FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"We've found it," Sakkaku's voice rang out to the others.

Ahead of them stood their goal. Barely visible beneath the overgrowth that covered it, was an old ruin; the remains of what once must have been a temple, a place of worship - though for whom or what they could not say from what they saw. The entire structure was circled by a large pool, filled with stagnant peat muck riddled with algae and countless bug-type Pokémon flitting to and from above the surface. From inside the walls of the temple grew an enormous willow tree, its wide canopy and weeping branches concealing the crown and walls of the structure; from afar, or even from above, the structure hiding inside the leaves would have been virtually invisible.

The pool was massive, and too circular to be a natural formation. Any signs of a bridge that might have once led to the structure, if there had ever been one, had disappeared with the passage of time. Now, there seemed to be no obvious way to cross the canal to the structure...

"This is it, Sakkaku?" Asya asked the elderly Zoroark.

"Without a doubt," the Zoroark answered firmly with a nod. "This is the stronghold of the Kaeru Assassins." He scoffed before he went on. "I see nothing's changed since last I laid eyes on this place..."

"Took us long enough to get here," Sash growled, already growing tired of all the trekking they had to do to get here. "Now are we going to attack or not? My blades have been itching for battle since we arrived in this dunghill..."

"We should do reconnaissance first," Asya cautioned, studying the temple walls carefully, squinting her eyes to look through the willow branches. "Odd... I do not see any sentries."

"That's because they don't reveal themselves to anyone, not even the wild denizens here," Sakkaku responded. "They are ninjas. Their whole point is to attack from the shadows. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we were surrounded by a troop of them and we never even saw them coming."

"I would have," said Asya, confident in her claim. "No matter how silent they are, or how much they try to cover up bodily odours with a specific diet, they cannot hide from this," she pointed at her nose, "because so long as blood runs in their veins, they have a scent."

"Shall I set a perimeter?" the Bisharp Centurion asked.

"Do it," she said, "and clear away some of the foliage behind us - don't give the assassins any shadows to hide in."

"Yes, lady Asya," the Bisharp replied, and led his Pawniard followers to carry out her instructions.

"In the meantime," Seji spoke up, pointing to the large moat blocking their progress. "We need a means to get our forces across that moat of quicksand."

"The Cyrogonal are exhausted," Asya commented, "They will need time to recuperate before we can make another ice bridge," she looked at Sakkaku. "Do the assassins have a way out?"

"Of course they do." Sakkaku answered. "The fortress has one or two secret exits they can use to escape in case their base becomes compromised... If the fortress remains unchanged, then I can find their exits and destroy them before they can make their escape."

"Do so," said Asya, "They may use them as a means to flank us."

"With pleasure," Sakkaku answered, licking his lips hungrily.

"Sash, help the Centurion with establishing a perimeter," Asya instructed, "Seji, send the Vikavolt on an aerial recon - circle the temple, look for any signs of the assassins."

"Understood," Seji answered, then turned and waved his hand in a circular motion to summon the Vikavolt swarm and relay Asya's instructions.

"Tch... fine..." Sash remarked, reluctantly acknowledging Asya's orders and going over to assist in the Bisharp in clearing the foliage with his arm blades.

Asya narrowed her eyes as she looked at the temple again, still searching for any sign of the assassins. "Alright, Greninja... All of you. The next move is yours," she whispered to herself.

As the Bisharp Centurion and his Pawniard troops were clearing out the overgrown foliage around their immediate area, they were unaware that they were being watched from the shadows, studying them closely before they would move away. During their clean-up of the foliage, one of the Pawniard holding up the rear was suddenly grabbed onto from behind, only letting out a muffled gasp before he vanished with his assailer without a trace.

Not long after that, one by one the Pawniards fell, with no one really taking notice until they heard a lack of metal slicing through plants. The Bisharp turned to see that most of his brigade were either missing or taken out, making him panic for a moment before he suddenly felt a pair of arms around him, one hand blocking his mouth and barely leaving him a second to register what was happening before he was felled.

Meanwhile, the Vikavolt were swarming over the area above the fortress, making a wide perimeter in the air space to look for any signs of the assassins or any sort of activity they might be up to. From what they could tell there was no activity that they could report; the fortress looked as if it were completely empty... That is, until one of the Vikavolt was suddenly downed by a fast-moving projectile, striking it right in between the wings and causing it to fall toward the ground below, followed by another, then another, each of the electric bug types falling one by one at an alarming rate toward the ground below until there was only one left.

Frightened, the last remaining Vikavolt buzzed frantically and turned to quickly return to Asya and the others, only to feel something metal get embedded into its back and cause it to fall into the moat as it tried to escape. It landed with a thick plop, and it instinctively tried to struggle as the mire pulled it down until it went under completely, with only a few bubbles remaining to mark where it was last seen.

Asya saw the Vikavolt drop and knew immediately what was happening. She had been a fool; she'd underestimated the assassins. Made more apparent when she turned and saw that the Bisharp and his brigade were down. Despite her efforts to deprive the assassins of an advantage, they had managed to catch them by surprise regardless.

"Regroup!" she shouted, "We are under attack!"

Sash, having cut down some of the foliage himself, turned to look back at Asya almost incredulously. However, when he saw almost all the Pawniard were down or missing, he realized the gravity of the situation and immediately teleported back to Asya's location, just as an assassin was about to grab him next. He reappeared behind Asya with his arm blades at the ready, along with Seji who had his empty basket hilt in hand and started looking around the area himself.

"What the hell happened?" Sash demanded angrily.

"They must have been waiting for us the whole time - the work of that Greninja from Team Valiant, I do not doubt," she replied, "Somehow, I couldn't smell them! Even their blood is masked from me!"

"That is just how effective they are, my dear," Sakkaku returned, his arms held behind his back as he continued to gaze out toward the fortress across the moat. "This is the exact reason why they are considered the best assassins the world has ever known. They know no fear, hence why you cannot smell it from them. They will strike you before you can strike them, and even when their backs are pressed against the wall, somehow, they always manage to give you the slip," Sakkaku went on, his claws clenching behind him tightly.

"What do you suggest?" Asya asked. "They eliminated our expeditionary force; we're now just the four of us."

Sakkaku didn't answer at first, keeping his claws held behind him. His ears twitched every so often until he suddenly turned and hurled a handful of metal shuriken in between Asya and Seji, making them move out of the way instinctively. The tools embedded themselves into an assassin that was rising out of Seji's shadow to seize one of them, but the shuriken managed to nail him first and he ended up falling onto his back, shuddering in pain from the tools in his body.

"You're welcome," he remarked coldly.

"Well, since we have lost the element of surprise regardless," said Asya, closing her eyes and concentrating, reaching out with her mind...

After a few seconds, a new figure was teleported into their midst. Tory appeared between them, his head lowered when he first appeared, until he slowly raised it and took in the surroundings. The Decidueye's eyes, always gleaming red when shadowed, darted over the scattered trees and foliage that the Bisharp and his crew had been in the process of clearing.

"I see them," he whispered.

He threw out his wings and hurled a scattering of Seed Bombs into the trees. They detonated, and a few of the Assassins were seen falling out of their hiding spots and onto the ground below, critically injured or dead from the explosive seeds. The rest of the Assassins shot out of the trees they were hiding in and leapt over the moat and arrived back at the fortress, landing just outside of it and leaping up and over walls into the safety of their stronghold.

"Well, that worked," Seji remarked.

"Should have just sent you from the start," Sash stated irritably, tapping his digit along his arm.

"If I had joined you from the beginning, the Greninja from Team Valiant would have warned them and given them time to prepare," Tory stated, "Now, Calhoun is gathering additional forces to send. In the meantime, I shall carry out the mission."

With that, he walked over to a nearby tree to melt into the shadows, and crossed the moat to reappear on the islet of the fortress to begin his infiltration...

Kage was in the entry hall as multiple Greninja came running back into the fortress, several of whom were injured. He quickly approached them and gently helped ease the wounded onto their backs so he could check on their injuries.

"What happened?" he asked quickly, yet firmly.

One of the able-bodied assassins spoke up. "We were about to go after their leaders, but another was summoned to the shore. A Decidueye," he stated. "We were felled with one swath of Seed Bombs and forced to retreat... Somehow, he knew exactly where we all were."

Kage narrowed his eyes dangerously upon hearing that bit of news. "They sent Tory," He muttered softly, then looked back at the assassin. "Get the injured inside. Send more units to defend Fusaku and the Serpent Chamber and bring as many of our brothers as you can to the front gates," he ordered.

"Of course, Lord Kage." The assassin returned, gesturing to those of the attacking unit who were still healthy to carry their wounded into the fortress, leaving Kage on his own for the time being in the central courtyard. He drew his sword from his back and held it at his side, staring straight ahead toward the gate with a firm glare.

"...Alright, Tory." He muttered softly, his grip on his blade tightening. "What's your next move?"

Little did Kage know, he was heard. In the shadows of the hall, Tory was darting from one shadow to the next, studying the inner workings of the assassin's hideout. He studied their supplies, including weapons, and judged that even when the siege began they would be able to hold off the Crusade's attack for some time. He would have to deal with that later...

He continued to go deeper into the hideout, locating a stairway going down to the lower levels. After making sure the area was clear, he emerged from the shadows, his wing curled into a bow with an arrow notched, ready to shoot at the first person who saw him. He walked slowly, timing his steps carefully so as not to let his talons click on the stone floor, and made his way toward the stairs...

The more he walked down the stairs, the less the hallway seemed constructed and more naturally formed, with overgrowth starting to line the walls and ceiling the further down he went. Eventually, he came to the sight of a large stone door that was crawling with large roots and other types of flora that seemed to hold the door in place. Judging from the sheer size of the door, it looked like it would take considerable force to even attempt to open it... of course, knowing that the denizens of this fortress were lithe, Tory could guess that there was some sort of trick into opening it without brute force.

Having seen enough, he decided it was time to go back to report to the others. Keeping his guard up, he started back toward the stairs, the arrow still held at the ready as he went. But on his way up, he spied something else. The infirmary, where the wounded he had sent there with his seed bomb barrage were being treated.

How could he pass up that opportunity...

Kage jumped as he heard the explosions from down below. He ran to the stairs, and was about to start descending when a winged form came soaring up at him, forcing him to jump back to avoid a collision with the Decidueye. He quickly jumped back to his feet and glared furiously at the soaring Decidueye, taking off into a mad dash after Tory with his blade in hand and throwing several Water Shurikens at him in large swaths, intent on hitting his wings to ground him.

Tory spun out of the way of the Shurikens, plunging toward the nearby wall and rebounding off to avoid a crash before he landed on his feet and whirled. From his outstretched wing, he hurled another Seed Bomb at Kage, but the Greninja was expecting it, hurling a Water Shuriken to intercept it and cause it to explode before it could reach him.

They were obscured by the residual smoke that resulted from the explosion, but Tory could make out the Greninja rapidly approaching him dead on. He let loose an arrow at him, the shot nailing its mark and causing the Greninja to fall before he could reach him. However, right as the Greninja fell, he exploded into a plume of water that hit Tory in the face, momentarily blinding him and leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack in that moment.

From behind, the real Kage appeared out of his shadow via Shadow Sneak and lunged forward, swinging his blade and attacking with a Night Slash right at Tory's wing. Tory reacted like a cat, extending a Leaf Blade from his wing and blocking Kage's sword with it, igniting a second blade in his other wing before thrusting it at the Greninja, who withdrew his own sword and weaved under the second blade, turning and lashing out with a Lick attack as Tory was readying another swing.

The attack left him momentarily stunned again, which allowed Kage to run through Tory thanks to his Protean ability changing him to Ghost type, then turn and swing his blade for another Night Slash directed at Tory's head. Tory crossed his blades to block Kage's sword, and then slashed at him with the talons of one of his feet; a ploy that forced Kage to back up further than before to dodge the underhanded attack and skid slightly until he came to a stop.

"Foul bastard!" the Greninja said, furious.

Tory replied only with a flourish of his twin Leaf Blades, letting the shadow of his hood fall over his eyes to reveal their red gleam, but not hide the crooked smile Kage could see at the corners of his beak. That ticked Kage off even more, his eyes shrinking into beads and vibrating before he lunged at the Decidueye, blinded by his anger.

The two's duel brought them closer to the main entrance, steel and leaf blade clashing as they fought. Other assassins, hearing the battle, came running out to see the fight but none dared try to assist Kage, lest they get in his way. Tory, though, was aware he was becoming surrounded and knew that even if he struck Kage down now, he would be engaged by the other assassins.

Tory withdrew from Kage, casting another Seed Bomb from his left wing. He threw it past Kage, who at first thought Tory had missed... Until he saw that Tory was still smiling.

Kage's eyes widened as he realized what his true target was, quickly turning and attempting to throw a Water Shuriken at the bomb as it hurtled toward a stack of ceramic grenades, but by then it was too late. The bomb impacted the wall above the bombs and exploded, blasting a hole right through it and sending Kage onto his back from the force of the explosion.

Tory seized the opening, taking flight and flying out through the hole he had made in the wall before Kage or the other assassins could collect themselves. When Kage managed to stand and look out through the hole, he was treated to an equally horrifying sight. New reinforcements had been sent to join the Crusade; a line of dragonoids, dancing and singing their war song. At their head, Kommo-o.

The Crusade had recruited a warband from the islands.

"Damnit!" Kage cursed out loud, now seeing the imminent threat on the other side of the moat.

"Orders, Lord Kage?" One of the assassins spoke up.

Kage sharply turned to the assassin. "Call every available Assassin to defend the main gate," he ordered, then turned to another. "Prepare the escape tunnels. We will need a quick getaway if things turn south for us," he stated before turning to a group behind him, "I want every available ranged specialist and artillery we have lining the walls. Crossbows, spears, ballistae. We can't let a single one of their forces get close to us."

With his orders given, Kage turned back to the enemy forces assembling, scowling under his tongue scarf, and gripping his blade tightly in his hand. "...Wherever you are, Luke... Your assistance would be most appreciated right now."

~~~~~

"Whoa!" Volcan exclaimed as he shot up, nearly throwing Luke off him in the process. "Sorry, love! Anybody else hear that explosion?"

"Hard _not_to!" Minato stated as he pushed himself back to his feet, looking over in the direction he heard the explosion. "Looks like the Crusade got to the fortress first after all!"

"Then we must make haste!" Zacian added, quickly grabbing her sword and resting it along her back.

"Everyone up!" Volcan called, standing quickly and collecting their belongings, "We're out of time!"

"Don't need to tell us twice!" Luke answered back, already scrambling to gather up everything he could, "Let's go, before Kage and the Assassins get overwhelmed!"

"Just a sec!" Volcan said before he sprang into the air, launching himself as high as he could. Seconds later, he came back down and pointed north. "I saw smoke; we're going the right way! Come on!"

The five of them ran in the direction Volcan indicated, striding through the wooded swamp. Volcan kept his eyes on the ground, ensuring they did not encounter any more hazards along the way until they finally came to where the woodlands cleared, and they stood at the edge of a massive peat bog surrounding a tiny islet. Through a thin mist, they could see the walls of the ancient structure that stood there and the massive tree canopy that rose from within it.

"That has to be it," said Volcan.

"Over there!" Zamazenta exclaimed, pointing up the shore, where they could see multiple figures gathered at the beach, "I hear... Chanting?"

Luke's heart skipped a beat, realizing he recognized what he was hearing. The ringing of scales, the savage vocals sung in unison, and when he peered through the mist, he could make out their source. A Kommo-o, and its many Hakamo-o warriors around it, doing their war dance as they prepared for battle. He remembered it from the day they had first found Ignus; though it was not the same war song he'd heard from the tribe that had killed his son's pack, there was no mistaking its source...

"No!" Luke breathed softly. "That bastard Calhoun! He's recruited a Kommo-o Warband!" He exclaimed frantically.

"Wait, those same muscled-up armour dragons from down south?" Minato asked.

"Not the same ones as them, but definitely the same species!" Luke clarified. "This is bad... Not that I doubt the Assassins' capabilities, but I doubt even they've gone toe to toe with a Kommo-o!"

"Nor have we," Zamazenta stated, "but that has never stopped us before, has it?" He looked at his sister, smiling slightly.

She smiled back at her brother confidently. "No challenge is too great for us. They will fall just like all the others that dared challenge us."

"Let's hope that's not just a boast then!" Volcan stated, taking off his satchel and leaving it where he stood. "Let's go!"

"Right with you, boss," Minato answered with a nod, summoning his own blade.

"This time..." Luke growled, his expression hardening into a firm glare. "This time, we put a stop to them once and for all!"

With that, they were off, running around the peat bog toward the Crusade's forces, with the Royal Knights letting out howls as they ran, as a battle cry of their own.

Asya's ears twitched when she heard the howling. "What in-?!" she started to ask, trailing off as she turned to see the approaching group. "Seji!" She exclaimed.

The Alakazam turned to Asya, then looked over at the incoming group charging headlong toward them. "So, they made it after all..." he muttered, taking his basket hilt in hand and igniting the blade from it.

Sash also turned to see the group approaching, a sadistic grin present on his face when he saw the Blaziken leading the charge. "Finally... I was looking forward to finishing what I started!" he said, licking his lips hungrily and brandishing his elbow blades.

"Who are those two with them?" Asya demanded.

This time, Sakkaku turned and looked at the incoming enemies, his eye widening when he saw the large wolves accompanying them. "The Royal Knights of Calygrad!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "They recruited their help?"

At Asya's command, the Kommo-o and his warriors turned to face the oncoming reinforcements. Five Hakamo-o ran to meet the charge. The shield wolf took the lead, charging directly into the throng of Hakamo-o; two were flung aside, the other three planting their feet and managing to catch him as he charged, their claws digging trenches in the ground as they skidded backward.

While the three Hakamo-o were trying to hold Zamazenta back, Zacian and Minato leapt over him to continue the charge, blades at the ready and swinging at any foe that dared to stand in their way. At the same time, Luke and Volcan moved around to the Hakamo-o holding back Zamazenta and kicked the two on each side into the one in the middle, causing all three of their heads to clang together before they collapsed and fell unconscious.

"Sakkaku, if you intend to go claim that Emera Blade, now just might be the time!" Asya said to the Zoroark. "Get those Cryogonal to get you across the moat; Seji will assist you!"

He nodded, clearly needing no further incentive to act. He summoned his band of Cryogonal and they quickly got to work on creating an ice bridge that would allow him to cross the moat safely.

Minato saw this and quickly diverted his course toward Sakkaku, blade in paw, while Zacian stayed her course and beelined it toward Asya and the others. Asya was the first to make contact with Zacian, but rather than engage, she sprang over the sword wolf, leaving her to Sash who was right behind the Lycanroc, and instead headed for Luke, successfully catching the Lucario off guard and landing a kick across his cheek. Volcan turned to assist him but was accosted by the Kommo-o before he could turn back.

"You will not get in our way this time," Asya declared, snarling at Luke, "not when we are this close!"

Luke quickly popped back to his feet after the strike, wiping his cheek and standing up, ready to face her. "And you will not have your way, not while I still draw breath," he countered. "One way or another, Asya, I'm stopping this madness... You can either submit quietly, or I'll throw you into the moat with your comrades."

"You make that sound easier than I think you will find it," she replied, flexing her claws.

The two of them locked eyes briefly before they lunged at one another, Asya opening with a swing of her paw, swiping with her claws. Luke ducked under that strike, then when she went for a follow-up, he quickly caught her arm with one paw and uppercut her jaw, then followed with a knee to her sternum followed by a roundhouse kick to her flank, sending her skidding on her side away from him. He turned to face her again and adopted the Single Strike stance, stomping the ground and tensing his body as he beckoned her to try again.

This time, she struck the ground with her fist, and a pillar of rock erupted beneath Luke's feet, throwing him off balance as he tried to dodge. She lunged again, this time landing two consecutive strikes - one claw across his cheek, the other a low punch to his stomach, winding him. Then, she opened her mouth, and tried to bite down on his neck as he was hunched.

He shot a glare back at her just before she chomped down on him, extending his elbow and slamming it into her stomach to wind her in return, still using the punishing Single Strike style. He then changed to the Rapid Strike style and began weaving around her, striking at multiple areas along her body as he strafed her, using his rapid movements in tandem with his natural speed. She was not quick enough to keep up with him, suffering multiple hits from the Lucario, until her eyes flashed brightly, and she tensed; Luke realized too late what was coming, and as he struck Asya, she snapped like a whip, redirecting the force of his strike into a punch that knocked him back, in a well-executed Counter...

Meanwhile, Volcan was busy with the Kommo-o, barely managing to stay ahead of the mighty dragon-type. Claws raced across his vision, inches from his face, but he eventually saw his opportunity after dodging another Dragon Claw, executing a switch kick, and slamming his leg in the Kommo-o's face, knocking him back. The dragon snarled, and he held his arms across his chest, flexing his claws as six projectiles, like arrow-shaped dragon scales, appeared in his hands between his fingers.

He threw the dragon scales - a Scale Shot attack. Volcan called up his Dual Chop and struck aside half of the scales with one sweep of his arm. On the second, he managed to strike down one more; another grazed across his shoulder, and the other across his flank, deep enough to draw blood. He winced but kept his attention on the dragon as he shifted his posture.

The Kommo-o came at him. Volcan jumped over him, arcing low and kicking him in the back to send him staggering, before he landed, and shifted his stance again. This time, he stood wide-legged, one arm held out before him, the other tucked tightly against his side, the fist of that arm glowing brightly as he channelled energy into it. The Kommo-o started to run back at him again, throwing another Scale Shot at him, but this time it missed, and Volcan shot forward like he had been fired from a cannon.

His fist struck the Kommo-o in the midriff; the dragon wheezed even as it was launched backward, nearly colliding with Asya as it tumbled between her and Luke, surprising both.

"Pardon me!" Volcan called out.

"I- no!" Asya exclaimed, realizing she'd been distracted, but that split second had been all Luke needed. Luke darted forward in and stopped just before her, holding his paw just inches from her chest. He then grunted as he extended his arm fully, striking her with bone-shattering force with a point-blank Wicked Blow.

Asya wheezed before she was knocked back, landing on her back and clutching her chest where Luke had struck her. She was down for the count after taking that hit, having no time to ready herself for it.

"That attack," said Volcan, looking at Luke, "that was Master Chen's Wicked Blow! How did you do that?"

"Master Chen himself taught me," Luke answered, keeping his gaze firmly on Asya to make sure she didn't get back up again. "I did say I was going to study everything I could about the Single and Rapid Strike styles during my time away."

"...Damn it. I couldn't use that," said Volcan when Asya didn't stir, "but, at least I mastered Focus Punch. Better choice than that Brave Bird I used to use."

Luke nodded softly, then he gasped when he saw Minato getting pushed back from Sakkaku by Seji, who had come to the Zoroark's aid and had given him the time he needed to cross the bridge his Cryogonal had created. Once the Zoroark was across the moat, he turned and stabbed at the ice with his sword, causing it to shatter and render it inaccessible.

"Tch! Damnit all!" Minato growled when he saw the bridge shatter, then looked dangerously at Seji with his sword raised. "...How could you, Seji? How could you turn your back on Victor? On Arc Island?" he demanded, "He was your rival! Your brother-in-training! He trusted you and you betrayed him the second you saw a means to further your own goals!"

"Boy, if you knew just what Calhoun was capable of at the time, you would probably do the same," Seji countered. "It wasn't just to further my archaeological desires... I may have been a warrior once, but I'm not one of those 'meaninglessly throwing your life away' types of warriors. Some of us have a self-preservation instinct; a will to live, as it were."

"And you were willing to let your home burn just to survive?" Minato growled back.

Seji lowered his gaze slightly, his expression softening a little before he looked back at Minato again. "...Arc Island was never my home. Nor was it Victor's or Claire's," He spat back. "They only stayed because they had a daughter in Linda, and a son-in-law in you. It was because of-"

He didn't get to finish that sentence. Minato shot forward and thrust his blade, forcing Seji to weave out of the way of the attack instinctively. He then felt pressure around his throat as Minato held him in a Psychic grasp, lifting him up into the air and slamming him down to the ground a few times before kicking him away, pointing his blade at the Alakazam.

"Say _one_more word about my late wife, and I'll tear out your heart and feed it to the beasts that live here," he growled dangerously.

As Seji collected himself, the three of them heard one of the Hakamo-o crying out and saw the last of the Warband being knocked aside by Zacian, who looked unimpressed. As did Zamazenta, standing beside her. Asya, now back on her feet, looked on in disbelief.

"How?" She asked.

"You made a mistake, relying on Dragon and Fighting types to do your battles against us," Zamazenta stated, "My Sister possesses the Fairy-type; these creatures stood no chance against her."

"_None_of your forces stand a chance against us," Zacian proudly stated. "Make this easy on yourselves and surrender... Or you may continue to struggle, and face summary execution by my blade. The choice is yours."

"Not if I take your head first."

Zacian flinched when she heard that cold voice behind her, quickly swinging her sword just in time to parry one of Sash's blades and send them skidding away from one another. She glared at the Gallade, who looked back at her with a bloodthirsty grin before he charged in again, blades meeting in a rapid flurry causing sparks to fly everywhere as they dueled.

"Zacian-!" Zamazenta started to say, before he heard a roar and turned just as the Kommo-o, previously knocked down by Volcan, rejoined the battle. But it wasn't targeting him; it went straight for the Blaziken, forcing him and Luke to jump apart as the bloodthirsty Kommo-o charged.

"Dammit! He took a full hit from my Focus Punch - how's he still up?!" Volcan demanded.

"He's built like a tank! Are you the least bit surprised?" Luke hollered, watching the Kommo-o skid to a halt and turn to face them. "We don't have time for this! Let's finish him off before this drags on longer than it needs to!"

As the Kommo-o chased after Volcan, Zamazenta intervened, tackling the Kommo-o from the side and staggering it. "Leave him to me! The both of you, get into the fortress; find that Zoroark! Whatever he is seeking in there, they must believe it will turn the tide for them - he must not have it! Find your friend Kage and stop that Zoroark before he succeeds!"

"Are you sure you can handle him?" Luke asked, looking at Zamazenta with concern. "I mean, it took a hit from Volcan's strongest attack, and-"

"He said he's got it!" Minato hollered back at Luke, parrying another blade strike from Seji before kicking him away, "Go help Kage; we'll hold them here!" He said before turning and running to Zacian's aid.

Volcan looked at Luke. "I guess that's that then," he said, "I'll get us over the moat; jump on!" he turned his back to Luke, already digging one leg at the ground as he got ready to move.

"Alright... Just be careful," Luke answered, moving around Volcan and hopping onto his back, wrapping his arms around his chest from behind and securing himself to Volcan. "Okay. Ready when you are."

"Here we go!" Volcan said, getting a running start at the moat.

Seji appeared in their path, forcing Volcan to divert his course and breathe a Flamethrower at the Alakazam to ward him off before Minato stepped in again, stealing enough of Seji's attention to let Volcan make the run he needed, gathering momentum to leave clear across the peat bog. He almost made it the whole way, but at the edge of the shore, his feet landed in the mire, causing him to trip and catapult Luke off him as he fell onto his front, having to claw his way onto the shore and out of the bog.

"Okay, let's go!" Volcan said quickly as he scrambled to his feet.

"I told you to be careful," Luke scolded slightly as he helped Volcan back to his feet and charged through the hole in the wall. When they got inside, they could see several Greninja all lining the walls from within, readying crossbows and other distance weapons to fire at the forces along the opposite shore. A few of them saw Volcan and Luke entering and immediately closed in on them, blades drawn and pointed their way.

"Whoa, whoa! We're friendly!" Luke exclaimed, lifting his paws up defensively. "We're not with the Crusade!"

"Stand down!" Kage's voice was heard from behind the three assassins, all of them turning and moving out of the way so that he could approach the two. "...You certainly took your time getting here."

"Well excuse us for taking the time to rest while you decided to go rogue and venture into the Boglands without us," Luke retorted scathingly. "We might have avoided a lot more obstacles if you had just waited a day!"

"I don't leave anything to chance, Luke. You should know that by now," Kage remarked firmly.

Volcan suddenly shot forward, glaring down at Kage harshly. "And what do we find when we get here? You're in trouble, again. This will be the second time we've come to your rescue this year alone," he said, sounding quite angry, "We went through hell to get here, and apparently all to bail you out of even more trouble! If the next two words out of your mouth are not 'thank' and 'you' in that order, there's going to be _another_hole in the wall when I kick you through it!"

"I'll thank you when the Crusade is driven out, and the Nexus is properly cleansed," Kage sternly retorted, unfazed by Volcan's threat. "We don't have time for this. While I am relieved that you're here, we still have the issue of Sakkaku to deal with."

"We know. We saw him cross over and enter the fortress a while back," Luke answered.

That response made Kage's blood run cold for a second, causing him to look back at the hole, then turn to look at the fortress behind him. "Dammit! He's already made his way inside and we were none the wiser!"

"Well he is a- look out!"

Volcan's warning was not at Kage or Luke, but one of the Greninja above as he saw movement behind them. But his warning came too late, as a Leaf Blade pierced the Greninja from behind. The assassin gagged as he was perforated, blood spilling out of his chest before his eyes glazed over and he fell to his side, revealing Tory behind him with his bloodstained blade in hand.

"Damn you!" Luke hollered angrily, paws clenched at his sides.

"Get him!" Volcan shouted, launching himself at Tory with a pair of Fire Punches ready, but the avian assassin disappeared into the shadows before Volcan reached him.

The light of Volcan's flaming wrists chased away the darkness Tory had vanished into, but the Decidueye was gone, having escaped with Shadow Sneak. The second he reappeared though, Kage was already on him like a Venomoth to a flame, darting behind him and swinging with his sword as hard as he could. At the same time, two more assassins closed in on Tory when Kage swung, blades ready to strike as well.

Tory managed to block Kage's attack with one sword and swung at the other two Greninja with the second, before he jumped away and took to the air, landing atop of a crumbled pillar where he dismissed his sword in favour of bringing out his bow, aiming an arrow at Kage. Before he could get a chance to aim it though, Luke darted up to Tory with Extreme Speed, landing on the same pillar and lashing out with a Blaze Kick mere moments after appearing next to him. Tory saw him coming in the nick of time, and jumped off the pillar to avoid Luke's Blaze Kick...

But not Volcan's. As Tory opened his wings to fly, Volcan came down from above, out of his sight, and kicked the Decidueye to the floor, a trail of smoke coming from his back where Volcan kicked him. Tory barely managed to catch himself with his feet and wings and turned sharply to throw Seed Bombs up at Luke and Volcan.

They both darted out of the way of the bombs, appearing on opposite sides of the Decidueye and moving in to attack him; Volcan with another Blaze Kick and Luke with a Wicked Blow. From below, Kage had snuck under Tory with Shadow Sneak and popped out halfway from his own shadow, grabbing at the Decidueye's legs so that he couldn't take off again.

Tory was trapped... Finally, they had him. He looked up with horror as the two came in; Luke's Wicked Blow struck first, followed by Volcan's Blaze Kick, striking him in the back and forcing Kage to release him as he was sent flying through the air... And then exploded into a swarm of leaves, as a wooden dummy in his likeness fell to the floor, still smoldering from Volcan's kick.

"Son of a-!" Volcan started to say. "He pulled a Substitute at the last second; where is he?!"

Luke went to attempt a search with his Aura Sense, but quickly realized it wouldn't work, seeing as Tory was a Ghost type and wouldn't show up if he did try it. Instead, he relied on visual scanning, turning his head and looking all around his immediate area for any signs of the Decidueye.

No sign... Tory had disappeared. The assassins around them were on guard, yet no one suffered another surprise attack from the Decidueye. But as they slowly allowed themselves to lower their guard, they heard sounds coming from deeper in the temple, coming from below... Steel meeting steel; a clash of blades...

Kage didn't even skip a beat, already turning toward the inside of the temple and running as fast as he could toward the sound of steel meeting steel, almost leaving Luke and Volcan in the dust before they gave chase themselves, figuring that Tory was no longer a danger anymore.

"Tory was just distracting us!" Luke growled as they chased their comrade. "He kept our attention away from Sakkaku's infiltration!"

"And we fell for it!" Volcan said, cursing under his breath as he ran. "I hope we're not too late!"

~~~~~~

The constant ringing of metal against metal echoed within the Serpent Chamber as Sakkaku and Fusaku continued their duel. Both sides showed no signs of relenting against the other, or any restraint for that matter, as most of the decorations and other displays were either torn off their housings or shattered along the ground in a heap. The only treasure that remained untouched was the Emera Blade, still housed in its protective case - though the case itself had spider-webbed from taking a few hits.

However, as the duel drew on it was clear that Sakkaku was gaining the upper hand. While they were both well into their advanced years, Fusaku was later into his senior years than his opponent and did not have the stamina he had back in his prime to fight an extended battle. He was starting to get sloppy, both in his swordplay and in his attack strength, and Sakkaku was capitalizing on it.

"What's the matter, Fusaku?" the Zoroark taunted as he clashed blades with the elderly Greninja, easily overpowering him and kicking him away as he stumbled. "What happened to all of that gusto you had?" He further taunted, firing a Shadow Ball at him as he struggled to recover.

Fusaku quickly dove into his shadow in an attempt to dodge the blast, the ball of ghostly energy passing over him just as his head vanished and hit the wall on the opposite end, filling that section of the room with dust and debris.

"You said you were going to rectify this transgression by sending me to my former clansmen!" he said as he spread his arms out, searching for the hidden Greninja. "Well, I still stand you senile old man! Come on, stop slinking about in the shadows and face your demise with dignity!"

Fusaku then exploded out of his shadow, having moved behind the Zoroark during his showboating, and thrust his blade straight through the Zoroark's chest, piercing through his tactical vest. Sakkaku froze as he was run through, looking down at the blade sticking out of his chest and shakily lifting his claws to try and grasp the sword. Alas, his strength failed him, and he coughed up some blood as his life seemed to fade right then and there.

Fusaku, thinking he had finished the job, started to pull his sword free from Sakkaku's torso. His blood then ran even colder than usual when he saw Sakkaku's body starting to vanish the second he moved his blade, revealing that he hadn't run Sakkaku through at all, merely just his tactical vest!

"You lose."

Fusaku felt the bite of Sakkaku's sword slice along his back, making him freeze in place for a few moments before fell to his side, shuddering in agony as he began bleeding profusely from the wound along his back. Sakkaku chuckled sinisterly as he flung the blood along his sword to the side, stalking slowly toward the fallen master and using his foot to roll the Greninja onto his back.

"This time, your filthy spawn won't be around to save you, Fusaku," he said in a low tone, holding his blade in front of him and relishing in the moment before the kill. "Oh, how I've longed for this moment... Today, I take my revenge upon you for what you did to me all those years ago, and with the Emera Blade in my grasp, I will tarnish your sacred name and force the Brotherhood to raze the entire world to the ground..."

"Of course, this will most likely help out that crazed Blaziken indirectly, but that's not my concern...All that matters now... is... this... moment," he said as he flipped his blade into a reverse grip and slowly raised it high into the air, the point aimed straight for Fusaku's heart.

"...Goodbye Fusaku. Enjoy your stay in hell."

Right at that moment the doors were shoved open, making Sakkaku flinch and turn to look at the main exit out of the chamber. There, he saw a Lucario, a Blaziken, and Kage rushing into the chamber, stopping in their tracks when they saw the sight before them. Kage's eyes widened at the sight of his father about to be killed, and to stop it from happening, he hurled a barrage of Water Shurikens at the Zoroark.

Sakkaku held up his claw and conjured another Shadow Ball, using it as a shield to block the shuriken that were a direct threat to him. He then discharged that Shadow Ball at the group, forcing them to disperse and give Sakkaku a few seconds of reprieve... A chance he did not waste.

*SHUNK!*

The sound of metal piercing flesh and hitting the wood floor below resounded within the entire chamber hall, followed by a pained grunt from the elderly Greninja before his last breath finally rasped out of his throat, his eyes rolling back in their sockets as he lay limp with Sakkaku's sword run straight through his heart...

"No!!" Luke hollered as he watched Sakkaku pierce the elderly Greninja's heart, a look of horror present on his face as he watched the egregious act be committed before his eyes.

Kage had an equally horrified look on his face, but he was silent throughout the event unlike Luke. His mind was still processing what had just happened, seeing his father lying dead on the floor, blinking several times to try and clear his vision, hoping that this was some sort of illusion placed on him by the Zoroark to rattle him.

...But it was no illusion. The blood pooling around Fusaku was indeed real, as was the blood that Sakkaku flung off his blade and splattered along the ground next to him... Even he couldn't deny the reality before him.

His father was now dead... the Brotherhood of the Kaeru Assassins were now without their leader.

Before Sakkaku could revel in his triumph, Volcan was dashing across the room. Powered by his enhanced speed he was faster than the eye could follow, slowing only for his own sake to time his strike as he delivered a whirling Blaze Kick to Sakkaku, yelling furiously. The Zoroark barely had time to see the attack coming, leaving him only with the option of blocking the Blaze Kick with his arms. The attack connected, leaving Sakkaku with some scorched fur on his forearms, but he was able to hold his ground.

He then pushed Volcan back and flexed his free claw, immediately going for a Shadow Claw aimed at Volcan's throat. At that point, Luke intervened by firing an Aura Sphere at Sakkaku, the blast zeroing in on the Zoroark and nailing him in the cheek, sending him stumbling to the side and leaving him open for another attack from his husband. Volcan capitalized on it by delivering a Double Kick to the elder Zoroark, followed by a Fire Punch, all of which he endured and was sent hurtling toward the ground closer to the case containing his sought-out prize.

He looked at the case, then in a fit of desperation, he scrambled to his feet and climbed up the small staircase toward the case, raising his sword to smash the case. This time, Luke appeared next to him with Extreme Speed and caught his arm before he could touch the glass.

The Lucario then snapped his other paw forward and punched Sakkaku square in the stomach to wind him, then he released his claw and began assailing him with a Close Combat attack. However, his style of executing the attack was different. His strikes were no longer wild and furious, not to mention continuous... And trailing Water.

He launched the attack in controlled bursts, striking with frightening accuracy at the Zoroark's vital spots. The way Luke moved in between strikes as well was different, almost as if he were moving like a current of water through a stream.

Luke eventually ended the attack with a brutal Force Palm, sending him flying back toward Volcan to finish him off. Volcan, in that time, had powered up another Focus Punch, and once it was charged, he launched himself at the Zoroark.

The punch hit like a falling meteorite, launching Sakkaku with bone-breaking force into the far wall. Surely enough, the impact of Volcan's Focus Punch, and by extension his impact on the wall, were enough to shatter several bones along the Zoroark's body before he collapsed onto the ground, motionless and rasping heavily from the injuries he just sustained.

Luke sighed once the battle was over, letting his shoulders slump as he felt his aggression ebb away as he stood at his husband's side. "...He's finished," he said with finality.

"You mastered Surging Strikes too, eh?" Volcan asked, without taking his eyes off Sakkaku, "Master Zheng would've been proud of how you used it today. It was beautiful." Then he turned his attention toward Kage, seeing the Greninja approaching the fallen body of his father. "If we only got here sooner..." he whispered.

Luke turned as well to watch as Kage slowly knelt next to his deceased father, his expression saddening as he watched his comrade silently mourn for his father.

The Greninja gently placed his father's hands along his chest and ran his own hands along his eyes to shut them before he leaned back and muttered a small prayer in a language neither Luke nor Volcan could understand. Halfway through the prayer though, they could hear his voice breaking occasionally, his eyes clenching shut tightly to keep any tears that were welling up from rolling down his face.

In his mind his life flashed before him, reminding him of the kind of man Fusaku was. He was harsh, cruel, and strict in his teachings... but he was still his father, and despite their disagreements that led to their estrangement, Fusaku still loved his son... and a small part of Kage loved him back just as much.

The tears came full force after that, his body shuddering as he tried his best to stifle any sobs welling in his chest...

It was the first time Volcan had ever seen Kage display any sort of emotion. Well, that was not true, he knew; he had seen the Greninja be stern, even hostile, such as during his and Luke's falling out. But to see him heartbroken like this... This was something the Blaziken had never expected to witness in his life...

Luke then took it upon himself to approach the Greninja and kneel next to him, taking a moment to let Kage sense he was with him before he slid his arms around Kage, embracing him gently to help give him some comfort for his loss. Kage didn't initially return the embrace, but he did gently lean back into Luke and accepted his comfort for a moment before he willed himself back to his feet again.

The Greninja then turned to look at his Team Captain, wiping his cheeks with his hand before he spoke. "...There's one thing I've never really been any good at," Kage said softly, then lifted his gaze to Volcan and nodded slightly. "...Saying 'thank you'."

The Blaziken smiled back at him. "You're welcome," he said, nodding.

Then, before anyone else could speak, Luke felt something. A sensation of dread washed over him very suddenly, causing his fur to stand on end. He felt an aura, one he knew, suddenly becoming weaker...

"...Oh no!" Luke whispered, closing his eyes, and tuning to his aura sense to more accurately see just what aura was fading rapidly. Expanding his range, he caught sight of the aura along the other side of the mire, and he gasped heavily as he realized just who it was. "No... No! Minato!"

"What? What about -" Volcan started to ask, but the look on Luke's face was telling enough. Volcan's face twisted with horror, and without a second of hesitation, he was running, calling out his friend's name as he sped out of the temple...

Luke was about to chase after him, but Kage caught his shoulder and stopped him, causing the Lucario to turn and look incredulously at Kage for a moment. The Greninja's stoic and calm expression said it all. He didn't need to speak any words for Luke to understand what he was saying. They still had one more job to do within the depths of this fortress, and only Luke could accomplish the task that needed to be done at that moment.

With a nod of understanding, both Luke and Kage took off toward the hallway. Kage stopped for a moment to look over his shoulder when they reached the doorway, looking at the deceased body of his father, then to the unconscious form of Sakkaku, then finally at the Emera Blade locked away in its protective case. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at that sword, then turned away quickly and caught up to Luke outside, directing the young Lucario toward where they needed to go...

~~~~~~

Back outside, the battle carried on. Minato and Seji's swords clashed repeatedly, while Zacian and Sash dueled with the Sword Wolf becoming increasingly frustrated by her teleporting adversary. Meanwhile, Zamazenta had his paws full battling the Kommo-o, the mighty fists of the Dragon/Fighting-type battering his shield and putting his endurance to the test.

While they were locked in a stalemate, Minato cast a glance at both the knights struggling against their current opponents. Between Zacian's inability to counter Sash's teleporting attacks and Zamazenta's defenses slowly being broken down by the Kommo-O, they were starting to lose this battle; mighty they were, but their opponents were no ordinary Pokémon, and seemed to perfectly counter both of their respective battle techniques.

He had to assist them, but first he needed to finish this fight against Seji, and quickly.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I'm needed elsewhere," he growled back at the Alakazam, pushing off with his sword, then pushing him away with a telekinetic blast that sent him flying into a nearby tree. "I'll deal with you later," he said, then turned and moved to help the wolf closest to him.

Zacian grunted as she took another slice along her armour, turning and swinging back at Sash in retaliation yet again, only to cut through the air as the Gallade teleported away. The Sword Wolf was gnashing her teeth into the hilt of her sword, panting as exhaustion started to set in.

"Stop teleporting and face me, you coward!" She growled angrily,

She then felt weight on her back, and looked over her shoulder in horror, seeing Sash kneeling on her with his blade raised. She tried to throw him off, but his knees clenched the hump of her back tightly to anchor himself to her. He curved his arm back, ready to drive the spike of his elbow into her vulnerable spine...

However, he never got the chance to do so when an Aura Sphere hurled by Minato collided with his side, sending him flying off Zacian's back and into the ground next to her. She then turned and went to strike Sash while he was down, but the Gallade quickly teleported to safety before the sword could even touch him. She growled as she stared at Sash ahead of her, her fur bristling the angrier she got. Minato placed his paw firmly on her, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Calm down, Zacian," he said firmly, "he's getting under your skin by teleporting all around you."

Zacian looked like she was about to snap at him, but the look in his eyes quickly calmed her down and remembered what he had said to her during their night watch together. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily before looking ahead again.

"Then what do you propose we do?" she asked pointedly.

"Contrary to what you might think, every teleporter has a pattern they like to resort to; just like any fighter would," Minato explained, "And given how Volcan got his scar, it's safe to assume he likes to attack from behind after luring you into a feint."

"Then one of us will act as the lure?" Zacian asked.

"Correction. I will act as the lure," he clarified, "You're exhausted and worn down from his attacks. Stay back, recover, and observe how I fight him. When you see an opportunity, hit him with everything you have."

Zacian grimaced slightly, not liking the idea of being left on the sidelines, but she ultimately nodded and relented. She was indeed hurt, tired and in no condition to fight directly. For the first time in the hundreds of years of her life, she had to rely on the help of another...

Minato started pacing toward Sash with his blade held at the ready, glaring intensely at his opponent as he got closer.

"...I made a small promise to myself to bring your teleporting ass to Volcan so that he could be the one to take you out," he began, then blinked when he saw that Sash was no longer in front of him. Instinctively he turned and swung behind him, almost nicking the Gallade with his sword and forcing him to back away. "But he's currently occupied in pulling our friend out of the fire a second time... So you're gonna have to contend with me."

Sash scoffed, that sadistic grin present on his face as he licked his lips hungrily, "I can't wait to taste your blood on my blades, cretin," he countered.

"...Yea, didn't need that image in my head," the Lucario answered with a visible shudder.

From that point on, the two dashed at each other and were engaged in a deadly dance of blades and blasts, the duel taking them to different parts of the shoreline. Minato for the most part was able to predict where Sash would be, allowing him to either dodge or counterattack after parrying, which now had Sash slowly getting frustrated now that his usual hit and run tactic wasn't working.

But amidst his duel with Minato, his eyes briefly focus on Zacian, before settling on Minato again. He saw in that brief moment that Zacian was waiting while she recovered from her battle with him, looking for an opportunity to strike when he was vulnerable.

'Well, two can play that game...' he thought internally, already having a counter plan in place.

The duel continued, both parties matching blow for blow and sending sparks flying every time their blades clashed. Eventually, Sash managed to parry a strike from Minato that made him stagger back, and the Gallade moved in to go for the kill. Zacian immediately reacted upon seeing her comrade in danger, powering up a Moon Blast through her sword and rearing back to launch it.

Sash then flashed a devilish grin at Minato, and before he could react, he had teleported away from Minato, right in front of Zacian just before she swung her weapon. Minato flinched and quickly tried to dash to Zacian's aid, but he was too slow, and Zacian suffered a deep cut along her face from a standard Slash attack. Were it not for her helmet, the Slash would have stolen her sight, but it was it opened a gash along her nose and sent blood spraying between her eyes; instinct forced her to shut them...

She was vulnerable.

"ZACIAN!" Minato hollered as he kept running toward her, gritting his teeth and realizing that he wouldn't make it in time to stop Sash from killing her right then and there. Still, he ran, his body moving on its own and even dematerializing his sword so he could run just a little faster.

Sash readied one of his arm blades and held it high in the air, grinning maliciously as he savoured this moment. "I suppose I can add killing a god to my ledger now," he said, his tone dripping with murderous intent. "A lesser god, unfortunately, but a god nonetheless!" he said before he brought his arm down on Zacian.

Everything happened so fast that Zacian didn't register what happened until after she blinked, and there suddenly was even more blood all over her face. In the span of a few seconds, Minato had managed to come in between them and catch Sash's falling arm, preventing him from ending her life. However, despite this, Sash was still grinning, and in an instant, he thrust his other arm forward, his blade running Minato through his stomach and making him flinch and grunt as he was impaled, sending blood spraying out of his back and onto Zacian's face.

When she blinked the blood from her eyes, they widened in horror as reality finally caught up to her. She heard the Lucario lurch and cough up blood all over Sash's arm, then he yanked his arm back and flung it to the side, watching as Minato slowly fell to his knees, then onto his side, shuddering in agony as blood started pooling from his open wound and onto the grass, he lay in.

Zacian could only watch in silent horror as she saw him fall, her mouth falling open to drop her sword, and her body trembling before she let out a single word, in a shrill, ear-piercing scream that echoed all around the Aporagorev Boglands.

"NOOOO!!!!"