Revolution

I'm bored as hell. Might as well, I guess. So this story has some explaining. The fourth person dropped out, mid-story, so we opted to just edit him out, entirely. As such, the plot suffered. We had originally intended to keep going with the revolution thing, for a few more series. However, with Sebastian's owner dropping out, this plan had to change. While I'm not particularly happy with the plot, I do really like the character development, with Naga. It also introduces the Randy/Zee duo, June, Naga's former partner, a mysterious new kid, and more Porter!

I would like to make a note that with the official introduction of Zee, that it is a little bit heavy on the language. That pesky Infernape hybrid pushes my rating limit, I tell you.







Well, it had happened. Sebastian's plan had succeeded. The truth had been revealed. Many people couldn't believe it, that there were human and Pokémon hybrids. Freaks of nature. For weeks on end, the news stations covered this phenomenon. Some people questioned the use of Pokémon, some became curious and wanted to ask about the inner thoughts of former Pokémon. Most people grew fearful and exiled the hybrids. Hybrids eventually became second class citizens. How could humans trust these freaks that hid themselves away?

Musashi sighed, sitting in his dojo. Several months had passed and half of his students were taken away by their parents. After all, how could humans trust their children with a Scyther? He ran his fingers through his hair. Humans treated Pokémon well, they saw them as partners. Why would they hate them now that they were human? It wasn't something they had control over.


Matters didn't seem to bother Naga, all that much. He was an obvious showoff anyway, so the whole thing was nothing new, to him. The only thing that really disappointed him, was that he was no longer unique and intriguing. That, and something else that weighed a little more heavily on his mind.

"What if I won't get to come here anymore, after all this?" a young girl's voice rang out, in between mouthfuls of cereal. Juniper Finnley, a young student of Lilith's that was with her during the disaster at the tournament a few months back, wasn't just Lilith's student, anymore. Her mother wasn't a hybrid, but she didn't hate them. She thought the dojo might be the safest place for June to stay, until the heat died down a bit. Not that she wanted to get rid of her, she was simply afraid. Lilith put on her best smile. "Don't be silly! Of course you will." she said. "But we don't know what's gonna happen, now." June continued, a bit concerned. "I can't stay here, forever. I have to go home, eventually. There's not many classes anymore, because of it. What if..." June paused a moment, a touch of sadness in her voice. "What if I don't get to see Dad, anymore?"

June had only learned about her father, in the previous months. Her mother didn't like him, and hasn't allowed him to visit June since she was too young to remember. He visited the dojo while she was there, her mother never knowing any different, and Lilith never saying otherwise. The two seemed to enjoy the visits, and Lilith didn't have the heart to say no. "That's not going to happen." Lilith said, still smiling. "Damn straight it won't!" another voice shouted, as he entered the room. June's face immediately lit up as a smile swept across her face, and she lunged toward him. "Dad!" she shouted, tackling him with a hug. "Hey there, Junebug. How goes things?" Naga grinned, ruffling her hair.

Musashi entered the main dojo. He had felt in a slump since the majority of his students have left. He sighed, feeling listless, without lessons to lead. The dojo had almost given him a purpose in life, a drive. He spotted Naga, who had once again barged his own way inside. "Oh, goody. You're back." he said monotonously. "Another day and only the four of us here." he sighed. Naga opened his mouth, starting to say something snarky back at Musashi. It had been a rough few months, though, and the guy deserved a break. Also, Lilith probably wouldn't be too happy about sarcasm right now. Mostly the latter. Naga sighed. "Hey, I'm not that fond of you, either." he started, "And honestly, if some criminal came barging into my house uninvited, I'd probably murder him on the spot. But," he continued, trying to talk fast enough where nobody could retort back. "You didn't. What's more, you haven't kicked me out or tattled on me. I don't say this often, but....thank you. I owe you, big time."
"Yes, you do." Lilith agreed. She may have been a lot friendlier with Naga than she had been before, but he was still a criminal. How could she say no, to June, though? This wasn't even the biggest issue, right now."But not today. There are bigger concerns going on, right now." she sighed, gesturing to the mostly-empty dojo. "Slow goin', huh?" Naga said, noting the emptiness. Musashi observed his empty dojo and sighed heavily. "Slow going? More like no going. Pretty much all of my students are gone, the people who are here are the only people that still train here regularly."

"Sucks about your dojo thing and all, but what about Lilith's students? They're all hybrids, right?" Naga said, lifting his helmet-visor up. "Nico and Mavra still have classes, but they also train with their dad. Their friends have been off at Snowpoint, so lately it's just been June here." Lilith sighed, nudging closer to Musashi. "Even though June has been staying here, it still seems...quieter...lonelier." Naga never really had a problem mingling into society, and he didn't care what other people thought. Then again, he was also really good at being sneaky and hiding, when he needed to; but when things did get tough, he didn't just sit there and let it happen. "So," he said, crossing his arms, observing the rather heavy atmosphere. "What are you gonna do about it? Just mope around, forever? Seriously, I feel like there should be emotional music playing overhead while it's raining, outside." June gave the last comment a light snicker, before immediately feeling bad for doing so.
Musashi sighed, taking a look at the tv. It was turned on, but on a low volume. He raised an eyebrow as he saw a news program come on. The news! That was it! "Perhaps there's something we can do." Musashi said. "The humans are scared because we are still a mystery to them. They don't understand what exactly we are or where we came from. Maybe we could get on this news media place and inform them." he said. He turned to the others, pointing at the news on the tv. "Does anyone know where we can go for this news place?"

"Alright." Naga said, arms still folded. "That's my cue, to leave." he said, pulling his visor back down and starting to head out. "We can get some ice cream or something, Junebug." June hesitated for a moment, thinking things over. "Actually, that might not be a bad idea. The news thing and all. I mean, we were always human. Maybe we could-" Naga stopped June, before she could say anything more. "June, these wackos can do whatever the hell they want, but I'm not going on tv. It could only cause more panic, especially if I was there."

June looked at him, puzzled. "Why?" was all she said. Naga groaned, thinking carefully of how to respond. He and June might have enjoyed the time they had been spending together, but June didn't know what her father's occupation was. As far as she knew, he was just a pickpocket and occasional jaywalker; he purposely left out a few other details. Namely the ones about murdering people for money and making it look like a Blaziken-trainer team, practically faking his old identity's death, and of course the fact that she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, if it weren't for him. Naga sighed, heavily. "Because I've done some bad stuff, June. Nobody knew about us, up until now; all the evidence pointed to a Pokémon, not a hybrid. I can only push my luck, so far."
Lilith put a hand on June's shoulder, and nodded at her. "It's okay. It might be better if you stayed here, anyway." she smiled. She didn't know everything about Naga, either, but she did know he was more than just a common thief. She said nothing to either, and didn't push matters. June didn't need to know. June just pouted, crossing her arms. "So," Lilith started. "It would be best to find the city that has the biggest news stations."

"Castelia." Naga replied. "Best bet would be the Castelia news station. Just...don't go getting yourselves into too much trouble." Lilith nodded. "Alright then. Castelia, it is. There's also somebody there who could help us out, quite a bit." Musashi nodded. The biggest station would be watched by more people. He smiled. "That's right! Porter!"



Stephen Porter looked over his research papers. He smiled contently as he viewed the positive results. "Excellent! With these results, the world will definitely be more accepting of the hybrids."
"I certainly hope so, Stephen." a dark voice spoke, Porter freezing up. The voice, it was familiar. It couldn't be. He turned and started stuttering, his eyes widened. "D....d...Doctor B...Blackstone!?" Blackstone stepped out of the shadows. "What's wrong, Stephen? You look like you've seen a ghost." he chuckled, pushing his glasses up. Porter had to gather his thoughts, for a moment. Right. The guy he watched burn in a fire was standing right in front of him. Porter had a close brush with death himself, and he was pretty sure that was not how it worked. "No." Porter finally murmured. "No, you're dead! CT killed you! Your body was burned in the fire, there was no way....." he trailed off, still in shock. "How?"

Blackstone laughed. "Ah, Stephen. That look on your face is priceless. Shall I explain, to you? I must admit, even for my great mind it was quite a genius plan. You see, this is a cloned body, with my own memories downloaded inside. I was thinking to myself when I first thought of making the hybrids, it could be very dangerous, most likely lead to my death. Then an idea came to my mind. If we can store music on a compact disc, why can't we store a man's intelligence and personality on one? Brain mapping, artificial intelligence, we should have been working on it thirty years ago. After all, our thoughts are all electrical and chemical reactions, right? So, I had another lab set away for recording all of my memories and thoughts live, while keeping a cloned body prepared. I admit, it took quite a while for the machines to register my death. It's been many years, and much has happened since I've been gone. It also seems that my work has been carried on, and you're looking quite green, I must say." he chuckled at his pun.

Porter narrowed his eyes, at "Blackstone". He should have seen something like this, coming. He sighed, accepting the fact that if creating Pokémon-human hybrids was possible, then making a clone with former memories wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibilities, either. "I almost burned to death in that fire, myself. CT dragged me out, did his own experiments. He's made fusions, given humans Pokémon DNA, and now he's researching how to use Pokémon's powers for medicinal purposes. Roserade's healing ability healed most of my burns, but obviously it also made me a little...more than human." he said, in a near-spiteful tone, never taking his eyes off Blackstone. "How did you find this place, anyway?"
"I see, so CT really did continue my research. " Blackstone mused. "So, he found new ways to urge on the new stage of evolution, hm? I'm impressed, and also quite pleased. Yes, this was all a huge success, except for one thing." he turned away from Porter. "As for this lab, it used to be mine. Well, before I hired you. Dear CT must have seen the location on the data he took and decided to put it to use. No matter, I have plenty more labs he doesn't know about. For now I have a loose end to tie up, this coming race war is definitely a wrench in the works I cannot tolerate. I'm sure we'll see each other again, Stephen." he said, walking out of the lab.

 

Later on that evening, Porter waited near the news station. He had convinced the station to air an interview with the hybrids, and he agreed to talk with them as well. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Man, twenty years ago his life wasn't so damned difficult. He was just a scientist, working on some new breakthrough with a man he barely even knew. He never thought it would lead to his near-death, working as lead scientist for an ex-Pokémon, having himself turned half-Roserade, his boss essentially reincarnated, and now this whole race war thing. Some of the experiments CT had done were horrific and Porter regretted ever siding with him, but at the same time, CT has also done just as much good, with Blackstone's research. Sure, CT may have only been thinking about benefiting himself, but Porter saw much more potential. Perhaps even some of his current research could calm everybody down, maybe they'll realize the hybrids aren't so bad. He could only hope, anyway.

Musashi and Lilith met up with Porter, Musashi giving him a quick nod as greeting before they headed toward the stage. It looked like they were at a commercial break, people sipping coffee and stagehands eating off the buffet table. A pudgy man with short blond hair walked up. "Hello, you must be Doctor Porter. I'm Ben Gleck. I'll be interviewing you and the.." he glanced at the others. "You-know-whats. Come with me." They all sat down at the table, Porter closest to Ben. "We're back and I have Doctor Stephen Porter here who is an expert on what we have called the Hybrids. Well, I think the first thing we want to know, doctor, is where these so called people came from? How long have they been hiding among humans?" Musashi grew annoyed at the man's tone, his fist clenching under the table where only Lilith could see. Lilith slid her hand over Musashi's fist, in a gesture of trying to calm him down. They came here to try and be reasonable, not start a fight. Granted, the whole situation was more than unpleasant, but losing their cool wasn't going to help their case any.

A small twinge of anger even arose inside of Porter, but he tried his best not to show it. "About twenty years ago, I was on a project lead by Dr. Blackstone. I had no idea what I was in for at the time, as all he said is that it would change the world. Come to find out, he was researching how Dittos were able to not only change their shape, but their very DNA. He figured, if they can do it, why can't other Pokémon?"
"His first experiments were...not exactly pleasant, I'll admit." Porter sighed, a touch of discomfort in his expression. "He started out just changing one Pokémon to another, but then figured we could go even bigger. Make humans that had all the powers of a Pokémon. There were...many failed attempts. CT Blackstone was the first successful transformation, followed by Musashi here and a variety of others."

"I'm not proud of what we did. I regret it. There was a lot of death and pain, and these creatures didn't deserve what we did to them. It should never have happened, but it did and nobody can change that. These people aren't to be feared. They're people, just like all of you. You have a bond with other human beings and with Pokémon, what makes the Hybrids any different?"

"So, let me get this straight." Ben said after seemingly listening to all of Porter's speech. "You're responsible for these things? You're saying these hybrids were cooked up in some lab?" he said, his voice raising. "Wait, I'm saying they are-" Porter tried to protest, being interrupted. "You helped create these things and you've set them all over the world! How do we know you didn't program them for something? What's your plan with these hybrids, Doctor Porter?" Ben shouted. Porter tried to say something before a loud crash was heard.

Several hybrids of different appearances stormed the news studio.
"See? They're attacking already!" Ben Gleck shouted, ducking under his desk.
One of the hybrids, wearing a bandana over the lower half of his face and a big pair of shades walked up to the camera. "We are the hybrid revolution! We have grown sick of you humans oppressing us. Even when we became human, you found new ways to treat us as second class citizens. You treat us even lower than your own Pokémon, which many of us used to be. We feel you no longer deserve to be equals and partners with us. The hybrid revolution is upon you now! Hybrid brothers and sisters, join us! Fight against the oppressors! Viva la Pokelution!"

Musashi stood up. "We were trying to repair the damages caused by the mistakes at the tournament, and now a bunch of hooligans crash in to ruin that, shouting stupid phrases of revolution. I've had enough. Lilith, let's take these rebels down." Lilith wasn't as quick to react as Musashi, mostly out of surprise at the attack. Honestly, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. This whole thing just reeked of disaster. "Well, so much for that plan." Porter sighed. "Um...I'm not really much of a fighter.." Lilith shot him a glance, before he could say anything more. "I'm a Fire type. You can help, from a distance." she said, finally springing up, waves of heat winding around her arms. She looked back at Porter once more, giving him an expression that clearly read, Well? "Oh. Oh, uh...right. Yes. I can do that." Porter stammered, pushing his glasses back up. A small orb of light grew in his hands, growing bigger and brighter, and, in turn, causing the studio lights to grow brighter. "Well, that's different. Huh. I'll have to look into that, later." Porter said, to himself. "Science later, Sunny Day, now!" Lilith said, throwing a powered-up Heat Wave at one of the rebels.

Before anybody could make another move, a large, bright orange blast flashed across the room, pummeling into the rebels, reporters, and knocking Lilith to the floor. "It appears to me," a deep, familiar voice growled, "That you're all a bunch of primitive beasts." he snarled. "You're both blabbering on about being equal with the humans, superior, and more evolved...but what I see here, on both sides, says otherwise." CT stepped in, straightening his jacket. "This is my city." he growled at the rebels. "I highly suggest you get the bloody hell out." The revolutionaries fled, finding themselves outnumbered and not spoiling for a big fight. Musashi sighed as he turned to see CT now in the room. "We were trying to build bridges between the humans and ourselves, now these so-called rebels are ruining our last chance of living reasonably normal lives." he said. He walked up to CT, his eyes narrowed. "Just what are you doing here, CT?"

CT stood facing Musashi, paying the fleeing rebels no more mind. "You're on live television. You and tv are never a good mix." he said, his tone somewhat frustrated. "What did you think this would accomplish? You think people would just suddenly change their minds, because a couple of hybrids said to? You want to be treated like normal people, but you all still cling to your instincts to jump right into a battle."
"So, you just burst into the room, with a Focus Blast?" Lilith huffed, crossing her arms. "Would you have listened, otherwise?" CT replied.

"Um, maybe?"

"I would have!" Porter chimed. CT rolled his eyes; "Oh, can it, Stephen. You're the one who encouraged them to do this."

"Yessir! Sorry, boss. Won't happen, again."

Musashi groaned, rubbing his temples. "The humans are scared because they don't understand, if we help them understand, then they should no longer fear us." he said. How could CT not understand? He gave a glowering look at Porter, sometimes he was too much of a pushover for his own good. "And what do you mean me and tv don't mix?"

CT sighed at Musashi. "Right, because telling them you're a bunch of science experiments, powerful animals who now have all the added capabilities of a human being, will make things so much better." CT didn't understand. He failed to see how this would lead to anything but disaster. In fact, it probably just made things a lot worse. "We should probably get out of here. I'm not exactly a fan of media, and I'm sure there's quite a bit more outside, after this little...incident." CT grumbled, starting to head out. "And you never mix with tv, Musashi. I remember having to replace one of mine, after you introduced it to your swords."

Ben Gleck got up, shaking as he pointed at the others. "See!? This is what they're kind do! They are volatile and dangerous! We can't trust them enough to let them mingle with normal defenseless humans!" CT narrowed his eyes at Ben. "This entire situation has been rather unpleasant, for us as well. More-so, for my family. Nick has never been a Pokémon, he doesn't understand why his classmates are suddenly treating him different."

"You think you humans are defenseless? Humans are the ones who did this to us. Humans are the ones lashing out and attacking us. They're the ones calling us dangerous, for daring to want to be treated equally. You call us the dangerous ones, and yet humans are perfectly capable of murder, rape, arson, theft, and terrorism. They're the ones who put Pokémon into fights, for their own amusement, but now that we can think and speak for ourselves, suddenly it's wrong? Maybe Dr. Blackstone was right. Maybe it is time for the next step in evolution." CT tugged at his jacket, and stepped out. "Come along, you two. There's nothing more to do or say, here. Dr. Porter, I suggest you go home." Porter nodded at CT, Lilith looking over at him with concern. "Oh, don't worry about me, Lil. You go on home, I can handle things around here." Lilith gave him a weak smile. "Well, this was a bust. What, now?" she sighed, leaning on Musashi. Musashi sighed, draping an arm around Lilith's waist. "I don't know Lilith." he said, running his fingers through his hair.



Meanwhile, outside the station, somebody else was fuming. "No!" he shouted at the rebels who made it out of the building. "No, no, no! I didn't put together a bunch of revolutionaries, just so they could get their asses kicked on live tv! I thought you were supposed to fight back, prove how much stronger you were! Seems like what I got, was just a bunch of pansies!" he continued yelling.

The tall, dark-haired man known as Randy walked up next to the fuming man. "Perhaps we should set the example for these cowards." he said, smashing his fist into the face of one cowering revolutionary. "Unless you feel we should retreat." he grunted. The other man glared at Randy, anger in his eyes. "I don't retreat!" he growled, clenching his fist. "No, we're not retreating. We're waiting. They're alert now and there's police all over. We're going to follow those pricks home, and strike where it hurts the most. We're going to send a message, that we're not a bunch of pushover rebels. Nobody fucks with us, and gets away with it."

Randy looked at Zee. "I hate waiting. When do we strike them down? The longer we let them be, the longer they have to ruin everything." he growled. "Oh, stop your whining." Zee hushed Randy. "They currently don't even know who we are or what's going on, so it's not like Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. is gonna come looking for us. As far as they know, it was just a random rebel strike." Zee's mouth curled into a devious grin, his yellow eyes glinting with malice. "So they sure as hell won't expect it, when we kick their door down and burn the place to the ground."

 

The subway ride back to Icirrus seemed longer than usual; Musashi sat down and looked at CT, who had tagged along. "Shouldn't you have stayed in Castelia, with your family?" he asked. CT was Musashi's friend, he could admit that to himself. However, the last thing he wanted was to feel like he needed CT to pop in and save him from a problem he could handle, himself. It was hard to get over one's own stubbornness, it seems.

"Nick can handle things, while I'm gone. The boy has grown quite a bit, and isn't that timid runt of a kid he used to be. I could use time away from the chaos, anyway. Granted it's not much better, here, but with Lasciel being...well...Lasciel, and the baby, it's at least quieter." CT sighed, tiredly. "Besides," he continued. "Somebody has to make sure you don't pull another stunt like that, again."

"We just thought it would be a good way to make people understand..." Lilith pouted.

"There are very human-like Pokémon. Some can even talk, and some were created by science. There have even been reports of humans with unique powers, not unlike some Pokémon. Quite a few of them were at one point evil or associated with evil. Making people understand isn't the issue. They have it set in their minds that we are evil, because the others were. There is no winning this war. People don't want to trust us." CT sighed. "And I admit I haven't exactly been helping matters, myself. Nor has that idiot who calls himself a professional assassin, that you let in here."

"Screw you!" Naga said from another room, giving CT a rude hand gesture. "I'm not even a Pokémon, so I don't count!" CT rubbed at the sides of his head. "So much for peace and quiet."


Outside the dojo, Randy looked at Zee. "Well? They're here, we're here. Shall I flood them now or did you want to wait more, hm? Shall we stick a warning letter on their door, first?" he asked, impatience obvious in his voice. Zee flicked his tail in annoyance, at Randy's impatience. "No. We're not flooding them, and we're not sticking a letter on their door. Instead, I thought about knocking. You know, give them an introduction, before we burn the place down. 'Hi, my name is Hysminai and this is my associate, Randal. We are here to politely murder you.' How's that sound? That good?" Zee snarked, stomping toward the dojo. "Well, here goes. It's always polite to knock first, wouldn't you say? So, let's give the door a knock." Zee growled, throwing two fistfuls of fire toward the dojo door. "Knock knock, bitches!"

Musashi turned, his swords out. "Lilith! Make sure the children are safe! " his blades glowed green. They attack his dojo? The nerve of these men! Musashi glared as he sent a volley of Air Slashes toward the two attackers. Randy roared, his blue water energy glowing around him as he charged.

Hysminai was fast, and easily dodged the Air Slashes. "That all you got?" he sneered, a ball of fire forming in his fist. "You ruined our plans back in Castelia. That was...." he said, lightly tossing the ball of fire as though it was a baseball. "Slightly upsetting." he grinned, tossing the ball of fire not at Musashi, but at the dojo.

The fire was intercepted by another blast, but not leaving the dojo completely unscathed. "Really, now." CT growled. "It's like you just attract these kind of people, Musashi." Hysminai narrowed his eyes at CT. They had fought each other before, and last time CT had somehow managed to beat him. Something was off, though. He looked tired, stressed. Maybe he wasn't at such an advantage, now. Hysminai grinned, his fists now glowing orange, readying a Close Combat. CT braced, getting ready to counter it, somehow. Hysminai charged toward CT so fast CT almost didn't have time to react. Hysminai went flying backward, leaving CT untouched. Why did his head hurt? Hysminai slid down the wall, head screaming in pain, apparently hit by some kind of......rocks? Naga stepped in front of the fallen Infernape, standing next to CT. "Ziggy?"

Hysminai groaned, vision starting to clear up. "Told you not to call me that. The hell you doing here, Daryl? Did....did you hit me with a rock?"

"Stone Edge. And I could care less about these guys," Naga replied, gesturing to Musashi and CT, the latter of whom only replied to Naga, with a glare. "But you're attempting to burn down my daughter's temporary home. So, do I need to hit you with another rock?"
"Did I miss something?" CT interrupted. "Right. Yeah. Zee, CT. CT, Zee. We're brothers," Naga said, pointing at Zee. "And that guy's a dick and I hate him." he continued, pointing to CT. "The feeling is mutual." CT snarked back. Zee stood, rubbing at his sore head. "So, Junebug's here? Hiding out like all the rest, huh? You know, we could use you. Screw the humans. We fight them off, she wouldn't have to hide. We'd be the ones in charge. How 'bout it?"

Naga thought for a moment, glancing back at CT, who seemed to be giving him a very disapproving stare. The people here might not have been friends with Naga, but they were friends with June. June was staying here. If he said no, they would burn it down. If he went with them, what would the consequences be? "Alright. Truce. I go with you, you leave the dojo alone. We might not get along, but right now, these people are all June has." Zee shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. I promise I will not burn down the dojo." he smirked, a touch of deceit in his voice that Naga didn't seem to catch, but CT most certainly picked up on.

Musashi glared at Randy. "Why are you doing this, Randy? What would Pen think if he saw you, like this?" Randy growled from his throat. "Like I give a damn what he would think. We all died because he was ill prepared. Frankly, I don't care if it's you or anyone else in our way; we are superior to the humans. We should rule them, the strong conquer the weak."

"The humans aren't weak. They have a strength of heart someone filled with rage would never grasp."

"Enough of your sucking up to humans, Musashi. Fight me or run; it matters little, either way." Randy snarled, building up energy. He glanced for a moment at his partner. Great, seemed even he was caught up with talking. "Enough talking, Zee! We trashing them or should we sit down for some fucking tea?"

"You are absolutely right. Enough talking. Change of plans, Randy. Turns out my brother and niece are here, so we made a truce. He fights with us, I will not burn down the dojo." he smirked at Randy. It was a devious smirk, one indicating that he intended to keep his word, but he never promised he wouldn't get somebody else to do it. Naga didn't pick up on it, but there was something most definitely unsettling about his choice of words. Zee had changed quite a bit in the last few years, and part of Naga didn't want to trust him, but the other part decided that he was still family and still deserved a chance. "Now wait just a minute-" CT started, but was promptly interrupted. "Lemme guess, you can't just let us walk out of here, and how do you know you can trust us not to come back and attack the place again?" Zee said, holding a hand up. "Family is of the utmost importance to me, as I'm sure you could agree. I couldn't possibly destroy my niece's home or bring harm to her friends. You have my word, Mr. Blackstone. I will not return." Zee said, grin never once fading. Randy snorted, turning to walk away. He had already caught onto Zee's signal; he wasn't finished, yet. "I will..go on ahead." he said in a hushed grunt, walking outside. However, instead of leaving for the base, Randy headed into the moor. Since Zee and Naga were out of the way, Randy had a big surprise for everyone at the dojo. Randy channeled his aquatic energy. This surprise had to be very big, he would need to make sure he has all this raw power focused on the task at hand. He smiled; things were about to get very unpleasant, for Musashi's precious moor.


Musashi glared at Naga. "Naga, we can take them, you know. There is no need to go join them. Think for one moment, on this. Is this what you would want your daughter seeing you do? Is what they plan to make this world become what you want to raise June in?"
Naga clenched his fists, quickly turning, glaring at Musashi. "You wanna know what a better world is? A world that won't turn her away. My daughter has to hide here, locked up away from society because they treat her like a freak. She has to mingle with her 'own kind' because the world thinks she's some kind of monster, who doesn't belong. You're not a parent. I don't expect you to understand. But if you were in my position, would you want your child to feel like they had to hide from the whole world? To miss out on life? Wouldn't you do anything it takes to change that, even if it meant you might never see them again?"

"If it means June can live her life without being outcast and hated, yeah. I'll join these pricks. And for the record, you can't take them. You have no idea what you're dealing with. This is the best, for everybody." Naga said, turning once again to walk away with his brother.


"Well said." Zee smirked. "Shut up. I know your game. Elvis did the same thing. I'm not doing this, for you. I'm doing it, for June. So don't think for a second you have my complete loyalty." Zee's smirk never faded. He knew how to manipulate Naga, and it wouldn't be long before he was one of them. Naga walked out of the moor, with his brother. Zee glanced back, a smirk creeping along his face. "You don't actually care about those assholes, do you?" Naga glared at Zee. "You're a dick, you know that? I only care, for June's sake. This is all she's got, right now. I'm not siding with you, or with them. If I hadn't intervened, you would've destroyed the place, and June along with it." Zee stopped walking, turning to face Naga. "Then you're gonna hate what happens, now."

Naga blinked, confused. Then a loud, rushing roar was heard, coming from the moor. Naga turned just in time to see Randy gathering a huge amount of water from the moor, creating a tidal wave. "You...you bastard! You said you would leave them alone!" Zee held his brother back, forcing him to watch as the wave swept across the moor. "No. I promised I wouldn't hurt them. These people already ruined my plans, once. I can't just let them walk away, to do it again. You want to help June? Help by eliminating our enemies." Naga struggled against Zee's hold. They were both strong, but Zee had him in a lock that he was currently too panicked to get out of. "You're going to kill June!"

"If June is anything like you, she'll react fast enough to save herself." Zee shrugged. "Maybe some others." Naga again tried to break free of Zee's hold. Zee let Naga go, and landed a quick but powerful kick to his head. Naga tumbled over, consciousnesses fading. "Too late, Daryl. You're already part of this. There's no going back." Zee said, smirk fading, his expression becoming more serious. Randy smiled as he watched his dirty work. The smile faded soon enough as he headed up to where Zee waited. "Enjoy the view?" he asked Naga.


Musashi barely caught what happened. He heard a loud roar and rushing water, and suddenly everything shook and he was disoriented. He coughed as he felt groggy and waterlogged. About a pint of moor water flow out of his mouth as he coughed and vomited. "Lilith! CT! Everyone!" he called out, wiping his eyes as he tried to see clearly.

CT was slightly disoriented, but seemed more annoyed that another suit had been ruined by a large wave. "I hate Water types." he grumbled. "Ice types are okay, I hope." a small voice chirped, from not far away. Chunks of shattered ice floated about, as June stood, a freezing mist still surrounding her hands. "Suppose I owe you one. Well, we all do." CT said, pushing his hair out of his face. Zee was right about June; she had reacted fast, creating a small half-dome of ice, slowing the wave of water down. It wasn't strong enough to stop it nor to hold for long, but it was enough to save everybody.
So it seemed.

"Is everyone alright?" Musashi looked around, seeing an unconscious Lilith, whose skin had gone pale from the flash flood. Damn it! It must have been Randy, he left early to set up this attack. He rushed to Lilith, pushing on her stomach. Shit, she wasn't breathing! "Come on Lilith, stay with me." he said, pressing his mouth to hers and blowing air into her lungs. "Come on." he pleaded. Lilith had been hit the hardest, by both the wave and a chunk of ice that had broken off, from the impact. She remained still for a few moments, then began to cough and sputter water from her lungs. The impact from the ice had knocked her unconscious as the wave flowed through, but not hard enough to leave her with anything more than a bad headache, for the next couple days. She wiped the water from her eyes; as her focus became clearer, the blurry figure leaning over her became more obvious. She threw her arms around Musashi in a tight hug, in no hurry to let go. Musashi sighed as he held onto Lilith. "We have to get everyone somewhere dry and warm. CT, you live in a large home, can you house us?" he asked.

There was no question about it, the dojo was ruined. It would take time they didn't have, to repair the building. CT's home was large, but they might have to find another place to stay. It was a big house, but hardly big enough for this many people. CT sighed. He may have been a ruthless mob boss, but he wouldn't leave a friend. "Fine. There's not much room to spare, but Juniper can bunk with Mavra at least; I'm sure neither will mind." June grinned, excitedly. The two had classes together and quickly became friends, so it would just be like a really long sleepover for them. Everybody was soaked and freezing. "It's a long way, back. Suppose I can get Porter to pick us up." he sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Note to self: next time you want peace and quiet, don't go to Musashi's."


"See? Your girl's tough. Shame everybody else lived, though." Zee said to Naga, as they watched from a distance. "Let that be a lesson, to all of you. They go after us, we kill them. You turn your back on us and help them, we kill you, brother or not. Got it?" Naga again struggled to break free from Zee, but that kick to the head had left him disoriented and dizzy. Zee responded by slamming his fist into his brother's head, knocking him out cold. "I think we all understand each other, now. Good work, Randy. Hopefully those assholes got the message. If not, well...you know what to do."

 

The trip felt like a long one. CT had called in Porter to come in with a vehicle. Musashi ran his fingers through his hair. CT didn't have enough rooms for everyone. Three people, one guest room. Musashi never went to a school, but he knew how to count, just fine. Lilith was placed in bed to warm up, Lash had done Musashi the courtesy of changing Lilith into some dry clothes. Musashi calmed his flushed cheeks at the thought. "I don't suppose I could...borrow your couch?" he asked CT.

CT smirked, not being able to resist teasing Musashi. "You sure? She's all alone in there. Probably cold. Could use all the warmth she can get." he said, nudging Musashi, who didn't seem nearly as amused. "If you insist, though." he shrugged, tone more serious. "For the record, I'm sorry about your dojo." he sighed. "Bastards, all of them. If I had even the slightest idea of where they went, I would send somebody after them. Suppose all there is to do, is rebuild and move on. I'll help in any way I can."

"And most definitely not go chasing after them!" Lasciel chimed, holding a hot cup of tea to take to Lilith. "I'm sorry, too, but I also know how you work. You can't win every battle, and you shouldn't go looking for more trouble. If one person could do that, who knows what all three are capable of!" she said, her tone not so much unsympathetic as simply concerned mother.

Musashi's face went scarlet. "C..CT! The very thought. I mean, we live together, but..such a thing is considered improper even by human standards." he said, trying to justify why he wouldn't go right into that room. "I think I'll just sleep on the couch. She looked warm I don't want to disturb her."

"Well, if you insist." CT said. "Though she did nearly drown. I'm sure she'll be lonely. Might have bad dreams. Lasciel and I have a baby to deal with, wouldn't be fair to keep her up all night making sure Lilith is alright, too." he continued, smirking. "Well, best get some rest, then. Oh, and watch out for Seymour. The couch is usually where he sleeps." he said, walking off and grinning.

Musashi sighed, stepping into Lilith's guest room. "Just going to check on her, that's all." he told himself. He walked over to her, looking at her. Well, she looked better, sleeping soundly. Maybe he should just leave her be, he thought. Lilith wasn't resting, that well. She always had a fear of large bodies of water, and that day she had nearly drowned. To top that off, she was staying in the house of the man who had created her. She wasn't so afraid of CT anymore, but she still was a little uneasy around him. Lash had given her herbal tea and something for the headache, but she was still restless, and clung tightly to her pillow as though having a bad dream. Musashi watched Lilith, sighing heavily. He debated things in his head for minutes, sitting beside her on the bed. There, he was near her, that's what mattered. She seemed less scared already. Now all he had to do was stay awake right? How hard could that be?

A few hours later, Musashi had blacked out, cuddling Lilith in his sleep. Seems staying awake after what happened was not so easy.



Meanwhile, Randy glared at the still unconscious Naga. "So, what do we do with him?" he asked Zee. "Oh, he won't be any trouble. He'll be on our side. He has no choice." Zee said, smacking Naga in the face, causing him to groggily wake up. Naga groaned, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Isn't that right, bro? You're one of us, now!" Zee grinned. "Go to hell." Naga snarled, trying to stand up. Zee chuckled. "Gladly. But first, we gotta pick up where we left off, before we were so rudely interrupted. See, we need to make a public statement. A statement declaring that the humans don't know what they're dealing with. We're gonna fight back, and they're not going to hate us, anymore. They're going to fear us."

"How is that going to resolve anything?" Naga growled. "By winning this war, it means we'll be the ones running the place. Humans are going to learn their place, and they're not going to do a damn thing about it, because they'll be too scared shitless to try. You want a world where June can live her life without being mocked and ridiculed? Then help us." Naga just glared at his brother. "No. She wouldn't be mocked and ridiculed. She would be feared, like everybody else. Not much better, in my opinion." Zee's smile faded, expression turning serious. "Nobody gives a fuck about your opinion. You're going to help us. End of story."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we finish off your friends, and June will have nothing left, but a mother who abandoned her because she was afraid of what people might say about her, and her half-crazy father who faked his own disappearance and murders people for a living. By the way, you're constantly moving around, aren't you? Why, if something happened to June's friends, she would have to stay with one of you. Or you could just help us, and let her have a happy life not knowing any different. Your choice."

"You're an asshole." Naga said, through his teeth. He clenched his fists, ready to punch his brother's face in. He sighed, tension dying down. He was right. Damn it all, he was right. "Fine. But one day, Ziggy. One day, when I catch you off guard, I swear I'll kill you both." Zee grinned, an evil and chilling smile. "Good luck, with that."

 

The night had come and gone. For some, sleep came easy and was welcomed. For others, the night seemed to never end. June was excited to share a room with her best friend, and Mavra actually had fun that didn't involve pain, which was rare for her. Lilith was still in bed, just starting to stir. She still had a dull headache, but the injury wasn't severe enough to require any medical attention. Still, she would much rather have just stayed in bed the whole day.
The youngest in the house had kept his parents up most of the night, like any infant would. Lasciel decided to just stay up, as she began brewing a pot of tea. CT was enjoying the silence, for however long it would last. All things considered, it probably wouldn't be long.

When Musashi woke up, he saw Lilith still sleeping, cuddling tightly to him. It was by this time Musashi realized that Lilith really did not fit well in Lash's top. His face scarlet, he got up and headed out of the room. Musashi sighed, not sure what was next. Well, first thing first they had to rebuild the dojo.
Musashi paced the living room of CT's home. He felt restless, hating the idea of mooching off his friend because he was now homeless. He sighed, combing his fingers through his hair.

"Can't you find something to do besides wear a groove into my floor?" CT grunted.

"I'm restless. I have no classes, no students. I have nothing to occupy my time, anymore. I can't even rebuild my home until everybody has recovered."
"You know, there's this wonderful new activity called relaxing. Heard of it?"
"I do not feel comfortable occupying my time with slothly leisure. I am not some bum who sits around, leeching off his friends."

"That's it. Lash, need your help." CT growled, getting behind Musashi and shoving him.

"Hey! Stop that!" Musashi protested.

Lash came out of Lilith's room, pulling the girl along. Lilith looked as if she had make up put on, dolled up and looking pretty in a dress that, luckily, fit her seeing, as it must have come from Lash. "You two, go out somewhere. Have a date. Relax, for Arceus sake."

"D-date?" Musashi and Lilith said in unison, also adopting red cheeks.
"And don't come back until you had a bloody good time. Have her home late, please." CT ended, the two being shoved out the door.




The little building on the side of an alleyway in Castelia was where Zee and his group resided; it was a small group, but they all had one thing in common: they hated humans. "What is this, Oliver Twist?" Naga said, glancing at the people in the room. There were people of all shapes and sizes, some even kids and teenagers. "Wiseass. These people are all here on their own free will. I don't do a damned thing for them. Hell, I'm not even any sort of leader. We all just kind of....gather, here. We do our own thing in our own style." Zee said back. "I do, however, tag along with a couple specific guys on occasion." No sooner had he stopped talking, a young child came bounding in the room. He might have been around the same age as June, but no older than ten. He had shaggy black hair, mostly covered by a blue and black beanie adorned with what could have been either cat or wolf ears. He wore a dirty, oversized sweater and jeans, and his shoes looked worn. He had a gleam in his eyes and a wide smile on his face, as he greeted Zee. "Took ya' long enough. Thought ya' said you were gonna burn down th'news building. They said the rebels were run off by some other hybrids. I coulda taken 'em, ya'know." he said, making fists and punching at the air. "Hey....hey, Dad. Who's that? I don't remember him. Who'd ya' bring back?" the young kid said, barely getting a breath in.

"Dad?" Naga blinked, at Zee. "Oh, for Chrissake, I am not his dad! Picked the worthless runt up off the streets, thought he'd be a good ally. Turned out to be nothing more than a pest run on energy drinks and sugar. Want him? I'll happily give him to you." Zee replied, shoving the kid away. The kid's smile quickly faded, as he watched his "dad" walk away from him. Naga sighed, putting a hand on the kid's shoulder and kneeling down next to him. "He can be a bit of a jerk, huh?" The kid sighed, and gave a gesture that looked like he may have vaguely been nodding his head. "Name's Naga. That asshat over there is my brother." Naga said, extending his hand out for a friendly handshake. "What's your name, kid?" The child smiled as he shook Naga's clawed hand. "Drake. It's'bout all I can remember 'bout myself. Dad...I mean....Zee found me when I was pretty young." Naga sighed. Zee had picked up this kid when he was little, and seemed to hate him. Drake didn't have a family that loved him, and probably didn't have any real friends, here. "You know, I have a daughter about the same age as you. I think you two would get along." Drake crossed his arms. "Puh, I don't need nobody! I'm just fine, on my own!" Naga stood and sighed. "Alright, whatever you say. Too bad. I would've gladly taken you both out for ice cream. Guess it'll just be June and me." he shrugged. Drake blinked, quiet for just a few moments. "Ice cream? I guess....maybe....that'd be okay, I s'pose." he mumbled under his breath. Naga smiled and patted Drake's head, twisting his hat sideways. "Ice cream, it is! As soon as we get away from grumpybutt, over there." Drake couldn't help but laugh just a bit. Naga was the first person who seemed like he wanted to be friends with him, and Drake was more than happy to have a potential friend.

"Oh, you're just melting my fucking heart." Zee mocked. "Neither of you are going anywhere. Especially you." Zee pointed at Naga, who was giving him a scowl. "Oh, come on, Ziggy. Let the boys have some fun." a female voice said, walking in. Zee groaned. "Great, that's all I need, right now. Well, might as well introduce you to my other partner-"

"Eos." Naga said, as the woman stepped out of the shadows, the light reflecting on her blue-silver hair. "Naga." she smiled. "Good. You two know each other. That'll save me the introduction, then." Zee said, flopping down on a sofa. "Been a while." Naga said, with a half-grin. "Mm. I've been in Kanto, on....business." Eos smirked back. "And you never even called? Eos, I'm hurt." Naga snarked. Eos' vulpine grin never wavered, as she got closer to Naga, both hands on the sides of his helmet. "Sorry, baby. I would have, but, unlike you, I was actually doing my job instead of thinking about it." she said, shoving him back. "Oh, sorry. I keep forgetting I'm the only one here with a conscious." Naga said back, crossing his arms. Eos scoffed, starting to say something back. "Okay, children. Shut the fuck up or you're both getting time out." Zee said, standing between the two. Naga and Eos never stopped glaring at each other; it was obvious the two had a not-so-great history. "If you two don't play nice-"

"What, you'll fire us?" Naga scoffed. Eos gave him a light grin, which may have passed for amusement. Zee was starting to get frustrated, made obvious by the flames that flickered on top of his head, making him look like an actual Infernape. Before he could say anything, Eos' eyes glowed a bright, haunting yellow, and Zee's expression went from anger to confusion, as his flames died down and he murmured something that Naga didn't quite catch. Zee most likely didn't know what he said, either. He seemed rather confused; not knowing what to do, he simply stood there, staring into space. "Huh. Who's working for who, now?" Naga smirked. Eos' eyes still glinted with a hint of yellow, as Zee's confusion continued. "Nobody's working for anybody. We're all working together, for the same cause. Sometimes Zee gets out of control. He's hurt and even killed people in our own group. If we're going to win this war, we can't go around killing each other now, can we?" she said, walking around Zee, shoving him back on the sofa. "So, you just shoot your little Confuse Ray at him, and he's okay with that?" Naga said. Eos sighed. She didn't want to answer that. "You and Drake might want to be gone, when he snaps out of it."

 

As soon as it sunk in what had occurred, Lilith wiped the makeup from her face and tussled her hair down. She didn't like the dress either, but she couldn't go back inside as CT had locked the door. "So, um...where to?" she said. Since they were both locked out, she might as well just roll with it. She didn't like getting all dolled up like that, nor did she wish to go anyplace terribly fancy. She was perfectly happy with getting coffee or ice cream or just hanging out in the Central Plaza. Musashi wondered for a while. "I..don't know. I heard that many people seem to take leisures in the Central Plaza..there is also food and I think we could both use something in our stomachs, besides bog water." he said, taking Lilith's hand.

Lilith blushed slightly as Musashi took her hand, but she certainly didn't mind it. Lilith hadn't eaten since the day before, and slept through breakfast. Lunch most definitely sounded like a good idea, right now. "There's um...there's a cafe down the street, I think. Soto and I never really hung out around this part of town because...well...." she didn't finish her sentence, but instead gave CT's house one last glance. It had been a long time, but she was still nervous around CT. She shook her head, trying to forget about that. Today was a day to relax and have fun.

Musashi held her hand tighter. "It's alright. I haven't come around this area at all, either." he said. They headed to the nice looking cafe, sitting down. Musashi looked at the menu, seeing all the items. He barely understood them, and that was the items that were written in English. Lilith looked over the menu at Musashi. "You really don't get out enough." she smiled. "This cafe has specialties from different regions. You might be interested in the Kanto section." she said, turning a page of his menu over.

Musashi sighed. "I think I'll..have what you're having." he said, smiling nervously. He had no clue how these 'dates' went, but if CT could manage it, surely he could, right? If only he had a clue what most of these items were, but he was bound to like anything Lilith ordered, he was sure. Lilith's tail would have been wagging, if it weren't hidden underneath the dress. She could easily have passed it as a fake tail before, but now people would be suspicious. She smiled and ordered pancakes for the both of them. Sure, it was lunch time, but nobody ever said one couldn't eat pancakes for lunch. Besides, technically it was her first meal of the day, making it count as breakfast. Musashi looked at Lilith. Pancakes? Well, he already said he'd have what she's having, so no going back.


Naga and Drake were also out on the town, as per Eos' suggestion. How many times had Zee gotten angry at these people, and hurt them? The kid? Eos? Naga shook the thoughts out of his head. Why was he even concerned about Eos? They hated each other. "Hey!" Drake shouted, tugging at Naga's shirt. Naga blinked, snapping out of his thought process. "What?"

"We're here." he said, gesturing at the ice cream parlor. "Ya' know I coulda handled him. He's justa big pushover." Drake said, again punching at the air. "Kid, I'd rather you be out here than in there. My brother has no problem hitting kids or women." Naga said. Drake didn't answer, but simply shrugged. "Still coulda handled 'im." he mumbled.

Naga mulled things over while Drake was busy getting every topping the parlor had to offer. Technically, Naga wasn't paying for it. Whoever the wallet he stole belonged to, did. Besides, getting the kid full of sugar before going back home might be some nice revenge, on Zee.

CT lived in Castelia, and the guys at the dojo would most likely be looking for Zee. Zee had already warned if they tried, he would kill them. After seeing just how many would back up Zee, Naga had no doubt he would make good on his word. Where would that leave June, then? Naga sighed. He should warn them not to go after Zee. Or maybe he could just leak inside information; but he was no hero. They wouldn't trust him, especially after this, so why bother?


When the stacks of pancakes came, Musashi drowned the things in sugary syrup. He licked his lips; at least the syrup would be marvelous. Lilith only lightly coated the cakes with syrup. She wasn't a big fan of overly sweet things, unlike a young child who was currently running through Central Plaza and heading straight for the diner. Naga was fast, but not as fast as a sugar-high eight-year-old, and Drake had barreled into the window of the diner before Naga could catch him. Maybe he should have told the kid to eat the ice cream, after they got back to the hideout. Fortunately, the window slowed Drake down just enough for Naga to catch him and make sure he wouldn't run off again. On the downside, there were two very familiar faces on the other side of the window. "Uh, Drake? I think we should uh....get out of here. Like, now."

Musashi smiled at Lilith until he heard something bang against the window next to him. He turned his head to see a small boy rubbing his head. His eyes narrowed when he also spotted Naga. "Lilith, stay inside." he said, storming outside. "You have a lot of nerve, coming here." he growled, glaring at Naga. Lilith sighed. Of course something like this would happen. Couldn't they just have one day where something didn't go horribly wrong?
Before Naga could say anything, Drake wriggled out of his hold and hopped over toward Musashi. "Hi what's your name you're funny-lookin why's your hair green are those real swords are you a ninja or somethin' what-mmph-" Drake's sugar-induced question was cut off as Naga put his hand over the kid's mouth. Drake's mumbling sounded like he was still trying to speak, though. Naga started to speak several times, but couldn't seem to find the right words. "Look," he finally sighed. "I was trying to avoid anybody getting hurt. I didn't know Zee was going to.....I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from somebody like me, but sorry about your dojo or whatever." Naga was silent for a few moments, something rare for him. "Is June okay?"

Musashi stared at the boy, who seemed to be firing off questions faster than he could even register them. He glared at Naga. "June is fine, in fact if it weren't for her we'd all be..." he didn't finish the sentence. "Look, you turned your back on us. You joined the enemies and you plan to aid in only making this world's problems worse. I think it's best if you just...leave."
"I'm just trying to protect my daughter. If I leave, Zee will kill you. If you go looking for him, he'll kill you. This whole situation is bad, but I am not helping him. All I want is for June to be safe, to not have to hide anymore." Naga sighed, turning away. "For the record, I could still help you. Being on the inside and all. But since you're so eager for me to leave, I'll be happy to oblige." he shrugged. The kid smiled, looking up at Musashi as though he was looking for something specific. "Hey is that your girlfriend in there your aura's all funny-lookin' and hers looks kinda the same you should tell her how you feel 'cause then your aura'll look a lot better and-" Drake was again. Musashi's face went red with both embarrassment from what Drake had said, and anger at Naga. "We could have stood up to them. We could have fought them, Naga; but instead you walked away with them and they did as they pleased. We have fought against things more fearsome than these revolutionaries, and as soon as my home is rebuilt I will go after them, once more. I won't stand by and let them have their way; you make your own choices in life, Naga."

"You can't fight them." Naga insisted. "My brother and that other guy aren't the only ones you'd be up against. You try to take them on, you'll get yourself killed. You get yourself killed, where will that leave my daughter?" he sighed, again starting to walk off. "You can't win every fight, Musashi. This is one I suggest you stay out of."

"I can't just sit by and do nothing! If I do nothing while they tear this world apart it makes me no better than them." Musashi replied, growling. He glared at Naga. How could he be so selfish and stubborn? Nothing mattered to him unless he felt June would be safe. "So tell me, what am I supposed to do if not fight?"

"Is that really all there is, to you? Fighting?" Naga shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "You think you're so strong, but there's always somebody out there who's stronger, and believe me, Zee's one of them. You're outnumbered and outpowered. What good would you be doing the world, if you were dead?"

Lilith sighed and finally stomped out of the diner. Frustrated in part because Naga was there, but also because he had interrupted her date. "What are you doing here?" she said, crossing her arms. "Just leaving." Naga said, walking off one final time. "My offer still stands, by the way." he said, without turning around. Musashi grunted in reply to Naga. He turned to Lilith and sighed. "Why does he always have to grate on my nerves." he said, running his fingers through his hair. "I think we should..move on to something different, for now." he said to Lilith, hoping this date wasn't completely ruined. "He's just doing what he thinks is best for his daughter, I suppose." Lilith sighed. Things had been rough the last few weeks. Life hadn't exactly been going all that great. For the first time in a while, both of them seemed happy. Couldn't just one day go by, where something didn't happen and they could just have some fun? "Oh, forget about him." she said, with a tired smile. "How about a movie, or something?"



When evening came around, Musashi and Lilith returned from their date. "So, how'd it go?" CT asked Musashi, grinning. "Shut up is how it went." Musashi replied, both of their faces bright red from moments they would probably never share, except for Lilith telling Soto. Musashi sat down on the couch, sighing deeply. "I don't know what to do anymore, CT."

CT groaned in frustration. "For the love of.....can you forget about them and just enjoy a day out, for once?" he sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Look, you have no idea where those people are, and neither of you are in any shape to face them, anyway. I'm doing what I can to help you rebuild your dojo, but until then, stop worrying and just relax. You can't tell me you didn't have fun, today." he said, gesturing at Lilith.

Lilith blushed slightly, which quickly faded as her glance turned to June and Mavra, who apparently had gotten in trouble for burning dolls and were now currently sticking pins in them. One of them looked like her, which didn't help her fear Mavra any less. "I um...I'm gonna...go shower...get this makeup off...so uh...yeah..." she said, heading back to her guest bedroom, never daring to turn her back to Mavra.

Musashi took note of the pleasant grin on Mavra's face as Lilith left. When the girls left he looked at CT. "You know, we really should sit down and have a talk about your daughter. The voodoo doll, and last time she came over I caught her taking photos of me through the window." Indeed, it seemed that CT's daughter, Mavra, had set her sights on Musashi since around the first time she saw him. Since then, she'd taken pictures of him, stuck around him, and done several things to get at Lilith's nerves. CT originally just shrugged it off as a child's crush, but it had been a few years now. CT sighed. "I've already told her no more Voodoo. Isn't that right, Mavra?" Mavra shrugged. "Whatever."

"See? Nothing to worry about. She's just a child, she'll grow out of it. Now stop worrying about things and just relax."

Musashi groaned. "I'm tired of people saying that. Everyone keeps saying relax, relax. How can I not worry?" he sat down on the couch. "I went on the date with Lilith. What more must I do, barge in on her shower?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I had in mind. Not like you would, anyway. You're too chicken." CT smirked, straightening his jacket. "Or you could just stay here with Mavra. I'm sure she would just love the company." he gestured to June and Mavra, who had moved from Voodoo and were currently flipping through the pages of what looked like some sort of generic spellbook.

Musashi perked up, glaring at CT. "What did you just say?"

"I said Mav would love your company. Unless of course you meant how you're too chicken to do anything more with Lilith. I pity the girl, she will have to do everything."

"I am not chicken!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." CT grinned.

"I'll show you who's chicken!" Musashi shouted, his face flushed as he stormed into the bathroom, joining a pleasantly surprised Lilith.


CT sighed, again straightening his jacket. Good, everybody seemed distracted. He headed down to his lab, startling Porter and his assistant. "What are you doing, here? Thought you were helping Musashi and Lilith." Porter stated. "Lasciel is taking care of things, at the moment. Right now I could use a favor. The people that attacked the station and the dojo...they couldn't have just disappeared." CT said.

"How are we supposed to find them? And why?"

"They're in my city, damn it. They attacked me and my friends. Nobody starts something with me, without finishing it. Check traffic cameras and security feed from the surrounding areas, starting from the time they attacked the dojo. There's no way they could have avoided being caught by something."
"CT, I'm a scientist, not a hacker. I can't just-"

"Then find somebody who bloody can!" CT shouted, slamming a fist into the wall. He took a deep breath, trying to relax. "Find them. Whatever it takes." he growled.



Only a few hours had passed since Naga left, with Drake. Eos had used Confuse Ray on Zee before, as a way to keep him from hurting the others or himself. It generally seemed to keep him somewhat stable, at least for some time. Zee had hired her to keep the others in line, not him, and it was when he snapped out of his confusion that things started to get ugly.
Naga knew his brother was prone to violent outbursts, but surely he wouldn't hit Eos or the kid, right? He returned to find the place relatively unscathed, save for one or two things that may have been thrown or simply knocked over. Naga and Eos had a history, one that involved more sarcastic banter than friendship, but he seemed...worried, about her. "Dammit..." he muttered under his breath. Drake had already run off, bouncing off the walls from the sugar high still in effect. Zee and Eos weren't in their respective rooms, bringing that worried feeling back. Why was he worried about her? They hated each other. He shouldn't care what happens to an enemy, right? Naga sighed, opening the door to the shambled room designated to him. The whole building wasn't exactly luxurious, but the rooms were tiny, had no window, and only a pallet for a bed. "Oh, great. A room even smaller than my apartment. Didn't think that was possible." he mumbled, shutting the door. From behind it a set of arms grabbed him, one hand covering his mouth and a voice telling him to "Shush."

"Eos, I'm flattered, but you're not really my type." he said, jerking away. Eos groaned. "Oh, shut up. Figured in your room is the last place Ziggy would think I'd be." she said, flopping down on the dingy mat. "Oh, well I take that back. Now I'm just hurt." Naga said, sitting next to her. His expression quickly changed from snark to concern, as he finally got a good look at her. "Hey...." he said, moving her hair back from her face, revealing a black eye and several bruises. "That's not cool. I swear, when I get my claws on him-" Eos batted Naga's hand away, scoffing. "Oh, please. You, worried about me? Since when?"

"Hey, give me some credit. I may be an assassin for hire, but I have standards."

 

Days went by, Musashi and Lilith had gone back to the wreckage of the dojo. Th two tried to salvage whatever they could. Musashi sighed as he looked at the majority of their belongings too far damaged by the flood to properly be salvaged. "Seems about half of our items got washed away by the wave." he said softly, mourning the loss of his first dojo. He caressed the signboard that used to sit outside, now unreadable and warped by the water. Lilith wrapped her arms around Musashi. "It'll be alright, we can rebuild. We'll make new memories in our new home." she said, trying to comfort him. "Right, what truly matters is we move on and rebuild." Musashi agreed.


"I've already got people working. Supplies, builders; we've done what we could while you were all recovering." CT said, when the two got back to Castelia. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have...other matters, to attend to." he continued, straightening his jacket and leaving. "So, what have you got?" CT said, entering Porter's lab. "Not much." Porter replied. "Aurora was able to get footage from security feeds and follow Hysminai up to Castelia, but eventually cameras in surrounding areas went blank. I've sent some people to check the areas, but turned up nothing."

"Blast! He's toying with us." CT growled. "Isn't that giving him a little too much credit? Hysminai's always been more about brawn than brain." Porter piped in. "He's not stupid either, and he's not alone. They flooded the dojo to send a message, and now he's taunting us. Is that all you've got, Dr. Porter?"

"No." Porter sighed. "As you're aware, there have been minor cases of arson and theft throughout the city. We didn't think much of it, since Hysminai is usually a lot flashier and tends to do more damage. We looked at the security feed from buildings and surrounding buildings, though, and they all seem to have shut off, just before anything happened. Not destroyed, shut off. It's a bit of a stretch, but if this is Hysminai's group, they either have somebody on the inside working with them, or a Psychic."

"You're right. That is a stretch. It's all we've got, though. He's not stupid, but he's not one to think ahead, either. He's been caught by security, before. He's a show-off. He usually wants to get caught. This time, he's being careful. Taunting us. Somebody else is pulling the strings."

"What about Naga? He's a lot smarter about not getting caught."
"Naga is an assassin for hire. A damn good one, too, as I have employed him on a few occasions. He kills for money, not for sport. He's a lot smarter and a lot sneakier, but he's not the sort of person to join that little rebel group, just for fun." CT stood quiet for a moment. "What?" Porter asked.

"Maybe we're following the wrong person."

CT returned to everyone, Musashi taking him to the side. "Something's not right." he said. "I saw Naga, he was with a small child. Whatever's going on with the other side, I sense dissension. I don't think whoever's planning this all, wasn't counting on solidarity. I think if we can find the cracks in their unity we can beat this revolution. Did you find anything out?"

CT blinked, both in surprise and frustration. "You didn't feel the need to tell me you saw him, sooner?" he growled, in a slightly frustrated tone that was just loud enough for Lilith and Lash to notice the conversation. CT rubbed at his forehead, lowering his tone so that Lash wouldn't feel the need to butt in. She didn't know he had been tracking them, and he didn't particularly want her to find out. "I've had Porter and his assistant tracking security cameras throughout the area. Hysminai is usually a lot more careless, but there's been no trace of him. We're working under the theory he might have a psychic. On the flip-side, if you saw Naga, that means I'm right."

"Right about what?"

"Naga wants to get caught." CT sighed, heavily. "His motivations are unclear, but it's obvious he wants us to find him. He's either leading us into a trap, or genuinely wishes to help."

"He sure seemed eager to join them. I'm guessing trap."
"He joined them, to avoid conflict. He's protecting us, to protect his daughter. What if he's helping?"

"What if he's not?"

"Then that leaves us with two options. Option one: We assume he's leading us into a trap, we ignore him, turns out he's trying to help and we miss our shot. Option two: We assume he's not leading us into a trap and instead helping, find him, and get ambushed."

Musashi sighed. "So what option do we take?"

"You take the option that gets your dojo fixed. The sooner you're all out of here, the better. For me, not you. God, all I wanted was a little peace and quiet..." CT mumbled, trailing off. He caught himself and sighed, straightening his jacket. "Where did you see Naga, and when? You tend to your home. Porter and I can track Naga and decide what to do."

Musashi sighed, hating the idea of taking a backseat to all of this. "I saw him in town, near the cafe. He might appear there again if he wants to be spotted." he said, walking over to Lilith. "We should figure out how and when to rebuild. That's our top priority for now."

CT glanced at Musashi and Lilith, sighing. Why did they always have to get themselves dragged into this sort of situation? Really, did the universe just have something against them, personally? All CT wanted was to go one day without something chaotic happening.

"CT's...crew..." Lilith started, unsure of what to call the people CT had sent out to the Moor. "Have been working on things. They've cleaned the place up, but without any blueprints, there's not much left for them to do. I mean...things could be different. June is staying with us. Soto could come back, from Sinnoh. We don't need a mansion, but it couldn't hurt to have an extra room or two." she said, rolling her shoulders in a shrug. "And I feel like we're imposing, here. The sooner we start, the better." she said, not really wanting to let on that the real reason she wanted to leave, was simply because CT made her uncomfortable.
Musashi sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair. He looked from Lilith to CT and the others. Every fiber in his warrior being told him he should be going after Naga and all of those revolutionaries, but his duties to his dojo, and more importantly his friends, lay with rebuilding. He looked at Lilith's face, seeing how uncomfortable she is. He knew she wouldn't feel safe and happy until the dojo was rebuilt, the first home in her memories she's known. "Well.." he tousled his hair. "We should rebuild our home, if anything it will boost everyone's moods. Besides, what good is preventing a war if we don't have a home waiting for us?" He smiled at Lilith, taking her hand as they headed out.



Things at Zee's place were no less confusing. Naga had still been taking Drake out, being sure to pass by any cameras. He had been doing this on a daily basis, and Eos was beginning to notice. When he returned home that day, Eos was waiting for him, in his room.
"Geez! Why do people do that? Does it make them feel more villainy or something?" Naga said, after turning the light on and finding Eos facing him. "It's for dramatic effect." she shrugged, with a light grin. She still had bruises around her face, some fresher than others. Naga grimaced. She had still been covering for him, and Zee was taking it out on her. "I told you that you didn't have to keep covering for me." Eos rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "That isn't why you're here, though." Naga said, folding his arms. "Indeed, not. You've been reckless. You're smarter than that. You didn't get on Unova's Most Wanted list, by wandering around in the open." she said, mimicking Naga's posture, and folding her arms. Naga said nothing. "You want to get caught. Why?" Naga remained silent. "Dammit, Naga! You can't keep playing this game! Zee isn't stupid, he's going to figure it out sooner or later. I don't know what you're planning, but I'm already involved. You might as well tell me."

Eos had been a rival for years, but not exactly an enemy. She was working for Zee, but she had also covered for Naga, to the point of taking physical abuse. Naga didn't like that, one bit. Why was she even helping him? He didn't ask her to. Naga sighed. "Can I trust you?"

"After everything I've done? I haven't tattled, yet. What makes you think I will, now?"

"Why are you helping me?"

"I don't like your brother. I want to see him burn, in Hell. The only reason I'm being cooperative, is because you obviously have some little plot up your sleeves."

"I don't wear sleeves." Naga smirked. Eos rolled her eyes, her expression clearly reading impatience, but a tiny curve to her mouth indicating she might have been holding back a smile. "You're a master of deception, Eos. You didn't get where you are, by being honest. And let's face it, we haven't exactly been on the same team, in the past."
"So, whose team are you on?"

"Whatever team keeps my daughter safe."


There was someone else noticing Naga's behavior, besides Eos. Showing a surprising amount of stealth, Randy stood outside Naga's door. He knew it, someone was wanting to blow their cover. As much as he should have hated that, Naga would be the perfect lead to bring them all to him. Randy cared nothing for "the plan", all he cared about was getting to destroy all those bastards. He smiled, deciding Zee didn't need to know about all of this, before slithering away from the room.

Eos blinked, a brief change of expression flashed by. Evidently, she didn't realize that Naga's daughter had been his motivation, throughout this whole thing. Or that he even had a daughter. "That doesn't tell me anything." she said. "God, Naga. You can't expect me to help, if I don't even know what you're planning or whose side you're on!" Naga stood quietly, for a moment, considering what to say. "You're right. I can't expect you to help. I never asked you to, in the first place. You chose to help me, based on a gut feeling, I presume. So, honest answer? I'm not on Ziggy's side. I'm not on anybody's side. I'm not for this revolution bullshit. I'm not against it. It doesn't matter what happens, to me. I'll get by just fine, however this turns out. But this isn't about me. I'll do whatever it takes, to keep my daughter safe and out of this conflict. That said, what does your gut say about me, now?"

Eos sighed. Naga had always seemed immature and childish, when they crossed paths. This was a side of him she hadn't seen, before. "It tells me that you're dangerous. That if I don't side with you, I'm considered an enemy."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Why?"

"Because Ziggy's logic is flawed, but not entirely wrong. There are human groups out there, just like this one. Humans that want to hurt us, just because we're different. They're a hate group. They could hurt my daughter, along with countless other kids and innocent people. Currently, this group is no different. Under Ziggy's leadership, all they'd do is attack and destroy, causing more people to fear and hate us and causing more human hate groups to form."

"What's your point?"

"These people aren't bad. Hell, even the kid is just following Ziggy's orders. He doesn't know any better. Ziggy wants people to fear us. To take over. I just want to have a beer with friends, without getting stared at like I'm a freak. With Ziggy gone, this group of hybrids could be something different. Something better. People don't fear us, they fear what we can do. What we have done."

"And with Ziggy gone, the group has no home, no sense of order. They scatter, some may do worse things than what Ziggy demanded." Eos said, unsure of Naga's point.

"Didn't say they wouldn't have anybody. They just need somebody who doesn't want to destroy everything in a hostile takeover. Somebody who won't make things worse. Somebody who's calm under pressure, who thinks this whole thing is childish and just wants it to end."

"So this whole thing is like a mutiny, so you can take your brother's place?" Eos scoffed, folding her arms.

"Hell, no. I'm not a leader. I can't even keep a goldfish alive, more than a week. What would I do, with a building full of unstable hybrids? I was thinking somebody more like you."

Eos blinked. "Naga...I can't....you can't just..." she fumbled, trying to find words. Naga held a hand up, stopping her. "You asked what I was planning. You don't have to do it. But like you said, without somebody to guide them, they can make things worse. Just think about it. For them." he said, reaching behind Eos to grab his helmet. Neither of them said a word more, as he headed back out, this time without Drake. If Eos had begun to notice, than maybe others likely had, as well. The last thing he wanted to do was drag the kid into this. He stopped just outside of the doorway, facing her one last time. "Daryl, by the way. My name is Daryl. 'Naga' is for business." And with that, he left once more.

Randy watched Naga leave Eos in the room. He wanted to mutiny, did he? How interesting. Randy would expect nothing less but a fight between the brothers, a bloody one. This kind of sneaking around was usually something that made Randy sick to his stomach. However, something popped into his head: an idea. A terrible idea. A terribly awful wonderfully twisted idea. A toothy smile split Randy's face as he went to find Drake. "Hey, boy." Randy grunted, hating speaking too much, and he hated children even more so. "Someone out there wants to hurt your..uncle or whatever you call him. They also want to hurt Zee. How about we go protect him, hm?" Drake's metaphorical ears perked up, as he looked up at Randy. "They do? Who?!" he shouted, hopping up and down like a kitten, playing with its siblings. "I'll show 'em a thing'r two! Nobody hurts my uncle and...not-dad! Where are they?!" he continued shouting.


CT had checked back with Porter. Aurora had once again checked security footage, this time in the area that Musashi had said Naga had been in. The security cameras had shown glimpses of Naga, over the past couple of days. "Guess you were right." Porter mumbled, quietly. CT stayed silent, narrowing his eyes as if thinking. "Check the Central Plaza cameras." he said. The cafe in question was at the edge of Central Plaza. There had been a couple of real-time cameras placed in the area, for tourism purposes. People visiting Castelia could stand in front of the cameras, and wave to their friends or family, back home. Aurora checked the webpage for Central Plaza, looking specifically for the cameras. "What are you looking for?" Porter asked. "The security footage all show the same time. It's about that time, right now. If there's a camera facing close enough to that cafe, we may spot him." CT clarified. "If he is, then what?" Porter asked. CT closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "It's either a trap, or he's helping." Porter chimed. "I know that." CT growled. Porter just slightly held both hands up in a defensive gesture. "Okay, okay. Just saying."

Aurora finally found the camera that was facing the diner. Naga was there, same time as he had been on security footage. CT slammed a fist down on the desk, though not as hard as he could have. "Blast it all. I've already been dragged into this, might as well go for it." Porter blinked. "So, uh...you're gonna go meet the assassin who's working with a group of people that could easily kick your ass, unsure of his intentions?"

"Yes. And you're coming with me."

Porter sighed. "Well, I've lived a good life."

 

Naga waited by the cafe, as usual. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't catch on. You used to be a smart guy, but clearly you're showing your age." he said, with a snarky grin. CT held a fist up, ready to smack that smug grin off Naga's face, but Porter quickly interrupted. "Truce! I call a truce, until we know what's going on, here." CT snarled. He didn't like it, but it was likely for the better, anyway. "Alright, alright. Truce. You're such a bummer, you know that?" Naga said, crossing his arms. "The point, Mr. Finnley. You were obviously leading us here. Why?"

"Well, that was pretty straightforward. Had Snow White over there not called a truce, I would've had a snarky comeback. Seeing as that's not the case, might as well be just as forward. I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not setting you up. I'm also not entirely on your side, so don't go thinking I've gone all soft and turned into the good guy. Because I haven't."

"Arceus, do you ever stop talking about yourself?" CT groaned. "As a matter of fact, no. And it is very difficult not to break the truce, mind you, so gimme some credit for trying. So. Business." Naga finally said, as he leaned against the wall of the cafe. "I come in peace. Honest. What I told Mu-Mu? I was being sincere. You can't just walk in there and put the beat-down on my brother. No, way. Not only is he crazy strong, he's got other crazy strong peeps backing him up."

"So what is the point of all this? Why did you want me here?" CT sighed.

"Because I need your help. I want to bring that son of a bitch down-"
"Aren't you brothers? 'Cause I think you just insulted your own mother." Porter chimed in. "Hey, I'm the sarcasm guy, around here!" Naga said, sounding sincerely disappointed that Porter got some snark in, before he could. "Children, focus." CT growled. "Right, right. Ziggy's gotta go bye-bye. I can't take him out, alone. You guys can't take him out, unprepared. I'm on the inside. I can help you get ready for a fight, if you give me a chance. And believe me. If I know my brother, he's coming after you, one way or another."

CT thought in silence, for a while. Trust the assassin whose brother is trying to kill them, or walk away and possibly get everybody hurt or killed in a fight they weren't prepared for?
"So, what's it gonna be?"


"It's going to be a good fight." the baritone voice of Randy spoke up. Randy stepped out of the shadows, grinning at CT. His eyes flared with intensity as he built up his energy. "It's going to be bloodshed, it's going to be mayhem, it's going to be...fun." The grin, awkward on Randy's usually angry face, remained as he looked behind him. "Hey, boy!" he called out. "See these two men, here? They're the ones I told you about. Give them no mercy."

"Arceus dammit, Randy!" Naga shouted, not particularly in the mood for snark. "You had to bring the kid into this?!"

"You....bastard!" CT snarled. "You bloody bastard! You set us up!" Naga turned back to face CT. "I didn't! The asshole must've followed me!" CT didn't give him a chance to explain, any further, before shooting him down with a Dragon Pulse. "I'm getting too blasted soft!" he growled. Drake ran up to Porter, eager for a fight. Porter stopped him by placing his hand on the kid's head, holding him back, Drake flailing madly. "You're kidding, right? A kid? I'm not fighting a kid!" Porter insisted. "I'll show you kid!" Drake exclaimed, his hands beginning to glow purple and dripping with toxin. He slammed a Poison Jab into Porter, sending him stumbling back, at which point he could get enough distance to hit him with a Zen Headbutt. "Okay..." Porter said, stumbling. "The kid's got fight. But I'm still not hitting him!"

CT got ready to launch an attack at Randy, but Naga quickly intercepted with a Stone Edge, placed in between Randy and CT. "I get it! You're pissed, at me! Fine. Okay. How about we all just go home? Go out for ice cream? Take a walk in the park? Anything?"
"Fuck your park!" Randy shouted, blasting a powerful water current, blasting apart the piece of stone. "You did good, Naga; lead me right to these guys. This is going to be easy to crush them now, and no one will stop this war." The odd grin grew wider on Randy as his other hand glowed purple with his own Dragon Pulse. "I forgot, Blackstone. I owed you something. Here, catch!" he shouted, launching the orb at CT.


"I didn't-" Naga started to say, but was caught in the blast of water and sent sliding back. Being mostly human, the water didn't weaken him as much as it would had he been fully Pokémon, but as it was, he was still Fire type and it was still water. "Damn it, Randy!" he growled, trying to keep his balance.

CT tried to dodge the oncoming Dragon Pulse, but dammit all, Naga was right. CT's age was catching up with him, and he wasn't quite as agile as he used to be. The powerful blast of energy slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. He didn't have any effective moves against a Gyarados, but dammit, he would try. He stumbled to his feet, getting a Dark Pulse ready to launch at Randy. That Dragon Pulse left him weak, and it was an effort to stand, let alone attack Randy. "Bastard." he growled, quietly. "Your anger will get the better of you, one of these days." he snarled, launching a weak Dark Pulse.
"Anger?" Randy charged forward, through the Dragon Pulse. His right hand glowed with an icy power. "Far from it, I'm feeling a rush!" he grabbed CT by the neck, frost forming on his pale skin. "You want to speak of me about getting the better? Am I not the one getting the better of you? You're such a poor loser Blackstone, and I'll gladly take you to your grave while you try to lecture me on my emotions."

Porter, meanwhile, was still trying to dodge an angry kid. "Come on, kid! I don't want to hurt anybody!" he insisted, dodging another of Drake's Poison Jabs. "Randy said you did! He said you wanted to hurt my uncle and dad!"

"Dad?" Porter blinked, unaware the kid was technically adopted. Drake used the moment to catch Porter off guard, and landed a blazing kick in his stomach, sending Porter falling back. "That'll teach you!" Drake snorted.


"Ngh..." CT struggled to get free from Randy's icy grip, but he was weak, and the frost forming around him wasn't helping. His body grew colder, limper, and he was unable to fight back. "Hang in there, CT! I'm-gah!" Porter shouted, trying to avoid another of Drake's fiery kicks. "Kid, come on! I'm a friend, here!" he insisted, still refusing to fight back.

"That's it!" Naga growled. "I've had just about enough of you, Fish Boy!" he yelled, sending another Stone Edge hurtling toward Randy, knocking CT out of his grip and sending Randy to the pavement. "And stay down!" he turned to Drake, who stopped his assault on Porter long enough to catch what had happened to Randy. "Kid, enough. We're going home, before this asshole wakes up. Got it?" Drake shook his head and stood next to Naga, while Porter helped CT to his feet.

"I know you don't trust me. Especially after this. I'm no hero, but I'm not your enemy. Not this time. Ziggy's hiding in an abandoned apartment complex, across from Cafe Sonata. He's gonna be pissed when we get back, and he's gonna come after you, regardless of whether you attack first." Naga sighed, glancing at Randy. "He's not gonna stay down, for long. Get out of here before he wakes up, and get ready for a fight...because it's gonna be a big one."

 

Musashi stared at CT, an eyebrow raised. "What in Arceus' name happened to you?" he asked. "Don't tell me you went to attack Zee while I was with your crew rebuilding my dojo! Damn it CT, you shouldn't head out without me. If we want to beat them we should all go together for a better chance." he said in a scolding tone, mostly angry he was left out.

"No, I was not looking for a fight." CT quickly snapped, back. "I was meeting Naga, where you said he was, last time. Said he was on our side." CT sighed. "Bastard lead Randy right to us, and ambushed us."

"So, how did you get away?" Lasciel said, as she draped a warm towel over CT's shoulders. "Naga....knocked Randy out," CT cringed. "But that doesn't mean anything! He also told us where they were hiding, so it was most likely just to lead us into another trap!" Lash gently leaned on CT's shoulders, her expression curious. "So what was the point of attacking you, at all? Wouldn't it have worked just as well, had Naga lead you to believe he was on your side, and still told you where to go? And why would he have knocked out a teammate, especially Randy?"

CT grumbled, still too weak to try and rationalize everything that had gone on. "I don't know. Whether he's on our side or not, right now, it's a matter of waiting for them to attack and catch us off guard, or seeking them out, and catching them off guard. Regardless, we're in for a fight whether we want it or not, and they're strong. Stronger than just Musashi and I can handle. We'll need all the help we can get, taking these bastards out."


Musahsi stood up, preparing his swords. "All right, then. Any able bodied fighters we can muster up we will need. Let's ready everyone, I have a feeling our final battle is coming very soon. The question is..who strikes first?"
"You're not actually going after them, are you?" Lash pouted, still leaning on CT. "What choice do we have? Strike at them in their home, or wait for them to come to us?" he grumbled, still somewhat weak from Randy's attacks. "Well, then." Lash stated. "I'm going, with you. Nicky can keep an eye on Malcolm and the girls." she insisted. CT sighed, clearly displeased. "Alright, then."

"Wait, just like that? No argument saying I should stay home and stay safe?" Lash smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Dear, I learned a long time ago, not to argue with you." CT quickly shot back. Lash replied with a toothy grin. Lilith stood back, took a deep breath, and sighed. "I'm going, too. I'm not the best fighter, but I can't let just the three of you do this, while I sit back and wait." Musashi looked at Lilith. Unlike CT, Musashi had not learned about how one does not argue with tough women. "Lilith, no. I need you to stay here and be safe. We can handle it." he said. The last thing Musashi wanted was to have Lilith in danger and worry about her.

Lilith crossed her arms and said sternly; "I'm not going to just stay behind doing nothing but worry, about you. I'm going with you." she insisted. "Right, then." CT stated, standing up and straightening his jacket. "Best be on our way."

"Shouldn't we tell Nick?" Lash asked. "Oh, just leave a note. 'Went out to fight a war. Take care of the kids and be in bed, early. Be back soon, Mom and Dad.'" CT snarked. "Lasciel, you know he'll want to tag along. I'm not going to put our son in that kind of danger. Porter is only a phonecall away, should he need anything. Now, enough chitchat. Let's just get this over with."

"Then we have nothing more to do." Musashi said, grimacing at losing his argument with Lilith. He swore when she gave that look, all protests were lost. "Let's get going. Sooner we get there, sooner we find out if it's a trap or not. Either way, we take them down."



Much later, Randy groaned as he got back up. His grin was replaced by a heated glare. "Naga...you are a dead man!" he snarled as he stormed back to the headquarters.

"Not as dead as you are!" Zee snarled, as Randy stormed in, delivering a fiery punch at him before he could turn toward Zee. "He would have lead them straight to us!" Zee yelled, throwing another fist at Randy. Sure, he was at a major type disadvantage, but Zee was too angry to care. "You think I didn't know?!" he continued to shout. "I'm not a fucking idiot, Randy! What part of 'patience' do you continue to fail to get through your thick skull?!" he continued to shout, still taking his anger out, on Randy.

"You blew it, Randy! You totally fucking blew it!" he shouted, finally walking away from Randy. "They were right where I wanted them, and you just had to go and do things, yourself! Now they know we're coming, and what to expect! You think I brought my brother here, because I thought he was actually competent? Of course he'd pull some kind of stunt, and they would have just been gift wrapped and brought to our door, had you not intervened! Now guess what? They're waiting for us to attack! You know what that means? Of course you don't. It means they plan on catching us, off guard!" Zee continued his rant, which was loud enough that Naga could hear it, from his room. Ziggy knew? Then that meant...

"I've been a pawn, in this whole game... Dammit!" Naga growled, slamming a fist into the wall. But what, now? He could lie, to Zee. Say he was bringing them, to him. He could go find the others, and hope they trusted he was on their side. Neither side was likely to believe him. "Dammit...." Naga sighed. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

Randy stood up, he was still groggy from Naga's attack and then felt Zee's angry assault. His own eyes glowed with rage as he moved up close to Zee, looking down at him. "You listen here, monkey boy! Don't harness any delusions you're my boss! I do as I please whenever I please." he shoved Zee back, growling. "I don't like sitting around when I can make the first move. I strike, and I strike hard. If Naga didn't hit me from behind, Blackstone would be dead right now while you sit around doing jack crap. You want to take them down? Then let's go take them down, but know I won't take any crap from anyone, not even you." he stormed off. "So unless your next words are 'Randy, we go and finish this now', I'm going to my room."

"If you hadn't gone storming over there, they wouldn't have been any wiser! You attacked Blackstone, and now they know what's coming!" Zee yelled back at Randy. "No, you're not going anywhere. This ends, now!" Zee pointed toward Naga's room. "And unless my brother wants to get himself killed with everybody else, he's gonna help." he shouted, loud enough for Naga to hear.
Randy glared at Zee. "I bet they're coming, now. Naga told them where we are. Their preparation means nothing; we will crush them." he said, looking outside.
"Just a matter of time -"

"-Before this is over" Musashi said.

 

"That's the plan." Zee added. "I can help!" a voice squeaked, from behind them. "I'll show them to mess with us!" Drake said, punching at the air. "Kid, you'll just...get in the way. You stay here, along with everybody else who'd just hold us back." Zee insisted. Drake pouted. "But..."

"Stay. Here. Randy and I can handle 'em. Naga and Eos will help, unless they want to get killed, themselves." Zee continued, more sternly, as he glanced over at the both of them. "But I can-" Drake started, but was quickly interrupted. "Go to you room!" Zee shouted. Drake grumbled and walked away. "Arceus-damned kids..." Zee sighed. "Alright. Let's get this over with. You, with me." He said, pointing at Naga. "Eos, Randy." he pointed at the other two. "If either of you get out of line, I swear Randy and I will rip your damn spines out. Understood?"

"Needlessly graphic, but your point has been taken and noted." Eos said, holding her head high, in a snobby expression. "Please, you're my brother. I wouldn't turn my back on you." Naga scoffed. Sarcasm was clearly read, but Zee rolled his eyes and ignored it. "Okay, we'll meet them outside. No sense in collateral damage."
"Oh, look. He's finally growing a heart." Naga snarked. "Heart? Hell, no. I was talking about the building." Zee quipped back, as he headed outside to wait for the others.


"..Can't believe they were here, the whole time..." CT grumbled. "In my city! Nobody attacks me, in my city!" he continued. Lash patted him on the shoulder, as he continued his rant. "Um, shouldn't we...um...be focused on..y'know....battle strategy? Or something?" Lilith piped in, afraid of upsetting CT even more.

"He's just having a little fit, dear." Lash replied. "Don't worry, he'll get over it in time. I hope."

"Not much strategy to think of." Musashi said. "We go in, we fight. We should try and aim for Zee and Randy, first. If Naga truly is on our side, we won't need to take him out. Try and avoid Zee's fire and Randy's ice and water."


They reached the headquarters, Randy waiting outside with his arms crossed. "Back for more already, Blackstone? You should learn not to bite off more than you can chew."

"Need I remind you of the beating you received during our first encounter, Randall." CT said through his teeth, one eyebrow raised. "You caught me off guard, once. It will not happen, again." Randy glared at CT. "It's Randy..not...Randall."

"Too bad neither of you will get a chance at a re-match. These two are mine." Zee said, charging toward CT and Musashi, Naga hesitantly following. "With you out of the way, my plans will go a hell of a lot smoother!" he growled, swiping both fists at CT, both glowing a bright blue. Naga focused his attention Musashi. "I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen." he said as fire formed around his wrists.
Musashi drew his swords, facing off with Naga. "You know, I had a feeling we would face each other again. I can't afford to lose here, so I'm going to have to strike you down."

"I don't want either of us to go down." Naga replied, the fire around his hands growing brighter. "Don't hold back." he said, throwing the flames at Musashi. Musashi fanned the flames away with his swords, leering at Naga. "Well, this won't end until one of us falls, and it won't be me." he said as he launched a flurry of Air Slashes at him.


Lilith and Lasciel looked at each other, turned their attention to Randy and Eos, and grinned. "You can handle the big guy, right?" Lash said, in a casual tone. "Pff, he's nothing." Lilith said, mockingly stretching. "Right, then. I'll take Miss Smug, over here." Lash replied, facing Eos. "You know for a couple of girls, you've both got some balls." Eos smirked, her eyes beginning to glow a bright, haunting shade of purple.

Lasciel easily managed Eos' Extrasensory, and countered by stomping a foot on the ground, creating a rumble and crack heading straight for Eos. Eos wasn't a fast mover, and couldn't avoid the rumbling earth beneath her. "Earthquake. Nice. How well do you fight, when you're confused?" she grinned, her eyes this time flashing a bright yellow, Lasciel's eyes mimicking it, as the confusion set in.

Randy looked at Lilith. "You're it? Musashi's little girlfriend? This is so sad I can almost cry." he cracked his knuckled. "How about I give you one chance to run away before I bash in that pretty face." Lilith put one hand on her hip and scoffed at Randy. "Sad? Far from it, dragon boy. Oh, wait. You're not a dragon. What was Gyarados, again? Oh, that's right." she grinned as electricity formed around her hand. "Water and Flying. Let's see how you like some zappy zappy!" she said, as she swung her electricity-coated fist at Randy.

Randy glared sternly, at Lilith. He stepped to the side, grabbing her by the wrist. The electricity from the punch channeled into him, seeming phased a bit from it's power. "You call this an attack? Welcome to the big leagues, little girl." he channeled his water energy into his other hand, launching a Waterfall punch at Lilith.


Zee was still swiping his fists at CT, both still covered in a Dragon-like energy. CT managed to dodge a couple swipes, but the last two finally hit. "Such a weak move." CT growled, a bright blue orb forming in his hand. "You can easily take me down in one hit. What's holding you back?" he snarled, throwing the Dragon Pulse at Zee, who easily dodged it. "I want it to be slow." he smirked. "Painful. I want to see you suffer." CT scoffed, forming another Dragon Pulse. "Well, good luck with that. I've been known to be rather stubborn."


Naga crossed his arms, stones beginning to swirl in a crisscross pattern, shielding him from most of the Air Slashes. "You sound so confident, Mu-Mu. Here, catch!" Naga shouted, launching the Stone Edge at Musashi. Cursing, Musashi dodged out of the way of the Stone Edge, launching more Air Slashes at him. "Stop calling me Mu-Mu! I'm confident because I can't afford to lose!" he shouted.

Zee continued to hit CT with Dual Chops, gradually weakening him to the point where he was starting to shake and barely stand up straight. "You won't win this war." CT panted, trying to muster another Dragon Pulse, but the orb flickered, weakly. "Even if you kill us, there are others even stronger." he continued. "Stronger?" Zee smirked. "I have no doubt. Thing is, they're not as stupid as you. They won't get in my way." Zee leaned in closer to CT, his smirk growing wider. "Do you know why Elvis called me Hysminai?" he started, his fists shifting from bright blue, to a glowing orange. "They're spirits of combat." he finished, launching a final Close Combat attack at CT, sending him stumbling against the alley wall.


Lasciel was having a more difficult time, dealing with Eos' confusion attacks. She tried hitting Eos with another Earthquake, but missed. "Aw, too bad." Eos said, with a fake pout. "How about I just stand still?" she said, watching Lash try and fail once again, to hit her with an Earthquake. "Oh, and that was so close!" Eos said, with false enthusiasm. "Okay, okay. My turn." she grinned, as she launched a bright green orb of energy, toward Lash.


Lilith fell to her knees from Randy's attack, more startled from the Water attack, than actually hurt. She looked up at him, fear clearly showing in her eyes. Apparently snark didn't work, for everybody. A different tactic, then. She stood back to her feet, and launched a series of Shadow Balls at Randy, hoping to either lower his defenses or simply to distract him, as she got another Thunder Punch ready.
Randy batted at the Shadow Balls, glaring furiously. "What are you doing? Rabbit punching me!? Who let you come here to fight, little girl?" his aura grew, snarling at Lilith. "Fight me for real! Your life depends on it! Give me a real battle!"

Lilith glared a Randy, the final Shadow Ball fading away and shifting into a crackling orb of electricity. "Wish granted." Lilith said through gritted teeth, and she slammed her fist into Randy. Eos took notice, and quickly turned the aim of her Energy Ball from Lasciel to Randy, sucker punching him.

Randy glared at Lilith when she punched him. The electricity stung him, but he was stronger than Liltih. "That's it? A lightning attack and this is it!?" he charged up energy for a powerful Hydro Pump, seething with rage as he ignored the pain of the lightning. Then something green came at him. He glanced to see Eos' Energy Ball zooming at him. "You have got to be shitting me!" he shouted before being blasted with the ball, stumbling. "You..call that..a hit!? I...will kill you!" he said. However, after speaking, he fell to the ground like a tree.

"Son of a bitch!" Zee snarled, whirling his head toward Randy's side of the battle. "SON OF A BITCH!" he growled, trying not to show panic. He turned back to his side. CT wasn't going to be attacking anymore, but the others could be a problem. "I warned you." Zee growled, throwing a Rock Slide in Musashi and Naga's direction. He continued one attack after another, and soon flames began to swirl around the falling boulders, as he furiously threw Flamethrowers among the Rock Slides. "I warned you both about what would happen, if you tried fighting me. You're not going to win this. I will kill you!"

Musashi panicked as he dodged the Rock Slide attack from Zee, getting clipped in the shoulder. He winced as a wave of flames hit him, the top of his outfit burning up. Fearful, he whipped the flaming top off and tossed it to the ground.

Naga also took hits from both rocks and flame. He was resistant to the fire, but the rocks were enough to send him stumbling back. "Dammit, Ziggy...enough!" he growled, apparently going unheard. Zee casually walked through flames that spread across the alleyway, more flames coated his arms as he shoved them aside as though they were burning curtains.

The flames flickered away from his arms, as a swirl of boulders began circling overhead. Something stopped him from sending the Rock Slide crashing down onto Musashi, at point-blank. He hesitated. He looked like he was....blushing? It was just enough time for Lilith to turn her attention from Randy to Zee, hitting Zee in the back with a Shadow Ball. Zee quickly turned his Rock Slide toward her, knocking her back.
"Bitch!" he growled, sending down another Rock Slide before Lilith could get back up. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and held her against the wall. Being a Ghost type, Close Combat likely wouldn't have any effect. His other fist glowed a bright blue once again. Dual Chop wouldn't do much damage, but it wouldn't take much to finish her off. Lilith, barely conscious, winced as Zee's fist came hurtling toward her.

But there was no impact.

A clawed hand, glowing with bright white energy, was holding Zee's fist back. There was no hesitation. There was no monologue about how they were brothers and the fighting should end, and that Naga didn't want to hurt Zee. There was only a loud crunch of bones shattering beneath Naga's crushing claws, and his brother yelling out in pain. Still gripping onto Zee's hand, Naga whirled him away from Lilith and to the concrete.

"You hurt me, fine. You attack these people? Alright. Sucks, but not my problem. But you had to threaten my daughter, take your anger out on Eos, and now you attack Lilith?" Naga growled, as Zee scrambled to get back to his feet. He tried to throw his other fist at Naga, but was clearly woozy from the pain of his broken hand. Naga whirled past Zee's attack, and sent him back to the ground with a hard punch to the head. "It's over, Ziggy. You've lost."

Musashi seethed with rage when he saw Zee hurting Lilith. What surprised him was not the blush, but Naga actually beating him to Zee. He held his blade at Zee's throat. "You're lucky that taking your life would make me unable to forgive myself, or I would cut you to shreds for laying a hand on Lilith." he snarled. "Naga...get this bastard out of my sight, please." he said, putting his swords away as he went over to Lilith. "Are you ok?" he asked her, looking worried. "I'm...I'm okay...I think.." Lilith said, stumbling. The hard-hitting attacks made her weak and woozy. "I'll be alright. How's CT?"

"Only thing terribly damaged, is my pride." CT grumbled, as Lasciel and Eos helped him to his feet. "Would have helped sooner, but somebody hit me with a Confuse Ray." Lasciel said, eyes narrowed at Eos. "Oh, don't be so sore. Had I continued to allow you to keep up your little Earthquakes, I wouldn't have been able to take Randy down." Lash scoffed. "I could've taken him." Eos smirked. "You were at a terrible disadvantage."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Lash said, having CT lean mostly on her as Eos stood next to Naga. Naga faced the others. "Yeah, yeah. Glad everybody's okay, but Ziggy's not going anywhere. You're still on his turf, and he's still got allies inside. He's my brother. I'll deal with him. Hopefully trust isn't an issue anymore, so trust me. I don't think anybody else will be coming after you, but for now, the best thing is for you to just go back home. You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over."

CT glanced at Musashi and Lilith, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, for Arceus sake." he mumbled, and pushed Musashi closer toward Lilith. Musahsi's face turned scarlet, as his lips met Lilith's. He pulled away, seeing her face matched his in redness. Clearing his throat he stood up, helping Lilith stand. "Naga has a point, let's get out of here. For now, we're safe, but there's still much to do."

 

Months more had passed since the events with the rebels. The war was far from over, and there were smaller rebel groups, but the threat Zee posed was no longer an issue. Eos had taken over the group of hybrids and no longer ran rebellions. It was more of a shelter, now, a safe place for them to go when there was nowhere else to turn. Drake remained with Eos for the time being, although Randy and the two brothers had not been heard from, since.

Things had still been busy, with CT. After the face-off against Ziggy, CT decided it would be best to retire from battling and stay strictly a businessman. He still faced problems involving the revolution, but with the more dangerous rebels out of the way, things were going a lot smoother. In particular, finishing Musashi's new dojo. There were a couple of extra rooms this time, to accommodate the other hybrids staying there, June still being one of them.


"Not bad, Mu-Mu." a voice rang, the person letting himself in. "Y'know. For some building in the middle of a freaking swamp."

"Dad!" June shouted, upon hearing her father. She ran up to him and the two shared a tight hug. "Hey, Junebug. You been keeping everybody here out of trouble?" Naga smiled, June's expression similar. "Mostly." she grinned.

Musashi narrowed his eyes as the visitor let himself in. "Naga, I was wondering if you'd ever come here again. Also, stop calling me Mu-Mu." he said gruffly. There were bags under his eyes, looking like he had not slept well in days. "It's good you've come, things have been hectic for..well..a month or so now."

"You know, I don't think I have ever heard those words in reference, to me. Usually when I show up, people want me gone. Or just start hitting me with their purses." Naga looked at Musashi. "Sheesh, I haven't seen anybody look that bad since...well....probably me, when my ex was pregnant with June."

"Speaking of..." Lilith piped in from behind Musashi, her tail swooshing back and forth.

"Oh. Uh...well, then. I'll just...leave you two alone. My niece is helping Eos out and her and June haven't seen each other in a while." Naga said, walking June out of the door, who seemed excited to see her cousin again.


Musashi looked at Lilith, sighing. "Hm, I didn't think he'd run out so fast. Feels like a blessing. Oh, almost forgot." Musashi grabbed a bowl full of ice cream, handing it to Lilith. When she took it, smiling, Musashi touched the bump on her stomach. "I guess one blessing brings others." he smiled. "I just hope I'm ready for fatherhood."




~end~
Sorry the last chapter is so short. Didn't fit in with the previous one, and we had nothing more to add.