The patch of grass by the Route 12 gate had clearly seen many battles, judging by the uprooted turf, burn marks, and blotches of poison sprinkled across the grass. And, courtesy of Serena and Marcus, it would see at least one more battle before the day was out.

The former stood on one side, hat off to reveal her flowing blonde hair, clutching one of her three Pokeballs. The latter stood on the other, legs bent almost imperceptibly, brown eyes unblinking, staring at Medicham's back as she clenched her fists, waiting for Serena to send her first Pokemon out.

The battle would be three-on-three, substitutions allowed for both sides. Serena and Marcus had flipped a coin to see who released first; Marcus had lost, which was why Medicham was currently watching as Serena clutched her Pokeball tightly, seeming to psych herself up.

"Prepare yourself, Marcus!" Serena cried, releasing her first Pokemon at last.

Meowstic appeared in front of Medicham, her normally soft expression now hard and ready for battle. "Let's see who's got the best Psychic-type!" Serena cried. "You get first move, because you released first!"

"All right," said Marcus. "Medicham, go in with Force Palm! It's gonna be stronger in a ranged duel!"

Serena grinned at that. "Fake Out!" she cried.

Medicham charged, legs pumping madly as she surged across the clearing. With her increased muscular strength in her legs, she was able to move much faster.

But she wasn't fast enough to stop Meowstic from raising a single palm. "Flinching Jolt." All at once, a jolt of Psychic energy ripped into her mind, sending her stumbling. She threw out an arm to steady herself, but had lost all of her momentum; the Fighting energy she'd been summoning to her arm dissipated, the attack now useless.

Medicham looked back to see Marcus glaring at Serena. Serena smirked. "I said you'd get first move, not first hit," she said. "Now, Meowstic, put up a Light Screen!"

Meowstic spread its arms wide. "Mind Barrier." Its body began to glow with Psychic energy as it used Light Screen, which was clearly some kind of mind-strengthening defensive technique.

Now Psychic Blast would be much less effective. Clearly, Serena had chosen this matchup well.

"Go in again!" Marcus cried.

"Psyshock!" Serena retorted.

Medicham lunged again, this time not bothering to draw on her Fighting energy and simply drawing back a fist. "Mind Rip," Meowstic murmured, but Medicham was ready; even as a bolt of Psychic energy flew from Meowstic's head towards Medicham, Medicham twisted out of the way with a Psychic Dodge and continued going.

"Reflect!" Serena cried.

As Medicham charged, fist drawn back, Meowstic spread its arms wide again. "Body Barrier." Another surge of Psychic energy sprang up around Meowstic even as Medicham's punch landed.

It was like punching a rock. Medicham gasped in pain and reeled. "Fighting Trip!" she cried through the pain, lashing out with a foot wreathed in Fighting energy and slamming it into Meowstic's lower half. The Fighting energy cushioned the impact, but so did the Reflect, and despite the power behind the Fighting Trip Meowstic was only sent sliding to the left, kicking up dirt but not falling or even stumbling.

"Disarming Voice!" Serena cried.

Meowstic opened her mouth and cried out in a manner similar to Shellder's Sonic Blast, only not quite as loud. "Fairy Voice." A stream of unmistakable Fairy-type energy emanated from Meowstic's mouth, aimed right at Medicham.

"Psychic Avoidance!" Medicham whirled on one foot and allowed the Disarming Voice to dissipate harmlessly into the air, seizing the opportunity for a quick meditative boost.

"Mean Look!" Serena cried.

"Mental Entrapment," Meowstic murmured. Something shifted in the air, and it was as if a tether had been severed from Medicham's back. She stumbled, keeping her footing, and looked back.

A purple barrier of Psychic energy had sprang up between Marcus and Medicham, separating them. Instinctively, Medicham knew that Marcus could now not recall her. She was trapped.

A smirk came to her face as she turned back towards Meowstic, seeing the cat wince a little bit. Though Reflect had taken the worst of it, it was clear that Meowstic hadn't simply been able to shrug that Fighting Trip off. And while it was definitely quite proficient in the mental arts, it did not seem to be all that physically hardy.

Sure, she was trapped. But as long as she could win this battle, that didn't matter in the slightest.

"Psychic Blast!" Medicham cried, releasing the Psychic attack even as she began to rush Meowstic again.

As expected, it didn't do much to Meowstic, who simply ignored it in favor of reaching out a hand. "Mind Rip: Spread."

The blast of Psychic energy that leaped from Meowstic's hand spread out, up and down and to the sides, as it came. Medicham knew instinctively that there was no dodging it, even with Psychic Dodge. So she gritted her teeth and leaped straight for the energy, hoping momentum would carry her through.

The attack hit, and Medicham felt it claw at both her body and her mind, telling her, ordering her to stop. But Medicham refused, forcing herself to continue on even through the pain, and then she was out.

"Fighting Strike!" Medicham cried, pouring Fighting energy into her fist and throwing it at Meowstic-

"Me First!" Serena cried.

Meowstic's eyes suddenly screwed up in concentration. "Mind Transfer: Copycat."

To Medicham's utter shock, a copy of her arm appeared between her and Meowstic, already flying forward to strike at Medicham's face. In the briefest of moments before it hit, Medicham saw that it was incomplete; it was little more than a series of small torrents of Psychic energy approximating the shape of a fist, and it was flickering even as it slammed right into Medicham's left cheek. Then she was flying; her back slammed into the ground and she rolled, turning over at least three times before finally skidding to a halt.

"What was that?" Marcus demanded, clearly shocked by the technique.

"Well, suffice it to say, circumstances led me to see Diantha's Gardevoir using some sort of technique to copy someone's mind," Serena explained. "So I thought: what if Meowstic could approximate that? With her Psychic attacks, she's been gaining a nice foothold in your Medicham's mind, which allowed her to anticipate and copy Medicham's attack. It's a testament to how difficult the technique is that even after days of practice, Meowstic still is limited to an approximation, and is massively drained after using the technique. But that has to have hurt."

Indeed, it had; Medicham's cheek was afire with agony from the brutal strike, and she could feel her body stinging from her impromptu tumble. But as she watched Meowstic, she saw the Psychic-type sagging. The mental pain it was feeling had to have been immense; there was no way it could stay conscious, let alone fighting, for that much longer.

As Medicham watched, the Reflect and Light Screen flaring across Meowstic's body flickered and disappeared, the energy required to keep up those techniques no longer sustainable. As that Psychic energy rushed back into Meowstic's body, she straightened up and glared at Medicham. Pain and exhaustion still flickered in her eyes, but with that new influx of Psychic energy she still had some fight left in her.

"Mind Rip: Spread." Meowstic flicked her fingers, tossing another expanding burst of Psychic energy at Medicham. But this time Medicham was not charging and further away; as such, she was able to leap out of the way with a Psychic Dodge and fire a Psychic Blast in return, one which Meowstic did not dodge.

And without Light Screen, that clearly staggered Meowstic, to the extent that she nearly fell to the ground.

"You've got this, Meowstic!" Serena encouraged, trying to hide the worry in her voice. "Let's show off our last trick! Psyblast!"

Meowstic raised both her hands to the sky, forming a ball of Psychic energy in them. Her eyes narrowed and her body dripped with sweat as the ball expanded, carrying such power that Medicham felt it even from as far away as she was.

Meowstic had some immensely strong techniques. If she had more stamina, she'd be a truly terrifying opponent to face. But this was her last gasp; even now Meowstic's eyelids were fluttering, and Medicham knew that this was her last attack.

"Mind Bomb," Meowstic murmured, tossing the sphere forwards. It arced through the air lazily, aiming not for Medicham, but for the ground right between Medicham and Meowstic.

Then the sphere exploded, sending all of its gathered Psychic energy at Medicham, expanding in a much larger area than even the spread attacks the Meowstic had been launching earlier.

"Psychic Dodge!" Medicham cried, breaking into a full sprint for the edge of the shockwave, augmented by Psychic energy, hoping that it would be enough.

But even as she leaped forwards, feet leaving the ground, she felt the very edge of the wave slam into her side, sending her flying once again. This time she managed to land on her feet, planting one hand on the ground as she skidded to a halt, tearing up furrows in the ground. She looked up and watched as Meowstic toppled over, eyes closed, and the remainder of the Mind Bomb dissipated into the air.

"That was quite a fight," said Marcus.

Serena smiled a little sadly. "You say that like it's over already." She seemed to perk up a little. "But this fight's not over yet!"

"Agreed," said Marcus as Serena plucked her second Pokeball from her waist and tossed the distinctive form of her Absol onto the field.

"Medicham, come back and take a rest," said Marcus.

"Oh no, you don't! Pursuit!" Serena cried.

Medicham stiffened as Absol opened his mouth and, without even a word, fired a familiar thin Dark ray at her even as she felt the sensation of being recalled. Then pain, unceasing vicious pain, ripped through her entire body, and darkness took her.

Seeker-Of-Endings watched with casual fascination as Marcus glanced between his three Pokeballs, clearly wondering which Pokemon to send out now. Would it be the Fearow, the one known as Kriesh? Would it be the defensively-minded Shellder?

Or would it be the Skorupi, the one he was perhaps hoping to battle the most?

When Kriesh was the one to emerge onto the field, Seeker-Of-Endings was a little disappointed. That feeling, however, was swiftly forgotten in favor of battle.

"Well, now it's two on two," said Serena, crossing her arms. "I have to say, this battle has been worth the wait so far."

"Indeed, but as you said, it's not over yet," Marcus retorted. "Kriesh, Drill Run!"

The Fearow's body surrounded itself with Ground-type energy and it dove with a cry of "Earth Impact!" Seeker-Of-Endings crouched, muscles tensed in readiness.

His Trainer withheld her commands. Meowstic and Braixen accepted commands, recognizing that they helped them fight, showed them possibilities that they might not have considered on their own. But to Seeker-Of-Endings they were a hindrance, and Serena at least recognized that.

In a split second, he shifted into half a dozen Absols, each of whom rushed the oncoming Fearow. Seeker-Of-Endings shifted his position, seamlessly switching places with one of his illusory duplicates, and watched as Kriesh plowed straight into the duplicate, popping it into nothingness.

"Pursuit!" Marcus called.

Seeker-Of-Endings whirled, lunging towards Kriesh even as - "Flurry Impact!" - three rays of Dark energy spewed from the Fearow's beak and popped three more of his duplicates. Now only two Absols remained, one real, one fake. Both charged, horns ready to strike.

"Again!" Marcus shouted.

"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh called. Seeker-Of-Endings's body blurred in a Detect, slipping away from the Dark-type ray even as the other one popped his last duplicate. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the ray arcing back towards him, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Kriesh was right in front of him, standing before his horn.

Seeker-Of-Endings lunged, slashing his curved horn along Kriesh's side and eliciting a screech of pain. Swiftly, he whirled, slamming Kriesh across the face with a clawed paw. "Beak Impact!" Kriesh howled, jabbing her beak forward. Seeker-Of-Endings ducked, catching the strike with his horn and firing off a Razor Wing in retaliation. Kriesh recoiled, the barrage of Flying energy cutting into her upper body.

Seeker-Of-Endings pressed, lunging again, but this time Kriesh met him with an Earth Impact hard enough to shove him backwards despite blocking. "Hyper Beam!" Marcus commanded. Another Detect, though, allowed Seeker-Of-Endings to shift, twirling out of the way of the Hyper Beam and manifesting another group of illusory duplicates in the process.

"Aerial Ace!" Marcus commanded.

"Sky Impact!" Kriesh lunged - directly towards him, as if she somehow knew which one was the real Absol. Seeker-Of-Endings sought to respond in kind, leaping with horn outstretched and blocking the strike. Again, though, he was thrown back by the sheer power behind Kriesh's attack, and worse, his horn was beginning to ache from the stress.

Another Flurry Impact rushed from Kriesh's beak. This time, Seeker-Of-Endings retaliated with a Pursuit of his own. Half a dozen Dark-type rays slammed into each other, arcing and swirling and clashing in deadly displays that nonetheless left both users untouched. Kriesh leaped again with another Sky Impact. This time, Seeker-Of-Endings simply used Detect, shifting to the side to avoid the attack.

Which made it all the more surprising when Kriesh abandoned the attack in midair and whirled around, stabbing a swift Beak Impact into Seeker-Of-Endings's side.

Seeker-Of-Endings stumbled under the blow. "Multi-Beak Impact!" Kriesh cried, jabbing her beak again and again into the reeling form of Seeker-Of-Endings, knocking him onto the ground.

Kriesh rose above him, her great wings flapping, still going strong despite the number of slash marks across her body. "I spar with Medicham on a regular basis," she spat. "Do you think I don't have countermeasures for her most common technique?"

Seeker-Of-Endings snarled in exasperation. He would not lose this battle. Driven by fury, he opened his mouth and exuded the haunting melody of Perish Song.

Eighteen seconds.

"Kriesh, take him out!" Marcus cried. Unlike the Fearow, he clearly knew what Perish song was.

Kriesh opened fire with a Beam Impact, clearly trying to goad Seeker-Of-Endings into another Detect that would leave him open. Seeker-Of-Endings obliged, but instead of dodging to the side, he dove backwards. The Beam Impact slammed into the ground where he had been a second ago. Irritation glittering in Kriesh's eyes, she dove upon him. "Earth Impact!"

Though his horn still ached, Seeker-Of-Endings knew it would hold for the time being. So, again, he lashed out with it, catching the Earth Impact and holding even as he was pushed back. Seeker-Of-Endings reared up, slamming Kriesh with an uppercut from his paw, then another brutal blow that hurled her to the left.

Twelve seconds.

Kriesh opened fire with another Flurry Impact. Again Seeker-Of-Endings met it with his own Pursuit, and again Kriesh lunged forward with Sky Impact. This time, though, Seeker-Of-Endings leaped up with Detect, coming down behind Kriesh. Both whirled, and horn and beak clashed once again. This time they held, straining against one another, prevailing on main strength to try and win the clash.

Six seconds.

Seeker-Of-Endings abandoned the attack first, sidestepping the beak's thrust and bringing his horn down on Kriesh's shoulder. Instinctively, Kriesh twisted, throwing her wing up in such a way that Seeker-Of-Endings's attack missed. "Flying Earth Impact!" she cried, slamming into Seeker-Of-Endings's shoulder with a brutal strike, enhanced with both Ground and Flying energy, that sent him flying across the arena.

"Beam Impact!" Instinctively, Seeker-Of-Endings rolled to the side, enhanced by Detect; the Beam Impact carved into the earth just to his side. "Sky Impact!" Kriesh cried, lunging, reaching for Seeker-Of-Endings with beak outstretched.

Zero seconds.

Kriesh hit the ground where Seeker-Of-Endings had been a second ago. She rose, looking around wildly, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

"What is this?" she asked furiously.

Seeker-Of-Endings emerged from the featureless void. "This," he said, "is the Perish Dimension."

"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh howled, unleashing all three of her Dark-type rays at the form of Seeker-Of-Endings. It faded under the impacts, revealing itself to be nothing more than another illusion.

"Many Trainers believe Perish Song to cause the opponent to instantly be knocked unconscious," Seeker-Of-Endings continued. "But there is little difference. Because in here…"

Finally, he truly emerged from the darkness, and though he betrayed none of it, he could not help but relish the horror in Kriesh's eyes as she stared up at him.

"...I control all," boomed the fifty-foot tall Seeker-Of-Endings, a second before a vast surge of Dark energy flew from his gaping maw and streamed down towards Kriesh.

Even through her terror, Kriesh still opened her beak and fired a Beam Impact at the oncoming rush of Dark energy. But it was useless. Even though it did contest, halting the blast of energy in its tracks, Seeker-Of-Endings simply summoned two more, gigantic coils of Dark energy that flew from the floor and wrapped around Kriesh, pinning her down in an instant.

The Beam Impact was thrown off-target, impacting against a spontaneously manifested barrier of Dark energy, and then the first beam of Dark energy completed its mission. Kriesh screamed as it ripped into her body, a scream that only lasted for half a second before the pain overwhelmed her and she fell, completely unconscious.

The instant that she did, Seeker-Of-Endings allowed the Perish Dimension to fade, to reveal the field once more. Marcus's fists were clenched; if possible, they clenched even tighter as Kriesh's prone form appeared beside Seeker-Of-Endings.

"Good job, Absol," Serena complimented. "Just one more and we're done."

Marcus, coldly silent, returned Kriesh and sent out Shellder in her place.

Seeker-Of-Endings let out a quiet disappointed sigh. He'd been hoping for Skorupi.

"That thing took out Medicham and Kriesh," Marcus said, his voice low. "Hit it with everything you've got, and don't hold back."

Seeker-Of-Endings attempted to glare at the Shellder as it turned to face him. Its normally cheery face was deadly serious. "I'm not gonna ask how you did that," the Shellder said. "I'm just gonna take you down."

It was then that the pain from his clash with Kriesh, momentarily forgotten due to adrenaline, reasserted itself. Seeker-Of-Endings barely bit back a howl of pain as he stumbled, his sides and horn screaming in agony. Kriesh's attacks had not been gentle; that Flying Earth Impact especially had drawn blood, and without a Pokemon Center would likely scar.

"Absol forfeits," Serena said hastily, worry in her voice at Seeker-Of-Endings's condition. Reluctantly, Seeker-Of-Endings agreed; at his present condition, Shellder could probably take him down with very little effort.

He let the Pokeball's energies take him with a wan smile on his face.

Shellder watched as the Absol, reeling from its injuries, was recalled. He wasn't all that surprised; if it had taken down both Medicham and Kriesh, it had to have been really badly hurt.

However, a twinge of worry struck at him. If Absol had beaten two of his teammates, did that mean that Shellder would have to win against two of Absol's allies, possibly each of them as strong as Absol?

"Braixen, you're the last," Serena murmured.

Well, that answered the first part of that question. Shellder's worries were assuaged, at least momentarily, as the Fire-type fox Pokemon appeared on the field, clutching her stick tightly.

He could do this.

"I'm curious," he said, some good humor restored. "You're a Starter, right? What is that?"

Braixen seemed surprisingly keen to answer. "A Starter like me," she said haughtily, "is an exemplar of the Fire-type, an aspect of Fire itself! Starters are born from Fire and Water and Grass, created to be the strongest among our type! So, though you may hold the advantage over me, do not count me out, for I have overcome many similar deficits! Now, burn! Flaming Entrapment!"

A circlet of Fire energy burst from Braixen's stick, flowing artistically towards Shellder. "Water Gun!" Marcus called. Shellder obeyed, tossing a Water Blast at the oncoming flames, dousing them in midair and continuing on.

"Psybeam!" Serena called.

"Mental Blast!" Braixen cried in response, hurling a beam of Psychic energy at the oncoming Water Blast. The two attacks met, and while the Water Blast was blunted, its energy tossed to the side, the Mental Blast was reduced to a useless trickle of Psychic energy, fading before it could do any serious harm.

Serena bit her lip. "Braixen, Ember!"

Braixen lashed out with her stick again. "Flaming Barrage!" Several small motes of fire leaped from Braixen's stick towards Shellder. "Impenetrable Shell!" Shellder retorted, summoning the construct in front of him, blocking the attack. The flames fizzled out.

"Psybeam again!" Serena ordered.

"Water Gun!" Marcus retorted. "Just keep using Protect and Water Gun until it faints!"

Shellder obeyed. "Water Blast!" he cried, slamming it into the Psybeam in midair and fizzling it out again. Then he fired another, this one aimed at Braixen herself.

"Light Screen!" Serena cried. A shell of Psychic energy appeared around Braixen, absorbing the bulk of the attack, though clearly Braixen still felt it.

"Wait, how many of these 'similar deficits' have you overcome?" Shellder asked, curiosity overwhelming him again. "Because-"

"Shut up!" Braixen cried. "Double Mental Blast!"

Though it clearly strained her, two beams of Psychic energy flew from her stick, coming at Shellder from two different directions.

"Forwards!" Marcus cried.

"Offensive Shell!" Shellder leaped forwards. He wasn't quite able to get out of the way, though; the two Psychic blasts struck the back half of his shell, hurling him forwards a little faster than he would have liked.

"Flaming Tackle!" Braixen surged forward to meet him, a field of Fire energy surrounding her as she leaped.

"Defensive Shell Impact!" Shellder cried.

The two struck and were thrown back, their attacks cushioning much of the damage. Shellder opened up his shell to see Braixen right in front of him. "Water Blast!" he cried.

"Braixen, get out of-" Serena wasn't even able to complete her order before a surge of Water energy slammed into the fiery fox. Braixen snarled in pain as the super-effective attack soaked her to the brim.

Unfortunately, the Light Screen still surrounding her body meant that she was still up. "Mental Blast!" she cried.

"Impenetrable Shell!"

"Flaming Tackle!"

This newest exchange happened in a flash; Impenetrable Shell blocked the Mental Blast in midair, and then Braixen slammed into Shellder with her Flaming Tackle, knocking him backwards. It didn't hurt all that much, honestly, but between that and the Double Mental Blast, Shellder was starting to feel it.

"Water Blast!"

"Mental Blast!"

But as those two attacks clashed and fizzled yet again, Shellder could tell that Braixen was getting tired, her mental reserves depleting, while he never seemed at risk of running out of Water energy.

Braixen brandished her stick once more. Shellder saw her screw up her eyes in concentration and realized at once that she was going for another Double Mental Blast. Instantly, he leaped towards Braixen with as much speed as he could muster.

"Double Mental Blast!" Realizing that Shellder was charging, Braixen fired both Mental Blasts directly at him. Her face as he put up an Impenetrable Shell, dissipating them both, was a sight to behold.

"Defensive Shell Impact!"

Crunch.

Something in Braixen's body snapped under the impact. Shellder retracted his shell as soon as he felt his body hit the ground. Braixen was lying on the earth in front of him, her stick on the ground some distance away and the arm that had been holding the stick bent at an odd angle.

Serena, her face awash with disappointment, recalled Braixen. "You did well, Braixen," she whispered to the Pokeball, and then looked up at Marcus. "Good match," she said.

"Yeah, that Absol was something," said Marcus.

"He's definitely my strongest," said Serena. "I'm trying to train the others up to his level; they've both got plenty of power, but they just can't take the hits as well as they can dish them out."

Serena sighed. "You're a lot like Calem," she said. "Far more devoted to raw strength than trickery. But I have to admit, this battle was fun. Thanks."

"Thank you," said Marcus. "Let me know if you ever want to battle again."

Serena smiled. "Will do," she said. It was then that Shellder noticed that Serena was digging into her pocket.

"Before you go," she said, "the next route has a lot of water. There are a few ways to get across, but this should help a lot." She hauled out a TM.

"This TM contains Surf," said Serena. "Your Shellder should be able to learn it, but if not, I know Cloyster can. It'll help you get across the water."

She handed it to Marcus, who took it slowly and measuredly. "Thank you."

"See you around, Marcus," Serena said, and then turned and began walking back to the Pokemon Center.

Serena hadn't been joking; from the hotel room, Shellder could see the large rivers jutting across the next Route. The waters were shuddering slightly under a light wind, but unlike Shellder, Marcus would probably have a difficult time getting across. Not to mention the rest of the Pokemon; Kriesh could fly, but Medicham and Skorupi would be virtually helpless.

A loud buzzing noise emanated from the device Marcus was holding up to Shellder, causing him to frown.

"Apparently you can't learn Surf yet," said Marcus. "You can only, and I'm quoting the Pokedex here, 'gain the power necessary to utilize Surf in your evolved form'."

Marcus set his device down a little more heavily than usual. "So," he said. "It looks like you're gonna get to evolve soon. That is, if you want to. I can always find another way…"

"Are you joking?" Shellder asked. "Of course I wanna evolve! Medicham looked so cool doing it! I can't wait to find out what my evolved form looks like!"

From Shellder's excited squirming and squeaking, it was clear that Marcus understood the general gist of what Shellder was saying. "All right, all right," said Marcus. "It says here that to evolve you, I'm gonna need a Water Stone. I have no idea what that is or where to get it…but tomorrow, before we head out, we're gonna go try and find one. That okay with you?"

"Yeah! Definitely!" Shellder said, which almost certainly came out as more excited squeaking and squirming.

"All right then," said Marcus. "Now, before we tuck in for the night, let's go get the rest of the team. It's time I did something long overdue."

Marcus's team, freshly healed, gathered around him as he raised the screen high so that it could catch all of them. The hotel room barely fit them all, especially with Medicham's newfound height and Kriesh's large wingspan, but they made do.

It was a pretty special occasion for the other three, Medicham thought; this would be the first time they met Marcus's parents, even if it was only for a video call.

The screen began to buzz. Shellder was trembling with excitement, disturbing Skorupi who was squeezed in next to him. Kriesh brought her shoulder to her neck and stretched. Medicham realized as she was watching that she was absentmindedly scratching an itch on her side; quickly, she drew a hand away.

The screen lit up. "Hi, Marcus!" James and Sarah called at the same time.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad," said Marcus. "I'd like you to meet the team."

Reactions were mainly awe and excitement, especially at Medicham and Kriesh. "Two fully evolved Pokemon already!" Sarah could be heard observing. "How many badges are you at?"

"I just got my third," Marcus explained, which quickly led to him providing an abbreviated version of his journey so far. Medicham noticed that Marcus tactfully skipped most of the saga with Kriesh and his battle with Team Flare.

"Sounds like you've been having a good journey so far," James observed. Then he frowned. "When were you in Cyllage?"

"Um…a few days ago," said Marcus.

"Weren't those Team Flare guys near Lumiose around the same time?" James asked Sarah.

"Yes, Marcus, do not get involved with those thieves," Sarah told Marcus. "If you see them, get someone strong. That's what the Ace Trainers are there for."

"I won't go anywhere near Team Flare, Mom," said Marcus, though his voice was thick.

"Good." Sarah and James brightened with that. "Scamper and Puffball miss you! I'm sure they'll be up for a battle with your team when you get back!"

"Looking forward to it," said Marcus.

"Okay, cool questions over, let's get to the 'Mom and Dad, you're embarrassing me' questions," said Sarah. "How's your hygiene going? You look like you're breaking out…"

As Marcus floundered about with the next barrage of questions, Medicham turned to look out the window. It provided a nice view of the upcoming route, which looked tranquil, the waters Serena had warned them about glowing in the light of the sunset.

Tomorrow, the journey would begin once more.

Seeker-Of-Endings rested. Unlike Braixen and Meowstic, he was still conscious, though that may have been a curse rather than a blessing given the pain Kriesh had inflicted on him.

He'd beaten her, at least. Though, judging by what had happened afterwards, it hadn't been enough. Braixen had handled a few Water-types before, but unlike Shellder, those had been too weak to deal with her Mental Beams.

"Seeker-Of-Endings."

The voice of Bringer-Of-Visions sounded in Seeker-Of-Endings's head. It sounded almost disapproving; swiftly, Seeker-Of-Endings closed his eyes.

He opened them to take in the familiar surroundings of the Perish Dimension.

He was not truly in the Perish Dimension, merely using his gifts to project himself inside at Bringer-Of-Visions's behest. For, as he had done with Bringer-Of-Visions only last night, she had called to him, allowing him to appear.

"I see you engaged in combat with Marcus's team," said Bringer-Of-Visions.

"I faced them in a friendly match," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I was hoping to gauge their skill."

"And yet," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "you drew the Fearow into the Perish Dimension. That was a foolish decision."

"Bringer-" Seeker-Of-Endings began to protest.

"Seeker-Of-Endings, you were assigned to a Trainer in the hopes that it would help cure your lust for combat, not make it worse," admonished Bringer-Of-Visions.

"It wasn't even for a minute!" Seeker-Of-Endings protested. "It was just for a few seconds! How much harm could it-"

"Betrayer-Of-Kin is in Kalos."

Seeker-Of-Endings's protestations died on the way to his mouth. Bringer-Of-Visions continued. "Anything involving the Perish Dimension runs the risk of being noticed. I'm taking a risk just to warn you. Continue your mission, Seeker-Of-Endings. And do not, under any but the most extreme conditions, utilize the Perish Dimension again. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Bringer," Seeker-Of-Endings acknowledged.

Bringer-Of-Visions nodded and began to turn away.

"Bringer?"

Bringer-Of-Visions halted and looked back.

"Do we know where she is?"

"No," said Bringer-Of-Visions. "She is hiding herself well, as always. But we will keep trying."

The Perish Dimension faded on the last word, and Seeker-Of-Endings was back inside his Pokeball.

He sighed. Nodded. Laid down and tried to ignore his injuries. But even he could not ignore the sudden thumping of his heart.

Bringer-Of-Visions had been right. It was a risk to warn Seeker-Of-Endings.

Really, it was quite simple. Seeker-Of-Endings had fought a Fearow in the Perish Dimension. Ironically enough, that wouldn't have meant anything if Bringer-Of-Visions hadn't contacted him afterwards.

A conversation that Betrayer-Of-Kin had listened in on in its entirety.

After that, it was a simple matter to go through Team Flare's records and dig up the information she was looking for. Celosia, utilizing Ripper and Crusher, and half a dozen Team Flare grunts had been thwarted by a Trainer with a Skorupi, a Meditite, a Shellder, and a Fearow.

Perfect. Her quarry was, in fact, on his journey.

Betrayer-Of-Kin smiled. The Heralds had made one mistake too many. And now her quarry was located.

All she had to do was isolate Marcus's position, track him down, and finish the job.