The Manectric and the Absol watched from the cover of a stack of crates as the boat cruised magnificently into the docking area, its black windows reflecting the sunlight as it began to slow its movement. The waters in its wake ceased to chop as the boat slid to a halt. The crowd gathered at the docks waited with bated breath.
The boat's ramp dropped, and six Trainers stepped onto the docks; in an instant several reporters were away, pounding down the docks with microphones and cameras in hand. Their raised voices echoed across the docks, names of news organizations and questions warring with one another to be heard. The six Trainers shrank back, overwhelmed by the swarm.
Betrayer-Of-Kin grunted.
"What?" Ripper growled quietly.
"Look over there." Betrayer-Of-Kin gestured with her horn towards a fairly sizable white building on the other side of the docks. A row of evenly-spaced palm trees with benches in between lay in front of the building; as Ripper followed Betrayer-Of-Kin's gesture, he spotted the telltale black-and-white form of another Absol ducking behind one of the benches.
"Friend of yours?" Ripper asked.
"You know other Absols don't like me very much," said Betrayer-Of-Kin.
"That is enough!" The voices of the reporters abruptly fell silent as a woman strode onto the docks. The woman was dark-skinned, dark-haired, and covered in jewelry, and instantly recognizable to the watching crowd and the reporters.
"Kahuna Olivia?" one of the reporters said nervously. "We-"
"You are out of line," Olivia interrupted. "These children have just experienced a very traumatic incident, and your response is to request, no, to force them to recount it to you in exhaustive detail? You call yourselves reporters? You're nothing but a flock of starving Mandibuzz! Get out of here this instant!"
As she spoke, she sent out a massive Probopass, who backed up her words with a menacing metallic drone. Cowed, the reporters retreated, allowing the six Trainers safe passage off the docks. Olivia followed them closely, her stern gaze ensuring that no one else attempted to accost them. The crowd parted before them, no one wanting to be caught in the Kahuna's glare, but the sea of eyes still watched the six Trainers as they passed through.
"You too!" Olivia called. "This isn't a Pokemon Contest! Go away!"
The crowd dispersed, muttering amongst themselves, though no protests were made; the locals knew Olivia would not back down, and the tourists knew to follow the locals' example.
"Should we get out of here?" Ripper asked.
"No," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Not yet. I want to see if more Absols show up."
"Unforeseen complications?"
Ripper and Betrayer-Of-Kin turned to look at Nidoking. "Unforeseen, no," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Complications, yes."
"How in Distortion are you that quiet?" Ripper snarled.
"Practice," Nidoking retorted. "Why are we even here? We should be staying out of sight."
"Because one of those Trainers possesses an Absol," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "I believed that other Absols in the area might come to check on their ally."
"And you couldn't have told me about this earlier?" Nidoking asked menacingly.
"You seemed more concerned with establishing a base of operations," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "And seeing as neither Ripper nor I are capable of shifting earth as well as you, we decided it would be prudent to leave you to it and investigate here."
Nidoking let out a furious growl.
"Quiet!" Ripper snarled; the three flattened themselves against the crates as a pair of Trainers walked by, arguing about whose idea it had been to come to the docks.
Betrayer-Of-Kin was the first to move away from the crates. "I can see no other Absols. But we know now there are at least two to worry about."
"In that case, there's no sense in staying here," said Nidoking. "Ripper, what are you looking at?"
Ripper wordlessly gestured to a path leading out of a cluster of faraway trees, a path which three Trainers were hustling down at a fairly rapid pace, heading towards Olivia and the six teenagers surrounding her.
Betrayer-Of-Kin's eyes gleamed. "Well…now that is an unforeseen complication."
"Your target?" Nidoking asked.
Betrayer-Of-Kin glanced back at Nidoking warily. "You really do know far more about me than I'd prefer." She sighed. "But yes, that is indeed my target."
"And mine," Ripper growled.
"Take care," Nidoking warned. "We have our own mission. I will not-"
"Oh, believe me, I understand," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "As much as I would love nothing more than to finish him off here…I recognize that our mission is more important. There will be other opportunities."
"What?" Ripper snarled. "But…if he leaves himself open-"
"Did you not hear me mention the Absols?" Betrayer-Of-Kin interrupted. "Likely they knew Marcus was here. Which means they will be watching him as closely as possible. And besides, did you not agree that you needed to become stronger before another attempt on that Fearow's life?"
Ripper shook his head furiously. "Yes, but…if she…there has to be an opportunity! We can just keep an eye on them, eventually they'll slip up-"
"No," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Nidoking is right. We have our own mission. Once it is done, we can attend to our other goals. You will not engage Marcus or any of his team members while we are in Alola unless I explicitly say so. Do I make myself clear?"
Ripper's eyes narrowed and his fur crackled with Electric energy, but as he looked from Nidoking to Betrayer-Of-Kin and back he reluctantly relaxed. "Fine."
"Let's get out of here before they spot us," Nidoking suggested.
The three Pokemon turned and quickly but quietly moved out of sight.
It was with no small amount of trepidation that Seeker-Of-Endings saw Marcus approaching. He'd known this was coming, of course. Bringer-Of-Visons had made it clear that she would ensure Marcus tried to recruit Serena. But that knowledge didn't stop the nervousness.
"Marcus?" Serena asked.
"Serena!" Marcus charged up the path towards her. Seeker-Of-Endings did not recognize either of the two Trainers that were running behind Marcus; most likely Bringer-Of-Visions knew who they were, but he had not been privy to any conversations about them.
Olivia stepped between Marcus and Serena, her Probopass at her side. "All right, that's enough! These Trainers have been through-"
"Olivia, it's all right!" Serena cried. "He's a friend!"
Olivia glanced back. "Do you think you can take it from here?"
"Yes," said Serena. "And thank you, Kahuna Olivia."
The rest of the group chorused similar gratitude. With that, Olivia turned and began to walk away.
Marcus stood where he was about ten feet away from Serena, his hands on his knees and panting hard; it seemed as if he and his compatriots had run all the way here.
"What are you doing here?" Serena asked. "I didn't know you were coming to Alola! And who are you two?"
Then came a flurry of introductions as the two groups introduced themselves to one another. Marcus's companions were named Connie and Theo. Serena clearly recognized the first name; apparently Marcus had battled her in the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. Seeker-Of-Endings vaguely remembered that battle; he had probably not been paying too much attention to it. Theo he didn't recognize at all.
Once the introductions ended, Marcus quickly delivered his news, in a tone that tried and failed to pretend he hadn't already delivered the same news several times. Then he made his offer, which drew surprised gasps from the rest of the group.
Serena frowned. "I mean…it sounds great, but I don't really have a Dark-type team…"
"You have Se - Absol," Marcus quickly corrected. "And Eevee, and Professor Sycamore told me about Inkay. That's three, right there."
Seeker-Of-Endings spotted Connie and Theo trading glances behind Marcus.
"But Inkay just hatched a week ago!" Serena protested. "And I don't know if Eevee wants to evolve into Umbreon or not…look, I'm sorry. It sounds like a lot of fun, and a great opportunity, but I don't know if I'm the right person for the job."
Marcus smiled. "I think you'd be a great person for the job."
Serena hesitated. Looked back. Locked eyes with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, all of whom Seeker-Of-Endings could see were grinning and nodding.
She turned her head back towards Marcus. "I'll see what Eevee thinks," she said. "If she's all right with evolving into Umbreon…I guess you've got a deal."
Seeker-Of-Endings breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
As the group of nine began to walk as one, the creature stared out from the undergrowth once more. Thank Arceus they're all okay, the creature thought.
If one or more of them hadn't come back…
It's not like I could have done anything, the creature thought to himself. It's not like I can do anything. I just need to forget all this. Live my life like normal.
But the creature did not listen to his thoughts. And so even as his own mind told him to just leave, to just let it go, the creature followed the group of Trainers from a distance, ensuring he was unseen as he did so.
Now nine strong, the group stepped into the Tide Song Hotel, apparently where the group had been spending their nights. The mood was generally light, but reality, as it often seemed to do, undercut the feeling of joy. Elio and Hau were still in the middle of their Island Trials (sort of like a Gym Challenge, from what Medicham had heard) and thus could not stay with Serena's group, who were heading off to Melemele Island to meet Flying-type master Kahili. Marcus and his own group hadn't even met Elio and Hau until ten minutes ago, but in that time the two's friendliness had been infectious, and to have them leave already felt like a blow.
Medicham's ears at once caught the sound of running footsteps and near-panicked cries. "Oh, goodness! Are you all right? I just saw on the television five minutes ago, it all looked so awful!"
The group turned to see a blonde-haired girl dressed all in white, complete with a wide hat which looked completely out of place in the midst of Alola, running up to them, a large shoulder-slung bag with Pokeball decorations swaying as she ran. Medicham's eyes narrowed as she saw the bag, for she could feel a presence coming from inside, feel it in much the same way she'd felt the Lifebringer during the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. Unlike the Lifebringer, though, this thing felt more unfamiliar and yet familiar to Medicham, like an experience she'd already had alongside someone completely unknown to her.
"Oh, um, hi," the white-clad girl said upon seeing Marcus, Connie, and Theo. "I'm Lillie. It's…it's good to meet you all."
"It's good to meet you too, Lillie," Marcus greeted warmly. "I'm Marcus, and this is Connie and Theo. Are you with Elio and Hau?"
"Yes," said Lillie. She turned back towards the rest of the group, her worry reasserting itself. "Are you all right? Did - did that thing hurt any of you?"
"We're fine," said Elio. "And Aether gave our Pokemon who were hurt some of their finest treatments on the boat."
"It was like a portable Pokemon Center!" Hau cried.
"Good," said Lillie. "That's good. If any of you had gotten hurt-"
"It wouldn't have been your fault, Lillie," said Elio.
Serena coughed. "We should eat, shouldn't we? It's getting late, and we'll need to get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow's travels."
Nods and murmurs of agreement came from everyone in the group.
Dinner was a similarly lighthearted yet almost imperceptibly subdued affair, with plenty of stories exchanged about what everyone had been up to in the past week. Apparently Lillie was Professor Kukui's apprentice and was accompanying Elio and Hau on their Island Trials after Elio had saved her from a flock of wild Spearow. (Medicham did not miss the fidgeting that both Elio and Lillie exhibited in the telling of that story, nor did she miss Kriesh's Luxury Ball shuddering slightly as she heard the tale of the wicked Spearow.)
The others certainly seemed to enjoy hearing about Marcus's experiences, especially his battle with Theo and his staying in Viridian City with Elite Four Karen. Elio and Hau's tales were also interesting, and Medicham found herself especially impressed with their stories of the Totem Pokemon: Pokemon that had been granted a small portion of energy from the Tapus to serve as their 'eyes, ears, and fists' amongst Alolan society. Every mention of the Tapus brought Medicham back to the Battle of Geosenge, to Xerneas receiving power from the four Tapus in order to bring down Yveltal. Then Elio or Hau would relay some exciting move or near-failure experience they'd had and Medicham would be listening closely again.
There were also a few mentions of Team Skull; the name set Medicham's fists to clenching, but from what she'd heard they were more bullies than anything, attempting to disrupt the Island Trials out of sheer pettiness. Apparently some of them didn't even use full teams of six Pokemon. Elio and Hau had encountered Team Skull Grunts a few times and beaten them down fairly easily.
Eventually, stomachs full and bodies yearning for sleep, the group split up and, one by one, headed to their rooms. Some shared a room, others slept alone. Marcus was one of the latter, something Medicham looked forward to. It wasn't that she was completely averse to the company of strange Pokemon, but after the two nights in Karen's house sleeping with her team nearby, awake half the night in fear of Walker-Of-Paths, she welcomed the feeling of sleeping on her own again.
That feeling didn't last too long.
It came as she was reaching the moment where sleep took hold, where her eyes were closed and the fuzzy feeling of the Dream World was embracing her. A voice sounded in her mind, not the Whisperers. It was smaller, more childlike. "i saw you. you were there. watching me. could you sense me?"
"Who…who are you?" Whatever sleep had been greeting Medicham was now gone as she responded to whoever was speaking telepathically to her.
"my name is cosmog," said the voice. "lillie calls me nebby. you're welcome to call me whichever one you want. and i know who you are. you are the one known as spirit, correct?"
A surge of hatred rushed through Medicham for a moment. She breathed in even though she was not actually speaking, readying herself to furiously rebuke Cosmog…Nebby…whatever it was. But her response came out as "I prefer Medicham."
"oh. sorry. i saw both names in your mind and thought you preferred nicknames."
"What do you want with me?" Medicham asked.
"i saw something," Cosmog/Nebby answered. "something weird. something dark. your mind, it's like it is enshrouded, like something, someone, is-"
Cosmog/Nebby's voice stopped, as if something had simply flipped a switch and turned off the connection. "Cosmog?" Medicham asked. There was no answer.
"Nebby?" Still nothing.
With a frustrated sigh, Medicham closed her eyes.
Once more the Alolan Vulpix crouched under the table, watching from the shadows as Lusamine, Xerosic, Faba, Dulse, and Zossie stood in the laboratory. The two scientists looked nervous, the two Ultra Recon Squad members looked unnerved, and Lusamine looked absolutely furious, her hands on a table as she stared down Faba and Xerosic.
"I'm not asking for promises," Lusamine growled. "I'm not asking for apologies, or debates about whose fault it was. I'm asking one. Simple. Question. How in Distortion did one of those things get into Aether Paradise, destroy the entirety of Sanctuary 4, and send my assistant branch chief and her entire team into comas?"
"And as we keep saying," said Faba with a gulp, "we don't know. As far as we can tell, the Ultra Recon Squad's technology worked perfectly…but as we all know, it didn't. And we can't tell how or why."
"You're my top scientists," Lusamine retorted. "I'd think you two would know how to work this technology."
"With all due respect," said Xerosic, "between the Type: Full project and…"
"And what?" Lusamine's fingernails dug into the tabletop.
"And all of the little devices you want added to them," said Faba. Though neither Lusamine nor the Ultra Recon Squad saw it, the Alolan Vulpix had a perfect view of Faba's foot meeting Xerosic's shin.
To his credit, or maybe to the credit of his portly frame, Xerosic barely winced.
"If I may, Lusamine," said Dulse, "we mentioned earlier today that we were willing to wait. That was earlier. Nihilego is one of Necrozma's strongest minions. He will not hesitate to deliver the information of where we are to his master. Once Necrozma breaks into this universe, we have a few days, maximum, before he locates the correct timeline, and if we aren't prepared by then, everything we've worked on will have been for nothing."
Lusamine sighed. "All right," she said. "I'll halt our agents' work on obtaining 004. Gladion can have it if he loves it so much. And as for Lillie…we will put our resources on obtaining her and what she stole from us. I have seen the capabilities of the Trainers surrounding her. It shouldn't take long."
"Good," said Dulse. "We will begin making our preparations."
"See that you do," said Lusamine. "And you two," she added to the pair of scientists, "take the rest of the night off."
"Yes, Lusamine!" Faba and Xerosic chorused. Lusamine turned and followed the Ultra Recon Squad out the door, shutting it behind her.
The instant she did, both scientists relaxed. "You idiot," Faba growled. "You almost gave the game away! If Lusamine figures out we're still working on that Expansion Suit, we're done!"
"I'm sorry," Xerosic said bitingly.
"And Nihilego didn't even kill anyone!" Faba muttered. "At least it managed to get Wicke out of the way, but I would have much preferred it if she were dead like she was supposed to be!"
"How is that even my fault?" Xerosic asked.
"And Lusamine and the Ultra Recon Squad escaped completely unscathed!" Faba seemed to calm somewhat. "At least we managed to hide our sabotage of the Squad's technology. No thanks to you."
"And Wicke being out of the way is a good thing, right?" Xerosic asked. "Without her, once Lusamine is gone our rise is all but assured."
"Yes, but as I said before, she's not completely out of the way, and with Lusamine's actual forces completely intact, we don't know if Necrozma can beat her or not!" Again Faba nearly lost his temper; again he managed to rein himself in. "Lusamine's right. We should get some rest. Now that the timetable is secured, we only have to keep this up a couple more days. Then everything is ours, and our genius can finally run free."
As the two scientists exited the room, chuckling amongst themselves, the Alolan Vulpix stepped backwards. Her job was done. Quickly, she turned and scurried through the hole in the wall, into the small passageway that was so familiar to her now.
She nearly ran into Nebby as she rounded the corner. "Good. I'm re-"
In the next moment the two were gone.
A hiss sounded, and Eevee blinked as she found herself on the carpeted floor of the hotel room.
She at once noticed her mothers, Sylveon and Jolteon, and her Trainer, all three sitting before her, the Trainer in front and Sylveon and Jolteon on either side. Seeker-Of-Endings was also there, as he always was nowadays whenever Serena wanted to converse with a Pokemon.
"Eevee," Serena began, "I know we've talked a little about evolution before." She looked to Sylveon and Jolteon. "And I know the three of us have also talked. I mean, metaphorically, since I can't understand you…whatever. The point is…none of you took part in the battle at Aether Paradise-"
"Which is wrong," Jolteon growled. "Altaria took part, and she's the newest member of the team! No offense, but why were Altaria, Meowstic, and Seeker-Of-Endings the only three team members who took part in that?"
Serena's face fell as Seeker-Of-Endings translated Jolteon's words. "It wasn't…if I'd had the space to send all of you out, I would have…but that's not the point. The point is…since you didn't take part, I'm sure all of you heard Marcus's offer."
"But if you become a Dark-type Trainer, that means Meowstic and Delphox don't get to be on the team," said Sylveon. "And weren't you going to ask Eevee if she wanted to evolve into Espeon?"
Eevee looked around nervously as Seeker-Of-Endings translated Sylveon's speech.
"This is why I called this meeting," said Serena. "Eevee, I'm not trying to pressure you. I'm not trying to force you into anything. But…at this very moment, would you prefer to evolve into Umbreon?"
"That's not a proper question!" Jolteon protested. "You haven't given her any other options!"
"She knows the other options!" Serena cried as soon as Seeker-Of-Endings had translated. Then she took a deep breath. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Eevee, which evolution would you prefer at this exact moment?"
"That's better," Jolteon muttered.
Eevee looked from Jolteon to Sylveon to Serena. "Um…" she stammered. "I…"
"You don't have to decide right now," Sylveon reassured.
"Mom…I do," said Eevee. "I…heard what Marcus said, remember? And…I have to make this decision. So that you," she looked at Serena, "can make your decision."
Serena stared at Eevee as Seeker-Of-Endings translated. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'd hoped to let you keep thinking about it…if you want…I don't have to tell Marcus anything yet…I can just say I'm thinking about it…"
"No," said Eevee forcefully. More forcefully than she'd intended. It came out more snappish; Jolteon and Sylveon took a small step back each. "I…Serena. The truth is…I'm fine with being an Umbreon. I'm also fine with being an Espeon. You mentioned Vaporeon a few days ago…I'd also be fine with that. Or Glaceon. Or Leafeon. I'm fine with any of them. So if Marcus wants me as an Umbreon…if we'll get to go on this new and exciting journey if I become an Umbreon…then I'll become an Umbreon."
Seeker-Of-Endings finished his translation, and the sound in the room died down for a few moments. At last Serena looked to her sides. "Jolteon. Sylveon. Are you all right with this?"
"Fine by me," said Jolteon.
"It's her choice," said Sylveon.
Both nodded.
"Then," said Serena, "I'll make sure you evolve into Umbreon."
"Thank you," said Eevee.
"No," said Serena, not even bothering to let Seeker-Of-Endings finish his translation. "Thank you."
"I saw someone strange today," said Medicham.
"Really?" the Whisperer asked. "Who was it?"
"They said their name was Nebby," said Medicham. "Or Cosmog. Told me I could refer to it however I preferred. It was almost like-"
"Xerneas?"
"Yes, how did you know?" Medicham asked.
"Because that name…Cosmog…I've heard it before," said the Whisperer. "I have not had the misfortune to encounter Cosmog personally. But I know it is dangerous."
"Dangerous in what way?"
"Tell me," said the Whisperer, "did Cosmog say anything to you?"
Medicham hesitated. "Only…only that my mind is…enshrouded, it said. That something 'weird' and 'dark' is inside it. Whisperer…was Cosmog talking about you?"
"Yes," said the Whisperer with no hesitation at all. "And that is why Cosmog is dangerous. From what I have heard of him, he is a Psychic. One of the stronger ones, and one of the most uncontrollable. A Psychic without proper control of his Psychic power can be even more dangerous than a stronger but controlled Psychic."
"How?"
In answer, the Whisperer sighed. "Have you ever heard the tale of Ochita, Kyogre, and the Endless Lake?"
"No," said Medicham. "What is it?"
"It is a Hoennese creation story," said the Whisperer. "The story goes that once upon a time, Kyogre, the Legendary of the Sea, and Groudon, the Legendary of the Land, came into conflict, as they had done a thousand times before and would do a thousand times again. In this conflict, a surge of Kyogre's power created a new lake where once there had been nothing but a crater. And once Rayquaza, the Legendary of the Sky, stopped the fight as he always did, two tribes of humans and Pokemon came to this location. One was led by a human named Mi; the other was led by a human named Zu. Groudon's part of the battle had evaporated the water in their area, and as such both tribes were dying of thirst.
"When the two tribes encountered the Endless Lake, they knelt by the lakeside and drank their fill. But as they drank, they realized that the water was refilling itself just as fast as they drank it. Together, the two tribes joined together and built a town to take advantage of their good fortune. Mi and Zu, however, agreed that the lake should be taken care of. So the town was built a mile away from the lake, and every week a group of humans and their Pokemon would walk to the lake, take what they needed, and return to the town. In this way, they celebrated the long march that had led to this endless lake, and celebrated the water that had been their reward.
"Many years passed, and the two leaders both grew old and died, to be succeeded by their sons. Mi's son, Josho, intended to continue their traditions, but doubt began to blacken the heart of Zu's son, Ochita. Why, Ochita thought, did the people and Pokemon need to suffer the mile-long walk in order to get just enough water to last the town a week, over and over and over again? Why not just have the water come to the town? Then the residents of the town could get as much water as they wanted.
"Josho disagreed. He said that the town's traditions had kept them alive, and would continue to keep them alive. But Ochita gained too many ears amongst the townsfolk. They, too, wondered why they could not just take all the water they wanted, without need for the mile-long walk. Ochita's followers arose to follow him, and Josho, unable to win the fight that would result, was forced to leave the town with his own followers, never to return.
"With Josho gone, Ochita and his followers began to dig a mighty riverbed, starting from their town and going all the way to the Endless Lake. For thirty days and thirty nights, humans and Pokemon alike dug, until at last the riverbed was formed. Ochita bid his followers return to the town, so that they could experience the bounty of the Endless Lake as soon as it arrived. When they were all returned, Ochita struck down the last barrier of dirt between the Endless Lake and the manmade riverbed. At once the water surged into the riverbed, a tide coming towards the pool the townsfolk had formed.
"But something was wrong. Ochita watched as the riverbed filled and filled with water, until it could be filled no more. Then it burst its banks and came streaming across the desert, swamping the sand. Still the water rose. Ochita began to run towards the town, the first inklings of what he had done glimmering in his mind.
"By the time he reached the town, the water was ankle-deep. The townsfolk were splashing around, playing in it, drinking their fill. 'Flee!' Ochita cried. 'Flee! The Endless Lake is too much! The river is bursting its banks! We are in danger!'
"But the townsfolk laughed. 'Look around you, Ochita! There is no danger, only prosperity! We will never want for water again!'
"Ochita watched with frightened eyes as the water rose more and more. The townsfolk began to realize something truly was wrong when it reached their knees and still held no sign of stopping. They began to panic, trying to rescue their possessions, climbing their houses and trees. But the water continued to rise, filling their houses, covering everything they held dear. Eventually, it began to reach the tops of the houses and the leaves of the trees. Ochita, watching the world flood around him, screamed to the heavens. 'Kyogre! Please! This isn't what I wanted! You can stop this!'
"It was then that Kyogre himself appeared in all his glory. The townsfolk could not see him; only Ochita could. And Kyogre looked down upon Ochita, and he said, 'As long as the Endless Lake is not full, it will continue to create water. In time, this could have flooded the entire world. I am holding back the water from any other tribes. And once the flood has taken its toll, I will erase it, and with it the Endless Lake. But, Ochita, you have brought this on your tribe. So the flood will not stop. Not until your tribe has paid for its sins.'
"Ochita looked up at Kyogre, and begged for mercy. 'Do not punish them!' he cried. 'I gave the orders! I told them to dig the riverbed. This is my fault! Mine! Not any of theirs! Punish me, but leave them alone!'
"Kyogre thought. And then he said to Ochita, 'I will accept your offer. It is true that they merely followed your orders. But all the same, they chose to follow those orders. In following your greed, they succumbed to their own. So these are my conditions. Ochita, you will cast yourself into the flood, and you will drown. The rest shall be spared. But the Endless Lake will be no more. And they must find their own way to survive.'
"Ochita looked around at the desperate townspeople, and he agreed. And so Ochita cast himself into the rising waters, and Kyogre waited until life had fled Ochita's body for good. Then he stopped the flow from the Endless Lake, and the water that had already flooded from the lake Kyogre cast all across Hoenn. It is said that this is why more of Hoenn is underwater than anywhere else in the world. As for the Endless Lake itself, Kyogre threw it into the sky, and with it he created Rain, which every so often showers the world in water to replenish that which has been taken, just like Mi and Zu utilized the Endless Lake all those years ago.
"As for the townsfolk that had followed Ochita, no one knows what happened to them afterwards. Some say they wandered until they found Josho's followers, who had founded another town many miles away. Josho welcomed them with open arms, refusing to bear a grudge for what they had done, and the people and Pokemon of the town were reunited once again. Others claim that their wanderings took them to the deepest pits of the earth, where they swore vengeance on Kyogre for his destruction of their town and became the first Cult of Groudon, from which Team Magma was eventually formed. Still others say that they cast themselves into the ocean, unable to bear the consequences of their actions, and that sometimes if you stop on the beach and listen closely, you can still hear their whispers amongst the sound of tossing stones.
Medicham waited for a few seconds, but no more words came from the Whisperer. "But I don't see how that relates to Psychic power," said Medicham.
"The tale has been open to many interpretations over the years," said the Whisperer. "Some say it is a metaphor for Psychics. A Psychic with control over their power is capable of utilizing it in short bursts and knowing when not to use it. Whereas a Psychic without control over their power often loses the ability to stop using their power, like what Ochita did to the Endless Lake. I suppose you can tell Cosmog has Legendary-level strength. And as such, Cosmog could very well, metaphorically, flood the world if his power slips too much."
"That…that's terrifying," Medicham whispered, half to herself.
"Indeed," said the Whisperer. "The last known uncontrolled Legendary-level Psychic was Mewtwo. That aberration nearly tore the world in half through raw power. We are better off without it."
"You…" Medicham was not sure whether she should ask this next question or not.
"You may ask anything you want to me, Medicham," said the Whisperer. "I will always answer."
"You…you know a lot about Legendaries," said Medicham. "You're so…so strong in the Dream World, like you're able to manipulate it at will. And you know about the Heralds. I feel like I already know the answer, but…are you a Legendary yourself?"
A short pause. "Yes."
"And…what Legendary are you?"
Another pause, this one longer. "You are sure you want to know this?"
Medicham hesitated again. Was she sure? If the Whisperer, who had promised to answer, was trying to give her an out...was the truth truly that dangerous?
Or did he not want her to know because he was afraid of what would happen if she found out?
"Yes," said Medicham. "I want to know."
The Whisperer sighed. "I suppose I did make a promise," he said. "Very well. The truth is, I have several names. I prefer the Whisperer, at least in here. Outside, some call me the Lord of the Moon. Others, the Master of Nightmares. The humans prefer to call me Darkrai. You're welcome to call me whichever one you want."
"The…the Master of Nightmares?" Medicham's eyes widened. Of course she'd heard that name, many times, from the Pokemon in the forest, mostly mothers to their children.
Don't stay up too late! If you stay up too late, the Master of Nightmares will come, and he will give you bad dreams!
"Yes, the Master of Nightmares," said Darkrai. "Before you ask, no, this is not a nightmare. I have power over dreams, not just nightmares. And as such, the Dream World is effectively mine to control."
"But I thought Yggdrasil was the master of the Dream World," said Medicham.
"Indeed, it is," said Darkrai. "You must understand that there is a difference between creating dreams and controlling dreams. Look around you."
Medicham did so, taking in the familiar walls of the dojo she came to every night.
"This is not your dream," said Darkrai. "Or at least, not what it was supposed to be." One of the dojo walls crumbled, and through it Medicham saw the massive tree stump, the snow-covered clearing, the blood soaking into the snow.
The bright red eyes of Bringer-Of-Visions staring back at her.
"Put it back," Medicham whispered. In a flash, the wall was back in place, separating Medicham from the clearing.
"You see," said Darkrai, "that I did not create your dream. I just added this place to it. And that is why Yggdrasil and I are different." He paused. "Are…are you all right, Medicham?"
"Y…yes," said Medicham.
Darkrai sighed. "I'm sorry. Showing you that…it was stupid of me. Stupid and wrong."
Though Medicham still could not see Darkrai, she felt the warmness of a comforting hand on her left shoulder. She flinched slightly before relaxing, allowing its warmth to calm her nerves.
"I don't understand," she said. "Why would a Legendary take so much time to help me?"
"I told you before," said Darkrai. "Because of your hidden capability that I find so filled with possibility. Because of your perseverance that I find so inspiring. And…"
"And?" Medicham asked curiously.
Darkrai sighed deeply. "And because I've grown to think of you as a friend."
Medicham instinctively looked over her shoulder, even though she knew he wasn't really there. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I…I enjoy this, Medicham," said Darkrai. "It feels good to just…talk to someone and watch them grow. No Legendary duties, no responsibilities, just…helping out someone who needs it. I'm the Lord of Nightmares. A boogeyman. Humans and Pokemon alike speak of me in the same breath as Giratina and Yveltal. You can understand why I don't have many friends. But you…ever since I met you, it's felt so refreshing. Like I've been underwater for a thousand years and just lifted my head above the surface. So…tell me. Now that you know who I am, will you be my friend, Medicham?"
"I…" Medicham wouldn't lie. She was scared of Darkrai, at least a little.
"Everyone is."
"That's not helping."
"Sorry."
But through her fear, she wondered: what had Darkrai done to her besides train her? Even that first day, where she'd been beaten to a pulp by that Toxicroak…he'd just been training her. Helping her gain strength. And…he had been someone she could just talk to. Someone she could pour her heart out to. The Heralds couldn't touch a Legendary.
"I'll be your friend, Darkrai," Medicham answered.
"Thank you," said Darkrai, honest gratitude in his voice. "Now…shall we begin? Or do you think training for today isn't-"
"No. You're right. We should begin." Medicham crouched, reading herself for combat.
"In that case," said Darkrai, materializing a pair of Arbok into the dojo, "defend yourself. Focus on Mind."
And Medicham leaped into battle.
"Good luck, you three!" Shauna waved. The others followed her lead, waving goodbye to Elio, Hau, and Lillie as the three began to walk away. They were headed for the port on the other side of Heahea City, where their boat would be taking them to Ula'ula Island.
"Bye!" Elio called. Hau and Lillie's voices joined his.
The three walked around a corner, and just like that the group was down to seven.
And would decrease further.
Seeker-Of-Endings wouldn't deny that it was weird watching friends go. It would get weirder. Serena had informed Marcus of her decision over breakfast this morning, which would mean that once Tierno got hooked up with Kahili, Serena would be leaving him, Trevor, and Shauna behind as well.
Trevor was interested in studying Fossil Pokemon in Alola. Apparently quite a few Fossil Pokemon had lived in Alola, and he was looking forward to possibly hatching more of them. He already had Tyrantrum and Aurorus, the pair of Kalosian fossils, and Aerodactyl, the Kantonian flying fossil.
Shauna, meanwhile, was actually planning to head to Professor Kukui on Melemele Island and try to take the Island Challenge herself. As she said, "It'll be fun to go on a new journey and meet lots of new, cute Pokemon!"
Both them and Tierno had been accepting of Serena's decision, vowing that they'd stay friends even if they didn't see each other for a while. They also told Serena to say hi to Calem for them; they'd last seen him about a week ago, heading back to his hometown. He'd told them he was just going to take some time off, raise and train his team, and help his parents and Professor Sycamore. He'd also apologized for being a jerk, which the friends had gladly accepted. Tierno, Shauna, and Trevor were not the sort to hold grudges.
"Ship's here," Theo warned.
Seeker-Of-Endings looked back to see the ship in question lowering its boarding ramp. The trip to Melemele Island wouldn't take long, but it was long enough that there was a full ferry service between Akala and Melemele. It didn't seem that many were boarding the ship; the docks were surprisingly empty as the seven-strong group stepped onto the ferry, and there were plenty of seats available.
It was fairly easy to find an eight-seat table on the ferry. No seven-seaters, unfortunately, but an extra seat never hurt anybody.
"Alola!" said a well-dressed man. "May I get any of you drinks or snacks for the trip?"
"We just ate breakfast," said Tierno.
"Fair enough," said the man.
"I'll take a water," said Connie.
"You know what, a water could be nice," said Serena. "Who else wants a water?"
"I'll take a water, if you don't mind."
All eyes turned to the black-haired man clad in a large white robe that had just slid into the eighth seat of their table. All except for Seeker-Of-Endings; his eyes were on the floor next to him.
More specifically, at the Absol that was standing on the floor.
"Um...and you are?" Trevor asked.
The newcomer wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the person next to him; Marcus, as it happened. "Man, oh man...I get it. Without the fancy chair, and the black uniform, and dressed in all this white, you probably don't recognize me. I haven't met most of you. Most." His eyes flicked, surprisingly, to Connie. "You don't recognize me either? Maybe this'll jog your memory...is Piers still lookin' for a Scrafty-off?"
Connie's eyes widened. "Grimsley?"
"The one and only." Grimsley looked around at the rest of the table. "Though for the rest of you, that's 'Elite Four Grimsley'. Heh. Kiddin'. I'm out of the Elite Four now. Not my line of work anymore."
Grimslely leaned back in his seat, eyes flicking back to Marcus, his hand still on the other Trainer's shoulder. "So! Marcus. A little birdie...by the name of Karen...told me there was a new aspiring Dark-type Trainer in town." His eyes seemed to light up like a child at Christmas. "And I'm just dying to get to know you."
Medicham wasn't paying attention to Grimsley either. Unbeknownst to Seeker-Of-Endings, her eyes were also locked firmly on the Absol sitting next to Grimsley's chair.
Can't I ever get away from the Heralds?