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"So, fill me in on this 'Sound Breaker' guy," Sarth asked as he, Eagle Eye and Lighris left the streets of Hadleigh below. "Who is he, and why would he be helping this 'Calhoun'?"

Eagle Eye kept his gaze ahead of him as the three of them flew in a tight formation. Fortunately for them, the sky had seen fit to clear itself of cloud that day and allowed the sun to shine, making the bite of winter a little more tolerable. The winds were still, giving them relief from its razor-sharp chill in the open air as they sought their target.

"He's nuthin but bad news." The Talonflame answered quickly. "Cold and ruthless The only thing he cares about is getting the job done through any means necessary, no matter who the client is or how many he has to mow down to do it." He went on to explain, glancing back to Sarth as he continued. "He's _not_someone you want to tango with one on one."

"Get me one clear shot on him and this guy will be careening into the dirt like a ton of bricks," Lighris returned.

"Well if you want that so bad, then you'll follow every command I give out." Eagle Eye stated firmly back to Lighris. "You being a legendary bird doesn't mean jack shit to me or anyone else for that matter. From the moment we took off, both you and Sarthy became _my_responsibility, and I'm gonna make damn sure we all come back alive today." He said before abruptly flipping his body around, so he was facing Lighris while flying somewhat backward. "So, no Lone Wolf crap, buddy. Understand?"

"I know, I know - I heard it from my brother already," said Lighris, grimacing. "Still, I should be the one going with him, instead of that moody frog."

Eagle Eye rolled his eyes and groaned. "Look, yer bro ain't a little kid anymore. He can look after himself. Right now, focusing on looking after _yourself_so you can go and play overbearing big brother when we're done here." He firmly stated before rolling back so he was facing forward again and flying level with the rest of his group.

"Listen, tiny - do you have any siblings?" Lighris asked, matter of factly.

"Biologically? No." Eagle Eye answered. "But I like to think of my team as my siblings from time to time."

"Well put yourself in my spot for a moment," replied Lighris. Eagle Eye looked back to see a deep scowl on Lighris' face - though not directed at the Talonflame. He seemed to be glaring at some faraway target that could not be seen, but he knew it was out there.

"I should have been there to protect him _then_too. Instead, he nearly died and got his memory wiped, and every time I see that scar on his back, I'm reminded that I wasn't doing what I should've been... standing with him when he needed me." His gaze fell. "Instead it was Minato that saved him... It's always been him who stood by his side, when I should've been."

Eagle Eye could sense the pain coming from Lighris' tone. He could see that despite his overbearing and egotistical nature, he cared very much about Volcan and would do anything to protect him. TheTalonflame smirked a bit as he turned his gaze forward again.

"Well, the fact of the matter is you weren't. His buddy saved him, made him run to get help, and he ended up in the arms of my Team Captain who took it upon himself to nurse him back to health, help him in anyway he could, and even freakin' fell in love with him."

"Uh, Eagle Eye?" Sarth chimed in, pointing at Lighris, whose scowl had deepened at Eagle Eye's words.

"Hang on, lemme finish." The Talonflame returned, still keeping his gaze ahead for a moment before looking back to the Zapdos. "My point, Spiky, is that you can't keep beating yerself up about it, or yer gonna end up like another depressed Jackal back home at Azure. All you can do right now is learn from yer mistakes and move on. No point crying over a lost Pok...least that's what my Dad used to say."

Lighris scoffed, but said nothing more to dispute the Talonflame's words. Whether or not they offered him any comfort though, he could not tell.

"There go Volcan and Hageshi," Sarth called, pointing down with his claw towards two figures sprinting along the road to the south east. "...Dang, those two are fast for a couple of groundies."

"Hehe, well we'll just have to find our target before they get into position." Eagle Eye commented, using one of his wings to quickly flip his goggles down in front of his eyes. "Stay tight and keep my six covered you two. There's no telling when or where he'll show up, so keep yer guard up."

"Don't worry - I'm keeping my eyes open," replied Sarth, looking behind him warily.

Lighris peered off to the right. "There goes Luke's team," he said. "I think they're just about to the target area." He then tilted his head back. "Hey, I just had a thought. The area we're covering is_huge_. How do we even _find_Sound Breaker?"

"We're flying an intercept course," Eagle Eye explained. "The Sabers usually patrol assigned areas using a grid-pattern search; if he's going north-to-south like they usually do, then by flying east and west we'll cut across his path sooner or later." The Talonflame explained. "Just need to hope that we do that before he finds one of our teams, else we'll be flying backup instead."

"And do those little radios of yours have enough range for us to hear the others if he shows up?" Sarth asked.

"They should. I often fly long range recon for my group and I've still managed to keep in contact even when I'm miles away. Our radios should be fine." Eagle Eye assured the Flygon.

The skies remained vacant for as far as they could see. The snow covered plains below stretched out across the land, looking as though someone had lain a thick white blanket over the whole area with a large hole cut for Hadleigh back the way they had come from, and it was difficult to look at the ground without squinting, due to the sun's light reflecting off the snow coming back to hit their eyes.

None of the three fliers were fond of the cold either, making their journey that much more diffcult. Eagle Eye was better off, with his Flame Body offering him some measure of protection from the cold. However, Lighris had no such protection - his electrified body had no resistance to the cold and Sarth's species was not built to survive in cold weather at all; the Flygon was holding up surprisingly well but when Eagle Eye looked back at him he could see that he was struggling, arms folded across his chest and rubbing frantically to keep warm

They could only hope that Sound Breaker would suffer similarly -though not too vulnerable to ice-type attacks, his metal body surely suffered in some way with this horrid weather.

They followed the east-to-west pattern Eagle Eye had suggested for the better part of an hour. They passed Hadleigh several times on their flight; on one pass they saw Neilla's group following the northeast road towards the forest, and later Drogo's group going eastward on the road to Lindenburg.

Then, he saw it; a glint of light catching on something ahead. Eagle Eye focused his keen eyes in that direction, and saw three forms coming down from the north; in time, the form of three flying Pokemon came into focus and he knew immediately that they had finally found Soundbreaker.

Excitedly, he looked back to Sarth and Lighris and called to them. "Saberwings at eleven o'clock! We've found him!" He informed them.

"Finally! Was starting to think he'd never show up," Lighris crowed in relief.

"He hasn't seen us yet, so we'll use that to our advantage." The Talonflame squawked back. "We gotta hit him before he realizes we're here..." He muttered, narrowing his eyes a bit as he thought of an attack plan. "...Okay! Spikey, fly up high and be ready to bring the lightning when I say. Sarthy, stay low fer now and get something that'll blind him ready." He explained. "I'll bait him out and keep his attention occupied while you two get into position."

"I don't have anything to blind him... but I can disorient him with Supersonic or Screech - will that work?" Sarth asked.

"Anything that'll leave him vulnerable." Eagle Eye returned with a nod. "If either of you have any further questions, now's the time to voice em. Otherwise, it's go time." He added, waiting for them to say anything before he would begin his attack run.

Lighris hesitantly followed Eagle Eye's directions to fly higher while Sarth stayed on Eagle Eye's tail as they moved to engage. "What about those two lackies?" Sarth asked, pointing to the two Skarmory following Sound Breaker.

"Of course he'd have back up..." Eagle Eye muttered softly, quickly rethinking his plan of attack. "...Okay, new plan. Hit em with a Supersonic when we get in range, then we'll nail em together. Once the wingmates are down, we'll double team the leader." He said before flapping his wings and increasing his pace toward the three Skarmory, maneuvering to their six o'clocks along with Sarth and closing in on them as silently as they could.

Once they were in range, Eagle Eye then shouted. "Oi! Metalheads!!" Causing the three of them to quickly turn their attention to their six. "Now! Hit em!" He commanded Sarth.

Sarth reared back his head an unleashed a high-pitched scream that Eagle Eye couldn't hear, but he saw the air shimmering as he unleashed it towards the three approaching Skarmory. The lead Skarmory narrowed his eyes and quickly weaved out of the way of the oncoming sound attack, while his left wingmate veered to the right of it. The third unfortunately wasn't able to react fast enough and was hit with the sonic attack, confusing and disorientating him momentarily.

"Better than none at all! Hit em!" Eagle Eye squawked to Sarth as he charged for the stunned Saberwing, pelting him with rapid fire Ember attacks as he flew past him, leaving Sarth to deal the finishing blow.

Extending a Dragon Claw, Sarth folded in his wings and, in a stunning display of aerial acrobatics, twisted himself into a spin, summarily uppercutting the Skarmory with his claws which, though not overly effective, sent the Skarmory into a series of unwanted backflips as he fell towards the ground.

"NICE!" Eagle Eye squawked triumphantly, but then twitched as he saw Sound Breaker and his wingmate coming at him from the corner of his eye. "WHOOP!" He exclaimed as he let himself fall for a moment, letting the two Skarmory pass over them before they circled around and flapped their wings to come to a stop before the two of them.

Sound Breaker leered at the two of them silently as he examined them from head to toe, but his attention was more focused on Eagle Eye than Sarth. "...Talonclaw...?" He muttered, then he shook his head slowly. "No...you're his brat, aren't you?"

"The one and only, fuckwit." Eagle Eye stated with pride while staring the elder Skarmory down. "Heard you've been tangoing with a pretty rotten crowd, old man. I knew you were bad news, but siding with someone like that Shadow Blaziken? Seriously I thought you couldn't stoop any lower."

"...My business with my client is none of your concern." Sound Breaker retorted.

"It is when you start bringing innocent pokemon into the crossfire!" The Talonflame squawked.

"Collateral damage. Besides, the weak should stay out of the way or risk being destroyed... Such is the way the world works these days." He stated callously before his iron beak curled into a cold smirk. "And here I thought I was going to get a challenge today..."

"You should know better than to sell me short. I may not be my old man, but I've got a few new tricks you ain't seen before." Eagle Eye said with a smirk. "For example...we _literally..._BROUGHT THE LIGHTNING!" He suddenly shouted high into the air while craning his head up toward the sky.

Hearing the cue, Lighris charged a powerful Thunderbolt - the sound of thunder filled the air as the mighty Zapdos sent a streaking bolt of lightning towards the Skarmory. Sound Breaker quickly took off to the left while his wingmate barrel rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding the streak of lightning that nearly struck them.

Sound Breaker looked up to the clouds where the Zapdos was hiding, scoffing as he addressed his wingmate. "Cutlass, take the Zapdos...These two are mine..."

The other Skarmory nodded without question, then quickly took off toward the skies above to engage Lighris. The second Cutlass departed, Sound Breaker made his move, opening his beak and quick firing a Metal Sound at the two of them to stun them momentarily. Eagle Eye quickly fired a Fire Blast to cancel out the attack coming at them, creating a smokescreen that obscured the Skarmory from sight.

Shortly after, a bright Flash Cannon shot forth from the smoke, barrelling right toward Sarth, who fell back in a somersault to avoid it, flying under the beam narrowly before regaining his aerial balance.

Sound Breaker then shot forth through the smoke with blinding speed, shooting another Flash Cannon at Eagle Eye to keep him at bay while he closed in on Sarth, quickly spinning like a corkscrew as he attempted to drill right through the Flygon with Drill Peck. Sarth extended his Dragon Claws and crossed them in front of him to catch the oncoming Skarmory, but was still thrown back by the impact generated by Sound Breaker's velocity, sending him soaring backward and struggling to regain control of his flight.

The Skarmory wasn't going to let him recover his balance, diving after the Flygon and raking his talons forward as he fell upon the Flygon's back, rearing back his head to spear Sarth with his beak.

"HEY!" Eagle Eye squawked, racing forward with his body ablaze and colliding with Sound Breaker in a Flame Charge, knocking him away from Sarth before he could carry out his attack.

"He's not the only one yer up against, asshole!" The Talonflame squawked.

Sound Breaker let out a low growl as he collected himself, turning on Eagle Eye and beating his wings as he raced after him. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to ribbons and presenting them to your father, boy!!" He shrieked as he shook his body heavily, shedding some of his armour with Autotomize and bolted after the Talonflame at breakneck speeds.

"Good luck even getting a scratch on me!" Eagle Eye hollered back, igniting his body with another Flame Charge and bolting down toward the ground below just as Sound Breaker was about to hit him, who quickly gave chase once more, staying tight on Eagle Eye's tail even as they plunged.

Eagle Eye proved fast enough to keep ahead of Sound Breaker, but when he turned, the Skarmory got closer, managing tighter turns than the Talonflame was capable of. Eagle Eye had to roll right to avoid a Flash Cannon, and left again when a second one came, each one costing him precious inches and bringing Sound Breaker closer to where he'd be able to strike him with his deadlier physical attacks.

Suddenly a yellow blur rushed across Sound Breaker's path, forcing him to rear his body back and flare out his wings, wind whipping about as he rapidly slowed before he collided with the Zapdos now barring his way.

"You thought your lackey_would be enough to beat _me?" He demanded, in a furious tone. Electricity surged over his wings as he powered up. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

He threw out his wings, and an explosion of electricity erupted from him as he unleashed a mighty Discharge, sending it in a large arc in every direction -n early hitting Eagle Eye in the process as he was coming back around, but had to stop when a giant sphere of an electrical storm seemingly materialized out of nowhere.

"You DUMBASS!!" Eagle Eye squawked angrily at Lighris. "You almost fried me with that stunt!!"

Sound Breaker had already turned around to flee when the electrical explosion occurred, having recognized the attack for what it was. He had barely escaped the radius of the blast, but the electrical surge had missed him. Lighris, collecting himself, went after the Skarmory as he fled. The two went into a series of spins and loops as the Zapdos pursued him, never able to catch up, but fast enough that Sound Breaker couldn't quite outrun him either.

Eagle Eye saw movement to his left, and saw Sarth rising to join him. He looked battered, but still able to fight. "Has he lost his mind? He's never going to hit him like that!" Sarth exclaimed.

"Damnit, Spiky! I _said_no Lone Wolf stuff!" Eagle Eye squawked angrily at Lighris.

But the Zapdos ignored him, chasing down the Skarmory without hesitation; in terms of power, Lighris might've eclipsed Sound Breaker and in a straight up fight, he might have won. But Sound Breaker knew that as well; he knew he couldn't defeat Lighris head-to-head. No, his plan was to wear him down, and then eliminate him once Lighris burned himself out chasing him.

"Fucking hell, he won't last five minutes on his own, but we can't get close or he'll just fry us too!" Eagle Eye cursed.

"I'm ground-type; Lighris' electricity won't affect me," Sarth reminded. "If I can get close enough to Sound Breaker, maybe I can stop him."

"It's worth a try." Eagle Eye agreed with a nod. "You take point, I'll follow right behind ya."

"Don't be afraid to use me as a shield if he uses Discharge again," Sarth informed him as he went into a brief dive to gather speed, heading into an intercept course.

Lighris had slowed down enough that Sound Breaker was ready to attempt an attack, flying straight up and tipping himself back into a vertical u-turn, from which he fired a Flash Cannon at Lighris; the attack hit home, striking the Zapdos clear in the face, but Lighris did little more than jerk off course, more repelled than hurt, but it was all Sound Breaker needed.

Once more, Sound Breaker dove, his wings aglow as it gained a razor edge while he dove at Lighris. The Zapdos spun to meet his attack, though, his own wings acquiring a glow to match those of Sound Breaker's, and their wings met in a midair collision with an audible metallic ring.

"Not the only one who knows Steel Wing, bub!" Lighris taunted.

"But do you know attacks I am not resistant to?" The Skarmory retorted before he raised a talon, coated in an inky veil.

Before Lighris had any chance of reacting, he raked the talon across Lighris' front, tearing deep slashes in his flank as he tried to twist away.With a cry, Lighris fell, but Sound Breaker was too caught up with his current opponent to see the shadow falling over him. By the time he turned his head to see Sarth diving at him like a green rocket, it was too late.

Sarth opened his mouth wide an elicited a Screech that sent vibrations rippling over Sound Breaker's metal frame, deafening him as his metal body shuddered. Disoriented, he did not see the attack from Eagle Eye in time, and the Talonflame collided with him with a Flame Charge, sending him into a spin.

Sound Breaker was halfway toward the ground before he regained control of his flight, beating his blade-like wings heavily to regain some altitude. But Sarth and Eagle Eye were already on him again, the dragon whipping across his field of vision to elicit another Screech, and Eagle Eye from above, falling in a straight dive with his body ablaze - not with Flame Charge, but the far more powerful Flare Blitz, and the instant he made contact with Sound Breaker, the Skarmory hit the snowy earth below with force enough to throw white powder in every direction.

When the white veil settled, Sarth and Eagle Eye landed, finding the Skarmory half-buried in the snow, defeated.

Eagle Eye turned to Sarth then, giving him a salute with his win. "Nice work, bud," he complimented the Flygon.

Sarth opened his mouth to answer, only to turn his head away as a sneeze bit off his response. "Oof... thanks," he said, shaking his head and shivering as the cold started to set in on him again. "M-Mission accom-p-plished. C-Can we start heading back to Hadleigh?" He asked with a shiver.

"In a bit, pal. Gotta notify the others." Eagle Eye remarked, pushing up his goggles with the crook of his wing before pressing the same crook against his ear. "All ground teams, this is Eagle Eye. Sound Breaker's been taken out of commission."

"Nice job, Eagle Eye,"_he heard Volcan's voice. _"Rendezvous with Hageshi and I at the pass - I need you to deliver a message to Daffodil Valley while we have a moment."

"Yea uh...we might be a little late to that party." Eagle Eye answered back, glancing over Lighris, limping his way over to the two. "Spiky took a pretty nasty hit in the fight; he's going to need patching up before we're going anywhere."

"...Copy that. What's Sarth's status?"

The Talonflame relayed the question to the Flygon. "I'm good. Bruised but not incapacitated."

When Eagle Eye gave Volcan the confirmation, the Blaziken went on. "Tell him to head to the valley to tell the local Rescue Team there that the pass has been cleared. It'll be up to them to keep it open from then on, and they have a big prisoner to expect. I'll come help you move Sound Breaker; stay put and make sure he doesn't move."

Upon receiving the instruction from Volcan, Sarth groaned. "So much for going home to warm up," he mumbled before spreading his wings. "I'll be back soon!" He said as he took flight again, leaving Eagle Eye alone with Lighris and the unconscious Sound Breaker.

The Zapdos glared angrily down at the Skarmory. "A fucking Night Slash... He'd only used Steel-type moves up to this point; didn't think he'd use a Dark-type move."

Eagle Eye frowned at Lighris as he made that comment. "I gave you _one_order, Lightning Head...ONE Order! And NOW look what happened to you!" He squawked gesturing at Lighris' torn flank with his wing. "I told you no Lone Wolf antics, and what do you do? You go off and attack Sound Breaker entirely on your own without either myself or Sarth backing you up! You're lucky your guts aren't spilling out right now!"

Lighris scoffed. "I had him and he knew it. _He's_the one who got lucky."

"Arceus damnit, you never had him, you nitwit!" Eagle Eye hollered at him. "I _told_you he'd fight dirty! You left yourself wide open! And for that matter, what the hell were you thinking letting out a Discharge when you knew I was circling around for another pass? If you fried me instead of him, you and Sarth would _both_would be up shit creek without a paddle!"

"Says you!" Lighris shot back. "I had every advantage in this fight - if I had to worry about _you_then I should've just taken him myself!" He scoffed again. "I only came on this stupid dogfight because my brother asked me to - be thankful you even _had_me!"

"Then be ready to explain your fuck-up and near friendly-fire incident when he gets here!" Eagle Eye stated.

"You want 'friendly fire' I'll blast you with a Thunderbolt right_now_!" Lighris warned him.

"Oh yea? Go ahead, I fucking DARE you!" Eagle Eye squawked back. "You strike at me, you'll only just be proving my point; you're a loose cannon and a hothead!"

The two glared at each other with deep scorn, flames and electricity coursing over them as if in reaction to the growing tension between them, before the Zapdos spoke again.

"My brother does this rescue team crap because he cares. But I don't. Far as I'm concerned, sticking your neck out for the sake of someone else is just going to get your head chopped off," he pointed at Sound Breaker with a wing. "This guy is scum. Plenty of people to deal with him. But I look out for my own and no one else - more than can be said for _some_I can name."

Eagle Eye glowered for a moment, his feathers ruffling before he forced himself to calm down. "Okay then...lemme ask you this." He said in a softer tone. "You claim to look out for your own...but what if it were my Team Captain in danger? Would you consider _him_a bump in the road, or would you go out of your way to save him?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Lighris asked. "Your captain can take care of himself."

"Even he's not unstoppable, pal, much as I'd like otherwise," Eagle Eye replied. "But you bro loves Luke, has even planned to marry him. Does that make Luke another 'bump in the road'?"

"That's...!" Lighris's retort died in his throat.

Luke's engagement to Volcan, though only announced three weeks ago, did technically make him family by all accounts and by that logic, Lighris knew that there was no way to answer Eagle Eye's question without sounding like a hypocrit. If there ever came a time Lighris was in a position to help Luke, or if he himself ever hurt the Lucario in any way - such as by not helping the members of his team, all of whom Luke considered family himself, likely Volcan would never speak to him again.

Volcan was dedicated to his family just as much as Lighris was, but Lighris knew that the Blaziken was not without the ability to scorn his own kin. They had shared a father - the original Zapdos before Lighris' birth; Torden was his name, their mother had told them. Volcan resented Torden - had cursed his name for years for abandoning them without any real reason given; he had been too young to remember Torden yet he still hated him.

With that conclusion, Lighris knew that any failure to Luke - either by abandoning him or one of his team, every one of whom he considered family... he'd lose Volcan's trust forever.

"Whazza matter? Delcatty got your tongue?" Eagle Eye taunted, breaking Lighris out of his train of thought. "I'm still waiting for an answer, Spiky..."

Lighris snorted again. "Whatever..." He muttered, but he did little to hide how hard those words had stricken him. He turned away from Eagle Eye, looking over to see a familiar figure hastily approaching, and prepared himself for the worst...

~~~~~

Earlier...

The crackle of thunder sounding in the distance was all that they needed to know the battle for control of the skies had begun. Volcan and Hageshi sprinted toward the pass, still a ways off even when the battle had begun but getting closer by the moment with their speed.

Before long, they stopped at low mound in sight of the pass, taking in the scene before them. Neither one saw any movement coming from the pass, near to or around the line of boulders that blocked it. There was very little cover over the ground they had crossed, and their respective colours would've made both him _and_Hageshi easily visible against the snow; Hageshi had resolved this by opting to remain in Shadow Step as they approached the pass, not revealing himself until they were behind the mound and emerging slowly without ever revealing himself.

"See anyone?" Volcan asked, studying the cliffs of the valley pass carefully.

"No," Hageshi replied plainly, taking in the scene before him. "It is far too quiet..."

The Blaziken agreed, taking in the scene with trepidation. "There's no way nobody saw us approaching," he said. "But someone's been setting off those landslides. There has to be - wait a second," he said, looking closely at the boulders filling the pass. "...Something seems off about those rocks."

The boulders that filled the pass seemed fused together, and arranged in a neat row - not strewn about as one might expect from the aftermath of an avalanche or landslide. The sheer absurdity confused the Blaziken; who would go to such hassle to get so many boulders, so close to the same size, and arrange them in such a way? It seemed like just building an ordinary wall would've been more practical.

Hageshi though, more familiar with Pokemon of the East Continent, saw the wall for what it was, and scoffed at the Blaziken. "Of course. An_islander_ would not see more than mere boulders," he said derisively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Volcan asked, scowling at him.

"Let me show you," replied the Greninja before he leapt over the mound and ran toward the wall.

"Hey wai-!" Volcan started to call after him, but the Greninja did not even slow.

As Hageshi ran, he inhaled deeply, a chill filling his mouth as a blue glow shone from behind the tongue he wore around him like a scarf. Upon reaching the base of the rocks, he fired an Ice Beam at them, sweeping across the row of boulders with it and creating a layer of ice and cold frost along its projected path.

The wall, as he expected, shuddered. He heard a rumbling, and then a warning cry from Volcan as a cascade of rocks began to fall from the cliffs to either side of the wall. Hageshi put his hands together, forming a sign with his fingers before melting into his shadow promptly, the boulders tumbling harmlessly over where he stood. Volcan, halfway toward the wall, stopped his run and jumped back to avoid being crushed by the landslide.

Hageshi emerged seconds later, firing another ice beam at the wall. The landslide resumed immediately, and once again he disappeared into his shadow to avoid the rocks. When he appeared again this time, he stood atop one of the larger of the boulders that had rolled down from the walls, and called out to the wall.

"Enough of this farce! Show yourself!" He called out.

Once again the wall shuddered, the ice that had accumulated upon it beginning to crack as it shifted as though something were trying to move it. By this time, Volcan, navigating his way through the maze of boulders, was about to approach Hageshi, but choked on his words as the boulders began to shift.

No... not shift, move.

Behind the walls, a stone spike emerged seemingly from nowhere, and a shape ascended over the rocks. The shape was like someone had tried to carve the shape of a snake's head into stone, but imbedded in the eye sockets - closer together than a regular snake's would be, two clearly organic eyes glared out from below a stone brow at the two intruders. The chain of boulders, that formed the wall shifted as the head lifted higher, and soon Volcan saw that the fused stones were connected to this gigantic Pokemon rising before them.

The creature was enormous. Each boulder that comprised its body averaged a radius as wide as Volcan was tall, and it had twelve connecting segments before the tail began to narrow, becoming narrower, stubbier rocks before ending in a single round one as large as Volcan's fists; in total, the stone snake towering before them was nearly seventy feet long.

"As Lashanne would say, 'big kahuna!'"Volcan squawked, watching the snake peering down at them from a height that nearly reached the tops of the pass the creature guarded. "What the hell is that?!"

"...You are serious?" Hageshi asked derisively. "Are _all_you islanders so isolated you cannot even identify a common Rock Pokemon?"

"We_islanders_almost never see_Rock Pokemon," Volcan retorted. "How many do you think live out in the middle of the _ocean?"

Hageshi looked back at the snake. "It is an Onix. A large one, I grant you, but as they say. The bigger the are, the harder they fall." He shifted his stance. "Enough talk; it's coming. Ready yourself or flee for all I care."

Volcan was about to retort again, but bit it back when he heard a growl - akin to the grinding of boulders as if they were coming up a hollow tube, coming from the mouth of the stone snake. The Blaziken saw the attack coming out of the corner of his eye and sprang away the same time as Hageshi; the Onix struck the ground, deceptively fast for its size, and leaving a deep gouge in the earth where it had hit and sending the boulder that Hageshi had been standing on tumbling away.

Hageshi landed on another boulder, and jumped again to avoid the first one he'd used as a perch when it collided with his new perch. He landed gracefully on the ground, drawing back his hand and conjuring pair of water shuriken between his fingers, which immediate froze into ice. He hurled them back handed at the Onix, both of them shattering against its head with little visible damage.

He had its attention though; the creature let out an even louder growl and then fell towards him, attempting to flatten him beneath its massive bulk with a Slam attack. He quickly darted out of the way, the rocks in the path of the falling beast pulverized by its mass and forcing him to jump to avoid the spray of pebbles and dust that followed. Forming another sign with his hands, he fired another Ice beam at the Onix, this time landing the attack in its middle section.

Though somewhat slowed, the Onix was not stopped, and opened its mouth wide. A green stream of what seemed like air exploded forth from its maw, aimed directly at where Hageshi was going to land. He drew his blade, putting it up between him and the attack, but the blast engulfed him utterly, and it seemed Hageshi was to be consumed by the Dragonbreath attack.

But as the Onix ceased its attack, Hageshi was gone. In his place, a wooden replica of the Greninja rested where he had been. The Greninja then appeared above the Onix's head, blade aimed downward and coated in ice as he slammed it down right on its noggin. His blade by itself did not pierce its rocky skull, but the ice around his blade soon started to spread all along the Onix's head, threatening to freeze it completely solid.

In response, it threw itself at the granite cliff to its left. Hageshi, too focused on his current task, saw the incoming wall too late. He still had time to jump off the Onix's head, but the momentum of its swinging body threw him against the stone cliff with bone jarring force, and went he fell away, unable to grab anything for purchase, the Onix waited below, mouth open wide and ready to consume him.

A red blur shot into view as Volcan dove in with a Hi-Jump Kick, striking the Onix in the side of its face and once more driving its head slamming into the cliff -though this time not of its own volition. Hageshi stretched out his leg to catch the Onix's lip, and hooked his sword over the top of its nose to hoist himself up, landing upon its head as Volcan tumbled onto it the same way, both of them coming to stop near its stone spine.

Both Volcan and Hageshi fell upon the Onix's body, running the length of its tail as it pulled its head out and pursued them, the top of its head glowing as it swung itself around to flatten them both.

"Hit the dirt!" Volcan called out in warning, hurling himself over the side of the Onix in a dive toward the ground.

Hageshi leapt off the side opposite of Volcan, diving head first into his own shadow and disappearing into it with his Shadow Sneak technique just as the Onix completed its swing. It struck the cliff wall with massive force, and teetered awkwardly away from it, seeming dazed - even hurt, by its own failed attack.

Seeing his chance, Volcan decided it was time to see if his training had paid off, cupping his hands together at his side and concentrating hard. An orange sphere appeared between his hands, expanding slowly as his face contorted with visible strain. But before it could grow to fill fill the gap between his palms, it fizzled, rapidly shrinking before vanishing out of existence and the Blaziken cursed, lifting his hands to look at his hands in disdain.

"Still can't do it yet!" He said, irritated.

He looked up as the Onix's shadow fell over him, seeing the giant rock snake towering above him and roaring as it lunged for him. His eyes went wide.

"YIPE!" He crowed as he jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding being buried under the body of adjoined boulders.

The Onix hit the ground like a giant falling redwood, throwing plumes of snow that rose like waves over water around its bulk. Volcan, for his part, threw his arms over his head to protect himself from any debris hidden in the snow as fell over him, covering him in the white snow, frozen dirt and dead grass.

The Onix was vulnerable as it started to pick itself up; Hageshi saw his opportunity and took it, erupting from the shadows at the base of the cliff while conjuring two Ice Shuriken in his off hand. As he leapt in an arc over it, he hurled the Shurikens towards its eyes; although Onix's had small eyes, with the white surface around them purely an evolved trait and not actual eyes, the black ovals at their center were as real as any other; they were small targets, but the instinct to protect them remained

The Onix turned is face away as the Shuriken bounced across its brow and nose, losing sight of Hageshi. Seconds were all he needed for concentration, and the Onix's brain alit with agony as it was assaulted by an Extrasensory attack; it threw back its head to elicit a deafening roar of pain, and Volcan took advantage of its moment of vulnerability, leaping at as hard as he could and somersaulting into a two-legged kick that knocked the Onix into the cliff wall once more.

It fell to the ground with a crash, and did not stir again.

Landing back in the snow, Volcan knelt to rub his feet; they ached from kicking the stone body of the Onix, and he was admittedly surprised he had dealt as much damage as he had, remembering how ineffective he had been against the last Rock-type he had battled.

"I'd say that takes care of that," he said, looking over at Hageshi as he approached.

The Greninja sighed, easing the stress from his body and rubbing his head as a mild ache coarsed through his skull. "...You sure took your time, jumping in," he remarked in a low tone.

"Rock-types may be weak to Fighting-type, but the last one I tried kicking barely even teetered," Volcan replied. "I figured the answer was momentum, so I got a running start first." He let out a chuckle. "Xerneas save me if I'd missed though, because that would've hurt. A lot."

"Then be thankful you didn't miss." The Greninja returned, still keeping his gaze toward the fallen rock snake. "...I hope you have an answer as to how we're to move this thing out of the way."

"I'm working on it," said Volcan, gesturing toward the opening. "It's not blocking the pass anymore. We need to get a message to Daffodil Valley, and-"

"All ground teams, this is Eagle Eye. Sound Breaker's been taken out of commission."

"Hang on," he said, putting a finger to his ear. _"_Nice job, Eagle Eye," Volcan returned. "Rendezvous with Hageshi and I at the pass - I need you to deliver a message to Daffodil Valley."

"Yea uh... we might be a little late to that party. Spiky took a pretty nasty hit. He's down too."

Volcan's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. "...Copy that. What's Sarth's status?"

There was a pause, before the Talonflame replied with a simple "He's good. Why?"

"Tell him to head to the valley to tell the local Rescue Team there that the pass has been cleared. It'll be up to them to keep it open from then on. And, they may have a _very_big prisoner to pick up. Over and out." He scowled as he rose back to his feet. "Sounds like my brother didn't do so well on this mission," he said, sighing. "Dammit. I bet anything it was that stupid ego of his, too."

The Greninja groaned in disgust, rolling his eyes even. "I knew he was going to become a detriment to this mission..." He said with mild disgust in his tone. "We should have forced him to go back to Azure..."

Volcan shook his head. "I'm not in disagreement with you. But my brother is so damn stubborn that if he were this Onix," he gestured to the downed rock snake, "I'd break my foot trying to move him." He stood in silent thought for a moment before he looked at Hageshi. "See if you can link up with Luke's group, then start doubling back to Hadleigh once the last road is cleared. I'll help Eagle Eye's team."

"And also," he added as Hageshi turned to leave. "For what it's worth, you did well here. We're a step closer to lifting the lockdown on this region."

"Spare me your compliments." The Greninja snapped back. "...Our job is done here. Let's move onto the next." He added hastily, before he disappeared in a cold mist, travelling to regroup with Luke's group and assist them if needed.

Volcan watched the young Greninja leave with an incredulous glance until Hageshi had moved out of sight, and let out a sigh. "If that's how he reacts to a compliment, I'd hate to see what he'd do if someone offered him an award," he said with a helpless shrug as he turned and started making his way back to where he thought Eagle Eye's group was waiting...

~~~~~

An overturned wagon lay on the side of the road, its contents spilled out. Contents consisting of various paintings, now lying ruined in the snow around it, causing the paint to run and freeze where it mixed in with the snow. Over a dozen paintings, some with similar styles, others of completely separate, showing that the owner of this cart had been transporting the artwork of more than one artist.

Along with the paintings were several sculptures and vinyl records, which remained intact, but few if any paintings had survived the passage of time in the cold winter air. The cart was nearly full to capacity, without any items seeming to be missing.

"An art peddler's cart," Neilla said, recognizing the cart for its intended purpose, looking around for some sign of the owner, but the wreck had been there for some time.

"What's an art peddler?" Hank asked, directing the question at Azrael.

"As the name implies, they're merchants who travel between towns to sell the artwork of artists from Hadleigh," explained Azrael. "Every week in Hadleigh, artists meet in the Sale Gallery to show their latest pieces, and the peddlers come looking for new pieces to sell. They buy the pieces from the artists, take them and seek to resell them in other communities - usually major cities like Lindenburg, Westport and such."

"That sounds like easy moolah," Hank remarked with a grin, rubbing his chin. "You could buy the paintings for a song and sell 'em for a tidy sum."

"Hardly," Neilla countered, looking back at Hank. "Do you know how cutthroat the world of art is? The Sale Gallery has its own appraisers, who are expected to determine the value of every piece brought in for the coming of the peddlers. But they themselves must criticize the art and every one will have differing opinions - some really talented people walk out of that gallery no wealthier than when they went in."

"...That, definitely sounds way less easy," Hank conceded. "How do artists make any Poks like that?"

"If they cannot find a peddler, they can always sell the art themselves," replied Azrael. "Otherwise, of the three appraisers there each week, they rotate hands throughout the month; if an artist failed to get appraised one week, they can always try again the next, perhaps finding an appraiser who will like their work and give them a value on it."

"That being said, the peddlers will do their own appraisal when they see the art," Neilla added as they continued to follow the road. "If they don't think they can sell it or they themselves don't like it, they're far less likely to buy it from the artists."

"You guys ever try that sort of thing?" Hank asked. "Like, being artists or, being peddlers?"

Neilla chuckled. "I tried my hand at painting while I was taking martial arts training," she admitted. "Honestly, I prefer the latter - I love the thrill of fighting more than I like painting. Could just be something I inherited from my mom."

"I do not possess the anatomy to be much of an artist," Azrael put in, lifting his forepaws for emphasis. "Cannot paint if you cannot hold the brush. Cannot sculpt if you cannot hold the hammer and chisel."

"As for the other, my dad was a peddler," Neilla continued, shrugging. "Kept almost as many as he sold though, and-"

She stopped as Azrael tensed and lifted his paw for silence. "We'll have to continue this discussion later," he said. "I believe our adversaries are close." He pointed ahead, toward a grizzly scene.

Ahead on the road, the aftermath of a fight awaited the trio. The snow had been disturbed in many places, scattered about by moving feet, scattered attacks and a fallen form - a body, hitting the snow, but no signs of it now. A tree had been set ablaze - a fire it seemed had only recently gone out, leaving a blacked spire jutting up from the ground, standing out against the whole, healthy pines that surrounded it; it was fortunate that the fire had not spread to the other trees.

Neilla was first to the scene, kneeling the survey the ground. It had snowed last night, but only lightly. There was blood in the snow, she could tell, but no bodies, which drew her attention to the drag marks leading into where the trees grew thicker. Hank followed her gaze, feelings cold chill creeping up his back that was not caused by the winter air. He, as did all of the Zoroark of his tribe, had many stories about Trevenant and about what they did to anyone who harmed the forest.

"No one perished here, but it is clear that there was quite a battle," Azrael offered, looking further up the road. "Footprints continue north... perhaps they escaped?"

"Let's hope so," replied Neilla.

Pushing his uneasiness at the scene aside, Hank began scouring the area around them for clues pertaining to their target; any sort of hint that could help them identify where their target might have struck from and where he was hiding at this moment. Circled the disturbed snow, placing his feet carefully and watching it to make sure he didn't step on anything that might be vital.

"Shame all the animals here are practically non-existent...coulda asked them fer help in where our spectral oak tree's hiding." He commented absently.

"If his objective is to keep people from coming to or leaving this region," Azrael offered, "it is very likely he will find us." He shut his eyes, becoming still and silent as he seemed to be listening to the woods ahead. Or... he seemed to be reaching out with other senses, much how Luke used his aura sense.

"Something... is coming... I sense peril," he said. His eyes opened slowly, bearing an intense look as he stared into the trees. "Prepare yourselves. He knows we are here."

he tree of them formed a protective circle, watching the trees and the road closely. Neilla's fist coated in a swirl of frost -an Ice Punch, Hank guessed Azrail's blade-like horn blackened and emitted a dark mist as he prepared a Night Slash, widening his stance in preparation to react to any attack that came their way.

Hank had his claws raised, but he was unsure of their advantage. Hank knew the forests, and knew nearly _all_of the Pokemon species that called it home. Trevenant were among the worst to deal with - they could blend into the forest so well that most could not sense one if they were standing right next to them. By then, it was usually too late.

This was_their_territory, and the three of them were walking into the heart of it...

For a while, there was nothing but silence. Until, all of a sudden, Azrael stiffened.

"Back!" He shouted, and sprang away like a Liepard evading danger.

His words were the only warning as a violet length of ethereal mass surged out of the ground, snapping at the air where Azrael's neck had been only seconds before. Hank and Neilla darted away as more purple tendrils, transparent and writhing like upright worms in the sunlight, erupted from the ground, attempting to seize them, but thanks to Azrael's warning, they managed to get out of the reach of the tendrils just in time. The ethereal purple vines dissipated almost immediately after, leaving no sign - not even a disturbance in the snow, where they had been.

"He's here!" Neilla cursed, looking around hurriedly. "Azrael, did you see him?"

"No! Detect was all that saved me from that attack - he's still hiding!"

"And the party begins..." Hank muttered, his claws flexing harder and coating with dark energy in preparation for a Night Slash attack.

His eyes scanned the forest quickly, his ears twitching at every sound he heard as he relied on his general knowledge of the forest and his instincts to try and detect where the Trevenant was striking from.

He turned about, just in time to see a red, glowing orb in the shadows of the tree -the Trevenant's eye, he knew- as it emerged from hiding and made a beeline towards Neilla, with the creature's fist raised and glowing for an attack. Azrael, as if sensing the attack on his comrade, whipped around, eyes flaring.

"Neilla!" He cried out in warning, but Hank was already acting on the danger.

"Aw no ya don't!" Hank exclaimed as he leapt into the Trevenant's path, only seconds from bringing its wooden fist down on the oblivious Lopunny.

The creature blocked Hank's claws with its arm, and reeled in pain from the effective Dark-type attack, leaping back into the shadows of the pines behind it and fading from sight. The last thing to go was its eye, remaining a glowing, visible orb of red before winking out completely.

Phantom Force, Hank realized, just like the Decidueye they fought before had done. Not moving _as_a shadow like Shadow Sneak, but more becoming part of them. With so many trees around them, that meant he could appear from anywhere he wanted.

Azrael seemed to have the same idea, once more shutting his eyes and concentrating. Seconds later, he turned a sharp look on Hank. "Three seconds, to your right!" He warned.

Sure enough, the Trevenant appeared, only to find the Zoroark already waiting for him as he re materialized, eye shrinking to the size of a bead as if in horror when he found Hank with his claw raised.

"Gotcha, bitch!" He said with a sly grin, slashing at his body with another Night Slash. The Trevenant retreated, avoiding the claws, but Hank was quicker.

He brought his paws together, hastily conjuring a Shadow Ball before hurling it at the Trevenant.The attack hit home at its center mass, and the Trevenant flew back with a haunting cry of pain until it hit a tree, its eye going dark as it slumped against the trunk.

"Nice hit," said Neilla, nodding to Hank. "And thanks; he would've nailed me if you hadn't jumped in."

"No prob. This guy was a pushover," Hank taunted, brushing his shoulder and smirking at the downed Trevenant, then turned to Azrael as the Absol trotted over. "Hey bud. Good job on pointing out where he was and all, but I gotta know, how in the hell did you know where he was gonna be next? Are you like...a clairvoyant or something?"

"Future Sight," replied the Absol plainly. "It doesn't just create an attack that strikes later - it lets one peer into the future." He looked at the Trevenant. "I can only look forward about six or seven seconds, but as you can see it's quite helpful, especially taking into account my species natural ability to sense disasters and imminent danger."

"Well hey, six or seven seconds is better than getting hit first, amirite?" Hank asked rhetorically, nudging the Absol with his elbow and laughing heartily.

"True enough. Takes a second or two to focus it but- mff!" He fell silent as something whipped across his mouth. One of the ethereal vines that had attempted to ambush them before had come back, and Hank saw Azrael rapidly engulfed by them, his legs and body bound until he was pulled onto his belly and pinned to the soil.

Neilla let out a pained grunt, and Hank - already trying to turn to help Azrael, turned back to her, thinking the Trevenant was back up and had sent the Forest Curse at her as well. He saw her doubling over, a wooden fist buried in her gut and causing her to cough hoarsely as she collapsed to the ground. But what he saw was not the same Trevenant attacking her; this one was different.

The deformed, tree-like body it possessed was discoloured, with white bark instead of brown and red leaves, like the forest in the autumn, instead of a usual green. The eye resting in the open front on its horned top segment was violet instead of red, and turning menacingly upon Hank, who was cursing in his mind. They hadn't anticipated _two_of them, and this second one pushed Neilla roughly aside as the Lopunny fought to regain her breath, her assailant convinced his surprise attack had dealt with her easily.

The Zoroark groaned and flexed his claws again in preparation for battle. "Welp... I did say it was too easy...shoulda kept my big mouth shut." He grumbled, then suddenly puffed his cheeks out before exhaling a large cone of fire with his Flamethrower attack toward his new adversary.

The Trevenant barely leaned out of the way of the attack, its eye glowing again. Hank felt something snag his ankles, and looked down in time to see the vines of Forest's Curse creeping up on him. He felt his body shudder, sensing his typing change. He looked up again to see the two tree-limb claws glowing with the lime-coloured glow of a Bug-type attack as it leapt for him.

Thinking fast, he crossed his arms in front of his body as if he were attempting to protect himself from the attack. However, at the last second, he grinned and threw his arms out out, revealing an attack - Night Daze, that he had been charging behind his crossed arms.

"Get blinded, ya ghostly shit!" He exclaimed as the attack hit its mark, dealing considerable damage and messing with the Trevenant's vision.

The Trevenant shook, angrily, and then faced the Zoroark again, before its jagged mouth suddenly curled into a smile. Before he knew what was coming, white-hot pain lanced up Hank's back and he was thrown forward, the violet roots bursting forth as he fell. They wrapped around his wrists and pulled him face first into the snow, and he felt the rest of them whipping around him, pinning him to the ground helplessly.

He looked over his shoulder, and saw the other Trevenant was back on its roots again, and had snuck up on him. With Azrael gagged, he hadn't been able to shout a warning to the Zoroark.

"Gggh! S-Son of a-!" He growled, glaring over his shoulder. The other Trevenant had regained consciousness and snuck up on Hank while he was fighting the white one.

Out of the corner of his eye Hank saw the gagged Azrael casting him an apologetic look; he had tried to warn the Zoroark, but with his mouth covered by the ethereal vine, his voice had been held back.

Hank glared defiantly up at the two. "Heh... think you're so tough, hitting me and a lady in the back, huh? How about you let me up and I'll show you chumps a real fight, or are you all bark and no -urmf!"He was silenced by another vine, coiling around his mouth and sealing it shut.

The two Trevenant stood over him, and raised their hands in preparation to strike, when a suddenly purplish glow erupted from the woods. They turned their gaze from Hank, and then closed their eyes briefly as the purple turned to blinding white in an instant, along with a sound like the shattering of crystal. Hank knew that sound - he had heard it several times. But before he could piece it together, a blurred figure shot across his view... and the white Trevenant seemingly vanished, though a _crash_in the trees told him where it had gone.

The other Trevenant started to back away, but whoever had knocked down his partner was immediately after him as well. A blur of white, brown and black darted at the Trevenant, and it was sent sprawling as a powerful kick from the attacker knocked it off balance, followed by another dash and kick to its back, which sent the Trevenant hurtling into a tree by its partner.

Hank gawked when he saw the Mega Lopunny standing over him. He suspected it was Neilla, as the physique was roughly the same, but her appearance had changed; black patterns resembling a shredded or worn hose coated her legs, and her ears - still tied behind her head by the ribbon she wore in her regular form, had lost most of their cream-yellow fur, now confined to two round tufts on each ear and leaving the rest of the ears bare.

The furred crests that grew from her brow above each eye had merged into an X-shape over her forehead, matching the colour of the tufts on her ears. Lastly was the yellow fur foots that had previously grown up to her knees were now stopped at her ankles, leaving her shins bare.

The two Trevenant collected themselves and faced Neilla. The Mega Lopunny shifted her stance, preparing for their attack. The brown Trevenant charged, raising its fist to its chest level as it drew it back for a punch; the fist expanded, glowing brightly with a prepared Wood Hammer attack. Neilla made no move to dodge the strike, raising a paw as if to meet it while her other one was drawn back, paw open.

The Wood Hammer struck her raised hand.

She moved so sharply and so suddenly, Hank was sure that if he had blinked he'd have missed it; her fists glowed with orange energy, and her open palm struck the Trevenant with such force it went spinning back to the same spot where it had charged from, and this time didn't stir again.

The white Trevenant conjured an Energy Ball between its hands, and threw the sphere of green energy at Neilla. The Mega Lopunny shifted her stance again, moving her feet to shoulder width and crossed her arms across her chest as her body briefly flashed with a silver-metallic sheen; the sphere struck her, and immediately rebounded like a laser hitting a mirror - it flew back at the Trevenant and struck it square in the chest, nearly knocking it down.

The white Trevenant stubbornly stayed upright though, fixing its gaze on Neilla again. It held up its hands, and Neilla tensed as six more of the ethereal vines erupted in a circle around her. The Trevenant grinned, thinking it had her cornered as the vines closed in, ready to seize her.

A blur of motion later, and suddenly she was gone. The Trevenant blinked, and then turned as it saw a blur of brown and black race left, then right and then left again. It struggled to track the movement, and then froze when suddenly Neilla appeared right in front of it. Its mouth opened wide in protest, but Neilla drew back her fist and struck it square across the face; a sound like a coiled spring going 'boing' filled the air, and the white Trevenant teetered about, holding its head and blinking repeatedly.

"They don't call it Dizzy Punch for nothing," Neilla said before she leapt at the Trevenant, and delivered one final kick to the back of its head. It fell, landing atop its previously fallen partner, and neither one stirred as she stood over them, breathing heavily.

"Serves you right for assuming I wasn't a threat," Neilla stated with a snort.

The ethereal vines securing Azrael and Hank vanished, and the two were finally able to lift themselves from the cold ground again. Azrael shook the snow from his fur, and cast a disdainful glare at the two fallen Trevenant. "To think I was not able to join in on this fight," he said with displeasure. "Aggravating..."

"Okay, what the heck was all that?" Hank demanded as he brushed the snow from his body. "You mind explainin' how you used Dizzy Punch and other physical attacks on a couple of Ghosties? How were you able to hurt them?!"

She smiled, and he sensed a hint of smugness in her tone as she answered. "Scrappy," she replied. "It's the ability of Mega Lopunny - Normal and Fighting-type moves I know will affect Ghost-types as easily as if they were any other type."

"Wha- how... But..." Hank babbled, confused, but eventually shook his head and sighed. "Well whatever, point is we took down these two fucks, so now this leg of the region should be A-OK, right?"

"This area at least," returned Azrael. "We've dealt with the Trevenant, this road should be clear." He looked up at the sky. "And I see no sign of this 'Sound Breaker'. Eagle Eye's team must have done their job."

"That Decidueye you guys encountered on your way here," Neilla began. "You think there's any chance he's still creeping around?"

"It's entirely possible." Hank answered honestly. "We didn't technically beat him; he Giga Drained my boss and vamoosed."

Neilla lifted her paw to reveal a ring worn around the middle finger of her paw, which glowed as she held it up, and she vanished into a white glow as she devolved. When the white glow cleared, she had returned to the form of an ordinary Lopunny, letting out a relieved sigh. She then turned her gaze on the pair of Trevenant.

"Let's take these two back to Hadleigh and see if there isn't a cell to hold Ghost-types available," she said.

"No argument here." Hank returned, walking over to the first Trevenant and looping his arm under its body. "Alley-OOP!" He muttered, lifting the tree pokemon with his raw strength and holding it over his shoulder with minor difficulty.

"Do we even have a way to keep them unconscious?" Neilla asked. "What about that drug you bring to put other criminals to sleep?"

"They don't have any blood, Neilla -it wouldn't work on them," Azrael returned, and turned slightly to his side. "And as you can see I'm not wearing my pack; I knew it wouldn't help us."

"Leave that to me," offered Hank. "I'll keep these guys down. Let's just get them away from here before they come around, or we'll be fighting them all over again."

"I'm for that!" Neilla agreed, hoisting the second Trevenant over her shoulder and moving to follow Hank, Azrael trotting at her side as they made their way out of the woods.