Perturbed, if anything, was what the queen was feeling At the moment. The news her daughter delivered to her just days ago, was dreadfully unpleasant. Grayson was a friend of the family, and to think that something terrible nearly befell him was unbelievable. On that same note, hearing of Seth and his friends heroics made her thank her lucky stars that he was there.

This might just be my imagination, but it seems as though Seth makes an entrance each time trouble rears its ugly head... thought the queen, the memory of Seth leaping to her daughter's rescue still fresh in her memory, almost as if it were playing out in front of her again.

"Mother?" Allie called from across the dining room table.

It had been a few days since the incident, and she could see the worry etched on her mother's face. Maybe telling them wasn't the best idea? No. It was the right thing to do. The queen snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Allie.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, what was it you were saying?" she asked, taking a sip of her Razz Berry tea while her daughter laid out elaborate new plans for the competition.

"I was thinking that we ought to host a ball after our contestants have gathered four badges," Allie reiterated, biting into her toast.

Allie's mother tapped her chin in thought. Meanwhile, her father seemed on board, saying, "I think that sounds like a great idea. Might I ask your reason for this?"  he asked.

Allie smiled and gestured with her hand as she spoke. "The reason is simple father. I wish to see how each of them treats the date they will bring."

"A date?" her mother replied with a raised brow, somewhat surprised by this proposal.

"Yes, a date. While I would love to have all of their undivided attention, I cannot realistically duplicate myself. However, if they bring a date, I will be able to observe their interactions to gain a better understanding of their character while not in my presence."

"I see," her mother mused. "In essence, you are wishing to see if the respect they give you is any different than the respect they show to others?"

"Precisely! you see, mother, while we have forty eligible men out there, only the best will do. As it stands, I have thirty-eight more interactions to do before the competition is over. Seeing how they are around other women will give me better insight," Allie finished.

Stroking his chin, the king thought of his daughter's words and with a smile, he nodded in approval. His wife turned to him and smiled as well, a sign that she was on board as well.

"It sounds as though you put a great deal of thought into this. I must admit, we were a little worried when you requested a contest like this. But knowing that this is for you to determine who is best suited to have your affections, puts us more at ease. Therefore, we will make plans to host the ball a few months from now. My understanding is that most are moving towards their third badge already," the king replied with a grin.

"Oh thank you so much! I'm elated you both approve," Allie beamed happily.

"I do have one question, Allie. What will you be doing during that time?" asked the queen, earing an amused smile from her daughter.

"Well, if you must know," she trailed off, relaying her plans to her parents who couldn't help but laugh at what Allie was scheming.

"That actually sounds like fun!" her mother declared. "Would you like for me to assist you with that?"

"Oh by all means mother! I was about to suggest that very thing," Allie giggled.

The sound of clashing steel could be heard as Pawniard and Cerise squared off against each other while Seth watched. It had been a few days since he had acquired his second badge. Cerise barely swerved away from a forward thrust Shadow Claw and charged up a Brick Break, slashing diagonally towards Pawniard's head.

Sensing her strike, Pawniard jumped back and charged dark energy into the blades on his body. A light purple orb surrounded by black and purple rings formed and expanded before being launched at Cerise in an intense beam of chaotic energy. Knowing better than to take the blast head on, she arced her body away from the beam and let it explode behind her.

"Tres magnifique! M'lord, how long did you say this Pawniard has been with you?" Cerise inquired as she crossed blades with Pawniard again.

An amused smile crossed Seth's face as Cerise questioned him about Pawniard.

"He's been with me since I started at the academy. He was the first Pokémon I've ever worked with."

Cerise gender off a Psycho Cut shot her way and gave a reply mid-counter attack.

"If that is the case... and this one was with you four years," she paused, delivering an Iron Head to Pawniard's head blade, "then why is he not a Bisharp by now!?"

"Because I didn't get to train him full time until my senior year. He never really went home with me that often," Seth explained.

"Ah, I see. So his time with you was limited oui? that explains a lot," she replied, barely avoiding a Shadow Claw again.

The duel dragged on for a little longer until Seth cut their time short.

"Good work you two, but that's enough for today. Any longer and we'll end up tearing the route apart," Seth pointed out.

"Fair point," Cerise replied with a nervous laugh, her eye glancing back at the damage caused by the duel she and Pawniard had fought.

Sheathing herself, Cerise returned to Seth's side and hovered. Returning Pawniard, Seth hitched his partner to his belt and glanced around at his surroundings. He had told his friends that he'd go on ahead for some training and a little down time. Menhir Trail, though a quiet and tranquil place, had a mysterious air about it. Several towering stones jutted out of the ground like tombstones, but without any engravings. Seth could feel a strange energy pulsating from the stones themselves, something that intrigued him while not sitting well with him at the same time.

"Cerise," Seth began, reaching out to touch a nearby stone, "how long ago did you die?" a direct question, but Seth felt no harm in asking.

"Oh cher moi! It must have been at least five hundred years ago," Cerise mused, glancing curiously over at her trainer as he ran his hand along the surface of the stone.

"I see... if that's the case, what can you tell me about these stones?" Seth inquired, aura filling his eyes as he continued to brush the surface of the stone before him. "All I know about this place is that it's a graveyard for deceased Pokémon... but that's about it."

He could see a strange purple aura surrounding the stones around him. Though he knew better than to think that the stones were living, the energy they emitted definitely belonged to something that was living.

"Oui... m'lord, it is a graveyard. However the tale behind it isn't something for the faint of heart. Are you certain you wish to know?" Cerise asked earnestly, getting a nod from Seth in return. "Very well then. You see, three thousand years ago..."

"The Great Kalos War took place three-thousand years ago, resulting in the death of several thousand Pokémon," Felicity read aloud from her textbook.

Jamie let out a long whistle as she finished.

"I knew the Kalos War was bad, but that's just depressing," Jamie inputted.

Mrs. Rousseau drummed her fingers on her desk as she leaned back against it, facing the class.

"My sentiments exactly. Sadly, the story just gets more depressing as it goes on. Would you care to read the next paragraph, Jamie?"

Jamie nodded and proceeded to read on where Felicity left off.

"The war, though long and gruesome, was swiftly put to an end by what historians call the Ultimate Weapon, a destructive machine built by AZ, the residing king during the time of the war. Both sides of the war were completely wiped out by the Ultimate Weapon," Jamie finished, blinking at what he had just read. "Wait... something this... AZ built, killed off thousands of Pokémon and destroyed parts of Kalos in the process?"

"Sounds pretty ludicrous doesn't it?" Mrs. Rousseau began, tapping her chin in thought. "Believe it or not, and this might surprise you, but he did it for something he loved."

"Something he... loved? what could he have loved so much that it would make him blow everything to kingdom come?" Felicity inquired with a raised brow.

"A Floette?" Seth replied as Cerise spun her tale. "I see... so the loss of something precious, a friend no less, was the last straw that led to the demise of thousands of Pokémon lives... not counting the ones who had already perished."

"Oui... it is as I have said. I told you m'lord, this story is not an easy one to hear,"  Cerise sighed, hitching herself to Seth's back as he began to march towards Geosange Town.

"Well... it is said that you don't know love at all, until it makes you do something stupid," Seth added with a slight chuckle.

"I couldn't agree more, m'lord," chirped Cerise. "I take it we will rendezvous with the others in the next town?"

"Right. I told them to meet me in Geosange Town when they were ready. We'll take a break there. After that, it's off to the next city and the next badge," Seth added with a grin of excitement.

With eagerness in his stride, Seth marched towards Geosange Town, leaving the tombstones behind.