A/N: I am so terribly sorry for the delay everyone. I said that I would explain my reason why I have not updated recently on my profile page, so here it is. Me and my family had to move across the whole country because of a promotion my mom got. I wanted to get this chapter up before the day we move, but the computer I use was packed ahead of time. I'm really scared being in a place I hardly know but I hope that will change soon enough. There are still boxes around me but at least I got the computer set up to finish this thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, Gamefreak does and I think Nintendo does too. I just own the characters and the plot here.

Chapter 6: Diving into the fire

Jason's P.O.V.

"They're launching a sea invasion," I repeated.

"What?" Elana said disbelievingly. "Was that what you and Arthur were arguing about?" I really didn't want to answer that, I was just too angry about the fight I had with Arthur right now, but I know Elana would keep bugging me until I told her.

"Yeah," I said, hoping the simple answer would be enough for her.

"But, how could you two be arguing about that?"

I didn't exactly know how explain the argument to Elana, but I had to say something. "Arthur came up to my room and said that the Northern region is going to attack Naru, and he wants me to stay here while he goes to a fort up north to repel the attack. This is my chance to prove to him that I am ready to be king! If I go to the fort with him then I could-" unfortunately that was all I could say before Elana interrupted with a loud voice that left my ears ringing.

"Are you crazy! You think Arthur will say, alright you could be king, just by taking part in a fight!" Elana shouted.

"It's the only way I could show him! My dad took part in many wars; Arthur just might see me like him."

"You're not like your dad! I don't really know your dad, but I know you're not like him."

"I may not be like him, but I'm still going to do something about this," I said while walking towards the teleporter. I don't care if Arthur said that I couldn't come with him, I was determined to get to the fort that he was going to and show him I can take control.

"Uh, where are you going?" Elana asked.

"None of your business."

"It's my business now; tell me where you are going," Elana demanded. I ignored her and continued my way towards the teleporter. "Hey! Excuse me!" she shouted from across the hall. At this point, she began to follow me.

I then began to pick up my pace; I was now halfway there to the teleporter. I turned back to see how close Elana was to me; she was about ten feet away from me. "Elana, please don't follow me," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Just tell me where you're going, then I will stop following you." Arceus, she's annoying! I ignored her once again and seconds later, she stopped!

She must have given up, I thought. Unfortunately, I was terribly wrong. With a flick of Elana's hand, she placed a psychic barrier in front of me, which I crashed into with the tip of my muzzle. "Ow!" I cried out. When I crashed into that psychic barrier, it felt like if I ran into a brick wall! I staggered back rubbing my snout, looking at the barrier she set up. It looked like clear glass with a tint of pink… really hard glass with a tint of pink.

Elana then came up to me, put up a smile and said, "I don't give up that easily." Damn psychics, probably my least favorite type, they're always reading your mind like an open book. We stood there for what seemed like hours, me rubbing my snout while Elana was tapping her foot impatiently. "I can do this all day," she said.

"…Okay fine!" I shouted. I was really starting to hate Elana's guts at that moment. I sighed before saying, "If I tell you, will you please stop following me for a second?"

"I promise," Elana said, ceasing her foot tapping.

"Okay…there are a couple of trucks outside and they're shipping supplies to the fort. If I could sneak on one of them, then Arthur will have no choice but to let me help him repel the attack."

"Or he could just stick you in a cell," Elana commented. I then shot Elana an angry glance.

"I told you where I'm going, so can you put the barrier down now?"

"Would it hurt to say please?" Elana said in a childish way.

… No, I have to hold back, just hold back a little longer, and then I can take my anger out on something. "Please." I muttered with a hint of hostility.

"What was that?" Elana said with a giggle.

Okay, now I know she likes to see me mad. "Please," I said louder, without the hostility changing in my voice. Elana grinned before making the psychic barrier disappear.

I then continued my way towards the teleporter "Thank you," I muttered.

"You're welcome," Elana said in a cheerful tone.

When I stepped on top of the teleporter and pressed the button to take me to the bottom floor, I took one last look at Elana. There she was, still standing at where she held me up, still looking beautiful as ever. You know, when I began to think about Elana's appearance, all my anger towards her vanished in an instant. It seemed like if time stood still for this very moment. How elegant she looked in that gown of hers, how beautifully her hair curved (I think I might have to ask her how gardeviors keep their hair like that), but overall what really captivated me was her eyes. Oh, how beautiful she looked with those sapphire eyes. Why do I keep thinking about her like this? Why do I always blush whenever I make contact with her? Is… is this a new feeling… for someone I just met? It felt like a warm pleasant feeling inside me, and I could not remember feeling anything like this before. Wait a minute! I hate her! Why the heck am I thinking like this?

I felt the electric current go through my body and soon enough I found myself on the first floor. Alright, focus on the task at hand, I thought to myself. I made my way towards the front door, cautious of any guards nearby. Once I got there I slowly opened the door, only just enough for me to look through it. Outside were guards scrambling all over the place, moving large wooden crates into army trucks, and getting inside the back of trucks as well. I knew right away that this wasn't going to be easy. At the sight of all this, it's nearly impossible to sneak past without a guard catching a glance at me. Come on, think Jason, there must be a way, there's always a way. I scanned the area, planning my route towards one of the trucks with supplies. However, I didn't have enough time to plan anything out before I heard footsteps behind me. Since the front opens from inside, I quickly opened it all the way and hid behind it.

Seconds later, not only did the echoing footsteps come closer but sounds of struggling came as well, and then I heard a loud crash not far from where I was hiding. "Ow! My foot!" a young voice said. "What the hell's in this box?"

"I don't know! How am I supposed to know?" Another young voice similar to the first one answered. "You know what, lets just get a Machoke to help us with this."

"Yeah, let's just do that," The first guard agreed.

I then heard their footsteps coming towards the front door. My heart was now pounding; if they decide to close the door then not only would I attract everyone's attention but also my whole plan would be ruined. I waited, and waited for what was sure to come. It never came. To my relief, I heard their footsteps fade way once they passed me. Good. I stepped out of my hiding spot and saw a large wooden crate sitting in the middle of the hall. What could be so heavy to keep two guards struggling their entire way towards the truck? I wondered. I charged up my Leaf Blade attack and sliced off the top of the crate. To my surprise, there was nothing but weapons filled up halfway inside. "Wow, that's a lot of guns," I commented. "There's still enough room to put a Wailmer in here!" A smile crept up my face as an idea came into my head.

I picked up the top for the enormous crate and jumped inside it, placing the top in its rightful place at the same time. Best idea yet. Minutes passed before I heard the first sign of footsteps approaching. The two voices that belonged to the guards from earlier approached as well as a new one.

"Are you kidding me? You two can't even move this box?" a gruff voice said.

"Hey! It's a really heavy box!" the first young voice said.

"Just shut up and go do something," the Machoke (I'm guessing) said.

I felt myself being picked up almost instantly after the little conversation. I just know this plan is going to work perfectly… however, I just discovered one small flaw in my plan. Shoot, I sliced off the top! If the Machoke carrying the crate were to somehow accidentally slip and drop me, then the top would easily come off, revealing myself to anyone watching. Oh, I prayed that wouldn't happen.

I began to hear shouting of several voices beginning to get louder; I must have been outside now. It wasn't long before I heard the sound of engines that began to get louder after every second that passed. I then felt myself being tossed carelessly and landed with a big thud. I must be in the truck now. I thought. However, I wasn't a hundred percent sure if I was inside a truck, so I slowly lifted the top, making a small opening for me to take a look around my surroundings. Yup, I was definitely inside a truck, one with no one else in it. However, when I popped out of my hiding place, a familiar feminine voice spoke up from behind which made me tense up.

"Yeah, you're in the truck alright. But I have one question." Oh, Arceus. Is it who I think it is? I slowly turned around to find myself looking at the one Pokemon I despised most at the moment. "Why couldn't you just ask me to teleport you in here?" Elana said, chewing on a Pecha berry.

"How the hell did you get in here?" I demanded, while still keeping my voice low enough so no one outside could hear.

"Um, teleporting. Duh." Elana said, taking a seat.

I rubbed my face before saying, "I thought you promised you would stop following me."

"I did… I promised that I would stop following you for a sec, I kept my promise," Elana said whilst popping the rest of the Pecha berry in her mouth.

"Why are you even here? You know this truck is heading towards the fort."

"Yeah, I know that. I'm here because I know you're going to end up running into a brick wall and knock yourself unconscious, if that happens then I'll be there to wake you up. After all, your mom did tell me to look after you."

I sighed before saying, "I, don't, need, anyone to look after me! So just go home now!"

Elana put up a thoughtful look before answering with a smile. "Hmm, nope."

Before I could say anything else, I felt that the truck began to move. It was already too late for me to kick Elana out of the truck now. "You know what? Don't bother me until we get there. No, scratch that, don't bother me ever," I said before getting back inside the crate and putting the top back on. I might as well take a nap during the road trip.

"I'll wake you up when we get there," Elana called out to me.

You know what my thoughts were? Well I made this thought loud and clear just for Elana to hear. Shut up!


I suddenly woke up when the truck hit a huge bump, making me hit my head on the wooden surface above me. "Son of a!" I cried out whilst rubbing the top of my head. Maybe riding inside a crate to avoid talking to Elana is not the smartest idea I've ever had.

"Shoot no!" I heard Elana cry out. What could Elana be shouting about on this little road trip?

As I pushed the top off the crate for me to stick my head out, I caught a glimpse of Elana holding something small and brown before she quickly hid it under her lap. "Uh… what's that?" I curiously asked.

"Nothing, it's nothing!" Elana quickly said. Nothing eh? I think I found my sweet revenge.

"Okay then, whatever. I'm just going to get back inside my box," I lied. At first, I made it look like if I was going to reach for the top, but as soon as Elana pulled out whatever she was hiding under her lap, I snatched it away from her with blinding speed.

"Hey! That's mine!" Elana shouted. As she reached out for it, I held her back with my right hand while holding the item in my other hand, keeping both as far away from each other as possible. Now this looks familiar. "Jason! Give it back!"

"Oh, you don't like it do you?" I said with a grin. "Now you know how I felt when you held my cloak away from me."

After a minute of struggling, Elana soon gave up and sighed before saying, "Okay. What do you want?" Oh sweet, sweet revenge.

"I thought you don't give up that easily," I said without the grin on my face changing. Now she was glaring at me with daggers in her eyes, but I wasn't intimidated. "Okay, first say you're sorry for holding me up at the palace."

"… Sorry for holding you up at the palace," Elana said in a low mumble.

"Good now secondly…would it hurt to say please?" I mockingly said.

"… Please," Elana growled between clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I said with a chuckle. This was just too good.

"Please." Elana said it louder this time, with a hint of hostility.

"You know, I'm starting to see why you like making me mad." After that came out of my mouth, Elana lost her patience and pulled me up by my bandana so I was at eye level with her. Now I was intimidated by her. "Okay here!" I quickly said, handing the item back to her.

"Thank you," Elana said whilst taking her item back and dropping me onto the ground.

"You're welcome," I coughed out whilst readjusting my bandana. Soon after I was done with that, I noticed what the item Elana had in her hands was. It looked like a brown leather notebook. I was curious about what was in the notebook she was hiding from me just now. "As I asked before, what is that?"

"As I said before, it's nothing," Elana said, sitting back down.

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen if you show me what's in there?"

"Are you asking the worst for me or the worst for you?" Elana threatened.

"Wow, looks like somebody didn't have their breakfast this morning," I commented. I then took a seat to the right of Elana and asked "Please?"

"No."

"Come on your going to be stuck with me for the rest of the ride, so you might as well show me what's in that notebook."

Elana sighed before saying "Okay fine."

"Really?"

"No." Yeah. This wasn't going to be easy.

Well, when I'm in a situation like this, I do the one thing that never fails me. I'm serious when I say this; I have been doing it since I was a treecko and its still works now. Okay, here it comes… puppy dog eyes. I held my hands together in front of me, drooped the leaf on my head, and slightly looked up to Elana. I could already tell Elana was trying to fight back the look, but she couldn't help but look at me.

"Okay fine, just stop doing that please!" she finally said. I complied and regained my normal posture. "Just please don't laugh or say anything, I don't like criticism." At first Elana hesitated before she finally opened the notebook in her lap. To my surprise, there were sketches of Pokemon and various different sceneries all done in pencil.

"Wow… these are really good," I commented. These sketches were incredibly amazing to me. The Pokemon in the notebook had so much detail that they seemed almost lifelike and just looking at the sceneries made me feel like if I were there. After every page, Elana showed me a sketch better than the last, until she stopped on a sketch of a Pidgey that had a line drawn across the body.

"Um, when we hit that last bump, I sorta messed up on this one," Elana explained.

"Is this, like, one of your hobbies?" I asked.

"Yeah, I like doing art. Its one of those things that helps me be at peace whenever I'm sorta stressed out."

"So is something bothering you right now?"

"No, I'm just bored," she simply said with a smile. After a few seconds later, Elana turned the page once more to reveal a sketch of a grovyle… an oddly familiar grovyle. Elana quickly closed the notebook with a bright red face before I could get the chance to identify the grovyle.

"Um, who was that?" I asked curiously. She didn't reply.

Before I got the chance to repeat my question, the truck we were in grinded to a halt. "Oh look, we're here," Elana quickly said, hoping to avoid my question. "So uh… how do we get out without attracting the army's attention?"

Great, the one thing I didn't plan on. Hiding back inside the crate would be pointless knowing that they were going to check it eventually. Oh well, I was planning on showing myself soon anyways. A few seconds later a Machoke climbed into the truck, noticing us almost immediately, he however just stood still. The three of us stood there for what seemed like hours until I broke the silence. "Uh… hi… this is kind of awkward isn't it?"


"Are you serious Jason? Are you serious this time Jason?" Arthur shouted at me from behind his desk.

We were inside a small concrete room reserved only for the person in charge of the fort we were currently in. Just a while after Elana and I were found out, we were hauled off by a large group of soldiers who kindly showed our way into this cramped room. When I mean kindly, I mean shove us in here the whole way, the kind of royal treatment I think I should be receiving.

"Yeah I'm serious, what do you want me to do about it?" I answered. When Arthur opened his mouth to reply, I quickly said, "don't answer that."

Arthur sighed before saying, "I've told you before Jason, you can't fight in this one! No matter how many times you ask me the answer is still going to be no."

"Hey! I know how to fight! That should be good enough," I snapped back at him.

"You may know how to fight but you still don't know how to fight in a war. You don't even know how to fire a weapon for Arceus sakes." Arthur sat back in his chair before continuing. "Jason, in war you have to learn how to kill a guy before he kills you, and I know you're not the type of person who kills for a living. That's why everyone puts their faith in Pokemon like us to do that for them."

"I've killed before." I quietly said. There was a moment of silence after that came out of my mouth. Elana who was leaning in a corner behind me just stared in awe while Arthur did the same as well.

"What?" he asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

Before I could say any more, the door to the awfully cramped room abruptly opened, revealing a breloom trying to catch his breath in the doorway. "Sir," the Breloom said, giving a quick salute to Arthur.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"Northern warships have just spotted on the horizon. We estimate about two hundred ships approaching at full speed."

Arthur reached under his desk pulling out a black ballistic vest and army helmet that seemed like a perfect size for him. "Sound the alarm and get to your assigned position. Jason, Elana, you two stay here. No more arguing!"

"What? But that's not fair! I'm here so you might as well-"

"Enough!" Arthur shouted, cutting me off. I clenched my fist, doing my best to restrain myself from jumping up and attack Arthur in fury.

"There's more sir," the Breloom said after Arthur had finished putting on his gear. "The Iron Fist has been spotted as well."

"What? Are you positive?" Arthur asked in surprise. The Breloom nodded in response. "Vladislav's here?" The Breloom nodded once more. "Let's go and end it here now then." Arthur said whilst walking out the door and shutting it.

A moment of silence followed after the door was shut. How can he do this to me? I'm trying to do something good for once, and Arthur just had to keep me on the sidelines. Why can't he just see the potential I have in me? Almost all my ancestors were Pokemon who fought for their region! I was just about ready to unleash my fury on the desk in front of me with a Leaf Blade attack, until Elana tapped me on the shoulder.

"Jason, I know how you feel," Elana said in a calm voice. This surprised me, knowing that Elana had been placed in a position similar to mine.

"What, someone held you back before?" I asked.

"No, I know what you're feeling," Elana answered.

"Huh? If you were never held back, then how could you… oh right, Psychic." I said as I came into the realization of her type. I said it once and I would say it again… damn Psychics. "I don't like my emotions being read, you know."

"Hey I can't help it! It's not like I have control over whose emotions I read!" She exclaimed.

"What? I thought you Psychics can choose whose mind you want to mess with."

"Other Psychics can, but my species cant. We have absolutely no control on reading emotions!" Elana said, sitting down in a chair next to me. "It's all because of these damn things so don't blame me!" She said while pointing at the red spike on her chest.

As I looked at the spike on her chest, I realized what they do for the Ralts evolutions. I think I remember reading it in a book somewhere in the library. I felt guilty for talking to Elana like that, now that I know that she has no control over reading emotions. I sighed before taking a seat in a chair next to her, wishing that all my stress at the moment would just wash away magically.

"Jason… what did you mean when you said that you killed someone before?" Elana asked shyly.

"…Are you sure you want to know?" I asked quietly. Elana nodded in response.

"Fine…You know about that Hitmontop gang you met a couple of nights ago?"

"Yeah, why?" Elana asked, unsure of what I am about to say.

"… There was a sixth member to the gang, a fifth Tyrouge. One night… I met the Hitmontop gang for the first time. I was still a grovyle back then, and I knew how to fight like one. When met them, I was scared; I thought I was going to be pummeled to death that night. It wasn't long before they decided to attack me for whatever I got on me. The fight that I got in with them was the first one I have ever fought in. So when they dove in for me, I did what my instincts told me to do… fight for my life. During the fight, I felt something I had never felt before; I can't tell if it was either adrenaline pumping through my veins or excitement, though it was probably both. Everything was going along smoothly for me, but… I got a little carried away when I began to use my Leaf Blade attack. I swung and swung with my blades and… and."

The memory that was beginning to take form in my mind was starting to become too much for me to bear, it felt like if I was going through it all over again. I didn't notice it at first but I felt a tear beginning to form in my eye.

"And, what?" Elana asked, anxiously waiting to hear the rest of my sentence.

After long hesitation, I finally got the words out of my mouth. "I… I knocked him off the cliff. T-the Tyrouge just never gave up fighting and came in too close! I-I attacked with my Leaf Blade and he stumbled back! I don't know what happened. I couldn't find him over the cliff; it was like if he disappeared! After realizing what I did I… I ran, I ran away as fast as I could back to the palace." I felt the teardrop slowly roll down my face after I said that, all my emotions at that moment was in the form of that very tear. "I regret what I did that night, even to today I wish I never went out there in the first place."

I'm fine when it comes to everything else, but when it came to family, friends, or past experiences that leaves a big effect on my life, I just can't help but let my emotions take control of my body.

"He didn't deserve to die Elana… He may have had bad intentions but I know deep inside him… no deep inside all of them, that they all have good hearts. They're just doing what they think is right, that's all. None of them deserved to die," I finished.

"Wow I… I don't know what to say," Elana said with a look of awe on her face.

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad that I got the chance to tell someone my story instead of keeping it to myself all this time. Thanks." After telling Elana my past experience I felt like if a load was taken off my back. I felt… relieved, finally being able to share it with someone without the fear of them going crazy over the subject. But what I don't know is why I trust her enough to share my secrets with her.

Elana said nothing else; all she did after that was take occasional glances at me. I wonder what she was thinking at the moment. Was she thinking about the situation we were in? Was she thinking about the fact that we are about to be in the middle of a war zone? Or was she thinking about me?


Vladislav is a very paranoid walrein; he could never have enough protection around him. He always feared for his safety during his travels, but of course, no one but his closest friends knew about this. Vladislav cannot afford to let the whole world see through wall of lies he has constructed, to see the coward he truly is. Therefore, he tries to act like any other leader would under the protection of his guards; he just has a little more protection than a normal king would. But on the Iron Fist, his flagship on the seas, he doesn't feel safe in it at all. He always feared the explosion that would one day rock his ship and send it down to the depths of the abyss, though his ship rarely even is hit by anything at all!

Whenever the thought of his ship sinking with him in it enters his mind, or thinks about anything else that has to do with his own death, he gets so nervous that you could see him sweating buckets. To calm his nerves in times like those, he drinks alcoholic beverages nonstop until the thoughts washes away. That is what he is doing right now in the confined space of his quarters, located deep within the Iron Fist.

He had just finished his third bottle of wine, letting the swaying movement of the ship shatter it on the ground once it was done. He still had dark thoughts of death in his mind, covering his mind like fog. Vladislav reached for another bottle in his secret stash, which is hidden under his desk, until he heard a familiar voice behind the door to his room.

"Vladislav, it's me Alexey! The Bisharp has come to do business with you!" Alexey shouted from the other side of the door.

"Not now, I'm busy!" Vladislav shouted back in an irritated tone. He then returned to his previous task, getting another bottle of wine for himself. When he did so, he had trouble in biting off the cork on the bottle.

"He says that he has important information regarding the prince!" This got Vladislav's attention. He has been waiting for news about the assassin he had sent to take care of the prince for quite a while now. He had almost concluded that the assassin might have been captured, probably for doing something stupid during the job.

"Send him in!" Vladislav finally said. He resumed in his attempt to bite the cork off to continue his drinking.

A Bisharp came in as the door opened to Vladislavs quarters. A look of disgust was on the Bisharps face as he saw what was before him. Quietly, he took a seat in front Vladislavs desk, waiting for the Walrein to finally notice him sitting there. "Having trouble?" the Bisharp inquired with his deep raspy voice.

"Huh? Oh, yes," Vladislav said, finally noticing the dark knight sitting in front of him.

"Can you open this damn thing?" he asked as he handed the Bisharp the bottle of wine.

Irritably, the Bisharp took the bottle from the Walrein. Quickly, he stuck the tip of his blade into the cork and popped it out without a problem. The Bisharp then handed Vladislav back his drink, but not before taking a sip out of the bottle himself. "Happy?" he asked.

Vladislav just grunted in response, taking the drink back in his possession. "I've heard that you have important information for me, Khez. It is about the prince, yes?"

"Hold on Vlad, first things first. I expect the payment for my previous job from you," Khez said.

"… Sometimes I wonder why I even have your organization working for me," Vladislav said, though he still pulled out a large bag from under his desk and handed it to Khez.

"That's because we're the best anyone could have. Your just lucky that you're the highest bidder," Khez said as he set the bag to his side, making a loud clinking sound as it touched the floor.

"Eleven million Poke, just as I promised. Now about that information comrade."

"Ah yes, the boy. I'm guessing your assassin never returned?" Khez asked.

"… Yes, he never came back, and I'm guessing you know something about it?" Vladislav asked, anxious to hear about the news.

"Hehe, your friend not only got captured by Narus officials, but failed in his assignment," Khez said with a smirk.

"What?" Vladislav shouted. "I wanted Naru powerless! I want their spirit to be broken! Now because he had failed I might have to withdraw my fleet!"

"Hold on a second Vlad, you just came here all the way from the north, and just like that you're just going to go running back because of some unfortunate news? I say, don't go back. Don't go back until you have earned the honor from battle that you northerners value," Khez said. He leaned forward before continuing. "I've seen this boy before and I know you have nothing to fear from him. He doesn't have what it takes to lead his region to victory. He has no experience from battle, so why should you worry? After all, he is just a boy. Let me deal with him, I'll make sure he doesn't see the light ever again."

Vladislav thought for a moment, thinking of his next course of action. Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, you deal with the prince while I continue my attack. I'll give you another eleven million once it's-"

"I want a hundred million for this one," Khez interrupted.

"What?" Vladislav shouted in outrage. "I'd rather send another one of my men after him!"

Khez chuckled before saying, "Tell me Vlad, how badly you want the boy dead? Or better yet, how soon do you want him dead?"

Vladislav thought over it for a moment before coming up with his answer. "Fine, it's a deal. But I want him gone from the face of the earth! You hear me?"

Khez chuckled before replying. "You won't be disappointed," he said with a bow. As he made his way for the exit, he stopped in the doorway and turned around so that he was facing Vladislav. Khez then raised his right arm so that it was pointing at Vladislav, using his other arm to pull out a pair of black shades from behind him, which he put on. "You'd best have the money ready the next time you see me."

"Dead Dragon scum," Vladislav spat when he heard Khez's footsteps fade away down the hall. He looked into the bottle of wine he had in front of him. He thought about what would happen after his victory over Naru. Would he still be alive after all this? Would he survive a war with the warlords of the pacific? Would he even survive this battle? Those were the thoughts that circled his mind. "I will not disappoint you father. I will avenge you for what they've done to you," he said quietly to himself before he took a sip from his bottle.

"My king," the familiar voice known as Alexey spoke from the doorway.

Vladislav didn't notice it before but after his conversation with Khez, a glalie has been patiently waiting for Vladislav to notice him floating in the doorway. All the glalie wore was a blue general army cap that bears the symbol of the Northern Region on the front of it. "What have you got for me Alexey?" Vladislav asked after he finished taking a drink from his bottle.

"The fleet is in position, they are awaiting orders," Alexey informed.

Vladislav set the bottle of wine down before saying, "give out the order to open fire on the fort."

"Yes my king, I will give out the order immediately," Alexey said before floating off into the hallway.

"Hold on!" Vladislav called out. Within seconds, the glalie returned to Vladislavs quarters, waiting to hear what else he had to say to him. "Tell the Demon Ptitsa that she may catch her prey now."

"A-Are you sure my king?" Alexey asked as if Vladislav was crazy.

"Yes, I'm positive. She is loyal to our cause and me. I know she will not cross me as long as I give her something to kill. Release her so that the Naruians will not only feel her wrath, but mines as well."

A/N: Again, I would like to apologize for this update for being so late. I would also like to thank my beta reader Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion for editing this chapter. So uh yeah, please review this story whenever you feel like it and have a great day!