I don't know what happened with this chapter. I wasn't planning to write 13,000 words. But I guess it fits for the finale of a fairly lore-heavy arc.
Which reminds me: this chapter has a lot of exposition. So be prepared for that. I hope you all enjoy.
The aftermath of the battle was as exciting as the battle itself. Seeker-Of-Endings would not deny that seeing so many Legendaries in one place was a once-in-a-lifetime experience even for a Herald like himself. He'd had no idea what the Dogs of War and the Lord of Truth were doing in Alola, but he'd known this was not the time or place for such questions. And anyway, they had left after conversing with Marshadow, allowing the Tapus to do their work.
And work they had. Lele and Bulu had worked together to repair the damage from the battle, Lele Psychically repairing buildings and sealing craters while Bulu restored the surrounding trees and bushes that had been torn apart. Koko had gone off in search of any adversaries that might have escaped, while Fini focused on healing the Pokemon who had been injured, including Elio's Incineroar and Guzma's entire team. About five minutes after the Dogs of War and the Lord of Truth had departed, a group of Trainers - Grimsley, Nanu, Acerola, and Professor Kukui - had dashed into town. From the fairly chaotic conversation that had resulted, they'd been searching for Marcus's group for a while, and had come as fast as they could upon meeting civilians fleeing from Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts.
The Alolans had conversed with the Tapus while Grimsley made sure that Marcus's group were safe. Once the Tapus' work was done, they had departed, as had Kukui; Seeker-Of-Endings had heard talk of the UPW and concluded that Kukui was almost certainly headed off to report the incursion - and Necrozma's threats - to the rest of the organization. Grimsley, Acerola, and Nanu had busied themselves restoring order in the general area, while Marcus's group, their Pokemon healed, had made for the closest open hotel to get some well-earned rest.
Relaxing in his Pokeball, Seeker-Of-Endings could scarcely believe that this very morning they had woken up on Melemele Island, planning to head to Ula'ula, possibly meet Nanu, and enjoy a last day or two in Alola before heading back to Kalos. His Future Sight had not prepared him for this. Between the massive amount of Psychic shielding that had resulted from preparations for the clash with Betrayer-Of-Kin and the strange case of the beings who could not be seen through Future Sight, Seeker-Of-Endings had decided he would be better off ignoring his Future Sight for today. That had been a mistake, he noted drily.
The call of a Perish Song disturbed his thoughts; he sat bolt upright. Bringer-Of-Visions, he realized, and swiftly answered the call, plunging into the blackness of Oblivion.
The first thing he heard, even before opening his eyes, was a voice he didn't recognize. "-once again, I apologize for not coming sooner. Ula'ula was in chaos. Between Team Skull, whatever those creatures were-"
"You are not at fault, Strider," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "You did well to stick by Nanu in that situation. I will not berate you for doing your job."
Now Seeker-Of-Endings realized who the other Absol was: Strider-Of-Trails, the Herald assigned to Kahuna Nanu.
Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes darted to Seeker-Of-Endings. "Ah, Seeker. Glad you could make it."
"Are there any others coming?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.
"Sadly, no," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "The rest are still recovering from the battle against Betrayer-Of-Kin." She sighed. "It is at times like this when I wish we had more Heralds in Alola. Perhaps, with Finder's death, I will arrange for a few to be transferred from Hoenn."
"So why call us here, Bringer?" Strider-Of-Trails asked.
"At my request."
Seeker-Of-Endings jumped at Darkrai's sudden voice. "Master," Strider-Of-Trails intoned, bowing respectfully; Seeker-Of-Endings hastily did likewise.
"I have ascertained the nature of our enemy," said Darkrai. "My hunch was correct; I was able to locate Marcus's Medicham in the Dream World. But she was not there by choice. Rather, she was under assault…by another version of myself."
Seeker-Of-Endings frowned, listening attentively. He wanted to know as much as possible about just what had transpired in the time Marcus's Medicham had been lost from sight.
"Another version…of yourself?" Strider-Of-Trails sounded befuddled.
"An Aberration from a timeline far removed from our own," said Darkrai. "This version of myself had attempted to take control of the world via usurping the power of the Lords of Time and Space. He was stopped and banished, but had successfully gained some measure of control over time and space. Necrozma had found and recruited him as an ally."
"Who is this 'Necrozma?'" Bringer-Of-Visions asked.
"The creature who attacked Alola today," Seeker-Of-Endings blurted out before he could stop himself. The other two Heralds' eyes flicked towards him; he could have sworn he heard Darkrai chuckle softly.
"Necrozma is a Legendary from another reality entirely," said Darkrai. "He doesn't just hail from another timeline. He comes from a world that even Yggdrasil's branches don't reach. He exists outside time itself. The beings who we haven't been able to see via Future Sight all come from the same world; that is why we cannot see them."
"I heard that there were others," Strider-Of-Trails growled. "Though I saw no alternate Darkrai."
"That is because I engaged the Aberration in combat," said Darkrai. "His strength was tempered by overconfidence; I was able to deal enough damage to force him to release Medicham. I am fairly certain he was too busy licking his wounds to aid Necrozma in the invasion. But when Necrozma returns, the Aberration will be fighting alongside him. And yes, there are others. Necrozma has multiple Legendary-level beings on his side, perhaps even a number in the double digits."
"And Strider-Of-Trails has told me that Necrozma and his allies will be returning," said Bringer-Of-Visions grimly. "Thanks to their nature, we won't be able to see them coming, or what effect they will have on the timeline."
"One thing is for certain," said Darkrai. "The Aberration mentioned that he had aided Necrozma in subjugating other timelines. I took a peek through Yggdrasil's branches and found many timelines that Necrozma and his allies had chased the beings that were working with Lusamine through. All of the timelines that they had visited had been ravaged, entire regions devastated. Wherever they went, a Splinter Timeline had been created. It is highly unlikely that their invasion here will not result in another."
Bringer-Of-Visions muttered a curse; Strider-Of-Trails sighed frustratedly. "Until Necrozma's invasion has been dealt with, and their effects on our timeline can be seen, our manipulations will be all but worthless."
"Indeed," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "Something that I am certain Betrayer-Of-Kin will endeavor to take advantage of. We must watch Marcus even more closely than usual."
"Thank Arceus Betrayer-Of-Kin did not make an attempt on his life at Aether Paradise," said Seeker-Of-Endings.
Bringer-Of-Visions and Strider-Of-Trails nodded in commiseration.
"I will examine the timeline the Aberration hails from to learn more about him," said Darkrai. "He was defeated there. He is not invincible. But I must learn how to take him on. I worry that I will have to petition the Lords of Time and Space for aid."
"We will worry about Marcus," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "Ensure that he remains on his path in spite of recent events."
"Very good," said Darkrai. "I must depart. Farewell." His presence receded, leaving the three Heralds standing in Oblivion.
"Seeker," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "your task is as it was before today's events - shadow Marcus, and aid him however you can in becoming a Gym Leader. The fact that he knows at least some of your true nature should allow you to be more effective at this task. You are dismissed. Strider, remain here. I have in fact decided that transferring some Heralds from Hoenn is a good idea, and with the others injured, I need you to help the transfers settle in."
Seeker-Of-Endings exited Oblivion before he could hear any more of the conversation. Back in his Pokeball, he relaxed once again. Keep doing what I'm doing. Shouldn't be too hard. Thank Arceus Medicham's back. It would have been a job to convince Marcus to abandon her.
Curling up, Seeker-Of-Endings closed his eyes and allowed his tired body to finally descend into sleep.
The other Champions stared at Kukui as he finished his tale. For several moments there was silence from all around the table as shock pervaded the group.
At last Blue spoke. "Let me get this straight," he said. "A bunch of teenagers attacked Aether Paradise, Lusamine's disappeared, Team Skull are good guys now, and…interdimensional Legendaries? It's been twenty-four hours since our last meeting! How does all that happen in twenty-four hours?"
"Actually, it all happened in about three hours, from what I've been told," said Kukui. "Counting, of course, Team Skull's assault on Ula'ula Island."
"I don't think that's really helping, Kukui," said Rosa. "So. Lusamine's disappeared. What does that mean for Aether?"
"Most of us do have Aether sanctuaries in our regions," Geeta added. "Naranja Academy has a partnership with Aether, and one of their scientists, Mr. Jacq, just started teaching at the academy. Will these events affect such partnerships?"
"I doubt it," said Kukui. "I've heard that the Aether Paradise Branch Chief, Faba, has assumed control of Aether in Lusamine's stead. He's a pretty accomplished Psychic trainer with some Psychic capabilities himself. Bit weird, but a good businessman. With him in charge, I'm confident Aether's in good hands."
"Wonderful," said Geeta.
"Yeah, the real problem's the interdimensional Legendaries," said Kukui. "No idea who they are or what they want. The Tapus were pretty cagey on the matter; aside from informing me that they were, well, interdimensional Legendaries, all they really said was that they'd come again. The Tapus will be gathering allies to help stop them, but they informed me that we'd need to pitch in as well." He glanced around the room. "I hate to initiate Galactic Protocol so soon after Team Flare-"
"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of," said Brendan. "It's not like it's your fault or anything. And I'm glad this time we've got advance warning."
"We should be able to ready some people to teleport in whenever you give the word," said Ethan.
"Yeah, and with Legendaries helping out, it should be an absolute-"
"Thank you, Leon," said Kukui. "Thank you, everyone. I…suppose I should confess something. I've been trying to find someone else to serve as Champion when Alola gets its League. It's one of the reasons I've been putting it off. But with all this happening…"
"…Alola needs a leader," Dawn finished. "I get it, Kukui. And for what it's worth, I think you'll be a great Champion for Alola."
"Yeah, Burnet can take up Professoring in my stead," said Kukui. "I'll talk to her about it tonight; if she agrees, I think it's about time to get Alola's League up and running, if for no other reason than to unify Alola in the face of this upcoming attack."
"We'll be with you when it comes," said Diantha. "Good luck, Kukui."
A chorus of similar statements echoed throughout the room as the holographic monitors winked out one by one.
"Back to Kalos tomorrow, then?" Connie asked.
"Yeah," said Marcus. "Never thought I'd say this…but I've had enough of Alola for the time being."
"Same here," said Connie. "Guess we came at a bad time, huh?"
Marcus nodded. "I'm turning in for the night," he said. "Good night."
"Good night." Connie shut the door that divided their two rooms, and Marcus made for his bed with no small amount of rapidity.
In her Luxury Ball, Medicham tried to settle down to sleep. Exhaustion clawed at her, and yet the worry of nightmares kept her eyes open. Without Darkrai, she knew they would come in full force.
Trying to forget the events of today, her thoughts drifted to the rest of the team. They'd had time for brief conversation, updating Medicham on the events that had transpired. She hadn't even realized that Trevenant and Houndoom had unlocked their Abilities; assuming the flight tomorrow had a battling area like the last one, they'd be spending at least part of that flight testing those Abilities. The rest of the team had wanted to know about her, and she had relayed what information she could get out without breaking down. She hadn't mentioned the death of Lusamine's Clefable, or of the Ultra Recon Squad. She'd also neglected to speak of the Aberration; Kriesh still didn't know about Darkrai, she'd realized with a fresh pang of guilt, and she didn't know how to bring up the Aberration without also talking about the Master of the Heralds.
She only then realized her thoughts had brought her right back to today's events. Sighing frustratedly, she turned over and pressed her head into the cooling gel of the Luxury Ball, squeezing her eyes shut.
She didn't know when she actually fell asleep. She only realized she had fallen asleep when the nightmares came.
This time it was different. Bringer-Of-Visions was there, as was the clearing, blood pouring from Elle's stomach and surging across the clearing in a wave, soaking the snow and the trees. But there were others. Necrozma kept her immobilized with shadows, helpless to stop the wave blood from coming down on her, and the Aberration appeared overhead, clutching Pad in one hand and Obsidia and the other, draining the life from their unconscious bodies.
"NO!" she cried, but the word was muffled by Necrozma's shadows as they reached across her face, engulfing her in darkness. And then all at once it disappeared; she dropped to the floor, the stench of blood gone from her nostrils, the specters receded from her mind.
She opened her eyes and looked around, instantly recognizing the familiar walls of the dojo. She sighed. "Darkrai?"
There was no answer. In here it was nearly soundless, though Medicham could hear a faint wind from where she was standing.
Medicham began to speak, but hesitated. Did she really want to talk with Darkrai? Could she trust anything that the Master of the Heralds said? If she couldn't, what would be the point?
He saved my life!
Not out of friendliness. Out of necessity. Because I haven't fulfilled my destiny yet.
Medicham sighed again. No, she couldn't trust anything Darkrai said. But…
"Darkrai," she said. "I know you're here. If you want to talk, let's talk."
The wind grew louder, more clear, and now Medicham realized it was breathing. Darkrai's voice pierced the air. "I just wanted to apologize."
Medicham did not turn. "It's going to take more than that."
"I know." Darkrai's voice sounded sorrowful. It was the tone he'd taken whenever he'd thought he'd said something mean. Could that be trusted either? Or had that been further manipulation?
"What do you really want from me?" Medicham asked.
"When we first met, I told you the truth," said Darkrai. "I want to help you."
"You know I can't believe that anymore," said Medicham.
A brief moment of silence indicated that Darkrai was either nodding, shaking his head, or just allowing the words to settle upon the air before replying. "I have a proposition."
"What is it?" Medicham asked.
"You want to know your destiny," said Darkrai. "What your path entails. Simply put - you want answers. I will give them to you. It's as simple as that."
"What's the catch?"
"There is none," said Darkrai. "I am offering knowledge. That's it."
"And you want my trust in return," Medicham guessed.
"I doubt it will allow you to trust me fully," said Darkrai. "All I want is for it to be a start."
Medicham would not deny the offer was tempting. She'd wanted to know the truth about her destiny ever since the Heralds had taken her from Elle. But…she had to wonder if such knowledge would be worth it. Would it just result in further mental pain? Was that Darkrai's game?
I have to know.
The thought burst into her mind, repeating over and over again, engulfing all of Medicham's mental protestations. She sighed. "All right."
"Do you want Kriesh to know?"
Medicham finally turned to look behind her. At first she could not see Darkrai, but then her eyes began to pick up on mild disturbances in the air behind her, patches where the air seemed strange. She narrowed her eyes; yes, that was Darkrai's body, even more faded than it had been during the fight against the Aberration. It was slowly fading back out of existence, the effects of what the Aberration had done to it receding.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Medicham asked.
"I understand she knows about the Heralds just as much as you do," said Darkrai. "Would you like her to gain this knowledge as well?"
"You can do that?" Medicham asked.
"She is dreaming too," said Darkrai. "It is only a matter of finding her."
Medicham was about to say yes, but the word died on her lips. "I…can't," she said.
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't told her about you!" Medicham cried. "And if she realizes that I lied about you to her face, she'll never-"
"Medicham," Darkrai interrupted, his voice quiet but strong. "Is your response to not wanting to reveal a lie just to lie more? Would that not make it worse?"
"Only if she finds out," Medicham murmured.
"Take it from me," said Darkrai. "Lies are always revealed eventually." Medicham chuckled involuntarily at that. "Would it not be easier to just reveal one lie now rather than a hundred lies later?"
Medicham sighed. As much as she didn't want to trust Darkrai, the words made sense. "You're right," she said. "I suppose…let's go find her."
"Very well." The dojo was washed away in a whirl of rushing wind. Medicham glanced around, spotting Pokemon-filled biomes flitting by at a rapid pace. Her ears pricked as faint cries began to be heard, many cries raised up in a discordant desperate wailing that grew louder and louder as the winds began to slow.
The full noise of the cries struck Medicham like a blow; she looked around to see a dark room filled with what she instantly recognized as cages and nets, made of wire mesh and thick rope, each containing at least one Pokemon. Their cries came from all around Medicham as they strained to escape their confinement, pleas for help escaping their throats. It took a moment for Medicham to realize none of them could see her or Darkrai. "What…what is this place?" she asked, her voice stuttering slightly.
"Far too many Pokemon have endured this," said Darkrai. "Stolen away from their home or their Trainer, confined in some dark faraway place by various Teams or standard poachers, knowing nothing but that they would likely never see their friends and families again. Even when those teams or poachers are defeated and their captives rescued, the nightmares remain."
"Kriesh is here?" Medicham asked, aghast.
"Many nights," said Darkrai. "Including this one. Don't worry, we won't have to stay here long. I'm sending you in now. Free her and come straight back."
The sounds of hundreds if not thousands of voices faded away; as if drawn by some unknown force, Medicham turned to look towards a specific cage on the far end of the room. A single Spearow was curled up inside, feathers ungroomed, trying to make herself as small as possible. She was crying quietly, attempting to mask her sobs by pressing her face into her chest.
Looking around, Medicham realized she was now surrounded by thick darkness, only the cage containing the Spearow visible. This is her dream, she realized. I'm in her dream.
Medicham stepped over quickly towards the cage. The Spearow looked up as she approached, her eyes red from crying. "Medicham?" she asked disbelievingly, her voice smaller and younger.
"It's okay, Kriesh," Medicham whispered. "It's okay. I'm here."
Manifesting Aura across her fists, she reached out and tore the wire mesh of the cage apart, leaving a gaping rent. Kriesh looked up at her. "How?" she asked.
"It's a long story," said Medicham. "I'll tell you once we're out."
Medicham cupped her hands, and Kriesh hopped into them quickly. Pointedly turning away from the cage, Medicham walked away from it; she looked back to see how far away it was, and saw it disappearing into the darkness, melting away as though under a blowtorch.
And then the cries came again as she departed the dream and the rest of the cages rematerialized. Kriesh was back to her normal self, standing on the floor beside Medicham; her gaze flicked wildly around the room, eyes widened. "What-" she began, but then the winds arose again, drowning out the voices; the room disappeared in another rush of air.
Kriesh rounded on Medicham. "What was that?" she demanded.
"Where you were."
Kriesh jumped, glancing around; the Fearow was quite clearly overwhelmed by what was going on.
"Kriesh…" Medicham swallowed. She'd been putting it off for as long as possible, but Darkrai had forced her hand. "Meet Darkrai."
Kriesh's eyes shifted to Medicham again. "Darkrai? As in…the Master of Nightmares? That Darkrai?"
"Yes, that Darkrai," said Medicham.
Kriesh stared at Medicham. "Okay…and how long have you known Darkrai?"
"About…about a week," Medicham confessed. I guess there's no turning back now. She swallowed again. "Kriesh…he's…he's the Master of the Heralds. He's the one they take orders from."
"At this point, more advice than orders," Darkrai helpfully added.
Medicham could see Kriesh's eyes shining and knew she was connecting the dots. "How long ago did you figure that out?"
"Last night," said Medicham.
Kriesh's eyes narrowed in understanding. "And that's why you seemed out of it this morning…why'd you not tell me?"
Medicham knew the question had been coming, and yet now that it had been presented, she couldn't figure out how to respond. Several answers failed on their way up her throat. "I…" she said at last. "I guess…I was ashamed. He'd been…helping me. Training me. I trusted him, and then…" She lowered her head. "It was stupid, I know. But I…I couldn't bring myself to admit that…that I believed in him."
"Medicham," said Kriesh, "I'm not going to think any less of you because you fell for a trick. Arceus knows I've fallen for my fair share. But…" She sighed. "I get it. Shame hurts. Just let me know next time, okay?"
Medicham nodded; as the conversation concluded, the wind faded, and Medicham and Kriesh were standing back in the dojo, its tan walls rising around them.
"All right." Kriesh's gaze hardened as she glanced around the dojo. "Where's Darkrai?"
"Here." Kriesh jumped again, her eyes turning to where Darkrai's voice had come from. She clearly spotted the distorted air as well, for her eyes narrowed at that spot. "My apologies. That was abrupt."
"You've got a lot more to apologize for than abruptness," Kriesh growled. "How about you start by explaining why in Distortion you've been tormenting Medicham?"
"Kriesh, I want you to know that I've made quite a few mistakes," said Darkrai. "I also want you to know that had I had my way, Medicham would have never endured so much. The reason I had her find you was so that in some way I could try and fix things."
"And how do you intend to do that?" Kriesh asked.
"By telling her the truth about her destiny," said Darkrai. "By granting her the answers she so desperately seeks. She and I agreed that you deserve to know as well."
Kriesh looked at Medicham, who nodded. "All right," she said. "Let's hear it."
Darkrai let out a long, quiet breath. "What do you know about the War of Legends?" he asked.
Medicham and Kriesh glanced at each other. "I've…heard it mentioned," said Medicham. "Rumors…whispers…but I don't know anything."
Kriesh shook her head in agreement.
Darkrai sighed again. "Then…let us start at the beginning. You might want to sit down. Relax. This will be quite a lengthy tale."
Medicham obediently did so, sitting down on a patch of ground that suddenly was a lot softer than it had been. Kriesh remained standing, clearly still harboring some element of mistrust towards the Master of the Heralds.
"I trust you know your creation myths…" Darkrai paused long enough for both Medicham and Kriesh to nod. "…so I'll keep that part brief. In the beginning, only Arceus existed in the universe." At Darkrai's words, the Dream World began to shift around Medicham and Kriesh, the dojo walls disappearing; now they were surrounded by an empty black void with a single white and gold egg floating in the midst. As Medicham watched, the egg cracked and split open, and Arceus stepped out, a tall quadrupedal Pokemon of the same color as the egg, his majesty unrivaled even as an image. "But eventually he began to create others. His first creations were Giratina and Rayquaza, and alongside him they were known as the three Creators." Two other beings formed at Arceus's sides. Medicham shivered slightly as she beheld Giratina standing on Arceus's right, looking exactly like he had back in Geosenge; Rayquaza, hovering on Arceus's left, looked somewhat like a gigantic flying green Ekans, energy crackling around his body as he rose into the void beside Arceus. "This world and all of the beings that populate it, Legendaries and mortals, were created by those three, who then took dominion over different aspects of their newly created world; Arceus took that which lay above, Giratina took that which lay below, and Rayquaza took that which lay in between." A large sphere was formed that swiftly manifested into a planet, and the three Creators gathered around it, looking down upon the world they had birthed into being.
"Legendaries were created to be different from mortals," said Darkrai. "Once the planet was formed, the Legendaries were all brought into existence to safeguard various finer aspects of it. All Legendaries, including the Creators, were created as beings of pure energy." The scene showed several Legendaries that Medicham recognized - the Tapus, the Lifebringer, Cresselia - but all faded the same way Darkrai had been when the Aberration had been fighting him. "In these forms, we were unable to truly affect the world around us. In our energy forms, we could control the aspects of the world that we were created to control. But we were able to use the energy around us to manifest physical forms-" and here the Legendaries became solid as if someone was coloring them in a picture book "-in which we could impact the world in other ways. It was those physical forms that allowed us to actually learn and use techniques. We were bound by one edict - that a Legendary could not kill another Legendary. However, this only applied to the Legendaries that were around at the time. Mortals, or Legendaries that were created afterwards by other means, were not bound to this rule, which is why beings like Type: Full and the Ultra Beasts are such threats to us."
Darkrai hesitated slightly before continuing. "The world and its beings went through many trials." The void with the planet in the middle was swept away to be replaced with images a great deal more disquieting. "The War of the Ultimate Weapon." A massive beam of multicolored energy coming down from the sky, obliterating two battling armies of humans and Pokemon alike. "The Primal Awakening." Two behemoths fighting, one glowing red, the other glowing blue - Groudon and Kyogre, Medicham realized, though powered up by something Medicham couldn't see before the image disappeared. "The formation of the Paldean Empire." Another battle, this one so confused Medicham couldn't really make out who was fighting who, only that one shadowy figure dressed in long flowing robes was looming over all the others, a sleek red Pokemon with purple-and-white feathers adorning its body standing beside the figure. "But through each of those trials, the mortals persevered, and the Legendaries did so alongside them."
The scene now showed Darkrai in his physical form; for a moment Medicham thought she was looking at the Aberration before collecting herself. "I was created to serve two purposes," said Darkrai. "To serve as the keeper of Pokemons' dreams, and via my ties with Yggdrasil, to ensure that the timeline continued as it was supposed to and to prevent Splinter Timelines from being formed. To that end, I worked closely with Dialga; he caused time to move forward, I ensured that his role was as uncomplicated as possible. But it was my dream-based duties, which most often happened at night, that brought me into contact with Cresselia, the Legendary in charge of watching over the moon. We…hit it off." Cresselia appeared in the image beside Darkrai, the two gazing at each other with clear adoration. "Many humans believed both of us to be associated with dreams and the moon; some say that Cresselia creates good dreams and I create nightmares, and some say that I represent the dark side of the moon and she represents the light side. The truth is that she isn't associated with dreams and I'm not associated with the moon - some mortals might have seen us going on dates in the Dream World or on the moon, and got the wrong ideas."
For whatever reason, the idea of two Legendaries going on a date elicited a chuckle from Medicham. She stopped immediately as the image changed again.
The scene now showed Giratina, languishing in Distortion, eyes glowing red. "But all was not good in the world. For Giratina began to feel dissatisfied with its lot. He had chosen to rule over the Distortion World, to manage the dead that Yveltal, the Harbinger of Death, brought to him from the world above. But he began to realize that the mortals feared him. They were afraid to die, and therefore despised Giratina. They called him a monster, painted him as the great evil of the world, all while they worshipped Arceus and Rayquaza as gods and heroic figures. And so Giratina became jealous of his fellow Creators, and over time that jealousy turned to rage." The image of Giratina's eyes pulsed with red light. "If the humans believed him to be evil, then evil he would be."
The image shifted back to the world above; now Medicham saw a massive Pokemon that seemed to be made up entirely of Eterna covered in hundreds of glowing black spikes, facing down two Pokemon whom she recognized as Zacian and Zamazenta. An entire army of humans and Pokemon surrounded the Dogs of War, while the Eterna-formed being was accompanied by legions of gigantic, malformed Pokemon glowing with the same purple energy. "A thousand years ago, the Legendary Eternatus, undisputed master of Eterna, or Dynamax Energy as the humans of Galar called it, went mad," Darkrai continued. "The resulting battle was called the Darkest Day, even though it actually lasted for many days, and it was a battle that Giratina took full advantage of. He took a large amount of stray Eterna and scattered it over ancient Sinnoh - it was called Hisui back then. The Eterna infected Palkia and Dialga, the Lords of Time and Space, along with many Pokemon around the region, driving them all to the same madness that wreaked Eternatus." The scene shifted again, flickering between several images; Palkia and Dialga glowing with Eterna and in unrecognizable forms, along with several other strange Pokemon - an Arcanine, an Avalugg, a Lilligant, and others that Medicham couldn't quite make out - glowing gold and twisted into similarly strange forms. "Meanwhile," said Darkrai, "Giratina approached a young human named Volo, preying upon his desire to one day meet Arceus and manipulating him to find fragments of the Azure Flute, an artifact that once assembled allowed the user to access the realm where Arceus made his home." A blond-haired human appeared in the images, smiling slightly, with the red-eyed Giratina looming over him from behind.
"Into all this chaos came another human." The blond-haired human was replaced by another, this one dressed in blue with a red scarf and cap, dark-haired with a determined expression on his face. "His name was Rei. No one really knew where he came from, though there were…rumors. Rei began traveling Hisui, defeating and calming the Eterna-infected Pokemon and gathering a strong team of Pokemon to aid in his endeavors." A series of images flashed by, showing Rei, surrounded by a rapidly-growing team of Pokemon, defeating the golden-glowing Pokemon one by one. "Eventually, with the aid of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf - the Pixies of Knowledge, Emotions, and Willpower - Rei crafted an artifact called the Red Chain, which utilized the Pixies' power to bind Legendaries to the user's will. It was dangerous - so dangerous, in fact, that the Pixies forced Rei to swear that once Palkia and Dialga were calmed, the Red Chain would be destroyed, its pieces scattered, and all knowledge about it erased from history so that it could never be recreated." The scene became a dark room, Rei holding a red-colored glowing chain in his hands, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf surrounding him.
"Giratina, afraid that his plans would fail, convinced Volo to forge an alliance with Rei," said Darkrai. "In return for Volo's aid in overcoming the odds against Rei - by that point many humans had begun to see Rei as dangerous and were uniting against him - Rei would aid Volo in gathering the pieces of the Azure Flute. In the end, with the aid of the Pixies, Volo, and the Red Chain, Rei was able to calm Dialga and Palkia. But at that point Volo and Giratina made their move; Giratina arrived to engage the Pixies and the Lords of Time and Space, preventing them from aiding Rei as he and Volo battled for the Red Chain and the Azure Flute."
As the scene shifted to show that battle, Giratina battling with five Legendaries in the skies while Volo and Rei's teams fought within the shattered remnants of what appeared to be a large stone temple atop a mountain, Darkrai ceased to speak. Medicham glanced at Kriesh, who was staring with rapt attention at the frozen scene of the battle. "What…what happened next?" Medicham asked, almost afraid to let the words leave her mouth.
Darkrai heaved yet another sigh. "You know from Bringer-Of-Visions about how timelines work," he said. "In nearly all timelines, Rei wins the clash. His allied Legendaries overwhelm Giratina through their sheer numbers, and with the completion of the Azure Flute Arceus comes down to pass judgment on the defeated Volo and Giratina. Arceus chooses mercy; Volo and his team are exiled, left to wander, to serve as a cautionary tale of what happens when one meddles with powers beyond them. And Giratina, as penance, is consigned to join Rei's team and work alongside him to restore Hisui." Images of the things Darkrai was describing flickered past rapidly. "Arceus's plan works. Though Giratina is understandably furious at first, the more he aids Rei in restoring Hisui, the more the people cease to see him as a monster. They begin to see Giratina as an equal. And with their new attitude comes the recession of Giratina's rage and jealousy. After his punishment ends, Giratina is still one of the more volatile Legendaries and definitely not merciful to those who wrong him by any definition, but when the chips fall he will fight alongside Arceus against any being that threatened the world, is treated as an equal by the other Legendaries, and certainly has no more thoughts of conquest."
Abruptly the scene shifted back to Volo and Giratina's battle with Rei. "But…Pokemon battles are random by nature," said Darkrai. "No matter the advantages, no matter how much you stack the deck…sometimes luck just isn't on your side. There is always a chance, no matter how small, that either side will win. And in one timeline…in this timeline…Volo was able to achieve victory. He bound Rei's Legendaries with the Red Chain, and completed the Azure Flute unopposed." The scene changed to show Volo standing triumphantly over Rei, the Red Chain in one hand and the completed Azure Flute in the other, with Giratina, Dialga, Palkia, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf arrayed around him, all with those same bright red glowing eyes. The shot brought another shiver to Medicham.
"Volo and Giratina allowed Rei to flee," said Darkrai. "He would serve as their herald, to send the message to the humans of Hisui that a new age was coming. Then, using the Azure Flute, Volo, Giratina, and their five bound Legendaries ascended to Arceus's realm. Neither Giratina nor the bound Legendaries could kill Arceus, but Volo and his team, being mortals, could. And that was Giratina's plan. To dispose of Arceus and rule the world in his place, as he had convinced himself should be the case. No one knows exactly how the resulting battle played out, and likely no one ever will. All that is known is that two hours later, Arceus appeared in Hisui, badly wounded but alive, and both sides began marshaling forces for war."
Yet again the scene changed; now it was Arceus and Giratina glaring at each other, each standing over one side of the plant in a perfect mirrored shot, Legendaries gathering around both of them. "Arceus had more Legendaries on his side," said Darkrai. "But Giratina was able to gather many of the most powerful Legendaries, both through empty promises and by the Red Chain's domination. The Treasures of Ruin, whose presence had been so destructive that they'd been sealed away lest they tear apart all of Paldea, and whom Giratina had Volo unseal in exchange for their aid. Dialga and Palkia, the most powerful non-Creator Legendaries in existence, so powerful that many mortals often mistook them and Giratina for the three Creators, believing Arceus to be above even them and ignoring Rayquaza entirely. Regigigas, who is believed to have moved the continents themselves, and by extension the golems he created. Marshadow-"
"Wait, what?" Kriesh interrupted. "Marshadow, as in-"
"Yes, the same Marshadow who you met earlier today," said Darkrai. "You must understand…what you saw was but a taste of what Marshadow is truly capable of. I do not think I would be exaggerating when I say that Marshadow was possibly the most powerful Pokemon on Giratina's side. His gimmick is power absorption; he was originally created to be a living limiter, his role being to drain power from anyone or anything that became too strong. But his nature made him crave battle, and Giratina offered Marshadow all the fighting he could ever want. With Giratina's aid, Marshadow absorbed the power of everything on Alola - yes, even the Tapus. The only reason it was even possible to defeat him was that the sheer amount of power he'd stolen was destabilizing his body, and even then it took Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, all at the same time, just to fight him evenly."
Kriesh murmured a quiet curse. Medicham would have assumed Darkrai was exaggerating had it not been for the fact that she'd seen Marshadow's capabilities firsthand. Necrozma had not been lying; if his Ability hadn't been such a perfect counter for Marshadow, the Ghost-type Legendary might very well have beaten back him and his Ultra Beasts all on his own.
"Throughout it all, Volo was traveling across the world, binding every Legendary he could find with the Red Chain," said Darkrai. "Eventually, he managed to track Cresselia and I down in the Dream World. I managed to escape. Cresselia didn't. She was one of the last ones they bound."
Medicham noticed that the images had faded away, replaced with the impenetrable darkness that had originally been there. "I'm sorry," she said almost reflexively.
"And so the War of Legends began," said Darkrai, the images returning. Now they were moving; it was almost like a video broadcast, and Medicham and Kriesh were quick to watch, eyes wide as they beheld uncountable Legendaries clashing. The world was being shattered under them, great rents opening in the earth, mountains crumbling and oceans erupting in massive tidal waves. All eighteen types of energy filled the sky, crisscrossing over and over again, lighting up the world like an eighteen-hued rainbow. Bodies flitted across the battlefield as Legendaries clashed in fast-paced duels, not caring for how their stray attacks tore apart everything around them.
"We could not kill each other," said Darkrai. "We could obliterate each others' physical forms, but there was so much power being thrown around that those whose physical forms were gone could just siphon energy from their surroundings and reconstitute themselves in mere minutes as opposed to the years it normally took. And throughout it all, the mortals we'd worked so hard to create were dying in droves, their world ripped apart by the clash." Medicham's eyes swiveled to several small dead bodies, splayed out in the midst of the war, ignored by the battling Legendaries.
"The war might have gone on forever," said Darkrai. "Driven mortals to extinction, tore the very planet to pieces. But Rei had not given up hope. He gathered his team, ventured into the heart of the war to find Volo, and challenged him to a rematch, which the overconfident Volo accepted. This time, though, Rei had learned from his previous loss. He'd devised plans upon plans, drilled into his team the necessity of winning this battle. They fought like Legendaries themselves. And after a battle that lasted nearly half an hour, Rei overcame Volo. Afterwards, Rei seized the Red Chain and released those under its sway from its hold. With most of its forces suddenly turned against them, morale among Giratina's allies broke. Many of those that had not been forcibly bound were opportunists by nature; when the war turned against them, they had no reason to keep fighting. Some surrendered in hopes of getting better treatment afterwards, others fled in hopes that they would be forgotten about. Surrounded and outmatched, Giratina was forced to surrender, ending the War of Legends."
The image shifted to one of Giratina immobilized, surrounded by Arceus and many other Legendaries both known and unknown. "I mentioned earlier," said Darkrai, "how in the timelines where Rei won his first fight with Volo, Arceus showed mercy to Giratina. In this timeline, though, Arceus's frustration and fury boiled over, and he had no mercy whatsoever for Giratina or anyone who fought alongside him. The series of punishments Arceus doled out became known as the Rei Accords, even though they were anything but 'accords'. Those that had not been bound were hunted down - every single one - and had their physical forms obliterated as punishment, with further individual punishments to be determined by other Legendaries. Volo and his team were executed on the spot. And Giratina's punishment was threefold. Firstly, his physical form was obliterated as well. Secondly, he was banished back to Distortion. And thirdly, Arceus took steps to ensure Giratina could never leave Distortion again. He empowered a Legendary known as Mew - originally created to be an arbiter, a representation of neutrality who had the power and the kindness to settle any dispute." The image now showed a small pink Pokemon with rounded features, big blue eyes, and a tail twice the length of its body twining around it as it floated in the air. "Arceus granted Mew power on par with the Creators, and the newly empowered Mew became known as the Locus. The Locus's newfound power fueled the Distortional seal; for as long as the Locus was alive, Giratina was sealed within Distortion, unable to leave. Arceus wanted to do more, but he did not want to upset the equilibrium of Creators by truly killing Giratina. And so Giratina was 'given' sole control over the dead; by 'given' I mean 'left with', but Giratina treats it as a boon." Medicham thought back to Giratina's furious protest towards Xerneas in that regard and shivered yet again.
Darkrai continued to speak, a fatalistic tone coming into his voice. "And seal or no seal, it is impossible to stop Giratina from opening portals to and from Distortion. He cannot leave, but he can speak through the portals, and even send power - and other beings - through them. All Arceus could do was try and arrange things so that if Giratina did such a thing, his physical form would immediately be obliterated, no questions asked. As you have seen, that is an imperfect solution at best." Darkrai paused, sighing again. "I understand Arceus's decision. But his punishment did nothing to solve the problem that started the war in the first place. Giratina's anger only grew. In his mind, Arceus had deliberately shafted him, caused the mortals to view him as a monster, and then imprisoned him when he attempted to retaliate. Arceus's punishment only ensured that Giratina will not rest until he has his revenge."
Kriesh whispered a curse again. Medicham stared at the defeated Giratina, taking in the sheer fury radiating from his gaze that sent shivers down her spine even though she knew she was merely looking at an image of the past.
"The war itself was destructive in a way no other has been or, Arceus willing, ever will be," said Darkrai. "Yet despite all of the destruction, the War of Legends only claimed the lives of two Legendaries." The scene shifted back to the moving image of the War of Legends. "The first was Enamorus - the fourth member of the Forces of Nature. There used to be a member of the Forces of Nature for every season; Enamorus's death upset the equilibrium, and that lack of balance is why Landorus is now forced to routinely control and calm Thundurus and Tornadus." The image zoomed in on a specific point in the battle; a pink-colored humanoid Legendary sitting on a cloud that may or may not have been part of her body screamed as her physical form was destroyed under a vicious bombardment from three Legendaries Medicham didn't recognize, before Volo stepped into view, commanding his team. Several attacks impacted the pink-colored Legendary's energy form, and her scream radiated throughout the battlefield even as she faded from existence, her energies scattering themselves across the sky and disappearing from sight. Darkrai spoke again. "And the other Legendary whose life was taken by the War of Legends…was me."
Medicham felt her mouth fall open. "But…you're…here," she said lamely.
"Let me explain." The image shifted to yet another specific point in the battle. Darkrai could clearly be seen now in the image, Oblivion playing off his body as he loomed over the fallen form of what looked like a living glacier, sucking life from its body with his fingers. Then Cresselia dove into view, a wrathful snarl emanating from her, her eyes glowing bright red. Darkrai reacted swiftly, disappearing into Oblivion in the same way Medicham had seen Bringer-Of-Visions do during their battle. He reappeared in the air above Cresselia, unleashing a burst of Oblivion which the Psychic-type Legendary easily deflected with a flurry of blasts of Life. Darkrai split into about two dozen copies. "Dark Void!" he snarled. Cresselia roared something unintelligible; her body shone as it exuded a wave of moonlight so powerful and so blinding that Darkrai's Double Team clones were eviscerated in an instant. Darkrai teleported again, evading the wave, and fired another burst of Oblivion which was intercepted by a reactive blast of Life-enhanced moonlight from Cresselia.
Medicham and Kriesh watched closely as the two Legendaries dueled. Darkrai utilized his teleportation to warp around the battlefield, and again and again summoned Double Team clones to confuse Cresselia; his entire fighting style seemed to be centered on his Dark Void technique, for he wasted no time in sending it at Cresselia whenever he got the smallest of openings. Cresselia was clearly a Mind-based fighter, and the vast majority of her techniques were therefore ineffective on Darkrai, but she didn't seem to care; as the fight wore on, her body glowed more and more as she drew further power from the moon, fueling blasts of Life-enhanced moonlight that always served to disperse Darkrai's Dark Voids; she also continuously cloaked her body in a strange glowing mist and, several times, formed a host of her own Double Team duplicates out of moonlight, duplicates that she was able to manipulate independently and even fire attacks from via her perfect control over the moonlight.
"My ties with Yggdrasil enabled me to utilize Future Sight," said Darkrai. "But Cresselia could use it as well. We could anticipate each others' moves before we even made them. Our battle lasted for hours." The footage sped up, flipping between scenes of the fight, until it slowed down again just as Darkrai found an opening. He flashed in beside Cresselia and unleashed a Dark Void right into her side, her retaliatory blast of moonlight a heartbeat too slow. Cresselia's pained cry died in her throat as she slumped, her eyes closing in slumber.
"The Red Chain deprived many of Giratina's fighters of their true skill," said Darkrai. "My typing made me stronger than Cresselia, but ordinarily it would have taken me even longer to get around her defenses. I knew, however, that she could escape the Dream World. So I followed her in so as to trap her."
The scene shifted to inside the Dream World, on the hill where Yggdrasil stood. Cresselia materialized on the hillside; Darkrai did the same seconds after. The Master of Nightmares wasted no time; he snapped his fingers, and the earth and grass of the hill arose, wrapping around Cresselia's body and pinning her to the ground. She attempted to summon forth more moonlight to blast away the obstruction, but Darkrai snapped his fingers again and the light gathering around Cresselia's body faded. Darkrai summoned a sphere of Oblivion several times larger than he was and hauled back, ready to throw it at Cresselia.
Cresselia let out a strangled scream of agony and rage, and Darkrai stopped. Froze up for a single vital second. In that second, Cresselia's body rippled. An explosion of Mind erupted from Cresselia, tearing apart the tendrils of earth holding her down and expanding across the hillside in but a moment.
"In the moment when I had her dead to rights, I hesitated," said Darkrai. "And in that moment she used one of the most complicated and dangerous Mind-based techniques available to a Pokemon. Trick Room - a Psychic-type technique that warps time itself around the user. I can warp reality with a single thought within the Dream World. But that doesn't matter if your opponent can act before you have time to think. With me frozen in time, she had free reign to obliterate my physical form."
In the image, Darkrai stood, frozen, as Cresselia unleashed another blinding wave of Life-infused moonlight into his body, shredding it before her. As Darkrai's physical form was obliterated, Cresselia disappeared, freed from the Dream World by Darkrai's obliteration.
"But, you see," said Darkrai, "the thing about the Dream World is that it is not part of the material world. It is a construct, formed out of nothing but images and thoughts, rather than the energies that form the material world. And without that energy, I cannot reconstruct my physical form, so while I can still alter the Dream World with my thoughts, I am unable to utilize the moves that allow me to escape the Dream World. Even though, in theory, I can access Oblivion, which is technically a part of the Dream World and would give me all the energy I require, the word 'technically' turned out to be a lot more important than I once thought. I can project my consciousness into Oblivion, but I can't actually draw energy from it; think of it like reaching up and trying to grab onto a ledge made entirely of sheer ice. It's simply impossible. In essence, then, I am imprisoned in the Dream World, unable to access enough energy to regain my physical form and therefore escape; for all intents and purposes, I am dead."
"That's…horrible," Kriesh said, clearly not sure if she was supposed to speak.
"But…you're not actually dead," said Medicham. "You're still alive, just stuck in your energy form. Isn't there something other Legendaries can do?"
"Yes, there is," said Darkrai. "Arceus could free me. His powers are quite capable of such a feat. But he will not. He has decided it is not his place, the same way it is not his place to resurrect Enamorus." For a brief moment bitterness filled Darkrai's tone, before it fell away as he continued. "Then…then there's Cresselia. She was heartbroken when she learned what she had done. She visited me every week to catch me up on events in the material world. But furthermore, she began to work on a new technique. She called it Lunar Dance. It allows the user to obliterate their own physical form and transfer all of the energy required to assume that form to the target. Basically, it grants the target the power of a Legendary - power that would allow me to easily escape my imprisonment, with enough energy to spare that it takes mere days to regain my physical form as well."
"So…" Medicham knew it was a stupid question, but had to ask it anyway. "Why haven't you already had her use that?"
"Because you have to be touching the target to use Lunar Dance on them," said Darkrai. "And remember that if one's physical form is obliterated in the Dream World, they cannot recover it due to the lack of energy. So if Cresselia used Lunar Dance to free me, she would take my place in the Dream World. And…there is no way I'm making her go through that." Darkrai's voice was becoming choked as he continued. "The worst part…the absolute worst part is that she's made it very clear that if I ask, she'll do it. She'll do it for me. But I just can't bear it. I can't bring myself to trap her in here. Consign her to this pointless existence!"
He stopped, taking several long, deep breaths, recollecting himself. "So, in answer to your question, no," said Darkrai. "Without the capability to regain my physical form, I was unable to affect events in the material world. So I began searching for options. And eventually, I found one. Much of the world had assumed I had died. But one young Absol believed I hadn't. Seeking to prove herself to her family, she left her home and went on a long search for me. That search brought her to Oblivion, where I was able to make contact with her. I saw an opportunity. I offered her a small extension of my power. The ability to teleport via Oblivion, enhancement of an Absol's innate Future Sight, and agelessness. She accepted, and I named her Bringer-Of-Visions, first of the Heralds."
"Bringer-Of-Visions is immortal?" Medicham asked nervously.
Instead of responding, Darkrai continued. "I sent Bringer-Of-Visions out to recruit other Absols," he said. "Under my tutelage, she trained them to teleport and to enhance their Future Sight, though - and intentionally so - no amount of training could replicate her immortality. Over time, Bringer-Of-Visions approached every Absol in the world. Some joined the Heralds, others didn't. But those that did join formed a tight-knit, self-sufficient community. New Heralds were born from Absols in the group, and trained from a very young age to hone their powers. And so the Heralds became my eyes, ears, and hands in the material world. Their job was to do what I had done back when I still had my physical form; to safeguard the world against threats to the timeline and to ensure that the proper timeline remained."
"But then why-" Medicham began.
"I am getting to that," said Darkrai. "Though, in all honesty, I do wish the story ended there. But there are a few supplementary tales, all of which take place fairly recently. A very short time ago - a couple decades at this point - a man named Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket-" Medicham saw Kriesh flinch. "-decided to create his own Legendary in an attempt to gain power. He successfully obtained a portion of Mew's DNA and combined it with several other objects to form his Legendary." The scene now showed a dark-haired man dressed in a fine gray suit standing in front of a water-filled tank containing a Legendary that looked like a more humanoid version of Mew. "This creature was known as Mewtwo, and it was the first of many human-created Legendaries. But Mewtwo refused to be controlled. It escaped Giovanni and, in a fit of rage at how humans had treated it, attempted to use his power to exterminate all humans on the planet. A group of humans, Pokemon, and Legendaries gathered at an island off the coast of Kanto-Johto to try and stop Mewtwo, but its power proved to be too great. At the height of the fighting, Mew appeared in an attempt to destroy its clone, but it too was unable to overcome Mewtwo, and ultimately Mew was slain by Mewtwo. Yet even as Mew's body fell to the floor, Mewtwo stopped. Without a word, he ceased the destruction he had caused and teleported away. It was eventually discovered that the Distortional seal remained. Somehow, with the killing of Mew, Mewtwo had become the new Locus, which incidentally made it even more powerful; some Legendaries believe Mewtwo's power is now on par with that of the Creators themselves."
Darkrai waited a few moments for Medicham and Kriesh to digest that before continuing. "The second of these stories takes place only about half a decade ago. A man named Cyrus decided that the world was flawed, and that he would be the one to fix it. Sadly, in the fallout of the War of Legends, not all information about the Red Chain had been destroyed, and Cyrus discovered its existence and resolved to use it to create his ideal world by controlling Dialga and Palkia. The Heralds immediately set out to stop Cyrus, but he was quite wily and used several Dark-types capable of impressive Psychic shielding. Ultimately, he successfully reforged the Red Chain, distracted both the Heralds and the people of Sinnoh by capturing Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, and despite all of our efforts, successfully obtained control over Palkia and Dialga. Unbeknownst to Cyrus, the resulting rewriting of reality was damaging the Distortional seal keeping Giratina locked away; had he succeeded in his plans, it is likely that the seal would have failed even in spite of the Locus. But just as all seemed lost, Mewtwo appeared out of nowhere, Psychically shattered the Red Chain, and left just as quickly. He didn't say a word throughout. The pieces of the Red Chain were hidden away once again, and Cyrus and Team Galactic, the group he had created to aid him in his endeavors, were imprisoned by the International Police on Iron Island. And it was believed that his saga was over."
Again Darkrai hesitated. "But a little over three years ago, the Heralds and I began to see visions of the apocalypse," he said. "And so…I suppose now we come to the question you really wanted answered. The truth is, in a few years, Cyrus will be broken out of prison. The methods vary from timeline to timeline, so I cannot go into more detail. But once he is out, he will make another attempt to reforge the Red Chain to create his perfect world. This time Giratina will aid him from afar. They will be far more careful. It has been calculated that once Cyrus escapes prison, it will be highly unlikely that anyone can stop him before he achieves his goals. Once Palkia and Dialga are imprisoned, Giratina will be able to destabilize the Distortional seal and escape. Giratina will then ensure he himself guards the Red Chain. There will be no Rei, unlike last time. The War of Legends will begin anew, and this time nothing will be able to stop it. It will continue until the world is reduced to ruin, everything on it destroyed."
"So we're supposed to stop Cyrus from escaping prison?" Kriesh asked. "Is that what the Heralds are manipulating us towards?"
"Yes," said Darkrai. "But you must understand it is quite a bit more complicated than that for several reasons, not the least of which is Betrayer-Of-Kin." Once again Darkrai hesitated. "You see, when we began receiving visions of the upcoming apocalypse, all of the Heralds and I agreed that we had to stop it from happening, even if it meant going against our prior creed to protect the timeline and keep it on its course. But Bringer-Of-Visions disagreed. She believed that it was not our place. That if all timelines led to the apocalypse, then time had decreed that the apocalypse should happen, and we had no right to interfere with that. She came to me, pleading her case. I will admit that I made a mistake. I should have done more to forge an agreement with her. She was the first Herald, after all. The one who had formed them in the first place. But instead I refused her outright. And so Bringer-Of-Visions left the very organization she had created, promising that the timeline would stay on course, no matter what she had to do to keep it that way. She took the name Betrayer-Of-Kin, and I was forced to promote a new Absol to Bringer-Of-Visions in her place."
Darkrai sighed once more. "And there I made a second mistake. I chose, and gave the gift of immortality to, an Absol whose loyalty to me was almost fanatical, in hopes of never having another Betrayer-Of-Kin again. But the new Bringer-Of-Visions' fanaticism meant that she was willing to do anything to achieve the desired outcome. Worse, she had been hiding a fairly sizable ego. She began to do more than manipulate the destinies of others - she took pride in it, outright reveling in the power over others that she now possessed. I wish I could take my decision back. But it is too late. If I do, I am afraid Bringer-Of-Visions and others will lose their loyalty. That they will turn their backs on me and join Betrayer-Of-Kin. I cannot let that happen. So that has been the status quo for three years now. The new Bringer-Of-Visions and the Heralds manipulate a human's destiny to drive them towards a point in their lives that will enable them to stop Cyrus's release; Betrayer-Of-Kin kills that human to keep the timeline on its 'proper' course. And all I can do is watch from afar and offer advice."
The image now shifted to a face Medicham knew well; Marcus, standing along with James, Sarah, Scamper, and Puffball in what looked like a family photo. "Which brings us to Marcus," said Darkrai. "Before Marcus, a few humans had managed to survive the first attack by Betrayer-Of-Kin, whether by Herald intervention or by sheer dumb luck. But Marcus is the first human who has survived more than one of Betrayer-Of-Kin's attacks. So it is that Bringer-Of-Visions has developed an incredibly unhealthy focus towards ensuring that he fulfills his destiny no matter what. Which is why she has devoted far too much time and effort to trying to force you both into obedience. That, and to boost her ego in the face of numerous recent setbacks."
The images shifted back into an empty void, the story finished. "I hope this answers at least some of your questions to a satisfactory degree," said Darkrai. "I know it's a lot to take in. Please let me make one thing clear - you are not being drafted into a war between Legendaries. Your adversary will be Cyrus, not Giratina. If all goes well, Giratina will be removed as a threat for at least a few more centuries without anyone, least of all you, having to fight him."
Medicham nodded slowly. She wouldn't deny that all the information had left her feeling slightly overwhelmed. At least she knew now what her so-called 'destiny' was, though she had to wonder why the Heralds had to be so complicated about this.
Kriesh clearly was wondering the same thing. "So what's stopping the Heralds from just…dealing with Cyrus, or whoever's breaking him out, themselves?"
"As I said," said Darkrai, "Betrayer-Of-Kin is a factor. There are other factors as well. Psychic shielding…multiple possibilities for how Cyrus escapes…and while the possibility of having Cyrus killed was floated, it would raise too many questions. Remember that the Heralds champion anonymity. If the existence of the Heralds became known to the general public, there would be panic and paranoia among the populace, emotions that would eventually fuel retaliation. Likely Absols would be hunted, even driven to extinction. And without the Heralds, the next being who decides to try and manipulate the timeline for themselves will easily enact their plans without opposition. It is not a success if we thwart Cyrus at the cost of our secrecy."
"But we know the Heralds exist," said Medicham.
"Yes, and that should never have happened," Darkrai retorted. "I'm sorry, that came out a lot more confrontational than I wanted. But…the fact is, you were meant to remain completely in the dark about the Heralds' manipulations, even after your fight with Cyrus. You should never have realized that your entire journey was manipulated. The Lifebringer's unilateral decision to restore your memories created a situation we've never faced before."
"So why not just wipe our memories again?" Kriesh asked.
"Because I didn't want to," Darkrai responded. "As I told Medicham when we first met, she has suffered enough. I did not wish to bring her more suffering." He hesitated before continuing, sounding slightly embarrassed. "Also, the Lifebringer warned us that there would be consequences if we wiped your memories again, and he is not someone you want as an enemy."
Xerneas had protected her? Medicham smiled. She hadn't seen the Lifebringer since the day of their battle with Calem; she wished she could see him again, to thank him for keeping her safe.
"Medicham," said Darkrai, his voice sounding a lot closer now. "I know this won't entirely fix what I've done. I know it'll probably take a lot more than this for you to trust me again. But…I hope it's at least a start. So…please…allow me to apologize. I'm sorry that I hurt you in the way I did. And I wish I could take it all back. That I had just told you from the start."
Medicham closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh. Darkrai was right. After what he'd done, trust would take more than what he'd given her. But…
But it was a start.
"Thank you," Medicham said; she could have sworn she heard Darkrai untense slightly at that.
"I will keep you no longer," said Darkrai. "Your Trainer will soon embark back onto his journey to become a Gym Leader. For now at least, all you have to do is what you would normally do. There will be no further manipulations for a while, at least in theory. So train. Work with your teammates. Forget your troubles for the time being."
A rush of air began to sound as wind swirled around Medicham and Kriesh, wiping away the Dream World before their eyes.
"Oh, one more thing!" Darkrai's voice rose above the winds. "You must tell no one of what you've heard! The more who know, the more volatile the timeline becomes! Remember!"
The last word was shouted as the volume of the winds reached a fever pitch, and then Medicham was back in her Luxury Ball, panting slightly as the Dream World receded and she awoke from her slumber.
Alone again, Medicham slowed her breathing. She didn't feel tired at all anymore, and as she looked around she saw light through the gap in her Luxury Ball. Was it really morning already?
Medicham sat up and peered out of her Luxury Ball. Yes, it was morning. The dawn of a new day.
Hopefully, Medicham thought, these twenty-four hours will be a lot less eventful than the last.
The room was filled with cheering, chanting, and the stomping of feet as the various men and women watched the two Pokemon battling it out in the makeshift arena. On one side was a Mega Swampert, on the other a Mega Alakazam, owned respectively by Cliff and Sierra, two of Giovanni's Executives.
Betrayer-Of-Kin had no interest in joining the cheers. She was watching Giovanni carefully; the man was standing on a small platform, smiling as he watched his two executives battle, his Persian on one side and his Porygon on the other. Ordinarily she would not even have been interested in watching such a pointless training session, but she'd decided it would be a good idea to know how Cliff and Sierra battled. Future Sight could only fill in so many blanks in that regard.
"Swampert, Surf and Earthquake! Bury it!" Cliff, a brawny, muscular man a head taller than most of the surrounding Grunts, punctuated his order with a pointed finger. "Seismic Wave!" his Mega Swampert boomed, slamming his massive twin fists on the ground; Earth and Torrent burst out, the former ripping across the ground, the latter rising in a wave that came down towards his opponent.
"Energy Ball." Sierra's demeanor was calm as she gave the order. "Grass Missile," Mega Alakazam murmured, his five spoons shifting around him in a swift circle; a massive blast of Overgrow formed in the center of the spinning spoons and flew out, exploding as it struck Mega Swampert's twin attacks. The Earthquake was stopped in its tracks, but as the wave slammed into the Overgrow Blast, Mega Alakazam's spoons glowed with Mind. The wave gained a purple sheen as Mega Alakazam Psychically manipulated it, sending it flying back towards Mega Swampert.
"Gotcha!" Cliff crowed. "Swift Swim!"
Mega Swampert echoed Cliff's order as he dissolved into Torrent just as his own wave struck him. He dove out of the other side, reforming as he did so, hurling himself towards Mega Alakazam in a full-body tackle. "Seismic Lariat Slam!" He surrounded himself with Dark energy in what was clearly a Darkest Lariat even as he flew towards Mega Alakazam; a smart move, Betrayer-Of-Kin admitted to herself.
Sierra smirked. "As if I didn't see that coming from a mile away. Alakazam, Teleport and Future Sight."
"Mind Landmine." Mega Alakazam flashed out of existence, reappearing on the far side of the battlefield. Mega Swampert landed right where Mega Alakazam had been, the aura of Dark energy fading from around his body.
"Protect!" Cliff's order came just fast enough for Mega Swampert to manifest a shimmering barrier around himself. A blast of Mind energy slammed into the Protect, sending Mega Swampert staggering from the force but leaving him otherwise unscathed. Mega Swampert twisted, hurling a beam of Torrent - a powerful Hydro Pump - at Mega Alakazam. Mega Alakazam responded swiftly, spoons pulsing with Mind as he lashed out with his powerful Psychic energies, blunting the Hydro Pump through sheer Psychic force alone.
"Giovanni! Giovanni!" A Grunt dashed into the room, a Pokedex in hand. "You've got to see this!"
Cliff and Sierra signaled for their Pokemon to stop as Giovanni picked up the Pokedex and placed it in front of his Porygon. "Display," he ordered.
"Trace: Screen Scan. Holographic Display." Porygon glowed blue as he transferred what was going on onscreen to his body and then projected it from his eyes. It was a news broadcast, the tagline of which read: "Chaos In Alola! Alien Invasion?"
Kukui, Alola's Professor (and in 59.2% of all timelines its future Champion) was conversing with a reporter on the screen. The reporter was speaking loudly, shoving a microphone towards Kukui's face. "…rumors that the attack on Ula'ula Island was carried out by a group of interdimensional creatures. Is this true?"
"Yes," said Kukui.
"Do you think these creatures will return?" the reporter asked.
"I am certain of it," said Kukui. "I am also certain that when they do return, Alola will be ready to fend them off."
"I hope you're right." The reporter stepped away from Kukui, the camera following her. "This is Anna, with the Alolan News Network, reporting live from Alola."
The news cut to another newscaster, but Giovanni signaled for Porygon to turn off the broadcast before that newscaster could start speaking. "This is the first I have heard of such an attack," he said to the Grunt.
"It just happened late yesterday afternoon," said the Grunt nervously.
"We might be able to make use of this," Giovanni stated, turning to the rest of the room. "If those interdimensional creatures do, in fact, return, I would like to obtain at least one of them. We can see if it is willing to aid us in our goals. If it is willing, we can perhaps use it to gain the allegiance of more of its kind. And if it's not willing, it shouldn't be too difficult to dispose of it."
Murmurs of agreement ran through the room, but one Grunt raised his hand. "Boss…didn't we try that back in Kanto? Remember-"
"Of course I remember," said Giovanni, his voice lowering as he spoke. "My mistake with that creature was allowing Dr. Fuji too much control over the project. By the time I even made contact with it, Fuji had laid the foundations for a hatred of humanity, a hatred even I could not temper. This time, I will manage this from the start. And as I said, if the experiment goes wrong, I will ensure the creature is disposed of."
The Grunt who had spoken nodded, satisfied.
"That is all," said Giovanni. "You may resume your battle." He sat back down, rubbing a hand across his Persian's fur.
As Cliff and Sierra signaled for their Pokemon to continue fighting, Betrayer-Of-Kin was no longer watching. She had been watching Alola through her Future Sight for a while last night. And yet she had never seen an attack on Ula'ula Island.
Yet as she scanned the past now, she could see such an attack, clear as day.
Puzzled, Betrayer-Of-Kin looked into the future, scanning timelines swiftly for any further attacks. And yet, despite Kukui's certainty, not one of the timelines branching from this point had those creatures in it. Was Kukui wrong? Would those creatures-
Wait a minute.
Betrayer-Of-Kin's eyes flicked to the present. It was unmistakable. A Splinter Timeline was being formed right before her eyes. A Splinter Timeline that was only up to about midnight, several hours ago.
Betrayer-Of-Kin knew how time worked very well. And she knew that this was not normal.
"Fascinating," she murmured. "So these interdimensional creatures are not meant to be here. They are so alien, in fact, that time itself doesn't seem to have any idea they exist up until a while after they've acted."
She smirked. "Which means, until those creatures attack again and are defeated, Future Sight is effectively useless. Irritating, to be sure…but far more irritating for the Heralds. Perhaps this will present an opportunity to finally finish Marcus off for good."
Darkrai fumed as he allowed energy to flow into his wounds, closing them. He was stronger than that pretender Darkrai, he knew. Distortion, that Darkrai didn't even have a physical form! And yet he'd allowed the pretender to overcome him. Stab him full of shards of the Dream World before escaping, leaving Darkrai to sit back and lick his wounds.
"I missed you at the battle."
Necrozma's voice was displeased. Darkrai looked up at the interdimensional Legendary whom he had been aligned with for years now. "I was wounded," he said. "Wounded dealing with the alternate Darkrai who was aiding your adversaries. Thanks to me, he was unable to intervene in your battle."
"Thanks to you, he escaped, and likely called his friends," Necrozma growled. "How else would so many Legendaries arrive so quickly?"
"I take it the battle went poorly, then?" Darkrai concentrated on his closing wounds.
"Very." Necrozma's tone grew even more furious. "My patience has limits, Darkrai. If you want me to grant you the dark world you seek, you had better be at my side for the upcoming invasion."
"So we're doing an invasion now?" Darkrai asked.
"Without the Ultra Recon Squad, my missing portion is now confined to a single world," said Necrozma. "If he attempts to leave for another timeline, he'll be defenseless and easy to capture. This chase will soon end. But the fools of that world will not relent. They are convinced he 'deserves' their protection. As if they could ever understand."
"As if," Darkrai agreed. "Necrozma…may I point something out?"
"Be quick."
"We do not have enough forces for a full invasion," said Darkrai. "The Ultra Beasts may be strong, but they only number nine. Add you and I, that makes eleven. We were able to achieve success in previous assaults through surprise. We will have none here."
"So you propose…"
"I am not the only being of evil from my timeline," said Darkrai. "There are others. With our access to any point along that timeline, we can recruit any number of threats. Dusknoir and his allies will be useful, and Primal Dialga…"
"Remember our arrangement," Necrozma said threateningly. "You will get your dark world-"
"-only when you're whole again, yes, yes, I know," said Darkrai. "That's not what I'm proposing. I'm simply proposing a recruitment drive. Start with Dusknoir and Primal Dialga, and go forwards and backwards along the timeline from there. By the time we're done, I guarantee you our forces will be drastically bolstered."
A short pause. "Fine," said Necrozma. "But a recruitment drive only. Take…Xurkitree and Celesteela with you. I expect results."
Darkrai dipped his head, a malevolent grin adorning his face. "You won't be disappointed."
So. There are probably some people among you who are going 'wait a minute, that's not what happens in Pokemon myths, Bulbapedia says this happened way earlier than this and that isn't related in any way to that'. To which I say 'Alternate timelines are weird'.
But yeah, lots of stuff happened. I considered splitting this chapter in half once I realized it was so long, but I didn't think what was essentially an epilogue to the Revelations Arc should last two chapters. Hence one mega-chapter. Hopefully it doesn't come off as unwieldy.
Anyway, this is the end of the Revelations Arc! Please drop a review and let me know how you thought it turned out. As usual, I'll be taking a short break before the start of the next arc, so I'll see you in eight days for the start of said next arc, otherwise known as the "Downtime Arc"!