Bringer-Of-Visions stood within a small copse of trees, the shadows of which she knew would block her body from view. Alongside her stood four other Heralds. She doubted she would need more for this.
She cast her gaze out over the Swarmlord's main camp. She could already see the Drapion in question, moving with purpose towards one of the many cave entrances dotting the sides of the camp. Other Drapion and Skorupi were gathered around the sides of the camp as well, peering into the center. They clearly numbered in the hundreds.
The center of the camp was a sandy pit, perfect for a battle arena. On both sides, entrances to caves arose, one larger than the other. The larger one had two Drapion standing guard in front of it, one on each side. The smaller one had none.
"They certainly seem prepared," said one of the Heralds next to her.
Bringer-Of-Visions glanced at the speaker. "Have you detected any approach, Watcher?"
"I have not," Watcher-Of-Time answered with a bow of his head. "Neither have the others."
"Then likely they intend to strike at midnight exactly," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "I feel it is the only reason they would not already be here. That, or they're not coming at all."
"We will keep listening," said Watcher-Of-Time.
"See that you do," Bringer-Of-Visions responded, turning her gaze back to the clearing just in time to see the Swarmlord murmur something to a nearby Drapion before disappearing into the cave he'd been heading towards. The other Drapion raised his voice, calling out to the entire camp. "Let the execution begin!" he bellowed.
Bringer-Of-Visions glanced back at Watcher-Of-Time as the collected Skorupi and Drapion cheered. "What time is it, Watcher?" she asked.
Watcher-Of-Time glanced up at the sky. "It is not yet midnight," he said. "Judging by the position of the moon, it is about ten minutes before midnight."
Bringer-Of-Visions scowled. "It appears the Swarmlord has decided to jump the gun a little bit," she said. "Be ready, and call the others. We will not make a move until it is completely necessary, but if the promised support does intend to arrive at midnight, we must be ready for that necessity."
Bringer-Of-Visions dug her claws into the ground. "Because at this point, I highly doubt the Marked One can survive until midnight."
"Let the execution begin!" The cry from outside sounded just as the Swarmlord stepped into the cave. Medicham stared at him levelly, unafraid.
The Swarmlord glanced over Medicham's shoulder. "Wall, bring her forwards," he ordered. "I want her to have a front-row seat."
"Yes, Swarmlord," Wall said dutifully, with not a trace of disloyalty. Grinning, the Swarmlord turned and stepped back out of the cave.
As Wall began to move forwards, his voice sounded at Medicham's back in a whisper. "It's too early."
"What?" Medicham asked, feeling a chill begin to take hold of her once more that had nothing to do with the cool night.
"Look up," Wall whispered. "The moon's not directly overhead. He's started the execution early."
"Yes, I have." Medicham and Wall both jumped - or rather, the latter did, and brought Medicham along - as the Swarmlord turned to face them. "But who cares about ten or fifteen minutes? I just want this to be over with." The Swarmlord turned back towards the arena. "My patience was already wearing thin before the Marked One called upon this stupid Rite. I have decided that I do not wish to wait any longer."
Medicham suddenly felt a lot less confident than she had before. I know help will arrive at midnight. But I don't know if it'll arrive before then! She could hear Wall breathing a little more heavily behind her, clearly worried himself.
Oh, Arceus…please let them show up in time…
Drapion heard the cheering growing louder and louder as he stumbled through the small network of tunnels. He could tell the way by that sound alone, even if he didn't have two Skorupi escorting him who roughly prodded him any time he took as much as one step in the wrong direction.
It would be all too easy for me to take them down and escape. Drapion narrowed his eyes. But I can't abandon Medicham.
He rounded another corner and saw the camp ahead of him. Through the entrance to this network of tunnels, he could see a large sandy pit laid out before him, surrounded by the high walls of the main camp, packed tightly with Skorupi and Drapion. As Drapion stepped through the entrance, he saw a large overhang jutting out over the arena, on the edge of which stood the Swarmlord; Tooth and Claw were flanking him, and beside him was Medicham, bound to a Tangrowth of all things with what looked like the Tangrowth's own vines.
Drapion took a moment to eye Medicham closely; she didn't seem hurt, but she did seem nervous. Understandable, considering the circumstances. Drapion tore his gaze away from her and eyed the large rocky cave mouth opposite him.
He didn't want to see her reaction when he died.
"Marked One!" The Swarmlord's voice bellowed outwards, silencing all of the cheering. Drapion did not look at the Swarmlord, simply kept his gaze fixated on the darkness in front of him as the Swarmlord spoke. "You have betrayed the Swarm! Attempted to sow weakness through its ranks! Besmirched the Swarm's reputation! And when accused of these crimes, instead of accepting your punishment with honor, you fled! Even when finally caught, you used our sacred rites against us, taking advantage of the Rite of the Great Marsh to buy you and your lover a day more of life! But no more! You will commit no more crimes, sow no more discord! Your infection of this Swarm ends right here!"
Drapion scowled as the Swarm cheered. Half of that's half-truth at best, the other half's baldfaced lying. I'll bet he's been telling that crap to everyone in the Swarm ever since he threw me in that river.
"Bring out the Behemoth!" the Swarmlord roared. More cheering emanated from the audience as the two Drapion standing in front of the cave mouth turned and, side by side, disappeared into the darkness.
There was the sound of a massive boulder slowly rolling aside, and then a great bellow that definitely did not come from any Drapion. The ground shook under a massive footfall, and then shook again. Drapion steadied himself as the footfalls came closer. Figures…they wouldn't call it 'the Behemoth' if it wasn't big.
A form appeared in the darkness, so big and broad-shouldered that it seemed to occupy the entirety of the cave. Drapion could vaguely make out the two wild Drapion behind this new arrival, prodding it forwards. Several pieces of rock and earth broke off the cave entrance as the Behemoth stepped into the moonlight, and finally, Drapion could see it in full.
The Behemoth was bipedal and at least twice as tall as Drapion was. Its body was a mixture of steely light-gray armor that shone in the moonlight and only slightly less armored-looking dark gray plates. Three sharp-looking claws jutted out from the Behemoth's hands and feet, and as it threw back its head and roared Drapion could see a mouth of steely teeth. Two tiny piercing light blue eyes stared at Drapion as the Behemoth lowered its head back down, and a huge dark gray plated tail larger than even Drapion's swished across the sand as it eyed him.
The Aggron. Drapion grimaced. Of course that's who it would be.
He'd heard stories, many times, back when he'd still been with the Swarm. Countless variations on the tale of the Swarmlord's defeat of the vicious Aggron who had terrorized the land and obliterated the Darkwalker Swarm. Drapion only now realized that not a single one of those stories had mentioned the Aggron being dead.
Staring at the Behemoth, Drapion saw nothing but mad rage in the once-great Aggron's eyes. Whatever the Swarmlord had done to him had robbed him of any sort of mind, reduced him to a slavering beast, a tool for execution, a weapon. He now understood why no Drapion had beaten the Behemoth before. An Aggron was practically the perfect counter to a Drapion; its Steel typing would allow it to shrug off a Drapion's poisons and Poison-type attacks, Bug-type attacks would do next to nothing, and in a contest of strength, its sheer size and weight would enable it to prevail over even a Battle Armor-enhanced attack, let alone a Drapion who had Sniper as their Ability instead. And after all this time, Drapion couldn't imagine the Behemoth didn't have an Ability of his own.
But I've got Dig. Drapion grinned. Maybe…just maybe…even without Earthquake, I might be able to do this.
There was no signal, no call from the Swarmlord. The Behemoth simply dove at Drapion, readying a Steel energy-enhanced punch with one massive arm.
"Block!" Drapion cried; the Behemoth's punch slammed into his Protect barrier, and the Behemoth grunted in surprise as the attack was stopped in its tracks. Drapion lunged forwards. "Fire Rend!" he roared, allowing Fire energy to ripple across his teeth as he twisted his head sideways and clamped them down on the Behemoth's leg. Gasps from the audience indicated they'd never seen something like that before.
Drapion had a split-second to grin at that before the Behemoth roared again and kicked out, throwing Drapion off him through sheer strength. Then he charged again; this time, Drapion raised one arm, surrounding it with Battle Armor. Let's see just how strong he is.
The Behemoth's arm came down, and to Drapion it felt like he'd been hit by a truck. He felt his chitin shatter and his arm explode with pain as he was shoved five feet backwards by the sheer force of the Behemoth's punch. As Drapion recoiled, the Behemoth raised one foot and stomped on the ground; Ground energy rippled outwards as the earth seemed to erupt around the Behemoth, beckoned by his stomp.
And of course he knows Earthquake. Arceus damn it…well, there goes Dig as an option. Drapion raised another Protect barrier, deflecting the seismic wave and allowing it to dissipate harmlessly around him.
He felt his left arm aching as he readied himself for the Behemoth's next attack. Yeah…this is not going to go well.
"He called it Heavy Metal," the Swarmlord said.
Medicham glanced at him.
"The Behemoth's Ability," the Swarmlord clarified. "He always boasted about it. Stated he had the ability to increase the weight of parts of his body at will. Claimed it made him into an unstoppable force. And he was strong. Not strong enough to defeat me. But strong enough that I decided I could use him."
He smiled toothly as he looked at Medicham. "Even the Marked One's Trainer techniques will buy him another minute at most," he said. "Eventually he'll get to a point where his body gives out. About thirty seconds after that is usually when they die. Thirty seconds after that is when the Behemoth's trained to stop. And you," he said with his grin growing wider, "are going to get to watch every second of that."
Medicham winced as the Behemoth slammed another vicious punch into the ground, narrowly missing Drapion's spinning form. Drapion's retaliatory Battle Armor-enhanced attack drove into the Behemoth's face, but the Behemoth practically ignored it, twisting to deliver an uppercut that Drapion barely deflected with a Protect in time.
Come on, Drapion, she thought. Just a little longer.
"It shouldn't be too far now." Kamado could only faintly hear the Elder's whisper as he walked. He was already tired; part of him wanted to find one of the various Psychics and ask them to tell Marcus he wanted to stay in his Luxury Ball for the remainder of the journey. But the rest of him figured it would be too much of a hassle for all parties involved.
So Kamado pressed on, ignoring the aching of his feet and the exhaustion tugging at his eyelids. Around him, Onix and Trained Pokemon slithered and strode. Not one of them appeared tired, not even the Trained Pokemon that had been searching the forest for hours longer than Kamado had.
Kamado was keenly aware that even now, after months of training, he still had a long way to go. That his levels of strength, speed, and stamina was nowhere near the rest of the team's, let alone the members of the other Trainers' teams. And yet it still felt humiliating.
"You remember the plan, correct?" the Elder called.
Nods and murmurs came from all around. They'd been through the plan multiple times. Siebold and Professor Sycamore's teams would be in charge of dealing with the Wild Pokemon gathered outside the main camp, and would do so alongside the Elder and most of the Onix. Meanwhile, the rest of the Onix and the other Trainers' teams would assault the main camp, dealing with the Skorupi, Drapion, and any stragglers from the other Wild Pokemon. It was a fairly simple plan, not that hard to remember; Kamado had a feeling the Elder was only asking that question in order to ensure everyone was still paying attention.
"Good," said the Elder. Once more he turned his head away and continued to move through the trees. The rest of the large group of Trainers and Pokemon moved as well, all tensed, all readying themselves for the battle that was almost upon them.
"Bringer, we have spotted them." Bringer-Of-Visions glanced over at the panting Watcher-Of-Time. "They are minutes away."
"Minutes?" Bringer-Of-Visions turned her head back towards the arena just in time to see the Marked One stagger under yet another of the Behemoth's punches. Even from here, she could tell the Marked One was losing stamina. He punched a Battle Armor-clad fist forwards into the Behemoth's chest, but it was like punching a massive boulder; the Behemoth simply kept attacking, heedless of any of the Marked One's attempted retaliations.
"Be ready, Watcher," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "As soon as the Marked One falls, we move."
Drapion bit back a snarl of pain as the Behemoth's punch once again cannoned straight into his upraised arm, shattering his chitinous armor and drawing blood from the appendage. He staggered, barely managing to keep enough concentration to deflect the Behemoth's next punch with a Protect. The Behemoth roared and flailed at the barrier, trying to break through it through sheer force.
Drapion knew he couldn't win like this. But as he racked his brain for a solution to this problem, he came up with nothing. Ordinarily Marcus would have come up with something, but Marcus wasn't here. And any possibility Drapion could think of, he was forced to discard immediately, knowing all going on the offense would do was leave him open to the Behemoth's brutal punches.
As the Protect dissipated, Drapion once more flung a No Escape into the Behemoth's oncoming body. As with all the others, the Behemoth simply threw himself through the rays without flinching; Drapion wasn't sure if the Behemoth was even feeling the pain.
"Battle Armor: Tail!" Drapion snarled, spinning around and swinging the appendage at the Behemoth. It impacted right into the Behemoth's fist; the force of the blow was enough to knock the tail to the side, and in the next moment the Behemoth unleashed another Earthquake from his pounding foot. Drapion was a hair too slow to raise another Protect barrier, and the surge of Ground energy picked him up and threw him across the arena into one of the walls, much to the clear joy of the watching crowd.
Drapion hauled himself up, catching Medicham's eye as he did so. She was staring down at the arena with clear horror; again Drapion swiftly tore his gaze away from her and back to his foe. The Behemoth was already turning towards him, gathering for another charge.
Drapion clenched his jaws and forced back the pain. "No Escape!" he snarled; once more the Behemoth leaped through the barrage of rays and came on without any appreciable sluggishness. "Block!" Drapion snarled, but this time he lunged to the side as he raised the barrier. As the Behemoth's fist impacted the Protect, Drapion spun. "Battle Armor: Double Slam!" he roared, raising both his arms overhead and bringing them down on the Behemoth's side.
The Behemoth roared, finally stumbling slightly under the force of the attack. Drapion grinned, and then abruptly stopped grinning as he registered that the Behemoth's foot was glowing with Ground energy. "Block!" he snarled as the Behemoth's foot came back down, unleashing yet another Earthquake across the sandy arena floor.
The Behemoth hurled himself at Drapion once more, and yet again Drapion was forced to raise a Battle Armor-enhanced arm to take the blow instead of using Protect. This time the Behemoth's blow was sufficient enough to slam Drapion's arm into his own face. Drapion staggered backwards, slamming against the wall behind him. The Behemoth hurled himself at Drapion, roaring victoriously.
"Block!" Drapion snarled, but even as he did so, he realized the battle was all but over.
He'd run out of space to maneuver. No way to escape the corner he'd allowed himself to get trapped in. As the Behemoth pounded at his Protect, Drapion racked his brain for some way out.
But the only way out was through the Behemoth. Something Drapion could never hope to accomplish.
Well, Drapion thought, it was fun while it lasted. He readied Fire energy across his jaws and chitin over his arms, crouching in preparation for the shattering of his Protect. At least I'll give him something to remember me by.
The barrier shattered. Drapion lunged for the Behemoth's chest, every part of his body that could be used as a weapon ready to sink into the Behemoth's form, to deal as much damage as he possibly could.
Cloyster could hear noises coming from up ahead. Bestial roars. Cheering. Grunts. He knew they were close. He could tell the others around him recognized that, too, for the tension that hovered in the air around the large group seemed to increase tenfold.
He only hoped they were not too late. An awful thought struck Cloyster, a thought of rushing into the camp only to encounter Medicham and Drapion's dead bodies. He shook his head. Midnight, the Elder had said. They will be executed at midnight.
As far as Cloyster could tell, it wasn't yet midnight. It was close, but-
The Elder stopped abruptly. "It's started," he whispered.
"What?" came a query from the front of the line.
"I know that sound," the Elder murmured. "They are watching a battle in their arena. And at this point, that battle can only be one thing."
Cloyster's heart sank, his fear redoubling. They started before midnight?
"Forward!" the Elder hissed. "We must not delay any longer if we are to save them!"
For a few wild moments, Medicham thought Drapion had a chance.
The Behemoth was initially surprised - startled, even - when Drapion fell upon him, clamping fiery jaws around his midsection and slamming Battle Armor-enhanced blows into his steely skin. The Aggron stumbled, roaring in pain as Drapion struck over and over again.
And then, in the next moment, the reality of the situation reasserted itself. Drapion had dropped all of his defenses for this all-out attack, and that left him vulnerable to the Behemoth's wildly flailing arms. A sudden sharp crack of chitin filled the air as Drapion staggered, blood spraying from his left shoulder. As he did so, the Behemoth twisted and slammed his massive tail into Drapion's jaws. Drapion was raised up into the air and toppled over onto his back, a momentarily stunned look in his eyes.
The Behemoth fell upon him with shocking speed. The Swarmlord grinned as the Behemoth sank a fist into Drapion's stomach, then another; the second impact was enough to send blood erupting from Drapion's mouth as he bent around the blow. "Block!" Drapion snarled through bloodied teeth, trying to deflect the Behemoth's blows for long enough to slip out of the corner, but all he managed to do was flip upright before the Behemoth unleashed an Earthquake that sent him flying into the wall behind him.
Drapion bounced off right into another of the Behemoth's punches, striking him right in the forehead. It was too much for him. He collapsed to the ground, wearied by pain and obviously concussed by that last blow.
"No mercy!" the Swarmlord roared. Medicham's breath caught in her throat as the Behemoth stomped towards Drapion, raising one fist. Come on…she thought desperately. If there was any time for someone to show up, now would be it…
It was as if Arceus himself had answered her prayers. For as the Behemoth threw what was intended to be the first of an endless barrage of punches that would not stop until Drapion was finished, something exploded out of a copse of trees overlooking the main camp. Medicham could see white fur, darkness on the face and lower limbs, a long black horn.
The Absol leaped into the clearing, horn ablaze with Dark energy, and caught the Behemoth's strike on that exact horn. He grunted in pain, but managed to force the fist away. A flurry of Pursuit rays came from his mouth, striking the Behemoth in the face and stomach, and then the Absol lunged, carving his horn through the air faster than the Behemoth could react. The Behemoth roared in agony as the Absol's horn ripped through his chest armor, sending him staggering away from Drapion.
Medicham stared at the Absol, recognition coming to her mind. The instant she recognized him, a smile came to her face. For if Seeker-Of-Endings was here, that could only mean one thing.
The others were here as well.
Seeker-Of-Endings glanced for a moment at the fallen form of Drapion. The Behemoth snarled at him, but Seeker-Of-Endings flared Dark energy across his horn once more and the Behemoth remained where he was, growling quietly. Seeker-Of-Endings now looked up at the Swarmlord, who seemed paler than Medicham had ever seen him. The Swarmlord's teeth were bared as he glared at the Herald standing in the arena. "You," he snarled.
Seeker-Of-Endings' blood-red eyes flared in the moonlight. "I told you I'd be watching," he said. "You will not kill him, Swarmlord. Not today and not ever."
He was the one who marked Drapion's egg? Medicham stared even more closely at Seeker-Of-Endings. Even now, I'm still learning new things about him…how many layers does he have?
A low, grim chuckle emanated from the Swarmlord's throat. "And what makes you think you can stop me, Absol?" he growled, the color retuning to his face. "Look around you! You are surrounded, outnumbered! What makes you think you can defend him from all of us by yourself?"
Seeker-Of-Endings retorted with a dark chuckle of his own. "'By yourself'? That's funny. What…in Distortion…makes you think I'd just walk in here by myself?"
As he spoke, he turned towards the copse of trees he'd sprung out of and winked his left eye. There was a brief moment of silence, and then chaos.
The first to emerge from the copse was Kriesh, a horrific shriek emanating from her beak as she saw Medicham suspended from Wall. Others came after her - Dark-types, Fairy-types, Pokemon Medicham recognized as part of Serena's team, others she didn't recognize at all - but Medicham only really paid attention to Kriesh as she dove straight for the outcropping; Medicham's initial reaction of joy turned to sudden nervousness as she realized Kriesh was aiming right for Wall.
"Kriesh, don't!" Medicham cried telepathically. "He's a friend!"
Kriesh paused as the telepathic message came, and in that moment Claw raised his arms towards her. "Sniper: Claw Shots!" Kriesh was forced to backwing, diving down to avoid the barrage of highly-accurate Pin Missiles.
The rest of the arena had already exploded into violence as the gathered Trainer Pokemon slammed into the ranks of Skorupi and Drapion gathered along the sides of the arena. The wild Pokemon were retaliating, some lunging at their new adversaries and others hurling blasts of energy, but many of their attacks were knocked away by swiftly-activated defensive techniques. Medicham couldn't see Marcus or any of the other Trainers; she suspected they were still within the trees, watching from afar, knowing that getting anywhere near the brawl that had erupted would only endanger them.
Roars and the sounds of battle were emanating from beyond the arena as well; already Medicham could see some wild Pokemon rushing over the walls of the main camp to join the fighting. She saw, down in the arena, the Behemoth glancing uneasily from side to side, clearly having no idea what to do; Seeker-Of-Endings was still down there as well, keeping a close eye on the Aggron's form.
"Tooth, Claw, kill that Absol!" the Swarmlord ordered. Snarls emanated from the Drapion duo as they complied, hurling themselves off the overhang they were on. Seeker-Of-Endings saw them coming; swiftly, he withdrew, allowing the two Drapion to slam into the sandy arena floor. His horn glowed black as he prepared for the two-on-one fight.
The Swarmlord's head snapped from side to side as he watched the battle unfold. His eyes fixated on an Onix that was swatting a Skorupi away with its massive tail. Then another slamming its head into a Weedle that had come scrambling over he nearby wall. Then two more double-teaming a Drapion.
"The Elder…" The Swarmlord's snarl was full of wrath. "I'll have his head for this…"
"Wall," Medicham said telepathically. "He's alone."
Wall trembled as he swiftly uncoiled his vines. Medicham dropped to the ground; at once, her limbs screamed in protest as the strain of having been restrained in the same position for half a day caught up with her. Worse, the Swarmlord clearly heard the noise, for he twisted. "Wall, what are you doing?"
"Something I should have done a long time ago." Wall's voice came out surprisingly strong, with only a small quiver evident, as the Tangrowth stepped past Medicham, unfurling a morass of vines. "Sapping Tendrils."
The vines shot out towards the Swarmlord, a dozen Grass energy-enhanced tendrils swirlng through the air. "Battle Armor: Blade!" the Swarmlord snarled, unleashing a chitinous sword that sliced through several of the vines. But more kept coming, coiling around the Swarmlord's arm, then his body.
"Earthen Upheaval!" the Swarmlord bellowed, unleashing a wave of Ground energy across the entire platform. Medicham managed to summon enough energy to form a Detect around herself; the Aura propelled her into the air, out of the way of the Earthquake. Wall had no such luxury, but his natural resistance to Ground-type attacks kept him standing.
"Argh!" Evidently recognizing that there was no escaping Wall's grasp, the Swarmlord lunged straight for the Tangrowth, jaws open wide and flaring with Poison energy. Wall shrieked as the Poison energy-enhanced teeth came down on his body. Medicham could at once tell Wall had been poisoned, for several of his vines began to tinge with a ghastly purple color even as he held onto the Swarmlord.
"Regenerator!" Wall cried, putting his Ability to work with healing the damage the Swarmlord's attacks and poison were doing. The Swarmlord snarled and struggled against Wall's grasp. "You…" he growled. "I took you in when no one else would, and this is how you repay me?"
"You forced me to watch as you hurt countless Pokemon," Wall retorted. "Forced me to hold them, to help you hurt them! You're just as bad as my old Trainer was…no, you're even worse!"
Growling, the Swarmlord redoubled his efforts to escape. Wall spun, stumbling as the Swarmlord nearly broke free of his vines. Medicham could tell the Swarmlord's struggles were growing weaker; she saw the Grass energy flaring around Wall's vines and realized that he'd been draining the Swarmlord's vitality on top of healing himself with Regenerator. No wonder he doesn't seem too badly hurt.
The Swarmlord was now facing her; his eyes were narrowed to slits. "I'll kill you for this!" he spat. "I'll kill you all!"
Medicham stood, surrounding her good arm with Aura. "No," she murmured. "You're never going to kill anyone again."
She leaped for the Swarmlord and, with a cry of "Pure Power: Aura Strike!", cracked him across the face with a vicious punch. "Pure Power: Aura Sweep!" she cried, twisting to smack an Aura-enhanced roundhouse kick into his other cheek. Blood sprayed from the Swarmlord's mouth.
Medicham crouched, readying herself for another strike. She grinned savagely. This was nowhere near a fair fight.
The Swarmlord didn't deserve anything more.
For a moment, Medicham thought it was over. That there was no way the Swarmlord could escape. And then he bared his teeth. "I will not lose to weaklings like you! Battle Armor: Spines!"
Wall howled in sudden pain, staggering backwards; taking full advantage of the misstep, the Swarmlord wrenched himself out of the vines. As he landed, Medicham could see several Battle Armor-formed spikes receding into his back, spikes that matched the multiple new holes in Wall's body. Wall was already regenerating, but the poison that still afflicted him was clearly making it difficult.
So it's going to be a fight after all. Medicham gritted her teeth and readied her Aura reserves. Even with the healing Wall had given her, she knew she was nowhere near her full strength. But she wasn't going to let the Swarmlord have an easy victory. Not this time.
"Battle Armor: Club!"
"Pure Power: Aura Strike!"
Medicham and the Swarmlord rushed each other, fists drawn back, and the battle was on.
Across the entirety of the main camp and the surrounding half-forested areas beyond, Trained Pokemon and wild Onix battled the hordes of the gathered Swarms. They were outnumbered at least ten to one, quite possibly more, and yet the sheer power of the Trained Pokemon was more than enough to compensate. The outer camp especially was practically already a rout, the combined forces of Siebold and Professor Sycamore tearing apart any who stood and fought. Most of the enemy wild Pokemon over there were either fleeing into the woods or rushing towards the arena, with only a few remaining to try and fight off the enemies swarming through the outer camp.
Of course, with the thousands of fighters the Swarms were capable of fielding, 'a few' was still over a hundred, and so the two most powerful Trainers here were still tied up with dealing with the rabble. But Bringer-Of-Visions had very little doubt that the duo, supported by the Elder and many of his Onix, would soon finish off that last resistance.
"So, Bringer," Watcher-Of-Time asked, "what are your orders now. Are we still needed?"
Bringer-Of-Visions did not avert her gaze from the massive battle. "We will remain here," she said. "Just in case something goes wrong. It would not do to assume victory when it is not yet settled."
"Yes, Bringer." Watcher-Of-Time sat down next to her, casting her gaze out on the still-raging brawl.
Kriesh wanted nothing more than to leap immediately to Medicham's rescue. Unfortunately, the Swarm had other ideas. The instant she had come within reach of one of the many pathways that covered the arena's walls, half a dozen Skorupi had leaped upon her, forcing her to abandon all hopes of rescuing Medicham in favor of ridding herself of these unwanted passengers.
She could see Seeker-Of-Endings down below, artfully deflecting a Battle Armor-enhanced fist from one of his Drapion opponents before Detecting away from another Pin Missile from the other. Drapion himself was still on the ground, clearly conscious but unable to muster enough energy to stay up. Around the main camp, Kriesh could see Connie's Tyranitar carving through an entire rank of Skorupi with an Earthquake, with Cloyster and Valerie's Sylveon handling any stragglers with pinpoint blasts of Ice or Fairy energy. Nearby, Serena's Eeveelutions were fighting together as usual, all three of them uniting to bring down a Drapion and his Skorupi entourage with their powerful attacks. Calem's Blastoise had leaped down to a lower level of the camp and was now sending a dozen Skorupi flying with a Surf from one of his shoulder-cannons, while Theo's Weavile and Mightyena kept another group from his back. And, across from her, Medicham and the Tangrowth she'd been tied to were now battling the Swarmlord. That Tangrowth…I'm going to have to ask Medicham about that once we get out of this.
Kriesh slammed her back against a nearby wall, shrugging two of the currently latched-on Skorupi off. Two more were still clinging on, carving into her with their sharp claws and teeth. "Flurry Impact!" Kriesh cried; the Dark-type rays flew out from her beak and immediately curved backwards. Kriesh heard two startled shrieks from her back, and the weight of the Skorupi disappeared.
Abruptly, Kriesh heard a sharp cry from above. She glanced up just in time to see the large-winged form of a Talonflame, silhouetted by the moon, descending on her. "Remember me?" the Talonflame asked. "It's payback time!"
Oh, this idiot. Kriesh launched herself upwards to meet him. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" she cried, recalling that this Talonflame actually had respectable firepower, even though it paled in comparison to Kriesh's capabilities.
"Gale Wings: Air Raze!" Sure enough, the Hurricane that the Talonflame unleashed was blunted and pushed back by Kriesh's Hyper Beam. The Talonflame was struck head-on and sent flailing away with a pained shriek. But Kriesh didn't have time to be satisfied, for she could at once tell he wasn't out of the fight yet. And not only that, but other fliers were coming to his aid. Fletchinder and Fletchling, sure, but also several Bug-types, a group of Wingull and Mantyke, and even a fairly large Drifblim. She could see Altaria nearby, but she was occupied by several more enemy fliers, and Kriesh knew that no other Flying-types were present on any of the teams of the Trainers in charge of assaulting the main camp.
Sorry, Medicham, Kriesh thought as she readied herself for the assault. I'm gonna be a little bit…
Seeker-Of-Endings was already feeling hard-pressed. Even for a powerful Trained Pokemon like him,Tooth and Claw were tough opponents. He'd known they were the Swarmlord's sons - the ones he accepted as his sons, at any rate - but he hadn't expected them to be nearly this strong.
Separately, either of them would have been trivial. Together, Seeker-Of-Ending was actually having to try in order to keep them off him. Not only was it a two-on-one, which already skewed the odds heavily, but the duo worked very well together, with Tooth at close range and Claw supporting him from afar.
This is a disadvantageous position, Seeker-Of-Endings thought to himself as he ducked a swipe of Tooth's Battle Armor-enhanced arm. Common sense indicates I should maneuver to a better one. Preferably out of this enclosed arena, where I can better use my greater speed and maneuverability.
But if he left, he knew the Behemoth would come for Drapion once more; all that was keeping the maddened Aggron back was primal fear. Once that fear was gone, the Behemoth would remember his previous goal, and Seeker-Of-Endings doubted Drapion would last for much longer after that.
So he had no choice but to stay here.
Grimacing, Seeker-Of-Endings summoned a swarm of Double Team clones, then fired a Pursuit ray from each of their mouths. Tooth leaped in front of Claw. "Battle Armor!" he snarled, taking the rays; with a growl of "Sniper: Claw Shots!", Claw dispersed the clones with another Pin Missile barrage.
"Battle Armor: Tooth Slam!" Seeker-Of-Endings easily swayed away from Tooth's wild swipe with a Detect, twisting to gash his horn across the Drapion's shoulder. Tooth roared in pain; Claw came around his side and lashed out with his own swipe, but this one was easy to deflect with a horn-slash.
"Battle Armor: Tooth Slam!" Seeker-Of-Endings was forced to leap out of the way as Tooth's next swipe slammed into the sand where he'd just been. "Sniper: Claw Shots!" Claw cried yet again; Seeker-Of-Endings grunted as his Detect was not quite fast enough to prevent a couple of the Pin Missiles from finding purchase in his body.
As Seeker-Of-Endings spun to face his foes once more, he considered tapping into Perish Song. He could easily survive for longer than eighteen seconds. But again, the problem was that if he left the battlefield, the Behemoth would simply pounce on Drapion. And Drapion, for his part, was still not up; he would need more than a few minutes to recover his strength.
Future Sight would make this so much easier. Seeker-Of-Endings readied himself for another onslaught from his two opponents. Guess I'll just have to keep stalling…
And then, abruptly, something landed on Seeker-Of-Endings' back.
"For the Swarm!" It was nothing more than a single opportunistic Skorupi, digging into his back with Bug energy-laden claws and teeth. But it hurt. Seeker-Of-Endings' legs buckled under the sudden weight as his back erupted in pain, and the distraction was all Tooth and Claw needed.
"Battle Armor: Tooth Fist!" Distracted by his new attacker, Seeker-Of-Endings didn't have the wherewithal to muster a Detect. Tooth's punch cracked him across the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Sniper: Claw Fist!" Claw's attack struck Seeker-Of-Endings in the stomach as he toppled. Instantly, Seeker-Of-Endings could feel poison flooding into his body.
"Battle Armor: Tooth Slam!"
Seeker-Of-Endings gritted his teeth. He would not lose to a group of wild Pokemon! Mustering a Detect, he allowed the inherent Aura of the move to propel him into a roll, dodging Tooth's attack and crushing the Skorupi under his body, forcing it to let go. Rolling to his feet, he unleashed a barrage of Pursuit rays that sent the Skorupi flying, unconscious, across the arena. "Sniper: Claw Shots!" Claw snarled, hoping to catch Seeker-Of-Endings unawares, but Seeker-Of-Endings slashed them out of the air with quick swipes of his horn-blade.
He seemed back in control, and yet he knew he wasn't. The poison Claw had injected into his body was disastrous. Without it, Seeker-Of-Endings could have survived a lot longer; with it, he'd last another minute at most. He could already feel it coursing through his veins, causing his knees to wobble under the strain of keeping him up.
And Tooth and Claw knew it. The latter chuckled as he saw Seeker-Of-Endings' trembling. "Is that it?" Claw asked. "Is that all you've got? The famed Absol, the one who caused our father so much grief, is just another weakling?"
Tooth snickered. "Let's just finish the job," he said.
Seeker-Of-Endings dug his claws into the earth and summoned another wave of Double Team clones. He charged back into battle with a defiant snarl, knowing he could no longer fight these two defensively.
Others can take over for me once I go down…I'd better make it as easy as possible for them.
Liepard lunged for the Skorupi, batting him aside with a swift paw-strike. The other two whirled on her, firing Pin Missiles as they rushed her. "Farceur: Imitateur," Liepard purred, summoning copies of the Pin Missiles and blowing them out of the sky. The two Skorupi leaped for her, seemingly undaunted.
"Tranche Ventouse." Liepard sent one flying away with a Sucker Punch even as she twisted, dodging the other's leap. "Tranche Vicieuse." Her last opponent crumpled in a heap of spikes and chitin.
Beyond her, she saw Pangoro rip through four Skorupi in seconds, felling two with a Rending Blast and another with a swift Bullet Blow. The last one charged in from the side, but Pangoro barely even gave it a glance, tossing it away with a swift kick. The Skorupi flew backwards over the nearby edge of the arena with a startled, rapidly disappearing yelp.
The Dark/Fighting-type straightened up, glaring at Liepard. "What're you looking at?"
Liepard smirked. "Can't I be impressed?"
Pangoro sighed. "Why are you so determined to be friends with me?"
"Because," said Liepard, "friendship is something that I feel you lack, mon ami."
"And what makes you think I need friends?" Pangoro growled. "Look at it this way. I've told you how I work. There are those who I respect, and there are those I do not. I've learned over the course of my time here that even those I don't respect should be tolerated. But that's it. I don't want to be friends with you, Liepard. You got that?"
Before Liepard could answer, a cry came on the wind. A pained, but defiant cry. Pangoro turned. He stared for a moment, and looked over his shoulder. "Looks like Seeker-of-whatever needs help. Wanna come?"
Liepard padded over to his side to see Seeker-Of-Endings losing ground against two powerful-looking Drapion. "I wouldn't mind that, mon ami," she murmured.
"Stop calling me that." Pangoro tucked his knees under him and leaped off the cliff, landing on a platform below him before jumping again. Liepard followed, smirking slightly as she watched his well-muscled form descend towards the arena.
"Pure Power: Aura Finisher!" Medicham cried. The Swarmlord took the flying kick full in the face and staggered backwards. "Death Volley!" he retorted, flinging a barrage of Pin Missiles at Medicham as she landed. Tapping into Aura Avoidance, she managed to avoid most of them, but the soreness in her body impeded her reflexes, and two of the flying spines grazed her, drawing blood.
"Coiling Tendrils!" Wall rose up behind the Swarmlord, lashing out once more with his numerous vines. The Swarmlord twisted. "Death Burst!" A Cross Poison exploded out of the Swarmlord's jaws and slammed into Wall's chest, sending the Tangrowth staggering backwards with a scream of pain.
"Pure Power: Aura Blast!" Medicham cried. The Swarmlord didn't see it coming fast enough; it drove into his side as he tried to turn, and his eyes were glazed with pain as he turned to glare at Medicham. "Earthen Upheaval!" he bellowed; once more Medicham was ready with an Aura Avoidance, though her body and mind screamed in protest.
"Coiling Tendril!" Wall lashed out with a vine and snaked it around the Swarmlord's bag right leg. The Swarmlord didn't have time to round once more on Wall before Wall yanked his leg out from under him, sending the massive Drapion crashing to the ground. Medicham charged him again, leaping into the air. "Pure Power: Fighting Finisher!"
"Battle Armor: Shield!" the Swarmlord roared, raising a thick chitinous barrier across his face. Medicham's kick once more drove the Swarmlord backwards, and Wall used the opportunity to its fullest. "Coiling Vines!" The Swarmlord bellowed in rage as Wall's vines wrapped around him once again, trying to pull him backwards. "Earthen Upheaval!" he roared once more; again, though, Medicham dodged and Wall resisted the Earthquake.
But even as Medicham landed, she could hear a sudden rumbling below her. Cracks began to appear in the surrounding platform. And she remembered, with not a small amount of sudden panic, that this platform was built on an overhang.
Just like in Geosenge.
"Oh, crap!" Wall cried as the entire platform, destabilized by the Swarmlord's constant Earthquakes, collapsed under the strain, sending all three of them plummeting in a shower of earth and stone. Medicham, nearest to the wall, hit solid ground first as the wall curved under her; unfortunately, she hit it on her right side, and agony exploded across her ruined arm. She couldn't hold back an agonized scream as she rolled down the wall, earth crumbling all around her and even landing on top of her, each hit and roll sending a fresh wave of pain through her damaged arm.
When Medicham finally came to a halt, she could not get up at first, unable to rise between dizziness and pain. She heard a snarl to her side and, with a groan, managed to raise her head enough to look over.
The Swarmlord and Wall had landed separately, and were already rising, their falls cushioned by chitin and vines respectively. Wall looked over with wide eyes at Medicham's prone form. "Medicham!" he cried worriedly.
"Enough!" the Swarmlord roared. "I cannot believe you'd throw aside everything I gave you for a weakling like her! Do you actually think you can prevail over me?"
"Maybe not," said Wall, "but I can try."
The Swarmlord glared at the Tangrowth, before his face suddenly twisted into a grin. "All this, to save the Marked One," he whispered, "and yet you're all going to fail." He glanced over his shoulder at Medicham. "This is it!" he snarled, a crazed look in his eyes. "You're all too late! He dies here and now, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it!"
He looked back towards Wall…or rather, towards a place behind Wall. "Behemoth!" the Swarmlord roared. "What are you waiting for? Finish the job!"
The Behemoth clenched his fists, moved into action by the Swarmlord's order. Drapion was still prone, unable to move, as the Behemoth advanced on him, drawing a fist back. Wall twisted, lashing out with his tendrils, but the Swarmlord pounced, striking Wall with his full weight. Wall toppled over with a pained cry as the Swarmlord dug his Poison energy-tipped claws into the Tangrowth's writhing body, his vines coming nowhere near the Behemoth's form.
"No!" Medicham cried, trying to haul herself up, but the still pervasive dizziness meant she misplaced her hand and fell back down. All she could do was watch helplessly as the Behemoth reared back to finish Drapion off.
Just like in the clearing…all I can do is watch.
The Behemoth threw his punch, and Medicham closed her eyes as an agonized roar filled the air.