"Where do you think Serena's gone off to?" Cloyster asked.
"Probably still in the Pokemon Center," Drapion responded. "Ya know how much she likes her Pokemon. An' they all looked pretty beat up."
Nods came from all around. Serena's battle with Wulfric had ended only half an hour ago. With her Sylveon still sick, she'd had to go in with her Eevee, much younger and less trained than the rest of her team, as her fifth. Thankfully, it hadn't mattered.
Indeed, the battle had been surprisingly easy for Serena. From watching Marcus's battle, Serena had known to keep Delphox back until both Cloyster and Beartic were down, which had enabled her to defeat Avalugg with ease. Jolteon had been practically a perfect counter for Cloyster, able to dodge his Skill Link-boosted attacks and even match speeds with Cloyster after Shell Smash. Meowstic's Psychic abilities had proven fully capable of dismantling Cryogonal, leaving Medicham thankful that Meowstic hadn't had the opportunity to truly display them against Houndoom. And Seeker-Of-Endings had not only been able to handle Beartic, but had also come back in to finish off Abomasnow after Delphox had fallen to an unlucky Shadow Ball.
The fact that it had taken Serena just four Pokemon to defeat Wulfric had earned Marcus some ribbing from his parents. Though her knowledge of Wulfric's team composition had certainly helped, Seeker-Of-Endings being not only involved but allowed to go all-out had played a major role in Serena's victory. Medicham could not help but recognize that if Seeker-Of-Endings had been there for Marcus and Serena's second battle, Serena would most likely have won.
It alarmed her that Seeker-Of-Endings had that much power. She knew the Absol had to be strong in order to survive a fight with Betrayer-Of-Kin, but the fact that Seeker-Of-Endings was part of the Heralds made that amount of power terrifying to Medicham.
The Heralds had ruined her life. Stolen her from her Trainer and forcibly pushed her into the path of this one. Taken her memories and, if not for the Lifebringer, would have ensured she never even remembered Elle.
And yet…Marcus was her Trainer now, not Elle. And she wanted to fight alongside Marcus, wanted to help him achieve his dreams of greatness. That was a Pokemon's role, their duty to their Trainer.
Medicham looked over at Kriesh, who had her head down as she plucked berries from the ground. She heaved a sigh, not wanting to disturb the Fearow from her meal. But Kriesh had helped her out before on this front.
Maybe she could help her out again.
"Kriesh?"
"Yeah?" Kriesh's head swung upwards.
"I need to talk to you," Medicham said, sitting down next to Kriesh. The Fearow shifted over to make room. "It's about Scamper."
"That Delcatty?" Kriesh asked. "I saw you two talking a couple times."
"Yes," said Medicham, "we were. I…met Scamper the day Marcus caught me. He gave me some advice, and he promised me that being a Trained Pokemon would be worth it. Yesterday, he came up to me and he asked if it was. But…I couldn't give him an answer."
"And why is that?" Kriesh asked.
Medicham sighed. "Because…if I'd said no, then I'd have been lying, because if it wasn't worth it I would have left Marcus long ago. But if I'd said yes, then I'd also have been lying…because the truth is, every time I think about saying yes, I just can't stop thinking about Team Flare. How we all got hurt because of them, how we all nearly died, how I did die. And…that's not even mentioning Elle. I mean…I can't say that being Marcus's Pokemon is worth it, because then I'd be forgetting about her. But Marcus is my Trainer now. Elle was, in the past, but…I can't just leave Marcus to try and find Elle again. I…I don't know what to think anymore. And I want to help Marcus do the best he can in the Tournament, but…if I can't decide if being Marcus's Pokemon was worth all the pain I had to endure, what's the point?"
"Medicham," said Kriesh, "nothing is worth enduring what you've had to endure. Or what many of us had to endure. If I said that anything in my life was worth my six months with Team Rocket, I'd be lying. But that doesn't mean I'm just giving up. Because…if I'd just given up, if I hadn't chosen to take care of the flock, if I hadn't chosen to join Marcus's team, then Team Rocket would have been the only thing I'd have had to look back on in my life. But I refused to let them decide what kind of Pokemon I would be. You shouldn't let Team Flare decide the same for you."
"So…whether it's worth it doesn't matter?" Medicham asked.
Kriesh sighed. "Yes and no. Just because you've endured unimaginable pain and horror doesn't mean you should give up on your dreams because they aren't worth that pain. But you achieve those dreams so that you can look back on your life and consider it a life well lived. You don't have to feel as if your dreams are worth so much misery…but if you look back upon your death and decide that your life in general wasn't worth living, then…that's a mistake. And can you honestly claim that your life isn't worth living? That the world would be better off without you in it?"
"No!" Medicham protested. "I-"
"Then that's the point to continuing to fight," said Kriesh. "To keep it that way. So don't give up, Medicham. You've always been a fighter. Don't stop now."
Medicham heaved a sigh, a smile coming to her face. "Thanks, Kriesh."
"Anytime."
Serena arrived a few minutes later, and after a few moments she and Marcus set out for Victory Road, the final challenge they would have to face before the Tournament. Though several Ace Trainers were stationed on the path to protect Trainers coming up Victory Road against Wild Pokemon, injuries from Victory Road were not unheard of, and attacks were common. It didn't help that many of the Pokemon who lived near Victory Road were famously territorial Dragon-types, which made Medicham grateful that Marcus had given her and Drapion the TMs for Ice Punch and Ice Fang, respectively.
Thankfully, Victory Road was only about half an hour away from Snowbelle, a short and fairly uneventful walk. As the entrance to Victory Road hove into view, Marcus turned to Serena.
"So what do you think we'll get?" Marcus asked.
"Get?" Serena asked. "Oh, right, the reward for Geosenge. I…don't know. Probably some held items, those things are rare."
"Or money," said Marcus.
"I doubt it, we've got quite a bit," said Serena.
"Maybe Pokemon Eggs?" Marcus suggested.
"Yeah, that might be it, too," Serena agreed. "That does make sense."
They stepped around the corner of a large boulder as Serena spoke that last sentence. Watching from her Luxury Ball, Medicham saw the recognizable form of an Ace Trainer standing before the gates, a container on the ground next to him marked with the symbol of the Kalos Pokemon League. He looked up as they approached. "Ah, a two-for-one," said the Ace Trainer. "And…aren't you the other two teenagers who helped in Geosenge?"
"Yes, we are," said Marcus.
The Ace Trainer grinned. "I'm Robbie," he introduced. "Your friend came through earlier, and collected his reward. I'm to offer you entrance and your own rewards…but the League's mandated that all Trainers who seek entry to Victory Road have to beat me in a battle first. So I wish to challenge the two of you to a two-on-two Double Battle. Win, and you get your rewards and entry into Victory Road. Lose, and you're welcome to try again whenever you'd like, but I'd recommend some more training before that. I will release first."
Marcus and Serena exchanged a glance as Robbie sent out his two Pokemon. A fairly large Kingdra completely overshadowed his other Pokemon, a tiny Carbink that nonetheless seemed quite at ease in the Kingdra's shadow.
The two Trainers quickly spoke in hushed whispers about the Pokemon they would send out. At last Serena sent out her Jolteon, while Marcus elected to use Drapion for this battle.
And so Medicham watched as, after a short, hushed conversation between Jolteon and Drapion, the four Pokemon flung themselves at each other.
"Cover me!" Jolteon cried. "Lightning Quills!"
"Kingdra, block them with Dragon Pulse!" Robbie ordered. "Carbink, Power Gem!"
Kingdra rose to his full height. "Sniper: Dragon Blast!" he cried, unleashing a trio of Dragon energy-formed beams that intercepted Jolteon's Lightning Quills in midair.
Carbink's body glowed with energy. "Gemstone Barrage!" it yelled, firing several blasts of Rock energy that Drapion was quick to intercept with a Block.
"Pierce!" Drapion snarled, firing off three spikes of Poison energy at each of his opponents. Unfortunately, Carbink was quick to respond. "Gemstone Barrier!" it cried, raising a Protect to intercept the barrage of spikes.
"Sniper: Water Blast!" Kingdra bellowed, firing a massive blast of Water energy at Drapion. But Jolteon darted around Drapion's body. "Lightning Blast!" A surge of Electric energy flew from Jolteon, slamming into Kingdra's Water Blast and driving it backwards on a wave of electricity.
"Ancient Power!" Robbie ordered.
"Gemstone Raise!" A torrent of Rock energy flew from Carbink into the ground and a wall of gemstones arose before the two opponents. Jolteon's Lightning Blast dissipated against the wall of gems.
"Drapion, Pursuit!" Marcus cried. Drapion obediently opened fire again, sending a flurry of seeking rays over the gemstone barricade. Kingdra groaned in pain as the four rays slammed into him.
At the same time, a wash of flames burst across Jolteon's quills, indicating the activation of her Flame Orb. "Okay, now!" she cried, lunging forwards.
"Burrow!" Drapion snarled, hurling himself into the dirt and disappearing from sight as Jolteon easily leaped out of the way of a Gemstone Barrage from Carbink. "Quick Feet: Lightning Dash!" she cried, leaping over the gemstone barrier straight at Kingdra.
"Protect!" Robbie called, and much to Jolteon's frustration she had to avert her charge to avoid ramming into a barrier raised by Kingdra. "Carbink, take it down!"
At that exact moment, Drapion lunged up from the earth. "Rend!" One Poison energy-covered arm almost as large as Carbink slammed straight into the Rock/Fairy-type and pinned it to the ground. Carbink cried out in pain. Kingdra's eyes widened as Jolteon came in for another pass now that his Protect was gone.
"Clear Body!" Carbink cried. Before Medicham's eyes, Carbink disappeared from view, completely invisible, though Drapion's claws still grasped its transparent form.
"Sniper: Dragon Blast!" Two burst of Dragon energy flew from Kingdra's mouth, one at each opponent. "Battle Armor!" Drapion snarled, taking the blast on his shoulder and only staggering slightly thanks to the Battle Armor. Jolteon merely hurled herself sideways, Quick Feet allowing her to evade the curving shot; as the Dragon Blast came around towards her, Jolteon twisted and blasted it out of the sky with a Quill Barrage.
"Gemstone Raise!"
Drapion was forced to release his grip to avoid the burst of gemstones that erupted from the ground. With the still-invisible Carbink nowhere to be seen, Drapion twisted towards Kingdra and fired off another No Escape, one which Kingdra handled with another Sniper-boosted Dragon Blast to rip the rays out of the sky.
"Switch!" Robbie cried.
"Jolteon, Discharge!" Serena cried.
"Gemstone Barrier!" Jolteon's Lightning Blast was disappointed by a Protect from the rematerializing Carbink. Carbink looked somewhat ragged, the hits it had taken from Drapion not helping matters, and judging by the pained expression on its face Drapion had also managed to inject some of his natural poison before Carbink had been able to escape his grip. "Gemstone Barrage!" Carbink cried, and as Jolteon had done against Medicham's Aura Barrage, she backpedaled, evading the various shots of Rock energy as they blasted small craters in the ground.
"Sniper: Water Blast!" Kingdra bellowed, firing another curving beam of Water energy that Drapion raised a Block against. "Sniper: Water Shots!" he cried, following up with nearly two dozen miniature blasts of Water energy similar to Houndoom's Flame Storm. But these, too, were frustrated, this time by Drapion's swift activation of Battle Armor to tank the blasts.
"Kingdra, Draco Meteor!" Robbie called.
Marcus and Serena's eyes both widened as Kingdra raised its head to the sky. "Drapion, take him down, now!" Marcus ordered.
"Jolteon, the Kingdra!" Serena cried at the same time.
Jolteon stopped backpedaling and instead hurled herself forwards, evading a pair of Rock energy-formed blasts. "Quick Feet: Lightning Dash!" she cried.
Drapion lunged for Kingdra's throat with arms ready to slam and rend his opponent. "Prey!" he bellowed.
"Sniper: Dragon Meteor!" Kingdra roared, firing a burst of Dragon energy into the air, a second before Drapion's arm closed around his throat. Drapion twisted and slammed Kingdra into the oncoming Jolteon. The explosion of Electric energy sent Kingdra flying, tumbling across the ground and sending up sprays of dirt as he rolled.
"Carbink, Rock Tomb!" Robbie ordered.
Medicham winced as she saw Carbink hurl itself headlong at Jolteon and Drapion. It took a second for her to remember that Carbink, as a Fairy-type, was completely immune to his partner's Draco Meteor. She knew Draco Meteor's destructive power held little equal, and was so prized that a common mistake among would-be Dragon-type masters was to try and teach their Dragons the technique early, expecting it to be an easy way to rack up wins. But Draco Meteor was dangerous, for it could very well present a danger to the user as well as the opponent with its wanton destruction.
Carbink's Fairy-type meant it could do practically whatever it wanted without worrying about the Draco Meteor. Now Medicham saw Robbie's plan as Carbink, with a cry of "Gemstone Burial!", raised a burst of rocks and gemstones from the earth. Rock Tomb would entrap Jolteon and Drapion, preventing them from avoiding the incoming Draco Meteor. Even if Kingdra fell alongside Drapion and Jolteon, Carbink's survival would give Robbie a victory. There was no way the fast but frail Jolteon would be able to remain conscious after a Draco Meteor, and Drapion might survive, but it would be a difficult battle against Carbink, and if Kingdra managed to dodge his own Draco Meteor the battle would practically be over from there.
By the time that scenario had run through Medicham's head, though, Drapion had already put a stop to it.
"Block!" The Gemstone Burial was deflected before it could hit Jolteon or Drapion, and the two Pokemon moved, hurling themselves as far away from the center of the incoming Draco Meteor as they could. Jolteon's speed made it a cinch for her to get away. As for Drapion, he looked up at the incoming Draco Meteor, grinned, and Burrowed, tunneling into the earth and disappearing from sight.
"No!" Robbie wailed, realizing the failure of his technique.
The Draco Meteor hit, exploding against the ground with shocking force. The stories had not overestimated the power of Draco Meteor; if anything, they'd failed to communicate the absolute barrage of noise that came with the technique, a cacophony of explosions and eruptions as earth sprayed into the air under impact after impact.
When the dust finally cleared, it revealed Robbie recalling his thoroughly unconscious Kingdra, who unfortunately for him had not been able to get clear of the blast. Carbink, of course, was undamaged, but the poison from Drapion's claws was clearly taking its toll. And as Drapion rose from the ground and Jolteon spun to face Carbink, Robbie raised Carbink's Pokeball and recalled it as well.
"Enough!" Robbie cried. "I can see your eight Gym Badges were well-earned. Your entrance to Victory Road is secured."
Jolteon and Drapion grinned at each other, mirroring their Trainers' expressions.
"And, before I forget, your rewards." Robbie reached into the container beside him and withdrew a pair of Pokemon eggs, handing one to each Trainer. Serena's was pink with yellow spots, while Marcus's was brown and looked almost like a darker Geodude with no face or arms as he took it.
"Now go on," said Robbie. "Good luck at the Tournament."
"Thank you," Serena and Marcus chorused. Drapion and Jolteon were swiftly recalled and given a Potion each, and the two Trainers stepped through the gate to Victory Road.
Medicham's eyes widened at the sheer size of the corridor into Victory Road. It was clear that the League had gone all out on this stretch of road, presenting Kalos's finest artwork and architecture to those who came to the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. The Tournament would involve Trainers from all over the world, from Trainers on the first year of their journeys to Trainers who had spent years training up their teams.
It was no secret that rookies stood very little chance of making it even to the Top 32, something that Serena and Marcus had both told their teams about in advance. Getting to the Top 32 was generally regarded as the main goal for rookies. Anything else was seen as a pipe dream. Winning the Tournament as a rookie was practically unheard of; as Marcus pointed out, the only two rookies who had ever won a Tournament were Red, who was famously ridiculously strong for a rookie, and N, a 'Trainer from Unova' as Marcus had described him, who had apparently gone into his Tournament with a pair of Legendaries and swept through the competition, the Elite Four, and the Champion without missing a beat.
Then he'd turned out to be working for Team Plasma, but Marcus had ended the story there, clearly not wanting to get into that mess of a tale.
So, Top 32. That was the goal Marcus and Serena had in mind as they stepped through the Victory Road gate and began making their way up Victory Road proper.
Victory Road itself was staggeringly beautiful, winding its way through caves and lush outdoor paths surrounded by pools and waterfalls. Medicham found herself sweeping her head from side to side, anxious to take in every detail she could of the magnificent vistas. The Ace Trainers they passed by nodded and waved as Marcus and Serena stepped along the path, themselves clearly staggered by the beauty of Victory Road.
For the most part, the trip was without incident. The exception came on an outdoor part of Victory Road that came through what looked to be a ruin of a large stone building, with long-ago destroyed walls surrounding an open floor, half of it raised slightly above the other half. Serena was in the lead and Marcus behind, so when Serena suddenly stopped, Marcus also came to a swift halt.
"What is it?" Marcus asked.
"Check this out." Stepping up onto the raised part of the floor, Serena moved over to the back wall and knelt down. Marcus followed; looking out of her Pokeball, Medicham spotted a small cluster of Sitrus Berries lying on the ground in a small bowl. They looked fresh and uneaten.
Medicham liked Sitrus Berries. Every Pokemon did; they were very sweet and their juices could numb pain and reduce exhaustion. For that reason, Trainers who could find Sitrus Berries in large quantities made a habit of attaching them to their Pokemon for a quick heal in the middle of battle. Not many Trainers could afford such a wasteful practice, though; in general, Sitrus Berries were reserved only for the richest and most powerful Trainers.
To have a cluster of three fresh Sitrus Berries just waiting to be picked up seemed almost too good to be true.
Serena smiled. "Let's each take one," she suggested, "and leave one for whoever comes along next."
"Or we could take all three and decide who gets the third later," said Marcus. "No sense in letting a future competitor have a free Sitrus Berry."
"I know, but it just feels wrong taking all three," said Serena.
Marcus frowned. "I mean…why would we not take all three? To me, it feels wrong to leave one behind."
Serena opened her mouth to argue her point further, but just then a loud shriek pierced through the air. Instantly, Medicham found herself standing on the ground next to Marcus, outside her Luxury Ball. "Medicham, Ice Punch!" Marcus cried.
"Meowstic, Psychic!" Serena cried at the exact same time.
Meowstic's ranged attack struck long before Medicham's melee strike. Medicham watched as the diving Altaria was ensnared in a Psychic grip and flung bodily to the ground. Now Serena and Meowstic were standing between Medicham and the Altaria, who was rising from the stone, not looking too badly hurt.
"Marcus, wait!" Serena cried. "Let me handle this!"
Medicham and Marcus both paused, watching the Altaria rise to her full height.
Altaria glared at Meowstic. "My berries," she snarled. "You don't touch my berries. Take this! Dragon's Song!"
Altaria let out a chilling wail, and a blast of Dragon energy streaked from her beak at Meowstic. Meowstic waved a hand - "Mind Rip!" - and countered with a blast of Psychic energy, ripping the Dragon's Song out of the air.
Altaria rose into the air. "Sky's Song!" she cried, lunging at Meowstic with fluffy wings flaring. "Mind Rip!" Meowstic cried again. Again Altaria was flung to the ground, fury glinting in her eyes.
"Stop that! Moon's Song!" Altaria sent a pair of Fairy-type blasts at Meowstic. "Mind Barrier!" Meowstic countered, summoning a Psychic shield around itself that took the two blasts without too much trouble.
"Mind Rip!" Meowstic cried, unleashing yet another wave of Psychic energy at the Altaria.
But this time Altaria smirked. "Stupid Psychics. Ghost's Song!"
Altaria surrounded her body with Ghost energy and lunged forwards, breaking through the Mind Rip with little effort. Meowstic's eyes widened. "Ghost Rip!" she cried, unleashing a blast of Ghost energy straight into Altaria.
It didn't seem to injure Altaria much, though the Dragon-type was looking tired from the repeated hits, but it did halt her charge. She wasn't done yet, though. "Dragon's Song!" she cried again, and this time Meowstic didn't have enough time to fire off Mind Rip to counter the close-in blast of Dragon energy. Thankfully, the Psychic barrier around her was enough to dispel the worst of it.
But the hit did stagger Meowstic, which appeared to be what Altaria was going for, for her next cry was filled with triumph. "Sleep Song!" she cried, a few notes leaving her mouth and striking Meowstic head-on.
Meowstic's eyes closed and it toppled to the ground, snoring loudly.
"Oh, come on!" Serena cried. Medicham tensed as Marcus's mouth opened. "Medicham-"
"No!" Serena cried. Altaria began advancing, eyes darting between the berries and the snoring Meowstic and ignoring Medicham. Hunger won out over savagery; Altaria began to move towards the Sitrus Berries, turning away from its sleeping foe.
And that was when Meowstic slammed her in the back with a blast of Psychic energy.
Altaria twisted as Meowstic rose, but impossibly she was still snoring even as she thrust a hand forwards. Altaria had to leap upwards, beating her wings madly, to avoid another Psychic blast. "How in Distortion is that even possible?" she cried angrily. Medicham could not help but wonder the same thing as the still-sleeping Meowstic sent a blast of crackling Electric energy at Altaria.
"You…you taught it Sleep Talk?" Marcus asked incredulously.
Serena nodded. "I'm trying to find a TM for Rest, but I can't yet. Meowstic needs some way to refresh her Psychic energy. She uses so much of it so quickly. But I decided to teach her Sleep Talk preemptively, since I had a TM for that and I figured it couldn't hurt."
"Nice trick," Marcus complimented.
"Thanks," said Serena just as Meowstic's eyes flashed open and she grinned. "All right, new move worked great!"
"This is ridiculous!" Altaria snarled. "You can't attack while sleeping! That's…that's not even right!"
"Meowstic, bring her down!" Serena ordered, pulling a Great Ball from her pocket.
"Mind Rip!"
"Ghost's Song!"
Again, Altaria wreathed her body in Ghost energy and dove, scything through the Mind Rip like it was nothing. Meowstic waved her hand. "Fairy Voice!" she cried.
Altaria's eyes widened as the blast of Fairy energy slammed into her. She cried out in pain as she plunged downwards, her dive now uncontrolled from the pain. Meowstic looked up, smirked, and stepped aside as Altaria plowed into the stone ground with a wince-inducing crack.
Somehow, Altaria was still conscious, groaning in pain and attempting to rise. Before she could, though, Serena tossed the Great Ball she was holding at the Dragon-type. The Great Ball slammed into Altaria and sucked her inside. In her current condition, there wasn't much struggle she could muster; it only took about ten seconds before the Great Ball flashed, indicating a successful capture.
"Not bad," Marcus said. "Medicham, come back."
Marcus pulled Medicham back into her Luxury Ball, but by now she knew exactly how to get to a point where she could watch out the crack. As such, she scrambled to it, reaching it just as Serena picked up her Great Ball. "Marcus, step back," she said confidently.
Marcus obeyed. Serena pulled out a Potion, connected it to the Great Ball, and sprayed it inside. Then she put the Potion away, withdrew a Pokeball, and released Seeker-Of-Endings.
The sight of the Absol, as it always did now, unnerved Medicham. But still she watched as Serena explained the situation swiftly to Seeker-Of-Endings, then lifted the Great Ball and pressed the release button.
Altaria reappeared, somewhat rejuvenated from the Potion but not fully healed. Medicham was at once struck by how despondent she looked. Of course, being on Victory Road, she'd probably seen plenty of Trainers in her time.
Her eyes scanned the former battlefield, looking over Serena and Meowstic before locking on Absol. Her eyes narrowed slightly before, as if to corroborate Medicham's thoughts, Altaria looked back at Meowstic and spoke. "You don't have to give me the speech. I know what the deal is. But…can I have one of those Sitrus Berries? I'm…" She didn't finish her sentence; the last word was implied.
Seeker-Of-Endings looked up at Serena. "She says she understands the deal, but she'd like a Sitrus Berry, if you wouldn't mind."
Serena smiled. "Of course, Altaria," she said.
Altaria's eyes widened at the sight of a Pokemon and a human so casually exchanging words, but again hunger overrode her other thoughts. Quickly, she stepped over to the cluster of Sitrus Berries, bent over, and gulped one down.
With that done, she looked back at Serena, Meowstic, and Seeker-Of-Endings. "All right, I'm ready."
Seeker-Of-Endings relayed that to Serena, who quickly recalled her newly-caught Altaria into her Great Ball, then did the same with Seeker-Of-Endings and Meowstic. Medicham untensed as Seeker-Of-Endings disappeared, realizing as she did so that she hadn't even known she was that tense.
"Well, I guess that settles that," said Serena. "You take one, I'll take the other?"
"Fine by me," said Marcus, plucking one of the two remaining Sitrus Berries from the dish. Serena took the other one and the two Trainers resumed their stride down Victory Road.
The remainder of the journey was uneventful. A few more caves, outdoor paths, and small ruined structures later, the two Trainers stepped out of a final cave and into the shadow of a massive stadium, blue and white, with a stone castle that seemed surprisingly out of place sitting next to it. This stone castle, Medicham knew from pictures and stories, was the place where the Champion and Elite Four lived and worked; the stadium next to it was where they battled.
On the other three sides of the stadium lay row upon row of small buildings; shops, restaurants, and apartments, everything a small army of Trainers could want. This was the Kalos Pokemon League, where every year hundreds of Trainers gathered to try their hand at being the last one standing for a chance to fight the Elite Four and, if they somehow beat every single one of them, Champion Diantha. Most Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and Champions had come out of the League.
Already, even two or three weeks before the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament was due to start, the town was bustling with Trainers. Lodging was certainly not free, but it was cheap, and so it was fairly common for Trainers to start arriving even a month before the Tournament actually began. Some even used it as a sort of hub, heading there as early as possible to claim their desired location before heading off to catch new Pokemon, train existing ones, or even have friendly battles with Gym Leaders at their full strength, said to be a common training technique for second or third-year Trainers.
Normally, securing the actual lodging was somewhat difficult, with several hoops to jump through regarding paperwork. But since Serena was one of Professor Sycamore's personally sponsored Trainers, a pair of apartments had already been lined up for both her and Calem, with space for guests, and she kindly offered Marcus a spot since her parents wouldn't be arriving until the start of the tournament. Marcus quickly agreed, and so only about fifteen minutes after they stepped out of Victory Road, Serena was leading Marcus into Professor Sycamore's set-aside apartments.
There were already four occupants, all sitting in one of the apartments. Medicham recognized Calem immediately; the other three, two boys and a girl, she didn't recognize at all.
They all looked up as Serena and Marcus stepped into the doorway. A chorus of "Serena!" and "Hi, Serena!" arose from the group. Calem looked towards Marcus. "What's he doing here?" he asked.
Marcus said nothing as Serena looked disappointedly at Calem. "I invited him," she said. "He'll be staying with us until his parents arrive."
Calem clenched one fist. "I didn't ask him to come."
"I didn't ask Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor to come," said Serena. "But I'm glad they're here, because they're my friends. So why can't Marcus stay as well?"
"If I'm not welcome-"
"Marcus, you're entirely welcome," said Serena quickly with a pointed glare at Calem. Calem sighed and sat back. "Anyway," said Serena, "I'd like to introduce you. This is Shauna, this is Tierno, and this is Trevor." She pointed at a brown-haired girl wearing a bright pink shirt, a rather large boy in a black shirt and shorts, and an orange-haired boy whose hair was groomed into a hemispherical shape, who waved and smiled. "Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, this is Marcus."
"Hello, Marcus," said Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor.
It wasn't long before Marcus was seated with the rest of the group. Serena headed into their apartment to start getting it ready, leaving Marcus alone with Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, and Calem, who remained silent as the other four fell to talking.
"So, what's your Pokemon group like, Marcus?" Shauna asked.
"Pokemon group?" Marcus asked.
"You know, your signature style," said Shauna. "Tierno likes dancing Pokemon, Trevor likes fossils and some kind of egg group, Serena likes fast but somewhat frail Pokemon, Calem likes…um…really powerful Pokemon, and I really, really like super cute Pokemon, but what do you like?"
"Well," said Marcus, "I guess…my Pokemon all can only evolve once. Not counting Mega Evolution, of course."
"Have you got Mega Evolution?" Trevor asked. Medicham saw Calem's head rise at that.
"No," said Marcus. Calem's head went back down.
"So who's your Ace?" Tierno asked.
"I'll show you." Recognizing Marcus's intent, Medicham braced herself as Marcus released her into the middle of the circle.
The reaction was immediate.
"Oh, a Medicham! That's really cute!" Shauna cried. Medicham could not say she'd ever been called 'really cute' before, and certainly did not expect Shauna to reach out and try and pet her. She flinched reflexively.
"Shauna, don't touch," Trevor admonished.
"Sorry!" Shauna withdrew her hand.
"Definitely an interesting pick," said Trevor, looking at Medicham with a cursory expression on his face. "Haven't seen many Medichams in battle, though I think I saw a couple of them being used in those Fighting Trainer/Psychic Trainer double battles around Kalos."
"Cool!" was Tierno's contribution.
"So what about you?" Marcus asked. "What are all your Aces?"
Shauna grinned. "Me first!" she cried, withdrawing a Pokeball from her belt. A Greninja appeared next to Medicham, eyes instantly darting towards Marcus and Medicham. Greninja crouched, readying himself for any sudden movement.
"I got him as my Starter!" Shauna informed Marcus. "Professor Sycamore was really kind about it!"
Trevor, for his part, released a Pokemon Medicham didn't even recognize. Marcus clearly did, though, and judging by the way his eyebrows raised it was a fairly rare Pokemon.
The new Pokemon was a gray birdlike Pokemon that looked like a Rock/Flying-type, similar to Grant's Archeops but less colorful and more rocky. "Hello, Greninja," he said. "And you are?"
"Medicham," said Medicham.
"Where'd you get an Aerodactyl?" Marcus asked, giving Medicham the name of this strange Pokemon. "Aren't they really rare?"
"They are," said Trevor. "It took me a couple days practically living down in caves, but I finally managed to find an Old Amber, and Aerodactyl here was worth every moment of that grind."
Aerodactyl grinned proudly.
Tierno released last. "I got this little guy all the way from Alola!" he said, releasing another Pokemon Medicham didn't recognize at all. "My mom knows a Flying-type master there named Kahili, and she arranged for me to be sent this. So after the Tournament, I'm heading to Alola to go apprentice under Kahili for a few months."
The strange Pokemon was clearly another Flying-type. It was a small bird, bright red with large, feathered red-and-black wings and a similarly colored tail. It looked around and immediately began to sway slightly in place.
"An Oricorio," Marcus murmured. "The Dancing Pokemon." He chuckled slightly. "Makes sense."
"Yeah, I just really like to dance, and Oricorio really likes to dance, and so we make a great team!" Tierno grinned.
"Calem, what about you?" Trevor asked.
Calem looked up again. "Every one of my Pokemon is an Ace," he said. "I can't just single one out."
"I've fought with him, and I've fought against him," said Marcus. "I know his team, believe me."
"And mine's Absol," said Serena, walking in at that exact moment. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear…"
"It's perfectly all right!" Shauna cried. "So, Marcus, considering we've never met you before, how about you tell us a little bit about yourself?"
As Marcus began to explain a rather abbreviated version of his life, Medicham tuned it out. She'd experienced the events for herself. She didn't need a recap.
Rather, she focused on Calem. More specifically, on a sensation she'd just realized she was feeling. A sensation that she'd just realized she'd been feeling ever since she'd been released.
A sensation of raw, unfiltered Life was coming from Calem's belt. A sensation that Medicham had only felt once, and that time had been in the chamber of the Ultimate Weapon, watching as the Lifebringer looked down upon her body, filling it with Life, conquering death itself.
For a second, the wild thought crossed her mind that somehow, Calem had captured the Lifebringer. But she dismissed it. There was no way the Lifebringer would be in one of Calem's Pokeballs. It was impossible.
One thing was for certain, though; for that amount of Life to be being radiated, Calem had to have an extremely powerful Fairy-type. A Fairy-type that Medicham did not want to face.
All of a sudden, the sense of anticipation towards the upcoming tournament was replaced by a feeling of dread. Dread that Marcus, and Medicham by extension, would wind up matched against Calem.
Could they win, if it came to that? Could they avenge that earlier defeat?
Medicham certainly hoped so. But deep inside, she worried that maybe, just maybe, they couldn't. That Calem would simply overpower them with his ridiculously strong Pokemon once again.
That worry then increased tenfold as Calem looked up, catching Medicham's eyes. In Calem's expression was a calm determination. I am going to win, Calem's expression said without a single word, and as Medicham turned back towards Marcus, privately she feared that Calem might actually be right.
Honestly, Oricorio is such a perfect fit for Tierno's character that it makes me really sad they didn't introduce them in the same generation. Real missed opportunity there, in my opinion.
So, that's the end of this arc. I wanted to call the next arc the "Kalos Pokemon League Tournament Arc", but of course that won't fit in the chapter titles. Side note: I really hate the fact that chapter titles have to be so short, which makes it difficult to nail down good names for arcs. I originally intended for the Geosenge Arc to be called the "Battle Of Geosenge Arc" but it didn't fit. I also had to sacrifice a few chapter titles at the beginnings and ends of some arcs because I had to have enough space for 'Start/End of the X Arc' in the titles, which has really gotten on my nerves a few times.
Anyway, enough ranting on chapter title difficulties. I will be taking a four-day hiatus before the start of this arc. This next arc will be the final arc of this part of the story. The story will continue after this arc, but...well, I'll explain more after this next arc concludes.
On that note, please drop a review and let me know how this arc turned out. I'll see you in the next arc, otherwise known as the League Arc!