Hey everyone, welcome back to my little fic. I had this written up for a bit, actually, just have been without the internet due to a big move recently. So… sorry about that. XD

Aw well, good news is that I am currently almost done with the next chapter in the story so keep an eye for that this weekend. This story might be a bit longer than I expected but hey that's a good thing!

Anyways, enjoy the perilous plan of our heroes before we enter the final phase of our story. It shouldn't be a month before my next update, so thank you for your patience and thank you for reading. :P

In honor of my recent birthday as well, how about you all give me a nice review, fav and follow for this old geezer and I'll catch everyone in the next chapter! :D

Chapter 24: The Sacrifice

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Erin and Axl peeked from the doorway that had led to their former cell, checking the creepy room they had been in earlier. They shared a collective sigh of relief as they spotted Karl in his cage still alone in the dark room. She gripped her bag tightly, surprised that they had left it relatively close to their jail cell.

Erin was tingling with presentiment despite the fact that Thorn and Trager didn't appear to be in the small room. Max was still perched on his ledge next to the orb that jammed their stones, and her physical weariness from the earlier battle wasn't forgotten. Not to mention, she knew Axl had to be in even worse shape than her as well.

Luckily, Max's gentle snores told her he had fallen asleep, probably under the assumption they wouldn't have escaped under Gurbo's watch. Nonetheless, she kept her senses alert in case the others were lurking nearby.

Another missing piece was the body of Clay, although the blood he lost with his life still stained the ground, turning the stone into a permanent crimson. She silently wondered what they had done with the body.

Taking a breath, she turned to Axl. "So, what's your plan?" She whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Axl had his eyes narrowed in concentration then made rapid movements with his hand, almost as if he was trying to convey a silent message to her. Giving her a nod as if she understood, he slipped out from behind the door and silently stalked his way to the cage that Karl was stuck in, leaving a very confused Snivy behind.

Placing his hands on the cage, he made sure to remain out of Max's vision before he got Karl's attention. "Hey, are you okay?" He hissed.

Karl immediately perked up. "Axl- '' He started a little loudly before Axl placed his paw on the young Pokemon's mouth.

Max perked his head, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Erin gripped the edge of the door in suspension, getting ready for another battle as Max started to sniff the air.

As he did though, a large fart echoed in the room, almost causing an Earthquake-like vibration. All of their faces went white in shock as Karl twiddled his fingers together.

"Anxiety gives me gas…" He said weakly, his pointy ears low in shame. However, Max had his nose cringe in disgust, having taken a whiff at exactly the wrong moment. He stood on all fours and started coughing uncontrollably, his strong nose proving rather inconvenient at the moment.

Erin would've felt bad for any other Pokemon as Max was starting to almost gag a little bit, causing the Ninetails to stand and evacuate the room in order to get some air, lest he throw up from the enhanced smell. Watching him leave, she ran up to her two friends now that the close was clear.

She grabbed the cage as she got close to him. "Karl, we're here-" She cut herself off as Axl was on the ground, foam forming from his mouth as he had taken the full force of Karl's gas.

Swirls were in his eyes, tears leaking down. "What have you been eating, dude?" He asked, almost knocked out.

Karl didn't pay him much attention, and his expression became more distant again as everything that had unfolded caught up to him again. "I want to go home." He whined, making Erin's heart ache for the young child. He had seen more than any Pokemon his age should have. Axl had recovered and gave Karl a sympathetic look of his own.

Axl offered a small smile. "Let's get you home, buddy. We'll get some food and maybe go to the arcade or something. My treat, as usual." He said, sounding as normal as ever.

However, Karl gave him a look of utter betrayal. "Why didn't you tell me you were like me?" He asked, surprising Erin with the amount of hurt in the small child's voice. He curled up into a smaller ball, his eyes starting to shake as they threatened to leak. "W-why? Is there really something wrong with us?"

Axl gave a small gasp, slightly taken aback by the emotional question.

Karl was starting to sniffle and rub his eyes. "Is- is that why everyone is so mean to me? All the kids I talk to call me a monster. They won't play with me because they-they think I'll turn into one." He was sobbing now, and Erin had her hand over her mouth in agonizing empathy. "The-the monsters I saw t-today…is- is that the monster I am? Is- is that what we turn into?"

Erin thought of the Jynx they had met when she first met the young Pokemon, and suddenly had a sickening realization. The Jynx that had seemed so outrageous and cruel earlier was a regular experience for Karl. It was so natural for him, and Axl for that matter as well, that such a vicious, notable bully must've been just another face in the crowd of bad memories for them.

Karl had his hands in his lap now and was crying, tears spilling on the bottom of his cage as he was starting to break down from the overwhelming weight of his emotions.

Axl had been watching Karl with a hard, far out look. It was apparent that the otter was not only seeing Karl breakdown, but a younger version of himself that almost appeared as a shadow.

Axl suddenly had tough determination on his face. "You are not a monster Karl; you have nothing to be ashamed about." He told him, struggling to keep his voice low.

Karl couldn't even lift his head to meet Axl. "But why did you hide yours? Is it because you're afraid? You don't care about anything, why do you care about that mark?" He replied in a tearful wail.

Axl had stopped worrying about his voice as words he wished the young otter he imagined would've heard poured out of him. "Because I am a coward! I wanted to change the world, but I didn't believe I could change from the picture they painted of me. If you believe you're the monster they're painting you out to be, then that's when you'll become one. Just like Thorn and Trager." He told him. "Look at you, you're going to become the greatest member Peridot City has ever seen, right? Then you have to believe you can change, even if no one else does. Because they are Pokemon in this world that believe in us, we just have to find them." Erin's heart skipped a beat as Axl gave her an intense stare with his amber eyes, almost silently as if thanking her.

Karl had relented a bit in his sorrow as he glanced up at him with tearful eyes. "Do you mean it?" He silently asked, looking for affirmation from his brotherly figure.

Axl grinned at him, placing his paw on the young kid's head. "Of course, you're nothing like those two doofuses." He told him, ruffling his head a bit.

Erin bent down to help Axl. "And you'll always have a believer in me." She told him, making Karl's hope start to expand. "Let's go and make a change in this world together and make it one without monsters."

Karl looked between the two and slowly Erin saw the fight come back to his eyes. Standing up with apprehensive determination, he nodded to them, ready to leave the building. Axl understood and jammed his scalchop into the locking mechanism that was on it. With a few twists, he managed to unhook the door that was containing Karl and the Munchlax ran out to get as far away from the cage as possible.

Axl crossed his arms in satisfaction. "Heh, we'd make pretty good parents." He joked with a wink. "Think we'd make some pretty cute kids, too."

Erin blushed as the otter headed for an entrance with a playful smirk, taken completely off guard. "K-knock it off!" She shouted, flustered. Although, she muttered to herself once he was out of ear shot. "Huh, they would be pretty cute, actually."

Making a move towards the door, Erin couldn't believe how easy their escape plan had seemed, granted a lot of very dumb luck had certainly gone their way. Even without the use of their Teleportation Stone, it looked like they were going to be able to make a clean get away.

Almost as if she pissed off the Fortune Gods, a green blur knocked Axl clean off his feet, pinning him to the ground. The familiar sight of Trager made a sick knot form in Erin's stomach. Axl was now stuck on his back, with Trager grabbing the otter by the head and pressing it deep into the ground. With another clawed hand pressing into Axl's fractured arm, the otter was making no real effort to get back up from the heavier Pokemon.

The front door had opened, with Erin assuming the two other Hazaranmon had only momentarily stepped outside. It made sense, in hindsight, that they would stay on the assumption the Guild would come looking for them. Still, Axl had seemed so sure that he had a plan…

Trager made a clicking noise with his tongue as he glared down at the otter. "You two couldn't even keep a couple of crippled Pokemon contained for an hour?" He was asking the question to the ledge where a coughing Max was returning.

Max had started to regain his composure. "Screw you, my sense of smell is a thousand times stronger than yours. We need to open a window in this damn building." He replied, Erin hoping the smell never left his nose.

However, something Trager had said caught her attention. "Wait, 'a couple'? Axl is the only one with a serious injury." She pointed out.

"Give me a second to fix that." Erin jumped as Thorn's deep voice resonated from behind her. She had no idea how the massive Nidoking was able to move without detection so easily. She backed up and stood in between Thorn and Karl, ready to protect the Munchlax with her life.

Her tail glowed a light green color, as she met Thorn's gaze, the manic smile stretching ever so slightly as he seemed amused by the challenge in Erin's stance. Then, as though making a decision in his head, his arms and hands erupted in a light purple aura so strong it almost knocked Erin off her feet.

Axl squirmed a bit to get Erin's attention. "Erin, wait!" He called. "This is all according to plan, don't forget!"

Trager raised a brow. "And what was your plan, exactly? You'd get some special power boost from the power of 'friendship'? Some magic protecting you because you suddenly believed in yourselves? Let me guess, you bonded over some sad sob story and now you believe you're invincible?" He mocked, pressing the otter deeper into the ground.

Axl didn't let the pain deter his humor. "Would you think I'm an idiot if I said yes?" He asked.

"I already made that conclusion the second you decided to side with Pokemon that look upon us like garbage." He told him, shaking his head in disgust.

Axl met his glare with a grin. "I didn't place my faith in just anyone, though. You happen to be looking at Peridot City's finest over there." He said, before diverting his attention. "Erin, get your Teleportation Stone ready now!"

Erin blinked in confusion. "W-why?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of Thorn.

Axl managed to meet her gaze, Tragers claws still pressing into his face. "Trust me, get ready to use it." He told her, with a look that made Erin whip out the stone from her bag.

Max chuckled with a shake of his head. "What are you planning to do, beat Thorn over the head with it? Not like it's going to have much other use." He reminded them, cockily motioning to the glowing orb next to him.

Axl looked satisfied. "Good, now for the most crucial part of my plan…"

Erin nodded, keen on what the otter had been thinking this entire time.

"Erin…"

Trager seemed interested enough to let him speak.

"I need you to use…."

Erin looked at him, trusting the otter with every ounce of fiber in her being.

"Karl as a human shield!"

The room had gone quiet, almost as if to process the utter madness that had just sprouted from Axl's mouth. Erin's and Karl's faces were white in comedic shock as Trager and Max both sweatdropped at the crazy order from Axl.

Erin took a second to recover from the ridiculous order. "This isn't the time for jokes, Axl!" She shouted, annoyed at him.

"No, hear me out! Thorn won't risk hurting Karl if you're holding him. He would've had us killed if he wasn't serious about not injuring or killing other Hazaranmon." He retorted, once again silencing the room with his logic.

Erin wanted to shout many different obscenities at the non-serious otter. Hell, she'd probably bop him over the head if Trager wasn't currently pinning him down. However, she glanced back at Thorn and felt her eyes widen a bit.

Is it me or does he look uncomfortable…

Sure enough, while Thorn did maintain his grin, a vein was protruding from his forehead as a bead of sweat was forming on his forehead. Sure enough, the powerful Nidoking looked extremely conflicted regarding Axl's statement.

Karl slowly scooted in front of Erin, raising his arms out in a protective motion. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid anymore. I trust Axl." He told her, trying to sound brave in the rather ridiculous plan the otter was forming together.

Erin took a breath, fighting every ounce of her morals as she put her hands around Karl as though he was a shield. Tears were running down her cheeks comedically as her current actions had her going against everything she believed in. She gripped the stone in her hand tightly out of self-hatred for the atrocity she was currently committing.

She made sure to glare at Axl. "THIS IS COMPLETELY UNETHICAL, I HOPE YOU KNOW THIS!" She shouted at him.

Thorn stared at the two blankly before stepping between them and the only door that led outside. "Well, congrats, you drew a stalemate." He pointed out, crossing his arms with a huff. "You're right, I would never hurt a brethren, especially a child, but that doesn't mean I can't simply stop you from leaving."

He did have a fair point, Erin realized. Sure, he wouldn't be attacking them with anything serious, but they couldn't exactly leave either. Not even factoring in that Karl weighed ten times she did, she also couldn't do much battling with a child in her arms. Thorn could most certainly restrain them, so what exactly was Axl thinking?

Trager seemed to carry the same sentiment as he glared at the snake and bear. "Enough of these stupid games, Axl. Maybe next time, don't include sheer stupidity in your plans." His crimson gaze met Erin's and she made sure to not show him the smallest sign of fear.

A chuckle came from beneath him, ending the stare down. "Sorry about that, I just couldn't believe you were stupid enough to grab the arm I couldn't use." Axl said cheerfully, causing Trager to whip his head down at the otter. During the distraction, Axl had unhooked his scalchop with his free hand, a light blue aura lit around it. "It's what you get for trying to be super edgy I suppose."

As Axl prepared to swing, he simultaneously let out a breath of Ice Beam, his pinned head lining up with the scalchop he had grabbed. The aura around his weapon froze and smashed directly onto the side of Trager's head with a loud thudding sound, throwing the draconic Pokemon off of Axl and into the ground where his father lay just moments earlier. He didn't get back up, staying motionless on the ground.

Axl got up, though, quickly spinning to face Max with an emotion Erin didn't think Axl was capable of: bloodlust.

The levelheaded Ninetails stood up, looking very tense as he felt the murderous aura radiating from Axl, causing a look of slight fear to appear on his face. Axl reared back his scalchop and threw it at an immense speed, the sharp ice turning into a buzzsaw from the force Axl put behind it.

He was going to kill Max if it hit.

Max's eyes widened at the dangerous attack and wasted no time in deciding whether he could repel it or not. He jumped from the edge onto the ground, thinking he avoided the deadly assault.

However, he was never the target.

Instead, the scalchop collided with the orb that Max was guarding, shattering it and sending pieces everywhere. Erin and Karl gasped as Axl pivoted and turned back towards them with a grin on his face. His crazy plan had worked!

Erin was having trouble fathoming how Axl put together the plan so quickly, between his sleight of hand, observation, power, acting and quick thinking…. He somehow managed to impress her even more.

She was so caught up in her admiration that she almost realized how far away the otter was and realized they needed to leave as soon as possible. He gave her a nod as though he had read her mind and Erin started to concentrate in order to start activating the stone. As she did, she extended the vine that was on her back to the otter that was reaching out his stubby arm.

They were going to do it. They had managed to rescue Karl, and now they will be able to tell Guildmaster Finnegan Thorn's location. They'll be able to tell them about Clay's murder, about Max and Gurbo and the entire plan. Not only that, but Axl would be able to get proper treatment and perhaps help in the fight. Everything had worked out after all!

All thanks to Axl!

A light blue glow was emitting around her and Karl, and her vine was only a few inches from Axl's hand. A smile had formed on Erin's face filled with relief, happiness and newfound determination.

Then, in a split second, horror had returned as a large purple tail moved in a blur above her head and smashed into Axl, sending him flipping into the opposite wall. Erin's stomach felt like it was being torn out as only the whites of his eyes remained as he slumped to the ground, knocked out.

Even more sickening was the fact that she couldn't stop the activation of the Teleportation Stone, its effects already taking control as she and Karl were whisked from the room. She could only give Axl a helpless look as everything faded away and they were taken to a place far beyond being able to save him.