink of an eye, and he promptly flopped to the round and rolled onto his back. "Great! Want to rub my belly?"

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Medicham knelt down to rub Yamper's belly. Trevenant caught sight of the Corviknight on the fence looking amused at the sight.

"…and once I'd finished that," Trevenant heard Sonia saying, "I got a call from Leon saying you'd all come back safe, so now I'm here to deliver these." Sonia held out her hands, revealing a pair of white-colored bands with a red line on one side and a blue one on the other - the signature colors of the Galarian Gym Challenge. In the center of each band was a small black rectangular case with what looked like a strangely shaped red-black sphere with multiple protrusions lying inside. It looked almost like a wristwatch, but Trevenant could at once feel the aura of Eterna reverberating from the bands.

Those must be Dynamax Bands. They let the wearer Dynamax their Pokemon…though that's pretty obvious when you think about it. I've heard Dynamax turns the Pokemon it's used on into a giant! Nowthatwould be cool to see!

"I think Gloria's resting," said Marcus.

"Oh, that's all right," Sonia responded. "I'll just leave it with Casey."

"You…" Marcus gestured to the Corviknight, clearly trying to find words to describe the problem while not upsetting the Steel/Flying-type. "Um, your Corviknight-"

"King," said Sonia. "Sorry, I should have told you my team's nicknames back at the lab. It just slipped my mind - anyway, what about him?"

"Well," said Marcus, "the Pokemon that attacked Gloria and Hop was…um…"

Sonia's face fell. "Oh. Right." She glanced apologetically at King, who clearly understood as well. "You know what - I'll just leave my team out here. I took them along just in case some more Wild Pokemon got any ideas, but you're absolutely right, bringing a Corviknight along was rather insensitive - no offense, King."

"None taken," the Corviknight murmured, though his expression told a different story.

"I'm sure my team wouldn't mind meeting yours," said Marcus.

"Sounds great!" Swiftly, Sonia released the rest of her team - Trevenant recalled she'd listed off a Boltund, Kingler, Venusaur, and Orbeetle in addition to her Corviknight, and indeed those four materialized on the ground. "Boltund's name is Princess, Kingler's is Prince, Venusaur's is Queen, and Orbeetle's called Jester."

Before Marcus could even release the rest of his team, Princess the Boltund was already hurrying towards Yamper, who was waving all four paws in the air as Medicham ran her hand up and down his tummy. "Yamper! What have I told you about demanding pets from strangers?"

"I didn'tdemand," Yamper whined, rolling back to his paws. "Iasked, and she said yes."

Princess glanced up at Medicham, who nodded. The Boltund sighed. "All right, if it's okay with her, I suppose you can keep going."

"Yay!" Yamper rolled over again. Trevenant broke out into an open peal of laughter, no longer able to contain themselves; for a moment, everyone's eyes flicked over to them.

Then Marcus released the rest of his team, drawing everyone's gaze back towards him. "This is Kriesh," he said, indicating the Fearow, before proceeding to go down the line one by one.

"Nice to meet you all," said Sonia. "All right, Yamper, seems you're enjoying yourself, so I'll leave you out here with the rest. I'll be back soon!"

She stepped away, leaving her team to begin dispersing amongst Marcus's larger team, exchanging greetings and conversation starters. Trevenant, however, did not miss the wary looks a few of their teammates, namely Drapion and Pangoro, shot towards King. Nor did they miss the Corviknight heaving a sigh, rising up from his position on the fence, and flapping down and away from the main group, his body disappearing behind a fence post and some tall grasses.

Frowning, Trevenant shifted away from the group as well. Drawing upon Forest's Curse, he locked onto a small shrub on the opposite side of the fence and cast himself into it. Glancing out of the shrub, he beheld King sitting silently, looking morose.

Trevenant stepped out of the shrub. "Hi!"

King half-turned his head so that one eye was facing Trevenant. "Hello, Elder Tree," he murmured.

"Actually, I'm kinda more of a younger tree, at least compared to the rest of my species, but…" Trevenant trailed off, realizing he was being insensitive. "Sorry."

"I am the one that should apologize, Younger Tree," said King. "It has become clear that my presence here is unwanted at the moment. As such-"

"Why?" Trevenant asked. "I mean, sure,aCorviknight attacked Hop and Gloria. But unless somethingreallyweird is going on, you're not that Corviknight. And from what I can tell, you don't seem like a bad Pokemon. So what if some of the others look at you differently because you're the same species that hurt Hop and Gloria? I certainly don't." Trevenant grinned. "And I'm the one who's here. So…wanna talk?"

King smiled. "I would like that, Younger Tree."

Trevenant giggled as he settled down beside King. He liked the name Younger Tree. Perhaps he'd use it himself in the future.

"So," said Kriesh. "King, Queen, Prince, Princess, and Jester?"

Princess - Sonia's Boltund - nodded. "Sonia didn't go for nicknames at first," she said. "But then Rookidee decided he wanted to be called King, and wouldn't answer to anything else. Then Bulbasaur decided she liked the name Queen, and…well, things went from there."

"Does Yamper have a nickname?" Kriesh asked.

"No." Princess looked slightly wistful as she glanced over towards Yamper, who was showing no signs of wanting Medicham to stop rubbing his belly. "Sonia tried to call him Duke, but Yamper didn't like it. And it's not like Sonia's going to force him to accept a name he doesn't want."

Kriesh nodded approvingly.

"So," said Princess, "what about your nickname? 'Kriesh'? I'll bet there's a story behind that."

You have no idea.Kriesh tried to form words - maybe a lie, maybe the truth, or maybe just a refusal to talk about it - but they all seemed to die in her throat all of a sudden.

Thankfully, Princess spoke up again. "You don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable. I won't press."

"Thank you," Kriesh responded gratefully.

The moment was at that point interrupted by a loud shriek from Cloyster. Princess rolled her eyes. "Oh, you havegotto be kidding me…"

Kriesh turned to see Cloyster cowering away from Prince, Sonia's Kingler, his eyes barely visible inside his shell; the rest of the team had shifted as well and were now watching Prince warily, and Marcus had half-arisen from his bench at Cloyster's cry. Kriesh's eyes narrowed. "Is he-"

"Kinglers are the natural predator of Shellders and Cloysters," said Princess. "And I'll bet you anything Prince decided that threatening your friend with that knowledge would be a great joke."

"Huh." Kriesh glared at Prince; the Kingler at least had the decency to look embarrassed, though that was probably because of the Venusaur that was striding towards him with an irritated-looking expression on her face. "Prince," the Venusaur - Queen, Kriesh recalled Sonia had called her - growled with a 'you're-in-big-trouble' air. "Explain."

As the Kingler began stammering out an explanation - and Kamado and Houndoom stepped over to lead the trembling Cloyster away, with Marcus moving over to make sure the Water/Ice-type was all right - Kriesh glanced back towards Princess. "I figured Jester would be more of the joking type."

"Oh, believe me, he is," said Princess. "He's a little more subtle about it than Prince - Prince wants nothing more than to 'out-joke' Jester, and, well, he overdoes it sometimes. Often. The rest of us have to spend half our time watching them to make sure we don't have a repeat of the Tea Incident."

"What-"

"You don't want to know."

"I kinda figured that." Kriesh glanced around. "Hey…speaking of Jester, I'm not seeing him anywhere in this yard."

Princess looked alarmed and began looking around herself. "You're right," she said. "And…didn't your Trainer have a Liepard? Because I can't see her either."

Kriesh heaved a sigh. "Well, this is goingbrilliantly."

"You know," said Liepard as she stepped around the back of the house, "my Trainer explicitly told Trevenant and Medicham to ask him before they spied on Gloria again. I have a feeling that extends to me as well."

"What, youdon'twant to know what's going on in there?" Jester, Sonia's Orbeetle, asked from where he was floating above.

"I didn't say that," said Liepard. "I am just saying we should be quick."

"Oh, relax," said Jester. "It'll just be a quick listen. And besides, my Telepathy Ability gives me some great Psychic senses - not only will I be able to hear inside, but I'll also be able to hear if someone is coming around the house to find us."

Liepard frowned. "What are you actually planning?"

"What?" Jester asked.

"I know your type," said Liepard. "Le farceur,the prankster. And I am warning you - if you intend to pull some sort of prank upon Gloria, I will not allow it. She is in need of rest."

"Oh, relax," said Jester. "I'm not Prince. He's the type that would pull a joke on Gloria at this point. I'm a prankster, yes, but I'm notcruel. I wouldn't dream of pranking Gloria when she's, as you say, in need of rest." Jester smirked. "I'm gonna prank her mom instead."

Liepard snorted. "After listening, I hope."

"Of course!" said Jester. "That's the crux of the prank. When Sonia leaves through the front door, I'm gonna use Telepathy to echo her voice from the back door. And Casey's gonna be so confused. She's gonna say 'Sonia?', and Sonia's gonna say 'What?', and thenI'mgonna say 'What?' except telepathically, and it's gonna behilarious!"

"And what am I, your scapegoat?"

Jester's eyes widened. "Um…no!Of course not, I would-"

"Je ne suis pas un idiot," Liepard said with a sigh. "Why else would you convince me to come along with you for a solo prank?"

Jester let out a respectful chuckle. "All right, you got me," he said. "Tell you what - I'll forget the prank, we'll just listen, okay?"

"Acceptable," said Liepard.

Jester grinned. A purple flash of Psychic energy lit up his eyes, and all of the spots on the Orbeetle's red body lit up with purple light. Liepard began to hear voices in her head, quiet at first, then growing louder until she could make them out as Casey and Sonia speaking. It was similar to the feeling of Medicham's telepathic communication, but the difference was that Orbeetle wasn't speaking, but rather picking up Casey and Sonia's conversation and transmitting it to Liepard like a radio.

Hm…an interesting Ability. And, from the look of it, quite versatile too.

"…Yamper is all right?" Liepard only caught the end of Casey's question, but she could infer the rest.

"Oh, yes," said Sonia. "He's been doing wonderfully - I can't thank you enough for the Mago Berries. Yamperlovesthem - I've had to chase him away from the bag twice!"

"Well, I'm glad he likes them," said Casey. "I grow them in my garden, you know - I'd be happy to send you some more if you'd like."

"That'd be swell," Sonia replied. "Now…I guess I should address why I'm actually here." There was a shuffling noise. "Gran asked me to give this to Gloria."

"I'm afraid Gloria's resting," said Casey apologetically.

"Oh, no problem at all!" said Sonia. "Is it all right if I leave this with you, then? I-"

"Sonia?"

Liepard shifted at the sound of Gloria's voice. It was barely audible; a renewed pulse of Psychic energy emanated from Jester, and at once Gloria's voice became sharper and clearer. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is, Gloria," said Casey. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I want to talk to Sonia, if that's all right," said Gloria.

There were a few seconds of silence before Casey replied, "Are you sure? I think-"

"Can I please talk to Sonia, Mom?"

A few more seconds of silence, and then, "All right."

As the sound of Sonia's footsteps on Gloria's staircase were filtered through Jester's Telepathy, the Orbeetle chuckled. "Oh, this is going to be good, I can already tell…"

"Shh!" Liepard hissed, straining her ears even though she knew it wouldn't actually do anything.

Sonia had evidently finished climbing the stairs, for her voice came into Liepard's mind once more. "What is it you wanted to talk about, Gloria?"

"Well," said Sonia, "I know you're pretty good with rare Pokemon - it sometimes feels like you know everything there is to know about local Pokemon - and I wanted to ask you about a Pokemon I found in the Slumbering Weald."

"Really?" Sonia let out ahmmnoise. "All right, hit me."

"Gigantic, dark red fur, four legs," said Gloria. "Looked…almost Arcanine-like, but less shaggy. Scars. I didn't get too much of a look at it before I fell unconscious, but can you tell me anything from that?"

"Dark red fur…" Sonia let out a quiet gasp. "It can't be…"

"What?" Gloria asked. "It can't be what?"

Sonia hesitated. "What," she asked, "do you know about Zacian and Zamazenta?"

Liepard stumbled and nearly fell.Dark red fur…memories came flashing back to Liepard, memories of Legendaries battling across Alola, among them Zacian and Zamazenta, whom Liepard had heard referred to as the Dogs of War.

Gloria was rescued by Zamazenta? But…why?

"I've heard their names," Liepard dimly heard Gloria say. "From all the news reports on the Battle of Alola - they mentioned those names. I don't know much about them, though."

"Legend says they are guardian deities of Galar," said Sonia. "The Dogs of War, they are called. It is said that after the Darkest Day, when the two kings of Galar sacrificed their lives to halt the cataclysm, Arceus himself sent the Dogs of War to Galar to act as guardians, so as to prevent such a terrible event from happening again. Some say that Zacian and Zamazenta are reincarnations of the kings, others say that they are unrelated entirely, but the events surrounding the Darkest Day - and the arrival of the Dogs of War in Galar - are shrouded in mystery. You might be wondering how this relates to your story-"

"One of them saved me?"

Sonia clearly had to take a few moments to collect herself. "Right," she said. "Your description of your mysterious savior matches known descriptions of Zamazenta."

"I got saved by a Legendary." Gloria suddenly sounded near-breathless. "That…feels really weird, actually. Do you think it means anything?"

"I don't know," said Sonia. "Legendaries are, to put it bluntly, gods. Their whims are beyond our understanding. If Zamazenta chose to save you, it could be because he believes you will serve a greater purpose, or it could just as easily have been a random act of kindness. Regardless…" There was a pause, during which Liepard assumed Sonia was leaning in closer, for her next words came out as a whisper. "You cannot tell anyone else of this."

"What?" Gloria asked. "Why?"

"Because of the media attention it will bring," said Sonia. "The Dogs of War only appear when need is greatest. They have only beenseenin public three times in the past century. If word gets out thatyousaw one, weresavedby one, you will become one of the most famous people in Galar overnight. And fame isn't always a good thing. There are people…stupid people, but still people…that seek to capture Legendaries and use them for their own gain. It has happened before. Team Galactic successfully bound most of the Legendaries in Sinnoh, Team Plasma separately controlled Zekrom and Kyurem at different times, Team Flare attempted to bind Xerneas and use him as a power source…point is, if someone gets it into their head to try and do the same with Zamazenta, and you're famous for having been protected by Zamazenta, then those people are likely going to decide to try and hurt you in order to try and draw Zamazenta out."

Gloria's breath hitched in her throat.

"Trust me," Sonia continued. "I have had experience with Legendaries, and people who wish to steal and utilize them. One in particular…" She hesitated again. "Just keep quiet about this, okay?"

"Okay," Gloria said shakily.

The sound of creaking floorboards indicated Sonia standing up. "Oh," she said. "Before I go…I almost forgot to give you this."

"A Dynamax Band?"

"Your very own," said Sonia. "And some advice: when you get to the Wild Area - once you've checked in at Motostoke Stadium and signed up for the Gym Challenge, of course - go track down a couple Raid Dens. They're small areas with large concentrations of Dynamax particles - you'll be able to Dynamax in them. And you'll need the practice, because you'll be using Dynamax as early as the first Gym."

"That early?" Gloria paused. "Thanks, Sonia."

"Don't mention it," said Sonia. "Now, I should probably be going. My team is likely worried sick, what with how long I've been gone…"

Her voice faded away as Jester dropped Telepathy. "Well,thatwas certainly interesting," the Orbeetle stated. "You okay, Liepard? Kinda seemed like you recognized that name…Zamazenta?"

"I was at the Battle of Alola," Liepard murmured.

"Oh." Jester sighed. "So you've met Zamazenta?"

"I'veseenZamazenta," Liepard corrected. "We should probably head back to our teams before Sonia exits the house."

"You're absolutely right," said Jester. "I…oh."

This second 'oh' sounded less like the 'oh, wow' of the previous 'oh' and more like an 'oh, crap'. Liepard turned to see Kriesh, Sonia's Boltund, and a rather irritated-looking Marcus standing about thirty feet away, all of them with matching glares on their faces.

"What," Liepard hissed, "did you say about being able to hear if someone was coming around the house to find us?"

"I forgot," Jester admitted. "I'm sorry, the conversation was interesting, it's not my fault I got hooked!"

He spoke up. "It was her idea!"

Liepard rounded on Jester. "Excusez-moi?" she snarled angrily, reverting to native Kalosian. "Espèce de menteur, comment oses-tu dire que c'était mon idée alors que tu es-"

"All right, that's enough," Princess growled. "Jester, I think we're going to have to have a talk with Sonia."

"Yes, Princess," Jester said, sulking over towards the group.

"And don't think you're off the hook either, Liepard," Kriesh added. "Marcus doesn't seem too happy about this."

Liepard glanced up at the furious-looking Trainer and gulped. "Merde…"

Sonia had left very quickly upon hearing about her Orbeetle's actions; Liepard had been able to hear the sound of her fairly loud scolding echoing back up the path for at least a minute straight. Now she was alone, standing in the midst of a group of fairly irritated Pokemon and one similarly-irritated Trainer.

"Liepard," said Marcus, "I don't begrudge you making friends. But eavesdropping on private conversations is going too far. And, yes, I admit that Medicham and Trevenant were doing something similar…but at least that conversation wasn't happening in aspecificallyprivate place, and anyway I seem to recall I told them, and everyone else on this team by extension, to never do something like that again without my approval. So either you weren't listening - which I highly doubt, considering how you always seem to like listening to everything from inside your Luxury Ball - or you decided to ignore my explicit instruction. Which was it?"

"The second one," Liepard admitted. Medicham quickly translated telepathically; Marcus's expression grew even more stormy.

"All right, Liepard, back in your ball," said Marcus. "And, barring battles or other extenuating circ*mstances, you're staying there until the opening ceremony for the Galar Gym Challenge."

Liepard stiffened. "That istwo weeks away."

A momentary pause while Medicham translated, and then: "I know. Which should give you plenty of time to think aboutwhyyou're being confined to your ball, and why you should never pull something like this again. Got it?"

Slowly, Liepard nodded. His expression not changing, Marcus lifted her Luxury Ball and recalled her into it.

Sighing, Liepard began to pace as best she could in the small Luxury Ball.Two weeks, she thought sullenly.That's a lot harsher than usual. Then again…I guess I was asking to be punished after that stunt…and I guess Marcus is right to be angry. After all, this is an important mission we're on.

Liepard sat down on the cooling gel of the Luxury Ball and began to ponder what she'd overheard.So Zamazenta saved Gloria, and Sonia wants it kept a secret. I get it - Sonia's right that knowledge like that invites unwanted attention. Attention that I myself would not want. So I'll respect her wishes. I'll keep Zamazenta's action to myself.

And I'll make sure to toe the line from here on out. No more stupid detours like that one. That's a promise.

From what Grookey could tell from overhearing brief snatches of the nurses' conversations, he'd been in the Pokemon Center for a day at least. He'd spent most of the time unconscious, his wounds being treated by the Pokemon Center's medicines; he'd heard of many of them from his time at the lab, as Magnolia always kept an emergency stock of medicinal supplies stashed in an easily-accessible cabinet, but he'd only ever incurred minor injuries, requiring simple Potions, in his practice battles with Scorbunny and Sobble.

This was different. Once Grookey had awoken, his head had practically spun with the amount of medicines and treatments given to him. PP-Ups to recover stamina, multiple Super Potions, a co*cktail of berries to make up for lost meals, a Full Restore to numb the still-present pain…

Much more joyously, he'd also been given a new, proper stick. A Grookey's stick was specifically made in a certain way, whittled down into a strong, cylindrical construct that was easy to wield and hard to break. Those sticks in the forest had been brittle and unwieldy - poor substitutes - and Grookey was beyond glad to have arealstick in his hands again.

All the same, an hour or two after he'd awoken, Grookey was itching to get out of the Pokemon Center. He felt healed - he wanted to throw himself into training, to grow stronger and stronger, so that Hop would never be forced into that kind of position ever again. And thankfully, about fifteen minutes later, Hop did arrive. His face was nowhere near as scratched-up as Grookey remembered it being, but there were still a few scars present that no amount of medicines would be able to hide. Grookey felt a pang of guilt at the sight of them.He'll wear those forever, he thought,because of my failure.

Grookey shook his head. There was no use in dwelling on the past. The only way to avenge that failure was to get stronger, and get stronger he would. There was nothing else to be done.

The nurse passed Hop Wooloo's Pokeball first, then Grookey's. Hop slid both of them onto his belt one by one with a grin, clearly as excited as Grookey was to get back to training. Grookey expected Hop to turn and leave, but Hop remained standing where he was as the nurse pulled out athirdPokeball.

"I almost forgot," said the nurse, handing the third Pokeball to Hop. "Your Rookidee will need to stay out of battle for a day or two to allow her wing to finish healing properly. Light exerciseonly, and no flying."

"Sure thing." Grookey watched with shock as Hop took the third Pokeball and slid it onto his belt alongside his and Wooloo's Pokeballs.When did Hop have time to catch a Rookidee in…

No. He didn't.

"Hop!" Leon's voice pulled Grookey out of his thoughts, though they still pricked at him even as he listened to the two brothers converse. "Everything go okay?"

"Yep!" said Hop. "My Pokemon are all fine - they even found a new, proper stick for Grookey!"

"Did they tell you I specifically had Magnolia deliver it?" Leon asked, his eyes sparkling.

"No, really?" Hop grinned. "Thanks, Lee!"

"And…" Leon's gaze strayed towards the third Pokeball on Hop's waist. "You'resureabout the Rookidee?"

"Hey, if you could handle Dragapult back when she was a Dreepy, I can handle this Rookidee," said Hop. "And besides, what kind of Champion would I be if I buckled in the face of adversity?"

"I should never have told you that story…" Leon sighed. "Listen, Hop. You're right that it won't always be easy to make your Pokemon trust you. But sometimes, the best way to handle a Pokemon is to let it go. A true Champion knows how - and when - to take a loss. Sometimes that might be in battle, and sometimes it might be something else. Go ahead and train that Rookidee up as best you can, Hop…but if she doesn't want to, then don't force it."

"All right, Lee," said Hop. "Let's head back to the house - I want to get to know Rookidee."

"Of course." Leon gave a wistful smile which did not match Grookey's mood in the slightest. As the two brothers began to move in the direction of their house, Grookey could not stop his heart from nearly beating straight out of his chest. It had to be the Rookidee that Grookey had fought, and Grookey felt terror surge through him at the thought of facing her again. Not of her power - he'd beaten her while he was weakened from fighting Corviknight, so he was reasonably confident the combined forces of him and Wooloo would be able to take her down without too much trouble. No, Grookey was afraid of her reaction. Likely she was conscious in that Pokeball - Grookey was, after all - and had already planned what she would do once she was released. Would she attack? Try and pounce on Grookey, or Wooloo, or even Hop himself? Or would she be just as afraid as Grookey was, recognizing the same thing that Grookey had, that there was no way she could win a fight against a fresh Grookey and Wooloo?

One thing was for certain - her reaction would not be friendly.

By the time the brothers reached their house, Grookey felt like he was going to explode from sheer nerves. Those nerves only grew as Leon stepped inside, leaving Hop outside; swiftly, Hop released Grookey and Wooloo onto the field, the same field where just yesterday they had been battling Gloria.

Grookey at once exploded. "What inDistortionis he thinking?" he yelled at Wooloo - he wasn't sure why he was directing his anger at Wooloo, but maybe it was because he was the only one nearby who could understand what Grookey was saying.

"Grookey," Wooloo said, loudly but calmly. "I do not know either. But you must trust that Hop knows what he's doing. Now let him speak."

Letting his anger ebb, Grookey looked up at Hop, who had taken Rookidee's Pokeball from his belt and was clutching it tightly in one hand. "All right," the Trainer said. "I can tell you were both listening, so I'll make this quick - yes, Rookidee attacked us. Tried to kill us, even. But that doesn't mean you need to treat her like an enemy. She's part of the team now…at least in theory…which means one day you'll have to work alongside her in battle. So if she attacks, subdue her, but if she doesn't, then try and make her feel welcome, okay?"

"Okay," said Wooloo; Grookey echoed it a few seconds later.

Hop smiled. "All right," he said. "Here goes." He flicked the release mechanism on Rookidee's Pokeball.

Grookey eyed Rookidee warily as she materialized. Fortunately, she didn't immediately come out pecking and clawing, nor did she back away in fear. In fact, to Grookey's eyes it seemed she wasn't moving at all; she was curled up in what seemed to be a fetal position, looking a lot smaller than she had seemed in the forest. Grookey's first thought was that she was still unconscious, but then she saw her head shift upwards, revealing one eye that swiveled between Grookey, Wooloo, and Hop before the head dipped again.

"Rookidee?" Hop stepped forwards, kneeling down so as to not appear as tall.

Rookidee looked up again, raising her head only the tiniest bit upwards. "Just leave me alone," she whispered; Grookey was shocked at howbrokenshe sounded, her demeanor a far cry from what he remembered.

"Are…are you all right?" Grookey asked.

"Do Ilookall right?" Grookey was almost relieved to hear a small bit of ferocity creep back into Rookidee's voice. But then it faded, like a tiny gust of wind, and she shook her head. "Look. I know what's going on. I know whatthatmeans." She gestured at the Pokeball Hop was still holding with one lethargic wing. "So if your Trainer wants me to battle, or to teach me some move to get stronger or whatever…fine. Otherwise, just…just leave me alone."

"You aren't a prisoner, Rookidee," said Wooloo.

"I know that," Rookidee retorted. "Do you think I can't hear from inside the Pokeball? That's not the point. Sure, your Trainer can release me, but then what? Do you think I can just go back to the forest as if I never left? No, Corviknight doesn't tolerate failure." Rookidee sighed. "I guess your Trainer kinda saved my life. But what kind of life is this?" She looked up at Hop. "You Trainers…you don't know how much it hurts. To lose your friends, your family, everything you ever knew, everything you ever cared about, all upon the whims of creatures who can't evenunderstandyou."

Rookidee finally rose to her feet, spreading her wings. "You say I'm not a prisoner, Wooloo, but here I am. I can't go home. And I sure as Distortion can't just go wandering around the wilds of Galar by myself, as weak as I am. So this is all I have left. Look at me, Wooloo, trapped in this world of Trainers, and tell me how I'm not a prisoner."

Neither Wooloo nor Grookey said anything in response.

Rookidee looked up at Hop again, gesturing to the Pokeball. "If that's all," she said, "then for the last time, I would like to be left alone until such time as I am needed."

Clearly recognizing the meaning behind Rookidee's gesture, Hop recalled Rookidee back into her Pokeball. His voice was slightly shaky as he addressed Grookey and Wooloo. "Well, she didn't attack us. I guess that's a start."

Grookey sighed, wondering how in Distortion this was ever going to work out.

Hop had long since come and gone. But as Scorbunny watched out of the crack in his Pokeball and waited, Gloria did not come.

He and Bunnelby had been healed - while not at full health, they were at least conscious and unwounded - and now the nurses had taken their Pokeballs out to the front desk so that they could easily be fetched when Gloria did show up. But still Gloria did not come.

Why?

Scorbunny's first worry was that she'd been hurt worse than he'd thought. He couldn't remember much beyond the arrival of the four-legged red Pokemon - he remembered he'd fallen unconscious, and the next thing he'd known had been waking up in the Pokemon Center - but he remembered that Gloria had also been sent into unconsciousness by that strange Pokemon's roar. But as minute after minute had passed, a new worry had begun to creep into Scorbunny's mind, an unwanted but omnipresent worry.

What if she doesn't want to come back for me?

After all, it wasn't like Scorbunny had helped her in any way. In fact, he'd been practically useless. He'd failed to beat Grookey, he'd failed to beat Corviknight, he'd even failed to protect her from Corviknight's flock or the strange red Pokemon. Had Gloria decided that Scorbunny was too weak? That it would be best for her to just abandon him and catch some new, actuallyusefulPokemon?

It took two hours, during which that thought grew and grew in Scorbunny's mind, before the nurses, clearly recognizing that Scorbunny and Bunnelby's Trainer wasn't going to come in a timely fashion, released the duo into a sort of backroom that appeared to be in place for precisely this kind of situation. As it was, Bunnelby and Scorbunny were the only two Pokemon in this room, save for a Greedent who appeared to be sleeping in the corner opposite the door to the room.

"Hey," said Bunnelby. Scorbunny noticed she seemed worried too.

"Hey," Scorbunny responded.

"So…" Bunnelby sighed. "I…guess we got out?"

It somehow hadn't occurred to Scorbunny up until now that Bunnelby had been knocked unconscious by Corviknight. Ofcourseshe'd be worried - she hadn't even seen the red Pokemon. "Yeah," said Scorbunny. "I…wish I could say I knew how."

"Do you think Gloria's all right?" Bunnelby asked.

"How should I know?" The tone of Scorbunny's reply was a fair bit more snappish than he'd wanted, and Bunnelby took a step backwards. Scorbunny slumped. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"What's wrong?" Bunnelby asked.

Scorbunny looked up into Bunnelby's eyes. "Do you think Gloria's even going to come back for me?"

"What?" Bunnelby's eyes widened. "Of course! Sure, she hasn't come to get us yet, but that doesn't mean anything except that she's busy or resting or something! Why would she just abandon you?"

"Whynot?" Scorbunny shot back. "I've done nothing but be useless so far! Every battle I've been in, I've done nothing but fail! You had to pick up the slack in the fight against Hop because I couldn't even beat Grookey, and-"

"Scorbunny." Bunnelby shoved one of her ears against Scorbunny's mouth, silencing him mid-wail. She lowered her head, heaving a quiet sigh before speaking again. "I was born to a pair of Diggersby," she said. "One was owned by an Ace Trainer, the other was part of a breeding program. And when I looked around the League Breeding Center…and saw all those strange, beautiful,strongPokemon…I couldn't help but feel out of place."

Bunnelby held her ear to Scorbunny's lips as she continued to speak. "The thing is, Scorbunny, I'm what's commonly known as a 'com-mon'. It's a derogatory term for Pokemon who are so commonplace in one or more regions that Trainers in those regions use that Pokemon more than most others. Com-mons are easy to find, easy to catch, easy to train, and far too often are discarded once the Trainer obtains rarer and better Pokemon. For Kanto-Johto there's Rattata, Zubat, Pidgey…look, you get what I mean. Well, in Kalos, the standard com-mon is Bunnelby. Nearly half of all Trainers in Kalos have a Bunnelby, and of that number, more than three-quarters are Trainers in their first year of training."

Bunnelby sighed. "Among higher-level battlers, com-mons have a bad reputation. They're regarded, practically universally, as weak. And I was no exception. The Pokemon in the League Breeding Center…some of them were nice. Mostly the ones who knew the Ace Trainer who owned my father - that Ace Trainer was fairly well-known for having taken the time to actually train up a team of com-mons to be legitimately strong. But some - usually the more unique ones - weren't so nice. There was a Bagon who was basically the ringleader - he forced me into battles, and when he won, he and his cronies all laughed at me. Told me I'd never be strong enough to beat them, because I was just a com-mon, doomed to fail while rare Pokemon likethemsucceeded."

Bunnelby finally looked up into Scorbunny's eyes, withdrawing her ear from his mouth as she did so. "So when I heard that a Pokemon was needed to travel to Galar and work alongside a young Galarian Trainer, I volunteered," she said. "Not to get away from Bagon and his crew…but to prove them wrong. To prove that, no matter if you're a com-mon or a Starter, no matter how weak you start off as,everyonecan become strong. Do you get what I'm saying, Scorbunny?"

"Yes." Scorbunny sighed. "I…I just feel like I'msupposedto be strong. I'm a Starter Pokemon. We're specificallymadeto be stronger than the average Pokemon. And I've been in training for a solid couple months. But you're so much stronger than me…"

"Training?" Bunnelby's eyes sparkled. "Let me guess - a couple battles a day to brush up on skills, and maybe some move practice if you were really feeling it. Do I have that right?"

Scorbunny nodded.

"I didn't start out knowing Quick Attack or Double Slap," said Bunnelby. "But when I asked my father for help in becoming stronger, he told me that those were the first two moves I should aim for. And so Iaimedfor them. Iworkedfor them. Day in, day out, trying to push my body to accelerate to impossible speeds, training my muscles to move faster, to lift heavier, to punch and kick harder. When my body screamed at me to stop, Iignoredit. I learned Quick Attack a month after I was born, and I learned Double Slap a month later. So yes, Scorbunny, I'm stronger than you. But that's not because you're weak inanyway. It's becauseI'mthe one who's weak."

"You're not-"

"Even after all that training," said Bunnelby, "on the eve of my departure for Galar, I still couldn't beat Bagon. He laughed at me for even trying to get stronger. Told me that my lot in life was to be weak, and that I should just accept it. When I fought Hop, I beat that Grookey of his inoneattack before he even got anything off. You'd practically beaten him already - I basically had a one-on-one against Hop's Wooloo, and he still nearly pushed me to my breaking point. And, don't forget, I got knocked out before you against that Corviknight."

Bunnelby laid one ear down on Scorbunny's shoulder. "We'rebothweak, Scorbunny," she said. "But that's why we're going to be taking this Gym Challenge with Gloria. So that we can become strong together. So that we can beat Pokemon like Bagon and Corviknight. But if weevergive up, if weeverdecide that our lot in life is to be weak, then we let those bullies win. So is that what you're going to do, Scorbunny?"

"No," Scorbunny said, determination filling his voice.

"That's what I like to hear." Bunnelby grinned. "Now, Scorbunny, considering we've got this room to ourselves-"

Anahemcame from the Greedent in the corner.

"Mostlyto ourselves," Bunnelby corrected. "Want to practice? If you want to get stronger, you're going to have to work for it."

Scorbunny grinned. "Then I guess I'd better get started."

The Greedent in the corner snorted. "Pre-volves…" he muttered. "All right, go on ahead. Just as long as you keep it away from me."

An hour later, Gloria did finally show up, breathless and shaking slightly from the effort of apparently running all the way to Wedgehurst. She quickly picked up Scorbunny and Bunnelby's Pokeballs and stepped outside, where to Scorbunny's surprise, Hop, Leon, Casey, Hop's mother, Marcus, and Sonia were all standing as well.

It was Leon who spoke first. "Well, now that everyone's gathered, we should see about when we're heading out. I'm afraid I can't stay much longer - the rest of Galar needs me, especially so close to the start of the Gym Challenge."

"That's no trouble," said Hop's mother. "I know you're busy, Leon, but it's always nice to see you again!"

Leon chuckled. "Sonia," he said, "I gotta admit, I didn't expect to see you here. What, you planning a journey of your own?"
"Actually, yes," said Sonia, shooting a glance at Gloria. "I've already talked with Magnolia about it - I'm going to be studying Galar's history, specifically trying to untangle the mysteries still surrounding the Darkest Day."

"Really?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "That's a knotty topic - I've heard of multiple historians who have tried and failed to do the same. Where did this come from?"

Another glance was shot at Gloria. "A lot of things," said Sonia. "But, suffice it to say, it's something I've been planning for a little bit. So, what all this is leading up to is that I'm gonna be on tonight's train out to Motostoke."

Leon grinned. "About time! Hey, maybe you can watch Marcus's and my battle! It's sure to be an absolute Champion time!"

Sonia sighed. "Please try not to injure his Pokemon too much. But yes, I'll be there."

Marcus looked nonplussed. "You assume I'm not going to stand a chance."

"Ha!" Leon slapped him on the back. "That'swhat I like to hear! All right, Hop, young Gloria, when are you planning to head out?"

Hop and Gloria exchanged glances, then looked up at their mothers before answering. "Tomorrow," said Hop; Gloria nodded. "There's a morning train, and to be honest, we'd rather get a good night's sleep and recover for an extra day."

Leon sighed. "You do realize I can tell you're parroting one of your mother's speeches."

Hop looked embarrassed; Hop and Leon's mother shot alookat Leon. "They need their rest," she pointed out. "And besides, an extra day won't hurt."

"All right, all right," said Leon. "No way am I going to refute that. And Marcus, I assume you'll be on that morning train as well?"

"Of course," said Marcus. "Though I don't exactly have a-"

"You can take Leon's room," said Hop's mother. "It's not like he uses it anymore - we've been renting it out as a guest room ever since he became Champion."

Marcus nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course!" Hop's mother smiled. "Now, if we're all done…"

"All right, let's break," said Leon. "I'll see you all tomorrow afternoon in Motostoke!"

As the group broke up and began heading in separate directions - Leon and Sonia towards Magnolia's lab, the rest towards Postwick - Scorbunny felt a shot of excitement rush through him. By tomorrow afternoon, Gloria would be officially signed up for the Galarian Gym Challenge, once and for all throwing Scorbunny, Bunnelby, and whatever other team members Gloria recruited into the deep end of Training.

He was nervous, of course, but also excited, for it would be an experience he'd been waiting for his entire life. Nervousness now surged within him, an ugly thought in the back of his mind pointing out that something was almostcertainlygoing to go wrong tomorrow.

Scorbunny shoved it away. Gloria had all the paperwork. An endorsem*nt from a Gym Leader. Pokemon of her own. She'd met all the criteria. And all that lay between Gloria and Motostoke was a simple train ride.

What could possibly go wrong?

"Arbiter-Of-Fates, are you certain of this?"

The old female Herald spoke in a whisper, her voice tinged with impatience. "Yes, Bearer-Of-Darkness. Future Sight indicates that Marcus will be on the 9:00 train from Wedgehurst to Motostoke tomorrow. The train will be unguarded, and Future Sight also indicates that no powerful Trainers save for Marcus himself will be on that train. And as you know, thanks to my abilities…my Future Sight isneverwrong."

"I wasn't asking about that," said Bearer-Of-Darkness. "I was asking about going against Teller-Of-Tales' orders. He did refuse your suggestion to kill Marcus."

"If you agreed with him, then you wouldn't be standing here," Arbiter-Of-Fates pointed out. "You know I am right. Taking Watcher-Of-Time's data into account, Marcus represents far too much of a danger to our plan, even before considering that Bringer-Of-Visions likely sent him here specifically to interfere with said plan. Teller-Of-Tales is a fool to wish to spare Marcus - to do so would be playing right into Bringer-Of-Visions' hands. So, tomorrow, I am going out, I am going to get on that train, and I am going to kill Marcus. If any of you are uncomfortable with that, feel free to say so. I will gladly wipe your memories of this conversation and send you on your way."

The three Heralds surrounding Arbiter-Of-Fates nodded. "I, Bearer-Of-Darkness, will follow you," said Bearer-Of-Darkness, the first of them.

"I, Wielder-Of-Blades, will do so as well," said the second.

"And I, Leaper-Of-Realities, will do the same," said the third.

"Excellent," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Remember - this mission will not be easy. Marcus is a strong Trainer with a strong team, none of which can be underestimated. Bringer-Of-Visions sent him here for areason. So do not hold back. Utilize all your power - your items, your Trainer moves, your strength and speed - all in conjunction with your natural Herald abilities."

Arbiter-Of-Fates's eyes glinted in the darkness. "With any luck, by tomorrow, Marcus will be dead," she said. "And you know me. Withmyabilities, that means…"

"…that's a guarantee."

Thus ends the Postwick Arc! As always, please drop a comment if you have the time and let me know how the arc turned out. I always enjoy reading them, good or bad!

Chapter 8: Interlude 1: Life in Laverre

Chapter Text

The sky was thick with gray clouds, the morning sun near-invisible behind them, and a fine mist filled the air as if the weather was caught halfway between deciding to rain or not. A gloom seemed to be cast over Laverre City, the normally-bright locale feeling washed out. Many people were choosing to stay inside today, preferring to get errands or training done when the weather was nicer.

None of this was stopping the two Trainers in one of Laverre's multiple open fields from engaging in an energizing Double Battle.

"Weavile, Dig!" Theo cried. "Mightyena, Rock Smash!"

As Weavile leaped forwards, claws outstretched, and burrowed smoothly into the soaked ground below, Mightyena charged forwards with Fighting energy outlining her body in an aura of red light. "Intimidate!" she snarled. "Power Bite!"

"Zweilous, meet him!" Opposite Theo, Connie called out her own orders. "Thievul, get ready to intercept that Weavile!"

Zweilous, clearly struck by Mightyena's Intimidate, nonetheless forced his way through the fear, baring the teeth on both his heads. "Dual-Head Dragon Slam!" he snarled; as Mightyena lunged, Zweilous caught her in midair with both heads enhanced with Dragon energy; despite the power behind Zweilous's defense, the impact of Mightyena's Rock Smash was enough to send the Dark/Dragon-type skidding backwards. "Dual-Head Dragon Blast!" Zweilous roared, forcing Mightyena to leap away in order to avoid the pair of Dragon Pulses that shot from Zweilous's mouth.

Behind Zweilous, Thievul crouched, readying himself for when Weavile burst out of the ground. Indeed, as Zweilous spun, readying another blast of energy to try and harry Mightyena, Weavile erupted from the earth right next to where the Dark/Dragon-type was standing. Thievul bared his teeth. "Run Away: Glimmering Swipe!"

Run Away had always been a strange Ability. When Thievul had first unlocked it, he'd believed it to be a simple speed-boosting Ability, nothing more. That belief had ended when Connie had heard of Speed Boost, at which point she and Thievul had swiftly begun experiments to see what else Run Away could do that would separate it from Speed Boost. And soon enough they'd discovered exactly that. Run Away didn't boostspeed, it allowed the user torun away- that is, to escape. It could boost speed, sure, since escaping often involved running quickly, but it also meant Thievul could escape any trap, slip out of any grasp, and dodge practically any attack as long as he was concentrating on his Ability.

Combined with his natural speed, Run Away was the main reason why Thievul was one of the strongest members of Connie's team.

Thievul shot forwards, Fairy energy glinting around his body, and Weavile was forced to break off his attack on Zweilous in order to deflect Thievul's Play Rough with an Ice Punch. "Brick Break, Weavile!" Theo called. "And Mightyena, use Ice Fang!"

"Zweilous, counter with Fire Blast!" Connie cried as Weavile and Mightyena went back on the offensive. "Power Multislash!" Weavile snarled, lashing out with a barrage of Fighting energy-enhanced claw-strikes. But with Run Away still active, Thievul easily bent and twisted out of the way of each one. He could dimly hear the sound of Zweilous yelling "Dual-Head Fire Blast!", and both Connie and Theo shouting orders, but his attention was only on his duel with Weavile.

Run Away's a purely defensive Ability - it doesn't have all that much use when I'm fighting back. But I think it's time to take the offense anyway.

Weaving around another Brick Break from the Ice/Dark-type, Thievul let out a growl of "Wrathful Snarl!" The words bore upon them a burst of mingled Dark and Normal energy - Snarl mixed with Round - that sent the fairly frail Weavile staggering backwards. At the same time, Mightyena leaped away from Zweilous's snapping jaws, landing by Weavile's side.

"All right, guys, I reckon that's a good enough warmup," said Theo. "So let's get serious. Mind Break!"

Whatever that move was, Thievul had no intention of being hit by it. Connie seemed to have a similar idea. "Both of you, Protect!"

Both Zweilous and Thievul flung up barriers. They didn't help.

"Intimidate!" Mightyena barked, followed up a second later by a snarl of "Pressure!" from Weavile.

Intimidate hit Zweilous and Thievul first. Both knew how to withstand the fear effect of Intimidate, and though they instantly felt an unsettling feeling wash over them, both knew they were fully capable of shrugging it off without too much difficulty. On its own, Intimidate wasn't a real danger to them.

No, the real danger was the Pressure that immediately followed.

Pressure was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to outrightignore. Itcommandedattention, forcing those afflicted by the Ability to concentrate their minds and force the user of Pressure out of their heads. Thievul and Zweilous had enough mental faculties to do such a thing normally. But as the Pressure hit, Thievul's mental defenses slackened for a second, and now Mightyena's Intimidate hit him full force. As Thievul beheld the gigantic Weavile standing over him, summoned into his mind via Pressure, he felt a sense of terror wash over him, and all his training and preparation fell apart, his mind only focused on gettingaway, on resorting to his base instincts, running and hiding. For how could he possibly fight this thing?

He heard a shout from faraway - Connie's voice - and then something slammed into him,hard, and the image flickered and dissipated. Thievul suddenly became aware that he was staggering backwards, that Theo's Weavile was in his face with Brick Breaks flaring on both sets of claws, and that to Thievul's left Zweilous was suffering similar treatment from Theo's Mightyena.

"Run Away!" Thievul cried, instantly drawing upon his Ability once more. He managed to dodge Weavile's follow-up punch, but Zweilous was not so lucky. Mightyena landed a vicious Play Rough on the Dark/Dragon-type, and the quad-super-effective attack was too much for him; Zweilous collapsed to the ground, no longer able to battle.

At once all combatants stopped - as per the arrangement set at the start of the battle, the fight was over the instant one of the battlers was knocked out. Connie wasted no time in recalling Zweilous and Thievul. "You did good, both of you," she whispered, then stepped over to Theo, who was recalling and murmuring similar praise to Mightyena and Weavile.

"You're sure good at Double Battles, Theo," said Connie, shaking Theo's hand. "That was a pretty nasty combo you hit me with."

"Yeah, Weavile and Mightyena have been working on that one ever since they first got their Abilities," said Theo. "Double Battles are all over the place in Hoenn - in fact, they've got a Gym over there with two Gym Leaders, and they both battle you at the same time in one of them. It's a Psychic Gym; I went in there feeling way too confident, and it took me two tries."

"Really?" Connie co*cked her head.

"Really," said Theo as the two Trainers turned and began to walk back towards the main cluster of buildings that made up the center of Laverre. "I'll admit I got a bit unlucky, though - back when Steven was still Champion of Hoenn, Tate and Liza were mandated to only use one Pokemon each, in theseventh Gym."

"You'rejoking," Connie stated. "Who came up withthatbright idea?"

"Apparently some League official made a typo on the mandates," said Theo. "It was supposed to be two Pokemoneach, not two Pokemon intotal, and no one caught it foryears. Tate and Liza just went along with it because Double Battles were still fairly new back then, and they just assumed the unfamiliarity would be half the difficulty. Steven was a good Champion, but he was very hands-off about it - it was only when Wallace became Champion and started initiating some reforms that the mistake was caught and fixed. And now Tate and Liza are regarded as one of the hardest Gyms in Hoenn - go figure."

Connie chuckled at the story. "I've heard Hoenn's one of the most difficult regions to get through," she said. "Is that true?"

"You bet," Theo affirmed. "Let me tell you, I know that firsthand. Kalos Gym Leaders have four Pokemon starting at Gym five? Hoenn's got that number starting at Gymthree."

"I didn't know that waslegal," said Connie.

"Admittedly, Wattson's team is sort of quantity over quality, aside from his Manectric," Theo pointed out. "Norman's where things getreallytough…how are the Gyms over in Galar, by the way? Hard, easy, middle-of-the-road?"

"I'd say middle-of-the-road," Connie replied. "Four-Pokemon teams come into play 'round Gym four. Though they stay that way all the way through Gym eight - although that's only because Raihan also does Double Battles."

"Yeah, I've heard of him," said Theo. "Have you ever fought him?"

Connie shook her head. "I've watched him fight, though. He'sgood. Oh, hey, there's Serena."

Thievul's eyes turned to see the third member of their group of Gym Trainers, just now stepping out of the front door of the Laverre Apartment Complex. She smiled and waved. "Hi, Connie, Theo! What's got you two out so early?"

"Just a little morning training," Theo answered. "You?"

"Going to get some medicine," Serena responded. "Tangrowth's come down with a cough, and apparently the species needs a special injection method since they don't have a mouth. Don't ask me how he's got a cough if he doesn't have a mouth - I've already been through seven message boards trying to find an answer."

"Have they got that kind of injection method in Laverre?" Connie asked.

"No," said Serena, slumping slightly. "But those message boards recommended some substitutes, so I'm gonna go grab a few of them and see if they work."

"Hope they do," Connie said apologetically. "Look - we're already up. We'll make the daily rounds - you focus on helping Tangrowth."

Serena shook her head. "I can't leave you to do those alone. Without Marcus it'll already take a while, I need to-"

"It's all right, we've got it," Theo insisted. "Besides, what else are we going to do today?"

Serena sighed, but nodded. "That's really helpful," she said, glancing back at the apartment complex. "Thanks!" Twisting, she set off at a hurried pace, heading for the Pokemon Center down the street.

"Right," said Theo. "How about…I take in-town duties?"

"Sounds good to me," Connie agreed. "And I'll take out-of-town…oh! Serena?"

"Yes?" the blonde called.

"I think I might get down to Lumiose today," said Connie. "They're bound to have that special injection method over there - and worst case scenario, I can try and talk to Sycamore about it."

"You'd do that?" Serena grinned. "Thanks so much! If you do go down there, say hi to Calem for me!"

"I will!" Connie called back. Serena's demeanor was a little more relaxed as she turned and continued making her way towards the Pokemon Center.

"Lumiose?" Theo asked. "In this weather?"

"Hey, if I'm already heading down that way, it's not like it'sthatmuch further," Connie pointed out. "And besides, Shiftry's got Sunny Day."

Theo shot a half-amused glare at Connie. "You know, youcouldhave been using that all this time, and we wouldn't have had to be standing outside in the rain."

"Hey, I didn't say it waseasyfor Shiftry to use Sunny Day," Connie retorted. "You know quite well she can't use it for more than five minutes before she needs to take a nap."

"All I'm saying is, that battle lastedwayless than five minutes," said Theo.

"C'mon, Hoenn'sknownfor its high rainfall!" Connie protested. "You can take a little mist, right?"

Theo sighed good-naturedly. "Just because Icandoesn't mean Iwantto. Anyway, I should probably get going. With me covering for Serena, it'll take a bit."

"Yeah, same," said Connie. "See you at lunch, Theo."

"You too." Theo turned and walked off, leaving Connie to turn her steps eastward. 'Out-of-town' duties mostly revolved around taking care of the local Wild Pokemon, though it also involved checking on the nearby Trainers, meeting with the Ace Trainers assigned to the areas around Laverre, and in general taking stock of the situation within Laverre's sphere of influence. Usually either Marcus or Serena handled dealing with the Ace Trainers, and the various groups of Wild Pokemon were normally divided between the various Gym Trainers, so Connie knew doing all this by herself would take a while.

But she'd been working at the Laverre City Gym for three years now, and had worked at the Spikemuth Gym for several years before that. Thievul was fully confident that Connie was quite capable of handling these affairs with aplomb, and giving herself plenty of time to head down to Lumiose for a quick shopping trip to boot. And that would leave the afternoon wide open for leisure, training, and assorted odds and ends.

Thievul sighed contentedly.Just another day of life in Laverre.

Delphox watched nervously as Serena slipped a liquid-filled spoon between two of Tangrowth's vines. At once Tangrowth shuddered, letting out a disgusted moan. "I'm sorry, Tangrowth," Serena whispered. "But you really don't want this cough to keep up, do you?"

As if to punctuate Serena's statement, Tangrowth's entire body contorted as he coughed again, the sound making Delphox wince in sympathy. Serena began to stroke one of Tangrowth's vines, trying to ease the Grass-type's discomfort.

Delphox felt a small flash of shame. She was Serena's Starter, the first Pokemon she'd ever obtained, and as such it was her job just as much as it was Serena's to take care of the team. At least that was how it was supposed to be. Throughout the months before she'd been assigned to Serena, Delphox, then a small Fenniken, had gotten it drilled into her head that protecting the rest of the team would be her responsibility.

Yet things had long since changed. Sylveon, Jolteon, and Umbreon were a tight-knit family that took care of one another. Umbreon, Malamar, and Seeker-Of-Endings formed a group of their own, seeing as they were Serena's team as a Gym Trainer. Seeker-Of-Endings himself…Delphox didn't even want to get into the tangle of secrets and mysteries that the Absol represented. And Altaria, though she'd long since become a valued teammate, was also very independent and didn't like to be seen as needing someone else to help her out. About the only Pokemon Delphox felt comfortable 'taking care of' were Meowstic and Tangrowth, and now here she was, helpless to rescue Tangrowth from this sickness.

"You don't have to feel responsible. It's not like you gave him the illness, right?"

Delphox glanced over towards Meowstic. The second most senior member of Serena's team, she and Delphox had become very close friends, especially after the fiasco with Team Flare. "I know," Delphox murmured, "but…it's not just this. It feels like I can't protect any of them."

"We've had this conversation before," Meowstic reminded. "Several times."

"I know." Delphox felt the shame rising again. "And I know what you always say. 'They have their own lives. You don't have to be responsible for them.' But this…it's not Tangrowth'slife choicesthat's the problem. It's the fact that he'ssick. And I can't doanythingabout it."

"Maybe you should try asking Sylveon if she can teach you Wish," Meowstic suggested. "Or Heal Bell."

"She's already tried Heal Bell," Delphox told Meowstic. "While you were in the back fetching that pillow. It only cures status conditions, not this illness. And I doubt Wish could do anything similar."

"Maybe a Pokemon from the League?" Meowstic asked. "I know they've got Pokemon equipped with Healer and Natural Cure - shouldn't that help?"

"Again, Serena already thought of it," said Delphox. "Apparently there's been an outbreak of some disease in Southern Kalos, and all their Healer and Natural Cure-equipped Pokemon are occupied responding to that."

"All of them?"

Delphox nodded. "Serena wasn't exactly happy about that, either."

"Do you think this is the same disease?" Meowstic asked, then frowned. "Wait - Serena probably asked about that, too."

"Indeed, and it's not," said Delphox. "Which is why the League isn't giving this isolated illness much attention. It'll probably take days before they can free someone up."

"Damn, I missed a lot," Meowstic murmured.

Delphox nodded again. "Trust me, Meowstic. I've gone over many possible solutions, and none of them work. Why do you think I feel so helpless?"

Meowstic sighed. "Delphox, listen. Tangrowth's life isn't in danger. The best thing you can do at this point is just comfort him. Distract him from the pain. Don't be a protector, be a friend."

Delphox smiled. "I guess that is what Tangrowth needs right now. Thanks, Meowstic."

The fellow Psychic-type smiled back. "Anytime."

As Meowstic moved away, Delphox stepped towards Serena and Tangrowth; Serena was now withdrawing the empty spoon from Tangrowth's vines. "Serena," Delphox asked telepathically, "may I stay by Tangrowth's side?"

Serena glanced at Delphox. "Sure," she responded. "He'll like that, I bet."

Nodding, Delphox moved over to Tangrowth. "Hey," she said.

"Hi, Delphox," Tangrowth responded, his voice hoarse. "Hope you're doing better than I am."

"It'd be hard not to," Delphox admitted. Tangrowth chuckled, but the laughter was cut off by another hacking cough. "Easy," Delphox warned. "Don't overstress your voice - that's the last thing you need right now."

Tangrowth's coughing trailed off. "It really doesn't seem like this medicine is working."

"It's not going to work immediately," said Delphox. "You have to be patient."

Tangrowth let out a low groan. "This sucks."

"I know," Delphox murmured sympathetically. "Look, how about I tell you a story? Seems you could use the distraction."

Tangrowth's demeanor noticeably shifted. "I think I'd like that."

And so Delphox began to tell Tangrowth stories of her initial Gym Battles with Serena - about her quick defeat of Viola's Vivillon, about her mid-battle evolution against Grant, about her dramatic faceoff against Korrina's Lucario - and though Tangrowth continued to cough, he seemed a lot happier than he'd been all day.

By now, the sights and sounds of Laverre were very familiar to Weavile.

Initially it had been strange adapting to life in Kalos. Theo had spent his entire life before in Hoenn and Kanto-Johto, both of which were quite a bit more outsider-friendly than the tradition and culture-oriented Kalos. The first year of Marcus's tenure as the Laverre City Gym Leader - and by extension Theo's tenure as one of his Gym Trainers - had been filled with a minor sort of upheaval. Going from a Fairy-type Gym Leader to a Dark-type Gym Leader was a transition that had not been easily accepted by some of the townsfolk, even as Marcus had proven to be just as friendly and open as Valerie. In particular, the Kalos branch of the Pokemon Fan Club, an organization with locations all across the UPW whose members were inclined towards showing off 'cute' Pokemon, had closed down their building in Laverre and moved to Coumarine. Others had followed, claiming that the 'atmosphere' of Laverre had changed too much.

The movements hadn't exactly done wonders for the self-esteem of Marcus or his Gym Trainers, but thankfully, those townsfolk had been in the minority. Most were welcoming, and the members of the Dark-type Gym had soon learned that Laverre, despite not exactly being a small city, was a very tight-knit community. At this point Weavile knew practically all the names of those who lived in Laverre.

So it was that, as Theo stepped into the Laverre City Cafe about halfway through the morning's duties with Weavile by his side, the Dark/Ice-type found himself glancing around the room as humans and Pokemon alike greeted both of them.

"Hi, Theo!" a young woman with light brown hair chirped.

"Hey, Mahalyn," Theo responded, waving back; Weavile did the same to the Aromatisse and Dedenne that had cried greetings alongside their Trainer. Mahalyn had once been an aspiring Fairy-type Trainer who had apparently taken the Kalos Gym Challenge in the same year as Marcus - in fact, from the stories she told, she'd competed in the same Kalos Pokemon League Tournament he had, but had only gotten to the second round. Deciding she couldn't compete in that department with Emma, she'd instead chosen to settle down in Laverre along with her Dedenne and Aromatisse, who were standing on a bench alongside Mahalyn now, waving at Weavile.

"Theo," grunted a gray-haired, bearded man wearing a floppy gray hat and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses; his Victreebel, Quagsire, and Swanna barely looked up from their plates of food to murmur greetings of their own.

"Hey, Keanan," Theo replied. Keanan was the local warden of the nearby wetlands, and watched over the wild Pokemon there. He and his trio of Pokemon were a common sight at the cafe. Keanan wasn't exactlyfriendswith Marcus and his Gym Trainers, but he had warmed up to them after Marcus had helped the local wild Pokemon take care of a young, orphaned Goomy who had stumbled into their swamp. Said Goomy was now a Sliggoo, and from what Weavile had heard was doing quite well.

A quartet of Pokemon Rangers - Weavile recalled their names were Nash, Reed, Dean, and Pedro - chorused "Hello, Theo!"

"Hey, guys." Theo gave the four a wave as he and Weavile passed by. There were normally seven Pokemon Rangers stationed near Laverre; the job of a Pokemon Ranger was to protect Trainers from attacks by the local wild Pokemon, and since the areas surrounding Laverre had such a high concentration of wild Pokemon, Laverre had more Pokemon Rangers assigned to it than any other city in Kalos. Weavile knew from experience that the quartet wouldn't be here long - this was just a short coffee break, after which they would spend most of the rest of the day policing Route 14 to the south and Route 15 to the southeast.

The owner of the cafe, a man named Bernard, smiled as he saw Theo approach. "Well, hello, there! Usual order, I take it?"

"Yes, please," said Theo. "Could you make Serena's usual order as well, and throw in one of those small Lumiose Galettes she likes?"

"Certainly!" Bernard turned towards his Alcremie, who at once shifted over to the dessert rack and pulled out one of the Lumiose Galettes. Bernard was an immigrant from Galar - he'd moved here along with his Alcremie two years ago, and had settled down in Laverre partially because of Connie's presence. He'd wasted no time in paying a large sum of Pokedollars to purchase the cafe - apparently he'd once been a Gym Challenger over in Galar, and had earned a tidy sum from that experience - and had quickly transformed it into one of the biggest hotspots in Laverre, even bringing in some exotic pastries from his home region to spice up the offerings.

"So how's Dwight doing?" Theo asked as Bernard's Alcremie placed the Lumiose Galette gently on a plate and used Mystical Fire, instantly beginning to warm up the plate and the Galette with it.

Bernard looked up from where he was placing a cup under a spigot, his smile widening - he always loved to talk about his older brother, who owned a cafe in Motostoke City back in Galar. "Oh, Dwight's doing just fine. In fact, business is booming - with this year's Galar Gym Challenge rapidly approaching, people from all over Galar are arriving in Motostoke to watch the opening ceremony, and a lot of them are going straight to Dwight's cafe."

"Good for him," said Theo.

"Yeah, this has always been his favorite time of year." Bernard looked wistful. "Though he always says it's never as special as the year I took the Gym Challenge."

Bernard's Alcremie called out "Sweet Veil!" and tossed a small spurt of Fairy energy into the now-warm Galette. Then she picked it up and carried it over to the counter, glancing down at Weavile. Weavile knew from experience that Alcremie's Sweet Veil Ability made it so that the pastries from this cafe tasted extra sweet. It was one of the main reasons why this cafe was so popular, and as such Weavile found himself staring at the Galette with his mouth watering.

"Oh, hi, Weavile!" said Alcremie. "What, you want one, too? Then you'll have to pay for it…or you can challenge me to another battle, in which case I'll be all too happy to send you as many Galettes as you want free of charge!"

Weavile grimaced. He had indeed challenged Alcremie to a battle soon after Bernard's arrival in Laverre, though admittedly she had practically taunted him into it. He'd promptly learned the hard way that changing the taste of food was far from the only possible use of Sweet Veil. Alcremie couldcreatesweet foods as well - they weren't nearly as tasty as the real versions, but they meant that the cafe couldn't suffer from any sort of food shortage. Not only that, she could manipulate those foods as well - and herself, given that her entire body was essentially one big cake. Weavile hadn't taken the fight seriously at all, and had ended up getting a pie to the face before being pinned under a three-tier layer cake, something Mightyena, Cacturne, and Crawdaunt had spent the better part of the next year constantly teasing him about.

Despite her inoffensive demeanor, Alcremie was most certainly no slouch in a battle. Then again, considering Bernardhadonce been a Gym Challenger, Weavile should have expected that.

"Maybe when I don't have a sick friend, I'll take you up on that," Weavile retorted.

Alcremie frowned. "Sothat'swhy your Trainer asked for Serena's order too…don't tell me it's that plague from down south, or whatever Emma's come down with."

Weavile had heard of the illness running rampant through Southern Kalos, but the news of Emma surprised him. "What, one of the Elite Four's gotten sick?"

"You didn't hear?" Alcremie asked. "Emma couldn't even hold her Elite Four battle for the boy who won the tournament this year. Wikstrom had to battle first instead - there was a pretty big hullabaloo about it."

"Sorry," Weavile apologized. "I guess we were a little preoccupied with adapting to Marcus not being around."

"Fair enough," said Alcremie. "So, I take it Serena hasn't come down with that same illness?"

"I don't think so," replied Weavile. "And besides, it's not Serena who's ill, it's her Tangrowth."

"Oh." Alcremie looked downcast - she'd met Serena's Tangrowth a couple times, and the two had gotten along fairly well. "I hope he gets better soon."

"You and me both," Weavile agreed.

"All right, your order's ready!" Bernard said cheerfully, cutting off Weavile and Alcremie's conversation as he slid a pair of steaming coffees across the counter. "Have a nice rest of your day!"

"Bye, Weavile!" Alcremie waved. "Offer's still open if you ever do want a rematch!"

"Heh." Weavile grinned back as he and Theo walked towards the cafe exit. "Maybe sometime soon."

Shiftry's job was simple. If the clouds ever did break and rain began to truly pour down, she would be released, whereupon she would use Sunny Day, keeping it up for as long as she could while Connie raced back to Laverre to find shelter. So it was that Shiftry was the only one of the team outside her Pokeball, though she knew the others were watching through the cracks as Connie met with the various Trainers stationed on the routes surrounding Laverre and well as the Pokemon living in the areas surrounding those routes.

Now they were heading through the woods towards the last stop of the day. Shiftry had to admit that while meeting with all these different Trainers and Pokemon was fun, she'd be glad when it was over and she could relax and train normally.

It didn't help that these particular Pokemon, while friendly, were also tricksters - nor that the memories of what these Pokemon had done three years ago still stung. Shiftry still remembered that battle on the lawn of the Laverre Apartments - and the pain she'd suffered as a direct result of these particular wild Pokemons' involvement.

So it was that she flinched a little when a Gastly shot out from behind a tree trunk right in front of Connie. "Oh, hi!" the Gastly cried. "Right this way, right this way - Haunter-1's expecting you."

Shiftry coughed. "Don't you meanthatway?" she asked, pointing in the opposite direction to where the Gastly was headed. "Because that's the way weusuallygo to meet Haunter-1…I don't suppose you're leading us into a mud pit or something like that?"

The Gastly's eyes widened comically. "Um…no. No! Certainly not! I'd never do something like that!" The Gastly quickly moved in the direction Shiftry had indicated.

Shiftry scoffed, rolling her eyes.Childish pranksters, all of them.From what Serena had told them, a pair of Phantumps in this part of the forest had managed to get Umbreon with one of their pranks, separating her from the rest of her team before possessing some nearby trees to scare the living daylights out of her. Sylveon and Jolteon had nearly declared war on the entire Ghost-type population before Serena had managed to calm them down, and since then Marcus and his Gym Trainers had all told their Pokemon to keep an eye out for any similar tricks.

The Gastly swiftly led Connie and Shiftry to a large cluster of woven-together trees, their branches forming a ceiling over a small clearing. As Connie and Shiftry stepped into the clearing, a large assortment of Ghost-types became visible, emerging into view now that they had clearly realized the new arrivals were friendly. Connie stepped back and began to release the rest of her team; at this point, the Pokemon would take over the vast majority of this job.

Chief among the Ghost-types was a fairly large Haunter who quickly slid up to the newly-released team. "Ah, Ithoughtit might be one of you Gym Trainers. Any…problems?"

"Haunter-1," Shiftry greeted; at least, unlike the rest of his Ghosts, Haunter-1 was smart enough to understand that Marcus and his Gym Trainers were better to have as friends than as enemies. "Unless you count your Gastly trying to direct us in the complete wrong direction, not really."

She didn't feel guilty about ratting the Gastly out - not only had he clearly been planning something untoward, but Haunter-1 had specifically requested after the incident with Umbreon and the Phantumps that any such attempted pranks be reported to him. Sure enough, Haunter-1 turned to glare at the Gastly, who was trying to restrain a gulp. "Well, well," he said. "Seemssomeoneforgot the rules around here. Haunter-4, Haunter-5, why don't you give him a reminder?"

Shiftry shivered - Haunter-1 could beterrifyingwhen angry - as she watched two other Haunters float into the center of the clearing; each Haunter put one hand on the Gastly, and together they led the smaller shivering Ghost-type away. "One of our newer additions," Haunter-1 explained. "Today was his first day on guard duty - hepromisedhe'd behave, and I decided to give him a chance."

"I bet that's the only chance he'll have for a good long while," Tyranitar growled.

"You'd better believe it," Haunter-1 affirmed. "So, I presume you're here for the usual. Quick tour, talk about how things are going?"

"Sounds good to us," said Skuntank. Haunter-1 quickly gestured for Connie and the half-dozen Dark-types to follow him; they did so, all of them noting the numerous Ghost-types that were watching them closely.

In the three years since the whole fiasco around the Gym Exam, Haunter-1 had rebuilt his gang of Ghost-types in more ways than one. It had transpired after the fact that most of the wild Ghost-types mustered for the battle on the lawn hadn't been part of the group; the group itself had numbered around fifty, and the rest had simply been drawn in by Haunter-1, who had seen a battle coming and had been desperate for numbers. In the aftermath, not only had those Ghost-types fled back into the woods, but about a dozen of Haunter-1's actual gang - nearly a quarter of their number - had chosen to leave Kalos with the Ghost-type Trainer Raymond and the Golurk who had protected them for so long.

So Haunter-1 had been forced to rebuild both numbers and trust. The action had caused most of the nearby wild Ghost-types to view Haunter-1 as a weak leader - he'd already gained that reputation after being forced to serve Heliolisk, but getting fooled by Gholdengo had cemented it - and a few had even tried to challenge him for leadership of his group. Thankfully, Haunter-1 was a decent combatant, even if he was nowherenearthe strength of even a low-level Trained Pokemon, and as such he'd kept his position, in the process silencing many of his critics.

Even more important was the support of Marcus and his Gym Trainers. Valerie had been rather hands-off with the nearby wild Pokemon, preferring to let the local Pokemon Rangers handle affairs - hence why Heliolisk had been able to seize control of these Ghost-types for so long. Marcus, by contrast, had made sure to establish relations with the wild Pokemon as well as the surrounding Trainers - from his experiences, he knew full well how dangerous wild Pokemon could be, and how important it was to keep tabs on them. That support had lended even more strength to Haunter-1's position, and before long Ghost-types had started trickling back into Haunter-1's gang.

Now his group numbered around seventy-five Ghost-types - one of the largest groups of Wild Pokemon in all of Kalos ever since the dissolution of the Swarms - and there was no question that the group could be counted on as an ally if need be.

As the Dark-types followed Haunter-1, Shiftry caught sight of Zweilous sticking to the back of the pack, looking fairly dismal, though he tried to wipe the look off his face as he saw Shiftry glance at him. Shiftry sighed; she'd watched Zweilous fall to Theo's Mightyena earlier today, and knew exactly what was bothering him.

She dropped back. "Hey, Zweilous. I get it, but you can't dwell on these things. Sure, you lost, but that's just a learning experience, same as winning."

"Learning forwhat?" Zweilous retorted. "Shiftry, you don't have to sugarcoat it. I'm still not fully evolved. I'm byfarthe weakest member of the team. I dragged Thievul down today - he and Connie put their trust in me, and I completely failed just like I always do."

"Zweilous, you're notweak," Shiftry protested. "You're a highly capable fighter evenifyou're not fully evolved. And once youdoevolve-"

"When?" Zweilous cried. "When am I going to fully evolve? Because everyone's been saying the same thing foryears, and I still haven't! Sowhy is it so hard?"

Shiftry noticed that the rest of the team was shooting glances back at Zweilous as he ranted. Sighing, she opened her mouth to say something more, but was cut off by a loud cracking noise coming from the right. Shiftry glanced over in that direction and saw two things that instantly made her heart leap into her throat.

The first was a large tree, one of the tallest around, beginning to slowly topple over, its clearly-dying trunk fracturing under its weight.

And the second was a Golett that was standing directly beneath it. Oblivious to the tree, the Golett was waving at the group of Trained Pokemon. "Hi!" it was saying. "Nice to meet you all - why are you looking at me funny?"

"Out of the way!" Thievul cried before anyone else could react. "Run Away!" Energy coursed around him as he activated his Ability and hurled himself at the stationary Golett. His body impacted the small Ground/Ghost-type, shoving it out of the way as the tree tumbled towards him.

"No!" Haunter-1 cried, reaching out a hand as the tree slammed into the ground right where Thievul was standing with an earthshakingcrash. A cloud of dust and leaves exploded upwards from the impact point as the noise reverberated outwards, echoing off the surrounding trees as the components of the cloud began gently floating back down towards the ground.

Shocked gasps arose from a few nearby Ghost-types; a Pumpkaboo outright began to sob. Haunter-1 looked miserable. "I…I'm so sorry," he said. "I can't…I can't believe he'd sacrifice himself…for one of us. You have my deepest condolences…I can't possibly imagine…"

His voice trailed off as he realized that Shiftry, along with the rest of the team (even Zweilous), were trying to suppress snickers. "Come on, Thievul," Tyranitar growled, unable to keep mirth off his face despite his gruff demeanor. "Youalwaysdo this. Do you really have to be so theatrical?"

A sigh emanated from a nearby bush; a second later Thievul loped out, his fur completely unruffled. "You know, the Ghost-types werereallyinto it. Why am I cursed with teammates unable to keep a straight face to save their lives?"

Haunter-1 gaped. "You…how are you still…"

"Run Away," Thievul answered. "It lets me escape pretty much any sort of sticky situation. Falling tree?Please."

Haunter-1, swiftly recovering from the shock, quickly dispatched a nearby Duskull to escort the trembling Golett back to the main clearing. As Connie stepped over to Thievul, her expression promising both a light scolding for putting himself in danger and gratitude for his actions in saving the Golett, Shiftry glanced over at Zweilous, only for the Dark/Dragon-type's good humor to have already faded. "I'm just tired of being the fifth wheel," he murmured.

Shiftry sighed, but could find nothing to comfort him as she watched the rest of the team gather around Thievul.

It was noon by the time Connie finally stepped through the gates and entered Lumiose City. Compared to the peaceful atmosphere of Laverre City and its surrounding routes, the hustle and bustle of Lumiose City was cacophonous, and from the way Connie's steps became slightly more hurried, it was clear she preferred the quieter areas of Kalos.

Tyranitar felt the same way. Ever since he'd been a mere Larvitar, growing up alongside Connie in Spikemuth, he'd found the city comforting. It was empty, sure, but thanks to Piers it was never too quiet, and it always seemed to strike the right balance. Here in Lumiose, voices could be heard coming from every which way. Connie didn't normally travel to Lumiose - it was usually either Marcus or Serena who did that in the event that someone from their gym needed to visit the capital city of Kalos - and so the last time Tyranitar remembered being in the city was when Connie had visited during the Kalos Gym Challenge - once on the journey between the first and second Gyms, and once to return for the fifth Gym. Both times she'd gotten in and out as fast as possible, but even so, Tyranitar didn't remember the noise beingnearlyas loud as it was now.

Above the many, many voices, a familiar one rose. "Oh, hey!"

Tyranitar glanced out of his Pokeball to see a recognizable figure stepping towards Connie. The dark hair, blue clothing, and red hat, alongside the Chesnaught walking beside him, instantly identified him. "Calem," Connie greeted, clearly having recognized the Trainer as well.

"Connie, right?" At the nod, Calem smiled. "Sorry if I'm bothering you - I was just coming over to get a few supplies for the Professor, and I happened to see you, so I thought I'd come over and say hello."

"Well, I'm glad to have someone I at least somewhat know," Connie admitted, slowing her walk to keep pace with Calem. "Serena and Marcus both mention you, but I don't think we've met all that much…how's it going?"

"Not bad," said Calem. "I'll admit, when I started working for Professor Sycamore, it was more as a side job while I trained up my team. But after a while I kinda got used to it, and now I'm basically his assistant. He's offered to make it official - I've got to okay it with my parents first, but if they say yes I think I'm gonna take it." He laughed abruptly. "Imagine that - me as a Professor's assistant. No way I thought that would be my career path when I started my Pokemon journey."

"Really?" Connie asked. "Wheredidyou think you'd end up?"

Calem shrugged. "Same as everyone else I know. Kalos Champion."

"Figures," said Connie. "I'll admit, I didn't exactly see myself living in Kalos of all places. I was born in Spikemuth, raised in Spikemuth, and figured I'd spend the rest of my days in Spikemuth. I only went to Kalos because it was the closest place I could go to take a foreign Gym Challenge. Get some training in another region…then Marcus beat me in the League Tournament, and next thing I know he intercepts me when I'm about to head back home and asks me to be one of his Gym Trainers."

Calem put a hand to his forehead. "Right, he foughtyoubefore me.That'swhy I remember you so vividly."

"Oh, you fought him too?" Connie asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't see - left the tournament right after I got knocked out."

Calem's face went slightly red. "To be honest, it wasn't my best showing," he said, in a tone that told Tyranitar he was rather embarrassed about something. "I…made a few decisions I regret in that match." He coughed. "Anyway. What brings you to Lumiose?"

"Medicine," Connie answered. "Serena's Tangrowth is sick - she needs a special treatment from Lumiose, and I said I'd get it for her."

Calem frowned. "You're…heading to the Pokemon Center for that?"

"Yeah," said Connie, noticing the change in Calem's demeanor. "Why - something wrong?"

"Well…" As Calem stumbled over his next words, the two Trainers rounded a corner, and Tyranitar's eyes widened as he beheld a specific building in front of them.

The Lumiose City Pokemon Center, which was currently sealed off by security tape and crawling with multiple Trainers that did not look at all like Pokemon Center employees.

"It got hit last night," Calem explained. "Whoever did it was quick - nobody saw anyone come in or out. But fully three-quarters of the inventory was taken. And this is far from the first Center to be hit - Pokemon Centers all over Southern Kalos have suffered similar robberies. The robber or robbers come at night, hit the place hard and fast, get in and out without being seen."

"Southern Kalos?" Connie asked. "Isn't that the area that's been hit by that huge outbreak of sickness?"

"Yeah," said Calem. "And one of the main reasons for the outbreak is that all the local Pokemon Centers simply don't have the capabilities to treat disease in any real capacity. If those centers still had their inventories, the outbreak would likely have already been contained."

Connie clenched her fists. "Stealing from Pokemon Centers…that's just low."

"I know," said Calem. "And after last night…I doubt they've still got whatever special treatment Serena's Tangrowth needs."

Connie let out a muttered curse. Tyranitar couldn't blame her - just one day earlier and they would've gotten the treatment easily, but now…

"Hey, cheer up," said Calem. "Serena's my friend, too - I'm not just going to sit back and let one of her Pokemon suffer because of something like this. If I know the Professor, he'll be able to whip up something similar. Let me take you over to him, and I'll see if we can't find a way to help out."
Connie's smile returned. "That'd be great. Thanks, Calem."

"No problem," the boy said. "Follow me." Turning, he set off towards the south of Lumiose, his Chesnaught following close behind. Connie walked after him quickly, trying to ignore the cordoned-off visage of the Pokemon Center.

With Tangrowth sick, the rest of Serena's Pokemon had been given the morning to pretty much do whatever while Serena, Delphox, and Meowstic took turns sitting by Tangrowth's bedside. This meant Seeker-Of-Endings, for once, had ample time to attend to hisotherresponsibilities, which, naturally, meant answering a call from Bringer-Of-Visions.

It had been easy to slip into the forests surrounding Laverre, and from there he'd gone straight to Oblivion. As he materialized in the realm of darkness, he was greeted by the sight of Bringer-Of-Visions standing alongside a younger-looking Absol, also female. "Ah, good, Seeker," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "My Future Sight told me you had plenty of free time today, so I decided this would be the best time to begin."

"Begin what, Bringer?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"Patience, Seeker," Bringer-Of-Visions admonished. "Firstly, have you been following Marcus's journey in Galar with your Future Sight?"

"As best I could, Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "but the entire region is enshrouded by the renegades. I can tell he is currently safe, and has met the Trainer he has been assigned to."

"Good, that is what I have been able to ascertain as well," Bringer-Of-Visions agreed. "Now to the matter at hand." She indicated the younger Absol. "This is Finder-Of-Knowledge. She is being assigned to a Trainer in Kalos named Emil next month. You will advise her on the basic principles of her assignment."

Seeker-Of-Endings eyed Finder-Of-Knowledge. The name echoed uncomfortably in his head as he remembered the Herald who had formerly held that name.

He hadn't seen Finder-Of-Knowledge die, only heard about it secondhand. She'd fallen in the failed attempt to kill Betrayer-Of-Kin in Alola, slain by the powerful Nidoking that she'd managed to recruit to her cause. Now here was her replacement. That was how the name of a Herald worked - when one died, their name was put on a list that would then be assigned to various Heralds-in-training.

"Do you accept this role?" Bringer-Of-Visions asked.

"I do," Seeker-Of-Endings affirmed.

Bringer-Of-Visions dipped her head and stepped backwards, vanishing into Oblivion and leaving Seeker-Of-Endings alone with Finder-Of-Knowledge. The young, female Absol's eyes gazed at Seeker-Of-Endings closely. "So you're really Seeker-Of-Endings?"

Seeker-Of-Endings frowned. "Is my name so well known?"

"Of course!" said Finder-Of-Knowledge. "I…" She dipped her head slightly, turning it a little bit away. "I've heard a lot about you. You fought Betrayer-Of-Kin and not only kept your charge safe, but alsosurvived.Older Heralds are using you as anexample."

"Oh…" Seeker-Of-Endings felt a growing feeling of embarrassment. He'd never dreamed of such fame. "I…"

"Andyou're humble about it." Finder-Of-Knowledge smiled widely. "This is going to be amazing! I'm going to learn fromtheSeeker-Of-Endings! So what are we going to learn about first?"

Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. "Well," he said, trying to think of something. It wasn't like he'd had time to prepare a lesson plan, since Bringer-Of-Visions had shoved this onto him so quickly. In fact, this didn't really make sense. Sure, Seeker-Of-Endings had been assigned to a Trainer, but so had many other, more senior Heralds who were far more qualified for this sort of mentorship. He even knew of one in Kalos - Believer-Of-Peace, he recalled the name was - who was assigned to a Trainer named Magnus and had served well in that regard for much longer than Seeker-Of-Endings had with Serena. He would have made a much better mentor for Finder-Of-Knowledge than Seeker-Of-Endings. So why had Bringer-Of-Visions chosen him?

It was especially strange considering Seeker-Of-Endings' attitude towards Bringer-Of-Visions. He still had not forgotten the leader of the Heralds' horrific treatment of Medicham after the whole mess that had been the battle with the Swarmlord. How he'd confronted Bringer-Of-Visions after that, only to be brutally shut down both physically and verbally - something he didn't expect Bringer-Of-Visions to have forgotten. And how he'd been approached by Teller-Of-Tales, offering him a position in what had now become an outright renegade movement - and how, while he'd declined in order to stay with Serena, he hadn't told Bringer-Of-Visions of Teller-Of-Tales' treason, either.

Even if Bringer-Of-Visions didn't know about that last part - and he had no reason to think shewouldknow - it still seemed highly irregular that, considering their altercation three years ago, Bringer-Of-Visions would choose to assignhimof all Heralds to mentor Finder-Of-Knowledge.

Seeker-Of-Endings shook his head - now was not the time to ponder such things, now was the time to do the job that Bringer-Of-Visions had assigned to him. "Well," he began again, "the first thing you need to know is how to ingratiate yourself with your Trainer. You can't just run up to a Trainer and ask to join their team. Therewillbe distrust, and you will need to prove yourself."

"Okay, so what does that entail?" Finder-Of-Knowledge asked, clearly drinking in every word that Seeker-Of-Endings spoke.

"First off, you need to know how to manage your power level," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "As a Herald, you will easily be the strongest Pokemon on your Trainer's team, and quite a bit stronger than nearly everyone else you meet. Now, youcanbe stronger than everyone else, but you can't betoomuch stronger. There's a very delicate balance, and you need to know how to achieve that. Here's a trick I often use…

So, now that this chapter has been released, it's time I explain a few things.

Firstly, these 'Interludes' will be positioned at the end of each arc in Season 3, checking up on the various characters who aren't involved in the events in Galar. And, as if you couldn't tell, the Interludeswillbe connected, kind of forming their own separate arc. I'm pretty sure there are some of you who were worried I was just going to jettison the entire supporting cast from Season 2 - nope, that's definitely not happening.

And secondly, I've finally, truly, caught up to my backlog. The next arc is not yet complete, with only four chapters written. As such, once those four chapters are posted, I will not be posting any more chapters until the Sunday after next, and from then on I will be following an alternating two-week release schedule (every week I will release one chapter of either System or Through Their Eyes, trading off each week).

Chapter 9: Off The Rails (Part 1 of 2) (Start of the Hunt Arc)

Chapter Text

"Pure Power: Aura Finisher!" Leaping into the air, Medicham spun, slamming a flying roundhouse kick into the face of the titanic Seismitoad. The Water/Ground-type bounced off the wall of the dojo and tumbled to the ground, unconscious.

Medicham landed, glancing around to make sure neither the Rhyperior nor the Aegislash had managed to get up. Then she rose. "I doubt that's how strong Leon's team is."

"I know," said Darkrai, "but what would you learn from taking on three Champion-level Pokemon at the same time? This was just to help you get a feel for their fighting styles."

"Well, if you want to help with that," said Medicham, "then put me up against a Charizard, because that's the one Marcus is going to send me out to fight."

"Fair enough," Darkrai admitted. "Regular or Gigantamax? If you're facing Leon, you're just as likely to face either."

"Then let's start with regular," Medicham suggested, "and move up to Gigantamax."

"Very well," said Darkrai. "One regular Charizard, coming right up. And I'll put this one more on your…current level."

"Thanks." Medicham crouched, readying her singular fist.

No Charizard came. "Um, Darkrai-"

"Hold on." Darkrai sighed. Medicham had been training under the Legendary long enough to know that he was constantly scanning the timeline even during their sessions. And whenever he paused like this, that meant he'd noticed something out of the ordinary.

Something that might prove dangerous.

It took several seconds before Darkrai spoke again. "Medicham," he said, in a tone that at once made Medicham stiffen, "am I correct that Marcus is planning to take the first train out of Wedgehurst tomorrow?"

Medicham nodded.

Darkrai sighed. "That's what I was afraid of," he said. "I noticed a blip on my Future Sight - the renegades are keeping up quite a potent Psychic block, but a small hint of their intentions was able to slip through. That train only has a 26% chance of reaching its destination at the correct time, and scanning the various probabilities, I can only conclude that it is going to come under attack along the way."

"By the renegades, I presume?" Medicham queried.

"I doubt anyone else in Galar would have a reason to assault a train with Marcus on it," said Darkrai. "And regardless of whether it's the renegades or someone else, that doesn't change the fact that someone is likely going to attack that train."

"I suppose it wasn't like theyweren'tgoing to go after Marcus," Medicham murmured. "I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon."

"Medicham," said Darkrai, "you can do this, okay? You and your teammates have been training for three years now, and it's going to be all nine of you on that train. As much as I hate to admit it, Bringer-Of-Visions would not have sent Marcus to Galar if she wasn't confident he could handle himself against the renegades. And if she's confident in that, then so am I. You can do this."

"Thanks, Darkrai," said Medicham with a smile. She took a deep breath; the smile faded. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate on the rest of tonight's training session. Not with this hanging over me."

"I understand, believe me," said Darkrai. "You can go wake up and warn Marcus, if you want."

"I don't want to wake him up so early…" Medicham sighed. "Who am I kidding? He needs to know about this now. We need to prepare."

"Then go," Darkrai urged. "And good luck, Medicham."

"…crap." Marcus's summary was fairly succinct.

"My thoughts exactly," said Medicham. She glanced around at the rest of the team; all of them had been rather grumpy about being woken up so early, but now they were paying full attention, all thoughts of sleep gone after news of this kind.

"Well, thank Arceus for Darkrai," Houndoom muttered. "Did he say how many attackers there would be?"

Medicham shook her head. "He doesn't even know if it's actually the Absols, or if it's someone else. Even the train being attacked is practically an educated guess on his part."

"So itcouldbe nothing," said Liepard.

"But it'sprobablysomething," Cloyster added.

"And that something, if it exists, is most likely the Betrayer-Of-Kin fan club," Trevenant finished.

Marcus, who was being provided with a telepathic translation of the discussion, spoke again. "Right. Well, this means wecannotsit anywhere near Hop and Gloria. I'm not putting either of them in harm's way."

"Maybe think of yourself before thinking of them?" Liepard suggested.

Kriesh glared at her. "Marcus is right. We do not want either of them to end up as collateral damage."

Liepard dipped her head. "Je suis désolé. But we do need a plan to keep Marcus safe."

"What plan?" Drapion bared his teeth. "Seems easy enough. We stay close to Marcus, and when they attack, we stop them."

"This isn't going to be like Alola," Kriesh pointed out. "We're not going to be able to move freely. We're going to be on atrain. If we try and fight as a full team in such a tight space, all we're gonna accomplish is fouling each other up."

There was silence around the circle as everyone digested this. At last Marcus broke the silence. "Okay, look. Pokemon aren't allowed to be released on the trains - you all remember that from our journey to Wedgehurst, right?"

Nods came from all around.

"So," said Marcus, "whatever this plan is, keep in mind that when the attack starts, you're all going to be in your Luxury Balls on my belt. I can leave the seals off, so you can pop out whenever you need to. And Kriesh, I know you're capable of throwing your hearing to other nearby places. Is it possible for you to sort of create a bubble of hearing around a train car?"

"No," said Kriesh, with Medicham translating. "I can only throw my hearing at a specific place, not all around. I'll try and keepAuditusup, but there's no guarantee it'll be able to detect them."

"Right," Marcus murmured. "Maybe we can work on that sometime later…okay. That's my main contribution. Let's start making a plan."

"You're not sitting with us?" Gloria asked.

"Afraid not," said Marcus. "Though, I mean, seriously. Wouldn't you want to spend the train ridewithoutme hovering over your shoulder? After all, you're going to have plenty of that once you start the Gym Challenge proper."

"That's fair," Gloria admitted. "But whereareyou going to sit?"

"Oh, calm down, Gloria," Hop urged. "He's a Gym Leader! I've heard they get their own train cars all to themselves!"

"That's not true," Marcus pointed out. "Or, at least, that's not true forme- I'm not sure how it works for local Gym Leaders - but regardless, don't worry about where I'm going to sit. It's not like too many people are taking this train, right?"

Hop and Gloria glanced around at the fairly empty train station. "Right," said Hop. "Oh, looks like the train's arriving!"

Behind the trio, Casey moved forwards, Hop's mother a step behind. "I'm going to miss you, Gloria!" said Casey, hugging her tightly.

"And I'll miss you, Hop!" Hop's mother did the same to her son. "You look so much like Lee did when he left…I'm so happy you're finally getting to take the Gym Challenge!"

"And you can bet we'll catch the opening ceremony on the telly!" Casey added. "We'll be rooting for you both every step of the way!"

"Thanks, Mom," Gloria murmured, a sentiment that Hop echoed to his own mother. "I'll miss you, too."

"Hey, we'd better get on that train before it takes off without us," Hop pointed out, gesturing to the now-open doors of the train. "I'll race you to the train, Gloria!" He promptly took off. "That's literally, like, thirty feet!" Gloria protested, running after him.

Marcus stepped after the two younger Trainers, smiling wistfully as he did so. As he stepped into the train, he spotted the duo already seated at a table, pulling out their Pokedexes. His smile dipping a little, Marcus moved past them, heading for a faraway car, the reality of his current situation clearly now hitting him.

Before long, he found a seat about five train cars away from Hop and Gloria. There he sat down heavily, glancing out the window as the train slowly began to move out of the station, the buildings of Wedgehurst quickly giving way to the surrounding massive expanses of fields and then the forests that lay beyond those.

"Five minutes," Arbiter-Of-Fates murmured. She and her trio of followers were perched atop a fairly high cliff, the other three Absols watching as she slowly scanned the landscape below. "Five minutes until the train is scheduled to pass by this point." She glanced over her shoulder. "Let us go over the plan one more time. Which train car is Marcus going to be in?"

"Sixth from the front," said Bearer-Of-Darkness. "Though, if I may ask, howdoyou know that?"

"Never you mind," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Now, Bearer-Of-Darkness, Wielder-Of-Blades, you know your parts of the plan?"

"Drop into the train cars on either side of Marcus's," Wielder-Of-Blades answered. "Block off his escape routes and pincer him from either side."

"Exactly," Arbiter-Of-Fates agreed. "And you, Leaper-Of-Realities?"

"Right for the throat." Leaper-Of-Realities lashed his tail.

Arbiter-Of-Fates nodded. "And I will be atop the train, ready to support anyone who requires it or to intercept Marcus should he try and get out of the train through the top."

The three other renegade Heralds nodded determinedly. Arbiter-Of-Fates turned back towards the vast landscape. "Gather around," she ordered her compatriots. "And be ready when Marcus arrives. Thelastthing we want is to miss our train…"

The atmosphere was filled with excitement; nearly everyone else on the train was heading to Motostoke to see the opening ceremony for the Gym Challenge as well, and Medicham could overhear several conversations about what to do and where to go in Motostoke, as well as dinner plans, various offers, and even a few people discussing sons and daughters who would be taking the Gym Challenge this year. Adding to the atmosphere were the numerous refreshment-serving attendants, who were always pleased to join in on the conversation whilst delivering items of food and drink. It should have been enjoyable.

But Medicham's attention was focused entirely on listening for any sign of the attack Darkrai had warned her about, and as much as she wanted to relax and enjoy herself, she knew that was an impossibility at the moment. On the contrary, as minute after minute passed by with no sign of any sort of assault, the tension only seemed to grow.

What if Darkrai's wrong? Medicham couldn't help but ask herself that question.He said there was a 26% chance the train would arrive at its destination safely…that means there's a possibility that this is all unnecessary. That we'll get to Motostoke with no problems. Oh, please, Arceus, let that be the case…

A sound of something striking metal sounded from above.

Medicham stiffened, instantly straining her ears. She heard three more of the same sound, followed by what sounded eerily like footfalls, all coming from a point terrifyingly close to right above them. Even if Medicham hadn't heard it herself, the multiple passengers who turned their heads up towards the ceiling, expressions shifting to puzzlement, would have let her know something was going on atop the train. At once she opened a telepathic link with Kriesh. "Kriesh. Above. Listen."

Kriesh hesitated for a moment before replying. "I hear them. Sounds like four. They're splitting up - one seems to be moving towards the car in front of us, one towards the car behind, and two appear to be remaining on top of this car."

"Right." Medicham swiftly opened another telepathic link with Marcus. "It's started."

Marcus muttered a curse. "What's the plan? Do we reveal ourselves now, or do we wait until they strike?"

Medicham glanced out of her Luxury Ball at the surrounding passengers. "We can't let them get caught in the crossfire. I doubt these Absols will care about limiting casualties."

"Reveal ourselves it is." Marcus rose, releasing Medicham. "Hit the roof."

"Got it," said Medicham. She heard a nearby attendant's footsteps behind her as she began to charge up an Aura Blast. "Sir!" the attendant cried. "No Pokemon on the train. Please recall your Medicham or-"

"Everyone out of the train car,now!" Marcus shouted, overpowering the attendant's voice with his own. At the same time, Medicham unleashed her Aura Blast straight at the roof of the train, and the ceiling exploded outwards, revealing the faces of two Absols who clearly hadn't expected to be discovered.

Both their expressions changed from surprise to determination in an instant. "Go!" one of the Absols commanded. In the blink of an eye the other Absol hurled itself through the hole, horn-blade glowing black. "Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" Medicham snarled, bringing her single arm up in front of her body and manifesting a circular shield of Aura across it. The renegade's horn slammed into the shield, and a thunderclap of noise exploded across the train car.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then everything erupted into chaos.

Passengers leaped from their seats, running as quickly as they could out of the train car. The Absol facing Medicham snarled in irritation. "I don't knowhowyou knew we were coming, but it doesn't matter."

"We'll see about that," Medicham spat. "Pure Power: Aura Sweep!" She lashed out with a kick that forced the renegade to draw back; his movement was surprisingly fast even for a Herald, and Medicham felt a slight tremble in her stomach at the realization that he hadn't even used Detect to dodge the attack.

At the same time, hisses of opening Luxury Balls sounded as Marcus released the rest of his Pokemon. "Kriesh, up!" he cried. "Everyone else-"

His orders were cut off by screeches of tortured metal and screams from the other two train cars. Medicham saw part of the ceiling of the train car in front of her give way as another renegade burst through it with a blast of Oblivion; from the sound coming from behind her the train car back there was suffering a similar incursion. "Split up, take them down!" Marcus finished.

Medicham spotted Liepard, Houndoom, and Trevenant rushing forwards, leaping over the seats on either side to intercept the renegade in the frontmost of the three train cars, and she also saw Kriesh angling upwards, furling her wings to arc through the hole Medicham's Aura Blast had made.She's going up there by herself,Medicham realized.Sure, she'll have an aerial advantage, but she'll be facing one of these Heralds by herself.

The renegade Herald opposite Medicham swiveled his gaze towards Marcus; his eyes flashed with interest as Drapion stepped to Medicham's side. "Just two of you to protect your Trainer? Unwise."

"Who are ya?" Drapion snarled. "Why do ya want ta kill Marcus?"

"Your Trainer has been calculated to have too high of a chance to interfere with our plans," the renegade answered. "As such, we have chosen to preemptively remove him. It's nothing personal - just what must be done to ensure the world's safety. And as for who I am?"

The renegade shifted, revealing a silken blue scarf tied around his neck. Medicham's eyes widened - there was no mistaking it.He's wearing a Choice Scarf - drastically increases speed, but constantly drains energy and thus decreases the amount of energy he can funnel into his attacks. Heralds with held items…they're already dangerous opponents, but these renegades have strengthened themselves even further.

Medicham shifted, glancing over as Drapion readied his Battle Armor.If all these renegades have strengthened themselves in such a fashion, we're going to be in for a difficult fight.

"I'm Leaper-Of-Realities," the Choice Scarf-equipped renegade growled. "And when I'm set on a target…nothingcan stop me."

Kriesh exploded out of the hole in the roof and flew swiftly up into the sky, wings spreading to catch the air. Curving back around on herself, Kriesh dove back downwards, her roving eyes spotting her target almost immediately.

Three of the attacking Absols were already down in the various train cars, fighting her teammates. That left just one on top.

One that it was her responsibility to fell.

"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh bellowed as she dove.

The Absol glanced upwards as the Hyper Beam arced towards her. "Ah, the Fearow." She stood still, watching as the beam came closer and closer; only when the beam was mere inches away did her body flare with Aura. The beam was too close to the roof of the train to adjust its trajectory in time, and the Absol stepped smoothly out of the way as the beam struck nothing but metal. A large chunk of metal was torn straight off the train; inertia instantly took hold and flung it backwards, until about two train cars down it slammed into the side of the train with a horrendous sound of screeching metal and stuck there.

"Ice Horn," the Absol growled. To Kriesh's shock, the Absol's horn-blade blazed with Aurora, and in the next moment an Ice Beam lanced out from the tip of the Absol's horn-blade. Kriesh lunged to the side, continuing to keep pace with the moving train, and allowed the Ice Beam to fly past her. "Electric Horn," the Absol stated; Kriesh dodged again, this time to avoid a crackling Lightning-formed Thunderbolt.

Where does a Herald learn Ice Beam and Thunderbolt?

"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh's next move was a barrage of Oblivion-formed Pursuit rays, curving towards the Absol and coming at her from several directions. "Fire Horn," the Absol retorted; Blaze surged across her horn, and without even a grunt of exertion she swept it to the side, unleashing a wave of Blaze - a well-manipulated Flamethrower - that intercepted and tore apart all of the Pursuit rays. "Electric Horn." Another Thunderbolt burst through the center of the dispersing Flamethrower; this time Kriesh retaliated with an Earth Impact, wreathing her entire body in Earth and allowing the Thunderbolt to dissipate uselessly against her form.

"Sniper: Beam Impact!" This time Kriesh aimed to the side so that the beam would curve around and come at the Absol's right, leaving her unable to counter by dodging and letting it strike the roof of the train car. She then immediately followed up with a Flurry Impact to prevent the renegade from just standing and waiting. The Absol's eyes narrowed; in the blink of an eye she lunged forwards, her own Pursuit flying from her mouth as she went. Rays of Oblivion exploded against one another as the Absol charged; the Beam Impact twisted and came back around, arcing towards the Absol as she hopped from train car to train car.

Kriesh dropped, landing on the roof of the train, two cars behind where the Absol currently was. She opened her beak wide. "Beam Impact!" she bellowed, exhaling another Hyper Beam towards the renegade.Good luck avoiding that on this narrow train.

The Absol twisted and leaped to the side. Too late, Kriesh saw the piece of metal sticking out of the side of the train, the one that her earlier failed Beam Impact had dislodged. The Absol landed on the improvised platform as behind her the two Hyper Beams slammed into one another in a massive eruption of Energy. Before it all had even dissipated, the Absol was lunging back onto the train; a second later the piece of metal finally was dislodged, and this time it flew off the train entirely and was lost somewhere in the morass of passing trees.

How did she…did she plan all that?Kriesh shook her head - no time to ponder. The Absol was already coming fast, and Kriesh knew she couldn't get back into the air in time. Her gambit had failed - now she would have to confront this Absol on the ground.

Then again, it wasn't like ranged combat was going my way, either. Normally a Herald's pretty weak to ranged attacks, as far as I can tell, but her having Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt changes the equation entirely. Perhaps in melee I can actually do some damage.

The Absol lunged, and Kriesh responded in kind. "Sniper: Beak Impact!" she snarled; her beak glowed with energy as it twisted towards the Absol's oncoming horn, and the two bony appendages met with explosive force.

Liepard could see the logic behind splitting up. In the tight confines of these train cars, fighting as a team would just lead to the sheer number of Pokemon fouling one another up. But all the same, she felt irritatingly vulnerable as she leaped into the frontwards train car, Houndoom and Trevenant close behind. As Trevenant came through, he raised one branchlike arm. "Harvest!" A collection of roots and vines burst from the floor, sealing this train car off from the one behind.

The Absol standing in this train car looked surprisingly at ease as she glanced behind her, watching as the last of the fleeing passengers slammed the door shut behind them. Then she turned back towards her three adversaries, her eyes glittering as she beheld Trevenant's work. "Clever," she admitted. "But shortsighted."

"Considering it's three-on-one," Houndoom growled, "I'd wouldn't be so confident if I were you."

The Absol chuckled. "I am Bearer-Of-Darkness," she said. "And to be honest, considering my capabilities…I haveevery reasonto be confident."

Bearer-Of-Darkness's horn flared with Oblivion; in the blink of an eye she reared back and unleashed a ridiculously powerful wave of the black energy that tore across the length of the train car towards the trio. "Farceur: Imitateur!" Liepard hissed - she remembered enacting a similar gambit against Betrayer-Of-Kin. But to her surprise, her copied Dark Pulse was nowhere near the power level of the one careening towards the three of them, and it was overpowered near-instantly.

"Flash Fire: Flame Tongue!"

Houndoom, though, was swift to come to the rescue; a stream of Blaze flew past Liepard and ripped through the center of Bearer-Of-Darkness's strong Dark Pulse, dissipating the majority of the energy and leaving the remainder to fly uselessly past the group. Calling upon his Ability, Houndoom directed the Flame Tongue, sending it streaking down the train car towards Bearer-Of-Darkness.

Bearer-Of-Darkness simply firedanotherobscenely strong Dark Pulse outwards in retaliation. The remnants of Houndoom's Flame Tongue were obliterated instantly. "Harvest!" Trevenant cried; the walls and floor in front of the trio sprouted a forest of vines, but though they intercepted the Dark Pulse, they were all ripped to pieces in the process, plant matter crackling with Oblivion flying every which way.

As the Oblivion dissipated, Liepard saw Bearer-Of-Darkness already unleashing a third Dark Pulse in their direction.This is getting nowhere."Trevenant, Houndoom, block it!" she snarled, crouching down. "Farceur!" Liepard allowed Prankster to suffuse her body, and as she did so Trevenant and Houndoom let out a mingled cry. "Flash Fire: Flame Tongue!" "Harvest: Grass Knot!" A combination of Overgrow-wreathed vines and Blaze intercepted the Dark Pulse; in the same moment, Liepard flung herself forwards, leaping over the clash of energies and streaking towards Bearer-Of-Darkness with claws outstretched. "Farceur: Tranche Vicieuse!"

She spotted a pair of ruby-red lenses atop a yellow frame perched upon Bearer-Of-Darkness's head as she lunged. In the blink of an eye the Absol's body lit up with Fighting energy - a Detect - and she swayed out of the way of Liepard's charge. Liepard landed and instantly rounded on Bearer-Of-Darkness, readying a Fury Swipes-

Just in time to take an Air Slash to the face.

Liepard staggered as the blade of Flying energy dug into the bridge of her nose, drawing blood; she felt a flash of agonywaytoo close to her eye. In the moment of pain, she didn't see Bearer-Of-Darkness shifting towards her right; the first indication she got of the Absol's new position was yet another Dark Pulse slamming into her side and sending her flying back down the length of the train car.

Her flying body passed by Houndoom as he made his own charge. She heard a cry of "Harvest!" from behind her; a second later she landed in a cushion of vines. Scrambling to her feet, she saw Trevenant glaring at Bearer-Of-Darkness. "Harvest: Grass Knot!"

Several vines lashed out from the walls of the train car at Bearer-Of-Darkness, only for the Absol to retaliate withanotherDark Pulse, blasting away the vines. Even as she did so, her tail flicked forwards, and a second Air Slash shot forwards and caught Houndoom midleap. Houndoom staggered, and just like she had with Liepard, Bearer-Of-Darkness took the opportunity to fire off a Dark Pulse into his stumbling form, hurling him backwards.

Trevenant caught him in another cluster of vines. As he landed back on the ground, Liepard eyed Bearer-Of-Darkness, who was stepping back to the same place she'd initially occupied, looking quite smug. "What kind of power is that?" Houndoom growled furiously.

"She's wearing a pair of Choice Specs," Liepard explained. "I saw them on her head; it increases the amount of energy she can channel into her attacks at the cost of her physical strength and stamina." She clenched her claws. "With those equipped, she can fire off those overpowered Dark Pulses and Air Slashes all day. We're nothing but targets in an Arceus-damnedshooting gallery!"

Bearer-Of-Darkness chuckled. "Well? Do you still think my confidence is unwarranted?" She smirked as she readied another strong surge of Oblivion. "Because you're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to land even a single hit on me."

Pangoro didn't care too much for subtleties. As soon as he saw that no fleeing passengers were between him and his target, he lunged, bursting through the open door between Marcus's train car and this one in a single bound. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" he snarled as he lunged for the Absol standing before him.

He saw a white cloth band tied around one of the Absol's forelegs as he charged, but thought nothing of it. At least, not until the Absol's horn flashed with Oblivion and he met Pangoro's Bullet Punch with a swift horn-strike.

A horn-strike that somehow managed to send Pangoro staggering backwards from the sheer amount of force put into it.

Kamado came around the side. "Head Smash!" the Tyrantrum snarled, trampling through a row of seats as he came at the Absol with lowered head. The Absol spun, swinging his horn-blade again, and once more he managed to prevail in the contest of strength despite his slight frame. Kamado was sent stumbling away, his lashing tail taking out another row of seats.

Twisting, the Absol lunged for Pangoro. Pangoro brought up one arm in defense, but before the horn-blade could impact, a Protect barrier sprang up, intercepting the blow for Pangoro. The Absol smoothly pushed off the Protect and landed back on his feet, eyes shifting from Kamado to Pangoro to Cloyster as the Water/Ice-type moved to a point between the former two.

"Watch out," Cloyster urged. "He's wearing a Choice Band - increases his physical strength and stamina at the expense of speed. Even as strong as you both are, we're not gonna be able to overpower him in a contest of strength."

The Absol grinned toothily. "Your friend's right. I am Wielder-Of-Blades, and my strength is unmatched. Now get out of my way, or I'llmakeyou."

Pangoro curled his lip. "I'd like to see you try."

"Ha!" Wielder-Of-Blades lunged, his horn-blade seeming to double in size as he swept it towards Pangoro. "Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!" Pangoro snarled, meeting the Absol's horn with his fist. As Cloyster had warned, though, even the super-effective attack was not enough to prevail over Wielder-Of-Blades' raw strength. But that hadn't been Pangoro's attention; even as the Absol's attack shoved him backwards, his other hand came around with a Focus Blast primed. "Crushing Blast!"

But the Absol's body blurred with a Detect and he smoothly slipped out of the way. His entire body erupted in a burst of Fairy energy as he slammed bodily into Pangoro's side, sending the Dark/Fighting-type staggering. Pangoro tripped over a seat and landed on his back, grunting in pain. Kamado charged in, snarling. "Strong Jaw: Ice Gnash!"

"I thinknot." Wielder-Of-Blades' paw came up in a shocking burst of speed, driving into Kamado's throat. "Skill Link: Spike Flurry!" Cloyster cried, leaping into view from behind the stumbling Kamado. But again the Absol's body flared with Aura; his Detect enabled him to slip through the cracks in the screen of spikes, and Cloyster barely managed to get up an Impenetrable Shell in time to deflect Wielder-Of-Blades' next horn-strike.

Pangoro grimaced.It doesn't matter how slow that Choice Band makes him when he's got Detect and Sucker Punch to make up for it.He watched as Cloyster attempted to maneuver his Protect into a Surf only for Wielder-Of-Blades to send him reeling with another Sucker Punch, before the Absol smoothly dodged a blade of air flung from Kamado's jaws and lunged for the Tyrantrum with another Play Rough glinting across his body. Clenching his fists, Pangoro rose from where he'd fallen and tapped into Quash.

Wielder-Of-Blades suddenly slowed, and Kamado took full advantage of the opportunity. "Strong Jaw: Air Gnash!" The Absol was forced into another Detect to dodge, but even as he sidestepped the flying blade of air Kamado grinned. "Rock Wave!" Slowed by both the Choice Band and Pangoro's Quash, Wielder-Of-Blades had no way to dodge; a snarl escaped the Absol's throat as he stumbled backwards.

"Skill Link: Wave Blast!"

And that was when Cloyster sprang into view, firing a duplicated Hydro Pump straight into the staggering Absol. Wielder-Of-Blades' snarl became a bellow of pain as the dual-blast of Torrent sent him flying the length of the train car all the way into the opposite wall. Pangoro stepped to Kamado's side as Wielder-Of-Blades fell to the ground; the Absol arose, spitting out water. Glancing at each other, Pangoro and Kamado smirked, then readied further ranged attacks.

"Crushing Blast!" "Strong Jaw: Air Gnash!"

"Do you think I'mdefenselessagainst ranged attacks?" Wielder-Of-Blades growled ferociously. His body blurred once again; this time it split into seven Absols, all of whom began rushing down the train car towards the trio of Pokemon. Kamado and Pangoro's attacks dissipated two of the Double Team illusions, but the remainder kept coming.

Cloyster stepped forwards, moving between Pangoro and Kamado. "That's not the best attack to use against someone likeme," he stated. "Skill Link: Self-Duplication! Split Ice Blast!" Cloyster split himself into five copies, each of which launched a swift Ice Beam at one of the five oncoming Absols. Wielder-Of-Blades managed to blur out of the way of the attack, but his duplicates were dissipated. The Absol snarled at the sight; an instant later his eyes widened as Pangoro and Kamado, with a dual roar of "Ravaging Wave!" and "Rock Manipulation!" hurled a mixed Dark Pulse and Ancient Power at him.

"Enough!" A barrage of Pursuit rays flew from Wielder-Of-Blades' mouth, so many that they were able to stop both attacks in their tracks. "DIE!" the Absol roared, lunging forwards with his horn-blade tripling in size as he brought it around in a sweeping arc towards the trio.

"Skill Link: Impenetrable Shell Wall!"

Duplicating Protects had always been one of the feats Cloyster had been the most proud of achieving with his Ability in the past few years. Wielder-Of-Blades' titanic strike was intercepted by a barrier of energy stretching the width and height of the entire train car. An explosion of energy momentarily hid the Absol from view, though Pangoro could still see his eyes as they widened. "Hit him,now!" Cloyster cried, dropping the barrier.

"Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!" "Head Smash!" Wielder-Of-Blades was off-balance from the dropping of the barrier; before he could recover, Pangoro's fist and Kamado's skull slammed into him, hurling the Absol backwards once again. He skipped across the metal floor of the train car like a stone, bouncing three times before skidding to a halt. Again, though, he managed to get to his feet; Pangoro suspected that he might already be down were it not for the increased stamina afforded to him by the Choice Band.

"How is this possible?" Wielder-Of-Blades spat. "I was stronger than any one of you evenbeforeI increased my strength with TMs and this Choice Band! How is it that you couldpossiblystand against me?"

"You've toughened yourself up against single opponents," Pangoro growled. "Sure, you could beat any of us one-on-one, easy. But with your lowered speed, it's far too easy for you to get overwhelmed. I bet even just two of us could take you down. In fact, why don't we test that theory? Cloyster, go back there and keep Marcus safe. Kamado and I have this one under control."

"All right, I trust you." Cloyster retreated, moving swiftly towards the train car where Marcus still stood.

Wielder-Of-Blades spat out a mouthful of blood. "I'd heard you were arrogant. I didn't realize you were outrightsuicidal. That Cloyster was theonlyreason you were beating me! With him gone, you stand no chance!"

"Brave words for someone who can barely stand," Pangoro retorted.

"We are stronger than you think," Kamado growled. "Pangoro's right. We aremorethan capable of defeating you on our own."

"I'll show you why you shouldn't underestimate me!" Wielder-Of-Blades hurled himself forwards, and Pangoro and Kamado lunged to meet him, fist and horn and head meeting in the center of the train car.

Medicham stumbled backwards, reflexively pressing a hand to the shallow cut inflicted upon her side from Leaper-Of-Realities' horn-blade. "Rend!" Drapion snarled, lunging with jaws open; Leaper-Of-Realities easily dodged, though his retaliatory horn-strike glanced off a thick layer of Drapion's Battle Armor.

Medicham's eyes narrowed as Drapion twisted, flinging out one massive arm in a swipe that Leaper-Of-Realities smoothly ducked. "Pure Power: Aura Blast!" she cried; she wasn't surprised to see Leaper-Of-Realities dodge that as well. In fact, she'd been counting on it; even as Leaper-Of-Realities danced away from both the Aura Blast and another swipe from Drapion, Medicham exploded forwards, Aura flaring across her fist.

"Pure Power: Aura Blade!"

Leaper-Of-Realities only narrowly avoided Medicham's Aura-formed sword. Far from the flickering, prone-to-dissipating construct that it once had been, this blade was as sturdy as a real one, if not more so. Medicham spun, lashing out again; this time her blade clashed with Leaper-Of-Realities' horn, and the two fell into a swift exchange of slashes, both parrying and slicing in equal measure.

Medicham noticed that Leaper-Of-Realities was clearly well aware of his own strength limitations; he never held a blade-lock, and any time they seemed about to engage in one, the Absol ducked backwards, using his superior speed to avoid retaliation before coming in again to force Medicham back on the defensive. Their blades clashed half a dozen times in the space of a few seconds, with such speed that neither was paying too much attention to their surroundings.

Unfortunately, this meant that Medicham didn't see the train seat until it was too late. Her blade cut into it, and for a single vital moment it was stilled by the well-made mixture of materials. Leaper-Of-Realities struck, and it was only Medicham leaping away with Detect that prevented her from being sliced open.

"Pierce!" Leaper-Of-Realities whirled; his horn sliced through the air so fast that it was a blur, and all of Drapion's Pin Missile projectiles were ripped out of the air in about half a second.

"Medicham, Aura Wave!" Marcus cried from where he was taking cover behind his seat.

Right. Medicham raised her foot.I'll have to do something other than simple blasts or strikes to land a hit on him."Pure Power: Aura Wave!" she cried, unleashing a torrent of Aura in the general direction of Leaper-Of-Realities.

Leaper-Of-Realities frowned; in the brief moment before he disappeared behind the expanding wave of Aura, Medicham spotted his entire body flare with Flying energy. Marcus clear had spotted it too, for his eyes widened. "Drapion, Protect, now!"

In the next second, Leaper-Of-Realities burst through the center of the Aura Wave, his Flying energy-formed armor protecting him from the worst of the wave, though Medicham smirked at the sight of ruffled fur - the technique hadn't been able to protect him entirely. But he was moving so fast that he would have easily landed a hit on Drapion had Marcus not warned him. The Herald bounced off Drapion's Protect like a pinball and landed smoothly back on the ground, the Flying energy fading from his coat.

"You think I would've sampled Trainer items without taking advantage of TMs too?" Leaper-Of-Realities asked. "I've learned quite a bit about the inner workings of Bounce. Allow me todemonstrate."

Flying energy surged forth from Leaper-Of-Realities as he flung himself sideways. Landing on the side of the train car, he pushed himself off and hurtled at Medicham with so much speed that he was on her before she even tapped into Detect. The move came too late; his horn-blade scythed across her other side as he flew past. Even as Medicham stumbled, she saw Leaper-Of-Realities land on the train car's other wall and bounce off again, this time aiming for Drapion.

"Battle Armor!" Drapion snarled, forming a shield of chitin between him and Leaper-Of-Realities. But the Absol simply Bounced offthat, too, and then he was flinging himself past Medicham once more, scoring a gash across her shoulder before she could react.

He's moving too fast for my normal moves to even come close to hitting him.Medicham saw Leaper-Of-Realities land on a seat and Bounce off, caroming towards the ceiling.But I've got more than just normal moves.

"Bullet Strike!" Medicham cried; Leaper-Of-Realities pushed off the ceiling and hurled himself face-first into Medicham's Iron-enhanced fist. Bullet Punch was one of Medicham's weaker moves in terms of power, and as such had never been one of Medicham's more widely-used moves, but in terms of speed it easily outmatched the rest of her arsenal.

"Gah!" Leaper-Of-Realities cried as he bounced off Medicham's Bullet Punch and flew ungainly for several feat before landing in a crumpled heap on the floor of the train car. In an instant he was up again, blood oozing from his nose. He let out a snarl. "I should have expected as much from Darkrai'spet."

"Yeah, ya should've," Drapion growled, stepping to Medicham's side. "Now if ya know what's good fer ya, get away from our Trainer."

Leaper-Of-Realities spat. "I don't think so. This has been fun and all, but I have a mission to complete." His body surged with mingled Normal and Flying energy; in a split second he was leaping over Medicham and Drapion's heads, propelled by Bounce, Quick Attack, Detect,andhis Choice Scarf all at the same time.

Medicham lashed out with a Bullet Punch, and Drapion summoned a Protect, but Leaper-Of-Realities outsped both. His voice came mockingly as he sailed overhead, horn-blade extended towards Marcus's chest. "Too slow."

"Impenetrable Shell!"

Leaper-Of-Realities slammed into a Protect mere inches from Marcus. The sheer speed of his impact left him winded for a moment; Drapion swiftly twisted, leashed out with one arm, and grasped Leaper-Of-Realities tightly before the Absol could blur away again. "Inject," he snarled gleefully. Leaper-Of-Realities snarled in agony as poison began to flood his body. "You…you piece of-"

He didn't get out any more before Drapion slammed him bodily into the floor of the train so hard it left a crater. "Cloyster!" Medicham cried gratefully, smiling at the sight of the Water/Ice-type.

"Pangoro and Kamado have the Absol in that car handled," said Cloyster. "How are the others doing?"

"No word from the group in that car." Medicham pointed to where Trevenant's vines were blocking the frontward car from view. "And I haven't heard anything from Kriesh, either-"

She was cut off by the sound of a pained shriek from atop the train. A shriek everyone in the train car instantly recognized.

Drapion, momentarily distracted, didn't see Leaper-Of-Realities' attack coming. The Absol's horn sliced into Drapion's wrist, cutting deep despite his reduced strength. As Drapion roared out in pain, the Absol yanked himself free, hurling himself away from the Poison/Dark-type. But as he rose to his feet, Medicham saw he had by no means gotten away unscathed - not only had he been injected with what had to be quite a bit of poison, but he was also bleeding heavily from his sides as well as his face, his legs trembling with the effort of holding himself up.

Good work, Drapion...you really did a number on him. With that poison combined with his already existing wounds, I don't think he's going to last much longer.

"Go up there and help her," Marcus urged; the Trainer was shaking a little at the close call he'd endured, but his voice was determined regardless. "Cloyster, Drapion, I trust you can take this from here."

"Yeah, we've got this under control," Drapion growled.

"Get up there, Medicham," Cloyster added.

Medicham nodded determinedly. Crouching, she hurled herself up through the hole in the roof of the train, mentally preparing herself for the horrible sight she feared awaited her.

"So where are you headed once we reach Motostoke?" Hop asked.

Scorbunny watched from his Pokeball as Gloria let out ahmmin answer. "I think I'm definitely going to visit the Battle Cafe," she said. "Scorbunny and Bunnelby can get some training in,andit says on the website that I get free coffee and pastries if I win a battle with the owner!"

"Huh," said Hop. "I might have to try that out myself. Hey, do you hear that?"

Scorbunny frowned as the two teenagers fell silent. Sure enough, hecouldhear something; panicked screams coming from the train car ahead, sounding like they were coming closer.

Then the door to their train car flew open, and a mob of very scared-looking people surged through. A train attendant standing nearby took a step back in shock. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's all this about?"

"There's a big battle tearing up Cars 5, 6, and 7!" a man yelled. "We don't know how many cars it'll spill to, so we're getting as far away as we can!"

"What kind of battle?" the attendant asked. "Did some of the passengers let Pokemon out to fight amongst themselves?"

"No!" the man cried. "At least, I don't think so. There's a bunch of…I dunno, weird looking black-and-white Pokemon attacking the train! And there's a guy with a one-armed Medicham fighting 'em off! It's chaos back there!"

Scorbunny saw Gloria's eyes widen, and knew she'd come to the same realization he had.Marcus. Gloria rose and instantly broke into a sprint, shoving people aside as she hurried in the opposite direction the panicked crowd was moving.

"Gloria, wait!" Hop leaped from his seat and hared after her, both teenagers ignoring the cries of shock and calls to stop from the rest of the crowd.

Scorbunny held on tight to the inside of his Pokeball as the sphere jostled and bounced upon the running Gloria's belt. Nervousness was suddenly flooding his stomach; what kind of Pokemon would attack a passenger-filled train?

And why?

Keep in mind that this train was canonically delayed as well. In canon, it was due to a herd of Wooloo on the tracks. This made absolutely no sense to me, so I decided to give the train a more...understandable...reason for being delayed. Heh heh...

Chapter 10: Terror On The Train (Part 2 of 2)

Chapter Text

Kriesh hadn't really understood what it meant to fight atop a train until just now.

Up until this point, she'd been able to keep up with the moving train through raw speed, but now that she was actively clinging onto the train and engaging in a melee duel, Kriesh was having to constantly keep up a surge of Flying energy around her to blunt the sheer amount of wind, otherwise she never would have been able to hold on, much less fight. She had no idea how her Absol adversary was keeping hold on the train herself, but she had no time to think about that in the heat of battle.

Sparks flew as Kriesh's beak intercepted the Absol's horn once more. The Absol reared up and slashed down again; Kriesh ducked and flicked out a quick Steel Wing, forcing the Absol into a Detect to dodge, and then lunged, calling upon Aerial Ace to prevail against the surging winds. "Sniper: Sky Impact!"

The Absol caught Kriesh's attack with her horn-blade and pressed forwards, forcing Kriesh into a stumble. "Electric Horn!" she hissed; Kriesh only barely got off a Mud-Slap to deflect the Thunderbolt in time, and in that moment the Absol lunged, her charge aided by the natural movement of the train propelling her towards Kriesh. One clawed paw lashed out, scoring across Kriesh's cheek and snapping her head to the side. As she reeled, Kriesh gasped out "Beam Impact!" The Absol leaped into the air, allowing the train's forward momentum to carry her over Kriesh's head. She landed about a train-car-length behind Kriesh, her claws scoring furrows in the metal; the Hyper Beam flew off into the sky, having accomplished its purpose.

"Hmm…" The Absol smirked. "You're a tricky one, aren't you? Fearows are normally such blunt objects, the hammer to a Pidgeot's streamlined blade…your techniques are not ones I would normally expect from one of your kind."

"You're one to talk," Kriesh growled. "Since when did Heralds start pulling out elemental blasts?"

"I am no mere Herald," the Absol responded. "I am Arbiter-Of-Fates. I am one of the oldest and most experienced Absols alive. And to be honest, I've never desired to pointlessly restrict myself to the normal techniques learned by an Absol. I have spent years sampling the weapons, items, and techniques of Trainers in order to enhance my fighting capability. My allies are just learning how to augment themselves in such a fashion. They are comparatively inexperienced with their new abilities. I, on the other hand, have no such limitation. It was foolish of you to challenge me on your own, Fearow, for I am by far the strongest Absol here."

Kriesh began to stride forwards one step at a time, moving deliberately so that she didn't accidentally lose her grip on the train car. "I don't care how many tricks you bring to the table," she growled. "I won't let you get anywhere near Marcus again."

"Hmph." Arbiter-Of-Fates's horn lit up with blue light. "Let's see if you can back those words up. Ice Horn."

Kriesh was forced to awkwardly skitter to the side in order to avoid Arbiter-Of-Fates' Ice Beam. As she did so, the Absol broke into a sprint, hurling herself across the top of the train car towards Kriesh. For a moment, Kriesh felt a measure of shock that Arbiter-Of-Fates was moving so swiftly and easily despite the train's movement being against her; then she saw the Normal energy surging around Arbiter-Of-Fates and realized that she was countering the wind with an application of Quick Attack, the move serving to propel her forwards at a much more rapid pace than she otherwise would have been able to manage.

Arbiter-Of-Fates lunged, horn glowing black. "Sniper: Beak Impact!" Kriesh cried, stabbing her beak forwards to counter the Absol's Night Slash. Horn and beak clashed once more with a loudclang; Arbiter-Of-Fates drew back and struck again, and then again; each slice Kriesh met with her beak, Sniper allowing her to skillfully parry the Absol's every strike.

At the third clash, Arbiter-Of-Fates changed tactics; with a grunt of exertion she shoved forwards, and once again the unexpected burst of raw strength forced Kriesh backwards. Arbiter-Of-Fates dove forwards, ducking under Kriesh's stumbling form, and twisted to deliver a spinning swipe to Kriesh's back. But Kriesh wasn't planning on letting the same trick work on her twice. Taking a page out of the Absol's book, she released her grip on the roof of the train car, allowing the train's momentum to carry her away from Arbiter-Of-Fates' attack.

"Electric Horn!" At Arbiter-Of-Fates' cry, Kriesh whirled, forming Ground energy across one of her wings, and swatted the Absol's Thunderbolt away. Now Kriesh spread her wings, grinning; finally, she'd managed to regain her aerial advantage. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" she bellowed.

Kriesh knew Arbiter-Of-Fates would dodge - she had last time, after all - and so even as the Hyper Beam shot towards Arbiter-Of-Fates Kriesh followed up with a barrage of Pursuit rays. Arbiter-Of-Fates' eyes glinted as the Hyper Beam neared her; she smirked as if she'd just thought of a clever joke, and then as the Hyper Beam came at her she flared Aura across her body.

But instead of dodging to the side, Arbiter-Of-Fates leapedforwards.

Kriesh watched as her Hyper Beam angled downwards; in the blink of an eye Arbiter-Of-Fates jerked herself backwards as if pulled by a string. The angle of the Hyper Beam was too sharp and too close to the roof of the train car for its course to properly adjust; the blast collided with the roof with explosive force, punching another hole in the ceiling of the train car.

Before Kriesh's eyes, a large chunk of the metal roof, loosened by the explosion, flipped upwards just in time for Arbiter-Of-Fates to duck behind it. Kriesh's Flurry Impact bounced off the metal; the barrage of impacts loosened the chunk's hold further, and in the next moment, it came off the roof of the train car entirely and flew straight at Kriesh's face.

Holy crap…there's no way that Absol is so naturally lucky.

"Steel Impact!" Kriesh cried, bringing up both wings and enhancing them with Steel energy to try and protect herself; even so, the impact of the flying piece of metal was enough to send her reeling backwards. She just barely managed to maintain enough awareness so that when her talons touched metal she was able to grab on tight and not be blown right off the train. "Ice Horn!" she heard faintly as she landed; she attempted to flare Steel energy across her wings to try and deflect the attack, but the Ice Beam struck her in the right leg instead.

A terrifying chill ripped through Kriesh's leg; spreading her wings once again, Kriesh spotted Arbiter-Of-Fates stalking slowly and methodically towards her, eyes gleaming. Kriesh attempted to shift in preparation to meet the Absol again, but her right leg refused to move. Glancing down, Kriesh realized with a pang of fear that her leg was frozen to the roof of the train car, encased in a thick block of ice.

"Ice Beam's secondary effect," Arbiter-Of-Fates explained, moving closer. "Occasionally, when it hits, Ice Beam has a small chance to freeze whatever it struck, impeding movement. I would have to be extremely lucky to achieve that freeze…just as I would have to be extremely lucky for so many things to go wrong with all your little Hyper Beam tricks."

"I take it that's your Ability?" Kriesh growled.

"Precisely." Arbiter-Of-Fates smirked. "You should know that Absols only develop Abilities in the later stages of their lives. Very few Absols even possess Abilities…but I am one of them. Super Luck allows me to manipulate luck in quite a few different ways. My guesses are always correct. Objects always seem to end up in places that would benefit me most. Moves with normally-rare chances of secondary effects trigger those effects practically on-demand. And, with the aid of this…" Kriesh spotted a small metallic device lower into place in front of one of Arbiter-Of-Fates' eyes. "…I always know exactly where to aim my attacks to achieve maximum effect."

A Scope Lens. Kriesh narrowed her eyes.Used in battles to achieve a minor zooming effect, similar to a beginner's Keen Eye or, in my case,Aspectum.With that in conjunction with her Ability, she could easily scan an opponent's body, identify a weak spot, and ensure that her attacks are always targeted at that weak spot.

But that tells me something else about her Ability.

Kriesh let out a quiet chuckle. "So that's how it works," she murmured. "In order for your luck manipulation to work, you need a concrete possibilityforit to work. If you don't know that there's a weak spot for you to target, you can't use Super Luck to automatically know where to aim your attacks in order to strike at that weak spot. So you can talk all you want about always being able to avoid my attacks…but if I can make it so that you havenochance to avoid my attacks, no amount of luck manipulation is going to save you."

Arbiter-Of-Fates responded with a chuckle of her own. "You're smarter than most, Fearow," she said. "I can see why Bringer-Of-Visions chose you and your friends to stop us. But I've seen what sort of attacks you're capable of. You have an Ability that gives you perfect aim with practically every move you can muster, and you still haven't landed a single hit on me. And now here you are, frozen in place. So tell me, Fearow, how exactly do you plan on preventing me from avoiding your attacks?"

"Watch me," Kriesh snarled. "Sniper:Vox Impact!"

Arbiter-Of-Fates staggered, letting out an agonized cry as Kriesh's voice slammed into her inner ear. Kriesh grinned; as she'd predicted, Arbiter-Of-Fates had no way to dodge an attack aimed at the inside of her ear. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh growled, trying to take advantage of Arbiter-Of-Fates' stumble.

But Arbiter-Of-Fates managed to dodge courtesy of an instinctual Detect. As she stumbled to the side, the Absol glared up at Kriesh, no longer smiling. "Ice Horn!"

"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh retorted, flinging a barrage of Pursuit rays out to counter and dissipate the Ice Beam. "Sniper:Vox Impact!"

This time, though, Arbiter-Of-Fates was more prepared; even as Kriesh shouted out the words, the Absol flung herself forwards, horn-blade lowered. She winced in pain asVox Impactassailed her eardrums, but she'd clearly figured out the limitations of the technique; it was disorienting, sure, and fairly painful, but it didn't actually deal any lasting damage.

"Sniper: Beak Impact!" Kriesh cried, moving awkwardly thanks to her still-frozen foot. But even as her beak met Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn, she saw it glow red.

"Fire Horn."

A point-blank Flamethrower exploded in Kriesh's face, sending her reeling and temporarily blinding her. In that moment, Arbiter-Of-Fates lunged, slamming into Kriesh with her full weight and bearing her to the ground. Still frozen in place, Kriesh's leg couldn't bend backwards along with the rest of her; instead it snapped, eliciting a scream of agony from Kriesh as her back slammed into the metallic roof of the train car.

Arbiter-Of-Fates glared down into Kriesh's eyes even as she dug her claws into Kriesh's wings, holding her down. "Congratulations," she snarled. "You have just joined a very short list of humans and Pokemon who have actively managed topiss me off."

Kriesh grunted, trying and failing to throw Arbiter-Of-Fates off.Medicham, she thought.If you're not busy…I could really use some help up here.

No response came. Grimacing, Kriesh opened her beak. "Beam Impact!" she cried, hoping to catch Arbiter-Of-Fates off-guard, but Arbiter-Of-Fates simply bent to the side courtesy of another Detect, allowing the Hyper Beam to fly uselessly into the sky, and then slammed a paw into Kriesh's chin, driving the top of her head against the train car's roof hard enough that Kriesh saw stars.

"My Ability also allows me to predict your attacks, to an extent," Arbiter-Of-Fates growled. "If I have previously seen you use an attack, then when you attempt to use that attack again, I instinctively know it's coming before you even unleash it. How do you think I adapted so quickly to yourVox Impact?"

"Adapt…to…this…" Even as Kriesh forced the words out of her mouth, she gathered all her strength into her still-functional left leg, then in one smooth motion brought it upwards, scoring her talons across Arbiter-Of-Fates' underbelly. Arbiter-Of-Fates shrieked, but unfortunately did not let go of Kriesh's wings. She did, however, rear up, taking the pressure off Kriesh's chin; instantly Kriesh lifted her head, focused on Arbiter-Of-Fates' exposed chest, and drove her beak upwards, gathering as much Energy as she could to the tip.

"Sniper: Giga Impact!"

Giga Impact was the strongest Normal-type move in existence, essentially a melee version of Hyper Beam, an attack that threw aside all speed and skill in favor of simply crushing an opponent with as much raw power as the user could muster. Marcus had taught it to Kriesh two years ago via TM, explaining that it was for emergencies only.Well, Kriesh thought as she slammed the attack straight into the white-furred chest of the staggering Absol above her,I daresay this qualifies.

The attack hit home, driving perfectly into the center of Arbiter-Of-Fates' chest.

And the Absol's Substitute dissipated in a puff of Normal energy, just in time for therealArbiter-Of-Fates to rear into view, her body surrounded by a brightly glowing gray aura, andslamthe full weight of her body into Kriesh's stomach.

Kriesh instantly realized that while she'd been occupied dealing with Arbiter-Of-Fates' Substitute - she must have used the technique while Kriesh was blinded by that Flamethrower - the Absol had been increasing her power with some sort of boosting move, most likely Swords Dance. There was no other possible explanation for how her attack hurt so much. Kriesh doubled over, nearly vomiting from the sheer force of Arbiter-Of-Fates' strike, as her stomach exploded with pain. Arbiter-Of-Fates whirled in an instant and brought her horn-blade, glowing with Oblivion, down upon Kriesh's now-upraised cheek; blood sprayed as Kriesh's head was once again thrust into the top of the train car.

The agony nearly made Kriesh black out; she managed to force her right eye open in time to see Arbiter-Of-Fates standing above her, one paw upraised. She said nothing; her paw slammed down, striking so hard that Kriesh felt her head rip straight through the already weakened roof of the train car with a horrific sound of tearing metal.

Damn it…even after all these years of training, even after I threw everything I had at her…I couldn't even come close to beating this Absol.

Arceus, please let my teammates have had better luck…

The last thing she heard before she descended into unconsciousness was a furious battle cry from a voice Kriesh knew and yet could not place.

"NO!" The word ripped itself from Medicham's throat as she hurled herself across the roof of the train car, Aura blazing blue across her whole body.

The Absol glanced upwards; in one fluid motion she withdrew from Kriesh's unconscious body, dodging out of the way of Medicham's wild punch with a textbook Detect. The Absol's horn flashed black; swiftly, Medicham activated her own Detect, and her Aura yanked her backwards just in time to avoid the Absol's slash.

She heard the hiss of a Pokeball and saw Kriesh's body dematerialize; clearly Marcus had recalled her.At least she's safe…but the fact that this Absol looks practically unwounded and is definitely powered up with Swords Dance doesn't make me feel particularly confident.

"I was wondering when one of the Fearow's teammates would show up," said the Absol. "I've heard quite a bit about you…Spirit, was it?"

"Medicham." Medicham set her stance, continuing to flare Aura around her body to brace herself against the surging winds. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Arbiter-Of-Fates," the Absol said calmly. Medicham stiffened slightly, recalling the name from Bringer-Of-Visions' words. Arbiter-Of-Fates smirked. "And judging by that reaction, you've heard that name before. Well,student of Darkrai, let us see if our Master's teachings allow you to put up a better fight than your friend did."

A burst of Energy flew from Arbiter-Of-Fates' body, forming itself into an exact duplicate of her that crouched, ready to pounce.Substitute, Medicham realized; at the same time, she beheld a small lens flip down over Arbiter-Of-Fates' eye.And that's a Scope Lens.So she's going to use the Substitute to analyze my fighting style and work out counters. Guess I'll have to deal with this duplicate without using my real tricks.

"Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham opened with a spreading blast of Aura that forced the Substitute to leap over it courtesy of Detect. Then she charged, bringing her hand back. "Pure Power: Aura Strike!"

The Substitute twisted in midair, bringing its horn-blade down to slam into Medicham's fist. Medicham spun, trying to swipe it out of the air with a spinning kick, but another Detect enabled the Substitute to twist around Medicham's attack and land back atop the train car. In an instant the Substitute was on Medicham, lashing out with blow after vicious blow, horn and claws swiping in equal measure. Medicham blocked or dodged each one, but the assault was driving her backwards along the train car, and all the while Arbiter-Of-Fates watched, her Scope Lens humming.

Hold on. This isn't a Dark-type - it's an Energy-formed duplicate of one. So that means…

"Psychic Blast!" Medicham cried, lashing out with the full force of her Psychic capabilities. To her relief, her hunch had been correct; the Substitute was picked up and flung away, and the roaring winds did the rest. Arbiter-Of-Fates watched with barely-concealed disdain as her Substitute was sent flailing comically off the train, its body flying a good several feet into the air before beginning to arc back down. The train was moving fast enough that Medicham didn't even see it land.

"Hmph." Arbiter-Of-Fates frowned. "Using a Psychic-type move on my Substitute to ensure my main collection of data came from an ineffective move…I'll admit that was clever. And clearly it would be a waste of time to try another Substitute." She smirked, her horn beginning to glow red. "So let's just get to the real fight. Fire Horn."

Medicham hadnotexpected the Absol to unleash a full-blown Flamethrower at her. "Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" she cried, bringing up her forearm to intercept the blast of Blaze with an Aura-formed shield. She felt heat radiating off the attack as it impacted; through the haze she could see Arbiter-Of-Fates rushing forwards, her horn now glowing yellow.

"Electric Horn."

This time Medicham simply dodged with a Detect, allowing the Thunderbolt to skitter across the top of the train car. In the same moment Arbiter-Of-Fates lunged, clearing the remaining distance between them in an instant. Her horn-blade lashed out, perfectly aimed towards Medicham's right leg as it landed atop the train car. "Pure Power: Aura Bubble!" Medicham called; the technique was a natural extension of Aura Barrier, creating an omnidirectional shield instead of a focused one, and so Medicham had easily been able to learn it after only a few weeks of training. Now she cast Aura out in all directions, disappointing Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn-strike and giving herself enough time to land on her feet.

"Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham expelled the energies of her Aura Bubble outwards in a blast. Irritatingly, Arbiter-Of-Fates was already moving before the attack even went off; leaping backwards, she lashed out with another Thunderbolt from her horn, the technique sufficient to cut through the center of the Aura Wave and allow the renegade Herald to dodge the remainder. Arbiter-Of-Fates followed up with a barrage of Pursuit rays that forced Medicham onto the defensive; Medicham brought her hand up and expelled a flurry of Aura Blasts, tearing the rays of Oblivion out of the air, but the remnants of that attack were swept away by a Flamethrower.

"Ice Horn!" Arbiter-Of-Fates snarled as the Blaze and Aura dissipated; Medicham was forced to form another Aura Barrier to deflect the jagged Ice Beam that shot out from the renegade's horn. Arbiter-Of-Fates glanced down. With a single deft strike she swiped her claws across the roof of the train, cutting loose a piece of metal. Medicham barely had enough time to wonder what she was doing before the metal piece flapped upwards.

And reflected a burst of sunlight right into her eyes.

Damn it, not again!

Medicham staggered, instinctively trying to shield her eyes, but just like with Corviknight she was too late. Yet, just like Corviknight, she knew instinctively to go into a Detect. Instantly her body jerked to the right as some sort of ranged attack flew past her. Medicham heard footfalls clanging on the roof of the train car and grimaced. "Pure Power: Aura Bubble!" she cried.

And then she felt a blast of Mind pummel her suddenly-upraised Aura-formed shields, tearing them apart; a second later she heard aswish, and then agony ripped into her chest. Medicham cried out in pain, striking out with a reflexive Aura Strike that hit only empty air. A paw-swipe slammed into her face and sent her staggering backwards. Immediately, she called upon Detect once more just as Arbiter-Of-Fates growled "Electric Horn." As she dodged the Thunderbolt, she managed to blink back some semblance of vision, enough to see Arbiter-Of-Fates charging once again, her horn stained scarlet with Medicham's blood.

"Pure Power: Aura Beam!" Medicham cried. But again a titanic pulse of Mind thundered down in the exact right place to intercept and disperse the move, and Arbiter-Of-Fates leaped through the remnants of the clashing attacks, claws outstretched and horn-blade at the ready. Through squinted eyes, Medicham glared at the incoming Absol. "Bullet Strike!" she cried, snapping out a fist in a priority move that Arbiter-Of-Fates wasn't ready for. The Iron-enhanced punch slammed into the Absol's face, stopping her lunge cold and sending her stumbling backwards.

Medicham's elation at finally landing a successful hit only lasted a second before athirdblast of Mind rammed into her from nowhere, nearly sending her to the ground. She managed to steady herself, barely, but the strike had given Arbiter-Of-Fates time to recover.

"I already told your friend about my Ability, Super Luck," Arbiter-Of-Fates growled. "But I can also use it in conjunction with Future Sight. Thanks to my perfect luck, I know exactly where and when to aim my Future Sight attacks to cause the most disruption and damage. I've already sent out seven more attacks into the future, Medicham. Seven blasts of Mind ready to render you helpless. I have to say, though…I expected more from a student of Darkrai."

Medicham rose, clenching her fist tightly. "You wantmore?" she snarled. "Well, then…I'll behappyto oblige. Pure Power!"

Aura surged around Medicham in a whirlwind as she narrowed her eyes, focusing on her missing forearm, willing the Aura in her body to gather at the stump. With an exertion of her mind, she forced it out, and it began to form, first twisting to the side, then elongating, stretching out in a thin cylindrical shape. As it reached its end the shape curved outwards, first widening, then splitting into five. Medicham waited until the Aura had finished forming into her desired shape. Instinctively, she tested the Aura-made appendage she'd generated, willing it to move like a normal arm; it did, her fingers closing into a fist as easily as a normal hand would, her elbow bending just like a normal elbow.

Arbiter-Of-Fates shifted, minutely adjusting her stance.

Medicham smirked. It had taken a long time and a lot of effort for her to finally gain a grasp on that technique - she'd spent at least a year and a half fighting without a right forearm, and then it had taken a while to relearn her old fighting technique once she was able to form the limb out of Aura. Even now, she still found the technique difficult; whereas her more basic uses of Aura were practically instinctive at this point, she had to exert quite a bit of effort to form the limb, and yet more to keep it formed in the midst of battle.

But there was no question that with two arms, she was a lot stronger than she was with one.

Medicham glanced down at her chest, making sure the wound Arbiter-Of-Fates had delivered wasn't too major. It was a deep cut, to be sure, but it was by no means debilitating. She set her own stance. "How about that?" she asked. "You still disappointed?"

Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled softly. "Such misplaced confidence…but very well. Let us see if you can back up such a display withrealstrength."

"Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!" Pangoro let loose with a vicious Hammer Arm; Wielder-Of-Blades dove backwards, and Pangoro's swipe merely took out a glass window, shattering it into a thousand shards that were at once swept away into the wind.

"Rock Attack!" Kamado fired a barrage of Rock energy at the backpedaling Wielder-Of-Blades. The Absol was quick to respond, lashing out with a sweeping horn-strike that tore the oncoming Rock Slide out of the air. Wielder-Of-Blades retaliated with a barrage of Pursuit Rays aimed at Kamado, but Pangoro leaped in front of his teammate and with a snarl of "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!" punched the Pursuit rays out of the air one by one. Kamado hurled himself to the side, his claws skidding on the floor of the train car, and snarled "Strong Jaw: Air Gnash!"

Detect served to get Wielder-Of-Blades clear of the flying blade of air, and the Absol swiftly tapped into Double Team, once more separating into seven. Pangoro grimaced as the seven Absols lunged, horn-blades at the ready.With Cloyster gone, we've lost our main defense against that.

But that doesn't mean we're helpless.

"Rending Blast!" "Stealth Rock!" A Dark Pulse blasted out from Pangoro as a flurry of tiny stone projectiles flew from Kamado. The Absols began to blur, both the real one and the duplicates dodging through the storm of sharp stones. Three duplicates were torn to shreds by Pangoro's Dark Pulse, but four remained, and now they were too close for any sort of ranged attack.

Pangoro knew he had to be wary of Sucker Punch - an ordinary punch would just leave him open for the priority move. Instead, he went for one of his strongest melee attacks. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!" Pangoro snarled, lashing out in another flurry of flying Iron-wreathed fists.

He caught two Absols, but both were duplicates, and he only barely caught a glimpse of one to his side before Wielder-Of-Blades drove a vicious horn-swipe into Pangoro's hip. The strike was hard enough to send Pangoro staggering sideways; his reeling body slammed into and shattered another window. Now wind was roaring in the train car, the sound of it not quite masking Kamado's cry of pain as his attempted retaliatory Head Smash was cut short by a Sucker Punch. Wielder-Of-Blades followed up with a powerful Night Slash, tossing Kamado backwards into the other side of the train car with explosive force.

As both Pangoro and Kamado dug themselves out of their miniature craters, Wielder-Of-Blades stepped backwards, casting out five more duplicates to replace the ones Kamado and Pangoro had popped. "You should've thought twice before facing me alone," he growled. "There's no way you can break through my Double Team defense."

"You wish," Pangoro snarled in response, and tapped into Quash. "Now, Kamado!"

"Stealth Rock!" Kamado cried; slowed as he was, neither Wielder-Of-Blades nor his Double Team clones were able to dodge, and several of the duplicates dissipated under the impacts of sharp stones, while a thin red line across one Absol's side instantly let Pangoro know which one the real Wielder-Of-Blades was. Instantly he pounced. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" he snarled; Wielder-Of-Blades tried to counter, but couldn't get an attack off in time to deflect Pangoro's Bullet Punch. A nastycracksounded as Wielder-Of-Blades staggered backwards, the remainder of his clones disappearing as he lost his concentration. Pangoro pressed, lunging forwards again. "Iron Fist: Shattering Blow!"

Considering how injured Wielder-Of-Blades already was, he had no right to recover as quickly as he did. Yet even as Pangoro charged, readying a powerful haymaker, Wielder-Of-Blades skidded to a halt and flung himself forwards, delivering a vicious Choice Band-boosted Sucker Punch to Pangoro's gut. It was Pangoro's turn to stagger backwards, his attack faltering as he tried to keep himself from retching; worse, he felt his grasp of Quash slip from him as he stumbled.

"Stealth Rock!" Kamado cried again. Wielder-Of-Blades managed to maneuver into a Detect, weaving through the flying stone shards despite being slowed down. His response was a flurry of Pursuit rays that Kamado countered with a swift Rock Attack, but as the two ranged attacks coalesced Wielder-Of-Blades charged forwards, leaping through the explosion of energy and slamming horn-first into Kamado before the Tyrantrum could adjust. Kamado was thrown backwards, his claws digging into the metal floor as he skidded to a halt.

Nevertheless, both he and Pangoro rose back up. At this, Wielder-Of-Blades let out a furious snarl. "What is it going to take to keep the two of you down?"

Kamado grinned savagely.

"Stop that!" Wielder-Of-Blades bellowed. "Stopsmilinglike that! Just one more hit from my horn will knock either of you unconscious! What could you possibly have to smile about?"

"Simple," Kamado growled. "You aren't going to get the chance to deliver that hit. You see, I've been firing Stealth Rocks at you this entire fight. Did you ever stop to wonder where they might be going?"

Wielder-Of-Blades froze, his eyes widening. Slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder at the morass of sharpened stones floating serenely in the air.

Kamado's eyes glowed with Ancient. "Rock Manipulation."

"No!" Wielder-Of-Blades raged as all of the stones suddenly twisted and flung themselves at him. He opened his mouth and expelled a Pursuit, sniping several of the stones out of the air, but there were simply too many. Wielder-Of-Blades lunged backwards, forming a Detect around himself, ducking and dodging the flying stones as they whizzed passed him, embedding themselves in nearby seats or the walls, floor, and ceiling of the train. A few touched him, leaving scrapes behind, but none struck true.

Wielder-Of-Blades breathed a sigh of relief as he dodged away from the last of Kamado's flying Stealth Rocks. "Ha! Ifthat'sall you've-"

"Iron Fist: Shattering Blow."

Pangoro would freely admit it wasdevilishlysatisfying to land that vicious punch right to that co*cky Absol's ribcage. Bones crunched under Pangoro's blow; Wielder-Of-Blades was lifted half into the air, a gasp escaping his mouth as Pangoro practically carried him upwards. The Absol's body struck the side of the train, right where Pangoro's own body had shattered the window.

"Head Smash!"

And that was when Kamado came in from the side, head lowered, and drove the crown of his skull straight into Wielder-Of-Blades' already near-limp body. The impact was so vicious that it tore through the side of the train itself; Pangoro watched as Wielder-Of-Blades was sent flying straight out the now-open side of the train, his last scream trailing off rapidly as he disappeared from view.

Kamado sagged. "He wasn't lying," the Tyrantrum admitted. "I feel like I'm on my last legs."

"You're not the only one," Pangoro growled, planting a hand on Kamado's shoulder to steady him. "Come on, let's get back to Marcus…"

He trailed off as he heard the door on the other end of the train car fly open. Instantly his eyes flicked over and he crouched, readying for more attackers; then he relaxed as he beheld Hop and Gloria, their eyes already roving around the train car, eyes wide as they took in the devastation.

"Where's Marcus?" Gloria asked.

Pangoro pointed behind him tiredly, then turned and began to lead Kamado back towards the train car Marcus was occupying.

"Skill Link: Wave Blast!"

Cloyster let loose with a titanic burst of Torrent, a wave that swiftly swept down the train car towards Leaper-Of-Realities. The Choice Scarf-equipped Absol was ready, though; a massivecrashfilled the air as Leaper-Of-Realities dove straight through the center of the wave, protected and propelled by the mingled energies of Bounce and Quick Attack.

"Block!" Drapion growled, raising a Protect barrier in the Absol's path.

Leaper-Of-Realities was quick to twist, landing feet-first on Drapion's Protect and hurling himself off in a fraction of a second. The Absol landed back on his feet where he'd started, but as Drapion and Cloyster watched, they saw his face was a little more haggard, his footing a little more unsteady. Drapion's poison was continuing to do its work and do it well - the Poison/Dark-type doubted that Leaper-Of-Realities had more than a minute of strength remaining before his body would simply give out.

"Skill Link: Spike Flurry!" Cloyster cried, letting loose with a veritable storm of spikes in Leaper-Of-Realities' general direction. A Detect formed around the Absol's body and he lunged forwards again, his body shifting and twisting as he dodged Cloyster's barrage. "Blast!" Drapion snarled, seeking to strike him with an attack with his Detect exhausted, but Leaper-Of-Realities dove out of the way with a Quick Attack, then activated Bounce, rebounding off the side of a nearby seat and hurling himself towards Drapion with a furious roar.

"Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster called.

This time, though, Leaper-Of-Realities was prepared. Again he boomeranged off the Protect, but instead of simply flying backwards, this time he propelled himself upwards. In a split second he Bounced off the roof of the train and came careening down towards Drapion's unguarded back. Drapion braced himself for the impact, crouching in readiness and trying to send as much of his Battle Armor to that spot as possible.

But something else impacted Leaper-Of-Realities before the Absol could impact him.

Drapion and Cloyster both watched in shock as an Ultra Ball slammed into Leaper-Of-Realities, sucking the Absol inside, his scream echoing as he faded from existence. Marcus was breathing hard, his hand outstretched; clearly he'd thrown the Ultra Ball more on instinct than anything. Drapion was quick to get out of the way of the falling Ultra Ball, moving between Marcus and the device as it landed on the ground and instantly began shaking wildly.

"Get ready," Marcus warned. "I don't think that's going to hold him for-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before the Ultra Ball exploded, expelling Leaper-Of-Realities back onto the metal floor of the train. He let out a fearsome,furiousshriek. "Getback!" he bellowed, lashing out with a swipe of his horn-blade that forced Cloyster and Drapion into quick Protects; in a flash he recoiled, stepping backwards, eyes flicking madly between his target and his two opponents.

"Give it up," Drapion snarled. "Yer poisoned, yer wounded, ya can barely stand. Get outta here while ya stillcan."

"You think you'vewon?" Leaper-Of-Realities snapped. "You think you'vebeaten me?NEVER! I willdragyou kicking and screaming into Oblivion's embrace!" Throwing his head back, Leaper-Of-Realities began to sing the notes of a Perish Song.

Drapion and Cloyster both instantly exploded into motion. Both knew that the Perish Song could easily be countered by Marcus simply recalling them; both also knew that was not an option, since it would leave Marcus defenseless, and against such a fast adversary there was no guarantee Marcus would be able to send them back out fast enough to defend himself. "Pierce!" "Skill Link: Ice Flurry!" A Pin Missile and a duplicated Icicle Spear flew from the two Pokemon, but Leaper-Of-Realities was quick to activate Detect in response. The Choice Scarf-boosed Absol blurred between the flying spikes of energy, none touching him, humming all the while with a crazed triumphant look in his eyes.

"No Escape!" Drapion snarled, hoping the Pursuit would be enough to catch the speedy Absol. Cloyster let loose with another Skill Link-duplicated Wave Blast, but Leaper-Of-Realities was ready for both. A Bounce surged around his body and he burst through the center of the wave; in an instant he twisted, Aura coalescing across his form, and dodged the flying Pursuit rays, allowing them to impact uselessly against the nearby seats. And all the while he kept humming.

There's got to be a way to pin him down…

"Cloyster, ah've got a plan!" Drapion snarled. "Duplicate mah Pursuit!"

"Got it!" Cloyster cried.

"No Escape!"

"Skill Link: Attack Duplication!"

Leaper-Of-Realities' eyes widened as he beheld a veritable storm of Pursuit rays coming at him from all directions. No way could he simply dodge all of these the way he'd done with Drapion's last Pursuit. Instantly the Absol lunged forwards, hurling himself through the middle of the encroaching rays. They all came around, twisting after his hurtling form, but he was moving fast enough to outpace them as he rushed towards Cloyster and Drapion, eyes glinting-

"Skill Link: Impenetrable Shell Wall."

-until he slammed face-first into a suddenly-appearing wall of Protects. Drapion had to stifle a chuckle as he saw Leaper-Of-Realities impact and slowly slide down the wall, clearly momentarily stunned. The Perish Song died on his lips as the Pursuit rays struck true; even resisted, such a torrent could not be withstood in Leaper-Of-Realities' condition. The Absol crumpled, very much unconscious.

Marcus breathed a loud sigh of relief as Drapion and Cloyster shared a grin. "Good job, you two," he said. "Can you drop the wall, Cloyster? I think it would be best to capture this one…hopefully he won't break out of the next Ultra Ball…"

"Will-O-Wisp!" Trevenant hurled a small spurt of Fire energy from the tips of their fingers. Bearer-Of-Darkness was swift to dodge, a Detect enabling her to easily get clear; she whirled in time to see Houndoom and Liepard bearing down at her from opposite sides of the train car, and unleashed yet another of her overpowered Dark Pulses at the pair of them. Houndoom was forced to break off, lashing out with a Flash Fire-boosed Flame Tongue to defend against Bearer-Of-Darkness's attack, but Liepard simply leaped forwards, hurling herself over the Dark Pulse. "Tranche Furieuse!"

Bearer-Of-Darkness met Liepard's Fury Swipes with a flurry of blocks from her horn, but with the Choice Specs decreasing her physical strength, she was forced to backpedal, every clash sending her sliding backwards a couple inches. She attempted to ward Liepard off with a swift Air Slash flicked from her tail, but Liepard was simply faster; the Dark-type swiftly ducked the blade and pressed harder. None of her strikes were landing, but for the moment Bearer-Of-Darkness was occupied. Trevenant locked their eyes on a spot behind Bearer-Of-Darkness, reaching out with their branchlike claws. "Harvest," they whispered, forming a small growth of vines and branches behind the retreating Bearer-Of-Darkness. "Forest's Curse."

Unfortunately, Bearer-Of-Darkness saw Trevenant teleport, and instantly her gaze swiveled to behind her. Before Trevenant could try to take advantage of their newfound position, Bearer-Of-Darkness lashed out with an omnidirectional Dark Pulse that both finally managed to catch Liepard and forced Trevenant to take cover behind a quickly-upraised thick wall of vines. The vines barely held against the Dark Pulse; a second later an Air Slash scythed through the remnants, moving so quickly that Trevenant couldn't dodge it fully. A line of pain ripped across their face as they tried to shift to the side; Bearer-Of-Darkness leaped forwards, landing to Trevenant's right, and twisted towards them.

"Wood Hammer!" Trevenant cried, lashing out with a powerful hammer-like cluster of branches interspersed with Overgrow. But Bearer-Of-Darkness was faster; another vicious Dark Pulse slammed into Trevenant's stomach and sent them flying into the side of the train car hard enough to dent the metal. Trevenant doubled over, coughing in pain; he barely registered Bearer-Of-Darkness sending another Dark Pulse down the length of the train car to blast through Houndoom's upraised Blaze-formed barrier and send both him and Liepard reeling backwards.

Crap…all that and we still couldn't land a single blow. How are we supposed to win this?

Bearer-Of-Darkness smirked. "One down, two to go," she said, and with that she whirled and blasted Trevenant full-force with yet another Dark Pulse.

The force of it nearly sent Trevenant into unconsciousness; they barely managed to hold on through willpower alone, fighting back the agony wracking their body. But worse, and far more pressing, was the horrificcreakof stressed metal behind them at the impact, followed by a tearing noise and then a loud rushing sound as the wall of the train completely gave way, pitching Trevenant straight out of the train. Instantly they felt the surging wind beginning to yank them sideways.

I'm not going to be thrown out of the fight like this!

"Harvest: Ingrain!"

Even as gravity began to take hold, arresting Trevenant's sideways momentum and pulling them towards the ground, Trevenant's half-dozen rootlike legs lashed out, grasping metal railings and protrusions and anything else they could find. Trevenant's head slammed into the ground and instantly was flung to the side, but the Grass/Ghost-type's lower body was now anchored tightly to the train, new roots sprouting to tighten their hold even further. Unfortunately, this meant that Trevenant's head was now being dragged across the ground at extremely high speeds; Trevenant felt a searing pain across the left side of their head as the wood began to catch alight from the sheer amount of friction. "Ow!" Trevenant cried, struggling to keep hold of the train car against the force trying to yank them backwards while simultaneously attempting to ignore that half their head was now on fire. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Trevenant could hear the sounds of continued combat from inside the train car; blasts of energy indicated that Bearer-Of-Darkness was continuing to fire off her Choice Specs-boosted Dark Pulses, and growls and howls told Trevenant that Houndoom and Liepard were still fighting back. Trevenant heard a yelp of pain from Houndoom, followed by a crashing noise, and grimaced.I need to help them!

Drawing upon all their strength, Trevenant began to reel himself in by the roots, slowly pulling his head off the ground. Swiftly, Trevenant reached up with one arm and roughly patted down the fire, extinguishing it before it could spread any further. They were now hanging sideways off the side of the train, supported by their roots alone, but they were so many in number that Trevenant was able to keep themselves steady despite the combined forces of inertia and gravity trying to drag them backwards and downwards.

Trevenant twisted, trying to get a look through one of the train's still-intact windows. Their single eye narrowed as they spotted Bearer-Of-Darkness trading blows with Liepard once again; as with their previous engagement, Liepard was faster, but Bearer-Of-Darkness was still keeping control of the fight, blasting away with Dark Pulse after overpowered Dark Pulse to prevent Liepard from going on the offensive while using her horn-blade to swat away any paw-strikes Liepard did get off. Trevenant could also see Houndoom lying amidst a rack of fallen luggage, struggling to stand; alone, Liepard had no chance of defeating Bearer-Of-Darkness, and even as Trevenant watched the Absol managed to get in a lucky slice with her horn that opened a red line across Liepard's right front leg. Liepard staggered, hissing in pain, and in an instant Bearer-Of-Darkness swept her horn upwards, unleashing a point-blank Choice Specs-boosted Air Slash that sent Liepard flying back across the train car. The Absol smirked, her horn-blade flaring with Dark energy as she began to stride towards her two fallen opponents.

She thinks I'm long since out of the fight.Trevenant grinned.Boy, is she in for a shock.

"Harvest," Trevenant growled, lashing out with their branchlike fingers. The window they were suspended in front of shattered; Bearer-Of-Darkness whirled just in time for Trevenant's fingers to reach her. In an instant Trevenant wrapped both hands around Bearer-Of-Darkness, encasing her torso and limbs and even her neck in a tangle of branches. "Getoffme!" Bearer-Of-Darkness snarled, readying a Dark Pulse to send into Trevenant's exposed face.

"Nope!" Trevenant said cheerily. "Curse!"

Bearer-Of-Darkness's eyes widened. "Oh,shiEYAARGH!" she screamed as Distortion ripped into her body. The Dark Pulse fizzled as she lost concentration, agony overwhelming her.

"You know, that's really not what I meant when I said Curse!" Trevenant pointed out. "And besides, you hurt me pretty badly too when you threw me off the train!"

Grasping the writhing Absol even tighter, Trevenant yanked with all their strength, pulling Bearer-Of-Darkness out the window. "So I think it's only fair that I return the favor!" Trevenant cried. "Wood Hammer!"

Overgrow blazed across both Trevenant's hands as he lifted Bearer-Of-Darkness up andslammedher into the ground face-first. Grinning, Trevenant held her there, grinding her face against the rapidly moving earth. Her agonized scream was piercing as both Curse and friction tore at her. Trevenant cackled, continuing to hold the Absol in place even as her struggles grew weaker and weaker.

Only when she finally stopped writhing did Trevenant let go, releasing his hold and allowing Bearer-Of-Darkness's very much unconscious body to tumble to the ground. In mere seconds the train had left the Absol behind, her form little more than a shrinking white speck amidst the surrounding greenery.

"Trevenant!" Houndoom cried. Trevenant looked up to see Houndoom, his fur badly ruffled, staring out the hole in the train car at Trevenant's Ingrained body. "You all right?"

"Oh, hi, Houndoom!" said Trevenant with a snaggly grin. "Can you…uh…give me a minute to get back inside? This is actually a really awkward position…"

There were obvious disadvantages to having an arm made out of Aura, the most glaring of them being that it would falter if Medicham lost concentration on said Aura. But there were also several advantages, one of which Medicham had cribbed from, of all Pokemon, Gholdengo.

As horrific and monstrous as Gholdengo had been, Medicham had to admit that he'd been insanely powerful, at least compared to her level of strength back when they'd clashed. And a large part of that had been due to the versatility he'd commanded with regards to his Ability. One of the most impressive uses of his Ability had been his control over his own body - since it was made of metal, his control of metal had enabled him to twist and shape his form into practically anything he desired.

And now that Medicham had an arm made out of Aura, her control over Aura allowed her to do much the same with that arm.

"Pure Power: Aura Blade!" she cried, forming her Aura-made arm into a sort of rapier that she quickly brought up to clash with Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn-blade. She shoved the Absol away through brute strength, then twisted and lashed out with a spinning Aura-infused kick that forced Arbiter-Of-Fates to draw back. She expected a ranged attack, and indeed Arbiter-Of-Fates hissed "Electric Horn!" as she recoiled. Medicham brought her Aura-formed arm up in front of her - "Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" - and watched as Arbiter-Of-Fates' Thunderbolt slammed into it, none of the Lightning touching her body.

After all, there was no flesh beneath the Aura.

"Pure Power: Aura Cannon!" Medicham cried, now forming her Aura-made arm into a one-armed blue-glowing blunderbuss. Arbiter-Of-Fates blurred, her body shifting into a dozen Double Team clones in response. A second later all of the clones charged forwards into the teeth of the barrage of Aura Blasts fired from Medicham's Aura Cannon. They were clumped so close together that Medicham took out two with her first blast, then three more with the second. But as she readied to fire a third, a surge of Mind struck her in the back, sending her stumbling forwards, the Aura Cannon and indeed the entire arm nearly coming apart as she lost concentration.

Damn it…I forgot about her Future Sights! That was one…there should be six more.

The seven Absols closed, horn-blades glowing black. Medicham restored her arm with a guttural grunt, then hauled back. "Pure Power: Aura Strike Flurry!" In an instant she exploded forwards in a Close Combat, meeting the barrage of strikes with her own.

Medicham tapped into Detect, hurling herself forwards; Arbiter-Of-Fates' swipe missed by a hair, and Medicham skidded to a halt, twisting to face Arbiter-Of-Fates.

This would be a good time for a Future Sight…

Instinctively, Medicham lashed out with a Psychic in all directions; a split second later the Future Sight came in, only to meet Medicham's own exertion of Mind. Arbiter-Of-Fates looked legitimately surprised as Medicham rose, completely undamaged.

"You can only pull the same trick so many times before I get wise," Medicham growled.

"Ice Horn!" Arbiter-Of-Fates' response was another attack. Medicham easily dodged out of the way of the downward-angling Ice Beam, not even paying attention to where it struck the roof of the train car; she was more concerned with Arbiter-Of-Fates' follow-up charge. She lunged forwards to meet that. "Pure Power: Aura Blade!"

Once more the two clashed in a flurry of blades, just like Medicham had with Leaper-Of-Realities down below. Unlike Leaper-Of-Realities, Arbiter-Of-Fates mixed it up, throwing in claw-swipes and random Pursuits that forced Medicham to backpedal. Slowly but surely, Medicham realized, Arbiter-Of-Fates was overwhelming her in melee. Medicham tried a Bullet Punch with her off-hand, but this time Arbiter-Of-Fates was ready; she blurred sideways in a Detect so fast that Medicham wondered if she'd known the Bullet Punch was coming, then retaliated with a rapid Fire Horn that Medicham barely evaded in time.

"Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham cried, unleashing an expulsion of Aura that forced Arbiter-Of-Fates to break off her attack. Then she tapped into Detect; just as she'd figured, it promptly tugged her sideways just as a Future Sight came out of nowhere, slamming into the top of the train where she'd been a second ago.Four left - I think I've got this down-

And then asecondFuture Sight crashed into her right side, sending her staggering sideways. Just as quickly, Arbiter-Of-Fates blurred forwards, propelled by a Quick Attack. Medicham saw the charge coming and instantly threw up an Aura Bubble, while at the same time tossing out a Psychic as fast as she could manage. She onlybarelygot it off in time to deflect the next Future Sight, and Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn slammed into the Aura Bubble with a miniature explosion of mingled energy. Arbiter-Of-Fates used the Aura Bubble as a springboard, leaping off and landing back on her feet.

"Super Luck allows me to take all moves I've seen you use into account," Arbiter-Of-Fates stated. "I cast out those Future Sights knowing full well you had Detect."

Medicham didn't bother with a response, simply crouching in readiness once again.Note to self - no more using Detect to try and dodge these last two Future Sights. I'll have to anticipate them and counter with Psychic.

But that tells me something else - how she was able to dodge my Bullet Punch the second time. It's not that she saw it coming - it's that her Ability told her to use that Detect even though shedidn'tknow it was coming. That's a fiendishly complicated Ability…but I think I've got it figured out.

If I use moves that I haven't used previously, I'll be able to catch her off guard.

Medicham flung herself forwards, drawing her Aura-formed fist back. "Pure Power: Aura Hammer!" she cried, swinging it around in a hammer blow that she would freely admit was inspired by Pangoro. Arbiter-Of-Fates met it with her horn-blade; the force of the impact was enough to send her stumbling slightly.There we go - the logical way to counter that would have been to dodge instead of block, but she didn't know that. Now, though, she will - but I've got more new attacks where that came from.

"Pure Power: Aura Hammer!" she cried, spinning to swing the hammer at Arbiter-Of-Fates' other side. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Arbiter-Of-Fates blur backwards, her body coursing with Aura. She smirked. "Piercing Strike!"

In an instant she changed from a spinning hammer blow into a thrusting, Aura-infused punch. Arbiter-Of-Fates, mid-dodge, didn't see the Feint coming; Medicham's Aura-formed arm cannoned straight into her face, and unlike her earlier Bullet Punch, Arbiter-Of-Fates didnotshrug it off. A cry of pain escaped the Absol as she reeled backwards, trailing droplets of blood from her face, droplets of blood that were promptly picked up by the wind.

And one of them promptly flew straight into Medicham's eye.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me!Medicham recoiled, reaching up to try and wipe the blood from her eye.That Super Luck Ability is ridiculous!

The distraction had given Arbiter-Of-Fates time to recover; now she rose, her eyes narrowed in a furious glare. "I see you've figured out how to counter my Ability," she growled. "Nowthat'smore along the lines of what I expected."

Medicham saw her eyes twinkle; that was all the warning she needed. She lashed out with a Psychic; a second later the sixth Future Sight ricocheted off Medicham's blast of Mind.

Arbiter-Of-Fates sighed. "I suppose that was too much to hope for. In that case, I suppose it's time I utilized the full extent of my own power. Trio Horn."

"Pure Power: Aura Beam!" Medicham called in response, raising both hands - one Aura, one normal - and firing out a blistering beam of Aura just as a mingled blast of Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Flamethrower emanated from Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn. The two beams slammed into one another, blasting sparks of energy outwards from the impact point. Medicham took a step back, trying to brace herself against the onslaught-

And her foot slipped on a patch of ice.

Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Medicham lost her footing and fell backwards. Dimly she recalled that missed Ice Beam that had struck the roof of the train car -Super Luck again, she realized,putting that impact point in just the right area for me to slip on later.Out of the corner of her eye Medicham spotted Arbiter-Of-Fates' Trio Beam coming at her, spotted Arbiter-Of-Fates herself rushing behind it. Both Medicham and Arbiter-Of-Fates were more towards the left of the train than the right; instinct called upon her to use Detect, to jerk herself to the right and out of the way of the incoming beam.

But that's what she would expect…and it's likely that Future Sight is lying in wait for me to do just that.

Medicham gritted her teeth.I hope this works.And then she rolled off the side of the train.

She heard a thunderingboomof Mind as she did so and realized that was the Future Sight, impacting in completely the wrong place as gravity took hold and Medicham fell. Quickly twisting, Medicham crouched.If I don't get this right, I'll be left far behind - and Arbiter-Of-Fates will be free to go down and help her allies.

I can't allow that. Iwon'tallow that.

"Aura Platform!" she cried, hoping against hope she was fast enough.

A rectangle of Aura burst out from the side of the train mere inches from the rapidly-moving ground, just in time for Medicham to land upon it. Medicham took a moment to glance through the windows; she grinned as she saw Drapion, Cloyster, and Marcus standing over the unconscious body of Leaper-Of-Realities.So one of them's finished for good. It's looking like we might make it through this after all.

Medicham shook her head and crouched.Can't think like that now. Not when I've still got a fight to win.Pouring a surge of Aura into her legs, Medicham gathered her strength. The Future Sights were all dealt with, the Trio Beam evaded - now there was nothing left to think about but the fight. Smiling, Medicham hurled herself off the Aura Platform and back onto the top of the train.

Medicham took quite a bit of pleasure in the look ofshockon Arbiter-Of-Fates' face as she landed. She rose to her full height. "Sothat'syour full power?" Medicham asked. "I have to say…I expected more from the Herald who had even Bringer-Of-Visions worried."

Arbiter-Of-Fatesglaredat her; a low growl escaped the renegade Herald's throat. "Die in agony," she snarled viciously. The Herald split herself into a dozen copies once again, and all of them disgorged a flurry of Pursuit rays - four dozen in all, all streaking to the sides, then curving in to come at Medicham from several different directions.

"Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham cried, unleashing her reserves of Aura in another omnidirecitonal burst, blasting all of the Pursuit rays out of the sky. She saw Arbiter-Of-Fates charging again along with her eleven duplicates. "Fire Horn!" the renegade Herald cried; a dozen streams of Blaze shot from the dozen horns, coming together to form an overwhelmingly titanic swirl of fire.

So she can duplicate all her ranged attacks amongst her Double Team clones…not just her Pursuit rays. Good to know.

"Pure Power: Aura Bubble!" she cried. This time she didn't cast it out in all directions, but rather formed a large hemispherical half-bubble in front of her, pumping a burst of Mind into it as well to strengthen the shield. Even so, the dozen Flamethrowers were almost too much for it; Medicham felt the barriers straining and pumped more Aura and Mind into them, doing her best to hold them steady-

And then a Future Sight slammed into her back.

"Argh!" Medicham cried, staggering forwards, her shields fading as she lost concentration completely. In the blink of an eye the remnants of Arbiter-Of-Fates' duplicated Flamethrower washed over her, searing her skin with pain. "Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" Medicham cried; her Aura-formed arm was gone, but she managed to raise her other arm, conjuring up a fluctuating, desperate shield.

It was the only thing that saved her from unconsciousness or worse. For a split second after she raised the shield, Arbiter-Of-Fates and her duplicates lunged through the flames, horn-blades glistening black. Several of the impacts landed on Medicham's shield, but fully five got through; Medicham's entire body exploded with pain, and she couldn't quite bite back a scream as she staggered backwards, bleeding from multiple cuts.

"Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham cried. Too close-in to dodge, the duplicates were dissipated, but Super Luck enabled Arbiter-Of-Fates to utilize a preemptive Detect; the renegade leaped into the air, evading the Aura Wave, and came back down with horn-blade swinging. Medicham tried to dodge with a Detect, but while she evaded the swipe of Arbiter-Of-Fates' blade, the renegade Herald landed and immediately lashed out with a backhand, catching Medicham across the face and sending her tumbling right off the right side of the train.

She barely grabbed onto the top of the train with her single hand before she fell, her fingers digging into the metal as she fought for a grip. Arbiter-Of-Fates' face came into view, dominated by a victorious smirk. "Did you really think I'd tell you how many Future Sights Iactuallysent out?" she asked; as she did so, she reached out with one paw and stomped down on Medicham's hand, digging her claws in. Medicham cried out in pain, nearly losing her desperate hold on the train roof.

"It's over," Arbiter-Of-Fates growled.

"Not…quite…yet," Medicham snarled back through gritted teeth. "Pure Power: Aura Expulsion!"

Aura Expulsion was perhaps the single most powerful Aura-based attack she knew, an attack she'd learned two years ago and honed for months on end. It was simple in theory - a more powerful blast of Aura, obtained by calling upon Aura from her entire body to propel outwards in a concentrated burst - but such a strong attack inevitably required stronger control lest it strike things Medicham didn't want struck.

But, more importantly, it was an attack that she hadn't yet used in this fight.

It was Arbiter-Of-Fates' turn to scream in pain as she was quite literally flung backwards by the torrent of Aura Medicham unleashed. Medicham didn't see where she landed; all she was concerned about was getting back on the train. Quickly, she conjured an Aura Platform beneath her, then let go, dropping down onto it. She hadn't reckoned inertia into her calculations, and she very nearly missed the platform altogether as she dropped, but thankfully she landed just on the edge. Her heart thumping at the close call, Medicham wasted no time in leaping back up onto the train.

To her disappointment, Arbiter-Of-Fates had not been sent flying off the train entirely. But there was no question the renegade Herald was wounded; Medicham felt a flash of satisfaction as she beheld Arbiter-Of-Fates favoring her right front leg.

"You're right that it's over," Medicham growled. "But not in the way you think. Your allies are either fallen or about to fall, whereas my allies are still standing. I doubt you've got much time before the rest of my team comes to my support." She forced Aura into her stump, forming her Aura-made arm once more. "But I don't need them," she continued. "You see, Arbiter-Of-Fates, I've made you utilize your full strength…whereas I haven't even utilizedmineyet."

Medicham crouched, summoning Aura to all parts of her body. "So now it's time I showed youmyfull power. I may be wounded, exhausted, damn near beaten already…but you won't be able to take advantage of that. Because, when I access my full strength, you won't be able to land a single hit on me."

Arbiter-Of-Fates scowled, fury dancing in her eyes. She took a step forwards, gathering Oblivion across her horn, and then she stopped, the energies fading. She took a deep breath, clearly reining in her emotions. "All right, then," she murmured, her voice back to a strained sort of calm. "Plan B."

And with that, Arbiter-Of-Fates twisted. Her horn-blade erupted in a cataclysmic burst of Oblivion, lengthening to four times its normal size, glowing white in some kind of twisted approximation of Darkrai's own wisp-like horn. It glowed red as Arbiter-Of-Fates poured Blaze into it as well. The renegade gathered her haunches under her and leaped into the air, twirling as she did so, her massive horn-blade swinging downwards.

"Master's Song: Sundering Horn."

Medicham realized too late what the Absol was doing. Arbiter-Of-Fates' gigantic horn, wreathed in Blaze and Oblivion, carved straight through solid metal. Medicham lunged forwards, abandoning her technique in favor of a desperate Aura Blast.

But it was far too late.

"What inDistortionare you two doing here?"

Hop and Gloria looked extremely nervous as they looked around the shattered remnants of the train car, around at the exhausted, wounded members of Marcus's team, all gathered back in Marcus's train car, their battles won. "We…we were worried about you," Hop stammered out, looking a lot less like his usual confident self.

"Never mind, we'll talk later," said Marcus. He glanced up towards the hole in the roof, where the sounds of combat had faded. "Trevenant, get up there and find Medicham. Help her if she needs it."

"Right!" Trevenant began to extend his roots, growing himself as quickly as he could towards the hole in the roof.

Marcus looked around at the rest of his team. "Everyone else-"

He was cut off by a horrific sound of tearing metal. All eyes twisted towards the front of the train car as what looked like a gigantic black flaming sword scythed straight through it, tearing the entire train car practically in two. There was a moment of stillness, and then the front wheels of the train car, almost certainly struck by the blade as well, lost their grip on the train tracks below.

"Cloyster, bubble,now!" Marcus screamed.

Medicham felt a surge of horror as she felt the train car jump the tracks under her. Arbiter-Of-Fates shot one last smirk at her before twisting again and leaping off the side. Everything seemed to go into slow-motion once more. Medicham watched as the shorn-off front few train cars continued on, untouched, as the pull of this train car began to yank others behind off their tracks. She wanted more than anything to get back down to Marcus, to protect him, but she also knew there was no time.

Marcus…everyone…please be safe…

"Pure Power: Aura Bubble!" Medicham howled as the train car she was standing on slammed into the earth with a terrifying metalliccrunch.

Flames. Twisted metal. Earth that looked as if a tornado had run through it, ripping up grass and exposing soft dirt beneath. Shards of shattered glass. Objects that were so broken that they were unrecognizable.

Marcus.

Medicham planted her hands on the ground - she'd been lying on her side - and forced herself to a sitting position, then tucked her legs under her and maneuvered just enough to stand up. She let out a quiet gasp as she glanced around, her eyes taking in the full extent of the carnage. All around her lay overturned, burning train cars, the sky above enshrouded in smoke with all the fires.

Which one is Marcus in?

Medicham's entire body ached. She didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. She didn't know if Marcus and the rest of the team were even still alive. She didn't even know where she was. But she put one foot in front of the other anyway and began to move, staggering more than walking, listening for any signs of life amidst the hungry crackling of flames and the screams of tortured metal.

"Electric Horn."

Medicham had no way to anticipate or avoid the sudden Thunderbolt. It struck her in the small of the back, sending her tumbling to the ground. Quickly, Medicham rolled over, a surge of adrenaline beating back her exhaustion, but just as quickly her entire body locked up as paralysis took hold.

Arbiter-Of-Fates stepped through a curtain of flames, her eyes burning with reflected fire as she strode into view. Medicham fought against the paralysis, desperately trying to rise, but her body refused to respond. Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled darkly. "I'll admit one thing, Medicham," she said, her calm completely restored. "You really did push me to my limit. Sundering Blade is not meant to be a technique known by regular Heralds. It is one only those with the title of Bringer-Of-Visions are meant to have access to. My interpretation is but a meager facsimile of theirs, but it is easily my strongest technique. I would say you have my respect…but I am not one for respect."

"How…" Medicham gasped out; fortunately, her throat and mouth weren't paralyzed, only her limbs. "All those people on that train…how many of them are dead? How can you slaughter so many just to murder Marcus?"

"Do you know why Bringer-Of-Visions hated me?" Arbiter-Of-Fates asked. "It was because even she…even she…refused to accept that compared to the mission,nothing else matters. The lives of the passengers on that train don't matter, Medicham. After all, if Giratina rises and triggers the apocalypse, they'll die anyway, right? Bringer-Of-Visions does not understand…noneof them understand…thatanythingshort of total global extinction is an acceptable sacrifice if it means ending the threat Giratina poses to this world. We ascertained that Marcus had a 67.49% chance to interfere with our plans. And if it means forestalling that potential complication…I'd slaughter athousandtrainfuls of passengers withoutquestion."

Medicham watched helplessly as Arbiter-Of-Fates began to advance towards her, her horn-blade glistening as she readied it to deliver a killing blow. But while Arbiter-Of-Fates was fixated on Medicham's downed, immobilized body, Medicham's eyes were aimed towards the sky above.

So it was that it was Medicham, and not Arbiter-Of-Fates, who first saw the air ripple above them.

Medicham's eyes widened assomethingmaterialized within the clouds of smoke. Her first wild thought was that this was a Pokemon, but no, the gigantic black blocky flying construct she was seeing was far too large to be a Pokemon. Arbiter-Of-Fates clearly saw Medicham react, for she turned her head as well; the Absol paused before taking a single step backwards.

Is that some kind of plane?

Abruptly Medicham spotted something else breaking away from the construct and moving towards them at a much more rapid pace.Thiswas a Pokemon, Medicham was fairly certain, though after seeing the giant black plane (she was going to call it a plane until something changed her mind), she couldn't be completely sure. Both Medicham and Arbiter-Of-Fates squinted, looking towards the incoming Pokemon. Medicham's eyes widened even further as she realized three things at the same time.

Firstly, the incoming Pokemon was a Salamence. Medicham had heard many tales of Salamence - their savagery was well-known across all the UPW, and they were said to be notoriously difficult to train, with only the strongest Dragon-type Trainers even daring to approach the line. Drasna had one - Medicham had heard stories of it, and had even seen the giant Dragon/Flying-type once or twice, but had never dared to talk to it, so intimidating was its presence.

Secondly, this Salamence looked different. Rather than their standard configuration, the Salamence's wings looked like one gigantic red crescent that curved past its face on both sides, and its body looked far more streamlined than a normal Salamence's. Medicham's heart thudded as she realized that this was no ordinary Salamence - this was a Mega Salamence, something Medicham had heard existed but had never seen before. Even Drasna had chosen to catch and evolve an Ampharos - who wasn't even Dragon-type - simply because, due to their natural savagery and constant war with their own rage, it was almost impossible to forge the bond required to achieve Mega Evolution with a Salamence.

And thirdly, there was a human sitting astride the Mega Salamence's back. Medicham couldn't make the human out fully from this distance, but she could see the human was dressed in a similar black color to the giant plane, and her hair was a pale bluish-gray color.

Arbiter-Of-Fates took another step back, crouching down, as Mega Salamence opened its mouth wide, its roaring voice audible even from the distance it was at.

"AERILATE: JETSTREAM CANNON!"

Medicham watched as a thunderousboomemanated from Mega Salamence, and the air around his rapidly incoming body suddenly glowed a similar pale bluish-gray to his rider's hair. Medicham recognized the telltale color of Air as Mega Salamence continued to shoot forwards, trailing Air behind him, a massive fluctuating cylinder of the base form of Flying energy growing in length as he came closer and closer. Then, with one final snarl, he flicked his wings forwards, and the entire cylinder shot forwards like a gigantic Air-formed Hyper Beam, passing around him and surging towards Arbiter-Of-Fates at a terrifyingly fast speed.

Did he just turn the wind generated by his rapid flight into Air? That's a powerful Ability…sort of like Calem's Aurorus' Refrigerate, but with Air instead of Aurora.

Medicham saw Arbiter-Of-Fates leap to the side, her movement augmented by Detect; in her place a Substitute formed, and the energy-formed duplicate was immediately disintegrated as Mega Salamence's Jetstream Cannon blasted into the ground. The sheer force of the energy surge blasted the still-downed Medicham backwards; she bounced off the side of an overturned train car and fell back to the ground, landing on hands and knees, her entire body screaming with pain.

The energy cleared in time for Medicham to see the rider spring off Mega Salamence's back, landing on the ground as the massive Flying/Dragon-type twisted towards Arbiter-Of-Fates. An Ice Beam was already flying from the Absol's horn, but Mega Salamence showed no fear whatsoever. His mouth opened and exuded a stream of Blaze, stopping the Ice Beam in its tracks. As he did so, the rider - who by now Medicham could tell was female - raised one arm towards Arbiter-Of-Fates. Medicham had just enough time to spot some kind of gray oval-shaped object upon the woman's outstretched arm before it erupted in a barrage of energy blasts that narrowly missed the dodging Arbiter-Of-Fates, each miss blasting a spray of dirt upwards from the ground, momentarily obscuring the Absol from view.

A visor flicked down over the woman's eyes. "Front!" she snapped; Mega Salamence instantly lunged through the clouds of dirt, crescent wings slashing forwards. A loudclangsounded, and through the dirt Medicham spotted dimly Mega Salamence's wing-blade clashing with Arbiter-Of-Fates' horn-blade, before the two erupted into a flurry of slashes fast enough that Medicham's eyes could only barely keep up.

"Air Slash!" the woman commanded.

"Aerialate: Jetstream Blade!" As Arbiter-Of-Fates dodged backwards from an attack, the wind generated by the missed swing transformed into Air and promptly flung itself at the Absol. It was a textbook, if extremely powerful-looking, Air Slash, and Arbiter-Of-Fates couldn't quite avoid it fully; the flying blade of Air carved a red line across her cheek as she tried and failed to dodge.

She stumbled, and in that moment the woman raised and fired her arm-cannon once more. Unable to avoid it in time, Arbiter-Of-Fates was caught in the side by the blast.

And exploded into a cloud of Energy, revealing herself to have been yet another Substitute.

The woman touched her visor, which retreated back atop her head. She raised her other hand, revealing a Mega Stone implanted in her glove, and with a clench of her fist Mega Salamence devolved back into normal Salamence. "Ice Beam," the woman was murmuring to herself, "above-average speed, Scope Lens, advanced usage of Substitute…Salamence, sweep the area. There might be others."

"As you wish, Mistress," Salamence growled; spreading his wings, he leaped into the air in a flash, his movement not quite so fast now that he wasn't in his Mega Form but still quite speedy.

"Who are you?" Medicham asked.

The woman's gaze flicked to Medicham. "Telepathy, good, that makes things easier," she said. "Call me J. I'm here for your Trainer, so I'd appreciate it if you helped me find him."

I'm sure you all have some questions. Like 'wasn't this supposed to be a games fic?' 'What is a fairly major anime character doing in a games fic?'

Well, J is here for the same reason as Ilima in the Gym Exam Arc. I could have used another OC to fill this role, but why do that when there's a perfectly good established character that can easily fill it instead?

Chapter 11: An Unlikely Alliance

Chapter Text

I did it again! No matter how hard I try, I just cannot write small all of a sudden. Hence the 10,000 word chapter. Then again, it did help that I had two weeks to write this instead of one - more on that at the bottom.

Copperajah stood at attention, watching as Chairman Rose scribbled his signature on a paper for what felt like the millionth time today. His trainer was a busy man, even more so with the Galar Gym Challenge mere weeks away. Normally, Rose's days were filled with signing of papers, public appearances, various calls, and the odd bit of leisure he could sneak in amidst all the work - as such, most of the time Copperajah, along with the rest of Rose's team, were free to do as they wished.

Copperajah. Bronzong. Perrserker. Klinklang. Escavalier. Ferrothorn. The first three had served Rose through his Galarian Gym Challenge, all the way up to his second-place finish in the Champion Cup. And despite being caught later, on Rose's soul-searching trip to Unova in the wake of his finals loss, the latter three had proven themselves equally valuable members of the team. When Rose had ascended to Chairman of the Galar region, a position which he knew would leave very little time for Pokemon training, he'd released his entire team and offered them a choice - leave or stay. Some had chosen to leave, but the six of them had chosen to stay.

The Unovan Pokemon preferred to roam during the day, and Perrserker did so as well, but Bronzong and Copperajah often remained by Rose's side. The former served as Rose's translator, the latter as Rose's primary protector, a duty both Copperajah and Bronzong took very seriously.

Now, Copperajah spotted Bronzong floating up to Rose. "You need not work yourself so hard,Rose," the Steel/Psychic-type urged. "There still remains over a week until the Gym Challenge begins."

"I know, Bronzong," said Rose tiredly. "But you know it's not just this that must be done."

"I am aware," said Bronzong. "But you have others to pick up the slack on other fronts, do you not? Oleana can handle the experiments, and your protege is perfectly capable of taking care of himself."

"Bede needs guidance," Rose protested. "The Wishing Stars aren't going to find themselves."

"You have enough Wishing Stars, Rose," Bronzong pointed out. "What Bede needs to focus on is training for the Gym Challenge. If he is to be the next Champion, then you need to let him stop searching for Wishing Stars and start concentrating on improving his strength.You need not micromanage everything. You know I do not generally insist on things, but I feel inclined to insist that you get some rest."

Rose sighed, placing his head in his hands. "How can I rest when I know Galar's future depends on everything going according to plan?" he asked. "If just one thing goes wrong, there will be chaos. And…"

"Bronzong." Copperajah cut in. "Footsteps, down the hall."

Bronzong quickly relayed Copperajah's information to Rose, who quickly looked towards the door in time to see Leon dashing in. Copperajah was at once taken aback by how scared the Champion looked. "Rose," he said, practically flinging his Pokedex onto Rose's desk. He said nothing more as Rose picked up the Pokedex; swiftly, Copperajah stepped over to look as well.

Instantly the Steel-type's eyes widened. The scene laid out before him looked like one of those Pokestar Studios disaster movies - the smoking ruins of a derailed passenger train. Numerous firemen and police officers were already on the scene, the former quenching the fires with the aid of their Cramorant, Drednaw, and Barraskewda, the latter searching the overturned train cars for survivors. A news crawl scrolled by quickly at the bottom of the Pokedex; Copperajah caught the words '50 dead, 27 wounded' and took a step back.Dear Arceus…

Rose squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to block the image from his view. "This is the last thing we needed…" he murmured.

Leon's hand slammed down on the desk; Rose and his two Pokemon jerked in response, quickly looking back up at the suddenly very angry-looking Champion. "My brother is on that train," he said, clearly trying to rein in his temper.

Rose understood immediately. "Go," he urged. "And I'll send a response team immediately."

"Thank you, Rose." Leon snatched his Pokedex off the desk and rushed out of the room as quickly as he'd come in.

Rose heaved another sigh. "So much for getting some rest," he murmured. "Bronzong, contact Oleana and tell her to dispatch a group of Macro Cosmos Rail Workers to the site of the crash."

"Yes, Rose." There was a distinct urgency in Bronzong's voice as he swiftly floated out of the room after Leon.

"And Copperajah?" Rose's countenance darkened. "Find Teller-Of-Tales and bring him here. It seems he and I need to have a talk about the current state of affairs…"

To put it bluntly, Teller-Of-Tales was furious.

He tried not to show it. He'd learned over many years of being a member of the Heralds that excessive emotion was pointless. That it made you look weak. But it was hard not to when staring down the Absol who, over the course of the past twelve hours, had quite possibly done more damage to Teller-Of-Tales' cause than Bringer-Of-Visions had done since the renegade movement had started. Especially since said Absol looked entirely unapologetic.

"What were you thinking?" Teller-Of-Tales snarled.

"I took a risk," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "It did not pay off due to the unexpected arrival of one Pokemon Hunter J. Her ship was well-shielded, and I did not see it coming, but without her intervention you would now be rid of Marcus's potential threat."

"You caused a train crash," Teller-Of-Tales growled. "Rose has already approached me with the news. Preliminary casualty reports are coming up with at least fifty dead, and more are being found."

"So?" Arbiter-Of-Fates asked flippantly. "If Giratina rises, the whole world dies. Anything less than that is an acceptable trade."

"Let's pretend for a moment that I agree with that," Teller-Of-Tales growled. "Let's pretend that I'm like you, willing to cause any amount of casualties if it was for the sake of removing potential obstacles to our plan. Let me make something very clear - we are not working by ourselves. We are in an alliance with the Chairman of Galar. The same Chairman who is responsible for the lives and livelihoods of Galar's population. How do you thinkhefeels about us murdering fifty - possibly more - ofhispeople?"

"It's not like he knows it was us," Arbiter-Of-Fates pointed out.

"Considering that Rose has just informed me, in no uncertain terms, that he's calling off our alliance if we doanythinglike this again," said Teller-Of-Tales, "I have a feeling hedoes, in fact, know it was us."

Arbiter-Of-Fates frowned. "That is not knowledge he is meant to have. Curious…we'll have to investigate this further."

Teller-Of-Tales felt like tearing his own fur out. "ForgetRose's level of knowledge - I specifically said that you were not to attack Marcus on the train."

"I am aware of what you said," Arbiter-Of-Fates replied. "I did not agree with your decision. I believed you were being shortsighted, and I chose to take matters into my own paws."

"And your impulsiveness," Teller-Of-Tales growled, "has resulted in the chance of Marcus interfering with our plan going to 100%. Your impulsiveness has resulted in relations with our primary benefactor becoming significantly more strained. Your impulsiveness has resulted in the deaths of at least fifty innocent humans and Pokemon,andthe loss of one of our own. I recruited you because I felt your power and experience would be useful to our cause. But no amount of strength is worth this. So I have no further need for your services. Get out of my sight."

Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled unexpectedly. "Shortsighted as ever," she murmured. "You really think you can just kick me out? What makes you think I won't just go straight to Bringer-Of-Visions? I'm sure she'd greatly appreciate learning where you're hiding, who you're working with, and especially what your plans are. Not to mention that I have allies, as you have just seen. I was easily able to recruit three of your renegade Heralds to aid me in my assault on the train. Tell me, Teller-Of-Tales, how many of your own Absols can you trust now? How many are you certainwon'tfollow me out?"

Teller-Of-Tales glared venomously at Arbiter-Of-Fates. Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled again. "You're stuck with me, Teller-Of-Tales," she said. "Now don't mistake this for a betrayal. Your goal is a worthy one, and I will do everything in my power to ensure it comes to pass. And for what it's worth, you are right that drawing Rose's ire is not conducive to the success of your plan. But I refuse to merely serve as one of your tools. Rather, I would greatly appreciate it if we instead pursued a more equal partnership."

"And what does that mean?" Teller-Of-Tales asked.

"Simply that you run your plans by me first," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Rather than all this petty mid-meeting arguing and disobedience of orders, let's just agree on what plans we will follow. Is that acceptable to you?"

"It is," Teller-Of-Tales agreed reluctantly; knowing Arbiter-Of-Fates was right about being unable to get rid of her, he had to admit that this was likely the best deal he'd get. At least, with any luck, he wouldn't have to deal with this kind of disobedience again.

"Excellent," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Now, let us concentrate first on how Rose was able to obtain information that he shouldn't have been able to. Do I have your permission to begin efforts to spy on the Chairman?"

"Granted," said Teller-Of-Tales, a little bit of confidence seeping back into his mind. Nodding approvingly, Arbiter-Of-Fates finally turned and began to step down the hall. Teller-Of-Tales watched her go, a thin smile coming to his lips, for he knew her spying on Rose would likely turn up very little information.

It wasn't like Arbiter-Of-Fates' intentions had been subtle. After yesterday's meeting, Teller-Of-Tales had had a feeling that the older renegade would disobey his orders. And so it had been he who had tipped Rose off on the possible attack that would be taking place on the early morning train out of Wedgehurst today. Ensured that he would send his agent to shadow that train, giving Marcus a much higher chance of survival. No amount of spywork would be able to uncover that.

Hunter J, though…Teller-Of-Tales frowned at the name. Of course he knew who she was, and the fact that Rose had chosenherof all people to act as his agent was surprising to the renegade leader. She didn't exactly seem like the protective type. Though, to be fair, shewaspowerful - perhaps that had been Rose's main reason for hiring her.

I trust the Chairman knows what he's doing.With that thought, Teller-Of-Tales turned and departed the hallway as well, moving in the opposite direction that Arbiter-Of-Fates had gone.

Arbiter-Of-Fates would not admit it, especially not to Teller-Of-Tales, but she knew full well her plan had failed miserably.

Leaper-Of-Realities was far too valuable of an asset to waste so carelessly. Teller-Of-Tales was entirely correct that Rose needed to be kept happy, or else the plan would almost certainly fall apart. And her own conduct during the assault had been, to put it bluntly, less than exemplary.

She'd spent far too much time toying with both her foes. The Fearow should never have been able to stall her for as long as she had, and the only reason she'd been pushed to her limits against Medicham was because she'd let her guard down, gotten overconfident, and not actually started trying until she was already weakened from multiple attacks. And, Arbiter-Of-Fates knew, it had been downright stupid of her to gloat. She should never have let Medicham recover while she'd been hanging off the side of the train, and she should have just finished her off while she was paralyzed instead of explaining her point of view to a Pokemon who was about to die seconds later.

So many years of inactivity has made me far too soft.Arbiter-Of-Fates shook her head.I will not make the same mistakes next time. When we meet again, Medicham, there will be no pointless speechifying, no overconfidence.

When we meet again, I will kill you. That is a promise.

J had worked quickly. Within a minute she'd had a group of men teleport down from the airship (which, apparently, was owned by her) to aid in the search for Marcus, and five minutes after that, Marcus, Hop, Gloria, and their respective teams had been located and extracted in their entirety.

Marcus and all of Medicham's teammates had been understandably unconscious, as had Hop and Gloria; Medicham was pretty sure Hop and Gloria's Pokemon had been kept safe in their Pokeballs, but she hadn't seen any of them released before J had ordered them teleported onto her ship. She'd ordered Medicham to rest as well, pointing out that she was just as wounded as the rest of the team was, and so Medicham had allowed herself to be brought along with Marcus and the rest of his team to a secluded 'recovery room', as J put it. Medicham didn't know where Gloria and Hop had been taken - most likely to a different recovery room - and, come to think of it, hadn't seen anyone since, not even J.

The whole process had barely taken fifteen minutes; compared to that, waiting for Marcus and the rest of the team to wake up had felt like an eternity. But at last they all had, aided by a few Full Restores that J had been able to procure, and now they were all sitting in a sort of circle in the recovery room, conversing, Marcus on the edge of the bed he'd been given and the rest of the team on the nearby floor. As usual, Medicham was telepathically translating the entire conversation to Marcus.

"Well," said Kriesh, "we're all still alive, thank Arceus."

A general murmur of agreement came from all around. "What even happened?" Houndoom asked. "One moment it seemed like we were out of immediate danger, the next we were in the middle of a train crash."

"Arbiter-Of-Fates," Medicham explained. "I'd gotten her on the back foot…she took out the whole train when she realized she might not be able to beat me."

"So these Absols can dothat," Liepard remarked. "Mon dieu…I thought the one blasting us with superpowered Dark Pulses was bad…"

"Not ta mention the one fast enough ta blitz across half a train car in under a second," Drapion growled.

"Or the one strong enough to come out on top in a melee clash against Pangoro's fists," Kamado added.

"Arceus…" Kriesh muttered. "What in Distortion have we gotten ourselves into this time?"

"Hey, we've fought worse," Cloyster said soothingly.

"Yeah, and we beat these guys, don't forget!" Trevenant pointed out cheerfully.

"Wedidn't," Medicham retorted. "Arbiter-Of-Fateswon. She would've had free rein to kill Marcus if J hadn't rescued us."

"J?" The shocked utterance of the name from Liepard's mouth instantly set the entire rest of the team on edge, not helped by Marcus's clear expression of alarm at the sound of the name as well. "You can't meanHunterJ?"

"You've had experience with her?" Medicham asked.

Liepard muttered a quiet curse in native Kalosian. "I wasn't around for most of the Plasma War," she said, "but I know she worked with Team Plasma for a while."

Medicham grimaced. She knewexactlywhat Team Plasma was.Honestly, with the henchmen and the black airship, I had a feeling J wasn't the nicest person…but I'd hoped she'd at least be friendly. Now I'm not so sure if this is a rescue or a trap.

Trevenant raised a hand. "Uh…being two thousand years old and all, you'd think I would have heard of whoever this is…but I haven't. So could you please enlighten me?"

Medicham nodded, grateful that Trevenant had finally asked the question that everyone else in the room seemed to be dying to ask themselves.

Liepard sighed. "Hunter J is the single most notorious Pokemon poacher in the entire world," she said. At that virtually the entire team stiffened; Kriesh and Houndoom especially looked a lot more nervous than they already had. "Not just the UPW, theentire world. She's the International Police's #1 most wanted criminal - there have been entire operations designed specifically to bring her down, and she's escaped every last one. I've never seen her in person, but I've heard far too many stories on my wanderings. The fact that we areon her shipmeans that we're likely in just as much danger as we were on that train."

Medicham gulped.Definitely leaning more towards the 'trap' side of things…

"Why would someone like that help us?" Kamado asked, clearly puzzled.

"I don't know," growled Liepard, "but make no mistake, she isnot on our side. Wecannottrust her, no matter what."

"Then why don't we just take her down ourselves?" Pangoro pounded his fists together.

"That Mega Salamence of hers sent Arbiter-Of-Fates fleeing with her tail between her legs," said Medicham. "The same Arbiter-Of-Fates that I was only barely keeping up with. And she's probably got a full team of monsters just like him, plus this airship and its entire crew,andfrom what I can tell she's by no means powerless in a fight herself. And don't forget we'reonher airship - she's probably got security systems that make the Kalos Pokemon League look like a pillow fort. Distortion, I bet we're being watched and listened in on right now."

That sobering thought set the rest of the team to uneasy glances around the room. At last the silence was broken by Marcus. "It's pretty likely she already has the Absol we captured. The Ultra Ball I used on him is gone."

This was something Medicham hadn't realized - she must have missed that during the evacuation - and it did not help her mood, nor did it help the mood of the rest of the team either. Medicham decided it was prudent to speak up. "What do we do now?" she asked Marcus.

"We play along."

The rest of the team turned to look at Marcus. "If she was going to steal you," he said, "she would've happily done so and left me stranded on that train. I know we can't trust her, Liepard…but shedidsave us. And there has to be a reason for that. So until something changes, I don't think we have a choice aside from going with whatever plan J has."

As if on cue, the door to the recovery room hissed open, revealing a brown-haired woman dressed in a dark gray vest and an only slightly lighter gray long-sleeved shirt. "Hello, Gym Leader Marcus Grayson," the woman said. "My name is Maya. I have been asked by my superior, Pokemon Hunter J, to escort you to the bridge."

Medicham watched nervously from the inside of her Luxury Ball as Marcus followed Maya through the hallways of J's airship. She'd been through these hallways and on the bridge before - they'd teleported onto the bridge before J's men had taken Marcus to the recovery room - but at that point Medicham had still been thinking of J as, if not a friend, at least a rescuer and an ally. Now she wasn't certain if the Pokemon poacher wasn't going to just try and steal all of Marcus's Pokemon, and so every step closer to the bridge brought a new shivering in Medicham's gut.

"Marcus," she said telepathically as the door to the bridge came into view, "if this comes to a fight, get the rest of the team out first."

"If this comes to a fight, we're all getting out," Marcus retorted as they reached the door.

It opened before them, revealing the full expanse of the bridge of J's airship.

Maya swiftly began making her way towards the front of the bridge, allowing Marcus and Medicham to take in the rest of the area. J herself was standing very close to the door, in the center of a large console that occupied much of the back half of the bridge; on the right and left sides of the same console were two near identical-looking men, both with shaved heads and wearing similar outfits to Maya. Another man, this one with bushy blonde hair, was standing towards the front of the bridge at another console; it was to this man's left that Maya sat down.

J turned to face Marcus, her expression unreadable. There was no question that the Pokemon Hunter was fully prepared for a fight, for six Pokemon that Medicham assumed to be her full team were arrayed in various positions near her. All seemed to be lounging, but looking around Medicham could see all six were clearly ready to surge into battle the instant they were called.

The Salamence was standing closest to J; he'd turned around practically the instant Marcus had entered and now had his left wing spread out protectively to cover J, clearly ready to harden it with some sort of defense should any attack be aimed at his Trainer. Next to the bridge's back wall, standing on one side of the door, was a burly Darmanitan, a disconcerting grin on its face as its eyes fixed themselves on Marcus; on the other side of the door was a Drapion, and the sight of that was clearly making Marcus's Drapion uneasy, for his Luxury Ball was noticeably trembling. A web of white string could be seen strung together on one corner of the co*ckpit's ceiling, and in the center of that crouched a spindly Ariados, its pincers clicking in a way that sent shivers down Medicham's spine, while in the other corner, down on the floor, a detritus-covered Dhelmise leaned against a wall in the midst of a small pile of chains, seeming practically inert if not for the spinning of its eye-like compass. And floating serenely next to J, slowly bobbing up and down as it gazed at Marcus with two round eyes, was a tiny Carbink, looking completely out of place next to its significantly more monstrous-looking teammates.

"You know who I am." J's voice was just as matter-of-fact as Medicham remembered. "And I know who you are, so let's get to the point. I have been offered a large sum by an interested party to capture a group of twenty Absols residing in this region. That same party offered a sizable bonus for your continued safety until such time as that job is complete. Judging by that, plus numerous factors at the site of the train crash I hauled your unconscious body out of, I believe that we have a common enemy."

Marcus gave a measured nod in response.

"So let's make a deal," said J. "You provide me with what information you have on these Absols, and ensure that my presence in Galar remains a secret so I don't have to deal with unnecessary complications. In return, I'll take you and your…entourage…as far as Motostoke, and I'll make sure you stay alive. Is that acceptable?"

"What about Hop and Gloria?" Marcus asked.

"I did mention your entourage," J pointed out. "They are both alive, albeit being kept under sedation along with their Pokemon - children are far more likely to leak information than adults, after all."

"Where?"

"I did not call you up here to be bombarded with questions, Gym Leader Marcus," said J. "I came to offer you a deal. Do you accept?"

Medicham narrowed her eyes. She'd seen J's own eyes glitter as she described Hop and Gloria, and knew exactly what kind of threat the poacher was making - Hop, Gloria, and their Pokemon were completely in her power. Power that she could quite easily flex should Marcus refuse her deal.

Which is probably one of the reasons she brought them up here in the first place. We've only been on the bridge a minute, and she's already made it perfectly clear that she's holding all the cards.

"I accept," said Marcus.

J nodded shortly. "First, introductions," she said. "Your team first."

Quickly, Marcus ran through all his Pokemon, giving Kamado and Kriesh's names along with identifying their species. J nodded. "Acceptable," she said, then gestured to her Pokemon.

The Salamence spoke. "I am called Aeris," he stated; at his voice, the Carbink's gem-studded body glowed, and judging by Marcus's reaction the Rock/Fairy-type had just telepathically translated for its teammate.

"Name's Kochius," the Drapion growled, staring at Drapion's trembling Luxury Ball as if he could see the Pokemon within.

"Myrma." The Ariados shifted in her web, moving so delicately that the strands barely seemed to bend under the touch of her claws.

"I'm Bodhi." The Darmanitan's voice boomed outwards, as expected, and yet its volume was surprisingly low and menacing despite the expected bombast his tone seemed to indicate.

"My name is Ancora," the Dhelmise said lethargically, barely moving as it spoke, though the chains around it clanked with every word.

"And I'm Adamas!" The Carbink spoke last, its voice a good deal more enthusiastic than the rest of the team; Medicham was fairly certain the voice was female, but it vibrated and echoed so oddly that she couldn't quite tell.

"Bridge crew," J called. Maya had already introduced herself, but the other three now swiftly did the same; the bushy-haired blonde man was Nathaniel, and the near-identical twins on either side of J were Thomas and Timothy.

"Now that those are out of the way," said J, "I want information on the Absols. Their overall strength level, their capabilities, how they think, what they want."

"You already have the Absol I captured," Marcus pointed out.

J nodded shortly. "I prefer information from multiple sources if possible."

"Marcus?" Medicham asked, swiftly opening a private telepathic connection between her mind and his.

"What?" Marcus asked irritably. "Sorry, I'm just…a little on edge."

"I know, so am I," said Medicham. "But listen - we need to be careful with what we reveal to her. We can't mention Seeker-Of-Endings, or Betrayer-Of-Kin-"

"Your hesitation either indicates you're considering your options," said J, "or you're speaking with your telepathy-capable Medicham. My Carbink can listen in on such things, so I'd refrain from that if I were you."

And there's another card she had up her sleeve, Medicham griped to herself.Liepard was right - wearein just as much danger up here as we were down here. It's just a lot more subtle…which, of course, makes it a lot more terrifying.

"Right," said Marcus. "I think my Medicham's got more information then I do, to be honest. Medicham, are you all right with doing the bulk of the talking here?"

"Yes," Medicham said reluctantly. She didn'tlikeit, but she knew Marcus was right - and besides, if she was the one talking, she was free to omit the information she didn't want J to know. Like everything about the Heralds - while stray thoughts of siccing the Pokemon poacher on Bringer-Of-Visions danced through her mind, she forced them out. That would open up a whole can of worms Medicham definitely didnotwant opened, no matter how tempting that idea was.

Marcus sent her out, giving Medicham a full view of J, her team, and everyone else on the bridge as all their eyes swiveled towards her. "So," she began, addressing the entire bridge telepathically, "let's start with Arbiter-Of-Fates, the Absol I was fighting. Her abilities, from what I could tell, seemed mainly based around combining luck manipulation with a held Scope Lens…"

Scorbunny remembered the screaming. Screaming of humans, Pokemon, and metal alike as the train car crumpled around them, steel twisting and glass shattering, heat and flames erupting from everywhere, with only the spherical barrier of Marcus's Cloyster separating Marcus, Hop, and Gloria from-

Gloria.

Scorbunny sat bolt upright. The first thing he realized was that he was still in his Pokeball. The second thing he realized was that the seal was off. Swiftly, Scorbunny shifted, glancing out of the crack in his Pokeball; what lay before him was a very clean-looking room, much unlike the surroundings of the destroyed train.

How long was I out?

Wait…whendidI get knocked out?

He hadn't been knocked out in the crash itself; he'd been protected by his Pokeball. Vaguely, Scorbunny remembered peering out of his Pokeball at the wreckage. The seal had been on then - why was it off?

He remembered shifting. He remembered men coming in, men dressed in dark clothing, men who had placed something against the seal of Scorbunny's Pokeball, some sort of bottle, and then Scorbunny had begun to feel sleepy-

Oh, Arceus.

It wasn't hard to get out of an unsealed Pokeball. Swiftly, Scorbunny forced his way out and onto the table the Pokeball had been placed on. Quickly he looked around; his heart leaped into his throat as he saw Hop and Gloria lying unconscious side by side, clear masks fitted to their faces from which tubes extended, connecting them to what looked like a large canister. Similar tubes were connected to Grookey, Wooloo, and Bunnelby's Pokeballs, and yet another was dangling loose near Scorbunny's Pokeball; Scorbunny caught a whiff of something and immediately felt himself growing sleepy again, and quickly ducked away from the open end of the tube.

They're all being gassed…kept unconscious. And that's likely what's supposed to be happening to me as well…

Abruptly Scorbunny heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. As fast as he could, he dove off the table, maneuvering his body behind the nearest table leg and scrunching himself up as much as he could. He heard the door open and someone walk in. A male voice grunted. "Looks like one of the tubes got loose…hope whoever was in that Pokeball's still out…"

Scorbunny felt himself quivering uncontrollably as the footsteps came closer; he realized with a jolt that the man was coming around the side of the table to replace the tube. He'd easily be able to see Scorbunny cowering behind the table leg. Desperately, Scorbunny looked around for something,anythingthat could serve as a better hiding spot.

There! Some kind of cylindrical structure…but the only hole is in the top. If I go for it, he'll see me for sure…unless he's not looking.

I've only got one shot at this.

Holding his breath, Scorbunny peeked around the opposite side of the table leg. He spotted the man's booted feet moving closer and closer - in a few more seconds the man would see Scorbunny. Forming an Ember in his left hand, Scorbunny tossed it as fast as he could. It sped across the room and struck the wall next to the door.

"Huh?" The man twisted. Scorbunny was off so fast a Ninjask would have been proud. Crouching, he leaped as high as he could, and by some miracle he managed to gain the hole in the top of the cylinder before the man turned around.

It was only as he was falling in that Scorbunny realized the bottom of the cylinder was alotfurther down than he'd expected.

Scorbunny couldn'tquitehold in a shocked cry as he fell; he wasn't sure whether the man had heard or not, and anyway at this point that was the last thing on his mind. He flailed madly, trying to grab onto something, but the walls of the cylinder were smooth with no protrusions. Abruptly Scorbunny felt his back hit metal, some sort of slope; pain surged up Scorbunny's spine, and Scorbunny cried out again, not just in agony but in disgust as well. For as he began to slide down the slope, he couldfeelthat this slope was absolutely filthy, covered in grime and some sort of smelly liquid.

This is a garbage chute, Scorbunny realized as he continued to slide.And now I'm just along for the ride.

Despite the grime, the chute was smooth enough that Scorbunny again couldn't find anything to grab onto and stop his slide. As he continued to slide into the darkness, Scorbunny's eyes began to pick up a light, slowly growing brighter as Scorbunny slid further. For a wild few moments he wondered if the chute just ended outside, and then the chute opened up and Scorbunny barely had time to register that he was tumbling into a very large room before he fell fifteen feet straight into a pile of trash.

Sputtering, Scorbunny scrambled out of the trash pile as quickly as he could. His foot sunk into something squishy and he quickly yanked it out, his eyes scanning and his paws scrabbling for anything that looked remotely solid. Finally, one of his paws touched metal; Scorbunny swiftly leaped onto what he now saw was some kind of metal tray, probably for serving food. The tray sank under Scorbunny's weight, but thankfully it stayed upright, finally allowing Scorbunny a place to rest and think for the moment.

As he looked around, Scorbunny realized that this room was a lot bigger than he'd expected. It was larger than the inside of Magnolia's lab back in Wedgehurst - not as tall, but much larger in terms of width and length. And it was absolutely filled with trash, to the extent that Scorbunny had no idea where exactly the floor was - for all he knew, the roomwasas tall, or even taller, than Magnolia's lab as well. The stench was appalling, and Scorbunny wasted no time in shaking off any pieces of garbage he'd carried onto the tray with him.

He was lost, separated from his Trainer and all his friends, stuck in the garbage dump of wherever he was, and in all likelihood whoever had been keeping him unconscious was now looking for him. Scorbunny felt like curling up into a ball and just waiting to be rescued - someone would find him down here, someonehadto find him eventually - but deep in the back of his mind he knew that was foolish. Straining his eyes, and continuing to maintain his position on the metal tray, Scorbunny began to look around the room, searching for some way out.

Drapion was unsurprised that J's airship had a battle arena. On a ship this size, he would have been surprised if therehadn'tbeen a battle arena.

"Welcome to the battle arena," said Maya; after he and Medicham had finished giving information to J, she'd been ordered to begin escorting him again, first to the mess hall to get some lunch (bland and tasteless, but filling), and then to the battle arena when Marcus had asked about that, if only because Maya had made it clear the alternative was being escorted back to his recovery room. Already Drapion could tell J was controlling Marcus's movement around the ship, trying her best to ensure the Gym Leader saw as few areas as possible.

That was fine with Drapion. To be perfectly honest, he didn't reallywantto see more areas of this ship than he had to.

"Your Pokemon are welcome to train here," Maya continued. "I have been ordered to submit my Pokemon to act as opponents if you require such a need. Please let me know if you have any questions." She spoke almost like a robot, barely emoting even as she released three Pokemon - a Skarmory, a Carnivine, and a Qwilfish - who promptly stood or floated stiffly and equally robotically at attention beside her.

"Thanks," said Marcus. "I'll…um…let you know."

Turning away from Maya, he released his team onto the hard floor of the battle arena. "All right, everyone, let's try and get some practice in. We'll see about specific things to practice for once we're off this ship - for now, just pair up and focus on strength and speed training. If you struggled during your fights on the train, then figure out why you struggled and ask yourself what you're going to do next time…"

Drapion felt Marcus's voice grow fainter and fainter in his head, replacing itself with angry thoughts.I get Marcus is trying to make us forget the situation. But there's no denying we've gone out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Maya had answered a few questions from Marcus already over lunch, and none of the answers had been good. This ship was, quite simply, a prison ship of sorts, mainly used for capturing and transporting Pokemon. It was well-geared and well-armed for precisely that, although Maya had refused to divulge exactly what armaments the ship had. She had divulged that J's crew numbered around fifty in all, and that each of them were allowed three Pokemon of their own - J was the only member of the crew who had a full team of six. She'd also said that many of J's men were recruits from former evil teams - Rocket, Galactic, Plasma, and even a few former Team Aqua Grunts who had chosen to stick with piracy. Drapion hated the very thought of being surrounded by people like that.

And, as if all that wasn't bad enough, Jalsohad a Drapion. It shouldn't have infuriated him so much, but the Swarmlord's machinations had ensured that Drapion would have been quite happy to never have to lay eyes on another Drapion again. They all reminded him far too much of the Swarmlord for his liking. And the fact that this one just so happened to belong to the most notorious Pokemon poacher in the world was the cherry on top, so to speak.

Drapion blinked; dimly he registered that he'd been moving, and as he looked around he realized that he'd walked halfway across the battle arena, far away from Marcus and the rest of the team. A couple of his teammates were shooting worried glances at Drapion as they paired up with one another. Drapion sighed frustratedly.Can't believe I got so lost in my own head…

"So you're one of those Battle Armor types?"

Drapion's head swiveled to the right to see the last Pokemon he wanted to see right now stepping into the arena beside him. His lip curled as he locked eyes with Hunter J's Drapion - Kochius, he recalled his name was. "Yeah," growled Drapion, nodding curtly.

Kochius nodded. "I figured. Chitin's too thick to be all-natural. I've got Sniper, myself, but that doesn't mean I don't know my way around Battle Armor too. I'm from Sinnoh, you know. Used to run with a Swarm myself, before J picked me up. Judging by the fact you're using Battle Armor techniques pioneered by Sinnoan Swarms…it's not too hard to guess we're cut from the same cloth."

Drapion bristled at the words, trying to control his temper. Thankfully, Kochius seemed to notice, or at least he hesitated before continuing on. "The old leader of my Swarm used Battle Armor," said Kochius. "He may have been wild, but it's clear he knew a technique that you don't seem to have picked up yet."

"So what, yer gonna train me?" Drapion scoffed.

"As my Trainer has said, we are on the same side at the moment," Kochius pointed out. "Don't think of it as training. Think of it more as patching up a glaring, obvious weakness."

Drapion seethed at the words, but bit back the retort he was dying to give - as much as he didn't want to talk to Kochius, there was no way a Drapion like himwasn'tstrong. "All right, spill it," he growled reluctantly.

"First," said Kochius, "activate your Battle Armor across your right shoulder."

Frowning, Drapion did so, forming a thick layer of chitin along the body part in question. "Done. Now wha-"

A sharp point - the tip of a Pin Missile - suddenly stabbed into that same shoulder, streaking straight through the Battle Armor and into Drapion's flesh. Drapion stumbled, more from the pain than from any kind of force. "Gah! What the-?"

"Any armor has cracks," Kochius explained. "Cracks that my Ability especially is capable of exploiting, but even a random shot can get lucky sometimes. That kind of Battle Armor you just put up is sufficient for blocking some attacks, but if you want arealdefense, you're gonna have to learn how to layer your Battle Armor."

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Drapion asked.

"Think about it," Kochius replied. "What you do normally is create one thick layer of armor, but what if, instead, you split that into two thinner layers? Same protection, but you can shift one layer over the other in such a way that each one covers the other layer's cracks. It's more complicated, that's for sure, but it offers a lot more protection against attacks like the one I just hit you with."

Drapion nodded sullenly - he still didn't like Kochius, but he could see that such a technique would indeed be beneficial. Offhandedly, almost without thinking, he said, "Mah friend Kriesh has Sniper. She might be able ta learn a thing or two."

Kochius snorted. "I doubt someone with her past would be willing to take lessons from me."

"And how do ya know about that?" Drapion growled.

"My Trainer does her research," Kochius replied. "Besides, the techniques I'd teach her would be ones she'd likely prefer to shy away from. Aiming attacks through cracks in armor is the bare minimum of what I can do with Sniper - I can aim my attacks into whatever part of the body I wish. Up the nostril, into the eyes…I've even memorized the placement of nerve clusters on the bodies of both humans and most types of Pokemon, so that I know exactly where to aim attacks to cause maximum pain."

It was unnerving how casually he talked about such things, and Drapion found himself glancing over Kochius's shoulder at his teammates - the lesson was over, now he just wanted out of the conversation. Thankfully, he quickly locked eyes with Kriesh, and the Fearow clearly understood his plight, for she swiftly detached herself from the group and stepped over.

"Drapion," she said, "Marcus wants you."

A definite lie, but it served its purpose. Kochius nodded in understanding and stepped aside as Drapion moved over to Kriesh. As the two Pokemon began walking over to Marcus, Drapion let out a held breath with explosive force. "That bad?" Kriesh murmured.

"Ah can't believe ah even thought about lettin' him teach ya," Drapion growled.

Kriesh grimaced at the thought. "I think I caught 'maximum pain' as I was coming over, and to be honest I really don't want to know more."

Drapion cast a glance over his shoulder and saw Kochius staring after him, the other Drapion's eyes narrowed in amusem*nt. Kochius winked, then turned on his heel and stepped away. Snarling under his breath, Drapion tore his gaze away from Kochius and back towards Marcus as he and Kriesh walked up to the Gym Leader.

Marcus smiled thinly as he saw Drapion approach. "Sorry," he said. "When you walked off, I figured you could use some alone time. Kriesh, you and Drapion can practice together…and who were you fighting? Houndoom?"

Kriesh nodded.

Marcus looked at Houndoom, who was standing on his own. The Trainer sighed, then glanced over to Maya. "So, about your offer…"

Leaper-Of-Realities slowly blinked open his eyes. The first thing he saw was darkness so all-encompassing that for a moment he thought his eyes were still closed. Then he saw the outline of walls and the dim shape of an air vent and realized that he was in some sort of room, small and lightless. Metal lay beneath him; Leaper-Of-Realities tried to turn his head to see exactly what he was lying on. Then he tried again. His head was stuck in place; experimentally, he tried to sit up and found the rest of his body was similarly unresponsive.

Paralysis of some sort…

His Choice Scarf was gone, but he still had access to his moves. Paralysis inhibited the conscious movement of his body, but Detect was usually sufficient to counter that to some extent since it forced the body to move unconsciously. But the energy of Detect failed to materialize. Leaper-Of-Realities tried Bounce, then Quick Attack, and finally, as an experiment, Night Slash. All three failed to materialize.

"Ah, are we done testing yet? Banette is growing impatient."

Leaper-Of-Realities swiveled his eyes - at least he could still move those - and swiftly spotted the Banette in question, fixing him with a zippered grin as it stood atop a nearby chair. Beside the Banette, in another chair, sat a human who had to be the Banette's Trainer. The human was short and fat with gray hair that looked as if it had once been dyed lavender, wearing a slightly tattered lab coat and a pair of orange-lensed glasses. "Who are you?" Leaper-Of-Realities growled, speaking so that the human could understand him. "What is this?"

"I am Charon," said the man. "Former scientist of Team Galactic, currently a member of the crew of Pokemon Hunter J. And as for your second question, a peculiar combination of Thunder Wave, Spite, Imprison, and the Cursed Body Ability. Banette has spent quite a bit of time honing it, but suffice it to say, you'll find yourself quite unable to move or draw upon any of your attacks for as long as Banette keeps it up."

Charon smiled. "Now, the reason I've gone to all this trouble is because you have information I want. So you have a choice. Either you can tell me what I want to know, or I'll have Porygon-Z get to work making you." A robotic whirring sounded in Leaper-Of-Realities' ears, and he spotted the head of a Porygon-Z shift into view, its blue rounded beak shifting into a small pointed drill.

"You think you can get what you want through torture?" Leaper-Of-Realities snarled, trying to keep fear out of his voice.

"Oh, perish the thought!" Charon cried. "I'm no torturer. I'm ascientist.And I'm certain I can get what I want throughscience.But, of course, things will be so much easier for all of us if you just tell me what I want to know."

Leaper-Of-Realities narrowed his eyes. He had spent fifteen years as a member of the Heralds. He had served for long enough to remember the times before the apocalypse had loomed over all. Before the current Bringer-Of-Visions had assumed her title, and began bringing ruin to the Heralds with her miserable failures that she called 'plans'. He'd signed on with Teller-Of-Tales in a heartbeat, simple because he could tell that his plan was much better thought out than anything Bringer-Of-Visions had ever come up with.

And he would not betray his new leader, no matter what so-called science Charon deigned to use on him. "Go to Distortion," he snarled.

Charon chuckled. "I've been," he said. "It's overrated. Porygon-Z? Flank nerve cluster, if you please."

The Normal-type bent down, its drill-beak beginning to spin as it neared Leaper-Of-Realities' flesh. The walls of the room were thankfully soundproofed; when the screaming started, no one else on the ship heard.

It was a bit of a shame, Houndoom reflected, that Marcus's team had an odd number of Pokemon. He'd heard Marcus speak of catching a tenth team member sometimes, if only to make training easier via being able to pair up all his Pokemon without need for outside help. But at the same time, Marcus had always admitted, catching a Pokemon merely as a training aid didn't sit right with him. If he caught a tenth Pokemon, it would be because hewantedto catch it.

Houndoom understood, and certainly agreed with, Marcus's decision. But at the same time, the fact that he was having to train against a random Qwilfish instead of one of his teammates wasn't exactly something he enjoyed.

"Puffer Press." Qwilfish's voice was just as unenthused and robotic as his Trainer's as he dashed in with Water energy encasing his body in a bluish shell. "Thunder Jaws," Houndoom snarled, meeting Qwilfish with a mouthful of Lightning. He'd spent quite a while over the past few years training until Thunder Jaws and Solar Surge could call upon Lightning and Overgrow, respectively. They were two of his core coverage techniques, giving him options against the multitude of Water-types that Trainers most commonly used against Fire-types. In Gym Battles, he stuck to Electric and Grass energy, but this was no Gym Battle, and Qwilfish let out a shuddering groan as he was sent reeling backwards by Houndoom's Lightning-infused Thunder Fang.

Houndoom sighed as he crouched, preparing for Qwilfish's next attack. He'd requested Qwilfish mostly use ranged attacks, only rarely mixing in melee attacks to force Houndoom to respond. He'd hoped it would better prepare him for the next time he fought someone like Bearer-Of-Darkness, whose ranged attacks had simply overwhelmed Houndoom's defense with sheer power. But Qwilfish's Hydro Pump was lethargic and weak in comparison; Houndoom easily dodged, retaliating with a practically instinctive Dark Pulse that forced Qwilfish into a dodge.

Houndoom had hoped training would help him get his mind off the current state of affairs. After all, Medicham had been entirely right - even after all their training and all their preparation, they still would have failed to protect Marcus from the Absols' assault if it hadn't been for J. Not to mention that being aboard the ship of a Pokemon poacher was stirring up all kinds of bad memories of Team Flare for Houndoom. And now here he was, trying to train against a Qwilfish who would have been little more than a speed bump in arealfight.

I know one of us had to train against Maya's Pokemon…but I really wish it didn't have to be me.

"So what's your story?" Houndoom asked. He wasn't sure why - maybe it was to try and further distract himself, or maybe it was some half-buried hope that he could convince this Qwilfish to abandon this criminal life.

"I was caught by Maya eight years ago," Qwilfish answered. "Since then, I have served as a member of her team on this ship. She follows J's orders, and I follow her orders. That is how it has been since the time of my capture."

Well, that was helpful, Houndoom thought sarcastically. He dodged another Hydro Pump from Qwilfish, this time retaliating with a Sludge Bomb he knew Qwilfish could counter. "What was life like before you were captured?" he asked. "Any friends? Family?"

"Once," said Qwilfish. "But no longer. I serve Maya now. She, Carnivine, and Skarmory are my family now. We all serve."

"Does it ever get difficult?" Houndoom asked, leaping out of the way of another Hydro Pump. This time, he didn't even bother firing back.

"The tasks we are given are sometimes hard to accomplish," said Qwilfish. "But we always manage. To fail to manage would be to disobey J."

"I mean difficult as in…mentallydifficult," Houndom growled. "Stealing Pokemon…how do you feel about that?"

"The tasks we are given are sometimes hard to accomplish," Qwilfish repeated. "But we always manage. To fail to manage would be to disobey J."

Houndoom sighed exasperatedly as he met another Hydro Pump with a Solar Beam that easily overpowered it and blasted Qwilfish backwards again. "Forget it," he muttered. "Arceus, it's like they're all brainwashed or something…"

Abruptly, Houndoom stumbled as the entire room shuddered around them. He wasn't the only one, either - Pangoro, off-balance from a powerful punch against Cloyster's Protect barrier, outright overbalanced and fell to the ground. Houndoom couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the Dark/Fighting-type's clear fury and embarrassment, even as he wondered what exactly had caused such a sudden shift.

Marcus clearly was wondering the same thing. "What's going on?" he asked, directing the question towards Maya.

"We appear to be descending," Maya answered.

Marcus frowned. "I didn't think we were that close to Motostoke…how long was I out?"

"We have not reached Motostoke," said Maya.

Marcus sighed. "Back in your balls, everyone," he ordered. "I'm heading back to the bridge."

"I would not advise that," Maya protested, her words just as robotic as usual. "But if that is your decision, I will escort you back to the bridge."

"It is my decision," said Marcus, already recalling everyone. "Escort away."

It wasn't that far from the training arena to the bridge, especially not when Marcus was moving so quickly that Maya was struggling to keep up. Medicham watched as the near-emotionless brown-haired woman tried to maintain a patient walk while simultaneously attempting to keep up with the fast-moving Marcus. In fact, Marcus was moving so fast that he nearly ran into the door to the bridge before it could hiss open; Maya scurried after him as he strode into the large room.

Hunter J was standing in the same place she had been previously, with Timothy and Thomas on either side and Nathaniel at the helm. Outside, Medicham could see the sun shining in through the front window; by now it was after midday. J's visor was clearly protecting her eyes from the sun, for she was staring practically directly into it without flinching away; Aeris, Adamas, and Ancora were all still in the room, and Myrma's web was still present in the upper corner of the room, but the Ariados, along with Bodhi and Kochius, had gone. Medicham recalled seeing Kochius in the training arena, but she had no idea where Bodhi or Myrma had gone.

Were J's Pokemon allowed to roam freely around the ship? That was quite interesting if it was true.

Marcus shot a glare at J. "We're descending."

"Indeed," said J, not looking at Marcus. "A group of my crewmates were dropped off here yesterday with the aim of capturing a group of Galarian Darumaka - the species is quite valuable and sells for a good amount of money. They recently radioed in with news of completion of their mission, so I decided to swing by and pick them up on my way to Motostoke."

Medicham felt sick at the words. Thoughts of those poor Pokemon, kidnapped from their homes and consigned to the twisted 'care' of a Trainer who only valued them for how much money they were worth…she imagined what the Galarian Darumaka must be feeling right now, and immediately wanted to shove those thoughts out of her head like she had done with so many others, but they refused to go away.

Marcus clearly felt similarly. "That wasn't part of our deal."

"This is my ship," J retorted frostily. "If you have a problem with my activities, then I suggest you get off my bridge."

"Five hundred feet," Nathaniel announced.

"Deactivate cloaking field," J ordered, instantly turning her attention away from Marcus. Medicham half-expected Marcus to obey J's instructions, but he remained where he was. Medicham wasn't entirely sure why - curiosity?

"Deactivating cloaking field." Thomas yanked several levers and then pressed a button; the entire ship rumbled slightly, and a rippling barrier of energy Medicham hadn't even known was there noticeably dematerialized from the ship's front window.

"Four hundred feet," said Nathaniel.

"Prepare for transport," J called.

Thomas and Timothy stood up and sent out a Venomoth and a Beheeyem, respectively. "Transport prepared," the twins chorused.

"Three hundred feet," Nathaniel stated. "Transport distance reached."

"Transport away." At J's words, the twins and their Pokemon dematerialized. It took only a few seconds for them to rematerialize, this time in the center of the bridge, along with five other people wearing the same uniforms.

"Transport complete," said Timothy - Medicham could tell it was Timothy because it was the twin with the Beeheeyem.

J nodded. "Reactivate cloaking field and resume course towards Motostoke."

"Yes, ma'am," said Nathaniel; as he moved to follow these new orders, Hunter J turned to the newly arrived group. "Report."

The leader of the group, a woman with dark hair, spoke in response, her voice calm and confident. Yet as she spoke, Medicham sat bolt upright in her Luxury Ball. "We obtained nine Galarian Darumaka," the woman said in response. "As well as a Galarian Darmanitan who tried to defend them. The mother, we think."

Medicham didn't hear J's response. She didn't hear any of what anyone was saying anymore. Her mind was filled with the dark-haired woman's voice, repeating over and over. As she gazed upon the woman's face, older and far more weathered than she remembered but still recognizable now that she knew what she was looking for, Medicham felt her eyes begin to grow wet. A single word left her mouth in a whisper so quiet she doubted anyone could possibly have heard it, not a question, but a statement, for even under those layers of age and grime and veiled emotion, Medicham knew exactly who this Trainer was before her name had even been spoken.

"Elle."

Yeah...next chapter is certainly going to be interesting for Medicham...

Chapter 12: Wishful Thinking

Chapter Text

Galar Firefighting Squad Member 113, otherwise known as Cramorant Motostoke-6, exhaled a steady stream of water from his beak into yet another piece of flaming wreckage, watching as the crackling fire tried and failed to stand up to the barrage. He was keenly aware of other firefighters, including the seven other members of his Cramorant wing, doing the same elsewhere. A Cramorant's Gulp Missile Ability allowed them to fit practically anything they desired in their beaks - this was useful in battle for a myriad of reasons, but in firefighting terms it meant that a single Cramorant could easily carry an entire fire truck's worth of water in their beak. The discovery of that capability had ensured that fire engines would be all but phased out, and also had made it so that Cramorants were widely regarded throughout Galar as the most useful possible Pokemon for dealing with a fire.

As Cramorant Motostoke-6 turned to extinguish another patch of flames, the sudden sound of rapid wingbeats drew his attention to the sky. He at once took a step backwards at the sight of the massive Charizard streaking out of the clouds, the telltale form of Champion Leon riding astride his back. Charizard landed on the ground on all fours; Leon was off before the Fire/Flying-type had even finished skidding to a halt.

"Champion Leon!" One of the firefighters stepped up. "If your Seismitoad could-"

"My brother was on this train," Leon interrupted. "Where are the survivors?"

Another nearby firefighter cursed; the first firefighter shot a glare at him before turning back towards Leon. "We're having them gather by the lake about fifty yards that way," he said. "We're still looking, though - it's entirely possible-"

"Thank you." Leon turned and strode off before the firefighter could finish speaking, his Charizard just behind him. Cramorant Motostoke-6 couldn't help but gulp at the Champion's stony expression. He'd heard rumors, scattered remnants of conversations with the survivors, that this train crash hadn't been an accident. Rather, some of the surviving passengers had seemingly claimed the train had come under attack by an as of yet unknown force.

Cramorant Motostoke-6 knew Leon would likely find this out. He knew that the Champion would most likely instantly set about tracking that force down. And when they were found, he knew Leon would bring everything he could bring to bear down upon whoever had done this to his people, to his little brother.

And Leon could bring alotto bear.

A roar of machinery once more brought Cramorant Motostoke-6's attention; this time the culprit was a trio of helicopters with the Macro Cosmos Rail logo emblazoned on the sides. Cramorant Motostoke-6 sighed as the helicopters landed and began disgorging teams of Macro Cosmos employees.It feels like Macro Cosmos owns everything nowadays. Planes, trains, construction companies…I'm willing to bet that they'll control the fire department within the next five years.

Cramorant Motostoke-6 pushed that thought out of his mind. He couldn't waste time pondering the future when there were still fires to put out. Accordingly, Cramorant Motostoke-6 turned and began spraying water on another fire, his eyes scanning the wreckage for any sign of movement all the while.

Unbeknownst to any of the humans or Pokemon present at the crash site, said crash site was not the only area Macro Cosmos employees had been sent. Rather, at about the same time that the employees were arriving at the crash site, others were recovering the unconscious, but alive, bodies of two Absols from the forest on the right side of the railway a couple miles back.

These employees knew that their boss, Chairman Rose, had these Absols employed as part of his plan to 'ensure Galar's future'. Perhaps a few of them wondered how these Absols had gotten here, and perhaps a couple even put the pieces together and realized that they'd been on the train that had crashed. But all of them knew that they weren't paid to think about such things, and that the amount of bonus pay they were being given for this would ensure that they would not be wanting for anything for quite a while.

Of course, there was the problem that Rose had specifically mentioned that there werethreeAbsols in need of retrieval, yet the Macro Cosmos employees had only found two no matter how hard they looked. But that probably meant that the third Absol had still been on the train when it had crashed. Which meant that it wasn't their problem. Eventually, the Macro Cosmos employees gave up on searching for the third Absol and simply sent out the Teleport-capable Pokemon they had arrived on the scene with, ordering a swift return to base.

So it was that by the time anyone else thought to investigate the areas where they had fallen, Bearer-Of-Darkness and Wielder-Of-Blades were long gone.

"So let me get this straight." Kriesh swallowed a beakful of food. "You're telling me that your former Trainer is part of Hunter J's crew?"

Medicham nodded, poking at her own food. She'd asked Marcus if she and Kriesh could eat dinner away from the rest of the team, knowing that she couldn't possibly tell him - or, for that matter, the other members of the team - about Elle without then having to go into the subject of the Heralds. Now the two of them were standing over plates of something Medicham couldn't identify - it wasn't the tastiest thing ever, but Maya had informed them, in her usual robotic tone, that it was quite nourishing. Ordinarily, Medicham would have just sucked it up and eaten - now, she still hadn't taken a single bite.

"It doesn't make sense," Medicham murmured. "Elle was always so kind, and encouraging, and helpful…why would she be here?"

"Medicham," said Kriesh, "as much as I hate to admit it, it's been, what? Five, six years? A lot can change in that amount of time. Marcus went from badgeless Trainer to Gym Leader in less than a year-"

"This isn't like that!" Medicham protested, then saw a few nearby Pokemon giving her strange glances and quickly lowered her voice. "Kriesh, I don't know what to do. I remember when we encountered Jaya again, and I encouraged you to talk to her, and I know it's silly of me not to follow my own advice…but she'skidnappingPokemon! You heard her talking about those Galarian Darumaka. What if…what if she's changed too much?"

"Medicham, it's not silly," said Kriesh. "In the end, it's your decision. Look at it this way…the reason I was so scared to approach Jaya was that I was afraid of choosing between her and Marcus. Do you feel the same way towards Elle?"

"I…" Medicham wanted so badly to say yes. But to stay with Elle would mean abandoning Marcus and joining the crew of Hunter J, and Medicham knew she would never be able to bring herself to do either, let alone both. And even if she did, there was no way Bringer-Of-Visions would allow it.

"Do you think Bringer-Of-Visions knew about this?" Medicham asked.

"I don't know," said Kriesh with a quiet sigh. "We can't rule it out. For all I know, it's nothing more than another attempt to make you suffer." She shook her head, her gaze turning stormy. "I willneverunderstand how that twisted mind of hers operates."

"Neither will I," said Medicham. "And if it is an attempt to make me suffer, it's working." She sighed herself. "I don't want to rejoin Elle, Kriesh. But I just can't…nottalk to her." She fumbled over her next few words. "I just…can't," she finished lamely, her tongue suddenly feeling thick in her mouth.

"I get it," Kriesh murmured sympathetically. "And I won't stop you. But I doubt Marcus will want you to, and I'm willing to bet he'll keep us all sealed up in our Luxury Balls tonight, what with being on the ship of the most notorious Pokemon poacher in the world."

"That won't be a problem," said Medicham.

Kriesh blinked. "Please don't tell me you're saying what I think you're saying."

"If I'm friends with a Legendary who can transport me in and out of my Luxury Ball at will," said Medicham, "why shouldn't I take advantage of that?"

Kriesh stared at Medicham doubtfully.

"Come on, Kriesh," said Medicham. "I'll have him transport me to Elle's location, then when I'm done, I'll just have him transport me back to my Luxury Ball. Marcus won't know a thing!"

Kriesh bent down towards Medicham. "Be careful," she whispered.

"I promise," Medicham replied.

"Medicham," said Darkrai. "I understand that this means a lot to you…but are you absolutely certain this is the path you want to take?"

"I'm sure," said Medicham. She looked up at where Darkrai's voice was coming from strangely. "Why?"

"Bringer-Of-Visions," answered Darkrai simply.

"I know," Medicham admitted. "But I won't tell Elle the truth about what happened. I just want to…catch up, you know?"

"You know it won't be that simple," Darkrai warned. "But if this is what you want, then I'll help you."

"Thank you, Darkrai," said Medicham gratefully. "If you can just transport me to where she is, and then transport me back when I let you know…"

"So I, a Legendary in charge of protecting the timeline, am now your personal teleporter?" Darkrai asked, his voice tinged with amusem*nt.

"I won't make this a regular thing, I promise," said Medicham.

"I'm just messing with you, Medicham," said Darkrai. "You may use me in this way if you please. Arceus knows I don't have much else to do."

Shadows began to detach from the surrounding dojo walls, sliding across the floor towards Medicham. "I think it would be best if you didn't pop into existence right in front of her," said Darkrai, "so I'm dropping you at a point near her location. You should be able to find her fairly easily from there."

Medicham nodded. "Thank you, Darkrai."

"Anytime," Darkrai replied, and then the shadows engulfed Medicham. Instinctively, Medicham squeezed her eyes shut; when she opened them again, she was standing in the middle of a metallic hallway she instantly recognized as an area of J's ship.

Immediately Medicham glanced around; it did not seem that anyone else was in this hallway. Down the hallway to the left was a single unmarked door, and to the right the hallway split off in two directions. A few other doors lay along the hallway, all similarly unmarked, but Medicham's eyes instantly fell on a single door. Unlike the rest, this one was open slightly, and it looked significantly more sturdy than all the other doors, with a keypad and what looked like a hand scanner emblazoned on the wall beside it. From within, Medicham could faintly hear the murmur of a female voice; she knew at once who it was.

Dropping into a crouch, Medicham crept towards the door. It wasn't quite open enough for her to fit through, so she reached out as carefully as she could and slowly slid it open a little further. Her heart thumped in her chest as she waited for it to creak, but the door was mercifully silent. Medicham pushed until the gap was just barely wide enough for her to squeeze through, then crept through on her tiptoes; before she moved forwards further, she decided it would be prudent to pull the door back to its original position before continuing on.

As she turned to do so, her ears caught another faint sound, a rustle, like something else moving just as quietly as she was. Her first thought was that it was the door, brushing against something, and so she cast her eyes downwards to make sure nothing lay under it. But the rustling continued, and now Medicham could make out that it was growing ever so slightly louder. Medicham felt a surge of sudden fear rush through her as she realized the noise was coming from behind her, for she knew exactly what that meant.

Someone was sneaking up behind her.

The rustling stopped. Medicham tapped into Detect; instantly her Aura yanked her to the side as a blast of what was clearly Electric energy slammed into the door right where she'd been standing. Twisting, Medicham spotted her assailant lunging for her - a Galvantula, glowing yellow with crackling electricity in the darkness - and let fly with a near-instant Bullet Punch. The Galvantula was sent reeling backwards; it skidded to a halt, its eyes glistening with a strange white light.

"Compound Eyes," the Galvantula hissed. "Ocular Flash."

Galvantula's eyes lit up like a high-powered flashlight, shining right into Medicham's own eyes. Medicham bit back a cry of pain as she stumbled backwards, raising one arm to try and deflect the blinding light.Arceus, how many Pokemon in Galar have blinding powers?She heard the sound of energy blasting outwards and fired a swift Psychic in Galvantula's general direction, then activated Detect once more; it was well she did, for again her Aura managed to pull her out of the way of some sort of follow-up attack. From the muffled metallicthump, Galvantula had tried to lunge for her.

Spinning, still operating more on instinct than anything, Medicham lashed out with a Fire Punch. The flaming fist connected with flesh; Galvantula let out a pained snarl, shortly followed by anotherthump, this one louder, as his body hit the opposite wall.

It was only then that Medicham heard the sounds of another pair of footsteps to her left, rapid and not trying to be stealthy; a second later a Pokeball hissed open, and a loud roar sounded as something else rushed her. "Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" Medicham growled, raising her stump of a left arm and forming a hemispherical shield across it; even so, she stumbled and nearly fell as her new assailant rammed full-tilt into the Aura Barrier, her stagger only cut short by the metal door. Medicham followed up with an Aura Wave, no longer caring about being stealthy; as she did so, her vision finally cleared, and she lowered her right arm, quickly taking in the forms of her attackers.

Galvantula was still crouched against the wall Medicham had thrown him into, looking somewhat scorched. On Medicham's other side stood a large Krookodile, and in front of Medicham stood the telltale form of Elle, still wearing her uniform and clearly breathing heavily, a Watchog standing protectively between her and Medicham. All three of the Pokemon had Protect barriers up; Medicham could see the remnants of her Aura Wave dissipating against them. Immediately, Medicham dropped her battle-stance; she was relieved to see Elle's Pokemon not immediately launch attacks, though they remained crouched, understandably still distrustful.

"You're Marcus's Medicham," said Elle. "What are you doing here?"

Her voice was harsh and inquisitive at the same time, a far cry from the calm, happy tone Medicham remembered. Medicham took another deep breath. "I…" she began, then stopped. There was no reason to beat around the bush. "It's me, Elle," she said quietly. "It's Spirit."

She saw a vestige of hope - almost too fast to see - flare across Elle's eyes before it faded again. "You can't be Spirit," Elle murmured darkly. "Spirit's dead."

"We met in Hoenn," Medicham continued, speaking far more rapidly and desperately than she wanted to. "On Mount Pyre. You'd lost to Norman, and you were exploring Hoenn with Pad and Obsidia, trying to find your way. I got angry because you disturbed my meditation and challenged you to a fight - you specifically, and Obsidia had to interfere to keep me from trying to punch you…"

She saw Elle's eyes lighting up again and knew she was getting through to her. "I survived, Elle," she continued. "I was taken in by a group of friendly wild Pokemon. Whatever happened to me, I'd lost my memory - I couldn't find you again because I didn't even remember your name. And…"

She trailed off as she saw a single tear fall from Elle's eye. "I'm so glad to see you again," Medicham whispered.

Elle took a deep, shuddering breath. She reached up and wiped the tear from her face, then took another one. Swiftly, she signaled for her team to stand down; Galvantula, Krookodile, and Watchog were all still watching Medicham carefully, but they did drop their own battle-stances. Elle took yet another breath, and then spoke again. "Why are you here?"

That was not the response Medicham had been expecting. "When I saw you, I…" She hesitated again, scared that she was saying something wrong. "I couldn't stay away," she finished at last.

"You should have." Elle's voice was choked. She turned away from Medicham and began to step back the way she'd come, back into whatever room she'd been in before Medicham had arrived. Her team began to follow, casting glances back at Medicham.

Medicham stepped after her. "Why?"

"Because I'm not the same Trainer you once knew!" Elle cried, rounding on Medicham; over her shoulder, Medicham could see the inside of the room Elle had come from. She saw Pokemon sitting in metal cages alongside stone statues of Pokemon that Medicham instinctively somehow knew were actual Pokemon petrified, and she took a step back. The exertion seemed to have exhausted Elle; she slumped, taking yet another shuddering breath, and looked back at the room herself.

"I wish I could say I was proud," she murmured. "But after the attack…I was hurt. Hurt in more ways than the physical." She turned, looking straight into Medicham's eyes. "I losteverythingthat day," she said. "I didn't want to go back home. I didn't want anything to do with Pokemon ever again. And when I met a man who offered me a chance to join a group in Unova whose goals were to protest the use of Pokemon in battle, I jumped at the chance. That man was Ghetsis, and that group was Team Plasma."

Medicham's eyes widened; she instantly knew it was the wrong reaction as Elle looked away. "When Ghetsis launched his attack on the Pokemon League," said Elle, "I wanted to get away. But by then it was too late. All members of Team Plasma were declared terrorists by the International Police. I was given a Patrat and a Sandile and thrown into a war I didn't want any part of. I did what I had to do to survive. Including a lot of things I'm not proud of. Eventually, I rose through the ranks to the point where Zinzolin - one of the Seven Sages, a major Team Plasma commander - took notice of me. At the time, J was working with Team Plasma, running missions for them for twice her usual fee. She lost one of her crewmates in an ambush by N and needed a replacement. Zinzolin volunteered me, and next thing I know, I'm tossed a Galvantula and shoved onto J's ship. And…that was that. After Sinnoh, the International Police had put out a statement that anyone who served under Hunter J would automatically receive life imprisonment if caught. It was intended to dissuade people from joining her, in the hopes that it would starve her of potential crewmates. All it did was ensure that anyone on her crew was pretty much trapped there for life."

Elle looked into Medicham's eyes once more. "So here I am," she said. "A Team Plasma Grunt. A Pokemon poacher. Causing pain and suffering to every Pokemon I meet." She glanced back towards the room she'd come from. "I come here every night to…try and comfort the captives. Make them feel at least a little better."

"But that proves you're not a monster!" Medicham protested. "You're not like Ghetsis, or J-"

"Toyou, maybe," Elle retorted. "But the International Police don't care. I'm on Hunter J's ship - that automatically makes me the worst kind of criminal. So it's the same decision I've been forced to make every day since I joined Team Plasma - either I rot in prison or I keep committing crimes. And at least out here, Imightbe able to change a few things for the better."

Medicham wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that there was a third option, but for the life of her she couldn't come up with anything. If only Marcus knew who Elle was…he was a Gym Leader, he might be able to arrange something…but no. Medicham opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again, guilt overwhelming her. She glanced around at Watchog, Krookodile, and Galvantula - all three were looking saddened, any sense of hostility gone from their gazes.They're trapped just like she is,Medicham realized; the sense of guilt now hurt even more.

"It was good to see you again, Spirit," said Elle. "And I'm glad you found a good Trainer in the end." She gave Medicham the slightest of smiles. "You should go," she finished. A clear dismissal.

Medicham didn't argue. She couldn't bring herself to say another word against Elle. She simply turned and walked away; behind her, she heard receding footsteps as Elle finally stepped back into the room full of caged, trapped Pokemon.

As Medicham reached for the door, she heard a cough behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see Galvantula staring at her. "So it's true?" he asked. "You're Spirit?"

I'd rather be called Medicham, she was going to say, but bit back the words. "Yes," she said.

Galvantula let out a quiet chuckle. "She talks about you often, you know," he said. "Reminisces about happier times. Before…everything."

"I'm sorry if I caused her pain," said Medicham.

"Don't apologize," said Galvantula. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I attacked you, after all."

"I…" Medicham sighed. "I just can't help but feel like I hurt her more."

"You didn't," Galvantula stated emphatically. "I can tell she's feeling a lot better than she has in a very long time. So…thank you. From all three of us."

Medicham gave Galvantula an honest, relieved smile. "Thankyou," she whispered, and then she turned back towards the door, her ears picking up the sound of rustling as Galvantula retreated.

She wouldn't deny that the conversation with Galvantula had made her feel a lot better. She took a deep, calming breath as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway, offhandedly glancing from side to side to make sure no one else was nearby.

And promptly stumbled backwards, her heart leaping into her throat, as she beheld the steely-eyed visage of Hunter J staring right at her, leaning against the wall next to the door Medicham had just walked out of with a terrifyingly calm expression on her face.

Medicham watched, frozen, as J detached herself from the wall and reached out, slowly closing the door all the way. The faint sound of footsteps and the quiet murmur of Elle's voice disappeared, blocked off by the clearly soundproof door. J turned back towards Medicham, the corners of her lips curling upwards slightly. "Do you really think I don't know what is going on aboard my own ship?" she asked, her voice hushed yet just as menacing as usual, if not more so.

"I…" Medicham stuttered, scrambling to try and come up with some sort of excuse. "I…"

"Don't bother," J said dismissively. "I don't care. My crew members can have their quirks and foibles, so long as they don't lead to treason and mutiny. Elle has served me well the past four years; I can forgive a little bit of softness as long as it comes after the captures and not before.However…considering your presence here, I have a feeling you and Elle have a history."

"We've met before," Medicham admitted, "butit's not that big of a deal."

"Is it not?" J asked. Raising her arm, she tapped a couple of what must have been buttons on the top; a small screen flickered to life, bathing the hallway in a faint blue light. Medicham could see words on the screen, though they were facing away from her and thus reversed so that she couldn't make them out; what shecouldmake out was a picture of Elle, also reversed but still clearly recognizable, dressed in a casual outfit that resembled what Medicham remembered of her far more than the uniform she currently wore.

"Elle Richard Harper," said J. "Born in Lavaridge Town, Hoenn, in the year 2004. Gathered four Hoenn Gym Badges before embarking on a trip to Kalos. Disappeared while training in Mountain Kalos; found unconscious and badly wounded thirty-six hours later on the outskirts of Couriway Town. Injuries consistent with that of a wild Pokemon attack. Her entire team of three were missing and are presumed dead - said team included, all with nicknames, a Camerupt, a Lotad, and a Meditite." J looked back at Medicham, her eyes boring into Medicham's own. "I'm not a fool…Spirit."

Medicham stared back rigidly. "My name is Medicham."

"Again, I don't care," J retorted. "What I do care about is my crew's loyalty. And if Elle starts reminiscing about her past, about more innocent times, well…that could cause problems. So." J's eyes narrowed. "Let's doallof us a favor, and have this meeting be your last."

Medicham felt a sudden surge of fury. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was glaring right back at J. "How can you be so cruel?" she snarled. "Elle has feelings! Ideas of her own! You don't even care, do you? You'd rather all your crewmates be servile robots like Maya!"

"Of course," said J. "Maya is one of my most valuable crew membersbecauseshe obeys me without question. It's only natural that I'd rather all my crew be the same way."

"You'redisgusting,"Medicham snarled. "You treat your crew the same way you treat Pokemon - like dirt beneath your feet."

"On the contrary," J replied, "I treat my crew entirely differently from how I treat Pokemon. My crew are useful to me in many different ways. Whereas Pokemon are only useful for making me money. And the only reason I'm not auctioning you and your friends off to the highest bidder is because that would make me less money than what I'm being offered to protect your Trainer. You are entirely correct that I treat Pokemon like dirt beneath my feet, because that's what youare. It is a simple fact of life that Pokemon are inherently lesser to humans."

"That is not true!" Medicham cried.

"Then why areyouthe ones in the Pokeballs?" J asked. "Why areyouthe ones taking orders? Pokemon exist to serve humans. To beusedby humans, however humans deem fit. Your Trainer uses you, does he not?"

"That's different," Medicham growled.

"How?" J asked. "He has his way of using Pokemon, I have mine. He uses Pokemon to battle for him. I use Pokemon to make myself rich. And you can claim that's 'wrong' all you want, but it'smy choice."

"And your Pokemon are okay with that?" Medicham asked. "They're okay with being called 'inherently lesser' and 'dirt beneath your feet'? They're okay with serving someone who doesn't care one bit about them?"

One of J's Pokeballs erupted in a surge of white light as Aeris released himself. The massive Salamence landed on the ground between J and Medicham. "You have no right to speak for us," he snarled. "You have no right to try and poison our minds against our Trainer. Do you think we are incapable of independent thought?"

"Then why do you serve a monster like her?" Medicham asked.

"We areallmonsters!" Aeris roared. "But we are ateamof monsters. J may see us as lesser, but she treats us well, and she encourages her crew to do the same with their Pokemon, because she knows that well-treated Pokemon will serve her more readily than ill-treated Pokemon. And she's absolutely right. We areherPokemon, just as she isourTrainer. So you can call us monsters all you want. Arceus knows you're far from the first. But it won't change anything. Because we are a team, and teammates don't turn on each other."

Aeris heaved a sigh. "Do you know why we have nicknames?" he asked. "It is not because of attachment, but as a symbol of our bond. We chose one another's nicknames. J does not use them, and we do not ask her to." He snorted softly. "You can deny it all you want, Medicham, but we are alike. We are both leaders of teams that would gladly die for one another. We both willingly serve our Trainers and their ideologies without complaint. And when it comes down to it, if our Trainers are in danger, to save them we would happily risk life…" The Salamence shifted, raising his right hind leg. "…or limb."

Medicham's eyes widened as she realized that the leg was a different color than the rest of Aeris's body; swiftly, she scanned the appendage, and her eyes grew even wider as she saw the visible metal and plastic connecting the leg to the rest of the body. "How?" she asked.

"Azelf," Aeris answered. "A permanent reminder to never mess with Legendaries. You know, if we hadn't gotten out of Sinnoh when we did, Lake Valor very well might have been our tomb." Aeris shifted again, looking back at Medicham. "J spared no expense. Kidnapped one of the most noted prosthetists in the UPW to make me a new leg. I owe her for that, if nothing else. Now I know that you and your Trainer are here as our guests. That our goal is to ensure none of you are harmed. But make no mistake, Medicham…if youevertry to turn any of us against our Trainer again, I'll make sure you regret it."

With that, Aeris looked back towards J and nodded. J swiftly recalled him, then fixed Medicham with a cold glare. "I suggest you return to your quarters," she advised, and then she turned and walked away, her coat swishing behind her as she went.

Medicham only now realized she was shaking. Swiftly, she looked around to make sure that no oneelsewas around. Her eyes caught sight of the now-closed door separating her from Elle, and lingered there for a moment. She squeezed them shut, trying to blink back sudden tears, and cast out her thoughts. "I'm ready to go back," she whispered telepathically.

A few seconds later, she heard a faint humming in her mind as Darkrai began his Perish Song, and braced herself for the return trip.

Scorbunny was fairly certain that multiple hours had passed. He'd spent most of that time scouring the trash-filled room for ways in or out, scrambling across trash pile after trash pile using anything that was remotely sturdy and a few things that weren't. He'd found several, but they'd all been out of reach or, in one heartbreaking case, so slippery with some sort of oil that he couldn't get up its slope no matter how hard he tried. At a few points he'd almost given up, sitting down morosely on whatever surface he'd located and resolving to just wait until someone came to find him. But deep inside, Scorbunny knew that no one was coming, and every new piece of trash that clanked or splattered down one of the many chutes leading into this room reinforced that understanding.

He was tired, but he dared not sleep, for fear that he might miss it if someonedidcome down here. He was hungry, but he dared not touch any of the half-eaten, trash-covered food he saw. And he was filthy, covered in slime and goop and substances he couldn't even come close to identifying after several falls into piles of trash. But finally, after what seemed like forever, Scorbunny had found a way out; a section of the garbage pile had risen high enough that, from the top, Scorbunny could just barely grab onto the lip of another diagonal chute, and mercifully this one had not been too slimy to climb.

As Scorbunny began to clamber up the chute, he realized that it was actually surprisingly clean. The other chutes, from what Scorbunny had been able to tell, were understandably disgusting, but while the metal in here wasn't exactly shining, it was nowhere near as trash-strewn as the rest of the chutes.

Is this one just unused?

Scorbunny's hand hit something sticky.Ah, there we go, Scorbunny thought. A few hours ago he would have recoiled in disgust; now, though he closed his eyes and tried to squeeze his nostrils shut to block off the sights and smells of whatever garbage he was moving through, he'd grown desensitized enough to press on.

More stickiness. Scorbunny kept going, even though he had to stop a couple times to wrench his hands or feet free of sticky stuff. If anything, though, the stickiness was useful - it was much easier to use to climb than the smooth surface of the chute.Hopefully it's not too much farther to whatever trash can leads into this chute,Scorbunny thought as he pressed onwards.And please, Arceus, don't let this end in some kind of sheer drop that I can't climb up. I can't bear for this to be another dead end…

Scorbunny's face hit something sticky. Reflexively he stumbled backwards, spitting as he did so; the back of his head struck something else sticky, and as he tried to shift in response his legs got tangled in something else. He heard a sudden hissing noise from in front of him; a second later something grasped his arms and pulled them outwards in either direction. In but a second, all four of Scorbunny's limbs had been immobilized. Swiftly, Scorbunny opened his eyes, trying to make out what was entangling him.

He froze immediately as he beheld the vicious-looking Ariados standing mere inches away from his face.

The Ariados let out a quiet chuckle. "Oh, this is funny," she whispered. "Normally when food falls into my web, it comes from theotherdirection."

"I…I…I'm not food…" Scorbunny whimpered. "Please don't eat me…"

"Are yousure?" The Ariados crept closer, fangs dripping with venom. Scorbunny shrank back as best he could, well aware that his chest and stomach were exposed. "You look sosucculent," the Ariados continued. "Sodelicious…"

Scorbunny turned his head to the side, closing his eyes; a pitiful whimper escaped his throat.

All at once, the Ariados began to chuckle; Scorbunny opened his eye just enough for him to see, and saw out of the corner of it the Ariados retreating. "Oh, please. You actually think I'd eatyou? You lookdisgusting. And besides, I don't eat live Pokemon. I havestandards."

Scorbunny swallowed. "But then…why would you…"

"It was funny," said the Ariados. "Let's start over. Hello. I'm Myrma. What's your name?"

"Sc…Scorbunny." Scorbunny tried to shift and realized he was still restrained by Myrma's webs. "I…didn't expect to see anyone else down here."

"Neither did I," said Myrma. "This garbage chute connects to the cafeteria, you know. Everyone throws leftover food down here. And it falls straight into my web, where I can eat it at my leisure." The Ariados chuckled again. "Not that J doesn't feed me plenty, but sometimes you just want a little midnight snack."

"J?" Scorbunny asked. "Who's J?"

Myrma looked at him strangely. "Hunter J, of course. How are you on this ship if you don't know who Hunter J is? I can't…" Myrma stopped short; her eyes began to widen. "Wait…you're a Scorbunny…" Her eyes gleamed. "You're one of that girl's Pokemon, aren't you. Greta?"

"Gloria," Scorbunny corrected, before realizing he'd just confirmed Myrma's suspicions.

Myrma let out a quiet curse. "You're supposed to be unconscious."

"Well…" Scorbunny hesitated, remembering that yes, hewassupposed to be unconscious. "I…guess…I'm not?"

"Evidently." Myrma fired another strand of webbing from her fangs; it looped around Scorbunny's chest, and with a swift tug the Ariados pulled him free of the other webs. Then she began to step towards Scorbunny, more web dribbling from her fangs. "Hey, wait, wait!" Scorbunny cried. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Take you back to your room, of course," said Myrma. "Wrapped up in my webs, of course, so that no one else knows you got out. Because, Scorbunny, let me make something clear; my Trainer is not a kind person. Far from it. And for reasons far greater than you would understand, she would much ratheryourTrainer not know who it was who rescued her. So I wouldgreatlyappreciate it if you would keep quiet about everything you've seen and heard. And I'm sure your friends would greatly appreciate it too…if you get my meaning."

Scorbunny swallowed. "Yeah, I get it."

"Good," said Myrma. "Now, do me a favor and don't squirm. I'd prefer for this process to go as smoothly as possible…"

Kriesh was awakened by a loud metallic rapping. In an instant she could tell it was earlier than she was used to getting up, for it took her several moments to even will herself to open her eyes, let alone rise from her sleeping position. It took another couple moments for Kriesh to remember where she was. Sleepily, she wondered why one of Hunter J's crew would be waking up Marcus so early in the morning…

Medicham.

All sleep was banished from her mind as she sat bolt upright. Scrambling over to the crack in her Luxury Ball, she peered out, eyes scanning wildly for Medicham's Luxury Ball. A state of profound relief washed over her as she beheld it, the light turned on, indicating the occupant was present.

So she's safe. Thank Arceus…but then why would we-

"What is it?" Marcus groaned sleepily.

"We have arrived at your drop-off point." The unmistakable robotic voice of Maya came through the door. "Hunter J has requested that I escort you to Teleport Room B."

That roused Marcus, and only five minutes later he was following Maya through the hallways of Hunter J's airship for what Kriesh fervently hoped would be the last time. "So why do you have special teleport rooms?" Marcus asked as he walked slightly behind Maya. "Considering that J's henchmen seemed to teleport directly onto the bridge."

"We cannot teleport heavy machinery onto the bridge," Maya replied. "Trucks and other machines require specialized teleport rooms. We are using one for this because J deemed the unconscious bodies of your compatriots too unwieldy to carry all the way to the bridge."

As she spoke, Maya turned left and stepped through an opening door into a room that was a lot larger than Kriesh had been anticipating. Looking around, Kriesh spotted quite a bit of the heavy machinery Maya had been talking about - huge black trucks sat in large hangars alongside several machines that were alien to Kriesh. In the center of the room stood J, accompanied by Thomas, four of her henchmen, and two stretchers carrying Hop and Gloria's unconscious forms.

"Good, you're here," said J. "Let's make this quick. We're going to drop you and your entourage in the Wild Area. You will wait for them to wake up, then explain to them that you were similarly rendered unconscious and woke up several minutes before them. Once you have explained the situation, there is an outpost around a quarter-mile directly to the west where a pair of Diggers reside. Let them know who you are, and they will promptly contact the authorities to escort you to civilization. I will be watching, and if you deviate from the instructions I have just given you in any way - or let anyone know I am in Galar - I will ensure you regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

Marcus nodded. "You do."

J returned the nod. "Prepare for transport," she told Thomas.

Thomas obediently sent out his Venomoth. "Over here, if you please."

Marcus swiftly stepped over, grasping Thomas's outstretched hand. "Transport prepared," said Thomas.

"Transport away," J replied. Venomoth flashed with Psychic energy, and in the next moment Marcus, Thomas, and J's four henchmen were standing in the middle of a copse of trees.

The henchmen wasted no time in offloading Hop and Gloria's forms onto the grass below. Thomas stepped back as the four henchmen did the same, carrying the stretchers Hop and Gloria had been on. Without a word, all five vanished, leaving Marcus, Hop, and Gloria alone.

Kriesh had never been so glad to see the sun. Well,neverwasn't quite the right word, but it still felt good to bask in the sunlight streaming through the crack in her Luxury Ball. J's airship had felt cold, dreary, and suffocating; Kriesh was more than happy to be out.

The airship itself could not be seen; Kriesh knew it was cloaked, and was likely even now flying swiftly away. At this point, she didn't care, and from the look of it, neither did Marcus. The Gym Leader was smiling as he looked up towards the beautiful blue sky.

A quiet groan came from below. Both Kriesh and Marcus looked down to see Hop and Gloria beginning to stir. Marcus heaved a sigh. "All right," he murmured, clearly recalling J's instructions. "Let's get all this over with…"

J is difficult. She's one of those characters who is absolutely pure evil, and in the anime, she and her crew were pretty much exclusively presented as obstacles to be overcome. Since she's (technically) working with Marcus, I can't write her or them like that, which is fairly challenging when the last thing you want is for her to be OOC. Let me know what you think of her portrayal so far! (I say 'so far' as if she'll appear again, which she certainly, definitely,obviouslywon't.)

Chapter 13: Motostoke City

Chapter Text

Charizard streaked through the sky, propelling himself with Tailwind whilst calling upon Fly to secure Leon and ensure his Trainer didn't fall off from sheer speed. He could tell Leon didn't mind - if anything, he would have wanted Charizard to go even faster. But this was the top speed Charizard could reach without actively risking Leon's safety, and so despite the urgency of the situation he dared not call upon Acrobatics, Flame Charge, or Dragon Dance to enhance his speed even more.

They'd received word about ten minutes ago that Marcus, Hop, and Gloria had been found in the Wild Area, just south of Motostoke. The news had felt like a massive weight off Charizard's shoulders; Leon hadn't been able to find Hop in the crush of injured, semi-panicked refugees, and had clearly been starting to give up hope by the time he'd received it.

The towers of Motostoke City were coming into sight now; Charizard dipped, aiming his body for the southern gate. As he neared it, he spotted a small collection of humanoid forms, and his heart leaped as he spotted Hop, Gloria, and Marcus among them. Hop had clearly seen Leon coming, for he was waving wildly as Charizard streaked downwards. The Fire/Flying-type twisted as he neared the earth, slamming into the ground feet-first and skidding to a halt, his claws rending grooves into the ground.

Almost instantly, Leon was off and rushing towards the group. "Hop!"

"Lee!" The two brothers embraced tightly; it took a solid several seconds before Leon let go. "And Marcus and Gloria!" he said. "I'm so glad to see you all safe and sound!"

"We're glad to be safe," said Gloria.

"How did you get out into the Wild Area?" Leon asked. "I was searching all over the train wreck for you - I was really starting to get worried!"

"We don't really know," Marcus answered. "We were all knocked unconscious in the wreck - when we woke up, we were in the Wild Area."

"Huh…" Leon frowned. "Someone must've gotten you all out…and I know none of your Pokemon know Teleport, Marcus, so it must have been a third party. Well, whoever it is, I owe them a debt of gratitude."

"Listen," said Marcus. "Hop, Gloria, stay with Leon. Go get your Pokemon to a Pokemon Center. I'll head to the Budew Drop Inn and check you both in. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure thing!" said Hop.

Charizard watched Marcus as the foreign Gym Leader turned and stepped through the South Gate of Motostoke. He wasn't a fool. He could sense that Marcus's story came out far too rigid and measured, as if it were a memorized tale rather than an on-the-spot retelling. And he could sense that Marcus had gotten out of the conversation a bittooquickly for his liking.

Charizard knew a lie when he heard one. And he was fairly certain Marcus hadn't been entirely truthful about his story.

But why?Charizard frowned as he watched Marcus disappear through the gate.Why would you lie about something like that?

The Budew Drop Inn was already beautiful on the outside. The fine, dominantly red brick exterior was broken up by well-carved stone, forming both pillars and separations between the building's various floors, and large glass doors and windows that shone in the midday sun. As Marcus stepped through the sliding doors, Houndoom was already excited to see the interior, in a way that most hotels he'd stayed at couldn't come close to comparing to.

He was not disappointed.

Inside, the Budew Drop Inn practically screamed 'luxury'. The first thing that caught Houndoom's eyes (and from the interested grunt, Marcus's as well) was the huge golden statue in the center of the lobby, framed with two staircases heading up to the check-in desk on either side. The statue itself was of a pair of well-armored men; one carried a large shield in both hands, while the other was grasping an equally large sword, ready to slice down at some imaginary foe. The two golden men seemed to both be watching the entrance and therefore anyone who came through.

The rest of the lobby was similarly opulent. The well-polished tile floor was covered in several areas by rectangular plush red carpets with multicolored stripes. Wooden planters lined the walls, each carrying four near-identical potted plants, which along with the carpets added plenty of color to break up the dominantly-white floor. The lamps in each corner were the picture of luxury, as fancy as anything Houndoom had seen in the Kalos Pokemon League buildings and possibly even fancier. And dotting the walls were paintings depicting various battles, many of them with the telltale visage of Leon commanding his Charizard, but some showed other Trainers - a dark-skinned man pointing at an Aggron, a somewhat older man standing side by side with a Lucario in mirrored fighting poses. And that wasn't even mentioning the gigantic crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Thank goodness the League covers all the costs of staying here, Houndoom thought.Otherwise these Gym Challengers would be looking at eye-watering bills.

"Sonia?" Marcus asked. Only now did Houndoom see the orange-haired woman standing in front of the statue. She glanced behind her. "Marcus!" she cried; before Marcus could react, she'd raced across the room and tightly embraced him.

"Uh…thank you?" Marcus half-queried.

Sonia stepped back. "Sorry. It's just…ever since you disappeared…does Leon know-"

"Yes, he's already met up with Hop and Gloria," said Marcus.

"Thank Arceus." Sonia's shoulders slumped in relief. "We haven't had a train crash like that for decades! I can't imagine what that must have been like."

You have no idea,Houndoom thought darkly.

"Anyway," said Sonia, clearly wanting to change the subject, "have you seen this statue?"

"It's…kinda hard not to see," Marcus replied.

"It depicts the two kings who sacrificed their lives to save the Galar Region during the Darkest Day," said Sonia. "I could run through the legend real quick, if you fancy."

"I know the general gist of it," Marcus said hastily. "And I really want to get Hop and Gloria checked in before they arrive, so they can go straight to their rooms. The last thing they need is more delays."

"Absolutely," Sonia admitted. "Y'know, the main question we're facing is what caused the Darkest Day? I believe it's a Pokemon of some sort, probably a Legendary, but-"

"Sonia?"

"Right, sorry." Sonia stepped back. "I just…y'know…get lost in my own thoughts sometimes."

"No problem," said Marcus, turning and heading towards the nearest of the two staircases surrounding the golden statue. Houndoom breathed a quiet sigh of relief - he liked Sonia, but at the same time she clearly had a tendency to talk one's ear off if they let her.

That relief lasted all of two seconds before Marcus crested the staircase and laid eyes on the remainder of the lobby.

The waiting area was, naturally, luxurious, with brown leather couches, soft white couch cushions, and fine, sizable wooden tables instead of the basic chairs and small tables Houndoom was used to in hotels back in Kalos. But the waiting area was also filled with several perturbed-looking Trainers, all of whom were warily watching the area in front of the check-in desk, and the reason for that became immediately clear as Houndoom laid eyes on the four Trainers standing in front of it, two male and two female. The male Trainers were dressed in all-black clothing with hints of pink that was far too small for their bodies and thus revealed plenty of skin; the females were dressed similarly, but with entirely pink leggings. All four had spiked metal wristbands, similar bands around their ankles, studded black collars around their necks, and some sort of facepaint that formed a pink line around their faces - horizontal for the males, vertical for the females - culminating in a large black X upon the bridge of their noses. The males were carrying what looked like double-ended horns painted with the same color scheme as their clothing, while the females were both carrying banners proclaiming 'Team Yell'. All four had a symbol emblazoned on their chests - what looked like a pink clawed appendage, with the words 'Team Yell' written directly above it. The foursome were currently making a racket - blowing their horns, waving their banners, and stomping around - and blocking the way to the front desk.

Houndoom saw red. He remembered Leon mentioning a 'Team Yell' - the Champion had said they were merely a 'bunch of hooligans', Houndoom recalled - but even so, the sight of yet another evil team made his blood boil. Marcus seemed to feel similarly, if the tone of his voice was any indication. "What's going on?"

One of the female Team Yell Grunts glanced over at Marcus and spat in his direction. "None of your business is what's goin' on! We came all the way out to the big city so we could properly cheer on Gym Challengers!"

"Great," said Marcus, obviously thinking the opposite. "Well, would you mind getting out of the way? I need to check in."

"As if!" the female Grunt retorted.

"What's your problem?" the male Grunt on the left asked rudely. "Do you know who we are?"

"Team Yell," Marcus answered, his voice cold. "It's literally on your bannersandyour clothing."

"Exactly!" said the Grunt, puffing out his chest. "We're Team Yell! And we're here to help!"

"Help one very special Gym Challenger, that is," said the other male Grunt.

"We wanna make sure she gets cheered on nice and proper…" said one of the female Grunts.

"And now," said the second female Grunt, "either you get back over there with the others…or you're gonna help us make some noise!"

At that, all four of the Grunts sent out a few Pokemon each, totaling fourteen altogether; a motley mixture of Galarian Zigzagoons, Nickits, Purrloins, and Panchams, topped off by a Sneasel and a Sableye. All fourteen let out snarls, baring teeth and readying claws. Houndoom almost wanted to laugh.They seriously expectthatto intimidate Marcus?

Marcus, though, did not seem to be in a laughing mood. "All right, fine," he said, fury resplendent in his voice. "You want some noise? Houndoom…oblige them."

Houndoom grinned savagely as he materialized on the tiled floor.With pleasure.

"Just one Pokemon?" The second male Grunt snorted. "This'll be easy!" All four Grunts lifted their strange horn-like instruments (apparently the females had them too) to their mouths and blew into them; all fourteen of their Pokemon surged towards Houndoom with mingled battle cries.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Houndoom growled, allowing Blaze to billow at the edges of his snarling jaws. "Flash Fire: Flame Surge!"

A wave of Blaze, just as strong as the one that had devoured Corvikinght's horde in the Slumbering Weald, exploded out of Houndoom's jaws. Practically as soon as it materialized, Houndoom forced his will into it, commanding the flames to shift into fourteen identical fiery tendrils. The Blaze obeyed, twisting and molding itself into Houndoom's desired shape, and each tendril slammed bodily into a single enemy Pokemon. All fourteen were sent flying back to the feet of their Trainers; as the Blaze dissipated, Houndoom saw all fourteen of them slacken as unconsciousness took them.

All four Grunts stopped dead; one of the females actually dropped her instrument. "Wait, what?" the other female asked.

"I suggest," Marcus said, his voice just as cold as before, "that you recall your unconscious Pokemon and get out of this hotel."

Staring with wide eyes at Houndoom, the Grunts quickly obliged, fleeing the hotel with their Pokemon in tow as fast as their legs could carry them. A smattering of applause followed in their wake. "Whoa!" one kid, a blond boy with straight hair that nearly came down over his eyes, called. "That was awesome!"

Other voices joined in, throwing praise in the direction of Marcus and Houndoom. But even as Houndoom drank in the praise, a pang of discomfort permeated in his mind.Those Pokemon…despite being Trained, they were barely stronger than Corviknight's gang of Rookidees. Even Team Skull's unevolved Pokemon were tougher than that!

Why, he couldn't help but wonder,would an evil team be using barely Trained Pokemon?

The Lower Motostoke Pokemon Center was surprisingly quiet. Grookey had heard in passing that most Gym Challengers used the Upper Motostoke Pokemon Center on the second and higher 'ring' of the city, as it was closer to the Budew Drop Inn, the hotel allotted for such Gym Challengers. But Hop and Gloria hadn't really cared about such things - they'd simply gone to the closest Pokemon Center to Motostoke's South Gate, and that had happened to be the Lower Motostoke Pokemon Center.

Of course, Grookey didn't mind. In fact, he quite liked the privacy, especially since the nurses had ordered both Hop and Gloria's teams to stay the night after detecting the aftereffects of the gas in their systems. Grookey's heart thumped just thinking about it; he was fairly certain he wasn't the only one who hadn't been knocked unconscious in the train crash, his Pokeball protecting him from the worst of it. And he remembered, clear as day, peering out of the crack in his Pokeball only to see a contingent of uniformed, masked men attaching a hose to the device, a hose that had begun to spray gas into the Pokeball's confines…

Grookey swallowed and glanced around, trying to forget that memory. At present, in the Pokemon Center's back room, there was only Hop's team, Gloria's team, a pair of Rolycoly that must have belonged to some other Trainer, and a single Hatterene leaning against the opposite wall, not moving. Bunnelby and Scorbunny were talking together on the other side of the room, Wooloo was curled up in the corner, and Grookey himself was bouncing a small ball with his stick, letting it crest to the top of its bounce before swatting it back downwards again and again. But even as he was bouncing the ball, one of Grookey's eyes was locked on Rookidee. The Flying-type hadn't said a word since they'd all been released into this back room; she was standing near Grookey, eyes fixed on a small hairline crack in the wall neat the Hatterene, her gaze slowly traveling up the crack and down again.

Grookey felt a rush of air as his stick missed the ball; it fell back to the ground, bounced a few more times, and rolled off to the side, out of reach. The Grass-type sighed, glancing back at Rookidee again.I need to talk to her, he thought to himself.I can't just sit here and let her feel trapped. I need to let her know that she is among friends.

Slowly, he stood and began to amble over to Rookidee. He wasn't sure if she saw him coming; at the very least she didn't turn to look at him.There's a chance that this doesn't work, Grookey recognized.A chance this all falls apart. But what kind of teammate would I be if I stood back and let her self-destruct?

I have to take the chance.

"Hey, Rookidee," said Grookey. "You…all right?"

"I'm fine," Rookidee replied, not looking at Grookey.

Grookey hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Rookidee; the Flying-type glanced over at him with narrowed eyes. "Wouldn't you rather sit next to someone whowantsto talk to you?"

Grookey sighed. "I'm just trying to make you feel more comfortable, Rookidee. It's a lot better to have friends than to not have them, at least in my experience."

"I tried to kill you," Rookidee pointed out. "Why would you want to be 'friends' with me?"

"Because we're teammates," Grookey responded. "And I've learned that Trained Pokemon work together much better when they're friends! So…" He hesitated again, trying to come up with some sort of conversation topic. "About the Pokemon Center. It's comfortable, right?"

Rookidee frowned. "I will admit it is far more comfortable than anything in the Weald," she said. "But a comfortable prison is still a prison."

"It's better when you don't think of it as a prison." Grookey and Rookidee's heads swiveled towards Wooloo as he stepped up to the pair. "Just think of it as a new home. Before long you'll adjust."

Rookidee took a small step back, away from Grookey and Wooloo. "I know what you're doing," she said. "You're trying to make me feel better. Make me feel morewelcome. Make me loosen up and start enjoying myself." She narrowed her eyes even more. "Did you enjoy being caught in that train crash? Did you enjoy being gassed and kidnapped by unknown strangers? Did you enjoy nearlydying? Are you seriously asking me to enjoy myself after my first day as a Trained Pokemon ends withthat?"

"You talk about nearly dying," said Grookey, "and yet, like you yourself said, you tried to kill me only a day or two earlier. So yes, there's peril in being a Trained Pokemon. But there's also friends, and cool battles, and growing stronger…"

"Tell me, Rookidee," Wooloo piped up, "can you seriously claim that life under Corviknight was any better?"

Rookidee's eyes flashed with anger and she opened her beak to deliver a sharp retort, but before any words could leave a new voice butted in. "All right, I've heard enough."

All three of Hop's team members turned to see Gloria's Bunnelby striding across the room towards them. "This isn't a conversation anymore," she said. "This is just you three tossing a bunch of pointed questions at each other, both sides trying to make the other hesitate. I've seen that before, and I know that kind of argument never ends well. Rookidee, if you really don't like this, then all Pokemon Centers are equipped with Psychics that can let you talk to Trainers. See her?" He gestured over to the Hatterene standing serenely over by the opposite wall. "You want to leave? Talk to her. She'll get you set up with Hop, and before you know it you'll be free to leave."

"Leavewhere?" Rookidee growled. "I can't return to my forest - Corviknight will kill me. And everywhere else is completely unfamiliar. I won't be able tosurvive!"

"So youdon'twant to leave Hop?" Bunnelby glared at Rookidee. "Well, then, quit complaining about having to stay with him." She motioned to Grookey and Wooloo. "If you're staying with Hop, then like it or not, they're your teammates. And pushing them away like you seem insistent on doing is completely counterintuitive. Iknowit's hard, but the fact is that theyaretrying to help."

Rookidee looked away, saying nothing.

Bunnelby glanced over towards Grookey and Wooloo. "And it's not likeyou'reclean either. Pokemon like Rookidee…you can't force them to adapt. Trying to make them open up just makes them close themselves off more. These things taketime- don't you understand? Don't you get what she's lost? She's lost her entire life! Her home, her family!" Grookey saw Rookidee's eyes swiveling back over to Bunnelby, her small body beginning to tremble in place. "You don't think she has a mother? Imagine how it would feel to lose her! To never be able to speak to her again, to never be able to evenseeher again, because-"

"SHUT UP!" Rookidee's screech of pure rage sent Grookey leaping backwards as the Flying-type advanced on Bunnelby, her body beginning to flare with energy. "You don't get to talk about her like that! You don't get to tell me what it's like to-"

Abruptly, Rookidee's entire body froze in place, her voice cut off, as a Psychic aura flared to life around her. The Hatterene, who had been watching the conversation the entire time, detached herself from the wall. "Please keep your voice down and refrain from fighting. There are other guests who may wish not to be disturbed."

She leaned back against the wall and released Rookidee. The Flying-type took a deep breath, her rage spent. Without a word, she turned and flounced off to the nearest corner, where she sat down heavily, facing the wall.

Grookey and Wooloo both gazed after her in shock. Bunnelby sighed. "You should leave her alone," she murmured, and then she turned and began to trot back across the room.

Scorbunny watched as Grookey and Wooloo glanced at each other, nodded, and stepped away to give Rookidee some privacy. He breathed a sigh of relief - even though they weren't her teammates, she knew Grookey well from the months they'd grown up together in the lab, and it hurt to see his pain at failing to get through to Rookidee.

Bunnelby sat down next to Scorbunny, looking morose. "I'm willing to bet her mother's dead," she murmured. "That was stupid of me. I thought I could solve their problems…instead I've just made things worse."

Scorbunny opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of what to say to make Bunnelby feel better.

Bunnelby chuckled softly to herself. "I thought I knew everything there was to know," she admitted. "I thought I was perfectly prepared for what awaited me in Galar. You know something, Scorbunny? A couple days before I left, my father told me: 'You can prepare all you want, but you can never be fully prepared for reality.' And he was right. It feels like this entire trip has just been one surprise after another. First the Weald, then the train…so much for a normal, peaceful journey."

"Hey, you're not alone," said Scorbunny. "Months growing up in a lab…I figured getting a Trainer would be all fun and games. Now we've almost died twice in the past few days…I can't imagine how Gloria must be feeling."

"Probably the same way we are." Bunnelby sighed. "The thing is…I don't like to admit it, but I'm scared, Scorbunny. And I can tell everyone else is, too. Tempers are fraying, we're all on edge. But it's not Corviknight, and it's not the train crash, and it's not even the fact that we nearly died that scares me. It's themysteryof it all. We don't know who attacked us on the train. We don't know whogassedus on the train. And Marcus isn't saying anything, even though it's obvious he knows at leastsomethingabout what's going on."

Scorbunny glanced away, trying to hide his sudden discomfort.I know why Marcus isn't saying anything…because I feel the same way that he's probably feeling. I know the name of the person who gassed us, and I can't tell anyone the truth, because I'm really scared of what might happen if I do.

I hate lying to Bunnelby. But there's no way I can tell her about Myrma. About J.

"I know," said Scorbunny. "I'm scared of that too. But…let's try and forget that, okay? Let's look ahead! The opening ceremony's coming up in a little over a week - let's concentrate on preparing for that and try to forget the past."

Bunnelby nodded. "You're right. It's not like other Gym Challenger teams are going to be sitting around and waiting. They're going to be training…and if we want to compete, we'll need to train too."

"Yeah," said Scorbunny, his voice sounding hollow even to himself as he felt another stab of guilt run him through. "Definitely."

ONE AND A HALF WEEKS LATER

Grookey wiped the sweat from his brow. He'd done so many times over the past week and a half, but rather than stemming from exhaustion incurred through training, this sweat stemmed from nervousness. For today was the day of the Opening Ceremony for the Galarian Gym Challenge, and for the next month of his life, it would be Grookey's job, as a Starter, to lead Hop to victory over all the other competitors.

When Grookey had first joined, Wooloo had been stronger than him; of that there was no doubt. But the past week and a half had changed the equation. Now Grookey was far stronger, and while he hesitated to outright call himselfstrongerthan Wooloo, he was definitely on a similar level to the Normal-type. Of particular note was his learning of two moves. The first, Taunt, allowed him to use Dark energy to incur an opponent into attacking at the cost of setup or defense - useful when dealing with a high-defense opponent such as Wooloo, who couldn't use his Defense Curl-fueled strategies when Grookey's Taunt incentivized him to charge immediately without bothering with the defense-increasing technique.

The second, though, was the real prize; Grookey had learned to unleash waves of Grass energy by swiping through the air with his stick. Hop called the technique Razor Leaf, and Grookey had embraced it immediately, grateful to finally have a ranged option.

Even Rookidee had thrown herself into training. She still preferred being on her own - and indeed neither Grookey nor Wooloo had approached her since their conversation back in the Pokemon Center - but occasionally she would partake in a mock battle against one of the two. The first time this happened to Grookey, he very quickly was reminded that the only reason he'd beaten Rookidee back in the forest was that part of his shattered branch had rendered her wing useless. Without that handicap, she flew circles around him; it wasn't until he learned Razor Leaf that Grookey was able to give Rookidee an even fight.

Grookey wiped his brow again.And all of that has been preparing us for this.He glanced out of his Pokeball, watching as the Motostoke Stadium, the location of the opening ceremony, came within view.

Gloria was walking beside Hop. She, too, had spent the past week and a half training up Scorbunny and Bunnelby. From what Grookey could tell, Bunnelby had taught Scorbunny Quick Attack, and Scorbunny had also learned the Fighting-type move Double Kick. Bunnelby, meanwhile, had learned Mud-Shot, an upgrade to Mud-Slap, and was beginning to learn Double Kick herself from Scorbunny, though she didn't have the technique down yet.

And behind them both walked Marcus. The Kalosian Gym Leader had taken a hands-off approach to mentoring, though occasionally Grookey would see one of his Pokemon alongside him - normally his Fearow, Kriesh, who appeared to be his main method of transportation. Naturally, Grookey knew they were all far stronger than any of Hop or Gloria's Pokemon; in fact, Grookey had heard rumors that Marcus's Houndoom had torn apart an entire gang of Pokemon from some group calling themselves 'Team Yell' in a single attack.

If he's a Gym Leader…does that mean I'm going to have to fight Pokemon like that before this is over?

The trio were heading for the entrance to the Motostoke Stadium, which was already swarming with Trainers. Some were heading straight through the doors; some were lining up outside in front of a man with a large Pokeball costume on his head, who was handing out free bags of Pokeballs. As the trio joined the former group, not wanting to wait in line, Grookey found himself staring at the various surrounding Trainers, confidence in their eyes and in the eyes of the Pokemon who walked or flew beside some of them. He fixated on one Trainer in particular, a curly-haired boy dressed in all purple, who practically radiated confidence as he strode up to the front desk with head held high, cutting in front of two other people to do so.

Grookey sighed.Even after all that training, I don't quite feel ready.

Hop and Gloria slid into the line gathering at said front desk, while Marcus hung back. An automated message began to play over the speakers. "All Gym Challengers will receive their uniforms, numbers, and League Cards at the front desk. All Gym Challengers will then report to Locker Room A, where they will receive further instructions."

Out of the corner of his eye, Grookey spotted a man dressed in the same uniform as the lady at the front desk walk up to Marcus. The two exchanged whispers for a moment, and then the man turned and began to head for a door on the other side of the room. Marcus followed close behind, leaving Grookey staring after him.

Huh, Grookey thought.That's odd. Where could he be going now?

"Locker Room B is just down this corridor," the man called over his shoulder. Kamado peered out of his Luxury Ball, watching as Marcus followed the man through the innards of the Motostoke Stadium. Apparently Locker Room B was where Leon's team was located; Kamado was a little surprised that they weren't, well, with Leon, but then again, thiswasa Champion's team. For all Kamado knew, they'd asked to be in Locker Room B rather than with their Trainer for a reason.

Kamado took a deep breath as the end of the corridor came within sight. It wasn't like meeting a Champion-level Pokemon was a new thing (and wasn'tthatweird to think about), but this would be the first time Kamado would spend a lengthy amount of time in the same room as a full Champion-level team. He didn't want to seem unnerved, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a little shaky at the prospect.

"Through here, please," said the man, pulling open a door. Marcus stepped through it and into one of the stranger rooms Kamado had ever seen. It was immediately obvious that this was a very luxurious locker room, one that was most likely reserved for Gym Leaders and up. Not only was it quite large, it also had a sizable window on the opposite wall, through which Kamado could see the field of the Motostoke Stadium and the heavily populated stands rising above it.There has to be thousands of people in those stands,Kamado realized.

The opposite wall also held a set of doors that, through a small glass window on each door, Kamado could see opened into a tunnel that led out onto the field. Kamado blinked, momentarily wondering how the tunnel and the window could coexist on the same wall; then the 'window' flickered, showing a different view of the field, and Kamado realized the window wasn't actually a window but rather a large television screen embedded into the wall. And beneath that screen stood…

"…what do you think about this one?"

Kamado blinked. He'd expected an orderly lineup of Pokemon, each of them standing tall and proud, ready to answer any question that came their way. He hadnotexpected an Aegislash, Dragapult, Rhyperior, Seismitoad, Haxorus, and Mr. Rime crammed together around what looked like another, smaller screen, complete with Sobble standing on Seismitoad's shoulder.

"Hmm…" the Haxorus muttered. "Arrokuda, Bounsweet, Elekid? He'd better have a good plan for taking down Milo, but if he does I can see him going places. You know what? I'll put down…five Sitrus Berry for him to make it to the tournament."

"Deal," said Mr. Rime.

"How about her?" Dragapult pointed with her tail to somewhere else on the screen.

Rhyperior snorted. "Are you kidding? A Grass specialist againstKabu? And even if she does get past Kabu, she'll run headlong into Melony. Absolutely not."

"I'm sorry," said Dragapult, "but you seem to be forgetting that Milo ran into - and beat - both of them in his run through the Gym Challenge."

"That's because he had a Flapple for Kabu and a whole sun-based strategy for Melony," Rhyperior countered. "Whereas all this girl's got is a Budew and a Pumpkaboo. You're not gonna get me to put anything down on her. Better luck next time."

"I…don't have any Sitrus Berries," Sobble murmured.

"That's okay," Seismitoad rumbled. "Just try and enjoy yourself. Take a look at the Trainers. Odds are you're gonna be facing one of 'em once all this is over."

"Not likely," Haxorus grunted. "You already know how this is gonna end, Seismitoad. With us facing down Raihan for the umpteenth time."

"I can't help but agree with Haxorus," Mr. Rime admitted. "What is it now, three years straight he's won the tournament?"

"Four, last I counted," said Seismitoad. "But who knows? Someone might get lucky this year."

At this point, Aegislash happened to glance behind him. "Ah," he said in a very regal tone that seemed unlike the casual voices used by the rest of the team. "It appears our visitors have arrived."

The rest of Leon's team turned to face Marcus and his team. Marcus stepped back, allowing his Pokemon to take center stage, as Rhyperior moved slightly forwards. The massive Rock/Ground-type looked the closest member of the team - Medicham, standing out in front - up and down. "So you're Leon's newest victims."

Dragapult lightly swatted him with her tail.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Rhyperior growled. "Y'all did our Trainer a real solid, helping out in the Weald. But that doesn't mean any of us are planning to hold back. You sure you're up for the challenge?"

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't," Medicham replied; the rest of the team nodded in commiseration.

Rhyperior grinned. "Perfect. Hope Leon picks me to fight…I haven't had a good scrap in a while."

"First, though," said Mr. Rime, "let us try and enjoy ourselves before the battle."

With that, the tension seemed to break, and the two teams wasted no time in mingling. Kamado spotted Haxorus staring right at him and hesitated; before he could recover, Haxorus was moving towards him, a glint in his eye.

"You'd be Marcus's Dragon?" Haxorus snorted. "Figures he'd be a Tyrantrum. Goodness knows we haven't seen enough of-"

"Haxorus, hush," Dragapult interrupted, appearing abruptly out of the shadows right next to Haxorus. "I seem to recall your name was Kamado? My apologies for my teammate - he's always been quite prickly."

Haxorus let out another derisive snort.

Kamado watched the two Dragon-types with quite a bit of apprehension; he felt like the center of attention, something that didn't quite sit well with him. "Are you…placing bets on the Gym Challengers?" Kamado asked, hoping the change in subject would cause Haxorus to forget this strange animosity.

"That we are," said Dragapult. "We do it every year. Each of us chooses a couple of challengers to back, and then we just let the Gym Challenge take its course."

"Though it feels like a bit of a moot point nowadays," Haxorus grumbled.

"Haxorus,hush!" Dragapult hissed.

"C'mon, Dragapult, you know I'm right," Haxorus growled. To Kamado he added, "I suppose you should know that instead of the standard Elite Four model, around here we have a Champion Cup finals bracket, where the winner of the Galar Gym Challenge competes against the Gym Leaders of the region in order to prove themselves worthy of facing the Champion. To have four battles, it's stylized so that first a randomly chosen Gym Leader goes head-to-head against the winning Trainer, and then whoever wins that matchup gets entered into a standard eight-Trainer tournament bracket, with quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals matches making up the other three Trainer battles. Got all that?"

"I do," said Kamado.

"Well," said Haxorus, "the problem with that arrangement is that the tournament doesn't end if the challenger is defeated - instead, if a Gym Leader comes out on top,theyget to fight Leon. And Raihan, the eighth and final Gym Leader of the region and Leon's self-proclaimed rival, is the strongest of the Gym Leaders by far. So every single Champion's Cup for the past four years, he's come out on top. And he's got a Tyrantrum, so…"

"So I remind you of Raihan's Tyrantrum," Kamado finished.

"Yeah," Haxorus admitted. "Sorry for being rude, by the way-"

"Thankyou," Dragapult murmured.

"-but at this point I've pretty much resigned myself to another year of facing Raihan," Haxorus finished.

"Well, I mean, Hop's competing this year," Kamado pointed out. "The Champion's brother's sure to do well."

Haxorus sighed, lowering his voice. "Don't tell Hop, or really anyone else…but I just don't think Hop's gonna go the distance. He's a good Trainer with a kind heart, but he's not as good of a battler as Leon. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'll get far, but Raihan will eat him for breakfast."

On the other side of the room, Kriesh and Medicham were speaking with Mr. Rime.

"I did want to thank you for the new technique," said Medicham. "I've been spending the last week and a half working on it, and I think I've got it figured out."

"Really?" Mr. Rime asked. "If that is the case, I'm impressed - you're quite a quick learner."

As usual, she fails to mention the Legendary she trains with every night, Kriesh noted amusedly to herself. She regretted it near-instantly; in the presence of such a powerful Psychic, her thoughts were just as open as her speech, and she felt a surge of sudden panic at the thought that Mr. Rime might have just learned about one of Medicham's major secrets.

Quickly, she blurted out the first question that came to her mind, hoping to change the subject. "So where's Charizard?" she asked.

Mr. Rime grimaced. Kriesh blinked. "Sorry. Clearly that's-"

"You don't need to apologize," said Mr. Rime. "If anything,Ishould apologize - it is clear our actions just now have given off quite the wrong impression."

"I suppose we should explain," Aegislash piped up; he'd been conversing with Trevenant, clearly enjoying the talk with his fellow Ghost-type. "Charizard is very much Leon's Ace. He is by far the strongest of us, and oftentimes we do find ourselves overshadowed by him. I doubt a third of the people in the UPW could name more than half of Leon's team. But that does not mean we are dissatisfied with our lot - on the contrary, many of us were chosen because we were fine with not being in the spotlight."

"Indeed," said Mr. Rime. "You may not know it by looking at me, but I vastly prefer secrecy over openness. With Charizard taking the bulk of the attention, I am free to keep many of my moves and techniques secret, letting me surprise overconfident Trainers who believe defeating Charizard means they have already won."

Aegislash let out a chuckle. "I remember when Gordie won the Gym Challenge. What was it, six years ago? He faced his mother, Melony, in the Champions Cup Finals…nowthatwas a battle. But once he beat her, he thought Leon would be easy, because Charizard was near-useless against a Rock specialist. Seismitoad, Rhyperior, and I had a few things to say about that."

"And then he sent Charizard out against Gordie's Coalossal," said Mr. Rime, "just to show that hecouldbeat a Rock-type. Arceus, Gordie was bitter after that one…"

Trevenant giggled. "I'll bet!"

"Suffice it to say that we don't mind being second to Charizard," said Aegislash. "Look at Dragapult - she'smarriedto him. She's had his eggs!"

"Really?" Trevenant asked, but before Aegislash or Mr. Rime could elaborate on the subject, Seismitoad spoke up. "Speak of the devil."

All eyes turned to the large screen in time to see Leon striding out onto the field, Charizard directly behind him. The stadium erupted in cheers; the cheers grew even louder when Charizard reared back and spat fire into the air.

"He certainly knows how to play to a crowd," Medicham murmured.

"With his life, he has to," Mr. Mime replied.

"People of Galar!" Leon called, stopping in the middle of the field. "Thank you all for coming here. And it is my pleasure to say to you…let the Galarian Gym Challenge Opening Ceremony begin!"

The crowd - and Charizard - roared.

"You hear that?" Hop half-whispered. "They're starting! This is going to be so cool…"

Scorbunny suddenly found himself short of breath.This is it,he told himself.This is the moment we've all been waiting for. In a minute or two, Gloria is going to walk out onto that field as a Galarian Gym Challenger. We've been training so hard for this…we can't screw this up for her.

I can't screw this up for her.

"Sorry!" A heavily accented female voice suddenly rang out across the crowd of prospective challengers. Glancing behind him, Scorbunny saw a dark-haired girl shoving her way into the group, much to the clear annoyance of a few Trainers. The girl was dressed in the same sort of uniform as the rest, with the number 960 emblazoned on it, but Scorbunny was immediately struck by her hair - flowing down to either side in a sort of pigtail-esque look, but straight and smooth instead of curled, along with a large section of hair coming down over her right eye. Combined with the dark red ribbon poking out on either side, and it was certainly a distinctive look.

"Sorry I'm late," the girl said. "Had to sort some stuff out. Name's Marnie - now would you all mind givin' me a little space in here? I can hardly breathe!"

Bit of a transitional/setup chapter here. Next chapter is the end of the Hunt Arc...and, of course, Marcus vs. Leon.

Chapter 14: Exhibition (End of the Hunt Arc)

Chapter Text

This chapter's a couple hours late. And, as usual with my battles, ridiculously overlong. Sorry.

"Please welcome Chairman Rose, who will now introduce our Gym Leaders and Gym Challengers participating in this year's Gym Challenge!" Leon's voice echoed from outside into the room, audible even above the murmurings and shifts of the numerous Gym Challengers sequestered within. Gloria was only half paying attention, for her focus was partially on the dark-haired girl who had just introduced herself as Marnie and was now standing right next to her.

It wasn't until Marnie glanced over that Gloria realized she'd been staring. "What?" Marnie asked.

"S-sorry," Gloria murmured, looking away.

"So what's your name?" Marnie asked.

Gloria looked up again. "Gloria," she said hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you, Gloria." Marnie stuck out a hand. "I'm Marnie. And at some point during the Gym Challenge, I'd like to battle you."

Gloria frowned. "You're pretty upfront, aren't you?"

"You could say that," said Marnie. "Just know that Iamgonna win."

Hopoohed from the side. "That's a real challenge, Gloria! Now youhaveto answer it!"

Gloria sighed. "Hop, I..." She shook her head. "You're on, Marnie."

"Wicked!" Marnie's eyes gleamed. "Got some fight in you, huh? Well, then...we'll just have to see who can back their words up the best. What's your team?"

"Scorbunny and Bunnelby," said Gloria.

Marnie smirked. "You some kind of rabbit-themed Trainer? Gonna get yourself a Buneary and an Azurill next?"

"That's just the Pokemon I got, okay?" Gloria said defensively.

Marnie chuckled. "Just messin' with you."

"So...what's your team?" Gloria asked.

"Now why would I tell my team to my rival?" Marnie retorted with a grin. "If I did, you could prepare for it, right?"

"Oh..." Gloria gulped.

Hop broke in again, this time to Gloria's relief. "Hey, hands off! Gloria'smyrival!"

"And who says someone can't have two rivals?" Marnie asked. "Heck, I'll beyourrival, too. After all, to prove myself the strongest...beating the Champion's younger brother seems like a good startin' point."

"Oh, you'reon!" Hop said enthusiastically.

"Could you three please be quiet?" a girl asked from behind them. "The Chairman's starting to speak!"

The three fell silent. Sure enough, a couple seconds later a new voice began to echo into the room. "Ladies and gentlemen…"

"…I am Rose, Chairman of the Galar Pokemon League! And I know that everyone gathered here…"

Seismitoad glanced down at Sobble, who had been standing on the floor for the past few minutes, looking fairly overwhelmed. "Right, sorry," the large Water/Ground-type murmured. "Come on, squirt, up you get." He reached up and scooped Sobble up onto his shoulder; the tiny Water-type sat down, eyes gazing with wonder at the screen as Rose launched into a speech about how excited everyone must be for the start of the Gym Challenge.

"You seem to have some practice at this," Cloyster murmured, trying to glance at Seismitoad and watch the screen at the same time.

"Yeah, this ain't the first time Leon's done this," Seismitoad admitted. "Sobble here's the latest in a long line of Champion trainees. He likes to train them himself, evolve them up, then offer them to other Trainers or, very rarely, keep them for himself if that's what they want." He side-eyed Rhyperior. "That's how this guy got on the team. Seven years ago he was just a little Rhyhorn - now he's every bit as strong as the rest of us!"

Rhyperior grinned. "You know it."

"And he sat on my shoulder just the same way Sobble is now!"

Rhyperior's grin faded. "So help me, if you mention thatone more time-"

Cloyster couldn't stop himself from giggling at the mental image of a sizable Rhyhorn struggling to balance on Seismitoad's shoulder. Rhyperior shot a glare at him but said nothing, though a low growl issued from his throat.

It was at this moment that the door that led onto the field hissed open and Leon stepped through, his eyes glittering as he saw Marcus. "Great, you made it!" he cried. "Right on time." He patted one of the Pokeballs on his waist, which unlike the rest was glowing. "Charizard can't wait to face your team in battle!"

"My team's certainly looking forward to it as well," Marcus replied. "Though I hope you don't just use Charizard."

"Oh, don't worry, I always like to whet the audience's appetites first." Leon's grin, if possible, grew even wider. "Oh, look, Rose is introducing the Gym Leaders - this is always my second favorite part of his speech!"

Marcus's attention was instantly locked onto the screen. Cloyster knew instantly that he was combing the stadium field for any sign of Piers. Cloyster watched as the group of Gym Leaders stepped onto the field one by one, each of them treating the crowd very differently. He'd done his homework on each of them (or more accurately, Marcus had done it and passed it on), and so Cloyster had a cursory understanding of each Galarian Gym Leader's specialty.

Milo came first. His burly physique clashed completely with his clear kind demeanor as he shot a smile towards the audience, looking as if he was happy just to be there. He was a Grass-type Trainer with a penchant for farming; Cloyster had heard murmurings that he'd been the primary pusher for Dubwool to gain a secondary Grass tying.

Nessa cut a fine figure as she strode out after Milo, looking far more confident than her fellow Gym Leader. She was a Water-type specialist, a famous model, and one of the two Gym Leaders Cloyster was most looking forward to meeting, though her strategies apparently flowed more towards rain-based battling.

The older, severe-faced Kabu jogged onto the field - apparently his favorite thing aside from Pokemon battling was keeping in shape. He was a Fire-type specialist, completing the Starter-typing trifecta, and was widely regarded throughout Galar as the Gym Challenge's first real roadblock.

Allister staggered, more than stepped, onto the field. The Ghost-type Trainer was a product of the UPW's Prodigy Law, a highly controversial law passed several years ago that had allowed special licenses to be given out to children if they passed a series of difficult tests - alongside Allister, beneficiaries of the law included Paldea's Steel-type Elite Four member Poppy and famous wartime Unovan Champion and Dragon-type master Iris. Rumor had it that Allister was a Ghost-type himself, and watching him, Cloyster could understand exactly why those rumors were so commonplace.

Opal steadied herself with her cane as she trotted after Allister. The Fairy-type Gym Leader was perhaps the second most well-known of Galar's Gym Leaders after Raihan, mostly because of her longtime search for a replacement. In battle, she was said to be uncompromising and somewhat ruthless, a far cry from Valerie.

Melony flipped her hair as she stepped out, seeming to mirror Nessa but with a slightly softer demeanor that more resembled Milo. She was an Ice specialist and known for her versatility with the type - as such, she was easily the Gym Leader Cloyster was most looking forward to meeting. It was well Marcus had come this year, for from what Cloyster had heard Melony was planning to announce her retirement at the end of the year, handing the Gym off to her son Gordie, whom Cloyster recalled Aegislash mentioning earlier.

Cloyster's heart sank as the next Gym Leader to come out revealed himself to be Raihan. Evidently Piers hadn't made it - unsurprising, all things considered, but Cloyster had hoped, and judging by Marcus's quiet sigh, so had he. Raihan, for his part, was easily the most famous of Galar's Gym Leaders; a Dragon-type specialist running a Sandstorm-based team, he was widely considered across the UPW to be Leon's primary rival and a favorite for next in line for the position of Galarian Champion.

"Unfortunately," said Rose as the seven Gym Leaders lined up, "one of our Gym Leaders couldn't make it. But…" He spread his hands wide. "These are the Gym Leaders that we of the Galar Region are proud to call our own!"

Marcus glanced at Leon, who sighed, his smile fading. "I understand…you're excited to see our own Dark-type Gym Leader. Don't worry, he just had a scheduling conflict - he'll be open for the Gym Challenge, I promise you that."

Cloyster immediately could tell Leon was lying.A scheduling conflict? For the second biggest event in Galar, just behind the Champion's Cup Tournament?Marcus seemed to have similar thoughts, but he remained silent as Rose spoke up again.

"Now," he said, "it is time we introduced to you this year's crop of Gym Challengers!"

Leon's team bunched up with cries of "Ooh, I want to see Hop!" And sure enough, there he was, walking out onto the field side by side with Gloria and a dark-haired girl Cloyster didn't recognize at the head of the pack of Gym Challengers. Many of the Trainers were either looking nervous in front of the cheering crowd or walking with confidence, their heads held high. Hop was in the former group, Gloria in the latter.

Cloyster was fairly astonished at just how many Trainers were participating, even though he reminded himself that the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament always had far more competitors - it was just that he'd never seen them all gathered into one place like this.

Leon's smile returned. "All right, that's my cue. Head into the tunnel - the audience won't want to be kept waiting!" Swiftly, he recalled his team (Cloyster could have sworn he heard a few renditions of "Awww…" as they disappeared) and stepped back out the door to the tunnel that led to the field just as Rose proclaimed, "Gym Leaders, Gym Challengers, please head to your assigned seats while I reintroduce your Champion, Leon!"

"All right," said Marcus fingering his Pokeballs, "you heard him. Let's get ready."

Hop was practically buzzing with excitement as he sat down in his seat. The Gym Challengers had been assigned three rows of a section of seats; there were plenty of chairs for all of them, but even so, so many Gym Challengers had flocked towards the front row that Gloria was swiftly regretting her decision to sit next to Hop.

Squeezed between Hop and another boy, Gloria twisted as best she could, her eyes swiftly scanned for Marnie; she found the dark-haired Trainer sitting a couple seats away from her on the row above. But her eyes also caught something else - the curly-haired boy she'd seen earlier, striding up the staircase past the Gym Challenger seating area. "Where's he going?" she asked.

Though she'd mostly been addressing the question to herself, Marnie clearly heard, for she turned to eye the boy as well. "Oh, him," said Marnie. "I've heard about him…he's the Chairman's sponsored Trainer. Bede, I think his name was. He's probably headed up to some top box area."

"The Chairman…as in Chairman Rose?" the non-Hop boy asked from Gloria's right. "He can sponsor Trainers?"

"Leon can sponsor Trainers," Marnie pointed out. "Why can't the Chairman do the same? Anyway, I've heard Bede's a real piece of work - you lot should probably avoid him if at all possible."

Gloria nodded as she watched Bede continue to ascend the stairs until he reached a landing and was lost from sight. Before she could say or do anything else, Leon's voice once more resounded across the stadium. "Thank you, Chairman Rose. And now…"

"…for the moment I know you've all been waiting for!"

The crowd led out uproarious cheers, though to Houndoom they did seem surprisingly muted in comparison to earlier. Perhaps that was a side effect of the echoing tunnel Marcus was now standing in. Leon smirked. "Of course," he said, "no offense to Raihan, but I doubt yet another battle between the two of us is what you want to see!"

In the Gym Leaders' section of the stands, Raihan let out a loud laugh alongside the rest of the crowd.

"Well, luckily for you, I've arranged a special treat for you all!" Leon cleared his throat. "As you know, the International League - formerly known as the Pokemon World Tournament - is fast approaching, where you'll get to see the Gym Leaders of Galar - and, of course, me - battle with Trainers from all across the world. Well, as it happens, one of those foreign Trainers is here today! Come on out, Marcus!"

Houndoom felt slightly bemused as Marcus emerged from the tunnel, walking out onto the field with the crowd cheering for him. He was already understanding why Galar was sometimes derided by other regions as favoring style over substance - there was no question that the Galarians were very spectacle-oriented in terms of Pokemon battles, and this was even before Dynamax entered the equation.

"Marcus here," said Leon, "is a Dark-type Gym Leader from all the way over in Kalos! He's actually in Galar to sponsor one of this year's Gym Challengers, but he very kindly volunteered to demonstrate what the other regions are bringing to the table in this year's rendition of the International League!"

More cheering. Houndoom offhandedly wondered how long it would take for the audience's throats to grow hoarse.

"Now," since Leon, "since we're entertaining a Kalosian, I figured it would be best to start off with a little taste of home! Go, Aegislash!" With a flourish he tossed out the Steel/Ghost-type; Aegislash landed on the field in Shield Form, braced for battle, its single eye glowing purple. The stadium erupted in even louder cheers, chants of "Leon! Leon!" filling the air as banners waved and horns blew. Houndoom recognized the horns as similar in style to those used by Team Yell.So what, did they just buy those instruments from a concessions stand or something?

"Well, then," said Marcus, "I hope you don't begrudge me making use of type advantage. Go, Houndoom!"

Naturally, the cheers were a little less for Houndoom's arrival, but they were still present, the audience clearly looking forward to watching Leon face down a type disadvantage. Leon didn't seem bothered by said disadvantage; on the contrary, he was grinning. "I know you're a Dark-type Gym Leader, Marcus," he said. "Iencourageyou to use whatever advantages you have! All the better to give Galar a good show!"

"This will be a three-on-three battle!" the referee cut in from the sidelines. "No restrictions on height! Each battle will only end when one combatant surrenders or is knocked out! Battlers…begin!"

"Houndoom, start off nice and simple!" Marcus ordered. "Flamethrower, spread!"

Houndoom inhaled. "Flash Fire: Flame Tongue!" he snarled, letting Blaze flow from his jaws in a stream. As it burst from his teeth and soared across the field, Houndoom called upon his Ability, taking control of the Flamethrower and splitting it apart into several smaller streams, expanding and expanding as it neared Aegislash.

Essentially, a discount Inferno.

"Away, and counter with Sacred Sword!" Leon cried. A second later, Aegislash materialized in a burst of Distortion above the fiery wave. "Stance Change: King's Blade!" Aegislash called; a second later he was hurtling towards Houndoom in Blade Forme, his blade glinting with Aura as he swung it towards Houndoom. Houndoom lashed out with a Dark Pulse, but Aegislash dematerialized once more with Shadow Sneak, reappearing just behind Houndoom with his blade already lashing.

"Flash Fire: Flame Barrier!" Houndoom snarled; Aegislash's Sacred Sword slammed into a wall of Blaze. Drawing on Flash Fire again, Houndoom willed the shield to explode outwards. "Enemy front!" Leon cried; spurred on by his Trainer's order, Aegislash teleported out of the way of the blast and reappeared right in front of Houndoom, blade swinging once again. "Flash Fire: Flame Blade!" Houndoom growled; in a flash he manifested a Blaze-formed sword and swung it into Aegislash's oncoming strike. Energy exploded outwards in all directions as the two blades met, to astonished gasps from the crowd; the Aura protected Aegislash from the type advantage of the Flame Blade, but his charge was still stopped cold.

At least for a moment.

"Stance Change: King's Press!" So quickly that Houndoom couldn't contest, Aegislash drew back, shifted into his Shield Forme, and rushed forwards once more, slamming into Houndoom's Flame Blade with enough force to drive it back into Houndoom's face and send the Dark/Fire-type stumbling backwards. "Enemy right!" Leon ordered, and Aegislash dematerialized again.

"Dark Pulse, all directions!" Marcus cried. Houndoom skidded to a halt and immediately unleashed an omnidirectional surge of Oblivion, but Aegislash retorted with a metallic cry of "King's Shield!" even as he rematerialized to Houndoom's right. A barrier of Iron sprang up in front of Aegislash, intercepting the Dark Pulse; a split second later Aegislash lunged forwards with a shout of "Stance Change: King's Blade!" and slammed a Sacred Sword into Houndoom's side before he could bring up another Flame Barrier.

The cheers of the crowd were near-deafening as Houndoom was thrown across the arena. He flipped over and landed on his feet, managing to stop himself before he slid into the wall. Houndoom huffed, shaking his head to clear it.I've seen Wikstrom's Aegislash in combat enough to know how Stance Change works. Shield Forme is highly defensive and incredibly dense, but is much slower than Blade Forme, whereas Blade Forme is fast and hits hard, but is much more frail than Shield Forme. But Wikstrom's Aegislash fights head-on, using King's Shield to intercept attacks - I've never seen it utilize Shadow Sneak. Whereas Leon's Aegislash seems to have a particular affinity for the move - that alone makes it twice as dangerous as Wikstrom's Aegislash.

Then again, I should have expected that - Leonisa Champion, after all.

"Follow up with Flash Cannon!" Leon cried.

Aegislash leaped into the air in - surprisingly - Shield Forme. "King's Cannonade!" he bellowed; the center of his shield glowed silver, and as Houndoom watched a powerful blast of Iron emanated from it, a silvery bolt streaking towards the Dark/Fire-type. Almost immediately afterwards, Aegislash dematerialized; he reappeared in another spot in the sky and fired another Flash Cannon half a second after the first one, then dematerialized again, reappearing in yet another spot to fire a third Flash Cannon.

"Dodge!" Marcus cried. "And fill the sky with Embers!"

Houndoom exploded into movement; the first of Aegislash's Flash Cannons slammed into the earth as Houndoom leaped to the side, sending up a massive spray of dirt. The Dark/Fire-type lunged forwards, pounding across the turf, dodging Flash Cannon after Flash Cannon; as he did so, his mouth filled with Blaze once more. "Flash Fire: Flame Storm!" he roared, and from his jaws came a torrent of Embers, an upwards rain that intercepted two of Aegislash's Flash Cannons and streaked towards the Steel/Ghost-type as he readied another.

"Break through with Head Smash!" Leon ordered.

Crap.Houndoom dimly remembered that being a favorite trick of Wikstrom's Aegislash, one he often busted out against unlucky Fire-types.Figures he'd know that one…probably learned that one straight from Wikstrom himself."Stance Change: King's Smash!" Aegislash cried, shifting into Blade Forme once more. Ancient burst out of his body as he lunged straight into the teeth of Houndoom's Flame Storm, protecting him from the Embers, the motes of fire dissipating against his oncoming body.

"Houndoom, Solar Beam!" Marcus ordered.

Won't he just teleport away?Houndoom shoved that thought into the back of his mind and called upon his Power Herb. In the blink of an eye his Solar Beam was charged, and the torrent of Overgrow exploded from his jaws, streaking towards the Ancient-engulfed Aegislash. "Enemy rear!" Leon called.

"Shadow Ball, behind!" Marcus retorted near-instantly.

"King's Shield!" Leon cried, his eyes widening as Houndoom whirled. Aegislash materialized and immediately began shifting forms - "Stance Change-" - but it was too late. Houndoom's Shadow Ball exploded against Aegislash's form, and it was the Steel/Ghost-type's turn to go flying as the crowd gasped again, a many-throated intake of breath emanating from the stands.

"It takes time to change forms!" Marcus called. "I know how an Aegislash works - I've seen Wikstrom fight! Inferno, Houndoom! Burn it down!"

Houndoom smirked. "Flash Fire: Flame Surge!" he snarled, and just as he'd done against Team Yell in the Budew Drop Inn and even earlier against Corviknight's gang, he unleashed a storm of Blaze that made his earlier spread Flamethrower look like a tiny Ember in comparison. Casting out his will, Houndoom ordered the Blaze to descend, forming a fiery tidal wave that descended on the prone Aegislash.

"Not bad!" Leon called across the field. "But I'm not Wikstrom, and my Aegislash isn't evencloseto being out of tricks! Wide Guard!"

Dimly through the flames, Houndoom saw Aegislash rise in Shield Forme. "King's Aegis!" he cried; to Houndoom's surprise, a massive barrier of Ancient formed in front of him like an exaggerated, Rock-type King's Shield. The entirety of the Inferno was intercepted, swiftly dispersing against Aegislash's Wide Guard; as the Steel/Ghost-type rose to a floating position once more, the last of the flames flickering into nothingness, the crowd roared.

Houndoom planted his feet and glared at Aegislash.We've each landed one good hit, he reminded himself.It's still anyone's battle.But as he eyed Aegislash, he beheld a small glowing metallic object suspended from his tassel, shaped somewhat like the core of an apple.Leftovers, he realized, biting back a curse.Acts like a Black Sludge, but not limited to Poison-types - if I can't rack up the damage quickly, he'll just heal it off. And that'll be pretty hard with King's Shield and Wide Guard, not to mention having to deal with his powerful attacks.

It's like fighting a teleporting Drapion.Houndoom couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the bulky Poison/Dark-type warping around a battlefield. Then Aegislash lunged forwards with a cry of "Stance Change: King's Blade!" and Houndoom's mind was thrown back into the battle instantly as he summoned a Flame Blade to clash once more with Aegislash's attack.

"This is awesome!" Hop cried; he'd been grinning ear to ear ever since the start of the battle. "I've seen Lee battle plenty of times, but I've never gotten front-row seats like this!"

"Marcus's Houndoom isn't doing too badly either," Gloria noted. "I knew he was strong, but keeping up with Leon…"

"Keepin' up is pushin' it." Marnie had chosen to sit down next to Hop and Gloria; now her voice abruptly pierced into their conversation. "He's got double type advantage and he's still on the back foot. An' I'm not sure you've noticed, but Leon's got Leftovers on that thing. I'm willin' to bet he's already recovered most of the the damage that Shadow Ball dealt."

Gloria shot a glare at Marnie even as she inwardly admitted the black-haired girl had a point. "I'm sure Houndoom has some tricks up his sleeve."

"He'd better," Marnie retorted. "Or else this'll be a pretty short fight."

Houndoom deflected another swipe from Aegislash with his Flame Blade, grimacing at how strong Aegislash's attack was. He'd begun mixing Ancient into his attacks, and now it was all Houndoom could do to even fend off Aegislash's blade. He wasn't using Shadow Sneak, but if anything that was yet another disadvantage for Houndoom, for even as he fought Aegislash off he had to constantly keep his awareness up, waiting for Aegislash to suddenly teleport behind him or to his side or even above or below him.

"Houndoom!" Marcus's voice rose above the clashing of blades. "You can't keep this up! Foul Play, quick!"

Houndoom grimaced.This is going to be tough - I'm already putting so much power into keeping this Flame Blade up. If I pour yet more into this attack, I'll be vulnerable to a Shadow Sneak. But Marcus is right - I can't keep this up.

Houndoom called upon Foul Play; Oblivion burst forth across his body as he lunged straight for Aegislash, teeth bared. He was unsurprised to see Aegislash blink out of the way - "Dark Pulse!" Marcus called - and Houndoom realized that, once more, Marcus had outplayed Leon. With Foul Play suffusing his body, Houndoom had easy access to that Oblivion. Normally it took time to summon a Dark Pulse, but here it was already summoned.

All Houndoom needed to do was unleash it.

"Slice it!" Leon barked. Rather than trying to use Stance Change like last time, as Aegislash materialized to Houndoom's side his blade immediately glowed with Aura. Twisting, Aegislash flashed upwards; his Aura-enhanced sword cleaved straight through the center of Houndoom's Dark Pulse, splitting the wave in two. The remnants of the wave passed by Aegislash harmlessly. "You can't beat me with the same trick twice, Marcus," Leon said faux-disapprovingly - a mid-battle taunt.

"I know," said Marcus. "I just needed Houndoom clear for a moment. Houndoom, put up a barrier and use Nasty Plot!"

Houndoom grinned.Of course. Aegislash is beating me because he's able to tear through my attacks with sheer force combined with type advantage. And Nasty Plot ensures I can counter that.

"Aegislash, stop him!" Leon cried. "Brick Break!"

"Flash Fire: Flame Barrier!" Houndoom roared as Aegislash teleported forwards, Aura erupting from his blade. But as the Brick Break landed, Houndoom called upon Flash Fire, willing more Blaze to concentrate against Aegislash's attack, and as such, though it struck the shield hard enough to leave a crack, Aegislash's Brick Break failed to shatter it. As Aegislash pressed, yearning to break through, Houndoom called upon the Distortion residing within his mind, but rather than shaping it into another shadowy sphere, he instead willed it to disperse throughout his body, strengthening his energy reserves and drastically increasing his overall power.

I don't usually bother with Nasty Plot - it's incredibly taxing to wield so much energy at once even with Flash Fire to help control and mitigate them - but I can't hold anything back against this Aegislash.

Houndoom narrowed his eyes and willed his shield to explode outwards. "Away!" Leon cried, recognizing Houndoom's intent - clearly he remembered when Houndoom had done this back at the beginning of the fight - and accordingly Aegislash blinked away just as Houndoom's Flame Barrier roared outwards in a colossal explosion. As the flames cleared, Aegislash reappeared some distance away from Houndoom, shifting back to Shield Forme. "King's Cannonade!" he called again.

"Flash Fire: Flame Tongue!" Houndoom roared as the first of Aegislash's Flash Cannons came at him. This time, what emerged from his jaws was similar in scope and scale to his earlier Inferno despite only being a mere Flamethrower. Aegislash's Flash Cannon barrage was swallowed up in an instant. "Wide Guard!" Leon commanded.

"Who's trying to win with the same trick twice now?" Marcus asked. "Houndoom, curve it!"

Houndoom understood immediately. "Flash Fire!" he roared as the massive barrier of Ancient formed in front of Aegislash. Reaching out his influence on the massive cone of flames, he willed it to split apart, half of it curving upwards, the other half curving downwards. The two halves of the massive Flamethrower twisted around the top and bottom of Aegislash's Wide Guard and came down on the Steel/Ghost-type like a set of fiery pincers. "Shadow Sneak!" Leon cried, but while that might have worked in Blade Forme, in Shield Forme Aegislash was a heartbeat too slow. Houndoom heard the beginnings of a cry of pain as he dematerialized, and when he reappeared next to Leon he was gasping, clearly having taken a not insignificant amount of damage from the attack.

"Don't let up!" Marcus ordered. "Ember!"

"Flash Fire: Flame Storm!" Houndoom bellowed; this new Flame Storm was twice as powerful as the old one, and as a thousand fiery motes arced across the sky towards Aegislash Houndoom knew there was no way he could just bulldoze through them like he had before.

"This is gonna be tricky, Aegislash!" Leon warned. "Autotomize, then combine Close Combat and Head Smash! Slice those Embers out of the sky!"

Houndoom gaped as Aegislash flared Iron, Aura, and Ancient across his body all at once, glowing so vibrantly he was near-blinding. "Stance Change," he snarled, shifting into Blade Forme once more. "King's Whirlwind!" And then his blade exploded into movement, and Houndoom realized that Leon's command hadnotbeen hyperbole.

For before his eyes, Aegislash was slashing each and every individual Ember coming at him into nothingness.

It should have been impossible. Houndoom was using Flash Fire to ensure every Ember curved inwards, streaking straight towards Aegislash. Yet, thanks to Autotomize, Aegislash was fast enough to deflect each one. His blade was indeed a whirlwind as he slashed and slashed again, tearing through Ember after Ember with legitimately insane speed.

"Shadow Ball!" Marcus cried. He and Houndoom were on the same page - Houndoom was already forming the Ghost-type attack.Try cleaving through this.

"Enemy top!" Leon called.

Houndoom gulped - in his haste to bring down Aegislash, he'd left himself vulnerable to Shadow Sneak. Twisting upwards at such a strange angle his neck twinged with pain, Houndoom tossed his Shadow Ball upwards in a vain attempt to catch Aegislash. But as Aegislash materialized, his blade glowed with Oblivion - a well-timed Night Slash - and carved straight down through the Shadow Ball and into Houndoom's back.

Even not very effective, it still hurt.

"Dark Pulse!" Marcus cried. Houndoom barely managed to let off the attack as he sank to the ground, his spine erupting with pain. It managed to force Aegislash away; the Steel/Ghost-type reappeared some distance away, shifting into Shield Forme and blocking the Dark Pulse with a King's Shield. Houndoom couldn't take advantage; he was forced to pour all his energy into forcing back the pain and rising to his feet.I already took way too much damage before I accessed Nasty Plot. I doubt I can take even a couple more hits from this Aegislash.

I need to end this now.

"Flash Fire!" Houndoom roared, drawing upon all the Blaze he could muster. "Flame Conflagration!"

Blaze exploded out of his body like a miniature volcano, fiery plumes plunging down upon the battlefield, wreathing the entirety of the turf in flames. Aegislash was lost from sight completely as Houndoom's vision was consumed by fire. The shocked exclamations of the crowd were lost amidst the roaring of the Blaze.

Houndoom panted - even with his Ability, the attack had taken a lot out of him.Did I get him?

And then Aegislash materialized behind him. "King's Smash!"

Twisting, Houndoom beheld Aegislash streaking towards him, encased in a sphere of Ancient - Wide Guard, Houndoom realized, wrapped around him like a ball to stave off the flames. The bulk of the Ancient was dissipating even as Aegislash lunged, but even as Houndoom saw the Steel/Ghost-type he knew Aegislash's Head Smash would connect. And there was no way Houndoom could fight it off, not at such short notice.

But I can at least deal some damage in return.

Houndoom twisted and hurled himself at Aegislash, jaws opening wide, and even as the Steel/Ghost-type slammed into him he clamped a vicious Crunch down on Aegislash's body.

Gloria watched as the fires dissipated; a hush had fallen over the crowd as they watched the fiery expanse, waiting for a sign that either of the combatants was still up. They saw Aegislash first, rising out of the fires, shuddering slightly as his body trailed flames. Clearly he had not escaped unscathed, but at least he was still conscious. The same could not be said for Houndoom, whose body reappeared as the last of the flames receded, lying unconscious on the ashen turf.

The crowd let out a mingled cheer. Gloria did not join in. She did, however, lean forward slightly as Marcus recalled Houndoom. "Well, then," said the Gym Leader. "I don't usually bring out my Ace so early…but you did want a show, didn't you? Let's go, Drapion!"

He's starting to take to the crowd a little,Gloria realized as Marcus sent out his Drapion. The massive Poison/Dark-type eyed Aegislash as the Steel/Ghost-type slowly lowered itself back to Leon's side and let out a vicious snarl.

"The score is 3-to-2, Leon!" the referee called. "Battlers…begin!"

Within the first minute of their fight, it was clear that Aegislash was fighting Drapion in a completely different way than he'd fought Houndoom.

Against Houndoom, he'd played it slow, defending against the Dark/Fire-type's attacks and waiting for openings to strike. Even when Houndoom had used Nasty Plot, Aegislash had simply waited for him to slip up before streaking in for singular hits that had eventually whittled Houndoom down. Against Drapion, Aegislash had gone all in the instant it had become clear Drapion was a pure melee fighter, slashing and teleporting and slashing again or defending with King's Shield and striking back with blunt force. Drapion defended with Protect and Battle Armor, retaliated with swings of his claws or tail, and lashed out with Earthquake after Earthquake to force Aegislash back every time he seemed to be getting too overwhelming.

It was almost funny. Aegislash seemed built to counter a ranged attacker like Houndoom, his Stance Change Ability perfectly suited for a counterattacking fighting style. Against the defensive, melee-focused Drapion, he seemed almost overwhelmed, and in just a minute had already taken two hits - a Knock Off that had stripped away his Leftovers and an Earthquake he hadn't been able to dodge in time - whereas any light cuts Aegislash had dealt through Drapion's Battle Armor were being healed off by Drapion's Black Sludge.

It didn't help that Aegislash was still clearly hurting from his earlier fight with Houndoom. Nor did it help that, both times Aegislash broke away, teleporting into the sky for a King's Cannonade, Drapion's resulting Pursuit forced him back down to earth and back into melee. But even so, Drapion was more than a little surprised at just how little fight Aegislash was putting up.

And Leon clearly noticed it, too. As Aegislash bounced off yet another of Drapion's Protects, his breath ragged as he backpedaled away from Drapion's follow-up swipe, the Champion spoke up. "I can see why he's your Ace, Marcus!" he called. "But don't think you've won just yet! Aegislash, pull back and Giga Impact! Give it all you've got!"

Aegislash's eye gleamed as he, indeed, drew back. "Stance Change: King's Joust!" he snarled, his body blazing brilliantly with Energy. Drapion readied himself as Aegislash twisted and charged blade-first, the point aimed right between Drapion's eyes.

Drapion raised a Protect.

Aegislash's Giga Impact slammed into Drapion's Protect so hard that the force of the impact actually sent Drapion skidding backwards even through the barrier. But the Protect held, and as it dissipated Drapion stomped down upon the ground. "Quake!" he snarled, unleashing one final powerful Earthquake at the momentarily-stationary Aegislash.

Leon's eyes gleamed. "Destiny Bond!"

"Huh," Marnie murmured as both Aegislash and Drapion were recalled into their respective Pokeballs. "That felt a lot shorter than it was."

Gloria noted the dark-haired girl had a strange expression on her face, but pushed that thought to the side. "I didn't think Leon would pull something like that," Gloria murmured. "He doesn't strike me as that kind of Trainer."

Hop smirked. "That's Lee for you - he's never out of tricks. That's why he's the undefeated Champion!"

On the field, Gloria noticed Marcus looking slightly frustrated - understandably so - but the Gym Leader quickly rearranged his features back into a smile. "I'll admit, it's not every day I lose two Pokemon to a Ghost-type," he said.

"I'll bet!" said Leon; unlike Marcus, his smile was wide and not forced at all. "This has been fun, Marcus, but it's time I ended this! Come out, Charizard!"

The crowd's roars rose to outright screams as Charizard emerged onto the field.

"Here we go." Hop was actually rubbing his hands together - Gloria thought people only did that in movies. "Aegislash was an appetizer -thisis the main event. I don't think Charizard'severbeen defeated before."

Marnie snorted. Gloria privately agreed with her, but remained silent, eyeing Marcus as his hand dipped towards Medicham's Pokeball. She'd known he wouldn't win from the start - he was just a Gym Leader, and Leon was the Champion of Galar. But she hoped that at least Medicham would put up a good fight against Charizard.

The crowd was really getting into it now - clearly they shared Hop's view. Gloria steadied herself and watched with bated breath as Marcus opened his mouth, staring around at the audience. "Something you all should know about me," he shouted, "is that I'm not just a Dark-type Trainer! Before I became a Gym Leader, I was a generalist! And so while Drapion is the Ace of my Gym Leader team…I think it's time I brought out myrealstrongest Pokemon!" With a flourish, the Gym Leader released Medicham onto the battlefield as the crowd loudly called out their approval.

The sound of hundreds, even thousands of voices hit Medicham's ears full force, calls of encouragement filling the air as the audience cheered for their Champion's Ace, clearly excited to see the great Charizard reinforce his reputation. She could hear Hop's voice loudest of all; she glanced over at the stands to see Hop, sitting in a front-row seat, pumping his fist in the air while Gloria, looking a little overwhelmed by the noise, simply watched amidst the excited crowd.

Medicham cracked a thin smile.If it's a show they want, I'll make sure to give them one.

Across the massive field, Leon's Charizard spread his wings and roared, shooting a gout of flame into the sky, an action that drew an even louder cheer from the audience. He lowered his head, eyes fixed on Medicham; Medicham could see his gaze shift over to her missing arm for a moment, and only now did she realize the massive Fire/Flying-type had never actually seen her before. At around the same time, Medicham began to hear a few murmurs of surprise from the audience, cutting through the cheering as watchers began to behold the lost appendage. Charizard lowered himself into a fighting position, but watching him closely, Medicham could see he was still a little bit relaxed, his posture a little slouched, his stance not as rigid as it could have been.

He doesn't see me as a threat. Time to rectify that.

Medicham narrowed her eyes, focusing on her missing forearm, and as with the battle against Arbiter-Of-Fates, she called upon the Aura within her body to erupt from the stump, manifesting into a blue-glowing facsimile of an arm. She was pleased to see Charizard shift in response, and even more pleased to hear the clear awe from the audience.

"Nowthat'ssomething you don't see every day!" Leon smiled widely. "Let's have a great battle, Marcus!"

"Agreed," said Marcus.

"Battlers…" the referee began. It seemed like the moment between the referee's words stretched out for an eternity. "…begin!"

"Psychic," Marcus ordered. "Adjust as necessary."

Right. Medicham focused her mind; Charizard's Flying typing would make her Aura-based attacks less effective. Psychic would be the way to go until she could get up close, at which point she wanted to land a Thunder Punch if possible…or her other move that she and Marcus had collectively decided to save for a decisive point in this match.

Concentrating, Medicham unleashed a burst of Mind expansive enough to set the air around her to shivering. It had taken a solid year of training with Darkrai before she'd finally managed to consistently utilize Mind in her attacks; now, though, it only took a small amount of concentration to unleash the base form of Psychic energy. It was difficult enough that she still had to resort to standard Psychic energy when letting off rapid, instinctive Psychics, as she had against Corviknight's gang, but in a situation like this she could at least take her time a little.

Charizard's response was as casual as it was swift; raising his wings, he flapped them forwards, firing out a burst of Air strong enough to dissipate Medicham's Psychic before it even came close. Shifting one foot forwards, Charizard growled, "Bonfire Jet." A streak of Blaze - a Flamethrower, stronger and faster than anything Houndoom had been able to muster in his fight without assistance from Nasty Plot - flew from his jaws, spearing through the air towards Medicham.

"Pure Power: Aura Shield!" Medicham's Aura-made arm shot upwards, its form changing as it went. The arm twisted, forming a circular barrier of Aura that caught Charizard's Bonfire Jet; the Blaze exploded against the Aura Shield, the force of the impact enough to send Medicham skidding backwards a couple inches, but she remained untouched. Leon shouted out an order, his words rising over the sound of flames meeting Medicham's barrier. "Take to the air, Charizard! Fire Spin!"

Charizard launched himself upwards, mouth open. "Psychic again!" Marcus cried as Blaze gathered around the edges of Charizard's jaws. "Bonfire Ring!" Charizard cried; a burst of Blaze shot from his mouth once more, but was met by another blast of Mind from Medicham. The sheer power of the flames was enough to punch through Medicham's Psychic, but it was diluted enough that Medicham was able to evade, leaping forwards as the area around where she'd been standing erupted in a ring of Blaze.

Rolling to her feet, Medicham twisted, throwing out both arms towards Charizard's aerial form. "Pure Power: Aura Beam!" she cried; it wouldn't do much damage, but she hoped it would be enough to force him to descend.

But Charizard twisted faster than Medicham had expected. He dove, flicking a wing sideways as he did so; even as he shot downwards a blade of Air flew from his wingtip, slicing straight into Medicham's Aura Beam and splitting it in two. Two streams of Aura flew off to either side, dissipating into the air as Charizard slammed back onto the ground. Earth shot outwards as Charizard landed; Medicham was forced into Aura Avoidance, leaping aside to avoid the Earthquake Charizard had fired at her.

With a low, swift growl of "Bonfire Fist," Charizard shot forwards and slammed a Fire Punch into Medicham's gut while she was still in midair.

Medicham was thrown backwards forcefully, flying towards Leon; quickly, she twisted in midair as she dropped, ensuring they were the first parts of her body to hit the ground. She fired off a swift Aura Blast as she skidded backwards, just enough to force Charizard to break off his pursuit in favor of countering with a defensive burst of Air. Medicham glanced over her shoulder as she stopped and saw Leon, smiling widely as he watched the two fight - unlike with Aegislash, who he'd been commanding from the jump, the Champion still hadn't given Charizard a single order.

Medicham's chest burned, but she readied herself anyway.As expected, he's fast - it looked like he was using some kind of modified Tailwind, or Acrobatics. Not sure which - possibly both?

The audience roared with delight as they saw Charizard had landed the first blow of the match. "Yes, Lee!" Hop's voice rose above the crowd once again. "Come on, you've got this!"

Gloria said nothing, her hands at her sides as she watched the match carefully.

"Medicham, wave!" Marcus's order rose above even Hop's cry, and Medicham raised her foot instantly. "Pure Power: Aura Wave!" Medicham called, slamming her foot into the ground to unleash a burst of Aura in all directions. Charizard leaped upwards, wings spread wide, easily evading the attack, but Medicham had expected that, and from the look in Marcus's eyes, so had he.

They'd just been hoping to get Charizard into the air. "Fill the sky!" Marcus cried.

Medicham thrust her hands outwards and upwards. "Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!"

Once upon a time, that had just meant several spheres in quick succession. Now, a veritable flood of Aura Blasts flew from Medicham's outstretched hands, and Charizard's eyes actually widened at the sight of so many spheres hurtling towards him. "Wildfire Wrath!" he bellowed; to Medicham, it was as if the sky lit up with fire, and her storm of blue Aura was met with an inescapable wave of red Blaze. Her Aura Blast Barrage was consumed, each sphere dissipating against Charizard's powerful attack.That has to be Overheat, or something similar, Medicham thought, clenching her fists in preparation for Charizard's next attack-

"Psychic at him, quickly!"

Marcus's words galvanized Medicham into instant action; even as she fired the Psychic blindly upwards, a cylindrical blast of Air ripped through the center of Charizard's Wildfire Wrath, carving through what little remained of her Aura Blast Barrage as it scythed down towards her. Again, though it wasn't enough to completely blunt the attack, the Psychic gave Medicham enough time to evade, lunging forwards even as Charizard reappeared, flying over the dying flames of his Wildfire Wrath.

"Ember!" Leon's voice finally sounded.

"Bonfire Storm!" Charizard roared, and fire flew forth from his wings and his jaws; the eruption of fiery motes made Houndoom's Flame Storm look tiny by comparison, and once more a wall of Blaze blotted out the sun and turned the sky red, thousands upon thousands of tiny Embers falling down upon Medicham like a tidal wave. Medicham crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Pure Power: Aura Expulsion!" she shouted, her voice carrying through the air as she unleashed the same attack that had sent Arbiter-Of-Fates flying on the train.

Astonished cries arose from the spectators as Medicham and Charizard's twin waves slammed into one another, creating a massive explosion of blue and red light, an explosion that blinded both Medicham and Marcus to Charizard's whereabouts. The sound was thunderous, a low rolling burst of noise that forced Medicham to summon Aura around her ears to cover them. Marcus, with no Aura to his name, simply clamped his hands upon his ears, trying and failing to block out the sound.

In that moment, Charizard burst through the remains of the colliding attacks, trailing fire behind him as he rushed Medicham with Blaze roiling around him. "Wildfire Slam!"

A Detect was the only thing that allowed Medicham to evade the attack; Charizard slammed into the ground in an explosion of Blaze and Earth - clearly he'd combined Flare Blitz with another ground-pounding Earthquake, and the sheer force of the combination sent Medicham flying away even though the main attack had missed.That attack might have knocked me out instantly if it had connected.

Charizard twisted and lunged as Medicham came down. "Let's do this, then!" he snarled as he did so. "Bonfire Fist!" A burning Fire Punch narrowly missed Medicham's face as she ducked backwards. Medicham had to recoil again as another Fire Punch swung past in a left hook, and then Charizard twisted and Medicham had to leap away from a swinging Iron Tail, the steely appendage whistling as it swept past her retreating stomach.

"Offense!" Marcus called.

He's right; I have no shot at winning if I keep running away.Crouching, Medicham hurled herself forwards, her fist crackling with Electric energy. Unexpectedly, Charizard met it with a Thunder Punch of his own, and his was formed from Lightning; their fists collided in an electrical explosion.

It was in that single moment that Leon's voice rose again. "Blaze Kick!"

In the blink of an eye, Charizard lashed out with a foot surrounded by Blaze, and once more Medicham was thrown backwards in an explosion of fiery energy, pain erupting across her stomach. "Shield!" Marcus cried as she landed on the ground; out of the corner of her narrowed eyes, Medicham saw Charizard unleashing another Bonfire Jet at her, and swiftly raised an Aura Shield in defense, deflecting the stream of Blaze and giving herself time to recover from the hit Charizard had dealt.

Rising, Medicham could hear the crowd exploding with renewed cheering, Hop's cry of "Finish it!" noticeable amongst their yells. Gloria was gripping the railing in front of her now as Leon's voice rose over them all. "Flare Blitz!" he cried, sounding almost theatrical; Medicham suspected the order had been for the benefit of the crowd rather than Charizard, for Charizard was already exploding forwards, Blaze surging around his body, before Leon even called his order. "Wildfire Slam!" Charizard roared, hurtling towards Medicham with shocking speed.

Medicham grimaced.I'm not finished yet…but it's not looking good.

He's faster than me. He's stronger than me. The sheer versatility of his techniques means he's able to counter everything I can throw at him. Even in melee, where I'm best, he can best me.

But I'll be damned if I'm giving up that easily. I think…

I think it's time I went full power.

Medicham crouched, summoned all the Aura she could muster. She flooded her entire body with it, willing it to strengthen her muscles, increase her speed and strength. Her form erupted in blue light as she dug her feet into the ground, the power coursing through her body strong enough that the ground around her rattled under the sheer amount of energy that flowed forth from Medicham.

She hadn't needed to use this against Corviknight. She hadn't managed to use it against Arbiter-Of-Fates. This would be the first time, then, that she drew upon this technique in a real battle.Let's hope this at least gives me a chance.

"Pure Power Times Two!" Medicham shouted. "Aura Finisher!"

Medicham lunged, kicking off the ground with so much force that the ground cratered under where her feet had been. Spinning, she delivered an Aura-boosted High Jump Kick straight to the crown of Charizard's head. Another explosion split the air as both combatants' momentum was halted, the power of their attacks sufficient to cancel one anothers' charges.

Pure Power Times Two had been Darkrai's idea. "What if," he'd suggested during a training session, "you infused your body with Aura in a fight, using your Ability to make yourself stronger and faster?" Medicham had taken to that suggestion like a Ducklett to water - the result was fairly similar to an Aura-based Nasty Plot combined with Swords Dance, and now she was fairly certain thatthis, rather than Aura Expulsion, was her single most powerful Aura-based attack.

A hush fell over the cheering crowd, and Marcus's voice arose to fill the sudden void. "Close Combat!" Swift to obey, Medicham flipped backwards, landing smoothly on the ground, and rushed Charizard in an instant. "Pure Power: Aura Strike Barrage!"

Charizard rose up, claws ablaze, and responded in kind as Medicham unleashed a flurry of Aura-enhanced fists at his form. He was just as fast as before, but now Medicham was twice as fast as she had been, her attacks flung with twice as much force behind them. Their fists clashed again and again, both of them blocking some hits and avoiding others with well-timed ducks and dodges, their punches flying too fast for the watching crowd to see. At some point Charizard tried a Blaze Kick again, but this time Medicham was fast enough to counter it with a Low Sweep, following up with a swift Thunder Punch that Charizard onlybarelymanaged to dodge with a swift flick of his head.

Both Medicham and Charizard had the same idea at the same time. As Medicham narrowed her eyes, unleashing a point-blank Psychic, Charizard slammed his tail to the ground, firing an Earthquake right into Medicham's chest. Both were struck, and both flew backwards, both landing smoothly on the ground. Medicham saw Dark energy glinting across Charizard's teeth - he'd used a split-second application of Crunch to blunt the power of the Psychic, ensuring that while it had been enough to send him skidding backwards he hadn't taken nearly as much damage as he would have.Wow…that's actually really impressive,Medicham thought.Then again, this is a Champion's Ace - I'd expect nothing less.

"Pure Power: Aura Blade!" Medicham cried, extending her Aura-formed arm; at her mental command, the arm began to morph, the fingers coming together, the hand narrowing to a point. With a flick of her newly-made sword, Medicham lunged again, moving so fast that wind buffeted her face.

"Your Pokemon certainly love their swords and shields!" Leon noted. "Heh…you definitely fit right in here in Galar! Flamethrower, Charizard - and put more into it!"

"Wildfire Jet!" Charizard roared; the stream of Blaze that shot from his jaws was larger and faster than the previous ones had been, but Medicham would not be stopped. Leaping forwards, she brought her Aura Blade down upon the center of the Wildfire Jet, and it was Charizard's turn to have his attack carved in two, the halves flying past either side of Medicham's face, radiating an uncomfortable amount of heat as they did so. The blade fluctuated, the force of Charizard's attack overwhelming it, but Medicham forced more Aura into the sword, keeping it steady in the face of Charizard's barrage. "Psychic, forwards!" Marcus called; Medicham swiftly obeyed, unleashing a swift blast of Mind over the top of the stream of fire, forcing Charizard to break off the stream. Even as he fired off another defensive burst of Air to dissipate the Psychic, Medicham sprang forwards once more, Aura Blade raised.

Charizard was forced to recoil as the blade slashed through the air, narrowly missing his chest. Medicham slashed again, and this time Charizard was not quite fast enough to evade; a thin red line opened across his stomach. Spinning, Medicham lashed out with a swift jab; Charizard, refocusing in an instant, reached out with both hands and grabbed her blade in midair, holding the point inches away from his torso.

Grinning, Medicham willed the sword to extend; her Aura obeyed, surging into the blade, and the point of the sword shot forwards into Charizard's body.

Time seemed to slow. Gasps arose from the audience as they realized Charizard had been wounded. Hop actually cried out "Charizard!" in shock and concern, but it was Gloria's reaction that surprised Medicham the most, for she exploded upwards with a full-throated cry of "YES!". Near-instantly she sat down again, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Charizard himself glanced down at the blood that was now running down his chest. His eyes narrowed and he raised them again, glaring straight into Medicham's own eyes, a mixture of fury and what almost seemed like respect glinting in them.

"Smokescreen!" Leon cried, his voice the slightest bit more urgent. "Get into the air!"

"Bonfire Smog," Charizard whispered; an acrid burst of smoke burst from his maw, blinding Medicham and forcing her to stumble backwards. She felt Charizard rip himself free of her Aura Blade; a second later, a blast of wind slammed into her, sending her staggering further and blowing the smoke away. Through eyes narrowed against the remnants of the smoke, Medicham saw Charizard rising higher and higher; clearly, both he and Leon had realized that he was now at a disadvantage in a melee duel.

If he thinks he's safe in the air, though, he'd better think twice.

Marcus clearly had the same idea. "Get up there!" he cried. Medicham crouched, summoning more Aura to her legs and reforming her Aura Blade into an arm, and leaped upwards, extending her arms outwards, calling upon the same technique that had allowed her to defeat Corviknight. "Pure Power: Aura Platform!"

Aura shot out, forming into a circular disc that hung in midair. Medicham landed on the disc before it had finished forming; crouching, she looked up in the air, and was delighted both to hear several cries of "Whoa!" from the audience and to see surprise glinting in Charizard's eyes once again. "Hurricane!" Leon called; Charizard once more unleashed a cylindrical blast of Air from his body, a blast that cleaved towards Medicham as she stood upon her Aura Platform.

No way I can maneuver this platform fast enough to avoid that…but I don't need to.

Medicham leaped to the side, creating another Aura Platform under her as she did so; skidding to a halt, she began to rush forwards and upwards, springing from newly-created platform to newly-created platform as she jumped towards Charizard. Charizard twisted, swinging his Hurricane towards Medicham, but Medicham was able to evade, leaping to the side upon another Aura Platform, then jumping over the Hurricane as it ripped through the platform she'd been standing on and landing on yet another platform.

Charizard spread his wings. "You think you can takemeon in the skies?" he snarled. "Come on, then, let's see how you handlethis!" Air and Blaze coursed across his wings as he spread them, appearing as if he was borne upon wings made of pure energy as he rose even higher.

"Tempestuous Wildfire!" Charizard roared, and what flew from his body wasn't a focused beam, but a cataclysmic expanse of fiery winds, a roaring swirling fire that buffeted Medicham as she stood upon her Aura Platform, gazing up at the hellstorm that was coming down upon her.This power…Medicham swallowed at the sight.No wonder this Charizard is so widely regarded as second only to Red's in terms of strength.

"You can do this, Medicham!"

Marcus's voice sounded faintly, penetrating the wind rushing through Medicham's ears, and she swallowed.I can't give up…not now.Raising her hands to the sky, she cried out once more, calling upon her deepest reserves of Aura to come forth in her defense.

"Pure Power: Aura Expulsion!"

Once more, blue light surged forth, clashing with the red in a titanic explosion that thundered across the sky. Medicham had to crouch, pouring more Aura into her platform in order to prevent it from dissipating from the sheer force of the explosion of energy. She looked upwards in time to see her Aura Expulsion fading and a surge of mingled Air and Blaze continuing onwards - even that attack, boosted by twice the Aura she could normally muster, had not been enough to completely dissipate the sheer amount of energy Charizard had unleashed. Medicham braced herself. "Pure Power: Aura Bubble!" she cried; a translucent sphere of Aura formed around her entire body as the Tempestuous Wildfire came down upon her.

Blaze and Air surged around her Aura Bubble; instinctively, Medicham crouched, tucking them into her body to try and limit the exposure to heat. It still hurt even through the bubble, burning and stinging at her flesh. She threw as much Aura as she could into her bubble and her platform - if either went down she was most likely done. But though they fluctuated, they both held against the barrage; wind howled around Medicham's Aura Bubble so loudly that she couldn't hear anything, not even the cheers she knew were coming from the watching crowd.

Finally, the barrage slackened, and Medicham straightened up. She dropped her shield and stood tall, gazing up at Charizard; the Fire/Flying-type looked absolutely shocked at the fact that Medicham had managed to tank through his attack. Medicham raised her hands high. "Pure Power: Aura Beam!"

"Down!" she heard Leon cry; Charizard dropped as the Aura Beam scythed through the sky where he had been. Twisting, Charizard launched himself at Medicham, Air and Blaze coursing around his body as he charged. Medicham swiftly dropped her Aura Beam, realizing she wouldn't be fast enough with it to counter Charizard's charge; instead, she drew back, finally drawing upon the move she'd been hoping to land since the very start of the fight, but had never quite found the right time to utilize. A move she'd learned via TM, specifically to help against Flying-types like Charizard.

The surprise factor was somewhat ruined by Marcus calling out "Rock Slide!"

Charizard stopped in an instant, backwinging as Medicham unleashed a sudden blast of Rock energy at his onrushing form. Medicham had expected him to have a counter to Rock-type moves, and sure enough, Charizard quickly twisted, his wing becoming encased in Steel energy. The Rock Slide slammed into Charizard's Steel Wing, the energy dissipating against the impromptu shield. But Medicham was not going to let this opportunity go to waste; she lunged forwards, creating another Aura Platform underfoot as she went, and hurled herself at Charizard. "Electric Strike Barrage!" she cried, tapping into both Close Combat and Thunder Punch to unleash a flurry of crackling punches at Charizard.

"Mud-Slap!" Leon called from below.

Mud-Slap? Medicham's eyes widened as Charizard's entire body erupted with Ground energy. Her first Thunder Punch slammed into Charizard, who didn't even flinch from the now-ineffective attack; with a flick of his wing he unleashed the Ground energy surrounding it straight into Medicham's face, sending her falling backwards, landing on her back on her own Aura Platform.

Kriesh uses that same technique…I should have been prepared for that!

Charizard sprang, fist drawn back, coming down upon the fallen Medicham with a Fire Punch aimed at her stomach. Medicham rolled to the side, allowing the punch to slam into her Aura Platform; in a flash Charizard's neck lashed out, and Dark energy filled his mouth once more as he sank a Crunch into Medicham's shoulder.

Medicham cried out in pain, but as she reeled, she realized her head was right next to Charizard's. In an instant she slammed a Zen Headbutt into Charizard's cheek; the Fire/Flying-type's head was snapped sideways by the hit and he stumbled, allowing Medicham to roll to her feet. She did not hesitate for an instant; with a shout, she fired a Rock Slide right into Charizard's stomach before he could recover.

The crowd, as one, let out a shocked gasp.

It was Charizard's turn to cry out, doubling over in pain; he toppled over the edge of the Aura Platform and fell a good several feet before managing to regain his bearings. Medicham couldn't pursue; the pain from Charizard's Iron Tail had finally hit, and she had to drop to one knee, clutching her stomach.

Leon's voice sounded from below as Charizard spread his wings, flapping them slowly to maintain altitude; both the Fire/Flying-type and his Trainer were grinning broadly. "You've certainly earned your position, Marcus!" the Galarian Champion stated. "I daresay Charizard hasn't been pressed this hard in months! But it's time we ended this! Charizard, Sunny Day! Tap into your Ability, and hit her with Blast Burn!"

Charizard spread his wings; the resultant outpouring of Blaze was so huge, so bright, that Medicham had to shield her eyes. Slowly, she released her hand, a little at a time so that she wasn't blinded, and so she saw as Charizard rose back into view, his entire body surrounded by a miniature sun. His body was silhouetted against the fiery mass, a black shadowy form with glowing red embers for eyes. Medicham felt a sudden surge of primal fear; she'd known, somehow, that Charizard hadn't been fighting at full strength. But now she knew he was. She knew this was Charizard's true power, the power that had earned Leon his place as Galar's Champion, and Charizard his place as one of the very strongest Pokemon in the world.

"Solar Power!" Charizard thundered. "Wildfire Blast!"

"Pure Power: Aura Barrier!" Medicham cried, flinging out both arms to form another Aura-made shield. But as Charizard exhaled, unleashing a titanic cylindrical beam of orange-red Blaze so large in diameter that the size of the beam dwarfed Medicham, she knew it wouldn't hold. And as it hit, it was even worse than she'd expected.

The Aura Barrier held for five seconds. Then it shattered, and Medicham's world became heat and pain.

Her entire body was ablaze, agony searing every inch of her form. She felt her Aura-formed arm dissolve, felt the Aura deplete from her body as she lost all her concentration. She couldn't see anything, her eyes squeezed shut as if not being able to see would somehow dilute the pain somewhat; she dimly heard cries of alarm from somewhere below, but they were faint and formless.

Then something caught her; she hadn't even realized she'd been falling. She opened her eyes to see Charizard, the sun gone from his body, a concerned look on his face as his arms held Medicham tightly. He descended slowly; Medicham turned her head and saw Marcus, hand clutching Medicham's Luxury Ball tightly, ready to recall her in an instant should the need arise.

"Thanks," Medicham gasped.

"No problem," Charizard replied. "You okay?"

"Yeah," said Medicham. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Charizard landed lightly on the ground, allowing Medicham to slide off his arms and land on her feet. She stumbled as she landed; she felt as if she would fall unconscious at any moment, but she managed to keep her feet.

She heard the audience cheering, Hop once more the loudest of all; it took her a moment to realize some of them were chantinghername, cheering for the Pokemon that had given their Champion's Ace an actual fight. Their chants made the pain worth it; as Marcus finally recalled her, relieving her from having to stand, Medicham smiled, basking in the cooling gel of her Luxury Ball as she watched Leon place a hand on his Charizard's shoulder, congratulating him. Charizard was standing tall and unbowed, panting slightly but nowhere near exhausted; there was no question as to who had won their bout, but Medicham felt content as she watched Leon spray a Hyper Potion on the wounds adorning Charizard's chest.

As if to corroborate, the referee stepped forwards. "Medicham has been recalled!" he cried. "As such, with two Pokemon to zero, the winner is Champion Leon!"

Marcus stepped over towards Leon, who saw him coming; reaching into his pocket, the Champion tossed Marcus another Hyper Potion. "Thanks," said Marcus. "That was a good battle."

"Indeed it was!" Leon grinned. "I daresay we all had an absolutely Champion time!" Grasping Marcus's wrist before he could even spray the Hyper Potion Leon had given him, Leon raised it up. "Everybody, Marcus Grayson, Kalosian Gym Leader! Give him a hand!"

The crowd roared.

"That wasawesome!" Hop cried afterwards as he, Gloria, Marcus, and Leon stood in the lobby together. "I didn't know you werethatstrong, Marcus!"

"Well, to be fair, Medicham's the strongest on my team by a fair amount," said Marcus. "Though the others are no slouches themselves, of course."

"Still," said Leon, "that performance was nothing to be ashamed of. Even young Gloria got into it!"

Gloria glanced away, looking embarrassed.

"Eh…I'm alittleembarrassed about that Destiny Bond," Marcus admitted. "I had to fight a Ghost-type specialist in order to get my Gym in the first place - he took out two of my Pokemon with pretty much that exact trick. You'd think I'd have learned by now."

"Don't sweat it, Marcus, every Trainer has weaknesses." Leon glanced over at Hop. "Yes, even me. And-"

"Congratulations!" A fifth voice broke into the conversation. "What a truly wonderful battle. If that is what the other regions have to bring to the table, I daresay this year's International League will be quite spectacular!"

"Chairman Rose," Leon greeted. Medicham glanced out of her Luxury Ball to see the Chairman in question striding up.

"You must be the Gym Challengers endorsed by these two Trainers!" Rose said, smiling at Gloria and Hop. "Welcome! It's a delight to meet you! And…I see you already have Dynamax Bands! How wonderful! Did you know it was my company, Macro Cosmos, that invented the first Dynamax Bands?"

"That was quite the opening ceremony, Chairman Rose," Marcus interjected.

"Please, Rose is fine," said Rose. "You know, Marcus, I used to be a Gym Leader myself. I preferred Steel-types - I have a Bronzong, in fact. Sadly, he's not with me at present, but perhaps your Medicham would someday enjoy meeting him?"

"Perhaps," said Marcus. "I have to ask, Rose - I was hoping to meet one Gym Leader in particular. I missed him at the ceremony - was he sick or something?"

Medicham sucked in a breath.This is dangerous. He's been asking a lot more about Piers recently…

Rose's facial expression shifted almost imperceptibly. "Actually, Marcus…we should talk about that. Leon, if you could allow us some privacy."

"Certainly!" said Leon. "Come along, Hop, Gloria - let's get you your League Cards!"

"Yes! League Cards!" Hop swiftly followed Leon towards the stadium doors. Gloria trailed behind the two, shooting a worried glance back at Marcus as she did so.

Medicham couldn't blame Gloria for being nervous - she herself was feeling her stomach twisting in a knot as Marcus followed Rose to an isolated corner of the stadium.

"Marcus," said Rose, his voice dropping a few octaves as he turned to face the Dark-type Gym Leader. "Marcus, Marcus. I understand. Truly, I do. You must be quite worried about your fellow Dark-type Gym Leader after he didn't show up to today's event." He smiled thinly. "Rest assured, he is not ill, nor is he injured. You have nothing to worry about. Piers is perfectly fine. He merely had a scheduling conflict, that's all."

"For the second biggest event in Galar?" Marcus asked with a frown.

Rose heaved a sigh. "Piers is a Gym Leader of Galar," he said. "You are, pardon my language, a foreigner. We of Galar are perfectly capable of handling our own Gym Leaders. So do me a favor and focus on enjoying the Gym Challenge. After all, thatiswhat you're here for…is it not?"

Marcus nodded silently.

Rose chuckled softly. "I have my own sponsored Gym Challenger this year. His name is Bede, and he's quite the Trainer. Perhaps Gloria and Bede will meet some time - nowthatwill be an interesting fight. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have a rather pressing matter to attend to. I wish you and Gloria good luck."

The gray-suited man turned on his heel and strode off, leaving Marcus to stare after him. Slowly, he looked down at Medicham's Pokeball.

Medicham swallowed as she sent the telepathic message. "Do you think he knows?"

"Do you?" Marcus responded.

"I'm not sure, but…" Medicham hesitated. "Whether he knows or not, it's clear both Rose and Leon are being very cagey about the situation. I'd assume Piers has disappeared and they're trying to cover it up, but the fact that they haven't promoted one of the Minor League Gym Leaders to his place is…weird."

"I agree," said Marcus. "You'd think that would be the first thing they do."

Medicham sighed. "I hate to say this, but…I think our best option is to continue sticking with Gloria. Rose and Leon clearly would rather we stay out of this, but once Gloria gets to the seventh Gym, though, we'll have the perfect excuse."

"Exactly," said Marcus. "I don't like leaving this situation untouched for so long, but you're right, it's our best option. All the same…"

He heaved another quiet sigh. "What with the Absols, Hunter J, and now this…it's clear there's something big going on in Galar."

"So, Morpeko." Marnie slid onto the bed of her hotel room, legs dangling over the edge. "Funny thing...that Gym Leader, Marcus? He's the same one who Connie's working under. IthoughtI recognized the name, but it wasn't until the Drapion started fightin' that I figured it out."

Morpeko had been wondering why Marnie had departed the stadium so fast after the exhibition battle was over.

"Look, Morpeko," Marnie murmured. "I'd love to talk to him. Catch up with him, ask how Connie's doin', all that. But...with what's goin' on in Spikemuth, I can't. Piers needs me. And for this to work...Marcus can't know about me. 'Cause when he met me, I was with Piers, and..."

She heaved a sigh. "It just doesn't feel proper, skulkin' around like this."

Morpeko, recognizing his Trainer was in need of comfort, swiftly snuggled up close. Marnie wrapped her arm around him and hugged him tightly. "This is gonna be tough," Marnie admitted. "But Ihaveto win the cup. I can't prioritize anything else - not even friends."

Morpeko rubbed his soft fur against Marnie's face, trying to comfort her as he had so many times before.

"The cup's all that matters," Marnie muttered. Morpeko felt a drop of wetness soak into his fur. "The cup's all that matters."

And there's the end of the Hunt Arc! Next up is the second Interlude. I am, however, going to be taking a break for finals, which are coming up fast - as such, the Interlude will come out in three weeks rather than the usual two.

Hope you enjoyed Marcus's battle with Leon, as well as Rose and Marnie's characters. Please drop a comment if you have the time - I always enjoy reading them!

Chapter 15: Interlude 2: A Nighttime Encounter

Chapter Text

Seeker-Of-Endings stepped back, raising his horn-blade, and caught Finder-Of-Knowledge's own horn on his. Taking advantage of his grounded position, he shoved forwards, forcing Finder-Of-Knowledge to leap off, then fired a Pursuit at her descending form. She landed on the ground and instantly retaliated with her own, intercepting the barrage before it could strike her.

"What is the role of Razor Wind in our arsenal?" Seeker-Of-Endings abruptly asked.

"A weak attack," Finder-Of-Knowledge answered promptly. "Used to make us seem less experienced than we actually are."

"And the secondary role?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked, lunging forwards with a swipe of his horn.

"It can also substitute for Pursuit," said Finder-Of-Knowledge as she dodged with a Detect, "if up against a type disadvantage. Though stronger Heralds have enough practice with Pursuit that it outclasses Razor Wind even against resistances."

"Good," said Seeker-Of-Endings. In the next second he hurled himself forwards once again, horn-blade glistening. Finder-Of-Knowledge backpedaled, parrying each strike with expert timing. "You've been trained well," Seeker-Of-Endings noted.

"I'm glad…you're not…disappointed!" Finder-Of-Knowledge gasped between parries.

"How should you approach your Trainer when you first find him?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked, coming in for another swing from the right.

"Um…" Finder-Of-Knowledge was caught off-guard by the sudden question; she barely managed to bring up her horn to block once again. "Pretend to be a normal wild Absol…interested in…" As she stumbled over her words, Seeker-Of-Endings whirled, lashing out with his bladelike tail. Destabilized both physically and mentally, Finder-Of-Knowledge couldn't dodge or counter in time, and the tail scored a cut across her cheek as she ducked away.

"Ow!" Finder-Of-Knowledge glared reproachfully at Seeker-Of-Endings. "Why do I have to answer these questionswhilewe're fighting? Is that something that is necessary?"

"It is in order to practice your concentration," Seeker-Of-Endings replied. "Think about it. In a battle alongside your Trainer, you must fight to a satisfactory degree, but you must also constantly be holding back, ensuring you don't use strength or techniques beyond what your power level is supposed to be. Furthermore, during those battles, you must also be using Future Sight, as Heralds must scan the timelines constantly. If you let your concentration slip on any of those three actions during a battle, the results may be catastrophic."

"Right." Finder-Of-Knowledge nodded, looking away.

Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. "Are you all right?"

"It's just a cut," said Finder-Of-Knowledge. "Heralds need to be able to endure far more."

"That's no excuse to torture yourself," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I've had cuts before, I can tell that stings. Here." He stepped over to a small pile of Oran Berries he'd gathered earlier, grasped one in one paw, and stepped over to Finder-Of-Knowledge. Crushing it beneath his claws, he raised his paw to Finder-Of-Knowledge's cheek and dribbled some juice on the cut.

The female Herald sighed with relief. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Seeker-Of-Endings.

Finder-Of-Knowledge glanced up at him. "So…I've been meaning to ask you. I've heard a lot from other Heralds about how life is meant to go with a Trainer…but no one's ever said how it actually is. So howislife with your Trainer? Is she good to you?"

Seeker-Of-Endings nodded. "Serena is the best kind of Trainer one can have. She's patient, she's kind, and at the same time she's driven to succeed, and she drives us to succeed the same way."

Finder-Of-Knowledge smiled. "I hope Emil is the same way. From what I've heard about him, he's kind too, and he's just going to be starting his journey, so he'll be really driven to succeed as well."

Seeker-Of-Endings nodded.Is that why Bringer-Of-Visions chose me to mentor her? Because Serena was also just starting out when I joined her?

He snapped out of his thoughts as he realized Finder-Of-Knowledge was frowning. "What is it?" he asked.

The female Herald bowed her head. "I'm scared," she confessed. "Emil seems like such a nice Trainer, and yet…I know that with me assigned to him, he'll be at risk. If…if Betrayer-Of-Kin comes for him…"

She trailed off. Seeker-Of-Endings felt a pang of sadness strike his heart and stepped closer, ensuring that his fur touched hers. "Listen," he said. "There will be other Heralds in the area. Betrayer-Of-Kin is a known problem weallhave to face."

"I know you fought her in Geosenge," Finder-Of-Knowledge murmured. "And…you must be so brave to have faced her down like that."

"Brave?" Seeker-Of-Endings snorted, but there was no mirth in it. "I was terrified," he admitted. "From the moment we started fighting, I knew there was no way I was going to win. That I was almost certain to die right then and there. And when she trapped me in Oblivion…" He stopped, the memory flooding back. The memory of the countless darkness-formed chains pulling him apart, of the agony ravaging his body, of his mind breaking before Betrayer-Of-Kin's torture…

"Are you all right, Seeker?" Finder-Of-Knowledge asked.

"I…" It was Seeker-Of-Endings to turn away. "I broke," he said. "She tortured me, tried to force me to release my Perish Song and let her back in the world…and I broke. I should have remained resolute. I should have kept her trapped there until my mind gave out. But I let her go. And if Marcus hadn't been able to get away in time, I would have been responsible for that."

He looked back at Finder-Of-Knowledge and saw her watching him with tears in her eyes. "You say the other Heralds hail me as a hero for that day," Seeker-Of-Endings continued. "But…they don't know the full story. They don't know that after that day, I feared death for a long time. So much so that a Hypno nearly managed to beat me by forcing me to live out my own death. So, Finder, what I'm saying is that it's okay to be scared. Most people and Pokemon are. The important thing is to not fight it, but instead accept that fear as part of yourself, and learn to surpass it. Betrayer-Of-Kin need not rule your life. If you spend your entire time with Emil looking over your shoulder, then you won't have any time to actually, you know, be a Trained Pokemon."

"Seeker," said Finder-Of-Knowledge, "do you really feel all right? I mean, all right with telling me something like that…it's a lot, and it must've been hard for you to say…"

"It was," Seeker-Of-Endings admitted.

Finder-Of-Knowledge shrugged. "You know, it's a little funny, actually. You're saying all this, and I'm just remembering Bringer-Of-Visions telling me that Ishouldalways be looking over my shoulder."

"Bringer-Of-Visions is wrong." Seeker-Of-Endings nearly clapped a paw over his mouth as Finder-Of-Knowledge looked at him strangely.Did I seriously just say that? And so easily, too…

He coughed. "I mean…" He fumbled his next words, trying to find a statement that didn't feel treasonous to him. "You can'talwayslook over your shoulder," he said. "You need to sleep. You need to eat. You need to socialize. And, of course, you need to battle. Looking over your shoulder is what Future Sight is for, and with any luck that'll let you know where and when you need to watch out for something."

"I guess," said Finder-Of-Knowledge. "Um…should we continue?"

Seeker-Of-Endings nodded, then promptly sprang forwards. Finder-Of-Knowledge responded in kind, and deep in the forests surrounding Laverre City, a new round of clashes rose over the trees.

"Connie!" Serena flung open the door to her apartment. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd ask how Tangrowth's doin'," said the Galarian native. "If I ain't welcome-"

"You'reentirelywelcome," said Serena. "And Tangrowth's doing much better. Isn't that right, Tangrowth?"

"Yeah," Tangrowth replied from where he was standing in the corner. "Though I still don't feel 100-percent." He punctuated the statement by forming his vines into a somewhat shaky diagonal thumbs-up.

Serena nodded, a relieved smile on her face. "The Professor's medicine definitely did its work well. I'lldefinitelybe thanking Calem next time I see him."

Umbreon smiled as well as she watched the much healthier Tangrowth. It had been two weeks since he'd fallen ill, two weeks that had clearly been miserable for the poor Grass-type. But now, thanks to a combination of special medicine from Professor Sycamore and supplemental items from the Pokemon Center, Tangrowth was nearly well again.

"And thankyou, Connie, for arranging that," Serena added.

"Oh, you've thanked me for that more times than I can count," Connie retorted. "I was just helpin' a friend out, that's all."

Serena reached for a bottle on a nearby shelf, opened it up, and peered inside. She frowned. "Looks like we'll need one more top-up before you're all better. Ugh, this stuff's expensive…not that I mind, of course," she added hastily to the worried-looking Tangrowth, who immediately brightened up again.

"I can foot the bill if you need it," Connie offered.

"No, thank you, I've got plenty of money to afford it," Serena replied. "It's just a fairly hefty price, that's all. Let's see…Seeker's still out…oh, who am I kidding, he'll be fine if he comes back before I do. Hey, Connie?"

"Yeah?" Connie asked.

"I'm heading out," said Serena. "Gonna get to the Pokemon Center and grab that medicinal top-up."

"Don't you think it's a little late?" Connie asked. "I just came to say hi on the way to bed. I know the Pokemon Center's still open, but don't you think it'd be better to wait until morning?"

"I don't want Tangrowth to be without his medicine," Serena replied. "I know he'll probably be fine, but with how sick he's been for the last couple weeks, I don't want to take any chances."

Connie nodded. "All right, fair. Guess that's my cue to leave, then."

"Thanks for stopping by," said Serena.

"Anytime," said Connie, stepping through the door to Serena's apartment and shutting it behind her.

Serena turned to Tangrowth and Umbreon, the only two members of her team currently out of their Pokeballs. "All right, Tangrowth, back in your ball," she said. "Umbreon, you okay with staying out? I'd like to have a Pokemon beside me just in case."

Umbreon nodded understandingly.

The night was still young, and there were still faint traces of sunlight yearning for influence in the night sky as Serena stepped out of the apartment block and into the street. It wasn't that long of a walk to the Pokemon Center, but the barren street still made Umbreon nervous. At this time of day, most people in Laverre would be either getting ready for bed or already falling asleep.

Umbreon knew Laverre was safe, and she knew Serena knew as well. But she also knew that Serena feltmoresafe with a Pokemon by her side, and so followed Serena closely as she stepped down the cobbled street, her paws hitting the ground in sync with Serena's feet. It took about five minutes before the two reached the entrance to the Pokemon Center. All the lights were off, which immediately worried Umbreon. Pokemon Centers were meant to remain operational at all hours of the day, and as such their lights were always supposed to be on.

Must be some sort of malfunction, Umbreon thought.Or they're in the middle of a shift change.Those thoughts danced around her head as Serena threw open the door to the Pokemon Center and stepped inside, Umbreon close behind.

"Hi, Nurse…" Serena's cheery greeting died on her lips as she and Umbreon both froze in place.

Before them, the form of the local nurse was slumped on her desk, not moving. Behind the desk, a figure was standing, in the process of scooping medicine bottles from the area behind the desk into a large backpack. The figure looked humanoid, but was encased in some sort of suit, colored black and gold with a large golden E emblazoned where its face would be. It, too, was frozen, gazing at Serena; beside it stood a Malamar, larger than Serena's own. For several moments all four beings stared at one another stupidly, shock stilling their movements.

And then all four exploded into action at the same time.

"Stop where you are!" Serena cried. "Umbreon, Confuse Ray!" Umbreon was already charging forwards; swiftly, she unleashed a burst of Ghost energy at the enemy Malamar. The Malamar raised one of its long tentacle-arms, emblazoned with Normal energy, and slashed through the Confuse Ray, dissipating it into nothingness; the other tentacle-arm rose as well, glinting with Bug energy. "Langis Maeb," the Malamar stated, firing off a Signal Beam at Umbreon, who was quick to raise a Protect to block it.

In the meantime, two more Pokemon - a grinning Gengar and a snarling Crobat - appeared around the mysterious Trainer; all three enemy Pokemon swiftly lunged over the desk. "No fire!" Serena cried as she sent out Delphox, who promptly fired a Psychic at the oncoming Crobat with a cry of "Mind Spike!" The Crobat dodged to the side, evading the blast of Mind; from behind Umbreon came a loud shriek as Altaria soared overhead. "Dragon's Song!"

"Sludge Spit!" the Crobat hissed; the two attacks exploded against one another, and the two Flying-types came together in a blur of whirling wings. "Cursed Body: Distortion Orb!" the Gengar growled, its left arm dissolving into a swirl of pure Distortion as it launched a Shadow Ball like a cannon at Delphox. Umbreon sprang in front of it, tapping into Moonlight to counteract the pain of being struck by the resisted attack, and Delphox swiftly retaliated with a yell of "Phantasmal Force!", tossing a Shadow Ball of her own at the Gengar. Gengar dissolved into pure Distortional energy, evading Delphox's Shadow Ball; as he did so, Malamar charged. "Yrartnoc: Rewoprepus," the Dark/Psychic-type gurgled, surging towards Umbreon with Fighting energy radiating from its form.

"Lightning Quills!"

"Ribbon Shot!"

A barrage of Lightning-infused quills slammed into Malamar, stopping his charge cold; a second later a powerful blast of Life sent him reeling back. Sylveon and Jolteon stepped to either side of Umbreon, eyes narrowed. "Stay away from our daughter," Jolteon growled, her eyes lighting up with flame as she tapped into her Flame Orb to activate her Quick Feet Ability.

Sylveon remained silent, but her entire body glowed with Life, perfectly punctuating Jolteon's warning.

Malamar raised his tendrils. "Ohcysp Tuc." Mind flared across both tentacles as he rushed Sylveon and Jolteon, flinging out one tendril towards each. "Quick Feet: Lightning Dash!" Jolteon cried, blurring out of the way. "Lightning Blast!" A Thunderbolt arced out from Jolteon's body, forcing Malamar to twist and deflect it with his Psycho Cut-emblazoned tendril; as a result, his other tentacle missed Sylveon completely, something the Fairy-type Eeveelution took full advantage of. "Cute Charm!" Malamar staggered as his mind was assailed by Sylveon's Ability; Jolteon, seeing the opportunity, lunged with another Quick Feet-boosted Lightning Dash and hurled Malamar bodily away.

Above, Crobat fired another Sludge Bomb at the charging Altaria. Altaria twisted, splaying one wing out in front of her. "Cloud Nine: Cumulus Wing!" Her wing swelled to twice its size in an instant, and Crobat's Sludge Bomb splattered uselessly against it. "Cloud Nine: Cumulonimbus Wing!" Altaria cried; her wing changed color, going from white to dark gray, and from it flew a barrage of hailstones that Crobat was forced to dive away from. He wasn't quite fast enough; one caught the edge of one wing, sending him into an uncontrolled spin. Altaria was quick to take advantage, lunging forwards with an application of Agility spurring her onwards; she twisted and slammed her massive wing into the spinning Crobat, and a loudcrashsounded as Altaria's strike blasted Crobat into a table, knocking the whole thing over.

We're winning, Umbreon thought. And then she heard a cackle as Gengar finally reformed on top of the desk, next to the suited Trainer.

The Trainer glanced over at Gengar and raised one gauntlet. A panel flipped open on the back of their hand, exposing a glowing rainbow gem that at once began to flare with light. Umbreon's eyes widened as Gengar's shape began to morph. "Mega Evolution!" Serena cried. "Delphox, Umbreon, stop him!"

"Mind Spike!" Delphox cried again; Umbreon joined her with a call of "Moon Wave!" following up Delphox's Psychic with a Dark Pulse. But before either attack could hit, Gengar's form erupted in an explosion of shadowy energies, blasting the Psychic and even the Dark Pulse away. Altaria was sent flying backwards, her cloudlike winds flailing desperately; Delphox only avoided the same fate via a massive blast of Mind to counter the assault; Umbreon sprang in front of Sylveon and Jolteon, raising a Protect to shield herself and her mothers.

And from the center of the shadowy explosion emerged a Mega Gengar, laughing horrifically as it surged forwards. Its body dissolved in a Shadow Sneak; Umbreon heard a rush of wind behind her and spun just in time to see Mega Gengar reach out with both hands and touch Sylveon and Jolteon before anyone could stop him. "Spectral Thief: Distortional Puppeteer!"

In an instant, their shadows erupted upwards, tendrils of darkness wrapping around both of them, wreathing their bodies in pure shadow. Mega Gengar's red eyes flashed, and on both Sylveon and Jolteon's darkness-covered bodies, identical red eyes opened where their eyes would normally be.

Mega Gengar laughed maniacally as he faded back into the shadows, dodging a furious Psychic from Delphox. Umbreon was too shocked to launch her own attack; she was stuck in place, staring at the red-eyed forms of Jolteon and Sylveon as they laughed in perfect synchronization with Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar reappeared next to his Trainer, grinning, his hands raised, little strings of shadow suspended from them and melting into the floor. "You fight formenow," Mega Gengar snarled.

"Yes, Master," Jolteon and Sylveon replied, and in the next moment both lunged for Umbreon.

Delphox raised her stick, only for the enemy Malamar to leap in from the side - "Thgin Hsals." - and slam an Oblivion-infused tendril into her torso, sending the Fire/Psychic-type reeling. Umbreon barely managed to find her legs in time to leap away from Jolteon and Sylveon, already racking her brain for what she remembered of Shadow Tag. She'd heard about the Ability before - it was meant to be a tracking-based Ability, allowing the user to latch onto someone's shadow and automatically know where they were at any time. Wobbuffet and Wynaut were the most noted users of the Ability, and experienced members of the line could use it to anticipate an opponent's moves via their position and movements, enabling them to ready the appropriate Counter, Mirror Coat, or Safeguard - it was one of the primary reasons the line was so feared in the hands of any Psychic master patient enough to train one, most notably Kanto/Johto Elite Four member Will.

But Umbreon had never known it could be used to take control of a Pokemon's shadow the way Mega Gengar was using it.This thing must be really powerful, she realized as she backpedaled away from Jolteon's leap. She didn't see the blast of Life from Sylveon coming; it struck her in the side, knocking her to the floor, and Jolteon whirled and leaped towards her once again, red eyes flaring in the darkness.

And then the Electric-type Eeveelution's entire body was seized in a Psychic grip.

Glancing up, Umbreon saw Meowstic standing in front of Serena, eyes narrowed and body trembling as she held Jolteon in midair. "Enough," she snarled, and with a grunt of effort she hurled Jolteon into Sylveon, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Umbreon looked up in time to see Serena's own Malamar knocking the enemy Malamar off the stumbling Delphox. Swiftly, Umbreon rolled to her feet, stepping backwards until she was between Delphox and Meowstic. Malamar rose on Delphox's right, Altaria landed on a collapsed small table to Meowstic's left, and the five stood ready as their adversaries, too, regrouped.

Mega Gengar's grin did not leave his face as Jolteon and Sylveon walked jerkily to his side, their enshrouded bodies turning to face Serena's team. Crobat remained airborne, eyes narrowed, and the enemy Malamar rose from where Serena's Malamar had knocked him down, swaying slightly. Umbreon swallowed.We're all involved now except Tangrowth,and of course Seeker. And yet…because of Shadow Tag, we don't even have the numbers advantage.

Serena tapped Jolteon and Sylveon's Pokeballs, but neither one was recalled; evidently the enfilading of their bodies was interfering with their Pokeballs. Serena glared at the enemy Trainer. "Let them go."

The enemy Trainer co*cked their head. "Surrender this fight, and I will." Their voice was robotic but distinctly female, their tone cold and emotionless.

"Why are you doing this?" Serena demanded, eyeing the medicine-filled backpack slung across the enemy Trainer's back. "There are people and Pokemon who need that medicine!"

"Do I look like I care?" The enemy Trainer took a step forwards. "I am Essentia. And I require this medicine as well. So I will give you an offer, Serena. Either I take the medicine…or I take your Pokemon."

Umbreon bared her teeth at Essentia. Mega Gengar chuckled again. "I get the sense that they're important to you," the Ghost/Poison-type growled. "So this shouldn't be that hard of a decision, should it?"

An idea popped into Umbreon's head. She glanced back at Serena, whose face was twisted into worry, and gave her a slight nod. Then she turned her head once again towards Mega Gengar. "You're right," she said. "It's not a hard decision at all." Grimacing, Umbreon called upon Substitute. "Synchronize: Pain Split!"

A scream tore itself from Umbreon's throat as she forced the energy required for a Substitute out of her body at a rapid pace, ensuring that the use of the technique was as painful to her as it could possibly be. At the same time, she called upon her Synchronize Ability, and all the agony she was feeling struck Mega Gengar full force. Mega Gengar hadn't braced himself in any way; he reared back, howling in pain, and his control over Sylveon and Jolteon's shadows slacked. The red eyes faded, and while the shadows did not dissipate completely, they retracted just enough so that Umbreon could see their faces through her tear-stained eyes.

"Forwards!" Serena ordered her team.

Meowstic and Delphox charged, firing a twin blast of Mind at Crobat, who couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying backwards. The others followed. Mega Gengar snarled as he rose to meet them. "Distortion Orbs!" he bellowed, launching a hail of Shadow Balls at the oncoming Pokemon, but Altaria swooped down in front of them. "Cloud Nine: Stratus Shield!" Her wings turned dark gray once more even as they expanded, forming a solid wall of gray cloud-wing that intercepted all of the incoming Shadow Balls. Altaria swept the wings away just in time for Umbreon and Serena's Malamar to charge through where they'd been, the former racing alongside her Substitute towards Mega Gengar and the latter rushing Essentia's Malamar. Essentia's Malamar tried another Signal Beam, but Serena's Malamar countered with a Flamethrower fired from the tip of one tendril, and the two Malamar came together in a melee duel, tendrils flailing wildly.

Umbreon left them behind, focusing only on Mega Gengar, on Altaria next to her, and on the struggling forms of Sylveon and Jolteon standing between her and the Ghost/Poison-type. "Moon Wave!" she cried, blasting a Dark Pulse at Mega Gengar, only for him to form a pair of Focus Blasts in his fingers and toss them forwards; one ripped through the Substitute, while the other tore the Dark Pulse to shreds in an explosion of energy. Out of the explosion Mega Gengar sprang, leaping between the still-struggling Jolteon and Sylveon, his grin strained as he drew one shadowy arm back. Umbreon raised a Protect just in time to deflect the Aura-enhanced blow he swung at her; in the next moment, Mega Gengar dematerialized.

"Behind you!" Altaria cried. "Ghost's Song - ah!"

Umbreon spun in time to see Altaria tumble backwards, propelled by a wave of Toxic, as Mega Gengar rose out of Umbreon's shadow. "Shadow Tag: Distortional Fist!" Mega Gengar snarled; Umbreon's eyes widened as Mega Gengar's fist flew out of Umbreon's shadow and slammed into her forehead, sending her reeling.

"Umbreon, Synchronize!" Serena's cry barely reached Umbreon's ears. Umbreon reacted instantly, calling upon her Ability, and was rewarded with a cry of pain from Mega Gengar as the pain from his punch struck him as well. Umbreon recovered in time to see Mega Gengar staggering, once again caught off guard by Synchronize. In a flash she hurled herself forwards. "Moon's Strike!" she cried, plunging an Oblivion-enhanced paw-strike into Mega Gengar's body before he could regain his footing.

Mega Gengar cried out in agony; a second later, Altaria came in from the air, landing an Astonish that bowled Mega Gengar over. Umbreon heard a battle cry behind her and turned to see Jolteon rushing forwards, Sylveon at her side - Mega Gengar had finally completely lost control over their shadows, and now was backpedaling frantically as Altaria and all three of Serena's Eeveelutions charged him, firing off another Sludge Wave that Jolteon countered with a rapid Discharge.

But before any of them could strike him, he disappeared, recalled by the beam of a Pokeball; Umbreon twisted in time to see Essentia release Mega Gengar again, this time next to her. At the very least the Ghost/Poison-type was no longer smiling. Not only were Jolteon and Sylveon free, but his teammates were losing badly; as Umbreon watched, Crobat managed to strike Delphox with a Brave Bird, sending the Fire/Psychic-type stumbling backwards, only for Meowstic to retaliate with a Psyshock that knocked Crobat out of the sky. On the other side of the Pokemon Center, the two Malamars were still brawling; Essentia's seemed stronger, but Serena's was more than holding his own, his tentacles flashing with Oblivion and Fighting energy as they clashed with the tendrils of Essentia's Malamar in a fast-paced brawl.

Essentia shifted. "Gengar," she ordered, "cover me with Dazzling Gleam."

Mega Gengar lunged forwards, one hand upraised, and unleashed a blinding flash of Life, forcing Umbreon to raise a Protect in response. As the light cleared, Umbreon saw Essentia dashing forwards, her feet moving faster than any human Umbreon had seen. She was charging straight towards Delphox, one gauntleted fist drawn back.

Wait, what?

Delphox seemed to be similarly surprised; she barely managed to parry Essentia's punch with her stick, and even so the force of it sent her staggering backwards. A small panel atop Essentia's other gauntlet flipped open, and out sprang a wicked-looking silvery blade, one which Essentia swung at Delphox. "Block with your own!" Serena cried.

"Blaze: Flame Blade!" Delphox cried; from the tip of her stick emerged a giant fiery sword, one which Delphox swiftly raised to deflect Essentia's blade. But Essentia maneuvered the deflection into a spin and lashed out with a roundhouse kick that caught Delphox across the face. Delphox crumpled, momentarily stunned, and Essentia, her path unhindered, lunged straight for Serena.

"No!" Umbreon cried, spinning to try and leap between the two.

But it was too late. Essentia's hand slammed into Serena's throat, and with what looked like barely any effort, Essentia lifted Serena by the neck and slammed her bodily into a wall. Serena gasped, instinctively reaching up with both hands to try and tear Essentia off, but the suited Trainer's grip held firm. From how Serena's eyes were beginning to bug out of her head, Essentia was squeezing her throat hard. Essentia raised her other arm, pointing the blade still extending from it right between Serena's eyes, and glanced over towards Serena's Pokemon, all of whom had stopped fighting."I'd advise you all to stand down," she warned, "unless you want-"

In the blink of an eye, one of Serena's hands dropped to her belt and triggered the release function on her final Pokeball.

"Get off my Trainer!" Tangrowth lashed out with a flurry of vines, wrapping them around Essentia's limbs, torso, and neck and pulling as hard as he could. Unprepared, Essentia was hurled backwards; Tangrowth tossed Essentia straight into the opposite wall, the impact hard enough to leave a crater as Essentia tumbled to the floor. She recovered almost instantly, lashing out with a swipe from her blade that slashed through several of Tangrowth's vines, but the Grass-type held firm, his arms extended protectively to cover Serena, who had fallen to the ground, gasping for air.

"Shadow Tag: Umbral Shift!" Before any of Serena's Pokemon could move, Mega Gengar appeared in Essentia's shadow and dragged her down into it as if pulling her underwater. The two reappeared back behind the desk; swiftly, Essentia grabbed the backpack containing the stolen medicine, slung it across her back, then raised her Pokeballs and recalled all three of her Pokemon.

"We will meet again, Serena," she promised. "ER Device, activate." A flash of light momentarily blinded all of Serena's Pokemon just like Mega Gengar's Dazzling Gleam had done, and when it cleared Essentia was gone, the Pokemon Center completely silent save for Serena's raspy breathing.

"Serena!" Tangrowth swiftly touched a vine to her throat. "Regenerator!" Serena's breathing began to ease slightly, though there was still clear pain in every breath she took. "Thanks, Tangrowth," she managed.

Umbreon could now hear footsteps coming from outside - the sound of multiple people running towards the Pokemon Center, evidently roused from their sleep by the sounds of battle.Thank Arceus, she thought as she gazed around at the team, wounded but victorious.It's over.

"And you'resureyou're okay?" Connie asked. She and Theo had come running as fast as they could the instant they'd heard of the battle in the Pokemon Center.

"I'm fine," Serena replied raspily.

"You don'tsoundfine," Theo said worriedly.

"Excuse me?" A new voice broke into the conversation. Serena, Connie, and Theo glanced over to see a male League official standing over them. "My apologies, but I would like to ask this young woman some questions, if that's all right."

"Of course," said Serena.

The man winced at the rasp in her voice. "I'll make it quick," he promised as Connie and Theo stepped away, leaving Serena alone with the League official.

Serena, agreeing, wasted no time in giving the man an account of the battle. When she finished, the man frowned. "The thief called herself Essentia?"

Serena nodded. "Do you know the name?"

"No," said the man. "I've never heard it before. Which is strange, considering the Mega Gengar. Nearly every user of Mega Evolution is well documented, and Gengarites have outright been outlawed in Pokemon Leagues due to their Distortional abilities enhancing Shadow Tag to the point a Mega Gengar can fairly easily take outright control of opposing Pokemon - as you have now had experience with."

Serena shuddered. "You mean that kind of thing is something any Mega Gengar can do?"

The man nodded. "Which, again, is why Gengarites are illegal. The fact that this 'Essentia' has one makes her exceedingly dangerous. Thank you for your assistance here tonight, but I'll have to advise against attempting to pursue Essentia. With a Gengarite involved, any engagement of Essentia must be restricted to League-affiliated Trainers."

"I don't see how that doesn't apply to me," said Serena. "I'm a Laverre City Gym Trainer."

"You are?" The man's frown deepened. He pulled out a small device and clicked a few buttons on it. His eyes widened. "I must apologize - I meant no offense."

"None taken," Serena said. "I assume we're cleared to engage Essentia if we see her, then?"

"Of course," said the man. "Though, in my personal opinion, you should take a day or two to let your throat heal before making any attempt to do so."

Serena nodded. "Any idea what that teleportation thing she did was?"

"From what you told me, it sounds like she has an Escape Rope installed in that suit of hers," the man said. "ER Devices were invented by a Silph Co. researcher named Eiko Ryoukai - meant as a personal, one-use emergency teleporter for League officials. She named it after herself, but Trainers started calling them Escape Ropes and the name caught on."

"One-use?" Serena asked. "Does that mean Essentia won't be able to do that again?"

"Not exactly," said the man. "You see, about two years ago, Macro Cosmos over in Galar managed to get their hands on an Escape Rope. They promptly altered the design to be infinite-use with only a small two-hour recharge requirement, and then started selling them off for a hefty profit. Now any criminal can just pay a large sum of money and get their own personal teleporter. I've heard the International Police are tearing their hair out over it. And I'll bet you anythingthat'swhat Essentia's got stored in her suit."

"Perfect," Serena remarked drily.

"Yeah," said the man. "You'd best be prepared with something that can shut it down. Electrical interference, maybe - that Jolteon of yours might be able to do the trick."

"I'll try that," said Serena. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said the many. "Anyway, once again, thank you for your help. I know Essentia was able to get away with some of the inventory, but it could have been far worse. And with the plague down south, we'll take anything we can get."

Serena gave the man another nod as he turned and stepped briskly away. As he left earshot, Serena let out a sigh of relief and looked over towards Connie and Theo. "Let's head back to the apartments," said Serena. "Afterthat, I'm dying for some rest."

"I should have been there," Seeker-Of-Endings growled.

"You couldn't have known," Delphox replied. "We were all caught off guard. But hey, we won, and none of us were taken. That has to count for something."

"But if I had been there, maybe Serena wouldn't have gotten hurt," Seeker-Of-Endings retorted.

"Come on, Seeker, stop blaming yourself." Delphox folded her arms. "You think I don't feel guilty, too? I was the one standing in between Serena and Essentia. It wasmyduty to fend her off, and I failed. And you can bet I'm going to train like mad to better handle things like that for next time. But I'm not going to waste time feeling sorry for myself, and you shouldn't either. Now, we'd better get some sleep. It's late."

With that, Delphox retreated into the other room, where the sounds of movement could be heard as Serena settled down for the night. Seeker-Of-Endings sighed.She's right, he thought.My duty is to the Heralds first and foremost. I was only doing my job. And besides, Serena and the rest of the team all got out alive. She can handle herself without me watching over her.

Seeker-Of-Endings allowed himself an amused smile.It's just like I told Finder-Of-Knowledge. I don't have to be looking over my shoulder at all times. I should just get some rest.

But as he was about to turn and follow Delphox, the telltale notes of a Perish Song began to play in his mind.

Seeker-Of-Endings heaved a sigh.Never mind…guess my rest will have to wait a bit.Swiftly, he ducked behind a chair, nestling into the gap between the chair and the wall, and allowed himself to be drawn into Oblivion.

It was immediately evident that something was wrong. Bringer-Of-Visions was giving orders to a couple other Heralds, her voice rapid, her eyes betraying clear nervousness. As the other Heralds turned and stepped away, Bringer-Of-Visions turned towards Seeker-Of-Endings. "There you are," she growled.

"Bringer, what's going on?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"I thought you were keeping up with affairs in Galar," Bringer-Of-Visions replied.

Seeker-Of-Endings felt a chill run through him.What happened? Is Marcus in danger?"My apologies, Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings, bowing his head. "I have become preoccupied with training Finder-Of-Knowledge. My watch over Galar has slipped. It will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Bringer-Of-Visions ordered. "As I believe your previous lesson was meant to demonstrate, a Herald must be able to keep concentration on multiple tasks simultaneously at all times."

"You're watching me?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

Bringer-Of-Visions nodded. "But enough. There has been an attack. It seems the renegades caught wind of Marcus's arrival in Galar, and tried to have him assassinated on a train about a week and a half ago."

Seeker-Of-Endings felt sick.So long ago…how did I not see this?"Is he all right?"

"I would be alotmore angry if he wasn't," Bringer-Of-Visions growled. "Yes, he's all right. But that doesn't change the fact that the renegades learned about his arrival very quickly.Tooquickly."

"We weren't exactly able to provide adequate Psychic shielding," Seeker-Of-Endings pointed out. "With their concentration, they could've easily punched through-"

"Only if they knew what they were looking for," Bringer-Of-Visions pointed out. "And there's only one way they could've known that. They must have someone on the inside." She turned, fully gazing into Seeker-Of-Endings' eyes. "Seeker, there is a traitor in our ranks."

"Who?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"I would be alotless angry if I knew," Bringer-Of-Visions growled. "But the fact of the matter is that I cannot trust anyone." Her eyes narrowed. "Not even you, Seeker."

"But then…why tell me?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

Bringer-Of-Visions stepped closer. "Because," she murmured, "I want you to know that I will be continuing to watch you. And I will know if you commitanysort of treasonous act. Everything you do, everything you say…I will know. So…" She was standing right in front of Seeker-Of-Endings now, her eyes boring into his. "…if youarethe traitor, now's the time to give yourself up."

"I wouldneverbetray you," said Seeker-Of-Endings.

"We shall see," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "You may go. It's late. Get some rest." With that, she whirled and stalked away, leaving Seeker-Of-Endings to dematerialize back into the real world.

Alone again, Seeker-Of-Endings realized he was trembling.What I said earlier today, about Bringer-Of-Visions being wrong…does she know about that? And my admittance of my fear of death to Finder-Of-Knowledge…does she know about that, too? Not to mention years ago, when Teller-Of-Tales approached me…Seeker-Of-Endings squeezed his eyes shut.Damn it…I have so much to hide. I may not be the traitor, but I sure as Distortion feel like one.

Trying to force those thoughts from his mind, Seeker-Of-Endings stepped out into the room, turning his pawsteps towards Serena's room.I can't deal with this now. Right now, I need some sleep.But once again, his movement was interrupted as Altaria burst through the door right in front of him, her wings ruffled, her eyes wild.

Her gaze locked on Seeker-Of-Endings immediately and she skidded to a halt. "There you are," she said swiftly, her voice filled with urgency.

Seeker-Of-Endings heaved a sigh. "What's wrong, Altaria?"

"I need you to translate for me," said Altaria. "I need to tell Serena something."

"What?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"In the Pokemon Center," said Altaria, "we were fighting a Mega Gengar, a Malamar, and a Crobat. And Iknowthat Crobat. I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out, but I've met that Crobat before. I'vefoughtthat Crobat before."

Seeker-Of-Endings felt all traces of tiredness leave his mind. "Are you sure?"

"I don't forget a fighting style," Altaria affirmed.

"Where did you fight that Crobat before?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"At Aether," said Altaria. "Alongside Kriesh." Seeker-Of-Endings knew instantly what Altaria was talking about, and his heart sank even before Altaria grimly pronounced the rest of her words.

"That'sFaba'sCrobat."

The Escape Rope bit is simply my headcanon on why the Escape Rope went from a single-use item to an infinite-use Key Item in Sword and Shield. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this interlude! Since I took a break for finals, I see no reason to take a break here. So I'm two for two on interludes without breaks immediately afterwards, when I planned on taking a break after every interlude. Whoops.

Anyway, as always, please drop a comment if you have the time, and I'll see you in two weeks for the start of the next arc, otherwise known as the "First Steps Arc"!