{"sf1_id":829339,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Contest Part 4","author":"Volcan MacAingeal","words":17158,"posted_at":"2015-03-11T13:29:00.000Z","tags":["Dugtrio","Empoleon","Gallade","Gardevoir","Greninja","Haxorus","Rescue-Team","Swampert","Talonflame","Training","Various","blaziken","charmeleon","combat","lucario","milotic","pokemon","samurott","vaporeon","zoroark"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/829339-contest-part-4","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/829339","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=829339\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nTeam Valiant's lounge...\n\"WHOO!\" Volcan cheered, jumping for joy while,\nbehind him, Sickle passed ten Poke'dollars to Hank, since he had won the bet.\n\"Way to go, Wade! I was worried for a second there.\"\nHank grinned and took the money from Sickle, then glanced\nover to Volcan. \"Cmon rookie, was there ever any doubt?\"\n\"Well, when she got behind him and burned him with that\nWill-o-Wisp, yes,\" said Volcan. \"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't\nHex amplify previously afflicted trauma?\nLuke looked over to Volcan with a hint of surprise. \"For\nsomeone not of this universe, you're pretty well informed...\" He\ncommented.\n\"I read it in a book I found on the yacht,\" said\nVolcan. \"It was a compiled encyclopedia of Pokemon types and the attacks\nthey can learn; Hex was in the 'Ghost-Type' section.\"\n\"Ah. Well then yes you're right.\" Luke said.\n\"Hex does amplified damage if the target is affected by an ailment.\"\n\"A devious strategy,\" stated Sickle. \"But Wade\npulled through.\"\n\"Just as I said he would.\" Kage added in, his eyes\nclosed as he spoke.\n\"You sound proud of him,\" Volcan remarked.\n\"I AM his teacher...\" He stated plainly.\nVolcan only smiled back, and Kage promptly realized the\nBlaziken had just stirred a reaction from the normally stoic Greninja...\nsomething to which even Serena giggled.\nKatsu also joined in. \"It seems your friend managed to\nmake even Kage feel even a little emotion.\" He stated to Serena.\n\"He does that sometimes,\" she said. \"Just as\nhe inspires confidence, he can sometimes bring out something in someone even\nthey didn't know they had.\" She smiled. \"It's why everyone in the\nOs-Nadarra is so fond of him; he changed their lives... my own as well.\"\n\"Os-Nadarra...?\" Katsu queried. \"I heard you\nmention that name before.\"\n\"Our team,\" she replied. \"Back home.\"\n\"Quite a unique group name...First I've heard of\nit...\" He returned\n\"It means 'Supernatural' in the native tongue of\nVolcan's ancestors,\" Serena explained. \"A testament to the uniqueness\nof our members.\"\n\"Well. I think it suits them.\" He returned,\nshuffling a little closer to her. \"You certainly are unique...\"\nShe giggled. \"Oh, there's more to our uniqueness than\nyou think,\" she said, leaning her head against his leg. \"One day... I\nhope I can show you.\"\nVolcan, oblivious to Katsu and Serena's exchange, since they\nwere so quiet, turned to Luke. \"And, from what Kurtia said... you guys\njust won your own boat! How do you like that?\"\n\"Well it will make getting back home easier.\" Luke\nreturned, then his gaze shifted a little. \"I guess there are some members\nthat understand honour and respect after all.\"\nKaen chuckled. \"Impressing Kurtia? THAT was a feat in\nand of itself; that lady has a lot of high standards.\"\n\"I suppose so.\" Luke returned, then he looked back\ntoward Volcan. \"In any case, we'll be up soon....you ready for\nthis...?\"\nVolcan nodded, once again putting a hand over the shoulder\nharness he wore to accomodate his mega stone. \"As ready as I'll ever\nbe.\"\nLuke nodded, then glanced back to the rest of his team, all\nof them nodding to signal they were ready for this.\n\"I wish you guys the best of luck,\" said Kaen.\n\"And so do I,\" agreed Sickle.\n\"We'll need it,\" Luke returned.\n~~~~~\nThe call was made... Team Valiant was to report to the\nbattlefield immediately. Exiting through the secondary doors in their room,\nthey entered a long hallway that gently curved around to the battlefield,\nstopping at an iron gate, which was lowered to allow them out into the\nColisseum. As they stepped out into the light, the audience applauded their\nentrance, many of them cheering the names of their members as they stepped out,\nthe names being called out the most being Luke and Katsu's; someone even threw\na rose down to Katsu, which landed on his shelmet before awkwardly falling off.\nHe glanced at the rose that fell off his shellmet for a moment,\nthen back up at the audience to whoever threw it and nodded softly before\nturning his attention forward again. THey all maintained a steadfast composure,\ndoing whatever they could to hide their nervousness or anxiety.\nThey reached the center of the fighting ring, before the gate\non the other side was lowered, the creaking of the iron hinges ominous and\ndisconcerting even to them. And then, out of the darkness of the corridor,\ntheir adversaries emerged, starting first with Torolf. Timber and a Mightyena,\nwho no doubt was Redfang, evident by his missing eye and the curiosly tinted\nfangs that showed as he bared his teeth. The Skarmory, Razor, was perched on\nTimber's back, eyeing the memebers of Team Valiant with a sinister stare. Leon\nwas the last to emerge from the hall, but there was no sign of Shamshir yet,\nthough they had no doubt he'd be along soon.\nEach of Team Valiant looked back at their pre-decided\nopponents with an angered stare of their own, though Kage remained as deadpan\nas always. Luke was frowning intently at Torolf, even clenching his paws tight\nat his side.\nAnd finally, up above in the announcers stand was Oceana, who\nbegan to speak in order to address the audience, her voice amplified by the\nintercom system. \"This is it, Pokemon of the world; the moment you have\nall been waiting for! Today, the six strongest warriors of Team Warmachine face\noff against their new nemeses, the fighters of Team Valiant! This battle will\nbe a Last-Team Standing type match; two opponents will enter, and when one is\ndefeated, another may step in and take his place to defeat their opponent!\nWhomsoever has even one member still standing will be declared today's winner,\nand appropriately granted the title of Top Rescue Team! Without further ado,\nlet the first round begin! Team Warmachine and Team Valiant, choose your first\nfighters, and give us all that you have!\"\nAt that, the first one to step into the field was actually\nLeon; as he stepped forward, his team members moved back, giving him plenty of\nroom for his upcoming battle. The Empoleon had a hard stare directed at the\nmembers of Team Valiant, his gaze a mix of determination and some suppressed\nanxiety.\nIn response, Kage stepped forward while the rest of the team\nmoved back to the sidelines. Unlike Leon, Kage's expression never changed. He\nshowed no signs of anxiety nor determination. His gaze was as hollow as a hole\nin the ground.\n\"This fight could drag on a while,\" Volcan\nremarked. \"As Kaen warned us, Leon won't strike first; he's a\ncounter-specialist, so he'll be letting Kage come to him, and this guy's got\nthe patience of the mountains.\"\n\"The way I see it, this might just be the world's\nlongest staring contest.\" Eagle Eye said in jest. \"May as well get\ncomfy and grab a snack while we're waiting.\"\nLeon stood watching Kage as he stood, defensively, and\npatiently waiting for the Greninja to make a move, his flippers held\ndefensively over his front, ready to block any oncoming attack\n\"Your posture remains calm...but your eyes tell me\nanother story...\" He said in a low tone. \"You act as if you're calm, but\nin reality you're holding back just how nervous you really are.\"\n\"Perhaps I am,\" returned Leon in an equally calm\ntone. \"But all fights breed anticipation. Make no mistake, however; I do\nnot fear my chances against you.\"\n\"Let's see how long that confidence lasts,\" replied\nKage, then in a quick flash he weaved a sign and exhaled a large Smokescreen\nfrom his mouth, clouding them both in a thick, dark gas.\nLeon didn't move. He simply waited, biding his time, no\nlonger relying on his eyes, but on his other senses to try and find the\nGreninja. The next thing he knew, his mind was them assaulted by a powerful\nmental wave aimed right at his brain, yet there was no sign of movement from\nwithin the smoke. Leon took the hit, and triggered a Mirror Coat, sending an\nidentical wave back in the direction its caster in retaliation.\nThere was the sound of the attack hitting its mark, though\nwhen the smoke started to lift, Leon could see what looked like a large mat\nstanding upright. A Mat Block. The rudamentary shield had protected Kage from\nthe Mirror Coat.\n\"Interesting,\" said Leon, before he splayed out his\nflippers and unleashed a Blizzard at the Greninja. The mat was quickly blown\naway, only to reveal Kage was nowhere to be seen. Not a trace of where he went\nnext. Leon was then hit from behind with an elbow from the Greninja, who had\nused Shadow Sneak to appear behind his foe before the mat was blown over. Kage\nthen began to unload a barrage of Power-up Punches on his foe, once again never\nhitting teh same target twice, and his punches growing stronger with each hit\nhe landed.\nAfter the first punch, Leon immediately returned to his Bide\nposition, taking the progressively strengthening punches before he very\nsuddenly retaliated, blasting out with a powerful burst of energy that sent\nKage flying, feeling the power of his own attacks brought back on him\ndouble-fold, and Leon himself was already left panting from the onslaught,\nmiraculously still on his feet, though shakily.\nKage rolled back on his feet, some bruises were present on\nhis body after he recovered from the attack and even a trickle of blood ran\ndown from under his tongue scarf. He wiped it away with his hand and narrowed\nhis eyes at his opponent before he stood tall once more.\n\"This... may be... a short battle,\" remarked Leon,\npanting.\n\"Worn out already...?\" Kage returned, keeping his\ngaze stern and deadpan.\n\"As if you are not?\" Leon asked, seeing through\nKage's ruse; despite the determination the Greninja displayed, he could not\ndeny that the attack had done a tremendous amount of harm to him... one more\nlike that, and even he would be finished.\nKage cracked his head a little. \"Maybe I am...hard to\ntell...\"\n\"Well then, let us carry on,\" Leon stated, before\nhe splayed out his flippers and was suddenly launched towards Kage, using an\nAqua Jet to propel himself forward at Mach speed.\nKage leapt up and over Leon as he travelled forward, quickly\nweaving a sign and producing two Water Shurikens in his hands. He hurled them\ndown at the passing Empoleon, then he weaved another and this hurled a\nmultitude of Spikes down at the ground before he landed\nNeither attack inflicted much harm on the Empoleon, however;\nbeing Water and Steel type, both of which were resistant to Water-type attacks,\nthe Water Shuriken deflected harmlessly off of his body, and the spikes did\nlittle more to his iron-hard skin, causing only a mild discomfort. Leon turned\nback to Kage again, this time holding his flippers out to his sides. At that\nmoment, water began to rush in through open holes in the sides of the colony,\nbrought up from the ocean, and he rushed towards Kage atop a mighty tsunami,\nriding the Surf with perfect balance.\nKage gazed up at the tidal wave for a moment, then quickly\nweaved another sign and thrust his hand down, launching him high into the air\nwith a Hydro Pump. He then angled himself and charged right at Leon, drawing\nhis Ninjato and preparing to attack with a Night Slash. In retaliation, claws\nsprouted from the tips of Leon's flippers, and as Kage came in range, he lashed\nout with a powerful metal claw, the two attacks colliding simultaneously as the\nsurf subsided, and both fighters landed back on the ground, going still, and\nfor a moment, nobody could tell who had won...\nKage landed in a crouch after the attacks collided, though\nupon his landing, he grunted an dropped to a crouch, his injuries finally\ncatching up to him.\n\"And now I finish it!\" Leon called, turning on Kage\nand sending one last Hydro Pump at him; the attack struck Kage before he could\nreact, and sent him spiralling into a nearby wall, successfully knocking him\nout...\nVolcan gawked at the sight. \"I don't believe it...\"\nHe said.\n\"No way!!\" Hank called out as he saw Kage fall.\n\"That guy NEVER gets beat!\"\nVolcan looked at the group. \"Next one better get in\nthere before Leon can recover; we can't let him swap out!\"\n\"Leave that fuck to me!\" Hank growled and charged\nin, standing before Leon before he could switch out, baring his fangs at the\nEmpoleon. \"Yer figting ME next asshole!!\"\nLeon turned to face Hank, still panting as he struggled to\ngather his breath. \"I'm not... beaten... yet,\" he said, though\nstumbled somewhat. \"Or maybe...\"\nHank flashed a grin. \"Sorry pal, but yer done like\ndinner...\" He said in a sinister tone, then he quickly exhaled a\nFlamethrower from his mouth in a wide swath at his opponent.\nLeon's eyes widened and he put up his flippers defensively,\nbut the attack was too intense for him to absorb, and he dropped down heavily,\nhitting the ground with a long groan as he finally succumbed to his injuries.\n\"Intermission!\" Oceana called. \"Retrieve\nfighters!\"\nVolcan strode over to where Kage had fallen, picking up the\nGreninja and draping an arm over his shoulder to support the ninja as he\ncarried him back over to the team. With Warmachine, Torolf himself stepped out\nand did the same, hoisting up Leon and carrying him back over to where the\nothers waited, casting a glance at Redfang, who nodded back to him before he\ncharged out to the field, making a mighty leap to cover the distance between\nhim and Hank, landing only three meters away from the Zoroark. \n\"It's time I teach you some humility, little\nwhelp,\" the Mightyena growled, fixing his one good eye on Hank as he bared\nhis fangs.\n\"You're one to fuckin talk!\" He growled back, spreading\nhis arms out and flexing his claws. \"I don't fuckin revel in glory and\nabuse my status, and I DEFINIETLY don't go around threatening to off my own\nteammates if they decide to leave...\" He added, glancing over to Timber\nwith an intense leer in his gaze.\nRedfang narrowed his eye at Hank, and glanced over his\nshoulder to follow Hank's gaze. \"So... what he said was true, eh?\" He\nasked, before turning back to Hank. \"Well, it doesn't matter... by the\ntime I'm done with you, boy, I'm going to find Kaen next, and I'm going to\nremind him why nobody leaves Warmachine.\" With that, he stood,\nwide-legged, and readied himself for a fight.\n\"Case in fucking point, asshole...\" Hank stated\nback, hunching forward and preparing for a beatdown.\nAt that moment, Redfang charged forward, his mouth suddenly\ngoing ablaze as he leapt at Hank, attacking with a Fire Fang ---\nHowever, Hank quickly darted forward and socked Redfang clean\non his jaw. \"FWAH! SUCKER PUNCH BITCH!!\" He roared, then he crouched\nand swung his leg at Redfang with a Low Sweep to trip him up, then he snapped\nhis claws and bound his legs with Grass Knot as he hit the ground.\nAfter the onslaught of attacks, and finding his legs trapped,\nRedfang struggled to pull his limbs free. He saw Hank coming at him to attack\nagain, and spat at Shadow Ball from his mouth as Hank approached. Having little\ntime to charge it, the Shadow Ball barely hurt, but it slowed Hank down enough\nfor Redfang to bite the vines and pull himself free, leaping away just in time.\nAt this, he launched another Shadow Ball at Hank, but this one missed, soaring\nbehind Hank harmlessly before striking the ground.\nVolcan irked an eyebrow. \"Wow... Kaen was right; this\nguy can't hit a barn door with a bullseye painted on it.\"\n\"That will work to Hank's advantage...he might not even\nneed his illusion ability for this battle.\" Katsu added in.\n\"Don't\ncelebrate yet,\" said Serena. \"Kaen also said Redfang was quick-footed\nand a close-range righter. Hank may need his illusions to keep him at\nbay.\"\nAlmost as if Serena's observation were a prompt, Redfang was\nalready coming again, this time an icey mist pouring from his mouth as he\npromptly closed the distance between him and Hank, snapping his jaws at the\nZoroark. Hank hopped back and dodged rather artfully from the attack.\n\"Whoop!\" He barked before he retaliated with a Night Slash, following\nthrough with the attack and spinning on the spot. When he came full circle, he\nwas holding a Focus Blast in his claw, thrusting it toward Redfang's face point\nblank.\nThe night slash barely harmed him, and miraculously, he\nmanaged to sidestep the Focus Blast before it was unleashed. Left vulnerable\nfor only an instant, Hank suddenly found the Mightyena lunging right for him,\nsuccessfully biting his arm with an Ice Fang.\n\"GAH!!\" He roared as he felt the cold snap of the\nfangs dig into his arm. He then bared hsi fangs and lashed out with a Fury\nSwipes from his other claw, swiping at Redfangs face with his claw over and\nover until he let go.\nWhen the Mightyena finally backed off, it was only for an\ninstant, before he lunged at Hank again, this time aiming to Tackle him in the\nstomach. This time, Hank caught him before he could make contact, skidding a\nbit as he held Redfang back. \n\"Let's see how YOU like it!!\" He roared, then\npushed him back with a knee to his chest, then he slammed into him full force\nwith a Retaliation. Since a member of his team had been KO'ed in the previous\nfight, the attack hit Redfang with even more force than normal. He then exhaled\nanother Flamethrower at his opponent as he staggered back.\nRedfang howled in pain as he was burned by the Flamethrower,\nbut managed to grit his teeth through it, staying on his feet -albeit barely.\nHe turned back to Hank once more, and threw back his head as he unleashed a Howl\nto the air, and broke into a run at Hank, once more his fangs ablaze as he\npounced at him with another Fire Fang, but this time he also had the claws on\nhis forepaws outstretched -he intended to make this attack count.\n\"NIGHT DAZE!!\" Hank roared and discharged a\ndamaging shroud of dark energy at his foe, damaging him minimally, but also\nlowering his sight slightly. Hank then reared his claw back, clenching it into\na fist and throwing the hardest punch he could muster as Redfang approached.\nWith his already hindered eyesight thrown off, Redfang could\nnot see the punch coming; it struck his muzzle with such force that one of his\nfangs actually broke upon impact, and he was launched backward, landing on his\nback before toppling over and falling onto his side. This time, he didn't move\nagain.\n\"Redfang is down!\" Oceana called.\n\"Intermission; Team Warmachine, collect your comrade.\"\n\"No need!\" Redfang suddenly called out, before\ncoughing and returning to his feet, far too shaky though to continue fighting;\na fact he himself knew; he held up his left paw in surrender, and then began to\nstumble his way back over to his teammates. \"Blast... gettin' too old for\nthis,\" he grumbled.\nThe next one to step up -or rather, fly up to the field, was\nRazor; the Skarmory cackled madly as he flew over Hanks head, circling around\nand dropping to take his position.\n\"Hank! Swap out!\" Volcan called. \"You're not\nquick enough to handle that guy; let Eagle Eye take over while the Intermission\nis still active!\"\nHank growled, then quickly jumped out of the arena and Eagle\nEye quickly zoomed in, landing on his taloned feet and flapping his wings in\npreparation. \"Aw yea, time for some fireworks!!\"\n\"So, you think you can keep up with me, do ya?\" The\nhyperactive Skarmory asked, flexing his wings. \"Think you can keep up with\nthe Razor of the Wind?\"\n\"Ain't NO one faster than me chump! And I'm gonna prove\nthat to ya right now!\" He said as he flapped his wings again, whipping up\na Tailwind before he became aloft.\n\"Ya think a little breeze is gonna stop me?!\" Razor\ncalled, before he swung his wings forward, unleashing an Air Cutter that\nslashed its way through the Tailwind towards Eagle Eye. He grinned and quickly\nzoomed toward the air, then dove down and slammed into him with a Flame Charge\nbefore zipping up again, staying aloft in the air. The added Tailwind plus the\nspeed increase of his Flame Charge making him all but a red blur as he flew.\nRazor grinned widely, clacking his metal beak together.\n\"Finally, some real excitement!\" He exclaimed before he soared off\nwith Agility, moving in hot pursuit of the Talonflame.\nEagle Eye glanced back as Razor gave chase. \"Catch me if\nya can!!\" He taunted before zooming off, leading Razor on a high speed\nchase all around the arena, banking abruptly in tight corners as he flew.\nEvery step of the way, Razor chased him, at once point\nmanaging to make a tighter turn than even Eagle Eye, putting him just in range\nto let loose a Screech at the Talonflame ---\nHe winced and abruptly stopped, letting Razor pass him by. He\nshoook his head and glared at the speeding Skarmory. \"Alright...It...Is...ON!\"\nHe squawked and chased after him, immolating his body as he caught up to Razor\nto hit him with a Flare Blitz.\nRazor banked out of the way of the attack, letting Talonflame\nsoar past before he performed a U-turn and went after him, wings splaying wide\nopen and glowing brightly as he soared full-speed at Eagle Eye with a Steel\nWing. Eagle Eye glanced back and took the attack, squawking in pain from the\nsharp wings cutting into him. However, thanks to the flames around him, his\nwound almost immediately cauterized and he swerved quickly back toward Razor.\n \"Eat Flaming\nSparrow muthafuckaaaaah!!!!\" He exclaimed as he charged full tilt at\nRazor, still using Flare Blitz.\nRazor had his back turned to Eagle Eye as the reckless\nTalonflame came at him, and the tenacity of Eagle Eye paid off; the attack\nlanded, burning the steel body of the Skarmory -although ramming into it did\nEagle no favors either- and thrown off balance, scraping against the arena wall\njust below the spectator's stands before rebounding away, losing some altitude\nbut struggling to stay aloft. Eagle Eye grunted as he quickly regained himself,\nflapping his wings to slow himself down and stay aloft. He grimaced more as he\nfelt the recoil damage take its toll.\nRazor managed to correct himself, a glowering expression\ncrossing his features as he circled around until he faced Eagle Eye again.\n\"Try this for size,\" he said, opening his beak wide, sending a Flash\nCannon at the Talonflame.\n\"WHOO BOY!!\" He exclaimed and quickly flew away\nfrom the attack, then veered to the right and narrowly avoided the attack. He\nveered once again and faced Razor. \"Back atcha!!\" He roared before\nexpelling a Fire Blast from his beak.\nRazor barrel-rolled out of the way of the Fire Blast; the\nattack struck a nearby chunk of the stone wall and left a visible burn in the\nsurface of the wall. Razor made a beeline straight for the Talonflame to once\nagain strike at him with a Steel Wing. Eagle Eye flapped his wings to create a\nsort of wind barrier, shielding himself from harm with Protect. He then soared\nup and over Razor after the attack hit his Protect move, quickly swooping down\nwith another Flame Charge, striking him and quickly retreating, gaining another\nboost in speed. \nRazor lost control of his flight, and this time he -did- hit\na wall, impedding his beak in the stone. Panicking, the Skarmory clawed at the\nwall, leaving scratches in the stone as he tried to pull himself free.\n\"Now for the finish!\" Eagle Eye exclaimed as he\nexpelled another Fire Blast from his beak. \"TOASTYYYY!!\"\nAnd Razor, unable to pull free in time, took the attack head\non; it was all it took to finish off the Skarmory. He went limp, fainting with\nhis beak still stuck in the wall and simply hanging from there. Oceana called\nfor another intermission, and a few helpers were called up to pry Razor free of\nthe wall, carrying him off to be treated by medics.\nThree members of Team Warmachine were down, while Team\nValiant had only lost one. Torolf and Timber looked clearly frustrated by the\noutcome, and were talking with one another, before Timber began to make his way\ninto the battlefield.\nEagle Eye took the opportunity to swap out, flying over to\nthe sidelines and stumbling a bit as he landed, tapping Katsu's chest with his\nwing. \"He's all yers big guy.\"\nKatsu looked over to the Haxorus, narrowing his eyes and\nslowly approaching the ring, stepping up and staring his opponent with that\nglare of his.\nTimber only glared back, rubbing his claws against the blades\non his face to sharpen them as he approached Katsu, letting them gleam in the\nsunlight as the two faced each other. \"This time, Maggie won't be here to\nsave you little runts from me,\" he said, coldly.\n\"Assuming you can get past me,\" the large Samurott\nreturned, then in a blink of an eye he was holding both his Seamitars in his\npaws, standing upright and waving his swords in a fluid motion before taking a\nstance.\n\"Your quick-flying friend may have beaten Razor, but\nit's going to take a lot more than running me into a wall to stop me,\" he\ngrowled.\nThe match was signalled to begin, and the Haxorus opened with\na Dragonbreath attack launched from his mouth. In return, Katsu opened with a\nHydro Pump, shooting a large blast of water from his blades to clash with the dragonic\nflames approaching him. But the Dragonbreath attack proved the more reslient as\nTimber continued exhaling, slowing pushing his way through the Hydro Pump,\nmaking it even harder as he took a step forward, pushing Katsu with the deadly\nbreath attack.\nHe growled and quickly weaved out of the way just as the\nbreath was about to hit him. He glared at the Haxorus and charged forward with\na Fury Cutter with his blades. The Haxorus ceased exhaling, and tucked his body\nin to let his armor-plated back take the hits, letting the blades graze off of\nhis natural defense, and immediately retaliated with a backward swing of his\nhead, Slashing at Katsumoto with his axe-bladed head.\nKatsu quickly brought his offhand blade up and blocked the attack,\nsliding back a little from the impact. Katsu then shoulder bashed him to send\nhim back, then used False Swipe to feint him out before turning and stabbing\nbehind him with both blades to his stomach, then turned around and sliced along\nhis chest with both blades using X-Scissor. The impacts clearly affected the\ndragon pokemon, but once again that tough hide of his still held on; Kaen\nhadn't been exaggerating when he said the Haxorus had a very thick body, if not\neven the Samurott's Seamitars could pierce it.\nAnd then, as Katsu tried to recover from his last attack,\nTimber let loose another Dragonbreath; this time, the attack was too close to\nevade, blasting Katsumoto with the forceful attack. Miraculously he didn't\nsuffer paralysis from it, but it stunned him long enough for Timber to charge\nin and attack with a Dual Chop, swinging his head from side-to-side and hacking\nat Katsu with his axe blades.\nHe growled as he took the hits, leaving gashes along his body\nand sending him skidding back even more. He covered his wounds with his arms\nfor a moment, then took a deep breath to calm himself down and look back at\nTimber. \"Looks like I'll have to get serious....\"\nTimber took an imposing step towards him, although hadn't\nheard what he said before, and growled at him. \"Is that the best you've\ngot? At this rate you might beat me by boring me to death,\" he insulted\nthe Samurott.\nHe winced at that comment, and then he closed his eyes and\nrelaxed for a moment. A ring of water soon formed around his feet that slowly\ngrew more torrential as time went on. He then flashed his eyes open and let out\na mighty roar, tensing his body so hard that his muscels literally grew in\nsize, shredding his kimono top entirely. Soon after that, a huge torrent of\nwater erupted around Katsu's legs and shot out in all directions. He then\nlooked at Timber with an intense glare in his eyes, almost as if he was going\nto kill him.\nTimber only grinned. \"Finally, things are heating\nup,\" he observed, lowering himself down in preparation to charge.\n\"Well, come on then!\" He bellowed before he began to charge forward,\nfiring off another Dragonbreath as he strode towards Katsu.\nKatsu barreled forward with Aqua Jet, charging THROUGH the\nDragonbreath and slashing at Timber with another X-Scissor, this time his\nblades actually slashed through his armour and hit flesh before the Samurott\nleapt up and kicked him HARD right on the snout. Timber growled in pain as he\nfelt the sting of the blade, peering over to where the attack had pierced his\nbody; the wound was shall, but visible. This served only to anger him more, but\nnot enough to avoid the kick to his face that actually knocked him back\nsomewhat, but only for a moment. Immediately after recovering, he stomped the\nground, causing boulders to erupt from the ground around them and arch towards\nKatsumoto.\nKatsu landed and roared once more, cleaving through teh\nboulders with well timed Razor Shells. He then reared hsi blades back and\ndischarged another hydro pump right at Timber's face once more with much more\nforce than before. Timber braced himself, angling his body just right that the\npressurized water attack glanced off of his armoured hide, and fired an\nunexpected attack, sending a Dragon Pulse at Katsumoto while he was still\nfiring the Hydro Pump.\nKatsu wasn't prepared to defend himself and took the blast\nhead on. He skidded back again, wincing as the pain set in. He then flashed his\neyes opened and pounded his chest hard. \"That's it!??\" He roared.\n\"I've taken Thunder attacks that hit 10 times as hard as that excuse of an\nattack!!\" He taunted.\n\"Then perhaps you'd prefer this?!\" Timber returned\nas he threw back his head, an a hurricane-force wind surged around them as he\nunleashed a Dragon Rage towards Katsumoto, blasting him with all the\ndevastating fury of a Dragon-Type Pokemon.\nKatsu only scoffed. \"Child's play...\" He stated,\nthen he reared his arms back and gathered huge surges of water around his\nblades. When his blades were completely coated with water, he roared and swung\nhsi blades forward as hard as he could. \"HYDRO CANNON!!!\" He roared\nand discharged a HUMONGOUS blast of water right at the Dragon Rage attack,\nslamming into it full tilt.\nHowever, the attack proved futile; as it was always known to,\nDragon Rage powered its way through Katsu's attack, eventually reaching the\nSamurott. Though the blast was significantly reduced thanks to how hard the\nHydro Cannon had dispersed it, Katsu was still blown back almost twenty feet,\nwhile Timber was left untouched.\nKatsu roared as he was sent flying back, skidding on his back\nand laying there for a while before he pushed himself back up onto his feet. He\nshook his head and spat out some blood before he retook his stance, panting a\nlittle as he prepared for battle yet again. But the instant he looked up, he\nsaw a shadow looming over him, and felt a powerful force come down on him,\nimmediately putting him right back on his stomach as he was Stomped into the\nground, and then again, and again, and again, each time pushing him into the\ndirt and making his bones groan in protest, threatening to break at any moment.\n\"Hey! That can't be legal!\" Volcan called out in\nprotest, enraged that Timber was stooping so low as to metaphorically kick his\nopponent while they were down.\nLuke's paws were clenching tighter as he watched the fight\nunfold. His teeth grit as he saw his comrade get beaten down mercilessly. Finally,\nTimber finished the onslaught with a Dragon Tail, which was the final strike;\nit sent Katsu soaring through the air, directly into the wall of the Colisseum.\nSerena watched in horror as the Samurott was sent flying, and hit the wall with\nsuch force an impression of himself was actually left -in- the masonry.\nSlowly he fell off the wall and landed on his front, coughing\nup some blood and his body shrinking back down to his normal size. Despite the\nbeatdown he took, he STILL struggled to get back on his feet, using his blades\nas props.\n\"No Katsu!\" Serena protested, running over to him\nbefore he could try to get back into the fight again. \"You've taken too\nmuch damage; you might have broken bones after all that!\"\n\"I cannot...let\nmy team down...\" He grunted, still trying to stand, but his legs wouldn't\nobey him.\n\"Katsu, please!\" She begged him, looking to be on\nthe verge of tears. \"You've done all you can; don't push yourself further\nthan you can go.\"\nHe looked into her eyes for a moment, sensing she was about\nto lose herself in a fit of sadness. Slowly he released his swords and fell\nforward gently, resting against her with his head on her shoulder, grunting as\nthe adrenaline died down and his injuries took their toll.\nShe struggled not to let him fall, propping both herself and\nhim up on her legs, tears of relief finally streaming out from her eyes.\n\"There, Katsu... you did wonderfully... after all, it was you who made sure\nthe team was able to enter this contest, was it not?\" Her gaze shifted to\nTimber, becoming a hard expression. \"Don't worry... he won't get away with\nwhat he did to you.\"\n\"You're damn right he won't,\" said Volcan, his fist\nclenching so hard his palm was actually bleeding. \"That dirty fucking\ndragon just crossed the line of my last nerve!\" Flames exploded from his\nwrists as he spoke, and without another word, the Blaziken marched forward,\nintent on finishing what Katsumoto started. Briefly, he looked in Katsu's\ndirection, seeing the injured Samurott as Serena, with help from Hank and\nTalonflame, brought him back over to where the group had gathered, laying him\ndown next to Kage. \"Guys... I won't let you down,\" he promised,\nturning his gaze to a hard glare as he faced Timber. \"Not here, and not\never again.\"\nTimber, having now gathered his second wind, turned to see\nVolcan approaching, and only laughed. \"The rookie?\" He asked.\n\"Please... at this point they should've sent their team captain, but\ninstead they send you?\" He started chuckling, under suddenly Volcan\ngrabbed him by the throat and pulled him forward to look him in the eye.\nIn that -glare- the Haxorus found himself frozen with fear,\nseeing absolutely no hesitation or regard left in the gaze of the Blaziken.\nBut, in his own hesitation, the Haxorus left himself wide open, and suffered a\npunch right to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him, and sent him\nstumbling back.\nVolcan stood, watching with only an enraged expression as\nTimber fought to gather his breath, not even flinching as the dragon glared\nback at him. \"Why you...!\"\n\"Get im Rookie!!\" Hank called out to him.\n\"Knock that asshole flat on his arse and give him hell!!!\"\n\"Hear that?\" Volcan asked Timber. \"They've got\nfaith in me, and right now, I have faith in myself as well... by the time I'm\ndone with you, Shamshir will be smart not to show up, because when he does, I'm\ngoing to be ready for him.\"\n\"YOU?! Beat SHAMSHIR?!\" Timber asked, and broke out\ninto a fit of laughter. \"You impossible fool; I just beat one of the\nstrongest members of your team, and you think you, a rookie without a Mega\nStone, is going to beat Shamshir, the only one of our group who even holds a\ncandle to Torolf?! I've never heard something so outrageous in my life!\"\n\"Well then,\" Volcan said, and beckoned mockingly at\nTimber. \"Come and test me out for yourself, unless Katsu left you too worn\nout to take on a mere 'rookie'.\"\nTimber's eyes narrowed with anger. \"I'm more than\ncapable of taking YOU down!\" He barked before he lunged forward, and swung\nat Volcan with a Dual Chop, which the Blaziken ducked under the first, before\njumping over the second, using the greater agility of his body to outmaneuver\nthe Haxorus.\n'Katsu is tougher than me, there's not even a doubt there,'\nVolcan thought. 'But I'm more acrobatic and hit just as hard as he does; I've\ngot to make use of that to beat this guy.' At that thought, he jumped over a\nslash attack, front-flipping over the Haxorus and landing behind him. Promptly,\nVolcan grabbed Timber front behind, seizing him by the tail, and made a mighty\nleap high into the air, the Dragon-Type yelping in surprise as he was carried\nfifty feet above the arena floor, and higher still, until nobody in the\ncoliseum could adequately see them.\n\"How... how did he do that?\" Serena asked Luke, her\neyes wide with surprise.\n\"I... have no idea, \" Luke returned, just as\nsurprised as she was. \"From the looks of it, he's using a Sesimic\nToss...but...he's still getting used to his body? How'd he pick it up so\nfast??\"\nSerena smiled meekly. \"Well... he always has been better\nat learning hands on,\" she said. \"Especially in a very heated\nmoment.\"\n\"So it would seem...\" He returned. \"We might\njust win this....\"\nAs if to answer that, someone called out in surprise, and\nthey saw Timber falling back towards the ground, flailing his limbs in complete\npanic as he dropped, unable to stop himself straight back to terra firma. He\nhit the ground so hard that it sent of cloud of dust up all around him. And not\nthree seconds later, Volcan came down, both feet outstretched, and fell right\ninto the dust, sending yet another cloud -this one even bigger, billowing out\nas he struck, forcing Serena, Luke and the others to cover their eyes as they\nwere met with a faceful of dust.\nLuke was able to tune to his aura sense to get a better view\nof what was happening inside the dust cloud, even with his eyes closed.\nAnd he saw the two Aura's within; one was lying on the ground\nwith his head stuck in the dirt, while the other stood over him. As the dust cleared,\nLuke was able to revert his sight back to normal, and he saw Volcan standing\ntriumphantly over an unconscious Timber, who lay limp with, as Luke had\nnoticed, his head stuck in the ground.\n\"Owned,\" Volcan said plainly. \"That was for\nthreatening Kaen, and all those cheap shots you took at Katsu.\"\n\"Whoa...\" Eagle Eye and Hank blurted out\nsimultaneously.\nLuke slowly smiled at the sight. \"So full of\nsurprises...\"\nVolcan then proceeded to non-chalantly pull Timber out of the\nground and drag him back over to his team mate, tossing him to the feet of\nTorolf. \"That was number four,\" he stated. \"And right now I only\nsee one left; where's your sixth guy, that 'Shamshir' fellow I've heard so much\nabout?\"\nTorolf glared at Volcan. \"Watch your tone with me, small\nfry,\" he warned. \"Or Shamshir will be the least of your\nworries.\"\n\"Then where the hell is he?\" Volcan demanded.\n\"I'm ready for either of you, so either bring on the next or step into the\nring with me.\"\nA metallic 'THUNK' sounded by Volcan's ear. \"You speak my\nname... but you do not know me,\" a sinister voice said in warning behind\nhim.\nVolcan immediately spun around in alarm, and behind him stood\nthe Scizor that he and the others had seen upon their arrival to the island,\nglaring at Volcan with a look of one with no regard for the life of others -a\nstare that already had Volcan on the defensive, but he stood his ground.\n\"You wish to challenge me yourself; is it perhaps though you belief you\nhave a type advantage?\"\n\"I'm here to prove Team Warmachine's members aren't as\ntough as they think they are,\" said Volcan, trying not to sound at all\nintimidated by the Scizor, even though he somewhat was; the Bug/Steel Pokemon\nhad appeared seemingly from nowhere, and that expression he bore... it was not\none Volcan liked seeing. \"But Luke wants Torolf himself, so that just\nleaves me to deal with you.\"\n\"Very well,\" he said. \"But I shall not be\nholding back on you; whatever becomes of you shall not be my\nresponsibility.\"\n\"I'd expect no less,\" Volcan retorted, before he\nstarted to lead the way back to the ring.\nSerena visibly shuddered at the sight of Shamshir. \"Just\nthe sight of him makes my skin crawl,\" she said.\n\"Indeed; honestly I think even Kage would feel\nintimidated by this guy...\" Luke admitted. \"I hope Volcan knows what\nhe's doing...\"\nThe two combatants took their places in the middle of the\nstadium and faced each other. The Scizor stanced himself in preparation, but\nVolcan did not. \"Aren't you going to Mega Evolve?\" Volcan asked.\n\"I do not need my Mega Form against the likes of\nyou,\" Shamshir returned.\n\"Oh, I think you will,\" said Volcan as he grabbed\nhis shoulder strap, rotating it and revealing the mega stone imbedded in the\nleather accessory.\nShamshir saw the stone, and was visibly caught off guard by\nseeing the Blazikenite. Torolf, however, reacted much more audibly. \"Where\ndid you get that?!\" He bellowed. \"That was the stone we were offering\nas part of the contest; you miserable thief!\"\n\"Wrong, Torolf!\" A voice shouted from behind Luke,\nmaking him and Serena peer over their shoulders to see Kaen stepping out of the\ntunnel. \"Volcan didn't steal that stone; I gave it to him!\"\n\"You had no right to do that, Kaen!\" Torolf\nbellowed.\n\"I had every right!\" The Charmeleon retorted.\n\"The stone belonged to me in the first place; I'm the one who found it,\nand even though I was offering it as a prize, when you guys finally showed me\nwhat you really are, I decided it deserved to be in better hands than yours! So\nI got it back from my room, and I gave it to Volcan; no rules have been broken,\nand this fight is still on!\"\nLuke turned his gaze back toward Torolf to see his reaction,\nready to stop him should he try and attack Kaen. The Swampert was absolutely\nfuming with anger, and clearly looked like he wanted to charge across the\nstadium and smash the Charmeleon until his bones shattered, but doing so would\nbe a violation of his own rules, because Kaen was not a contestant, and having\nLuke step in to protect him while Volcan's fight with Shamshir was just\nbeginning would make things even worse for the Swampert. \nAnd then, came the murmuring from the audience. It appeared\ntheir faith in Team Warmachine was becoming more and more frail with every\npassing moment, and the closer the contest came to conclusion, the worse things\nwere looking for them. Reluctantly, the Swampert calmed down, and turned to\nShamshir. \"Break that Blaziken like a twig, Shamshir,\" he stated.\n\"As you say,\" returned the Scizor, before he raised\nhis left claw, opening it and revealing the Mega Stone inside, which began glowing,\nenveloping the Scizor in crystalline energy before shattering and revealing the\nchanged form beneath. Anatomically, he was similar, but a black, four-pointed\ncrest had appeared on his forehead, and his claws had morphed to an even more\nterrifying shape, becoming lizard-like heads with rows of sharp teeth within,\nand his legs no longer ended in feet, but in two narrowing spikes like the tips\nof a spear. \nVolcan touched the Mega Stone on his chest, and already it\nbegan to react, prompting the Blaziken to look down at it as the same violet\ncrystalline light that had enveloped Shamshir encompassed him as well, and when\nhe reappeared, he was changed; the normally downward-curving crown of feathers\nthat grew from the back of his head were now angled upward, forming an\nupward-pointing V with a curved horn resting in between them, and the white\nfeathers around his chest had changed also, becoming X-shaped, and showed a\nhint of black feathers with flame patterns underneath, which a similar colour\naround the middle of his legs stretching from below the knee, up to the upper\nthigh. \nFlaming ribbons extended from his wrists, trailing out to his\nsides like small flags as he stood. Volcan held his arms crossed over his chest\nfor a moment before throwing them out, fists clenched, and letting out a\nbattle-thirsty cry to the air, and then looked down at himself, studying his\nchange of appearance, and nodding in satisfaction before he faced Shamshir,\nstancing himself for the battle ahead.\n\"Go get him, Volcan,\" said Serena.\n\"Kick his ass Rookie...\" Hank muttered.\n\"Cmon Volcan...\" Luke whispered softly, crossing\nhis arms and watching intently.\nThe fight was on.\nShamshir performed the opening move, rushing in with a Metal\nClaw attack aimed for Volcan's arm, which the Blaziken slapped aside, and\nretaliated with a punch to the face that sent Shamshir stumbling back, clearly\nnot expecting him to counter so easily. The Mega Scizor narrowed his eyes at\nVolcan as he rubbed his face. \"Seems I am foolish to expect an easy win,\neven against a novice.\"\n\"I'm not as 'novice' as you think, pal,\" Volcan\nretorted.\n\"I better not let my guard down against you,\"\nadmitted Shamshir before he charged in again, this time ducking under Volcan's\npunch, and elbowing him in the stomach hard enough to stumble him; Volcan took\nthe hit, but stayed on his feet, and deflected another metal claw aimed for his\nface. Soon, the two were exchanging blows almost in sync; strike, parry,\ncounter, strike, counter, parry, parry, strike, counter; their hands were too\nfast to follow to the untrained eye.\n\"Hot DAYUM look at him go!!\" Eagle Eye exclaimed.\n\"Even I can barely keep up with how fast they're fuckin moving, and my\neyes don't miss ANYTHING!\"\nAnd then, it happened, Volcan managed to catch Shamshir's\nclaw, pull him towards himself, and then land the same elbow strike he had used\non Rigel, once more performing the technique he called the Aikido Reversal,\nsending Shamshir to the ground, and where Volcan attempted to punch him.\nBut Shamshir was quicker to react than Rigel had been; he\ncaught Volcan's fist with his claw, clamping it and sending white hot pain up\nthe Blaziken's arm, and then shot back to his feet and bludgeoned the Blaziken\nwith his other claw, stumbling him. Finally, the Mega Scizor rushed past and\nstruck him with a Wing Attack, dealing highly effective damage to the Mega\nBlaziken.\n\"Ooohhh... that'll leave a mark, \" Hank mttered\nafter seeing Volcan suffer such a critical hit. \"Didn't think a Scizor\ncould learn Wing attack.\"\n\"I can learn Dragon Pulse if I wanted to...\" Luke\npointed out.\n\"...Touché...\"\nVolcan jumped back to his feet again, and was back into the\nfight, although with his good arm hindered now by the visible cuts left by\nShamshir's claw, forcing him to be more careful how he used it. Soon, he was\nforced to jump away from Shamshir, back-flipping to gain some distance, but\nShamshir wasn't going to had it; before Volcan even touched ground, Shamshir\nshot forward with incredible speed, appearing below Volcan and catching him by\nthe legs with his claws, yanking him as the Scizor kept flying onward, and\nVolcan suddenly found himself being involuntarily carried into the air, hung\nupside down and trying to get free.\n\"Not good!\" Luke muttered, uncrossing his arms and\nwidening his eyes, fearing the worst.\nAnd then, Shamshir released Volcan, letting the Blaziken fall\nback towards the ground, before diving after him; Volcan was in the process of\nrighting himself when Shamshir dropped at him, and clamped him by the head with\nhis claw!\nBut he didn't stop there; he stopped flying, and dragged\nVolcan back down to the ground with him, slamming him into the dirt head-first,\nwhich stunned Volcan. Finally, the brutal Mega Scizor lifted him back up,\ntossing him into the air before lashing out with both claws to clamp him around\nthe arms, hard enough to draw blood and making Volcan cry out in pain as his\narms were clamped with enough force he was certain his bones cracked.\n\"Oh no!\" Serena cried in horror.\n\"Volcan!!\" Luke called out, taking a step forward\nand wanting badly to step in and help him, but he restrained himself.\n\"C'mon rookie!! Don't throw in the towel yet!!\"\nhank called out.\nThen, Shamshir began to fly again, carrying Volcan into the\nair, and pulling at his arms; the bones of Volcan's limbs groaned in protest as\nthe Mega Scizor threatened to pull them right out of their sockets. He tried to\nresist but Shamshir was much stronger than him...\n\"You truly thought you could beat me at your\nlevel?\" Shamshir asked, coldly. \"Your ignorance is boundless; I\nshould tear your arms off entirely for having such foolish delusions.\"\n\"The only one foolish here is you, bug breath,\"\ngrowled Volcan. \"Because you forgot something...\"\n\"What?\" Shamshir asked.\nSuddenly, Volcan, fighting against the pain in his arms,\nswung himself forward and wrapped his legs around Shamshir's middle, pulling\ntheir bodies together. \"I don't need my limbs to attack!\" Volcan\nbarked before he exhaled a cone of flames right in Shamshir's face!\n\"Yea!! That's the way Rookie!!\" Hank said as he\npumped his claw. \"Roast him alive!!\"\nShamshir, in desperation, let go of Volcan's arms to try and\nescape, but the Blaziken had him in an iron grip with his legs, and with his\narms freed, he kept breathing until the Mega Scizor swooned and fell back down\nto the ground. Then, and only then, did Volcan release him and leap away,\nletting Shamshir hit the dirt first, his entire upper torso ablaze. Shamshir\nshot back to his feet, flailing around and snarling in pain as he tried to put\nout the flames. And then, Volcan charged at him again, leaping up and spinning\nhimself around with his left foot ablaze. \n\"BLAZE KICK!\" He bellowed before striking Shamshir\nwith so much force that the Mega Scizor was sent flying across the arena,\nlaunched with such force the flames on his body went out, only for him to\ninstead suffer a high velocity impact with the wall of the colisseum. Mere\nseconds after hitting the wall, he reverted from his Mega Evolved form back to\nhis original self, and fell away from the wall in a still heap, hitting the\ndirt and going limp.\nVolcan stood, struggling to gather his breath as he let his\ninjured arms hang free, a mild amount of blood dripping from them as he fought\nto get his second wind. \n\"He did it!\" Serena squealed with delight. \"He\nbeat Shamshir!\"\n\"YEEEHAAA!!\" Both Eagle Eye and Hank cried out,\nhopping on the spot a bit. \"THAT'S how ya get it done!!\"\nLuke let out a sigh of relief, putting his paw on his chest and\nsmiling. \"Good job Volcan...way to pull through...\"\nVolcan turned back to the group, and was about to make his\nway back over to them when he felt a presence behind him; he spun around, and\nthere was Torolf, his expression contorted with rage as he punched Volcan and\nsent the Blaziken flying. Volcan managed to correct himself with a backflip,\nlanding on his feet and facing Torolf.\n\"From behind? You freakin' coward!\" Volcan barked.\n\"There was no intermission called; you shouldn't have\nturned your back on me,\" Torolf returned, before he raised both of his\narms high over his head, and then brought them down with such force he created\na mighty Earthquake. Volcan, realizing the danger, quickly jumped into the air\nto avoid the tremor, touching back down seconds later, but Torolf immediately\ncame at hm again with an Aqua Jet, rapidly closing the distance and punching\nhim in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him; normally, such a blow would\nhas sent Volcan flying, but Torolf had already grabbed his arm to stop him from\ngoing anywhere. Then, he seized Volcan by his hip, raising him over his head,\nand brought the Blaziken belly first onto his knee.\nBones cracked audibly; Volcan's eyes shot wide open, and the\nhorrible scream of pain that left his beak could be heard clearly by everyone\nin the audience as several of his ribs snapped from the force of the strike.\nSerena screamed as well; not in pain, but in horror.\n\"Whoa WHOA!! FUCKING CHEAP SHOT!!!\" Hank roared out\nangrily.\nLuke's eyes widened in utter shock at what he just saw,\nstaring at Volcan for a moment, then at Torolf. Slowly that shock gave way to an\nimmense anger, his paws clenching tight and his fangs bared. And then, Torolf\ncallously threw Volcan back to the group; the Blaziken flew, limp through the\nair, as he arced towards them, reverting back to his regular form as he was\nthrown.\nKaen, reacting completely out of instinct, suddenly shot\nforward, pouncing towards Volcan and spinning around, catching him by the torso\nand putting himself between Volcan and the ground to break the fall, almost\nhaving the wind knocked out of him as they landed, but spurred on by adrenaline\nhe pushed himself back up, turning Volcan over so the others could see him when\nthey ran over.\n\"Rookie!!\" Hank called as he ran over to check on\nVolcan. Eagle Eye and Luke quickly joined him and crouched around him.\nSerena was practically crying all over again as she ran\naround to the other side, standing by Volcan's shoulder and calling out his\nname twice. After the second time, the Blaziken stirred, groaning, but that\ngroan quickly turned a snarl of pain as he tensed up, both arms over his chest.\n\"AHHH! Fuck; my ribs!\" He cried.\nKaen prompted Volcan to relax, and, as gently as he could, he\ntouched Volcan's chest, wincing as the Blaziken hissed in pain at several\ntouches. \"Dammit; Torolf broke four of his ribs,\" he said, his face\ncontorting with rage as he suddenly turned back to his former team leader.\n\"How the hell could you do this to him?! He was already half-beaten by\nShamshir; you didn't have to shatter his ribs!\"\n\"You should know by now, Kaen,\" Torolf returned.\n\"Those who fight me better expect to walk away with tremendous damage; I\ndon't fight to lose.\"\nKaen growled in fury, but stopped himself from charging out,\nknowing he'd get Team Valiant disqualified if he attacked Torolf. \"You\nslimy...!\"\n\"Enough!\" Luke exclaimed, standing tall and glaring\nat Torolf angrily. \"Kaen, take Volcan and get him immediate medical\ncare... Torolf is mine.\"\nKaen looked at Luke briefly, and then back at Torolf. \"I\ncan't believe I ever looked up to\nscumbag like you,\" he growled. \"You're nothing but a thug!\" He\nturned away and looked at Hank. \"Give me a hand with Volc; if one those\nfractures pierced his lung, he could have internal bleeding; we have to get him\nto the medical ward back on the ship.\"\n\"On it.\" Hank returned, gently helping Kaen lift up\nthe Blaziken, propping him up against their backs with his arms over his\nshoulders; the grit his beak in discomfort, but tolerated it.\n\"Find Luke's brother, MIkhail, too!\" Serena called.\n\"He can help him!\"\n\"Will do; where is his cabin?\"\n\"Directly across from Luke's,\" Volcan replied\nweakly.\n\"Easy man, yer gonna be ok..\" Hank said in a calm\nmanner to the Blaziken, glancing back at Luke staring Torolf down before\nturning and trotting away with Kaen and the injured Blaziken in tow.\nSerena looked at Luke, a desperate look on her face as she\nspoke. \"Don't let him do that to you, Luke,\" she begged.\n\"When I'm done with him, HE'LL be the one with broken\nribs and sitting in a medical ward.\" He growled angrily, slowly stepping\nup toward the ring and before his opponent. His eyes had a look of extreme\nanger toward the Swampert, his paws clenched tight and shaking with absolute\nfury. \"Hard to believe a selfish brute such as yourself has earned you the\nrespect of countless of Pokémon lives; you're no hero, far from it. You're just\na common thug that craves attention so desperately that you'll go out of your\nway to make others suffer for it...\"\n\"Like I\nsaid to Kaen, I fight to win,\" stated Torolf as he and Luke began to\ncircle one another, never taking his eyes off of the Lucario as they stepped.\n\"And I've done plenty of good for the world; I stopped Groudon from going\non a rampage when some idiot thought it'd be funny to wake him up, I saved\nentire towns from floods and landslides, and I've put many renegade rescue\nteams far worse than me, on ice. Why shouldn't I be respected for everything I\ndo, and my team rewarded for all the things we have to go through on a daily\nbasis?\"\n\"Your idea of a reward is a paycheque and the attention\nof all those around you,\" Luke retorted. \"After all this time you've spent\nrevelling in your own fame, you've forgotten what it TRULY means to be a Rescue\nTeam..\" Luke then bared his fangs at him. \"You disgust me...you and\nyour team ought to be ashamed of yourselves, because of your selfish desire to\nwin, you've gravely injured my friend when his back was turned. Only a coward\nwould strike their opponent when their back is turned!!\"\n\"His fault for looking away, believing the fight was\nover while I was still standing,\" retorted Torolf.\nLuke was now seething in anger, and the air around him began\nto shimmer like a small heat wave around him. \"...Torolf....by the time\nI'm done with you, you're going to wish I put you out of your misery.\" He\ngrowled.\n\"Well then, by all means,\" he reared up on his hind\nlegs, revealing the Mega Stone on his belt. \"Let's finally finish this, no\nholds barred, and find who is truly the mightiest.\"\nLuke then tensed his body and the shimmer around his body\nerupted into a raging blue aura flame. He quickly took his stance, glaring at\nTorolf with intent to beat him to within an inch of his life...\nTorolf tapped his mega stone, and with his touch, it began to\nglow. He became engulfed in light, surrounded by the crystalline orb that\nmarked the process of Mega Evolution, and vanished from sight for a few short\nseconds, before the orb burst and revealed the already-large Swampert into his\neven more enormous Mega Evolution. Torolf flexed his arms as he became a fully\nformed Mega Swampert, bellowing out to the sky in anticipation before he faced\nLuke again, his face sour, but ready.\nIn return, Luke touched the Lucarionite around his neck and\nhe too was engulfed in a crystalline orb for a few seconds before it burst\noutward, revealing his Mega Evolution to Torolf. He tensed his body again as\nthe blue flame around him quickly turned to a surging red, glaring angrily at\nTorolf as he finished his transformation.\n\"Alright, little Lucario,\" Torolf growled, standing\ntall over Luke. \"Let's finally decide this, and after I flatten you, I'll\ntake down that Zoroark and Talonflame too -maybe I'll fight them both\nsimultaneously hoping to break a sweat!\" He pounded his fists together.\nAbove, in the announcer's booth, Oceana was hesitant to\ndeclare a start to the match -in fact, since Torolf's ambush of Volcan, she had\nbeen oddly silent, and she was looking at Torolf as if she didn't recognize him\nanymore. The Milotic was clearly distressed, unable to clear the chaos in her\nmind as she eyed her employer...\n\"You won't even get the chance to touch the rest of my\nteam you heartless bastard...\" Luke growled in return. \"I promise you\nthat you will be BEGGING me to end your misery after I'm finished with\nyou...\" He added, shifting to his stance and waiting for the announcement\nto begin.\n\"We'll just see about that!\" Torolf retorted, and\nthen turned to look up at Oceana. \"Well, what're you waiting for?!\"\nShe snapped back into reality, and as soon as Torolf turned\nback to Luke, she made the call; \"Begin!\"\nThe second she gave the signal, Luke let out an rage induced\nroar, the aura flame around him surging even further and even growing in size.\nIn a mere blink of an eye, Luke was right in Torolf's face using Extreme Speed,\nsocking him HARD along his jawline before darting out of range and striking at him\nfrom another angle, repeating the process a few times before he appeared at his\nfront, then roared as he unloaded a brutal Close Combat on Torolf's stomach,\nstriking fast and hard with a multitude of rage induced attacks.\nTorolf stumbled back when the onslaught was over, but did not\nloose his footing. He simply simmered for a moment before turning to Luke back\nat Luke, his expression unchanged. \"My turn,\" he called before he\nused Aqua Jet to launch himself at Luke, following it immediately with a\nPower-Up Punch.\nLuke quickly retaliated with a Force Palm, slamming it\nagainst Torolf's Power-up Punch and skidding back a faid bit. as he skidded\nback he sidestepped, letting Torolf follow through with his punch, then he\nslammed his knee again into the Mega Swampert's stomach, then quickly weaved\naround and quickly conjured not an Aura Sphere, but a Focus Blast in his paw.\nHe slammed the attack into Torolf's face before darting back and and taking his\nstance again.\nTorolf was launched back a fair distance this time, skidding\nas he landed back on the ground. Shaking his head to clear it, he opened his\nmouth and launched a Hydro Pump at Luke, firing with enough force to leave a\nshallow indent in the ground as he attacked.\nLuke scoffed, darting to the side and letting the attack pass\nby him. \"Typical brute.\" He growled. \"All power and nothing\nelse...It takes more than brute strength to win a fight Torolf...As a team\nleader, you should know that by now...\" Then he sneered. \"Oh right, I\nforgot...you don't know HOW to be a proper team leader...\"\n\"Try this for size!\" Torolf bellowed before raising\nhis mighty arms up, and slamming them back down, a split forming in the ground\nas he sent a Fissure straight under the Lucario, causing the ground to\nseemingly open up under him!\nLuke did\nmanage to avoid the split in the earth, but the shaking that followed with it\ndid cause him to stumble and crouch low to keep his footing steady. With his\nbalance thrown off -if only for a second, Torolf launched himself at Luke with\nanother Aqua Jet, managing to grab him with his big paws, lift him up, and then\nslam him back down in the dirt, stunning him for a moment. And then, Torolf let\ngo of Luke's body to grip him by the legs, swing himself around and THROW the\nLucario threw the air like a ball \u0026 chain.\nLuke cried out as he was thrown through the air, slamming\ninto a wall and coughing as he made impact. He was limp for only a moment\nbefore his eyes shot wide open, fueled by a even deeper seated rage as he\ntensed his body and broke out of the wall, landing back in the arena and\ndischarging several Aura Spheres in rapid succession at Torolf.\nTorolf then punched both of his fists into the ground\nrepeatedly, burrowing into the soil and successfully evading the Aura Spheres\nas he tunneled into the arena floor, Digging his way out of sight. Luke\ngrowled, then tuned to his Aura Sense to track his movements as he dug underground.\nHe caught his aura signal and started hopping away, making sure not to get\ncaught in whatever the Swampert had in mind.\nThis maneuver bore fruit as the Swampert suddenly tunneled up\nat him from below, and just as he jumped away, Torolf exploded from the ground,\nthrowing sand and gravel everywhere as he emerged, only to find his target was\nalready out of reach, growling in frustration.\nLuke smirked, and he flashed his eyes open and charged\nforward. At the same time, he mentally commanded the Aura Spheres he hurled\nearlier to circle around and shoot back toward Torolf. Luke punched and kicked\nhim a few times in the head and chest to send him back, then he darted back as\nthe Aura Spheres hammered into Torolf's back seconds after Luke darted away.\nTorolf roared in a mix of fury and pain; despite his great\npain threshold it appeared the damage was finally starting to catch up to him.\nHe turned to face Luke again, punching the ground and sweeping his arm across\nit to hurl a Sand-Attack in Luke's face; the Swampert had to know Luke's Aura\nSense would allow him to fight even if the attack blinded him, but was more\nlikely attempting to imbalance the Lucario with an irritant to his eyes.\nThe attack did land successfully, growling as he took a few\nsteps back and covered his eyes before he started rubbing them and tuned back\nto his Aura Sense. \"You fight dirty as well, you have no shame or any sense\nof honour.\" He growled. \"I said this to Timber and I'll say it to\nyou... YOU'RE A DISGRACE!!!\"\n\"With all I have on the line in this fight, I will not\nallow myself to lose; my team will not lose everything they have to a piece of\ndirt like you!\" Torolf barked defiantly before he spat a Mud Bomb towards\nLuke; unlike Torolf himself, the attack didn't have any aura for Luke to see,\nsince it was made up of inorganic matter, leaving his only indicator to the\nattack to be the sound of Torolf spitting it towards him.\nLuke's ears did twitch at the sound, but as he dodged he felt\nthe attack nail hsi shoulder and send him stumbling onto his side. He skidded\nalong the dirt before he was back on his feet, trying to blink his eyes a bit\nto try and clear his vision. \"Case in point! All you care about is your\nstupid reputation!! You think only of yourself and have no regard for\nothers!!\" Luke retorted.\n\"My team began from nothing; all of them were born with\nnothing but what skills they gained for themselves!\" Torolf bellowed.\n\"I won't let all of that be lost! This island, our fame, the team we have\nbuilt; we bled for them, and we will not let you ruin it! We will never be\noutclassed!\"\nLuke then finally lost what was little of his temper,\nshooting his eyes open regardless of how irritated they were. \"I HAD\nNOTHING SINCE MY CHILDHOOD!!!\" He roared furiously. \"All of my team\nhave suffered just as much, if not more, than you Torolf!! don't you go\npreaching to ME about beginning from nothing!!!!\" Luke roared, still\nseething in rage. \"You spent ALL your resources on building this stupid\nfortress on this island that NO one knows about, all to add fuel to your\nsenseless ego!!!\"\n\"I've seen little from you to prove that you would not\ndo the same if the opportunity ever presented itself!\" He raised his arms\nagain, unleashing an Earthquake as he brought his fists down heavily on the\nsoil.\nAgain Luke lowered himself to keep his balance, keeping his\neyes on Torolf the whole time. \"You don't know jack SHIT about me Torolf!\nThe only reason I accept payment is to put food on the table for my family!! I\ncome from a quiet town where we make do with what we have!!\"\n\"And what do you think you know about me, boy?\" He\ndemanded. \"Do you know how I was brought up; how I began? Well, if you can\nbeat me, I'll tell you, and I can guarantee you, once you know my past, you\nwon't be so quick to judge me...\" He reared back. \"For not wanting to\ngo back to it!\" And with that, he unleashed another Hydro Pump, this one\nwith even more force -and speed- than before, shooting across the air like a\njet-stream of wind.\nThis time, Luke conjured a much larger Focus Blast in his\npaws, then he thrust the attack forward and met with the Hydro Pump barrelling\ntoward him. He growled as he strained to keep the attack from hitting him,\nskidding back a little at a time. Then, Torolf dug his fists into the ground to\nbrace himself, before exhaling even harder, adding more force to the attack.\nLuke grimaced as he felt the force of the attack hit his\nFocus Blast, makign him skid back even more until he was right at the edge of\nthe ring. He cried out as his body began to overstrain itself just keeping the\nblast of water from slamming into him. Finally, though, Torolf ran out of\nbreath, and had to stop, giving Luke a chance to recover as the Mega Swampert\nquickly gained his second wind, and then used Earthquake once more.\nIt began to become clear to Luke why Torolf wanted to finish\nthe tournament here in this arena, rather than on the yacht; with water a short\ndistance away just outside the the colisseum, and solid, malleable ground below\ntheir feet, he had full use of his roster of both Water-Type and Ground-Type\nmoves. In other words, he had a field advantage, not to mention having strength\nand stamina far surpassing even Luke's.\nLuke gasped when the struggle ended, though he stumbled and\nfell forward onto the ground from the earthquake. He knew he had to end this\nquickly. He was running out of power quickly, and his Mega Evolution would\nexpire soon. He forced himself back to his feet despite the intense shaking of\nthe ground, waiting for it ti subside before he made hsi next move.\nTorolf stood, watching Luke for a moment as the Earthquake\nended; miraculously, the Lucario had not been harmed by the attack, and now\nTorolf waited to see what his adversary would do next. Luke panted for a bit to\nregain his composure, then he tensed his body and let out one last roar, then\nhe darted in a zig zag motion toward Torolf. When he got close though, he\nvanished, then started appearing all over the Swampert before he elbowed his\nside, then unleased another Close Combat, this time striking him from all\nangles before he uppercut his solar plexes as hard as he could to try and wind\nhim before he vanished again.\nIn response, Torolf tensed himself and held his arms in front\nof him to take the first few blows, but the uppercut caught him by surprise; it\ndidn't wind him completely, but it was enough to give him pause. Luke appeared\nhigh above Torolf, his arms held up high as a huge amount of aura energy gathered\ninto his paws. \"THIS TIME TOROLF....YOU LOSE!!!\" He roared, then\nthrust his arms down to the Swampert and discharged his final attack, the Aura\nStorm.\nTorolf\nquickly retaliated with another Hydro Pump, but it was futile; the Aura Storm\nblew through his water attack and struck him head-on, launching him back across\nthe area and leaving a deep gouge in the soil as he was sent skidding through\nthe dirt, leaving a deep groove as big around as his back as he slid, and hit a\nwall head-first, dazing himself enough that Luke was able to move in to pin\nhim. Luke quickly slammed his arm into Torolf's neck to keep him pinned against\nthe wall, his eyes showing a calmer look, but still had some anger left in him.\nTorolf clearly wanted to keep fighting, but at this point,\ntrying to continue would be fruitless; he was in a position where Luke could\neasily strike something more serious than just his body. But then, the\nunthinkable happened; his body suddenly glowed, and his mega form dissipated,\nleaving him returned to the form of an ordinary -albeit very large and\nmuscular, Swampert.\nHis mega form had actually expired before even Luke's...\nLuke narrowed his eyes as he saw Torolf's Mega Evolution\nexpire, then shortly after, Luke's also expired, his body glowing for a moment\nbefore he too was back to his old self. \"You lose, Torolf....\"\n\"Damn...\" he growled, letting himself slump back\nagainst the wall. \"To have come all this way, battling the Deity of\nContinents himself to a standstill, only to be beaten by a Lucario I never even\nheard of... truly, irony deals a cruel hand.\"\nLuke slowly released Torolf and stepped back from him. His\npaw clenched and he wanted so badly to sock him one last time for what he did\nto Volcan, but he clenched his eyes shut and he slowly relaxed, taking a deep\nbreath and calming himself as best he could.\n\"Well... this battle is yours then,\" stated Torolf,\nhis eyes shutting as he rested. \"And everything I fought to gain now goes\nto you whether you want it or not... nobody will ever forget that I was beaten.\"\nLuke bared his fangs in anger. \"That's what separates us\nTorolf....I don't give a Rattata's ass about fame. My team and I competed\npurely to test our limits, and after hearing about how ruthless you are, to\nbring you to justice.\"\n\"You apparently don't understand how fame works,\"\nstated Torolf. \"It finds you, whether you want it or not; you either take\nit and nourish it, or futilely ignore it, pretending there aren't people\nclamoring for it as well, either to get an autograph, a souvenir or, in the\ncase of many who competed here in this tournament... to beat you in battle and\ngain that glory for themselves.\" His eyes opened and looked at Luke.\n\"Whether or not you want it, your name is now known, and you'll find\npeople challenging you far more often.\n\"I did not want this fame at first; I just wanted a\nbetter life than I had. But after battling Groudon I could not escape it;\neveryone wanted to be like me, or to beat me so they could have something to\nboast about. Rescue teams formed inspired by my deeds and those of my comrades.\nRather than ignore it, I chose to let it become part of me, and always remind\npeople I'm here.\n\"But, the problem with that kind of fame is that it can\njust as easily be lost,\" he stated, pointing at Luke. \"And it only\ntakes one person to do it.\"\n\"...Maybe that is the case...and maybe you're right.\"\nLuke returned. \"....But to go to such great lengths just to retain that\nfame...\" He growled. \"It's a wonder your team has stuck with you this\nfar...you gravely injured my friend, and your teammate was ready to kill one of\nyour own so that your repuation and your fame would remain untarnished,\"\nLuke added. \"Fame may have found me today, but I don't care for it. Putting\nmy own desires aside for others has always been on the forefront of my mind. THAT\nis what it means to be a TRUE Rescue Team.\"\n\"Everyone on this team began like I did; I gave them\nlives better than what they had, and to leave that behind, I simply find\ninsulting... but not to the point I'd threaten them,\" he stated, firmly.\n\"I don't know what you said to Kaen that made him want to leave, but I\nnever went after him when I found out. I'm his leader, not his owner.\"\n...He sounded truthful.\nBut what did he mean about what Luke had said to Kaen? Luke\nhadn't played any role in Kaen's decision...\n\"I said nothing to influence Kaen's decision to leave,\nTorolf.. ]] Had Volcan and myself not intervened, Timber would have KILLED\nKaen, and he wouldn't be standing here right now watching this competition unfold.\"\nLuke returned. \"He conciously made the decision to leave...and your little\nfriend, Maggie, threatened to tarnish him and make sure no other Rescue Team\nwould take him in. Once again...\" He growled and got in his face.\n\"All...for the sake...of your Arceus. Damned. Reputation!!\"\n\"Hold on!\" Torolf shot upright very suddenly,\nthrowing Luke off of him. \"What do you mean Timber and Maggie threatened\nhim?\"\nLuke stumbled back a bit. \"You heard me...Timber was\ngoing to kill Kaen because he decided he had had enough of Team\nWarmachine...And after we prevented Timber from carrying out his heinous act,\nMaggie threatened to tarnish his reputation so he would never find work\nagain...\" Luke reinstated.\n\"I never told either of them to do that,\" stated\nTorolf. \"Maggie told me Kaen was considering leaving because you talked\nhim into it, and that Timber had tried to talk him out of it when...\" He\npaused, and his eyes narrowed. \"Hold on... how do I know this isn't some\ntrick to stir dissention in my team?\" He asked.\n\"They didn't act on your command...?\" Luke asked,\nhis eyes widening in surprise, then he looked back to Torolf. \"If you need\nproof, then just ask Kaen himself. He was present for the whole thing.\"\n\"It seems now, I'll have to,\" he stated. \"One\nthing I have learned, there always two sides to every story... but I have a\nfeeling Kaen will not want to see me. If you feel it will clear the air, will\nyou ask him on my behalf?\"\nLuke nodded.\n\"He's in the med ward...One moment...\" He said as he turned and ran\nas fast as his body would allow. He knew it was all the way back on the boat,\nso he had a fair bit to travel. A couple times he stumbled, once on the gangway\nplank, almost falling into the water below, and again right outside the door to\nthe med ward on the ship, slamming into the door and grunting in pain before he\nburst into the room.\nKaen and Hank were both standing in the medical room when\nLuke burst in, his sudden intrusion causing both of them to jump as the door\nflew open and they spun around, expecting an attack, only for their expressions\nto turn blank as they saw Luke.\n\"What the...\" Kaen asked.\n\"Kaen...\" Luke said as he panted. \"It's\nover...Torolf is beaten,\" he said as he caught his breath. \"But it\nturns out Torolf may NOT be behind Timber's attack and Maggie's\nblackmailing....\"\n\"Wait, what do you mean?\" Kaen inquired. \"I\nwas told he's the one who said no one was ever to leave the team.\"\n\"Well it turns out they were acting entirely on their\nown...Torolf had nothing to do with it...\" Luke explained. \"He requested\nthat I ask you what happened in your own words on hisbehalf...but personally I\nthink you should tell him directly to his face....\"\nKaen scowled at that thought. \"I'm not sure I want to\nsee him, after what he did to Volcan... beating him in a fight is one thing but\nnearly breaking him in two? That's going too far...\" He sighed.\n\"Well... it's not going to change my mind about leaving Warmachine... but\nI suppose I'd have to face this sooner or later.\" He looked over his\nshoulder towards the medical room where the nurses were treating Volcan, along\nwith Mikhail.\n\"Go on bud. I'll watch him.\" Hank returned,\nshooting a thumbs up to him.\nLuke looked to Kaen and jerked his head toward the door.\n\"Let's go; I'm sure you want to get this over with.\"\n\"Damn right I do,\" stated Kaen, following Luke out\nthe door. He looked over the Lucario as they walked, however, his eyes on the\ninjuries he sported. \"Hey man, maybe you should stay here; you're pretty\nbeat up yourself.\"\n\"I'll manage ;right now this takes priority.\" Luke\nsaid as they made their way back to the arena. Again he stumbled a few times,\nbut managed to correct himself before they arrived back at the arena.\nKaen was able to keep pace with them as they moved, sprinting\nback to the colisseum where they would meet with Torolf. Kaen's pace steadily\nincreased as they ran, which showed he was actually hopeful in finding some\nanswers to this problem.\nBut as they reached the arena door, they found their entry\nblocked by three Pokemon; one of them was Timber, who although was clearly not\nrecovered from the beating he had received from Volcan, was back on his feet,\nand looking ready to fight again. But along with him were Redfang and Maggie.\n\"What're you guys doing out here?\" Kaen asked.\n\"Let us through; I need to see Torolf.\"\n\"You're no longer allowed in here,\" Maggie\nretorted. \"As of right now, Luke, having left the arena, has forfeited his\nvictory to Torolf, and has gone home.\" Her eyes furrowed. \"And I\nsuggest you do just that. You as well, Kaen.\"\nThe Charmeleon's eyes widened with realization. \"You...\nyou've been behind this whole thing! I always thought you were just acting on\nTorolf's behalf, but he was never part of any of it, was he?\"\n\"I told Torolf only what he needed to hear,\" Maggie\nreturned, smiling deviously. \"That Team Valiant was planning on robbing us\nof our glory by beating us in battle, and that you were talked into leaving the\nteam by them.\"\n\"But that's nothing but a two-faced lie!\" Kaen\nbarked.\n\"Of course it is,\" replied Maggie. \"If I told\nTorolf the truth, then he wouldn't have fought Luke at his full strength; as\nmuch as he enjoys this celebrity life I don't think he takes it seriously\nenough. Losing a battle means we lose contracts, after all, so I had to make\nsure he'd win... and once I tell everyone Luke has forfeited, he still\nwill.\"\nKaen's claws clenched in fury. \"I can't believe what I'm\nhearing...\" He said. \"Timber... I expected you were in on the dirty\ndealings, but YOU Redfang?! I once respected you!\"\n\"Respect is earned, boy,\" the Mightyena snarled.\n\"But if you lose it, it's even harder to win back.\"\nSo... the plot had been uncovered...\nLuke's anger started rising again as he glared at the three\nof them. His paws clenching tight. \"You....selfish....FUCKS!!!\" Luke\nroared, once more his Aura flame bursting forth around him despite his\ninjuries. \"You especially, you silver tongued bitch!! Feeding your leader\nlies all for the sake of contracts??\"\n\"Torolf wasn't the only one who started with\nnothing,\" stated Maggie, her smile turning to a look of rage. \"He had\nto believe we'd lose it all if he lost... but it seems he couldn't pull it off\nanyway; after all, even Shamshir could not best the weakest of you, so what\nchance did we have of retaining all that is rightfully ours?\" She floated\nback, letting Timber and Redfang step forward. \"But I suppose the time for\nwords is over now. You two will be leaving, one way or another. With Luke so\nbattered up as he is, there's no way he can defeat all three of us.\"\n\"He won't be alone,\" Kaen growled, flames spouting\nfrom his nostrils as he spoke. \"You guys are going down like a grounded\nAerodactyl.\"\n\"Two against three, then,\" said Maggie. \"Well,\nthis still won't take long.\"\n\"You with me, Luke?\" Kaen asked. \"Who do you\nthink you can handle?\"\n\"I still have enough fight left in me for these chumps,\"\nLuke returned, eying Timber first, then Redfang before he held his stance.\n\"I've got Redfang, then,\" stated Kaen. \"You\ntake down Timber, then we'll both focus on Maggie. Remember, she's not much of\na fighter; she'll be focusing on using a barrier to keep us from getting into\nthat arena, but if we get these two out of the way and gang up on her, we can\nprobably overpower her.\"\n\"Sounds good...\" Luke returned, still keeping his\neyes on Timber. \"...You've had this coming ever since the day you\nthreatened to take Kaen's life....\"\n\"Now I'm going to take yours, small fry,\" Timber\ngrowled. \"Let's see how well that steel skin of yours holds up against my\nblades.\"\nRight as he finished that sentence, Luke had already charged\nforward and pummeled Timber's stomach with a hard elbow, then quickly assailed\nhis jaw with a heavy Sky Uppercut before flipping once and bringing his paws\ndown over his cranium with a double sledgehammer strike. Of course, with Luke\nnot quite at full strength since his battle with Torolf, the attacks did not\nhave the effect he was aiming for... Timber grunted after receiving the last\nhit, and glared at Luke. \n\"A little tired, are we?\" He asked, before he\nlunged forward with Dual Chop, slashing at Luke twice with his axe blades.\nLuke grunted and skidded back after he received the attacks.\nThankfully his Steel Subtyping saved him from a fatal blow, but he still took\nenough damage to make him cry out. He changed tactics and fired a volley of\nAura Spheres as he hopped away, all of them aimed right for Timber's face.\nTimber curled himself inward, letting the spheres hit his\narmoured back instead; the attack still caused him some discomfort, but not\nenough to stop him. However, lowering himself gave Luke a good look at the split\nin his armour where Katsu had managed to breach the dragon-type's thick hide.\nLuke narrowed his eyes and quickly charged in while he was\nstill curled up, quickly leaping onto his back and driving an Aura Sphere HARD\ninto the cut on his back, then another, and another, then he quickly leapt off\nand stumbled some as he landed on the ground, panting as his injuries began to\ncatch up to him again and take their toll.\nTimber howled in pain as he felt the first, and began to\nthrash as Luke inflicted the second and third, after which the Lucario leapt\noff. Timber stumbled around in pain for a moment before he snarled and turned\nto Luke again. \"Why you...!\" And he exhaled a Dragonbreath attack\ntowards him.\nLuke couldn't dodge in time as the attack approached him. He\nthrew his arms up and shielded himself from the attack as best he could,\npraying he didn't suffer any paralysis.  Luck\nfavored him, though; the effects of the paralysis did not reach him, but the\nattack still hurt. However, just as Timber charged in to attack him again,\nRedfang suddenly soared back first into-him throwing him off balance; the\nMightyena had not leapt, or tripped, he had been thrown.\nAnd then, Kaen leapt into view, leaping right at Timber.\n\"Dragon... CLAW!\" He barked, before he raked his glowing claws across\nTimber's flank, successfully breaching the dragon's hide and opening up a new\nwound in his side, which had Timber reeling in pain.\nRedfang, having fallen to the ground after slamming into\nTimber, was getting back to his feet, and was about to attack Kaen from behind.\nHowever, Luke managed to intercept him by speeding in front of him, then he\ngrabbed at Redfang's muzzle and slammed him in the chest with a Force Palm,\nreleasing him just as he was hit to send him flying back once more.\nThe attack was all it took to knock Redfang senseless, thanks\nto his Dark-typing, and Kaen himself also used Dragonbreath to keep Timber from\ngetting back up, as the Haxorus was not so fortunate as Luke had been not to\nsuffer paralysis.\n\"Well now, that wasn't so hard,\" stated Kaen,\nlooking over at Luke. \"You alright?\"\n\"Battered, but still able...\" Luke returned,\nglancing back at Kaen. He then shifted his attention toward Maggie and took a\nstep toward her. \"Only one left...\"\nClearly panicked, the Mismagius flew back into the doorway of\nthe arena, casting a Barrier over the entrance promptly as Kaen and Luke\nstepped towards her, causing them to stop at the door, unable to pass through.\n\"There! Now you will never get in!\"\n\"Oh, won't we?\" Kaen asked, grinning widely.\n\"I think you're forgetting who we just clobbered, Maggie. I know your\nbarrier's are tough, but it takes a lot out of you to concentrate them against\nan attack. Now you got two to deal with!\" He started to inhale.\n\"Wait, Kaen! Think about what you're doing! If you tell\nTorolf, then everything I've made possible for this team will never work!\"\nShe pleaded. \"I orchestrated all of this; I made sure we got everything we\ndeserved! But if you do this, we'll lose it all, including everything you\ncontributed!\"\n\"At this point Maggie,\" he stated as flames spewed\nfrom his nostrils. \"It's better off that way...\" And with that, he\nexhaled a powerful Flamethrower at the barrier; the flames burst out as they\nstruck, unable to push through, but the act caused Maggie visible strain.\nLuke joined in as well, creatiing his Bone Rush and charging\nin, twirling his bone in his paw before he began to beat down on the barrier as\nhard as he could.\nMaggie fought hard to try and maintain the barrier, her\nexpression tightening more and more as the two continued to assail it. But her\npower was nothing compared to the two Pokemon warriors attacking it; struggle\nas she may, the shield was breaking. And finally, it shattered, and she was\nthrown again the wall, failing to dematerialize enough to pass through it and\nslamming into the stonework hard enough to hurt her. She slid to the floor,\ngroaning with pain and exhaustion.\nLuke strode toward her and leered angrilly down at her, his\npaws clenched tight as he reached down and grabbed at Maggie by her shoulder,\nforcefully yanking her up to his level. \"I normally do not condone\nviolence on women...but to me, you are no woman....\" And with that, he\nslammed his Bone Rush into her forehead for a KO, releasing her after he hit\nher.\n\"Bring her along,\" Kaen stated. \"Torolf's\ngoing to want a few words with her about all this.\"\n\"Good call.\" He returned, quickly hoisting her over\nhis shoulder. He then grimaced and stumbled some more as his injuries further\ntook their toll on him, but his sheer tenacity helped him to stay standing as\nthey headed back to the arena to speak with Torolf.\nKaen reached over to offer to help him ---\nHe ended up leaning on Kaen as they walked. \"Th-Thanks...\"\nHe groaned.\n\"Hey, no problem,\" he returned.\n~~~~~\nTorolf had waited patiently in the arena for the two of them\nto return, but was clearly surprised to see Maggie being dragged along with\nthem as they stepped back in. When she was placed at his feet, she began to\nstir again, looking up at Torolf as her eyes opened.\nThe Swampert glared at Luke and Kaen. \"What is the\nmeaning of this?\"\n\"You wanted to see me, here I am,\" stated Kaen,\nglowering at Torolf; clearly he had still not forgiven him for his earlier\nactions, despite now knowing the Swampert had been manipulated all this time.\nTorolf looked at Maggie again, who promptly floated up in\nfront of him. \"Torolf, don't listen to him; they're manipulating him! He\ndoesn't know what he's saying!\"\n\"The\nonly one manipulating anyone is you, Maggie,\" Kaen barked. \"Now back\noff!\"\nMaggie started to protest, but Torolf put up his hand,\nsilencing her, and turned back to Kaen, their eyes meeting. \"Kaen... did\nTimber threaten you? And did Maggie blackmail you?\"\n\"Yes,\" Kaen answered plainly. \"Both Luke and\nVolcan can vouch for me; they were there. Timber was going to throw me into the\nocean but they stepped in and protected me.\"\n\"And you're being honest with me about this?\"\nTorolf asked.\n\"I wouldn't have bothered coming if I wasn't going to be\nhonest,\" stated Kaen. \"Maggie was going to ruin my reputation if I\nleft the team, but I'd rather go with that and re-earn it than continue\ndoing... this...\" He splayed out his arms, gesturing to the coliseum. \n\"This?\" Torolf asked, looking around. \"But\nwe're simply putting on a show Kaen, letting the people see their heroes.\"\n\"They don't need to see them to know they're there,\nTorolf,\" the Charmeleon said, plainly. \"The things we do as a Rescue\nTeam are what make us heroes, not shows or us winning these competitions. I may\nhave liked the attention but, this contest has gone a little differently than\nthe others, and, to be frank... it's opened my eyes to a lot of truths.\n\"Soon as I said I was going to leave though, Timber was\non me, and Maggie was threatening me by using her influence to tarnish my name,\nso that I'd never find work again. Luke and Volcan protected me, and Luke even\nrisked his Lucarionite to do it, because Maggie stated that if he lost this\ntournament, she'd be allowed to get away with blackmailing me, and she'd take\nhis stone, which I don't doubt she'd use as a means to draw in another crowd\nfor the next contest.\n\"Everything has been her doing,\" Kaen went on.\n\"She openly admitted to lying to you about what Team Valiant was here for.\nI can honestly say to you they have no interest in our fame; they came here to\ntest themselves as a team, which is what we originally joined fighting\ntournaments for. But as soon as Maggie had us hosting them, suddenly it was all\nabout money and glory...\" He shook his head. \"It suffocated me... and\nI wanted out. To top it off, Maggie, Timber, and even Redfang, who turns out\nwas in on this dirty deed too, tried to stop Luke from coming back here, so she\ncould claim he forfeited and left; in doing so it wouldn't be chalked up as a\nloss for Team Warmachine, and we'd suffer little in the end.\"\nTorolf turned to Maggie, who was about to speak again, but\nthe Swampert spoke first. \"Maggie... tell me the honest truth,\" he\npractically commanded her. \"Is Kaen right about what you're saying; did\nyou actually blackmail one our own team, lie to me about Valiant's goals, and\nabout what would happen to us they won?!\"\nIntimidated by his stare, the Mismagius was tripping on her\nown words as she struggled to respond. \"I... no! I mean, he's right about\nTimber meeting him, but it wasn't to threaten him! And I...  I never threatened him either; I adore Kaen!\nOr did, before he betrayed us for Team Valiant, wanting to go over to their\nside since he knew they would win.\"\nTorolf grit his teeth. \"Going to their side? Last time\nyou told me he left because they tricked him!\"\n\"They did! I mean, of course they weren't going to\nactually beat us -or, so I thought... but perhaps he fed them information about\nus! They cheated!\"\n\"Learning about your opponent isn't cheating, Maggie;\nit's strategy,\" Torolf retorted. \"Palkia's mercy, he IS telling the\ntruth!\" He advanced on her. \"You've been lying to me, to the team,\nabout everything!\" He looked visibly hurt behind his rage, struggling not\nto lash out at her. \"Why, Maggie?! You and I founded this team together;\nwhy would you do this to us?!\"\nThis time, it was her expression that turned to anger.\n\"Why?! Because if you had lost, then we'd be on the path of losing\neverything we fought for; Pokémon are fickle-minded fools who would forget\nabout us as soon as it suited them -as soon as they knew there was someone\nstronger than even you! And then... we'd end up back in the gutter again! Don't\nyou remember what life was like for you before you met me? How you FOUND me?!\nDo you want to go back to that?!\"\n\"I wanted to improve our lives, Maggie; we did that!\nLook at how far we've come; do you really think we could lose all of that so\neasily?!\" Torolf demanded.\n\"I wasn't willing to take that chance,\" she\nretorted.\n\"Even if it meant ruining this team?\" Torolf asked.\n\"If it meant keeping our lives from returning to a slum?\nYes.\"\nLuke looked a little confused for a moment. \"Wait, what\ndo you mean FOUND you?\" Luke demanded. \"Last I heard, Torolf recruited you, or was that another one\nof your lies as well?\"\n\"Torolf and I formed this team together after he found\nme at a circus set up near Lightning Pillar,\" she replied. \"He saw my\ntalent for misdirecting tricks, and thought it'd be useful, so he rescued me\nfrom there, and from then on we formed our rescue team. He and I are the\noriginal members.\"\nLuke narrowed his eyes at her. \"Well I think it's safe\nto assume your days are numbered as of today, but that isn't my call to\nmake,\" he said as he glanced to Torolf. \"That's up to the leader of\nTeam Warmachine to decide.\"\n\"It'll be my last act as leader,\" stated Torolf,\nlooking at Maggie sharply. \"I have no choice. As of now, Maggie, you are\noff this team. You, Redfang and Timber; gather your belongings and get off of\nthis island...\" His stare was hard. \"And don't ever come back.\"\n\"You can't do that to me!\" Maggie shouted. \"I\nhelped build this place; it is as much mine as it is yours!\"\n\"We ALL pitched in for this place, Maggie,\" Kaen\nreminded her. \"It belongs to all of us, but you've made a disgrace of our\nteam.\" He held up his claw, gesturing to the rest of the arena. \"And\nin front of witnesses. You've done more damage than you could have ever\nprevented.\"\n\"Now... I'm giving you just six hours to leave,\"\nTorolf stated. \"Take your boat and everything of yours that you can carry,\nand get out of here.\"\nMaggie looked at Torolf pleadingly, but he turned away from\nher and stormed off, gesturing for Kaen to follow him, and the two walked\ntogether as they crossed the arena, speaking to one another as they headed\ntowards the announcer's booth.\nMaggie glared at Luke. \"You... this is all because of you!\" She screamed. \"You've\nruined everything for me; where am I supposed to go now?! You just cost me my\nhome!\"\n\"That's your own damn fault for being so deceitful,\"\nLuke spat back at her, showing her no respect or mercy. \"You've brought\nthis result upon yourself and you have only YOURSELF to blame. Now get out of\nmy face before I kick you out myself.\" Luke growled at her.\nShe teleported over to him, looking him right in the eye as\nshe spoke only once more to the Lucario. \"Watch your back, mister... one\nof these days, I will get even with you...\" Without another word, she\nteleported away, disappearing from the coliseum grounds.\nAnd then, Torolf's voice was heard over the arena intercoms,\nfor all to here. \"This is Torolf; I'm speaking to all of you on behalf of\nthe members of Team Warmachine who are still honorable people. You all... I\nthank you for attending this competition... but I now declare that this will be\nthe last competition we host for ourselves; this day marks changes for Team\nWarmachine; changes I took far too long to realize needed to be done. As of\nnow, I declare this contest over... and name Team Valiant the undisputable\nvictors of the Team Divisions. Everyone, let your voices be heard for Luke,\ntheir team Captain who stands before you now, and all of their members. And I\nask you all bear witness to my saying this for the first time ever in my\nlife... That I, Torolf of Warmachine, have lost. Congratulations, Luke. You\nhave earned your prize and more.\" \nThe audience erupted with applause, many of them calling out\nLuke's name as they stamped their feet or clapped their hands -or just bobbed\nabout happily if they did not have any such limbs at their disposal, as they\ncheered for Team Valiant. As Luke took in the applause, Sage suddenly appeared\non the field, carrying the case full of Mega Stones, which she held out to\nLuke.\n\"Your friend Wade did not take any... but after what you\nhave done for Team Warmachine, we have all agreed you can find a better use for\nthese than we can. So please, take it... so that we can never be tempted to use\nthem for selfish gain again, and give them to someone who can truly make use of\nthem.\"\nLuke nodded softly to her and went to grasp the box, carrying\nit gingerly in his paws. \"...Thank you...\" He said softly before he\nbegan to wobble a little, his legs buckling and he fell forward from his injuries\nand his exhaustion.\nSage rushed forward and caught him, chuckling lightly.\n\"Oops. And something I forgot,\" she said, before she held up one\nhand. \"Heal Pulse,\" she whispered, before she emitted a wave of rejuvenating\nenergy to the Lucario, taking away some of the pain of his wounds and giving\nhim more energy to support himself with.\n\"T-Thank you...\" He returned, slowly straightening\nup again and holding up the case of Mega Stones in his arms more securely.\nSage reached for Luke's hand, and held it up above his head\nas the audience continued to root for him. In he stands, he even spotted\nSickle, Blaster and Howler contributing to the applause, the Grovyle even\ngiving him a thumbs-up as it carried on.\nHe allowed himself a smile as the crowd cheered him on and\nrepeated his name over and over. For the moment, he revelled in this victory,\nknowing it was a lot more than just a physical victory. As he took the\nattention in though, he did feel a small pit in his stomach that made him lose\nhis smile for a moment and glanced downward a little.\n\"Something wrong?\" Sage asked. \"You should be\nhappy; you've won quite a victory today.\"\n\"Hmm?\nOh it's...it's nothing major.\" He returned. \"I'll be alright.\"\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/829337-contest-part-3.json"}