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The group was shown to its rooms shortly after everyone

received their numbers. Spectators and competitors shared different parts of

the ship, but Kaen made an exception for Serena, understanding she had come

there with Team Valiant even if she wasn't fighting with them, and put her in a

room across from Volcan's.

Although nobody was in their room for very long; most,

including Volcan himself, were eager to explore the ship, and get a feel for

where they'd be staying until the contest was over.

            "Heh...

a free cruise with an action-packed tournament," said Volcan as he and

Luke walked along the deck. "Tristan's gonna be so jealous when I tell him

about this."

"Well you did say he makes a lot of money in his

profession...I imagine he's been on a few cruises like this." Luke

returned.

"Yeah, but never one with its own fighting ring,"

said Volcan. "Back where I come, careers like his and luxuries like this

ship are kept separate; the closest thing to a fight you'd find on these liners

is someone bickering at the buffet table. Honestly, I think that conventional

cruises bore him."

"Well then maybe he should take a trip here

sometime." Luke said in jest, chuckling a little.

Volcan laughed. "Be careful what you wish for," he

remarked.

"Noted." Luke returned, laughing with him as well.

He then sighed and looked up toward the sky as the sun began to set over the

horizon.

"You alright?" Volcan asked.

"I'm still disturbed by the recent events..." Luke

returned, turning to face the sea and leaning onto the railing, supported by

his arms and his tail swaying absently behind him.

"You mean this corruption plague that has hit your world?"

Volcan asked, turning his back to the railing and placing his hands on it to

support himself as he leaned back.

"Yes..."

He replied, nodding in confirmation. "In all my years, I've never encountered

anything so....dark," the Lucario shuddered as he spoke those words, but then

calmed down, eyes rolling as he thought back. "Well... that's actually a

bit of a lie; I have encountered dark, demonic powers before...just not on THIS

level."

Volcan frowned. "I know..." He said. "I can't

help but feel I brought this to your world... where I come from, Demon visits

are few and far between, but when they happen, they leave a lasting effect...

often a grim one..." He shut his eyes, his expression souring as he

reminisced.

"How grim...?" Luke asked, looking over to him.

"Often the area touched by those demons becomes uninhabitable

until it's purged," replied Volcan. "But anyone corrupted by their

essence can't be brought back. Their bodies have been mutated into horrors

beyond comprehension, and their very souls are gone; they become monsters, as

you've seen, and kill everything they see, even one another." He looked up

at the sky. "All demons are born from the negative emotions of others, as

I told you once before, and that darkness knows only how to destroy."

            Luke

grimaced at that. "...Sounds a lot like my uncle...."

            "Your

uncle?" Volcan asked.

Luke nodded. "He once trained with my Mother at a

younger age... until he started desiring power... so much so that he turned to

a darker power and killed his master with it...or so Mother told me..."

"Sounds like Kodaku's brother, Rovdyr," said

Volcan. "Only in his case, Rovdyr simply desired the thrill of being a

predator to all other people, not so much power. The day he went rogue, it

broke Kodaku's heart." He sighed. "And now, Rovdyr is a member of the

Overlords, a group who regularly causes trouble in my world. They even

conquered part of a country, taking it for themselves, and massacred anyone in

their way."

            "That's

where my Uncle differs.." Luke returned. "Unlike this Rovdyr you

speak of, he's part of no group or organization...he fights on his own

terms..." Luke then glanced to Volcan. "And should you ever encounter him....he

WILL fight you to the death...and he will kill you..."

            Volcan

swallowed. "Hopefully I don't, then..."

            Luke

nodded. "Indeed...his strength is matched only by his murderous

intent..."

            Volcan

shuddered. "Okay, I take it back... he sounds more like Calhoun."

            "Who...?"

            Volcan

perked up when he realized he mentioned that name. "Er... well... let's

just say he's a dark part of my past. He's part of the Overlords -their leader,

actually... and by far one of the most dangerous people of my world." The

Blaziken turned away. "It's... kind of a touchy subject for me."

Luke nodded. "You don't have to tell me then...I think I

can get a good idea on how dangerous he might be..."

Volcan nodded. "Thanks," he said. "It's not

something I like looking back on..." He stepped away from the rail.

"Anyway, why are we being so glum here? Let's find the dining hall; I'm

starving."

Luke nodded. "I think there's one back this way."

He returned, leaning off the railing and heading toward the interior of the

ship.

            "I

hope the food's good here," the Blaziken said. "I've never been on a

cruise liner; no idea what it's like."

            "Neither

have I honestly. I guess it'll be a new experience for both of us." Luke

returned with a small smile.

 ~~~~~

Meanwhile, up at the

pool area...

Serena had gone up to the pool to take a swim; as tempted as

she was to go into the ocean, she feared she might accidentally be left behind

by the ship, which was already way out on open sea at this point. So. she

settled for the cool swimming pool they had on the uppermost deck, which was

plenty spacious, but not quite the same as the ocean she so loved. Still, it

was enough that she got to swim again, and after doing countless laps, she

curled up on the edge of the pool for a rest, flicking her tail idly as she

tought back on the events of the day.

"You seem troubled..." Katsu's voice echoed through

the air behind Serena. When she turned she saw the large Samurott slowly

approaching her, a softer gaze in his eyes. "Something vexes you...?"

            She

looked at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the water. "I

suppose I'm still adjusting," she said, laying her head down on her paws.

"This world is so strange to me, and the longer I stay here the more I

wonder if I'll ever look at my home the same way again... back on our world,

I'm not from the same place as Volcan; my people live at the bottom of one of

the largest seas of the planet, but after being rescued by him, I decided to

stay on the surface... learn about it, be a part of it.

"But now, before I've even finished, I am suddenly in a whole

new place, where violence is regular, yet not as fatal as when it happens on my

world." She frowned. "And this Rescue Team 'Warmachine'... it seems

so misleading, to be a team devoted to helping others, yet you name yourself

'War' machine, and fight for self-gain... it seems as little more than

hypocrisy to me."

"I couldn't agree more...it IS one large

hypocrisy..." Katsu returned, gently taking a seat next to her.

"They're only hosting this competition to revel even more in the fame...I

did not join Team Valiant because I wanted to be famous, but to use my blades

for the betterment of Pokémon kind...Those of Team Warmachine have no honour or

dignity..."

"It is also for that reason I joined the Os-Nadarra; not

only to learn of their new world, but to see it for everything it had to

offer," she said. "Volcan and his friends are wonderful people and

even only being in this world for a short time, I can see you, Luke, and your

other teammates are as well..." She swept her paw back and forth through

the water. "I guess I just have a hard time comprehending what goes on in

the minds of those like The Overlords or Team Warmachine... Maybe because I've

never felt such desires, but I just can't understand why they do what they

do..."

            "Sometimes

it baffles me as well." Katsu admitted to her. "I suppose it all

boils down to how they were brought up. They were probably raised with a silver

spoon in their paws... I myself had to work long and hard to get to where I am

now. I care not for fame or money, but to hone my skills to their absolute

limit, and then I can rest and retire peacefully knowing that I've done what I

can to help others in need..."

"I wish only to be an ambassador of my people to new

worlds," said Serena. "And to defend the friends I make along the

way. I am strong, but I am not a warrior; I can control the water but will not

use it to drown someone. That is just not who I am."

"That is understandable...not everyone is destined to be

warriors..." Katsu returned, turning to look her in the eyes. "Take

Luke's brother, Mikhail, for example...he possesses great power thanks to his

mother's training, but he doesn't deem himself a warrior...he would rather use

his power to aid in his future career as a surgeon, just like his mate."

Katsu stated.

"Mikhail is a surgeon?" Serena asked. "I can't

say I considered that when I saw him."

"He's studying to be one, yes." Katsu returned.

"He's shown some great progress...one time he even performed a quick

operation with his mate and ended up saving a mother's life after giving birth

via C-Section..."

"That sounds difficult... but I'm glad he was able to do

it," said Serena.

Katsu nodded. "I can understand why you would not deem

yourself a warrior...there are times where I wonder if the same result could be

achieved through nonviolent means..." He returned, then started to

chuckle. "But what do I know? I am just a Ronin who uses his blades to protect

the innocent...and that which matters most to me."

She smiled at him, and peered into the water again. "Do

you mind if I ask you a personal question?" She asked.

"I see no harm in doing so." He returned.

            "When

you first fought someone, not just to protect, but also to survive... did you

ever hesitate?" Serena asked.

He paused and looked at his own reflection in the water for a

moment. "...Many times..." He returned.

"I see..." She returned. "Does it... ever

become any easier? Or does it always haunt you when you actually have to hurt

someone?"

"At first, no..." He returned. "I never fought

to kill my opponent... but the temptation was always there..." He

explained. "It all depends on whom I fight; if I'm fighting against

someone who has absolutely no respect for Pokémon life, I do not hesitate to

draw my swords. If I see even a shred of goodness within them, let's just say I

take my time in drawing my weapons..."

"There are some on my home you would not find such goodness,"

she said, almost in whisper. "Yet even them, I cannot bring myself to do

more than ward them off, maybe bludgeon them if I have to but I cannot bring

myself to use a sword."

He nodded in an understanding manner. "Then you are

being the better individual in that regard. Luna once told me the most powerful

thing a swordsman can do is keep their blade sheathed."

"I believe I heard that saying once before," she

remarked. "Vinge mentioned it once, I think."

"Then he must be a remarkable individual..." He

returned, slowly lifting his head and glancing over to Serena.

"Yes... all of the Os-Nadarra are," she said.

"They are all so special in their own way. Volcan is brave, charismatic,

Vinge is incredibly wise and quick thinking, Pavan is just so happy, more than

you'd think someone with his lifestyle could be, and Tsume is just so

adventurous... I could never be like any of them."

"No one says you HAVE to be like them." Katsu

stated as he slid a little closer to Serena. "You alone must carve your

own path in life....I chose to become a warrior, and I chose to be part of

Rescue Team Valiant, just as you chose to remain on the surface and not with

your people." He explained. "Others can help guide you down your path

in life...but in the end it is up to you to decide what path you take."

Her ears flicked at his words, and she glanced at him

briefly, before turning back to the water. "I suppose you're right... I

guess it is enough I do what I can. Maybe I'll never be a leader, a strategist,

or an adventurer... but there is something that defines me, I guess."

            Katsu

slid a little closer to her. "Everyone has something that defines them,

Serena...some take longer to find it...others are born with it..." He said

to her, almost in a whisper.

            She

turned to him, and immediately blushed as she realized how close he was. But

this time, she didn't try to move away... she continued to meet his gaze, just

for a moment, before she forced herself to turn away. Feelings she was not used

to were welling up inside of her; part of her told her to dive into the water

and swim away from him, but another said to stay at his side. He was being kind

to her, and for once her lack of confidence did not seem to overwhelm her

curiosity, and she didn't pull away.

            Katsu

slowly turned his gaze ahead of him, looking onward toward the opposite end of

the pool before looking up at the sky. "...It's getting dark..." He

stated.

            "Not

so much in there," she said, gesturing at the pool; lights had come on,

illuminating the water below. She stood up and looked at him. "Would

you... like to join me for a swim?" She asked, blushing once more.

            Katsu

looked back at her and smiled a bit. "I would be honoured..." He

returned, also standing up, but taking his time to remove his kimono from his

body, revealing his incredibly large muscle structure.

            She

almost blushed deeper when she saw how toned he was. She wondered if perhaps

her new body was causing her to feel an attraction to him, but subconsciously

wondered what he would look like as an anthro... he had no idea what her true

form looked like, but she didn't quite have the imagination to picture him in

any other way. Without looking at him again -for fear he might notice her

stare, she dove into the water, using her tail to propel herself through. The

water was non-chlorinated and properly cleaned, making it easy on her gills and

pleasant to swim through.

Katsu dove in after her, using his shorter but powerful

tailfin to propel himself after her, staying close to her side as they swam

through the water together, not once using his arms or legs.

She displayed impressive water arrow dynamics as she

literally swam in a circle around Katsu before veering off in almost a 90

degree turn, swimming with impressive speed through the cool water. Her side

was cast in shadow as she swam past a light, and then somersaulted, swimming

back over to him. She really seemed to enjoy the swim, and it helped calm her

down as well.

            He

smiled as she saw her swim so gracefully, far more than he was ever capable of.

He didn't perform any impressive tricks while he swam, merely just swam laps

with Serena while watching her perform her aquatic stunts.

            Soon,

as she reached one end of the pool, she turned around and began to swim back

the other way, this time going as fast as she could manage. Halfway across, she

launched herself through the surface, arcing through the air before splashing

back into the water again, turning about, and repeating it once more, before

letting herself glide through the water until she was alongside Katsumoto once

again.

He continued to watch her as she swam and leapt through the

water with such grace and skill, eventually surfacing with her at his side. he

smiled down at her and blushed a bit. "You're quite graceful...you might

be able to give Wade a few pointers with those kind of water

acrobatics..."

"I lived my entire life in the ocean," she said,

with a hint of melancholy as she rolled onto her back and swam backwards at a

slower pace. "It is part of who I am," she said as she looked up at

the sky, seeing the stars above. "I still wonder about those."

            Katsu

looked up at the night sky himself. "The stars...?" he asked softly.

            "Yes...

admittedly as a deep water dweller, I never once saw the sky prior to my

introduction to the surface. More often than not, I felt like I was staring up

into nothing, especially when the sky was cloudy at night, and sometimes I feel

as if something may carry me up into that endless beyond and never bring me

back. But I am still very curious just what they are, and where they all

are." She blushed. "I... guess that sounds silly."

            "Not

at all." He returned. "I used to wonder about them myself when I was

an Oshawott. I never understood why they were there to begin with...all I knew

was that they were beautiful to look at."

            "Seems

we have that in common then," she said.

"Excuse me," a voice called from the side, and the

group saw a Raichu standing at the pool edge. "I apologize for the

interruption but I have to close the pool for the night; there's supposed to be

a storm tonight and it's unsafe to swim in such conditions."

"Oh, okay," said Serena, rolling back to a

belly-down position and swimming over to the side so she could climb out.

Katsu followed her and slowly climbed out, shaking himself

dry before he grabbed his kimono and quickly dressed himself. "As

enjoyable as that was, it seems all good things must come to an end..." He

said softly as he adjusted his kimono top, and then turned to face Serena

again.

"The dining hall is still open... perhaps we can have

dinner?" She suggested.

            Slowly

he smiled at her again. "...Do you have any preference...?"

            "I

prefer mostly vegetables, but I do eat some ocean meats such as fish," she

replied.

"Perhaps you'd like to sample some sushi rolls with me

tonight...?" He returned, offering his paw to her.

            She

put her paw in his. "I would be happy to."

            He

smiled more and blushed a bit more vividly. As a kind gesture he slowly lifted

her paw and lightly kissed it before leading her out of the pool and toward the

dining area to munch on some food.

~~~~~

The following day,

early noon hour...

A broadcast on the intercom, roughly around noon, announced

the start of the first fight, and that all teams were welcome to attend. Luke's

team was 'D', so they would not be fighting in the first round; team 'A' was

actually Rigel and Trish, and B was known as Team Bloom, while Team C, who Luke

and his team would be fighting, called themselves the 'Hitmon-Champs';

consisting of a Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop, who were present at the

Spectating stand. The opposing team was forced to limit themselves only to two,

as they normally has six on their team, and consisted of Grass-types; just

Trish alone gave them a distinct advantage.

A coin-toss later by Kaen determined the fight would be

tag-team style instead of elimination, meaning the two would fight

simultaneously. Their opponents were a Chesnaught and a Tangrowth; two very

heavy hitters.

Both of them looked at their opponents before glancing back

to one another. "You wanna take viney or bruiser?" Rigel asked.

She scoffed. "All the same to me."

Rigel smirked. "Alright then...I'll get the tank, you

get the mess."

Kaen overheard them and glanced over. "Don't forget,

this is a tag-team battle; you guys are fighting together," he pointed out

before hopping off of the ring.

Volcan, up in the stands with Luke, eyed the Tangrowth and

Chesnaught. "Those guys are huge' wonder what kind of tricks they have on

their side?"

"We'll find out in a moment, though I'm going to guess

the Chesnaught will be a heavy hitter while the Tangrowth will either attack

from a distance or use status inducing attacks." He replied.

"I dunno; see that Chesnaught's arms?" Volcan

asked, pointing at the large Pokémon. "Those marks are the marks of

someone who's used to taking hits, not just dishing them out; I think this guy

fights defensively."

            "As

I said, we'll find out." Luke returned.

"Start!" Kaen called.

Immediately, the Chesnaught leapt in front of Tangrowth,

putting his fists together and using Spiky Shield, while Tangrowth extended its

vine-like arms, splaying them out in a wide arc before bringing them down

repeatedly at Rigel and Trish, striking several areas of the battle field with

whipping strikes.

Both of them split up and weaved around the attacks, quickly

closing on their opponents. Right as they dashed in together, Rigel quickly

halted and hunched over a little while Trish used his back as a stepping stone,

leaping up and over the Chesnaught and coming down on the Tangrowth with a

Blaze Kick. Rigel then cupped his paws at his side and discharged an Aura

Sphere at the Chesnaught, aiming him make him stumble from the attack.

The Chesnaught saw Trish's attack coming, and put up his arms

to defend Tangrowth; she reached Chesnaught before Rigel's attack did, and

punctured one of her feet on the shield. However, immediately after, Chesnaught

took the Aura Sphere square in the stomach, which sent him falling back on

Tangrowth. Luckily, the mass of vines had braced itself, and countered

immediately with a Power Whip towards Rigel, striking at him with the force of

a sledgehammer.

            He

recoiled from the attack and was sent flying back a bit, then rolled on the

ground and recollected himself, dashing in as fast as he could while the

Chesnaught was still stumbling. He then unloaded a heavy combo on the

Chesnaught, then he nailed his chin with a Sky Uppercut, infusing it with his

natural chi flow to immolate his paw with fire. Trish stumbled off the Spiky

Shield and hopped on the ground a little, shaking her leg from the pain, then

collected herself and immolated her leg with fire to cauterize her wounds. She

then swung her leg hard and discharged a fire projectile at the Tangrowth after

Rigel sent the Chesnaught airborne.

Tangrowth was too focused on the stunning attack display by

Rigel and had forgotten about Trish; by the time it saw the fireball coming, it

took the attack square in the gut, stumbling him back, but like his Chesnaught

partner the Tangrowth was tough.

Above, Chesnaught, after recovering from the initial hit from

Rigel's sky uppercut, retaliated with a hammer-arm at the Lucario, trying to

knock him back down to the ground, while Tangrowth, his focus now on Trish,

snapped out its vines and unleashed a spray of Poison Powder at her. Trish

twitched and instinctively backed away from the powder, covering her nose and

mouth while she retreated.

Once she was at a safe distance, she looked up at the

Chesnaught and fired a fire projectile from her leg at the Chesnaught while he

was still airborne, aiming to throw him off before his Hammer Arm could nail

her boyfriend. Rigel saw the incoming projectile and took that as his cue to

switch it up, quickly diving down at the Tangrowth and landing an axe kick on

its head before landing. He then went for a quick kicking combo before

discharging another hadoken point blank at the Tangrowth's face.

Tangrowth went flying out of the ring, scoring an instant

ring out on the second member of team Bloom. However, unlike other tournaments,

the fight wasn't over unless Chesnaught went down too, and even after being hit

by another attack, he wasn't down yet; he landed on the ground HARD, landing on

all fours, and glared at the duo, though he bore some uncertainty, clearing

debating on what to try next.

Trish stood by her boyfriend with one hand on her hip, with

Rigel crossing his arms and smirking rather arrogantly. "What'll it be

man? You can either forfeit like a wimp or go down like a man."

            "I

won't be beaten by you two so easily," he stated, before curling up into a

ball and rolling forward with startling speed; the Rollout attack made a

perfect combo of his offense and defense, turning him into a living, tumbling

cannonball as he rushed at the two.

Both of them leapt over the spinning Chesnaught, landing

behind him as he travelled away from them. Rigel discharged another Aura Sphere

after they landed while Trish kicked out another fireball. Both the attacks

merged into one to create a pseudo Shakunetsu that hit the Chesnaught right on

his spiky carapace.

            However,

the Chesnaught was coming back at them so fast, he literally bored through the

attack, barely suffering any damage thanks to the speed of his spin, and made a

beeline right for Rigel!

"Shit!" Rigel cursed and darted to the side,

however his leg got caught and he cried out, skidding along the ground and

laying on his side, gripping his leg as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"That's gonna leave a mark..."

            The

Chesnaught was circling back to attack again, but this time he uncurled, lunged

forward and went at Rigel with a mighty punch. This time, Trish darted and came

in between the two of them, catching the Chesnaught's arm and skidding back

from the force of the hit. She grimaced as she skidded back, her talons

dragging along the ground before she stopped, then she grinned up at the

Chesnaught and winked.

"Game over for you..." She stated, then lifted her

leg and nailed him in the gut, then lifted him up and over her head, slamming

him into the ground with her incredible flexibility. Rigel, now recovered,

followed up her attack by  and wound his

arm back.

"Yer finished..." He stated, then uppercut the

Chesnaught's jaw. He then used his good leg to start kicking at his opponent

all along his face and torso before spinning on the spot and winding up another

Sky Uppercut infused with fire. He nailed the Chesnaught again in the jaw, this

time rising in the air and spiralling as he rose, leaving a trail of fire

around him almost like a Fire Spin. "SHINRYUKEN!!!"

            The

Chesnaught flew up, up, up! So high he was nearly a mere speck. Two

ship-attending Pidgeot immediately took to the air and flew after him as he

angled dangerously over the ship, soaring over and catching him before he could

plunge into the water beyond the rail; this qualified as a ring-out, and so

Kaen jumped onto the ring, walking over to Trish and Rigel and holding their arms

up in triumph.

"Team A, Rigel and Trish, are the winners!" He

called.

"Man, when that big guy started rolling around like some

runaway boulder, I admit, I was worried," said Volcan.

            "Admittedly

I was as well..." Luke returned. "Thankfully Trish saved his ass and

allowed him to perform that last ditch technique..."

"Him and that... vine-mass had a good tactic going with

that first trick but they were too fast for it," said Volcan. "Your

brother is impressive... but yanno, if we win this round, means we'll be

fighting him next."

Luke smirked. "Think you'll be ready to fight a female

blaziken?"

            "Let's

see if I can beat one of the guys we're fighting in our upcoming round

first," remarked Volcan, smiling sarcastically. "So, there's three of

them; who're you taking?"

"Let's see...I'm an all-rounder...I'd say you are as

well...we'll need some speed...." He then looked to Eagle Eye.

Eagle Eye smirked and flapped his wings a bit. "Sure

count me in boss. I'll fly in fuckin circles around em."

Volcan swallowed nervously. "Okay... I'll go first then.

If I don't win, will at least give you guys a sense of the guys you're

fighting," he said.

"Fair enough." Luke returned. "Just keep calm

and you'll be fine."

Volcan nodded. "Alright."

Kaen stayed in the ring as Rigel and Trish left, and

addressed the crowd. "Next fighters will be two groups full of some of the

roughest-toughest rascals I've seen since this tourney began! Introducing Team

C, the Hitmon-Champs!"

He gestured to the left side of the ring, where the three

fighters stood -the first of whom was climbing into the ring already. A

Hitmonchan, who bore a rather smug expression on his face as he took his

position, hopping in place as he did some warm-up jabs. Luke, Volcan and Eagle

Eye headed down to the ring, with the Blaziken stepping in first. Serena and

Katsu came down to spectate from a more front-row perspective, watching as

Volcan stretched his limbs in preparation.

            Trish

and Rigel stood next to Luke, with Rigel smirking as he watched Volcan limber

up. "Got a new chump on yer team eh?" He asked.

            Luke

glanced toward his elder brother. "He's not really an official member of

my team. He's someone I'm trying to help in the long run."

Rigel chuckled. "Always sticking your neck out fer

random strangers...Well let's see what this new face can do."

            Volcan

and the Hitmonchan, whom his teammates called Boxer as they cheered him on,

faced each other down as Kaen backed off, giving them plenty of room. Volcan

stood with his fists raised defensively, as did the Hitmonchan, both of them

with left-foot forward, indicating right-handed attackers.

            "Start!"

Kaen called.

Volcan and Boxer attacked simultaneously, both of them taking

a swing at one another only for their arms to hook onto each other part-way;

surprisingly, despite how unlikely it would have been, Volcan immediately took

advantage of it, grabbing Boxer's arm with his other hand, twisting around and

hurling him over his head, sending the Hitmonchan flying across the field, but

not quite out; he landed at the edge, sliding for a moment before managing to

stop himself.

            Serena

grit her teeth. "Almost had him," she said.

            "A

good start...but this fight has only just begun...I only hope he wasn't

expecting a swift victory..." Katsu added.

Boxer sprang back to his feet. "Oh, tough guy, eh?

Thought by your face I was fighting a rookie; won't do that again," he

said, once more hopping from one foot to the other. "Well come on; show me

what you got."

"Fine," Volcan returned before he rushed forward

again, coming at Boxer with a Fire Punch, which the Hitmonchan avoided by

ducking.

And in that instant, the fight took a turn.

An audible impact was heard as Boxer's fist struck Volcan's

chest, the Blaziken wheezing as the wind was knocked out of him, followed suite

by two more punches to the torso that knocked him back, sending him stumbling.

"Oh no...!" Serena whimpered.

            Boxer

wasn't done yet; he rushed in again, and unleashed four heavy-handed punches to

both sides of Volcan's face, two each, the blows smacking Volcan around

somewhat with each impact.

Eagle Eye winced each time Volcan took a hit.

"Owchie...damn talk about beating around the bush."

 Trish scoffed. "I had a feeling this

fight would be over fast... that new guy doesn't have any form in his fighting

and he's sloppy."

"Hey!" Serena snapped at Trish, the sudden

sharpness in her voice causing everyone to jump. "Don't talk about Volcan

that way! He's one of the best fighters on our team; he's still just...

learning how to use his new body!" There was a moment of stunned silence,

until, realizing she had shouted, the Vaporeon shied away, hiding behind Katsu

and blushing feverishly. "Sorry..."

"THUNDEEEEEERRR!" Boxer called as he wound up his

fist on the stunned Volcan, his arm crackling with electricity. Volcan looked

up just in time to see the fist coming, and was met with a blunt impact and an

electrical charge as it landed. "PUNCH!!"

"ARGH!" Volcan bellowed before he was sent flying

back, landing hard on his back and leaving a trail of dust as he skidded near

the edge, groaning.

"Ha!" Boxer barked. "Was that the best Team

'Valiant' has? I'd hate to see who they call their strongest, 'cuz that just

sucked!"

Rigel frowned and glanced to his brother. "Dude you

gonna take that shit from a fuckoff like that?" Luke however remained

silent, his arms crossed as he watched Volcan. His gut feeling to him Volcan

wasn't finished yet...

            And

he was right. Volcan coughed for a second, immediately catching Boxer's

attention, before he sat up. "Okay, that hurt," he said. "But

I've taken way worse hits than that." Slowly, he stood back up, holding

his stomach for a moment before he returned to his full height.

Boxer's arms and jaw fell slack as he stared at Volcan, eyes

wide with disbelief. "How... how the heck are you still standing?!"

He asked. "I knocked out an Ursaring with that combo!"

"Must've been a pretty wimpy Ursaring," said

Volcan. "And that last punch you hit me with? My brother punches like

that; fist charged with electricity, but compared to him that was a minor

jolt."

Boxer's face immediately switched from astonishment to rage,

eye twitching with anger at Volcan's insult. "What...what?! Why you...!

Okay, you want a heavy hitter?! I'll give you a heavy hitter; I'm gonna punch

you so hard both you AND your bro will get a dislocated jaw!" He put up

his fists again. "You're not gonna beat me, you jackass!"

Serena actually smiled. "That's the Volcan I know,"

she said.

Katsu also smiled. "He's very sturdy for a

Blaziken...I'm impressed."

Serena looked at Katsu, the smile never leaving her face.

"Wait until he starts fighting back," she said.

Boxer came at Volcan with a Mach Punch, so fast he was

practically a blur; to many spectators, it looked like Volcan was going to get

knocked out, but before the punch even landed, he slapped aside Boxer's fist

and punched him across the face, turning his own momentum against him with a

sickening 'CRACK!' following the landing of his fist.

"OOOH! That's gonna leave a mark." Eagle Eye

stated, watching the Hitmonchan get decked by Volcan.

            Trish

was silent for a moment before she uncrossed her arms. "...I stand

corrected."

Boxer spat out a tooth, watching it hit the ground

expressionally along with some blood, before he turned on Volcan again.

"You son of a...!"

He swung at Volcan again, but this time Volcan blocked his

arm, and then lashed forward and slammed his head into that of Boxer's, their

skulls meeting with a painful thud, followed by Volcan sweep-kicking his legs

out from under him, sending Boxer off of his feet. But before the Hitmonchan

even hit the ground, Volcan's fist came down and POUNDED him directly into the

fighting ring, knocking all of the air out of Boxer's lungs.

And still, Volcan wasn't done; he grabbed Boxer by the arms,

and threw him into the air before he sprang up, grabbing him by his ankles and

front-flipping twice before hurling him back at the ground below; Boxer landed

outside of the ring, the floorboards cracking and breaking as he landed, and a

crash following him as he disappeared below the deck, while Volcan landed

gracefully back on the fighting ring, standing tall and proud at his win.

"Okay... that wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be,"

he said.

The entire audience stood in stunned silence, including Kaen,

who took a moment to break out of his trance. "Well... That was quite a

comeback! I think we can safely say who won that round; our floor's going to

need some maintenance, but the winner is... wait, what's this guys' name?"

            "Volcan!"

Serena called.

"Right; Volcan of Team Valiant takes the win for round

one!" Kaen called, running over to the Blaziken and holding up his arm.

"Let's hear it for 'em, folks!"

            The

audience, after a brief pause, began to applaude, while the other two members

of Hitmon-Champs lifted their battered partner out of the hole in the deck;

Boxer's body was covered in bruises that were already starting to flower, and

he was stunned to the point he seemed unconscious, but was alive otherwise.

            "Whoa-ho-ho-ho!!!"

Eagle Eye stated frantically. "Now THAT was a fight!! You go man!!"

            Rigel

smirked and pounded his paws together. "Bastard's won my respect."

            "Volcan's

the type where, if you don't make absolutely certain he's down, you're not

going to get another shot at him," she said. "I think now that he's

more confident in that new body of his, he just may surprise us a little

more."

"Indeed so...I look forward to seeing how well he does

in the next rounds." Katsu remarked, looking back to Serena. "You

have quite a powerful ally..."

            Serena

nodded. "He's one of the strongest people I know, in more ways than

one," she said. "Yet on our team there are others even stronger than

him, but of all of them I'd say he's still the bravest; maybe not always

level-headed, but inspiring." She frowned and rolled her eyes. "I

cannot say the same for Korban, Lighris or Tristan though... those three tend

to be far too reckless."

"How reckless are we talking...?" Katsu asked.

"Korban treats everything like it presents no danger,

Tristan runs in... how was it Vinge put it?" She rolled an eye up to the

corner as she thought back. "Head-first, brains last, I think he said? And

as for Lighris, he only wants to prove how much tougher than everyone he is;

he's protective of his brother and friends, but far too eager to beat his

opponents."

"I see...sounds a little like Rigel and Hank..." He

said with a small sigh. "One day their arrogance will be their

undoing..."

            Volcan

stepped down from the ring, rubbing his shoulder as and rolling his neck as he

wound down from the fight. "Little bastard landed some good hits, but I've

taken way worse than that," he said. "Still gonna leave a mark or

two... ah..." He rubbed his jaw. "Especially here."

"You still won." Luke said with a nod. "Well

done out there...You certainly know how to take a hit and deal one out..."

"Took me a sec to get some confidence in my new

body," he said. "Since I haven't used it for a straight-up fight,

aside from when we took on that Gyrados or that Tentacruel -although all I did

was piss them off. But now..." He rubbed his bicep. "I think I have a

handle on how this body works; it's got some good momentum."

"Keep this up and we might just make it to the

finals." Luke said with a smile.

Rigel stepped forward and smirked at Volcan. "Not bad

out there...ya won my respect, but that don't mean shit when yer up against me

and Trish buddy."

"Don't think I'll go down easy either way," said

Volcan.

"Where's the fun if it's easy...?" Rigel returned

with a wink

"Hey you jerks!" A voice called from the ring; they

turned to see the Hitmonlee had stepped into the ring. "Send your next guy

up already; I'm going to knock your damn blocks off for what you did to my kid

brother, and that's a promise! Gimme your best shot; I dare ya!" He

taunted.

Luke looked back at the hitmonlee for a moment, then sighed

and stepped forward. "Guess I'll head on up." He muttered.

"Watch it, Luke," warned Volcan. "This guy

looks a lot meaner than Boxer was."

"I've faced tougher opponents..." He returned

calmly, walking slowly toward the ring and standing before his opponent.

Kaen began his announcement of the fight. "And now we're

onto round two!" He called. "This time, it's a battle of the Team

Captains themselves; the eldest brother of the Champs, Leaper, versus Luke of

Team Valiant! Which one will come out the winner?"

Luke slowly adopted his stance and breathed slowly, closing

his eyes for a moment before opening them again, staring at his opponent with a

calm, yet confident demeanour. "Let's go then..."

"Bring it on," he said sternly, stomping his right

leg forward harshly, cracking the stone of the ring as he stanced himself. his

eyes fixed on Luke.

Luke then quickly charged forward, weaving from side to side

as he ran, then he skidded and fired off a quick Force Palm at his opponent,

then used his speed to move to his left and strike him with a backfist, then

again moving quickly to his right and slamming a point blank aura sphere into

his side to blast him away.

Leaper, however, was no slouch. He watched Luke with a

hawk-like stare as he moved, evading his first force-palm attack and again with

his backhand. Then, as the Aura Sphere came, he took the hit, but instead of

being floored or blown away, he was only sent skidding across the ground, using

both hands and feet to slow himself, and looked back at Luke.

            "That

was your big opening?" He mocked. "I'm not impressed."

"The fight's only just begun...I wasn't anticipating a

swift victory..." Luke said as he adopted his stance again. "Your

move."

"Alright," he said, and then rushed at Luke

swiftly, lunging at him with what appeared to be a punch, but the instant Luke

reacted to parry it, Leaper halted mid-step and then lashed out with a mighty

Mega Kick; despite only being a Normal Type move, the attack struck with such

force, Luke was launched clear off of his feet and sent flying across the ring!

He grunted and skidded on his back some, then quickly hopped

up using his paws and handsprung a few times before landing on his feet,

narrowing his eyes as he straightened up and looked at the Hitmomlee.

"...Fast and powerful...even for a normal move..." He muttered.

"Still..." He said as he cracked his neck a little and adjusted his

scarf.

"My brother may be a little raw," he said.

"But I'm the best fighter from the southern regions, and that's no boast.

I'm going to be the one to take on Team Warmachine, not some backwater dog."

"I don't doubt you're the best in the southern

regions..." Luke returned. "I admire your fighting spirit, but if you

think you have any shot at defeating me... well, let's just say you'll be in

for a harsh awakening..."

"Talk is cheap, so let's see if you can back up those

words," he said, returning to his stance and bracing himself for whatever

Luke did next.

Luke closed his eyes and relaxed for a second, contemplating

his next move and taking a deep breath. And then, the second he flashed his

eyes open he was already in front of his opponent and punched his face as hard

as he could, packing quite the power into his hit. Leaper recoiled from the

hit, but took it without tensing up; he retaliated swiftly with a Rolling Kick,

bouncing off of the ground and swinging about with his leg outstretched. Luke

quickly parried it with his arm, then grabbed his leg and spun with the

momentum of the rolling kick, hurling Leaper toward a wall using his own

momentum.

The Hitmonlee turned about, landing with his legs before

rebounding off of the wall and into the air with a soaring Jump Kick, heading at

Luke with newfound momentum. This time however, Luke just sidestepped and let

Leaper soar past him, not even trying to stop him as he hopped to the side.

He didn't go out of the ring; he landed on his feet again,

front-flipping before touching down and turning back to Luke. "Well you're

quick; I'll give you that," he said. "But you're far too complacent;

if you're not ready to fight at your fullest you'll never beat me."

"You sure you want me to fight harder...?" He

returned.

"Did I stutter?!" He barked.

Luke shook his head a little and sighed. "Alright then....prepare

yourself..." He warned.

"Show me what you're really capable of," he said.

Luke's body tensed for a moment, then he took one step toward

his opponent and... just vanished, not a trace of him was left, until Leaper

felt an elbow nail him HARD on his spine, making him stumble forward. As he

stumbled, Luke appeared in front of him again and punched him three times

before vanishing again, appearing at his left and grabbing his arm, slamming

another Force Palm on the Hitmonlee's side with his free paw.

After that last strike, Leaper went down, landing on his

hands and knees. "What the... hell?!" He demanded. "Even for

Extreme Speed, that was a stretch," he stated, before taking on a

different stance, watching Luke with greater focus this time.

"Who said that was Extreme Speed...?" Luke queried,

vanishing again and appearing behind Leaper.

He immediately lashed out at Luke with another kick.

"You're saying that's your natural speed?! Impossible! Not even Latias and

Latios can move like that!"

Luke caught his leg and sweeped him, knocking him onto his

back and stepping back a little. "You'd be surprised how strong and fast

you become when you spend most of your life fighting the most powerful Nidoking

in existence..."

The Hitmonlee looked at as he stood back up. "I've never

heard of a Nidoking being anymore than a horn-headed brute," he remarked.

"Whoever you trained with must be a rare find indeed." This time, his

stance changed again, and he shut his eyes, waiting...

"You have no idea..." Luke muttered, then he too

closed his eyes, tuning to his aura sense before moving again, this time he

darted to one side, then feinted him out and darted behind him, lashing out

with a knee to his kidney.

But Leaper did something unexpected; the very millisecond his

knee connected with Leaper's side, he whipped around and his foot struck Luke

across the face, faster than the blink of an eye and hard enough that Luke's

vision exploded with stars, not to mention dazed him, as Leaper landed a

perfect Counter on him. Luke grunted as he was hit, falling back on his rear

and grasping his head as he tried to clear his vision.

"But even if he is powerful, any opponent can be

overcome with the right training," said Leaper, reopening his eyes and

rushing over to Luke before he dropped into a slide. "As you will find out

right NOW!" And as he slid up to Luke, his pushed himself up with his

hands and leg. "Blaze Kick!" He barked as he struck Luke square in

the chin with his foot ablaze with red-hot fire, and LAUNCHED Luke forty feet

in the air!

            "Oh

no!" Serena exclaimed.

            "Luke!"

Volcan called.

            "Now

I'm ending this!" Leaper called before he jumped at Luke. "For

without wings, your speed means nothing in the air!" He called as he raced

towards Luke, foot outstretched with a High Jump Kick.

He struggled to correct himself as he was sent airborne. He

glanced down to see Leaper soaring after him with his attack. He tilted his

head back as the kick narrowly missed his face, then kicked at Leaper's back as

he passed, propelling Luke back down to the ground in a crouch. He then brought

his arms in front of him and tensed his body, a gentle flickering flame

surrounding his body before he roared out and threw his arms out, the flame

around him intensifying and burning brighter around him.

Rigel cocked an eyebrow as he saw Luke power up.

"Resorting to that already huh...?"

            "Wait,

is he Mega Evolving again?" Volcan asked.

            "Nope."

Rigel returned. "That requires the use of his Lucarionite. He's tapping

into his aura reserves to boost his abilities greatly." Rigel explained.

"He calls it his Aura Release."

"How's that going to help him while he's in the

air?" Serena asked.

Volcan's eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Wait a

sec... Hitmonlee can't fly either!" He looked up. "And he missed that

kick; Luke can nail him before he gets back to ground!"

"Exactly..." Rigel returned with a smirk.

"He's gonna end this with one fell swoop."

Luke then darted up toward the Hitmonlee at even greater

speeds, even faster than before. He appeared at Leaper's back and grabbed his

waist, then roared as he threw him back down to the ground below. Luke then

used a Force Palm to propel himself back down to the ground, passing Leaper and

landing in a crouch. He stood up and SLAMMED his paw hard into Leaper's spine.

Leaper screamed in agony as he was struck head-on by Luke,

smashed into the stone of the fighting ring with Luke's attack. The blast was

so intense it actually created a small shockwave that made everyone blink, and

in that instant of column of dust shot into the air, obscuring the scene from

all onlookers.

"Holy moly," said Volcan.

"Luke's even stronger than I imagined," Serena

said. "He may even be as powerful as you, Volcan."

"Maybe as my true self, but right now... I'd say he

eclipses me," said Volcan.

Luke's aura flame slowly died down and he looked over to the

downed Hitmonlee to see if he could get back up. Leaper was barely still

conscious after that onslaught, however; he lay there, groaning and gasping for

breath, trying to find if he even still had any feeling left in his limbs as he

tried to lift his hand. Satisfied that he could, he rolled onto his back and

looked up at Luke with a weary gaze.

"That... I don't think... I could ever have been...

ready for," he whispered. "Well done..."

            Luke

silently knelt down and gently hoisted the Hitmonlee back up, taking his arm

and putting it over his shoulders, then began to escort him out of the ring and

toward his team. "As I said, I admire your fighting spirit...you deserve

your title of best in the southern regions..."

            He

allowed himself a weak chuckle. "Maybe I do... but if you ever come down

to the south I may just lose that title to you," he remarked.

            A

pair of Chancy that had arrived to treat Boxer took Leaper as Luke led him over

to the side of the ring. The Hitmonlee looked at the third and last member of

their team. "Good luck, Whirl," he said. "You may not be able to

win us this round, but if you can win this battle, we can at least leave with

some dignity left..."

            "I

won't lose, big bro," the Hitmontop promised before turning to look at

Luke. "Hope your third fighter's ready; I'm going to win back our honour

before this day is out."

Luke nodded. "I wish you the best of luck." He bade

him, then returned to his side of the ring and toward his own team again.

            Rigel

nudged Volcan's shoulder. "Oh yea, fergot to mention that Luke STILL

wasn't using his fullest. He's got two stages to that aura release thing of

his...of course...there's a bit of a catch..."

"He can still get stronger?" Volcan asked.

"Geez, he keeps this up he may be able to take on even my brother."

"Yeah, but like I said there's a catch..." Rigel

stated.

            Katsu

spoke up this time. "Each boost gives Luke a tremendous boost in his abilities.

However, when Luke taps into the second stage, his power goes into flux and

becomes unstable; the longer he fights in his second stage, the more his body

suffers for it."

"So it's a last resort," said Volcan, and his gaze

fell. "If this corruption plague is being caused by who I think it is... I

fear he may have to use that power before long..."     

Whirl leapt onto the field, stretching his legs and arms as

he waited for his opponent. Whirl wasn't as tall as his brothers, but he was

well-built, and the marks on his body were the marks of a fighter; he had scars

from many battles, some looking fairly recent, and when he stanced himself, it

was clear he had trained hard with both of his brothers, for he had the clear

signs of both a boxer and a kicker, not to mention the trademark ability of a

Hitmontop to spin on the spike on its head.

Eagle Eye quickly soared to the arena and landed in front of

the Hitmontop. He had a smirk, or what looked like a smirk, on his beak as he

landed, hopping on the spot for a bit before emitting smoke from his beak as he

prepared for battle.

Whirl leapt up, performing a midair cartwheel before landing

on top of his head, balancing himself on the spike and glaring at Eagle Eye.

"You ready for a beat-down, bird boy?" He asked.

"Depends. You ready to see some stars?" He

retorted.

"We'll see who's seeing stars when I'm done with

you!" Whirl barked. "I won't let anyone dishonor my brothers!"

And as soon as Kaen signalled for the battle to start, Whirl was already

spinning, rushing forward like a charging bull with his legs outstretched for a

Triple Kick.

Eagle Eye only smirked and shot quickly into the air, leaving

a trail of smoke behind him as he soared into the air. He then veered back down

and started literally flying in circles around Whirl, creating a Fire Spin to

trap the Hitmontop in a vortex of searing heat. The Talonflame was moving at

impossible speeds as he performed the attack, as he was only a red and gray

blur as he created the Fire Spin, then darted back into the air to watch the

fireworks so to speak.

            "Nice

try!" Whirl called, before he began to spin even faster, until he created

a vortex. In seconds, the Fire Spin was being pushed away, and put out by the

force of the vortex generated by Whirl.

"Huh?! How'd he do that?" Volcan asked.

            "Rapid

Spin." Luke returned.

            "Damn,

this guy may be trickier than we thought," said Volcan.

            "Perhaps...but

Eagle Eye is the fastest of my team for a reason..." Luke returned.

            "Let's

see if that'll be enough."

Now free from the Fire Spin, Whirl dashed towards Eagle Eye,

coming below him before flipping around and leaping at him with a Sky Uppercut,

but didn't launch himself too high, knowing if he missed, he'd leave himself

vulnerable to an aerial counter-attack. Eagle Eye reared himself back from the

attack and countered with an Acrobatics attack, attacking Whirl from many

different angles at such rapid speeds. To end his attack, he coated his body in

fire and rammed into his opponent with Flame Charge.

"Gotcha!" Whirl barked, and used a Counter,

grabbing Eagle eye by the back of his neck and back-flipping with his momentum

still propelling him forward, turning it on him and sending him directly into

the ground face-first.

            "WHOOF!!"

Eagle Eye grunted as he hit the ground, stiffening up from the impact before he

started to go limp...then flames shot from his taloned feet and shot at Whirl

while he was still grappling him. "PSYCHE!!"

            Whirl

took the flames head-on and was blown onto his back, yelping in a mix of pain and

surprise as he quickly spun to put them out. "How are you still conscious

after that?! You had to have been going seventy miles an hour; it's a wonder

your beak didn't break!"

Eagle Eye propped himself up on his feet and grinned.

"Dude, you have any idea how fast I fly on a daily basis...?"

            Volcan

narrowed his eyes. "Still, Eagle Eye's gotta see by now attacking Whirl

head-on isn't going to work," he said. "I'm getting an 'all-rounder'

feel from this guy."

"Unfortunately," Katsu stated, "speed is really

the only thing Eagle Eye has going for him...that and his tenacity..."

"Speed's all well and good but if your opponent can take

more damage than you can dish out no amount of zipping and dashing around is

gonna work," said Volcan.

            Eagle

Eye flapped his wings furiously and created a tailwind around him, boosting his

speed greatly before he started to zip around Whirl at even greater speeds,

faster than the naked eye could tell. Eagle Eye then came at him from behind

with a Flare Blitz, tackling him full tilt wth his body completely immolated.

"OOF!" Whirl yelped as he was hit square in the

back; even though he had started spinning again, he hadn't spotted Eagle Eye in

time to counter, and was sent flying a short distance before falling onto his

stomach, grunting.

            Eagle

Eye wasn't about to give him a chance to recover. Despite the recoil damage he

took, he charged in full tilt again, this time with Aerial Ace, striking at him

over and over with incredible accuracy, never once missing his mark.

 Before the attack landed, though, the

determined Whirl managed another Counter, striking Eagle Eye in the stomach to

stun him before he used a Vital Throw, hurling him across the field, trying to

throw him out of the ring; if Eagle Eye even passed out of bounds, he'd lose.

"Whoa whoa whoa!!!" He cried out as he was hurled,

quickly flapping his wings and veering up toward the sky again. He beat his

wings to stay aloft for a while to catch his breath. "Damn yer a tough

fuck..."

"Train with my bro's for a few months and you'll be able

to take a direct hit from Lugia," Whirl retorted.

            "Only

a few months?" Eagle Eye retorted. "That's it?"

            "Shut

up and fight, already!" Whirl barked, returning to his stance.

"What's a... Lugia?" Serena asked.

            "It

is the guardian of the seas." Katsu explained. "It watches over the

three legendary birds, keeping them in check so they don't wage war on one

another..."

            "Sounds

like a powerful creature," said Serena.

            "A

VERY powerful creature..." He returned.

Eagle Eye reared his head back and took a deep breath, then

he exhaled a MASSIVE Fire Blast, the star shaped attack speeding toward Whirl

down below.

Whirl immediately entered another Rapid Spin, but this time

went mobile, rushing forward to try and power through the flames to get close

to Eagle Eye again. The Talonflame darted down below Whirl as he tried to slam

into him, then quickly circled around and attacked him with another Aerial Ace

from behind.

But this time, Whirl came out of his spin, launching himself

away from Eagle Eye as he came at him and held out his arms. "You're

done," he said, and then thrust one hand forward. "Focus Blast!"

He called, projecting a powerful bullet of pure energy at Eagle Eye, too fast

for him to evade at his current velocity.

            "Fuck

me..." he muttered and took the blast head on, crying out in agony as it

exploded upon contact. He spiralled down toward the ground and landed hard on

his back groaning from the pain he just endured.

Whirl landed on his feet, taking in a deep breath as he

recovered from the use of such a powerful attack, while Kaen stepped onto the

ring and peered over to Eagle Eye, watching him for any sign of movement.

Volcan blinked in clear confusion. "What... what the

heck?" He asked, and looked at Luke. "That almost looked like your

Aura Sphere, only more condensed."

"That was a Focus Blast." Luke returned. "It's

a move that's more powerful than my Aura Spheres, however, the trade-off is

they're hard to control and aren't very accurate..."

"Yet if it lands," said Volcan. "It's a heavy

hit..."

"Is... is Eagle Eye alright?" Serena asked.

            Out

at the arena, Eagle Eye showed no signs of movement. He was out cold...

Kaen held up his paw. "Time is up; Eagle Eye is down for

the count, and Whirl wins by knockout!"

"Oh man..." sighed Volcan, rubbing his head.

"Good try, buddy..."

            "He

put up a good fight." Luke added. "Still, it's two out of three. We

still advance."

            "Yeah...

but I feel bad for Eagle Eye; I have a feeling he won't take this loss too

well."

            "He

won't..." Katsu returned, shaking his head. "But he will recover...nothing

keeps him down for long."

            "Come

on; let's go get him to the nurses," said Volcan, climbing up onto the

arena.

Luke nodded and followed after him, trotting over and gently

lifting Eagle Eye up in hsi arms to take him to the infirmary.

 ~~~~~

The members of Team Valiant stayed out in the waiting room of

the infirmary as Eagle Eye was treated. The members of Hitmon-Champs were there

as well, and were visited by Oceana from Team Warmachine, who stated they were

welcome to stay and enjoy the cruise since one of their team members managed to

pull a win. Boxer gave Volcan a hard stare as they were led past, clearly

wanting a rematch, but Leaper urged him onward, regarding the members of the team

respectfully as they were led out by Oceana.

"That one is going to hold a grudge," Serena

remarked, having caught Boxer's expression.

"If he wants to fight again, I'll take him on,"

said Volcan. "But I beat him fair and square. All there is to it." He

crossed his arms and peered through the window. "I guess Eagle just wasn't

ready for the third bro though; I admit, wasn't expecting any of them to know

an attack like that, since the first two seemed to like going up-close and

personal."

"Only goes to show that you must expect the unexpected

in the thick of battle..." Kage returned, still stone faced and calculated

as always.

"Yanno if my brother were here and you said that, the

first thing he'd say is, 'then next time YOU can do the fighting',"

remarked Volcan, chuckling.

Kage glanced toward Volcan, his expression remained unchanged

as he stared at him for that moment before he turned his gaze forward again.

            "Did

I say something wrong?" Volcan asked Luke. "Sure felt like he was

gonna kick me or something."

            "He's

always like this...he keeps his emotions pretty close to the chest..." He

returned.

            "One

of those, eh?" Volcan asked. "That can only lead to just being

miserable."

            "Despite

that, he's still an important part of our team;he's never let us down."

            "Coming

through!" A voice called, catching their attention as the doors suddenly

flew open, and a Chancy rushed into the room, pushing a bed with an injured

Mienshao lying on it, who was immediately rushed into the Emergency Room; the

other nurses, a Blissey and another Chancy, were immediately on the new

patient, who upon closer inspection, looked dead; their body was covered in

bruises and burns alike, indicating that whoever they had just fought had

pulled no punches...

            "...Whoa."

Rigel muttered. "Who put THAT poor bugger through the wringer?"

            "Dayum...

is he even still alive?" Volcan asked.

            "We'd

have to ask the nurses." Luke returned, heading inside to speak to one of

them.

            The

first Chancy to spot him immediately dashed over to him. "Please; you

can't come in here! We need space to work!" She urged before turning and

calling back to her Colleagues. "Where is Bell?! We need a healer down

here, now!"

"She's on her way!" The Blissey called back as she

worked.

            "What

happened?" Luke asked. "Do you require any assistance? My brother is

a surgeon in training."

"We don't need a surgeon right now; we need someone who

can heal burns," she replied. "This poor soul just barely survived a

fight with the meanest Typhlosion I ever saw in my life... now go!

Please!" She pushed him back out the door and closed it, rushing back to

the patient.

"Poor thing," Serena said with a voice of sympathy,

staring into the emergency room. "Who could be so cruel?"

"Was it that Torolf asshole?" Volcan asked.

"Looks like something... no, wait; that can't be right. Torolf's a water

creature; unless he can spit acid he'd never be able to cause those

burns."

            Luke

narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "A vicious Typhlosion..." Luke

muttered. "....I hope it's not who I think it is..."

 "Who do you think

it is?" Volcan asked.

"Well I don't want to make assumptions...let's head to

the arena, see if we can catch him before he's left." Luke stated.

"What about Eagle?" Volcan asked.

"I'll stay, in case he wakes up," offered Serena.

"If you find the one that hurt that pour soul, try to make them understand

that they needn't be so excessive."

"We'll try, Serena," promised Volcan. "Come

on."

Luke led his team away toward the arena, hoping to find

whoever caused so much harm to the Mienshao from earlier. They arrived at the

arena and saw another fight beginning to take place. One of the combatants was

a rather jacked up Typhlosion with what looked like some sort of stone

implanted on his chest and had a look of sheer brutality in his eyes. Luke's

eyes widened when he saw the figure. "I hate it when I'm right..."

"That's him?" Volcan asked.

Luke nodded. "Yes..." He looked to Volcan.

"That's Sol....he's Luna's younger brother, the Zangoose I mentioned

earlier..."

"He certainly looks as mean as you made him out to

be," said Volcan. "That look in his eyes... he has no regard for the

lives of others; this guy's relentless."

His

opponent, an Alakazam, stepped up into the field, regarding him with an

even-toned expression as it held up its hands, spoons held in both, and watched

him carefully. The fight was being overseen by Torolf himself, who signalled

for it to start with a pound of his fist.

"What you did to that Mienshao before," the

Alakazam called, before his eyes contorted. "You really care nothing for

it, do you? Did you find it enjoyable to utterly crush someone weaker than

you?!"

Sol merely scoffed and pounded his fists together.

"...Shut up and fight...." He growled in a low tone.

"Fine," said the Alakazam, reading himself.

"I'm going to give you the only award that awaits those who are so

ruthless!"

            "The

fuck'd I just tell you...?" Sol stated again. "Either shut up and

fight or go home...I don't have time listening to preachings from a senile old

fuck."

"A little respect goes a long way!" The Alakazam

barked before casting a Psybeam at the Typhlosion.

Sol didn't even try to flinch. He took teh attack right to

the jaw adn his head flew right up upon impact. Though he slowly lowered hsi

head after the attack ended and cracked his neck. "That all you

got...?"

"What the...?!" Volcan demanded, his mind blown by

seeing the stranger take a direct hit and not even react.

"Still as strong as I remember too..." Luke

muttered, keeping hsi eyes narrowed.

Sol then started stepping toward the Alakazam. "Cmon...throw

yer best attack at me...I fuckin DARE you."

"Fine... you want it, here it is!" He abandoned his

two spoons, holding his hands forward instead, unleashing a powerful Psychic

attack. Sol grimaced as he felt the psychic attack slam into him, skidding back

a bit from the impact. He then growled and his neck flames came to life, slowly

walking THROUGH the psychic attack.

"That's... impossible!" The Alakazam protested, too

stunned to move as his attack faded, yet Sol remained unhurt.

"Done already huh...?" He growled, then he quickly

dropped on all fours and charged forward with Flame Charge, barrelling into the

Alakazam, then he grabbed him and pinned him against a wall HARD as he ended

his attack. Sol then wound back his fist and began pummelling the trapped

Alakazam with heavy Fire Punches, leaving deep bruises and burns all over his

body.

The Alakazam cried out with every impact that struck him, and

it wasn't until Sol finally stopped that he fell away from the wall, collapsing

onto the arena and moaning in pain as he lay there, curling and holding himself

as he tried to ease his injuries. Sol snorted, a small flame shooting from his

nostrils before he kicked the down Alakazam in the gut.

"Fucking pathetic...yer lucky I'm in a somewhat good

mood." He growled before stepping away from him and leaving the arena.

"Hey!" A voice yelled at him from above, and he

looked up to see a Blaziken glaring down at him. "Kicking someone while

they're down?! He was already beaten, you asswipe!"

Sol glanced up to the Blaziken from above, leering at him

with an angry look. He didn't respond, turning his gaze forward again and

proceeding to exit the arena.

            "Why

you...!" Volcan growled, ready to give chase.

            "Volcan

no!" Luke shouted, dashing around the angry Blaziken and standing in front

of him. "You go after him and you'll only get seriously hurt!"

            "You

kidding me?! He didn't just beat that poor guy; he pulverized him!" Volcan

protested. "Someone like that wandering around is going to get someone

killed!"

            "As

much as I sympathize with how you feel, I'm URGING you to cease and

desist." Luke returned. "Sol is not someone you want to tango

with...Especially at your current level."

Volcan cursed and kicked the wall next to him in frustration,

leaving a deep impression of his foot in the metal as he struck it.

"Fuck!" He growled. "I can't stand people like that... first

that one in the ER and then that old guy down there? This is a competition of

sport, not to turn someone into ground beef!"

"That's just it though. Sol doesn't care who he

fights... he only respects those who are strong and crushes those who are weak."

Luke explained. "Believe me, Luna tried time and time again to change him,

even through force, but Sol won't listen even to him." Luke explained. "To

him, power is everything."

            "And

Team Warmachine invited someone like that on board?" Volcan asked.

            "Knowing

Sol, he probably entered the only way he knows how..." He said with a

sigh. "He really is Nido's son..."

 "What way is

that?" Volcan asked.

 "By sheer

force..."

Volcan stood in stunned silence for a moment. "...We

should talk to Kaen," he said. "If that guy's here without an invite,

they need to get him out of here."

As much as Luke hated the idea of bringing the scandalous

Rescue Team into this problem, Volcan was right; Sol was a danger to everyone

on board the ship, especially the other contestants, and if he really was there

without permission, then it was their duty to report him, and get him off of

the ship. "Agreed...C'mon let's go find him." He reluctantly returned.

 ~~~~~

The group found Kaen easily; he had been hosting the

two-on-two fights since the others had left, and when they came back and

explained the situation to him, he began to pour over a list of contestants he

had in his possession, reading names.

"There are only two Typhlosion registered in the

contest," he said. "One went off with the last team who lost over

here, the other entered under the name 'Rocket', but I know him personally;

he's not your guy either. So there's a third one on board who came on without

us knowing?" He snorted a puff of smoke. "Dammit, what the hell did

we pay those Machoke for; to stand around and flex their biceps?! They were

supposed to keep people from sneaking on board!"

"I assure you, even if they ganged up on Sol, they

wouldn't even scratch him. He's THAT powerful..." Luke explained.

"If he's already sent two Pokémon into the ER, then I've

got to go speak to Torolf, right now," he said. "We've got to get

that lunatic off this boat. You guys can identify him, right?"

Luke nodded. "He's a large Typhlosion. Incredibly

muscular and always has a look of brutality in his eyes. He also has a stone

embedded on his chest as well."

            "What

kind of stone? Like a Mega Stone?" Kaen asked.

"No, not a Mega Stone. Typhlosion aren't capable of Mega

Evolution." Luke returned. "Even I don't know what it's there

for..."

"Alright; shouldn't be hard to spot. I'll get Torolf,

Leon and Timber on this guy," he said. "If anyone can take him down

it'll be our heaviest hitters."

            Luke

shuddered softly. "...Somehow I don't think that will be enough..."

            "These

guys took on Groudon and walked away; this guy CAN'T be tougher than him,"

assured Kaen. "You guys let us handle this and try not to get in the

way." And with that, he tucked his list under his arm and strode up to the

arena, clearing his throat. "An urgent matter has been brought to my

attention," he announced to the spectators and contestants, "since we have

finished the first set of rounds and the teams who'll move on to the next have

been decided, we will postpone further matches for tomorrow. Thank you all for

coming; we'll see you again same time tomorrow."

A lot of Pokémon, disgruntled by the sudden interruption,

wandered off muttering complaints, but did not protest as they cleared the

area, returning to their cabins on the ship. With that, Kaen called over the

members of his team who were still present, one of whom was a Haxorus -a BIG

one, bigger perhaps than even Torolf, and Kaen referred to him as Timber,

followed by an Empoleon introduced as 'Leon'.

Volcan suddenly let out a laugh. "Timber... I get

it," he said.

Luke however still had a concerned look on his face, crossing

his arms as he looked at the three members of Warmachine that Kaen selected to

deal with Sol's presence.

            Torolf

showed up to join them a moment later. "You mind telling me why you put a

pause on the tournament? Things were just getting interesting," the

Swampert said, begrudgingly.

"We've got a nutcase on board, boss; one who we didn't

bring," said Kaen. "A big Typhlosion with a stone in his chest; been

fighting in the Single Division."

"That guy who beat that Mienshao and Alakazam?"

Torolf asked. "Wait, you're telling me he doesn't have an invite, and he's

on MY cruise liner?!" He growled. "Alright, where is he?"

"If he isn't registered, pretty unlikely he has a

cabin," replied Kaen, looking at his list. "Just in case though we

should start by looking for him in vacant rooms."

Kage shook his head softly. "...Those three don't know

what they're getting into...Sol is dangerous..."

"Indeed..." Katsu agreed. "If they intend to

capture Sol intact, they will have to fight to kill..."

"Even Sol can't be THAT tough," said Volcan.

"Look at those three; they could take on an army by themselves and

win!"

"Sol took on Regigigas and walked away alive from that

battle..." Kage returned bluntly.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?" Volcan asked,

shrugging. "Forget it; let's just go. I want to see how this

unfolds."

Luke sighed, walking up to Volcan as they followed Team

Warmachine. "Regigigas is the Deity of Continental Drift...legends say

that was that Pokémon that shaped the world into what it is today..."

 "Kaen mentioned something about these

guys taking on Groudon; who's that?" Volcan asked.

"He is the Deity of Continents..." Luke returned.

"The personification of land itself...It clashed with Kyogre, the Deity of

the Seas, many times throughout history..."

            "Well

if these guys fought Groudon... shouldn't they have a chance against Sol?"

Volcan asked.

            "I'm

hoping so, but I know Sol; his brutality is only matched by his

tenaciousness..." Luke returned. "He's not your average

Typhlosion..."

The members of Team Warmachine began searching unoccupied

rooms belonging to members of the singular division, checking each one for signs

of anyone living in them. However, they found no sign of him in any of the

rooms, forcing them to expand their search to throughout the ship. But soon

enough, they caught sight of him at the other end of the hall, heading toward

the stern of the ship. Perhaps for a breather or to head for a stroll.

"There he is!" Kaen pointed him out, the voice of

the Charmeleon catching Sol's attention, followed suit by the three heavies of

Team Warmachine storming up to him, stopping just a short distance from him.

Sol slowly glanced back at them, leering at them with that

same brutal look in his eyes. "...The fuck you asswipes want...?"

"Proof you belong here," said Kaen, stepping up to

the front of the team. "You're not on our contestant list, so either we

missed you or you're a stowaway. So..." He held out his claw. "Let's

see your invite, or you can get on one the rafts and get off our ship, right

now."

Sol snorted. "What makes you think I got to prove

anything to you chumps..." He retorted. "Especially a scrawny little

pussy like you...."

"So we're going to play this game, huh? Oh well; tried

to be a diplomat," said Kaen, before he stepped aside. "All yours,

guys."

Torolf

slammed his fists together. "You're leaving my ship in peace, or in

pieces, squirt; make your choice."

Sol turned to fully face Torolf and his crew, eying each of

them one by one. "You guys better be tougher than the other fucks I sent

to the damn infirmary...otherwise I might just leave out of sheer fucking

boredom..." He stated. "I don't give two fucks about your little

competition. I'm only here for a challenge..."

 "Maybe you can go find Kyogre when I

throw you over the side!" Torolf barked before he launched himself at Sol,

swinging his large palm at the Typhlosion.

Sol weaved around Torolf's palm, slamming his fist with

INSANE power into his stomach before kicking him back. "Kyogre...? Fucking

please..." He started to smirk. "I took on fucking Dialga AND

Reshiram and walked away..."

Timber let out a bellow as he lunged forward, swinging his

head at Sol twice to strike him with his axe blades with Dual Chop attack. Sol

backed up from the first attack and caught the second, grabbing at the blunt

ends of Timber's axes and headbutting him in the cranium. Sol then let go and

reached behind his back, pulling out two brass knuckles and fitting them on his

paws. He then immolated his fists and unloaded a heavy combo of Fire Punches

with his brass knuckles, leaving some bad dents in the Haxorus' armour.

But as the Haxorus took the hits, and Sol was reminded that

Timber wasn't fighting alone when Leon jumped in, blasting Sol point-blank with

a Water Pulse fired from his beak that slammed into his side, followed suit by

Timber attacking him with Dragonbreath.

Sol took both hits and stumbled back, wincing as the water

and dragon attacks nailed him. Slowly he opened his eyes and stood up tall

again, flexing his body and igniting his neck flames. "That stung a

little..."

Leon remained silent, crossing his flippers over his body as

Timber carried on the attack, rubbing his claws against his axe blades to

sharpen them before he prepared to attack again, this time coming at Sol with

another Dual Chop.

            Sol

sighed irritably, this time using his brass knuckles to block the Haxorus' Dual

Chops. He then punched Timber right on the snout, then with his free paw

quickly created a Focus Blast, slamming it point blank in his chest and sending

him rocketing back toward his teammates.

Leon stepped aside as Timber was sent flying, and maintained

his stance, though gave Sol a taunting, beckoning motion with one of his

flippers before resuming his stance again, patiently watching him... Sol cracked

his neck at the taunt, then in a quick flash he discharged a huge Fire Blast at

the Empoleon.

Leon took the hit, letting it strike his body with clear

discomfort, but still held his ground, only to flare open his flippers and

unleash the energy of Sol's previous attack right back at him, turning his own

strength on him with a Bide attack. Sol brought his arms up and blocked the

attack, doing visibly more damage than before. However, Sol's entire body

became immolated and he roared out, discharging the fire around his body with a

fiery Reversal, attacking the Empoleon with even MORE power than both Sol's

Fire Blast and Leon's Bide.

This time not even Leon could take the hit, and was sent

flying back, only to be caught by Torolf, who was back on his feet, looking at

his comrade before setting him down carefully and glaring at Sol. "Fine...

no more Mr. Nice Guy," he said as he reared up on his hind legs, revealing

a belt he wore the others hadn't seen yet. And imbedded in that belt was what

Luke and his team immediately recognized as a Swampertite Mega Stone, which he

touched, and it began to glow.

Sol cocked an eyebrow and slowly started to smirk again.

"Finally a fucking challenge..." He grumbled.

            "I'm

going to break you like a twig," Torolf growled as the violet crystal of

pure energy formed around him, eliminating him from sight before shattering and

revealing the great, hulking form of a Mega Swampert, with arms as big around

as Volcan's entire body, covered with dense blue scales and three overlapping

ones in various areas of his body, such as around his swollen forearms and

shoulder, along with a thicker, almost blade-like tail and fins growing up from

behind and between his eyes to along his back. The massive form of the Mega

Swampert let out a roar of anguish towards the sky before facing Sol again, his

eyes burning with anger.

Sol only kept his smirk, tensing his body hard and making his

neck flames roar even more with power. He then grit his teeth and hunched over

a little, his neck flames starting to go from red to a deep blue, and his eyes

turning a bloodshot red almost. He let out a huge roar and discharged a blast

of blue flames, even the air around him sizzling with heat as he powered

himself up. He glared at the Mega Swampert and pounded his fists together in a

challenging manner.

Torolf returned the favor with a hydro pump he fired from his

mouth, blasting it with the force of a tank shell towards the Typhlosion. Sol

reared his head back and discharged another Fire Blast, this time the attack

was the same colour as his neck flames and packed with even MORE of a punch.

The attack met with the Hydro pump and exploded in a huge cloud of steam,

cancelling the two attacks out.

"Damn, those are some hot flames!" Volcan

exclaimed. "Luke, shouldn't we be helping him?"

"We'd only just get in their way..." Luke returned.

"Plus I'm susceptible to fire based attacks. I'm part Steel type." He

returned. "Added to the fact Sol is now in his berserker state, we'd only

serve to piss him off even more..."

"Dammit... I feel so useless!" Volcan cursed as the

clash between Torolf and Sol carried on, with the Mega-Evolved Swampert now

leaping at the berserk Typhlosion with a Hammer Arm attack.

Sol blocked the attack with his arms, then countered by

slamming his fist into the ground and discharging a powerful Earthquake, enough

to rock the ship on dangerous levels. Of course, Earthquake didn't have the

desired effect on a wooden deck as desired, but it still split the boards into

two, the break of which travelled over to Timber and Leon, who fell into the

decks below. Torolf had jumped over the quake but saw his teammates fall below,

and glared at Sol again.

"That's the last straw!" He declared, before he

spat out a Mud Bomb at the Typhlosion, dropping it with such speed it

successfully reached Sol, splashing over his face and blinding him; the heat on

Sol's body worked against him as the mud rapidly dried, turning back into dirt

and getting the gritty substance into his eyes.

"Gah FUCK!!" He growled and clawed at the dirt in

his eyes frantically, his anger growing immensly.

With one more adrenaline-backed battle cry, Torolf threw

himself at Sol and slammed into him with all of his weight, launching him

through the air with the force of the impact. Sol roared out and tried to skid

to a halt, though the weight of the Mega Swampert was too much and he slammed

into a wall, gagging and coughing a bit from the impact.

With that, Torolf grabbed Sol roughly in his hands, lifting

him over his head despite the searing sensation on his palms, and hollered angrily,

"Get off my SHIP!" Before HURLING Sol over the railing, sending him

flying hundreds of feet before he finally hit ocean. Sol disappeared below the

waves with a large splash was heard followed by a huge could of steam...then

silence.

Torolf threw out his arms and bellowed triumphantly to the

sky above as he flexed his arms, showing off his strength as he called out,

"I WIN AGAIN!" Before dropping to all fours, and devolving back to

his regular form with a bright flash of light.

The others ran up to the railing and peered out the ocean

beyond, or to the rocks or small atoll that could be seen in the direction Sol

had been thrown, searching for any sign of him. Sol soon surfaced and crawled

up toward the shore, shaking himself dry before glaring back at the boat. He

fired on more blast of fire back at the boat toward Torolf in retaliation

before he growled and started to walk further inland, a deep grudge bored into

his pride.

Volcan blinked in clear surprise and looked at Luke, gauging

his reaction to what they had just seen. Even he was surprised at this turn of

events, and then he slowly narrowed his eyes and let out a small relaxed sigh.

"Well...there's that problem out of the way...."

"That's

for sure," said Volcan. "Gotta hand it to Torolf; he's one tough son

of a bitch."

"Indeed...and

he's capable of Mega Evolution as well." Luke pointed out.

"You guys surprised?" Kaen asked, stepping up to

them. "You really think they'd offer up mega stones as prizes for this

contest if they didn't already have some of their own? Those things are

rare."

"Kaen!" Torolf barked. "We need to go help

Timber and Leon."

"Right! Coming!" Kaen called, and looked back at

the members of Team Valiant. "If you guys need anything, let me know; we

owe you for bringing that guy to light with us before he did something terrible

to anyone else."

"We'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Luke returned, and

then he sighed and slumped his shoulders, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Volcan asked. "I thought

you'd have been happy to get that lunatic off this boat."

"I'm just concerned how Luna and Nido will react when

they find out..." Luke returned.

"Wait... what do you mean?" Volcan asked. "You

think Nido will be angry with Torolf?"

"No, he'll be angry with Sol..." Luke returned.

"I'm sure I mentioned that Luna and Sol are brothers, which would make

Nido their father...and he doesn't take disrespect and insolence

lightly..."

"That sounds like it's going to be unpleasant."

"It will be." Luke returned. "Anyway, let's

return to our cabins; I've had enough for one day and I think my team can vouch

for me when I say that..."

"Nido totally needs to meet my uncle," Volcan

muttered as the others walked past him. He looked out towards the atoll where

Sol was for a moment, wondering what could have created someone so full of rage

and disregard for the life of others. Shaking his head he turned away from the

rail and followed the rest of the team back to their quarters... although

secretly, he began to doubt their chances of defeating the members of Team

Warmachine, after seeing their strongest fighter defeat someone who even Luke,

possibly one of the best fighters Volcan had ever met in his life, was

intimidated by...