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The time had come...

The Semi-Final battle between Team Valiant and Team Phobia was about to begin. This was the battle that would determine whether or not they advanced to the tournament finals to gain the honour of battling Team Warmachine in the arena. They'd heard the whispers, even on their way to the battlefield -spectators who passed them in the hall, claiming Team Phobia could not be defeated by anyone; that they would just see another Team Phobia vs. Team Warmachine battle in the finals.

They both were eager to prove them wrong.

Luke and Volcan met their teammates at the corridor leading out to the arena, and together the six of them marched out, emerging from the shadows to the roar of the crowds as they stepped forth to the battlefield, with Luke in the lead of the team, all of them walking with confidence for the crowds to see as they stepped forth to meet their opponents.

At the other end, emerged their opponents. Team Phobia. Led by the Houndoom known as Romulus, with the familiar-looking Dusknoir and Gengar floating just above him, a Galvantula and Ariados at his sides, and a massive Drapion bringing up the rear of the group, stepping out in almost methodical formation as they approached the battlefield, the rest of the team stopping at the edge while Romulus stepped forward to the middle of the field to represent his team to Leon.

In turn, Luke stepped forward for his team, stepping up until he met the Houndoom in the center of the ring in the centre of the ring, looking at Romulus square in the eyes as Leon introduced them to the audience. From up close, Luke spotted the Houndoomite that Team Warmachine's medic had told them about; it was worn on a crossing harness, made of leather, and worn on Romulus' chest, almost like a Gladiator accessory, and the cold look in his eyes as he stared at Luke was enough to make even the Lucario feel a chill.

This Houndoom had the look of a cold-blooded killer -it would not be all that surprising if he had actually taken a life at some point in his life. Yet despite this external, stoic look, Luke could practically feel the anger radiating from him. It wasn't directed at Luke himself, but this caninesque Pokémon was full of rage. At what, even Lucario could not be sure, but an anger-fueled Dark/Fire-type was going to be problematic. Despite the shivers creeping up his back, Luke held a determined gaze in his eyes, having to clench his paws to keep him from physically shuddering as he met the gaze of Romulus, who was eyeing him like he was an insect to be stepped on.

"The Semi-final round will now begin!" Leon called. "Our returning runner-up champions four tournaments in a row, the terrifying warriors of fear, Team Phobia!" He then gestured to Luke. "And our hopeful champions who have performed admirably here in our contest, Team Valiant, the warriors of Azure! This is the match to see at this tournament, as these two teams collide for the right to challenge Team Warmachine for the champion title!"

Romulus snorted. "Another 'hopeful' indeed," he said to Luke; even his _voice_sounded cold, but it was his words that made the Lucario scowl.

Luke sighed. "What is it with you people and making such claims before the fight's even begun?" He asked. "Seriously, let's just enjoy the fight without any hard feelings. No need to sound so cold and uptight."

The Houndoom snorted again, before speaking. "I wish to make use of my two Powers of Choice."

"Very well," Leon began. "What will be your match choice?"

"Tag Team. Last Team Standing," he replied. Unlike Tag Team Elimination, winning pairs would be allowed to move on to fight the next pair of fighters as well, and if one of them should fall, the fallen team member could be swapped out with another at the end of the battle. The Houndoom intended to change up his strategies depending on the battles...

"And do you wish to use your second power to choose the first two challengers of your opponent's team?" Leon asked

"I do," he replied. "And I select the Samurott and the Talonflame."

"Interesting choices..." Luke commented, rubbing his chin. "I'd ask why, but I doubt you feel like talking too much."

Romulus made no reply, turning away from Luke and going to rejoin his team as Leon announced the first fighters of the match to the audience, which prompted Katsu and Eagle Eye, perched on the former's back, to make their way out. Luke sighed again, then turned around and headed back to his team, nodding to Eagle Eye and Katsu as they passed him. "Good luck you two."

"They're gonna need the luck." Eagle Eye commented in his usual cocky manner as he rode on the back of Katsu out to the battlefield.

Volcan studied the start of the battle, looking at Luke as he returned. "I guess my thoughts about them going for our Dark-types first were unfounded," he said. "Instead they're going for our air support and tank first."

"A curious choice indeed...but as the saying goes, no battle plan ever survives first-contact with the enemy." Luke stated. "Eagle Eye and Katsu have worked together before. They know how to work as a unit."

"Let's see what our foes pick, then," said Volcan.

As they waited, and Romulus reached his team, the Galvantula and Dusknoir began to advance, taking to the field and heading for their designated position. The sight of this made Volcan narrow his eyes. "Using the Galvantula against Katsu, I can see... but when he's paired up with Eagle Eye? That doesn't make sense, even type-advantage wise. Eagle Eye has two advantages over that Galvantula's one."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "...it's not for Eagle Eye." He stated, shifting his gaze to the Samurott. "I think they plan to double team Katsu."

"I don't know..." Volcan rubbed his chin in thought. "Something doesn't seem right... even tag-teaming Katsu, Eagle Eye's capable of dealing damage to both of them -it'd be foolish to take their attention off of him. These guys might be a tad arrogant but they'd be foolish to disregard him."

"We'll have to wait and see," Luke returned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"The first battle!" Leon began. "The invulnerable titan of the shadows, Revane, and the lightning-fast arachnid, Voltner! Versus team Valiant's very own armoured warrior, Katsumoto, and the swift raptor of fire, Eagle Eye!" He raised his flipper over his head. "Get ready...!" He declared.

The Dusknoir, Revane, raised his massive hands as a low hum emitted from him, his eye fixed upon the two in front of them, while Voltner lowered himself down a little on his legs, ready to move at a second's notice. Katsu reared up on his hind legs, quickly drawing his Seamitars and taking his stance, whereas Eagle Eye flapped his wings and leaned forward, ready to take off at any moment's notice.

"BEGIN!" Leon bellowed.

Revane thrust his hand forward, and immediately cast Gravity on Katsu and Eagle Eye; the instant the Talonflame tried to take off, he suddenly felt as though he had just gained a hundred pounds, the same kind of burden falling upon Katsumoto as well, though he was more than strong enough to deal with it. The Dusknoir had already planned this move out, and apparently so had the Galvantula, because the moment Gravity took effect, Voltner unleashed a Thunder Wave at the two, sending the paralyzing static bolts arcing towards them.

"Oh shit!!" Eagle Eye said as he found himself too heavy to even lift off. Katsu growled as he felt his body weigh even more than normal, forcing him back down to all fours. They both saw the Thunder Wave coming and flinched, but Katsu managed to throw Eagle Eye off of him before the attack hit, leaving the Samurott to take the attack himself. He felt the static electricity course over his whole body, and shock him again when he tried to move his legs until the wave finally ended, leaving Katsu paralyzed and vulnerable.

When Katsu was under the effects of paralysis, the Dusknoir turned his focus entirely on him, while the Galvantula raced after Eagle Eye, aiming to nab him before he could recover from being tossed off of Katsu. Meanwhile, the Dusknoir cast Hex upon Katsu, amplifying the grip of paralysis and filling him with searing pain. Volcan jolted with realization, eyes going wide as he suddenly realized the reason for Team Phobia's choice.

"No... now I know what they're doing!" He exclaimed. "They picked those two to take away our speed advantage with Gravity and Thunderwave, and then use Hex to beat them before they can even fight back!"

"No, no! Damnit!" Luke growled. "After all that preparation!"

"We never even considered this!" Volcan stated, cursing.

Voltner raced towards Eagle Eye, crossing the ground as swift as the wind and lunging at the Talonflame with his pedipalps raised to grab him, mandibles ready to bite him with Leech Life when he got his grip on the bird Pokémon.

"Fuck off!" Eagle Eye hollered, trying to scramble away and firing off a stream of rapid fire Embers in a wide swath like he would during a strafing run, but the spider dodged them all, weaving side-to-side to evade them.

At that same second though, when he moved, Eagle Eye also became aware that his weight had returned to normal; Revane, focused entirely on the paralyzed and helpless Katsumoto, could not focus on two targets simultaneously, resorting instead to continuously hexing the Samurott while he was unable to fight back.

"Just hold on fer a bit big guy..." He said, then looked back down to the Galvantula and began a sweep, this time discharging a few Fire Blasts as he made his pass over Voltner.

Volcan looked up at Eagle Eye in disbelief. "What is he doing?! He needs to free Katsu!" He exclaimed, knowing that the Samurott was the only one strong enough to have a chance at beating the nearly invulnerable Dusknoir.

The spider strafed to the side, avoiding the first Fire Blast, but the second came close enough to force him to retreat to avoid it and several others; the spiders retaliated by firing several String Shots at Eagle Eye, aiming for his wings to try and gum them up or force him to keep his distance, therefore leaving him unable to help Katsu. But Eagle Eye wasn't going to let that happen; he flew higher into the skies, and then performed another Koiogran Turn, dive-bombing back towards the ground at breakneck speed, pulling up just in time and dodging one of Voltner's webs as he made a beeling straight for Revane.

With his path clear, Eagle Eye unleashed his most powerful attack; Flare Blitz, hoping to hit him hard enough to cause the Dusknoir to lose his focus on both the Hex and the Gravity he inflicted upon his Samurott ally. His plan worked; though how much damage was done to Revane was uncertain, his focus was shattered, and just as quickly as it started, the crushing grip of an amplified Paralysis left Katsu, and though still suffering from some mild paralysis, he could at least move again.

Volcan breathed a sigh of relief. "He knew what he was doing after all," he said as he took note of Eagle Eye's strategy; getting past Voltner so that the spider could not stop him from saving Katsu.

Feeling the effects lessen on him, Katsu seized his opportunity and fired a powerful Hydro Pump from his mouth right at the Dusknoir's face. He then managed to rear up on his hind legs and charge for Revane, slashing at him multiple times with Razor Shells. At the same time, Eagle Eye got out of the way of Katsu's onslaught, flying a bit shakily, but still able to stay in the air as he took to the skies and assisted Katsu with multiple Fire Blast flybys. He also kept his sharp eyes on the Galvantula, shooting off occasional Embers to keep him at bay. He was right in doing so; Voltner was trying to regroup with his teammate, but in order to avoid damage he was forced to constantly retreat from the embers flung by Eagle Eye, until he eventually called out to his teammate.

"Revane; over here!"

The Dusknoir, warding off a few more attacks from Katsu, then retreated from him; the Samurott tried to pursue, but the paralysis hindered him, and then the Ghost-type dropped to the ground, melting into his shadow and zipping underneath the Samurott, emerging by the side of his ally once more.

Eagle Eye also flew back down to Katsu, landing on the spear of his shellmet and looked down at him. "You holding up ok?" He asked.

"I'll survive..." Katsu said in between pants. "We must change our plans. Now that we know about their abilities, we have to ensure that doesn't happen again."

"Got a plan?" Eagle Eye asked.

"I'm... working on it..." He replied.

"Feel the torrents of terror!" Revane bellowed as he raised his hands high. The very sky seemed to darken above as a frigid gale, cold as death but not of ice-type origin, swept over the battlefield.

Beyond sending a chill over Katsu and Eagle Eye, the attack wasn't that powerful, causing them only mild force and pushing them back while stinging their flesh a little. But it was what happened after that truly haunted them. The Dusknoir, following the use of this attack, actually seemed to become larger, his arms and body expanding ever-so-slightly that to the untrained eye, it might have been missed.

"...What the hell did he just do?" Volcan asked, rubbing his arms from the cold. "Because unless I imagined it, he just got bigger, and probably stronger too."

Luke shivered a bit, "For some reason...I'm feeling an ominous aura from that Dusknoir...even more than when I first saw him." Luke clenched his paw, beginning to understand why this team was so feared. Just the first round between the two teams, and they had Katsu and Eagle Eye seemingly at their mercy, and all the while Revane was making himself stronger while the battle carried on. Even Luke was starting to feel afraid, questioning their chances against Team Phobia.

"You guys are doomed now!" Voltner chortled before he sprang up into the air, spinning some spider silk from his abdomen, using his legs to rapidly weave it into a huge net of web that he proceeded to fling at the two, all the while the Dusknoir melted back into his shadow as the Electroweb fell towards them.

Eagle Eye took flight again, using Flame Charge to get out of the way of the web, as Katsu also used Aqua Jet to do the same, narrowly evading the web before it stuck to the ground where they had been, sparking with electricity. But Katsu was not out of danger yet; Voltner chased after him, once more leaping up into the air and forming a sphere of energy between the tips of his legs, charging it into a full-sized Electro Ball that he fired at Katsu. The Samurott tried to move, but felt the grip of paralysis halt him in his tracks; he took the Electro Ball directly and was blown off of his feet, while Voltner, after landing back down on the ground, made a beeline straight for the helpless Samurott.

"I've got you now!" He chattered excitedly as he charged and pounced, fangs glowing with the green light of Leech Life as he fell towards him.

"Oh no you don't!" Eagle Eye cried in protest as he appeared at Voltner's side in the midst of another flame charge, slamming directly into the spider and carrying him through the air. "Burn spider, burn!" He chimed in singsong voice before banking sharply and throwing Voltner through the air, dropping him onto the ground outside of the fighting arena.

"Out of bounds!" Leon called. "Voltner is out!"

"YEEE-HAAWW!!" Eagle Eye hollered as he performed some Aerial acrobatics. "One down!!"

"They got one," Volcan said, giving off a relieved sigh. "But where'd Revane go?" He shuddered. "I hate when Ghost-types pull that disappearing shit..."

"They better keep their guards up. Especially Eagle Eye..." Luke returned, trying to search for any sign of the Dusknoir.

But much to Luke's horror, he couldn't see Revane anywhere. "Wait, where did he go?!" He demanded.

As Eagle Eye passed near Katsumoto again, a hand exploded from the ground below and snatched him out of midair, closing around him and forcing his wings shut, and less than a second after, a second hand exploded underneath Katsu and seized him as well, both of the hands clearly belonging to Revane, but were disproportionately massive, as they always became when a Dusknoir used Bind. With the two of them in his grasp, Revane rose from below the ground, clenching his hands around them with suffocating force.

They both cried out as they were crushed, Eagle Eye having no chance to escape and was ko'ed instantly, while Katsu put up a struggle, but his paralysis prevented him from using his full strength and was quickly fading. "D-damnit...! Forgive us...Luke.." He whispered.

Sensing Eagle Eye was already unconscious, Revane dropped the Talonflame, and tossed Katsu into the air above him before clapping his massive hands onto the Samurott from both sides, a sonic boom erupting as the two palms slammed into him, holding him there for a moment before he opened his hands and let Katsu fall to the ground...

Luke had a horrified look in his eyes when he saw his teammates on the ground, unmoving. "Katsumoto!! Eagle Eye!" He hollered, resisting the urge to rush out and aid his fallen comrades.

Leon approached the two of them, checking them as the Dusknoir levitated backward to give him room. He did not need to check long before holding up his flippers. "It's over!" He called. "Katsu and Eagle Eye are down; the match goes to Revane!"

With the match deemed finished, the rest of the team could run to their allies. They all dashed up and went to check on their comrades, ensuring they were both still breathing before they hurriedly sought to get them medical attention; Volcan and Hank dragged Katsu off the battlefield while Kage carried Eagle Eye, and both were brought to Mikhail, who immediately began to examine them and apply Healing Pulse to ease their pain.

Luke then glared back at the Dusknoir, blown away by what Revane had done to his friends.. "...He could have _killed_them with that kind of force!" He growled.

"That son of a bitch!" Volcan growled. "He could've settled with just throwing them out but instead he nearly crushes them!" His wrists ignited as he clenched his fists tightly. "That bastard is going down...! So help me, he's going down!"

Luke looked to Hank and Kage, the former punching his claws together. "I'm ready for a fucking throw down if you are..." He growled.

The next ones to step onto the field were the Drapion on Ariados, at the sight of them, Volcan's crests twitched as he perked up, and then had a diabolical smile on his face. "Guys; I have an idea," he said. "Let's all go stand over by Katsu, like he said something just now and we're going to check him."

"You have a plan?" Luke asked.

"A very underhanded and devious one, just like what Revane did to our friends," Volcan replied, grinning at the Lucario.

Hank shared the grin. "I like where this is going..." he said as he and the rest of the team went to crowd around the fallen Samurott.

Volcan deliberately knelt himself down by Hank as he carried on. "Now," he continued. "On the count of three, I'm going to move in front of you. Soon as I do, put an illusion around us; make me look like you and vice versa, then you move right to where I am now.."

"I really like where this is going." Hank returned. "Aight, I'll follow yer lead."

"...What are you planning Volcan?" Luke asked, tilting his head up at him curiously.

"Those asshole pulled a fast one on us with that cheap use of choice, and that attack from below by Revane" the Blaziken stated, keeping his eyes on the Drapion and Ariados. "Now it's time we return the favor, with a little bit of loophole exploitation of our own."

"Just stay focused on the objective..." Kage warned. "Do not let your personal feelings blind you from your strategy..."

"Trust me," Volcan replied plainly to the Greninja, before he began counting down. "Three... two... one... Now!" He shuffled to the side as Hank moved back behind him, keeping low behind the fallen Samurott. Right as Volcan got into position, Hank worked his magic and cast an illusion, making Volcan look like himself and vice versa, even to the others. Were it not for Hank's voice coming out of 'Volcan's' beak, even they would not have seen the difference.

"Done." Hank whispered.

"Now," Volcan began. "Luke, we need you to be the one to take on that Drapion. But I'll step up with you, disguised as Hank; the two of us will fight this round." He looked at Kage and Hank. "We'll keep these two aside so that we have them for the Ghost -types; we can't lose them now or we won't have a chance. We can't make one mistake against these guys."

"Ho-ho-ho that is one sly plan!" Hank hissed excitedly.

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble for that?" Mikhail asked.

"The rules say we can't enter an unregistered team member in one of our battles," Volcan explained. "They don't say anything about one team member entering disguised as another one, as long as both are registered team members. There's also nothing about a Zoroark not being able to use their powers of illusion for just such a purpose, so as long as we're still obeying the rules of the contest we cannot get in trouble for it." He grinned widely. "It's all about finding a loophole in the rules, and there is always one."

Luke chuckled. "Honestly if we weren't in a heated contest right now, I'd kiss you." Luke remarked. "I couldn't have made a better strategy even if I tried."

"Necessity is the mother of invention," Volcan stated. "But one dirty trick deserves another too. Now, let's go."

Rising up from behind Katsu, they headed to the field, crossing over to their starting position, while Volcan, hidden behind the face of Hank, whispered to Luke the rest of his plan. "Even if one of the Ghosts see through this illusion, calling out warnings or advising your allies mid-battle is considered outside help, which is also prohibited. So, even if Phanto or Revane see what I really am, they can't do shit about it once the battle starts."

Luke nodded back to Volcan. "Remind me to treat you to a huge dinner when this is all over." Luke said with a chuckle.

"Unless Sickle treats you first," Volcan returned, sharing in the light-hearted laughter.

"We'll see." Luke returned as they approached their opponents.

Leon was eyeing the two suspiciously, as though on to them, but if he was, he was saying nothing about it, and instead began to announce. "The next round will now begin!" He called. "For Team Phobia, the toxic juggernaut, Hook, and the trap-mistress, Zofia!"

"Oh, the Ariados is female," Volcan muttered.

"You're not comfortable with fighting a woman?" Luke asked.

"Not so much that; just don't like being the one to strike them first," he said. "They hit me, it's fair game, though. But with this one I don't think I want to just stand here and take a punch."

"I was going to say. This is a tournament, so it's free game really." Luke replied. "That said, I'm averse to striking women as well, but in a competition, it's a bit different."

"Well... like you said, it's a competition," returned Volcan, doing his best to mimic Hank's stance, having seen it it when they had been training the night before, to add to the disguise.

Luke also took his stance, eyeing both Zofia and Hook carefully as they waited for Leon to give the signal. The Empoleon had his flipper raised, just about to start the match. Behind Hook and Zofia, Luke noticed Phanto, way at the other end of the field, suddenly tense up as his eyes fell upon Volcan. He turned and ran over to Romulus, whispering a warning in his ear. The Houndoom did not look pleased by what he heard, and stood up from his relaxed position, ready to call out, but it was too late.

"BEGIN!" Leon called.

"Here I go!" Volcan called, charging at Zofia and performing a swipe with his disguised claws, imitating a slash.

In return, Hook tried to go after him, but Luke intercepted him with Extreme Speed, bringing out his Bone Rush and smacking him clean across his face. "Not so fast." He said to Hook. "You're fighting me!"

The Drapion hissed angrily, lunging at Luke and swinging one of his massive limbs at the Lucario in a backhand strike. Luke ducked under the attack, retaliating with two jabs with his weapon, then a sweep at his legs before he leapt up and smacked his face one more time before landing. With the onslaught of attacks, the Drapion was severely dazed, but it would appear he was a rather solid Pokémon himself, as despite the barrage he had endured, he stayed on his feet and shook off the daze, glaring at Luke.

"Take this!" He aimed with both of his arms at Luke, the pincer-like claws at the ends glowing brightly before they changed shape, becoming straighter, and fired at Luke in a rapid barrage; though there was only four claws, somehow the Pin Missile had conjured at least a dozen projectiles, all of which flew at Luke from multiple directions.

"Hah! Is that the best you can do?" He called out, then began spinning his Bone in front of him and deflecting the shots that came right for him, making small movements to adjust the direction of his bone so that none of the missiles got through. "My turn." He stated, then he used Extreme Speed once more, closing the gap and striking Hook from multiple directions with his bone all while moving lightning fast.

Hook put up his arms defensively this time, blocking Luke's attacks, until he suddenly ducked down as Luke used a horizontal swing, and his tail whipped over his head at lightning speed, striking Luke in the chest with a Fell Stinger. More surprising than painful as the move was actually quite weak on its own, he then lashed out with his clawed arms and seized Luke by the legs with his pincers lifting him up and throwing him across the field with an angry bellow.

Luke let out a yelp when he was thrown, thankfully correcting himself and using a Force Palm behind him, letting the kick back from it slow his momentum enough to land within bounds of the arena. He then turned back to Hook, narrowing his eyes as he planned out his next attack strategy.

Meanwhile, Volcan's battle with Zofia raged on; the disguised Blaziken, under the visage of a Zoroark, was focused on dodging the strings of web fired by the Ariados, attempting to slow him down, but by watching her carefully, Volcan was able to keep ahead of her attempts to entrap him in webbing, eventually firing off a Flamethrower at her, which she dodged.

"How does a Zoroark use flamethrower?" She asked.

"Technical Machine," Volcan returned, making his voice sound as much like Hank's as possible.

"Fair enough, but I've got something for that too," she returned, before her body darkened and she suddenly melted into her shadow, vanishing from sight.

"Uh oh," Volcan muttered, watching for her shadow, but it had disappeared. He looked all around, but couldn't find her anywhere, though made sure he knew where the edge of the battlefield was so that if she ambushed him, she wouldn't ring him out.

Her shadow reappeared behind him as she erupted from the ground, jumping onto his back. "Got you now!" She jeered, before opening her mandibles wide and biting him on the shoulder with Bug Bite; an attack that, if it had landed on Hank, would hurt severely...

Of course, if it actually _was_Hank.

When she noticed Volcan did little more than cringe, her glassy eyes narrowed, only to widen again as the illusion fell, and the Blaziken was revealed just as he looked over his shoulder and grinned at her. "Surprise, spider-lady," he said in a sinister tone before he reached over with his other arm, seizing her just as she tried to pull away and yanking her off of his back before proceeded to throw her out of the arena before she could react.

"Ring out!" Leon called, after a brief hesitation after witnessing the turn of events.

Volcan turned, seeing Luke and Hook still going at it, and so began to sprint towards the Drapion, not noticing Leon calling out. Seeing an opportunity, Volcan strode forward into a Flame Charge as he barked out an insult to the ogre-scorpion to direct his attention to himself; Hook turned, spotting the Blaziken, his expression turning to one of shock as Volcan lunged at him and slammed, elbow-first, headlong into his face, making him reel backwards in pain and leaving him wide-open for Luke to strike. Luke took his chance, dashing to the dazed Drapion and unleashing an unrelenting combo with his weapon, striking him all from the front, to his sides, to his back, working his way back to the Drapion's front again before backing off.

Hook reeled, growling and hissing in fury as his body alit with pain all over himself, unable to focus through all of the agony. While trying to clear the stars from his eyes, Volcan jumped over Hook and landed at Luke's side, both of his fists igniting for a fire punch as the Blaziken looked at Luke with a wide smile.

"Double-punch?" he asked.

Luke dismissed his Bone Rush, and ignited his right paw with Aura power as his gaze met Volcan's, returning his smile. "Absolutely."

They lunged forth; Hook finally cleared his eyes just in time to see them coming but it was far too late for him to react as Volcan delivered a blazing uppercut and Luke a mighty Force Palm directly into Hook's solar plexus, the combined force of the two attacks launching the Drapion across the battlefield in a wide arc before he struck the ground like a falling boulder, leaving an impression of himself in the sand as he landed, and did not move again.

Leon watched, waiting for Hook to move again, and when he didn't, he held up his flipper to call the match. "Knock-out! Winner, Team Valiant's Luke and Ha... Volcan!"

"Boom!" Volcan exclaimed.

"That's how it's done!" Luke added, turning to Volcan and holding his paw up for a high five, which the Blaziken happily returned, the two of them laughing excitedly.

"Hold it!" Romulus' voice boomed through the colosseum, and the two celebrating teammates turned to see the Houndoom running over to Leon. "That can't be allowed; you announced their Zoroark had entered the battle, not the Blaziken!"

Leon glanced over at Romulus. "Your point?"

"My point is you announced the wrong fighter!" Romulus returned.

"There is no rule about using illusions to fake which among your team is in the battle," Leon returned. "So long as the disguised fighter is still a registered combatant with that team and not someone from an outside source, there is no foul."

"That's a load of crap and you know it!" Romulus retorted. "Faking an entry counts as switching out mid-battle! They should be penalized!"

"If I penalized them for using one of their teammates abilities prior to the battle," the Empoleon returned, stepping up to Romulus and glaring right into his eyes. "Maybe I should penalize _you_for Revane using his ability to move through solid objects to ambush his opponents from below?"

"There is no rule against tha..." Romulus paused, and growled as he realized he had just backed himself into a corner.

"Or, what about penalizing you for letting Phanto scare all of your competition prior to fighting them?" Leon pressed further, boldly getting into Romulus' face as he pressed him further.

"You're invading my space, Empoleon," Romulus growled in warning. "And for your information, I never consented to Phanto doing that."

"The number of complaints on the list I received from Kaen will suggest you didn't exactly try to stop him either," retorted Leon.

Romulus was about to continue, but then Torolf's booming voice filled the arena. "Team Valiant's use of illusion to fool Team Phobia is not listed as an illegal move!" He called. "As long as the disguised fighter is still a combatant registered to Team Valiant, the use of a Zoroark's illusion power is not prohibited, anymore than the use of Ghost-type's phase-shifting is! If anything, Team Warmachine applauds the use of an unconventional tactic -one we rarely see in this contest! Now, Romulus, return to your position; you will hold up this competition no further!"

Onlookers could see that Romulus was infuriated, and no doubt a little embarrassed when the audience began booing him for causing a delay. Luke couldn't help but smirk over at the fuming Houndoom, having lost the earlier chill he'd received from watching Revane now that the tides had turned on the Houndoom's attemps to sabotage them. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and spoke to Romulus as he stormed past. "That was rather unbecoming of you to accuse us like that." Luke spoke. "Don't tell me you're actually afraid, Romulus."

The Houndoom wheeled about and glared at Luke, snarling through bared fangs a smoke gushed from his nostrils, along with between his teeth too. "When I step into this ring with you, little worm, I'll show you what real fear is!" And with that he whipped around on his feet, making his way back to his teammates once more, his footsteps hard and leaving deep impressions in the sand.

Volcan grinned. "We got him mad. Good," he said. "It'll make him tougher but he won't be thinking clearly from here on; it'll make his moves reckless."

Luke however, lost his smirk and had a more serious look in his eyes, watching the Houndoom leave the arena to rejoin his team. "....You have no idea what real fear is..." Luke whispered, almost sounding melancholic for a moment.

"What's that?" Volcan asked, looking down at Luke; he was still smiling until he saw the look on Luke's face, causing the smirk to leave his features. "Hey... you okay?"

"Yea, I'm alright." Luke returned. "Cmon, let's rejoin the others and plan our strategy from there."

Volcan nodded in agreement, and joined him as they headed back to the rest of the team. Up in the stands, the two of them also heard some cheering from Sickle's team; they couldn't he what he was saying but the Grovyle and Blastoise were as excited as the rest of the audience -except Howler who remained as stoic as Kage, but even he was showing admiration for Team Valiant's efforts.

Volcan chuckled. "Even Sickle's having a blast and he's not even fighting."

"I guess we're putting on quite a show." Luke commented, his smile returning as he looked up to Sickle and gave him a casual salute.

Meanwhile, Hank and Kage, and a now-awakened Katsumoto sitting propped up by Mikhail, were cheering on their teammates as they returned -except of course for Kage who remained his usual, silent, expressionless self. Hank, on the other hand, hopped up and noogied Volcan gently as he laughed like a drunk Mighyena. "Like fucking clockwork! They didn't even know what hit em! Literally!!" He exclaimed.

"...Well done." Was all Kage said, however he did give Volcan a small nod in acknowledgement. Then he said something no one expected. "That was a well conceived plan."

Luke, Katsu and Hank froze when those words left the Greninjas mouth, staying silent for a while before Katsu spoke up, looking to Volcan. "It seems you've finally earned Kage's respect Volcan." He stated.

"Yea. Ol Froggie there never_compliments anyone...like..._ever!" Hank exclaimed.

Volcan was greatly moved by how the team was praising him. Since the beginning, all he wanted more than anything was to earn their trust and respect, to be a full member of their team, and it seemed he had achieved it; even the once distrustful Greninja was accepting him. But, they weren't done yet; collecting himself, his tone grew serious again. "We should save the praises for later," he said. "We're not done yet. We knocked out Hook, but because I only ringed-out Zofia, she'll be allowed to rejoin in order to keep the team counts to an even number."

"What about Voltner?" Katsu asked. "Eagle Eye only ringed him out as well; wouldn't that still leave them at five?"

"Voltner was knocked out when Eagle launched slammed into him; we won't see him or Hook again, so we've evened the count," replied Volcan, turning his gaze to the Dusknoir still hovering among the rest of Team Phobia. "But that guy is our priority target. As long as he remains active, we can't win; we have to take him out."

"Agreed." Luke concurred. "Kage and Hank would be best suited in striking him down... but what also concerns me is who they'll send out to back him up." Luke stated.

"If we use both our Dark-types, Romulus will want to use Zofia to try and take them down with her Bug-typing; he won't risk sending two Ghost-types against two Dark-types, unless we rattled him more than we thought," Volcan rubbed his chin in thought. "Either way, unless Romulus himself takes the field, Hank and Kage can get this."

"Heh, yea! We got this!" Hank said, pumping his claws confidently. "Right Froggie?" Kage stayed silent, not even earning so much a whisper to Hank, making him frown. "Man you're no fun..."

Surely enough, Revane was taking the field again, and was accompanied by Zofia. Just as Hank and Kage moved to head out to the battlefield, Volcan gently grasped Hank's shoulder and whispered to him. "When I used Flamethrower before, she didn't think a Zoroark could learn it," he explained. "So when I revealed myself she probably thinks it was a lie when I told her I learned it through a technical machine; use that to catch her off guard with your own Flamethrower."

"Will do." Hank returned, nodding in thanks to Volcan before he and Kage both stepped out into the arena to meet with their opponents. Hank looked to the Greninja. "Let's try and knock em both out, whaddya say?" He asked.

"...That is the plan..." Kage returned, plainly, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he watched their opponents take the field, and he shifted to his battle stance.

Leon made the announcement as before. As he introduced the fighters, Hank noticed the Ariados was eyeing him suspiciously; she probably was wondering if he was actually the real thing this time, or just Volcan in disguise again. Volcan's earlier trickery had made her alert and mindful of other possible trickery. Revane, however remained stoic -assuming they had any means of showing expression in the first place, and said nothing, that single eye of his peering out at them from inside of his smiley-faced helmet.

Kage matched his gaze with that of Revane, his arms still crossed in front of his chest as he sized him up and thought out possible methods to take him down, either by himself, or with Hank's help. The Zoroark grinned when he saw how anxious the Ariados looked, limbering up a bit and actually keeping his mouth shut, most likely to add to her suspicion and anxiety as he took his stance. If she suspected he was Volcan, she wouldn't use her Bug-type moves until she knew otherwise, and by then it would be too late.

"BEGIN!" Leon called.

Revane opened with the Ominous Wind attack he used before, casting that frigid gale over the battlefield to strike both Kage and Hank simultaneously, while Zofia fired a flurry of Poison Sting needles at them; if they were to be poisoned, there was little doubt Revane would switch to using Hex on them; the strategy between the two was clear.

With both of them powering through the wind attack, Kage lunged out of the way of the poison stings while Hank leapt over them, flipping a few times before he landed. He spotted Zofia rushing at him upon his landing, and then fired off a Flamethrower to try and catch her off guard. As Hank let loose his swath of flames, Kage lunged at Zofia from the flank, drawing his blade and surprising her with a light Cut attack, aimed at her side before he retreated out of the way of the oncoming flames.

"Agh!" She cried, narrowly dodging Kage before retreating back several steps, her eyes still on Hank. "It is that damn Blaziken again! Take him down!" The trick was working; she thought Hank was Volcan in disguise again.

Revane switched his attention to Hank, and drew back his fist as it ignited with ghostly dark energy for a Shadow Punch. With that, he flew over the battlefield, heading right for Hank; the attack wouldn't be very effective even if it landed on the Zoroark, but Revane didn't know that -he evidently could not see through illusions like Phanto could. Volcan's little trick was still working.

'Fucking A,' Hank thought, pleased that their deception was still in play, and dodged Revane's Shadow Punch.

In attacking Hank, Revane had left himself wide open; Kage ambushed him from the side, striking him with a Night Slash that opened black laceration in his body, though it quickly disappeared, it clearly had still hurt him. Revane turned on him next, this time attacking with a Thunderpunch. It landed only a glancing blow, but thanks to Kage's type-shift, it was no longer super effective against him, allowing him to shrug it off. Meanwhile, Zofia went right for Hank, firing strings at him in rapid succession, trying to immobilize him.

Hank kept using his flamethrower to burn the strings away before they could even reach him, then when they ceased, he lunged forward and began swiping at the Ariados with his claws in rapid succession, then went for yet another flamethrower attack to end his combo. Each time, she retreated, narrowly dodging his attacks, but was quickly tiring out. After dodging his combo for the third time, she sprang into the, glaring intensely at Hank before, still believing him to be Volcan in disguise. A violet aura formed around her as she attacked with Psychic, blasting him with full force... only to find the attack literally do nothing to Hank.

She landed, staring up at him in horror as Hank loomed over her with a devious grin on his face. "You're the real one..." She whispered, visibly intimidated as she realized she had been fighting a real Zoroark the whole time, and her hesitation would prove costly.

"Damn straight I'm real." He said, then he lunged at her, pinning her to the ground and glaring into her eyes. "Enjoy yer beauty rest." He said ominously, and then his eyes flashed yellow as he cast an illusion over her. To Zofia, the air around her started to distort, and Hank started to grow in size until he was hundreds of feet taller than her, then the Zoroark grinned as he stomped down on her with his massive foot, like someone killing an unwanted pest.

Even though it was not real, she still panicked, screaming in horror and began to run frantically around the battlefield, eventually running out of the ring, past Romulus and Phanto and fleeing down the hallway, ignoring them when they called after her.

"Second ring out!" Leon called. "Zofia is out of the tournament!"

Hank stood up and grinned, clapping his claws as if cleaning them from dust. "That's one down." He said, then looked over to see how Kage was handling himself against Revane. "And one titantic-sized ghost to go."

Much to his shock, the Greninja was actually at a disadvantage; because of the wide reach of his arms, Revane was keeping Kage confined to a limited area of combat, swinging at him with Thunderpunch or making grabs for him with Bind every time he tried to maneuver around him, leaving Kage no time to use a substitute, and the Greninja no doubt knew the instant he tried to jump, Revane would just snatch him out of the air with Gravity and finish him off. And Kage was getting pushed _dangerously_close to the edge...

"Looks like I gotta bail him out again," stated Hank. He then held his claws out and formed a Shadow Ball in them, thrusting his paws forward and shooting it right at the Dusknoir from his flank.

His attack choice was perfect; the Dusknoir let out a loud groan from the impact, having not been ready for it, and his wince allowed Kage to finally move in, lashing out with another Night Slash, then he weaved a sign and disappeared into his own shadow with Shadow Sneak, moving behind Revane, shooting up from his shadow and fired a searing hot Scald attack before retreating next to Hank.

"That's three you owe me." Hank commented.

"...We're keeping score now...?" Kage asked lowly.

Hank shrugged. "Eh, not literally."

"Because if we are, I'd say you owe me two more..." Kage added.

"...Was that a fucking joke?" Hank asked, visibly surprised, but Kage said no more on the matter, keeping his focus on the Dusknoir.

The huge ghost-type was angry, and unleashed another Ominous Wind at them; every time he used that attack, it was more powerful than the last; the attack was increasing his strength while also dealing a wide, unavoidable berth of damage, and thanks to his high defense he already had the means to outlast any opponent, but that was only getting worse as his power kept growing; soon he'd be so strong they wouldn't be able to beat him.

"They have to finish this now," Volcan whispered from the sidelines.

"Cmon you two..." Luke whispered as well, clenching his paws as he watched the battle unfold.

Kage realized things were turning against them; as Revane's power kept growing and his defenses remained ever high, their speedy attacks were not going to end this any time soon. But suddenly, the Greninja had an idea. "...Hank. Another Shadow Ball." Kage said to the Zoroark.

"With fuckin pleasure." He said, then started firing off said attack one after the other.

Kage joined in, conjuring a Shadow Ball of his own to lob at Revane, who had difficulty dodging them due to his lack of speed and large size. The barrage of Shadow Balls put Revane on the defensive, trying his best to block them. Kage took advantage of this to move in an attack up close, using another Night Slash, but his approach was reckless and predictable -odd for Kage to do, but Revane, thinking nothing of it, seized Kage with bind and began to apply pressure, only for Kage to explode into a puff of smoke, leaving a Poké Doll in his place to the shock and dismay of the Dusknoir, who for his hesitation suffered four more Shadow Balls.

It wasn't difficult for the audience to see that each Shadow Ball seemed to be stronger than the last, but it was Volcan who noticed first that this was not the case; Hank and Kage's powers were not increasing in strength; the opposite was happening to Revane. "Shadow Ball's weakening his Special Defense," he commented. "They're making him vulnerable!"

"We might win this yet...!" Luke added, his anticipation growing with each passing moment.

"This can't be happening!" Romulus bellowed unexpectedly, complete in denial at what he was seeing. "Revane can't lose to these nobodies!"

But Revane was at the end of his rope, suffering too many repeated Shadow Ball strikes; his physical defense was still strong but his defense against Special Attacks was all but gone now. Kage appeared at his blindspot, and struck him with a Scald attack as the final weakening strike, before calling out to Hank to finish it off. "Hank! Now!"

The Zoroark then charged his ultimate attack; the signature move that only Zoroark and their pre-evolved form, Zorua, could learn. His eyes glowed a bright blue as a pink-crimson aura formed around his arms, swirling until he brought his limbs together and formed the two into one huge energy. "Nighty-night, you son a bitch!" Hank bellowed. "Night Daze!"

The energy blast that fired from Hank's arms struck Revane with such force that he was sent flying through the arena, carried on by the blast until he was over the sidelines. And if that was not enough, he was sent hurtling into the wall hard enough that a spider-web of cracks appeared across the stone. Only then did Hank cease his attack, and watched with almost sadistic glee as Revane floated away from the wall, groaning with pain and weaving side-to-side awkwardly before he collapsed, and fell to the sandy floor in a slump, becoming silent.

"I don't believe my eyeballs!" Phanto screamed, grabbing his head in disbelief.

"Match over!" Leon called. "The winner is Team Valiant!"

"YES!!" Luke hollered from the sidelines, losing himself to his excitement as he cheered loudly, actually throwing himself at Volcan and hugging the Blaziken tightly. It appeared Volcan was just as excited though, because not a second later he returned Luke's hug and actually spun around with him in his grasp, laughing his head off in all of his excitement.

"They won!" The Blaziken cheered. "They beat Revane!"

While on the battlefield, Hank was revelling in their victory, waving his arms in the air as if to motion the audience to keep the applause coming "CAN YOU DIG IT?!??" He hollered up to the crowd, to which he earned a roar from the audience.

"Hmph..." Kage muttered, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he waited for Hank to finish revelling in the glory.

Hank then looked to Romulus and pointed his claw at him. "Take notes, asswipe!" He hollered to him. "Cause that's how you REALLY instill true fear, ya schmuck!!"

The Houndoom was furious; the anger so hot in him that the smoke he exhaled had turned to full-on flames, grinding his fangs together so strongly they threatened to crack under the pressure, before he seemed to slowly calm down, and began to advance out onto the field, accompanied by Phanto, who was keeping his distance from the Houndoom, looking more afraid of him than anyone else did.

Back on the sidelines, Luke was still hugging Volcan and celebrating their victory, pulling back his head to look up at him. "This never would have worked without your strategic intuition." He stated.

"It takes a good team to make a good plan work," Volcan returned, beaming down at Luke. "And your team is the best."

Luke smiled even more up at Volcan, starting to feel quite warm in his chest from his words. "At this point, Volcan, I'd say it's our team, not just mine" He said in a much tone.

They continued to stare at each other until they heard Hank snickering, and then almost simultaneously, they both realized their proximity and how their arms were still around one another. Sheepishly, they both blushed and pulled apart, Volcan rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and Luke staring at the ground, paws behind his back.

"Sorry... got a bit caught in the moment there," he said.

"N-no it's fine; we both did." Luke returned, rubbing his arm a little and blushing heavily, occasionally glancing over to Volcan despite his embarrassment, and Hank's snickering didn't help.

Then, they heard Leon giving the announcement. "The third round will begin shortly!" He called. "Team Valiant, choose your next participants!"

Just like that, Volcan's embarrassment flooded away, and his expression turned more serious. "Two left..."

"One of them being the head of the team..." Luke added. "What do you think? Who should take whom?"

"Hard to say," Volcan replied. "Romulus is strong enough to take on any one of us... we wanted to pit Katsu against him but now that plan's out. We still don't even know what kind of powers this guy has besides Mega Evolution." Volcan looked at Kage. "How're you holding up; you good to keep going?"

He nodded. "I've taken no serious injury"

"Then you and Luke are ideal; both of you have attacks that'll work well against these two," Volcan stated, before turning to Luke. "Both of these guys can Mega Evolve, and you're the only one on the team who can as well; are you ready to go?"

Luke looked to Volcan for a moment, nodding softly. "I am, and I plan to make him understand what I told Maggie before we started this match."

The Blaziken nodded. "Then I think the best ones will be you two. Remember they can both mega evolve; try to take out Phanto first if you can -he's probably the more Distanced fighter of the two. Once he's down, go after Romulus," he suggested. "Hank and I will be backup; if you two can't take out one of them, he and I will finish off whoever is left."

"You really know how to plan ahead," Luke commented with a smile, then looked to Kage. "Let's go."

"Mhm" Kage returned, stepping out with Luke toward the arena, and toward possibly their last battle of the day if they prevailed.

"Hank," Volcan stated. "Get your second wind... you're going to need it if Kage and Luke can't finish this."

"Already on it," He returned, then patted his shoulder. "While I got the chance to, I gotta say it; yer alright man. Ya earned Froggie's respect and Luke's takin a shine to ya, plus you brought us forward in this tournament even when I thought we might lose. That makes you alright in my books."

Volcan smiled at the Zoroark. "Thank you, Hank," he returned, feeling a little humbled. "That means a lot to me."

"Anytime." He said with a wink, and then turned his gaze back to the arena.

As Luke and Kage took their positions, they saw an almost tortured look on the Houndoom's face, his head hung down low as he dug at the dirt a little, a low growl in his throat. "This is the first time in years I have ever been made such a fool of," he said in a low voice. "My own tactics, turned against me... outwitted, by some bird-brain of all things. I faced hundreds of Pokémon, even Legendary Pokémon, and yet the only ones I've faced to ever make me feel so angry..." His gaze hardened as he looked at Luke and Kage. "Are some small-timers from a backwater town."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Like I told Maggie earlier...given time, someone will always rise up to the challenge and surpass you." He stated. "Right now, Romulus, I'd say that time had come." He said sternly. "To ensure that you have no regrets as a fighter, I want you to fight with all you've got..."

"Oh, you can be sure of that," he stated, his eyes practically burning as much as his flaming breath would. "And when I'm through with you, you will never be a thorn in my side again." He raised his head, the mega stone on his chest beginning to glow, and he elicited a howl towards the sky as the light began to expand, engulfing him and forming into a violet, crystalline sphere of light around him. At the same time, during his howl, the sunlight overhead intensified, nearly blinding Luke and Kage.

"Phanto, of Team Phobia," the Gengar began as his own mega stone, worn on an armband, also began to glow. "Here for your termination!" Were his last words as the same light surrounding Romulus engulfed him as well, the two of them ascending to their true, final evolutions.

"Starting big already..." Luke commented as they finished their mega evolutions. "Seems you two really are going all-out now," he said as he tugged at his scarf and exposed his Lucarionite, tapping it and undergoing his own Mega Evolution to his final state as well, a bright red aura flame burning around him once he finished.

Romulus was the first to appear from his, with his horns now pointing straight instead of curving back like a ram as they were before, the bone-like ridges along his back becoming thicker, a bone-like construction like a breastplate formed over his chest and around his back, the base of his tail coated in bone-like rings resembling vertebrae, and the tip of his tail split down the middle, adding a forked look to it.

As for Phanto, when he reappeared, his change was equally drastic; his body had seemingly become one with the ground itself, like a shadow rising from its place on the floor. A third eye, round and yellow, had formed on his forehead, fixing on Luke and Kage along with his two main eyes, the biggest diabolical grin imaginable plastered across his face, and the spikes on his back far more pronounced, as well as new ones appearing on his arms which were sunk into the earth, thrice as long as they were before.

"Two Mega-Evolutions," Volcan muttered, swallowing nervously.

"This one's gonna be a doozy..." Hank commented. "But I got a lot of stock on 'em; they can do this."

"I'm sure they can too," agreed Volcan, shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight overhead. "But Romulus isn't making it easy; by using Sunny Day he just powered himself up- wait." He turned to Hank. "What power does a Houndoom gain when it Mega Evolves?"

"Solar-Powered, why-" Hanks eyes widened after it dawned on him what Volcan was getting at. "Uh oh..." He muttered.

"Romulus just doubled his powers," Volcan said in a low voice, feeling much less confident now.

"True...but Luke's ability has changed as well." Mikhail spoke up. "Normally he has Steadfast, but in mega state, he gains Adaptability, which adds more power to attacks that are super effective." The scholarly Lucario explained.

"He's going to need every ounce of that power," Volcan stated, crossing his fingers. "Come on, Luke; bring it to 'em."

Luke spread apart his legs, holding his left paw in front of him and keeping his right paw at his waist, while Kage drew his ninjato, crouching low and holding his blade in front of him in a reverse grip, both of them tensing up, ready to begin. Romulus growled and lowered his head, bringing his horns to bear, while Phanto continued laughing as he glared across the battlefield to them with his crazy eyes and wide-open third eye.

"Begin!" Leon called.

And it was Romulus who moved first; chains of pure energy exploded from the ground around him, arcing towards Kage faster than striking serpents and grasping his sword, ripping it from his hands and dragging it to the ground, where the chains held it securely. "You won't be using that any more," he bade, before inhaling deeply and unleashing a raging flamethrower, white-hot and roaring with intensity, as Romulus swept his head to the side to attempt to catch both of them.

Luke used his speed to strafe around the flames safely, while Kage leapt over the flames, landing behind Phanto. From there, he quickly turned and cast an Extrasensory attack at the Mega Gengar. The Gengar saw him and quickly slipped into the ground to avoid the attack, springing up behind him and attacking with a Lick, sending his long tongue out at the Greninja. Kage quickly flung his tongue back to smack Phanto's tongue away with a Lick of his own, cackling as he pulled his tongue back into his mouth. Kage then retreated and fired off a flurry of Water Shurikens at the Mega Gengar, landing and clapping his webbed hands together and forming twin water ninjaken in his hands.

The Mega Gengar fired a Shadow Ball in retaliation; it ploughed through the water shurikens, although became progressively smaller as some of its power was expended by striking them. By the time it hit the last one it was no larger than a baseball, and was easily avoided by Kage, forcing him to use a second one to try and strike him again. This time, Kage weaved a sign and made two doubles of himself with Double Team, all three of them deflecting the Shadow Ball with their Water Ninjaken before charging for the Mega Gengar, weaving in, out and around each other to confuse Phanto as to who the real one was.

Phanto looked side-to-side, eyes scanning over the duplicates, searching carefully; even that third eye of his rolled around, until he decided to forget about it and attacked with a widespread Dark Pulse, aiming to take out all of them simultaneously. The attack struck all three of them, however two of them splashed into puddles on water while the third disappeared with Substitute, leaving a pokedoll on his place.

Kage then used Shadow Sneak to appear behind Phanto, rearing his arm back and slashing with his webbed hand for a Night Slash, his arm leaving a black mark on the Mega Gengars back before retreating away and weaving another sign, exhaling a Smokescreen down at Phanto.

"Gah! Pfft!" The Gengar coughed, waving his hand to try and clear it.

Meanwhile, Luke was warding off attacks from Romulus while Kage's battle with Phanto raged on, the Mega-evolved canine continuously snapping at Luke with Fire Fang, even biting through his bone rush when he managed to get too close. Luke stepped back, firing a few Aura Spheres in retaliation at Romulus once his bone was snapped, stumbling him, and then he stepped forward with a Force Palm, narrowly avoiding getting his paws snapped off by the Mega Houndoom's jaws. Luke sped back a safe distance and took his stance again.

"You're quite strong, Romulus." Luke stated. "Shame you have to be so cruel and brutal... I would have enjoyed sparring with you whenever we're not competing." He added.

"I fight to win; where I come from, there is no other way!" He returned before exhaling another Flamethrower at Luke.

Luke then did something unexpected. He made a Bone Rush quickly after avoiding the flamethrower, looking out the corner of his eye at the smokescreen Phanto was smothered in and hurled his bone like a javelin into the smoke; Phanto reared back in pain as Luke's bone struck him out of nowhere, leaving him wide-open to another attack from Kage -the Greninja jumped out of the smoke and delivered another Night Slash.

As Romulus used yet another Flamethrower, Luke then used extreme speed, running right through the fire, moving so fast the flames barely nicked him and appearing at Romulus' flank, startling the Houndoom.

"That's a shame really..." He said in a low voice, and then dodged as Romulus tried to bite him again, but left himself open for one Force Palm after another, suffering a barrage at his flank before being sent skidding across the sand. "I can understand that kind of thinking... but power isn't always everything, Romulus." He said rather calmly.

"Spend half your life as a Gladiator, and then talk to me about where 'power' isn't everything, because without it, you are stepped on like a Caterpie!" He then rushed Luke with his horns lowered, charging at him.

Luke ignited his paws with aura energy, then grabbed at Romulus' horns as he charged, skidding back until they came to a full stop. Luke looked sternly into the Houndoom's eyes.

"Spend all your life surviving on your own, when you have nothing more than the fur on your back, separated from your family and forced to adapt to the wild where everything wants to kill you. .and you'll understand my views on life."

"Answer me this, then," stated the Houndoom. "What's worse... not having a father... or having one throwing you into a fighting ring when you were just a pup, so he can win bets he places on you?!" The Houndoom demanded, staying still as he watched Luke, waiting for his response even while his horns were still gripped by the Lucario's paws. "Have you ever been exploited for the wealth and gain of others, and brutally beaten every time you couldn't deliver?"

Luke lowered his gaze and sighed. "So _that's_why..." He muttered, now feeling a little sympathetic toward the Houndoom. "Now I see why you are the way you are; why you are filled with so much anger, and can't let it go." He then lifted his gaze up to meet the gaze of his opponent. "That's not healthy, Romulus, believe me when I say that in can really destroy you if you let it run your life."

"That history made me who I am, but it doesn't drive me," he returned, calmer this time. "What I suffered should have destroyed me, but I did not let it. I escaped from my father, left Gladiator City with other escaped Gladiators, and formed my team in the wastelands of the West Continent. We trained out there for years, and together we vowed we would put an end to the evils of Gladiator City, and there was only one way to do it."

He began to push Luke back with his strength as he continued. "I ended the gambling racket, and I drove off everyone who prospered from it, returning the wealth they gained to the gladiators who suffered under them -even my own father was not spared from this. But I knew only one way to prevent such evil from ever plaguing Gladiator City again..." He pushed harder, and now Luke was losing ground. "By making them fear my name; tyrants will fear the very idea of taking power, knowing that when they rise, I will come to tear them back down! That is why I must be the most powerful, so that those who I set my sights upon burn at my feet!"

His ideals were clear, even to Luke, but at the same time misguided; he was so drunk with power himself he was talking about using it to keep people safe, but that much power only did the opposite; people would be so afraid of him, he would be hated... and soon the very people he wanted to protect would want him gone. That kind of shock would drive him mad, and he would imminently become the very thing he wanted to destroy.

Luke stopped skidding, cementing himself as he glared into Romulus' eyes. "It's that kind of thinking that CREATES tyrants! By becoming drunk with power, you're becoming the very thing you swear to destroy!" He suddenly exclaimed. "You're no different from all the others I've fought; my best friends deranged brother, His own son -both of them became corrupted by pursuits of power! Power belongs in the hands of those truly deserving of it, not in the hands of those that seek it out only for themselves!" He took a step forward himself. "Using fear is one thing, but relying on it only makes those you protect see you as no different than the very thing you fight against!"

"There is no other way; placing myself as a deterrent is the only way to keep the innocent safe... if they must hate me, so be it, but I will never stop!" Flames appeared in his mouth again. "I will never let anyone suffer what I did!" With that, he unleashed his most powerful attack yet; Overheat, all of his Mega Evolutions power coming at Luke in a white-hot inferno that was engulfing the entire field in a wide swath before him.

Luke ran backward, and in the process powering up the largest Focus Blast he could muster, hurling it at the Overhead in an attempt to overpower it. However, despite how powerful the focus blast was, Luke's attack was utterly overpowered by that of Romulus, his raging inferno continuing unhindered, and it was now too close for Luke to avoid. He flinched as the flames approached him, then he instinctively brought his arms up and surged his aura flame, aiming to at least dampen the damage.

Still he let out a roar as the attack hit him, inflicting major damage on him despite his efforts, sending him back from the impact and skidding along the ground until he was right next to the edge of the ring. And when the flames stopped, there he was, appearing right in front of Luke and headbutting him hard, sending him dropping out of bounds and ending the match for him.

Volcan's jaw dropped in shock, his eyes wide in disbelief. "No... He got Luke!" Volcan exclaimed.

But the battle wasn't over yet. Currently, Phanto had his hands full with Kage, trying to land one Shadow Punch after another on him, but although the Gengar himself was fast, and undoubtedly powerful on the Special Attack, physical attacks were not his forte; he was clumsy, and clearly unaccustomed to fighting at close range.

Kage avoided the attack with ease, attacking back with another Extrasensory attack, then he lashed out with a Lick with his tongue, then followed up with another night slash with his water blade. "Sloppy..." He scolded the Gengar. "You're better off sticking to scaring others than fighting..."

"Why you...!" He growled, before he sank into the ground again, reappearing across the field and firing another flurry of Shadow Balls at the Greninja, bombarding him with the projectiles.

Kage weaved around the projectiles as he darted toward the Gengar, firing Water Shurikens when he needed to in order to decrease the size of oncoming attacks to reduce their size and weave around them more easily. Kage once more used Extrasensory when he was close enough, then followed up up with a Cut, knowing it wouldn't hurt him, but throw him off enough to pass through him, then slashed at the same spot as before on Phanto's back with Night Slash.

"Just because you can Mega Evolve doesn't mean you gain any advantage immediately, especially against me," He stated. "Save yourself the embarrassment and leave."

The Gengar was frowning when he turned back to Kage, but as his eyes drifted off briefly, that grin returned once. "Perhaps it skipped your attention... but you're slightly outnumbered," he said, cocking his head in the direction where the fight between Romulus and Luke had been undergoing, revealing to the Greninja that Luke had already beaten, and Romulus was approaching. Kage glanced over to Romulus briefly, narrowing his eyes before returning his gaze to the Gengar's.

"...You think that concerns me?" He asked. "I work well in a team, but I've always been a lone wolf in nature," Then his gaze grew stern, cold even. "There is however, a silver lining to this scenario," He said in a chilling tone.

"Yeah?" The Gengar asked, turning fully towards him. "Besides the fact that you're about to get smoked?"

"No..." He said. "...Now I can fight under my terms," He stated in a low tone.

Then he suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind Romulus and shooting a point blank Scald attack along his back, then he leapt up and used Bounce to stomp on the Houndoom's back where he scalded him, then charged back to Phanto and Night Slashed him again before exhaling a huge cloud of black smoke with Smokescreen, disappearing into it and blending in with the cloud of smoke, becoming practically invisible.

Romulus sniffed the air, searching for Kage's scent as he regrouped with Phanto, both of their eyes surveying the battlefield carefully for any sign of him, including at the smoke in case he popped out of it, but they weren't about to let themselves fall for a ruse...

"You both are fighting in my turf now..." Kage's voice seemed to echo from within the smoke, then at the same time, Romulus was assaulted with Water Shurikens while Phanto received another night slash from an invisible force. "Trying to sniff me out will prove fruitless... I am both everywhere and anywhere...there's no target that escapes me. For I am true darkness, I am true fear; I am the Shadow of Team Valiant."

Romulus narrowed his eyes, continuing to smell. "Hmm..."

"Boss, what do we do here?" Phanto asked, on the verge of panic.

"Remain calm for the moment... he's duplicated himself again with Double Team but the real one will have the stronger scent," he stated. "I just need to locate him."

"If you don't hurry up we're going to get clobbered!" Phanto urged.

"Don't lose your head now you fool; we've almost won!" The Houndoom hissed. "I already defeated the Lucario; we need only..."

"Screw this!" Phanto bellowed. "I'm blowin' him away now!"

"Stop you idiot!" Romulus bellowed as Phanto darted away from him and began powering up a Dark Pulse. "You'll miss!"

As Phanto powered up a Dark Pulse, he then felt a foreboding presence behind him. "You should have listened to your comrade; your neglect will be your end..." And with that, Phanto was assaulted by multiple Night Slashes, Licks and Shadow Sneaks, all in rapid succession while under the cover of the smoke.

"GARGH!" Phanto screamed, unable to take on the storm of attacks, eventually succumbing to the wounds and falling face-first into the ground. When he failed to move, he devolved back into a regular Gengar, and then it was clear he was out of the battle.

Eventually the smoke cleared up, and Romulus could see Kage standing in front of the downed Gengar. "You are next Romulus..." He said lowly. "On another note, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Luke..." His eyes narrowed. "You're so drunk in your lust for power, you don't even realize the damage you're doing to yourself and to others." He then closed his eyes. "That said, I was like that once myself before meeting with and becoming involved with Team Valiant... in a way we are similar, except for one detail."

"I don't need anymore lectures from the likes of you!" The Houndoom bellowed, glaring at the Greninja. "You've not seen_the things I've seen; you are _nothing like me!"

Kage continued regardless, forming a water blade in his hand. "...We both walked through the shadow of the abyss," He then opened his eyes. "But when the shadow looked back at us," He gave Romulus a stone cold glare. "You blinked." He said, and then lunged forward with his blade for a Slash.

Kage's moved proved to be his downfall, though, as a green light formed in between Romulus' jaws, and just before Kage could even try to dodge, he exhaled a Solarbeam; Kage's eyes widened as he saw the attack, taking it full force and getting sent spiralling away, landing outside the ring, but still conscious, holding his chest. He had not even expected Romulus would know Solarbeam, and the intensified sunlight had allowed Romulus to fire instantly without the delay to charge it which would have otherwise left him vulnerable.

"Damnit..." He growled, lying in the sand with his entire body wracked with pain.

Romulus appeared in Kage's peripheral vision; with some effort, Kage managed to turn his head enough to look at him. "Perhaps you're right," he said in a low voice to the Greninga. "Maybe I did blink when I looked into that dark shadow, but when it tried to bite," he leaned forward, speaking lower to the Greninja. "I bit back."

With that, he stepped over the Greninja, leaving him lying in the sand as his teammates rushed to his side, along with Mikhail who ran over to retrieve his brother. Volcan and Hank knelt down next to Kage, and at his request, he helped Kage stand back up, assisted by Hank and the two of them carried him off of the battlefield

"I... reluctantly hand this battle over to you..Volcan and Hank..." He said to the two as they brought him over to the wall and sat him down against Katsumoto.

Volcan nodded to him. "We won't fail," he promised, and then looked up when he heard Mikhail approaching, with Luke in tow with an arm draped over his shoulders, prompting Volcan to leave Kage in the care of Hank and running over to help Mikhail, taking some of the weight for Mikhail as they sat the younger Lucario down next to Kage. "Luke, are you okay -can you hear me?"

Luke coughed and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Volcan and smiling weakly. "...Guess I bit off more than I could chew..." He said with a wheeze.

Volcan placed his talon on Luke's shoulder, gripping it gently and showin a determined expression to him as he spoke again. "You did damn well, and I'll finish what you began," he promised.

Luke gave a nod, raising his paw and placing it against Volcan's chest. "I know you will..." He whispered. "I believe in you..."

Volcan looked down at him for a moment, before he looked up at Mikhail who was holding his brother's other paw and staring at him with deep concern as he watched the Lucario shut his eyes and try to rest. The Blaziken's eyes were filled with the strongest determination they had been since the day he had met Luke, driven to win and finish what he started. He stood up briskly, turning towards Romulus, who had returned to his starting position, and was waiting to finish the match. Romulus was the only one of his team left, now.

He was easily more powerful than Volcan_or_ Hank... but together they would win. He would not fail his newfound friends; not when they had come this far. Volcan's talons clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles cracking as he stared at Romulus, wanting nothing more than to put the Houndoom in his place once and for all.

Hank stood at Volcan's side, looking back at Luke and Kage briefly before he turned his gaze to the arena. "That mother fucker is going down," He growled angrily.

"I could not agree more," stated Volcan as he and the Zoroark began to head out to the field. "But make no mistake... he's still very powerful even after that battled." He looked up. "The sun has dimmed back to normal, but he can bring it back up anytime he wants. If that happens, we need to watch out for those Special Attacks of his. Even if his Fire and Grass-type attacks won't affect me much I won't take two or three direct hits, and you have no resistance to them. We have to keep pressuring him.

"I ain't giving him the chance; I'm going full force right outta the gate," Hank growled, clenching his claws tightly.

"Don't get reckless," Volcan warned with such sternness Hank looked at him with some surprise. "This guy is dangerous to rush at fists flying; we need a plan."

Hank took a moment to take a deep breath before letting out a sigh and forcing himself to calm down. "Got a plan then, buddy?"

"He's weakened after fighting Luke," Volcan began. "He's favoring his right foreleg, and his armour's cracked at the chest from those Force Palms and Aura Spheres he took. Mobility and defense will be limited; the trick will be getting in close enough to nail him, but if I can land a clean hit, I might be able to take him out."

"Master Illusionist at yer service." Hank said with a smirk. "I'll trip him up, and you smash 'im good."

"Let's do this."

As they stepped onto the field, Romulus spoke to them. "I suppose you two are going to appeal to me like your leader and comrade tried?" He asked, snorting smoke from his nostrils.

"No," Volcan began. "Luke gave you your chance... you wouldn't heed him; no reason to believe you'd listen to me or Hank either." He grasped his right fist in his left talon, cracking his knuckles. "And I don't bother with lost causes; you've made your choice. So now instead, I'm just going to kick your ass."

"Bold words. You do not even have a Mega Stone; you're nowhere near powerful enough to beat me."

"Maybe not," returned Volcan. "But even in the face of total defeat, when others are depending on me to win, I'll still give it everything I've got."

"Couldn't have said it better myself..." Hank said, cracking his claws and his neck a bit. "So doggy boy, ready for the biggest throw down of yer fuckin life?" He asked. "Because after I'm done with you, I'm gonna send you packing with yer tail between yer legs, like I did with yer bug bitch and ghosty fuck buddy."

But at that, Romulus suddenly exploded with laughter, throwing back his head and guffawing loudly to the sky for a moment before facing the two again. "You think you can scare me?" He asked, his glare intensifying. "Did you not hear your Greninja friend? As he stated, I've looked into the abyss; stared right into the eyes of death itself, and faced tortures beyond your reckoning." His grin faded. "I. Do not. Feel. Fear."

Hank grinned. "Wanna test that theory...?"

"You will not be conscious to test it!" He growled back, and as Leon declared the match to start, he howled to the air once more, but it wasn't a howl to use Sunny Day, it was a Howl Attack, to raise his physical attack strength higher; he was already preparing for when the battle moved in-close, and so shifted to a ready stance, baring his teeth. "Come and get me!" He bellowed, stamping his forepaws.

Volcan, as was the plan, made the first move, charging forward and sprinting towards Romulus, using Flame Charge to increase the speed of his run before he dropped to one knee, sliding towards him and attacking with Low Sweep, aiming for his weakened leg, but Romulus still had three good legs to use, jumping over Volcan's attack and then retaliating with a Fire Fang, aiming to bite the Blaziken only to be struck with an uppercut to the jaw that sent him reeling

Hank leapt over Volcan when he was sent stumbling, lunging down at Romulus with a barrage of Fury Swipes from his claws, forcing Romulus to keep backing up until he found the opportunity to attack and lunged for Hang to use Fire Fang, only for Hank to jump backward out of the way, striking his claws into the ground as he touched down again.

In a split second, green tendrils suddenly exploded from the sand as Romulus started to step forward, winding themselves around his legs and anchoring him in place. Romulus was caught off guard by the Grass Knot, and his hesitation presented a perfect opportunity. "Get im!" Hank called.

Volcan seized the moment lunged forward while Romulus was tied to the ground by the Grass Knot, and jumped up as he delivered two roundhouse Blaze Kicks across the Houndoom's face, dazing him and spinning back around to deliver a Thunder Punch right to his chest; it caused the grass roots to break as the Houndoom was struck, but he was sent flying as a result, his bone breastplate cracked even more after taking the punch and sent flying through the air.

He managed to shake off his daze and land on all fours, but buckled under his weight as his right foreleg flared up, once more presenting an opening that Hank was all too eager to take. The Zoroark strode forward, bringing his claws to bear and use another Fury Swipes, hoping to finish off the Houndoom himself. Much to Hank's dismay, though, Romulus still turned towards him, and faster than the Zoroark could move, unleashed another Overheat at him, firing right into his torso.

He took the hit and was blown back, the attack singing his chest and making him yelp in pain as he lay writhing in pain with his fur burnt and blackened. "Mother Fucker!"

"Hank!" Volcan called in concern, but quickly turning back to Romulus again.

"Just you and me now, boy," he growled.

Volcan let out a holler of rage, charging at the Houndoom and drawing back his fist to punch him, only to get blasted by another Overheat himself that sent him flying backward, landing some distance away. At that range, only his own Fire-typing had saved him from a severe burn, but it had still hurt severely. The Blaziken struggled to sit up, holding his chest where he was hit.

Romulus drew back his head and panted for breath, smoke trailing from the corners of his maw as he struggled to fill his lungs with air again. "All of those Overheat attacks really take their toll... but it matters not," he said, looking at Volcan. "You can't defeat me, even in my current state."

"Oh yes... I can," Volcan returned, straining as he forced himself to stand up, glaring at the Houndoom. "And I will... I promised two people I would," he was halfway back to his feet now. "And that's a promise I have no intention of breaking.

As he said this, his whole body seemed to glow bright red, the flames on his wrists intensifying as he stood glaring at the Houndoom. To Luke and Mikhail, watching with their Aura Sense, they saw his power was actually increasing despite all of the damage he had taken. Volcan's Blaze ability had triggered, now at the peak of the battle, and was amplifying his powers for the audience to see, including Luke who had woken up and could see the struggle Volcan faced on behalf of the team that had taken him in, his passion burning with as much intensity as his blazing wrists.

"C'mon Volcan..." Luke whispered softly. "You can beat him...I know you can...!" He growled, clenching his paws tight at his sides.

"His Blaze Ability has been triggered... it's all come down to whoever remains standing now," Mikhail said.

"Volcan will win...!" Luke stated firmly.

"H-how can you-" Mik began, but upon looking closer at his brother, he could see the determination, the anxiety, but moreso the look of someone who truly did believe in his comrade. Mik stayed silent after that, turning his attention back to the arena.

Up in the stands, every team was watching with bated breath as Volcan's true power was unveiled. Sickle's team was awestruck, the Grovyle especially who was clenching the railing so tightly his claws were leaving marks in the metal. A similar situation taking place on the side exactly opposite himself; Torolf had risen from his seat and had his hands on the railing as he stared down, fingers clenching it so tightly it creaked in protest. Even Maggie and the Malamar with her were starting to look uncertain about their earlier assumptions. Team Drake, Team Rising Star, Team Martial; all of them had their eyes on the battle as it came down to the wire. They knew that the conclusion was about to be reached...

Romulus stood watching as Volcan became stronger, before throwing back his head and howling again, the sunlight above intensifying once more, and his Solar Powered ability activating, bringing back the power boost he had before, but unlike before, his body now seemed to be smoldering in some places, smoke rising from his flames, from inside his mouth, even from his teeth.

"One way or another... this is the final attack," the Houndoom stated.

"Then let's make it count!" Volcan called, widening his stance and stomping the ground with one foot as he flexed his arms, his muscles visibly bulging as he enhanced his strength with Bulk Up, and began to charge at the Houndoom again.

Romulus reared back his head, conjuring one final Overheat now that he had enhanced his powers; the Solar-Powered ability that granted him the power to rival even Legendary Pokémon was eating away at him, draining him of his stamina and leaving him fueled only by sheer willpower and the drive to win now; repeated usage of Overheat had weakened him as well, but not enough he could not manage one last attack. Volcan kept charging even as the beam was fired at him, unleashing Flame Charge as Romulus exhaled the mighty Overheat attack, the Blaziken boring into it with his arms crossed in front of him, attempting to push through, but it wasn't working.

He was still being pushed back, taking damage even with his enhanced strength, but the determination on his face only grew, and the flames engulfing him him not only grew with it, they were practically exploding from him, with that first blast, he raced forward, gliding across the ground engulfed in white-hot fire exhuming from his back, opening up like wings as he powered through the infernal Overheat. Romulus' eyes widened in horror as he saw his attack was being overpowered, and stopped firing it to cry out in shock as Volcan raced towards him, eliciting a furious screech as he threw all of his weight into Romulus, knocking the wind out of him, and then swung his leg around with a mighty Blaze Kick so powerful it was like the Houndoom had been shot by a cannon.

Nobody had seen exactly what Volcan had done; he had been engulfed in fire to the spectators, and as far as they could tell he had run through the flames to reach Romulus. The Houndoom was launched with such force he seemed to actually disappear from where he was standing, a dust trail marking his trajectory as he struck ground fifty feet away and skid out of the ring, powering down even before he was rung out, finally coming to a halt halfway to the wall of the arena, his face contorted in pain, but his eyes were rolled back in his head.

But that wasn't all. No sooner had Volcan struck Romulus with this attack -an attack nobody could identify at this moment- that he too had collapsed, falling to the ground and slipping from consciousness at almost the exact same time Romulus had been rung out, leaving both fighters lying prone and out of commission, at the exact same time.

Everyone in the audience was silent, staring as they waited to see if Volcan would get up again, but he didn't move, nor did Romulus. Leon was left confounded by what he saw, unable to determine the outcome of the battle, looking between Volcan and Romulus with an expression of utter confusion. "I-I-I can't tell who won!" He exclaimed. "Romulus is out of the ring but... Volcan's down! Is... is it a draw?"

"Oi!" Hank called out, getting Leon's attention as he was getting back on his feet, still gripping his chest and clenching one eye shut through the pain, but still wearing that arrogant smirk. "The fuck am I? Chopped liver?"

"You're still...?!" Leon choked, shaking his head before he held up his arms. "Hank is the last warrior standing!" He called out, barely able to believe it himself as he called the match. "Team Phobia... loses..." And then pointed one flipper towards Hank. "And Team _Valiant_advances to the finals!"

The audience practically _exploded_with applause; roars, cheers and shrieks of approval and excitement all around. Sickle, up in the stands, actually jumped up so high he did several backflips, whooping joyously during each one before touching down. Torolf had loosened his grip on the railing, and was wearing a broad grin on his face while Maggie and the Malamar were gawking in disbelief. The Swampert was actually the first one to begin applauding, and the sound of his hands slamming together prompted hundreds of others to follow suit, calling out 'Team Valiant' repeatedly, practically singing their name for the entire world to hear.

"HAHAA!! YES!!!" Luke hollered, ignoring his wounds and practically launching himself to his feet, ignoring his brother's protests and rushing out to the arena, first of all almost tackling Hank. "You sneaky fox! Playing possum while Volcan was fighting!"

Hank grunted and grinned, looking back and laughing down at Luke. "Heh, glad to see someone cares." He said as he gently rubbed Luke's back. "Nevermind me though, go check on our feathered friend." He said, pushing Luke back before turning to the audience, saying his catchphrase. "CAN YOU DIG IT!!!!" He chimed loudly.

Luke looked over to Volcan, noticing the Blaziken had not moved since the battle had ended, quickly running over to him and kneeling down at his side, turning him over and lifting the Blaziken up a bit in his arms. "Volcan! Volcan!!" He said, trying to wake him up.

Volcan let out a groan, shifting a little in Luke's arm, his head moving side-to-side until his eyes slowly opened. "What...?" He asked, before he began to look around, hearing the applause and cheering coming from the crowds, his gaze eventually falling upon the downed Romulus outside of the ring, making his eyes go wide as it dawned on him. "I...!"

"You did it, Volcan! You really did it!!" He exclaimed happily, pulling him up and holding him tight against his body. "You won; you beat Romulus and got us into the finals." He whimpered, even shedding tears of joy down his cheeks and onto Volcan's shoulder. "I'm so damn proud of you...you know that?"

As Volcan took in all of the excitement around him, a smile began to creep onto his face, especially when he saw even Torolf was applauding him, the Swampert beaming in satisfaction at their victory, and the lengths they'd gone to in order to reach it. Volcan began to chuckle, looking up at Hank as the Zoroark came over to join them, and then turning to look at Luke with his half-lidded, tired eyes. "If I may borrow a catchphrase?"

"At this point, you can claim it as your own," Luke replied, pulling back his head to look down at Volcan.

With Luke's permission given, Volcan raised his arm, and jerked his thumb up for the audience to see, and said as loudly as he could muster -though doubtfully anyone could hear him- he spoke the words. "And that... is how it's done!" He said, before his arm fell back across his lap and he began to laugh. "Heh... now I see why you like to say that."

Luke managed a chuckle and held his head warmly against his chest. "Catchy huh...?" He said, sniffling a bit and gently lifting Volcan up in his arms with some help from Hank. "C'mon, let's get you patched up; you've earned a long rest." He said as he nuzzled his forehead lightly and began walking back to the rest of his team.

"Luke!" Torolf called from the stands. "When you are ready, wait at the center of the field for a bit; there's one thing left to address." The Swampert called, before he looked at Maggie. "Send for Wade; ask him to come to the arena."

"Torolf... I don't think..." Maggie began, but choked on her words.

"Don't think what?" He asked. "They've won; Wade now gets to choose his opponent, and the rest of us face Team Valiant the day after tomorrow. There is nothing else for it."

She hesitantly nodded. "Of course... I'll send for Wade, then."

~~~~~

With Volcan left in the care of Mikhail, Luke now stood at the center of the battlefield with Wade standing next to him, awaiting the arrival of Team Warmachine. During this, they both discussed how excited they were to have made it to the finals; Luke even informed Wade of how impressed the rest of the team had been when he had beaten Tristan -or, King, he corrected himself before saying the Aggron's real name in case he didn't want it revealed yet. Nevertheless, Wade had beaten Tristan when even Rigel, the strongest of Luke and his brothers, had not been able to.

Soon, their patience paid off as seven members of Team Warmachine emerged from one of the corridors leading out to the battlefield and gathered before them; Torolf, and his elite six. The Haxorus they had seen take Sol away, Ninetales, Scizor, a Chesnaught they hadn't seen before, A Skarmory, and of course Leon who had watched the competitors from the very beginning, all of them lining up. The seven strongest members of Team Warmachine

"Now, Wade," Torolf began. "This is mainly for you, but I wanted Luke here to see this as well." He gestured to the seven fighters that accompanied him. "For your exemplary performance in Team Warmachine's tournament, you have earned the right to choose from the seven before you, whom you shall face in the final round." He began to introduce the fighters from left-to-right, starting with the Scizor.

"Shamshir, the swift and deadly," he began, and then gestured to the Chesnaught. "Aegis, the shield of Warmachine." To the Skarmory. "Razorwing; the fastest flier on our team." To the Haxorus. "Timber, the armoured dragon warrior." To Leon the Empoleon. "Leon, our master tactictian," and finally to the Ninetales. "Or Kari, our Trickster." He then gestured to himself. "Or, you can even choose to fight me. Make your choice, and tomorrow, they will be your opponent."

Wade scanned each member thoroughly, looking at each member from head to toe, taking his time with his choice. "As much as I'd like the honour of fighting you, Torolf..." Wade began. "I believe Luke has earned that honour far more than I have," he said, glancing to Luke, then looked through the crowd before him one more time before his eyes fell on the Chesnaught. "...Aegis." He finally said. "I will fight you."

The Chesnaught stepped forward, moving to stand at the end of the crowd closest to Wade, and nodded to him. "I accept your challenge," he stated, firmly, in a deep tone that spoke of his warrior nature. He was a giant of a Chesnaught, his hard armoured back covered in the scars of many battles, and even more scars ran along his arms. His expression was hard, but his head was lowered in respect, refusing to look down on Wade as anything less but an opponent worth facing.

"Then it is decided!" Torolf announced. "This time the night after tomorrow, the finals of the Tournament will begin! Wade of Port Azure shall face our resident knight, Aegis, and the rest of us -including myself- shall face off against Team Valiant in the climactic finale of Team Warmachine's Tournament! All of you coming to witness this spectacle, sleep in that day, rest well, and prepare yourselves for the ultimate showdown, for this Friday night, the greatest battle this contest has ever seen..." He threw out his arms, standing tall for all to see. "WILL BEGIN!"

The audience roared with applause once more, their anticipation for tomorrow's finale enough to flood the entire colosseum if it were to suddenly become a form of matter. Luke and Wade both surveyed the audience above; all of the teams and spectators who bore witness expressing their excitement, all except for one who Luke picked out from the audience. It was Sickle, the only one not throwing his fists up in the air or cheering Luke or Wade's name. The Grovyle was watching him, and though he was too far away for Luke to be sure, he was pretty certain the Grovyle was smiling at him, and his eyes seemed to be staring at him with admiration.

A moment later, Sickle left his seat, joined by his team as the stands began to clear of spectators, all the while watching the Lucario until he was out of sight. When he disappeared, it left Luke wondering what the Grovyle was thinking about, but he would have to find out later. Finally, they were given leave to depart, and Luke could return to the ship with his team. They were all so tired, including himself, but their spirits were higher than they had been since they had begun. They had made it to the final round, and would face their greatest challenge ever the day after tomorrow.

Volcan, who was leaning on Hank for support as they left the arena, looked at the others with a proud grin plastered to his face. "We're going to need a lot of rest for what's coming... that fight with Romulus' team really took it out of us."

"Yes it did, but we did it regardless." Luke returned, sighing and rubbing his own chest a bit. "And now we have our shot against Team Warmachine..." Luke looked up to Volcan once more. "Like I said, this couldn't have happened without your strategies, as well as your indomitable determination. Words can't even begin to express how proud I am of you Volcan..."

The Blaziken chuckled. "Well... as I said before; it takes a good team to make a good plan work." He eyed each of the others one at a time. "And it's going to take all of our heads, because tomorrow we need to come up with a plan for when we fight Warmachine themselves. We're about to face the one team even Romulus and his own can't defeat." He smiled. "But you know... even if we lose, I don't think it'll be that big an issue. We've come so far, it'll hardly even be a defeat."

He smiled even wider, his brow furrowing. "Not that I don't think we'll win, mind you," he added promptly.

"Someone's confident." Eagle Eye squawked. "But yea I agree, just having the honour of fighting against those guys is a win on its own." He said. Then he grew serious. "On a different note, I got a request to make...nah, a demand." He said.

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"I'm taking on Razorwing." He said firmly. "No ifs, ands or buts. That bastard's mine!"

"Why him?" Volcan asked. "What's so special about Razorwing?"

"I got a good look at him while he was out there. I'm pretty sure he used to be part of the Saberwing Squadron." He returned. "They were a group of Skarmory, twenty-four of 'em to be exact, and they were the Red Talon's biggest arch rivals. They were also a pretty nasty bunch, and now one of 'em joins with Team Warmachine? I want to find out why he had a change of heart."

"If he's from a scummy group like that, it's a wonder Torolf even enlisted him," Volcan commented. "Unless of course, like you said, maybe he's changed."

"That's why I'm calling dibs on him..." Eagle Eye returned. "I gotta know for sure what he's gaining from this."

Up ahead, as the group continued to converse, out of the corner of his eye Kage noticed some movement down the hall; when he turned to look, he saw a shadowy figure floating down the corridor, watching them, but as soon as the Greninja spotted them they promptly vanished. Her appearance had not gone unnoticed by the Greninja, though the others seemed otherwise oblivious. Kage narrowed his eyes, sensing something was afoot, but decided for now he kept quiet, putting Maggie's sighting at the back of his mind for later.

A while later, the group returned to the ship, and upon reaching their rooms they one-by-one bid goodnight to each other. Hank and Volcan were the last ones before Luke, the Zoroark finally leaving Volcan's side when they stopped outside his door, assuring Hank he could at least make it to his bed on his own. Opening the door, Volcan glanced at Luke, smiling at him. "Seeya tomorrow, Luke," he bade.

"You too, Volcan." Luke returned. "Rest well; you've earned it today."

Volcan nodded. "I think I'm in agreement with you," he said, and began to enter his room, tripping slightly on the lip of the door, but Luke didn't hear him hit the floor at all. "I'm okay!" He called, as if to confirm to the Lucario he was fine, before shutting the door behind him.

Luke could not help but snicker at Volcan's tired clumsiness, and silently hoped that with a little help from Mikhail and plenty of rest, the Blaziken would be ready to fight again in time for the final round; they were going to need him. With that, Luke left Volcan's door and headed to the next one to enter his own room, turning the handle to unlatch and pull it open, but as he opened the door, he heard something hit the floor below him. Looking down, he saw a folded piece of paper lying down beneath his foot which he had stopped in midair when he'd heard the sheet fall. 'From Sickle' was written on the top of it, to tell the Lucario who the sender was.

"...From Sickle, huh?" He muttered, reaching down and picking up the note, examining it a bit before opening it up to read what was inside...

But that is another story...