The Admins had scattered. The Absol had gone. All that was left in the chamber was Yveltal and Lysandre, standing in front of the Ultimate Weapon and not watching Xerneas.
So Xerneas eyed them carefully. He watched Lysandre's Pokeballs shift slightly, indicating the wariness of Lysandre's team towards Yveltal. Fitting after the Harbinger had nearly strangled him last time they'd spoken.
Yveltal was speaking to Lysandre, irritation resplendent in his voice. "Why do you not fire the Ultimate Weapon now? Would it not be a good idea to use it before the Champion and her allies arrive?"
"I don't think you understand the Ultimate Weapon, Yveltal," Lysandre retorted. "It takes time to charge up. Rest assured, it will be fired. Give it time."
"Time we do not have," Yveltal growled. "In part thanks to your insistence on making your so-called organization completely ineffective."
"Team Flare is not ineffective," Lysandre protested.
Yveltal sighed. "Lysandre. We are under threat from the entirety of Kalos in addition to at least three representatives from other regions, with more sure to come. And yet, to fight them, all you have are Grunts that you have equipped with unevolved Fire, Dark, and Poison-type Pokemon and that have proven themselves completely incapable of handling Trainers who haven't even gained all of their badges yet. Even the Executives' evolved Pokemon are poorly trained and lazy at best. Your Admins and your Head Scientist are the only competent Trainers in this entire organization, and now that Mable has been arrested, those only number four."
"What would you have me do?" Lysandre asked. "As you have just said, I only have four Admins. Three, now, with Mable gone. The Executives and Grunts may not be effective in singular terms, but if a horde of Grunts rushes an enemy all at once-"
"It is not the Grunts and Executives that are ineffective," said Yveltal. "It is their Pokemon. Why do you not grant them better Pokemon? Why must they be regulated to only Fire, Dark, and Poison-types? Geosenge is close to the coastline. Magikarp are everywhere on said coastline. You could simply arrange for your forces to catch thirty Magikarp, and soon enough you would have thirty Gyarados to give to your Grunts. For no effort whatsoever, your Grunts would suddenly be far more effective. Am I wrong?"
"No," said Lysandre. "But…the thing is, Yveltal, we are not talking about soldiers. We are talking about thieves. Opportunists. Xerosic and the Admins are the only ones in this entire base that I truly trust. And by consigning Grunts and Executives to a small list of Pokemon, it is fairly easy to devise countermeasures for each one should one of those Grunts or Executives decide to go turncoat. A Grunt with exclusively unevolved Fire, Dark, and Poison-types is far more easily handled than a Grunt with, say, a Gyarados, a Tyranitar-"
"I suppose that is true," Yveltal grumbled, cutting Lysandre off. "It is a shame, though, that you cannot trust your own control over your allies enough to allow them to achieve actual competency."
"Why do you not engage the invaders yourself?" Lysandre asked. "You're a Legendary, aren't you?"
"A Legendary who does not wish to be seen," Yveltal pointed out. "The only reason I consented to leave this place was because you needed my aid against the Lifebringer. Lysandre, if I am found out, other Legendaries would come to stop me. And the only reason they haven't come already was because I am suppressing telepathic communication in and out of Geosenge. In that very Ultimate Weapon of yours, Xerneas has already likely tried and failed to communicate with others. Though I have stopped him, if I emerge into the open before it is time, others will see me, and our plans will have been all for naught. Therefore, I shall wait here. And I shall watch. If you do fail or falter, I will intervene, but only then. Is that understood?"
"Very well," said Lysandre.
Yveltal faded into darkness again, reconstituting himself around the top of the Ultimate Weapon.
Xerneas sighed as he beheld Yveltal's gaze locked on him once more. "You know I can do nothing."
"I know," said Yveltal. "I'm just enjoying this. Seeing you so helpless…"
"You know this will not succeed," said Xerneas. "I warn you once again. Stop this now before it is too late."
"Too late?" Yveltal chuckled harshly. "You honestly still believe I'm just going to give up? You always were pathetic, Xerneas. Reduced to begging me to stop." He shook his head. "This is only going to end one way. With the destruction of Kalos…and everybody on it."
Medicham was already breathing hard as she ran down the latest in a long winding mess of corridors. Lucario ran with her on the other side of the corridor, while between them dashed Seeker-Of-Endings; somehow, the Absol seemed the least tired of all of them. Behind them hurtled Marcus, Calem, and Serena, all of whom were also panting exhaustedly.
It was almost a relief when Medicham rounded yet another corner and saw a pair of white-coated Team Flare members.
"Intruders!" A dozen evolved Pokemon emerged from the two Executives' Pokeballs. Medicham at once saw, past the horde of suddenly-appearing enemies, a set of bars of crackling energy passing vertically from floor to ceiling. Clearly these Executives were guarding something; probably something important if Lysandre had Executives guarding it.
Hisses of Pokeballs behind Medicham told her that the trio of teenagers had seen fit to release more Pokemon. She paid no heed as she beheld a snarling Mightyena before her. "Fighting Trip!" she cried, launching a swift strike at him, but unexpectedly a Protect stopped the attack cold.
Medicham twisted to see a Swalot, clearly the one who had raised the Protect, rising to engulf her. "Psychic Blast!" she cried, flinging the Swalot away just as the Mightyena pounced. Brutal, Dark energy-enhanced teeth gnawed at her side. Medicham growled in agony as she beheld a Golbat swooping down on her, seeking to take advantage of its ally's hold.
"Kriesh, Aerial Ace!" Marcus's voice leaped above the crowd.
"Sky Impact!" Kriesh leaped in from the side, slamming straight into the Golbat and knocking it to the ground. Medicham ripped herself away from the Mightyena's teeth. "Fighting Strike!" she cried. The Mightyena leaped at her again only to catch Medicham's Fighting Strike right between the eyes. It fell with a yelp of pain.
Medicham twisted, scanning the battlefield in an instant. Seeker-Of-Endings was tearing a Lampent out of the sky and sending a flurry of Dark-type rays at a Magcargo. Lucario was walloping a pair of Houndooms with an Aura-made staff. Kriesh was busily savaging the Golbat, Calem's Blastoise was engulfing a Scrafty in a torrent of Water energy, and at Serena's order, her Jolteon fired a surge of Electric energy at a duo of Toxicroaks.
The remaining two Team Flare Pokemon, a Manectric and another Swalot, lunged for Seeker-Of-Endings. Medicham hurled herself forwards. Seeker-Of-Endings wove around the Manectric's Thunderbolt and leaped at the Swalot, slicing a gash across the Swalot's gooey body with his horn. Medicham pounced on the Manectric. "Fighting Finisher!" she cried. Manectric howled in pain as Medicham's outstretched foot caught him in the face and sent him flying down the corridor.
Seeker-Of-Endings finished off the Swalot, then looked up at Medicham. Together they whirled, but no more enemies were to be found.
"Retreat!" the Executives cried. By now Medicham was used to hearing Calem's order to Lucario. So she blocked that out of her mind, ignored the wet thuds as Lucario sent the two fleeing Executives into unconsciousness, and instead focused on the energy bars.
Her eyes widened as she beheld a human standing behind them, gazing out at the carnage with an indecipherable expression.
Greetings. His voice burst inside Medicham's head. I am AZ. Who are you?
You can speak telepathically? Medicham asked.
Obviously. AZ's response indicated a lack of patience.
"Who are you?" Calem asked, laying eyes on AZ for the first time.
"As I just stated to your Medicham," said AZ, "my name is AZ."
"That's actually my Medicham," said Marcus, stepping to Calem's side to look upon AZ himself. Serena moved to Calem's other side.
"What are three teenagers doing down here?" AZ asked.
"It was an accident," said Marcus.
AZ sighed. "Regardless of what accident brought you down here, there is a key to this cell in one of those Executives' pockets."
"Why should we trust you?" Calem asked. "What if you're even worse than Team Flare?"
AZ's expression took on a pallor of deep sorrow. "I know how to stop the Ultimate Weapon," he said. "I was…originally…its creator."
"You created the Ultimate Weapon?" Serena asked.
"It was a collaboration," said AZ. "The Lifebringer and I worked together to create it. He wished it to be a gift. A wellspring of Life. But I…made a few decisions I regret. And the Ultimate Weapon became just that: a weapon, meant to destroy. I had hoped it would be lost forever. But Lysandre found it. And now it is my duty to stop it once again. So. Will you allow me to fulfill my duty?"
Calem still looked doubtful and Marcus contemplative, but Serena took action. She swiftly stepped over to the fallen Executives, rooted around in their pockets for a moment, and came up with a keycard that seemed like it would fit in a scanner to the right of AZ's cell.
"Careful, Serena," Calem warned.
"Relax, Calem," said Serena. "He seems like he'll help us. Besides, even if he doesn't, we've got sixteen Pokemon and he has none."
Calem reluctantly nodded. Marcus watched impassively as Serena slid the keycard into the scanner.
The scanner dinged and the bars of energy flickered and died.
AZ stepped from the cell, raising himself to his full height. Medicham found herself looking up as AZ revealed himself to be tall enough that his head nearly scraped the corridor's ceiling. Evidently AZ's cell had been quite cramped, for he let out a sigh of relief as he stretched.
AZ looked to the left. "I do not know where my Pokemon are," he said. "But I will not trouble you by requesting your aid in finding them. You have already done me a great service. For that, you have my thanks."
AZ turned and began stalking back the way the group had came, fingers twitching as he rounded a corner and was lost from sight.
Medicham looked over at Seeker-Of-Endings. To her surprise, he was staring after AZ with sparkling eyes. "The Immortal King," he whispered. "I never thought I would meet him in person."
"I'm sorry, what?" Medicham asked, but any further speech was interrupted by Marcus's cry.
"Hey, look, a map!" Indeed, a diagram lay resplendent on a nearby wall, documenting the layout of the Team Flare base.
Serena smiled. "It says here that there's more than one elevator like the one we came down on," she said. "And it looks like there's another one just a few corridors this way!"
"Well, then, we'll follow your lead," said Marcus. "Right, Calem?"
Calem nodded. "Just know I don't plan on following you," he said.
"Calem, we've beaten several Team Flare members already," Serena protested.
"Serena," said Marcus, "forget it. He's not going to listen."
Serena sighed. "All right, let's go."
The three Trainers recalled Kriesh, Blastoise, and Jolteon, and together they began running again, this time with the three Pokemon following behind them and a destination set firmly in their minds.
The first slam bent the door inwards. The second crumpled it. The third knocked it fully off its hinges.
A pair of Team Flare Grunts looked understandably terrified at the sight of a rather angry-looking Diantha with Malva and Wikstrom flanking her. "Oh, crap! Run!"
Gardevoir did not give them the chance. "Psychic Hold."
The duo froze in place. Diantha strode forward past the frozen Grunts, Wikstrom and Malva behind her. "Surge?" Diantha called over her shoulder.
Lieutenant Surge grinned as he walked up to the pair of Grunts, raised his fists, and clocked them over the heads. They crumpled, unconscious.
"Tie 'em up," Surge ordered, tossing the bodies backwards. Gardevoir released her hold and walked after her Trainer.
The outside was lost from sight, replaced with a staircase that sloped down into darkness. Diantha did not hesitate. "Gardevoir, Flash."
With a wave of her hand, Gardevoir sent a burst of light down the staircase, revealing the bottom about fifty feet down. Diantha stared down it for a second before turning to Malva and Wikstrom. "Let's go."
The three of them stepped slowly down the staircase, Gardevoir following in their wake. Silence reigned, a fearsome silence, for all four of them knew that Team Flare was here. And the likely knew of their arrival. Flash alone would have alerted any Team Flare member watching the stairs that something was up.
But as they reached the bottom of the stairs, still no Team Flare members presented themselves. Instead, the bottom of the stairs opened up into a room from which three more corridors radiated, one in front and one on each side.
Malva smirked. "Split up?"
"Of course not," said Diantha. "We need to find a map. There's bound to be one nearby."
"Look in here," said Malva, pointing towards the corridor on the left.
Diantha looked, Wikstrom looking beside her. The two of them spotted what Malva was actually pointing at; a door through which light was streaming.
"Watch my back," Diantha whispered. She stepped forwards, peering around the corner of the room. Malva remained at the bottom of the stairs, while Wikstrom stepped to a point slightly behind the corridor's entrance, watching warily down the corridors. Gardevoir stepped to her Trainer's side. "My Lady. We should not-"
A creak ripped through the air. Wikstrom's eyes widened as a massive metal door slammed down at the entrance to the corridor, separating him and Malva from Diantha.
He twisted to face Malva. "We must find an alternate route!" he cried.
Malva said nothing, simply pointed upwards. Wikstrom followed her gaze to see a small but visible security camera staring right at them.
Wikstrom released his Probopass into the room. "Probopass, the camera. Destroy it," he ordered.
Probopass droned and fired a blast of Rock energy at the camera. The camera shattered under the barrage.
"Follow me," said Malva.
"Do you know where we are going?" Wikstrom asked.
"No," said Malva. "But neither do you. And I was the one who spotted that security camera. There will be others."
"Very well."
With a nod, Malva dashed off down the central corridor, with Wikstrom scrambling after her.
DIantha's reaction was minute as the door slammed down, the sound echoing down the corridor. Another door crashed down on Diantha's other side. Both were of similar make, and both looked as if they would be difficult to break down.
Gardevoir looked up at Diantha. A faint smile crossed the Champion's lips. "Well, you didn't have to be so theatrical about it."
Gardevoir glanced to where her Trainer was looking, to behold the green-haired Team Flare Admin, Bryony, stepping out from behind a rack of computers. Joining her were three Executives and half a dozen Grunts, all of whom looked nervous even with their massive numerical advantage.
Diantha's five remaining Pokeballs flashed and released their occupants. Aurorus, Hawlucha, Goodra, Furfrou, and Gourgeist joined Gardevoir on the metal floor, their eyes narrowing as they beheld their foes.
Diantha stepped slowly into the lighted room, her team on her heels. "Do you really think this will be enough?" she asked. "I am the Champion of Kalos. And I did not earn that title with my looks. Now…if your forces were doubled, you might actually have a chance. But if you wanted this small of a group to succeed…you shouldn't have locked me in the room with you."
"Hmph," Bryony snorted. "Talk all you want. But only battle will decide the true outcome."
At that, the Executives and Grunts sent out all of their Pokemon. Bryony tossed out all of hers as well. Gardevoir stared them down, running over which ones might be threats. The Alakazam might, though her own Psychic abilities would probably serve to counter his. The Beedrill, she'd heard from the report on the Power Plant battle, was a quite strong fighter as well. And the Bisharp was apparently the leader and had the power to match, especially with his Defiant Ability.
The rest were only dangerous because of their numbers.
"Attack!" Bryony cried.
Gardevoir spread her arms wide, summoning a powerful blast of Fairy energy. "Life Blast!" she cried, releasing it at Bryony's Liepard. The Liepard was quick, though. "Prankster: Speed Enhancement!" the Liepard growled, using what was clearly Agility. Even with that, though, it barely managed to dart out of the way. The Life Blast slammed into an unlucky Mightyena that must have belonged to one of the Executives, for it was thrown back against a desk, already unconscious from the powerful Fairy-type attack.
The rest of Diantha's team lunged to meet the enemy, and the battle was joined.
"Malva, are you sure this is the right way?" Wikstrom asked, his knightly demeanor forgotten in the heat of the moment.
"Again, no," said Malva, "but it's the way that seems to loop around back towards Diantha."
As she spoke, the Fire-type Elite Four member rounded another corner. Wikstrom skidded after her. The two rushed into a fairly large room that seemed to be a cafeteria judging by the assortment of the tables and chairs.
Malva stopped in the center of the room, glancing from side to side. "Hold on…I need a moment. Which direction's next?"
"I think we need to go that way next," said Wikstrom, pointing to the left.
"Right," said Malva. "All right, let's - ah."
That last word was due to the purple-haired woman that had just stepped through the entrance to the room. She was completely alone, yet seemed surprisingly at ease as she stared down the two Elite Four members.
"Bryony!" Wikstrom cried, instantaneously releasing all of his Pokemon. Probopass, Klefki, Scizor, Aegislash, Escavalier, and Bisharp landed in front of their Trainer. "Thou heartless knave! Thou shalt face justice for the crimes thou hast committed!"
"Oh, please, shut up," Celosia growled. "Honestly! Act like a normal human being for once!" At that, she released her own team. Wikstrom glared at the Manectric, Ursaring, Drapion, Toxicroak, Pangoro, and Tyranitar that now stood before his own team.
Six Pokemon faced six more, eyes locked on one another. Celosia's team were all snarling in anticipation of the battle. Wikstrom's team was more stoic, staring down their foes with determination in their metallic expressions.
"Malva!" Wikstrom called. "Release thy Pokemon! This shalt be easier with thou involved!"
A sigh came from behind Wikstrom. "I have to admit, Celosia. He is annoying. In that case, I guess I'll enjoy this far more than I have any right to."
Wikstrom whirled to see Malva's team, freshly released, glaring directly at him and his Steel-types. Torkoal, Pyroar, Chandelure, Houndoom, Talonflame, and Heatmor all sent spurts of Fire energy into the air, tensed in readiness.
"The door was meant to separate me from both of you," said Malva. "Then I would be able to meet up with Celosia and work from there. But you just had to wind up on the wrong side of the door, so now it seems I'll have to get rid of you the hard way. How's Bryony doing?"
"Last I heard, she engaged Diantha," Celosia reported.
Malva sighed. "A foolish move. Even with her backup she will still fail. At the very least, she might weaken Diantha's team for later."
"I know not why you have committed this act of treason, Malva," Wikstrom growled, "but I will not allow your betrayal to bear fruit!"
Malva chuckled. "And just what do you plan on doing against me? You're a Steel-type Trainer, while I'm a Fire-type Trainer of similar level and I've got backup. I hate to break it to you, but you don't stand a chance."
Wikstrom's team tensed, shedding a little bit of their stoicness. All six of them knew that Malva was right, that these were long odds at best. But none of them would dare back down. That same knightly pride that their Trainer embodied and constantly pushed them to embody in turn now surged to the front.
They might not win. They probably wouldn't. But they would fight regardless.
And so, as Diantha battled with Bryony and her grunts, another battle began deeper into the base, as a single outmatched Trainer and his six fought to the last against impossible odds.
"What in Distortion is this about?" Siebold asked, staring at the thick metal door. He could barely hear the sounds of fighting from behind it, but he could hear them nonetheless. Lieutenant Surge and Jasmine stood behind him, watching with unmistakable concern.
Starmie focused his Psychic energy past the door, scanning for recognizable minds. He turned to Siebold. "It appears that the Champion and her team are fighting just beyond this door."
"In that case, we must get it open," said Siebold, only the faintest bit of urgency in his voice. "Starmie?"
Starmie's gem burst with power. "Analytic," he stated, activating his Sight to scan the door. "No structural weaknesses found. Steel door with titanium plating, ten inches thick. Conclusion: The door will be difficult if not impossible to break down."
Siebold let out a quiet curse. "Any way we can get around? There's got to be a map somewhere."
"Almost certainly," said Jasmine. "And it is probably in an accessible-"
"Hold." Lieutenant Surge raised his hand high in a silencing gesture. Starmie now heard what Surge had clearly picked up on; the sound of boots moving down the corridor opposite the one blocked by the steel door.
Starmie felt the thrill of upcoming battle rush through him as he beheld Team Flare Admin Aliana striding towards the trio, several Grunts and Executives at her back. Surge, Jasmine, and Siebold all glared, tensing.
It was then that, almost imperceptibly, something changed in the demeanors of both Surge and Jasmine. "Siebold," said Surge. "Go find a way to help Diantha, and try and find Wikstrom and Malva as well."
His voice was tight and somewhat strained, much unlike his usual bombastic demeanor, while Jasmine had her fists clenched, something she did not normally do. Starmie could tell that Siebold picked up on both of those. For a moment he looked as if he would protest, but then he nodded in acceptance. "Good luck. Come, Starmie."
Starmie turned away from the upcoming battle to follow his Trainer as Siebold began to stride, a little more hurriedly than usual, down the central corridor, leaving Surge and Jasmine alone to face Aliana and her backup.
Surge's left eye followed Siebold until the Water-type Elite Four member rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Then both eyes locked on the approaching Team Flare Admin.
"Got to admit," he said, "I didn't expect to find you here of all places."
Aliana's eyes narrowed. "Life certainly has its way of providing humorous coincidences, doesn't it?" She smiled thinly. "I must say, I expected this. And yet in some way it still feels surprising."
Jasmine took a step forwards. "That kind of surprise is the least of your worries, Aliana," she growled.
"A brave statement coming from you, Jasmine," said Aliana. "But enough reminiscing. We came here to battle. Let us battle!"
With a grand gesture, Aliana threw out her Mightyena, Vileplume, Dragalge, Druddigon, Skuntank, and Hydreigon. In response, Surge and Jasmine tossed out their Pokemon. Electrode, Magnezone, Manectric, Jolteon, Raichu, and Electivire emerged from Surge's Pokeballs, while Jasmine released her own Magnezone, along with Empoleon, Bronzong, Skarmory, Metagross, and Steelix.
Though Aliana was outnumbered two to one, she smirked regardless. "Cerberus, Tri-Beam," she ordered, and with that the teams of two Gym Leaders flung themselves at the Team Flare Admin's team, breaking into pitched battle at the bottom of the entrance staircase.
Grimsley didn't flinch as the sounds of battle floated up the staircase, but a frown did cross his face. "Don't suppose we should go down there," he said.
"Not until Diantha radios us," said Drasna.
"What if she's preoccupied?" Grimsley asked.
"Then she will radio once she is not preoccupied," Drasna answered. "Learn a little patience, Grimsley. It will serve you well."
One of Grimsley's Pokeballs jumped on his belt.
Grimsley looked down. "What is it?" he asked. "You wanna come out?"
Grimsley touched the release mechanism on his Pokeball. In an instant, the white-furred form of an Absol emerged onto the field.
He looked around, sending out his Sight. He could tell immediately that this area was Psychically shielded; there would be no communicating with the outside world, at least not from here. But inside to inside was perfectly readable.
And as he scanned the inside, the probabilities swimming around made his eyes widen.
But none more so than the realization of just what a few of those probabilities represented.
Marcus was here, as was Seeker-Of-Endings…and Betrayer-Of-Kin.
His breath nearly caught in his throat before he realized, though a few probability scans, that Betrayer-Of-Kin had not realized Marcus was inside yet. But there was a 74.3% chance that Betrayer-Of-Kin would detect Marcus in the next five minutes.
Keeper-Of-Memories looked to his Trainer, trying to figure out what he could do. He knew he had to get inside, but that was not the mission his Trainer had been delegated. And, though he wanted so badly to simply run into the base himself, such a thing would result in a 90.67% chance of failure, either by death, injury ranging from mild but debilitating to severe to the point of permanence, or simply by being recalled by Grimsley. And it would also risk having his cover blown. No, he could not simply run in.
The Absol turned to his Trainer at last. He raised his bladelike tail and waved it towards the entrance.
"They're probably in danger down there, aren't they?" Grimsley asked. "You wanna go help them, don't you? So do I, Absol. So do I. But Diantha's calling the shots. When she calls us in, we go in. Not before."
Keeper-Of-Memories sighed in exasperation. From his Future Sight, he knew Diantha was locked in battle, a battle that only had a 15.08% chance of ending in the next five minutes. By then, the probability that Betrayer-Of-Kin would detect Marcus and begin moving to intercept would be catastrophically high.
He was about to look at the probability Marcus had of surviving the encounter with Betrayer-Of-Kin when Drasna's voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"What have we here?"
Keeper-Of-Memories twisted to see a fairly portly, pale-skinned man wearing bright red goggles and dressed in a Team Flare uniform standing before them on a hill.
"Excellent!" the man cried. "Two Elite Four members, all alone! You'll be perfect subjects for the test of my new creation!"
"Who's this clown?" Grimsley asked.
"Xerosic," Drasna growled, sounding not unlike her own Dragon-types. "Team Flare's head scientist. He's been on our radar for a fair amount of time."
Xerosic withdrew a black-and-yellow Ultra Ball from his pocket. "Let's see how it fares, shall we?"
Drasna and Grimsley released all their teams. Keeper-Of-Memories looked to his left, where the rest of Grimsley's team stood: Scrafty, Krookodile, Liepard, Bisharp, and Sharpedo. He looked to his right, where Drasna's team, consisting of Salamence, Kingdra, Flygon, Altaria, Haxorus, and surprisingly enough, a definitely not Dragon-type Ampharos, stood strongly, staring down their opponent as it materialized on the field.
For Xerosic threw only the Ultra Ball down to contest this assortment of twelve Elite Four Pokemon.
From the ball came a strange thing that looked almost ridiculous, so mismatched did it appear to be. Its body and hind legs were dark brown and stocky with purple highlights. Its front legs were green, clawed, and significantly narrower, while jutting out from its behind was a fin not unlike that of a Water-type Pokemon, blue and white and extremely thin. Its neck and head were covered in a coat of white fur similar to Keeper-Of-Memories' own. From the crown of its head jutted a massive protrusion that looked almost like the head of a Flying-type Pokemon except narrower, complete with a silvery beaklike front, and three sharp white blades jutted out from the back of its protrusion. Two steel-grey eyes glinted dangerously above an upper jaw that appeared to be made of metal. Xerosic's Pokemon raised its head and let out a challenging mixture between a roar and a scream, echoing high above Geosenge.
Keeper-Of-Memories almost absentmindedly scanned the probabilities for this thing actually proving a challenge for all of them.
He looked at the result. Frowned, shook his head, and looked again. He swallowed.
Well, he thought, Bringer-Of-Visions will not be pleased. But I guess…I guess now I've got an excuse, haven't I? He sighed. This is going to hurt.
"Go, Type: Full," Xerosic ordered with a grin, stepping out of view as he did so. "Destroy them all."
The ground behind one of Geosenge Town's many odd stones split open. A platform rose up to ground level, carrying three Team Flare Grunts on it.
"What do we do now?" one of them asked.
"Take off these uniforms and get to Cyllage," said another. "I'm not staying anywhere near this. Between the Champion, the Elite Four, those foreigners, and those stupidly strong teenagers, it's just too much."
"You said it." The three Grunts dashed off.
The platform began to descend. As the last of the Grunts disappeared down the path out of Geosenge, a yellow form leaped out of the bushes, sprinting to reach the platform before it disappeared.
He leaped, falling through the hole in the ground just as it closed.
Heliolisk was left enshrouded in darkness. He looked around with an exaggerated sigh.
It was cool down here, and probably would be cool wherever the platform led. Fortunately, the sun had been shining outside, and he'd built up enough heat that he could utilize Solar Power, if only a few times.
Heliolisk's eyes, slowly adjusting to the darkness, spotted several buttons on the wall. The one that caught his attention, though, was a blue button that appeared to be pointing down.
Since Heliolisk desired to go down, he pressed it. The platform he was on shuddered and began to descend once more.
He did not know what was down here. He only knew that the fleeing Grunts had mentioned strong teenagers, and knew that Marcus was in Geosenge. Therefore, it was easy to infer that Marcus was down here. And where Marcus was, so was his Medicham.
So Heliolisk waited for the platform to finish descending. Revenge was almost his. He could practically taste it. All he would need was just a little more time.
"How many of these stupid Grunts are there?" Calem groused as Lucario knocked three more fleeing Grunts unconscious.
Medicham had to admit that there were a lot of Grunts. They'd faced a dozen by now in groups of two or three. None of them were particularly difficult to fight, but that, ironically, made them slightly more dangerous; she, Lucario, and Absol had all gotten complacent. Complacency was dangerous. Medicham had learned that the hard way when, not paying attention to her surroundings, she was blindsided by a Houndour clamping Dark energy-enhanced jaws down on her left shoulder. It was the only real injury she'd received so far down here, but it ached badly enough that Medicham knew it would hamper her somewhat in future fights.
"This way," Serena said. "It's not far now."
But as she took a step forwards, the sound of rapid footfalls came from around a corner. Two more Grunts skidded to a halt as they saw the three teenagers.
One of them gulped. "W-wait! We're not here to fight! We're just getting out of here!"
Marcus and Serena both audibly sighed in relief. But Calem didn't. "No," he said grimly. "You don't just get to run away after what you've done. Lucario."
The Grunts didn't even have time to release their Pokemon. Both fell to the ground limply.
Serena sighed. "What is wrong with you, Calem?" she asked. Her voice was not angry this time, just sad. "All they wanted was to leave."
"They've stolen Pokemon too," Calem pointed out. "You want them to get off scot-free for that?"
"No," said Serena, "but this isn't-"
"Serena," Calem interrupted. "This is not the time or place to debate my actions. We need to focus on getting you two out of here."
"I hate to admit it, but Calem's right," said Marcus. "We have to focus. Serena, which way next?"
Serena sighed. "This way," she said.
So the three dashed off again through the seemingly endless maze of corridors.
The various security cameras situated around the base were quite informative as to the state of the ongoing battle. Betrayer-Of-Kin watched from behind the duo of Grunts staring at the cameras. They were treating it almost like a movie, complete with a snack as they oohed and aahed at the ongoing brawl.
Betrayer-Of-Kin sighed. This wasn't even her job, and yet it felt as if she was doing it better than these two Grunts. They probably hadn't even registered the strange, extremely tall man with ripped clothes making his way through the hallways.
A man that Betrayer-Of-Kin recognized and resolved to stay away from for now. The Immortal King was not someone to be trifled with so casually.
Lysandre was even more stupid than she'd thought if he'd elected to capture the Immortal King.
Betrayer-Of-Kin absentmindedly scanned the remaining monitors. Her gaze scrolled past one in particular, and then stopped. Slowly, it moved back.
And fixated on the three teenagers arguing before it.
He was here.
Marcus was in this building.
Betrayer-Of-Kin knew the layout of this place by heart. She'd spent long enough pacing its halls to know, from just a few moments looking at that monitor, where Marcus was.
This was a perfect opportunity to finish the job.
Betrayer-Of-Kin turned and raced out of the room, completely unseen by the pair of snacking Grunts.
"Swarm: Needle Burzzzzt," buzzed Bryony's Beedrill, summoning a flurry of Swarm-clones and firing their detached stingers at Gardevoir, eighteen in total.
"Trace: Attack Scan," Gardevoir retorted. Before her, eighteen pointed shards of Psychic energy equal in size and shape to the stingers materialized in midair. Gardevoir sent them flying at the Needle Burst, intercepting the attack. The stingers, both original and copied, dissipated.
A brave and foolish Poochyena raced in from the side, jaws opened and flaring with Dark energy. Gardevoir's eyes shone pink. "Life Pulse," she murmured. A blast of Fairy energy burst out in all directions, sending the Poochyena flying along with a Sneasel that happened to be in the area.
"Swarm: Abzzzorb," the Beedrill buzzed, summoning a pair of Swarm-clones in front of it to take the blast of energy.
Gardevior siezed the opportunity, tapping into her teleportation abilities. In the blink of an eye, she was behind the Beedrill. "Psychic Hold."
The Beedrill froze in place. Five Swarm-clones appeared, summoned to defend their master. Gardevoir reached out a hand behind her, sending a Houndour who had been eagerly charging her flying back with a Life Blast without even looking, and glared at the Beedrill. "Psychic Squeeze," she growled.
The Beedrill stiffened. The Swarm-clones disappeared. The Beedrill fought off Gardevoir's Psychic influence for a few moments, but in the end it was too much. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Gardevoir turned in time to fire off a blast of Psychic energy that knocked an incoming Swalot to the ground, then swiftly scanned the battlefield for the rest of her team.
Hawlucha was engaged with a pair of Golbats and Bryony's Talonflame and doing decently well, firing off blasts of Rock energy to force his opponents to keep their distance and outflying them at every turn with his constant aura of Flying energy. Evidently, he'd already used Unburden to increase his speed, which of course helped as well. "Hawlucha, High Jump Kick!" Diantha ordered from somewhere Gardevoir could not see. "Two-Wing Style: Whirlwind Kick!" Hawlucha cried, lashing out with a brutal clawed kick that sent one of the Golbats flying into the wall. Hawlucha then whirled, firing another flurry of Rock energy to ward off the Talonflame as he came in for another pass.
Furfrou wasn't visible, but the white fluffy dome in the center of the room told Gardevoir exactly where she was. Diantha appeared to be within the dome as well, for her voice was calling out orders from inside and Gardevoir could see hints of her through several small windows in the dome. As Gardevoir noticed this, Furfrou's high-pitched voice emanated from the dome. "Fur Coat: Fur Grasp!" Bryony's Liepard had to leap away to avoid the tendrils of fur that lashed out from the dome, tendrils that caught a Slugma and a Toxicroak and drew them struggling into the dome.
Goodra was striking at all she saw with her versatile assortment of ranged attacks. "Dragon Blast!" she cried, sending a Manectric flying. She twisted to glare at an incoming Weavile. "Fire Blast!" The Weavile collapsed in a smoking heap. One of her eyes caught an incoming Houndoom. "Water Blast!" In the space of five seconds, three Executive-level Pokemon fell to her attacks. She spun, looking for more.
Gourgeist had evidently just felled Bryony's Alakazam and was now engaged with her Aegislash, the two Ghosts locked in a swift combat. "Frisk!" Gourgeist cried. She grinned. "I know what you're afraid of, Knightmare. Time to confront your fears! Trick-Or-Treat!"
In the next moment, Gourgeist manifested into a shapeless mass approximating the form of a human, garbed in black. "Your time has come, my King…" Gourgeist snarled. Aegislash's single eye widened and it began scrambling backwards. "No! Stay away!"
Gardevoir shuddered involuntarily. Gourgeist was a fantastically loyal and ubeat teammate, but she was not fun to be around if she was angry at you.
As for Aurorus, the Fossil Pokemon was standing tall in the face of her foes, firing away with massive blasts of Ice and Rock energy that felled multiple Pokemon at a time. "Blizzard Blast!" she roared, hurling a trio of Electrikes away with a barrage of Ice energy. Then she twisted, glaring at Bryony's Bisharp. "Earth Rip," she snarled, hurling a tidal wave of Ground energy at her Steel-type foe.
The Bisharp leaped upwards, straight over the Earth Rip. But Aurorus was ready. "Rock Blast." A torrent of Rock energy slammed straight into the face of Bryony's Bisharp.
But the Bisharp pressed on regardless. "Defiant: Steel Retaliation," he growled.
"Blizzard Barrier." Aurorus countered, raising a Protect to block the Bisharp's strike.
Gardevoir's attention was momentarily drawn away by a pair of Croagunks and a Toxicroak charging straight at her from three directions. "For Team Flare!"
"Psychic Wave." The trio flew backwards, flailing wildly.
Gardevoir rolled her eyes as she twisted back towards Aurorus. Her eyes widened as she beheld her continuing to hold back Bisharp with her Blizzard Barrier. She was raising her front legs, readying for another Earth Rip. But she wasn't attending to the Executive-level Scrafty charging her from behind.
"Gardevoir, protect Aurorus!" Diantha cried.
"Life Blast!" Gardevoir called, but a Swalot rose up between her and the Scrafty, sending up a Protect to deflect the blast. Thinking quickly, Gardevoir teleported between the Scrafty and Aurorus. "Trace: Attack Scan!"
As Gardevoir teleported in front of the Scrafty, she drew the Protect from the Swalot she'd teleported past. The Scrafty's fist, outstretched and crackling with Fighting energy, slammed into the Protect and bounced off.
"Earth Rip!" A cry of agony from the Bisharp indicated that this attack had hit. Gardevoir sent another Life Blast into the Scrafty's stomach, easily knocking it unconscious to the ground.
"Thanks for the assist," Aurorus said swiftly.
"No problem." Those were the only words they shared before it was back to the battle.
The battle was not going well, Probopass knew. Wikstrom, brave as he was, had attempted to attack Malva himself, only to find that Malva was a fairly decent combatant. He was now unconscious from a brutal kick Malva had delivered to his unguarded face, leaving his team without a Trainer.
Malva and Celosia hadn't given many orders, either, distracted by securing Wikstrom. But that didn't really matter.
Escavalier was already down, burnt to a crisp by the various Fire-type attacks being thrown around. Klefki was also down, her comparatively low durability unable to last long against Malva's betrayal. The rest were still up, but outnumbered so badly, there would only be one outcome.
"Tongue Lash!"
"CRUSH!"
Probopass spun his three nose-rocks around to deflect Heatmor's tongue, but that opened him up for a brutal blow from the Ursaring. His Sturdy Ability enabled him to take it reasonably well, and judging by the pained roar from the Ursaring, the strike had hurt it just as much as it had hurt Probopass.
"Stone Cannon," Probopass intoned, firing off all three of his spinning nose-rocks at Heatmor. "Inferno," Heatmor retorted as its lashing tongue flared into a massive wave of Fire energy. The blast sent Probopass's nose-rocks flying backwards. Probopass barely mustered a Protect before the Inferno struck him; he could feel the heat even as it burst against the Protect.
"CRUSH BLAST!"
And then the Ursaring revealed it had Focus Blast of all things. Probopass flew, slamming to the ground with his entire back aching.
He rose up once again to see Heatmor and Ursaring advancing on him. Probopass looked around the field at his allies, but each look brought fresh fear to Probopass's eyes. Scizor had Mega Evolved, which was the only reason he had survived this long considering how weak he was against Fire energy, but even as Probopass watched a gout of flames from Malva's Pyroar consumed the screaming Scizor. Bisharp had managed to down Celosia's Drapion, but Malva's Chandelure and Houndoom roasted it alive with a double blast of Fire energy. And Aegislash had not only finished off Celosia's Toxicroak, but had also downed the Talonflame that Klefki had done some decent damage to before going down. Unfortunately, Malva's Torkoal now took action, firing off a brutal Eruption that instantly dropped the exhausted Aegislash.
The rest of Malva and Celosia's Pokemon were hanging back, clearly desiring to stay fresh for future battles.
Probopass whirred and readied another attack. He would repay them in full for that complacency. This battle was lost, but in that loss, Probopass knew that they could make future battles easier for others to win, at the very least.
"It's over," Heatmor growled. Both he and Ursaring had taken a fair amount of damage; Probopass's particular typing had allowed him to handle them well, but in the end it was two-on-one.
"Not quite," Probopass whirred, summoning all of the energy he could muster into his center. His nose-rocks began to twist faster and faster, spinning around his body so quickly that they blurred.
Heatmor's fists clenched. Ursaring charged with a bellow.
Probopass glared at his two foes. "Explosion."
"Well, that's a shame," Celosia grumbled as she and Malva recalled their Pokemon. "Those Pokemon would have been quite useful in future battles."
"Indeed, but we must not dwell on that," said Malva. "I shall go aid Bryony. She will need it against the Champion."
"Admin Celosia!" a Team Flare Grunt cried as he rushed in. His eyes fell on Malva and widened. "Look out!"
"She's with us, put the Pokemon away," Celosia ordered.
"Oh," said the Grunt. "Admin Celosia, Elite Four Malva, three teenagers are running roughshod across our bottom floor! They've freed a prisoner and are defeating every Grunt in their way!"
"Teenagers?" Malva's eyes narrowed. "You are having trouble with teenagers?" She sighed. "Celosia, stand guard over Wikstrom. Knock him unconscious again if he wakes up. I will go deal with…the teenagers."
She spat the last word as if she couldn't believe Team Flare was being overwhelmed by teenagers. "Come along, Hellhound," she said. Her Houndoom rose to his feet and followed her out of the room.
"Thunder Howitzer!" Raichu barked, sending a massive arcing bolt of Electric energy at the trio of Executive Pokemon in front of him. The Mightyena, Lampent, and Magcargo fell to the ground, twitching as electricity ripped through their bodies.
"Magnezone, Mirror Shot that Hydreigon," Surge ordered.
"Do the same, Magnezone," Jasmine added to her Magnezone.
The two Magnezones rose into the air to face Aliana's Hydreigon. "Reflecting Shot!" they both droned. Hydreigon howled as both of its non-main heads recoiled, eyes closed from the barrage of light and Steel energy that came from the Magnezones.
Both Magnezones followed up with crackling Thunderbolts, only for the Hydreigon, its main head still sighted, to fire its own blast of Electric energy with a vicious snarl. The three blasts met in between the opponents and remained there, crackling and sparking but with neither side prevailing.
"Cerberus, Dual Focus Blast!" Aliana cried.
The two side heads opened their eyes. Each one gathered up a sphere of Fighting energy in their jaws and flung it at their opposite Magnezone.
"Protect!" both Surge and Jasmine cried.
"Fire Blast!" Aliana retorted. Cerberus's main head snapped up and it sent a wave of Fire energy straight at one of the Magnezones. "Magnet Pull!" Surge cried.
"Magnet Pull: Improvised Barrier." Surge's Magnezone activated its Magnet Pull ability, gravitating the bodies of several fallen Team Flare Pokemon towards it. The Fire Blast slammed into their fallen forms as Jasmine's Magnezone floated into the air. "Electric Shot," that Magnezone droned, sending another blast of Electric energy at Cerberus.
Raichu scanned the rest of the battle. Electivire was pounding Aliana's Skuntank with multiple body blows. Metagross was engaged with Aliana's Dragalge, which appeared to have access to a Fire-type attack from the burnt state of Metagross's body as it fired Psychic attack after Psychic attack at Dragalge. Manectric and Aliana's Mightyena were rolling around on the floor, engaged in a brutal brawl. Aliana's Vileplume was overwhelming Electrode, while Aliana's Druddigon was engaging in a battle with Steelix while at the same time standing over the unconscious form of Empoleon. The remaining members of Surge and Jasmine's teams were occupied beating back the hordes of Grunt and Executive-level Pokemon.
Raichu's eyes locked on Vileplume as he finished off Electrode with a combination of Poison and Grass-type attacks. He let out a challenging cry. "Thunder Barrage!" he cried, firing blast after blast of Electric energy as he charged Vileplume and the battle continued to rage around them.
"Almost…there…" Serena panted. Medicham was panting too; the constant running and fighting was taking its toll on her, not to mention her shoulder wound still hurt.
But as the three rounded yet another corner, Medicham felt thankfulness surge in her. For she beheld the elevator before her eyes, offering, finally, a way out.
That thankfulness lasted all of two seconds before she saw the Team Flare Grunt inside.
"This elevator is occupied!" he cried, mashing a button out of view.
"No!" Marcus cried. "Medicham, Confusion on the Grunt!"
Medicham stopped dead.
What had happened to Marcus's anger at Calem for this exact same thing? Was it just desperation? Was attacking a Trainer actually-
-Marcus, falling to the ground, clutching the gash in his stomach, blood pooling on the ground before Medicham's horrified eyes-
A pleasant 'ding' was what snapped Medicham out of the memory this time.
Medicham looked up in time to see the doors closed. Marcus sagged. "What now?"
Calem pointed to the side. "Looks like there's a door here that leads to a staircase," he said. "We can go down to…the basement, it looks like, or up to the next floor and try and find something there."
"Actually, we can just wait," said Serena. "This elevator's got a down button out here, see? We can wait until that Grunt finishes and then bring it back down ourselves."
Marcus sighed. "Fair point. Calem, are you sure you don't want to come?"
"Yeah," said Calem. "I've still got a difference to make down here."
Medicham looked to Seeker-Of-Endings. "How's your sight looking?"
"I can not see outside," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "But it appears I am capable of seeing inside. It appears this location is Psychically shielded so that the mind cannot break into or out of Geosenge."
"What can you see?" Medicham asked.
"I see…" Seeker-Of-Endings stopped. His breathing quickened and his face paled. "Medicham," he said slowly, eyes swiveling to something over Medicham's shoulder.
Every instinct Medicham had screamed at her not to look. But look she did.
And she saw her.
Betrayer-Of-Kin stood nearly a hundred feet away at the other end of the corridor. Curiously, she was much too far back to block the corridor that ran horizontally through this one and that the teenagers had been running through up until this point. That horizontal corridor stood almost exactly between Medicham and Betrayer-Of-Kin, fifty feet away on both sides.
Marcus saw it too. Without a word he released all of his Pokemon. They all saw her immediately; enraged snarls came from Kriesh, Houndoom, and Drapion's throats as they beheld the Absol that had nearly killed their Trainer, and Cloyster and even Phantump looked furious, readying attacks to be fired the instant Betrayer-Of-Kin attacked.
Medicham looked back to see Marcus. His face was white and his hand was clutched to his stomach as he shrank back against the elevator doors, looking almost as if he would faint.
"Medicham," Seeker-Of-Endings warned. "Do not."
She hadn't even noticed that she'd taken a step forward, her fists tightly clenched. Betrayer-Of-Kin's eyes locked with Medicham's and she smiled widely.
-she looked up into the eyes of the white-furred, dark-clawed Pokemon standing over the body of her Trainer. The Absol's face was unreadable as blood dripped from its horn and it stared at-
"Medicham!"
Seeker-Of-Endings's cry, and the cries of her teammates, fell on deaf ears as Medicham lunged. And Marcus likely didn't even have the presence of mind to recall her. She didn't even see Calem, Serena, any of her teammates or any of their teams. She just saw Betrayer-Of-Kin, horn glinting as she grinned in anticipation.
Medicham charged. She was coming up on the horizontal corridor. Footfalls echoed behind her; someone was chasing after her, or multiple someones. She paid no heed. Betrayer-Of-Kin stayed where she was, unmoving but for a slight tensing in her body.
This time, there would be no escape for the Absol. Medicham would not stop until Betrayer-Of-Kin had paid in full for what she had done.
She reached the horizontal corridor. It was only out of the corner of her eye that she spotted a flicker of movement coming from the right. A wisp of red that might have been Fire energy.
"Phlegethon. Eruption."
The world exploded around Medicham. "Psychic Dodge!" she cried, focusing all of her energy into avoiding the burst of Fire energy coming from all around her. She heard a snarl of "Block!" and a cry of "Impenetrable Shell!" from behind her; evidently both Cloyster and Drapion had been pursuing her. Betrayer-Of-Kin disappeared from Medicham's sight as Fire energy burst across the corridor; when it cleared she was gone, leaving nothing behind.
Heat rolled, searing Medicham's face; not even Psychic Dodge could fully avoid this attack. Her foot touched empty air and she found herself tilting, staring down at an abyss that had been ripped into the ground under her. She could see a room further down, a dark but large and fairly empty-looking room.
Medicham fell as flames ripped through the air around her and cries of fear and shock arose from behind, cries that she recognized.
Phantump. Cloyster. Drapion. Kriesh. Houndoom.
This was my fault.
Then she landed right on her injured shoulder. A wickedly brutal crunch emanated from the impact and agony shot through her body. She bit back a scream of pain as she rolled off it, lying on her right side so as not to put any weight on her injury.
Another slam came from behind her. More screams, more cries of terror. A cry of "Go!" that sounded as if it came from Marcus's throat. Panicked footsteps.
And then silence.
Slowly, Medicham took stock of her surroundings. The room was dark and large and almost completely empty. There was a single door out, a door that led the same direction as Betrayer-Of-Kin had been. Drapion lay behind Medicham, rising to his feet and growling with irritation and pain.
Medicham looked back at Drapion. "I-"
"Save it," Drapion growled. "Yer shoulder's dislocated. Give me a minute."
Drapion reached down with one of his massive arms and, with a swift jerk, yanked Medicham's shoulder back into place. Again Medicham barely bit back a scream.
"We gotta get outta here," Drapion growled. "None of the others fell. Last ah saw, they were bein' blasted every which way. Ah don't know where any of them are."
"There's no way we're getting up to that gap," Medicham said, pointing to the hole in the ceiling that was the only thing lighting this room. "That door over there seems to be the only way out."
Drapion sighed. "Seems that way. Let's hope somethin' good's on the other side."
Something shifted from up above. Medicham and Drapion both looked up as a third Pokemon leaped through the gap in the ceiling and landed lightly between them and the door.
"Houndoom?" Medicham asked.
But as the Pokemon turned to face them, Medicham saw that it was definitely not their Houndoom.
"Ah, yes," the Houndoom said. "The Grunts said there was a Houndoom on your side. Truth be told, I was hoping he'd be down here. But this is good enough."
"Who are ya?" Drapion snarled.
The Houndoom smiled. "My name is Hellhound," he said. "I am the Ace of Elite Four Malva, who…let's just say she had a change of heart. From what I've heard, your Trainer's been causing Team Flare some problems." Hellhound crouched. "There's a way back up on the other side of this door. But if you want to get there, you're gonna have to go through me."
Medicham looked to Drapion. Drapion nodded slowly. "We've got no choice," he growled, answering Medicham's unsaid question.
Medicham clenched her fists and crouched as well, readying Fighting energy across her fists, ready to leap at her new opponent. Drapion let out a fearsome growl as his arms and teeth and spikes glowed with Dark energy.
Hellhound let out a challenging snarl. "Very well, then. Do your worst."