Chapter 41
After pulling into the station the night before, Abby had looked everywhere for Luke and with Kasai’s help, found him. However when they had been about to find him, he’d sent them a shaky mental message wishing to be left alone. While Abby was by no means happy with it, Kasai had suggested that it had been a long day AND she was giving birth the next day so instead they should head back to the hotel. Abby had relented but had vowed to go find him the next day.
Iris sighed as she looked down at the eager members of the Training Dragon club, specifically Gible and Bagon, who she was currently working at teaching Dragon Claw. “Alright,” she began. “The most important thing is to focus on what you want to do.”
Gible raised her stubby hand and Iris smiled. “Yes Gible?”
“Shouldn’t power be the most important thing?” she asked.
Iris shook her head. “You might think so, but no, see if you go at something with just pure power, you could end up getting hurt. But if you stay calm, and remain in control, then you’re a real force to be reckoned with.”
“Hah!” a loud voice erupted from the woods beside them, Axle’s large form walking into it, shaking his head from left to right. “That is true I suppose, but the REAL way to fight is to get incredibly angry and then FOCUS your anger into a blade sharp enough to cut down a mountain!”
Iris groaned. “What are you doing here? I’m in the middle of a lesson.”
“I was taking a stroll through the woods and I heard your voice and decided to investigate,” Axle replied. “And it’s a good thing I did! You’re teaching them rubbish! Did nothing I taught you get through!?”
“You taught me how to cut a rock,” Iris said. “And how to scream when I did it, the rest just kinda blended together into some kind of monologue.”
“A glorious monologue you mean,” Axle said before glancing down at the young dragons. “A champion she may be but she knows nothing of what it means to be a true dragon.”
“Hey! I’m the youngest Dragonmaster there’s ever been! I think I can help train a few kids without your help.”
Axle shook his head. “Bah, you would train them into being proper Munchlaxes at this rate,” he told her. “Being a true dragon is about living in the moment! Smashing your enemies against the rocks! Crushing them into pieces while focusing your blood rage into something constructive!”
Dratini eeped and hid behind her friends, the rest of whom were watching the exchange with baited breath.
“You know,” Iris said, tapping her chin. “I’m almost certain that’s the same attitude of every dragon that I had to calm down when they went on a rampage.” Inwardly, she wondered if her Dragonmaster abilities had carried over with her.
“Bah, incompetents,” Axle retorted, shaking his head. “A true dragon doesn’t let his anger control him! He controls his anger and lets it guide him on the path to his enemies’ destruction!”
“Uh huh,” Iris tapped her claws against her arm. “You do realize these are children we’re talking about right? I don’t think that’s the best way to teach them, at least at this age.”
“They might as well get used to it before they hit their second evolution,” Axle replied, shaking his head. “If they don’t, they might gut someone by accident, bah, I know I did, then again, that’s what I did so...”
“Yeah, see you start making a good point, then you say something like that which makes me think you’re probably not the kind of guy I should take advice from,” she thought for a second, then said. “Maybe I should ask Draco for help.”
Axle shook his head. “I spent the first half of my life fighting for it in a kill or be killed arena, I say violent things,” he told her with an annoyed snort. “As for Draco, bah, he’s not the type of dragon that they will be, he doesn’t really understand the blood rage that will be coursing through their veins like molten lava.”
“I still think you’re exaggerating,” Iris said. “My Haxorus never had that problem, and I don’t think Cynthia’s Garchomp ever did either.”
“Then a demonstration is in order, children, please step away,” Axle told them, glancing at the younger dragons.
“Okay,” they all said at once, running off until they were what they hoped would be a safe distance away.
“Wait... what?” Iris asked.
Before she could react, Axle was running at her, talons held high. “SCRATCH!” he roared, bringing his right claw up at an angle across her face.
Iris’ eyes widened and she fell backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. “What the hell!?” She shouted. Axle closed the distance between them again.
“SCRATCH!” he shouted again, this time his claws connecting and his claws scraping across her face before he leapt back.
“OW!” Iris held a claw to her face. “THAT HURT YOU ASS!!”
“THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” Axle roared back at her.
Iris felt her anger boiling inside, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself. He wants to fight... fine, but I’m not stooping to his level.
“False Swipe!” Iris shot forward towards Axel, he easily sidestepped her attack.
“SLOW!” he shouted in her ear as she rushed past, his tail darting out to trip her and sent her sprawling. “AND LIMP!”
Iris growled and pushed herself back up. She smirked at Axle. “Is that the best you can do?” She asked, hoping her Taunt would work.
“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WAS ON THE GROUND!” he replied, utterly unphased.
Iris sighed, he was smart, and obviously at least mostly in control, so even if her Dragon Taming power had carried over, it likely wouldn’t work. And there’s no way I can beat him head on...
Unfortunately for Iris, the opposing Haxorus didn’t give her time to plan before he made his next attack. With a mighty roar he charged forwards. “DRAGON TAIL!” he exclaimed, his tail sweeping in low and catching her in the stomach, sending her careening into a nearby tree. “FIGHT LIKE A DRAGON!”
Iris’ eyes snapped open. That was it. She was Champion Iris, Dragon Master, she faced threats like this without her team, she’d faced down Hydregions and Salamences in their rage and come out mostly unscathed. She. Would. Not. Be. Beaten.
“GUILLOTINE!” Her arms and blades glowed green as she shot forward towards Axle, roaring at the top of her lungs. Axle let out a loud, excited laugh.
“GUILLOTINE!” He roared in reply, charging towards her.
They met with a clash, to Iris’ surprise, it was the mighty one of blade on blade. Axle’s angry eyes stared into hers, angled as they were, before his body twisted and to her astonishment, she wound up face down in the mud.
“A DECENT ATTEMPT BUT YOU HAVE FAILED!” Axle roared down at her, several steps away. “BECAUSE YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE YOUR RAGE!”
Iris stood up and wiped off her face. “OH YEAH?! WELL...” Iris stopped herself and took another deep breath. “Nope, not going to insult you, good battle, you’re the victor, not surprising as I’ve only been like this for a few weeks, and thanks for the advice.” she finished with a not at all sincere smile.
Axle let out a long sigh. “You still don’t get it,” he said, sighing once more. “I pray that you’re never truly angry. Otherwise...” he trailed off and shook his head. “Very well, continue instructing the children, I’ll just go.” With that, the other Haxorus set off through the woods.
Iris sighed and shook her head. “Kids?” she looked over to where the little Dragons were hiding. “I... I think that’s it for today... why don’t you go see what Spike’s up to?”
The little ones nodded and ran off, leaving Iris alone as she slumped back against the tree Axle had smashed her into, her steely scales tearing the bark even more.
Closing her eyes, Iris began to hum a tune that the Dragon Trainers had taught her when she was young, she couldn’t remember the words anymore, but it was supposed to help calm Dragons.
Meanwhile, Axle stomped through the woods, occasionally decapitating some of the younger trees in his path. Fine, if she does not want to take the advice of a proper dragon with a life’s worth of experience, then FINE, he thought to himself. It isn’t as if I liked her in the first place. Bah. Scale color doesn’t mean anything to me, he continued, shaking his head and slicing a sapling in half. She’s going to get herself or someone else hurt when her rage overflows.
That last thought caused him to stop in mid-step.
And what business of mine is that? he thought brutishly. If she won’t listen then she’s not going to listen. He waited in silence for his mind to come up with an answer to that, as if he was talking to someone else but nothing came. Nothing but the thought of an Fraxure covered in blood standing on top of a pile of indistinct bodies.
A long sigh left his body and he closed his eyes for a long moment, letting a deep breath out through his nostrils before turning and walking back towards the clearing.
Iris was fondly reminiscing about the good old days when she heard crashing from the woods again, cracking open an eyelid, she saw Axle exit the treeline. Oh boy, she thought to herself. “What now?”
By way of answer, Axle sat down in front of her, a few feet separating them. For the moment, he said nothing.
Iris stared at him for a moment, then sighed. “What is it Axle?” She asked. “I can tell you have something you want to say to me, so lets hear it.”
Axle was silent for another moment before he looked into her eyes. “Iris, have you ever killed someone?” he asked her plainly, not a bit of rage in his voice.
Iris blinked once, then answered. “... No, even when those Plasma goons tried to take over the League a few years back, I always held my team... and myself, back.”
“I see,” Axle said, inclining his head ever so slightly. “Imagine for a moment that you couldn’t hold back. Would you have killed them?”
Iris closed her eyes and remembered, she remembered the criminals, poachers and their like, who she’d stopped over the years. The Haxorus remembered when Team Plasma had tried to conquer the world. She remembered.... Ghetsis.
“Y... yes,” she said, eyes still shut. “If I hadn’t... if I couldn’t hold back... I would have.”
Unseen, Axle nodded his head. “That’s what being a dragon is when you are truly angered,” he said, his rumbling voice echoed in her ears like an axe cutting through a stone. “If you don’t know how to control it, then it will take control of you and ride you until you are exhausted and covered in blood. Arceus save whoever was in your way.”
Iris shuddered. “But...” she began, she could have gone so many different ways. ‘But I’m not really a dragon,’ ‘But one of my best friends is a Fairy,’ ‘But I calm dragons for a living’. She didn’t say anything, Iris opened her eyes and looked at Axle who was staring intently at her. “How... how can I stop that from happening?”
“By learning how to control it,” Axle said simply. “There is no ‘stopping it’ for you. You’re a dragon Iris, and a Haxorus at that... one way or another you’re going to become so angry that the rest of the world turns crimson and you’ll need to be able to tell the difference between the shades.”
Iris pushed several horrifying mental images out of her mind. “Axle... I know I’ve been kind of... rude to you but... if you’re willing...” she hung her head. “I think I could use your help.”
“GREAT!” Axle shouted, leaping to his feet with surprising grace, his previously calm demeanor fading. “Then first we must draw out your rage! Feel its hot flow in your veins! Think of those you hate, think of Plasma who stole! Think of poachers who skinned! Think of Ghetsis! Think of all the hatred and anger you hold for these people!”
Iris closed her eyes and remembered. She remembered Dragon eggs smashed open by poachers and she recalled all of Team Plasma’s crimes, from their attempted conquest to what they did to Genesect. But most of all, she remembered Ghetsis, him and his team of monsters, how they had sought to corrupt and control the Great Dragons, she remembered everything he had done to N.
Her fists clenched and teeth gritted, Iris opened her eyes. She saw red.
“Good, and now we BEGIN!” Axle roared.
In Ponyville, the sound of snapping trees echoed through the air.
Solana and Lunick’s time in Equus had, thus far, been mostly uneventful. Aside from that fiasco in Manehattan a week ago, they hadn't done that much. They had tried to keep order in Ponyville, make sure everything went as smoothly as possible, but after Pinkie’s party that hadn’t really been necessary.
“So,” Solana began. “You have any ideas?”
Lunick sighed. “Well, I suppose we could try training some more, but I’m still dizzy from earlier.”
“I warned you not to spin so fast,” Minun said, smirking at Lunick.
“Yeah yeah,” the Hitmontop waved him off.
“Come on you guys,” Solana said. “There’s gotta be something we can do.”
“You have an idea?” Lunick asked.
The Medicham opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Um... not really no...” she sighed. “Usually we’d run into some kind of problem on patrol, but with everything that’s happened lately I guess things have kind of calmed down.”
Lunick chuckled. “Solana, I know you don’t like not being able to do anything... and neither do I honestly, but maybe we should enjoy this time while we can,” he smiled at her. “It’s not like it’ll last forever.”
Solana smiled softly and hugged her boyfriend. “Alright Luny, we’ll take it easy for a bit... but not to long.”
Lunick chuckled again and returned the embrace. “Agreed.”
“Aww, that’s adorable,” a new, yet strikingly familiar female voice said from beside them.
“Very cute,” an unfamiliar male one agreed with a chuckle.
Solana and Lunick broke their embrace and turned to see a familiar golden Arcanine and a heavily pregnant Ninetales standing nearby.
“Kasai!” Plusle and Minun cried.
Solana and Lunick looked at each other, then at the Ninetales. “Abby?”
“In the fur,” Abby replied with a grin.
“Hey you two,” Kasai added to Plusle and Minun.
The Electric types scampered over to Kasai and climbed up his prosthetic onto his back. “It’s good to see you,” Minun said with a grin.
Solana and Lunick, meanwhile, were still processing a few things. “Abby... it’s great to see you again,” Lunick said.
“You’re pregnant,” Solana stated bluntly.
“Yeah... sex kinda causes that,” Abby said, blushing for once as she leaned ever so slightly against Kasai.
“You mean you two... when did that happen?” Solana asked, dumbfounded.
“Well... remember how I kinda dropped off the grid for a year after... what happened to my parents?” Abby asked them with a small frown at the memory. “Well... I needed some emotional support and well... Kasai was there for me.”
“Ah,” Lunick said with a nod. “Alright... um,” he sighed. “Sorry, we’re still getting used to all of this.”
“That’s fine,” Abby replied, glancing at the pair of smaller Pokemon who were in the midst of a conversation. “I’m kinda getting used to it too... though that’s not actually why I tracked you two down. Though I’m still REALLY happy to see you both,” she added with a wide grin.
Solana smiled. “We’re glad to see you too Abby... how did you track us down anyways?”
“Well, I went to talk to Princess Celestia and she said that you were in Ponyville so I had a certain someone with an amazing nose track down Plusle and Minun,” Abby answered, chuckling as one of her tails flicked across Kasai’s nose.
“Princess Celestia huh?” Lunick asked curiously. “What’d you need to see her about?”
“Why setting up a new Ranger Union of course,” Abby answered with a vixen’s grin. “Which I got funding, a building, and staff for.”
Both Rangers stared at her in disbelief. “Really?” Solana asked, barely containing her excitement.
“Mhm,” Abby said, nodding her head, a grin firmly in place on her muzzle. “Along with our own jurisdiction, the only ones we have to actually report to is Celestia herself.”
Solana grinned. “And you’re going to need more Rangers right?” she asked hopefully.
“Oh no,” Abby answered, shaking her head, grinning ever so slightly. “I figured that me and Scarlet would be fine by ourselves, no reason that we’d need more, I just stopped by to tell you.”
Solana’s eyes narrowed at Abby. “Don’t you go playin’ games with me girl.”
Abby simply narrowed her eyes right back. “Why not, it’s so much fun.”
Lunick looked between the two in confusion. “Soo, is that a yes on the new Ranger gig?” he asked bluntly.
Abby glanced at him and chuckled. “Of course it’s a yes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I couldn’t seriously say no to my friends who also happen to be Top Rangers right?”
Solana smiled and pulled Abby into a hug. “Thank you,” she said gleefully before in exasperation adding. “Almost nothing ever happens in this town.”
Abby grinned and licked her cheek twice. “Well then mom will set you up with some assignments as soon as our building gets set up and our power structure gets solidified. Once that’s done it’ll be business as usual eh? Only this time with less Pokephilia Tauros shit.”
Solana and Lunick nodded. “I’m sure Gene and Belle will be happy to hear that,” Lunick noted.
“Oh, they are,” Abby agreed with a chuckle. “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to get over to them since I got back last night, that’ll probably be where Kasai and I go next.”
Solana blinked twice, then said. “You know them?”
“Yep, they’re two of our best friends actually,” Abby answered, grinning. “Kasai and I tracked them down a long time ago to test and see if they were the good kind of Pokephilist or the bad kind. We hit it off pretty well and we went out with them whenever Kasai and I really need to... blow off steam.”
Solana’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open as she struggled to find her words. “And you... but we... so then,” the Medicham shook her head and sighed. “You know looking back I feel like I should’ve realized something was up between you two.”
“We did!” Plusle and Minun shouted.
“So did pretty much anyone with a nose,” Kasai added with a light chuckle as he glanced up at the two electric types who had migrated to his head. “She smells like me all over.”
“So I’ve been told,” Abby said with a small chuckle. “Then again, you’re the one who kept licking me.”
“And you’re the one who always offered me such a lovely thing to lick,” Kasai replied with a toothy smirk.
“And that goes double for you,” Abby retorted, a sly smirk on her lips.
Lunick chuckled softly. “I have to admit, you two are adorable together.”
“Thanks!” Abby said with a grin. “I’m glad that you both think so, and that Twilight’s lecture got through to you. Though, speaking from experience, it’s not always as black and white as she seemed to think it was...”
“Yeah... we remembered that afterwards, but by that point we’d talked with Belle and Gene and...” Solana shrugged. “For someone who didn’t know the subject, she did make a good argument.”
“Mhm, she did,” Abby agreed, nodding her head. “Anyways, I’m just glad that you two aren’t trying to arrest us, heh.”
“That would have been... interesting,” Kasai added, baring his fangs ever so slightly.
Lunick smiled nervously. “Got it, not even if we tried,” he nodded to Kasai. “So moving on, besides the obvious, what have you two been up to?”
“Well, we were involved in a gang takedown in Las Pegasus,” Abby answered, frowning as she looked back. “Pretty big thing actually... Axle tore down a warehouse and they started a street war the next day... other than that, not much other then my getting brained by a brick thrown by an angry mob.”
“Ow,” Solana said, wincing. “You okay?”
“Arceus got rid of the concussion thankfully,” Abby answered, a troubled frown on her muzzle. “Still ended up in the hospital for the night...”
Kasai moved forwards and leaned against her. “And the babies were fine too,” he added before nuzzling her. “Still, if I ever see that mare...”
Lunick nodded, if anyone ever tried to hurt Solana... “Well, I’m glad to hear it,” he said with a smile.
Solana nodded. “So when are the eggs due anyway?”
“Roughly... six hours I think?” Abby asked, glancing at Kasai.
“Yes, that’s what Mew said more or less,” Kasai answered with a nod.
“Mew huh?” Lunick asked. “Man, used to be you were lucky to see one Legendary in your life, now it’s like they’re more common than Pidgeys.”
“Tell me about it,” Abby agreed, shaking her head. “I mean, Mew is midwifing for me of all things.”
“Wow,” Solana said, dumbfounded. “That’s... going to be an interesting story for the kids.”
“Heh, yeah, yeah it will,” Abby said as she leaned against Kasai and he nuzzled her.
“So, what have you four been up too?” Kasai asked, glancing up at Plusle and Minun, feeling bad that they’d been excluded from the conversation.
“Well, we wandered around for a few days when we first arrived,” Plusle said.
“Got to Ponyville just in time for Pinkie’s party,” Minun continued.
“These two tried to arrest Gene and Belle,” Plusle pointed at Solana and Lunick, who suddenly became very interested in the clouds.
“The most exciting thing that’s happened to us was when we went to Manehattan to track down some mysterious Pokemon, who turned out to be a human turned Zoroark who was helping the city by convincing the more territorial Pokemon to leave,” Minun said.
“It all ended when this crazy pony sicked a Volcarona on us!” Plusle shouted. “That battle was sooo awesome!”
“Wow! You guys fought a Volcarona?” Abby asked with wide eyes. “That’s awesome!”
“What happened with the crazy pony?” Kasai inquired curiously.
“The Volcarona blasted him out of the city,” Solana said. “Turns out she was upset because he kidnapped her baby.”
“And we weren’t going to get between that,” Lunick said with a shake of his head. “I’d prefer not to be incinerated, thank you.”
“Yeah if you were, then who would Sol have to cling too when she got scared?” Abby said with a chuckle.
Solana nodded, then realized what Abby had just said. “Hey! I don’t cling, I just... don’t want him to get hurt is all.”
“Abby’s much the same,” Kasai said, smirking down at her. “Whenever she gets nervous she just won’t get off of my side.”
“Hey!” Abby protested, taking a step away from him.
Solana smiled at the pair and laughed. “Aw Abby, that is so sweet,” she said with a smirk.
“Yeah yeah, least my sex is better,” Abby grunted sourly. “Actually, did you ever find that crazy pony? Sounds like a good person to arrest.”
“No, but Twilight had him put on the wanted list,” Solana said. “And he’s pretty high on it too, since he attacked a Princess.”
“Huh,” Kasai stated with a bemused frown. “Maybe once we get things started up you two can track him down...”
“I would love that,” Lunick admitted. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had a proper arrest mission.”
Solana nodded. “Yeah, Fiore is nice, but ever since the Go-Rock-Quads cleared out, things have been pretty peaceful, which is great, but it’ll be good to get back in the field.”
“I’ll tell mom about it when she’s drawing up our mission stuff,” Abby said, nodding her head. “She’s way better at that kinda thing then I am, plus she has seniority by a lot.”
Solana and Lunick nodded. “Sounds good to us,” Solana said with a grin.
“Great! If you want to talk more, stop by our room in the hotel, we’re on the fourth floor,” Abby told them with a smile. “We’re going to head over to Gene and Belle’s place if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Lunick said. “See you guys later.”
“Plusle, Minun, time to stop playing in Kasai’s mane,” Solana called.
“Aww!” The little Electric types jumped off the Arcanine and waved goodbye before running back over to Solana and Lunick.
“Bye you two!” Kasai told them with a grin, shaking out his mane and destroying all of the ‘work’ they’d done on it.
“Right then, see you four later,” Abby told them with a smile before nudging Kasai. “Come on, let’s go tell Gene and Belle the good news eh?”
“Yes, let’s,” Kasai agreed with a smile of his own.
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You have to get Abby to the hospital, quick. Her water 'll break in a few hours.
This reveals so much about both Dragon types and the reasoning behind why Axle acts the way he does.
I'm pretty sure this is definitely going to be one of my top five chapters of this story.
This was pretty good though now that they're in Ponyville to stay from the sound of it I'm guessing more crossovers with the main story are going to be more common!
5363788 she's a pokemon, it's different.
also, eggs, not live birth
See, this is symptomatic of not being in Ponyville long enough and also not realizing that you were a thing that happened in that town.
Go-Rock-Quads... Man, I had totally forgotten that all the Ranger villains had the stupidest names.
Good to see Sol and Luna again too
5364143 I know that, but just imagine the process.
I can't wait for Abby to lay her eggs
Can't wait for the eggs
5364707 they had the stupidest plans as well...
Parasprites, Ursa Minors, Bunny Stampedes, Discord, Pinkie Pie... You obviously haven't been in Ponyville long enough to see the crazy.
Yay, back in Ponyville! I'm glad Iris is willing to listen to Axel, hopefully they will follow the line, "In Learning you will teach, in teaching you will learn" and find a style that blends the best of both their views that works for everyone.
I wonder if Axle and Iris would pair up as a couple. Since they're both a Haxorus.
Wait, has Axle been flirting with Iris the whole time?