Well, here we are; one of the major points of this story. I'm rather happy with what I've managed to do so far, even if it could have been better, and I only intend to see this through. I'll give a fair warning here and say that the last section of the chapter may be a bit confusing at first, but the italicized dialogue is the continuation of the previous conversation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Koei, or anything associated with them.

It was a misty, cool morning off the coast of Ransei's southern peninsula. The sun shone down on the waves, and the slight breeze blew the scent of saltwater across the high seas. It was here that a small group of three ships cut through the waves, their masts high and being propelled by the wind, towards another, noticeably larger, group of wooden constructs that floated towards them at a much more leisurely pace.

The white haired commander of the larger fleet simply chuckled from his viewpoint on the foremost ship's deck, plucking a few strings from the instrument that hung from his neck.

"Greenleaf's army is not what it used to be..." the Dewott standing proudly by his side nodded in agreement, noting that they nearly doubled the opposing fleet in terms of ships. Motochika chuckled, once again shifting his time signature.

"March to my beat." he ordered to the warriors on deck. One of the nearby officers who was overseeing a few warriors making boarding preparations turned to his Warlord.

"But sir; we're on a boat." The Fontainian nodded in agreement, not bothering to turn back to address the other man.

"That we are, Chikayasu." the warrior blinked, unable to decipher his lord's eccentric statement, and just turned back to directing the other warriors as they bustled about the deck of the boat. Motochika wiped a bit of the salty mist from his brow, lifting one of his hands to shield his face from the sun while the other held a note, straining his eyes to see past the gleam of the sea and sun and to the enemy ships. Though it was difficult to discern much else, he could make out a definitive grassy-haired man at the bow of the ship in the center, flanked by two other figures. He didn't need a spyglass to know who they were.

"Motonari is commanding from the ship in the center. Defeating him will cut off the head of the serpent..." Motochika mused, his Dewott drawing it scalchops in anticipation. Finally, the Water Type Warlord turned back to Chikayasu, who was standing at attention, awaiting his command.

"Bring us to starboard with the ship in the middle. Order the rest of the fleet to handle the stragglers." Chikayasu bowed and relayed Motochika's orders to a warrior clutching a few signal flags on the stern. The man in turn gave a nod, picked up one of the colored flags, and began waving it in the direction of the nearby ships. The rest of the fleet, in turn, started to break formation after considerable commotion on their decks, and began parting to both sides. The Fontainian ships lowered their masts to full length, spurring the buoyant constructs to now cut through the water towards the enemy fleet.

"All hands to battle stations! Prepare to board!" Chikayasu shouted out, spurring the various warriors on the deck to hasten to their positions in preparation.

"I hope Lord Motonari is okay." Oichi wondered aloud to her companions as they trekked through the marshy mess that surrounded the approach to the river, opting to stay on the solid and relatively dry dirt road that cut through it.

"He'll be fine." Hanbei replied with a certain degree of confidence, stepping over a hollow log that was in his path. "Besides, I think we have our work cut out for ourselves."

The six other warriors who consisted of their group immediately looked in the direction where Hanbei was pointing, and were taken aback by the sight that laid before them. The recent storms that had raged frequently for the past week had not only raised the amount water of water in the river to a dangerous level, drenching the riverbed and the edges of the manmade trenches and incorporating it into the waterway, but had also completely drowned out the flood gates that regulated the water level, and, based on the eroded wooden pillars still sticking out from the trench and the nearby washed-up debris, had also destroyed the singular bridge in the vicinity. Tadashi stopped dead in his tracks, turning to the two tacticians of the group.

"What are going to do? The next bridge is about an hour's trek upstream, and even then there's no guarantee that it's still intact." the Auroran questioned. Hanbei sighed, putting a sleeve-covered arm behind his head.

"Well, it's not like we have any materials to repair the bridge or to make a new one..." Kazumi nodded.

"And I'm pretty sure none of us are architects." Her gaze shifted over to the duo trying to think of something, before that dilemma was solved by eyeing the ghostly tactician's partner.

"What about your Lampent, Kanbei? Can't it take us over to the other side?" Kanbei shook his head in the negative.

"Perhaps, Lady Kazumi, it could handle those three individually under the necessary duress," he replied, gesturing to Mitsunari's trio. "But it would not be able to support our weight."

The female twin blinked, having sensed a perfect opportunity to get back at the albino for sending her on a wild Swanna chase a few days prior. In a perhaps overly dramatic manner she crossed her arms, frowned slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"So you're saying I'm fat?" the immediate reaction from Kanbei, which edged between shock and mortification, mixed with a series of garbled replies, was enough to dissolve the façade she had built up into a fitful series of laughter. Hanbei joined in, apparently finding Kanbei's reaction hilarious too, Tadashi chuckled lightly, and the younger tactician immediately stopped the moment he realized what had just happened.

"I cannot believe I fell for such a jest..." he muttered sullenly. Hanbei's laughter began to die down at his comment, and the smaller tactician turned to face him.

"Yeah, you really did walk right into that one." Kanbei shot the genius a murderous look that managed to completely silence him, before turning back to the bloated river. He gazed over it again, looking for anything they could possibly use that had been overlooked, and that was when Kanbei's dark eyes fell upon the flood gates and noticed they were still closed.

"If we were to open the gates..." he began, now having shifted his focus to looking for said means. Hanbei picked up where the albino droned off, though looked around for some mechanism himself.

"Of course! We could lower the water level and wade over."

"If we can even find a way to drain the river to begin with." Mitsunari pointed out, arms crossed. The male Warlord nodded in agreement, turning to the riverbed as well.

"He's right. We'll have a better chance of finding something to control the floodgates if we split up." Without any further ado, Tadashi took a step forward, off the dirt road and towards the edge of the river, and promptly sank into the marshy ground. He wrested his once-spotless boot out from the muck, causing his Eevee to jump slightly from its perch on his shoulder plate, shaking his foot in disgust, before placing it back down on what he was sure was more solid ground. When it failed to give out, the Auroran took another step forward, only for the process to repeat itself. Tadashi carried on like that for the rest of his search while his companions spread out, his movements sluggish as the bog hindered any flexibility, and the fact that his armor only weighed him down even more forced him to strain with every step forward. After reaching the edge of the river some distance away from the road, near one of the obstructions that was nearly submerged, he took a quick look around to find anything that could be used as a means of opening it.

That was quickly found in the form of a lever that sat inconspicuously near the gate. Tadashi trudged over to pull it, but the swamp refused to make anything easy for him. After sinking into the ground for the umpteenth time, the teen grunted in frustration and wrested his leg out of the bog as he took another step forward, only trip and fall face first on the lever and snap it in half, the Pokémon on his shoulder managing to jump to safety before quickly running back to its partner's side. The warrior immediately pushed himself back up and clutched his forehead in pain, already knowing that a bruise was beginning to form, and the normal type shot him a concerned look before fetching the end of the lever for him. With his free hand, he grabbed the remains the wooden stick, muttered a silent thanks to his Eevee, and attempted to stand back upright, only for a shooting pain in his right leg to put a stop to any of those plans.

This time he stifled a pained moan, immediately suspecting he had pulled something in his attempt to free his leg from the marsh, and once again forced himself upright. The battered Warlord staggered back the way he came, wincing in pain every few steps as his leg disagreed with his movement, his partner respectfully deciding to wade through the marsh rather than climb back on him. Tadashi ignored the pain the best he could, until he came back to the road where the others had already gathered and were currently discussing one thing or another. Kazumi turned around at hearing his heavy footsteps.

"Brother, you're- what happened to you!?" Tadashi wasn't sure whether or not his twin was referring to his limp, the large purple mark on his forehead, the fact that his entire front was caked in mud, or that he was holding a wooden stick like a weapon. He shrugged casually, waving off his pitiable appearance, though made a mental note to take a bath later.

"I just got into a fight with the only thing capable of opening the gates." he replied, holding up the broken lever for all to see clearly.

"Looks like it won..." Mitsunari quipped under his breath.

"Now what?" Kanbei stepped forward at the question.

"There is an alternative." Hanbei sighed in discomfort at Kanbei bringing up the method he would have more appropriately termed 'last resort'.

"And what would that be?" before the pale youth could answer Kazumi's question, Hanbei interjected.

"Not pretty."

Considering that Kanbei had lined himself, Hanbei, and herself all near the edge of the river, the only warriors whose Pokémon knew special attacks, close to the flood gate, Kazumi could deduce rather quickly that 'Not Pretty' apparently involved destroying the dam altogether. Kanbei lowered his covered arm, his gauntlet pointing accusatorily at the mechanism, the cue to attack.

"Eviscerate it with Fire Spin, Lampent." Hanbei sighed at the drastic action, but quickly followed suit.

"Electro Ball, Pikachu." Kazumi made a mental note to talk with Naoshige about repairing the flood gate once everything was finished.

"Shadow Ball!" The three attacks shot forward from the edge, the Electric Type attack reaching its target first and, in addition to colliding with the submerged wood, sent water flying everywhere. The pillar of twisting fire followed quickly, shooting up and burning the damp wood, though not causing any significant damage due to the surrounding water, managed to make the material brittle under the assault before being extinguished. The final attack collided with the eroded wood, resulting in a small hole in the epicenter of the attack, which water from the overflowed river quickly flooded through, and a series of fractures and splinters in the surrounding area. The trio watched with bated breaths, as, under the pressure of the water, the cracks began to spread and the gap grew larger until the entire gateway crumbled under the assault of the water, sending a torrent downstream and reducing the depth of the river to only a few feet.

Lifting up the hem his robe like it was some kind of skirt, Kanbei jumped into the riverbed, his Lampent floating higher than usual to avoid the inevitable splash of water, followed quickly by the other two Warlords. The rest of the Aurora Army followed with their Pokémon, wading through the pool of water that remained between them and the other side. Tadashi, splashing a bit of the water on his black and white clothing in a futile attempt to wash the mud away, could make out the shape of Fontaine's namesake city in the distance. Though it looked to be so far away, it was enticingly close in his eyes, and with a renewed determination at seeing his goal, the Auroran charged forward, cutting through the water and dirt and climbing out of the drained waterway. Anticipation spurred him forward, and the only thing that kept him from racing off to his destination was his leg complaining at the exertion.

"Father!" Takakage exclaimed, drawing away the older Greenleafer's attention from the raging battle for a moment. "One of our ships has been forced to retreat!"

Motonari risked a seconds glance away from the three-on-one battle his Servine was engaged in, noticing that the ship on the left flank, having previously been engaged by two of Fontaine's own, was currently sailing away from the oceanic battlefield, the victors having boarded their ships and repositioned them to engage theirs. Though the man maintained his placid composure, he inwardly grimaced. Type advantage or not, they were outnumbered, something that the strategist was accustomed to, albeit he had the fortune of only having to battle one ship, but they were also surrounded and divided. He brushed aside the assessment for now with a shake of the head. Optimism, or hope at its most desperate, had been one of his most consistent and powerful allies, and he had no intent on abandoning it now.

"Leaf Tornado, but be mindful of the sails." the Grass Type Pokémon conjured up another spinning wall of leaves, tearing through the water-based offensive that the opposing Pokémon had unleashed upon it, and reducing it to nothing more than a few misty droplets and a mass of wet leaves. Not lacking bravery in the face of such an adversary, the triumvirate of opposing warriors ordered their Pokémon; a Wooper, Piplup and Spheal, to unleash another barrage of ranged attacks. Each Pokémon readied themselves to unleash it, and that was when Motonari saw his opportunity.

"I believe it is time to attack with Leaf Blade." Servine lunged forward, tucking in its leaf shaped tail, and with a speed that outmatched any of its opponents, slammed into Wooper and sent it flying across the ship. Refusing to let the momentum of the attack subside, it quickly spun around, cutting across Piplup and knocking it into Spheal's Icy Wind, forming a layer of frost on the back of its blue coat, and sparing the Grass Type the super-effective move.

"Quick Attack, and follow up with Absorb!" Takakage had managed to break free from the melee that had engulfed the ship, and his Treecko darted forth at his command, not wasting a second in the aftermath of Servine's counteroffensive. The other Grass Type slammed into the dual type, tackling it to the side before putting its paws across its head, sapping both its energy and will to fight. Motonari gave a nod in thanks to his blond-haired son as his partner finished off Spheal, causing the last of the three warriors to retreat with his unconscious partner, before taking a quick look at the situation.

The crew of his ship were spread out, scattered in small clusters and fighting against other groups of the boarded Fontainian warriors. Though the Greenleaf warriors seemed to have contained the attackers to a few areas of the ship, leaving large areas of it unoccupied and unclaimed, the two incoming box-shaped boats bearing the Water Type Kingdom's standards were about to change that. The middle-aged man took a step to the edge of the ship, his hands clutching the railing in anticipation at the incoming opponents. A sudden torrent of water that shot out from one of the melees behind him and soaked the back of his blue coat caused him to shift his attention back to the battlefield, where said torrent of water had just cleared out a group of his warriors.

"Takakage; gather as many free men as you can and try to hold off the reinforcements."

"Yes, father." his son, reluctantly, left his side in the face of the approaching Warlord to carry out Motonari's command. The Warlord of Greenleaf size up the man; decked in a pell-mell of various blacks and blues, tattooed, his uncut hair hanging loosely around his forehead and neck, and clutching a shamisen, he could very well have been the definition of eccentric. The strategist's assessment ended when the man had finished sauntering the distance between the two, standing only a few feet away from the other warrior.

"Lord Motonari," the Water Type Warlord addressed the older man, a smile beginning to form on his face. "I have to say it was quite brave of you to sail against us. Especially as a diversion."

Motonari himself chuckled at the announcement, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "So you already knew, huh?"

Despite the concession on both sides, from what the mild-mannered man could tell, Motochika had brought out all of Fontaine's army for the battle, which meant that he most likely had only figured out the truth upon engaging them. His suspicions were confirmed when the Warlord of Fontaine readdressed him.

"Suspected. But don't worry; I had already made provisions for Fontaine regardless of the situation. They should be able to weather the tide long enough for me to wash your fleet away." Motonari raised an eyebrow at his statement while the Dewott that had been marching proudly at Motochika's side, paws resting upon the scalchops that clung to its legs, took a step forward.

"You certainly don't lack the confidence needed to do so." The strategist replied, the serpent-like Pokémon resting at his side slowly taking its place at his front.

"If it's the same with you, I think I shall go first." Motochika gave a curt nod in approval. "Very well. Servine; Leech Seed, please."

"Cut it with Razor Shell, counter with Fury Cutter." The familiar, inconspicuous, brown seed was propelled towards Dewott from Servine's side, only for Dewott to draw one of its scalchops, a blade of water emerging from its top, and cut the projectile in half before it could land. The Water Type then drew its other shell, another blade emerging from it, and charged at the opposing Pokémon.

"Block it with Leaf Tornado, it you could."

"Use Water Gun to propel yourself over it!" A whirling blizzard of leaves was kicked up by Servine, dangerously close to the charging Pokémon, who only shot a strong stream of water out of its mouth, which, combined with the momentum from its charge, gave it the necessary propulsion to perform a somersault over the spinning wall, bringing up its two scalchops overhead with the intent of bringing them down on Servine.

"Engage it with Leaf Blade." Servine, not skipping a beat, immediately spun upwards in the fashion of a corkscrew to meet the falling Dewott, bringing up its coiled tail as Dewott brought down its scalchops. The two interlocked for a brief moment, neither managing to land a hit, before gravity interfered. The Water Type landed with its arms outstretched, scalchops still drawn and blades crossed over its midsection. Servine landed gracefully a distance away. Red eyes met black for a moment, before the two charged once more. Dewott brought one of the scalchops up in an arc, only to be blocked by Servine's tail, but the brought down the other overhead. The swift Grass Type pulled off a flip, shifting the weight of its tail from one side to another to block the incoming attack, before propelling itself off Dewott's exposed chest and regaining the distance between the two. Motonari frowned slightly, a hand going to his chin.

It was clear that Dewott had the advantage in melee; the fact that it wielded two blades expertly while Servine only had one, and in a rather unorthodox position at that, meant that it would inevitably gain the upper hand. Combined with the fact that it was using Fury Cutter, a super-effective move that only increased in strength the more times it hit in succession, meant that only one slip-up was necessary for Servine to fall under an onslaught, regardless of its superior speed. He would have to shift his approach.

"Sunny Day." Motochika raised an eyebrow at the command. While it was true that the sudden shift in the weather would weaken Water type attacks, his primary offensive had been making use of Bug Type attacks. What was Motonari planning? Whatever it was, it had just been set into motion. The Sunlight immediately intensified, and reflected off the water, became glaring from all directions. Slightly blinded, and already beginning to sweat from the heat, Motochika could tell that his Dewott was also dazed and beginning to feel the effects of the attack.

"Charge with Fury Cutter!" Dewott charged forward once again, though Motochika could immediately discern that it had to slow down its pace to maintain its precision in the midst of the blinding sunlight. Motonari and Servine, facing away from the glaring light, suffered no such effect, and the Grass Type charged forward to meet Dewott again. The Warlord of Fontaine could immediately tell that the melee was not as decidedly in his favor as the last one. Dewott, even with all of its precision, still had to move at a slower pace to ensure that its attacks would hit and not leave it vulnerable, giving the serpent-like Pokémon it was dueling with more room to maneuver.

"Servine." Motonari's one word caused the Pokémon to falter for a split-second, though it curiously made no new move, but that was all that was required. Dewott's Fury Cutter came down on its side, cutting across the Grass Type and eliciting a pained cry from it, and quickly followed in short succession with two more swipes before knocking it back across the field. Motonari's partner managed to get back to its haunches, though Motochika could tell that the attack had taken a noticeable toll on it. With newfound confidence in his victory, knowing that it would be unable to withstand a second round, he pointed towards the Grass Type and ordered another barrage of Fury Cutters.

"Intercept it with Leaf Tornado, please."

"Jump over it with Water Gun." It was immediately after Motochika had ordered the move that he realized he had just played into the placid strategist's hands. Blinded by the glare of the sun, and weakened by its heat, Dewott unleashed another torrent of water to propel itself over the whirlwind of leaves. But the attack was not as strong as it had been previously, and rather than launch it over the tornado, it simply rocketed itself into the super-effective attack, immediately getting spun around at a rapid pace whilst getting slashed by a barrage of leaves. The attack died down, and Dewott was sent flying back to Motochika's side.

"Let's conclude this with a Leaf Blade, Servine." the Grass Type shot forward as Dewott began rising back to its shaky legs, clutching its two scalchops as it attempted to assume a defensive stance, only for Servine to flick its tail upwards and club Dewott underneath the chin. The Pokémon stumbled back again, and though it tried to stand back up once more to the surprise of the Greenleafers, Motochika intervened.

"I believe the tide has turned against us. Chikayasu!" the warrior in question turned from his battle long enough to let his lord know he was listening. "Finish up here. I must return to Fontaine. Our proxy will not be able to resist forever."

The Warlord of Fontaine and his Dewott slinked off to one of the ships that had just docked with the Greenleaf boat, crossing the plank that had just been lowered adn quickly ordering the warriors that were preparing to board to set a course back to the Kingdom in question. Motonari watched them depart for a second before returning to the battle.

Upon entering the Water Type Kingdom, the Aurora Army was immediately stuck by the sight of it. Masses of beautiful stone buildings and pieces of architecture lined platforms interconnected by plated bridges inscribed with depictions of the Legendaries or Fontaine's history. A large canal was seemingly the main means of transportation, lined with small ships to ferry people to and from various areas, all overlooked by a large castle on a platform in the middle of the city, accessible to it only by a single bridge or the waterways that sprawled throughout the opulent kingdom. The eight warriors took in the stunning sight with awe, strolling down one of the cobbled roads that made up the edges of the platform.

"Fontaine is certainly bigger than Aurora." Kazumi remarked. Tadashi nodded in agreement as the group continued to proceed towards the castle, though he was more focused on the fact that no one had moved to challenge them yet. Were there no warriors remaining to halt them?

The group of eight crossed a bridge, Masanori leaning over the edge to take a look at the boats below, only for Kiyomasa to pull him back by his collar to keep him from falling over. They crossed over to the opposite side and carried on to the castle, entering what appeared to be some kind of vacated, enclosed plaza that presented itself before the bridge leading to the castle. Most of the group could immediately tell they had just walked into a trap.

"Heya!" Tadashi froze. He knew that voice all too well. Sure enough, a certain cream-wearing Warlord emerged from the other end of the plaza, his Chimchar and a few warriors in tow.

"Hideyoshi!?"

"Yep. That's my name, don't wear it out." he replied with a grin, striding up to the group before stepping back in shock at Tadashi's appearance. "Yeesh; you're a mess. You want a towel or somethin'?" The Auroran Warlord shook his head in the negative, letting out a sigh and decided to drop the comment and focus on the obvious. Hideyoshi meant well.

"What are you doing here?" Hideyoshi shrugged nonchalantly, folding his hands behind his back as he began pacing back and forth, kicking his feet out with each step.

"Well, Motochika scratched my back, so I might as well scratch his." Tadashi blinked, taking note of the fact that Hideyoshi only seemed to have brought his officers with him.

"You know we've defeated you about four or five times now, right? And that was when you brought all your troops." The Monferno-like Warlord stopped pacing and began to laugh, clutching his shirt.

"I think you've misunderstood; we're not here to beat ya, we're just here to stall ya." Tadashi opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of Kanbei slapping his forehead cut him off.

"My lord; you realize that the longer you engage Lord Hideyoshi in conversation, the more his plan works." Hideyoshi chuckled again at Kanbei's statement.

"Always a sharp one, Kanbei. Now that you've seen through my nefarious scheme to waste your time, I guess that means we'll have to cut to the battle." and with that, everyone's Pokémon assumed their positions in front of their partners.

"Koroku, Yukinaga, Teruzumi! Spread out!" Hideyoshi ordered, before charging forward at the two Warlords with his Chimchar. Hanbei and Kanbei moved to the side to deal with Teruzumi and his Pansear, Mitsunari and Masanori steered in the opposite direction to fight Yukinaga and his Audino, which left Oichi dueling with Koroku and Bidoof.

"Start this off with Ember, Chimchar!" The small Fire Type spewed out a series of bullet-like flames at the two Eevees, forcing them to jump from their position to avoid the fire.

"Quick Attack!" both twins ordered. From their positions on the stone floor, the two Normal Types sprang into action, zigzagging with each motion in an attempt to throw off Chimchar and Hideyoshi.

"Ember on the floor!" The Chimp Pokémon unleashed another barrage of flames on the ground where the two Normal Type were about to land, causing both to yelp in pain as their paws came in contact with the onslaught of small flames, forcing both to stop their charge. The two Evolution Pokémon, unable to stop the momentum they built up as easily as the attack, crashed into each other and tumbled across the field in a mess of brown fur.

"Now, Flame Wheel!" The Pokémon immediately charged forward, a wheel of fire enveloping it. The Pokémon raced towards the two Normal Types who were in the process of untangling themselves and crashed into them, sending both Eevees flying. The two managed to get back to their haunches, the damage not too severe, and Hideyoshi ordered another round of Embers.

"Sand Attack, Eevee!" Tadashi's Eevee spun around, quickly raising a smokescreen of dust and dirt that allowed the two to obscure Chimchar's aim.

"Helping Hand!" Kazumi's Eevee ran up to the slightly taller Pokémon of the same species, placing its paw on it side while the Embers tore through the cloud in front of them, missing their figures entirely, but forcing the cloud to disperse.

"Quick Attack and Bite!" Tadashi commanded, spurring his Eevee forwards again, this time alone.

"Stop it with Ember!" Chimchar looked upwards as Eevee used the momentum of its attack to jump, spraying out another barrage of attacks.

"Shadow Ball!" Hideyoshi's attention quickly snapped away from Tadashi's Eevee to Kazumi's as her Pokémon opened its maw and unleashed the Ghost Type attack. Chimchar ceased its onslaught just in time to get caught by the ball of dark energy, which imploded upon slamming into it. Chimchar was knocked back, and Tadashi's Eevee crashed down on it with a Bite. Hideyoshi winced at the sight.

"We can get through this, Chimchar! Fury Swipes!" His partner seemed to share his determination and took a swipe at the Eevee that was still on top of it, only for Eevee to move its head to avoid being raked with Chimchar's paws, before biting down on said hand. Chimchar cried out in pain, and both twins saw an opportunity to finish the battle.

"Now; throw it!" Tadashi commanded. Eevee, still maintaining an iron clamp on Chimchar's hand, climbed off it and threw it into the air by said appendage, where it was then intercepted by a second Shadow Ball, courtesy of Kazumi's Eevee. It fell down to the ground unceremoniously, unconscious before it landed. The former Warlord of Ignis let out a weary sigh, both at the fact that he had been so easily trounced by the teamwork of the Aurora Twins, and the fact that he was the last of his warriors to have been standing. Picking up his unconscious and injured Pokémon in his arms, he gave the two opposing Warlords a nod in approval.

"Well, looks like you got us... again." as soon as he concluded his concession, a chord rang throughout the plaza.

"Yes. But you delayed them long enough." Hideyoshi's head snapped back to the way he came, as did the other combatants, watching as a scruffy looking man emerged from the way Hideyoshi came, followed by a series of notes and warriors.

"I am Motochika Chosokabe, lord of Fontaine. And we shall resist until our voices are heard no more." with that declaration, the battlefield erupted into chaos again. Motochika and his weary Dewott charged forward at the co-Warlords of Aurora.

"Razor Shell. Do it." summoning as much strength as it could muster, the Water Type drew its scalchops once more and charged the two Normal Types.

"Blind it with Sand Attack, Eevee!"

"Follow that with Quick Attack!" Tadashi's Eevee spun around once more, but rather than digging its paws into the ground and shooting up dirt en masse, it applied a certain power to the kicks that it hadn't before in an attempt to launch the vision-obscuring clouds directly at Dewott. The Pokémon managed to dodge the poorly aimed attacks, and quickly raised and brought down one of its scalchops at Kazumi's charging Pokémon.

"Bite!" Tadashi's Eevee lunged at Dewott before it could bring down the second scalchop on its helpless counterpart, forcing the Water Type to instead slash away that attacking Pokémon.

"Get out of there with Shadow Ball!" Kazumi's still pinned Eevee opened its maw and hastily unleashed the close-range attack as Dewott finished batting away Tadashi's Eevee, forcing the Water Type off it. Dewott stumbled back, but used the momentum to its advantage to gain distance between the two normal types. The three Pokémon stood motionless for a moment, each side waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Quick Attack!" once again, the simultaneous command from both Aurorans resulted in their Eevees synchronizing their motions in an attempt to confuse Dewott.

"Hold..." Motochika commanded to his partner. The Pokémon raised its scalchops, crossing them over its midsection in preparation for its partners command. "Now!"

The Water Type brought down the aquatic blades, slamming them against the two Eevees as they made their final lunges. The Evolution Pokémon were sent sprawling backwards across the plaza, coming to a stop not too far away from their partners.

"Reve-"

"Sing!" Motochika's next command was cut off by the Oichi's order to Jigglypuff, who had managed defeat their opponents. Dewott turned, still clutching its scalchops, and immediately began hacking away at the colorful music notes that had been shot its way. That was the only distraction the two Aurorans needed.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Finish this with Quick Attack and Bite!" Dewott sliced the last note in half just in time to do the same to the incoming Ghost Type attack, but in the process left its lower half vulnerable. Eevee shot upwards, colliding with Dewott's stomach, and knocking down the taller Pokémon. It then lunged forward to bite down, but Dewott rolled out of the way and brought down one of its blades on Eevee's back. Eevee cried out in pain, but it was suddenly alleviated when a round, pink sphere slammed into the unsuspecting Water Type with a Rollout, launching it backwards once more and forcing it to let go of its prized shells. Jigglypuff returned to Oichi's side, and Dewott, utterly fatigued from two battles, muttered its name, raised its arm dramatically, and fell unconscious. With the Warlord's Pokémon defeated, having been the last one standing much like Hideyoshi before him, the battle was concluded. Motochika sighed, picked up Dewott's scalchops and the Pokémon itself, before turning back to the trio of Aurorans.

"So, it ends here. What will you do now?" the twins exchanged a brief glance, as if having carrying on an unspoken conversation amongst themselves, before turning back to the defeated Warlord.

"Would you like to join us?" Motochika's forlorn look immediately evaporated at Tadashi's question, instead raising an eyebrow in what could only be described as a weird mixture of shock and amusement.

"Perhaps... You're certainly an intriguing pair. But what strings are attached?" Kazumi shook her head.

"None. You could probably govern Fontaine better than we ever could, and we welcome any allies we can get." the girl's reply elicited a dry chuckle from the Water Type Warlord, who, despite his collected disposition, had been taken off-guard by her reply.

"Very well. You two play your own melody. I respect that." Neither Auroran exactly knew what he meant by that, but they could discern well enough that it was an acceptance.

"My lord, my lady," Oichi began, drawing the attention of the entire plaza to her. "With this, you two have unified all of southern Ransei."

"I guess we have, but it we also had a lot of help. You, Motonari, Takakage, Hanbei, Kanbei, Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, Masanori, Naoshige and the Pokémon. We couldn't have done it alone." Tadashi replied. a wave of calm beginning to wash over the area.

"With that in mind," Motochika spoke up. "I believe celebrations are in order. Though you might want to change into something more... clean."

"I get it..." Tadashi shot back under his breath, but the occasion was simply too happy for him to do anything more than that. The Water Type Warlord turned towards the castle and motioned for them to follow.

Hours passed by, and the sun had made way for the moon and stars to shine against the dark-blue backdrop of the night sky. Motonari and the rest of the Fontainian forces had returned some time earlier, the outcome of their battle inconsequential in light of the victory. The Aurora Army had cleaned up in preparation for the celebration, and since Hideyoshi had nothing better to do, he decided to hang around as well.

So, in the courtyard of Fontaine's castle, waiting for the last of the fireworks display to be set up, the warriors of the various armies were conversing and relaxing in one of the rarer moments of peace. Oichi found Tadashi, who had changed into fresh clothes graciously provided by Motochika, and Kazumi talking to none other than the Monferno-like Warlord that had served as their most persistent opponent, on the wooden balcony.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Tadashi inwardly blanched at the irony of his own words, still unsure if he should have made the offer to begin with, but both he and his sister decided it would have been best to put the conflict behind them. Hideyoshi smiled graciously, and shook his head in the negative, though not to hard to shake the glass of juice he was holding in one of his hands.

"Nah. It means a lot to me that you two would offer me a place in your army, especially after everything I put ya through, but I have a feelin' there's somethin' else out there for me. I don't know what it is yet, but maybe it can help make my dream come true." Kazumi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Dream?"

"Yep; I wanna make a world where everyone, not just warriors, can link with Pokémon!" the Aurora twins simultaneously blinked at his proclamation.

"That's... surprisingly noble of you, Hideyoshi." Tadashi replied, having subtly pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Thanks. Anyways, I think I'll go get some more grub, stick around to watch the fireworks and get outta your hair. For now." he said, maintaining his smile before laughing, which the two warlords found themselves unable to resist.

"All right, Monferno. Best of luck to you."

"You too, rival. And congrats." with that, Hideyoshi turned and walked off, surprisingly followed by Kazumi who began asking him about one thing or the other, leaving Tadashi alone. He leaned over the edge of the wooden railing, taking a sip from his own glass while watching everyone interact. It was then that Oichi took a step forward and began mustering all the courage she had. After witnessing how the two treated their defeated opponents thrice, Oichi knew she had found the right warlords.

"My lord?" Tadashi's head shot up at the delicate voice, and turned around to see the auburn haired girl standing behind him.

"Oh, hello Oichi. Enjoying the party?" She gave a quick nod.

"Yes... Um, Lord Tadashi, there's something I need to tell you." Tadashi quirked an eyebrow, clearly concerned about her nervousness, but decided that whatever she had to say was important enough to warrant it.

"What is it?" he noticed she tensed when he asked, but she took a deep breath and, rallying all the courage she had, began to speak.

Mitsuhide overlooked the assembled column of warriors from his position on the side, no doubt numbering in the hundreds total, and watching them as they treaded south. The massive panoply of purples, blues and blacks were all marching towards the same destination; Cragspur, intent on crushing the last vestiges of resistance to Oda rule in the east.

"Far to the north of here, Lord Tadashi, there's a Warlord."

"Who is he?"

Why his lord had insisted on attacking tomorrow of all days, regardless of the fact that left them with a great amount of distance to cover in a short span of time and very little left over to prepare, was beyond him. And though the Warlord of Nixtorm berated himself for questioning his lord, he still desired some glimpse of the logic behind it.

"His name is Nobunaga."

Regardless of any complaints or doubts, Mitsuhide carried onwards. This looming conflict would be crucial to bringing peace to Ransei.

"And he will destroy Ransei if not stopped."

"What!? Why!?"

And it was nearing with every step he took. By now they had left Avia behind with the sunset, and by the cover of night were marching through the mountain passes that made up Cragspur's roads. He looked around somewhat anxiously; though his night vision was excellent, and the moon and their torches provided some light, the massive peaks and mountain faces still cast large shadows across everything in the kingdom. It was the perfect place for desperate defender to launch an ambush.

"He wants to remake Ransei, and is willing to destroy anything in his path. Warriors, armies, even entire Kingdoms."

His fears, as understandable as they were, seemed to be unfounded. The pass descended into a valley floor, which was presumably where the entrance to Cragspur's Castle was as well.

"How do you know about this?"

"I'm... not originally from Aurora."

"I see."

The army immediately began spreading out across the valley, bringing forth various supplies from the caravan to help strike up camp.

"If that's the case, Oichi, it sounds like we'll have to stop him. But for now, let's just enjoy the party. I think the fireworks are about to start."

"Lord Mitsuhide?" the Warlord in blue turned around at hearing his name, immediately making out the figure of Nobunaga's page through the enshrouding darkness.

"Yes, Ranmaru?"

"Lord Nobunaga wishes me to inform you we are to attack first thing tomorrow." Mitsuhide nodded, rubbed his temples, and let out a sigh. There was much work to be done.

And another chapter done. I do hope the final segment wasn't to hard to read; I wanted to try to recreate that narrative feel for when Oichi first informs the player about Nobunaga, so I hope it was easy enough to follow. That's pretty much all I have to say about this chapter, aside from the fact that as of this chapter I have surpassed the previous version in plot progress (so two milestones in one chapter), but I can tell you that the next will be a stark departure from the norm.