I'm a bit overdue with this one, but the more time I waste on an apology, the less time I have to write. Speaking of being overdue; I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Koei or anything associated with them. And if I did, Conquest would have gotten an anime special, the magna would have been localized and there would already be a sequel in the works, complete with dialogue events between characters.

A few weeks had passed since the trio had joined the Aurora Army, and life carried on as usual without any sudden or unexpected occurrences. They trained, explored, and Hideyoshi sent the bill for the repairs sometime in between, and life settled into a peaceful, if not mundane, normality. But they all knew on some level that they would have to take to the offensive eventually if Aurora were to remain independent.

"Attacking Ignis again with our current numbers is out of the question, not even Hideyoshi would be stupid enough to make the same mistakes twice." Tadashi mentally analyzed as he walked down the wooden passage, no particular destination in mind. His Eevee glanced over at him from it's perch on his pauldron, clearly worried about his partner's confounded look. The Warlord simply scratched it behind its pointed ear to reassure it, a subconscious reaction he had whenever he felt his Pokémon becoming nervous via their link, and carried onwards.

"But if we just sit here and train, Hideyoshi will come in full force. We'd have time to set up a few defenses, but he'd still have numbers on his side. We could always try to attack another kingdom, but that would have the consequences of leaving Aurora defenseless." Tadashi let out a sigh and ran a hand through his already messy hair, and then realized he had wondered onto the balcony. Feeling a headache coming on, he simply slumped down into a nearby chair and put a hand to his head. "Argh! Being a Warlord is a lot harder than I first imagined."

"Bui?" his Eevee, who had now jumped off his shoulders and was sitting at his feet, questioned. From the way he tilted his small head, and looked at him, anyone could tell it was concerned for the teen. Tadashi just offered a reassuring smile at the Evolution Pokémon.

"I'm fine, Eevee. I guess I just have a lot on my plate." the Walord in white said as he leaned over to pet its head.

"My lord?" the teen's head turned to the direction where the feminine voice came from, the doorway, and saw Oichi standing there with her Jigglypuff. "Are you okay? You look a bit faint."

"Faint?" Tadashi though to himself. "Now that I think about it, I guess I missed breakfast. And dinner. Maybe some food will help." His stomach seemed to agree, as it decided now would be the perfect time to let out a growl.

"I suppose I could go for an early lunch," he said as he approached the Oichi and the doorway, his Eevee bounding to its paws as he stood. "I'm buying."

The two had sat down at a table after getting their food, and Oichi listened patiently to Tadashi when he relayed the details of his dilemma while scarfing down his food.

"Have you thought about trying to attack another Kingdom, My Lord?" she offered, which was met with a curt nod, being as the chocolate haired teen across from her was busy wolfing down the last of his enormous lunch. After he finally finished, he set aside the empty bowls before addressing her.

"Yes. But that would leave us vulnerable to Ignis." Tadashi replied with a sigh, slightly tensing at the thought of losing Aurora.

"Lord Tadashi," she began. "What would happen if we just stayed here, paralyzed by fear?"

Her question seemed to get the Warlord's undivided attention, and he stayed silent for a few minutes trying to come up with an answer. "I suppose we would still lose Aurora. But even then, another botched invasion of one of the surrounding Kingdoms could create even more enemies."

"Or they could come regardless. Nothing you did caused Hideyoshi to invade Aurora, did it? War will come to Aurora one way or another, My Lord, it's simply a fact of the times we live in." Tadashi reluctantly nodded, agreeing with Oichi's reasoning.

"So where would you suggest we attack?" Oichi folded her hands and looked downwards, clearly trying to formulate a solution.

"Well, Aurora is surrounded by Ignis, Greenleaf and Fontaine. I don't think Ignis would be the best choice right now, given Hideyoshi's tacticians and his numbers, not to mention the fact that Mitsunari's new Pawniward is weak to Fire Types, and Fontaine would be incredibly difficult to attack."

"How so?"

"Fontaine is protected by swamplands and rivers. The Fontainians don't have to do much other than use the terrain to win a battle." Tadashi nodded, clearly a bit skeptical about her claims, and Oichi continued. "Which will probably leave Greenleaf as our best bet for an attack. But..."

"But?"

"Well, I've heard that Greenleaf is ruled by a ruthless strategist named Motonari; someone whose brilliance is on par with Shingen and Kenshin."

"I've heard about him before. He used to be Uncle's rival, defeating him at every turn but never going on the offensive." Tadashi mused, his eyes containing a certain eagerness at the thought of being able to defeat his predecessor's rival. Oichi seemed to be a bit nervous at his sudden change in confidence, but decided to say nothing.

"There you two are!" Both turned to see the other Twin Warlord running up to them, the three boys and her Eevee following closely behind. "I haven't seen you all day, Tadashi! I was actually starting to worry!"

The male twin did not react much to her chiding, but offered up a simple apology.

"Sorry, I guess I've been a bit to busy thinking." he swore he heard snort from the direction of the four, but just ignored it.

"About what?"

"I'm think it's time we tried to challenge another Kingdom to battle."

"Good news, Lord Hideyoshi!" Koroku shouted as he barged into the repaired throne room, which bared no signs of any of the damage it had once received. The Warlord in question was hanging upside down from his ridiculous tall golden throne, currently engrossed in reading an account ledger, while his Chimchar wore his discarded helmet and issued commands to an imaginary army. The Monferno like man looked up from the collection of papers at the soldier's announcement, and somehow managed to pull off a flip from his position, landing only a few feet away from the burly man. He quickly snapped to attention while Hideyoshi did his best to ignore the blood rush.

"Our scouts have reported that Aurora's Army is on the move, most likely to Greenleaf. Now would be the perfect opportunity to strike!" he declared, but Hideyoshi seemed more focused on the first part of his statement.

"Greenleaf? They'd be crazy to think they stand a chance against Motonari! But I don't feel like challenging them yet... they might not fight him if they hear we've seized Aurora. I think it'd be better to wait until they've been thrashed by Motonari."

"So you did learn something from your last battle." Hanbei yawned out, leaning against one of the pillars to keep himself upright. Hideyoshi shot him a glare and Hanbei snapped awake, realizing what he had said aloud.

"My mouth gets ahead of my mind, sometimes." he replied in an attempt to apologize. Hideyoshi turned to Kanbei, who was standing in one of the few areas where the light from the torches failed to touch.

"Do all genius' put their feet in their mouth?"

"Only the daft ones, My Lord." he replied solemnly, which seemed to satiate the Fire using Warlord. Hanbei rolled his eyes at Hideyoshi's attempt at humiliating him, but decided not to say anything else. Despite the fact that Hideyoshi never punished him seriously due to how important he was to his army, the strategist still didn't feel like being stuck with a long list of chores.

"All right then. Koroku, prepare the men! We'll leave the moment we hear news of their defeat!" Hideyoshi sauntered back to his throne, removing his helmet from his Pokémon and putting it back on before sitting down and going through his ledger again.

A long trek through the woods that surrounded Greenleaf ensued to get to said castle, though it was enjoyable. There seemed to be a calmness, a sort of underlying serenity to it that made the hour long march through the winding dirt road that ran through it bearable, if not even relaxing. That serenity seemed to be shared by the denizens of Greenleaf itself, and the four members of the Aurora Army seemed to be confused by the fact that no one seemed concerned there was a foreign army in the middle of the town. Though to be fair, four people hardly qualify as an army. But they carried on nonetheless, and Tadashi took note of the town itself.

It seemed to be built entirely out of wood, and a rather sturdy one at that, and almost every building in sight had some greenery to it; whether it was flowers siting on a windowsill or potted outside the doors, to having entire roofs made out of vine, which only seemed to bolster the harmonic aura that the entire town gave off. Cobbled stone pathways served as the streets, weaving in and out of the more vital areas of the town and surrounding a large fountain in the center which was overshadowed by a massive wooden structure that seemed to serve as the castle. In short, the town was nothing like the dilapidated stronghold of a tyrant that Tadashi had imagined, but rather a picturesque model of a well kempt garden. But looks could be deceiving...

Finally reaching the tall doors of the castle, the Aurora Army waited for a few moments, fully expecting to be met by somebody. But when nobody came, Tadashi began knocking on the door while Mitsunari cleared his throat.

"So remind me again how me and Pawniward," Mitsunari then gestured to the red, metallic Pokémon that he had linked with only a few days ago. "Are going to be of any use in this battle, considering we've only been training for a few days?"

Kazumi turned around and smiled at the grumpy boy, her cheerfulness only seeming to irritate him. "Well, you're the only one of us who has a Pokémon with a resistance to Grass Types, so you may be crucial to the battle."

"So you essentially brought me and Pawniward along to act as human shields? That's sick, lady."

"Tell me about it..." Tadashi muttered under his breath while he began hitting the door knocker against the door, fully expecting his ribcage to be met with a sharp elbow any second. The warlord's incessant knocking was answered as the large oak doors were pulled open to reveal a middle aged man with grassy green hair, a warming smile, and an overall feel of benevolence.

"Ah, hello there. What can I do for you for on this fine day?" he offered cheerfully.

"We're here to challenge the warlord!" Tadashi declared proudly.

"Er... Please?" he added on after seeing the man was unconcerned. He just let out a faint chuckle at his quick apology, and gestured for them to enter.

"Of course, follow me please." they did so, and along the wide passage lined with many doors, Oichi decided this would be a good chance to question the man.

"Excuse me, Mister?"

"Hm? Yes?" the man looked back at the auburn haired girl without breaking pace.

"Are the rumors about your warlord true?" he raised an eyebrow at her question, stopping momentarily, a subtle curiosity striking him.

"And what rumors would those be?" she seemed to hesitate for a moment, unsure if she should carry on, but now everyone around her was curious.

"Well... I've heard that he's a... a ruthless strategist."

"A ruthless strategist?" the man chuckled once again at that, a hand scratching the back of his head in a somewhat nervous manner as he continued to laugh. "Rather blunt, but that would be one of the more accurate descriptions I've heard of him. Though he has been wanting to retire for some time... Ah, but enough of my rambling. Please, make yourselves comfortable while I go fetch the other warriors."

The warrior then pushed open a wooden door adorned with glass panels, bearing a label that read 'Library', and beckoned them inside. Three of the members of the Aurora Army gawked at how massive it was, with bookcases seeming to go on for an endless length, filled to the brim with various books, scrolls, manuscripts and the like. Mitsunari just scoffed at their reactions and leaned against one of the wooden shelves. He noticed the man who had let them in reaching for a book before exiting, the white tails of his coat creating a swishing sound as he hastily departed.

It did not take long for the man to return, a few other warriors in tow, and he found all of his soon-to-be opponents engrossed in various pieces of literature. He reflected for a moment on how contagious the serenity of Greenleaf was, but decided that it would be best to not waste anyone's time. He then cleared his throat, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"If you are ready, we will lead you to the battlefield."

The four warriors stood nearby the entrance to a massive hedge maze, going over the instructions left to them by their host.

"We have to play an over-glorified game of capture the flag?" Mitsunari remarked cynically at hearing the others go over the details one final time.

"Basically. We should probably split up into two groups-"

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Kazumi interjected. "We don't really have a good idea of how many warriors they have, and I'm pretty sure none of us have any idea of where to go. For all we know, they could have set up ambushes at every corner."

"It's a risk we have to take." the other twin retorted. "You said it yourself; we don't have any idea of where to go. But if we split up we'll have a better chance of stumbling onto a flag instead of getting lost together. Sure, it's more dangerous, but at least that way we won't get disqualified for losing all the flags."

"What fool came up with the brilliant idea of incorporating flags into Pokémon Battles anyways?" Mitsunari complained as Tadashi finished his argument.

"It isn't really our place to complain." Oichi muttered.

"She's right," Tadashi began before turning back to his sister and Mitsunari. "Besides, this might work to our advantage if we are outnumbered. Were this an open battle, we would probably be overwhelmed if they attacked all at once."

"I guess you're right," Kazumi conceded. "Me and Mitsunari will-"

"Don't I get a say in this?" the boy was promptly ignored by his seniors as they continued discussing.

"And you and Oichi can go down that path. One of them has to lead to a flag."

"All right. Good Luck sis." and with that, Tadashi and Oichi had disappeared down the right fork, while Kazumi just began dragging a moping Mitsunari down the left. His Pawniward followed, snickering at his partners dilemma while receiving the evil eye from said auburn haired boy. This continued for a few minutes before they suddenly stopped and Kazumi started looking around at the hedges surrounding them.

"Oh great, she's started to hear things. Can this day get any wor-" Mitsunari was then suddenly tackled to the ground by Kazumi, and let out a muffled complaint before managing to roll out from underneath her.

"What's the big de-" once again, reality decided to interrupt his train of thought, as a few razor sharp leaves shot out of the thicket, taking off a bit of the white hair that adorned his headdress, and landed centimeters away from his Pawniward. He jerked back and said a silent thank you to the older girl as she got back to her boots.

"Use Sand Attack, Eevee!" Kazumi's Eevee started kicking up dust in every direction.

"How's that going to help?"

"We have to know where they're attacking from before we can fight them." she replied hastily before hearing coughing to the left.

"There! Quick Attack, Eevee!" she ordered, with her Eevee enthusiastically following its orders. Not wanting to be left out, the boy extended a golden gauntlet and beckoned for his Pawniward to join his side.

"Pawniward!" he shouted. "Use- Use..."

He looked down in shame as he realized he forgot which moves his Pokémon knew. "Ugh... This is so humiliating. At least Kiyomasa and Masanori aren't here, they would never let me live this down. But not even remembering you're own Pokémon's moves? Maybe I wasn't that much off when I said 'Human Shield'."

"Mitsunari!" he was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by Kazumi calling him, and her jerking him closer to her to avoid another Razor Leaf attack. "You need to focus!"

"Right." he said while catching his breath, and the few strands of hair that had gotten cut off. "Attack, Pawniward!"

Since he failed to specify an attack, or even an opponent, Pawniward simply charged into the now visible thicket just as Eevee was launched out of it, blade-arms waving wildly in the arm while chanting its name. Needless to say, it didn't last to long.

Kazumi sighed at how the situation had quickly turned against them. "Use Sand Attack, again Eevee!"

Mitsunari looked at the twin skeptically, unsure of what she was planning, but it soon became apparent when her Eevee had launched another wave of dust into the bushes that their ambushers were hiding behind, giving them a bit of time to escape.

"I hope Tadashi and Oichi are faring better."

"Hm..." Tadashi mused as he grabbed the large, grey flag that the two stumbled upon in the clearing they came across.

"What's wrong, Lord Tadashi?" Oichi asked, clearly nervous about his apprehension.

"This doesn't feel right. It was too easy."

"Darn. They beat us to it, Takakage." both Aurorans turned to see two warriors standing across the clearing, both with their Pokémon at their side.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Motoharu. Where would we be without your keen eye?" the blond teen, most likely no older than Tadashi himself, replied to his black haired, muscular counterpart.

"I know, right?" the one who clearly had the brains of the duo slapped his forehead and groaned, but quickly recomposed himself at seeing his opponents snickering at the scene.

"Treeko!" the green, reptilian Pokémon that was sitting on his arm jumped in front of him, and was soon joined by an Axew. Tadashi's Eevee jumped off his shoulder, assuming a battle position in front of it's partner while Jigglypuff floated out of Oichi's arms and onto the grass below. Both sides stared the other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. Tadashi shouted out an order, Eevee lunged forward, and the battle began.

Well, a short chapter and an abrupt ending? All I can do is offer an apology, but I simply ran out of inspiration for this chapter, and feared that if I dragged it on it would become even worse. And as a response to the inevitable question about Motonari; I'm not really trying to hide the fact that he is Motonari from any of you, because that would be absolutely futile, I just think this would be a good way to get some character development for him. I also apologize if any of my attempts at humor in this chapter were awful, it's just not my strong suit when I have to keep this grounded.

Before I go, and though I hate having to beg for reviews, I am going to ask for them this time. Every review helps this story become better in one way or another; either it being someone telling me what I did wrong so I can avoid doing that again, someone suggesting something that might actually serve as inspiration, or even someone just encouraging me to keep writing by saying I did a good job, it will almost always help (as it would for most of the other authors here).

With that out of the way, I wish you a Happy New Year, and I'll be seeing all of you in January.