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When the Crusade's forces stopped to make camp for the night, Asya took that opportunity to make contact with their command. Sakkaku and Seji joined her as she stood, opening her mind and reaching out to the one listening...

Soon, her thoughts were heard. She felt Mewtwo's psychic presence in her mind, and seconds later, Calhoun appeared in front of them in a flash of blue light, teleported by the corrupted Psychic-type. Asya opened her eyes, somewhat alarmed by the dark Blaziken's timely appearance.

"You were waiting for us," she said.

"Pardon me if I am growing somewhat... Antsy," Calhoun replied, giving a dismissive wave of his hand, "I felt it better we talk face-to-face, so I get a better idea of what you face out here." He turned away from her, taking in their surroundings, though even his eyes could not pierce the blackness that covered the swamps like a thick blanket.

"That is what we wanted to talk to you about," said Asya, "a familiar enemy has revealed themselves, and attacked us while we were making our way through the swamps."

Calhoun turned to look at her, studiously. "...By chance, was it a member of Team Valiant or Phalanx?" He asked.

Asya was puzzled. "You... You know?" She asked.

"I suspected they were still alive," said Calhoun, rubbing his chin with his hand. "When I unleashed that Palossand upon them, I felt when it was destroyed... I never saw what accomplished the deed; it would've taken someone of tremendous power from the outside. But not long after, another Pokémon I corrupted - the Legendary Zapdos, whom I sent to wreak havoc across the East, was purified. I did not believe these to be unconnected, and this talk of interference confirms my suspicions," his eyes narrowed with visible anger as he spoke the next words with venom in his tone. "They escaped again..."

"Indeed. They have evolved from just being a thorn in our sides to a genuine threat, given their inability to stay dead," Seji remarked, sighing and rubbing his forehead.

"Sounds to me like whatever forces you sent to take them out just weren't fit for the task," Sakkaku remarked offhandedly.

Calhoun was scowling now, his hands clenched in tight fists. "Not a mistake I'll make again," he said, "I've toyed around with them long enough. Do they want to keep getting in our way? Time to show them some consequences."

He seemed to be mostly talking to himself until he turned to look at the trio again. "Proceed with your mission," he instructed, "Leave those two Rescue Teams to me - let's see if they hold onto their spirit when they return home to find only death and destruction waiting for them." He started to turn away again, until he hastily added, "And, let me know when you have found the assassin's hideout. I shall provide reinforcements to you to secure the Nexus and eliminate any of the assassins who get in your way."

Asya nodded to Calhoun. "Understood."

With that, Calhoun vanished in a flash of blue light, leaving the three to consider their next move.

"So, he's finally going to do it," Asya muttered.

"Asya. A moment," Seji spoke, gesturing for her to follow him.

She nodded and followed him aside, letting him lead to a more secluded spot. He spoke in a hushed voice once they were away from prying ears. "You've felt it too, haven't you?"

"About Calhoun?" She asked. "Yes... Something has changed about him, but I cannot determine what it is."

"My honest opinion?" Seji began. "I believe the toll of wielding that corrupt power might finally be catching up to him... The headaches and fatigue he suffers from could be a sign that it's starting to take him over," he explained. "Sooner or later, he will be deemed unfit to lead our crusade."

"That risk was never lost on me," she admitted, looking over her shoulder toward the camp, "but the danger is greater than just him losing his mind... If he does snap, Mewtwo will be let loose and surely destroy us all."

"In that case, we will need a contingency of our own," Seji answered firmly. "In the event Calhoun is lost and Mewtwo turns on us, we will need the means to secure our resources and our progress."

"I have been searching for a solution to that very puzzle myself," she admitted, "discreetly, lest Mewtwo see it in my thoughts. Battling a powerful telepath is difficult, even for a seasoned strategist. Finding someone strong enough to beat him is even more difficult."

Seji stroked through his mustache for a bit, frowning heavily as he considered their options. "...We don't have many options available to us should the worst come to pass." He admitted. "If it does, then our only course of action would be to abandon the Crusade altogether."

"Simultaneously unravelling everything we hoped to gain by fighting for it," Asya added, with no small measure of disgust in her voice. "It would all be for nothing, then... I left the islands to seek power - enough to take them for myself, and subjugate the Pokémon who live there, to rebuild them into a powerful nation... Leaving the Crusade means I would be starting anew."

It was clear to see that the Lycanroc was in conflict between her senses and her ambitions. The Crusade offered her the best chance of seeing her dreams of conquest realized, but it also presented an immediate threat to undoing everything she hoped to achieve...

At that, Seji sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It would not truly be the end, so long as you remain a free woman," Seji tried to assure her. "The Crusade would be gone, but you would still carry on the work... If anyone could inspire others to join in on a second crusade, it would be you my dear."

Asya offered him a light, crooked smile. "And what of you? What would you do if it came to that?" She asked.

At that, he sighed. "I am growing old, Asya... Perhaps too old to continue fighting," he answered, "I might retire if I'm being honest. Find somewhere quiet to live out the rest of my golden years. Of course, I would still offer any archaeological assistance you may require for your crusade, but for combat? Sash would be better suited to help you."

"Something tells me he would not follow me," said Asya with an unconvinced grimace, "I am not even sure he sees me as any more than another bag of blood for him to spill if it suits him."

"Would never hurt to ask," Seji offered with a shrug. "For now, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. We still have a task pending right now."

"Indeed, we do," she agreed, facing the camp again. "We had better get some rest - we'll be on our way at first light."

Seji nodded, then gently turned and stepped aside to allow her to walk ahead before following after her. He felt a sense of relief wash over him, knowing that he wasn't the only one among their ranks that felt as if this whole Crusade was falling apart, however he started to have doubts the second Lashanne pointed out a valid thought during their clash down in the South Islands... He was starting to wonder if he was really in this for the archaeological reward, or a desperate decision in order to survive...

~~~~~

The next morning, the team awoke to a damp chill in the air covering the swamps. Volcan, shaken awake by Minato, sat up and gently shook Luke awake as well, letting him know it was time to get moving.

Securing their lifelines once more, they started their trek through the swamps in the same formation they had used the day before. Volcan, still with the compass in hand, measured his steps carefully, moving much slower than he would have liked but ever aware of the treacherous land on which they walked... At least when he could see it.

Volcan nearly dropped the compass as he stepped on what he at first thought was solid ground, only for his leg to disappear almost up to his knee as the peat moss covering the top of the water shattered to reveal the murky water underneath.

"Fuck!" Volcan cursed, hastily pulling his leg out and looking at the compass in his hand, making sure he still had it.

"Damnit, everywhere you go, there's stagnant water or a peat bog to step into," Luke remarked, grasping onto the lifeline instinctively when Volcan stepped into the hidden pond. "It makes me wonder how the Crusade would handle navigating such a harsh environment if we're struggling this much."

"Knowing them? They probably have the means to make the path less treacherous," Minato offered.

"With the resources they have, that's a fair bet," Volcan agreed, shaking his leg to fling off some of the muck clinging to his feathers. "One I hope we don't have to collect on. I would say watch your step, but some of these sinkholes are damn near invisible to the eye."

He continued walking, even more cautious where he placed his feet now. Anywhere that looked like the hole he stepped into before, he touched with his talons first before putting any weight on it.

After crossing a few islands and reaching the crossing for another, he stopped. "...Hold up," he said, putting up his hand as he stared ahead.

The rest of them stopped moving when he held his hand up, with Zacian looking around the others at Volcan. "What is it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. He was staring at a weeping willow tree at the other end of the next crossing. The tree was massive, and its weeping branches so dense, they obscured the trunk with a thick curtain of pale green. "Something about that tree that's making my feathers stand... I don't want to approach it."

"Do you think something is hiding inside of it?" Zamazenta asked.

"One way to know," Volcan replied. "Luke, Minato, can you see anything with your Aura Senses?"

"One second," Luke answered, closing his eyes and focusing on the tree with his Aura Sense. Minato did the same, but he focused more on their surrounding area, leaving Luke to sniff out what Volcan suspected might be putting him on edge.

Luke looked at the hanging vines first, looking behind them for any sign of living auras - besides those of the plant itself. But what he found at first puzzled him. There were auras... long lines of them, among the hanging vines of the willow branches. Following one set of the auras back to their sources, he was treated to the 'sight' of a much bigger aura, flowing through a body that, in size, was larger than any of them.

The aura was not alone either; Luke could see four others across the tree, each of them resting on one of the limbs, and each with the lengths of their aura flowing below them, concealed amongst the willow branches...

"Looks like your instincts were dead on, love," Luke informed the Blaziken. "There are five auras total hiding in the tree above, all of them having lines connecting them disguised as low-hanging vines. Tangrowth, no doubt, given how large their auras are."

"Hanging their own vines in among those of the willow," Zamazenta commented, nodding. "An ingenious hunting tactic... Prey wanders in and doesn't realize the danger until it's too late."

"So, what, we walk around them?" Minato asked.

"If we can," replied Volcan, "let's try to find another path. Keep your eyes on any willows we pass - I'm betting there are more like this one."

Taking another route, Volcan led the group away from the tree. He searched carefully, looking for another set of solid ground that they could cross. They reached another crossing, and carefully made their way over to another island, always in sight of that willow.

"Wait... What's that?" Volcan asked, pointing in the water beside them, at a bulbous shape at the bed of the slough.

Almost as if on cue, the bulb moved, and the water exploded as it erupted to reveal a Carnivine, launching itself at Volcan. The Blaziken ducked, and the Carnivine soared over his head, dripping water from its leaves and trailing vines as it flew.

"Back, back!" Volcan exclaimed, ushering them away from the water.

"Backing up!" Minato hollered, looking over his shoulder to Zamazenta. "Watch your footing! There could be more of these things!"

Zamazenta looked behind him, being careful not to slip into the water as he backed up. The path they were on was too narrow for him to turn around, forcing the others to move at the shield wolf's slow pace as they tried to get away from the water.

More Carnivine emerged, similarly throwing themselves at their targets, mouths wide open as they lunged. Volcan stuffed the compass into his satchel and smacked a Carnivine out of midair with a Fire Punch, sending it spinning back into the water again. Another went for Minato at the middle of the group, who followed Volcan's example and attacked with a Fire Punch of his own, then ducked as another tried lunging at him from his flank.

Luke, having no real fire moves of his own aside from Blaze Kick, stuck to his teachings of the Rapid Strike Style to dodge around each Carnivine that tried to lunge or ensnare him. Oftentimes he would have to get creative with his dodges, jumping and falling flat on his front, springing back up when one tried to wrap around his arms and legs, taking care not to spin too much or he'd risk yanking those around him toward him.

"Something's behind us!" Zamazenta called, noticing a form on the island they were trying to get back to.

Zacian, after knocking aside a Carnivine with her sword clutched in her jaws, looked back to see what her brother meant. Standing at the start of the crossing was a Toxicroak, grinning menacingly as it eyed the easy target of Zamazenta, knowing he couldn't turn to protect his exposed flank.

"Move aside, brother!" Zacian exclaimed, quickly turning to face him.

"I cannot! There is nowhere to move to!" he replied, eyeing the water on his sides.

"Then get down!" she commanded, quickly turning her head away and channelling a Moonblast along the length of her blade. She waited until Zamazenta complied, then swung her sword as hard as she could, launching the Fairy-type attack at the would-be aggressor.

Moonblast shot over Zamazenta's head, striking the Toxicroak and blasting it away to fall off the land segment and tumble into the waters. Whether or not it resurfaced, no one saw. But Zamazenta was in more danger, as a Carnivine leapt out of the water at him, jumping onto his back and securing itself by wrapping its vines around his neck behind the safety of his shield, eliciting a gag from him.

Zamazenta shook side to side, trying to throw the Carnivine off as it tried to strangle him. He stepped, his foot going into the water and nearly being snagged by another, but he pulled it back, keeping his balance while Zacian tried to get to him, but the Carnivine was ducking behind her brother's head, using his own shield to protect itself.

"Cursed wild beast!" Zacian growled, trying to maneuver around him to free her brother of the Carnivine trying to down him. Alas, the path was too narrow for her to maneuver around without risking her own safety. She felt powerless in this situation, unsure of how she could help Zamazenta.

Minato caught sight of the dilemma behind him, cursing under his breath before he quickly acted. In one fell swing of his arm, he summoned his sword, severing the rope around his waist and then leapt up and over Zacian onto Zamazenta's back with his blade pointed down, stabbing the creature right through the head with his sword upon landing on the Shield Wolf.

The Carnivine went limp, and Zamazenta gasped as its vines loosened around his neck and it tumbled into the water, lifeless. "Y-You have... My thanks... Minat-_,"_he was interrupted as he coughed, trying to regain the breath he'd lost while being strangled.

"Brother!" Zacian exclaimed as she came over to him, checking along his neck for any lasting damage. "Are you hurt?"

He coughed again for a few more seconds before he answered. "I... I will be fine, sister... But we must get away from this water," he replied.

"My thoughts exactly!" Volcan called, kicking another Carnivine as it leapt at him. "Luke, grab onto me!"

"No argument there!" Luke hollered back, quickly reaching and grasping onto Volcan's middle. "Now or never!"

Volcan jumped into the air, breathing a cone of fire back where he had been standing before as more Carnivine leapt for him, catching them in the blaze as he soared over the heads of the knights and Minato to land on solid ground again. With that, Volcan hastily untied his lifeline, dropping it.

"Cover us with Aura Spheres!" Volcan called as he moved to help the others, "Minato, jump this way!"

"On it!" Minato called back, swinging his sword at a few Carnivine that tried to jump him, then he quickly leapt off Zamazenta's back over toward Volcan's location, all while Luke covered them with a barrage of Aura Spheres that homed in on any other Carnivine that tried to attack them.

Volcan cupped his hands, catching Minato by his foot before catapulting him over his head and launching Minato over to where Luke was.

"Help Luke! I'll get the knights!" Volcan called out, turning to Zamazenta next. "Zamazenta, let your sister jump over you toward me!"

Zamazenta ducked his head, giving Zacian enough room to leap over him. She stepped back a little to get as much of a running start as she could, then leapt high into the air afterward, soaring over Zamazenta. However, her jump wouldn't carry her far enough across the gap, but before she hit the water, Minato quickly reached out with Psychic and grabbed her in a mental hold, keeping her suspended above the water and slowly carrying her over to solid ground before he let her drop, panting a bit after that exertion.

"Good timing, Minato!" Volcan said, and then helped Zamazenta back to shore, keeping a grip on his lifeline in case he slipped as the two hurried back to solid ground, away from the water.

When they were away from the waters, the Carnivine ceased their attack, vanishing below the stagnant pool once again. When all was quiet, the group finally felt safe enough to let their guard down and catch their breath.

"That... Was intense," said Volcan, rubbing his forehead. "Why were those Carnivine in the water anyway? I thought they lived in trees?"

Zamazenta looked in the direction of the willow they had been trying to evade. "Perhaps they had to seek new hunting grounds, when larger predators forced them out," he suggested, and let out a cough, lifting his paw to rub his neck.

"In order to survive, one must be able to adapt to changes that might come their way," Minato remarked as he looked on at the pond. "Even out here, adaptation is the key to surviving these treacherous lands..."

"Only they have to adapt faster than most typical wild Pokémon you'd find elsewhere," Luke commented. "This place really is a hellhole, even to its own denizens..."

"We still need to get across this way," said Volcan, looking warily over the land path they had been on before. "Any idea how many of those Carnivine are left in there; can we get through them?"

Luke quickly scanned the waters ahead, counting quietly each one he sensed before giving his answer. "There's about fifteen lying in wait. Maybe more."

"I could lift them into the air with Psychic for a short while," Minato offered.

"Would you be able to hold that many for long?" Luke asked, concerned.

"I just lifted a giant armour-clad wolf that's three times my own weight. I think I can handle a swarm of ravenous predator plants," Minato answered, rolling his head along his shoulders and cracking his paws slightly as he stepped in front of the group.

He then slowly exhaled as he calmed his mind, locking onto each signal he could sense, then lifted his paws up and cast his mental attack. He grunted as he felt the wild Pokémon beneath the pond fight against the pull, making him put more effort into his attack until he was finally able to slowly lift each Carnivine out of the water and hold them high in the air above.

"GO!" Minato said through grit teeth, struggling to maintain his focus as he felt the Carnivine struggle against his grasp.

"You heard him; hustle!" Volcan urged the others forward, this time the knights were going first.

Zacian followed after Zamazenta as he began his trek under the suspended Carnivine, stopping for a moment to glance at Minato as he struggled to keep them airborne before turning and trotting after her brother. Luke was next to go, watching his footing and taking care not to slip and fall into the water as he moved.

When they were across, Volcan looked at Minato. "They're clear! Drop those weeds and hang onto me!" He ordered.

Minato did one better, having had enough of these predatory plants. With a roar he threw his hands down, and the Carnivine swarm all shot into the water with bone jarring force, all to stun them long enough for Volcan to carry the weary Lucario over to the others.

Volcan picked Minato up, hoisting him onto his back before taking a running start at the crossing. But rather than try to run across, the Blaziken jumped, soaring over the gap clear of the water and landing amidst their friends with Minato in tow.

"Well done, pal," Volcan said, helping Minato stand.

"T-Thanks," Minato said with a smile, rubbing his head as he stumbled away from Volcan, only to find himself leaning against Zacian's flank as she moved over to catch him before he could fall.

"That was reckless of you," She said in a firm manner. "You didn't have to strain yourself as hard as you did."

"It got us across, didn't it?" he responded, smirking slightly at her.

"...I suppose it did," she acknowledged, turning her gaze away from him. "Just... Try not to do that again if you can help it."

"No promises, sister," the Lucario answered, still smirking.

Volcan let out a sigh and retrieved the compass from his satchel again. "Okay... Time to get back on track," he said.

"Right. Hopefully that detour didn't take us too far off course," Luke added, stepping over to take a look at the compass and map with Volcan.

They took a moment to get their bearings again, with Volcan taking extra time to calculate how far off their route they may have gone after their detour. Soon, they were on their way again, and went over another pair of crossings - having to avoid a few peskier bug-types that swarmed them, until they came to stand on a particularly large stretch of solid ground.

"Well... Away from the water for a bit - I'll take it," said Volcan.

"I am inclined to agree," said Zamazenta, shaking himself, "though I still feel as though my fur is dampening even when I have not fallen into any of the pools."

"That would be the humidity," said Volcan, "makes it feel like you're drenched even when you're not; I don't like it any more than you do."

"I see," Zamazenta replied. "I am accustomed to the dry cold of the north, it seems. This weather is strange to me."

"Don't worry. It's only prominent in this part of the Eastern Continent, it seems." Luke offered. "Once we're done with our mission here, we won't have to worry about coming back here ever again."

"That I am most thankful for," he said.

"Seconded," added Volcan.

"Thirded," Zacian answered as well. "I have already had my fill of this wretched place."

"Seconded again," agreed Volcan, "Alright. Let's get back to it." He turned and started walking, "At least we don't have any more pools to cross for now."

"Volcan, for the love of the Lord above, do not jinx it," Minato remarked scathingly. "We had to ditch our lifeline in order to cross that last obstacle."

"Speak for yourself," said Volcan, reaching into his satchel and producing another coil of rope. "That was the rope from Luke's satchel. I took precautions and brought a spare."

Luke smiled. "Guess you took a page out of Lashanne's book and remembered to come prepared," he joked. "Here's hoping we don't have to lose this one in order to cross another obstacle."

"Well, Minato's the one who sliced the first one," Volcan teased.

"To help me," Zamazenta spoke in Minato's defense. "I could not get that Carnivine off without his aid - it would have strangled me."

"I never said he didn't do it for a good reason," Volcan reasoned.

"On that note," Zacian piped up, turning to look at Minato and lowering her gaze slightly as she spoke. "I... owe you thanks for helping my brother when I couldn't..." She reluctantly remarked.

Minato took a moment to register what she said, stunned by the fact that she was actually showing him gratitude. However, rather than call her out on it in a chiding manner, he only smiled in return and patted her back gently.

"Hey, it's what comrades do for one another," he returned. "You would have done the same for me."

Volcan stopped walking again, alert. "Wait... Something moved over there," he said, pointing past another tree ahead of them.

"Great, what now?" Luke asked with a disgruntled moan, already focusing his Aura Sense to where Volcan was pointing to.

He saw multiple auras, hiding in the foliage behind the tree. They weren't large, but there were at least a dozen of them... Coming toward them. Before Luke could say anything though, one of the others spoke up first.

"Pinsir!" It was Volcan's voice, prompting Luke to revert to his normal vision again as the horned beetle Pokémon emerged, their spiky horns striking together noisily as they walked.

"Damnit all, we just can't catch a break here!" Minato growled as they all stepped away from the incoming swarm of walking crusher bugs. "What now? Do we fight our way through them or see if they'll let us pass?"

As Volcan considered the suggestion, Zamazenta spoke up. "More coming from the other side!" He shouted in warning. "No... Wait," he added as the group turned. "They are not the same!"

From the opposite direction, another type of Beetle Pokémon emerged, but not more Pinsirs. Each of them had only one horn instead of two, and their bodies were covered by a blue exoskeleton as opposed to the Pinsir's brown carapaces. Their faces were also more humanoid than those of the Pinsir, showing expressions of anger as they advanced.

"Uh... Don't know those ones," said Volcan, "What are they?"

"Heracross!" Zacian answered, already cocking her head back in preparation to draw her sword. "They're a breed of warrior Bug Pokémon with strength that rivals that of a Pinsir's crushing mandibles."

"Great! We're trapped between a rock and a hard place!" Volcan exclaimed, his wrists igniting as he prepared for a fight.

The group formed into a tight circle, facing the encroaching beetle Pokémon on either side of them. One of the Pinsir caught their attention, looking ready to pounce, but as it tried to, one of the Heracross launched itself as well, and slammed into the Pinsir, knocking it out of the air! On the other side, a similar thing occurred as a Heracross made a run at Minato, but before he needed to defend himself, another Pinsir collided with it.

He ducked instinctively as the two collided over him, watching them fall to the ground and begin fighting each other as if the group didn't exist. It then clicked with Minato as to why they were seemingly being ignored, and he turned to his comrades just as another pair clashed with each other. Seeing this, he understood what was happening.

"This is a turf war! We're right in the middle of a clan dispute!" Minato shouted.

"We need to get out of here!" Zamazenta declared, his shield forming as his eyes glowed. "Follow me!"

The shield wolf charged, bulling his way through some scuffling beetles, forcing them out of his way as he cleared a path for his comrades. With the path cleared, the rest of them followed suit, running after Zamazenta as fast as they could to get away from the brawl they had stumbled into. A few tried to attack them as they fled, but both Minato and Zacian warded them off with their swords as they passed, taking swings at them to make them back off.

When they were clear of the battle, they took cover behind some foliage and looked back to see the ongoing skirmish. None of the Pinsir or the Heracross pursued them, too focused on battling their rivals.

"Looks like Minato was right," said Volcan, breathing a sigh of relief, "it seems to be some kind of territorial battle. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Luke let out a heavy sigh followed by an exasperated groan. "First we get attacked by a hoard of Carnivine after trying to cross a stagnant pond, and now we stumble into a territorial battle between two tribes" He listed off before throwing his arms out. "What else could go wrong?"

"Luuuke," Minato cautioned the younger Lucario. "Do not jinx it."

"Hey, bad things come in groups of three. So far, we've run into two problems. It's only a matter of time before we encounter a third," Luke pointed out.

"Hate to say it, but he's got a point," said Volcan, shrugging.

Minato facepawed. "Dude, don't... Ugh, nevermind," he said while rolling his eyes. "Let's just keep going before whatever the third problem is decides to jump out at us."

"If problems come in threes... What of that Toxicroak that tried to trap us on the crossing?" Zamazenta suggested, "did he not count toward one of the three?"

"Eh... You can probably associate him with the first problem. Besides, thanks to your sister he didn't really get the chance to cause us any trouble," Volcan reminded.

"He's right, brother. Had I not been there to fend that creature off, we might have been in a much worse predicament," she concurred with Volcan.

Zamazenta nodded. "Indeed," he agreed.

The trees grew denser as the group ventured onward, their dense canopies creating more shadows to cover the land below. Even with the light of the sun, the shadows were deep and made them tread cautiously for fear of something lying in wait to ambush them.

The tension was so thick that if it were visible, it could be cut with a hot butter knife. Both Luke and Minato had their weapons in hand, their eyes scanning around their immediate area and their ears twitching at any noise they heard that wasn't theirs. Zacian was also on high alert with her sword in her mouth, her fur bristled, and her jaws clenched around the hilt of the Crowned Sword tightly, her every footstep light and carefully placed.

Luke walked up next to Volcan during their trek. "How far do you think we still have to go?" he asked, gesturing to the compass and map in Volcan's possession.

"Hard to say," said Volcan, looking at the map and trailing along their supposed path with his talon. "We are still moving north... We entered right down here... We should almost be where Lashanne put the circle to account for a margin of error."

He tapped the map and hummed as he thought. "Hold these for a sec," he said, passing the map and compass to Luke. "Little room. Be back in a sec," he said, hopping in place before he dropped low... And jumped.

The Blaziken shot upward, piercing the canopy above and disappearing into the air overhead. The others looked up, momentarily dumbfounded by the Blaziken's powerful jump.

"...That was quite a leap," said Zamazenta, "Where is he going?"

"Oh, he's just doing one of his little recon jumps," Minato answered casually. "Think of it like a Wailord spy hopping, only he's a bird with ridiculous jumping power."

"Quite effective, if a little unorthodox," Zacian commented, still looking up.

"Well, we don't have a designated flier like Luke's team does, but it gets the job done," commented Minato.

"Look out below!" Volcan's voice rang, before his red form came crashing through the canopies again, landing hard on his feet and causing the moist ground to cave slightly under his mass.

"The trees thin out a little up ahead, about another six kilometers or so. I think I saw an overgrown structure hidden behind the canopies, but I can't be certain," Volcan reported as he brushed leaves and twigs off his arms, "We won't make that before dark, but it's still on our course, and it's the only thing that stands out around here."

"Given that all we've encountered during our trek is aggressive wildlife and treacherous grounds, I imagine that has to be where the Assassins' hideout is," Luke commented. "If Kage has already arrived there, I can only hope he's managed to convince them not to attack us on sight."

"If he even knows we followed him," Volcan added, "When we were still in the airship I thought for sure we'd overtake him but I never saw him."

"Kage may not be as fast as you or me, but he used to live in these parts of the East," Luke pointed out. "He probably still remembers all of the safest routes through the bogland, whereas we don't, or we'd be in much better shape than we are now."

"True enough," agreed Volcan, "Okay, let's keep moving."

"Right with ya, boss." Minato agreed. "Oh, and uh, little bit of advice. Might wanna try and soften the landing next time you wanna try that Recon Jump in these parts." He offered, gesturing to the ground at his feet and how it had caved in slightly.

Volcan shrugged. "If ya know a way, let me know," he commented with a chuckle.

The five companions managed another hour's journey before encountering yet another hurdle in their path. The ground narrowed heavily until they came to an especially narrow mound with a deep slant on either side of a large willow tree. To the right, a steep drop, directly into another peat bog, but on the left, the ground became a deep hole, filled with mud and stagnant water that stank to the heavens, and the hole was massive with no clear way around that they could see. The outer part of the hole was even narrower, with highly mushy ground over another pool of water, where they could make out multiple large forms moving about in the water - Pokémon they could not quite identify from their present distance.

"Well, this is a problem," said Volcan. "I don't see a way through here or a way around."

"The slopes are too narrow for us to maneuver properly either," Zacian remarked, gesturing to herself and her brother. "One misstep and we slide into whichever direction we stumble into."

"I agree. It's too dangerous to cross safely," Luke concurred, looking at the path ahead of them. "But if we try to go around, we'll just be wasting valuable time that we don't have."

"Well, it's your guys' call." Minato remarked, gesturing toward Luke and Volcan. "We push through, or we go around?"

Volcan rubbed his chin as he considered, looking warily out beyond the hole at the dark, murky waters that waited in that direction. He didn't like the look of the forms that he could see swimming in the water, certain that he saw a Feraligatr among them if not something even bigger.

"Hm... I might have an idea," said Volcan, studying the tree overlooking the hole. He stepped closer to it as he spoke, reaching into his pack to take out the coil of rope. "Maybe if we tie ourselves to this tree, we can try running along the slope," he pointed, "over to the other side, then the one there throws the rope back to the next person to do the same. Kind of swing ourselves over."

Both Luke and Minato looked back at one another, then back to the Royal Knights for a moment as they considered Volcan's idea. "It's not the worst idea," Minato admitted, rubbing his chin. "But to be sure it'll work, I think Luke should test it out first."

Luke's ears stood up and he looked at Minato in alarm. "E-Eh? Why me?"

"You're the lightest and fastest among our group, and if anything happens, I can at least grab you with Psychic before you fall in," Minato stated, crossing his arms. "If you make it over, then it'll be our way through this. If not, then we explore other options." He explained.

"Well, that's up to you, love," said Volcan, "The ground here is too soft for me to jump over so I think this is our best way."

Luke groaned softly, rubbing his head. "Trying to avoid this stuff like is like trying to avoid the plague, and now I'm being pressured into an experiment that could end up with me falling into the stuff I'm trying to avoid," he muttered, then he sighed and slumped for a second. "Alright then... The idea is solid enough to at least try it."

"Okay," said Volcan, turning to the tree and making his way carefully over to it, eyeing the weeping branches warily for any sign of Pokémon hiding in them before he got to work.

Volcan tied the rope to the tree, securing it with a strong knot, before bringing the loose end back to Luke and helping him tie it around himself - not too loose so that it would not come loose while he ran, but not too tight so that he could unfasten it easily.

"Be careful, my friend," Zamazenta said as Luke readied himself.

Luke looked over his shoulder at the Shield Wolf, giving him a nod in acknowledgment. "Wish me luck... I'm gonna need it," Luke answered, then gave the rope a small tug to make doubly sure it was secured. He then sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm his nerves, then flashed his eyes open and jumped at an angle along the edge of the hole.

His feet slid along the muddy surface as he fell, trying to find a purchase, then he started running once he did. He arced close to the pit below as he ran, then he started climbing once he gained enough momentum, running along to the other side of the hole where he gave one good jump toward the edge.

He managed to make it, grasping onto the ground on the other side with his paws, but he quickly started to slip back toward the hole. In a fit of desperation, he called forth his Metal Claw and dug it into the ground, securing himself before he fell in and climbing back out until his feet were on solid ground again.

"Whew!" He exhaled heavily, touching his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart before turning and waving back at the others. "Well, I made it! The tree seems to be able to support my weight!" he called to them.

"Alright, toss your end back! I'll go next!" Volcan called over to him.

Luke nodded, quickly untying the rope from his waist, and throwing it back at Volcan as hard as he could with a grunt. "You should be able to make it easier than I did, given your longer stride!"

Volcan caught the rope. "We shall see!" He said, tying it around himself, using the same kind of knot he'd used for Luke. "Okay, here we go!"

Volcan gripped the rope as he broke into a run, striding along the slope and trying to make his way over to Luke. But as he was halfway across, the tree lurched, letting out a groan as it bent in the direction of the Blaziken. The sudden jolt caused Volcan to slip, and his feet slid out from under him. He fell onto the slope, still holding the rope.

"Hey, what-?"

The tree fell. Mud flew about as the tree was uprooted, its crown dipping toward the pit, and Volcan, crying out in alarm, slid down into the mud, just as the tree toppled over, its canopy hitting the mire with a wet splatter, falling over Volcan in the process.

The others cried out his name in horror, certain the Blaziken had just been hit by the toppling tree... but seconds later, a pair of arms thrust up between the leaves of one of the willow branches, and Volcan - muddy and half-blind, scrambled to pull himself up onto the trunk of the tree, sputtering.

The group all let out a collective sigh when they saw that Volcan hadn't been crushed by the tree falling on top of him, but it was Luke that called down to assess the danger Volcan was in, already still panicked by the outcome of what just happened.

"Volcan!!" He called down to Blaziken. "Are you hurt??"

"I'm-" He coughed again, spitting out some mud. "I'm okay! What happened?" he asked, flinging some of the mud off his hand before using that hand to wipe his eyes.

"The tree that the rope you tied to wasn't as stable as you thought!" Minato called down to him. "It must have been uprooted when it tried to support all of your weight!"

"Dammit... Suppose I should be glad it didn't fall on Luke," he said, finally clearing his vision enough to see. "Okay, just let me get untied. We can figure this out... Wait, Something's happening!" He clawed further up the tree, digging his talons into the bark as more of the tree started to sink into the mud.

"Fuck! I-It's pulling me under; I can't reach the knot!" He cried, trying to climb further toward the part of the tree still above the mud.

Luke's eyes widened in horror at that exclamation, indeed noticing the tree was slowly being consumed by the quagmire and pulling his husband down with it. With a resounding "NO!!" he jumped from the safety of the edge he was on, falling to the tree below.

"No, damnit Luke!!" Minato hollered as he watched the Lucario put his life in danger.

Luke stumbled a bit after he landed on the sinking tree, wobbling a bit to maintain his balance before he knelt and tried to reach for Volcan.

"Where's the knot?" he hurriedly asked.

"Around my waist!" Volcan replied, straining as he tried to pull himself further up the tree, "but I can't pull myself out- the rope must be caught on something!"

The tree shook again as Luke moved, sinking further. Volcan's talons scraped against the bark he clung to as it nearly dragged him down again.

Luke started to panic, his breathing rapidly increasing to the point where he was almost hyperventilating. He groaned in despair before he made his decision, risking everything on what he was going to do. He slid closer to Volcan, then he slid off the tree and into the quicksand, shuddering as he settled in the quivering mire before he stuck his arm into the muck and tried to feel for the rope around Volcan's waist.

He soon found the rope, and could feel the tautness of it, threatening to take the Blaziken down with it if the tree continued to sink. Thinking fast, he withdrew his paw from the mire and summoned his Metal Claw before plunging it back in, taking care not to stab Volcan with the weapon as he tried to slide it between Volcan's hip and the rope that tethered him to the sinking tree.

"Not there! Cut along the length!" Volcan exclaimed, the quicksand now up to his chest, "You need to slice through it!"

"O-Oh, right!" Luke said, pulling his paw away from Volcan and trying to swing at the length anchoring him to the tree. The task proved difficult, as he couldn't generate enough momentum to properly cut through the length, so he had to resort to sawing through the rope as best he could.

Finally, he was successful. The rope eventually was cut free from Volcan, no longer tethering him to the tree, which had almost completely sunk under at this point. Luke pushed Volcan and himself away from it as it slowly disappeared into the mire, watching the bubbles rise and pop from its final resting place.

They weren't out of the woods yet, sadly. The quicksand was slowly pulling Luke and Volcan under as well, and with no rope or lifeline for them to throw up at the others, their situation seemed hopeless. Luke looked up at the others as they sank down to their shoulders, panic still present in his gaze as he looked at Minato specifically.

"M-Minato! Try and use Psychic to lift us out of here!!" he hollered frantically up at the elder Lucario.

Minato, unbeknownst to Luke, was already trying to cast Psychic down on the two of them, straining to lift them up and out of the quicksand below. To his dismay, the suction and the grip of the bog held them in place, and he couldn't get them to budge, causing him to release the two and fall back on his rear from exhaustion.

Luke saw him fall back, a feeling of dread brewing in the pit of his stomach as he turned to Volcan, his eyes already starting to water as the realization that their end was imminent hit him.

"V-Volcan," he whimpered, fighting the urge to struggle against the pull.

"D-Dammit... We've come too far for this!" Volcan growled, still trying to claw his way onto the tree, but it too was being pulled under, and every inch he made was quickly lost...

Minato, on the hill, stood up, and was about to try his psychic again when he heard Zamazenta coming up behind him, the shield wolf saying something he didn't quite hear before Minato felt him bite the strap of the satchel hanging from his shoulder, pulling at it.

"Ah-Hey! The hell are you doing?" He demanded of Zamazenta as he pulled at the satchel.

"You have a rope in your satchel - the one Zacian and I were using!" Zamazenta replied, letting go of the satchel. "Bring it out, quickly!"

"O-Oh! Right, I forgot!" He exclaimed, quickly sliding the bag off his shoulder and rummaging about for the rope until he found it, then quickly handed it to Zamazenta.

"Not me! Tie it around yourself!" Zamazenta exclaimed. "Sister, your sword; summon your Behemoth Blade!"

She nodded, understanding what needed to be done. She quickly drew her sword and held it high into the air, pouring her power into the blade and making it grow several times its normal length and width. She then carefully angled it down to their sinking comrades, setting the tip into the mire just in front of them.

Meanwhile, Minato was quickly tying one end of the rope around his waist, making sure it was firmly taut before he handed the other end to Zamazenta wordlessly, then he jumped onto the large blade and ran down toward Luke and Volcan, who by this point were just a pair of heads above the surface and were quickly slipping under.

The elder Lucario tried reaching them from where he stood, but they were still out of reach and losing precious seconds. Groaning, he forced himself to wade into the quicksand himself, making sure his feet stayed along the solid surface of the sword as he moved inch by inch closer to them.

Luke was spitting out muck from his mouth when he saw their friend reaching for him, but his arms were already under the surface, and he couldn't pull them back out. He turned his gaze back to Volcan and whimpered softly before whispering his goodbyes to him before he started to slip under, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.

"Luke, don't give-!" Volcan cried out before he too went under, with only his arm clawing uselessly at the tree, his other one reaching for Luke, trying to grab him to pull him up.

"Damnit all!!" Minato growled, looking back at the sword he was standing on for a moment before groaning, already thinking he was going to regret this. He pushed off his foothold toward the Blaziken's hand, already sinking well past his chest, but managing to grab the Blaziken's hand before it went under as well. "Alright, I got them! Whatever you two are planning, now's the time!!"

With that, Zamazenta started pulling on the rope, slowly dragging the Lucario and his comrades out of the mire. He put his paw down on the rope to hold it, while biting down further along the length, looping some of it around the pommel of Zacian's behemoth blade, and anchoring the others to it before putting his paws down on it.

"Push, sister!" he urged.

The two wolves pushed down on the sword with all their weight, hearing the creak of the blade as one end was pushed down and the other raised. Minato felt the sword's flat underneath him, lifting him up, and the rope going taut around his waist, but he never let go of Luke and Volcan. The tree, lifted by the tip of the behemoth blade, was thrown aside while Minato and his friends were lifted out of the mire, the other two, clinging to each other and to Minato's arms, dripping mud from the pit.

Volcan coughed as he tasted oxygen again, spitting out a mouthful of mud before taking in a deep breath, unable to see what was happening. Luke was choking as he had a bit of mud down his throat, ultimately managing to cough it up and out of his airway before he sharply took in a deep breath, just as blind as Volcan as they were lifted out of the mire and back onto solid ground.

The three of them landed in a heap along the edge once Zacian placed the sword down on the ground, all three of them panting heavily as they recovered from the treacherous close call they all had.

"...If it wasn't apparent earlier, it's gonna be crystal clear now," Minato managed to utter as he caught his breath. "I. Hate. Quicksand!"

"Amen to that!" Volcan chimed in, coughing and shaking his hands, flinging some of the mud off. "Luke! Talk to me; are you okay?!" he asked, hastily trying to clear his eyes.

Luke was coughing hoarsely as he cleared his throat, rubbing his own eyes until he was able to see properly. He turned his head frantically until he found Volcan, locking gazes with him and letting see the utter shock and terror in his eyes for just a moment before he lunged at the Blaziken and hugged him tightly, unable to stop himself from sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.

"It's okay! It's okay!" Volcan said, trying to reassure Luke as he held him. "We're okay..."

"T-T-That's the third time we've nearly drowned!" he wailed, desperately clinging to Volcan as he sobbed into his shoulder. "W-We should have been more careful! We should have just gone around!"

"It wouldn't have mattered," said Volcan, "besides, how could any of us had known the tree would break?"

Zamazenta approached the two, earning their attention as his shadow fell over them. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"We'll be fine," he said, "but now what do we do? We still need to get across."

"I may have an idea on how to do that," the shield wolf said.

"Hopefully it doesn't involve any swinging over voracious quicksand," Minato remarked scathingly.

"I cannot promise it won't," said Zamazenta, "but either way we still need to get across."

"How? The tree fell," Volcan reminded him.

"You say you can jump across?" Zamazenta asked.

"Well, yeah, if the ground wasn't so soft," replied Volcan, looking down at the muddy grass they stood on, "it'll absorb most of my kickoff - I don't think I can make it that way."

"Then use me," Zamazenta suggested, "I will brace myself and angle my shield up, and you use it to propel yourself."

"Wha-?" Volcan started to ask.

"Will it work?"

"Well, yes - it could, if you can take the force of my jump."

"I can," Zamazenta assured him. "You will take the other end of the rope across with you. Luke will then use it to get himself across, then Minato. The three of you will pull my sister over next, and then, all four of you will pull me."

Volcan considered the suggestion and looked at Luke and Minato, seeing what they thought. Minato shrugged softly. "I mean, it's as good a plan as any," he answered, "After that near death experience, I'm not willing to try anything else to get across."

Luke stayed silent, still hiding himself against Volcan as he tried to push the experience out of his mind, having already suffered enough PTSD from nearly drowning in quicksand for the third time... "It'll be okay, love," Volcan assured him, gently pulling Luke away from him, "but we need to keep going. We're not finished yet."

"I-I know..." Luke whimpered softly, looking back desperately at Volcan as he wiped his cheeks with his arm. "I-I just... I need a minute, okay?"

Volcan gave him an understanding nod, offering a reassuring smile. Luke managed to smile back at him, then gave him a kiss to help calm himself down. After a minute, he had finally recovered enough to steel himself, slowly rising to his feet and nodding to each of them.

"I'm ready now," he said firmly.

"Good," Zacian stated with a nod. "We cannot waste any more time here... We must press onward," she urged, though without the haughtiness and arrogance in her tone this time.

"If I can make a suggestion," Volcan piped up, "Minato should go fourth. Zamazenta, you'll need someone to tie the rope around you; Zacian can't do that without hands."

"A fair compromise," agreed Zamazenta, "but that will mean you and Luke will have to hold her weight yourselves - no offense, sister," he wisely diffused the indignant response Zacian surely had prepared, "She is much lighter than me, but she will still be heavier than either of you. Can you do it?"

"We can if Minato can still use Psychic?" Volcan asked, looking at his friend.

"I still have enough in me for another attempt," Minato answered with a nod.

"And will probably also be easier without her armour on," Zamazenta added, looking at Zacian this time. "Are you willing to power down and send your sword over with Luke, sister?"

"If it will help us get to the other side, then yes," Zacian answered, taking her sword off her back and offering it to Luke. Once he took hold of it, she powered down from her armoured form to her other form, her metallic wings and helmet disappearing in a flash of light.

"Alright," said Volcan, nodding to Zamazenta, "Let's do this then."

They put Zamazenta's plan into action. Using Zamazenta as a springboard, Volcan launched himself across the pit, clearing the sloped ground to land safely on the other side. He tied the rope around himself, while Minato and Luke tied the other end around Zamazenta, and the two on either end of the rope pulled taut over the most stable ground they could manage.

Luke, with Zacian's sword strapped across his back, used the rope to cross, pulling himself along toward the other side. He had to hop over the hole left by the uprooted tree, and nearly slipped on the slope when he landed, but he managed to hold onto the rope, and kept walking until he was on Volcan's side.

With that, Minato untied the rope from Zamazenta, and tied it around Zacian. Using Psychic, he helped Luke and Volcan pull her to the other side, slipping and sliding along the slope until she was close enough that Volcan was able to help pull her up onto stable ground. They untied the rope, threw it back, and Minato tied it around Zamazenta again.

"Wait!' Zamazenta exclaimed, suddenly realizing something. "Before you cross, can you levitate my shield to the other side? I am far too heavy with it on - it may be too risky even for the four of you," he shrugged off the shield, letting it fall from his body with a clamour and revert himself back to his less impressive form.

"Lemme test it," Minato offered, gently reaching out with his mind to grasp on the Shield. He frowned heavily as he felt his concentration strained when he attempted to lift the shield, only barely managing to levitate it off of the ground.

"H-Holy hell, what's this thing made out of?" he demanded, his arms shaking as he struggled to hold it up.

"A powerful alloy stronger than ordinary steel, but some of the weight you feel is likely from the gold inlay," Zamazenta explained, "can you manage it?"

"Barely!" Minato said through grit teeth, slowly turning with it and pushing it over to Luke and Volcan on the other side. "You walk around with this thing affixed to your head? You must have a really strong neck!" he remarked offhandedly to Zamazenta.

Volcan and Luke took the shield and laid it on the ground where it was out of the way, and went back to their attention on the rope, letting Minato cross at last over the same narrow path Luke used. A few times he slipped on the slick surface and would have fallen in had he not held on to the rope for dear life, but he managed to eventually make it over and stumble into Volcan once he was safely on the other side, grasping his head in his paws.

"Hey, you alright?" Luke asked.

"Strain from lifting that shield... Really did a number on me," Minato said, panting and wincing from the throbbing headache he felt.

"Just hang on a little longer, buddy," Volcan said, "We got one more to bring over, then we'll find a place to bed down."

Together, they brought Zamazenta over. When the shield wolf stepped over the side to make his way over, he inevitably slid down the slope leading into the pit, and they pulled the rope taut to catch him. Some of them felt their feet skid as Zamazenta's weight struck them; even without his shield, he was heavy, but with Zacian's strength added to theirs, they managed to pull him up the slope, with no more than a muddy hind leg to show for the dangerous crossing.

"Okay... We made it!" Volcan said, sounding enthused as he turned his gaze north. "Solid ground as far as I can see. Let's find somewhere to make camp - we lost a lot of light with that crossing."

"Agreed," Luke answered, then looked at Minato with concern. "Will you be okay?"

"Honestly...? Not really," the Lucario answered. "This headache's so bad I can't even open my eyes, and I dare not use my Aura Sense in case it makes it worse."

He then felt Zacian bump into his side, making him turn and peak an eye open down at her. "...Get on," she instructed hesitantly before lowering herself so he could climb onto her back. Minato was slightly taken aback by this random gesture, but he decided not to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth and slowly climbed onto her back, letting himself lay against her and sighing.

"Thanks," He said into her ear.

"Thank me when this mission is over..." She returned sternly, keeping her gaze forward as Volcan once more led the way...