FSE

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When the Oppression was sighted in the west by Lighris, the time to act was upon them. Teams Valiant, Phalanx, Plainsrunner and Storm rushed to get the townsfolk to where they would be out of reach by the Draco Meteor bombardment that was sure to come with the ship's arrival. Some stubbornly refused to leave their homes, but were promptly set straight by Lady Cinnia, who joined in the rally.

Adding her voice to the mix - a voice the citizens knew well, soon the homes were being evacuated, following the roads to the highest point of the city and letting the Rescue Teams and the volunteers from the quarry do their work

The alleys were filled with ice walls by Ernoul and a few local ice types to keep smaller groups from flanking their positions. The ramp leading up from the quarry were blocked off by a wall of boulders and the gate at the top sealed from the other side, with the fliers above positioned to see if anyone attempted to breach.

Hadleigh had two direct routes that led through the city; one was the main road, cutting a path from the very bottom to the very top of the hill, the other was a side road that forked away from the main, heading to the marketplace before it rejoined the main just below the crest at the hill, at the intersection where the road went to the crest or toward the quarry ramp. The side road was sealed with another wall of ice, and now there was only one direct route through the city, heading straight into the battle line of the four Rescue Teams.

Team Phalanx and Valiant, being the more experienced band overall, took the lead, with Neilla and Ernoul's teams on the flanks ready to back them up if Phalanx couldn't hold the line. Their leaders were absent at that moment though as the others prepared; there was one last piece of business for them to deal with elsewhere.

When Volcan, Neilla and Luke appeared at Hageshi's cell, the Greninja was staring off into the wall to the left of the cell bars, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he seemingly stared off into space. He didn't turn to face the two of them until Luke had cleared his throat, turning his head slowly toward the two of them and glancing at them through narrowed eyes.

"...Come to reprimand me in person, have you?" He asked lowly to the two of them. "You sure took your time."

"The Oppression is here," Volcan stated, producing the keys to the cell and showing them to Hageshi "We need all the forces we can get, so we're here with an offer. You can either stand with us and fight our way, or lie in here and hope a Draco Meteor doesn't hit this place."

The Greninja eyed the keys for a few moments, his tongue scarf flicking behind him idly before he turned to fully face the three of them, stepping closer to the bars, but still keeping out of arm's reach.

"You do realize that even if you defeat their forces, they'll just return at a later time to finish the job, or move their forces elsewhere to another location out of your reach..." He plainly pointed out. "And not every Rescue Team is as resourceful as you've shown to be...What do you plan to do then when they strike somewhere you cannot respond fast enough in time to...?"

Luke narrowed his eyes dangerously at the Greninja as he spoke. "They won't. We plan to send that cursed ship to the bottom of the sea today."

Again, Hageshi scoffed. "That's it?" He asked coldly. "You think destroying one ship will cripple the enemy's morale and cause them to back off? If anything, it will just make them realize how big of a threat to their plans you are, and cause them to start striking where you are most vulnerable." He pointed out. "As I've said before, you want to defeat this evil, you deal with it permanently."

"You may yet get your wish, but that is for the guilds to decide, not us," stated Volcan as he readied the key. "It's a yes or no question, Hageshi. Will you fight with us? Yes, I let you out, but you do exactly as we direct you. No, and you stay in there and hope that ceiling doesn't fall on you."

The Greninja scoffed once more, turning his gaze away as he considered his options. He didn't like the idea of following orders, especially when faced with a threat he believed needed to be destroyed quickly. Though on the same token, even he couldn't weather the ceiling collapsing on top of him even if he created a shield of ice to protect him from the falling debris. The element he wielded was versatile, but not durable.

After much thought, he finally let out a long sigh before he looked back to the three captains. "...Fine. I'll play by your rules for the time being," he reluctantly agreed.

Without another word, Volcan unlocked the cell, and then passed the keys to Neilla who moved on to the next one while he pulled the door open to let Hageshi out. "Your gear's by the exit," he said.

But as Hageshi stepped out, he saw the cell Neilla was opening, and stopped in his tracks as he saw Jora stepping out into the corridor. His pupils constricted into small beads when he saw the Salazzle stepping out of her cell, his webbed hands clenching tight at his sides as he stared on at her.

"...Why is she being released?" He glowered angrily.

"Jora has been very cooperatiive," Luke informed the Greninja. "She surrendered to us willingly in the end and gave us valuable information; I have no intention of leaving her where Calhoun can find her."

"Surrendered?" Hageshi echoed. "She ran from me the moment I confronted her."

"Perhaps because you had a _blade_drawn on her?" Volcan retorted scornfully. "Furthermore she had a child with her; her actions at that moment were to get that child away from you; she was protecting him, like any mother would. Once she surrendered, so did the rest of her clan; they've earned the right to get to safety."

"How do you know she won't turn on us?" The Greninja asked plainly, still glaring dangerously at the Salazzle.

"She won't," Luke answered with a tone of finality. "Jora is not an ally of Calhoun; she was a victim of circumstance." He stepped up to the Greninja, glaring into his eyes. "And if you so much as even _think_of pointing your blade in her direction, I'll have you _properly_charged for attempted murder of an innocent life, and you'll spend all of eternity rotting away in the Siphon Prison... Understand?"

Hageshi stared back into Luke's eyes, unflinching despite his threat and his admittedly unexpected change of demeanour. "...For your own sake, you better be right." He said before he pushed past Luke abruptly, heading to grab his equipment before storming out of the jailhouse.

"Last thing," Volcan called after him. "We have a specific mission for you."

He stopped just as he finished equipping his weapons, and was just about to grab his cloak when Volcan addressed him. "Do you now..?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder to Volcan. "What might that be?"

"The enemy leader," Volcan explained. "A midnight Lycanroc called Asya - bipedal, crimson fur, white undertones and red eyes. If she makes an appearance in the battle, you and Lashanne - who will be working with you on this - are to capture her at all costs. Her disappearance from the battle will leave the enemy force leaderless, and,"he paused for a moment to make sure he was especially clear on his next point, "when the siege is over, she'll go to the guild hall in Lindenburg for interrogation, from which we will learn where Calhoun and his remaining lieutenants are."

Even Hageshi could not deny the logic of that plan. A dead Pokémon could not provide information, and capturing her would serve two causes at once - to leave the enemy leaderless, and to possibly find out more about the enemy's intentions. Without another word, he gave the Blaziken a small nod to let him know he understood his orders, then slipped his cloak over his body, adjusting his hood as he departed from the jailhouse.

Luke cast a wary glance up at Volcan after Hageshi left. "...You sure he'll follow your instructions to the letter?" He asked softly. "The fact he was willing to attack an ally just to get at his target makes him a loose cannon."

Volcan let out a low groan, making his exasperation clear. "Without Kage, there's nobody else qualified to slip behind the enemy lines to get to Asya," he said. "For all I know he'll take her out the first chance he gets, but I can't worry about that." He looked at Luke. "It's a gamble we have to take. We'll have our hands full with the army, and then with whatever creature the Oppression is carrying in its hold."

Luke sighed, not exactly liking what he was hearing, but nodding nonetheless in understanding. "I suppose we'll just have to hope he doesn't go overboard," he finally muttered after a small silence, then motioned for the exit. "C'mon. Let's go regroup with the others." He suggested.

"What am I to do?" Jora asked, concerned.

Volcan looked at her. "We won't force you to join us in the battle," he said. "You can go stand with the civilians. If you're truly worthy of the trust Luke has put in you, you won't betray us and you'll keep your clan in line."

Jora swallowed, but she nodded to him in understanding.

"I really hope you two know what you're doing," Neilla said lowly to Luke as she passed, and without waiting for an answer headed to unlock the cells containing Jora's clan of Salandit.

'So do I...' Luke thought to himself before he walked past Neilla and headed back outside to join the other teams preparing for the imminent assault.

~~~~~

With all their preparations made, the teams took their positions at the two main roads, in the square where they both met. All alleys up the roads had been blocked, with a straight shot heading to their position -the enemy, if they followed the path of least resistance, would surely come to them.

Team Phalanx stood at the front -at Volcan's own insistence- ready to meet the first wave. From where they stood, everyone could see the ship as it slowly sailed upriver, coming to stop almost perfectly center between the east and west gates of Hadleigh, both of which had been barred and offered no real tactical advantage to the ship or its forces, which they could see gathered about the deck. Hundreds of Pokémon, with the front row consisting entirely of dragon-types, and those behind them, more various and too mixed to find a majority number.

Dropping out of his Aura Sense, Minato let out a bit of a scoff as he waited with his teammates for the attack to begin. "..._That's_a lot of Dragon Types." He commented. "And lots of other types to boot as well..." He added as he punched his paws together. "Not that numbers will do them any favours."

Tristan chuckled, rubbing his claws together with an audible grinding sound emitting from his palms. "This is gonna be some fight, and I'm gonna _love_it."

"Just don't lose focus," Volcan stated. "It's been a while since we all fought together as a team. I'm hoping I remember enough of our strategies to be of use."

"Our strategies were made by you! How can you not?" Tristan asked. An incredulous look from his three teammates reminded him. "Oh... yeah."

Minato slugged Tristan in the shoulder. "I see you're still as sharp as a rusty, decrepit blade, as always." He commented, rolling his eyes irritably.

"Are you sure you want to take front, Volcan?" Serena asked.

"I'm the leader, aren't I? The definition of 'lead' doesn't mean sitting at the back," he returned confidently. "It'll all come back to me, I'm sure; everything else has so far." He looked back towards his friends. "And we're not alone either way."

Minato also glanced back at their allies covering their rear flanks, especially eying Team Valiant for a moment with a smirk before looking back to Volcan and nodding to him. "You got that right." He said, letting out a short breath as he prepared himself for battle. "So, we starting with our usual formation?"

"That's where I stand in front," Tristan offered, grinning. "Team Phalanx's shield - that's me."

"Well then if we're starting with our Charging Targe, you and Volc may want to switch positions." The Lucario returned, his gaze remaining forward.

"Little early for that one - we want them to gather before us first," Serena reminded.

"How's that one go again?" Volcan asked.

"You'll know," Serena assured. "Just remember, when the time's right for it, hang onto Tristan's arm. He will do the rest."

"Then we cut loose the second we break through their ranks." Minato added, a wide smirk crossing his face as his tail twitched in anticipation. "I'm looking forward to sending these bastards back where they belong."

Volcan nodded in agreement, turning his gaze back toward the river again. Then, he looked up in surprise as he saw the red streaks arcing from the ship, knowing what they meant.

"Back up!" He called, though not as panicked as he might have been at another time as the first bombardment of Draco Meteors fell.

"Here they come!" Minato exclaimed as he began to step back upon Volcan's command, creating two Aura Spheres in his paws in preparation to destroy a few that came too close to his liking.

Azrael leapt forward, casting a Psycho Cut towards the falling meteors. The psionic blade formed into a wide, curving arc with the swing of his head, slashing through one meteor, and then a second as it ascended. Aerendyl and Drogo followed with a Psybeam and Thunderbolt respectively that destroyed two more, and Ernoul with a Blizzard that doused and shattered many of the meteors.

Above, Sarth cast a wide sweeping hyper beam that intercepted several meteors falling towards his friends. Lighris flew directly into the path of the next wave, unleashing a huge shock wave all about that utterly destroyed nearly half the volley. Luke, Hank and Doug all pitched in as well, with Luke firing Aura Spheres, Doug throwing massive chunks of earth with Earth Power, and Hank discharging several Shadow Balls.

Collectively they minimized the damage; fires and pillars of dust could be seen in the lower city, but the damage from where they seemed appeared minimal

Volcan let out a sigh of relief. "I thought for sure that kind of attack couldn't be stopped, but we managed," he said.

"Draco Meteor requires much energy to use - it is unlikely the dragons can fire more than one volley every few minutes," Serena offered.

"And considering the enemies I sensed that were using the attack, most of them were mid stage evolutions." Minato stated. "They wouldn't have the capacity to carry out long barrages as efficiently as a fully evolved Dragon-Type." He added, talking as though he spoke from experience in that matter.

"Then we have a reprieve, for the moment," Volcan stated. "They'll either hold out until the next volley or send their shore party to clear us out. All we can do is wait and see."

"Hopefully not _too_long." Minato stated. "I'm already itching to cut loose on these bastards."

"Seconded," agreed Tristan, growling in his throat.

As Volcan had suggested, the groups aboard the ship - following a howl from the deck that sent shivers up the backs of nearly everyone in the group who heard it, began to move. Ramps were lowered from the deck to allow them to disembark, and heavy footfalls began to fill the air as they marched.

Hearing the heavy stomps only made Minato smirk wider. "Seems they're finally growing the stones to face us head on." He commented, flexing his paws a little at his sides.

"Sounds like quite a few of them out there," they heard Drogo pipe up, struggling to hide his nervousness. "You sure we can do this, guys?"

"A little too late to be having second thoughts, Drogo," Val pointed out. "We're in this now, and there's no turning back."

"Just keep your attention focused on the enemy ahead." Luke also instructed the Raichu. "And don't let yourself get carried away. The slightest error could make all the difference in this battle."

Drogo nodded to Luke, but still cast a glance at Ernoul, who gave him a similar nod, turning his gaze ahead again, watching the army as they gathered in the square. "They tried to go up the side street; the wall is holding," he said, watching as several Pokémon in the invading force made an attempt to break through the ice wall, to no avail.

"I see some of them going into the alleys!" Lighris called down from above. "They can't get through the barrcades; we've got 'em stuck on the main road!"

"Then the strategy's working so far." Luke said with a nod.

"Heh, way to go, Mole Man." Hank commented, winking down at the Dugtrio next to him.

"Don't start celebrating yet, Foxie." Eagle Eye chimed in through the radio. "I'm counting a LOT of heavy hitting Pokémon down below. One swing from em and yer flatter than a pancake."

"Good thing we prepared for that," said Volcan, as the Pokémon Eagle Eye spoke of marched into the first trap.

It had been snowing much of the day, even before the Oppression had arrived, and the teams had pioneered a way to use this to their advantage. For the leaders of the host coming up the road, they stepped on patches of snow only to feel the ground very suddenly give way, and the fell through into pits of soft, cold sand; many of the heavier Pokémon following them fell in just after, unable to stop themselves in time, and bringing the host to a brief halt before they stumbled into the traps.

"Hehehee~ They fell for it!" Doug called out triumphantly, then he stopped and rolled his eyes a bit. "Aaaaand just realized the horrible pun I just made."

"Eh, I've heard worse." Hank offered with a shrug.

Volcan held up his hand, putting up two fingers. "Trap number two."

It was almost comical when they saw a Weavile suddenly jump five feet into the air, howling in pain as he clutched his foot and fell onto the snow, flailing as though his body was on fire. Beside him, a Mammoswine suddenly reared up, waving its forelegs into the air before tumbling back into the crowd behind it.

"Stealth Rock," said Volcan. "Nice work, Tristan."

"I aim to please," the Aggron replied. "Though, took me a while to remember how ta do it."

"Well it's a good thing you remembered in time." Minato commented. "Are there any more traps we should know about?" He asked Volcan.

"There are a few more sand pits and stone spikes along the way -it won't stop them all but it hinders them, and forces them to thin their ranks," Volcan explained. "You see I left an opening between the traps, to force them to thin their line as they advance."

Minato caught on easily, familiar with the tactic of stealing the enemy's advantage in numbers - one Volcan was particularly good at doing. He smirked and gave a nod in approval toward the Blaziken. "Good to see that bump to your head didn't affect your strategic intuition." He commented.

Several of Luke's team heard the remark, and could not help but smile, knowing that there were some stories they could share with Minato that would further his claim. For now, they kept their gazes forward. Luke summoning his weapon to his paws and holding it at the ready, with Hank flexing his claws and his eyes shining a bit as the teams prepared themselves for battle, noticing the ranks had thinned considerably thanks to the elaborate traps, effectively bottlenecking the invaders as they approached.

"They're moving awful slow," Tristan remarked, a diabolical grin on his face.

"Then let's give them some incentive," returned Volcan as he and the Aggron stepped forward.

The two took in a deep breath, flames appearing in Volcan's beak while a silvery light shone from Tristan's mouth. The attackers gaped in horror as they saw the Flamethrower and Flash Cannon coming slamming into their front lines with devastating effect as the two swept their attacks over their ranks, which to their own misfortune, consisted largely of Weavile and other Ice-types - likely chosen because of the season, but now faced with their two greatest weaknesses; Fire, and Steel.

The enemy, motivated by the pre-emptive strike by the two, began to charge. Volcan leapt behind Tristan as the Aggron planted his feet, holding his ground as a flurry of Ice Shards pelted him; the shards shattered on contact with his stone chest and iron plating, barely seeming to cause him any time.

"Let's meet this charge..!" Minato commented, throwing his right arm to the side and calling forth his Bone Rush Blade as he leapt out to stand at Tristan's right.

"Come and get us, you scum!" Volcan roared at them from Tristan's left, though his voice was barely heard over the roars of their charging enemies, who parted to let an even bigger Pokémon take point.

Another Mamoswine charged at them, making a beeline towards the three. It was giant, seemingly large enough to crush all three, but Tristan, still in front and poised to meet the charge, only smiled. Even as other members of the teams behind them tensed, Tristan caught the Mamoswine by the tusks, skidding back several feet before bringing the giant to a halt.

The two Weavile on the Mamoswine's back leapt forward to attack - a spin kick from Volcan sent one flying aside, the other receiving a large cut along his body from Minato's blade, then was sent flying back by a heavy Force Palm attack from the Lucario. He then noticed another Mamoswine charging at him and held out his paw, causing it to halt in its tracks as he held it there with his Psychic attack.

"He's all yours, big guy!" He called to Tristan.

With a deep growl, Tristan began to lift, raising the Mamoswine he held by the tusks off the ground by its tusks. His growl grew louder as he lifted, the Mamoswine's eyes so wide with shock at the Aggron's ridiculous strength that it seemed they might fall out of their sockets. It squirmed in his grasp, its stumpy legs kicking feebly at the air as it was held at a complete 90 degree angle above the Aggron's head.

Then with a triumphant roar, Tristan hurled the Mamoswine back at the enemy, slamming into the other one held in place by Minato and sending both of them tumbling like boulders towards their allies. Instinctively they tried to scatter to avoid them, but the alleys, proactively blocked off with sheets of ice and pillars of stone, stopped them, and many were flattened or blown aside by the pair of tumbling Mamoswine.

"...Okay. I'm impressed," Neilla remarked off-handedly, her mouth hanging open and pink eyes staring in disbelief.

"That Aggron is _really_strong," Breenelle added.

"...Hoooly crap." Hank muttered softly, his left eye twitching as the enemy was becoming utterly floored by Team Phalanx's incredible display of teamwork and coordination, even going so far as to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming the entire thing.

With the opening they created, Minato was the first to rush in to meet the rest of the incoming forces, casting his weapon aside and resorting to empty handed combat as he closed in and opened up his assault with a mighty leap into the air, then slammed his paw into the ground and discharged an omnidirectional shockwave of Aura from all around him, blasting away anyone unfortunate enough to be too close to the blast he created. From there, he stood tall and began to pummel anyone that dared to attack him, spending little more than three attacks per enemy before knocking them clean out or blasting them away, then moving onto the next closest enemy.

Every step he advanced, Volcan was right at his side, his legs flying in a barrage of kicks that sent enemies hurtling backward, to the side, sometimes even over his head where Serena finished them with Water Gun. Those that were not felled within a single kick, or too close for Volcan to use one against them, received a blinding beatdown with his fists and elbows striking too quickly to follow before he would kick them away as well. During the fight, as the enemies rushed at them - sometimes four at a time, he or Minato knocked an opponent over to the other, which a second would finish off easily. They stopped only once to catch their breath, and that was when Tristan dove in and slammed into the enemy ranks, sending bodies scattering about.

More enemies tried to swarm the Aggron from the sides; not a one got near him. Serena covered him from atop his back, and Minato and Volcan were at his sides in an instant, a whirlwind of fists and feet as they knocked away anyone that made at a go at their team shield.

"They're... freaking unstoppable!" Drogo cried in disbelief.

"I understand now," Aerendyl remarked. "Their name - Phalanx, refers to an old battle formation developed centuries ago. A shield, a long spear, a short sword, a helmet and a javelin were the tools of choice for warriors who practiced this, and it seems these four are the embodiments of each of these tools.

"Tristan is the shield, Volcan is the spear, Minato is the sidearm sword, and Serena... she is either the helmet or she is the javelin given her focus on ranged attacks. But it is clear now why they are called Phalanx - they fight not just as a team, but as an organized unit."

Luke could only stare on in silent awe, only barely catching onto Aerendyl's explanation of the Phalanx formation. It was amazing enough that Volcan was as strong as he was as a single warrior, or Minato and Tristan were for that matter, but seeing them perform in such perfect synchronicity really humbled him to a certain degree.

'And here I thought my team worked well as a single unit...' He thought to himself as he continued to watch Team Phalanx single handedly destroy the invading forces, his shocked expression slowly turning into a slight grin. 'Looks like we'll have to step up our game some if we want to compete with the likes of them.'

Val spoke up suddenly. "Look alive guys - to the right!" He called out as the second half came up the other street, charging to meet them. They had breached the wall further down the hill, unable to overcome Team Phalanx's battle line and now moved up where the defenses seemed thinner.

"Oh they're gonna be sorry they broke off from their main force!" Drogo said excitedly as his cheeks sparked with electricity.

"Let 'em have it, guys!" Neilla called as her team sprang into action.

Psybeams and Dark Pulses from the twins fired into their ranks. Azrael took the front with Neilla, his strength and hers halting the advance. Val joined them, while Ernoul and Drogo provided additional cover. From above, Sarth flew down and made a pass over the enemy ranks, firing a Dragonbreath over them from an angle behind them where not one saw him coming until it was too late, seeing him only as he finished his pass and began to ascend once more.

The rest of Team Valiant were quick to act on the second wave as well, Luke quickly joining the twins briefly to throw a volley of Aura Spheres himself and then he rushed forward to join Neilla and Azrael in keeping the enemy at bay with his Bone Rush in hand.

Doug had stayed with Drogo and Ernoul, chucking Mud Bombs at a high angle and slamming into the enemy ranks with surprising accuracy. While Hank had turned himself invisible through the use of his Illusion ability and had snuck around to the invading forces' left flank, before he revealed himself again with a small cackle, startling them before puffing his cheeks out and discharging a potent swath of flames from his mouth via his Flamethower attack, sweeping his head back and forth, quickly knocking out any Pokémon caught in his flames and forcing others to scatter to avoid being consumed as well.

Those that did manage to avoid the Flamethrower attack, however, were immediately picked off by Eagle Eye as he made several high speed, low altitude passes over the stragglers, bombarding them with Embers to hinder them and the occasional Fire Blast to inflict real damage as he rose up into the air, and then circled around and come in for another attack run once he had realigned his position.

Neilla kicked and spun her way through the enemy, spotting an incoming Mamoswine, with a Weavile riding on its back. The Weavile cast a Dark Pulse at her -she used her Mirror Coat to send the attack beaming back at the Weavile, sending him tumbling off the back of the giant. Then, she sprang up and plunged at the Mamoswine with a Hi Jump Kick, slamming it between the eyes and stumbling it backward while also launching herself backward in a flip to land in the safety of her friends, wearing a proud smile as she touched down with Liepard-like grace.

The enemy ranks thinned as they hit more of the traps left by Doug and Tristan, falling into sand traps and stepping on stone spikes, both hidden beneath the snow. In both lanes, when it became clear they were making no ground - especially not with Lighris raining bolts of lightning down on both lanes as both Eagle Eye and Sarth hounded them respectively - the enemy began to pull back. Neilla stopped her team from giving chase, as did Volcan.

"It's not a retreat!" Volcan called. "They're regrouping!"

Minato resisted the urge to chase after the retreating forces, quickly standing tall and glaring at the enemy forces. "Is that all??" He taunted after them. "I was hoping to break a sweat or two at least!!" He added, then held out his paw and discharged an Aura Sphere at them as a warning shot, the blast hitting the ground just behind a group and sending them flying forward as a result.

"Easy, Minato!" Volcan urged him. "Don't hound them from here - let them come to us."

"Right... sorry." Minato returned, letting his shoulders slump a bit and taking in a deep breath to help him relax. "It's just been a while since my blood's boiled this much in a fight."

"This fight's far from over," added Volcan. "I suspect the next wave will bring new tricks, or..." He paused, and sure enough, more red streaks arced up from the deck of the Oppression. "Or they'll do that!"

Instinctively, Volcan started to urge the others to move back, but to his surprise, the meteors didn't reach their position, falling instead into the streets and sending up clouds of dust and snowy misty, flinging debris about that forced them to cover their eyes to keep the shards of stone, dirt and ice out.

It took a moment for the powder and dust to clear, letting them see where the damage had been done. The main road now lay in ruins, with many of their traps destroyed by the bombardment, and those with keen ears could hear what sounded like stone shifting that grew closer to their position. Luke squinted his eyes to peer through the dust, and saw stone forms filling the craters left by the bombardment, smoothing the approach.

"A Rock-type is present," said Luke. "It's using Stone Edge to fill the holes."

"It must be Asya," Neilla offered, agreeing with his assement..

"Here they come," Volcan said lowly as the enemy force reformed their lines and began to charge once more, this time with nothing to slow their approach.

"Bring em on.." Minato growled as he summoned his blade again.

"On your toes, people!" Luke called to his team as he prepared for the second wave.

Doug crawled forward, calling up to Sarth to bring the Flygon down to stand beside him. "Let's shake things up a bit!" He suggested to the Flygon, who nodded in understanding

"Everyone grab onto something!" Doug warned as he and Sarth moved to the front ahead of Team Phalanx.

The Flygon leapt into the air, and Doug's three heads tensed just as Sarth came down hard on the ground, a tremour rippling from the two of them into the street. The ground rose like a wave on the ocean surface, causing the attackers to stumble once again, grabbing anything they could for support only to have walls and street lamps collapse onto them. Their charge faltered, their momentum lost and leaving them vulnerable.

As the enemy stumbled, Volcan had another idea. "Ranged attacks - let's volley them!" he called. "Take advantage of their imbalance to force their ranks apart!"

"Good call!" Luke called back, the group ushering to form a wide line, consisting of everyone who could use a ranged attack. Val and Neilla stayed at the flanks to deal with any that got too close, as neither of them possessed a distance attack.

From Minato and Luke, a volley of Aura Sphere flew into the enemy lines. From Tristan, a Flash Cannon swept across their path, from the twins a simultaneous Psybeam and Dark Pulse. Lighris and Drogo hurled thunderbolts into their midst, forcing many to hide behind ground-type allies for safety, but those allies offered no protection from Hank's Night Daze, Sarth's Dragon Breath, Serena's Water Gun or Ernoul's Aurora Beam. The entire enemy's front line was falling apart at the seams, unable to maintain its cohesion.

The last one to attack was Volcan, cupping his hands at his sides and focusing intensely on summoning his energy between his hands. A sphere of orange light formed between his talons, catching the attention of Luke who looked over in a mix of pride and amazement as he saw what Volcan was doing. This time, the attack did not die out; it burned bright and strong, with all the destructive power Volcan could muster into it.

He hurled the Focus Blast, sending it dropping into the front line; the sphere went off with the force of a bomb, shattering the windows of nearby houses as well as throwing a dozen or more Pokémon - including another Mamoswine- in every conceivable direction.

Minato noticed the blast for himself, then looked back toward its caster with a shocked expression. "Whoa what the-?"

"Volcan, you did it!" Luke cheered, his face beaming for that split second. "You mastered Focus Blast!"

Volcan smiled, casting a glance at the two Lucario. "I have both of you to thank for that," he said.

"Me?" Minato asked, then threw out his paw and discharged an Aura Sphere without looking, as a Weavile had managed to charge toward him while he wasn't looking, only to be blasted point blank by the haymaker shot the Lucario discharged. "Last I checked I wasn't even _aware_you were trying to learn that technique. How'd I help in you mastering it?"

"Knowing you didn't despise me for the thing that's made me curse myself for many weeks now, has helped ease some of the turmoil that remained in my mind," Volcan replied. "I can properly focus again. As for learning it, well," he smiled Luke's way. "You have my betrothed to thank for that."

Minato glanced toward Luke's direction as well, who only smiled and nodded to confirm Volcan's explanation. The elder Lucario smirked a bit and nodded back to him, then glanced at Volcan as he continued his barrage. "You're one _incredibly_lucky Blaziken, you know that?" He stated.

"Something I am reminded of every day," Volcan returned as he charged a second Focus Blast, and sent it into the enemy group with similar results to the first.

The host's inability to advance once more had them falling back on their heels, and Asya could only watch from the rail of the ship where she had positioned herself to observe the battle, peering at the scene through a spyglass and feeling her disgust mounting for every one of her soldiers that fell. Her forces outnumbered the enemy, fifteen for their every one, and yet they were beaten back with our without support from the Dragons.

She lowered the glass, and threw it into the waiting hands of a Hakamo-o that stood off to her left, who shrank away when he saw the snarl forming at her lips. "All fully-evolved Dragons, with me," she announced. "I will take to the field and seize this city myself."

A company of Bisharp led the next charge at the battle lines. Doug and Sarth's Earthquake trick was foiled by a collective Magnet Rise from the blade-covered Steel-types, and the barrage of ranged attacks by a Light Screen cast by an Electivire coming up behind them. To engage Bisharp in physical combat was unwise enough, as one could cut themselves upon them just by making contact, but it seemed that such a thing was imminent.

The idea of which, only made Tristan grin all the wider. "I think it's time, guys," he said. "Time to show these guys our Chargin' Targe."

"Bout time!" Minato said with a grin on his face, already taking his position at Tristan's right flank and looping his left arm around Tristan's right arm.

Volcan, following Minato's example, took the left, and once again Serena stood on Tristan's back as the Aggron crouched low, digging at the ground with his feet like a Rhyhorn about to charge, and he was laughing as if in joy every moment as they prepared.

"This ought to be interesting," Azrael remarked as he caught his breath.

"...Is he doing what I think he's doin?" Hank asked as he saw the Aggron getting ready to charge.

"Certainly looks like it," Val replied. "I can't say I recall ever seeing them practice this, but knowing how Tristan defines 'using your head' I can only imagine..."

Without another word, the four were off, charging at the enemy with Tristan pushed along by Minato and Volcan, adding their speed to the Aggron who moved with his head lowered. At the last second, he lifted both Volcan and Minato, taking their feet off the ground as he _ploughed_through the line of Bisharp and straight into the enemy host like a runaway freight train.

Legs flailed out, Volcan and Minato kicking away anyone who tried to push in from the side while Tristan continued on his way, reaching the back of the enemy force within a minute of starting their charge, Serena holding onto Tristan's back for dear life, creating a shell of Protect over herself and projecting an Aura Ring over him, to heal any injuries he sustained in the charge.

"Big Slam!" Tristan called.

Once more following Minato's example - but feeling his muscles telling him what to do, Volcan swung his legs down to plant his feet, the same time as Minato, and with the combined strength of their legs, all three of them launched themselves into the air, climbing twenty feet at least. Serena leapt from Tristan's back onto Volcan's as their momentum slowed, and Minato used a Psychic push to throw Tristan back toward the ground, the Aggron curling into a ball as he dropped towards the middle of the enemy host with their friends watching in awe.

"...I'm thinking we should-!" Breenelle started to say, but too late.

The sound that followed Tristan's collision with the ground might as well have been the boom of a volcanic eruption, sending up a column of dust that stood higher than the city's tallest clock tower and throwing the entire army that had been near his point of impact into every surface and through every window around them. Those that had no wall to catch them were simply thrown into the air, flailing their limbs widely until they fell back to the ground.

"HOOOLY MOTHER!!" Eagle Eye exclaimed as he dodged flying bodies left and right, forcing him to fly back toward the others and maintain his position there until the bodies stopped flying. "Jeeez! I could feel the ground shaking from up there!!" He squawked.

"Looks like you got some competition there, mole man." Hank teased the Dugtrio, who only pouted slightly and hid his gazes within his helmets.

"...I could do bigger..." He muttered indignantly.

"Bullll! Even _I_couldn't do a quake like that!" Sarth exclaimed to Doug, and the three-headed mole had no retort.

"All of you, stay focused." Luke informed his team sharply. "Save the banter until after the battle's over."

"I... think it might be," said Neilla, pointing into the dust cloud as it finally began to settle. "Look."

Team Phalanx stepped out of the dust cloud, Serena now walking on her own feet as the four came to rejoin the group, with not a one of the enemy left to stand in their way -save one half-conscious Weavile that tried to reach out to Minato, only to get kicked back into unconsciousness without even receiving a passing glance from the Lucario as they cleared the unconscious Pokémon lining the streets.

The four of them walked in a synchronized pace, wearing looks of triumph on their faces as it was as clear to them as it was to their friends, they had ended the battle.

"...I don't believe it," Luke whispered in pure shock.

"I_can't_believe it!" Hank commented, rubbing his eyes some and blinking them repeatedly in order to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "They just took out a whole freaking ARMY by themselves!!"

"How freaking strong _are_these guys??" Eagle Eye squawked.

"Their strength is in their teamwork, I would say," Ernoul offered. "Each of them is strong as an individual, but stronger still as a unit."

"...Okay, that settles it." Luke stated firmly. "When we get home, I'm_definitely_going to come up with some formation of our own."

The moment was cut short though, as Neilla's eyes caught something streaking through the air, arching toward Team Phalanx. "Volcan, behind you!" She shouted.

Volcan and his teammates spun around, and started as they saw another Draco Meteor coming at them. Tristan instinctively leapt in front of his friends, trying to throw up a Protect as the meteor came down, but it collided with the Aggron and sent him hurtling back toward them. Serena used a Protect of her own to deflect the falling Aggron, to avoid being utterly crushed under him, and he tumbled onto his belly behind her.

"Tristan!" Volcan cried, falling to the Aggron's side.

"Okay... that one... _really_hurt," the Aggron growled.

Minato quickly turned to the direction where the meteor came from, making out the shapes of some fully evolved Dragon Types approaching their location. "Seems they still had one last ace up their sleeve." He said in a growl standing in front of the rest of his team as they tended to Tristan.

Standing amidst the dragons was a canid form, surrounded by six dragons -two Druddigon - giant blue dragons with yellow undertones and pink heads, two Garchomp - shark-like and with arms ending in two sharp claws, a huge Tyrantrum - saurian and rugged in form and one other they did not recognize, one bearing more the look of a giant turtle than a dragon, with a shell covered in four massive spikes, and a face with a strangely shaped snou, like a tube. The top of its head was protected by a small shell that seemed to be worn like a hat or a helmet -everything about this turtle-like Pokémon screamed 'Defense', but they suspected it had more than a few tricks.

At the center stood one who they had expected. As described by Jora, she was a canid Pokémon, wolf-like just like the Lycanroc they fought before, but this one stood on her hind legs, with a coat the colour of crimson that seemed as dark as blood in the dimming light as the day reached its end. Her eyes glowed like two red lights in the shade, contorted into a glare as she stood before the six dragons that had accompanied her.

"So, that must be Asya," said Neilla, narrowing her eyes.

"I sense great strength from her," Azrael remarked. "Be on your guard. She may be even more dangerous than she appears."

As if she didn't _already_look dangerous.

"...So the ringleader finally shows her face." Minato said mockingly, flexing his paw as his blade came forth once more. "You sure took your time, I must say, I almost feel insulted that you waited this long before taking matters into your own claws..."

Asya scoffed. "I had thought this meager defense would fall quickly, but clearly I underestimated you," she said, mildly humbled as she admitted her shortcoming. "A mistake I shall not make twice." She raised her claw, and the six dragons unleashed a flurry of Dragon Pulses and Breaths at them.

Ernoul leapt forward, his eyes glowing once more, and the blasts were stopped in their tracks by an unseen barrier, or by making contact with his body, his Fairy-typing rendering him immune even to the mighty power of a Dragon. Asya scoffed, and drove her paw into the ground, a blunt stone spike erupting beneath Ernoul only a second after she moved, and sending him hurtling back where he landed on Val jumping to catch him. The Ninetales was struggling to regain his breath, mouth open but not taking in any air.

With a thump to his chest by Val, his airway was cleared, and he took in a sharp, weak gasp as if he were breathing through a filter while the others watched, stunned.

"I've never seen anyone use Stone Edge like that," Neilla remarked to Luke, her tone betraying a hint of worry. "Most Rock-type moves can't be used so precisely."

"Just like Jora said," Luke muttered back, already stancing himself with his weapon still in hand. "Those Dragon Types behind her certainly don't help much either... we'll have to seperate them and take them down swiftly."

"Be wary of that red and yellow one," Aerendyl warned. "That is a Turtonator - a Fire/Dragon-type. They are slow, but that shell of theirs is not only a strong defense, it's also a trap - make contact with it, and the spikes explode. Fight it at a distance."

"Noted." Luke returned, looking to Doug and Hank, both of whom nodded back in understanding of what they needed to do.

"First we must deal with her," said Azrael.

Noticing a flicker of movement on the rooftops, Neilla grinned, and slowly moved her paws together. "Volcan already saw to that," she said.

As Asya made a move to order the dragons to attack again, she was suddenly frozen in place, her eyes widening as she was rendered suddenly immobile. "What?!" She demanded, and then was thrown into the air by an unseen force, flailing her limbs but never once crying out, not even in surprise. She let out a grunt of pain as a figure fell on her from above, and sent her crashing into the roof of a house.

Her six followers, so caught off guard by their leader's sudden removal, realized their mistake too late as bright lights from the group blinded them, and then a Mega Lucario, Mega Blaziken, and Mega Lopunny charged into them. Volcan arched towards the two Druddigon, Neilla engaging the two Garchomp, and Luke fired off a potent Dragon Pulse at the Turtonator to keep him at bay then charged for the Tyrantrum as it charged toward him, jaws wide in a mighty Crunch attack that would never find its mark...

Asya, after getting over the initial shock of the surprise attack that had carried her away from her forces and onto the rooftops, sprang to her feet to find herself faced by a Greninja and a Delphox, both with weapons in hand as they approached her. The Delphox had their branch wand, oddly club-like in its appearance, aimed at her with a flame hovering over the tip, and the Greninja held a single-edged sword at their side in a reverse grip, feet spread apart in a battle-ready posture.

"If I were you, 'sister', I'd stay down," the Delphox said warningly.

"A good thing then you're not me," she stated, jumping back from them to send herself over the side and down into the alley.

"Hmph, coward." Hageshi muttered, quickly running after the fleeing Lycanroc, using the shadows to his advantage as he disappeared into them via Shadow Sneak and gave chase unto his target.

Yet it turned out she was not running, for as Lashanne came down from the roof, she barely managed to catch herself with levitation before she landed upon stone spikes on the alley floor, her eyes wide at how close she had come to perforated feet.

"Yikes!" She exclaimed.

Asya ceased her running as she knocked down an ice wall to enter a slightly wider back street, waiting for her pursuers to follow. The second she turned to face the direction she came, Hageshi suddenly shot up with a rising slash with his blade from the shadow in front of her that forced her to leap back again, then quickly spun in the air and conjured some Ice Shuriken in his hand before hurling them toward the Lycanroc, each star aimed at crucial weakpoints along her body, such as her neck and under her arms.

She dodged the shuriken barrage, catching the last one between her fingers, all without ever taking her eyes off the Greninja even as she threw his own Shuriken back at him with startling skill. He ducked, and it shattered upon the wall behind him, leaving only a fragment imbedded in the stone house. Hageshi then wove a sign with his hands before expelling an Ice Beam from his mouth directly at the Lycanroc, though when she dodged, he kept the attack going and swept the attack in a wide arc, aiming the beam down at the ground just below her feet as she dodged.

She drove her paw into the ground, and Hageshi stopped his attack as he knew what was coming; he had seen the attack that had knocked down Ernoul, and dodged aside as the Stone Edge came up where he had been standing, nearly taking him in the side.

"You are aware that Ice is often bested by Rock, are you not?" She asked. "I had thought your friends had chosen you for your Water-typing."

Hageshi said nothing on the matter, until the Lycanroc suddenly felt a cold chill run along her fur that seemingly came out of nowhere. "...Even a type normally weak to another can be mighty...depending on how it's used." The Greninja muttered stoically, before his eyes widened and began showing visible strain.

Asya was then suddenly encased in a solid block of ice that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, trapping all but her head inside the ice block and rendering her immobile. "With that said, like yourself, I am able to adapt my strategies 'on the fly' as it were." He said as he suddenly puffed his cheeks out and shot out a steaming hot stream of water right to her exposed face.

She grit her teeth as the water showered her, an audible scream emitting from her as she was seared by the scalding water that simultaneously melted the ice around her, throwing her onto her back as soon as enough of her was freed, where she lay unmoving.

Lashanne appeared a moment later, spotting the downed Asya and letting out a whistle. "Guess you didn't need my help after all," she said, resting a paw on her hip.

Of course Hageshi had a planned retort, but the words died in his throat as suddenly Asya's body turned brown, melting away into a pile of mud. A Substitute!

He spun around as he heard a growl, and was met by a Slash across his face, nearly taking his eyes as it cut across him. Lashanne spun in her direction, aiming with her wand for a Psybeam, only for Asya to dodge the beam and then jab a knuckle of her paw into Lashanne's throat, sending the Delphox falling onto her back, clutching her neck as she gasped for air.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy, boy?"she said scornfully as she kicked Hageshi across the street. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

The Greninja slid along the ground for a time before he rolled back to his feet, wiping the blood off of his face and shooting a murderous glare in the Lycanroc's direction. "Perhaps....but I learn quickly..." He growled, the grip on his blade tightening as he focused intensely on the Lycanroc, a faint glow coming from his iris.

Asya's head suddenly felt as if it were exploding with white-hot pain; she threw up her claws and grabbed her head, recoiling from the attack. Hageshi capitalized on the opportunity, charging as fast as he could and preparing a Night Slash with his blade as he got close. When he was within range however, he suddenly shattered into hundreds of sharp Ice Shards via his Ice Substitution, all of which the Greninja, now appearing above her, manipulated with his Extrasensory to dig into her body and stun her long enough for him to deal the final blow, shooting down at her with his blade ready for the Night Slash he prepared earlier.

She took the ice shards with gritted teeth, and made no move to dodge his Night Slash. It was only the instant before his blade made contact that he realized his mistake. She caught his sword between her paws, and then struck out with a Counter, his sword flying upward before she slammed the heel of her paw into his chest. His entire body seemed to deflate of air even before he hit the wall behind him, and fell immediately into blackness.

Lashanne was back on her feet by now, struggling and coughing as she tried to breath, managing to fire a Psybeam at the battered Asya, who recoiled from the hit at her flank. She might well have stayed to finish off the Delphox, but she was far enough away that now Lashanne held the advantage, and she was calling for aid. With no other choice, Asya turned and ducked into the alley.

"Guys! Asya took... took out Hageshi!" Lashanne called in a raspy voice, pausing to cough as she continued. "She's...! Getting away!"

Before anyone could respond to the call, up went a howl from somewhere in the city, loud enough that it carried across the entire expanse of Hadleigh, including to the Oppression. From the deck of the ship, the dragons who remained aboard fired a final volley of Draco Meteors, scattering their shots across the city.

One of the two Garchomp Neilla was fighting, all three of them battered and blooded from their fight, looked up in horror. "What are they doing?! We're still here!" He cried out in horror, before he shot forward and ran past Neilla, trying to get out of range of the volley.

"Everyone, take cover!" Volcan called.

Luke's team quickly darted to the nearest structure to use for cover just as the Draco Meteors were on top of them. Minato had fired a few Aura Spheres up at a few of them before he grabbed Serena and ran for cover himself, holding the Vaporeon against him and using his body as a shield to protect her.

"Whoa whoa SHIT!!" Eagle Eye Squawked frantically as he swerved in and out, avoiding the meteors that came crashing down on the teams as they all tried to escape the hailstorm of falling rocks. Lighris swept over him and snatched the Talonflame in his talons, carrying him above the arc of the rocks despite a string of protests from him, with Sarth following close behind.

The bombardment struck close this time, showering many of them with debris. One of the Dragons who was unable to get out of the path took one of the meteors head on, falling to the ground in a heap near Tristan. This time, the volley did not seem to stop, a second howl going up, the falling meteors hitting more of Asya's allies than her enemies, still lying strewn about in the streets.

Luke could hardly believe it - that Asya was so callously abandoning her own troops to such a fate just to escape! To see the auras going out as they suffered the meteor strikes left him feeling sick to his stomach, and he would have retched if the adrenaline was not pumping through his body, forcing him to stay perfectly still.

But then came a shrill call over the cacophony of explosions - not another howl from Asya, but more akin to a choir of singers. Luke's ears stood up as he heard the sound, a blue glow in the sky catching his eye as an enormous sphere of water floated over the city, slowly, into the path of the falling meteors. . When the explosions stopped, the others uncovered their ears and looked up towards the glow, mouths falling agape as they saw the meteors landing inside the sphere of water, fading from existence the longer they were inside.

Then, as the last of the meteors dissolved, another cry filled the air, and the sphere exploded, showering the city in water and putting out the fires that the meteors had started. The downpour was brief, but heavy, drenching several of the group as it hit.

"What... the _hell_was that?" Volcan asked.

"I heard that call," Neilla offered, her eyes looking about in wonderment. "That was Lady Cinnia's voice - I would know it anywhere."

"_She_did that?!" Sarth asked in shock.

"Holy_fuck_she's got one helluva voice!" Eagle Eye squawked after taking cover from the Draco meteors.

"She stopped the meteors all by herself," said Aerendyl, awestruck by the display of power he had just witnessed. "I had no idea she was capable of such a thing."

To Luke though, that was the least of his concerns. He looked around at all the bodies of their enemies littering the streets, checking and double checking their aura signals to be doubly sure they were all dead. Some had survived, but more than a few had perished to the impromptu meteor strike. As the gravity of this situation sank in, he then leaned against the building he was hiding against and held his paw over his mouth, feeling like he was going to vomit.

"...She just... Killed her own troops just trying to bring us down," he muttered in utter shock and disbelief. "What kind of maniac _does_that?!"

Volcan heard the distress in Luke's voice, turning toward him. Seeing him, he ran over to his lover's side, taking Luke in his arms comfortingly. "Luke... are you okay?"

Stupid question - of course he wasn't. Asya's callous tactics had crossed a threshold with the Lucario, and to know that there could be someone so cruel to their own followers was too much for the Lucario. His expression soon contorted into a mixture of intense anger and horror, his entire body starting to shudder heavily as he struggled to rein in his emotions; at least until the battle was over...

Alas, despite his efforts, he did start to shed a couple tears before quickly wiping his eyes and shaking his head furiously before he turned to acknowledge Volcan's presence.

"I-I'll be alright." He said in a shaky tone. "I just need a moment."

Volcan nodded to him, but the Blaziken knew the battle was still far from over. "Everyone get ready. There's still a trump card she has to play here," he stated.

"Trump card?" Val asked.

"Jora spoke of a creature in the hold in the ship - something large and powerful, resembling both a bird and a dragon," Volcan explained. "If I were a betting man - once she figures out that surprise bombardment didn't get us, she's going to unleash it."

"A bird and a dragon, eh?" Minato asked curiously, glancing to Volcan. "Sounds like the formidable-!" He trailed off mid sentence as his mind began to process that description, his brow furrowing slightly as he became lost in thought. His eyes then started to widen in a sort of horrified realization as he looked back to his team captain. "...Did that Jora lady mention what typing it was?"

"She didn't know; she didn't even know what Pokémon it was," replied Volcan, looking at Minato and noting his reaction. "...You suspect though, don't you?"

"I do... and if my suspicion is right..." he said as he looked ahead once again. "We're in for one hell of a struggle..."

"Wait," Serena piped up, her eyes widening. "I may know what it is! The night we attacked the fortress, after Mewtwo sent you and Luke away-!"

Hank and Eagle Eye, the only ones besides Serena and Tristan who had been at the battle, jolted as it dawned on them what Serena was getting at. "Awwww Hell no..." Hank moaned.

"I_think_we're hella screwed..." the Talonflame added in as well.

"What are you all going on about?!" Breenelle demanded sharply, losing her patience with how no one would say what they were thinking.

"Lugia," Serena answered. "The night of the attack, Lugia emerged from the ocean and protected us from Mewtwo."

The blood drained from Breenelle's face, suddenly wishing she had not asked.

"Serena, stay with Tristan. Everyone else, get to the river. We can't let Asya unleash it!" Volcan called, breaking into a sprint as he made a beeline through the street.

The others were in hot pursuit, though only two kept pace with his incredible speed - Luke and Val. They hurried to the riverbank district, as fast as their legs - or in Val's case, tails - could carry them with the others coming along behind them at a frantic pace.

The three were very nearly to the ship when they heard the blood-chilling roar from within. On the deck, they saw the dragons scattering as the cargo bay doors of the ship were opened, and a massive form began to rise out from the confines, floating as if carried by an otherworldly force. The rest of the group arrived as Volcan, Luke and Val stared up at the giant in terror, unable to move. Lighris, Eagle Eye and Sarth stood upon a rooftop as the others gathered below, but all eyes were only on the mighty creature.

Hank remembered well the being that had come to their aid that night. Indeed, it was Lugia rising from within the ship, but his appearance had changed drastically. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly red they had not had before, and his body -previously a glistening, silvery white, now replaced where once he had blue skin -his torso, the long spikes growing from around his eyes, and the spikes arranged along his back that stood on end as he took flight. The rest of his body was now a deep, dark purple.

With yet another roar, clouds gathered overhead, the wingbeats of the great guardian - corrupted by the curse of the Shadow Pokémon, summoned the beginnings of a storm.

"...Yep. It's _exactly_as I feared." Minato muttered, swallowing nervously as he watched the now corrupted Shadow Lugia conjure a storm overhead.

"No man, no way!" Hank exclaimed in protest. "They got him??"

Luke, Doug and Eagle Eye were too shocked and horrified for words to even make any comment, the Talonflame's beak hanging open and his wings drooping down his body. "We're dead..." He muttered in a suppressed panicked tone. "We're so very dead..."

Luke glanced down incredulously at Eagle Eye, surprised to even hear such a thing from the normally carefree and hyperactive bird in his team. Hearing those words seemed to bring Luke back to his senses as he frowned defiantly at the Shadow Lugia, daring to take a step forward.

"We're not dead yet," he stated firmly to his team and anyone else that was within earshot. "He may be a Shadow Pokémon, but like any Pokémon he still has limits!" He stated, his words slowly bringing his team's morale back. "We just have to push him to those limits!!"

"Luke's right - we've come too far to get scared away now!" Volcan added to the speech.

Hank started to smirk a little as he regained his composure. "Ya know, if Kats were here, he'd say something along the lines of 'well said, lad!'" He said as he flexed his claws. "What the hell? If I'm going down today, may as well go down kicking and screaming!"

"Yea, what he said!" Eagle Eye squawked, taking to the air again. "Let's give this fuckwit everything we got!!"

"This is going to take all of us," Ernoul stated.

"I don't know how much good I can do," Neilla piped up. "Even Mega Evolved, I hold no real edge on this guy."

"You'll do your part Neilla - of that, we all have faith," stated Azrael.

She cast a surprised glance his way. "Now when did you become so optimistic?"

"Perhaps working with these fighters from Azure is rubbing off on me," he remarked, shrugging and smiling.

Breenelle bumped her husand's side affectionately, and stood with him as they faced Lugia with the others. The great guardian descended toward the square, placing both feet under it as it touched down and let out another roar.

"Anybody have any tricks for this one?" Volcan asked.

"I might," offered Aerendyl. "But I will need to get on his back to do it." He looked up towards Sarth, who nodded in understanding. "Who here might be able to stun him long enough that we can detain him?"

"I think I can," offered Drogo. "If I blast him with a Thunder Wave, it should slow him down. After that, it's a matter of grounding him."

"Anybody else here know Ice Punch?" Val asked.

"I do," Neilla replied.

"And I have Thunderpunch," Volcan chimed in.

"Then it's up to us to wear him down," Ernoul added, glancing at Luke. "Until you can put your plan into action."

"What plan?" Aerendyl asked.

"Luke thinks he might be able to draw the Shadow corruption out of Lugia," Neilla answered. "He brought it up during our strategy meeting."

Minato cast a wary glance at Luke, understanding the danger better than anyone else in the group. The elder Lucario then approached Luke with a concerned look in his eyes. "...You're sure you're up to this?" He asked firmly.

Luke nodded immediately back to Minato, clenching his paws at his sides. "I've already committed to this plan since I brought it up... I can't back out now." He returned in an equally firm tone.

The elder Lucario nodded softly, reaching over and patting Luke's shoulder as he walked over next to Volcan, nodding to him as he covered both of his paws in ice.

"I can distract him while you guys get to work on stunning him!" Eagle Eye called down from above.

"Be careful - Lugia is known to have power over water as well," Aerendyl warned Eagle Eye.

"He may be a legendary, but he ain't got nuthin against a former Red Talon Ace!" Eagle Eye responded before he took off like a rocket toward Lugia, peppering him with ember attacks to get his attention away from those on the ground. "Yo! Over here dipshit!!" He squawked as he continued to circle around the shadow legendary.

What followed was not as the Talonflame had expected. Lugia followed Eagle Eye's path only briefly, but did not seem to consider him a great threat, as the Pokémon diverted its attention back to the group, the wind swirling around it as it opened its mouth wide, preparing to attack.

Volcan caught on quickly. "Scatter!" He called. "He's trying to take us all out at once!"

"We can't let that happen!" Luke responded, looking up to the other two fliers in the air. "Lighris, Sarth! Help Eagle Eye distract Lugia!"

Following Luke's command, Lighris and Sarth took to the skies as quickly as their wings could carry them, the former charging a Thunderbolt as he ascended and blasting Lugia just as the corrupted guardian began to unleash a mighty gale. Its aim was thrown off, giving the crew time to move out of the way; the powerful gale carried into the nearest row of buildings, utterly demolishing them. Timbers scattered, forcing everyone to take evasive action to avoid the showering debris.

"Sarth! Pick me up!" Aerendyl shouted up to the Flygon when he had a chance.

Hearing his comrade's call, Sarth flew down low to the ground, making a straight path toward the Espeon. He snatched Aerendyl as he flew over, carrying him into the air with him and making a wide pass toward Lugia from the flank as Lighris and Eagle Eye continued their assault, with the others in the group throwing attacks from afar where they could, not daring to get close to Lugia.

Neilla seemed to catch on to Aerendyl's plan then. "Aerendyl is going to use Ally Switch!" She informed the others, though directed mostly to Drogo as she knew he was the Espeon's intended target for it. "Soon as he does, you make sure you hit big boy with everything you got!"

"I will!" Drogo promised.

The Lugia let out a low growl as Lighris flew in close, rearing back and scratching at Lugia with his talons while beating his wings in its face. Angrily, it swung at Lighris with one of its wings, bowling him aside easily. Sarth made his first approach toward Lugia then, but passed right under it as it suddenly took to the air, flying back over the river.

"He's trying to limit our mobility; we can't approach him!" Volcan called out.

"Sarth, hurry!" Neilla shouted.

Lugia started to charge a second Aeroblast. Neilla leapt in front of the group then, her body flashing with Mirror Coat as she readied herself; the attack came, seemingly drawn toward her the power took effect. Neilla reeled as Aeroblast was absorbed into her, and then flew backward when it rebounded, erupting a second time from her body, blasting Lugia with its own gale-force power.

Neilla started to collapse, but Volcan caught her before she hit the ground, passing her on to Val who carried her away as he looked up and saw Sarth closing in. Lugia was already reorienting itself after taking its own attack, shaking its head and glaring back at the group. It had no idea Sarth was behind it until it was too late.

Approaching Lugia from behind, he dropped the Espeon onto Lugia's back. The creature noticed instantly the additional weight on its back and looked over its shoulder at its stowaway. Aerendyl held on for dear life as Lugia arched and thrashed, even when it fell into a dive and flew around, hooking his forepaws around one its spikes for support as he focused, getting his eyes on Drogo at his first opportunity.

Suddenly Drogo was gone, Aerendyl now standing where he had been, and vice versa. The Raichu was nearly hurled off Lugia as the legendary Pokémon continued to thrash - it wasn't aware of the change in passenger, only that there was still someone on its back.

"This is where I atone for my screwups!" Drogo said with determination as his cheeks sparked. "All or nothing, baby!"

The plan had been to use Thunder Wave to paralyze Lugia. But Drogo saw a better opportunity, and summoned all of the electrical power he could muster. The night sky boomed, clouds seemingly coming from nowhere as a might bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and struck Lugia directly, drawn to the Raichu as if he were a lightning rod. Lugia threw back its head and screamed in agony as the Thunder attack struck, coursing through its body and causing its muscles to spasm before becoming rigid.

Lugia began to fall, and Drogo held on for dear life as the giant dropped like a boulder. He looked up as he saw Lighris coming his way, the Zapdos raking his talons forward and snatching Drogo from Lugia's back just before it struck the ground with a thunderous impact.

"Hey thanks, I owe you one!" Drogo called up to Lighris.

"Don't mention it!" Lighris called back.

"He's grounded! Come on!" Minato urged them.

Volcan, Luke, Val, and a recovered Neilla sprang into action, running toward the fallen guardian as the others followed, splitting up to surround it as Lugia started to stand up again. It was shaky, but the legendary guardian of the sea was nothing if not sturdy; it turned on its attackers, letting out another roar as it fired a Hyper Beam from its mouth, forcing those in its path to scatter.

"Don't let it fly again!" Volcan called, running at Lugia from the side and springing at it, delivering a Thunderpunch to the pit of its wing, causing the limb to spasm as it took the jolt.

To the side, Luke and Neilla leapt at the other wing in unison, both of them charging an Ice Punch and striking Lugia's wing directly. The biting cold of their combined attack caused Lugia to turn on them, lunging at them with its mouth agape to bite; Sarth tackled it from behind before it could snap either of them, its jaws slamming shut mere inches from Luke's leg. From the other side, Ernoul conjured a Blizzard, casting it over Lugia's entire body as Sarth got clear, pelting it with ice and snow.

When the Blizzard subsided, Volcan leapt at Lugia again as he came around for another pass. This time though, the corrupted Guardian was faster, and caught the Blaziken in the midst of his leap with Psychic, freezing him in midair before blasting him with telekinetic force. Aerendyl, seeing the Blaziken's plight, spun around and reached out with his own Psychic to catch him before the Blaziken's stunned form fell into the river.

Luke felt a rage rising in him when he saw his lover thrown aside, but he held it back, along with the urge to rush at the guardian with abandon. Such a move was foolish though, and he managed to keep his head level as he avoided Lugia's swiping wing.

"Get blinded, ya fucknugget!!!" Hank suddenly called out; for the past moment, he had gathered energy for the most powerful Night Daze he could muster, and hurled it directly at Lugia as it turned his way.

Lugia took the hit, recoiling from the powerful Dark-type attack, but still it would not fall. It prepared to retaliate with an Aeroblast at Hank, but Doug appeared as it lowered its head, his three heads shooting out of the ground as if he were propelled by a geyser. Once again Lugia recoiled, head thrown back and head spinning from the unexpected attack from below.

"Sucker Punch, bitch!!"

"Hey, that's _my_line! Get yer own!" Hank retorted to his friend, but he was grinning at Doug's well-timed attack.

Lugia was hurt; it was slowing down, and in that sluggish pace, the group piled on their attacks. Azrael with Night Slash, Breenelle with Dark Pulse followed by her brother's Psybeam, and Drogo and Lighris - now rejoining the fight, struck Lugia with one Thunderbolt after another, wearing it down.

Their chance finally arrived, though, when as Lugia started to stumble, Sarth made the final move; Rock Tomb, conjuring boulders into being from high above and bringing them down on Lugia. The first took it in the back, knocking Lugia onto its belly, and the rest landed on its wings and tail; miraculously no bones broke in the impact, but the weight of the boulders pinned Lugia down. It roared in anguish, already trying to lift itself free.

"Luke, go!" Neilla called to the Lucario, seeing their chance chance. "Hurry!"

"Here goes nothing...!" The Lucario muttered, running up to Lugia as the others leapt onto it, throwing their weight upon the giant to pin it down as it thrashed.

Lugia saw him approaching, heading toward its face. It snapped its neck forward, jaws slamming in his face as he narrowly managed to halt just out of its reach. He tried to approach again, but it snapped its head toward him once again, this time nearly catching his arm in its beak-like mouth.

"Come on!" Luke shouted at it in frustration.

Every second he lost trying to get close, Lugia was that much closer to freeing itself; the boulders pinning down its wings and tail tumbled away as it managed to lift each limb one after the other, the pile of Pokemon on its body fighting to keep the limbs down with all of their might. Lugia even resorted to swinging its head at Luke as he tried to approach again, nearly knocking him over.

"_Belly flop!"_A bellowing voice Luke recognized well roared before a massive, battered form fell upon Lugia's neck.

The guardian let out a gag as its throat was pressed into the pavement, but the battered Tristan had been careful not to let his full weight land upon it, catching himself on his hands and feet before wrapping Lugia's neck in a bearhug and using his weight instead to hold it down, keeping it from snapping at Luke again.

"Whatever yer doin', Luke, it's now or never!" Tristan shouted in a strained voice.

Reacting quickly, Luke threw himself at Lugia again, placing his paws on its face and reaching into its body with his aura, melding his own to it as he put his plan into action. Almost immediately, he felt the Shadow energy coming after him; his body tensed as he felt it attempting to force its way into him, trying to melt its corrupted aura to his own.

"Damnit, come on!" He growled, struggling to maintain his focus as he shut his eyes. 'Can you hear me?' He called into the darkness within. 'Lugia! If you can hear my voice, give me a sign! Try to reach out and follow my voice!'

Lugia began to thrash harder about as it sensed the invasion, nearly breaking Luke's concentration, but the others were holding on, fighting with all their might to keep Lugia down until Luke could do his work. Even Volcan had returned to the scene, grappling with Lugia's leg as it tried to put its foot down to stand, the other being held by Val and Drogo, and its tail by Sarth, who was struggling not to be ripped off his feet whenever it thrashed.

Finally, Luke heard it. In his mind's eye, he was in an abyss, but he could hear that voice in his mind, struggling with each word the voice spoke. '...Who is it? Who calls to me?'

Luke felt his heart soar as he realized he had been right. Lugia's Aura was still burning - it had not been destroyed yet!

'I do!' Luke replied immediately. 'I'm trying to extract the Shadow Energy out of you, but I need your help to do so! Reach out to me and try to link your aura to mine!' He added.

'_I... I cannot see you... I am too weak. I have used all of my strength to prevent this darkness from overtaking me..."_Lugia returned, and indeed even its mental voice sounded fatigued.

'You need to keep pushing, Lugia!' Luke pleaded with the legendary. 'Try to follow my voice! Don't give up!!'

On the outside, Luke's red aura flame had appeared, engulfing his entire body, but it was becoming darker with every passing second as the corruption continued to seep into his body, threatening to claim him as well. The only thing preventing Luke from being completely taken was his immense mental fortitude, but even that wouldn't last much longer against the pull of the Shadow Energy.

Neilla could see Luke's fur colour change even as she fought to keep one of Lugia's wings held down, and looked to Minato who was right next to her. "I don't think if it's working!" She said. "He's starting to turn dark!"

Minato cast a glance toward Luke, noticing he change for himself and scowling with a mix of concern and the effort of his current task. His first instinct was to release Lugia and try to help Luke in quelling the darkness within, but the risk of Lugia being able to free itself was too great. He grimaced, clenching his eyes shut for a moment before looking back to Neilla.

"We need to keep this guy pinned down. If any of us let go, Lugia will break free, and Luke's connection will be severed!" He replied to the Lopunny. "All we can do now is have faith that he won't turn!"

"That doesn't give me much confidence!" Neilla said through clenched teeth as Lugia tried to lift itself up again.

Deep within his consciousness, Luke could see a wall of utter darkness sitting between himself and Lugia. He could hear the voice of the great guardian speaking back to him from behind the veil, and could make out a small flicker of light amidst the dark that he knew to be the guardian's aura, holding back the evil that tried to snuff it out completely.

'I see you!' Luke called out to the light within the dark veil. 'Try to reach out through the darkness! It's the only way I can free you!'

'_I am trying... the darkness is so thick...'_Lugia replied, the aura flickering brightly with his words.

'You're stronger than the darkness! Don't let it make you think otherwise!'_Luke urged, though his voice was also starting to sound weaker as he had struggled to hold onto his sanity the entire time he tried to make contact with Lugia. '_R-Reach out...! Please! I can't... hold out... much longer!"

'Free yourself... do not risk this evil for my sake. Destroy me if you must - I will take this evil with me to the abyss.'

'I am not_giving you up to the darkness, Lugia!'_ The Lucario retorted. 'You deserve life just as much as the next Pokémon, and I'll be damned if I let this energy take that right from you!' He retorted, finding his second wind and forcing his conscious closer toward the dark prison surrounding Lugia's essence. 'Now REACH, Damnit!!"

As if spurred on by Luke's determination, he saw the flicker of aura ahead of him take form, expanding and shaping itself into the likeness of Lugia. With a great flap of its wings it tried to approach Luke, but then the darkness behind it seemed to come alive, tendrils of shadow reaching out and winding themselves around Lugia's body, pulling it back toward itself.

'_It has found its way through my defenses! It is consuming me!'_He called, the phantasm of Lugia struggling against the bonds.

'I won't let that happen! Keep pushing!!" Luke growled as he continued to press forward, struggling desperately to reach Lugia's wing. By now, Luke's fur was almost completely black, and parts of his body were starting to morph and become more twisted and sinister looking from all of the exposure to the Shadow Energy. His will was fading quickly, and he could feel his sentience slipping away from him, yet he still fought on, desperately pushing against the corruption as best he could.

The tendrils of darkness writhed and reached out for him as well. Not to keep him away from Lugia, but to draw him into their malice as well as the guardian continued to fight against it, ever weakening under their seemingly inescapable grasp as they reached out to Luke with their wing.

Using the last of his willpower, Luke finally pushed forward just enough and managed to grasp onto Lugia's wing as firmly as he could. 'Got you!' He growled.

On the outside, Luke's eyes shot open once he felt his aura connect with Lugia's, the red glow his eyes had now completely gone, and with a defiant roar, he started pulling the corruption out of Lugia's body. Slowly, inch by inch, Luke took a step away from Lugia, dragging the writhing black tendrils with him as he continued to pull them away from Lugia's body.

"Let... him... GOOOO!!!" Luke roared out once more, the black aura engulfing him suddenly brightning to a burning red, and what seemed like a second blue aura forming over that, two layers of colour between him and the open air, the sheer power exuding from his body creating an omnidirectional wind around him as the black mass continued to be pulled from Lugia's body, coming out through its eyes and open mouth like black water drawn into the growing mass between Luke's paws.

Luke waved his paws before him as he created an Aura prison around the blackness, drawing it in and containing it into the sphere, taking with it the shadow corruption that had managed to enter his own body and causing his fur to revert to its original colour, his teeth bared in defiance as it fought to free itself from his containment.

The stream of blackness leaving Lugia's body ended; immediately its struggles ended as the colours of its flesh began to fade back to their original silvery white and blue almost immediately. But Luke had no time to notice this, bringing the last of the corrupted aura into the sphere, and with a roar of pain and anguish he threw it into the sky with all of his might. The sphere flew up nearly the distance of a kilometer before, like a firework, it exploded into a cloud of black and blue, a dull, almost electric hum filling the air as the shadow aura dissipated into nothingness.

Then, all became silent, save for Luke's ragged gasps as he fought to catch his breath and the surging auras around him faded. He stared up at the aftermath of his work for a moment before letting his gaze fall upon Lugia. It lay still, eyes closed and body unmoving, but he could still sense life within it. Lugia was alive, and free of the darkness...

He had done it, he thought. He had-

All of a sudden, Luke felt the world spinning as though he were its axis, blackness creeping over his vision. He felt a strong pair of arms catching him, briefly seeing the face of his beloved, before he too was claimed by exhaustion. Yet, even as he faded from consciousness, he still wore a triumphant smile on his face.

Volcan slowly lowered Luke to the ground, making sure he was lying comfortably before he looked at Minato and Neilla. "Watch him," he said, rising back to his feet. "There's one last thing to do still..." He put a finger to his ear. "Lashanne, are you nearby?"

"Right here," a voice called behind him. He turned, and found the Delphox, with the battered Hageshi hanging off her shoulder looking indignant as they made her way over to them slowly. "Looks like I missed all the action, didn't I?"

"You're just in time for the finale," said Volcan, turning toward the river with an intense glare fixated upon the Oppression. The ship's engines had started up again, the crew taking to the bridge and putting it into full reverse, drifting away from the city. But Volcan wasn't about to let that happen. "It's time to get rid of that ship for good."

"I couldn't agree more..." Minato replied as he looked on toward the Oppression as well.

"Mind if I do a few sweeps?" Eagle Eye piped up, flapping his wings eagerly at the thought. "Ya know, soften it up before the final blow is dealt?"

"If it'll chase the last of those dragons off, go for it," agreed Volcan. "Lashanne, do you have anymore of those red power Emeras? My mega evolution is going to expire any second now."

"I do, on the airship," replied Lashanne, slowly lowering Hageshi onto the ground, laying him next to Luke. "I'll call it over."

Volcan nodded, looking at Hank, Drogo, Lighris and Sarth. "I'll need you guys too," he said.

"Dude, how could I say no to demolishing that hunk o' metal and wood?" Hank asked with a toothy grin. "What're we waitin for? Let's go already!!"

Within moments of her call - in the form of a flare she had thrown into the sky from her wand, Toby brought the airship over to the riverbank district. Gathered upon her deck, Volcan, Drogo, Hank and Lashanne, with Sarth and Lighris standing on the rails ready to take flight, stared down at the ship in anticipation of what they were about to do. The ship was moving slowly, the river too narrow for it to turn around and forcing it to rely on its reverse engines, which could only carry it so far. A sitting duck if ever there was one.

"This is going to take all of us," said Volcan. "Probably everything we got... but that ship has caused enough terror; it is not leaving here."

"I agree," returned Lashanne as she brought forth a crate. "And just to make doubly sure..." she said as she kicked the lid open and floated out three bracelet-like items, flying one over to Volcan, then to Hank and the last one to Drogo.

"What's this?" Drogo asked, holding the item curiously between his paws.

"A looplet," replied Lashanne as she floated the next items out of the crate; a cluster of red crystals, all of matching size and shape "And these are power boosters. Insert them into the slots, then hold your paws over them to summon their power." She demonstrated by inserting one of the four stones she brought forth into the looplet already worn about her wrist. "This should give us all the firepower we need to destroy that ship."

"Hey, if it helps blast that ship to oblivion, I ain't gonna say no to a power boost." Hank stated as he slipped his looplet on his left claw, then took an Emera for himself and inserted it into the first slot. "How long do these things last?"

"A few minutes - same time as a Mega Stone, more or less, but they shatter once they're done so make it count," replied Lashanne.

"Aww, that blows." Hank muttered, shrugging helplessly and looking down to the fleeing ship.

He then noticed Eagle Eye dive down and skim above the water's surface, keeping low so that he could avoid any retaliatory attack with relative ease.

"I'm in position!" The Talonflame squawked as he closed in on the Oppression. "Just say the word, Chicken Legs and I'll blast those fucks to hell!"

"Let 'em have it!" Volcan told him. "And make sure those guys know that if they aren't off that ship in the next thirty seconds, they're _toast;_it is _not_making it back to open sea!"

"Hell to the YES!!" Eagle Eye squawked, then cut his feet as he zoomed toward the Oppression.

As Eagle Eye made his pass, he showered the decks with Embers, sending the dragon bombardiers and other crew scattering to avoid the shower of fire, or screaming for cover when he unleashed a Fire Blast at the wheelhouse, pulling up just in time to avoid hitting the window and beginning to make another pass.

He made one more pass going the opposite direction, this time launching two more Fire Blasts down at the ship and causing explosions large enough to toss several of the crew overboard and into the icy waters below. The ship was now burning, and any point defenses it carried were now burned into ashes, leaving it vulnerable for the final strike they realized was coming as the dragons looked up and saw the airship pulling up broadside beside it.

"Abandon ship!" One cried. The crew began their escape, an alarm going up to tell the crew below decks to do the same.

"Start at the front of the ship - leave the deck accesses alone," Volcan told them. "Let's give these guys ample time to get clear; more than they deserve but we're not killers."

"Alright, alright;" Hank said, waving his claws dismissively before looking at the Emera on his looplet. "Here goes." He said as he held his claw over the looplet, and tapped the two gems housed in the slots, not knowing what to expect.

The surge that coursed through his body was strange at first; he had been hit by Electric-type attacks before, and this sensation felt similar, but it seemed directed, flowing like the blood in his veins through his body, and causing his energy to spike. The Zoroark felt as if he had become three times stronger than he had ever been in his whole life, all in the span of a second. He didn't know why, but he was laughing hysterically, flexing his arms as if he expected his muscles to be growing, but the energy he achieved was purely internal and his anatomy was unaffected.

Nevertheless, he liked what he felt, as did the others, each of them activating their Power Booster emeras at the same time as Hank. Lashanne was already used to feeling the power surge, and to Volcan the feeling wasn't so different from Mega Evolution, but Drogo was as giddy as Hank, feeling the power building. At that moment he felt like he could have fought Lugia by himself, and wore a grin that could have been madness or glee.

"Let 'em have it!" Drogo bellowed as lightning crackled across his body.

Volcan, Hank and Lashanne unleashed a fiery hell upon the deck and starboard hull of the ship, the metal becoming red-hot within seconds of the raging inferno sprayed across it. Drogo, joined by Lighris, threw one Thunder after another at the deck, punching holes into the hull and causing the inner workings of the vessel to malfunction.

The crew made every effort to escape, throwing themselves over the port side of the ship, opposite the blaze that was burning away the deck and melting the hull. Sarth added to the attack by cutting across the hull with a Hyper Beam, tearing a gouge into the metal frame. Soon the ship became lop-sided as water began to find its way inside, shifting its weight as the inner decks filled.

They kept up their assault until the entire vessel was nothing more than a burning husk of molten metal and chunks of wood, the water frothing from both the heat and air escaping from the deserted lower decks, its crew watching helplessly from the opposite shore. By the time the fire and lightning and energy blasts stop, half of the ship had sunk into the river, with the rest of it following quickly.

Eagle Eye soon rejoined the group, joining them as the watched the vessel sink beneath the river's surface, never to rise again "Welp, looks like the fish down below will have a new home to move into, amirite?" He asked with a smug grin.

"Minato and I already made that remark," Volcan informed with humour that was obviously forced. Though he was pleased to see the Oppression be destroyed, he still felt like it was not enough - not to right all the wrongs it had been involved in.

Hank noticed Volcan's expression and gently lifted a claw to clap his shoulder gently. "You gonna be alright, buddy?" He asked. "Finally got a sense of peace now that the hunk of junk's where it belongs?"

"This is only the start of it," replied Volcan. "The _Oppression_is gone, and the seas are safer for it. But its master and recent captain are still out there somewhere."

"We'll get em." Hank assured the Blaziken, patting his shoulder reassuring. "If anything, today we've shown those fucks we mean business now."

Volcan nodded in agreement to Hank, allowing himself a small smile. "Yeah... you're right," he said, staring down at the sinking wreck again for another moment before he turned to look up at the helm. "Take us back to Hadleigh, Toby. It's been a _long_day..."

"Turnin' about!" Toby called, spinning the wheel leftwards.

Slowly the ship turned around, reverting its course eastwards once more, and heading back towards Hadleigh in the distance, joined quickly by the three fliers, and all looking forward to a good long rest...