Ch.35: Locating of the Key of Fire! Tempting a Bounty Hunter with Potential!

The Ravenfield brothers stared up at the large volcano standing in front of them. They were right at where the volcano was fenced off. From far away in their hotel, it looked big, but climbable. Up close like this, though, accentuated the massive height they would have to climb to reach the top. And, with their luck, the secret entrance wasn't going to be at the top.

Flint inhaled sharply, then gagged on the terrible volcano smell. Even with the volcano inactive, it had lingering traces of hydrogen sulfide, also known as that horrible rotten egg smell that the Flareon despised.

Wes chuckled. "Enjoying the scenery, bro?"

Flint pinched his nose shut, glaring lightly. "Shut up," he said with a nasally tone.

Wes snickered through his teeth, then looked back at the volcano. "So, this is the only place a secret temple could be hidden. All we need to do is find the passage way, then the rest is a piece of cake."

Flint let go of his nose, then shot his brother a deadpan stare. "A piece of cake? Just like how Randolph was a piece of cake?"

The Umbreon waved him off. "Oh, don't be such a pessimist. I know what I'm doing." He clicked his tongue, pointing his digit out. "I got this."

Flint rolled his eyes. "If you say so." He looked around. "Well, if we're going to head up, better go stealthy." He clapped his paws together, then casted an orange bubble over them. The bubble, once fully over them, refracted until nothing could be seen anymore. Flint nodded at his brother. "Up we go."

They stepped over the fence and headed upward. The walk up was mostly doable for a few minutes, but it did come to a point where they had to use climbing gear. Since throwing a grappling hook of sorts wouldn't allow it to be hidden in the illusion bubble, they resorted to using pickaxes.

Wes pulled two out of his bag, along with some rope to tie around their waists, then they started climbing. The climb gradually got steeper, up to the point where they could feel the pull of gravity trying to bring them back down.

Wes looked down and whistled. "Oh boy, this would be fun to sled down!"

Flint glanced at him questioningly. "It doesn't snow here."

Wes chuckled. "Ever heard of volcano surfing?"

"…" Flint deadpanned. "Wes, we are not surfing down a volcano."

"Aww!" The Umbreon crossed his forelegs and pouted. "Party pooper…"

Flint rolled his eyes with a light chuckle, then continued upward with the Umbreon shortly joining him.

The climb took them about fifteen minutes, with them constantly exchanging banter while not slowly their gradual climb. Eventually, they finally reached the top and pulled themselves onto the rocky, but mostly flat surface. They took a moment to relax themselves. Climbing a steep path while holding a pickaxe with your teeth can be straining.

Wes composed himself, shaking his face, then standing up. While his brother took more time to get himself together, the Umbreon walked towards the crater, then peeked into the volcano vent. He could see a pull of lava down below, sitting mostly motionlessly. Even from so far down, he could feel the unbearable heat that made him take some steps back.

"Phew, is it hot up here or is it just me?" Wes joked.

Flint pulled himself up and shook his head. "Really? Of all you could have said?" He sighed and walked over. "Never mind that. Anyway, onto the real task." He looked down the vent with a perplexed, and even frightened expression. "How are we supposed to find a secret entrance way in a volcano?!"

Wes smiled. "Well, we have Gwyn's potions. So long as we drink them, the lava won't hurt us."

"Wes, it's not the lava that concerns me. I, unlike you, can handle extreme temperatures." He looked back down. "I'm more concerned about accidentally setting this thing off."

The Umbreon chuckled. "Oh, come on, how would that even happen?"

Flint glared at him. "In our case, it doesn't take much to trigger an eruption. My only hope is that the mage who protects the key knows this, too."

Wes rolled his eyes jokingly. "We'll be fine, don't worry. I have everything under control." He took the rope and tied it around the pickaxe. "Alright, I'll shimmy down first." He threw the rope down the vent, then pulled out one of Gwyn's potions. He popped the cork off and guzzled down the concoction. He sighed contently, then burped with red mist seeping out. "Ooh, spicy!"

He jabbed the pickaxe into the ground, then slowly lowered him, jumping off the vent walls. He kept a tight grip on the rope with his paws, gently loosening the grip with each jump down. As he lowered, he could feel the heat of the volcano growing. The potion reacted to this and regulated his tolerance for the heat little by little.

He reached the bottom of the volcano, touching solid ground. He jumped back as a puff of gas shot up in front of him. He coughed on the foul smell and plugged his nose. "Dear Arceus, that's rank!"

Flint called down, "How's it looked down there?!"

Wes looked around. He was standing on scorched rock surrounded by pools of lava. So long as the ground remained stable, the lava was the least of his concerns. "Eh, I'll be honest, pretty normal. Then again, this is my first time standing inside a volcano."

"Okay. I'll start coming down. Check the map and see if it changed." Flint struck his pickaxe into the rock and tied his rope to it.

Wes pulled the map out of his bag and unfurled it. He aimed it at the surrounding rock to see if it pointed out an entrance. Aside from the image being enhanced to focus on the volcano, it didn't offer any directions to the passage.

"Yeah, we might be down here for a while."

Flint got down to Wes' level and untied himself. "Are we sure it's not in another dimension?"

"I'm positive." Wes scratched his chin. "Hmm…is it possible the map won't pinpoint the key until we open the passage?"

"Might be a safe bet," Flint agreed. "After all, when we found the Key of Earth's location, it guided you through just fine. Maybe it won't guide us until we find something that opens a door."

Wes closed the map up and smiled. "Well, good thing I brought you along. With my keen senses and your intellect, that door will be opened before lunch!"

"Wes, it's a little after noon," Flint said with a smirk.

The Umbreon blinked blankly. "…right, well…before next lunch!"

Flint rolled his eyes, then walked to the volcanic rock walls. He pressed his paw against it with analytical stare. "Well, the composition of the rock doesn't show any signs of unnatural change, so the volcano wasn't repurposed. At least, from what we can see."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked.

"The volcano looks like it was naturally formed, which it likely is. However, there's a good chance we're dealing with a temple, so there has to be some change made. One could replace a slab of an ancient temple with an exact replica, but it wouldn't be exactly the same. Signs of change over hundreds of years needs to be taken into account."

Wes held his chin. "Hmm…so, if there is an entrance-"

"-then there's a door that looks like the rock, but isn't an exact match to the other formations." Flint looked around. "The challenge now is finding out where the entrance is blending in."

Wes cracked his paws. "If we're looking for out of place details, I'm the Umbreon for the job! Let's do this!" He ran around the volcano, glaring intensely at the walls.

Flint sighed. "This may take a while…"

Still on the search for the mysterious fighters, two officers, a Seviper and a Crobat, were roaming around in the public to point out any suspicious characters.

Seviper tipped his hat and groaned. "No leads, no witnesses, and barely any evidence. It's almost like we're tracking down ghosts."

Crobat rolled his eyes. "Ghost-Types or actual spirits? Either way, we won't get anywhere until we find a lead." He glared. "It'll take too long to trace the origin of the magical blasts. The best we can do is keep the city under lock down."

Seviper sighed. "Well, that's one lead we have: we're looking for a few magic users. The slash marks we found on the grounds indicate a swordsman, too."

Crobat looked up. "I'll take a quick aerial view and see if anyone matches that description." He took to the skies, then scanned the area for suspicious Pokémon.

He narrowed his eyes intensely before spotting an out of place figure. An Ursaring wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses. On his back was a sheathed buster sword, the blade was nearly matched his height. He stopped next to an alleyway, made a few quick head turns, then walked into it.

Crobat flew back down and said, "Well, that was suspicious. An Ursaring with a sword."

Seviper hissed. "Not much, but it's something. Come on." They went up to the alleyway and followed after the Ursaring.

The Ursaring stopped halfway through the path and adjusted his jacket. His ears perked up, hearing wings flaps and shifting of dirt. He turned and faced the two officers.

Seviper straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "Pardon the inconvenience, sir. We understand you must be busy, but we need to ask you a couple of questions regarding an incident that occurred earlier."

Ursaring narrowed his eyes, then turned away. "I'm busy." He started walking, but the Crobat officer got up in his face.

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss us, buddy." He narrowed his eyes at the bear. "I can sense your magic aura. We happening to be looking for a magic user possibly wielding a sword. Care to explain yourself?"

"I said I'm busy, now scram." He tried to walk around him, but the bat kept flying in front of him.

Crobat laughed condescendingly. "Oh buddy, you have NO idea who you're messing with. This will take but a few minutes and you'll be free to go." He glared. "What do you know about the fight earlier?"

Ursaring stared intently at the cop, then peeked into the collar of his jacket, surprising the two officers. What really caught them off guard was that he was apparently speaking to someone. "My apologies for holding up our mission, sir. What shall I do with them?"

Seviper hissed. "Who are you speaking to? Is there someone in that jacket?"

Ursaring heard dark whispers that gave him orders. He nodded in compliance. "Understood." He let go of his jacket, then grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Crobat glared. "Oi, what do you think you're do-AAAAHHHH!" Crobat screamed in agony as the blade slashed at him, faster than the eye can track, and sliced off his left wings. "You bastard-!"

Blood sprayed across the alleyway, silencing him. The bat's body fell lifelessly to the ground, much to Seviper's horror. "Oh shit!" He tried to slither away, but a slash went across his neck. He stared into space blankly, before collapsing to the ground dead.

The Ursaring shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it. He opened his coat and let out the shadow boss, Nightmare. He rose to full size and stretched his limbs. "Lower lifeforms," he muttered. He examined his surroundings. "So, this is the place?"

"This is where Count Aeternus detected the disruption of his spell, sir," Ursaring stated, hands behind his back.

Nightmare glared and held his hand out. "Hand me the crystal ball." Ursaring handed it to him, then the boss shadow called on the mischievous Mr. Mime. "Puck. Come in, Puck."

The mad count appeared on the crystal ball, flashing his usual smirk. "And how are we today, Nightmare?"

"You said the portal was destroyed in this city, correct?"

"One hundred percent, no doubt," Aeternus confirmed.

Nightmare glared at the light barely shining in the alleyway. "Are you sure this will work? You've stated this Blood Moon Rogue is highly unpredictable."

"Unpredictable, maybe, but I know how to get under most folk's skin. Just follow my instructions and we should have what we want." Aeternus scratched his chin. "Those treasure hunters need to be eliminated. I can't have thorns sticking in my sides. Failure is not an option, understood?"

Nightmare bowed. "Of course."

"Good." Aeternus smirked. "Serve Nightmare well, Lexx. Don't be afraid to chop up some bodies."

Lexx looked around at the dead officers in the alleyway. "Already ahead of you." Aeternus laughed in delight before ending the call, then Nightmare tossed the crystal ball to Lexx. "What is the plan, sir?"

Nightmare clapped his hands together and summoned three shadows to his side. "Spread out and find Ravenfield and his posse." The shadows snickered, then flew out of the alleyway. Nightmare closed his eyes and sensed the area around him. He could feel the multiple magic auras mixing with each other as Pokémon passed through the streets. He wasn't sure which one belonged to the bounty hunter…

…but he did know one contained untapped power he could sense.

He opened his eyes, glaring determinedly. "I have found him." He folded his arms behind him and melted into the darkness. "Lexx, follow me." Lexx bowed obediently and followed the boss shadow out.

Ella and Griffin sat across from each other and stared intensely, waiting for the other to make a move. Ella drummed her digits against the table while Griffin stared back with an unwavering expression. The Espeon was getting a bit frustrated with the emotionless Grovyle's stare.

"You're going to crack eventually, I just know it," Ella stated as her eye twitched.

"You're sweating," Griffin pointed out calmly.

"I am not!" Both her eyes began to twitch. "I-I-I can keep this up all day!"

Griffin raised a brow. "You sure about that?"

Ella's face quiver in pain as her eyes began to sting. She clenched her teeth, trying to keep her resolve up and not think about the burning sensation in her eyes. "I…can…do…this…" However, she couldn't keep her composure any longer and blinked her eyes shut. She threw her forelegs up and cried, "Dang it!"

Griffin blinked his eyes, then smirked. "Told you."

Ella glared at him. "Alright, let's go again!"

"We've done ten matches already." He sighed. "This is getting boring."

"Hey, I was the one who suggested passing the time. You can't really do much with your arms pinned down like that." She rolled her eyes. "Not like it would matter since all we have is books, another thing you can't really use without assistance."

Griffin lay back into the couch. "How long will it take for the Flareon to get back and unbind me?"

"Who knows? He and Wes could be gone for a while." She sighed. "I should probably be there to keep them on task."

"You show a great bond with them."

Ella smirked and shrugged. "I've been friends with Wes since kindergarten. We go way back with each other." She chuckled and ran her paw over her head. "I don't mean to brag, but he wouldn't have gotten far on most of his adventures have it not been for me. I keep that boy in line."

Griffin glanced away, quietly scoffing. "Reminds me of a certain mantis…"

"We got into a lot of crazy shenanigans when we were young, especially when he dragged Flint along." Ella laughed. "Good times."

Griffin narrowed his eyes curiously. "You know, you made me tell my life story. Perhaps I should hear you out."

Ella held her paw up to her chest with an expression of faux surprise. "You want to know about moi? Well, I don't know what to say! This is so unexpected!"

Griffin groaned. "Cut the dramatics."

Ella composed herself and gave a relaxed smirk. "Buzzkill." She rested in the armchair and hung over the armrest. "Unlike your mess of a childhood, mine was…" She glared off to the side. "…well, it was something until I met Wes," she continued with a smile. "The boy hit me with a kickball by mistake and, well, I returned the favor." She snickered. "Oh, how we bonded on that day."

Griffin raised a brow. "Friends from a young age."

"Very young. Wes was my bud, along with Flint. Oh, every day when I got the chance, I would sneak out from home and visit them. Their mom's pretty cool. Their dad…oh boy, what can I not say about their dad?" Ella rolled her eyes jokingly. "Let me tell you, at least twice a week, my ears have to endure Wes' excitable ramblings about how awesome his father is. Though, to be fair, I have met the guy before and Wes' praise holds up."

"Was his father famous?"

"Not on a celebrity status, but more so in the field of discovery. Their father was a treasure hunter and a pretty powerful mage." Ella closed her eyes and smiled. "Hehehe, but he was a lovable teddy bear when you first meet him. If you met him, you'd see the resemblance between him and Wes." She shrugged. "I was a kid, so I was naturally enthralled by his tales. Guess that's what got me to hang out with Wes and Flint so much."

She giggled. "Oh, the misadventures we got into were glorious. Once Wes was old enough to become a treasure hunter, he got a job from our local pawn shop dealer to find artifacts to sell. He roped Flint and me into it, but we had a good time even with the countless injuries we sustained." She counted off her digits. "Fire, explosions, snow, winds; anything that could hurt us, we braved."

Griffin closed his eyes and smirked. "And here I thought I was the thrill seeker. Though, I suppose I've kept it limited to hunting criminals. You three seemed to brave the very elements."

Ella waved it off. "You get used to it." She sighed. "We've been through a lot as kids. Adventures, trouble, jackpots…I've even had to endure the craziness of having that lovable goof as a boyfriend."

Griffin raised a brow. "Funny, I never took you and the Umbreon for a couple."

Ella shrugged. "Eh, we broke up a while back in the year. Some…complications came up on one of our treks and…" She shook her head. "This was around the time I wanted to focus on making money and getting through college, so I was a little uneasy. That last adventure was a bit of a tipping point for me."

Griffin could tell from her body language that whatever happened resulted in her getting hurt. It would make sense given the way she described the event. "And…you both chose to stay as friends?"

"It was a mutual agreement." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, that boy was not the most romantic mon around the block. His idea of an anniversary was getting captured by pirates." She smirked. "Though, to be fair, we did steal treasure from them AND he did treat me to a lovely dinner, so…it's the thought that counted."

She sighed. "Flint was a little geeky when I met him since he just LOVED talking about history, but he grew on me. He wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school, but I thought he was alright once you got to know him. Heck, he may look introverted, but not when he's around his brother."

Griffin raised a brow. "Curious. You seem to spend a lot of time with them."

Ella grinned. "Any chance I get!"

"What of your own family?"

The Espeon's grinned faded. She glared off to the side and huffed. "My family…? Eh, they're nothing special. Nothing important to talk about…"

Griffin narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"I just don't like talking about them, that's all."

Griffin blinked, then groaned. "If I can retell my troubles, you can certainly explain your woes to me. What's the matter?"

Ella narrowed her eyes. She crossed her forelegs and rested her head in them. She sighed. "…Wes can get pretty crazy sometimes. Maybe a little too crazy. His eccentric personality and energy would have driven anyone nuts, maybe even me, too." She shook her head. "Ironically, his hyperactivity kept me sane.

"I grew up as an only child, reason why I like hanging out with Wes and Flint so much. Felt like I was part of the family." She glared. "However, that's only one reason why I hung out with them. The second…was to get away from my parents."

"Your parents?"

Ella shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, they were…decent parents in their own right. They fed me, took care of me, made sure I was healthy and whatnot. Typical parent stuff." She groaned. "However, they were also…overbearing. Every second of my day was practically scheduled. Wake up, clean up, eat, go to school, get homework done, and so forth. Seems normal, but…that's not all.

"Wes and Flint don't know this about me, but I come from a very…affluential family. My great grandmother left a pretty sizable fortune to my dad and he used it to make some business type deals with some fancy folks. My dad worked as a blacksmith and helped forged weapons for famous warriors." She rolled her eyes. "Yada yada yada, the rest is unimportant. He met my mom at some point and eventually had me."

She shook her head. "My parents…want me to live well, which I can appreciate, but…it almost felt suffocating. They drag me to those stupid parties with their rich friends with food I found revolting. They wanted me to listen to their stupid conversations and to expand my worldview or something. I just fell asleep, like any normal kid would.

"They wanted me to focus on studies above all else, so I never hung out with other kids my age. All they cared about was my future." She clenched her eyes shut. "Just. My future." She held her face. "Like I said, they weren't bad parents, but…I've never bonded with them over my lifetime. I tell them something exciting happening in school, they brush it off and ask about my grades. They just wanted me to do well, study hard, and be proper. I wasn't allowed to be myself or find out who I wanted to be."

She snickered. "I did get back at them slightly when I started dating Wes. Oh boy, if they didn't like it when I played kickball, they REALLY did not approve of Wes. They considered him…unruly, to put it mildly. They wanted me to date a guy who had a promising future ahead, not some Umbreon who was leading me into death-defying trouble every other week." She sighed.

Griffin narrowed his eyes. "So, your parents pretty much put restrictions on your life?"

"I couldn't eat candy, I wasn't allowed to play fun games for being too 'violent', I couldn't listen to certain types of music because 'bad influence', studying hard and getting good grades was my only priority…" She shook her head. "We were never able to connect."

"Did you tell them this?"

Ella scoffed. "As much as I would want to run my mouth off to them, they were only doing what's best for me. I did have one of the highest GPAs in high school and, admittedly, my dad's line of work did get me interested in weapons." She sighed. "Even so, it was too much to take. I had to sneak out of the house just to hang out with Wes and Flint." She closed her eyes. "I don't know what my parents are up to now, but they're probably not happy since they got the news about me leaving the village."

Griffin raised a brow. "Very controlling from the sound of it."

"They just didn't want me to get hurt, which had them running their mouths off at Wes after that last trip," Ella muttered. "They wanted me to live well and…just focus on that bright, shiny future of wealth." She groaned. "I wouldn't mind wealth, but their idea of me being rich is being a businesswoman or something. Took a lot of convincing just to have that job at the bar."

Griffin looked down. "I'm…sorry you were never able to connect with your parents."

Ella shrugged. "It's whatever." She narrowed her eyes sadly. "I just wished they stopped focusing on money and academics and placed more focus on me. What they see is a girl with a bright, sparkling future, who behaves like a proper lady and stuff. What I see is an Espeon still wondering what she wants to do." She hung over the armrest. "I only majored in Ancient Text Studies because it was the only thing that interested me. My parents thought I should go into business, but I didn't let them know that."

Ella looked down at the floor, then glanced at the Grovyle. "…I suppose we're kind of the same. We come from a certain background, but that doesn't define who we are. Heh…go figure." She rolled onto her back. "Why did I go along with this? I can't use magic and I'm technically the weakest of the group. I shouldn't be able to take on shadow monsters." She smirked. "Heh…maybe I just want to prove myself. Or…maybe I just want to get away from the stresses of life and let it all go." She sighed, then closed her eyes.

"There's a lot more to our characters that some can't see."

Griffin looked at the floor with a thoughtful expression. There's a lot more to one's character…how does that apply to someone who doesn't know the answer about themselves? To others, he was a threat of pure rage who sought to eliminate all he deemed sinful in his eyes.

Criminals, bystanders, even his own 'mentor', saw him as a well of hatred from a village of killers. He wanted to say that isn't true, but…he doesn't know it himself. He's been so spiteful for years that he's lost the innocence he once held dearly to his heart. The sparkling child he once was is no more.

Who was Griffin Everfall?

Griffin closed his eyes for a moment, then looked up at Ella. "…Ella?" She looked up at him. "Who am I to you?"

She blinked, then held her chin. "Um…well…"

However, before she could get a word in, the room shook unexpectedly. Ella jumped up from her seat while Griffin did his best to keep himself upright. The Espeon narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Something's not right," she whispered as she put her guard up.

Griffin narrowed his eyes as well, then they both gasped when screaming was heard below. The room shook again, only stronger. Little by little, sword swings and blasts could be heard, increasing gradually in volume.

Ela clenched her teeth. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Griffin looked up, then his eyes widened. "Ella…"

She looked up and saw black mist seeping through the walls, draping down to the ground and gliding across it. Ella and Griffin looked at each other with hardened expressions, try to keep their composure.

Suddenly, the front door was knocked off its hinges and sent flying at Ella, who ducked under it. The door smashed through the balcony doors. The two looked back towards the entrance and saw the Ursaring with a buster sword. The blade was stained with blood. He waved the blood off and stepped through.

Ella stepped forward and channeled her psychic power. "Alright, what's the big idea?!"

Lexx stared down at the Espeon, then turned to Griffin with a simple glare. "…is this the bounty hunter, sir?"

"Yes, Lexx. Yes, it is." Ella's eyes widened as she felt a presence growing behind her. A shadow loomed over her as the room further casted into darkness. Ella looked over her shoulder and saw the boss shadow, standing tall and intimidatingly. He smirked villainously.

"Hello, little Pokémon."

"Nope," Wes muttered as he dug through the walls with a shovel. Well, not so much dig and more so cracking through it to find something. "Nope…nope…nope…"

Flint carefully examined the rock around them, just about every spec at ground level, but nothing showed up as artificially made. The rock all had the same composition and appeared to be of roughly the same age.

Flint pressed his forehead against the rock and groaned. "None of the walls have a passage way. This is ridiculous, we'll be down here for hours before we come across anything."

"Have hope, big bro!" Wes exclaimed with a bright smile. "The Key of Fire will be ours in no time!"

"Wes, we've been down here for about an hour and haven't even checked the upper levels of the volcano yet. This is going to take us forever." Flint held his face. "Maybe we should call it a day."

"Hey, don't give up so easily." Wes held his chin. "Then again, it would be odd to put a door in such an obvious location. You would need to hide it somewhere out of sight, too." Wes looked around before his eyes fell on the pools of lava surrounding them. "Huh…I wonder…"

"What?"

"Flint, would it be odd to put some form of mechanism in lava to hide it?"

Flint shook his head. "Not really, why?"

"Maybe we should check in the lava."

Flint's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? I'm not ducking my head in lava! My clothes will get burned off!"

Wes rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean jump into the lava. Hang on." He pulled out his Amulet of Umbra and dangled it in front of Flint. "See? Simple solution." He touched the base and transformed into a shadowy spirit. Wes dived into the lava, with his presence not disturbing the molten rock.

Flint looked down at the lava pool curiously. After a moment of waiting, he heard his brother call out to him from the other side of the volcano. "Yo bro! Come over here!"

He saw the Umbreon shadow floating over a different pool of lava. He ran over just as Wes reverted to normal. "What did you find?"

Wes pointed into the pool. "I found some turn dial below here. It's waist deep, so…"

Flint rolled his eyes, then proceeded to pull his hat, vest, and shirt off, tossing it into the Umbreon's face. "Give me a minute." He took a deep breath, then plunged his upper half into the lava.

Flint never really stuck his head in lava before, so it felt weird for the first time. Even so, his naturally affinity to heat allowed him to ignore the searing heat of the molten rock. He extended his paws out and touched solid ground. He felt around for the mechanism since he couldn't see through the lava.

He dragged his hand along the surface before running it over indentations. He wrapped his digits around the divots and tried to move, turn, or do something to it. After a minute of struggling with his grip, the mechanism turned abruptly, then continued to turn automatically.

Flint pulled himself out of the lava and panted for air. He patted off the molten rock until it was all off. "Wes, did anything happen up her-WHOA!"

The floor suddenly started shaking. They heard shifting coming from the middle and turned to it. The floor was collapsing, but into stairs. The solid rock dipped down in continuous booms, creating a staircase that led to another set of stairs, into a dark abyss.

Wes and Flint blinked in awe, then jumped up in joy. "YES!" They fist bumped and threw their forelegs around each other. "We did it! We did it!" they chanted, laughing their heads off.

Wes handed the Flareon his clothes and ran over to the staircase. "This is the way to the temple. We need to get the others and get moving!"

Flint got his vest on and put on his hat. He smiled. "Yeah, let's…" He narrowed his eyes. "Wes, do you sense something?"

Wes blinked. "Y-Yeah, now I do…"

The brothers' eyes widened, then they looked above. Floating over the volcano was a dark shape, circling around them like a scavenger. They focused on the figure. They could sense a magic aura coming off of it. A magic aura…of malevolence.

"Shadows…" Wes and Flint breathed in horror.

The shadow stopped circling and let out a loud cackle before flying off.

The brothers looked at each other and shouted, "We need to find the others!"

"HIYA!" Ella shouted as she threw herself at Nightmare. The boss shadow ducked under her kick and threw a punch her way. She dodged it and ducked behind the kitchen counter. Lexx ran towards it and slashed across the base. When he did, psychic energy wrapped around it and threw it at the Ursaring, knocking him to the floor.

Nightmare narrowed his eyes, then looked at the Espeon. "You're still as pathetic a nuisance as before."

Ella stood up and smirked. "Oh, once my friends get here, you'll be sorry!"

"What the heck is going on?!" Griffin shouted as he tried to break his chains off.

"Long story!" Ella shouted as she dodged Lexx's sword slash. She jumped off the walls and kicked him in the face. "I'll get us out of here, just hold-!" Nightmare grabbed her by the neck and held her to eye level.

"Enough of your meddling." He slammed her against the wall, bashing her head through.

Griffin's eyes widened. "Ella!" He wildly threw his body around, trying to get up.

Nightmare pulled the Espeon out. Her body went limp and her eyes closed, only letting out a groan of pain. The boss shadow tossed her to the floor, then aimed his hand out, charging a magical blast. "I should have finished what I started." Once the dark beam was ready, he fired it.

A green and red lunged in front of the beam and took the hit. Nightmare's eyes widened, then he canceled the spell. Standing and taking the blast for Ella was Griffin. He panted lightly, barely fazed by his attack. It did, however, shatter the chains off his body.

The bounty hunter stood up and cracked his neck. "Enough."

Nightmare blinked, then smirked. "I can see why Puck recommended you. You're pretty tough to take one of my spells like that."

Griffin scowled at the shadow. "Cut the crap. You want me to kill you?" He held his hand out and summoned a sword. The hilt was blue and ragged. The blade look dull and worn out. "I don't know who you are, but I already want to slit your throat."

Nightmare snapped his fingers. "Lexx, kill the Espeon."

Lexx gripped his sword tightly and rushed at the unconscious Espeon. Griffin narrowed his eyes at him, then raised his sword. "Five Sword Strike." He swiped the sword, firing out light constructs of the sword. They pierced the bulky swordsman in the legs, arms, and stomach.

Lexx froze up and grunted, dropping his sword and falling to his knees. The light constructs vanished soon after. Griffin walked up to the fallen swordsman, jabbed his sword through his shoulder, then twisted the blade. The Ursaring threw his head back and cried out in pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Griffin asked with a dark glare. He glanced over his shoulder, then summoned one of the Exiled Souls and blocked a blade strike from Nightmare. "I can erase you both right now."

Nightmare wasn't fazed by his threat. He only smiled. "Yes, you show great power." He pulled his blade arm back and reverted it to normal. He rubbed his wrist and said, "We could use someone like you to help us."

Griffin glared, then ripped his sword out of Lexx's shoulder. The Ursaring gripped his bleeding shoulder and fell over. Griffin said, "I'm assuming this is about that bounty I took up."

"Right you are," Nightmare said. He moved back when Griffin aimed his sword at his face.

"So, you're the asshole who dragged me out here for nothing?" He glared. "The one who almost made me kill these travelers in cold blood?"

Nightmare pushed the blade out of the way. "I had no doing in the matter. It was a suggestion carried out by my superior. He said you possess great power. Looking at it now, I can see it was no exaggeration." Nightmare focused on the flaming aura of vileness surrounding Griffin. "It's quite a fascinating aura."

Griffin scoffed. "I'm not killing for some fake bounty. So, unless you want me to shred you to pieces," his sword created another light sword, which he caught in his hand before crossing the blades, "get lost."

Nightmare narrowed his eyes. As he stared at the spiteful bounty hunter, another shadow rose out of the ground and whispered something to him. Nightmare raised a brow in interest, before chuckling. "I see." He whispered back to the shadow, then pointed at Lexx. The shadow nodded and flew over to the Ursaring, picking him up and dragging him out of the room. "Well Blood Moon Rogue, I have a proposition for you that you can't refuse."

"Willing to bet your life on that claim?" Griffin retorted bitterly.

"Hear me out. Yes, we did trick you, but it was for a good reason." He pointed at Ella. "I'm not sure if that one has told you, or the rest of her annoying acquaintances, but they're after a special set of items that I require."

"Keys?" Griffin guessed.

"Not just any ordinary keys, mind you. I speak of keys that lead to a special power. A power that has been left untouched for eons. A power that can make anyone a god." Nightmare smirked. "You see, my master, the Shadow King, is after this particular item. We wish to fulfill his wishes and collect all ten keys for this powerful relic."

Griffin stared at him in boredom. "Get to the point," he spat irritably.

Nightmare glared. "Impatient lifeform, you are." Nightmare folded his arms behind his back and floated around Griffin. "This relic grants the user untold power. Power that could be given to you." Nightmare glanced down at him. "Doesn't sound like a bad deal, does it?"

Griffin glared. "What are you getting at?"

"I can sense negativity. Aside from that aura of yours, I can also sense your desire to grow stronger. Strength tied to revenge." Nightmare chuckled. "There's someone out there you want to kill, isn't there? Someone you want to take vengeance on?" The boss shadow bent down. "I can get you the power you desire." He scoffed. "Do you think such a powerful relic should be in the hands of immature brats like this one?" he asked, pointing at Ella. "My desire is to bring my master back and help him achieve his goals. You could be a part of that goal."

Griffin glared intensely at the shadow. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"One of my shadows has informed me them that there is a temple deep underground this city. I want you to go down there and get the key hidden inside it. Do that and I'll give you the power to stand above all. You will be the strongest swordsman in all the land. The whole world, even." Nightmare smirked. "What do you say?"

Griffin stared at him, then walked around. "You think I'm going to take the word of some freak? Go back to whatever part of Hell you came from."

Nightmare sighed. "You Pokémon and your morals." His ghost tail extended out and picked up Ella. "Then I suppose you have no issue with me killing this one?"

Griffin, with his back turned to him, sharply growled, "Let her go."

"Do as I say or I'll kill her." His hand morphed into a blade, then he pressed it against her neck. "It's a simple task, boy. Just get the key and I'll make you the most powerful swordsman in existence. You'll be a god among these lower lifeforms."

Griffin glared over his shoulder. He took one hard look at Ella, then faced Nightmare. "If I get that key, will you make me stronger?"

Nightmare smirked. "Like a god."

Griffin stared at him with an unchanging scowl, then walked over to the boys' bedroom. He looked around, then found his sword laying on a dresser. He grabbed it and placed it back in his personal arsenal storage. He dispelled his other weapons, then walked back into the living room.

"Well?" Nightmare asked, pressing the blade harder against Ella's neck.

Griffin narrowed his eyes. "Will you spare her?"

"For now, but yes."

Griffin looked at his hand. Power was all he sought. Power was what he desired. This was too good to be true. There had to be more to this deal than a promise for power. He didn't trust these specters for a moment, but maybe he could get something out of this. Regardless, he wanted to see what he was getting himself into and strike it down.

With a clench of his fist, he said, "…deal."