Fire Emblem Fates: Trainer's Revelation

by Insane Dominator

Two worlds that should never have met, intertwined by a twisted fate that would bring out the best and worst of their kinds. When Evan begins his journey, he ends up taking a different one than he thought, along with the most unlikely of allies, and he's not alone, as others like him are caught in a crossfire with Pokemon that they must stop by themselves in order to get home.

16. Fort Jinya

The sun was out and beaming through the tree canopies over the wandering group, led by none other than Corrin. For the time being, they treaded slowly, making sure not to overlook anything that may either be considered Pokémon related, or to deplete their energy reserves too soon. Though it would be hard-pressed to say that their pacing could have been better. Of course, no one pointed that out.

Well, except for someone.

"Man, are we dere, yet? My feet feel like dey be draggn' in de mud." Damon complained.

"It has been a while. How long back did you say this path would take?" Felicia asked, turning towards Gunter.

The veteran retainer was steady on his armored steed as he kept up with Corrin. "About nine miles. We should be there as soon as we clear this forest."

"We better…my ankles are starting to ache." Chef DK complained.

"Well I don't see why you have a reason to complain, Chef DK. I mean, you just caught a Cutiefly." Evan pointed out.

The notion brought a smug smile across the chef's face. "True that, Evan. Hehehe! Got myself a brand-new Pokémon to make life a whole lot smoother, am I right?"

Damon eyerolled, snorting. "Whatever you say, fo'. Just be sure you don't be filling our ears with your complaints, or…I'll be sure to fill your insides with bullets. Ye hear?" He waved his Glock around as a warning.

"(What he says, fo'!)" Scraggy grunted.

This was enough to wipe the smug look off Damon's face. "C-c'mon, really…?"

"Let's calm down, now. Damon, what did Corrin say earlier?" Keith chimed. "Let's try and save as much as our ammo as we can for any resistance. That'll be productive at least." As he walked with his white Ditto cane, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey, Nathan, you good back there?"

In the back holding the guard, Nathan hopped over an outgrown tree root and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He answered, his voice turning into a mumble. "…it's nice and quiet back here."

Damon heard some rummaging beside him. When he looked over, he saw Doctor Poopenschmir, looking intently as something in his hands. It looked like a clump of dirt with leaves and partial grass sticking out. Seeing it disturbed him. "Man, watch'ya doin' now?"

"Hnnn…h-o-oh?" Poopenschmir perked up. "Oh, sorry. Did you say something? I was just looking at these soil deposits, to see if they could have traces of berry seed. Aha!" He found something inside the soil clump, starting to dig into it with his bare hand. "Just…gimme a…gngh…!"

"Uuuuuhhh…" Damon was visibly taken back as he raised a brow. He and Scraggy exchanged worried looks before glancing back at the estrange doctor.

"Just…gimme…that…ha! Yes!" He pulled out something from the crumbled soil and held it between his hands. Aside from his fingers and nails stained in soil deposit, there was a small, curled up, translucent larvae that glistened. "Aha! Yes! I have found a baby Bug-type Pokémon! Yes! And it's still in the early stages of growing, too!"

Damon couldn't help but cringe. "Ugh…d-dat ain't no Pokémon, fo'. We got Grubbin bigger dan dat…"

"Oh…I-I see then…" Poopenschmir went from one hundred to zero in a matter of seconds. His shoulders slumped as he looked down at the larvae, his disappointment slowly fading away. A renewed sense of curiosity ignited inside him as he inspected the insect. "Hmmm…I wonder if this is a good source of protein…?"

A few seconds of hesitation led to Poopenschmir placing the larvae inside his mouth, chewing it up as he tried to get the texture and taste; as well as made Damon and Scraggy turn away and gag at the sight.

"Mmmm…a little bitter…" he swallowed. "…with a partial texture like shrimp."

"Uuuuggh…" Damon shook his head, trying to keep himself from throwing up. "Fo', I know de streets are tough. But even for me…dat is nasty af, fo'!"

"(Yeah, man! Even we have standards!)" Scraggy complained.

Evan heard the commotion from further up ahead. He briefly wondered if Poopenschmir's actions – and consequential taste for bugs apparently – had any relation to the tales of Poopenschmir having done a brain experiment with a Hoothoot. It explained quite a bit about…a lot now that he thought about it. But he chose to leave the matter alone and focus on what lied ahead. He turned towards Freya. "Well, at least we got enough energy to yell at each other."

"I know, right?" Freya responded, turning to glance at Evan. "Though for you, you do a good job not saying such things."

Evan shrugged. "I mean, I'm not petty. Besides…" He hopped over a rock, landing on his heels. "Complaining isn't gonna fix your problems, not in this case at least."

Freya cocked a brow. "That's…true." She didn't need to jab or poke at Evan's shoulder for his valid point. She knew he was right, but it was an idea to alleviate stress somewhat.

Riolu walked in front of Corrin, briefly stopping when his feelers suddenly twitched. He gasped.

"Riolu, what is it? You sense something again?" Corrin asked, caution in his voice.

Riolu furrowed his brow, looking ahead with a steeled gaze. "(Yes, I am…I sense a lot of tension in the area up ahead…a lot of strain, actually.)"

"Lord Corrin, we might be close to Fort Jinya. We're just about to reach it beyond this passage." Gunter warned. "Have you decided on what you shall say to them?"

Corrin clenched his teeth, briefly pausing to think of his words. "Yeah, I know what to say."

"Remember our story. If we just follow the technicalities like Keith said we should, we won't risk being mistrusted." Azura pointed out. "But, even so, we'll most likely meet resistance since we've been branded traitors to the Hoshidan kingdom."

"I know. But still, all the same. We have to at least try. No one wants this war to last forever. There's been enough carnage." He looked over at Evan, who nodded with him in agreement. Corrin took a deep breath inward, and exhaled. He opened his eyes and stared ahead readily. "Okay…everyone stay close. Be ready."

The renegade group made their way through the small woodland domain into the open. Their scenery had changed to reminisce that of a massive trail that delve farther up ahead towards what looked like a massive fortress that sat on a large, grassy plateau. In terms of perimeter, they all immediately noticed how well-rounded it was. Literally. The fort was circular, and had charcoal-gray plating atop the smooth gray walls and roofing – a fashion quite common in Hoshidan resources.

However, what had to be the most eye-catching trait the fortified domain had was a massive spiraling tower that sat behind the entire structure itself. While connected, it had an arc that spiraled along its sides with even more fancy plating.

In short, a feudal fort at its finest. Everyone stood at the ideal distance from it as they marveled at this sight.

"There it is. That is Fort Jinya." Azura stated.

"Wooooah, not bad. I wouldn't mind having a fort if it looked like that." Chef DK added.

"Yeah, fo'. It-it actually ain't half-bad." Damon chimed. "But, uh, I hope dey gots air-conditioning. It's hot as hell out here, fo'."

"Air-conditioning, you say?" Gunter shot the Alolan gangster a raised brow. "I take it that is another item or some form of ideology from your world?"

The notion immediately made Damon and a few others turn heads towards the Nohrian retainer. The thug looked at him like he had grown a second head. "…you absolutely serious, fo'? Don't tell me, dat you've never heard of air-conditioning before."

"Afraid not. This is the first time that we've heard of such a thing…though I'd imagine it would be interesting to see how you are able to 'condition' air quality." Gunter said with a smirk.

"Pffft…man, w-we've got a lot of work dat I ain't gonna do up ahead." Damon pitied.

"Uh…okay~?" Evan looked back discerningly, but choose to move along with the subject. "Anyways, they're probably going to be expecting us, so I think a couple of us should stay further behind in case things look hairy for us."

Felicia nodded excitedly. "Yes, a sound fallout! I like it!" she turned to Corrin. "But no matter what, my duties are with Lord Corrin!"

"As it is my own." Gunter admitted.

"Thanks, you guys." Corrin grinned at his retainers' loyalty, then faced the others. "But Evan has a point. We need a couple as volunteers to hang back as reinforcements. Anyone?"

One volunteer immediately raised a hand, belonging to none other than Nathan himself. "I'll stay."

"Nathan?" Corrin nodded. "Okay, maybe one more just to be sure."

Another hand was held up, belonging to Keith. "If it's all the same, I think having backup is important. I'll have Ditto spot for a signal."

His white cane changed shape suddenly back into Ditto. The pink, amorphous creature arose with a small wave of recognition.

"Guess that settles it. Thanks, you guys." Corrin turned towards Riolu, both nodding as they knew to depend on each other as well. "Alright…let's go."

Chef DK followed behind the traveling group with another long sigh. "Okay, Chef DK…it's gonna be okay…it's gonna be fine this time…"

As they were all walking out of earshot, Nathan and Keith held back a fair distance. The area had suddenly went quiet around them, enough to cause uneasy tension. And for Keith, that was exactly what he was feeling.

In an effort to kill time, he raised his chin and grinned. "So…rough night the other night, wasn't it? Don't tell me that you stayed behind so you could doze off now?"

"Don't remind me." Nathan spatted begrudgingly.

Keith meekly chuckled. "Just making conversation is all…it gets quite mute out here."

"You wanna talk? There's a bunch of trees you can make friends with."

"That isn't a bad idea…but as you know, it's not easy to find a tree without a Pokémon for me, you know."

"You have a Mightyena. Use that."

"I could…but I would need her for reserves, shouldn't I?"

Keith's chiming was pushing Nathan to a boiling point. He was just aching to occupy their time. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 'Fucking dumbass luck…'

---

The remainder of the renegade team made their way up along the wide dirt trail until they found themselves face-to-face with what was the fort's indominable structure. Though it looked marveling from afar, it was even more impressive when up close. Of course, with this world, to have anything surprise them would be a gracious understatement.

With group stopped where the dirt faded to stone that slanted to a ramp that led into the fort's interior. With how dangerously close they were given their status, they had at least expected some semblance of company awaiting them.

But no…it was dead silence. The only sound keeping it all from being mute was a cool breeze that brushed against their bodies.

"This is Fort Jinya…" Corrin marveled at the sight for the umpteenth time. The observations didn't go unnoticed by him. "Did the Hoshidan forces abandon it? It's quiet…"

"Maybe they're on vacation? Or maybe a lunch break? I am getting a little hungry now that I think about it." Chef DK noted.

Felicia gave him a nervous look. "W-well, I can't necessarily disagree with you there…but even in castles, we often worked in shifts to allow rest."

"I remember that, too." Gunter scowled, narrowing his eyes. "Milord, this spells a trap."

Evan couldn't agree with him more. He already had a good feeling of what was coming next. He wanted to curse himself out for being in the open for this, but refrained after knowing they wanted to attempt to be reasonable first.

Riolu perked up, his eyes widening at a strong emotion of dismay heading towards them. "(Corrin, someone's coming!)"

"What is it, Riolu?" Corrin asked.

Riolu held out a paw up ahead. "(Someone's here!)"

Corrin and everyone followed his paw towards the paved ramp and noticed something – rather someone – presenting themselves. They didn't look like the standard Hoshidan guards, but it was distinguishing darker shades of armor in their style.

Almost immediately, Corrin and the majority of everyone present recognized her. "Yukimura!"

The former advisor stood at the top of the ramp, looking down at everyone with a less than welcoming glare.

'Where has he been? Did he relocate all the way out here?' Evan thought to himself. He could have brought the question to vocal provocation, but abstain on not wanting to change the subject. Instead, he grinded his heels in the dirt and readied to reach for a Poke Ball.

Upon recognizing Corrin, Yukimura scoffed. "Hmph! You have quite a nerve to show your face here, Lord Traitor."

Corrin bit his lip, barely suppressing a gasp of surprise at the accusation.

Yukimura turned his head towards Evan, Freya, and Azura. "The same can be said for you all as well. Lady Azura, Sir Evan, Lady Freya." His frowned deepened. "I'm truly disappointed. After everything we've done to make you all feel like this could be your new home, you repaid us with this, this…treachery."

Azura remained stoic in silence. She knew speaking against such an accusation would only fan the flames. Evan and Freya spared glances at each other, remembering the brief but serene time they had in Hoshido. To a sense, they could understand where he was coming from.

Corrin hurriedly stepped up. "Yukimura, you're wrong! We haven't betrayed anyone in this war at all! I'm not the enemy, and neither is Nohr! Please, allow us to compromise!"

"Silence!" Yukimura swiped his arm. "Compromise? Why would we when there's no justification behind your betrayal!"

"Yukimura, please calm down…" Corrin muttered.

Damon smacked his lips again. "Man! Dis taking too long! Want me to just pull out ma Glock so we can get dis over with?"

"Hold your fire, Sir Damon." Gunter pleaded, not taking his eyes off Yukimura. "…at least not yet. We never expected this to be so easy from the start."

"He's not making this any easier than it has to be, either…" Evan muttered. He furrowed his brow as he had a feeling of what might be coming their way next. "Freya, stay close. Ready a Pokémon."

"Okay…" Freya whispered, reaching behind her back into a small pouch that housed her Pokémon.

Corrin persisted, taking a moment to collect himself before trying. "Yukimura, please, I understand how you feel, but all I ask is for you to hear us out…we don't want anyone to get hurt because of a misunderstanding here."

"A 'misunderstanding'?" Yukimura parroted with such disgust. "Misunderstanding, hmph! Don't you misunderstand, Lord Traitor, that I am willing to think twice about your actions for abandoning your kin, and leaving the bravest in a mess they can't clean up. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if you and your little group of misfits here were behind Lord Takumi's capture and Lord Ryoma's sudden absence!"

Even this was news to them. Yet again, another wave of surprise washed across everyone as they processed what he had just said. Corrin, being the most familiar with him, knew who exactly Takumi was. To hear this news was like a shot to his heart.

"Takumi…he's what…? And you just said that Ryoma was…?"

"Uhh, I don't know what's going on here, but I assume that it means bad news for us…" Chef DK grimaced aloud.

Riolu's aura feelers were levitating on the sides. He could feel the swell of confusion and grief coming from his trainer, as well as the growing animosity from Yukimura. He frowned. "(Corrin, stop listening to her! She's just trying to make you feel guilty! Remember what we came here to do!)"

"Riolu?" Hearing and seeing his Pokémon glance at him, he saw his piercing red eyes reassure him. It was enough to keep Corrin at bay.

"What might this be? So, you have found yourself a Pokémon to use as well?" Yukimura mused dryly.

Hearing this, Corrin furrowed his brow. "Use, you say?"

"That's right. Even though much of our ranks have been distraught, we still were able to find some semblance of comfort…thanks to the added help to bring this war to an end."

Before anyone could question her motifs, something walked out from behind Yukimura. All eyes fell onto the small creature that sauntered to his side. It appeared like some sort of Pokémon that the others hadn't seen before, though they also noticed the two small holes on the abdomen that had dark dots looking through them. The backside had a wooden tail sticking out of it.

Corrin gasped. "Is that…a Pokémon?"

The creature's headpiece swayed, making a light chime from below. "(Hello, travelers! Prepare to die!)" the high-pitched tone cheered energetically.

Riolu furrowed his brow. "(Why say it so happily…?)"

"(Because I get to kill you. What's something to get all excited about other than that?!)"

Riolu wanted to say something to rebuff Mimikyu's testimony, but with how merrily she said it, as well as the innocent vibe she gave off, it honestly made him question the sanity levels this creature had. He could have said something to tell her in numerous ways how wrong she was, but he was left completely befuddled.

Evan went ahead, pulling out his PokeDex to analyze the Pokémon beside Yukimura. When its icon appeared onscreen, the information started announcing itself.

"Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon. There was a scientist who peeked under Mimikyu's old rag in the name of research. The scientist died of a mysterious disease."

Azura blinked, shocked by the information. "It…caused a disease to make a scholar pass?"

"Uh~, so~, Doctor Poopenschmir…" Chef DK started. "You, uh, wouldn't by chance know anyone who happened to have, uh…looked under there by chance, right?"

Poopenschmir tapped his fingers together, trying to muffle out some discerning noises. "Well…the science community had a few…b-but they didn't last too long. We just assumed they were heart attacks…well, I did when they had me do an autopsy on one…good to know!"

"That sounds truly horrible…!" Felicia gasped in shock.

"Oh, no. I-it was alright! He also had a smoking addiction, and he drank a lot…pretty sure he got ill from lung disease with how irregular his breathing was."

Chef DK tilted his head, looking confused. "…yeah, that makes it so much better. So whenever I try to peek under, I'll stop breathing. Great."

Not wanting to get off topic, Corrin stepped forward. "Yukimura, when did you get a Pokémon?"

Yukimura sneered back. "Why, just the other day. But the details are irrelevant. This little one shall aid me in getting back at you for everything you have done to ruin our lives!"

"(Oh boy, I call dibs on slitting their throats!)" Mimikyu volunteered, raising a shadowy claw from beneath her rags.

"Well…guess that's how it is." Evan muttered, sounding indifferent to the matter. "Well…at least we tried. Guess if that's how they really want it." He heard Corrin grunt in dismay. "Hey, you tried. There's no shame in that."

"I know…alright then, guess we have no choice."

"No, we don't."

Yukimura turned his glare towards Evan and Freya. "I have to thank you two for showing us how to use these little ones. That is my only sense of gratitude towards your services. But now, you must all face judgment! Guards!"

"Eyes open, everyone!" Gunter warned.

Everyone's attention fell on the few guards that had started rushing to their posts. Their numbers on the surface somehow didn't feel anywhere nearly as heavy as compared to how it felt back in the canyons of Valla. At least, that's what Evan thought. But he kept that thought to himself again and focused on scouting their position.

When he looked right, he saw the outpost tower opening up a compartment, expelling two Hoshidans on flying horseback. Following them looked what appeared to be two Pidgeotto that were cawing and taking flight beside them.

The towers on their left also had compartments open up, revealing two more Hoshidans with iron naginata in their grips. Beside them, however, were what he recognized them to be a Shinx and a Zubat.

"They all got Pokémon, too?!" Chef DK facepalmed. "God! Why me?!"

One of the many Pokémon, Shinx, growled at them from its post. A blue aura enveloped everyone, reducing their offense power considerably.

"W-what was this feeling I had just now?" Felicia worried.

"Uh…I-I think that was Intimidate." Evan pointed out. "Yeah, my Growlithe has that Ability. Your physical power goes down a little is all."

Though, now that Evan thought about it, they relied quite heavily on such a characteristic. To throw lances, to swing swords, to throw things, etc. Even though he hardly knew what to do with his Killing Edge, he at least had the concept of his strength already. Which was barely subpar if he had to admit aloud.

Immediately, his mind started clicking with his experience. He brought up a Poke Ball and glanced around at the surrounding party members, taking their skillsets into consideration. It didn't take long before he started taking into account the various Pokémon positioned with them as well to know what would be most effective.

"Gunter and Poopenschmir, have you guys flank those riders! Damon, try and cover our rears in case anyone gets too close. Freya and I will cover those soldiers on the other end. Try to keep as much distance as possible from them since your physical strengths were weakened. Use long-ranged attacks if you can. Everyone try and be as close to one other person as possible!"

His assessment got through to the team. Gunter nodded studiously with a solemn nod. "Very well then." He readied his Ultra Ball and whipped his steed. With a neigh, the armored horse took the charge towards its flying counterparts flying in from a distance.

Evan turned to Freya with a serious look. "Alright, ready to go?"

Freya nodded. "Right."

"Be careful, guys!" Corrin focused on what lied ahead. He could see a Hoshidan with an iron club in his line of sight. He held up his Yato and readied for battle. "Right, let's go, Riolu!"

"(Understood!)" Riolu dutifully rushed in with Corrin as everyone else. Gunter took off with his galloping steed, with Poopenschmir scuttling behind bashfully. Evan and Freya took to their own liberties when they pulled out two Poke Balls each and braced for the two soldiers with the Shinx and Zubat heading their way.

The two trainers went a ways until they stopped short of a distance from the main entrance. They needed to remain as close as possible to the others as they began their assault inwards. The two soldiers coming at them had naginatas poised and ready to skewer them.

"Growlithe, Bellsprout! Go!"

"Rolycoly, Snom!"

Both man and woman tossed their capsules up, expelling their selected Pokémon out for battle. Rolycoly and Snom stood in front of Freya, whereas Growlithe stood proudly alongside the slouching Bellsprout.

"(Huh? Oh, I get to battle again? Well, guess I'll do my best!)" Snom declared.

"(Alright, finally ready to help the Boss again! I'm gonna send these guys running out of town!)" Growlithe barked, spreading his forelegs with a snarl.

"(Great, guess I'm roped into this now.)" Bellsprout sighed. "(Oh well, at least I get to stretch my leaves a little.)"

As soon as Growlithe was out, he snarled aggressively. All over the vicinity, the enemy soldiers and their Pokémon suffered a thin blue aura briefly enveloping them like they had. His Intimidate Ability activated as well.

"Freya, your Pokémon handle distance. In case they get too close, that's where mine come in." Evan pointed out their plan. "Give us some cover to work with!"

Freya nodded. "Right." She raised her right arm outwards. "Rolycoly, quick! Use Smokescreen!"

"Bellsprout, use Sleep Powder!" Evan commanded.

Rolycoly silently blinked before he leaned forward, expelling a dense, black smoke cloud that gradually expanded towards the charging Hoshidans and their Pokémon. The cloud of smoke gradually ate its way towards the foes until they all recklessly barreled into hazed darkness.

With them inside, the second phase initiated. Bellsprout loosened herself and careened her head back, before expelling a dense green pollen that scattered throughout the smoke cloud.

One Hoshidan coughed loudly as he was inhaling the smoke. "Where…where did all this smoke come from…?!" he wheezed.

"Damn traitors!" the second Hoshidan coughed. "This won't stop us! Not by…n-not by a…I…" He suddenly yawned as a wave of drowsiness washed over him. "Huh…I'm…I'm getting sleepy…"

"M-me too…I…" The first Hoshidan never got to finish. Both dropped their iron naginatas in the grass as they slumped to their knees in the smoke, succumbing to the Sleep Powder mixed in with it.

It didn't take too long for it to affect the Shinx as well. The little electric feline growled, but couldn't fight it for very long and ended up toppling to his side, sound asleep.

Freya grinned happily. "Looks like that worked."

Evan didn't look certain with a high guard. "Alright, that'll buy us some time." He turned towards Growlithe and Bellsprout for more commands. "Alright Bellsprout, use Growth! Growlithe, use Howl!"

Bellsprout complied, moving her leaves in a shrug before turning stiff. The cells in her body expanded and multiplied, causing her body to expand slightly in a small flex that quickly faded away. A red aura enveloped her body, enhancing her Attack and Special Attack.

"(Okay, here we go!)" Growlithe raised his head high, letting out a loud howl that echoed throughout the area.

As the howling echoed for everyone to hear, Evan furrowed his brow in expectations. "This'll bring everyone's physical prowess back up…" As he said that, a red aura enveloped his body, bringing his offense back to normal.

Rolycoly, Snom, and Bellsprout also had similar auras enveloping them. Not just them, but also Freya. In fact, everyone else felt their power return to normal.

---

Riolu kept charging when he felt an empowering aura briefly outline his body. He stopped in his tracks and gasped in surprise.

"What's wrong, Riolu?" Corrin's question was answered when he felt a similar wave empower him. He looked down at his armor, feeling his strength return. "What's this…it feels like I'm getting stronger…!"

"Lord Corrin, in front of you!" Felicia warned.

Corrin snapped out of his surprise when he saw a Hoshidan charge with an iron club. Quickly grabbing his Yato, he swung the blade, parrying the club with enough power to repel the larger man. As he made an attempt to gather his bearings, the Mankey that was beside him sprung forward to attack.

"Riolu, Metal Claw!" Corrin called out.

Riolu crossed his arms as metallic energy claws lengthened from his paws. He separated them and shot at the Mankey, who slashed with its paws repeatedly via Fury Swipes. The resulting individual exchange of swipes led to Riolu having a sizeable lead in Attack power thanks to Growlithe's Intimidate. The result was Riolu easily overpowering the Mankey, batting it away.

Corrin didn't let up. He sprung ahead and slashed with his Yato in consecutive fashion, leaving sizeable flesh wounds on the Hoshidan as he fell over. "That's one down! Now…"

With Mankey still dazed from that strike, he was still trying to get back up. But he didn't have the luxury when Scraggy suddenly waltzed up to him. "(Scuse me, fo'.)"

"(Heh? Wha-?!)" Mankey didn't get a chance to see when a heel swept from below, via Low Kick. The sudden kick to the face caused Mankey to fall over, looking anything but conscious.

Scraggy cocked his head. "(Yeah, dat right. You lay down while we get some business going in yo crib.)"

"Dat'd be de spirit, Scrags." Damon mused. "Aitz, time to take names."

---

Up above, the Zubat shot up from the snoke cloud, letting out a vehement hiss as she flapped her way towards the enemies before her. Her mouth clamped shut before opening wide again, expelling a high-pitched shriek with a dense soundwave rippling after them, via Supersonic.

"Look out!" Getting in front of Freya, Evan brought up his shield that he had strapped to his arm. The shield took the Supersonic attack while deflecting the soundwaves off the metal to protect his ears. Though his arm felt a dense tingling sensation.

"(Boss!)" Growlithe barked.

"Not yet! Freya, shoot it down!" Evan shouted.

Freya nodded in understanding. "Right." She reached her arm up at Zubat. "Rolycoly, use Smack Down!"

"(…)" Rolycoly retained his silence as he congregated mineral-like energy to a singular point. Once enough of it was charged up, he fired it at the oncoming bat with near-accurate precision. The results ended up having a medium-sized eruption of orange energy and dust that engulfed the atmosphere for a few seconds. Next thing that happened, the Zubat plummeted straight down, landing with a harsh thud.

"Alright, that just leaves them." Evan looked ahead, his gaze focused on the sleeping Hoshidans and Shinx. He sighed out his nose. "I hate to kick a man when he's already down…but better safe than sorry. Bellsprout, use Vine Whip on the Shinx!"

"Snom, use Struggle Bug!" Freya followed up.

Bellsprout huffed before lifting her leaves, expelling green vines that flung after the sleeping Shinx. The whips laced around the body, picking up the feline off the ground and held him overhead. Without any delay, the enhanced Attack power Bellsprout had gave her the added momentum to slam the Shinx into the grass with a painful thud.

At that same time, Snom focused as a bright green-yellow aura engulfed her body. She expelled bright green comets of energy that had a small buzz emanating from each one. They all surged through the air in large numbers and buzzed their way into the sleeping men and Shinx, bombarding them all relentlessly.

The Shinx fell over onto its side, unconscious from too much accumulative damage from both attacks. However, both men were still asleep as a blue aura enveloped their bodies, reducing their Special Attack.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!"

"Rolycoly, Rapid Spin!"

Growlithe barked loudly as his body suddenly burst into flames and he started spinning like a wheel. Not too far behind him, Rolycoly was rotating like a top, gathering momentum to where he was a blur that sped after one of the fallen men. Both flaming and rocky wheels barreled into the two men, hitting their slouched statures hard and sent them flying into the fortress wall with harsh thuds.

Growlithe expelled his flames, barking gleefully. "(How's that, Boss?)"

"Nice work, Growlithe." Evan praised with a grin.

Rolycoly slowly came to a stop, but a red aura indicated a Speed increase.

"Looks like that's the only ones around here." Freya noted. "Evan, we head back to join the others?"

Evan nodded. "Good idea. Let's go…I just got a new idea how we can get ourselves out of this situation sooner." He started towards the main entrance, with Freya following behind. "C'mon guys!"

"(Oh, great, more walking.)" Bellsprout groaned.

"(C'mon, don't be like that. Let's go! Our Boss needs us!)" Growlithe urged enthusiastically, rushing towards Evan's side.

"(Ugh, fine. Not like there's anything better to do.)" Bellsprout sauntered her way across the grass to follow behind. All while Rolycoly allowed Snom a ride atop him and sped off on his wheel in Freya's direction.

---

Gunter's steed neighed loudly as it raced towards the oncoming flying horses heading their way. Gunter saw them as well as the Pidgeotto that were gliding down after them. With his Ultra Ball set, he readied for battle.

"Very well…come forth, I need your assistance!" Gunter threw the Ultra Ball into the atmosphere, causing the capsule to spin and expel energy in front of him.

Larvitar sat in front of him, his expression as stalwart as his trainer's. "(Alright, I'm ready! I'll be even more careful this time!)"

"Doctor?" Gunter called back to Poopenschmir, who was in a light jog towards him due to his less-than-appealing health.

Poopenschmir panted heavily, barely able to catch up. Once he had caught up, he sighed outwards. "Oh…oh…phew…man, I-I think I need to hit a gym around here…phew…"

"Doctor." Gunter repeated.

Poopenschmir shot up, startled. "H-huh? What?"

"I am still new to this. Tell me, what attack would be most suiting against these flying Pokémon?"

"O-oh, right. Well…" He cleared his throat, raising an unsteady index finger towards the oncoming foes. "R-Rock and Electric attacks work on them. So your best move will be Rock Slide!"

"I understand, thanks for the advice." Gunter couldn't help but grin. 'Now I see. That young trainer was wise to have myself and the doctor out here. My Larvitar has an advantage, plus the doctor has some intelligence with this matter as well. Convenient.'

The Pidgeotto cawed as they closed the gap with the flying horses. The naginata the riders had were poised and ready to strike.

"Larvitar, use Rock Slide!" Gunter shouted.

Larvitar nodded. "(Right away!)" He lifted his tiny arms into the air, causing distorted ripples to manifest. Each ripple created a gray and white energy that compressed to massive gray stones that were spread out over the riders' heads.

"Huh? What?!" One rider gasped in shock.

Without warning, the rocks started dropping one after another, similarly to rainfall. The stones crashed down in the wake of the horses and two Pidgeotto. Though one Pidgeotto was successful at being wary and flying out of the way, the remaining flyers weren't as fortunate as the stones pelted them from above. They all cried and grunted as their steads lost altitude from being bombarded by heavy rocks.

By the time the Rock Slide ended, the three were left surrounded by broken shambles of rock, all of whom were completely unconscious.

Gunter grinned with pride. "A most stupendous achievement. Excellent work, Larvitar."

"(Thank you, sir!)" Larvitar nodded with pride, but was blindsided by a strong blast of wind that buffered him. He winced, but was able to withstand it.

Gunter and Poopenschmir looked over, realizing the strong windstorm on Larvitar was coming from Pidgeotto, via Gust. Gunter took the initiative with his lance and charged with his armored steed. "Have at thee!"

The call signaled to the remaining Pidgeotto to halt. She looked over and noticed the charging human with a skewering weapon in hand. Out of instinct, she flapped her wings and hastily flapped to get higher above them and evade the lance's cleaving strike. Gunter pulled on the reigns of his horseback to make the charge slow down and trotted to a pivot.

"Doctor, I need your assistance with this one!"

"Huh? O-oh, right!" Hurrying for his own security, Poopenschmir held up a Poke Ball and tossed it up. "Okay, Rotom! Go!"

The capsule popped open in midair, expelling Poopenschmir's Rotom. The plasmatic zigzags on its sides buzzed up and down as it sickly smiled. "(Oooh boy, what have got here today?)" it mused.

Poopenschmir directed an index finger at the Pidgeotto. "Quickly, use Confuse Ray!"

Rotom cackled mischievously as purple balls of illusionary energy expelled from its frame. It used its plasmatic appendages and directed each individual orb at Pidgeotto. As they traveled, they circulated in a wispy orbit until they had reached their intended target. As soon as they had reached the bird, Pidgeotto's eyes dilated as small illusionary duckies went in an orbit around her head.

Gunter looked on, partially surprised at the attack. "It's disoriented?" He quickly adapted to the situation and chose to attack. "Very well then. Larvitar, use Payback!"

"(Right!)" Larvitar nodded and began surging purple energy all around his body. He took the initiative and hurried after the startled and dizzy avian. When he was close enough, he pounced off the ground with the energy concentrated around his horn for a headbutt.

However, something shocking happened. The Pidgeotto suddenly waltzed through the atmosphere a short distance away, like she was shuffling herself out of her dizzying state. The Payback missed as Larvitar fell back to the ground.

"It missed?" Gunter gasped, seeing the bird looking borderline ditzy with talons scratching at the air. "Doctor, what's the meaning of this?"

"Er, hang on, gimme a second. I'm not as accustomed to Pokémon as I used to…" Poopenschmir put his fingertips together as he looked contemplative. "Mmmm, Payback is usually accurate…wasn't holding an item, er…oh! I got it! Yes!" He jumped. "Yes! So, some Normal and Flying-types may have this Ability that's called Tangled Feet, okay? So, whenever they get confused, it increases their chances of evasion!"

Gunter frowned. "You sound so cheerful, given that you were accountable for this."

Poopenschmir opened his mouth to say something, but realized that he was in the wrong. "Oh…well, yes…you are right…that's my bad."

The Pidgeotto cawed in her disoriented state. She subsequently turned towards Poopenschmir and flapped her wings to glide after him, via Tackle. The action alarmed Poopenschmir to where he covered his head and panicked.

"Ah! Ahhh! Aaaaah! Get it off of me! Shoo! Go away! Aaaah!" He flailed his arms in an attempt to wear away the bird. However, it only encouraged her to jab at him with talons as he kept scrambling around.

"(Hehehe, what a show.)" Rotom mused.

Larvitar gave it a look. "(Shouldn't you do something to help him?)"

"(Eh, maybe. He looks fine to me.)"

"Aaaahhh!" The cries of Poopenschmir echoed from the distance. His constant grunts were heard every time the Pidgeotto jabbed and jabbed at him. "Stop being confused! Ow! Shoo! Aaaah!"

Larvitar looked back and forth between the scene and Rotom several times, until he finally grew impatient. "(Uh, now?)"

Rotom snickered. "(Well, show's gotta keep rolling I guess~!)" It zipped a little higher, elevated at Pidgeotto's level as she was kicking Poopenschmir with her talons as he was on his knees and elbows. "(Now, this won't hurt a bit…Thunder Shock!)"

With a swift bolt of weak lightning, Rotom fired electricity at Pidgeotto with her back turned. The attack met her back and stunned the dazed bird, making her caw loudly in pain. Her nerves tingled to where they felt borderline numb for several seconds until she fell over, unconscious.

Gunter raced over on his steed to Poopenschmir covering himself on the ground. "Are you alright, good doctor?"

"Ooof…oi…I…I think…" He gradually stood back up, albeit with shaken knees. He straightened his glasses and blinked several times, dusting off his lab coat. "Okay…phew! Now, that bird was a big meanie!" He glared down at the unconscious bird with an index finger pointed. "How's about I peck and stab you with talons? Huh?! Huh?! You big meanie bird! I hope you never have eggs! Hmph!" He folded his arms into a pout and turned away.

Trying to get his attention, Gunter cleared his throat. "Not to misplace your disdain, but I believe we should direct our aggression towards other matters."

"Err, yes! You are correct, Mr. Gunter! Come! Let us vanquish these warriors at once!" he shouted. "And then afterwards, I'll remove this bird's egg-laying organs! Yes! Hoot! Hoot!"

Rotom cackled mischievously. "(See? He's fine.)"

---

"Ha!" Felicia threw her iron daggers from a distance, stopping a Hoshidan with an iron katana. Beside him was a female Nidoran, who stopped in her tracks to avoid the iron daggers that she was more perceptive too. The Hoshidan however wasn't as fortunate.

"Thanks, Felicia!" Corrin took the opportunity and reached his arm out. "Riolu, now! Metal Claw!"

"(Understood!)" With dutiful grace, Riolu rushed across the flooring and took a leap towards the staggering Hoshidan. With metallic energy shaping claws around his paws, he crossed them and slashed in a cross pattern, making shimmering bright slash marks that struck the Hoshidan.

The man fell onto his back with a pained grunt. As Riolu landed on the ground, a red aura flared around him, enhancing his Attack power yet again.

Azura pulled out a Poke Ball, tossing it in front of her. "Popplio, please lend me your strength!"

The capsule flung open, expelling more energy that manifested into Azura's Popplio. She flipped onto her tailfins and clapped her flippers together. "(Alright~! It's showtime! I'm ready to play, Azura!)" she chirped merrily.

Azura grinned, happy to see Popplio so eager and energetic to be of help. Taking the hint to heart, she faced the Nidoran that was left alone. "Sorry about this. Use Icy Wind!"

Popplio barked in understanding and opened her mouth wide and expelled a powerful, dense breeze that surged through the area. Bright blue sparkles indicated how cold it was. As soon as the breeze met the Nidoran, she was pushed back against the forceful wind as a blue aura reduced her Speed.

"Now Riolu, Feint!" Corrin shouted.

Riolu's paws glowed bright white as he suddenly beelined at intense speeds towards the stiff Nidoran. With his Attack power already increased, the wake of the fist colliding with her face caused an intense pain that sent her rolling onto her side in a fainted heap.

"Well done, Milord!" Felicia cheered.

Corrin grinned. "Thank you guys. But it looks like there's still plenty left around here." He quickly lost his joy as a serious frown took over. "We're making progress, but not fast enough…"

Looking left and right, there was something that crossed Corrin's mind. Once again, he and everyone else found themselves at an impasse – a fork in the road. The long walls stretched to around both corners, leaving anything in the norm as far as tactical advances went.

"Man, this place is like a maze now that I look at it this way." Chef DK paneled his head, seeing the many corners the fort had. "Man, how do they navigate this place?"

"Aitz no idea, fo'." Damon shrugged.

Corrin turned towards their most useful ally at the moment. "Riolu, anything?"

Riolu closed his eyes to focus. Once again, his aura feelers gingerly levitated as he was sensing everything around him. He could pick up a lot anxiety, distress…and anger. All from further up ahead. It didn't take long for him to figure out their directions.

He pointed a paw towards the western wing. "(That way. There are more humans and Pokémon in that open vicinity.)"

"That way?" Corrin questioned. "Okay then. Everyone, stay close! We'll take them down together!"

"Pssshhh! I gotcha fo'. But, uh, I-I~ think dat we should splits here." Damon slyly suggested. "You know, cover dem extra corners, y'know. Make sure we ain't getting any of dose sharp things wedged behind our backs?"

"My god. Here we go…" Chef DK groaned.

"Are you sure about that, Damon?" Azura asked.

Damon waved his arm at her, smacking his lips. "Yeah, yeah. It's an, uh…one of dem, uh, 'tactical warfare' dings you people use. Y'know what dey say better safers dan sorry."

Though the motive was uncertain, Corrin couldn't deny that Damon did have a partially logical point. In the end, he nodded. "Understood. Be careful."

"Yeah, man. I'll be alright." Damon started for the eastern walls, whereas the rest of the company – mind a curious Chef DK – continued their advances further into the fort. As soon as they were out of his voice's reach, he turned towards Scraggy. "Alright, fo', let's say we find us what deez dumb ninja be stashing around here?"

"(Good idea.)" Scraggy bobbed his head, snickering in agreement.

Chef DK groaned. "You serious? This isn't the time for looting man, c'mon! We've got bigger problems to worry about!"

"Aye, man, just chill yo lips for a sec, alright? It ain't like dat! If dey got some kind of weapons stashed, it'd make sense to loot'em before dey get d'ere hands on 'em, right? Plus, dey gotta be carrying around a couple bucks too, right? It's a win-win, fo'!"

"Ugh, why me…?" He turned left and right, seeing if anyone was present. For the moment they were alone. He leaned in, whispering to Damon. "You, uh, gonna slide me a piece of what you find, right?"

Damon clicked his teeth and winked. "Oh, I gotcha fo'."

"…okay, but let's make it quick. Hopefully we don't find trouble too soon…" Chef DK followed Damon and Scraggy as they traversed towards the eastern corner.

---

Meanwhile, as the two were busy occupying and covering more ground – more or less – Corrin and the others took advances towards the western corner. A ninja with a Koffing had his focus set on the intruders. He pointed at them. "Attack!"

The Koffing obeyed, letting out a long groan before releasing a thick black smoke cloud from all the pours from his body. The Smog traveled in Corrin's direction, causing him to raise his guard. Common sense told him to not get caught up in it. Those Smokescreen's Freya's Rolycoly always did made him think twice.

"Go around!"

His order was concise and clear. Azura was close behind, taking a brief pause before he let out a loud, harmonic tune. The voice resonated with Corrin as he felt another sudden surge of energy. With the Smog's range being narrow enough for passage, he ran around with his Yato and startled the Hoshidan. He wasn't given the chance to strike back before Corrin slashed in consecutive fashion, putting him on the floor.

With the Hoshidan incapacitated, now came the Koffing. "Riolu, use Feint!"

Riolu's paws glowed bright white again. He shuffled past the thick dark cloud like his trainer to get closer towards the enemy. He managed to get underneath and shot off his heels into the underside of the Koffing. A strong uppercut was all it took to send the ball of gas into the air with a pained howl.

Looking up at the distressed opponent, Popplio smiled brightly. "(Oh! My turn!)"

"Popplio, please use Aqua Jet!" Azura insisted.

Popplio barked again. "(You got it~!)" She lifted her nose and snorted a growing, elastic bubble. She sat the bubble down and got onto her backfins. "(Alley-oop~!)" She flipped onto the bubble's elastic top, using it like a springboard to get to the Koffing's height.

As soon as Koffing recovered, he was caught off guard when Popplio was at his elevation. He saw her explode in a blue, watery veil and shot straight at him like a projectile. The aquatic bullet was too fast to evade and scored a direct hit in his face, sending him somersaulting back towards the ground in a frantic wail. He bounced several times across the ground into the wall, where he bounced off and laid unconscious closely towards the Hoshidan.

"(Aaaaand…)" Popplio twirled and bounced off her bubble, flipping onto the ground straight up with flippers high. "(Finish~!)"

"Nice work, you guys. Thanks for the assist, Azura." Corrin complimented.

Azura obliged another sincere smile. "It's no trouble. Thank Popplio."

Popplio sheepishly giggled, flattered at the praise. "(Heehee, it was nothing, really…oh…)" Suddenly, she felt something stirring inside. "(W-what…? I feel strange…so tingly…)"

"(Are you feeling alright?)" Riolu asked.

"(Yeah, in fact…I feel…something changing…oh!)" Without warning, Popplio's body suddenly flourished in a bright blue glow. Her entire body shined brightly, much to the shock of the others present.

Corrin looked shocked, taken back by the display. "What…? This light!" He briefly remembered seeing Evan's Squirtle and Freya's Sobble undergo a familiar situation. "Is she…?"

Azura gasped. "My word! Popplio, are you…!"

Instead of finishing her statement, the songstress found herself in awe as she witnessed her Popplio's shape suddenly enlarge. Her entire frame didn't change, but there were noticeable changes that were included. Her stature seemed to have straightened as some skirt flourished around her waistline, and protrusions came out of her head.

When the light exploded, a brief flash blinded everyone for a second. When they looked back, instead of Popplio, there was an entirely new Pokémon. She was slightly taller than Popplio, but had a lighter shade of blue skin. She had two antennae that curved on her head in the form of bubbles that were white., similar to the ends of her flippers, tail, and the three-frilled skirt around her waist. She had a bright pink nose and gray, bright, gray eyes with pinkish pupils.

Opening her eyes, she looked at everyone with a bright smile. "(Wooooooh! Wow, what a rush! Man, what was that I felt?)" She noticed the shocked stares her colleagues gave her. "(What?)"

"(Uh…)" Riolu trailed off, directing his eyes towards her body and back to her back.

"(What's wrong? Something on my face?)" She looked at her flippers…only to realize they were more rounded at the tips. "(Woah! What happened to me! My hands look like I dipped them in paint!)"

"(…yeah, that's the problem.)" Riolu spatted.

Felicia saw the sight, gasping. "Milord, did Popplio just evolve?!"

Corrin nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure of it now…" He was so taken back that he was surprised when another Hoshidan with an iron katana charged after them. He readied his Yato to intercept, but suddenly a call from behind beat him.

"Growlithe, use Ember!"

"Snom, Powder Snow!"

Before Corrin could react, a blanket of fiery sparks and harsh snow in a dense breeze shot on either side of him. They rushed into the Hoshidan and the Spearow that was beside him, ending up buffering both to where they fell onto their backs with pained thuds.

"D-Damnit, where did that come from…?" The Hoshidan scowled. He looked over at his ally, but the Spearow was already knocked out by the super-effective Powder Snow. "Tch! Weak animal!"

His comment earned him a powerful and painful smack across the face by a set of green vines extending past Corrin's reach yet again. The whip's force was strong enough to completely ground him for the second time. This time, he didn't get back up.

Corrin swiftly turned around, recognizing the familiar people heading for them. "Evan, Freya!"

The two caught up to Corrin and the others. Not too far behind them, Gunter, along with a partially worn Poopenschmir, were able to meet up with them. All beside them were their respective Pokémon.

Immediately seeing the different Pokémon, Evan looked surprised. "Azura…is that your Popplio?"

Azura nodded with a grin. "Yes, it is. Would you happen to know what it might be, Evan?"

To answer her inquiry, Evan prompted his explanation in the form of his most valuable tool he had on hand – the PokeDex. With it, he held up the device that showed the evolved sea lion's frame on the fairly standard screen.

"Brionne, the Pop Star Pokémon. As if dancing, it artfully dodges the attacks of its enemies. All the while, it's busy forming a bunch of balloons to overwhelm its foes."

"A Brionne…" Azura parroted the PokeDex's entry that described her new ally. She looked down, smiling in full gratitude. "How quaint, well-done, my friend."

"(Awww, hehe, you're spoiling me, Azura.)" Brionne barked, rubbing the back of her head.

Though he was pleased to an extent, Gunter chose to report to Corrin. "Milord, the side flanks have been taken care of."

This bit of news brought a smile to Corrin's face. "Great work, all of you." He looked back in the direction of the fort's farthermost reaches. "Looks like we're starting to get deeper into the fort now. Yukimura should be around here somewhere…"

"Well, it would make sense he would be in the back." Evan bluntly pointed out. "Back there, he can call or direct reinforcements a lot easier without interference. Plus, given his status, he's probably a big deal. So we strike him, that's game."

"Evan…actually makes a good point." Freya admitted…not that she wasn't already aware of his tactician abilities. She smirked at him. "I think I'm finally starting to see the pattern now."

"Well, that's just how I see it at least." Evan turned towards everyone. "The plan still stands. We'll attack in tandem without overlooking a single thing. Freya and I can use long-distance attacks and cover for those more adept for close-range to get in and strike them down."

Everyone nodded in understanding with Evan's plan of action.

"Where did Damon and DK go?" Freya momentarily realized they were without the two personnel in their current company.

"I believe that Damon made it clear that he wanted to take another route with the chef to help cover any blindsided assault." Azura pointed out.

"Oh…okay then." Evan was momentarily perplexed by this news. To be frank, he didn't think too highly of the Alolan gangster. Not that he had any beef against him by any means. He was an asset in his own wright. But the problem really lied in his morals. He highly doubted him doing such a thing without much gain would actually benefit.

But…he also knew that if he got in Damon's way, he'd be met with hot lead.

---

"There! An intruder!" A Hoshidan ninja struck a stance before firing iron shuriken at the chef several meters away.

"OH GOD!" Chef DK pivoted and ducked behind the corner wall. The iron shuriken shredded just past him and struck the ground. He panted in shock. "Oh god, I just think my life flashed before my eyes just now…"

"(Fo', what life you have?)" Scraggy questioned.

"Pffft, stupid ass ninja, think he all dat." Damon scoffed. "Fo', just stop'em in his tracks."

Chef DK furrowed his brow. "Okay, and how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know? But you better figure it out, cuz I ain't turning dat corner knowing I'll get stars shot at me."

"Okay, okay, uh…" He looked around for any openings, but aside from the corner, there weren't any useful necessities. Nothing but his brand-new Fruit Knife in hand, as well as his frying pan as a shield. "Uh…oh! I got it!"

"Whatcha got, fo'?"

Chef DK snickered as he reached back, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Just a little something to get the drop on that bastard. Okay, time to try out my new Pokémon." He gave the Poke Ball a quick kiss for luck and tossed it. "Okay…go, Cutiefly!"

The Poke Ball went sailing through the air until it popped open. Chef DK's newest addition, Cutiefly, buzzed as she blinked. "(Oh, what's going on out here?)" she buzzed.

"Alright Cutiefly, you ready to get down to business!?" Chef DK motivated his Pokémon.

Cutiefly buzzed, keeping chilled. "(Eh, I guess.)"

"I'll take that as a yes! Okay then…" He pointed over the wall. "Fly over and use Stun Spore on that ninja guy!"

Cutiefly buzzed as she drifted skywards. She saw the ninja pressed against the opposite side of the wall, readying more shuriken. Beside him appeared to be a Poochyena that snarled, but was equally unaware. "(Really? Not on the dog? Well, okay then…)" She drifted overhead and hovered over the ninja. Once in position, she let out a soft buzz before a dull yellow pollen scattered from her body and sprinkled down onto the ninja.

As the ninja had readied his shuriken, he was about to pivot and sweep…but he noticed an extremely sharp smell that he inhaled. His nose wrinkled with an unpleasant and tingly sensation running along his skin. The exposed skin absorbed the drizzling pollen from seemingly out of nowhere, causing him to twitch and fall numb.

"Haha! Nice one, Cutiefly!" Chef DK cheered. He lifted his frying pan and slowly crept around the corner. "Okay, now…" He took a deep breath through his nose, bracing himself.

"HRAAAAAAH~!" He pivoted and raised the pan high over the numb ninja's head. "Take THAT!" With a harsh hit to the head, Chef DK clobbered the ninja harshly, flooring him hard…with a possible concussion. "Haha! How do like me now, what?! Guess you've got a few things to learn from a chef about how to handle your tools properly!"

"(Woah, where'd that come from!?)" The Poochyena was spooked, but was even more spooked when he saw the Scraggy and Cutiefly pincering him. "(Where'd you come from!?)"

"(From de hood, fo'!)" Scraggy scoffed.

"Give'em a Low Kick, man!"

"Yeah, you use Fairy Wind, Cutiefly!"

Damon's Scraggy brought his right leg around for an epic sweep that struck the Poochyena. The super-effective move had the small dog careening to a slide, until he stopped and was met with Cutiefly. She expelled a windstorm that had bright pink sparkles that pushed into his other side, inflicting enough damage to make him howl and flip onto his other side. He laid between the two, unconscious.

"(Pffft, wimp.)" Scraggy mused.

"(Hey, that's not very nice…but I guess we're winning, so maybe it's fine.)" Cutiefly chimed.

"Woooh, man that actually felt good. Now just gotta…" Chef DK turned about, but was quick to flinch when he saw two Hoshidans in the distance, one in front of the other with an Iron Yumi aimed directly at him. "Uhhh…"

"Man, get down, would ya!?" Damon shouted, having his Glock ready.

Chef DK didn't bother asking. He immediately got down to the floor and Damon fired a round of his Glock with a loud bang. The bullet met the guy's shoulder, going straight through and making him misfire the Yumi's arrow. It flung far past Damon's right, snapping as soon as it struck a wall.

The Hoshidan that stood behind looked genuinely shocked, if not fearful after seeing what happened to her colleague. But all she could do was stand in place as Scraggy rushed up to her with purple energy surrounding his fist.

"Yeah, show dat hoe what it about with yo Payback!" Damon shouted.

"(Aye, dats what I'm talkin' 'bout!)" He sprung up, and without even a moment's hesitation, he backhanded the Hoshidan woman across the face, making her fall to the ground. Scraggy landed on his feet proudly with his head high. "(Heh, yeah, dat what I thought!)"

"Pfffft, these hoes ain't noth'n, fo'." Damon turned towards Chef DK. "Now, uh, let's go see what dey be hid'n around here."

"U-uh, yeah…sure…" Chef DK stood back up and followed Damon past the wounded soldiers of Hoshido. He followed him towards the large chest that sat as a reserve set. The chest seemed to have had a lock on it.

"Okay, so we found the stash, now what?" Chef DK quipped.

"Uh, we open it? Duh?" Damon answered, as though the answer was obvious.

Chef DK facepalmed and sighed. "Of course we open it! I'm talking about how we open it! This thing clearly has a lock on it…" he looked all around him. "And I don't see any keys lying around, either. So what?"

Damin shrugged. "Oh, fo', dat easy. Watch." He turned towards the chest's lock and pointed his Glock against it.

BANG!

Another loud gun sound resonated through the area as the bullet pierced the lock. Parts of the metal went unhinged and fell, leaving the chest to open up all by itself from the force.

Chef DK's eyes widened with surprise. "W-wow!"

"Hehe, I know, right man? Dat how you do it from how I grew up. You ain't got a key, you go get one." Damon sneered. "Now, let's see dat booty dey be stashing!"

"Aw yeah, let's see…" Chef DK peered inside the chest with Damon.

When they both peered into it, to their shock – and dismay – they hadn't found anything remarkable. Nothing but what looked like a long lance with a curved edging. It had bright red bindings to secure it to the brown pole.

Beside that, there was also what looked like a dark brown disc, with a label taped on it.

"Wait…that's it?" Damon quipped.

"De hell, man!? I-I thought dey be having some treasures er something we could stock up on around here!"

"Well clearly not! God~!" Chef DK groaned as he facepalmed. "What are these anyway?" He reached into the chest, pulling out the massive lance and read the label. "Hmm, it says 'Killer Lance'." He paused. "Boy, just my day…another long knife at the end of a stick. Least I can cut an apple from three feet away if I need to…"

"You serious?"

"It was sarcasm, of course not!"

Damon eyerolled. "Whatever man. So what's de other one?"

Chef DK looked down at the dark brown disc, reading its label next. "Let's see here…it says her, it's called 'TM 54: Rock Blast'. Well, at least we didn't go empty-handed, I guess."

"Oh, gimme dat one, fo'." Damon swiftly snatched the TM from between Chef DK's fingers.

The chef sharply turned his head, looking disturbed at the action. "What the hell…? You could have just asked!"

"And who busted the lock again?" Damon rebuffed. He waited for Chef DK to respond, but got nothing. "Yeah, dat's what I thought. I get the actual goodies I can use. You, you be achef, so dat works out for you."

Chef DK groaned, shaking his head. "Why is this my luck?"

---

Standing hundreds of meters away from the fort, Nathan stood patiently. Patience that was thin as paper from the sounds of talking by none other than Keith. He wasn't sure that Keith was just making conversations with him, his Pokémon, or maybe a tree at this point. He lost all sense of care to where he drowned out the words from his cranium. Had it not been for his sensible conscience, he would have driven his Armorslayer or Steel Sword into him to shut him up.

"-and Evan, he's not a bad guy at all. Sounds young, but pretty well-rounded. Now he's someone who knows what's going on." Keith mused with the productivity of the group as a whole. When he didn't get a response, he cocked a brow. "Nathan…? You didn't happen to fall asleep on me, have you?"

Nathan's brow twitched. "…no."

"Ah, okay. You were quiet for some time now, I was worried that you might have gotten bored of me talking." He snickered impishly.

"If I say I am, will that shut you up?" Nathan countered bluntly.

Keith flinched at the brutal reply. "Oh…gee, sorry about that. Am I that poor of a conversationalist?"

Nathan groaned heavily. "No, you're just talking to the wrong person is all."

"Is that so? So then, what else are you into, Nathan?"

Nathan lowly hummed as he glanced away, completely disinterested. "Just working out. It's my only stress reliever."

"Oh, really? You suffer stress? Well, not that I don't feel what you got going, but for my relief…" Beside him, his Mightyena was beside him, nudging his side as he petted her head. "Nothing like sitting down and petting my Pokémon to help give me a sense of calm. Perhaps petting your Bagon or Wimpod would be therapeutic? Then again, they're both rather scaly, aren't they?"

Nathan's eyes twitched to their boiling point. Before he could respond, Mightyena suddenly got up, snarling at something in the distance behind them.

"Huh? What is it, girl?" Keith wondered.

Nathan looked in the direction she was glaring at was from behind. He saw a ninja approach, having Iron Shuriken in hand. Beside him appeared to be a Linoone. "Looks like some company."

The lone Hoshidan ninja looked on, visibly surprised to see two people that weren't Hoshidan at the entrance. He grunted with narrowed eyes fixed on them. "You two. I may not know who you are, but clearly you are not welcome here upon these lands!" He swiped his arm. "Now, go!"

The Linoone that was beside him hissed as he got on all fours, looking at the Mightyena and vice versa. The Pokémon in question was a long, partially tan-colored fur creature, with an elongated, streamline body. He had sharp blue eyes with short ears that stuck up on his head. Two brown marking went along the head and over the back on the long coat of fur that was his tail. He had short arms and legs, but two sharp claws on each appendage that were connected.

Being from Hoenn, the Pokémon in particular didn't necessarily stand out. "A Linoone, huh? In that case…" He pulled out a Poke Ball, throwing it. "Get out here, Bagon!"

Bagon burst out of his capsule, looking ready as he stood on his legs. "(Sorry for barging in…but we're gonna have to ask you to leave.)" he calmly threatened.

"(Yeah! Don't even think of getting near Keith!)" Mightyena barked threateningly.

Linoone hissed aggressively. "(Sorry for crashing your party feller and lady, but I can't pass up a good 'Pickup' if you know what I mean.)" He spread his claws. "(So hope you both are fast is all I'm saying!)"

Mightyena sneered at the poor remark. "(That's just pitiful.)"

"(Ha! That's rich coming from a Dark-type! You sure you aren't one of those Nohr soldiers we were told to fight?)" Linoone crouched low. "(Well, guess I'll finally do my part and earn my keep after all!)"

The ninja reached his arm out. "Now, attack!"

Linoone didn't hesitate. With his greater Speed than Bagon and Mightyena, he rushed towards the latter with his head tucked in and bashed his head into her own, via Headbutt. The impact caused Mightyena to recoil with a whimper until she stopped in front of Keith.

"Bagon, Dragon Breath!" Nathan commanded.

Bagon grunted as loops of air traversed from beneath him and centered into his mouth. There, he opened wide as he targeted the Linoone that was poor to turn and was in the line of fire. "(Take this!)" He expelled a viscous blast of dragonfire into Linoone's side, enveloping him in a medium-sized explosion that shoved him away.

"(Gnnngh!)" Linoone grunted, shaking his head to alleviate the sharp pain he felt on his side. "(Not bad.)"

'(This one's a strong one.)' Bagon scowled, glaring daggers at his opponent. He spread his feet, readying himself for whatever comes his way.

---

"Growlithe, use Howl!"

Evan's command was followed by Growlithe standing still and howling into the air above. Once again, a dense red aura enveloped everyone that was on Growlithe's side, including the humans. With the extra boost in attack power, Felicia fired more Iron Daggers that impaled the Hoshidan with an iron club, followed by a slash of the Iron Naginata by Azura that had him thud beneath them.

"Alright, we did it!" Felicia cheered.

Freya turned towards the Hoppip that was hovering close by. She clutched her bagpipes and glared. "Rolycoly, Smack Down!"

Rolycoly silently obeyed the order, manifesting energy to an orb in front that resembled mineral energy that he launched at the Hoppip. With his even more enhanced Attack power, the explosive impact was followed by the Hoppip immediately being grounded and laying next to the Hoshidan, both incapacitated.

"Alright, let's keep going" Corrin led the charge alongside Riolu. Both knew they had to advance, no matter what. Thanks to Evan's Growlithe using Howl before, at least even some of the weaker members could at least be competent in a physical fight. Of course, Chef DK and Damon were cleaning up any corners left untouched, as they eloquently put it.

As they were following behind his lead, Poopenschmir was panting as he had trouble keeping up. He put his hands to his knees and sighed.

"Hm? Oh, Doctor, are you alright?" Felicia asked, examining his frame. "You look a little roughed up."

"Y-yeah, of sorts…that stupid Pidgeotto just gave me a hard time, that's all." He scowled.

Felicia smiled and nodded, seeing that she could do something about it. "Not to worry. Here!" She brought her hands together, manifesting a serene, bright blue healing spell. Once focused enough, she pushed the spell onto Poopenschmir.

He stood there, feeling the aches and sores in his body gradually fade…as well as the mild back pain he had for months. All of it gradually faded as he found no scratches or tears on his body by the time the spell dissipated.

"o-OH! What is this?" He turned his hand over, seeing no scrapes or blood from the talons earlier. "Haha! It's all healed! Thank you, maid lady!"

Felicia politely bowed. "It's no trouble, Doctor Poo…uh…P-Pooper…smeer…?"

"It is POOP-EN-SCHMIR! POOPENSCHMIR!" He harshly snapped.

Felicia pulled away in shock. "O-okay! My bad!"

Further ahead of the pack, another ninja with Iron Shuriken readied to fire at Evan. In a hurry, Evan braced himself and got low with his left arm's shield brought up. The shuriken shot into the shield, deflecting onto the ground with only superficial scratches.

"Bellsprout, Sleep Powder!" Evan called out

Bellsprout scoffed, but she complied with an eyeroll before lurching forward, unleashing a green pollen cloud that traveled ahead towards the ninja and the Nincada that came with him. The ninja was swift enough to pull back, but the Nincada was not so fortunate as the pollen enveloped him. Without a chance to recover, he grew drowsy to where he succumbed to slumber seconds after.

"Damnit!" The ninja reached back for another round of Iron Shuriken.

Corrin was quick to counter. "Riolu, Feint!"

Once again, Riolu bobbed and weaved with intense speed as he closed the gap between himself and the ninja. In a blur, he appeared in midair with his heels glowing in white and spun around, landing a set of roundhouse kicks across the ninja's face and making him stammer away.

"Azura!"

Azura nodded in understanding. "I'll help." She cleared her voice, and with a resounding opera, she hummed a calm echo that she focused on Corrin. Her enchanting voice resonated with him as he felt yet another surge of energy that helped him advance forward with a battle cry.

"HRAH!" He slashed the Yato in a pivoting spiral slash upwards. The attack left another gash as blood stained the ninja's clothes in a split-second. The impact was so strong that it actually had the ninja go airborne and slam onto his back.

With the opening, Azura turned towards her newly-evolved Brionne. "Now Brionne, Aqua Jet!"

"(One springing sea lion pop star, coming right up!)" Brionne raised her tailfin and slammed it, causing her to catapult straight up with arms out for balance. "(And~!)" She bloomed with water surrounding her body, and shot like a jet across the surface into Nincada. With her Attack up, the Water-type move's power was plenty to completely knock out the Bug/Ground-type.

With the Hoshidan and his accomplice incapacitated, the group finally had some breathing room to work with. They took a moment to recuperate, all while farther back, Damon and Chef DK were finally able to cut the corner and rendezvous with the others.

"You guys made it. Was there any trouble?" Corrin asked the two.

Damon waved his hand at him dismissively. "Pffft, please man, dat wuz noth'n, I tells you. Right?" He turned towards Chef DK for assurance. The chef, knowing his place, meekly nodded.

"Uh, y-yeah. Sure…"

"Milord, we're in the heart of the fort now, I'd wager we'll be coming across Miss Yukimura soon…and I wager she will be expecting us like Evan said." Gunter pointed out.

"So then, what do we do?" Freya asked, combing her bangs with her nails.

Knowing who's best for a situation like this, Corrin turned towards his most trusted confidant. "Evan?"

Evan stayed calm. He knew he had to be careful. That quality was what helped them stay on his feet the whole time. There was no need to get ahead of himself and get hurt recklessly. He looked at everyone around him, then at their Pokémon to weigh out a strategy plan.

He turned towards Chef DK and his Cutiefly, getting an idea. "Does your Cutiefly know Sweet Scent?"

Chef DK blinked. "Uh, I think so, why?"

---

Further up ahead, there was a Hoshidan with an Iron Yumi, as there was another one that was around the corner in front of a chest, safeguarding its contents as though his life depended on it. Though further up ahead, they knew that the invaders were soon to come, and they had to brace for that.

"Any moment now, that traitor will be in our line of sight…" The foremost Hoshidan braced himself, readying his Iron Yumi with gusto.

Beside him, his partner was a Paras. He hissed as he was just as ready as anyone else. The other Hoshidan had a Snubbull. However, both Pokémon, despite their new dedication, had started sniffing the air. The air was surprisingly sweet…and alluring.

Without warning, the Paras and Snubbull had lost focus, moving towards the smell as though they were possessed by something.

"What the-!? Hey, who told you to move!?" The second Hoshidan scowled. "Get back here!"

"What are they going?" The first Hoshidan looked confused, but eventually was able to pick up on the alluring smell whiffing through the air. "Hmmm…what's this smell? It's so…so sweet."

"Huh?" The second Hoshidan sniffed the air, and like his associate, he took an interest in the vague yet alluring smell. "Yeah, you're right…it smells like peach blossoms, maybe even sweeter…"

"Where is it coming from?"

The second Hoshidan looked past the corner, seeing the Snubbull and Paras saunter towards the direction of a rippling pink dust that was scattering from that direction. "That way? They must know."

"C'mon, let's check it out…" It could have been the alluring smell that was sweet on their taste buds, but the two men found themselves drawing closer towards the open area with their Snubbull and Paras. All four gradually crept closer towards the light pink scent that whiffed across the vicinity.

As they traversed closer towards the lingering smell, they were unaware of the blue aura that enveloped their bodies. They were also unaware of the shimmering ripples above waiting to drop on them.

"Now, Larvitar!"

The shout was barely enough to snap the warriors out of their pseudo-hypnotic funk. They blinked several times and looked down at the ground to find several shadows enlarging. Realization quickly dawned as they looked up to find gray boulders drawing closer.

"Aw shi-!" The Hoshidans were unable to defend themselves or the Pokémon as they all were bombarded by rocks from thin air. Everyone stayed calm and watched from the distance as they watched the enhanced Attack increase of Larvitar's Rock-type attack doing its part.

By the time the dust cleared out, everyone was able to ease when the Hoshidans were laying unconscious around broken and crumbled pieces of rock. Ahead of them strewn across the ground was also Snubbull and Paras with swirls in their eyes.

"Fwoo, boy. I would hate to be them right now…" Chef DK murmured.

"I see, so that was the plan." Poopenschmir fiddled his fingertips as he was anxious. "U-Using the Sweet Scent, to lure in the rest of the nearby baddies. And then, with their evasion and awareness diminished…BOOM! Hehe, nice going, young Evan!"

Evan nodded as he continued silently observing his surroundings. 'We could have used Brionne's Disarming Voice, but I think that's a Special Attack, so it doesn't get the bonus from Growlithe's Howl like Larvitar's Rock Slide does. Plus it covers more area.' He glanced at everyone else and nodded. "Alright, that should be it for this area. Let's go."

They all proceeded according to his intuition. As they went past the defeated – and partially buried – Hoshidans, something shiny caught Felicia's attention. "Oh, what's this?" She bent down to pick it up. When she did, she noticed that it was a large, metal, golden key. "Oh, a key!"

"Wait, for real?! Like an actual key?!" Chef DK looked surprised to say the least.

"Aye, yo, you have fun with dat. I ain't gett'n myself roped up in another dead-ass end like dat." Damon scoffed.

Chef DK turned towards him. "Wait, what…?"

"It'll be fun! Let's go find that chest, shall we?" Felicia cheerfully smiled. "Let's go see what hidden treasures are hiding around, shall we?" Without warning, she scuttled forward, leaving Chef DK to process it all.

"But there wasn't much from the last one! And I didn't even say that I would come along~!" the chef wined, facepalming himself. "…whatever. Let's just get this over with. C'mon, Cutiefly."

"(Sure thing.)" Cutiefly merrily followed along behind her sauntering trainer.

"Don't stray too far!" Corrin shouted at them. He turned his attention towards Riolu next. "Riolu, any left?"

Riolu closed his eyes, silently processing any emotions within the area. With much of the forces having been greatly reduced, he could pinpoint aura a little more clearly. He faced north, directing a paw in said direction. "(There!)"

"I see, that has to be Yukimura then."

Everyone there readily braced themselves. They knew not to get cocky, or at least be mindful of what to expect. Evan and Corrin looked at the Pokémon surroundings them and readied themselves. They all turned the corner and headed to the northern route. As soon as they turned the corner, they saw none other than Yukimura present, along with the Mimikyu that stood beside him.

However, Yukimura was wearing something that looked like some saddleback puppetry. It was borderline creepy to look at, but the way he was holding it up made it clear that he was in control of it.

Beside her were two more confidants of hers. The one that Evan and Freya recognized from the bridge with red hair and dressed like a ninja. It was none other than Saizo.

Beside him was what could have been a Pokémon. Said Pokémon had traits fairly similar to the Zubat that Evan and Freya had dealt with earlier. However, he was notably far bigger to where it was three-quarters of Saizo's height. He had a large wingspan with purple membranes, and a body that was mostly a gaping maw with four large, pointed, sharp teeth.

The other person accompanying Yukimura was a young woman with smooth porcelain skin. She had long purple hair, which was styled into twin buds fastened by a golden comb and went down to her bare shoulder blades. She had a white top that exposed a lot of skin, including her forearms and stomach. She had black pants that were slitted and segmented by dark rings ornamenting the fabric. A triangular mantle with red straps fastened onto the front of her crotch and had white lengths stretching downwards.

Besides her, there was yet another Pokémon. This one was far smaller than the large bat that Saizo had and was a round, small avian with a yellow beak. She had no legs, and instead had two pink talons with tiny claws on the ends. She had a red tuft that stuck out atop her head. Her wings were significantly smaller and were tucked into her sides.

"Yukimura" Corrin came face-to-face with the man that stood between the two retainers. He knew better than to let his guard down.

Riolu held up his paws, bracing himself.

Evan glanced at the two confidants that were beside her. "I don't know who she is, but…" The moment his eyes met Saizo's, he immediately remembered who it was that cut down the bridge at the Bottomless Canyon. "It's you…!"

Sensing his trainer's shock, Growlithe spread his heels, growling aggressively at Saizo.

"It's him, the one from the canyons back then." Freya also recognized him. Of course like Evan, her tone was anything but pleasant.

A short distance away, Saizo stood initially patient. However, laying eyes on Evan and Freya, he immediately grew restless while clutching iron daggers. "You…" He vividly glared at them. "I know you. How was it that you were able to escape death so easily, I wonder?" He narrowed his eyes. "Not that it matters, I will correct that injustice with my own hands. As Lord Ryoma's retainer, I will guarantee his safety by ridding the problem!"

'He's locked onto us now.' Evan reached back, clutching the Killing Edge and brought his shield up. Even with Growlithe's Intimidate, it was suicide to get close to the ninja…especially with the Golbat that fluttered beside him.

Before he could forget, he pulled out his PokeDex, analyzing the two Pokémon that the others were unfamiliar with.

"Golbat, the Bat Pokémon. It loves to drink other creatures' blood. It's said that if it finds others of its kind going hungry, it sometimes shares the blood it's gathered."

"Natu, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Because its wings aren't yet fully grown, it has to hop around. It is always staring at something."

Saizo scoffed. "So you have knowledge of what this one does, do you? It tried feasting on my blood at night, but I held it back." He shot a glare at Golbat. "Now, it serves me."

"(My Master's blood may be ripe and healthy, but I can settle for small fry like yourself. Hope your blood isn't too fatty for my liking.)" Golbat mocked, undeterred by the enemies before him.

Just as he was starting to get anxious, Gunter's steed stepped up, with Larvitar right beside him. "Needn't forget, I was there as well. Please, Lady Freya and Sir Evan, allow me to provide you with assistance."

"A-and I shall, too! Let's go, Rotom!" Poopenschmir declared.

"(Hehehe, oh boy, this'll be fun!)" Rotom zipped in front with a naughty smile. "(Try to suck me off!)"

The other woman with the Natu frowned heavily as she glared at everyone. "I am Orochi, retainer of the late Queen Mikoto. There can be no forgiveness for what you have done to our beloved Queen, and now Hoshido is in shambles. There shall be retribution for what you have done!"

"(…meh.)" Natu bluntly shrugged, showing little to no care for the matter at hand. Instead, he found himself staring at Scraggy, disturbing the latter.

"(Uh…why you staring at me like dat, fo'? Hello?)" Scraggy waved, but the Natu didn't seem all that interested in answering. "(Uh…whatever man, suite yourself. I'll just kick yo ass in dis staring contest we apparently be having.)"

"Fo', let's just get dis over with so I can eat something, aitz? No bullshit, so just put up yo dukes or I'll shoots you." Damon groaned.

"Lady Mikoto…if you are watching…I hope that you can forgive me for what needs to be done." Yukimura prayed quietly as he braced himself on his puppet-like steed. He glared at Corrin with a calm and eloquent fixation. He was ready…whether he liked it or not. "For Lady Mikoto!"

"(Oh boy, I get to kill you! That's so great!)" Mimikyu chimed.

Corrin clutched the Yato tighter than ever. Beside him, Riolu stood with paws up.

---

A set of Iron Shuriken shot directly at Keith, who was left exposed. Thankfully for him, his Ditto reacted in time, morphing into the Hoshidan ninja as a fake copy. Ditto fired shuriken back as a counter and met the attacker's projectiles in the middle. The results were a loud clash followed by metal falling to the ground.

"Thank you, Ditto." Keith thanked.

Ditto turned back, giving its trainer a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Nathan was keeping an eye on the battle ahead of them. With the loud howl he heard from before, a brief red aura enveloped him, Keith, and their Pokémon currently out, enhancing her physical strength. With that in mind, he swiped his arm with a prompt command. "Bagon, use Crunch!"

Bagon exhaled, taking a short breath before opening his maw with his fangs glowing and extending. Energy fangs protruded as he lunged directly for Linoone, who was timing the attack out before pulling away to avoid at the last second.

"(Nice try!)" His claws glowed bright white and sharpened at the ends. It was a clear indication for his Fury Swipes that Bagon was more than ready to evade. Thanks to his expertise in being athletic and agile, he leaped to the side and dodged one rake, then weaved the other. He avoided the swipes one after the other with concise reflexes and timing until an opening presented itself.

"Now, Headbutt!" Nathan shouted.

Bagon narrowed his eyes and focused. When Linoone went for another swipe from the right, he ducked underneath and tilted his head forward. "(Heads up!)" He shouted. His head rammed into the Linoone's lower jawline, sending intense shock that made his eyes widen from large-scale pain. He grunted and stumbled backwards as he tried gathering his bearings.

"Mightyena, now girl!" Keith shouted. "Fire Fang!"

"(No problem!)" Mightyena snarled as her mouth opened with searing flames erupting from them. "(This is for earlier, furball!)" She drew closer and gained enough momentum to take a large leap and pounce onto the Linoone.

"(Oh yeah? How about this then!)" Linoone brought only his right claw back, bringing it forward with a loud cry. "(Take my Slash!)"

The burning fangs and sharp claws came together and met in the center. Though it appeared that Linoone had the superior level, Mightyena was still able to make up for the gap with superior Attack power. The Slash was only able to minimize the damage from the broiling bite. It didn't take very long for the stalemate to falter and have the two separate and slide back from each other.

"Hngh, stubborn Pokémon tamers. This'll shut you up!" The Hoshidan readied another round of Iron Shuriken. Only this time, instead of aiming for the Ditto copy of himself, he chose to go for an alternative with the human with the large swords.

Nathan spread his legs, having anticipated these attacks. Reaching for his Armorslayer, the hefty blade's wide width as a bunker. He was able to deflect some of the stars. However, one Iron Shuriken aimed a little lower, stabbing right into where his left ribcage was.

"Gngh-!" Nathan gnashed his teeth together, biting through the pain.

"Nathan? Are you alright?!" Keith shouted, hearing the pained grunt from his ally.

"(Nathan!)" Bagon exclaimed. He looked completely stunned. His normally calm disposition was starting to fade to a stalwart glare fixed on the Hoshidan. "(You…)" he snarled. "(You're gonna regret doing that…!)"

Linoone stepped in front, glaring daggers at the blue dragon across from him. "(Sorry buddy, but you'll have to go through me first. That is, if you can keep up with me.)" His lips curved into a taunting smirk.

Bagon squinted with a sharp, piercing gaze; one that made Linoone almost feel voluntarily threatened. "(You wanna bet? Fine by me…let's go.)" Suddenly, Bagon's body erupted with a bright blue light engulfing his entire frame.

The Hoshidan ninja gasped. "What is that thing doing now?!"

Nathan opened his eyes, looking at the light that engulfed Bagon. He was left speechless for a moment as he gazed at what his Pokémon was doing.

"What's going on, Nathan?" Keith asked, trying to retain his composure.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nathan spoke up. "My Bagon…I think he's evolving…"

Everyone present was quiet and gawked as Bagon's frame gradually shifted and grew. He was getting notably far greater in height, but his frame was starting to hunch and expand to a spherical shape. The tiny arms touched the ground and planted firmly.

When the light exploded, another harsh flash blinded everyone for a brief second. Emerging in place of Bagon, there was a new creature that had an entirely different body and shape. His entire body was encased in a spherical, hard-layered shell with segmented hard ridging. The shell was white, with a small opening in the back and front to expose gray inside. The front had yellow, draconic eyes peering out. Four stubby gray legs held up the creature's bulk.

"W-what in the world is that thing supposed to be!?" The Hoshidan shouted, his tone mixed with both fear and insecurity.

The newly evolved shelled creature glared at him. "(You'll find out soon enough.)"

"Bagon evolved…into a Shelgon." Nathan was taken back by the revelation, but the pain in his ribs made him jump back into reality. 'Damnit! Gotta end this quick!'

The Linoone was surprised, but he didn't deter. "(Well, you're certainly bigger, aren't ya? But you're still not fast enough for me, pal! Headbutt!)" With a vindictive lunge, he sprung after Sheldon with a massive sprint speed that accelerated the closer he got.

Sheldon didn't budge, instead hummed. "(Speed doesn't win everything.)" He remained firm as a translucent turquoise barrier suddenly appeared in front of him. The barrier's firm placement happened so fast that it was like the blink of an eye.

"(What the-?!)" Linoone only caught on when he realized he couldn't slow down. He was driving his head in way too fast to pull away. He met the barrier head-on, making a ripple effect that dissipated through the barrier. He recoiled as he stammered in place, gawking at the defensive play.

"That was Protect…" Nathan muttered. As awesome as it was for him, he had to act fast. "Shelgon, Hydro Pump!"

The protective barrier suddenly dissipated, leaving nothing to keep Linoone and Shelgon separated. With him so close, Shelgon had a clear shot when he lurched forward, firing a dense volume of pressurized water that smashed into Linoone's body.

"(WOOOAAAAAH~!)" The impact was so strong that the Linoone wailed and gurgled as the jet sent him blasting through the air.

"What-?!" The Hoshidan was caught off guard as well. Iron Shuriken shot through the air, meeting the right side of his body with deadly impaling action. He let out a harsh cry of pain that made it clear that he was struck.

Ditto pulled away, allowing for Mightyena to step up. "(My turn now!)"

"Now Mightyena, Snarl!" Keith shouted.

Mightyena narrowed her eyes, her Black Glasses shimmering as she opened her mouth. Multiple dark purple and black rings erupted and expanded outwards like an echo, drawing closer towards the Hoshidan. Having taken a big hit earlier, he was defenseless as the shockwaves met his body, sending him flying through the air alongside Linoone.

Both enemies slammed onto their backs a good distance away. They laid on the ground, both clearly unconscious from too much damage.

Keith grinned. "Well-done, you two."

Ditto turned around, transforming from its ninja lookalike to being a pink-purplish blob again. It smiled brightly. "(Hehe, talk about seeing stars. I actually got to throw them.)" it quipped. "(I gotta be more of those guys often, I felt so light!)"

Mightyena trotted up to her trainer, her tail wagging. "(Thank you so much, I did my best for you!)"

"That should keep the bastard down for a while." Nathan grunted, both of displeasure of himself and from pain. He reached for the shuriken ledged in his ribcage and pulled it out. He grunted heavily as he placed a hand where the blood was starting to seep through.

"(Are you okay?)" Shelgon walked towards his trainer, deeply concerned for his well-being.

Nathan sighed heavily out his mouth. "I'm fine…just not used to handling weapons is all." He mentally cursed himself. He had all that time back in the Astral Planes to train his body. Though circumstances could have been timed better, he should have prepared for something like this.

'Maybe I either gotta ditch the blades for get something for my arms…'

"Nathan, are you alright? How bad is it?" Keith stepped closer in worries of his own.

Nathan controlled his breathing. "It's fine. Just a small flesh wound…"

Suddenly, Mightyena's nose twitched. She picked up a fresh smell from within the woods. "(Who's there?! Show yourself!)" she barked.

The leaves and underbrush shifted, leaving something to walk – or rather waddle – out into the open. When the unknown creature came to open view, Mightyena's eyes widened at the familiar set of blue eyes.

"(Wait, aren't you that…?)"

"What is it?" Keith asked. He looked down at Ditto. "Ditto?"

Ditto understood. Its body molded and shifted to match the creature's body shape and proportions down to the molecular level. Though Keith couldn't see, he could definitely feel. And when he touched around Ditto's body to identify what it was, he felt some very sensitive feelers that twitched at the ends of some ears.

"Wait, these ears…could that possibly be…?"

As he was talking, Nathan and Shelgon exchanged inquired looks. They heard more shuffling from the woods, and both their eyes widened at who stood before them.

"The hell…?" Nathan muttered.

---

It hadn't taken a lot of effort for Chef DK and Felicia to find out where the chest was to the key they had went. As a matter of fact, it was right around the abandoned corner. Now that the Hoshidan guards were incapacitated, it was easy pickings.

Or at least, it was supposed to be.

"C'mon, Felicia! Are you even trying at this point?!" Chef DK shouted at Felicia, his patience starting to thin watching her try and insert the key into the keyhole. But she was such a klutz that she was missing almost every time.

"S-so sorry, Chef DK. A little shaky hands is all." Felicia grunted as she pulled the key back and jabbed forward. Once again, it missed the intended slot and jammed the metal, knocking the key out of her hand and clanged against the ground.

"Ugh! Damnit, why?!" Chef DK shouted.

Felicia winced, bowing immediately in apology. "I-I'm sorry!"

Chef DK groaned for the umpteenth time as he facepalmed himself. "God, and they say that I'm bad with handling my tools…" he muttered low. He tried to calm down before anything else. He turned towards the ground and picked up the key. "Here."

"Oh…t-thank you." Felicia accepted the key with humility.

"Look, it's not that hard. You just gotta be steady. I know I have to be when I'm cutting up stuff with a knife. Just relax, alright?"

"Right, I think I can do that." Though, the statement was easier said than done. She would have wanted to take that back given her history of being rather clumsy. The number of dishes or pottery in Corrin's former castle that she broke was in the double digits at the very least. Even she was self-aware of her flaws as such.

But still, she had to at least account herself for being productive. Clumsy as a maid she was, she still had to be reliable. Iron Daggers thrown at enemies she can do because she practiced long and hard in case anyone came to assassinate her young lord. For all she knew, Corrin could be in trouble and she needed to be there to do her part. She had to take this more seriously.

'Okay, Felicia, Just relax. Treat this like it's a matter of life and death.' With her mindset fixed on that, she turned towards the chest's lock and exhaled. "Okay…here goes!"

With a steady jab, she was able to get the key into the lock, giving it a firm twist without any shaking.

CLICK!

A loud click was heard as the lock undid itself. The chest was unbound and flipped open, revealing the contents inside. Although, Felicia seemed more proud of herself. "I did it! Yes!" she squealed.

Chef DK blankly stared at her, slacking in the shoulders. "…wow. You're seriously proud of yourself. Congratulations, you just learned to finally open a treasure chest without crippling over." He sarcastically chimed.

"Yes! Normally it'd take me a few more tries, and often the key gets lost and I have to find it." She smiled merrily. "So thank you."

"Sure, lady. Let's just see what they got stored already."

The two peered into the treasure chest to find what goods they were fortunate enough to get. To Chef DK's surprise, there was slightly more materials than before. One of them in fact looked like a berry of sorts. He immediately pulled it out.

"What's this doing here?" When he pulled out the berry and held it up, it looked exactly like a deep-red tomato. However, it had small red spikes poking out at all sides. On the top was a thick green stem.

Felicia leaned in, tilting her head. "Is…that a tomato?"

"If it was, I'd have a hard time believing they just leave regular vegetables in places like this." Chef DK replied as he observed it. "Wait…oh, I know now! It's coming back to me! This is a Tamato Berry, that's why!"

Felicia looked more confused. "Tomato Berry?"

"No, it's Tamato."

"But, isn't it pronounced 'Tomato'? Like 'Tomato, Tamato'?"

"No, this isn't really…" Chef DK facepalmed himself as he shook his head again. "Right, right…forgot you guys don't know about berries from our world…" he muttered low. "Look, look! So here's the thing." He held the Tamato Berry out in clear view. "This right here is a berry from our world called a Tamato Berry. It's really spicy, so it makes for a nice mix-in with foods to help give them a little zing. You got that?"

Realization struck Felicia as she seemed to have understood. "Oh! I think I understand now! So then you're gonna cook it?"

"Oh trust me, I have some pretty fancy ideas with this little baby, hoohoo…but if I did, I'd be wasting the only source of Tamato we may have in this world, so I guess I'll just have to plant it and have it multiply before trying out some dishes, I guess."

"Great! Now then, what else do we have…" Felicia peered inside, pulling out the second item that was a Wyrmslayer. The weapon she held was surprisingly long and heavy, but she was able to hold it as well as possible on the account that Chef DK had the Killer Lance strapped to him, along with the Fruit Knife and frying pan.

Peering inside next, Chef DK noticed the last item stashed inside being yet another disc. He pulled it out, seeing that the shade it had this time was a light brown. When he looked at the label, it had a label that he read aloud.

"'TM 49: Sand Tomb'?" He raised a brow, but eventually sighed. "Man, nothing good either for me, I guess…well, except this Tamato Berry." He turned towards the empty chest, seeing that there was nothing else stashed inside. "Alright, let's go and see what they're up to, I guess."

"Right!" Felicia nodded and hurried off with the chef.

"(Wait for me~!)" Cutiefly buzzed away as she followed her new trainer

---

"Freya, stay behind me!" Evan remained in front of Freya, using his shield to guard against the shuriken flung at them. With them guarding, it was the perfect opportunity for Golbat to fly overhead of the guarded group to swoop down from above.

"(Your blood is mine!)"

"I don't think so!" Gunter swiped his Steel Lance across, creating a gaping wake that Golbat had to back off from. "Doctor, we could use some assistance now!"

"Y-yes, right away!" Poopenschmir cleared his throat and pointed ahead. "Now, Rotom, use your Thunder Shock!"

Rotom snickered, cackling. "(I like my bats extra crispy! HEHEHEHE!)" Electricity pulsated through his plasmatic figure until enough was gathered for a weak electrical bolt that was fired at the Golbat.

Having barely warn off by the previous assault, Golbat didn't have the proper momentum to evade the next strike. The Electric-type attack met its mark, causing him to grunt in pain as the electricity flourished through his body. However, it wasn't enough to defeat him. He eventually shook it off.

"Seems that your creatures have less power than my own." Saizo taunted. "I've seen your demonstration of how you human use these Pokémon for battle, but I have my doubts of your capabilities as warriors."

Evan knew not to get riled up, it was likely a good case for Saizo to get an opening and gash him in two. No way was he going to fall for an obvious taunt. "Freya, give us cover!"

"Right!" Freya reached her arm out, directing it at Saizo and Golbat. "Rolycoly, Smokescreen!"

Rolycoly blinked as he retained silence. He lurched forward and expelled another billowing cloud of smoke that reached the Golbat and ninja. A blue aura enveloped both of them, reducing their accuracy stats.

Saizo held his weapons closer to his face for cover. 'A smokescreen cover?'

With the enemy incapacitated, Evan went for his next move. "Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!"

"(Right, Boss!)" Growlithe barked as he sneered at the partially blinded Golbat. With his keen nose, he was able to pick up on his precise location. His body spun in a wheel of flames and he barreled through the smoke and pounced onto Golbat. The impact was so strong that it caused the large bat to screech out in pain.

"(That one hurt!)" He hissed. He looked through the smoke, seeing the faint visage of Snom close by. "(I'll get you then!)" His fangs protruded with glossy toxic purple energy, indicating Poison Fang. He flew through the smoke cloud after the tiny bug.

"(Oh boy…those are some big teeth!)" Snom panicked. She braced herself for impact, knowing that it would hurt.

"Bellsprout, cover her! Sleep Powder!" Evan shouted.

"(What? Again?!)" Bellsprout huffed in annoyance, but she complied nonetheless. She inhaled before expelling a dense green pollen that scattered towards Golbat's way. The pollen became a large blanket that bordered between Snom and the rushing bat.

However, the Golbat was actually taking caution into account. Noticing the shade of green in the cloud, he was taken by surprise and pulled away. He ascended over it and into a direct line for Snom to fire up.

"Snom, Powder Snow!" Freya called out.

"(Take this!)" Snom's tiny mouth separated, expelling a weak but freezing cold wind with dense snow and ice sparkles at the Flying-type. This time, the move was successful in landing a hit, buffering Golbat by a small enough margin to make him pull away.

"Remember, stay together! Formation and strategy are a key to winning battles!" Gunter urged. No sooner when he said that, he was quick enough to use his lance and deflect more shuriken that were projected at him.

Ahead of them, Saizo sneered as he rolled out of the smoke cloud. He readied more shuriken and fired again, this time directed at Growlithe.

"Ember!" Evan called out.

Growlithe opened his mouth, unleashing a wave of heated sparks to meet the shuriken. The result was a metallic clang that cancelled out both assaults. Once again, the shuriken dropped to the floor in front of them.

Saizo shot Evan a glare, his fixation showing his hidden anger. "For Lord Ryoma…I shall have you pay!"

"(Hey! Buddy! If anyone messes with the Boss, oh~, I swear! I'll burn a hole right through you!)" Growlithe barked defensively.

…

Damon stood a short distance from Orochi, holding his Glock up at her face. "Alright, listen up girl. I don't normally shoot hoes. If dey disrespects me, dat's fine. I just slaps them and they shut up. But dey steal or hit me back, well…" he smacked his lips. "Dey gonna get it. But I'll play along. Show me what you got."

"I have no idea what you just said…but it doesn't matter! I've read the cards, and they told me that you would be here." Orochi warned. "We were expecting you, so prepare yourselves!" She swiped her arm forward, using an insignia imprinted in the air to unleash a large Rat Spirit ethereal creature that scuttled after Damon.

"WHAT?! OH EWWWW, NAH! TAKE DIS YOU OVERGROWN FLEABAG!" Damon aimed his Glock at the massive Rat Spirit, unleashing bullets that impaled it before it got too close. It dispersed to thin air and left him be.

Orochi gasped. "How did he do that…?"

"(Aw yeah, fo', I'd like to see you top dat you bug-eyed freaky-ass birdo.)" Scraggy taunted his opponent.

Natu continued staring, seemingly unfazed. "(Meh, okay then. Guess you asked for it.)" From his eyes, he unleashed streaky black beams outlined in crimson, blue, and pink energy. The Night Shade attack surged across the ground, barreling closer towards Scraggy.

"(Wait, what-OOF!)" Scraggy was caught off guard and ended up taking the Ghost-type move to the abdomen. The beam pushed him onto his back with a thud.

Damon hurried over, looking down at his partner-in-crime. "Aye, Scrags! You okay man?!"

Scraggy groaned. "(Oooof…man, dat one had me dere for a sec.)"

Damon looked at Natu, his face contorting to annoyance. "Oh, you be messin' with de wrong guy now. You asked for it!"

"(No I didn't.)" Natu blatantly responded.

"Take dis you cross-eyed bird!" Damon didn't hesitate when he fired rounds from his Glock at Natu. The bullets fired away, but Natu suddenly was covered in outlining, multicolored energy and disappeared. The bullets continued, hitting the ground instead of the bird. He appeared a short distance from his original spot and disappeared again. And again. And again. Every time he did, Damon exhausted more bullets that refused to meet the bird.

"Man, stay still!" Damon quipped. He fired again, and as expected, missed completely. "Damnit!"

Orochi narrowed her eyes, smirking. With Damon distracted, she projected another Rat Spirit from insignias. The ethereal creature scuttled over towards him to attack, but Scraggy intercepted, reeling head back and used a Headbutt into the spirit's head. The impact dissipated the energy, though Scraggy stumbled back as well.

"(Pffft, girl, I don't stay down when ma homie got my back. Dat's yo first lesson!)" Scraggy sneered.

…

"Brionne, lend us your assistance!" Azura pleaded.

"(Sure thing!)" Brionne barked. She turned towards Mimikyu, her head tilting slightly as she made an endearing expression. "(Baby-Doll Eyes~!)" She cooed as her attack made her eyes glisten, as though they had extra emphasis. She hummed with extra effect, too.

"(Huh, oh, why make such a cute face? That almost doesn't make me wanna kill you…)" Mimikyu sullenly said, before perking up. "(Almost. Two can play at this game!)" Like Brionne, the tiny eyes in the suit began showing emphasis, having a certain charm of their own.

Both Pokémon stood there making faces as a blue aura enveloped the other, reducing their Attack power.

With the distraction, Corrin took the initiative. "Riolu, Metal Claw!"

Riolu separated his paws as they were covered in metallic claw-shaped energy. He gained momentum on one knee and wasted no effort in closing the gap between the sparkling staring contest. "(You should pay more attention on your surroundings than just one individual!)"

He made a prompt slash with both sets of claws in opposite directions, making a cross shape. He immediately pulled away in case of a counterattack. When he looked at Mimikyu again, he immediately noticed that the body wasn't damaged at all…but the headpiece had its neck completely off alignment.

"(EEEEK! OH MY GOD! YOU SNAPPED HIS NECK! WHAT ARE YOU, A MURDERER!?)" Brionne squealed in fright.

Riolu looked shocked. "(What? No! Of course not! That's just a costume!)"

"(But don't those costumes go over heads?! That's not right!)"

"(I…I'm not sure myself…)" Riolu slowly turned back towards Mimikyu, feeling a sense of disturbance from the figure before him. He spread his feet just to play it safe.

With her Disguise Ability, Mimikyu was spared of the damage…though she did feel some of her stamina deplete, it wasn't a lot. However, she used a shadowy claw to feel her broken puppet head and moved it up and down. She was silent as she registered the information that she had to deal with. "(You…you wrecked my costume…)" She muttered. Her visage on her lower-half suddenly grew darker, glaring at them angrily with an overwhelming sense of anger. "(Nobody…nobody messes with my costume. NOBODY!)" She was so mad that her eyes looked like yellow stars as she eyed Riolu and Brionne. It did little initially, though it did leave a chill running down their spines.

"(Uh, I think you just made her mad…)" Brionne muttered.

"(Apparently so…)"

Meanwhile, Yukimura was riding his puppet-like mount, which had a compartment inside the mouth that expelled Steel Daggers. The cold metallic projectiles shot at Corrin like arrows, but using his Yato, he and Azura were able to deflect the two and spare damage.

"This is for the good of Hoshido!" Yukimura convinced himself. He tightened his reigns and reached ahead. "Now, my accomplice! Attack this fool!"

"(With pleasure~!)" Mimikyu's eyes suddenly gleamed red instead of yellow. Her shadow beneath her thickened and it stretched out along the ground, going right between Brionne and Riolu. They both were confused, until they noticed it extending towards Corrin.

"(Corrin, beneath you!)" Riolu barked.

"Huh?" Corrin didn't catch it in time. He looked down just as the shadow shot up from below, jabbing into his abdomen like a sucker punch that made him wince in pain. It wasn't all that strong, but the surprise shock still lingered.

"Corrin…!" Azura gasped. She hastily turned towards Mimikyu as the shadow retreated back to her. "Did it just use its shadow to attack…?"

Yukimura hummed as he smirked. "Are you taken aback?" He glanced down at Mimikyu. "This little one has a unique attack that allows her to hit from the shadows. It's very convenient if I say so myself." He pointed at Corrin. "Again!"

Mimikyu obeyed, her eyes glowing red briefly before her shadow blackened and reached outwards. The Shadow Sneak streamlined its path towards Corrin once more as he braced his Yato for any defense.

"HRAH!" He made an attempt to slash at the shadow, but the shadow curved around, instead swerving behind and rose up behind him. He gasped in shock as it drew closer.

"(Nonsense!)" Riolu suddenly lunged to Corrin's back, using his forearms to take the attack in place of him. The shadow struck him, but he flipped and rolled across the ground to a halt.

Yukimura narrowed his eyes. "A persistent one."

"Riolu…" Corrin gawked.

Riolu glanced back at him, glaring with a nod. "(Do it!)"

As if he got the message, Corrin nodded. "Right." He reached out towards Mimikyu. "Then use Counter!"

"(Right!)" Riolu sprung again at Mimikyu, this time focusing on her bottom-half. He wasn't dumb. He knew that her real body was underneath the rags. Of course, her appearance didn't matter to him. What was important was getting to her weakpoints. His fists glowed with reflective energy from the damage he sustained from the attack. "(HRAH!)"

With a furious jab forward, he went for her face…only for his entire body to phase through it. The energy coating him dissipated as he registered the attack. '(Wait…did I miss? No, I couldn't have!)'

'What happened? That move didn't hit?' Corrin was completely surprised. 'Did it do something? No…maybe it's an Ability that they have…or maybe it has to do with their types?'

He mentally cursed himself for not having such knowledge before. Granted, it wasn't necessarily his fault that he didn't study enough about Pokémon at this point. Really, the whole concept itself was a mystery to him. It was hard enough just knowing the types of moves his Riolu had. He knew that some moves work better than others, and that his Ability would make him increase Speed when he flinches. Outside those few categories, it was merely a case and point of not having much understanding.

He looked over to where Evan was, seeing that he was occupied handling Saizo and his Golbat. He could have asked him, but he was too busy defending everyone around him. He was on his own to figure it out.

'Guess this is where I learn about experience.' Corrin steeled himself and braced for another move. "Riolu, try Feint!"

Riolu caught himself spacing out and snapped back to reality. His paws glowed bright white and he rushed for Mimikyu again, this time shifting towards the side at the last second. He grunted as he swung his paw around…and again, it went straight through…almost like a ghost. "(Again?!)" he barked.

Mimikyu turned her body towards him, looking amused. "(Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, have you not battled a Ghost-type before? I warn you, we tend to have a habit of…playing with straightforward and plain attacks like that. Hehe-GNGH!)"

She was silence by a forceful jet of water with Brionne inside. The impact had enough force to push Mimikyu across the ground until she was a couple meters away. Brionne's Aqua Jet diffused as she flipped and landed on her tailfins with a pose. "(Surprise~! I believe he just told you to keep your eyes open~!)"

"(Brionne!)" Riolu gasped.

Brionne turned towards him, winking. "(No thanks are necessary~.)"

"You…!" Yukimura turned his puppet mount onto Riolu and Brionne. The two gasped as they turned and saw the man face them.

"Brionne!" Azura shouted.

Yukimura was ready to fire Steel Daggers at them. However, somebody beat him to the punch, or rather dagger in this case. Iron Daggers shot out of nowhere, impaling the mount's side and causing superficial damage to make it wobble.

"Did somebody call for a maid!?" Jumping into the fray beside Corrin, Felicia maid herself known with an upbeat smile.

"Felicia!" Corrin exclaimed.

Felicia readied more Iron Daggers in her hands. "Allow me to give you a hand!"

Corrin nodded, clearly not going to refuse the invitation for her. He and Azura briefly exchanged looks before returning to look at Yukimura to finish their fight.

…

Natu continued teleporting around Scraggy and Damon, making them unable to keep a straight eye on her. As they were glancing around, Natu suddenly appeared behind Scraggy with eyes starting the glow crimson, a clear indication of Night Shade.

"Aye, watch out, fo'!" Damon warned.

Just as Scraggy was about to turn around at the warning, a dainty, bright pink wind suddenly picked up from the side. The sparkling windstorm brushed Natu hard enough to where he lost focus on his attack. And it didn't help that he was so light that the wind picked him up and buffered him away.

Orochi saw the attack, turning towards the direction of the sparkling wind. "Who's there now?"

Racing up to them, Chef DK met up with Damon, with Cutiefly buzzing above. "Hey, did I miss anything?" The chef asked.

"Yeah, man! Y-you just lucked out!" Damon spatted. "C'mon, gimme a hand, man! I'd appreciate it!"

"Hoho, no worries. They're as good as defeated, once me and Cutiefly are done with them." Chef DK confidently faced Orochi, brandishing his frying pan and Fruit Knife combo.

Orochi raised a brow. "A chef? Is this supposed to be a joke?!" She looked infuriated as she summoned more energy into a Rat Spirit. "This is for the late Queen! I'm not messing around!" She expelled the energy, sending another Rat Spirit racing after them.

"BAP!" The Glock went off, sending a bullet that dissipated the massive Rat Spirit.

"What?!" Surprised, Orochi was caught off guard.

Chef DK reached ahead of him with an index finger pointed at Orochi. "Alright Cutiefly, use your Stun Spore!"

"(Here I go…again!)" Cutiefly hummed as she buzzed her way towards Orochi. She hovered above, scattering more bright orange-yellow pollen that sprinkled down onto her like rain. Orochi, having lackluster knowledge of the move, looked up and saw the contents layer onto her skin. Almost immediately, she felt her entire body become numb. She felt everything from her knees to her neck muscles all tense up.

"What's this? I…I find it hard to move!"

Chef DK raced up, clutching his frying pan tightly. "Look lady, sorry I have to do this, but also, kinda glad that I won't have to worry about getting a charge, so…"

Orochi looked confusedly at him. "What-?!" Before she could react in time, a frying pan smacked her on the head with a loud clang. The impact was hard enough to make her recoil, while clutching her throbbing head.

"O-Ow~!" She cried out. She clutched her head where Chef DK struck. She noticed the fingertips were partially red. "Is my head bleeding…? GAH!" She was struck again when her Natu was suddenly sent flying directly at her face. Both fell over with a loud thud from the former.

Scraggy reeled his head back and sneered. "(Yeah, dat right. Nobody be liking a whiny ole' bitch anyways.)"

"Yeah, you tell 'em dat, Scrags." Damon chimed.

…

Growlithe pounced off the ground in an attempt to use his Bite. But just as he was going to close that gap, Golbat beat him to it when his body was outlined in a dark red aura and expelled a shadowy illusion with piercing red eyes. The Astonish met Growlithe's face, forcing him back to the ground.

Growlithe shook his head, visibly flinching from the effects of Astonish.

"Yes, distract them!" Saizo took the opportunity, rushing after Growlithe with a kunai in hand. It was due to noticing the comets coming from Snom that he and Golbat were forced to pull away. The Struggle Bug kept swarming after them, humming until they surged and met both on contact. Bright green bursts pushed Saizo away and only buffered Golbat, but a blue aura enveloped both as their Special Attack depleted.

'Keep it obvious. Don't think too hard how to win this…' Evan thought to himself as he planned their next move. "We need to put Saizo in a status ailment!"

"Oh, okay! I've seen this happen before!" Poopenschmir pointed at Saizo. "Rotom, Confuse Ray!"

"(Let's see how cool this ninja is when he's the one seeing stars!)" Rotom eagerly chattered as its body expelled purple orbs that circulated around each other in an orbit. It projected the spheres at Saizo as he held his guard up.

"What is that supposed to be?" Saizo asked aloud. Thinking it was a meager spell, he readied a kunai and slashed into the spheres…only for the spheres to explode upon contact and blind him. "Gah!" When the flashing faded, he stood completely still, looking completely disoriented and dizzy. From the dazed look in his eyes, he couldn't even tell who was who.

With Saizo incapacitated, Evan made his move. "Bellsprout, use Wrap!"

"(Hmph, finally, something that isn't knockout powder or a whip. Here we go!)" Bellsprout wobbled over towards Saizo. With his condition, it was easy to sneak up on him when he wasn't fully conscious anymore. Her root-like feet extended into longer extensions like vines and wrapped like coils around Saizo's neck, putting him into a tight squeeze.

"Gnnnngh…!" Saizo gagged as the Wrap did its part in giving him accumulative damage, but he was still too confused to even react properly.

"(Master!)" Golbat looked back, startled to find his master taken by surprise.

"Now is our chance!" Gunter directed his lance at the distracted Golbat. "Larvitar, Scary Face!"

"(Right!)" Larvitar shot a menacing look at the bat, even though the latter was more opposing than him. His face projected red and black energy streaks that traveled towards Golbat. As they moved closer, they morphed into the silhouette of a scary face reminiscent of Larvitar.

"(Huh-?! OH SHIT!)" When Golbat turned back around, he saw the horrific visage before him. He fluttered back in surprise as a dense red aura enveloped his body, sharply reducing his Speed.

With a proper opening, Freya stepped up and reached out towards the slowed Golbat. "Rolycoly, Smack Down!"

Rolycoly rode closer to a speedy halt at a close angle beneath Golbat. Mineral energy manifested in front of him as he charged up. With his increased Speed from the Rapid Spin earlier, coupled by Golbat taking a Scary Face, the Smack Down fired so fast that the bat was caught off guard,

With a fast blow straight between the eyes, a loud explosion of dusty energy flourished as Golbat screeched in pain. He helplessly fluttered his wings until he dropped to the ground with a painful thud.

"Yes! Very good! Now, time for, as you say, putting insult to injury!" Poopenschmir cheered. "Rotom, use your Thunder Shock again!"

"(Ha! I got a better idea!)" Rotom's body channeled electricity once more, electrical force that kept concentrating to a singular point. Instead of a weak electrical bolt, a dense yellow ball of electricity was created with static. Rotom fired the sphere with impressive precision and accuracy at the slowed Golbat.

Even though he was fast, Golbat was still stunned when he found himself unable to move in time from the sphere's trajectory. Instead of blood, he got a mouthful of dense, compressed electricity that exploded upon impact. He cried out in pain as a bright flash from the impact sent him blasting onto his back with a thud.

"What?!" Saizo looked shocked, though with his vision and senses completely disorienting him, he had no idea what happened.

Golbat laid close by, unable to get up with swirls in his eyes. It was too much for him to handle.

Evan gasped. "That wasn't Thunder Shock…I think that was Electro Ball!"

"O-Oh, really?" Poopenschmir looked surprised. Even he wasn't expecting this. "This is great! Haha! Okay, now let's change up the pace, shall we?" He pointed at Saizo. "Okay, now, use your Astonish!"

With Saizo still confused, he wasn't able to focus properly. It was the perfect opportunity for Rotom to streamline in with zigzags and appear closer towards his face. "(Say cheese!)" His face was cast in a harsh outline of red, as a dark illusion of his face with bright red eyes and a menacing smirk projected outwards into Saizo. Like a small shockwave, it buffered the ninja to make him flinch.

"(Quit your squirming around already! It's gonna tear up my beautiful roots!)" Bellsprout scoffed. She tightened her hold around his neck, inflicting more damage from her Wrap's effects. It was also extremely effective in putting Saizo on a knee.

"Now Rolycoly, Tackle!" Freya called out. Her Rolycoly sped on his tiny unicycle of an underside into Saizo with all the momentum he had.

With Saizo still completely disoriented, he only saw misconceptions brought up from the light in his retina. He heard the sound of something small heading his way, but when he looked ahead, he only saw a distorted dark chunk of rock with a dysfunctional sclera. He honestly didn't know whether to be scared or challenged by such a thing. But his contorted thoughts were halted when roots around his neck squeezed tighter than before. With the distraction warranted, this left his abdomen wide open for the small rock to barrel into it at full, enhanced speed and strength, causing a searing pain that made him gag through his mask.

"GAH!" His gagging as so gruesome that it brought his senses to reality as he fell over. "What…just happened…?" That was all the time he had to mutter before he blacked out, hitting the ground on his back with a harsh thud.

Bellsprout undid her rooted feet around his neck, lifting them to see the small digits. "(Phew, good. Thought I had to see a gardener to get a trim…)" She turned towards Rolycoly. "(Thanks for sparing me some bark that would grow on my feet.)"

"(…)"

"(…you don't talk much, do you?)" She dryly asked.

…

Yukimura pulled on his reigns again, activating the trigger to fire more Steel Daggers at Corrin. This time, Felicia intervened and kept her Iron Daggers in hand, deflecting them with her increased strength. With the opening presenting itself, Azura spun her Iron Naginata overhead, pivoting before slashing at the puppet's right foreleg. The resulting mark caused it to cripple and fall off the puppet itself.

"Brionne, use Icy Wind!"

Brionne nodded in understanding. She opened her mouth, expelling a powerful, icy breeze from her breath that struck both Yukimura and Mimikyu alike. The breeze was so cold that frost was quick to accumulate on the front of their fabrics. A blue aura indicated their unison Speed reduction, allowing Riolu ample time to take initiatives.

"If Feint and Counter didn't work, then…" Corrin was short on time to think about it. He needed to act now. "Riolu, use Metal Claw!"

"(If all else fails…)" Riolu closed his eyes, focusing on what he could do now. He balled his fists tight as he crossed them. Metallic energy shimmered on them for the umpteenth time before he sprung towards Mimikyu. With her slowed down, she wasn't fast enough to react in time when Riolu made a beeline and crossed his claws, grazing her as he passed her with a steadfast pose.

With the claws dissipating, it seemed like nothing happened…until a second later, Mimikyu felt an intense pain and gawked at the super-effective move stop her tiny body.

"(That…was just death…)" She swore as she faltered forward with a thud.

Riolu fixed his posture, keeping his head down with honorable respect. "(You wish death upon others, even though they did nothing to earn your ire. You have much to learn about valuing life.)"

'NOW!' Corrin rushed after Yukimura with as much momentum that his Yato carried. He cried out with all his might as he pulled back and pivoted on his heel, steadying for an intense swing. He didn't allow him to have any breathing room to even trigger the Steel Daggers to shoot. "You're mine!"

SHING! SHING!

With a set of double slashes, Corrin's brute strength in Attack was enough to send Yukimura flying on his mount. As he was caught in midair, his mount had started splitting apart from the strain that it took from Corrin's blade. The impact was so strong that when he landed on her back, chunks of wood and body parts belonging to the mount laid in shambles.

Corrin doubled back, brandishing his Yato with Felicia and Azura by his side.

"Gnnngh…this…this cannot be…" Yukimura groaned. He looked around, seeing that Saizo and Orochi had suffered an equal fate such as his. From the way it all looked, he knew what this meant. "…so be it…I concede."

"We…we did it?" Felicia registered the news first, seemingly unclear as to how to take it. However, she soon caught on and gasped with a bright smile forming. "We actually did it!"

Azura nodded proudly. "Yes, well done."

Evan turned towards Freya, the two having grins of assurance at their handiwork finally putting an end to the matter at hand. When Evan held up his fist, Freya obliged to bump it with her own.

With that said and done, Fort Jinya was theirs.

---

It didn't take long for Saizo and Orochi to come back to their senses. Granted their heads spun like tops after the swift assaults they were dealt with. It didn't help with Saizo's case with him being confused. He got up, looking very weak and hardly able to stand. Though Orochi was the same, she had only recovered from paralysis…though her body was still partially numb.

The three were lined up at the entrance to the massive headquarter gate. All three were sitting straight up, looking down with humility and disgrace in their eyes. They dared not look anyone in the eyes. And frankly, nobody blamed them.

Damon stepped forward with his Glock. "Aitz, fo'. How'd you wanna do dis? Wanna get dis done via execution style, or just wanna get a line behind de other and go 'Bap! Bap! Bap!'? Your call."

"No, Damon." Corrin intervened, shaking his head. "We didn't come here for a conquest. Remember the whole reason we're out here, please."

Damon turned to him, looking disapproving. "Man, don't be a softy! Did you forget, fo'? Dey trynna kill us!"

"I know, I won't forget that." Corrin turned towards Yukimura, exchanging glances with mutual despondency. Even though he could technically rid the problem by offing them, he also knew well of his kindness and mercy at heart. "We should give them at least one more chance, that too much to ask?"

Damon furrowed his brow. If he was frank, he really just wanted to get this shit over with. However, what Corrin said just now about second chances made him think twice. He remembered when he was in jail for a while, and he had only gotten out. He didn't want to go back there by any means.

With that in mind, he scoffed and lowered his Glock. "Fine, fo'. But dey try something…then it's 'Bap' time."

Yukimura blinked. He genuinely looked surprised at Corrin wanting to spare them. "I-I don't understand…we were defeated…why don't you just kill us already…?"

"Because, this has gone too far already. There's been enough blood shed here between Hoshido and Nohr. I know how we can end this." Corrin reasoned.

Yukimura coughed, feeling his second wind coming back to him. He frowned heavily with disgust. "If that means helping you, it also means turning against Hoshido. And you believe doing so is for the good of Hoshido? I'm sorry…but I cannot believe you. How do you expect me to trust someone who has turned against everyone I loved?"

Orochi bit her bottom lip. "Y-yeah, that's right! We'll only trust you if you can bring back all those lives that were just killed! You bring back Lady Mikoto, then maybe we'll listen!"

"Okay, you both are just being biased and you know it." Evan stepped forward, making himself present beside Corrin.

"What was that?" Yukimura scoffed.

"Listen to yourselves. Are you hearing only yourselves because we're 'different'? That's pretty petty if you ask me, and I'm not saying that because I'm from a different world. I'm saying that because I'm still human. So maybe Corrin didn't side with you. But did you see him side with Nohr at any given point? Maybe he had his own reasons for wanting to do his own thing. So how's about you hear him out at least before you start your denial streak again."

"Y-You…" That shut Yukimura and Orochi up. Both were only stagnant as Evan's words struck at whatever pride they had left.

Though they were stricken with shock, Saizo silently stood up and glared at Evan and Corrin. The two ringleaders adverted their attention onto him as they noticed he wasn't pulling out any kunai. Instead, he stood tall, fist balled with a straightened back. He didn't at all look defeated. He looked…prideful.

The ninja finally replied with a scoff. "Tch, your words mean nothing. There's no other means for me now. I know what I must do at this point."

"What do you…wait, hold it!"

Corrin's plea was too short before Saizo's body began to swell with heat. The heat quickly evolved into boisterous, bright flames as he cried out from within them. Everyone standing around flinched and took a cautious step back as they watched Saizo's sudden action make the air incredibly ill-tolerable.

"What is he doing?!" Freya looked shocked, borderline horrified at the flames starting to surge.

"Everyone, stay back! He intends to rid of himself along with us!" Gunter warned.

"No! Saizo, stop this! You won't accomplish anything!" Corrin pleaded.

Saizo kept his glare fixed on him, refusing to give in. The flames burned, they really did. But he stood readily to take everyone as he gathered ninja arts for a full-scale eruption. "I dare not…not even once…think of my loyalty being misplaced! I will show you! I'll show you all what it means to be truly dedicated! FOR HOSHIDO!" He curled up as he was bringing out more flames from his body. "HRAAAAAAAH~!"

"Oh my god, he's really gonna blow us up?!" Chef DK quipped in fear.

"Quick, Azura! We need water!" Evan directed.

Azura nodded. "Right, I understand! Brionne-!" Azura was about to direct her Brionne, but she fell short of a command when a Water Pulse from behind her suddenly flew past her shoulder into Saizo's direction. Nobody was fast enough to react before the sphere met its mark on the stalwart ninja, engulfing him in a dense spray of water that made a steam cloud. The ninja's flames were immediately diffused from the cold water that out him onto his back. He laid in shock and gagged from taking the attack by surprise.

"Enough, Brother!"

Everyone heard the cry before something small and blue appeared from seemingly out of nowhere in front of the pack. Standing on a knee in a ninja-like posture was an amphibious, blue Pokémon with a dark blue top with slightly sharp ends behind his eyes. His eyes were yellow with black sclera that eyed Saizo carefully for any moves he might make. His body was mainly bright blue, but his hands and feet were dark blue with white toes and fingers. Around his neck was a scarf that was seemingly made of white bubbles.

Saizo grunted as he tried sitting up. "W-who did that?!"

Everyone turned around, noticing a familiar ninja making himself known to the group. Rushing in with diligence, the ninja with familiar green hair landed beside the frog with a serious expression. "Good job, Frogadier."

"(Don't mention it!)" The Pokémon, now known as Frogadier, croaked.

"W-where the hell did this guy come from!?" Chef DK pointed, his tone bordering between both rude and astonishment.

"I don't know man, I'm still trying to figure dat out myself!" Damon quipped.

Though everyone seemed shocked and unsure, Evan, Corrin, and Freya were quick to recognize the ninja from previous encounters. Corrin especially looked surprised. "Kaze!"

Kaze looked back, grinning at them. "Milord Corrin, and Evan…it's nice to finally see you both again. You both look well."

"Sorry for the holdup!" From the direction they all came, all eyes turned towards three more people who showed up. The two were none other than Keith and Nathan, the former being guided swiftly by his Mightyena. Nathan held the pace as his Shelgon trudged behind with his hefty bulk. However, the third person was all too familiar to the set of three yet again, with a familiar Pokémon beside her as well.

"Please, enough of this everyone!" the girl pleaded, clutching her staff tightly.

Evan blinked. "Corrin, isn't that…?"

"Sakura?" Corrin gasped. He instantly recognized her, as well as her accomplice. "And Audino?!"

"(Hi~!)" Audino waved merrily at them. She turned towards Riolu, waving at him. "(Hello there!)"

Though slightly disturbed, Riolu held his dignity in check. "(Er…hello.)"

Saizo looked at Kaze and Sakura as they got between the two groups. He found his disbelief mounting. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you interfering?!"

Kaze stepped forward, frowning heavily with displeasure for his actions. "Brother, there is no honor going this far. I assure you, you have a valid reason to not consider Lord Corrin and his friends as the enemy!"

"Brother…?" Evan muttered low. The realization dawned upon him as he stared between the two. 'Hold on…are they siblings, or is this like a ninja brotherhood thing?'

Kaze continued with his case of plea. "Brother, listen…when I was a prisoner of Nohr, I was spared my fate thanks to Lord Corrin's kindness. Even though we were considered his enemies, he didn't have any intention of harming us out of malice." He turned towards Evan. "And it was also there that I met Evan, who showed neutrality and understanding. Even when we were just strangers, he didn't once take advantage of us. Both these young men, they're noble and understanding."

Sakura stepped up to plea her case. "Corrin, he's…a really kind person." She spoke shyly. "He and Evan are really nice. Evan and Freya helped the Hoshidans understand these Pokémon a little better after days of anxiety! And on the way here, neither of them killed a single defender!"

"What?" Yukimura looked stunned by this news.

Sakura nodded. Though, it wasn't like they didn't necessarily die, but a lot were unconscious, along with even more having been cut or gashed. There were some close calls that even she had to tend with, hence why it didn't take until now to finally catch up.

"If someone was that merciful, could they really have betrayed us like that?! P-please! Just listen to him! That's all they ask!"

Saizo growled. He really didn't want to listen to them, nor to the enemy behind them. But given what Sakura said just now, hearing how they hadn't killed them when they had the chance had him start second-guessing what their intentions were. In all his years under the dependence of Hoshido, not once had he'd come across an enemy that wasn't battling for the sake of glory or loyalty for another lord. It was kill or be killed. Nothing more, nothing less. Still, he was deeply loyal towards Lord Ryoma and Hoshido, so it wasn't like he was going to sweep that away because his own sibling gave him the benefit of the doubt. For all he knew, everything up to now could have been a conspiracy plot with Corrin and Evan as the ringleaders making another army to wipe Hoshido off the map. That was something he could not allow.

But still, given his current position, and the Frogadier that was glaring at him expectedly, he knew that if he tried again, he'd most likely suffer another blast of water. He glared at Kaze in silence before he reached up towards him.

When Kaze accepted and pulled him up, he smiled. "Brother…"

Saizo growled low, borderline snorting with contempt. "Hmph! Don't misunderstand. I still don't trust them…but, just this once, I shall hear what they have to say." He turned towards Corrin and Evan. "Alright…so what is it?"

Corrin glanced over at Evan, the latter giving a faint nod. Corrin understood and looked towards Riolu for reassurance. Riolu sensed the emotions of Saizo and immediately detected less resentment. He showed calm to let him know he was safe to speak.

"Thank you." Corrin stepped up to the front and paused. "Our enemy, it isn't Nohr, nor are they hidden in Hoshido's shadows. It lies elsewhere…" He breathed outwards. "You see, the events that were put into motion, it wasn't by King Garon. Everything that happened with those lives killed, and my mother…all of it was because of a man named Ghetsis."

Saizo narrowed his eye. "Ghetsis, you say? Never heard of such a crude name."

"Yes, but he rules another land that has been in hiding from our maps for some time. He hails from a kingdom called Unova. They've started infiltrating our kingdoms, to turn both nations against the other while they remain unaware."

Keith stepped up. "He's right. We were there when we got a glimpse of his hidden kingdom…it's an unkind place that even we barely got out alive."

The Hoshidans remained silent as they passively exchanged glances from one another. To be frank, this all sounded too credible to be true. Ghetsis? Unova? Just where did these come from? This explanation only brought up more questions than answers.

"How interesting…and why is it that we haven't heard of this kingdom?" Yukimura chastised.

"Simple…because it lies far beyond our reaches, underground. The Bottomless Canyon, as you say." Keith added. "They reside there because it's the last place you'd expect a kingdom to reside."

Evan looked over, taken aback by Keith's half-lie. Though the names were off their true notes for their own safety of the curse, what he said about the underground part and being at the Bottomless Canyon wasn't technically wrong either.

Saizo scoffed. "So you say. And where's your proof? Can you prove that such a place or man exists?"

Corrin frowned. Once again, he met another roadblock. 'Proof? Do we actually have that?'

"Uh, how's about dose weird shadowy dudes dat one time. You know, back when dis guy was a dragon?" Damon added, referring to Corrin.

"Oh…you mean at the plaza that day?" Freya's eyes widened, realizing the truth there. "Yeah, there were a lot of them there at the time."

Evan turned towards Kaze. "Kaze, you remember seeing anything that looked like that at the time?"

Kaze hummed, crossing his arms when he thought about what happened that day. It was only a few days ago, but he was well aware of those events. "Hmmm…yes, I vaguely remember. I also recall Lord Ryoma having to quarrel with such a shroud that had put him through his paces had it not been for your interference."

Saizo looked shocked by this news. "You can't be serious, Brother…!"

Kaze turned towards him, giving him a serious look. "You weren't there, Brother, so I don't expect you to fully trust this information. But now that I think about it, I've seen it first-hand…it couldn't possibly be Nohr's doing. I'm sure of it."

"There's more." Evan added, bringing the subject back on track. "We're still looking into it, but we know when they'll make their next big move."

"Y-yes, indeed!" Poopenschmir added, adjusting his glasses. "H-hello there. My name is Doctor Peter Poopenschmir. A-and I am trying the rebuilt a special device to help bring the Pokémon back to where they once were."

"Is such a thing possible?" Yukimura questioned, skeptical of the deranged doctor's words. "So then you intend to take away the creatures that are now our partners?"

"Only if it's what they want." Keith butted in. "We'll be taking of the Pokémon refugees with us for good measure. If your behavior says anything, it means that they deserve better." He turned towards Evan. "Besides, what Evan said before has to do with the case, too. Ghetsis may have his way with Pokémon as well for an added measure. It's better to keep them in safe hands than the wrong hands."

Orochi scrunched her brow. "Really? And when will this be?"

"A day will come when the skies change between Hoshido and Nohr. That's everything we know, I swear on that. That's all that I came to tell you." Corrin insisted.

"Hmmm…" Yukimura's frown deepened. He glared at Corrin and everyone present. "I see…if that is the case, we'll have to look into this matter ourselves." He paused to harrumph. "But, we won't waste anymore time on our hands that we will use to redirect our resources. Understand?"

Corrin looked shocked. "R-really…? Then you'll-!"

"I didn't say we would trust you! To us, you are still traitors, but…if the information you gave us was proven by one of our own, then we'll have to take measure. But this Ghetsis you speak of, if I come across such no person with a name, consider the next time we meet to be our last. No further warnings!"

Corrin went silent. He was a little disappointed that they didn't believe him right away. But at the same time, he felt a sense of gratitude knowing that his efforts in speaking out weren't in vain at all. And he had Evan and the others to thank for backing him up.

Evan placed a hand on Corrin's shoulder. "We should go. We should them time and space to consider this…we don't have a lot of time."

Corrin nodded. "…yeah, you're right. I hope to see you guys there when that day comes."

The group knew they had to move. They tried to take the civil approach, but Yukimura and the Hoshidans took it too far without hearing them out first. In hindsight, all of this could have been avoided if they had taken the warning more seriously first, but they were too proud – or stubborn in some cases – to admit they were wrong.

All except two of course.

Sakura suddenly scuttled up to Corrin's side in a hurry. "W-wait, Brother! Please!"

Corrin stopped, looking down at her. "Sakura?"

"Um…" She hesitated, looking down while clutching her staff tightly. She seemed to have had troubles saying something until the words came out. "Um…p-please…take me with you!"

"Wait, you serious?" Chef DK quipped. "Uh, look, no offense, but this is kinda a big gig we got. You, uh, sure you can keep up, or…?"

Sakura swallowed a lump, before sighing to calm down. "I may not be good at fighting, but I can still heal. And it won't be just me who can heal, too. Audino wants to help too, right?"

Audino nodded with a sound smile. "(Sure! I like to help!)"

Sakura smiled. "See?"

Yukimura looked shocked, almost completely speechless at what to say. "Lady Sakura! What're you-?!"

Sakura turned to focus on him. "I-I'm really sorry, Yukimura. I know this might be a shock and all, but…even though I haven't spent much time with them, my Brother and Evan have been really generous. I can tell from how they look…they're nice people who are just trying to look out for us. Don't you think that they deserve the benefit of the doubt?"

"Lady Sakura, I…"

"Plus, they're trying to fix the Pokémon problem, aren't they? Dear Audino never asked to be sent to this world, and I'm sure Mimikyu feels the same. If it's for their safety as well, it's worth it. So…I'm going!"

Yukimura was silent for the umpteenth time. He turned towards Mimikyu, who didn't seem to be in all that of a good mood after getting her butt handed to her. "(I didn't get to kill anyone today…bummer.)" The Disguise Pokémon mumbled.

Though he didn't understand what she was saying, she didn't look happy or motivated. If they were going to fight, they needed more motivation. "…you might not be wrong after all, Lady Sakura." He managed a grin. "If…if this is what you believe is the right course. I suppose that I cannot stop you after all."

Sakura smiled merrily. "Thank you, Yukimura! Isn't this great, Audino?" She turned towards her Audino, who waddled up and embraced her in a soft, warm hug. "R-right, hehe…okay, thank you."

With the two settling their differences, Kaze turned towards his brother with a serious expression of his own. "Brother, I would ask that you don't misunderstand. I have made up my mind…and I too, shall accompany Evan and Lord Corrin on this path."

"You too, Kaze?" Evan sounded more relieved than he was shocked. He was already familiar with Kaze, so he could trust him a lot more easily than the rest.

Saizo looked at Evan, then Kaze again. He closed his one eye and hummed. "Hm…if you're truly set on this course, you can do as you wish."

"I am." Kaze smiled. "I promise you, Brother, we'll find a common ground. For the path Lord Corrin sees, as well as the Pokémon."

Saizo didn't say anything. He looked towards his Golbat, who gave him a gaze of wonder in return. Though they haven't been with each other for long, it wasn't like they had any reason to be apart. Golbat of course could have said something, but his mouth hung open and slacked in tongue from taking that Electro Ball earlier. And, of course, as his partner, Saizo would have to tend to him.

Kaze and Sakura turned towards Corrin's group, both them, Frogadier, and Audino smiling dutifully. "We promise to do our very best to help!" Sakura cheered.

Corrin smiled proudly. "Thank you, all of you." He turned towards Evan. "Evan?"

"Yeah." He turned towards the other allies. "Alright guys, let's round up the Pokémon. They've had enough…and so have we for one day." He sighed. "What a day…"

With Fort Jinya routed, it felt like a step had finally been taken for everyone in a number of ways. But even though their mission had only just started, the first step was but one of a thousand. And that…left many more steps to take.

---

Party Data:

Evan

-Wartortle (Male)

Lv: 18

Item: None

Nature: Mild

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Pulse, Bite

-Butterfree (Male)

Lv: 16

Item: None

Nature: Modest

Ability: Compound Eyes

Moves: Poison Powder, Gust, Electroweb, Psybeam

-Growlithe (Male)

Lv: 16

Item: None

Nature: Bashful

Ability: Intimidate

Moves: Ember, Flame Wheel, Howl, Bite

-Bellsprout (Female)

Lv 16

Item: Miracle Seed

Nature: Sassy

Ability: Chlorophyll

Moves: Vine Whip, Growth, Wrap, Sleep Powder

Freya

-Drizzile (Female)

Lv: 18

Item: None

Nature: Timid

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Water Pulse, Whirlpool, Water Gun, Bind

-Rolycoly (Male)

Lv: 17

Item: None

Nature: Quiet

Ability: Steam Engine

Moves: Tackle, Smokescreen, Rapid Spin, Smack Down

-Snom (Female)

Lv: 16

Item: Snowball

Nature: Bold

Ability: Shield Dust

Moves: Powder Snow, Struggle Bug

Nathan

-Shelgon (Male)

Lv: 30

Item: Dragon Fang

Nature: Calm

Ability: Rock Head

Moves: Headbutt, Hydro Pump, Protect, Dragon Breath

-Wimpod (Male)

Lv: 26

Item: None

Nature: Bashful

Ability: Wimp Out

Moves: Struggle Bug, Sand Arrack, Defense Curl, Screech

Keith

-Ditto

Lv: 23

Item: Quick Powder

Nature: Quirky

Ability: Limber

Moves: Transform

-Zorua (Female)

Lv: 20

Item: Wise Glasses

Nature: Sassy

Ability: Illusion

Moves: Fake Tears, Extrasensory, Feint Attack, Pursuit

-Mightyena (Female)

Lv: 21

Item: Black Glasses

Nature: Rash

Ability: Quick Feet

Moves: Snarl, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang

Damon

-Scraggy (Male)

Lv: 19

Item: None

Nature: Naughty

Ability: Moxie

Moves: Headbutt, Sand Attack, Low Kick, Payback

Chef DK

-Farfetch'd (Male)

Lv: 18

Item: Leek

Nature: Hardy

Ability: Keen Eye

Moves: Fury Cutter, Cut, Sand Attack, Peck

-Cutiefly (Female)

Lv: 17

Item: Honey

Nature: Relaxed

Ability: Honey Gather

Moves: Absorb, Fairy Wind, Stun Spore, Sweet Scent

Corrin

-Riolu (Male)

Lv: 20

Item: None

Nature: Serious

Ability: Steadfast

Moves: Work Up, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter

Azura

-Brionne (Female)

Lv: 19

Item: None

Nature: Naïve

Ability: Liquid Voice

Moves: Icy Wind, Disarming Voice, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes

Gunter

-Larvitar (Male)

Lv: 19

Item: None

Nature: Careful

Ability: Guts

Moves: Payback, Stomping Tantrum, Scary Face, Rock Slide

Doctor Peter Poopenschmir

-Rotom

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Impish

Ability: Levitate

Moves: Trick, Electro Ball, Astonish, Confuse Ray

---

Sorry for the wait, but I hope the length of the chapter made the past few months all the more worth it! Yeah, with so many characters needing screentime, the length in these large-scale battles is going to be large in numerous ways.

So again, since Sakura and Kaze's Pokémon don't have Poke Balls, or capsules in general to contain them, they aren't on the Party Data yet. Again, it's only for the current party present with officially owned Pokémon.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review to provide your feedback and support as always! Thanks!