Aldith, now adorned with a new, admin-class uniform, watched the news reports from a safe house in Jubilife City, a smirk playing on her lips. Seviper, larger and more vibrantly colored than ever after his supremely nutritious meal, coiled contentedly at her feet. She stroked his head, her fingers tracing the scales.

“They have no idea,” she murmured to her beloved partner. “They found her trinkets and think they’ve plumbed the depths of the horror. They have no concept of the truth. That their beloved champion spent her last week as a living, screaming soup inside you. That she fed your strength for the battles to come.” She leaned down, her voice a whisper. “And soon, my beauty, we’ll find you another special meal. That Kalosian actress, perhaps. Diantha. I hear she’s quite… tender.”

Seviper’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air, tasting the promise of more to come. The conquest of Sinnoh had begun not with a war, but with a silent, digesting gasp in a forgotten forest clearing. And the champion was gone, not with a bang, but with a gurgle.