Alright, here we are everyone, Chapter 18! Very exciting news as this fic has officially become my longest fic ever. Now, for those that don't know, I mean starting from my old account as well, I certainly didn't mean just this new one. XD

As for the other fic I was planning on writing… it may actually come after this fic, I kind of want to focus all of my energy onto this one before I start another. I'm a little nervous burning myself out, especially where I'm in the middle of a writing funk as it is.

It's especially time to tighten up, because we are about to hit the final arc of this fic. It's going to be LONG, as a heads up, we still have another twentyish chapters according to my planner, so plenty to enjoy!

Well, that's all I can think of! Please review/favorite/follow it helps a lot more than you know. Enjoy your week, I hope everyone had a great November and stay safe if it snows where you are! Until then, I'll catch everyone later! :D

Chapter 18: An Unexpected Lead

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"So in short, Frankie still isn't letting me buy anymore dishes!"

Axl's complaints echoed from the kitchen, traveling to the dark living room that Erin was sitting quietly in. She shook her head in exasperation at the frustratingly blocked off otter.

Both guilds had left with the ghosts in tow and the remaining Pokemon had extracted a very depressed Ripley from the vase he had remained stuck in the entire time. After a brief catch-up on the situation, Iris had taken him to search the area for any traces of the missing Munchlax.

Erin had insisted on going with them, not feeling productive just sitting around as they went out by themselves which fell on deaf ears. It was Iris that was adamant on Erin and Axl resting from their injuries while they scouted the area at their own pace.

It made sense, while Axl and Erin were probably in better physical shape than the scouts, Iris and Ripley's knowledge of the area and ability to travel long distances quickly was probably much better than the two partners.

Partners…?

She glanced towards the kitchen in a contemplative state of mind, her mind unable to get off the events that had transpired in, well, the past couple of days. More so than she'd like to admit, the secrecy that was floating around Axl was making her thoughts run wild.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, as new secrets seemed to be sprouting up every other moment with him. Sergei's words had stuck in her head, and she couldn't crack just what they could have meant.

Surely, it wasn't regarding Axl abandoning his guild as she doubted Sergei would have any reason to keep it as hushed as he made it. Everyone else certainly had no issue calling Axl a coward to his face. It was the 'promise' part of it that made Erin both concerned and worried.

What did Sergei know that the others didn't?

Her head snapped out of it as she heard hushed bickering between Axl and Nolan in the kitchen, with Nolan sounding annoyed, and humorously much more confident now that Iris was gone. She couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but Axl sounded hesitant and embarrassed even.

He quickly entered the room, looking like he was semi-pushed out of the door he had been in just a moment earlier. Giving it a murderous look, he spun his head towards Erin and gave her a sheepish grin. He had a couple of bread rolls in his paws, one with a couple bites taken out of it.

They both stared at each other and after a couple moments passed, Axl took another big bite out of his roll, chewing in pleasure.

Erin sweatdropped. "Axl…"

"I swear, it's always when I take a bite that they want to talk to me!" He shouted half-heartedly, stomping his way over and sitting on the dusty couch with her.

He handed her the other roll which she took gratefully, realizing that she was starving as she bit into it. Her mouth watered at the cheesy texture with a hint of spice tingling her tongue as she chewed the delicious roll.

An awkward silence passed between the two as they sat alone for a few moments, unsure of how to address the chain of events that had recently passed. Both were locked in a stalemate, with one not wanting to talk and the other wanting to ask a thousand questions. A few minutes of munching on their rolls gave Erin a little time to decide how she wanted to approach him.

She looked at him. "Hey…thank you."

Axl, who had finished off his roll, sat forward and glanced at her. "You would've done the same for me." He replied coolly with a small smile. "Just making sure I have Peridot City's best with me."

Erin gave him a warm look. "Sounds like I'm the one working with Amethyst City's best." She saw the flicker of emotion enter his eyes again and Erin inwardly felt glad. However, she outwardly kept her calm and warm composure, not wanting to push him too hard. "So…I didn't think you were capable of feeling things outside of apathy."

"Hardy har-har." Axl said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You may be fooled by my ultra stoic personality, but this otter has always had a sensitive side."

Erin didn't budge. "Sensitive and maybe a little annoying? Yes, I've seen that." Axl chuckled at Erin's light teasing. "But what I definitely didn't see was a coward today."

Axl's eyes darkened a little again and for a moment Erin said nothing more and gave him a little time before he spoke. She felt bad, as his eyes looked like the calm before a storm, with such intensity that she almost looked away.

He sighed, almost defeated, and his facade dropped a bit more. He remained relaxed, however, and Erin realized it looked more like he was reliving terrible memories rather than a wave of emotions.

He looked as if the moments only he could currently see were accepted by him, as if they were his secrets to protect.

After a very long pause, he broke out of his trance. "I think some things are better left unsaid." He started, before continuing anyway. "I think there's this expectation of me being a brave warrior of the guild that charged fearlessly into every battle head-on that was overblown for a while. Everyone just needs to accept the fact I'm not the picture they painted me out to be."

Erin looked unconvinced. "You have a weird way of convincing us of that by challenging the strongest Pokemon in the city to a one-on-one battle." She commented, eying Axl's bandaged arm that ended up having a few minor cuts on it.

He waved it off. "He's a rusty old man now, it's not like I challenged him in his prime." He joked, although he sounded a little comedically fearful.

Erin felt a little prick of frustration towards the closed off otter but suppressed it so she wouldn't risk him not opening up to her. Instead, she made sure to keep her expression open, almost to invite him to speak to her.

Silently taking a breath, she pressed on again. "From the sounds of the deputy, it certainly seems like there's something more you're not sharing." She said, causing the otter to drop his gaze again.

He started to speak a little more unconvincingly. "Hmph, Sergei's always been a hard ass." He grumbled. "Oh, my bad, Deputy Marx." He jokingly corrected himself, although Erin thought he sounded a bit harsher.

Erin thought back to the massive, scar covered Beartic and realized that Axl didn't have the same, casual banter with him as he did with Ceren. She felt the riff between them, and the otter's mood change whenever he was mentioned, convincing her that her gut was right about whatever it was Axl didn't want her to know. Did Sergei know something about Axl that the other guild members didn't?

She started to think about what she knew of the Amethyst City Justice Guild, which was admittedly pretty little. Outside of Nero and the old Deputy, only known to her as Deputy Black, the rest of the guild was mostly a mystery to her until today. Granted, most of them were wiped out by Scourge a couple of years ago… including Deputy Black who, according to Gilbert, died protecting Axl.

Erin's gears started to turn as she started to piece some things together. She knew they were both at the battle and if Sergei was appointed to Deputy after Axl turned it down, it was only logical he fought and survived the battle as well. Considering the scars and the powerful aura he gave off, Erin could assume he was at least as strong as Axl and Liza, maybe even more so. So many indicators were pointing to the battle with Scourge.

She wasn't going to know though just by speculating. "Axl, can I ask something that might be a little personal?" She started, feeling a little anxious on how he might react.

Axl paused before nodding for her to continue.

"Did something else happen with Scourge that isn't public knowledge?" Axl didn't outwardly react to this question but breathed out his nose almost as if answering her question.

It took what felt like a minute or two before he answered the question. "I told you, Erin, I am nothing but a coward." He answered, looking almost ashamed. Erin was going to gently chide him, but he cut her off. "No, it's true. Yeah, I can fake bravado and fight senior citizens and has-beens, but at my core I am nothing but a coward."

Studying him, Erin felt as though he was telling her the truth, it didn't feel forced this time around as though he was lying through his teeth. He scratched the back of his neck, and he met her eyes for the first time in the convo.

Erin suddenly put her hand on his arm, and he pulled back quickly, flinching at the touch. She didn't react to this, but gently continued, feeling like she was closer to opening up to her.

She saw the conflict in his eyes, and she proceeded. "Axl," She said softly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. Or you don't have to either, but for the time being, we are partners in this mission until we find Karl. As scary as it is, you can trust me to listen to you and I'll do my best to understand in return. I may not be able to fix it or take away whatever happened, but I'll give you a safe spot to talk so you can be your very best as well."

And like that, she got the emotion she was trying to get from him since the start.

He was disarmed.

He looked at her, a mixture of surprise and relief creeping on his face as though she had finally broken through his shield. He clutched his scarf and seemed to hesitate once more before deciding he could finally start to talk to Erin…

"WE'RE BACK!"

Both Pokemon comedically fell backwards in shock and exasperation as a Gligar, who introduced himself as Ripley earlier, burst into the house. His long tongue hung out of his mouth and he waved his clawed hand innocently at the two Pokemon he didn't know he interrupted.

Nolan suddenly flew from the kitchen. "RIPLEY, YOU DOLT, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU INTERRUPTED?!" He screamed, batting Ripley across the head with his wings as the Gligar tried to shield himself from his friend's onslaught.

Confused tears rolled down Riply's face. "AH WE ARE UNDER ATTACK AGAIN!" He screamed as he ran from Nolan. "TAKE COVER, EVERYONE!"

Erin, meanwhile, had her mouth gaped. "Were you eavesdropping on us?" She cried, her cheeks slightly tinting at her and Axl's moment being listened to.

Nolan had Ripley in a headlock, still angry. "I wanted to make sure that idiot didn't close himself off, like he does to everyone else." He snapped, beating a crying Ripley over the head with his wings.

Ripley was still reliving the ghost attack. "SHADOW BALL INCOMING!" He shouted at nothing in particular, stuck in his flashbacks.

Axl crossed his arms, annoyed. "Tch, and to think I thought you just wanted me to share your bread rolls with her." He grumbled half-heartedly, having closed off from the conversation much to Erin's disappointment.

Sighing in defeat, she tried to switch the subject. "Did you happen to find anything?" She asked the young Gligar.

Ripley, however, was too caught in his head as he pushed Nolan off of him. "PROTECT THE SECRET ROOM, THEY CAN'T FIND THE KEY!" He screamed, running very overdramatically upstairs.

Nolan followed him, a vein in his head. "THEY CAN PHASE THROUGH WALLS, DUMBASS!" He shouted, still intent on beating him.

As they ran/flew upstairs, Iris flew in the house, rubbing her temple with her wings. "Arceus above, those two are going to drive me crazy." She grumbled.

Erin was secretly relieved that the more level-headed bat was with them now. "Did you find any signs of Karl?" She asked anxiously.

Iris shook her head. "I'm sorry, we met a few Pokemon, but no criminals or anyone with a lead." She answered sympathetically, making Erin's heart drop.

Her anxiety started to grow as she processed this. That would probably mean that Karl was still in the city, which might mean that something very terrible had happened or could be happening to him. Peridot was massive with a population of 44,000 Pokemon, not including the villages. Without any leads to go on, this was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Axl also looked solemn, as though he was determining how to start looking for Karl as well. "Arceus." He muttered, pushing himself up. "Well, back to the city I suppose."

"What are you thinking?" Erin asked the more experienced guild member.

"Well, it would seem we are going to need to do this the long and hard way." He answered, thinking deeply as he spoke. "I know the route Karl takes, we can knock on doors, ask regulars that pass through it or something. Peridot City is massive, but that also means there's more Pokemon that could've seen something."

Erin saw the logic in this and nodded, preparing herself to stand up as she didn't want to waste any time they needed at the moment to find him.

She turned to Iris. "Thank you for checking though, I know it's getting late and the three of you have had a rough day as it is. We do appreciate it." She said, bowing her head.

Iris gave her a sympathetic smile. "Of course, we'll go out again very soon and look more. I'll give you our number in case we do find anything." A loud crash from upstairs made her eyebrow twitch. "If I don't kill those two first myself, I swear between them and the creep that hit on me on that trek, I'm fed up with men."

Almost instantly, Nolan had flown downstairs, hearing what she said. "WHO HIT ON YOU? WHO DO I NEED TO KILL?" He yelled, ready to fly out of the house himself.

Iris recoiled, annoyed. "I obviously didn't see him, but he had this disturbing accent that made me wish I had hands so I could punch him. I let Ripley take care of talking to him, because he wouldn't stop harassing me."

"Oh, you mean the Haxorus?" Ripley had come downstairs and started listening in on the conversation. "What a guy I'll tell you, you don't see too many gentlemen like that!"

Erin and Axl's eyes widened, and they looked at each other, having the same thought as both of them just happened to work with a very creepy Haxorus with a southern accent… the president of the Peridot and Amethyst Justice guilds, Clay Anderson.

Erin cleared her throat. "Um, Ripley, this Haxorus. Was he, you know…"

Axl interjected. "Was he fat?"

Ripley thought for a moment. "Yeah, a little. I thought the sack of apples he had was all for him for a moment. It had to be close to the same size as him." He said in admiration. "But get this, he said he was taking it to Stormdrain Village, the village Thorn destroyed, to help out. What a guy!"

Axl didn't break his concerned gaze. "Wait, that doesn't make sense." He said, sounding more confused. Everyone turned to him and prompted him to continue. "There are emergency plans for villages that are destroyed, in order to protect the remaining citizens from being attacked again. Most of the time, they get placed in homes in other villages until the criminal is caught and their old one is rebuilt."

Erin suddenly remembered. "They ran from the village that night, I remember this. Ramirez led them back to the city itself." Pieces started to come together, but she didn't want to draw a picture yet. "Is there anything near the village that Clay could be headed to that makes sense?" She asked the scouts.

Nolan spoke up. "Well, honestly, no. At least in the scope of walking from Peridot City, Stormdrain lies almost all the way to the south of here, the last village before you get to the sea border."

"He could theoretically be headed to Emerald City." Iris said. "But that would include crossing an especially dangerous part of the forest where Amethyst, Peridot and Emerald borders meet. You would definitely need at least a deputy with you for that area."

Nolan nodded. "Outside of that, lies the border to the sea for miles, the only notable landscape near that would be…" He trailed off to speak and suddenly his brow furrowed as though something processed. "There is the old scouting tower that lies a bit beyond it. It got shut down a while ago because the scouts that lived there got killed in an accident."

Axl put the pieces together. "A perfect hiding place, then?" He finished for him.

Nolan gulped. "We haven't checked it out in over a year." He admitted shamefully. "Ironically, because we thought it was haunted."

Axl took this in and glanced at Erin. "Well, what do you say, partner?" He asked her. "This is as suspicious as anything I've heard, if not better than anything we have to go off of right now."

Erin nodded. "Let's go right now then." She told him, not caring at all that the sky was getting darker outside. All that mattered to her was following this lead.

Axl seemed to share her sentiment as he grinned. "Aye aye." He said, getting himself up. "You three stay here, I can get us there. I'd rather not have any of you dying, but let the guild know where we are headed. Tell them we are following a lead and to come to Stormdrain if we aren't back in five hours."

Nolan nodded, concerned for his friends. "Just please be safe, man." He said to the otter that had already started to leave the house.

Erin followed him and thanked the scouts again. Her hands shook between a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Regardless of what the reasoning was, there wasn't a doubt that what Clay was doing was a bit weird. And, unfortunately, while he was a creep, Clay was also the guild president, a former powerful guild member and no doubt must have some type of connections. If something was up here, they were about to go up against a very dangerous, unexpected enemy.