TWO WEEKS AFTER THE BATTLE OF ALOLA
The top of Mount Coronet had been left undisturbed practically since the battle, five years ago at this point, between Team Galactic and the defenders of Sinnoh for control over Palkia and Dialga, the battle that had almost been the catalyst for Giratina to escape his imprisonment.
It was somewhat ironic, therefore, that Zacian and Zamazenta were stepping onto the top of Mount Coronet with Giratina one of the topics they were preparing to discuss. Another topic was the two other Legendaries that followed behind them - Solgaleo and Lunala, both looking somewhat nervous.
"Ready?" Zacian asked, glancing behind her.
"Leo, are you sure about this?" Lunala asked.
Solgaleo nodded after only a moment of hesitation.
"Good." Zacian turned her head back towards the ruins that stood atop the peak of Mount Coronet. The mortals called it Spear Pillar - an apt name, Zacian would admit - and worshiped it as the place where Palkia and Dialga, the Lords of Time and Space, resided.
That was partially true. But that was nowhere near the whole truth.
Zacian and Zamazenta stepped into the ruins, Lunala and Solgaleo behind them. As she walked forwards, Zacian looked up to see a bright light next to the sun, shining like a star in the sky, even though it was still the middle of the day.
The light grew rapidly closer; though it glowed brightly, it was never blinding even as it neared Spear Pillar. As the light descended, Zacian and Zamazenta crouched down, bowing their heads; Solgaleo and Lunala swiftly did likewise.
The light touched the ground, and out of it stepped the tall, white, golden-highlighted form of Arceus, the Creator.
"You may rise." Arceus's voice boomed outwards, but whereas such voices from Necrozma and Giratina had carried malice in every word, Arceus's voice was comforting, overlaid with calm. The four Legendaries opposite him rose.
"Zacian, Zamazenta," said Arceus. "It is good to see you both alive and well - and you too, Solgaleo and Lunala."
"Thank you, Arceus," said Zamazenta; the other three joined in with a chorus of similar gratitudes.
"Now." Arceus' voice reverberated as he addressed all four Legendaries. "Let us get down to business. In the past weeks, I have heard and seen flashes and rumors. Numerous conflicting accounts. What has happened in the wake of Necrozma's attack on our reality?"
"As you wish," said Zacian. "Where do you want us to start, Arceus?"
"Start with the interdimensional participants," Arceus answered. "What has become of them?"
"Well," said Zacian, "the former Primal Dialga was a big help in returning many of Necrozma's supporters to their timelines, alongside the five heroes brought from the same reality as Primal Dialga. The creatures known as Dark Rust, Dark Matter, and the Bittercold were discorporated, but owing to their unique physiology, they could not truly die; what wisps remain of them have been returned to their timelines as well. Thankfully, none of those nor the Aberration were able to be claimed by Giratina."
"Unlike Necrozma," Arceus growled.
"Unlike Necrozma." Zacian bowed her head again. "We must apologize for allowing Giratina to obtain Necrozma. We should have been more wary in his presence."
"Indeed," said Arceus. "He should never have been allowed to provide aid in Alola. But I digress - I hear the Aberration and Dark Matter caused damage to Yggdrasil?"
"Yes," Zamazenta admitted, "though thanks to the efforts of Darkrai and his allies, the damage was not lasting and has repaired itself. We must also thank the former Primal Dialga for that - he was able to create a-"
"A stable time loop," Arceus finished. "Our Dialga has been quite vocal about his opposition to the act. Such extreme temporal manipulation caused some damage to this timeline - a couple more acts of such manipulation and this reality may shatter entirely under temporal stress. But I understand it was necessary. And Darkrai and his allies? What of them?"
"Cresselia lost her physical form in the clash," said Zacian. "But otherwise she's fine. Darkrai's group of Absol - the Heralds, I believe they're called - suffered no real casualties, and from what I can tell, their ability to see the future is back up and running now that Necrozma is defeated. And from what I could tell, the former Primal Dialga's stable time loop heavily involved a Medicham that's been working as another of Darkrai's agents."
"Hmm…" Arceus sighed. "Is this Medicham alive as well?"
Zamazenta nodded. "By now, she and her Trainer are safely back in Kalos."
Two weeks had passed since their return from Alola, and Medicham was relaxing in her Luxury Ball, something she hadn't been able to get enough of ever since the battle. It felt strange to not want to battle - in the past she'd been happy to practice whenever Marcus asked her to - but even after two weeks she still felt drained from all the fighting she'd done. And besides, she'd have more than enough time to practice soon enough.
The rest of the team had spent most of the time relaxing as well, though the Dark-types had not had as much time; with the three-month grace period over, Trainers would be coming from all around to challenge the Laverre City Gym for the next nine months. It would take a little time until they made it, thanks to having to go through the preceding five Gyms, but Drapion, Liepard, Houndoom, and Pangoro had all been preparing for the long grind that was to come.
That said, they had gotten in their fair share of deserved relaxation as well. The entire team seemed a lot more relaxed than they had been in the past few months. Medicham couldn't blame them - so many of their enemies had fallen in the past month, so many challenges overcome. Ripper, the Swarmlord, Necrozma…none of them would ever trouble Marcus and his team again. Even Betrayer-Of-Kin - Medicham's heart had nearly stopped when she'd heard about the murderous Absol's latest attempt on Marcus's life. But it was likely she'd wait before trying again, and so even now, she felt like a faraway threat, one that could be dealt with when the time came.
At this moment, Medicham and the rest of the team were enjoying some rest in their Luxury Balls, vaguely listening as Marcus walked Valerie through the newly-renovated Laverre City Gym. Tomorrow, the former Gym Leader would be leaving for Johto; she'd stayed to ease Marcus in, but would not be around when the first Gym Challengers started coming through.
"I see you have taken the Dark typing fairly literally," Valerie observed, gazing around at the darkened room laid out in front of her.
"Yeah," said Marcus. "I'll admit, it was a struggle finding a good balance of lighting - I don't want challengers to accidentally walk into the walls or trip over furniture or anything."
"And you'll want them to be able to see during the actual Pokemon battles," said Valerie.
"That too." Marcus began to walk towards the back of the room. "We had to get rid of the teleporting gimmick, because none of our Dark-types know Teleport, so we had to knock out the back wall and add a maze of corridors and ladders. It's placed so that challengers will have to enter at least one room with a Gym Trainer on their way to the room I'll be in."
"Not bad," said Valerie as Marcus pushed open the newly-installed door at the back of the room. "I'll bet that took up quite a bit of your time."
"Definitely," Marcus admitted as he led Valerie through the door, turning left. Thankfully, Valerie wasn't wearing her costume, so she could fit in the rather narrow corridors.
Medicham knew the layout of these corridors well. She'd watched as they'd been erected, a team of Steel-types working tirelessly over the past two weeks to construct the new area. It would be difficult for Gym Challengers to find their way around the maze; some rooms had two or more doors in them that led to different sections of the maze, forcing challengers to go in and out of rooms, up and down ladders, and through the fairly expansive network of corridors, making it easy for them to get lost.
Luckily, Connie, Serena, and Theo were all willing to provide hints - after a battle, of course. Marcus had spent a while coming up with how to strike a good balance of difficulty with the Gym Puzzle, and in Medicham's eyes he'd succeeded.
As Medicham reflected on this, Marcus reached the top of a ladder and pushed open a door, revealing another room; Serena was sitting in a chair, the light from her Pokedex illuminating the room in a soft blue glow, as around her Umbreon, Malamar, and Seeker-Of-Endings lounged. The Gym Trainers would be rotating rooms every day so that battles would be as evenly split among them as possible; on the first day, this would be the room Serena occupied, then Connie, then Theo, and then back to Serena.
Medicham's eyes instantly swiveled to Seeker-Of-Endings; he, too, had long since recovered from the battle with Necrozma's forces, but was taking as much time as possible to relax before the first Gym Challengers came. The Absol looked up along with Malamar and Umbreon as Marcus and Valerie entered.
Serena stood up. "Hi, Marcus, Valerie!" she said. "Taking the tour?"
Valerie nodded. "Well done, by the way. And good timing, too - I just received word from Viola that the first Gym Challengers are starting to arrive at Santalune."
"I didn't receive word of that," Marcus murmured.
"That's because she accidentally sent it to my Pokedex instead of yours," said Valerie. "She'll get used to the transition eventually - there's always a little confusion during the first year."
Serena smiled widely. "I have to admit, I really can't wait. And I don't think my Pokemon can wait either!"
Medicham smiled at Serena's infectious joy. Even if her inclusion as one of Marcus's Gym Trainers had been precipitated by Bringer-Of-Visions, Medicham would not deny Serena was a worthy candidate for the position.
But then her smile faded as she locked eyes with Seeker-Of-Endings. The Absol was once more staring at Medicham's Luxury Ball, and in his gaze was worry, a clear nervousness despite his seemingly calm demeanor.
Before Medicham could look away, the memory came crashing down upon her like a ton of bricks.
It had been two days after the Battle of Alola. The team had finally gotten out of the Pokemon Center, and Medicham had been slowly readjusting to life without a right arm. So much fighting in the Dream World had prevented her from getting used to it, to the point where when she'd fought the Aberration in the real world, she'd completely forgotten about the fact that she was missing her right forearm.
She had remembered Calem's Lucario's story, the story of Virizion facing the Bittercold and growing a new limb out of Aura. Eventually, Medicham knew she would learn that technique. So soon after the Battle of Alola, though, she couldn't have brought herself to do anything but relax.
So it had been a bit of a shock when she'd been unceremoniously released from her Luxury Ball, to be greeted by the entire rest of the team. Looking around, all Medicham had seen was grim faces, aside from Kriesh, who looked distinctly nervous. Medicham had understood the point of this before Marcus had spoken a word.
"I'd ask," Marcus had said, "but from what I heard from Dialga…" His voice had shivered slightly at the name, as if he hadn't been able to believe that he was referring to a Legendary so casually. "From what I heard from Dialga, your source of information was…Darkrai?"
Medicham had nodded slowly.
"So…" Marcus had paused again before finishing. "How do you know Darkrai?"
Medicham had hesitated for a moment, but she'd known the time for secrecy was over, at least on this front. The Heralds would remain a secret - that was unavoidable - but Darkrai had given her permission.
And so she'd told them all about Darkrai. About how he'd approached her three months ago, offered to help train her, to help her become stronger. And though she left out any information about the Heralds, she'd told them about his state of existence - trapped between life and death upon the Dream World, relying on mortals like Medicham to enact his will on the real world. She told them about how he'd saved her from the Aberration back in Ultra Space, and about how he'd approached Medicham just after the battle with the Swarmlord to warn her about Necrozma's upcoming attack.
Once she'd finished, a few moments of silence had passed. Unexpectedly, the first member of the team to speak was Cloyster. "That's…really cool!" the Water/Ice-type had exclaimed.
"Yeah," Trevenant had said. "You got to train with a Legendary? I wish I could train with a Legendary!"
"Hey, Medicham," Houndoom had added, "could you sign me up for an appointment with Entei?"
Most of the others, especially Kriesh, had looked like they were struggling to keep a straight face. Marcus, though, had looked slightly puzzled. "Is there a reason this needed to be some big secret?" he'd asked, quieting all the chuckling Pokemon.
Yes, but it's because of the Heralds, so I can't tell you. "I guess…it felt kind of weird to me that the Master of Nightmares was training me, and…I didn't know how you all would react."
"Is Darkrai hurting you in any way?" Marcus had asked then.
"No," Medicham had answered truthfully. At least not directly…
"Then I have no problem with this," Marcus had determined. "As long as your teammates aren't too jealous, and as long as this doesn't affect your actual schedule, go train with…Darkrai…however much you want."
Medicham had eyed the rest of her teammates, whose good moods had seemed restored. "Yeah, we ain't jealous," Drapion had said.
"Maybe a little bit," Liepard had retorted.
"Okay, maybe a little bit," Drapion had corrected. "But it's yer business. If ya wanna get trainin' from a Legendary, it ain't like we're gonna stop ya."
"Maybe you could bring us along sometime?" Kamado had asked.
"Doubt it," Pangoro had growled. "Though…if you're willing to share some lessons…"
This had set the rest of the group off again, and that had been that.
That had been that, Medicham thought. At least in theory…but I know at some point the other shoe's going to drop.
She tore her gaze away from Seeker-Of-Endings as Marcus, saying a last goodbye to Serena, stepped through the door out of the room, Valerie following just behind.
Medicham knew Darkrai had told her there would be no trouble from Bringer-Of-Visions. That if she did come to scold Medicham for her revelation of Darkrai's apprenticeship of her, Medicham had Darkrai's permission to tell Bringer-Of-Visions that the Master of Nightmares had given her permission. But all the same, she knew full well what Bringer-Of-Visions was like. The leader of the Heralds had set a brainwashed Drapion on her just because Medicham had called her out for her blame-deflection. And Medicham didn't want to think of what Bringer-Of-Visions might do to her this time.
"So," said Valerie, mercifully bringing Medicham out of her own mind, "what's your plan after this?"
"Well," Marcus responded, "I'm going to meet Calem outside, first of all. He promised to show up at 11 to teleport me to my parents' house - that's where I'm going to be dropping the rest of the team off."
Valerie smiled and nodded. "An excellent idea. Though if you need a teleporter to visit your other Pokemon, might I suggest obtaining one of your own?"
"I don't know," said Marcus. "It doesn't feel right to catch a Pokemon just to serve as a teleporter."
"Not like that," said Valerie. "Though I of course wouldn't dream of dissuading you from catching a teleporter for yourself, the League has several teleporters available for League personnel to access, as long as you arrange for their use ahead of time."
"I'll have to look into that," said Marcus. "Thank you, Valerie."
"You are entirely welcome," Valerie responded kindly.
"So," Arceus rumbled, "that is the state of affairs amongst our foreign allies. What of the Alolans?"
"Cleanup is still ongoing," Zamazenta responded. "Poni and Akala suffered the most damage - especially Poni, given that the Tapus were fighting Necrozma all over that island. I'd say calling Poni Island 'habitable' is a bit of a stretch even after the past two weeks."
"Quite a few Alolans were displaced," Zacian added. "The mortals calling themselves 'Team Reskull' have been aiding many of them, sheltering them in their former base until they can find new homes or rebuild their old ones. Aether Paradise has also been a factor in the reconstruction efforts - their former president, Lusamine, awoke from her coma a few days ago."
"Lusamine," Arceus murmured. "Is she not the one whose actions led to this very invasion?"
Lunala and Solgaleo looked uncomfortably at one another. "Yes," said Zacian, "and due to that and a few…other factors…she has chosen not to reassume her position."
"Good," said Arceus. "Fools like her should not be in positions of power. Now, what of the Ultra Beasts? You have not yet mentioned them - have they all been accounted for?"
"Not…exactly." Both Dogs of War looked nervous as Arceus's eyes narrowed. "The Alolans were able to locate and contain most of the Ultra Beasts, under the Tapus' supervision of course - they've been rendered dormant in the same way as Eternatus and are currently in the process of being locked away inside a vault/memorial on the rebuilding Poni Island. However, two of the Ultra Beasts - the ones known as Nihilego and Blacephalon - seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Neither the Alolans nor the Tapus could locate them, though they both seem to have been felled in Aether Paradise."
"Any clues?" Arceus asked.
"A foreign Gym Leader by the name of Misty was found unconscious in the vicinity of where Blacephalon and Nihilego are believed to have disappeared from," said Zacian. "She has stated that the culprit was an enemy Trainer from another universe brought over by Necrozma. This Trainer hasn't been found either - as far as we can tell, she's disappeared."
Arceus hmmed again. "Perhaps," he said, "they were also taken by Giratina. His forces were on Akala for most of the battle - it is conceivable that some might have been hiding in Aether Paradise, waiting to pounce on weakened battlers."
All of the gathered Legendaries swallowed at that. "If so, the situation is even more grave than we've feared," Zamazenta growled.
"Indeed," said Arceus. "In order to remain properly prepared, we shall operate on the assumption that Giratina has indeed claimed the two missing Ultra Beasts. Though I hope that is not the truth. We have enough problems with Giratina's growing army as it is."
The steel-gray corridor was near-silent save for the shuffling of the two Team Rocket Grunts standing in front of the heavy set of doors. Beside one Grunt stood a Raticate, beside the other a Muk, both of whom were sticking to the shadows as they aided their Trainers in keeping watch.
Four sets of footfalls echoed down the corridor. The Grunts both stood at attention as Giovanni came into view around a nearby corner, accompanied by Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra, all of whom were walking confidently.
"-quite secure, I assure you," Arlo was saying to Giovanni as they walked together. "My scientists have spared no expense on the bindings, nor have they on the containment cells."
"The containment cells will be enough for the time being," said Giovanni. "I do not wish to make them feel like prisoners - that was the mistake Fuji made with Mewtwo, and I will not allow a repeat of that fiasco."
"As you wish, Giovanni," said Arlo with a dip of his head.
"Cliff," said Giovanni, "what of Faba?"
"He's been uppity ever since Lusamine woke up," Cliff responded gruffly. "Even though he's keeping his job, he's scared that Lusamine waking up from Nihilego poison will cause people to start asking more questions about Wicke's death."
"I am fairly certain that will not be the case," said Giovanni. "But just to be safe, we might have to contact Betrayer-Of-Kin again for some possible memory alteration. Sierra, any word on our Absol ally?"
"Still off our radar," Sierra admitted. "Pretty sure she isn't coming back."
"Oh" Giovanni grunted. "I doubt that. Though I am surprised she chose to leave so soon after a failed mission, I am secure in the belief that she will return eventually. Guards?"
This last was to the two Grunts standing in front of the door. "Let us in, if you please," Giovanni requested. The Grunts quickly stepped to the side, placing their hands on a pair of sensors on either side of the corridor; both beeped, and the door slid open with a massive rumbling noise.
Giovanni and his executives stepped through the door and into a large room filled with mechanical devices and constructs. Lights shone from every direction, lights of all different colors, coming from light fixtures and monitors and several pieces of equipment. The entire back half of the room was filled by two massive cells, both of which seemed comically oversized for the single Beast Ball resting upon a pedestal in each.
Several scientists looked up from their work as Giovanni entered the room. "Release the bindings on the left Beast Ball, please," he ordered.
"Sir," said one of the scientists, "with all due respect, I believe that would be-"
"That was an order," said Giovanni, "not a request. Do as I say."
At a signal from Giovanni, all three executives put their hands on their Pokeballs, ready to release their full teams at a moment's notice. Giovanni stepped towards the leftward containment cell as, at the scientists' command, the various layers of mechanical protection keeping the Beast Ball contained were released one by one.
At last, a mechanical arm pressed down on the Beast Ball's release function, and a flash of light filled the containment cell as Nihilego materialized within its confines.
The Ultra Beast quickly began to look around, a low growl emanating from it as it reached out with its tentacles to touch the walls encasing it. Giovanni stepped forwards, raising one hand, keeping the other by his waist; with no hesitation, he reached out and tapped on the tiny ballistic security glass window with his fingernail.
Nihilego swiveled, hurling itself towards the window at the noise. Giovanni stood his ground, not even flinching as the Ultra Beast slammed into the glass. Its voice snarled outwards. "HOW DARE YOU IMPRISON ME?"
The executives exchanged glances, as did the scientists. Giovanni smiled slightly. "I do not wish to imprison you, Nihilego," he said through the glass. "I am here to help. Without me, you would have been taken just like the rest of your fellow Ultra Beasts and left to rot in some forgotten place."
"AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WANT YOUR HELP?" Nihilego growled ferociously. "YOU ARE A HUMAN. MY SOLE DESIRE IS TO KILL HUMANS. BY OUR VERY NATURE, WE ARE AT ODDS. WHY WOULD I BE WILLING TO ACCEPT ANY HELP FROM YOU?"
"Because you are still holding this conversation," said Giovanni. "I know very well you're capable of traversing across dimensions - if you wanted to leave, you already would have. But you're smart, Nihilego, I can tell that. And looking at you now, I know that you know that without Necrozma, without your fellow Ultra Beasts, you haven't the faintest idea what you're going to do next."
Nihilego remained silent for nearly half a minute. At length the Ultra Beast spoke again. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"I want to offer you an opportunity," said Giovanni. "It will not be immediate. You must be patient. And you must learn to limit yourself. But I have ways to make you even stronger, Nihilego. Strong enough that when the time comes, you will be able to wreak as much destruction as you like. And furthermore, you will be sheltered from the eyes of those who are searching for you until you possess enough strength to take them on. All you have to do in return is follow my instructions - just like you did with Necrozma. We will have the same relationship that you had with your former ally. How does that sound to you?"
"WHY?" asked Nihilego. "WHY WOULD A HUMAN WISH TO ALIGN WITH ME?"
"Because I cannot achieve my goal alone," said Giovanni. "My desire is simple - conquest. With strong allies like yourself, I, Giovanni, can achieve my vision for this world. A world where Team Rocket reigns supreme, where Pokemon are used either to impose Team Rocket's will or to make profits for Team Rocket, where even the gods themselves are helpless to stave off my dominion. That is why I want to align with you, Nihilego - because in order to accomplish my goals, I need beings as powerful as yourself. And like I said, in return, you will have security, power beyond your wildest dreams, and free reign to commit destruction on any and all who resist my conquest. So what do you say, Nihilego?"
Another long pause filled the room before Nihilego responded.
"YOUR PROPOSAL IS…ACCEPTABLE."
"Now," said Arceus, "let us discuss our other two participants in this meeting. Lunala, Solgaleo, please come forward."
Zacian and Zamazenta stepped aside. Slowly, the two interdimensional Legendaries moved through the gap between the Dogs of War, side by side as they gazed up at Arceus.
"You wish to stay in this reality?" Arceus asked.
"I do," said Solgaleo.
"So do I," Lunala added.
"Knowing that this is not your reality?" Arceus pressed. "And knowing that Necrozma may return?"
"With all due respect, Arceus," Solgaleo growled, "this is my reality now."
"There is nothing back home for us," said Lunala. "Nothing but empty towers and barren streets. If Necrozma comes for us again, we'll send him right back to Distortion."
"I understand," said Arceus. "And I will not turn away refugees. But as Legendaries who inhabit this world, you must be prepared to do your part to protect it."
"And we will gladly do so," said Lunala. Solgaleo backed her up with a nod of his head.
"Then you may stay," said Arceus. "I believe, therefore, that our business is concluded. Zacian, Zamazenta, stay here, please. And Solgaleo and Lunala, I wish you luck and happiness together."
"As you wish, Arceus," Zamazenta and Zacian chorused.
"Thank you, Arceus," said Solgaleo gratefully.
Arceus nodded in response, and Solgaleo and Lunala turned and stepped back down from the summit of Mt. Coronet, their forms disappearing from sight as Arceus and the Dogs of War remained where they stood.
Only when Solgaleo and Lunala were out of earshot did Arceus speak. "How strong is Necrozma?"
"In his base form," said Zacian, "it was strong enough to fairly easily defeat Zeraora one-on-one. Once it reached its second form, it took on all four Tapus and forced them to use their Z-Move just to have a chance. And in an incomplete, by all accounts barely functional version of its true form, it was able to defeat the Tapus and Solgaleo combined, albeit when the Tapus were badly weakened - I shudder to think of what would have happened if we had arrived even a minute later."
"And it can regain its true form by absorbing Solgaleo and Lunala?" Arceus asked.
"Yes," said Zamazenta. "At which point I'm pretty sure it'll be on the power level of a Creator. Perhaps…perhaps it will even be as strong as you."
Arceus let out a low growl. "Then it cannot be allowed to absorb either of them," he ordered. "If Necrozma could achieve enough power to defeat five Legendaries simply by absorbing one of them, then that absorption must be avoided at all costs. If it becomes necessary to avoid allowing Necrozma to absorb Solgaleo or Lunala, then they must be killed. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Arceus," said Zamazenta, a sentiment Zacian backed up with a slow nod.
"Good," said Arceus. "Return to Galar - your base mission must not falter. We are done here." The Creator stepped back into the air as if he were walking up a set of invisible stairs, disappearing into a beam of light that shot upwards into the sky.
With one last look at each other, Zamazenta and Zacian turned and began to walk down Mt. Coronet, following the faraway forms of Solgaleo and Lunala.
"You can stay?" Lillie grinned from ear to ear. "That's great! Where are you going to stay?"
"We haven't decided for sure yet," said Solgaleo. "Likely on Poni Island once it's rebuilt. I'll visit you, of course."
"Not if I visit you first," Lillie retorted, eliciting a chuckle from Lunala.
"It's not a competition," Gladion chided from where he was sitting nearby. The four of them - Lillie, Gladion, Solgaleo, and Lunala - were standing in the main foyer of Lusamine's mansion on Aether Paradise, the two Legendaries comically oversized for the comparatively small space.
Lillie frowned. "Ne - Solgaleo? Are you sure you want to visit this place? I know it might hold some bad memories for you."
"Hey, you're the one who lives here," said Solgaleo. "I have to ask, though - do you feel all right living here again?"
Lillie nodded. "Yes, I do. Sure, there are some difficulties, but the mansion doesn't feel quite as overly large now that Lusamine's renting rooms out to refugees." She looked downcast. "She remembers everything, you know. Everything she did while Nihilego was controlling her. I hated her once, Solgaleo, and I know you did too, but I don't think anyone should have to go through that."
Lillie could see Lunala nodding sagely behind Solgaleo; Solgaleo closed his eyes and heaved a sigh both telepathically and in reality. "If you can forgive her," Solgaleo murmured, "then so can I."
"Thank you, Solgaleo." Lillie reached out and wrapped her arms around Solgaleo's mane, hugging the Legendary tightly. "Even though we're going to be able to visit each other, I'm still going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too, Lillie," Solgaleo responded, pressing his face deeper into Lillie's arms.
"All right, 'Nebby', pull back a little," Lunala said, chuckling as she did so. "We should probably be heading out soon - the Tapus are expecting us."
"Right," said Solgaleo, stepping back. His eyes shone as he gazed upon Lillie once more. "Thank you for everything, Lillie. I hope I will see you again soon."
With a last smile, Solgaleo disappeared in a flash of Mind, leaving just Lunala, Lillie, and Gladion. The other Legendary eyed Lillie with a smile of her own. "You have my thanks as well," she said. "I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do next."
Then she, too, was gone. With a sigh, Lillie looked back at Gladion. "I suppose we should go see if Lusamine needs anything," she said. "But after that…maybe a battle?"
Gladion chuckled in answer. "I think my team would enjoy that," he said, rising from his seat. Side by side, Lillie and Gladion began to walk up the stairs to the mansion's second floor, finally at peace.
Nary a cloud could be seen as the sun moved slowly across the sky, illuminating the house and its surroundings in a warm glow that belied the day's chill. Despite the whistling of the wind and the coolness that said wind brought with it, the weather felt perfectly suitable for the reunion that was unfolding in the house's front yard.
"Mom, Dad, you can…let go now…" Marcus choked out through the combined hugs of Sarah and James.
His parents released him, stepping back. "Marcus," said Sarah, "how often are you going to be coming back?"
"I'll try and see you as often as I can," said Marcus. "But I promise I'll call every week."
Medicham looked away from the family reunion to glance at her teammates, who were saying their goodbyes to each other. While Drapion, Houndoom, Liepard, and Pangoro would stay with Marcus, Medicham, Kriesh, Cloyster, Trevenant, and Kamado would be spending the next nine months living here with Marcus's parents. Medicham knew it would be hard to adjust; Marcus and the four Dark-types had become fixtures of her life, and she knew that for at least the next few nights she'd briefly panic upon waking up and seeing none of them nearby.
But with time she'd adjust. This was just another step on Marcus's journey as a Trainer. And Medicham would not get in the way of that.
"Really makes you think, doesn't it?"
"Scamper," Medicham greeted, glancing over at the Delcatty as he strolled up beside her.
"Medicham," Scamper responded, sitting down. "Proud of your Trainer?"
"Of course," said Medicham.
"Hard to believe," said Scamper, "that half a year ago he didn't even have his own Pokemon."
Medicham nodded. "You know, I really do get it now," she said. "What you said when we first met. Marcus and I have been through a lot, and so has the rest of the team. But right now…I really am feeling like it was all worth it."
Scamper smiled. "Glad to hear it," he said.
"Maybe we could battle sometime soon?" Medicham asked. "I still owe you for our first meeting."
Scamper chuckled softly. "You'd beat me easily," he said. "I'm an old, out-of-practice Delcatty. My battling days are behind me." He stood. "If you'll excuse me, Medicham, Sarah's looking like she'll pet me if I walk up to her right now." Shaking his legs one at a time, Scamper stalked over to Marcus's mother, leaving Medicham sitting by herself.
Marcus was already stepping over to Calem, recalling his four Dark-types into their Luxury Balls. Goodbyes were being called now rather than said, everyone trying to get in their last words before Marcus's departure. Medicham watched as Calem's Alakazam touched his twin spoons to Calem and Marcus's shoulders; in the blink of an eye they were gone.
James and Sarah stared at the spot where Marcus had been standing, their eyes glistening. Scamper rubbed his cheek against Sarah's leg, and Sarah reached down to pet him. James glanced over at Medicham. "Do you all need anything?" he asked.
Medicham glanced at her remaining teammates, who all shook their heads. "No, thank you," she responded telepathically. "We'll let you know if we do."
"It'll take some time to get used to that…" James murmured. "All right. Puffball!" The Furfrou rose from where he was standing. "Let's get inside and leave them to it."
"Okay!" The Furfrou bounded over towards the door. James, Sarah, and Scamper stepped up to it, and the four of them walked into the house, shutting the door behind them and leaving the members of Marcus's team outside.
Medicham rose from her spot as the rest of the team began to move over towards her. She gazed around at each of them - Kriesh, Cloyster, Trevenant, and the recently evolved Kamado. All of them stared at Medicham expectantly.
"So," Medicham began, "one of the many things Darkrai has taught me is that when it comes to one's Ability, versatility is everything." She looked at each of her teammates separately. "Kriesh, Sniper lets you curve your shots and aim your attacks better. Cloyster, Skill Link lets you duplicate your attacks. Trevenant, Harvest lets you grow plants. And Kamado…sure, you don't have your Ability yet, but this still applies to you."
She opened her left hand, allowing Aura to form in it. "At this point, all of us - me included - have barely scratched the surface of what we can do. We're only using the bare minimum of our powers. Perfect aim, duplication, plant growth, rock manipulation, Aura control - those things can be applied to so much more than what we're currently doing with them. I'm not saying training to improve strength and speed is a bad thing. I'm just saying that to become stronger, we're going to have to think outside the box."
"So…like maybe duplicating things other than attacks?" Cloyster asked.
Medicham smiled at the thought. "Exactly like that. Work on that. The others are going to be getting plenty of experience with their Gym Battles, and I don't think any of us want to fall behind."
"Absolutely not," said Kriesh.
"You said it!" Trevenant added.
"Let's get to it, then," said Medicham. "Start practicing - make those ideas of yours into reality."
With murmurs of acknowledgement, Trevenant, Cloyster, and Kamado moved off in different directions to begin training. Kriesh remained next to Medicham. "What are you gonna practice?" she asked.
Medicham sighed. "I…" She looked up at Kriesh. "I'm sorry. But there's one small thing I have to do first - and I'm going to need your help for it."
The streets of Vaniville down were disturbed by a flash of Psychic energy as Calem and Serena appeared upon the cobblestones, right in front of Serena's house. Calem stepped back as Serena released her entire team; Seeker-Of-Endings was quick to glance around as the rest of the team moved towards each other, beginning to say their goodbyes.
Sylveon and Jolteon quickly clustered around Umbreon, offering last pieces of advice in between tears - this would be the first time they'd be away from their daughter for any amount of time. Delphox and Meowstic were saying goodbye to Serena, the two Psychics communicating their gratitude and their hopes to see their Trainer again soon through telepathy. Malamar joined them, commiserating with his fellow Psychics and bidding them farewell. And Seeker-Of-Endings, looking around, saw Serena's newest team member, Tangrowth, standing alone, drooping slightly.
"Are you all right?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked, stepping up to Tangrowth's side.
Tangrowth looked over. "It's just…it's only been a short time since I joined," he said. "And I'm happy with Serena, I am…but last time my Trainer left me, they didn't come back."
"Serena is not leaving you," said Seeker-Of-Endings soothingly. "She has already promised she will visit as often as she can. And you will have the rest of the team - beside me, the other four are the most senior members. They will be happy to lend you a helping hand should the need arise." Seeker-Of-Endings cracked a smile. "Besides, Serena's parents are going to be taking care of all of you. If she forgets to visit, they will never let her hear the end of it."
Tangrowth chuckled. "Thanks, Seeker-Of-Endings."
"Just Seeker is fine," the Absol responded.
"And…" Tangrowth hesitated. "Say hi to Medicham for me, if you see her again."
Seeker-Of-Endings felt a slight chill. "I have no doubt I will," he said.
At length, Serena's parents stepped out of the house. More tears were shed, more goodbyes traded, and eventually, Seeker-Of-Endings found himself back in his Pokeball, watching Tangrowth, Sylveon, Jolteon, Meowstic, and Delphox wave goodbye to Serena alongside her parents. Another flash of Psychic energy heralded Calem's Alakazam returning the two of them to Laverre, and when Seeker-Of-Endings opened his eyes the five of them were gone.
It was just him, Malamar, and Umbreon. Serena's belt felt emptier than it had ever been. Calem smiled at Serena. "I guess this is goodbye for now."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Serena. "Good luck with Sycamore."
"Good luck with Marcus," Calem reciprocated; Serena laughed at that.
Calem sighed. "You know, after all that teleporting, Alakazam might need some time to recover," he said. "You wanna…I dunno, hang out for a few minutes? Before I have to go back?"
"Sure." Serena glanced down the street they were on. "I know a good place to get something if you're up for that."
"No problem." Calem began to step down the street, Serena walking alongside. Seeker-Of-Endings leaned back in his Pokeball, watching as the houses passed by. He would enjoy this relaxation before the battling season hit.
A sound began to play in Seeker-Of-Endings' mind, a sound instantly recognizable as the notes of a Perish Song, and he grimaced. Though it doesn't seem like I'll be able to enjoy it until later. Thanking Arceus the summons had come at a time when he wasn't needed outside his Pokeball, Seeker-Of-Endings leaned back and allowed the Perish Song to pull him into Oblivion.
As Oblivion came into view, Seeker-Of-Endings spied Bringer-Of-Visions speaking with a group of Heralds. Among them, Seeker-Of-Endings recognized Teller-Of-Tales, as well as Watcher-Of-Time and several other Heralds from the Alolan branch. Bringer-Of-Visions glanced over as Seeker-Of-Endings materialized. "Ah, it appears my summons has been answered. Go on, back to work."
The various other Heralds turned and began to walk away as Bringer-Of-Visions stepped over to Seeker-Of-Endings. Seeker-Of-Endings saw Watcher-Of-Time and Teller-Of-Tales come together and begin to discuss something a little ways away, while the other Heralds either did the same with their fellows or dematerialized one by one, departing for the real world. Bringer-Of-Visions glanced around to be sure no other Heralds were in earshot before speaking to Seeker-Of-Endings in a low undertone. "Spirit is beyond your reach," she said.
Nervousness at once filled Seeker-Of-Endings. "My apologies," he responded, bowing his head. "I know where she is, if you-"
"Enough," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "You are not in trouble. I do not blame you for Marcus's decision - in fact, I knew this was coming."
"Right." After so long without access to his Future Sight, Seeker-Of-Endings was still having trouble getting used to it again. Whereas once it had been second nature to activate, now it was a genuine struggle, and Seeker-Of-Endings knew he wasn't the only one.
"I will dispatch another Herald to her general area in due time," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "but I must confide in you, Seeker. Recently, Spirit communicated to Marcus and the rest of her team her relationship with the Master."
"What?" This was the first Seeker-Of-Endings had heard of this. "Is…is that allowed?"
"I did not believe it was myself," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "But when I spoke to the Master about punishing her, he claimed that he had told her to do so. That Marcus was on the verge of figuring it out whether the Master wanted it or not."
Seeker-Of-Endings tried not to sigh with relief. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of what had happened after the battle with the Swarm.
Judging by Bringer-Of-Visions' raised eyebrow, he wasn't entirely successful, but the leader of the Heralds did not pursue the topic. "So I cannot punish her for this," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "And that presents a problem, Seeker. You see, this is exactly what I have been trying to avoid for Spirit. I believe I have mentioned to you before how she must be perfectly obedient for the plan to work, correct?"
Seeker-Of-Endings nodded, recalling the words.
"The problem," said Bringer-Of-Visions, "is that she has gotten away with telling a facet of the truth. A facet I previously forbade her from exposing. And now that she has successfully disobeyed me, with no consequences, she will be emboldened to do so again." Bringer-Of-Visions heaved a sigh. "This is why, for possibly the first time since I became Bringer-Of-Visions, I can honestly state that I do not agree with the Master's decision."
"Is that not treason?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked dumbly.
"It would be treason for another Herald," came the response, "but I am Bringer-Of-Visions. I am the Master's chosen, and that gives me the right to disagree with him…at least, I believe that is so. That is why I wish to confide in you. I just want you to keep that in mind. I know you will see Spirit again, and when you do, I want you to remember that she cannot be allowed to grow independent, and she cannot be allowed to disobey me further. I will give this order to the Herald I assign to watch her as well, but when you get the chance, if you detect her growing too independent, you must limit her, subtly or otherwise. Is that understood?"
Seeker-Of-Endings swallowed, his mind uncontrollably flashing back to the events that had taken place following the battle against the Swarm. He had argued then, believing Bringer-Of-Visions' actions to be out of line. And that had been before he'd fought alongside Medicham in the Battle of Alola. But self-preservation overrode his own emerging beliefs, and he nodded. "Yes, Bringer."
"Very good," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "I must depart - I believe it has come time to activate a couple more of our pawns elsewhere." Turning on her heel, she walked off, disappearing into Oblivion in an instant and leaving Seeker-Of-Endings alone.
Is that not treason?
Seeker-Of-Endings' own words ran through his head once more as he stood where he was as if rooted to the ground. It's me that's committing treason, he thought morosely. I am thinking something other than what Bringer-Of-Visions and the Master command. I…I can't help it. I can't help but think that what Bringer-Of-Visions is doing to Medicham is wrong, and I can't help but feel a sense of revulsion every time she says the name 'Spirit'. But that's treason, and I've been a loyal-
"Seeker?"
Seeker-Of-Endings looked up to see Teller-Of-Tales standing above him. He instinctively recoiled slightly; last time he'd seen Teller-Of-Tales, the older Herald had been questioning Seeker-Of-Endings' quality for the position he'd been entrusted with. Yet now here he was, staring down at Seeker-Of-Endings with something almost like concern glinting in his eyes. Watcher-Of-Time was standing nearby, looking closely at them both.
"Yes, Teller?" Seeker-Of-Endings responded.
"I could not help but overhear," said Teller-Of-Tales. "Let me tell you that I understand what you are going through. In particular, I understand that you have previously suffered at the hands of Bringer-Of-Visions."
Seeker-Of-Endings blinked.
"Watcher-Of-Time told me what Bringer-Of-Visions did," said Teller-Of-Tales. "To you, and to Medicham and Drapion as well. I believe you know that I have had disagreements with our leader. And you as well, but that is not relevant right now. Truth be told, I believe Bringer-Of-Visions is not fit to be our leader any longer. I believe she is becoming obsessed with retaining control over Medicham, to the point of ignoring her other responsibilities and her morals in order to do so."
Seeker-Of-Endings couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yes, he'd known Teller-Of-Tales sometimes disagreed with Bringer-Of-Visions, but he never would have expected such treasonous words to leave a senior Herald's mouth.
"Let me tell you something, Seeker," said Teller-Of-Tales. "I do not wish to serve under a leader who is just as much of a monster as the ones she is meant to defeat. And I know there are others who feel the same way. I believe I can find another path. A path that would not lead to nearly as much pain as the one Bringer-Of-Visions has selected. So I must ask you…if I were to do such a thing, if I were to try and follow a different path, would I be able to count you as an ally?"
Seeker-Of-Endings stared up into the eyes of Teller-Of-Tales. Oh, Arceus, he's serious. He didn't know why he'd thought it was some kind of joke; perhaps it was because the thought of Teller-Of-Tales turning on Bringer-Of-Visions in such a manner was so alien to him. Seeker-Of-Endings realized, as the seconds ticked away, that he was genuinely thinking about Teller-Of-Tales' offer. That realization filled Seeker-Of-Endings with revulsion, and that revulsion told him what his answer would be.
"I will not tell anyone else of this," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "But I cannot join you in your journey. Even if I did wish to turn on Bringer-Of-Visions in a permanent way…I could not without risking the life and livelihood of my Trainer. And I cannot do that."
"I understand," said Teller-Of-Tales. "I know this must be shocking, but rest assured, we never have to speak of this again. I thank you for your silence. May the Master guide you, Seeker." With that, Teller-Of-Tales stepped back, turned, and began to walk away; Watcher-Of-Time stepped after him, the two Heralds moving side by side as they disappeared into Oblivion.
Questions danced in Seeker-Of-Endings' mind as he himself withdrew from Oblivion. But at the forefront lay the question: What does this mean for the Heralds?
Such a rebellion was unheard of. Betrayer-Of-Kin had rebelled, but she had been just one. If Teller-Of-Tales' word was to be trusted, he had gathered an entire group of rebellious Heralds, and would be gathering more. Seeker-Of-Endings knew such an act would plunge the Heralds into chaos. But all the same, he could not deny that Bringer-Of-Visions seemed to be becoming more and more monstrous with each passing day. That was why he had promised not to tell anyone about what Teller-Of-Tales had said, and Seeker-Of-Endings would not break such a promise.
I do hope you know what you are doing, Teller-Of-Tales, Seeker-Of-Endings thought. Because this is dangerous, and if this goes wrong, it could mean the end of the Heralds as we know them.
"…and that's how it ended," said Medicham. "We won. Everything's wrapped up in a neat bow. Marcus gets to be a Gym Leader, and the rest of us get to go on with our lives."
The Graveler sitting next to her chuckled. "Sounds like you've had an eventful few months," he said. "Hey, you wanna know something?"
"What is it, Boulder?" Medicham asked.
"We've gotten some travelers in the past couple weeks," said Boulder. "Word is you did 'em a solid by taking out the Swarmlord. To be honest, I'm glad that guy never came up here - Abomasnow's bad enough, and from what you've told me the Swarmlord was even worse."
"He was." Medicham raised her missing right arm ruefully.
Boulder nodded slowly. "All I'm saying is…you and your friends did the wild Pokemon of Kalos a real solid. I thought you'd want to know that."
"Thanks," said Medicham. "I'll tell the rest of the team - they'll enjoy hearing that."
"I wouldn't mind if you bring them next time," said Boulder.
"I'll see about it," Medicham responded with a smile. "It's been nice catching up, but…I should probably get going."
"Yeah, I get it." Boulder stood. "See you around, Medicham."
Medicham nodded in answer. Boulder turned and, with a last glance over his shoulder, began to waddle away, leaving Medicham to turn and walk in the opposite direction.
Kriesh had been reluctant to let Medicham come out here on her own - it had taken a good couple minutes of cajoling before the Fearow had acquiesced to fly her over the fence surrounding Sarah and James's house. Kriesh had asked several times if Medicham was sure she wanted to go into the forest alone. Medicham had insisted, something that had stung, for whereas the rest of the team believed that the threat of random wild Pokemon attacks was more or less over with the Swarmlord's defeat, Medicham knew exactly what Kriesh was worried about.
And that was the exact reason Medicham hadn't wanted Kriesh to come along. That, and Kriesh would never agree to what Medicham was going to do next.
Medicham turned her footsteps away from the path towards James and Sarah's house, moving off slightly to the left. She had asked Boulder for directions, but inside she felt that even without Boulder's guidance, she would have found it anyway.
In only a few minutes, Medicham reached her destination.
The clearing was as beautiful as ever, covered in snow, surrounded by bare trees, and dominated by the large stump that also glowed white with snow that glistened in the sun. It felt unnerving to step into it, but Medicham did so anyway, forcing herself to step towards the stump. Upon reaching it, she turned and sat down on it, heaving a sigh as she surveyed the forest beyond.
"It's weird," she said to nobody in particular. "This feels like an ending…and yet I can't shake this feeling of nervousness, like something's around the corner, just waiting to pounce the instant I relax."
The trees said nothing in return.
"Last time I came here…" Medicham hesitated. "No. Every time I come here, the same thing happens. And you haven't shown up to confront me yet. The rest of the team isn't here. I came here alone. So, Bringer-Of-Visions, if you're listening…I'm ready."
Footsteps crunched in the snow behind Medicham. She didn't turn around. "I figured as much."
The voice that responded was not Bringer-Of-Visions. It was a voice that instantly chilled every bone in Medicham's body, a voice that had figured just as prominently, if not more, in her nightmares than the leader of the Heralds.
"Such an interesting thing to say," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Medicham, was it? I believe you prefer not to go by your former nickname."
Only then did Medicham manage to react with anything except shock; swiftly, she leaped to her feet, flaring Aura across her body as she twisted towards the sleek-furred form of Betrayer-Of-Kin.
The murderous Absol stared at Medicham levelly. "You can relax, Medicham," she said. "Believe me, if I were here to kill you, you would already be dead."
Betrayer-Of-Kin sat down on her hindquarters and smiled slightly. "I just want to talk."
And now you're going to have to wait a month and a half to see how this resolves!
Now, just because I'm taking a break from this story until 2024 doesn't mean I'm going to be going completely offline. As with last time, I'll go 'bugfixing' from time to time, cleaning up errors in the story (both grammatical and plot hole-based), so if you see any, let me know in a review and I'll deal with it.
Additionally, I'm going to be using the break to work on a couple more projects I have on the backburner. Not all of them are fanfics - there's RL stuff that has been competing with Through Their Eyes for my attention for a while now - but one of them is, and with any luck you'll be seeing that project pretty soon.
Will starting another fanfic impact my writing schedule for Through Their Eyes? Probably. Will you all enjoy that other fanfic? Also probably - though that's for you to find out.
Thank you all for reading. As always, please drop a review if you have the time, and I'll see you in 2024 for the start of Season 3!