Kora dashed out just after Rio, but something didn't feel right. A strange, sickly feeling crawled up his spine. His ears twitched and flicked irritably. He slowed down, taking a cautious pace as he walked down the hall. Zen stood in front of a frubbled Z and Jax kept Lee under his foot, but something wasn't right still. Then it hit him.

"Where's Rio?" Kora asked, catching Jax's attention.

"Oh, hey little buddy!" Jax waved. "What about Rio? I haven't seen him since y'all left."

Zen barely turned his head to acknowledge Kora before facing Z again. He brandished his arm blade, glaring at the fox. "Speak. What are you after."

"W-Would you believe me if I said I was looking for friends?" Z chuckled. Unamused, Zen pressed the tip of his blade to Z's throat. "Whoa there, cowboy. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"And who are you to warn me?" Zen scoffed, pressing his blade further. "Speak."

"Well I'm the only thing keeping you and your friends alive," Z said, lifting his head up off the blade. "One trickle of blood leaves my body and I can't guarantee anyone's safety."

Zen frowned. "I truly hope you didn't think that would scare me. You've already tested my patience, and for that…" He grabbed Z by the ear, and tapped his blade against it. "I believe an ear should suffice. Surely you won't miss it, seeing how you already fail to listen."

"Z-Zen, seriously, don't do that!" Z gulped. "I'm being serious, you'll be a whole lot worse off if I bleed!"

"You had your chance to speak," Zen said coldly, lifting his gauntlet up. He brought it down with the might of thunder, but stopped just shy of Z's ear. A furry black paw grabbed his arm, holding it tightly in place.

"Rio? Rio!" Kora's eyes lit up for a moment, then a bad feeling rose in his chest.

"That's… Rio?" Jax asked.

A jet black aura burned off of "Rio," his fur was darkened, and his eyes were lifeless. His arm band was just as dark as the aura around him.

"Outlander?" Zen winced. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you alive." A voice spoke from the ground. Suddenly, Jax let out a pained cry and hit the ground. Lee dug his claws into the Machamp's leg, staining the white of his fur with crimson. He stood up, cracking his neck."An unforeseen result, but a welcome one, for you lot."

Rio flung Zen back, staring at him. "Keep… alive…" he groaned.

"What did you do to him, wolf?" Zen growled, clutching his arm. It stung far more than he was willing to admit. "How did you cause him to go Berserk?"

"Is that really what you're all calling it? Almost as bad as what Z came up with. But I digress," Lee cleared his throat. "If no one else wishes to interrupt me… Outlander, free Z."

Rio nodded, grabbing Z by the shoulder. His jet black aura raced through the frubbles, dissolving them with a burning hiss. "Free…"

"Lee, you can let him go now," Z said, shaking his body. "We don't need him like this to get the Gear."

"Very true, yes, but you'll have to forgive me when I say I want to see what he can do. It's not everyday you get to see a new Outlander with such a simple ability attached to him," Lee chuckled, flashing Jax's blood off his claws.

"That isn't an excuse to have him fight them! We already have them beat, we don't need to put them through anything else," Z huffed.

"No… No I need to see this. Especially on that one," Lee pointed a bloody claw at Zen. "He would have hurt you without batting an eye. How about he sees how fun it is when the Outlander tears them both out." Rio snapped his head towards Zen, growling furiously.

Z's fur stood on end, and he grabbed Lee's arm. "Lee don't! I'm serious!"

"Give him hell!" Lee ordered, a fiendish, toothy grin on his snout.

Rio launched himself at Zen with a powerful burst of aura, cracking the stone beneath him. With a loud KLANG he collided with Zen's raised gauntlet. Zen stumbled back, wincing as he clutched his gauntlet once more.

"The hell?" Zen hissed as his knees buckled. "How can he… Why is he..?"

"Lee, that's enough!" Z yelled, pulling on the Lycanroc's arm.

"Fine, let's compromise," Lee said, rolling his shoulders. "Outlander, give him a fight, but don't kill him." Rio nodded, snarling at Zen.

Kora rushed to Zen's side, offering to help him up. "Zen, are you-"

"I am fine," Zen said, helping himself up. "Get Jax to the infirmary."

"But-" Kora began.

"Now," Zen ordered, glaring at Kora. A dark aura flickered around his body for a second. "I won't make the mistake of underestimating him again."

Lee crossed his arms and smirked. "Then I welcome you to try and fight us."

With a snap of Lee's claws, Rio rushed Zen down. The Lucario grabbed Zen's arms, snarling and grinning. "Fight…"

Zen, as one would expect of him, was entirely stoic. He bashed his head against Rio's, then kicked him back. Calmly, Zen put his arms up. When Rio attacked him again, Zen uppercut Rio's snout with his palm and punched his stomach. Rio reeled back, growling as his aura burned furiously around him.

At first, Zen played his cards defensively. Always countering whatever Rio did, never making the first move. All the while he watched Rio closely. It was hard for Zen to believe this was that same Outlander, even in a berserk-like state. And Lee being able to control Rio wasn't anything better to think about.

Zen ducked under a wide swing from Rio, swiftly jabbing him twice in the side and jumping back. Rio charged right on after him. Another wide swing. Another dodge. Another two jabs. Another jump back. While it was probably boring to watch, Zen had to focus everything on not getting hit while studying Rio. One slip up and he'd regret it.

"Yawn, is this really how the 'All-Powerful Zen' fights?" Lee rolled his eyes. "Rio, be a dear and kick things up a bit, will you?" He snapped his claws, grinning. A surge of dark aura burned from Rio's body, darkening his fur further. Z gripped his elbows, biting his lip.

Rio locked his eyes on Zen again, his grin stretching further than it naturally should. Zen raised his arms again, ready to dodge another attack. Rio reached Zen much faster than before, barely giving the Bisharp any time to react. "Kick…" Rio snickered. His knee collided with Zen's chin. Zen didn't even see Rio jump.

Dazed, Zen kneeled down and covered his head with his gauntlets. Rio slammed his palms down on Zen. Every hit stung Zen through his armor. Eventually, Rio stopped. Zen knew better than to believe he was safe. He opened his arms for a second then dived to the side. Right has Zen opened his arms, Rio slammed his paws down like a sledgehammer. The stone where Zen stayed moments prior was cracked and shattered.

"Dammit," Zen hissed, panting. He kept his stoic demeanor, but the damage Rio did was getting to him. And the damage Rio could do… was not something he wanted to dwell on. He reached for his satchel, just to realize it wasn't on him. "Dammit!"

"Impressive!" Lee clapped. "And I do mean on both sides. I didn't expect such a boost in strength in the Outlander, or for you to keep up so well, Zen. Color me impressed."

"Good, alright, now let Rio go," Z said, irritated.

Lee waved a paw to Z. "We can let them go at it a bit longer, no? Zen is far from incapacitated, and the Outlander is…" Lee looked over at Rio and the aura burning off his body. "Well I'm sure he's fine."

Z growled. "Lee, if anything happens to him…"

"I promised you I wouldn't hurt them, didn't I? And while, yes, I've pushed the bar a bit, I assure you they're both well enough to recover back to peak condition," Lee said with a nod. "Besides, I'm sure you're itching to see who comes out on top, too."

"Not like this…" Z sighed.

Zen saw his bag, way off to the side near some crystals. Behind Rio, and in front of Lee. He stood up and took a deep breath. Predicting an incoming attack, Zen ducked. As expected, Rio's leg swung over Zen's head. Zen grabbed it and jumped forward, flipping Rio onto his back. Pained snarls and barks left Rio's maw after he hit the ground. Z winced, turning away.

Seeing his chance, Zen dashed towards his satchel. Just before Zen could reach it, unfortunately, Rio reached him first. The Lucario sank his elbow into Zen's back. All the air left Zen's lungs. He hit the ground, gasping for air. Still, he reached for the bag. Zen managed to grab the strap before Rio kicked him in the side.

"Zen!" Z gasped. He grabbed Lee's shoulder, a red aura flashing briefly around him. "Lee call Rio off now!"

"There's no need," Lee said, calm. He nodded his head to Zen. "Don't tell me you don't feel that."

"Feel… what?" Z blinked, looking at Zen.

The Bisharp was… eating something. Suddenly, the pressure in the air shifted, and Zen slowly stood back up. His eyes were shut, his chest gently raised and fell, and in his hand was the leftovers of a very dark berry. Zen raised his head to Lee, exhaling as a dark aura rose from his body. He opened his eyes, revealing a vibrant crimson, filled with contained fury.

Lee let out a hardy laugh. "Copying me now? I'm flattered. But, that won't save you from your friend there," he said, snapping his claws.

Rio launched himself at Zen again. His fangs aimed for Zen's neck. A second later the sound of metal striking flesh echoed through the hall. Then, a heavy, pained wheeze. Zen uppercut Rio in the gut. Rio fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony. After that, Zen turned to face Lee again, glaring.

"Seriously…" Lee deadpanned. "And you were worried about him, Z."

"You should be worrying about yourself," Zen spoke, alright next to Lee. His fist was inches from the wolf, but was stopped short. Rio grabbed Zen by the leg and pulled him back. "You're kidding…"

Rio tossed Zen behind him, chuckling. "Seriously…"

"I must say, this is far more entertaining than I expected!" Lee laughed. A stone jutted up from behind him, which he sat on. "I'm on the edge of my seat!" Z groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I am cutting this short before it becomes a hassle," Zen said, raising his hand to Rio. He taunted the Outlander with a smirk.

Rio let out an angry bark and charged forward. He thrusted his palms forward. Zen stepped to the side and jams his knee into Rio's stomach. Before Rio could react, Zen hit him with the back of his gauntlet. A pained hiss left Rio as he rubbed his head. Zen shot him another smirk, taking a step back. Furious, Rio charged Zen again. Zen jumped over Rio's attack, landing on the Lucario's head.

"Brutal," Lee chuckled. He waited a moment, watching Rio's body twitch. "You aren't going to get off of him?"

"I want to make sure he is out of commission," Zen said, lifting Rio by the scruff of his neck. He jabbed Rio in the gut a few times, grinning at the whines and yelps he drew from him. When Rio went silent, Zen tossed him to the side and aimed his palm at him. His dark aura condensed before his palm, crackling with dark sparks. "Now then…" he chuckled, grinning sadistically.

"Zen, don't!" Z cried out. "Are you out of your mind?! He's your friend!"

"He is…" Zen paused, his grin wavering. "He is nothing to me."

Lee snickered, sporting a sinister, toothy smirk. "Nothing but surprises left and right! Hurry and finish this little spectacle, I've already had my fun."

Zen flinched, then his grin returned to him. "Yes… Finish this…" His condensed darkness sparked wildly, the air around him grew colder and colder, and his grin seemed to stretch further and further along his head. A chuckle formed in Zen's chest, building up to a laugh, then maniacal cackling. "I will… I will finish this!" Zen shouted as he fired his pulse.

A violent quake shook the mountain. Anything that was unfortunate enough to be on a shelf in the infirmary jumped right off. Tia caught most of it, but a few glass bottles and containers shattered on the floor, scattering powders and liquids among the broken glass. Nina grabbed onto the wall, sticking to it to keep her balance. Everyone else just did their best not to fall over.

"What-" Eva pressed her back against the wall, breathing rapidly. "-the HELL was THAT?!"

"A bad sign, if I ever felt one," Nate said, holding tightly onto Zeke. He looked up to the Blaziken, then gulped. "We should move?"

"We should move," Zeke nodded. He jumped off the bed, looking to Tia. "Keep everyone here, Tia. Nate and I will handle this."

Minerva leapt in front of Zeke. "Like here I'm stayin' in here! Kora went out there and he ain't back yet! I gotta check on him!"

"No," Nate said, giving Minerva a fierce glare. "If he's fine, he'll come back here, but no one else is going out there to get hurt."

"But I can't just-" Minerva began.

"I. Said. No. You don't get to deal with something that does that yet," Nate growled, then looked over to Eva. "Same goes for you."

Eva shook her paws dismissively. "Trust me, I wouldn't dare mess with whatever the hell that was."

Zeke and Nate looked to each other and nodded, then walked out the infirmary. Minerva watched, angrily clenching her fists as they left. She looked at Tia, who shook her head.

"You heard them, Minerva," Tia said. "I'm not going to let you out."

"I gotta get Kora! He needs me!" Minerva shouted. "I can't sit up in here all fine an' dandy when he could be hurt! O-Or worse!"

A pink glow came over Tia. "I know how you're feeling, but we both know you should listen to Nate and Zeke. Throwing yourself into a fight isn't going to help anyone."

Minerva stomped on the ground. "I don't care! I have to help him!" She turned to Eva, glaring. "Ain't your friend out there fightin' as well? Why are you just sittin' there, huh?"

Eva shot a glare back, faint trails of smoke rising from the edges of her maw. "Because I know how to follow orders, Minerva! Neither of us are good enough to help yet, so the best option is too-"

"To hell with bein' good enough!" Minerva barked. "I'm gettin' my friend!"

Tia held out her paw, and that same glow that surrounded her formed around Minerva as well, stopping the Meowth in her tracks. "That is enough. You aren't going anywhere."

"L-Let go of me!" Minerva growled, struggling to move. "Please! Kora needs me!"

"You can wait for Nate and Zeke to handle this," Tia said firmly. "Kora will be fine. He wouldn't want to see you get into danger now, would he?"

Minerva flinched, glaring at Tia with burning fury. "Don't ya try an' act like ya know what he wants!" She struggled even harder, managing to get her arm to move. "He needs me!" The glow around Minerva flickered, and she got her other arm free.

Tia held her head, sucking her teeth. She thrusted her paw out again, and the glow around Minerva strengthened. "Minerva, I won't say this again."

"Then don't say anythin' an' let me go!" Minerva barked, gritting her teeth and snarling. "I ain't stopping 'till I save Kora, so just save your damn energy!"

"Minerva, please," Nina said weakly. "I'm worried for him too, but we shouldn't-"

"Shut it!" Minerva snapped. The glow around her flickered again, taking on a slightly more yellow color, and she took a step forward. Tia winced and stumbled a bit. "Ain't none of ya give a damn about him! Don't start actin' like ya do now!" The pink glow flashed yellow, then vanished entirely.

Tia fell to her knees, panting. "M-Minerva…" Eva went to Tia's side, helping her back up and sitting her on a chair. "D-Don't…"

"I said save your energy," Minerva said. She left without saying another word. Nina watched as Minerva went, feeling a strange sensation in her chest. Just sitting there started to feel… wrong.

A cloud of dust and darkness filled the halls, but Minerva didn't care.

"Kora!" Minerva called out, sprinting through the hall. Nobody responded. The further she went down the hall, the harder it was to hear anything. Then, faintly…

...drip…

...drip…

...drip…

Fearing the worst, Minerva ran on all fours. With the dust still blinding her, she ran into Nate's scaly body. Minerva immediately pushed past the Feraligatr. "Where is he?! Where's Ko-" she froze. The dust had started to clear. The ground and walls were cracked and falling apart. Zen was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily and clutching his chest. And Jax was standing above Rio's body with his arms covering something.

Jax's arms were… to say 'in bad shape' would be a severe understatement. They were purple and warped, with crimson blood falling over them. Jax himself didn't look much better. His breathing was ragged, his knees shook, and the wound Lee gave him earlier still bled.

"K-Kora..?" Minerva gulped. "Where's Kora? What happened to him. Wh-Where is he?"

Jax turned his head to the side, followed by the rest of his body. He slowly opened his arms, allowing them to fall lifelessly to his sides. Blood splattered onto the ground, as did Kora. He didn't move.

Minerva ran over to Kora's side. Nate and Zeke didn't even try to stop her. "Kora!" she exclaimed, grabbing his paw. "Kora get up! Please!"

"I don't think he will," Lee's voice spoke from the clouds of dust. He was slowly revealed as the dust parted, standing in front of Z. Gashes littered his body, revealing a dark purple flesh inside for a moment before they closed up. "Him and that brute taking that attack caught us in the blast as well, for his sake, it's good he stays down. My Lord knows how much I want him to get back up, however. Imagine what a fox pelt would look like on me!"

"Minerva, leave," Zeke ordered. "Take Kora and go."

"NO!" Minerva shouted. "He's gonna pay for doin' this! I'll make 'im pay!"

"No you won't!" Nate grabbed Minerva and lifted her up. "You're just going to be in our way, so leave."

Minerva snarled at Nate, grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. "Don't ya start tryin' to piss me off too!" She snapped her head to Lee, growling angrily. "You're next, asshole!"

"This should be… interesting," Lee hummed, putting his paws behind his back.

"Get out of here, Minerva!" Zeke yelled and dove in before Minerva could. He threw out two swift kicks, both of which hit Lee, but seemingly did nothing. A flaming fist also missed its mark.

"Hey, hey, this is between me and the kid," Lee snickered, grabbing Zeke's arm tightly.

Minerva jumped above Lee, coming down with her paws held together. She slammed her paws down, but Lee stepped back, pulling Zeke into the hit. The Blaziken gritted his teeth, then kicked Lee in the gut. Zeke then grabbed Minerva and threw her back.

"Let me fight 'im, dammit!" Minerva barked, charging into Zeke's back with a mighty punch. Zeke winced, sucking his teeth.

Lee grinned, jabbing Zeke in the stomach and tossing him aside. "See? Let the girl do as she pleases."

Minerva lashed out at Lee, throwing out swipes and punches to no avail. Everything she did was evaded with ease. "DAMMIT!" She roared, missing another punch. "LET ME HIT YOU!"

"What do you mean, I'm right here!" Lee laughed, side stepping Minerva again.

"Lee, you're taking this way too far!" Z said, grabbing Lee's shoulder. "Please just leave them alone!"

"Well I can't now, Z. She's attacking me," Lee shrugged, ducking another one of Minerva's attacks. "And so is he," Lee said, grabbing Z and jumping to the side. Just as they moved, Nate's water-covered tail crashed down where they were, shattering the floor further.

"If you're not going to listen to us, at least fight with us, Minerva!" Nate said. "Attacking us isn't-"

"Stay OUTTA this!" Minerva growled, grabbing Nate's tail. She spun him around and threw him at Zeke. "The hell do the two of ya know?! I can't beat 'im by myself!"

Lee put Z down and frowned. "What a dysfunctional guild…" he turned to Z. "Are you sure these are-"

"Can it!" Minerva shouted, managing to get in close enough to land a heavy blow to Lee's side.

The Wolf let out a yelp and held his side. "What the hell?" he growled. Minerva jumped, kicked Lee in the jaw, then slammed her fist into his head. Lee growled again, rubbing his head. "That's right, you have a bit of a kick to you, don't you? I nearly forgot!"

"Lemme help ya forget some more!" Minerva kicked Lee in the head again, this time getting much less of a result. He barely even flinched that time.

"Yes, allow me to forget who you are," Lee grinned, stepping aside.

Minerva let out a furious yell, dashing for Lee again. This time he didn't even allow her to get close to him. Soon, the halls were filled with Minerva's anger. "You son of a BITCH! Stand still!"

"Make me, kid," Lee said smugly. "But that would require you to meet me first, wouldn't it? How're you going to avenge your friend now?"

"RAAAHH!" Minerva roared, jumping forward and throwing another punch. Lee side stepped her, revealing Nate and Zeke behind him. Minerva didn't stop, slugging Nate in the back. Nate let out a choked cry, and Zeke wheezed from the force of Minerva's punch. Minerva, however, was unfazed. She turned back to Lee and launched herself at him again.

"Minerva! Calm down! Please!" Z called out, but Minerva didn't listen.

"Yes, do listen to Z! It wasn't even me that hurt your Kora. It was Zen who did it," Lee said calmly. "He went mad and fought the Outlander, then tried to blow him to dust! If Kora hadn't stepped in, why, all of this could have been avoided. What a shame."

"Zen?!" Minerva growled, her eyes snapping to the Bisharp. He was still radiating darkness, from the looks of it, groaning to himself as he tried to stand. "He… He did this?!"

"Minerva don't do what you're about to do!" Z yelled. "Lee, stop this!"

Minerva couldn't hear Z, letting out a furious roar before charging Zen down. "YOU DID THIS!"

"H-Huh..?" Zen blinked. He had only a moment to recollect himself before Minerva grabbed him by the leg and slammed him on the ground behind her. His already aching body felt a rush of pain wash over it in an instant.

"Zen!" Z ran over to stop Minerva.

"Are you mad?" Lee protested, standing before Z.

Z jumped over the Lycanroc, glaring at him. "Are you?" Z grabbed Minerva and lifted her up. "Please, stop!"

"Let GO!" Minerva yelled, hitting Z with the back of her paw. With Z stunned, Minerva grabbed the Zoroark's mane and threw him towards Nate and Zeke. Fortunately, Z was caught by Lee, who was far more serious than before.

"Lee, don't!" Z pleaded. "You can't get mad at her, you started this!"

"She hurt you…" Lee growled, setting Z down. "I told you what would happen if they hurt you."

"And I told you to stop!" Z barked, glowing a dark blue. As the glow got brighter and brighter, his mane and eyes changed color as well. He threw his paw towards Lee, and a bolt of electricity struck the wolf.

"NGHH!" Lee growled, clutching his chest. "Wh-Why must you be… so…" He shook his head, then fell silent. His arms fell to his sides as he began to calm down. The only sound he made was a quiet growl.

"We. Are. Leaving," Z ordered, looking over to Minerva. The Meowth tried to attack Zen again, so Z hit her with a splash of water, not enough to hurt, at least not that bad.

Minerva sputtered and coughed, holding her head. "What..?"

"I'm sorry," Z said, turning his head away from Minerva. He walked towards the stone door, with Lee quietly behind him. Z pressed a paw to the door, and his mane flashed multiple colors before settling back on red. The door seemed to react to that as the flame patterns and runes flashed red, blue, and white. Z pushed on the door, and it slowly creaked open, dragging along the rocky floor.

Minerva looked over the hall and sighed. Rio was unconscious, Kora was… hopefully unconscious. Nate and Zeke were tangled together, and Zen was, surprisingly, also out cold. "The hell happened?"

Zeke got Nate off of him, then sat up against the wall, panting. "Really? You don't remember?" he groaned. "Does, 'helping Lee pummel me' ring any bells?"

"Or disobeying orders, then outright attacking your team?" Nate hissed.

"Or how about attacking someone that could barely stand to begin with?" Zeke growled.

Minerva flinched, wrapping her tail around her waist and lowering her head. "Th-That… sounds… familiar."

Zeke gave himself another moment to catch his breath before standing back up. He gave Minerva a sideways glare before lifting Kora and Rio over his shoulders. Nate picked up Jax, looking back at Minerva as well before he and Zeke left to the infirmary.

"Shit…" Minerva sat down next to Zen.

"Is that all… you have to say..?" Zen grumbled. He was barely able to turn his head to face her. He didn't… look as mad as Minerva thought. Maybe he was too tired to look properly pissed.

"Ya want an apology?" Minerva asked, followed by a sigh.

Zen huffed, slowly bringing his arm up to try and prop himself off the ground. He only got up a few inches before he let out a pained hiss and dropped back down. Minerva offered to help him up, but he shook his head. "Just… leave."

"Yeah… alright," Minerva nodded. Without another word, she got up and left Zen alone.

Nate and Zeke place Rio, Kora, and Jax on some beds. Before anyone could ask what happened, they noticed how… broken Jax's arms were. Nina let out a gasp, covering her mouth, Eva turned away, and Tia floated right over to him.

"Oh dear Arceus," Tia gasped, placing a paw on one of Jax's arms. She flinched at how ungodly cold it was. "D-Did he..?"

"It was Lee," Zeke said, sitting up. He couldn't bear to look at Jax's broken body, however, and turned his head to the side.

"He's never gotten like this before, can you… do anything?" Nate asked.

Tia looked between the two, then back to Jax. "I'll try," she said with a nod. A thick, pink glow covered Tia, then started to flow over Jax.

A moment later, Minerva finally walked in. She didn't say a word; walking over to Kora's bed and climbing inside it.

"I take it things didn't go how you expected," Eva said to Minerva, crossing her arms. She then turned to Zeke. "What went wrong?"

"It doesn't matter," Zeke shook his head. "Lee and Z went through the door, so we have to go after them. Once we're all healed up. We took a lot more damage than we expected." He glanced over at Minerva and huffed quietly.

"Tia, do you know what's keeping Nari and James? They should have heard or felt all of this," Nate asked, crossing his arms. "Busy or not, they can't just shrug off what just happened."

Tia's glow got brighter for a second. While she kept her focus on Jax, she said, "They already sent help, apparently. Not all of them can come, though, but Nari won't tell me why."

"Wait, then who'd they send?" Nina tilted her head. "I thought Nari and James were the only elites here?"

"They're not sending the Guildmaster, are they?" Eva asked, her ears twitching. "Is it… safe for them to fight Lee?"

From the hall came some playful humming, alongside the sounds of someone trotting. Nina and Eva watched the door, not knowing what to expect. If that was the Guildmaster, they were awfully cheerful considering they should have known what they were getting into. As whoever that was got closer and closer, Eva and Nina's anticipation grew higher. They both started to speculate who or what the Guildmaster was. How powerful were they? How old were they? What made them the guilmas-

"Howdy!" a cheery kids' voice called from the doorway. Sitting right at the entrance of the Infirmary was… a Zorua. And an Eevee right beside him. "Did you guys feel that shake earlier? That was totally awesome, right?"

"The… the help that Nari and James sent…" Nina blinked.

"Is… Kai and Mia?" Eva's eye twitched. "This is a joke, right? Or a coincidence? Right..?"

"They're so cute!" Nina gushed, scooping the two up in her arms. "I've never seen you two before! You're so soft and squishy, Lucas wou-" Nina flinched. "R-Right, yeah…"

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, nuzzling into Nina's neck a bit. "Were we too late? Ah, I'm sorry, we got lost so many times! I still can't figure out this place, it's huge!"

Nina smiled, rubbing her cheek against Kai's. "It's… fine. We've just been put through the ringer, really. It hasn't been easy."

"Oh, ok. What's a ringer?" Kai asked, smiling. "Sounds annoying." Mia sighed and shook her head.

"Wait, they're actually the help?" Eva blinked, staring at Nate and Zeke. They both shrugged.

"We're just as lost as you are," Nate sighed. "Maybe we all got knocked out and are sharing the same crazy dream?"

Kai and Mia turned around in Nina's arms to see the others, pausing at the sight of all the unconscious and bruised bodies. "Oh man… That ringer thing musta packed a punch."

"Yeah, he did," Nina said, taking a deep breath. "Are you two actually here to help us?"

"Uh huh! Sunset's strongest, at your service!" Kai said with a proud grin. Mia smiled and nodded. "Just point us in the way of this Lee guy and we'll take care of 'im!"

Silence, again, filled the room. It was so quiet that everyone could hear everyone else breathing. Were tensions not so high, it'd be awkward.

"...What?" Kai tilted his head, as well as Mia. "Is he not here? D-Did we miss all the fun?!" the Zorua let out a groan, slinking out of Nina's arms and onto the ground. "Awwww MAN!" He went on to have a mini-tantrum on the floor. Mia deadpanned and shook her head, hiding herself in Nina's arms.

Minerva raised her head above Kora, covering her ears. "The hell? Who-" she looked Kai in the face as he rolled angrily on the floor. "Why're you here?"

"We came to beat up this Lee guy but you guys already did!" Kai huffed, jumping to his feet. "Oh, hi Minerva! Where's Kora?" Minerva blinked, then pointed to the red mane below her. "What? That's just a blanket, ain't it? A big, fuzzy… red…" Kai trailed off, staring at the red mane. His tail fell between his legs, then he looked back to Minerva. "What… happened to him? And Rio too?"

"Yeah, Lee… roughed 'em up a lot," Minerva whimpered. "Then the ba- the guy went through that stone door thing with Z."

"So we can still beat him up?!" Kai lit right back up. He looked to Mia with the brightest smile he could muster. "Woo-Hoo! We get to beat up a bad guy!" he cheered, hopping back into Nina's arms to hug Mia excitedly.

Eva wiped her face and groaned. "Are we actually gonna have to deal with this now?"

"No," Zeke said firmly, standing from his bed. He held a serious look for a few seconds before wincing and clutching his chest. "Beat up as we are, we're not desperate enough to ask kids for help, even if one is Diana's."

"Especially Diana's youngest," Nate added. "She'd tear us to shreds worse than Lee could," he said, shuddering.

"But, I got the Guildmaster's permission and everything!" Kai huffed, crossing his arms. Mia did the same, just silent. "This is, like, our first official bad guy take down!"

"Yeah, sure," Zeke shook his head, then turned to Tia. "How is Jax doing?"

Tia's glow flickered for a moment, then brightened. "Jax is already stable, but his arms… it's like what happened to Lucas and Jay but on a far greater scale. I don't…" she paused. "I don't think he's going to be in fighting condition for a while, even after you beat Lee and lift this… curse. Assuming that will even do anything."

Zeke gritted his teeth, and his wrists flared, but he then sighed and calmed down. "Do you think you can heal Kora and Rio then?"

"I can, yes," Tia nodded, allowing her glow to fade from Jax's body. The Machamp let out a quiet groan, then drifted back to sleep. Tia turned to Kora and Rio, resting her paws on both boys. Her glow stretched over their bodies, and they both shifted slightly.

Tia blinked, turning to the others. "They're both just… awake? No… no that's not it, but they're… fine?" Everyone was just as confused as she was, unsurprisingly. "I honestly don't have the slightest clue about what's happening to them. Leave it to Diana's child and an Outlander to stump me entirely."

"As… confusing as that is, that's great news! Kinda…" Nate tittered. "We just need them to wake up, and we'll be all set, right?"

Zeke nodded. He took a couple oran berries from a shelf, tossing one to his Feraligatr companion. "That's all we can hope for, yeah. Which means we need to get a headstart. None of us know what's behind that door, other than Lee, and even then it feels like we haven't seen anything he can really do. What say we repay him for all his fine work?"

"Let's," Nate said, catching the oran and eating it whole. "Whenever Kora and Rio wake up, or if we're not back in like, say, half an hour? You guys come in after us. You're in charge of this little backup team, alright?" Nate asked Eva. "Zen is still busted up, but he wouldn't let us carry him in so… yeah."

Eva sighed and rolled her eyes. "At least he's doing well…"

"Great! We've got this under control, then," Zeke said, exhaling. "I just want this to be over with so things can go back to normal."

"Speaking of normal," Eva snapped her claws, then pointed to Nina. "Mia and Kai left like… a minute ago."

Everyone else blinked, then looked at Nina. Her arms were missing two kits that were very hard to miss. The Frogadier shrank, chuckling nervously. "I… didn't notice?"

"WOOOOOOOO- Hi Zen -WOOOOOOOoooooooo!" Kai's voice echoed through the hall, and was followed by the sound of stone scratching against stone.

"For the love of-" Zeke growled, pinching the bridge of his beak. "Fine, forget it. Eva, Minerva, get the kids. Bring Zen with you. Tia, when Kora and Rio are ready, tell them where to go."

"We just got everything figured out too…" Nate said, groaning. He and Zeke ran out the infirmary, dreading how the day was turning out.

"Well isn't this dandy," Eva shrugged. "Let's go, Minerva. We have our orders, let's actually follow them this time, alright."

Minerva hopped off Kora's bed sighing. "Yeah, yeah…" she said, following behind Eva. She stopped just short of the door, turning back to Tia. The two locked eyes for a moment before Minerva left. "Wake up soon, Kora…"