Serena's Absol was moving swiftly and stealthily, but not too stealthily; if Medicham hadn't been watching him closely, she might have misinterpreted his movement as just a quick walk. But Medicham was watching him closely, and so she saw the minute pauses, the way he took a route that made sure to take him past every shady tree and trash can he could find as he moved into the alleyway.
Medicham followed, but not too closely.
Absol ducked into a small lot, an undisturbed area where no human would go unless they had to. Probably the quietest, most reclusive place in Lumiose.
Absol took in a deep breath. So did Medicham, for a different reason. Slowly, she stepped out of hiding as Absol let out his breath, the notes of the song that would send him to that 'Perish Dimension' thing on his lips.
"Absol."
Serena's Absol half-turned his head so that one eye was locked on Medicham. It widened surreptitiously upon seeing how furious she looked.
"Or shall I call you Seeker-Of-Endings?"
From the sudden flare in his eyes, a mixture of fear and shock, Medicham knew her guess had been right.
Seeker-Of-Endings showed no other outward reaction beyond turning to face Medicham fully. But Medicham would have had to be blind to not see the Dark energy that began building up around the Absol at Medicham's words.
"How do you know that name?" Seeker-Of-Endings growled.
"Your friend told me," said Medicham. "After she tried to murder my Trainer based on information that you gave her."
That got a visible reaction; Seeker-Of-Endings took a step back, his gathered Dark energy reaching a fever pitch. "Damn it…" he snarled. "Listen, Medicham. This concerns forces you couldn't possibly comprehend. If you-"
"I can comprehend plenty," Medicham. "Such as the fact that my Trainer is in the hospital because of you."
"I did nothing!" Seeker-Of-Endings retorted. "She…she must have listened in on me…"
"So you do know her." Medicham crossed her arms.
Seeker-Of-Endings now resembled a cornered cat more than anything else. "This situation has gone out of control," he said. "I have no intention of hurting your Trainer. I will contact my superiors, see if they can-"
"Your superiors?" Medicham interrupted. "Who are they?"
Seeker-Of-Endings finally ceased shrinking against the nearest wall. He gathered himself, heaved a lengthy sigh, and then looked straight into Medicham's eyes. "I guess you deserve to know," he said. "I can't tell you everything, and what I am telling you is probably far more than I'm supposed to divulge, but I hope this is enough."
"Start talking," Medicham said shortly.
Another sigh, and Seeker-Of-Endings began speaking. "My true name is, in fact, Seeker-Of-Endings," he said. "I am part of an organization known as the Heralds. My current assignment is to monitor and surreptitiously guide Trainers who my superiors have ascertained have…unique destinies."
"Let me guess, Marcus is one of those Trainers," said Medicham.
"You guess correctly," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I was assigned to watch Marcus via a position by the side of a friend of his, Serena. Serena was gauged to become quite close to Marcus, and so-"
"Wait a minute," Medicham interrupted. "You're talking as if you…know the future."
"We do," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "to an extent. The future is not written in stone; there are a potentially infinite amount of outcomes depending on decisions humans and Pokemon alike make. The Heralds' task is to protect the desired future."
"And what is that desired future?" Medicham asked.
"It's complicated," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "In recent years, though, one of our own has betrayed our cause. We know her as Betrayer-Of-Kin, and she has spent the past three years twisting the timeline back towards…less desirable outcomes. It is Betrayer-Of-Kin who attacked your Trainer earlier today, in an effort to subvert his destiny and remove him from the timeline."
With those words, Seeker-Of-Endings let out another explosive breath. "I cannot tell you more. But…Medicham, the path that Marcus must walk is a dangerous one. And…I've been searching for a way to tell you this lightly. In order for him to succeed…you must leave him."
"What?" Medicham felt as if all the breath had been stolen from her, and she leaned heavily against a soot-covered wall. "What do you mean?"
"If you continue to follow Marcus," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "in 86.39% of all futures…you die. And your death would remove Marcus from his path for good."
"So you want me to leave Marcus just because of your 'desired timeline'?" Cold fury snaked back into Medicham's voice. "How does that help? Even if my death removed Marcus from his so-called 'path', how is my leaving any different?"
"You will speak to him," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "Let him know that you've decided to leave. In 93.14% of all timelines, he accepts that, and continues traveling. And the Heralds have already taken the steps necessary to remove the remaining 6.86% from possibility. Your departure will not remove Marcus from his path in any way. Within the next few days, he will find and catch a replacement, which will take your role, and while events will deviate as a result, they will not do so in any meaningful way."
"That's not happening, Seeker-Of-Endings," Medicham responded.
"And why not?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked. "You've known him for how long? Two, three weeks? Is that connection really worth the ruination of a beneficial future?"
"You don't get it," Medicham retorted. "Yes, I've only known him for a few weeks. But having a Trainer…it's like an unshakable bond, as if an instinct you never even knew you had has been awoken. Even just a week after we met, even when my faith in him was at its absolute lowest point…I still defended him."
"That makes very little sense," said Seeker-Of-Endings.
"Does it?" Medicham asked. "You should know what it's like. You're Serena's Pokemon. Would you seriously abandon her, just like you're asking me to do to Marcus?"
"If it meant saving the world," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "then absolutely."
"You say that," said Medicham, "but when it comes time to do it…would you really be able to? Can you actually turn your back on her?"
Seeker-Of-Endings's eyes narrowed in an icy glare, but though the hairs on the back of Medicham's neck stood up, she met it with one of her own.
"You walk a dangerous line, Medicham," Seeker-Of-Endings growled. "You will survive in only 13.61% of all timelines. I will…speak with my superiors and see if we cannot nudge events onto one of those timelines. But remember…Betrayer-Of-Kin will try again, and she will not be the only one. I must return to my Trainer. Farewell, Medicham, and good luck. You will need it."
Seeker-Of-Endings strode forward, loping past Medicham and disappearing from sight. Medicham stood for several moments, shock immobilizing her. A group that was tampering with time itself…that monstrous Absol, and possibly others, after Marcus's life…her own prophesied death in most possible futures…
It was somewhat of a wonder that she'd managed to withhold the spray of vomit until Seeker-Of-Endings disappeared from view.
Seeker-Of-Endings looked back, listening to the sounds of vomiting, then shook his head and pressed on. He needed to alert Bringer-Of-Visions to this most recent happening.
Luckily, another empty lot was nearby. This time, Seeker-Of-Endings began the song immediately.
Eighteen seconds later, he vanished.
By some strange quirk of fate, at the exact time Seeker-Of-Endings vanished, that being 11:03 on a Saturday morning, four meetings began. These meetings, as it turned out, would set into motion events that would shape the course of history and, quite possibly, change the world as everyone knew it.
The first, and possibly most important, of these meetings was one with quite a few more participants than the one in the back alleys of Lumiose. Atop the plateau that housed the Pokemon League, in a fairly central room, five Pokemon were standing in a circle. All five of them were Aces, the term used throughout the world for the Pokemon who functioned as leaders of strong teams.
"Malva took care of everywhere from Cyllage to Coumarine," Hellhound, the Fire-type Elite Four's Houndoom and her Ace, reported.
"Wikstrom dealt with the northeast of Kalos," Scizor, Wikstrom's Ace, chimed in.
"And Drasna handled southeast Kalos," finished Altaria, Drasna's Ace.
"Blastoise, how did the Power Plant operation go?" Hellhound asked.
"Good," grunted Blastoise, Siebold's Ace. "Read the report." Then he glared at the fifth participant. "And don't you go tearing the memories out of my head. I felt that!"
"I was doing nothing of the sort," Gardevoir, Diantha's Ace, defended. "I was merely-"
"Shh," Altaria whispered. "Look. It's starting."
The five Pokemon looked up at the scene in front of them. Diantha was sitting in a comfortable chair around a round wooden table, one leg crossed over the other and a severe expression on her face. "Holocaster. Engage."
Seven of the eight other chairs around the room lit up bright blue. The eighth remained stubbornly lightless.
Seven holographic figures appeared in the seven lighted chairs. Anyone watching would have been in awe, for the eight people here numbered a group of the strongest Trainers in the world.
"Gold!" The spiky-haired blonde figure in the chair directly opposite Diantha turned to grin at his neighbor.
The aforementioned neighbor glared at the spiky-haired figure with one eye. "Gary."
The spiky-haired figure frowned. "Touche," he muttered reluctantly.
"Blue. Ethan." said the female dark brown-haired Trainer sitting two spaces to Diantha's right. "Quit acting like teenagers. This is important."
"We're all teenagers, Rosa," the female raven-haired Trainer with a bright pink hat commented.
"Shut up, Dawn!" Blue cried. "I'm twenty-seven!"
"Quiet, please," said Diantha. "This is an important meeting."
"I'll bet," said the figure immediately to Diantha's left with excitement ringing in his voice. "Seven Champions and Professor Kukui? I'd say we're gonna have an-"
"Absolute Champion time," chorused everyone else in the room with long-suffering expressions. "We know, Leon."
"And that's Professor-ist," Kukui, who was sitting on Diantha's right, pointed out.
"Sorry, Kukui," said Leon.
"Everybody quiet!" shouted the last occupant of the room. The loud and commanding tone of his voice made everyone fall silent.
"Thank you, Brendan," said Diantha. "Now. Team Flare. Rosa, Kukui, we've already spoken about today's events. The rest of you, it's quite simple; Team Flare made an attempt to take control of the Kalos Power Plant and hold, essentially, the entire region hostage until we delivered them two hundred Pokemon. A strike team led by Siebold dealt with them, though both their Admins escaped."
"I told you you needed more than one power plant in your region," Blue commented.
"Dude!" Dawn cried. "Come on!"
"He is correct, though," said Diantha. "Despite his…lack of tact."
"This is Blue we're talking about," said Ethan. "Lack of tact is his middle name."
"Screw you too, Gold," said Blue.
"Why do we have these two in the same room?" Rosa asked.
"Quiet!"
"Thank you, Brendan," said Diantha. "Anyway. Before today, I believed Team Flare to be a simple group of thieves. Rocket-level at best. After today…I'm willing to entertain the possibility of initiating Galactic Protocol."
"I agree," Rosa said instantly.
Kukui shook his head. "Galactic Protocol hasn't been engaged since Plasma," he said. "This…sure, they took out your power. But they did it so that they could steal Pokemon, not for some Uber-Icemaker flying airship or Space-Time binding chain thingy. This hasn't gone Galactic-level yet. And besides, Siebold handled it."
"It took Siebold, two Gym Leaders, a couple of unaffiliated Trainers, and a pair of International Police officers, one of which is being considered for a future Elite Four position, to 'handle it'," Diantha protested. "That's no fewer than five Gym Leader-level or above Trainers, not to mention the rest of the Elite Four and Gym Leaders who had to directly intervene throughout all of Kalos in order to stave off a mass panic! Team Flare was threatening lives. Not even Pokemon lives, either. They were withholding power from life support equipment in hospitals."
"Arceus…" Dawn muttered. "That…even Galactic didn't stoop that far."
"You've got my vote," said Ethan. "That's insane."
"And mine," said Blue.
"Can't believe those two are agreeing…I'm in as well," said Brendan.
"So am I." Leon looked to Kukui. "Professor?"
Kukui nodded slowly. "I'll call Lusamine, ask her if she can't send some employees from Aether Paradise. But…Alola's experiencing a few problems. Team Skull, for one, and Lusamine's been getting more and more withdrawn lately. I'm not sure if we'll be able to help out."
"That's all right, Kukui," said Diantha. "Can you call Geeta, though? Ask her if Paldea can send anyone?"
"I will," said Kukui. "See you, Diantha. Good luck."
His hologram blinked out.
"We'll get support to you as quickly as we can," Leon promised. "Good luck."
A chorus of 'good luck' echoed around the room as all of the holograms winked out one by one.
Gardevoir smiled and teleported over to Diantha, gesturing for the rest of the Aces to leave. "I'm glad they agreed."
Diantha sighed. "Immature teenagers, the lot of them…Arceus, I still remember when Lance and Mustard were Champions. Those two were even worse…but yes. I am glad they agreed."
"How soon do you think they'll send reinforcements?" Gardevoir asked.
"It'll probably take about a week," said Diantha. "Maybe more. Hopefully less. But all we can do is wait."
Her expression grew more severe. "Once they do arrive, though…there will be nowhere Team Flare can hide. We'll root them out and we'll take them down."
She put a hand on Gardevoir's head. "We're going to show them what happens when they mess with my people."
And so the first meeting ended.
The second, and possibly most sinister, of the meetings took place deep under a seemingly random town in Kalos. Five people stood in a room, four female and one male, all with fairly technicolor hairstyles. The females faced the male, and while two of them looked quite confident and pleased with themselves, the other two seemed…less so.
Betrayer-Of-Kin watched as Bryony and Aliana attempted to justify their operation's failure. "Sir! It was Siebold-"
"And International Police Officer Looker-"
"-and two Gym Leaders-"
"-and-"
"Enough," Lysandre commanded. "I will not suffer this whining any longer. You two played your parts to perfection. No, you didn't get the Pokemon, but we can get Pokemon in plenty of other ways. And the captured Grunts…they were chosen because they were expendable."
"We were…a distraction?" Aliana asked.
"Indeed," said Lysandre. "A distraction that could have worked better, but a distraction nevertheless. While you and your allies tied up everyone in Kalos, the rest of us were able to complete our actual plan. Celosia, Mable?"
"Got him secured, boss," said Mable. "But geez. You were right; even with only five Pokemon on his side, it took both of us and Xerosic to subdue him."
"Excellent," said Lysandre. "With that, the only other person in the world who knows about the Ultimate Weapon is dealt with."
Betrayer-Of-Kin's ears perked up.
"I'm sorry, boss," said Aliana. "What Ultimate Weapon?"
Lysandre smiled. "I was hoping you would ask that."
He snapped his fingers. The back of the room, shrouded in shadow, now lit up, revealing a massive construct. It looked like a giant furled-up flower made of shimmering light and more mundane metal - not very much like a standard weapon. In the center of the weapon was some kind of prison, made up of more metal and light, twisted to entrap an entity within.
Betrayer-Of-Kin did not feel fear often. But a slight twinge of worry stabbed at her as she saw the unconscious occupant of the prison.
Bryony cleared her throat. "Uh…I'll bite. How did you manage to capture freaking Xerneas? Data shows that's not supposed to be physically possible."
"You could say," came a voice from above that set chills in all the observers' hearts, "that it was a team effort."
A being, no, a presence made of pure darkness flowed down beside Lysandre. It broke against the floor and rose in a cloud of shadow, crackling with Dark energy as it grew and grew. Two dark red eyes, more slits than anything, opened in the cloud. Lysandre was the only one in the room who did not step back.
"Yveltal…" Mable gasped.
"In your human parlance, yes," said the presence. "I prefer 'Harbinger', myself."
That settled things. A group of Pokemon thieves had been one thing; if they were working with the Harbinger of Death, that was quite another. Betrayer-Of-Kin instantly began running through her exit strategy in her head. It was time to leave.
"The Harbinger," said Lysandre grandly, "was kind enough to offer his assistance in the capture of Xerneas."
"But why?" Celosia asked.
"This is our endgame," said Lysandre. "This is why we have been stealing Pokemon. Because once this is fired, it will destroy everyone on Kalos, humans and Pokemon alike. Everyone, that is, except for Team Flare." Betrayer-Of-Kin could have sworn his voice cracked slightly at that. "And then, once we are the only ones still alive, the Pokemon we have stolen will repopulate Kalos. Kalos will become Team Flare's playground!"
Bryony opened her mouth. "But-"
"Sounds perfect, boss," Aliana interrupted. "I can't wait."
"Good," said Lysandre. "You may leave."
Betrayer-Of-Kin was, in a word, shocked. How had she missed this? She'd been scanning the future constantly-
No. She'd been scanning Marcus's future. She hadn't even been looking at Lysandre's, or even looking all that far ahead. Stupid. So many years of this had made her soft.
She followed Mable out. As soon as the door to the room was closed, Bryony rounded on Aliana. "How can you-"
"Shut. Up," Aliana growled. "I don't like it either. But I'm not idiotic enough to talk about how much I don't like it in front of a freaking Legendary!"
Bryony's face paled. "Oops…"
Betrayer-Of-Kin shoved the conversation to the back of her head, listening with one ear while simultaneously beginning to scan the future, this time searching for probabilities related to the Ultimate Weapon.
"What is Lysandre thinking?" Celosia demanded.
"This is ridiculous," said Mable. "I signed on to steal Pokemon, not blow up a continent!"
"The same goes for all of us," said Aliana. "But he's made it clear. Anyone who's not Team Flare gets blown up. And if we leave…"
"...we're not Team Flare anymore," Celosia finished with a look of dawning horror.
"What's the plan, then?" Bryony asked. "Stand by and watch as he blows up the world?"
"No."
All four Admins looked down at Betrayer-Of-Kin.
"There is a 45.86% chance that the Ultimate Weapon will not be fired."
"What in Distortion?" Aliana asked. "Mable, is that your Absol?"
"I didn't know he could talk," said Celosia.
"I am a she, not a he," Betrayer-Of-Kin growled. "And yes, I can talk. Mable knows that. But that is not relevant. What is relevant is that I am capable of scanning all possible futures."
"And you came up with a 45.86% chance that the Ultimate Weapon won't be fired?" said Bryony. "That's…that's over a 50% chance that it will be."
"Congratulations, you can do basic math," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Of course, that probability will change with every passing day. Increase, decrease, I do not know. But as of now, in 45.86% of all timelines, the Ultimate Weapon will not be fired."
"So that's your plan?" Celosia asked. "Sit and wait and hope your little probability meter goes the right way?"
"I can alter events, to a degree," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "Change the timeline. But essentially, yes."
"That's a terrible plan," said Aliana.
"And I suppose you have a better plan?" Betrayer-Of-Kin asked.
Aliana froze. Mable chuckled, patting Betrayer-Of-Kin's head. "That's my Absol."
"No," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "I am not your Absol. I was never your Absol, and I never will be. I have been using you as a means to an end for the past. Six. Weeks. You are nothing more to me than a pawn. None of you are. The only reason I'm telling you any of this is because your choice is to work with me, or with the raging maniac and his pet Legendary. And if any of you choose to tell him about me…well. I've killed twenty-seven Trainers. If you want to be number twenty-eight, be my guest."
"So what do you want us for?" Celosia asked furiously.
"You're strong Trainers with strong teams and a common goal," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "A goal that aligns with mine, which means we will work together nicely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I require some time alone."
With that, Betrayer-Of-Kin turned and stalked away from the group of befuddled Admins.
She'd been hoping to keep up her facade for a little longer, but as long as Mable still believed Betrayer-Of-Kin was her Pokemon…well, suffice it to say there was more than a 30% chance that she'd wind up roping Betrayer-Of-Kin into an ill-advised battle that would result in pain or death. That was a chance Betrayer-Of-Kin did not wish to take.
That chance had now plummeted to 0.02%, and those timelines all involved Betrayer-Of-Kin making stupid decisions that she would now avoid. Interestingly, the action of breaking from her Trainer had also increased the chance of the Ultimate Weapon not firing to a 47.27% probability. Still irritatingly high, but an increase was an increase.
Betrayer-Of-Kin rounded a corner, still thinking to herself. It took two seconds before she realized that she was not in the Team Flare base anymore. Instead, she was now standing in the midst of an empty black void.
"The Perish Dimension," she observed.
"Indeed," said the Harbinger of Death. "Though I prefer to call it by its true name…Oblivion."
Betrayer-Of-Kin looked back at the Harbinger of Death, trying to keep a straight face while her heart hammered in her chest.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"As if you need to ask that," the Harbinger of Death rumbled. "Betrayer-Of-Kin, you have been quite helpful to my master. He has been most pleased with your work on his behalf."
"You're using Lysandre as a front," Betrayer-Of-Kin observed. She chuckled, partially as a way to alleviate her tension. "But…why go to all the trouble?"
"Oh, Betrayer-Of-Kin," said the Harbinger of Death. "If I were to simply do it myself, other Legendaries would fall upon me like…what is the human expression? 'A ton of bricks', I believe it is. But they won't see me. They will see Lysandre. And they will dismiss him as a human matter."
The Harbinger of Death grinned wickedly. "But…in order for my plan to work, the Ultimate Weapon needs to be fired. And I would greatly appreciate it if you allowed that to happen. I'm not asking you to manipulate the probability so that the Ultimate Weapon has a greater chance of firing. That's just not fun. But I am asking you to not decrease the chances of the Ultimate Weapon firing."
"You don't usually ask these things," said Betrayer-Of-Kin. "I know how you work. Why am I not a life-drained husk?"
"Because, as I said earlier, you have done my master many great services," said the Harbinger of Death. "And so he has warned me not to kill you unless I deem it absolutely necessary."
"Then…I see no reason to make it necessary," said Betrayer-Of-Kin.
"Excellent." The Harbinger of Death grinned. "I'll be off, then. Keep up the good work."
The Harbinger of Death disappeared. Oblivion faded, revealing the familiar metal hallways of the Team Flare underground base.
"Damn it…" Betrayer-Of-Kin hissed, but she knew the Harbinger of Death had her number. He was probably watching her closely, ready to pounce the instant she tried anything.
So she didn't.
There was one thing that was still bothering her, though, as she headed to a more private location. Lysandre hadn't been telling the full truth back in the chamber. There was something he was still keeping secret. She could tell. She'd seen plenty of beings, Pokemon and Trainers alike, lie before. She knew all the tells.
And, despite his job of capturing the Lifebringer supposedly done, the Harbinger of Death was still here.
What was Lysandre hiding? And how did it connect to the Harbinger of Death? Those questions danced in Betrayer-Of-Kin's mind as she strode down the hallways, feeling more uncomfortable than she'd felt in years.
And so the second meeting ended.
The third, and definitely most benign, of the meetings took place in Lumiose. Five Pokemon stood in a circle on a field of grass. Well…four Pokemon stood, while a fifth moved closer, and a sixth watched from afar.
"Medicham," Kriesh noted. Her eyes widened. "You look awful."
"I'm fine," said Medicham. "Just…still feeling it, I guess."
"It's all right," Kriesh said comfortingly. "I was just starting to say that we've got half a day until Marcus wakes up, and that it might be a good idea to spend that half a day training. But Medicham, if you want-"
"No," said Medicham. "You're right. Training's a good idea."
Kriesh nodded slowly. "If you're sure. Pair up. Medicham and Drapion; Shellder and Phantump."
"What about you?" Phantump asked.
"I've got something I need to think about," said Kriesh. "In private."
With that, the Fearow launched herself into the air, higher than they'd ever seen her fly.
"Huh," said Shellder. "Something on her mind?"
Medicham grunted, unable to get the things on her mind out of her mind, yet knowing she could not just tell them about it.
"Probably," said Medicham. "I'm not prying, though. Let's get to it."
Kriesh waited until she was high enough to be completely out of eyesight to anyone that wasn't looking straight up before she looked down. She spotted her quarry immediately, hidden from all but the keenest of eyes by his dark fur blending in with the shadows of the building he was hiding behind.
Kriesh dove, wings outstretched, aiming for a spot a few feet behind him. Not too close, but not too far away.
She could have landed softly and silently, but she chose to make noise as she landed so as not to startle him too badly. He was startled anyway; he twisted and very nearly spat a gout of flames, but managed to withhold it just in time.
"What do you want?" Houndoom asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," said Kriesh. "You keep watching us. You helped out against the Absol, so I know you're not here to hurt any of us. So I want to know what you want."
Houndoom let out an explosive, swift breath. "I was a Team Flare Pokemon," he said. "One of the stronger ones. I joined up because I wanted to get back at those who were better off than me. But I hated every second of it. When I tried to quit, though…" He sighed. "Point is, I couldn't. Until you and your Trainer came along."
"I thought you were throwing that fight," said Kriesh.
"Yeah," said Houndoom. "I played dead, then managed to escape once you left. And I was going to go back into the wild, make a new life there. But…the thing about being part of Team Flare is that other Pokemon know that. I was forced to leave the forest, and…"
"You started following Marcus," said Kriesh.
Houndoom nodded. "I…I don't know where else to turn," he growled. "But I can't just walk up and ask him after I was part of a group that tried to attack him."
"Houndoom," said Kriesh, "he accepted me on the team. And I tried to murder him." She saw Houndoom's expression twist into shock and sighed regretfully. "It was a stupid, stupid decsion. I was angry at him, I lost my temper…but the point is, he forgave me. So I highly doubt he'll turn you away just for being a former part of Team Flare."
"What about your friends?" Houndoom asked. "Last time I approached, they recognized who I was. They know about me, they'll just turn me away."
Kriesh smiled. "We'll solve that one right now." She raised her voice. "Medicham! Can you call the rest over here?"
Panic burst in Houndoom's eyes. "I need to-"
"No," said Kriesh forcefully. "You want to be on the team? You're going to have to confront them sooner or later."
"Kriesh?" Medicham asked, stepping around the corner with the rest of the team at her heels. "What is it - Houndoom?"
Houndoom turned to face Medicham, fear and determination battling back and forth in his eyes. "I…" He half-turned his head away, forcing the next words out of his jaws. "I want to be part of your team."
Medicham looked up at Kriesh in surprise. Kriesh nodded.
"All right," said Medicham. "We'll let Marcus know once he wakes up, but I think he'll be glad to have you."
"Wait, really?" Houndoom asked, biting back eagerness in favor of skepticism. "You're just…agreeing? Like that? After I was part of Team Flare?"
"I remember your fight with Kriesh," said Medicham. "You were throwing that fight, weren't you?"
Houndoom sighed. "Okay, apparently I was being really unsubtle there…"
"So yeah," said Medicham. "Unless any of you have any concerns."
Drapion shrugged. "If he's strong, good enough for me."
"No concerns here," said Shellder.
"I'm a her, not a him," said Phantump.
"How is that at all relevant to the conversation?" Medicham asked. "Look, Phantump…we'll just call you Phantump from now on. Not her, not him, just Phantump. Is that all right?"
"Sure," said Phantump. "And also, I'm fine with Houndoom. Just don't put me up against him, because he'd win every time."
"Then it's settled," said Medicham. "Welcome to the team, Houndoom."
"Thank you," Houndoom whispered, turning back to Kriesh as he said it. "I'll…"
"You'll be showing me how strong you actually are," said Kriesh. "Don't hold back this time, got it?"
"Okay," said Houndoom. "Dark Surge!"
Kriesh instantaneously had to leap backwards, augmented by Sky Impact, to avoid the surprisingly large wave of Dark energy that leaped out from Houndoom's body.
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh retorted, snapping into a battle mentality in an instant. Three rays leaped out of her beak towards Houndoom.
"Flame Storm!" Houndoom's retort was a burst of Fire energy from his mouth. The energy split as it left his jaws, forming into a dozen motes of flame. Against the storm, Kriesh's beams of Dark energy sputtered and dissipated, leaving several miniature fireballs arcing towards her.
"Beam Impact!" Kriesh opened wide and fired the beam of energy straight into the remaining fire motes, dispersing them and continuing on.
"Solar Surge!" Houndoom roared. Something flared on his neck as he opened his mouth and hurled a similar beam of energy at Kriesh, similar to what Ramos's Jumpluff had been using. The two beams slammed into one another and both held. It was instantly clear the attacks were of near-equal strength, for even though they strained and crackled they held firm, neither one giving an inch. Kriesh and Houndoom let out identical snarls as they pressed, unwilling to give in.
"Enough!" Medicham cried.
Houndoom and Kriesh both stopped, allowing the attacks to dissipate.
"That was impressive, but I'd rather not blind half of Lumiose," said Medicham, gesturing to the nearby Trainers, all of whom had paused in their walk to stare at the clash with hands shielding their eyes. "Houndoom, what is that thing on your neck?"
Houndoom looked down. "It's called a Power Herb," he said.
"Those are pretty rare," Kriesh observed. "Where did you get it?"
Houndoom scowled. "My Trainer…my former Trainer…gave it to me. Said it would strengthen my attacks."
"What's a Power Herb?" Shellder asked.
"It's…sort of like a one-use artificial aid," Kriesh explained. "It makes moves that would ordinarily use up a lot of stamina easier to use, but after using it, the energy expended requires the Power Herb to recharge for an hour. That's the only reason they're not banned in sanctioned battles."
"Is that a bad thing?" Houndoom asked.
"No, Trainers in high-level sanctioned battles often utilize items such as Power Herbs," said Kriesh. "But they're also used by Trainers who are…engaged in less savory actions to gain easy advantages against weaker Trainers. You can keep your Power Herb. In fact, I bet Marcus will be glad for you to have it."
Houndoom allowed a relieved smile.
"Let's get back to our regular Training," said Kriesh. "I'll keep working with Houndoom."
The rest of Marcus's team obediently turned and began heading back to the field. Kriesh and Houndoom followed further away. As they walked, Kriesh bent down to speak to Houndoom. "Now, that 'Flame Storm' thing. Let's start with that…"
And so the third meeting ended.
The fourth meeting took place in a different dimension altogether, between two Absols, speaking of the major events that had taken place in the past few days. In the wake of that meeting, word quickly spread across Kalos amongst a particular sect. Within the next hour, twenty-one Absols began to act, taking actions that seemed relatively benign. And yet within that hour, those twenty-one Absols changed the course of history.
It was late in the evening, late enough that the sky was lit up with the dull oranges of sunset and the moon could be seen near to the horizon. The rest of the team, including Houndoom, had turned in for the night; Marcus had still not woken up, so they were being taken care of by the Pokemon Center until he did.
Medicham, though, was still out.
She knew she should be asleep along with the rest of the team. But every time she thought about heading to the Pokemon Center, her mind flashed with images of Stinger, dodging every one of her moves with what seemed to be no effort while her body slowly tore itself apart from Stinger's poison.
Kriesh was right. If it hadn't been for Drapion, the entire team would be languishing in some faraway Team Flare prison, likely on their way to being sold or even forced to fight for Team Flare. And it would have been her fault. She'd convinced them to fight. Their captures, their fates, would have been on her head.
The thought of the team - her team - locked in cages, watching with terrified eyes as they were separated, taken by strange Trainers never to see each other again, forced her leg forwards. She began throwing punches and kicks at empty air, wreathing Fighting energy through her body, imagining that the air was Stinger. His buzzing echoed in her ears as she slammed his imaginary face with a punch, then landed two hits to his sternum. She spun, unleashing a brutal Fighting Trip that knocked him over, then fired a Psychic Blast at his downed form.
The wild scream she emitted brought her back to reality in time to see the tree in front of her cracked from her Psychic Blast. She stood there, breathing hard and fast.
"How am I supposed to be their leader if I can't even protect them?" she whispered.
Reluctantly, she turned and finally began ambling towards the Pokemon Center. Her eyes were drooping with exhaustion, and despite her mental turmoil she knew she would welcome sleep.
In the next moment, something slammed into her back.
Medicham fell, her forehead cracking against the ground as she landed hard. Something rammed down on the back of her head, pressing her face into the dirt. One of her arms was pinned underneath her body; the other was weighed down by something else before she could even twitch it. There were at least three of them that she could feel on her body or see out of the corners of her eyes..
"Quickly!" One of them spoke quietly and urgently. Medicham writhed desperately, knowing that whatever these mystery assailants wanted done quickly couldn't be good, but they had her completely pinned, and any noise she could make, any scream, any cry for help, was muffled by the earth that filled her mouth.
Something sharp touched the back of her skull, and darkness took her.
Funnily enough, this chapter started out as more of a breather after that two-parter.
Also, yes, I did reference Paldea even though Scarlet and Violet aren't out yet. I anticipate this fic will still be ongoing when they do release, and since Paldea is part of the Pokemon world, I decided that it didn't make much sense to not reference it, which also saves me the trouble of having to introduce the region as a brand-new thing further down the line. I'm pretty sure Geeta's the Champion of Paldea, but if she turns out not to be the Champion...well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.