Bit of a shorter chapter today. Honestly, it says something about how big this fic has gotten when the 'shorter' chapters are about as long as half the chapters in Season 1.

Drapion, along with Houndoom and the various members of Connie's team, was released from the Pokemon Center that evening for dinner. Pangoro would have to stay overnight to allow his broken arms to mend, something that Drapion had a feeling Pangoro wouldn't mind. If anything, he'd consider it another reason to respect Connie's Scrafty for putting up such an impressive fight.

Drapion wouldn't lie; though he was glad that Connie would be joining them for good, he was a little surprised that the battle had been so close. A few different decisions, a few missed opportunities, and it could have very easily gone the other way.

It's not about how close you come. Only the victory matters. That's how it works.

But as Drapion was released, all wonderings about Trainer proceedings were erased by the realization that while he'd been in the Pokemon Center, something had happened. He could see the remnants of small cuts and bruises on several of the nearby Pokemon, the humans were more silent than usual as they sat around the table and ate, and more than a few Pokemon were shooting glances at him, including some of his own teammates. He spotted Medicham and Kriesh in particular staring at him; both tore their gaze away as he looked towards them, but it didn't fool him.

Did they go into the forest?

Professor Sycamore had been insistent on the matter. Had they decided not to wait for him? A small part of him was relieved at that; if that was the case, he wouldn't have to deal with the Swarms. But something about the situation made him realize that somehow, despite him not being there, they had indeed encountered the Swarms, and maybe learned a few things about him that he hadn't told them earlier.

The suspicious glances and wounds were evidence enough that they'd encountered the Swarms, if they had indeed gone into the forest. Drapion quickly moved over to Kriesh, who was eating away from the rest of the team. "What's goin' on?" he growled.

Kriesh glanced at him. "You really want to talk about this now?"

"Yeah," said Drapion. "Ah ain't just gonna stand there an' watch ya shootin' dirty looks at me all night."

"Okay," said Kriesh. She looked over her shoulder to a cranny between one of the dining room's walls and a large chest of drawers. "In here. And quiet." She stepped backwards into the cranny, tucking her wings in. Drapion followed; they were easily the two largest members of Marcus's team, and so the cranny was a bit of a tight squeeze, but both Drapion and Kriesh managed to fit inside without too much effort.

"After you were taken to the Pokemon Center, I went off for a short flight," said Kriesh. "But while returning, I was attacked over the forest west of Vaniville by a group calling themselves the Firebreather Swarm."

Drapion clenched his teeth as the name sparked recognition in his mind. Damn it…not Razor.

Unfortunately, his change in demeanor had been noticed. "So you do know them," Kriesh said.

"Yeah," Drapion admitted. "Before ah left mah community…though ah suppose ya know we're called Swarms now…ah met 'em once or twice. Leader was Razor…ya meet him?"

"Unfortunately," said Kriesh.

"Ah wasn't much in tune with the Swarms' inner workings," Drapion informed. "But ah knew Razor…back when ah was still around, he was newly evolved, cocky, had a penchant fer risky plans, an' very loyal to the…" He stopped, realizing he'd almost mentioned his name. "His Swarm," he finished lamely.

"He hasn't changed much, then," said Kriesh. "He tried to take me hostage in order to force Marcus to give you up to him. Said he wanted to 'earn the Swarmlord's favor.'"

For the second time in the past minute, Drapion felt his heart sink.

"They didn't hurt me much," said Kriesh. "And anyway, the plan completely backfired; a bunch of Onix showed up to rescue me, and then Marcus and Theo arrived while the Firebreather Swarm were fighting the Onix…let's just say Razor didn't stand a chance."

"Thank Arceus," Drapion muttered.

"But…" Yet again Drapion's worry spiked as Kriesh continued. "Just as we were about to win, someone showed up. And you know how Razor wanted to earn the Swarmlord's favor? Yeah…turns out the Swarmlord didn't take too kindly to that."

There was no way Drapion could have hidden the shocked gasp that emanated from his throat. They'd met the Swarmlord? Suddenly all the suspicion made complete sense.

"What did he say?" Drapion asked.

"Well, he talked to Medicham," said Kriesh. "Told her he was coming for you. That she'd better stay out of his way. He…said a lot of things about you that I wouldn't care to repeat."

"Let me guess," Drapion snarled. "Ah'm a monster. A danger ta everyone around me. A creature that never should have existed."

Kriesh looked surprised. "That's…pretty much exactly what he said."

Drapion sighed, shaking his head irritably. "Ah thought so…same thing he said ta me…"

Drapion heard a swift intake of breath from behind him; he knew it was Medicham even before he looked over his shoulder. "Is that why you left?" the Fighting/Psychic-type asked.

"Ah…" Drapion stumbled over his words as bad memories came to the forefront of his mind. Ordinarily he would have pushed them away. But this was different. Everything he'd been trying to escape from was now coming back all at once.

As much as he hated to admit it, they had to know.

"Ah didn't exactly leave by choice," Drapion admitted. He glanced between Medicham and Kriesh. "Can…can we take this somewhere else? This…doesn't feel private enough."

"Sure," said Medicham. Swiftly, she moved out of the cranny, allowing Drapion and Kriesh to step after her. Medicham led the other two through an opened door and into the house's front hallway, the door outside to the right and several other doors leading to various workrooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms to the left.

"Ah suppose ah should start at the beginning," Drapion growled. "Ya know about the Absol…the one that touched mah egg, made me the Marked One in the first place?"

Kriesh and Medicham glanced at each other. "Yeah," said the Fearow.

"Ah was born into the Swarmlord's personal Swarm," said Drapion. "Mah mother died givin' birth ta me, an' when ah came outta the shell different…well, the Swarmlord didn't like 'different'. Mah father tried ta train the 'different' outta me. He was one of the Swamlord's closest lackeys, an' he didn't want his son ta be a disappointment. But ah never changed. An' eventually the Swarmlord must've had enough, 'cause he stepped up ta me one day an' told me ta come with him."

Drapion paused, memories of that day rushing through his head, and took a deep breath before continuing. "We walked until we found a river," he said. "A big one, ragin', not easy to cross. The Swarmlord told me ta look in. Ah did, an' he asked me what ah saw. Ah didn't understand…ah just said 'mahself'. An'…an' then the Swarmlord said, 'All ah see is a monster. A danger ta all those around him. A creature who should never have existed.' An' then…he pushed me."

The imperceptible widening of both Kriesh and Medicham's eyes as they listened to his tale made Drapion uncomfortable. Why did this all have to happen now?

"Ah couldn't swim," said Drapion. "None of us could. Except the Ocean Keeper Swarm, but that ain't important right now. What's important is that ah lost consciousness, an' when ah came to, ah was washed up on a riverbank downstream, with a set of pawprints leadin' away from me."

"Someone rescued you?" Medicham interjected.

"Yeah," said Drapion, "and ah have no idea who. Probably just some wanderin' Pokemon who wanted ta help. Point is, ah was lost. Alone. Ah knew ah couldn't go back ta the Swarm, even if ah was able ta find them again. In mah mind, ah figured he'd done it 'cause ah wasn't strong enough. 'Cause he thought ah was weak, just 'cause ah was different. So ah stayed. The wilds became mah home. Ah hunted the Pokemon in the area, as much ta prove ah was strong as anything. Ah don't entirely know how long ah was there before ah ran into some random Trainer an' his Meditite." Medicham, despite the seriousness of Drapion's story, chuckled slightly at that.

"An'…ah guess ya know the rest," Drapion finished. "When we met the Swarm near Coumarine…they must've reported ah was alive ta the Swarmlord." He saw recognition light up both Medicham and Kriesh's eyes. "An' now that the Swarmlord knows ah survived, he wants ta finish the job. He's…obsessed with strength and weakness. An' while ah was still in the Swarm, ah became…sorta famous. Ah was the Marked One. Everyone in the Swarms knew me. An' some even started tryin' ta copy me. Ah'm pretty sure that's what the Swarmlord's afraid of. As long as ah'm alive, he's afraid mah 'weakness' will infect the Swarms."

"He did say he considers it his duty to kill you," said Medicham, spitting 'duty' as though she despised the word.

"Yeah," said Drapion. "Sounds about right."

"So what do we do?" Kriesh asked.

"I've already talked to Marcus," said Medicham. "He said he's pretty sure a group of wild Pokemon aren't going to come into a Trainer town."

"Don't be so sure," Drapion growled.

"Well, then, where do we go?" Kriesh asked. "Where does the Swarmlord have influence?"

"Everywhere," Drapion growled. "Now that he's comin', there's nowhere in Kalos we can hide from him. He's got Swarms all over the region…do ya know how many Skorupi migrated from Sinnoh? How many Kalosian Pokemon they've dragged into their Swarms? If yer a wild Pokemon in Kalos, the Swarms know about ya."

"But…we were wild Pokemon in Kalos," said Medicham. "Why did these Swarms never come to my group?"

"That Graveler…Boulder, was it?" Drapion asked. Medicham nodded. "Ah'd bet anything that he knew about the Swarms. The Swarmlord…ah hate ta admit it, but he ain't stupid. If a group of wild Pokemon could be sufficiently strong ta cause the Swarm problems, most of the time he makes a deal with them."

"There was a lot of talk about an agreement with the Onix," said Kriesh thoughtfully.

"An' anyway," Drapion continued, "the mountains of Kalos are where the Swarms are least influential. They don't prefer the cold."

"Boulder mentioned a 'Sharpclaw Swarm' that had passed through a couple weeks before we came," said Medicham.

"Runners," Drapion spat. "Most likely they're dead by now. Not many dare to run. They know the consequences. Guess the 'Sharpclaw Swarm' broke under the pressure."

"And what about me?" Kriesh asked. "I lived with a flock of Spearow in a forest for a year. Why did I never encounter the Swarms?"

Drapion winced, aware that the next part of the tale would bring another difficult revelation. "Ya did," said Drapion. "Those Pancham. Ya had experience with them, didn't ya?"

"Yeah," said Kriesh. "My flock encountered them several times. They didn't seem too bad as long as you didn't antagonize them."

"Unseen Fist Swarm," said Drapion. "Led by a Drapion named Fang. In charge of watching over that area."

"Oh." Kriesh gulped. "But…if they were part of a Swarm…you fought them, didn't you? Why didn't they go after you then?"

Drapion just looked at Kriesh. The realization came as if in slow motion. "The night after…when you and Tyranitar came back all beaten up…" Medicham put a hand to her mouth as Kriesh continued to speak. "How…how close did they get?"

Drapion sighed. "If Liepard hadn't been there…ah'm not sure we would've gotten out."

Both Kriesh and Medicham gazed at him, horrified. Drapion took another deep breath. "Look, the Swarmlord ain't gonna stop until he gets me. An' he's gonna do whatever it takes…hurt whoever he needs ta…in order ta get me. So…" He breathed in again, knowing he had to say it yet desperately trying to think of a reason he shouldn't. It took a few moments before he managed to get the words out. "Ah can't stay here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" From the tone of Medicham's voice, her words were more of an expression of denial than an actual question.

"Medicham." Drapion stared at the Fighting/Psychic-type closely. "Marcus catchin' me was the best thing that ever happened ta me. Ah want ya to know that. Before ah met ya, ah had nothin'. Ah was only survivin' fer the sake of survivin'. But after…Marcus gave me a purpose beyond just survivin'. He gave me a chance ta prove mah strength. An'…though ah didn't realize it at first…he gave me the first real friend ah ever had." He glanced at Kriesh. "An'…ya weren't so bad either."

"Drapion-" Kriesh began in protest.

"But ah've been hiding from this for too long," said Drapion. "An' ah ain't gonna let any of ya get hurt 'cause of somethin' ah should have handled a long time ago. If it means…if it means ya all get ta move on with your lives…an' not have ta deal with all this…then this is what ah have to do."

"No, it's not!" Medicham cried. "Drapion, we faced Team Flare together! We faced Aether together! We can fight this!"

"No!" Drapion snapped. "We failed! Don't you remember? At Geosenge, it wasn't us who beat Hellhound, or Betrayer-Of-Kin, or Yveltal! An' at Aether, we lost! Had ta flee with our tails between our damn legs! Besides…at Geosenge…ya died, remember? An' at Aether…we all thought ya had again!" Drapion bowed his head. "Ah can't go through that again. Not like this."

"But what about Marcus?" Kriesh asked. "He needs you…you're going to be the Ace for his Gym Leader team…"

Drapion glared at the Fearow. "Do ya think he'd rather be a Gym Leader or alive?" he growled. "'Cause if ah were him, ah know what ah'd choose."

Before Medicham or Kriesh could summon another protest, Drapion whirled so that one eye was focused on each of them. "If ya think ah want ta do this, yer dead wrong," he growled. "Ah'm…ah'm happy here. This past month has been the best month of mah life. Ah'd like nothin' more than ta go on, an' help Marcus achieve his dream. But now that the Swarmlord's comin' fer me, if ah stay here ah'd just be puttin ya all in danger. Ah'm doin' this ta protect ya. So don't try an' stop me."

Drapion turned and bolted for the door, which was slightly ajar so as to more easily let people in. With a crash he flung it open and scurried out into the night.

He felt his claws nearly slip on the smooth stony path, but managed to regain his footing. His eyes flicked towards the end of the path, a gateway that led out into a similarly stony road; beyond that was a few more houses and then the forest. The forest where he would finally confront the past he'd hidden from for so long.

I hope you understand, Marcus. I hope all of you understand. And for what it's worth…I'm sorry. But this has to be done.

"Drapion."

Drapion stopped. He'd expected to be pursued. But he'd expected his pursuer to be Kriesh or Medicham. Not Liepard.

"Why are ya here?" he snarled, rounding on the lithe Dark-type.

Liepard's mouth was turned upwards in a slight grin as she stepped smoothly up to Drapion. "I am here because I care about you, mon ami."

"Ah ain't got time fer this," Drapion snarled, turning away from Liepard.

Liepard sighed. "Vous êtes un crétin…listen to me. For just one minute. That is all I ask."

"Why?" Drapion growled, twisting to face Liepard again. "Why should ah care about anythin' ya say? Yer nothin' but an opportunistic, fickle little flirt who won't take no fer an answer! Mon ami this, mon ami that…ah ain't yer 'love'! An' ah'm sick an' tired of ya callin' me that! Ah'm not attracted to ya, an' ah never will be!" He sighed disgustedly. "Go away. Yer wastin' yer time."

"Mon ami doesn't mean 'my love," said Liepard, without even a trace of anger at Drapion's tirade. "It means 'my friend.'"

"An' what's yer point?" Drapion asked gruffly.

"I suppose," said Liepard, "you've figured out by now that Marcus isn't my first Trainer. I had two. The first one I parted ways with amicably. The second…was a fair bit more sudden. In between, I also met and partnered up with several wild Pokemon. But all of those…after the first couple, I began to treat them as what they were. Temporary. After the demise of my second Trainer, I figured I would always be a wanderer. Moving from one doomed group to the next. I treated friendships and even love as trivial. A thing that could be taken away at a moment's notice. When I joined Marcus, I thought it would be more of the same. And when we went off to Aether, I believed that was it. That was the point where it would all fall apart."

For what felt like the first time Drapion could remember, Liepard looked straight into his eyes. "But then we survived," she said. "And…for the first time in years, I felt a measure of hope. Hope that somehow, someway, this would be different."

Drapion stared down at Liepard unblinkingly.

The lithe Dark-type shrugged. "I suppose you are right, mon ami. I am an opportunistic, fickle little flirt. Often, I pursue temporary friendships, temporary affairs, for the sake of achieving just the slightest moment of peace and happiness before my world is upended once again. But the truth is…I really, truly, do care about you, Drapion. Maybe not as a love…but maybe as a friend."

"Again," Drapion growled, "what's yer point?"

Liepard's expression rearranged itself into her usual smirk. "I can't very well let you run off into the forest without me, now can I? So if you're leaving, I'm coming with you."

Drapion's eyes widened. "No," he growled.

"And why not, mon ami?" Liepard asked. "Is it not the duty of friends to stick together in times of crisis?"

"Not like this," Drapion protested. "Ya can't come with me. They'd hurt ya just fer bein' associated with me."

Liepard chuckled softly. "So you do care about me."

"It…it ain't about that!" Drapion snarled. He took a breath, reining his temper in, before continuing. "Ya need ta stay. Marcus needs ya."

"But he doesn't need you?" Liepard asked.

"Ah'd just be puttin' him in danger if ah stay," Drapion growled.

"Tell me something, Drapion," said Liepard. "If some Team Rocket remnants showed up one day to recapture Kriesh, what would you do?"

"Ah wouldn't let them get anywhere near her," Drapion snarled. "Ah'd fight them as long as ah could."

"But what if she tried to spare the rest of you the pain?" Liepard asked. "What if she offered to go with them so that they wouldn't hurt the rest of the team? What would you do then?"

Drapion stumbled over his words, finding himself unable to form a proper response; Liepard spoke again before he could think any more. "What I'm trying to say, mon ami," she said, "is that Marcus's Pokemon aren't just a team. They're friends. Everyone else on the team cares about you just as much as I do. Most of them, probably even more. Medicham, Kriesh, Cloyster, Trevenant, Houndoom…you've fought with them through the most desperate of times. The six of you are one of the most tight-knit teams that I've ever met. And if you leave, I doubt a single one of those five would hesitate to throw themselves into the forest after you, tearing through anyone and anything in their path to make sure you were safe."

"But-" Drapion began.

"They know the danger," said Liepard. "I know the danger. Remember, before I met you all, I formed an army of Dark-types in Kalos - of course one of the Swarms approached me. Scouting me out as an ally, or as competition. I know the strength and the scope of the foe we face. By now, I know Medicham and Kriesh do as well. Yet they will follow you into the teeth of it anyway, and so will I."

Drapion stared deep into Liepard's eyes. "Ah know ya don't really wanna come with me," he growled. "So ah'll ask again. Why are ya here?"

Liepard stared back. "Because I've spent far too long taking friendship for granted," she said. "And the last thing I want is to see someone else make the same mistake. You are among friends, Drapion. Friends that will gladly help you fight this. I say this not as an opportunist, or a flirt, or even a lover. I say this as what I want to be to you - a friend. Don't cast them aside. True friends are far too valuable for that."

Drapion's shoulders slumped. Liepard glanced over her shoulder; Drapion followed her gaze to see Medicham and Kriesh standing at the entrance to the house. Were they watching the whole time?

"Come, mon ami," said Liepard. "Let us resume our supper. In the morning we will plan."

"Yeah," Drapion said mutely. He glanced back at the forest beyond, then shook his head and strode after Liepard as the lithe Dark-type stepped back towards the house. Medicham and Kriesh moved through the entrance, standing to the sides to allow Drapion and Liepard through.

"For what it's worth," Liepard said as the two walked side by side towards the dining room, "I would like to apologize for my actions on the occasions of our first few meetings. If you would be all right with it…I would like to start over. Make things right between us. You may not want to be my love…I understand that…but would you allow me to simply be a friend?"

Drapion heaved a sigh. "Yeah," he murmured. "A friend."

With a satisfied smile, Liepard stepped ahead.

"Liepard?"

She turned back towards him. "What?"

"Thanks," said Drapion. "Fer havin' mah back."

"Ne le mentionne pas," Liepard responded with a grin that Drapion could have sworn had some element of wistful sadness in it.

Eventually dinner came to a close, and Drapion found himself being recalled into his Luxury Ball. He expected Marcus to head to his room immediately - it was fairly late, after all - but instead, he stopped outside the dining room, leaning against the wall as if waiting for something.

Or someone.

Eventually, Drapion heard footsteps approach. "Hello, Calem," said Marcus.

"Marcus," Calem responded.

"I…just wanted to thank you," said Marcus. "For helping out. I…I suppose…"

"No need to say more," said Calem. "I understand. We were enemies for…a pretty long time."

"Yeah," said Marcus.

"I'm glad your Fearow is okay," said Calem.

"Thanks," said Marcus. "I'll…see you tomorrow, I guess."

He turned to leave, but Calem's voice arose from behind him. "I'd like a rematch. Would sometime in the next month be alright with you?"

"Sure," said Marcus. "A true six-on-six would suit me just fine."

"I'll look forward to it," said Calem. "See you tomorrow, Marcus."

And so the two of them finally took their leave. Marcus quickly moved into his room, shut the door, and took off his belt, placing it on his bedside table. That was Drapion's cue to fully relax, now secure in the knowledge that he was done for the night.

It had been an eventful night, to be sure. And part of him still worried that the Swarmlord would come, and that Marcus's team would be unable to stop him. But he knew that the team would try. No matter what he did, they would try to save him.

That was what friends did, after all.

Friends don't keep secrets.

The thought was unwelcome. Drapion knew keeping secrets was wrong. He'd spilled so many of them to Medicham and Kriesh tonight. And, he had to admit, it was nice to at least get them off his chest.

But one remained.

Drapion shifted in his Luxury Ball. Yes, for all the revelations he had delivered tonight, there was one secret he had not told.

A secret that, if he could, he would gladly take to his grave.

Medicham was rapidly rethinking the decisions she'd made tonight. She'd told Darkrai about the Talonflame (apparently the base form of Flying energy was known simply as Air), and he'd decided that she needed work against Flying-types who could evade her melee attacks, including the Ice and Electric strikes that were meant to be at least some kind of equalizer against the super-effective typing. So he'd put her up against an illusionary Talonflame, who was throwing Hurricane after Hurricane at her as she struggled to even evade, let alone land hits.

"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham cried, feeling the powerful wave of Air lick at her heels as she dove across the dojo yet again. She hit the ground in a roll and came back smoothly to her feet. "Psychic Blast!"

The Talonflame's wings flapped, creating another barrier of Air that intercepted the Psychic Blast and came on towards Medicham. Medicham gritted her teeth. "Thunder Strike!" she shouted, flaring Electric energy across both her fists. She remembered how Buzzwole had defended against Guzma's Masquerain in Ultra Space, throwing dual Electric and Ice energy-infused punches to blast Masquerain's attack directly back into her face. But Buzzwole was an Ultra Beast. A Legendary-level fighter. Medicham was nowhere near that level.

And so, even though the super-effective nature of her dual Thunder Strike clearly told on the Talonflame's attack, in the end it was simply too overwhelming. Medicham felt her feet leave the ground as she was carried into the air by the remnants of the Talonflame's blast and tossed bodily into the wall behind her.

"Enough." As Medicham tumbled to the floor, the Talonflame was erased, the damage of their battle repaired in an instant. Medicham pushed herself up on hands and knees. The pain she'd experienced during the battle was wiped away as well, erased by Darkrai's will.

"You seem distracted," said Darkrai. "Is this about the Talonflame?"

"No," said Medicham, rising to her feet. "It's…my friend. Drapion."

"The Marked One?"

"Don't…" Medicham sighed as she registered her voice had come out a lot harder than she'd meant it to. "Don't call him that," she said.

"I'm sorry," said Darkrai. "You know…it was one of the Heralds that marked his egg. Gave him that epithet."

"Believe me, he knows," said Medicham. She felt a flash of alarm from Darkrai, and spoke hurriedly. "Not about the Heralds! Just that an Absol marked his egg."

"Good," said Darkrai, obviously relieved. "You know what Bringer-Of-Visions would think if he knew about the Heralds."

Medicham shuddered. "Don't remind me."

"So I take it his past is…coming into light?" Darkrai asked.

Medicham nodded. "How'd you guess?"

"Your reaction upon hearing his moniker was evidence enough," said Darkrai.

Medicham sighed again. "He…he almost left," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen him so legitimately scared, aside from against Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts. He kept saying he didn't want us to get hurt, and…" She shook her head. "It made me feel so powerless. Hearing him say that…that he didn't trust us to fight the Swarmlord…"

"But he stayed, correct?" Darkrai asked.

"Only because Liepard talked him down," said Medicham. "If she hadn't been there…I really think he would have gone."

"Medicham," said Darkrai, "it's not power that's the problem here. It's fear. Fear can drive anyone to irrationality. And the Ma - Drapion - is very much afraid of the Swarmlord. For Arceus's sake, the Swarmlord tried to drown him in a river! Do you know what that kind of experience does to someone?"

"So what do I do?" Medicham asked. "How do I help him?"

"Keep his mind off it," Darkrai urged. "Don't be too omnipresent, or else he'll worry. Honestly, you can keep doing what you're doing - training, preparing to become a Gym Leader, and all that - and it'll help a lot. If you'd like, I can try and alter his dreams. Give him a better nights' sleep, at least for a few nights."

"That would be great," said Medicham. "Thanks, Darkrai."

"No problem," said Darkrai. "Now…shall we try again? See if you can't muster a better defense."

"Sure." Medicham crouched as Darkrai materialized another Talonflame, who at once spread its wings in challenge, flaring Air along his feathers. Medicham quickly sprang forwards, and the training session resumed once more.

"…and that's all," Seeker-Of-Endings finished.

"Good work, Seeker," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "So the Swarms will be involved after all…that is very useful information."

"Thank you, Bringer," said Seeker with a dip of his head. "Will that be all?"

"Yes," Bringer said, then frowned. "Actually, Seeker, hold on a minute." She turned to the left. "Teller. What news do you bring?"

Seeker-Of-Endings turned to see Teller-Of-Tales, one of the stronger members of the Kalosian branch of the Heralds. "From what I've heard, Diantha's made a decision," said Teller-Of-Tales. "She's sending the newest member of the Kalos Elite Four to Alola."

"Emma," said Bringer-Of-VIsions with a smile. "Good, good. I'm sure Alola will be pleased to have her on their side." She glanced back at Seeker-Of-Endings. "Seeker here has just notified me that the Swarmlord will become involved in Marcus's path after all."

Teller-Of-Tales frowned. "That could be a problem. If the Swarmlord succeeds in his goals, Marcus's path could be altered drastically. Should we not deal with them before that becomes a possibility?"

"We are not waging war upon half the wild Pokemon population of Kalos, Teller," Bringer-Of-Visions chided. She turned to Seeker-Of-Endings. "Seeker, if the Swarmlord does indeed make a move, you will be in charge of ensuring Marcus's path is not meaningfully altered."

"Bringer," said Teller-Of-Tales, "my apologies for my continuing disagreement, but…is that wise? Considering his personal stake in all of this? I mean, he is the one that marked the Drapion's egg initially, correct?"

"Correct," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "And why is that a problem?"

"His emotions could get in the way," said Teller-Of-Tales. "Would it not be prudent to send another Herald to the area to act as a…guiding hand? Just in case?"

"I need no further assistance," Seeker-Of-Endings protested. "I can handle myself."

Teller-Of-Tales rounded on him, but Bringer-Of-Visions stepped in between them just as quickly. "Seeker. You are dismissed. Teller, we will continue this discussion in private."

Seeker-Of-Endings whirled around and stalked away, exiting Oblivion as he walked. Guiding hand…I don't need a guiding hand. I can do this.

As the familiar walls of his Pokeball manifested themselves around him once more, Seeker-Of-Endings' mind filled with determination. Drapion…Marked One…I will not let the Swarmlord take you. I will not allow some arrogant wild Pokemon on an ego trip to derail our attempts to stop Giratina's return.

That is a promise.