"And once again, Calem Mega Evolves his Lucario!" April exclaimed. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: a rookie with Mega Evolution is quite remarkable!"
"Lucario, blitz him hard and fast," Calem ordered. "Don't let him stall you."
"Right," Mega Lucario growled, crouching down, the head-tails of his Mega Form blowing in the wind. "Adaptability: Offensive Style. Aura Sphere!"
Mega Lucario let fly with a blast of blue Aura and then lunged, following his attack towards Drapion. "Dig!" Marcus ordered. With a snarl of "Burrow!", Drapion lunged underground. The Aura Sphere detonated uselessly against the arena's wall, and Mega Lucario stopped, crouching, glancing from side to side, readying another Aura Sphere for when Drapion reemerged. "Adaptability: Defensive Style."
Mega Lucario's form subtly changed as he crouched. His stance grew more reactive, and the dark red armor on his legs and arms grew slightly larger, covering more of Mega Lucario's body. The Aura Sphere lay waiting in his hand, poised to fire.
"Under you!" Calem shouted as Drapion burst out, aiming to surprise Mega Lucario from directly under him. But Mega Lucario leaped upwards, out of Drapion's reach, nailing him with the Aura Sphere as he did so. Damaged but undaunted, Drapion lunged towards where Mega Lucario was about to land.
"Adaptability: Speed Style." Mega Lucario's form shifted again, his armor and body growing more streamlined in nature. "Aura Blitz." Mega Lucario gathered a burst of Aura around his body and flung himself downwards at the oncoming Drapion, fists outstretched. "Block!" Drapion snarled, deflecting the strike. Mega Lucario bounced off the Protect, landed lightly on his feet, and flung himself forwards. "Aura Fist!"
"Rip!" Drapion flung his arm forwards, meeting Mega Lucario's punch with a punch of his own. The two blows collided and both Pokemon staggered under the resulting explosion of Aura. "No Escape!" Drapion snarled, taking advantage of the clash with a barrage of Dark-type rays that slammed into Mega Lucario one after the other.
"Bone Rush!" the scowling Calem ordered.
Mega Lucario planted his feet and flung both hands out to the sides. "Adaptability: Offensive Style. Aura Stave." Mega Lucario's form shifted yet again, going back to what it had been at the start of the match, what Medicham assumed to be Mega Lucario's normal form. Two glowing blue bonelike staves formed, one in each hand, and glowed with Ground energy as Mega Lucario lunged with his new weapons.
"Battle Armor!" Drapion met Mega Lucario in the center of the arena. "Slam!" Even with the extra strength given by Battle Armor to Drapion's punch, the supereffective nature of Mega Lucario's attack combined with his Offensive Style resulted in Drapion getting the worst of the next exchange, staggering under the weight of Mega Lucario's Aura Stave slamming into his strike. Mega Lucario pressed, swinging with his staves quickly but not wildly. Each blow was focused, aimed at specific vital points of Drapion's body.
Drapion fought back as well as he could, deflecting some blows with Block and taking others with the help of Battle Armor, and managed to find a few openings for attacks of his own, swinging at Mega Lucario with one of his massive arms or his tail or firing another No Escape, but the arms and tail were deflected and No Escape didn't seem to injure Mega Lucario all that much.
And not even Battle Armor could enable Drapion to stomach so many supereffective hits easily. Bruises were beginning to form on Drapion's arms from blocking Mega Lucario's attacks, and the speed of his blocks began to slow down as he tired. Meanwhile, Mega Lucario was not slowing down, unleashing strike after strike on Drapion, intent on whittling away at Drapion's guard until he could strike a telling blow.
But Drapion was still gaining a few openings. As Medicham watched, he swatted one of Mega Lucario's staves away with his right arm, raised a Block to send the other stave askew, and lunged. In that moment, Marcus called, "Fire Fang!" Drapion grinned as his teeth flared with Fire energy and he abandoned the arm strike he'd been going for in favor of simply hurling himself bodily at Mega Lucario. "Fire Rend!"
"Adaptability: Speed Style. Aura Avoidance!" Mega Lucario retorted. Medicham felt a pang of irritation as Mega Lucario leaped upwards, his body glowing with the telltale aura of Detect, and flipped over Drapion, easily evading the Poison/Dark-type Pokemon's flaming jaws. "Tail!" Marcus cried. Mega Lucario landed, cocked his head, whirled, and slammed both his staves against Drapion's swinging tail, holding it back with a grunt of effort. Without Offensive Style to strengthen his muscles, it was clear he needed both.
"No Escape!" Drapion snarled.
"Aura Avoidance!" Mega Lucario leaped again, abandoning his hold and leaping over Drapion's tail even as the rays of No Escape flashed by. But Drapion was quick enough to react to this new reverse. "Battle Armor: Slam!" he snarled, swinging his right arm at the descending Mega Lucario.
Even in his Speed Style, Mega Lucario couldn't dodge forever.
"Aura Blitz!" he cried, his staves disappearing as he gathered another burst of Aura around his body and lunged straight for the oncoming arm, aiming to negate the hit via brute force. The impact sent Drapion staggering, barely avoiding falling to the ground, but Mega Lucario was sent flying, landing hard on his back and tumbling across the ground until he managed to plant his feet and skid to a halt.
Drapion and Mega Lucario's chests both heaved as they surveyed each other. Drapion's arms were clearly in pain and heavily bruised, but the hit straight to Mega Lucario's stomach had not been weak at all, for the Aura Pokemon had a hand to his chest and was gasping.
"Come on, you can do this!" Calem's encouragement held a tinge of irritation. "Aura Spheres!"
Mega Lucario took its hand from its chest, revealing a nasty-looking wound, and began to gather Aura in both his hands. "Dig!" Marcus ordered as Mega Lucario flung the Aura Spheres forwards, and once more they struck nothing but earth as Drapion disappeared underground.
Medicham honestly expected Calem to switch, maybe to his Fairy-type or even to one of his damaged Pokemon, but he did not even have his hand on any of his Pokeballs.
"You dodged this last time, you can do it again," said Calem. "Detect. Get ready to leap."
Mega Lucario crouched. "Adaptability: Defensive Style. Aura Avoidance."
"Pursuit!" Marcus cried.
Drapion erupted out of the ground behind Mega Lucario, flinging a No Escape from his jaws. Mega Lucario spun, Aura flaring around his body as Detect enabled him to avoid the rays, but now Drapion was lunging straight for him teeth-first. "Fire Rend!"
"Adaptability: Offensive Style. Aura Fist."
Mega Lucario threw a vicious punch straight into Drapion's mouth. Blood and spit sprayed along with small flecks of Fire energy as Drapion staggered, snarling in agony. The Fire energy gathered in Drapion's teeth had not done Mega Lucario any favors, judging by how he was clutching his hand, but Medicham knew the Aura had at least protected him slightly.
Drapion glared at Mega Lucario, chest heaving, and spat out a broken tooth.
"Aura Stave." Once again, Mega Lucario formed a pair of blue bonelike staves and hurled himself at Drapion. This time, though, Marcus raised his voice. "Ice Fang!"
Mega Lucario swung one of his staves, and Drapion met it with his jaws glowing blue. Medicham instantly could tell that Marcus had guessed right. Drapion's Ice energy-wreathed jaws dissipated the Ground-type stave, even with its coating of Aura. Drapion grinned. "Battle Armor: Slam!"
Clearly surprised at the destruction of one of his staves, Mega Lucario hesitated for a single crucial second. "Detect!" Calem ordered. A quick use of Aura Avoidance was enough for Mega Lucario to leap over Drapion's swinging arm, but now Drapion was on the offensive once again. A No Escape slammed into Mega Lucario's body as he descended, the Aura Pokemon jerking under the barrage of impacts. His remaining stave flashed out to deflect another Slam from Drapion, sending the Poison/Dark-type Pokemon staggering, but Drapion simply twisted with the impact, and Mega Lucario barely managed to bring up an Aura Fist to meet Drapion's tail.
In Offensive Style, it was enough to deflect the tail. But Drapion simply did the exact same thing he'd done last time in this scenario, firing a No Escape that Mega Lucario jumped over and then swinging another Battle Armor-boosted Slam at his descending form.
This time, though, Mega Lucario still had an Aura Stave available. As such, he spun in midair and slammed his stave into Drapion's arm, sending Drapion stumbling once again. His left arm, free of an Aura Stave, manifested a quick Aura Sphere which he flung forwards. Drapion managed a Block, dissipating the Aura Sphere, but out of the resulting explosion came Mega Lucario, fists glowing with Aura.
"Aura Fist Barrage."
A dozen rapid-fire fists cannoned into Drapion's face and Drapion collapsed to the ground. He lay motionless for a few seconds, long enough for a look of triumph to cross Calem's face, and then one eye snapped open. Groaning in pain, Drapion rose, trembling as he did so.
Lucario frowned. "You're still up?"
"You should forfeit him," Calem called. "He's already beaten."
Drapion shook his head. "No," he growled. "Ah'm not finished yet."
Though Marcus could not understand his words, the shake of Drapion's head told him everything he needed to know. "Drapion, I trust you."
Calem snorted. "I knew you were a bad Trainer, but seriously? I actually thought you were smart for once when you forfeited Houndoom, you know! I actually thought you'd learned your lesson! But you're just as heartless towards your Pokemon as ever! Lucario, Bone Rush! Finish that thing off!"
"Listen," Marcus urged, "I have a plan. I trust you, but you need to trust me, okay?"
Drapion nodded as Mega Lucario summoned another pair of Aura Staves in his hands.
"Use Leer," Marcus whispered.
For a second, Medicham was thrown. Leer? What was Leer?
Then she remembered.
"Was that supposed ta hurt?" Skorupi growled, and something in his inflection seemed to claw at Meditite.
Meditite stumbled, feeling surprisingly vulnerable under the Scorpion Pokemon's gaze.
"That's Leer!" Marcus cried.
Leer. A move that Marcus had never ordered Drapion to use, not even once.
Drapion's eyes narrowed. He didn't even call the attack, for it wasn't really an attack. But as Mega Lucario charged, he began to shiver even as he flung himself across the arena, clearly affected by Drapion's Leer.
Mega Lucario swept his Aura Stave at Drapion, but something was different. He was slightly slower, slightly more shaky in his movement, and even weakened himself, Drapion still managed to bring up his arm and swat it aside. "Block!" Drapion snarled, raising a Protect in front of Mega Lucario's other Aura Stave. Mega Lucario's chest was left open, but this time Drapion sent his left arm forwards, encased in a shell of Battle Armor.
"Slam!"
"Aura Fist!"
Still in Offensive Style, Mega Lucario spun, dissolving the Aura Stave in his right arm as he did so. Twisting, he threw a punch with that arm against Drapion's Slam. In Offensive Style, it should have had the exact same result as it had earlier.
But it didn't.
Instead, Mega Lucario was the one to stumble, snarling in pain as his strength failed him. "What the-" Calem's shocked query was cut off as Drapion took full advantage of the stumble. Another Slam was dodged by a hasty Detect, but a No Escape slammed into Mega Lucario's body once again. Yet again Drapion swung another Slam, which Mega Lucario dodged, and then followed up with a tail strike. Again Mega Lucario swung his fist up to deflect it, but again it was somehow too much for him, and Mega Lucario was sent staggering once again.
Drapion hurled himself forwards bodily straight at the staggering Mega Lucario, and the Aura Pokemon simply could not get out of the way in time. "Adaptability: Defensive Style," he growled, but it was all he could do before Drapion rammed straight into him. Mega Lucario flew backwards, landing on his back on Calem's side of the arena with a groan of pain.
"How - how did that even happen?" Calem's reaction was one of shock and horror.
"Amazing!" April commentated. "It seems that Marcus had his Drapion use Leer, a common low-level technique that instills a sudden sense of vulnerability in the opponent and renders them less sure of themselves in combat! In high-level battling, it's practically useless, as it only really works against an opponent who is already unsure of themselves, as if an opponent is sure of themselves they can fairly easily shake off the move. But after Drapion's recovery from that brutal Close Combat, it seems Lucario wasn't entirely sure of itself anymore, which gave Drapion a necessary edge! What a move by Marcus to take back control of the battle!"
Calem's fists clenched. "I…I don't believe it. Leer? I'm losing to Leer? Lucario, snap out of it! You have this in the bag, just finish it! Aura Spheres, now, and don't let up!"
Mega Lucario rose to his feet. He looked haggard and exhausted, clearly still reeling from that barrage of hits. But he still was ready to fight, and his eyes narrowed as he steeled himself for the finale of this battle. "Aura Sphere Barrage," he intoned.
"Dig!" Marcus ordered.
The problem was, Dig took time. Time the severely weakened Drapion did not have.
Drapion raised his claws and plunged them into the earth. "Burr-" he began, but he was just not fast enough to escape Mega Lucario's attack.
The instant the first Aura Sphere hit, sending Drapion reeling backwards, Marcus recalled him. Medicham could tell, in the brief moment before he disappeared, that Drapion was unconscious. But he'd done his part.
Marcus's fingers played over both Medicham and Cloyster's Luxury Balls. But Medicham knew that it would be Cloyster who ultimately emerged. All that was left undamaged was Calem's mysterious Fairy-type, something that Medicham had no chance against without Cloyster's hazards, and Blastoise and Lucario, Calem's two main defenses against Cloyster's hazards, were on their last legs. Even as Medicham thought that, Lucario shifted out of his Mega Form and back into his base form as he went to one knee, gasping for breath.
"Cloyster," said Marcus, "it's time."
4-0. Calem was winning 4-0, and yet he still perspired. For good reason. Xerneas knew that Calem was realizing how stupid it had been to only bring five usable Pokemon.
A sixth usable Pokemon would have likely been able to take out another of Marcus's Pokemon, possibly in conjunction with a couple of Calem's damaged Pokemon. Marcus's last Pokemon would then have had to face five or even six opponents; even with Calem's entire team damaged, those were ridiculously long odds.
But now, Calem had five damaged Pokemon against Marcus's last two, the first of which was Marcus's Cloyster, who appeared on the field with a grin on his face.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere," Calem commanded immediately.
Marcus gave no commands. But from the way Cloyster moved, it was immediately obvious that he was following a preplanned strategy.
"Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster cried. "Spikes! Toxic Spikes!"
The effect was immediate. As Lucario's Aura Sphere broke against a Protect, Cloyster squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. Ground and Poison energy burst from the Bivalve Pokemon's shell, spreading across the ground in a wave. Lucario looked around as the ground of the arena shifted, transforming into a multicolored brown-and-purple mass of energy quite similar in look to Xerneas's own Misty Terrain.
And with that, Marcus's strategy became clear to Xerneas, just as the announcers picked up on it and began expositing it to the watching audience.
Calem's entire team was damaged. Entry hazards would tear through them faster than a rampaging Gogoat through a rickety wooden fence. Of course, Marcus didn't know that Calem had restricted himself to only five Pokemon. But with only Cloyster and another Pokemon that was almost certainly his Medicham, Marcus had evidently decided to pull off his strategy and fervently hope that Calem's last Pokemon wasn't a Poison-type or something else that could remove the hazards.
Xerneas could easily take care of the hazards, as it happened. With his control of the world's Life, all he had to do was call upon the earth to drag the hazards down. Or he could simply counteract the poison with Life and heal off the entry damage.
But that was not his role. His role, as Calem had so kindly put it, was to watch.
And so, as the announcers finished explaining Marcus's strategy, Xerneas watched.
"At him, Lucario!" Calem cried. "Close Combat!"
Lucario gathered himself and leaped despite his weakness, manifesting Aura across his fists. "Aura Strike Barrage!"
"Skill Link: Spike Flurry!" Cloyster cried.
Lucario's eyes widened as a rain of spikes flew from Cloyster's body. "Aura Avoidance!" he cried. The spikes fell upon Lucario, but he twisted, weaving his way through the barrage of spikes, letting none of them touch him.
"Supersonic!" Marcus ordered.
Cloyster paused his Spike Flurry. "Sonic Blast!" he cried.
Lucario was forced to abandon his Aura Strike Barrage in favor of clapping his hands over his ears. Cloyster's screech had little effect on him, but the effort made Lucario lose concentration on the still-incoming spikes for a vital moment.
Three slammed into him, stabbing into his left arm, stomach, and right thigh, and Lucario fell to the ground.
"Surf," Marcus ordered.
"Aura Sphere!" Calem cried.
But Lucario didn't even have time to pull it off before a massive Water Blast slammed into him, finally knocking Lucario unconscious.
Calem recalled Lucario and sent in Blastoise. "Rapid Spin," he ordered.
"Supersonic!" Marcus retorted immediately.
Blastoise landed on the field and immediately let out a bellow of agony as his feet hit the hazards. The resulting hesitation was all Cloyster needed. Another screech wracked the field, and unlike Blastoise, Lucario had no time to react.
Blastoise crumpled, roaring, as the Sonic Blast tore at his ears, muddling his senses and rendering him completely deaf to Calem's commands.
Calem glared at Marcus. "Oh, I see how it is!" he cried. "Immediate attacks are fine when you do them, but when I do them it's unfair! Yeah, that makes perfect sense!"
"Spike Cannon," Marcus ordered.
"Blastoise, get up!" Calem cried. "Protect and Rapid Spin! Get those hazards off the field, now!"
Blastoise groaned, shaking his head, trying to clear it of confusion. The Shellfish Pokemon began to rise despite the pain and the poison that was wracking his system. His unfocused eyes saw the Skill Link-boosted Spike Flurry coming straight at him.
"W…Wa…Wave Barri-"
Blastoise wasn't fast enough. Gritting his teeth, Calem recalled Blastoise just as the first spikes slammed into him. He waited only until the rest of the spikes had clattered against the arena wall before sending out Chesnaught.
"Rollout!" he ordered as Chesnaught, too, snarled in pain from landing on the hazards. But Chesnaught was probably the least damaged of Calem's team, having only taken a Curse from Marcus's Trevenant, and as such he was quicker on the draw than the already-heavily-damaged Blastoise had been.
"Icicle Spear!" Marcus cried. Cloyster leaped into action. "Skill Link: Ice Flurry!" he cried, unleashing a wave of icicles at Chesnaught, but Chesnaught had already lunged forwards. "Spike Wheel!" the Spiny Armor Pokemon snarled, curling into a spiked ball and beginning to roll forwards, straight at Cloyster. The icicles hit, but Rock energy flared around Chesnaught and most of them shattered, only a few breaking through Chesnaught's guard.
"Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster cried. Chesnaught's rolling body slammed straight into Cloyster's Protect and bounced off. Chesnaught uncurled as he flew through the air, landing feet-first on the ground. "Overgrow: Spike Barrage!" he snarled as he skidded to a halt, firing off a flurry of spikes of his own before lunging forwards in another charge.
"Defensive Shell!" Cloyster cried, retreating into his shell to take Chesnaught's Spike Barrage. The projectiles of Grass energy slammed into him, eliciting a pained cry, but the shell took the worst of it. Cloyster reopened his shell in time to see Chesnaught pounding towards him.
"Overgrow: Spike Pummel!"
"Impenetrable Shell!"
Again, Cloyster blocked Chesnaught's attack with a Protect, sending the Spiny Armor Pokemon stumbling slightly from the backlash of the impact. Calem let out a growl of irritation as Cloyster retaliated with a swift Ice Blast straight to the off-balance Chesnaught's midsection. But Chesnaught managed to twist with the impact. "Overgrow: Spike Bomb!" he snarled, unleashing a blast of Grass energy that exploded against the edge of Cloyster's shell.
Cloyster was sent flying, tumbling across the ground with a shocked, pained yell. Chesnaught grinned, then grimaced as another wave of poison shot through his system. Already Chesnaught was looking a lot weaker than when he'd entered the field, even though Cloyster had only landed that one Ice Blast.
"Rollout again!" Calem snapped. Chesnaught lunged, curling up into another Spike Wheel and streaking straight for Cloyster. Once more, though, Cloyster simply raised a Protect, and Chesnaught slammed into it and bounced off. This time, the poison wracking Chesnaught's body had clearly taken its toll; Chesnaught lost his footing and fell onto his side.
"Skill Link: Ice Blast!" Cloyster cried, opening fire on the downed Chesnaught with a trio of beams of Ice energy. But Chesnaught managed to raise a hand. "Spike Barrier!" A Protect of his own sprang up, deflecting Cloyster's shots and giving Chesnaught room to rise back to his feet.
"Wood Hammer!" Calem yelled.
Chesnaught, who had clearly been about to launch a ranged attack, abandoned that and instead lunged for Cloyster once more. "Spike Slam!" he bellowed as he manifested Grass energy across his fist, hauling back in preparation for a brutal punch.
Xerneas was completely unsurprised when Cloyster countered with yet another Protect.
"Icicle Spear!" Marcus cried.
Cloyster didn't bother with Skill Link. Half a dozen shards of Ice energy embedded themselves in Chesnaught before the Spiny Armor Pokemon could throw another punch. Chesnaught stumbled again, his face pale from the constant bombardment of poison and super effective attacks.
Still, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain standing. "Take this," Chesnaught forced out. "Spike Bomb."
"Impenetrable Shell!"
As Chesnaught's last effort exploded uselessly against Cloyster's Protect, the Spiny Armor Pokemon finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"This is amazing!" April cried. "Marcus's Cloyster is absolutely tearing his way through Calem's team! Can anyone on Calem's team stop this comeback?"
"It is interesting that Calem still has not revealed his sixth member," Steven remarked. "One would think this might be a good time."
Calem was practically shaking with fury as he recalled Chesnaught. "Damn this! I'm not losing to this crap!" He released Lapras onto the field, shouting out over the Transport Pokemon's cry of pain. "Perish Song!"
Marcus frowned. "Cloyster, Spike Cannon! Take it out!"
Lapras raised her head into the air. "Song of Finality," she stated as a haunting melody began to emanate from her mouth. Cloyster let fly with a Skill Link-boosted Spike Barrage, sending a torrent of spikes flying at Lapras.
"Mist and Protect!" Calem ordered.
"Song of Protection," Lapras sang. As a Protect barrier rose up in front of her, deflecting Cloyster's Spike Barrage, she opened wide and, with an intonation of "Song of Clouding", sent a wave of dense mist into the air around her, enshrouding her and her barrier from view.
All the while, the melody of Perish Song rose above the battlefield.
"Rush her!" Marcus cried, now really looking nervous. Cloyster flung himself at the mist cloud as Calem ordered "Confuse Ray!"
"Song of Disorientation," Lapras's voice crooned from inside the mist.
"Protect!" Marcus cried, but Cloyster had already lunged straight into the cloud.
Xerneas at once cast his sight into the Life of the world, allowing him to see the Life of Cloyster and Lapras as they fought inside the mist. It was immediately evident that Cloyster had not been able to avoid the Song of Disorientation, for he was striking wildly, flinging blasts of Water and Ice energy everywhere as Lapras fought defensively, trying to outlast both Cloyster's attacks and the poison ripping its way through her body long enough for Perish Song to end.
The crowd was silent, apprehensive, listening closely to the sounds of battle and the Perish Song overhead. Steven spoke up from the announcer's box. "Don't worry about Perish Song," he said. "Thanks to the Psychic fields separating the stands from the arena, provided, of course, by Silph Co. and the Aether Foundation, none of you will be affected. But hopefully Marcus's Cloyster can finish Calem's Lapras off quickly in that mist, because otherwise his sweep will be stopped cold."
As the song reached its final stanza, Xerneas knew that it was impossible for Cloyster to win this. He was not shaking off his confusion, and the shots that did come Lapras's way were easily dealt with by a combination of Protect and Shell Armor.
Perish Song ended with a flourish, and Lapras and Cloyster both disappeared in an instant, whisked away to Oblivion.
Several seconds passed in total silence as the Mist, left with no user, began to fade, revealing the lack of anything inside. And then space twisted and the two battlers reappeared, Lapras standing over the completely unconscious Cloyster, a look of exhausted triumph on her face.
A look that remained even as the poison finally took its toll and she fell to the ground beside her beaten foe.
"Oh my goodness!" April exclaimed. "Cloyster's sweep has finally been stopped by Lapras's Perish Song, but he has singlehandedly put his Trainer back in this battle! Give that Cloyster a round of applause, everybody!"
Xerneas recalled his sight and looked up at his Trainer. Calem honestly looked like he was struggling to hold back tears of humiliation as a wave of thunderous applause rang out across the stadium, applause for his opponent's Pokemon and its amazing performance. He wordlessly sent Aurorus onto the field as Marcus sent in his last Pokemon - Medicham, of course.
One look at his Trainer and it was obvious Calem knew he was defeated. All he had was Aurorus, weakened and poisoned, against a Pokemon with ludicrous type advantage who was also his opponent's Ace.
It pained Xerneas to see Calem so defeated. But Xerneas knew he had brought this on himself.
The applause for Cloyster resounded in Medicham's ears as she emerged onto the field. She should have felt glad that Cloyster had done as well as he did, finishing off four members of Calem's weakened team and leaving only two for Medicham to fight.
But as Medicham looked back at Marcus, she knew he recognized the same thing she did. Calem had outplayed them. Of course he'd known Medicham would be Marcus's last Pokemon, and so he'd saved his powerful Fairy-type for last, ensuring he'd have a strong, fresh Pokemon to finish her off.
She couldn't deny it was a good strategy, but her heart ached at the realization that even after Cloyster's heroics, they were going to lose to Calem again.
At least this time it had been closer.
Medicham shook her head. She would not succumb to defeatist thoughts. First things first…let's finish off this Aurorus.
"Just blast her," Marcus ordered. "Hard and fast. Don't stop until she's down."
"Blizzard!" Calem cried.
As Aurorus reared, readying herself for a blast of Ice energy, Medicham crouched and formed a pair of Aura Blasts, one in each hand.
And then she ran to the side, still clutching them. "Aura Avoidance!"
"Frost Wave!"
Medicham closed her eyes, allowing her Aura to guide her. She heard the sound of Aurorus firing the same cone of Ice energy that had injured Kriesh and felled Trevenant, felt a surge of cold air as it washed past her back, and opened her eyes to see it narrowly miss. Medicham spun, twisting towards Aurorus with her Aura Blasts still clutched in her hands.
"Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!"
"Refrigerate!" Calem cried. "And another Blizzard!"
Aurorus narrowed her eyes at the incoming barrage of Aura Blasts. "Refrigerate," she intoned. Medicham watched as the incoming spheres began to shift, changing color to the telltale light blue of Ice energy before they could hit.
Aura Blasts would have ripped through Aurorus in a heartbeat with their Fighting energy. Ice energy was nothing compared to it. But they were still blasts, same as Kriesh's Beam Impacts, and so Aurorus winced under the bombardment even as she inhaled for another Frost Wave.
Again, Medicham hurled herself to the side, surrounding her body with Aura Avoidance. Again the Frost Wave was fired, and again it missed, soaring wide as Medicham leaped out of the way.
"It does not look like this is a good matchup for Aurorus," Steven remarked. "Hopefully Calem's last Pokemon is something good, because otherwise this might just go down in history as one of the biggest comebacks the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament has ever seen."
Indeed, as Medicham threw herself out of the way of the Frost Wave, she looked at Aurorus to see the Fossil Pokemon stumbling, barely holding herself up through the poison. Medicham locked eyes with her, forming an Aura Sphere in her hand. Aurorus met her gaze, and in Aurorus's eyes Medicham saw nothing but sadness, a clear feeling of utter defeat.
Medicham flung the Aura Sphere. Aurorus didn't even bother with Refrigerate.
Calem recalled Aurorus and looked down at the Fossil Pokemon's Ultra Ball. "Damn it…" he whispered. "I…I…this isn't how it was supposed to go…"
"Contestant Calem, send out your last Pokemon," Dan reminded from the sideline.
Slowly, as if he was intentionally dragging it out (and maybe he was), Calem withdrew Aurorus's Ultra Ball and placed it on his belt. With equal slowness he plucked his last Ultra Ball from his belt, reached down, and pressed his finger to the release button.
His final Pokemon materialized.
Marcus gaped. A gasp came from the crowd. Dan's eyes widened. A "Whoa!" came from April, and a "What?" from Steven.
And Medicham felt the last shreds of hope drain from her as she looked up at the form of the Lifebringer.
This…this was impossible. How could the Lifebringer be one of Calem's Pokemon? How could he have even captured a Legendary Pokemon, much less earn his trust enough to have the Lifebringer battle for him?
And more to the point, how was Medicham even supposed to try to defeat him?
"Halt!" Dan cried from the sidelines. "Under Article 5 of the Legendary Pokemon Protocol, I am required to ask: Xerneas, do you wish to battle for this Trainer?"
Xerneas swept his gaze around the gaping crowd. Many of them had pulled out cameras and were snapping pictures of him. Steven and April were utterly silent. The Lifebringer's head came down to meet Dan's gaze. "Give us a minute," Xerneas requested
Dan nodded and stepped back.
The Lifebringer's hooves made no noise upon the arena floor as he turned to face Calem. Medicham noticed that Calem's face was white and he had a death grip on Xerneas's Pokeball as he stared up into the Lifebringer's eyes.
"Calem." Xerneas's voice was quiet, yet it resounded across the silent stadium, and the audience quivered at the severe tone in his words. "Give me one good reason why I should not answer no."
Medicham's eyes widened. Marcus simply stared. A murmur passed through the audience as Calem took a deep breath, not daring to take his eyes off Xerneas.
"B…because…the rest of my team worked so hard for this!" Calem's tone was pleading. "Do you really want to take that away from them?"
Xerneas did not answer. For several seconds the stadium was filled once more with silence. At last the Lifebringer slowly shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't. Your team has battled their hearts out today."
Xerneas heaved a sigh, his eyes glimmering with disappointment. "It is a shame that you sabotaged their victory from the start. And for what? To prove yourself?"
"I…I just wanted to prove how strong my team was!" Calem cried.
"And yet you want me to fight for you," said the Lifebringer. "Even now, you look into my eyes and plead for me to bail you out. The correct answer, Calem, was that there is no reason for me to not answer no. And if you had said that…if you had accepted that this was your fault and your fault alone…I might have reconsidered my decision. But as it is…" Xerneas turned to face Dan once more, raising his voice so that the sound of it encompassed the entire arena. "…my answer is no."
"Then, under Article 1 of the Legendary Pokemon Protocol, Contestant Calem is disqualified from the 116th Annual Kalos Pokemon League Tournament!" Dan's announcement set the arena to a mixture of cheers, shocked cries, and everything in between.
In the throes of the resounding chaos, Calem recalled Xerneas back into his Ultra Ball. Then, his expression unreadable, he turned and ran from the stadium.
As Steven and April announced Marcus's victory with shock of their own in their voices, as the stadium cheered and cried out in equal measure, as Marcus himself stared slack-jawed at the spot where the Lifebringer had stood, Medicham heard Xerneas's voice in the back of her mind.
Medicham, Xerneas said telepathically. Tell your Trainer to come quickly to Calem's apartment as soon as he gets out of the stadium. And tell him to take care not to be seen.
The apartment was empty of other people as Calem slammed the door open and stomped into the room, not even bothering to close the door behind him. The Trainer sat down heavily on the carpeted floor, gasping for breaths. His gasps turned into choked sobs as he finally allowed the tears to run free.
There he remained for at least half a minute, allowing all the humiliation, all the fury, to escape him through his tears. At last he looked up, sniffling, to see Xerneas, out of his Ultra Ball, standing over him.
"…why aren't you gone yet?" Calem's voice was filled with mingled rage and dejection.
"Because," said Xerneas, "I still do not understand. All of this…this all came about because of your hatred for Marcus. So why? Why do you hate Marcus so much?"
Calem heaved a long, choked sigh, squeezing his eyes shut to force back more tears. Then he opened them and looked up at Xerneas, his face a forced-on mask of acceptance through which Xerneas could easily see his continued sadness and anger warring.
"When I first started out on my journey," said Calem, "all I wanted was to build a strong team and become a Pokemon Master. Professor Sycamore approached my friends and I and offered us Pokemon to start our journey with. We beat the first gym, trained our Pokemon, caught new ones, and split up at Lumiose, with my friends remaining around the area while my best friend Serena and I headed to Cyllage together. And then we encountered Team Flare. It…it was just a group of Grunts. We didn't know who they were, but when they saw us they told us to give them our Pokemon. Serena sent her Absol for help, and we tried to fight…but there were just too many. They tied us up, took our Pokemon, and then Absol came back. He used Perish Song and took down the rest of the Team Flare Pokemon, then forced them to abandon our Pokeballs and flee."
Calem's voice, which had been shaking as he retold that experience, now steadied slightly again. "After that, I made a promise. There was a Trainer once, by the name of Red-"
"I have heard of him," Xerneas interrupted. "Continue."
"Well," said Calem, "I decided I wanted to be like him. That I would raise the strongest team I could. That I would do whatever it took. That I would never lose again. So I revived Amaura from a fossil I found in a cave. I got Lapras from an old man who didn't have much use for her anymore. I managed to gain the trust of one of Korrina's two Lucario, and she offered to give him to me. And I took those five and I began to use them. We…we were unstoppable. Lucario and Lapras were so much more powerful than anything else at that level, Chespin and Squirtle were starters and managed to evolve, and Amaura still had experience from her previous life long ago. We started winning every battle we fought. By the time we arrived at Coumarine, I felt on top of the world. I didn't feel scared of Team Flare anymore. I had finally started to move on. And then I ran into Marcus."
Calem's voice began to tremble again. "He seemed like just another Trainer at the time," he said. "I'd met him once, just after the first Gym, but not much came of it. We fought. I beat him. But instead of just taking the loss like every other Trainer I'd met, he…he began to yell at me. He told me that just because I hadn't actually caught any of my team, because my strategies were more unforgiving than other Trainers' strategies, I was being 'unfair'. That I wasn't actually a strong Trainer. That I'd just had everything handed to me on a silver platter. And that hurt. He took my entire struggle, everything I'd worked for, and stomped all over it, just because he couldn't take a loss."
Xerneas continued to stare impassively, making sure not to visibly emote.
"I contented myself by thinking that he was just a bad trainer who didn't understand," Calem continued. "Especially when his Phantump nearly died because he didn't switch it out of the path of a rampaging Weavile. But now…now that I've lost this…it feels like everything he said about me just got vindicated. I'm not a good Trainer. And I know his type: mark my words, he's going to be in here before the day is out, gloating about how easily he won, how there was never a doubt, and how weak I am compared to him."
"Calem," said Xerneas, "did you ever tell Marcus how you really felt?"
"No." Calem chuckled bitterly. "Why bother? He doesn't care. He just sees me as a jerk."
"You're wrong."
Calem's head turned to the doorway as Marcus stepped through. "Relax," said Marcus. "I'm not here to gloat."
Calem looked from Marcus to Xerneas. "You tricked me," he said accusingly.
"It had to be done," said Xerneas. "There are two sides to every battle, Calem. Until now, both of you only knew your own side. Now, Marcus, you know both sides of the story. Do with it what you will."
Marcus nodded, swallowed, and looked back down from Xerneas to Calem. He cleared his throat. "I…just wanted to say you're right. I did think you were nothing but a jerk. And…I'm sorry about what I said to you. I did kinda lose my temper."
Calem looked down at Marcus's feet and sighed once again. "Yeah," he said. "I…" Calem hesitated for what felt like an eternity, and then looked up into Marcus's eyes. "Thanks. For…y'know, the apology. And…I guess I've been a pretty big jerk myself, haven't I?"
Marcus nodded. Without a word he sat down next to Calem. "We both were," he said.
"I believe it would be prudent to leave you to it," said Xerneas. "Calem, this is where we part ways. I have left my duties unattended long enough. And both of you…you seem to be following a decent path. Do not backslide. Friends are better than enemies."
"All right," said Calem. "And…um…thanks, Xerneas."
"It was no trouble." Xerneas turned and stepped out of the room, leaving the two former adversaries behind.
As Xerneas exited the room, he transformed into pure Life and rose into the air, flitting towards the window at the end of the hallway in imitation of a gust of wind. Xerneas flowed out of the window and down to the ground, reforming as he touched down, first his front hooves and then his back.
"Oh - hi, Xerneas!" The girl he'd very intentionally materialized in front of - Serena, he remembered, partially from the Absol standing next to her - waved unsteadily.
"Hello," Xerneas responded. "Your friends are upstairs. Best not to disturb them - reconciliation is best left to the previously adversarial parties."
Serena's eyes widened as she recognized Xerneas's meaning. "Really? Okay - I was just gonna go get some stuff I'd forgotten and then go back to the stadium to prepare for my battle, but I'll…just be going."
"Would you mind leaving your Absol here?" Xerneas asked. Serena's eyes widened even further. "Temporarily," Xerneas added hastily. "I just wish to speak with him. He will be back with you before you know it."
"O…okay," said Serena. "Hey, Se - Absol, while you're at it, can you run up to my room and get my Pokedex? Once you're done, of course."
Serena's Absol nodded. With an uneasy glance back at the duo, Serena stepped away.
Xerneas and Absol stood, facing each other, as Serena moved further and further out of earshot. At last Xerneas spoke. "Use your Perish Song," he said. "I desire complete privacy."
Slowly, Absol opened his mouth and began the melody of Perish Song. Xerneas waited patiently, keeping one eye on Absol and the other on the retreating form of Serena. Once or twice she looked back, but eventually she stepped through the stadium entrance a second before the world dissolved around the two Pokemon, leaving them in complete darkness.
Xerneas took a look around Oblivion. It was not a place he usually preferred to go. But this was different. He looked back at Absol. "That slip of the tongue did not escape my attention," he said. "So she does know?"
Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. "Nothing more than my name and my intent," he replied.
"I figured Marcus had something to do with the Heralds," said Xerneas. "The wild Absol trying to murder him was…a bit too perfect, to say the least."
"How much do you know?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.
"I have a connection to all life on this planet," Xerneas responded. "I know most of it. The thing is, Seeker-Of-Endings, in the room of the Ultimate Weapon, I learned something that I did not know beforehand. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it, even if I didn't want to believe it was correct. So answer me, and tell the truth, because I will know. Did you steal the memories of Marcus's Medicham?"
Seeker-Of-Endings' eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
Almost.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Xerneas. "My domain is Life, not memories. But when I restored her life, there was an empty space in her mind, a space that my restoration unintentionally filled back up. I am no expert on the mental arts, but I have seen similar phenomena in other life signatures. Gaps in the mind area are normally signs of amnesia. I had hoped that my suspicions were wrong and that it was standard amnesia. But I can tell from the widening of your eyes that her memories were, in fact, tampered with."
Seeker-Of-Endings looked straight into Xerneas's eyes. "Yes, they were," he said.
"Then I have given them back," said Xerneas, leaning closer. "And I expect them to stay that way. I will be watching, Seeker-Of-Endings. If her memories are tampered with again, I will know. And I will come, and restore her memories, and then I will go straight to your master and I will tell him in no uncertain terms to leave that Medicham alone. She has suffered enough."
Seeker-Of-Endings gulped. He opened his mouth as if to argue, but Xerneas glared at him and he slammed it shut. "I…" he said. "All right. I will-"
"No."
Xerneas looked up and Seeker-Of-Endings twisted to see the form of another Absol emerging from the darkness of Oblivion.
"Bringer," Seeker-Of-Endings began.
"You may stand aside, Seeker," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "Lifebringer. What is the meaning of this?"
"You stole the memories of Marcus's Medicham," Xerneas responded. "I doubt he is the only one, either. I have tolerated your little shadow war for an unreasonable amount of time, but this has gone too far."
Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes narrowed. "Too far?" she asked. "You don't get it, Lifebringer. Our mission is more important than that Medicham's memories, and the memories of all the others we have taken. Go ahead, make all the threats you want, talk to anyone you desire. It won't change a thing. We will do what we must, whether you like it or not."
Xerneas glared back at Bringer-Of-Visions, unable to hold back a surge of anger.
Bringer-Of-Visions smirked. "Yes, I know. You could strike me down in a second on earth. Even here, with two of us at our maximum strength, you would most likely come out on top in a battle. But you know the consequences. You know what the Heralds truly are. So do me a favor, Lifebringer. Go back to growing plants and birthing babies, and quit sticking your horns into other Pokemon's problems."
Seeker-Of-Endings was staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at Bringer-Of-Visions. Fury shot through Xerneas's body. For a moment, his body flared with light, light that illuminated and pierced through even the impenetrable darkness of Oblivion. Bringer-Of-Visions's form began to pool with darkness, and Seeker-Of-Endings' did as well even as he took a step back.
And then a presence seeped into Xerneas's mind, flowing like water into a narrow trench, subtle yet carrying clear danger.
Xerneas. Are you really willing to throw away a thousand years of peace for this?
Slowly, Xerneas's light faded and he sighed. "You are right," he said. "This will be settled another way. Be assured, though: I may not have drawn the line here. But there is a line. And if that line is crossed, then I will take action. Regardless of the consequences."
"Understood, Lifebringer." The darkness receded back into Bringer-Of-Visions' body. "Seeker, release the Song. This meeting is over."
In the next moment, Seeker-Of-Endings and Xerneas were standing in the Kalos Pokemon League once more, and Bringer-Of-Visions was nowhere to be seen.
Xerneas heaved a sigh. "Goodbye, Seeker-Of-Endings," he said. "And good luck with your battle."
Seeker-Of-Endings gave no response as Xerneas turned and walked away, transforming back into Life and sinking into the ground as he strode.