Hello everyone, and welcome back. Remember when I used to get a chapter out once a week? Alas, one day perhaps. You'd think with One Piece on extended break I'd be better, tut tut.

Anyways, not a lot again to say, I may make these A/Ns optional as I am boring and do not have a lot to say. XD

So please, review/fav/follow and I'll catch you all next time! :D

Chapter 27: i'm so sorry

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Erin poked her head out of the little makeshift den she had made for herself and Karl. The poor child had stayed knocked out all the while, leaving Erin with no choice but to drag him into one of the ruined buildings, nearly wrenching her back from the heavier Pokemon.

She had felt guilty, but it was better than remaining out in the open and risking letting the others track them down easy enough. Luckily, the rain would conceal their scent, making Max's powerful sense of smell effectively useless. Unless he had some other gadget to track them down.

Guildmaster Finnegan had told her he would be on the way, although Peridot City was still a far trek from where she was, even for someone as fast as her Guildmaster. Desperately, she scanned the forest opposite from where their shelter was, praying to Arceus, Mew, hell, even Giratina that he would appear.

It's okay, they aren't going to kill him. She had to remind herself repeatedly as her thoughts kept returning to Axl no matter how hard she tried to focus elsewhere. Guilt had gnawed at her as she felt angry at herself for letting him get caught. She had been so wrapped up in saving Karl that she forgot what she owed to Axl. This was her mission after all, and in the end another innocent Pokemon was captured by Thorn. Whatever happened to him, if he was beaten further or worse, killed, it was her fault.

She let out a whimper of grief, depression consuming her at her own weakness. She was sitting now, and as water once again started to fall from the darkening sky, her tears fell as well. She felt stuck, weak and vulnerable.

Before she could succumb any further, however, a bright white light that seemed familiar suddenly illuminated the dark landscape. She poked her head out and scanned her surroundings, ready to defend the Munchlax with her life.

For a moment she saw nothing, and apprehension prickled her skin as she wondered if the source was hiding now. However, a familiar voice echoed in the landscape.

"THA' SON OF A BI'CH IS GOIN' 'O PAY!" A slurred, angry voice startled her and a shed that was a bit of distance away suddenly busted open, unable to contain the bodies of Guildmaster Finnegan, Nero, Sergei, and Ceren. They all laid sprawled out on the ground, nearly suffocated from the tight space they were trapped in from a moment.

Erin, concerned, ran up to their bodies to check on them. However, this proved to be a mistake as Guildmaster Finnegan drunkenly popped up.

"GWAH!"

"GYAHH"

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Everyone had settled a bit and was caught up on the situation by Erin…. for the most part. She did keep her mouth shut on the fact that Axl has a Hazaranmon despite the fact Nero and Sergei knew already. Speaking of the bear, Erin had a hard time bringing herself to look at Amethyst City's deputy, angry with him for destroying Axl's life.

Guildmaster Finnegan had lit a cigarette up, sobered up now. "I see…" He started quietly, gauging the situation. "Surprisin' abou' Clay."

Ceren nodded. "I can't believe he was a traitor." He agreed.

"I mean' him bein' smar' enough 'o go behind my back." Guildmaster Finnegan continued, not sounding sympathetic over his boss's death. "I feel embarrassed."

Nero seemed focused on one thing. "So, is Axl okay?" He asked, his voice full of worry.

Erin paused for a moment, searching for the right words to let him know. "Yes, Thorn didn't seem interested in hurting Axl or Karl." She said slowly, making eye contact with Nero, almost begging him to put two and two together.

She sighed a very quiet breath of relief as a look of understanding passed on his face, as well as Sergei's and, surprisingly, Guildmaster Finnegan's. Ceren remained the sole Pokemon who looked lost at this information.

Actually, she stopped for a moment to wonder at the slight expression that had flashed on her Guildmaster's face as she spoke. It had only been half a moment, but Erin was positive that she recognized the look on his face.

Guilt.

Nero scratched his chin. "So, we are dealing with a Hazaranmon on the level as Filip, two Hazaranmon's around the level of Axl, and a three-star level criminal." He said, strategizing out loud. "Sergei could definitely handle one of the Axl-level Hazaranmon, Ceren and Erin should be able to handle a level three criminal and the other Hazaranmon. Filip and I will handle Thorn."

Erin blinked in confusion. "I thought you were unable to battle, sir?" She asked, remembering that Nero was crippled in a fight with Scourge. From what she heard, the Guildmaster had his back shattered.

Sergei closed his eyes. "Hmph, the Guildmaster can still use about a quarter of his strength, that's more than enough for someone of Axl's caliber." He snorted.

She hated.

The sound.

Of his voice.

Guildmaster Finnegan interjected. "Don' underes'ima'e him, lass." He told her, pointing to his old friend. "He was my equal for for'y years and had de same men'or."

Erin blinked in surprise and impressment. While she hadn't seen her Guildmaster in battle yet, his legend as a battler was legendary. It was said among the Guilds, Guildmaster Finnegan was considered the second strongest and fastest among all Pokemon. Nero was fairly famous, but she never really heard as much about him as she did her own Guildmaster.

Still, a quarter of that strength couldn't be too much. She thought back to Axl and Guildmaster Finnegan's and tried to do calculations in her head. Did her Guildmaster really seem four times stronger than Axl?

Regardless, she was going to have to give more than her all if they were going to save Axl. That means her and Ceren were going to have to take on Gurbo and one of the Hazaranmon.

She disliked both, but damn would it feel extra satisfying to take down Max. Judging how he was with Gurbo in Peridot City when they attacked Liza, she couldn't help but feel as though she might very well get the chance.

She met Ceren's gaze as she mulled fighting alongside him. He never had a great poker face when it came to hiding how much he missed his old friend. Erin knew Ceren didn't know the truth on why Axl left the guild and felt a wave of sympathy towards the Sandslash.

That being said, a slight prickle of apprehension suddenly trickled into her. Axl mentioned Ceren not being the most willing fighter, and it reminded of her own limited fighting ability. If they were even remotely close to the same strength, that might make fighting someone as strong as Axl difficult for them. Hell, Max even beat Liza to the point of death somehow, and she was much more powerful than her.

Sergei seemed to read her thoughts. "Do you think sending both of those two to do that was a good idea?" He asked Guildmaster Finnegan.

The Guuldmaster nodded. "Ye, with any luck we'l' ge' all de help we need." He replied, confusing Erin. She was going to ask what they meant but the sound of Ceren scoffing interrupted her.

"Pft, if he's in no danger, I don't see the point in hurrying and rushing into a mismatched fight." He said with false bravado. "It's that own idiot's fault for getting himself caught in the first place.

Erin felt her face heat in anger. "He got caught saving Karl and me. He risked his life more times than I can count." She said sternly.

Ceren wasn't impressed. "I'm still surprised the coward is being as helpful as he is. Bet he isn't going to want to step foot outside after meeting Thorn." He said scathingly, looking aggravated.

Erin couldn't let it go with Axl's story still fresh in her mind. "Axl is not a coward." She snapped angrily.

The other three shared uncomfortable glances and Erin couldn't stand it. She saw the slight hesitancy in the Guildmaster's eyes and felt more anger rise to her throat. She couldn't take their opinions on him much more. Guildmaster Finnegan went to open his mouth to interrupt them, but Ceren continued on just as hot as Erin.

"You really let him fool you? You think a day of bravery defines what he is all about? Guess what, he showed us that same bravery for YEARS and still pulled the shit he did! It's a facade, another one of his tricks. At heart he's always going to be a coward to me." He shouted back at her, loud enough that got Nero in front of him to try and calm him down.

Erin didn't let that stop her. "You don't realize how ignorant you've been sounding. If you had the first clue on why Axl left the Guild, you would feel beyond ashamed of yourself." She shouted back, causing him and Nero to freeze slightly. Sergei didn't react if he had a shift in his emotions.

Nero was the one able to speak first. "What do you mean?" He asked, perplexed.

Caught up in her emotions and not thinking still, Erin shot a look directly at Sergei before snapping her head back to the other two.

Oh shit…

It was too late as Nero and Ceren looked between the two others and their faces showed even more bewilderment as they tried to piece two and two together.

Inwardly, Erin cursed at herself as she suddenly felt small. She hadn't meant to blurt Axl's secret like that, her emotion had gotten a little out of control. Trying to salvage the situation, she tried to quickly think of something to say.

Ceren wasn't about to let her get much of a chance to think. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, his voice a little tight.

Erin's face heated again, trying to play off what she said. "Um, er-nothing important." She spluttered, very embarrassed now.

Nero had stepped forward. "Tell us now." His voice wasn't angry, but hard. It scared Erin enough to the point of stiffening up at the older Sawk. He kept his steady, stern glance on her, and Erin tried to shift her attention to Guildmaster Finnegan for some form of support. However, he simply puffed his cigarette with a curious look on his face.

She nervously looked away and her gaze became spiteful as it landed on Sergei once more. He met her with a snarl etched on his face, aware she knew what she was talking about. Both didn't break the animosity and the tension that thickened between them was obvious to even Ceren.

After holding her gaze, Sergei scoffed. "Go ahead, I have nothing I'm ashamed of." He told her, looking completely unbothered on whether she did or not. This caused the other three to give him questioning looks of confusion and suspicion.

As for Erin, so much anger had risen in her throat that she wanted to scream at the smug Beartic. He isn't aware of how much pain he caused Axl…

However, Erin knew she couldn't just flat-out blab Axl's secret in front of her Guildmaster and Ceren. She already messed up by spilling this detail, granted it meant getting Sergei in some trouble. She was more prepared to think on her feet, though, as she formulated what she was going to say as she talked.

She didn't take her angry glare off Sergei as she continued. "Sergei found out a personal secret of Axl that he threatened to spread if Axl didn't leave the guild." She told them slowly. It wasn't a great excuse, but it bought her time to work out what she was going to say next. "Axl was lying this entire time about why he was leaving the guild. Had he stayed, his life and Frankie's would've been hell."

It didn't stop the disbelief to spread on the other three faces as they waited for Sergei to say something in his own defense.

However, the bear remained silent, and Nero had to be the one to step up.

"Is this true, Sergei?" His voice was less tight, although the monotonous nature of it didn't match the disbelief his face betrayed.

Sergei, meanwhile, couldn't bring himself to look at his Guildmaster. "I did what was best for the guild." He replied simply.

Nero shut his eyes at these words and Erin felt awful for what the older Sawk was currently going through. Ceren looked torn, almost as if he wanted and didn't want to believe the news at the same time.

He had to be the one to break the silence. "Secret?"

To everyone's surprise, Guildmaster Finnegan spoke. "I'm guessin' ye figured ou' Axl was a Hazaranmon and tha's why he lef'."

Ceren's eyes stretched completely wide. "What?"

Nero looked exasperated. "Well, Meowths out of the bag now." He muttered, shooting an annoyed look at Guildmaster Finnegan. "I guess it's fine Ceren knows, might finally end this little feud of theirs. I'm going to assume this is the secret that Axl wanted to keep under wraps."

Erin didn't speak but gave a very small nod of her head. Nero heaved a large sigh and shook his head at Sergei, looking disappointed.

"What am I to do about this? How could you do this to your guild?"

Sergei growled. "Deputy Black is dead because Axl prioritized us not discovering his secret over his scarf." He said angrily, however he turned away and relaxed a little when Nero didn't flinch.

"Do you have the first idea of what we do for a living? We put our lives on the line to defend those that cannot defend themselves. Even our own." His calm demeanor somehow terrified Erin more than if he shouted, and she felt grateful not to be Sergei right now. "Norton would never have let himself die for a cause he didn't believe in. You know that just as well as I."

Sergei curled his lip and for a second Erin thought he was going to snap something at Nero. However, he remained silent and Erin started to wonder if it was his way of showing anxiety.

Nero didn't stop there. "Sergei, I think it's best you take Karl back to his mother and let us do the fighting."

Sergei's eyes flew open in outrage and even the other three felt nervous about Nero's order. As cruel as what Sergei did, he was a powerful deputy and would certainly be an aid for the battle ahead.

However, they remained silent as this was Nero's decision to make alone.

Except, of course, for Sergei. "That's bullshit!" He bellowed, giving Erin a jumpstart. His fur was bushed out and Erin felt genuinely afraid of him for a moment.

Nero didn't budge. "I really don't give a damn." He replied, not backing down. His arms were crossed behind his back, and he no longer was looking at his deputy. "We will talk about this when I return."

With his tone signaling the discussion was over, Sergei was left speechless and furious. He turned his smoldering glare on Erin and her heart raced by the fury in his eyes. However, she refused to let it affect her physical appearance and she made sure to keep the gaze locked, praying her Guildmaster had her back if Sergei swung at her.

After a moment, he stalked towards her, and Erin felt her body stiffen up. He wasn't going to actually attack her, was he? Hostility was pouring off him like steam. He could certainly give Thorn a run for scariest Pokémon she's met.

However, he walked by her without giving her another glance and, to her surprise, picked the sleeping Karl up gently in his arms. When the Munchlax twitched at the sudden movement, the Beartic shushed him with a slow rock of his arms and without another word turned and headed back the direction they came from.

As they watched him leave, Guildmaster Finnegan raised a brow at Nero. "Hey, I ge' he's an ass. Bu' he's a powerful ass. Ye sure abou' this?" He asked his friend, flicking his cigarette away.

Nero sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. "Bendy and Todd should be fetching them, so that should give us more than enough firepower to deal with these scallions." He replied, sounding sad. "He's an idiot, but I still love him. Besides, he might be the only one physically strong enough to carry that young man away."

Erin felt guilt suddenly gnaw at her as she realized that by spilling this secret, she caused a rift between deputy and Guildmaster. As angry as she was at Sergei, she didn't want to see Amethyst City lose another deputy.

A shaking voice next to her broke her thoughts. "Hey..this is a joke, right? You guys are just pranking me. I mean, if Axl had a secret like that, he would tell me, right?" Ceren was on his knees, staring blankly past her. "I am-was- his best friend…why wouldn't he tell me...?"

Nero put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it personally. Axl didn't know the meaning of the word trust until much too late into his life. He truly thought you would've hated him had you known he was one." He said somberly, his vision clouding a bit.

Ceren moved his clawed hand to his face, obscuring his eyes. "….what a dumbass." He said softly. Erin peeked at him and saw the tears uncontrollably falling from underneath his shaking hand. "He really thought I was going to hate him over something so insignificant?"

Guildmaster Finnegan was staring in the direction of the scouting house. "We've all been unfair to de poor lad." He muttered, extending his claws. "So, le's make i' up by savin' de bas'ard."

Nero nodded. "Let's end this terror for everyone once and for all." He said, his hard glance itching for battle.

Ceren rubbed his eyes and Erin saw a fierce determination blaze on his face as he got up. She suddenly felt a lot happier to be fighting alongside him.

She shared their viewpoint, all fear and anxiety evaporated from her body as adrenaline started pumping in her veins. Everything that had happened until now did seem insignificant. Karl was saved, sure, but there was one more Pokémon that needed their help.

Don't you worry Axl…your friends are on the way!