FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

One hour earlier...

"Keep your heads low, guys!" Volcan instructed his team through the scarf around his face as the smoke grew thicker, leading then around the trees and waving his hand in a vain effort to clear the smoke.

Trees reduced to husks of smoldering kindling lay all around then; a literal trail of destruction marking the path to their target. Ashes flew with every step they took, forcing Serena to linger on Tristan's back to avoid getting the hot soot in her eyes. Volcan stepped on a burnt branch as they walked, the formerly healthy tree limb all but disintegrating beneath his foot. His teammates marched in a line behind them, except for Serena who walked up front with Volcan, dousing embers in their path so that they didn't have to step on hot debris, and acting as their eyes as the smoke was much thinner low to the ground.

"All this destruction from one Fire-type alone..." Minato muttered softly, taking in their surroundings. "For what purpose? This is all just senseless destruction. What would he have to gain from all this?"

"I'm thinking Blaster was on the nose," offered Lashanne, stepping over a fallen branch. "Calhoun's clearing land for farming. All this ash will enrish the soil in the long run."

"From what we've heard about Sol, would that even matter to him?" Tristan asked.

"More likely Calhoun's plan, not Sol's," clarified Lashanne. "He's just a hired goon, for lack of a better term. Doing the job he's given."

Minato growled slightly. "Him actually treating his subordinates right? I can't imagine him being _that_generous..." He growled, his tone becoming increasingly venomous the more the topic was discussed.

"Remember what Blaster said, Minato. An army moves on its stomach," Volcan reminded, looking over his shoulder to his friend. "Remember what happened to Jora, and with Blackcoast he has a whole city just as desperate as she was back then. With enough food to offer them, they'll be lining up in droves. And aside from that, some will be drawn to the promise of safety within his ranks." He looked ahead again, still trying to wave some of the smoke aside. "As much as I hate to admit it, it's a perfect plan."

"One that we're going to nip right in the bud before it can even begin to blossom," The Lucario added firmly.

"That's the idea," agreed Volcan. As they trudged through a pile of ash, he had to pick up Serena as her feet were starting to hurt, and he carried her underarm through the smoke. "The ashes are getting hotter as we go - we must be-" the Blaziken was cut off by an audible snap and a deafening groan.

Turning sharply, they saw a tree that had yet to fall had finally given in to its weakened state and began to fall... right toward them! Tristan shouted a warning before he ran into its path. While he did succeed in stopping the tree, its burned exterior, jolted by the sudden stop, collapsed, causing burnt bark and ash to rain down around them, throwing up a cloud of soot and soot that sent the others into a coughing fit, having to cover their eyes to keep from getting blind.

"Damnit, we don't have time for this!" Minato hollered as he coughed and waved his paw about to clear the ash in their way.

Tristan threw aside the tree he had caught, and then let out a hoarse sneeze before turning back to the others. His front had become caked in ash, giving him a rather ghostly appearance as he blinked the soot from his eyes. "This is getting annoying!" He growled before sneezing again.

At that, Minato agreed, and quickly thought of an idea. "Everyone move aside! I'm clearing a path!" He announced as he stepped up to the plate, his body glowing slightly as he channelled his telekinesis into his paws and held them across his chest.

With a sudden shout, he thrust his arms forward, sending out a Psychic force that blew away all of the ash and dead trees in a line ahead of them, creating a clear path ahead for the group to continue unabated thanks to Minato's efforts.

"Huh, why didn't I think of that?" Lashanne asked, slapping some ash from her arm.

"Next time, you can have a turn. Right now, we're on the clock." Minato replied quickly. "Let's get moving before this whole forest comes crashing down."

"Agreed. As I was about to say, the ashes are getting warmer. Sol can't be too far ahead now," said Volcan, turning to face the path in the soot ahead and resuming their walk.

Serena altered her location to Tristan's back, watching over his shoulder as they walked, she eyed the woodlands around her sadly, and nearly cried when she saw the burnt remains of what had certainly been a Pokemon caught in the path of destruction. It was so burnt she could not even identify what it was. She had to pull her eyes away, and Tristan heard her whimper.

"Hey girl, you doin' alright there?" The Aggron asked.

"I'm... I'm scared..." she admitted. "All this destruction, caused by only one Pokémon... I don't want to face him, knowing he could do all this."

"Serena, you can go back if you need to," Volcan offered, turning to look back at her with empathy.

"N-no... I can't," she replied, shaking her head. "We're too close for me to leave now and force you to rethink your plan."

"You won't have to fight him if you don't wish to," assured Volcan. "If everything goes as I hope it does, we'll be able to take Sol down pretty easily..."

"You hope," Lashanne remarked, sensing the unease in the team captain's voice.

"I'm certain of it," the Blaziken returned, although it was a white lie. His plan would certainly make Sol more vulnerable, but with how powerful the Typhlosion was... 'no,' he thought, cursing himself. 'Too late for doubts now.' "It will work," he added more firmly.

Minato would gently pat Serena's back in reassurance. "Regardless, we'll watch your back, just as we always have." He said with a reassuring smile before he would stand tall and follow after Volcan toward their target.

The smoke continued to grow thicker, forcing Minato and Lashanne using their Psychic abilities to push it away, keeping the air as breathable as possible, until finally, a figure appeared through the smoke ahead, already in the process of torching another tree, a cone fire leaving his mouth and travelling up the height of a pine, burning away the pine needles and cones and filling the air with sparks and the smell of acrid smoke and burning pine.

From the smoke, the Typhlosion was revealed. His back was partially turned, but the group could see just enough of him to see part of his face. His expression seemed...vacant at first glance, like he didn't even seem to care too much about what he was doing to the forest, but one thing that hadn't changed was how ridiculously strong he looked. Even Minato could tell just how strong this Typhlosion was just by looking at him, and already his blood was boiling in excitement at the thought of facing someone that even Team Valiant feared to face in combat.

"...Ohhh I'm going to enjoy this more than I probably should." Minato admitted, that knowing smirk crossing his features as he continued to look on at Sol as he breathed another Flamethrower at another large patch of healthy grass to his left.

"Sol!" Volcan called out to him, only to not receive any response from him. "What the-?" He breathed in, and called Sol's name again, louder this time, yet still Sol didn't respond to his call.

"Is he hard of hearing?" Lashanne asked.

"Not that I've been told," replied Volcan.

"Then... is he ignoring us?" Serena asked

"This guy? No way. Luke told me he'd never pass up a chance for a fight," replied Volcan.

"Then let me get his attention," Tristan suggested, taking a step forward while pounding his fists together.

Minato held out his arm in front of Tristan before he could take another step. His eyes already closed and tapped to his Sense to get a better read on the Typhlosion's aura before he would speak up again. "...Something's off about him." He would say as he tuned back to his normal vision. "I sense ... three different auras within him." He said as he turned to Volcan. "You mentioned he had the powers of a God, right?"

"Yes, he's Blessed - he carries Reshiram's power," replied Volcan. "But there's a third aur- wait," Volcan tensed. "Is it Shadow Essence?"

"No it's not. If it were, his body would also be physically altered." Minato explained. "It's... concentrated mostly around his head, like a purple cloud that's obscuring my ability to read his thoughts..."

"His thoughts..." repeated Volcan. "Wait a minute," he added, his eyes widening with sudden intensity, lifting a finger to his beak and licking it before holding it up in the air, gauging wind direction before he spoke again "Minato, try your aura sense again, but this time, search directly upwind from us, and let me know as soon as you see something." He instructed, pointing west of their location.

"...Okay?" Minato returned, slightly confused as to what his friend was asking of him, but obliging nonetheless. He tuned back into his Aura Sense and broadened his search range in the direction Volcan had directed him to...

There it was. A signal that matched the cloud he had felt within Sol's head. His eyes shot wide open as a result and he looked to Volcan intenstly. "Looks like your instincts were on point. I found something matching whatever's clouding Sol's mind about twenty clicks to the Northwest."

"Now it makes sense," stated Volcan.

"Then, you better explain it to us, sarge," Lashanne remarked with a shrug.

"That's not Sol," replied Volcan. "At least, it's his body, but he's not the one in control. I bet any money that this is Bialo's doing."

"Bialo?" Tristan asked, tilting his head. "You mean that squid-guy from Warmachine?"

"He's a Malamar, and yes, I mean him," replied Volcan.

At the mention of a Malamar, the meaning of Volcan's word became clear. "He's been mesmerized!" Serena exclaimed. "That's why he won't respond to us!"

"Bialo is probably not listening through him otherwise he'd already know we're here. Effectively he has him on autopilot following a basic command," said Volcan. "Minato, take Lashanne and go find that aura signal. Tristan, Serena and I will deal with Sol."

"Further splitting us up? Are you sure that's smart?" Lashanne asked.

"I agree with her. Are you sure you'll be alright without us?" Minato inquired. "The second he's free, he's almost sure to attack."

"No, I'm not sure," admitted the Blaziken. "But we can't let Bialo get away either. As soon as one of you has him detained, the other comes right back here to help us out. And watch it - Bialo isn't physically threatening but he's a conniving bastard. Do _not_take any chances with him."

"Take him down quick, and don't look at the lights," clarified Lashanne, nodding. "Got it."

"Alright then... let's go." Minato returned with a nod toward Lashanne before he started running toward the Northwest where he sensed Bialo's signal. As the two of them ran, Minato let out an irritated sigh as he looked over his shoulder toward Volcan and the others. "...So much for a good challenge," he said. The warrior within him had actually been looking forward to fighting Sol.

"I have Signal Beam," Lashanne spoke up as she ran alongside him. "I'll blast the squid into calamari and you can come right back for the fight. Sound good, sport?" She looked at him, smiling smugly, especially at his reaction to the use of the word 'sport' - the same word Volcan used when speaking to Caulin.

The Lucario raised an eyebrow at Lashanne for a moment before a smirk of his own crossed his features. "Clearly you've been hanging around Volcan and my son too much." He joked, chuckling a little as he turned his gaze forward once more. "Though I can't exactly complain in that regard."

"Conversation for another time," she stated, facing ahead again and jumping over a fallen log. "How far away is he?"

"Five clicks and closing." Minato answered quickly. "He's barely moved. At most, he just seems to be pacing. This will be far too easy."

"Complacency will be his downfall," said Lashanne, confidently.

Bialo let out a yawn as he paced about the clearing, levitating across the grassy clearing as he continued to monitor Sol's activity through his telepathic connection to the Typhlosion.

"This is so boring," he complained. "There's barely a mind to control in that simpleton, and just burning down trees... This is menial labour at best - surely I'm meant for greater things than this."

Letting out a long sigh, he decided to check in on his 'puppet' once more, linking his mind to Sol and attuning his senses to his. He felt the Typhlosion's presence pushing at him - even for the past several days of being unable to break free, the stubborn Typhlosion was still trying. 'Oh do shut up,' thought Bialo, pushing Sol's consciousness aside as his vision changed to see through Sol's eyes, and his ears to that of the Typhlosion's.

'Much easier to control one person than multiple,' he thought.

Wait... was that a voice? Someone else was there? "...weaken him! Let's go!" He turned Sol toward the voice, and both his body and that of the puppeteered Typhlosion jerked as he saw an all too familiar Blaziken leaping at him, a fist outstretched to strike him between the eyes.

Bialo withdrew from the link, though did not surrender control, blinking the haze from his eyes. "What the hell - him again?!" Bialo demanded. "How do I keep running into that damn Blaziken?!"

He changed his command to Sol, altering it to an attack command instead of burning the trees. 'May have to take an active role this time. With the power Sol has, it should be easy to put that damned bird down for good.'

Then, he felt something hitting him, sending a bolt of pain ripping through him. It was not through his connection to Sol, the strike was on his_body! '_I'm under attack!' He realized, once more bringing his focus back to his main body, and looking around for his assailant. He saw a Lucario, already conjuring a second Aura Sphere to attack him.

"Should've known you'd be nearby!" Bialo commented, raising a tentacle and charging a Psycho Cut, but paused as he took a second look at the Lucario. "Wait... you're not the same Lucario, you're someone else! Who are you?" He demanded.

"Who I am is none of your concern..." He replied in a cold manner before he thrust his paw forward and discharged the Aura Sphere at Bialo, the attack travelling at breakneck speeds toward its intended target.

Bialo struck out with his Psycho Cut, but his arm had barely reached out halfway before the Aura Sphere struck him and bowled him over, sending him crashing to the ground. "Why you little..." He floated back to an upright position, and his body began to glow as he ignited his hypnotic bioluminescence, trying to catch the Lucario's gaze in its light.

Minato smirked, instinctively closing his eyes when he saw Bialo start to try and hypnotize him, rendering his ability completely useless now that Minato was relying on his aura sense to track the Malamar's presence. "Please, you really think I'd fall for something so simple?" He asked. "Besides, you're already controlling one powerful pokemon. Trying to control another certainly can't be good for your mental health."

"If I can control the strongest Rescue Team in the world all at the same time, I can control anyone! Doesn't matter how many of you there are!" He said as he prepared another Psycho Cut.

A light to his left caught his attention, and he barely moved out of the way as a swirling torrent of fire shot past him, nearly scalding his face from the heat.

"Can only face it in one direction though!" A Delphox called from the other side of the clearing, stepping out into the open.

"Ah! Two against one?!" He complained, waving his tentacle arms in protest. "I call foul!" He was silenced by a Signal Beam into his flank, causing him to recoil in pain and tumble to the ground.

"And I call 'shut the fuck up'," Lashanne retorted, keeping her wand trained on Bialo as she moved closer, coming to stand a few steps to Minato's left. "That was a Bug-type move, and you're a Psychic and Dark-type - that's double trouble for you. Next shot, I won't hold back."

Bialo tried to get up, lifting his head as he pushed himself up. The point of an Aura blue sword rested against his beak-like mouth, scratching the hard cartiledge as Minato held him there. "For your own sake, I would surrender." Minato commented, conjuring another Aura Sphere in his paw and holding it in front of him.

"I... I..." Bialo babbled, looking between the two in terror. "This was not the plan! He said I'd be safe out here!"

"Yeah, well, he clearly didn't account for us," said Lashanne.

"Didn't I?" A chilling voice spoke from behind Minato and Lashanne. A voice so casual, yet so filled with malicious intent, it caused their eyes to open wide and the fur on both their necks to stand on end.

Shaking off the momentary dread, they whipped around, and saw to their horror, a familiar long-legged, bipedal figure. It was a Blaziken, but it was not Volcan - it could not possibly have been him, for the sheer dread they both felt at the sight of him was nearly palpable. Two amethyst coloured eyes looked between them, worn over a gleefully sadistic smile on a face of charcoal black. Their body was covered in ash-gray feathers, too clean and consistent to be ash from the forest or the result of coloured dyes.

"Can't have you taking out my puppeteer," said Calhoun, his grin widening.

"You're... you're here! Master Calhoun!" Bialo cried gleefully. "You came to protect me?"

"But of course," Calhoun returned in a feigned tone of compassion. "I did say you would be safe, didn't I?"

"What... the... hell?" Lashanne asked slowly, barely believing the horrifying creature she saw before her. He looked like any other Blaziken at first, yet those feathers, those eyes and the intent behind them, and just the palpable sense of bloodthirst that radiated from him... all of it felt so wrong.

On the other hand, Minato's expression contorted into a mixture of many different emotions the second he saw the Shadow Blaziken before him. Fear, anxiety, despair...but above all that, he felt _incredibly_angry. His temper was starting to rise at an alarming rate, taking every ounce of willpower he had in his disposal to not blindly rush in and attack Calhoun without any sort of plan. His paws were shaking at his sides...hell, his entire body was trembling with rage the more he stared at the one who took away his home...and his wife...

Slowly but surely he managed to calm himself down as he turned to fully face Calhoun, managing to put on a slight smirk as he rolled his head along his shoulders slowly. "Well well well... You finally decide to show your ugly mug." He said in a low tone toward the Shadow Blaziken. "What the hell kept you? Afraid to get your hands dirty? Unwilling to meddle in affairs you feel are beneath you?"

Calhoun tilted his head at Minato, his smile fading. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Minato's brow furrowed furiously at the Shadow Blaziken, his paws clenching tightly at his sides so hard his knuckles were audibly cracking. "I'm the guy that gave your toughest lieutenant a whole lot of trouble until you intervened," He growled. "The one you took prisoner and sent me into isolation so many times at your damn fortress..." He continued to growl as his anger rose up again. "...The one you SHOULD have killed when you attacked Arc Island!"

Calhoun hummed, rolling his eyes and rubbing his chin as if he was trying to remember. "Arc Island... I do recall going there," he said with a shrug. "Sorry, but your explanation does little to narrow it down. I killed dozens that night. Men, women, children..."

Lashanne saw Minato tense, but she put out her wand in his path to stop him from charging. "Don't!" She hissed. "He remembers! He's just trying to goad you!"

The grin returned to Calhoun's face. "Oh dear, seems the lady saw right through me," he remarked.

Once again, Minato used all of his willpower to calm himself down, remembering the promise he made to Volcan should a situation like this ever occur. Anger was a tool, but if used incorrectly it would only serve to destroy him in the end. He knew this, and he was not about to let himself become goaded into a blind rage.

Sucking in a deep breath, he did his best to relax and let the anger ebb out of his system as he exhaled. He then opened his eyes and glared sternly back at Calhoun. "The only reason you managed to take me down was because you attacked me while my back was turned. I'd hardly call you a warrior if you resort to such tactics just to claim victory over one opponent." He said before he held his right arm out and summoned his blade. "Let's see just how well you perform when your opponent's back _isn't_turned to you..."

"Oh that hardly matters to me," returned Calhoun.

Suddenly, the Blaziken blurred, his body seemingly fading as he moved to one side, until the two fighters heard the dark Blaziken's voice behind them again. "You can't even see where I'm going."

Instinctively, both he and Lashanne jumped away, turning to face him again. "Speed boost?" Lashanne asked, stunned. "_Without_Mega Evolution?"

Not unheard of, Minato thought. He already knew one other Blaziken with the ability naturally - that of Volcan's mother, Degra. Although Volcan himself had not inherited the ability from her, instead receiving the more common ability 'Blaze' and unlocking his race's hidden power only through Mega Evolution. Calhoun, however, was not similarly bound, it seemed.

"...So you get faster the more you fight, eh?" Minato remarked, twirling his blade once before holding it in front of him in a guarding stance. "You're not the first I've encountered with speed that exceeds my own, Calhoun. Mark my words, today's the day I exact vengeance for all the lives you took that night." He then grinned a little himself as his blade twitched slightly in his grasp. "Only this time around, you won't get another chance to blindside me like you did before."

"Well, this time the odds are even, then," said Calhoun. "Bialo, if you would be so kind?"

"Me? But I am-"

"Oh right," Lashanne said, before raising her wand and firing a Signal Beam.

At first, she seemed to be aiming at Calhoun, who instinctively ducked, but without ceasing her casting of the beam, she moved her arm to redirect it, striking Bialo dead-on with the attack. The Malamar hollered in agony as the blast bore into him and carried him across the clearing to smash into a tree on the other side. He slid down the trunk as she ceased her attack, and he fell limp onto the grass, a groan escaping him before he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Sorry, you said something about the odds being 'even'?" Lashanne asked, now aiming her wand at Calhoun.

The Blaziken cast her an annoyed look. "So hard to find good help these days," he said, before smiling at Lashanne. "Too bad you didn't join _my_crew, my lady."

"Oh stop, you're making me ill," Lashanne retorted, putting emphasis on the last word

But then, Calhoun's smile faded, and he shifted his posture. "No matter," he said, widening his stance and lowering his himself until he was barely above half his usual height, weight shifting from one leg to the other as dark flames ignited around his wrists. "Let's begin, shall w-?"

Calhoun couldn't even finish his statement. The second he was just about finished, Minato was right in his face, a look of intense anger in his eyes as their gazes met momentarily before the Lucario smashed the hilt of his blade square into Calhoun's jaw. The force of the impact caused the Dark Blaziken to stumble to the side, caught off guard by the attack - albeit only momentarily.

"This isn't the beginning, scum... This battle's ending before it even_starts!!_" Minato declared furiously as he thrust his free paw forward and launched an Aura Sphere at Calhoun.

The Dark Blaziken cartwheeled aside, avoiding the initial approach of the sphere and taking cover behind a tree to avoid it, letting the sphere hit the tree as it pursued him. Minato also pursued, coming up on the other side of the tree and slashing with his sword at Calhoun's neck. The Dark Blaziken ducked and spun away, taking note of Minato's sword.

"So much rage," Calhoun said in a strained voice. "You truly hate me, don't you?"

Minato growled, feeling his temper starting to spike as he pulled his sword free of the bark, baring his teeth . "Is that...rhetorical?!" He stated before he suddenly dissipated his blade, making Calhoun stumble forward. In that same moment, the Lucario reared his head back and slammed it hard into Calhoun's for a brutal headbutt, then he kneed his stomach to make him double over before grabbing his arm and throwing Calhoun over his shoulder.

"You took everything from me that day!" He roared after he threw Calhoun onto the ground, twisting his arm with intent to dislocate it completely off his shoulder.

Much to his own shock... the arm suddenly popped free of his shoulder, giving him pause until he realized that the body he was on top of was a wooden dummy. A substitute! He heard Calhoun laugh, before he felt a Blaze Kick connect with his back, making Minato roar out as he felt the kick connect, sending him into a tumble instinctively to put out the flames on his back before he rolled back into a crouch, glaring angrily at the Dark Blaziken.

Calhoun was still wearing that damned grin... and that made Minato even angrier, to see him taking delight in the agony of his opponent. He did not even need to taunt him any further - Lucario was already slipping beyond reason, beyond caution... and Lashanne knew it as well. With a shout to get Calhoun's attention, she cast a Psybeam, forcing Calhoun to retreat as she swept across the clearing with the beam, backing away as Calhoun tried to close the distance. She had to stop the beam when the dark Blaziken moved over to stand in alignment with Minato, nearly causing her to hit him with the attack.

But in that instant, between the casting of her Psybeam and cancelling it, Calhoun dashed over to her, faster than she could respond, and kicked her in her side, sending her hurtling into a tree. She gasped, feeling the wind knocked out of her as she hit the tree, barely leaving her coherent enough to dodge the next attack - Calhoun's kick smashed straight through the trunk of the tree, sending it crashing down into the clearing.

Then, as Minato started to close in to render assistance to Lashanne, Calhoun caught up to her. She swung her wand at him - he ducked, and snapped forward, seizing her paw before he brought up his knee and struck her elbow. The _snap_sent Minato's stomach churning, and Lashanne's agonized scream nearly deafened him. Calhoun released her and pushed her aside before turning his attention back on the Lucario, still wearing that damnable grin.

His eyes became tiny beads with rage. He let out another furious roar as he charged back in at breakneck speeds, his paws glowing with Aura energy as he started thrusting his arms at Calhoun with a barrage of Force Palms. Calhoun dipped, ducked and cartwheeled every which way, practically dancing as he evaded each of Minato's rage driven attacks. At one point, he stopped, and Minato seemed like he had him as the Blaziken shifted his stance as if trying to block the move. It touched his arm, and...

Calhoun's body blurred as he twisted, sending the Force Palm shooting past as he rolled and kicked Minato from behind again, sending Minato tumbling forward with the momentum of his own attack. He hit the ground, dazed, but still able to pick up Calhoun's menacing laughter behind him.

"Even that close I still had enough time to set a Counter," Calhoun mocked him. "You're too slow and too blind, warrior. You will_never_defeat me as you are."

He shook his head to clear his haziness, panting as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He was absolutely furious right now, almost to the point of going completely blind with rage. The only thing holding him back was his promise, and he used that image to slowly calm himself down again before he stood back up again with his back turned to Calhoun still. There he remained, not moving an inch and keeping his eyes closed as he reined in his anger, his body slumping slightly as he began to relax as a result.

"That was a big mistake, breaking my comrade's arm like that, you scum..." He said, lowly.

"Was it?" Calhoun asked, arching an eyebrow. "I suppose then you're going to tell me you haven't been taking this fight seriously, is that it?" He held open his arms as if in invitation. "By all means, go ahead. I've heard every bit of bravado you can imagine."

The next thing Calhoun knew, he felt his throat suddenly close up, as if an unseen hand had gripped his neck and was squeezing him to the point where not even a wheeze could escape his lungs. Instinctively, he grabbed at his neck, but there was nothing there to seize. He saw the blue aura radiating around Minato, and knew he was the cause. Calhoun was then lifted into the air by that same unseen force as Minato slowly turned to face him, his eyes still having that furious look in them, but his pupils no longer shrunk into beads. He had managed to clear his mind, and with that clarity came the return of his ability to properly use Psychic.

"...Something like that." He responded to Calhoun's question.

In the next moment, the Dark Blaziken was suddenly slammed _hard_into the ground, then lifted up into the air again and slammed again, and again, and again. This continued a few more times afterward before he mentally threw the Dark Blaziken around and slammed him _through_the closest tree, certain he heard a bone break along with the trunk. His ears caught that sound, making him grin slightly before he suddenly lunged toward Calhoun, this time catching his neck in one paw while he powered up a Force Palm in the other, slamming it as hard as he could into his solar plexus and sending a brutally powerful force through Calhoun before he tossed him aside.

Calhoun went limp, paralyzed by the onslaught he had endured. Minato summoned his sword again as he held the dark Blaziken closer, staring at his stunned face.

"I'd say that brings things around full circle..." He said, and then spat on the ground beside him. "...Is what I would like to say. But no amount of limbs breaking or injuries inflicted will ever make up for the destruction of my home and the deaths of those who resided there," he added as he lifted his blade to Calhoun's neck. "...You destroyed my home without cause... you nearly killed my best friend, then enslaved those that you broke. But above all that..." He squeezed Calhoun's neck tighter. "...You took my wife away from me! The mother of my only son! That is something I can't let you get away with..."

Calhoun's broken body seemed incapable of forming any sort of reply. He was conscious, but his lower jaw was out of place, his right arm twisted awkwardly as well as his left leg. He had several open wounds, none of which were life-threatening at first glance, but the internal damage seemed severe. His chest was caved, and his breaths were coming in laboured gasps, yet still he didn't look afraid despite his clear helplessness.

Minato scoffed angrily. "What I don't get is why?" He said firmly. "You were a monk once. You studied their ways of preserving peace and tranquility, and yet here you are bastardizing their beliefs and using what they taught you for chaos and destruction."

He then jabbed the Blaziken's chest with his blade, putting a bit of pressure along his rib cage with his sword. "What made you change so suddenly?? Answer me, damnit!!" He demanded.

Calhoun let out a deep groan, at first seeming like he was trying to answer. But with Minato suddenly reminded his jaw was broken, he realized... he couldn't. At least, he shouldn't be able to, but as Minato watched the barely coherent dark Blaziken, something began to happen... his feathers became darker, and the colour of his eyes faded... was he dying?

Then came the snapping... crunching... the unmistakable sound of bones being forcefully realigned against their will. As Minato watched, Calhoun's visibly broken limbs realigned themselves, his ribcage reformed, putting the bones back where they needed to be, and his jaw snapped back into place, all without any assistance from him or any other visible force. Calhoun's face showed obvious discomfort, brow creased and eyes clenching, yet never once did he scream. Minato's shock at the spectacle cost him his advantage, as Calhoun's good leg snapped forward, kicking him hard and breaking his hold on Calhoun as the force of the kick separated them, allowing Calhoun to stand on his own two feet again.

"I suppose it was inevitable that someone would learn of my origins," remarked Calhoun, popping his neck. "But really, it doesn't matter. Who I was - before I became this," he gestured at himself, "is irrelevant, for there will never be another like me." He held up his hands, and a swarm of ethereal feathers appeared around him. Roost, Minato recognized - he was healing himself!

"No you don't!!" He roared, quickly summoning another blade and hurling it like a boomerang as Calhoun Roosted. He would move over to Calhoun's left flank and fire off three Aura Spheres before he tried to catch him again in another Psychic grasp.

But this time Calhoun was ready, dashing out of the trajectory of Minato's sword, and then using a sweeping Flamethrower to disperse the aura spheres - no wait, not Flamethrower. This fire was bigger and hotter, and it forced Minato to back away, breaking his concentration on Psychic as he escaped the ridiculous heat. When the fire cleared, he turned to Calhoun again, and found he was too late. His had cast Roost again, his external wounds now closed and leaving the dark Blaziken free of any notable injuries.

"I had to use everything in that Roost... I don't think I can cast it again. I've dragged this on long enough," he said as hebrought his hand to his chest, pressing it flat before lifting his hand to expose a shiny object embedded in his chest.

It did not take long for Minato to recognize the colourations and the DNA-strand pattern in the center of the stone, as Volcan had won an identical stone on his chest harness ever since Minato had seen him return from the West Islands.

Calhoun possessed a Blazikenite.

"Time to end it," he said before he touched the mega stone with his other hand, and his body vanished into the crystalline sphere of Mega Evolution.

"...You've got to be kidding me!" The Lucario exclaimed, left stunned and only able to watch as Calhoun ascended to his Mega Evolved state. 'He heals from fatal injuries and has power of Mega Evolution? Just what the hell is this guy?'

Minato remembered when he saw Volcan's own Mega Blaziken form at Hadleigh. It had been an impressive sight - anatomically similar yet, radiating with power that far surpassed his normal form. But as Minato quickly learned, Calhoun's mega evolution was nothing like that. When he reappeared from the sphere, he had the same external appearance as Volcan - altered colour patterns, and the crest on his head reforming into an X-shape around his head, but the similarities ended there.

On his wrists, where normally ribbons of fire would be trailing from them as if caught in the wind, there were instead ribbons of darkness, as black as the void and writhing about as if they had a mind of their own. The mega stone buried in his chest was exposed now with the reforming of the feathers, and it too had discoloured, becoming as black as the tendrils trailing from Calhoun's wrists.

It took him a few moments to finally snap back into reality, his shock quickly wearing off as he shook his head a few times before he assumed his fighting stance once again. Off to the side, Lashanne saw the fight as it took its turn and resumed again. She scrambled to sit up, gritting her teeth against the agony in her arm, and reached for the radio earpiece in her ear, lent to her by Volcan. She had to get help...

~~~~~

Earlier...

As Volcan watched Minato and Lashanne head off to seek out Bialo, he turned his attention back to Sol, narrowing his eyes as he considered quickly how best to change his strategy for fighting the Typhlosion...

He remembered from Team Warmachine's tournament that Bialo, even for all his power, was not a truly skilled combatant, not even when commanding the body of a vastly superior fighter like Sol. He could use them like a puppet on a string all he wanted, but at the end of the day, Bialo did _not_know how Sol fought, and would not be privy to his tactics or how best to use the powers at his disposal.

"Serena, standby with that rain dance," Volcan instructed the Vaporeon. "Take cover behind some of the trees and wait for my signal."

"Got it," she replied, jumping off Tristan's back and running into the thicket to find a suitable spot.

"What about us? We going to wait for Minato or Lashanne?" Tristan asked.

"No," replied Volcan. "I know I suggested one of them come back, but Bialo might keep them busy for a bit, so this is our one chance to weaken him!" His wrists ignited. "Let's go!"

He charged, making a dash at the Typhlosion. Sol started to turn in his direction, slowly, as if in response to his voice. But if the brainwashed Typhlosion did register the incoming attack, he did not respond to it well. Volcan leapt into the air and nailed the Typhlosion square in the side with a perfectly placed High Jump Kick, sending him hurtling through the tree he had been burning down; the tree collapsed, and Volcan had to rush to the side to avoid having it fall on him.

Sol felt the tree crash down on top of him, causing him to fall face first into the ashy ground as a result while the tree splintered around him after impacting his back. He lay there for a few moments before his arms would slowly move and begin to push himself up back to his feet again. He still wore that dull, uninterested look as he gazed back at his attackers before he would raise his arm into the air, then slam it down to the ground and cause the earth to crack and shake as a result. Sol had launched an earthquake attack, and while it was not quite as powerful as it should have been, the attack still would prove hazardous to Volcan and Tristan if it successfully landed.

Tristan managed to carry himself out of danger with Magnet Rise, while Volcan, being closer, barely escaped the carnage with a mighty leap, launching himself high into the air just as the earth deformed under him. 'Way too close,' he thought.

When the quake subsided, Tristan charged, lowering his head and running full tilt at Sol, slamming headlong into him and throwing him backward into a tree. Again, the Typhlosion barely reacted to the strike as he was sent backward into another tree, slamming into it and causing that one to splinter into fragments as well. He stood there, motionless for a time, until he lifted his head toward Tristan and fired off a large cone of fire back at the Aggron with a Flamethrower attack. Tristan threw a Protect into the flamethrower's path, successfully warding off the fire, though he still felt some of the heat. At that moment, Volcan came dropping back down from above, and moved to rejoin the battle, circling around to come at Sol from the right, and delivering a roundhouse kick to him.

Unknown to the two, Bialo had been forced to withdraw most of his control from Sol, as Minato and Lashanne had already all but subdued him - the Typhlosion was only running on a basic 'attack' command, but beneath the puppeteer's control, Sol was emerging. He could sense his body was under attack, but could not see who was doing it. It did not matter - the fact was, Bialo's presence was gone, and now all that stood between him and his freedom was a single, hastily formed psychic barrier and hypnotic command.

As Volcan moved to attack again, Sol's reaction speed was quicker. He turned and lifted his arm to block Volcan's kick. Then, his other paw glowed bright white as he rounded on the Blaziken with a Mega Punch. Volcan saw the punch coming, and narrowly moved out of the full force of the blow, but Sol had been just quick enough to graze his side with it, throwing Volcan off balance and sending him stumbling back, fighting to stay on his feet. Tristan moved in again then, tackling Sol from the side and picking him up in a mighty bearhug before he threw himself back into an aerial suplex, but to his dismay, Sol raised his paws to catch the fall. Although Tristan was too heavy for Sol to stop completely, he still managed to slow it enough that he avoided the full force of the suplex, and shook free of the dismayed Aggron, rolling back onto his feet.

"Is it me or is he getting quicker?" Tristan asked.

"Either Bialo's taken full control of him, or he's waking up," Volcan commented. "If it's the latter then Minato and Lashanne already got Bialo - we need to subdue him, now!"

"Here I come!" Tristan bellowed, throwing himself forward into a flying Head Smash at the Typhlosion, hoping to use the super-effective Rock-type attack to knock him out completely...

Little did he know, that at that moment, Sol finally emerged. The last barrier shattered, and Sol once more felt himself awakening to the world, feeling the presence of Reshiram again, her voice speaking to him without being filtered by Bialo's control. As he came to his senses, the meaning of the words was caught...

'Look out!'

Then as he regained his vision, he saw the behemoth of an Aggron soaring at him, hearing him bellowing with fury. With his instincts fully returned, Sol quickly hopped out of the way of the charging Aggron, skidding on all fours as he watched Tristan run head first into several more crumbling trees.

"Hey, wha-?!"

CRUNCH!

After boring through two skinny, burned trees, Tristan's head became lodged in the hollowed stump of an already dead tree, trapping him in darkness. His voice was muffled as he shouted into the stump.

"Hey! What happened; who turned out the lights?!" He demanded, pulling at the stump only to succeed in ripping the dead thing free of the ground, still stuck upon his head as he scraped his claws at it, trying to get it off.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," another voice remarked, bringing Sol snapping to attention.

He didn't know the voice, but now that Sol was getting his bearings, he took in his surroundings. He was in the woods, though not any he was familiar with - a vast expanse of pine stretched out as far as the eye could see... except south, past the Blaziken standing nearby, watching him warily. The forest was burning beyond that point, a trail of destruction he knew could only have been his doing stretching further than he could see beyond the wall of smoke.

"What the fuck am I even doing here?" He suddenly bellowed after he absorbed his surroundings, then turned to Volcan and glared harshly at the Blaziken. "What the fuck are _you_doing here?!" He demanded, eyeing Volcan dangerously as he turned fully to face him.

"Wait..." said Volcan, his posture relaxing slightly. "You're back to normal?" He asked.

Sol had the feeling he had seen this Blaziken somewhere before, although it had been so long he could not quite place it. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed harder at Volcan, trying to remember just where he had seen him before. As he recalled his memories, a flashback to the Team Warmachine tournament suddenly entered his mind, remembering the moment just before he fought Torolf where he had an encounter with his father's old friend, Luke, and remembered seeing that very same Blaziken next to him as he called the Lucario out.

"You..." He said lowly, his shoulders slumping slightly as he relaxed somewhat. "You're that Blaziken from the tournament, aren't you? You were with the fuzzball," He asked before his glare turned harsh again. "I'll ask you again. What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm surprised you remember me considering we were never really introduced," replied Volcan, briefly considering how best to answer the question, but he doubted Sol would believe him even if he were to try being discreet and dance around the truth. "I'll be blunt, I was given a mission - my team and I were to track down and capture the four convicts freed from the Siphon Prison, among which includes you."

Again, his memory triggered, remembering back to the Siphon Prison and the break out he was apart of, only to be introduced to a dark feathered Blaziken. Everything else was a haze after that, which made the Typhlosion growl and shake his head before he looked back at Volcan. "That so, eh?" Sol would ask before sneering at him. "Well I'm gonna make one thing clear to you right now...I'm NOT going back to that damn prison now that I'm free." He snorted, tensing up and igniting his neck flames suddenly. "So you've got two choices. Walk away right now and I won't bury you six feet under...or try and take me down, in which case I WILL destroy you..."

"You know I can't do that," Volcan returned plainly, not backing down. "One way or another, Sol, even if you've been under mind control the whole time since the breakout and your actions have not been your own, you still have a debt to pay to society." His eyes narrowed. "So I guess this can only go one way..."

"Guess so..." Sol growled, hunching forward and flexing his body as he prepared for a fight. "Get ready to get your face caved in, Rescue Team Scum..."

"Serena, now!" Volcan called.

Serena had already been in the process of casting Rain Dance. By the time Sol became aware of the Vaporeon, she had already finished the movements and summoned the storm before darting back into the shrubbery as the downpour began. All around them, steam sizzled and kindling popped as the forest fires were doused, slowly putting them out while quickly drenching Volcan and Sol.

"Didn't think I'd confront someone of your caliber without a plan, did you?" Volcan asked. "Thanks to this rain your fire attacks have been weakened."

Sol looked up toward the sky as it started to rain, the water droplets sizzling along his neck flames and indeed hampering his ability to keep them ablaze. Despite that, he looked disinterested as his gaze slowly returned to Volcan. "You really think I'm scared of a little rain?" The Typhlosion remarked before pointing to Volcan with his paw. "And the same goes for you, smartass. Your flames have also been hindered by this stupid maneuver of yours."

"You're right, they have," the Blaziken confirmed, slowly lifting his hands as a wide grin crossed his face. "But who said I was planning to use fire?" He asked before clenching both hands into fists, a surge of electricity coursing along his arms for Sol to see as both fists became charged with Thunderpunch.

The Typhlosion raised an eyebrow at Volcan when he saw his arms becoming electrically charged, clenching his paws at his sides tightly as he snorted some smoke out of his nostrils. "Wipe that grin off your face, amateur." He retorted. "Your Thunderpunch ain't gonna do shit to me. Or did you forget what I am?" He asked rhetorically.

Sol then clenched every muscle in his body, gritting his teeth as the flames on his neck started to intensify. He began to roar out as the ambient temperature around his immediate area began to increase dramatically, and his neck flames started to change colour. With a final roar, the flames turned blue in colour, and he was surrounded by a ring of blue fire around his feet, superheating the air so much that even the rain that was falling onto him evaporated into steam before they even touched his body, sending a cloud of white billowing up from him.

"C'mon! Try and touch me if you dare!" He would then shout out in an enraged tone, taunting the Blaziken to make the first move.

"I don't blame you for not knowing," Volcan said as he turned his harness to reveal his Blazikenite, touching it to trigger his Mega Evolution. "You're not the only one with an extra card to play."

As the sphere engulfed him, a brilliant glow filled the woods around them, and when the sphere shattered, the Mega Blaziken was already halfway to Sol when he leapt into his first punch, too quick for Sol to block. Electricity, amplified by the rain soaking his fur where the heat of his flames had failed to evaporate, amplified the electricity, causing his muscles to seize, and then Volcan came in with a second punch toward his cheek.

He grunted from the first punch, then recoiled when the second landed on his cheek and made his head swing the opposite direction. However, The Typhlosion remained upright and glared back at Volcan angrily, quickly grabbing at his wrist before he could pull it back and squeezing it in his strong grip. "...My brother hits harder than you." He said before he slammed his forehead _hard_into Volcan's, stunning him before picking him up and hurling him into a fallen tree. "And has a better Thunderpunch!"

Volcan managed to land with his feet against the tree, and braced himself as the Fire Blast struck him. True to his word, Sol's power had been lessened by the Rain Dance, but even with the decreased effectiveness, the Blaziken still felt slightly seared by the attack. He panted, winded by the sheer force of the attack.

At that moment, Sol heard a bellow to his left, and turned just in time to see Tristan, now free of the dead tree that had been stuck to his head, lunging at him again, this time succeeding in landing the Head Smash he'd failed to hit with before. He grunted and skidded back from the attack, lifting a paw to grab his head as the pain rattled his skull. He lifted his gaze, and Tristan punched him in the gut, followed by another to his cheek. The momentum of the second puch carried Tristan into his third hit - a slam with his tail, which threw Sol onto his belly.

Sol caught himself on his paws, whipping around to face Tristan again as the Aggron kept up the attack. They exchanged multiple punches, and Sol even headbutted the Aggron. Tristan blinked at him, and then snapped forward to headbutt him back, completely unharmed even by the Typhlosion's strength. He seized the Typhlosion from behind, preparing to suplex him, when the blue flames exploded from his collar and seared Tristan's face, forcing him to let go and back away, saving his eyes from being burned out. Sol then turned on him and breathed a mighty gout of flame at Tristan. The Aggron didn't see the attack coming initially, and took some scorching before he managed to put up a Protect, but his eyes were stinging too badly for him to open them, leaving him vulnerable as the Protect ceased.

Sol abated the fiery attack, and put his paws together to form a Focus Blast instead. This would finish the Aggron, he decided, and took a step forward. His intention was to storm up to Tristan and hit him with the attack point-blank. But Volcan intervened, approaching Sol with blinding speed and landing a flying knee strike to the side of his head. Sol dropped the Focus Blast, and it fizzled out as he blinked the stars from his eyes.

Volcan did not relent, bounding after Sol and immediately striking him with another Thunderpunch. Sol immediately noticed that the attack was stronger than before, as was the left hook that followed it as Volcan unleashed went into a flurry of swift, yet hard-hitting blows - fist, foot, elbow and knee all struck the Typhlosion, each one barely a single second apart and only getting faster as time passed. Volcan had not lost that determination on his face either, his intense gaze fixated on Sol even as he beat him like a drum. Sol's mind could barely process the onslaught he was enduring. Volcan's attacks were actually leaving bruises on his body, not to mention shocking him and forcing his muscles to seize up momentarily with every Thunderpunch Volcan threw into the mix.

Irritated, Sol was able to adapt and brought his arms up to guard against Volcan's attacks, before he suddenly let out a roar and threw his arms out, casting a fiery explosion that spread out all around him in the form of an Eruption attack. Volcan was blasted back from the sudden burst of fire, giving Sol some breathing room to catch his breath and wipe the blood from his lip.

"Okay, NOW you've pissed me off!" He roared as he once again started tapping into his Blessed power...

...However, the second his powers started to manifest, the stone in his chest suddenly went dim, and the wings that were forming behind him disappeared back into normal flames. On top of that, Sol suddenly felt as if he had the breath stolen from him, clutching his chest and nearly falling to his knees as he gasped. "Hey! What's... the big... idea!?"

In his mind, her voice screamed furiously at him. The voice of the Goddess of Truth, whose power he carried. "I won't stand for this any longer!" Her voice echoed in his head. "You have abused my power long enough, Sol. I will not let you cause anymore senseless destruction!"

"You fucking bitch!" Sol growled as he struggled to catch his breath. "When I call upon your power, you damn well hand it over without question!"

"Not anymore! Your influence over me has waned as of late. Now I alone decide whether or not you are worthy of my power!" The legendary retorted angrily.

In Sol's momentary lapse, Volcan came at him again, taking advantage of Sol's lack of motion to time and aim a Hi Jump Kick, arching toward him with his leg outstretched. By the time Sol realized the attack was coming it was far too late. Volcan's kick nailed him square in the forehead, sending the Typhlosion flying through a few rotting trees before he tumbled along the ground in a heap of ash and splinters. He even dropped out of his Berserker state from the jolt of the kick, leaving him in a bloody mess as he rolled onto his front and tried pushing himself back up onto his feet.

Volcan appeared beside him then, seemingly emerging out of the wind itself, and stood over him, glaring. "Had enough yet?" He asked.

"In your fucking dreams!" Sol retorted defiantly, pushing himself up and throwing a punch at the Blaziken in retaliation.

Volcan banked out of the way of the punch, retaliating with a sharp right hook to Sol's cheek, one that Sol was too slow to block or dodge out of the way. The punch nailed him square in the jaw, dazing him and sending him tumbling a little until he was on his front again. Again, he tried to stand back up, but now he was too beaten and stunned to even move his body properly. Everytime he pushed up, his legs or his arms would give out, leaving him stuck in a crouched position. He then felt Volcan's foot on his back, this time holding him down and pressing him into the muddy earth.

"It's over, Sol," he said coldly. "I won't strike a man while he's down, but if you keep getting up I'll keep knocking you down until you're comatose if that's what it takes. But you need to face facts. You have lost." His final three words were spoken slowly in emphasis.

Sol's ears twitched angrily as he heard those three words, gritting his teeth and trying to will himself back to his feet again. Alas his body failed him once more, and he was forced to submit, hanging his head in shame as the last of his neck flames finally went out. "Damnit!" He growled angrily, slamming his fist into the ground. "DAMN IT!" He roared in fury, his voice echoing through the now scarred forest...

Volcan remained impassive, watching as Sol fumed over his defeat. He lifted his foot from Sol's back and watched him, as though waiting for something while he fumed. The Typhlosion slammed his paw into the ground a few more times until he finally ceased, sitting there on his paws and knees in silence as he slowly came to terms with the fact he had lost yet again, and this time he had lost his godly powers with it...

"...Fine." He finally muttered in a defeated tone. "Go on then. Put that damn chain around my neck already..."

"I don't have the chain with me," replied Volcan, briefly looking over his shoulder as Tristan and Serena cautiously approached, making their way over to join their friend. "I'm willing to give you a chance to come along quietly without resorting to it."

"You know I won't," Sol retorted back, lifting his gaze to look up at Volcan square in the eyes. "Yer gonna have to knock me out if you want me to move from this spot. I'm NOT going back to that damn prison of my own volition."

Volcan met his defiant gaze, and did not give an inch as he spoke again. "Answer me this, then. Why did you become like this? Luke told me of how you gained this power - how it was forced on you. Why'd you choose to use it so pettily?"

"Why the fuck does that matter to you?!" The Typhlosion retorted, more angrily this time. "How I got this power is none of your damn business, and I'll use it the way I see fit!"

"Don't you think better of yourself than that?" Volcan asked, not raising his voice. "The way I heard it, you were a good person once."

Sol scoffed and turned his head away from Volcan and the others, trying to hide his facial expression from him. Despite that, Volcan's eyes could see right through the Typhlosion's ruse, catching his expression changing from anger to one of what could only be described as guilt, but as to what for, that would remain a mystery for a time...

"You had a choice, Sol. You still have that choice," pressed the Blaziken. "The power you wield could be used for much greater things - it's why Calhoun was after you to begin with. Better to control that power himself than let it be used against him."

"If that were the case, then why didn't he go after you?" Sol demanded. "Clearly you're the stronger one here. If he wanted someone really strong, then he could just try to control you."

"I'm_not_stronger than you, Sol," replied Volcan. "Even in this form, powered by a Mega Stone, at your peak you still command far more power than I do. From my base form, you'd probably be _triple_my strength."

Sol looked up at him, initially with surprise, then shifting back to anger as though that was his default response to everything. "Then how - how the fuck did you beat me?! Inhibitions aside, if I'm as strong as you say I am, how in the fuck did I lose?!" He demanded, once more trying to push himself to his feet, but his injuries kept him on his knees.

"Because having power and knowing how to use it are two very different things," stated Volcan, with firmness in his tone. He had Sol's full attention now, and he did not waste it. "I've spent years mastering what strength I have, and to this day I spend several hours a day honing and perfecting it, always finding new ways to improve, either through discipline or combat experience. I may never even know my true potential until I reach it. But you," he pointed an accusing finger at Sol.

"You are the equivalent of tornado rampaging across a field, tearing up everything in your path - certainly destructive and dangerous if it could be directed, but in the end all you do is expend all your energy hurling debris and sauntering along until you burn yourself out and collapse, leaving a trail of debris and destruction for no other cause than a pursuit for satisfaction that will never last." Volcan put his hand over his chest. "Power is not the measure of an individual, Sol. The measure is what he chooses to do with it. That is a decision only you can make."

Sol was speechless as he stared up at Volcan, listening to every word he said and absorbing what they meant. When he finished, Sol then slowly lowered his gaze to the rock embedded into his chest and touched it slightly, then sighed heavily and felt his whole body become heavy as whatever guilt he was feeling seemed to amplify itself tenfold. His ears flattened and his shoulders slumped before he spoke up again.

"...I can't go back," He muttered softly. "Not to the life I had before, and certainly not to those that got hurt because of me."

"Maybe not. But how will you ever know if you don't try?" Volcan asked. "I know for-" he was interrupted by a voice in his ear. "Huh? Lashanne?" He asked, and then reeled. "Whoa, slow down! What's wrong?" Then Volcan's eyes widened. "Calhoun... Is HERE?!" He demanded sharply, pulling the transmitter out of his ear and turning on speaker as Tristan and Serena came over to him.

"The_c_reepy fucker has a mega stone! Minato's fighting him, but he's losing! Forget Sol and get your ass over here, now!" The Delphox practically commanded through the radio.

Volcan lowered the radio earpiece, looking at his friends as if for answers,but they could offer non. He then turned his gaze upon Sol, still unsure what to do. But eventually, Volcan reached a decision. "...Seems you have the chance to make the choice, Sol. Run if you want - at this point, I can't stop you. But know this," he pointed at Sol. "If you do, I _will_find you again, and I _will_be bringing the chains."

Without another word, the Blaziken broke into as run, trails of crimson following his blurred form as he charged into the woods at full sprint. Tristan and Serena, without hesitation, turned and ran in the same direction, soon disappearing into the woods and leaving Sol alone in the woods to stare after them. Even if he wanted to, Sol's injured body would not allow him to move any further from his spot. The Typhlosion would stare at the ground even after he was left alone, going through his thoughts and thinking about the events in his life that led him to this point...

For the first time in a long time, he was second guessing himself and his own power...left wondering that perhaps...he really was in the wrong all this time...

"That Blaziken seems to think you can be redeemed." Reshiram would echo in his head. "I for one think he is a fool to think so. But for both his and your sake, I certainly hope he's right." She added with a slight hint of remorse in her tone.

"...Shut the fuck up..." Sol mumbled defeatedly.