The excitement was over, the crowd dispersed, the group back at their table. Marcus and Grimsley were conversing, talking about their recent battle and how Marcus could improve, with Connie, Theo, and Serena occasionally chipping in. Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, reading the mood of the rest of the table, were sitting in a small group, talking about more mundane things. Seeker-Of-Endings wasn't paying much attention; all he knew was that there were fifteen minutes left in the ferry ride.

Plenty of time.

Slowly, he began to whisper the notes of Perish Song so that Serena would not hear.

Fifteen seconds later, Seeker-Of-Endings opened his eyes to the familiar blackness of the Perish Dimension. He looked to his side and saw Keeper-Of-Memories fading into existence as well; the Elite Four-level Herald stepped to his side.

"I apologize for my conduct in the recent battle," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I was hasty, and-"

"Do not bother," said Keeper-Of-Memories. "What's done is done. Remember for next time."

"Seeker. Keeper. What is your news?"

The two Heralds turned towards Bringer-Of-Visions. Keeper-Of-Memories stepped back, motioning for Seeker-Of-Endings to speak. "You…do you know of our battle at Aether Paradise?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"Yes, the news is quite vocal on that front," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "And before you ask…yes, I have scanned the timelines for those creatures. To have five beings that do not appear to exist at all, and yet clearly do exist…it is odd. Did you call this meeting merely to warn me of this?"

"No," said Keeper-Of-Memories. "Seeker?"

"Keeper…analyzed the timeline after the battle's conclusion," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "The creatures do exist. As time has moved forwards, those creatures have begun to appear in the past. As if…to borrow Keeper's words…as if time had spontaneously remembered they existed."

Bringer-Of-Visions grunted. "Interesting. That I had not picked up on. So they do exist, but we cannot see their futures or, indeed, their impact on our future. I doubt I need to say that these creatures are dangerous. If we cannot know our own future, then our mission might as well be meaningless."

"Bringer! Bringer!"

All three Heralds twisted to see another Herald materializing in the Perish Dimension. "Finder." Bringer-Of-Visions greeted. "What news do you bring?"

"We have located Betrayer-Of-Kin," said the newcomer; Finder-Of-Knowledge, Seeker-Of-Endings remembered her name was. "She is in Alola, traveling with a Manectric and a Nidoking. They just left a base in Heahea City on Akala Island. I have already set Listener-Of-Thoughts to follow them."

Seeker-Of-Endings felt a surge of alarm. Betrayer-Of-Kin was in Alola? Had been in Heahea City? He had been traveling with Marcus; had she been right there, hidden just out of sight, watching them, waiting for a moment of weakness?

Bringer-Of-Visions nodded, alarm showing in her eyes as well. "Good work, Finder. Keeper, Seeker, where are you currently?"

"Melemele Island," Keeper-Of-Memories answered. "Our Trainers are currently on a mission for Professor Kukui; it is unlikely we will make it back to Akala before nightfall."

"A shame, you two would have been useful as backup," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "Let's see…I will send word to Follower-Of-Stories and Observer-Of-Lives. They should be near enough to support. I believe I will be able to come myself. The five of us have a 100% chance to be able to defeat Betrayer-Of-Kin and her support if we can find her. So while I am gathering our forces, you will ensure Betrayer-Of-Kin does not slip away from us again."

"Agreed," said Finder-Of-Knowledge. "Thank you, Bringer."

"May the Master guide you, Finder," said Bringer-Of-Visions as Finder-Of-Knowledge faded away.

Bringer-Of-Visions turned to Seeker-Of-Endings and Keeper-Of-Memories. "Thank you for your information," she said. "I apologize for dismissing you so quickly, but as you heard there is a larger event at play. Goodbye, and good luck on your mission."

"Thank you," the other two Absols chorused, and with that Seeker-Of-Endings released the Perish Song, awakening in his Pokeball just in time to hear a chorus of laughter coming from Marcus and Grimsley.

Seeker-Of-Endings felt in no mood to laugh, for nervousness clutched at his stomach. Would this be the day that Betrayer-Of-Kin was finally slain? That her threat was finally ended?

He didn't know. This hadn't been the first time that they'd located her. Every time before now, she'd slipped away.

Seeker-Of-Endings could do nothing but hope that maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

"Thank you for using the Mantine Ferry!" the captain cried over the loudspeakers. "We apologize for the delay, and in exchange would like to offer each and every one of you a voucher for a free ride on another Mantine Ferry in the future."

Marcus took a voucher from the waiting attendant as he stepped down the ferry's unloading ramp. The other Trainers in the group followed suit, as did Grimsley, who was following along behind.

Medicham's eyes were at once scanning the docking area; she was somewhat ashamed to admit to herself that she was mainly searching for Heralds. With Seeker-Of-Endings and Grimsley's Absol both in the group, she had a feeling that others would be nearby, keeping an eye on the two.

But instead of an Absol, Medicham's eyes fell upon a woman standing off to the side of the docks. Her hair and clothes were sky blue, aside from a pair of bright red socks that came up to her knees. A bag of golf clubs was hanging from her back, and she was holding a sign that read TIERNO in big black letters.

"Oh! That's Kahili!" said Tierno.

Trevor turned to Serena. "I suppose this is where we part ways."

"I suppose it is," said Serena. "I'll keep in touch!"

"Please do!" Shauna cried. She, Tierno, and Trevor split off from the rest of the group and headed over to Kahili, who placed down the sign and greeted the group with a handshake each. That was the last Medicham saw of them before Marcus turned away, bringing Medicham's Pokeball with him and preventing her from watching the three departing Trainers.

"Man, I haven't seen Kahili in forever," said Grimsley as the group, now only five Trainers strong including the former Elite Four member, continued to walk. "I've heard she's gonna be part of Alola's Elite Four once Kukui gets it up and running."

"Alola's getting an Elite Four?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, Kukui finally got enough people on his side," said Grimsley. "He had to make some concessions to do it, namely keeping the existing Trial-based structure instead of forming Gyms, but Alola's gonna have its very own Pokemon League Tournaments, Elite Four, and Champion in a few weeks."

"Who else is being considered for the spot?" Theo asked.

"Aside from Kahili…" Grimsley frowned. "Acerola's being considered…Olivia's definitely in…I think Hapu got offered a spot but refused…I don't know anyone else. And as for the Champion, everyone wants Kukui to be the first one, because he's Alola's main representative in the United Pokemon World, but Kukui keeps refusing. Says he doesn't think he should be Champion of a League he created."

"I figured Nanu would be part of it," said Connie. "He and Piers talked a few times, and he seemed interested in forming a Pokemon League from what I could tell."

"I actually think he may have been offered a position and refused as well," said Grimsley. "Actually haven't met him more than a couple times…now that I'm in Alola I should probably meet with him, but I can never seem to find the time."

"Maybe after this?" Marcus suggested.

"Maybe," said Grimsley. "You'll like Nanu. He's also a fairly power-based Dark-type Trainer. You know what, you're right. After we're done here, we'll go to Ula'ula Island and see him."

"Sounds good," said Marcus.

As they continued to travel, Medicham allowed herself to relax and enjoy the Alolan sunshine. The day was certainly beautiful; more than once Medicham had heard that Alola was the most beautiful of all the regions, and she could see that from the view out of her Luxury Ball. The sun-dappled grasses shifted as Pokemon moved through them, the trees gently blew in the slight, barely noticeable breeze that was just cool enough to offset the warmth of the sun, and Medicham could see the ocean, so clear that the forms of Water-types swimming in the water were clearly visible.

For once, she was able to lean back, push the Heralds out of her mind, and enjoy the day.

"Are you all right?"

With a jolt, Medicham realized she'd fallen asleep; now she was lying on her back, staring up at the roof of the dojo in her dream. "I'm sorry, Darkrai," she said. "I didn't realize - I was just enjoying the day, and it was so calm, and next thing I know-"

"There is no need to apologize," said Darkrai. "I am glad you are enjoying yourself in the waking world. Do you wish to go back?"

"Um…would it offend you if I said yes?" Medicham asked.

Even as a disembodied voice, Medicham could tell Darkrai was rolling his eyes. "Just because I am a Legendary does not mean I get offended at trivialities such as that," he said. "Of course I won't be offended if you want to enjoy a day of relaxation. I will see you tonight."

"See you too, Darkrai," said Medicham, and then in the blink of an eye she was back in the waking world, the sunshine hitting her face once more.

It felt so strange to be making such casual conversation with a Legendary. And yet it felt right. Like a conversation between friends should be.

"Burnet!" Grimsley's voice abruptly sounded, drowning out the sounds of nature. "Good to see you!"

Medicham sat up; her eyes found a dark-skinned, white-haired younger woman wearing a gray tank top and black pants. The woman was stepping down the front stairs of a fairly large house about thirty feet away. The group of teenagers, Grimsley in the lead, continued to walk towards the house and Burnet.

"Grimsley," Burnet greeted as the group reached the house. She stepped onto the grass just ahead of them and shook hands with Grimsley. "Glad you could make it."

"Where's Kukui?" Grimsley asked.

"He went off to Ula'ula," said Burnet. "He's so busy with his Pokemon League…it's why he called you over here instead of doing it himself." She looked at Marcus and his friends. "Who are these four?"

"This is Marcus, Connie, Theo, and Serena," said Grimsley, pointing at each one. "Marcus here is planning to become a Dark-type Gym Leader in Kalos. These three are his prospective Gym Trainers."

Burnet's eyes glittered. "Ah. I see what you're doing, Grimsley." She smiled. "Hello, all of you. I'm Professor Burnet. I study dreams, specifically Pokemon ones. Have any of you heard of the Dream World?"

Judging by the confused murmurs from the group, none of them had. Medicham, however, was now completely paying attention to Professor Burnet. She remembered Darkrai's warning about waking Trainers accessing the Dream World; he had made clear his distaste for them.

"Well, I've worked closely with Professor Fennel in order to study and understand the mysteries of the Dream World," said Professor Burnet. Medicham narrowed her eyes; hadn't Darkrai mentioned that it was Professor Fennel who'd developed the technology that allowed waking Trainers to access the Dream World? "But enough about me and my research. I assume Grimsley has filled you in?"

"Yes," Marcus and his Gym Trainers chorused.

"Good, then there's no sense in waiting," said Burnet. "Let's wrangle ourselves a Pangoro."

Elio and Hau had gone elsewhere to continue their Island Trials, leaving Lillie alone in the hotel once again. Clearly she didn't mind, and in fact had told them that she preferred to stay in the hotel, but Marshadow could tell, just from watching through the window, that she was a little more nervous than usual.

Was it creepy, watching through her window? Marshadow began to feel nervousness rising. Lillie was Cosmog's Trainer; what if Cosmog caught him watching her through the window? Would he be mad? Would he-"

"oh, hi! i just teleported here. what are you doing?"

Marshadow twisted away from the window so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. "Nothing! Nothing. Sorry."

"can i ask you a question?" Cosmog asked. "why are you hiding? you don't seem like that bad of a pokemon. so why are you so afraid of coming out?"

Marshadow shook his head. "It's not about who I am," he said. "It's about who I was."

"so who were you?" Cosmog asked.

Marshadow sighed. So inquisitive Cosmog was. So innocent. Could he really tell Cosmog of his past?

Not the full truth. But…maybe only a little bit.

Maybe he could at least get some of the truth off his chest.

"A long time ago," Marshadow began, "I was known as the Zenith. A word for power, for success. The other Legendaries chose not to fight me. Even the Tapus quaked at my presence. For all I desired was to fight, to test my strength against stronger and stronger opponents. And once the fight was over, I would use my signature technique, Spectral Thief, to take those opponents' power for myself. I would hoard power like it was a treasure. You could say I became drunk on it. And…it took me far too long to realize how wrong I was to take others' power for myself. I realized too late that in my haste to become the strongest being of all, I had stopped paying attention to what was right and what was wrong. I only had eyes for what was exciting."

"what happened?" Cosmog asked.

"I was forced to surrender all of my stolen power," said Marshadow. "I locked away the Zenith like a bad memory. But no one trusts me. The Tapus watch me as closely as possible. They hate me. Fear that at any moment I could attempt to become the Zenith again. All I want is to make things right. I want to be able to atone for what I've done. But whatever I do, I can always sense that fear, that hatred. And I just can't bring myself to come out into the open and act."

Cosmog remained silent.

Marshadow sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know it's not fair of me to ask you not to judge me by that. If you want-"

"you think i would hate you?" Cosmog asked. "just for that? you think what you did in the past dictates how everyone will see you in the present?"

"Um…yes?" said Marshadow.

"that's stupid," Cosmog said bluntly. "worry is one thing. but actively limiting yourself…actively hurting yourself…for something you did in the past…that's just wrong."

"It's not just about that!" Marshadow cried. "It's not just what I think of myself…it's what everyone else thinks of me!"

"and what does everyone else think of you?"

"I told you!" Marshadow forced himself to lower his voice. "I told you, Cosmog. They hate me. Think I'm a monster. They-"

"how do you know?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marshadow asked.

"how do you know?" Cosmog repeated. "you say you refuse to come out in the open. so no one has seen you. the tapus, fine. but if no one else has seen you, if so few, then, even know you exist…how do you know what they think of you?"

Marshadow remained silent.

"lillie will be missing me soon," said Cosmog. "i have to go. just…maybe think on that for a little while. see you again soon, marshadow."

Marshadow still said nothing, acknowledging Cosmog only with a mute nod. Cosmog floated over to the window and tapped on it, attracting Lillie's attention.

"Nebby, what are you doing out there?" Lillie rushed to the window, threw it open, and dragged Cosmog inside. "Quickly, get in the bag, before someone sees you!"

Left alone, Marshadow continued to do exactly what Cosmog had asked him to do. He stood, hiding in the shadows, and thought.

"He showed up about a week ago," said Professor Burnet. "Kukui was so busy, and I'm not much of a battler myself…I have a Musharna, but she doesn't battle, and she's weak to Dark-types anyway."

Marcus nodded, then looked down at his Luxury Balls. "Drapion. It'll be up to you to handle this. Based on our last encounter, they like a good fight, so if it comes to that, give him one."

Drapion sighed. Not only did the last encounter fail, but they turned out to be the Swarmlord's pawns. A growl came to his throat. At least there's no chance of this Pangoro being part of a Swarm. Not here in Alola.

"Quietly," Burnet whispered. "If he turns aggressive, we don't want to be in the line of fire."

The members of the group fell silent, even Grimsley, as they continued to step through the undergrowth. It took another minute before Burnet stopped short. "He's known to frequent a clearing just ahead," she whispered. "Marcus, are you ready for this?"

"Of course," said Marcus. "Watch my back."

"If it gets too dangerous, we'll be ready," Connie responded.

With a nod, Marcus turned and resumed his movement, leaving the rest of the group behind. Drapion tensed, readying his claws. Hopefully this would turn out to be a good fight.

If the Pangoro was meant to be a part of Marcus's team, Drapion wouldn't expect anything less.

The leaves began to yield, and then all of a sudden Drapion could see the clearing.

Pangoro's form was instantly obvious. He was sitting on a large boulder that seemed to be perched on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. The rest of the clearing was surrounded by forest, and was filled with grasses to create a very picturesque view. But the view was disturbed by the fact that Pangoro was holding a Yungoos in one massive hand, lifting him off the ground and away from the group of its furiously protesting brethren.

"I told you," Pangoro growled, shaking the Yungoos slightly, "Figy Berries. Not Wiki Berries. Wiki Berries give me a stomachache. Make me feel queasy. You know that. Was that intentional?"

The Yungoos squeaked out a "N…n…no!"

"You trying to poison me?" Pangoro snarled, looking down at the group of Yungoos at his feet. "Is that it? Because if you were…then I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. So give me a reason why I shouldn't believe that."

"Um…um…we'll give you double the berries!" one of the Yungoos on the ground said desperately. "And they'll be the right ones this time, we promise!"

Pangoro glared at the Yungoos who had spoken. "You gonna bribe me now? You think you can buy my mercy? Look at me." Still clutching the Yungoos in his hand tightly, he leaned down to look even closer at the group on the ground. "I'm running low on patience with you. Tell you what, pipsqueak. I'll take your offer. But I'm keeping your son here. And if I don't have those promised berries by tonight, then I'll be officially out of patience. That's my mercy. Now get out of here."

The group of Yungoos turned and ran away, most of them casting despairing glances back at the Yungoos clutched in Pangoro's hand. Drapion could not stop an enraged snarl from coming out. That Pangoro…he reminded Drapion far too much of Heliolisk. It didn't appear that he shared the same imperious attitude, but he was much the same in every other aspect: a bully.

Marcus took a deep breath. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," Drapion snarled.

Evidently Medicham had relayed that telepathically, for only then did Marcus step into the clearing.

Pangoro's head turned to take in the new arrival. Slowly, he set the Yungoos down on the rock beside him. "You'd better be here when I'm done," he growled. "Got that?"

The Yungoos nodded, making no attempt to move as Pangoro rose from his seat. His feet slammed to the ground as he landed, glaring at Marcus.

Marcus released Drapion onto the ground in front of him; at once the two Pokemon locked eyes. For a moment, Drapion wanted to forgo all sense of civility and charge, bringing this Pangoro to his knees, forcing him to beg for the mercy that he refused to show.

But no. He had a mission. Marcus had entrusted him with this.

"Who're you supposed to be?" Pangoro asked.

"Ah'm Drapion," Drapion growled. "Ah'm here ta make ya an offer."

A deep-throated chuckle came from Pangoro. "I'd ask what the offer is," he growled, "but the Trainer standing behind you gives me answer enough. Not interested."

Drapion began to rack his brain for a response, but Pangoro continued to speak. "You wanna know why? Because I've seen Trained Pokemon before. I've fought Trained Pokemon before. And you know something? They're weak."

Any response Drapion might have formed was thrown aside in an instant. Drapion bared his teeth. "Yer callin' me weak?"

"Yeah," Pangoro growled. "Trained Pokemon…they rely on their Trainers. Take away the Trainer, take away those fancy 'TMs' that they give you, and what are you? How long have you been training, huh?"

"A couple months," Drapion growled. "Give or take."

This time Pangoro truly laughed. "A couple months? I've been training for five years, and I didn't need a Trainer to help me out. I achieved this level of strength naturally. Watch this. Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!"

With shocking speed, Pangoro raised a fist and slammed it into the ground. Where it landed, it sank into the earth up to Pangoro's wrist and sent out a small shockwave of dust that obliterated the grass in a six-inch radius around it. Pangoro rose once again, smirking. "See that? My Ability makes my fists as hard as iron. I can throw all my strength into a punch without worrying about how bruised my knuckles can get. So I can use my full power with every strike. Tell me…do you think you can withstand a hail of fists, each with that level of power? That is how strong I've become on my own! Without a Trainer. So get outta here. You're wasting your time and mine, and I don't appreciate it when my time is wasted."

Drapion swallowed. What was he supposed to do now? He'd tried to convince Pangoro to join. He'd failed. All that remained was to battle, to expel him from this place. But it didn't feel like-

An idea came to mind in the middle of his thought. Drapion set his stance, gritting his teeth in preparation. "Hmph," he growled. "Ah suppose yer right. This is a waste of mah time. Mah Trainer wouldn't want a weaklin' like you on his team."

The word weakling hurt as it slipped out. Drapion hadn't dreamed he'd ever utter that word. But it did exactly what it was meant to do: grab Pangoro's attention. "What did you just call me?"

"Ah called ya a weaklin'," Drapion growled; the word was easier this time. He took a step forward. "'Cause that's what ya are. Five years of trainin' fer what? Sittin' on a rock an' bullyin' Yungoos?"

"Oh, so is that what this is about?" Pangoro mocked. "You trying to defend them? News flash: they're weak too. And those that are weak-"

"-deserve ta be crushed by the strong," Drapion finished. "Blah, blah, blah. That's what they always say."

"Who?"

"Weaklin's." Drapion took another step forward. "All ya do is bully those weaker than ya. Those Trained Pokemon ya faced…ya say they rely on their Trainers an' their TMs. Ah bet ya lost ta them, didn't ya?"

"So what if I did?" Pangoro asked.

"Ah'm lookin' at ya," said Drapion, "an' ah'm seein' a Pokemon who's afraid. Ya've spent yer entire life beatin' on unevolved Pokemon 'cause yer scared ta face the actually strong ones. 'Cause ya know they can beat ya. All those words, all those threats…it's all a front, ain't it? Ya asked how long ah've been trainin' not ta prove a point, but 'cause ya were scared of me. An' that's why yer weak. Not 'cause ya ain't strong…but 'cause yer so scared ya might not be that yer unwillin' ta accept that ya might not be the strongest. An' ah think deep inside, ya know that a Trainer will make ya stronger. Ya just refuse ta admit it. So ah'll tell ya what. Ah challenge ya. No Trainer moves. No Trainer input. Just me, mah natural power…an' you."

Pangoro's eyes narrowed to slits and his fists clenched tightly. "I'll admit one thing," he growled. "I was hoping not to fight you. I didn't feel like wasting my time beating up on someone like you. But now? Now I'll be glad to pummel you."

Drapion crouched, readying himself. "Medicham!" he snarled. "Tell Marcus ah'm fightin' alone. Whatever happens…don't give me any orders. Make that very clear."

A silence fell over the clearing as Medicham translated for Drapion. She must have hesitated, because it took longer than usual for Marcus to reply. "Okay," he said simply.

In that moment, Pangoro charged. "Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!"

"Battle Armor: Tail!" Drapion roared. Chitin gathered around his tail as he twisted, swinging it at Pangoro's oncoming fist.

A crack sounded as the blows connected. Pangoro hadn't been lying; it was like connecting with solid iron, and Drapion could feel the power of Pangoro's punch even through the layers and layers of chitin.

Those iron fists were backed up by plenty of muscle, built up over five years, and yet Pangoro's punch was wavering. Why? Drapion grinned, for he knew. He knew that for those five years, nothing had stopped Pangoro's punch this way.

He could tell by the subtle shift in Pangoro's stance. Before it had been almost casual; now Pangoro was crouching, pouring more of his strength into the punch, seeking to overwhelm Drapion's tail through sheer force. Drapion had to admit that Pangoro wasn't an idiot. He wasn't like Bryony's Ursaring had been, a behemoth throwing raw strength around without strategy. Pangoro knew how to properly utilize his strength. It made him far more dangerous.

But it also made him far more predictable.

Drapion twisted as fast as he could. "Battle Armor: Double Slam!" he snarled, shifting his chitin to both his claws as he swung around. Pangoro overbalanced, having put too much into his shove, and stumbled right into Drapion's attack.

The Dark/Fighting-type was lifted clean off his feet by Drapion's attack, flying ten feet before plunging back down to the ground. Pangoro landed hard on his belly and, at first, didn't get up. Drapion could see that his jaw was dislocated from the Double Slam. Grinning, he turned to fully face Pangoro, allowing his Battle Armor to shift away from his claws, ready to move anywhere he desired.

"Like ah said," Drapion growled. "Weak."

Pangoro's hand slammed into the ground. His other followed on his opposite side and he hauled himself up, rising to his full height. He twisted to glare at Drapion, planted his feet in the ground, reached up with both hands, grasped his jaw, and wrenched it back into place.

Then he clenched his fists once more, sinking into a fighting stance. "Is that all you've got?"

In answer, Drapion fired off a swift Blast at Pangoro. The Dark/Fighting-type reached up, crossing his arms in front of him, and took the Blast on his forearms, skidding back only a few inches. Pangoro thrust his arms apart, dispersing the last of the Poison energy, and let out a furious roar. Then he lunged, kicking off the earth and hurling himself at Drapion with his right fist outstretched. "Iron Fist: Shattering Blow!"

Drapion resisted the urge to use Protect. He'd promised no TMs, after all. Quickly, he shifted, raising one massive claw to intercept Pangoro. "Battle Armor!" he snarled.

Pangoro's fist met Drapion's upraised arm. Drapion could at once tell this blow had even more power behind it than before. This time he was actually shoved backwards, his claws scrabbling for purchase in the dirt. Pangoro spotted this and grinned. "Got you!" he snarled, raising his left fist. "Iron Fist: Piston Blow!"

"Battle Armor!" Drapion could only muster minimal chitin, though, before Pangoro's fist drove into his jaw. Chitin cracked and teeth crunched under the blow, and then Pangoro hauled back and landed another, and another, his arm moving back and forth and back and forth like a machine. But as the third blow landed, Drapion lunged to meet it. "Rend!" he snarled, opening his jaws wide.

He paid for it, certainly. The fist slammed into the inside of his right cheek, ripping through the inside of his mouth. Half his face exploded with pain, blood filling the inside of his mouth, but he forced it back and clamped his jaws tightly around Pangoro's right wrist. Pangoro howled, ripping his wrist away, spraying blood as it went. Drapion twisted again. "Battle Armor: Tail!"

Drapion could feel one of Pangoro's ribs give way under the powerful tail strike. But with terrifyingly fast reflexes, Pangoro reached out and grabbed the tail in both hands. Groaning with effort, Pangoro twisted, and despite grasping the earth tightly with his claws Drapion felt himself sliding backwards independently of his own will.

With a burst of strength Pangoro forcibly released Drapion's tail, sending him sliding backwards further, and then leaped straight for Drapion's side with a full-body tackle. Drapion could resist the pain with Battle Armor, but Pangoro's sheer weight was too much for him and he fell, both Pokemon tumbling to the ground. Pangoro rolled with the impact; his feet touched the ground and he skidded to a halt. As Drapion landed on his back Pangoro charged again. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!"

"Battle Armor!" Drapion snarled, but the chitin had scarcely formed before Pangoro's fist was in his sternum. Then another fist landed, and then another, and another, as Pangoro fired off one blow after another, a blow every second, each one pounding away at Drapion's stomach, cracking his chitin, sinking deeper and deeper with every strike.

Just like Grimsley's Liepard had done. A chill washed over Drapion. His armor was strong. Always had been, ever since he'd gotten it. But it could not handle a flurry of blows in quick succession. Calem's Lucario had demonstrated it, Grimsley's Liepard had demonstrated it, and now Pangoro? Was he going to lose in the exact same way as on the ferry?

Done in this easily?

No. He refused.

Even as Pangoro's fist pounded into his stomach, Drapion folded around the blow, opened his mouth, and clamped it around Pangoro's left ankle. "Rend!" he snarled, forcing Poison energy into the teeth even as Pangoro kicked out, trying to shake him off.

Drapion planted all four feet hard on the ground and wrenched his jaws away from Pangoro's ankle. More blood sprayed; Drapion stole a glance at Marcus, who was looking somewhat queasy as he watched.

Pangoro staggered, but planted his feet once again. He looked down at his ankle, then back up at Drapion. "Poison?" he snarled. "Typical. A cowardly attack."

"Ah'm a Poison-type," Drapion retorted. "Deal with it."

Pangoro glared at him. Drapion glared right back. Pangoro's scowl slowly began to shift, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, until a fearsome grin adorned the Dark/Fighting-type's face.

"You do know how to fight!" he said. "I'll give you that. I can't help but admit...I'm actually enjoying this! So I'll give you a special treat. It's been a long time since I've used this technique! But with it, I'll crush you once and for all! Battle Aura!"

A blazing aura of energy flared into existence around Pangoro. Pangoro let out a roar as it consumed him, surrounding him in white light. It seemed as if the very earth was trembling under this power. Drapion steadied himself, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Pangoro even as the light of the Battle Aura nearly blinded him. He would not flinch.

"Battle Aura massively increases my power at the cost of my stamina!" Pangoro roared. "I can only hold it for a minute, two at most, before my body gives out! But once I have used it, no opponent has lasted for more than thirty seconds in the face of my overwhelming strength! Tell your Trainer to recall you! Spare yourself the pain!"

Drapion spat out some blood. A boosting move. Work Up, likely, or something similar. Hmph. Burrow and Block are out…ranged attacks he can just resist…my poison will affect him, eventually, but at this point his Battle Aura will give out before the poison can do its work, which lands me in the same spot. I can use the elemental fangs…I can learn those naturally, I'm pretty sure…but I don't think they'll do much.

What in Distortion am I supposed to do?

"If you won't concede, then I'll make you beg for mercy!" Pangoro lunged, pounding across the clearing. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!"

Drapion gazed into the face of his opponent. His eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched, and he lunged straight for Pangoro. There was no withstanding his opponent's blows, he knew that much.

But could Pangoro withstand his own?

"PREY!" Drapion bellowed, forcing energy into every spike on his body. Pangoro's fist flew; Drapion lunged to the side; he felt it drive into his already-wounded right cheek. Chitin shredded under the powerful fist and Drapion felt a rush of air flowing through the newfound hole in the side of his face and into his mouth, but he paid no attention to it. No attention to the pain. He simply lunged, sinking claws and teeth and spikes alike into Pangoro's body, ignoring Pangoro's other fist sinking into his left side, shattering chitin and spraying blood.

Pangoro bellowed too, voicing his agony and rage. Drapion felt the Dark/Fighting-type's arms wrap tightly around him and begin to squeeze. He dug his teeth harder into Pangoro's left shoulder, sank his side-spikes deeper into Pangoro's torso, and drove his tail into Pangoro's legs. Pangoro overbalanced and toppled to the ground, Drapion on top of him.

This time, neither one got up. Pangoro just continued to squeeze, Drapion just continued to stab and bite. Both had completely abandoned any semblance of strategy; both were simply aiming to cause as much pain to the opponent as possible.

Abruptly Pangoro raised his head, opened his mouth, and sank his teeth deep into the exposed flesh of Drapion's cheek wound. Pain the likes of which Drapion had never felt before ripped through his face; tears came to his eyes and he felt his teeth involuntarily cease their bite. He could feel Pangoro's trunklike arms squeezing the life out of him, his tail strikes growing weaker as the air departed his body.

It was no use. Pangoro's Battle Aura was just too strong.

He opened his mouth to cry out to Medicham. To tell her to get Marcus to stop the fight.

And then he twisted and sank his jaws into Pangoro's throat.

"No!" Marcus cried as Pangoro shrieked. The noise was so strange, a piercing scream that sounded like it had never before been voiced by the Dark/Fighting-type. Drapion wrenched his teeth free of Pangoro's throat, spraying yet more blood across the already reddened grass. Pangoro recoiled, abandoning his grip on Drapion's cheek.

"Battle Armor!" Drapion growled, gathering all the chitin he could around the right side of his head. Then, with all his strength, he drove it into Pangoro's face.

Once. Twice. Three times.

As Drapion reared back for a fourth hit, Pangoro's arms released his midsection. "Iron…Fist…" Pangoro snarled through the blood covering his face. "Bullet…Blows…"

Two iron-hard fists slammed into Drapion's chin, hurling him bodily off Pangoro. Weightlessness assumed itself and Drapion flew, too weak to even flail.

His back hit the ground, knocking what little breath remained in his body out of it. Drapion lay where he was, wheezing, gasping for air, dreading the looming shadow of Pangoro that he knew was coming.

But Pangoro did not come. It only took ten seconds for air to come streaming back into Drapion's lungs, but it felt like an eternity. Slowly, Drapion swiveled his head to look at Pangoro.

What he saw shocked him. The Battle Aura was gone. Pangoro was on hands and knees, his entire body trembling. Blood clotted his fur, his black-and-white body stained red.

As Drapion glared at him, Pangoro slowly raised his head. His face was split in a wide grin, his eyes alight. "Two…two months, huh?"

"Yeah," Drapion coughed.

"You're…you're strong," Pangoro growled. He dropped to one hand and one elbow with a staggering crash.

"You're…not so…bad yourself," Drapion replied. He, too, sank back to the ground, his limbs barely able to sustain him.

Pangoro's gaze swiveled towards Marcus, then back to Drapion. "Tell…your Trainer," he growled, his voice slowly weakening, "…I'm in."

Then Pangoro's strength finally gave out and he crumpled, lying on the ground motionless, as the light in his eyes finally died.

With an exertion of effort, Drapion looked towards Marcus's belt. "Medicham!" he growled. "Tell Marcus…catch...Pangoro..."

And then he, too, felt the last of his strength give out, and he toppled to the ground as darkness took hold.

Marshadow floated gently at the edge of the window, watching the room inside, where Lillie sat on her hotel bed alone, hand on her chin. Cosmog had recently teleported away along with Lillie's other Pokemon, a small Alolan Vulpix she nicknamed Snowy. Where they'd gone, Marshadow didn't know, but he knew they'd come back eventually.

i can't really control when and where i teleport. it just happens. but i've always found that it takes me where i need to go.

The words replayed in Marshadow's head over and over again as he watched, making sure to stay out of Lillie's view. Cosmog clearly didn't know Marshadow's past; if he had, Cosmog would never have accepted him following Lillie. But Lillie, being a human, most likely knew who Marshadow was, and what he'd done. And so he could not let her see him.

A pew noise sounded as Cosmog and Snowy reappeared into the room in a puff of purple smoke. Lillie sighed. "Anything new?"

"Nothing," Snowy told Cosmog. "Not since yesterday. Lillie, you have to be careful, you know they're going to come for you."

Cosmog translated Snowy's words to Lillie telepathically, and Lillie sighed. "I know. I'm being as careful as I can. But…" She hung her head, unwilling or unable to say anything more.

"are you all right, lillie?" Cosmog asked.

"Yes, Nebby, I'm all right," said Lillie. "It's just…knowing about those two scientists plotting against my mother, and about the Ultra Beasts, and Necrozma, and…and Wicke…I'm not even sure if I want to hide anymore. Nebby, Snowy…this is all so much bigger than I could have possibly imagined. And…part of me…can't help but wonder…would it be best if I just went back?"

"No!/no!" Snowy and Nebby chorused.

"look, lillie, you know what happens after that," said Nebby. "lusamine and her allies go off to fight a battle they aren't even truly prepared for. i know we have no idea who necrozma even is, but i know he's powerful. you'd be playing right into a plan that has very little chance of working, and gives faba and xerosic exactly what they want. better to let necrozma come to us, and fight him here. the world has the capabilities to fight anyone. no matter how strong they are."

Lillie nodded. "I…I see." She swallowed. "You can go to sleep now. Both of you."

Nebby clambered back into Lillie's bag, while Snowy climbed onto the bed and curled up in a puddle of white fur at Lillie's feet.

Lillie looked up at the ceiling. "Mother…I'm sorry," she whispered. "Part of me wishes…that I could just tell you…warn you that what you're doing…it's just throwing your life away. But…the rest of me knows…you'd never listen. I'm sorry…I'm sorry for running away. But I had no choice. I had to stop you from destroying yourself. And I hope…I hope someday you'll forgive me."

Then Lillie, too, closed her eyes. Marshadow backed away from the window and began to seek his own place to sleep for the night. There was no sense in depriving himself of rest.

Eventually, Marshadow found a small hollow in a tree that was unoccupied and didn't look like anyone's home. He tried to keep Cosmog's words in his mind. Tried to tell himself that no, he didn't know. That they might very well be willing to accept him. But as Marshadow lay down in the hollow and closed his eyes, his worries surged forth full force once more. And when he did finally sleep, his dreams were filled with Cosmog and Lillie and Snowy, all watching him, knowing of his past, their accusing stares and harsh words ensuring his sleep was not at all pleasant.

"Where in Distortion has Nidoking gone?" Ripper growled. "We should be sticking together!"

Betrayer-Of-Kin remained silent as she gazed around the valley they were standing in, a deep valley with high stony cliffs on either side. Nidoking had moved off to the side as they entered, telling Ripper and Betrayer-Of-Kin to wait in the valley for his return; that had been nearly fifteen minutes ago.

"Are you even listening?" Ripper asked. "Oh, let me guess. You're scanning your probabilities again?"

"Be silent," Betrayer-Of-Kin ordered.

Ripper let out a furious, explosive sigh.

"Nidoking's business is his own," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "We do not interfere."

"And yet we are!" Ripper snarled. "This entire stupid trip has been us interfering with his business! What's the point of even coming here, anyway? He hasn't told me a damn thing about what we're actually doing here!"

"Me neither," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "And yet unlike you, he is actually useful to me. I chose to keep you around because I felt I could use you. But you are becoming more of a liability and an annoyance than an actual ally."

"I just want to know something about why you agreed to this!" Ripper growled. "You said that joining Nidoking would put you on the path to tracking down Marcus! But now that we've tracked him down, you suddenly are perfectly on board with not engaging him! So tell me the truth! What's the point of all this?"

Betrayer-Of-Kin spun, her eyes staring straight into Ripper's. "You want the truth?" Betrayer-Of-Kin asked. "The whole truth? The real truth? That's impossible. Trust me...if you think you could possibly know the truth about my mission, you are dead wrong. Not even Nidoking knows the whole truth. Because if anyone learned the whole truth, they wouldn't last a day. We Absols...we are the only ones who know. Who can know. And anyone else who does know is eliminated. Either their minds are erased...or they are erased."

She stood to her full height, casting her gaze over Ripper's shoulder. "Don't believe me? Look behind you."

Ripper twisted to see, standing forty feet away from them, five more Absols arranged in a line, all of them glaring at Betrayer-Of-Kin, their horns glowing with Dark energy.

"Bringer-Of-Visions," Betrayer-Of-Kin greeted.

"Betrayer-Of-Kin," the central one of the five Absols retorted.

All five Absols were glaring at Betrayer-Of-Kin. Ripper stifled a gulp; were all these Absols as strong as Betrayer-Of-Kin? How were they supposed to win if that was the case?

It can't end here. My vengeance isn't complete!

Bringer-Of-Visions glared at Betrayer-Of-Kin. The shadows shifted around her. And then she was right there, standing beside Betrayer-Of-Kin, horn ablaze with darkness.

"Die."

Originally, the Heralds vs. Betrayer-Of-Kin (and Ripper) fight scene was supposed to be in this chapter as well. But I drastically underestimated how long Pangoro vs. Drapion was going to be. So ultimately I shifted it. Which works out fine, because cliffhangers are fun.