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Sandjaw threw himself through the window as the Blaziken chased after him, narrowly missing the Krookodile. A second later, Volcan was out the window and springing after him, his long legs gaining ground on Sandjaw easily, with Sickle not far behind, keeping pace with the Blaziken.

"Geez, do you creeps ever quit?!" Sandjaw shouted back to them.

They had been chasing Sandjaw for several minutes, the cowardly Krookodile ducking into every alley and using everything he could find to stall them.

Volcan was quickly in pursuit, leaping out the window followed by Sickle. "Give up Sandjaw! You can't outrun us!" The Blaziken declared.

"I can try!" The Krookodile shouted, making a beeline toward an empty flower garden and making a dolphin dive into it.

Volcan and Sickle had_almost_caught him before the last inch of his tail disappeared below the loose soil, and pulled back as some of the dirt came up and flicked into their faces, causing Volcan to sneeze and Sickle to spit out a pebble. Seconds later, Blaster appeared, coming around the other side a building at the corner, winded from running.

"Dang it! Where'd he go?" The Blastoise asked.

"He's gone underground," replied Sickle.

Volcan put a finger to his ear, pressing into the transmit button for his earpiece. "Doug, do you read? Sandjaw just went underground; can you track him?"

"Already on it!"_The Dugtrio replied quickly, already sensing the vibrations in the earth where Sandjaw was tunneling through and giving chase after him."Feels like he's heading East. I'll try and make him surface at the nearest soft spot! You guys try to get ahead and ambush him when I nail him!"_

"Keep feeding us directions - we're on our way!" Volcan returned. "Come on guys!"

"Blaster, do the thing!" Sickle ordered.

Blaster turned his back to the west, dropping onto his belly and withdrawing into his shell. There, Sickle leapt onto his back, bracing himself as water burst forth from the cannons. The water pressure propelled the Blastoise up the street at remarkable speed with the Grovyle surfing atop him. Volcan ran after them in full sprint, more than able to keep pace as they raced off in pursuit of Sandjaw. He tapped his foot twice, and Blaster banked right, and with a single tap, a small left to correct their course as they sped along.

"You guys have a name for that trick?" Volcan asked Sickle as he strode beside them.

"Eh, it's a work in progress!" Sickle replied.

Doug had almost managed to head off Sandjaw, cutting across his path when the Krookodile veered off course. He pursued, and this time did succeed in heading him off, startling Sandjaw as he cleared away a clump of dirt only to be greeted by a Dugtrio, who shouted _"Boo!"_in his face. Sandjaw scrambled to turn the other direction, clawing through the soil hurriedly.

"Ooooh no you don't!!" The Dugtrio hollered, before releasing a burst of energy to trigger a Magnitude attack.

A potent tremour rippled through the ground, shaking Sandjaw to his core and causing dirt and rock to tumble around him, filling the tunnel he was digging. He clawed his way to the surface, scrambling to climb out of the ground. He had to punch through a section of pavement to get out, flinging cobblestone tiles about as he emerged.

"Ah! Fucking hell!" The Krookodile growled, pulling himself out before further collapse could trap him. "These blokes just don't take a hint!"

He got up to run, and then paused in his tracks. "Hey, wait a minute," he said, realizing where he was. He grinned, and then altered his course, turning from his previous easterly course to a south-east direction.

"Guys, he's heading South-East and is fleeing on foot!" Doug informed the others. "I'm in pursuit as we speak!"

"Don't try to fight him alone if you can avoid it. He may be a coward, but he was put in that prison for a reason - stay sharp!" Volcan replied.

"Gotcha! Just hurry on over as quick as you can and I'll keep on him!" Doug called out, resurfacing as he travelled and firing off multiple Mud Bombs at the fleeing Krookodile.

In his pursuit, he started to sense more movement on the ground in the direction Sandjaw was heading. Heading for reinforcements, it seemed, he supposed, but it didn't feel like there were very many of them. Still, he wasn't about to take any chances. Following Volcan's orders, he hung back a little and ceased his assault, but never lost track of Sandjaw as he continued his pursuit from underground.

"...Just who are you going to, I wonder..." Doug muttered to himself.

~~~~~

"Welcome back to the crew," Holgan said in a slow tone, to the trio of Vigoroth who stood before him. He lazily scratched his muscular belly with his free hand, the other occupied by the chain linked to collar that the Sylveon at his side wore.

The Sylveon shifted uncomfortably, tilting her head back to lift her chin away from the wrought iron collar. The Slaking huffed and gave a tug, reminding her to behave before addressing his men again.

"I'm glad you boys stuck around until I got out of prison. Now we'll retake our old turf and build our gang bigger and better than it was before, thanks to my new benefactor."

"I dunno if I like this idea of working for someone else, boss," the first Vigoroth stated. "Especially some nobody I've never heard about."

"Meh, it won't be so different from what we did before," Holgan stated, giving a dismissive wave of his massive hand."We'll still be able to do whatever we want, and make all the money we could ever-"

The door floor open with such force the three Vigoroth nearly jumped into the ceiling, whipping around to see who dared to barge into the room. Holgan turned impassively to face the door as well, arching an eyebrow when he recognized the Krookodile panting for breath in his door.

"What do you want, Sandjaw?" Holgan asked, annoyedly.

"Holgan! Some Rescue Team Goonies showed up at my hideout - they're here to take us back to the prison!" The Krookodile said hastily.

Holgan groaned. "Ah what a pain," he said, looking at the ceiling. "I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Doug had resurfaced next to the door and stayed as close as he could to the wall, shutting off his headlamps on his helmets to conceal his location as he peeked one head around the wall to listen in on Sandjaw's conversation. When he saw the massive Slaking though, he almost went as white as a sheet, jerking his head back and digging away to get out of sight of the door. He tilted one of his three heads to activate his radio again.

"Guys, it's me! I've followed Sandjaw back to some hideout, but I'm telling you now, do not burst through the front door!" He stated into his earpiece. "I think our leathery friend is hanging out with that Holgan fellow from the case files!"

"Holgan, the Slaking?" Volcan asked. "We're almost there - keep us posted if they try to leave."

"Affirmative. Holding position." The Dugtrio replied, then silently resurfaced again and began eavesdropping on the conversation once more.

"How many were there? Anyone you recognized?" Holgan asked Sandjaw.

"Not anyone I knew, no. It was a Blaziken, a Grovyle, a Blastoise, and they had this Dugtrio that jumped me while I was getting away," replied Sandjaw.

Doug heard Holgan huff in annoyance. "And ya came here? Ya don't think the three headed mole might've, oh I don't know, followed you?"

"...Oh snap."

There was a stomp, and Doug felt a ripple coursing through the earth, his seismic sense nearly overwhelmed by the force of whatever had hit the ground.

'Awww hell! He knows I'm here!' Doug thought to himself as he rattled about, trying to stabilize himself before he would make a break for more stable ground. "I'm in trouble!"

Holgan came out the front door, still pulling along the collared and chained Sylveon as he stepped out onto the street, turning his head slowly as he surveyed the street. Doug had moved to the other side of the street, resurfacing again behind a trash can, slowly and easily so as not to accidentally bump the can. He peeked one head around the side, seeing the Slaking there. He each head felt its heart dropping into its stomach, the core mind of Doug dreading his fate if the Slaking found him. By Arceus he was _enormous,_and his arms were absolutely bulging with muscle. Even the lazy, disinterested expression on his face did not lessen Doug's worries.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt more people approaching, and peered out again to see his friends arriving on the scene. Sickle rode up, surfing on Blaster's back, and tapped his shell three times with his foot before jumping off, the Blastoise's shell tumbling as his limbs emerged. In a surprising display of agility, Blaster landed squarely on his feet, cannons already emerging from his shell as he faced Holgan.

'_Oh thank Arceus...'_Doug thought.

Holgan turned to see the newcomers. His brow raised as Volcan arrived, then lingered his gaze on Blaster for a moment. Blaster had mentioned to Volcan and the others before that it had been him and his former team, Team Tsunami, who had originally captured Holgan during his original criminal reign. Blaster though had been a Wartortle back then, and Holgan didn't recognize him, though the expression on the Blastoise's face was familiar even if the face itself was not.

"Suppose you're here hoping to take me back to prison, then?" Holgan asked.

"Give the man a prize," Sickle returned sarcastically. The leaves on his arms merged and extended into blades as he shifted his posture.

"You can surrender peacefully, Holgan," Volcan offered, also shifting to a battle ready posture. "This doesn't have to be violent."

"Like it could be any other way. What a bother," the Slaking grumbled.

He gave a tug of the chain in his off-hand, sliding his hand further along the length before lifting it, and the collared Sylveon with it. The Sylveon gagged as the collar was pressed into her throat, feebly waving her paws in an attempt to find something to grab onto to no avail.

"Do it," he commanded her monotonously, bringing her closer to him so that she could reach.

With a whimper, the Sylveon raised her paws and placed them upon Holgan's chest. She sobbed as a glowing energy formed around her forepaws, flowing into Holgan's body, while a similar sphere of light emerged from the Slaking and flowed into her chest. When the glow faded, she slumped. But Holgan drew himself up to his full height, throwing back his head and laughing before he rounded on his adversaries again.

"That's more like it!" He bellowed. Then, he casually threw the Sylveon behind him to be caught by the nearest of the three Vigoroth behind him, the Sylveon letting out a choked squeak. "Look after that for me, boys. I'll handle this personally," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"You scum!" Volcan said angrily, disgusted by the callous treatment of the Sylveon. He looked at his comrades, speaking lowly. "Keep him busy, but don't engage directly. Blaster, cover us."

They both nodded, and faced Holgan again. At the count of three, Volcan and Sickle dashed to the side, and Blaster angled his cannons, firing two Water Pulses at Holgan. The Slaking put up his arms and let the spheres splash over him, the force of their impacts not even moving him from his spot. He looked left as Sickle seemed to come at him, but it was a feint. Before coming into arm's reach, Sickle jumped back, somersaulting away as Holgan swung at him. Then, he took a direct hit from Volcan as the Blaziken came down in a drop kick, but barely managed to stumble the Slaking, who promptly retaliated with another backhand swing, barely missing the Blaziken.

Volcan, following his own advice, not to engage directly, let Sickle make the next move. But to their shock, as Sickle moved in with a Leaf Blade, Holgan tensed his body, and in the same instant Sickle made contact, out came Holgan's arm. Sickle was batted away like a pesky Bug-type by the Counter, and rounded on Volcan again. The Slaking lunged, and Volcan banked away, wary of another counter attack and resorting to Flamethrower instead. To his utter disbelief, Holgan hastily grabbed a piece of debris - an old mailbox, and threw it at Volcan, powering through the flames and slamming into the Blaziken with the force of the throw to knock him down.

Blaster attacked again, this time with Hydro Pump. Not even Holgan could dig himself in enough to withstand the force of the streams of water, his feet skidding across the ground. Behind him, Sickle moved in again, this time with a Low Kick, taking Holgan in his leg and disrupting his balance. The water now launched Holgan through the air and sent him tumbling into the wall of a building.

Just as Sickle cheered for the successul maneuver, his grin disappeared as Holgan stood back up, unfazed. The Slaking dropped to all fours and charged, running on his knuckles before jumping to avoid another Hydro Pump from Blaster. The latter tried to angle his cannons at his now airborne foe, but it was too late. Hastily he pulled his head back into his shell, and Holgan's fists came down and dropped Blaster onto his stomach. Sickle ran over to help his friend, and Holgan rounded immediately on him, landing a mega punch that sent Sickle flying, skipping across the street like a stone over water.

As Holgan approached Sickle, Blaster withdrew into his shell and began to spin rapidly. He whirled toward the Slaking, slamming into him from the side as Holgan turned to meet his attack when he heard it. Blaster rolled around to put himself between Sickle and Holgan. The Slaking landed un uppercut that knocked Blaster backward, nearly falling on top of Sickle but he managed to step over his stunned comrade. Holgan ran at them, fists raised to pound the still downed Sickle flat. Blaster, on instinct, threw himself prone over the Grovyle, all four limbs bracing himself as Holgan's fists came down on his shell. Blaster heard a crack, and felt pain coursing over his back.

Holgan had just cracked Blaster's shell, with his bare hands.

Holgan drew back his fists and prepared to attack again, when Volcan jumped in. The Blaziken let out a furious shout before his knee slammed into Holgan's ribcage from his left, obscured by his upraised arms. Holgan bellowed with pain, grabbing his side and rounding on Volcan. The Blaziken explodeded into motion, landing three consecutive kicks on the Slaking. Hip, head and then square in the gut in that order. He sprang into an axe kick, his foot blazing as he attacked. Holgan lifted an arm, blocking the leg, and then snapped his arm forward, striking Volcan in his gut as he fell. Volcan lurched and tumbled to the pavement, clutching his stomach in pain as he heaved.

Holgan let out a huff. "Ha! This is the best they send after me?" He asked, chidingly. "What a disappointment."

Doug could hardly believe what the eyes of his three heads were seeing, each one wearing the same bewildered look. Holgan was beating all three of his friends single-handedly! The sheer power of the Slaking was unreal - Slaking were strong, he knew, held back only by their natural laziness - on account of their ability, 'Truant'. Holgan had no such restriction, and was allowed the full power of his mighty race - even as Slaking went, he was mighty, and was about to crush Volcan utterly.

"Hooookay, we _clearly_underprepared for this!" he said before he ducked into the ground again.

Holgan had his hand raised, clenched into a fist as he once again approached the downed Volcan, ready to finish it. Doug erupted from the ground between the Slakin's legs, his middle head driving home to land a powerful blow in between Holgan's legs. "SUCKER PUNCH!, BITCH!" He crowed.

The sound that came out of Holgan's mouth would have been comical in another situation. He howled, crossed his legs and grabbing between them as he doubled over.

"That little quote, from by buddy Hank!" Doug taunted before he rounded on Volcan, using Earth Power to shift the ground around him, lifting him up on a rolling bed of soil that towed the Blaziken behind him.

He started making a beeline to Blaster, but to his delight the Blastoise was way ahead of him, having already picked up Sickle and starting his escape. Doug followed him, collapsing two derelict houses for good measure to cover their retreat. The rubble blocked the road and hurled up a cloud of dust that made an effective smokescreen as they fled.

Holgan shakily got to his feet as Sandjaw and the Vigoroth trio came over. The Slaking growled, staring after the four in the direction they had fled. "Cheap shot, you stupid little mole..." he said lowly, straightening his posture as the pain faded.

"Should I follow them?" Sandjaw offered.

"Nah," Holgan returned. "If they're smart, they'll take this as a lesson and stay far away from now on." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, finding it smeared with blood. The Blaziken had actually scored a pretty good hit during their brawl, he admitted to himself.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered. "If they come back, I'll crush 'em again."

~~~~~

Throughout their sparring match, Kaen proved a nimble opponent. He was shorter than Minato, and quick enough that he was a difficult target to pin - not to mention his repertoire of attacks was smaller than Minato's, but effective. He could fight well at all ranges but favoured close combat - Fire Punch, Slash, Dragon Claw and his trump card, Focus Punch, but he also had Flamethrower and Heat Wave - though he wouldn't use such attacks indoors.

His problem was, his technique, though difficult to read, was fairly raw. After avoiding a punch from Kaen, Minato mananged to catch Kaen's arm, followed by a Force Palm to his chest that stumbled the Charmeleon. Kaen recovered quickly, and then charged again, approaching at a wider angle this time, arm drawn back as though to punch, before he hopped to the side and lunged, spinning his body in an arc and snapping out with his tail. Minato's reaction was near instant, catching Kaen by his tail and giving a tug, robbing him of his momentum and dropping the Charmeleon onto his back.

"Dang! That usually works," Kaen remarked.

"Maybe when you're fighting a thug," Lashanne said dryly from the corner, where she stood with Howler, a chuckling Tristan and Hank, and Serena. "Most trained fighters aren't so easily surprised, lizzy boy."

Kaen huffed as Minato helped him up, dusting himself off. "I think Leon gave me that lecture once too," he muttered.

"You'd do well to learn from it. Your technique is wild, which can work in your favour." Minato remarked. "However, a wild form will only get you so far against someone who's disciplined, and while you held the edge for a fair bit you were unable to adapt when I started catching on to how you moved."

"I guess so. Alright, shall we commence round t-wah!"

A stream of water shot up through the window, splashing against the ceiling. Water cascaded down from above, drenching the whole group. Kaen immediately leapt against the wall to avoid the water getting on his tail, while the rest huddled under their raised arms.

"Hey! Who turned on the shower?!" Hank demanded.

Minato was the first to the window, followed by Lashanne, who both looked down to see Blaster standing in the street below. Beside him, they could just barely make out Doug, stretching out the necks of his three heads and waving his heads at the two, shouting something that Minato couldn't hear, but Lashanne did.

"We got wounded!" She exclaimed, and headed for the door. Minato and Tristan were quick to follow her.

At Serena's request, Kaen and Hank cleared any obstructions from the middle of the floor and laid out blankets on the floor. Moments later, the group returned - sans Doug, having no way to get up to the suite. Lashanne had Volcan, his arm draped over her shoulder as he trudged along beside her. Minato carried Sickle, cradling the Grovyle in his arms. Last was Tristan, helping Blaster into the room.

"Holy shit man, what happened??" Hank demanded of Volcan as he helped Lashanne lay him down.

"Got our asses kicked," he returned half-heartedly.

Serena was by Sickle's side first, him being the closest. As she started to examine him, the Grovyle lifted up his claw, rasping as he spoke. "Help Blaster first," he said. "He got it worse than I did. Just let me over to the window and I can heal myself."

"Son of a-!" Kaen exploded as Blaster was laid down on the blanket next to Sickle. "He's bleeding from his shell!"

Serena, needing no further confirmation, turned away from Sickle and went to Blaster. She gaped in horror at the visible cracks on Blaster's shell, centered around one crushed plate where something heavy had hit it. Without hesitation, she projected her Aqua Ring onto Blaster, focusing it around the break in his shell. The blood had dried and didn't come away easily even under the mystical waters, but she created a circular flow that carefully cleaned the wound, asking Kaen to bring a bucket into which she disposed of the dirty water.

As Hank helped Sickle over to the window, getting him into direct sunlight where he could heal himself with Synthesis, Minato focused his attention on Volcan. The Blaziken was still clutching his stomach, as he had been when Lashanne had helped him inside. Lashanne dabbed his face with a rag, seeing traces of vomit left around his beak.

"You must've taken one hell of a gut punch," said Minato.

"You have... no... idea," Volcan said, visibly uncomfortable.

"What happened out there?"

"We were chasing Sandjaw-" Volcan started to say, but stopped to cough, clutching his stomach again.

"_Sandjaw_did this to you?" Lashanne asked in disbelief.

"No, not him..." Volcan rasped, having to take a moment to catch his breath. "Fuck, this hurts..."

"We found Sandjaw and nearly cornered him," Sickle spoke up from the window. "But he managed to get away, burrowed underground. Doug chased him, and he led us to the hideout of another of the convicts. That Slaking, Holgan."

"He's every bit as strong as I remember," the Blastoise piped up.

Howler moved to Blaster's side, lowering his head to look down at his friend, bearing an expression of worry. Blaster opened his eyes to see him there, offering the best reassuring smile he could muster. "I'll be okay, pal," he said. "My shell will mend."

"I thought Slaking were supposed lazy and unmotivated?" Tristan asked.

At that, Lashanne shot to her feet. "I need that file," she said, making a dash for the table where they kept the document.

"What for? Ya think there was something we missed about these guys?" Hank asked from his spot beside Sickle.

"Like Tristan said, Slaking are lazy creatures," said Lashanne. "Phenominal physical strength, but highly sedentary and naturally lethargic because of their Truant ability. They have no other abilities besides that, so unless this guy is a complete, genetic anomaly, the very idea he could keep up with Sickle or Volcan is, quite frankly, ridiculous." She studied the file intently.

"There was a Sylveon with him," Volcan spoke up suddenly, turning all eyes back to him. "She was shackled, chained, pulled along by him. She did something, and then it's like he just... came to life."

Minato's ears perked up as Volcan described the Sylveon that was present with Holgan. "Wait... so he was lazy _before_you guys ran into him?" He asked.

Volcan nodded. "Yeah. I could tell - he moved slow, and wore this disinterested look, then this Sylveon did... whatever she did, and he changed." He rubbed his stomach again, and Serena - finished with Blaster, came over and applied her healing to Volcan next. "Even using Bulk-up a couple of times, I still felt like I got hit by a wrecking ball."

Minato narrowed his eyes suspiciously as a thought crossed his mind. "...Nobody suddenly gets riled up from being naturally lethargic like that. Whatever that Sylveon did, it must have given him some kind of unnatural boost that allowed him-" He started to trail off a little as his eyes widened in realization. "...Skill Swap!"

Lashanne's ears perked up at that. "Wait, yeah, that makes sense! By using Skill Swap , he exchanges his Truant ability with whatever the other Pokemon has!" She exclaimed, and then frowned. "What abilities do Sylveon gain, though?"

"Usually, their ability is Cute Charm," Serena answered. "Making opponents of the opposing gender hesitant to attack them."

Lashanne looked disgusted. "And that put a mix of images in my head I am never going to unsee..."

"I don't think that was it," replied Volcan. "His attacks felt... different. I've been hit by Normal-types before, and they just feel like that - an ordinary hit. There was some other energy behind this guy's attacks. Like some.... Mystic power. I don't know how to describe it. It almost felt like the same aura Ernoul emitted when he used Dazzling Gleam."

"Dazzling Gleam is a Fairy-type move," Lashanne said, rubbing her chin.

"It's... uncommon but it is possible the Sylveon might have Pixelate as an ability," Serena offered. "It turns Normal-type attacks into Fairy-type."

"Which would allow Holgan to dish out increased damage to types he's normally vulnerable against, and deal double damage to those susceptible to Fairy Type attacks. Quite brilliant, actually," Minato surmised, furrowing his brow as he mentally assessed the situation... then a grin started to cross his face as he punched his paws together firmly. "Sounds like my kind of opponent."

Lashanne looked at the Lucario. "Volcan's dual typing actually worked against him here," she stated. "Fire resists Fairy, but Fighting is weak to it. The same would apply to you, Minato, as Steel also resists fairy. Being a Fighting type though means you'll be just as vulnerable as he was, and look what he did to him." She gestured to Volcan. "Or to Blaster. If he gets one hand on you, you're toast."

"I'm aware of the risks in facing him." Minato replied with a firm nod. "I'll just have to make sure he doesn't lay a hand on me, and experience has taught me one thing. The bigger the foe, the harder they impact the ground when I knock their lights out."

Minato then blinked, his expression souring. "I'm sounding like Tristan, now."

"The student has become the master!" Tristan bellowed before following it with a guffaw of laughter.

"Need I remind you that Volcan is faster than you?" Lashanne asked Minato. "If he couldn't outmaneuver Holgan, how can you?"

"I have a few things in my repertoire that Volcan doesn't." Minato returned confidently. "I'll concede that he's faster than me, especially so now that he has a Blazikenite. But where he has speed, I have strength and experience on my side." He then mentally caused a table to lift up and levitate in the air with Psychic. "And assuming the Pixelate ability changes the typing of his attacks and not his natural type, then I should be able to hold him in place with my Psychic long enough for anyone assisting me to help cripple him further."

"Uh, I'd like to point out that I didn't actually use my Blazikenite in that fight," Volcan piped up. "Didn't get the chance to."

Lashanne responded as if Volcan had said nothing. "Do you even know how strong a Slaking is?" She asked Minato. "Without the limit of their laziness, they make a Salamence look like Lilpup in terms of strength! Studies conclude they might actually be THE strongest Pokemon in the world aside from the god Pokemon."

"Then today's a good chance to take that title away from him." Minato responded. "One way or another, with Blaster and Volcan currently out of commission we're short on Pokemon that can dish out heavy hits. Unless you have a better plan, then Tristan and I are the ones best suited to take him on head to head."

"Our chances will be better if you can get that Sylveon away from him before he-" Lashanne added.

Kaen ended the conversation when he blurted out. "Oh, will you two just _fuck_already?"

Silence fell over the room, Lashanne and Minato staring at each other awkwardly before their eyes turned to the Chameleon. Kaen blinked, clueless. Then, Lashanne held up her hand, and the Charmeleon felt a psychic grip around him. He levitated into the air, shouting in protest as he was turned over. Once he was upside down, she released the telekinetic grip, and the Charmeleon fell dully onto his head. With that, Lashanne stormed over to the stairs, leaving without a word.

"...Was it something I said?" Kaen asked, rolling onto his stomach.

Sickle looked at him incredulously "Do you need it spelled out for you?" He asked.

Hank shook his head. "That little remark sounded like something _Lunkhead_would say. You _sure_you didn't bump yer noggin at some point in your life? Cause that was pretty tactless, man."

"They were arguing like an old married couple - I was just saying what everyone else was thinking," he replied, dropping onto his back and rolling over to get up.

"_Nobody_was thinking that, Kaen," Volcan said, running a hand down his face in exasperation.

"And besides, what gave you the idea we were even dating?" Minato asked incredulously.

"Who said anything about dating?" Kaen asked with a shrug, and then wheezed as Volcan leaned over and hammered his fist on his back. "Ow! Hey!"

"We'll discuss this later, ash for brains," the Blaziken said lowly.

"You ain't my boss."

"What Volcan said." Sickle added in. "We'll talk about this later."

"Oh, come on!"

Blaster cleared his throat at that moment, pushing himself up. "Back to the matter at hand," he said. "Lashanne raised a good point. Holgan is incredibly strong, and we know the rest are still out there. Can't waste our strength just fighting one."

"I agree," Serena piped, stepping back from Volcan now that he was able to sit up on his own. "Our best chance is to try and get that Sylveon away from him so that he can't use her abilities for his merit. After that it should be easier to subdue him."

"Doug also said he was hiring goons when we arrived," Blaster reminded. "So, we can safely assume he'll call for backup if he feels cornered."

"Well in that case...sounds like we might need a master infiltrator to make sure those goons don't show up while you're out there wrecking his face." Hank would remark, wearing a devious grin on his face.

"Actually, Hank, you're right," Volcan said. "We do need an infiltrator, but those goons will be handled by someone else. It'll be up to you to get that Sylveon. Do you think you can extract them without alerting Holgan?"

"Buddy, I'm the Trickster of Team Valiant for a reason!"

"Just pointing out that if you blow it, you're up against a Fairy-powered Slaking can turn you to paste with his bare hands. No pressure," Kaen added.

Sickle slapped his claws over his eyes, groaning. "Kaen, for the love of Solgaleo, if your tact was a liquid it wouldn't fill a kid's sippy cup!"

"Kaen, you're the only one who's going to have to worry about getting pasted, because_you'll_be helping Minato and Tristan to take down Holgan."

Kaen grinned, rubbing his claws together. "Fine with me," he said. "I do like a challenge."

"Long as you stay out of my way, then I've no complaints." Minato remarked bitterly as he left the room.

"...Who stuck a stick up his-" Kaen started to ask, only for Volcan to slap him across the back of the head again. "Oye! Two strikes, featherhead. One more and we got-"

"Up until a few months ago, Minato was married," Volcan cut him off. "His wife died protecting their son when Arc Island was hit."

Kaen bit back any retort that he might've had as the gravity of what he had said earlier finally dawned on him. "...Oh." He muttered sheepishly. "So, when I made that... outburst..."

"Yeah. He's _not_over it - might never be," Volcan whispered. "So for all our sakes Kaen, pull your horn outta your arse." He said before laying back down and letting Serena resume healing.

~~~~~

The assault team was decided shortly after, consisting of Tristan, Minato, Kaen, Lashanne, and Doug for a support role. Their plan for taking on Holgan was simple in theory but relied on Hank's actions. Tristan was part of the mission team as whether or not Hank succeeded the Aggron would be the better protected against Holgan's attacks. He would take the blows while Doug focused on limiting Holgan's maneuverability, setting him up for a direct attack from the others.

The journey back to Holgan's hideout, however, could not have been more awkward for Minato, Kaen and Lashanne. Minato outright ignored his attempts to make small talk, while when he tried to tell a joke Lashanne shot him a dirty look that shut him up. Tristan walked at the back of the group, with Doug pushing along beside him.

"Am I the only one who practically _feels_how palpable the tension is here?" The Aggron muttered to the Dugtrio.

"Yea, I feel it about as hard as I would an earthquake that's 8.0 on the Richter Scale...what the hell _happened_between to those guys anyway?" Doug would ask, one of his heads turning to look up at Tristan.

"Minato and Lashanne were havin' differin' opinions on how to confront Holgan, and Kaen burst in with a rather... what's the word?" He rubbed the side of his head. "Obnos? Obvious -no, not that. Ob-something?"

"Obnoxious, Tristan," Lashanne called back to him in a chiding manner, making the Aggron jump as he realized the Delphox could hear them "The word you're looking for is obnoxious."

Even Doug flinched a little at the sharpness of Lashanne's tone, so much that his helmets rattled on his heads for a bit. "Let's uh...talk about something else. Sound good?" The Dugtrio offered, eager to change the subject quickly.

"Not a lot to talk about," replied Lashanne. "As long as everyone's clear on the plan, this should go off without a hitch."

"Please don't jinx us," Kaen muttered, and Lashanne noticeably scowled at the sound of his voice. But she bit back any retort she might've had this time.

"What's going on over there?"_Volcan's voice buzzed over the communicator in Minato's ear. _"You guys are moving kinda slow."

The Lucario raised his paw to his ear quickly. "We're fine." He said quickly. "Just making doubly sure to tread carefully"

"Hank's just about in position - you need to make sure you get the drop on Holgan before one of his goons blunder over him," the Blaziken urged. "Sneak attacks only work once so hurry it up."

"Understood." Minato returned quickly before he removed his paw from his ear. "We need to hustle. Hank's in position to liberate the Sylveon and we're already falling behind, so let's ditch the small talk and pick up the pace." He said firmly before he began to follow his own advice and break off into a trot.

The others increased their pace to match his, making sure not to break formation as they approached the hideout of the Slaking in the ruined condominium where they met him before. The signs of their last battle with him were still visible in the street, from the wall he had thrown Blaster through to the discarded, broken-off lamppost he had used as a giant club, and even the imprint in another wall where Volcan had been thrown into and the holes Doug had made underneath his friends to save them.

An audible gulp sounded from Kaen, his usual confidence lessened at the sight of the collateral damage. "This guy might even be as strong as old Torolf," he muttered.

"All the more reason not to be on the receiving end of his fist," Lashanne commented, drawing her branch wand.

Kaen's head jerked up, seeing movement on an upper floor. "We got a spotter," he said, pointing. But no sooner did he say this that a red and black blur raced across the window where a Vigoroth was watching them, and the simian thug summarily vanished from sight. "Nevermind."

Lashanne put her back to the wall of the building, her ears flicking as she listened for any sounds coming through the door. "I hear someone talking," she whispered. "Deep voice... probably our hulking simian waiting to greet us." She looked at Minato. "Check with Hank, see if he's ready."

He nodded softly, then raised his paw to his ear to raise their teammate. "Hank, it's me. You all set?"

"Been ready to go for a good couple minutes, bud." Hank responded in a jovial manner. "Just keep his attention off me and I'll do the rest. Oh! And try not_to get flattened, eh?"_ The Zoroark added with a snicker.

Minato cut the feed after Hank's joke, nodding to his teammates. "He's ready."

"Okay, so we need to keep Holgan's attention on us... but if he knows he's in for a fight won't he just go right for the Skill Swap?" Kaen suggested. "We need to distract him somehow."

At that, Minato looked down to Doug and cast a wry grin down at the Dugtrio. "Feel like shaking things up for him?" He would ask.

Doug's three heads lit up with glee, only letting out a small 'Whoohoo~' before he tunnelled under the ground, disappearing from view. Within a matter of moments, the entire hideout would suddenly start to shake violently as Doug unleashed a Magnitude 5 attack from below, causing just enough of a tremor to make the Slaking and his cohorts believe the building would come down.

"Whoa! Hey, boss! What's going on?" One of the Vigoroth shouted.

"Damn this rickety old mess," the Slaking soon replied. By his bored tone it was easy to discern that he was back to being under the effects of his Truant ability, becoming once again lazy and unmotivated. "Everyone outside - if we're havin' a quake this whole place could drop on us. Move your keesters."

The Vigoroth, certainly needing no more encouragement, rushed out of the building frantically, some scrambling over their own comrades to get clear of the potential mountain of rubble that could come down on them.

The last to exit was Holgan himself, hand fastened tightly around the chain that led to the collar of the Sylveon, who was pulled along behind him. The Sylveon walked obediently by his side, yet he still saw fit to tug on the chain as though they had been lagging, bringing a squeak of pain from the Sylveon when the iron collar dug into their flesh... along with a barely visible silhouette that followed behind the Sylveon, completely unnoticed by the simian entourage.

The others, hidden behind the corner of the building, stayed quiet and waited, knowing Hank was making his move. Lashanne remained pressed against the corner, peering out carefully, her gaze drifting to the Sylveon. She let out a choked gasp when she saw the state of the poor Pokemon's neck. The fur was visibly falling off, and the skin underneath showed obvious signs of irritation, reddened -probably even forming a terribly uncomfortable rash. She turned back to look at Minato, and he could almost see the fury in her eyes.

"That collar is made of wrought iron!" She hissed. "To a Fairy-type that may as well be a slow-acting poison!"

"All the more reason we need to get her away from that behemoth." Minato would remark, clenching his paws tightly at his sides for a moment before he raised his paw to his earpiece. "Target has been lured into the open. Do we proceed?"

"_Hank is in place - give him a few seconds to pick the lock and- wait, where's Holgan go- shit, Minato, he's coming right at you!"_Volcan screamed in warning.

No sooner did Minato hear the warning did the wall behind him explode. A white-furred arm appeared, and seized the first thing in reach. Fingers closed around Lashanne's head, and she let out a startled cry as she was pulled back through the wall. Minato put up his arms to protect his head from falling stones, and behind him Tristan hunched over Kaen to shield him, letting the falling rocks bounce off his armour. When it subsiided, Minato turned on Holgan, and saw Lashanne still held in his grasp, kicking her legs and prying at his hands with her fingers. She might have just as well been trying to bend iron.

"You tinies all think just because I'm big and strong that I'm dumb too," he said as Lashanne struggled in vain to pry his fingers off her head. "Blackcoast is too far from any fault lines for a quake to be felt so clearly - it's why it was built here."

Their cover was blown. Without waiting, Minato attacked, rushing at Holgan with a Force Palm. Holgan swung Lashanne, her flailing legs catching Minato across his cheek. Kaen was next, launching himself at Holgan with his fist drawn back. Holgan swung his other arm, pulling on the Sylveon to use her the same way he'd used Lashanne. Instead, he heard a yelp - too low to belong to his captive, and was surprised to see another body pulled along by his swing. Hank, his claws caught on the Sylveon's collar as he'd tried to open it, was sent skidding across the pavement, and the Sylveon cried out as she tumbled into him as well.

Holgan took Kaen's punch, his head snapping to the side as the Charmeleon struck. Angrily, Holgan punt-kicked Kaen, sending him flying back into Tristan as the Aggron approached, having to halt his charge to catch Kaen. Minato scrambled to his feet and faced Holgan again, and once more the Slaking held her forward like a shield.

"A Zoroark? Pretty sneaky of you," Holgan commented. "Now you stay right there -I can pop her head faster than a grape if you tick me off." He tugged the Sylveon back toward him, dragging her on the end of the chain. Hank caught her and was pulled along, but didn't let go, refusing to let Holgan have her.

Lashanne's wand flew back into her hand at that moment, and she swung it over her shoulder, driving its gnarled end into Holgan's left eye. Instinctively he withdrew his hand from her head to grab at his stricken eye, freeing her. Lashanne tried to scramble to her feet, and Holgan kicked her in the back as she got up, sending her flying into Minato as he ran to help her.

"Scrawny wench!" Holgan growled, pulling the Sylveon up by her chain until she was eye level with him. "Do it!" He bellowed at her.

With a choking gasp, the Sylveon pressed her paws to Holgan's chest. The paws glowed, and light traded between the two. Holgan stood up to his full height, grinning broadly while the Sylveon went slack in her bonds. He then set her down. "Alright boys, get over here! Time we run these tinies off for good!" He bellowed.

No one replied.

"Boys?" He looked behind him, and his jaw fell open as he saw his whole gang lying unconscious in the street. Standing over them, a Mega Blaziken and an Arcanine.

"Miss me, big guy?" Volcan asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Pain train, incoming!" Tristan barked.

Holgan whirled on him, only to get a faint glimpse of Tristan's head before it slammed hard into his gut. Unprepared for the attack, he stumbled, releasing his hold on the Sylveon to commit his hands against the Aggron. Hank seized that moment to grab the Sylveon and pull her out of danger as Tristan and Holgan struggled. Soon, Holgan pushed Tristan off, and then swung his fist. It met Tristan's cheek, and then Holgan pulled back his hand with a grunt of pain.

"Iron Defense!" Tristan said, grinning. "Used it while you weren't looking!"

Then, the Aggron stepped forward and drove his fist into Holgan's face. The Slaking reeled, but then turned and brought his hand down on Tristan's head. A Hammer Arm attack, which despite Tristan's increased defense, the Fighting-type move still hurt, and Tristan's legs buckled under the impact, landing on his hands. Holgan drew back his arm again, but Minato was quick to intercept. He dashed forward and used Tristan as a stepping stone to leap into the air, then he flipped a few times as he fell back toward the ground, extending his leg on the third flip and slamming a heavy axe kick into the Slaking's head before his fist could even make contact with Tristan.

Holgan grunted from the kick, grabbing his head in pain. Volcan dashed in then, making a wide angled approach. Holgan put up his arm in defense, taking the kick that followed, and swung out at Volcan but the Blaziken had already moved back. Then, Holgan lurched as Kaen drove a Focus Punch into his gut, momentarily stunning him and buying Tristan the chance to get back up and Head Smash directly into him. Holgan went cross eyed before he threw his hands over his face, blood coming between his fingers as it flowed out from his smashed nose.

"Dammit!" He cursed, pulling his hands away from his bloodied face. "I'm not letting you tinies send me back to prison!"

Minato then used Psychic to grasp at the Slaking around his throat in a telekinetic hold, immediately silencing him after he made his claim. "Your compliance isn't a factor, shitstain..." He growled, then he yanked his arm down to the ground, forcing Holgan to slam face first into the ground as a result. "You should have picked a different line of work if you wanted to avoid prison life in the first place..."

Holgan let out a strangled retort that might have been an insult, but in Minato's psychic hold the word was slurred. Tristan delivered another punch to the Slaking, dazing him long enough for Hank to move in. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and grinned at Holgan, a shroud of crimson energy gathering around him as he prepared a Night Daze attack.

"Night-night, motherfucker." The Zoroark stated before he threw his arms out, unleashing all of that built up dark energy toward Holgan, the shroud practically smothering him and obscuring his vision slightly as it dealt continuous damage to him the longer it hung over him.

Holgan struggled for a moment, thrashing against the onslaught of Dark power, but he had no means to stop it. With the Slaking all but subdued, Hank lifted his claw and snapped his digits. Several long blades of grass suddenly shot out of the ground all around Holgan, quickly wrapping around his arms and legs, and one around his neck as well, before they tightened and pulled him downward and keeping him pinned to the ground.

Once he was secure, Minato released his telekinetic grip on Holgan's throat, sighing in satisfaction and rolling his head along his shoulders. "And that's another one in the bag."

"Good work, team," said Volcan, nodding his approval before devolving back to a regular Blaziken. He rolled his shoulder as he looked down at Holgan. "That was _way_easier than the first fight."

"Only because we had a plan this time around." Hank commented. "One that caught the bastard with his figurative pants down, hehehe."

"I've got to hand it to you, Captain," Lashanne said, looking at Volcan and rubbing her head to ease the ache Holgan had left her with. "You come up with some good strategies."

Volcan shrugged. "I do my best," he said. "Now, let's haul this monkey back to the condo and get him fitted with some chains." He looked around. "Where's the Sylveon?" He asked, looking at Hank, since he'd had her last.

The Zoroark shrugged. "Didn't see her in the heat of the moment." He answered honestly. "Maybe she managed to get away during the scuffle?"

"You were supposed to be watching her!" Kaen scolded the Zoroark. "This whole plan was pitched on you getting her away from Holgan!"

"We need to find her," said Lashanne. "If we don't get that collar off of her soon, that iron will poison her." She looked at Minato. "Can you sense her?"

"Already on it." Minato answered, tuning into his Aura Sense and scanning the immediate area for the missing Sylveon.

To his relief, she was not far away. She had ducked behind some nearby debris and hidden there. Pointing it out to the others, he made his way over followed by Lashanne and Volcan. They rounded the pile of rubble, and found her lying down, paws over her head and ears flattened back against her skull, whispering to herself.

"Miss?" Volcan asked, in as gentle a tone as he could muster.

Despite his efforts, the moment the Sylveon realized she'd been found, she jumped to her feet and tried to run. Instinctively, Minato quickly cast Psychic on her, gently lifting her up into the air before she could properly get away.

"Easy there... We're not here to hurt you." He pointed out as he held her there until she stopped struggling. "We're here to get that collar off your neck before it permanently damages you..."

"Please... I just want to go home," she whimpered, curling up in the telekinetic grasp.

"We'll get you home," Volcan promised her. "We're Rescue Team Phalanx. We're here to capture escaped convicts, but we'll help you first. What's your name?"

She opened one eye, and answered softly. "Lila," she replied.

Lashanne stepped forward and took the Sylveon in her arms, letting Minato release her from the Psychic hold. She studied the collar as she cradled Lila, and after a moment looked at them.

"We'll need Toby to get this off," she said, "he has tools."

Volcan nodded. "Alright. Back to the ship with us then," he said. "Minato, can you help me hoist Holgan onto Tristan's back? He's going to be heavy."

"Sure thing." He agreed with a nod, following after Volcan as he headed back to lift the captured Slaking onto their teammate's back. "Well, a rough start, but I'd say we're making good progress now that we have a better idea on who we're dealing with."

"We're just hitting the tip of the iceberg, Minato," Volcan said as he went to take hold of Holgan's legs. "Sandjaw may not be difficult once we corner him but Sol and Eberon are going to be in a league of their own."

"Eberon I fear we'll have quite a lot of trouble against, but Sol?" Minato remarked, tapping Volcan's head with his paw a few times before he proceeded to lift Holgan up with Psychic. "I'm sure that unorthodox noggin of yours will figure some way to hamper his firepower." He added with a grunt. "Jeez, he's heavy..."

"Appreciate the confidence," said Volcan grunting as he tried to take some of the weight for Minato, guiding Holgan over to Tristan who was already ducking low for them.

The moment Holgan's weight was on his back, Tristan grunted. "Oof! You're not kidding about him being heavy!" He said through grit teeth. "This guy needs to lay off the donuts."

~~~~~

With some help from Toby, they managed to get the collar off Lila. The Meowth had some tools he used to pick the lock, and once it had popped open, Lashanne took it off the Sylveon's neck and set it aside. Even the stalwart Delphox couldn't hold back her empathic frown at the sight of the Sylveon's neck. The fur had fallen away, exposing the skin. Said skin was reddened and blistering in places. There was even fresh blood from a blister that had been torn open by the collar when Holgan had pulled on it.

Wasting no time, Serena stepped in. Volcan assisted, letting Serena clean the wound with her Aqua Ring projection, before the Blaziken applied disinfectant spray. Lila grit her teeth and cried from the pain as the disinfectant burned the raw skin, letting the disinfectant do its work. They then soaked a roll of bandages in Serena's healing waters, and carefully wrapped it around Lila's neck, making sure not to tie it too tight and covering the wound. Lila moaned and squirmed throughout the ordeal, but to her credit she didn't waiver. She relaxed as the pain subsided, and lay quietly on the pillow they had brought out for her.

As Lila drifted off to sleep, Lashanne picked up the collar they had taken and studied it. The design of it infuriated her. The inside ring was laden with fin-like protrusions that likely had dug into her neck every time Holgan had tugged on the thing. They were blunt, but they couldn't have been comfortable. Disgustedly, she contemplated melting the collar but settled with setting it aside on the desk, planning to dispose of it

"That Slaking has a lot to answer for, putting a horrible device like this on that poor girl." The Delphox's paws clenched into fists so tightly that Minato, standing nearest to her, could hear her knuckles cracking.

"He will answer for his crimes, that much I promise." Minato assured Lashanne, gently placing his paw atop her shoulder. "Just not right now...We still have three more inmates to secure before we can even think about dishing out some well deserved justice to these bastards."

She let out a sigh, breathing the tension out through her mouth before she stepped away from the desk. "We'll have to take in Hydra and Holgan first," she said. "Even if those chains hold, we can't stretch out our supplies to feed them as well. I'll fly them back to the prison while the rest of you keep searching for Sol, Sandjaw and Eberon."

"They're going to need some tough guards watching over them..." Minato remarked, looking over his shoulder to the rest of the crew, taking in their battered conditions. The fight with Holgan had been difficult.

"I'd just need a few people to keep an eye on them on the way, then I'll drop them off and be right back." She looked at him squarely. "We can't be out hunting criminals and be here watching two more at the same time."

"Fair point." Minato agreed with a nod. "In that case, perhaps two or three should be enough to head back with you to the prison to drop off our captured inmates."

She nodded. "Agreed. While I'm at it, I'll take Lila to the prison as well. They can care for her and hopefully secure passage to take her home."

At that moment, Kaen stepped up to them. "I uh... do you two have a minute?" He asked, and flinched when he saw Lashanne's scowl. "I'm not here to make anymore obnoxious remarks, I swear!" He exclaimed, claws raised in surrender.

"Talk then and keep the witty remarks to a minimum..." Minato replied in a firm tone.

"I'm here to apologize for my earlier outburst," the Charmeleon began. "I didn't realize it would cause any offense so..." He scoffed. "Damn I'm bad at this..." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for what I said. It was uncalled for."

"Understatement of the century..." The Lucario muttered begrudgingly under his breath, then rolled his eyes and gave the Charmeleon a small nod back. "...Apology accepted, Kaen. Though from this point forward, you may want to keep that loose tongue of yours in check, or else it might end up flopping on the floor one day." He warned.

"I only promise to try," the Charmeleon returned with a helpless shrug and a wry grin. "But, if my words aren't appreciated, then this is how I know that I'm not the clueless rookie of Team Warmachine anymore. I guess I got too used to goofing around between missions." He rubbed the back of his head. "One thing I'm still unclear on." He looked at Minato. "I know why you were offended by it... but I'm not sure about her." He looked at Lashanne.

Lashanne arched an eyebrow. "Do I need a reason not to like when someone spouts crap outta the blue?"

"She has a point." Minato would add to that statement. "Take it from me. As a formerly married man, sometimes the things you say can be misconstrued by those around you for reasons _you_might think are nonexistent." He said as he crossed his arms. "You've heard the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn?'"

Kaen opened his mouth for a reply, but he seemed to think better of it as he caught the scowl on Lashanne's face, as though she knew he was about to make another jab, and clamped his mouth shut for a moment as he remembered Lashanne's actions that day, choosing his words carefully. "Point taken." He gave her a defusing smile.

"Smart lad." Minato returned with a nod. "Seems you can be taught after all."

With that, Minato walked away, leaving Kaen alone with Lashanne, who he then looked up to and asks. "So... you two aren't a thing like I thought," he said.

"Nope," she returned.

"So, you really _are_single then?" He asked, once more with that grin.

The glare she gave him could have melted steel, and once more his lips sealed themselves shut as she stormed away from the Charmeleon. "I-is that glare a yes, or..."

He stopped talking as he felt a touch on his shoulder, and looked behind him to see Volcan. "If you need it spelled it for you, Kaen, that's her 'shut up before I bury you for the next generation of archaeologists' look," he said.

Kaen swallowed audibly as Volcan pulled away, and then let out a defeated sigh. "I'll get the next one," he muttered before going to grab a snack from the supply crates...