Well folks, I am back. "Where'd you go Mango!? We've been waiting for more!" Well, you see…the thing is. My tablet decided it wanted to break. So guess what? All my updates will be via phone. Other than that, it feels good to be back! You know what also feels good? A new chapter! That's right! Get ready, because you are in for one heck of a ride! By the way, the idea for this chapter goes to PG-13! Along with another surprise. So sit back and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon! All of its characters and content are owned by GameFreak and Nintendo!

Chapter 36: Lair Of Inferno

Aboard the Plasma Frigate, stood Zinzolin, alongside Ghetsis. The leader of Team Plasma looked especially disgruntled. He looked out over the Unova region with a frustrated expression. As he was turning, one of the Shadow Triad appeared, causing a grin to form over Ghetsis's face.

"Has it been located?"

"Yes M'Lord Ghetsis, we have found it," one of the Triad spoke.

"Where is it then?"

"Reversal Mountain."

"Just as I thought. Launch an attack party immediately. We must not let it roam freely. It wouldn't do four our plans to be spoiled now would it?" Ghetsis commanded.

"As you wish, M'Lord." And with that, the Triad member faded away.

X-X-X

Katsu stood outside of the Pokémon Center alongside Hugh. It was still early morning and the two had decided to get some training in. The others remained asleep. Katsu decided to borrow Zor since he needed to train the little guy. Zor seemed all too eager to start.

"Ready Katsu?" Hugh inquired, priming his ball.

"Always," Katsu replied with a smirk.

"Simisear, you're on!"

"Darumaka, let's do this!"

The fire monkey surged onto the battlefield and assumed a battle stance. When Darumaka rolled onto the field, Simisear dawned a puzzled expression. Darumaka was rolled into a ball and presumably asleep. Both eyes opened and Darumaka awoke, stretching a bit before turning to face his opponent. Unbeknownst to Hugh, this was Zor. The tricky fox began to dance around as Darumaka had done. Zor and Katsu had worked out a little routine to spice things up in battle. He was taught the mannerisms of all of Katsu's teammates which he could mimic flawlessly.

'Why would Katsu send out Darumaka? I know the little guy doesn't get much action, but this makes no sense. Oh well,' Hugh thought, "Simisear, use dig!"

Simisear dove underground quickly, leaving a large hole where he stood. Meanwhile, Katsu stood there unmoving. His senses were fixed on the vibrations beneath him. Zor kept up the Darumaka antics, making his façade more believable. Having pinpointed Simisear's location, Katsu began to act.

"Darumaka, dodge left and then use Swagger!" Katsu ordered, catching Hugh off guard.

Simisear burst from the ground with vicious intent, but was sidestepped by the unpredictable movements of Zor. The disguised fox grinned mischievously as he stared down Simisear. His eyes glowed as he danced, filling Simisear up with more power. This of course came at a price. Simisear was struggling to maintain control and began to pummel itself for a short time.

'Great…now Simisear can't think straight. Katsu lured me right into that one,' Hugh thought as he assessed the situation. "Simisear, return!" Hugh called out, bringing back his confused comrade.

"You know Katsu, I've managed to do a bit of training while you were at your movie shoot. I even managed to catch a new friend. So allow me to introduce him!" Hugh grinned, snapping a new ball off his belt.

"Bouffalant, let's go!" Hugh called out, releasing his newest addition to his team.

The bovine stared down at his tiny adversary, stomping the ground in an intimidating manner. Zor glanced up at his new foe, wondering what to do at this point. He looked back at Katsu with a confused look. Katsu's expression hadn't changed in the slightest.

"Darumaka, return!" Katsu stated, recalling Zor to safety.

"A Bouffalant huh? Looks like he'll be tough to take down. But then again, I expect nothing less from you, Hugh," Katsu grinned, hitching Zor to his belt and snapping off Lucario's ball.

"But you'll have to up your game more if you want to win! Lucario, stand by!" Katsu commanded, releasing his newly evolved friend into the fray. This prompted a nervous reaction from Hugh.

X-X-X

Jay was now rousing herself from her slumber. Her hair was a mess and it appeared as though she had trouble sleeping. But then again, anyone who found out that the man they have fallen in love with, and secretly desire in more ways than one, also has dreams like theirs is bound to lose a bit of sleep. Jay grumbled cutely as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning as well. Tini was curled up at the foot of the bed, her eyes opening at the sound of Jay yawning.

'Morning momma,' Tini greeted happily.

'Morning sweetie.'

'Rest well momma?'

Jay hesitated a little. After Cresselia's visit, she wasn't so certain about what to think. She had seen inside of Katsu's dreamscape. In all honesty, she was not prepared for that. What she heard kept her up for most of the night. Reading a romance novel before bed really didn't help her either. Oh the things she dreamt after that. She shook her head vigorously at those thoughts before turning back to Tini.

'Somewhat. It could have been better though,' Jay sighed, running a hand through her long brown locks.

'I see. Well…maybe tonight will be better?'

'Maybe,' Jay smiled softly, sitting up to slide out of bed. Like usual, she stripped down and made her way towards the shower.

X-X-X

Maikeru awoke to the sound of his X-Transceiver ringing. A groan escaped his lips as he rolled over and picked it up. He had a feeling he knew who it was.

"Speak…" he grumbled, waiting for the screen to pop up.

A man in a Team Plasma uniform popped up on the screen before him. He was obviously in a more private place due to the emptiness of the room behind him.

"Just woke up eh? Sorry 'bout that," the man stated with a chuckle.

"It's fine. What's up?" Maikeru muttered, half awake and partially irritated.

"I guess I should skip the pleasantries huh? Fair enough. Team Plasma is moving out. It seems like they are after something big," the man stated seriously.

"Really? And where are they moving to? Last I knew, they were at the docks outside the World Tournament," Maikeru replied.

"I heard them mention Reversal Mountain," the man stated with a smirk.

"Reversal Mountain…why does that place seem so…wait! Reversal Mountain!? That's…"

"Near you? Yes. And also home to Heatran…"

"But, why would they go into that place? It makes no sense. What do they intend to do?" Maikeru quizzed.

"Think about it Maikeru. Zinzolin mentioned it onboard the frigate. Think long and hard…"

Maikeru's eyes popped. Rood had mentioned something about a legendary with great destructive power. Several actually. And he had his suspicions that Ghetsis meant to seize control of that power for his own bidding. Could he be trying to do the same thing again? But what did Heatran have to do with anything? Those questions could wait for now. He had to get moving and bring the others up to speed.

"Thanks for the update, I will be certain to be there to meet them…"

"I hope so. Because from what I've heard, things are about to get nasty," the man stated firmly.

"I had a feeling. Anyway, I need to tell the others…when are they moving?"

"They've already been deployed…and so have they," the spy said in a hushed tone.

Maikeru didn't need to be told who they were. He just knew it was bad news.

"I need to go," and with that, Maikeru shut off his device and hurriedly got dressed.

X-X-X

Goken was in deep meditation that morning. His eyes were closed and he was seated across from his Riolu. He was running through a few instances where he'd seen Katsu manifest his aura. The times he sparred with his Riolu before it evolved into Lucario, as well as the Vacuum Wave from his sword. Aura seemed to flow naturally for Katsu. Goken was a polished martial artist, but still had a little trouble manifesting his own aura. But as of late, he was getting the hang of it. As he concentrated, he heard approaching footsteps. They were hurried ones at that.

"Goken!" A familiar voice called out, prompting Goken to open his eyes and turn around.

Judging by the way Maikeru looked, Goken could tell that he wasn't there just to say 'hi.'

"Something the matter?" Goken inquired with a serious expression.

"Yeah…we got trouble bud," Maikeru informed.

X-X-X

Bouffalant stared down his adversary, Lucario, with defiance. Thus far, the powered up bovine had been evaded by the nimble movements of the bipedal canine. Bouffalant may have been boosted by Swords Dance, but all that power was useless if it never made contact. The afro buffalo was just not fast enough to catch up. He was strong enough to overpower the first few members of Katsu's team. Hugh had gotten better. However, he was against the ropes and had just the bovine to fight with. Katsu still had a few remaining members.

"Bouffalant, Head Charge!" Hugh ordered.

Bouffalant snorted and then rushed forward viciously. Katsu seemed un-phased by the signature attack, and simply waited for the right moment. Hugh was taking a huge gamble at the moment and was about to pay dearly for it. A smirk crossed Katsu's visage as the bovine was a few feet away.

'Foul Play!' Katsu commanded via telepathy.

Lucario shrouded himself in a brilliant violet light, alarming Hugh. Then, faster than Hugh could register, Lucario shot forward and body checked Bouffalant with a powerful assault that sent him flying. Dust kicked up as the bovine landed hard on the ground. Hugh shielded his eyes to prevent dust from getting in them. When the dust finally settled, Hugh saw that Bouffalant was down for the count while Lucario stood tall. Hugh sighed as he returned his fallen comrade, hitching him to his belt before staring back at Katsu.

"Well played Katsu. I thought I had the advantage there. One thing still bugs me though," Hugh commented, pointing a finger at Lucario.

"What the heck was that last move!?" Hugh inquired in a demanding tone.

Katsu simply laughed and took another ball off his belt and released the inhabitant. Hugh did a double take as a Lucario popped out of the ball. As Hugh was about to ask where the other Lucario came from, the Lucario on the right of Katsu began to transform, and in a flash of dark energy, Zor took the place of the Lucario.

Hugh palmed his face as he saw this. Of course Katsu would do something like that.

"Okay…so let me get this straight. I was fighting Zor half the time wasn't I?" Hugh deduced.

Katshu nodded, chuckling slightly at his friend's grumbling. Most of the match had been him making in careful switches so that he could keep Hugh on his toes. This resulted in some pretty fun tactics. Katsu had a little too much fun in this match.

"Gotta hand it to you Katsu, that was a tough fight. I've seen some crazy stuff before, but that was nuts!" Hugh laughed.

"You've improved as well Hugh. Your Bouffalant is quite the contender. I had a tough time with it. He's tough," Katsu grinned.

"Are you boys done? Your battle woke me up," Alice grumbled as she walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Sorry about that," Katsu replied. "We just wanted to get a little training in before we get going."

"Well, you're both lucky my alarm would have gone off in five minutes," Alice muttered.

Alice was sporting a pair of jeans that hugged her legs securely. Her top was a spaghetti strap white top. She had on a pair of black steel-toe boots to go with the outfit. In essence, she didn't look as though she had just gotten out of bed. The door to the Pokémon Center opened to reveal Jay. Her attire consisted of a black tank top, with a white vest, coupled with a pair of jean shorts and her favorite designer boots. Seeing her, Zor hopped off Katsu's shoulder and scurried over to her, leaping into her arms.

"Well good morning!" She said cheerfully, "and how is my little Zor?" She asked with a giggle as Zor nuzzled her.

Katsu, by this time, was at her side as well. Seeing this, Jay leaned up and kissed his cheek softly.

"Morning Tsu," she smiled.

"Morning Jay," Katsu chuckled, returning her earlier gesture.

"I trust Zor had fun? He seems rather happy," Jay questioned, glancing down at the snickering fox.

"Oh he had fun alright," Katsu chuckled. "He did real well against Hugh. He even b-"

"Guys!" Came Maikeru's voice.

The others turned to see Goken and Maikeru heading their way. Something was up, and they all knew it. Maikeru slowed down as he reached the group, Goken following. Both of them looked anxious about something. Maikeru turned to Katsu.

"We have a problem," Maikeru began.

"Is it related to Team Plasma?" Hugh interjected.

A nod of confirmation from Maikeru was all that was needed.

"I got word from an informant this morning. They are heading towards Reversal Mountain as we speak. All I can say is that we need to get there before they do. If not? Well, I don't even want to think of what will happen," Maikeru sighed.

"We'd better get moving then," Alice inputted.

The group gave a nod of agreement. Katsu and Hugh looked at one another and then turned to the group.

"Before Hugh and I go, we need to heal our Pokémon," Katsu stated.

"Just go ahead of us, we'll catch up," Hugh added.

"You two sure?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Now let's get going, we're wasting time," Katsu replied firmly.

The others nodded, and Jay, though hesitant, went as well. Honestly she didn't want to go without Katsu. But if she wasn't there to help the group, then she wouldn't be doing her part. Jay made her way to Katsu, glancing nervously at him.

"Try to hurry…okay Tsu?" Jay requested.

"We will. Just keep them safe. Hugh and I will catch up soon," Katsu said as he pulled her in for a quick hug and a soft kiss.

Jay reluctantly pulled back as they broke apart and took his hand, giving it a squeeze before letting it go. She then turned around and joined the others while Katsu and Hugh went into the Pokémon Center to rejuvenate their teams.

X-X-X

Within the confines of Reversal Mountain, a multitude of Team Plasma grunts were scouting around. Among them were four hooded individuals. The Duskbringers. The group seemed to be searching for something.

"I knew that it would be hot in here, but…this wasn't exactly what I was expecting," one of the muscular hooded ones began.

"This is but a taste of what you will feel. Should we reach Heatran's chamber, the heat intensity will increase dramatically," the young girl smirked.

"So the rumors must be true then," Darius stated with a contemplative expression.

"Yes. Heatran's flames can melt practically anything. That means our plans would go to waste should this thing decide to rampage," the girl replied.

"You think so, Midna?"

"Let me put it this way. Do you know what happens when an Entei roars? Think of that and you basically have a near equivalent to that. Only it's one volcano erupting instead of several," Midna pointed out.

"I see. In essence, should this thing be provoked to anger…"

"We could all die," Midna replied quickly.

"Sounds like fun. I imagine capturing it will be no easy task. The other was very destructive, but we managed to bring it under our control," Darius grinned.

"Right. And once we have Heatran locked away, there won't be anything hot enough to melt our icy wrath. All of Unova will bow to us," Midna grinned.

The group continued their search of the mountain, hoping to eventually find the lair of Heatran.

X-X-X

Jay and the others had made it to the entrance of Reversal Mountain. The heat coming from within the depths of the mountain was intense. Jay took a deep breath before taking the first step inside. Alice followed, then Goken and Maikeru. As they looked around, they saw nothing but magma. There were a few pathways that led to various parts of the mountain, however, none knew where to begin. Goken stepped up, taking a look around as he tried to tap into his aura. Since Katsu wasn't there to do it, he figured he ought to.

As he concentrated, Maikeru's X-Transceiver buzzed. Knowing who it was, Maikeru picked up and looked at the message.

I'm with the group heading towards the deeper parts of the mountain. When you get in, take the first path to the right, after that it's the next left, and then another. Make sure you hurry, there's not much time! The message read, filling Maikeru with panic. They were already really far in.

Turning to the group, he darted ahead.

"Wait, Maikeru!" Alice called out.

"No time, I know where to go! Follow me!" He called back, continuing in the direction he was heading.

"But how do y-"

"He's right," Goken smirked, opening his eyes after his momentary meditation. "I can feel four strong auras in the direction he is headed. I am sure Jay feels them too," Goken stated, getting an affirmative nod from Jay.

"Indeed…they're definitely here," Jay replied, sweat-dropping at the presence she felt among them. Midna.

She remembered that fight all too well. She lost, and badly too. In all honesty, she hoped she would never see her again. But it appeared as though fate had other plans. She clenched her fists tightly and made her way forward, breaking into a sprint, Goken and Alice following. Jay did not want to fight her again. But if she had to, she would, and this time? She wouldn't lose. Her friends were counting on her. She was determined to rectify her mistakes from before. She had been able to get a little stronger but she wasn't sure if she would be able to stack up to Midna. But right now was not the time to doubt herself. Jay would give her all.

Maikeru skidded to a stop, looking at another pathway to the left. Without saying anything, he bolted down the path, the others catching up quickly.

X-X-X

"Katsu, Hugh? Your Pokémon are ready," the nurse called from the front desk.

Katsu and Hugh stood up and walked over to the front desk, reclaiming their teams. Hitching their partners to their belts, the two thanked the nurse and exited the center.

"We need to make tracks. Reversal Mountain may take a while to get to," Hugh pointed out.

"Perhaps I can help?" A familiar, feminine voice replied, prompting Hugh to turn around.

There stood a young woman with oddly done up purple hair. Recognition flashed in Hugh's eyes as his met the Maroon colored hues of the young girl he met in Castelia City.

"It's you…" Hugh stated, prompting Katsu to raise a brow.

"You know her Hugh?" Katsu inquired, his sapphire gaze now fixed on the girl. She looked close to Jay's age, and wore a cream and pink top, blue jeans that hugged her curves and some pink shoes to match. A pink backpack was on her back.

"Yep. We met briefly in Castelia. It's been a long time since then huh?" The young girl smiled, her attention turning to Katsu.

"Of course…I know all about you, Katsu Aiko. World Champion, and movie star as well as one heck of a trainer. Judging by what I saw…you are pretty good. I wonder how much more you will grow," the girl grinned.

"And from the looks of things…you're no slouch yourself," Katsu smirked, having observed the way she composed herself. That air of confidence she gave off was quite impressive.

"Perceptive. Now, it looks like you two need a lift," the girl smirked, tossing two Pokéballs into the air.

The first Pokémon to appear was an orange, very friendly looking dragon. Though it seemed to have a pleasant look about it, Katsu was not fooled. The massive amount of aura radiating from it was incredible. The Dragonite glanced down at the new people before him. The second was yet another dragon, only this one was on all fours and had a blue body with crimson wings. It was unmistakably a Salamence.

"Heh…looks like I have to thank you again. First Castelia, now this," Hugh laughed as he watched the girl hop onto her Dragonite.

"So that's how you found out about Team Plasma? It all makes sense now," Katsu chuckled, glancing over at Salamence who seemed to be inviting him to ride.

Salamence lowered her head for Katsu, gaining an amused reaction from the girl.

"Huh. Usually she's a bit more picky than that. I guess the rumors about you are true after all," she mused, motioning for Hugh to join her.

"If by that you mean he's lucky as hell, then yes, the rumors are true," Hugh smirked, hopping aboard Dragonite with the girl.

"So…Reversal Mountain huh? Judging by what you two discussed in there, I guess it must be pretty darn important to be going to a place like that," the girl grinned, lightly tapping Dragonite's side for him to lift off.

Katsu observed this, and did the same, lifting off as well on Salamence.

"Yeah…Team Plasma has something wicked up their sleeve. But for the life of me, I don't understand why they would go into Reversal Mountain. It's pretty strange if you ask me," Hugh sighed.

"Well…there isn't much in Reversal Mountain, save for a lot of magma…Pokémon, and a…" she cut herself off.

"A what? What?" Hugh inquired.

"Dragonite, get moving now!" She ordered, causing the stout dragon to burst forth with surprising speed, Salamence following behind as she kept up with Dragonite.

X-X-X

"Looks like this is it," Midna grinned, spotting a rather large cave that seemed different than the rest.

"Are you certain, Midna?" Darius inquired, only to reconsider his question, "never mind…I sense it now," he grinned.

"Indeed. And just feel that heat. We are barely near it and already I can feel a dramatic difference in temperature. Perfect," Midna grinned deviously.

"Alright men, ready your capture devices. Once we go in, there is no turning back. Got it?" Darius informed.

Just as they were about to step into the lair of Heatran, they were met with a strong psychic barrier. The grunts who ran into it were flung back from contact. The Duskbringers, however, felt the presence of the obstruction before their team moved. They remained still before turning around to greet their adversaries. Jay was standing in front of her friends, eyes aglow with violet energy.

"I had a feeling we would be meeting again. But," Midna paused, looking around. "Where is Katsu?" Midna inquired.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my Tsu isn't here at the moment. So you'll be dealing with me," Jay stated with a neutral expression.

"So that's what you call your man huh? Already with the pet names hmm?" Midna smirked.

"Katsu is mine and I will call him whatever I please," Jay retorted.

'Jay seems really fired up. This is the same persona she put on against me," Alice thought as she observed Jay's change.

"Well, someone sounds confident. However, you do remember what happened the last time we met, right?" Midna smirked.

Jay remembered all too well. She had barely escaped with her life. She was a little stronger now, but that could only get her so far.

"I guess we have no choice but to battle you four. Men? Why don't you get to it?" Midna ordered.

Jay and the others needed no prompting. Soon, the inside of the mountain became a battleground.

X-X-X

Katsu, Hugh and the young girl made it to Reversal Mountain quite quickly and soon dismounted, heading into the mountain. The girl recalled her two Pokémon and proceeded to follow the two boys. Katsu stopped in his tracks as he felt a strong presence deep within the mountain. Concentrating, he looked in the direction of where the aura was coming from and immediately knew where to go.

"Let's go," Katsu said as he took off.

"Right behind you Katsu," Hugh replied as he darted after him, the girl close behind.

X-X-X

Jay and Midna were once again locked in a combat of psychic force. Jay was faring a bit better this time, managing to hold her at bay for much longer. Midna, of course was still stronger, and it showed due to Jay having to exhert more force to keep up her defenses and counter her. All the while, she was holding up the barrier, which probably wasn't the best move.

Goken's Pokémon were engaged in combat with one of the twin fighters companions while he fought hand to hand with the trainer. Maikeru also had his hands full. Alice was also doing her best to fend off the numbers stacked against them. Meanwhile, it was clear that Jay was losing focus. While Gen, Dusk and Drif defended her, she was almost spent. All she knew was that she couldn't let them through that barrier. No way, no how. Midna seemed to sense her wavering control and decided to capitalize on it by upping the amount of force she used. Jay struggled as she felt an intense pressure on her body. She was starting to lose it.

"Getting tired?" Midna taunted, a devious grin on her features as she kept her focus.

Jay dug in, still not willing to budge. Her powers were weakening, and she was becoming weary. Taking advantage of this, Midna channeled a bit of her psychic force into a pool of magma near Jay, causing it to rise like a wave before plunging towards Jay. Just before it hit, Jay was yanked aside very quickly, and because of that, the magma hit the ground where she stood, melting the place on which she previously stood. Jay blinked as she found herself in a pair of strong arms. A pair that she knew all too well.

"So he came after all. I was wondering when you'd show your face, Katsu," Midna cooed.

Katsu set Jay down, dusting her off a bit before turning to face Midna and the others. Team Plasma froze in place along with Alice, Goken and Maikeru. Not only were they happy to see Katsu, but Team Plasma was a bit scared of who else had joined the fray.

'Crap…what's she doing here?' Midna thought rather nervously as she laid eyes on the girl with Hugh and Katsu.

Midna and the other members of the Duskbringers were not too fond of seeing the Champion of Unova. Katsu and his crew were a big enough problem.

'We don't have time for this,' Midna thought as she concentrated on the barrier before her. With a little will power, she shattered Jay's barrier and the four Duskbringers rushed inside, their comrades taking that as a sign to retreat. They weren't getting very far anyway. As they were running, Katsu shot off after them, only to be faced with an Air Slash from Darius, which he deflected with a Vacuum Wave. This was just a diversion for Midna to raise a wall of magma with her telekinetic power. Katsu reacted by grabbing hold of Darumaka's ball, releasing the only one in his arsenal that thrived in such heated conditions.

"Quick, use Flame Charge!"

Darumaka complied immediately, shrouding himself in blazing hit flames. Katsu watched as Darumaka rushed headlong into the Magma, creating a very loud, BANG! Magma was deflected in dozens of directions, however, due to Gengar's psychic abilities, none of it hurt anyone.

"I fail to see the point of that, Katsu," Midna called out from behind a barrier of her own.

"What if I told you that you're wrong?" Katsu grinned, gaining a raised brow from Midna as he turned his attention to the smoke around him. Stepping forth from it was a rather hulking, red, ape-like figure. It had black ringed, yellow eyes and outrageously bushy, flaming eyebrows fixed in a perpetually angry expression with a sinister smile to boot. He was squatting, bracing himself on his massive arms and powerful hind legs.

"A Darmanitan? So that's what you were after! Bravo then. But it's still pointless. Now if you'll excuse us, we have a Legendary to secure," Midna giggled.

"Yeah…that's where you're also wrong," Katsu smirked, watching as Darmanitan began to change. "You see…there was another reason I had him jump in the magma. Watch and learn," Katsu grinned as Darmanitan transformed.

Darmanitan's limbs fused with his body and his face and body became like that of a blue Daruma doll. This, was Zen Mode. This was one of two forms Darmanitan possessed, with the right ability of course. He was weakened a bit from the blast which triggered the evolution and transformation.

'Wow…looks like the rumors of his luck are still holding up. A Darmanitan with Zen Mode is not easy to obtain,' the purple haired lass thought as she watched Katsu get to work.

"Psychic," Katsu ordered.

Darmanitan didn't budge, however, the rings on his stomach lit up in a violet glow, as did his eyes. Suddenly, the barrier shattered. Midna stood there, unfazed by the new development.

"As expected, you are as good as ever," Midna clapped. Darius made his way up beside Midna and turned to speak with her.

"It appears as though Heatran is not here," Darius muttered.

"Huh? Are you certain? I was sure that it was this chamber," Midna stated, turning her gaze to meet their opposition.

"It would appear that what we seek eludes us…" Midna stated with a devious grin.

All the while she talked, the room seemed to steadily increase in temperature until it was to a nearly unbearable state. Suddenly, the cave began to shake and the magma within the chamber began to bubble. A pillar of fire burst forth, and magma erupted from the scalding hot pools to reveal the legendary itself. Heatran looked to be a cross between an armored red turtle and a ram. It gave a deafening roar as it spotted intruders in its lair.

"Well…it's about time it appeared," Midna grinned, staring up at Heatran. The Legendary had scurried up the wall to the roof of the cave and was staring back down with malice.

"Ready the capture nets!" Darius ordered.

"That's not a good idea!" Maikeru shouted.

"Of course it is," Midna cut in. "Without Heatran in our way, nothing will be able to melt the cold that will be brought upon all of Unova. All will bow to our leader," Midna grinned.

"That's not going to work. Provoking Heatran is practically suicide!" Maikeru tried to reason.

Katsu stood beside his friends, keeping Darmanitan out for the battle that was bound to continue. Team Plasma readied their net launchers which had special heat resistant, strong nets that could restrain nearly anything. However, due to the intense heat, hardly any of Team Plasma could concentrate. They were sweating like Pignites and were becoming fatigued. All the while, intense fllames gathered within Heatran's mouth. This caused a dramatic temperature spike which caused great alarm.

"We can't stop that," Midna mumbled, snapping her fingers to beckon the Shadow Triad who were in hiding. The moment they appeared, all of Team Plasma vanished, just as Heatran unleashed Magma Storm where they stood. The blast caused a powerful explosion, caving the roof in and shutting in Katsu and the others. When the smoke cleared, Darmanitan was seen holding up a psychic barrier, protecting him and his trainer's friends.

"Well…that certainly wasn't what I expected," Katsu began.

"Yeah…this has to be the worst case scenario," Hugh stated, his eyes locking on Heatran, who was now staring them down.

X-X-X

Team Plasma soon found themselves outside. Midna grumbled to herself as she looked back at Reversal Mountain.

"It appears that Ghetsis greatly underestimated Heatran's power. Oh well…now those seven are at its mercy," Midna grinned.

"I take it that was your backup plan?" Darius chuckled, turning to face the mountain.

"Yes. And with them trapped inside, Heatran can have a field day while we help Ghetsis take over," Midna laughed.

"You always were a twisted one, Midna," Darius pointed out.

"Why thank you, I pride myself in that," Midna grinned as she bowed.

X-X-X

Meanwhile, Katsu and the others were having a hard time with the walking furnace that was Heatran. Darmanitan could only hold the barrier up for so long. The girl who arrived with them wasn't going to stand by of course. Her Dragonite was out and battling Heatran. The mighty dragon rammed it's lightning coated fist into the beast, sending it crashing into the cave wall. In a rage, Heatran opened his mouth and let loose a stream of white energy, a Flash Cannon, towards Dragonite who responded by evading and rushing in for another assault.

Katsu couldn't help but watch as Dragonite went toe to toe with a Legendary. Then again, Dragonite was powerful in his own right. As the battle raged on, Katsu returned to the matter at hand. The wall of rocks blocking their exit. On top of that was the overwhelming heat issue they were dealing with. Katsu and the others were sweating bullets. And poor Jay was dead tired. Glancing over at Goken, he motioned for him to come near.

"Hey…still got Monferno?" Katsu questioned.

Goken nodded in understanding. The Fire/Fighting-type would help tremendously in this situation. Having retrieved him prior to their arrival in Lentimas Town, Goken had trained him quite a bit. In fact, it had gotten a lot stronger.

Goken smirked as he snapped off the ball from his belt and released not Monferno, but Infernape. Perfect.

"Awesome…it evolved. This us better than I hoped for. Now, we need to get out of here, so let's get to work while Heatran's distracted," Katsu stated, getting a nod from Goken. Katsu released Lucario from his ball to stand by Infernape.

The two Fighting-types awaited orders from their trainers.

'Force Palm!'

"Mach Punch!"

The commands were given and their Pokémon sprung into action. A bright white glow surrounded Infernape's fist as he launched at the rocks, easily shattering his lot with an extremely fast jab. Lucario demolished his portion with a well placed, aura enhanced, Force Palm. Quickly, Katsu returned Lucario so as not to expose him to the extreme heat for too much longer. Goken returned his Infernape and turned to the group.

"Quick, while it's distracted, let's go!" Goken called out.

Taking the hint, Alice, Hugh, and Maikeru began to run out of the chambers of Heatran. Katsu made his way to Jay and picked her up onto his back, supporting her steadily before returning Darmanitan and breaking into a run. Goken follwed of course. The Unova Champion saw tbis and decided that she too ought to make a break for it.

"Dragonite, come to me now!"

The bulky dragon darted towards his trainer who vaulted onto him.

"Now Hyper Beam!"

Dragonite reared his head back and lurched forwards, launching a devastating blast from his throat. Heatran launched a Flash Cannon that connected with and cancelled out the beam, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke. Using the makeshift smokescreen, the two sped away quickly, leaving Heatran in the dust.

X-X-X

None of them even so much as looked back as they rounded corner after corner until they finally were out. They were all sweaty, and a mess and in desperate need of showers.

"Well…that went well," Katsu stayed, gently lowering Jay so she could sit for a while.

"At least they didn't get ahold of that thing. By Arceus that was nuts," Alice inputted.

"No kidding, Dragonite was having one heck of a time with it," the girl sighed, wiping her brow of sweat.

"All I know is this…we are all alive. But unfortunately, Team Plasma got away," Hugh stated.

"Not to mention they trapped us in there with Heatran. They really were trying to eliminate us," Goken grunted.

"Let's just be glad we all got out of there alive. We owe it to…sorry, I don't believe I ever got your name," Katsu chuckled, plopping down next to Jay to pull her in close.

"My name, is Iris," she said with a faint smile.

"Iris…nice to meet you. And thanks for helping us out back there," Katsu replied.

"Not a problem you all. Anytime," Iris grinned.

Katsu looked down at Jay who clung to him tiredly. A faint smile broke out over his face as he scooped her up and glanced back at Iris.

"Mind if Jay and I ride Salamence back? Jay here is exhausted," Katsu stated.

Iris smiled softly and released the blue, red-winged dragon from his home. Katsu nodded in thanks and looked down at Jay who smiled tiredly up at him.

"Ready to go?" Katsu asked with a smile.

"Yes. I'm tired…hungry, and I want cuddles. So let's move," Jay mumbled cutely.

"Thanks again Iris, you've been a huge help," Katsu smiled, lifting off as he spoke.

"No problem Katsu. Anytime," Iris laughed.

And with that, Katsu and Jay were off. The rest eventually caught up with them and commenced some much needed rest and relaxation. They were beat.

And there you have it! A little action from the Duskbringers, only it was short-lived due to Heatran having anger issues. Oh, and notice, nobody had the Magma Stone. Hence why Heatran was so irate. Oh well, at least Team Plasma's plans were foiled. Oh, and Iris did some stuff too. Also, also. Darmanitan! That is all. Until next time, Mango out!