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Doug’s steps were slow and heavy as he made his way into the arena, controlling his constructed body. Each step sent flecks of sand and a few pebbles falling from his rocky body, leaving a trail in his wake as he stepped out - one he easily replenished from the arena ground. The soil here was loose and easy to manipulate, and he was even able to add a few inches of height.

Calyrex, though not seeing the construct for the first time, still voiced some praise to Doug that had the audience watching him with intrigue. The king of Calygrad even went so far as to refer to him as a ‘Master of Geomancy’ - the art of moving the earth. Doug seemed to brighten up at being called that title, lifting his head up in thought as the words rang in his head.

‘Master of Geomancy, eh..?’ He thought inwardly. ‘...I think I’m gonna steal that.’

But opposite him, the gate was lowered to reveal his opponent stepping out, and once again that feeling of apprehension, seeing the weathered features of the Houndoom approaching. Everything of Romulus’ form spoke of his experience, carrying himself with his head high, absent anything resembling concern, and moving with ease even with the form-fitting, cross-piece harness he wore over his chest, housing his Mega Stone - the sight of which reminded Doug that Romulus could Mega Evolve; something he hadn’t even done once in the previous rounds, as no opponent had been able to overcome him.

“Whooo boy, there he is…” Doug mumbled softly. “Get it together, get it together. You can do this. Just gotta believe in yourself.”

Romulus took his place at the center, facing Doug. His red eyes darted over the construct, taking in every detail studiously, and raising an eyebrow. “Hm. Fitting name,” he said, “I confess, I’ve seen some creativity in my day, but I’ve never seen anyone fashion an entire body for themselves like that before.”

“H-Honestly, it was Tristan’s idea if you can believe it,” Doug stammered. “He made a comment about making the earth into a body, and the idea just clicked.”

Romulus arched his brow higher at that, recalling previous interactions with the Aggron himself. “...Inspiration comes from unexpected places, I suppose,” he commented as he stood tall again. “Shall we find out just how strong it is, then?” he asked.

“I-I guess,” Doug answered, sucking in a deep breath and trying his best to calm himself down.

At that, Romulus looked at Doug studiously again, and his expression darkened. “Keep it together, warrior,” he said, in a stern tone that momentarily startled Doug. “The world is watching. Do not falter here, not in front of so many, and not when you have come so far. You represent one of the finest teams this world has ever known; take strength in that, and do them proud.”

Rather than take strength in Romulus’ words, though, Doug let the pressure get to him, giving a snappy retort. “Dude, I’m trying here!” Doug shot back, taking a few deep breaths and shaking his three heads back and forth to clear any doubt that remained. Eventually, he managed to steel his resolve and frowned at Romulus. “Okay… I’m ready.”

“Then show me,” Romulus said, spreading his forelegs and lowering his head.

Seeing that the two were done talking, Revane gave the call to begin. Romulus tensed but didn’t attack, letting Doug take the first move and prepared to respond accordingly. Without warning, Doug suddenly let his construct fall into a pile of dirt, sand and pebbles, to which he then used Earth Power to shoot the ground forward in a large wave of earth toward the Houndoom.

Assessing the path of the earth wave, Romulus broke into a run to the side, hastily running out of its shadow until he had eyes on Doug again, and struck back with a Dark Pulse, to which Doug responded by Digging into the ground, letting the wave pass over him harmlessly. The Dugtrio then got to work in tunnelling toward Romulus in a zig zag manner, popping up under him with a Sucker Punch before disappearing back into the ground again.

Romulus’ reaction speed was impressive, seeing Doug emerge and jumping away just before he could land the full hit - still suffering a glancing blow but not as severe as it might have. He stared at the ground, eyes narrowed, listening and waiting…

Then, as Doug was about to emerge again, he jumped away once more, and exhaled a Flamethrower near where he was about to emerge, surprising Doug with a wave of fire waiting for him when he popped out. Doug yelped as the flames licked him, forcing him under the ground again and away from the hole so he wouldn’t get burned any further.

The Dugtrio then decided to put his tectonic skills to work. He concentrated as hard as he could before unleashing the most potent Magnitude attack he could; Magnitude 10! Very soon the ground started to shake violently from Doug’s attack, affecting the arena as a whole as Doug practically shook Romulus as hard as he could. Romulus though was already off in a run, his body igniting as he did, accelerating with Flame Charge, and using the attack repeatedly to evade the cracks formed by Magnitude.

To see the Houndoom in motion was like watching a fireball, his entire body engulfed in flames and getting faster, and running in a wide circle around Doug before attacking again - this time, exhaling a Smog attack to create a large cloud of poisonous gas to rush across the field, concealing himself and forcing Doug to stay hidden so as not to be affected by the Smog attack.

Doug felt for the Houndoom’s footsteps as he moved around the arena, but he was moving so fast and was so light-footed that he couldn’t get a proper bead on him. Doug started to get a little frustrated until he remembered the terrain they were on, and he started to get an idea.

“If I can’t go to you… Then I’ll make you come to me.”

Everything on the surface seemed quiet, the smog cloud still hanging low over the ground and continuing to obscure Romulus from sight. The Houndoom then started feeling the ground shaking again, but to a much lesser degree this time, but with that shaking, the ground under him suddenly became softer and was angling toward the center of the arena, catching him in a large Sand Tomb attack with Doug at the center of it.

Romulus, despite his efforts, was caught in the Sand Tomb, unable to pull away as the sandy funnel drew him in before he had time to back away. He growled in frustration, but kept his composure, throwing back his head and eliciting a howl that was signature to his use of Sunny Day. The sunlight overhead intensified, bathing the arena in light and heat at his call.

Then, Romulus’ mouth opened to reveal a Solarbeam, and he fired it directly at the center of the sand funnel; the resulting explosion sent up a pillar of sand that launched Romulus back out of the pit, flipping in midair until he landed on his feet.

“Close call,” he muttered.

Seeing his tactic fail, Doug ceased his Sand Tomb and levelled the arena again before popping back up, looking at Romulus intently. “Damnit. That usually works…” He remarked, looking down slightly. “Guess my usual stunts aren’t cutting it with you.”

Romulus looked squarely at Doug. “You seem to have forgotten I live in a desert,” he commented. “Most of the opponents I have faced in my life are of the Ground-type - including the notorious bandit, Sandjaw. Many of those sand-based tactics are well-known to me.”

Doug then recalled when he and others of Team Phalanx and Kama were sent to Blackcoast City to apprehend escaped prisoners of the Siphon Prison, particularly when Sandjaw nearly tried to drown Hank and Howler when they were hunting him down.

“Yea, I… guess I shoulda known better.” He admitted sheepishly. “Alright then. I’ll have to change things up a bit.”

With that, he called upon his powers once more, this time creating a construct of sand, pebbles and dirt and molding it into a large, solid bipedal structure, with Doug’s three heads at the top. The Construct then raised its arm and went to slam down on Romulus with a thunderous crash. With the speed from repeated Flame Charges, Romulus raced out of the path of the attack, skidding across the sand before he doubled back, and ran at Doug from the side.

Doug expected Romulus was going to try another Solarbeam, but he didn’t… He just charged, horns down, running, going straight for the leg of Doug’s construct… Doug tried to move, but Romulus was too close, too fast…

CRACK!

The sound filled the arena, as Romulus bulled through the leg of Doug’s stone body like a missile, smashing through the joint and sending stones and fragments scattering in all directions.

“Did he just run through Doug’s leg?!” Neilla demanded, her jaw falling open in disbelief.

“Y-Yea.. He did!” Luke answered. “No hesitation or risk of injuring himself… He just bulled right through him…!”

After running through Doug’s leg and causing him to stumble, Romulus skidded to a stop and doubled back again, growling as his forepaws became engulfed in dark energy, as he charged again, throwing himself at the stumbled construct and landing upon the top, looming right over Doug.

He brought his glowing paws down on Doug, striking with Foul Play, turning Doug’s own power back on him; Doug shrieked from the attack, causing his focus to stumble and making his construct falter and crumble apart. The two of them fell, but not before Doug tried a Mud Slap attempt with the falling debris around him. Romulus had no way to avoid the attack, with his legs currently in midair; all he could do was brace himself and shut his eyes as the wads of mud bombarded him, splatting against his body.

With his opponent’s eyes closed, Doug grinned. When they hit the ground, Doug used every last ounce of his power to launch a new attack, one he had never displayed before. The ground under Romulus suddenly began to crack and slowly split apart, creating a Fissure in the arena right under the Houndoom’s feet.

Romulus opened his eyes, seeing the fissure opening beneath him. He acted fast, twisting his body to the side and exhaling an Overheat; the flames came out in a whoosh, like the propulsion from a rocket. Romulus was pushed to the side, narrowly evading the fissure and rolling away safely.

Doug cursed, left panting and exhausted after performing such a strenuous attack. His three heads slumped slightly, growling in frustration after watching his ace in the hole fail in doing what it was intended to do.

“C-Crap…”

“Good try,” Romulus commented as he stood again. “But this is where it ends,” he stated before blasting Doug with another Dark Pulse.

Doug didn’t have the strength nor the time to duck into the ground. He took the Dark Pulse attack and was sent skidding backward along the ground as a result before he came to a stop, where his head slumped forward and his hardhats fell off his head in a jumble before him.

“Winner!” Revane called. “The match goes to Romulus, Captain of Team Phobia!”

Up in the stands, the rest of Team Valiant let out a resounding sigh of disappointment. They figured that Doug would put up a decent fight, and he certainly did his best, but deep down they knew that Romulus would take this battle by storm, even with Doug’s typing and field advantage.”

“He certainly did his best…” Katsu remarked with a small nod.

“Yea, points for trying, but… damn, he got cooked,” Hank added.

“I guess his knowledge of the earth and his type advantage couldn’t compete with Romulus’ wealth of combat experience…” Luke added.

“Like Romulus himself said, he lives in a desert,” remarked Lashanne. “There isn’t much Doug could do that he hasn’t seen before.”

“Still, you’d think that construct of his would have given him a leg up against him,” Minato commented. “But seeing Romulus move like that… He’s faster than he lets us believe… No wonder Torolf had such a hard time against him.”

“Age certainly hasn’t slowed him down,” added Lashanne, nodding. Then, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, spotting a Persian walking over.

“Hey, what I miss?” Toby asked, before he looked at the field. “Ah… Romulus won?”

“Yep.”

“Sorry for Doug there,” the Persian remarked, turning until his eyes found Caulin. “Aha! Was hoping I’d get to see you this time,” he said, smiling.

Caulin, having not been present when Toby came before, did not immediately recognize the Persian. Caulin looked at him in a confused manner, tilting his head a bit before it clicked as to who the Persian was.

“Toby??” He asked, incredulous.

“Got it on the first try,” the Persian replied with a grin.

“Holy crap, man! Look at you!” Caulin exclaimed, quickly hugging the Persian tightly. “We said for you not to be a stranger, but jeez.”

“Eh, in my defense, I kinda lost my ability to write once I became a quadruped again,” Toby remarked with a shrug. “Stick-handling is an acquired skill, and one I’m still working on - can you imagine writing with your mouth?” He added with a snicker. “Anyway, saw your match against the thunder kitty there,” he gestured to Koa, standing behind Caulin. “You put on quite a show.”

Caulin looked back at Koa and smiled fondly at him. “We sure did.” He said with a wink in Koa’s direction. “Fighting him was loads of fun. I’m looking forward to a rematch~” he added.

Toby chuckled and looked at Koa. “Come a long way, haven’t you, kiddo? Still doing the cowboy motif, I see?” he added, looking Koa up and down, regarding the duster he wore. “Just missing the hat… Didn’t lose it, I hope?”

“Left in room,” Koa replied, pointing back toward the stairs. “Blows off easily when moving.”

Toby nodded. “Yeah, makes sense.”

“We’ll find some way to make it stay on your head while you’re fighting,” Caulin assured the Zeraora, leaning into him fondly. “Somehow.”

“Have you considered a drawstring?” Lashanne commented, looking at Caulin and pantomiming with her paws, like she were grabbing two ends of a string and pulling it up toward her chin. “They call those Diggers Hats; they’re somewhat like the one you gave Koa. Maybe we can add one on to it.”

“...Huh. That’s not a bad idea.” Caulin agreed, nodding a few times. “Yea I can see that working. Good thinking, mom~!”

The final two numbers were called by King Calyrex, but to the teams present it was no surprise as to who the final two competitors were for this round. Slowly, Wade and Hageshi rose from their seats and began making their way down to the arena, with their friends and family wishing them luck as they passed by. Wade of course smiled and thanked them for their support, but Hageshi, ever being the cold and stoic type, merely ignored their support and made his way past them wordlessly.

It was at that point that Hank looked around, his face full of confusion as he looked almost everywhere in their general area before asking. “...Hey, anyone seen Froggie?”

Katsu and Luke looked around themselves, only to find that sure enough, Kage wasn’t among them. Luke then started looking around the rest of the crowd, before he paused and pointed up to where Calyrex was sitting. “Look. He’s up there with…” He paused again, making sure he was seeing things correctly. “...Lord.. Hizashi??”

Following where the two were looking, Volcan peered over to the special guest box, and to his surprise he found that they were right. He saw the Greninja standing next to the elder Samurott, together as though they were old friends. “What the heck is he doing up there?” the Blaziken asked.

“If I know the Shogun as well as I remember… I would say he only invited Kage to sit with him in order to discuss something with him. I do not believe he would view Kage as a ‘friend’ in that sense of the word.” Katsu remarked.

“Which could only mean that my initial reason for him being here is all but dead on the money…” Luke commented. “He’s here because of Wade.”

“You really think so?” Lashanne asked. “Why come all this way, to the other side of the world, for one Samurott? I get Wade is kind of special, being Palkia’s Blessed and all… But that still seems a stretch, don’t you think?”

“Katsu, you were there when Wade convinced Hizashi to get involved in the final battle. What did he do that could have earned Hizashi’s interest?” Luke asked his comrade.

Katsu cleared his throat. “Well, when Miss Jora’s approach did not sway the Shogun, Wade took it upon himself to, dare I say… educate him on the severity of the situation.” He explained. “Wade was uncouth, disrespectful in his approach, calling the Shogun out for being complacent and calling his leadership into question. Only after Wade showed him proof of Calhoun’s devastation did the Shogun finally believe us.”

Luke grimaced slightly. “Kage’s rubbed off on him more than I’d like to admit…”

“To quote what young Wade said after negotiations had ended: ‘My master was Kage. He taught me everything I know, including how to call out ignorance when I see it.’” Katsu recited.

“Oookay? But that still doesn’t explain why he’s here fer the kid specifically.” Hank pointed out.

“Something tells me we’re going to find out one way or another…” Minato remarked ominously. “And I don’t think we’re going to like what it’ll imply…”

Up in the stands, Kage sat silently alongside Lord Hizashi, keeping his gaze down on the arena as he waited for the final two combatants to arrive at the arena. As he stared at the arena, his thoughts reflected on the conversation he had with the Shogun the previous night, further confirming his suspicions as to why he was here in the first place.

“Your suspicions are correct.” The Shogun’s words echoed in his mind. “I am here purely for the young Samurott named Wade… but it is not for the reason you may think.”

“Enlighten me…”

“During the battle against the Dark One, your offspring freed me from one of the Ultrabeast’s control… He stopped me from taking my own life, stating the ramifications of what would happen should I not return from the battle… His words left me pondering for a long time after I returned to Maelstrom Isle, and I came to realize that I am in need of an heir… Someone who will take up the mantle of Shogun once my time to step down has come.”

“Then get someone else to provide you with an heir. Surely you have a mistress or two that could provide you with a successor.”

“No. It must be young Wade…. When the other Samurott and the harlot failed to prove their case to me, that young Samurott stood against me, calling out my supposed complacency, and further calling my leadership into question. He was insolent. He did not mince words… but underneath that insolence, he showed the capacity to take charge and lead, and upon further introspection… I feel that is what my nation needs: A leader, not a ruler.”

Kage closed his eyes, taking in the weight of what the Shogun’s words meant before sighing to himself. He understood the situation Hizashi was in, but he also knew the Shogun could not enforce his line of thinking on Wade. The decision had to be Wade’s alone, and it was a decision that he was unsure if Wade could make on his own…

Before long, the two combatants finally appeared in the arena below. Wade had his sights set on Hageshi as they stepped toward the center to be greeted by the announcer, with the cloaked Greninja returning the firm gaze in kind. As the announcer introduced them, the Samurott’s gaze shifted off to the left and up toward the higher balconies, where he found Shogun Hizashi and Kage sitting together in the elder Samurott’s specialized booth. Both of their gazes were firmly set on the two of them, and it filled Wade with a sense of unease that they expected quite a lot from him, especially the elder Samurott.

Wade was brought back to reality when he saw the announcer retreat to the safety of the sidelines out of the corner of his eye, and his gaze was brought back to look straight at Hageshi once more, who never took his eyes off of his opponent once throughout the entire introduction session. They stared intently at one another for another long moment, waiting until the crowd’s cheers died down enough so they could hear each other speak, and it would be Wade that broke the silence between them, starting with a light smirk.

“Guess we’re finally here then.” He said, lifting himself up on his hind legs to stand upright before Hageshi. “I suppose it was inevitable that we’d finally have to settle our rivalry at some point.”

“Indeed…” Hageshi returned stoically. “I won’t deny that you’ve grown much throughout the course of the war, both before and during the conflict with Calhoun… Father is indeed very proud to see the kind of man you’ve become…”

“Praise? Coming from you?” Wade said jokingly. “Is the world coming to an end once more?”

“That being said…” Hageshi interjected, silencing Wade and causing him to lose his smirk. “This battle is more than just a means to settle our rivalry… This battle will serve as my final test in order to prove myself worthy of properly carrying out Kyurem’s will…” He concluded.

Wade narrowed his eyes suspiciously at that statement. “…Hageshi, you’ve already proven yourself worthy by befriending Kyurem and earning the right to call upon his power, just as I have by befriending Palkia and earning the right to use his.” He pointed out. “You’re not making a lot of sense. What more do you have to prove to him?”

“As you’re aware, each of the Legendary Pokémon of the world represent an aspect of existence that is essential for life to flourish as long as it has.” Hageshi began. “Creation. Destruction. Space. Time. Land. Water. Sky. Life. Death. Order. Truth. Ideals. All of these aspects, and their respective sub-aspects, play a part in sustaining life as we know it… but there is one key aspect that must be maintained to preserve that life…”

He then lifted his hand in front of his face, generating a small cold wind around his hand before he clenched it tightly, uttering one single word afterward. “…Balance.”

“…Hageshi…” Wade remarked in a tone of warning. “…Where are you going with this?”

“Kyurem is the Deity of Emptiness; a being that represents balance to the highest degree. As his chosen Blessed, it falls upon my shoulders to ensure that balance is maintained in his place.” The Greninja began once more. “Calhoun and his forces disrupted that delicate balance, and by defeating him it was restored… but as I said, that balance is delicate. All it takes is one hard enough push in either direction to upset that balance and throw the world into chaos once again.”

His gaze hardened into a stern glare. “That can never be allowed to happen again… The balance must never be disrupted by neither good nor evil. If I am to fulfill my duty, I have to be impartial. I cannot take a side in favour of one point of view. If I am to be worthy of fulfilling Kyurem’s will, I must be able to do whatever it takes…”

Wade started to catch onto what Hageshi was referring to, his own gaze hardening into a stern glare of his own. “…Even taking out those that you consider your friends? Your family?” He asked.

“If that’s what it takes…” Hageshi answered without a single hint of remorse in his tone. “Light can’t exist without darkness. Good can’t exist without evil. For the world to know true peace, balance must be preserved.”

“The balance is being preserved, Hageshi,” Wade stated firmly, clenching his paws at his sides. “Calhoun is no more. The Guilds have rebuilt all that was destroyed by his forces. Giratina no longer poses a threat to the world.”

“There is a phrase that I once heard during our time apart,” Hageshi returned. “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The Guilds right now are a power that preserves order and balance… but who’s to say that one day, the Guilds will not become the world’s greatest threat? Who will be the ones to stop them, should they turn rogue?”

“That won’t happen. There are those within the Guilds that would never turn their backs on society. Just look at Luke from Team Valiant, or Volcan from Team Phalanx. They’ve dedicated their lives to ensuring that people like Calhoun never rise again, and if they do, they’ll fight tooth and claw to put them back in their place.” The Samurott argued. “You’re misconstruing the meaning behind Kyurem’s place in the universe… And if you think for a second that I’m going to let you abandon everything you’ve become, then I’ll do whatever it takes to remind you of who you really are…”

“And if you think for a second that I will let you stop me, then I will do whatever it takes to remove whatever obstacle stands in my way…” Hageshi retorted. “Even if the obstacle is my lifelong rival…”

“Anyone else getting the sense that some very deep conversation is happening down there?” Lashanne asked.

“I don’t know… But I can feel the audience getting impatient, even if they’re being quiet for now,” said Volcan, looking over his shoulder. “I hope whatever those two are talking about is finishing soon…”

“I don’t know, guys,” said Neilla. “I think Lashanne’s right… I don’t know what they might be talking about but whatever it is, I can see it in their body language… It’s intense.”

“If a conversation is that deep… It’s probably philosophical,” Lashanne remarked. “These two are more than just rivals of combat, it seems. They’re rivals of ideals too.”

A silence fell over the arena. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Most of the spectators couldn’t quite understand what was going on, but those that knew Wade and Hageshi could tell that this battle was going to be a lot more intense than they expected.

To Kage though, it was as if he were watching his student and his son having their first ever sparring match as their respective pre-evolved forms, with himself serving as the mediator of their duel. He watched as the two of them exchanged their first set of blows after Revane gave the signal to begin before backing away from each other, then in another flash, the Greninja saw them skidding to a halt in their respective middle stage evolutions, glaring at each other intently before they started running toward each other. In that instance, he returned to reality, watching his son and his pupil dashing toward each other, now fully grown men, fully evolved Pokémon, each of them bearing the powers of Gods that complemented their own skill sets… ready to settle their rivalry once and for all, and to prove to each other whose ideology was superior.

The two of them leapt toward each other as they met in the middle, clashing with all their might and causing the sand below them to be blown toward the outer walls of the arena. They then pushed away from each other before their feet touched the ground, then rushed back to each other and entered a lightning fast skirmish of fists and feet. The two seemed to be on even ground for a time, but Hageshi was quickly able to gain an advantage by feinting a strike that forced Wade to lift his paw to block it, only for Hageshi to grab it in his hand and force Wade to weave a sign with him.

Noticing this, Wade quickly jerked his paw out of Hageshi’s grasp and went for a backhanded swing, but Hageshi quickly ducked under it and palm struck Wade in the cheek, causing him to recoil and allowing Hageshi to grab his hand and force him to weave another sign with him. The Greninja then pulled Wade to one knee and kicked him twice, once in the head, once in the sternum, before leaping onto his shoulder and jumping away from him. He then created a large Ice Shuriken in his hand and hurled it back down at Wade as he rose into the air.

Wade quickly jumped back to his feet and dashed backward before the Shuriken made contact, shattering into several hundreds of shards as it hit the ground. Wade then noticed the shards started hovering in the air and shot toward him like a swarm of Combee, leaving Wade no choice but to bring his arms in front of him and block the shards that barrelled into him. Some dug into his flesh, but thanks to his Shell Armour ability, he was saved from any lasting damage they would leave on him, and with a roar, he flexed his muscles and expelled the shards from his body just in time to engage in another skirmish with Hageshi as he approached.

During their fight, Wade kept trying to weave a sign, but Hageshi was relentless in his assault. Every time he saw the Samurott try to weave a sign, he punished him with a combo of punches that forced Wade back into the skirmish and kept him on the defensive. Eventually Hageshi kicked Wade with enough force to send him flying back, but that gave the Samurott the opening he needed to finally weave his sign. Three doubles of himself appeared behind him and caught him before he hit the opposite wall, then when he was back on his feet, he grabbed at two of the double’s arms and hurled them one after the other at the Greninja, then hurled the third immediately after.

Hageshi quickly evaded the first double that came his way, then lashed out and kicked the second to the side as he dodged that one. The third however, managed to zip past him and graze his leg, causing the Greninja to stumble just enough for the real Wade to tackle into him full tilt, resulting in the two of them tumbling along the ground for a bit before Wade managed to grab Hageshi by the ankles and leap into the air, throwing his arms forward and hurling Hageshi into the opposite wall as hard as he could.

Hageshi grunted from the impact, the wall spider webbing from how hard he crashed into it. He then managed to recover just in time to see Wade leap into the air and prepare his Water Shuriken attack, letting out a roar as he hurled the attack as hard as he could once it was finished.

Everything happened so quickly it was hard to process all at once. In the span of a second, Hageshi flashed his eyes up at Wade, and then they had swapped places with each other, with Hageshi being up in the air out of harm’s way, and Wade back where Hageshi was, right in front of his own attack!

“Damnit!!” Was all Wade could exclaim, quickly drawing a Seamitar and using it to block the initial strike of the Shuriken, but fell victim to the ensuing explosion afterward, trapping him in a torrential blast of water that knocked him about like a ragdoll before he was ultimately thrown to another part of the arena, skidding to a halt face down in the sand. Hageshi landed with his back to the downed Samurott, scoffing as he stood tall and looking back at him over his shoulder.

~~~~~

“And I thought Sol and Luna’s fight was intense!” Volcan exclaimed. “These two are going at it as if the fate of the world is on the line!”

“Have they always been like this?’ Lashanne directed the question to Luke

“Their rivalry has always been a pretty intense one, but this…” Luke trailed off, narrowing his eyes slightly. “This is far more savage than anything I could imagine from them. Volcan’s right. It’s as if they’re fighting over the fate of the world or something…”

“What the heck could drive them to go this crazy over a tournament match?” Neilla asked.

“Uh… Do I need to make a kettle and pot comparison here?” Sickle asked from his seat, earning a glare from Neilla.

~~~~~

Hageshi flinched when he saw Wade suddenly disappear into a puff of smoke, leaving behind a Pokedoll in his place. He then felt a shadow loom over him, turning to see one of Wade’s doubles had managed to sneak up on him with his Seamitars drawn, bringing them down on the Greninja the second their eyes met. Thankfully, Hageshi’s reflexes saved him from a devastating blow from the Samurott, ducking to the side before the blades could connect and running off to another part of the arena, only to be jumped by the other two doubles of Wade.

They all began swinging their swords in a coordinated manner, forcing Hageshi on the defensive. Every time he dodged, another would move in to pressure the Greninja, but try as they might, Hageshi was just too nimble and agile for them to properly connect with. At one point, the Greninja managed to jump over one of the doubles trying to run at him, pushing him down into the ground with his hand while he split-kicked the other two moving in from his flanks, sending them staggering backward. Then, when the double he forced to the ground turned to try and counterattack, Hageshi swiftly kicked him in the jaw, sending him up into the air and onto his back.

Just as the double fell, the real Wade appeared in its place, head pointed forward in an attempt to nail him with a Megahorn attack from the spearpoint of his Shellmet. Again, Hageshi’s reflexes proved too quick for Wade to take advantage of, and Hageshi managed to bring both arms up to block the attack, then spun and kicked him over his head before the Samurott could recover.

“Damnit…!” Wade growled as he skidded to a halt, then he flinched as he felt something cold breeze behind him. Just as he stood up, his back connected with a wall of ice, as did the other three doubles of Wade, and before they could react, the walls of ice suddenly pushed them back toward Hageshi, who had his arms held out with a cold mist swirling around them.

“...Glacial Skewershell…”

A thick, cold mist suddenly surrounded Hageshi as he tapped into a portion of Kyurem’s power, then the mist suddenly solidified into a spiky barrier that jutted out from multiple points around his body. The four Samurotts limbs were impaled on the spikes that they were being pushed into by the ice walls behind them, making each of them lurch and tense up from the multiple wounds they had endured, rendering them immobile. The three doubles of Wade dissolved into water that splashed all around Hageshi, but the real Wade managed to save himself from being skewered by tapping into a portion of Palkia’s powers to create a portal that redirected the spikes that were an immediate danger to him to another portion of the arena.

With a roar, he brought his arms up over his head and went for a double sledgehammer strike with his fists, forcing Hageshi to retreat just before the point of impact, causing Wade to hit the ground instead. In that instance, Wade fully transformed into his Blessed State and began making portals all around Hageshi, then he threw his arms and legs through each portal one at a time for an attempt at a strike on the Greninja. The first couple of hits managed to connect, but Hageshi was quick to adapt and leapt into the air after the fifth strike, throwing his arms forward and discharging a massive Blizzard down at Wade in an attempt to bury him in a mound of ice and snow.

Wade responded in kind by opening up another portal, this one leading to the outskirts of Gladiator City. The Blizzard attack was sent through the portal harmlessly, sparing Wade the fate of being barraged by the attack. However, he flinched as Hageshi appeared behind him, striking him with a heavy backhand before the Samurott could react and sending him skidding along the sand until he recovered. When he looked up, he flinched again as he saw Hageshi was now clad in his own Blessed Form, preparing three of his Glacial Javelins around him, all of which he hurled at Wade one after the other in rapid succession.

Wade responded in kind by rearing his blades back and swinging them as the Javelins grew closer, launching a double Spatial Rend attack to completely disintegrate the attacks into atoms. Once again he felt Hageshi appear behind him, but this time he was ready for it. The second he felt his opponent behind him, he quickly flipped his right blade into a reverse grip and swung the point backward. At the same time, Hageshi had created an Ice Blade and thrust it toward Wade.

The two met in a stalemate. Hageshi’s blade held against Wade’s throat, with Wade’s blade going through Hageshi’s head as if he impaled him, yet there was no blood or any signs of a wound present, indicating to Wade that Hageshi’s move, while never seen before, was still a Ghost Type attack, which rendered his normal attacks useless…

“...Doesn’t this scene look familiar…” Wade remarked with a slight smirk.

“...You counted on my Protean Ability…” Hageshi answered coldly. “Still as soft and naive as ever…”

~~~~~

Neilla, having been watching the fight closely from start to finish, “I think we’re about to see these two really go all-out,” she said.

“You mean they’ve been holding back?!” Volcan exclaimed, incredulous.

“No… But I get the sense they still haven’t shown their full hands yet,” the Lopunny replied.

~~~~~

The two backed off from each other, both of them still holding their respective weapons at their sides as they stared each other down. Eventually, Hageshi broke their silence with a single scoff before speaking up.

“You still don’t see the bigger picture…” He remarked stoically to Wade. “Your naivety is preventing you from fully grasping what I’m trying to achieve… Sooner or later, the balance will shift to one side, and it falls onto me to bring it back to its center, regardless of whatever consequences might befall me…”

“I don’t disagree with you on that fact. My point is that by going down this path, you’re essentially returning to your old ways!” Wade argued. “Think about it! You used to fight for your own twisted sense of justice until Shisio disowned you after what you pulled at Hadleigh. You changed after that, claiming that you saw the error of your ways and forsook your old methods of fighting crime, especially after you became Kyurem’s Blessed! Now you’re here proclaiming that you’re fighting to preserve the balance, and yet at the same time, you speak of potentially murdering those you feel would be responsible for upsetting what you perceive as ‘the balance!’”

Wade glared intensely back at the Greninja before him. “Is this really what Kyurem wants from you…? Or is this your own twisted ideology that you’ve either misconstrued as Kyurem’s will, or are using as a cover to hide your true intentions.. Because the Hageshi I know would never go so far just to appease some god like a devout fanatic.”

“Enough…” Hageshi stated in a firmer tone, shattering his weapon with a clench of his hand before slowly lifting his hands in front of his face, forming a seal with them. “You babble on and on like a crying child… I’m getting sick of hearing your arguments.” He said as he started to levitate into the air, a cold breeze soon formed around him that quickly picked up into a torrential snow storm, forcing Wade to shield himself with his arm as the torrentially cold wind picked up.

“We both wield the power of Gods, but my connection to Kyurem runs deeper than yours or any other Blessed that came before me… That makes me the most powerful among them by default.” The Greninja stated as the wind started chilling the air around him to near sub-zero temperatures. “Let me show you… the gap in our prowesses…”

The air around Hageshi started to solidify into chunks of solid ice that all came together around him, acting as a sort of shell that looked as if it were meant to protect him from every angle. However, with a flash of his eyes, the ice suddenly started morphing into a glacial construct of his own design, and when it was finished, Hageshi floated suspended within the head of what could only be described as a life size construct of Kyurem himself, with clouds of icy dust hovering around it as it completely solidified into a physical form.

~~~~~

“What the fuck?!” Volcan exclaimed, his horrified shock matched by his friends around them.

“That… Looks like Kyurem!” Lashanne exclaimed, eyeing the construct created by the young Greninja. “Did Hageshi summon him? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“That’s not Kyurem…!” Minato exclaimed, just as much in shock as everyone else. “Hageshi’s used his powers to create a construct that looks like him…!”

“It’s… just like Doug’s ability.” Luke breathed softly. “Did he secretly take inspiration from him?”

~~~~~

Wade stared up in utter shock and awe at what his opponent had managed to create. It was almost as if he were looking at the real Kyurem himself, save for the visage of his rival suspended within the head of the massive avatar. The Samurott quickly shook his head to break out of his stupor, regaining his senses and furrowing his brow as he held his swords at the ready.

Then, Revane’s voice chimed in. “Foul!” the Dusknoir called as he rematerialized. “Outside help is not permitted, even for the Blessed! Kyurem must be sent away immediately or you will be disqualified,” he said to Hageshi.

Hageshi turned to look down at Revane, not giving him much thought but speaking up in his defense regardless. “This is not actually Kyurem…” He stated firmly. “This is the result of my bond with Kyurem… using my Blessed power to mold a construct into a shape I deem fitting.” He added, then leered down at Revane dangerously. “It’s no different than what that Dugtrio did, yet you did not call foul on him… If you want to play that card, then he should have been disqualified for using the elements of the arena itself as an outside source of help…”

“The Dugtrio created a body for himself; the body and himself were still one entity. This,” he gestured to the Kyurem construct, “by all appearances, seems to be a separate entity entirely.”

“If it were, then it would have corroborated with what you are saying.” Hageshi countered. “This construct has yet to say anything to either refute or accept your claim, because it can’t. It’s of my own creation, and responds only to my will.”

Revane looked between Hageshi and the construct again for a moment before he spoke again. “Stand by,” he said before disappearing.

The Dusknoir was only gone for a moment before he reappeared, appearing slightly annoyed. “As this construct displays no signs of consciousness of its own, it is determined to be within the rules of the tournament,” he stated. “Proceed.”

With that, the Dusknoir vanished once again, and Hageshi and Wade were free to resume their battle. Wade sighed and turned his attention back to his opponent, steeling his resolve and holding his blades up in readiness for the next round.

Seeing his opponent take up his arms and prepare for the next round, Hageshi made the first move. With a wave of his hand, he commanded the avatar of Kyurem to unleash a mighty Blizzard attack as his opening move. In response, Wade quickly swung one of his swords and retaliated with a Spatial Rend attack, creating a tear in the fabric of space that sent the Blizzard attack into another dimension. However, in doing so, he failed to notice the icy clouds that hung around the Kyurem avatar were now hovering around him, and by the time he noticed them, it was far too late to react.

With a flash of his eyes, Hageshi commanded the clouds to solidify into a prison that held the Blessed Samurott suspended within its confines. Hageshi then commanded the Kyurem construct to launch an even more powerful Glaciate attack, catching the frozen Samurott in a literal tornado of sub-zero wind and ice, throwing him about like a ragdoll and even causing the prison around him to shatter as a result.

Wade was unable to properly conjure a portal to escape the torrentially cold wind. Not even his Blessed powers could protect him from the never-ending onslaught. That being said, the Samurott wasn’t out of the fight just yet, and while he couldn’t save himself from the unrelenting barrage with his Blessed powers, he still had his own abilities at his disposal. He quickly weaved a sign and created several doubles of himself with Double Team, to which they all linked paws and allowed themselves to be spun with the current of the tornado they were trapped in.

Then, half of the doubles released the others, along with the original body. The sheer momentum from all of that spinning caused them to shoot out of the glacial tornado like bolts fired from a crossbow right toward Hageshi’s construct. They ploughed into the Kyurem Avatar with Megahorn attacks, causing it to stumble backward slightly from the consecutive hits it took. From there, they didn’t waste a single moment in splitting up, one third of them darting off to the left, one third to the right, and the rest back to the ground below.

The groups on the left and right began charging up Spatial Shurikens in their paws, releasing them when they were ready to fire. In response, Hageshi called upon a shield of sub zero ice that took the brunt of the attacks, causing the ice to shatter, but saved him otherwise from damage. He then lashed out by commanding the Kyurem construct to unleash a Sheer Cold blast that froze all of the doubles of Wade solid in their tracks, causing them to fall to the ground and shatter into pieces upon contact.

Hageshi then focused his attention to the group on the ground, his eyes widening somewhat when he saw the doubles launching smaller Spatial Rend attacks that forced him to take to the air, while the original body was powering up a Hydro Cannon laced with Spatial energy at the tips of his swords. The Greninja scoffed as he went to discharge another Sheer Cold attack, but he was suddenly hit from below by a geyser of water and spatial energy, sending him careening up into the air. After righting himself and escaping the blast, Hageshi saw that the Hydro Cannon that Wade had prepared had a portal created in front of it, which linked to another that was created under the construct that he never even saw coming.

“...Damn you, Wade…” The Greninja muttered as his opponent and his doubles all rushed up into the air to engage with the large construct.

Try as they might though, the doubles of Wade couldn’t make any further headway in their current states. Hageshi had now adapted to the strategy Wade had employed, and once again had his opponent on the backfoot. Eventually Wade was without his doubles and he had exhausted most of his tactics and powers, while Hageshi still had his construct going strong despite the surprise hits he endured earlier.

“It’s as I said, Wade. The gap in our prowesses is too wide for you to overcome on your own.” Hageshi stated firmly at the exhausted Samurott. “Admit defeat and surrender. As it stands, you can’t even touch me.”

Wade slumped his shoulders slightly, looking as if he were about to admit defeat right then and there. However, he then started to chuckle slightly, causing Hageshi to narrow his eyes slightly before Wade responded in kind.

“True… As I am now, I’m no match for you.” Wade conceded, slowly lifting his gaze slightly to look back at his opponent. “With that being said, given how long we’ve known each other, you should already be aware of two traits about me.” He added, lifting up one digit. “One; I never quit, no matter the odds.” He said before lifting a second digit. “Two… I’m a quick study…”

Just then, power started to surge around Wade as he straightened up, his smirk fading into a serious glare as he stared down his opponent, creating shockwave after shockwave that pushed Hageshi’s construct back a fair bit. The power around Wade then started to grow and morph around him, and when it finished, Wade was now suspended in the head of a giant avatar of the God of Space himself, which let out a resounding roar that echoed for miles.

Hageshi was dumbfounded to say the least, wearing a shocked expression on his face as he witnessed Wade tap into the full potential of his Blessing and summon forth an avatar of the God he was partnered with. His shock gave way to disdain, unable to fathom how his rival managed to learn how to call upon such an advanced ability so quickly, and yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a mild sense of respect welling up within him… After all, he would expect no less from his rival.

“I suppose congratulations are in order for picking up on how to fully be one with your chosen Legendary.” Hageshi stated. “You picked up on something that took me months to fully master in a span of minutes… Credit where it’s due, you are indeed a prodigy Wade…”

Hageshi then lifted his arms up into the air, and a torrential gust of sub zero wind started forming around his Kyurem avatar, molding into a large solid spike of ice and snow, with several ice clouds spiraling rapidly around it as Hageshi held it over himself. “With that being said, this development changes nothing. You will fall to the combined might of mine and Kareem’s power, no matter how hard you struggle!”

Wade watched from within the head of his construct as Hageshi prepared his attack, letting out a long sigh as he quickly threw his arms out to the side as well. “Let’s do this, Kay!” He exclaimed.

“Right with you, kid!” Palkia exclaimed in his head. The avatar then threw its arms out and began forming two attacks in its claws. On its left was a massive Water Shuriken, while on its right was a Spatial Shuriken of equal size, both spinning rapidly as they were held at the ready.

Wade then lowered his arms and shot Hageshi a solemn expression. “Hageshi… I’ve known you since you and I started training under Shishio… You were always headstrong, yet confident in your own abilities. Despite your shortcomings, you were an inspiration for me to become a better swordsman… and when the day came where you finally acknowledged my potential and claimed you wished to settle our rivalry, I looked forward to that day with a smile on my face…”

His solemn expression then hardened into a stern glare. “Even now, I want to settle our rivalry, and I want to do so fairly…” He spoke as the construct of Palkia reared its arms back, ready to hurl both shurikens at his opponent. “But not today!! Not against the current you!!!” He roared as the construct hurled the shurikens as hard as it could, the two attacks spiraling around each other as they closed in.

In response, the construct of Kyurem fired the large spike of ice and snow, the attack spinning rapidly like a drill as it raced to meet the two massive shurikens head on.

‘Regardless of the result of this clash… This fight with you will undoubtedly be my last, Wade…’ Hageshi thought inwardly as he watched the two attacks close in on each other. ‘Glacial Fimbulwinter… Currently the strongest attack in my arsenal. Not even you can stop the destructive power of this attack.’ He added, lifting an arm in front of his face to shield himself as the attacks finally met, resulting in them melding together before suddenly expanding, catching both himself and Wade in the range of the incoming explosion. ‘So just lose…! JUST LOSE ALREADY!!!’

The multilayered orb of energy then exploded with the force of millions of Electrode all using Self Destruct all at once, causing the entire city to shake violently from the force of the explosion. Thankfully the city itself was out of the blast radius, but it was enough to cause a mild panic as the entire arena rocked violently as the explosion started to settle.

From the smoke and dust above, both Wade and Hageshi plummeted toward the arena below. Both of them rather tattered and beaten, with Wade having lost his top half and haori coat, and Hageshi losing his cloak from the pure destruction that occurred just seconds before. They both landed in a heap at opposite ends of the Colosseum, laying there unmoving for a good thirty seconds before they both stirred, forcing themselves back to their feet and staggering a bit as they struggled to stay standing.

The two were running on fumes now. Their Blessed forms relinquished, their strength and stamina all but gone, but despite that, they still looked at one another with a fierce determination, eager to settle this feud no matter what. Hageshi shakily lifted his arm up and used the last of his power to conjure a Glacial Javelin, gripping it tightly in his webbed hand.

“Let’s… end this…” Hageshi stated in a haggard, exhausted tone.

Wade stared back at his rival, seeing the lengths he was ready to go to in order to secure victory and prove his ideology right. He sighed and closed his eyes, subconsciously calling out to Palkia. ‘Kay… Thank you for all your help… I only ask for a little more of your power so that this madness can stop…’ He pleaded to his patron.

Palkia was silent for a moment, then Wade suddenly felt a small wave of energy flowing through his body, energizing him enough so that he had strength to move and conjure one final attack. ‘Go on kid… Give that bastard hell…’ Were Palkia’s last words before he truly fell silent.

With newfound resolve, Wade opened his eyes again and the two of them rushed toward one another. Wade held his paw next to him as he ran, trying to conjure one last Water Shuriken as he closed in on Hageshi. To help him concentrate, he pictured everyone he had encountered in his life that helped him get as far as he had in his life. His adoptive father, Luna. The friends he had made in Port Azure growing up, Luke and his teammates, as well as Volcan and his teammates.

The opponents he had faced leading up to and after his evolution. Luna’s mate, Nami, who taught him the fundamentals of conjuring Water Shuriken. His master, Kage, who had shaped him into the warrior he was now. Palkia, who he had earned his trust and friendship with and earned the right to use his power as his Blessed. Even Hageshi, his lifelong rival, for giving him the push he needed to pursue his goal of being the greatest Swordsman that ever lived.

Finally, Ray and Yaiba; his own wife and son. The family he had worked so hard to achieve with the woman he chose to spend the rest of his life with. With their image fading from his mind he opened his eyes again, a fully formed Water Shuriken now spinning rapidly in his paw right as he and Hageshi were on top of one another.

They roared at one another, slamming their attacks into each other and creating another spectacle of water and sub zero ice that scattered all around them, two opposing forces grinding hard into each other in an attempt to overpower each other, yet neither side wavered, only pushing even harder into their clash. Eventually, the two attacks exploded from the stress, blowing both Wade and Hageshi apart at breakneck speeds, causing them to each slam into opposite ends of the arena wall before falling flat on their faces, smoke billowing from their right arms from the backlash of their clash. Neither combatant moved from that point forward…

~~~~~

“A draw,” said Volcan, unable to believe the announcement as it came. “After a spectacle like that, I never would’ve imagined it could’ve ended until one of them dropped dead.”

“I kind of thought that was going to happen, the way they were going at it,” said Neilla. “I mean, damn, I thought I had been motivated to take on Luke. Those two had some tension to work out.”

“I have a feeling there’s more to it than that…” Luke remarked, narrowing his eyes as he watched the medics come down and carry them out of the arena. “The way Hageshi was going after Wade during that whole fight… It almost looked like he was trying to kill him…”

“I basically just said that,” Neilla pointed out, annoyed.

Lashanne stepped in. “Okay… That clearly left some tension for all of us too,” she said. “I think it’s time we call it a day. That was the last match for today anyway, and I have a hunch Romulus has some deliberation to do after that.”

“Yea, no kidding… seems like one contender might be getting a free pass to the quarterfinals,” Minato remarked jokingly.

Luke shot Minato a dirty look, though out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Kage and the Shogun quickly rise from their seats and rush down into an adjacent corridor, no doubt to check in on Wade and Hageshi and their conditions.

“Alright. Let’s be heading home then,” said Volcan, taking a moment to look down at the half-destroyed fighting ring. “I suspect we’re going to get an extra day while the crews fix this place for us.”

“Yea… it would seem so.” Luke answered, slowly tearing his gaze from the stands to look down at the ring. “And given how intense these fights were so far, we’ll probably need that extra day.”

“Agreed,” said Volcan, nodding, before glancing toward Ignus. “Come on son,” he said, putting his arm around Luke as he led them toward the stairs. “Let’s get back to grandma and grandpa’s place. I think I could use a home-cooked meal right about now.”

“That sounds great right about now,” Ignus agreed, feeling his stomach rumble.

Luminara was left speechless as the boys recounted the events of the day, culminating in the climactic finale between Wade and Hageshi. She had felt the disturbance caused by their fight from afar; the tremors and shockwaves had nearly taken out the mansion’s windows, and frightened Marilla. It had taken her some time to calm the Houndour pup down after the fact, but now she understood what had caused it…

“To think that they would go so far just to settle their rivalry…” Luminara breathed softly, gently stroking Marilla’s head as she held her daughter in her arms, the poor pup shivering in her mother’s grasp. “Clearly there was more going on beneath the surface… I’m surprised neither Romulus nor the sponsors tried to put a stop to it.”

“Revane nearly did,” Luke pointed out. “He tried to disqualify Hageshi for calling upon an avatar of Kyurem, but he argued that the avatar had no consciousness nor any form of sentience, and thus it was allowed.”

“Wade managed to make one too near the end, and that’s what caused the massive explosion earlier,” Ignus added.

“Evidently, you felt the effects of that battle even up here,” Volcan added, looking at Marilla. “That must have been so scary for you,” he said to the pup.

The Houndour whined in response, looking at him with a scared expression while snuggling closer to her mother. Luminara sighed softly, petting her head slowly to help her stay calm. “Perhaps we should change the subject.” She suggested. “Volcan, you and Minato seemed to have quite a bout yourselves. I do hope your victory hasn’t soured your friendship with him.”

Volcan shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. “We’ve had some battles where we went all-out in the past. I think we’ll move past this one too,” he said with a smile. “If anything, we both see it for what it was; a sign of just how far I’ve come as a fighter.”

He then looked at Luke. “And how about you and Neilla?” he asked. “I’ve never seen you two go at it like that before; she looked like she was really giving it her all in that fight.”

“She was. I wasn’t sure I was going to beat her, honestly. She’s improved a scary amount ever since our last bout,” Luke admitted.

“But you showed her, Papa!” Ignus barked excitedly. “You showed her that no one can beat you~!”

Luke chuckled nervously. “N-Now son, I’m anything but unbeatable. That fight could have gone either way, as will my next set of fights.”

Volcan chuckled. “And now his next opponent is one that’s just as motivated,” he said, “Sickle’s been waiting for a rematch for a while too, ever since he and Luke fought at Team Warmachine’s tournament.” Then he lost his smile. “And, then… I have to fight Sol, followed by-”

“Me.”

Volcan jumped slightly in his seat, looking over at the door as Romulus entered the room. “Y-Yes. I also have to fight grandpa if I manage to beat Sol.”

“I do not envy you one bit…” Luke muttered softly.

Luminara rose from her seat to greet Romulus as he walked in, noting the weary look on his face. “How’s the situation at the arena looking?” She asked while kneeling down to let Marilla greet her father.

Romulus, lowering himself onto his haunches, lifted a paw to rest atop Marilla’s head, running it down her back as she stepped closer to him. “Hectic,” he said. “I had a disagreement with the other hosts over the proceedings.”

“How so?” Luminara pressed. “What’s been going on?”

Romulus huffed. “The kings and the headmaster couldn’t agree on how to determine the outcome of the match between Wade and Hageshi,” he explained, “Talleon demanded that they both be disqualified, stating that the projected constructs of their patrons should be counted as outside assistance. Hizashi made a case that because Hageshi was the first to create a construct, he needlessly escalated the battle and therefore should be the one held responsible for endangering the arena spectators, and that Wade should be allowed to continue.”

“In the end, I had to bring Wade in on the subject,” Romulus continued. “Calyrex argued that he was not well enough to weigh in on his thoughts but I had no choice, so I had to ask Calyrex and Gallia to administer healing to give him a bit more energy. Wade agreed to withdraw from the tournament, and so the match will be declared a draw, as Revane determined before. Hizashi was not pleased, but I made my stance firm.”

Luminara narrowed her eyes curiously after hearing that. “I find it odd that the Shogun would be so passionate in defending Wade when he should stand to gain nothing from doing so,” she pointed out. “Wade isn’t representing Maelstrom Isle, so why go out of his way to vouch for him?”

“I am not sure,” said Romulus, “Regardless, the matter is settled. I have allowed both of them to save face, even if their battle rocked this entire city’s foundations.” He snarled as he shook his head, incredulously. “What in the world were they thinking?”

“…I’m not sure about the answer to the latter, but I have a theory as to the former.” Luke suddenly piped up. “And Katsumoto believes my theory could be on point.”

“And that is?” Romulus asked,

“Katsumoto believes that there’s absolutely no reason why Hizashi would sponsor this tournament unless he had something to gain from it,” Luke explained. “I’m of the same opinion, and I believe the only reason he would show up here is because he knew Wade would compete.” He went on, furrowing his brow. “He wants Wade for something, but I’m not sure why. That’s why he’d passionately vouch for him to be allowed to continue competing.”

Romulus scowled. “I invited him here to honour his role in the Dark Crusade, as well as to join us in commemorating Torolf,” he stated, growling. “I did not invite him to further some political agenda or find recruits for his retinue.”

“I think the best course of action might be to question his motives,” Luke suggested. “We’ll need to remain cordial about it though. If we come off as even remotely hostile, he might get defensive and possibly might lash out.”

Reining himself in, Romulus took a calming breath before nodding to Luke. “Maybe for the best… We will have to have a day off tomorrow while repairs are made to the arena, and the city’s construction crews have time to be sure there is no risk of damage from the tremors caused by the battle.”

“Then we’ll have plenty of time to approach Hizashi about his motives tomorrow.. and I have a good idea on where he’ll be,” Luke remarked. “If he’s willing to see anybody, at least.”

“Hey Grampa?” Ignus spoke up. “After you’re done with your business, you’ll show me a few tips, right?” He asked in a somewhat pleading manner.

At that, Romulus smiled. “Of course,” he said. “I suppose we’ll have time tomorrow, and the day after, since with Hageshi and Wade gone, I won’t have a match.”

Ignus beamed. “Aw heck yeah!” He howled excitedly.