FSE

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Sol glanced up as the guards made their rounds, passing his cell as they did every hour or so while he sat chained to the wall in the tiny, dark chamber. For months, he had been confined to this room, shackled to the wall by the cursed chains that bound him, collared and with his arms equally bound, unable to reach for the one around his neck. The chains were too thick for him to break by might alone, and the enchantment upon them sapped the power from his body, leaving nothing with which to free himself...

He had been in this cell for so long, the darkness had become familiar to him. Once each day, he was let out into the yard, still bound and escorted by at least two guards, allowing him his daily exercise and to see the sun again, but it was a short time. Too short for him to think of much else but the confines of the cell, with only his own mind to keep him occupied, and the only company the guards he watched pass and met the glares of whenever one decided to be imposing, only to crumble away from a single glare from Sol. Of course, there was also the other voice within him... but they did not always get along.

When the next 'brave' guardsman tried and failed to look tough in front of the Typhlosion, Sol waited until he left and then sigh heavily and close his eyes, an image of his older brother flooding the darkness. The Zangoose constantly offering him a claw to pull him out of the darkness...but Sol never accepted it, instead opening his eyes and scowling angrily.

'After the shit I pulled...you know I can't come back, Luna.' He thought to himself, feeling a slight bit of guilt instead of anger for a few moments before he shut the image out of his mind and opted to take a nap to clear his thoughts.

Sol didn't know how long he slept, but he soon found himself awakening to a noise in the hallway. Sol lazily opened his eyes, listening, and then heard it again -the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor. Then, seconds later, he had the feeling something was watching him, and there was a chill in the air he could not explain. He raised his head and felt his heart thump harder just once when two beads of red peered back at him through the bars of his cell door, peering out at him from what appeared to be a hood.

He stared on in silence at the hooded figure for a time, then after calming his heart down he snorted a bit and spoke up. "...The fuck you want?" He growled. "If you're trying to scare me, you'll have to do WAY better than the old hood trick..."

As if in answer to his challenge, the figure drew close. More accurately, the entered his cell, passing through the door as if it were only an illusion, and as they neared him, he saw more of the figure. An avianic Pokémon, eyes still shining in the darkness, but the hood-like growth encompassing his head still hid his face. His wings were curled about him like a cloak, and the formidable looking talons on his feet didn't make a sound as he walked. Sol didn't know of any Pokémon besides Ghost-types that could actually walk through walls, momentarily caught off guard by the display as the creature did not appear spectral in any way.

"...Okay?" Sol uttered, narrowing his eyes slightly after watching the unfamiliar Pokémon come to stand in front of him. "Look, if you got something to fucking say, then spit it out already." He growled, getting increasingly annoyed at the silent treatment the stranger was giving him. "Clearly you ain't a guard. Lack of any uniform and the fact you took down a couple judgin' from the sounds I heard kinda gave _that_away." He deduced.

"Indeed I am not a guard," the stranger finally replied. "What I am, is a messenger to a very powerful being. Tell me, Typhlosion... do you wish for your freedom?"

"...Maybe." He replied. "Though I ain't dumb...you want something from me in exchange, don't you?" He would add smarmily. "Ain't that how it works with your kind? Eye for an eye?"

"The alternative is staying here in this dark cell for the rest of your existence. Which, if every guard lies dead before this night is out, I imagine will not be much longer," he returned plainly, making it clear that Sol's options were limited.

The Typhlosion let out a growl, not overly keen on spending the rest of his existence in the cell with absolutely no means of escape; he had spend too long bound in shackles as far as he was concerned. "Alright, fine." He relented. "Get me outta here."

The figured stepped forth, lifting one of his wings away and holding it out to his side, where a key, clenched between two feathers, appeared. He stepped forward, undoing the shackles that held Sol's arms and legs, but he left the chain collar on his neck. "This key does not unlock the collar," the owl explained. "If you must fight, you will have to do so without your powers.

"Psh, I ain't so much of a scrub I can't fight using my fists." Sol retorted.

He returned to the door, producing another key as he walked through it, and then the door unlocked from the outside, opening it and allowing Sol to step through. "This way," he bade, before turning and walking up the hallway.

Sol stepped out of the cell, taking a moment stretch his stiff limbs. He cracked his knuckles and pounded his fists together. "Alright...Time for a little exercise." He muttered, following the stranger, eager to get a bit of payback.

He found the bodies of two guards lying in the hallway, limp and motionless on the floor. The stranger stepped over them nonchalant, and at first Sol could see no visible wounds on the two, as if they had simply died where they stood and collapsed to the floor. He could not begin to imagine what could have caused such a swift and sudden end in someone, but it did leave him somewhat disappointed to not have anyone to crush when he first got out of his cell.

Suddenly the owl-like Pokémon stopped, turning to investigate another cell. "Wait here," he said, before he walked through another cell door.

Listening, Sol heard someone speak up in a startled tone, a gravelly voice sounding from within the cell. "Gah! Fuck, where did you come from?!"

"You are... Sandjaw, correct? I have heard of you," the owl said.

"So what if I am?"

"Tell me... do you wish to leave this place?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" The other asked before Sol heard chains rattling. "Of course I want out of this place! But if ya know me, birdy, you know where I come from, and I know that such offers ain't free, so what's in it for me?"

"A return to the feared status you once had, for starters," replied the owl.

There was a short silence to follow before the other voice spoke again. "Alright, you got my attention," he said. "Get me out of here, and we'll talk."

As with himself before, Sol heard shackles being undone inside the cell, and as before he opened the door, a Krookodile following him into the hallway. The crocodilian Pokémon was large and powerfully built, with a rugged scaled body riddled with the scars of many battles -clearly no stranger to violence. His large, glassy eyes, peered at Sol through the gloom, narrowing at the sight of him.

"Who's this guy?" He asked.

"Another potential accomplice," replied the owl, walking across the hall and disappearing into another cell. "Try not to kill each other out there."

The Krookodile once more turned to look at Sol, both standing in silence for a moment before he spoke. "So... what'd you get put away for?" He asked.

"Went berserk during some fuckwit Swampert's tournament." Sol bluntly replied.

"Huh," the Krookodile said with a nod.

"And I'm going to assume you're some kinda bandit from the ass end of nowhere." The Typhlosion remarked.

"Deserts of the West Continent," he replied. "Been in here for a few years now."

Sol scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "For what? Stealing sand from the dunes themselves?" He retorted.

"You're right about the 'stealing' part," Sandjaw returned, not taking the bait. "Let's just say a lot of merchant wagons didn't reach their intended destinations while I was around. What I couldn't eat or sell, I smashed."

Almost as if on cue, the door to the cell where the owl had vanished through suddenly bent outward following the sound of something hitting it, making both Sol and Sandjaw jump, and watch in stunned silence as a second blow sent the now deformed metal door careening off its hinge. A Slaking stepped out of the cell with a bored expression on his face, regarding the two with nary a hint of interest as he scratched his rounded gut, letting out a grunt and stepping aside to let the owl out.

"One more to go," the owl stated, crossing the hall to one final cell, and disappearing inside as before.

Sandjaw looked at the Slaking curiously, their gazes meeting for a moment before he spoke. "So... what'd they put _you_away for."

The Slaking grunted and answered in a deep voice. "Knocked down a buildin'," he said.

"Like, demolished a house or something?"

"Condominium," he replied. "Occupied. They owed me money. They didn't pay. Free burial." He let out a yawn and leaned against the wall. "Hmmph... where's that stupid rock?" He muttered.

"...Some landlord you turned out to be." Sol openly remarked, though he raised an eyebrow when the Slaking mentioned a rock. "What, can't leave home without your precious little trinket?"

"A Carbink," replied the Slaking. "Use 'im to keep myself goin'... guess they didn't pick 'im up." He grunted again. "What a pain..."

Suddenly, a mad cackling filled the hallway, drawing the attention of the three to the cell door the owl had passed through before. They watched as the avian stepped back out, unlocking the door, and narrowly avoided being hit with it as the being followed him out, the cackling reduced to an unrelenting chuckle as the figure stepped out, revealing a Hydreigon, who looked up and down the hallway until his eyes found Sol. Before the Typhlosion could react, suddenly the dragon was soaring at him, slamming fully into him with all its weight, the cackling returning as it fell upon him, the head-like claws at the end of its two arms going immediately for his throat.

Sol quickly brought his paws up and grabbed at the heads going for his neck by their necks, strangling them as he brought his feet under him and Double Kicked the Hydreigon off him before popping back up to his feet and snarling angrily at the dragon.

"Buddy, you just pissed off your worst fucking nightmare!" He announced before storming to the Hydreigon with his fists clenched at his sides.

Very suddenly, the owl appeared between them both, green blades of Grass-type energy extending from his outstretched wings and stopping just shy of the throats of both Sol and the Hydreigon. "Cease!" He hissed, looking briefly at Sol, and then at the Hydreigon. "Control yourself, else I put your carcass back in that cell."

The Hydreigon's laughing ceased, and slowly he pulled his head back from the blade, blinking as if waking from a dream, casting a curious glance at Sol as though seeing him for the first time, but saying nothing.

Sol growled, pointing at the Hydreigon with his finger. "You try anything like that again and I'll roast you on a spit over a volcano..." he warned the dragon before he shoved the blade away from his throat.

At that moment, there was an explosion, and the prison suddenly shook. The owl turned in the direction of the blast, and then back to the four prisoners he had freed. "Time to leave. My cohorts are freeing the last prisoner. It will keep the remaining guards occupied. We will exit via the main hallway."

"Wait, there are more cells below here?" Sandjaw asked.

"Only one," replied the owl as he stepped past them, taking the lead. "Follow me -the guards will have to pass this block to get below. Your freedom nears."

"Bout fucking time..." Sol grumbled, shoving his way past the Hydreigon and shooting him a dirty look as he followed the stranger leading the way.

Deep down, he could barely contain his excitement. Finally he would be allowed to run free and do whatever the hell he wanted...He could practically taste freedom already. Falling into line, the other three prisoners were quick to follow. The Slaking brought up the rear, moving the slowest of the four, still seeming disinterested with everything that was happening. The strange owl-like Pokémon led them further up the corridor, bringing them to a stop only when they reached the fork. Countless heavy footfalls were approaching, and then blurred shapes of Pokémon sped across their view, one of them shouting at the others who fell in to join them.

"Hurry, men! We can't let them free prisoner zero! He must not get away!"

Sandjaw tilted his head. "Who's prisoner zero?" He asked.

"You will find out soon," replied the owl. "Come."

He broke into a run, his wings trailing behind him as he strode around the corner, his talons still not making a sound as he moved. Sandjaw and the Hydreigon were quick to hurry after him, the dragon taking flight the moment he had enough space to do so, but the Slaking was still moving along slowly, seemingly not worried by the possibility of discovery.

"Might wanna pick up the pace! You're moving slower than a Slowpoke!" Sol would openly taunt as he ran, now starting to smirk as they moved closer to freedom from this wretched prison.

They reached the main door of the prison, Sandjaw pushing the door open for them, and they emerged into the yard. But it was not as deserted as they expected. Twelve guards armed with staves turned to face them as they emerged, immediately brandishing their weapons and shouting orders for them to stop where they were. The owl extended his blades and launched himself at the guards, slashing through the staff of the first guard in his path, before cutting their throat in the same fluid motion. The next one rushed at Sandjaw, who caught the staff in his powerful jaws and snapped it in two, before punching the guard upside the head. The dragon, previously watching in blank amazement, suddenly shifted mood again, the crazed latter returning as he soared at the next set of guards, bulldozing into them and proceeding to rip at them violently.

The next guard ran at Sol, who snorted and caught the guard's weapon one paw, then uppercut him HARD in the stomach, causing him to lurch forward and cough up some blood from the force of the impact before he fell limp and flopped to the ground. Another rushed the Typhlosion, and he dealt with him as quickly as he did the first, socking him along his jaw before grabbing both sides of his head and brutally headbutting the dazed guard, no doubt causing some severe cranial damage from the force of the attack.

The other guards quickly fell to the other prisoners, all except four who focused their attention on the Slaking making his way slowly across the yard. Whether they considered him a bigger threat or an easier target, Sol didn't know. All he saw was the four of them foolishly rushing him, each one beating him with their staff to no avail. Some of their staves broke over the Slaking, yet he still paid them no heed. They resorted to trying to grapple the slow-moving giant, but deciding he had had enough, he gave one swipe of his arm, sending the two guards holding it spiralling through the air. He grabbed the guard holding his left arm, and then threw them backhandedly across the yard, disappearing into the night as they flew over the wall -which was more than forty feet away. The last guard stood in stunned awe, and the Slaking put a finger to his forehead, flicking him and launching the guard onto his back, straight into unconsciousness.

"What a nuisance," the Slaking grumbled, continuing toward the gate. "Next time bring a cart... I don't like walking."

The phantasmic owl dispersed his blades and turned to the prisoners. "It is not much further. We merely need to get through the gate, and we are free."

The Slaking snorted. "Fine... one gate, coming down," he said as he stormed past, heading towards the prison gate.

The others followed, watching as the Slaking approached the steel-reinforced wooden gate of the prison, wondering if he could really break it. Sandjaw spoke up at that moment, seeming to have an idea. "You know, I could probably dig us out, and the dragon here can fly himself over. I just need a few-"

CRASH!

With a windup of his arms, the Slaking brought both fists down one the gate, wood splintering and steel bending under the blows. He did it again, and again, each time deforming the gate more until on the fifth blow, it exploded outward, the locks and barricades giving under the Slaking's enormous strength, not lessened at all by the siphon chain collar he wore and opening the way out for them.

"...Never mind," remarked Sandjaw sheepishly.

"Pff...Not impressed." Sol remarked. "I coulda done that almost as easily." He added as he stepped forward toward the now destroyed gate.

"With what, your head?" Sandjaw asked doubtfully as he followed Sol out of the prison.

"Into the trees over there," the owl directed, pointing them eastward. "I will delay pursuit. And do not try to run off - whether you know it or not, you are being watched."

He extended his blades again and turned back to face inside the prison as a few more guards were starting to come out after them. In a flurry of movement, the owl was upon them, flying into their ranks like a whirling buzz saw as he attacked.

The four of them wasted no time - aside from the Slaking, dragging his feet as usual as they headed into the nearby woods, taking cover in the shadows of the trees. Sol was the first to make it, running on all fours. Once they were far enough away from the prison, he reached up with his paws to grasp the chain collar around his neck, pulling hard and trying to break it off himself so that he might finally regain his powers.

"C'mon...fucking get off me, you hunk of junk"

Sandjaw's voice piped up behind him. "If it were that easy to pull these things off don't you think our walking mountain would've done that already?" He asked. "I heard about these out west -first ones were made by Romulus and one of those eggheads from the academy. This is tempered steel enhanced by sorcery - nothing's gonna break it."

The Hydreigon had landed in the tree above Sol, and like himself was also trying to get the collar off, attempting to chew through it with his alternate heads, but the teeth were barely scratching the metal.

"So we're basically stuck with these things then." Sol queried, lowering his paws from his neck and glaring back at the Krookodile. "At least, unless that... whatever that thing was, finds a key that unlocks em."

"Could've been part of his plan, to keep us from taking off knowing he was the only one who could help us," the Krookodile said, glaring back in the direction of the prison. "Wouldn't put it past anybody who'd want to bust out guys like us."

But then a voice came from the shadows of the nearby trees. "Oh come now, there's no need to be so suspicious."

The three of them -as the Slaking had still not caught up yet -spun toward the voice, and found an amethystine glow marking the eyes of another newcomer looking back at them and drawing closer, until they left the shadows of the trees, accompanied by an Alakazam.

"We have every intention of helping you," the purple-eyed being, a Blaziken, said in an inviting tone.

Sol felt something stirring within him at the sight of the Blaziken. A voice he had not heard in some time, suddenly returned to him with a tone of panic. The voice was distinctly female and was as powerful as the one who owned it. "Don't let that being touch you!!" The voice screamed in his mind."He is tainted! Pure evil!"

"Gah! Shut it, bitch!" Sol shot back, his facial expression changing slightly as he conversed with the spirit talking to him. "Don't order me around! I can already tell this guy's bad news. Don't need YOU reaming my brain out because of it!"

"My associate here," the Blaziken said, raising a hand to indicate the Alakazam, "knows the charm used to temper those collars, and the means to undo it. As a gesture of good will, he will remove them for you. Seji, if you would."

"Of course." The Alakazam replied with a nod of his head.

The Alakazam approached Sandjaw first, holding out his hand toward the collar and shutting his eyes. He stood motionless, concentrating on the energies within the collar. Within a few moments, the Krookodile could feel the magical restraints on his powers waning, and with a click, the collar then came undone and fell to the ground at his feet.

"H-hey, it worked!" Sandjaw exclaimed, pleased. He lifted his claws and rubbed around his collarbone easing the chafing that the chains had caused him from wearing for so long. "Ah, I can already feel my powers coming back!" He rubbed his claws together, before throwing back his head and laughing "The devil of the deserts is back, baby!"

Seji moved to the Hydreigon next after they came down from the tree, repeating the same process as he did with Sandjaw, until the collar came undone and fell off his neck, giving him full access to his powers as well. Finally he'd move onto Sol, though he stopped for a moment to study the stone embedded in his chest with mild intrigue. With an impatient huff from Sol, he repeated his trick to remove the collars, finally removing the chain from around Sol's neck as well. The second Sol felt his powers return, he let out a short shout, and his flames bursting to life from the vents along his neck. He let out a satisfied sigh, flexing his muscles and allowing a small smirk, before he would address the Blaziken before them.

"...So what's the catch here?" He asked. There was no way this freedom did not come with a price...

"I will explain. But I believe we have two others still coming," said the Blaziken, looking past Sol. "Ah, and here's one of them now."

The Slaking had finally caught up to them, once more scratching his gut as he joined them in the clearing, looking disinterested as he looked over the group and letting out a huff. The Blaziken sent Seji to remove his collar as well, though the Slaking's blank expression remained even as the Blaziken addressed them.

"As I'm sure you all are aware, I have work lined up for men of your talents," he explained. "Not to worry. Though this is the price of your freedom, I promise rewards for your services. As a gesture of goodwill for you in particular, Holgan of Blackcoast City," the Blaziken looked at the Slaking squarely. "We have another gift for you. We understand you kept a Carbink with Skill Swap on your staff."

With a wave of his hand, another figure approached from the shadows. A Machamp, dragging a chain. At the end of it sat a collared Sylveon, looking the worse for wear. The Machamp brought the Sylveon forward to Holgan, presenting him with the chain. Holgan took it, looking at it, and then the Sylveon before his gaze settled on Calhoun, looking displeased.

"You think I don't know a Sylveon's ability is Cute Charm?" He asked. "I'm not out to have Pokémon fawning over me while I beat them."

Sandjaw snickered, and it was obvious he was imagining such an awkward scenario with the big Slaking. But the Blaziken gave a shake of his head and continued. "Her ability is not Cute Charm. She has the rare privilege of being blessed with Pixelate. It will turn your Normal-type attacks into Fairy-type. That could work to your advantage could it not? As I understand, Fighting-type Pokemon - your type's weakness, are weak against Fairy-type. Besides, the point is to rid yourself of that crippling Truant ability, isn't it?"

The Slaking seemed to consider the possibility of having such an ability, looking at the Sylveon with deep thought. He then pulled on the chain, bringing it up until it lifted the Sylveon up onto her hind legs. "Do it," he growled at her, holding her up by the chain so the shackle pressed into her throat.

The Sylveon kicked her legs frantically, before placing her paws on the Slaking's chest. Her two little paws glowed as she cast Skill Swap onto him, her body seeming to go limp after, ears drooping and a tired expression crossing her face as the Slaking stood up straight, his expression shifting for the first time since he left his cell, stretching in a wide grin that was more than a little disturbing to see.

"Ah, much better!" He chimed, dropping the Sylveon. "Finally free of that Truant garbage. Damn Arceus to hell for cursing my kind with such a weakness." He popped his neck and stretched it side-to-side, livelier than he had been for a while.

"Agreed. Your race is powerful, Holgan, one of the strongest in all the world. It should be allowed to be so," said the Blaziken.

Sol never took his gaze off the Blaziken. Even without Reshiram telling him, he could feel something was off about him...His gut feeling told him something extremely sinister surrounded the Blaziken, and if it even made Reshiram uneasy. Even he understood he couldn't take him lightly. As if reading his thoughts, her voice boomed in his mind again.

"You must either flee or destroy him!" Sol heard the legendary plead him. "I will not become that thing's... that... DEMON'S slave!"

"I said SHUT UP!" Sol hollered back to her, again his expression changing slightly as he conversed with the God.

There was a flash of light at the edge of the clearing, followed by the rattling of more chains as four more figures materialized into being. The group turned to look towards the new arrivals. One of them was a massive felinoid Pokémon, bound in many lengths of chain - far more than any of them had been when they had still been in their cells. Even down on their knees and seemingly comatose, they could see that this strange Pokémon was enormous, with a body so thick with muscles it was almost ridiculous. His arms were bound behind his back, his legs shackled together, and a whole harness of the siphon chain formed an X over his torso. His breathing, slow and heavy, seemed to confirm he was not conscious.

With him were three other Pokémon, all of them Psychic-type. A Gallade, a Malamar... and Mewtwo. But the last was strange, the sight of him once more sending a ripple of fear through Sol -not his, but the being he was bound to. Mewtwo's body was discoloured, where normally pale skin would be, an ash gray had taken its place, and his purple tail was now as dark as the very night around them. His eyes, matching that of the Blaziken, did not seem to look at any of them as he levitated above the unconscious Pokémon.

"Okay, what the fuck's going on here...?" Sol thought to himself once he saw the sight of Mewtwo before them.

"No... Arceus no! He's tainted Mewtwo??" Reshiram exclaimed. "Forget killing that beast! If he can control Mewtwo, you stand no chance against him! You must flee!"

"ExCUSE me...?" Sol snapped back at Reshiram. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? You really expect me to just turn tail and run away like a coward?"

Suddenly, Sol heard Sandjaw stammering. "Wha-wha-what the ffffuck is going on here?!" He demanded. "What's_he_ doing here?!" He was pointing at the comatose cat. "Do you even know who that is?!" It seemed odd he was less shocked by the appearance of Mewtwo, and more by the comatose feline - unless Sandjaw didn't know who or what Mewtwo was. But he clearly knew this cat creature.

"Indeed," replied the Blaziken. "And he will be our new associate, as it is my hope all of you will be as well."

"That's the Black-fucking-Titan! That guy levelled most of Gladiator City with his bare paws!" Sandjaw protested. "You want this unstoppable rage machine around?! He'll kill us all!"

"I assure you, Sandjaw, we will control him," stated the Blaziken. "Seji, can you wake him?"

"I can try." The Alakazam returned. "It may take some time though... The staff have made sure he was constantly in a state of comatose through the use of powerful spores." He added.

"Very well. I will have to see to him later. Sash, Bialo, join us," the Blaziken bid, then turned to the other convicts, his gaze shifting. "Ah, Tory. There you are."

Sol felt someone step past him, and looked to see that the avian had returned, his feathers matted with blood in multiple places - none of which, Sol observed, seemed to be his own. There was not a mark upon him, not even a bruise. How could he have fought so many guards without ever being hit even once?

"The guards did not follow us," he reported to the Blaziken. "I have hidden our trail - it will take them much time to find us. By then I suspect we will be long gone."

"Indeed. Let us finally get down to business," said the Blaziken as the Gallade and strange owl Pokémon stood at his sides, the canid from before joining Seji as he began his examination of the comatose 'Black Titan' as Sandjaw had called him.

On closer inspection of the Gallade, Sol could sense that while he didn't have the same foreboding sensation that the Blaziken gave off, he could tell the Gallade literally _reeked_of bloodlust and murder. A quick glance into his eyes alone were enough to send alarm bells off in his subconscious as Sol stared on at him, his gaze quickly turning into a fierce leer. The Gallade's eyes met Sol's, and the two of them locked gazes with one another. His eyes quickly shrinking to tiny beads as if to warn the Typhlosion he would slaughter him if he tried anything funny.

The Typhlosion however, wasn't the least bit intimidated, his glare sending the Gallade a message along the lines of 'Try it, mother fucker...'

"I shall now introduce myself," the Blaziken began. "My name is Calhoun, and I lead this fine band on a grand endeavour. A purpose for which I need people of particular talents. Mere weeks ago I had a small army, but a setback has cost me the bulk of my forces." He began to pace before the four ex-convicts. "It is my thought then, that I need to begin replenishing my ranks, starting with more elites to expand my area of control."

He stopped in front of the two gangsters in the mix. "Holgan and Sandjaw, you two have both led small organizations of your own. It is my hope one of you might become my new lieutenant, as I have lost one in the recent setback. She decided she did not support our cause anymore," he gestured to them. "And you two," he gestured to Sol and the Hydreigon. "Sol and Hydra. You are not leaders, but you are both powerful beyond imagination. The forces that opposed me and cost me my army are strong indeed, and I will need warriors of equal or greater might if I am to overcome them."

Calhoun continued to pace. "You will have access to our resources, our protection, and rights to any plunder you obtain. This includes_living_prizes, as you will. You will also have control of your own territories to do with as you will when our victory is achieved. So long as you remember to obey my commands, you are promised ultimate power over the weak, and freedom for yourselves. This world... will be yours." He turned and held out his hand dramatically to clench into a fist. "If only you join me."

A silence fell over the group, as they deliberated on Calhoun's offer. Sandjaw still looked wary of the Black Titan, Holgan was rubbing his chin with intrigue and Hydra, silent but shifting, tapped his heads together in thought. Sol however, already had an answer in mind. He shot a dangerous leer toward Calhoun and uncrossed his arms from his chest, letting them hang loosely at his sides.

"...Not interested." He said flatly. "While I'm glad you decided to pitch in and get me out, I ain't interested in your little crusade." He then clenched his paws tightly. "...And I _don't_take any orders from anyone... I'm my own Pokémon, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Are you sure that is to be your final answer?" Calhoun asked, meeting his gaze. "You know you'll be on the run now that you have escaped prison. Someone will come for you eventually. With us, you have protection."

"I don't need protection." Sol quickly snapped back. "Anyone that tries to come after me, I'll send em either six feet under, or turn em into a smouldering pile of ash. So if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave, Scorchmark..."

He turned and started to make his way away from the gathering. He barely made it six steps before Calhoun appeared in front of him again. The movement had been so quick, Sol had neither seen him step into view or stop, as if he had teleported, still wearing that smug grin as he faced Sol, a hand raised and coated in a dark fog.

"I'm afraid I must insist," he said, before thrusting his palm forward.

Sol, still recovering from the impossible display of speed, did not have time to react. The hand touched him, and he felt like lightning was coursing through his body, agony expanding across his very being and paralyzing him as the hand poured more of that darkness in him. He could feel his limbs seizing as his body was invaded, unable to push the dark Blaziken away. He thought he might have been screaming but would forever deny it if he was. Reshiram, however, _was_screaming. He could hear her, sounding like she was in pain.

Her roars, however, soon turn to anguish. The gemstone housed in Sol's chest began to glow, and with a brilliant flash, Calhoun was hurled away by an unseen force. Sol's body became suddenly a hundred times heavier, as he realized he had no air in his lungs, and his throat felt raw from his cries. He took several deep breaths to try and soothe the pain in his throat, gasping a few times before he would start to relax as he caught his breath. At that moment, his eyes shot open, a raging inferno burning within them as he glared at Calhoun.

"...You just made one hell of a mistake, mother fucker...."

Sol then tensed up, the stone in his chest glowing brightly as its energies empowered him. He then let out a furious roar into the air as his neck flames suddenly turned into massive fiery wings, and his arms became engulfed with searing hot claws composed entirely of fire.

Seji was taken aback by such a display of power at first, but then his shock turned into one of intrigue, narrowing his eyes at the transformed Typhlosion before him. "Fascinating." He muttered softly. "Quite an unexpected bounty we have collected today..."

Sash and Tory appeared in front of Sol, blades readied, when Calhoun called out for them to stand down as he stepped away from the tree he had been hurled into. To Sol's own shock, Calhoun seemed unscathed by the impact with the hard bark of the towering tree. He craned his neck as he stepped forward, letting out a huff of smoke.

"It was not he, but that power within him that repelled me," said the Blaziken. "There is much more to you than I realized, Sol... you are no ordinary Typhlosion."

"No shit, sherlock." Sol retorted. "I'm the baddest damn Typhlosion in existence, and as of now, your worst NIGHTMARE!!!"

With that holler, Sol unleashed a torrent of pale flames so hot they made the air shimmer. Sash and Tory dashed out of the way as Calhoun stood watching the wave of fire approaching him. He vanished at the last second, and the fire engulfed the tree he had hit before, sending the whole thing up in a column of blue, but it had not found its true mark. Calhoun then reappeared beside Sol, standing exactly as he had before Sol had attacked him.

"You_are_powerful," he said. "But you're stupid."

In a blur of motion, Sol felt Calhoun's leg slam into his sternum, all air once more leaving his body and making him feel heavy. In the same motion, the Blaziken flipped, and brought his leg down on Sol's head, dazing him, and all without taking his hands out from behind his back.

"Not all of your power is back yet, Sol. Even if it was, you are out of shape from your months in prison," said Calhoun. "You cannot win this fight."

The Typhlosion shook his head to shake the stars around his head, then he glared at Calhoun and immediately lashed out angrily, swinging his claws in wide arcs, a veritable flurry of attacks akin to Fury Swipes. Not a single blow landed - Calhoun danced out of the way of every attack, watching Sol's movements and reacting so suddenly it was as though he had some form of foresight, predicting his movements by seeing them before Sol even made them. It grew increasingly frustrating for Sol, who felt his body slowing with every swipe. Every time Calhoun struck back, he never used his hands, only his feet. The exception being when he used an arm to redirect Sol's attack, but never once to strike. He moved like a flowing river, following the path of least resistance, and avoided Sol's every strike.

Sol tired rapidly, proving Calhoun's early statement that the Typhlosion had lost much of his fitness during his time in incarceration. One of his last swipes was sluggish, and Calhoun kicked him in the jaw before he was halfway toward him.

"That'll be enough of that," he said, Sol catching a glimpse of something reflecting the light of his fire as Calhoun's palm opened, until a brilliant flash blinded him, followed by a sound like shattering crystal.

Pain... pain again... a hit to his chest, to his sides, to his back, to his head. His legs went out from other him. Another pain to his chest, harder this time as something fell upon him from above, driving him into the ground. His divine powers left his body, and he found himself quickly fading into darkness as his body failed to act upon his will, slipping out of consciousness and laying still after the harsh beatdown he had just received.

"...You should have killed the young fool." Sash stated coldly as he approached the Blaziken's side. "We've no need for wild beasts wandering about the world, let alone within our ranks." He said as he flexed his arm blade. "Give me the word, and I'll slice his throat and drown him in his own blood."

"There will be no need, Sash. He is still of use," said Calhoun. "Today, I have learned of a weakness to my power. The essence that flows through this one was able to repel the Shadow curse. I must explore this. In the meantime, I have always known sooner or later my powers would fail me - that is why I prepared a contingency plan." He looked over his shoulder. "Bialo. I have need of you."

The Malamar, hearing his name, levitated over to join the two, who stepped aside to give him room as he faced the half-conscious Typhlosion. "You know what to do," Calhoun said to the Malamar.

Bialo nodded, turning to look at Sol and grinning wickedly as the round spots on his body lit up with golden light, not intense enough to blind Sol, but he found himself unable to look away as the light invaded his eyes. In his mind, Sol heard the other voice crying out to him, but he could not make out the words. He was too fixated upon the lights, unable to look away, or think of anything else but the golden glow...

~~~~~

"Hey Volcan! You better come see this!"

Hearing Sickle calling out to him, Volcan broke off his conversation with Hank, running over followed by the Zoroark to the stern of the ship, where the Grovyle was pointing eastward, towards a pillar of smoke in the distance.

"A fire?" Volcan asked.

"I couldn't see it until the sun came up fully -the horizon blurred it," Sickle answered. "But yeah, looks like it."

"Toby, turn us starboard!" Volcan called. "Forty-five degrees -head towards the smoke!" He turned to Sickle. "Go get Serena and Blaster."

"On it!" The Grovyle replied, turning and sprinting off below decks.

They passed over the trees, making their way over to the fire. Serena and Blaster arrived almost at the same time, coming up from below deck just as the center of the burn came into view, and they looked over to see a most startling sight. The forest was indeed ablaze, but the fire was not of a typical colour. It was an astounding bright blue, shining brightly through the trees as it spread.

"Blue... fire?" Serena asked in disbelief.

"Hank... you thinking what I'm thinking?" Volcan asked the Zoroark, never taking his eyes off the blaze.

"No doubt in my mind..." Hank returned with a nod. "This is Sol's handiwork."

"...Sol?" Minato asked. "Wait, you mean that crazy Typhlosion you told me about?" He asked Volcan.

"The very same. Only he could've caused this," said Volcan, scowling. "The blaze is bigger than I thought. Minato help Lashanne get Doug down to the ground - we need a perimeter to contain the blaze. Serena, Blaster, do what you can from up here." He looked over at Toby. "Bring us lower, but not too close - stay downwind of the flames so it doesn't blow heat toward us."

Hank stared down at the burning forest below, correcting his footing as the ship veered. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I know that Sol is a loose cannon, but I have to say, this ain't like him," Hank commented, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I mean, yea, he's torched shit for stupid reasons, but he ain't ever torched a whole section of forest before."

"Perhaps he was in a fight?" Sickle suggested.

"Or maybe he finally snapped from his time behind bars and decided to just burn everything." Minato commented with a firmness in his tone.

"I wouldn't jump that gun just yet." Doug piped up. "Sol's always been a tough nut to crack. I don't think he'd lose his mind after only a few months in jail." He further reasoned.

"We'll worry about that later. Let's get this under control before it spreads any further," said Volcan as he bound over the railing, dropping to ground below. He looked up as Minato and Lashanne lowered the tub of soil in which Doug rested down to the ground. Volcan reached up to guide it to a level spot and dumping it out to allow the Dugtrio to take to the earth once more.

Seconds later, down came Tristan and Howler, who immediately made their way over to the flames, turning away from them and then digging at the ground briskly, kicking up dirt to sprinkle over the fire on the grass, slowing its spread. Up above, Serena and Blaster opened up their efforts with Rain Dance, causing clouds to gather in the skies above and summoning a downpour to cover the forest, before both of them began spraying their water guns over the rails at the flames. The blue fire was hot, and difficult to extinguish, but the dampness, flinging mud and the rainfall and water guns were making visible progress.

The team likely spent the better part of an hour, throwing soil and sand onto the flames to choke them out, until soon several of the team was covered head-to-toe in mud, including Volcan and Hank. But their efforts bore fruit as the blaze began to die out, and they reached a clearing which seemed to have suffered the worst of the damage. Possibly the starting point of the fire.

Hank noticed something about the ground as they caught their breath in the clearing, seeing numerous indentations in the soil. A quick check and a brush with his claw confirmed his suspicion. Footprints, many of them.

Hank called out to his friends, and several came over at his call. "Looks like leafy butt was right. Sol wasn't the only guy here." He announced to the others, prompting them to look over at what the Zoroark had found. "Footprints. Lots of em too, all cluttered around the immediate area."

Lashanne came over to join him, examining the tracks carefully. "Yeah, you're right," she said, kneeling beside him. "How many do you think?"

"Hard to say, but there are some heavy fellows," replied Hank. "Six, maybe seven. Could've been more."

"By that blue fire, there's no mistaking it - Sol was definitely here," said Volcan. "And if he was, then we're too late. He's already free, along with whoever else Calhoun has decided to lift from that prison."

"The prison is also supposed to be pretty close now," Lashanne added, checking the map in her hand. "Maybe another ten minutes on foot, that way." She pointed west.

"It's possible they haven't managed to get too far." Minato offered. "I'll scan the area really quick, see if I can't pick up a signal."

"While you search for a trail, I'm going to keep going to the prison, see what the damage is," replied Volcan. "Anyone want to come with?"

"I'll tag along." Hank replied. "Always was curious to see this fabled Siphon Prison ever since hearing about it... Maybe even nab some convicts along the way too." He added with a chuckle.

"If only we were so lucky," replied Volcan.

Saying goodbye to the group, Volcan took point and led the way through the charred forest accompanied by Hank, Sickle and Kaen. They carefully avoided the burned brambles and fallen trees as they made their way westward as Lashanne had directed them, waiting to hear the sea. If they found a cliff overlooking the ocean, they only needed to keep following the cliff north to find the prison.

Hank looked back at Kaen as a thought crossed his mind. "Hey, after this whole mission's over, ya think they'll let us have some of that Siphon stuff? Our own prisons could really benefit from something like that."

"That 'stuff' is really hard to produce," Kaen answered, looking up at Hank. "It has to be forged from iron with all the impurities burned out of it, made into a length of chain and then tempered by one of them bookworms out west. They're the only ones who know how to do it, unless your Delphox friend is from there."

"She is, actually," replied Volcan. "I suppose we should've asked her what she knows about them. But, how hard can it be to find iron?"

"Finding iron itself, not hard at all," replied Kaen. "Purifying it enough to meet the requirement, not so easy. Takes a damn good smith and the right kind of forge, and it was an Academy professor who put the Siphon enchantment on it."

"Any clue who those guys were?" Hank asked. "Maybe we can send a special order or somethin'."

"Not a clue," replied Kaen, shaking his head. "The only guy I can think of who might know is Romulus, since he was also involved in making them. He personally melted down the iron that was used to make the first chains."

Hank sighed. "Well that's a downer."

The sound of crashing waves began to fill the air as the four saw the woods thinning ahead. They left the shade of the trees and became awash in sunlight as they saw the great blew expanding before them, over the crest of a high, vertical cliff. The walked as close to the ledge as they dared to peer out to the sea, following the length of the cliff until they saw it stretching out to a narrow ridge overlooking the rocks below. The structure was like a castle, surrounded by thick walls and enclosing a single enormous structure within its confines. Attached the central building, a tall minaret stood above, with a light visible at the top - some kind of lighthouse, Volcan guessed.

"I'm guessing that's our prison," said Volcan.

"That's the place," replied Kaen. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"That's one word for it."

Sickle's eyes followed the cliff below the prison, until his gaze settled upon something. "Hey. Anyone else see that?" he asked, pointing.

They followed Sickle's finger and shaded their eyes for a better look. They saw a large deep hole cut into the side of the cliff overlooking the rocks of the ocean below. Even from their current distance, the hole did not look natural to them. To Kaen, however, it did not belong at all.

"The hell is that doing there? A hole like that in the cliff could compromise the foundations," the Charmeleon said. "Something's wrong here."

"Are we too late?" Sickle asked.

"Let's get up there and find out," Volcan urged as he resumed the lead once more, walking at an increased pace.

They followed the cliff and approached the prison from the front. As they approached, they noticed the front gate was wide open - or it would be more accurate to say, _smashed_open. The two large doors that formed the barrier barely clung to the hinges, the wooden frame splintered and broken in many places. The rivets that secured the iron reinforcements of the gate littered the ground where they had come loose, broken lengths of wrought iron laying strewn about or still riveted to sections of the gate. Perhaps most disturbing of all, the pieces of the gate were lying _outside_of the prison walls. The attack that had destroyed it had come from within.

"Arceus help us, what could do that to a reinforced gate?" Sickle asked, truly awestruck by the extent of the damage.

"Yer guess is as good as mine, Leafy." Hank would reply. "Even _Sol_couldn't smash through this."

"You suppose it was that 'Prisoner Zero' we heard about?" Volcan asked, directing his question to Kaen.

"Like I've ever seen him?" Kaen asked, shrugging helplessly. "This place was going up before I joined Warmachine. I never laid eyes on Prisoner Zero. I only know Torolf said Romulus is pretty intimidated by him, and that alone is scary."

"We won't get any answers just by standing out here," Hank suggested.

Volcan and Sickle nodded in agreement, and they resumed their trek toward the gates. But as they walked within ten paces of it, a powerful voice barked out a command.

"Stop where you are!" The voice was so strong and authoritative they complied without a second thought, halting mid-step.

A figure landed in front of them heavily, revealing a blue, winged reptilian with a head of bright red. The body was covered in rough scales, sharp and coarse even to the naked eye, and two glowering amber eyes stared back at them. A Druddigon, and he did not look pleased to see them.

"State your business at the Siphon Prison, immediately," he commanded.

Volcan stepped forward, hands raised to show he meant no harm, and spoke on the group's behalf. "I am the captain of Team Phalanx from Port Azure," he explained. "Behind me is Hank of Team Valiant, and Sickle and Kaen of Team Kama from Bluegrove. We're here on behalf of Torolf, Captain of Team Warmachine."

The Druddigon relaxed slightly as Volcan finished. "Torolf sent you?" He asked. The disappointment in his voice was clear to them and cemented by his following question. "Where is he?"

"Off tryin' to bring together a new Guild Council waaaaay over in Hadleigh." Hank piped up, trying not to sound sarcastic.

The Druddigon huffed, annoyed. "Couldn't even be bothered to come himself," he said in a low voice. "Fine... If he sent you to help... Well I certainly hope you can."

"What happened here?" Volcan asked, gesturing to the destroyed gate. "Did the besiegers break into the prison?"

"More or less. We don't know how they got in, but they busted out five of our most dangerous inmates, and then went straight out the front gate. At the same time they dug a tunnel into our most secure cell, deep inside the cliff, and freed the fifth prisoner in question, Prisoner Zero."

Volcan stiffened, casting a look back at his friends before facing the Druddigon again. "How long ago?"

"Last night - maybe eight hours ago," replied the Druddigon.

"Then they can't have gone far," said Volcan. "Minato might be able to find their trail."

The Druddigon tilted his head. "More friends of yours?"

Volcan nodded. "Our teams, waiting back in the woods. There was a fire out there," replied the Blaziken, pointing back the way they had come. "Am I correct in assuming a Typhlosion was among the escapees?"

The Druddigon nodded, eyeing Volcan inquisitively. "Yes. Our most recent inmate. How did you know?"

"We were present the day he was captured by Team Warmachine. Can you provide us any information on the other escapees?"

"That's more a question for the warden," replied the Druddigon. "I'll go have a word with her. You four, wait out here. I'll be back shortly."

With that, he turned from them and started back into the prison, passing through the gate and vanishing behind the door. Kaen suddenly shook his head, quirking an eyebrow before speaking up. "Warden? Her?" He asked. "What happened to old man Cross?"

"Old man who?" Hank asked, arching an eyebrow at the Charmeleon.

"Cross. He was the Warden when I visited a few years ago," replied Kaen. "A Stoutland, tough as Entei and as sharp as a Pawniard's ass. He was old, sure, but I figured he had another decade before he'd have to retire."

"Ah." The Zoroark replied. "...Think he might have been injured when the breakout hit?"

"I hope not... but if there's a new warden already, I hope there's a better reason for it," replied Kaen.

They had to wait for a fair while, before the Druddigon returned, this time bearing a passenger on his arm. A Noctowl, deep brown in colour with large, sharp eyes peering out from beneath the horned crest atop their brow. They wore a golden chain around their neck, and a sleeveless vest designed for bird Pokémon, decorated by Guild Badge and a large medal. The Druddigon was carrying an item under his arm - a paper envelope.

As the Druddigon approached, the Noctowl gave a polite nod of their head, and spoke in a voice that revealed them to be a female. "I am Warden Sonya of the Siphon Prison," she introduced herself. "Sarge here tells me you are here on behalf of Team Warmachine, yes?"

"That is correct, ma'am," replied Volcan. "I met Torolf back in my home of Port Azure, where he apprised me of the situation. I wish we had managed to get here sooner. We might have been able to help."

Sonya sighed. "It could not be helped," she replied. "It had only been a few days since I sent word to Torolf. I'm sure you came as fast as you could." She looked at Sarge briefly, and then to Volcan. "I take it Sarge filled you in on the details of the breakout?"

"Most of it, yes."

"I wish I could tell you more, but I fear I don't know where the prisoners could have gone after they were freed," she went on, motioning to the Druddigon, Sarge, to step forward. The dragon did so, offering them the envelope, which Sickle stepped forward to take. "This is a copy of the prisoner manifests and detailed biographies. I had intended to send out a tracker unit to pursue them, but since you're here, I give you the job instead - after last night I can't afford to empty the prison of any of my guards. We lost so many..."

Volcan nodded. "I understand," he said. "We will do everything we can to find them and bring them back here, you have my word."

Sonya nodded. "Thank you. What was your name again, young captain?"

"Volcan, of Team Phalanx."

"Best of luck to you then, Captain Volcan, and to the rest of you," she bade.

With that that, the four of them turned and started to leave. Kaen seemed like he wanted to ask a question, but then shook his head and fell into pace with the rest as they started back toward the trees, retracing their steps to the airship.

Sickle opened the envelope given to them by Sarge, lifting out the contents and revealing freshly penned papers. He tucked the empty envelope under his arm as he looked them over. "Well, there's Sol right here," he said, looking at the top page. "And the other three... a Slaking, a Hydreigon and a Krookodile. Some heavy hitters we've got here."

"So what's the plan then? We gonna split up in appropriate groups or something?" The Zoroark inquired.

"Keep that option open, but for now until we know where these guys are and whether or not they're travelling together, we would be smarter to stay together," replied Volcan.

"I agree with Volcan," said Sickle. "If this were only Sol we were dealing with, we could form a team capable of dealing with him. But there's a whole squad of these guys, and based on what I'm seeing here," he offered Hank the entry on the Slaking, "even one of these guys is going to be a handful."

Hank took the paper and began to read it over. 'Holgan, a Slaking. Former crime boss in Blackcoast City, known as the Brute King of the Streets due to commanding vast territory, the entry read. It had a photograph of the convict and showed a date of apprehension, the team responsible -Team Tsunami, and the list of charges brought against him. Behind the biography was a sheet that listed precautions to be taken before confronting him. _'Herculean Strength - engage at a distance. Uses a Carbink subordinate with Skill Swap to subvert his limiting Truant ability',_read an entry that was circled at the bottom.

Hank audibly gulped at that entry. "Jeeeeez....and I thought _Sol_was a bad case of spontaneous burst of fiery hell." He muttered.

"I do see one advantage here," said Sickle. "Two Dark-types and a Normal-type, between these four. We have Volcan and Minato's fighting-type to help us there, plus Kaen and I both know some Fighting-type moves ourselves. Sol is a fire type, so for him we have Blaster, Doug, and Tristan, maybe Serena if she's up for it. That Eberon guy is apparently a Fire _and_Dark type as well, so the same goes for him."

"Three dark types?" Kaen asked. "I'm sensing a pattern here -oof!" He grunted as Sickle elbowed him in the ribs. The Chameleon gave him a helpless look, and then looked past him at Hank. "Oh. Right."

"Way to stuff your foot in your mouth, Kaen," remarked Volcan.

The Zoroark shot Kaen a dirty look for a moment, then shrugged. "I'ma do you a favour and pretend I didn't just hear that." He replied.

"Sorry," the Charmeleon mumbled sheepishly.

The group arrived back at the location where they had left the others, finding Doug and Lashanne waiting for them. Volcan looked around, seeing nobody else. "Where're the others?" He asked.

"Minato took Howler ahead with him," replied Lashanne. "Tristan, Blaster and Serena are back on the ship."

"Did they find anything?" Sickle asked.

"Minato picked up a faint aura trail heading north," replied Lashanne. "He's trying to find where it went but he said he'd be back soon."

"North... sticking to the coast that leads right to Blackcoast City," said Sickle. "That Holgan guy in the biographies is from there."

"Suppose he's going back to gather his old gang?" Volcan asked.

"If I were a bettin' fox, I'd say that's likely the case." Hank agreed with a nod "Pokémon like him that had power don't like to let it go that easily."

"Wait, who with the what?" Doug piped up. "Who's this Holgan guy? Is he a convict from the prison?"

Volcan nodded. "He is. There are five escapees in total -Sol's among them, as we thought," replied the Blaziken.

"Ahhhh boy..." the Dugtrio muttered, lowering his heads a little anxiously.

"Hey don't sweat it, Mole Man. We've handled worse cases before." Hank piped up, trying to keep Doug's morale up.

Doug wasn't buying it. "Hello, Earth to Hank!" He returned. "We never caught Sol ourselves, that _juggernaut_Captain from Warmachine had to take him down!"

"Sol is the one that least concerns me," said Volcan with an air of confidence, surprising both Doug and Hank to hear him say. Did he have some kind of plan?

"I guess we better get airborne and catch up to Howler and Minato," said Sickle.

Doug moaned softly. "Aw man...do I _really_have to go back into that tub again?" He asked pleadingly. "Can't I just follow you guys from the ground? The tub's too cramped for me."

"Actually that might be a good idea," replied Sickle. "In the woods, it's harder to see things on the ground with the canopies in your way. Having eyes above and below might be a better approach."

"Agreed," said Volcan. "Sickle, these are still your woods. Can you keep up with Doug?"

"No sweat," replied the Grovyle.

"Wow...You actually came up with a good idea." Hank teased, but still gave Doug a pat on one of his heads. "Nice thinkin, Mole Man."

Doug averted his gaze on all three heads. "Aw shucks... I mean, I wasn't even thinking about the whole advantage bit, but I'll take it."

"Let's get going," said Lashanne, brandishing her branch wand and holding it aloft as she started to levitate back up to the ship, taking Kaen up alongside her while Volcan jumped, taking Hank as a passenger.

Getting his bearings, Sickle began sprinting off northwards, jumping into the branch of a low tree and proceeding to leap from one branch to the next as he made his way through the forest, Doug following closely below. Doug had no trouble keeping up with Sickle, as while underground, the only obstacles he had to avoid were tree roots, which were no hassle. For him. Overhead, the airship was on the move once more, flying over the trees following the two below, Volcan and Lashanne standing at the bow to observe their progress to the North.

"So what's this Blackcoast place like?" Lashanne asked the Blaziken.

"I've never been there myself -only heard rumours," he replied. "But from what I've heard, it's a cesspool of criminals, a city rotten to its very core. We are going to need to be on our guard if we have to enter the city."

Lashanne smirked. "Sounds like home to me," she remarked.

~~~~~

With Howler acting as his eyes, Minato rode upon the large Arcanine's back, tuned to his aura sense to keep his attention on the trail, growing stronger with every moment as they travelled. Overtime, the longer he studied the auras, the more familiar some of them became -one in particular he was sure was quite recent from the battle of Hadleigh though he couldn't quite place it...

Suddenly, Howler skidded to a stop, nearly tossing Minato from his back. Opening his eyes he saw the Arcanine had stopped and was crouching low. A foul odour hit Minato's nostrils as he regained his senses, and he found himself barely managing to hold back a gag as he breathed it in.

After taking a moment to fight off the urge to throw up the contents of his last meal, he would get off of Howler and crouch low himself, tuning out of his senses momentarily to look on at what Howler was gazing at. Ahead, he saw a city rising up before them, buildings of wood or stone arranged neatly standing tall in the morning sunlight the illuminated their filth. The buildings were utterly riddled with grime, graffiti and stains he did not want to think about where they could have come from, and not a one he could see had been spared. A canal separated them from the main body of the city, with several spots for bridges that had all been knocked down, save for one guarded by several dodgy looking Pokémon that Howler was watching from their hiding place beside the main road.

"Looks like we've found their temporary stronghold," Minato muttered as he studied the rancid city before them, and the guards at the canal bridge.

Howler grunted, looking at Minato before he extended a nail and beginning to paw at the ground, dragging his nail through the dirt as he began to spell out a word - or two? Minato read it as the Arcanine finished writing it: 'Blackcoast'.

The Lucario read the name a couple of times to himself, narrowing his eyes after the second time. "Blackcoast City huh?" He muttered as he elevated his gaze slightly. "I've heard of such a town and its reputation, but seeing it up close?" He shook his head slowly. "I'm wishing I hadn't."

He then wrote two others word into the dirt, and upon finishing them, he pointed with his paw at the bridge again. 'Toll collectors.'

"Why am I not surprised...?" He muttered, rolling his eyes. "Of course there'd be guards acting as toll collectors. Well, we won't be able to sneak in undetected with those guys present. I say we head back and relay what we've found so far to the others." He suggested to the Arcanine.

Howler nodded, backing away deeper into the brush to avoid being seen by the thugs, and offering to let Minato climb onto his back again. The Lucario nodded, quickly climbing onto his back once they were safely out of sight. Unknown to Howler, Minato was melancholic on his back, reminiscing about another Pokémon he rode on the back of regularly, back on Arc Island. He thought of Bellator, the companion of his master and father-in-law, Victor. How he missed that dragon...

Shaking himself from the melancholy, he held onto Howler's neck with his paws and squeezed with his knees. "Let's get going, Howler."

The Arcanine was off like a shot, not for the first time surprising Minato with his speed as they turned their course southbound, making their way back to their friends. The two travelled only for a short while before Howler started to slow, eventually stopping and sniffing the air. Before Minato could ask what he sensed, he heard movement in the canopy above, and looked up to see a reptilian form leaping from branch to branch.

"...Hey isn't that...?" He muttered, recognizing the Grovyle travelling over them.

He dismounted Howler and leapt up to the trees himself, landing on a branch far enough away so that the Grovyle would see him before. Sickle landed upon a branch across from him, seeing the Lucario.

"Ah, there you are," he said. "Glad we caught up. Did you find anything?"

"Well for starters, we managed to find where those bastards are hiding for the time being. A repugnant city that Howler pointed out to be Blackcoast." The Lucario answered quickly. "I heard it was a literal cesspool, but looking at it up close..." He shuddered in disgust.

Sickle sighed. "I was afraid of that," he said. "At the prison we got some manifests that mentioned an escapee was from Blackcoast. Looks like they got there before we could catch them." He huffed. "Well it can't be helped..."

"The place is guarded by toll collectors at the bridge, so unless we take them out, we'll have to find an alternate route into the city." Minato explained. "And even then, there's no telling what we'll encounter while within city limits." He then looked around absently for a moment. "Are Volcan and the others close by?"

"Should be right over us," he replied, looking up. "Let's find the airship."

Minato nodded, tuning straight to his aura sense and searching for the signatures of his team captain and his allies. Upon locating them and gauging their distance away, he climbed higher into the tree, and conjured an Aura Sphere to signal the ship, throwing it into the air. The pilot slowed its pace and altered course in his direction, allowing him to carry himself up to the deck with his Psychic power. Upon landing, he was met by Lashanne and Volcan, and he filled them in on where the trail had led him. Straight to the edge of Blackcoast city, where he found his path obstructed by a group of thugs that Howler had designated as toll collectors - a "pretty way to say 'extortionists'," Lashanne had commented.

"We had a hunch they'd come here," said Volcan, sighing. "One of the escaped convicts is a former gang boss in Blackcoast. Makes sense he'd come back to familiar territory." His eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him. "I wonder... Torolf said he knew Calhoun was looking to recruit more people for his army Could he want this 'Holgan' character to do it, since he already has a lot of influence here?"

"He's picking from pretty low if that's the case," replied Lashanne disdainfully. "Not easy to find soldiers when you're looking in a refuse pile."

"There's treasure in every dirt pile if you dig deep enough." Minato commented, casting a glance over to Lashanne. "As a Treasure Hunter, you should be familiar with that saying. Calhoun might not find much in terms of quality warriors in Blackcoast, but perhaps that's not his intention."

"Fair point," she admitted. "As I recall, he picked that Jora woman from a desperate place too... perhaps he's counting on that here."

"In a city full of criminals, there are certain to be many desperate people," agreed Volcan. "Minato, how many of the cons did you count coming this way?"

"I couldn't tell, sadly." He admitted. "I couldn't get a proper scan in from mine and Howler's location. I'd need to find a good vantage point to perform an all-around sweep of the city." He said, then looked back toward the direction of Blackcoast. "Which, of course, means we need to find a way inside without being detected."

"That will be easy," replied Lashanne. "We'll fly right over those extortionists on low power mode in the dead of night - they'll never hear us."

Minato looked to Lashanne. "Would the airship really be able to generate next to no noise and stay aloft in the air?" He asked in mild surprise.

"It can, although it moves like a sleepy Slowbro when it does," she replied. "But from the right altitude, she can be soundless. Only thing we would need to worry about is the position of the moon and potential stargazers."

"Well it's better than nothing, and worth the risk as far as I'm concerned."

"We can't just fly around over Blackcoast in an airship the whole time. Sooner or later someone is going to notice," added Volcan. "We need to park it somewhere."

"Well, then I suggest we find a tall enough structure that will hide the ship from prying eyes from below." Minato suggested. "It can serve as our base of operations, and if it's high enough, I can conduct a proper scan for our suspects."

"Let's speak with Sickle's team. I think Blaster talked about this place before," said Volcan. "He might have an idea on what to do."

Moments later, the three were joined on the deck by the Blastoise. They gave him the short version of their dilemma, mentioning the five inmates they were looking for. Volcan spoke of their species - Sol, a Typhlosion, along with a Hydreigon, a Krookodile, a Slaking and an Incineroar - according to the Black Titan's file.

"A Slaking," said Blaster. "That's Holgan, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" Volcan asked, surprised.

"It was my old team, Team Tsunami, that took him down," replied Blaster. "It's a long story, but to put it short, we came to Blackcoast on a mission to bring down the crime bosses. Holgan was the first we ran into and beating him was so hard my captain just gave up on the rest of the mission, declared Blackcoast a lost cause and ordered us to pull out. Most of us saw taking down Holgan - the toughest of the crime bosses - first as a win. None of the others would be as hard to beat as him. But he wouldn't hear of it."

Blaster shook his head. "The team fell apart soon after that, over our disagreements and my captain's stubborn defeatism."

"Sorry to hear," said Volcan, nodding in consolation.

"Is there anything you can tell us about Holgan that might help us take him down?" Minato asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"He despises himself for one," replied Blaster. "Although, more accurately, he hates the limit imposed by his species. Not many people know or at least don't acknowledge this, but Slaking are ridiculously strong - stronger than most Dragon-types. We underestimate them because of their natural laziness and lack of motivation, which is entirely due to their Truant ability - or, Disability, if you want to call it such. Holgan sure did."

"The manifest mentioned he kept a Carbink with him, one that knew Skill Swap," Volcan piped up.

"He did, yes. When he entered a fight, he forced the Carbink to cast it on him, taking away Truant and replacing it with the Carbink's ability - I don't recall what he received," explained Blaster. "But you know the change when you see it. Up until this point he wore this permanent, disinterested frown. One cast of Skill Swap and I swear, his face lit up so brightly it was like looking at the face of a child getting his birthday present. Once Truant was out of his system, he was a happy, hulking, fighting machine."

"Gotta admit, that's pretty clever," said Lashanne. "Where is that Carbink - were they sent to the prison with him?"

"No. The Carbink was coerced into working for Holgan," explained Blaster. "We sent him north to a colony of his own kind. Even if Holgan knew where he was, with Truant slowing him down now it'd take him a whole season to get there and not many Pokémon local to this area would know Skill Swap. Finding a replacement wouldn't be easy so for now at least we can safely rule out Holgan using that trick again."

Minato nodded slowly. "Which means we stand a good chance at taking him down." He commented. "Though that doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious. A cornered animal is a dangerous animal after all."

"And there are still four other prisoners besides him," reminded Volcan, turning his attention to Lashanne. "You've heard of the desert bandit Sandjaw, I presume?" He asked.

"Who hasn't?" She asked with a shrug. Then, her ears stood straight up as the realization dawned on her face. "...Don't tell me... he's one of the escapees too?"

Volcan nodded. "Yep."

"And judging from your reaction, I take it you've had firsthand experience with him?" Minato asked.

"No, but I did see the aftermath of his handiwork once," replied Lashanne. "Even if I hadn't, everyone on the west knew him. The Devil of the Desert. He attacks by waiting for caravans to pass over, hitting them from below and burying any witnesses who can't escape. He only had a small crew but travel through the desert was impossible with him around."

"I heard Romulus took him down?" Volcan asked.

"Him and a Dusknoir yeah, though I don't know how," she replied.

"A Dusknoir... that would have to be Revane," said Volcan with a shudder. "That guy is creepy, but even with Sandjaw having one type advantage over him it's not hard to believe Revane could crush him too." He looked over the other manifests on the table, humming. "Aside from Sol and Holgan, there's also a Hydreigon on their crew, and everyone knows how incredibly powerful those are. Apparently this one is Schizophrenic to boot."

"A dragon with destructive power having a split personality disorder?" Lashanne asked in disbelief. "Why not throw Giratina in too!" She added, throwing up her arms.

"Hydra..." Blaster commented. "I've heard of him. Was apparently Team Drake that captured him, but they got pretty battered up."

At that, Volcan huffed and then put up his hands. "Okay... Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves," he said. "Our first priority is to get into Blackcoast and find somewhere to bunker down, then we'll start making plans. We'll need to send someone to scout ahead."

"I wouldn't try the canals," said Blaster. "Besides how stagnant the water would be by now; they are teeming with Muk and Grimer -there's no way to get through there without encountering them."

"Canals? What're those for?" Lashanne asked.

"They_were_part of a flood control system the city architects designed, and they hoped they would add to the city's beauty," replied Blaster. "Ended up being just the opposite -they wall off the city like a moat and are overflowing with filth that has nowhere to go, like a giant clogged sewer."

"That explains the smell," said Lashanne, letting out an 'Ugh' for emphasis.

Minato rubbed his chin slightly as he pondered their situation. "What about Hank or Doug?" He suggested. "Hank can turn invisible, and Doug could hide under the ground as he scoped the place out."

"How would we get Doug over the canals?" Volcan asked. "He can't leave the ground, and there's a big open space between him in the city."

"Even if we levitated him in the tub, someone would have to be over there to help him get out and onto soft ground," added Blaster.

"It seems like Hank might be our best chance then," said Lashanne.

"I'm loathe to send him alone," admitted Volcan. "Invisible or not..."

"I'm afraid we don't have much choice in the matter." Minato returned with a shrug, then placed a paw on the Blaziken's shoulder. "We can't turn back now, and any other plan has a greater risk of exposing us before we even touch down."

Volcan sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll go get him and fill him in then," he said, turning and heading for the hatch leading below decks.

~~~~~

Slipping past the toll collectors was the easiest part of Hank's entry Wrapping in an illusion that made him appear as nothing more than open air as he silently walked past them. The hardest part, however, was that smell. Sweet, merciful Arceus the _ smell! _He had to fight with every fibre of his being not to gag as he walked along the bridge, over the canal to the other side, and ran for the nearest shadowed alley to catch his breath. He fought against the urge to puke and continued on.

As per Volcan's instructions to find a location high off the ground, Hank set his eyes on the nearest, tallest structure he could find. A high-rise condominium standing easily fourteen stories tall, with a fifteenth-floor penthouse suite he didn't doubt. Blackcoast had been intended to be a modern, metropolitan paradise when it'd been built, and whoever did the building had certainly gone all out. It was almost a shame to see the big city would never realize its potential.

He slipped into the building, and briefly considered taking the elevator to the top floor. Two things stopped him. The first, not wanting to blow his hidden approach. The second, he was fairly sure by the disrepair of the interior that the elevator would probably fall to the ground halfway to the top. With a hushed _'Nope'_he made for the stairs and took the long arduous climb to the penthouse. He found two guards at the door, but with careful work, he opened the door soundlessly, hiding it with an illusion. One of the guards heard the squeak of the hinge and looked, but to him the door was still in place, and he looked ahead again.

Inside the condo was a single occupant, which disgusted Hank. The penthouse was large enough to be home to a family of five_,_and it was the first clean _anything_Hank had seen since he'd set foot in the city. The only occupant of the penthouse was a fat, excessively decorated Grumpig, riddled with jewelled accessories and expensive clothes, who could barely take a step without his body rippling from the tremor of each hoof-step. The man did not look short of wealth, yet by everything Hank saw in the suite, every Pok he had was exclusively for his own comfort and no one else's.

Hank, irritated, felt no shame for his actions when he put his illusions to work and put the ultimate scare into the fat crook. Still invisible, he flipped the table near him, making the Grumpig jump. Then he made the light in the room lessen as he flung items about, making like a Gengar using Poltergeist to make every inanimate object in the room fly at the Grumpig. The creature was such a coward he did not even attempt to use the strong Psychic abilities Hank _knew_Grumpig possessed, in any manner to defend himself. For his grand finale, Hank conjured a truly demonic projection, a warped and twisted image of himself cackling like a complete madman.

He nearly exploded into laughter as the Grumpig ran out of the suite, screaming about a 'haunting'. The guards ran after him as he ran down the stairs, and Hank was fairly certain he heard the fat pig trip and tumble down several flights, squealing in horror the whole way down before things became quiet.

Unable to stop himself anymore, Hank burst out laughing, slapping his knee over and over as he laughed at the Grumpig's misfortune. "Works EVERY time!" He exclaimed as he shut the door and locked it up nice and tight. He then would flop down on the sofa and raise his claw to his earpiece, still chuckling somewhat as he raised his allies. "Yo, Chicken Legs." He said into his radio, trying to stifle his laughter. "Managed to snag that Penthouse I mentioned earlier. Yer clear to land at yer earliest convenience."

"...Why do I get the feeling that you didn't walk in through the front door and find it abandoned?" The Blaziken on the other end asked.

"I'll fill you in when you get here. Just -heehee! - get on over here, will ya?"

"We're on our way in. Just make sure you leave a marker for us to find it," he heard Lashanne say.

"Will do. See ya in a bit." Hank returned, cutting off his feed before he went back to laughing his ass off about scaring the owner of the penthouse off with his antics.

The sun had already set over the horizon by the time the airship arrived at the penthouse, having to ascend higher to match its height before slowing to a stop over the massive veranda that covered the roof. The gas bag noticeably swelled as the ship touched down, filling its outer sacs with air to add mass and bring it down, balancing it delicately upon the keel.

The rest of the ship was hidden from sight below, but the gas bag was still visible. Hopefully, thought Volcan, nobody would think to come looking if they knew the penthouse belonged to someone.

Volcan was the first to come down into the house, finding Hank still stretched out on the sofa waiting for them. He looked about the home, taking in the furniture, fully equipped kitchen and most importantly abundance of space the house offered.

He looked at Hank, nodding in approval. "This will do it. Nice job, trickster."

"Hehe, all in a day's work, Chicken Legs." He said as he pointed to the kitchen. "Help yerself to whatever you want. I imagine we'll need to fuel up before we start busting some heads."

"Did you make sure the floors below were clear?" Volcan asked.

"Didn't see anyone living in the immediate floors below when I scaled the place, so yea, I think we're in the clear." Hank returned.

"Let's hope you're right...the last thing we need is having our cover blown by a common tenant here." Minato would pipe up as he examined the suite. "...Huh. Certainly a lot cleaner than I expected."

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Volcan.

At that, Hank was back to snickering, covering his mouth and leaning back against the sofa. "Yeeaaaa, about that...hehehehe."

Minato looked to Hank with a glib look in his eyes. ".... This suite was occupied, wasn't it?" He asked flatly.

At that, Hank would burst out laughing again, slapping his knee with one claw while holding his stomach with the other. "You shoulda SEEN the look on his face when I spooked him! Fucking PRICELESS!!" He finally exclaimed.

"I trust you made sure he didn't see _you_while you pulled your poltergeist routine?" Volcan asked.

He stopped laughing at that, then cast a dirty look to Volcan. "What do you think I am, an amateur?" Hank asked, feeling slightly offended by the question. "You think I'd make a rookie mistake like that?"

"Just making sure that he doesn't realize he got tricked after he's had time to get his head together," replied Volcan, putting up his hands defensively. "We don't need him bringing a whole gang back here."

"Truuuust me, man. He was pretty damn convinced his place was cursed when I spooked him." Hank assured Volcan. "I doubt he'll be back for a long ass time."

"For all of our sakes, I hope you're right." Minato commented offhandedly.

Hank looked over to Minato, noticing the unimpressed look on his face and groaned. "Dear Arceus, we got another Froggie in our midst..."

"Alright, Hank, take five -you've done well today. The rest of us, let's get ourselves settled in here," said Volcan. "Minato. Do what you need to do -find those cons, and let's get this mission on the go." He then put a finger to his ear. "Doug, come in. Can you hear me out there?"

"Loud and clear, pal! Whatcha need from me?" Doug replied through his radio.

"Have you found a way into the city through those canals?"

"Yea, barely. Had to really weave my way through the ground to avoid any water mains or other underground obstacles, but I'm in." He would reply.

"Alright. You're our eyes on the street. Head toward the penthouse building where we've parked the airship - should be northwest from where we made our entry," explained Volcan. "Camp out at the main door and keep me posted of anyone coming in or out, especially if they look like one of the cons we're hunting for."

"_You got it! I'll be there in a flash!"_Doug returned in an excited tone before he cut the radio feed and made his way over to the apartment complex following Volcan's directions.

Minato would then get straight to work, heading out to the balcony of the estate and sitting down in a cross-legged position. He would then suck in a deep breath and sigh, relaxing his body as much as he could before tuning to his aura sense. He needed to be as calm and as tranquil as he could if he were to perform a sweep of the entire city. The Lucario focused his thoughts into the five escaped convicts, then he would expand his sensory range as far as he could, looking for specific pings within Blackcoast that matched the signatures of the escaped convicts.

Meanwhile it fell to Volcan and Sickle to make plans for dealing with the convicts, opening the files containing their information once again and pouring over the details to postulate their strategy...