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.

20. Swept by the Wind

The sun had barely risen over the walls of Fort Jinya, bringing daylight through the glass-less windows that bathed the interior in its warm glow. Though the fort itself had sustained minimal external damage from the ensuing battle that transpired only yesterday, the incredulously massive, spiral tower that sat just behind it remained untouched by it all.

Inside this fortified tower, Saizo nodded at a messenger shinobi. "Be swift, and remain wary." With that warning, the messenger nodded and held up a ninja hand sign. In a puff of smoke, he vanished. Saizo closed his eyes and exhaled before turning towards Yukimura. "That should suffice for now. I've informed the other scouts near Castle Shirasagi of our current situation. I will most likely be some time before we get any word back."

"I see, thank you Lord Saizo." Yukimura sat at a desk inside the huge chamber that sat at the top of the tower. The chamber encompassed the entire floor, with open window arches everywhere, with a roof in view to shield from any weather.

The Hoshidan tactician really did appreciate Saizo's standings with him. Though he knew that he was better off assisting their other allies, he was still willing to stay around to oversee the fort's condition. In hindsight, he could also blame the revelations that happened yesterday. After all, seeing Kaze and Sakura – a beloved Hoshidan royal princess – choosing to follow Corrin on his quest just spelled worry. In retrospect, they should have done better to stop them then and there. But they were bested in every way, both in numbers and manpower.

Even for a tactician himself, the aged man couldn't help but think back to the way the routing was handled by Corrin and his entourage. He may not have known Corrin for very long, but even he would never have pegged him to have such tricks up his sleeve. Even her Mimikyu was bested.

Though, now, to the victor went the spoils. The fort was now short on Pokémon.

'To think that traitor Corrin had such resourceful allies with him,' Yukimura thought as he glided his hand over a document he was reading through. 'Still, this does not mean that what they said has any validations behind them.'

Saizo folded his arms as he took a glance towards the ceiling. Hanging upside-down was his Golbat. For the time being, he was sound asleep. Though Corrin's group took most of the Pokémon, he and Orochi were given amnesty to retain theirs, a small plea by Kaze in hopes that it would come soon that he could assist Corrin and Evan with their mission. Though the older brother refused to falter to such a belief, he wouldn't lie that in hindsight, he should be grateful to his brother and Corrin for keeping his life.

But being a Hoshidan ninja, he would not dishonor his loyalty so easily.

He turned back towards Yukimura, his attention turned on the documents he was reading through. "If I may ask, what is it that you are evaluating?"

"If you must know, I'm looking anything we have regarding the Bottomless Canyon." Yukimura answered matter-of-factly.

Saizo furrowed his brows. "You're not seriously choosing to believe their words, do you?"

Yukimura scoffed. "I'd rather not amuse a traitor's claims. However, this phenomenon regarding these…Pokémon and denizens from another world entirely has brought up numerous questions. Questions that we don't have answers to." He flipped a page in the document. "If they truly believe that the answers to all this lies in this so-called Unova in the Bottomless Canyon, it should at least be noted."

Saizo turned away, thinking to the claims his brother spoke of. "My brother spoke of men unseen, and our Lord's absence…this cannot be a coincidence."

Yukimura turned another page, and then another, ending with him lowering his head and sighing. "…nothing. All this time and we have very little understanding of the Bottomless Canyon. There're only the surface details that we know of." He looked uncertain. "Could a domain truly live down there? Somehow I find that hard to believe…"

The wooden steps creaked as Orochi walked up with a loud yawn. She was accompanied by her Natu that obediently followed. "Good morning, Yukimura. Lord Saizo."

"Lady Orochi, you got enough rest?" Saizo inquired.

Orochi humbly nodded. "Enough. To be frank, I was reading into my fortunes again."

"Your fortunetelling? What of it?"

Orochi frowned. She looked troubled – something Saizo and Yukimura picked up on. It felt like the atmosphere had just gotten heavier.

"It was…extremely vague. I couldn't make it out clearly. But I saw something. It was neither Hoshidan nor Nohrian. But…a great change is upon us."

"Great change?" Yukimura furrowed his brow. "Tell us more."

"Well…"

Before she could finish, a Pidove flew through the window behind her, gliding right over her shoulder and headed for Saizo. The ninja held up his arm to allow a perch for the bird to use as a post. On its leg, there was a small scroll attached that indicated a message.

Saizo undid the small tie around the leg and took the note. "Thank you." He told the messenger bird before he nudged his arm, sending it back the way it came out the window.

Orochi put a hand to her hip. "Huh, never recognized a messenger bird like that before."

"Supposedly, our scouts believe that these are another form of these Pokémon creatures we've been seeing. The ones we've procured have been most useful in relaying our messages lately." Saizo took the note and unfolded it to read.

"Who sent it?" Yukimura inquired.

Saizo indulged in reading the contents of the message. As he read over the words inscribed to him, his one good eye widened as he audibly gasped. It sounded bad.

"What is it?" Orochi asked.

"It's Lady Kagero. There was a run-in with the Mokushujin…she had been detained."

Orochi's eyes widened, her heart feeling like it was about to burst out of her chest. "No…Kagero?"

Saizo grimaced loudly. "Yukimura. Forgive me, but I must pursue this mission."

Yukimura retained his composure. "I understand. Do well."

"Hold on!" Orochi intervened. "I'm coming, too! If this has anything to do with Kagero's safety, then I have to be there!"

Saizo turned to her with a look of indifference. "Do as you see fit. My business isn't here anymore. I have no intention of being held back."

Orochi raised a brow, smirking. "You say that, but are you sure that you're not going after her for another reason?" She took a serious tone. "Are you both by chance still…?"

Saizo paused at the sinuation. He knew what she meant, but he'd rather not indulged on the past. Things may not have worked out the way either had intended, but at the end of the day, they were still comrades and were retainers to Ryoma. That was reason enough.

"Our duties lie in serving Hoshido. I will not lose a resourceful comrade…that's all it is. Nothing more."

Orochi sighed. "So be it. But I'm coming regardless. Yukimura, I bid you farewell for now."

Yukimura said nothing as he watched the two take their respective leaves. Saizo signaled his Golbat and vanished, the bat flying out the window. Orochi took the stairwell with her Natu following behind. This left the tactician alone to sit at his desk and look over his documents and any available data that was at his disposal. He turned another page, which entailed the topography of Bottomless Canyon.

'What Orochi had just spoke of, a great chance being upon us…' His eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Could this relate to what Corrin and Evan were trying to say? Lady Orochi's predictions are often inaccurate though. What could we be possibly overlooking?'

---

The Eternal Stairway lived up to its name.

The incline up the unhinged, rocky slope proved to have been nothing short of an exercise for everyone who was filing upwards. Even for the likes of Evan and Corrin, the two found themselves out of breath the higher they went. Their legs were so sore that it was a miracle that they were still functional.

Even in the low winds that brushed against their sides, everyone's panting could be heard loud and clear. Though the more experienced fighters like Gunter was able to carry his steed up without much of a toll, even he looked partially worn down.

Corrin stopped and put his hands to his knees. "Just…how much further…does this damn stairway…go…?" he grumbled between labored breaths.

"I don't know…" Evan looked up, his fears coming to life as he saw the incline going as far as out of sight. Not even close. "Uuuugh…"

"Man! Screw dis! My legs be fallin' off before we even get up dere!" Damon complained. "I ain't come all dis way to get some dumb leg exercise!"

Azura turned towards him. "We understand. But the Eternal Stairway is the only viable shortcut to Izumo."

Damon groaned angrily. "Man…knew I should've stayed behind in duh plains."

Hana, who was in the better conditions than anyone, looked back at Sakura. "Milady, are you alright?"

Sakura panted, her adolescent lung burning as she was using the small respite to compose herself. "Y-yes, Hana…I think so. But…"

"Fear not!" Subaki swooped in on his Pegasus down to Sakura's side. Unlike the others, his passage upwards was much smoother due to having a means of flight. "Lady Sakura, if you're exhausted, allow your legs to rest so that I may escort you myself!"

Sakura meekly smiled. "That's generous, Tsubaki. Thank you."

Though noble intentions, it only made everyone else all the more irritated.

"Fo, I'ma put a bullet in his head. I swear to you." Damon grunted.

Evan felt his right eye twitch. Even though he had been patient, his physical limits were starting to take a toll on his mental state. 'If he were an enemy, I'd be with Damon on this one. At least some of us could get a free ride…'

Freya brushed her long hair aside as she took a few steps forward. "I'd hate to say this when we've come this far, but maybe we should head back to the plains to get some wa-AH!"

"Freya!" Evan was the closest when he saw her misstep and start falling backwards. He stepped behind leaned forward into her back to support her. As soon as she steadied onto her two feet, he pulled away. "Hey, you okay?"

Freya managed a quick nod. "Yeah, I think so." She turned towards him. "Thank you. Would have been a nasty tumble."

Azura looked at Freya's feet and lightly gasped. "Look down!"

Freya looked down at her feet. A few feet ahead of her, a protrusion stuck out pf the ground that looked like it recently surfaced. It was round and orange, and had zigzag formations that went from one side to each other looking like a vice.

The protrusion slowly shuddered as it worked its way towards the surface. The figment was primarily insectoid, with a round body and white underside with four stumpy legs to support the head, which was proportionally larger than the body itself. On either side were dark eyes with twinkle-shaped pupils.

"What is that?" Sakura gasped.

"Could that be another Pokémon?" Felicia quipped.

Evan chose to use his actions to appease the growing inquiries. He pulled out his PokéDex and held it up to the intruding insect in their path.

"Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokémon. It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down."

"So it is a Pokémon." Gunter highlighted the important aspect. "An ambush one at that."

The Trapinch shook her head, shaking off the mild pain at the end of her jaw. "(Gah, geez…felt like I just bumped into something.)" When she looked up, she saw Freya looking down at her. "(Hey, did you step on me? That's so rude! Watch where you're going!)"

"To think that we'd find another of these specimen out here of all places." Hana furrowed her brow.

"Fo, let's stop wasting our time and just zap dat thing to duh plains!" Damon advised hastily.

Corrin frowned heavily. "We should, but…we don't have another transporter on us." He balled his fists tightly. "If only Nathan and Keith were around."

"Guess it can't be helped. Can't leave it here." He saw the Trapinch glaring at Freya, then turned to her. "Freya, looks like you're up."

Freya blinked. "You sure?"

"I mean, you were the one who stepped on it. I'd wanna fight you too if you stepped on me like that." It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Evan wouldn't resort to violence so hastily like that. But he knew the rules of encountering wild Pokémon as well. Freya had to take responsibility.

Freya frowned. "Well, okay. Hey, you know what type it is?"

"The PokéDex said that it's a Ground-type."

"Right, thanks." She turned towards the Trapinch and brought up a Poké Ball. "Guess this'll have to do. Go, Drizzile!"

She threw the capsule into the air and it popped open. Drizzile emerged and stood in front of her, frowning uneasily. "(Um, i-is it my turn to fight already?)" She turned towards her opponent and gulped. "(Oh boy…)"

"(Oh, so we're doing this now huh?)" Trapinch scoffed. "(Fine by me. Been getting a little hungry around here.)"

"(H-hungry?)" Drizzile shriveled at the notion. Now that she was looking at Trapinch, her zigzag mouth looked razor-sharp. It only made her feel that much more afraid. The thought of getting bit and torn out by those jaws was something bound to give her nightmares. "(Why me?!)"

"You'll be just fine, Drizzile. We need to catch it." Freya pointed out. "So use Whirlpool!"

Drizzile gulped and tried to relax. She made two water balloons in her gloves and slammed them together. The water inside expanded outwards into a swirling vortex of water that she threw at the wild Trapinch. The Whirlpool made contact, sweeping up Trapinch in its brisk confinement.

"(Gngh! Oh yeah? Two can play at this game…)" Trapinch raised her front legs and slammed them down. "(Sand Tomb!)"

Drizzile landed on her feet at the moment a mass of sand swelled around her. When she looked down, she found dense clumps of sand rise up and swirl around her. She covered up as the force of the sand made it hard for her to move freely.

At the same time, both Pokmon cringed as the wake of their attacks siphoned off some of their stamina.

"It's trapping Drizzile, too?" Freya gasped.

"That's not good. The longer this drags out, the more damage she'll take." Evan evaluated.

Freya adjusted her bagpipes and exhaled. She had to remain calm and collective. She wasn't as battle-prone like Evan was, but she certainly picked up a thing or two to know what to do with Trapinch's remaining health.

"Drizzile, use Bind!"

"(Wait…huh?!)" Drizzile looked over at Trapinch, feeling uneasy. "(D-do I actually have to…oh, fine!)" Though she didn't like it, she lengthened her curled tail and lashed it out into the whirlpool surrounding Trapinch. Her tail latched around and squeezed into the insect's body and applied pressure. "(There! Just…don't bite me!)"

Trapinch struggled in the grips of both the swirling water and the tail's grasp around her stomach. "(Oh really? Then what if I do this?)" Her jaw started opening wide gradually, making the pointed ends glow.

Drizzile's eyes shrank. "(No…please, anything but-!)"

Trapinch clamped down onto her outstretched tail with Bite. The shock of the attack felt so intense that Drizzile's screams were heard clearly through the funneling sand for all to hear. Almost everyone cringed.

"Oof…that looks like it hurts." Felicia cringed.

"I'd hate to be her right now. That's gonna leave marks." Tsubaki admitted.

"Hang on just a little longer, Drizzile!" Freya pleaded. She watched as the Whirlpool and Sand Tomb take away even more health from either Pokémon. Though thanks to Bind's additional binding damage accumulating, Trapinch lost even more stamina to wear her down. She knew that if this dragged out too long, Drizzile would suffer too greatly.

'Have to make the shot.' She pulled out one of her Poké Balls and swung her arm. "Go!"

The red and white capsule was flung over the Whirlpool and dropped down onto the confined Trapinch. With her focus on the front, her head got a nasty surprise when it was hit by metal. "(Ow! Who hit me now-!?)"

Before she could finish, she deformed and was drawn into the capsule. The Pokémon Ball dropped to the ground and started shaking left and right while the button flashed red.

"Did she get it?" Felicia wondered aloud.

"We'll see. It hasn't stopped moving." Evan pointed out.

It took one shake, then two…

BOOM!

The Poké Ball suddenly exploded, with Trapinch returning to her full form and back into the confining squeeze of both the Whirlpool and Bind. "(Gah! Man…it was sure cramped in there.)" she huffed, before realizing she was squeezed again. "(…of course on the other hand…)"

"It didn't work?!" Sakura gasped.

"A Pokémon Ball doesn't work every time." Evan pointed out. "If a Pokémon is still healthy enough, it can break free. Some are tougher to catch than others, though."

Trapinch grunted as she opened her mouth. She spat out a stream of mud through the swirling water, via Mud-Slap. Drizzile covered up her face as the mud streamed into her. Though it didn't get into her eyes, the gushing drops were making it hard to see. A blue aura enveloped her body, reducing her accuracy.

"(Gngh! A…little help! GAH!)" Drizzile cringed as her body flinched from the Sand Tomb.

At the same time, Trapinch felt the Whirlpool and Bind squeeze her tighter. The double constriction ate more of her health to where it was in the red.

"Now, before it faints!" Evan exclaimed.

Freya nodded. "Right!" She got another Poké Ball and tossed it skywards. "Come on…this time for sure!"

The capsule flew over the whirlpool and tumbled down onto Trapinch's head again. This time, she couldn't muster a complaint and was sucked inside. The ball clamped shut and dropped to the ground. Immediately, it started shaking to and fro again.

"Will it work this time?" Sakura clutched her staff tightly.

"We'll see. It would be unfortunate otherwise." Gunter remorsefully stated.

Freya remained calm as she adjusted her bagpipes in her left hand. She knew that if Trapinch came out again, it could mean trouble for both Drizzile and herself. She watched carefully as the Poké Ball shook once, then twice, and then followed up with a third time…

CLICK!

A loud click signaled the struggle's end. The sand swirling around Drizzile dispersed while the Whirlpool evaporated.

"It worked? Is it caught?" Felicia worried.

"Yeah, it worked this time." Evan smiled. "Nice job, Freya."

Freya sincerely smiled back. "Thank you, Evan." She walked up the incline and retrieved the capsule. She picked it up and grinned down towards it. "Hope that we get along. I'll do my best to look after you."

"(It's over…phew!)" Drizzile huffed as she retracted her tail behind her. She felt a blistering pain swell from the part where Trapinch bit her. "(O-ow! Oh, that's gonna be a bruise for sure…)"

"Drizzile, are you alright?" Freya asked, concerned for her Pokémon's health.

"That Trapinch was strong. That battle must have been tougher than we'd thought for Drizzile." Evan figured.

"Yeah, you're right." Freya frowned, but mustered a smile for Drizzile. "Sorry, Drizzile, but you did a good job hanging in there. I'm proud of you."

"(I-it's okay…I'm just gonna be feeling this in the morning is all.)" Drizzile grunted at she tried powering through the pain.

"I'll help!" Sakura turned towards her Audino. "Audino, could you give us a hand, please?"

"(Sure, okay!)" Audino smiled and nodded. She waddled up towards Drizzile and held out her arms. A pink orb appeared in front of her and she projected it out. The Heal Pulse radiated in waves towards Drizzile and enveloped her. Immediately, her health began regenerating and the pain swelling in her tail was lifted.

"(Wow…I feel so much better! Thank you!)" Drizzile was excitedly glad, only for that feeling to die the moment Audino came up into her space and offered a warm embrace. The timid lizard felt her tail curl up in her uncomfortable appraisal. "(Uh…I-I'm okay. Can you, uh, let me go…?)" She wasn't. "(Please…?)"

"Yeah, yeah, I be glad too's for ya, but dat took too long, fo!" Damon complained. "C'mon, man! We got places to be! Let's hurry this along already!"

Azura nodded. "Agreed." She turned towards Freya. "Freya, we're proud of you acquiring a new promising ally, but we must move on."

Freya nodded. "I know. Return, Drizzile." She turned and recalled her Drizzile out of Audino's embrace, much to the Water Lizard Pokémon's relief.

"We'll heal it when we have a better place to rest. We should…" Corrin was cut off from his compromise when he noticed something off about his surroundings. He saw the very faint fog that was around them earlier becoming thicker and take up more space. "Hey…does anyone know when this fog rolled in?"

Everyone looked around and caught onto Corrin's observation. They were so caught up in the battle that they didn't realize the fog thickening to where it was starting to haze out everything. It got to a point where they could barely see the other for a moment, even when they were mere feet from one another.

"W-what's happening…?" Sakura looked anxiously around as she looked around.

Audino's ears twitched, picking up sounds from ahead that sounded low, and…growling? "(I hear something.)" She focused on the sound and heard footsteps from ahead. "(There!)"

Just as she warned, the fog suddenly faded before everyone's eyes. Before them, Corrin and the party were taken back by the appearance of two large, humanoid silhouettes fading into view. Their bulky, hunched structures towered over them as iron masks covered their faces.

Evan gasped as he recognized the creatures from his venture through Hoshido. 'Wait, those are-!'

"GRRRRRR!" The two beasts before them roared as they raised their shackled fists.

"Aaaaah!" Sakura panicked.

"Faceless!" Kaze immediately drew his handle blades and took a defensive stance. "Stand back!"

Evan stepped in front of Freya to guard her. He glared at the Faceless as he pondered their sudden arrival. 'Where did these things come from all of a sudden? No time! Gotta stop'em!' His instincts told him to grab for a Poké Ball rather than his Killing Edge.

The Faceless roared as they stepped closer. Kaze and Corrin readily moved to the front with their respective blades ready.

BANG! BANG!

Two bullets went through the Faceless' chest areas one after the other. The emotionless monsters let out loud roars before they both gradually collapsed to their feet and onto their sides limply in loud, boisterous thuds. Everyone paused to register the shock they were feeling run down their spines as they were spared from the ambush.

The end of Damon's Glock smoked before he put it up to his lips and blew it out. "Not today, fo'. Nobody be gett'n the drop on me like dat."

Gunter dropped his axe and furrowed his brow. "Well now, suppose that's one way of diffusing an ugly scenario."

Sakura sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was worried there for a moment…"

"Wait, hold on." Azura's eyes widened. "Look!"

Everyone watched as the Faceless suddenly gave off a glow from their limp bodies. Their forms shrank gradually and turned into two young men with tribal attires with bright blue accents. Their bodies were limp as bloody holes were where their hearts were. Their eyes were partially open as they laid dead on their sides.

"Wait…what?!" Corrin stepped back, his face contorted in horror.

Freya gasped. "What just…?"

"The Faceless turned to people?" Evan was genuinely confused. Was this a trick? How did they not see it sooner? Last he checked, the Faceless didn't devolve into actual people when they were defeated. He thought that they would disintegrate like they did back in the mountains. Something about this wasn't right.

Unbeknownst to them, looking from afar on a higher stony cliff, Iago was quiet as he saw the incident before his eyes. He couldn't help but smirk and snicker to himself. With his business complete, green runes circled beneath him before he teleported out of sight.

Audino's ears twitched as she turned away from the scene, her focus on a figment that she saw fade away just as she turned to look at it. "(Huh? I could have sworn I heard something there just now…)"

"Huh? Is everything okay, Audino?" Sakura inquired.

Audino looked at Sakura, then back where the figment once stood. She blinked a couple times before she chose to ease up. "(…I swore I heard something just now. It sounded mean.)"

Still focused on the situation before her, Azura walked up and kneeled to the two dead men. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the attires that they adorned. "These men…I can't be mistaken. They are members of the Wind Tribe!"

Corrin's eyes shrank at the realization falling before him. "No…this can't be. Was this a trick? A trap of some kind? Why would they…?"

Damon immediately put his hands up. "Pffft! Hey now, before we start playing de blame game here, fo', let me just say, dis was not my fault, aitz?! I didn't know dat those ugly-ass cretins be puny other peoples. I was just doing us a favor and sav'n time from a threat, datz all!"

Gunter turned towards him. "We're aware, Damon. If anything, we would have been fooled into attacking them as well. Faceless are truly such heartless creatures." He turned towards the dead men lying before him. "Still, I admit, even I did not see this coming."

Corrin kneeled down and frowned at the dead man lying before him. He couldn't help but feel guilty for what just happened. Another pair of lives lost because of a misunderstanding. Just how many more lives had to be lost for this cause? Why did this have to happen?

"…I'm so sorry. Please, forgive us." He pleaded.

Though he felt his pain, Evan stepped closer and put his hand on his shoulder. "Corrin…it wasn't your fault."

Corrin sighed heavily. "I know…thank you, Evan." He stood up and turned towards him. "But we've gotta explain this to the Wind Tribe. We need to let them know what happened here."

Azura nodded in agreement. "Yes, a sound idea."

"Fo', why?" Damon quipped.

"Because, Damon, we need to clear up this incident. We're responsible for what happened." Corrin insisted. "If the Wind Tribe knew about this, who knows what will happen?"

"We'll likely make an enemy out of them, which is the opposite of what we want." Azura added. "We need to at least ensure them that we meant no ill will."

Damon scoffed and eyerolled. "Man." He smacked his lips again. "Dis is getting too damn tiring, fo'. Did is a waste of time."

Sakura stepped forward. "Um, how far away is the Wind Village?"

"It shouldn't be too far. A little further east after we finish our ascent." Azura noted.

"Then let's make haste. It's bright out still." Gunter implored.

Evan turned towards Subaki with a compromise in mind. "Hey, Tsubaki, do you think it's possible to fly ahead and drop off the bodies, and let them know we'll be on our way to talk? It'd look bad if we left them like…this." He shot a glance back at the corpses, partially uneasy.

Subaki nodded. "Very well, I shall do my best." With help from Gunter and Evan, they worked on mounting the Pegasus with the two bodies of the Wind Tribe members. Once they were mounted, Tsubaki hopped on the front and pulled on the reigns, forcing the flying stallion to neigh.

"I shall be back soon! Hana, look after Lady Sakura in my stead!" Subaki declared as he took off ahead of them into the sky.

"Come on, we should hurry and get going, too." Freya insisted.

Evan nodded. "Yeah, we should." He turned back towards the stairwell before them, his shoulders drooping in the grievous climb ahead of them. "Here we go again…"

With that, Corrin and his entourage continued their venture up the Eternal Stairway. One painful, arduous step at a time.

---

As soon as Corrin and Evan's entourage managed to get to the top of the Eternal Stairway, it felt like a led weight had finally fallen off their legs…only to he weighed down by an even bigger led weight that dragged their heels through the arid, dry ranges.

The group trekked with the momentum of Freya's new Trapinch – slowly. The fact that they had to climb a massive stairwell, followed by a trek through the near-desert terrain through the mountains was enough that even Evan would say for a Pokémon Trainer, this was too much exercise. Had it not been for the Wind Tribe Village in view, another quarter mile would have been where he'd vouched for Freya's suggestion earlier.

"Sweet Arceus…" Evan panted. "I think my legs are Ditto jelly now."

"You have no idea how I feel right now." Freya complained. "I have blisters on my heels."

Evan glanced over at her. "Yeah…maybe next time…we'll skip the high heels for you…and get a map while we're at it for scaling."

"We have arrived." Azura reminded them.

"This is the Wind Tribe Village?" Corrin frowned as he paneled his vision left to right. Compared to what he's seen before, the Wind Tribe Village had a different impression altogether.

Unlike the previous village that they were in, the buildings were made of thick stone to keep structures from being blown over by the strong winds. Various homes ranged from sitting on the desert grounds, to being on higher ranges, with passages of stone ascending and descending alike to higher and lower reaches of the mountains they resided in.

In short, it was a well-adept range that seemed fortified to handle the winds that brushed against them. Freya had to use her right hand to mat her hat to her head.

"Looks like we've made it as planned." Kaze noted aloud.

"Where do you think Subaki went? He should be around here." Felicia scanned the area as she got onto her tiptoes. She looked around to see if their ally was anywhere within her line of sight. To her relief, she saw a gallant white steed glide through the air in their direction. "Oh! Look!"

The Pegasus neighed as Subaki descended down in front of them. Once the winged stallion touched the ground, Tsubaki met his comrades with a grin. "Ah! Good tidings! Glad I had found you!"

"Subaki, are you alright?" Sakura worried.

Subaki beamed with pride. "Don't worry, Lady Sakura. That was nothing for someone of my stature. Rest assured, I have delivered their bodies back to them as you said, and informed them that my comrades and Milady are on their way here."

"Thank you, we appreciate it." Corrin grinned.

"Hopefully they're open to negotiations?" Felicia inquired.

"It's them! I see them! The ones that killed our friends!"

Everyone heard the shouting from up ahead and noticed two tribalists sprint in their direction. One held and Iron Katana, while the other held what looked like an Iron Club and lacked the upper body clothing the former had. Even with the latter behind a mask, his gritting teeth made it clear they weren't greeting them on friendly terms.

"It appears that you have spoken too soon, Lady Felicia." Gunter grimaced.

Kaze took a defensive stance. "Be on guard. We are on their territory."

The second tribalist clutched his club and glared through his mask. "You're the ones we were told about? The ones that shot our scouts dead? You know there's a grave price to pay for something like that!"

Damon held up his Glock. "Aye, now. Let's try and not make a scene here. Less you wanna end up like your chumps, you'd hear us out first, fo'."

Corrin put his hand up, calling for a ceasefire to the Tribalists before Damon could shoot him dead. "Listen, we won't deny that we fought your friends. We're sorry for that. We had no intention on fighting them. We promise, we bear no ill will to the Wind Tribe."

"You expect us to believe you?" The first Tribalist scowled. "You can't expect forgiveness just because you killed someone. That's absurd!"

Sakura shirked back worriedly. "I-I've never seen them so upset before…"

Freya narrowed her eyes. "It's Fort Jinya again…they're too blinded by persecution."

"Then…let's head to Reppu Castle." Sakura insisted.

Evan raised a brow. "Reppu Castle?"

Azura's eyes widened. "Yes, I think that would suffice the situation. I have heard that the Wind Tribe's Chieftain resides there. If we are able to make peace with him, then the others would surely calm down."

"You sure that'll work?" Freya wondered aloud.

Azura nodded. "Yes, this is good timing as well. Normally, the castle is centered around harsh windstorms. But right now, we should be able to access it." She frowned. "Although, there is no guarantee that he will listen, even if we make it. You sure about this?"

Corrin nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I'm sure. Even if the odds are unlikely, we at least have to try. We need as many people as possible in order to bring this war to and end." He looked at Evan, who nodded with him. The former turned back towards the Tribalists. "Please, take us to see your Chieftain. We'd like to talk to him about this matter."

The first Tribalist scoffed. "Tch, fine. He'll be the one to decide your judgment!"

"Better not try anything, or we'll make sure you don't get there in one piece!" The second Tribalist threatened, waving his club in the air. "Get moving!"

"Aye! Watch where you swing dat thing man!" Damon scowled, flaunting his Glock.

"Then let's make haste." Gunter moved along to avoid a growing tiff that would have provoked Damon.

"Fine! Then follow me!" The first tribalist started marching, with Corrin, Evan, and the rest of the party following closely behind. As Damon and the second Tribalist passed one another, they glared daggers at each other before passing along.

As they filed through the sands, Evan leaned into Corrin. "Remember what we talked about?"

Corrin nodded. "Don't worry. I know."

"Hey! Spill your pleas for the Chieftain!" The first Tribalist exclaimed, making them shut their mouths as they followed him to the depths of the Wind Tribe's Village.

---

The party made their venture through the village, earning the ongoing looks of some of the civilians who have taken root in the village. Though numbers were small, the word spread pretty damn fast for them to earn the looks of ire by them. Even now, their whispers could be heard.

"Hey, it's them."

"The ones that killed two of our men?"

"Yeah, those are the ones. Just look at them, they even look guilty."

"I bet Chief Fuga is going to have their heads served on a platter for this. It's the least they deserve."

The last comment made Evan furrow his brow. 'Boy, talk about dramatic much. Heads on a platter? What are they, cannibals?' His mind reached a mental blockade after the wild experiences he's endured. 'At least I hope they're not.'

The group filed to the village's battleground domain. There wasn't as much sand covering the ground as there was dirt itself. There were round stone huts with conical wooden roofs to protect from the natural elements outdoors. There was only a mild gust blowing across them as they trudged to the center of these grounds.

The leading Tribalist stopped and turned around to face them. "The chief shall indulge you with his appearance. Best watch yourselves." He warned before stepping off to the side.

Corrin took a short exhale before he composed himself. On the bright side, this saved him from walking any further. Perhaps Evan's comment earlier was finally doing a number on his legs. He tried ignoring the screams that his thighs gave off as he saw a man make way towards them from one of the many stone pillar's base entrances.

The man in question was a tall, very muscular individual that would put Nathan through his paces. Veins throbbed on his biceps and chest to show his sheer strength. He was a fairly light skinned man with no facial hair and was bald. He adorned thick black beads that looped into a necklace. He wielded an Iron Katana and had bandages on his forearms. He wore plated black armor around his torso bound by a purple sash. He also had gray baggy pants and brown sandals with red lacing.

But he wasn't alone. Behind him appeared to be a creature that resembled much like a human. In fact, if it wasn't for it having a blue head, hands, and toes, it could have easily been mistaken as one. Its clothing looked like it was part of its anatomy itself, with a black belt around the torso as well.

Evan silently noted this as he saw them get closer. 'He's got a Pokémon too.'

The man had a stalwart presence and a dead-serious demeanor as he glared at them. He stepped forward and folded his arms over his chest. "So, you wished to speak with me?" His dominant tone made it clear that he meant strictly business.

"You're the Wind Tribe's chieftain, I assume?" Corrin started.

"You are correct. I am called Fuga. We were told in advance of your arrival. As well as what your intentions are."

"Then you know why we're here."

"Yes…" Contrary to what everyone had wanted, his face contorted to a deathly glare. "You side with neither Nohr nor Hoshido, instead wish to destroy both kingdoms. And you started your conquest by attacking our brethren of the Wind Tribe."

"Well…I mean, you're half-right. We ain't siding with Nohr or Hoshido." Evan chimed. "But where the hell did you get the idea that we'd wanna destroy your kingdoms? What would we get out of it?"

Fuga raised a brow. "Am I to say that your intentions of harm to my brethren were not a warning flag?"

Hana shot Subaki a side glare, as if prosecuting him. He raised his arms up in defense. "Don't look at me like, that, I didn't say anything like that!"

"Look, I get that you're upset, and we're sorry about the incident." Evan stepped forward. "But that was a freak accident. We didn't come this way to set waste to your village or anything like that. Rather, it's the opposite."

Corrin stepped forward, taking the reins. "Evan speaks the truth. We are actually seeking out allies in our cause. It's to defeat the real enemy, the Unova Kingdom."

"The Unova Kingdom, you say?" Fuga scoffed. "Do you try to sway me with such ramblings? Only a fool would accept such a hardy ruse. And I am no fool. I have not nor have I ever seen such a kingdom aside from Nohr or Hoshido."

Beside him, his Pokémon stepped forward and tightened his belt. "(It would appear that you all may mean well, but such callous actions bare the gravest acts of karma.)" He took a karate stance to battle. "(I agree with the chief, this is but a waste of time!)"

Corrin gritted his teeth, his sense of patience waning. 'This isn't getting us anywhere. It's just like before…am I really asking the impossible?'

"Your explanation can only be deemed as ill-consequence. Therefore, you shall pace your punishment justly." Fuga raised his Iron Katana at them. "Eliminate-!"

"Hold it!"

Everything went from 0 to 100 faster than the eye could blink. To Evan, he could recognize the sudden shout that came from close by. As he looked over, before he had time to even think of a question, a bright and familiar woman stepped up with an Iron Club in hand.

"Rinkah…!?" Evan gasped.

"Rinkah…what are you doing here?" Corrin sounded equally as shocked.

Rinkah stepped forward, offering the group a frown. "Hmph, you boys and girls have been all over the place. I've been searching for you, you know? The rumors are spreading like wildfire, how your plan is to attack and destroy both kingdoms."

"But, we aren't-!" Corrin was cut off by Rinkah raising her hand.

"You didn't let me finish." She started smirking. "I know you, and I know Evan well, too. I know the real reason why you're doing this. I was there when you spoke with Keith in the mountain village. It's not for either kingdom…but for these guys."

Everyone was confused before they looked down at her legs. Starting to walk into view was an orange mammalian Pokémon that resembled a maturing monkey. It had blue crests over the eyes, with white fur around the neck. The body was primarily orange, with a long, thin tail ending in a tail flame. It had dark eyes that gleamed with a burning passion at everyone.

"(Hey! What's up! So you're the lot I've been hearing about?)" The monkey smirked readily, jutting a thumb to himself. "(Heh, you all look so strong! I wanna fight you for sure!)"

"A Pokémon?" Corrin gasped.

Evan did his part and pulled out his PokéDex again, scanning the new specimen.

"Monferno, the Playful Pokémon. To intimidate attackers, it expands the fire on its tail to make itself appear bigger."

A small smile grew on Corrin's face. "I see, so you've got yourself a Pokémon. I'm glad for you."

"I wouldn't know how to handle him if it wasn't for you guys, especially Evan. I know you mean well, and you can teach everyone a thing or two about Pokémon. But…I digress. What I'm trying to say is, people like you who I've gotten to know personally, I can't find any reason to condemn you. I stand by you!"

"Rinkah…" Evan couldn't help but smile in sincerity. He was actually glad to have met this woman back in that prison cell ages ago.

"About damn time somebody be coming to dere sense. Well, datz one less bullet to use." Damon shrugged.

Corrin sighed in relief. He gave Rinkah his first sincere smile he had hidden away all day. "Thank you, Rinkah…we really needed to hear that. I mean it."

Rinkah hummed with a shrug. "Don't mention it. I know what's at stake. Fill me in on the details later. For now…" She turned her attention onto Fuga, her quelled composure starting to burn brightly again as she stood against him.

"Hmph…the Flame Chieftain's daughter decides to intervene on behalf of these dangerous individuals? Why?" Fuga growled.

"Because I owe a debt. Corrin saved my life. And Evan and Freya are close friends. I won't forgive you for choosing to cast them aside because of false rumors or misunderstandings. They are good people. If my father was here, he would at least hear Corrin out rather than spill his blood. Only barbarians scream for death than justice!"

"(Yeah, what she said!)" Monferno scowled, his tail flame getting bigger. "(So what's it gonna be, huh?!")"

The Pokémon beside Fuga raised his head and glared down at Monferno. "(Ha! Big words from a mediocre fighter. Only third-rate fighters fight with words more than just with their fists.)"

"(Who're you calling a third-rate?)" Monferno balled his fingers into fists, baring his teeth.

"As expected, such fiery passion from the Flame Tribe. But you can't honestly expect to believe these outsiders, despite what I have heard of their so-called intentions. You're saying I should let them do as they please? You should pick your words more carefully when talking to someone."

Rinkah scoffed. "I have, actually. And I'm speaking on behalf of everyone in the Flame Tribe. I vouch for these people."

Fuga closed his eyes, exhaling deeply out his nostrils. He knew at this point, there was no means of convincing Rinkah to stand down. He could tell just from looking at her eyes. She had a warrior's passion – something that he deeply admires in people, more than anything. As a man who values strength, he couldn't help but be impressed by her resolve. It wasn't a trait that was common around him. Still, as tenacious as the resolve was, tenacity alone didn't outweigh justice. If Rinkah was willing to stand up for these people, there was only one way for this matter to be settled.

And that's when he smirked with a fiery passion of his own.

"…I see. It seems that you are convicted on believing these people are not who the rumors are. So be it." He opened his eyes. "Then let's test that, shall we? We shall settle this the only way it should matter. We fight fair and square, no tricks or shortcuts! Show me the strength of your character! Defeat me with your own strength, and prove to me your resolves outweigh our understandings of you!"

"(Hmph!)" The Pokémon beside him tightened his belt, looking ready for battle.

"If that's what it takes to convince you, then so be it." Corrin reached for his Yato. "We won't lose!"

"Corrin, Evan. I shall fight with you. Let's show him what we've got!" Rinkah insisted.

"(Count me in! I wanna whack at that blue dome of his for sure after calling me a third-rate!)" Monferno sneered at the blue Pokémon, earning a sharpened glare from the fellow Fighting-type.

"Thanks, Rinkah. Really appreciate the commitment." Evan smirked. He took a sharp inhale, then exhaled. 'Okay…take it easy, Evan. Remember everyone's strong points and what they can do.'

Fuga turned away and started for the castle. "Follow me. Our contest shall take place at the top of Reppu Castle! Face me when the winds are against you!"

---

Once again, the group was forced into another round of trekking up stairs. At this point, there was no point to complaining. Even Damon found it impossible to even say something. He didn't have the energy to. Everyone essentially had to convert whatever energy they had left in them into persevering for this battle they were going to engage in.

The group trekked up a stairway that spiraled up the rectangular stone tower towards the top, as instructed by Fuga before the latter took his leave for an adjacent tower. The winds howled loudly outside to where it echoed as they climbed each step. One could say it was a roar of sorts.

After what felt like an eternity of screaming thighs and calves, they finally found themselves breaching daylight where steps reached the top of the tower. The group single-filed themselves out to the open and panted heavily as they caught their breaths.

"Please…dear God…no more steps…please…" Sakura panted heavily.

"Tis tedious now, I will admit." Gunter noted. "But nevertheless, we have finally reached our means of battlegrounds."

The group looked around, seeing that Gunter was right. They all found themselves centered at the southernmost tower, where there were a number of other stone towers adjacent to them connected by stone bridges. A number of them led up to a maze of sorts, with the northeastern tower having the largest room, as well as Fuga atop a set of small stairs with the Pokémon beside him. Both had tenacious glares fixed on the group, as were all the men he had stationed on the bridges and towers.

Almost immediately, Evan could make out the various weapons the warriors had. They appeared to be katanas, clubs, Yumi; he recognized ninjas that could have shuriken on them. 'Looks like it's all Hoshidan based weapons. Just like with Fort Jinya.'

But that wasn't the only thing that he paid attention to. He also noticed that many of the tribalists had some Pokémon with them. From what he could tell, they were all primarily Flying-types, such as Taillow, Wingull, Hoppip, and others that looked like they would make great use of the wind currents.

"Freya, you seeing all this?"

The dark-skinned witch nodded, trying to keep her hat from being blown off. "Yeah, I can see."

"Looks like the Wind Tribe is living up to its name with all these Flying-types. Rolycoly definitely has an advantage here. And my Butterfree knows Electroweb." He glanced at Gunter. "Gunter."

"Yes, Sir Evan?" the retainer inquired.

"Listen, you too Corrin. Riolu is a Fighting-type. All the Pokémon here are Flying-types, which have an advantage over Fighting-types. But Rock-types like Gunter's Larvitar can cover for that. So make sure you cover for Corrin's Riolu."

"Understood. If it comes to that, I shall not yield!" Gunter beamed with pride. "Milord, ready when you are."

"Right." Corrin reached for a Poké Ball and threw it skywards. "Riolu, I need you!"

The capsule popped open, revealing Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon stood on his legs and had a steadfast glare fixed on everything around him. "(I am ready for battle, Corrin. We shall trump over this matter quickly and efficiently.)"

Evan took a quick glance to ether side. Be it from a bridge or an adjacent castle, he could tell the enemy's positions, as they could with him. 'This won't be easy. There's no high walls, so they can track us as clear as day. Which means we can't ambush them like we always do.' He balled his fists. 'Like it or not, we're playing by his rules – no tricks. Okay then…'

"Anything ringing inside that head of yours, Evan?" Corrin pondered aloud.

"Yeah, I do. We'll split up the group. One group will take the west, and the other will go the other way. That way, we won't have to worry about surprises from a flank. Sakura and Felicia can heal, so one group will need each."

Felicia nodded. "Right, then as Lord Corrin's faithful retainer, I shall be by his side!"

Sakura clenched her staff tight. She felt a little disappointed that she couldn't directly support Corrin, but she promised to help in the cause regardless. She swallowed a lump and straightened herself. "R-right, okay then! Then I'll go with you, Evan!"

"Fo', be quick about picking sides, cuz it looks like dey ain't waiting for us." Damon groaned as he saw a Tribalist with Iron Shuriken readily pulling out his weapon of choice. The Alolan gangster didn't waste time in pulling out his Glock and aiming at the ninja. "Let's see dat star outdo a bullet, fo'! I dare you to try!"

The Tribalist fired the Iron Shuriken, which Damon countered with two bullets back-to-back. One bullet met and cancelled out the shuriken, while the other continued its course and met the Trialist's shoulder, drawing blood. He grunted heavily as he rolled to his side, leaving his Taillow to glide after him.

"I got this!" Evan pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Butterfree, use Electroweb!"

The Poké Ball popped open, revealing Butterfree as he fluttered in the open air. "(Gotcha, Evan!)" The butterfly aimed his tiny mouth and expelled a blast of electrical thread outwards, which expanded into a web of pure electricity. It engulfed the Taillow, which flew right into it and electrocuted it, causing it to falter heavily with a blue aura indicating a Speed loss.

'This one must have a pretty high level on it to handle Butterfree's Electroweb like that.' Evan knew there was no time to dawdle. He had to act. "Freya!"

"I know." Freya pulled out her Poké Ball and tossed it. "Rolycoly, Rapid Spin!"

The Poké Ball popped open, revealing Freya's Rolycoly. "(…)" Silently, the lump of coal began spinning on its wheel clockwise. He gyrated across the bridge and made a quick pounced into the Taillow's exposed stomach area. The impact was heavy enough to send the tiny swallow to the castle's stone floor with a thud. All while a red aura enveloped Rolycoly, indicating a Speed increase.

Evan glanced at Corrin. "We'll head this way. Corrin, you take the other route."

"Got it. Let's go, everyone!" With that, Corrin took the southern exit – the only other exit – off their starting point. Behind him was Gunter, Felicia, Azura, and Rinkah. When Evan saw the remaining group, he saw that it was himself, Freya, Damon, Kaze, Sakura, Subaki, and Hana.

'Okay, at least we have experienced close-range fighters in our group. And the Pokémon can handle the long-range. And as long as Damon doesn't aim for vitals, it should work out.' He was done with his internal strategizing. Time to put their skills to the test. "You guys don't know how to handle your Pokémon yet, so follow our lead!"

---

Corrin led his section of the party across the stone bridge, just as Evan instructed they should. He had no reason to falter on his friend's planning. He saw the Tribalists stationed on the adjacent tower, and from the looks of it, so did they. He saw that they sent Pokémon in their direction, specifically a Zubat, Skiploom, and a Yanma.

"Allow me." Azura threw a Poké Ball into the air. "Brionne, come forth and use your Icy Wind!"

The capsule popped open, revealing Brionne as she merrily smiled brightly with her flippers high above her head. "(Tada! Finally, my time to shine!)" She saw the three Flying-types and smirked. "(It ain't no chorus, but this'll stop you in your tracks!)" She took a sharp inhale and blew outwards. A dense, cold wave of air rushed across the atmosphere, effectively hitting the three Pokémon. The Zubat and Yanma were buffered heavily with blue auras reducing their Speed. The Skiploom, however, had it far worse as the frosty air was like a bleeding gust directly in the face, effectively sending it flying back and fell to its side, unconscious.

"Gunter!"

"Fear not, Milord! I know what to do!" With that notion, Gunter sat upon his armored steed and threw an Ultra Ball. "Come forth, Larvitar!"

The capsule popped open, revealing Larvitar as she flexed her body. "(I'm here!)"

Gunter reached out at the oncoming Pokémon gliding their direction. "Use Rock Slide!"

Larvitar complied, raising her arms into the air with a shout. The Zubat and Yanma were so focused on her that they weren't aware of the rippling energy above their heads manifesting into solid stone. The stones collectively dropped like an avalanche on them, pummeling them into the stone bridge.

By the time it all cleared, they were laying unconscious on their sides.

"Thanks, you guys!" Corrin brandished his Yato as he saw a Tribalist ninja aim Iron Shuriken at him. When they fired his way, Riolu jumped in front, brandishing his Metal Claw.

With swift, concise swipes, Riolu countered the two projectiles out of Corrin's path. "(You're good!)"

"Thanks for that, Riolu."

"Allow me to assist." Azura cleared her throat as she took in a short inhale. Her eloquent, harmonic voice was heard loud and clear, even through the high winds. The notes seemingly invigorated both Corrin and Gunter.

"Thank you, Azura. Now, let's go!" With that, Corrin began a dash with excess energy that tore through the howling air currents. Gunter rode on his armored steed beside him as reinforcements. Both Larvitar and Riolu followed them in haste.

Corrin took the lead and slashed his Yato into the ninja Tribalist, downing him in two consecutive slashes. He was then met with two more Tribalists; both having Iron Clubs. With him on the adjacent tower, he and Gunter had more room to work with and parted on either side. When both swung, they split and went on wither side, slashing across simultaneously and carving gashes into their staggering foes.

Behind them, Riolu landed a swift roundhouse kick to one Tribalist's face via Feint, with Larvitar's horn shimmering bright purple and exploding upon thrusting into the other, via Payback. Both Tribalists went down harshly.

"Look out!" Felicia warned.

On the other end of the tower where there was another bridge, a Tribalist reached his arm out, sending the Woobat above to attack them. The Psychic-Flying-type bat with a round, furry body had bright, glowing wings that flapped. Air crescents descended down over a large area in front of it. The Air Cutter crashed into the ground, with the attack focused on Gunter and Corrin.

Despite their best to defend, Corrin could only block. Gunter and his steed were more exposed, thus their armor took hits that deterred them. However, when an air blade went towards Riolu, Larvitar stepped in front and crossed her arms to take the onslaught. Though the damage was askew thanks to her typing.

"Gngh! Hang on!" Corrin grunted.

"Go, Monferno!"

With the loud from behind, a shadow soared over Corrin's head. He glanced up for a moment only to see what looked like a silhouette of Monferno flipping and expanding his chest. He unleashed a broiling blast of fire that jettisoned at the superior angle Woobat was at and swallowed it in flames.

The Tribalist was caught by surprise with his Pokémon falling in a charred crisp in front him. He only saw a glimpse of a Brass Club before Rinkah's weapon of choice met his face, knocking him out.

With a moment to recover, Gunter and Corrin eased themselves and looked at Rinkah. "Don't forget about me just yet! We won't be stopped here!"

"Rinkah…!" Corrin found himself surprised, but quickly got over it. "Thanks for that save."

Rinkah smirked. "No problem. I said I was gonna fight with you. Better make sure you're not holding back."

"No, we're fine." He assured.

"(Thank you for guarding me. Are you alright?)" Riolu tended to Larvitar, who stood without any trouble.

"(Yeah, I'm fine. If you were struck by that attack, it would have been bad.)" she insisted.

Riolu nodded. "(I'll return the favor given the opportunity.)"

"Here, Gunter. I'll heal you." Felicia caught up, using her hands as emanators for her magic to envelop Gunter and his steed. The damage he took before drastically faded as he seemed as good as new.

"Thank you for that, Felicia." He humbly smiled and nodded at the maid.

"No problem. Glad I could be of help." She turned towards Corrin with a denser frown. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm well, thank you." Corrin nodded in appreciation for her concerns. He was glad he had such faithful retainers like Gunter and Felicia with him. Though he knew also that he couldn't dawdle around to tell them that. "Let's keep moving, Fuga's waiting for us."

Rinkah nodded. "Right, let's get going!"

…

Ahead of Evan across the wooden bridge, he saw a Tribalist with an Iron Club beside a ninja, presumably having long-range on them. Above them, there was a Pidgeotto and Wingull present.

"Evan, how shall we proceed from here?" Kaze asked.

"Right, keep them at a distance. Make an opening for your Pokémon to attack!" Evan instructed.

Kaze nodded in understanding, bringing out a Poké Ball. "Very well then. Frogadier, lend me your strength!" He threw the capsule, summoning his partner before him.

"(Right! I shall endure for you!)" The Water Frog Pokémon declared.

The ninja proceeded as he threw Iron Shuriken at them. But Kaze vanished and appeared in front, using his knuckle knives and deflected the projectiles aimed for his partner. "Frogadier, go now!"

"(Right!)" Frogadier's body had a faint blue shine as he spurred ahead of everyone and dashed into the ninja's stomach, via Quick Attack. This left the blue frog open to above for the Pidgeotto to ascend and land a talon on his chest, pushing him down with Tackle. With him grounded on his back, the Pidgeotto flapped over him and glared down the frog viciously.

Evan quickly made use of the opportunity. "Butterfree, use Electroweb!"

Butterfree chimed loudly as he spat more thread at the avian and Wingull. Both watched the electrical thread expand into a net glob that swallowed them, stunning them painfully. The Wingull cried out in pain before quickly falling unconscious, but the Pidgeotto toughed it out and had a blue aura engulf its body, reducing its Speed.

"Rolycoly, Smack Down!" Freya commanded. Her Rolycoly wheeled in front and generated a solidified mass similar to a rock that he launched at the stagnant Pidgeotto. The bird was too engrossed in the net to evade and was hammered with enough force to plunge it into the stony ground. Both it and Wingull laid completely still with swirls in their eyes.

"Damnit!" The other Tribalist brandished his Iron Club and trudged after them across the stone bridge. "Come here you little…!"

"Smokescreen!" Freya beat him to it. Her Rolycoly expelled a thick cloud of black smoke that quickly overtook the Tribalist's vision. With his vision blocked off, he was unable to advance.

With an opening to spare, Hana and Subaki rushed with their Iron Katana and Naginata respectively and rushed the blinded man head-on. The two retainers cried out as they stabbed and drew blood that was blown through the winds, along with the smokescreen cover to reveal the Tribalist with superficial gashes that rendered him immobile.

"Hmph! So this is the support Pokémon can provide. Thanks for the lesson, you guys." Hana proudly smirked.

"Frogadier, are you well?" Kaze approached his Frogadier, who was trying to stand back up.

The Water-type managed to keep his feet beneath him and shook his head. "(Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about a thing. I was merely making an opening for my companions.)"

"(It was nothing, really.)" Butterfree insisted. "(Honestly, I'm not so good against other Flying-types, so having a diversion really helps out, thanks. Oh, and can't forget about you, too, Rolycoly.)"

"(…)" As expected, Rolycoly retained silence, with the exception of his body shuddering.

"(Hm? You okay?)" Butterfree tilted his head in wonder.

"Rolycoly? What's wrong?" Freya wondered. Her response – in conjunction with everyone else – was met with a glow radiating from Rolycoly. The lump of coal remained stationary as his body was swallowed by the light entirely.

"Is it alright?!" Hana subconsciously grabbed her katana.

"Its body is radiating a strong light. Is this normal?" Subaki inquired.

Sakura gasped, her eyes widening upon realizing it firsthand. "This light…I've seen it before." She muttered. "It happened with Evan's butterfly before it transformed!"

"Freya, your Rolycoly is evolving!" Evan pointed out.

Freya's eyes widened upon the realization. "Right now?"

"(Woah…)" Butterfree fluttered over the scene as he watched the coal beneath him gradually change shape.

Rolycoly's formerly lump structure began to smooth out, with a body seemingly taking place of his smaller stature. A mound began rising up as edges and what looked like wheels began forming along the sides.

As the light exploded, everyone witnessed the new form taking place of Rolycoly. It was a Pokémon who had charcoal black stone for a body, with his actual body being a huge cart. Small black wheels were along the sides to support him for mobility. Inside the cart were hundreds of small, burning coals with a dense, fiery glow coming from deep underneath. In front of the cart was a head with dark pupils and a mouth.

"(…)" The cart said nothing, but for a moment, his eyes and inside of his mouth heated up to a dense blaze.

"Fo'…did dat piece of rock just turn into a cart of rocks?" Damon deadpanned.

Kaze nodded. "Yes, it would appear so."

"…man, dat's a scam right there. A-and I would know…dat is a weird-ass upgrade."

"My Rolycoly evolved…" Freya awed.

"Hang on, let me see what you've got." Evan pulled out his PokéDex again, analyzing the evolution's stats.

"Carkol, the Coal Pokémon. By rapidly rolling its legs, it can travel at over 18mph. The temperature of the flames it breathes exceeds 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit."

"A Carkol," Evan looked at the stats and found something out. "Freya, look. It looks like he's also a Fire-type now, and a new move, too."

"Let me see." Freya leaned in to see her Carkol's moves. "Let's see…oh! That one?"

A groan came from the Hoshidan Frogadier knocked down before. He slowly got back up, grunting angrily. "Damn you…you won't get away with any of this!" He held up Iron Shuriken to throw at them.

Freya gasped. She looked at the new move again and then ahead. "Carkol, go! Use your Flame Charge!"

Carkol's eyes heated up from his internal temperatures rising. He spun his wheel-like legs against the stone bridge until the friction enveloped him in searing fire. He shot across the bridge at high speed thanks to his earlier Speed increase and shot at the ninja. The latter's shuriken were melted upon contact with the flames and left him open to a direct charge right into the stomach. The Tribalist doubled over and laid in a sprawled heap, a charred stomach and torn fabric as a memento from the impact.

As the flames diminished, Carkol had another red aura envelop his body, increasing his Speed once more.

"Woah, that was strong!" Hana's eyes were wide with shock.

"Did it get stronger upon transforming?" Kaze inquired.

Evan nodded. "Yeah, sure did. That's what happens when a Pokémon battles enough and gets experience. Sometimes they evolve and get stronger."

"I see." Sakura meekly smiled. "I never knew Pokémon could do that…that's incredible."

"Pffft, little girl, you be saying dat now, but wait 'til we be fighting de big ones. Den we'll be seeing if you still like it." Damon scoffed. "But, on dat note! BAP!"

Damon fired a round at a Tribalist coming from the southern route by a stone bridge. He shot him in the thighs, causing him to fall over. Above him, his Hoothoot looked down in surprise.

Damon got out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Aitz, get it Scraggy!"

The capsule went flying out, revealing Scraggy as he stood below the Hoothoot. "(Alright, take this you clock-eyed bird!)" He lowered his head and shot into the air. His Headbutt connected with the underside and caused the owl to pull away, but not without a flinch.

"Butterfree, Gust!" Evan shouted.

"(Take this!)" Butterfree violently flapped his wings as they glowed bright blue. A powerful windstorm picked up that he brushed into the Hoothoot. Thanks to Scraggy dealing the bulk of the damage, the owl was taken down and laid beside its supposed master.

"Yeah, go night night!" Damon scoffed, walking up to the unconscious Tribalist that Hana and Subaki took out earlier. "Oh, but you man, well, hehe…let's just say dat today ain't yo lucky day."

The Alolan gangster bent down and reached for the Iron Club that he was going to use on them earlier. He picked it up and nodded. "Yeah, dat'll do, dat'll do just fine. Wanna come at us with clubs, do ye? Well, jokes on dem."

"Um, i-is that really necessary?" Sakura nervously asked.

Damon turned back towards her. "Huh? Don't worry about it. You ain't strapped for de streets, don't bother walking on 'em. Now let's just go! De only other way is dis direction." He gestured to the northern bridge.

Evan sighed lowly. "Yeah, guess you're right."

He and his current section of the party started to the northern bridge, which took a sharp right turn and stretched a short ways before taking a left towards the next adjacent tower. A Tribalist with an Iron Naginata was well prepared to intercept them, as was the Gligar that was over his head.

Even at a distance, Evan kept his common sense about him. "A Gligar. I studied these guys. In that case…" He reached for his pocket, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Go, Wartortle!"

Appearing from his ball, Wartortle made himself known by standing in front of his Trainer. "(Looks like it's my turn. Ready, Evan.)"

"Kaze, let's double up on our attacks. Follow my lead!" Evan insisted.

Kaze nodded. "Very well."

Ahead, the Tribalist twirled his Iron Naginata and charged, whereas the Gligar glided overhead towards them with bright green, glowing pincers intended to strike Wartortle.

"Wartortle, Water Pulse!"

"Frogadier, follow suit!"

Wartortle opened his maw and generated a hemisphere of blue water. Frogadier accompanied him by putting his hands together, generating a similar mass. Once both were charged up, they threw them at the same time at the Gligar. Both water spheres erupted in a deep, misty explosion that was swept away quickly by the dense air currents. The Gligar scowled as it collapsed in front of the Tribalist, but he jumped over his fallen aid and continued his course towards Evan.

"Carkol, Rapid Spin!" Freya commanded. In haste, the heavy cart of coal began spinning in place before he lobbed himself past his colleagues and barreled into the Tribalist. The naginata met his body, generating sparks, but neither side was able to push the other back. However, as seconds went on, the Tribalist was starting to lose ground.

Evan turned towards Hana and Subaki. "Now!"

Subaki scoffed with pride. "Very well then! Though, I believe that I have seen enough to be accustomed." He pulled out his Poké Ball. "Very well, we shall give this a try! Come forth, my Rookidee!"

The capsule was flung through the air until it popped open. Out came forth Subaki's recently caught Rookidee, which flapped in the air. "(Huh? What's going on?)" She felt the intense air against her feathers. "(Brrr! It's cold up here!)"

"Little one, accompany me on the attack! We must vanquish this man standing before us!" Subaki kicked the side of his Pegasus, causing it to neigh and take flight once more.

"(Huh? Battle? Now?)" Though she was taken back by the command, it didn't stop her from complying with her Trainer. "(Uh, sure! Okay! Let's go!)" She flapped her tiny wings and took off behind him.

As Carkol was holding off the Tribalist, he was so focused on keeping his stance that he was completely taken by surprise when an Iron Naginata slashed past him. He gagged in pain, with him getting followed up on by a harsh jab by what felt like a beak on the forehead a number of times, totaling to three. With him staggering, he lost momentum enough that Carkol overpowered him and slammed him into the wall, knocking him out.

"Hmph! Aced that! How was that? Was that impressive or what?" Subaki chimed.

Hana eyerolled. "Showoff."

"G-good job, Subaki!" Sakura quipped. "You too, Rookidee!"

Rookidee blinked. "(Huh? Oh, I remember you. You helped make me feel better! Thank you, little Nurse Joy girl!)"

Evan frowned as he kept his eye on what he saw. 'Normally you're supposed to call a move, but I don't they had much practice at all to even know any of their moves. Guess this'll have to do.'

"Up ahead!" Freya warned.

As they were coming up to the stairs, they were blocked by a Tribalist with Iron Shuriken at the ready. Above him was a Butterfree, much like Evan's. He didn't take his chances lightly with them. "Butterfree, Electroweb!"

"(Okay! Sorry to have to do this to a fellow me! Nothing personal!)" Butterfree fluttered to a higher level and shot yellow electrical thread from his tiny mouth again. The thread expanded into a massive net that enveloped the opposing Butterfree, as well as the Tribalist. Electricity coursed through them as a blue aura enveloped them, reducing their Speed.

"Wartortle, now! Tail Whip!"

"(Got it!)" Wartortle turned around and shook his wavy tails at the Tribalist and Butterfree. A blue aura enveloped them again, this time reducing their Defense.

"We've reduced their defenses. Hit them with physical attacks!" Evan declared. "Subaki, have Rookidee handle Butterfree!"

"If that's what the expert says is best, so be it!" The retainer jutted his naginata ahead. "Little Rookidee!"

"(Okay~!)" The bird merrily glided down towards the slowed Butterfree. "(Big bugs don't scare me! Take this!)" Her beak glowed brightly and extended a little. Her Pluck darted straight into the Butterfree's chest, causing enough shock to leave it in shock, though not enough to knock it out.

"Smack Down!" Freya commanded.

Carkol generated an earthly orb in front of his mouth and fired it at the Butterfree. Without a chance to dodge the speedy attack, it crashed into it and caused it to plummet harshly.

"(Aw~, I wanted to knock it out.)" Rookidee pouted.

Meanwhile, Hana and Kaze teamed up to take out the deterred Tribalist. With a quick jump, Kaze darted Iron Shuriken at his thighs, making him bleed and flinch. That opening was all the time Hana needed to drive a clean slash into him, knocking him down and out beside the Butterfree..

"You fiends!" On the castle, a soldier with an Iron Katana jutted forward, making his Flamigo to glide towards Hana with glowing wings.

"Hana, look out!" Sakura worried.

Hana scoffed loudly. "I think this is good as time as any! Show them what you can do!" She picked up her Pokémon Ball and tossed it. "Go, Machop!"

The capsule flung up and opened, revealing Hana's newest addition – Machop. "(Eh? Finally able to stretch my legs, huh? About damn time!)" He saw the Flamigo heading his way and balled his fists. "(Heh, looks tough! Come get some!)"

The Flamigo continued its course towards him as he brought his leg back to do a Low Sweep. His kick met the bird's wing, but the power scale between the two moves quickly outweighed the latter's advances. It didn't take long for Machop's momentum to backfire and be sent flying back to Hana.

"Machop?!" To her shock, she watched as her Pokémon tumbled in front of her to a stop on his side. To her utter disbelief, Machop's eyes were swirls, indicating he had fainted. "What happened?!"

The Flamigo flapped its wings as it circled around. Despite knocking out Machop, it had a blue aura envelop its body, indicating a Speed reduction from the Low Sweep.

"Oh no…is he alright?!" Sakura worried.

"It's okay, he just fainted." Evan noted.

Sakura turned towards him. "What does that mean?"

"It means he can't battle anymore and he'll be out for a while. That must have been a Flying-type move he was hit with."

Sakura gasped at the realization. "That's right, you did warn us that Fighting-types are vulnerable to certain types. Oh dear…"

Hana clutched her Poké Ball tightly and gnashed her teeth. She couldn't believe her luck. With no choice, she recalled her defeated Machop and glared down at the stone battlefield. 'How could I have been so foolish? I got carried away! Damnit! Evan makes using these things look so easy.'

The Flamigo let out a cry before ascending to the air again. It glided after Hana, only to be struck by a stone orb and bright pink, multicolored beam at the same time. An explosion swallowed it and sent it plummeting towards the ground with a thud. It laid before Hana as she looked stunned.

"What the…?" She turned around, seeing Carkol and Butterfree present, and presumably her saviors.

"Don't worry, we'll cover for you!" Evan declared.

Freya nodded. "Leave the Pokémon to us for now." She reached out at the Tribalist before them. "Carkol, Smokescreen!"

"Butterfree, Poison Powder!"

Butterfree and Carkol exchanged glances at each other before they got the memo. They both expelled a cloud of poisonous purple pollen and dense black smoke that mixed as they traveled towards in front of them. The large-scale combination clouded up the area, as well as poisoned the Tribalist.

With the toxic smoke concealing their presence, the girl with the Iron Yumi stationed close by alongside her Delibird were barely able to see thoroughly enough for a clear shot. "Gngh! Where did they go…?"

With her focused on the visage above, she was unaware of the situation above. Subaki flew above on his Pegasus, coming down with a powerful slash by his Naginata. The impact caused her to stagger, followed by a darting peak by Rookidee straight to her forehead. She fumbled to the ground and laid clutching her wound.

The Tribalist stuck inside the smoke cloud was unable to see clearly. Though he definitely heard what sounded like a thud behind. "What happened?" He turned around. "Did they get past me?! Gnnngh! No way-GAH!"

An intense force struck his lower-half. He felt the weight beneath him collapse to the ground with a thud. Scraggy brought his leg back as he used his thick skin as a mask so he didn't inhale the poison. "(Heh! Stay down ya ugly mook.)" As he said that, a red aura enveloped him, his Moxie Ability increasing his attack.

"Yeah, dats my boy, Scrags right dere." Damon sneered.

The Delibird that was with the recent Yumi Tribalist looked startled by its partner's downfall. It glanced up, seeing Rookidee and Subaki glaring it down. The latter especially looked intimidating with his Iron Naginata.

"This one shall be ours, my feathered friend!" Subaki chimed, reaching outwards. "I hate to be of poor sport. Had it not been for a lack of this transporter, I'd bid you mercy and send you away. But alas, we cannot allow you to stand in our way! Go, Rookidee!"

"(Yeah…whatever you just said!)" Rookidee flapped in the air, kicking up her tiny talons as they glowed and elongated smaller claws. A red aura enveloped her body, enhancing her Attack as well as her Accuracy.

The Delibird let out a squawk before it reached into its bag with one wing and pulled out a multicolored orb. It chucked it at Rookidee and landed its mark, creating a tiny explosion that buffered her.

"(Gah! That kinda stung!)" She opened an eye and glared ahead. "(But we can play tough, too!)" To demonstrate this, she flew in at a steady pace, her body giving off a dark haze as she stuck her talon out. It made contact with Delibird's bearded chest area, pushing it back several paces.

The Delibird dusted itself with a wing and reached into its bag again. Like before, another multicolored orb was pulled out and lobbed at Rookidee. Rookidee braced herself for more damage. However, this time, when the orb struck her, it dissolved into her. The damage she took before gradually healed, as revealed by the few scraped fading away on her feathers.

"(Huh? That didn't hurt at all…)" Though confused, she took it to heart with a bright smile. "(Thank you!)"

Subaki jutted his naginata out. "Attack!"

"(Sorry, but this is gonna hurt you more than it will me!)" Rookidee darted in again, this time her beak glowing bright white. Her Pluck struck Delibird's chest area again, making it tumble away and land on its rump. Though it got back up, it looked to be wavering a bit.

"This is it! Go now!" Subaki shouted.

"(Okay!)" Rookidee speedily flapped towards Delibird and jutted out her beak again. It glowed once more and she aimed for Delibird's forehead. The attack met its mark, creating a dense shock through the skull and out the back of its head. The impact was enough to make Delibird stumble backwards a few paces before collapsing with a thud.

"Haha! Yes! Good job, my little aid!" Subaki smirked. "I think that I'm getting the hang of this Pokémon Battling! I knew I had it in me!"

"(Wow, what a rush. I feel so…weird.)" Rookidee was just getting over her excitement when she felt something wrong with her. "(What's this feeling? It's like…like I'm fire! Oooooooh~!)" As she chirped her excitement, her body was enveloped in a glow of its own.

Subaki gasped in shock. "Rookidee…you as well?!"

"What's happening now, fo?" Damon glanced over, seeing the bright light emanating from the bird. "Oh shit! Another one!? Didn't he just caught dat thing?"

"She must have been near her level when she evolves." Evan reasoned.

Rookidee's tiny frame began undergoing a drastic change as well. Her body began growing into a more traditional avian physique. More accurately, a raven. The talons got thicker, with actual claws growing and a sharper head.

Subaki watched this whole transformation, awing at his fortune. His pride aside, he never felt so genuinely awed by such beauty and wonder. It was like watching a dream come true.

The light eventually exploded, revealing Rookidee's new form that flapped and let out a loud cry. Her eyes remained the same, being half black and white with a red pupil in between. Her yellow underbelly became a dull gray-blue. Her black feathers grew, covering her chest and accenting the edges of her wings and around her eyes. The majority of her body had sea-blue feathers forming her body, with black talons at the end of her feet.

"(Whew! Man…what a rush! Ha! Wow…)" The newly evolved avian looked down at herself, spectating how she moved her wing up and down. "(Hm…glossy!)"

"She evolved…" Subaki awed.

Evan pulled out his PokéDex, which did its job to analyze the new evolution.

"Corvisquire, the Raven Pokémon. Smart enough to use tools in battle, these Pokémon have been seen picking up rocks and flinging them or using ropes to wrap up enemies."

"Use tools, huh?" Hana put a hand to her hip, scoffing. "Sounds like this bird could be a better battler than you now."

Her teased provoked Subaki as he sneered. "Ha! You say that because I have more competence as a Trainer to these creatures! Make no mistake, this shall aid me in my duties to aid Milady!"

"Uh, t-thank you, Subaki." Sakura meekly praised her retainer's commitment. Even though he was one to strive for perfection, it felt like at times he was going over the edge. This was one of those times.

Evan kept his eyes towards the stone bridge that connected to the adjacent tower. He saw a Tribalist with an Iron Club make his way with a Noibat from a small staircase made entirely of stone. He had to impede them. "Freya! Carkol!"

Freya looked over and saw what Evan warned her about. "Carkol, Smack Down!"

Once again, Carkol created an orb of earth energy and shot it at the oncoming Noibat. The projectile crashed straight into the bat's face, knocking it for a loop and dropping besides the Tribalist, who continued his march and raised his Iron Club. His intentions to club Evan were impeded when Hana intercepted the club's impact with her katana. This provided an opening for both Kaze and his Frogadier to use shuriken as well as the latter's long tongue to slash and jab at the Tribalist. He backpedaled severely, with his movements becoming ore stagnant when crackling static enveloped his body.

"He's paralyzed!" Evan shouted.

"Perfect! Thanks for that!" With a valiant smirk, Hana returned the favor by slashing her Iron Katana into the Tribalist. He let out a cry as he collapsed to the ground with superficial wounds, though the impacts left him worn out.

"Hmph! That makes one for me." Hana's prideful boasts were interrupted when she heard a small clang from the fallen Tribalist. It sounded metallic. "Huh? What's this?" She bent down and picked up what looked like another Chest Key dropped by them.

"Looks like it must open something nearby." Freya noted.

"Hmph! Well to the victor goes the spoils." Hana chimed. "Alright, let's-GAH!" Before she could finish, Hana was taken back by an ethereal rat that suddenly ran into her, causing her to falter.

"Hana!" Sakura gasped.

"Heh, I have to say, you're a lot weaker than what I thought I heard before."

The offensive, arrogant tone brought everyone's attention forward. There, standing a short distance from them was a teenager that had to be as old as Hana herself. He was relatively short, with burned brown hair that was relatively short. His top was accented in traditional blue robes with exposed shoulders and neck areas for flexibility. Ornate gold guards were on his wrists, and in one hand he had a fan. Around his waist was a black guard secured by red laces for the front and back plates.

"Are you alright, Hana?" Sakura hurried over to her injured comrade, looking worried for her dear life. "Here, I'll heal you." She held her staff out as it gave off a radiant energy. The energy touched Hana, quickly mending the sharp pain in her gut.

"T-thanks, sorry. I was careless." Hana got up and brandished her katana. "Alright, who the hell did that?!"

"That would be me." The teenager stood in front of them, his face being serious as he unfolded his fan. "You're the ones that attacked our tribe! A blow for a blow!"

"(Senor Hayato is correct.)" Gliding into view from above, something dropped to a knee beside him. It was a red avian Pokémon that had the red feathers of an avian, but the body of a humanoid. It was relatively small, with yellow claws and had red feathers with green inner feathers that connected to the arms, similar to a cape. The head was shaped like a hawk's beak, and looked a lot of a luchador mask with an orange tuff on the top.

The Pokémon brandished his claws as he glared at them. "(I, Hawlucha, shall be your adversaries. Be prepared, mis amigos, for this shall be where you meet your match!)"

"I think I read that up." Evan pulled out his PokéDex again to analyze the new Pokémon.

"Hawlucha, the Wrestling Pokémon. It drives its opponents to exhaustion with its agile maneuvers, then ends the fight with a flashy finishing move."

Hayato, the Diviner, shot Evan an incredulous look. "So you're the supposed Trainer that knows how to raise these Pokémon?" he scoffed. "I have to say, you look disappointing. I'll have you know that I've met this one and actually raised it myself.

"(Si, he is correct.)" The Hawlucha confirmed. "(And I am prepared to repay him by ceasing your advances.)"

"(Well, I can understand that. Still,)" Wartortle braced himself as he stood with his comrades. "(Think you can take all of us?)"

"(An interesting proposition, mi amigo. Supposed there's only one way to find out.)" Hawlucha spread his wings and flexed. "(Let's go!)"

"You're gonna regret what you did!" Hayato declared. Not far behind him, a fellow Diviner and several more Tribalists grouped around the tower's bridge.

Evan bent his knees as he subconsciously began reaching back for his Killing Edge. He may have to get his hands dirty and use it for real after all.

---

Corrin used his Yato to carve into the Tribalist with the Iron Naginata consecutively. This left his Murkrow exposed as Riolu jumped up and slashed his metallic energy claws into the crow's face, causing it to pull back.

"(My turn to get a good whack in!)" Monferno rushed past Riolu with a fist enveloped in a red-orange energy. He unleashed a powerful punch across Murkrow's face, managing to down it to the stony ground. When Monferno landed with a triumphant sneer, a red aura enveloped his body, amplifying his Attack stat.

"Great work. Let's go!" Corrin took the lead, his section of the team. As much as he would have liked to be grouped with Evan's team, he knew better than to doubt his friend's judgement. He was smart that way. It would be easier to follow his advice.

So that's what he did. He, Gunter, Felicia, Azura, and Rinkah all headed to the eastern side of the towers, where there was but one Tribalist with an Iron Yumi waiting. The moment they breached the stairs, he open fired an Iron Yumi directly at Corrin.

"Look out!" Felicia was right beside him and shoved him away. Using her Steel Daggers, she managed the deflect the attack.

As the Tribalist was loading up another arrow to fire, his Drifloon floated above and manifested a ball of dark purple energy with crackling dark static. It tossed the attack at Larvitar, who was unprepared for how speedily the projectile was heading for him.

"(Look out!)" Riolu rolled in front and brandished another set of metallic claws. He slashed into the shadowy orb, causing it to implode upon impact. But the force was overwhelming and sent Riolu over Larvitar's head and thudded on the ground.

"(Are you alright?!)" Larvitar gasped.

"Brionne, use Icy Wind!" Still focused on the battle, Azura commanded Brionne to fire an icy-cold breath of air that shot into the Drifloon and Tribalist. The harsh and freezing air caused the Tribalist to shiver and slow down drastically as a blue aura overtook both their Speed.

"Now, Larvitar, use Payback!" Gunter ordered.

"Let's go, Monferno!" Rinkah shouted, charging with her Brass Club. Her Pokémon followed behind her as they made a mad dash for the Tribalist.

Larvitar turned away from Riolu's condition and positioned herself with her horn manifesting dark energy. She lunged at the Drifloon. Piercing her head with her horn and made an explosive impact that sent it to the ground, his balloon body deflating. Monferno's tail flame grew and swallowed him in flames before he rolled into the Tribalist the same time Rinkah's club met his face, immediately putting him on his back.

Corrin moved closer and kneeled down to his Riolu. "Riolu, are you alright?"

Riolu supported himself using his paws and sat up. He shook his head and turned back towards his Trainer with his usual stalwart expression. "(I'm well. I underestimated the force of that attack a bit.)" He turned towards Larvitar. "(I suppose this makes us even now?)"

"(Yeah, I think so. Thank you for that.)" Larvitar humbly nodded.

"Here. I'll help you." Felicia came over and reached out towards Riolu, again applying more of her healing spell. Green energy waves enveloped Riolu to quickly mend his wounds to where they were nonexistent. "There!"

"(Thank you, Felicia.)" Riolu nodded towards her.

Rinkah stepped forward, noticing that the Tribalist she had defeated had something dropped from him. "Looks like they dropped something." She picked up the dropped item and inspected it, revealed to be a Chest Key. "Wonder what this opens?"

Monferno turned his head towards the end of the wooden bridge that lied north of them. There, he noticed a chest right next to the stairs. "(Maybe to that big thing over there.)" He hollered, pointing to make a physical notion for her to follow.

"What is it?" Rinkah followed his line of sight and saw the chest up ahead. She smirked. "Heh, guess it's treasure hunting time!"

Just then, the winds began to pick up. Air currents blew in particular areas, namely where Rinkah was and was quick to push her northward, much to her annoyance.

"Rinkah!" Corrin called to her, but even he was taken back by the intense force of these winds. He grunted as he was finding it hard to stand upright. "Damnit…we'll only be brushed around like this…gotta stop this somehow."

"Milord, remember your training!" Gunter urged him. "If we want to proceed steadily, we'll have to find a Dragon Vein."

"A Dragon Vein?" Corrin's eyes widened upon the idea. Thinking like that, everything made more sense to them! He remembered what they looked like, that was the important part. He scoped around for any spots that had signatures on them. After looking around, he saw one on the large, wide, wooden bridge that was close to the chest. "There!"

Gunter hummed. "Then you know what you must do."

"Right, bear with me!" Corrin made his way across the stone pillars clustered together to make a bridge. He followed the air currents pushing him northward and managed to slow down enough so that he didn't fall over the edge. As soon as he was within range, he trudged through the winds to where the currents were no longer pushed him. At the foot of the Dragon Vein, he took a deep inhale and concentrated.

The moment he stepped onto the green aura's base, the signature resonated with the dragon blood inside of him. Corrin retained calm as a green flare ignited beneath and expelled a brief gust beneath him that went through the area. As if connected with nature, the wind currents across the battlefield started to dissipate one after another.

"There, that should make things easier." He noted.

"Thanks for that. That caught me off guard." Rinkah smirked. With leverage on her side again, she was able to pick herself up and sauntered towards the chest with the key. She inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The chest opened itself and revealed what was inside.

Inside was a long, golden staff with a wide top reminiscent of a lamp. Though it was extremely ornate, it was also supplied with strong hilts. On the side was a label that read the name of this particular item: 'Physic. Maximum uses: 5'.

"A staff?" Rinkah was surprised with the support weapon. She expected something more like an axe or maybe a knife that she could hit people with. She didn't have the aptitude for using such a weapon. She reached over and handed it over to Azura. "Hey, think you can make more use out of this than me?"

"Oh, what a surprise. Thank you." Azura humbly accepted the staff, putting it behind her back and keeping it strapped to her body. "This is a high-quality healing item. Thank you for this."

Rinkah shrugged. "Yeah, no big deal. Now, what else do they have stashed here…" She peered inside and noticed the two other items that were clustered in the cirner. She used both hands and pulled them out.

In one hand was an orange disc that had had a label on it that read the following: 'TM13: Fire Spin'. The move itself looked interesting, but she had no idea what to do with it.

In the other hand, there was another item that looked like an estrange-looking tag. It was clear white on paper, with a red line running across the top with a black dot below it, surrounded by a red circle to make like an eye pattern. Below that was a red pattern of four joints pointing downwards. She turned it over and squinted at the words inscribed on it.

"'Cleanse Tag'?" she read loud. "Never heard of something like this."

"Oh! Maybe it's one of those special items that are for Pokémon?" Felicia inquired.

Rinkah raised a brow. "They have those? Huh, guess I'm more behind than I thought. Better hope Evan or Keith can explain this." She stashed the two items away. "Guess that'll have to wait. Looks like we've swept the forces on this side. Let's hurry and meet up with them."

Corrin nodded. "Right, good idea."

---

Carkol spun his wheels and enveloped himself in broiling flames before shooting himself at Hawlucha. Butterfree followed it up with expelling a pink beam of psychokinetic energy at a steady pace towards the avian.

Hawlucha remained cautious as his eyes glinted bright blue. "(Keep up with me! Detect!)" Taking a pose, he evaded Carkol with a backflip, followed by a barrel roll towards his side to avoid Butterfree's attack. Hawlucha even kept track of Corvisquire as the bird glided in with a glowing beak, only for the blue bird to be outmaneuvered by Hawlucha.

"So fast!" Sakura gasped.

"Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" Kaze ordered, this time using an attack name that Evan called earlier that he was familiar with.

Frogadier grunted as he brought his hands together and generated a sphere of water. He tossed it skywards at Hawlucha with a steady path like the rest. However, the target was still under Detect's influence, so he evaded the attack at the last second and glided in a steep decline towards him.

As soon as he was close enough, Evan reached out at him. "Wartortle, use Water Pulse!"

"(I'm on it!)" Wartortle pivoted quickly and opened his jaws. Water congregated to a sphere and fired in Hawlucha's direction.

Just when it looked like the attack was about to hit, at the last second, Hawlucha flipped overhead, his arms over his head. "(Close…but no cigar! Brick Break!)"

One of his arms glowed bright white and he descended down upon Wartortle. Wartortle braced himself and withdrew himself into his shell, with only a little of his tail sticking out.

"Wartortle?!" Evan exclaimed.

Just when Hawlucha's attack was about to make contact, a turquoise barrier manifested around the shell, like a barrier. The attack was stopped completely, and the force of Hawlucha's momentum turned against him as he somersaulted through the air and positioned himself above Wartortle. He looked down to find his opponent unscathed when he emerged from his shell.

"(Sorry…but you're not the only one who knows how to defend themselves!)" Wartortle declared.

Evan's eyes widened. "Was that Protect just now?" He grinned. "That's great!"

"Maybe so, but not great for you!" Hayato warned.

Evan looked in the Diviner's direction and saw him wave his fan. A magic seal appeared beneath him that materialized ethereal energy into a large rat, comparable to that of a Raticate. The swift creature lunged at Evan, only for a bullet to run through it, causing it to disperse.

Hayato's eyes widened. "Wait…what?!"

Damon scoffed. "Ugly ass rats. Dey can scurry…but dey can't outrun a bullet! BAP!" He fired another bullet, this time one aimed for a Yumi Tribalist. Blood spilled when he was brought down by the bullet through his shoulder.

"What?! I didn't even see it!" a Tribalist exasperated. "Is he firing small arrows from that thing?!"

"Fo', you wanna come over here and find out? 'Cuz that can be arranged." Damon chimed. "So y'all better stay back, less you get gunned down like your palsy-walsy right dere."

The Tribalists behind Hayato looked distressed. They weren't going to take this, not by a long shot. Their pride and the lives of their comrades and villagers were on the line if Corrin's group kept this up for much longer. They had to defend their land at all costs!

A Tribalist swiped his arm forward. "Attack!" While he was hesitant to advance, that didn't apply to the Pokémon. A Noctowl accompanied by a Beautifly and Ledian glided their way.

"Carkol…you know what to do." Freya didn't even bother with the command. Just her telling Carkol it was his turn was enough.

The Coal Pokémon understood and opened his maw, generating another rocky orb that he launched through the air. The speed it traveled as it reached the Ledian was too fast for the Bug/Flying-type to evade. Being struck head-on, it plummeted to the ground with a thud. The Noctowl and Beautifly continued their courses and closed in on them.

"Not so fast! Corvisquire, intercept them!" Subaki called out.

"(I'll try!)" Corvisquire flapped her wings and flew for Noctowl's flight path. "(Try and take me! Betcha those arrows on your stomach point down because that's where you're gonna go! Down!)" She darted for the Noctowl with a glowing beak that protruded slightly, via Pluck. She struck the Noctowl's chest and caused it to repulse a short distance. "(How's that?)"

The Noctowl's response was its wings glowing bright blue and flapping them. Compressed blades of air of a greater pressure than Air Cutter slashed through the winds like they weren't even there. Corvisquire was completely taken over by the sheer amount and was struck fiercely by the barrage. She cried out as she shot past Subaki and dipped towards the stone floor with ruined and gashed plumage.

"Corvisquire!?" Subaki gasped.

"Hang on, we're coming!" Sakura hurried over, with Audino in tow. She looked down at Corvisquire's injured frame and frowned. "Looks bad…but she must be fine. Audino, can you assist us, please?"

Audino nodded. "(Sure, I'd love to.)" She turned towards Corvisquire and made another pink orb of energy. She projected the orb's energy outwards into waves that sprinkled onto Corvisquire. Her energy gradually returned from out of the red and into the green, much to the recipient's relief.

The Beautifly hummed aggressively as it fluttered its wings, sprinkling yellow pollen down onto Wartortle. The Stun Spore came down, but Wartortle was aware enough to drive himself backwards and evade the powder.

"Wartortle, in front of you!" Evan warned.

Wartortle lifted his head and looked into the cloud of pollen. A silhouette quickly grew closer until Hawlucha shot out, making a beeline spur for the turtle. He landed a harsh lariat on the turtle's short neck area as he past by, via Aerial Ace. Wartortle fell over with a pained grunt as the attack did a surprising amount of damage.

"(You let out guard down, mi amigo tortuga.)" Hawlucha noted.

Despite being down, Wartortle was certainly not out. "(Gnngh…so did you.)"

Hawlucha blinked. He heard a loud chime and noticed the hue on his feathers gradually turning pink from something heading his way. When he looked up, it was too late as a Psybeam from Butterfree landed its mark straight into his face. The impact had enough force to send him flying back towards Hayato with a painful thud, followed by a slide towards his front.

Butterfree descended down and used his tiny arms to help prop his teammate up. "(Are you okay, man?)"

"(Yeah, I'm good now. Thanks, Butterfree.)"

"(It was nothing. You gave me the opening.)"

Wartortle smirked. "(You're too modest for your own good.)"

The Beautifly fluttered in the air as it readied its next attack. What it wasn't aware of, was that beneath it, Carkol looked up and knew it couldn't get away from him. He churned his front legs and pressed them into the ground, causing rocks to rise up surrounded in purple and shoot up towards Beautifly's exposed backside. The heavy pellets of primeval earth power caught it completely off guard, add that it was super-effective and that was all it took to bring it down.

Freya's eyes widened in shock. "That wasn't Smack Down I called…was that Ancient Power just now?"

"Oh yeah? Try this!" Hayato waved his fan, generating another magic circle beneath him that materialized energy. Another large rate manifested that ran past everyone, heading towards Freya.

"Look out!" Being the closest to her, Evan brought his left arm's shield forward, using it as a block against the ethereal beast. The animal struck his guard and dispersed, leaving Evan buffered only a little bit.

"Heh, gutsy move…nor a novice." Hayato sneered.

Evan moved his shield to the side, sighing heavily. He was starting to show his exhaustion from earlier. "This guy…is really starting…to piss me off." He muttered between pants. "Not sure how much more we can keep this up…"

"Fo, just lemme shoot 'em! I'll end dis quick!" Damon complained.

Evan's tired groans mixed with exasperation. "No, Damon...save your bullets…for when we really have to use them."

Hawlucha got back up, looking mildly worn from that Psychic-type attack he just took. He grunted and balled his claws as he glared at Butterfree. "(I will admit, you took me by surprise there.)" He leaped, taking to the air once more. "(But I assure you, that won't happen again!)"

"Take this!" Hayato waved his fan, firing another Rat Spirit at Evan.

This time, Evan faced the oncoming spirit and reached for his Killing Edge. 'Guess now's as good as time as any. Can't play defense forever.' He clutched his hilt tightly, waiting for the right moment to strike down the oncoming opponent. 'You've seen Corrin do this before. Just do what he did.'

The Rat Spirit leaped for him, as did Evan. The two rushed for each other with no intentions of backing down. Evan brought his Killing Edge around and diagonally slashed at the ethereal rat with all his might. The blade gutted light from the rat's neck area as it collapsed in freefall. It dispersed before Evan's eyes as he realigned his footing to keep himself from falling over.

Hayato's eyes widened in disbelief. "N-No way!"

Evan couldn't let him make another move. He held up his left arm's shield and charged straight at Hayato with the momentum of a Tauros' charge. He jutted his shield out and bashed into Hayato's face, causing him to fall onto his back with a loud thud. He wasn't given a chance to get up because Evan sprung and dropped his entire weight with his shield first on top of Hayato. It was like Hayato's second wind was bashed right out of him as he laid beneath Evan, recoiling heavily.

"Aye now, that's guts. Gotta respect dat." Damon shrugged. "Yo, Scrags! Hit dat owl up dere with a good Headbutt!"

"(Aw yeah, I'm a kill a bird with one stone of ma own!)" Scraggy scoffed. "(And by stone, I be talkin 'bout my head!)" He aimed for Noctowl's exposed underside and launched himself head-first into the owl.

The Noctowl chirped as it looked down, seeing a dull yellow head rushing for it. When it connected with its stomach, the small pain it thought it would feel turned out to be a tremendous amount. It proved too much and caused enough wake to send the owl spiraling out of the sky and towards the ground with a thud. It laid on the stone rooftop with swirls in its eyes, indicating that it was knocked out.

"(Yeah, dats what I'm talkin 'bout! Stupid ass bird!)" Scraggy mocked his fallen foe, a red aura enveloping his body as his Moxie Ability significantly increased his Attack once again.

Hawlucha struck a pose in the air before he darted for Wartortle down below, his fist pulled back and glowing bright white.

"Wartortle, Protect!" Evan shouted.

Wartortle pulled his head into his shell as a turquoise barrier appeared. Hawlucha met the barrier with his fist, but it was unable to break through and bounced off.

"Butterfree, Psybeam!"

"(This time…stay down!)" Butterfree flapped his wings and generated more psychokinetic energy in front of his eyes. He fired a compressed beam down at Hawlucha, who was in freefall from the deflected force.

"(Huh?)" When Hawlucha realized his position, he quickly acted on his own. His eyes glinted bright blue before he nimbly glided about, maneuvering around Butterfree's attack and spiraling upwards around it to get closer.

"(I won't fall for that again!)" Hawlucha declared, beelining for Butterfree. He spread his wings and darted at high speed into Butterfree's face with an Aerial Ace. The super-effective move met its mark and knocked Butterfree out of the air, drifting downwards to a lower altitude and panting heavily from most of his health depleted from that one attack.

"Carkol! Smokescreen!" Freya called out.

Carkol opened his maw, expelling dense smoke that clouded up Hawlucha's vision. The thick smoke gradually billowed up and concealed the avian, leaving him unsure of where to look. A blue aura enveloped him in the meantime, reducing his accuracy.

"Damnit, get off me!" Hayato struggled beneath Evan's weight as he tried to get him off.

The Trainer knew he had to act fast. He saw a Tribalist with a katana heading his way and immediately pulled himself off the Diviner. He had no choice but to pull back and run back into the Smokescreen, fading behind the thick cover.

"Coward! Get back here!" Hayato shouted.

"Electroweb!"

Hayato heard the shout, but he was completely unprepared. He and the men grouped around him were unable to keep track of the sticky, electrical thread that shot out of the smoke cloud and enveloped them. Hayato and Hawlucha especially took the worst of it as they were at the frontlines; the latter's Flying-type proved to be a hassle for him.

A blue aura enveloped all of them as they were stuck beneath the webbing. This was the opening Kaze and Hana took to slash the two Tribalists on either side, downing them in an instant. That left Hayato and Hawlucha left as the smoke was clearing up.

"(Gngh…this…this is malo…)" Hawlucha grunted, trying to stand up. As he was barely getting to his feet, he only caught a silhouette of a bipedal turtle rushing through the fading smoke towards him. "(Oh no…)"

Wartortle showed no mercy as he rammed his body in a full-on Tackle into Hawlucha. The impact met its mark with force to send Hawlucha flying back into Hayato's face, knocking the Diviner onto his back harshly once more.

With the smoke cleared out, Evan and the others looked ahead, seeing their opponents laying down unconscious or incapacitated. He saw Hawlucha laying atop Hayato with swirls in his eyes as the latter was struggling to get up.

"Gngh…heh, guess I was wrong. You're not that weak at all…" Hayato mumbled, before falling unconscious.

Evan sighed heavily, feeling the weight of that battle finally taking its toll. His adrenaline was starting to settle and his legs were about to buckle. Thankfully for him, they were clear of enemies for the moment, so now he could have some breathing room.

"(I…I'm so tired.)" Butterfree grimaced.

"(I hear you. That Hawlucha was stronger than we thought.)" Wartortle sighed. "(I'm starting to run on empty.)"

Sakura rushed over, with Audino in tow. "We'll help you! You both stay still." Sakura held out her staff, as Audino did with her hands. The two healers emanated their respective healing moves that gradually restored both Pokémon's HP. Butterfree especially felt a lot better to where he didn't have tow ork as hard to fly.

Wartortle sighed in relief. "(Phew, I needed that. Thank you.)"

Audino smiled merrily, and instead of responding verbally, she walked over and gave Wartortle a warm hug. The action took him by surprise.

"(Woah, hey now, okay, okay…uh…t-this actually feels kinda nice…)"

"Lady Hana, over there." Kaze directed Hana towards a chest that sat nearby where one of the unconscious Tribalists was.

"Really? Let me see." Hana walked over towards the chest to inspect for herself. When she got to it, she noticed how it had a lock of its own, much like any other guarded device would have. She then recalled the Tribalist she defeated recently and how he had a key she picked up. 'I wonder…' She turned towards her master. "Lady Sakura, can I?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, go right ahead, Hana."

With a nod of understanding, Hana turned back towards the chest and inserted the Chest Key. With a loud click, the latch undid itself and flipped the lid open. She leaned in and looked inside to see what was presently occupying the contents.

And what she saw was something she could only dream of. "This…this is…"

"What is it?" Subaki questioned.

Hana reached in and pulled out what looked like a black metal blade, but on ether curved ends, there was a long blade pointed outwards, similar to a katana. The front had a longer, sleek blade as opposed to the end, but it posed a bigger threat from looks alone.

"What did you get, Hana?" Evan asked.

"I've heard about these. They're called Dual Weapons. This is a Dual Katana." Hana demonstrated this by twirling the weapon overhead, slicing the air with both ends. "These are very unique weapons. They have these special properties about them that double their effects. They're highly valued." She lowered it and held it close. "I've always wanted to try one of these for myself."

"Then you should hold onto it." Sakura warmly smiled.

Hana humbly nodded in acceptance to the offer. "I shall. Thank you…oh, yeah. I found this too." Hana held up the other item that came from the chest, which was a purple-colored TM with the label on the side reading 'TM73: Cross Poison'. "I think this is up your alley, Evan. This good?"

Evan didn't need to think about it. "That's something you'd definitely wanna save for later. Just hold onto that for now."

"Evan!"

Hearing his name called, Evan and the others turned around to find Corrin's section of the party rushing up to him. Unlike them, they looked to be in better condition. Some of them had to hide their jealousy.

"We've cleared the forces on the eastern end, and the paths met up here." Corrin informed him.

Evan nodded. "That's good to hear. Let's just hurry before anymore reinforcements arrive. Once we take the stairs up here, it'll be a straight shot to Huga."

Corrin nodded in understanding. "Understood. We'll hit him with everything we've got."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go show him what we're made of." Rinkah encouraged.

The unified group collectively started up the stairs to the northernmost tower. There, a Tribalist with an Iron Naginata and a Bombirdier were stationed. The latter saw the group and flew over to attack.

"Carkol, Ancient Power!" Freya called out. Carkol moved quickly with his increased Speed from his attacks earlier. He stomped his front wheels on the ground and summoned rocks that he launched at Bombirdier. The rocks pelted the bird heavily, grounding it harshly.

"HRAH!" Subaki flew in with Corvisquire before anyone else, slashing consecutively with his naginata. Corvisquire followed up with a barrage of pecks from her glowing beak, jabbing a total of four times that made the Tribalist fall over.

"Someone needs to stay back in case someone uses the stairs to surprise us." Evan advised.

Damon waved his Glock around. "Alright, alright. I gotcha, fo. I'll hang back for now around her and, uh, spotcha. Yeah, dat."

Corrin frowned. Though he agreed on Evan's word of caution, he knew better than to allow Damon be alone so freely. He was an ally, and he's proven himself very helpful in such cases to be considered one, but his independence was something that worried him.

"Felicia, you think you can look out for us? Give us support of it gets too rough." Corrin insisted.

Felicia nodded in understanding. "Right! I can do that! You all go out and do your best!"

With that, the group rushed westward towards Fuga's large plateau. That left Felicia and Damon alone as a flight of stairs were right behind them.

Felicia took a short breath in and out, allowing herself to breath. "This battle…it's truly dragging us, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you can say dat again, girl." Damon eyerolled.

"(Aye, Damon! Over here!)" Scraggy shouted from a distance.

"Yeah, what's up, Scrags?" Damon turned around to find his Scraggy pointing at something close by. Sitting stationed for convenience, there was a treasure chest with a lock and latch lock the others. "Oh, hell yes! Heehee! Gonna be getting some booty out of dis after all!" He greedily sneered as he sauntered over towards the chest.

Standing in front of it, Damon pulled out his Glock and cocked it. "Aitz…let's see what dey be hiding around here." He pulled the trigger, hitting the lock with a bullet. The metal was pierced and the latch unlocked itself. Flipped open, Damon immediately looked inside and saw what was inside.

Firstly, there was a TM. Not surprising at this point to his standards. This one was a silverish-gray with a label on the side that read, 'TM30: Steel Wing'. A Steel-type TM was something rare to come by, he knew that much.

Secondly, there was an item beside it. It appeared to be some form purplish lump that was the size of his palm. It looked smooth like a stone, yet it was upright.

"What dis is?" Damon leaned in and picked it up. He felt the stone and saw the label that was called 'Eviolite'…or it would if he was able to be literate.

"Uhhh…don't know, but I'm keepin' dis." Shrugging, he took the stone and placed it in his pockets. He sauntered back over towards Felicia like nothing happened.

"Oh, Damon. Did you find anything useful inside?"

"Yeah, girl, dere were some things in dere. Nothing of value towards me, but hey, dat trash is gonna be valuable to somebody. Gotta hang on to de investments."

"Oh, that's good…I think?" Felicia had no idea what he meant. Probably another thing from their world. She couldn't focus on that. Rather, she felt movement from beside her. "Hm?" When she looked down, she noticed that the egg she had found earlier was moving around more than it was earlier. It felt a little warmer, too.

'It is alright? I wonder what I should do with it?'

"Hm? You good, fo?" Damon inquired.

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine, really!" Felicia quipped, feigning a nervous smile. "Just, uh, making sure that my dress wasn't torn. I'm sure I'll need a wash soon."

"Yeah, ain't dat de truth." In Damon's musing, he heard the echoes of footsteps from the stairs behind them. "Huh? Oh, not today, fo! Not today!"

The Tribalist that came to join the fight, alongside with his Ninjask, were both stopped just as they got to the top. A dark-skinned, thug-looking man and a Scraggy stood there, the former having an Iron Club at the ready, and Scraggy's head reeled back.

"Not in my house, bitch!"

BAM!

---

The wind howled mightily as the group made their way towards Fuga. The path towards him was fairly straightforward. Literally. The group was led by Corrin and Evan as they pressed on.

Finally. After so long, after all the walking, the climbing, and the goddamn stairs that they had to trudge over to get to this point, it would all be worth it if they could get through this last bit of stretch.

Evan was exhausted, plain and simple. He was so out of it that he was ready for his legs to buckle. But he just had to endure a little more. He just needed to use the experience he gained to help make this easier for himself as much as everyone else. After all, everyone else was hurting as much as him. They were probably just better at hiding it.

So it made sense to take the easiest route like they always have – hit them where they least expect it.

"So…you guys got the plan?" Evan elaborated as they all marched along.

Kaze nodded. "Yes, I do."

"We'll make this swift and clear." Gunter insisted. "If this is as you say, Sir Evan, let us make swift work of them."

Evan nodded and glanced over at Corrin and Rinkah. "You got that, Corrin?"

"Yeah, I do." Corrin was all for Evan's plan. Even though he wasn't as exhausted as his ally was, even he had to admit that this has gone on long enough. They had to make sure this ends, now!

"(Rest assured, we won't fail!)" Riolu affirmed.

The group finally closed in on the last flight of stairs, with Evan and Freya mentally screaming to the heavens. Knowing the latter's heels and the exhaustion in her legs could result in a potential fall, Evan lopped his arm around hers and he pulled her along. "C'mon, Freya. Please don't let your heels fail us now!"

"Thank you, Evan." Freya panted tiredly.

The group finally made it to the top, where they were met with what had to be the largest plateau amongst the many they had to cross over to get to here. It had plenty of room for not just them, but the surrounding Tribalists gathered around Fuga as he stood atop a small flight of stairs in the center, with his Sawk standing firmly beside him.

As expected, the soldiers all had Flying-type Pokémon over their heads. From what Evan saw, they were Hoppip, Scyther, Tranquill, Rufflet, and Fletchinder.

'Looks like some of them may have Keen Eye. We'll make this quick!'

"I see that you've all come this far. Through this test of strength, I shall determine where the truth lies." Fuga stated, readying his Iron Katana.

Beside him, his Sawk tightened his belt. "(At last, worthy opponents. Prove that my judgment of you is firm within reason!)"

"(Oh, don't worry, we'll prove you something alright!)" Monferno sneered back. He was excited to get a whack at the taller Fighting-type, especially from earlier. No way was he going to let this slide.

"Now!" Evan shouted.

Together, Freya and Kaze called out their respective attacks. "Smokescreen!"

Carkol and Frogadier opened their mouths at the same time. They expelled thick black smoke on everyone's left and right sides. The smoke clouds quickly billowed up and enveloped the Tribalists and Pokémon surrounding Fuga's higher domain, much to his shock.

"Where'd they go? I can't see them!" A Tribalist with a katana complained. He looked up towards his Rufflet. "Hey, find them!"

The Rufflet scowled, but complied with the order given. It ascended, only for an electrical web to come straight down onto it and ground it.

"What the-?!" The Tribalist was caught off guard by the net swallowing him as well. Loud cries resonated inside the net's confinements as they were trapped. It wasn't just them, but all the other surrounding forces as electrical nets flung around, snaring them and the Flying-type Pokémon.

Another Tribalist struggled underneath the net as his Tranquill was getting buzzed the life out of him. "Damnit, where'd this net come from?!" He noticed a faint shadow growing beneath him and looked up. "Gah! Nooooo!"

CRASH!

All around, rocks rained down from the sky into the black haze. The sparks from the electrified webbing were snuffed out by bone-crushing rocks that dropped like an avalanche atop everyone. Cries of pain were gradually replaced with grunts and gags of anguish.

Fuga watched all this happen around him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What is the meaning of this?" When he looked up, he saw what looked like a large butterfly fluttering around him. "Was it because of that one?"

Sawk looked just as surprised, but kept his eyes on the obscurity before them. "(Incoming!)"

Fuga heard his outcry and caught a golden blade and Brass Club swinging through the smokescreen at him. He used his Iron Katana to intercept both attacks and came face-to-face with Corrin and Rinkah.

"You're about to see just what we're made of!" Rinkah declared.

Fuga's Sawk noticed a tail flame and glowing claws from interjecting points around the stairs and brought up his arms. The next thing he knew, Monferno spurred out of the smoke with a fist covered in light blue. The attack had extra power to it thanks to his increased Attack.

In their interception, Riolu leaped above with metallic claws brandished across each other. He cried out as he came down and passed Sawk, swiping his arms and posing. Sawk grunted heavily as he felt the impact through his torso and caught himself.

"(And there's plenty more where that came from us third-rates!)" Monferno sneered.

Sawk's expression scrunched. "(Well played. But I won't be bested so easily!)"

Fuga and Sawk both reaffirmed their positions on the platform. The flat stone rise glowed beneath their feet as energy gradually returned to them. Sawk's earlier injuries were healed to where they were only minor.

"Corrin, look!" Rinkah gestured towards the ground at Sawk's feet, sneering. "Looks like one good trick deserves another."

Corrin furrowed his brow. "Their injuries can heal. In that case…" He furrowed his brow and straightened his stance with his Yato. "We need to end this fast!"

Fuga scoffed. "Yes. Come at me with everything you've got! Muster your strength if you intend to defeat us!" He raised his Iron Katana and went after Corrin. Similarly, Sawk brought up a leg and went for Riolu.

Corrin readied to bunt using his Yato's sharp edge, managing to block the swing. However, he found himself under the pressure of the man's sheer force. When he felt his momentum beginning to falter, Fuga noticed this, and cocked a brow.

"Is this all you can do? Was this the strength that fell my comrades?!" His taunts were met with a Brass Club to his back, causing him to grunt and lessen his pressure.

With room to breathe, Corrin clutched his blade's hilt and grinded the metal into a rotation, deflecting Fuga's blade. With a strong cry, Corrin pivoted and landed a consecutive slash on Fuga's upper body. The armor protected his body, but the power of the Yato was enough to severely damage it.

Sawk charged for Riolu with a strong kick sweeping across. Riolu jumped and avoided the kick, but he picked up on the emotions of perseverance and knew what was coming. He pulled away in time just before Sawk's other leg swung around to kick him.

'We've gotta end this.' Corrin knew the best way to do that. "Riolu, use Work Up!"

Riolu crossed his arms and pumped his fists. A red aura enveloped him, increasing his Attack and Special Attack.

"(I see. Well then, suppose I must even the playing field with my own power.)" Sawk surrounded himself in a brimming red aura of his own. His muscles bulged as he started flexing them in front of his opponents, much to their wonder and slight awe. As his muscles intensified, so did his Attack and Defense stats.

"(Don't forget about me!)" Monferno shouted, before spinning in place like a tire. His tail flame enveloped him as he rolled after Sawk and barreled into his forearms he used to guard. The attack managed to deal damage to him, although compared to before, the damage wasn't as much as it was due to Sawk's increased Defense.

Once again, a green aura ignited beneath Fuga and Sawk's feet, restoring any health or injuries they would have sustained from the exchange.

"GRAH!" Corrin lunged with his blade and slashed at Fuga, only for him to evade timely. Though, it brought forth an opening for Rinkah to slam her club into him again, knocking him back the way he came. This prompted Corrin to charge again and land a successful slash across the chest. Blood from the wound quickly spilled as Fuga retracted his steps and got to a knee.

Monferno balled his fist as he cloaked it in bright blue energy. He lunged at high speed into Sawk and slugged forward. "(Eat this!)"

"(I think not!)" Sawk spread his arms across himself and manifested a thick, translucent, red barrier in front of himself. Monferno's fist connected with the barrier, only for it to absorb the shock and not break under the strain. He had no choice but to pull away with his fist throbbing.

"(Damn…nothing ever stops my Mach Punch like that. What the heck was that?)" he asked.

"(That was my Quick Guard. No amount of speed can overcome it. So accept your defeat and mercy shall be granted to you.)" Sawk implored.

"(You believe that we do not have a fighting chance against you?)" Riolu retorted. "(Even someone as steadfast as you should know that there are some battles that you cannot run away from. We are determined to stand firmly against you, no matter what it takes.)"

Sawk closed his eyes. He looked mildly impressed with the critical response by him. "(…well said. Then come face your retribution!)"

Monferno balled his fists again as they glowed bright blue. He spurred after Sawk again, who saw this coming and swiped his arms across to create his Quick Guard. A red wall materialized out of thin air to block off Monferno assault.

'I think this move will work!' Corrin thought. "Riolu, use Feint!"

Riolu's eyes glimmered. "(Right!)" His legs glowed bright white as he shot towards the barrier. He weaved around so fast that it outmaneuvered Monferno's oncoming punch. Riolu zipped left and right until he was right in front of the barrier.

With a swift kick, the glowing appendages swept through and shattered the barrier as though it was made of glass, much to Sawk's shock.

"(Impossible!)"

Riolu followed through with his kick as Monferno's punch zoomed in at the same time. Both attacks met Sawk's unguarded face, causing him to backpedal from shock and staggered to a halt.

Once again, a green aura ignited beneath Fuga and Sawk. More health they lost returned to them.

"We shall decide this here and now!" Fuga aimed his Iron Katana ahead. "Go! Finish them!"

"(I shall!)" Sawk balled his fists and shot right at Riolu. He brought his leg back and readied to sweep it around in Riolu's direction.

'We can't let them recover! We have to end this here and now!' Corrin knew what he had to call for. It was risky, but he knew it was worth it.

Riolu looked just as certain. Their red eyes beamed together.

"COUNTER!"

Riolu tightened his bodily stance as his arms glowed multiple colors with an orange energy outline. The moment Sawk struck him, Riolu felt the pain course through his body. He felt everything from his ligaments to his bones scream in agony. However, he was able to withstand it, only by a very small amount of stamina that would be left over.

With his attack blocked, Sawk found himself unable to pull back in time. "(What're you…!)"

Riolu grunted until he ultimately unflexed his entire body. He swung his arms around and created a powerful shockwave from the kick he endured that slammed straight through Sawk's body. The air was literally knocked out of him as his eyes lost their pupils and he was sent flying through the air.

Fuga saw this and looked stunned. "What happened?!"

"Corrin, go now!" Rinkah shouted.

"Right!" Corrin positioned himself and his sword, increasing his focus. He felt his body surging with a force. It turned into a silver energy that turned his entire arm into draconic talons that charged a hemisphere between them.

Riolu saw this, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"This ends…NOW! Dragon Fang!"

Fuga looked too stunned to make words come to life. He only had enough time to swing his Iron Katana around before Corrin fired the draconic flare at point-blank range. It met Fuga's swing and overpowered him by a margin even he couldn't surmount.

The Chieftain went sailing, though as he was. He was still able to lock eyes with Corrin. His eyes glazing alone told him everything. As he descended towards the ground, a small grin of satisfaction crept up the corners of his lips.

'Well done…'

With those words in thought, Fuga dropped to the ground with a thud, Sawk landing right beside him. Both laid on their backs as rtheir bodies showed significant bruises and cuts from the blows they received. But despite their tenacity, they were unable to stand back up.

Keeping his distance, Evan looked mildly stunned at what he just saw from Corrin. 'I didn't imagine that, did I? Isn't that…?'

Corrin exhaled, the draconic limbs returning to normal. He retained his calm composure and turned towards Rinkah, who smiled at him. He proceeded a few paces towards the center of the plateau and stood over Fuga.

"It's over."

---

At long last, the grueling struggle could end. To say everyone was relieved would be a tremendous understatement.

With all the forces and their Pokémon suffering from such a critical defeat, they were in no means able to continue the battle. The Tribalists had no choice but to back down and withdraw for much needed medical attention from their healers. This left Fuga alone with Corrin's gathered party members surrounding the latter.

Even under these circumstances, Fuga knew he was outmatched. He sat calmly on his knees as he was using his plateau to recuperate. His Sawk sat in the same position, his head down and eyes closed.

Corrin stepped up, looking at the Chieftain with a sincere face. "So now will you listen to us?"

"Hmmm…" Fuga's incoherent mumble didn't answer his pleas. Though at this point, Corrin had to press the matter.

"We're truly sorry for the attack on your tribe's men. We were deceived, and we came here to offer an explanation as well as an apology for what happened. We didn't mean for things to escalate to this scale, and we had no intention on harming any of you."

"I mean, to be fair, dey were asking for it, do." Damon muttered.

"Be quiet, Damon." Evan whispered harshly.

"But fo, they really were. We could've just avoided all dis from the start if dey just cut dere losses like dey should've. And now look. You ask me, dat's what I call a hard lesson learned."

Evan groaned. He would have wanted to say something against Damon's claims on the matter, but he was too tired to say anything back. It was taking everything in him alone to stay standing. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but agree to his ally's logic. 'I mean…he's not wrong. They really did ask for it…'

Fuga stared at Corrin and the rest of his party for a short while. Eventually, he managed to answer with a solemn nod. "I understand, Corrin. I saw it myself as we fought. You bared anything but ill-will. You screamed for reason when we were bogged by rage and frustration." He bowed his head to him. "I see it now. You truly have the warrior's spirit and a pure heart that drives those around you to follow. I promise to explain this to my tribe – you should not worry."

Hearing this was like being hit with a wave of relief. Finally! After all their efforts, they could rest easy now!

Evan slumped his shoulders. "Thank Arceus that's over."

Corrin smiled warmly. "Thank you, Chieftain Fuga."

Seeing Corrin's smile, Fuga couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, you remind me of Sumeragi. If he were here, he'd certainly rejoice at the fine man you've come to be."

"Huh?" Corrin paused. This bit of news caught his attention. "Wait…you knew of my father?"

"Yes. King Sumeragi was a dear friend. We often fought side by side with each other in our younger days. We were brothers in battle." Fuga sighed. "But those glory days have long since passed…you trult fought well today." He reached for something he had hidden in his wardrobe. "You have bested me far and square. You have won this."

Corrin blinked and walked up the steps to claim his reward. When he looked at it, it looked a lot like a small red orb that sat in the middle of a golden cage. The orb wasn't even touching the sides, it was just floating in the center like gravity didn't bother it. Corrin read the label along the side aloud:

"'Heart Seal'?"

Fuga smiled. "Yes. I believe it will help you and others find potential."

Corrin obliged and accepted the item in kind. "Thank you."

Fuga smiled passionately. "Hm, I can see how you are able to wield the Yato now…and yes, I know of such a blade. Sumeragi spoke about it to me."

"What did he say?"

Fuga's passive demeanor noticeably returned to a serious tone. Corrin could tell that what he was going to say was serious.

"Listen well. The Yato is the key to the Seal of Flames. That seal contains unlimited power…some might say that it is capable of even destroying the gods themselves."

Hearing this, everyone's focus turned onto Corrin. He looked down at his Yato, the blade shimmering underneath the sun's rays. He was left speechless. "Wait…you're saying that it can topple gods?! Then, that means…!"

"There is hope yet for us." Azura gasped.

Freya mustered a smile. "Guess that means we're on the right track then. If we get more parts that the doctor needs, and defeat the gods…"

"Then we might be able to reverse everything." Evan finished. It was wishful thinking, but in a land brimming with sorcery, to him, anything felt possible at this point.

"Izana should be more familiar with this legend. He thrives in Izumo." Fuga's smile returned. "I suggest you seek him out to learn more. I believe you have earned our tribe's cooperation for this venture, Corrin. I believe that whom is best to aid you would be…"

"Me!"

Everyone turned their attention towards the voice that came running for them. To their mild surprise, they saw Hayato rush up beside Fuga. Hawlucha glided and followed behind to support him.

"Man, why he here? Didn't ole' Evan dude whoop his ass earlier?" Damon scoffed.

"Guess he bounced back." Freya noted.

Hayato straightened up and beamed with pride. "Yes, it's true. The Wind Tribe will support them now. I agree. But if it's you, Chieftain, I think that the people need you more. I shall accompany them instead."

Corrin blinked. "You're…?" He turned towards Evan. "Do you know him?"

Evan sighed. "Yeah, we kinda fought earlier. Gave us a hard time moving ahead, so we had to get tactful."

Hearing this, Hayato scoffed. "Hmph! That may be, but don't be mistaken. I may not be better at handling my Pokémon than you, but my magic skills are anything above what you're capable of. Besides, we'll catch up with you very soon!"

"(Si, he is correct.)" Hawlucha agreed, turning towards Wartortle. "(I admit, you and your compadres were very strong. You have earned my respects.)"

"(Uh, thank you…I think, heh.)" Wartortle sheepishly nodded back, trying to be polite towards his gestures.

"Hmph! Believe me when I say, my skills aren't anything to scoff at. I'm an expert after aaaaaa~…" Hayato trailed off as he felt time slowing down. The moment he saw Freya, his eyes widened as he got a good look at her.

He must have been too blind before to see, but now that he could see her clearly, he could tell from a glance alone that she was a mature and ripened young woman. Granted, she was taller than him, but she was most certainly ripe. Her dark skin looked smooth, and her lips were full, as were her plump thighs. Even for how young he was, Hayato knew beauty when he saw it.

"Uh…uh…" Hayato was so caught up in staring at Freya that he lost his ability to speak properly.

Corrin blinked. "Hm? Uh…hello? Are you okay…?"

"Uh…" Flushed in the cheeks, Hayato cleared his throat. "R-right! Like I was saying, I can prove myself most useful to everyone! Right, Chieftain?"

Fuga smiled and nodded. "Ah, yes. I have no objections. Your magic skills are indeed the most impressive. All I ask is that you be careful."

"Right, I won't let you down!" He put his hands to his hips. "Well, that settles it! So what now?"

"We'll head to Izumo. That's our best lead right now." Corrin answered.

Evan tapped his shoulder. "Uh, Corrin? Before that…"

The young man turned towards his friend and noticed how he was gesturing towards everyone around them. The people, as well as their Pokémon – especially Riolu – were barely standing. Despite all the battling and the exhaustion walking they've done, the adrenaline Corrin felt would be temporary. He knew he had to draw the line here for now.

"…right. We'll round up the Pokémon and rest up first."

---

Party Data:

Evan

-Wartortle (Male)

Lv: 23

Item: None

Nature: Mild

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Tackle, Protect, Water Pulse, Bite

-Butterfree (Male)

Lv: 22

Item: None

Nature: Modest

Ability: Compound Eyes

Moves: Poison Powder, Gust, Electroweb, Psybeam

-Growlithe (Male)

Lv: 19

Item: None

Nature: Bashful

Ability: Intimidate

Moves: Ember, Flame Wheel, Howl, Bite

-Bellsprout (Female)

Lv 19

Item: Miracle Seed

Nature: Sassy

Ability: Chlorophyll

Moves: Vine Whip, Growth, Wrap, Sleep Powder

Freya

-Drizzile (Female)

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Timid

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Water Pulse, Whirlpool, Water Gun, Bind

-Carkol (Male)

Lv: 23

Item: None

Nature: Quiet

Ability: Steam Engine

Moves: Flame Charge, Smokescreen, Ancient Power, Smack Down

-Snom (Female)

Lv: 18

Item: Snowball

Nature: Bold

Ability: Shield Dust

Moves: Powder Snow, Struggle Bug

-Trapinch (Female)

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Hasty

Ability: Arena Trap

Moves: Bite, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Bulldoze

Damon

-Scraggy (Male)

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Naughty

Ability: Moxie

Moves: Headbutt, Protect, Low Kick, Payback

Corrin

-Riolu (Male)

Lv: 23

Item: None

Nature: Serious

Ability: Steadfast

Moves: Work Up, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter

Azura

-Brionne (Female)

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Naïve

Ability: Liquid Voice

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

Gunter

-Larvitar (Female)

Lv: 23

Item: None

Nature: Careful

Ability: Guts

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

Kaze

-Frogadier (Male)

Lv: 23

Item: None

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse, Smokescreen

Sakura

-Audino (Female)

Lv: 45

Item: Sitrus Berry

Nature: Jolly

Ability: Healer

Moves: Take Down, Simple Beam, Hyper Voice, Heal Pulse

Hana

-Machop (Male)

Lv: 16

Item: None

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Guts

Moves: Focus Energy, Revenge, Low Sweep, Knock Off

Subaki

-Corvisquire (Female)

Lv: 21

Item: None

Nature: Naïve

Ability: Unnerve

Moves: Power Trip, Hone Claws, Fury Attack, Pluck

---

Sorry it took so long for this update. Hopefully that the wait was worth it! Managed to keep another main group chapter under 25K, so that's good! Finally got through the Wind Tribe part, but now Evan and the others are gonna have to take a pause to collect themselves and regroup for their next big venture. We'll see how that goes!

As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you for reading!