What I originally intended to be a 'short, epilogue chapter' somehow turned out to be the longest chapter in the arc. Hopefully this isn't an omen for the chapters to come...
Medicham shifted uncomfortably upon the hard mattress, trying to find some measure of comfort without moving too much. Too much movement might ruin the bandages that adorned the stump of what had once been her right arm. But she could not take an entire night of this kind of discomfort, and so she twitched as subtly as she could, turning her head from side to side, hoping that she could finally get at least slightly comfortable.
She still remembered Marcus's face when he'd seen the arm's remains. She remembered the terror in his voice as he'd immediately abandoned the cleanup from the battle in favor of grabbing the nearest Teleport-capable Pokemon and using it to teleport to Lumiose. She remembered the grim voice of the nurse, informing Marcus that the injury had festered for too long, that the arm up to the elbow would have to be amputated in order to stave the infection off from the rest of Medicham's body.
Medicham had dreaded the procedure, but as it turned out, most nurses kept a Pokemon with the Ability Healer on hand, such as the Blissey who'd helped oversee the amputation. Healer was an amazing ability for this purpose; the way it worked was that, essentially, a Pokemon with Healer could deaden pain, momentarily turning off Medicham's sense of pain like flipping a light switch. In battle, Healer could be used to turn off other senses, such as hearing or sight, or even momentarily switch off an opponent's senses at once, causing them to completely forget they were in a battle and relax. But none of that really mattered; that had just been words spoken by the Blissey, who had been keeping Medicham's attention on one side while a Psycho Cut-wielding Jynx detached what remained of her arm on the other. Apparently the Jynx had the Ability Forewarn, which allowed her to passively be able to see about five seconds into the future, helping her adjust the precise cuts needed to take Medicham's arm off without causing further damage.
It was all a very impressive setup. Then again, Medicham thought to herself, they do things like this daily. It's their job, after all.
Once the arm had been removed, the nurses had bandaged the stump; tomorrow, they would begin the process of healing the wound the removal of the arm had left. The arm itself would never regrow; there was an experimental treatment that was said to regrow lost limbs, but the monetary cost had been too high for a remedy the nurses weren't even sure would work, and ultimately Medicham had told Marcus telepathically that she was fine without it.
Lying on her own now, she wasn't sure if that had been the truth.
Her body felt incomplete now. From the moment she'd hatched from her egg, she'd had four limbs: two legs and two arms. Within a few days she'd grown used to that, accepted it as a fact of life that she had four limbs. In a fight, she punched and kicked in equal measure, utilizing all four of her limbs to the best of her ability. After all, if she had four limbs, why waste any of them?
But now one limb was gone. Once it was healed, the Blissey had told her, Medicham would still be able to fight with it. But it would be completely different. She'd never be able to punch with her right hand again.
I'll all but have to learn to fight from scratch.
Medicham sighed and shook her head again. The mattress was as uncomfortable as ever; Medicham was starting to worry the entire rest of the night would be like this.
A quiet creaking noise came from the door. Medicham raised her head as much as she could without moving any other part of her body; she knew who it was the instant she spotted the dark purple chitinous back moving slowly up to her place of rest.
Drapion's head arose, peering over the side of the mattress. "Ya doin' okay?" he whispered.
"Better than I was," Medicham responded. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah had ta see if ya were okay," Drapion growled. "Don't worry, Marcus knows. It took some work ta convince a Psychic to let me talk ta him, and even more ta convince him ta let me see ya, but ah couldn't wait any longer."
"Well, 'okay' might be overselling it a little." Medicham grimaced. "I still can't sleep, for one." She gestured with her head to the small tube dug into her side. "They've got me on Full Restores - dulls the pain, but keeps me awake. And also, there's the small matter of having lost an arm."
Drapion chuckled softly. "Yer alright in mah book if yer sayin' stuff like that."
Medicham returned the chuckle, though hers was halfhearted and quickly trailed off. "It's going to be different," she murmured. "I was the strongest member of the team…now, I'll be lucky if I'm not the weakest."
"Don't ever use that word." Drapion's voice was unexpectedly hard-edged. "Don't do it. Yer one of the strongest Pokemon ah know. Yer not weak, an' ya never will be."
"Thanks," said Medicham with a smile. "So…what all happened after I left?"
"Siebold an' Sycamore stayed behind ta oversee the wild Pokemon," said Drapion. "They actually called in some other League personnel ta deal with them all. From what ah could tell, a lot of the non-Skorupi Pokemon jumped ship the instant they heard of the Swarmlord's defeat. Started makin' every excuse in the book ta anyone who'd hear them. No one trusted them - ah certainly don't - but ah doubt they'll be anywhere near as troublesome as they were now that they ain't got the Swarmlord backin' them, so they'll probably be sent back into the wild. As fer the Skorupi an' Drapion, well, after the battle a few of the Drapion who were still standin' tried ta take the Swarmlord's title. Proclaimed themselves the new Swarmlord an' tried ta rally the troops - didn't really work, but at this point ah doubt any of the Skorupi or Drapion will be stayin' in the wild."
"What will happen to them?" Medicham asked.
"Oh, there are a lot of places they could go," said Drapion. "Aether, fer example - yeah, ah know, doesn't sound good, but no matter what Lusamine did, Aether's still got Pokemon protection reserves in every region, an' it ain't like they're not good places. Some of 'em, probably the more remorseful ones, will probably end up in Aether - the less remorseful will go ta a rehabilitation facility, an' if worst comes ta worst, be euthanized."
Medicham flinched slightly at that. "Wait, what about Wall?" she asked. "Is he-"
"The Tangrowth?" Drapion asked. "Yeah, he's fine. More than fine, actually. He's with Serena now - up an' asked her if he could join her team. Ya should've seen him when Serena said yes - ah don't think ah've ever seen someone that happy before."
Another smile came to Medicham's face. "How about Marcus? And everyone else? How are they doing?"
"Marcus is stayin' in Lumiose until yer all better," said Drapion. "Takin' the opportunity ta buy some things fer Gym redecoration an' the like. Valerie an' the Gym Trainers went back ta Laverre, an' Calem's still assistin' Sycamore. As fer the Elder, he's taken control over the forests around Vaniville, an' already is sendin' out Onix ta bring back wild Pokemon who got driven outta their homes by the Swarmlord."
Medicham sighed. "So what did happen to the Swarmlord?"
Drapion frowned. "He, the Behemoth, Tooth, an' Claw were all found dead," he growled. "One of the other Drapion took credit fer it - said he couldn't let weaklin's like them live. Ah don't really believe it, mahself. Ah saw the wounds on their bodies - Drapion don't usually slash throats. But ah don't care enough ta dwell on it."
"I guess," Medicham murmured.
FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE END OF THE BATTLE
The Trained Pokemon had been recalled, the Onix spread throughout the camp to round up the last of the Skorupi, and as such no one was watching the sandy arena that had been the epicenter of the fighting.
The area where the Swarmlord, the Behemoth, Tooth, and Claw all lay unconscious
A single Drapion stepped out from a nearby cave, staring around at the fallen bodies. "This will not stand," he murmured. "I do not know what trickery was used to defeat you, but I swear that I, Scorp, leader of the Ocean Keeper Swarm, will avenge your deaths, and I will-"
A Psychic flash shone in the darkness. Scorp crumpled to the ground, momentarily unconscious.
Bringer-Of-Visions stepped out of the cave, striding past the fallen form of Scorp without slowing down. Three other Absols came after her, all of them just as purposeful in their stride.
Each stepped up to one of the unconscious bodies in the clearing. Each stooped down and, with a single quick slash each, slashed open one of the bodies' throats. The Swarmlord and his three strongest allies took only a few moments to expire.
Bringer-Of-Visions glanced back at the fallen form of Scorp. "Now," she murmured, "all that remains is to rewrite his memory. And, of course, deal with our assets in the area."
PRESENT TIME
"Anyway," said Drapion, "as fer the rest of the team, they've been doin' some trainin', mostly workin' on stuff they figured out in the middle of the battle. Ah've been practicing with Earthquake, Houndoom's been workin' on situational awareness, stuff like that. Did ya know Kamado took out Razor during the battle?"
"The Drapion who captured Kriesh?" Medicham asked. Drapion grinned. "Not bad," said Medicham.
"Yeah," said Drapion. "An' another thing - Pangoro's actually been surprisingly nice recently. Like, he was sparrin' with Trevenant, an' he hit them with a hard punch and knocked them down. First thing he did? Go over ta help Trevenant up an' ask if they were alright."
"Really?" Medicham asked. "Pangoro? Did he get replaced by a Ditto during the fight or something?"
"Believe me, ah checked the eyes," Drapion growled. "It's Pangoro, all right, but somethin' clearly happened during the battle."
"I'll have to ask him," said Medicham.
"Yeah," said Drapion. "But…yeah. Everyone's doin' fine. Hopin' ya get outta here soon, so we can put all this behind us."
Medicham nodded. "I'm looking forward to that too."
Drapion shifted awkwardly. "So…about that whole 'lover' thing-"
"I know it was a ploy," said Medicham. "A good one, too."
"Yeah," said Drapion. "A ploy. The 'family' thing, though? That was real."
"I figured as much," said Medicham.
"Ya know," said Drapion, "it's a weird feelin'. Ah'm done. Ah'm free. Free in a way ah never have been before. Thinkin' that he's never gonna come after me again…that ah can finally put the Swarm behind me…it's somethin' ah can't even describe."
Medicham nodded in agreement.
"An ah'm…" Drapion stopped, momentarily overcome with emotion. "Ah'm really, genuinely lookin' forward ta what happens next."
Seeker-Of-Endings dreamed.
In the past, many of his nights had been filled with Betrayer-Of-Kin's visage, with Oblivion chains and his body being pulled apart like a puzzle, and he would wake up in a cold sweat. This night, though, for once it was a happy dream. A simple dream. He was stepping through a vibrant forest, listening to the songs of the wild Flying-types and basking in the warm sunlight.
"Seeker?"
The voice was borne on a cool breeze that brushed Seeker-Of-Endings' fur. Seeker-Of-Endings glanced over, and his cheerful mood faded as he beheld the form of Bringer-Of-Visions stepping out from behind one of the beautiful trees.
"Not the worst dream," said Bringer-Of-Visions, glancing around. "One I wish I had every so often. I have been around long enough that my dreams are not nearly as nice."
"What do you need, Bringer?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.
Bringer-Of-Visions smiled. "To the point, are we? You sound a little bit like Spirit…which is ironic, considering your mission." Her countenance darkened. "The mission you seem to have forgotten."
"Bringer, I-" Seeker-Of-Endings began, but Bringer-Of-Visions continued to speak without pausing. "Why is it that we were not notified of Spirit's capture until twenty-two hours after it happened?" she asked. "If the Swarmlord had not proven so gullible as to allow himself to be forced into granting the Marked One the Rite of the Great Marsh, and if the Marked One had not been intelligent enough to grant Spirit amnesty as a false lover, she would have been dead long before we were notified, and with her demise, Marcus would have been ripped from his path in an instant. Years of hard work wasted. What do you have to say for yourself, Seeker-Of-Endings?"
"Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "I tried. I swear on the Master's name that I tried. But Serena kept me out of my Pokeball the entire time. I could not find an opening to safely Perish Song."
"So," said Bringer-Of-Visions coldly, "you decided that the desires of your assigned Trainer were more important than preventing Giratina's rise?"
"That…" Seeker-Of-Endings stammered, knowing Bringer-Of-Visions was right. "That's not…"
"Both Reader-Of-Minds and Teller-Of-Tales warned me that I should appoint another, more experienced, operative," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "I did not listen to them. I told Reader-Of-Minds that I believed you were more capable than he thought, and I told Teller-Of-Tales that you were capable of handling the situation. But first the events after the Power Plant fiasco, and now this…I am starting to think I should have listened to them."
"Bringer, I can do better," Seeker-Of-Endings protested.
"I hope so," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "Because you are already in place. To replace you would necessitate a large-scale memory alteration. It has been done before, but it is very inconvenient, and at this point I am not quite prepared to resort to that." Seeker-Of-Endings got halfway through his sigh of relief before Bringer-Of-Visions spoke again. "I try to be patient with all the Heralds," she said. "Do not give me cause to give up on that patience."
"I will not, Bringer," said Seeker-Of-Endings.
"Good." A calm smile came to Bringer-Of-Visions' face. "Now, as much as I would like to leave you to your dreaming, I have need of your services. I must speak to Spirit, and I would greatly appreciate it if you aided me in arranging a meeting with her."
"-an' so then Siebold's Clawitzer just sends this blast of Water energy over his shoulder, an' Houndoom turns an' there's a Drapion right next ta him!" Drapion fought back a chuckle as he continued the story. "Clawitzer's blast sends him flyin' away, an' then Clawitzer says, "Situational awareness needs some work!"
Medicham laughed along with Drapion. "I hope he wasn't too embarrassed," said Medicham.
"Embarrassed enough ta start workin' on his situational awareness, that's fer sure!" Drapion collapsed in another bout of laughter.
"Look," said Medicham, "as much as I love swapping stories like this, I do need to at least get some rest, even if I can't sleep."
"Yeah, ah get it," said Drapion. "Ah've kept ya fer a while. Ah should get back ta Marcus."
"It was nice talking to you, Drapion," said Medicham.
"Yeah, same," Drapion responded, already walking away. "Lookin' forward ta-"
At that moment, the door swung open once more before Drapion had even neared it. Medicham's eyes went wide as none other than Seeker-Of-Endings stepped through. The younger Herald looked nervous, his eyes flicking from Medicham to Drapion and back.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know you were here."
"Actually, this is good," said Drapion. "Ah was meanin' ta talk ta ya…never got the chance after the battle, but…"
Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. "Drapion, we can speak later. I'd like to talk to Medicham in private, if you please, so-"
"Yer the one who marked mah egg," said Drapion.
"Yes," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "If-"
"Are ya the one who pulled me from the river?" Drapion asked.
Seeker-Of-Endings paused, clearly realizing he wasn't going to be able to avoid the conversation. "Yes," he said.
"Why?" Drapion asked.
"I suppose…you could say I wanted to atone," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "For what happened to the Darkwalker tribe. We - I - my fellow Absol and I were associated with them."
"Did ya know mah mother?" Drapion asked.
"Personally," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "You don't know how much it hurt when I learned most of the tribe was dead. I never stopped thinking that if I'd been there, I might have been able to save them. So…that's why."
"Atone?" Drapion asked. His eyes were shockingly dark. "Ya made me an outcast. 'The Marked One', they called me. 'Cause ah was different. 'Cause ya branded me, made me-"
"Seeker-Of-Endings saved your life!" Medicham cried.
Drapion glanced over at Medicham. "How?" he asked.
"The Swarmlord was going to kill you from the start," said Medicham. "Not because you were marked, because you were different. He killed your mother, and your other sibling who carried the Darkwalker tribe techniques, but he couldn't kill you because of what Seeker-Of-Endings had done."
Drapion paused, his eyes glancing between Seeker-Of-Endings and Medicham. At length he spoke again. "If she'll vouch fer ya, then fine," he said.
"Great," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "Now, can Medicham and I have some privacy?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever ya need," Drapion growled, stepping quickly through the door. He cast a glance back at Medicham before he disappeared, shutting the door behind him.
Seeker-Of-Endings sighed, turning back towards Medicham. "How are you feeling?"
"I was feeling better a few seconds ago," Medicham retorted.
Seeker-Of-Endings frowned. "Look, Medicham, I know you don't like any of us very much," he said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I just came because Bringer-Of-Visions wants to meet with you, and she asked me to go in ahead and let you know."
"Great," Medicham muttered. "Just what I needed."
An awkward silence fell over both of them, a silence that was broken about fifteen seconds later by a sudden burst of scuffling from outside. Medicham's heart leaped into her throat as the door was flung open by the weight of Drapion's flying body. The Poison/Dark-type landed on the ground and rolled to his feet, his swinging tail knocking over a small table, sending medical supplies everywhere.
After him stepped Bringer-Of-Visions, three other Heralds moving into the room after her. "Seeker," she said, "please be careful to check if you are being eavesdropped on in the future."
Medicham gasped, horror rushing through her body. Drapion, what have you done?
"Ah'm gonna assume these are yer Absol friends ya keep mentionin'," Drapion growled, glancing at Seeker-Of-Endings.
"And you must be the Marked One," said Bringer-Of-Visions, ignoring Drapion's furious snarl at the name. She looked over at Medicham, then back to Drapion. "Reader, how about we take this to a more…secluded locale."
One of the Absols standing behind Bringer-Of-Visions nodded and began to hum, the notes of Perish Song emanating from his throat.
Drapion curled his lip. "Ah don't think so." He started forwards, raising his claws towards the singing Absol.
"Drapion, wait!" Medicham cried, but Bringer-Of-Visions had already teleported in front of him. Drapion's strike slammed into Bringer-Of-Visions' horn-blade and was instantly halted.
Drapion's head swung around to glare at Medicham; none of his earlier friendliness was present in his eyes. "How long have ya been lyin' ta me?" he asked, hurt in his voice.
Bringer-Of-Visions abruptly ducked and swept a paw upwards, slamming it into Drapion's face and knocking it to the side. A flurry of Pursuit rays drove one after the other into Drapion's staggering form, and once more he toppled onto the ground. "Observer, Watcher," Bringer-Of-Visions called; two of the other Heralds leaped into action, pouncing on the downed Drapion. Drapion tried to roll to his feet again, but the two Heralds caught him and held him down, their combined strength prevailing over his.
"In answer, Marked One, for a very long time," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "And she'll be doing it for longer."
"You don't have to-" Medicham began in protest.
Bringer-Of-Visions whipped around. "You know this is necessary, Spirit," she hissed. "The only reason I bent the rules for you and the Fearow was because our Master willed it so. And besides…a simple mind-wipe won't hurt him all that much."
Drapion snarled furiously, heaving upwards with such force that the two Heralds on top of him nearly lost their grips. "If ya think yer gonna get away with this-"
"We've been 'getting away with this' for a thousand years," Bringer-Of-Visions interrupted. "You really should keep your nose out of matters you don't understand."
As she said this, the Perish Song concluded, and the room disappeared, replaced with the darkness of Oblivion. Medicham at once noticed that in here, her arm was back to normal, and she was no longer lying down, her body bandaged. Of course, this isn't my actual waking form.
Taking advantage of her newfound mobility, she stepped towards Bringer-Of-Visions. "Please don't hurt him, okay?"
Drapion's glare shifted to Medicham; the rage in his eyes made Medicham sick. It made Medicham feel thankful that he wouldn't remember any of this. The realization that that was how Medicham felt made her feel even more sick.
"I have warned you before to not give me orders," said Bringer-Of-Visions, not even looking at Medicham. She began to step towards Drapion, Mind rippling across her horn. For a moment, a wild thought came to Medicham's mind that the memory-erasure technique wouldn't work on a Dark-type, but that thought disappeared as fast as it had come. The Heralds would not have lasted a thousand years if they couldn't mind-wipe Dark-types.
Drapion's struggles and snarls were fruitless as Bringer-Of-Visions stepped up to him and bent down, touching her horn to his forehead. She held it there for a few moments, keeping it steady until Drapion's eyes slowly closed and he fell limp, unconscious.
"He'll wake up in several hours," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "with no memory of this incident. As far as he's concerned, he'll have had his little conversation with you and then fallen asleep by your bedside."
She turned to face Medicham. "Now," she said, "I presume Seeker-Of-Endings informed you about my desire for a meeting. Simply put, I am disappointed. I expect more from you than to allow yourself to be captured by a group of wild Drapion."
Fury pulsed through Medicham at that. You expect more from me? You're the one who left me out there to begin with! She took a step forwards, opening her mouth to protest.
"Do you not understand the stakes?" Bringer-Of-Visions hissed before Medicham could get a word out. "Do you not understand that the safety of the entire world hinges on you being alive? If those Drapion had killed you, that would have been it. Giratina might have risen because of you."
There was genuine anger in Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes as she tore into Medicham. Medicham saw Seeker-Of-Endings looking outright shocked off to the side; the other Heralds' expressions were unreadable as they watched their leader. Medicham clenched her fists. What right does she have to be angry at me for this?
"And then," Bringer-Of-Visions growled, "you have the audacity to go crying to our Master about my conduct? How dare you? How dare you go to our Master and tell him, to his face, that it's my fault you got yourself in that mess?"
The realization came to Medicham as Bringer-Of-Visions slackened for a moment, pausing to breathe. "Let me guess," said Medicham. "Darkrai chewed you out after I told him what you did."
Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes burned with anger. Medicham let out an involuntary chuckle. I wish I could have seen that conversation…I'll bet Darkrai feels pretty good about that one.
And then the chuckle died in Medicham's throat as Bringer-Of-Visions' face slowly slid up into an almost gleeful smirk. "I think," she said, "that you need to be taught a lesson."
Her eyes flashed black, and Oblivion rose up all around Medicham. Tendrils not dissimilar to Wall's vines lashed out from the darkness and wrapped themselves tightly around her. They yanked all at once, bringing Medicham to her knees, pinning her arms behind her, and forcing her to bow her head. A thick tendril curled around her mouth, muffling her startled cry. A couple of the other Heralds twitched, especially Seeker-Of-Endings, but Bringer-Of-Visions shot a swift glare at all of them and they stepped back obediently.
Medicham could barely even twitch, let alone struggle, as Bringer-Of-Visions gently touched her horn to the unconscious Drapion's head. Psychic energy glowed at the tip; Medicham screamed uselessly in protest, unable to get anything more than a whimper through the tightly-clamped tendril. Bringer-Of-Visions held her horn to Drapion's head for a good five seconds, and then withdrew.
Abruptly, Drapion opened his eyes; they swiveled around for a moment and then focused on Medicham. But there was a darkness in them as they surveyed her, and as he rose to his feet, a low growl escaped his throat.
"This is the one who killed your family?" Bringer-Of-Visions smiled faux-warmly as she issued the query.
"Yes." Drapion's voice was filled with anger, his words unbearably slow.
"What do you want to do with her?" Bringer-Of-Visions asked.
Drapion bared his teeth at Medicham. "What she did to them."
"She's all yours." Bringer-Of-Visions stepped back; her eyes were locked on Medicham as Drapion began to advance, claws glistening with Dark energy.
Medicham tried to shout something to him, anything, to snap him out of whatever Bringer-Of-Visions had done to him, but again the tendril muffled her words into unrecognizability, and her desperate struggling was fruitless against the full might of Oblivion that held her down. Drapion stepped closer, grinning savagely. Medicham's eyes welled with tears as she gazed up at her friend. There was nothing but rage in his eyes as he stared back.
"Mah father," he whispered. "Mah mother. Mah siblings. Do ya even remember them?"
Medicham could do nothing but stare into his eyes, horror chilling every one of her veins. What kind of memories did she put into his mind?
"Ah remember them," Drapion growled. "Ah remember ya took their eyes. Pulled out their claws. Ripped off their armor until there wasn't any more ta rip off. They died screamin', every single one. An' ya made me watch every single second of it. So don't ask me fer mercy, 'cause ah ain't got any fer ya."
Oh, Arceus…Medicham saw Bringer-Of-Visions standing off to the side, still with that twisted grin on her face. She couldn't see Seeker-Of-Endings, but she could see at least one of the other Heralds staring at the scene in horror. It was small comfort.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Drapion raised both his arms, extending his claws. There was a brief moment of terrifying anticipation, and then he plunged them forwards. Medicham saw them coming towards her eyes, and then there was nothing but darkness and pain.
Medicham's agonized scream was once again muffled. She could feel a sticky wetness dripping down her face. "Ah'm gonna savor this," she heard Drapion whisper. "Ah've waited mah whole life fer this moment. Thought about every torture, every conceivable agony ah can inflict on ya before ya die. Fingers…skin…limbs…ya don't need any of that ta continue livin', do ya?" He chuckled softly, a sound that had absolutely no business coming from his throat. "Ah'll take all of that…an' maybe a few other things…an' then maybe, ah'll let ya die."
Oh, Arceus…they're going to make me go through all of it…Medicham whimpered into the tendril covering her mouth as one of Drapion's claws slowly began to open up her cheek. Please…someone…let this end…
And then Drapion's claw disappeared, and the tendrils faded, and Medicham's eyes reformed, allowing her to see Bringer-Of-Visions touching her horn to Drapion's head once more. He collapsed, once again unconscious.
Medicham was trembling all over, and could barely look up at Bringer-Of-Visions as she turned towards her once again. "Don't worry, Spirit, his mind is back to normal," she said. "He won't remember a moment of that."
Medicham wanted nothing more, in that moment, to rush Bringer-Of-Visions and hurt her. But she remained where she was, continuing to tremble, only this time with rage.
"Next time," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "I don't think I'll cut it short. So in the future, I suggest you behave yourself a little more. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Medicham ground out.
Bringer-Of-Visions chuckled. "Good-bye, Spirit," she whispered. "Remember…we'll be watching." She chuckled again; her dark laughter was the last thing Medicham heard, echoing in her ears as Oblivion faded away.
Medicham at once sat up as much as she could without moving her bandaged stump. She was back in her hospital bed; Drapion was lying on the ground next to her, sound asleep, just as Bringer-Of-Visions had promised. Revulsion rose in Medicham's throat, and she quickly lay back down, staring up at the ceiling.
I hate you, Bringer-Of-Visions, Medicham thought, clenching her remaining fist tightly. I hate you more than anything.
As Medicham and Drapion disappeared from view, Bringer-Of-Visions turned to the rest of the Heralds. "Our work here is done," she said as if nothing had happened. "Seeker, you may return to your Trainer; the rest of you, we shall return to Alola."
Seeker-Of-Endings glanced around as Bringer-Of-Visions began to walk away. Reader-Of-Minds and Observer-Of-Lives were moving after her, while Watcher-Of-Time was only beginning to move, still staring at where Medicham had been standing. Seeker-Of-Endings let out an involuntary growl.
Bringer-Of-Visions heard. She glanced backwards, eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong, Seeker-Of-Endings?"
"N-" The word no died on Seeker-Of-Endings' lips. Instead, he took in a deep breath before speaking. "I have served you for years, Bringer-Of-Visions, without question," he said. "I swore an oath to follow you, and to follow our Master, no matter what." His voice choked as he continued to speak. "But…but that was going too far."
Bringer-Of-Visions whirled around and took a step towards Seeker-Of-Endings, eyes shining. "On the contrary," she said, "Spirit cannot be allowed to believe that she can get away with anything. She must be perfectly submissive, willing to follow any order, any instruction, without any form of protest or resistance. Anything else presents the possibility of a problem. For if she believes she can get away with any kind of resistance, she will start resisting more and more. And how soon until she, say, tells someone else about us? Or deliberately strays off her path? In order to avoid these possibilities, Spirit must be controlled."
"That wasn't control, that was torture!" Seeker-Of-Endings glanced around at the rest of the Absols. He was only half-aware of what he was saying, the other half of his awareness locked upon the understanding that even if this was extraordinary, even if he'd never imagined he would be standing here shouting at Bringer-Of-Visions, he couldn't bring himself to just stand by and not say anything after what he'd just seen. "How can any of you not see that this is wrong?"
Watcher-Of-Time pointedly looked away, while Observer-Of-Lives stood where he was mutely and Reader-Of-Minds glared at Seeker-Of-Endings with outright hostility. "Bringer-Of-Visions has spoken," Reader-Of-Minds growled. "Her word is the Master's word. Are you saying you disagree with the Master?"
"Reader, I can handle this," said Bringer-Of-Visions. To Seeker-Of-Endings she said, with a good deal of frostiness in her voice, "You remember our mission, Seeker, do you not?"
"Of course," said Seeker-Of-Endings.
"We are trying to stop the apocalypse," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "The end of the world. The deaths of everyone on this entire planet. Do you believe that the life of a single Medicham is more important than that?"
"No," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "but-"
"Then why are you trying to defend her?" Bringer-Of-Visions leaned closer. "She is worthless. She is nothing. All she is, all she will ever be, is our tool. We try to keep our tools unaware of us in order to avoid this kind of thing. But if Spirit must be hurt in order to save the world, then I will not hesitate to hurt her."
"And what if she had to be killed?" Seeker-Of-Endings growled. "Would you kill her?"
Bringer-Of-Visions glared at Seeker-Of-Endings. "Without question."
Seeker-Of-Endings dug his claws into the surface of Oblivion. "I understand," he said, "that sometimes murder is necessary. But there has to be another option! If we kill needlessly…if we embrace murder as commonplace…how are we different from Betrayer-Of-Kin?"
Pure rage suddenly burst forth from Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes and she lunged at Seeker-Of-Endings; even without teleportation, she moved so quickly that before Seeker-Of-Endings could ready himself for a defense, he was on the ground with Bringer-Of-Visions standing on top of him. "Never," Bringer-Of-Visions hissed into his ear, "compare me to that monster. I am Darkrai's chosen, handpicked to protect the world from those that would endanger it. So you will not compare me to one who has forsaken their oath to our Master and chosen to support the Lord of Distortion in seeking the destruction of this world and everyone on it! Unless you wish to join her, you will shut your mouth and not speak another word! Do I make myself clear?"
Spit flew from Bringer-Of-Visions' mouth as she snarled, dripping onto Seeker-Of-Endings' face. Swiftly and desperately, he nodded in agreement.
"Good." Bringer-Of-Visions teleported off Seeker-Of-Endings, allowing him to stand off. "We're leaving!" she shouted to the other Heralds. Reader-Of-Minds and Observer-Of-Lives followed her closely as she strode into Oblivion; Watcher-Of-Time gave Bringer-Of-Visions an unreadable glance before following suit.
Seeker-Of-Endings breathed in, then out, as he stood alone. He never would have dreamed he'd take that kind of stand against Bringer-Of-Visions. She was right. The safety of the world was far more important than Medicham.
And yet as he'd watched Bringer-Of-Visions use Drapion to torture Medicham, Seeker-Of-Endings had felt nothing but revulsion. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to agree with Bringer-Of-Visions in that moment.
Try as he might, he could not convince himself to retain the loyalty he'd always had for her, the loyalty he'd always taken as a fact of life.
A very worried Marcus had rushed into the room just as the sun had begun to peek through the windows; his relief had been clear upon seeing Drapion asleep on the floor. Medicham wanted so badly to tell Marcus what the Heralds had done, but the memory of Drapion glaring at her, his eyes filled with hurt and betrayal as the Heralds held him down, had stayed her tongue.
The rest of the day passed by quickly and slowly at the same time. The minutes were long and tortuous, but as the day went on they bled into each other as Medicham spent hours lying still, with only occasional visits by the nurses to break the silence.
They took off the bandages early in the day, and again used Blissey to dull the pain as they sprayed a substance they called a Max Potion on the stump. Blissey informed Medicham that the Max Potion was a regenerative liquid capable of healing injuries in seconds. In a way, it was the opposite of a Full Restore; a Full Restore dulled pain but didn't heal injuries, while a Max Potion accelerated healing at the cost of greater pain. Combined, the combination was unrivaled with regards to Trainer medicine, although it cost quite a bit to access even for a Gym Leader like Marcus.
Instead of a bandage, the nurses then applied a specialized cast that would provide similar protection to the bandages but would allow the stump to continue healing inside. They then left, and for the rest of the day made only intermittent visits to top up Medicham's Full Restore injections.
The only real excitement came in the middle of the day, around noon. Medicham had been expecting lunch for a little bit now, and so Jynx stepping into the room, Psychically levitating a tray of berries, was not at all surprising. What was surprising was the well-built Lucario that stepped into the room after Jynx. Medicham instantly recognized the Lucario as Calem's; she remembered him quite well from their numerous sparring sessions.
"Don't touch anything that doesn't look like it should be touched," Jynx ordered. "Actually, just don't touch anything at all." She withdrew quickly from the room, leaving Lucario alone with Medicham.
"I must say," said Lucario, "you look worse than I've ever seen you look."
Medicham laughed harshly. "Well, I guess that's different then the endless barrage of 'are you alright' I've been getting."
Lucario let out a sound that might have been a chuckle. "You might have forgotten," he said, "but before I joined Calem, I spent a couple years training alongside my brother under Lady Korrina, learning the ins and outs of Aura control. I was never anything more than a novice, nowhere near the level of Chacal - her own Lucario," Lucario added, at Medicham's look of confusion. "But anyway, Lady Korrina told my brother and I about many uses of Aura. Through story, through example, and even through fable. And one of the fables Lady Korrina told us…well, I thought it might pertain to your current situation."
"Really?" Medicham asked. "All right, I'll listen."
Lucario smiled. "The story goes," he began, "that hundreds of years ago, in Unova, a dangerous monster by the name of the Bittercold arose. No one knows where it came from; it resembled a giant Cryogonal, but it was not of Ice, nor was it of any known Energy of this world. The Bittercold swept across Unova, unleashing negativity wherever it went, driving the humans and Pokemon to war and bloodshed as they embraced their worst traits. The Legendaries were not immune either. Victini succumbed to its endless desire for victory and joined in the warfare, while Meloetta was driven to spread her melody throughout Unova, uncaring of anything else. Zekrom and Reshiram fell to infighting, unable to contain their jealousy for one another. Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus succumbed to grief and turned on each other, each blaming the others for the death of Enamorus many, many years prior. Even Kyurem stayed away, not wanting to know what the Bittercold would do to his hate-filled heart. The Swords of Justice - Virizion, Terrakion, Cobalion, and Keldeo - alone stood against the Bittercold. They were not sullied by hatred or jealousy or grief. They were singleminded in their desire to defeat the Bittercold, and that allowed them to stand and fight where no one else could.
"In the ensuing battle, the Bittercold called upon many it had influenced, convincing them that the Swords of Justice were evil and that they must be destroyed. It is said that for three days and three nights they fought, as the Bittercold threw wave after wave of influenced mortals at the Swords of Justice, who could not kill any of the mortals in the process of fighting them off. On the third night, the Swords of Justice, tired but unfaltering, finally took the fight to the Bittercold itself. But the battle turned against them. Terrakion was felled, and then the Bittercold's endless barrage of negativity overwhelmed proud Cobalion. Consumed by his pride, Cobalion sought to defeat the Bittercold alone, even attacking his fellow Swords to try and do so. To that end, he aimed an attack at Keldeo. Virizion leaped in front to take the blow, and in the process her right leg was sliced clean off by the force of Cobalion's attack.
"Cobalion came back to his senses only to be felled by a cowardly blast in the back from the Bittercold, and it seemed that the battle would end there. Three of the Swords of Justice had fallen, leaving only Keldeo to stop the Bittercold, a task he was incapable of on his own. He fought as best he could, keeping the Bittercold at bay for an hour by himself; the story is still told in song and theater throughout Unova under the title of Keldeo's Stand. But eventually he, too, was overcome, and the Bittercold, wounded but still standing, laughed as it began to depart, believing the last obstacles to its reign finished.
"But Virizion, who had not been able to stand since Cobalion's attack, suddenly found a burst of strength. Through sheer force of will, she gathered all of the Aura that remained in her body and forced it into the stump of her leg. From the stump grew a new leg, one made entirely from Aura. Upon this new leg, Virizion leaped for the Bittercold, and with an almighty slash, the last remaining Sword of Justice cut the Bittercold in two.
"So was the Bittercold vanquished and Unova saved. Virizion's leg eventually regrew through time and healing, and the Swords of Justice were hailed as heroes throughout Unova. There is more to the story - the Unovans were very fond of throwing celebrations and parades, which I believe makes up an additional seven paragraphs - but I trust you can tell why I felt that story was applicable to your current situation."
"I can…make a new arm out of Aura?" Medicham asked.
"With time and practice," said Lucario. "Generating a new limb requires impressive amounts of Aura control - maintaining the limb is even more difficult. You will not be able to master it for quite some time. But it is possible, yes."
"Then I'll try it," said Medicham, face set with determination. "Thanks, Lucario."
"No problem," said Lucario. "Now, Calem did say I should take no more than ten minutes, so I suppose I should go."
With a few last goodbyes, Lucario disappeared from the room, and the rest of Medicham's day continued as the first few hours had - unceasing boredom.
At last, after Medicham had been fed dinner, the nurses ceased the Full Restore injections and took off the cast to inspect the stump. Medicham finally found the courage to glance at the stump herself, and to her shock it was almost fully healed, a rounded stump of smooth skin that looked as if there had never even been an arm attached. Marcus came in again to look as well, and the nurses informed him that Medicham would be free to go in the morning; they wanted to keep her for one more night to allow the healing to finish completely. The news greatly buoyed Medicham's spirits, as did the fact that she'd finally be allowed to get some sleep.
She hadn't slept for three days straight. Practically as soon as the nurses reapplied the cast and then retreated from the room along with Marcus, Medicham was out cold.
It was with great relief that she opened her eyes to find herself in the dojo. Again, her dream-self had both arms intact; she'd have to let Darkrai know about her right arm, so that she could start learning to fight without it. "Darkrai?" she called, anxious to start.
No answer came. "Darkrai?" Medicham called again, more nervously. "Are you there?"
"Medicham!" Darkrai phased through the wall so abruptly Medicham nearly fell over. As Medicham quelled her suddenly rapidly-beating heart, she realized that Darkrai looked legitimately frightened, his eyes darting rapidly around the room until they focused on her.
"Darkrai, are you-"
"No time," said Darkrai. "Medicham, listen to me very closely. Necrozma is coming, and the Aberration with him. And the Aberration is not one to let humiliations go unanswered. You escaped him - one of the first things he will do is send agents after you."
Medicham's heart began beating rapidly again. "What kind of agents?" she asked.
"Dangerous ones," said Darkrai. "As soon as you can, tell your Trainer that he needs to take you to Alola."
"Alola?" Medicham asked, shocked. "Right where Necrozma's invading?"
"Right where everyone is ready for Necrozma to invade," said Darkrai. "I know it sounds ironic, but if they're planning to come for you, then Alola is legitimately the safest place you can be, because then you'll be surrounded by humans and Pokemon ready to protect you. Please, Medicham, I wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't true."
"How do you know they're coming?" Medicham asked.
"I…can't tell you." Medicham glared at Darkrai. "I know," said Darkrai apologetically, "I promised secrets were over between us, but you must understand, if I could tell you, I would. Look at it this way: do you honestly think I would send you to your death?"
"No," Medicham admitted. "So…how am I going to tell Marcus this?"
Darkrai hesitated. "Tell him about me," he said. "I give you my permission. You can tell that to Bringer-Of-Visions if she takes offense."
"Are you…are you sure?" Medicham asked, once more shocked.
"Yes," said Darkrai. "If there is no other way to get him to go to Alola, then yes. You and Marcus must go to Alola - there is no other place that would be safer."
"I…I can't fight," said Medicham.
"You can fight in here," said Darkrai. "They will come for me in the Dream World as well. I will need allies. The Heralds not in Alola will help, as will other Pokemon recruited from dreams, but I could always use more aid."
"Okay," said Medicham, still trying to allow the shock to exit her system. She'd known Necrozma's invasion would happen eventually, of course, but she'd spent the last couple months brushing it off. Marcus had made it clear he wasn't going to go to Alola to help fight. Medicham had believed that her role in that was behind her.
But now they would be going, knowingly, straight into the thick of an active war with an army of alien Legendaries. Medicham trusted Darkrai - or at least trusted that he wasn't deliberately seeking her death - but even so, the thought alone terrified her.
"I am sorry to spring this upon you so suddenly," said Darkrai. "But I need you to-"
"I'll do it," said Medicham.
"Thank you," said Darkrai.
Medicham took a deep breath. "Should we get to training? Because I have a thing with my-"
"I know about the arm," said Darkrai. "Mind-reading, remember? I think, considering that you will be fighting in the Dream World, we can postpone dealing with that until after Necrozma's invasion."
"Makes sense," Medicham said reluctantly.
"So let's just spend today shaking off the rust," said Darkrai. "Making sure you're in the best shape possible for this coming battle."
"Okay." Medicham dropped into a fighting stance. Darkrai was right; the stance felt strange to her at first. She knew it would take time for her muscles to adjust from the multiple days spent held in the same position for hours on end.
"Let us begin," said Darkrai, and so for several more hours, the two of them practiced just like they had been doing for the past few months, ensuring that Medicham was back to as full fighting strength as possible.
"What?" Marcus's disbelief was evident even telepathically.
"I know it sounds weird," said Medicham, "but the invasion's starting soon, and the Aberration - one of Necrozma's allies - is coming for me. And that means he's coming for you as well. The safest place for us to be is in Alola, because that's where everyone's ready to fight Necrozma and his allies. We'll be surrounded by strong, battle-ready Trainers and Legendaries - there's no other place where we'll be more protected."
"I guess," said Marcus. "But…how do you know all this? It says all over the news that no one knows when the invasion is going to start - how do you know the invasion's starting soon?"
Medicham swallowed. "I…have it on good account from a trusted source."
"What kind of source?" Marcus demanded impatiently.
"Please, Marcus, I'll explain everything after, I promise!" Medicham cried telepathically. "But we have to get to Alola! I don't know how soon the invasion's going to start - for all I know it could start in the next ten minutes, and if we're not in Alola by then, the Aberration's going to come for us and we'll be defenseless!"
Marcus remained silent.
"Please, Marcus, just listen to me, now of all times!" Medicham pleaded.
Slowly, Marcus withdrew his Pokedex from his pocket. "I just told Mom and Dad yesterday I was going back to Laverre," he said. He remained silent for a few more agonizing moments. "Guess…I guess I'll have to make a few more calls, won't I?"
Medicham nearly doubled over in relief. "Thank you, Marcus, I promise-"
"Don't thank me until after we get through this," said Marcus. "And once we do…I expect an explanation."
"You'll get one," Medicham promised.
Marcus acted quickly. The first thing he did was send out the rest of the team and inform them that they were going to Alola. There was a loud outcry until Marcus informed them that it was to protect Medicham from Necrozma's agents; determination to protect Medicham overcame fear, and that was the end of the outcry.
Medicham felt silly, needing to be protected like this, but she knew that even if she did still have her arm and was at peak strength, she wouldn't be able to overcome the Aberration by herself. She wouldn't even last more than a second against such a powerful being.
Marcus then quickly made calls. First to his parents, second to Serena. By the time he called Serena, Medicham was legitimately wondering why he wasn't leading with the 'protect Medicham' bit; Sarah and James, who had calmed down slightly at that, had both looked like they were going to throttle Marcus when he'd told them he was walking into a Legendary-filled warzone.
Serena had the same reaction: initial outrage followed by calm if reluctant acceptance. Medicham couldn't imagine what Seeker-Of-Endings was thinking as he heard this. Part of her didn't want to know; she definitely didn't want to know what Bringer-Of-Visions' reaction would be. Her mind flew back to the night before last, and she clenched her fist in rage once more; Drapion was standing outside his Pokeball, looking nervous but determined, and Medicham hated that she couldn't look at him anymore without remembering his claws ripping out her eyes.
Darkrai said I could tell her that he gave his permission…but what if she doesn't let me get the words out?
Marcus hung up his call with Serena, then began swiftly dialing a number Medicham didn't recognize. She was shocked to see Calem's face appear on the screen; she hadn't known he and Marcus had exchanged Pokedex numbers.
"Marcus," said Calem, "you just got me out of bed, so this had better be good."
"I need a teleporter," said Marcus hurriedly. "As soon as you can possibly get one."
In another region entirely, deep below the surface of the earth in a metal bunker, a group of half a dozen uniformed individuals stood ready, each dressed in dark coats that covered their jackets. Without those coats, the bright red R on those jackets would have been plainly visible, but with them, they could at least make an attempt to retain anonymity.
Betrayer-Of-Kin watched from afar as Giovanni paced back and forth in front of the half-dozen uniformed humans. Several weeks ago, these six had been chosen as the members of Team Rocket that would undergo the Alola mission. The mission was simple; once Necrozma invaded, Sierra (whom Betrayer-Of-Kin had gathered was Giovanni's most trusted Executive) would teleport herself along with these six to Alola using her Alakazam. Their job was to, quite simply, capture one of the interdimensional creatures (whom the media had long since reported as being called Ultra Beasts) and get it back to the main Rocket Hideout. Of course, capturing a Legendary-level Pokemon was easier said than done, which was why Giovanni had called the six together now.
"These are called Beast Balls." Giovanni dropped one into each of the six's outstretched hands. "Reverse-engineered from technology left behind by the beings known as the Ultra Recon Squad, provided by our friends Xerosic and Faba at Aether. No other Pokeball, except the sadly still unavailable Master Ball, is better at ensnaring Ultra Beasts. Use your other Pokeballs only if and when these ones fail."
"Yes, Giovanni!" the six chorused as one.
"Dismissed!" Giovanni called; as the six dispersed, the leader of Team Rocket turned and stepped over towards the room's exit, off to the side.
Betrayer-Of-Kin sighed. It seemed there was nothing more to watch. She turned to leave and came face to face with Giovanni's Persian.
Hostility glinted in the Normal-type's gaze as he glared at Betrayer-Of-Kin. Betrayer-Of-Kin returned the gaze levelly.
"You've been watching him a lot," Persian growled.
"You'd know if I wanted to kill him," Betrayer-Of-Kin retorted.
Persian grunted. "If you ever do anything to hurt him…"
"I've heard that before," Betrayer-Of-Kin said dismissively, brushing past Persian as she walked deeper into the Rocket Hideout, leaving Persian glaring after her as she walked away.
Betrayer-Of-Kin was ready to leave. It had been long enough that the heat from the near miss in Alola would have died down. Tomorrow, she would likely ask Giovanni for access to the newspapers, in order to try and find out where Marcus was; once that was done, she would make a beeline for wherever that was, in the hopes that she could achieve surprise and finish him before the Heralds had time to realize she was moving.
Yes, Betrayer-Of-Kin thought as she moved towards her room. Tomorrow, my hunt resumes.
Some clarification: the Bittercold in this chapter is not the same as the Bittercold from PMD. It is an alternate-universe version of the Bittercold from PMD - basically, the events told by Lucario are what happened when the Bittercold showed up in the TTE-verse, whereas the events of Gates to Infinity are what happened when the Bittercold showed up in the PMD-verse.
Hopefully that makes sense. It probably doesn't.
Anyway, this is the end of the Swarm Arc. I hope you all enjoyed - please leave a review and let me know how you all think it turned out!
I will be taking my typical eight-day break before the start of the next arc. Incidentally, next arc will be the last arc of Season 2. And I'm pretty sure you can tell it's going to be a big one.
I will see you all in eight days for the start of the next arc, otherwise known as the "Invasion Arc"!