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Impatience as always was a constant enemy for Caulin, able to hear the sounds of the battle raging on from the town. Everyone he knew and cared for was there, fighting for their very lives, yet all he could do was sit back and wait... It made his fur itch, all across his arms, to manifest his frustration.

He worried for all of them... But most of all, for Lashanne; he'd lost one mother to the Dark Crusade... True it was that Lashanne was a more capable combatant than his birth mother had been, Caulin still could not stop himself from thinking back to that night - the last night he saw his mother alive.

The memories were coming back to him in flames. The falling meteors, the burning town, but most of all the sound of his mother crying out his name as she ran to grab him, nearly drowned out by the sound of the rafters caving in above their heads as the house began to collapse, its supports damaged by a Draco Meteor.

That was his last memory of her... He'd never described it to anyone; least of all to his father or Uncle Volcan, knowing how much both of them once blamed themselves for her death... He didn't want to tell them anything that might cause either of them to feel that way again.

Caulin's ears twitched as he heard voices speaking lowly. At first he looked at Degra, sitting beside him and his friends - Qiang resting on Caulin's right with her on the left, and Ignus laying in her lap, needing her comforting touch to relax him.

But it was past the female Blaziken he saw the source of the voices. Rigel - Luke's elder brother, he remembered, was talking with Jora. The two were clearly trying to stay quiet and not disturb the refugees but Caulin's keen ear caught what they were saying...

"Things have fallen quiet... Do you think it's over?" Jora asked the Lucario.

It was true; there had been much commotion from the direction of Azure; the sounds of a truly vicious battle carrying on for some time. But a few minutes before, it had fallen quiet again...

Rigel narrowed his eyes slightly and absently adjusted the tape around his paws. "Yea, it's a little too quiet if you ask me," he concurred. "The battle can't be over that fast... Everyone's always claiming that Calhoun guy's real trouble, and my Ma, Sol and Luna are the toughest cookies around, along with my kid bro... They wouldn't go down easily."

Jora grimaced at that, turning her gaze in the direction of town again. "Maybe one of my clansmen can sneak close enough to get-"

A shriek cut her off; the two of them whirled around and saw one of the townsfolk scurrying away from a massive figure emerging from the shadows of the trees. A huge, four-armed Machamp pushed aside a pair of birch trees to clear a path for himself as he stepped on it, grinning widely at the terrified refugees around him. He was soon joined by multiple Pokémon of varying species, all of them sharing the same malicious intent.

Above them, another scream, but this one was not of fear; the air distorted as the ear-shattering scream drowned out those of the townsfolk, and a Noivern glided overhead, his scream replaced by maniacal laughter as he flew, landing on a tree above a Cacturne that stood with his arms crossed.

"Lunala save us!" Jora whispered, shocked by the sight of the Cacturne.

"Been a while, Jora," the scarecrow-like Pokémon said in a cold tone, eyeing the Salazzle disdainfully. "I'm actually glad to see you, you know," he uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, "Once I drag your bleeding carcass back to Calhoun, I expect we'll get a nice bonus."

All around them, Jora's circle came running to put themselves between the Salazzle and the thugs, hissing at them, but they were undeterred - even Crane, despite the obvious vulnerability he would have against the lizards. But he was soon joined by a pair of Sandslash that would make short work of them...

"Oh, that's just not fair," Rigel remarked, then punched his paws together and lit them aflame. "...For you!" he added, grinning confidently.

The Machamp looked studiously at Rigel for a moment, arching an eyebrow. "Huh... You know, this guy looks a lot like that Lucario we tangoed with back west," he said, "the one who was with Lashanne and that Blaziken who nearly popped my eardrums," he rubbed the side of his head absently with his upper left arm.

The Noivern leaned closer, his head tilting side to side as he studied Rigel from his perch in the tree. "Hey... Zann's right - Zann's right! Same face! Is it him?"

"No... This must be a relative," the Cacturne replied, narrowing his eyes at Rigel, "the resemblance is certain, but he does not have the same demeanour as the one we fought before."

Rigel's ears twitched as he overheard their conversation. "Ohhhh, so you guys fought my brother, eh?" He asked, hopping on the spot, and taking his stance, still bouncing a little as he hyped himself up. "If you thought he was tough, you guys are really gonna hate fighting me."

The Machamp grinned, and put his lower hands together to crack his knuckles. "We'll just see about that," he said as he and the Cacturne stepped forward, with the Noivern gliding down to join them as they advanced on Rigel...

"Boys, stay behind me," Degra said to Caulin and the others as the scene unfolded, with Rigel standing alone against three imposing Pokémon. Certainly, Jora was nearby, and there was no doubt she'd aid Rigel if she could, but with those two Sandslash even her entire clan might be eliminated easily, being of two types weak to the Ground-type Sandslash.

Caulin grimaced as he hid behind Degra, peeking around her and clenching his paws tightly at his sides. He wanted to run in and help Rigel, sensing that he would struggle against the three of them. Waiting on the sidelines like this made him grind his teeth angrily and fidget on the spot as he fought the urge to just rush in blindly...

'Dang it all...! I hate all this standing around and waiting on the sides... I wanna help!' He thought internally.

Caulin's resolve only grew as he watched the fighting unfold, seeing the three ganging up on Rigel, watching as the three thugs attacked. The Cacturne came in first, lashing out at Rigel with a Needle Arm, which he easily deflected, but in the split second that he focused on the Cacturne the Noivern blasted him with a Boomburst.

Rigel took the Boomburst and skidded to a halt after a fair bit before popping back to his feet. He cast a glance at the Noivern for a moment, knowing he couldn't do much against him, but at the same time he couldn't ignore him. He was quickly being backed into a corner, and as strong as he was, fighting multiple opponents at once was a weakness of his.

"Tch... damnit, where are you li'l bro?" he thought out loud, standing up again and igniting his paws on fire again, mentally preparing to take things to the extreme if he had to... For now, all he could do was hold out until either backup or for a miracle to arrive. He clenched up and rushed toward the three of them, launching fiery Aura Spheres at Crane while sprinting to Zann.

Crane threw up a Spiky Shield to protect himself from the Aura Spheres, while the Machamp ran to meet Rigel head-on. The two traded a ferocious barrage of attacks; Rigel was able to hold his own, dodging and deflecting the furious onslaught by the Machamp, though he had few openings to strike back. But then Crane came in again, throwing a Cotton Spore over the distracted Lucario; the deceptively heavy fluffs of cotton fell over him from behind, and his movements slowed.

The instant he had trouble swinging his arm, Zann delivered a punishing blow to his gut, and sent Rigel hurtling back, barely holding the contents of his stomach. As if that weren't enough, even before Rigel hit the ground, Karth swooped down and battered him with a Wing Attack, adding to the blows he had already taken.

The Noivern landed on top of him, fangs bared, until Jora intervened, blasting the Noivern with a Dragon Pulse that knocked him off Rigel. She and her clansmen rushed to aid the Lucario, but the two Sandslash from before triggered a simultaneous Bulldoze, catching her and all of her Salandit circle in the attack - along with Rigel and many other nearby townsfolk who scrambled to get away.

Degra had to react quickly, grabbing Caulin, Qiang and Ignus in her arms and jumping away as the tremors extended toward them. She barely got out of the way in time with the three boys in tow.

"Looks like someone was all talk," the Machamp taunted the heavily abused Rigel, even as the Lucario fought to get up.

Rigel growled as he forced himself back upright, panting and wiping some blood away from his mouth. "S-Sure ain't me," he said, grinning defiantly. "I'm only... just... getting warmed up!" he said, his body starting to emit smoke.

The Noivern snickered widely. "Hear that? He thinks he can keep going; what a nitwit!" he said, giggling wildly.

"When we fought your brother, he was helped by Lashanne and that Blaziken," said Zann, "yet you think you can take all three of us by yourself? You're deluded!" He stood over Rigel. "Well, doubt we'll get a bonus for offing you, but at least that scarf-wearing simpleton will squirm when he gets back, and finds his brother reduced to a pile of bloody pulp!"

Just as Zann drew back his fist to finish off Rigel, there was a shout - almost like a roar, from a deep voice coming from the Machamp's left. Zann held back his fist, looking in the direction of the shout as a dark blur came dashing out of the trees, trailing orange light behind one of its outstretched limbs.

Zann had no chance to defend himself as the blurry figure glided across the ground and struck him dead on, eliciting another roar as the Machamp seemingly disappeared from where he stood, flying across the clearing to smash through several trees before finally coming to a stop. In his place stood a towering ursine Pokémon, his outstretched fist hovering where Zann had once stood.

Qiang's voice rang out as he recognized the figure. "Uncle Chen!" He exclaimed.

"Get him!" Crane commanded his followers.

No one came at his call; Crane turned to them, intent on repeating his command... But at that moment, if he had a jaw, it would have fallen wide open, watching as the two Sandslash that had previously incapacitated Jora and her clansmen, fell limply to the ground. All around them, the rest of his forces were scattered about as though a tornado had passed between them.

At the center of them, another ursine like the one that had knocked out Zann, stood in a passive posture, hands together as though nothing had happened, taking in a deep breath.

"Father!" Qiang added, joyfully.

"M-Masters??" Caulin exclaimed, looking between the two of them incredulously. "W-When?? How??" He demanded.

Rigel let himself slump, the smoke fuming around him starting to dissipate at the arrival of the Urshifu brothers. "About... freakin' time," he said in between heavy pants, teetering slightly as he fought to stay conscious.

Crane let out a furious yell as he started to run at Zheng, but he did not get more than a few steps before Chen appeared in his path, and with a single punch to the face, sent the Cacturne tumbling on his back. Karth panicked, about to try to fly away, when Chen picked up Crane's motionless body and hurled him at the Noivern, knocking him out of the sky with the incapacitated form of his own comrade.

At that moment, Zann came charging back into the fray. His body had turned beet red and seemed to be steaming as he ran toward Chen. His mouth was wide open, roaring in fury. Chen spun to face the incoming Machamp, and the two exploded into motion, fists flying as they dueled. Every so often, their fists collided mid-swing, and the air shook from the impact of their punches; nobody watching the spectacle could stop their eyes from blinking whenever the two landed a punch.

Finally, Chen managed to force an opening, delivering an uppercut that sent the fury-driven Machamp hurtling skyward, tumbling into a canopy of the trees overhead before coming back down, his body reverting to its natural gray colour as he lay motionless on the grass.

"Stay down," Chen said coldly to the motionless Machamp.

Zheng ran across the clearing toward Qiang, the Kubfu leaving Degra's side to meet him halfway. Immediately he knelt down when Qiang jumped toward him, catching him in his arms and holding him tightly.

"Thank the creator, you're safe," he whispered gently before pulling his son back. "Are you alright, son?"

"I'm fine, father," Qiang replied, looking over his shoulder at Degra. "Miss Degra and Miss Lashanne both ensured I was safe."

Zheng looked up at Degra as she came over, still carrying Ignus and with Caulin walking at her side. Caulin gently walked around Degra and quickly bowed to his sensei, to which the Urshifu answered in kind.

"Man, your timing couldn't have been better! Mister Rigel was about to get his crap kicked in had you and Master Chen not arrived."

Ignus slowly came around and stood next to Caulin, sitting on his haunches and tilting his head curiously up at Master Zheng. The larger Pokémon gently knelt and offered his claw for Ignus to sniff, to which he did, and immediately started nuzzling and licking it when he smelled Qiang's scent on him.

"I am glad we were able to make it in time," Zheng responded as he petted Ignus' head gently.

"But... How did you know Azure was in danger?" Qiang asked.

"While we were meditating, we sensed the dark power of the shadow curse as it passed," explained Chen, coming over to join them, "We ran outside, and saw the plumes of smoke emitted by the ship. We feared the worst and started running to Azure as fast as we could," he looked around at the townsfolk, many of whom were staring at him and his brother, "to which it seems we were right to do so."

He turned his attention to Rigel then, coming over to kneel beside the battered Lucario. Rigel was on his backside, nursing his wounded body slightly with one of the other doctors applying first aid to his injuries. Rigel cast a glance over to the Shifu brothers and gave them each a nod and a smirk, silently thanking them for stepping in when they did.

"Well done," Chen complimented him, nodding before turning to regard Jora and her incapacitated clansmen. "Brother, let us see to the injured. We shall then remain here to guard the people."

"But the others may need you in town," Qiang piped up.

"For now, nephew, we are needed here," Chen replied, "if we can, we'll head to help the others, but these people need us now."

"But... what if they need your help now?!" Caulin piped up, spreading his arms out helplessly. "Dad, Uncle Luke and Uncle Volcan aren't back yet, and that Dark Blaziken is there fighting against my Mom and all my friends!"

"We cannot be in two places at the same time, Caulin," Chen reasoned as he went over to Jora, helping her sit up, "and right now, the people here in these woods are the ones who are defenseless. Those who were here to protect them have been beaten," he gestured to Rigel, "so the task must fall to us if the Crusade attempts to attack again."

Caulin continued to stare at them incredulously as they went to help the others. He knew Master Chen had a point; the people here did need protection - and with Rigel and Jora down for the count they had lost what protection they had, but his friends... His mother was out there fighting against the Dark Crusade's biggest guns. If he lost them, then he'd never be able to live it down...

It was then that he internally made up his mind. If his masters weren't going to help them, then he was. He just needed to wait for the right opportunity to slip away without anyone noticing...

He soon had his chance, as Degra went to aid the Shifu brothers in assisting Jora and her clansmen, taking her attention off Caulin. With the female Blaziken's back now turned, Caulin seized the opportunity and turned toward where he thought the battle was and began sprinting as fast as he could in that direction. He didn't stop, he didn't even look back. He just kept his gaze forward, determined to help his friends and family in any way he could...

After Sol's victory against Eberon, the battle in Azure had begun anew. Now backed by additional Pokémon, the Bisharp Centurion and his Pawniard once again charged, this time their ranks swelled by a throng of Hakamo-o warriors, as well as the Golurks who attacked before, now recovered, and ready to resume the battle.

Lashanne led the counter-offensive at the head of the group, joined in a cacophony as her and her teammates unleashed every distance attack they knew. Flamethrowers from her and Hank, Flash Cannon from Tristan, Serena and Katsu's water attacks and even Mud Bombs from Doug rained upon the approaching horde. Many fell to their attacks, but far more kept coming, and the battle transformed into a melee.

Doug and Katsumoto engaged the Golurks once more. As before, the autonomous golems were simple in their approach, making no attempts to flank or outmaneuver the two as they stood against them. The first one reached Doug, and swung its massive fist at him, powered by a Shadow Punch that the Dugtrio, once more in his newly constructed body, met with a swing of his own, making the air ripple as the two swinging arms collided.

Katsu engaged the next one, Seamitars in hand as it came at him. He met its Shadow Punch with a Razor Shell utilizing both blades, his swords biting into its hand and causing it to recoil, before it attacked with a Night Shade; black bolts like lightning shot from its face, coming out of the holes that served as its eyes. Katsu brought his offhand blade to try and shield himself from the attack, the black bolts scattering around him as he endured the attack before he let out a furious roar and swung the blade upward to send the attack skyward. He then puffed his cheeks before discharging a point-blank Hydro Pump from his mouth right into his opponent to send it back some before rushing in to continue his onslaught.

Eagle Eye and Lighris flew over the battle from above, dropping attacks where they could, but they soon had to take evasive maneuvers as projectiles came up at them. Streams of pressurized water were fired from the back of the invading force by a line of Clawitzers positioned near the water. They redirected their attention to the watery artillery, both bird Pokémon falling into dives and circling around to engage.

The Clawitzers ceased their attacks and launched_themselves_ back toward the water with Aqua Jet, narrowly avoiding the two as they attacked; Eagle Eye's flames fizzled out over the water and Lighris' Thunderbolt only managed to hit one of them; the others having ventured too deep.

That was when Sound Breaker attacked. The Skarmory had been staying out of the battle, hiding high above the battle, until he saw his opportunity to strike back. He dove down from above, spinning rapidly as he targeted Lighris first with Drill Peck, but a quick shout from Eagle Eye helped him avoid the attack at the nick of time. From then on, the Talonflame pursued Sound Breaker as he leveled out, firing a stream of Embers and forcing the Skarmory to take evasive action.

"You handle the claw guys! I'll hold ol' Rusty off!" Eagle Eye squawked to Lighris as he continued to chase Sound Breaker.

"Got it!" Lighris called

Two Hakamo-o stumbled as Hank tripped them up with Grass Knot, letting the Pawniard accompanying them continue. The Zoroark then unleashed a Flamethrower upon the Pawniards, forcing them to break off their attack - save one; their Centurion, who ran around the flames and rushed at Hank from the side. Hank barely saw the attack coming and jumped out of the way of its blades.

The Bisharp continued to pursue, head lowered and spike leading as it attempted to gore him with its helmet. It seemed to have him... Until it passed straight through him, the illusionary copy fading away as the Bisharp stumbled from the lack of anything solid to hit.

Hank appeared seemingly out of nowhere after his illusion faded, exhaling a large cone of fire from where he appeared from using Flamethrower and moving his head back and forth to increase the area of the flames as they rushed for their target. The Bisharp had no chance to get out of the way, the flames engulfing him and bringing a scream of agony from him, until he finally passed out from the pain.

Hank wasn't watching his flank though and was nearly blind-sided by a Hakamo-o that managed to get free of his grass knot. Fortunately, Serena saw it in time, and she raced to Hank's side and sprang into the path of its Dragon Claw, blocking it with a Protect and startling Hank back into focus as he saw the dragon behind him.

He growled and quickly moved around Serena after she protected him, flexing his claws and rushing at the Hakamo-o with Shadow Claws over and over in a wild frenzy, never relenting in his assault until his opponent either went down or fell back. The Hakamo-o eventually retreated against the onslaught, though his comrades were not so quick to retreat; four more Pawniard plus another Hakamo-o raced toward him and the Vaporeon.

Serena fired an Ice Beam into the Hakamo-o's chest, successfully stopping him, and the Pawniard were similarly chased away by another Flamethrower from the Zoroark. Having just a moment to breathe, Serena turned to look at Hank, wanting to remind him to guard himself, but the words died in her throat when she saw the look on his face... He looked angry, but a deeper look past that glare showed her his true feelings. His eyes were almost dull, glazed over even, like he didn't even care anymore what happened regardless of the outcome of this battle. The loss of his husband left him a broken man, and he was just going through the motions even in the middle of combat.

"Oh Hank," Serena whispered.

Elsewhere, Koa and Luna were both making short work of the Hakamo-o. With their blinding speed, the two moved like bolts of lightning across the enemy ranks, focusing primarily on the Dragon-types. Meanwhile, Victor and Luminara were similarly making short work of the Pawniard that attempted to swarm them, though they could see the wily little cretins were beginning to surround the group; there were just too many of them.

"Coming through!" the combined voices of Tristan and Lashanne called out.

Everyone moved out of the way as the massive Aggron came plowing into the fray, head lowered and leading with his armoured skull as he knocked aside everything foolish enough to get in his way. Pawniard were trampled, Hakamo-o were knocked aside; even a Golurk that tried to intercept was knocked over by the unstoppable Aggron, further assisted by the Delphox standing on his back, using her Psychic powers to help steady herself until they were at the middle of the enemy forces.

There, Tristan reared up and catapulted Lashanne into the air. The Delphox spun, releasing fire from her branch as she turned and created a ring of fire around herself, sending it streaming down to the enemy forces below. The Delphox became a pyramid of flames amidst the invaders, with most of the Pawniards forced to retreat, and few Hakamo-o daring to brave the flames - one that did received a punch from Tristan that sent him tumbling back again.

When Lashanne came back down again, ceasing her fiery assault, the enemy had scattered, and her team had time to regroup. Lashanne was panting as she landed on Tristan, and stepped off his back, her shoulders slumped as she caught her breath.

"Not bad for... A first time, huh?" she asked, looking at Tristan.

The Aggron gave her a thumbs-up. "You're a natural at this, boss lady!" he said.

Lashanne was about to reply when she spotted movement behind Tristan, but before she could call out a warning, the dark blurry form of Calhoun raced over and decked the Aggron with a whirling roundhouse kick across his cheek, sending Tristan tumbling toward Lashanne and would have crushed her beneath him if not for her catching him with Psychic.

Calhoun glared at the two, and their allies quickly gathering around them. "I've had enough of this," he said in a cold tone, his usual playful, sadistic tone completely absent as his amethyst eyes took them in. "You want something done right, you got to do it yourself, it seems."

Even as he spoke, he was joined by Seji, Sash, Sound Breaker - carrying a few marks from his fight with Eagle Eye, and five other Pokémon. A Garchomp, a Metagross, a Kommo-o, a Golisopod and a Tyrantrum.

Lashanne stood up, and helped Tristan to his feet as well, while her friends joined her. Doug was still busy with the Golurk, and Lighris was keeping the Clawitzers at bay, leaving her to be joined by Victor, Luminara, Koa, Luna, Hank, Katsumoto and Serena. Sol was still down for the count, lying outside of the battlefield, only able to watch as it became clear the third battle was about to begin...

But the others were outmatched now, exhausted from the enemy vanguard and faced now with the Crusade's leadership, and a whole squad of heavy hitters.

Everyone was on edge at the sight of Calhoun and his forces standing before them, most of which were taking battle positions in preparation for the fight ahead. Luminara on the other hand looked more curious than intimidated as she stared at Calhoun, using her Aura Sense to get a read on his life signs. She saw the dark, menacing force surrounding Calhoun, writhing around him as if it were trying to reach out to the closest victim.

'So that's it then... There's no mistaking that darkness. It belongs to him.'_She thought internally as her gaze drifted down to the beach slightly. _'Forgive me, great one, but it seems I might have to break my word in order to stop this monster...'

Calhoun spoke out then. "You all have been a thorn in our sides for long enough. Especially after the latest interference at the East Nexus," he said.

Lashanne, despite herself, grinned at that. "I guess that means Minato and Luke were successful, then," she said, "Must be really frustrating for you."

Calhoun's eyes narrowed even as he smiled. "Like you would not believe, girl," he said. "Come to think of it, aren't you the same Delphox whose arm I broke a while back?"

"I am," Lashanne replied, not even trying to hide it, "and I also helped locate the East Nexus, if you want something else to chew on."

"Careful Lashanne," Serena cautioned her.

During the exchange, Victor had his gaze set on Seji, who in turn was staring right back at him. The two had nothing to say to one another; their looks spoke far louder than words could ever be conveyed. Victor's expression was one of confusion and disappointment, wondering why his former rival would stoop so low as to ally himself with Calhoun. Seji's, on the other hand, was an expression of conviction, yet at the same time, one of regret and shame, which only further confused the elder Lucario...

Regardless, they both steeled themselves for this moment. Victor flung his cloak to the side and summoned his blade, while Seji revealed his basket hilt and ignited the pink blade of psychic energy. They held their respective weapons pointing upward in front of them, a silent salute to one another as fellow swordsmen before preparing for quite possibly their final battle.

Hank had his eyes set squarely on Calhoun, the dullness in his eyes quickly replaced with a seething anger and a burning desire to rip Calhoun's throat right then and there. His body shimmered and he was about to take his first step toward the Dark Blaziken, when to everyone's surprise, Luna stepped in front of the group, staring up at Calhoun with a furious look in his eyes. He took a second to glance behind him at where Sol was resting, his knuckles cracking as his claws clenched tightly at his sides, turning his gaze back toward Calhoun.

"...You hurt my brother," he began, his voice low, "You used him against his will... You destroyed my home and threatened the lives of hundreds of townsfolk!" he added as small sparks of electricity appeared around him intermittently.

Calhoun shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Do you have the slightest idea how many times I have-"

He didn't even get to finish that sentence. The next thing he knew, he felt Luna's clenched claw being driven into his solar plexus, then he was suddenly launched back as lightning surged into him from Luna's nigh-instant attack, with the boom of a thunderclap filling the air just as Calhoun hit the ground.

"You don't get to speak like that in front of me... Not after everything you've done." Luna stated, lightning now surging around him, "You won't step another foot into to my home!"

"...Whoa," Lashanne said, and looked up at Tristan. "I didn't even see him move; did you?"

"Not so much as a twitch," the Aggron admitted, aghast, "like, I blinked, and he was over there."

"Geez," the Delphox added.

Calhoun rubbed his chest where he'd been hit, feeling scorching on the tips of his feathers as looked intently at Luna. "...Lightning," he said, "and it has supercharged your musculature, giving you that ridiculous speed - far beyond what a Zangoose should be capable of, yet Zangoose are not capable of harnessing lightning at all..." Slowly, a smile crept across his face, "Another Blessed, is it? Just like the Typhlosion."

"That Typhlosion is my brother!" Luna shot back sharply, the lightning sparks around him surging even more frequently. "Like I said, you won't step any closer to my home; not while I'm here!" He added.

From the heavens about, thunder started to rumble, and flashes of lightning began accumulating in the clouds above. Then, one massive lightning bolt crashed down into Luna, striking him and briefly blinding everyone watching with a brilliant flash of light. When it cleared, Luna had changed. His red highlights were now a deep aquamarine, his eyes now shone as brightly as the lightning that had struck him, and he sported large electric wings along his back that fanned out like angel wings. His claws also became shrouded in electricity similar to how Sol's were when he transformed.

Everyone was watching in awe as Luna unleashed his true power; the power granted to him by Zekrom. Teams Valiant and Phalanx looked on in awe, the Crusade in a mix of fear and anticipation.

But Calhoun was only smiling. Even as Luna watched, he could see something nobody else could - except for Luminara when she had been looking earlier; a dark silhouette that lingered around Calhoun, barely discernible from the Blaziken himself. However, the anatomy of the silhouette was not that of a Blaziken; it seemed more akin to a serpent... Or a dragon.

As Luna watched, the silhouette expanded, and two red eyes that only he - and his patron through his eyes - could see, glared back at him. The sudden shiver of fear that Luna felt at that moment, he was not sure whether it belonged to him, or to Zekrom.

"Luna, be on guard!" Zekrom spoke to Luna internally. "That man... He carries the essence of the Destroyer!"

Luna only stared in silent shock, understanding what Zekrom was referring to. He dug one of his feet into the ground to stop himself from recoiling, shaking his head a bit before he uttered. "...You're a monster."

"A monster that's going to take this world, one city at a time," Calhoun retorted, before touching his chest to trigger his Mega Stone, once more taking on his corrupted Mega Evolution form, and made a beeline toward Luna as the crystalline sphere shattered.

The two exploded into motion, and moved faster than most eyes could follow, racing all across Azure with only blurry after-images and light effects to show where either of them were at any time. Just as they raced by the group again, Calhoun's lieutenants and heavyweights launched their attack; the Kommo-o was lunging at Lashanne, catching her completely by surprise, until Koa appeared at their side and tackled the dragon out of the way.

The two sides clashed, and the battle was on once again. For Lashanne, her opponent was none other than Sash; her sights had been set on Seji, but Victor got to the elderly Alakazam first, leaving her to deal with his apprentice instead. She coated her branch in psychic energy to withstand the incoming Psycho Cut from Sash, their eyes meeting briefly as she held him back before she forced him away with a Psychic.

Lashanne flourished her weapon as she conjured a Flamethrower, and in the same motion as she swung it around to aim at Sash, she touched the looplet around her wrist, activating one of the Power Booster Emeras housed in the accessory, serving to intensify her flames as she attacked.

Sash's eyes shrank into beads as he watched her power up her attack with the Looplet, grinning as he weaved under the wand just as she unleashed the supercharged Flamethrower, coming up beside her and slamming his leg as hard as he could into her stomach after he dodged the attack. Lashanne was thrown back, but she never hit the ground, catching herself with her psychic powers and levitating into the air, where she cast a Psybeam at Sash and began to strafe to the side, chasing him into cover.

Back with the others, Tristan had engaged the Golisopod, the two trading heavy blows as they tried to pound their way through the other's armour. Hank engaged the Garchomp, recognizing her as one of the same ones who had attacked the villagers and resulted in Gex's death. Katsu fought the Kommo-o, his seamitars clashing with their armour-like scales, and Koa engaged the Tyrantrum, literally running circles around it as he worked to stay ahead of its deadly jaws.

For Luminara, that left her with the Metagross. The massive, armoured creature made the first move, covering its head with Psychic before leaping at her with a Zen Headbutt. She stared the large metal Pokémon down as it approached, then she held out both her arms and braced for the imminent impact. She grunted as the Zenn Headbutt met her arms, making her skid back a fair bit before she was able to gain some purchase and hold the Metagross back.

Then in a swift movement, she spun around the creature and let it rush past her, the Lucario lashing out with a Force Palm as it passed directly into its side so that it was forced off course and ended up practically falling on its metallic belly. She then waved her arms in a circle before cupping her paws at her side, instantly charging a large Aura Sphere and firing it as the Metagross was getting back to its feet.

Metagross though, was not purely a being of brute force, but also brains. It was back up, and dashed out of the path of the Aura Sphere even as Luminara threw it, and then spun itself to face the sphere as it altered course to chase it. With a single Flash Cannon, it dispersed the Aura Sphere, and then turned on Luminara again. With a rumble like an engine, it raced toward her, gliding across the ground with speed that defied its size.

It reared on its hind legs upon reaching her and brought its left foreleg down at her. She evaded, the ground quaking as it punched where she had been a second before, but it kept coming, hammering at her with its powerful legs. When she managed to jump away, it raced at her again, and that was when she saw that the Metagross was not leaving drag marks in the grass as it moved.

Somehow, it was using Magnet Rise in tandem with its psychic powers to carry itself like a hovercraft, giving it speed that the metal monster would otherwise not possess. It skidded along the ground as it redirected its power to another Zen Headbutt, once more catching up to the female Lucario and throwing itself at her. This time she was forced to block the attack the conventional way, crossing her arms in front of her and skidding back as she endured the damage.

Once she stopped, she lowered her arms and narrowed her eyes in a studious manner, taking note of the times it used Psychic to propel itself forward, but the second it moved to attack with a Psychic-type attack, it had to plant its feet into the ground to steady itself. An impressive tactic to be sure, but now that she had figured that out, she smirked as she already had a few ways she could capitalize on that small window of opportunity.

The Metagross advanced, this time walking normally, and struck out with one limb, slashing with its claws. She dodged the attack and struck back with Force Palm; the Metagross repeated, propelling itself backward out of reach of her arm. It touched down again, charging up another Psychic attack, but she didn't wait to see what it was using. The second it touched down, she moved in and attacked with another Force Palm, this time she managed to score a clean hit right between its eyes, stunning it enough to follow through with a few well-placed strikes before slamming an Aura Sphere right into its face yet again.

This time, it could not attempt to invade, even if its powerful brain analyzed what she was doing, the collective one-two combo sending it careening backward to land atop its head. It twisted its legs around, attempting to stand up again, but the female Lucario kept up the pressure and once more charged in with a heavy punch to its face, followed by a heavy side kick, then spun and lashed out with Iron Tail to stun it just long enough to cup her paws at her side and charge a massive Aura Sphere, the discharged it once it was ready.

This sent the Metagross tumbling across the ground, heavily damaging it further until it finally came to rest. When it didn't stir again, Luminara knew for certain that the fight was over. She clapped her paws a few times, dusting them off a bit before turning her attention toward the others and gauging who needed help the most. Luna was out of the question, as he was moving so fast in his battle with Calhoun that she wouldn't be able to keep up or find an opportunity to assist him even if she wanted to, so she focused her attention on the others.

Tristan was still trading blows with the Golisopod, the two of them putting the other's armour to the test. Katsumoto, despite being pressed by the Kommo-o, did not fight alone; as the Kommo-o seemed to gain an advantage, Serena jumped in, stopping a Dragon Claw attack with Protect before blasting the Kommo-o with an ice beam and giving Katsu the chance to resume the fight. Koa seemed to be doing well against the Tyrantrum, wearing it down and frustrating it with speed rivalling Calhoun's or even Luna's, even without having any attacks that were strong against the Rock/Dragon-type.

More worrying though were Lashanne and Hank; one was fighting a ruthless killer who had defeated opponents much stronger than herself, the other was fighting as a man with nothing to lose. Luminara didn't doubt either of their capabilities, but nevertheless she was faced with an impossible decision. If she went to assist one, the other would most likely perish in their battle... unless...

She made her decision then, turning to the Garchomp Hank was fighting and rushing to his aid. The Zoroark had suffered his fair share of injuries from his opponent, but sheer rage and the burning desire to kill the cretin that took his beloved Gex away kept him going, pushing him past what he thought were his normal limits in order to stay in the fight.

Unfortunately, he went for a strike and followed through with it even after the attack missed, causing him to land on all fours and leave his back exposed. When the Garchomp went in for the killing blow, Luminara arrived and caught the land shark's claw, using its own momentum to throw him over her shoulder, then in the same motion, spun and kicked the Garchomp when it bounced from the impact before.

Hank looked back at Luminara after she saved him from certain death, but rather than thank her, he scoffed and pushed himself upright. "I don't need yer help, lady. I can take this dragon-cunt myself," he stated scornfully.

"Can you?" Luminara asked pointedly, keeping her gaze fixed on the Garchomp as she rose to his feet. "You're so blinded by your desire for revenge that it's affecting your fighting capabilities. You're a reckless man, but this is beyond reckless," she said, pointing at the injuries dotting the Zoroark purely from him trying to attack the Garchomp's rough skin. "What would Luke think if he saw you like this? Better question; what would Gex-"

"Do not. Go there, lady," Hank growled at her, fangs barred and eyes vibrating as his rage almost reached its peak. "Don't you even speak about him... That fucker's possie killed him! She took him away from me, so I'm gonna take her life or die trying."

"And what would that accomplish?" Luminara demanded. "What if you failed in that endeavour?"

"At least I'd be up there with him!" Hank blurted back, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

Luminara let out a sigh after that answer, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly. "You really have resolved to your own demise..." she muttered. "...Then forgive me... but I cannot let you die on this hill."

With that, she suddenly turned and lunged, delivering an uppercut to Hank's stomach hard enough that he was left winded and unable to gasp after having his lungs emptied. His eyes rolled back in their sockets as he fell unconscious, falling into Luminara's arms. The Lucario caught him and gently laid him on his back before standing tall and turning to face the Garchomp, who by now was making her way back to finish her battle.

Luminara stared the Garchomp down as she approached, standing between her and the fallen Zoroark. "Your fight is with me," she said firmly. "I will defeat you on his behalf..." She added before slowly lifting her arms up to her chest, taking in a deep breath, then grunting as she thrust her paws downward and created a shockwave around her, blasting sand away from her in all directions before she took her stance.

Meanwhile, Caulin had made it back to town, and arrived in time to see the ongoing fight between Lashanne and her opponent. Caulin felt his heart racing at the sight of the Gallade, Sash, remembering that this was the same ruthless killer who had put the scar on Volcan's back, and had proven exceedingly difficult to beat even for the others.

Lashanne had clearly suffered throughout the battle; despite her use of levitation and primarily distance attacks, Sash had managed to score a few hits on her. Her vest was lacerated in multiple places, exposing bleeding wounds beneath, and she'd suffered a cut above her eye that left her half-blinded as blood flowed into the eye.

The Gallade was grinning like a mad creature of the night, his arm blades and his cloak covered in her blood as he stared her down, his eyes glowing with malicious intent. "What happened to all of that bravado you had earlier?" he asked while bringing his arm up to sadistically lick the blood off it, "You talked quite big before Calhoun engaged the little rat, but you've barely put up a decent fight against me... Are big words all you're capable of?"

"So I'm having an off day," the Delphox retorted, not missing a beat as she stood tall again, even though she had to know she was losing...

"One that will no doubt cost you your life," Sash added, then he rolled his head along his shoulders. "With that being said, given the poor performance you've put on today, I don't think you're even worth adding to my kill count..."

He then raised his arm and snapped his digits, then from all around him, eight smaller figures rushed in and stood before the Gallade, leftover Pawniard from the Bisharp's Century to be precise, and brandished their bladed arms as they faced Lashanne. The Gallade chuckled deviously as he took a step back and gestured toward Lashanne.

"Eviscerate her..."

Caulin's blood ran cold when he saw what was going on. Without even thinking, he rushed in from where he was hiding, already firing off frantic Vacuum Waves at two of the Pawniards and sending them tumbling away. He then brandished his Tonfas and moved in to engage the closest foe, clubbing him before he had a chance to react, then blocked another attack from one other before kicking him away, taking a stance between Lashanne and Sash's troop.

"You stay the hell away from my mom!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Wha- Caulin?!" Lashanne exclaimed, horrified, "Are you out of your mind?! Get out of here!"

"No!" Caulin barked back, looking over his shoulder to Lashanne, "You're badly injured just from fighting that Sash guy, and he's barely even taking you seriously! You think I'm just gonna sit back and watch you die to some puny bugs??" He demanded.

One of the Pawniard still standing let out a growl and came running at him, claws swiping, but Caulin instinctively turned and blocked with one of his weapons and drove the other into the Pawniard's chest, then kicked him away before turning his attention back to Lashanne. "I already lost my birth mom back on Arc Island... don't make me go through the pain of losing another one," he pleaded.

"Caulin... I..." Lashanne was at a loss for words - a first for the sassy treasure hunter, to be left speechless, let alone by this boy... Her boy now, she reminded herself. Caulin may not have been her son by blood, but he, as well as his father, had welcomed her into their family.

Another of the Pawniard attacked, this time managing to power through Caulin's defenses and nearly landed an Iron Head on him, before Lashanne reacted. She swung her club around, blocking the Iron Head with it, before backhanding the Pawniard away.

"You know, I get the sense you're going to drive me as crazy as your dad does with both of your hair-brained antics," she commented to the Riolu.

"Kinda surprised we haven't already," Caulin wittingly retorted, flashing a small smirk before he stood at her side, locking eyes on Sash.

The Gallade was watching the exchange intently, and he couldn't help but laugh after they prepared to fight side by side. "Well, this is just precious... Mother and son fighting side by side against impossible odds," he remarked before he made a motion with his arm for the Pawniard to reform and regroup in front of him. "Take the Delphox... Wound her enough to incapacitate her but keep her conscious. I want her to watch as I rip the boy's heart right out of his chest."

Caulin glared back at Sash defiantly. "I'm not gonna give you the chance," he returned, banging his weapons together.

"You won't get a say in the matter," Sash responded, then in a flash he teleported right in between Lashanne and Caulin, neither of them able to react in time as he spread both his arms out and blasted them away from one another with a Psychic pulse. Caulin skidded to a halt before he got back to his feet, gritting his teeth as he watched Sash stalk toward him, while behind him, the Pawniard had all moved to encircle Lashanne, keen to take advantage of her weakened state and carry out their lieutenant's orders to the letter.

"Caulin!" Lashanne called out, scrambling to her feet and looking at the Pawniard barring her path. She bared her teeth, both paws and the tip of her branch becoming lit with red-hot flames.

But even as they watched, the flames on her limbs and weapon intensified, her entire body seemingly to be lighting up and emitting intense heat as she growled. "Get... Out... Of my WAY!" She roared, making a backhand motion with her branch to send fire sweeping over the Pawniard, forcing them back.

They all retreated when the flames threatened to consume them, but a pair of them had managed to move behind her before she launched the attack. They leaped at her when she fired her attack, latching onto her back and driving their bladed arms into her shoulders before pulling back to force her down to her knees.

"MOM!!" Caulin cried out when she saw her getting attacked, but he grunted when he was forced to block another strike from Sash, this one managing to send him off his feet and onto his back.

"Keep your eye on the prize, whelp," Sash stated before going in for another attack, pressing Caulin further on the back foot and leaving him no room to counterattack. Just like with Lashanne, the Gallade was merely toying with him, thinking of this young Riolu as nothing more than fodder for the wolves.

Meanwhile, Lashanne had seemingly snapped. After throwing the Pawniard off, she dropped her branch and started attacking with Fire Punches, having no opportunity to resort to other attacks as she was swarmed. Unfortunately, despite the apparent power boost she had gained, she was not as proficient in unarmed combat as her captain or her boyfriend; the Pawniard were not taken down so easily, and continued to swarm her, wearing her down as Caulin looked for any opportunity to run to her aid.

Try as he might though, he just couldn't get past Sash's unrelenting barrage of attacks. Caulin was slowly being driven further and further away from Lashanne, and after a few more heavy strikes he lost his grip on his Tonfas, hearing them clatter to the ground at his feet. Caulin tried backing up and firing Vacuum Waves at Sash, but the Gallade merely deflected them with his blades as he continued to stalk closer to him, eventually reaching down and grabbing Caulin by the neck and lifting him high into the air, squeezing his windpipe and strangling him while he reared back his other blade.

From the battlefield, Victor and Seji's duel had taken them away from the main battle, the two veteran warriors still going strong despite their age, and neither of them had so much as a scratch on them. So far, the duel could have gone in anyone's favour. However, they both paused when they heard Caulin being strangled, the two of them turning to see Sash had Caulin in his grasp, holding him up with one arm and preparing to run him through with the other. Off to the side, they also saw Lashanne was all but subdued by the Pawniard, with several of them climbing on top of her and pressing her into the ground, while the others tried to hold her at knifepoint.

Victor reacted on protective instinct from that moment onward, quickly breaking the lock he and Seji were in and kicking the Alakazam back before he ran toward Sash, leaving Seji dazed for a moment and unable to react by the time he came to his senses.

Sash heard Victor approaching and grinned, dropping Caulin and turning to parry Victor's blade with one of his own before retaliating with the other. Victor barely managed to duck out of the way, suffering a small cut along his cheek just below his missing eye, but he ignored it and rushed in for another attack. The two of them were now squared off in a life-and-death duel, but not long after it had begun, Victor started to realize just how much he was outmatched by Sash. The Lucario had skill and experience, sure, but Sash was younger, faster, stronger even, and adding to the fact that he could teleport only served to push Victor further on the backfoot and suffer a few more cuts along his body.

Slowly, Victor managed to stand again and hold his sword at the ready, but when he tried to run forward, he winced and buckled, falling to one knee and glancing down at his hip. He had battled for too long and his body was reaching its limit, causing the wound he suffered from Qiang to flare up and immobilize him.

'Damnit, not now!' Victor thought, trying to push himself back to his feet, but Sash was already bearing down on him and had swung his left blade, to which Victor raised his own to block, but the force of the attack caused him to lose his grip on the weapon, leaving him vulnerable.

Caulin could only watch in horror as Victor was then run through by Sash, the Gallade's blade piercing right through his stomach and causing Victor to lurch and look down at the fresh wound. When Sash withdrew his blade, Victor fell to his side, blood pooling around where he lay and coughing up some blood as well, his breathing becoming laboured and weak.

"GRAMPA!!!" Caulin hollered desperately, scrambling to his feet and running to the elder Lucario's side, dropping his tonfa as he ran.

Lashanne heard Caulin cry out, and lifted her head to see the downed, elder Lucario. Her rage-strewn face shifted from anger to horror as she watched Victor lying there. "Oh no..." she whispered.

Caulin gently tried to move Victor so he looked at him, the elder Lucario's one eye opening slightly as he looked back at his grandson. Caulin was shedding tears as he desperately tried to cover up his wound, but it was no use. The Lucario was mortally wounded and bleeding out heavily. He was not long for this world.

"D...Don't," Victor wheezed softly, causing Caulin to stop what he was doing and crawl back to look him in the eye. "I am... beyond saving, my boy... but you..." He coughed a little before continuing. "You are young... As is your mother... You must... focus all your efforts into saving her... By any means necessary..."

"B-B-But Grampa..." Caulin whimpered softly. "I can't... I can't just leave you like this!" The Riolu protested, reaching to grasp Victor's paw.

"You... must, my boy," the Lucario wheezed. "I am... a casualty of war, now... You would be wasting your energy trying to save me..." He added. "I know... it may seem cruel... But remember what I told you... Sometimes... you have to do a little wrong... in order to do the right thing," he concluded, smiling gently at the Riolu.

Then, Sash's arm blade came down on Victor, piercing through him a second time right through the heart. Victor's eye widened as he was run through again, his body going rigid for a moment before he relaxed, letting one out last sigh as the last of his life left his body.

"Pretty sound advice for a decrepit old fool," Sash remarked as he withdrew his arm from Victor's body, licking the blood off it and grinning maniacally. "However, I believe it's time for your final curtain call."

The young Riolu's eyes widened as Sash dealt the final blow to Victor, forced to watch his grandfather die right in front of his eyes. For several seconds he was in denial, unable to accept the fact that he had just lost another member of his family. The world around Caulin quickly went dark as he continued to stare at Victor's body, memories of his time spent with Victor flashing before him until they shattered in front of him, the reality of the situation finally hitting him like a charging Donphan.

Something then snapped within Caulin, his gaze slowly turning up toward Sash and seeing that malicious grin of his. His face started to contort from one of shock to pure unbridled rage, growling a bit as he got to his feet, his body glowing slightly as he slowly became consumed by his rage. He then straightened up and threw his head back, letting out a blood curdling scream that echoed for miles, the glow around him suddenly erupting into a white aura flame that was amplified by his rage. The ground under him even began to crack as his aura grew, sending rocks and dust clouds billowing out in all directions.

Sash had to step back and shield his face with his arm as Caulin's aura exploded around him, as did the Pawniard holding Lashanne down. Lashanne didn't capitalize on the opportunity, too taken aback by what she was seeing as Caulin's aura exploded. All across Azure, multiple battles ceased at the sound of the scream; even Calhoun and Luna, both battered from their fight, glanced over to see what was happening.

They saw the Riolu in question with a white aura burning wildly around him, his body pulsing before it started to glow brightly to the point where it was blinding. From there, Caulin's appearance started to change. He grew taller, his two dreadlocks had now become four and were more centered behind his head, his ears also became longer and more pointed as did his snout, and his chest and the backs of his paws all sported sharp spikes that gleamed in the light.

Then the glow faded, the wild aura still burning violently around him. Slowly he opened his eyes and glared furiously at the Gallade before him, small sparks erupting around him to further emphasize the fury he held toward his grandfather's murderer.

"Caulin," Lashanne said, almost in an exhale of breath, stunned at the sight before her.

"...You're dead... every last one of you!" Caulin growled at Sash, his tone deeper and almost gravelly as he spoke. His paws clenched as tightly as he grit his teeth.

Sash quickly snapped out of his stunned trance and shook his head, that sadistic grin reappearing as he stared Caulin down. "Is that right?" he asked before chuckling. "I think you're letting that power of yours get to your head, boy. True, it is an impressive power... but you won't get the opportunity to enjoy it," he said while licking his lips in anticipation.

Sash then teleported behind Caulin, his blade raised and ready to strike Caulin down. Everything happened so fast it was difficult to process until after it happened. The second the Gallade swung his arm, Caulin ducked forward and struck behind him with his leg, kicking Sash heavily in the jaw while he was partway through his attack, his gaze still kept forward. Sash was sent careening into the air a good several feet before he hit the ground, dazed and struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Caulin then turned his gaze to the Pawniard surrounding Lashanne and started stalking toward them, reaching down to collect his Tonfas as he walked toward the critters. He stopped before the closest one and glared furiously down at him, gripping his weapons tightly at his sides.

"Get the hell away from my mom," He growled.

The Pawniard all looked at one another in mild concern, wondering what they should all do next. With their Centurion away_and_ Sash currently discombobulated, they didn't know whether they should fight or flee. Their answer came when the Pawniard before suddenly shouted "For the Crusade!!!" and launched himself at the freshly evolved Lucario.

Everyone's faces then went pale when they saw Caulin swing his arm and strike the Pawniard that tried to attack him, just at the right angle so that his paw spike _impaled_the side of the Pawniard's head and instantly killed him before the soldier even hit the ground in a bloody mess next to Caulin.

"What the-?" Lashanne gasped, shocked by what she had just witnessed.

The other Pawniard all stared up in horror at Caulin, who hadn't even so much as batted an eye to the one he had just murdered. The second they came out of their shock, they all glared angrily at Caulin before all seven of them jumped the Lucario to pin him down just like they did to Lausanne.

Caulin glanced out of the corner of his eye as they all rushed him, then he let out a short, furious roar as he turned and drove one of his Tonfas into the nearest Pawniard, knocking the wind out of him before he turned and slammed him into the ground, quite literally crushing him from the force of the impact. He then weaved around the rest until he reached another and swung both his weapons, hitting the Pawniard with a headache punch and crushing his head between his weapons.

One after the other the Pawniard fell to Caulin's wrath, with onlookers only able to watch wordlessly in shock and horror as the Lucario brutally took out each and every opponent. The last one attempted to flee, but Caulin cut him off and bashed him into the ground with his weapons. The Pawniard pleaded for mercy but Caulin showed him no quarter, bringing both Tonfas down and killing him instantly through sheer brute strength.

"...Holy hell!" Doug piped up, his three heads blinking their eyes in disbelief. "You... you guys all saw that, right?"

"Little dude just straight up unalived those guys!" Eagle Eye squawked.

Even Katsumoto was stunned by the sheer brutality of the fight he had just witnessed. "That wasn't a battle..." he breathed softly, "That was a slaughter."

Luminara was silent as she watched the event unfold, her gaze hardening as she sensed Caulin's aura. While his outward appearance seemed normal, she sensed a darkness within Caulin's aura, one that grew the more he let his rage consume him and drive his actions. She feared that if he didn't come to his senses soon, Caulin would lose himself to his anger, and he'd end up just like the Incineroar that Sol had defeated prior...

Calhoun was watching the unfolding scene with complete apathy, seeing the newly evolved Lucario cutting loose and taking out his troops with seemingly no regard. "All it ever takes is one bad day," he said, in a callous tone, as if Luna were not standing there hearing every word, "all innocence that boy had has died with that old man."

The Zangoose twitched after hearing Calhoun's words and the tone in them, making him grit his teeth and turn to glare are the Blaziken. "He lost his innocence because of you!" he exclaimed, then he shot forward and started the fight once again, darting all over the place with his opponent at literal lightning speeds. "How can you say such things with such callousness?? Don't you have any shred of humanity left in you?!"

"Only in appearance!" Calhoun replied, successfully dodging another slash from Luna's claws before he landed a punishing spin-kick on the Zangoose, sending Luna tumbling through the air. "We're both something beyond our former mortality - at least I don't choose to waste it, guarding a backwater hamlet like this!"

Luna tumbled a bit before he managed to correct himself, wiping his face with his claw. "I choose to protect life no matter how big or small it is. Life is precious, and you tarnish that by destroying everything in your path," he stated, and then his expression softened a little. "I know a little about what you were like before you became...this." He said, gesturing to Calhoun. "We both come from humble backgrounds. You were a protector of life just like I am... You can still go back to who you were before-"

"Luna, stop." Zekrom's voice echoed in his head. "He is the Destroyer's Blessed now, even if his link is only partially complete. There is no reasoning with him anymore."

'I have to try, Zephyr.' Luna spoke back, still looking at Calhoun with a hopeful gaze.

But Calhoun's expression did not waver. "That side of me is long dead, my friend," he said, never losing that smile, "and it is never coming back. The gods themselves will fear our name before I am through."

Once more, that shadowy silhouette of Giratina formed around the dark Blaziken. Further evidence of their incomplete bond, yet one that Calhoun did not regret - even with it forced upon him. The power it promised had its hold on him now...

Luna's ears wilted sadly as he gazed on at Calhoun, sighing heavily and clenching his claws tightly. "It's truly a shame," he said after a long silence. "Had we met before you became the monster you are now, we might have been good friends," he added solemnly, then hardened his gaze as he looked back at Calhoun with renewed vigour. "But you've chosen your hill to die on... and I see now that I can't save you. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that it's come to this..."

Meanwhile, back with Caulin - having made short work of the Pawniard, Lashanne could only stare in continued shock at what he'd done, though the newly evolved Lucario had eyes only on Sash at that moment. What everyone else thought - if anyone had really taken the time to notice, he didn't know, nor did he care. His focus was entirely on Sash, staring angrily at the Gallade as he approached the Lucario.

Sash spat toward the side as he stood before Caulin, his malicious grin now replaced with a look of seething murderous intent. "Don't get full of yourself, boy." Sash growled. "That was a lucky shot at best. Your evolution won't be enough to save your life today." He said as he reached under his cloak and touched his Galladite, quickly transcending into his Mega Evolved form, and tossing his cloak aside with a wave of his arm.

"Your father couldn't best me, and that Blaziken couldn't even touch me. As you are now, you can't beat me," Sash remarked as he brandished his sleek blades.

Then, to both his and Lashanne's surprise, Caulin dropped his Tonfas. The blunt weapons clattered as they hit the ground next to him. The Lucario's eyes then shone for the briefest of moments before he lifted his paw in front of his face.

"I can... And I will beat you," Caulin growled back before beckoning Sash to come at him, the sparks around him suddenly changing into a darker hue as they crackled around him.

Sash growled and flashed his eyes at Caulin, activating Trick Room to swap their respective speed levels before he charged in, closing the gap almost instantly and swinging a Psycho Cut right for Caulin's neck. However, despite the Trick Room's effect, Caulin still managed to duck under the attack and landed a solid counterattack in the form of a Force Palm, then followed up with three Vacuum Waves to push the Mega Gallade back.

Sash was left momentarily stunned after he recovered. He stared at Caulin almost incredulously. They were under the effects of Trick Room; the Lucario should now be slower than he was, so how was he able to counter him so quickly and so precisely?

Again, chalking it up to another lucky shot, Sash charged in again, this time teleporting to Caulin's right flank and attempting to assail him with Close Combat. Much like last time though, Caulin quickly turned toward Sash's direction and fluidly blocked, weaved and parried each of Sash's rapid-fire attacks until he found an opening and exploited it, parrying one of Sash's arms and stepping in for a heavy elbow to his chest, making the Mega Gallade wheeze as the air was forced out of his lungs, before suffering a one-two-uppercut combo, then was swept off of his feet with a Low Sweep into a spinning back kick that sent Sash backward, tumbling along the ground before managing to catch himself.

Lashanne was at a loss, watching the unfolding, admittedly one-sided battle taking place. Caulin should not have been as strong as Sash - there was just no way; she would admit that he might be as strong as her now, maybe even catching up to Volcan, but Sash was on another level. Yet, despite that gap, and the effects of Trick Room that should have put Caulin at even more of a disadvantage, the young Lucario was winning.

'How is he doing this?' she thought, 'he's reacting to every move Sash makes, even if he can't see it; it's like he knows what he's going to do the instant Sash knows as well... But how? Minato never said he knew Future Sight, and I sure couldn't have taught him, let alone to use it in passive way to see his opponent's attacks. But what else could he be doing if he wasn't using Detect, reading the future or-'

She stiffened, a thought coming to her as she considered it. 'Or... Reading his mind,' Lashanne thought, as everything began to become clear, 'Can that be it?'

Another few attempts were made by Sash to kill Caulin, and each attempt was met with the same result. Sash was now showing visible signs of damage and fatigue, while Caulin didn't even have a scratch on him and wasn't the least bit tired. Slowly he stalked toward Sash, which made the Mega Gallade flinch and instinctively start to back up until he hit a tree, unable to move back any further.

"How's it feel, Sash?" Caulin asked, his tone dripping with malice as he continued to approach. "How's it feel to be on the losing side for a change? How's it feel to experience the same kinda fear you've instilled into the thousands of victims you've slaughtered with no mercy or remorse?"

He continued to speak as he got closer. "Everyone you've killed... Everyone you've made suffer. My friends, my family, the people of my home both here and on Arc Island... I'm gonna make you feel their suffering a thousand times over. It won't be quick. It won't be painless..." He then started to show signs of a grin. "And I'm gonna enjoy every...single...second of it..."

With that last statement, Caulin's aura shifted. What was once a bright white flame had now darkened somewhat, turning a fair shade of gray the more he let his malice take over. Sash noticed this, and his fear started to turn into curiosity when he saw the shift in tone. He then started to smile again, chuckling a bit as he pushed away from the tree he was leaning on.

"Then make me suffer, boy," Sash goaded, spreading his arms out invitingly. "Strike me down and exact your vengeance on me... You may claim to be fighting for your so-called 'justice,' but we both know that's a lie... You want to kill me; you crave_it... It's like an addiction. The more you kill, the stronger the desire to kill becomes. You've already committed eight acts of murder, why stop there?" The Mega Gallade went on, his grin now becoming crazed, almost psychotic. "Do it. Satisfy your addiction! Kill me and become the bloodthirsty killer you _truly are!!"

Caulin clenched his paws at his sides, then he darted forward and slammed his fist heavily into Sash's stomach, making him lurch and cough up blood before he stumbled back and held his stomach. Caulin pressed forward, rushing in and pummeling Sash with heavy haymaker punches, once grabbing his head and slamming his face into his knee, letting him recoil before he yanked him forward again and headbutt him square in the forehead. He kept pummeling Sash until he was on his back, and even then, he didn't stop, straddling him and holding him down by the neck as he continued to punch Sash in the face, the Gallade still grinning despite the abuse he was being subjected to.

Lashanne had seen all that she could stand. She shot to her feet, and ran at Caulin, calling his name. He didn't hear her, or chose not to, only noticing her approach when she grabbed his arm, stopping him from punching. Caulin reacted, blinded by fury, and turned on her, only managing to stop himself at the last second from striking the Delphox, his eyes meeting hers and bringing him to a halt.

"Caulin..." she said softly, never tearing her gaze from his, "Stop."

"...Stop...?" Caulin asked, lowering his arm as he stared back at Lashanne. "You want me to stop? After what he did to me?? My family?? You want me to not give him what he deserves?" he demanded angrily.

"He is goading you," she said, still never tearing her gaze away and speaking slowly and in a neutral voice, "He's in your head, driving you to kill out of malice. Don't do it; don't give him that satisfaction."

It was then the weight of what Caulin had already done finally dawned upon him. His anger finally subsided and the gray aura that burned around him vanished, allowing him to look past Lashanne and see the corpses of all the Pawniard he had slain prior. He then looked back at Lashanne, his bottom lip quivering as he realized what he had almost become.

"M-Mom, I," he began, his voice breaking slightly as he tried to speak.

Gently, she moved him away from Sash, casting a hateful glare on the Gallade, which he gave right back, with her having interfered. With their backs turned to him, the Mega Gallade forced himself back to his feet, growling as he stumbled after them and tried to swing at the two of them one last time. Caulin sensed him coming and quickly pushed Lashanne out of the way, turning and catching the bladed arm in his paws before Sash could complete his attack.

He glared back at Sash, but this time his gaze wasn't filled with hatred or malice. His flame returned, but it burned as brightly as when it first appeared after his evolution. He then brought Sash past him and kicked him right on his back, sending him face first into the ground where he lay for a moment before pushing himself up on his hands again.

"You filthy little-!" he began turning to face Caulin again.

He paused when he saw Caulin holding both his paws forward, looking as if he were charging a double Vacuum Wave, but instead there was a faint blue glow present in his paws that grew in size the more he focused his power into it. Then Sash's eyes widened as he saw what could only be described as apparitions appearing behind Caulin. One a tall, one eyed, one armed Lucario, the other a young, beautiful Gardevoir, both staring sternly at the Mega Gallade as Caulin continued to charge his very first Aura Sphere.

"My family... My friends... My home!" Caulin began, the Aura Sphere now fully charged. "LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE!!!" he bellowed before he let loose the attack, the condensed orb of energy rocketing toward Sash and slamming right into his face, exploding upon contact and sending him flying into the clearing behind him. There he lay, his Mega Evolution expiring and reverting him back to normal, and he didn't stir again afterward...

Caulin slowly lowered his arms and sighed heavily, his flame dying out once again as he relaxed and let all that anger go. Slowly he looked up toward the sky with a solemn expression, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"...That was for you, Grampa," he whispered softly.

Caulin felt a paw on his shoulder, and turned to face Lashanne as she pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly. "That's my boy," she said, almost in a whisper as she held him.

It was the first time Lashanne had actually called him that... Caulin's chest felt warm as he felt a surge of joy run through him, making him swing his arms around and hug Lashanne just as tightly, hiding his face in her shoulder as the tears came rolling down his cheeks in full force.

"I'm sorry, mom," he whimpered desperately. "I'm so sorry..."

She only hugged him tighter then, holding him for another moment before she pulled back. "Never let people like Sash goad you into fighting on their terms," she said, "Otherwise, you become exactly like them. Understand?"

"C-Crystal." Caulin replied, wiping his eyes with his arm, and sniffling a little as he looked back at his mother. "W-We should get you to see Serena. She can patch you up."

"I've had worse," she said with a shrug. "I think when I went Blaze back there, it cauterized the worst of my cuts. Besides, she's busy right now, and we're not done yet."

"Right," Caulin concurred, looking over to the others having resumed their own battles, "We got a war to win."

Lashanne opened her mouth to voice her agreement, but with a twitch of her ear, her smile vanished, both ears standing fully upright as she raised her gaze. "Wait... Did you hear that?" She asked.

Caulin's ears pricked upright as well, listening for the sound that Lashanne had heard. At first he didn't hear it, but then it came again, a sound that made Caulin's eyes widen.

"Was... that a howl?" He asked.

Lashanne turned her gaze eastward, and as she watched, a smile began to grow on her face, hearing an even more familiar sound as a silhouette formed above the trees. A brilliant light shone from the object flying over the trees, and Lashanne's smile grew into a nearly hysterical laugh.

"Well, it's about damn time!"