Although the swords of justice are occasionally forced by some grand villainy to fight as one once more, as in ancient times, there are far too many injustices in this modern world for them to have a hope of bringing the world justice without splitting their efforts up. Each sword fights an evil which haunts their own element, and Cobalion shine with the steel of cities, although changes in architectural coloring have seen their cobalt color become a rarity; in historic times, they were far better camouflaged.
A great many pokemon have abandoned the wilderness to live among humans, and their number has dramatically increased with the advent of the poke ball. Yet although living with humanity protects pokemon from hunting or habitat destruction, this is not the only evil which humans commit, for not all trainers are kind and just. Unlike Terrakion and Virizion, Cobalion has often been aided in its task by humans, for it rarely takes issue with the march of civilization. Its efforts focus on the cruel and sadistic among pokemon trainers, who it scares into kindness with its swords, or if they resist and their pokemon accept it, Cobalion will execute abusers outright.
Human populations in Unova, however, have grown far too large for even a god to guarantee justice. While once the probability of a Cobalion visit inspired all to decent treatment, if only out of terror, today it is far too rare to dissuade all but the most paranoid of villains. For this reason, the Cobalion have often focused their efforts on greater and grander pokemon abusers, such as large companies which engage in pokemon testing or Team Rocket's aborted expansion into Unova, and with the decline of the wilderness, have frequently brought in their comrades for help in bringing justice to civilization.