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Though it had been evening when Eagle Eye had left Hadleigh to fly to Azure, he had flown through to night to cover as much distance as possible. It was not a new process to him - he had done so many times during his days with the Red Talons, but it still had him pushing himself beyond his limits as he flew over the mass of forest between Hadleigh and Azure. When dawn broke, the light illuminated familiar terrain to him ahead, and he was more than a little glad to see Westport.

It had taken five days to get to Hadleigh on foot, but with his incredible speed he had managed to shorten that distance. Still, he allowed himself to stop to rest in Westport, catching his breath and taking a restful nap for an hour in the shelter of a tree before he resumed his journey again.

Fast as he was, time was not on his side. Hadleigh was in danger -Volcan had been taken out of commission and gods knew what other trouble might find its way to the city before he got back. This alone was incentive enough to drive him on, to get to Azure and get help for his friends back in Hadleigh. There was only one group that might be able to come to the city of art and turn the tide for them.

Volcan's old team - Team Phalanx, had to be reunited, and though he knew Tristan and Serena would not hesitate to follow him back to Hadleigh, Minato was still the uncertainty...

Along the docks of Azure, Katsumoto walked as he usually did when he patrolled the town, searching the waters for Pokemon in need or possible danger that might approach Azure. But today was not a day of work for him, nor was he alone as he normally was - Serena, the Vaporeon healer of Team Phalanx, walked beside him along the docks where they could enjoy the smell of the ocean and the peace of the water.

Since they had begun to see each other, ever since Katsu had comforted her during the time Volcan and Luke were missing, Serena had grown more comfortable around the Samurott, who for his part had done much to ensure Serena felt welcome within Azure, which had become her new home since the fall of Arc..

Today, he had paid for breakfast for them, and invited her to a walk along the pier, letting the view of the bay and the great ocean beyond feed their eyes, watching the productive fishermen out on the water making their catch, and those ashore distributing them to be shipped off to interested buyers.

"So peaceful," said Serena, looking about."The people here don't seem to fear anything at all. Much like the people of Arc, before that dreadful night."

The Samurott gave a small nod in response to her claim. "Aye. Tis because they know if anything shall attempt to bring harm to this fair town, we will defend it until our last breath." He answered calmly. "To this day, many have tried to rain destruction unto our home, but none have succeeded. So it shall be as long as I have anything to say about it at least." Katsu further claimed with pride in his tone, pounding his left paw firmly against his chest.

She smiled at him, but that smile soon faded as she found herself once more looking back on the home she had lost. "Indeed... we too had a place like that," she said in a low voice, her ear fins drooping with her shift in mood. She collected herself, shaking her head and looking up at him apologetically. "Forgive me - I slipped back again, didn't I?"

Katsu looked down to the Vaporeon, putting on a soft smile and gently lowering his paw from his chest onto her back. "It is quite alright, Serena." He assured her softly. "The pain of losing something precious never truly does vanish...Though with that said, I will continue to be at your side to help you overcome anything that troubles you."

She nodded to him, slowly leaning forward to rest her head against his chest. "Thank you, Katsumoto," she said with a sigh.

The large Samurott felt a warmth rising his chest, seemingly climbing into his face until he knew he was blushing, hoping the Vaporeon didn't hear his heartrate increasing from where she was. It was a feeling he had experienced ever since first introducing himself to Serena, and since that day it had only grown stronger. He slid his arm around her back, pulling her a little closer and allowing himself to nuzzle the top of her head as he began to embrace the warmth he felt, rather than hold it at bay as he usually did.

"...It is my pleasure, my fair Serena." He whispered gently into her earfin as he held her against his body.

She nuzzled his chest lightly, enjoying his presence. Previously, she had been afraid of him -in her usual shy way that made her nervous when meeting new people. But in the time she had spent with him, Katsumoto had earned her trust, and she welcomed being near him.

But their moment would not last long, before a familiar voice called out to the Samurott from above.

"OI! KATS!!"

The Samurott's ears flicked a bit and his eyes widened in realization as he recognized the owner of the voice. "Eagle Eye?" He asked, confused and watching as a streak of fire circled above him before shooting down toward the docks.

The flames then went out and revealed the Talonflame in question, rearing back and beating his wings to slow his descent before landing heavily on the docks. He hopped frantically as he tried to slow himself, nearly barreling over the edge of the pier into the water but managing to hold on with his talons. When he was stable, he spun around to face Katsumoto, hopping up to him panting for breath.

"WHEW! Thank Arceus I... I ran into ya!" He exclaimed, tucking his wings along his body as he spoke. "Dude, we got... we got a situation and we need some backup!"

Katsu quickly held up his paw up in order to make the babbling Talonflame stop talking. "At ease, my friend. Slow down and explain what has happened." He replied.

Eagle Eye took a moment to catch his breath, sucking in a huge breath before letting it out and easing his nerves. "Aight, lemme start again." He said. "We got a situation over at Hadleigh and we took a pretty big hit. Chicken Legs is outta commission fer the time being and the enemy's practically crawling along up to our doorstep."

"Chicken le-" Serena started to ask, until she paused and the colour drained from her face. "Volcan?!" She asked in shock.

"Volcan is down?!" Katsu added, equally stunned.

The Talonflame nodded meekly. "Yea. He took a pretty nasty hit and from what the local doc said, he's in a coma of sorts...The whole ordeal has Luke all bent outta shape. He's blaming himself and as a result, we're pretty much down our best strategists." He added, looking to Serena. "Which is why I came back here. We need some big time help to fend off the fuckwits trying to break through Hadleigh's defenses." He then lifted his wing to point to Serena. "We need Team Phalanx's help."

Serena considered his words carefully as the colour returned to her face. Katsu could see by her shaking knees she was struggling to steady herself as the realization that the responsibility was on her for the moment, to rally her team and get to Hadleigh to help Volcan. Gathering her strength, she sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, forcing herself to calm before she spoke again.

"I have to find Tristan," she said. "And Minato. The time for recovering is over. We must step forth again."

Eagle Eye nodded feverently. "Need a hand finding the depressed dog?" He asked. "Knowing him, he might be hiding somewhere in the shade or something."

"I know where to find him," she replied. "His room at the inn -he almost never comes out anymore. If he's anywhere, it'll be there."

"Alright. Once you get everyone together, let's meet at the town square so we can start figuring out how to get you guys to Hadleigh." The Talonflame squawked.

Though despite Serena's earlier certainty, Minato was in fact not in his room at the inn. For the first time in days, he had come out and was walking out in the daylight again, paws tucked into the pockets of his long coat. He was a mess-his fur was matted and unkempt and his eyes betrayed many sleepless nights, bags having formed under them. Even his coat was wrinkled and not well-kept, but he cared nothing for any of it.

At nearly the same time he entered the marketplace, his son Caulin - coming into town for a break from his sentry duties at the lighthouse, saw him. It was the first time he had seen his father out in days, though when he saw just how disheveled his father look, the hopeful gaze in his eyes quickly turned to one of concern. It was the worst he had ever seen his father, and it tore his soul in two just looking at the elder Lucario as he trudged through town like a zombie.

Caulin decided he needed to be there for his father, and as such he rushed over to catch up with him, tugging on Minato's coat when he was within arms reach of him. "...Dad?" He asked softly.

He stopped when he felt his coat being tugged and heard the sound of his son addressing him, slowly turning his gaze and looking at the Riolu with those empty, soulless eyes of his. "...What is it, son...?" He asked in a flat, emotionless tone.

Caulin's ears wilted a little when he heard his father's tone, making him avert his gaze slightly as he spoke. "U-Uhm...well...I-I saw you as I was coming back from my rounds and... figured I'd see what's up." He explained. "Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"...That's because I haven't..." Minato answered plainly, turning his gaze forward and began walking again.

Caulin chased after his father as he continued walking, staying by his side when he caught up to him. He lowered his gaze once more and let out a long sigh. "...Dad, how long are you gonna keep being like this?" He asked suddenly. "You've been shutting everyone out since we started living here. Everyone's worried about you; _I'm_worried about you."

Minato scoffed at the notion. "...You shouldn't be..." He replied softly.

"But we are!" Caulin exclaimed, stepping in front of Minato in order to make him stop walking, looking up at him with a concerned, yet annoyed gaze in his eyes.

"I get that you're in pain Dad, but you can't push everyone else away! They need you just as much as you need them!" His eyes started to water up a little as he went on. "I need you, Dad...I can't keep going off to Serena or Tristan...or even Dr. Mikhail and Lashanne whenever I need to talk to someone or just have fun! I want my butt-kicking Dad back; the guy who never gives up or backs down when things look bad... I want him back so bad it hurts," he finished in a whimper.

Minato stared down at Caulin for a moment, feeling his heart starting to twist a little as he watched his own son break down before his eyes. However, rather than try to comfort the Riolu, he simply walked around him and continued on his way, keeping his eyes closed as he did. "...The Lucario you aspired to be like perished back on Arc. Besides...no one wants to aspire to be a failure," he stated as he kept walking.

Unknown to the two, a keen pair of ears had overheard the exchange from the cafe around the corner, who recognized Caulin's voice almost immediately, and could guess who he was talking to. When Minato emerged on the street and headed into the market ahead, Lashanne knew for certain then that she was right, especially when she saw Caulin following him, tears in his eyes and walking without that usual spring in his step.

"Oh no..." She whispered, frowning.

Then, Minato heard another familiar voice calling out his name. "Oye! Minato!" He turned to see Tristan and Serena, followed by a Samurott who he had only heard the name of once but didn't bother recollecting at that moment, running up to him. A Talonflame was riding on the Samurott's back, and all four bore expressions of urgency.

"Minato! Thank Arceus we found you," Serena said with relief in her voice. "It's Volcan... his mission in Hadleigh has gone awry and he's been injured. He needs our help!" She spoke with a near pleading tone to the Lucario. "Minato, he _needs_you! We have to go to him!"

The Lucario's ears perked up when Serena mentioned Volcan had been injured, his eyes widening a little and life seemingly returning to them for the briefest of moments before they became dull again. He regarded the four of them silently for a moment, then slowly turned his back on his teammates.

"...You don't need me." He replied in a low tone. "You're both more than enough to help him out of this predicament...As far as I'm concerned, I'm nothing more than used goods..."

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!" Tristan bellowed in dismay.

Caulin looked up to his father, his eyes widening in shock when he addressed his allies so negatively and further berated himself. His shock quickly turned into anger, and he lashed out, rearing his leg back and kicking the Lucario in the heel, causing him to stumble slightly and make him turn to look down at his son.

"Uncle Volcan's in trouble!!" He practically screamed. "Your best friend needs your help and you're just going to abandon him?? What the heck, Dad?!" He further exclaimed, punching at his leg repeatedly as tears ran down his cheeks from his eyes. "You and him formed the team together!! He always had your back!! He had_everyone's_backs! And now you're just gonna turn your back on him just because you couldn't save Mom??"

A flash of life returned to Minato's eyes once more when his late wife was mentioned, causing him to shudder and clench his paws at his sides so tightly they were shaking. He then shot a dangerous look down at the Riolu punching at his leg, shaking him away with a flick of his leg. "Don't you dare...bring that up again..." He said in a dangerous tone.

Caulin was rendered speechless, staring up at his father as if the man were a complete stranger to him, the tears coming forth in streams as his lip trembled. Immediately, Serena ran over to him, putting her paws around him as he broke down crying into her chest, but her eyes were on Minato, staring at him with pain and a lack of recognition.

Tristan growled angrily at the Lucario, seizing his shoulder and spinning him around to face the Aggron. "What the hell is the matter with you?!" He demanded. "That's your own kid!"

"None of your business," he growled back at Tristan, shooting him a dangerous look. "Leave me alone...As I said, Volcan doesn't need my help nor do any of you..."

It seemed as though at that moment, Tristan was considering knocking the Lucario clean out. But the punch that would find Minato's cheek did not come from the Aggron; over at the cafe table, Lashanne, witnessing the entire spectacle, had clenched her paw on the table so tightly that her nails scratched the surface, but it was only when she saw Caulin pushed aside that a snarl found its way to her lips, her red eyes glaring hatefully at the Lucario in the black coat.

Toby, seated across from her, looked up at her infuriated expression, and for a second he felt the urge to hide under the table as though a bomb were about to go off. "Uh... Lashanne?" He asked, warily.

Without so much as a look at her partner, the Delphox shot to her feet, sending her chair spinning off its legs and clattering to the ground as she stormed towards the Lucario, who had his back to her. Toby called after her, but she didn't hear him.

Tristan and Katsu, both looking ready to beat some sense into Minato, looked past him as they saw the Delphox coming, their eyes widening when her fast walk turned into a sprint. More out of curiosity than anything, Minato started to turn to see what they were looking at...

Stars exploded across his eyes as Lashanne's fist struck out and landed squarely on his cheek, sending him spinning off his feet and landing flat on his backside. Both Katsu and Eagle Eye stared at the spectacle, their mouths hanging agape at what they had just witnessed; even Caulin, momentarily sobered when he heard the unmistakable sound of a punch, stared dumbfounded by what just happened with his mouth agape.

Tristan's jaw fell wide open, seemingly unhinging itself and his eye twitching as he held out his arms in a 'what just happened' manner. "Eh... what...?! What the fuck?!" The Aggron demanded. "That's supposed to be my job!"

Minato groaned, placing a paw over his cheek where the Delphox had decked him. He gripped his jaw and tested it, fearing it might have been knocked loose by the surprise attack. He turned to look up at her, intent on demanding what her problem was, but he never had the chance before both of her paws seized his coat and yanked him to his feet; Lashanne, being taller than him, managed to bring him straight to the tip of his pawed feet as she met his eyes.

Seeing those burning, hot red orbs staring into his soul immediately silenced any protest or argument that Lucario might've had; all of his words left him, and he found himself seized by genuine fear.

"Now you listen here you _snivelling_whelp!" Lashanne growled at him, her hands pulling his coat so tightly it seemed ready to tear. "You think you're the only one who ever lost someone?! Have you even stopped to consider for one Giratina-damned moment that there are others suffering from the loss you endured as well?!"

She shook him harshly as she carried on. "Ever since I came to this town, you've been locked away in that inn room, and look at you now - I've seen better men in the slumtowns of Gladiator City, and yet all I've ever heard about you is praise - from Volcan, from Caulin, even overheard it from your friends here!" She gestured to Serena and Tristan, both of whom still stared dumbfounded at the exchange. "Yet you _disgrace_them by behaving this way, neglecting your own son and forcing him to turn to your friends and complete _strangers_for comfort that you should be giving him! How fucking _dare_you even call yourself a father!"

By now, Lashanne had pulled him so tight to her that his feet had left the ground, surprising Minato further with her strength. "And to top it off, when your best friend is injured, you don't even _try_to go help him!" She went on, shaking him again - so harshly that he had to keep his teeth clenched to prevent himself from biting his tongue. "No, all you want to do is wallow in self-pity over your wife's death; who cares that your _best friend_might soon be joining her if you don't go help him?!"

Then, she dropped him; he flailed his arms as gravity took effect again and he landed on his hindqu arters, still looking up at the Delphox with stunned awe. She breathed heavily, trying to reign in her anger, but the disgust never left her eyes as she stared down at him. "You're pathetic!" She concluded through clenched teeth, spinning on her heel and stepping away, crossing her arms and trying to calm herself.

The Lucario sat like that for what seemed like moments her words sinking in as, for the first time since he had come to Azure, he began to think - to truly reflect on everything that had led to that moment, served to humility by a Delphox he didn't even know the name of. He thought back to the island, to the last time he had seen Linda before he had run off to join the battle, to learning of her death from Serena and Tristan when he had awoken in the hospital.

From there, he began to realize what he had been doing in that time... he had pushed away his friends, pushed away - no... _neglected_his own son, and Lashanne's words echoed in his mind. His gaze drifted to Caulin, still clinging to Serena as he stared at his father, understanding who she had meant...

He winced as pain spiked from his face where Lashanne had struck him, and his thoughts drifted to Volcan and his family. His masters, who had raised him as if he were their own son, to his late wife and his son, and all of the happy memories they shared together. The last thing to enter his mind before he clenched his eyes shut was Linda's smiling face, making him remember how much joy seeing it brought to him, and how it always gave him the drive he needed to continue performing his duties as the Sword of Team Phalanx.

Of course, that made him think of Volcan, knowing that in the same situation, Volcan would be at his side, even if he had lost _his_family at Arc... and yet Minato was about to all but abandon him. He clenched his paws, disgusted with himself that he had entertained such a thought, his eyes reopening to reveal a face of pure resolve had taken the place of the self-pity he had been carrying when he had left the inn that day.

Minato began to rise to his feet, lowering his paw from his cheek and keeping his eyes closed for a moment longer, sucking in a long breath before letting out out slowly, and without ever losing the determination, he opened his eyes again, his brow furrowing.

"...How long is the journey to Hadleigh from here?" He asked.

Tristan finally snapped out of his shocked state, seeing Minato regain that fire the Aggron had come to know triumphantly on the face of his comrade again, and threw up his arms triumphantly. "HAHA! He's back!"

Serena's face alit with joy even as Caulin practically leapt out of her forepaws to throw himself at his father, leaping up and clinging to Minato's neck, nuzzling his now bruised cheek heavily. "_That's_the Dad we all know and love!" He exclaimed happily.

"Ow Ow!! Easy, Caulin!" Minato exclaimed as his son clung to him like a vice, but he returned the embrace and held the Riolu tightly in his arms. "...I'm so sorry, son," he whispered into his ear as they held one another. "I've been a terrible father."

"It's okay, dad," Caulin returned, leaning his head back and smiling back up at Minato. "Point is you're back now... And you're gonna go help Uncle Volcan and kick those monsters' butts to kingdom come, right?" He asked with glee.

Minato smirked and gave a firm nod back. "...Took the words right out of my mouth, kiddo." He returned as he ruffled his head slightly before setting him back down on his feet.

Lashanne turned to him then, sensing that he had finally pulled himself out of his rut, but before she or him could say anything, Tristan suddenly seized the Lucario in a headlock and noogied him with his knuckles.

"If I knew a punch in the face was all it was gonna take, I'd have done it weeks ago!" He said, laughing heartily even as Minato struggled to free himself from the Aggron's suffocating grip.

"There... was more to it than that Tristan," Serena replied with a light chuckle as she stepped forward, waiting until Minato extracted himself from Tristan and looked at her. "But it doesn't matter... What matters is, you're back," she said as she rubbed her head against his hip. "We've all missed you."

He let out a long sigh as he knelt down and gently patted her head, eyeing her apologetically. "I'm sorry I worried you all so much. In my depression, I didn't realize how badly I was hurting everyone else who matter to me," he admitted, standing tall once more, that determined look once again returning to his eyes. "I've- No..._we've_already lost too much as it is, and we will not lose Volcan too!" He stated firmly. "How soon can we leave for Hadleigh?"

"It'll take me a bit to get my airship ready," Lashanne chimed in, much to the surprise of everyone. "But, we should be off within the hour."

"We?" Serena echoed. "You mean you want to come with us?"

"Hey, I'm also pretty fond of that Blaziken," she replied with a wry smile. "Besides, you'll get there a lot faster flying there than going by the road, and it sounds like time is of the essence." She looked back towards Toby, who was still staring dumbfounded in their direction from his seat. "Yo! Get going, Toby - get the ship ready!"

"Oh! Right! Yeah! Going!" The Meowth sputtered before he started off, skidding to a stop and running back to the table to leave a handful of poks before he was off again in the same direction.

"Before we go anywhere though," she began, pointing to Minato. "You. Need a bath. You smell worse than an old tomb - and believe me, I know."

He stared blankly at the Delphox for a moment, then took a moment to look himself over, realizing just how unkempt he looked. "...I suppose I am due for a clean up." He admitted, a small blush forming along his cheeks as he looked back at Lashanne. "I'll uh... get right on that." He said quickly

Both Katsu and Eagle Eye finally came out of their trance, the Talonflame shaking his head as he looked over to Lashanne. "....Okay, what just happened?" He asked. "One minute ya clock him clean in the jaw, and then he's right as rain?"

"Hey, when someone's being stupid, what better way to knock some sense into 'em?" Lashanne asked with a shrug before she spoke again, addressing Minato's group. "Make sure you guys bring everything you need. And... Eagle Eye, right?" She pointed at the Talonflame. "I don't have a map to Hadleigh, so I'll need you to guide us there."

"You betcha!" Eagle Eye said with a nod. "Though I gotta ask...ya sure yer flying boat can keep up? I don't wanna have to keep circling back just to let you catch up." He said with a wry smirk.

"Drop the act," Lashanne returned. "You're exhausted from the flight here - I can see it with how your legs are wobbling. A light breeze would knock you over right now."

"Pssh, what are ya talkin about? I feel fine!" He protested.

As if to prove Lashane's point, Katsu lifted his arm up and lightly pushed along Eagle Eye's side, causing him to squawk out in surprise as he suddenly fell onto the ground before him.

"...You were saying?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"...Okay, so maybe I'm a _little_tired." Eagle Eye admitted, rolling his eyes.

"I only need you to direct me, not lead me," Lashanne assured. "Now, daylight's burning - if you have anything you need to do before we go, get on it. I'll see you all soon."

With that, the Delphox hurried off to return to her ship and get it ready for departure, leaving the others staring after her, mildly puzzled. Serena looked up at Minato, seeing the bruise flowering on his cheek where Lashanne had punched him.

"You... want me to treat that?" She asked, pointing at his cheek with her paw.

He shook his head softly. "No, it's fine..." He returned softly. "I'll let it heal on its own. Arceus knows I deserved it anyway." He added with a small wink to the Vaporeon.

She smiled at him, and turned in the direction Lashanne had run. "I never expected her to be the one to help you find your way back - let alone in such a... brutish way." The Vaporeon admitted. "She's... different, isn't she?"

Tristan chuckled. "I'm just glad she did it," he said, clapping Minato on the shoulder. "Now we can finally get back to fightin' as a team again! I was goin' _crazy_with all this waitin' around - now I can finally shake the rust off my back!"

"While I admire your enthusiasm, my friend, I'm afraid you'll have to do a little more waiting while you are travelling to Hadleigh." Katsu pointed out. "I would do as the lady advises and bring along something to keep your mind off of the wait."

"Eh, you're probably right," Tristan admitted. "But at least I know a fight's coming." He pounded his fists together.

"Let us go prepare then," said Serena. "Volcan needs us, and evidently so does the city of Hadleigh."

"No time like the present. Let's get moving." Minato agreed, quickly turning and heading off to his room to clean himself up and prepare for the journey ahead, with Caulin hot on his heels.

"..Serena." Katsu said to the Vaporeon as she was about to leave, a deeply concerned expression present on his face. "...Come back safely."

"I will," she promised, smiling at him. "I have my team back again -_truly_this time."

The Samurott smiled back at her, then he would step over and once more drape his arm around her in a warm embrace, gently stroking down her back a few times before he would stare down at her with a deep blush. "Seeing your face radiate with such joy brings a smile to my own," he said softly. "...I pray that, when you return, I will have the privilege of seeing it more often."

"I hope so too," she returned.

~~~~~

Luke's night had been a long, uncertain passage after the visit from Jora, reflecting on how easily he had fallen for her trap, nearly leading him to do something -no, _several_things he would live to regret for the rest of his life. It angered him, flashing images of the Salazzle across his mind of how she had tried to manipulate him.

Yet as much as part of him wanted to hate her for what she had almost made him do, he could not get the desperate look in her eyes out of his mind. Yes, she had tried to manipulate him, yet her only intentions had been to make him leave. If Calhoun had sent her to kill him, she easily could have done so while he was asleep, or if she was meant to kill them all she could have summoned her clan to burn the inn down with them trapped inside -they'd have been none the wiser until it was too late.

Luke knew, somehow, Jora was not like the others in Calhoun's troupe. She was different -she _hated_what she was doing, what she had become. He had to find her again -not for revenge, but to help her.

Fortunately, it was a unanimous vote among the others to search the city for the Salazzle. _Un_fortunately though, few others believed Luke's suspicions; Neilla and Hank seemed to be somewhat convinced, but the rest - especially Hageshi who trusted no one, and Val who had already been sucker-punched by the Salazzle in their first encounter, were not. It was decided after a group meeting that once they found Jora, she would be arrested and put in jail until the crisis was over. From there, her fate would be in the hands of the Guilds or the city's own justice system.

Teams were formed when the meeting concluded -search parties to seek out the Salazzle to capture her. Neilla suggested one female member on each team, as the majority of the joint force were male Pokémon that the Salazzle could manipulate; they needed someone along who she couldn't entice, and might be able to knock the others back to sanity.

On Luke's team, himself, Breenelle, Aerendyl, Doug and Drogo. Neilla took with her Hank, Hageshi, Sarth and Azrael. Val and Ernoul remained behind - Val was still weary from the day before and in need of rest, while Ernoul - by his own admission, would be next to useless against a clan of Poison/Fire-type Pokemon, and so he agreed to watch the prison in case Jora tried to free the Salandit clansmen they had captured before. Lighris stayed behind to watch the inn and keep an eye on Volcan; something that Luke was thankful for, knowing his beloved would be safe.

Luke was no less tired than Val, but he refused to be left behind -he_needed_to talk to Jora again, and find out what was going on.

When the teams were all agreed upon, they scattered, Luke taking his team to the northern section of town to begin his search there and leaving Neilla to lead her group elsewhere within Hadleigh. Throughout the majority of the search, Luke remained tapped into his Aura Sense, giving the Lucario a near 360 degree line of sight within a limited range. With that said, however, his concentration was shaky at best as he kept having recurring images of the night before. Many times he had to stop and force the images and the guilt that followed with them out of his mind before they continued on with their search.

After the third or fourth time, Doug was beginning to become suspicious of his captain's behaviour. He knew that Luke was deeply disturbed because of Volcan's condition, but he also knew he was stronger in mind than he was currently displaying, able to push through whatever troubled him at least until after the mission was over. Something else was bothering him, but the Dugtrio couldn't quite put his finger on it, and he knew better than to try and pry information out of his captain while on the job.

As the two rounded a street corner, they wandered into the north market district, where Aerendyl came to a sudden halt, stepping back into Drogo behind him. "Oof! Hey, move your tail, man," Drogo said.

Aerendyl shushed him. "Salandit, around the corner," he said softly, peering around the corner again with caution. "Heading south, down the street. Luke, see him?" He looked back at the Lucario, still tapping into his aura sense. "He's about twenty yards from us."

"I see him." The Lucario replied, easily making out the silhouette of the Salandit in question within the crowd of townsfolk ahead. "He looks to be heading toward one of the food stands." He further informed.

"Want me to get the drop on him?" Doug asked.

"Not before I do first!" Drogo chimed, dropping to all fours and dashing around the bed. "Here I - _yeow!"_He yelped as Breenelle and Aerendyl clamped their teeth onto his tail and yanked him back around the corner before the Salandit spotted him.

The small lizard looked back where he heard the commotion, but saw no one. He raised a claw to scratch his head before he shrugged and carried on, unaware of the twins that were currently grappling the Raichu to keep him still and silent until the Salandit looked away and continued his path to the food concessions.

"You nearly gave us away, you moron!" Breenelle scolded him.

"I thought we were _supposed_to be catching these guys!" Drogo retorted when Aerendyl took his paws from the Raichu's mouth.

"Doug, follow him," Aerendyl hastily instructed the Dugtrio, knowing that to wait too long would cost them their chance. The Dugtrio did so, and Aerendyl looked back to Drogo. "Yes, _all_of them - not just one! Have you ever heard the term 'shadowing'?"

Drogo made no reply, and both Aerendyl and his sister slapped their foreheads. "We arranged the teams to _track_them - Luke and Doug for ours, Hageshi and Sarth for the other, because all four can tail them without being seen. That way, we can follow him back to where _all_of them are hiding."

"Ooooh that makes sense," Drogo admitted.

"You'd have known all this if you hadn't been dozing off at the meeting!" Breenelle hissed through clenched teeth.

"Meetings make me sleepy - what do you expect me to say?" Drogo asked, giving a helpless shrug.

"A lot _less,_preferably," the Umbreon grumbled, peering around the corner in the direction the Salandit had gone. "Looks like he's eyeballing some of the produce in the north market there. Must be looking for a snack."

"We'll wait until he leaves," Luke stated quietly. "If we're lucky, he'll lead us right to Jora and the rest of her clan."

"As planned," agreed Aerendyl.

"Couldn't we just nail the guy and interrogate him?" Drogo suggested.

"Not this one," Aerendyl returned patiently. "Salandit are fanatical in their devotion to their clan matron - they'll face death head on to protect her. We wouldn't get anything out of him even if we threatened him with torture."

"Not that we would," Breenelle added, keeping her ears tucked behind her head so that they wouldn't give her away too easily. "He's going for the apple stand... clerk's turning away to meet a customer - there! He snatched one. He's continuing south!"

"Still got him, Luke?" Aerendyl asked.

"I do." Luke replied, a paw on his radio in his ear. "Doug, stay below ground and follow him close."

"On it, boss." Doug replied.

Almost immediately after Doug cut his radio feed, Luke winced as more images of the previous night clouded his mind and broke his concentration, forcing him out of his Aura Sense and shaking his head furiously to get the images out of his mind, growling in disdain as he tried to lock back onto the fleeing Salandit.

Drogo's ears twitched as he heard Luke growl, looking up at him. "Eh, you alright there, buddy?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm fine!" He immediately snapped back, almost cutting the Raichu off in an abrasive manner before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Sorry... yea I'm alright, just didn't get a lot of sleep last night..." He added dismissively.

"Shoulda grabbed a mocha before we left the inn - that'd perk ya up." The Raichu remarked.

"Let's take the alleys," Breenelle suggested. "If we follow them down to the riverbank, we can stay out of sight while keeping on his tail."

"Why? We can take the street, can't we?" Drogo asked.

"Jora has seen us - at least some of us, and her clan might have our descriptions," Aerendyl pointed out. "If we're seen before we find their hideout that Salandit will disappear and we'll have to start all over again."

"More 'shadowing' I take it?" Drogo asked.

"Correct. Now, this way," Aerendyl bade, leading them back the way they had come from.

He went only eight steps before they reached an alley, running behind the houses on the opposing blocks and heading southwards to the next street down. They followed it, having to cross the street to get to the next one but the Salandit was far enough ahead that he did not spot them. He wasn't really looking anyway, carrying the apple he had pilfered in his mouth as he scurried down the street with mild haste, as though he expected the merchant might come tearing after him at any moment.

Finally, he cleared the streets and stepped out into the open plaza of the Riverbank District, darting over to the stature park and using the statues to conceal himself as he carried on, all the while unaware of Doug following the underground roads for ground types, always aware of the Salandit's location via the vibrations caused by his footsteps. The others had to stay ducked in the alleyway while they watched the Salandit, knowing they'd be seen if they stepped out.

When the Salandit cleared the statues, he made a beeline across the district towards the warehouses built along the bank, heading towards a derelict structure resting at the back between the west wall and one of the city's newer warehouses.

"There he goes," Breenelle stated, following the Salandit with her eyes.

"That building used to be a storehouse for produce but it was condemned due to structural instability," Aerendyl commented. "A perfect hiding place."

"Now that we know where they're hiding, we'll have to flush them out, then separate Jora from her clan so we can take her as quickly as possible." Luke commented, dropping out of his sense and examining the warehouse with his own eyes and taking note of its condition. "As ideal as that place is for a hiding spot, the slightest tremor could cause the building to collapse right on top of them. I'm thinking we can use that as a scare tactic to draw them out." Luke surmised.

"How do we shake it enough to do that?" Drogo asked.

"With our tunnelling friend, duh," Breenelle returned in a condescending tone, reminding Drogo that it should have been obvious.

Luke then lifted his paw to his earpiece. "Alright Doug, listen up." He informed the hidden Dugtrio. "I want you to release a controlled earthquake under that warehouse. Just enough to convince Jora the building's going to collapse, but be careful not to overdo it - we're not trying to bury them. Once they're outside, use your Arena Trap Ability to separate Jora from her clan and keep them busy while we apprehend the Matron."

"Ha! And here I thought you were gonna give me something challenging."_Doug replied with a chuckle. "_One Magnitude 4 tremor comin up!"

Within seconds of cutting the feed, the building suddenly started to shake, the ground under it rumbling as Doug released his Magnitude attack to scare the Salazzle and her clan into exposing themselves.

Within the building, the Salandit who had stolen the apple brought it forth to Jora, who was lying stretched out on an old mattress, lost in thought. She barely noticed the male until he bumped the apple into her chest, and she gave him an appreciative look, lifting the apple to study it until the building began to shake. She looked up sharply, as did the many Salandit in the room, hearing the building supports begin to groan in protest, bolts and screws clattering to the floor.

Jora shot to her feet, staring up at the rafters before looking to her kinsmen. "The building is collapsing -everyone outside, quickly!" She urged them.

The Salandit scrambled, struggling not to tripe over one another or trample the younger of their clan as they made for the door, one of them throwing open the door as they all rushed outside hastily to escape the fall of the building. Jora was the last one to the door, counting heads quickly, only to realize that one had lagged behind. She looked to the stairs, seeing the male - a younger one, struggling to get over the stairs.

"Quickly!" She urged, running over and picking the smaller Salandit up in her front claws before running out on her hind legs. The act was awkward for her -though she could stand on her hind legs they were not necessarily built for sprinting, causing her to nearly trip as she bound through the door.

But as she emerged, she found a rock wall in her path, and could hear the shouts of her clan coming from the other side of the wall, their claws audibly scraping the stone as they tried to climb out. Finally, she understood what it meant, and realized that she had been deceived...

"Jora!" Luke's voice echoed from her left, causing the Salazzle to spin in his direction and see the Lucario and his allies a fair distance from her. He wore a stern look ok his face as he called to her, daring to take a few steps closer to Jora before his expression softened a little. "...I'm giving you and your kin one chance to surrender. Come quietly and I promise no harm will come onto you."

She stepped back from him, then paused as she heard a footfall behind her, looking over her shoulder to see an Espeon and Umbreon barring her way. She turned back to Luke, nearly on the verge of panicking now as she realized how trapped she was, with the younger Salandit still held in her arms, hissing at the Lucario.

"I cannot!" She protested. "You don't know what is at stake here - I cannot let you take me!"

"Jora please... don't make this difficult." The Lucario pleaded. "I may not know what's at stake for you and your clan, but I _can_say with confidence that you're not here willingly." He added, holding his paw out to the Salazzle. "Let us take you into custody...then you can tell us why you're allied with Calhoun. Despite what you've done, I only want to help you..."

"You can't protect me from him!" Jora snapped sharply at him. "Nothing can stop him; what is coming here to Hadleigh will leave this whole city in ruins, thousands will die! You should have heeded my warning and fled!"

"Well, doesn't sound like she's giving up," Drogo remarked, dropping to all fours. "Guess it's the hard way then!" He said as his body exploded with electricity and he shot forward before Luke could stop him. "Goin' down, lizard lady!"

"Wait Drogo!! STOP!!" Luke called to the Raichu as he sped past him.

Clutching the Salandit in her arms to her chest, Jora sprang away as Drogo came charging towards her only to shoot past in a blur, straight toward the twins.

"Oshit!" Drogo sputtered as he realized where he was heading, trying to stop and bring down his electricity. He only half-succeeded, lowering the cloak of lightning, but his momentum carried him forward, unable to stop himself before he crashed headlong into Breenelle and sent both of them tumbling, Aerendyl calling out to his sister as she fell onto the paved path behind him.

They skidded to a stop, and the Umbreon angrily kicked the Raichu's cheek as she fought to untangle herself from him. "Get off me, you idiot!" She screamed at him, and winced as she felt pain shooting up her left foreleg "Dammit, you twisted my ankle!"

The young male in Jora's arms, frantic from the attempted attack on his matron, turned on Luke as the Lucario approached, and spat a wad of Toxic at him before the matron saw what he was doing. Luke instinctively brought his arm up as the toxic gunk flew at him, letting it splatter on his arm without concern before he sped up to the distracted Jora and seized her from behind, his arm around her neck and the other around her middle, securing her as a blue flame of aura surged into his paw where she could see it

"Jora please..." Luke said softly to her. "I can help you...Just give me the chance to."

She opened her mouth to answer, but then saw his arm, her eyes widening when she saw the purple gunk that coated his fur, realizing what it was. "Oh no..." she whispered, and looked at the Salandit she held. "What have you done?" She asked.

At that instant, Luke felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over him, hitting him so unexpectedly that the entire world seemed to start spinning around him as though he were its axis. He lost his hold on Jora, doubling over as the sick feeling heightened and landing on his paws and knees, coughing hoarsely.

"W-What's...going on?" He asked in a strained voice, his vision swimming. His nausea grew to the point where he actually vomited onto the ground beneath him. He then lifted his arm, seeing the discolouration on his arm and noticed it hadn't faded. To his horrified disbelief, the Toxic was being absorbed into his skin, and he understood what was happening. "But....how?" He muttered. "I'm immune... to poison..."

"Corrosion..." Jora said, looking down at Luke, guilt showing across her face as she set the Salandit down and moved to Luke's side, desperation on her face. "We must get you an antidote. We -agh!" She reeled as a Psybeam struck her side, sending her into a defensive posture as Aerendyl charged towards her, followed by Drogo and a limping Breenelle.

The young Salandit turned to face them again, but Jora picked him up once more, backing away from them as Aerendyl moved to Luke's side and Drogo charged for her again. Her tail glowed as she turned, sweeping at his legs with Dragon Tail and sending the Raichu tumbling across the plaza, unable to stop himself. Breenelle, barely able to stand on her own feet, fired a Dark Pulse at the Salazze - she ducked, and the Salandit, once more out of reflex, shot a Toxic at Breenelle. The Umbreon staggered as she tried to evade it, pain shooting up her leg as she put weight on her hurt ankle, only to be splashed by the Toxic gunk as Luke had.

"No!" Jora cried, watching in horror as Breenelle collapsed to the ground. She clenched her eyes and shook her head briskly. "This isn't how it was supposed to be!" She screamed in denial. "I didn't want any of this!"

Mustering up what little strength he had, Luke spoke out to his teammates. "A-All of you...stop!" He called. "S-She's...not trying to hurt us...! She-" He lurched mid-sentence, then threw up onto the ground a second time. His body was cold, but a feverish heat was apparent in his skull, and his entire body ached as if his muscles were being twisted.

Jora looked around in terror, to Drogo getting up behind her, to the sickened Luke as he collapsed onto the pavement, the Umbreon past him, and the Espeon who was looking indecisively between Jora, the Umbreon and Luke, unsure what to do. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked eastward, and saw the other group led by Neilla approaching the scene, and knew that she was out of time

Jora looked at Luke, tears in her eyes as she whispered, "I'm sorry," and then her tail glowed as she struck Doug's arena trap, hitting it several times until the stone cracked, and the captives surged out, fleeing into the city streets at her command. With that, she placed the young one she carried into her mouth, dropped to all fours and ran as fast as she could.

"Stop!" Aerendyl called after her, but didn't give chase, seeing the predicament Luke and his sister were in. "I-I don't know what to do!" He hissed.

"Aerendyl!" Neilla called as she and the others ran up to them. She saw Luke and Breenelle lying on the ground, seeing their sweat-drenched fur and the laboured breathing they elicited as they fought the poison. "What happened?!"

"Breenelle!" Azrael called out in horror, running to his wife's side and standing over her, his usual stoic mask lost in an expression of suppressed panic as he tried to get a response from her.

"They were poisoned!" Aerendyl returned.

"_Poisoned??"_Doug's voice chimed in as he resurfaced among the group, looking to his captain and noticing how sick he looked. "B-But how!! Luke's a freakin Steel Type! He should be immune to poison!!"

"I don't know, but we have to get them some antidote, quickly!" Aerendyl urged, turning in Breenelle's direction.

He saw Drogo there, standing opposite Azrael and staring down at the writhing Umbreon with an expression of pure guilt. "Bree," he said, starting to reach for her. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Aerendyl bristled, running at the Raichu and slamming into him with his full body weight. "Get away from her!" He shouted at the Raichu, ignoring the confused look from Azrael.

"Aerendyl, it was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt her leg, I was just-"

"Being a _fool_as you always are!" Aerendyl yelled with a sharp voice his team had never heard before - even Luke's comrades, who had only known the Espeon a short while, had never imagined Aerendyl could become so vocal or angry. "You acted on impulse, you hurt my sister and because of that, she couldn't evade that Toxic! This failure is_your_fault, Drogo!"

Azrael, hearing Aerendyl's words, turned on the Raichu. His shock turned to an expression of malice as his fur stood on end, his horn glowing as he shot to all fours and started towards him, baring his teeth. Hank and Neilla, seeing the vengeful look on his face, ran over and seized him before he could pounce on the Raichu, holding him back.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there partner!" Hank urged as he and Neilla struggled to restrain the enraged Absol. "Don't lose yer cool just yet! Save it for after we catch the Salazzle!"

"Forget her!" Neilla rebuked the idea. "We have to get these two some medicine and fast! My house is the closest - I have some antidote there!" She left Azrael when the Absol started to calm, moving over to Breenelle and gathering her up. "Sarth, can you take Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm on it," the Flygon returned, moving to the Lucario and slipping his arms under him. "Hang on buddy, I got you," he said softly, picking him up carefully. "Ooof... damn short arms. Hey Hageshi, I could-" He paused, looking around only to find that the Greninja was nowhere to be seen. "Hey! Where'd Hageshi go?"

Neilla turned about, looking for any sign of the Greninja and letting out an annoyed growl. "Great, just what we need - someone going AWOL!" She turned on Drogo. "Hey! If you want to make yourself useful for_once,_go find that frog boy before he does something stupid!"

"I-I..."

"Get moving!" She practically roared at him, sending the Raichu jumping back a step as though she might attack him.

Drogo looked at the others systematically, stopping at Azrael whose expression had not changed even as Hank continued to stand by him, ready to stop him from attacking the Raichu if he approached him again. That look in his eyes carried an unspoken promise of a sound thrashing - or worse, and it was all the incentive Drogo needed. In seconds, he was off, running on all fours into the city to seek out Hageshi while the others tended to the wounded.

He hadn't heard Azrael say it, but Drogo was certain that if Breenelle perished due to the poison that his blunder had caused her to be afflicted with, it would be a fatal error to ever stand before the Absol again...

~~~~~

Jora had crossed nearly the entire city by the time she finally ducked into an alleyway, believing she had put enough distance between herself and her pursuers. After checking to be certain no one was following her, she gently set the young Salandit she had carried onto the ground and struggled to catch her breath. The youngling looked up at her in concern, tilting his head when he saw the tears flowing from her eyes.

"M-Matron?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

"Everything has gone so wrong," she wept, sliding down to the ground as she remained propped against the wall. "Why did it come to this? Why did I ever side with Calhoun?" She looked at the sky, as though it might offer her answers. But it did not, and she could only sob more as she let out her frustrations.

The Salandit moved closer to her, intent to comfort her, but then saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it, mouth opening as he elicited a loud hiss when he saw the Greninja coming down the alley, blocking the way out. Jora looked up as she heard the Salandit hiss, her eyes finding the Greninja quickly - she sprang back to her feet, on all fours once more as she faced him and put herself between him and the Salandit.

The Greninja quickly flicked his arm out of his cloak, brandishing his blade and holding it out at his side, glaring intently at the Salazzle. "...Come quietly." He practically commanded. "...Otherwise, you will not leave this alley alive."

Jora was still gathering her breath as she met the Greninja's gaze. She could sense that this one was dangerous just by looking at him, fearing the worst might come to pass if she did not find some way to escape. She rolled her eyes up, gauging the distance from the ground to the roof, certain she could make the jump, but the little one with her could not.

She had to ensure _he_escaped, at least. Her eyes met the Greninja's again, her legs tensing. "Come and get me," she growled before she sprang, launching herself over the top and onto the roof. "Run, little one!" She called out, breathing a cone of fire at the Greninja to keep his attention on her as the young Salandit turned and fled through a small hole in the fence behind him.

The Greninja leapt over the cone of flames, not even taking notice of the fleeing Salandit, as his focus was completely on Jora. He weaved a sign with his free hand and conjured a few Ice Shuriken in his hand, hurling them in a wide arc toward his target as he arced over her.

She ducked under the shuriken, turning to him. Her body was tense like a coiled spring, ready to release in an instant as she bared her fangs at him, her tail whipping about behind her. "Your leader should have heeded my warning and fled," she said. "I only wanted to get everyone out of here, to escape the danger that comes to this city! I was trying to spare them!"

"For the record, that soft hearted fool isn't my leader," he informed her. "All I care about is completing my mission, and unlike the others, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty to ensure mission success." He added in a cold undertone, then he puffed his cheeks out and discharged a potent Ice Beam from his mouth at lightning fast speeds.

Jora breathed a cone of fire in retaliation, the cold and heat colliding in in a hiss of steam until the two ceased their attacks. Jora sprang away as Hageshi rushed at her, landing on the roof of an adjacent house.

"I did not wish for any of this!" She called before she turned and leapt to the next building.

Hageshi was hot on her tail. She was swift to be sure, but few could match the acrobatics of a Greninja, and as she tried to leap to the next building, he landed upon her back with both feet leading his descent, and they fell to the street, her landing flat on her front to have the breath knocked from her lungs, stars dancing across her vision as she lay on the pavement, gasping painfully.

He held his blade right against the side of her neck, the sword's edge pressed against her neck as he held her down. "Try anything more, and I'll slit your throat without a moment's hesitation," he threatened. "You will give me all of the information I want to hear. Depending on your answers, I might let you live, but if I hear_one_lie from you, your head will be bolted onto a wall for all to see."

"A mercy compared to what will happen to everyone here when the Oppression comes," she said lowly, not looking at him. "Or what will become of my clan when Calhoun learns that I went against him..."

Hageshi narrowed his eyes at her as he listened to her words. "You make it sound as if you're here against your will..." He said with a scoff. "A likely story, I'm sure."

"That is only half true," she returned. "I did come here under Calhoun's orders, and I joined him willingly... but I did it to save my clan - my circle and my children. They are all I have, and would have died if I refused him."

"Perhaps you should have; it would make for one less criminal to take down in the long run." Hageshi replied coldly.

She looked at him, her expression pained. "...You do not believe anything I am saying," she said in a tone of surrender.

"Guilty until proven Innocent..." Hageshi retorted. "If you won't reveal anything regarding our enemy, then you're of no use to me..." He said as he started to draw back his sword, angling the point toward her chest.

"Hageshi," a toneless voice spoke from behind the Greninja.

He looked over his shoulder, and found the nine-tailed, pale form of Ernoul standing a few paces away, eyeing him warily but making no further move towards him. "...What do you think you are doing?" He asked, calmly.

"What does it look like?" Hageshi retorted, turning his attention back to Jora. "I'm either going to get the information I want, or she's going to end up another nick on my blade."

"That is _not_how we do things," Ernoul stated firmly.

"It's how _I_operate," Hageshi said coldly. "As far as I'm concerned, your whole Guild can be damned for their inability to put an end to these criminals!" He said as he raised his blade over his head with the point aimed right for Jora's skull.

"I will not allow this," Ernoul stated in a dangerous tone, his tails splaying out and eyes glowing. "You will step away from her, now."

Hageshi ignored him, his eyes shrinking to small beads as his arm tensed, ready to bring the sword down to impale her skull. But the steel tip would never bite, for Hageshi was suddenly blasted from behind and thrown into a wall with bone-jarring force as Ernoul fired an Aurora Beam into his back. Despite his natural resistance to ice, Hageshi felt the hit as easily as he would a normal effective attack.

Hageshi recovered quickly, snapping to his feet and spinning to face his assailant. Ernoul was now standing over Jora, calmly, unmoving as if nothing had happened, but never took his eyes from Hageshi, and his tails were still splayed outward, a shimmering haze of cold seeming to radiate from him.

The Greninja scoffed angrily as he watched Ernoul protect Jora, slowly lowering his blade to his side. "Soft, all of you," he stated in a belittling manner. "It's because of your merciful approach that there's still crime in this world. Those that commit to a life of crime deserve to be punished accordingly."

"Death is reserved only for the criminals considered to be a global threat," Ernoul stated plainly. "Does this desperate reptilian lying on this street strike you as a global threat?"

"I don't leave anything to chance; even a small-time criminal can become a potential world ending threat if not dealt with," Hageshi retorted. "You all claim to fight for peace and justice, but true peace can only be attained by destroying evil without mercy." He claimed, and his voice rose as he continued. "I'm doing what _none_of you will not! I'm cleaning up the messes your pacifistic approach has left behind!"

Ernoul's tails flicked but did not lower as he spoke. "You say small criminals can become threats, but if you look back on history, Hageshi, just as many Pokémon with good intentions have fallen to evil without being aware of it, misguided in their motives. Already you deny mercy to those who are beaten - what happens then, when _you_become the very thing you believe you are meant to rid the world of?"

"Don't compare me to criminal scum like Calhoun." Hageshi scoffed. "My motives are clear. I do what I must to ensure peace, not cause wanton chaos, and I care not for other's opinions on my methods. All that matters to me is the mission."

Ernoul's eyes narrowed, his expression shifting for the first time since he had appeared, the air seeming to chill around him as he glared at Hageshi. Jora looked up fearfully at the ice Ninetales as he stepped away from her. "I am trusting you will not attempt to run," he said to her without looking her way.

"I will not run," she promised, and remained where she was as she watched the Ninetales in a mix of awe and terror.

"I cannot let your actions stand, Hageshi," he stated, ceasing his approach now only ten feet away from the Greninja, meeting his gaze. "I have witnessed you attempt murder, and I shall not let that pass." His eyes glowed again, all traces of warmth in the air - little as there was on the winter day, seemed to be stolen as he stood there.

All around them, people who were watching the scene unfold began to back away, heading for cover as they knew a fight was imminent. As the crowd cleared, Drogo arrived on the scene wondering what had the people so spooked, and he spotted Hageshi standing in the middle of it all.

"Hey, there you are!" He called out. "You through playing hide & seek? Come on - we gotta..." He stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Ernoul standing ahead of the Greninja, and the dangerous look he wore.

Frost crystals fell from his body, a layer of thin snow already accumulating on the ground beneath him, and only then did Drogo see that he was looking at Hageshi and not at Jora, who lay behind him watching the scene unfold with equal awestruck terror to the other people bearing witness.

"Uh... did I miss something?" He asked.

"Stay back, Drogo," Ernoul stated as hail began to fall about him, never taking his eyes from Hageshi.

Hageshi flipped his blade into a reverse grip and held it at the ready, seeing that there was no other alternative to get to his target. He flashed his eyes wide open and unleashed a potent Extrasensory attack at the Ice Ninetales in an attempt to inflict some mental damage onto him. The attack was immaterial and not visible, and surely should have caught the Ninetales off guard.

Indeed, Ernoul did not move, but he did not have to as a barrier appeared seemingly from nowhere before him to intercept Hageshi's attack. The barrier, seemingly made of thousands of shards of hail coming together in the blink of an eye to block the attack even though Ernoul couldn't have known it was coming; the Ninetales flinched slightly, as though he had felt some of the attack, but other than a slight discomfort he did not seem affected in the slightest.

The Greninja narrowed his eyes curiously, taking note of the barrier Ernoul had conjured and thinking of ways around it. He then conjured a few Ice Shuriken in his offhand and hurled them at his opponent; as before, the barrier formed to intercept them at every conceivable approach, shattering them upon contact. Hageshi, not missing a beat, manipulated the shards to send them at Ernoul; if any made contact with him however, there was no reaction - not even an eye twitch or pang of discomfort.

Hageshi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible..." he said.

Ernoul's tails stretched out, and a brilliant white light erupted from him. Hageshi's eyes snapped shut as it blinded him, but the light was so intense he could _feel_it, his flesh wracked by a burning sensation. The second he felt his flesh burning, he weaved a sign and his body shattered into shards of ice that quickly melted and then evaporated from the intensity of the light hitting them.

Hageshi then appeared above Ernoul, blade pointed toward his back as he let himself fall toward the Ninetales. He was still blinded by the light the Ninetales had seared him with - an attack Hageshi still did not recognize, but he knew exactly where his target was... or so he thought, for as he fell through the cloud his blade only found pavement, dulling the tip as it struck stone. He lifted his head, and winced as a hailstone struck him; he shook his head and looked around but he couldn't see the Ninetales through the snow and hail that had grown from a steady downfall to a miniature blizzard in a single moment.

"You may be one with the shadows, Hageshi," he heard the Ninetales speak, coming from his left "But _I_am one with the winter itself."

A light appeared off to his left - he turned, and gaped in utter shock as he saw Ernoul. The Ninetales' eyes were gleaming with an otherworldly colour, and behind him, an aura-like being of pure energy had seemed to form, ethereal and immaterial, yet Hageshi felt almost certain the eyes of this frozen spectre, spreading transparent wings seemingly made of the swirling snows above Ernoul, was looking right at him...

Finally, Ernoul's nine tails became aglow with a blue light, and a beam of energy matching their colour erupted from Ernoul's mouth in an attack, coming out like a cone of blue fire; Hageshi tried to move, but he could not get clear in time, and the energy inferno caught his left arm, leg and side;the Greninja let out a surprised croak of pain as he was hit by the attack, feeling his blood run cold as ice materialized into being and halted him dead in his tracks, freezing him in place..

After he got over the initial shock of the cold snap, he shot a dangerous leer toward Ernoul, his tongue scarf flicking angrily behind him. "Damn you!" He growled. "Who... just what are you?!"

The glow in Ernoul's eyes faded and he let his tails fall as they may, certain that he had made his point, deciding the battle was over. "Something you would not fathom," he returned evasively, turning away from Hageshi and settling his gaze on Jora, addressing her in a gentle, but authoritative tone of voice. "You are safe now; you will accompany me to the city jail, and you will not resist."

"I won't... but, my clansmen," she returned.

"They will not be harmed," promised Ernoul. "But you must tell them to stand down, or there may be needless conflict."

Jora lowered her gaze, considering his words for a moment before looking at him and nodding weakly. With that, he helped her to her feet, letting her use him for support to stand. Nearby, Drogo stood, mouth hanging wide open from what he had witnessed, and watched as Ernoul led the Salazzle away.

"Holy crap..." He said in a mutter, though Hageshi could easily hear him, especially when Drogo turned to look at him, smirking. "He just mopped the floor with you man, and he only moved once! I had no idea Ernoul was that strong."

The Greninja shot Drogo a dangerous look, spitting out a small Ice Beam at him, the blast landing right at his feet and creating a layer of ice in front of him in retaliation for his claim.

"Yeow!" He yelped, jumping away. "Hey, nobody likes a sore loser, pal!" He shot back, scowling at him.

"...He got lucky." The Greninja replied with venom in his tone.

"That what you believe?" The Raichu asked, smirking.

At that moment, Hank and Neilla arrived on the scene. They saw Ernoul leaving, Jora walking diligently ahead of him, and found Hageshi partially frozen in the white ice, with Drogo standing nearby.

"We saw that big flash of light - what happened?" Neilla asked.

"I arrived after it all started," Drogo returned honestly. "But Ernoul and Hageshi had a fight." He gestured to the Greninja, and his trapped limbs. "If you could call it one."

Hank looked between the frozen Greninja and the departing Ninetales for a few moments, then he started to laugh heartily at Hageshi. "Haha, wow! Damn!" He exclaimed. "Bout time someone other than yer cranky old man put you in yer place!"

Hageshi sneered at the Zoroark, though he made no comment on the matter, turning his head and closing his eyes defiantly.

"Any idea what they were fighting about?" Neilla asked. "I assume Jora was involved - she didn't sway either of them with her pheromones, did she?"

"I don't think so," replied Drogo. "But I did hear Ernoul mutter something about..." He paused, swallowing hard with an audible_gulp_. "Well... About... Attempted murder, just as I arrived."

It couldn't be seen through his dark fur, but Hank literally paled as he heard Drogo say those two damning words. "Ooooooh shite." Hank muttered, averting his gaze slightly. "Luke's gonna be _piiiiissed_when he hears about this."

Neilla stared daggers at Hageshi, her pink eyes boring into him as she approached. "Well, looks like Jora's going to have a neighbour, then," she said. "Until this is resolved, Hageshi, I have no choice but to confine you to the cells, until we decide what will be done with you."

He glanced back at the Lopunny through narrow eyes. "Putting me in a cell won't change how I operate," he plainly said. "As I told the Ninetales, you're all too soft... If you want true peace, you deal with it permanently, through _any_means necessary."

"Well if that's how you feel, you might end up a _permanent_resident," Neilla stated as she approached Hageshi, producing a needle from the pouch on her hip and jabbing it into his shoulder. "Sleep tight," she said as she injected the contents of the syringe into his bloodstream.

The drug acted quickly, Hageshi's eyelids growing heavy, as though they had turned to iron, and his vision blurred as he felt an overwhelming urge to sleep come over him. Try as he might, he couldn't fight off the drug, and within seconds he was out cold.

Hank whistled as he watched how quickly Hageshi was put under, looking to Neilla when the Greninja was asleep. "That drug works fast," He commented. "Where can we get some of that?"

"Azrael knows the recipe," replied Neilla. "Practice of his that he brought over from his old team. It'll keep him out for a couple of hours." She returned the syringe to her pouch, looking at the ice holding Hageshi's arm and leg. "Long enough to get him free of this... oddly dry ice. Give me a hand - let's break him out."

~~~~~

When Luke awoke later that evening, the nausea had lessened, but not completely gone away, causing him to shift uncomfortably on the couch beneath him as his eyes opened, staring up at a semi-familiar ceiling. The crackle of a fire to his right told him where he was, and when he turned his head, he saw Neilla seated in the chair next to him, an open book held before her. Past her, he could see Azrael lying with Breenelle near the fire, her back pressed into his side as they both slept.

The Lucario grunted as he tried to push himself up onto his elbows, though as he rose, he felt his stomach start to act up a bit and forced him to lay back down lest he throw up all over himself. Instead he turned his head toward the Lopunny; Neilla had heard him shifting and set her book aside, leaving her chair to kneel beside him.

His tired eyes looked up to hers as best as he could muster. "...W-what happened?" He asked.

"Easy now," she said gently. "Poison's not completely out of your system yet," she laid a paw on his forehead, feeling it. "That antidote seems to be doing its job, anyway. Good thing your steel-typing doesn't make you immune to cures too, huh?" She remarked in mild jest.

"...That's right..." He said as he recounted the events that happened prior to him falling unconscious from the Toxic seeping through his body. "...What happened...To Jora? Did you catch her?"

"I'll explain later, but yes - we have her," Neilla assured him. "Her clan turned themselves over too - jailhouse is full to bursting now."

Luke let out a relieved sigh, letting his head lay back against the pillow he was resting against. "Good..." He returned as he relaxed a bit. "We at least have a means of preparing ourselves for when the Oppression arrives, provided she co-operates and gives us any information we can use against them."

Neilla nodded. "I have a hunch she won't part with it easily. She's scared of something, and I mean _really_scared." She leaned closer to Luke, her arms resting on her knee. "This Calhoun guy has her spooked something fierce."

"With good reason." Luke answered, opening his eyes to look back at the Lopunny. "To remind you, when we attacked their fortress, he alone took on all of the Team Captains, myself and Volcan included, and despite us working together, we couldn't so much as touch him." He explained. "His fighting style was completely unorthodox, and coupled with the Shadow Energy under his control, his strikes were about as heavy as a stampede of Tauros..."

"Definitely someone to be afraid of," she agreed with a nod.

Luke shuddered softly for a moment. "If he's aboard the Oppression, we need to take him down as quickly as possible... Otherwise we risk more cities suffering his destructive impulses, and more Pokemon falling under his curse," He muttered, his paws clenching tightly at his sides.

Neilla let out a sigh, leaning back and looking over her shoulder at Breenelle. "She didn't want to cause any of this. She didn't want to fight - not until she was backed into a corner," she said. "But then why does she work for someone like Calhoun - if he's really so evil, and she isn't, why not just leave? Or why join him to begin with?"

Luke looked up toward the ceiling of the inn, humming in thought as he tried to come up with any sort of reason as to why she sided with Calhoun in the first place. Her hesitancy to fight, the guilt she wore on her face when she found out her kinsman had poisoned him, and her pleading to him the night she had failed to seduce him.

His ears perked up as that image popped into his head, slowly sitting up on the sofa, ignoring the queasiness in his stomach as he rose. "...She was desperate." He muttered softly. "That's the only reason I can of as to why she'd side with Calhoun..."

"Desperate how?" Neilla asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure of her exact reason, but I have a hunch that she was faced with a decision that would either save her clan, or jeopardize it. Out of a need to protect her clan, she chose the 'salvation' he offered, in exchange for her serving his every whim..."

Neilla shuddered. "Ugh... when you say it like that, it fills my head with stuff I _really_don't want to see."

"...Sorry." Luke replied apologetically. "In any case, before we can come to that conclusion, I need to talk to her about it first; see if I can properly earn her trust..." He muttered as he looked away for a moment. "...Assuming I can keep my emotions in check when I do end up speaking to her..."

"You certainly have better control than _that_master of disaster back there," Neilla remarked scornfully, looking over the couch towards the corner on the other side of the inn.

"Hmm?" Luke muttered, turning his gaze toward where Neilla was looking and noticing a certain Raichu cowering in the corner with his back turned to everyone else. "...Oh, right." Luke muttered, sighing as he remembered the blunder Drogo committed while trying to reason with Jora.

"Aerendyl really lost it on him after Breenelle was poisoned too," Neilla spoke lowly to Luke. "And Hank and I had to hold back Azrael, else he might've beaten Drogo to a pulp."

The Lucario continued watching Drogo silently as he listened to Neilla explain what happened, his ears flattening a bit as he closed his eyes in consideration for a brief moment, then he started to shift and slowly stand up from the couch, clutching his stomach a little as he moved, feeling the queasiness attacking him, but he pushed through the feeling.

"Hey, slow down. You sure you should be moving yet?" Neilla asked, rising to her feet next to him, paws up to support him if he fell.

"I'll be alright. Someone has to set him straight..." He replied, limping around the couch while using it as support until he was facing Drogo, where he began to approach the Raichu slowly, standing behind him and casting a shadow over Drogo as he stood there.

It took a moment for the Raichu to realize someone was behind him. He turned with a start, seeing Luke standing there. "Oh... hey," he said, half-heartedly.

Off to the left, Luke saw Val and Ernoul seated by the bar, both of them quiet. Val watched Luke curiously though, wondering where this talk might lead.

Luke slowly lowered himself down to one knee before Drogo, giving him a stern look. "...You're an arrogant, headstrong and incredibly reckless fool, Drogo." Luke stated, laying out the facts right in front of the Raichu. "I don't think I need to remind you how badly you messed up this operation. Had you just waited while I tried to reason with Jora, we wouldn't be in this situation right now." He explained, his tone remaining calm despite his stern demeanour. "...What exactly are you trying to prove here, by being so brash and eager to fight?"

"I'm not out to prove anything, I just..." He trailed off mid-sentence, his gaze falling to the floor. "I'm just..." But he could not find the words to explain his actions. "All I've wanted my whole life was to be part of a Rescue Team, to be someone that Pokemon could look up to and count on to keep them safe. I thought _that's_what I was doing."

Luke nodded softly. "I understand what you're trying to do." He said softly, placing a paw weakly on Drogo's shoulder. "But you're going about it all wrong. Being in a Rescue Team isn't about being the first to charge into battle and fueling your ego, which, yes, you have been doing since I arrived here. Don't try to deny it." He stated firmly before continuing.

"Being in a Rescue Team comes with a heavy responsibility, Drogo. You have to put your own desires aside for those you swore to protect. You also have to be able to work well with the team you put together, and as a Captain, be open minded to your teammate's suggestions in regards to your mission and strategies." He explained, gesturing to his teammates behind him. "If you allow yourself to be blinded by your own ego, and shut out your allies, you're doomed to fail, just as you failed today."

"I can't be as bad as all that, right guys?" Drogo asked, looking at his teammates. But neither one met his gaze, nor answered his question. "...Guys?" He asked.

Val let out a sigh. "Sorry, Drogo... but Luke is right."

"Many times, your actions have nearly cost us our missions," Ernoul added. "Rushing in against our battle plans, and recklessly throwing yourself into the fray. You are a capable fighter but you refuse to stop and think your actions through."

Drogo sat in silence, staring at his teammates, blinking in confusion. "You guys never told me?"

"We_tried_man_,"_Val returned. "But unfortunately, large as your ego is, it's as fragile as glass and you always got so defensive - you just refused to hear us."

"But...I was just..."

Ernoul stepped over to him, meeting Drogo's gaze. "To be in a rescue team is not only about yourself, Drogo. It is about doing the right thing and helping other people. If all you seek is the glory and excitement, you are in the wrong profession. You must focus on being part of a team first and stop trying to be a hero."

Drogo stared at his comrade, stunned and silent, unsure what else could be said.

Luke then stepped in once again. "Listen to your teammates, Drogo." He instructed the Raichu. "They want to help you, but you're not allowing them to...As Ernoul said, it's not about being a hero, it's about doing the right thing...and sometimes the right thing can be the hardest thing to do, but it will reap greatly positive results to you, your team, and the pokemon you fight to protect."

Drogo looked at Luke, his ears lowered in shame as the meaning behind their words rang true in them, slipping into deep thought as he considered what this would mean for him and his team.

"Luke?" A voice called from the stairs.

Luke turned to the voice. At the center step, he saw Lighris looking his way.

"Lighris?" He asked, slowly standing up straight again and facing the Zapdos fully. "What's the matter? Is everything ok?"

"Volcan woke up earlier," he said. "But... slipped back into unconsciousness after. He asked for you before he slipped off, though. Thought you'd like to know."

Neilla and Drogo's team shared wary glances, but eventually their eyes all settled on Luke, wondering how he would respond.

The Lucario's eyes widened for a moment, then without a moment's hesitation he began to quickly stumble over toward the stairway. "Move!" He practically barked at Lighris as he shoved his way past the Zapdos, ignoring the still lingering queasiness as best he could as he ascended the staircase, barging through the door to Volcan's room.

The Blaziken lay as he had been for the past day, hands folded across his chest with a blanket draped over his body. The only change to come had been the position of his head, now turned onto its side. His breathing was steady, and he seemed only to be sleeping -as he so enjoyed doing...

The Lucario slowly stumbled into the room, never once taking his eyes off Volcan as he approached the bed, standing next to the unconscious Blaziken. Slowly he lifted his paw and placed it on his lover's cheek, his expression saddening the longer he stared at him.

"...Volcan?" He asked quietly, kneeling down before him as he felt his eyes start to tear up a bit. "Love...if you can hear me, then please... Please wake up." He whispered softly to the Blaziken. "We can't defend Hadleigh without you. We need you. More importantly...I need you."

Luke then slowly stood up again, leaning forward a little and sliding his arms around the Blaziken, hiding his face in his chest as his tears started to fall freely from his eyes. "Come back to me, Love...I can't do this without you..." He pleaded, sniffling softly as he clenched his eyes shut. "G-Give me a sign, something,anything...just..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as he started to lose himself into a fit of tears, clinging so desperately to his beloved Blaziken and nuzzling his chest for some measure of comfort.

He had not heard Lighris come into the room behind him, and with his eyes clenched shut, he could not see the Zapdos grinning.

Luke felt a touch on his back, mistaking it at first for one of his friends having come to comfort him. He looked behind him, seeing no one -Lighris was the only other one in the room and was too far away to be the one touching him. So who...

"_Nom!"_He felt a prick in his ear.

"_OW!"_Luke cried out, feeling the sting of something biting into his ear, instinctively trying to tug away from whoever was biting him for a moment...until his eyes widened in realization and he slowly lifted his gaze to the one responsible for biting into his ear.

Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Volcan yoinked him from the floor and flipped him onto the bed, landing on his back atop the Blaziken who proceeded to tickle him mercilessly, aiming for the sensitive spots of Luke's body that only he could know. He was still nibbling on his ear as the Lucario struggled in his grasp. Lighris doubled over in laughter at the display, kicking the air with his talons.

"S-Stop! C-Cut that out!" Luke cried out as he was tickled, laughing a little himself as all of his sensitive spots were attacked by the Blaziken. Despite the laughter, Luke's stomach started to kick into overdrive as he started feeling very queasy from all the movement. "S-S-Seriously stop! I'm going to hurl!!" He cried out in protest.

Sensing that he was serious, Volcan stopped tickling Luke, giving him time to catch his breath as they lay there, but the Blaziken did not release him while he waited. Luke held his paw over his mouth, lurching a little and fighting back the urge to puke right there and then. It took a considerable amount of willpower on his part, but Luke was successful in quelling his sickly stomach, panting heavily as a result before he lifted his gaze up to Volcan once again.

He felt a whole mixture of feelings welling up from within. Joy, anxiety, disbelief...He was so overcome with these emotions that he struggled to come up with anything to say at first, until he finally managed to utter softly. "...Y-You're... you're awake?"

"Yep," he replied, but his smile had faded as his hand touched Luke's head, feeling the heat from it. He turned his head and looked at Lighris. "You didn't mention he was sick!"

"I didn't know!" Lighris returned. "This was your idea!"

Luke's ears perked up a bit after hearing Lighris' proclamation. "...Wait,_you_orchestrated this prank?" He asked, looking up at Volcan incredulously.

"I've been awake for a few hours now," Volcan admitted, slowly sitting up - though with some effort as Luke slid down to give him room. "Lighris filled me in on some things, and I wanted to surprise you." He once more touched Luke's forehead. "I didn't know you were sick though... what happened?"

"I-I.." Luke began, his eyes darting away from Volcan for a moment as he recounted the events leading up to this moment, making his eyes clench shut for a moment before speaking. "I was... Unintentionally poisoned by a Salandit, while I was trying to apprehend his matron, the Salazzle Jora."

"Poisoned?" Volcan echoed in disbelief.

"I thought steel-types were immune to poison?" Lighris asked, equally confused.

Volcan sensed there was more to the story. He turned to his brother, cocking his head towards the door. Lighris nodded in understanding, giving the two the room and closing the door behind him as he left.

"Seems I missed more than I thought," Volcan said, resting his hands on Luke's shoulders. "I'm sorry I made you worry, love."

Luke's expression contorted into a scowl, throwing off Volcan's hands angrily. "Y-You damn well should be!" Luke whimpered, tears welling in his eyes. "W-When I saw you get thrown about like a ragdoll from Nendranos' Hydro Pump, I thought he had _killed_you! And then you pull this prank on me after I spent the past day wondering if you'd even wake up! I'm sick enough mentally _and_physically as it is! I-"

His words were bitten off as he started to cough again, turning his face away and covering his mouth with his paw and groaning. Volcan took his lover's scolding, making no attempt to defend his actions as he realized his attempt to lighten the blow of his injury had only made matters worse for the Lucario. He frowned, crestfallen and feeling guilty.

"You're right... that was in poor taste," he said softly. "I'm sorry..."

"J-Just don't do that again!" Luke pleaded, lifting his gaze up to look Volcan square in the eyes, staring at him before throwing his arms around the Blaziken, hugging him tightly despite how angry he was. Volcan returned his embrace, holding Luke lovingly in his arms until the Lucario pulled back from him, bringing his paws up to the Blaziken's face and holding their gazes together as he spoke again. "I _can't_lose you, Volcan... I would never heal again..."

"You won't lose me," the Blaziken assured him, raising a hand and placing it over Luke's paw gently, meeting his gaze with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry I scared you."

The Lucario stared into Volcan's eyes in silence for a long moment, his initial emotional outburst now passed, his anger and sadness slowly eased from his face as the tension lessened, only to be replaced by an expression of guilt, his arms falling to his sides and taking his gaze from Volcan's.

"...No,_I'm_the one that should be sorry..." He said softly. "...Because the same night you fell into the coma, I nearly did something I would have regretted for the rest of my life."

"What do you mean?" Volcan asked, not understanding as he met Luke's gaze.

Luke sighed heavily before he mustered up the courage to continue. "That Salazzle we didn't catch before - the one at the hills. She came to me in the night," he explained. "She tried to convince me to leave - to evacuate Hadleigh and leave the city to its fate. I refused her, but then she did something..." His eyes clenched, tears flowing from the corners again.

"She... made me long for her - seduced me to try and win me over, to convince me to leave. I could not stop myself; my body was betraying me, and I came so close to letting her have me..." He raised his paws to his eyes, sobbing. "I... I betrayed you!" He wailed. "I betrayed you..." He said again, his voice a whimper once more.

Volcan heard Luke's confession, seeing how much it hurt him to admit it. The Lucario fully expected Volcan to push him away, to accuse him of betrayal and demand he leave... but to his surprise, Volcan only pulled him closer, pulling him onto his lap and hugging him again in a comforting manner.

"Its okay, Luke..." he said in assurance.

Luke once again looked up at Volcan in shock as he was pulled into Volcan's lap. "...You're not mad at me...?" He asked, stunned that the Blaziken could so readily forgive him. "But... But I-"

"I know there is more to this than you're telling me," he said, cutting Luke off as he brought the Lucario closer to him, laying him across his lap as they lay against the wall and headboard respectively. "Nobody knows better than me, Luke, that loyalty is what defines you and you would sooner suffer from being alone than betray anyone, especially me. By knowing that much about you, I would hear the full explanation before I make any judgment."

His hand grasped Luke's paw, holding it firmly as he held his lover's gaze, firm in his decision. "So, start from the beginning, and tell me everything - I _will_listen."