I don't usually talk about my edits to previous chapters - they're often minor - but it has come to my attention that Flare, Jaya's Talonflame, spontaneously changed genders from female to male. This has been corrected - Flare is female, and was always intended to be.

"Sabotage?"

"Yes, Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings, head bowed. "It is clear that the Gym Exam is being interfered with."

"Do you know who the culprit is?" Bringer-Of-Visions asked.

"No," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "If I had my Sight, I could easily tell, but without it-"

"I know," said Bringer-Of-Visions comfortingly. "It is hard, even after these last couple months of adjustment."

"Do you think it is Betrayer-Of-Kin's work?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"No," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "If she were here, she would sneak into Marcus's room and slit his throat in the dead of night, not engage in petty sabotage. No, this is someone with a far more base motivation - they want another of the contestants to win, at Marcus's expense."

"That is good," said Seeker-Of-Endings.

"I would not call it 'good'," Bringer-Of-Visions corrected. "This saboteur represents a danger to our plans through sheer ignorance. Remember, if Marcus loses, our plans for him are upset, and the last thing we need at a time like this is for our plans to be upset."

She sighed. "The Gym Exam was always going to be problematic. You know as well as I do that in Pokemon battles, no matter how much the odds are stacked, there is always a chance for the weaker battler to come out on top. But this sabotage complicates things even further. You must find out who it is with all possible haste."

"One of the contestants - Raymond Ramirez - was not afflicted by the sabotage," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "Suspicion points to him."

"Suspicion is nothing without evidence," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "You may start there if you wish, but keep your mind open. For all we know, the saboteur could be framing this 'Raymond'."

"Indeed," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "What of the Swarmlord and his Swarms?"

"I have Teller-Of-Tales and Reader-Of-Minds watching for them," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "But without their Sight, their capabilities are limited. Nothing has been reported yet."

Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. Bringer-Of-Visions stepped closer. "Do not worry. Focus on making sure this saboteur is prevented from further influencing the competition. The rest will come later."

The leader of the Heralds smiled softly. "For now, though, get some rest. You will need all your strength for this task."

"Yes, Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings.

"May the Master guide you, Seeker," Bringer-Of-Visions intoned as the surroundings of Oblivion faded from view, replaced with the familiar walls of Seeker-Of-Endings' Pokeball.

Medicham stepped out onto the room's balcony, taking in the beautiful sunrise. What a lovely day…I wish it could be more relaxing. But between Cloyster's affair and this mysterious saboteur, it's hard to relax.

"Thank Arceus someone else is up. I was getting lonely out here."

Medicham jumped; she hadn't even noticed Kriesh standing on the nearby railing. The Fearow narrowed her eyes. "You're not usually this distracted. Is this about the sabotage?"

Medicham sighed. "Partially."

"He can see the future, right?" Kriesh asked. "Can he-"

"I already asked, and no," said Medicham. "Even his Future Sight has been ruined by Necrozma…he said he wished he could help, but we're on our own for this."

Kriesh sighed. "Of course, the one time we actually want our futures looked at…I suppose it can't be helped. So what's the other problem?"

"Cloyster." Medicham leaned on the balcony railing. "He's insistent on keeping up his affair with Brambleghast."

"And that's a problem?" Kriesh asked. "Let them have their fun. It's not like it's hurting anyone."

"Maybe not now," said Medicham. "But when they have to separate-"

"Do you think they don't know that?" Kriesh asked, turning to face Medicham fully. "Cloyster's not stupid, and I doubt Brambleghast is either. They know this isn't going to last forever. Love doesn't have to be an all-consuming, endless thing. It can just be a distraction, you know? A diversion from all the troubles that they're otherwise enduring. Medicham…just let Cloyster and Brambleghast be. There is no need to trouble yourself over that."

Medicham sighed. "I…really wish you'd told me all this before dinner last night."

"You confronted him, didn't you?" Kriesh's question was more of a statement of fact, hard-edged and knowing.

Medicham nodded. "It's not just that. Raymond's Gholdengo asked me to. And when I mentioned that to Cloyster, it was like…he instantly closed himself off. I'm…not sure he even trusts me anymore."

Kriesh sighed. "Medicham, just talk to him. Apologize. I'll back you up - Cloyster's not the type to stay bitter for long."

Medicham nodded slowly. "All right. I'll talk to him once he gets up. Then maybe-"

Abruptly, the silent calm of the morning was shattered by a piercing scream.

Medicham glanced around wildly. "What was-" she began nervously, and then she saw Kriesh blanch.

"That's Jaya," Kriesh whispered, her voice low. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere."

Brambleghast started within her Dusk Ball as she heard the scream. Her night had been sleepless, filled with worries. Her search for saboteurs had turned up nothing, and when she'd gotten back to find Gholdengo with a nasty-looking bruise on his ankle and what looked like an electrical burn on his right side, he'd brushed her off, only saying that he'd 'dealt with it'.

Brambleghast feared Gholdengo; of that there was no doubt. His power, both strength-based and otherwise, made sure of that. And yet Gholdengo was still her teammate. She could not help but be concerned for his well-being.

Combined with his words, dictating the possibility of Raymond being blacklisted from training, and it was no wonder that Brambleghast had found no sleep tonight.

Raymond groaned from the bed. "What the…"

It was then that a rapid, insistent knocking came from the door to Raymond's room. Raymond, still half-asleep, arose, ambled over to the door, and opened it to reveal Maria standing on the other side, looking aghast.

"What's going on?" Raymond asked.

"It's Jaya," said Maria. "Her Emolga…it's disappeared."

Raymond's eyes widened and he suddenly seemed far more awake. Brambleghast gasped. Disappeared? How? How could this be possible?

Raymond quickly grasped his Dusk Balls from his table and followed Maria out of the room. Jaya's room was two doors down, the door to it flung open. Maria and Raymond moved through it; Brambleghast's mouth fell open at the sight.

Jaya's room was a wreck, drawers flung open and belongings scattered everywhere. Jaya herself was sitting on the floor, staring at nothing; one of her Gym Trainers, Ryan, was standing over her and whispering comfortingly, while her other two Gym Trainers were pulling out more of her belongings, leaving nothing unturned. Her Talonflame was sitting on the bed, staring sadly at her; the rest of her team couldn't be seen, but their Wing Balls were all open.

Dear Arceus…

"Jaya?" Raymond asked, stepping into the room. Jaya's Gym Trainers looked towards him, sudden alarm in their expressions, and began gesturing for him to leave, but he took another step forwards. "Jaya, are you-"

"Get away from me!" Jaya snarled, rounding on him; as Raymond hastily took a step back, Ryan bent over Jaya, murmuring hastily. Another of Jaya's Gym Trainers - David, Brambleghast recalled - swiftly moved between Jaya and Raymond. "Go," he whispered; Raymond swiftly retreated, ushered by David.

Brambleghast was beginning to feel a growing sickness inside her stomach. She knew Gholdengo's power; no mere wild Pokemon could have dealt him the injuries she'd seen him with. And there was no question that the wound on his side had been an electrical burn; she'd seen enough of Iono's battles to recognize one of those.

Logic brought Brambleghast to a sound conclusion, and yet one she didn't want to believe.

"Is she all right?" Raymond asked.

"Does she look all right?" David retorted. His expression softened slightly. "Look, Raymond, this isn't just about Jolt. She…has some trauma from when she was younger, and this…triggered it. She needs time. So could you please leave?"

Raymond nodded shakily and quickly scurried away from Jaya's room. Brambleghast spared a glance back at Jaya, who was now hunched over, covering her face with her hands.

Please, Arceus, Brambleghast thought, don't let Gholdengo be the one who did this.

The others had been sent to search Laverre; Flare alone stayed by Jaya's side. This was far from the first instance of her trauma flaring up. It had been worse at first; Flare remembered when she'd been a mere Fletchling, sitting on Jaya's lap at least once every day to comfort her, to slowly bring her out of the flashbacks he knew infested her mind.

She was itching to find Jolt, to punish whoever had taken her, but she knew her Trainer came first. And she knew that the best thing to do in this situation was to be by her side.

"Flare?"

Jaya's voice sounded small, but the sound of it made Flare's heart leap. She's out…thank Arceus. Flare raised her head, rubbing it against Jaya's chin.

"Any luck?" Jaya asked.

"No," said Ryan. "Jolt's not in this room."

Jaya squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head, taking deep breaths. Flare quickly and urgently shoved her own head deeper into Jaya's chin.

"It's all right, Flare," said Jaya. "I'm here. I'm here."

"The rest of your team is out looking for her," said Ryan. "If she's anywhere in Laverre, they'll find her."

Footsteps sounded from the hallway; David's voice rang out. "Hey, hold on. Jaya doesn't want to be-"

"It's all right, David," said Jaya.

Silence, and then more footsteps. Flare looked up to see a woman she didn't initially recognize; it took a few seconds for her to realize it was Valerie, not wearing her costume; instead, she was dressed in all black. The Gym Leader crossed the room swiftly. "Gym Trainers, out," she said, her voice hard.

"But-"

"Out," Valerie demanded. David, Ryan, and Brady stepped out of the room, casting concerned glances back at Jaya as they went. Brady shut the door behind them, leaving Flare, Valerie, and Jaya alone.

Valerie knelt down beside Jaya. "Are you all right?"

"Y…yes," Jaya murmured.

"Don't lie to me, I can tell from your voice you're not," said Valerie. "Raymond told me what happened. He seems worried."

Jaya's eyes narrowed. "Raymond can take his worry and shove it up his-"

"Jaya!" Valerie swiftly cut her off. "Listen to me. I know about the sabotage, and I know that no one entered or exited Laverre last night. Whoever did this was most likely the same person, Pokemon, or group who sabotaged the first round."

"Wait…you know?" Jaya asked.

"My Gym Trainers are not blind, nor are they fools," said Valerie. "The instant they arrived at last night's dinner, they signaled to me that something was wrong. My conversation with them confirmed that the first round had indeed been sabotaged. They could not tell me who it was-"

"It's Raymond," Jaya snarled. "It's kinda obvious."

"Jaya, I am talking," said Valerie. "Raymond may be the prime suspect. But the saying 'innocent until proven guilty' is known for a reason. Neither Raymond nor his team ever left the Gym before the beginning of his attempt. And I can confirm that the other members of Raymond's team did not leave the luncheon area while the round was ongoing. Whoever sabotaged the first round was a third party - if they are the same ones who took your Emolga, they are still in Laverre."

"And if they aren't, then whoever took Jolt is still in Laverre." Jaya's fists clenched. "Which means so is Jolt. But why would they stay here?"

"Because whoever took Jolt isn't a Pokemon thief," said Valerie. Jaya opened her mouth to protest; Valerie held up a hand. "They are a saboteur. Their goal with kidnapping Jolt is to get inside your head. Damage your focus, make you lose your concentration. You can't let them succeed."

"The tournament can't go on," said Jaya.

"It can, and it will," said Valerie. "Jaya, this morning, I woke up with the full intention of postponing the tournament until the saboteur or saboteurs were caught and punished. But now this has gone beyond mere sabotage. We cannot discount the possibility that if the tournament is postponed, the saboteur might become desperate, and someone who is desperate is liable to take extraordinary action. There is no telling what danger Jolt might be in if it comes to that. The situation has to be approached cautiously - we must ensure the saboteur believes their plan is succeeding for as long as possible. I have instructed my Gym Trainers to say nothing, and I will say nothing either. You must mention nothing of this, though of course you may still investigate."

Jaya nodded slowly. "Will you be investigating?"

"When I am able," said Valerie. "My Gym Trainers and I have both a tournament and a town to run - once the residents of Laverre return later this morning, our free time will be drastically reduced."

Jaya nodded again, more sadly this time.

"Jaya, everything is going to be all right," said Valerie. "Jolt will be fine, I promise. You have to trust me, and you have to trust the other contestants. Even Raymond," she added as Jaya opened her mouth. "The saboteur may be attempting to help him win, but he, personally, is not behind this. I am certain of it."

"Okay," said Jaya.

"Now, take a rest today," said Valerie. "Clear your head. If you go into your second round tomorrow not at your best, the saboteur's succeeded. Don't let them."

"Okay," Jaya said again.

Valerie smiled. "I must go prepare for Raymond's second round," she said. "I wish you luck on yours." The Gym Leader stood, turned, and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Jaya stayed silent for a few moments. Then she spoke. "Flare, find the others and call them back."

Flare looked at her quizzically.

"Yes, Flare, I know Valerie said Jolt's still in Laverre," said Jaya. "But they're split up. If only one of them finds Jolt, the saboteur might be able to fight them off. I know Jolt - she wouldn't have been taken without a fight. We need to search as a team."

Flare nodded, spreading her wings. Twisting, she dove out the open window, watching as the whole of Laverre appeared before her. It hurts to call them back without success, but Jaya's right. If the saboteur could overcome Jolt, we can't risk splitting up.

And so Flare flew away from the contestants' apartments, leaving Jaya alone in her room.

"What?" Marcus swallowed his mouthful of eggs too fast, and audibly gasped as the hot eggs seared his throat.

Kriesh, standing over her own plate of breakfast, stared at Ilima, barely paying heed to her Trainer. She'd been worried ever since she'd heard Jaya's scream, but she never would have imagined the cause to be this.

I can't imagine what she's going through right now…

"Trust me, I know," said Ilima. "Sabotage is one thing. This is quite another."

"You know what?" Marcus clenched his fists. "Screw 'letting them get away'. I'm talking to Valerie - this tournament can't go on."

"I've already spoken to her."

Kriesh's head whipped around, as did Marcus and Ilima's. Jaya was slowly stepping down the staircase, her face an emotionless mask. "Valerie says the tournament goes on."

"What?" Marcus asked. "But-"

"Marcus, she knows about the sabotage," said Jaya. "She's afraid if the tournament's postponed or canceled, the saboteur will get desperate. And now that they have Jolt, that desperation could lead to her coming to harm."

Her voice was low and empty of emotion, as if she were mindlessly repeating words spoken by another. "Jaya, are you sure you're okay?" Ilima asked.

"I have to be, Ilima," said Jaya. "The saboteur wants me to not be okay. But a good Gym Leader has to be able to fight through adversity. And I refuse to let whoever's doing this get inside my head. I refuse to let them win."

With that, Jaya turned and stepped over to the breakfast bar, collecting a plate and beginning to serve herself without another word. Marcus leaned closer to Jaya. "Where's Raymond?" he whispered.

"I don't know," said Ilima. "I'm not sure I want to know. To be honest, I'd be surprised if he shows his face after this."

"I thought you weren't sure he was the saboteur," said Marcus.

"I'm not," said Ilima. "But everyone thinks he is. I bet he rushes over to the Gym as fast as possible in order to not have to deal with that."

"Sounds about right," said Marcus.

Raymond stepped away from the door to the breakfast room, looking pale, and sat down heavily. With a clumsy wave of his fingers he released Gholdengo from his Dusk Ball. "Any luck last night?" he asked.

NOTHING, Gholdengo wrote with his metal strands.

"Damn it…" Raymond groaned. "They think I did this…I kidnapped that Emolga…and I have no way to prove otherwise without finding who really did…"

CALM DOWN, RAYMOND, Gholdengo wrote. YOU HAVE A GYM EXAM TO COMPETE IN, DON'T YOU?

"Yeah…" said Raymond.

LET ME HANDLE FINDING THE CULPRIT, Gholdengo wrote. YOU FOCUS ON THE GYM EXAM. YOU HAVE TO WIN, REMEMBER?

"Yeah," said Raymond. "All right, I'll go. I'll win."

DO YOUR BEST, said Gholdengo. THAT'S ALL ANYONE CAN ASK FOR.

Jaya sat down heavily beside Marcus and Ilima, releasing the members of her team to eat with her. Kriesh stared at her sorrowfully. She wanted nothing more than to talk to Jaya, to comfort her, but she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to.

It hurt to see Jaya suffer. It hurt to know that for Jaya, history was repeating. But Kriesh knew she'd dug a hole too deep. Now, if she told the truth, Marcus and the rest of the team would know she'd lied.

The only way out is more lies.

Kriesh shook her head, letting out an explosive breath. What am I protecting myself from? I was trying to stop myself from having to choose between Marcus and Jaya, and yet now here I am. Choosing.

"Jaya?" Marcus's words mercifully drew Kriesh from her thoughts. "If there's anything we can do to help-"

"Marcus, I'd be glad for the help," said Jaya. "But we can't just split up and search. Jolt wouldn't fall to any ordinary Pokemon. Whoever this saboteur is, they're a strong battler."

"So our teams will search together," said Ilima. "I'll take my team, you can take yours, and Marcus, you'll take yours. And we can also call in our Gym Trainers. If all of us work together, we'll be able to comb all of Laverre pretty quickly."

"Don't you have your second rounds to prepare for?" Jaya asked.

"Jaya," said Ilima, "at this point, this is more important."

A little smile formed on Jaya's face. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Ilima. "It's our duty as Trainers - and besides, would a Gym Leader not help in this situation?"

Jaya's smile grew wider, and it gratified Kriesh to see it, even if she could tell from the look in her eyes that Jaya was still hurting inside.

Brambleghast would freely admit she'd been especially nervous about Raymond in the wake of this new development. He'd seemed almost sick to his stomach. Brambleghast had been reminded of the day after he'd won the Paldea Pokemon League Tournament. His first try, he'd gotten to the Top 16 before falling; this time, the second time, he'd made it all the way.

His opponent in the finals had been a young, first-year Trainer named Nemona. The announcers had called her a 'child prodigy' - indeed, it was almost unheard of for first-year Trainers to even make the finals. She'd been a generalist, though she'd somewhat gravitated towards Normal-types from what Brambleghast could tell - she'd brought a team of Orthworm, Dudunsparce, Combat-Breed Tauros, Oinkologne, Arboliva, and Pawmot to her battle with Raymond. It had been a neck-and-neck affair all the way, but ultimately Gholdengo had been able to clutch it up, nailing a Shadow Ball on Nemona's staggering Tauros to bring him down and seal the win.

The day after had been the start of his Elite Four challenge. And Raymond had looked the exact same way - more nervous than Brambleghast had ever seen him. He'd walked into the battle against Rika looking as if he'd already lost. And in the end, he did - it didn't help that Ground-types, the type Rika specialized in, was one of Gholdengo's few weaknesses, but even without that Brambleghast highly doubted Raymond would have won.

Raymond had taken out two of Rika's Pokemon - Whiscash and Toedscruel - and dealt slight damage to her Clodsire before falling, but as Rika had observed after the battle, it felt like he'd never truly been able to put forth his best. That had been his first and last attempt. He'd tried to repeat his success a couple months ago in the latest Paldea Pokemon League Tournament, but had fallen in the Top 4 to a Dark-type master, who had then himself fallen in the finals to Nemona, back for her second attempt. Last Brambleghast had heard, Nemona had managed to beat two members of the Elite Four, and there was talk about her becoming a Champion-ranked Trainer soon enough.

That had been one of the many reasons for Raymond's belief in his own stagnation. If Nemona could grow so rapidly while he merely stepped back, then what was he doing wrong? That question and many others had led him here, to this Gym Exam, hopefully to a new beginning.

And yet now, as Brambleghast sat on the stands overlooking the battle arena of the Laverre City Gym, history was repeating itself.

The second round was, in essence, a simulation of a day of life as a Gym Leader. Gym Battlers (really Valerie's Gym Trainers, in disguise once again) came to test their strength, first against Raymond's Gym Trainers, then against Raymond himself. In between, Valerie delivered word of other problems that Raymond had to handle - minor things, more of a distraction than anything. Nothing as exciting as the first round, just busywork and constant Gym battling, something Raymond, as a former Gym Trainer, had been doing all his life.

But he was struggling. His mind seemed elsewhere as he forced himself through battle after battle, challenge after challenge. Valerie's face as she watched him told Brambleghast that Raymond was losing points before her eyes.

Brambleghast knew what was wrong. Despite Gholdengo's words, shame and worry were overwhelming Raymond, sapping his focus. Almost mockingly, Brambleghast noted to herself that the sabotage clearly meant to help Raymond win seemed to now be causing him to lose.

She drove the thought from her mind and looked at Gholdengo. Gholdengo had not moved from his spot the entire day; much of the time had been him staring at Raymond almost uncomprehendingly. "We have to figure this out," Brambleghast whispered.

Gholdengo sighed. "I can't believe this," he murmured. "What did I do wrong?"

Brambleghast looked at him strangely. "It's nothing you did."

Gholdengo seemed to draw himself out of a fog, for now he turned to look at Brambleghast, his vision clearer. "I know," he said. "And yet…it still feels like I've failed him. If we…if I…can't find this culprit, this'll just eat away at him."

"I know," said Brambleghast, but her voice was muted, for Gholdengo's words were repeating over and over again in her head.

What did I do wrong?

She would not deny that the wording had set the alarm bells to ringing in her head once again. And they continued to ring as Raymond continued to struggle through the second round of the Gym Exam.

At last, sunset heralded the end of the long, tortuous day. The last of the 'Gym Challengers' retreated, and Valerie stepped up to Raymond; the frown on her face told Gholdengo everything he needed to know.

"What's going on, Raymond?" Valerie asked.

Raymond looked at her exhaustedly. "It's nothing."

Valerie's frown deepened. "Regardless of whether it is nothing or something, Raymond, the fact is that a Gym Leader cannot be distracted to such a degree. Eight of your ten challengers walked out with Gym Badges, many of them ill-earned, and your problem-solving was equally lacking. For this second round, I'm afraid I can only give you a score of twenty points."

Raymond sagged. Valerie's frown disappeared and she put a comforting hand on Raymond's shoulder. "Get some rest, Raymond. You've got three days - take a load off your mind. You're not out of this yet."

"Thank you, Valerie," said Raymond. He looked towards the stands. "Gholdengo, Brambleghast, Ceruledge, I'm going to take the rest of the team to the Pokemon Center. Stay here - I'll be back to grab you soon."

As he stepped out of the room, Gholdengo lowered his head. His plan had already been coming apart at the seams - the other contestants were suspecting Raymond of orchestrating the sabotage, which had definitely not been part of Gholdengo's plan - but no part of Gholdengo had expected Raymond to be so distracted by the suffering of the other contestants that it actively impacted his battling prowess.

Unless I do something, and fast, Gholdengo thought furiously, he'll fritter away his lead, and some undeserving competitor will take the spot. Then he'll never become stronger.

Gholdengo knew this called for improvisation. And luckily, that was something he was good at. Unfortunately, that improvisation would require him to take some rather…rash actions.

Gholdengo looked to both sides, at Ceruledge and Brambleghast. For this new plan to work, he would have to tell them the truth. It would be a risk, but he'd talked his way out of difficult situations many times before. And Gholdengo knew that after this unexpected reverse, risks would be required to get Raymond the win he deserved.

"Brambleghast, Ceruledge," Gholdengo said. "I'd like you to come with me."

Slowly, Brambleghast followed Gholdengo out onto the grass beside the Laverre City Gym. It felt cool beneath her body, slightly dewy. By now, Laverre City was alive again, the hustle and bustle of the passersby drowning out their footsteps on the grass, but this spot was quiet.

Gholdengo stopped and turned, golden body gleaming in the sunlight. "We need to talk about this sabotage," he said.

Brambleghast narrowed her eyes. "What about it?"

Gholdengo sighed. "I have a confession to make," he said. "To both of you."

Brambleghast felt her heart drop into her chest. I didn't want to believe it…

"It was you," she said. "Wasn't it?"

Gholdengo nodded. "How long have you known?"

"I never knew," said Brambleghast. "But I guessed. When Jolt disappeared…you had that electrical burn on your side, and that bruise on your ankle. I know how strong you are, Gholdengo - not just any Pokemon can deal damage to you."

Gholdengo smiled slightly. "You are far too smart for your own good, Brambleghast, you know that?"

"Why?"

Ceruledge's single word was filled with more emotion than Brambleghast had seen from the Fire/Ghost-type Pokemon in quite some time. Gholdengo turned to face Ceruledge. "To help him win."

"You hurt others," said Brambleghast. "Humans, Pokemon…for Arceus's sake, you kidnapped a Pokemon! And all that…all that…just to help Raymond win?"

"Would you not do anything to help him win?" Gholdengo asked.

"Not this!" Brambleghast cried. "This is wrong!"

"My duty is to help Raymond get stronger!" Gholdengo protested. "That was my promise to him when he first caught me! Therefore, if it is to help him get stronger, how can it be wrong?"

Ceruledge spoke again. "Wrongness is measured in the act. Not the reason for it."

"Agreed, Ceruledge," said Brambleghast. "Come on, we have to go tell somebody."

"Why?"

Brambleghast twisted to glare at Gholdengo. "Did you hear a word Ceruledge just said?" she asked. "What you've done…it needs to stop. So either you turn yourself in for this, or we'll do it."

"And take Raymond down with me?" Gholdengo asked. "You know what will happen if you do this, Brambleghast. Disqualification, blacklisting-"

"I'll make sure they know it was you," said Brambleghast, "and you alone."

"And I'll make sure they know it was him," said Gholdengo. "Nothing can prove that he didn't give me the order. It's word against word - you think they'll believe you over me?"

"How…" Brambleghast felt fury rise to her throat. "How can you do that? You'd throw your own Trainer under the bus like that? You know he didn't do this! How can you stand there and say, in complete seriousness, that you'll do that to Raymond?"

"I will do whatever it takes to help Raymond get stronger," said Gholdengo. "Whatever. It. Takes. If it means threatening him, even hurting him, I'll do that too. Ceruledge, Brambleghast, you have a choice. Either report this to someone, in which case I'll tell them it was Raymond's idea, and there's no telling who they'd believe, or you can help me."

"Help you cheat?" Brambleghast snarled.

"Help me give Raymond the win he deserves," said Gholdengo. "Whatever it takes. Are you with me?"

Brambleghast sighed disgustedly. "Gholdengo, I-"

"Are you with me?" Gholdengo repeated insistently.

"I am."

Brambleghast's eyes widened as she turned to look at Ceruledge. "What are you doing?"

Ceruledge looked back at Brambleghast. "Raymond caught me as a Charcadet," he said sorrowfully. "Raised me, trained me, went through so much to make me who I am today. I am loyal to Raymond, and if there is a choice between helping him and hurting him…I will help him."

"This…this isn't about helping Raymond!" Brambleghast cried. "This is about hurting others! Gholdengo kidnapped another Pokemon - you're really going to help him after that?"

"What other choice do we have?" Ceruledge asked.

Gholdengo grinned as he looked at Brambleghast. "Now it's two words against one. What's your choice, Brambleghast? Work with us? Or destroy Raymond's life and everything he's worked towards for the past three years?"

Brambleghast felt a tear drip from her right eye. He's right…no one will believe me over both of them. This is wrong…wrong on every level. It makes me sick. But…but I can't bring myself…to hurt Raymond in that way.

Arceus…forgive me for what I am about to do.

Brambleghast raised her head. "What's the plan, Gholdengo?" she asked dully.

Gholdengo's smile brought another surge of fury to Brambleghast's mind, but she forced it down as Gholdengo spoke. "Nothing yet. We give Raymond a bit of rest - hope it's enough to clear his head. But I do have a plan - one that involves both of you. Meanwhile, we make sure the others' scores are as low as possible. Right now, even with that twenty-point second-round score, Raymond's still thirty-five points ahead of Jaya, and in all likelihood she'll be just as distracted as he is, what with her Emolga being gone and all. As for Marcus and Ilima, I don't want to kidnap any of their Pokemon yet - too much chaos could result. Standard sabotage should work for them, and for Jaya as well."

"So who exactly is doing the sabotaging?" Brambleghast asked.

"Remember Golurk's gang of Ghost-types?" Gholdengo asked. "The ones who were watching your little bout with Cloyster? Yeah…they were all too eager to help once I made my proposition."

"What of the Emolga?" Ceruledge asked.

Gholdengo nodded. "I understand your concern. Rest assured, besides the injuries she sustained as a result of our clash, she is unharmed. Indeed, I plan to return her to her Trainer once all of this is over. Would you like to see her? I promise it will only take a minute, and we'll be back in plenty of time for Raymond to pick us up."

Ceruledge accepted that with a nod. Brambleghast did so too, though far less readily. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought as Gholdengo turned and walked away, leaving Ceruledge and Brambleghast to follow in his path. Damn you, Gholdengo…there is no way this goes the way you think.

All you'll accomplish with this is bringing ruin to us all.

"You're sure you found nothing?" Marcus asked.

"Nothing," Medicham answered telepathically. "And nothing from Connie, Theo, or Serena either. We spent hours looking through Laverre - either Jolt's not here, or she's really well hidden."

Marcus heaved a sigh. "All right…we need to spend at least some time tomorrow preparing, but we'll go out again after breakfast and try again."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement and broke, moving to different areas of the room to talk and commiserate. At the edge of the room, Kriesh stared out the window at the beautiful sunset that belied the chaos of the day. She hadn't seen Jaya since breakfast; she hadn't joined Marcus and Ilima for lunch or dinner.

She needs comfort. She needs help.

Kriesh shook her head. I can't face her. I don't want to have to choose, now of all times.

But I'm already choosing. This is me choosing. Damn it...all this time, all this effort towards avoiding this, and yet here it is.

I want Marcus to succeed. But I can't just stand here knowing that Jaya's suffering and not help.

I just can't.

Taking a deep breath to reinforce herself, Kriesh stepped slowly over to Medicham. "Medicham," she said slowly. "I want to go to Jaya."

Medicham looked at her strangely. "I want to tell her the truth," Kriesh insisted. "Medicham, I…I've been putting this off…lying about this…for too long. If I can help her…comfort her in any way…then I can't just stand back and hide anymore."

Medicham smiled slightly. "I'll tell Marcus," she said. "What do you want me to say to him?"

"Tell him…" I have to tell him the truth. Kriesh's talons dug into the rug. I have to cease this string of lies. Get this off my chest.

"Tell him that I need to talk to Jaya," said Kriesh. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Tell him the truth. About…me and her." She looked up into Medicham's eyes. "I wanted to keep this…I didn't want to have to choose between the two of them…but Jaya's hurt. She needs help. And I can't just stand back and watch her suffer."

Medicham nodded. "All right. I'm sure…I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

She turned and began to step back towards Marcus; as she did so, Kriesh looked back over towards the sunset. This needs to happen, she told herself. As much as I've been trying to avoid it for so long…I can't any longer.

I'm coming, Jaya. Just a few moments longer…

The rest of the second round will be in the next chapter. I anticipate the third round beginning the chapter after that, and from there it'll be a four-chapter ride to the finish.

Yes, this is going to end up as an eleven-chapter arc. Do let me know if you prefer the longer nature of this arc or would rather see a return to shorter arcs.