FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

It had been two days since Kage departed Port Azure for the Boglands with the intention of seeking out the Kaeru Assassins on his own. Time was a luxury he knew they didn't have, and he was not about to risk the Crusade finding their hideout while they were resting comfortably at home. Much to his chagrin, however, while he had memorized the coordinates that Lashanne had marked on the map, finding the Boglands was another matter.

It had been over twenty years since he and Mizu abandoned their old lives to pursue their current lives in Azure, and he couldn't remember the exact route he had taken with her to escape the Boglands before. He was relying a lot on trial and error as he ventured forth, which was something he was not accustomed to doing... He was always a man with a plan.

However, on the third day of his travels, fortune finally smiled upon him. He came across something he recognized at last; a shelter that had mostly eroded away and overgrown with moss and mold thanks to the passage of time. It was so overgrown, most could have easily missed it, but not Kage, because he had built this small shelter with his own hands, so long ago...

He knelt in front of it and gently placed his webbed hand on it, remembering the night he had put the shelter together, and the first night he and his companion spent inside it. Mizu had been dressing a wound he had suffered during their escape, and they eventually locked eyes for a long moment before giving into their desires and consummating for the first time - an act that would eventually lead to the birth of their son...

He shook his head and pulled himself back to reality. He couldn't afford to waste time remembering the past. He had just found a landmark - a clue as to where he needed to go next. He then ran around the shelter and bolted toward trees ahead as fast as he could, springing from tree branch to tree branch once he had built up enough speed. Thanks to finding his old shelter, he now had a decent idea of where he was.

Kage stopped to rest that night, feeling his stamina pushed to the brink. He set off again at the break of dawn and climbed the tallest tree he could find to get his bearings. At the top of that tree, he looked eastward, shadowing his eyes against the rising sun. Then, he looked to the west, and to his dismay, he could make out a faint silhouette on the horizon; a strange shape that his mind quickly identified.

Lashanne's airship. Luke and the others had not waited for him and were on their way...

'Blast it,' he thought, scornfully.

With no other choice, Kage carried on. Eventually, the ship would overtake him - not even he could outrun the flying vessel. His teammates were not willing to leave the matter in his hands alone. But even if they passed him over and reached the Boglands first, only he knew how to traverse it safely. He hoped ultimately once they saw the perilous venture that awaited them, they'd turn back, and leave this matter to him.

As long as it didn't cost one of them their lives in the process...

Hours later, as Kage expected, the airship passed him over. He looked up when he heard the engines of the ship; it was not directly above him, but it was close enough that he could make out the faint whirring. They were overtaking him, and his senses told him that he was not far away from the start of the boglands; the reek of stagnant water and the growing dampness was enough to tell him that he was getting close.

Eventually, Kage stopped on a thick tree branch, taking a moment to look at his surroundings, flicking his tongue scarf behind him to taste the air while his nostrils absorbed the stagnant odours of the area. He grimaced as he felt himself wanting to retch from the horrid taste and rancid odour of the air, but he knew he did not have far to go now...

Another kilometer, and he found it. The first reveal of the Boglands to him was when the trees began to thin and turned from pine and coniferous trees to willows and alder trees. These trees supported wide, spread-out canopies due to their scattered layout above the increasingly moistening ground, revealing stagnant, algae-infested water. The air grew muggy and humid and all too familiar to the Greninja; twenty years and he had not forgotten the foul climate.

He had reached the Aporagorev Boglands.

The airship had altered course; he could not see it anymore. Jumping up into a tree again to look around, he saw the ship had taken a more eastern course, for whatever reason. He still held onto the hope that his friends would realize they were out of their depth and turn back and let him locate the hideout. He would warn the assassins that the Crusade was coming, and they'd find a way to keep them away from the Nexus - he was sure of it.

Now it was just a matter of finding the actual hideout, then recording its location before heading back to Azure to report his findings to Luke and the others when they returned from their mission... all while taking care not to become a victim of the natural hazards of the swamp himself... Easier said than done.

The woods were still as he pressed on, without even the song of birds to accompany him on his trek. He knew this place was largely inhospitable to most civilized Pokémon, with only wild ones daring to even consider making the area their home. Only the strongest could even hope to survive; practically no one had any reason to come to this land.

Yet, he soon realized someone _was_there. As he leapt over a stretch of what little solid ground there was in the bog lands, something caught his eye. Below, the soil had been immensely disturbed. He could see the impressions of numerous footprints in the mud, so distinctive that he didn't even need to drop down to confirm what he was seeing.

Kage started developing a pit in his stomach as he studied the tracks below. Some of them looked ominously familiar to him, but because of how cluttered and close together the prints were, he couldn't accurately make them out from where he stood. Either way, it was clear that someone else had been coming through the swamps.

He knew the tracks couldn't have belonged to the brotherhood - they would never leave such easily traced signs of activity. They also could not belong to his friends - as little as he could see, he was certain the anatomies of the footprints did not match anyone in either Team Valiant or Phalanx.

Kage understood then that he needed to physically see the owners of those footprints to confirm his suspicions. With his mind set in his decision, he leapt off the branch he was crouched on onto the next, staying close to the path of footprints as he could while sticking to the shadows of the foliage. It was a safe bet that whoever these Pokémon were had hostile intent, and a confrontation in such a hazardous environment was the last thing he needed.

There were oddities in the trail. Some of the trek seemed to be taking the strangers over open bodies of water, yet they seemed to be continuing unhindered. The further he went, it became clear how they were accomplishing this; he noticed small, mostly melted chunks of ice bobbing in the stagnant water. They were using Ice-type Pokémon to navigate the terrain, creating land bridges where the land became treacherous.

'...In this humid weather, Ice-types would suffer greatly from just being here,' Kage thought to himself as he studied the ice bobbing in the water. Though to its credit, it was a clever idea to use Ice types or Ice type attacks in this environment.

The Greninja distinctly remembered during his younger years being educated about the stagnant water carrying many types of disease that could easily infect someone if they weren't careful, and the several peat bog patches were camouflaged so well with the rest of the terrain that it would take a very keen eye to spot one. Otherwise, they could haphazardly step into it and disappear into its embrace, never to be seen again.

The pit in his stomach only grew more intense as he began to deduce just who exactly was infiltrating the swamps. The fact that they went to such lengths to avoid the dangers of the bog, when they shouldn't even know about it in the first place, only left him with a few options as to who they were. He continued following the tracks, hoping to Arceus that he was wrong about his suspicions.

In the back of his mind, Kage had to wonder if some force in the universe hated him and his colleagues, because less than an hour further into his journey, he found them. A column of various Pokémon, making their way through the swamps in tight formation. Five Pokémon, Cyrogonals, floated above them, holding their own formation to share their cold body temperatures to mitigate the swamp's humidity.

At the lead, a pair of faces he knew all too well, and one he did not, at least not at first. An Alakazam and a Gallade were walking at the head of the column, flanking a Zoroark, who looked to be somewhere in the same age range as Seji. But there was another who briefly made Kage's blood boil at the very sight of her; a midnight Lycanroc who he could not have forgotten even if he had tried, easily recognized by how she walked upright as opposed to being hunched over like others of her kind.

But it was the Zoroark Kage focused on most attentively, for this one brought a sense of familiarity to him. Soon, as he watched them, memories flooded his mind of the identity of the aged Zoroark - he was much older than Kage remembered him, but there was no mistaking who it was he saw.

"...Sakkaku," Kage whispered to himself, watching the four of them continue their way through the swamps.

It seemed like something out of a nightmare... Sakkaku, the mortal enemy of Kage's father, had joined forces with the Dark Crusade, and he could think of only one reason Sakkaku could be there - to claim what he felt was rightfully his. That fact the Crusade was present though, he could only speculate, but the worst-case scenario that came to mind was that they had somehow learned that the Kaeru's hideout and the East Nexus were in the same place and that finding one meant finding the other.

Kage considered for a moment turning back and locating his team to tell them that the Crusade was there, but locating the airship would take him hours at least.... The Crusade's forces were travelling unhindered, using the Cryogonal to freeze the water and let them walk over, and they had a guide. Any time he wasted locating his team now allowed the Crusade to gain more ground - if they located the hideout first, all would be lost.

Kage had to stall them somehow and keep going - he had to locate the hideout before they did, whatever it took. But he needed to buy some time first.

The biggest advantage he had over the group below was that he was more familiar with the terrain and the flora than they were, save for Sakkaku. He hopped silently to the next branch to scout out the area ahead, and he quickly found an exploit to utilize in his strategy. The path they were on led them to a narrow stretch of solid ground that had a pond of stagnant water on its left, and a peat bog on the right. He then began looking around the area more closely for any flora or fauna he could agitate and get to attack the patrol coming this way.

In the water, he saw the heads of what appeared to be Carnivine just resting with their roots ingrained in the bottom of the pond, no doubt absorbing nutrients from the soaked soil below, and in the tree next to him he spotted a group of Yanma skittering about within the canopy foraging for food within the tree bark. A plan started to form in his mind...

Down below, Sakkaku's eyes narrowed as he took in the path ahead of them. He moved to the front of the group to get a better look and put up his arm to motion for them to stop. They complied, but Sash's voice betrayed his irritation; this was not the first time they had stopped, in that hour alone even.

"What's the hold up now, old man?" he asked in a snappy tone.

Sakkaku didn't respond at first, which served only to agitate the already ill-tempered Gallade. However, before he could storm over to the Zoroark, Seji intervened. "My apprentice asked you a question, Sakkaku. It's considered impolite to not respond... Not that proper etiquette means anything to you," the Alakazam stated, letting a bit of venom leak into his words despite keeping a calm composure.

Sakkaku then turned to look over his shoulder to the Alakazam and Gallade. "...Stagnant pond on the left. Carnivine breeding ground," he explained, pointing toward the pond and to the sleeping carnivorous plant Pokémon. Then he pointed over to the seemingly normal ground on the right. "That is a peat bog. Fall into that and you're as good as lost," he stated.

Seji looked over to the right, grimacing as he admittedly didn't notice the bog thanks to how well it blended in with the rest of the swamp. "The Cryogonal will see to the bog," he said, motioning for the floating ice Pokémon to move over the pit.

They obliged and did as they were instructed, moving over to the bog and began shooting Ice Beams on its surface, freezing the stagnant mire.

"And what of the Carnivine?" Sash asked. "They can dispose of them as well-"

"We ignore them," Sakkaku quickly answered, "they're resting and pose no threat so long as we don't enter the water."

Sash looked ready to argue, but Asya held out her arm in front of him, offering a voice of reason. "Do as he says," she said, "for now the terrain advantage is not ours. We do not want a fight here."

Sash scoffed irritably, but ultimately complied with the order and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You might not, but my blades have been itching for-"

He was cut off when they all heard a loud buzzing noise ahead of them. Upon turning to the source, the expedition force was suddenly greeted by a large swarm of Yanma all flying toward them, ramming into them as they flew past leaving them somewhat disoriented because of the surprise attack. To add to their surprise, the ground at their feet seemed to explode, causing them to be blinded by a thick cloud of white smoke, obscuring their immediate area around a large radius.

"Ambush!" Seji hollered, covering his mouth, and closing his eyes just in case the smoke was toxic. "Stay close and do not wander!"

"Is it the assassins?" Asya asked, flexing her claws as she searched carefully for any sign of another attack.

"There's no other possibility," Sakkaku answered, already having his sword in hand and ready to strike, "This is a classic tactic they use on their foes. Blind them in smoke, then incapacitate the target before it clears."

"What of the Yanma?" Asya asked.

"Merely a distraction. They were flushed toward us by-"

Sakkaku was cut off when he heard the Cryogonal being attacked from within the smoke. From the outside Kage had moved in and used a combination of Bounce and U-Turn to stomp the Cryogonal into the peat bog below, repeating the process until they were all stuck in it. The area around their impact zone froze over, preventing them from going completely under, but they were stuck and unable to free themselves because of them being frozen into the mire.

With the Cryogonal out of the way, Kage then turned his attention to the smoke below. He jumped out of his hiding spot and dove quickly into his own shadow, moving into the smoke undetected via Shadow Sneak and began to attack the foot soldiers one after the other, sending a good number of them into the pond before he vanished again, just as the smoke was about to lift.

"Do not split up!" Asya warned their troops, ordering them to stay together so they couldn't be picked off. "Seji, try to pull the Cryogonal out of the ice! Sash, cover him!"

"Yes ma'am," Seji answered, quickly moving to the quagmire, and using his powers to try and lift the Cryogonal out of the pit, with Sash reluctantly watching his back.

"Seems we weren't careful enough," Sakkaku growled, "they already know we're here; possibly a scouting party saw us from afar and decided to act accordingly."

Asya breathed in through her nostrils, her keen nose picking up every smell around them. Her eyes narrowed as she picked out one scent among them - only a trace, but it was there...

"No... Not a party," she said, "It was only one, and I know this scent," she took a moment to remember where she recognized the scent from.

That was when Kage made his next move. Before either of them could react, the Greninja appeared out of his shadow from behind them, lashing out at Asya first with a flurry of Power-Up Punches before he kicked her, sending her crashing into Sash and Seji and into the mire as well. Sakkaku turned just after the initial strike, having just enough time to react to a sword coming his way by raising his own and blocking it, then pushing off it and separating the two of them.

The Zoroark's eye widened in recognition as he laid eyes on the Greninja glaring back at him, his mind flashing back to the night he attempted to assassinate the Kaeru Assassin's leader, only to be thwarted by a young Frogadier with the exact same cold glare. There was no doubt in his mind...

"You," Sakkaku growled, his voice dripping with venom as he stared Kage down.

From the mire below, resisting the urge to panic as Sash and Seji worked to free the three of them, Asya saw the all-too familiar Greninja and snarled. "It's him! The Greninja from Team Valiant!" She exclaimed.

"Get him!" The Bisharp Centurion shouted, and five of his Pawniard soldiers raced toward Kage, the blades of their arms shining with Bug-type energy as each one prepared an X-scissor.

Kage glanced back at the Pawniard rushing him, turning quickly to the closest and swinging his blade, parrying the attack, then countering with a Scald at point blank range. He then turned to the next and dodged his strike, lashing out with a Lick from his tongue before attacking with his blade via Night Slash. One by one he made short work of the group, then turned and blocked an assault from Sakkaku himself before their blades locked and they stared daggers into each other's eyes.

"I'll take your head and show it to your father when I find that damned hideout," he growled angrily at Kage.

"...You won't get the opportunity," Kage retorted, and then lashed out with his tongue again and striking Sakkaku along the cheek. The damage was minimal, but it allowed the Zoroark to phase through him thanks to Kage's Protean ability changing him into a Ghost-type.

The Zoroark stumbled, and when he turned to face Kage again, he was greeted by his foot to his face, sending him back enough so that he fell into the mire as well, where he instinctively struggled for a moment before forcing himself to calm down and glare back at Kage furiously.

The Greninja silently stared back at the four of them, then casually turned his head to the Bisharp and shot him a warning glare, daring him to try and attack. Unaware of Kage's Protean ability, the Bisharp - when it did attack, came in with a Fury Cutter - the Crusade had clearly chosen their soldiers with the idea to take advantage of the Kaeru Assassins being Greninja by targeting their Dark-typing, he noted.

The Bisharp Centurion was quick on his feet, but Kage was faster. He fired a Water Shuriken just as he was approaching, the attack grazing his flank and doing little to alter his course but succeeding in changing Kage's Type. The Greninja effortlessly weaved around the Bisharp, then used his tongue to wrap once around the Bisharp's head and hurl him up and over, slamming him hard into the ground where he started from and leaving him dazed.

With him down, Kage shot the lieutenants and Sakkaku one last warning glare before he started running, leaping into the nearest tree and bouncing from branch to branch. He had done all he could to stall the Crusade and had bought precious time for him to seek out the hidden fortress before they could. The last few Pawniard started to pursue, until Asya called out to them.

"Leave him! You will never catch him through those trees," she called, finally managing to pull herself close enough to the shore to fix her claws into the soil, but the peat bog was stubbornly holding on and making it difficult for her to pull herself out.

Sash and Seji had managed to free themselves from the bog with their psychic powers, hovering out of the mess and landing on solid ground before Seji turned and began helping Asya out himself. Sakkaku managed to pull out his grapple gun from his submerged belt and gave it a quick wipe before taking aim at a nearby tree branch and pulling the trigger. The grapple latched onto the limb, and Sakkaku clicked a button that reeled the line back in, pulling the Zoroark out of the bog and back onto solid ground.

"Damnit all," the Zoroark growled angrily as he started wiping the stagnant muck off his body, "he's going to warn the Assassins of our presence!"

"But why?" Asya asked, finally pulling herself out of the bog and shaking the stinking filth from her fur, "Why would he come all this way?"

Sakkaku holstered his grapple gun and stared off into the distance, absently walking in the direction Kage had fled. "To protect his family, no doubt."

Seji shot Sakkaku a curious look. "It was my understanding that the only family that one had was his son," the Alakazam remarked.

Sakkaku's fur bristled, his claws clenched at his sides. "Son," he repeated, "so now he has an heir," he growled, the air around him looking darker than before, as if his anger started to physically manifest.

"Sakkaku," Asya said firmly, "that Greninja has family, among the assassins?"

The Zoroark took a moment to calm himself, letting out a long, slow breath before turning and nodding to Asya. "He does. He's the same assassin that thwarted my last attempt to take over the Assassins," Sakkaku answered. "He is the son of Fusaku, the leader of the Brotherhood."

Asya shared a look with Seji and Sash before she turned to Sakkaku again. "Then this expedition just became a race," she stated, "because where that Greninja goes, his team is likely not far," her gaze drifted to the side, "But surely they would not come all this way just to warn the assassins, unless they knew we were-"

Her eyes widened, realization dawning on her. "They know!" she hissed, baring her teeth in a growl. "The Nexus - they know it's here!"

"Then we must not delay any further," Seji urged. "We must follow that Greninja before he makes it to their hideout."

"Following him will be easier said than done, but regardless, we must move quickly," said Asya, "because where that Greninja is, those meddlesome Lucario who cleansed the South Nexus will not be far behind. Get the Cryogonal out of the bog - we must hurry!"

"Understood," answered Seji, as he and his apprentice turned and began extracting the Cryogonal from the bog.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, outside of the boundaries of the Boglands, the airship made its fourth pass across the southwestern reaches of the treacherous lands that waited below. Volcan and the others, while Toby stood at the helm.

"...I hate to say it guys, but I see nowhere to put the ship down," said Volcan, "The canopies of the trees down there cover most of the ground and wherever I can see between them all I see is water," he stepped back from the railing as he continued, "and these are the outskirts. If this is what they place presents to us, I think we'll have to proceed on foot."

"Can we not simply travel by air directly to the hideout?" Zamazenta asked.

"Under all that shit?" Volcan asked, waving his hand over the railing to indicate the trees below. "We're just as likely to pass right over it and be none the wiser."

"Guess we have no choice in the matter. We'll have to pack up supplies and proceed on foot," Luke stated, already grimacing at the thought. "Didn't think we'd have to disembark so early on in the journey."

"We can't have our cake and eat it," Minato remarked with a shrug.

"Let's make sure we pack everything we need," said Volcan, "ropes, light sources, and preserved rations. We don't want to travel too heavy."

"I'll keep the ship over the area," offered Toby, "I thinks if I try to follow you, the Assassins will see us comin' from miles away, and might not be too friendly about it."

"Probably for the best." Luke agreed. "If we need an extraction though, Minato or I will fire an Aura Sphere into the sky."

"I'll keep a lookout," promised Toby. "I'll keep the morning sun on my right at all times, to make sure you guys stay east of the ship and keep my eyes out that way."

"Smart idea," Minato agreed, then clapped his paws. "Right; let's get packing. We've wasted enough time just talking about disembarking."

"If you have a way to secure it, I can carry something," Zamazenta offered.

"I think you're already risking a lot with just your shield," said Volcan, "there'll be a lot of soft ground down there - the last thing we want is you dropping into a sinkhole before we can pull you out. We'll have to settle with letting you and Zacian carry your share of the rations - that's about all we can risk."

Zamazenta grimaced but nodded, feeling useless. "Understood."

The group packed bags, dividing the supplies amongst themselves. As Volcan had suggested, they brought rope and flares, along with preserved food and a few medicinal items. When they were packed, they descended from the ship and took their first steps into the Boglands, entering the most dangerous region known across the East Continent.

Luke and Minato, as well as the knights, were immediately assailed by the foul stench of the swamplands, being the first to touch down from the airship. Luke almost gagged and covered his mouth and nose in his paws, resisting the urge to throw up and swallowing heavily before he tried to adjust to the overwhelming stink.

"This must be what death smells like," he remarked, shuddering heavily.

"It smells worse than this," Zacian remarked offhandedly, her snout scrunched up as she tried to adjust to the stench. "Alas, this would be the closest thing to it."

"...Really didn't need that image in my head, lady," Minato pointed out.

Volcan took out a compass and eyed the partially folded map in his hand. "Alright... If I didn't make any mistakes, we will go North from here," he said. "It should almost be a straight shot to the approximate area of the hideout, but there's no telling what we'll find on the way."

"So, from this point on, we stick together. No wandering off, understand?" Luke said, looking especially at Zacian for a moment. "We'll travel in a single file line. Volcan, you take the lead. Minato and I will cover the middle front and back, with Zacian between us and Zamazenta watching our six."

Zamazenta nodded. "I am the heaviest. It would make sense for me to go last," he agreed.

"On that, Zacian," began Volcan, "it might be a good idea to secure a lifeline between you and your brother. If the worst should happen, can you support his weight long enough that we can assist you?"

She nodded. "Of course. I've pulled him out of worse situations before," She remarked pointedly.

"But you've never been here before. None of us have," Minato pointed out. "I think for all our sakes, you should drop the bravado and get serious for a change. We're in uncharted territory, which means anything bad that can happen will happen."

Zacian scowled slightly before she let out a sigh. "Fine then... I take it you thought to pack a rope?"

Luke came over at that moment. "Right here," he said with a nod. "May I?"

She nodded in return, lowering herself down enough so that Luke could wrap one end of the rope around her body, tying it securely before he moved to Zamazenta and did the same for him, making sure there was enough rope so that they wouldn't get all tangled around each other.

"Us too," said Volcan, producing a second rope from his pack. "Handy that Lashanne keeps plenty of this around, isn't it?" He glanced at Minato as he asked this, helping him tie one end around the Lucario.

"Ain't that the truth," Minato nodded in return as he lifted his arms and his coat up to allow Volcan to secure him. "Gotta give Lashanne a lot of credit. She knows how to come prepared."

"I said it before," said Volcan, once the knot was secure, "you picked a hell of a woman, buddy."

"Well to your credit, you picked a hell of a man," Minato shot back with a grin.

"You know it," the Blaziken remarked as he motioned for Luke to join them, tying the middle part of the rope around him. "Alright, my turn," the Blaziken said, wrapping the opposite end of the rope around his waist. "We got enough length between us? Was trying to get at least six feet - don't want to be tripping on each other in a place like this."

They all spread apart from each other until their lines went taut, quickly measuring the lengths in between them. "I think we're all set," said Luke, satisfied.

"Alright. Everybody, here we go," said the Blaziken, taking a deep breath as he looked north again, checking his pack one last time before he lifted the compass and started walking.

The land proved treacherous to cross even within the first few minutes of their trek. They passed between multiple bodies of stagnant water and were accosted a few times by flying Bug-type Pokémon - mostly Yanma, though they were easily chased away. The ground was soft the closer to water they were, forcing Volcan to place his feet carefully as he led the others across.

At one such crossing, Zamazenta spoke up while they waited for the Lucario to cross. "To think, we will be the first non-wild Pokémon to enter this region in years," he said, never letting down his guard as he studied their surroundings. "Untamed wilderness, in a land people have only scarcely visited in the past, sister."

"This area is merely another obstacle in our way, brother. One that we will overcome, just as we have all other obstacles in the past," Zacian confidently stated. "There is too much at stake for us to fail now."

"Zacian-" Zamazenta started to say as she crossed, following Minato over the wet ground.

She turned to rebuke her brother's caution, mistakenly not watching where she placed her forepaw. The moment she put weight on her leg, the muddy ground caved under her paw, causing her to slip. She gave a yelp in surprise as her leg slipped into the ground. She would have slid all the way into the concealed peat bog were it not for Zamazenta digging his feet into the ground and pulling back, which caused the others to stop and see the dilemma Zacian had stumbled into.

"Oh great... We're not even five minutes in and you're already in deep shit," Minato remarked, rolling his eyes irritably.

"Silence, knave!" Zacian growled back, trying to regain her footing and pull herself out of the bog she had stumbled into.

Minato scowled slightly. "You keep calling me that, and I may just leave you here to drown in your own mistake," he warned.

"Minato, we don't have time for this!" Volcan snapped, carefully moving around them, and coming over to help Zamazenta pull Zacian out of the ditch.

Volcan could now understand why the bogs in this swamp were so dangerous. The second he tried pulling back on the rope along with Zamazenta, he could feel the thick muck resisting their efforts, almost as if it had a mind of its own and was trying to swallow the sword wolf like a hungry beast. When Minato and Luke came around to help, they were slowly able to extract Zacian free of the bog, letting her fall onto her side as she caught her breath.

"Geez, it's like pulling against a giant vacuum cleaner," said Volcan. "No wonder no one has ever navigated this place - even the mud is trying to kill you."

"Sister?" Zamazenta asked, coming to her side.

"I am fine," She assured her brother, shaking herself to try and get the muck off of her fur. "Shaken a little, but unharmed."

"This land truly is as dangerous as we've heard," said Zamazenta.

"Which is why caution and preparation are our only defense, as well as each other," said Volcan, "You both just saw for yourself why even the best explorers don't come here." He went back to the lead of the group. "Come on - we need to get as far as we can before it gets dark."

"O-Of course." Zacian stammered, trying to save face as she straightened herself up and followed after Luke, Volcan and Minato.

~~~~

Night fell quickly over the Boglands. With the thick canopies above, the shadows throughout the swamp soon grew too thick for the group to safely see where they were going, forcing Volcan to decide to stop their expedition - much sooner than he would have liked. They located some stable ground and began to set up camp.

"Never get a fire going with all this damp wood," Volcan muttered, untying the lifeline from himself and Luke, "I guess all we have for now are the lanterns for a light source."

"It's better than having no light source," Luke answered as he neatly would up the rope around his shoulder, then placed it neatly on the ground next to him. "Worst case scenario, we use you as a mobile light source." He added as a light joke.

Volcan chuckled. "Well, if we use me as a lamp, who're you going to use as a blanket?" he countered.

"...Point taken," Luke conceded, stepping over and hugging Volcan tightly. "Can't exactly sleep without my walking heated blanket with me~"

"I didn't think so," the Blaziken returned, hugging Luke with one arm. "Well, no fire means no cooking - let's see what we got in the ration packs for dinner."

"Fingers crossed it's something somewhat appetizing," Luke returned.

As the couple sorted through their packs for dinner, the wolf siblings were quietly talking to each other at the other end of their campsite. Zacian was clearly agitated about something and Zamazenta was trying to say to her, but she was only getting more annoyed with the topic of their discussion.

"It was a mere misstep. I let my guard down for a moment, and I will not do so again." She repeated firmly to her brother. "Stop treating me like I am a pup. I can look after myself without you breathing down my neck."

"We are in different territory than before, sister," Zamazenta reasoned. "You cannot approach this the way you do everything - it will not work."

"It can, and it will. I just need to watch my footing," Zacian countered.

Minato came over soon afterward, overhearing their conversation and getting quite annoyed with their bickering, even more so with Zacian's arrogance. He uncrossed his arms when he got close and gave Zacian a heavy bonk on her noggin, making her yelp in surprise and look back at Minato with a shocked expression.

"Are you two done bickering like a couple of children?" He demanded irritably. "Seriously, if I knew this was going to be a recurring theme, I'd have told you to go back to Calygrad."

"Ex_cuse_me??" Zacian growled angrily, rising to her feet and glaring right into Minato's eyes. "You watch your tongue, knave! You have no right-"

He bonked her again on the head, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Call me a knave one more time. See what happens," he warned her, "Your title holds no power here, sister! You may be a Royal Knight back in Calygrad, but out here you're just like the rest of us; travelling in uncharted territory and just as vulnerable to its elements as we are! Or was that misstep into that bog not a big enough clue for you?"

"Not this shit again," Volcan said, throwing down his bag and starting to stand. "Minato, Zacian, we're not- Hrk!"

Volcan fell back, choking as he grabbed at his neck, and went sliding toward the edge of the solid ground, heading toward the water!

"Volcan!" Luke hollered, quickly turning and making a dive for the Blaziken, grabbing around his waist and trying to dig himself down to stop him from being dragged away. However, the slick ground offered him no purchase, and he was being dragged along with Volcan into whatever was attacking him.

"Damnit!" Minato growled, quickly summoning his sword and chasing after the two of them. "Can't even catch one minute of downtime here!"

From where he was, Luke could see what was pulling Volcan; wrapped around his neck was a pallid tendril, with another coming around his chest, pulling the struggling Blaziken closer to the water, toward its source - though Luke couldn't clearly see it yet.

"No, you don't!" Luke growled, quickly summoning a Metal Claw and swiping at the tendril attempting to wrap around the Blaziken's chest. At that moment, Minato managed to skid next to Volcan and press his weight down on him, slowing him down long enough to cleave his sword into the noose around Volcan's neck, severing it.

The pulling ceased. Volcan let out a cough as the pressure from his neck vanished, grabbing at his throat. He heard a splash behind him and turned sharply on his knee before exhaling a cone of fire at his assailant. The figure, half-immersed in water, hastily retreated from the flames, revealing a bulbous Pokémon with two distinctive red colourations, almost like gems, atop its head. For a moment, the creature was illuminated by the flames, giving them a clear view of the attacker.

"What the-?!" Volcan demanded, his voice raspy from nearly being strangled.

"Is that a Tentacruel?" Zamazenta asked.

"Hell if I know or care!" Minato growled, flipping his blade into a reverse grip and hurling it at the strange Pokémon like a javelin.

To his dismay, the blade bounced harmlessly off the Tentacruel's body. Minato's mind was muddled by the sight, knowing a Poison-type Tentacruel should have been vulnerable to Bone Rush. Before he could collect himself, another tentacle shot out of the water, wrapping around his legs and pulling Minato hard, sending him dropping onto his back.

"Hey!" Volcan shouted, grabbing Minato around his waist and digging his talons into the ground to anchor himself. "L-Luke! Try an Aura Sphere!" Volcan shouted.

Luke quickly powered up two Aura Spheres and hurled them one after the other at the strange Tentacruel, the orbs arcing in the air until they collided with their target. The two spheres collided with the strange creature, blowing it backward and snapping the tentacle holding Minato's legs as it disappeared into the darkness.

Volcan pulled Minato away from the water, both of them panting heavily. "Okay, what the actual hell?" Volcan demanded. "What is a Tentacruel doing here? There's no way the Assassins brought that all the way from the sea!"

"I do not believe that was a Tentacruel," said Zamazenta, "at least not one as we know them... Some kind of regional evolution, perhaps, adapted to this new environment."

"Whatever it is, it's gone for now," Minato remarked, quickly getting to his feet and scraping mud off of his coat. "Let's just hope it learned its lesson well enough to not try that again..."

Volcan let out a groan. "Damn... We need to post a watch," he said, "no telling how many of those things there are out here."

"I'll take the first watch." Luke offered, raising his paw. "I can be on lookout for maybe four hours or so before I'll need someone to take over."

"I will take the next watch then," Zacian stated firmly.

"Alright," said Volcan, "probably best keep a Lucario on both watches - you're the only ones who can really see in this darkness with your Aura Sense."

"Good call," Minato returned, then cast Zacian a wry look. "Guess you're on watch duty with me tonight."

"I don't need an aid," she remarked.

"Too bad. We don't always get what we want," Minato retorted chidingly.

Zamazenta nodded. "I agree with Volcan," he said, "we cannot rely on our eyes now. So, their aura senses and our senses of smell, sister, are our best defense against further attacks. Luke, I shall join you."

"Very well," Luke concurred with a nod. "Guess that means you get a decent night's sleep." He playfully chided Volcan.

"As long as something doesn't noose me again," the Blaziken remarked, rubbing his throat. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep after that."

"It won't happen again, honey," Luke assured him, stepping over and giving his husband a kiss. "You just rest that handsome head of yours... We're gonna need that sharp tactical mind of yours when the time comes."

"I will try," Volcan promised.

Zamazenta and Luke settled down while the others found a place to sleep. The unexpected attack prompted Volcan to be closer to Minato, in case either of them needed help, while Zacian - stubbornly, lay by herself.

The four hours went by quickly as Minato slept, shaken awake by Luke when it was his turn, while Zamazenta went over to do the same for his sister. Luke nestled in beside the sleeping form of Volcan, and Zamazenta lay down where his sister had been, taking off his shield so that he could lie his head down on his paws and be more comfortable.

The two of them sat opposite of one another during their watch. The Sword Wolf relied on her keen ears and her sharp sense of smell to scope out any potential intruder, her head constantly turning toward every sound she heard in the distance. In contrast, Minato sat cross legged next to her and was scanning the area with his Aura Sense, keeping watch over all the aura signals within his range of 'vision,' while also taking this time to meditate and reflect on the events that took place that day.

Zacian's constant movements eventually disrupted his focus, causing him to sigh and peek an eye open to glance at the Sword Wolf. He saw that her fur had bristled, and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she kept turning toward every sound she heard.

"...You're too tense, Zacian," he said softly to her. "You keep fidgeting like that, and the fauna here will be drawn to you like a Venomoth to a flame. Relax a little."

"That's easy for you to say," Zacian countered sharply. "You have the gift of sensing aura all around you. You can detect any threat far faster than I can."

Minato blinked. "...Back up a second... Was that an admission that I can do something you cannot?" he asked.

"Don't be absurd. It was a mere statement of fact," she quickly replied, in an effort to save face. "Now silence. You're distracting me from doing my duty."

"You're distracting me too, you know. Your frantic movements are constantly catching my ears," He remarked calmly. Then a silence fell between the two of them as they kept watch, until Minato went and broke it once more after several minutes.

"...Zacian," he began, earning a contemptible glare from her. "Why do you feel it's so important to protect your pride, even against your own brother?" He asked as he turned his gaze to meet hers. "You two have been together for hundreds of years, and yet you're always so abrasive toward him."

"That isn't your concern, Minato," She answered quickly.

"You're making it my concern," he added pointedly, "Your abrasiveness towards us I can understand. We're strangers to you and building our trust takes time, but Zamazenta is your brother; your twin, even. You've known him since... Well, since your birth... Or creation, I'm not really sure how Legendary Pokémon are brought into being. You two have fought in several battles together, and yet... It's almost as if you don't trust him."

She scoffed. "You misunderstand... I do trust Zamazenta, unquestioningly; he is the only one I trust so much. We have indeed fought together for centuries, and we trust each other with our lives," she stated. "He is just too overbearing. He concerns himself with me too much and interferes with my life unnecessarily. I am not some child to be coddled and protected, I am a Royal Knight. I am capable of defending myself."

"Zacian, do you ever stop to wonder why he's too overbearing?" he asked, looking over his shoulder toward the sleeping Shield Wolf.

"No, I don't. To me, it's his way of just being annoying and getting under my fur. His constant lectures are something I can live without," she answered scathingly.

"He's butting into your life because he's worried about you," Minato stated, "He's just doing what any older brother would do to their sibling. Hell, if anything, he's acting more like a parent than a sibling, what with how he's always lecturing you and stuff."

He then turned his attention forward before continuing. "As a father myself, I can sympathize with that. When Caulin entered my life, I made sure I did everything I could to help him live the best life possible. Sometimes I did have to be harsh and strict with him, but it was to make sure he understood that some of his actions would have consequences. Everything I did while raising that boy, I did for his well-being."

Minato looked back toward Zacian once more. "Zamazenta loves you, Zacian, just as I love my son. If anything were to happen to you, he would be stricken with grief and guilt, and whenever you act abrasively, his worries only continue to grow."

Zacian remained silent after Minato finished speaking, staring at him with a rather stunned expression. For once, they weren't butting heads with each other, and were having a conversation with one another... And from what Minato was saying to her, it was almost as if he himself was concerned for her wellbeing.

She then scoffed and looked away once more. "...He shouldn't have to worry. And neither should you," she quickly responded, once more going back to her watch.

"...You are hopelessly dense," Minato said with an exasperated sigh, rubbing his face with his paw for a few moments. A thought then crossed his mind as he looked forward as well, one that caused him to smirk slightly. "You know... Thinking about it, we're a lot more alike than you'd care to admit."

"Please... We're hardly alike. You are a mortal Pokémon, I am a Legendary being. I will concede that your skills as a warrior are highly impressive, but that doesn't change what you are," Zacian shot back.

"That's not what I'm getting at," he answered calmly. "You're very proud of your strength, aren't you? I imagine you had to work hard to become the being you are today."

"Of course I did. I wasn't just granted the title of Royal Knight due to my status. I had to prove myself to King Calyrex on several occasions to prove that I was worthy of being a Royal Knight, as did my brother."

"I'm rather proud of my strength too," Minato interjected, "In fact, there was once a time when I was so proud that I was blind to everything else around me... Sure, I had my family and my friends looking out for me, and I was grateful for it, but I always considered myself the best fighter on my island home, and Caulin swore by it every day," he explained, then his expression soured heavily. "...That is, until Calhoun arrived and destroyed everything I held dear..."

That seemed to catch Zacian's attention, causing her to cease her watch and cast a sidelong glance his way. When she offered no other words, he continued. "Growing up on Arc Island, under the tutelage of my masters Victor and Claire, I was taught at a very young age that true power was measured by the sweat on a warrior's brow, and the strength of their back. Power was always earned, never given as a gift."

He shrugged his shoulders before he continued, adjusting his black coat. "In my youth, I took that philosophy to heart...Perhaps too much, for when Victor tried to teach me about other ways of acquiring power, namely through Mega Evolution, I shunned his teachings, calling him a sham and stating that everything he taught me was all a lie."

Now, Zacian was giving Minato her full attention, slowly but surely coming to the realization that they perhaps did share one thing in common. They valued their own strength to a fault... or at least, he used to. "...What changed?" she eventually asked.

"My rematch with Calhoun outside Blackcoast City," Minato answered. "It was myself and Lashanne against him, and despite the apparent numbers advantage, he almost turned Lashanne into mincemeat and I had to struggle just to keep up with him in his base form... Then, when he Mega Evolved, the tide turned again."

He narrowed his eyes as he recounted that battle. "He crushed me... I had to be rescued by the timely arrival of Team Kama, but even they couldn't stand up to him. Then, Volcan intervened, also using Mega Evolution; he kept up with Calhoun, but even he couldn't stop him." He turned his gaze toward the sky in reminiscence. "I had one card left to play... But if I hadn't had that, Calhoun would have killed all of us that day."

He lowered his gaze again, shifting uncomfortably. "After recovering from that fight, I started to accept that my strength alone wouldn't be enough to defeat that monster... I began to accept that Victor was right, and that I needed to be more open to accepting alternate forms of power. Where there was once a time where I would openly reject the concept of Mega Evolution, that time has gone. If I ever find a Lucarionite, I would now at least consider its use."

"What is the point of this story; why are you telling me this?" Zacian asked. "How does this relate to you and I sharing anything in common?"

"My point is that I was once like you," Minato explained, reaching out and poking her chest with his paw. "I was abrasive, overconfident, and proud of my strength. Too proud, to the point that I thought I was invincible. The Dark Crusade destroying my home, my rematch with Calhoun, and reconciling with my master - all of this helped me understand that there's always going to be someone stronger out there and to not let my own hubris blind me to the rest of the world. Especially now, in this crisis we face."

He took back his paw before continuing. "So, when I tell you to get out of your own way, I'm speaking from experience, Zacian... Learn to see beyond the shutters you've put in front of you and accept that there's always room for improvement. If not for your own sake, then for Zamazenta's," he concluded.

For a moment, a silence loomed between them as the meaning of Minato's words slowly sunk in with the knight. She stared off into the dark of the night, listening to the croaking frogs as she tried to find something to refute Minato's claims. Yet, nothing came to mind... There was wisdom in his words, wisdom beyond even her many years. She had fought many battles, lost very few, and won many. She thought her strength was without equal, yet somehow, she believed him... Perhaps her brother's caution and temperance were not just a result of his defensive training, but a logic she had yet to grasp.

She then recalled something Minato had said earlier and cast another sidelong glance his way. "For the record," she said lowly, in a monotone voice, bearing none of her usual abrasion or superiority, "I am the elder twin."

"...My mistake," Minato conceded. "Given how calm and composed your brother has been, I assumed he was the elder sibling," he then chuckled softly. "Well, you know what they say about assumptions... It makes an ass out of you and me." He said with a broad smile on his face.

"...Was...Was that a pun?" she asked suddenly. Then she started to feel her lips curling upward slightly, but when Minato looked her way again, she turned her gaze forward and tried her best to hide the fact that she was smiling. Of course, Minato caught the slight curl on her lips, but he didn't say anything on the matter, instead turning his gaze toward the sky, then closing his eyes as he continued scanning the immediate area with his Aura Sense.

~~~~~

He finally found it...

His search had taken another day after stalling Seji's task force, but Kage finally managed to find the stronghold of the Kaeru Assassins. It was exactly as he remembered it back in his younger days: A temple shrouded in a thick fog, making it all but invisible to the naked eye, constructed on a large islet surrounded by a literal, circular lake of stagnant water and muck, making it a death trap for anyone daring to cross it normally.

Thankfully, he knew of a couple ways to traverse the deadly moat without getting sucked under. He knew that there was a hidden raft and pulley system that members of the Brotherhood would use conventionally, but Kage knew that if he tried to gain entry that way, he would surely be spotted - And given his history, they would not welcome him with open arms.

He weaved a sign and disappeared into his shadow via Shadow Sneak, then he started to move toward the bog at a steady pace. Because his shadow practically contained no mass, it didn't sink into the bog and suffocate him in its depths, allowing him to traverse the environmental hazard with ease. Within minutes, he had managed to cross the bog and arrive at the shores of the islet within the fog, where he peeked his head up slightly to look at the fortress up close.

Along the edges of the walls, he saw several sentries all positioned at several sections, keeping watch over the area for any sign of intruders. Despite the chances of an intruder making it to their shores being minimal at best, the Kaeru Assassins didn't survive this long by being careless. They were strict and stuck to their codes and rules to the letter, which meant remaining diligent even in times of relative peace.

The former assassin waited until two of the sentries had turned away to continue their rounds before he made his move. Shifting his shadow onto solid ground before he dared to emerge from his shadow and press himself against the wall, he waited a few moments to be sure he was still in the clear. He then let himself faze through the wall of the stronghold, as he was still a Ghost type from using Shadow Sneak earlier. Once he was inside the courtyard he disappeared back into his shadow and began sneaking over toward the main entrance of the stronghold, making sure to hide under any object that gave off a shadow periodically to avoid raising any suspicion.

It would be within the main hallway where Kage would encounter his first problem. The second he snuck under the door; he saw three other hooded Greninja standing guard at the other end of the hallway. He was in a precarious situation now. If he tried to move from his spot he would surely be spotted, but his target lay right behind those doors... or at least he thought it did. The interior of the stronghold had changed over the years since his departure. For all he knew, the door ahead could lead to somewhere else entirely... That being said, it was a chance he wasn't willing to pass up.

Kage took a moment to ready his attack strategy, then he struck. In a swift movement, he jumped out of his shadow and hurled a smoke bomb at their feet. It exploded before they could react, shrouding them in a blanket of white smoke and preventing them from calling for help as they coughed. Kage then emerged from his shadow and dashed right into the cloud, striking at each of the guards with well-placed strikes to their necks and knocking them out in one fell swoop.

Then, before the gas dissipated, Kage moved the unconscious sentries over behind the nearby pillars, then disappeared back into his shadow before the smoke finally disappeared. He waited for a few minutes afterward, making sure that his scuffle didn't attract unwanted attention. When he heard no signs of any alarms being raised, he continued on his way, slipping under the door the sentries were guarding and entering the chamber behind them.

The room he entered was dark and eerily quiet, save for the ambient sounds of wood creaking within the structure. Kage slowly emerged from his shadow and examined the room he was in, having to squint his eyes slightly to help them better adjust to the darkened room he was in. His examination ended when he saw a silhouette at the end of the hall, making him flinch and reach for his blade. He stayed perfectly still as he eyed the silhouette, then dared to slowly step closer to it to get a better look at what it was. It was immobile at least, and it was too wide to be a Greninja, so at least he wasn't in any immediate danger just yet.

...Or so he thought...

As he got closer to the silhouette, his leg got caught on something, making him stumble slightly as a result. The second he caught his balance, the room was then lit up by a set of torches hanging along the walls of the chamber he was in, and to his disappointment, he found that he wasn't in the room he was looking for, but rather, he had stumbled upon a large training room filled with several hazards ranging from spike pits to swinging axes to vents on the floor spouting large gouts of fire into the air. Kage barely had time to process what was going on before he noticed two swinging logs coming his way, threatening to crush him between their thick trunks if he didn't move out of the way.

Thinking fast, Kage quickly leapt up and over the logs before they came crashing together, flipping in the air a few times before he landed on a narrow plank over the spike pits. The Greninja then had to dodge, weave and deflect blow darts being shot from the walls opposite of him, almost making him lost his balance a few times before he finally made it to the opposite end of the plank, where he would then be subjected to dodging around spinning pillars with spiked arms swinging out at him, threatening to bludgeon into his skull if he made one slight misstep in his movements.

The Greninja started to recall his past once more as he evaded each obstacle thrown his way, the scenario reminding him of when he was a young Froakie having to endure a similar trial, albeit less hazardous than the one he was enduring now. He remembered receiving harsh punishment every time he failed, either from his father, or from one of his subordinates, and being told that each punishment served as a reminder to never repeat the mistake he made that caused him to fail at the time.

Those visions seemed to empower Kage as he continued to weave and dodge every obstacle in his way, giving him the adrenaline rush he needed to clear the gouts of fire and the last set of swinging axes before finally arriving at the end of the course. He panted slightly as the adrenaline rush faded, leaving him slightly winded as a result, but he was untouched thanks to his honed reflexes. After gathering his breath again, he turned once more to look at what the silhouette was before the room lit up, and his eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw.

A small flight of steps stood between him and a pedestal at the peak of the stairs, and atop that pedestal, there was a sword resting within a plexiglass cover. The sword was akin to the Ninjato Kage wore on his back, only this one had an ocean blue hilt and an aquamarine-coloured blade instead of the traditional silver blade and black hilt he had. Along the length of the blade there were several indentations that looked like housing for certain items, and Kage knew all too well what they were meant for.

"The Emera Blade," he whispered softly as he slowly began to ascend the stairs toward the pedestal.

His hand went to subconsciously touch the glass surrounding the blade as he once again had another flashback to when he was a Froakie, looking at this very same blade with his Father way back in the day and listening to his stories about how this blade came to be forged, and how it was passed down from generation to generation.

'This blade was passed down to me from the previous leader of our clan, after completing the trial of the Serpent... Only those of strong mind and body can hope to properly wield this sword, lest they become consumed by its awe-inspiring power...' Fusaku explained to Kage as he looked down at his son. 'My time will eventually come one day, my son. You will have to take part in the Trial of the Serpent yourself in order to prove your worth to wield this sword and lead our clan to greatness once more.'

He gently placed his hand atop the young Froakie. 'Until that day comes, I expect the best out of you and more during your training. By the time you are ready, I want you to become our clan's most dangerous assassin... I want the world to know and fear your name as they whisper it among themselves. They will know the might of the Kaeru Assassins once more.'

_ _Slowly, Kage opened his eyes after the flashback ended, gazing at the sword once more and letting out a heavy sigh. "...If you only knew how flawed your philosophy was, Father," he whispered to himself.

Then, the doors behind him suddenly slammed open, causing Kage to quickly turn and draw his sword as he saw several Assassins flood into the room and surround him from every angle, some of them even leaping into the rafters and readying Water Shurikens in preparation to hurl at the intruder at a moment's notice. From that moment forward, every second was one of tension, with Kage looking at each assassin that had him surrounded.

There was no way he could escape this situation now.

But as he readied his sword, the sound of wood tapping against the floor filled the room, giving Kage a moment of pause as he turned his attention to the main doors. Those by the door quickly moved aside to clear the way for another Greninja - one much older than the others in the room. The two that had stepped aside bowed to him as he passed, leaning on a cane as he walked, and fixing his aged gaze upon the intruder.

"...Kage..." the elderly Greninja spoke. His voice was low and raspy, but it still carried a great weight of authority within it. "After all these years, you finally work up the backbone to return to our home. For once, I don't know whether I should feel proud, or disappointed in you."

"Save your lectures, Father," Kage sternly responded, shooting a dangerous leer back at Fusaku. "I've only returned to deliver a warning, one that you'd be wise to take heed of if you want to keep this organization alive."

Fusaku narrowed his eyes consideringly at Kage. He knew his son to be many things, but a liar he was not, and judging from how serious Kage was being right now, Fusaku was even more inclined to listen to what he had to say. "...Perhaps we should discuss this in a more private setting," he relented, then gave a flick of his wrist to signal the rest of the Assassins to depart.

They all quickly put away their weapons and weaved signs, disappearing in plumes of water that rained down onto the floor immediately after they disappeared. Fusaku then gestured for Kage to follow him out of the room, to which he reluctantly obliged, sheathing his sword on his back and stepping toward his father.

The two of them exited the chamber and hung a left once they entered the main hallway. Only then did Fusaku finally break the silence. "...I trust young Mizu is well?" he asked.

Kage shot him a dangerous glare in response. "You do not get to talk about her," he stated angrily at his father, then he sighed and took a moment to calm himself before answering. "But if you must know, she's fine; thriving even, considering we have an heir to carry on our lineage."

The elder Greninja nodded. "My congratulations," he said. "A shame that he had to be born _after_you left our order. They might have made an even more suitable successor than you."

Kage's eye twitched after hearing that, betraying his paternal instinct. "Whatever you're thinking, don't even try it," he warned his father. "My son is not your prize for some deluded cult that believes murder and bloodshed are the only means of obtaining peace."

"Need I remind you that you were once loyal to the Brotherhood before you decided to grow soft on us and turn your back on us for what you claim to be a 'better life,'" Fusaku countered. "Tell me, how is this new life you currently have?"

"Better than what I had here," Kage growled, then took a moment to regain his composure, sucking in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "We don't have time for this... I've returned to warn you," he began as he turned his head and gave Fusaku his full attention. "I trust you've heard about a group known as the Dark Crusade?"

"I have heard of them, yes. Whispers tell of a group of Pokémon razing towns to the ground, taking prisoners they deem worthy to perform slave labour, and killing off the rest," Fusaku replied with a nod.

"Well, they're on their way here," Kage remarked. "The leader of the Dark Crusade, a Shadow Blaziken by the name of Calhoun, has sent a forward patrol into the swamps to find your stronghold. They intend to kill you, and claim the treasure you keep locked away in that glass box... As well as secure a source of Shadow Energy that they believe to be hidden beneath this very stronghold."

Fusaku stopped in his tracks when Kage mentioned the Nexus, his expression vacant as he considered Kage's warning. "...You speak of the impossible," he remarked before he continued walking. "No one dares to wander the swamps these days out of fear of being ended by the local wildlife or succumbing to its natural dangers," the Elderly Greninja explained as they rounded a corner in the hallway. "Even if they were foolish enough to attempt it, they will never reach our stronghold. The moat we have surrounding our islet is too large and too deep to cross safely without knowing what we know."

"They know," Kage began, "because they've hired one of your former members to guide them. Father... Sakkaku has allied with the Dark Crusade and is leading them here as we speak. I managed to delay them during my own journey to find you, but they will eventually reach this stronghold."

Again, Fusaku stopped dead in his tracks, only this time he wore a look of absolute dread rather than a vacant expression. The very name of his former apprentice brought memory flashes to the forefront of his mind, up until and including the night he turned on him and attempted to kill him, only for a young Kage to halt his attempts and wound him enough to force him to flee.

"...You're certain?" Fusaku finally asked after a long silence.

"I saw him clear as day when I ambushed them... There is no doubt that it was indeed Sakkaku," Kage confirmed. "Look... I don't much care what happens to the Kaeru Assassins, I'm only here to warn you because of the fact your stronghold is housing the Nexus they seek. If Calhoun gets his hands on it, he will gain even more power, and he will destroy the world as we know it."

He stepped in front of his father once more. "You have a choice. Stand with us against the Dark Crusade by repelling Sakkaku and his forces... Or ignore my warning and allow that monster to shroud the world in darkness and chaos."

Fusaku lowered his gaze to the ground slightly, now seriously taking Kage's warning into consideration. In all his years of existence, he never imagined Sakkaku would return to not only try and claim their most sacred treasure, but to covet the power they were keeping watch over since his great ancestor built the stronghold during his time. He considered his options carefully, then he turned his attention back to Kage to give his answer.

"...If what you say is true, then I will do what I must to ensure they never set foot on our islet," he stated firmly. "I shall double patrols, extend them beyond the mire if I must, and ensure that both our treasure and the Nexus are heavily guarded."

"...So, you are protecting the Nexus," Kage muttered, finally getting the answer he needed to confirm his suspicions. "The others were right."

He then leaned forward and pressed his cane against Kage's chest. "However, if I discover this is all one elaborate ruse to destroy the Brotherhood from the inside, then I will see to it personally that you are punished accordingly," he warned his son.

Kage scoffed at the notion. "Please. As if I'd ever want your position. Our difference in ideals was why I left this misguided order in the first place."

"An order that you were once loyal to a fault," Fusaku reminded Kage before withdrawing his cane. "A conversation for another time. For now, I will pass on what you have told me to my kin, I suggest you do your part in setting up more defenses against Sakkaku in particular."

With that, the elderly Greninja hobbled away with the information Kage instilled upon him, filled with a burning desire to protect his home and his people. Kage watched him leave for a moment longer before he turned on his heel and stormed off to do his part in protecting the stronghold. As he did though, his thoughts lingered back to his childhood again, and how strict and cruel Fusaku was to him during training... Yet during times of rest, Kage recalled his father to be a stern, yet doting father to him, doing what he could to ensure that he succeeded in becoming the Brotherhood's most dangerous assassin.

He didn't want to admit it out loud... but a small part of the Greninja missed those moments when his father wasn't a complete monster, cherishing those rare moments of his life. Yet in the same token, the moments where he was a heartless monster only served to strengthen his resolve to never become the kind of man Fusaku wanted him to be, and by extension Hageshi as well.

Kage sighed and lifted his head toward the ceiling of the stronghold. "Wherever you are, son...I pray that you were successful in your pilgrimage, because I could really use your help right now," he whispered before continuing on his way.