Medicham hadn't been too surprised when Kriesh had gone off on her solo flight. After all, the Fearow's excitement at Professor Sycamore's mention of the possibility had not gone unnoticed. So she had paid the departing Kriesh only a passing glance before turning her attention to what Marcus had told her and the rest of the team to do, which was reflect on the battle and analyze how they would have reacted to a similar situation.

About five minutes later, Medicham saw Kriesh flying overhead out of the corner of her eye. The Fearow's flight was somewhat erratic and she was heading a little too far to the west, but though Medicham felt a twinge of worry in her stomach she elected not to let that bother her too much. She paid more heed to pondering how she would deal with a fast user of Explosion like Shiftry. Instinctive Aura Avoidances would work best, she knew, but if Shiftry caught her on the tail end of one, there was no easy way she could avoid the sacrificial attack. Perhaps she could use her Aura in some other way, or deflect the explosion at least somewhat with her Psychic abilities?

Fifteen minutes later, she heard Marcus stepping back up the path. "Hey, everyone," he said. "Connie and Serena went off to break the news to Theo, so I thought I'd follow them once I picked you up." He looked around. "Where's Kriesh? Kinda figured she'd be back by now."

Medicham looked up. Sure enough, Kriesh was nowhere in sight. The twinge in her stomach was now a frantic flapping sensation that made Medicham feel sick. Stay calm, she thought. She's probably just clearing her head, or something.

"I'll wait," said Marcus, sitting down on the grass. "Keep doing what you're doing."

But as minute after minute went by with no sign of Kriesh, Medicham felt the fluttering sensation grow ever stronger. Once thirty minutes had gone by and the Fearow still hadn't reappeared, Marcus stood abruptly. "Has anyone seen her since she left?"

"I saw her about five minutes after she left," Medicham responded. "She was flying over that way." She pointed towards the woods west of Vaniville.

"And no one's seen her since then?" Marcus asked. The rest of the team shook their heads. Marcus muttered a curse.

"What's going on?"

Medicham hadn't expected Calem to be the person walking up. "Sycamore asked me to come get you," he said. "He's getting a little worried."

Marcus turned to face Calem. He hesitated for a moment, clearly remembering Calem's former views towards his treatment of his Pokemon, but ultimately spoke. "My Fearow's gone missing in the woods over that way."

Calem followed Marcus's pointing finger with his eyes. "That's where the Skorupi have been most active," he said. "You think that might be connected?"

"Probably not," said Marcus. "Kriesh can fly. Skorupi can't. Hopefully she's just gotten lost. I really don't want to think about the alternative."

"What's the alternative?" Medicham asked nervously.

"Poachers," said Marcus grimly. "Evil teams aren't the only Trainers who steal Pokemon. There are plenty of Pokemon poachers out there looking to make a quick Pokedollar."

"I'll alert Sycamore," said Calem. "We'd better head out quickly."

"Agreed," said Marcus. "All of you, with me. If it does turn out to be a poacher or a swarm of wild Skorupi, I'll need all the Pokemon I can get."

Kriesh glanced around the area, eyeing her captors. They had taken her to some kind of temporary camp, a small clearing dominated by a roughly hemispherical boulder, and were now preparing for battle. Razor had sent out his underlings in all directions; some had returned with the fallen Fletchinder, many of whom were nursing obvious concussions, others had returned with Persim Berries to help with said concussions, as well as Sitrus Berries to dull the pain, and still others had returned with more members of the Firebreather Swarm. Through eavesdropping on conversations between the members of the Swarm, Kriesh quickly learned that Razor had sent out several scouting parties to different parts of the forest. One of them had seen her and reported back to Razor and Talonflame, who had quickly arranged an ambush. The sheer level of organization was alarming; Kriesh had never seen this kind of thing before from Wild Pokemon, and in a way it reminded her of Team Rocket.

Kriesh was standing in the middle of the Firebreather Swarm's improvised camp, Talonflame watching her closely from atop a nearby boulder and a Skorupi on either side. The rest of the Firebreather Swarm were moving throughout the camp, stockpiling berries and sharpening claws. With all of the scouting parties returned, Kriesh counted at least fifty Pokemon in the Firebreather Swarm. Even for a team of Trained Pokemon, that was a large amount of Wild Pokemon to deal with. And that wasn't even counting Talonflame, who had quite clearly had a Trainer at some point, or Razor, whose capabilities Kriesh didn't even know.

For that matter, they clearly work for someone else, Kriesh thought to herself. If this 'Swarmlord' they keep mentioning sends reinforcements, or, Arceus forbid, shows up himself, Marcus and the rest of the team might actually be in real danger.

She shuffled slightly, hoping to at least reduce the stiffness beginning to take hold in her limbs. One of the Skorupi roughly nudged her. "Quit moving, Fearow," the Skorupi growled.

"Razor!" Talonflame spoke up. "How soon until we move?"

"Preparations must be complete," Razor responded. "I'm not leaving until everyone has a Sitrus Berry. We need to be as strong as possible if we're assaulting a Trainer's team."

Talonflame shifted on his tree branch. "Hold on, Razor. That's your plan? A direct assault? I was under the impression we were using the Fearow to prevent such a conflict."

"Indeed, but we must be prepared if things don't go well," said Razor. "The plan will go as I have already stated; since I know this Trainer is going to wander into the forest to search for his Fearow, we will scout out his path and move into position to intercept him. Once he's far enough away from the human town, we're going to march up to the Trainer with the Fearow, let him know to give us the Marked One or we'll kill the Fearow, and if he refuses, then we kill the Fearow, attack, and take the Marked One by force."

"I will admit, I hope it doesn't come to that," said Talonflame. "Trust me, a direct attack on a Trainer isn't all that wise, no matter what-" Talonflame paused as Kriesh began to chuckle. "What are you laughing about?"

"Drapion's in the Pokemon Center," said Kriesh. "Marcus isn't even going to bring him into the forest." She smirked despite the danger of the situation.

Talonflame glanced at Razor. "Not a problem," the wild Drapion growled. "We'll just tell the Trainer to go back to his town, grab the Marked One, and bring him back to us."

Talonflame hopped off the branch. "So let me get this straight," said Talonflame, irritation evident in his tone. "You're going to send the Trainer back to the town where all his Trainer friends are? What are you thinking?"

"Watch your tone," Razor growled. "I will not be spoken to in such a manner."

"You know as well as I do that this plan is badly thought-out," Talonflame stated.

"And I suppose you have a better one?" Razor snarled. "We've already pulled the trigger. We've captured the Fearow. The Trainer's coming into the forest. We can't hide the entire Firebreather Swarm. We're going to have to confront the Trainer head-on. If the Fearow's telling the truth…if the Marked One is seriously not coming with his Trainer…then we're in trouble. You know what happened to the Forest Spirit and Unseen Fist Swarms. If this fails, we're next. So we're going to go with my plan. We're going to tell the Trainer that if he returns with any help, we'll kill the Fearow. And hopefully that will be enough to dissuade him."

"I doubt it," said Talonflame. "But…you're right. It's not like we have a better plan."

"Precisely," said Razor. "Now, once everyone is equipped with a Sitrus Berry, I will send out scouting parties to locate the Trainer. When one returns with news, we will move out. And I do not wish to hear any more complaining. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Talonflame responded, his voice biting as he retreated.

Kriesh glanced over at Talonflame as the Fire/Flying-type retreated. Evidently, his and Razor's partnership wasn't the most stable. For a moment Kriesh considered talking to Talonflame. Trying to convince him to turn on Razor.

Then one of the Skorupi shoved Kriesh again. "Eyes front, Fearow."

Sighing, Kriesh obeyed. She doubted there was much of a chance of convincing Talonflame to defect anyway. All she could do was hope Marcus was up to the task of taking on the Firebreather Swarm.

Please be up to the task, she thought, raising her gaze to the clear blue sky above.

Sycamore was understanding, if worried, once he learned of the reason behind Marcus's tardiness. He, Serena, Connie, and Theo quickly agreed to help search for the missing Kriesh. The group wasted no time in dividing into three teams; Connie went with Professor Sycamore, Serena with Calem, and Theo with Marcus.

So the six Trainers ventured into the forest. As soon as the others were out of earshot, Medicham found herself being sent out alongside Trevenant and Theo's Cacturne and Mightyena. "Trevenant, scout ahead," Marcus whispered. "Use the trees. Don't be seen. Medicham, stay close. Anything comes at us, blast it."

"Mightyena, you're my best tracker," said Theo. "You have Kriesh's scent; try and track her down. Cacturne, stick with Medicham."

Trevenant and Mightyena quickly moved ahead; the former touched their branchlike fingers to a thick tree trunk and disappeared into the bark, while the latter stepped into the bushes, nose to the ground. Cacturne and Medicham moved along with their Trainers as they all walked deeper into the woods.

Medicham found herself glancing from side to side, worry pervading her mind. What if Kriesh really had been captured by some poacher? There was no way the poacher would stay in the woods; most likely they'd be long gone by now, taking Kriesh with them. The image of Kriesh's nightmare, the young Spearow curled up, sobbing in a wire mesh cage, came to Medicham's mind. She clenched her fists. Please just be lost, please just be lost…

A hand touched her shoulder lightly. "She'll be fine," Cacturne said; his touch was surprisingly soft despite the spiny protrusions that covered his limbs and body. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

"I hope so," said Medicham. "Thanks."

"No problem," Cacturne whispered.

Trevenant's face popped out from a nearby tree trunk. "Hey!"

Medicham and Cacturne both recoiled instinctively; both turned towards Trevenant with indignation on their faces. "Do you realize how tense we are?" Medicham hissed.

"Sorry," Trevenant said with a snaggly grin. "Anyway, Mightyena and I saw a group of Onix. They're moving through the forest, same direction as us."

"Onix?" Medicham remembered the last time they'd seen Onix; she hadn't seen the bulk of it, but Medicham knew Kamado was still dealing with bad memories of the large, serpentine Rock-types. "How many?"

"At least twenty," said Trevenant.

Medicham swiftly reported the situation to Marcus and Theo, both of whom frowned at the news. "Twenty Onix?" Theo asked. "I know Onix pretty well - Karen knows Bruno, and Bruno has a fondness for the species - and from what I've heard, you don't usually see so many Onix in one place. Sometimes they unite under one powerful Onix, or even a Steelix, but even then most of the time there aren't any more than ten."

"Perhaps it's some kind of migration?" Marcus queried.

"Onix don't migrate unless they're threatened into doing so," said Theo. "And if that's the case, they don't migrate in groups. They scatter, try to hide. No, this is different. Almost like a…war party."

"War party?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah," said Theo. "That's the only reason I can think of that twenty Onix would be moving together. Perhaps some Onix tribes have banded together against a common threat."

"And that common threat could be whatever's gotten Kriesh," said Marcus.

"They are moving in that same direction…" Theo murmured. "It's worth a shot. Let's follow the Onix. Keep your distance - if they really are a war party, they'll be even more on edge than we are."

"Right," said Marcus. "Trevenant, head back to Mightyena, and let her know about the new plan. Keep following the Onix; if anything changes, come back and let us know."

"You got it!" Trevenant sank back into the tree and was lost from sight.

"I am never going to get used to that," Medicham murmured.

"You're telling me," said Cacturne. "You're the one on the same team as them!"

Kriesh watched Razor closely as he gathered his troops. The entire army was armed with Sitrus Berries, the last of the wayward scouts brought in; Kriesh could tell it was almost time to move.

"No funny business," one of the Skorupi beside Kriesh growled.

Kriesh sighed. "I'm not going to try anything," she muttered

"You'd better not," the Skorupi retorted.

Razor cleared his throat. The Skorupi swiftly fell silent, and all eyes in the camp turned towards the Drapion in the center.

"We have been preparing for this moment for weeks now," Razor began, raising his voice to encompass the entire camp. "Today we shall earn the Swarmlord's favor. From this day forth, the Firebreather Swarm shall be known across Kalos as the ones who finally brought in the monster known as the Marked One."

Kriesh could not quite hide a snarl of fury. One of the Skorupi glared at her. "Quiet."

"For when we bring the Marked One to him," Razor continued, "the Swarmlord will reward us greatly. All of us will be festooned with the greatest of trophies, celebrated by every Swarm in Kalos!" Kriesh could have sworn some of the Skorupi were actually salivating at Razor's speech. "But before all of that, we must venture forth, and overcome our greatest challenge yet! Our adversary is a Trainer. A dangerous being to defeat. But we have prepared for this fight! So the Firebreather Swarm will show no fear! The Firebreather Swarm will not turn tail! Either we shall accomplish our task, or we shall perish in the attempt!"

Kriesh tried her best to direct her attention to anything but Razor and his overwrought, clearly rehearsed speech. So while the rest of the camp was focused on the Drapion, Kriesh's ears picked up the sound of rustling coming from the east. Something, or multiple somethings, were moving towards the camp.

"We march!" Razor finished. "We march together, and when we find our quarry, we will show him no mercy! The Firebreather Swarm will…" His voice trailed off; Kriesh could tell that he, too, had noticed the rustling. Razor's eyes turned towards the east; the rest of the camp followed his gaze just as the source of the rustling emerged into the clearing.

Kriesh's eyes widened as she beheld a large group of Onix slithering into the clearing, their rocklike bodies flattening bushes as they spread out to allow more Onix to enter. Kriesh peered closer at the new arrivals. There was no doubt about it; the three from yesterday, the juvenile who'd tangled with Kamado and his parents, were in the midst of the group. The juvenile locked eyes with Kriesh and flinched away, clearly remembering their encounter.

What are they doing here?

"What do you want?" Razor's snarl echoed around the clearing. "Can't you see we are in the middle of something?"

One of the Onix slithered to the front of the group; this one was not one Kriesh recognized, but its size and its pockmarked body told Kriesh it was senior amongst the Onix here. "That is exactly why we have come," the lead Onix said. "Your actions are jeopardizing our Elder's agreement with your Swarmlord."

"How?" Razor growled. "We do not seek to threaten you!"

"You have captured a Trainer's Pokemon," said the lead Onix, glancing at Kriesh. "You wish to lure Trainers into the forest and make war upon them. Your actions could place the entire population of this forest at risk. Thus, we have come to avert that possibility."

Razor glared furiously at the lead Onix. "We have spent weeks preparing for this - weeks - and I will not be thwarted by a bunch of idiot Onix! The agreement is that we will stay out of each others' business!"

"Unless that 'business' could threaten all of us," the lead Onix retorted.

"That's not what that part of the agreement means," Razor protested, "and you know it!"

"Enough!" The lead Onix lashed his tail. "Release the Fearow. She comes with us. We will return her to her Trainer, and hopefully assuage his wrath before this entire forest becomes engulfed in the firestorm of war."

"Or what?" Razor growled. "You attack us? Try and take the Fearow by force? Even if you can overcome us, the Swarmlord's retribution will be swift. Your Elder's agreement with the Swarmlord is the only reason we haven't already driven you out!"

The lead Onix's eyes narrowed. "On the contrary, our Elder's agreement with your Swarmlord is the only reason we haven't already driven you out. This is your last warning. Release the Fearow, or we will take her by force."

Razor flexed his claws. "Go ahead and try," the Drapion challenged, and in the blink of an eye he lunged, one arm swinging for the lead Onix's face.

"Sturdy." The lead Onix stood still as Razor's arm slammed into his face. He didn't even flinch. "Quaking Earth." He raised his tail and slammed it into the ground, unleashing a powerful blast of Ground energy that sent Razor flying back into his own troops.

"Kill them!" Razor spat, scrambling to his feet, and the entire clearing exploded into battle.

Medicham tore her foot away from the twig before it could snap; she allowed a sigh of relief at the close call. Normally, she didn't feel she was walking too loudly, but now that she was attempting to be stealthy, every noise she made seemed to increase in volume tenfold.

They'd been following the Onix for at least fifteen minutes, taking great pains to ensure the Rock-types didn't hear them coming. Medicham was beginning to wonder if they were following a red herring after all. Maybe the Onix were going after something else entirely. Or maybe they were migrating, and Theo's knowledge about Onix was more limited than expected.

It didn't help that Medicham hadn't seen hide nor hair of Trevenant and Mightyena since the initial report of the Onix. That made her even more nervous. She glanced over to Cacturne. "Do you think Mightyena and Trevenant are all right?"

But as Cacturne swiveled his head to respond, two things happened at once. The first was that a cacophony of shouts, screams, and crashes erupted from somewhere in front of them. The second was that Trevenant appeared out of yet another tree. "Found her! Follow me!"

He dashed off, using Forest's Curse to dart from tree to tree, a shadow figure flickering through the forest. Medicham and Cacturne lunged after him; sensing the sudden urgency, Marcus and Theo broke into sprints, following their Pokemon. The noise grew louder and louder until Medicham burst through a cluster of shrubs, Cacturne at her heels, and found herself standing on the edge of a battlefield.

Before her, the Onix were locked in combat with a horde of mingled Skorupi and Fire-types. Blasts of Rock and Fire energy crisscrossed the clearing as the Skorupi and Onix fought in melee. The Onix were clearly stronger, and combined with their natural type advantage they were easily tossing the Skorupi aside, but the Skorupi had greater numbers, and combined with ranged support from their Fire-type allies and the fact that all of them had Sitrus Berries to soothe the pain from the damage they were dealt, they were able to hold the Onix back.

Dominating the scene was a powerful-looking Drapion, who was facing off against a similarly large Onix in the center of the clearing. The two were locked in brutal combat, the Onix attempting to bind and constrict the Drapion even as the Drapion slammed his vicious claws into the Onix's body over and over again. "Forwards!" the Drapion commanded to his forces. "Drive them back!"

On the other side of the clearing was Kriesh; the sight of the Fearow brought immeasurable relief to Medicham. She was watching the fight closely, surrounded by a Skorupi on either side and a fairly sizable Talonflame overhead; the Talonflame was also calling orders, and at his commands a legion of Fletchinder were soaring through the air, raining down blasts of Fire energy to harry and stagger the Onix. Kriesh didn't seem too badly injured, thankfully.

"Kriesh!" Medicham cried.

Kriesh's gaze flicked to Medicham; her eyes lit up, and in a flash she moved. "Steel Impact!" Her right wing flashed silver as she slammed it into the Skorupi on her right, sending the Bug/Poison-type flying; she swiftly did the same with the Skorupi on her left, knocking him away as well. The Talonflame reared, startled, but before he could do anything Kriesh rounded on him. "Beam Impact!" The Talonflame shrieked in surprise as he was tossed away by the Hyper Beam, his body disappearing into the forest.

"Help the Onix!" Marcus commanded, tossing out the remaining members of his team. Theo did the same with Crawdaunt and Weavile, who charged into battle, lashing out at any Skorupi that got in their way. Medicham flung herself into the clearing, spying Trevenant entangling three Skorupi in rapidly growing roots on her left and the just-released Cloyster knocking away two more with Ice Blasts on her right. Kamado eagerly leaped alongside Medicham, unleashing a Rock Attack that sent a Skorupi flying.

Three of the Fletchinder hurled themselves at the new arrivals, but Theo's Mightyena rushed up from out of nowhere, leaped onto Crawdaunt's back, and hurled herself into the air. "Crackling Jaw!" The Fletchinder she was aiming for couldn't get away in time; Mightyena clamped her Electric energy-infused jaws around its body and brought it screeching to the ground as Crawdaunt, with a cry of "Dual Beam!", opened fire with a pair of Bubblebeams that sent the other two Fletchinder scrambling in a panic through the air.

Kriesh hurled herself into the air as well, opening fire with a Flurry Impact on the other three Fletchinder. Medicham saw one streak towards her, attempting to avoid Kriesh's seeking rays, and unleashed a Psychic Blast that arrested its flight and knocked it straight into a pair of Dark-type rays. The Fletchinder fell with a startled cry.

"Poursuite!" Liepard let fly with her own flurry of seeking rays, sniping another Fletchinder out of the sky. A Houndour and two Skorupi leaped at Medicham, only for Theo's Weavile to rush in from the side. "Pressure!" Medicham felt a sickness pervade her as Weavile's Pressure licked at her mind, but that was nothing compared to the effect it had on her attackers; all three staggered, clutching their heads tightly, and Cacturne and Kamado swiftly came in from either side, sending the trio to the ground before they could recover.

The battle was swiftly turning against the Skorupi and Fire-types, but they weren't finished yet. "Do not falter!" the Drapion snarled, and at his encouragement several of the fallen Skorupi and Fire-types gulped down Sitrus Berries, rose to their feet, and leaped back into the battle, the force of this new assault sending the Onix as a whole stumbling backwards. At the same time, the Talonflame lunged out of the woods; initially his eyes were turned towards Kriesh, but then they fell upon the group of Trained Pokemon savaging the right flank of his allies. He spread his wings. "Gale Wings: Air Raze!" A colossal blast of Flying energy burst out of the Talonflame's body, forming a miniature hurricane as it streaked towards the group.

Medicham recalled Darkrai mentioning Gale Wings in his speech about Abilities that gave the user control over the base form of a type of energy. So he can control the base form of Flying energy, whatever that's called. Looking closer, Medicham could in fact see that the Talonflame's attack was sharper and more defined than normal Flying energy. Yes, that's definitely the base form of Flying energy…which means that Talonflame is easily the strongest opponent here.

"Scatter!" Medicham cried; Marcus and Theo's gathered teams, many of whom were weak to Flying, did so as the Talonflame's Air Raze slammed into the midst of them. Medicham felt the powerful attack even through Aura Avoidance and nearly tumbled to the ground. Even Marcus and Theo were buffeted, struggling to keep their footing.

Kriesh rounded on the Talonflame. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" she cried. The Talonflame, body clearly augmented with a form of Tailwind strengthened by his Ability, tried to dodge, but the Hyper Beam curved after him, and even though Talonflame's speed was quite impressive the attack clipped his tail feathers and sent him into a half-spin. "Gale Wings," he growled, summoning more of the base form of Flying energy (Medicham resolved to ask Darkrai about the name of that next time they met) to steady himself in midair. "Air Dive!" The Talonflame streaked for Kriesh, gathering more energy around himself.

"Flying Earth Impact!" Kriesh met the Talonflame in midair with a noise akin to a thunderclap; as both recoiled, Kriesh launched another Sniper-boosted Beam Impact straight into the Talonflame's reeling body. The beam struck true, collecting Talonflame and slamming him straight into a nearby tree. As the beam dissipated, Talonflame crumpled, only barely managing to save himself from falling all the way to the ground with yet more energy. Nonetheless, he didn't seem at all confident as he glared at Kriesh once more.

Just like me, he uses his Ability only to augment his power and fire energy blasts. Medicham frowned. Darkrai's right. I really need to figure out more creative uses for my Ability.

She offhandedly launched an Aura Blast from her outstretched hand, sending a Numel flying clear across the clearing. By this point, the gathered Trainer Pokemon had rallied from Talonflame's attack and were aiding the Onix group in driving back the Skorupi and Fire-types still standing. By now Medicham had expected at least some of the wild Pokemon to be fleeing, as wild Pokemon usually did when a battle was going against them, but the Skorupi and Fire-types seemed to have similar loyalty to the Drapion as the Ice-types back home did to Abomasnow. Likely they wouldn't retreat until he gave the order, or until he fell. And the Drapion seemed blind to his allies' plight as he battled it out with the large Onix.

So we'll have to make him fall.

Medicham hurled herself at the Drapion, letting fly with a Psychic Blast to cut a swath through the battle. A Skorupi leaped at her; she caught it in midair with a Fire Strike, knocking the Skorupi back the way he'd come, and continued running. "Pure Power: Aura Blast!" she called; with a swift movement she hurled the attack straight into the Drapion's side. The Drapion stumbled sideways, and the Onix he was fighting took full advantage of the stagger, coiling around the Drapion before he could regain his footing.

"You're outmatched!" the Onix bellowed into the Drapion's ear. "Surrender!"

"Never!" the Drapion spat. "When the Swarmlord comes-"

"The Swarmlord isn't coming!" the Onix cried. "Every second this battle goes on, more of your allies fall! Yield!"

The Drapion spat furiously; with a sudden mighty heave of strength, he managed to throw the Onix off. The Onix's body slammed into the ground as the Drapion rounded on Medicham. "You!" he snarled ferociously, leaping at Medicham. "I'll kill you!"

"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham slipped out of the way. "Pure Power: Aura Strike!" She turned the momentum of her dodge into a full-force punch, sending the Drapion tumbling across the clearing, his body skidding across the earth.

He came to rest against a tree on the far side of the clearing. Medicham crouched, readying herself to pursue, and then stopped. For before her eyes, as if beckoned by the Drapion's fall, another even larger Drapion was stepping from the trees.

"What is the meaning of this?" the large Drapion roared, and at the sound of his voice every single wild Pokemon in the area stopped fighting. All eyes turned towards the large Drapion; Marcus, Theo, and their Pokemon, sensing the pause, stopped as well and did the same.

More Skorupi emerged from the trees surrounding the large Drapion, themselves accompanied by two more Drapion who quickly stepped to the large Drapion's flanks. The large Drapion stood a head taller than the two Drapion alongside him, who themselves were about as large as the Drapion Medicham knew. The Drapion Medicham had been fighting looked up. "Swarmlord!" he cried. "The Onix…they attacked without warning-"

"Silence, Razor," the Swarmlord snarled. "Tooth. Claw. If he speaks out of turn again, gut him."

"Yes, Swarmlord," the Drapion alongside the Swarmlord chorused. Razor sank back to the ground, looking incredibly nervous.

The Swarmlord's eyes now turned to the Onix who had been dueling Razor for the vast majority of the battle. "I asked you a question. What is the meaning of this?"

"Swarmlord," said the Onix, rising from the ground, "the Firebreather Swarm took that Fearow captive." He gestured towards Kriesh, who by now had perched atop a fairly large boulder on the westernmost side of the clearing. "They were intending to lure the Fearow's Trainer into the forest and ambush him. We attempted to rescue the Fearow in order to avert the resulting battle, but Razor refused to give her up peacefully."

"So you attacked," the Swarmlord growled.

"Yes," said the Onix with a slight gulp, "but as you know, our Elder's agreement with you allows us to intervene in such a manner when your Swarm would bring about a threat to this entire forest."

The Swarmlord glared at the Onix. "And you think one…" He paused for a moment, glancing at Marcus and Theo. "…maybe two, Trainers, is a threat to this entire forest?"

"Well, they could have brought more," the Onix protested.

The Swarmlord let out a growl that set the Onix to trembling, then glanced over to Razor. "And why, may I ask, did you do this?"

"This Trainer is the one who commands the Marked One, Swarmlord," Razor said pleadingly. "We were only attempting to bring him to you!"

Medicham recognized the name; the Drapion she knew had been called that in a forest by a small swarm of Skorupi not unlike this one. He'd claimed it was a name his community had called him. Was this the community in question? Were they really looking for him?

Everything about the Swarmlord's demeanor changed at the name; his posture lowered, his eyes narrowed, and his claws dug into the ground. He glared at Marcus, Theo, and their teams, who aside from Medicham and Kriesh were standing in a little group off to the side of the clearing. "Who among you is leader?" he snarled.

"I am," said Medicham, thankful that her voice only held a little bit of a tremor. The Swarmlord's gaze flicked towards her and he began to stride across the clearing. Each step he made he seemed to grow larger and larger, until he was right in Medicham's face and Medicham had to look up a little to meet the massive Drapion's eyes.

"A Medicham," the Swarmlord growled. "A Cloyster, who evolves from a Shellder. A Trevenant, who evolves from a Phantump. And a Fearow." He leaned closer. "Pincer told me much about you. Where is the Marked One?"

Medicham resolved not to flinch even in the face of the massive Poison/Dark-type. She'd faced Legendaries; she would not falter before a wild Drapion. "Not here," she said.

The Swarmlord's eyes bored into Medicham's. Medicham met his gaze unblinkingly. Neither of them moved an inch.

The Swarmlord finally spoke again. "Tell me. Do you know what he is?"

Medicham did not respond.

"He is a monster," the Swarmlord growled. "A danger to all those around him. A creature who should never have existed. It is my intent - my duty to the swarms - to eliminate him." He leaned even closer, breathing upon Medicham's face. "I do not wish to trouble you. But he must be destroyed. You would do well to allow it."

"Not a chance," Medicham retorted. "Drapion's my friend."

The Swarmlord's eyes practically burned with fury.. "That thing dares to call himself by the name of our species?" he asked furiously.

"He can call himself whatever he wants to," Medicham said challengingly.

The Swarmlord finally stepped back a little, allowing Medicham to breathe. "Listen well, Medicham," the Swarmlord snarled. "Fighting today would be a waste of my time. I have better things to do than to engage in a pointless battle with a pair of Trainers. But the Marked One will be destroyed. I will not allow that creature to remain in this world. And I will do whatever it takes to ensure his destruction comes to pass. So watch your back, Medicham. Because one day I'm going to come for the Marked One. And if I have to kill you and all your friends to get to him, I will."

Medicham tried to come up with a retort, but couldn't before the Swarmlord turned away. "Firebreather Swarm, with me, now. Leave the fallen. They can find their own way back…or they can rot."

"Yes, Swarmlord," murmured the Skorupi and Fire-types still standing. Razor was cuffed roughly to his feet by Tooth and Claw and fell in behind the trio of Drapion as they departed the clearing. The Talonflame joined the remaining Skorupi and Fire-types as they followed, leaving fully twenty of their number splayed out across the clearing in various states of unconsciousness.

Medicham only now realized she was trembling all over. Kriesh swiftly flew to her side. "Medicham, are you okay?"

Medicham glanced at Kriesh disbelievingly. "I was going to ask the same of you."

"Kriesh!" Marcus's voice rose up; Medicham looked over at him to see him approaching her and Kriesh, eyes narrowed. "Do you realize how worried I've been?"

Kriesh gulped. Medicham spoke up telepathically, coming to Kriesh's defense. "Marcus-"

"Thank Arceus you're safe." Marcus's features shifted from anger to profound relief. "Into the Luxury Ball, quickly. I'm not taking any more chances."

"Yeah, that's fair," said Kriesh as Marcus recalled her.

"Medicham, can you talk to the Onix?" Marcus asked. "I need to check and see if everyone else is okay." Medicham looked over to the Onix to see them shrinking away slightly from the Trainers and their Pokemon.

Sighing, she turned to face the large Onix, whom she assumed to be their leader. "Thanks," she said. "Sorry about…following you. Our friend was in trouble."

"I understand," said the large Onix. "In fact, that is why we came."

"I thought it was to stop a possible war," said Medicham.

"That was one reason," said the large Onix, "The other reason was that your friend was recognized. Some of our number had a run-in with your Trainer yesterday, and one of them saw the Firebreather Swarm's attack on your friend. Perhaps he thought he owed you something, because he petitioned the rest of our group for aid in rescuing her." The large Onix glanced over towards a small group of three Onix; Medicham followed his gaze, and to her surprise she recognized the family of Onix from yesterday. "The whole 'possible war' thing was the reason we actually agreed," the large Onix finished.

"Well, thank you, nonetheless," said Medicham.

"So is it true?"

"Is what true?" Medicham asked.

"Do you travel with the Marked One?" the large Onix asked.

"Yes," said Medicham. "Do you know why the Swarmlord's so fixated on killing him?"

"All I know is that the Marked One is an outcast," said the large Onix. "Someone who the Swarmlord would rather pretend never existed. What I do know is that the Swarmlord's forces are powerful and many. The Firebreather Swarm is but one of the Swarms he has under his command. If I were you, I would get as far away from here as possible. You may think you can defeat him because he's a wild Pokemon and you have a Trainer, but his threats are far from empty."

"I'll let my Trainer know," said Medicham.

"I must gather my forces," said the large Onix. "Bring the wounded back to camp for healing."

"How many of you are there?" Medicham asked. "I thought Onix don't usually gather in groups."

"Not usually, no," said the large Onix. "But when the Swarms began to take over, the local Onix united into one group under a Steelix known as the Elder. We are nearly a hundred in number."

"A hundred Onix?" Medicham asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, though I wish there were more," said the large Onix. "The agreement grows more tenuous each day…but I doubt you are interested in such matters. Go. Help your allies, and I'll help mine."

"What about the Skorupi and Fire-types?" Medicham asked.

"You heard the Swarmlord," said the large Onix. "They will have to find their own way back. We tried helping once in a similar situation. It…didn't work out." He shuddered slightly.

"Right." Medicham shivered as well. "Thanks again for the help."

"I'm glad we could." With that, the large Onix began slithering around the clearing, gathering the rest of the Onix and helping the wounded stand. Medicham moved over to the rest of Marcus and Theo's teams; the Trainers quickly recalled their Pokemon and retreated. Theo quickly called Connie, letting her know that they'd found Kriesh and were heading back to Vaniville.

Medicham, for her part, finally allowed herself to relax. Thank Arceus it wasn't a poacher, she thought. But all the same, the Swarmlord's threat - and the Onix's confirmation of its legitimacy - worried her.

One thing's for certain, Medicham thought. It's a really good thing Drapion wasn't there.

"What?"

Marcus's startled reaction was about what Medicham had expected. "I understand it's hard to believe," said Medicham, "but-"

"No, I believe it," said Marcus. "It's just…weird, that's all. You're telling me that Drapion - my Drapion - is being hunted by a literal army of wild Pokemon?"

"As far as I can tell, yes," said Medicham.

Marcus put his head in his hands. "All I want is to become the next Kalosian Gym Leader," he moaned. "Train up my team and just enjoy life. Team Flare, Betrayer-Of-Kin, all that crap in Alola, now this…why does everything have to be so complicated?"

Medicham thought back to the Heralds and their manipulations, and to Darkrai and his tale of timelines and Cyrus and world-ending wars. You have no idea.

"Well, if that's the case, we'd better stay away from the forests," said Marcus.

"The Onix suggested we leave Vaniville altogether," Medicham pointed out.

Marcus shook his head. "If we run, they'll just follow," he said. "We can escape them by heading to another region, but we'd have to get back to Kalos anyway. And besides, if I ever flee Kalos, it's not going to be because of a gang of wild Pokemon. So we'll stay in Vaniville. Army or not, they won't dare invade an entire town. We'll do our practicing indoors and in the yards of our houses. And no wandering off." He looked closer at Medicham. "I don't want a repeat of last time I said no wandering off. I really mean it this time."

"I know," said Medicham.

Marcus sighed. "What a day," he said. "At least Connie's with us for good now. So we've got that going for us."

"And Kriesh is back," said Medicham.

Marcus smiled. "And Kriesh is back." He fingered Kriesh's Luxury Ball, which was still on his waist. "Why don't you get some rest, Medicham? I don't think we'll be training any more today."

"All right." Medicham allowed herself to be recalled. It was the middle of the afternoon - nowhere near the time when she usually went to sleep - and yet she felt absolutely exhausted. Sleep clutched her tightly, drawing her into its embrace, practically the instant her head hit the cooling gel of her Luxury Ball.

The Swarmlord was not pleased, but he did his best to arrest his impulses as he strode through the forest. His sons, Tooth and Claw, were on either side; he'd insisted Razor come along as well, and a dozen Skorupi to provide some additional fodder in the event things turned violent. Sixteen strong, the group advanced through the forest, the Swarmlord in the lead.

He knew Razor was in the wrong. The leader of the Firebreather Swarm had done the same thing Fang had tried to do last week: he'd attempted a risky plan to capture the Marked One and failed. The difference was that at least Fang had been smart about it; Razor's boneheaded plan had been so poorly conceived that it was a miracle it hadn't failed even more spectacularly.

He had not just shown himself to be weak; he'd thrown the entire forest into chaos in a desperate attempt to disprove that weakness. And now it was up to the Swarmlord to clean up Razor's mess.

The only reason he hadn't already executed the leader of the Firebreather Swarm is that he'd done the same to Pincer and Fang so recently. Fear was usually enough to keep the Swarms in line, but even fear had its limits. Too many executions in too short of a time and even the most afraid would begin seriously thinking about abandoning the Swarms. No, he could not execute Razor. But the leader of the Firebreather Swarm would be kept on a very tight leash.

"Swarmlord, we are almost there," said Tooth.

"Good," said the Swarmlord. "No doubt they will be expecting us. Stay close."

"Yes, Swarmlord," said Claw. His sons moved closer to his sides, shielding him from any attack, as the group crossed the last threshold of trees.

He'd been right. They were expecting him.

Seven Onix were stationed nearby; the instant he strode into the camp, one of them turned and slithered off towards the innermost part of the camp, while the other six moved to surround the Swarmlord and his entourage. Across the camp, other Onix stopped what they were doing to look warily at the Swarmlord. The Swarmlord waited. He would not speak to these Onix. He would wait for the Elder.

And, as expected, in another minute the massive form of the Elder came into view.

The Steelix's eyes were narrowed as he beheld the Swarmlord. The Swarmlord adjusted his stance. "Elder," he greeted.

"Swarmlord," the Elder responded. "I know why you have come."

"Good," the Swarmlord growled. "Then let's get this over with. Our agreement is that the Onix do not interfere with the Swarms' business, and in return, the Swarms do not interfere with the Onix's business."

"Unless the Swarms' business could bring danger to the Onix, or the Onix's business could bring danger to the Swarms," said the Elder. "We decided that your Swarm's attempt to ambush a Trainer could be dangerous to us. Thus, we acted."

The Swarmlord glared at the Elder. "Your camp is far away from where the Firebreather Swarm was enacting their plan," he said. "You were in very little danger. I do not appreciate that you seem to think you can stretch the boundaries of our agreement so readily."

"I do not appreciate your associates bringing Trainers into our forest," the Elder retorted. "We have enough problems already. Tell me, Swarmlord, would you appreciate it if a group of Trainers decided to make war upon your Swarms? Because that is what your Firebreather Swarm almost brought upon our forest. So do you see why we considered that a threat?"

The Swarmlord hissed in fury, knowing that the Elder was right. But if he admitted such a thing, it would be seen as weakness. And there was no way he would show weakness to his own Swarm.

"Believe what you will," the Swarmlord snarled. "But the fact remains that this is not the first time you have overstepped your bounds. You remain in this forest because of our mercy. Do not forget that."

Before the Elder could speak again, the Swarmlord turned his back on the Steelix. "Come. Any further discussion would be a waste of time."

"Yes, Swarmlord." Tooth, Claw, Razor, and the attendant Skorupi fell in behind the Swarmlord as he exited the camp, leaving the Elder and his Onix behind.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the Swarmlord turned to Tooth and Claw. "I tire of the Elder's machinations," he growled. "I know he plots against me. It is nearly time to deal with that problem once and for all. But the Marked One must come first. Once he is dead, we will finally turn our attention to that accursed Elder and drive him out for good."

"But will the Marked One and his associates not be even more prepared now?" Claw asked.

"Yes, they will," said the Swarmlord. "But we are patient. We will watch, and we will wait, and eventually, they will slip up."

The Swarmlord drew back his lips in a snarl. "And when they do…we will be there. That I will make sure of."