This arc, as evidenced by the name, is very much intended to be a bit of a breather after the last couple arcs. That's not to say it won't have plot, and that's definitely not to say it will be boring, but my intent is for it to be a fair bit less...stressful...than the last couple arcs.
Hope you all enjoy!
As usual, the Alolan morning was sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. Medicham was starting to think it never rained or snowed in Alola. The sun seemed extra bright after the lightless sky of Ultra Space, the warmth of it relaxing in its familiarity. And yet despite the brightness of the sun, everything felt subdued, as if the world around Medicham was waking up from a nightmare.
Breakfast was a somewhat lonely affair. Elio and Hau had already eaten, and Gladion and Lillie were nowhere to be found. From what Medicham had seen yesterday, Lillie had not taken Lusamine's possession well; neither had Gladion, but he was burying his anger in favor of taking care of both Lillie and Silvally. Even with Snowy and Nebby doing their best to comfort her, Medicham could tell she would not sleep well for a while.
That left Connie, Serena, and Theo to eat with Marcus, their teams nibbling on a meal of berries around them. All four Trainers and their Pokemon clearly knew that they'd definitely been in over their heads, and recognized that if not for Marshadow and the other Legendaries, they would have been slaughtered. So the general air was fairly gloomy, and very few conversations took place, the Trainers and Pokemon preferring to silently take small bites of their food.
Medicham was doing the same, but for different reasons. After yesterday's events, it felt as though she'd been through a lifetime of peril, and last night's revelations had not exactly helped. She still could not help but mull them over in her mind, pieces of Darkrai's tale coming to the forefront of her mind every time she tried to think of something else.
The news broadcast playing on the television visible at the corner of the room didn't help. Medicham couldn't tear her gaze away from it as a reporter spoke about the upcoming Ultra Beast invasion. Apparently Professor Kukui had let the media know about Necrozma's attack and his impending return, for that was all the television had been talking about for the past half-hour.
Medicham glanced over at Kriesh as the Fearow's long beak closed around a Sitrus Berry. "Kriesh?"
"Yeah?" Kriesh responded telepathically.
"I know Darkrai told us to try and forget all that stuff about Cyrus and Giratina," said Medicham. "But I can't."
Kriesh gulped down her berry. "I know. Neither can I. But we don't have to. We just have to put it in the back of our minds. Like Darkrai said, focus on the team."
Medicham nodded, chewing on a berry herself. "Yes. All right. Focus on the team."
Breakfast ended soon after, and the group of four began packing their bags for the plane ride home. The flight from Alola to Kalos wouldn't be as long as the one from Kanto-Johto to Kalos had been, but it would not be short, either. Medicham knew there would be plenty of time to catch up with her teammates, especially the newly strengthened Houndoom and Trevenant.
Packing was a rather unhurried affair. The flight would leave at 2:00 this afternoon, but they would have to catch a ferry to Akala Island, which left at noon precisely. Grimsley stopped by at 10:00, checking up on the group; he was apologetic that the initial plan to meet and talk with Nanu hadn't worked out. Apparently the Ula'ula Kahuna was occupied with Guzma and Team Skull. Medicham hadn't seen the Team Skull boss since their escape together from Ultra Space. She wasn't longing for his company, but all the same she caught herself wondering how he was doing.
Lunch would be served aboard the ferry, so Marcus remained in his room until 11:30. He largely remained by himself, tapping on his Pokedex. The exception was about half an hour after Grimsley had stopped by; Medicham suddenly found herself outside of her Luxury Ball, standing on the hotel room floor as Marcus withdrew his thumb from the release button.
"Medicham," he said, "I just wanted to apologize. I threw you into that situation, and if you'd disappeared for good…I never would have been able to forgive myself."
"You know you couldn't have predicted Nebby teleporting like that," Medicham responded.
"I know," said Marcus. "But it still feels like my fault."
"I forgive you," said Medicham. "Now…let's forget all that. You've got a Gym Leader position to obtain, don't you?"
Marcus smiled. "Of course. Thanks, Medicham."
He recalled her after that, and the remainder of the time before 11:30 passed uneventfully. At 11:30, Marcus finally roused himself, gathered his bags, and exited his room.
He nearly ran into Gladion and Lillie. Medicham was quite surprised to see the two up and about; she hadn't even realized they were in the same hotel, though that could be attributed to her general exhaustion after yesterday's events. She was even more surprised when she saw Lillie. It felt like she was looking at a completely different person; Lillie was no longer wearing her hat and her hair had been tied back into a long ponytail, and she overall was exuding an aura of confidence that Medicham had not felt from her previously. Her large bag was also not on her person, and was replaced with a smaller red backpack hiked up on her back.
"Hello, Marcus," said Lillie, sounding more cheery than yesterday.
"Hello, Lillie," said Marcus. "How are you doing?"
"Not too bad." Lillie's voice dipped noticeably before recovering. "Anyway…thanks for helping save me."
"You're welcome," said Marcus. "So what happens next for you two?"
"I need to take care of Silvally," said Gladion. "I bought him some Leftovers…should take the edge off the pain he's feeling. But it's a temporary solution at best. And I'm not going back to Aether, so hopefully someone else on this island has something that can help."
"And I'm going to start my own Pokemon journey," said Lillie. "Look, Marcus…when Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts come back, they're going to come for Nebby. And I'm not letting them take him without a fight. So I need to get stronger so I can prepare for that."
"I wish you luck," said Marcus.
"Same to you," said Lillie. "Now come on, Gladion, we have to find Professor Kukui."
Gladion looked somewhat bemused by his sister's newfound confidence as she led him down the hotel hallway. Marcus smiled slightly as he walked in the opposite direction.
Connie, Serena, and Theo met him outside, and together they walked to the Ula'ula ferry terminal. They made sure to give the main square of the town a wide berth; not only was it currently closed down, it also held memories that none of them wanted to revisit.
It was at the ferry terminal, right as they were about to get on the ferry, when one last visitor made their appearance.
"Guzma?" Marcus asked. "What are you doing here?"
Medicham turned to see the Team Skull boss stepping into view, flanked by a pair of Ace Trainers. The grin that had once been omnipresent on Guzma's face was faded slightly as he stepped up to Marcus, still towering over the younger Trainer.
A few moments passed before Guzma spoke. "Your Medicham saved my life in Ultra Space," he said. "Just thought you might want to know."
Marcus's gaze flicked over to Medicham's Luxury Ball. Pride stirred in Medicham's chest as Marcus responded. "So what's next for you?"
"Well," said Guzma, "let's just say that sometimes you gotta admit when you're wrong. And trusting Lusamine was the worst decision I've made in my life. I thought…I thought I could cheat my way into recognition. Into finally changing the world. But I was going about it all wrong. So I've decided-" The Ace Trainers around Guzma rolled their eyes. "-that I'm gonna change Team Skull for the better. We're gonna work alongside Alola to prepare for Necrozma and his goons, and when the time comes we'll defend Alola right alongside everyone else. From now on, Team Skull will be known as Team Reskull!"
From the way Guzma's grin reasserted itself, he thought much better of the name than the other Trainers. One of the Ace Trainers coughed suggestively. "Ah, calm down, I ain't here to hurt anyone," Guzma snarled over his shoulder, before turning back to Marcus. "And I suppose you're still goin' off to become a Gym Leader?"
"That's the plan," said Marcus.
Guzma chuckled softly. "I guess I still don't understand why…but it ain't my place to decide what you want to do with your life. So go on!" He grinned wickedly. "And if you're ever up for a rematch, I'll be waiting. It'll be a pleasure to beat you into the ground!"
"Thanks," Marcus said awkwardly. "I'll…think about it."
"We should go," one of the Ace Trainers said.
"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on." Guzma turned and moved away, the Ace Trainers following behind him.
"So," said Connie, "you gonna take him up on that?"
Marcus snorted. "Not for a while. He'd kinda destroy me."
"Fair enough," said Theo. "Shall we?"
"With pleasure," said Marcus, stepping onto the ferry after the other three Trainers.
The rest of the journey passed by without incident. Medicham peered out of her Luxury Ball, taking in the beautiful Alolan landscape. The ocean practically shone before her eyes, the sunlight dancing on the water, setting it to glittering as the nearby trees swayed gently in the slight breeze. Medicham would not miss Alola, but the scenery was definitely not the reason for that.
It seemed only a short time before the group stepped onto the plane that would transport them back to Kalos. Medicham smiled at the sight of the battle arena in the back. The flight was fairly crowded this time around, the usual travelgoers supplemented by native Alolans fleeing their home region in the face of Kukui's warning, and as such the back area was already occupied by several Pokemon talking to one another or lounging against the airplane walls.
Seeing the crowded area, Marcus bent down towards Medicham's Luxury Ball. "Medicham, do you think you could work with the rest of the team in shifts? Two Pokemon at a time; that way everyone will get a turn."
"Sure," said Medicham.
And so it was that ten minutes later, Medicham found herself standing in the battle arena with Houndoom and Liepard, neither of whom she was particularly comfortable with at the moment.
Liepard generally unnerved her. It wasn't that Medicham believed she was dangerous to Marcus; despite her sneaky and somewhat untrustworthy demeanor, she'd proven herself a valuable ally and a decent teammate. But Medicham couldn't forget the circumstances of their first meeting, with Liepard at the head of an army dedicated to overthrowing the Pokemon Medicham had grown up with. Nor could she forget Liepard's continuous advances on Drapion, though those had at least slackened in Alola.
Houndoom, though, was entirely different. Despite his association with Team Flare, his attempted intervention during that first desperate fight with Betrayer-Of-Kin had given Medicham good reason to trust him, and since then Houndoom had given Medicham no reason to retract that trust. But the instant she'd heard about Houndoom's newfound control over Fire energy, Medicham's mind had instantly flown to Hellhound, the Houndoom of former Elite Four member Malva whom she and Drapion had confronted back in Geosenge, and now she remembered him every time she looked at Houndoom.
"Flash Fire, right?" Medicham asked, reasoning that it would be better to just go in rather than delay interacting with Houndoom.
"Right," the Dark/Fire-type confirmed.
"What can you do with it, exactly?" Medicham asked.
"Control Fire energy," Houndoom responded in a somewhat puzzled tone.
"Okay…here's an idea," said Medicham. "Use a Fire-type attack. Liepard, you copy that attack, and Houndoom, you control that copy. Houndoom, don't aim for Liepard; Liepard, you're welcome to aim for Houndoom."
"What?" Houndoom didn't seem fond of that idea.
Medicham hated to draw upon her battle with Hellhound, but she had to admit that the Elite Four-level Houndoom had used his Ability quite well. "I'm fairly certain Flash Fire gives you immunity to Fire energy as well," she said. "But just in case, let's start with something weaker."
"Fine," Houndoom growled. He spat a single weak Ember at the wall of the battle arena.
"Farceur: Imitateur," Liepard hissed. An identical Ember formed before her; with a breath she sent it flying at Houndoom.
"Flash Fire," Houndoom retorted. An aura of Fire energy flared to life around him; the copied Ember halted in midair as Houndoom's will overrode the attack's trajectory. Then it was thrown back, winging past Liepard's face and dissipating against the arena wall.
"Okay," said Medicham. "Liepard, give me a moment. Houndoom, try controlling this." She used Fire Punch, summoning a burst of Fire energy on her fist. "Blaze Strike!" she cried, rushing Houndoom with her flaming fist drawn back.
"Flash Fire!" As Medicham's fist flew at Houndoom, his aura flared to life again, and the flames around her fist were blown away as though in a high wind. But the fist continued onwards, and would have struck Houndoom had it not been for Medicham pulling her punch.
"Right," said Medicham. "It seems like you can disrupt and redirect Fire-type attacks, but that's it for now. You'll need to focus on control. Use Ember; try manipulating your own attacks in different ways. I know for a fact that you're capable of a lot more."
"Got it," said Houndoom.
"As for you, Liepard," said Medicham, stepping over towards the pure Dark-type Pokemon, "is it alright if we spar for a moment?"
"Ça me va," Liepard said, punctuating the statement with a nod of her head. "When?"
"Now," said Medicham, crouching. "Let's-"
"Tranche Rapide!" Liepard closed the distance between them alarmingly fast. "Aura Avoidance!" Medicham cried; Liepard's paw skimmed her chest as she twisted away from the blow.
"Tranche Vicieuse!" Liepard rounded on her, bringing her Dark energy-covered left paw towards Medicham's stomach. "Pure Power: Aura Strike!" Medicham cried, lashing out to counter; paw met fist and Liepard staggered, shaking her left paw in pain.
"Pure Power: Aura Sweep!" Medicham lashed out with a swift kick, aiming to trip Liepard up, but Liepard managed to dance away from the attack. "Poursuite!" Several rays of Dark energy came streaming from Liepard's mouth, and Medicham was forced to raise her arms in front of her, letting them take the blow. Pain stung her forearms.
"Augmenter L'Attaque!" Liepard took the opportunity to set up with a quick Hone Claws. Dark energy flared around her and she grinned wickedly. Medicham clenched her fists. "Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!"
A flurry of Aura Blasts flew from Medicham's fists; Liepard's eyes widened as she hurled herself to the side, barely evading the barrage. Paws skidding, Liepard twisted and dove through a gap between two of the blasts. "Poursuite!" she cried again, clearly hoping to distract Medicham from her barrage.
"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham twisted away from the Pursuit rays; she was standing close enough to the nearest wall that they struck that wall before they could turn to pursue her. Liepard dove at her, aiming to take advantage of the pause in her barrage. "Bullet Strike!" Medicham cried.
"Farceur: Imitateur!" Liepard retorted. Both fist and paw shone with Steel energy as they collided once again. This time both combatants held firm, their attacks equal in power.
"Pure Power: Aura Strike!"
"Tranche Ventouse!"
"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham cried, activating her Aura-based defenses as fast as she could. This time she couldn't quite evade Liepard's attack, and the Sucker Punch grazed her left side and sent her staggering, but she managed to fire off a reflexive Aura Blast that knocked Liepard headlong.
Liepard rolled to her feet, panting. Medicham looked up at her, readying herself to close in again. Adrenaline was kicking in; after so many fights in the past week against dangerous enemies, it felt good to just enjoy a practice bout.
"I can tell your durability's lacking," said Medicham. "You've got plenty of speed, and with Copycat it's not like you get hit often, but when you do get it I can tell it hurts."
Liepard smirked. "I will admit that, mon ami."
"What does that mean?" Medicham asked.
Liepard frowned.
"Mon ami," said Medicham. "You say it all the time. Especially to Drapion - I thought it meant 'my love' or something like that."
"You aren't too far off," said Liepard. "But no. Mon amour is Native Kalosian for 'my love'. But I do not prefer to address Drapion by that title until he reciprocates. So I call him mon ami. In Native Kalosian, it means 'my friend'."
Medicham felt her mouth curve into a grin. She flared Aura along her forearms. "Shall we continue?"
"Indeed," said Liepard. "Come, then."
Medicham hurled herself at Liepard, a fiery feeling of excitement burning inside her the likes of which she hadn't felt in what seemed like months.
"Cloyster," said Medicham, "I've noticed you've shied away from physical attacks recently. May I ask why?"
Cloyster hesitated to answer. "It's not like I need them," he said at last.
"What happens if someone gets close?" Medicham asked. "You have to be able to defend yourself close-range, or-"
She stopped speaking as she realized Cloyster was looking at the floor, pointedly away from her. Kriesh, standing beside him, glanced over at the downcast Water/Ice-type. "This is about your shell, isn't it?" the Fearow asked.
Cloyster nodded shakily. "I used to…used to think nothing could break it," he said. "But now…it feels like it's as brittle as glass. Without Impenetrable Shell, I don't…I don't want to risk it."
"Cloyster," said Medicham, "Malva's Torkoal was Elite Four-level. Just because it was strong enough to break your shell doesn't mean everyone is. You don't have to be afraid that everything's going to break it. I doubt Kriesh could break it - I'm not even sure I could break it if I tried. Not that we're going to try, of course," she added hastily at Cloyster's worried expression.
Cloyster still seemed nervous. "Are you sure?"
"Of course," said Medicham. "You remember Withdraw, right?"
Cloyster nodded.
"Doesn't that strengthen your shell even further?" Medicham asked.
"Yes, of course," said Cloyster. "But I'm not sure that's enough."
"How about Iron Defense?"
Medicham and Cloyster's eyes swiveled to Kriesh. "It's like Withdraw, but it uses Steel energy for an even stronger defense," the Fearow said. "From what I've heard, it's highly prized for its defensive capabilities; a Pokemon that can use Iron Defense is said to be nearly impossible to physically defeat."
Cloyster's eyes widened. "Do you think I can learn that?"
"I don't know," said Kriesh, "but many defensive-oriented Pokemon are capable of learning it. You just might be able to, with some practice of course."
"Okay." Cloyster took a deep breath. "How…do I…"
"Here," Kriesh and Medicham chorused; both having the same idea, they mustered Steel Wing and Bullet Punch at the same time, Steel energy playing over their wing and fist respectively.
Cloyster giggled. "Okay. I'll try. Defensive Shell."
He concentrated, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut. But it was Water energy that covered his shell, not Steel. He opened his eyes to see the familiar blue shimmering energy around him. "Dang it."
"Don't worry, it's not like it'll happen on the first try," Medicham encouraged. "Keep practicing."
Cloyster nodded, and Medicham turned to Kriesh. "Now, you said you had something you wanted to work on?"
Kriesh grimaced. "Ripper was at Aether Paradise."
"What?" Medicham certainly remembered the Team Flare Manectric who had caused Kriesh so much grief. "Seriously? How?"
"Don't know, don't care," said Kriesh. "But he's gonna come back. And I want to be prepared when he does." Her eyes narrowed. "Tyranitar had to bail me out. Next time he might not be around."
"What's your plan?" Medicham asked.
"I need to figure out a more versatile defense," said Kriesh. "At this point my only counter to Electric-type attacks is Earth Impact, and using the same move over and over again is no winning strategy. Any Pokemon can adapt to that. I need something else."
"So Earth Impact requires you to charge?" Medicham asked.
"Yeah," said Kriesh. "Normally I summon it on my beak, and then I charge into it. That lets the Ground energy flow along my body and dissipate any Electric attack, but like you said, it requires me to charge."
"Can you use Earth Impact on other body parts?" Medicham asked. "Like…you can use Steel Impact along your wings. Can you use Earth Impact in that same way?"
"Doesn't sound too difficult," Kriesh murmured. "All right. I'll try it. But I'll want more countermeasures ready as well." The Fearow dug her talons into the arena floor. "Next time Ripper shows up, I'm going to be ready for him. I promise you that."
It was clear that Marcus had picked up on the rapport between Pangoro and Drapion, for he'd sent the two out at the same time once again. Pangoro had his usual savage grin adorning his face as he scanned the area. Medicham swallowed, determined not to be intimidated by the large Dark/Fighting-type.
"All right," she said. "I didn't really see what happened to either of you at Aether. So what do you think you can improve from your battles?"
Drapion lashed his tail. "Somethin' ta hit all around me," he growled. "Couldn't do much while ah was blind."
Pangoro snorted. "Do you even care?"
Medicham sighed. "I-"
Pangoro didn't even let her continue speaking. "I know you're just doing this because Marcus told you to," he stated. "Do you really care about how I fight?"
Drapion rounded on him. "Ya think ya can-"
"Drapion!" At Medicham's sharp cry Drapion fell silent. Medicham looked up at Pangoro. "No, Pangoro. I don't care how you fight. But you should. Because when our battle against Faba was done, I saw you unconscious on the floor. Now you can do one of two things. Either you can keep doing what you were doing in the wild, and keep losing just like you did in Aether, or you can work with me. Because while I don't care about how you fight, I know you do, and so I'm trying to help you figure out a better strategy for next time. Whether it's a new move, or a new version of an existing move, I don't care. I am here to help. So are you going to let me help you or not?"
Pangoro glared down at Medicham, scowling. "Speed," he growled. "I could barely touch that Bruxish."
"You have Bullet Punch, don't you?" Medicham asked.
"Yeah, but the Bruxish had priority as well," Pangoro pointed out.
"So it's not speed you need, but something to hit all around you," said Medicham. "Just like Drapion…that actually works out pretty well. Do you have any ranged attacks, Pangoro?"
"Never needed them," Pangoro growled.
"Then honestly, you should start with that," said Medicham. "I've heard of a technique a lot of Fighting and Psychic-types use, the former for ranged attacks and the latter for coverage against Dark-types. It's called Focus Blast; it's essentially a less refined version of Aura Sphere."
Pangoro's eyes narrowed. "So I should…throw my Fighting energy?"
"Precisely," said Medicham. "Work on that, and then perhaps you can turn that into an all-around hit with practice."
Pangoro nodded surprisingly readily and stepped past Medicham, Fighting energy forming along his arm.
"Drapion," said Medicham, "what about Dig?"
"Doesn't work on hard steel floors like Aether," Drapion growled.
"But you could change it," Medicham said. "Manipulate it. Ground energy…Connie's Tyranitar knows Earthquake? Perhaps you could figure out how to manipulate Ground energy in a similar way? Earthquake would actually be really good for-"
"No."
Drapion's curt, sudden reply caught Medicham off guard. "What do you mean?" Medicham asked.
"Ah can't learn Earthquake," Drapion growled. "Not naturally, anyway. Ah'll need a TM for that."
"Really?" Medicham asked. "How do you know? Have you tried?"
Drapion shivered slightly. "Ah just know, okay?"
"Okay," said Medicham. A small pang of guilt asserted itself at how easily Medicham realized Drapion's reason for that knowledge brought up bad memories. Memories he preferred to keep to himself. She'd felt the same way quite a few times. Still did.
"So," said Medicham, "maybe you can expand the amount of spikes you can fire with PIn Missile?"
"Yeah, seems like that might work," Drapion growled. "Ah'll see how that turns out."
"Fair enough," said Medicham. She turned back towards Pangoro in time to see the burly Dark/Fighting-type fling a Fighting energy-enhanced fist forwards, swinging wildly at the air; the Fighting energy flickered but didn't respond.
"Pangoro!" Medicham stepped over to him, surprised at how easily her voice came out. "Let me demonstrate."
Pangoro nodded, copying Medicham's stance as she crouched beside him. Medicham tapped into Pure Power, allowing a sphere of Aura to form in her outstretched hand.
"Aura Blast!"
The last two Pokemon of the day were Trevenant and Kamado; by this point, the plane was approaching Kalos and would soon begin its descent. Trevenant was standing attentively before Medicham, while Kamado was already summoning spheres of Rock energy as practice to increase the speed and power of his Rock Tombs.
"So…you can grow plants now?" Medicham asked Trevenant.
"Yep!" Trevenant demonstrated, clearly taking great pleasure in sprouting a small Grass energy-swathed tree from the nearby ground.
"Can you use those for Forest's Curse?" Medicham asked.
"Yep!" Again Trevenant demonstrated, disappearing from view and materializing in the trunk of the tree they'd created.
No wonder Trevenants are so feared, Medicham reflected. It was bad enough for a Trevenant to be capable of popping out of any tree in a forest, but to be capable of growing their own trees…Medicham had a vision of a Trevenant generating a mazelike forest, trapping a poor wandering Pokemon inside a grove of trees that constantly changed every time they turned their back. She banished that from memory. I've already got enough nightmares to deal with.
"That's all I can do, though," said Trevenant. "They just grow. I can't move them afterwards. I can grow vines, and manipulate them as they grow, but once they've finished growing, they also stay where they are."
"That's still really powerful," Medicham pointed out. "Especially with Forest's Curse. How fast can you grow those trees?"
"Pretty fast," said Trevenant.
"I think you should try getting faster," Medicham advised. "The faster you can grow trees, the faster you can teleport. Also, do they need to be fully grown in order for you to teleport to them?"
"Dunno." Trevenant grinned, their singular red eye glowing. "I'll see how that works."
"Kamado!"
Marcus's voice disturbed Medicham and Trevenant; together they turned to look up as Marcus stepped into the arena, another Trainer at his heels. This Trainer looked slightly younger than Marcus and was clutching a Pokeball in both hands. A Popplio was waddling alongside the other Trainer, looking even more nervous than he was.
"Andy here just got his Starter a few days ago," said Marcus. "Do you think you'd be up for a battle?"
Kamado looked nervous at the prospect; he looked at Medicham and Trevenant, both of whom nodded. He turned back to Marcus and nodded himself.
"All right, he's up for it," Marcus told the Trainer with the Popplio.
"Cool!" Andy said. "I've never battled a Fossil Pokemon before! Tub, let's do this!"
"You've never battled any Pokemon before," the Popplio muttered as he took his place across from Kamado. Marcus stepped to the other side of the battle arena, moving behind Kamado as the Tyrunt faced Tub.
Medicham noticed that several heads were turning as the various Pokemon in the back area of the plane became aware that a battle was happening. Medicham spotted nostalgia glinting in the eyes of more than a few of the watchers as they gazed upon the two small Pokemon.
"All right, Tub, let's hit it for super-effective damage! Water Gun!" Andy punctuated his order with an exaggerated pointing motion.
"Block it with Rock Tomb," Marcus told Kamado.
With a cry of "Water Blast!", Tub opened fire on Kamado, who summoned forth several spheres of Rock energy with a retaliatory growl of "Rock Defense!" The multiple spheres were too much even for the super-effective Water-type attack, and both dissipated against each other.
"Rock Tomb, this time offensively!" Marcus called; Medicham noticed that Kamado had already started the attack, and realized that Marcus had called it out mainly for Andy's benefit. So that's why all those Gym Leaders gave their Pokemon so many orders, Medicham realized. And why their Pokemon did very little without those orders. It was all part of the test. Medicham was beginning to recognize that being a Gym Leader might be a little more complicated than just 'stand on one side of an arena and fight a bunch of Trainers'.
"Rock Attack!"
"Water Blast!"
Again the attacks collided as Tub fired a Water Gun at the oncoming rocks, and again they dissipated against each other. "Kamado, Tackle!" Marcus called. Kamado rushed Tub, body glowing with Normal energy as he approached the Popplio. "Head Attack!"
"Pound!" Andy cried. Popplio lunged at the charging Kamado. "Fin Slam!" Tub shouted, swinging a Normal energy-enhanced fin at Kamado. Head and fin collided with a crack that drew a few winces and groans of sympathy from the audience; Kamado's greater strength won out, and Tub staggered, shaking his fin in pain.
"Water Gun, now!" Andy cried. Medicham was surprised at how quickly both he and Tub reacted; though this might be their first battle, it was clear they'd at least practiced together before.
"Water Blast!" Tub called, and this time Kamado wasn't fast enough to summon a Rock Tomb in defense. He staggered under the blast, though he did not fall; his claws skidded on the arena floor as he planted his feet, readying himself for another charge.
"That…didn't do too much." Andy looked puzzled. Clearly, he'd assumed Tyrunt was just a Rock-type.
"That's because Kamado isn't actually weak to Water-type attacks," said Marcus. "Kamado here's a Rock/Dragon-type, which makes Water-type attacks neutral against him!"
"Whoa!" Andy's mouth fell open in shock, and then he closed it, grinning. "But that means…he's weak against Fairy! Tub, Disarming Voice!"
From the widening of Marcus's eyes, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. "Rock Tomb!" he cried swiftly; this time, Kamado was prepared enough to raise a barrier of Rock energy as Tub unleashed a piercing cry. "Fairy Scream!" A shockwave flew from the Popplio's mouth, glowing pink with Fairy energy.
However, Fairy was not super-effective against Rock, and so the Rock Tomb held, Tub's Fairy Scream dissipating against it. Kamado swiftly tossed the remains of the Rock-type attack at Tub; it was blunted by a Water Blast from the Popplio, but now Kamado was crouching, eyes narrowed in readiness.
"Neat trick," said Marcus. "Now let me show you mine. Kamado, Rock Polish!"
As Kamado's body flared with Rock energy, Medicham could not help but think back to a certain day a long time ago. Marcus against the hiker, Dennis, and Medicham - Meditite - against a Geodude. A Geodude who had suddenly grown much faster, capable of overwhelming her with sheer speed due to a technique no Geodude she'd ever seen before had been able to use.
How strange that history would repeat itself so closely.
"Tackle!" Marcus called, and Kamado hurled himself at Tub, covering the length of the arena at a much faster pace. "Speed Enhancement! Head Attack!"
"Oh, crap, that's fast!" Andy cried. "Tub, Pound, and Disarming Voice while he's staggered!"
Tub winced in anticipation even as he called "Fin Slam!" Indeed, Kamado's greater strength, coupled with his increased momentum, sent Tub reeling. "Fairy Scream!" Tub shouted as Kamado lunged for the Popplio again.
Kamado dove straight into the teeth of the Fairy energy-enhanced cry. He snarled in pain but held; a crack filled the air as Kamado's lowered head impacted Tub, sending the Popplio flying.
"Tub!" Andy cried, concerned, as the Popplio landed at his feet. Tub rose, groaning. "Ow…"
Kamado was not too well off either. The super-effective Fairy Scream had struck him hard, preventing him from following up on the staggered Tub.
"You can do this, Tub!" Andy encouraged. "Water Gun and Disarming Voice, together!"
Tub winced. "Water…Scream!" he cried with no small amount of effort. Kamado's eyes widened as he beheld another shockwave flying from Tub's mouth, enhanced with Water energy as well as Fairy.
"Rock Defense!" Kamado snarled, planting his feet. With an exertion of energy he summoned another barrier of floating stony projectiles in front of him just as Tub's combination attack came down upon him.
Water, Fairy, and Rock energy exploded outwards; Medicham saw the miniature eruption send Kamado flying across the arena. The Tyrunt landed hard, rolling until he came to a stop at Marcus's feet. As the burst of energy dissipated, Tub sagged from the amount of energy he'd utilized. The Popplio was still on his feet, or flippers as it were, but Medicham wasn't sure if he could use another Water Scream in that state.
Nonetheless, Tub narrowed his eyes and readied himself for further battle as he beheld that Kamado was still moving. The Tyrunt was attempting to rise, but after a few seconds his strength gave out. The blast had been too much for him.
Marcus raised Kamado's Pokeball and recalled him. "I forfeit," he said calmly.
There was a brief pause as his words sunk in. Then Andy's eyes lit up with delight. "Yes!" The Trainer grabbed Tub around the stomach and hugged him tightly as the Popplio smiled tiredly. "We did it! Great job, Tub!"
Medicham felt sorry for Kamado; she knew the Tyrunt would not like that his first real battle had ended in a loss, and it would not be good for his self-esteem. But he'd done his best in the circumstances. Andy was clearly a decent Trainer who had practiced with Tub and therefore had a good grasp on what the Popplio was capable of. Combined with Tub's type advantages, Medicham had to admit that the Popplio deserved the win.
But I didn't win.
As Marcus stepped over to congratulate Andy on his victory, Medicham heaved a sigh. She and Tub had faced the same problem, a powerful Pokemon threatening to overwhelm them with a sudden speed boost. But she and Marcus had been overcome, unable to react properly, whereas Tub and Andy had kept their cool and figured out a solution.
Medicham shook her head. Marcus had been a different Trainer back then, and she'd been a different Pokemon. They'd come a long way since those times.
Sometimes I wish things could be as simple as they were back then. No Heralds, no apocalypse, no alternate timelines, just a group of Pokemon and a Trainer walking around Kalos and collecting Gym Badges.
"Attention, everyone. We are now beginning our descent towards Lumiose City."
The sound of the pilot's voice crackling over the loudspeakers disturbed Medicham from her thoughts. She readied himself for the descent. It would be good to finally return home. Alola was a beautiful place, but even though Medicham knew Kalos wasn't her real home, there was something about the region that would always feel comfortably familiar to her.
In an underground room beneath Aether Paradise, two scientists sat on either side of a table, tinkering with a piece of technology.
"I would have thought," said Xerosic, "that now that you're the President of Aether, you might, y'know, leave me to do this."
"Oh, please, Xerosic," said Faba, "you wound me. I would never abandon my work. Besides, this technology left behind by the Ultra Recon Squad is too fantastic to ignore. This generator was able to generate a Psychic shield around the entire timeline! Imagine what it could do once we reverse-engineer it, alter it a little bit? Giovanni will be so pleased."
The newly promoted President of Aether sat back in his chair. "That said…you are right that I do have further responsibilities now. And an unfortunate side effect of arranging for the assassination of Assistant Branch Chief Wicke is that I have no one to promote to the vacated position of Aether Branch Chief. And while I would love to promote you to that position, you are still technically a wanted criminal - no offense."
"None taken whatsoever," Xerosic reassured. He frowned. "Wicke's assassination has been kept quiet, I hope?"
"Of course," said Faba. "The two doctors that discovered her body have been compensated generously for their trauma, and have accepted high-paying positions at the Pacifidlog Aether Foundation Outreach Center in Hoenn. Her death has officially been confirmed as cardiac arrest brought on by a slow-acting agent in Nihilego's poison. And since we do not know whether that poison is capable of contamination, I have personally ensured that her body, and all of the equipment in the room, have been disposed of. Same with the dead Manectric in the air vents."
"Excellent." Xerosic grinned. "But back on the subject of your replacement. Surely you have someone you can call upon? Perhaps from one of the other laboratories, or the Battle Tree?"
"It depends…" Faba put a hand to his chin. "Possibly Luke, or Heidi…those two are good, loyal employees who don't ask too many questions. Of course, I would have to find a replacement for whoever we promote to the position. Perhaps I could call up Rose and request a transfer of one of his Macro Cosmos employees? He certainly has plenty of those."
"Why don't you contact Giovanni?" Xerosic asked. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind putting one of his Grunts in Aether Paradise."
Faba's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind that at all," he said. "I'm sure he'd love to have an agent keeping an eye on us. No, no. He may be a valued business partner, but when it comes to privacy, I'd prefer to keep mine, thank you very much."
The Aether President stood from his seat. "That does remind me of something, though. Giovanni does not yet know about the Expansion Suit."
Xerosic frowned again. "Does he need to?"
Faba sighed. "Xerosic, there is caution, and then there is opportunity. One must not allow opportunity to go to waste due to caution. If I had allowed caution to get in the way of opportunity, I would not be President of Aether." He grinned. "So here's the plan. We show him the prototype. Get him to sign off on it. Then we duplicate it. Sell the suits to him at…ten thousand Pokedollars each. He'd be salivating over them! We make…ten of these suits, that's a hundred thousand Pokedollars, split evenly amongst the two of us."
"Fifty thousand Pokedollars…" Xerosic matched Faba's grin. "That would set anyone for life."
"And that's just a fraction of the money we're going to make," said Faba, his grin stretching wider until it went from ear to ear. "Let's get started, Xerosic. Before we know it, we'll be the two richest men in the entire world!"