Hello everyone and welcome back! I really am half-awake as I write this at the moment, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. It's time for the battle of Axl and Guildmaster Finnegan, whoever will come out victorious?

I think going forward, I'm going to title this chapters as well, make things a little more fun as well!

Ok, really not a whole lot to say, I've had a week so I'm just going to go ahead and let you read! Please, please, please, feel free to leave a review though! :D

Chapter 17: Axl vs Guildmaster Finnegan

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Stillness hung in the air as the two Pokemon stared each other down, both unwavering. A heavy silence showed the seriousness of the situation that was upholding in front of all of them as the Guildmaster and former Guild member prepared themselves for a fight. Erin could faintly see the more hesitant stance Axl carried and for very good reason: As strong as Axl was and probably was still close to, Guildmaster Finnegan was a completely different beast.

A light purple blade erupted from Axl's scalchop and he waved it in front of himself. Guildmaster Finnegan, unnerved, rested an arm behind his back in an uninterested effort.

"What's the big idea?" Axl asked, frowning.

"Lad, ye weren' a threa' even before ye ran," Guildmaster Finnegan said rather bluntly. "I think even one arm is generous."

A vein popped in Axl's head, but he didn't drop his smirk. Instead, he leapt forward and waved his attack above his head, a surprising amount of power behind it.

"Don't blame me when I put another nick in that head of yours," Axl taunted, crashing his scalchop down.

Guildmaster Finnegan, meanwhile, eyed his opponent before swiftly raising his single arm to completely block Axl's attack. Axl made a surprised noise as his scalchop didn't budge against the Bisharp's sheer strength, with him visibly shaking as he made every effort to push past it.

"Tch, maybe I am a little rusty." Axl muttered sheepishly, backing away before Guildmaster Finnegan could counter his atack.

Not that it mattered, because the second Axl touched back on the ground the Guildmaster was in his face again, sending a strike upside the side of Axl's head and sending him screeching across the floor.

Ceren lept out of the way as Axl caught himself from being knocked over completely. His scalchop produced a light blue aura, forming into another energy blade. He leapt again and met the Guildmaster in a fury of vicious blows, Guildmaster Finnegan not looking troubled as he blocked every one with utmost ease.

Erin could only watch in shock at Axl being played with, the otter's impressive speed from earlier somehow not coming close to the much older Guildmaster Finnegan. She had never seen the Guildmaster fight before and it was evident that he wasn't taking this completely seriously, adding more to Erin's awe of his strength.

Even scarier, let alone him only using one arm, was his refusal to use a single move. Instead countering Axl's moves with nothing but his pure power. It certainly wasn't because Axl was a slouch either, with his attacks firing in at an immense speed from multitudes of directions.

Guildmaster Finnegan was just too damn powerful.

Axl went for the Guildmaster's head and was met with a rapid claw to his jaw, knocking him flat on his back for a moment before he flipped back on his feet and jumped back to gain some distance. He spat a water jet from his mouth that Guildmaster Finnegan deflected, huffing as steamed stated to roll off of his body.

Ceren snickered. "Haven't you had enough yet? What exactly are you trying to prove to us?" He asked the otter who was starting to breathe a lot heavier.

Heaving, Axl didn't avert his attention as he spoke to the Sandslash. "Hey, Ceren, give him a break. He's trying his damn best." He said playfully, giving his fake annoyed frown.

"I MEANT YOU, IDIOT!" Ceren shouted comedically angrily back.

"He raises a poin', lad." Guildmaster Finnegan retorted. "We don' have 'ime for these games. The fas'er ye come with us, the fast'er we can find Karl."

Axl didn't drop his grin. "I told you I'm not working with anyone other than Erin." He replied stubbornly, the light blue aura returning once more.

Erin wanted to yell at Axl too, as touched as she was with him having her back. It was clear he wasn't nearly as strong as her Guildmaster, and more importantly, they were wasting time on this battle when they should be out looking for Karl.

She bit her tongue though, knowing right now that this was no place for her to speak considering it all.

One thing did bother her though as Axl and Guildmaster Finnegan met in a flurry of attacks once more. The comments of Axl being a coward just didn't seem to add up. The Guildmaster clearly could've made this battle a lot more painful for him, and one mistake could seriously leave Axl injured. Not to mention, Axl was pretty much in a fight for his freedom.

Yet the nonchalant otter didn't seem the slightest bit hesitant as he stared evenly at the Guildmaster, fearless in the face of the monstrous power. Granted, it was probably obvious that Guildmaster Finnegan had no intentions of taking this fight to an extreme, but one thing was even more obvious than that:

Axl didn't have the look of a coward.

Iris seemed to notice Erin's distress and gave her an amused look. "Don't worry, Axl's tougher than he looks." She whispered, catching Erin's attention. "Even gave Liza a hard time when they first joined.

Erin's eyes stretched wide. "Really?"

Iris laughed. "Yeah, those two would fight constantly whenever they saw each other. I don't think they ever had a conclusive battle before he left either. I think starting at the same time in neighboring Guilds turned them into rivals."

"Ungh!" Their conversation was interrupted as Axl was again tossed backwards, somersaulting into his feet but skidding backwards nonetheless. His face looked a little more serious now, almost as if he was concentrating deeply.

His Scalchop not losing the light blue blade, he dashed forward and swung with a super wide-open body, wincing as he did. Guildmaster Finnegan was quick to take advantage, grabbing Axl by the arm and lifting him up.

"Tha' was sloppy, lad. Maybe years of runnin' away didn' do you good." He said darkly, squeezing Axl's arm so tight that he dropped his scalchop.

Iris sweatdropped. "Granted, Guildmaster Finnegan is just a different beast." She said, looking unsurprised.

Axl wrangled his body, trying to break free of the strong grip on his arm, to the point that blood started to drip from the sharp claws that were pricking him.

Guildmaster Finnegan shook his head. "Wha' do ye say we go, now? Ye gave me a nice warmup, coward."

Axl suddenly laughed. "Let's make things even warmer for those old bones, then." Without any warning, he shot his jet of scorching hot water from his mouth, bathing both himself and the Guildmaster in it. Axl suddenly wriggled again, his fur coat becoming so slippery from the water that even Guildmaster Finnegan's grip couldn't hold him.

What happened next almost felt like slow motion for everyone in the room as Axl dropped to the floor, grabbing his scalchop in his hand. The Guildmaster had recovered quickly and extended his second arm from his back, caught a little off-guard from Axl's escape. A look passed between them as they met eyes and Erin begged Axl silently to jump backwards.

That idea didn't even cross Axl's face as, knowing the Guildmaster was more than prepared, lit up his scalchop again. Guildmaster Finnegan looked both surprised and impressed as Axl got ready to strike, with everyone knowing full well the Guildmaster was fully ready for it.

That's why it came as an absolute shock when Axl's Razor Shell attack struck the Guildmaster right upside the head, staggering him back a few steps.

"What?" Ceren gasped.

Sergei couldn't believe it either. "No way…"

Bendy looked the most surprised. "You gotta be kidding me." He said, absolutely shocked.

Todd let out a shrill scream. "Ahhh, he killed the Guildmaster." He cried, tears rolling down his face.

This earned him a slap over the head from Bendy. "You moron, that barely did anything. Still," He went on in disbelief. "I've never seen anyone land a clean attack on him like that."

Nero had remained both silent and emotionless as his arms stayed behind his back, his face completely unreadable.

What was most peculiar, however, was the grin that had formed on Guildmaster Finnegans face, almost looking crazed to Erin. He had regained his composure almost immediately but looked almost giddy that Axl decided to follow through on the attack.

Suddenly, he dashed towards Axl faster than Erin had ever seen in her life, grabbing the otter by the head and pinning him to the ground. Landing with a grunt, Axl's scalchop tumbled away out of reach from its owner, effectively ending the battle.

Guildmaster Finnegan looked pleased, however. "An odd move for someone tha' abandoned his guild, no?" He asked, sounding suddenly interested.

Axl scoffed as he scrambled under the Guildmaster's grip. "Hmph, I think you're just getting old, Guildmaster." He scoffed, punching Guildmaster Finnegan's forearm both uselessly and humorously.

Bendy sighed. "See, I told you." He muttered to Todd before stepping forward. "Should we get back going to the Guild at any point? As cute as it is playing with two former guild members, we kind of have a sociopathic mass murderer and now a missing child on our hands."

Erin's face burned with shame because she realized that he was right on two accounts: she was a former member now and there were bigger problems in the grand scope of things.

Before Guildmaster Finnegan could continue to speak, a sudden feminine song burst out onto the empty hall, making everyone turn towards the Bisharp as he pulled his phone out from his pouch. Flipping it open, he greeted the person very callously.

Iris turned towards Todd. "Was that a Mightyena Gomez song?" She asked him, sounding awed.

Todd grinned in amusement. "Yep, he's been to every one of her concerts and sings one of her songs every karaoke night. Definition of a super fan!" He struck a pose as he said this.

Iris stared at Guildmaster Finnegan in awe. "Wow… he somehow got even more awesome." She simped, slightly blushing much to Nolan's chagrin.

Axl, meanwhile, was most displeased at the distraction. "HEY, WE'RE KIND OF ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE HERE!" He shouted comedically, banging the sides of the Guildmaster's arm in vain.

"...I see." The tone of Guildmaster Finnegan's voice made the room somehow feel colder and even Axl stopped hitting his arm in order to listen. Letting go of Axl, Guildmaster Finnegan hung up the phone and straightened up. He looked calm and composed, but more so than anything, dead serious.

Bendy was the one to break the silence. "Is everything okay?"

Guildmaster Finnegan took a deep breath. "No….tha' was Duncan. I' appears Liza was ambushed while on patrol earlier." He gripped his phone a little tighter as the room took a collective breath in. "She's in cri'ical condition."

Bendy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Was it Thorn?" He asked, taking control as Todd only stared silently in shock.

Guildmaster Finnegan shook his head. "Accordin' 'o Duncan, there was a Nine'ails and a criminal named Gurbo tha' did de damage. Luckily Duncan appeared when he did, bu' they think Liza's blood loss was 'oo much. They 'ook off as soon as he showed up."

Erin's head was spinning as she took in the news that was unfolding in front of her. Liza had been her biggest support system since the moment she joined the guild. She was the one she looked up to the most and already considered her as her mentor. Not to mention how excited she sounded to be a part of the Justice Guild…. Erin's heart twisted in pain for her friend.

It wasn't just Liza that Erin felt horrible for as she watched the Guildmaster look deep in thought and couldn't comprehend the emotion behind his calm demeanor. His guild and city that he was in charge of was under attack from a Pokemon more powerful than any of the guilds have seen in a while. Not only was he now coping with the potential death of Liza, but Erin remembered that Deputy Paulson, the deputy that's been with him since the start, had died not even a week prior.

She felt her eyes sting with tears and didn't bother to hold them back as they fell freely to the floor, everything in her aching for the Guildmaster that she knew had to be the strongest in the room.

No, in the entire city.

"Sir…" She started tearfully, earning the Guildmaster's attention but not gaze. "I'm so sorry for causing you more distress. You've gone through so much, and I've only gone and made your job so much more difficult. You needed someone to help with not only Thorn, but now Karl too. I've been beyond irresponsible and ignorant about everything until now." She clenched her fist as suddenly the thought as Karl flashed through her mind and the tears flowed stronger. "I'm so sorry for making this harder for everyone."

Her eyes opened as the scent of smoke suddenly filled the room and she saw that Guildmaster Finnegan was blowing the remains of his cigarette into the air. He seemed lost in thought and for a moment Erin didn't think he heard her.

He opened his eyes and met her eyes finally. "I gave ye an order 'o find tha' child, lass." He said sternly, before continuing more level toned. "So, hurry up with Axl and ge' Karl home 'o his mother." He finished, making Erin's eyes go wide in shock.

"Sir-"

"Ge' him home, and we'll 'alk abou' yer place in de guild. Clear?" He asked with a tone that wasn't open to discussion.

Erin sniffed, the tears flowing harder now. "Y-yes sir!"

Nero walked up to Guildmaster Finnegan. "You have our Guild's full support, Filip." He told his old friend, his eyes glistening with sympathy. "It was tragic enough with Bjorn's death, I pray to Arceus that Liza doesn't follow him soon."

Erin was momentarily confused by this 'Bjorn' until she figured that must have been Deputy Paulson's first name.

Guildmaster Finnegan gave his friend a cool nod. "Thank ye, Nero." He said gratefully. "I'm goin' 'o go check on them, now."

Nero nodded. "We'll come with you; I'll have Sergei bring the ghosts back before he joins us in Peridot." He half said this to Guildmaster Finnegan, and half gave an order to Sergei.

Guildmaster Finnegan didn't give any indication he heard him, as he headed out through the stairs, followed by Bendy and Todd, both looking distraught.

Nero paused to give Axl a look of longing. "Son… you're welcome to come back at any point, you know. I think we could all use you in these times." He handed Axl his scalchop, which the Oshawott took gratefully but silently. His mood had already dipped since hearing the news of his old friend and Erin thought he looked a little sad as Nero stared at him for a moment.

Seeing that Axl wouldn't respond, Nero heaved a sighed and decided to follow Guildmaster Finnegan out of the building. "Just mull on it." He said, hugging Axl once more before he left them downstairs.

Ceren scoffed as he followed Nero out of the building. "Pft, as if the coward would return in a time like this." He said darkly, although Erin could see the glimmer of hope in his eyes. Almost as if he was silently praying that Axl would take Nero's proposal. Seeing that Axl wasn't meeting his gaze, Ceren's hard stare returned, and he stormed out of the room behind his own Guildmaster.

Sergei, meanwhile, heaved Gilbert over his shoulder and chuckled as he glared down at Axl. "That would be something, wouldn't it?" The deputy asked the otter who almost flinched at the bear's words. "I just hope he's not thinking of going back on his word after all this time."

This did cause Axl to visibly flinch, and Erin suddenly snapped her head at these words. Iris and Nolan exchanged concerned glances with one another, although both looked as confused as Erin felt.

Seeing that Axl wasn't going to respond, Sergei started to walk away. "Just don't forget your promise and stay out of our way." He snarled, padding out of the room and leaving an unpleasant aura in the air.

Erin could only watch, perplexed as the massive Beartic left the room and left Axl suddenly seeming more serious than she's seen him yet. He looked as though he was holding a storm of emotions behind a veil of a focused face. He clutched his scarf and scalchop simultaneously, as though he was containing his sadness by the skin of his teeth.

"Well," Axl started, trying to break the awkwardness of the situation. "I'm personally judging that fight 10-9 in my favor, what about you guys?"

Erin tried to read his face, but he had already hidden the emotions that had threatened to reveal themselves. Her mind suddenly raced with questions. What did Sergei mean? It was evident from the battle with both Gilbert and Guildmaster Finnegan that Axl was anything but a coward. Was Axl responsible for something more serious than he was letting on?